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Statistics showed that South China's Guangdong Province recorded the highest number of marriages nationwide, with 511,900 couples tying the knot in 2024, the only province to exceed half a million and rank first for a third consecutive year. The province registered 831,900 first-time marriages and 191,900 remarriages last year, according to the report. Since surpassing Central China's Henan Province in 2007 to become China's most populous province, Guangdong has remained its position as the nation's top province in terms of permanent resident population for 18 years in a row. The province has attracted large inflows of young migrants from across the country, many of whom are of marriageable age. It has also seen strong net inflows of college graduates from regions including Central and Southwest China, contributing to its higher volume of marriage registrations, said the report. The province of Henan ranked second with 471,300 marriage registrations in 2024. Southwest China's Sichuan, East China's Jiangsu and East China's Shandong each reported more than 350,000 marriage registrations, ranking third to fifth. The remaining top 10 provinces each registered between 200,000 and 300,000 couples last year, according to the report. 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Photograph: John Rudoff/Reuters The Trump administration is planning to revamp the leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to reports, as the government seeks to intensify its mass deportation efforts. Multiple news outlets have reported that the government intends to reassign multiple directors of ICE field offices in the coming days, potentially replacing them with border patrol officials. It comes as the government is falling well short of its targets on immigration. Earlier this year, Stephen Miller Donald Trumps deputy chief of staff set ICE a target of arresting 3,000 people every day. But as of late September, the agency on average was arresting 1,178 daily, NBC reported. The New York Times reported that the proposed changes stem from the White House becoming frustrated at the pace of deportations, which now lags behind Trumps goal of removing 1 million immigrants in his first year in office. The administration is seeking to replace at least a dozen directors of ICE field offices, NBC reported. The move would represent a major shake-up, given ICE only has 25 field offices across the country. Officials told NBC that several of the ICE directors would be replaced by border patrol agents. The border patrol has been criticized after conducting aggressive, large-scale arrests in Chicago and Los Angeles. The agency typically primarily operates along the US borders with Mexico and Canada. In August, border patrol agents jumped out of a rental truck and raided a Home Depot parking lot in LA, arresting more than a dozen people. Earlier in October, a border patrol agent shot a woman five times in Chicago. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the woman, a US citizen, drove into a border patrol vehicle. The DHS, which oversees ICE and the border patrol, said in a statement: This is one team, one fight We have no personnel changes to announce right now but we remain laser focused on results and we will deliver. Gmail users have been warned about a huge attack that appears to have left as many as 183 million email accounts insecure. The data leaked online includes not only the email accounts themselves but the passwords believed to be associated with those logins. The breach could allow hackers entry not only to email accounts but all of the other logins that depend on Gmail. The breach occurred in April of this year but was recently noted by Have I Been Pwned, a website that tracks data breaches so that users can be alerted to them. The data came from a much broader hack that was aggregated from across the internet, according to Troy Hunt, who runs the website. Users are able to check whether their emails and passwords are part of the attack or any other tracked data breaches by using that website. In all, the website has tracked 917 breached websites and more than 15 billion accounts. If a users account has been compromised, or might have been, then there are a series of relatively simple recommended actions. Users are advised to change their Gmail password as well as setting up two-factor authentication. Two-step authentication adds an extra layer of security to an account so that even a hacker who has stolen a users password would not be able to get access with that alone. Unlike some other systems, Google uses a host of different second challenges, and says that its tools will choose the one that is most likely to keep hijackers out of an account. Prince William threatened to remove the titles of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie unless they pressured their father Prince Andrew to move out of Royal Lodge, it has been claimed. BBC broadcaster Emily Maitlis, who carried out the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Andrew, claimed the Prince of Wales may have met with the princesses last week. Their parents, Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, are understood to have finally agreed to move out of Royal Lodge, the 30-room mansion they have shared since 2008, amid criticism of their ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. The divorced couple have already given up their Duke and Duchess of York titles. Speaking on The News Agents podcast, Maitlis said: There was a question over whether there had been, earlier in the day, a meeting between Prince William and the princesses, Beatrice and Eugenie, saying you guys have to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge otherwise we will start re-examining the state of your own titles. They are at the moment allowed to be princesses, but there was a bit of pressure, we understand, being put on the princesses to say this is going to happen. Obviously you can see why Andrew as a father would want to keep their daughters happy and keep their titles in place come what may. Sarah Ferguson with her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire) What we learned what was going to happen on Thursday was that [King} Charles, fresh from the Vatican and his audience with the Pope, was going to come via Royal Lodge to be seen in other words reading the riot act to his brother. The King is reported to have cancelled the meeting. There has been no confirmation of a meeting between William and Beatrice and Eugenie. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment. It comes after Andrew reportedly welcomed Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein to Royal Lodge. The disgraced royal, 65, allegedly hosted the trio at the Grade II-listed mansion in Windsor, Berkshire for Beatrices 18th birthday two decades ago. The invite was extended two months after an arrest warrant had been issued in the United States for Epstein for sexually assaulting a minor. Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for recruiting teenage girls to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein (PA) The revelations comesas Andew faces intense pressure to vacate the 30-room country home amid the continuing furore over his past relationship with Epstein and outcry over his peppercorn rent on the property. According to the BBC, Epstein was arrested by police in Florida eight days following the celebratory event in Windsor Castle on July 15, 2006. It is understood that Epstein who died in custody while awaiting trial for trafficking and conspiracy charges in 2019 aged 66 visited Royal Lodge before the masked ball, alongside Maxwell, 66, and Weinstein, 73. The following year, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Weinstein is imprisoned in New York after being convicted of sexual assault in New York and Los Angeles (Getty Images) In 2019, Andrew told Newsnight he wasnt aware that Epstein was a wanted man two months before the party. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence in Texas for recruiting teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, her then boyfriend. Meanwhile, Weinstein is imprisoned in New York after being convicted of sexual assault in New York and Los Angeles, but has secured a retrial on some of his convictions. Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have reportedly agreed to leave Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire (Roland Hoskins) Earlier this month, Andrew announced he would relinquish his remaining royal honours, including his Duke of York title. But Buckingham Palace is said to be cranking up the pressure to try to get Andrew to vacate Royal Lodge, for which he has a private tenancy with the Crown Estate. Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, 66, have reportedly agreed to leave Royal Lodge but are demanding Frogmore and Adelaide cottages in return. In 2003, Andrew took on the lease for Royal Lodge from the Queen Mother and spent 7.5million on renovations, although indignation has mounted in recent weeks over his minimal rental payments. A flooded village in the low-lying island nation of Kiribati. The UN secretary general says Indigenous communities must be better represented at Cop climate summits. Photograph: Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty Images Humanity has failed to limit global heating to 1.5C and must change course immediately, the secretary general of the UN has warned. In his only interview before next months Cop30 climate summit, Antonio Guterres acknowledged it is now inevitable that humanity will overshoot the target in the Paris climate agreement, with devastating consequences for the world. He urged the leaders who will gather in the Brazilian rainforest city of Belem to realise that the longer they delay cutting emissions, the greater the danger of passing catastrophic tipping points in the Amazon, the Arctic and the oceans. Lets recognise our failure, he told the Guardian and Amazon-based news organisation Sumauma. The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5C in the next few years. And that going above 1.5C has devastating consequences. Some of these devastating consequences are tipping points, be it in the Amazon, be it in Greenland, or western Antarctica or the coral reefs. He said the priority at Cop30 was to shift direction: It is absolutely indispensable to change course in order to make sure that the overshoot is as short as possible and as low in intensity as possible to avoid tipping points like the Amazon. We dont want to see the Amazon as a savannah. But that is a real risk if we dont change course and if we dont make a dramatic decrease of emissions as soon as possible. The planets past 10 years have been the hottest in recorded history. Despite growing scientific alarm at the speed of global temperature increases caused by the burning of fossil fuels oil, coal and gas the secretary general said government commitments have come up short. Fewer than a third of the worlds nations (62 out of 197) have sent in their climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris agreement. The US under Donald Trump has abandoned the process. Europe has promised but so far failed to deliver. China, the worlds biggest emitter, has been accused of undercommitting. Guterres said the lack of NDC ambition means the Paris goal of 1.5C will be breached, at least temporarily: From those [NDCs] received until now, there is an expectation of a reduction of emissions of 10%. We would need 60% [to stay within 1.5C]. So overshooting is now inevitable. He did not give up on the target though, and said it may still be possible to temporarily overshoot and then bring temperatures down in time to return to 1.5C by the end of the century, but this would require a change of direction at and beyond Cop30. He called for governments to rebalance representation at Cops so that civil society groups, particularly from Indigenous communities, will have a greater presence and influence than people paid by corporations. We all know what the lobbyists want, he said. Its to increase their profits, with the price being paid by humankind. He said a transition away from fossil fuels was a matter of economic self-interest, because it was clear that the era of fossil fuels was coming to an end: We are seeing a renewables revolution and the transition will inevitably accelerate and there will be no way in which humankind will be able to use all the oil and gas already discovered, he said. Asked if he had raised this with the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose government has just given the green light for oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon, he said: Not yet. Ill take advantage of the Cop [to do this]. One of Brazils initiatives at Cop30 will be the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, which aims to raise $125bn for the protection of standing forests. A fifth of any money disbursed will go directly to Indigenous communities, whose territories contain most of the best-preserved biodiversity and most effective carbon sinks. On several occasions, Guterres stressed the essential importance of Indigenous voices at Cop30. The UN said this was the first time the secretary general had given an exclusive interview to a journalist from an Indigenous community, Waja Xipai, a Sumauma reporter from the Xipai people who was joined by the Guardian. It is fundamental to invest in those who are the best guardians of nature. And the best guardians of nature are precisely the Indigenous communities, Guterres said. World leaders should also be schooled by Indigenous peoples in how to achieve a balance with nature, the secretary general said. Political leaders are often more concerned with the day-to-day problems of society, especially at times when the economic situation is complex and aggravated by climate change, by disasters, by catastrophes. So sometimes there is no notion of the importance of a harmonious relationship with nature and therefore it is necessary to permanently maintain a pedagogy with the political leaders, and there is no one better than the Indigenous communities to do this pedagogy, he said Despite growing pressure on the Cop system of global environmental governance, Guterres said it played a crucial role. The alternative is a free-for-all, he said. And we know what free for all means. Free for all means that there will be a small privileged elite, people and companies that will be able to always protect themselves, even if disasters will spread. Floods will spread, communities will be destroyed, but there will always be a group of rich people and rich companies that will be able to protect themselves as the planet is being progressively destroyed. Next year will be Guterress last as secretary general. Looking back on his nine years in the post, he said he wished he had focused on climate and nature earlier, though it was now a priority. He said: I will never give up on my commitment to climate action, on my commitment to biodiversity, on my commitment to the protection of nature, on my commitment to help and support all the democratic movements that around the world are fighting and fighting hard to preserve the most precious possession that we have, which is our mother nature. Hadush Kebatu was wrongly freed from Chelmsford jail, but his case is one of many such errors across the country - CPS Four other prisoners have been released in error from jails over the past seven days. Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian, was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford in Essex on Friday instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. The migrant sex offender, who had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, travelled to London where he was arrested on Sunday morning in Finsbury Park after a two-day manhunt. The incident has prompted an independent inquiry to find out what went wrong and a prison officer has been suspended. Credit: Metropolitan Police Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said more incidents had taken place in the past week and that prison service leaders had known about mistaken releases being a regular occurrence for the past year. Mr Fairhurst said mistaken releases were made from HMP Pentonville in north London, HMP Durham, the Mount prison in Hertfordshire, and from Reading Crown Court. It is understood four prisoners were released by mistake and all but one of them have been returned to custody. No prison officers have been suspended over the other releases, Mr Fairhurst said. According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025 a 128 per cent increase on 115 in the previous 12 months. Mr Fairhurst blamed lack of staff training and the increased complexity of calculations to determine release dates, which were changed to tackle jail overcrowding. It is a confusing time for everyone, he said. Asked about Kebatus accidental release, Mr Fairhurst told the BBC: Somewhere along the line there has been a mistake, from the paperwork being processed in an offender management unit, to the two management checks that were carried out before that release, to the discharge process. Somewhere on that paperwork, its been missed that we should have held this person in reception until the immigration service picked him up for deportation. Kebatu was set for deportation under an early removals scheme (ERS) for foreign national offenders, but was released in what appears to have been in human error, David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, told MPs on Monday. He also confirmed stronger release checks would come into force immediately to try to stop similar mistakes happening again, while Mr Fairhurst said the POA will not accept any scapegoating of staff over Kebatus mistaken release. The POA is supporting the prison officer, who the union believes has been unfairly suspended. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. As well as building more prison places and reforming sentencing, we have introduced mandatory, stronger prisoner release checks to keep our streets safe and protect the public. The Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has announced an independent investigation to determine how Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday 24 October. The investigation, chaired by Dame Lynne Owens, will establish the full facts of the incident and look at the serious issue of releases in error across the prison estate. Three Chagossians are seeking to challenge Sir Keir Starmers government agreement to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius - Mark Thomas Labour made unlawful decisions over its controversial Chagos surrender, the High Court has been told. Three Chagossians are seeking to challenge Sir Keir Starmers Government over alleged failings, including not consulting the islanders about a right to abode on the archipelago. The Prime Minister provoked a backlash after announcing plans to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a deal that would involve leasing back a crucial military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years. The agreement was signed after a last-minute High Court challenge by one of the Chagossians, Bertrice Pompe, was dismissed. It had delayed the signing by several hours. The agreement has not yet been ratified as it requires approval by Parliament. At a hearing on Tuesday, lawyers for the three Chagossians, Ms Pompe, Misley Mandarin and Michel Mandarin, asked a judge for the green light to proceed with a legal challenge against the Government for failures to adequately and lawfully consult with the Chagossian people about their interests, including the right to live on the archipelago. The Government is opposing the bid, with its lawyers claiming that the challenge is a collateral attack on an international agreement. Misley Mandarin (right) and Michel Mandarin (left) are leading the legal challenge against the Government over its alleged Chagos failures - Hiba Kola/REUTERS In written submissions, Philip Rule KC, for the Chagossians, said that the Foreign Office had made unlawful decisions or omissions, including failing to adequately and lawfully consult Chagossians about rights of abode, resettlement, or territorial interests. The department also allegedly failed to acknowledge, accept and treat the existence of the Chagossian people... as an ethnic race of peoples, and to permit the Chagossian people a right to self-determination. Mr Rule said that there was an expectation of consultation on matters including resettlement on the islands, stating in court that there was a reckless disregard for the Chagossian interests, and that the claim should be allowed to proceed. The barrister continued in written submissions that the claimants are seeking the quashing of decisions and actions taken unlawfully by the defendant in relation to matters affecting the Chagossian people and their interests. Kieron Beal KC, for the Foreign Office, told the court in written submissions that the Chagos Islands, a British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), is not, and has never been, part of the UK. He continued that from 1971, people living on the largest island, Diego Garcia, were removed to the outer islands and then either left or were evacuated to the Seychelles or Mauritius. In 1971, it became unlawful for a person to enter or remain in the BIOT without a permit. Mr Beal said that the Government had expressed its sincere regret about the manner in which Chagossians were removed and from time to time had considered whether to support or allow resettlement, but decided in 2016 it would not support or permit any programme of resettlement. The barrister also said that no Chagossian has ever had a right of abode in the BIOT, and said in court that the question of whether to give Chagossians a right to abode or right to resettlement was necessarily now a matter for Mauritius. He said the measures sought by the claimants would amount to a collateral attack on an international agreement, which would compel the Government to exercise prerogative powers of treaty-making and international relations in a particular way, contrary to all authority and principle. Mrs Justice Stacey will hand down her ruling at a later date. After the hearing, Stuart Luke, director of law firm Luke and Bridger, which represents Ms Pompe, said she will continue to fight for her and her communitys rights. Legislation to formally hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was supported by MPs earlier this month, with the Diego Garcia military base and the British Indian Ocean Territory Bill set to be scrutinised in the House of Lords at a later date. Julia Wandelt claims she may have been held captive with the missing girl A Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann has stated she may have been held captive with the missing girl, even if shes not actually her. Julia Wandelt, 24, told Leicester Crown Court that memories of an abusive past meant there was always a chance she was kept with Madeleine and other girls. It is the first time she has suggested this could be her possible connection to the McCanns, after alluding to suffering flashbacks in her evidence to jurors earlier this week. Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, is accused of peddling the myth she is Madeleine, while stalking Kate and Gerry McCann by sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at their address between June 2022 and February this year. The British girl disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007 in what is now one of the most high-profile international missing person cases. Giving evidence for the second day on Tuesday, Ms Wandelt insisted she had only contacted the family to try and help them find Madeleine. She also said she was ashamed of accepting more than 800 from her supporters to help her case because she knows what it looks like. Ms Wandelt said she wanted to speak to Mrs McCann to explain all the pieces of evidence and the memories she had. Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 - PA/PA She said she did this by calling and leaving a voicemail every time she had a new memory, hoping it would prove to her she was her daughter. If I wasnt Madeleine.,. there was always a chance I was held with her if I wasnt her, she said, describing memories of being held with other girls. I can remember certain faces, some names and what the place looked like. The court previously heard that flashbacks of childhood memories were uncovered during hypnosis sessions with a therapist. The Polish national insisted these were genuine memories and, despite earlier saying she was willing to accept what she had been told by police, added she could not deny them if they were true. Ms Wandelt said she thought the possibility of her being Madeleine would be worth any potential disappointment to the McCanns if she was not. If you compare false hope and potential truth coming out Im not a mother but I have younger siblings, she said. If my sister or brother went missing, I would do everything if I had a little hope. A court sketch showing Julia Wandelt at Leicester Magistrates Court - Elizabeth Cook/PA Elsewhere in her evidence, the court heard she initially started raising funds to pay for a lie detector test, but then put the money towards her legal fees. She said she now felt bad for receiving a total of around 4,000 Polish zoty (826) after friends told her to ask her supporters for help. I am ashamed of this because I know how it looks, she said. Ms Wandelt would go on to make up to 60 phone calls a day to Mrs McCann after finding her number on the Portuguese website dedicated to finding Madeleine. She told Tom Price KC, her barrister, that she would have respected her decision and left her alone if she had called her back. Matters came to a head on December 7 last year, when Ms Wandelt and Karen Spragg, her co-defendant, visited the McCann house and came face-to-face with them for the first time. Ms Wandelt became emotional as she recounted the interaction which ended with Gerry McCann telling her: Julia, I think you need help, you are not Madeleine. Ms Wandelt and Ms Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road in Caerau, Cardiff, deny stalking. The trial continues. 03:07pm Court adjourned Thanks for following our live coverage of todays proceedings. The hearing will resume at 10am tomorrow. 03:02pm Full transcript of Wandelts letter to Kate McCann Jurors heard about the alleged stalkers letter to Madeleines mother claiming she had memories and evidence she was the missing girl earlier this month. The letter, sent the day after they met on December 7 last year, explained that Wandelt felt she had a close connection to Kate McCann. She said: I think you are scared, but whatever makes you scared, just remember that you are stronger than that. Yesterday, I heard a lot of care and love in your voice. I believe and I hope that you will find a way to contact me. 02:52pm Wandelt signed off letter with lots of love, Madeleine Tom Price KC, Julia Wandelts lawyer, has read the court a letter in which the alleged stalker addressed Kate McCann as mum. Mr Price added that the Polish national told Kate McCann she was her daughter and wanted to know the truth about her background. She wrote: Dear mum Kate, Im so sorry for causing you so much distress. Wandelt continued: All I want is to find out the truth. I have memories and I have gathered a lot of evidences supporting my case. I think that inside your heart you believe and know who I am, and I am your daughter. She signed the letter off by saying: Yesterday, I heard a lot of care and love in your voice, I believe and hope you will find a way to contact me, lots of love, Madeleine. 02:09pm Court resumes Jurors have returned to their seats and proceedings are back underway. Wandelt is expected to be cross-examined by prosecutors later this afternoon. 01:51pm What we have learnt so far Julia Wandelt has talked jurors through her version of events with her lawyer Tom Price KC this morning. A number of key details were revealed: Wandelt told the court she was ashamed she received more than 800 in donations from supporters. She appeared on an American talk show about her claims to be Madeleine, after being promised a DNA test by a woman based in the US. The Polish national claimed she has been let down by those who promised to help her, adding: I just dont know how people can lie so much. She told the court that if she is not Madeleine, she could have been held captive alongside the missing girl. Wandelt started panicking after Gerry McCann refused to take her documents and told her: Julia I think you need help. 01:25pm Wandelt began to panic after encounter with McCanns, court hears The alleged stalker explained to the McCanns that she wasnt lying but started to become upset when they refused to listen to her. Gerry McCann went inside his home after their encounter and refused to take Wandelts documents, jurors heard. She said: I became even more upset... I started crying. I tried to calm down again, but I started panicking. The jury heard Wandelt continually knocked on the McCanns front door after they had retreated inside. Court has now risen for lunch and will return at 2:05pm. 01:08pm Gerry McCann: Julia, you are not Madeleine Julia Wandelt became emotional as she recounted her interaction with Kate McCann outside their family home on December 7. The Polish national said she started crying as soon as she saw Madeleines mum, who did the same. She told jurors she was standing just one metre away from Mrs McCann as she got out of her car and approached her. I planned to say a lot of thing but its like my voice just left me, she said. The court heard Mrs McCann threatened to call the police as she tried to speak with her. Karen Spragg, Wandelts co-defendant, asked do you want to find your daughter? However, Mrs McCann replied: She is not my daughter. It was heard Gerry McCann arrived shortly after and told Wandelt: Julia, I think you need help, you are not Madeleine. 12:57pm Wandelt consulted ChatGPT to prove she was Madeleine The McCanns alleged stalker said she asked the artificial intelligence chatbot the likelihood she was Madeleine McCann. ChatGPT said there was a 69 per cent chance she could be the missing girl. Im not ashamed of this, she told jurors. This was my only resource. She added: I was at the point where no one cared... no one wanted to help, and I just wanted to do everything I could. Wandelt later tried to speak to genetic experts to help her confirm whether she was Madeleine. 12:35pm Wandelt gives court two reasons she tried to visit the McCanns in person Julia Wandelt told jurors on Monday that she does not believe she is her parents daughter The Polish woman has explained to the court that there were two reasons why she came to the UK last year. Wandelt attended the annual vigil held in the McCanns home village of Rothley, Leicestershire, in May. Asked if she flew over to attend the gathering, she said: This was the first reason, second reason was... because Im in Poland I have to go to the Polish police. I decided to go to the British police in person. Kate and Gerry McCann did not attend the vigil in 2024 because they were away, the court heard. Wandelt said: I had the letter, I was surprised when the priest said they are not there. Jurors heard that Wandelt was convinced she had seen Kate and Gerry McCann at the vigil, and went to look for them straight away but was ultimately unable to find them. She told the court she gave her letter to Mrs McCanns aunt Janet Kennedy. 12:30pm I will never give up, Wandelt told Kate McCann The alleged stalker contacted Madeleines mother saying I will never give up and claiming I know you loved me. Tom Price KC has told the court some of the messages the 24-year-old sent to Kate McCann. One of them reads: I will never give up, I need you to know Im telling the truth. I cry when I hear your voice. In another message, she said: I know you probably believe that Madeleine isnt alive any more, but what if Im her... what if theres a small chance Im her... is it not it important to you? This is only DNA, then we can all move on with our lives. Wandelt added: I know you loved Madeleine. I know you loved me. 12:13pm Wandelt informed Kate McCann about her flashbacks Wandelt hoped voicemails to Kate McCann about her recollections would convince her she was her missing daughter. The Polish national contacted Mrs McCann in April 2024 and left her long, rambling voicemails of alleged flashbacks of her childhood. A lot of times I called Kate was when I had a flashback, a new piece of evidence, which I thought she should know about, she told the court. I explained why I could be Madeleine. I just thought it would prove to her and may chance her decision [not to talk to me]. I didnt mean to cause her any stress or upset. 11:56am Wandelt claims Kate McCann refused DNA test because she was told Im crazy Barrister Tom Price KC asked Wandelt why she persisted in trying to contact Mrs McCann after receiving no response. She told the court: I thought that DNA should be done, it should have been done in the beginning and I didnt understand. I thought maybe that was the reason why she didnt want to do the DNA test, because maybe she was told Im crazy or that I am lying. Mr Price said: Did you think if you had a chance to speak to her, you could persuade her you werent crazy? Wandelt replied: Yes. There was no engagement from her, nothing, and there was something odd about it. It was all the time silence, I just didnt understand. 11:40am Alleged stalker claims there was a chance I was held with Madeleine Wandelt has claimed she might have been held captive with Madeleine if she is not the missing girl herself. The Polish national suggested that her memories mean she must have held with Madeleine and other abused girls at some point, the court heard. It is the first time she has suggested this as a possible connection to the McCanns in the trial. Wandelt said: If I wasnt Madeleine.. there was always a chance I was held with her if I wasnt her. I can remember certain faces, some names and what the place looked like. She also added that she would have been helping the McCanns whether a DNA test proved she was Madeleine or not, as she would still have offered to help the family with memories she had as a youngster. The Polish national said she thought the possibility of her being Madeleine would be worth any potential eventual disappointment to the McCanns if she was not. If you compare false hope and potential truth coming out, she said. Im not a mother but I have younger siblings. If my sister or brother went missing I would do everything if I had a little hope. 11:33am Wandelt addresses friendship with co-defendant Spragg Julia Wandelt is questioned about her friendship with co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff. Asked by her defence lawyer how they first got in touch, Wandelt said she thought it was in 2024 and that it started on either Facebook or Instagram. Mr Price asked her what the nature of the contact was at first, to which Wandelt said: She was a supporter of mine and I always engaged with supporters. Wandelt said their contact became more frequent, and that they ended up speaking every day. She said: We were discussing everything, even some daily things like my cats. It was normal friendly discussion? Mr Price asked. Yes, it wasnt only the case, we spoke about a lot of other things. She then decided to come to the UK to meet Spragg, the court heard. 11:30am Wandelt: If Im not Madeleine then Ill leave you alone Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007 from a resort apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while on holiday with her family Wandelt has told the court she would have left the McCanns alone if she was provided proof that she was not Madeleine The court heard Wandelt originally got Kate McCanns phone number from the Portuguese site set up to help find the missing girl. Having first started believing she was Madeleine in June 2022, she did not reach out to Mrs McCann until April 2024. Asked why she had taken so long, she said: I tried everything. The court heard she left several messages and persisted making more calls and texts. If I am her then everything should be okay. And if Im not then Ill leave you alone, she said. 11:26am I just dont know how people can lie so much, says Wandelt Wandelt has suggested she has been let down by people who she did not know could lie so much. Her defence lawyer, Tom Price KC, asked the alleged stalker why she got in touch with publicist Surjit Singh. She told the court he said he could get Gerry McCann to do a DNA test, but after some time he told her it would be impossible. She said: I dont know actually if everything he said was true but he told me we would have to make this story big. Wandelt denied that Singh was paying her, and said her hope was that a DNA test with the McCanns would be carried out. Mr Price asked if she trusted Singh, to which Wandelt said: I had my doubts. I thought, I just dont know how people can lie so much. I just thought someone would help me. 11:17am Alleged stalker appeared on American talk show about her claims Wandelt claims she was flown to the United States for a DNA test but appeared on a psychology chat show. An American woman called Fia Johansson contacted her after the alleged stalker made an Instagram account called I am Madeleine McCann, the court heard. Wandelt said: She said she would be able to help me. A lot of people were warning me saying it could be dangerous. I was desperate. She said she is in touch with Kate and Gerry McCann and they agreed for a DNA test with me. Tom Price KC asked: Did you believe her? and Wandelt replied: Yes. Wandelt continued: She came to Poland, flew from United States it should be a red flag to me but it wasnt at the time. She took over my Instagram account even before she came to Poland. Wandelt said she flew to the US after Ms Johansson told her she was in danger in Poland, adding: The thing is that her attitude towards me changed the moment I entered her house. I started asking when we will go to the UK that was the plan. She organised interviews, not sure actually how or why. I did not see the point for example going on Dr Phil. It was all her idea. Wandelt told the jury she did not get paid to appear on the Dr Phil psychology chat show. 11:09am Wandelt suspicious about her similar teddy bear to Madeleines The Polish woman asked Mr Payne about Madeleines pink cuddle cat as she claims to have a similar one. The missing toddlers cuddly toy became a symbol for the McCanns loss, as Kate carried it around with her after the youngsters disappearance in 2007. However, Wandelt said became suspicious of her own teddy bear, which her mother said had been bought in England. It was strange I had this toy, she told jurors. 10:49am Alleged stalker contacted McCanns friend for help Prosecutors allege Wandelt peddled the myth that she was Madeleine while stalking Kate and Gerry McCann Wandelt has told the court she had hope somewhere in my heart that friend of the McCanns David Payne would help her. Tom Price KC asked: Did you still think you might get some help from Mr Payne? Wandelt replied: Well, yeah. I had this hope somewhere in my heart that maybe he will help me. Mr Payne responded that he was not in a position to help her, adding: Im sorry, we have had enough over the years. Asked by Tom Price KC what she thought he meant by that, Wandelt said: I think Kate and Gerry and all the friends, all of them were affected by this, mostly by all these accusations and possibly that is what he meant. 10:31am Wandelt ashamed she received over 800 from supporters, court hears The alleged stalker of the McCanns has admitted she received over 800 in donations from her supporters. She originally received around 413 (2,000 Polish zoty) to fund a polygraph test. However, she told jurors when she was unable to find a company to carry this out, she instead used the money on Polish lawyers to help her case. Asked if there were any other occasions she had benefited financially from her claims, she added that when she was later kicked out of her boyfriends flat she asked for money again. I felt bad about it, she told the court. This is not their life, I should be able to take care of myself [but] I asked people for help and I received money. She said she received a similar amount of money (2,000 Polish zoty), adding: I am ashamed of this. 10:17am Alleged stalker offered to take lie-detector test to prove she was Madeleine Proceedings have begun with evidence that Wandelt offered to take a lie-detector test to prove she was not a liar about her claim to be Madeleine. In a message to Madeleines sister, the alleged stalker pleaded with her to help prove she was the missing toddler. Jurors were told she sent a message saying: Im not a liar, Im not crazy. I can agree to a polygraph test. I will do whatever is needed to prove my identity but I need Kate and Gerrys help. She asked Amelie McCann, 20, to please help me. Wandelt admitted to the court she had been desperate to get the truth. 10:11am Fake Madeleine claims hypnosis brought back childhood memories with McCanns Wandelt said yesterday that she had genuine flashbacks of childhood memories after relaxation hypnosis sessions, the court heard. The Polish woman told jurors that she recalled playing Ring a Ring o Roses with Madeleines siblings and remembered details of the house they grew up in. Giving evidence for the first time, she appeared to concede she was not Madeleine, after saying she was now willing to accept what she had been told by police. However, the alleged stalker did not deny that her memories are true and still questions her identity. Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, stands accused of stalking the McCann family by sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at their address between June 2022 and February this year. 10:06am Fake Madeleine returns to court A Polish woman who allegedly stalked the McCann family is back in the witness box at Leicester Crown Court to give evidence again. Julia Wandelt, 24, is expected to be cross-examined by prosecutors about how she came across the McCanns and why she believed she was Madeleine later today. Both Wandelt and her co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, deny one count of stalking. Proceedings have begun for the day. Wandelt will be asked questions by Tom Price KC, her lawyer, before the cross examination. Katrina Woods with her late partner, Kevin Holding - Champion News Service The widow of a worker crushed to death by a falling pop-up lavatory has launched a court fight for more than 200,000 in compensation. Kevin Holding, 60, was killed in January 2023 as he worked in the inspection chamber below a telescopic facility outside the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in Londons West End. Mr Holding, from Beckenham, Kent, suffered catastrophic injuries when the urinal suddenly and without warning dropped and fell on to him, documents lodged with the High Court have disclosed. The lavatory unit, manufactured by Dutch company Urilift, is designed to be lowered below ground during the day, then raised up using hydraulic power for use by night-time revellers. Katrina Woods, Mr Holdings long-term partner, is now suing Hi-Tech Washrooms Solutions, his employers. Mr Holding was sent out on January 27 2023 to carry out repairs to the urinal, which involved him entering the void beneath it. He was crushed by the falling urinal and is believed to have died from acute suffocation trapped beneath the massive object. Police at the scene of the incident on Shaftesbury Avenue in January 2023 - LBC In court documents, Ms Woods barrister claimed Mr Holdings bosses were at fault in failing to provide adequate training and allegedly failing to properly maintain the urinal. Simon Brindle wrote: The urinal dropped as a result of a catastrophic failure of a fitting in its hydraulic system. The fitting failed due to excessive corrosion. He argued that through poor maintenance, the company allowed the fitting to become excessively corroded and also failed to replace it in time to avoid the incident. Ms Woods is suing Hi-Tech for more than 200,000, alleging negligence and breach of duty, but the company is denying all liability. Employers not responsible for maintenance In court documents, lawyers for Hi-Tech insist another company was contracted to maintain the urinal. Anna Symington, the companys barrister, acknowledged the incident probably occurred because of corrosion in the hydraulic system, but added: The defendant was not responsible for the maintenance of the hydraulic system; further the defendant was not a specialist hydraulic contractor. Hi-Tech Washrooms had no responsibility for the fitting and could not reasonably have been aware of its corroded nature. The defence legal team also say Mr Holding was an experienced and well-trained operator who contributed to the accident through his own negligence in failing to take sufficient care for his own safety. Ms Symington said Mr Holding was at fault in failing to lower the urinal before commencing work inside the inspection chamber, trying to replace the urinals water pump while the urinal was raised, and in failing to seek help if he felt it was necessary. The case is yet to reach court and be tested in evidence before a judge. different types of rice in five separate bowls - Static Media / Shutterstock / Getty Growing up in an Asian-American household, rice had a constant presence at every meal, from breakfast and lunch to dinner and even snacks. Steamed short-grain Japanese rice was always on the dining table. With our Japanese rice steamer perpetually set to "keep warm," throughout the day, my siblings and I would devour a whole pot of rice, following our grandmother Rumi's rule: Never leave behind a single grain. Now, to get one thing straight for anyone who didn't grow up eating much rice, there's a difference between short-grain and long-grain rice. Long-grain rice is fluffy and separated when cooked, and short-grain rice is sticky and clumped together. This is because long-grain rice contains less starch and amylose, which results in a drier consistency; short-grain rice has much more starch, which causes it to stick. Looking back on my decade-long career as a chef, I've recognized how my rice-centered upbringing has profoundly shaped both my approach to cooking and my overall philosophy toward food. I gravitate toward cuisines that center around rice, and whenever I'm traveling far away from home, a bag of white rice is always in my suitcase just in case of emergencies. So, whether you're a rice connoisseur like me or haven't even tried a single grain before, here are seven types of rice that I think you should know about. Read more: Don't Throw Away These 11 Veggie Scraps, Plant Them Instead Basmati rice close-up shot of dried basmati rice - Maliflower73/Getty Images Basmati is a fragrant, long-grain rice that's native to the Indian subcontinent. It's commonly used in Indian, Pakistani, Persian, and Middle Eastern cuisines, often appearing in popular dishes such as biryani, kebabs, pilafs, and curries. Occasionally, it's used in South Asian, Afghan, and Caribbean cooking as well as some Mediterranean and Indo-Chinese dishes. The rice is known for its slender, elongated shape. It has a delicate, nutty, floral aroma when cooked and has a slightly sticky texture while maintaining individual grains, making it perfect for stir-fries and curries. It has a lower to medium glycemic index compared to short-grain white rice, making it a slightly better option for those with high blood sugar. The rice also comes in both white and brown varieties. Brown basmati rice is a whole grain with the bran and germ still intact, giving it a much nuttier flavor, chewier texture, and longer cooking time. White basmati rice is a more processed version that's been milled to remove the bran and germ, resulting in a less fibrous and nutritious grain. Jasmine rice cooked jasmine rice in a wooden bowl with spoon - meowwelove/Shutterstock Commonly confused with basmati, jasmine rice is a long-grain rice from Southeast Asia, primarily originating from Thailand, where it's known as "hom mali." If you've ever been to the countryside of Thailand, you've probably noticed the endless fields of rice paddies that paint the landscape in shades of green and gold. The fertile fields in Thailand, specifically in the Northeastern region, are ideal conditions for growth due to the humid climate and rich soil. This rice has a buttery taste with a subtly sweet and nutty flavor. Many people compare its flavor to buttered popcorn or fragrant flowers. It's a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine, especially in Thai, Laos, Vietnamese, and Cambodian cuisine, and is often served alongside curries, braised meats, seafood, and other savory dishes. It can also be used for desserts such as Thai sticky rice with mango or sweet rice pudding. Compared to basmati rice, jasmine rice has a much higher level of amylopectin, which gives it a soft and slightly sticky texture when cooked. Arborio rice close-up shot of arborio rice - Markuk97/Getty Images Ever heard of the delicious Italian dish called "risotto?" If so, then you've probably had this short, round rice called arborio. This Italian white rice has a very high starch content, which makes it ideal for creating that signature creamy consistency that risotto is known for. During the cooking process, the rice absorbs liquid gradually while releasing starch, with the interior of the grain remaining firm and tender or as Italians like to call it, "al dente." The grain has a short, plump appearance with a slightly opaque color and can be found at most grocery stores and Italian specialty markets. The rice is named after the Northern Italian town of Arborio, where it's grown and cultivated in the country's famous Po Valley, which is the base for 35% of Italy's agricultural products. According to Italy Segreta, Italy is Europe's leading producer of rice, cultivating 50% of the EU's total rice production. So, the next time you're visiting one of the vibrant cities lying in the Po Valley, like Milan, Bologna, or Turin, be sure to pick up a bag of arborio rice! Short-grain Japanese rice a bowl of freshly cooked short-grain Japanese rice - Romix Image/Shutterstock One of the most recognizable varieties of rice out there, short-grain Japanese rice is a sticky, glutinous rice with high starch content that becomes soft and cohesive when cooked. The rice has a fairly mild taste with notes of sweetness, which allows it to absorb flavors of the sauces, seafood, meats, and ingredients it's cooked or paired with. Its high content of amylopectin allows the grains to cling together or "stick" while remaining firm, allowing the rice to easily be eaten with chopsticks or rolled into balls for onigiri, which is the perfect lunch, especially if you're tired of making boring deli sandwiches. The rice's unique texture makes it great for sushi, nigiri, rice bowls, and other traditional Japanese dishes. It's consumed with almost every meal in Japanese cuisine as well as Korean and Northern Chinese cooking, with each region developing its own unique varieties and cooking methods. Brown rice close-up shot of brown rice - zi3000/Shutterstock Brown rice is a whole-grain rice that contains all parts of the grain the endosperm, bran, and germ are all intact offering a more nutritious alternative to white rice. For those of you who don't know, white rice is processed to remove these layers. That means brown rice contains much more fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. When cooked, brown rice has a delightful, chewy texture with an earthy taste and slightly nutty flavor. It does take a bit longer to cook compared to white rice, but it provides greater nutritional benefits. It can serve as a side dish, as the base of salads and grain bowls, or as a filling for burritos and wraps. Its nutty flavor pairs exceptionally well with a wide range of different dishes, from grilled chicken thighs and kimchi stew to braised short ribs. You can even use it in dessert applications like sweet rice pudding or in the Latin American sweet rice drink, horchata. Black rice close-up shot of brown rice - Jie Gao/Getty Images Black rice is a type of heirloom rice that gets its deep purple color from a high concentration of the antioxidant anthocyanin. For the uninformed, heirloom rice refers to ancient grains that have been passed down through generations. Unlike modern, genetically modified rice, heirloom rice grains are open-pollinated, meaning they are not hybrids, and their characteristics are consistent from one generation to the next. Historically, this rice was strictly reserved for ancient Chinese royalty, hence why it's also referred to as "forbidden rice." Its exclusivity was due to its rarity, its high cost, and the belief in its powerful healing and life-extending properties, making members of the Imperial Court want to keep its precious benefits for themselves. If you haven't tried it before, the rice has a nutty flavor with a slightly sweet and dense texture. You can use it in a variety of different ways, from adding it to salads and rice bowls to mixing it into stir-fries. Sticky rice wooden basket with sticky rice next to a few red chili peppers - Siriporn Supmool/Getty Images Last but not least, sticky rice, also known as glutinous rice or sweet rice, is a type of short-grain rice with high starch content that becomes extremely sticky when cooked. Like many short-grain rice varieties, it has a high concentration of amylopectin, making the grains stick together when cooked. Despite its name, the rice doesn't have a sugary taste at all; however, you've probably seen it being used in desserts like Thai sticky rice or mochi. Its sticky, chewy texture makes it hold up well with other ingredients, and it absorbs liquids like coconut milk and fruit juice perfectly. This rice is a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly in Laos and Thailand. Sticky rice is deeply ingrained in Laotian cuisine, culture, and religious practices. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Laos has the world's highest per-capita consumption of sticky rice. It is used both in savory dishes and dessert preparations and is often steamed as opposed to boiled in water. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Chowhound. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands while walking at Mar-a-Lago estate after a bilateral meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Yoruk Bahceli NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -Investors are heading into this week's trade talks between the U.S. and Chinese leaders with a sense of deja vu, excited by the proclamations of a truce and apprehensive the real deal may offer far less to celebrate. Stock markets across the world jumped on Monday after U.S. officials said negotiators from both sides had hashed out a framework for agreements for lower U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports and Chinese concessions on rare earth export curbs. As expectations build for U.S. President Donald Trump to sign that deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and for some respite in the long mercurial relationship between the world's top two economies, the S&P 500 index rose 1% to hit a record high. Stock markets in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, too, notched new highs, while traditional havens such as gold fell in a sign investors were prepared to take more risky bets. It's a pattern markets have followed through Trump's first and now second presidencies, such as during the 2019 trade war with China and after his "Liberation Day" global tariff blitz this year, positioning for Trump to eventually back down after going on the offensive against trade partners. "We had this big headline, markets sold off, we had some wobbles on that, but now it seems that talks are constructive again and now that's being faded," Evelyne Gomez-Liechti, multi-asset strategist at Mizuho, said. "To be honest whenever we get all these headlines from Trump it also follows this TACO pattern. I feel like this was just the strategy again," she said. "TACO" - Trump Always Chickens Out - is a Wall Street acronym for the view that the president makes big threats but eventually backs down. In the past month, stocks fell after Trump threatened to impose additional 100% tariffs on imports from China as well as export controls on critical U.S.-made software, after Beijing tightened its rare earth restrictions. Repeating the TACO pattern, Chinese stocks have been rising for more than a week in the run-up to the Xi-Trump talks. Even if the Trump-Xi meeting does not produce a definitive end to their trade war, investors are prepared to buy into any de-escalation in tensions. "There is not an insignificant number of discretionary fund managers who have been wary given enormous ructions we've been seeing to the global trade environment," said Ross Hutchison, head of euro zone market strategy at Zurich Insurance Group. "There genuinely is scope for those investors to buy into positive news flow here," he said. DOWNSIDE RISKS While trading the trade talks has become a familiar drill, investors have other reasons to be both bullish and cautious. "The risk of having a bad outcome in order to score political points is not that high because there's not that many political points to be scored on either side," said Thomas Christiansen, chief investment officer and head of emerging market debt at private bank Union Bancaire Privee, London. "Ultimately if you think of this as some sort of prisoner's dilemma, the right outcome is always going to be some level of agreement." Also, the Federal Reserve could be cutting rates this week again and even possibly easing liquidity, which could further stoke the market rally. However, with stocks at all-time highs and heavy concentration in AI-related stocks, disappointing earnings could offset any optimism from a U.S.-China trade deal or amplify a negative outcome from the Trump-Xi meeting. "It is not symmetrical. The market will react to the downside more than the upside," said Tracy Chen, Brandywine Global portfolio manager of global fixed income. The market is assuming that eventually there will be an average 15% reciprocal tariff between the U.S. and most of its trade partners, said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. "If something adversely affects that, one way or the other, I certainly think that there's more downside risk," he said. Investors have history as a guide to such letdowns too, the latest being after the May 2025 U.S. deal with China in Geneva. "U.S. and China have a history of negotiations breaking down even after a preliminary agreement," Thierry Wizman, Global FX & Rates Strategist at Macquarie, said in a note. "We expect the enthusiasm to fade," he said. (Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in New York and Yoruk Bahceli in London; Additional reporting by Twesha Dikshit in Bengaluru; Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Sonali Paul) The Russian Security Council was created in 1992 as a consultative body for the Russian president. The chairman of the council is the current president. Other members are senior government officials. There are fourteen permanent members and nineteen non-permanent members. Sergei Shoigu is a key member of the council as well as a long-time ally of Vladimir Putin. Recently, Shoigu has been spending a lot of time working with North Korea amid rumors that he would be the next Russian ambassador to North Korea. Shoigu is also in trouble because of his inability to deal with the growing corruption within the defense bureaucracy. Russia has been spending enormous portions of the government budget on the Ukraine war and more of that money is disappearing into bank accounts controlled by government officials. There has always been some corruption in the government, especially the defense ministry, but recently the corruption has increased to unsustainable levels. Its illegal to publicly discuss or criticize the war in Ukraine, and that includes corruption associated with it. The Ukraine invasion failed as a military effort but was successful at creating many new opportunities for corruption. This included Russians of all types. At the high end, senior officials at the Defense Ministry were outrageously corrupt and did little to hide it. These men were safe in the knowledge that if any of them were prosecuted, they could bribe their way out and still have a lot of money left. The current round of corruption scandals began in mid-2024 with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministrys personnel directorate was hauled into court. Within weeks more arrests were made. All those detained faced charges of corruption, which were usually denied. The arrests started shortly before President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term on May 7, 2024, as a longtime ally, longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, was demoted. This immediately raised questions about whether Putin was reasserting control over the Defense Ministry amid the war in Ukraine, whether a turf battle had broken out between the military and the security services, or whether some other scenario was playing out in Moscow. To many this seemed to be a return to the Russian government long described as a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Corruption scandals are not new and officials and top officials have been accused of profiting from their positions for decades. Corruption in Russia is used to encourage some officials, while prosecutions punish those who do not collaborate. Corruption is used to encourage officials to remain loyal to Vladimir Putin or one of Putins associates. Then there is the blackmail technique. Putin prefers officials with embarrassing secrets. When selecting key officials in his government, Putin selects the ones most vulnerable to blackmail. Putin wants subordinates who have a secret they want kept secret. The Russian government constantly searches for such secrets so it can threaten to publicize them if the officials do not do as they are told. This hidden secret policy and tolerance for corruption are the key elements in running the current Russian government. Since 2022 the Ukraine War has led to much larger defense spending that has increased opportunities for graft. In 2021 the Russian defense budget was 2.7 percent of GDP but in 2024 it was six percent. Over the next few years the government plans to spend 30 percent of the government budget on the military. Earlier in 2024 the first official arrested for corruption was a former Deputy Defense Minister who presided over military-related construction projects that had high priority, access to lots of money and few financial controls. One of the projects was the reconstruction of the devastated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. The Ukrainians held out for a long time and the Russians had to fight hard to capture a city of ruins and unusable factories and port facilities. The recent arrests are not described as part of an anti-corruption campaign but rather ongoing activities throughout the Russian government. Thats another way of admitting that corruption was everywhere and ongoing as an essential element of making the government work. Key officials make little effort to hide their new wealth. They do this through ostentatious displays ranging from hundred-million-dollar yachts to new wristwatches that cost several times their official annual salaries. These displays of stolen wealth by senior government and military officials and their family members were so extensive and obvious that it enraged Russians who were suffering economically because of the cost of the war. There were more personal costs because a million Russian soldiers have been killed, disabled or disappeared in Ukraine since early 2022, and their families and friends blame the Russian government because it was Russia that invaded Ukraine, not the other way around. During World War II, the last time Russia was invaded, there was little corruption in part because 13 percent of Russians died in that war. Most of them were killed by the Germans but many were killed by the Russian government in order to maintain loyalty. After 1941 prompt obedience to orders was a matter of life or death for Russian soldiers and civilians because military officers and NKVD secret police personnel could kill any Russian displaying reluctance or refusal to carry out orders. The desperate situation during World War II limited opportunities for corruption. The war in Ukraine is different but as many corrupt officials are discovering, not different enough to keep them out of prison or an early grave. The recent arrests, prosecutions and imprisonment of senior officials who were corrupt, or too obviously corrupt, has sent a message to all senior officials in jobs giving them access to the swollen defense budget that is now 6.7 percent of GDP. Before the invasion it was 2.7 percent. Putin thought the invasion would quickly overthrow the Ukrainian government. That did not happen and the costs of that war are more than Russia can afford. This is nothing new; it was decades of spending 15 percent of GDP on defense, and tolerating a lot of corruption by senior officials, that caused the Soviet Union to collapse in 1991. Many Russian economists and bankers believe another economic collapse, similar to what destroyed the Soviet Union, is possible unless the increased defense spending is restrained along with the growing corruption. NEED TO KNOW Jackie Ferrara died on Oct. 22 after choosing to end her life through medical aid in dying The beloved artist, 95, was in good health but didn't want to depend on anyone in old age She traveled to Switzerland to a clinic called Pegasos, an assisted dying nonprofit organization that doesnt require patients to be terminally ill Acclaimed artist Jackie Ferrara has died after deciding to end her own life. Ferrara whose work is featured in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art was known for creating unique sculptures constructed of wood planks. She died on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at age 95 through medical aid in dying, according to her estate and legacy adviser Tina Hejtmanek. In a recent interview, Ferrara told The New York Times that although she was in good health, she was ready to go. She suffered two falls within the past year that reminded her of her wish not to be dependent on other people. Carly Erickson/BFA/Shutterstock I dont want a housekeeper, she told the outlet. I never wanted anybody. I was married three times. Thats enough. Medical aid in dying is not yet legal in New York, where Ferrara lived. MAID laws have been authorized in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico. However, because Ferrara was healthy, she wouldnt have been able to qualify anywhere in the United States. So, Ferrara traveled to Basel, Switzerland, to end her life at a clinic called Pegasos, an assisted dying nonprofit organization that doesnt require patients to be terminally ill. Medical aid in dying has been legal in Switzerland since 1942, according to Dignity in Dying, a British organization. It's different from euthanasia which is illegal because the patients themselves administer prescribed drugs to end their lives, rather than a doctor. Similarly to Ferrara, actress and renowned Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner recently traveled to Pegasos to end her life. Last month, on Sept. 23, Posner, 96, and her husband Michael, 97, ended their lives through medical aid in dying despite not having any terminal illnesses. The couple said they simply wanted to die together. They let their family and friends know of their decision in an email, reviewed by The Times. So sorry not to have mentioned it, they wrote, but when you receive this email we will have shuffled off this mortal coil. Read the original article on People raquel arocena torres / Getty Images Key Takeaways Moroccos national drink, affectionately called Berber whiskey, contains no alcohol its a refreshing blend of Chinese gunpowder green tea, mint, and sugar. Moroccan mint tea represents hospitality and connection; its served throughout the day as a gesture of warmth and respect toward guests. Mint tea master Mohammed Ait Belhaj of Kasbah Tamadot Hotel shares traditional brewing methods to create this daily ritual at home. Once you step inside a home in Morocco, chances are youll be greeted with a pour of steaming, freshly made Berber whiskey. Despite its name, Berber whiskey doesnt contain a drop of liquor. Its essentially mint tea, made in a specific style exclusive to the region. Its also known as the countrys national drink. Berber refers to the indigenous people of North Africa, also known as Amazigh, whose history in Morocco dates back thousands of years and predates the arrival of Islam and Arab peoples. Related: Tursu Suyu: The Turkish Pickle Juice Thats Been Curing Hangovers for Decades The nickname Berber whiskey originated from foreign visitors, says Mohammed Ait Belhaj, mint tea master at the Kasbah Tamadot hotel in Asni, Morocco. [Visitors] noticed that Moroccans drink [mint] tea almost all the time, with the same enthusiasm that whiskey might be served in other cultures. The alternate name has become endearing to locals and is now proudly used to express their affection for the drink. Moroccans sip Berber whiskey at almost any time of day. In the morning with breakfast, after lunch, and in the evening during family gatherings, says Ait Belhaj. Its a cherished tradition and an essential part of our daily life. What is Berber whiskey (Moroccan mint tea)? Berber whiskey, or Moroccan mint tea, is made from Chinese green tea (specifically gunpowder tea), fresh mint, sugar, and boiling water. Its brewed in a Moroccan teapot with a tall, curved spout, then poured from high above to aerate the tea and create a foamy head of bubbles. Courtesy of Adam Slama / Kasbah Tamadot There are several ways to prepare mint tea, and perfecting the process is considered an art form. For Ait Belhaj, his preferred method is using a metal teapot and heating the tea over charcoal. This approach allows the gentle heat to add depth to the teas flavors. Once ready, he serves the tea in small, engraved glasses. Beyond the teas refreshing and comforting flavors, the drink represents so much more. Its a symbol of hospitality, generosity, and warmth, says Ait Belhaj. He says that its rare to find oneself in a family or social gathering with no tea in sight. Its a way to connect, to share a moment, and to show respect to guests. Mint tea as a moment for conversation and sharing Ait Belhaj has worked at Kasbah Tamadot for over 20 years. He started as a waiter at the hotels restaurant and then was the resorts manager for a decade. Soon after retiring, he returned, making it his lifes mission to share and teach Moroccos mint tea tradition to guests from around the world. "Its a symbol of hospitality, generosity, and warmth. Its a way to connect, to share a moment, and to show respect to guests." Mohammed Ait Belhaj, mint tea master, Kasbah Tamadot Hotel, Morocco Every day, Ait Belhaj prepares tea in front of guests and shares the process from start to finish. During this demonstration, he carefully explains every ingredient and step. My favorite moment is the serving itself, seeing the guests smiles as they taste the tea for the first time, says Ait Belhaj. Preparing mint tea is a bridge to discover other cultures. The entire tea-making process allows him to learn more about the guests while sharing a taste of Moroccan history and heritage. Courtesy of Adam Slama / Kasbah Tamadot Kasbah Tamadot offers guests a range of meaningful mint tea experiences, from learning how to brew the tea firsthand to visiting neighboring villages and enjoying a fresh cup in the homes of Berber families. In Morocco, sharing mint tea among friends and family is considered one of the most important rituals of the day. The time spent both making and drinking the tea is meant for conversation and sharing. How to enjoy Moroccan-style mint tea in the U.S. Moroccan mint tea can easily be enjoyed at home, but there are a few key steps to follow to ensure you brew an authentic pot. First, find a Moroccan teapot with a long, curved spout. Next, gather your ingredients green tea, sugar, mint, and boiling water. For a complete and proper presentation, serve the tea on a tray with elegant tea glasses. Ait Belhaj says the most essential tip is to use good-quality Chinese gunpowder green tea and fresh mint. Food & Wine / Bianca Trinidad Once you have everything ready, start by rinsing the green tea leaves with hot water to remove any bitterness. Then, in the teapot, combine the green tea with boiling water and let it simmer for several minutes before adding the sugar and mint. When serving, be sure to pour the tea from a height of at least 6 inches above the cup. This technique not only helps mix the flavors and ingredients, but also creates the signature bubbles that crown each glass. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add a cube of sugar. It takes practice to perfect the preparation of Moroccan mint tea, but one note to always keep in mind is to take your time; tea should never be rushed, says Ait Belhaj. Its a ritual, a way to connect and share a moment with the people youre enjoying it with. Read the original article on Food & Wine Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Premier Li Qiang witness the signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade signed by Malaysia Trade Minister and ASEAN Economic Minister Chairman Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao ahead of the 28th ASEANChina Summit, held as part of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 28, 2025. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain By Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -The ASEAN bloc of Southeast Asian nations and China on Tuesday signed an upgrade to their free trade agreement, which includes sections on digital, the green economy and other new industries, Beijing's Commerce Ministry said. The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is China's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling $771 billion last year, according to ASEAN statistics. China is seeking to intensify its engagement with ASEAN, a region with a collective gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, to counter hefty import tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on countries around the world. The upgraded agreement "fully reflects the solemn commitment of the two sides to jointly support multilateralism and free trade", China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. Beijing has been seeking to position itself as a more open economy, despite criticism from other major powers of its expanding export restrictions on rare earths and other critical minerals. IMPROVED MARKET ACCESS The so-called 3.0 version of the free trade agreement between ASEAN and China was signed into effect at a summit of the bloc's leaders in Malaysia, which Trump attended on Sunday at the start of a trip through Asia. Negotiations on the upgraded ASEAN-China deal began in November 2022 and concluded in May this year, just after Trump's tariff offensive kicked into gear. The first FTA came into force in 2010. China has previously said the agreement would pave the way for improved market access in sectors such as agriculture, the digital economy and pharmaceuticals between China and ASEAN. Both China and ASEAN are part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest trading bloc, which covers nearly a third of the global population and about 30% of global gross domestic product. Malaysia hosted an RCEP summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, the first in five years. The bloc is seen by some analysts as a potential buffer against tariffs imposed by the United States, though its provisions are considered weaker than some other regional trade deals due to competing interests among its members. TRADE WAR TRUCE China has been engaged in an escalating trade war with the United States since Trump took office in January and imposed steep tariffs on Chinese goods. Beijing has labelled Trump's tariffs, which have hit most countries, as protectionism, while expanding its controls over the flow of its critical minerals and magnets. China processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths. The world's two largest economies extended a trade truce when negotiators met in Kuala Lumpur on the weekend, hashing out an agreement for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to decide later this week when they meet in Seoul. Since Trump departed Malaysia on Monday morning, China has pressed for increased economic cooperation in the region, stressing the importance of open trade. "The world must not slip back to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak," Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday at the East Asia Summit regional forum. "We should more firmly uphold the free trade regime, create a high-standard regional free trade network, and vigorously and effectively advance regional integration." (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by John Mair and Michael Perry) Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Malaysia's Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim and Chinese Premier Li Qiang witness the signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade signed by Malaysia Trade Minister and ASEAN Economic Minister Chairman Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao ahead of the 28th ASEANChina Summit, held as part of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 28, 2025. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain By Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -China and the ASEAN bloc of Southeast Asian nations signed an upgrade to their free trade agreement on Tuesday, with leaders hailing the deal which spans the digital and green economy, and other new industries. The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is China's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totalling $771 billion last year, according to ASEAN statistics. China is seeking to intensify its engagement with ASEAN, a region with a collective gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, to counter hefty import tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on countries around the world. "We must accelerate trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation and strengthen industrial integration and interdependence," Chinese Premier Li Qiang said at the ASEAN leaders' meeting on Tuesday. Beijing has been seeking to position itself as a more open economy, despite criticism from other major powers of its expanding export restrictions on rare earths and other critical minerals. IMPROVED MARKET ACCESS The so-called 3.0 version of the free trade agreement between ASEAN and China was signed into effect at a summit of the bloc's leaders in Malaysia, which Trump attended on Sunday at the start of a trip through Asia. Negotiations on the upgraded ASEAN-China deal began in November 2022 and concluded in May this year, just after Trump's tariff offensive kicked into gear. The first FTA came into force in 2010. "The upgrade will further reduce trade barriers, strengthen supply chain connectivity, and unlock opportunities in future growth areas," Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said. China has previously said the agreement would pave the way for improved market access in sectors such as agriculture, the digital economy and pharmaceuticals between China and ASEAN. Both China and ASEAN are part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest trading bloc, which covers nearly a third of the global population and about 30% of global gross domestic product. Malaysia hosted an RCEP summit in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, the first in five years. The bloc is seen by some analysts as a potential buffer against tariffs imposed by the United States, though its provisions are considered weaker than some other regional trade deals due to competing interests among its members. FLASHPOINT WATERWAY Standing in the way of China taking a leading role in regional trade cooperation are heightened concerns around Beijing's military ambitions. On Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr criticised Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, where the two countries have been engaged in a series of confrontations. Beijing's foreign office responded to Marcos' statement by saying the clashes were due to provocation from Manila. China claims almost the entire resource-rich waterway on its official maps, overlapping with parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Unresolved disputes have festered for years over ownership of multiple islands and features. "We must strengthen strategic mutual trust," Li said in his Tuesday address. "We must accelerate consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and strive for an early conclusion." Wong also raised the flashpoint as a key diplomatic issue. "Inevitably, there will be differences of views around the South China Sea, but all of us agree that peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight, are critical in this important waterway." TRADE WAR TRUCE China has been engaged in an escalating trade war with the United States since Trump took office in January and imposed steep tariffs on Chinese goods. Beijing has labelled Trump's tariffs, which have hit most countries, as protectionism, while expanding its controls over the flow of its critical minerals and magnets. China processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths. The world's two largest economies extended a trade truce when negotiators met in Kuala Lumpur on the weekend, hashing out an agreement for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to decide later this week when they meet in Seoul. Since Trump departed Malaysia on Monday morning, China has pressed for increased economic cooperation in the region, stressing the importance of open trade. "The world must not slip back to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak," Premier Li said at a different event on Monday. "We should more firmly uphold the free trade regime, create a high-standard regional free trade network, and vigorously and effectively advance regional integration." (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar; Editing by John Mair and Michael Perry) Chinese Premier Li Qiang, right, reacts as he, along with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, center, inspects a car produced by Malaysia's national automaker, Proton, in which China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group holds a 49.9% stake, ahead of the signing ceremony for the ASEANChina Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade and the ASEANChina summit, held as part of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Chalinee Thirasupa/Pool Photo via AP) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement Tuesday with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Premier Li Qiang pitching expanded economic ties with Beijing as an alternative to the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. Li Qiang told an ASEAN-China summit meeting after the signing that closer cooperation could help overcome global economic uncertainties. He said pursuing confrontation instead of solidarity brings no benefit in the face of economic coercion and bullying, in a swipe at the U.S. Unity is strength, he said, citing remarks by President Xi Jinping made during a Southeast Asia visit earlier this year. His remarks were met with skepticism by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose country has clashed with China over competing claims in the South China Sea, as have other ASEAN nations. Marcos welcomed the expanded trade pact, but stressed that this cooperation cannot exist alongside coercion. Pact could ease already-booming regional trade The signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 came on the final day of the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings and was witnessed by Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving as ASEAN chair this year. Its the third revision of the long-standing agreement, which was first signed in 2002, and came into force in 2010. The free trade area covers a combined market of more than 2 billion people and lowers tariffs on goods and boosting flows of services and investment. Two-way trade has surged from $235.5 billion in 2010 to nearly $1 trillion last year. ASEAN and China are each other's top trading partners. Li stressed mutual reliance between China and ASEAN members Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, calling them good neighbors and good brothers that are close in geography, culture and sentiment. Unilateralism and protectionism have seriously impacted the global economic and trade order, while external forces are increasing their interference in the region many countries have been unreasonably subjected to high tariffs, he said. By relying on each other and coordinating our actions, we can safeguard our legitimate rights and interests. Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh said the upgraded pact would benefit both sides, especially in the areas of supply chains and sustainability. It also speaks to a global reality that non-U.S. countries are coming together to strengthen trade relationships for their prosperity as a recoupling with the U.S. is ongoing, she said, ASEAN juggles relationships with China and US The prospect of a deepening trade conflict between China and the U.S. has risked weakening economic growth worldwide. Trump at the ASEAN summit on Sunday announced new economic details with Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, though all countries are still subject to new tariffs he has brought in. Anwar stressed at the ASEAN meeting with China that the bloc seeks friendly relations with all countries. The day before we were with President Donald Trump of the United States of America, and today we are back with China, he said. "And that reflects ASEAN centrality. ... This is what we consider steady engagement that fosters trust that enables us to work through challenges together. There were signs that tensions between the U.S. and China were cooling ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Xi in South Korea on Thursday. Top negotiators from each country said a trade deal was coming together, which could prevent a potentially damaging confrontation between the worlds two largest economies. Officials said the ASEAN-China free trade agreement is expected to broaden integration across the region by covering new areas such as digital trade, the green economy, sustainability and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up the majority of ASEAN businesses. The agreement is designed to make trade benefits more accessible, improve market entry for smaller players, streamline nontariff procedures and lower regulatory barriers. Territorial tensions remain Marcos said the pact could help modernize trade practices and enable both sides to better respond to emerging economic challenges, but urged China to commit to cooperation and meaningful engagement, especially in the South China Sea. Marcos said it was regrettable that Philippine vessels and aircraft continue to face dangerous actions and harassment in the South China Sea. He reiterated Manilas objections to Beijings plan to establish a nature reserve over a hotly disputed shoal in the area. Actions like these cannot hide under the veneer of marine environmental protection because they have no legal basis or effect, blatantly disregard international law, and infringe on the Philippines sovereignty, he said. Still, Marcos added that Manila would continue to engage constructively with China to manage differences. ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei along with Taiwan have overlapping claims with China, which asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea. Chinese and Philippine vessels have repeatedly clashed in the vital sea trade route. Marcos has vowed to accelerate the conclusion of a Code of Conduct to govern behavior in the disputed waters when the Philippines assumes the ASEAN chairmanship next year. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Monday accused the Philippines of deliberate infringements and provocations at sea, blaming Manila for escalating tensions. Welsh, the analyst, said regional officials treat the South China Sea dispute as a separate track from security ties and don't expect it to impact economic ties with China. In his remarks closing the summit, Anwar said that there had been consensus for engagement, with Li Qiang agreeing that the Code of Conduct negotiations should be accelerated. All agreed that this region should not be an area of contestation of superpowers, Anwar said. ___ This story has corrected the spelling of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's name. A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston Saturday after a man allegedly stabbed two passengers with a metal fork, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Indian national Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, allegedly stabbed two unidentified 17-year-old passengers with the fork, one in the shoulder and one in the head, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Following meal service, Minor A was sleeping lightly in a middle seat when he allegedly awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him, the press release said. It is alleged that Usiripalli used his right hand to strike Minor A in the left clavicle area with a metal fork. Usiripalli then allegedly lunged toward Minor B who was seated to Minor As right in a middle seat in the center row of the aircraft and struck Minor B in the back of his head with the fork. Minor B suffered a laceration to the rear of his head. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Lufthansa Airlines Boeing 747-8 lands at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 2020. "When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. Immediately afterwards, Usiripalli allegedly turned toward a female passenger to his left and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member," according to the press release. "As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody," the press release said. Usiripalli was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, according to the press release. MORE: Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines midflight pleads guilty Lufthansa said in a statement that the flight diversion "was necessitated by the behavior of an unruly passenger, who was taken into custody by local authorities upon arrival. Consequently, the onward flight to Frankfurt did not continue as scheduled." The statement added that "all passengers were provided with hotel accommodations and were rebooked on the next available flights." Usiripalli was in the U.S. on a student visa for a master's program in biblical studies, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if found guilty, the press release said, adding that Usiripalli will appear in federal court in Boston on an as-yet undetermined date. ABC News' Ayesha Ali and Clara McMichael contributed to this report. Getty Images Queen Camilla at the state banquet during the Amir of Qatar's visit to the United Kingdom. The Gist The Crown Jewels belong to the institution of the British monarchy. As queen, Camilla has worn several historic pieces previously made iconic by her predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II. She also personally owns a number of family heirlooms, including the Cubitt-Shand Tiara. When King Charles and Queen Camilla ascended to the throne on May 6, 2023, they became the official trustees of the Crown Jewels, which belong to the institution of the British monarchy. Since then, the latter royal has incorporated an impressive array of accessories into her wardrobe, including several historic pieces that were made iconic by her predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown Jewels are comprised of 142 pieces; the full extent of the late monarch's private collection is unknown. As well, Queen Camilla has her own personal collection to choose from. One standout sparkler? The Cubitt-Shand Tiara, a crown she inherited from her aristocratic grandmother Rosalind Cubitt. Getty Images Queen Camilla at Ascot Racecourse in 2025. As a rule, Queen Camilla is careful about her jewelry selection. Much like Kate Middleton's wardrobe, the royal's choices are often interpreted as symbolically significantand rightly so. Amid Prince Andrew's fall from grace, for example, the queen wore a $40,000 brooch to Ascot Racecourse with gemstones that represent "new beginnings." Ahead, here's a little history lesson behind some of the royal's most dazzling diamonds, including both those her husband inherited from his late mother and those that are a part of Queen Camilla's private collection. 01 of 10 The Kokoshnik Tiara Getty Images Queen Camilla and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during his 2024 state visit. For the official state visit of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in 2024, Queen Camilla wore the Kokoshnik Tiara, a "brilliant graduating diamond tiara in the Russian style" which can also be worn as a necklace. The piece dates back to 1888 and contains more than 400 perfectly matched diamonds set in 16 vertical bars. According to Garrard, the tiara was originally a gift to Queen Alexandra that was eventually inherited by her great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. 02 of 10 The Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara Getty Images Queen Camilla at the Diplomatic Corps Reception at Buckingham Palace in 2024. Queen Camilla made her debut in Queen Elizabeth II's Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara at a reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps in November 2024. The dazzling piece features five emerald-cut aquamarine gems that are connected by a set of diamonds that appear in a ribbon-like formation, hence the name. The late monarch wore the tiara just once at a dinner during a royal tour of Canada in 1970, according to The Court Jeweller. Little is known about the piece, including its origin, and, to add to the mystery, it has rarely been worn in public. 03 of 10 The Greville Tiara Getty Images Queen Camilla at a state banquet in Berlin, Germany in 2023. The Greville Tiara is part of a collection of pieces that were bequeathed to the Queen Mother in 1942 by Dame Margaret Greville. It was created in 1921 using diamonds from a 1901 tiara, according to The Court Jeweller. The massive sparkler has a unique honeycomb pattern of diamonds made all the more impressive when Cartier was enlisted to add five more jewels to the head piece in 1953. Though Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara only once in public during her reign, it has become a favorite of Queen Camilla's. 04 of 10 The Burmese Ruby Tiara Getty Images Queen Camilla at the state banquet for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in November 2023. The Burmese Ruby Tiara was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1970s using the jewels from the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara, a Cartier wedding present she later had dismantled. The 96 rubies featured in the piece were a gift from Burma. King Charles inherited the tiara after his mother's death in 2022. Queen Camilla subsequently debuted the sparkling accessory at the state banquet for the president of South Korea in November 2023. 05 of 10 The Rothschild Brooch Getty Images Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in June 2025. Queen Camilla stepped out at Royal Ascot in 2025 wearing a diamond piece that hadn't been seen in nearly a century: the Rothschild Brooch. The priceless royal heirloom was gifted to Queen Mary in 1893 at her wedding, and was last seen in public in 1936. According to U.K. jeweler Steven Stone, the brooch is estimated to be worth around 80,000, which would be over $108,000 today. 06 of 10 Her engagement ring Getty Images Queen Camilla showing off her engagement ring in February 2005. No discussion of Queen Camilla's jewelry is complete without a nod to her engagement ring, which features a 5-carat emerald-cut diamond, plus three baguette-cut diamonds on either side of the central jewel. Though details of its provenance are murky, the rings Art Deco design suggests a 1920s or 1930s origin. Savvy internet sleuths have uncovered photographs of the Queen Mother wearing the ring in the 1980s, suggesting it once belonged to her. The palace also previously confirmed that the ring is indeed a "family heirloom." 07 of 10 Diamond Serpent Necklace Getty Images Queen Camilla at a state dinner in Bogota, Colombia in 2014. One of Queen Camilla's most prized family heirlooms is her diamond serpent necklace, which she inherited from her "adored grandmother" (likely her mother's mother, who was the daughter of Sonia Keppel and Roland Cubitt, the 3rd Baron Ashcombe, per The Court Jeweller). Symbolically, the snake represents transformation and new beginnings. 08 of 10 The Cubitt-Shand Tiara Getty Images Queen Camilla at the Royal Academy of Arts in 2015. Queen Camilla's inheritance from her maternal grandmother also includes the Cubittt-Shand Tiara, which she came into her possession after her mother, Rosalind Shand, passed away in 1994. The royal wore the tiara for her wedding to Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973; her daughter Laura Lopes also wore it for her wedding in 2006. 09 of 10 Diamond Festoon Necklace Getty Images Queen Camilla at a banquet in Kampala, Uganda in 2007. Along with the Greville Tiara, Dame Margaret Greville also gifted the Queen Mother a massive diamond festoon necklace in 1942. The original piece was crafted by Cartier in 1929; in 1938, Greville returned to the jeweler and had another matching necklace made of three smaller rows of diamonds. Today, the jewels can be worn either separately or together, as seen on Queen Camilla at a commonwealth banquet hosted in Uganda back in 2007. 10 of 10 The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch Getty Images Queen Camilla at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in 2023. The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch gets its name from its origins in the Romanov family, who ruled the Russian Empire from 1613 until the Russian Revolution in 1917. Queen Mary bought the brooch in 1934, per The Court Jeweller, and eventually passed it on to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Camilla made her debut with the piece on Commonwealth Day in 2023 and wore it again for the U.S. state visit in 2025. Read the original article on InStyle Japan is donating six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines. These six ships entered service between 1989 and 1993. These are 109-meter-long 2,550-ton warships operated by a crew of 120. Top speed is 50 kilometers per hour. Electronics include an air-search radar as well as a sea-search radar. There is also a low-altitude surface-search system for nearby objects, including small boats. Weapons include eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles with a range of 140 kilometers. There is an eight-tube ASROC anti-submarine rocket launcher. Each rocket carries a Mark 46 lightweight anti-submarine torpedo. ASROC can launch torpedoes to a range of nearly 10 kilometers. These torpedoes normally use a targeting sensor that then homes in on the sound the target submarine is making. The ships also carry a 76 mm gun as well as a Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) that fires 20 mm shells out to nearly 1,500 meters. When turned on, Phalanx will automatically open fireat 75 rounds a secondat any incoming missiles. The Philippine navy may only take three of these warships. The Filipino navy has never operated ships this large, but they would come in handy confronting Chinese warships trying to force Filipino fishing boats out of Philippine territorial waters in the South China Sea. China continues asserting ownership of vast offshore areas that are legally considered part of the Philippines. Worse, the Philippines gets most of the unwanted Chinese attention in the South China Sea. Thats because the Philippines has the most to lose. In terms of land area, the 7,600 islands that comprise the Philippines amount to only 300,000 square kilometers. Compare this to China, with 9.6 million square kilometers of land. According to international law, the Philippines controls, via its EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), water areas covering 2.26 million square kilometers. By the same standards, the Chinese EEZ waters comprise 877,000 square kilometers. The Philippines is also the weakest, in military terms, nation China has territorial claims on. The Philippines has a mutual defense treaty with the United States that does not adequately deal with Chinese tactics of a combination of lawfare and use of unique Chinese military forces. Most Chinese commercial ships, particularly freighters and ocean-going fishing ships, are considered part of a military maritime reserve force and are expected to follow orders from navy or coast guard ships whenever called upon. This arrangement is not unusual, as it is an ancient practice still used in many parts of the world. But the Chinese commercial naval militia ships are expected to collect intelligence and sometimes even risk damage and injuries by having their ships block the movement of foreign ships, including warships. In return, the Chinese navy and coast guard will come to the assistance if Chinese commercial and fishing ships get in trouble with foreign navies or coast guards. But this arrangement does not always work out as it should, particularly against Indonesia, whose navy and air force sometimes destroy Illegal fishing is a worldwide problem, and Chinese trawlers are the biggest offenders. Most of the 5,500 Chinese-built and -operated commercial ships are much larger and usually operate legally. Some get involved, with government permission or under government orders, in smuggling. This usually involves transporting oil from embargoed nations like Iran. The oil is often transferred to a tanker operating legally. This is done at night, and this has increasingly been spotted and high-resolution video taken by American or allied-nation maritime patrol aircraft. These videos make it possible to identify the ships involved, so the Chinese deny any official involvement and dont punish the Chinese crews and shipping companies involved. In the South China Sea, Chinas naval militia is the main threat to Filipino efforts to protect islands, reefs, and lucrative fishing grounds that are economically important. Other offshore areas have natural gas and oil that can be economically retrieved with new technology. The Philippines has ownership of these underwater treasures, but China has the means to take and hold them using their larger fleet of commercial and military ships as well as the implied use of force. The Philippines has played nice with China for over a decade while also upgrading its naval and air forces. The Filipino rearmament program has been aided by American, Japanese, and Australian donations of warships and aircraft as well as offers of low-cost military equipment. Because of that, the Philippines now has enough warships and patrol aircraft to maintain constant patrols of disputed areas. China responds with larger unarmed ships as well as a growing number of armed ships and aircraft. Despite the military buildup, Filipino leaders still have to face the fact that they cannot use force to oppose the Chinese. More active allies are needed for that. That has led to closer military cooperation between the Philippines and the United States. cans of Spam - Rob Fuller/Shutterstock Spam, the canned meat introduced by Hormel Foods back in 1937, often gets a bad rap. It's no coincidence that unwanted emails are called spam, but this pork product is a key ingredient in a comfort food that can be found in a host of places stretching from the United States (especially Hawaii) to South Korea to the Philippines and elsewhere across Asia. It's Spam fried rice and there's a reason it has such a devoted fanbase. Fried rice is already a comfort food on its own that's also economical, since it can make use of a variety of leftovers. But then throw an extra-special ingredient into fried rice to upgrade it, like this salty, umami-rich pork product with a bologna-like texture and, when combined with a mix of rice, vegetables like peas and carrots, and eggs, you end up with something truly special. Like many foods, Spam fried rice's origins are murky. Some believe it was born in Hawaii, while others suggest it hails from East Asia. What we do know is that all these places have their own take on the dish and that the most likely source of the Spam was the U.S. military. Beginning in World War II and continuing through other conflicts, including the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the shelf-stable canned meat was sent in abundance to American soldiers stationed abroad. They often traded it with locals or abandoned it upon returning home, so it ended up incorporated in traditional dishes despite the disruptive and sometimes painful context of its arrival. Read more: Canned Foods That Were Popular 50 Years Ago But No One Eats Anymore The many types of Spam fried rice Bowl of Korean Spam fried rice with chopsticks - Catherine Murray/Shutterstock There's no question Hawaii and Spam have a deep, abiding culinary love affair. The state is by far the biggest consumer of this canned pork product in the U.S., with Hawaiians consuming nearly 7 million cans a year. Although the best known dish that incorporates this canned meat is Spam musubi, which is marinated and grilled Spam on a bed of rice wrapped in Nori seaweed, Spam fried rice is also a popular comfort food on the islands, especially considering its ties to the foodways of East and Southeast Asians who immigrated to Hawaii. It's popular enough to have inspired variations such as Spam fried rice omelets. Spam fried rice is also prevalent in other parts of the U.S., especially among Asian Pacific Americans. The dish is also commonly eaten outside of the States. In South Korea, Spam fried rice often includes kimchi, a condiment made from fermented vegetables such as napa cabbage, as a key ingredient. You can even find prepackaged versions at 7-11 convenience stores there. A version in Singapore is flavored with curry powder, a traditional spice used in many of the country's dishes. It's also popular in Malaysia and the Philippines. Spam fried rice is a much loved comfort food in so many parts of the world that if you haven't tried it or made it at home before, you should so you can find out what you've been missing. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Chowhound. Hurricane Melissa roared ashore in Jamaica Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, unleashing 185 mph winds, blinding rain and torrents of floodwater that rushed through cities and neighborhoods. Trees were torn from the ground and roofs peeled away as the storm one of the most powerful in history unleashed devastating force. Late in the day, Melissa weakened slightly to a still-dangerous Category 4 as it moved off Jamaicas northern coast and headed toward Cuba . Life-threatening flooding and the potential for deadly landslides were expected to continue across Jamaica in the storms wake. Check here for Melissas full forecast, and here for the path of the storm as we track it. Read on for are our updates as they happened throughout the day Tuesday: (05:41 p.m. EDT) Forecast For Tonight From Melissa From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford Hurricane Melissa has moved back into the Caribbean, but the impacts for Jamaica are ongoing. Heavy rain, gusty winds and powerful storm surge will continue, but will fortunately begin to lessen through the overnight hours as Melissa moves to the northeast towards Cuba. Tropical storm conditions are spreading across eastern Cuba, with hurricane-force winds expected to begin late tonight and early Wednesday. Landfall is expected across eastern Cuba early Wednesday morning, but devastating flooding, powerful wind gusts and life-threatening storm surge is expected through the day on Wednesday. The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos will see their impacts worsen Wednesday, and Bermuda could see impacts Thursday. (05:15 p.m. EDT) The Latest From The NHC The National Hurricane Centers 5 p.m. advisory reports that Melissas center has moved off Jamaicas northern coast near Montego Bay, though flash flooding and damaging winds continue across the island. A hurricane watch has now been issued for Bermuda as the storm tracks northeast through the Atlantic. (05:03 p.m. EDT) Floodwaters Rage Across Jamaica Video seen on social media shows just how bad flooding has gotten on parts of the island. Flooding is likely to be among the longest lasting impacts from this storm. Some areas expected storm surge of up to 13 feet, leading to disastrous flooding and landslides that, according to Yale Climate Connections, will spare no part of the island. (04:44 p.m. EDT) Does Melissa Have Any Peers? We got this question from viewer Hannah L.: How does Melissa compare to other historic hurricanes? Is it similar to any? What are the differences? From senior meteorologist Jonathan Belles: Many names have been floating in my head in recent days when thinking about what Melissa could bring. Melissa's slow turn and 185 mph winds over the Caribbean reminded of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The extreme island damage that we expect could be similar to that of Hurricane Maria 's strike in Puerto Rico in 2017. The very heavy rainfall in Jamaica and Haiti could bring flooding of a similar magnitude to Hurricane Harvey in Texas, although rainfall amounts could still be several feet short of that storm. The added terrain in these islands could produce mudslides and more moving water, which wasn't seen as much in Texas. (04:25 p.m. EDT) Wind Howls As Melissa Crosses Jamaica In footage posted to social media, you can hear the high-pitched screaming of the storms winds. At landfall, Melissa had a maximum sustained wind speed of 185 mph (though a peak gust was recorded at 252 mph). The storms sustained winds are now topping out at 150 mph. (04:03 p.m. EDT) Melissa Downgraded To Category 4 Hurricane Melissa has weakened slightly to Category 4 strength as it makes its way across the island of Jamaica, but remains extremely dangerous and life-threatening. The latest National Hurricane Center bulletin urges residents to stay inside their shelters and avoid leaving until the storm has completely passed. (03:56 p.m. EDT) Melissa Is Breaking Records We got this question from viewer Taryn V.: Is this hurricane breaking any records? The answer is yes, several, actually. Records And Titles Hurricane Melissa Has Broken Or Tied: Strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Jamaica (Category 5) Most powerful hurricane to form in the year 2025, based on maximum sustained winds and minimum central pressure Tied for the strongest landfall in Atlantic Basin history based on pressure and wind speed Tied for third strongest Atlantic hurricane on record by pressure, behind only Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005 Tied for second strongest Atlantic hurricane by wind speed, joining a small group of storms with 180+ mph sustained winds Click here to read more about Melissas history-making landfall. (03:30 p.m. EDT) Melissas Mind-Blowing Rainfall Threat From meteorologist Jennifer Gray: The National Hurricane Center is forecasting as much as 40 inches of rain for parts of Jamaica when all is said and done. This is partly because of the slow-moving nature of Melissa, and also because of the mountainous terrain of the island. Mountains are able to squeeze out additional moisture and rain from a system. All of this rain will be racing down the hillsides, resulting in the potential for catastrophic landslides and mudslides. Eastern Cuba is forecast to receive up to 25 inches of rain. (03:08 p.m. EDT) Impacts Felt On Jamaicas Southern Shore Harrowing video from the ground shows Hurricane Melissas catastrophic impact on southern Jamaica, as raging floodwaters rush through streets and wind tears across neighborhoods. Additional footage shows a building with its roof destroyed. (02:49 p.m. EDT) Will Landfall Impact Melissas Strength? We got this question from viewer Lauren P.: Is there a chance once Melissa hits land that she could lose strength and hopefully not cause as much damage? From senior meteorologists Jonathan Erdman and Jonathan Belles: The eye is about half way across Jamaica now and collapsing quickly due to mountainous terrain. But given it's one of the most intense hurricanes on record in the Atlantic Basin, it won't make much difference for what are expected to be catastrophic impacts from flooding and extreme winds. If you have questions about Hurricane Melissa, text them to (404) 793-7182 and we may answer them in future Live Updates. (02:31 p.m. EDT) Destruction At Hospital Near Landfall Video posted to social media shows damage and strong winds at the Black River hospital in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, less than an hour from where Melissa roared ashore. (02:06 p.m. EDT) Update From Tourist In Lockdown Toby Smith, a guest at the Riu Ocho Rios resort on Jamaicas northern shore, says he and his family remain in lockdown as Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica. Lots of surface water in the gardens and splashing in the common areas, he said, adding that conditions appear much worse west of us in Montego Bay and on the south coast. Smith briefly stepped into the hallway outside of his room to check on the situation, nothing towels and sandbags lining the corridors to hold back incoming water. Were expecting crazy winds for the next few hours, he said. (01:43 p.m. EDT) Melissas Unusual Eyewall Activity We got this question from viewer Linda M.: Is it possible for the hurricane to hit even though it didnt go through eye wall replacement? From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: Not only is it possible, it appears to be the case with Melissa. Most intense hurricanes undergo an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC) at least once, but usually multiple times if they're not crashing into land. No doubt Melissa's internal structure and dynamics will be subject for future studies by scientists. If you have questions about Hurricane Melissa, text them to (404) 793-7182 and we may answer them in future Live Updates. (01:21 p.m. EDT) Where Storm Surge May Be Worst From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: As the eye of Melissa moves ashore in western Jamaica, one area of the coast is of particular concern for storm surge. According to a combination of the SLOSH model and another wind wave model from NOAA, a rather expansive area near Black River, Jamaica, in Saint Elizabeth Parish may be inundated with 6 feet or more of water from the sea above normally dry ground. You can see that in the social post embedded below. Again, this is a model run based on Melissas Cat. 5 intensity, angle of approach and forward speed, not necessarily what is or will occur on the ground. (01:01 p.m. EDT) Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall In Jamaica By digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford: Hurricane Melissa has made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, per a special update from the National Hurricane Center. This means Melissa ties Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 as the strongest landfall in terms of winds in the Atlantic Basin. With a pressure of 892 mb, it also ties the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935s all-time low pressure at landfall. (12:57 p.m. EDT) Melissa's Landfall Wobbles We got this question from viewer Patrina L.: Based on current assessments, how likely will the landfall shift directly (wagon tail) NW towards Hanover, specifically Lucea and Negril area? From senior meteorologist Jonathan Belles: There's not a ton of time left for significant shifts, but we have noted a modest northward wobble. In past hurricanes, we have seen hurricanes jog near landfall as they approach landmasses with significant terrain like Jamaica's, and this may be the reason for this temporary jog. Landfall is expected soon just west of Black River, Jamaica, while the eyewall is hammering Negril and Montego Bay. If you have questions about Hurricane Melissa, text them to (404) 793-7182 and we may answer them in future Live Updates. (12:43 p.m. EDT) Deafening Wind, Blinding Rain From writer Renee Straker: A storm chaser captured the absolute violence of the storm as it started moving ashore. Listen to the roaring, deafening sounds of the winds and blinding rain tearing through a neighborhood believed to be near Treasure Beach, Jamaica. (12:14 p.m. EDT) How Does The National Hurricane Center Determine Landfall? From digital meteorologist Caitlin Kaiser: As Melissas eyewall crosses the coastline, it brings up the question of how we know when the storm has officially made landfall. According to the National Hurricane Center, landfall is the intersection of the surface center of the tropical cyclone with the coastline. We are watching Melissas location closely as landfall is imminent on the southern coast of Jamaica. (11:56 a.m. EDT) Incredible Satellite Images As Melissa Nears Jamaica From senior writer Chris DeWeese: As Melissa lumbers ever closer to Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, heres a look at what it looks like from space. If you look closely, you can see the mesovortices in its eye. (11:39 a.m. EDT) Hurricane Hunters Forced To Turn Back Due To Turbulence From meteorologist intern Hayden Marshall: The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron crew, more often known as the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, is now returning to its forward operating location in Curacao following extreme turbulence in Hurricane Melissas eyewall. This comes after the aircraft experienced unusual force, even for the eyewall of a major hurricane. Safety procedures require that the aircraft undergo an inspection before returning to normal operations. The extreme, unusually strong turbulence speaks to the historical nature of Hurricane Melissa, with even hurricane hunters finding the strength of the storm unusual. (11:24 a.m. EDT) Melissa Has A Dry Eye We got this question from viewer Matt H.: "How does the dry eye of the hurricane make it different than others? Does it make the hurricane stronger?" From senior meteorologist Jonathan Belles: One of the more in-the-weeds records that Melissa has likely set is for the dryness and warmth of its eye. The eye is created by substantial sinking in the center of a hurricane. This subsidence compresses and warms the air as it approaches the surface from the tens of thousands of feet at the top of a hurricane. The drier and warmer the air in the eye, the stronger a hurricane is. The fact that temperatures at the top of the eye are approaching freezing signifies that Melissa is an extremely powerful hurricane. At the surface of the eye, it could be a downright hot and muggy day that would rival an August day in Jamaica, although these conditions will not last very long between eyewalls. If you have questions about Hurricane Melissa, text them to (404) 793-7182 and we may answer them in future Live Updates. (11:14 a.m. EDT) One-Third Of Jamaica Already Without Power In a social media post, the Jamaica Public Service Company announced that 35% of customers were in the dark, with most of those outages being on the western side of the island, where Melissa is about to come ashore. "Our teams are RESPONDING to these outages right now, wherever it is safe," said the post. "At this time, we have NO plans to shut down the system." (11:00 a.m. EDT) Resetting The Scene At 11 AM EDT From meteorologist Jennifer Gray: The 11 a.m. update from the National Weather Service shows Major Hurricane Melissa remains a Category 5 hurricane with maximum winds of 185 mph. Pressure remains at 892 mb. The storms eye is approaching Jamaicas coast, and therefore, landfall will occur very soon. Catastrophic winds, rain and storm surge are happening on the island right now, and will continue for hours to come. Some of the most intense conditions right now are impacting Saint Elizabeth and Westmoreland parishes on the southwestern coast of Jamaica. (10:49 a.m. EDT) This Is What A Cat 5 Nearing Landfall Is Like Hurricane chaser Josh Morgerman says he's near the expected landfall point of Hurricane Melissa along Jamaica's southwestern coast, and a post to X shows what it's like to be in the middle of a historic storm: (10:41 a.m. EDT) Extreme Gusts Recorded By Hurricane Hunters From senior meteorologist Jonathan Belles: Hurricane Hunters from NOAA and the Air Force are lining up to gather the last information on Melissa before its historic landfall in Jamaica. The strengthening storm continues to provide meteorological superlatives, and the NOAA Hurricane Hunters just found wind gusts approaching 250 mph at roughly 1,500 feet. They measured this using a dropsonde a tube that drops from the plane to the oceans surface measuring temperature, winds, moisture and more. It is conceivable that wind gusts over 200 mph could be felt at some of the highest peaks in western Jamaica during the landfall process. (10:34 a.m. EDT) A Truly Stunning Look Inside The Eye Check out this view from inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa, as seen by the Hurricane Hunters: To see one of their flights through the storm yesterday, watch this video. (10:18 a.m. EDT) 'LAST CHANCE TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE' AP Photo/Matias Delacroix The National Hurricane Center is issuing final pleas to Jamaican residents and visitors, with Melissas landfall likely just a few hours away: "CATASTROPHIC WINDS MOVING ONSHORE SOUTHERN JAMAICA LAST CHANCE TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE" "Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious injury, and loss of life. Residents in Jamaica that experience the eye should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase within the backside of the eyewall of Melissa. To protect yourself from wind, the best thing you can do is put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. An interior room without windows, ideally one where you can also avoid falling trees, is the safest place you can be in a building. You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection." (10:00 a.m. EDT) Melissa Now Stronger Than Milton (2024) At 10 a.m. EDT, Hurricane Melissa has gotten even stronger. The National Hurricane Center says the minimum central pressure is 892 mb, and maximum sustained winds are 185 mph. Its just 45 miles south-southeast of Negril now. This ties Melissa with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane for the third-most-intense Atlantic Basin hurricane on record. Only Wilma (882 mb) and Gilbert (888 mb) were stronger. Both Hurricane Dorian (2019) and the Labor Day 1935 hurricane made their landfall with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, so this storm could tie or top the strongest Atlantic Basin landfall in terms of winds. All of our updated rankings can be found here. (09:50 a.m. EDT) Information Blackout Likely Nearest To Landfall Having covered a few of these catastrophic hurricane landfalls, here's what's about to happen. In the hours and possibly days after landfall, we are very unlikely to get detailed information or visuals out of southwestern Jamaica or in the mountains, which are expected to get the worst of Melissa. This is directly due to the widespread, massive damage that will be left behind, and the need to respond to humans in dire need first and foremost. We will obviously provide any information we receive in the aftermath of what we now know will be a horrific landfall that will forever alter this beautiful island nation. (09:36 a.m. EDT) 'This Is Not A Joke' AP Photo/Matias Delacroix From writer Renee Straker: Even hurricane-tested Jamaicans have taken the threat of Melissa seriously. Heeding stern warnings, this video shows you how many people prepared for whats expected to be a devastating landfall. However, government officials were worried late Monday. They said not enough people had evacuated low-lying coastal areas. Desmond McKenzie, Jamaicas minister for local government, said 133 of the islands 880 shelters were being used. (09:00 a.m. EDT) Melissa Now 6th-Strongest Atlantic Hurricane On Record From meteorologist Tiffany Savona: Hurricane Hunters find that Hurricane Melissa continues to strengthen. The pressure has fallen to 896 mb and the maximum sustained winds have increased to 180 mph. NHC says the northern eyewall is approaching the southern coast of Jamaica; we'll likely see a landfall in a few hours. (08:57 a.m. EDT) Jamaican Official: 1,000 People In Shelters As Melissa Approaches AP Photo/Matias Delacroix From senior writer Chris DeWeese: As Renee mentioned, government officials in Jamaica have been expressing concern about the number of people who have decided to make use of the shelters that have been opened across the island. A key Jamaican government official told the BBC that around 1,000 people are in shelters in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches the island. Abka Fitz-Henley, State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, also told BBC Newsday that the government expects "significant infrastructure damage" from this storm. (08:35 a.m. EDT) NHC Uses Sobering Language To Describe Melissa's Dire Threat NOAA via AP From meteorologist Jennifer Gray: The NHC warned this morning: "Remain sheltered! Catastrophic flooding, landslides, and destructive winds will continue through today, causing widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages, and isolated communities. Total structure failure is possible near the path of Melissas center. Along the southern coast, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected through the day. Failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life. (08:08 a.m. EDT) The Eyewall Is Closing In From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: With hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles from the center, that means its eyewall with the most intense winds is quickly closing in on western Jamaica. If this were a U.S. hurricane, the National Weather Service would issue an "extreme wind warning" for western Jamaica. The NWS issues these "extreme wind warnings" in the U.S. for the arrival of a Category 3-plus eyewall (115-plus-mph winds) within one hour. It was last issued in the U.S. for Hurricane Milton's landfall in central Florida last October. (08:00 a.m. EDT) The 8 AM EDT Advisory Is In ... And there's been no change. 175 mph maximum sustained winds, minimum central pressure of 901 mb. If it makes landfall at that pressure, it would be the fourth-most-intense landfall on record for the Atlantic Basin, ranking only behind Camille (1969, Mississippi), Gilbert (1988, Mexico) and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane (Florida Keys). Melissa is now just 55 miles south-southeast of Negril. It's safe to say landfall is imminent. (07:40 a.m. EDT) A Historic First For Jamaica From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Melissa to make landfall in Jamaica at Category 5 intensity. That would be a historical first for Jamaica, according to NOAAs database. Only two other Cat 5 hurricanes have passed within 70 miles of Jamaica, and neither made landfall. Ivan in 2004 claimed 17 lives, left 18,000 left homeless and triggered mudslides/flooding on the island. Allen in 1980 slammed northern Jamaica, with eight killed, and 4,000 to 5,000 were left homeless. (07:18 a.m. EDT) Winds Could Be 30% Stronger In Higher Elevations From meteorologist Jennifer Gray: Tropical storm conditions are already occurring in Jamaica, and catastrophic hurricane-force winds are expected to begin this morning, lasting for much of the day, because of Melissas slow crawl over the island. The National Hurricane Center warns, "Within the eyewall, total structural failure is likely, especially in higher elevation areas where wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains could be up to 30 percent stronger." (06:58 a.m. EDT) A 'Frightening Situation' For Jamaica From senior writer Chris DeWeese: "This is a frightening situation for Jamaica," Matthew Samuda, the countrys Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, said during an interview with the BBC World Services Newsday program. According to Samuda, 70% of Jamaicas population lives within 3.1 miles of the sea. "We hope we have done enough in terms of preparation," he added, saying that officials have spent the past week telling residents about shelters around the island. However, amid preparation for the hurricane, Samuda also mentioned that officials have had a hard time convincing residents to go to the shelters, as they seem to feel, in his words, that they must "protect their property as opposed to preserving their lives first." (06:31 a.m. EDT) How Rare Are Category 5 Landfalls? Hurricane Irma when it was near Cuba on Sept. 9, 2017. (NASA/NOAA GOES Project) From senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: Category 5 landfalls in the Atlantic Basin are rare (thankfully), but perhaps not as rare as you might think. Seventeen different hurricanes over the last 101 years have made at least one Cat 5 landfall. 2017s Hurricane Irma made four separate Cat 5 landfalls from Barbuda to far northern Cuba. The last time this happened was just over six years ago, when Hurricane Dorian crawled through the northwest Bahamas. The most intense Atlantic Basin Cat 5 landfalls: By lowest pressure: the Labor Day 1935 Florida Keys hurricane (892 millibars) By max sustained winds: Dorian 2019 and the Labor Day 1935 hurricane (185 mph) (06:08 a.m. EDT) Jamaica Will Be Forever Changed From meteorologist Tiffany Savona: Extremely strong wording from The Weather Channel storm tracker Jim Cantore: "What matters is Jamaica and the nearly 3 million people on this island. Black River, Parottee, Great Bay, Montego Bay and Trelawny are just a few places that will be forever changed in the next 18 hours." (05:45 a.m. EDT) Melissa's Death Toll Is Already 7 From writer Renee Straker: As Melissas outer bands impacted Jamaica, three people died there, adding to the four deaths blamed on the storm in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Another person remains missing in the Dominican Republic. With Melissas life-threatening storm surge and winds, Jamaican government officials were concerned that only about 1,000 people were in shelters open across the island on Monday. (05:24 a.m. EDT) Unprecedented In 174 Years AP Photo/Matias Delacroix According to the Associated Press, hurricane records go back 174 years in Jamaica, and Melissa is on track to be the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the island nation in nearly two centuries. All possible preparations have been completed, and now, the nation hunkers down for what could be one of its longest days ever. "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5," Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the media. "The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge." (05:00 a.m. EDT) Stronger Than Katrina CIRA/NOAA As of the 5 a.m. EDT update, Hurricane Melissa has a minimum central pressure of 901 mb. That's stronger than Katrina at its most intense, which bottomed out at 902 mb in 2005. Wilma holds the Atlantic record for lowest minimum central pressure at 882 mb; we don't expect Melissa to threaten that record. Melissa's now just 115 miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and has maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. It's expected to remain a Category 5 hurricane at landfall later today. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane -- one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin. Melissa, which is now a Category 4 hurricane, is bringing catastrophic winds, rain and storm surge to Jamaica, where residents and tourists are sheltering in place. Latest Developments Oct 28, 7:08 PM Jamaica declared a disaster area Jamaica's prime minister has declared the country a disaster area due to Hurricane Melissa. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the order gives the government "the tools to continue managing our response to Hurricane Melissa." Ricardo Makyn/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: A flooded street is seen in St. Catherine, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa made landfall, October 28, 2025. Oct 28, 6:50 PM No fatalities reported yet following landfall in Jamaica: Official No fatalities have been reported so far in Jamaica since Melissa made landfall, Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica's Disaster Risk Management Council, said during a press briefing based on preliminary information. McKenzie noted it's still early, as response crews haven't been able to reach the worst-hit areas yet. Jamaican officials had reported Monday that three people died in Jamaica amid preparations for the storm. Matias Delacroix/AP - PHOTO: People walk along a road during the passing of Hurricane Melissa in Rocky Point, Jamaica, Oct. 28, 2025. During his briefing Tuesday, McKenzie said at least three families were trapped in Black River, and that rescue teams were trying to reach the area. He described the impacts of Hurricane Melissa on several regions of the island. The southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth is flooded and parts of Clarendon are also reporting extensive damage, he said. There have also been reports of flooding, fallen trees, power outages, landslides and storm surges, especially in St. Thomas, Portland and St. Catherine, he said. Four main hospitals on the island all sustained damage, he said. Nearly 6,000 people are in shelters across Jamaica as of Tuesday afternoon, according to McKenzie. Oct 28, 5:57 PM State Department says Jamaica has formally requested assistance The State Department said it has received a formal request for assistance from the government of Jamaica and is working with the government to assist people affected by Hurricane Melissa. ABC News has asked for more details about the type of assistance the agency will be providing to Jamaica. -ABC News' Mariam Khan Oct 28, 5:46 PM Kingston airport could open to relief flights by Thursday: Officials The Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, could reopen to start accepting emergency relief flights as early as Thursday, officials said Tuesday. The impact on the airport is "not extensive," Jamaica's energy, telecommunications and transport minister, Daryl Vaz, said during a briefing. Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA/Shutterstock - PHOTO: Volunteers fill up boxes with essential goods at the Global Empowerment Mission headquarters as they mobilize a major aid operation for communities affected by Hurricane Melissa, in Doral, Fla., October 28, 2025. Oct 28, 5:31 PM Melissa moving off northwest coast of Jamaica The center of Melissa is now moving off the northwest coast of Jamaica as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds currently at 145 mph. The center is currently located about 15 miles east of Montego Bay. Strong, damaging winds, catastrophic flash flooding and life-threatening storm surge continue to hit parts of the island nation. Matias Delacroix/AP - PHOTO: People walk along a road during the passing of Hurricane Melissa in Rocky Point, Jamaica, Oct. 28, 2025. The core of Melissa is expected to move away from western Jamaica on Tuesday evening, moving back over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea as it closes in on southeastern Cuba next. Melissa is forecast to make a second landfall later Tuesday night along the coast of southeastern Cuba, west of Guantanamo Bay, potentially re-strengthening a bit as it moves across warm water again over the next several hours. -ABC News' Dan Peck Oct 28, 5:28 PM Hospital in southwestern Jamaica severely damaged Black River Hospital, located on the southwestern coast of Jamaica, has sustained severe damage and service has been disrupted due to Hurricane Melissa, health officials said. "Despite the disruption, members of the health team are working tirelessly to ensure the continued care and safety of all patients, with efforts underway to restore full functionality," the Jamaican health ministry said. Oct 28, 5:07 PM Cuba's president urges mass movement to shelters The president of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, urged residents to move to shelters ahead of Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba overnight. We want to stress again how big this event is and the need for people to understand the risk it poses because of its scale," Diaz-Canel said in a statement. "Wind speeds above 260 kilometers per hour can destroy any facility that is not properly prepared. So we are once again asking everyone to use the time left before the hurricane arrives to move to safe areas to face this hurricane." Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: A soldier helps evacuate an elderly woman to a secure location ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa at Siboney beach, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, October 28, 2025. Oct 28, 4:26 PM Melissa now a Category 4 hurricane Melissa is now a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds decreased to 150 mph, but it remains an extremely dangerous storm as it sweeps across western Jamaica. The center is currently located about 10 miles south of Montego Bay, as the storm is moving to the north-northeast at 8 mph. Rudolph Brown/EPA/Shutterstock - PHOTO: A house and fence are damaged by Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, October 28, 2025. Catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge continue to hit parts of the island nation. Melissa is expected to reemerge off the northern coast of Jamaica over the next couple of hours, then head toward eastern Cuba next. -ABC News' Dan Peck Oct 28, 3:21 PM Melissa hammering western Jamaica with 160 mph winds Hurricane Melissa has weakened slightly but remains an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm thats hammering western Jamaica with 160 mph winds. Melissa is moving to north-northeast at 8 mph bringing catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge to the island. NOAA - PHOTO: Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin, Oct. 28, 2025. The worst conditions will persist for a couple more hours in Jamaica before Melissa reemerges back over water and heads toward eastern Cuba. Oct 28, 2:48 PM Jamaica's history with powerful hurricanes Jamaica is no stranger to destructive hurricanes. From Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 to Hurricane Beryl just last year, click here to read about the major storms that struck Jamaica before Melissa. Click here to read the rest of the blog. A memorial for Charlie Kirk outside of the headquarters of Turning Point USA on Sept. 16, in Phoenix. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) A Utah judge ruled Monday that the man charged with fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk can wear civilian clothes during pretrial hearings. But the judge denied a request from attorneys for Tyler Robinson, 22, that sought to bar authorities from requiring him to wear restraints in court. Mr. Robinsons right to the presumption of innocence outweighs the minimal inconvenience of permitting civilian attire, and Mr. Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent, Utah Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf Jr. said in a ruling from the bench. Graf added that while Robinson has no criminal history or incidents of misconduct in custody, the charges are extraordinarily serious, and he said the emotional nature of the case raises the risk of disruption. Given those factors, Graf said, he denied the motion for Robinson to appear without shackles. Attorneys for Robinson had argued that his appearance is the subject of endless scrutiny and could unfairly influence a potential jury. Defense attorneys and prosecutors had agreed that Robinson could appear at trial in civilian clothes and concealed restraints, Graf said. Robinson was charged with aggravated murder and other crimes in Kirks Sept. 10 killing at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors have said they will pursue the death penalty. Robinson has not entered a plea. He appeared at Mondays hearing via an audio-only feed and responded in the affirmative when Graf asked whether he could hear the proceedings. Prosecutors have said Robinson targeted Kirk, the polarizing and influential co-founder of Turning Point USA, for his political expression during an event the conservative youth advocacy group hosted at the university campus. Charging documents cited a series of purported text messages between Robinson and his roommate that appeared to link him to the fatal shooting. When the roommate asked Robinson why he shot Kirk, according to the messages, Robinson responded: I had enough of his hatred. Some hatred cant be negotiated out. DCNF - Abrego Garcia Cabrera Deportation - Featured Screenshot/Rumble/MSNBC The attorney for adjudicated MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia told MSNBC host Ana Cabrera Tuesday that the federal government should release his client if it wont deport him to Costa Rica. Abrego Garcia is currently under indictment for human trafficking charges in Tennessee and had initially been deported to El Salvador, leading Democrats to take up his cause and demand his return to the United States. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told Cabrera on Ana Cabrera Reports that Costa Rica was willing to consider Abrego Garcia a refugee. (RELATED: Ana Navarro Freaks Out When CNN Panelist Points Out Criminal Illegal Immigrants) The judge has scheduled another hearing in court in Maryland in about three weeks. And certainly, the injunction is in place between now and then. The government confirmed yesterday that theyre aware of the injunction and that theyre not going to remove him in violation of the injunction, Sandoval-Moshenberg claimed. This is now the fourth African country that theyve tried to send him to. You know, the first three said yes, then they said no. Meanwhile, all this while, as the judge pointed out very pointedly in court yesterday, Costa Rica has offered him a grant of refugee status, which means that he gets to live there permanently, at no risk of being deported to El Salvador, where he was tortured earlier this year. And yet again, the government had no good answer for why theyre not willing to simply take that off-ramp. WATCH: The Trump administration released a 13-page dossier detailing the evidence against Abrego Garcia in April, including findings from immigration judges that he was a member of MS-13, an El Salvadoran prison gang designated a foreign terrorist organization by President Donald Trump. Abrego Garcia has also been accused of domestic violence on multiple occasions. Abrego Garcia was detained in Tennessee on suspicion of human trafficking during a traffic stop, but was released at the behest of the Biden administration FBI in 2022, according to the Tennessee Star. Abrego Garcia returned to the United States on June 6 to face charges in a federal court in Nashville related to the 2022 incident. United States District Judge Paula Xinis of the District of Maryland, an Obama appointee, ordered the Trump administration not to deport Abrego Garcia in August. Judge Xinis asked why Trump officials have decided to send him to Liberia, saying theres no reason for that, only its almost in the ocean, its so far away, Cabrera said. And as you just mentioned, its the fourth African country theyve tried to send him to when hes, you know, agreed he would be okay being deported to Costa Rica. Have you gotten any explanation for that? Why Liberia? No, we havent. And the only explanation thats plausible is that theyre trying to use deportation to Africa, as opposed to Central America, to punish him because somehow its scarier, you know, Africa. Theres 200 theres about 200 countries on this Earth, right? They can name one after another after another after another, but they cant keep him locked up in the meanwhile. Right? Sandoval-Moshenberg claimed. Especially while they if what they actually wanted to do was to have deported him from the United States, they could have done that a month and a half ago to Costa Rica. (RELATED: In The Crosshairs Of Terrorists: Acting ICE Director Says Cartels Placing Bounties On Agents) Abrego Garcias attorneys have claimed he would face persecution in over 20 countries, including Costa Rica. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Thats why were asking the judge to order his release, unless theyre willing to deport him to Costa Rica, right? Put a deadline, a reasonable deadline to remove him to Costa Rica, and if they havent done it by that particular date, theyve got to release him back to Maryland, Sandoval-Moshenberg claimed. Thats our position. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. The chairwoman of the Hardin County Republican Party in Kentucky is apologizing after posting then later deleting a video depicting former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes. The Kentucky Republican Party said it is investigating the matter "and will take the harshest action available to us against those involved." The Republican Party of Kentucky condemns hate in all its forms," said party Chairman Robert J. Benvenuti III in an Oct. 25 statement. "The post is vile and reprehensible, and is directly adverse to all that we stand for as a party and a nation." The Obama's depictions were caught on a screenshot of the video which was shared with WAVE-TV. Hardin County Republican Party Chair Bobbie Coleman confirmed through a Facebook post late Saturday night that she had shared the video on the party's account. She said she did not initially see the video as engaging in a racist trope, but instead portraying President Trump "as a Lion King, triumphing over liberal Democrats." "I thought this video was a silly way to celebrate the policy victories of the past nine months - including tax cuts, peace in the Middle East, a strong border, and lower gas prices," Coleman said. Coleman then apologized for posting the video and "amplifying offensive imagery of former President Obama." "As someone who does not engage with racist tropes, I did not consider the underlying meaning that this video may have had,' she said. "I am not racist and any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect my values or character." Benvenuti of the state Republican Party said it "condemns hate in all its forms." "We remain committed to the values of Lincoln and advancing liberty and prosperity for every American, he said. Coleman said she removed the video from Hardin County's account before Benvenuti issued his statement. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Hardin County Republican Party leader apologizes for racist video FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo By Ashitha Shivaprasad and Sam Li (Reuters) -Oil prices edged lower Tuesday as OPEC's plan to raise output offset optimism about a potential U.S.China trade deal, while investors also weighed how effective sanctions on Russia would be. Brent crude futures fell 3 cents to $65.59 a barrel at 0359 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 5 cents at $61.26. "Traders weighed up progress in U.S.-China trade talks and the broader outlook for supply," ANZ said in a morning note. Acting as a headwind for prices, OPEC+, which groups the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, is leaning towards another modest output boost in December, four sources familiar with the talks said. Having curbed production for several years in a bid to support the oil market, the group started reversing those cuts in April. Supporting the market is the prospect of a trade deal between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest oil consumers, with President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping due to meet on Thursday in South Korea. Beijing hopes Washington can meet it halfway to "prepare for high-level interactions" between the two countries, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Monday. Last week, Brent and WTI registered their biggest weekly gains since June, after Trump imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. Following the sanctions, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil said on Monday it would sell its international assets. This is the most consequential action so far by a Russian company in the wake of Western sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Sanctions on oil-exporting countries could push up crude prices, but the effect will be limited because of surplus capacity, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Tuesday. Market participants broadly viewed the sanctions as having a short-term impact. Any medium to longterm supply losses looked limited, Haitong Securities said in a note, and oversupply would likely put pressure on prices. (Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru and Sam Li in Beijing; Editing by Sonali Paul and Thomas Derpinghaus) FILE PHOTO: OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo By Georgina McCartney HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped around $1 a barrel on Tuesday and were on track for a third straight day of declines as investors considered the impact of U.S. sanctions against Russia's two biggest oil companies on global supply, along with a potential OPEC+ plan to raise output. Brent crude futures were down $1.09, or 1.7%, to $64.53 a barrel at 10:44 a.m. EDT (1444 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.03, or 1.7%, at $60.28. Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly gains since June, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. "There is skepticism in the market that the Russia sanctions will be as strict as we had initially thought. We definitely saw some risk-off (trading) today," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group. The effect of sanctions on oil-exporting countries will be limited because of surplus capacity, International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol said on Tuesday. Following the U.S. sanctions, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, said on Monday it would sell its international assets. This is the most consequential action so far by a Russian company in the wake of Western sanctions over Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Moscow-headquartered Lukoil accounts for around 2% of global oil output. INDIAN REFINERS HALT NEW ORDERS Indian refiners have not placed new orders for Russian oil purchases since sanctions were imposed, as they await clarity from the government and suppliers, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, is leaning toward another modest output boost in December, four sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. Having curbed production for several years to support the oil market, the group started reversing those cuts in April. "This raises the larger question as to how much spare capacity OPEC+ really has left," Flynn said. The CEO of Saudi state oil company Aramco said on Tuesday crude oil demand was strong even before sanctions were imposed on Rosneft and Lukoil, and that Chinese demand was still healthy. Investors will watch the prospect of a trade deal between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest oil consumers, with Trump and President Xi Jinping due to meet on Thursday in South Korea. Beijing hopes Washington can meet it halfway to "prepare for high-level interactions" between the two countries, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Monday. (Reporting by Georgina McCartney in Houston, Stephanie Kelly in London, Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru and Sam Li in Beijing; Editing by Conor Humphries, Rod Nickel) A plane crash killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenya's coastal region of Kwale early Tuesday while en route to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were on board, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 25 miles from Diani airstrip, authorities said. The airline did not confirm what time the aircraft departed Diani airstrip, saying the pilot failed to communicate upon departure and the airport control tower tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located. "Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected," the airline said in a statement obtained by BBC News. Kenyan officials inspect the scene of a plane crash near Diani, Kenya, Oct. 28, 2025. / Credit: AP Photo Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash that happened at 5:30 a.m. local time, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The Associated Press. Later, the ministry of transport said in a statement the crash occurred at 8.35 a.m. local time. There was heavy rain in coastal Kenya in the morning. "The weather is not very good here at the moment. Since early in the morning, it is raining and it is very misty, but we cannot preempt [the findings]," Orinde told BBC News. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving a charred wreckage at the scene, officials said. Witnesses told the AP that they heard a loud bang, and upon arriving at the scene, they found unrecognizable human remains. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority had earlier said that 12 people were on board the Cessna Caravan-type aircraft. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, located west of the coastline, is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches. The reserve attracts a large number of tourists as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania. Last year, tourists were evacuated by helicopter from the reserve as devastating flooding hit the sanctuary. The Kenyan coastline's white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean attract tourists from all over the world. According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organization site, from 2018, the country fell below the global average in accident investigations. In 2019, a small plane carrying five people from the nature reserve crashed in the west of the country, killing two Americans. Dr. Attia on how to make your final decade of life as enjoyable as possible Mentalist Oz Pearlman blows minds, from Joe Rogan to tech titans | 60 Minutes Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Supreme Court Re-Argument of Louisiana v. Callais (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund) The Supreme Court is handling several major cases that could shake up the 2026 midterms, potentially giving Republicans a competitive edge. Decisions in three election-related cases are expected by the end of the Supreme Courts term in June and may reshape the 2026 election landscape. Questions at play include race-based redistricting in Louisiana v. Callais, limits on partys coordinated spending with candidates in National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and when candidates have standing to challenge state election rules in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections. The impact of these Supreme Court cases on the midterms will depend on the timing of the decisions, said Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Race-Based Redistricting Callais undoubtedly has the largest potential impact on the midterms, Snead said. An early, positive ruling could end mandates for race-based redistricting and open the door for more states to do race-neutral redistricting before 2026. Louisianas Secretary of State asked for a ruling by December or early January, before qualifying dates for the states primary. An estimated 19 districts could be redrawn in favor of Republicans if the Supreme Court limits Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Politico reported. The New York Times estimated Democrats could lose around a dozen currently held minority-majority districts. Too many federal judges, at the behest of the DNC, the NAACP, and other liberal advocacy groups, have been misusing the VRA to protect the Democrat Party, not stop racial discrimination in voting, Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundations Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told the DCNF. During oral arguments in October, the Supreme Court seemed inclined to limit the intentional use of race to create congressional districts. (RELATED: Supreme Court Signals Democrats Days Of Drawing Up Congressional Districts By Race Might Be Over) WASHINGTON, DC OCTOBER 15: Janai Nelson speaks at the rally as activists and participants gather in front of the Supreme Court of the United States during Supreme Court re-argument of Louisiana v. Callais on October 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund) While the ruling could affect Louisiana races, there might not be time for other states affected by this to redraw districts before the mid-terms, von Spakovsky told the DCNF. Coordinated Spending Limits The Supreme Court will hear a Republican challenge to FEC rules limiting the amount a party can spend in coordination with candidates in December, which von Spakovsky believes will have the biggest immediate impact of the high courts election cases. Even if the decision is released on the last day of the Supreme Courts term, that would still be four months before election day for the 2026 midterms, he said. If we assume that the Court determines that the coordinated spending limits are a violation of the First Amendment, then the RNC and DNC would be immediately freed up to spend as much money as they want to support their candidates in coordination with their campaigns, he continued. That could inject a much larger amount of campaign spending into congressional and other campaigns. Limits on coordinated party expenditures for 2025 Senate general election nominees currently range from $127,200 to $3,946,100 depending on the state, according to the FEC. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: RNC Deploys Election Integrity Team To New Jersey, Virginia In Midterm Blitz) Though the Department of Justice (DOJ) generally defends federal statutes, the Trump administration determined that this is the rare case that warrants an exception to that general approach. This case involves a campaign-finance restriction that violates core First Amendment rightsa type of restriction that has previously led the government to file a brief expressing skepticism of the constitutionality of a federal statute, the DOJs brief filed with the Supreme Court states. Democratic party committees, which intervened in the case, wrote that they have long relied upon FECAs coordinated campaign expenditure limit to structure their mission-critical activities across the country. Eliminating the limit would require the Democratic Party Committees to substantially reshape their operations and forfeit carefully developed tactical efficiencies, they wrote. Candidate Lawsuits Over Election Rules The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections in October. Snead anticipates this case may have only a limited impact on the midterms, unless a decision is announced before the summer. After all, the case centers on whether political candidates can challenge voting laws that harm their campaigns without having to wait to file post-election, he said. A ruling in the middle of next year wont leave much time for new lawsuits to be filed or heard before running into Purcell problems. Thats the principle that courts should refrain from changing voting rules just prior to an election for fear of causing chaos. Though he believes the Supreme Court will side with Bost, von Spakovsky also told the DCNF there will not be time for this to affect the 2026 election. Because the Supreme Court will remand the case to the original district court that said Bost didnt have standing, so that the case can proceed in the lower court to a decision on the substantive issue, he said. The underlying Illinois election rule Bost is challenging allows absentee ballots to be counted up to 14 days after Election Day, if the are postmarked on or before that day. The rules were amended to include the 14-day deadline in 2005, according to Bosts petition. Any impact from election-related cases that isnt felt in 2026 could prove to be extremely consequential in a contentious 2028 presidential cycle and beyond, Snead told the DCNF. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. Back in January, the Houthi militia in Yemen halted their attacks on American commercial ships headed for the Suez Canal. Those attacks resumed after the June 1314 Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Yemen is at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, which has the Red Sea on its west coast and the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean on the east coast. Ships that dont go through the Suez Canal have to make a much longer journey all the way around the south coast of Africa. A lot more merchant vessels are making that journey due to the very high cost of war-risk insurance for going through the Red Sea, which is now an official war zone. On the plus side, the need for so many more ships to make this long journey instead of going the shorter way through the Suez Canal required a 10 percent increase in the container-ship fleet. Fortunately, there was an 11 percent surplus of these long ships, and now nearly all of them are at work. The Houthis say they are at war with Israel and still fire at ships more or less at random, though they contend they only fire on ships serving Israel. So far, over 200 ships have been attacked, and about 20 percent of them were damaged. The U.S. Navy sent a carrier task force to launch airstrikes on Houthi targets with predictable minor effects. That led to more frequent and aggressive attacks, which reduced Houthi activity. These attacks used over 200 missiles and as many shells from 127 mm or 5-inch guns on destroyers. Several of those 127 mm shells actually shot down Houthi drones. In 2024, one of the Houthi drones hit a building in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, killing one civilian and wounding several others. The next day, Israel sent F-15 and F-35 fighter-bombers to destroy several economic targets in the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hudaydah. This is where weapons arrive from Iran for the Houthis to use against Red Sea shipping. The airstrikes destroyed fuel-storage sites as well as port facilities, including the difficult-to-replace ship-unloading cranes. If the Israelis leave the port alone, repair of these facilities could take up to a year. The Israelis and other nations are not leaving the port of Hudaydah alone as long as the Houthis are using it. Yemens Shia rebels, led by the Houthi tribe, have used their large stockpile of Iranian missiles to try to block access to the Suez Canal. This capability developed over the last decade as the rebels launched attacks on more distant targets. The rebels obtained more powerful weapons as well, including Iranian ballistic missiles, which were disassembled so they could be smuggled from Iran to Yemen, where Iranian technicians supervised the missiles being assembled and launched into Saudi Arabia. In the last few years, the rebels have received longer-range ballistic missiles fired from northern Yemen across Saudi territory to hit Saudi and UAE oil-production facilities on the Persian Gulf coast. The rebels also acquired the reconnaissance capability to accurately fire missiles at ships passing through the narrow, 26-kilometer-wide Bab-el-Mandeb Straits off southwestern Yemen and force ships to take the longer, more expensive, and time-consuming 14-day, 6,000-kilometer route around the southern tip of Africa. These attacks have always been a potential threat to ships using the Red Sea to reach the Suez Canal in Egypt, at the north end of the Red Sea. Transit fees from ships using the canal are a major source of income for Egypt, bringing in about $10 billion a year. Egypt and Iran are enemies, and reducing Suez Canal income is a win for Iran, which supported the Yemeni rebels for more than a decade to make such an interdiction possible. Western nations reacted slowly to this interdiction effort but by the end of 2024 were launching regular airstrikes on Houthi targets, coordinating their efforts with the Israelis and U.S. carrier task forces operating in the region. In October 2024, American B-2 bombers dropped penetrating bombs on Houthi underground facilities, destroying missile stockpiles and headquarters for the rebels. This reduced the number of missiles available; this was seen in the lower frequency of attacks. A naval blockade of Yemen was tightened, with more frequent inspection of fishing boats and coastal freighters. Western warships close to the Yemeni shore continue using their defensive weapons to defeat attacks launched from the Yemen coast. The United States currently has several destroyers based off Yemen. The U.S. Navy analyzed its effort in the Red Sea campaign and found that its successes were the result of the usual efforts to create well-trained crews, conduct realistic live-fire training exercises, and pay attention to the smallest details of what it takes to train and maintain the skills of the officers and crew of American warships. Six Jimmy John's Picklewiches laid out side by side. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table Whether we like it or not, the trend of replacing bread with other (often less exciting) foods is ongoing. Lettuce wraps and gluten-free cauliflower crusts have been around for quite some time. Restaurants have also gotten a bit more creative with innovations like portobello mushroom or sweet potato slice buns. Some make for a great alternative, while others fall flat or simply fall apart. But one that I can get excited about is a briny, crunchy pickle bun. No, this isn't an April Fool's Day joke. Jimmy John's really did release a Picklewich for the first time in October 2024, featuring sub sandwich ingredients slapped on a big ol', scooped-out classic dill pickle. Like clockwork, the chain brought it back in 2025, and I tried all six options (the previously released turkey and Vito varieties, plus the new ham, roast beef, tuna, and veggie ones) to determine the absolute best way to Picklewich. I ordered each pickle-perched sandwich as is. Of course, I also had to make one order a "Triple Pickle," tacking on Pickle Jimmy Chips and a special Pickle Ranch to round out the meal (I'm surprised there isn't a pickle soda on the menu as well). Since all six subs feature the same halved Jimmy pickle, ranking ultimately came down to which sandwich type was the tastiest. I looked for the assortment of toppings that jived best with the crisp pickle and created a handheld that is extra zesty, yet still eats like a filling and flavorsome lunch or dinner. Now, let's stop dill-dallying and get crunching. Read more: 12 Facts About Arby's Classic Roast Beef Sandwich You Should Know 6. Roast Beef Picklewich Jimmy John's Roast Beef Picklewich on paper wrapper. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table Many people consider roast beef and pickle a classic sandwich combo. On rye bread with cheese and a slather of horseradish, it can be quite tasty, and pickles are just one of many pickled toppings that can elevate your roast beef sammie. However, the look of this Roast Beef Picklewich immediately gave me pause. First off, all of the Picklewiches are significantly smaller than a regular 8-inch Jimmy John's sub. I whipped out my tape measure and everything to confirm that all weigh in at just about 6 inches long, and they're also far less stocky. I would say they're maybe the size of the regular subs (and that may be generous). The problem with the roast beef variation, specifically, is that the dark brown meat looks less than appetizing set against the dark green pickle, and the taste doesn't exactly redeem it. The pickle itself is perfectly crunchy and juicy. But since it's so large and overpowering, it does strange things to the beef. The acidity seeps into each thin-cut slice, giving them a sour taste that makes them seem like they've gone bad. I think part of the problem is that the roast beef doesn't seem to be of the highest quality. It's stringy and fatty, without a whole lot of standout savor. I hardly noticed the provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, and tomato that were additionally thrown on. They clearly did nothing to lift this Picklewich from the bottom of the barrel. 5. Veggie Picklewich Jimmy John's Veggie Picklewich on paper wrapper. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table The Veggie Picklewich is just a salad masquerading as a sandwich. As its name would imply, it's a vegetarian option, including provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado spread on the pickle bun. It also adds on cucumber slices, so you get a taste of the veggie before and after the brine. I don't usually go for sandwiches without the meat I am more of a "the meatier the better" kind of person. So, I tried to keep an open mind. But meat or no meat, I simply wasn't impressed by this makeup. Beyond the thick, salty pickle, cheese makes up the lion's share of the sandwich. I counted 8 layers of it stacked in the middle (I'm not joking). Provolone is a mild cheese to begin with, so it doesn't add much in the way of flavor, and other toppings like lettuce and tomato don't assist in this area. Additionally, the mashed avocado is more slimy and oily than tasty. You get an added crunch from the cucumbers, though that's not really needed when you've already replaced the bread with a snappy pickle. We need something else to liven up this sandwich. For example, the standard veggie sub is pictured with Jimmy Peppers the chain's signature hot cherry peppers. Even diced onions could give it some more oomph. Without these extra garnishes, though, this is one of the blandest pickle-wrapped sandwiches you're likely to find. But hey, at least it's more enticing than sour beef. 4. Turkey Picklewich Jimmy John's Turkey Picklewich on paper wrapper. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table Jimmy John's gives its crowd-pleasing Turkey Tom sub (one of its most popular sandwiches) a makeover. The Turkey Picklewich takes that same sliced turkey, lettuce, and tomato, but swaps out mayonnaise for provolone cheese and (surprise, surprise) uses a full dill pickle as the bun rather than French bread. From pickle to poultry to veggies, altogether, this sandwich has a classic taste. I have certainly added pickle chips to a turkey sammie before, giving it some zest and a distinct textural component. And this delivers a similar flavor profile, just in a wilder format that scales up the tang. It starts with good turkey that I could tell was fresh. It is, in fact, sliced in the store every day, so it tastes like the higher-end stuff you would get from over the counter at a grocery store rather than from a pre-made bag in the refrigerator section. The cheese, lettuce, and tomato then help to fill out the handheld and give it some more body. I will say, this Picklewich rendition falls to the plain or even bland side. I think this is just the nature of these ingredients, but it's the reason it falls a step behind a few of the other Picklewiches. Luckily, it's nothing a little Pickle Ranch can't fix. With its strong punches of dill and vinegary undertones, this specialty dressing may even outshine the chain's Kickin' Ranch (a bold statement, I know). I found myself wanting to slather it on all six sandwiches. 3. Ham Picklewich Jimmy John's Ham Picklewich on paper wrapper. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table Aside from a swap of meat, the Ham Picklewich is identical to the Turkey Picklewich. Both opt for the same lineup of garnishes, including provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, and tomato slices. However, I liked the ham version just a little bit better. It simply comes down to a more robust flavor. The generous portion of hand-sliced ham is just as fresh as the turkey, yet it stands out thanks to its smokiness. Richer and more savory, it's not overpowered by the plump pickle halves, but holds its own, making for a more well-rounded taste experience. I also tend to prefer the combination of ham and provolone to the combination of turkey and provolone. For turkey, I like to see something like cheddar or even pepper jack that can dress it up with a sharper taste. All in all, I'd say if you're going for something light and lean, stick with the Turkey Picklewich. It's perfectly satisfying. But if your go-to Jimmy John's order is the ham-topped Pepe and you typically pick a sandwich that really makes a statement in flavor, you'll want to go with the ham. I fall into this latter category, which is why I have ham ahead in the rankings. There's also just something undeniably nostalgic about the smoky ham, cheese, and pickle combo that seals the deal. 2. Vito Picklewich Jimmy John's Vito Picklewich on paper wrapper. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table As a lover of Italian subs, the Vito Picklewich is more my speed. It comes with salami and capocollo (another kind of cured Italian pork) as the meats, provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and onions a Picklewich first. It sounds fully stacked, and it looks it, too. Do you see all those meats and cheeses spilling out the sides? It's enough to make me forgive the fact that they neglected to cut this 'wich in half. Now, I wouldn't typically pair my Italian sub with pickles. Banana peppers or other pickled peppers, yes. Pickles, not so much. So, I was pleasantly surprised by how well all these flavors worked together. You obviously get tanginess and all the texture from the pickles first. However, savory, fat-speckled salami mixed with capocollo still remains as the core of the sandwich. With the smooth cheese added in, it was like taking tastes from an elevated charcuterie board. Imagine a skewer with meats, cheese, and a dill pickle slice. That's the premise of this Picklewich. I truly am considering tacking on a few pickle slices to all of my Italian subs from here on out. The veggies become a bonus on top of the rest. They're there for freshness and to feel like you're getting some nutritional value. The onion also gives you some potency to work with. Ultimately, I love all the diverse yet cohesive tastes of the Vito variety, and that it gives you the most bang for your buck. 1. Tuna Picklewich Jimmy John's Tuna Picklewich on paper wrapper. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table Let me preface this by saying, I am not usually the biggest tuna salad fan. So, if you're not either, stick with me for just a minute. You might just like this one. Plopping tuna salad inside a carved-out dill pickle boat may be the best thing to ever happen to it. I think one of the issues that I, and other people, have with tuna salad sandwiches is the texture. The salad is goopy, and in between a soft loaf of bread, there's no structure to the entire thing. With the Picklewich, that's not a problem. The crunch of the pickle solves this texture issue straight away. This is also a solid tuna salad recipe and one of Jimmy John's signature made-from-scratch items. It doesn't taste overly fishy, doesn't go too heavy on the mayonnaise, and I also liked the celery and onion bits. The best part, though, is that it feels like it was made for the pickle bun. The juicy pickle complements the tuna mixture so well, cutting through some of that creaminess with saltiness and zest. The other toppings, including lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, and cucumber, give the sandwich more body. Yes, this one offers another cucumber double feature, just like the veggie sandwich, but I'm not mad about it one bit. Altogether, it's complex yet balanced, and unexpectedly satisfying. This, my pickle-loving friends, is the big dill of Picklewiches. Methodology Six Jimmy John's Picklewiches in their wrappers side by side with pickle chips and pickle ranch. - Megan Hageman / Tasting Table The Picklewich pickles themselves are near perfection. They have that same juicy, snappy appeal as the ones you get on the side of your Jimmy John's sub. But I'll admit, I'd still order a classic French bread sandwich (either a standard or toasted version) over a Picklewich nine times out of 10. No hate to the Picklewiches, I'm just a sucker for good bread and a bigger bite. Now, with that thought off my chest, here's how I ranked the lineup. As mentioned, the pickle "bun" was consistently great across the board, whether it was hugging slices of turkey or a pile of tuna salad. So, the rankings came down to the sandwich contents and how well each one paired with the pickle. I wanted a sandwich that had a bold flavor that went beyond just the briny bun not to mention textures that worked well with the sturdy pickle. Some versions, like the Veggie or Turkey Picklewich, were just too darn boring. And the roast beef didn't take well to the saltiness and acidity of the pickle. On the other hand, varieties like the Tuna Picklewich and the Vito just clicked. Their ingredients weren't just hiding under the pickle; they actually made the entire sandwich better. Those were the picks that topped my list. Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Tasting Table. U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, October 28, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein By Trevor Hunnicutt and Katya Golubkova TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan and the United States agreed to tie-ups on new-generation nuclear power reactors and rare earths, as Tokyo seeks a way back to export markets for its nuclear technology and both look to reduce China's dominance over key electronic components. U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed a framework agreement on Tuesday for securing the supply of rare earths used in everything from cars to fighter jets. They signed the documents, which included critical minerals, at the neo-Baroque-style Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, beneath three chandeliers swathed in gold ornamentation, as aides applauded. They made no direct public mention of China, which processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths, making it the source of each country's concern about its mineral supply chain. Beijing has recently expanded export curbs. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in South Korea to discuss a deal that would pause steeper U.S. tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls. Japan and the United States would use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to speed "development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths", the White House said in a statement. They aim to provide financial support to selected projects within the next six months, it added. Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and cooperate with international partners to ensure supply chain security, it said. While China dominates global rare earth extraction, the United States and Myanmar control 12% and 8% respectively, says Eurasia Group, with Malaysia and Vietnam covering processing - where China is also the top player - of another 4% and 1% each. NUCLEAR POWER, OTHER AREAS In a factsheet for the talks, Japan mentioned mutual interest to cooperate in construction of new generation AP1000 nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs). These could involve Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Group and others, along with other cooperation areas. Nuclear power, including next-generation reactors, as a matter of a greater energy security, affordable power supply and export technology, is among the top priorities of Takaichi, who became Japan's first female prime minister last week. Japan shut down all its reactors after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, caused by a powerful 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. China, France, South Korea and Russia, currently dominate global exports of nuclear power technology. A separate White House statement also mentioned as a potential area for cooperation fusion energy, favoured by Takaichi. About 20 companies from Japan and the United States have shown interest in potential investment projects forming part of a promised $550-billion investment package, the factsheet issued by both countries showed. But it did not mention further U.S. LNG offtake or upstream investments that Japanese companies have recently been expanding. Before Trump's Asia trip, the U.S. urged buyers of Russian energy, including Japan, to cease imports, and put sanctions on Moscow's two biggest oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, to push the Kremlin into talks to end the Ukraine war. Japan has stepped up U.S. LNG purchases in the last few years as it tries to diversify away from its key supplier Australia and prepare for the expiry of supply contracts with Russia's Sakhalin-2 LNG project, which Mitsui and Mitsubishi helped launch in 2009. In June, JERA, Japan's top LNG buyer, agreed to buy up to 5.5 million metric tons a year of U.S. LNG under 20-year contracts, with deliveries starting around 2030. This is roughly the volume Japan imports annually from Sakhalin-2. Most supply from Sakhalin-2, which meets 9% of Japan's gas needs, ends in the period from 2028 to 2033. Japan buys less than 1% of its oil imports from Russia under a sanctions waiver due to expire in December, with the bulk of its oil supply covered by the Middle East. Last week alone, Japan's biggest city gas supplier, Tokyo Gas, signed a preliminary deal to buy 1 million metric tons per annum of LNG from the Alaska LNG project, following a similar September announcement by JERA. JERA pledged $1.5 billion for gas assets in Louisiana in its first foray into upstream production in the United States, where Tokyo Gas and Mitsui are already present. To keep electricity prices in check, Japan wants to continue Sakhalin-2 LNG imports, a senior official has said, as it takes only a few days to deliver LNG to Japan compared to around a week from Alaska and roughly a month from the U.S. Gulf Coast. "The U.S. said it wants Japan to stop importing Russian energy - but this is Japan's closest LNG source and is also cheap," said Nobuo Tanaka, chief executive of advisory Tanaka Global, Inc. "I think the question should be framed this way: can the U.S. provide Japan with LNG as cheap as what currently comes from Russia? Can gas from Alaska be that affordable?" (Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Trevor Hunnicutt in Tokyo, additional reporting by Kanishka Singh and Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephen Coates) WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Oct. 28 said it carried out three strikes on four alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing 14 people, in the most significant wave of attacks so far in President Donald Trump's military campaign targeting the flow of illegal narcotics. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said one individual survived the strikes, which he said took place on Oct. 27 in international waters. No United States service members were injured. "The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands," Hegseth wrote in a post on X that included video footage of the strikes. "Now, were defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them." More: US military strikes another alleged drug vessel, killing 6 US military conducts deadly boat strikes against alleged drug traffickers Sept. 15, 2025: The U.S. military killed three people in a strike on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs in the Caribbean Sea. The assaults bring the total number of airstrikes on boats to 13 and total deaths to at least 57 in a campaign that has drawn criticism from Democrats who question the legality of using deadly military force on targets that don't pose immediate threats to the U.S. While the majority of the airstrikes have taken place in the Caribbean, the Defense Department on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 conducted its first attacks in the Pacific Ocean, west of Central America. More: Trump says Venezuela's Maduro 'doesn't want to f--- around' with the US U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gestures as he speaks aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, on the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Japan, October 28, 2025. Yet Trump still has not delivered evidence to Congress supporting claims that the alleged drug boats were carrying narcotics. Democrats in Congress have said they've received no information about the identities of those killed or the intelligence that showed the boats were trying to transport drugs into the U.S. In February, Trump designated some drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations," a move administration officials argue gives them legal justification for the strikes. Larger campaign looming? Trump has blamed Venezuela and its president, Nicolas Maduro, for drugs originating from Venezuelan cartels illegally entering the U.S. Trump recently said he is considering military action on land targets in Venezuela after hailing the maritime attacks as a success. The administration in recent months has also steadily built up military forces in the Caribbean, fueling speculation on whether Maduro himself is a target of the campaign. The Navy currently has at least eight ships in the region, including three guided missile destroyers and a missile cruiser capable of launching Tomahawk guided missiles into Venezuela's interior. Thousands of Marines are embarked aboard the ships, including infantry units with landing ships and Osprey aircraft that would enable them to operate on land. Land-based Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets deployed to a base in Puerto Rico, and special operations troops are also deployed to the region. More: Trump deploys aircraft carrier strike group to South America amid Venezuela tensions The Air Force is repeatedly flying heavy bombers near the Venezuelan coast as a show of force, too. And in his latest move, Hegseth recently ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier the largest warship in the world to deploy to the South American coast along with three additional guided missile destroyers. The Ford, which carries four squadrons of F/A-18 attack fighter jets and electronic warfare aircraft, is capable of a significant aerial bombing campaign. The carrier, which was previously in the Mediterranean Sea, is expected to arrive in the Caribbean in early-to-mid November. This story has been updated to add new information. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US kills 14 in strikes on alleged drug boats in Pacific, Hegseth says VENEZUELA-POLITICS-INDIGENOUS-MARCH Photo by FEDERICO PARRA/AFP via Getty Images The government of Venezuelas socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro claimed in a Sunday statement that it captured an alleged mercenary group with direct information from the CIA. The statement from Maduros Vice President Delcy Rodriguez accused the alleged group of planning a false flag operation from around nearby Trinidad and Tobago and accused the small island nation of performing ongoing military exercises under the coordination, financing and control of the United States Southern Command. The claim came days after the Trump administrations Department of War authorized the deployment of the worlds largest aircraft carrier to Latin American waters to target drug cartels. Venezuela reports that it has captured a mercenary group with direct information from the U.S. intelligence agency, CIA, being able to determine that a false flag attack is underway from waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago, or from Trinidad or Venezuelan territory itself, which generates a complete military confrontation against our country, Rodriguez said in the statement, originally in Spanish. (RELATED: Trump Reportedly Authorizes CIA To Use Covert Action In Venezuela) The Venezuelan vice president went on to compare the alleged planned action to the sinking of the USS Maine in 1898 and the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 both widely believed to have been misrepresented which led, respectively, to the U.S. declaring war on Spain and to the escalation of the Vietnam War. Venezuela does not accept threats from any U.S. vassal government, We are not intimidated by military exercises of war cries, Rodriguezs statement added. Venezuelas Vice President Delcy Rodriguez speaks during a meeting with accredited diplomatic representatives in Caracas on September 29, 2025. (Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images) The Pentagon announced Friday that it had deployed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to waters in the vicinity of South America as an effort to counter transnational cartel activity. The vessel has the capacity of carrying up to 90 aircraft and was, at the time of the announcement, in Mediterranean waters near Croatia, according to BBC. Maduro claimed to state media that the U.S. actions amounted to fabricating a new eternal war, following the Pentagons move, BBC reported. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday morning on X that his department, at President Donald Trumps request the night before, carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea. If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you, Hegseth added in his X post. Tren De Aragua, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization from Venezuela, operating under the direct control of the Venezuelan regime, has waged a campaign of rape, torture and murder against Americans, and its members are designated as Alien Enemies of the United States, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote Friday on the platform in reply to Hegseth. (RELATED: Venezuela In The Trump Administrations Crosshairs: Will War Follow?) Trump told reporters at the White House Oct. 17 that Maduro offered everything to the U.S. in an unsuccessful attempt to get the American government to end its action against drug boats off Venezuelas coast. The president was referring to the Maduro regimes offer to the Trump administration of a significant stake in the South American nations vast oil and natural resources. You know why? Because he [Maduro] doesnt want to fuck around with the United States, Trump added. The U.S. presidents administration rejected the offer with Trump calling on Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell to end all diplomatic outreach to Venezuela, Reuters reported Oct. 6. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted in early October found that the vast majority 71% of American voters support sinking ships from South America that carry drugs into the United States. The CIA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment. Staff at the Department of War, meanwhile, said they had nothing to provide. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporters byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org. President Trump Makes An Announcement In The State Dining Room Of The White House (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) President Donald Trumps war on Venezuela narcoterrorism could serve as a path towards regime change, foreign policy analysts told the Daily Caller. The Trump administration is ramping up displays of power in the Caribbean, including by striking narcoterrorist drug ships leaving Venezuela and moving forces to the Caribbean. Regime change could also be on the table a response that appears not only disproportionate to the drug trafficking threat in the area, but also at odds with Trumps usual calls for peace between nations, three foreign policy analysts told the Caller. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared a video Tuesday of U.S. forces striking down another four vessels on international waters that were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific. The strikes resulted in 14 deaths. The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, were defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same, Hegseth said. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them. Trump has shared similar footage and warnings over the past few months on Truth Social. BE WARNED IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! Trump posted Sept. 15. There have not been enough assurances from the administration that it is not seeking a regime change operation in Venezuela, Senior Advisor for the Quincy Institute and Editorial Director at Responsible Statecraft, Kelly Vlahos, told the Caller. (RELATED: Trump Admin May Have Eyes On New Regime Change War) When questioned in September if his administration was discussing the possibility of regime change, Trump answered, Were not talking about that, according to Time Magazine. She shared hopes that Trump would listen to those advising him that regime changes often end terribly over the more ideological elements in his administration, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who she asserted has wanted to engage in regime change [in Venezuela] his entire career. Vlahos pointed to Rubio calling Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba enemies of humanity while visiting Costa Rica early into the administration. Trump is surrounded by people who have demonstrated a longstanding antipathy towards Maduro, Joseph Addington, an associate editor at The American Conservative who writes on Latin America, told the Caller. He noted there is a strong contingent in the National Defense community that has been pushing for an aggressive stance towards Western hemispheric affairs. Rubio addressed the administrations strikes near Venezuela in September. But this time, were not just going to hunt for drug dealers with the little fast boats and say, lets try to arrest them. No, were the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they have been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded, Rubio stated, according to PBS. Although Trump has been clear that he wants to stop drug distribution into America, he has not sufficiently explained why he needs to commit to military action rather than treating this as a law enforcement or border issue by utilizing the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, Vlahos told the Caller. Police officers watch over 13.5 tons of cocaine 13 May 2005, confiscated during a joint police-navy raid on a processing laboratory outside the Pacific port of Tumaco, near the border with Ecuador, in what Colombian authorities say is the countrys biggest single narcotics haul. Five people were arrested, and officials confiscated eight vessels, nine rifles and 22,050 litres of chemicals used to extract cocaine from coca plant leaves. Right wing paramilitaries and leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas are active in the region. Both groups use drug trafficking as a source of revenue. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images) Vlahos claimed that although Trump and his administration have often stated their intentions were to minimize drug deaths, the evidence shows that most is actually coming into the U.S. from the Pacific Ocean and not through the Caribbean. I feel like he hasnt done his best to go to the American people and tell them why hes doing this and show them some evidence as to why we need to blow these boats out of the water,' Vlahos said. Is it our role to dethrone him to impose another government that we like on Venezuela, is that a national security interest? Is that America first? Vlahos told the Caller. I do think that getting into a regime change war would unleash a lot of things that would probably blow back on [America]. If Trump truly believes these guys are the worst of the worst, and theyre sending fentanyl into our streets and killing our children, he needs to make the case, but right now he is not, she said. Venezuela functions as a transfer point for drugs but is not involved in production itself, Addington told the Caller. Addington suggested two potential reasons for why Trump appears focused on Venezuela rather than Colombia, where the drugs are being produced. There is a large domestic influence of operations or constituencies that may urge Trump to focus on Venezuela, Addington argued. The other possible reason is that Trump also had poor run-ins with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro during his first term. There are a lot of very obvious points where Maduro is opposed to American interests, beliefs, and ways of doing business that make him a thorn in Americas side in the region, Addington told the Caller. In contrast, Colombia has a lot of problems; theyre not necessarily the result of the Colombian government, at least not directly. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signs the guest book at the presidential palace in San Jose, Costa Rica on February 4, 2025. (Photo by MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) A regime change could result in the largest American intervention in South America since the Spanish-American War, Addington told the Caller. This is not a trivial thing, Addington said. Although Maduro may have refused to step down despite losing the last election, his regime is still maintaining some order over the country, Addington claimed. He argued that direct American involvement could result in a brutal cartel, like we saw in Colombia in the latter half of the 20th century, potentially creating a vacuum that would allow Colombian cartels to extend their production into Venezuela. The Trump administrations drug-boat strikes are absolutely unconstitutional without congressional authorization, constitutional lawyer and author Bruce Fein told the Caller. He pointed to George Washington, who presided over the Constitutional Convention, and said only Congress could authorize the military to be used in any offensive capacity. Fein questioned whether the strikes were defensive maneuvers intended to save the lives of Americans who voluntarily purchase the drugs. It would be more within the presidents authority to target those buyers for aiding and abetting terrorist organizations, he told the Caller. (RELATED: Venezuela In The Trump Administrations Crosshairs: Will War Follow?) Fein agreed the U.S. could not possibly plan contingencies for all of the dangers a regime change could bring. There are institutional dynamics, cultural [and] political factors way beyond our control that are going to determine who rises in Venezuela, he told the Caller. Fein also pointed to botched attempts at U.S. intervention including former President John F. Kennedys regime change in Vietnam, President Barack Obamas in Libya and President George W. Bushs in Afghanistan. Taliban security personnel stand guard along a street to remove the window tint films from the cars of the commuters at a checkpoint in Fayzabad district of Badakhshan province on April 4, 2023. (Photo by OMER ABRAR/AFP via Getty Images) Countries learn nothing and they forget nothing, Fein asserted. The goal of Trumps intervention in Venezuela has little to do with drugs or the dictatorship of Maduro and is primarily about trying to establish a precedent that enables him to go to war when he feels like it, Fein claimed. He clarified that its not unique to Trump and that many chief executives try to stretch the limits of their power, such as those involved in previous regime change wars. (RELATED: Trump Builds Diplomatic Momentum Securing Peace, Trade Deals Ahead Of Looming Meeting With China) Venezuela also holds a large repository of oil, and it is sent to the U.S. in small and controlled quantities, according to Reuters. Chevron was recently authorized to operate in Venezuela, despite sanctions. Vlahos told the Caller she cannot pinpoint why Trump is portraying a particular interest in the region, but noted his bad blood with Maduro goes back to his first administration. We know that in the first Trump administration, Trump was very focused and committed to getting rid of Nicholas Maduro. He doesnt like him, Vlahos said. Hes a socialist, he doesnt play ball with us. She added that Trumps instincts have historically been opposed to regime change wars. Im just hoping that he sticks to his long-standing position that he doesnt support regime change wars, because I think that instinct is what made him president, Vlahos added. Because he did reject the foreign policy of the previous administrations, which were pursuing regime change wars. Editors Note: This article was updated to provide additional context to Kelly Vlahos quote about President Trumps case for striking the boats. Traveling solo, especially as a woman, can be nerve-racking enough. But imagine accidentally stumbling across entire abandoned resort towns while exploring alone in foreign countries. Thats when the vibes shift from Eat Pray Love to First 10 minutes of a Netflix horror film where you pray youre not the backstory. From crossing an active military buffer zone to see luxury high rises and hotels frozen in time, to stumbling across an abandoned mega resort on a remote island hike, these stories and images are sure to spook you out this October! So, in honor of spooky season, the time for ghosts, ghouls, and bad travel decisions, heres a deep dive into a few once-glamorous resort towns that were the place to be until everyone suddenly vanished, and not exactly by choice. More info: mylifesamovie.com | Instagram | Facebook I explored a celebrity resort town Varosha in Cyprus that was abandoned overnight and sealed off for nearly 50 years A few years ago, I crossed a literal no-mans-land to get to a city called Varosha in Cyprus. Like, literally a United Nations-controlled buffer zone that felt less tourist attraction and more spy movie opening scene. Varosha is a district of Famagusta in Cyprus, and it was once a sun-drenched Mediterranean playground for the rich, the famous, and the lucky few who knew about the hidden gem. In the 1960s and early 70s, this place was it. Think Elizabeth Taylor sipping martinis, Brigitte Bardot sunbathing topless (probably), and Hollywood royalty checking into seaside suites. Imagine South Beach back when it was super glambut with clearer waters and fewer, like, drug dealers. Anyway! Then, in 1974, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the entire area was evacuatedovernight. Residents left in such a rush that dinner tables were still set. Boutique hotel lobbies were frozen in time. Beach towels reportedly flapped in the breeze for decades, and dust-covered guest books sat open on reception desks like someone had just stepped away. Once locked away for half a century as a forbidden urban jungle, Varosha is now partially open, where you can wobble through its decaying Art Deco ghosts on a flimsy 70s rental bike Varosha was sealed off for nearly 50 years, turning it into a forbidden urban jungle. But recently, certain parts have reopened, and now you can actually rent a (rickety 70s) bike and pedal around its crumbling Art Deco skeletons. I did exactly thathalf-expecting a zombified bellhop to emerge and offer me a complimentary cocktail, and half-expecting a building to topple on me. Nature has gone full anarchist here. Palm trees grow through cracked tile floors, vines creep up elevator shafts, and faded Happy Hour! signs haunt the ghostly facades. You can even peer into once-luxurious condos, some still eerily untouched, complete with mid-century furniture and pots left on the stove. Theres even an old Toyota showroom, with cars from 1974 still on display. Nature has taken over Varosha completely, with palm trees piercing floors, vines swallowing buildings, and untouched 1970s relics, from condos to car showrooms, frozen in time The beachfront, however, is probably the most hauntingmiles of pristine shoreline where the sea dances on untouched sand, as if nothing ever happened, and as if the nearly hundred abandoned luxury condos and hotels in front of it werent slowly decaying. Honestly? Its beautiful in a heartbreaking, eerie, should-I-even-be-here kind of way. Travel Note: I visited Varosha as part of a social media collaboration with a local photographer, who advised me on crossing the buffer zone and then brought me to the abandoned city. It is still very much under military control, so Id highly recommend booking a tour if you want to see it. I went to Boracay expecting pina coladas and beach time, but ended up discovering a creepy abandoned resort instead Boracay is the kind of tropical island that shows up in your daydreams uninvited, but warmly welcomed. White sand so bright its borderline obnoxious, and turquoise water so photogenic it looks filtered in real life. This, of course, is what made it one of the most popular islands in the Philippines, and also one of the most overcrowded with tourists. But after being shut down for a while (read on for why) and hearing that the crowds had diminished, I went there in between work trips, expecting pina coladas and some laptop-by-the-beach time. I did not expect to stumble upon an abandoned, half-demolished resort (along with several other hotels and restaurants), straight out of a foreign horror movie. Honestly, Im pretty sure there are several movies with this exact plotline. Half-falling-apart resorts and empty beaches in Boracay revealed a government crackdown that left behind ghostly ruins Long story short: I decided to take a short work break, slash get some extra content (AKA keep working, but make it look like adventure), because what could possibly go wrong on a solo stroll along a sketchy coastal path in the Philippines, right? I knew the usual white-sand beaches were to the left of my hotel, but I noticed people coming and going on a shadier path to the right, so naturally my adventurous soul veered that way. Immediately I knew it was a bad idea, yet I kept goingsmh at myself. I walked until I noticed chunks of the path were missing and could see the clear blue water below. Did I stop? Of course not. I hopped over the gaps and carried on. Then I saw a massive, terrifying-but-artistic face sculpturetrees growing from its crown and a staircase spiraling up its side. Yes, I have the photo to prove it. At this point, full horror-movie scenarios were playing in my head, and I found myself mentally planning how Id fight off an attackerspoiler: I was gripping my selfie stick like it was a life-saver. Then I turned a corner, and shock hit me. Before me stood what had once been an enormous waterfront resort, now half demolished, half crumbling, and completely deserted. My brain tried to ignore the warnings from my soul as I took in the stunning, untouched beaches below, where posh vacationers had probably once lounged in luxury. Reality snapped back when I remembered the risks: potential squatters or a collapsing bridge. So I half-rannot just back to my hotel, but to the very end of the path and then back again. Perplexed and curious, I eventually rented a clear kayak to investigate the ruins from the water. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alyssa Ramos MyLifesATravelMovie (@mylifesatravelmovie) Why is this Boracay resort abandoned? A few years ago, the Philippine government cracked down after several massive resorts were built too close to the shoreline, violating environmental laws. These resorts were likely also behind the infamous incident where shocking levels of bacteria and fecal matter were found in the waters, forcing beach closures. In a rare enforcement twist, the president ordered demolitions and evacuationsbut many buildings were only partially demolished, leaving decaying ruins that are, in my opinion, dangerous for overly curious humans like me. Travel Tip: Dont hike there like I did. Take the safer route and rent a kayakpreferably with a guide. I traveled to Havana for my heritage and ended up staying in a fading mansion that felt haunted by its past If ghosts ever learned to salsa, this is where theyd do itwell, unless they belonged to one of the many people who had their mansions taken away overnight. When I first traveled solo to Cuba, it was for a writing project: I was supposed to learn about the local culture, explore my Cuban heritage, and write about it for a magazine. To comply with U.S. travel regulations, we stayed in a casa particulara non-governmental homestay that directly supports the Cuban people. The homestay was in Vedado, Havanas once-flashy, now-fragmented district. Walking through the neighborhood felt like stepping into a forgotten Gatsby party right after the champagne ran out and the revolution arrivedor, more realistically, like Beverly Hills mansions transplanted into a horror movie, block after crumbling block. I explored Vedado, a neighborhood where crumbling luxury mansions whisper of Havanas Vegas-like glamour before 1959 The streets of Vedado are lined with massive, crumbling mansions, their neoclassical facades slowly being overtaken by tropical vines and mold. The only decor? Endless clotheslines drying heavily worn laundry from nearly every window, a classic sign of Cuban tradition, but not exactly what the original residents had in mind. So why does it look like this? Once upon a time, before 1959 (the year my grandparents fled Cuba), Vedado was the playground of corrupt elites, international mafiosos, and Hollywoods finest, who called Havana the Vegas of the Caribbean. Casinos, cabarets, brothels, and all-night parties oozed cigars, scandal, and excess. Then came Fidel Castro, Che, and the Revolucion. The difference between families with foreign support (bottom floor) and without it (top floor) With the Revolucion, Cuba flipped the hypothetical Monopoly board. The rich were exiled or fled, leaving their grand villas behind, unless, of course, they wanted to share them. The government took over, converting the mansions into multi-family apartments, dividing spaces equally among residents (except, of course, government officials). In theory, it was equal. In practice? Not so glamorousor functional. Communism gave everyone the same (very minimal) pay and zero resources to maintain literal palaces. So these once-opulent estates began crumbling from the inside out. Today, some still house multiple generations of families under collapsing roofs. Others have been saved by international relatives or reborn as paladares (private restaurants) or casas particulares, where tourists like me can stay inside these ghosts of luxury past. And yesI was terrified AF sleeping there. Ill never forget having to get the key to my place by yelling up to the older couple who was hosting me, and them dropping it down to me from the second-floor window. Or the time I stayed out a little too late studying the salsa dancing culture, and they waited up for my like my abuelos. Have you ever encountered an abandoned area that spooked you? Let me know about it in the comments! The Democratic National Committee is prioritizing states that can create a rigorous, efficient and fair nominating contest as the party considers the order of its 2028 presidential primary calendar ahead of what's expected to be a wide-open race for the White House. The DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee has opened the application process for states that want to be part of the early nominating window in 2028, emphasizing the need to create a system that elevates viable candidates who can win a general election. As we go through this process the real question we face is asking each state why including them in the early window, prewindow period, helps us elect a Democratic president and win the election, committee member Stuart Appelbaum said at a Monday, Oct. 27, meeting. That is the prime criteria that we will be looking at in making our decision. The committee approved a resolution Oct. 27 that will open a request for proposals from states that wish to hold their presidential primary or caucus ahead of Super Tuesday. Those states must submit their plans to the committee by Jan. 16, 2026. Iowa Democrats are still toying with going first regardless of what the DNC decides. New Hampshire has signaled it will do the same. For years, the Democrats early window of voting included four states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. But following a disastrous 2020 Iowa Caucus plagued by reporting delays and inaccuracies, the DNC voted to remake its calendar. Then-President Joe Biden recommended that South Carolina replace Iowa at the front of the line, with New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan to follow. The DNC approved that change but suggested it would revisit the order ahead of the 2028 presidential election cycle. That order is critical in setting the stage for the nominating process, particularly as Democrats face a wide-open field of potential candidates who already are beginning to fan out across the country and lay the early groundwork for possible campaigns. Rules and Bylaws Committee members approved a resolution at the Oct. 27 meeting outlining three pillars they said would guide their consideration of states proposals: Rigor: The lineup of early states must be a comprehensive test of candidates with diverse groups of voters that are key to winning general elections. Fairness: The lineup of early states must be affordable and practicable for candidates and not exhaust their resources unreasonably, precluding them from effectively participating in future contests. Efficiency: The practical ability to schedule and run a fair, transparent and inclusive primary or caucus. Members also emphasized the need for states plans to be logistically feasible, both in terms of legislative signoff and cost "otherwise, its just a waste of time," committee member Elaine Kamarck said. In 2024, the DNC approved moving Georgia into the early voting window. But the state, which is led by Republicans, did not move up its primary date. Committee leaders said they would consider the applications and invite some states to make presentations to the committee before selecting four or five states representing different regions of the country to make up the early voting window. Jockeying has already begun behind the scenes and in public among the states likely to be in contention for an early voting slot. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, makes a speech at Washtenaw Community College Advanced Transportation Center, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Ann Arbor. As members discussed a phrase in the resolution promoting retail politics, often cited as a benefit of campaigning in smaller states, committee member and Michigan U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, pushed back. Retail politics isnt a reality by October," she said. "And we need to see how candidates do in real states, in early states. Joanne Dowdell, a committee member from New Hampshire, suggested that states also should "need to show their ability to report the results of the election in a timely manner" a potential knock against Iowa. Committee co-chairs Minyon Moore and James Roosevelt Jr. said in a joint statement they are "committed to executing a fair and transparent process that will deliver a battle-tested nominee who will win back the White House for Democrats. Today, the RBC took a crucial first step in charting our path for 2028," they said. Iowa, New Hampshire and others weigh approach as 2028 discussions get underway Members of the Iowa delegation cast their votes during the Ceremonial Roll Call of States on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Delegates, politicians, and Democratic Party supporters are gathering in Chicago, as current Vice President Kamala Harris is named her party's presidential nominee. The DNC takes place from August 19-22. In 2024, New Hampshire refused to accept the DNCs official calendar order, and the state held an unsanctioned first-in-the-nation primary ahead of the South Carolina vote. The DNC originally stripped New Hampshires delegates to the national convention as punishment but ultimately backtracked and restored them. The state has once again signaled it intends to put up a fight to go first. Dowdell said in a message posted to social media that New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan met personally with the newer members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee ahead of the meeting "giving our case for why we should be first in the nation." The resolution the Rules and Bylaws Committee adopted Oct. 27 includes references to severe penalties for state parties and candidates that dont adhere to the agreed-upon calendar. But state leaders in Iowa have suggested the penalties weren't applied to New Hampshire in 2024 and shouldnt hinder Iowas decision about how to proceed in 2028. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart speaks to the 2025 Polk County Democrats Steak Fry on Sept. 13, 2025, at Des Moines Water Works Park. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart released a survey in August that seeks input from rank-and-file Democrats about the timing of the partys caucuses and whether they feel its important to comply with the national partys calendar. Holding a rogue unsanctioned caucus is one of the options Iowa Democrats are weighing if they arent selected by the committee for the early voting window. The results of that survey are expected to be compiled into a report for the Iowa Democratic Partys State Central Committee meeting in December. I am disappointed the DNC is already backtracking on its promise for an open and democratic process by rushing through this proposal, Hart said in a statement. Whatever fake timeline the DNCs Rules and Bylaws Committee tries to put on this process, I remain committed to having continued family conversations regarding our Iowa Caucus process with members of our State Central Committee, our campaigns and Democrats across the state. She said all options are on the table as the party weighs where to go next. In 2024, the Iowa Democratic Party converted its longstanding in-person caucuses into a fully absentee mail-in event. Iowa Democrats met in person, only to conduct party business the same day Iowa Republicans held their first-in-the-nation caucuses, and they announced the results of their caucus on Super Tuesday in March 2024. State party leaders had hoped that playing by the DNCs rules in 2024 would help ingratiate them with national Democrats and open the door to a renewed negotiation about their place on the 2028 calendar. Scott Brennan participates in a Democratic National Committee rules and bylaws committee meeting in Washington on Dec. 2, 2022. The committee is gathered for three days of meetings to vote on the order of presidential nominating calendar and the fate of Iowa's first in the nation caucuses. The DNC may potentially elevate states like Michigan ahead of Iowa, which has traditionally held the first caucus in the nation. But Iowas longtime Rules and Bylaws Committee member Scott Brennan was not reappointed to serve on the influential panel, potentially signaling Iowas waning influence. On the Republican side, there have not been substantial conversations about changing the nominating calendar. Iowa Republicans are again expected to lead off the process, followed by New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who's first for Democrats in 2028? States invited to apply now In todays CEO Daily: Diane Brady reports from the final day of the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh. The big story: Amazon reportedly will cut 30,000 jobs. The markets: Mostly in the red. Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. Good morning. I asked Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio yesterday if he would want a digital twin of his late mother to talk to. He shook his head: I dont know how it would affect the grieving process or my memory of her. I just dont know. We had just come off stage at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh after a wide-ranging conversation about investing, the global economy and the principals behind how hes building a Digital Ray. Dalio once wrote that when he lost his mother at 19, I couldnt imagine ever laughing again. Now when I think of her, I smile. It was a poignant illustration of loss and learning to let go that captured one of his guiding principles: gratitude. By keeping such principles top of mind, whether its investing in gold or creating an AI clone, Dalio is more likely to create the kind of playbook thats made Bridgewater one of the worlds largest hedge funds and Dalio its celebrated philosopher king. These past two days have reinforced for me the importance of codifying principles and creating a road map to achieve them. The clarity and ambition of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 plan is evident in the rapid development of Riyadh. As Saudi investment minister, H.E. Khalid A. Al-Falih, put it: Were not simply waiting for the future to arrive. Were building it today, not alone, but together with our global partners. When I asked the U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves about whether her party had a comparable plan for Great Britain, she cited several initiatives and aspirations. Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner who spoke to me while in hiding, has a clear vision for her country that shed like to see the U.S. and other countries rally around, calling Venezuela a $1.7 trillion investment opportunity. While Machado may have praised President Trump for his willingness to take on Venezuela, she welcomes the help of any other country in addressing the disaster this socialist system has wrought. (Here is our full interview.) CEOs like JLLs Christian Ulbrich know firsthand the countries that are moving ahead with shared goals and a roadmap to get there, with Asia and the Middle East moving at a much faster pace than hes seeing in much of Europe and North America. As he put it: Other countries just have learned to move along much faster and more decisively, and thats what we are seeing when you look at the growth rates in the world. More news below. Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads as the storm of the century made landfall over the Caribbean island of 2.8 million people. Thousands of people were warned to flee before destructive winds, flash flooding and landslides caused catastrophic damage. At least seven people have been killed so far three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Melissa intensified. One person is missing. The Miami-based hurricane centre warned that total structural failure was likely in Melissas path. The government has ordered 28,000 people to leave their homes and go to shelters, but some were reluctant, and only 6,000 have done so so far, said minister Desmond McKenzie. Officials have also urged civilians to evacuate danger zones. The International Federation of the Red Cross estimated 1.5 million people would be affected. British people in Jamaica have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office, which has set up a crisis centre for UK citizens. Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is in the region on stand-by. Up to 8,000 Britons are in the Caribbean country, forced to stay inside their hotels. Trillions of gallons of water are expected to fall on the country, said United Cajun Navy vice-president Brian Trascher. Its a catastrophic situation, the World Meteorological Organisations tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan said. For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century, for sure. Storm surges of up to four metres were expected, with rainfall set to exceed 2.3ft, she said, causing catastrophic flash flooding and landslides. Mr McKenzie warned: Dont bet against Melissa, because you will lose, as authorities implored residents to seek protection in shelters and fortify their homes. Jamaican electricity company JPS said power cuts had affected more than a third of its customers, but in its worst-hit areas, three-quarters lost power. Cooks prepare meals on Monday at a shelter set up in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissas forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica (AP) Melissa made landfall where the eye of the storm moves over land near the town of New Hope, 39 miles south of Montego Bay, packing maximum sustained winds of 185mph, the US National Hurricane Centre said. The most powerful level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, Category 5, requires speeds of at least 157mph. The destruction could be unlike anything people in Jamaica have seen before, said AccuWeathers lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. The island has never taken a direct hit from a Category 4 or a Category 5 hurricane in recorded history. Melissa is the third-most intense hurricane in the Caribbean after Wilma in 2005 and Gilbert in 1988, according to AccuWeather. Residents evacuate their homes in pouring rain in Playa Siboney, Cuba (AFP via Getty Images) Its extreme wind speeds mark it out as the second-strongest hurricane in the history of the Atlantic, tied with four other storms. Moving at a deceptively glacial pace of around 3mph, the tropical storm intensified from Category 4 to Category 5 within 24 hours. After reducing in intensity to a Category 4 on Wednesday and crossing eastern Cuba, where 500,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes, Melissa is forecast to head through Bermuda and the Bahamas, where prime minister Philip Davis has ordered evacuations of homes in southern and eastern areas. Surrounding areas, including the southeastern and Central Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, could also suffer a life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall, the National Hurricane Centre said. Timelapse shows the slow approach of Hurricane Melissa to Jamaica (Zoom Earth/The Independent) There is also concern about the countrys ability to withstand the damage. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Jamaicas prime minister, Andrew Holness, admitted on Tuesday. Its slow pace makes Melissa deadlier, with sustained winds and accumulated rainfall inflicting maximum damage to the vulnerable and low-lying island. Around 70 per cent of Jamaicas population of over 2.8 million people lives in coastal areas. Slow-moving major hurricanes often go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record, said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter. This is a dire situation unfolding in slow motion. The eye of Hurricane Melissa approaches the southwestern coast of Jamaica (NOAA/STAR) Cherelle Mukoko, former Miss Jamaica UK, told The Independent that her uncle was on the islands central plateau amid the storm. Living in his late parents home, a building that has been in the family for generations and was built with love from the ground up, he had decided not to evacuate. Weve been in close contact with him, checking in daily about Hurricane Melissa, she said. He remains calm and optimistic, as hes lived through several major storms in the past. Hes taken all possible precautions: the windows are boarded up, the property secured, and supplies stocked. He wont be leaving for a shelter; instead, hell stay in the family home, which has stood strong through many severe weather conditions. While we here in the UK probably feel more anxious, he reassures us constantly and embodies that quiet Jamaican resilience. A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, navigates in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, Oct. 15, 2025. Bomber Attack Demonstrations contributed to the collective defense of the Western Hemisphere and demonstrate the U.S. commitment to the safety and security of the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Foster) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases X Help keep us a float! Your support helps us keep our ship a float. We appreciate anyway you chose to help out. Visit us daily, subscribe, donate, and tell your friends. You can support us in the following ways: Nurse practitioner Wendy Swope is the next best thing to a doctor, making house calls with her new business, Marsh Valley Mobile Medical, bringing healthcare to rural Marsh Valley communities. | Courtesy photo SWAN LAKE For residents of Marsh Valleys rural towns, getting to a doctors office can often mean a long drive, icy roads, and hours away from home. With a passion for helping people, local nurse Dr. Wendy Swope, DNP, ACNP-C, is working to change that by bringing the doctors office right to the doorsteps. Swope recently launched Marsh Valley Mobile Medical to help fill a vital gap in healthcare access across rural southern Idaho. She plans to include regular stops in Lava Hot Springs, Downey, Arimo, Swan Lake, McCammon, and Inkom tailoring services to the unique needs of each town. RELATED: Rural hospitals are closing maternity wards. People are seeking options to give birth closer to home With years of clinical experience and a heart for community care, Swope operates a clinic in Swan Lake. Since she cant have a clinic in every small town, shes bringing the clinic to them making regular stops in places that are easily accessible to people in those areas. I see Marsh Valley Mobile Medical bringing healthcare to rural people and the elderly in particular, as they are the most disadvantaged by harsh travel conditions and logistics, Swope said. The goal is to bring healthcare directly to those who cant easily get to town especially during the winter months. Through her mobile clinic, Swope provides a range of primary care services, including physical exams, management of chronic conditions, immunizations, and treatment of minor injuries. The clinic can also stock basic medications such as antibiotics for simple infections and supplies for minor procedures. I also want to be a resource for people with mental health issues such as depression, she said. Im also looking into bringing food into town for the food distribution places during these tough times right now. Swope currently travels in her personal Toyota 4Runner; however, she has a van shes in the process of outfitting with the help of grant funding. While her mission focuses on providing access to care, Swope emphasizes that her service complements not replaces existing healthcare providers. Im not trying to replace your main doctor in the bigger towns, she explained. I want to be there like an urgent care facility a bridge for people who need timely help. Swopes plans for Marsh Valley Mobile Medical go beyond medicine. Shes also exploring partnerships with Southeast Idaho food banks to help deliver fresh produce and healthy foods to residents in areas where grocery options are limited. I know how difficult it is to get fresh fruits and vegetables in remote areas, she said. Wed love to collaborate with local food programs to get nutritious food where its needed most. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Marsh Valley Mobile Medicals mission is bringing quality healthcare directly to the community. Swope welcomes feedback from residents as she refines her schedule and services. I want to hear what people need and how I can best help, Swope said. For more information or to offer suggestions, Marsh Valley Mobile Medical can be reached at (208) 360-1997 or by email at wearenurses5@gmail.com. The post Marsh Valley Mobile Medical brings healthcare to rural communities appeared first on East Idaho News. Where people in Greenville, North Carolina are looking to buy homes Home prices are largely starting to normalize across the country, but remain high even as more homes come to the market. Near record-high mortgage rates are keeping homes largely unaffordable for most buyers. Even a percentage point increase can increase a monthly mortgage payment by more than $100. That's causing potential homeowners to expand their searches outside costly urban cores, especially when they can work from home. Stacker examined data from Realtor.com's Cross-Market Demand Report to see where people in Greenville are looking to buy homes. View share is based on page views of active listings during the third quarter of 2025 on Realtor.com. It does not include international viewers. #10. Wilson, NC - View share: 1.9% - Median listing price: $269,743 - Median listing price per square foot: $161 #9. Myrtle Beach, SC - View share: 2.0% - Median listing price: $320,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $229 #8. Jacksonville, NC - View share: 2.2% - Median listing price: $346,073 - Median listing price per square foot: $188 #7. Rocky Mount, NC - View share: 2.9% - Median listing price: $301,998 - Median listing price per square foot: $161 #6. New Bern, NC - View share: 3.0% - Median listing price: $360,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $189 #5. Wilmington, NC - View share: 3.4% - Median listing price: $499,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $252 #4. Morehead City, NC - View share: 4.4% - Median listing price: $575,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $333 #3. Charlotte, NC - View share: 5.2% - Median listing price: $438,500 - Median listing price per square foot: $220 #2. Washington, NC - View share: 6.0% - Median listing price: $432,450 - Median listing price per square foot: $197 #1. Raleigh, NC - View share: 11.3% - Median listing price: $457,662 - Median listing price per square foot: $220 Where people in Panama City are looking to buy homes Home prices are largely starting to normalize across the country, but remain high even as more homes come to the market. Near record-high mortgage rates are keeping homes largely unaffordable for most buyers. Even a percentage point increase can increase a monthly mortgage payment by more than $100. That's causing potential homeowners to expand their searches outside costly urban cores, especially when they can work from home. Stacker examined data from Realtor.com's Cross-Market Demand Report to see where people in Panama City are looking to buy homes. View share is based on page views of active listings during the third quarter of 2025 on Realtor.com. It does not include international viewers. #10. Pensacola, FL - View share: 1.9% - Median listing price: $362,500 - Median listing price per square foot: $202 #9. Palm Bay, FL - View share: 2.0% - Median listing price: $379,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $228 #8. Deltona, FL - View share: 2.4% - Median listing price: $386,995 - Median listing price per square foot: $231 #7. Atlanta, GA - View share: 2.9% - Median listing price: $415,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $195 #6. Tallahassee, FL - View share: 3.0% - Median listing price: $339,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $199 #5. Miami, FL - View share: 3.2% - Median listing price: $499,900 - Median listing price per square foot: $357 #4. Tampa, FL - View share: 4.3% - Median listing price: $412,450 - Median listing price per square foot: $247 #3. Orlando, FL - View share: 6.2% - Median listing price: $420,500 - Median listing price per square foot: $229 #2. Crestview, FL - View share: 7.1% - Median listing price: $604,950 - Median listing price per square foot: $434 #1. Jacksonville, FL - View share: 8.9% - Median listing price: $394,500 - Median listing price per square foot: $216 Where people in Springfield, Illinois are looking to buy homes Home prices are largely starting to normalize across the country, but remain high even as more homes come to the market. Near record-high mortgage rates are keeping homes largely unaffordable for most buyers. Even a percentage point increase can increase a monthly mortgage payment by more than $100. That's causing potential homeowners to expand their searches outside costly urban cores, especially when they can work from home. Stacker examined data from Realtor.com's Cross-Market Demand Report to see where people in Springfield are looking to buy homes. View share is based on page views of active listings during the third quarter of 2025 on Realtor.com. It does not include international viewers. #10. Kansas City, MO - View share: 1.1% - Median listing price: $387,450 - Median listing price per square foot: $192 #9. Champaign, IL - View share: 1.1% - Median listing price: $272,450 - Median listing price per square foot: $163 #8. North Port, FL - View share: 1.2% - Median listing price: $475,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $269 #7. Decatur, IL - View share: 1.8% - Median listing price: $152,924 - Median listing price per square foot: $88 #6. Lincoln, IL - View share: 2.0% - Median listing price: $156,200 - Median listing price per square foot: $96 #5. Taylorville, IL - View share: 2.1% - Median listing price: $152,200 - Median listing price per square foot: $102 #4. Peoria, IL - View share: 2.9% - Median listing price: $180,000 - Median listing price per square foot: $107 #3. Jacksonville, IL - View share: 2.9% - Median listing price: $169,900 - Median listing price per square foot: $87 #2. St. Louis, MO - View share: 6.7% - Median listing price: $299,900 - Median listing price per square foot: $166 #1. Elgin, IL - View share: 25.1% - Median listing price: $372,366 - Median listing price per square foot: $213 The worlds first AI minister is pregnant with 83 children, Albanias prime minister has announced. Speaking in Berlin on Saturday (25 October), Edi Rama revealed that Diella, who was introduced earlier this year, will soon give birth to more than 80 AI children, with each one assisting a member of parliament. He explained that they will participate in parliamentary sessions, keep records and inform MPs on how to react. Mr Rama added: When you go for a coffee, these kids will tell you what has been said when you are not there and if you have to counterattack someone who mentioned you for the wrong reasons. Diella was introduced to tackle corruption and promote transparency and innovation in Mr Ramas cabinet. These used to be big data, data-specific roles, said Whittle. MSPs used to just configure switches, routers and respond to tickets. Now its like the MSP is going to manage all third-party relationships. Theyre going to roll out Copilot across a customers business or another AI model and help defend against security attacks. Then help me talk to the consultants, and then if I get breached, help report that issue. The MSPs role is forever getting bigger. They also need to build their own teams and culture the right way to be able to support that as much as it can. Its a difficult thing, 100 per cent, noted Whittle. Thats typically where youve got an MSP founder or owner thats doing all the hands-on work. Realistically, that people got to be thinking about growth and relationships, connections, not doing their hands-on work. Where Wild Tech sees the fall is when the founder is a great technical person whos a wizard at everything and has won a few customers. The second anything else comes on, it all falls apart, Whittle said. They try and do it themselves. Theyve got kids, theyre trying to do it at three in the morning to play in the entrepreneurial game. In reality, they should be trying to, as soon as possible, bring on a good support team around them that can take on that workload and get them thinking about support and relationship building. While vendor partners can bring technical resources in to help with delivery on some of the bigger projects. However, if the MSP is in the trenches and the work needs to get done, with reputations on the line, they just need a resource that gets it and can do it. I think the priority is more so actually getting hands-on support when you need it, said Whittle. Smaller MSP shops with two or three resources need bodies and they might not have the relationships to go and get them. Conversing with customers These pressures also leave MSPs with little time to talk to customers about important issues like cybersecurity in the right way. If youre going guns blazing with the latest Microsoft Sentinel for a small 10-seat business, youre going to get laughed out the door, Whittle said. Youre never going to convince them thats enough. About 90 per cent of conversations with customers isnt about the product, he noted. Its purely about whats the right amount of security that the business needs to mitigate the risks that the business faces. Whittle said if a technology service provider (TSP) is talking to the right people within the customers business, like the chief financial officer, the IT manager or the risk-averse roles in the business, theyll understand the importance of mitigating risk. Then the full technology just fits right in, and typically it matches a bit of, like, typically, that risk appetite is relatively well understood, and the cost against it isnt that bad. A lot of business owners are never going to want to dive down the technical layers of security with providers. Every business owner knows what the true cost of being in front of a court would look like exactly, Whittle explained. Its up to the MSP to play other other angles to help their customers get cyber security requirements. Theyve got negligence issues if they dont have any cyber security measures. There are things like that, Whittle noted. Its rare that I find a business owner or a business leader not seriously considering cyber. They might get bored by it, but theyve still got to do something. All cyber security is risk mitigation and putting in place those essentials, and any more than that, especially, service providers can go into town on. Every MSP should have that base conversation, Whittle said. I mean, an example would be to not work with a customer if they will not accept what we call as the base essentials, but essential security tier. This is making sure youve got, MFA [multifactor authentication] and the basic security functions in place, because theres too much risk on both parties, frankly. Difference between UK and Australian MSPs Whittle joined Wild Tech in February, from Alceon-owned online retail store Cheap as Chips, based in the UK, where he spearheaded the companys transformation of its legacy systems. He led initiatives including cloud ERP implementation, online business launches, automated payroll and the rollout of live data infrastructure across 53 stores. While Australia has a deeply embedded security-first mindset, the requirements to become a managed security service provider just arent as strict yet. There are new frameworks and guidance starting to come in, but theyve been relatively late additions and still quite light in terms of expectations, Whittle said. In the UK, theres a much stronger sense of cyber rigour and a clear understanding of what should and shouldnt be done. They also have a much closer connection to the defence sector and stronger alignment with cybersecurity principles. by Joseph Masilamany Speaking at the regional summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called on Asian countries to close ranks in the face of global challenges, primarily that of trade with the United States. Southeast Asia must maintain open markets while avoiding becoming embroiled in a trade duel between superpowers. The summit saw the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement upgraded. The Philippines will take over the associations rotating presidency next year. Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) Chinese Premier Li Qiang urged ASEAN countries to "close ranks" and defend the region's economic independence in the face of what he called "bullying" and unreasonable trade pressure from foreign powers. These words conceal a not-so-subtle reference to the new tariffs imposed by Washington as part of the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump. Speaking at the 28th ASEAN-China Summit, held along with the 47th ASEAN Summit of 11 Southeast Asian nations, Li warned that the region could be "divided and ruled" if it does not act with unity of purpose. The common goal, the Chinese premier warned, must be to present a united front in the face of intensifying global economic rivalries. Unilateralism and protectionism have seriously impacted the global economic and trade order, while external forces are increasing their interference in the region many countries have been unreasonably subjected to high tariffs, he said. If we do not unite and, instead, form factions in the face of power politics and economic bullying, not only will we not gain any benefits, but we will also be divided and ruled by external forces. At the end of his address, Li reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to working closely with ASEAN to strengthen supply chains, safeguard regional stability, and eliminate "external interference" a clear nod to the escalating trade tensions between the United States and China, which have swept up smaller economies across Asia. Trump: Tariff Shock 2.0 Li's remarks come in the wake of US President Donald Trump's renewed tariff regime, which took effect on 5 April, marking a sharp turn toward economic nationalism during his second term. Under the new policy, Washington imposed a 10 per cent base tariff on nearly all imported goods, as well as punitive reciprocal tariffs on countries deemed to have unfair trading advantages or maintain large surpluses with the United States a direct revival of Trumps previous America First trade doctrine. The move triggered a wave of retaliatory measures from Beijing, which slapped high tariffs on US agricultural and technology exports, tightened export controls on rare earths, and expanded trade restrictions on US firms. Caught in between are ASEAN economies major manufacturing and export hubs deeply integrated into both US and Chinese supply chains. Indeed, its members have been among the most severely affected globally by US tariffs, particularly developing economies that rely heavily on export manufacturing. Early tariff rates placed Cambodia at 49 per cent, Vietnam at 48 per cent , and Laos at 46 per cent, among the worlds highest. Malaysia initially faced a 25 per cent tariff rate, later reduced to 19 per cent after rounds of negotiations led by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz. Diplomatic sources said Malaysias reduction was made possible by targeted concessions and a pro-trade commitment under the ASEAN-US framework. Vietnam and Cambodia have since seen tariff rates drop slightly to 20 per cent and 19 per cent respectively while Laos continues to face a steep 40 per cent tariff, reflecting slower progress in trade reforms and negotiations. The renewed trade war has rattled supply chains and cast uncertainty over ASEANs collective economic outlook, which has grown to 11 members following the full membership of Timor-Leste. Many regional leaders, analysts say, are increasingly looking towards deeper intra-ASEAN trade and stronger ties with China to weather the headwinds. ASEAN at a Crossroads Analysts note that Li's call for unity reflects both Beijing's strategy of outreach and ASEAN's struggle for balance amid the renewed US-China rivalry. Dr Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said the message was as much a warning as an invitation. Li Qiang is telling ASEAN that fragmentation benefits external powers particularly the U.S. while unity strengthens the regions leverage. But ASEAN must tread carefully not to appear aligned with either bloc, Oh told The Edge. The tone of this years summit, observers say, underscores how trade disputes are again redefining Asias political landscape with Southeast Asia caught in the middle. For ASEAN, the choice may not be about taking sides, but about charting a survival strategy in a world where both Washington and Beijing are redefining globalisation on their own terms. Only through solidarity can we safeguard the regions long-term interests and ensure that Asias future remains in Asian hands, Li said in concluding his address. When Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he wasted no time reviving one of his signature policies the hardline America First trade agenda that once shook global markets. Within his first 100 days, Trump signed an executive order imposing a baseline 10 per cent tariff on nearly all imports, arguing that decades of free trade had hollowed out American industries. The move marked the most sweeping protectionist measure in modern U.S. history. The US administration then unveiled a reciprocal tariff framework, targeting specific countries and sectors with higher duties especially those with large trade surpluses or whose goods were deemed subsidised or unfairly priced. China topped the list. Tariffs on Chinese electronics, steel, and solar panels soared above 50 per cent, triggering Beijings retaliation. But the collateral damage quickly spread across Asia, where supply chains are deeply intertwined with both economies. ASEAN nations found themselves caught in the crossfire. Countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand key manufacturing bases for US tech and consumer goods suddenly faced steep levies on exports, pushing regional leaders to renegotiate trade privileges or deepen ties with China. Economists warn that Trumps tariff shock 2.0 risks fragmenting global trade, reversing gains made under multilateral frameworks like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). For Southeast Asia, the challenge now lies in keeping markets open while avoiding entanglement in a superpower trade duel that could shape the next decade of the regions growth. Meanwhile, the signing of the upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA 3.0), the closing ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, and the official Handing Over of the ASEAN Chairmanship to the Philippines, headlined the final day of the summit today. On the 60th anniversary of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, the pontiff joined other religious leaders in the meeting in the "spirit of Assisi" promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio. Those who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing, Leo said. Instead, with hands raised to heaven and open to others, we must ensure that this period of history, marked by war and the arrogance of power, soon comes to an end. Rome (AsiaNews) Pope Leo XIV joined religious leaders at Romes Colosseum to pray at the Community of Sant'Egidio's annual Meeting for Peace, in the "Spirit of Assisi," inaugurated by Saint John Paul II with the historic first gathering on 27 October 1986. This was the pontiffs first time at this important interreligious event, in which he stressed that only peace is holy, because it is willed by God. Todays event marked the end of a three-day gathering packed with meetings and testimonies to dare peace. The meeting coincided with an important anniversary, namely the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council's declaration on the relationship between the Church and non-Christian faiths. The pontiff will dedicate tomorrow's general audience to this theme, which will be attended by delegations from many religious groups from around the world. In the afternoon, Leo XIV made the "spirit of Assisi" his own, when he joined in an ecumenical prayer shared by representatives of Christian Churches (including Metropolitan Anthony, representing the Patriarchate of Moscow) in the Colosseum, while other groups prayed for peace in nearby places, each following their own religious tradition. Today, it seems that the world has gone in the opposite direction, but we embrace the challenge of Assisi and the awareness of our shared task and responsibility for peace, Leo said. Addressing those who still view such meetings with suspicion, he explained that, for the Catholic Church, prayer in the spirit of Assisi is based on the solid foundation set out in the Second Vatican Council's Declaration Nostra Aetate. Citing the document, he added that, We cannot truly pray to God as Father of all if we treat any people as other than sisters and brothers, for all are created in Gods image. All believers are brothers and sisters. And religions, as mothers, must encourage peoples to treat each other as family, not as enemies. It is precisely the importance of each person's prayer that Leo XIV underlined. Addressing the other religious leaders, he said: I thank you for coming here to pray for peace and for showing the world just how important prayer is. The human heart must be open to peace. It is through meditation that we open our hearts, and in prayer that we go beyond ourselves. We recollect ourselves in order to go beyond ourselves. This is our witness: offering the immense treasures of ancient spiritualities to contemporary humanity. People are thirsting for peace, the pope noted. We need a true and sound era of reconciliation that puts an end to the abuse of power, displays of force and indifference to the rule of law. Enough of war, with all the pain it causes through death, destruction and exile! For him, prayer is a powerful force for reconciliation. Those who practice religion without prayer run the risk of misusing it, even to the point of killing. Prayer is a movement of the spirit and an opening of the heart. It is not shouting words, displaying behavior or religious slogans against Gods creatures. We have faith that prayer changes the course of history. May places of prayer be tents of encounter, sanctuaries of reconciliation and oases of peace. In the power of prayer, with hands raised to heaven and open to others, we must ensure that this period of history, marked by war and the arrogance of power, soon comes to an end, giving rise to a new era. We cannot allow this period to continue. It shapes the minds of people who grow accustomed to war as a normal part of human history. Enough! This is the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Enough! Lord, hear our cry! For the Holy Father, The culture of reconciliation will overcome the current globalization of powerlessness, which seems to tell us that another era is impossible. Yes, dialogue, negotiation and cooperation are capable of addressing and resolving the tensions that arise in situations of conflict. They must do so! The necessary forums and people exist. We share the desire for peace for all peoples, Leo added. We are the voice of those who are not heard and the voiceless. We must dare peace! Yet, Even if the world turns a deaf ear to this appeal, we are certain that God will hear our prayer and the cries of so many who suffer. God wants a world without war. He will free us from this evil! Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Davit Khudatian denied any wrongdoing in the local election campaign as election monitors and journalists continued to accuse the party of abusing its government levers in an effort to win the ballot. The community comprised the historic town of Vagharshapat and several nearby villages until the Armenian government decided earlier this year to merge it with over a dozen other villages. Following the resignation of Vagharshapats pro-government Mayor Diana Gasparian, it also installed Civil Contracts top election candidate, Argishti Mekhakian, as acting head of the enlarged community. The decisions were widely construed as an attempt to boost the partys electoral chances. Mekhakian found himself in hot water after attending last week a supposed charity event in one of the community villages, Doghs. Footage posted online showed the village administration chief, who is second on the Civil Contract list of candidates, handing out gifts to village children on behalf of a local benefactor. Mekhakian stood on stage during the event that also involved a free dinner party for villagers. The vote-monitoring group Akanates (Witness) set up by Western-funded non-governmental organizations based in Yerevan condemned the event as a vote-buying operation and demanded a criminal investigation into it. Mekhakian denied any connection between the gift distribution and the upcoming election. Khudatian, who is reportedly involved in the election campaign, echoed the denial. There were no political calls or discussions of any election-related issues there, the minister told journalists. It was just a community event attended by the head of the community and the governor of the Armavir province. The Office of the Prosecutor-General has still not responded to a crime report filed by Akanates. Armenian law-enforcement authorities are not known to have filed vote-buying charges against any Civil Contract candidates during Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians rule. They have prosecuted many opposition candidates instead. On Monday, Akanates seized upon Mekhakians revelation that in the last two months Pashinians government has spent an additional 500 million drams ($1.3 million) on infrastructure upgrades in the community. The group said the urgent funding was clearly aimed at illegally influencing the election outcome. Armenian law prohibits election candidates from distributing any material aid or services to voters. It also makes it a crime for local or central government officials to participate in election campaigns. Civil Contract was accused of violating this ban as well when several employees of Vagharshapats municipal administration were caught on camera last week posting the partys campaign billboards and posters in the city. Opposition groups challenging Pashinians party have also accused Mekhakian of abusing his government levers for electoral purposes. The mayor has denied those claims, saying that he is simply performing his duties. 28 October 2025 16:04 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan with crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other serious offenses, continued on October 28, Azernews reports. The open court session, held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with a panel consisting of Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), ensured that the accused was provided with an interpreter in his native language, Russian, as well as defense lawyers of his choice. Presiding Judge Zeynal Aghayev noted that during the previous hearing, defendant Ruben Vardanyan submitted a petition to the court stating that he was dissatisfied with the court proceedings in general and was therefore waiving his defense attorney. Vardanyan also indicated that he did not have a contract with another lawyer and had no objections to a defense attorney being appointed by the state. Consequently, the court accepted Vardanyans waiver of his defense attorney, Avraam Berman, and forwarded a decision to the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan to appoint a state-funded lawyer. Pursuant to this decision, Emil Babishov, a member of the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was appointed as the new defense attorney to represent the defendant during the hearings. Vardanyan did not object to the appointment of his new lawyer, and other participants in the trial also raised no objections. Judge Zeynal Aghayev introduced the newly appointed lawyer Emil Babishov to the composition of the court, to which the defense attorney expressed no objections. The presiding judge stated that the lawyer would be granted additional time to review the case materials and that conditions would be provided for a confidential meeting with the client. The court proceedings were adjourned. The next hearing is scheduled for November 4. Ruben Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violation of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan). 28 October 2025 10:21 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more Azerbaijan solidified its position among Turkiyes top three natural gas suppliers in August 2025, according to data from the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), Azernews reports. During the reporting period, Turkiye imported 1.047 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan a 41.1% increase compared to August 2024. With this growth, Azerbaijan ranked second among pipeline gas suppliers, surpassing Iran and coming in behind the Russian Federation. Turkiyes imports from the Islamic Republic of Iran amounted to 840.01 million cubic meters, up 70.97% from 491.34 million cubic meters in the same month last year. Despite a decline, Russia remained Turkiyes largest natural gas supplier, exporting over 1.835 billion cubic meters in August 2025, compared to 2.274 billion cubic meters in August 2024. Overall, Turkiyes total natural gas imports in August 2025 reached more than 4.021 billion cubic meters, marking a 3.31% increase year-on-year from about 3.893 billion cubic meters. Imports via pipelines rose 6.12% to approximately 3.723 billion cubic meters, while liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports dropped 22.35% to 298.73 million cubic meters. 28 October 2025 12:01 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more The 15th session of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Belarus is being held in Baku. As reported by Azernews, the meeting is co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Samir Sharifov and Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Natalya Petkevich. During the session, it was noted that assembly of agricultural and special-purpose machinery continues at the Ganja Automobile Plant in cooperation with the Belarusian side. The parties also emphasized ongoing work to expand local production of elevators in Azerbaijan within the framework of long-term cooperation with Belarus in elevator manufacturing and supply, in partnership with Mogilevliftmash. According to the report, modernization and installation of 200 elevators are planned for completion in 2025. 28 October 2025 14:20 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The 15th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Belarus is being held in Baku. The meeting is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Co-Chair of the Commission Samir Sharifov from Azerbaijan, and Deputy Prime Minister, Co-Chair of the Commission Natalya Petkevich from Belarus, Azernews reports. The sides reviewed the progress of the Joint Action Plan for 20242025 and assessed cooperation in vocational education as an important direction of partnership. It was noted that personnel training will be conducted in Baku based on the Belarusian educational model under the speciality Food Technology. At the meeting, it was emphasised that Azerbaijani companies have also contributed to the development of the Belarusian economy. The parties reviewed the results of the Commissions activities and discussed the implementation of the bilateral Roadmap for cooperation covering 20242025. Specific progress was reported in the fields of industry, agriculture, mechanical engineering, urban development, pharmaceuticals, vocational education, transport and logistics, trade, and investment. The dynamics of trade turnover between the two countries were also analysed. It was noted that in 2024, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Belarus increased by 42 percent, reaching $506 million. Both sides underscored the need to further diversify trade, introduce new product and service categories, and make fuller use of transit and logistics opportunities 28 October 2025 17:36 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more The World Bank has recommended that Azerbaijan intensify reforms aimed at improving its business environment and attracting greater private investment, Azernews reports, citing the Banks latest report. The institution emphasised the need to enhance tax policy predictability, ensure a level playing field for businesses, and strengthen judicial mechanisms to foster investor confidence. According to the report, Azerbaijans Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 20222026 prioritises diversifying the economy, reducing dependence on hydrocarbons, and expanding the role of the private sector. The success of these goals depends on boosting investment levels particularly private investment in the non-hydrocarbon sector, the report noted. World Bank experts said increasing private investment outside the energy sector will require structural reforms to remove barriers to doing business. The Azerbaijani government continues to make consistent efforts to support the private sector by improving the business climate, the report added. Analysts highlighted that regular consultations between the public and private sectors are key to resolving investment challenges. One proposal is the adoption of a medium-term tax framework that would inform businesses in advance about planned tax changes, a step the Bank believes would enhance predictability and reduce uncertainty for investors. To create equal conditions for market participants, the Bank recommended strengthening the legal and institutional base for competition and adopting regulations to ensure compliance. It also suggested promoting competition neutrality and separating the states regulatory and operational roles, especially in sectors dominated by state-owned enterprises, to enable greater private participation. The World Bank further advised developing a state aid control framework to limit market distortions arising from government support for specific enterprises or industries. The report stressed the importance of establishing a long-term commitment to targeted business climate reforms, with participation from both public and private stakeholders, to enhance policy predictability and reduce market uncertainty. It also called for stronger institutional support for SMEs through agencies such as SMBDA, AZPROMO, and AzExport, helping them expand access to domestic and international markets. In addition, the Bank encouraged Azerbaijan to continue implementing judicial reforms and address gaps in the legal framework, including dispute resolution mechanisms for intellectual property rights. Implementing structural reforms that remove these constraints can stimulate private investment inflows and further support the diversification of Azerbaijans economy, the World Bank concluded. Grove City College in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, was thrown into lockdown on Sunday, 28 September, after a chilling call claimed a gunman was inside the Henry Buhl Library. An emergency email alert went out to students and staff at 4.29 p.m., urging them to take shelter. Police from Grove City and the Pennsylvania State Police rushed to the scene as the library was evacuated and campus buildings were placed under a shelter-in-place order, according to the Grove City College statement. After sweeping the area and reviewing security footage, investigators concluded the scare was almost certainly a computer-generated swatting hoax. Timeline of the Police Response The emergency response unfolded within minutes of the initial report. Officers from the Grove City Police Department were first on the scene, followed by Pennsylvania State Police and the Mercer County Critical Incident Response Team. Security personnel conducted a systematic search of campus buildings while students and staff remained in secure locations. The lockdown continued for nearly three hours, with authorities confirming the area was safe by 6.50 p.m., after which normal campus operations resumed. The quick response highlighted the coordination between campus security and local law enforcement in handling potential threats. Investigation Confirms False Threat After an extensive search and review of campus security footage, police officials confirmed there was no individual matching the description provided in the initial call. The Pennsylvania State Police indicated in a news release that the threat was likely part of a swatting hoax, a type of false emergency call designed to elicit a rapid armed response. Grove City College officials confirmed that no injuries occurred and that the situation was resolved without harm to students, faculty, or staff. The college continues to work closely with authorities to prevent similar incidents in the future. Campus Safety Measures Activated Grove City College activated its established safety protocols, including lockdown procedures and communication alerts to all students and staff. Emergency teams ensured that evacuation routes were clear and that individuals remained in secure locations until the all-clear was issued. Campus officials stated that these measures are standard procedure for threats of this nature and are regularly reviewed to maintain safety on campus. The incident demonstrated the effectiveness of preparedness plans in quickly mobilising law enforcement and protecting the campus community. Impact on Students and Staff The swatting hoax disrupted academic activities and access to campus facilities for several hours. Faculty and staff followed safety instructions to ensure the well-being of everyone on campus. Officials emphasised that communication systems and emergency alerts played a critical role in keeping the campus community informed and safe throughout the incident. Rising Trend of Swatting Incidents Swatting incidents have been on the rise across the United States, particularly affecting educational institutions. Law enforcement agencies are increasingly developing strategies to identify and respond to false emergency calls. Grove City College's experience highlights the challenges colleges face in distinguishing between legitimate threats and hoaxes while maintaining safety protocols. Awareness campaigns and preparedness measures remain crucial in managing such events. Safety Advice for Students and Staff Authorities recommend that students and staff follow official campus alerts and emergency instructions during any threat. Cooperation with law enforcement and adherence to lockdown procedures are essential for ensuring personal safety. College security teams continue to monitor for suspicious activity and encourage the community to report any concerns promptly. Originally published on IBTimes UK 28 October 2025 12:53 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more With the support of the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater is actively broadening its international partnerships, Azernews reports. A Memorandum of Cooperation has been signed between the Uzbekistan National Academic Drama Theater and the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theater in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The memorandum was signed by Ilham Asgarov, director of the Academic National Drama Theater and Honored Cultural Worker, and Yodgor Saqdiyev, director of the Uzbekistan National Academic Drama Theater, People's Artist of Uzbekistan, State Prize laureate, and prominent artist. Both theaters directors described the memorandum as an important step for the future development of theatrical art and the establishment of new connections. The memorandum outlines effective cooperation, mutual exchange of valuable examples of classical and contemporary dramaturgy, creative teams of performances, and individual professionals in the theater field, including directors, actors, stage designers, and costume artists, as well as the organization of forums and masterclasses. During the meeting, signing agreements with various world theaters and steps taken toward international cooperation were identified as priority directions for the theater. The Academic National Drama Theater has already signed cooperation memorandums with Georgia's Shota Rustaveli National Theater, Belarus's Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater, Kyrgyzstan's T. Abdumomunov National Academic Drama Theater, and Russia's Alexandrinsky Theater. As part of the visit, Ilham Asgarov met with Huseyn Guliyev, Azerbaijan's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan. The Ambassador highly appreciated the steps taken by the Academic National Drama Theater toward international cooperation. Detailed information was provided to the ambassador about the memorandums signed with various theaters, and Huseyn Guliyev emphasized that the embassy would provide the highest level of support for the future development of cultural relations between the two countries, including theater cooperation. The bust of National Leader Heydar Aliyev located in Heydar Aliyev Park in Tashkent was visited, and flowers were laid in front of it. Later, Ilham Asgarov met with Akif Marifli, director of the Heydar Aliyev Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Uzbekistan, and became closely acquainted with the center. During the meeting, discussions were held, and an agreement was reached to organize educational masterclasses in various directions between the Cultural Center and the Academic National Drama Theater in 2026. At the Uzbekistan National Academic Drama Theater, a performance based on the operetta "The Cloth Peddler" by Azerbaijan's great composer Uzeyir Hajibayli was staged by Uzbek actors. A meeting was also held with Azim Mullakhanov, director of the Uzbekistan Musical Theater. Following this, a visit was made to Samarkand, one of Uzbekistan's ancient cities. Ilham Asgarov met with Iskandar Sultanov, director of the Samarkand Musical Drama Theater, and visited the mausoleums of Amir Timur, Uzbekistan's first president, Islam Karimov, and Khodja Daniyar. The mutual touring visits between the two theaters are planned for 2026. 28 October 2025 17:08 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more A feature film "Shovkat" dedicated to Azerbaijan's first female ship captain Shovkat Salimova has premiered at Nizami Cinema Centre, Azernews reports. The cinema work was produced on the initiative of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company JSC (ASCO), a company under AZCON Holding. The film premiere was attended by AZCON Holding management and staff, including ASCO, students of the Azerbaijan State Maritime Academy (ADMA) and Azerbaijan Maritime College (AMC), members of the public and cultural figures, journalists, as well as the film's creative team. Chairman of ASCO's Board of Directors Rauf Valiyev addressed the event. In his speech, he pointed out that the film, produced drawing on the rich heritage of the 167-year history of shipping, holds special significance with its premiere on October 22. On this day in 2013, by a corresponding decree of President Ilham Aliyev, two historic and major fleets operating in the country were merged, forming the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company JSC, which currently operates under the ASCO brand. The Chairman emphasised that since its establishment, ASCO has prioritised enhancing the prestige of the maritime profession, and the "Shovkat" film is one of the projects realised to achieve this goal. Rauf Valiyev also noted that Shovkat Salimova's life and work serve as a strong source of motivation for young women. He highlighted that the number of women working both onshore and onboard ASCO vessels, as well as studying at ADMA, is steadily increasing. The Chairman then invited one of these women, Nurana Akbarova, a graduate of ADMA working as a sailor on the RoPax-type "Zarifa Aliyeva" ship, to the stage and congratulated her on continuing her career as an assistant captain. At the event, a piece from the romance "Sular Qz," performed in 1979 by People's Artist Flora Karimova and dedicated to the female captain, was played. After the performance, People's Artist Flora Karimova shared her memories of Shovkat Salimova. The feature film was then screened. Following the screening, the film's creative team was invited to the stage and presented with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of ASCO. More than 70 local and international specialists, as well as over 100 actors, participated in the production of the film. The role of Shovkat Salimova was played by the young actress Nazrin Abdullayeva. The cast also included People's Artist Gurban Ismayilov and actors Hikmet Rahimov, Elsever Rahimov, Nigar Murselova, among other well-known figures. The idea for the feature film was conceived by Mehman Mehdiyev, head of ASCO's Public Relations Department, while the screenplay was written by Tural Ibrahimov, director of the Surakhani Ship Museum, and Asif Rustamov. The film's director was Asif Rustamov, cinematographer Rauf Gurbanaliyev, chief producer Tural Ibrahimov, and executive producer Sabina Hasanova. During filming, extensive use was made of ASCO's fleet and various real locations. Unique props were also created to reflect the spirit of the era. Shovkat Salimova made history as the first female sea captain in Azerbaijan and the first Muslim woman to captain a ship in the entire Middle East. Her contributions to her country were invaluable- during the Great Patriotic War, she commanded vessels that transported military equipment, fuel, and ammunition to Stalingrad, and brought wounded soldiers back to Baku and Krasnovodsk. Born into a large family as the eldest of ten children, Shovkat grew up in Baku in the household of an oil worker. Interestingly, the sea wasn't her first dream. At that time, even young men faced great difficulty entering maritime academies for women; it was almost unthinkable. But Shovkat defied convention, pushed forward with determination, and was eventually admitted as an exception to the navigation faculty, the training ground for future captains. After graduation, she was assigned to the Black Sea Shipping Company. Yet once again, she faced scepticism. The personnel department doubted that a young woman could take on a captains responsibilities and instead appointed her as third mate aboard the tanker Sergo. When she arrived on the ship, the captain, too, refused to accept her. But Shovkat stood her ground and won. He had no choice but to let her aboard. Thus began her real journey. For seven gruelling months, the tanker sailed across the open seas, and Shovkat proved her skill and resilience, ultimately earning praise from the very captain who had doubted her. Afterwards, she returned to the Caspian Sea and soon after, she became captain of large maritime vessels herself. With the outbreak of World War II, many male sailors were sent to the front, and women stepped in to fill their roles. Shovkat began delivering vital cargo equipment, ammunition, and oil to the Soviet front near Stalingrad and transported the wounded back to Baku. These missions were perilous. On one occasion, her crew received word that twelve enemy tankers, divided into three groups, were heading toward them. Shovkat acted swiftly, preparing her crew to meet the attack head-on. Nearly all the enemy ships were repelled. Only one managed to break through and dropped a deadly payload onto her ship, sparking a fire. The crew managed to extinguish it, a testament to her leadership in crisis. Throughout the war, Shovkat Salimova performed numerous heroic deeds, earning her multiple honours: the medals For the Defence of the Caucasus, For the Victory over Germany, two Orders of the Red Star, and the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class. Her ships sailed the waters of the Mediterranean, Marmara, Aegean, and Red Seas, visiting dozens of ports across the globe. It was during one of these voyages that she met her future husband, a ship mechanic. They went on to build a happy life together. When she stepped away from active sea duty, Shovkat turned her focus to science. She defended a dissertation, became a candidate of economic sciences, earned the title of associate professor, and was recognised as a merited economist of the republic. She also became a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences and remained active in public life. Shovkat Salimova passed away in Baku in 1999. Through relentless perseverance and a deep love for her profession, she shattered stereotypes and proved that women are just as capable as men, even in the rough, demanding world of the sea. 28 October 2025 18:19 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more The 1st Forum of Azerbaijani Cultural Ambassadors will be held from November 3 to 5. The forum will take place in Antalya, Turkiye, Azernews reports. The event is organised by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the Azerbaijan State Committee on Work with Diaspora. The forum aims to promote Azerbaijani culture internationally in an organised manner through cultural ambassadors and their network, stimulate the activities of cultural figures living abroad, and provide additional support for the development of art and creative fields. Achieving closer cooperation between Azerbaijani Cultural Centres and Houses of Azerbaijan abroad is also among the goals of the forum. Within the framework of the forum, the presentation of the "Cultural Ambassadors" digital portal and the National Language project will take place. During the event, three panel discussions are planned, as well as reporting meetings of Azerbaijani Cultural Centres and Houses of Azerbaijan abroad. At the same time, a concert program featuring Azerbaijani artists is planned as part of the "Path of Culture" Festival held in Antalya. 28 October 2025 17:12 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more One of the most memorable art events of this seasonArt Weekend will officially begin this Friday with the opening of the exhibition "The Triumph of Form" by renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, Azernews reports. Fernando Botero, who created the "Boterismo" style and is one of the most popular artists, will have several of his famous works exhibited in Baku for the first time. Currently, the exhibition's displays are being set up at the Heydar Aliyev Center. The curator of the exhibition, Lina Botero, the daughter of Fernando Botero, expressed her happiness about being in Azerbaijan and considered the exhibition's opening a special event. She also mentioned that important works from the Fernando Botero Foundation are being brought to Baku: "It is a great joy and honor for us. We are very excited about this invitation and the opportunity to present my father Fernando Botero's works to the Azerbaijani audience for the first time," said Lina Botero, emphasizing the significance of the exhibition. She noted that the exhibition highlights the universality of Botero's art, showing that his works are loved and appreciated by people around the world. On October 31, a memorable opening of the exhibition will take place at the Heydar Aliyev Center with the participation of world-renowned curators, artists, and art critics. 28 October 2025 13:35 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit held in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, was a meeting where important and practical proposals were put forward, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said. As reported by Azernews, President Pezeshkian made the remarks during the meeting of interior ministers of ECO member states held today in Tehran. He noted that the ECO represents decades of collective effort by its member countries toward strengthening economic solidarity, and that the organization has achieved remarkable progress in this direction. The Iranian President also emphasized that numerous untapped opportunities still remain. Fortunately, member states continue to demonstrate strong political will to deepen and expand future cooperation, Pezeshkian added. For reference, the 17th ECO Summit took place in July in Khankendi, Azerbaijan. 28 October 2025 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more A solemn signing ceremony for the United Nations Convention on Countering Cybercrime took place on October 2526, 2025, in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, Azernews reports. The event was attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of Vietnam Luong Cuong, heads of national delegations, representatives of international organizations, and experts from around the world. Under the Presidential decree of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Convention was signed on behalf of the country by Colonel General Ali Nagiyev, Head of the State Security Service. Azerbaijans participation as one of the first signatories reflects the countrys commitmentunder the leadership of President Ilham Aliyevto strengthening international cooperation in combating cybercrime and ensuring the security of the global cyberspace. The international document aims to establish legal cooperation among states in combating cybercrime, prevent the misuse of information and communication technologies, and create mechanisms for the collection and submission of electronic evidence at the international level. In total, 72 countries signed the Convention during the two-day event, marking a milestone in global efforts to create a safer and more resilient digital environment. 28 October 2025 09:50 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Chairman of the Pakistani Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has arrived in Azerbaijan to participate in the International Parliamentary Conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, a source in the country's parliament told Azernews. He was welcomed at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport by the Deputy Chairman of the Parliament Musa Gasimli, the Head of the Parliamentary Working Group on Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Pakistan Kamaladdin Gafarov, and other officials. To note, the conference, scheduled for October 29, will focus on the theme "The Constitution as the Foundation of State Independence and Sovereignty in the Modern World." Delegates from nearly 20 national parliaments, alongside representatives from five international organizations, are anticipated to participate in the event. 28 October 2025 10:36 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The 15th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belarus is taking place in Baku, marking another step toward deepening bilateral economic collaboration, Azernews reports. According to Azernews, the meeting is co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Samir Sharifov from Azerbaijan and Deputy Prime Minister Natalya Petkevich from Belarus. Discussions are focused on the implementation of the 20242025 Roadmap for cooperation between the two countries. The sides are exploring opportunities for joint projects across multiple sectors, including industry, agriculture, mechanical engineering, urban development, pharmaceuticals, vocational education, transport, logistics, trade, and investment. As part of the visit, the co-chairs of the Commission are scheduled to travel to the Fuzuli and Aghdam regions on October 29, where they will review several ongoing and potential reconstruction projects, underscoring Belaruss interest in contributing to Azerbaijans post-conflict recovery and development efforts. 28 October 2025 12:22 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The Baku Grave Crimes Court has continued hearings in the espionage case against French citizen Martin Ryan and Azerbaijani citizen Azad Mammadli, accused of spying for France and committing treason, respectively. The trial, presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov, featured the testimonies of several witnesses who provided detailed accounts of their encounters with the accused and the alleged network of foreign intelligence operations in Azerbaijan. According to Azernews, witness K.Y., a former colonel of the State Border Service, testified that he met Martin Ryan in 2019 while attending French language classes at the World Business Centre in Baku. Ryan, who taught French there, allegedly expressed an unusual interest in K.Y.s military background and personal details, including his residence and workplace. Another witness, N.M., head of Linguist LLC, confirmed that Ryan conducted language courses for several individuals, including employees of the State Security Service (STS) and the Russian Embassy in Baku. Witness Z.M., who first met Ryan in 2008 during their university studies in France, said that upon returning to Azerbaijan, he introduced Ryan to Azad Mammadli, one of his students. According to Z.M., Ryan later connected Mammadli with French embassy officials, including Frederic Devos and Laurent Grandard, who allegedly sought to recruit Mammadli for secret cooperation with the French intelligence services. Z.M. testified that Ryan often spoke about his contacts within the French special services and held regular meetings with their agents in Baku. Another witness, U.A., recounted meeting both accused individuals and confirmed that Ryan frequently inquired about Azerbaijans political landscape and foreign relations. U.A. also stated that he was approached by Laurent Grandard, then the first secretary of the French Embassy, who allegedly attempted to involve him in intelligence cooperation. According to his testimony, Ryan later warned him that Grandard and others at the embassy were engaged in recruiting local agents. Additional witnesses, including H.A., R.B., and several others, described their interactions with Ryan in various contextsranging from professional dealings to casual meetingshighlighting his close connections to diplomatic circles and his cover as a language instructor and businessman. The indictment presented in court outlines that Martin Ryan, allegedly acting under the direction of the French General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), sought information on Azerbaijans military capabilities, weapons production, foreign relations, and potential secret financial operations. His Azerbaijani associate, Azad Mammadli, is accused of providing assistance in these intelligence-gathering efforts. Both Ryan and Mammadli were arrested by the State Security Service on December 4, 2023. Ryan, who served as the general director of Merkorama LLC, faces charges under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code, while Mammadli is charged under Article 274 (treason). The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 24, when additional witnesses are expected to testify. 28 October 2025 11:35 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, Azernews reports. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Czech Republic. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to strengthen interstate relations between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic and to expand our cooperation in areas of mutual interest for the well-being of our peoples. I convey my best regards to you and wish your people lasting peace and prosperity," the letter reads. 28 October 2025 13:28 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more In line with President Ilham Aliyevs instructions, the Great Return to the liberated territories continues, marking another significant step in the restoration of life across Garabagh, Azernews reports. Families who had long lived in temporary accommodationssuch as dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildingsare now returning to their native lands in the Khojaly district. 13 families comprising 51 people have been relocated to Ballija village, 17 families (72 people) to Tezabina, and another 17 families (62 people) to Badara village. The returnees expressed deep gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva for the comprehensive care and attention shown to them. They also conveyed heartfelt appreciation to the valiant Azerbaijani Army and the countrys heroic soldiers and officers who liberated their homeland from occupation. Residents prayed for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijans territorial integrity, vowing to contribute to the rebuilding and flourishing of their ancestral lands. This new phase of resettlement highlights the states unwavering commitment to revitalizing the liberated regions and ensuring dignified living conditions for returning citizens. 28 October 2025 15:43 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more As reported earlier, on October 22 this year, six citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including two women and four children, were repatriated from the Syrian Arab Republic, Azernews reports, citing the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman). The Ombudsman noted the institutions representatives met with the repatriated citizens who had been placed in a social service facility under the Social Services Agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population. During the meeting, officials were briefed on the medical, social, and psychological assistance being provided to the repatriated individuals and examined the measures taken to ensure their rights. It was determined that the children required specialised psychological support to address trauma-related issues and aid their social adaptation. This concern was brought to the attention of the facilitys management. Additionally, recommendations were made to support the reintegration of the repatriated individuals into society and to help them access educational and employment opportunities. Within the framework of the meeting, the repatriated citizens were also informed about the Ombudsmans areas of activity and the existing mechanisms for protecting their rights. The statement emphasised that the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to prioritise the repatriation of Azerbaijani citizens living under difficult conditions abroad and ensures the protection of their fundamental rights and freedoms. 28 October 2025 15:55 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the Jabrayil City Mosque on October 28, Azernews reports. Nariman Topchibashev, Director of PMD Projects, briefed the President on the project. The mosque will cover over 1,530 square meters and accommodate 615 worshippers simultaneously. The two-story building will provide separate spaces for men and women to perform prayers. In addition, the mosque will feature a community hall, parking lot, and gazebos. The height of the minarets will be 34.2 meters, while the dome will reach 22.6 meters. Before the occupation, Jabrayil district had five mosques, more than 40 pilgrimage sites, and over 20 historical and architectural monuments. During the occupation, Armenian forces destroyed many of these historical and religious sites. Since the liberation of Azerbaijani territories, the state has undertaken extensive restoration and reconstruction work in Karabakh and East Zangezur, including the construction of new religious and cultural monuments. An example is the mosque built in 2017 in Jojug Marjanli village, modeled after the Shusha mosque. 28 October 2025 15:58 (UTC+04:00) On October 28, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the opening of the highway leading to the "Shafag" Solar Power Plant, constructed from the 197th kilometer of the HajigabulBahramtepeRepublic of Armenia State Border highway in Jabrayil district, Azernews reports. Saleh Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads, briefed the head of state on the project. The road, built according to the 4th technical category, has a total length of 11.5 kilometers and a width of 6 meters with two lanes. Its construction was carried out pursuant to the order signed by the President of Azerbaijan in December 2024. 28 October 2025 16:38 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more A delegation led by the Chairman of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saqr Ghobash, arrived on an official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 28, Azernews reports. According to the report, the distinguished guest was welcomed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport by Deputy Speaker of the Milli Majlis Ziyafat Asgarov, Head of the Working Group on Inter-Parliamentary Relations with the United Arab Emirates Javanshir Pashazadeh, and other officials. The national flags of both countries were displayed at the airport ceremony. During the visit, Chairman Saqr Ghobash is expected to hold several meetings with Azerbaijani officials to discuss the current state and prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and the UAE. 28 October 2025 18:00 (UTC+04:00) The head of our state noted: More than 50,000 people already live, work, and study in Garabagh and East Zangezur. About 20,000 of them are former IDPs who have returned to their homeland, to their native lands. The rest are people working in various fields. Today, all of Garabagh and East Zangezur resemble a vast construction site, President Ilham Aliyev said during a meeting with residents of Horovlu village in Jabrayil district. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 28 October 2025 18:01 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azernews reports. "Dear Mr. President, My dear Brother, On the occasion of the national holiday of fraternal Republic of Turkiye Republic Day I extend my heartfelt congratulations to You personally and, through You, to the entire people of Turkiye on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, along with my most sincere best wishes. Thanks to Your far-sighted and resolute policy, Turkiye today is reaching new heights in all areas, achieving great successes, and is recognized as a strong and powerful state with a decisive voice in international affairs. Its active and principled stance on global and regional processes, as well as its efforts to establish peace and stability, have earned Turkiye immense prestige and trust worldwide. We rejoice in every success of the brotherly country and take pride in it. The elevation of Azerbaijan-Turkiye relations rooted in the unbreakable will of our peoples and based on the principle of One nation, two states to the highest level fills us with great pride. The steady deepening of our bilateral ties, enriched with new dimensions and elevated to the level of strategic alliance through the Shusha Declaration, is a vivid expression of our firm political will and consistent joint efforts. The unparalleled brotherhood, unity, and alliance between Azerbaijan and Turkiye today serves as a vital factor for peace, security, prosperity, and cooperation in the region. I recall with great pleasure Your visit to Gabala earlier this October to attend the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States. I would particularly like to highlight Your determined efforts to strengthen the unity of the Turkic World and enhance the international standing of the OTS. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts succesfully in further expanding and deepening our fraternal relations and fruitful cooperation built on solid foundations and tested by time in full accordance with the will of our peoples. On this landmark day, I wish You robust health, happiness, and success in Your responsible state activities, and lasting peace, prosperity, and well-being to the fraternal Republic of Turkiye and its people. Sincerely, Ilham Aliyev President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku, 27 October 2025" the letter reads. 28 October 2025 09:00 (UTC+04:00) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in an interview with Axios, conducted on Sunday and published on Monday, that his country and its allies will work on a plan for a ceasefire with Russia "in the next week or ten days", Azernews reports. Still, Zelensky expressed doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to agree to any such plan. "As far as I know, the conversation between [US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio and [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov was not positive," he noted. Zelensky added that US President Donald Trump is "concerned about escalation. But I think that if there are no negotiations, there will be an escalation anyway." Zelensky noted that, to pressure Russia, "sanctions is one such weapon, but we also need long-range missiles." He added that he and Trump "speak not only about Tomahawks. The US has a lot of similar things that doesn't require much time for training." 28 October 2025 08:00 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed on Monday that his country will never forget the help it received from North Korean soldiers in what he described as the liberation of the Kursk region from Ukraine, Azernews reports. Speaking during a meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, in Moscow, Lavrov noted that "those deeds will, of course, further strengthen the bonds of friendship and historical commonality in our shared struggle for justice." He also underscored the boost that the relations between Russia and North Korea have experienced since their respective leaders, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, met in June 2024. Furthermore, Lavrov confirmed that both he and Choe will attend the III Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, which will be held in the Belarusian capital on October 28 and 29. 28 October 2025 21:23 (UTC+04:00) Full digital access to all news for 1 year Full digital access to all news for 6 months Full digital access to all news for 3 months Full digital access to all news for 1 month Find the plan that suits you best. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced Tuesday that Washington and Tokyo will finalize investment agreements totaling $490 billion, driven by Japans Strategic Investment Initiative a program launched under President Donald Trumps trade deal with Japan, Azernews reports. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention. Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis. By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more. Subscribe You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper Thank you! 28 October 2025 23:23 (UTC+04:00) Pak-Afghan Talks has ended without results in Istanbul. Reliable Pakistani sources have reported that the recent talks between the delegations of Pakistan and Afghanistan in Turkiye ended without any definitive result. Sources confirmed that Istanbul talks failed because Afghan Taliban refused to convert assurances into verifiable action, Azernews reports via DND News. An insider who was present in the talks while talking to DND News Agency confirmed that Pakistan remains committed to a negotiated, peaceful solution, but will not compromise on its core demand: the prevention of its territory being used as a launchpad for attacks. Pakistan has provided yet another opportunity for the talks to reach a conclusion. This is clear evidence of Pakistans sincerity, resolve, rational stance, and cooperative spirit According to sources close to the meeting, the talks were marked by clear obstruction from the Afghan side and an uncooperative, defensive attitude. Reports indicate that some members of the Afghan delegation spoke provocatively, avoided direct answers, and even used insulting and dismissive language on several occasions. The sources added that the Qatari and Turkish mediators were taken aback by the Afghan delegations posture and implicitly conveyed their surprise at dealing with a side that refused to engage constructively with its neighbour. Based on information received, most agenda items had been discussed in depth, but one key security item caused the deadlock. The Afghan side repeatedly sidestepped the core Pakistani demand clear, verifiable action against groups using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan and responded with evasions and legalistic pretexts rather than concrete commitments. The Afghan delegation repeatedly avoided agreeing to practical, verifiable measures to stop cross-border terrorism. Their vague assurances and refusal to accept responsibility undermined the negotiations. Another source added that Pakistan presented specific, time-stamped evidence of militant sanctuaries and cross-border movement. Rather than addressing the evidence, some Afghan representatives questioned the provenance of the material and attempted to shift the discussion to procedural and political issues while also contacting back Kabul repeatedly during the talks which seriously undermined the talks to reach to any concrete conclusions. When Pakistan requested that the Afghan representatives take steps to restrain and uproot groups conducting attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces, the Afghan delegation refused to accept responsibility and argued that those militants were not under their effective control a stance that surprised mediators who expected a willingness to cooperate on mutually agreed security protocols. Pakistani delegates made it clear that if hostile groups continue to operate from Afghan territory and attack inside Pakistan, Islamabad will reserve the right to take necessary measures to defend its people and sovereignty. This warning was delivered as a sober, proportional response to repeated cross-border assaults that have cost Pakistani lives. The Afghan delegation proposed reciprocal guarantees, suggesting that, in return for Afghanistans assurances, Pakistan should guarantee non-violation of Afghan airspace and restriction on any third-party use of Pakistani airspace for strikes into Afghanistan. Islamabad clarified that it could not issue guarantees on matters such as unilateral operations by third countries nor could it be held responsible for militant activity emanating from Afghan soil. If Afghan soil continues to be used by militants, Pakistan will reserve the right to eliminate the threat before it hurts Pakistan. Sources reported that when the Afghan side raised the airspace issue, the Pakistani head of delegation, General Shahab Aslam, pointedly reminded delegates that responsibility for preventing use of territory for hostile acts lies first with the territorial state that is Afghanistan. When urged by mediators to allow the Afghans to present their assurances, the Pakistani delegation emphasised that presenting unverified denials would not substitute for on-ground action. According to those present, General Shahab stressed that Pakistan had presented credible, corroborated evidence of cross-border militant activity including movement, bases and command links and that Islamabad expected tangible, enforceable steps, not rhetorical reassurances. Similarly, a high placed source present in the talks informed that on night of 27/28 October, negotiations continued for 18 long hours. Sane source confirmed that three times the draft was finalised by both sides. To ensure that Afghan side this time sticks to the agreed draft, after third time full agreement, General Shahab asked from Afghan side In Islam it is said that anything that is said or committed three times is considered final so it now final from your side?. Source informs that Afghan side Yes they agree to this draft. However, most shockingly, immediately after committing to the final draft and before signing on the agreement, Afghan side again went outside and had a phone call with Kabul after which they again came back inside and backed off from the agreed final draft of the agreement. This shocked everyone including the Qatari and Turkish negotiators who said Allah help and forgive these people. Sources present inside the negotiations also informed that the negotiations in Istanbul began about a week after the talks held in Qatar and have so far spanned three days. On the first day, discussions continued for 19 hours, on the second day for 11 hours, and on the third day for 18 hours. Pakistans fundamental and principled demand has been that the Afghan Taliban end their patronage of the TTP and BLA and ensure that Afghan soil is not used for terrorism against Pakistan. During these three days, there were several occasions when the Afghan Taliban delegation agreed with Pakistans logical and well-reasoned arguments particularly in the presence of the host countries, Qatar and Turkiye. However, whenever the moment of signing the agreement approached, they withdrew at the last minute following instructions received from Kabul. This happened three times, clearly indicating that the main obstacle to progress lies in the directives and attitude being conveyed to the Afghan delegation by the Kabul administration. Despite this, Pakistan has provided yet another opportunity for the talks to reach a conclusion. This is clear evidence of Pakistans sincerity, resolve, rational stance, and cooperative spirit. Pakistans objective is to ensure peace and stability not only in Afghanistan and Pakistan but across the entire region, so that no threat may arise that could endanger global peace. The mediators Qatar and Turkiye conveyed their disappointment that Afghanistan did not respond to practical proposals that could have immediately reduced violence and restored normalcy along the border. Has the City of Washington, NC been managed by their elected local government, and their bureaucrats, in a fiscally responsible manner to better serve the people who pay their ever advancing property taxes? 0% Yes, rising property taxes are a necessity to maintain a progressive city.100% No, excessive funding of a poorly managed government can become a shell game of corruption.0% I am afraid to say. Kindred Collection is charting a distinctive course in Belfasts flexible workspace sector. Rather than competing on the usual checklist of high-speed Wi-Fi, slick decor and meeting room capacity, the company is rethinking what it means for a workplace to feel genuinely welcoming, purposeful and productive. Its spaces in central Belfast are designed to blend practicality with a sense of comfort that encourages people to settle in and stay focused. Members can access all Kindred properties across the city, giving teams the freedom to move between locations as their schedules and projects demand. For businesses seeking variety or a creative spark, that mobility offers a meaningful alternative to the rigidity of a single office base. Kindred remains proudly family-run, and this identity is reflected in how it treats its members. The companys ethos is rooted in attentiveness rather than uniformity. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all model, the Kindred team listens to what its clients need and adapts accordingly. The goal is to design workspaces that support authentic human connection as much as they do productivity. Across its portfolio, Kindred strikes a balance between open collaborative zones and quieter rooms for private meetings. Each property also features carefully curated communal areas, intended not only for casual conversation but for cultivating a real sense of belonging. This idea runs through the companys tagline, where you belong, which captures a belief that people do their best work when they feel part of something rather than merely renting a desk. The companys philosophy resonates strongly at a moment when Belfasts business community is embracing hybrid working and greater flexibility in how and where people spend their time. Many firms are now searching for environments that reflect these changing expectations - places that value wellbeing and connection alongside professional ambition. What sets Kindred apart is the understated nature of its approach. There is no emphasis on spectacle or constant novelty; instead, it focuses on reliability, comfort and human touch. The spaces are designed to make it easy to get on with work, meet others naturally, and feel at home in the process. In an age of digital overload and transient interactions, that can be a rare and valuable combination. Prospective members are invited to experience Kindred for themselves, whether through an in-person visit, a virtual walkthrough or a simple conversation with the team. The invitation is open-ended, aimed at helping businesses of all sizes find a rhythm that suits both their operations and their people. As Belfast continues to evolve as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, Kindred Collection offers a quietly confident reminder that flexibility is about more than just space. It is about creating places where relationships can grow, ideas can flourish and work can feel meaningful again. The friends of a north Belfast man whose body was recovered from a lake in Turkey earlier this week have started a GoFundMe page to help support his family. Anthony (Anto) Smyth (39) went missing while out boating with his girlfriend Susana last Wednesday, with Turkish authorities confirming a body was recovered from Oymapnar Dam Lake in the Manavgat district of Antalya. By 8.15pm on Tuesday, over 5000 had been raised to assist with the funeral costs. Anthony, a delivery driver, had been a lifelong fan of Cliftonville FC and his friends at the club said theyve been left shocked at the news. Gerald ONeill, along with friends of Mr Smyth, has set up the fundraiser to help Anthonys family cover the cost of a funeral and repatriation costs, if necessary. Its the last thing, and now the only thing, we can do for Anto and his family, he said. Read more Brendan Rodgers talked himself into trouble and Celtic chaos could lead to the unthinkable It came as a big shock for us. We knew he went missing last Wednesday, and it was Sunday, on the fifth day, that his body was recovered. He would have been 40 in a couple of weeks time, so we were gearing up for a big celebration for him. But weve all been left devastated for his family after what has happened. Its understood that Mr Smyth had been on a boating trip with his girlfriend on the lake when he went for a swim but got into difficulties in the water. Underwater search teams had been deployed by Turkish authorities and an investigation is underway now that the body of Mr Smyth has been recovered. Relatives of Mr Smyth are understood to be currently in Turkey supporting his girlfriend, Susana, where efforts are underway to bring his body home to Belfast. All his mates are thinking of Antos family, added Gerald. We just wanted to do what we could to ease things as much as we can for his family, even if we are a few thousand miles away and cant be there to support them in person. Its been a very difficult week for them and sympathies go to his family from all who knew him. Anthony (Anto) Smyth Watch: Carl Frampton helps launch west Belfast charitys latest support centre offering educational support to families A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed they are aware of the case and are providing consular assistance to Mr Smyths family. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance, they said. As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases. Anthony was well known in the local community for his humour, loyalty, and kindness and was a regular at Cliftonville FC games at Solitude around the country. The fundraiser can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/anthony-smyth. Protesters taking part in a demonstration organised by Defend Our Juries against the ban on Palestine Action in Trafalgar Square, London, earlier this month (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) Protesters calling for an end to the ban on Palestine Action are planning demonstrations in 18 towns and cities including Belfast next month. Defend Our Juries said protests will take place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Oxford, Leeds, Aberystwyth, Nottingham, Northampton, Gloucester, Truro, London, Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Bristol, Sheffield, Exeter and Lancaster on various dates in November. Organisers said around 1,500 people could take part in the action next month. Suspects accused of supporting the banned group who are currently in prison awaiting trial are also due to stage rolling hunger strikes starting on Sunday. So far more than 2,000 people have been arrested for alleged support of Palestine Action, which was banned as a terrorist group in July. Organisers have held a series of mass events where people hold placards saying I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action. Defend Our Juries spokesman Dr Clive Dolphin said: This is about here in the UK, people having the right to protest, the right to speak up to government when they think the government has got something wrong, and fundamentally this is about the fact that the British people oppose genocide. They do not want to be complicit in war crimes. They do not want to see people starved to death in an artificial famine. British people oppose genocide. He said the sheer number of people who have been charged so far is causing absolute chaos in the magistrates court system. Defend Our Juries said that police in the home nations are taking different approaches to the ban, with no arrests in Northern Ireland and 10 in Scotland. People take part in a demonstration in Edinburgh organised by Defend Our Juries in September (Jane Barlow/PA) Palestine Action was banned after alleged attacks on an Israel-based defence firms UK site and two planes at RAF Brize Norton. Campaign group Prisoners for Palestine said some suspects accused of being involved in the two alleged attacks will start a series of hunger strikes on Sunday. Five of its members are accused of being involved in the vandalism of two planes at RAF Brize Norton on June 20, causing 7 million of damage. Another 24 people are due to face trial over a break-in at Elbit Systems in Bristol in August 2024. The ban on Palestine Action, which began on July 5, made membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Protesters taking part in a demonstration organised by Defend Our Juries against the ban on Palestine Action in Trafalgar Square, London, earlier this month (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) News Catch Up - Tuesday 28 October Co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against former home secretary Yvette Coopers decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws. A further court hearing is due to take place in late November. LATEST | DUP responds to criticism over ministers concerning Israel trip: The levels some are stooping to... Paul Givan was condemned over his Middle East visit, but his party has hit back Paul Givan during the trip Abdullah Sabri Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 21:40 Education Minister Paul Givan has faced criticism over a trip to Israel after his department publicised a visit to a school in Jerusalem. Edwin Poots has dubbed a pro-Palestine event set to take place at Belfast City Hall on Remembrance Sunday as disrespectful, calling for it to be cancelled or rescheduled. It comes as protesters across the UK have called for an end to the ban on Palestine Action, whilst also planning demonstrations in 18 towns and cities next month. The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday (NOAA via AP/PA) British tourists are locked down in their hotels as Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history, has made landfall in Jamaica. As many as 8,000 British citizens are in the Caribbean country, with people ordered to stay inside to avoid the worlds strongest storm of the year so far. On Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Melissa was one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin as it hit south-western Jamaica near New Hope with sustained winds of 185mph. In a post on X, the centre warned that it is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation and told those in the area not to leave their shelter as the eye of the storm passes over. The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations from high risk areas, and all of the countrys airports are shut, while the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) urged British nationals in Jamaica to register their presence through the Government website to receive updates from the FCDO on the hurricane. A British man who cut his holiday in Jamaica short and paid 3,500 for last-minute flights home for his family before the airports shut said he felt completely let down by the UK Governments response to the hurricane. Speaking to the PA news agency, David Rowe, who is from Hertfordshire and spent 10 days in Jamaica before deciding to fly home on Saturday because of the storm, said of the FCDOs response: Its all too late, their reaction and their response to the storm has been too late after the fact. The advice should have been last week, like on the Saturday dont travel because a lot of the travel companies use the FCDO guidance on travel (for) all their planning and what decisions they make as an organisation. The IT manager continued: There should have been something done much sooner than this and a lot of the UK nationals and people on holiday there, they are stranded. This could have been prevented with with better action from the UK Government. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content The 47-year-old said he and his wife had felt very anxious before they flew home and very sad for those left in the country. Another Briton on holiday said he had been ordered to stay in his hotel bathroom until the storm passes. Andrew Tracey had been due to fly home on Monday before his flight was cancelled. He told Sky News food packages were being delivered to guests, with deck chairs removed from the beach and swimming pools drained where he was staying at the Negril hotel. The balcony and walls do feel as though they are vibrating just due to the strength of the wind, he told the broadcaster. Im very nervous, its hard to comprehend what we are likely to expect. Tourist Pia Chevallier, who is staying in a hotel around 40 minutes west of Montego Bay, told BBC News that conditions were very, very scary. She said: The winds have been increasing rapidly, and you can just hear everything banging, door banging. We barricaded up the doors with a footstool and sofas and the patio doors and its just very, very scary. Ms Chevallier, who arrived on the island on Saturday, said she had been told to stay in her room and to move into the bathroom once the hurricane made landfall. She added: We were in two minds about getting on the actual flight, although the crew and the pilot assured us that they were confident that it should go ahead so we went with that and now I really wish that we hadnt gone. Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely in the coming hours, with up to 700mm of rain, four-metre waves and 135mph winds possible, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told travellers. Seven people have already reportedly lost their lives across the Caribbean region. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said a crisis centre had been set up to help Britons on the Caribbean island. Speaking in the Commons, she said: Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica shortly, potentially the most severe storm ever to hit the country. Many people will be thinking of family and friends in Jamaica and in the region. The FCDO stands ready to help British nationals 24/7. We have set up a crisis centre in the Foreign Office, including with support from the (Ministry of Defence), and also we are positioning specialist rapid deployment teams to provide consular assistance to British nationals in the region. Any British nationals who are there should follow our travel advice and the advice of the Jamaican authorities. There are 50,000 dual nationals who live in Jamaica, up to 8,000 British citizens who may be travelling there or may be on holiday there. We do stand ready to help and respond. A man watches the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa closes in (Matias Delacroix/AP photo) Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength as it neared Jamaica, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Three such hurricanes have formed during the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, something not seen for 20 years. Previous Category 5 hurricanes include 2005s Katrina that killed 1,392 people and caused an estimated 125 billion dollars worth of damage, particularly around New Orleans. The Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare and warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record keeping began 174 years ago. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said: There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami, warned that Jamaicas highest mountains could see gusts of up to 200mph and that there would be total building failures. Travel company Tui urged its customers to follow the advice of local authorities. Men remove a loose section of roof in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches (Matias Delacroix/AP photo) A spokesperson said: We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa moves across the Caribbean and makes landfall. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority. Our teams are working hard to support all customers impacted by the severe weather conditions, including those in destination and whose travel plans have changed. We understand this is an unsettling time and ask that customers currently in Jamaica continue to follow the advice of local authorities and their resort teams. UK travel trade organisation Abta warned British tourists in Jamaica to monitor local news. A spokesperson said: The international airports in Jamaica are now closed as a precaution until the storm passes. Travel providers are liaising with their suppliers locally and providing advice and assistance to their customers. Customers currently in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news and should follow the advice of the local authorities, their accommodation and travel providers. An FCDO spokesperson said: We understand how worrying developments in Jamaica are for British nationals and their families. Our travel advice includes information about hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Last Thursday we updated our travel advice for Jamaica to include a warning about Tropical Storm Melissa and that it was expected to intensify over the coming days. The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, and that is why we are urging any British nationals in Jamaica to follow the guidance of the local authorities and register their presence with us to receive updates. The Home Office is required by law to provide accommodation and financial assistance to asylum seekers who are waiting to hear the outcome of their claim (Yui Mok/PA) People who apply for asylum in the UK move through different types of accommodation while waiting to hear if their claim has been approved. Here the PA news agency explains how the system works and what the latest data shows. Why does the Government provide accommodation for asylum seekers? The Government has a legal responsibility under the 1999 Immigration & Asylum Act to house asylum seekers who cannot pay for their own accommodation while they are waiting to hear the outcome of their claim. To be eligible for asylum in the UK, a person must have left their country and be unable to go back because of fear of persecution, according to the Home Office. Claims cannot be made from outside the country in which the claimant wishes to seek asylum. This is why someone seeking asylum in the UK has to already be here, in the country, before they can make a claim. Most claimants have travelled to the UK to seek asylum and do not have the means to support themselves or have somewhere to live while their claim is being processed. Not all asylum seekers will need support or accommodation, however. Some are likely to be self-sufficient or to receive support from family or friends, though exact numbers are not published, according to analysis by Oxford Universitys Migration Observatory. In what kind of accommodation are asylum seekers housed first? They are placed in what is described by the Home Office as initial accommodation. This is short-term temporary housing for asylum seekers who are waiting to have their level of support decided. The main type of help for people waiting for a decision on their asylum claim is known as Section 95 support, which provides accommodation and financial assistance. An asylum seeker is placed in initial accommodation while the level of Section 95 support is determined a process that usually takes up to four weeks. Some people will be in initial accommodation who have already been granted Section 95 support, but who are waiting to move to longer-term accommodation. Privately managed hostels are the most common kind of initial accommodation. Where do asylum seekers move next? Once Section 95 support has been granted, asylum seekers are moved to what is called dispersal accommodation. This is where they are housed while waiting to hear if their application for asylum in the UK has been granted or refused. Dispersal accommodation is intended to be longer-term temporary accommodation and is typically privately managed houses, flats or rooms in properties of multiple occupancy. As the name implies, this type of housing involves asylum seekers being dispersed around the UK. Accommodation is provided on a no-choice basis, which means asylum seekers do not decide where in the country they are housed or in what type of housing. Why are some asylum seekers placed in other types of accommodation, such as hotels? This is known as contingency accommodation and is used when not enough dispersal accommodation is available for asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their application. Hotels are the most common kind of contingency accommodation, though hostels and other types of property are used. The Home Office said on Monday it is planning to use two military sites Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex as contingency accommodation, as part of efforts to reduce the number of asylum seekers in hotels. How many asylum seekers are currently receiving support with accommodation? Some 102,866 asylum seekers were receiving accommodation support in the UK at the end of June 2025, according to the latest available figures from the Home Office. Of this total, 1,665 were in initial accommodation, 66,234 were in dispersal accommodation and 34,314 were in contingency accommodation including 32,059 in hotels. A further 653 were in other types of accommodation, details of which were not given. How have the numbers changed in recent years? The latest total of 102,866 is up 6% year on year from 96,642, but is lower than two years ago in June 2023, when it stood at 113,274. The number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels, 32,059, is also up year on year (from 29,585) but lower than the figure two years ago (50,546). What happens when people are granted asylum in the UK? Their status changes from asylum seeker to refugee and they will receive a notice to quit from their asylum accommodation. Anyone who has been granted the right to asylum in the UK automatically becomes a refugee and will receive a visa giving them limited leave to remain in the country. If they need help with housing, they must contact their local authority which is legally responsible for assisting refugees who require accommodation support. Local authorities often place refugees in temporary accommodation, such as bed & breakfast hotels, until they are able to find a permanent place to live. Shirley-Anne Somerville has submitted the Governments view to the pension age review (Jane Barlow/PA) An ongoing review of the pension age in the UK must recognise Scotlands demographics, the countrys Social Justice Secretary has said. A regular review of the State Pension age was opened earlier this year by the UK Government, with the Scottish Government submitting its views for any changes. In her submission, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said lower life expectancy in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK risks inequalities in pensions. Here in Scotland, both men and women have a lower average life expectancy at the current State Pension age of 66, she said. Inequalities in life expectancy, including healthy life expectancy, within the population are significant in Scotland, and reducing poverty and inequality therefore remains the best way of improving life expectancy. Nonetheless, it is important that current variations in life expectancy are highlighted in your review to ensure that any potential changes do not penalise those who have made similar contributions over the course of their lives. Pensions inequalities mean that women, people with multiple low pay jobs, disabled people, minority ethnic communities and people who are self-employed, all face lower pension incomes in retirement. While the Scottish Government is doing everything within our powers to tackle poverty, Ms Somerville added: The Scottish Government does not want to see any changes that do not fundamentally consider Scotlands unique challenges. Ms Somerville also urged the Government to offer compensation to the Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women who were born in the 1950s and not adequately informed about a change to the State Pension age. A compensation scheme has previously been ruled out by the UK Government, with costs estimated at about 10.5 billion. Further, any review of the state pension age must address previous mistakes and ensure justice for women born in the 1950s, Ms Somerville said. Although the UK Government acknowledged their mishandling of this, there has yet to be any compensation paid to the Waspi women despite pressure from both stakeholders and the Scottish Government. It is vital that this review ensures that any changes are communicated clearly and fairly, so that similar distress is not repeated. Lawyers for Brazilian former president Jair Bolsonaro have filed an appeal to reduce his prison sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat. Judges in September convicted Bolsonaro of trying to overthrow democracy and sentenced him to 27 years and three months in jail. He has been under house arrest since August. In an 85-page document sent to the Supreme Court on Monday and shared with The Associated Press on Tuesday, lawyers said that the conviction and sentence entailed profound injustices. Lawyers argued there were ambiguities, omissions, contradictions and obscurities in the courts decision. Brazils president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. He was convicted of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 race to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a plot that prosecutors alleged included plans to kill Mr Lula. He was found guilty on other charges including participating in an armed criminal organisation and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. In their appeal, lawyers argued Bolsonaro should not be convicted of both organising a coup and attempting to violently abolish democracy, on the grounds that the two charges overlap and therefore cumulative penalties are unjust. They also cited Justice Luiz Fux, who was the only dissenting vote on the five justice panel that convicted Bolsonaro, and argued that even if Bolsonaro had attempted a coup, he deliberately interrupted the course of events and did not go through with it. Lawyers filed motions of clarification, which seek to correct a flaw in the reasoning of a decision rather than change it. Joao Pedro Padua, a law professor at the Fluminense Federal University, said that this kind of appeal is very unlikely to reduce Bolsonaros sentence. To file an appeal that could substantially modify the decision, the Supreme Court usually requires at least two dissenting votes. There is no limit on how many motions for clarification can be filed, but the Supreme Court may deem successive filings an attempt to delay the final judgment. Such a strategy is risky for Bolsonaros lawyers, as they could give the Supreme Court an excuse to declare the judgment final right away, Mr Padua said. Seven other close aides were convicted alongside Bolsonaro, and all of them apart from Mauro Cid, who signed a plea deal, have filed appeals, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Tuesday. Justices will decide on the appeals between November 7-14, the court added. Bolsonaro will only start serving time once appeals are exhausted. The trial made global headlines. US president Donald Trump ordered a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods and cited in part Bolsonaros case, which he called a witch hunt. That triggered a sharp deterioration in US-Brazil relations, which experts described as the lowest point in their more than 200-year history. Relations have improved. Mr Lula and Mr Trump spoke on the phone then met last weekend in Malaysia at the ASEAN summit. Palestinians watch machinery and some workers from Egypt searching for the bodies of hostages at Hamad City, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the United States has proposed to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israels top diplomat said. The 20-point deal brokered by US President Donald Trump earlier this month calls for a force to monitor the ceasefire but does not mention which countries would provide troops. It says the US would work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilisation Force to deploy in Gaza. The force would train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces and will consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement is still being carried out, and focuses on the release of the remaining dead hostages in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian bodies held by Israel. Late on Monday, the Israeli military said the remains of another hostage had been returned to Israel. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the remains of 16 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 12 bodies still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over. Countries that are considering taking part in the international force in Gaza also want more clarity on its mandate. Officials from some Arab and Muslim nations have said the focus must be on peacekeeping in Gaza, not acting as an enforcer of peace between Israel and Hamas. What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if its peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that, King Abdullah II of Jordan said in an interview with the BBC. Speaking to journalists during a visit to Hungary, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said Israel opposes the participation of Turkish troops in Gaza because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogans longstanding hostility to Israel. Mr Saar said Israel has communicated its stance to US officials. Countries that want or are ready to send armed forces should be at least fair to Israel, Mr Saar said. He did not elaborate. US officials have said there would be no American boots on the ground in Gaza. Around 200 US troops are now in Israel working alongside its military and other countries delegations at a co-ordination centre, planning Gazas stabilisation and reconstruction. During visits to Israel last week, US vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio said multiple countries would be interested in joining the international force for Gaza. Relatives and friends mourn before the funeral procession of killed hostage Yossi Sharabi in Rishon LeZion, Israel (Leo Correa/AP) The US was working to secure a UN mandate or other international authorisation for it, Mr Rubio said. The ceasefire agreement calls for Israeli troops to gradually withdraw from more areas of Gaza as the international force establishes control and stability and as Hamas militants disarm. In exchange for the returned dead hostages, Israel has so far handed back to Gaza 195 Palestinian bodies, fewer than half of which have been identified. On Monday, 41 unidentified bodies were buried in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah and a funeral was held in Israel for the killed hostage Yossi Sharabi, whose remains were returned earlier this month. Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of hostages still in Gaza. That work continued on Monday in Khan Younis. The last 20 living hostages were returned to Israel when the ceasefire began, and in exchange Israel freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Palestinians watch machinery and some workers from Egypt searching for the bodies of hostages at Hamad City, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Most of those freed were seized in Gaza by Israeli troops during the two-year war and have been held without charge. Also among those released were 250 Palestinians sentenced to prison terms, most of them convicted for deadly attacks on Israelis dating back decades, according to Israels Justice Ministry. At a summit in Egypt two weeks ago, Mr Erdogan was one of four leaders to sign a document outlining Mr Trumps vision for Gaza and regional peace. The others were Mr Trump, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Mr Erdogan last week said Turkey was ready to provide all kinds of support to Gaza. Officials from Turkeys Defence Ministry said the country was preparing for whatever role it might be asked to play, whether it is peacekeeping or humanitarian assistance. Turkey also has close ties with Hamas. Turkey once had strong diplomatic relations with Israel, though they have been at an all-time low over the war in Gaza, sparked by the October 7 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Mr Erdogan has criticised Israel, and particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since the start of the war, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. He has accused Israel of genocide which Israel strongly denies and has compared Mr Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. Hamas political officials regularly visit Turkey, and Israel previously accused Turkey of allowing Hamas to plan attacks from its territory, which Turkey has denied, as well as carry out recruitment and fundraising. Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a terror organisation and frames its relations with the group as part of its broader support for the Palestinians. Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us, Mr Netanyahu said on Sunday during a government meeting. This is, of course, acceptable to the United States as well, as its most senior representatives have expressed in recent days. Vice president JD Vance said that he believes US military members will be paid at the end of the week, but did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding in the second-longest government shutdown. The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans. The building strain on politicians to end the impasse was magnified by the nations largest federal employee union, which called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point. Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship, said Mr Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democrats. Volunteer Cindy Leiva helps load a vehicle during a food distribution targeting households affected by the federal shutdown (Eric Gay/AP) Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia senator Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act. Weve got to get a deal with Donald Trump, Mr Kaine said. But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand. This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore, said Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference. The nations 1.3 million active-duty service members are at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting eight billion dollars from military research and development funds to make payroll. But it is unclear if the Trump administration is willing or able to shift money again. Larger still, the Trump administration says funding will run out on Friday for the food assistance programme that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected the use of more than five billion dollars in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. And it says states will not be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month. The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, known as Snap, goes against the departments previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the administration made an intentional choice not to fund Snap in November, calling it an act of cruelty. Businesses eye closer ties between China, ASEAN Global Times) 09:18, October 28, 2025 Market participants in the business sectors of China and ASEAN expressed bullishness about closer economic and trade cooperation of the two sides, especially in the areas of smart manufacturing and green energy, as Chinese senior officials pay a visit to Malaysia, ASEAN's rotating chair, to enhance regional cooperation. According to China's Foreign Ministry, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the 20th East Asia Summit and the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Leaders' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on October 27 and 28. Ren Hongbin, president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), led a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to visit Malaysia from October 24 to 27, according to the WeChat account of the CCPIT on Monday. They attended the 2025 ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and related events of the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit, and visited Selangor to inspect a semiconductor industrial park and projects under construction by Chinese enterprises. Witnessed by representatives from the government of Malaysia, the CCPIT signed a memorandum of understanding with the Malaysia-China Business Council on the establishment of the ASEAN-China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Business Council, said the account. During the visit, Ren held talks and exchanges with Malaysian government departments, major business associations, and heads of chambers of commerce and industry from multiple ASEAN members. They exchanged views on strengthening institutional exchanges and promoting cooperation between the Chinese and ASEAN business communities, the CCPIT said. Ren highlighted the spirit of the 4th plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, noting that the CCPIT will work hand-in-hand with the ASEAN business community to deepen multilateral and bilateral practical cooperation, jointly maintain the stability and smooth flow of regional industrial and supply chains, and make greater contributions to building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, according to the account. "China has always attached great importance to ASEAN's market of 650 million people. The visit by senior Chinese officials has made the RCEP between China and ASEAN more concrete and deeply developed, bringing more trade opportunities to enterprises in the China-ASEAN region," Rich Too, CEO of independent think tank SEEDS Malaysia, told the Global Times on Monday. In the new development stage where digital transformation intersects with the green and low-carbon transition, China and ASEAN are using cooperation in strategic emerging industries as a breakthrough to restructure a more resilient regional value chain system. Both sides have broad prospects for collaborative innovation in deepening areas such as digital infrastructure, smart manufacturing, and green energy, Liao Bin, executive chairman of the ASEAN-China Association for the Promotion of Industrial Cooperation and Development, told the Global Times on Monday. On Monday, Xiamen Airlines told the Global Times that its flight MF8661 took off from Quanzhou, East China's Fujian Province, marking the official inauguration of the direct route between Quanzhou and Kuala Lumpur. The route operates four flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, providing great convenience for travel between the two cities. The officials' meetings in Malaysia also came as China and ASEAN countries fully completed negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA 3.0) in May. The upgraded FTA will introduce nine new chapters covering areas such as the digital economy, the green economy and supply chain connectivity, according to the Xinhua News Agency. "The CAFTA 3.0, which has demonstrated the institutional openness between China and ASEAN, will be in the spotlight as Chinese and ASEAN leaders gather in Malaysia," said Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noting that the CAFTA 3.0 will further unleash potential cooperation in the fields of the digital economy and green development of both sides. In an earlier interview, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hournsaid that with the 3.0 CAFTA, economic cooperation between ASEAN and China is expected to reach new heights, particularly in new areas like e-commerce, digital trade, and digital payments, which is very important, particularly in the context of current global economic dynamics. The China-ASEAN relationshiphas become the most successful and dynamic model of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, Lu Daliang, spokesperson of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said on October 13 during a press conference in Beijing. In the first three quarters of this year, China's total trade with ASEAN countries marked a year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent, accounting for 16.6 percent of China's total foreign trade, with ASEAN maintaining its position as China's largest trading partner, according to the GAC. "Strengthening regional cooperation between China and ASEAN can shape a more comprehensive and consolidated economic and trade ecosystem. This enables proactive efforts amid global uncertainties to create a predictable trade environment, fostering a future for East Asia that is co-built, shared, and prosperous," Rich Too noted. Xu told the Global Times that collaboration between China and ASEAN provides a valuable reference for global regional cooperation, especially in the current context of rising anti-globalization. "Promoting regional cooperation, upholding the banner of free trade and multilateralism, and opposing unilateralism are crucial for the stable development of the global economy," the expert noted. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Bennington, VT (05201) Today Mostly cloudy with snow showers during the evening. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy with snow showers during the evening. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close You are the owner of this article. MILL RIVER When the sale of Limestone Farm became a matter of record last week, county and area dairymen and others were not sure whether to offer the former owners congratulations or condolences. Stay up to date on Berkshires news with Berkshires in Brief, our free daily newsletter ADAMS Three finalists for Adams next town administrator offered different visions and levels of familiarity with the community, each pitching themselves as the right fit to guide the towns next chapter. During interviews on Saturday, the candidates Peter White and Nicholas Caccamo, both of Pittsfield, and Dillon Maxfield of Amherst all expressed a desire to work in Adams, an appreciation for its natural beauty and for the economic and tourism opportunities presented by the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center and its downtown. The stakes are high for filling the position, left vacant after Jay Green took a job as Lenox town administrator in 2024, as the next administrator will help oversee the completion of the Greylock Glen project and look to further develop the downtown. Kenneth Walto had served as interim town administrator until September; Adams Free Library Director Holli Jayko is now serving on an interim basis. The Select Board will make its final decision on Wednesday at its 6 p.m. meeting. The salary range of the position is posted at $125,000 to $150,000. The candidates demonstrated different levels of familiarity with the town, with White having first spent time in Adams as a teenager 30 years ago. They also demonstrated different levels of commitment to living in the town if hired, with Maxfield and Caccamo both saying they would be willing to move. White, who did not make the same commitment, said that residents would still see him just as much as if he lived in town. It's not where you sleep at night. It's where you put in your work, and I'm just putting in very long days, so you're probably going to be running into me first thing in the morning and often late at night, whether I live here or not," White told the Select Board. White, a career and business specialist at MassAbility, said he hopes to still serve as a regular member of Pittsfield City Council if reelected as a councilor at-large on Nov. 4, but that it would be subject to negotiation. I would not be looking at any council leadership positions, and my priority would always be Adams," he said. "So if there was a meeting I needed to be at in Adams, I would be in Adams. The city council would not interfere. White, 47, spoke about the need for redevelopment of the Curtis Paper Mill and other properties in Adams to enhance economic development. He spoke of a need to expand the tax base without changing the character of the town. I'm only here because Adams is special to me, he said. And I want to use the 20 years [of] municipal experience that I have to benefit Adams. Maxfield, 35, associate planner for the town of Easthampton, is also currently running for Amherst Town Council. Hes running for one of two seats, both held by incumbents. Maxfield added that hes willing to move to Adams sooner if he doesnt win the seat in Amherst. Otherwise, he will move after his term is finished in two years. Asked to describe a previous success, he discussed the conversion of an Easthampton church property into condominium units and said he worked to shepherd the project along. Of the three candidates, only Maxfield was asked about his preference for hiring whether he leans toward internal or external candidates. All things being equal, usually I like the outside perspective, he said. But he added that he has seen internal candidates excel, especially in municipal government. Asked how he would prepare the Select Board for a 2026 policy and strategic direction workshop, he said he would look to what had been done in the prior year. When told by Select Board member Christine Hoyt that the last session was held in 2019 and this would be a blank canvas, he said he would turn to her first for ideas in planning it. Caccamo, who served on Pittsfield City Council for eight years, is currently town administrator of Williamsburg. I tend to be very cautious, he said. I think that level of caution can be seen as sort of slow walking where, you know, sometimes Select Boards like to see really quick results. But there are guardrails and confines in general law. Caccamo, 39, said he did a lot of his research on the towns website. To me, I think the most important document that a community could have is an up-to-date, active, comprehensive plan, he said. So I didn't see one, but when I was here on Wednesday, it was conveyed to me that there was a comprehensive plan for the town of Adams, and maybe in the ballpark of like, 20 years old. Asked about how he would support the Greylock Glen master plan, Caccamo said he hadnt seen it. As to his vision for the town, he said, "We all work together and generate the vision for the future." The biblical basis for Christian support for Israel is extensive and is not from one isolated section of the Bible but is found throughout. Old Testament covenants, involving the calling of the Jewish people and their gift of land, beginning in Genesis 12, are affirmed throughout the Psalms, the prophetic books, and the New Testament. The Torah The Torah is comprised of the first five books of the Bible, and the very first book, Genesis, tells the story of Gods choice of Abraham to birth a nation through whom He would carry out His plan to redeem fallen mankind. In Genesis 12:1-3, God explains that in return for following Him in faith, Abraham would be given a land and made into a great nation that would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. In Genesis 15, God legally guarantees His promise by making a covenant with Abraham, and in chapter 17, He explains that this covenant is to be everlasting, as will be its provision of land. The Psalms Psalm 102 is one of the most powerful prophetic passages in the Bible. It is a cry of hopelessness where the psalmist sees his people withering like grass. But suddenly, the tone of this psalm dramatically changes and becomes one of restoration, culminating in the Lord building up Zion and appearing in glory (v. 16). The key verse is 13, where God suddenly takes action: You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come. In our lifetime, the Lord has been busy restoring Zion. God has arisen to actively show mercy to her. Therefore, it is also time for us to arise and join what God is doing! Psalm 105 is another powerful psalm that waxes poetic about how the Abrahamic covenant and its promise of landconfirmed to Isaac, Jacob, and all of Israelis an everlasting covenant. It cannot be broken. The Hebrew prophets agreed with the psalms. While they witnessed the devastation of judgment on the people for their sins, they foretold of a day when God would bring His people back home, establish a right relationship with Him, and fulfill their calling to bless the world. One such prophet was Jeremiah. The Book of Jeremiah Known as the weeping prophet for his lamenting over the sins and coming judgment on Jerusalem, Jeremiah also saw a future new covenant that God would make with Israel because His promises to them are everlasting and as sure as the ordinances of the sun, moon, and stars (31:35-36; 33:20). Jeremiah also foresaw a future great return of the Jewish people to their homeland and that God would one day plant them back in their land with all of His heart (32:41). The Book of Isaiah Isaiah also saw a great end-time return that would not just be from the norththe land of Babylon or Assyriaas in the first return, but the north, south, and from the ends of the earth (43:6). Even though the Jerusalem that Isaiah prophesied to had not yet been destroyed, but was corrupt and fully deserving of judgment, it would be a city praised for its righteousness when the glory of God would shine out from there throughout all the earth. Isaiah knew that day was as sure as any promise Israels faithful God had made, and He called upon intercessors to partner in prayer until it happened. Anyone who prayed was asked to be as a watchman on the walls, crying out in persistent prayer until God fulfilled His promise to establish Jerusalem as a praise in all the earth (62:6-7). That day has not yet taken place, but the words of Isaiah still ring forth. Those of us who know the Lord are called to intercede for the city and its people until God has fulfilled all that He has promised. The New Testament Moving now to the New Testament, we find the apostle Paul reflecting upon the everlasting nature of Gods promises to the Jewish people and the source of blessing to the world they are still to be. In Romans 11:28-29, Paul confirmed that the Jewish people are beloved of God and their election secure as He had promised their forefathers. He went so far as to say that even though they might be considered an enemy to the gospel of Christ, their gifts and calling have not been revoked. Neither their rejection of Jesus messianic credentials nor exile from the land would annul Gods covenant with Abraham that included a gift of land and a calling to bless all the families of the earth with redemption. Paul, therefore, instructed the church in Rome to approach the Jewish people with humility and honor them as the spiritual root of our Christian faith. Everything we hold dear as Christians came to us through the Jewish people, and we owe them a great debt of gratitude. God used their rejection to bring about the atoning death of Jesus and cause the gospel to go out to the Gentiles. Once the fullness of the Gentiles has come into the church, He will turn again to reveal Himself to the Jewish people, and their acceptance will be a blessing to the entire world. A Firm Biblical Basis With such a firm biblical foundation for support of the Jewish people, it is no surprise that many of the fathers of the Bible-based Evangelical Christian movement preached the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland and the blessing this return would bring upon us all. Modern Christian supporters of Israel follow in the steps of great Christian leaders, such as John and Charles Wesley, Robert Murray MacCheynne, Charles Spurgeon, and many Puritan preachers, to name a few. It is because of this solid biblical mandate that Christians should pray for Israel and the Jewish people and stand in solidarity with them against the evil of antisemitism in our day. This article was originally published on May 31, 2022: www.icejusa.org/2022/05/31/why-christians-support-israel-part-5-biblical-reasons/ Related Podcast: Photo Credit: Getty Images/Paul Souders For over 40 years, Dr. Susan Michael has advanced the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) in the USA and worldwide. She serves as the USA President and sits on the ICEJs international Board of Directors. She is frequently asked to address complex issues to diverse audiencesincluding antisemitism, Jewish-Christian relations, and Middle East affairsand does so with clarity and grace. Dr. Michael leads the American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI) network, has authored books, such as Encounter the 3D Bible: How to Read the Bible so It Comes to Life, and has developed educational resources, including the IsraelAnswers website, ICEJ U online courses, and curricula for Christian colleges. Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. Caroline Flacks mother discusses her biggest regret surrounding the death of her daughter in the teaser for a new two-part Disney+ documentary. The former Love Island host, who was born in London and grew up in Norfolk, took her own life at the age of 40 in February 2020. Christine Flack tries to understand the events that led up to the final months of her daughters life in the two-parter, Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth. In the teaser, she discusses her continued pursuit of the truth while visiting Flacks memorial bench with her other children. She reads from a diary she has kept that says: Another lonely year has passed. I missed you just as much today as the day you left. Im doing my very best to tell the world what some awful people drove you to. I wont give up. Advertisement Speaking about her investigation, she tells her children: I just hope I can achieve something, and as long as you all dont mind me doing it, Ill go ahead. She adds: I think Caroline would be pleased with what Im doing. I wish Id done it then, before she took her own life, and thats my biggest regret, that I wasnt shouting like this then, but now Ive got nothing to lose. The worst thing in the world happened with losing Carrie. Caroline Flack attending the National Television Awards in 2019 (Matt Crossick/PA) Flack took her own life after learning prosecutors were going to press ahead with an assault charge over an incident involving her boyfriend Lewis Burton in 2019. Coroner Mary Hassell found that Flack killed herself because she knew she was being prosecuted and could not face the press coverage. Christine Flack had accused the police and prosecutors of having it in for her daughter, accusing them of taking her to court because of her celebrity status. Entertainment Sydney Sweeney on Bond Girl rumours: I would have more fun as James Bond Read more Flack was best known for presenting ITV reality show Love Island from 2015 to 2019, and she also worked as a presenter on The X Factor and Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! NOW!. In 2014, she won series 12 of Strictly Come Dancing after achieving a perfect score in the final with professional dancer Pasha Kovalev. Both episodes of Caroline Flack: Search For The Truth premiere on Disney+ on Monday November 10th. Florence + The Machine has announced two concerts in Ireland next summer. Florence Welch has made the announcement to celebrate the release of her sixth studio album, Everybody Scream, out on October 31st. She will play Thomond Park in Limerick on June 27th, followed by Marley Park in Dublin on June 28th. Rachel Chinouriri will be supporting Florence in Limerick and Dublin, with Paris Paloma joining her for the remaining dates for the Everybody Scream tour. Tickets will be from 69.90 to 85.90, and will go on sale Friday October 31st at 9am. Florence's previous albums include 2009s Lungs, 2011s Ceremonials, 2015s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, 2018s High As Hope and 2022s Dance Fever. After needing lifesaving surgery on the Dance Fever Tour, Florences recovery took her down the path of spiritual mysticism, witchcraft and folk horror. Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney has responded to rumours she could be cast as a Bond Girl, saying: Id have more fun as James Bond. Speculation continues to grow around who will be cast in the next 007 film after Amazon MGM Studios announced it had gained creative control of the franchise earlier this year. Asked if there is any truth to the Bond rumours, the 28-year-old told US publication Variety: I cant I dont know To be honest, I dont know all the Bond rumours, but Ive always been a huge fan of the franchise, and Im excited and curious to see what they do with it. Sydney Sweeney attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Photo: Doug Peters/PA. Asked if she would be interested in playing a Bond Girl, she said: Depends on the script. I think Id have more fun as James Bond. Previous Bond Girls have included St Trinians star Gemma Arterton, Swiss actress Ursula Andress, French actress Eva Green, and Catwoman star Halle Berry. Advertisement There has also been speculation about the successor of Daniel Craig, who played the fictional British secret service agent for one final time in 2021s No Time To Die. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will write the script for the next movie, with Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve posed to direct. The film will be produced by Amy Pascal and David Heyman via Pascal Pictures and Heyday Films. Sweeney, who was launched to a new level of fame playing Cassie in teen drama Euphoria, also spoke of the pressures of the film industry and said she was told to fix her face and get botox aged 16. The US actress, who has starred in films including Anyone But You (2023) and Madame Webb (2024), said: I have very strong eyebrow muscles, and I had someone tell me to fix my face or else Im not going to make it. I should get Botox. I was 16! Ive never gotten anything done. Im absolutely terrified of needles. No tattoos. Nothing. Im going to age gracefully Sydney Sweeney Or Im in a casting and Im reading my scene and the casting director is eating a bag of chips, and Im like, Youre not paying attention at all. Discussing the prospect of cosmetic surgery, she said: Ive never gotten anything done. Im absolutely terrified of needles. No tattoos. Nothing. Im going to age gracefully. Entertainment Kendall Jenner and Nicole Kidman steal the show at glamorous Vogue World event Read more Its really funny. Ill see things online like comparison pictures. Im like, Im 12 in that photo. Of course Im going to look different. I have makeup on now and Im 15 years older. She added: Being an actress, its a lot harder to stand in the room and demand your worth and for people to look at you and value you. I have to remind myself like, Hey, Syd, youre actually powerful. Stand up a little taller. Adults in Ireland are set to spend 61 million on Halloween this year, down 11.5 million from last year, according to research from iReach Insights. Results from an iReach Insights survey show adults will spend an average of 46 on Halloween this year. This is the highest for adults aged 25-34, who plan to spend on average 70 this Halloween. 72 per cent of adults will spend money on Halloween sweets, decorations, costumes, etc., which is down six per cent from last year. One in three adults (33 per cent) plan to decorate their house this year for Halloween, while 29 per cent of adults feel that the rising costs are changing how they celebrate Halloween. Celebrations Three in four adults (76 per cent) think that local councils should do more to provide safe, family-friendly Halloween events. The survey also revealed that nearly half (49 per cent) of adults are worried about fireworks, bonfires, and safety on Halloween night, with 19 per cent very worried. Advertisement This is highest for adults aged 25-34, with 64 per cent worried and 39 per cent of these very worried. Over half (59 per cent) admitted to secretly buying extra sweets or chocolate for themselves, not the kids. The majority of adults (80 per cent) feel that retailers should reduce single-use plastic packaging for Halloween products, according to the survey results. This is highest for adults aged 25-34, with 90 per cent agreeing retailers should switch to single-use plastic. Two in three (66 per cent) of adults feel that social media has changed the way people celebrate Halloween such as sharing their costumes and themed parties. This is highest for adults aged 25-34, with 76 per cent feeling it has changed. The High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining Children's Health Ireland (CHI) from dismissing a business manager. Anita Little's role involves managing and administering the waiting list for CHI spinal surgeries, with a salary of around 76,500. She claims she was dismissed for serious misconduct following instructions to suspend the names of ten patients from the waiting list. She was dismissed on August 19th last following what she said was a flawed investigation and disciplinary hearing in which she was, among other things, deprived of her right to call witnesses in her defence, introduce exculpatory documentary evidence or challenge erroneous findings of fact or examine witnesses. On Tuesday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan granted Richard Kean SC, for Ms Little, interim injunctions restraining CHI from dismissing her or advertising her post as vacant pending further order. The application was made with only the Little side represented, and the case comes back later in the week. Advertisement Mr Kean said that in reply to calls from her lawyers to give undertakings not to dismiss her until she had a fair hearing, CHI said it was not prepared to do so, that she had had a fair hearing and had a right to pursue unfair dismissal. Counsel said his client had been scapegoated in carrying out an instruction to remove the names and the disciplinary process was a contrivance. Ms Little, in an affidavit, said she became business manager in that role in January 2024 and from an early point, she encountered significant pressures and difficulties in carrying out her function. There were continuous meetings between the Department of Health and members of the CHI spinal surgeries team as there was a requirement to address the lists in line with the National Treatment Purchase Fund protocol. In October 2024, she said former CHI deputy chief executive, Stephen Flanagan, raised concerns about patients on the list who appeared to be improperly listed. Ireland Minister receives report into care of boy who died after wait for spinal surgery Read more At a meeting with in November 2024 with Mr Flanagan, assistant director of nursing Keelin Hession, and Ms Little's line manager, Ciara Ni Flathartaigh, she said she was instructed to suspend the ten patients from the list. After implementing the decision, concerns were raised and she felt Ms Ni Flathartaigh had persistently undermined her and acted inappropriately when the issue of patient suspensions was raised. She said she went out on sick leave for work-related stress, and last February she was told a formal complaint had been made against her by Ms Ni Flathartaigh. The disciplinary process and appeal followed which she said was flawed and unfair. Recent EU sanctions on Russia include additional vessel listings for Russia's shadow fleet. With this announcement, a total of 557 vessels in the shadow fleet are now listed by the EU. But what exactly are these shadow vessels? How do they affect Ireland, and what needs to be done? What is the Russian shadow fleet? A shadow fleet vessel is a ship that carries out deceptive practices to transport sanctioned oil or other goods. They are often a direct response to sanctions and aim to operate under the radar to avoid detection and violate international regulations. Common tactics involve fake registration or flags to obscure ownership, and disabling or tampering with the vessel's tracking systems. Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was hit with broad-ranging sanctions - including an embargo on Russian seaborne oil imports and a price cap on oil and oil products that restricts profits while still allowing sales below a certain price. Advertisement The consequence of these sanctions means that Russia is unable to charter or insure tankers unless they comply with the oil price cap. So since then, Russia has increasingly relied on its shadow fleet to smuggle oil and natural gas to valuable markets in the global south, allowing it to continue profiting from its lucrative market in oil to fund the war in Ukraine. The ships are often registered and re-registered, and change their names frequently, making them difficult to track. This, coupled with other illicit tactics including ship-to-ship transfers, falsified positions and transmission of false data, means that they are able to conceal the origins of the cargo. In many cases, these ships are also registered in small, impoverished countries that lack the means and will to enforce maritime law. What complicates matters is the uncertainty of maritime law when it comes to the legality of false-flagging - where a ship claims to be registered in one country but is in fact registered in another. It is still unclear whether ships with false flags can legally travel within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of countries, which extend 200 nautical miles from a state's coast. Further, the ships are often old and falling apart, which raises significant environmental concerns. An investigation by Source Material and Politico found nine instances of the "creaky" vessels leaving large oil spills in the oceans, with dire consequences for marine life and the environment. Further, the practice of switching off a ship's transponders to avoid detection can increase the chance of an accident at sea and a resultant oil leakage. Lack of insurance can further exacerbate the issue, as no one is responsible for these spillages. Advertisement In some cases, the ships have also damaged undersea communication and electricity cables in EU waters. A recent investigation led by Follow the Money found that Western shipowners received more than 6 billion dollars by selling old oil tankers to a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil. The investigation found that while the EU has been ramping up sanctions on these vessels, not much has been done to prevent the sale by EU states to Russia. What are the EU sanctions? The EU has now sanctioned 557 in the Russian shadow fleet. This means that these ships are subject to a port access ban and a ban on the provision of services related to maritime transport. These measures target non-EU tankers that are part of the shadow fleet that are circumventing the oil price cap mechanism, supporting Russias energy sector, or transporting stolen Ukrainian grain or military equipment for Russia. There is also now a ban on reinsuring vessels belonging to the shadow fleet, as well as the listing of maritime registries that provide false flags. How does the shadow fleet affect Ireland? Ships have been observed taking circuitous routes from the Baltic Sea to the global south. Often, instead of taking the safest, shortest route through the English Channel and down the coast of France, ships have travelled around the British Isles into the North Atlantic before coming down through - or just skimming past - Ireland's EEZ. It has been speculated that this is due to increased monitoring in the English Channel, as well as Ireland's limited ability to monitor these ships. Advertisement A recent Irish Times investigation found that nineteen shadow fleet vessels had passed through, or just outside, the Irish Economic Zone (EEZ) between May and the end of July this year. Many of those ships have shown unusual behaviour, such as taking economically inefficient routes or sailing well outside recognised shipping lanes. RTE found that 245 shadow vessels passed through Irelands maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) more than 450 times in the first seven months of this year. The risk of the shadow fleet in Irish water is threefold: energy security concerns, communications tampering, and environmental concerns. More than 80 per cent of gas used in Ireland comes through underwater pipes from Scotland, while there are plans to build enough offshore infrastructure to generate 37 gigawatts of electricity by 2050. Further, as reported by the Irish Times, former Tanaiste Simon Coveney said 75 per cent of transatlantic cables come through or very close to Irish-controlled waters. Ireland is therefore very vulnerable to potential threats to the core infrastructure that surrounds it. According to Declan Power, security and defence expert, disrupting the energy pipelines could be as simple as a ship "dragging an anchor across them", as the pipes are not too deep in the ocean, and are wider and "easier to damage" than fibre optic cables. What steps is Ireland taking? World Europe must destroy Russian drones and target shadow fleet, says Macron Read more The Defence Forces and the Department of Transport have stepped up monitoring these vessels as they pass Ireland due to environmental and national security concerns. According to the Irish Examiner, the forthcoming Maritime Security Strategy - Ireland's first - will reportedly include stress testing the security of critical sub-sea infrastructure and new measures to tackle the shadow fleet. The Oireachtas Committee on Defence and National Security was told that new cross-Government coordination mechanisms allowing for the secure sharing of information, real-time analysis and better decision making were also likely to form part of the strategy. The Maritime Security Strategy is due to be submitted in draft form by officials in the Department of Defence to Tanaiste Simon Harris by the end of the year. Two drag queens have spoken out after being attacked while filming content for social media in Cork over the bank holiday weekend. Krystal Queer and Lucina Schynning were filming a video promoting their club night Saints when they were assaulted from behind. After the attack, they uploaded the footage to social media and explained what had happened. "We were on Oliver Plunkett Street just filming a little reel when a guy came up behind us and started kicking us," Krystal said. "He ran off, then all of the other guys on the street started applauding him and cheering him on." Lucina said she went to chase him down the street before hearing Krystal "scream in panic" as a second, separate group of men had started attacking her. "These guys came up in my face and they were filming us and laughing at us. I was filming back to get their faces when another guy clocked me across the face with his phone," Krystal said. Advertisement "Krystal started to bleed quite heavily. We grabbed her phone and we videod the person who did it to her," Lucina said. In a follow-up video, the pair thanked those who sent them messages of love and support following the assault. "It means the world and we really feel like we have our entire community across the country behind us," Krystal said. "Since our last video, with all your support, we have identified all of the attackers in the video and they have all been reported to An Garda Siochana," Lucina said. "Since then, we've recieved additional footage that proves this to be incitement of a hate crime." "As you can tell from the laughter, they got a lot of enjoyment from assaulting us from behind," Krystal said. "And this was very clearly an attempt to dehumanise and degrade us as queer people," Lucina said. "The best way to combat this is to continue being our authentic selves," Krystal added. The pair said their club night on Thursday will be going ahead as a form of protest against this behaviour. "It feels odd to be promoting an event in the midst of all of this, but we're not going to let anything dim our light," Krystal said. In a statement, gardai said: "Gardai responded to an incident of assault that occurred at approximately 12:30am on Sunday, 26th of October 2025 on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork City. "A man aged in his 20s received non-life threatening injuries as a result of this incident. "Investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this time." Lawyers for Brazilian former president Jair Bolsonaro have filed an appeal to reduce his prison sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat. Judges in September convicted Bolsonaro of trying to overthrow democracy and sentenced him to 27 years and three months in jail. He has been under house arrest since August. In an 85-page document sent to the Supreme Court on Monday and shared with The Associated Press on Tuesday, lawyers said that the conviction and sentence entailed profound injustices. Lawyers argued there were ambiguities, omissions, contradictions and obscurities in the courts decision. Brazils president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. He was convicted of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 race to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a plot that prosecutors alleged included plans to kill Mr Lula. He was found guilty on other charges including participating in an armed criminal organisation and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. Advertisement In their appeal, lawyers argued Bolsonaro should not be convicted of both organising a coup and attempting to violently abolish democracy, on the grounds that the two charges overlap and therefore cumulative penalties are unjust. They also cited Justice Luiz Fux, who was the only dissenting vote on the five justice panel that convicted Bolsonaro, and argued that even if Bolsonaro had attempted a coup, he deliberately interrupted the course of events and did not go through with it. Lawyers filed motions of clarification, which seek to correct a flaw in the reasoning of a decision rather than change it. Joao Pedro Padua, a law professor at the Fluminense Federal University, said that this kind of appeal is very unlikely to reduce Bolsonaros sentence. To file an appeal that could substantially modify the decision, the Supreme Court usually requires at least two dissenting votes. There is no limit on how many motions for clarification can be filed, but the Supreme Court may deem successive filings an attempt to delay the final judgment. Such a strategy is risky for Bolsonaros lawyers, as they could give the Supreme Court an excuse to declare the judgment final right away, Mr Padua said. Seven other close aides were convicted alongside Bolsonaro, and all of them apart from Mauro Cid, who signed a plea deal, have filed appeals, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Tuesday. Advertisement Justices will decide on the appeals between November 7-14, the court added. Bolsonaro will only start serving time once appeals are exhausted. The trial made global headlines. US president Donald Trump ordered a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods and cited in part Bolsonaros case, which he called a witch hunt. That triggered a sharp deterioration in US-Brazil relations, which experts described as the lowest point in their more than 200-year history. Relations have improved. Mr Lula and Mr Trump spoke on the phone then met last weekend in Malaysia at the ASEAN summit. The UK's King was been publicly confronted about the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew when he was repeatedly heckled over his brother. Charles was a few metres away from a man in the crowd who asked a string of questions, including How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? during the Kings visit to Lichfield Cathedral. The monarchy is coming under increasing pressure to resolve the issue of Andrew with some UK MPs eager to debate the topic. Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have agreed to leave their Royal Lodge home in exchange for two separate residences, according to reports. The Kings brother is said to be in talks with Charless representatives about leaving Royal Lodge voluntarily following the furore over the peppercorn rent for the 30-room mansion, where he has lived for more than 20 years. Charles meeting members of the public during his visit to Lichfield Cathedral. Photo: Temilade Adelaja/PA. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is calling for a select committee inquiry into how the Crown Estate, effectively Andrews landlord, has managed support for the royal. Charles was visiting the cathedral to highlight local community and heritage skills when the man, thought to be a member of anti-monarchy group Republic, shouted questions outside the place of worship. Advertisement In a video, thought to have been filmed by the protester as he spoke, the man says: How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? and then asked twice: Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? BREAKING NEWS: Charles has just been heckled in Lichfield about his complicity in covering up accusations against Andrew. Time to investigate Andrew. Royal Epstein Inquiry NOW. #NotMyKing #AbolishTheMonarchy #Epstein pic.twitter.com/HrxBsT8FIq Republic (@RepublicStaff) October 27, 2025 Charles can be seen shaking hands with well-wishers and waving as the man shouts out his questions and at one point a woman turns round and tells him to shut up. The protester ends by saying: Should MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons? Graham Smith, chief executive officer of Republic, said: The royals need to be challenged, and if the politicians wont do the job and the police wont investigate then more and more members of the public will be asking the tough questions. We want to see broadcasters invite Charles into a studio and ask him the same questions. Liberal Democrat Party leader Sir Ed Davey wants a parliamentary select committee to question Andrew (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Sir Ed Davey told the BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think, by disgracing his office, Prince Andrew has relinquished any rights to special treatment at the expense of the taxpayer, and Parliament are the guardians of the taxpayer. And what I think would be the best thing to happen is a select committee inquiry into how the Crown Estate has managed that support and that officials from the Crown Estate and Prince Andrew should come to give evidence. Advertisement The focus has been around the Royal Lodge which, as I understand it, is where the taxpayer may or may not have been supporting the prince. But we just need some more transparency about this some more accountability. The best way to do that is a select committee inquiry. An anonymous source told The Sun newspaper that Andrew has requested the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Frogmore Cottage, while Sarah Ferguson may relocate to Adelaide Cottage after it is vacated by the Prince and Princess of Wales next month. William, Kate and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are due to move to Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Grade II-listed residence in Windsor Great Park in the next few weeks, according to reports. The King has long been said to have tried to encourage his younger brother, who lives in Royal Lodge with Sarah, to move out. Frogmore Cottage on the Home Park Estate (Steve Parsons/PA) Charles reportedly first offered Frogmore Cottage to Andrew in January 2023 after Harry and Meghan moved out, but the former duke turned it down. Andrew attempted to draw a line under years of controversy, following allegations he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre, by giving up his dukedom and other honours ahead of the publication of Giuffres posthumous memoirs earlier this month. But the prince, who strenuously denies the allegations, was instead swamped by criticism that has focused on the property he has lived in effectively rent-free since 2003. Prince Andrews ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Photo: PA. World Prince Andrew in talks about leaving Royal Lodge following controversy over lease Read more Obstacles to reaching a settlement are reportedly where Andrew, eighth in line to the throne, will live and what financial recompense he will receive for the funds he spent renovating the home. The UK government has so far refused to allocate time in the House of Commons for MPs to discuss Andrews situation because the royal family wants Parliament to focus on important issues. But the issue could be raised on one of the days when ministers are not in control of the parliamentary timetable. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in western Jamaica early Tuesday afternoon as a powerful Category 5 storm and the strongest ever to directly hit the Caribbean nation of 2.8 million people. Melissa made landfall near the town of New Hope, some 62 km south of Montego Bay, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. By 3 p.m. (1900 GMT), it had weakened slightly to 160 mph, the NHC said, but remained a Category 5 storm, the most powerful level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which requires speeds of at least 157 mph. The slow-moving storm is forecast to remain a powerful hurricane as it crosses the mountainous island, whose highland communities are vulnerable to landslides and flooding, and heads towards Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second-largest city. The Miami-based hurricane centre warned that "total structural failure" was likely in Melissa's path. Advertisement "The destruction could be unlike anything people in Jamaica have seen before," said US forecaster AccuWeather's lead hurricane expert, Alex DaSilva. "The island has never taken a direct hit from a Category 4 or a Category 5 hurricane in recorded history." Melissa is the third most intense hurricane observed in the Caribbean after Wilma in 2005 and Gilbert in 1988, according to AccuWeather. Gilbert was the last major storm to directly hit the island. Colin Bogle, a local adviser to aid group Mercy Corps in Portmore, near Jamaica's capital, said he had heard a loud explosion in the morning, and then everything went dark. Sheltering with his grandmother, he reported hearing relentless noise and saw trees violently tossed in the wind. "People are scared. Memories of Hurricane Gilbert run deep, and there is frustration that Jamaica continues to face the worst consequences of a climate crisis we did not cause," he said. "Food aid will be needed, but recovery support like seeds, tools, and repairs for vehicles will be just as critical to help people restore their livelihoods." Shortly before landfall, Jamaican electric utility JPS said power outages had affected more than a third of its customers. In its worst-hit parishes, some three-quarters of customers lost power, JPS said. Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie told reporters that nearly 6,000 people had moved into temporary shelters. The government had issued mandatory evacuation orders for some 28,000 people, but some were reluctant to leave their homes. "We're getting videos and pictures of severely damaged public infrastructure - hospitals, places of safety ... so it is having the effect that was projected," Jamaican Environment Minister Matthew Samuda told CNN. Advertisement "We are happy that there is some weakening but 165 miles per hour - that is still a catastrophe," he added, noting that 70 per cent of the population lived within 5 km of the sea. In Portland Cottage, some 150 km south-east of where Melissa made landfall, 64-year-old retiree Collin Henry McDonald told Reuters his community was seeing strong rain and winds, but his concrete roof was holding steady. "It's like a roaring lion. It's mad. Really mad," he said. Health authorities in south-eastern Jamaica warned residents to watch out for crocodiles that could be displaced from swamps and rivers and come into residential areas in search of dry land. Jamaica's 'storm of the century' "It's a catastrophic situation," the World Meteorological Organisation's tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan told a press briefing. "For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure." Storm surges of up to four metres were expected, she said, with rainfall set to exceed 70cm, causing "catastrophic flash flooding and landslides," she said. Nearby Haiti and the Dominican Republic have faced days of torrential downpours leading to at least four deaths, authorities said. At least three people died during storm preparations in Jamaica, local media reported. After crossing eastern Cuba, still as a powerful storm, Melissa is forecast to head through the Bahamas, where Prime Minister Philip Davis has ordered evacuations for people in southern and eastern parts of the archipelago. In Cuba, authorities said they had evacuated upwards of 500,000 people from areas vulnerable to winds and flooding. "There are no half measures," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a message published in state newspaper Granma, in which he urged people in areas vulnerable to flooding, strong winds, and storm surges to evacuate and accept help. Advertisement "Melissa will arrive with force, and there's great concern about what it could destroy in its wake," he said. Storm intensified on approach Melissa's slow movement over unusually tepid Caribbean water had contributed to its ballooning size and strength, NHC forecasters said, threatening Jamaica with days of never-before-seen catastrophic winds and rain. Melissa could bring up to 30 inches (762 mm) of rain to parts of Jamaica, and up to 12 inches to parts of the island of Hispaniola, the NHC said. The International Federation of the Red Cross said up to 1.5 million people in Jamaica were expected to be directly affected by the storm. "Today will be very difficult for tens of thousands, if not millions of people in Jamaica," IFRC official Necephor Mghendi said via video link from Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. "Roofs will be tested, flood waters will rise, isolation will become a harsh reality for many." To enable swift relief distribution, essential items tarpaulins, hygiene kits, blankets, and safe drinking water had been pre-positioned in Red Cross branches on the island, he said, with over 800 shelters set up for evacuees. 'A dire situation unfolding in slow motion' Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica, which was one of the areas worst-hit by last year's Hurricane Beryl. On Monday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of southern Jamaica, including the historic town of Port Royal. He warned of damage to farmlands, homes, and infrastructure on the island, which is roughly the size of Connecticut and whose main airports sit close to sea level. "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5," he said. Advertisement Holness called on foreign support, saying the government had an emergency budget of $33 million and insurance and credit provisions for damage a little larger than that sustained from Beryl. Beryl was the earliest and fastest Atlantic hurricane on record to reach Category 5, but scientists warn that storms are becoming stronger and faster as a result of climate change warming ocean waters. "Slow-moving major hurricanes often go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record," said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter. "This is a dire situation unfolding in slow motion." Advertisement CultureTheatreHalloween Do not scare my child: Life as a professional fright artist at Luna Park Will Cox October 28, 2025 6:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share In a cramped tent in the middle of Luna Park, 25 people are scrambling into costume and make-up. Pig masks. Bloodied ruff shirts. Some parents come in and say, Do not scare my child, I overhear from the make-up chair. Its like, bro, what are you doing here? The man puts on his scarecrow mask and picks up a massive rubber scythe. I have another go attaching my spindly ghoul fingers to my gloves. Will Cox as Mr Moon as part of Luna Dark. Eddie Jim For two weeks every October, Luna Park fills with costumes, music and spookiness. The centrepiece is a temporary haunted house which skirts the borders of kitsch and genuinely unsettling. The backstory goes that unhinged former park staff have been living in subterranean tunnels, assembling their own twisted amusements with the parks detritus. Every Halloween, when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, they get out. The costumed performers, or scarers, are in it for the love of it. Some are actors, some are just Halloween mad. Many come back every year. Rosie, whos playing a fortune-teller with an animatronic arm, lives in Wellington now, and plans her Melbourne visits around this. Laura, an educator and (temporary) seance ghoul, shows me her Halloween tattoos: a pumpkin, a ghost, a potion bottle and a black cat in a pointy hat. Advertisement Related Article Halloween Melbournes most haunted houses for Halloween 2025 Ebony is dancer and actor. Last year she was a creepy-ass clown and became immersed in the character. It was amazing, she says. I was nearly possessed by the end of it. This year, shes a crazed electrician with a very convincing cattle prod, which she regularly applies to her skeleton captive. She inhabits the role worryingly well. Shes also been volunteering with the build team for the past few weeks, cabling for cameras, setting up lights and helping with set and prop design. My passion is music and live events, Ebony says. So Im keen to transition into backstage. Then theres me to report this story properly, Ill need to immerse myself fully. So tonight Im Mr Moon, a masked phantom with a beautifully painted mask inspired by the terrifying face on the Luna Park entrance. A small team has been brainstorming ideas for months and building for several weeks. But for Dale Pope, the manager of Events After Dark, Halloween is a year-round concern. Im obsessed with Halloween, she says. I do other small private events, but Halloween is the big one. Its the most fun, and creatively, its so broad. Advertisement Pope lived in Denver, Colorado for eight years. Her sons birthday is around Halloween, so she always threw him themed birthday parties. When the family moved back from America in 2011, her kids wanted to go trick or treating. It was awkward, Pope says. People were caught off guard. No one was prepared. But kids watch all the Halloween stuff from America now, and its grown and grown. He expects about 6000 visitors to the haunted house over six nights, mainly adults and teenagers. People cant wait to be scared. In past years, people have needed escorting to hidden exits. Last year someone got so overwhelmed they threw up in a cauldron. One of the scares inside the haunted house at Luna Park. Simon James It makes you feel like youre doing it right, Pope says. I love watching people coming out the other side. Theyre holding their hearts, bent at the knees, out of breath. I think it takes people out of their everyday lives. In that moment, youre just immersed. Its certainly a close, stifling atmosphere in there, all narrow corridors and low ceilings. Moving floors make you steady yourself on electrified walls. Its stuffy with smoke, and smells of popcorn and dirt. There are jump scares around every corner. Its not hard to believe it gets heart rates up. Advertisement As Mr Moon, Im thrown in through a hidden safety exit and tasked with being a roaming scarer. Im not an actor and scaring people doesnt come naturally. Im not comfortable yelling at people, so I go for the silent approach. My costume and the layer of smoke make it easy to pose as a mannequin and come to life when people are right next to me. Peoples shock is intense, palpable. In this twilight space people allow themselves to let go. In past years, people have had to be escorted to hidden exits. Last year someone got so overwhelmed they threw up in a cauldron. In my sweaty costume, barely able to see out my eye slots, I begin to understand what the monsters in the movies feel like. I decide to imbue the role with some tragic nobility. I cower, my claws over my face, like a trapped animal. Im Frankensteins monster. The Phantom of the Opera. Might the visitors be the real monsters? I hope they see this complex backstory in my performance, but most of them just scream louder than Ive ever been screamed at. Just keep moving! Someone screams to her friend. They cant touch you! Advertisement Editor's pick Melbourne live reviews Jelly Roll delights with all his hits plus The Angels and a shoey to boot Afterwards I stand at the exit, watching people come out, clutching their chests and finding their breath. Someone throws their arms in the air. Well! they say. I shat myself. You were useless! someone else screams at their partner. You left me! The couple wander off and get a hot dog. As I leave to scrape off my black make-up, the queue is getting longer. The punters eagerly await their moment of release. Advertisement Luna Dark is at Luna Park on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday. Advertisement Updated NationalNSWHospitals It could have been catastrophic: Woman charged over alleged gas sabotage at two Sydney hospitals Kate Aubusson and Amber Schultz Updated October 28, 2025 11:02am ,first published October 28, 2025 10:15am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Patients were put at catastrophic risk after gas mains at a Sydney public hospital were targeted, and a private hospital also vandalised, in alleged acts of sabotage leading to the arrest of a woman on Tuesday. A 42-year-old woman allegedly cut both water and gas mains and activated fire hoses at Kareena Private Hospital, Caringbah, in south-east Sydney about 12.20am on Tuesday, NSW Police said. Health Minister Ryan Park at a press conference on Tuesday morning responding to questions about the alleged sabotage at Sutherland Hospital, Caringbah. Sam Mooy Just over an hour later, the woman allegedly scaled a wall to access a restricted area at Sutherland Hospital and switched off the hospitals gas main, Health Minister Ryan Park said. The alleged vandalism is being investigated as a mental health incident. Advertisement This is highly dangerous and could have been catastrophic, Park said. The cause of the loss of gases is alleged to be deliberate sabotage, he said. You have people on medical gases who are receiving treatment who are very, very unwell. NSW Police forensics at Kareena Private Hospital in Caringbah, Sydney on Tuesday. Sam Mooy If someone is going to tamper with that, then the outcome could have been very, very serious. The hospital had to switch to portable oxygen and air as part of its contingency plans, and had restored the gas systems about two hours after the alleged vandalism. Advertisement I want to assure the community there was no impact to patient care and that the system has returned to operating as per normal, Park said. Editor's pick Healthcare One of the hardest things I have ever had to do: Whats keeping Ryan Park awake at night A spokeswoman for Ramsay Healthcare said in a statement: Overnight an individual attempted to tamper with mains water and non-medical gas supply to Kareena Private Hospital. All services were quickly restored with minimal disruption and no impact to patient care. The hospital is operating as normal today, the statement read. The woman was arrested around 4am on Tuesday and later charged with two counts of public nuisance, two counts of trespassing, and sabotage, destroy or damage property. Advertisement She has also been charged with breaching bail, and is accused of tampering with a fire alarm and trespassing at a Darlinghurst hostel on Monday. The woman has been refused bail to appear at Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday. Sutherland Hospital, with 360 beds, provides critical services, including an emergency department, cancer treatment, a birthing unit, and respiratory and geriatric care. Park hailed its staff for the speed with which they recognised the issue and initiated measures to ensure continuity of care for patients. Access to gas systems in NSW public hospitals is restricted, Park said, adding health authorities would review the incident to see what improvements could be implemented. Advertisement If there [are] things we need to do to make it harder or more restrictive, then we will look at that, he said. Health Services Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said threats facing hospital security were greater and more unpredictable than ever before, and resourcing was not keeping up. This incident is yet another warning that we need to properly invest in keeping our hospitals secure, Hayes said. We will, of course, wait for the investigation to unfold, but its clear that protecting critical infrastructure like medical gas systems must be a priority. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement Exclusive NationalVictoriaScience How a new mum helped uncover an ultra-rare disease cluster in Victorian town Liam Mannix October 28, 2025 7:00pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Examine, a free weekly newsletter covering science with a sceptical, evidence-based eye, is sent every Tuesday. Youre reading an excerpt sign up to get the whole newsletter in your inbox. Seeing her baby, previously full of life, suddenly in hospital on a breathing tube seemed wrong. But there was something else that just did not fit, Bree Whitelegg thought. This condition is really rare, isnt it? Whitelegg asked Professor Jim Buttery, one of the doctors looking after her son Lucas. Bree Whitelegg and her son, Lucas, in Mildura. Ian McKenzie Buttery nodded. Infant botulism is very dangerous and, thankfully, ultra-rare in Australia. Advertisement Then how come I know two other people in my area who have had it? Whitelegg replied. That does not make sense, said Buttery. Well take a look. There were just 12 cases of infant botulism in Victoria between 1978 and 2022. Whitelegg knew about three of them, and they were all in her home town: Mildura, in the states far north. A two-year investigation by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute has now found six other cases in the region. A cluster of an ultra-rare disease. Whitelegg speaking up allowed scientists to spot the needle in the haystack. Advertisement Were often told in healthcare to listen to our patients, says Dr Rachael Purcell, who led the detective work. I think this is a really wonderful example of that. Infant botulism is caused by spores from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. In a babys immature bowel, they germinate, multiply and release a neurotoxin, the most-powerful known in nature. The first symptom in a child is typically constipation, as the bowel loses its ability to contract. Then the head, face and throat become paralysed and floppy. When the toxin reaches the lungs, the childs breathing can stop. Infants and babies are particularly vulnerable, says Purcell, who is part of the institutes epidemiology informatics team. While the death rate is low with modern medical care, kids face months in hospital on a breathing tube. Advertisement You can imagine, they are little babies, they have not yet learnt to sit or walk, and then suddenly they are in ICU for months. They dont get the opportunity to develop like another baby would. Whitelegg remembers taking Lucas to the hospital to treat an infection in 2013. A couple of weeks later, he fell sick again this time having trouble feeding. I just put it down to croup, she says. Not once did I think of infantile botulism, and nor did any of the other doctors. Soon Lucas, just nine weeks old, was struggling to breathe. He was rushed from Mildura to Monash Childrens Hospital for treatment. He couldnt move, or open his eyelids. He spent 10 months in ICU, much of it with machines breathing for him. Adversity is his greatest superpower, Bree Whitelegg says of her son Lucas. Ian McKenzie Infant botulism is rare globally and seems concentrated to particular hotspots, such as California. Advertisement Honey is a known risk factor, which is why parents are advised never to give their babies any. Whitelegg worked as an oral health consultant and had counselled many new mothers against dipping dummies in honey for just that reason. I thought, Hang on, hes exclusively breastfed. Ive not dipped his dummy in honey, she says. I still cant wrap my head around the fact I knew about this. Whitelegg knew another family whose child had been paralysed. After Lucas fell sick, a third family reached out, and they even visited in the hospital. The new mother had the key clues. But it took two years of scientific detective work to crack the case. Professor Jim Buttery Advertisement Purcell and Buttery pulled case files from all 12 known cases of infant botulism in Victoria since 1978. About 75 per cent of the states population lives in Melbourne, so you would expect most cases to be in the city. But Purcell and Buttery found eight of the 12 cases were in north-west Victoria and five were clustered around Mildura. Another case was from Melbourne but had just travelled through the region in the weeks before they fell sick. There appeared to be an unusual cluster, says Buttery. Weve since been able to demonstrate it statistically. But we havent been able to find any obvious source. Native waterbirds, which can carry avian botulism, remain a suspect. But there have been no outbreaks of avian botulism near Mildura, and the bacterial strain is different. Advertisement My guess is clostridia they are very hardy little bugs, says Buttery. They typically survive very well in the soil. My best guess is, for whatever reason there is a greater soil contamination in that region near the Murray River. Whitelegg told Buttery the family had completed a house renovation in the weeks before Lucas fell sick, stirring up the dust. That could be the cause, but well never prove it, he says. Finding and then trying to kill a rare, mysterious and hardy soil bacteria in a vast and sparsely populated region is prohibitively expensive. Instead, Purcell wants local doctors who see patients with paralysis and constipation to think about infant botulism, because we know early treatment is the key to a good outcome. California has developed an effective antitoxin, but it costs about $100,000 a dose and is hard to obtain. Lucas medical team had to send a stool sample to the US for testing before they would release the drug. By the time Lucas had it, the toxin had already attached itself to all the little nerve endings, says Whitelegg. He just had to ride it out. Its a really shitty thing. Advertisement Despite a rough start to life, Lucas is now thriving. Hes school captain, and speaks at fundraisers for the charity his parents set up. Hes so mature, so articulate, says Whitelegg. Adversity is his greatest superpower. He really connects with people that are having a shitty time because he knows what that feels like. The Examine newsletter explains and analyses science with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Sign up to get it each week. Advertisement Exclusive NationalVictoriaOrganised crime Suspected lieutenant in Hamad crime syndicate arrested, cash and phones seized Chris Vedelago October 28, 2025 2:35pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A suspected key lieutenant in the Hamad crime syndicate, who is a relative of the organisations kingpin, has been arrested in a bid by police to disrupt the activities of the largest player in Melbournes illicit tobacco market. The man, Majid Jabal, was arrested on Monday after a quantity of cash and three mobile phones were found during a police raid at a property in Wollert, in Melbournes outer northern suburbs. Kazem Hamad seems out of reach to Australian authorities. The Age Jabal is the uncle of Kazem Kaz Hamad, who has been linked by police and underworld sources to launching Melbournes so-called tobacco war for control of the multibillion-dollar illicit cigarette and vape market. Jabal, 57, has not been charged. Advertisement Investigators believe the man is a family member of an offshore syndicate leader and is likely the onshore lieutenant for his criminality in both Victoria and Australia including arsons, extortions and unexplained wealth, a police spokesperson said. Related Article Exclusive Organised crime Hes one of Australias most wanted criminals. This is why hes untouchable The Lunar Taskforce, which was formed to tackle Hamads takeover of the illicit tobacco market in late 2023, is expecting to charge Jabal on summons. Jabal was previously convicted in 2020 of smuggling into Australia more than three tonnes of molasses tobacco worth more than $2.75 million in evaded customs duty. He was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail and was released after 15 months on a good behaviour order. Police say Hamad has been running his crime gang from Iraq since he was deported from Australia in July 2023 after serving eight years in jail for drug trafficking. Advertisement Hamad was recently declared a national security threat by the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett for his involvement in the illicit tobacco industry, alleged links to serious violence and suspected involvement in a terror attack on the Australian Jewish community on behalf of the Iranian government. Jabal is at least the third of Hamads relatives or relatives by marriage to be arrested by organised crime detectives since 2024 over a suspected involvement in Hamads operation. This includes Hamads ex-wife, who was allegedly transporting suspected proceeds of crime at Melbourne Airport, and a brother-in-law who has been charged with allegedly running a firearm and tobacco stash house. Two other suspected lieutenants in the crime family, not relatives, are set to face trial for their alleged roles in a string of arson attacks related to the tobacco war and a drug smuggling operation. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement PoliticsNSWChild abuse They are sadists: How abusers are using the dark web to infiltrate childcare centres Emily Kowal October 28, 2025 6:30pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Childcare centres are magnets for paedophiles who take advantage of staff shortages, high turnover rates and lax regulation to access and abuse children, and a NSW upper house inquiry into the early childhood education sector has warned more full-time quality staff are needed to keep children safe. New documents, tabled during a parliamentary inquiry into the states besieged childcare sector, have revealed some of Australias biggest childcare providers rely on casual staff to keep centres open creating opportunities for predators to slip through the cracks. More than 17 per cent of workers at one of Australias biggest childcare providers G8 Education are casual, while 12 per cent of employees at Affinity are on casual contracts. Some of Australias biggest childcare providers rely on casual staff to keep centres open, documents reveal. Matt Willis The revelations come after an ABC Four Corners investigation revealed paedophiles are using the dark web to share information about how to infiltrate childcare centres to abuse babies and toddlers, without being caught, often by taking up casual roles. Advertisement Criminology Professor Michael Salter, said predators on the dark web encouraged paedophiles to target childcare centres. Daycare is the perfect storm; you have an extremely vulnerable group of children who are pre-verbal or barely verbal and a lack of regulation and oversight. He said predators used the dark web to provide very detailed step-by-step instructions, too graphic to publish on how to get a job at a centre, gain the trust of parents and employers, and then abuse children. Related Article Investigation Melbourne childcare crisis The secret complaint and leaked files from childcare chains where alleged paedophile worked Its hard to talk publicly about what we see on the dark web. It is forensic advice on how to evade detection. How to find your ways around boundaries in place, Salter said. Somebody can maintain ongoing employment casually in the daycare sector, floating from centre to centre abusing children. The lack of staffing, not enough people on the floor, gives lots of opportunities to abuse these kids without detection. Advertisement Its advice on how to evade detection if there is a forensic examination of a child. They see children and babies in an instrumental way. With infant abusers, they are straightforward sadists. He said there has been an increase in child abuse material filmed in Australian childcare centres. We have very large communities of sex offenders in encrypted services on the dark web strategising on the how to abuse kids. This is the infiltration of organised crime groups into the early childcare sector. Its exactly as alarming as it sounds. Related Article Education Revealed: The changes coming for NSWs scandal-ridden childcare sector A majority of abuse cases occur at for-profit centres, which can have a revolving door of staff, said Greens MLC Abigail Boyd, who has been chairing an inquiry into NSW childcare centres. She said predators would centre-shop, moving from centre to centre until they found the right conditions to facilitate their abuse. Advertisement The number one thing they are looking for is inadequate staffing levels so they wont get caught, Boyd said. The most terrible instances of abuse cannot occur in a situation where there are other educators around ... abuse can be avoided by co-workers having the opportunity to identify concerning behaviours and red flags by having a relationship with their fellow educators rather than having a daily wave of casual workers. Related Article Exclusive Melbourne childcare crisis Childcare giant knew kids were left alone, while pushing for more enrolments In a statement, G8 Education said the safety, wellbeing, and development of the children in our care is our number one priority and it had made progress in attracting and retaining quality staff. It said team retention rates had improved and vacancy rates were better than the sector average. Michele Carnegie, chief executive of peak body Community Early Learning Australia, told a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday more quality staff were needed to keep children safe. Advertisement We know it is the people around children that keep them safe. A stable, skilled and valued workforce is the single most important safeguard against harm to children, Carnegie said. We cant regulate our way out of this we have to have enough good, strong capable staff working around children, and we have to have enough of them working around children, so perpetrators of these terrible crimes do not have the opportunity to be able to act in early education and care environments. Enmore Early Learning Centre director Tanya Barton said: I know in my heart, ratios are the core to quality. Editor's pick Exclusive Education Revealed: The secret rating system for childcare centres We are setting children, educators, families and community up for failure. Advertisement NSW Department of Education secretary Murat Dizdar conceded we need to get the staffing right in all services. Services must have the right type of staff and the right number of staff to provide parents with the confidence that their children will be safe, he said. He committed to having an independent regulator established by the end of the year. The inquiry will hand down its findings in a report next year. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement TechnologyWeb culture Panic as breached details of 183m accounts, including Gmail, emerge Tim Biggs October 28, 2025 10:43am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Google has called for calm amid a frenzy of sensational reports suggesting a Gmail security breach is affecting millions of accounts. In fact, the source of the hubbub is a massive collection of breached credentials and data comprising 183 million individual accounts being uploaded to data breach information website Have I Been Pwned. Most of it is not newly breached information. Heres what you need to know. A massive trove of (mostly old) data has been uploaded to Have I Been Pwned. iStock So Google hasnt been hacked? No, the data is not the result of a security breach at Google. And the overwhelming majority of it is not new in the sense that this is the first time its been posted online. Advertisement When crooks steal data or credentials, it tends to swirl around the internet, being copied to various massive collections that can be used to automate attacks or generate insights. In this case, a researcher at cybersecurity company Synthient has pulled a huge amount of data together from various sources and then shared the data with Australian cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, who operates Have I Been Pwned. Posting on X, Google said many online reports were false, and Gmails defences remained strong. Editor's pick ACCC Microsoft accused of misleading millions of Australians The inaccurate reports are stemming from a misunderstanding of infostealer databases, which routinely compile various credential theft activity occurring across the web. Its not reflective of a new attack aimed at any one person, tool, or platform, it said. Advertisement Users can protect themselves from credential theft by turning on two-step verification, adopting passkeys as a stronger and safer alternative to passwords, and resetting passwords when they are found in large batches like this. Why was Google singled out in these stories? The 183 million accounts represented in the data are not all from Gmail, so its singling out does appear to be the result of misunderstanding. Many articles, headlines and social media posts say explicitly that 183 million Gmail accounts have been breached, which is not the case. In a post last week Hunt described his process of verifying the breached data, which included reaching out to people through the emails listed. Some articles have used this to say that the 183 million accounts have been verified, which is also not the case. While Synthient and Hunt posted discussing the data last week, the online frenzy of articles and search traffic appeared to begin late on Monday, and may have been triggered by an accurate report on Forbes.com. Advertisement View post on X What exactly does the data contain? Hunt received 2.6 terabytes of data, comprising 23 billion rows of credentials. But despite these huge numbers, the exposure of the data isnt necessarily catastrophic. Some of the data comes from stealer logs, which is the output of malware that has infected computers to report back web addresses, emails and passwords. Theres a large amount of repetition in these logs, so it takes some analysis to decide if anything is new or current. Hunt said that from a sample of 94,000 entries, 92 per cent had been found in stealer logs previously. From 183 million accounts, that does mean there are millions of email addresses in this data that havent previously been marked as compromised. Advertisement Other data comes from credential stuffing lists, which criminals use to attack services where users may have re-used passwords. So for example they could take a password associated with your Vietnam Airlines account, and try it with your PayPal account. What is Have I Been Pwned? The data breach information website has been around for years and has become a go-to resource for finding out if your credentials have ended up in the hands of criminals. Hunt collates huge amounts of data taken from breaches into the system, allowing users to search through it without further exposing the damaging info. You can enter your email address or password to check if its listed in any breaches. Have I Been Pwned also offers a service that will alert you if your email address appears in any data breaches, and an API businesses can use. Several providers of password management software use this API to automatically check user passwords against breached data. What should I do to stay safe? Advertisement Just because you have a Gmail address, it doesnt mean youre at risk from this data breach, since there are billions of Gmail users. But it doesnt hurt to check your address at Have I Been Pwned. Editor's pick AI ChatGPTs move towards AI porn a risk to children, eSafety warns It will let you know if its found in any breach collections (the latest one is called Synthient Stealer Log Threat Data), so you can see what other types of data might also have been stolen. Its a good idea to change your password at any service your email is found, and activate multi-factor authentication (MFA) if possible. As always, its poor digital hygiene to re-use the same password twice, and important services like email and banking in particular should have unique strong passwords, or be moved to passkeys or other MFA. Get news and reviews on technology, gadgets and gaming in our Technology newsletter every Friday. Sign up here. Advertisement Analysis WorldEuropeEpstein fallout How Epstein and Andrew drew a PMs daughter into a swamp David Crowe October 28, 2025 10:53am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share London: Jeffrey Epstein seemed to be welcomed back to New York society almost as soon as he emerged from prison and house arrest in 2010, when his friends began helping him reclaim his place among the citys wealthy and well-connected. His criminal conviction for sex with a minor did not stop him from gaining invitations to opening nights. Prince Andrew was back in touch within months. Ghislaine Maxwell was with him once more. An entire network of associates some might say enablers acted as if his guilty plea would be quickly forgotten. Katherine Keatings past connection to Jeffrey Epstein has resurfaced in newly released emails between Epstein and Prince Andrew. This was the world Katherine Keating entered when she arrived in Manhattan at the age of 29. The daughter of former prime minister Paul Keating had been a Labor policy adviser in Sydney. Towards the end of 2010, however, she turned up in New York. She was said to be dating a millionaire hotel owner, Andre Balazs. Keating has been the subject of speculation ever since her link to Andrew and Epstein made headlines in August 2019, about two weeks after the sex offender died during his second stint in prison. A lot of the speculation has been malicious, based purely on social media chatter. Advertisement Now, an email from the vault sheds light on the connection. It also highlights the way anyone who came close to Epstein can be tarnished, even if there is nothing to suggest they did anything wrong. Epstein sent the email to Andrew on February 16, 2011. Would you ask Katherine Keating if she would like to come for dinner with Woody Allen next week in New York? he said. Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019 before he could stand trial on sex-trafficking charges. AP Andrew replied: Will do. The emails were reported on Sunday by The Daily Mail, based on documents being examined by the US Congress. Keating had landed in New York about 10 weeks earlier. There is no sign she knew Epstein much. Her friendship with Andrew appeared to date from the previous March, when they were both at the opening of the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Advertisement She was sufficiently connected, however, to be in Epsteins seven-storey townhouse in Manhattan in December 2010. Unbeknown to Epstein and Andrew, a photographer was watching them. Keating was seen leaving the house as Andrew waved her farewell at the front door. Related Article King Charles III How long have you known? King heckled over Prince Andrew as Epstein outrage grows Her misfortune was to be in the house at what turned out to be a pivotal moment. Epstein and Andrew went for a walk in Central Park and the photographer, Jae Donnelly, took the shot that proved they were back in touch. Andrew chose to keep up his friendship with a man convicted of sex with a minor. Keating has never talked about why she was at Epsteins house that December. But she confirmed she went to the dinner in February. It was a large social event, she told The Daily Mail, and she mentioned prominent media personalities who also attended. A sizeable chunk of NY society was there, including Barbara Walters, Charlie Rose and Katie Couric. At the time, I had only lived in NY about 10 weeks, and was happy to accept the odd social invitation. Advertisement She could not be contacted by this masthead for comment. All of this is fuel for those who assume the guilt of anyone who came near Epstein. Social media has spread slurs about Keating for years because of the townhouse photo. Some will add the email to the mix. Prince Andrew is under renewed pressure over his links with Epstein. AP But the public interest is slim. Keating does not hold any public office. She is under no obligation to answer questions about her private life. The main reason for looking into the new email is to counter the conspiracies. One assumption, for instance, is that Keating knew Maxwell and moved in the same circles as Epstein. In fact, there is no evidence that she knew Maxwell before 2014, when she interviewed her for a project called IdeaPod, published by the Huffington Post. Advertisement Another assumption is that she was very close to Andrew. Instead, the friendship seems to have been with his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Keating was photographed with Eugenie at Fashion Week in New York in 2014. At the risk of labouring the point, there are no grounds for suggesting an intimate relationship with Andrew. Nor is there a reason to think Keating knew all the murky details about Epstein. His plea deal meant some of the facts did not see the light of day until years later. Keating was not alone in walking too close to the spiders web. Epstein drew many people around him from 2010 onwards, when he regained his place in New York society. Some of them were his accomplices. Others were simply invited to dinner. He used donations to charities, amplified by publicists, to try to bury the past. One New York publicist, Peggy Siegal, ensured he was invited to events. Siegal told The New York Times in 2019 that she had no trouble restarting their friendship after his prison term: The culture before #MeToo was Youve done your time, now youre forgiven. Advertisement Related Article Analysis Epstein fallout The more we learn about Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, the worse it gets Siegal arranged a dinner party for Andrew at Epsteins mansion in 2010, according to The New York Times. Those at the dinner included filmmaker Woody Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, as well as broadcasters Charlie Rose, Katie Couric and George Stephanopoulos. Turning up to dinner did not make someone an Epstein accomplice. It might demonstrate poor judgment, or ignorance, but not necessarily guilt. Comedian Chelsea Handler attended the 2010 dinner, for instance, and later said she had no idea who Epstein was. She also asked a pointed question of Allen and his wife: So, how did you two meet? Two key conclusions emerge from the email about Keating, Epstein and the prince. The first is that there is no evidence that Keating did anything wrong. The second is that Andrew is utterly exposed. This is the second email to emerge within the last two weeks that confirms he misled the public when he claimed that he cut off contact with Epstein on the day they walked in Central Park in December 2010. Advertisement Remember, Andrew was adamant about this on the BBCs Newsnight program six years ago: I never had any contact with him from that day forward. This claim unravelled on October 13 when The Times revealed an email he sent to Epstein on February 28, 2011, when their friendship was in the news. Keep in close touch and well play some more soon!!!! he wrote. Now we know Andrew was helping Epstein line up dinner guests on February 16, 2011. He has been caught out again. This only strengthens the case for stronger action by Buckingham Palace and parliament. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. Advertisement Updated WorldMiddle EastIsraeli-Palestinian conflict Gaza ceasefire is back on, Israel says, after new strikes kill more than 100 Wafaa Shurafa and Josh Boak Updated October 30, 2025 5:50am ,first published October 29, 2025 3:30am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip: Israels military said the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory that killed 104 people, including 66 women and children, according to local health officials. The strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire began on October 10, marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date. Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike at the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on Wednesday. Bloomberg The bombardment on Wednesday, Gaza time, pointed to Israels readiness to strike hard at what it says are Hamas violations of the ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, the militant group denies it is responsible and blames Israel for violations. After it announced the restoration of the ceasefire, the Israeli military said it had carried out another airstrike in northern Gaza, targeting what it called a site where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said it received two bodies from the strike. Advertisement The latest violence has put new strains on American pressure to keep the ceasefire on track. US President Donald Trump defended Israels strikes but also insisted the escalation wont wreck the truce. Israel said its overnight strikes were in retaliation for the shooting and killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Hamas violated provisions in the deal concerning the handover of the remains of hostages. An Israeli soldier stands on a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Getty Images Hamas denied any involvement in the deadly shooting and, in turn, accused Israel of a blatant violation of the ceasefire deal. It also said it would delay handing over the body of another hostage to Israel because of the strikes. The strikes across Gaza on Wednesday pounded buildings and tent camps housing displaced families. Ambulances and small trucks carrying bodies crowded hospital entrances. In Deir al-Balah, bodies were wheeled in on stretchers or carried on mattresses. One man walked into a hospital carrying the body of a young child. Advertisement They burned children while they were asleep, Haneen Mteir, whose sister and nephews were killed in a strike, shouted at the morgue at Nasser Hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 104 people, including 20 women and 46 children, were killed in the overnight strikes, and 253 people were wounded, most of them women and children. Palestinians injured in an Israeli army strike are brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday. AP The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that it struck dozens of Hamas targets, including individuals, observation posts, weapons depots, mortar firing positions and tunnels. It said it hit a number of senior Hamas fighters, including 21 commanders of various levels. It said they included militants involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war, including Nukhba company commander Hatem Maher Mousa Qudra, who led the attack on the Ein Hashlosha Kibbutz, the statement said. Advertisement Related Article Exclusive Israeli-Palestinian conflict Palestinian Authority calls for Australian troops to help secure Gaza peace The military said it would continue to respond firmly and act decisively to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel. Israels Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Hamas was responsible for the consequences of its ceasefire violation and attributed the high death toll to the militant group using civilians as human shields. Throughout the war, Israel has often hit targets that it says are Hamas figures while in their homes or shelters where their families are also located alongside other families. An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that the soldier in Rafah, identified as Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37, was killed by enemy fire that targeted his vehicle on Tuesday. Advertisement The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential military operations, said Israeli troops in the area came under attack numerous times on Tuesday as they worked to destroy tunnels and Hamas infrastructure. The Israeli military has levelled almost the entire city of Rafah over the past months, demolishing nearly every building, according to satellite photos. Hamas insisted it was not involved in the Rafah gunfire, reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire and called on mediators to pressure Israel to stop. Marmorstein, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Washington was informed about the strikes and that they were carried out in full co-ordination with the United States. Trump, on a trip to Asia, defended the strikes, saying Israel was justified in carrying them out after Hamas killed the Israeli soldier, who also held US citizenship. Trump said Israel should hit back when its troops come under attack. But he said he was still confident that the ceasefire would withstand the escalation in violence because Hamas is a very small part of the overall Middle East peace. And they have to behave. Advertisement If not, they will be terminated, Trump said. Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Japan to South Korea on Wednesday. AP Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by handing over body parts this week that Israel said were partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of some of the remains on Monday, sharing a 14-minute, edited video from a military drone. Hamas replied in kind on Wednesday, saying the Israeli strikes reveal a clear Israeli intention to undermine the ceasefire agreement and impose new realities by force. The group also said in a statement that the US was offering Netanyahu political cover to carry on with its aggression in Gaza. The prime minister of Qatar, which mediated the ceasefire deal along with the US and Egypt, said there was a violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Palestinian party, but it was unclear if Hamas was affiliated with the gunmen responsible. Advertisement The fighting was very disappointing and frustrating for us, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Weve been engaging in a very intensive way with both parties in order to ensure that the ceasefire holds. The ceasefire deal requires Hamas to return all the remains of hostages in Gaza as soon as possible. Hamas has said it is struggling to locate the bodies of the hostages amid the vast destruction in Gaza, while Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza, and their slow return is complicating efforts to proceed to the ceasefires next phases, which address even thornier issues, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory. Israels two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Advertisement AP Get a note direct from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here. Across Jamaica, schoolyards once filled with the sounds of morning lessons have become sanctuaries from Hurricane Melissas fury. As the Category 5 storm bears down, hundreds of schools have been converted into emergency shelters, offering refuge to families fleeing coastal and low-lying communities. In Kingston, Montego Bay, and St Elizabeth, classrooms now hum with the shuffle of mattresses and cooking pots. Cooks prepare meals at a shelter set up in a school. AP The Ministry of Education confirmed that dozens of schools have been designated as official evacuation centres, coordinated through parish disaster committees. Shelter managers say turnout has risen sharply since Monday night as winds strengthened and floodwaters crept inland. 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They are often a direct response to sanctions and aim to operate under the radar to avoid detection and violate international regulations. Common tactics involve fake registration or flags to obscure ownership, and disabling or tampering with the vessel's tracking systems. Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia was hit with broad-ranging sanctions - including an embargo on Russian seaborne oil imports and a price cap on oil and oil products that restricts profits while still allowing sales below a certain price. The consequence of these sanctions means that Russia is unable to charter or insure tankers unless they comply with the oil price cap. So since then, Russia has increasingly relied on its shadow fleet to smuggle oil and natural gas to valuable markets in the global south, allowing it to continue profiting from its lucrative market in oil to fund the war in Ukraine. The ships are often registered and re-registered, and change their names frequently, making them difficult to track. This, coupled with other illicit tactics including ship-to-ship transfers, falsified positions and transmission of false data, means that they are able to conceal the origins of the cargo. In many cases, these ships are also registered in small, impoverished countries that lack the means and will to enforce maritime law. What complicates matters is the uncertainty of maritime law when it comes to the legality of false-flagging - where a ship claims to be registered in one country but is in fact registered in another. It is still unclear whether ships with false flags can legally travel within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of countries, which extend 200 nautical miles from a state's coast. Further, the ships are often old and falling apart, which raises significant environmental concerns. An investigation by Source Material and Politico found nine instances of the "creaky" vessels leaving large oil spills in the oceans, with dire consequences for marine life and the environment. Further, the practice of switching off a ship's transponders to avoid detection can increase the chance of an accident at sea and a resultant oil leakage. Lack of insurance can further exacerbate the issue, as no one is responsible for these spillages. In some cases, the ships have also damaged undersea communication and electricity cables in EU waters. A recent investigation led by Follow the Money found that Western shipowners received more than 6 billion dollars by selling old oil tankers to a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil. The investigation found that while the EU has been ramping up sanctions on these vessels, not much has been done to prevent the sale by EU states to Russia. What are the EU sanctions? The EU has now sanctioned 557 in the Russian shadow fleet. This means that these ships are subject to a port access ban and a ban on the provision of services related to maritime transport. These measures target non-EU tankers that are part of the shadow fleet that are circumventing the oil price cap mechanism, supporting Russias energy sector, or transporting stolen Ukrainian grain or military equipment for Russia. There is also now a ban on reinsuring vessels belonging to the shadow fleet, as well as the listing of maritime registries that provide false flags. How does the shadow fleet affect Ireland? Ships have been observed taking circuitous routes from the Baltic Sea to the global south. Often, instead of taking the safest, shortest route through the English Channel and down the coast of France, ships have travelled around the British Isles into the North Atlantic before coming down through - or just skimming past - Ireland's EEZ. It has been speculated that this is due to increased monitoring in the English Channel, as well as Ireland's limited ability to monitor these ships. A recent Irish Times investigation found that nineteen shadow fleet vessels had passed through, or just outside, the Irish Economic Zone (EEZ) between May and the end of July this year. Many of those ships have shown unusual behaviour, such as taking economically inefficient routes or sailing well outside recognised shipping lanes. RTE found that 245 shadow vessels passed through Irelands maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) more than 450 times in the first seven months of this year. The risk of the shadow fleet in Irish water is threefold: energy security concerns, communications tampering, and environmental concerns. More than 80 per cent of gas used in Ireland comes through underwater pipes from Scotland, while there are plans to build enough offshore infrastructure to generate 37 gigawatts of electricity by 2050. Further, as reported by the Irish Times, former Tanaiste Simon Coveney said 75 per cent of transatlantic cables come through or very close to Irish-controlled waters. Ireland is therefore very vulnerable to potential threats to the core infrastructure that surrounds it. According to Declan Power, security and defence expert, disrupting the energy pipelines could be as simple as a ship "dragging an anchor across them", as the pipes are not too deep in the ocean, and are wider and "easier to damage" than fibre optic cables. What steps is Ireland taking? The Defence Forces and the Department of Transport have stepped up monitoring these vessels as they pass Ireland due to environmental and national security concerns. According to the Irish Examiner, the forthcoming Maritime Security Strategy - Ireland's first - will reportedly include stress testing the security of critical sub-sea infrastructure and new measures to tackle the shadow fleet. The Oireachtas Committee on Defence and National Security was told that new cross-Government coordination mechanisms allowing for the secure sharing of information, real-time analysis and better decision making were also likely to form part of the strategy. The Maritime Security Strategy is due to be submitted in draft form by officials in the Department of Defence to Tanaiste Simon Harris by the end of the year. GILBERT Smyth, a farmer from Ballywilliamroe near Bagenalstown, was awarded an excellence distinction by the Federation International De LArt Photographique (FIAP) at an awards ceremony in Dublin last week. The 67-year-old is an avid wildlife photographer which he explained is because of his day job as a farmer. Im a farmer and all my friends were farmers. I wanted something to clear my head. Im sitting up on my tractor every day, looking at nature and observing it. Ive been interested in photography all my life, said Gilbert. At the age of 13 or 14, he got the use of a fold-up bellows brownie camera for a party celebrating his parents and grandparents wedding anniversaries. He continued to take shots of his family and on holidays but grew bored and wanted to improve his skills. Mr Smyth was a member of the Carlow Photography Society between 2008 and 2022 but left to set up another photography group with seven others. One of Gilbert's award winning photos They travelled to Iceland in February of this year to capture the northern lights and really enjoyed it, we got a lot of photographs out of it. They plan to take a similar trip to Scotland later this year. He also does a yearly trip to Kinsale with his wife, hoping to capture the wild dear fighting in the mountains. He began the process of getting an international award for his photography during the covid-19 lockdown. It was a challenge for myself, he explained. The only one that you are competing against is yourself. He achieved his Artist FIAP award in 2022. For the excellence award - the next rung on the ladder of distinctions - he had to have at least 250 photographs accepted by a jury for inclusion in an exhibition or catalogue, in 20 different countries, 30 different salons (camera clubs) with a minimum of 50 different images. He began this process in June 2024 and managed to get 278 photographs accepted and around 50 awards. One of his photographs entitled Mr P won FIAP Gold in an Indian club last year. Besides wildlife, Gilbert is interested in landscapes and macrophotography capturing small things like mushrooms in incredible detail. He sees himself and other farmers as custodians of the land and wants to promote respect for it so that future generations can continue to live and make a living from the land. Fratco, a century-old leader in corrugated plastic pipe manufacturing, has broken ground on a new, state-of-the-art production facility in Fort Payne, Ala. The companys expansion into the South represents a major investment in the regions industrial base and will create approximately 50 to 60 new jobs in manufacturing, logistics and administration, officials said. The new facility marks Fratcos first ground-up plant in the Southeast, positioning the company to meet growing demand across the region. The decision followed an extensive multi-state site selection process, ultimately landing in DeKalb County for its skilled workforce, infrastructure advantages and exceptional community support, it was stated. The South isnt just growing - its evolving, said Bill Champion, Fratcos chief operating officer. We are thrilled to become part of that transformation. Fratcos leadership team said that Fort Payne offered the ideal combination of location, logistics and partnership. The company worked closely with the city of Fort Payne, the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority, the state of Alabama and Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) to bring the project to fruition under Alabamas new, competitive economic development laws. The 42,000-square-foot facility is being custom-built to optimize efficiency, flow and scalability. The plant will initially produce single- and double-wall corrugated pipe ranging from 3 to 18 inches in diameter, with plans to expand capacity up to 48 inches in future phases. DeKalb County rolled out the red carpet, Mr. Champion said. From local officials to community leaders, everyone worked tirelessly to make this happen. Its a perfect example of local collaboration driving regional success. Fratcos decision to put down roots in Fort Payne is another strong endorsement of Alabamas ability to support world-class manufacturers," said Ellen McNair, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. "This project highlights the teamwork that makes our state stand out - from local leaders in DeKalb County to our workforce partners at AIDT. Alabama is proud to welcome Fratco to our growing network of innovative manufacturers, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact theyll make in this community for years to come. Fratco choosing to locate their Southeastern manufacturing hub here reminds the world that DeKalb County is the proven place for business, said Brett Johnson, executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority. Their work will directly change the lives of many families in our region, and the ripple effect on our economy will last for generations. The city of Fort Payne is proud to see this project come out of the ground as we continue to diversify Fort Paynes industrial base, said Mayor Brian Baine. Fratcos location here continues our steady pace of growth of local employment opportunities." Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett on Monday announced that his office has referred the names of 42 individuals identified as potential non-U.S. citizens who voted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for further review. These names were identified using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, which he said has recently been enhanced to provide states with more accurate and timely data for verifying citizenship status. The referrals came after Tennessee compared 4 million records through the SAVE program. I am thankful that the federal government has offered this enhanced service, said Secretary Hargett. By working with our federal partners and using the enhanced SAVE program, we are taking proactive steps to ensure the integrity of Tennessees voter rolls. In a letter, President Donald Trump commended Secretary Hargetts efforts in keeping ineligible individuals off Tennessees voter rolls. Tennessee is proud to be ranked number one in the nation for election integrity for four consecutive years, Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins said. We will continue to safeguard the process so that every eligible vote counts and only eligible votes are cast. The Secretary of States office has transmitted the names to the FBI for investigation and possible enforcement action. Voter fraud is a felony with serious consequences. For more information about Tennessees election integrity efforts, visit sos.tn.gov/elections. A man who police say shot and killed two fellow employees at a plastics plant in Cleveland has taken his own life. Police had surrounded the suspect's home on Samples Chapel Road. He was later found dead inside. The victims were identified as Tobias Gleinig and Ivan Aldergot, the company vice president. Cleveland Police said, "On Monday at approximately 10:21 a.m., officers from the Cleveland Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at Barku Plastics, located at 131 Corporate Drive SW. "Upon arrival, officers discovered two deceased men, both identified as employees of Barku Plastics.The incident is being investigated as a double homicide. "Investigators identified a possible suspect who fled the scene in a vehicle. That vehicle was later located at a residence in Bradley County, outside the Cleveland city limits. "After several hours of a coordinated tactical operation, law enforcement utilized a robot and drone to make entry into the residence. Inside, officers located one deceased male in a bedroom, believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "We are awaiting confirmation from the Medical Examiners Office to identify the suspect." The Cleveland Police Department is working closely with the Bradley County Sheriffs Office and other partnering agencies as the investigation continues. Police said, "We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the following agencies for their assistance during the tactical operation and investigative response: Cleveland Police Department Bradley County Sheriffs Office Chattanooga Police Department Hamilton County Sheriffs Office 10th Judicial District Attorneys Office Tennessee Homeland Security Federal Bureau of Investigation Bradley County 911 Bradley County Emergency Medical Services Bradley County Emergency Management Agency Bradley County Fire Department Cleveland Fire Department Tennessee Highway Patrol Cleveland Animal Control 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force Medical Examiners Office Hamilton County Emergency Medical Services Cleveland Police said, "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families, friends, and coworkers of Mr. Gleinig and Mr. Aldergot during this tragic time." The Lee University Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Andy Harnsberger and Dr. Caitlin Jones, will host its fall concert on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Pangle Hall. This is a very diverse program, featuring pieces that are easy to listen to as well as works that are extremely demanding, said Dr. Harnsberger, professor of percussion. This program has something for everyone from the catchy, melodic writing of Trevino to the monumental percussive style of Xenakis. The audience is sure to be entertained from beginning to end. The performance will include Watercolor Sun, Van Gogh from Space, Mallet Trio, Three Scenes From the Desert, and Okho. Mallet Trio was written by Elijah Caligiuri, a Lee master of music student. The Percussion Ensemble performs a wide variety of music written expressly for percussion, which allows students to experience a variety of music including contemporary genres, world music, and improvisation. Selections range from chamber works for three to four performers to works utilizing many instruments. The group presents fall and spring concerts annually. Along with conducting percussion ensemble, Dr. Harnsberger is in demand as a recitalist and clinician across the country and internationally, presenting clinics and masterclasses at as many as 40 universities per year. He is also a performing artist and clinician for Malletech Instruments and Mallets, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, Ltd., and Grover Pro Percussion. Dr. Jones is an American percussionist who has performed across the United States as a marimba soloist and as a member of the Harnsberger/Jones Duo. She is a proponent for the advancement of solo and duo marimba repertoire and focuses on bringing new music to a variety of audiences. Dr. Jones has presented at Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion and throughout the U.S. on various topics, including health and wellness for musicians. This event is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. Livestream viewing will also be available at leeu.live. Pangle Hall is located on the corner of Church Street and Central Avenue. For more information, contact Lees School of Music at (423) 614-8240 or music@leeuniversity.edu. The Collegiate Conference of the South released its weekly award winners for volleyball on Monday afternoon with Covenant's Cali Sandhoff named Player of the Week. This is the second week in a row she has won this award.Sandhoff was an integral player for the Scots in a busy five-match week where they went 3-2 with victories over Spalding, Piedmont, and LaGrange.The Lookout Mountain native finished the week with 74 assists (3.89 per set), 49 digs (2.57 pet set), and 33 kills (1.70 per set).She also posted 13 total blocks in these five matches. Her strong play resulted in three double-doubles in the post-game box score.Sandhoff and the Scots return to the court on Saturday in Montgomery, Alabama for a CCS Tri-Match with Agnes Scott and Huntingdon. A Dade County jury convicted Tyler Blake Gamble, 32, of trafficking fentanyl and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute on Oct. 22, after a three-day trial in the Superior Court of Dade County. The evidence presented at trial showed that Gamble, who was on parole for a possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute conviction out of Cobb County, and was under investigation for selling several ounces of methamphetamine to a buyer in DeKalb County, Al., on April 17, 2024. Agents with the DeKalb County Narcotics and Criminal Interdiction Unit shared intelligence with Commander Casey York of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force. Acting on that information, Commander York obtained and executed a search warrant for Gambles Trenton residence that same day. When agents entered the home, Gamble was present and found carrying 47 pressed fentanyl tablets and $6,370 in cash in his pants pocket. Gamble admitted he was out of methamphetamine because he had sold it all earlier that day and told agents he planned to re-up from his Atlanta supplier the next morning. He further confessed to trafficking methamphetamine into Dade County on a regular basis. Testing by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab confirmed the fentanyl tablets weighed 4.8 grams, a trafficking amount under Georgia law. Immediately after the verdict, Superior Court Judge Chris Arnt sentenced Gamble to 40 years, with 25 years to serve in the Georgia Department of Corrections. The case was investigated by Commander Casey York of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force and prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Deanna Reisman. District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller praised the verdict, the sentence, and the teamwork. He said, This community won today thanks to the relentless work of Commander York, our Drug Task Force, and the citizens who stood up and said, Not here. Gamble thought he was holding all the cards. The jury called his bluff. When you gamble with peoples lives in Dade County, youll find out real quick here justice never folds. A Criminal Court jury on Wednesday sentenced gang leader Andre Grier to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the May 2016 murder of Bianca Horton. The jury on Tuesday had deliberated three hours before finding gang leader Grier guilty of the murder of state witness Bianca Horton. Then the state had asked the jury from Anderson County to order the death penalty for him. Instead, the panel went to the opposite extreme. The other choice was life without the possibility of parole. In the penalty phase of the trial, the jury heard additional proof, then had the three choices. Grier earlier was found guilty of all five charges - first-degree felony murder, first-degree pre-mediated murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping. Police said Ms. Horton was killed because she was ready to testify against an Athens Park Bloods gang member, Cortez Sims. Police said Sims burst into the home of Ms. Horton at the College Hill Courts and shot a rival gang member in 2015. He also killed a woman who was at the house, shot Ms. Horton and shot her daughter, Zoe, leaving her paralyzed. Ms. Horton was killed four months before she was due to testify against Sims in Criminal Court. Sims was still convicted and is serving a life prison sentence. Prosecutors said Grier and others planned the murder of Ms. Horton. She was followed from her work on Quintus Loop, abducted outside her home at the Stone Ridge Apartments, and killed on an isolated street behind the old King's Lodge on the side of Missionary Ridge. She was shot six times, including several shots that by themselves would have been fatal, and her body was dumped beside Elder Street. Also charged in the case were Courtney High and Charles Shelton. High pleaded guilty and got a life prison sentence. Shelton died in jail of COVID. Ms. Horton, who was 26, had four children. A brother of Ms. Horton, who was called by the state during the penalty phase, said the children "have managed to get through it. They have been motivated to make their lives better." He said of the situation, "What happened was in God's will. That's the only answer I could give them." The brother said Zoe is now 13 and is attending school. The defense called an aunt of Grier, who said Andre had a troubled childhood. She said his father declined to marry his mother, which caused the mother to pull back from young Andre. She said at one point that Andre was taken in by a relative with a fine home in Brainerd, but that ended when she was killed in a car wreck. The aunt said the mother took him back and Andre lived with her and his sisters and brother. She said the family regularly attended church. But she said the mother eventually began using drugs and living on the streets, neglecting the children. Afterward, Andre was in state care and lived in a group home, she said. The aunt said when he "aged out" of state care he "began getting these little girlfriends and having babies." She said he has six children. She said he was no longer interested in church. Questioned by the state, the aunt said his older and younger sister have done well and have good jobs. With Axel Schwerdtfeger, the WIKA Group has recruited an experienced leader and expert from the industry. He has been appointed as Executive Vice President of the Process Solutions company division, effective 1 October. As a member of the Management Board, he will also contribute significantly to shaping and executing the global business strategy of the measurement technology manufacturer. Axel Schwerdtfeger will focus on the strategic development of the company divisions product and service portfolio, including that of its affiliated subsidiaries. His priorities also include delivering innovative solutions with high added value for customers and driving continuous optimisation of business processes. Global megatrends such as digitalisation and decarbonisation are fundamentally reshaping business requirements while simultaneously opening up vast opportunities for innovation and growth, says Axel Schwerdtfeger. With our broad technology portfolio, international orientation and strong internal collaboration, we at WIKA are ideally positioned to actively shape this transformation. I look forward to working with our customers to develop forward-looking solutions that deliver genuine added value. Prior to joining WIKA, Axel Schwerdtfeger served as CTO and member of the Executive Board at HAWE Hydraulik SE, a Munich-based manufacturer of mechatronic and hydraulic components and systems. Over 20 years, he held various roles at the international family-owned company with global subsidiaries, including a two-year tenure as COO of its branch in Shanghai, China. He holds a degree in industrial engineering. Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Salem Ochidi A U.S. congressmember and Christian religiousfreedom advocates are urging the Trump administration to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern amid escalating attacks on Christians after the Biden administration removed the designation. Approximately three dozen prominent religious freedom leaders have endorsed a letter to President Donald Trump asking the U.S. State Department to place Nigeria back on the CPC list under the International Religious Freedom Act. The appeal underscores worsening conditions in the Middle Belt, stating that several years have seen a burgeoning of violent attacks specifically targeting rural Christians in the country's Middle Belt, while the government in Abuja barely lifts a finger to protect them. Citing statutory thresholds, the letter argues for action by noting, U.S. law warrants CPC designation when a country is found to be 'tolerating' serious violations of religious freedom, as well as when itself carries out violations. Nigerias CPC statusfirst applied in the final year of the first Trump administrationwas removed by the Biden administration in 2021. The authors contend that Abuja both violates and tolerates abuses: The Nigerian government is directly violating religious freedom by enforcing Islamic blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty and harsh prison sentences against citizens of various religions. It also demonstrably tolerates relentless aggression uniquely against Christian farming families by militant Fulani Muslim herders, who appear intent on forcibly Islamizing the Middle Belt. Notable signers include Nina Shea of the Hudson Institutes Center for Religious Freedom; former Congressman Frank Wolf, a longtime champion of international religious liberty; Focus on the Family CEO Jim Daly; and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. Their letter comes after a similar letter by Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.V., called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, following a sharp rise in killings, kidnappings and displacement across the West African country. Moore referenced NGO data estimating that more than 7,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria in the first seven months of 2025, calling it a horrific slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ in a message on X. In July, Moore joined Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to introduce a concurrent resolution denouncing persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority nations and urging the administration to leverage trade and security talks to press for reforms. Adding to the alarm, Open Doors has continued to report that Nigeria is the deadliest country in the world for Christians, warning that more believers are killed there each year for their faith than in all other countries combined. Attorney Botrus Mansour, secretary general?designate of the World Evangelical Alliance, delivers his first address to the WEA General Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 26, 2025. | Photo credit: Christian Daily International/ Hudson Tsuei Opening its 14th General Assembly on Monday morning at Sarang Church, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) set the theme as The Gospel for Everyone by 2033. Running Oct. 2731, the gathering began with WEA Executive Chair the Rev. Goodwill Shana calling Evangelicals to renewed unity and long-range vision as they look toward 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of Christs resurrection. This assembly is more than a meeting, Shana said. It is a gathering of a family, a time to pray together, think together, and reimagine how the WEA can serve the global Church in the years ahead. Framing the event as a historic pivot for the Alliance, Shana noted the transition to a new International Council and the handover to a new Secretary General, stressing that WEAs strength is rooted not in structure but in relationships linking churches and leaders worldwide. We are Evangelicals united for global transformation, he said. Across nations and cultures, we come together to demonstrate the unity that Christ gives. Attorney Botrus Mansour, the secretary generaldesignate who will assume leadership at the close of the assembly, delivered an inaugural address. It is very touching to see brothers and sisters from all around the world, bound together in the blood of Christ, Mansour said, reflecting on Psalm 133 and John 17 to underline the biblical mandate for unity. Jesus prayed, Let them be one as we are one, he said. Just imagine the closeness of that unity like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is the kind of bond we are called to live out. Affirming the Evangelical movements diversity of languages, cultures, and traditions, Mansour argued that difference should fortify, not fracture, the global Church. We are diverse, he said, but the wall of separation has been demolished. We are one in Christ. Lets celebrate that in this conference and walk together to fulfill the mission God has given us. Representing the host region, Asia Evangelical Alliance chair Godfrey Yogarajah welcomed delegates and cast the assembly as a milestone for global Evangelical collaboration. Asia, with its rich heritage and Evangelical growth, is privileged to host this General Assembly, he said. Together, we stand united in faith and vision to strengthen the church, deepen fellowship, and extend Christs love worldwide. The Rev. Seok-soon Im, chairman of the Korea Evangelical Fellowship, offered greetings on behalf of the Korean church, thanking Sarang Church and Yoido Full Gospel Church for their partnership in hosting. Across the week, delegates will gather for worship and prayer, hear panels, and participate in strategic conversations designed to enhance cooperation among national and regional alliances. Home News Catholic University of America students try to ban pro-Israel groups from campus Days after a group of around 50 protesters at Catholic University of America disrupted an event featuring two Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, the school's Student Government Association Senate proposed a resolution to ban any club from campus that supports Israel. Felipe Avila, a nursing student at CUA and the president of the school's Students Supporting Israel group, told The Christian Post that the organization has only received "dismissive responses" from the university administration after repeatedly expressing concern about "the hostile environment and selective policy enforcement." "The administration's failure to act created a vacuum, which is now being filled by students who feel empowered to push bigoted legislation built on outright deception," Avila stated. On Monday evening, the SGA Senate at the university in Washington, D.C., considered "Resolution 004: A Resolution to Advocate For A Ban on Clubs in Support of a Nation(s) Commissioning a Genocide." The SGA Senate voted to send the measure back to committee, which tables it for two weeks, according to Avila. While the original resolution stated, "There is a club officially recognized by the school that unapologetically supports the state of Israel, a Nation condemned by the United Nations of commissioning a genocide," Resolution 004 states that there "is a club(s) recognized by the school that unapologetically supports a Nation(s) condemned by the Human Rights council of genocide." The updated resolution calling for CUA to ban student-led groups that support Israel also referenced The Olive Branch, which was "disbanded by the University administration for allegedly supporting Hamas as well as other anti Catholic doctrines." Earlier this year, The College Fix reported that The Olive Branch had promoted on social media a December event called "Queeraoke: A Night of Drag & Karaoke for Palestine." Both versions of the resolution state, "Supporting a Nation or organization that is actively pursuing inexcusable evil, such as genocide or terrorism, acts in a way that is contrary to the faith of the Catholic Church." In each resolution is a list of requests, including a call for CUA to ban any club that advocates on behalf of a "Nation that is commissioning a genocide." "This deceptive measure is a profound betrayal of our Catholic intellectual tradition," Avila told CP. "Our university is built on the pursuit of truth, not the suppression of it. This resolution is an admission of intellectual defeat, a sign that its arguments are too weak for open debate and must be shielded by an outright ban. More speech, not less, is the answer." The SGA Senate also voted down a resolution to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, with the measure failing by a vote of 14 against, 7 in favor and one abstention. According to Avila, the vote followed a "contentious floor debate." "We witnessed senators on the floor of our own student government denying the Jewish people's long history of discrimination and struggle," the SSI president said. "To have our peers legitimize these tropes and then, in the same breath, refuse to even adopt the IHRA definition is a chilling and profound moral failure." "Sixty years ago, the Catholic Church built a bridge with the Jewish people in Nostra Aetate," he continued. "Last night, our student government dismantled the tools needed to maintain that bridge. This vote signals a profound disregard for the university's Catholic values and gives a green light to the very hate Nostra Aetate was meant to extinguish." One of the co-sponsors of the resolution to ban pro-Israel groups from CUA, Joshua Ortiz, organized an anti-Israel demonstration on Oct. 20 at CUA in response to SSI hosting two IDF soldiers, according to The Tower, the university's newspaper. In a statement supporting the resolution, Ortiz declared that the "university should not be complicit with genocide." "If our Lord was born today, He would be a corpse under the rubble," Ortiz added. Ortiz led a "sustained disruption" and attempted to "shout down" the IDF speakers, according to Avila, who asserted that Ortiz is now trying to "ban [SSI] entirely." The nursing student also accused CUA of violating its own demonstration policies by allowing "outside special interest groups with ties to extremist ideology to intimidate attendees on campus grounds." Joshua Ortiz did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. During the event earlier this month, SSI hosted IDF soldiers Ron Feingold and Chanoch Berman, who shared their testimonies and explained how they felt called to return to the IDF after the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack, which resulted in the massacre of at least 1,200 people and the abduction of over 240 others, led to Israel launching its military operation in Gaza to eradicate the terror group and secure the release of the hostages. According to Avila, around 200 CUA students, staff and faculty members attended despite disruptions from around 50 protesters. Video footage of Ortiz shows him disrupting the event, declaring that the IDF speakers are "war criminals" and that the state of Israel is a "criminal nation." Ortiz continued protesting outside after the Department of Public Safety escorted him out of the event venue. Speaking to a group of anti-Israel demonstrators outside, Ortiz declared, "There is no reason for war criminals and a terrorist state to be welcome on campus." Other protesters who spoke outside accused Israel of committing child murder and ethnic cleansing. Another demonstrator argued that the event featuring the IDF soldiers is "part of a larger program to recuperate the image of Israel and promote Zionism across college campuses." "This is a clear pattern of disparate treatment. First, the administration uses an obscure 'policy' as a pretext to remove our Oct. 7th memorial, and now, a student senator who has publicly declared himself an 'enemy of the Israeli state' and posted 'Down with the IDF' is pushing a deceptive bill to ban us entirely," Avila told CP. Earlier this month, CUA's staff removed SSI's Oct. 7 memorial display that the students set up to honor the victims murdered by Hamas. The group placed multiple Israeli flags on the campus lawn, only for the university to rescind its approval of the display and return the Israeli flags to SSI in a trash bag. In a statement to CP, CUA spokeswoman Karna Lozoya acknowledged the "deep disappointment" SSI members felt the morning of Oct. 7 when they saw their memorial removed. Lozoya said that the memorial violated the university's flags policy, which states that only the flags authorized to be displayed in spaces on campus accessible to the public at large are the flag of the United States of America, the flag of the Vatican City, the flag of Washington, D.C. and any CUA flag that bears the university's seal. According to CUA's website, the policy "does not apply to the display of other flags at University-sponsored events." "That said, the University regrets that the enforcement of the policy coincided with a deeply significant day of remembrance for those affected by the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attack just two years ago," Lozoya told CP. The spokeswoman stressed that the enforcement of the policy "is not a reflection in any way of the University's views on and support of Israel," highlighting CUA President Peter Kilpatrick's letter to the campus community following the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Avila argued that CUA makes exceptions for other student groups, sharing a photo with CP of the Palestinian flag and flags of other countries displayed inside campus buildings. In response to a follow-up question from CP, another spokesperson explained that the policy applies to campus locations that are "accessible to the public at large." The SSI president believes that CUA's "inside vs. outside claim" is another "sloppy, tired excuse from an administration whose story keeps changing." "It's a desperate distraction from the simple, chilling fact that they tore down a peaceful memorial for 1,200 victims of Hamas terror," Avila added. 6 injured in blast targeting official's convoy in SW Pakistan Xinhua) 09:20, October 28, 2025 ISLAMABAD, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Six people, including five personnel of the paramilitary Levies Force, were injured in a bomb blast targeting the convoy of a senior government official in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Monday, local officials said. The explosion occurred in Turbat city of Kech district when a remote-controlled device planted in a motorcycle was detonated as the convoy of Deputy Commissioner Major (retired) Bashir Barech passed by, officials from the Levies Control Room Turbat told Xinhua. Five Levies personnel and a passerby were injured in the attack, said a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, adding that the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The deputy commissioner remained unhurt, though one of the vehicles in his convoy was severely damaged, according to the Levies officials. Security forces and police cordoned off the area following the explosion and launched a search operation, the officials added. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) Home News Evangelical aid groups gear up to send relief to victims of Hurricane Melissa Multiple Christian charity organizations are gearing up to deploy resources to Jamaica as the Caribbean island country faces the wrath of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that made landfall on Tuesday with winds of up to 180 miles per hour. In a statement shared with The Christian Post on Monday, the Convoy of Hope announced it is coordinating with local partners and contacts to send "truckloads of essential supplies" to support survivors in the days ahead, including food, clean drinking water, hygiene kits, baby care items, and other necessities. "Convoy of Hope is actively mobilizing resources and team members to meet the needs of the people of Jamaica," said Convoy of Hope Spokesperson Ethan Forhetz. "This is a catastrophic storm, and so many people need our help. Convoy is committed to delivering hope to Jamaica as quickly as possible." There are several dangers posed by the storm, including up to 40 inches of rain, wind speeds exceeding 180 miles per hour and a storm surge of over 10 feet. Citing the National Hurricane Center, Convoy of Hope fears Hurricane Melissa will cause "severe infrastructure damage" that could cut off communities. The most recent update from the National Hurricane Center detailed that the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 185 miles per hour. "We're ready to help for the long haul," Forhetz added. "Our goal is to stand with communities not only in the days after disaster strikes, but through the years of recovery that follow." Operation Blessing, the humanitarian arm of the Christian Broadcasting Network, announced that it was "preparing to deploy to assist affected communities as soon as conditions allow safe travel." The services Operation Blessing plans to provide include portable water purification systems, solar lanterns, and hygiene supplies. It signaled an intention to partner with local churches to distribute food, water and medical aid. "Our hearts are with the people of Jamaica as they endure this devastating storm," stated Operation Blessing Senior Director of Global Disaster Response Diego Traverso. "As soon as it is safe to do so, our teams will deploy to deliver clean water, emergency supplies, and other critical aid to help families begin the recovery process." The North Carolina-based Evangelical charity Samaritan's Purse announced Tuesday that it is "already preparing to respond as needed with disaster relief specialists, materials, and aircraft all on standby." In addition to urging supporters to "be in prayer for all those in the path of this major storm," Samaritan's Purse vowed to "help meet urgent needs related to shelter, water, hygiene, food, and medical issues" and stressed its "ability to deploy our Emergency Field Hospital." The projected path of Hurricane Melissa, as compiled by the National Hurricane Center, shows that it could take several days before conditions are safe enough for relief organizations to deploy to the region. The storm is expected to remain a major hurricane, with winds exceeding 110 miles per hour, through Wednesday morning. Hurricane Melissa is forecasted to hover over the Caribbean islands, including Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic through Wednesday before heading north towards Bermuda on Thursday. By Friday, the storm is expected to continue moving out to sea, losing hurricane status on Saturday. Home News Israel weighs harsh response after Hamas hands over remains of previously returned Israeli hostage The remains that were handed over to Israel by the terror organization Hamas overnight belonged to the body of Israeli hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had previously been returned and buried, Israeli officials confirmed Tuesday morning. "After the completion of the identification process this morning, it was determined that last night remains belonging to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati were returned remains that had already been brought back from Gaza in a military operation about two years ago. The family has been notified," the Prime Minister's Office stated. "This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold a security consultation with the heads of the defense establishment to discuss Israels response to these violations." After six days without returning any of the 13 hostage bodies the terror group still holds in Gaza, Hamas announced it would hand over a casket late Monday evening. The remains were transferred into Israeli territory by the IDF and taken to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir for identification around midnight. However, in the morning, it was reported that the remains belonged to Tzarfati, who was kidnapped on Oct. 7 from the Nova music festival and murdered in Hamas captivity. His body was retrieved from Gaza by IDF troops in November 2023. Israel is now weighing a harsh response to the provocation. This cannot go without a response, an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on the way to give another court testimony when the reports were published. The judges later granted a request to cut short his testimony so that he could convene the security cabinet to discuss the issue. The meeting will include Israels top security leadership, Army Radio reported, and the military will present three main options to the prime minister. These reportedly include limiting humanitarian aid, taking control of more territory in the Gaza Strip, and more targeted eliminations of Hamas leaders. However, a senior security source told the outlet: Much depends on receiving a green light from the United States for imposing sanctions on Hamas. It is not certain that the U.S. will approve. Even more incensing were earlier reports by Army Radio, which quoted IDF reservists who testified that Hamas might have staged the discovery of the remains that were transferred later on Monday. Several politicians called on the prime minister to respond harshly to Hamas violation of the ceasefire terms. The group has been slow-walking the return of the remaining hostage bodies, claiming it doesnt know their locations. Meanwhile, Israel estimates that the terror group either holds or knows the locations of nearly all remaining bodies. Blue and White leader Benny Gantz wrote on X: Hamas's violations cannot remain without a harsh response otherwise, we have done nothing and returned to October 6, [2023]. The fact that Hamas continues to play games and not immediately hand over all the bodies of our fallen is in itself evidence that the terrorist organization is still standing on its feet. The time has come to break those legs once and for all, said National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir. Now we do not need to exact a price from Hamas for the violations. We need to take its very existence and destroy it completely in accordance with the central goal defined for the War of Redemption. Mr. Prime Minister, enough hesitation give the order! Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Netanyahu to convene the small cabinet for a discussion in order to formulate a firm and decisive package of responses and to ensure we stand by the main objective of the war: the destruction of Hamas and the removal of the threat posed by Gaza to the citizens of Israel. We cannot allow Hamas to mock Israeli citizens and cynically play with the emotions of the families of the fallen hostages, he added. Monday nights handover was the first in six days and came shortly before a 48-hour deadline set by U.S. President Trump expired. Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, he wrote, Lets see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely. On Monday, security officials had told Walla News that Israel is weighing five options to respond to Hamass violations. These were said to include capturing more ground in Gaza, targeted eliminations, retrieving hostage remains militarily, increasing diplomatic pressure, and finally, canceling the ceasefire agreement. This article was originally published by All Israel News. Home News Lawmaker calls on Trump to consider 'sanctions,' other measures to fight Christian persecution A Pennsylvania state senator is set to introduce a resolution condemning the "worldwide persecution of Christians," describing it as a "human rights catastrophe" that meets, in many cases, the threshold of "religious genocide." Sen. Doug Mastriano, who was the Republican nominee in the 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, announced the planned resolution in an Oct. 20 memo highlighting the Open Doors statistic that more than 380 million Christians who live under the threat of persecution worldwide, facing imprisonment, forced conversion, mob violence, and systematic suppression of worship. Calling Christians the most targeted faith community on Earth, Mastriano said that "This persecution takes many forms imprisonment, forced conversion, mob violence, and systematic suppression of worship. Yet the goal is the same everywhere: to silence the Gospel and erase its followers." "In the near future, I will introduce a resolution condemning in the most unequivocal terms the worldwide persecution of Christians," Mastriano wrote. "What we are witnessing today is not mere intolerance or unrest. It is a human rights catastrophe and, in many nations, a coordinated campaign of religious genocide." The resolution points to blasphemy laws in Pakistan being "wielded as weapons of terror," often leading to false accusations that ignite mobs and result in lynchings, home burnings, and community destruction. It cites specific incidents, including the destruction of Christian neighborhoods like Joseph Colony in Lahore and Gojra City, as well as the 2023 attacks in Jaranwala, where mobs burned more than 20 churches and hundreds of homes. Recounting a pair of deadly attacks in Quetta in April 2018, when gunmen attacked an innocent Christian family, leaving four dead and one wounded, the resolution states that, hours later, "assailants on motorcycles opened fire on innocent Christians outside a church in Essa Nagri, killing Rashid Khalid and Azhar Iqbal and wounding three others. These back-to-back attacks underscored the grave persecution faced by Christians in Pakistan." Young Christian girls in Pakistan, said Mastriano, are "routinely kidnapped, raped, forced into marriage, and coerced to convert," with justice seekers facing threats or death, according to the memo. In China, the resolution accuses the government of waging "open war on faith itself" by demolishing churches, removing crosses, imprisoning pastors and using AI surveillance to monitor attendance. "House church" networks have been infiltrated, raided, and shut down, while children are barred from services and believers are ordered to replace images of Christ with portraits of Xi Jinping. The resolution depicts Haiti as a hotbed of lawlessness where gangs burn, loot and occupy churches, kidnapping priests and nuns at gunpoint for ransom or murder, including an incident which involved a gang storming a Christian orphanage in Port-au-Prince, abducting children and workers. "Christian institutions, once the lifeline of hope, education, and charity, are now under siege from heavily armed gangs who rule entire neighborhoods," said Mastriano. The resolution identifies Nigeria as the site of the most intense persecution, with thousands of Christians killed each year by groups like Boko Haram and Fulani militias more than in all other countries combined, Open Doors has warned. Pointing out how tens of thousands have been murdered over the past decade, with villages burned and mass graves marking wiped-out communities, Mastriano emphasized the human suffering behind the numbers. "Behind every statistic lies a life a mother shielding her children from a mob, a pastor preaching forgiveness as his church burns, a child clutching a Bible while fleeing through smoke and rubble," he added. The resolution aims to reaffirm Pennsylvania's solidarity with persecuted Christians and its commitment to religious liberty, and officially calls on President Donald Trump, the secretary of state and Congress to take several steps to protect religious liberty across the world. Those steps include formally recognizing the persecution of Christians worldwide "as a grave human rights crisis and, in many cases, as genocide under international law," and imposing "targeted sanctions" and other measures against regimes hostile to Christianity. Mastriano quoted Pennsylvania founder William Penn: "True godliness doesn't turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it, and excites their endeavors to mend it." The push for increased protection of Christians worldwide comes amid reports of worsening persecution. The International Society for Human Rights announced at a press conference held earlier this month in Berlin, Germany, that Christian persecution has "increased significantly in both quantity and intensity." Home News Rick Warren lists 5 things Christian leaders must do to win the world for Christ 'Most Christians don't understand: We don't get blessed for knowing the Bible; we get blessed for doing' SEOUL, South Korea In an impassioned call for Christian leaders to emulate Jesus model for ministry, renowned evangelist and church planter Rick Warren listed five things faithful believers must do to win the world for Christ and it includes one of the most overlooked verses in the Bible. Speaking to an in-person audience of 850 international Christian leaders from 124 nations and over 4,000 Korean pastors all gathered at SaRang Church on Monday night for the first day of the World Evangelical Alliances 14th General Assembly, Warren, who founded and led Saddleback Church in California for over 40 years, said the method he uses isnt one from America or any other nation, its Gods method, which means it's perfect. Having led the "only church in Christian history to plant a church in 197 countries, Warren's work through the Finishing the Task coalition is aligned with the WEAs mission to fulfill the Great Commission by 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The theme of this years general assembly is rooted in Ephesians 2:1318 and reflects the WEAs commitment to ensuring that every person hears and has the opportunity to respond to the Gospel within the next eight years. Expressing his appreciation for his brothers and sisters at SaRang Church which has over 60,000 members for their devotion to sharing the Gospel worldwide, Warren said he knows of megachurches that are not healthy and have no interest in sharing the Good News on a global scale. So why should the WEA and other like-minded individuals, pastors and ministry leaders take up Jesus model over the next eight years, he asked. To answer that question, Warren pointed to one of the most overlooked verses in the entire Bible and Jesus own words. Probably most pastors in this room have never preached on this verse: John 12:49. In the verse, Jesus says, For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandmentwhat to say and what to speak. Warren, who previously shared that in his over four decades of ministry he has baptized 54,000 new believers, listed the five things that Jesus did in His ministry that the global Body of Christ must take up to complete the task at hand. Reiterating Jesus words in the book of John, Warren said that knowing how to say it is the biblical foundation for finishing the task of the Great Commission. If there was a better way to win the world, Jesus would've used it, he added, lamenting that Many of us in our churches only get half the blessing of Jesus because we adopt this message, but we do not adopt this method. Jesus' method can work anywhere, Warren said. I've seen the Jesus model of ministry work in the desert, in very small villages and in giant megacities. It is transcultural, he assured, summarizing the steps in the acronym PEACE: pass on the good news; equip disciples; alleviate suffering preaching, teaching and healing; continually pray and lastly, establish new churches. If you want the blessing of God on your life, if you want the power of God in your life, if you want the anointing of God on your life, you must care about what Jesus cares about most. He wants His lost children found. And as long as there's one person that doesn't know Him, we are commanded to keep reaching out, he declared, pointing to verses John 4:34, John 5:36 and John 6:38. When Jesus was speaking with the 12 disciples and shared with them that He had set the example for them to follow, Warren said He wasnt just talking about washing their feet, He was referring to everything He taught them for three-and-a-half years. That's the model, Warren insisted, pointing to John 13:17 and John 17. This is something most Christians don't understand. We don't get blessed for knowing the Bible. We get blessed for doing, he declared. The Bible says be doers of the Word. Almost every sermon, Jesus says, Go and do likewise. Jesus preached and healed, and the global Church has been following that model by preaching, teaching and healing through the building of churches, schools and hospitals, he added. This is part of the model of Christ. This is why in every nation of the world, the first hospital and the first university were started by a Christian mission. Warren closed his 55-minute sermon on following the model of Jesus by challenging those gathered at the WEA GA to not only preach the message of Jesus, but to be mentored in how to follow the model of Jesus: Do evangelism as He did; disciple as He did, and do ministry to the poor and the sick and the hurting. Pray like He did and build this church like He did. If we learn not just the message but the method of Jesus, we will win the world in the next eight years. On Wednesday night, Warren will share two additional models: how the first church in Jerusalem in the book of Acts carried out Jesus' mandate, and the third model of Gods Word as seen in the example of Paul. Home News Billy Graham of Asia Stephen Tong rebukes hypocritical pastors indulging in sin, refusing to leave the pulpit SEOUL, South Korea Pastor Stephen Tong preached a fiery sermon at the World Evangelical Alliances General Assembly, rebuking hypocritical pastors who indulge in sin yet step up to the pulpit on Sundays to preach Gods holy word. Tong, the founder and senior pastor of the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia, known as the Billy Graham of Asia for his global evangelistic work, preaching to more than 37 million people over more than 66 years of ministry, admonished hypocritical pastors leading double lives. Shame on this kind of servant of God," he said. In his sermon titled to be a holy servant," Tong focused on the holiness of the Gospel message. If you want to be a servant of God, you promise to God to lead a holy life, the 85-year-old declared, detailing the purity of mind, speech and actions required of pastors to lead exemplary lives above reproach. I have seen so many pastors who commit sin, but every week they come up and preach, Tong recounted, rebuking such clergy in the strongest of terms as hypocrite leaders of the church. The Bible teaches that no one enters the Kingdom of God unless they repent, he said, pointing to John the Baptists first sermon in the wilderness of Judea, where he admonished people to "repent," followed by Jesus same message in Galilee where he said: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Expressing exasperation that his time to speak to the global body gathered at SaRang Church was limited to 15 minutes, Tong whose longest-ever sermon was 7.5 hours and second-longest was 5.5 hours in Jakarta implored those gathered not to prioritize politics or national supremacy, but to focus instead on the Kingdom of God. That was the message of Jesus, he said, lamenting many Christians obsession with earthly politics, and the destiny of their nation. Tong, president of the Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International (STEMI), criticized the faulty system of Charismatic church teachings about the Holy Spirit, saying the Holy Spirit was not given to heal the sick, cast out demons or enable Christians to speak in tongues, but was given to followers of Jesus Christ to strengthen their Gospel witness and share the good news. The point of giving the Holy Spirit to the Church, he added, is to help believers understand the Bible rightly; study the Bible accurately, and preach properly, and to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and share the Gospel. The Bible teaches us very clearly that if you dont repent, you dont enter the Kingdom of God. And the Bible teaches us very clearly, if you dont receive the Holy Spirit, you dont have the power to witness the Gospel. Tong, who also founded the Reformed Institute for Christianity and 21st Century in Washington, D.C., also condemned pastors who focus their messages on communism, capitalism or their national politics. A servant of God should preach only the Holy Bible, he declared. When your preaching is based on the Holy Bible, then you know that you have the Holy Spirit. When your preacher lives a holy life, then we know he has the holy spirit. Continuing his rebuke of pastors who brazenly step into the pulpit claiming to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them as they engage in debauchery, seek out prostitutes, or focus on amassing wealth and power, all while deceiving their followers, Tong added: Only a servant of God living in holiness can truly be a witness of the holy God." Tong consistently reiterated throughout his sermon that the most basic topic" of Jesus' preaching was the Kingdom of God. He closed his sermon by praying for all gathered who serve in ministry, asking God to purify their hearts and minds as they continue His work in the areas where they serve. The WEAs 14th General Assembly, held on Oct. 27-31, features numerous speeches by global church leaders, including world-renowned evangelist Rick Warren, along with panel topics ranging from global persecution and abortion to AI, church growth, and the importance of disability ministries that are saving the lives of people too often overlooked and underserved. The event has gathered 850 delegates from 124 countries, along with over 4,000 Korean pastors, making it one of the most globally diverse gatherings in the Evangelical movement. The figures were shared during a press briefing on Tuesday by WEA Director of Alliance Engagement Brad Smith, a media spokesperson for the event. Home News Texas doctor surrenders medical license after lawsuit over 'gender transition' drugs for minors A Texas physician has surrendered her medical license following a lawsuit accusing her of providing prohibited "gender transition" drugs to nearly two dozen minors in violation of state law. Paxton secured a Rule 11 agreement with Dr. May Lau, requiring her to cease all medical practice on patients while the lawsuit proceeds. While the surrender bars Lau from practicing medicine on children in Texas in the future, the case against Lau for violating state law remains active, Paxton said. Paxton sued Lau last year for prescribing high-dose cross-sex hormones to 21 minor patients for the purpose of "transitioning" to a gender opposite their biological sex. According to evidence cited by Paxton's office, the Dallas-area doctor also allegedly used false diagnoses and billing codes to cover up what Paxton called "unlawful prescriptions." "Doctors who permanently hurt kids by giving them experimental drugs are nothing more than disturbed left-wing activists who have no business being in the medical field," said Paxton. "May Lau has done untold damage to children, both physically and psychologically, and the surrendering of her Texas medical license is a major victory for our state. My case against her for breaking the law will continue, and we will not relent in holding anyone who tries to 'transition' kids accountable." Lau was one of three medical doctors sued by Paxton last fall for illegally prescribing so-called "gender transition" drugs to dozens of children. In addition to Lau, M. Brett Cooper and Hector Granados were also named in that suit. Lau and Cooper both entered into Rule 11 agreements, while Granados was placed under a court-ordered injunction preventing him from providing any "gender transition" drugs to children. The lawsuit stems from Senate Bill 14, a Texas law that took effect in September 2023 and was upheld by the Texas Supreme Court in June 2024. The measure prohibits "gender transition" medical interventions for minors, including surgeries, puberty blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones. Texas law mandates that the Texas Medical Board "shall revoke the medical license or other authorization to practice medicine of a physician who violates" the provisions of SB14. Evidence cited by Paxton's office showed Lau illegally provided the hormones to the minors despite the ban. "Texas passed a law to protect children from these dangerous unscientific medical interventions that have irreversible and damaging effects," said Paxton. "Doctors who continue to provide these harmful 'gender transition' drugs and treatments will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law." Since Sept. 2023, Texas and two dozen more states have adopted laws restricting or banning hormonal and surgical gender interventions for LGBT-identified minors. Under Senate Bill 14, medical interventions such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries like double mastectomy for female-born minors identifying as male are prohibited in the state of Texas, along with the use of state funds for such procedures in children. Home News The abortion lobby is coming for the Global South; no country is safe: UK apologist SEOUL, South Korea Christians from countries that are safely pro-life at the moment cannot presume they will stay that way, pro-life campaigner Dr. Calum Miller has said. Miller, an apologist and research fellow in bioethics at the University of Oxford, delivered a sobering assessment of the enormous strides made by the abortion movement globally in the last few decades in an address to the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) general assembly on Tuesday afternoon. He warned that even in socially conservative countries, or majority Christian, attitudes are rapidly changing. One example of this is the Philippines, where research on young people that he was involved in last year found that 70% support legalizing abortion. In the 11 years between the WEAs 2008 general assembly in Thailand and its following global gathering in Indonesia in 2019, he noted that some 27 countries had liberalized their abortion laws. One of them was Ireland, where, in 2013, only a third of the population said they supported abortion. Just five years later, two-thirds of the population voted to legalize it, including 85% of young people. This rapid generational shift is coming for the Global South as well, he said, warning that the liberalizing trend was spreading at a frightening pace in every region across the world. You might think that your country is a strongly conservative, Christian country, but the likely reality is that millions of dollars are pouring into your country to pressure your legislators and your young people to promote abortion, he said. Just some of the countries under pressure to loosen their abortion laws are Nigeria, Poland, Chile, Brazil, Haiti and Liberia. The WEAs general assembly is taking place across five days at SaRang Church in the South Korean capital of Seoul. Miller said it was sobering to meet in the country with the lowest birth rate in the world and at a time when its legislators are pushing for the legalization of abortion up to birth. Whether you live in the most conservative or the most liberal country in the world, this is something that will destroy the future of all of our countries, he said. Outside of Africa and the Pacific Islands, almost no countries have enough children even to survive. He said he was praying that Evangelicals would work together toward a profound moment of change, a moment for the people of God to choose life, not only in our own lives and in our churches but for our nations as well. This article was originally published at Christian Today Home News The Gospel is spreading at an explosive rate in Africa: 'Future of Christianity' SEOUL, Korea Evangelicalism is growing around the world, but nowhere more so than in Africa, where the increase has been explosive, says researcher Jason Mandryk. By contrast, growth in Western nations remains modest, he told the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) on the first day of its General Assembly. In a detailed presentation tracking growth, delegates heard how in 1960, Evangelicals accounted for only 8% of the global Body of Christ. Today, it stands at over 25%, said Mandryk, a Christian researcher with Operation World. The total number of Evangelicals worldwide, he estimates, sits between 600 million and 650 million. We are many , we are increasing, he said, explaining that the growth is down to a combination of factors, including natural reproduction, evangelism, and the Evangelization of Christians who weren't previously Evangelical. Around 70% of Christians, in general, many of them Evangelicals, live in Africa, Asia and Latin America, he said. In Africa specifically, this growth has gone hand-in-hand with rapid urbanization, with many rural Christians migrating to cities. So long as Evangelicals continue to prioritize family and the proclamation of the Gospel, he expects this growth to continue. Describing Evangelical churches in Africa as vibrant and quickly growing, Mandryk said nearly 70% of all Christian growth around the world was occurring in Africa alone and that the growth rates on the continent were astonishing. In some ways, this is not new, as the shift in global Christianity away from its traditional strongholds in the West has been in evidence since 1980, a year he described as a tipping point. The future of Christianity is already here, and it has already been here for 45 years. This is not new news, he said. The notion of Christianity and Evangelicalism as the white mans religion is rapidly shrinking in the rearview mirror. This raises some questions for Evangelicals, he said, specifically whether evangelicalism looks and acts and is led by the demographic realities on the ground or led by the vestiges of the past. What this rapid growth also means is that discipleship has to be amongst our very top priorities alongside pastoral training and leadership development. Elsewhere, Mandryk addressed the lack of agreement over what the term Evangelical means something that has long been debated within the movement. In addition to a dizzy array of definitions, the term Evangelical is sometimes being used unfairly, inaccurately, even harmfully, he asserted. There are many tribes of Evangelicals, many points of contention regarding what our priorities should be, and, therefore, it becomes necessary to acknowledge there is no one single definition to rule them all. It means different things to different people. And even being Evangelical means different things to different Evangelicals, he said. And apart from jettisoning this term entirely, which I don't think the WEA is very likely to do, we're going to have to operate in this reality that there is not a single understanding of what it means to be an Evangelical. What is important, he believes, is for Evangelicals to explain their beliefs with clarity and confidence to others, although this has not been made easier by the succession of scandals that have affected the Evangelical community in recent years, he said. Sadly, we must also recognize that we are, as Evangelicals, compromised. And this is not even solely or primarily because the word Evangelical has been co-opted by political agendas. It's because we have failed to live up to the Gospel that we preach. We've often presented a poor testimony to a leading world, he said. And as scandals continue to come to light within the Christian faith, our reputation has gone in some parts from being well-regarded as good people to the term Evangelical, becoming one of derision, almost synonymous with words like hypocritical, bigoted and hateful. Despite this, Evangelicalism worldwide has been doing a good job of retaining the next generation, particularly in Africa, where many young Evangelicals continue into adulthood with the Evangelical faith they were raised in by their parents. Joining Mandryk on the panel was David Tarus, of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa, who said that as the Church continues to grow on the African continent, there is an urgent need to increase access to quality theological education and training for pastors. An indication of the scale of the challenge, Tarus said that research by his organization found that 90% of African pastors have no formal theological training, while 79.5% do not have a bachelors degree or equivalent. A majority (87.9%) said that financial lack was a barrier to formal training, while over a quarter (27.4%) said time constraints were an issue. He said it was no wonder that African Christianity was being confronted with challenges like syncretism, the prosperity gospel, and divisions, and that it was critical that the Church think afresh about how it could help more African Christians access formal theological training. The Church, he cautioned, should not wait for people to come to our institutions for training, but take theological education to the local church and communities. Some work is already being done to offer informal training options alongside formal degrees, which, at four years long, are quite challenging for many pastors to commit to and therefore not able to meet the need of the growing Church in Africa. He gave the example of his own father, who had planted many churches despite never having a formal theological education. What he did have was informal training by Christians from such institutions who went out into the villages and taught under the trees. We need to begin imagining ways of developing such kind of leaders because those are the kind of leaders that the Church depends on, he said. This article was originally published at Christian Today Home News WEA GA draws 850 delegates from 124 nations, among most globally diverse gatherings in Evangelical mov't SEOUL, South Korea The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) General Assembly has gathered 850 participants from 124 nations, representing one of the most globally diverse gatherings in the Evangelical movement. The figures were shared during a press briefing on Tuesday by Brad Smith, WEA director of Alliance Engagement and media spokesperson for the event. Originally, more than 1,500 participants had registered for the Oct. 2731 assembly, but travel and visa challenges reduced the final attendance numbers. Smith said that the demographic composition of the assembly mirrors the broader reality of global Christianity today. We learned yesterday that 70 percent of the Christians in the world are from the Southern and Eastern areas. And we have 71 percent at this conference from those regions, he told journalists. So we reflect whats happening in the world. Of the 850 delegates present, 36% came from Asia and 21% from Africa, with additional representation from Europe (12%), North America (17%), Latin America (5%), the South Pacific (3%), the Middle East and North Africa (3%), Central Asia (1.5%), and the Caribbean (1.5%). Commenting on the two largest groups, he added that Africa sent 182 participants from 29 countries, including Kenya (27%), Burundi (12%), Rwanda (12%), South Africa (9%), and Cameroon (5%). Asias 299 participants from 21 countries included the largest contingents from India (29%), Pakistan (12%), the Philippines (11%), Nepal (9%) and Singapore (6%). Smith noted that the average participant age of 45 years marks a generational shift. If you have followed the World Evangelical Alliance, thats a lot younger than it has been in the past, he said. We are excited to see how much this general assembly reflects what God is doing among Evangelicals around the world. Serving a global family Describing the WEAs structure and mission, Smith emphasized that the alliance operates as a global family built around the strength of its national networks. The core of our work is building National Evangelical Alliances, he explained. The purpose of the World Evangelical Alliance is to be an umbrella to equip these national alliances. He elaborated on how the WEAs structure extends from the global level to the grassroots of local churches. Another way to look at it is that the World Evangelical Alliance serves nine regional alliances. Those nine regional alliances serve their national alliances. Each national alliance has members denominations, churches and key leaders in their country, Smith said. So the national alliances serve the denominations, who in turn serve local churches, and the local churches equip the saints for works of service throughout the church scattered, he continued. We are serving those on the front lines of the Gospel in churches and all sectors of society helping them to present, proclaim and demonstrate the Gospel. Calling the General Assembly a family gathering for the family to come and talk to each other, Smith said the week is about more than fellowship. Theyre all working on how they can improve their national alliances to become better and better in representing the Gospel in their nations, he said. The Church gathered from every region of the world to seek Gods direction together a truly global body sharing one faith and one mission. This article was originally published at Christian Daily International Home News Which states are the worst at protecting religious freedom of ministries and faith groups? A new report highlights which states have laws and policies on the books that are the friendliest and most hostile to faith-based nonprofits. The Napa Legal Institute released its 2025 Faith and Freedom Index on Monday. The report ranks each state on a scale of 0-100 based on its protections for religious nonprofit organizations. The overall score is based on a state's "religious freedom score" and its "regulatory freedom score." Senior Counsel and Napa Legal Institute Director of Content Frank DeVito said the index is a "powerful tool for lawmakers to see where they must add protections, strengthen existing state laws, or repeal harmful state laws." A state's religious freedom score is determined by several factors, such as the presence or absence of state constitutional protection of free exercise, whether the state has passed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, religious freedom conditions for nonprofits with public programming, religious freedom conditions for faith-based employers, protections for religious exercise during a state emergency and state Blaine Amendments. The states that ranked lowest in religious freedom were Michigan (22%), Vermont (23%), Delaware (25%), Washington (26%) and Maryland (27%). In a statement reacting to the 2025 Faith and Freedom Index's release, the Napa Legal Institute singled out Michigan and Washington as states that "over-burden and are even hostile towards faith-based nonprofits." On the other hand, Alabama (86%) and Kansas (79%) scored the highest in the religious freedom category. Other states that rounded out the top five in religious freedom were Mississippi (67%), Georgia (67%) and Florida (63%). The Napa Legal Institute praised Alabama and Kansas for their "exemplary protections for faith-based nonprofits that other states should emulate." "The many religious freedom attacks over the past few years are chilling reminders that without staunch state level protections for religious freedom, ordinary Americans will suffer, regardless of how supportive the current Administration may be," said DeVito. "Too many Americans have been forced to spend precious time and money litigating issues that should never have gone to court in the first place." In the regulatory freedom category, Indiana and Montana had the highest scores of 82% and 80%, respectively. Iowa (79%) and Arizona (77%) also secured spots in the top five, while Texas (76%) and Wyoming (76%) were tied for fifth place. At the other end of the spectrum, Illinois ranked last with a regulatory freedom score of 40%. Other states that ranked near the bottom in this category were Michigan (45%), Massachusetts (48%), South Dakota (49%) and Washington (49%). State regulatory freedom scores are also determined by several factors, like the state's nonprofit religious corporation law, prior notice and consent requirements for major corporate actions, standards of conduct for directors of religious organizations, charitable registration law, audit requirements pursuant to charitable registration, corporate income tax and exemptions, sales tax and exemptions, use taxes and exemptions as well as property taxes and exemptions. The states with the highest overall score were Alabama (72%) and Kansas (69%). Other states with high overall scores included Indiana (68%), Texas (65%) and Mississippi (63%). The report praised Alabama for "strong constitutional protections for free exercise of religion, a state constitutional amendment requiring government burdens on religious exercise to satisfy strict scrutiny, and an automatic exemption from state corporate income tax for organizations with federal 501(c)(3) status." On the other hand, Michigan (31%) and Washington (35%) had the lowest overall scores. Massachusetts had an overall score of 37% while Illinois, Maryland and West Virginia all received overall scores of 38%. The report criticizes Michigan for its "broad Blaine Amendment," which prohibits religious organizations from receiving state funding, and for "nondiscrimination laws regarding public accommodations and employment that include no meaningful exemptions for religious organizations." Home Opinion A new kind of 'Roe Effect' has appeared A few decades back, a Wall Street Journal editor named James Taranto posited what he called the Roe Effect. The idea was spawned by data showing a correlation between a womans political views and her views and actions regarding abortion. Taranto argued that, over time, conservative women and families would have more children and liberal woman, accepting abortion, would have a lower birth rate, and this would lead to diminishing popular support for legal abortion. Writing in 2005, Taranto said, The Roe Effect ... refers specifically to the nexus between the practice of abortion and the politics of abortion. It seems self-evident that pro-choice women are more likely to have abortions than pro-life ones, and common sense suggests that children tend to gravitate toward their parents' values. This would seem to ensure that Americans born after Roe v. Wade have a greater propensity to vote for the pro-life party that is, Republican than they otherwise would have. Taranto believed that this differential was real, and his analysis of electoral data from that period supported a Republican advantage. But he also believed that even if this population trend led to a more pro-life nation, the result would be a reversal of Roe v. Wade that would force both major political parties to moderate their messages and pursue policies at the state level, avoiding the national stage and resuming the status quo ante Roe. Tarantos writing proved prescient, and as of 2022, the national abortion right was ended in the Dobbs ruling. National political players in both parties, meanwhile, while not completely avoiding the topic, have largely adopted a states rights perspective that de-emphasizes national debate and votes in the Congress. With the strongest messages on both sides muted, Taranto wrote, both Roe and the Roe Effect contained the seeds of their own demise. Where does such an analysis stand now? The politics of childbearing may be less intense at the national level, but it would be a mistake to classify it as moderating or depolarizing. There are many reasons for this, and the implications of each are not completely clear. A new reality that has emerged is global in scope: a worldwide collapse in birth rates that has affected nations irrespective of their overall economic well-being and political character. The decline does have partisan dimensions in the United States, as discussed below, but it is happening across the board politically to at least some degree. Second, the devolution of lawmaking to the states has not produced any significant middle ground to date, with a dozen or more states withdrawing any and all legal protection for the unborn. Third, abortion has remained a national issue but one of a very different sort, fed by drugs whose distribution has proved difficult for states and localities to stop and that the current Republican administration has so far been loath to stanch. Nonetheless, a new kind of Roe Effect has appeared, and it is touching not just abortion practice but the very foundations of family formation and childbearing. A new review released by the Institute for Family Studies in September provides some astonishing facts that follow the outlines of the Roe Effect in this new dimension. Authors Scott Yenor and Lyman Stone looked at birth rate data from 2024 and found that counties that voted for Donald Trump last year have a significantly higher birth rate than counties that voted for Kamala Harris, confirming the results of a previous study. The 20 U.S. counties with the largest margins for Trump had an average total fertility rate of 1.76; the 20 counties with the highest margin for Harris had a TFR of 1.37 in 2024. Yenor and Stone infer, Democrats increasingly seem to be the party of single women and the childless. Republicans, by contrast, are increasingly the party of those who value marriage and children. The authors assert this trend is occurring worldwide. Note that both of these rates are under replacement level, as, of course, is the United States as a whole. As for the reasons for the differential by political philosophy, the authors cite attitudes toward marriage and a higher desired family size as the headwaters of difference. Democrats, therefore, might look to their current political situation as more a matter of No Rings as No Kings. Meanwhile, other data on political affiliation and having an abortion show that differences among women by party affiliation are relatively small, while differences by race and income remain large. A survey released by the strongly pro-choice Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that, overall, one in seven U.S. women aged 18 to 49 have had an abortion. This includes 12% of Republican women, 15% of Independents, and 14% of Democrats. By race, 21% of black women and 19% of Hispanic women have had an abortion, while 11% each of white and Asian/Pacific Islander women have had abortions. Abortion rates were four percentage points higher among lower-income women. Data differences like these can spark some less-than-flattering speculation and advocacy, at least if X is any standard. Conservatives might be tempted to applaud lower birth rates among progressive women. Critics might question the decision of life-affirming pregnancy help organizations to support and encourage women to carry their babies to term on the grounds that they thereby only build single-parent households and later support for legal abortion. Around the world, political actors, especially some embroiled in religious conflicts, harass their opponents and wield their willingness to have more children as a weapon. A recent video from India offers a particularly ugly example. Altogether, these international trends are worrisome at all levels economic, social, political, and most important of all, familial. The portents continue to increase. In 2024, Japan, which has now elected a conservative prime minister, saw its population decline by more than 900,000 people. Its new president would rather see population decline than relaxed immigration laws. The United Kingdom, with a total fertility rate just below that of the United States (1.56 children per woman compared to 1.62), is debating the removal of any vestiges of public policy that protect children in the womb. The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee just this Tuesday passed a measure to expand and protect legal abortion to birth. Meanwhile, Poland, a Catholic nation with a TFR of just 1.16 births per woman, is exploring income tax relief for any family that has two or more children. But Russia, with nine time zones of territory and a TFR 30% below replacement, is laying waste to its youthful generation by waging an offensive war on its neighbors in Ukraine. In the meantime, pleas continue for major expansion of child tax credits and the building of child-friendly cities in the United States, with progress in fits and starts. The bottom line is that predicting Roe Effects, or the effects of any public policy to enhance childbearing, is a tricky business. The various distances that appear in polling on the attitudes and expectations of men and women toward one another are perhaps the most worrisome of all. Hope is the most precious possession of all, and trust in social institutions, which has been declining broadly, should follow after and reinforce the confidence that encourages families to form and endure. In the meantime, the last thing the nation needs is bitter partisanship over the value and fate of our little ones. Originally published at The Washington Stand. Home Opinion After massacre: We are still here. The church in Syria will live The back wall of Mar Elias Church in the Al-Douala neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, remains torn open, covered only by green mesh. Plywood conceals the blast crater on the sanctuary floor. Yet on that makeshift altar of ruin, someone has placed a single candle a flickering sign that the church still lives. On June 22, 2025, a man armed with a rifle, knives, and a suicide vest entered this parish during evening prayers. The massacre lasted less than a minute, but its impact will echo for generations. Father Boutrous, the parish priest, remembers being thrown beneath rubble when the explosion tore through the sanctuary. "I thought I was dead," he told me during my recent visit to Syria. "I felt peace, as if I were entering Heaven. Then I realized I was still breathing." When he pushed the debris away and stood, the scene before him defied comprehension smoke, carnage, and an eerie silence. Then the cries of the wounded reached his ears. Children, parents, and elderly parishioners lay maimed and bleeding around him. Father Boutrous moved through the sanctuary, helping the wounded and blessing the dying. For days afterward, he refused to let anyone scrub the blood from the church walls. "I smelled it like perfume," he said, "because it was the blood of saints the same ones we used to read about in books, except now they were in front of me, and I buried them with my own hands." The Mar Elias massacre is not an isolated tragedy but part of a wider erosion of Christianity in Syria. Before the war began in 2011, an estimated 2.2 million Christians lived in the country. Today, fewer than 500,000 remain, a decline of nearly 80 percent. Entire communities from Aleppo, Homs, and Raqqa have vanished. The violence follows a grim pattern seen in neighboring Iraq, where Christians dwindled after waves of targeted attacks in the 2000s. The fear is that Syria is on the same path. The situation has grown more precarious since December 2024, when the militant Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) conquered Assad's forces and took control of major Syrian cities. In March 2025, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration, placing Syria under Islamic rule for a period of five years. While HTS initially promised not to enact radical religious policies, persecution against Christians and other minorities has intensified. Militants have attacked churches, desecrated cemeteries, forced Christian women to adhere to Islamic dress codes, and confiscated Christians' homes. For those who remain, daily life is survival amid bread shortages, displacement, and economic collapse. "We're living just for today," one survivor told me. "We don't know about tomorrow." During my recent trip to Syria to see how survivors and the church were faring, what struck me most in these conversations was the refusal to answer violence with vengeance. Survivors spoke of hearing a voice during the attack: "Do not be afraid. I am with you." Rima, who lost her 15-year-old daughter in the attack, insisted on forgiveness: "We pray for those who attack us. Our God is not a killer. We don't want harm for anyone." Services at Mar Elias have resumed two a week, soon to be three. Catechism classes and Sunday schools are back. Scouts gather. The church hall downstairs is cramped but filled to overflowing. "They are not going to scare us, and they're not going to make us leave," Father Boutrous preached at the first mass after the bombing. "We want to stay and stand our ground even more than before. Because that is our faith." Global Christian Relief continues to stand in the gap and not forget those who are suffering for their faith. Through partnerships with local churches, relief projects, and support networks, we help Christians stay rooted in their homeland. "The prayers of Christians around the world are what strengthen us," Father Boutrous told me. "It means so very much when we know that a brother in Christ at the other end of the earth is remembering us." One widow told me bluntly: "If we didn't know Christians outside [of Syria] were supporting us, we would be devastated and destroyed." On my last day, I stood at the blast site as construction workers hammered in the background. The green tarpaulin fluttered where a wall had been. On the plywood covering the crater, the candle still burned. The future of the church in Syria is uncertain. Once 10% of the nation, Christians are now less than three percent. Extremism, suspicion, and poverty press in. Yet amid the ruins, they keep lighting candles. Before I left, Father Boutrous looked at me with eyes heavy but resolute. "We are still here," he said. "And as long as there is even one candle, the church will live." Home Opinion DEI suffers another blow: California University drops race-based scholarship This month saw yet another win against DEI in higher education, as a major California university recently dropped a racial scholarship under threat of lawsuit. In July, I wrote about how the University of California at San Diego had been skirting California and federal law against affirmative action via the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund, as was reported by The Washington Free Beacons Aaron Sibarium. The scholarship was set up to be only available to black students. It was a clever move by the school to dodge Proposition 209 an anti-affirmative action law passed by voters in 1997 by essentially offloading its discrimination on a separate, private organization. Heres how it worked, according to Sibarium: With help from private donors, UCSD transferred the scholarship to an off-campus nonprofit, the San Diego Foundation, that was not subject to Prop. 209. The move allowed the scholarship to continue operating under the auspices of a private institution, even though the program is only available to UCSD students and uses racial data provided by the university. Several other programs in other states have used similar programs to sidestep the push to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion. But this workaround turned out to be too clever by half. The Californians for Equal Rights Foundation nonprofit group and its legal representative, the Pacific Legal Foundation, sued the school using the Ku Klux Klan Act on behalf of student Kai Peters. Peters said he was denied the scholarship because he wasnt black. Peters had called the use of the scholarship institutionalized racism, a phrase frequently used by the Left with no meaning. But in this case, it seemed quite applicable. The Ku Klux Klan Act was designed, among other things, to ban conspiracies between public and private actors to deprive citizens of their equal rights under the law. That appears to have worked, as UC San Diego changed the name of the program to the Lennon Goins Alumni Scholarship Fund and made it available to students of all races. The school issued a statement after making the change. We are grateful to all of our community supporters who have generously given to fund scholarships for UC San Diego students, and we are committed to complying with all federal and state anti-discrimination laws, the statement read. The Pacific Legal Foundation was quick to declare victory. This victory proves that the Constitutions promise of equality before the law still has teeth, said PLF attorney Jack Brown on the legal organizations website. The Ku Klux Klan Act was written to stop government actors from conspiring with private parties to discriminate and thats exactly what happened here. When faced with the law, UCSD and its affiliates had no choice but to retreat. The action here is exactly what we demanded in our lawsuit. The story is a big deal beyond UCSD. While the case was never brought to conclusion, it means that the threat of using the Ku Klux Klan Act has teeth in the battle against DEI. And if weve learned anything, higher education is extremely resistant to change discriminatory practices unless the threat of lawsuit and huge monetary losses hang over them. California has been the locus of innovation regarding skirting laws that stop affirmative action. That the lawsuit worked there is a good sign elsewhere. The outcome is proof of concept for a creative legal strategy that could spell the end of similar programs across the country, Sibarium wrote Monday. Several public universities, including the University of California [at] Berkeley and the University of Texas at Austin, have outsourced race-based scholarships to private foundations in an effort to insulate themselves from legal risk. While such foundations can dole out money based on race, they cannot do so at the direction of the state. Its a rare situation these days where its good that something happening in California will reach the rest of the country. Unlike corporate America, which has been scrambling to remove and erase various likely illegal DEI programs since President Joe Biden left office, elite universities have been putting up a fight to keep things as they are. Whats clear is that there is now a huge amount of popular and legal pressure against racial discrimination, even in the name of correcting alleged historical injustices. Perhaps we will finally have institutions that respect the ideal of equal rights under the law as most Americans want. Originally published at The Daily Signal. There are problems in technology, organization, culture, and the mindset of management. First, on the technology side, innovation is hindered by a perfectionist approach that refuses to change the systems built in the analog era. In the internet era, the mainstream approach is to release products and services to the market and improve them while incorporating user feedback. Apple and Tesla are emblematic of this approach. On the organizational side, seniority-based systems, silo structures, and a one-size-fits-all mentality hinder reform. On the cultural side, values such as it takes three years to master a stone and taking it easy is bad are still deeply rooted, leading to the perception of efficiency as lazy. Managers, too, are bound by their analog-era experiences and tend not to make efforts to fundamentally change the way young people work using digital technology. On the institutional side, there is a lot of government intervention without substance, and this administrative guidance is hindering innovation. Another problem is the structure in which the monitoring duties of supervisory agencies have become job creation for bureaucrats, prioritizing organizational maintenance over social impact. In terms of organization, seniority-based systems, silo-based structures, and a parallelism mentality are said to be hindering reform, but what kind of drawbacks are arising as digitalization progresses? In Japan, there is a tendency to try to adapt digital to existing systems and organizations, just as one would fit a kimono to ones body. In the West, the idea is to fit the body to the clothes in other words, to adapt the organization to a standardized digital system. For example, even when introducing SAPs ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, Japanese companies try to customize the package software to fit their own companys way of doing things, which prevents productivity from increasing. This self-reliance is an obstacle to efficiency. I think this is because they do not understand that the essence of DX is redesigning the organization. Technological ignorance what we dont know about technology is slowing the growth of the global economy. Increasing in all facets of existence, technology ignorance is growing fastest and having the most damaging impacts between the ears of key stakeholders. To deliver on the full promise of the technological Wunderkammer poised to be implemented today, CIOs must know what stakeholders know and dont know about technology, as there is significant upside to making stakeholders smarter when it comes to IT. Here are three key questions IT leaders must answer about stakeholders throughout their organization. So the way I think about our whole technology strategy, and that basically trickles down to the AI strategy, is the three legged stool. So we want to power the business growth, yeah, we want to fuel innovation, and we want to transform how we operate or strengthen the core. And so AI is being implemented in all three legs. And in fact, our investment framework, we used for written on investment and less CBAS on these use cases that we come across through the through the process we have, you know, it basically looks at these legs and the impact that these use cases are making. So for instance, in the way we serve our customers and delighting them in our business lines, as we power the growth agenda in our asset management, we've implemented an AI powered agent tech solution called research buddy. Mm. Hmm. And you know, if you think about our asset management industry, it's a B to B industry. We're working with institutional institutions in our institutional investment partnerships, and we need to do a lot of research. It's hundreds, if not 1000s of hours of research every week that our analysts have to do, our portfolio management teams have to do, and it's across a lot of documents, publicly available, privately held documents. And I mean talk about the power of generative AI and agentic AI. Now what we have now transformed that whole function to the delight of our institutional clients. Same thing. If you go back to our retirement services business, where we serve our participants, which is individuals, or it's a B to C construct, essentially, or institutional clients, which is a B to B client. The way we handle these contracts. You could be a professor who has changed jobs six times, for instance, and every job you had, you may have had multiple contracts with us? Yeah, now you're calling in, you've retired, and you're availing your lifetime income, paycheck, which is a promise of you know, tias fundamental mission. And our reps have to go through all this information to serve you now, put generative AI in the middle of that. So we have created AI solutions on the desktop of our colleagues, and they can get insights through the AI solution to serve you better in a hyper personalized way. So that's that. And then, of course, talking about your fraud, you know, we have like, what we call cyber for AI and AI for cyber fraud, for AI and AI for fraud. So essentially, how do we protect our customers using AI from a cyber security and fraud, you know, perspective, but also, how do we use cyber capabilities to protect us from Ai itself? So one, actually good, good example would be cognitive decline Lucas. So we have, you know, a lot of our participants are aging participants. Longevity is actually on the rise, which is a good problem. But with longevity, you know, there is cognitive decline. So with cognitive decline, there is extreme vulnerability to fraud and cyber breaches, right? So how do we assist our participants, you know, from these AI attacks or fraudsters or cyber attacks using the power of AI. So we've been, we've been, actually, you know, doing a lot of work in this space. We published some research as part of our institute studies. And we have some patterns in this space, you know, on how we can leverage these capabilities to help those that are suffering cognitive decline. Civil Society Media Charity property freeholders, London estates and institutional investors have lost a legal challenge that sought to amend the governments Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act (LFRA) 2024. Last week, the High Court dismissed six linked judicial review claims that key provisions of LFRA 2024 are incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). One of the reviews, initiated by John Lyons Charity in September 2024, argued that the charity could lose around 1.4m due to the abolition of marriage value in the act. Marriage value refers to an increase in a propertys value that arises when its lease is extended, some of which is currently paid to the landowner. John Lyons Charity, a freeholder of several properties itself, previously said that while it was not opposing leasehold reform, it asked for a narrow and reasonable exemption for us. LFRA 2024 doesnt currently recognise the unique position of such charities, even though exemptions have been made for organisations like the Crown Estate, the National Trust, and the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, it said. The financial impact of this law would redirect millions from a childrens charity into private wealth significantly reducing what we can provide to the thousands of young people we support each year. In their judgment , however, justices Holgate and Foxton concluded that theres no sufficient basis for challenging the decision not to exempt charities from the removal of marriage value. 1.37m losses John Lyons Charity relies on historic property endowments in St Johns Wood, which fund vital work with children and young people. Its total assets are valued at 386m, while it has a total returns policy that involves spending 3.5% of the value of its assets every year. In 2023-24, assets in the form of freehold interest in property comprised 10% of its total assets. Of this, 10.5m represents assumed marriage value and 25% represents assumed enfranchisement premiums. During that year, income from enfranchisement was almost a quarter of the charitys total annual income, and income from marriage value represented 10%. John Lyons Charity estimated that ending the marriage value would result in a reduction in its annual grantmaking ability of 1.37m. In their judgment, the justices said the government rightly acknowledged the excellent work John Lyons Charity did, but didnt admit the extent of any impact on the charitys grant-making capacity of the removal of marriage value. While were unable to reach any conclusions as to the precise impact, we accept that the removal of marriage value is likely to have an appreciable effect on the income of John Lyons Charity, and its grant-making capacity, they wrote. The process of making enfranchisement cheaper for tenants one of the stated objects of this legislation will inevitably impact the amount received by the holder of a significant number of freeholds in prime central London like John Lyons Charity. Considerable competitive advantage To support its legal arguments, John Lyons Charity sought to rely on LFRA 2024s treatment of the National Trust and charitable or certified community housing trusts. However, the justices said the holding of property formed part of the core charitable mission of those entities, rather than a commercial investment activity, the proceeds of which were intended to fund other charitable activities. We conclude that the distinction drawn by the LFRA 2024 in this respect, and the basis for it articulated in the passages in the ECHR memorandum to which weve referred, strikes a fair balance and falls within the legislatures margin of appreciation, they said. Nor, if the matter were to be argued with reference to article 14 of the ECHR, are we persuaded that the differential treatment of the National Trust and John Lyons Charity (and other charities whose holding of freeholds forms part of their investment activity rather than core charitable objects) strikes an unfair balance or otherwise falls outside parliaments margin of appreciation. They concluded that, as investors, charities operate in the same market as others investing in the same field, and the exemption would place them at a considerable competitive advantage as against other investors in the same asset class. John Lyons Charity: Disappointing decision In a statement, John Lyons Charity said: Were disappointed by the decision that John Lyons Charity hasnt been granted an exemption when others in the charitable sector have. While we support the principle of leasehold reform, this ruling has implications for how the charity generates income. Please be assured that our commitment to funding vital grassroots services for children and young people remains unchanged. Were carefully reviewing the impact of this judgment and considering next steps to ensure we can continue to deliver on our mission. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Fergus Burnett A new civil society group aiming to bring expert insight into the heart of government has launched. Today, the Future Governance Forum (FGF), a think tank, unveiled the Social Insights Panel, a group of civil society leaders led by Shelters former chief executive Polly Neate. The group will work with the Cabinet Office to influence its Test, Learn and Grow programme , a 100m initiative aiming to bring the centre of government out of Whitehall and into communities. Neate, who was appointed as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords this month, previously described the Social Insights Panel as a new way for civil society organisations to work with the government, testing out the Civil Society Covenant in practice. She said: Theres huge potential for the Civil Society Covenant and the Test, Learn and Grow programme to harness the very best of civil society. FGFs Social Insights Panel will help ensure that happens. Enhancing government decision-making The Social Insights Panel brings together voices from the civil society sector, including Mike Adamson, former chief executive of the British Red Cross and recently appointed interim CEO of the City & Guilds Foundation . FGF said the panels members will use their expertise and experience of complex challenges facing individuals, families and communities to enhance government decision-making. In its launch phase, the panel will feed insights from civil society into the Test, Learn and Grow programme, focusing on prevention and three themes (violence against women and girls, transitions to adulthood and integrated family support). Commenting on its launch, Neate said: To reform public services or set policy direction on some of our most intractable societal challenges without the wisdom of civil society would be a dangerous error. Civil society leaders nationally and in communities hold a wealth of knowledge and experience about why these challenges arise and how to address them. But often their views arent sought outside of the silos of government departmental priorities. Neate added that the panel will create a space where that knowledge can be brought into government decision-making at an early stage, so cross-cutting policy is shaped by lived experience, best practice and systemic understanding. The key role of philanthropy Anand Shukla, CEO of the Henry Smith Foundation and member of the Social Insights Panel, said: We believe lasting social impact comes from funding and creating space for meaningful collaboration. Thats why the Henry Smith Foundation is pleased to support the Social Insights Panel, which will connect civil society expertise directly with government. Philanthropy has a key role in enabling this kind of structured partnership between civil society, government and other key decision-makers, and I look forward to seeing the panel bring the knowledge and expertise of civil society into the heart of government policymaking. Adamson said: The UKs civil society sectors have long been at the forefront of innovation and systems change. The Social Insights Panel is a chance to make sure that innovation informs national policy. A Cabinet Office spokesperson told Civil Society: Were committed to reforming the state to deliver for working people. We work with a range of stakeholders across civil society to inform our approach. Other members of the panel include RECLAIM founder Ruth Ibegbuna, RIVA director Becky Rogerson, Better Way Network co-founder Caroline Slocock, former Catch22 CEO Chris Wright and Two Magpies Fund CEO Kirsten Westlake. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. The Smokehouse Creek Fire burned through the Texas Panhandle in 2024, eventually making its way to the small, charming town of Canadian. At one point, the entire town was penned in by flames. Laurie Ezzell Brown, the seventy-three-year-old editor and publisher of the Canadian Record, the local newspaper, spent most of her days reporting on the fire, which ultimately burned about 70 percent of the county. As it consumed the rolling hills around Canadian, Brown, whose family has owned the paper since the 1940s, was overcome by a different fear: that the fire would destroy the Records archive. I would have been devastated, she said. Its not just the history of this community. Its the history of my family. Its who we are. Its what weve done. Newspaper archives are at risk around the United States. Sometimes the threat is a natural disaster, as it was in Canadian, but archives are more commonly lost when newspapers shutter, move to smaller offices, or are purchased. Photographs, more time-consuming to digitize than text, are particularly vulnerable, and copyright issues can make repurposing them complex, archivists say. Some newspapers partner with universities to preserve their archives; others turn to libraries and historical societies. Many have no plan at all. When an archive is destroyed, were losing that individual community identity, that voice from this group of people at this point in time, says Ana Krahmer, an archivist at the University of North Texas. Frank LoMonte, a University of Georgia law professor who has studied the loss of photo archives from local newspapers, estimates that only a small minority of papers have the financial resources and foresight to proactively safeguard their archives. LoMonte especially worries about unpublished photographs, because they provide an unfiltered perspective on what life was likeand offer a window into how editors at the time chose to portray major news events, and what they chose not to include. The loss to history from the purging of photo morgues is unquantifiable, he said. In the 2000s, Marianne Mather worked as a photojournalist at the Aurora, Illinois, Beacon-News and the Elgin Courier-News, both of which were owned by the Chicago Sun-Times. Years later, she was working at the Chicago Tribune when its parent company purchased some of the Sun-Times papers, and she was curious about what remained of their photo archives. There was barely anything, she said. Mather had worked at those papers for over a decade, but she found that just two of her photos remained in the archive. She and two other former staffers said that many of the photographs had been lost during layoffs and consolidations among the brands; some were even thrown in a dumpster, according to Jim Svehla, who was the Naperville Suns photo editor when they were trashed. Mather knows the value of preserving published and unpublished photos. In 2016, she spent two days searching through the Tribunes archive before finding what she had been hunting for: a previously unpublished photo of thenpresidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders being arrested at a 1963 civil rights protest in Chicago. The photo eliminated doubts about Sanderss participation in the movement. I held it up to the light, the acetate negative, and I said, I think we have him, Mather recalled. It was amazing. The University of Louisville spent years trying to acquire the photo archive of the Louisville Courier Journal, but the papers owner, Gannett, held out in the hope of finding someone willing to pay, said Cassidy Meurer, an archivist at the university. In 2022, when the Courier Journal began the process of relocating to a smaller office, Gannett finally agreed to donate the archive to the school. The collection includes an estimated ten million photos, Meurer said, which are in the process of being digitized. Its not just a window into big historical moments, she said. Its also a window into everyday life and how things felt in a very different time. Back in the Texas Panhandle, the fire spared the Canadian Record, but the near miss prompted Brown to start donating her papers archives to the Digital Newspaper Program at the University of North Texas, which preserves papers from around the state. The Record stopped publishing a print edition in 2023, but Brown has kept a digital edition going with her personal savings. Come what may, she knows the archives wont be lost: She delivered the last batch of back issues to the university in June, and she plans to donate the photo archive as well. Theyre out of here, she said. And theyre in a safe place. Sign up for CJRs daily email Sign up for the daily CJR newsletter. Researchers routinely rely on websites like data.census.gov, but this month, the top of the site displays a banner that reads: Due to the lapse of federal funding, this website is not being updated. Dozens of reportsfrom critical spending data to disease surveillanceare not updated or completely dark due to the ongoing government shutdown. Earlier this year, President Trump and Elon Musks funding cuts also led to the removal of publicly available datasets. Some of the datasets were restored after legal challenges, but others were not, leaving some researchers wondering what to do. For some, the answer lies in turning to news. At the Tow Center, we regularly rely on news data to understand how pink slime networks function or local news ecosystems evolve over time. Last week, at the New(s) Knowledge Symposiuma gathering of researchers, journalists, and technologists hosted by the Media Ecosystems Analysis GroupI found that many other researchers have been monitoring the news for data, often in unexpected ways. Maia Majumder, a computational epidemiologist at Boston Childrens Hospital, said that aggregated local news reports were critical for supplementing and fact-checking official sources in disease outbreaks. Because news is hyperlocal, Majumder told me in an interview, it is often more helpful for examining vaccination rates or spread of disease in a community compared with official sources that often only come at the state or national level. And if official data goes offline, news becomes even more critical. News media help fill that gap by acting as our eyes and ears in the community, Majumder said. This is a role the media plays even when the government isnt shut down, because an open government doesnt necessarily mean a transparent one. She previously worked at HealthMap, a platform relying partially on news to track disease outbreaks. Bia Carneiro, a research team leader at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, gave a talk at the conference on using news to monitor food scarcity and famine in the Global South. She described the work as nowcasting, or monitoring for early warning signals of various events. In a 2024 paper, Carneiro, along with other researchers, searched for signs of food insecurity using news as a complement to other data, like social media and Google trends. She now applies that work to a famine early warning network called FEWS NET and uses it in other research around migration and climate. I spoke to Carneiro after the conference, where she said news data provides a helpful signal. Social media is really noisy. With news, its more topical, and its a bit cleaner, Carneiro said. Its easier to pull out the relevant information that we want. Specifically, local news from various countries gave her an advantage over using larger and more Eurocentric publications. This type of work depends on news aggregators like Media Cloud, an open-source platform that is maintained by the Media Ecosystems Analysis Group. Media Cloud crawls thousands of news websites, identifies if they have RSS feeds, and stores links to the sites articlesallowing researchers like Majumder and Carneiro to query the data and find trends. Processing news articles into data isnt simple. Some publishers, for examplelocal news outlets in particulardont provide RSS feeds. At Tow, were developing a tool that we are calling Scraper Factories. Its a Python package that supplements platforms like Media Cloud and leverages large language models to quickly write Web scrapers. We plan to present it this December at the Computation + Journalism Symposium in Miami and hope it can help researchers in cases where a website may not have an RSS feed. There are also commercial players in this space, like NewsCatcher and NewsData.io, that aggregate news feeds and charge for access to the data. Its getting increasingly hard to access data from news sites. Publishers are locking down their content, largely to prevent bigger AI companies from using their data for training models. The Tow Center has been studying how publishers fight to monetize their content by engaging with large tech companies, whether it be through partnerships or lawsuits. But one unintended conflict might be further restricting the universe of data that researchers like Majumder and Carneiro (and research centers like Tow) have access to. Some worry that academic research, security scans and other types of benign web crawling will get elbowed out of websites as barriers are built around more sites, the Wall Street Journal said in an article earlier this year. News data has limitations for researchers and isnt a substitute for robust government datasetsbut in the face of increasing threats to publicly available information, Carneiro said, combining it with other reliable sources remains essential. She stressed that, although she recently learned of the threats to American data, she believed researchers in this field can help by increasing transparency and collaboration. Once we start realizing that people are losing access to key datasets, people will start reevaluating how they treat our data and how they make it available to other researchers, she said. Johnson & Johnson has seen a 17% jump in new lawsuits claiming its iconic baby powder causes cancer after the companys latest attempt to force a global settlement was thrown out of bankruptcy court. J&J is facing approximately 73,570 suits from consumers who blame baby powder for their illnesses as of the end of September, the company said last week in securities filings. The pharma giant previously said it was facing about 62,830 suits as of December 2024 over the now-withdrawn version of the product. The increase adds to J&Js litigation woes over its talc-based baby powder, which it took off the market in 2023 and replaced with a cornstarch substitute. The rising caseload follows a California jurys decision earlier this month awarding $966 million to the family of a deceased woman who blamed her cancer on life-long use of baby powder. The jump should prod J&J officials to make another attempt to reach a global settlement because the morass of baby powder cases only promises to deepen and impose even greater expense, said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond professor who specializes in product-liability law. J&J has steadfastly maintained talc doesnt cause cancer and that theres never been any asbestos in its baby powder. The company also says it has appropriately marketed the product for more than 100 years. It is refusing to pay more than the $9 billion it offered during the last bankruptcy case. Volume does not connote merit, said Erik Hass, the J&J in-house lawyer leading the companys defense in the baby powder cases. This is an expected development following our return to the tort system. Bloomberg Intelligences Holly Froum has predicted the number of baby powder cases could grow to more than 93,000. She said J&J could ultimately be forced to pay as much as $11 billion to resolve all the current and future suits. J&J already has spent more than $3 billion settling lawsuits alleging asbestos in its baby powder harmed users, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. J&J is gearing up for a new wave of jury trials after a bankruptcy judge in Houston concluded in April that the company couldnt use a subsidiarys Chapter 11 filing to force consumers to settle claims J&J hid the health risks of its talc-based powders. After failing three times to find a bankruptcy solution, J&J vowed to return to the regular court system to defend the baby powder cases. It faces its first ovarian-cancer claim trial since the bankruptcy ruling in California next month. Other trials will follow in state courts in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois and Florida. A federal judge in New Jersey also is readying the first federal-court trial of thousands of cases consolidated before him for pre-trial information exchanges. Those cases had been delayed by the repeated bankruptcy filings. A dozen state-court juries have held J&J and its Kenvue spinoff responsible for baby powder users cancers and awarded billions of dollars in damages in total. Some of those awards later were reduced or thrown out on appeal, however. The consolidated federal case is In Re Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Products Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, 16-md-2738, US District Court for the District of New Jersey (Trenton). Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. HSBC Holdings said on Monday it would book a $1.1 billion provision in its third-quarter results after losing part of an appeal in a long-running lawsuit tied to Bernard Madoffs Ponzi scheme, historys biggest ever such fraud. HSBC acted as a service provider to several funds that invested with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Herald Fund SPC sued HSBCs Luxembourg unit in 2009 seeking restitution of assets it said were lost in the fraud. Last Friday, the Luxembourg Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by HSBCs unit over the restitution of securities claimed by Herald, although it accepted its appeal on a separate cash restitution claim, the bank said. Herald had alleged that HSBC failed in its duties as a custodian to protect it from the fraud, previous court documents from the case show. HSBC Plans to Appeal Further The adverse ruling for HSBC dragged its shares down 1%, threatened to mar its quarterly earnings due on Tuesday, and showed how banks are still vulnerable to long-running litigation, often tied to the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis. HSBC now plans to lodge a second appeal with the Luxembourg Court of Appeal and, if unsuccessful, the bank said it would contest the amount to be paid. It added that the eventual financial impact could differ significantly from its current estimate. Europes largest bank by assets said in July that Herald, which is in liquidation, was seeking the restitution of securities and cash worth $2.5 billion plus interest or damages of $5.6 billion plus interest. HSBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the separate securities and cash amounts that Herald is seeking. The principal liquidators of Herald also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bank estimated that the provision would have an impact of around 15 basis points (or 0.15 of a percentage point) on its common equity tier 1 capital ratio, meaning little lasting impact on the key measure of financial strength, which stands at 14.6%. That would come on top of a 125 basis points impact arising from its $13.6 billion deal to take its majority-owned Hong Kong unit Hang Seng Bank 0011.HK private. Fallout Lingers From Historys Biggest Ever Fraud The charge could weigh on sentiment slightly but the impact should be limited as HSBC has already suspended share buybacks for the next three quarters due to the acquisition of Hang Seng Bank, said Lorraine Tan, director of equity research (Asia) for Morningstar. Madoffs fraud was estimated as much as $64.8 billion, making it the biggest-ever Ponzi scheme, a kind of fraud whereby old investors are paid off with funds from newer ones while the organizer siphons off some of the money for themselves. It went undiscovered for years until Madoff confessed to his sons in December 2008, one day after his firms Christmas party. Madoff eventually pleaded guilty to 11 criminal counts. He died aged 82 in April 2021 while serving a 150-year prison sentence. HSBC in 2012 settled with Kalix Fund for an undisclosed amount, also over losses the fund had suffered during the collapse of Madoffs financial empire. The fund had sued the bank for $35.6 million. Los Angeles & Chengdu, Summer 2025 Making a landmark entry onto the global musical stage, the Ascend CYMC International Music Festival & Competition emerged this summer as a major cultural event across two citiesLos Angeles in the United States and Chengdu in China. Open to emerging musicians and advancing artists across all levels, the festival brought together performers from conservatories, academies, and international stages, transforming the competition into a celebration of artistic identity and expression. Rather than a contest of age or category, it became a rare global arena where interpretation, individuality, and cultural dialogue stood at the forefront. Standing across the Pacific, Ascend CYMC has established itself as a transnational artistic forcea stage where East and West converge, and where global musical excellence is showcased, exchanged, and redefined. The American division was jointly led by Artist Director and Jury Representative Peiwen Su and Association Founder Ellie Welker, and held at the historic Lyman Recital Hall of Pomona College. The Chengdu division, under the direction of Executive Director and Jury Representative Lan Cao, Managing Director Qi Zhang, and Festival Chair Xiangyu Fang, took place at the Wuhou Campus of Sichuan Conservatory of Music. These two cities, separated by the Pacific Ocean yet connected through music, reflected the global vision and growing international influence of the Ascend CYMC brand. From August 811, live competitions unfolded in both Los Angeles and Chengdu, featuring heartfelt performances by outstanding young musicians from across continents. The online international competition, held from August 1220, brought together recorded performances from both regions, evaluated by an international panel of esteemed judgeselevating the festival to a truly global standard. Combining the results from both regions, a distinguished jury selected twelve final laureatesfive from the piano division and seven from the strings divisionwho now stand as rising international stars representing the highest honor of Ascend CYMC 2025. The jury lineup was world-class and emblematic of Ascend CYMC's prestige. Tatjana Masurenko, professor at both the Colburn School and Leipzig University of Music, former juror for the ARD International Music Competition Munich; Ewa Kupiec, an acclaimed European pianist and jury member for the Chopin, Busoni, and Beethoven International Competitions; along with other distinguished professors and artists from leading conservatories worldwide. Their participation ensured that Ascend CYMC was not only a competition but also a rare platform for cross-cultural exchange between the world's finest musicians and emerging talents. The Chengdu division became a vibrant intersection of music, culture, and community. Over four days, it featured three community benefit concerts, five formal performances, and eight masterclasses, alongside collaborative showcases with the international digital nomad community DN, attracting more than 300 participants. The festival also invited Zhang Liguo, former principal violist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as honorary advisor, enriching the event with profound artistic depth. Executive Director and Judge Lan Cao commented: "Ascend CYMC has successfully realized a new cross-border model defined by shared goals, regional divisions, and high standards. Participants not only receive guidance from on-site judges but also professional evaluation from international masters. This is our most sincere promise to the students." From the United States, Artist Director and Judge Peiwen Su reflected: "Our mission has always been to make classical music competitions known internationally and to benefit young musicians around the world. This competition is not an endpoint but a meeting and dialogue across borders." Founder Ellie Welker added: "Providing a stage like this for young musicians is one of my greatest joys. We will continue this journey, joining hands with more partners who share our vision, and together create endless possibilities for the next generation of artists." Global Artistic Director Tatjana Masurenko offered her perspective: "The true meaning of the Ascend International Music Festival and Competition lies in expanding your horizons. You learn from others, find inspiration, embrace challenges, and gradually discover yourselfnot only as a musician but as a complete human being." As the live competitions (August 89) and the online finals (August 1220) concluded successfully, Ascend CYMC 2025spanning Los Angeles and Chengdumarked a new milestone in international classical music education. Generous prizes and future festival scholarships are set to empower young musicians to pursue their dreams with confidence. More than a competition, it has become a global artistic movementan experience that transforms lives and connects hearts across cultures. Ascend CYMC continues to lead with international vision and cultural depth, opening boundless horizons for the world's next generation of musicians. Originally published on Music Times Chris Evans and Alba Baptista have reportedly welcomed their first child together in Massachusetts. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) Getty Images Actor Chris Evans and his wife Alba Baptista have reportedly welcomed their first child, according to TMZ. The couple became parents on Saturday in Massachusetts. Details about the babys name and gender have not been publicly disclosed. Evans, 44, had previously expressed his interest in fatherhood during a 2024 interview with Access Hollywood. I hope so. The title of dad is an exciting one, the Captain America star said when asked about becoming a parent. Speculation about a potential pregnancy began earlier this year following a comment from Baptistas father, Luiz Baptista. On a fan accounts Fathers Day tribute, according to Parade, he reportedly wrote, Many thanks dear Chris. Your turn is coming! Evans and Baptista, 28, were married in September 2023 during a private ceremony at a Cape Cod estate, Parade noted. Their wedding reportedly included notable guests from Evans Marvel films, including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Jeremy Renner, along with actor John Krasinski. Though generally private about their relationship, Evans has shared some personal details. After their wedding, he told the Knot about his proposal: I proposed to my wife in Portuguese. Shes Portuguese, so I learned how to say Will you marry me? in Portuguese. I had practiced it all week. This story was written with the assistance of AI. Protesters gathered in Cleveland and elsewhere earlier this month to protest against President Donald Trump. A similar protest in Jackson Township Ohio resulted in a person being struck by a vehicle, which fled the scene. (Photo by John Greifenstein) John Greifenstein CLEVELAND, Ohio A Jackson Township man was charged Tuesday after police said he struck a No Kings protester with his truck earlier this month. Donald Frank, 77, hit a woman with his truck during the protest and sped away from the scene, prosecutors said. Officials said the crash was accidental. Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Brink said in a statement that Frank had no intention of hitting the protester. Frank is charged in Massillon Municipal Court with fleeing the scene of an accident and swerving off the road. Both charges are misdemeanors. He is scheduled for arraignment on Nov. 13. It is unclear what injuries the woman suffered, but they were not serious enough to warrant felony charges, according to a statement from Jackson Township police. The crash happened about 2 p.m. on Oct. 18 during a protest against President Donald Trump. Police said Frank was driving his Ford F-150 westbound on Fulton Drive NW when he swerved to the right, drove over a curb, and struck a pedestrian who was standing about two feet off the curb, according to the crash report and police statements. Following the crash, protesters took to social media to report that a man in a white truck had been seen driving past the demonstration and making obscene gestures before the incident. Brink said evidence from license plate readers, 911 calls, video and interviews with Frank showed he was not the person who had been harassing protesters before the accident. CLEVELAND, Ohio Cleveland-area air traffic controllers are dipping into savings, talking with banks about loans and starting to think about second jobs as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week. Mortgages are due on Saturday, said Dan Leipold, a long-time controller at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. People have to pay for childcare and groceries. Its a struggle. Leipold, alongside about a half-dozen of his colleagues, was greeting passengers and handing out informational pamphlets Tuesday at Cleveland Hopkins, trying to generate support from travelers for an end to the shutdown. It was part of a larger effort, with air traffic controllers soliciting support from the public at 20 airports nationwide. The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress couldnt agree on a funding resolution to keep the government operating. Air traffic controllers, along with Transportation Security Administration screeners and other federal employees, are considered essential workers, which means theyre required to work during the shutdown. But they arent being paid. Most controllers got a partial paycheck two weeks ago. Today, Oct. 28, marked the first pay period with no salary. Its really setting in now, said Drew MacQueen, a long-time controller at the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center in Oberlin, which monitors airspace from Maryland to Michigan. Theres a lot of stress right now, a lot of uncertainty. Many of his colleagues can miss one paycheck, he said. No one can miss two, said MacQueen, who is also vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Associations Great Lakes region. Related: Were a rope in this tug of war: Cleveland air traffic controller pleads for end to shutdown U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy joined U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno in Cleveland Monday and the two met with MacQueen, Leipold and their colleagues about the shutdown. They wanted to see the impacts of the shutdown on us, said Leipold. They both said they want to get the government open. Earlier this week, Duffy acknowledged that air traffic control staffing shortages have increased during the shutdown and are affecting air travel. On Sunday, for example, 44% of flight delays were attributed to staffing issues compared to about 5% of the delays so far this year. Delays in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere over the weekend have been attributed to staffing shortages. If we have issues, we will slow it down, said Duffy, speaking Tuesday at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. We will stop it. And so I dont want anyone to think that its not safe; its just that you may not be traveling on the schedule that you anticipated because of this government shutdown. Traveler Barbara Gallo said she faced no delays as she flew home to Cleveland from Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. Still, she said, she wants an end to the shutdown. Im supportive of all the government coming back to work and stopping this nonsense, said Gallo. They all need to come together, do their jobs and negotiate. SB 299 would create a regulatory framework for kratom sellers while banning synthetic 7-OH, as other states implement bans or consumer protection measures. (Associated Press/Mary Esch) COLUMBUS As Ohio lawmakers consider legislation to regulate natural kratom and ban its synthetic derivative, they join several states that are also grappling with how to regulate these products. Senate Bill 299, sponsored by state Sen. Louis Blessing, a Colerain Township Republican, would require sellers, distributors and manufacturers of kratom to register with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The bill would also ban synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine, known as 7-OH, limiting it to no more than one milligram, in products. Kratom, derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, contains psychoactive compounds that interact with opioid receptors. While some users promote it as a tool for pain relief or opioid withdrawal, others warn of its addictive potential especially in synthetic forms 7-OH. Related: Lawmaker pitches new regulations to rein in Ohios Wild West of kratom Blessings legislation comes after DeWine called on the state Board of Pharmacy to immediately classify all natural and synthetic kratom compounds as illegal drugs in August. DeWine paused his call for a ban on kratom after a conversation with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Outside of Ohio, states across the country have adopted a patchwork of policies, ranging from outright bans to consumer protection laws. Kratom bans Washington, D.C., and seven states Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have banned kratom. Rhode Islands ban will be replaced in April 2026 by a new law passed by state lawmakers, making it the first state to replace prohibition with a regulatory framework. Florida also issued an emergency rule that places 7-OH under Schedule I, and Colorado has banned kratom products containing more than 2% of the same alkaloid. New legislation At least seven states have considered or enacted legislation related to kratom in the last year. Colorado, Mississippi, and New York have all enacted or passed measures focusing on consumer safety through age restrictions (raising the minimum purchase age to 21), labeling requirements, and limits on synthetic kratom and high concentrations of 7-OH. Colorados law also specifically prohibits products designed to appeal to children, while New Yorks pending legislation would require warning labels and ban all natural marketing claims. Meanwhile, similar regulatory proposals in Montana and Texas failed to advance this year. Looking ahead With federal agencies like the FDA pushing to classify 7-OH as a Schedule I substance, and states experimenting with their own models, Ohios SB 299 could become a blueprint for balancing consumer access with public health concerns. As the kratom debate evolves, lawmakers across the country face a common challenge: how to regulate a substance that sits at the intersection of wellness, addiction, and commerce. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general seeking to clarify the 2018 Farm Bill's hemp definition that has allowed intoxicating products to flood the market. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has called for regulations, citing among his reasons the look-alike hemp products that could entice kids. Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland.com WASHINGTON -- Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is part of a bipartisan coalition of 39 state and territory attorneys general calling on Congress to close a loophole in federal law that has allowed synthetic THC products to flood gas stations, convenience stores and online retailers across Ohio and nationwide. The letter, co-sponsored by attorneys general from Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana and Minnesota, urges lawmakers to clarify the federal definition of hemp during the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process or through Farm Bill reauthorization. The coalition argues that manufacturers have exploited ambiguity in the 2018 Farm Bill to produce and sell intoxicating hemp products. You should not allow irresponsible corporations to take advantage of your good work to purvey dangerous products in our states, the letter reads. We ask Congress to act decisively to clarify the Farm Bills definition of hemp to ensure intoxicating THC products are taken off the market. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp for commercial use, defining it as cannabis containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis. The goal was to promote industrial hemp for products like textiles and rope, but producers quickly exploited the definition. Producers realized they could legally sell products with intoxicating effects as long as they kept Delta-9 THC under 0.3%. Delta-9 is the most well-known psychoactive compound in cannabis. This has allowed a vast market of intoxicating edibles, vapes, and drinks to emerge, mimicking the effects of marijuana without facing any of the same regulatory oversight. The product landscape is vast, ranging from edibles and vapes sold in smoke shops to THC-infused beverages sold by major marketers. The coalition argued that state-level efforts to ban intoxicating hemp cannot adequately address the public health problem because a patchwork of regulations across the country cannot stop mail-order THC products. Because the Farm Bill is federal law, it opens up the floodgates for interstate commerce. The attorneys general said that prohibiting products containing intoxicating levels of THC would not inhibit the cultivation of hemp for industrial and agricultural uses, since hemp does not naturally contain intoxicating THC levels. In addition to Ohio, the coalition includes attorneys general from 38 other states and territories: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The letter was addressed to leaders of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, House Committee on Appropriations and House Committee on Agriculture. Rain arrives in Northeast Ohio late Wednesday and continues through Friday. Some areas could see over 1 inch of rain by Halloween, according to the National Weather Service. Courtesy National Weather Service CLEVELAND, Ohio Northeast Ohios streak of crisp, sunny fall days will come to an end soon, with widespread rain expected to arrive Wednesday night and linger through the end of the week. High pressure centered over eastern Canada will keep skies mostly clear and winds light through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland. Afternoon highs will reach the upper 50s across much of the region, right on par for late October. Clouds will increase Wednesday as a complex low-pressure system lifts north from the Mississippi Valley. The first showers should reach southern counties by evening, spreading north overnight as moisture surges in from the Gulf of Mexico. Today is your last sunny day for a bit! Rain arrives late Wednesday and continues through Friday. Some areas could see over 1 inch of rain by Halloweentime for rain-friendly costumes Well keep you posted on any impacts to weekend plans! pic.twitter.com/iLcI2H6G8l NWS Cleveland (@NWSCLE) October 28, 2025 Steady, occasionally heavy rain Thursday Forecasters expect a broad shield of rain to overspread the region Wednesday night into Thursday, with steady to locally heavy rainfall at times. Some areas could pick up more than an inch of rain before the system exits Friday, forecasters said. Lake Erie may enhance rainfall across the snowbelt counties, including Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula, where colder air over the relatively warm lake could fuel heavier bands of rain. Highs on Thursday will reach only the upper 40s to low 50s under breezy east to northeast winds. Expect a raw, chilly day with steady rain and gusts that could leave sidewalks and yards soaked heading into Halloween. Cooler, unsettled pattern for the weekend Tuesday will be the last sunny day before a soggy stretch that will last through the end of the week in Northeast Ohio. Courtesy National Weather Service As the storm system lifts toward New England late Friday, lake-effect rain will likely linger along the Lake Erie shoreline, especially across the snowbelt counties east of Cleveland. Most other areas should see dry or mostly dry conditions by evening, with only an isolated sprinkle possible. Otherwise, skies will stay mostly cloudy and temperatures cool. Trick-or-treaters will want to wear layers and parents will want to carry an umbrella just in case. Temperatures in the evening will be in the high 40s to around 50 degrees with a light breeze off the lake. The cool, unsettled pattern will stick around through the weekend, with highs in the mid 40s to lower 50s and lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s. A few passing showers are possible Saturday before some partial clearing returns on Sunday as weak high pressure briefly builds in. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and other Indian oil firms do not intend to completely stop purchasing Russian oil while complying with the US sanctions. Indian firms are considering buying Russian oil through some loopholes by dealing with other non-sanctioned entities, if not Rosneft, the oil giant controlling nearly half of Russian oil production which was sanctioned. IOC Director (Finance) Anuj Jain said, "If somebody comes to me with a non-sanctioned entity, and the (price) cap is being complied with, and the shipping is okay, then I will continue to buy it." "We are absolutely not going to discontinue (buying Russian crude) as long as we are complying with the sanctions. Russian crude is not sanctioned. It is the entities and the shipping lines which have got sanctions," Jain emphasised during the post earnings analyst call. In March 2023, IOC had signed a long-term agreement with Rosneft to buy Russian oil, getting their hands on oil at a discounted rate as most western countries shunned Russia due to attacks on Ukraine. Officials told PTI that Russian crude is being sold at a discount of between $3.5 to $5 per barrel and that Indian companies would capitalise on every dollar possible. However, no new orders have been placed yet since the US announced sanctions on Russian oil companies like Rosneft and Lukoil last week. Other major producers, Surgutneftegas PAO and Gazprom Neft, were blacklisted earlier. He added that many are reportedly weighing their options to understand how much they can buy from non-sanctioned entities in Russia. Russia said Tuesday (October 28) that the Trump administration should not interfere in the country's oil trade and that buyers can make decisions for themselves. "Our partners will make up their own mind about whether or not to buy top quality Russian energy products at a good price," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Many say they will figure it out for themselves." Talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Istanbul to broker a long-term truce have ended without a resolution, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, a blow for peace in the region after deadly clashes this month.The talks aimed to reach lasting peace between the South Asian neighbours after dozens were killed along their border in the worst such violence since the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021.Both agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Doha on October 19, but could not find common ground in a second round of talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul, Afghan and Pakistani sources briefed on the issue said, with each blaming the other for the failure.A Pakistani security source said the Taliban had been unwilling to commit to rein in the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group hostile to Pakistan that Islamabad says operates with impunity inside Afghanistan.An Afghan source familiar with the talks said they had ended after "tense exchanges" over the issue, adding that the Afghan side said it no control over the Pakistani Taliban, which has launched attacks against Pakistani troops in recent weeks.The sources sought anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.Spokespersons for Afghanistans Taliban government and defence ministry, and for Pakistans army, defence and foreign ministries, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The October clashes began after Pakistani air strikes this month on Kabul, the Afghan capital, among other locations, targeting the head of the Pakistani Taliban.The Taliban responded with attacks on Pakistani military posts along the length of the 2,600-km (1,600 miles) border.The breakdown in talks that have caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump, could strain the ceasefire between Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and nuclear-armed Pakistan.On Saturday, Pakistan's defence minister said he believed Afghanistan wanted peace but that failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would mean "open war".Despite a ceasefire between Pakistan and the Taliban, weekend clashes killed five Pakistani soldiers and 25 Pakistani Taliban militants near the border with Afghanistan, the military said on Sunday. A new law in China, which came into effect on October 25, requires influencers to prove their official qualifications before creating social media content on sensitive topics like medicine, law, education and finance.The new rule has sparked major debate online, with critics warning that it might harm creativity and limit freedom of speech, according to Morocco World News.Defending the law, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said it has been brought in to protect people from misleading content and harmful advice available online.From now onwards, creators will be required to highlight evidence of expertise prior to posting content related to regulated subjects. Evidence can include degree, license or certification in the respective field.Apart from influencers, even platforms like Bilibili, Weibo and Douyin, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, will have to verify the credentials of the creators available on their platform and ensure that the content being shared mentions proper citations and disclaimers.While uploading content on platforms, people will now have to clearly highlight AI-generated material or whether there are any references to research studies.Users must remain aware about their responsibilities while sharing content online.Also, the CAC has banned advertising of medical products, supplements and health foods. This has been done to avoid hidden promotions that are being disguised as educational videos, Morocco News reported.Many have welcomed the decision, noting that this will allow people to see well-informed content on platforms. Some of them have argued that only those with relevant qualifications should be allowed to speak and discuss particular issues to prevent misinformation."Its about time people with real expertise led the conversation, read a comment by one user on Weibo.However, several others have warned that the new law limits freedom of speech as it will restrict independent voices and critical debate on social media.Next thing you know, well need a license to post opinions," a Beijing-based creator shared on Weibo.They have said that the law will give too much power to authorities to decide individuals, who can be counted as an "expert". Russias second-largest oil producer, Lukoil PJSC, announced plans to sell international assets amid US and UK sanctions.Lukoil is considering bids from would-be buyers, the company said on its website on Monday. The divestment process is being conducted under a wind-down licence from the US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, according to Lukoil. The company is prepared to seek an extension of the licence to ensure uninterrupted operations of its international assets.The decision follows the introduction of restrictive measures against the company and its subsidiaries by some states, Lukoil said.Last week, US President Donald Trumps administration slapped sanctions on Russias two biggest oil producers Lukoil and state-controlled Rosneft PJSC to pressure the Vladimir Putin regime to end the war in Ukraine. Earlier this month, the UK blacklisted the two companies.Lukoil is the most internationally diverse of Russias oil giants, with upstream businesses in former Soviet countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The company also has operations in Iraq, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana and elsewhere.The Russian producer also has a network of 5,300 retail fuel stations in 19 countries around the world as well as refineries in Europe. Malawian president issues executive order prohibiting raw mineral exports Xinhua) 09:28, October 28, 2025 This photo taken on Sept. 18, 2025 shows the War Memorial Tower and the statue of Hastings Kamuzu Banda in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Xinhua/Peng Lijun) Malawian President Peter Mutharika has issued an executive order banning the export of raw, unprocessed minerals as the country gears itself up to develop its wide range of mineral resources. LILONGWE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Malawian President Peter Mutharika has issued an executive order banning the export of raw, unprocessed minerals as the country gears itself up to develop its wide range of mineral resources. The order was released on Saturday, reaffirming the government's commitment to "ensuring the sustainable development and utilization of mineral resources, and to promote the growth of the national economy through value addition and industrialization." The president said the purpose of the order is to prohibit the export of raw minerals, promote local value addition, and ensure that the country's mineral resources contribute to national economic development and prosperity. According to the executive order, the prohibition took effect on Oct. 21, 2025. This photo taken on Sept. 19, 2025 shows a city view in Lilongwe, Malawi. (Xinhua/Peng Lijun) "The exportation of raw minerals from Malawi is hereby prohibited. This prohibition shall apply to all minerals extracted in Malawi, including but not limited to uranium, rare earth elements, niobium, graphite, tantalum, bauxite, coal, limestone, gemstones, heavy mineral sands, vermiculite, phosphate, pyrite rutile, gold, diamonds, copper, etc," reads the order dated Oct. 23, 2025, and signed by Mutharika. Any person or entity found in violation of the executive order will be subject to penalties, fines, and other sanctions as provided for by the laws of Malawi, according to the order. The prohibition, however, exempts minerals that have been processed, refined, or value-added in Malawi in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the mining sector. Mutharika said the implementation of the executive order will be reviewed and monitored regularly to assess its impact on the economy, industry, and the environment, with the ministry responsible for mining expected to submit reports to the president on its progress. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) So far, Trump hasnt taken any public action against Microsoft (though there is an ongoing antitrust probe that could make waves). But the president isnt known for giving up easily or ignoring a snub. Hes particularly furious about the Monaco appointment, so dont be surprised if he makes another run at trying to take her down. The big-dollar question for Microsoft is this: If Trump brings down the hammer on the company for hiring Monaco, what might Microsoft do in response? For clues, lets recall how other tech companies have bowed to the presidents wishes, see what about Monaco sets him off, and then look at what leverage, if any, Microsoft may in any blow-out fight. Another day of administrative imperturbability from our purring Lagonda of a government. In the Commons David Lammy, Deputy PM and Justice Secretary, was fighting to save his career after the Epping sex offender was accidentally released from prison. Mr Lammys eyes bulged, astonished he should be facing criticism. He slapped the despatch box, grabbed a ballpoint pen and nursed it in his right fingers, as if he might throw it at any moment at his Tory opponent, Robert Jenrick. A dart, right between Jenricks dancing eyes. Whereupon Speaker Hoyle would shout: One hundred and eighty! Mr Lammy had already had a vexing time with his British Legion poppy. It was one of those metal ones and Mr Lammy was all fingers and thumbs as he struggled to click the back piece in place. A little prick. No, no, I mean that was what he suffered from the poppys pin. Junior minister Jake Richards, aged c.22, was also having poppy trouble. His fell off. Mr Richards was more worried about the front of his hairdo. Kept fiddling with it. Mr Lammy described how sex offender Hadush Kebatu was let go doh! - from HMP Chelmsford (now theres the prison to request when we all get banged up for failing to pay our mansion tax). Lammys voice went all whispery as he related this magnificent foul-up. And it was Mr Kebatu, please. Since when did we start giving convicts honorifics? David Lammy, Deputy PM and Justice Secretary, was fighting to save his career after the Epping sex offender was accidentally released from prison Mr Lammy: Im livid. The House laughed. Now that really did make him cross. Kebatu was released into the community. Soon concerns were raised, ie prison officers started yowling F-words once they realised such a politically toxic prisoner was no longer in the vicinity (translation: had legged it). Mr Lammy, summoning all his gravitas: There must and there will be accountability. The words once weve worked out whos expendable did not need to be uttered. It certainly wasnt going to be him! Or was it? The small number of Labour MPs in the chamber looked distinctly unamused. Mr Lammy had tasked officials. He had been clear it was unacceptable. Then he hurried through some statistics for how many prisoners had been accidentally let out in recent months. Its amazing theres anyone left inside. Mr Lammy only came to life when he started blaming the Tories. His voice went squeaky and he leaned on the despatch box, pushing a good 12 inches across the table. Mr Jenrick was soon saying Calamity Lammy strikes again. Mr Lammy laughed theatrically but when he leapt back to reply he was SEETHING, his voice now near castrato. This is a serious issue!!! he yelled, brandishing his right index finger, throwing his notes aside. The Lib Dems frontbencher was wet as a sardine. Mr Lammy thanked her for her tone. That meant thank you for not attacking me. Another Lib Dem, some goose from Honiton, talked of Kebatus escape. A Tory MP: They let him out! Meanwhile, MPs and peers opened a committee investigation of another prize bungle the China spies case. Chief prosecutor Stephen Parkinson and another government lawyer made plain that the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, was kept informed before the case collapsed. Then the deputy national security adviser (current man in the mire) strode into the room. A limber gait but a David Beckham voice. Tremulous thumbs. Twitchy, too. When listening to questions he recoiled his head and worked his eyebrows like Capt Darling from TVs Blackadder. Beside him was the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, victim of recent bitching by friends of the Prime Minister. He walks these days with a heavy trudge. Looked a bit red round the eyes, as if he had been blubbing. He elongates and gives strange emphasis to certain vowels. You can see how it could annoy a pressurised PM. Sir Chris, too, has developed a twitch: one of those Mr-MacKay-from-Porridge jobs, where his entire neck convulses and dips. Is there anyone at the top of this Government entirely sane at present? Recently this column reported, with a touch of asperity, from the Lords. Yesterday, despite being shouted at en route by a power-crazed policeman and some tiresome tusker of a doorkeeper, I revisited the Upper House to check I had not been unkind to the old boobies. Many of the same figures were there, saying similar things. Maybe theyd been there all the time, fossils placed under dust-sheets at night. The chamber was full for daily question time. They pile in after subsidised lunch. Daily attendance allowance: 361 plus 125 for your overnight charpoy. Lib Dem hereditary Lord Addington, 62, a backbencher for 40 years, was taking a portly post-nosebag snooze. Former Defence Secretary Des Browne, 73, was more seriously asleep, bent almost in two. Near him was the spectral form of Jack Cunningham, 86, once Jim Callaghans parliamentary aide. Also Paul Boateng, sometime peppery lawyer, Treasury minister and High Commissioner to South Africa. On Monday I heard him in the committee looking at that China spies scandal. Theatrical, partisan bluster. Lord Boateng, 74, has not yet grown out of it. Lady Sherlock, a gesticulating gasbag from the pensions department, said the point of work was that it provided self-respect, teamwork, a peer group Why do clever people join the Lords? Do they truly enjoy it? Is public service a believable motive or is there a deeper need for some terrible relevance? Michael Howard, 84, ex-Tory leader, was in attendance. Ditto: Ken Clarke, 85, slumped in a wheelchair; former Archbishop John Sentamu, 76; my old editor Charles Moore, 68; ex-MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller, 77; David Pannick, KC, 69. Could those last four not use their time elsewhere to societys better advantage? In the time I watched Lord Pannick he could have earned a pile of ducats at the bar. Those daily allowances may attract the more moth-eaten peers but that cant be true of all of them. The Duke of Wellington languished on the Crossbenches, an urbane salamander. No stately home to run? The Bishop of Winchester was biting a fingernail. Not a gesture you want from a prelate. I think I saw William Waldegrave, civilised ex provost of Eton. All that intelligence and charm was imprisoned by the drone of onetime Labour MP Phil Wilson, now a Government minister. Why do the likes of corporate-strategy yogi John Birt, supermarkets tyro Lucy Neville-Rolfe, TVs Robert Winston and his moustaches torture themselves thus? Is a title that important to them? A minister called Katz discussed vegan recipes and said we should all eat more beans. He was weirdly fascinating. No sideburns. His hair just sits on his head like an angled plate Soon we heard from Liz Lloyd. She was deputy chief of staff to Tony Blair and is now a science minister. She seemed terrified, under-briefed, reluctant to look up from her notes. Lord Pannick clutched his brains-stuffed skull. His eyes flew to the ceiling in desperation. Yet still he sat there. Dan Hannan, the brilliant right-wing mystic, ambled in with hands behind back, the gait of a Cranmerite martyr strolling the cloisters. A Lib Dem mouse started squeaking about methane. Then a minister called Katz discussed vegan recipes and said we should all eat more beans. Not more hot air, please! This Katz was weirdly fascinating. No sideburns. His hair just sits on his head like an angled plate. And then Lady Sherlock, a gesticulating gasbag from the pensions department, said the point of work was that it provided self-respect, teamwork, a peer group. What a peer group here: electoral rejects, charity-sector busybodies, civil service duds and physical wrecks from forgotten decades. To sit alongside such appointees of Corbyn, Truss, Johnson, etc: wheres the self-respect in that? I headed back to the Commons and for once felt liberated by its legitimacy. Yvette Cooper had earlier taken questions. She is still getting the hang of the Foreign Office. Last week she accompanied the King to the Vatican and was asked to read a lesson in the Sistine Chapel. Encountering the New Testament verb travaileth, head-wobbler Yvette came over all Dame Edna Everage and pronounced the vail as vile. Queen Camilla, old pro, kept an admirably straight face, burying her nose in an order of service that was roughly the size of a Berni Inn wine list. William's coronation will be a mere formality. This is his monarchy now. Prince Andrew, the reputational and financial blight long protected by the late Queen, has finally been cast out reportedly by his own nephew as has his equally grubby ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, said to have been undone by having her title stripped. 'Wailing' and going into a 'meltdown', Fergie as exclusively reported by the Daily Mail has been begging Andrew to do something. Alas, he cannot. Nor it seems can his brother, King Charles, who may be conflict-averse but appears to have nonetheless allowed Prince William to do what he can't, or won't. What took place last week at Royal Lodge in Windsor, where Andrew and Fergie have been living rent-free for the past 17 years until recent eviction orders, was described by Andrew's camp as a family 'summit' attended only by one of the couple's two daughters. Princess Eugenie, who remains a good friend to Harry and Meghan, was absent. The timing is hardly coincidental: Weeks after Andrew forced William into a clearly unwanted conversation at the Duchess of Kent's funeral as if to tell the world that he remained in good standing with the future king and days before Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre's memoir was posthumously published, William moved swiftly and decisively. William's coronation will be a mere formality. This is his monarchy now Weeks after Andrew forced William into a clearly unwanted conversation at the Duchess of Kent's funeral and days before Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre's memoir was posthumously published, William moved swiftly and decisively 'The Royal Lodge "summit" wasn't a happy occasion and the family, once a strong unit, is fractured,' a royal insider told the Daily Mail. On Tuesday, we learned of more reported threats made by William to his defiant uncle, who was refusing to vacate the Royal Lodge and delusionally believed he was in a negotiation, rather than under orders. William, it is said, threatened Andrew and Fergie's daughters, his own cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, with removal of their titles should Andrew not comply. This claim comes from none other than the BBC's Emily Maitlis, who conducted the forensic TV interview with Andrew that led to his downfall. 'There was a question over whether there had been [] a meeting between Prince William and the princesses, Beatrice and Eugenie, saying: You guys have got to get your dad to move out of Royal Lodge, otherwise we will start re-examining the state of your own titles,' Maitlis said. Note the detail: William summoned his cousins. He spoke to them face-to-face. He did not leave it to a functionary, or send his message by letter. He made it personal, and showed he has the courage to do the necessary thing. Now this is a future king. Emerging on the world stage is a fully directional William, already leading the Royal Family, intent on preserving the realm. Charles, it seems, has all but handed over the crown. He would prefer, as is his constitution, not to be embroiled in these messes, even as they pose existential threats to the future of the monarchy. William clearly has no such squeamishness. Are Harry and Meghan paying attention? Again, William began making power moves after Meghan posted a video to Instagram of her chauffeured limo driving near the tunnel where Princess Diana died, Meghan's own feet up in repose, just two weeks ago. Diana was William's mother too something Harry and Meghan, in their ghoulish attempts to annex her memory, seem to blithely ignore. Perhaps this accounts for Harry's rage and his sad, beta-male energy. He sulks around Montecito and New York, posture bent, bald spot expanding, the very embodiment of defeat as his dead-eyed wife flashes her 'Duchess' title at every opportunity while shilling wine and jam. Shades of Sarah Ferguson, who walked so Meghan could run. 'Wailing' and going into a 'meltdown', Fergie as exclusively reported by the Daily Mail has been begging Andrew to do something Emerging on the world stage is a fully directional William, already leading the Royal Family, intent on preserving the realm Again, William began making power moves after Meghan posted a video to Instagram of her chauffeured limo driving near the tunnel where Princess Diana died, Meghan's own feet up in repose, just two weeks ago Remember, it was Fergie who ornately disgraced the very notion of royal dignity. She sat for a tell-all with Oprah and told the world she had been 'in the gutter,' drinking too much, taking dirty money then signed to do a reality show with Oprah called 'Finding Sarah'. It seems there was no higher Sarah to find. The woman photographed in 1992 getting her toes sucked, by a man not her husband, was proved not to have had a momentary lapse of judgement but to be a walking lapse of judgement. The then-duchess (oh, the glory of that moniker!) went on to sign an inelegant deal as a Weight Watchers spokeswoman, sold out access to Andrew with shady businessmen, consorted with Epstein and happily introduced her daughters to him while taking his money, and went on to shill kitchen appliances and hair products on QVC. Now, do we really need to wonder what William will do to the Sussexes? How will he exact justice for the cruelties they've committed against the late Queen and Prince Philip, Charles and Kate? Just look at him. William walks tall, shoulders back, armored in royal blue suits cut to enhance his trim physique, his new beard a nod to the unsparing medieval kings of his ancestry. He does not suffer fools, and a weary public is grateful for it. It was Diana who predicted William had the makings of a great king. In her infamous 1995 BBC Panorama interview, she sparked outrage by saying Charles wasn't up to 'the top job,' as she called it, but that William was. 'I don't think Charles can do it,' Diana said. At the time, Diana was written off as a scorned woman exacting her revenge. But time may have proven her right. Charles keeps cover as Andrew is forced out. Charles also held that summit with Harry in September apparently against William's stated wishes only for Harry to do what he does best: spoil everything by publicly griping within days. By excising Andrew and Fergie, William has cut Harry and Meghan off at the root. Whether they know it or not doesn't matter. We do. It's the House of Wales now, and not a moment too soon. Men checked for prostate cancer on the NHS will soon be able to get same-day results, with AI processing MRI scans in seconds. The service, set for pilot use, would see patients assessed by the bot as at high risk immediately sent to a radiologist before an on-the-spot biopsy. Results would be reviewed at once, with all-clears issued that day and diagnoses the next, for the one in eight men who will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. The process will be trialled at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and on some 10,000 scans at up to 15 hospitals in Yorkshire, Manchester and the southwest and east of England. If successful, it will be rolled out nationally. The UK's top cancer doctor has dubbed the service a 'game changer', with speed crucial in all cancer treatment and diagnosis. Professor Peter Johnson, the NHS's national clinical director for cancer, said the rapid testing would 'help give the best chance of treatment being successful for patients and their families'. The service, set for pilot use, would see patients assessed by the bot as at high risk immediately sent to a radiologist before an on-the-spot biopsy. Pictured: File photo of the current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests available to prostate cancer patients And Health Secretary Wes Streeting told The Telegraph it would slash weeks or sometimes months of 'needlessly distressing' waits for results. NHS waiting standards say three-quarters of patients with suspected cancer should receive a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days. But latest figures show this target was met for under a third of those with urological cancer, most commonly in the prostate. The pilot aims to increase the number of patients receiving an outcome within 28 days - and see if it can aid early detection. Dr Oliver Hulson, consultant radiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and leader of the trials, hoped they will help 'fast-track' those who need further tests. If the pilots succeed, patients will undergo all the necessary processes in a single day, in one location, at Leeds Cancer Centre. Men given an urgent prostate cancer referral by their GP should undergo an MRI and biopsy within seven days, according to best practice. In reality, however, the wait is often much longer due to a lack of radiologists - which the use of AI could help solve. If trials of the new bot, called Pi and developed by Lucida Medical, work well, it could be rolled out in community settings to deliver care closer to home. Lucy Davies, VP of clinical at the medical technology firm, hoped the tool can create a 'one-stop shop' and 'more efficient care pathway' for prostate cancer diagnosis. And Amy Rylance, Prostate Cancer UK's assistant director of health improvement, said this kind of speed is what patients 'desperately need'. The scheme forms part of broader NHS and government plans to improve early cancer diagnosis. It is expected a national cancer plan will be outlined by the end of this year. Men with suspected prostate cancer are referred due to symptoms like erectile dysfunction or problems with urination, such as needing to do so more often. These signs can also be a normal aspect of growing older or caused by inflammation or a benign prostate enlargement. Patients can ask their GP for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, with high scores seeing clinicians refer them for further testing. But this current diagnostic process is often beset by delays, between an MRI scan to detect the disease and expert assessment to determine if a biopsy is needed too. Discussion around testing for the disease has renewed since last year, when champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy (pictured, at the London 2012 Olympic Games) announced his terminal diagnosis Hold-ups often come in waiting for biopsy results themselves too - using up valuable time that may be needed to deliver vital treatment. Discussion around testing for the disease has renewed since last year, when champion cyclist Sir Chris Hoy announced his terminal diagnosis. The six-time Olympic gold medallist discovered he had the disease in 2023 and told the public a year later. Even though he has a family history of prostate cancer - his father and grandfather both had it - he was never offered a PSA test. In the nearly six months since his announcement, some 5,000 more men have been urgently referred for urological cancer. An early diagnosis is key for survival - but roughly half of those with the disease find out later on. More than 90 per cent of those diagnosed at stage one and two go on to survive for ten years. But just 18.6 per cent of men who discover the cancer later, at stage four, live as long as that. Prostate cancer is the most common type among men in Britain, with around 12,000 deaths and 67,000 diagnoses every year. For most people, becoming infected with Covid-19, flu or any other respiratory virus usually leads to unpleasant but temporary symptoms. But for some cancer survivors specifically women in remission from breast cancer these viruses may be more horrifying. New research suggests even fairly innocuous viral infections may increase the risk of breast cancer coming back. The study, published in Nature, found that respiratory bugs can reactivate breast cancer cells that have settled in the lungs of mice and become dormant. The results were borne out by a second study, by the same researchers, which looked at thousands of breast cancer survivors whose details were recorded in a US medical database. These women had been diagnosed with breast cancer at least five years earlier and so were almost certainly in remission. Those who had caught Covid-19 in 2020 (before vaccinations were available) were nearly 50 per cent more likely to develop metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread) in their lungs, than women who tested negative for the virus. The researchers also looked at data from cancer survivors generally and found that those whod had Covid had almost double the risk of dying from cancer the risk was even greater in the months following infection, James DeGregori, a professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who led the research, told Good Health. Experts suggest the results highlight the role of regular Covid and flu vaccinations for those who have had breast cancer. Dormant cancer cells are like embers in a campfire and respiratory viruses are the wind that can reignite them, says Professor DeGregori. The risk of dying from cancer for survivors is almost double if they have had Covid, especially 'in the months following infection', according to Professor James DeGregori of the University of Colorado School of Medicine Professor Kefah Mokbel said data suggests that 'viral infections can influence cancer recurrence and spread' Animal tests, he said, showed that after Covid or flu infection, there was a 100-fold surge in levels of previously dormant breast cancer cells that had settled in the lungs. Breast cancer cells can stay in the lungs in very small numbers and in essentially a quiescent state, he told Good Health. Our data suggest that if you are a cancer patient who has these dormant cells, you may end up living a perfectly normal life, dying without them ever awakening. But if you get a respiratory virus such as flu or Covid-19, the chance of those cells awakening is much greater and with it your chance of dying from them. One in five women with breast cancer that is treated successfully develops secondary tumours in other parts of the body sometimes decades later. These tend to be more aggressive and respond less well to therapies. Why this happens to some women and not others is not completely understood. But it is linked to whether tiny sleeper cancer cells migrate from the original tumour and settle in areas such as the bone marrow and lungs, often very early on in the diseases initial progression. For many women, these cells stay quiet and never reactivate. But for some, a trigger causes them to reawaken, leading to new tumours. Consultant breast surgeon viral infections can upset the immune system, making cells which are supposed to protect the body against cancer less effective Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon and chair of the multidisciplinary breast cancer programme at the London Breast Institute, told Good Health the study backed up previous findings that widespread inflammation such as that triggered by a viral infection in the body can reawaken cancer cells. At the same time, viral infections can upset the immune system, making cells which are supposed to protect the body against cancer less effective and suppressing the activity of other immune cells that would normally attack and destroy cancer. This creates fertile ground for dormant cancer cells to grow into metastases, says Professor Mokbel. We must be cautious, but the data strongly suggest that viral infections can influence cancer recurrence and spread. But Dani Edmunds, research information manager at Cancer Research UK, says that people should not be overly worried that a bout of flu or Covid is going to lead to their cancer returning. Current data from this study is not sufficient to show that Covid-19 was the cause for metastatic cancer in humans, she says. For example, key details about the cancer care given to patients during the pandemic are missing from the human datasets. This is important because the pandemic caused widespread disruption of cancer services from screening to treatment. This was not taken into account by the researchers. Dani Edmunds adds: Findings from mouse and human samples should not be directly compared. And while the researchers identified a mechanism by which respiratory infection could increase breast cancer metastasis in the lungs of mice, they provide no evidence this is applicable in humans. Researchers who took part in the Nature study are now looking at whether respiratory infections might also be linked to increased recurrence rates in other types of cancer and what impact vaccinations for flu or Covid might have. Waterproof mascara that doesnt run. Foundation that stays put. For many women, long-wear make-up is a welcome convenience. Yet the reason many of these products cling so firmly to the skin is because of so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS, (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). This is a family of 10,000 manmade chemicals designed to produce surfaces that are smooth, glossy and water-resistant. But increasingly, concerns are being raised that these chemicals are linked to hormone disruption, a weaker immune system and even some cancers. Now France is to become the first country to ban PFAS from all cosmetics, textiles and waxed products (such as ski wax) from January. In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive completed a review of PFAS in 2023, but ministers are still to decide whether to ban or restrict them (according to an answer to a parliamentary question in May). PFAS are found everywhere, from tap water to house dust, and in the blood of every human, according to the UN Environment Programme and the US Centers for Disease Control. PFAS have chemical bonds that are virtually indestructible, meaning they can take centuries to break down and disappear hence the moniker forever chemicals. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are part of a family of 10,000 manmade chemicals designed to produce surfaces that are smooth, glossy and water-resistant The problem, say scientists, is that their durability in products means durability inside the body, too. This is why there are concerns about their use in make-up. PFAS molecules stick to proteins in the blood, where they can interfere with hormones and the immune system. One PFAS commonly used in make-up, for example, is PTFE, which creates a silky texture and helps it cling to lashes or skin for a flawless, waterproof finish. PFAS are highly persistent, and for several of them the evidence for toxicity is strong, says Professor Miriam Diamond, an environmental chemist at the University of Toronto, and author of a major 2021 study that suggested PFAS were present in more than half of tested cosmetics. If PFAS get into the eye, the tear duct is a very efficient route into the body. Eyelid skin is thin and permeable, she says. And when it comes to lipstick, a woman can easily swallow several pounds of lipstick in her lifetime. A review in Environment International in 2024 reported that forever chemicals can get through the skin and enter the bloodstream, especially from products applied repeatedly to thin skin (such as older peoples) or skin damaged by conditions such as eczema, sun exposure or exfoliants. Professor Diamond says this matters because some of the strongest human evidence links PFAS exposure to weaker immune systems. People with higher PFAS levels in their blood show weaker vaccine responses and lower antibody production, she explains. A 2023 study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found adults with higher PFAS exposure produced significantly weaker antibody responses after Covid-19 vaccination. Professor Miriam Diamond, an environmental chemist at the University of Toronto, and author of a major 2021 study that suggested PFAS were present in more than half of tested cosmetics Professor Diamond adds: Other studies show changes in fat and sugar metabolism that raise diabetes risk. A 2022 study in the journal Toxics found that people with higher levels of PFAS in their blood were more likely to develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The prudent thing is to stop using PFAS in cosmetics as its not necessary, argues Professor Diamond. PFAS come in many forms, but most fall into two groups: long chain and short chain. The older, long-chain types such as PFOA and PFOS have been banned in several countries, including the UK, after being linked to cancer and other health problems. These have largely been replaced in consumer goods, including make-up, by short-chain PFAS, which are thought to break down more quickly in the environment. But scientists now warn that these newer versions including those found in some cosmetics may travel further through the body because theyre smaller molecules and prove just as harmful, if not more so, in the long run. Professor Graham Peaslee, an environmental scientist at the University of Notre Dame in the US, has spent more than a decade studying how PFAS move through the body. He says short-chain versions may be even more concerning than the older ones, not least because manufacturers must use more of the short-chain chemicals to do the same job as the older ones, and because theyre more water-soluble they get out into the environment even faster. The older, long-chain types such as PFOA and PFOS have been banned in several countries, including the UK, after being linked to cancer and other health problems He adds short-chain PFAS also move through the skin more easily and enter the body in greater amounts. A 2022 study by the University of Birmingham found that up to 50 per cent of applied PFAS could pass through human skin within 24 hours. Early lab studies suggest that once inside the body, PFAS can cross the blood-brain barrier the defence that normally stops most chemicals reaching brain tissue, raising concerns they could interfere with brain chemistry or nerve function. But more research is needed. A spokesperson for the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association said cosmetics are already covered by strict safety laws and that a voluntary Europe-wide phase-out of PFAS is in progress. Shoppers shouldnt have to play detective to avoid harmful ingredients, says Anna Watson, head of policy and advocacy at Chem Trust, a charity campaigning for tougher regulations for harmful chemicals. These forever chemicals must be banned to truly protect our health and the environment, she adds. Until then, Professor Peaslee says the simplest fix lies with shoppers: If we all choose the PFAS-free options, there will be no demand for the ones made with toxic chemicals. To identify if a product contains these, look for PTFE, perfluorononyl dimethicone, perfluorodecalin, or words beginning perfluoro- or polyfluoro- on the label. What began as a long-awaited dream of self-care has turned into a nightmare for Nicole Grigorov. For the 52-year-old is now recovering in a Costa Rican hospital after a cosmetic surgery went catastrophically wrong. The mother-of-four, owner of the Mattawa River Resort near North Bay in Canada, traveled to Costa Rica last month for a tummy tuck, a procedure she had wanted for years after multiple pregnancies, a hysterectomy and the removal of a 20lb cyst from her abdomen earlier this year. The procedure costs between $5,000 and $18,000 in Canada and is not covered by provincial health insurance, prompting her to seek a more affordable option abroad. In Costa Rica, tummy tucks, which are major surgeries involving the removal of excess fat and skin from the abdomen for a firmer and flatter appearance, start as low as $2,500. While Grigorov's operation on September 30 went well initially, two days later she developed a severe infection that led to septic shock and heart failure, according to Dr Carlos Wu Chin, an intensive care physician at Clinica Biblica Hospital in San Jose, Costa Rica. The doctor said Grigorov was placed on a ventilator to help her breathe for two weeks and had only a 5 percent chance of survival. She has since come off life support, but Wu Chin noted that her limbs have turned black and will 'most likely' need to be amputated, as drugs to treat sepsis cut off blood supply to non-vital organs like the hands and feet. While Grigorov feels fortunate to still be alive, she described her situation as terrifying and painful. What began as a long-awaited dream of self-care has turned into a nightmare for Nicole Grigorov, a 52-year-old Ontario woman who is now recovering in a Costa Rican hospital after a cosmetic surgery went catastrophically wrong Your browser does not support iframes. Days after her tummy tuck, Grigorov found her heart was racing and her red blood count was very low. She then developed sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection that causes the immune system to attack healthy organs and tissues. This forced doctors to place her on life support in the intensive care unit. Wu Chin told the Toronto Star he was unsure how Grigorov developed sepsis and that she got 'very unlucky.' Sepsis can develop from a tummy tuck if an initial infection from the surgery becomes severe. This can happen if bacteria from the surgical site enter the bloodstream, triggering a life-threatening systemic inflammatory response. Grigorov's husband, Adrian, was informed about the situation and flew out to see her, while her son, Nicholas, set up a GoFundMe to try and help cover the ballooning medical costs, now in excess of $100,000. He wrote on the fundraising page: '[My mom] is now unconscious, intubated, and in critical condition in a Costa Rican ICU. 'Her kidneys are failing, her red blood cell count is dangerously low, and the doctors describe her condition as "delicate."' However, in his latest update on October 26, Nicholas revealed that Grigorov is now 'fully awake, alert, and talking.' While her condition has stabilized, it is likely her hands and feet, which are in bandages, will need amputating. Poor blood flow from sepsis can cause amputations. This is because nutrients can't get to your fingers, hands, arms, toes, feet, and legs, and the tissues begin to die with gangrene setting in. At first, the skin may look mottled, bluish purple, and then black. This dead tissue must be removed because it can cause infection to spread. Grigorov, a mother-of-four and owner of the Mattawa River Resort near North Bay, traveled to Costa Rica last month for a tummy tuck, a procedure she had wanted for years, particularly after multiple pregnancies and abdominal surgeries While Grigorov's operation went well initially, two days later she developed a severe infection that led to septic shock and heart failure For weeks, Grigorov's family and friends have tried to arrange her transfer to a hospital in Ontario. However, as she did not purchase travel medical insurance it has proved to be a costly process and all of the medical bills must be settled before she leaves the country. Staff at the private hospital have reportedly warned they may have to stop treatment unless payment is secured. Grigorov also requires a medically equipped flight home in case she suffers complications. A close friend paid $85,000 to hire an air ambulance service, but without a confirmed hospital bed or a doctor to receive her in Canada, the flight cannot proceed. Fundraising supporters say they have contacted hospitals across Ontario, the Canadian consulate, and politicians, but were repeatedly told that no beds were available. Her sister, Brenda Johnson, expressed frustration over what she called a lack of government support for Canadians who experience medical emergencies abroad after elective procedures. 'There's no safety net for people like her,' she said. Friends describe Grigorov as a pillar of her community: someone who has organized charity drives, opened her home to evacuees during natural disasters, and fostered around 50 children over the past 25 years. And after years of helping others, she now needs people to help her. Following public attention to Grigorov's case, Niagara Falls Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Wayne Gates confirmed on Monday that a hospital bed had been secured for her at Niagara Health in Ontario. Gates said he personally contacted the hospital after learning of her situation, adding that it should not require political intervention for someone to receive care in Canada. Canadian and provincial authorities generally do not cover medical costs or repatriation for citizens who encounter complications from elective procedures overseas. Consular officials can help with logistics but cannot arrange or pay for medical transport. Once patients return to Canada, they are entitled to care under the public system, though availability depends on medical need and hospital capacity. For weeks, Grigorov's family and friends have tried to arrange her transfer to a hospital in Ontario. However, she did not purchase travel medical insurance, making it a costly process Grigorov said she is grateful to her doctors in Costa Rica, who she described as compassionate and skilled. She hopes her experience will draw attention to the challenges Canadians face when trying to return home after medical emergencies abroad. 'It's heartbreaking,' she said. 'I've paid taxes my whole life, and now, when I need help the most, I can't even get a hospital bed in my own country.' There are no concrete figures on how many cosmetic surgery procedures go wrong overseas, but studies show a high rate of complications. One UK study found over 50 percent of patients regretted their decision and another study found a rise of 94 percent in UK residents needing hospital treatment for complications from surgeries abroad between 2019 and 2022. Complications like infections, blood clots, and poor cosmetic results are among the most common complaints. Between 2009 and 2022, 93 US citizens died from cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic, according to the CDC. Other reported incidents include four US citizens dying from a fungal meningitis outbreak linked to cosmetic procedures in Mexico in 2023. Slimmers have been urged to watch out for fake weight loss jabs after the death of a mother who was injected with a drug bought on the black market Karen McGonigal, 53, died days after she was illegally administered a dose of semaglutide the powerful ingredient behind Ozempic and Wegovy in May. Her three daughters said the 53-year-old had become 'desperate' to lose weight after a long-term relationship ended, and a beautician had offered weight loss injections for 20 each. Ms McGonigal, from Salford in Greater Manchester, had tried to get the jab on the NHS but was deemed ineligible. Under strict health service criteria, only those who are seriously overweight and have other health conditions including diabetes or high blood pressure, are eligible for prescription. Ffion, Ms McGonigal's youngest daughter, told ITV News the beautician took her mother into a back room, where she was injected with a syringe. 'No preparation, no cleaning, nothing. She'd give it to my mum, my mum would pay her, and she'd be out in three minutes,' she said. While Ms McGonigal did lose weight, four days after her last injection, she started to experience severe stomach pains and breathing difficulties. Karen McGonigal, 53, died days after she was illegally administered a dose of semaglutide the powerful ingredient behind Ozempic and Wegovy in May Her three daughters said the 53-year-old (left) had become 'desperate' to lose weight after a long-term relationship ended, and a beautician had offered weight loss injections for 20 each (Pictured: Ms McGonigal with her three daughters) But despite being rushed to hospital, she spent two days in intensive care before her family were told there was nothing more doctors could do. Her daughters said they had now chosen to speak publicly in the hope other lives are not lost in the same way. Huge global demand for the drugs has seen counterfeit versions flood the market in recent years. Experts have repeatedly warned Britons against buying the jabs on social media, via beauticians or scam online retailers posing as pharmacies, over fears they may be selling contaminated versions. Doctors have also told how patients have suffered seizures and have even been left in comas after taking fake versions. Last week, the UK's medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), revealed it had seized more than a quarter of a million pounds worth of fake slimming jabs in the world's largest ever drugs bust. The site, on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Northampton, is believed to have been used for the large-scale manufacture, packaging, and distribution of unlicensed weight loss products to customers. Now, pharmacists have shared the five most common red flags that suggest a weight loss injection may not in fact be the real thing. Experts have repeatedly warned Britons against buying the jabs on social media and to be aware of scam online retailers posing as pharmacies, over fears they may be selling contaminated versions of the blockbuster injections Ffion, Ms McGonigal's youngest daughter, told ITV News the beautician took her mother into a back room, where she was injected with a syringe 'Flimsy' materials According to Jason Murphy, head of pharmacy at Chemist4U, appearance is a tell-tale giveaway a pen could not be legitimate. 'While real weight loss pens come in well-designed packaging with clear, high-quality printing and branding, packaging for fake pens may have spelling mistakes, blurry printing or incorrect logos,' he says. Materials used in legitimate Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro pens, feel solid and well made, a fake injection pen 'is likely to feel cheap and flimsy', he adds. They may also have more obvious flaws like uneven colouring, rough edges or loose parts. Missing information Real injection pens typically have unique serial numbera proving they are legitimate products. 'Fake products either won't have one that matches the manufacturer's records or won't have one at all,' Mr Murphy said. Your browser does not support iframes. The packaging the injection arrives in or the jab's information leaflet will also likely contain spelling or grammatical errors, Dr Bhavini Shah, a GP for LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, says. 'Never take any medications where the packaging appears to be opened or poorly made or is missing an expiry date or information leaflet.' 'Cloudy' colour A real weight loss injection pen should contain liquid that is clear and colourless. But unknown substances in fraudulent pens can often look cloudy or are tinged with colour, 'a dead giveaway that they are fake', Mr Murphy says. Often it is difficult to tell exactly what the pen contains. Hospitals, however, have identified the presence of insulin instead of semaglutide in some fake weight loss injections, which has led to critically low blood sugar and comas. Chemical analysis of fake jabs has also flagged contaminants including rat poison, arsenic, cement and mercury. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Anyone who suspects they may not have a genuine product should report it via the MHRA's yellow card scheme and also contact their GP, Dr Shah says. The scheme, set up in the 1960s, allows doctors, pharmacists and patients themselves to report adverse reactions believed to be caused by prescription and over-the-counter drugs, implants and alternative medicines. 'If more severe symptoms of low blood sugar occur, such as seizures and loss of consciousness, call 999 immediately,' Dr Shah adds. Unlicensed medical professionals Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are prescription-only medicines and they can only be issued by specialised medical professionals after a consultation. To obtain the medication legitimately, patients must be asked about their medical history, weight and to provide photos to ensure that the information shared is accurate. 'This is all to ensure the medication is safe and the right choice for you,' Mr Murphy says. 'Steer clear of any weight loss injections advertised on social media, in salons and even online by some unlicensed pharmacies,' he adds. 'For peace of mind, check that the pharmacy is regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the MHRA before you commit.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Bulk buying Under UK regulation, bulk buying weight loss pens is not possible, to prevent patients taking the wrong dose of the drug or not monitoring for side effects properly. Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy all require proper storage and buying in bulk increases the chance it will be stored improperly, reducing effectiveness or making it unsafe, experts warn. 'You should store an unused pen in the refrigerator between 2 to 8 degrees,' Mr Murphy says. 'Make sure you protect the medicine from light so keeping in its packaging, and if you place it at the back of your fridge, ensure it doesn't freeze, and if it does, discard the pen.' For Mounjaro, once opened the pen can be stored at room temperature up to 30C and should be discarded after four weekly doses, or if more than 30 days have passed since first use. Ozempic and Wegovy, meanwhile, should remain refrigerated. 'It's important to always check the expiry date on the pen's packaging,' Mr Murphy says. 'The expiry date is stated on the pen label and on the carton.' An Indiana man was left screaming from what doctors thought was a drug-fueled breakdown, until they discovered a bug lurking in his ear. Father-of-one Brendan Doyle had fallen asleep on the couch last week when he woke to hearing sharp scratches in his right ear. The panicked 31-year-old immediately screamed, 'there's something in my ear,' causing his wife Ciera, 32, to race to his side. The couple rushed to the hospital where Doyle's screaming fits left nurses and doctors convinced he was taking drugs. He said: 'They thought I was going crazy and they asked me if I'd taken any drugs so it felt like they thought I was having a psychotic episode.' But it was only when the nurses looked in the factory worker's ear that they noticed a two-inch black beetle nestled inside. The hour-long agony of the bug 'pinching' Doyle's inner ear made him 'lose it,' until nurses were able to kill it and remove it with ointment and a cotton ball. 'It was awful,' Doyle said. 'Every sound that it makes is amplified because of how close it is to your ear, and it had pinchers so it was pinching the inside of my ear over and over.' Brendan Doyle (pictured above with wife Ciera) was left screaming in pain due to a bug that had crawled in his ear while he slept Pictured above is the beetle found in Doyle's ear Your browser does not support iframes. The couple bought the sofa Doyle had been sleeping on a week earlier and suspect the beetle crawled inside while it was at the warehouse. Bugs like beetles are often attracted to light, warmth or moisture, which can lead them to making a home inside of a person's ear. This is most often true for cockroaches, which are attracted to volatile fatty acids released by earwax. These bugs also explore most often at night, when people are sleeping, which increases the risk of them becoming unwelcome residents in a person's ear. Sleeping near a window or living in an area with a high insect population like Florida, Texas or Louisiana also makes this more likely. The bugs often nestle so deeply inside that they can't get out on their own, which may lead them to pinching and clawing the ear. People with a bug lurking in their ear may also suffer swelling, a foul smell or ear drainage, hearing loss or a fever. To remove the critter, Stanford Medicine recommends tilting one's hear to the side and gently shaking it. Pouring a small amount of vegetable oil in the ear can help suffocate the bug if it's still alive, and if it's dead, try flushing it out with warm water. Avoid using tweezers or cotton swabs, as they may push the insect further inside the ear. The circled portion of the above image shows where in Doyle's ear the bug had nestled Left untreated, the bug may perforate an eardrum, leading to pain, dizziness or ringing in the ears, also called tinnitus. After removing the beetle from Doyle's ear, nurses reportedly asked if he wanted to keep it, which he immediately declined. He now insists on spraying his home regularly with insect repellent to reduce the risk of a repeated incident. Controlling moisture around the home and keeping it clean also lowers the risk. Social media users reacting to Doyle's Facebook post about the incident were horrified. One said: 'I would have passed out from being so scared!' A second added: 'This is what nightmares are made of.' 'Great, now I'm putting ear plugs in permanently,' another said. After 25 years of being single and living alone in her retirement village, Julee Mckeen never imagined she'd fall in love again let alone with a stranger online. But when 'Donald Johnson' messaged her through a dating site for singles over 60, his gentle attention and whirlwind promises proved irresistible. 'It was nice having attention after all these years. I hadn't felt wanted for so long,' Julee, now 80, recalled. For months, she woke to loving messages, daily emails and a sense of companionship she'd thought was impossible. Donald claimed to be a widowed construction engineer from England, formerly based in Orange, New South Wales, but now settled in Sydney after his son and daughter returned to the UK following their mother's death. Julee and Donald chatted via WhatsApp and email about everything from weekend plans to what they were having for breakfast. Occasionally, they spoke on the phone, with Donald using a British accent deepening Julee's trust. 'The interactions were slow, gentle and very convincing,' Julee said. Julee (pictured) had been single for 25 years when she joined an over-60s dating app and began messaging 'Donald', a British expat living in Sydney Kylee (pictured with Julee) grew suspicious after seeing photos of Donald, who appeared closer to her age than her mother's 'I decided it was my turn to get out there and get into the big world again friends encouraged me to give online dating a go, so I did - and that's how it all started.' She created a profile, listed her hobbies and described herself in a nutshell. Before long, she was exchanging messages with Donald morning and night. 'We spoke every morning, through the day, and into the evening. I would wake up to messages from him and finally felt wanted again,' she said. Emails seen by the Daily Mail reveal Donald frequently used affectionate language and made emotional declarations. One read: 'I just want you to know I have found the love of my life and my best friend in you I was so alone in this whole wide world, but I found a companion for life in you when you arrived I wish I could start my day with a warm hug from you and that will soon happen.' But as Julee became more absorbed in the relationship, her daughter Kylee began to sense something wasn't right. 'She was tired more often. I would ring her at lunchtime and she would still be in bed. In hindsight, it was because she was talking late into the night,' Kylee, now a private investigator, said. Kylee's suspicions deepened when Julee asked for $20,000 from her late brother's estate, split into two payments. Kylee (pictured) spent 14 years as a detective with the New South Wales Police Force and decided to use her skills to investigate 'Donald' and other online scammers 'She didn't say what she needed it for, and nor did I push it. Even my husband asked me, "Why does she need $10,000 for?" But it was her business, not mine. So I gave it to her.' In January 2023, Julee finally told Kylee about Donald and shared a photo and alarm bells began to ring. 'Something seemed off. He looked like he was my age. I said to my husband, "I have a problem with this. What is his intention?" With 14 years' experience as a detective in the New South Wales Police Force, Kylee knew when things didn't add up. 'To me, he was either using photos that didn't represent what he currently looks like, or it was a fake profile,' she said. Kylee ran a reverse image search. 'Within an hour, I knew the profile was fake, so I took a deep breath, poured myself another glass of wine and dug a bit deeper. 'Mum also sent me photos of him in what looked like a conference meeting. I was able to find the photos were actually of a political reporter and a member of parliament - totally unrelated to Donald Johnson's story.' After three hours of digging, Kylee discovered the images were stolen from a real estate agent in California. The hardest part was telling her mother the truth. 'Mum, I hate to tell you but you're not speaking to Donald Johnson. You're being scammed. These photos have been stolen and belong to somebody else in America,' she told her. 'Mum cried on the phone and was heartbroken. I broke her heart in a zillion pieces not one of my finest moments.' When asked whether she'd sent the scammer money, Julee denied it. 'I would never in this world send any man or woman money. I'm not that stupid,' she said, although emails show finances were discussed and Kylee is not certain what became of the $20,000 her mother requested. After learning the truth, Julee reduced contact with Donald and eventually stopped messaging him altogether. Kylee, meanwhile, created a fake dating profile to investigate further. Within an hour, she had uncovered ten fake profiles using stolen photos from social media. 'I would pick photos, use reverse facial recognition to see if the images were stolen and would talk to them to understand the language they used I wanted to see how quickly they would ask for money and was shocked by how many told me they loved me.' Julee said the scariest part of falling for the scam was sharing private family photos with a complete stranger. 'Now this stranger has photos of me too,' added Kylee. Both women now recognise the red flags. 'Most times, they say they're a widow whose wife died from cancer. They're coming up to retirement soon but have "one last job" to complete, often overseas,' Julee said. Trust builds gradually, supported by convincing business or family backstories. Kylee pointed out other tactics: 'They use affectionate terms like 'my darling' or 'my love'. There's always an excuse for not meeting in person, they refuse to video call, and they tell the victim not to mention the relationship to family or friends. Inspired by her mother's experience, Kylee launched a private investigation business, Two Face Investigators, specialising in online scams. 'It could've been a lot worse. Remember your "why" when going into dating. Always pause, check and ask before believing anyone online. Until you meet in person, assume they're not real,' she warned. A Sydney man has been using The Star's free shuttle to get to work for years Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world, not the least in its public transport fares. But one local man has revealed a commuting hack that's saved him thousands of dollars: hitching a free ride with a casino. The Kick It Forward podcast received an anonymous tip which was read out by co-host Giorgio Savini 'I've commuted to work in Sydney for years without paying a cent for public transport. I've been hitching a ride with the most unlikely of allies - the casino,' the note began. The man explained he works in an office five days a week in Pyrmont, the inner suburb separated from the CBD by Darling Harbour - an area known for its pricey hospitality venues and The Star casino. 'Catching the train to and from work would normally cost me $50 a week, but I discovered that the casino runs a free courtesy bus for its members, and all you have to do is sign up,' he wrote. 'The bus stops in areas with high gambling populations which coincidentally includes my neighbourhood. 'It picks me up near home, drops me off practically next to my office, and it runs like clockwork.' A confession surfaced on the podcast Kick It Forward, where co-host Giorgio Savini (left) read out an anonymous listener's commuting secret 'Catching the train to and from work would normally cost me $50 a week, but I discovered that the casino runs a free courtesy bus for its members, and all you have to do is sign up,' he said The Star Express is a free transport service for all members of the Star Club, and signing up is free. While the service is meant to bring members into the casino, many have been using it to hitch a ride to work. All they have to do is swipe their membership card when they board the bus. There are three routes that travel to The Star from the western suburbs of Bankstown, Cabramatta and Parramatta. However, the first pick up times range from 8:10am to 9:45am - which rules out those who need to get into work earlier. Another commuter who has also been taking advantage of the free shuttle added that the service had been particularly useful during Sydney's train strikes, when many workers were left scrambling for alternatives. He worked in the city, but that's only a short walk from Pyrmont. 'I just took the shuttle bus to and from work, crossed Pyrmont Bridge and you're in Town Hall, easy,' he said. Others chimed in to say they'd used similar tricks to save money on city living. There are three bus routes that stop in areas with high gambling populations 'I love how it goes all the way out to Cabramatta,' one listener commented. 'Here in Melbourne, the hotel at the Convention Centre also has a free shuttle to the airport several times a day and you just hop on. Excellent if you live in Southbank,' a second said. One confessed they'd used the same method with parking perks. 'I did the same with Skycity parking for almost two years working in the CBD. Gamble $1.50 a day and get free parking. The real cost is about 50c a day.' 'This is smart,' one listener wrote. 'I highly applaud this,' another said. While the casino might crack down if they realise many on the shuttles never set foot inside the gambling mecca, for now it is a creative way to alleviate the city's relentless cost pressures. Michael Strahan's budding model daughter Sophia, 20, flaunted her toned figure in a tiny bikini. Sophia shared a series of snaps of herself posing on the beach in Los Angeles, California, to Instagram on Monday. She sat in the sand facing the camera in one image, while another featured her looking away as she played with her hair. She wore a yellow and blue two-piece and minimal makeup for the outing, and she left her curly brown locks loose. 'Not Europe!' she captioned the carousel of photos. Sophia, who is signed to modeling agency One Management, often flaunts her lavish lifestyle online, where she has racked up more than 47,000 followers. She usually shares photos from glamorous getaways, visiting places like Spain, England, Mexico and the Bahamas in the last year alone. She has already launched an impressive modeling career, posing Kim Kardashian's brand SKIMS in August, and gracing the cover of People magazine with her dad and twin sister, Isabella, in January. Michael Strahan's budding model daughter Sophia, 20, flaunted her toned figure in a tiny bikini Sophia shared a series of snaps of herself posing on the beach in Los Angeles , California , to Instagram on Monday Sophia graduated from the Trinity School in New York City in 2023 and is now attending Duke University in North Carolina. Strahan shares twins Sophia and Isabella with Jean Muggli, whom he was married to from 1999 until 2006. He also had two children, Tanita and Michael Jr., with first wife Wanda Hutchins, who he wed in 1992 but split from in 1996. The family faced tragedy when Isabella was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in October 2023, a shocking revelation that came just as she began her freshman year of college. After months of grueling treatment, she was declared cancer-free the following summer. Since then, Isabella has returned to her studies at the University of Southern California. Despite being on opposite coasts, the twin daughters recently revealed that theyve never been closer. The sisters open up about their unbreakable bond - and how cancer tested it - in an upcoming book called Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds. She wore a yellow and blue two-piece and minimal makeup for the outing, and she left her curly brown locks loose Sophia (seen with her dad and twin sister, Isabella) often flaunts her lavish lifestyle online, where she has racked up more than 47,000 followers 'Yes, we grew up doing everything together and know everything about each other, but there have been times when we havent been as close. The relationship ebbs and flows. Still, you have each others back, no matter what,' Sophia told People on earlier this month while promoting the book. 'When Isabella got sick [during her first year of college], that put a lot of things into perspective,' she added. Isabella agreed, sharing how the diagnosis forced her to reevaluate what truly mattered. 'It put so much into perspective. I would worry about small things and then understand, at the end of the day, they were trivial. It made me realize how special my relationships with my family are.' The mother of the late famous TikTok toddler known to millions as the 'Okay Baby' has shared her devastating grief six months after his tragic death. Two-year-old Preston Ordone died in April after he suffered fatal injuries when his family's Ford F-150 truck veered off the road and smashed into a tree in rural Louisiana. Mom Katelynn Ordone expressed her pain in a video posted on social media this week in which she shared reminders of her late son around her home. In the clip, she showed the toys her tot never got to open, the snacks he never got to finish eating and the diapers he never wore. She also showed footage of the toys he had snuck inside the fireplace, his clothes that she never finished putting away, the curtains he used to play hide and seek behind and the cup she used to rinse his hair. Captioning the upload, Katelynn wrote: 'This month has been especially hard for me because this month it will make six months that Preston has been gone. 'Half of a year that my baby has been in heaven. As time goes by it feels like you keep getting further and further away from me.' Social media users shared their sympathy after watching Katelynn's video. Two-year-old Preston Ordone - known to millions as the 'Okay Baby' - died following a car crash in Louisiana on April 24 Mom Katelynn Ordone shared reminders of her late son around her home in a new video shared this week, which included a snapshot of the toys he never had the chance to open 'I can't imagine the pain you carry, but I want you to know he'll never be forgotten,' one said. 'Time doesn't take him further from you it just changes the way he's held in your heart. 'He'll always be a part of you, and the love you have for him is something time can't touch.' Another penned: 'I really was thinking of his little face and all that joy he had in those overalls. I pray everyday God continues to carry you mentally and emotionally' 'Preston comes to my mind often,' added a third. 'Makes me hug my son a little longer and a little tighter. I pray for this family to continue to heal and find their way back to each other.' In April, Louisiana State Police confirmed news of Preston's death on social media. They revealed the car crash happened shortly before 11.50am in St. Tammany Parish, approximately 50 miles north of New Orleans. The toddler's parents, Katelynn and Jaelan Ordone, survived the horrific crash but were rushed to different hospitals with serious injuries. The video also showed the diapers that little Preston never got to wear 'As time goes by it feels like you keep getting further and further away from me,' Katelynn lamented in her new post Influencer parents Katelynn and Jaelan Ordone both survived the devastating crash Little Preston was 'improperly restrained in a child safety seat in the back of the car,' according to the police report. 'The driver and front passenger, who were both properly restrained, sustained serious injuries and were transported to a local hospital,' the Louisiana State Police report stated. 'Preston, who was seated in the rear, but improperly restrained in a child safety seat, also sustained serious injuries and was transported to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.' As part of the ongoing investigation, a routine toxicology sample was collected from the driver for analysis. Family friend Melanie Matranga first confirmed the news in a video shared to Katelynn's account. 'We don't know all the details yet, but their truck veered to the right off the interstate and struck a tree, and unfortunately, Preston didn't make it,' she said. She also revealed that Preston's seven-year-old sister Paisley was fortunately not involved in the accident. 'She was at school at the time. She was not in the vehicle,' she added 'This is the hardest post we could possibly make, finding words is still so hard We hope that you can help our family in any way possible in this hard time,' she captioned the video. 'It still feels so unreal All your prayers, love and support is needed and appreciated. Thank you. #OkayBabyForever.' JPMorgan just opened their $3 billion state-of-the art headquarters in New York - but some have slammed the global company for its ominous office design. The colossal tower will serve 10,000 employees at America's largest bank, and as per a press release, was designed with a focus on sustainability and wellbeing. It even boasts some outdoor space - but critics have deemed it 'dystopian' in design. Some people took issue with the trading floor of the new building after Dell Technologies Chairman and CEO, Michael Dell, shared a snap of the area and posted it to X, formerly known as Twitter. 'Congratulations @jpmorgan on the opening of your new headquarters!' Dell wrote, sharing a picture of the rows and rows of monitors positioned closely together. People flocked to the replies to share their thoughts on the new space, with some comparing it to something from a 'horror movie.' 'This looks like a dystopian future they warned us against,' one person wrote. 'Are these for cafe free or free-range analysts?' quipped another. JPMorgan just opened their $3 billion state-of-the art headquarters in New York - but some have slammed the global company for its ominous 'dystopian' design Someone else wrote: '*New Intern*: I cant wait to work for the best company in the world,' along with a shot from Toy Story 2 that shows rows of Buzz Lightyear toys stacked on the shelf. 'This is the stuff of nightmares and horror movies...' declared another. However, others fired back, claiming it looks like a regular trading floor. 'No... That looks like every other trading floor since computers were invented!' one X user responded to the viral picture. 'Nothing has changed li'l bro, we went from paper to computer, stop trying to make a point,' chimed in another. The JPMorganChase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon spoke of the company's significance in New York City amidst the new headquarters. 'The opening of our new global headquarters is not only a significant investment in New York but also a testament to our commitment to our clients and employees worldwide,' he said at the opening ceremony. He continued stating that by creating 'world-class environments' where employees can thrive, the bank is 'strengthening our ability to serve our clients and communities locally and globally for generations to come.' The colossal tower will serve 10,000 employees at America's largest bank. The new headquarters is seen The new headquarters was designed with a focus on sustainability and wellbeing. The outside of the building is seen The Daily Mail has reach out to JPMorganChase for comment. Earlier in the year, Dimon was under fire after he passionately defended his stern stance on remote work in front of college students, declaring he's 'had enough' and it simply 'doesn't work' in his business. Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase for the last two decades, got onto the controversial topic after a graduate student asked a question regarding his leaked, expletive-loaded remarks from a company town hall about the finance firm's end of hybrid work. 'I've admittedly listened to the leaked audio clip that was circulating on Twitter about your strong opinions on remote work,' the student divulged before probing the chairman on his stance. 'I would love to just hear some of your thoughts, or guidance, or advice on how we should think about these topics,' the student added. In response, Dimon claimed the only group of people disgruntled with the move are 'the people in the middle' - like corporate office workers. 'If you work in a restaurant, you've got to be in. You all may not know this, but 60 percent of Americans worked the whole time,' he said. 'Where did you get your Amazon packages from? Your beef, your meat, your vodka? Where did you get the diapers from?' Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorganChase, said they have created 'world-class environments' where employees can thrive. The new headquarters is seen The Harvard Business School-graduate appeared to be referring to people who continued to work in person during the pandemic. 'You got UPS and FedEx and manufacturers and agriculture and hospitals and cities and schools and nurses and sanitation and firemen and military. They all worked,' he continued. 'It's only these people in the middle who complain a lot about it.' White-collar workers, who generally have more freedom with where their work can be performed than frontline workers, have had various responses to return-to-office mandates in recent years. Some have pushed back or questioned such mandates or even quit over them - something the longtime CEO said he is 'OK with.' 'I completely respect people that don't want to go to the office all five days a week. That's your right. It's my right. It's a citizen's right,' he previously told CNBC. 'But they should respect that the company is going to decide what's good for the clients, the company, etc., not an individual.' Earlier this year, the JPMorgan Chase CEO announced that it would require employees to return to the office five days a week, beginning in March. She revealed how daughters Malia and Sasha had to abide by fashion rules Michelle has opened up about life during her husband's presidency Barack Obama tried to politely call out his daughters' revealing clothing while he was president, although, he was often told to back down by his wife Michelle. In a new interview about her fashion evolution, the former first lady revealed what life was like during the family's time in the White House throughout Barack's two terms as the 44th president from 2009 to 2017. The couple's two daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24, were just eight and 10 when they were thrust into the limelight and parents Barack and Michelle had to make sure they were dressed appropriately for public outings. In a new interview, Michelle said the preteens had to be professionally styled when they had to step out for appearances. However, when they were away from the limelight, Malia and Sasha were allowed to make their own fashion choices which sometimes sparked a reaction from Barack. Speaking to People, she said: 'So we had a deal - "You work with [my stylist] Meredith [Koop] when dressing for public events." 'What's "in" for a 13-year-old is not acceptable walking down the staircase of Air Force One. 'It was like, "When you're with us, you're like me, you're on a job. And so your choices can't lead, but you can be a part of the process." During his presidency, Barack Obama was sometimes critical of his daughters' outfits, his wife Michelle has now revealed The former president and his wife Michelle lived with their two daughters Malia and Sasha in the White House. The family is seen in 2013 'Meredith worked with them and she had those [fashion] fights. But in their own world it was all them.' Michelle then revealed her husband sometimes had a hard time with his daughter's outfits. 'Barack would be like, "Those shorts seem really short." And I was like, "Don't say anything. Let them cook,"' she added. In the same interview, Michelle lifted the lid on her date nights with Barack, revealing that the pair avoid talking to each other for the day so that they have things to chat about later that evening. Shedding light on how they keep their romance alive, Michelle said that they prefer to keep things low-key and casual - and bookmark conversations to have later. 'When we're both happy about date night, we're at home. We are not getting dressed. We just have a nice dinner, candles lit, music, we talk,' Michelle said. 'We don't talk for the whole day, because we're in the house together all day, right? We work from home. 'So, when we are going to have a really special night, it's like, 'Don't talk to me. Save it for dinner.' Michelle revealed that Barack would call out his daughters' clothes to her Michelle and Barack Obama marked their 33rd wedding anniversary in a sweet tribute The couple's eldest daughter, Malia, is pictured at the American Film Festival in 2024 'He'll be like, "Did you talk to the girls?" [I'd be like], "I did, but we're not going to talk about it until date night."' When the couple do decide to step out for a special evening together, they usually either go for dinner or to the cinema but never both, Michelle shared. She added: 'But sometimes we go out for dinners in D.C. or wherever. I am too old, I can't do dinner and a movie. I will fall asleep in the movie. So it's like, 'Let's pick one.'' Michelle and Barack, 64, tied the knot in 1992 and have been married for 33 years. Michelle, 61, shed light on how she and her husband keep the romance alive Michelle Obama has lifted the lid on her date nights with Barack Obama, revealing that the pair avoid talking to each other for the day so that they have things to chat about later that evening. The 61-year-old advocate and podcaster recently celebrated her 33rd wedding anniversary with the former president. Following the milestone, she opened up about how they spend quality time together during a recent chat with People, revealing they often opt for a low-effort dinners at home. But not only did the former first lady forget exactly how many years they've been married, she also revealed that she and her husband purposely avoid talking to each other in a strange bid to keep their date nights interesting. 'We've been married 32, 33 [years]... I always forget. Sorry, honey,' she began. Shedding light on how they keep their romance alive, Michelle said that they prefer to keep things low-key and casual - and bookmark conversations to have later. 'When we're both happy about date night, we're at home. We are not getting dressed. We just have a nice dinner, candles lit, music, we talk,' Michelle continued. 'We don't talk for the whole day, because we're in the house together all day, right? We work from home. Michelle Obama has revealed that she and husband Barack avoid talking to each other all day if they're having a date night in the evening The couple celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary with a sweet tribute earlier this month 'So, when we are going to have a really special night, it's like, "Don't talk to me. Save it for dinner." 'He'll be like, "Did you talk to the girls?" "I did, but we're not going to talk about it until date night."' When the couple do decide to step out for a special evening together, they usually either go for dinner or to the cinema but never both, Michelle shared. Michelle added: 'But sometimes we go out for dinners in D.C. or wherever. I am too old, I can't do dinner and a movie. I will fall asleep in the movie. So it's like, "Let's pick one."' Michelle and Barack, 64, tied the knot in 1992 and have been married for 33 years. Together, they share two daughters, Malia, 27, and Sasha, 24, who live in Los Angeles. The couple, whose marriage has been plagued with divorce rumors recently, took to social media to profess their love for each other on their wedding anniversary at the beginning of the month. The couple delighted in voicing their adoration for one another on their special day, uploading the same adorable selfie to Instagram in which they exuded happiness as they posed cheek to cheek. The former president and first lady tied the knot at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago on October 3, 1992 In her caption, Michelle said: 'We've been on quite the journey over the last 33 years - and yet, I love you even more today than the day we said 'I do.' 'Happy anniversary, @BarackObama! I'm so lucky to go through life with you.' Meanwhile, Barack praised his wife's 'strength' and 'grace.' 'The best decision I ever made was marrying you, @MichelleObama,' he penned. 'For 33 years, I've admired your strength, grace, and determination - and the fact that you look so good doing it all. Happy anniversary!' Over the past few months, Michelle and Barack have faced speculation about their marriage status. The rumor mill swirled following Michelle's decision to skip both Jimmy Carter's funeral and Donald Trump's inauguration - with Michelle later insisting they were decisions she made for herself. Her absence at the high-profile political events stoked divorce rumors, as did former President Obama's admission in April that he was in a 'deep deficit' with his wife. In July, they addressed reports of a rift. 'There hasn't been one moment in our marriage where I thought about quitting my man,' Michelle said passionately about Barack. She continued: 'And we've had some really hard times. So, we had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I'm married to.' Scott Jennings may have a role at CBS News ahead of him thanks to the network's new editor-in-chief who was hired less than a month ago to rebrand the outlet. Bari Weiss invited Jennings to the company's headquarters in New York City this week for a meeting, according to Semafor. Jennings, 48, has made a name for himself among right-wing media consumers for his cut-throat debating on CNN as a part-time contributor. The 41-year-old chief also met with Fox News anchor Bret Baier to discuss the potential of hosting the channel's flagship show. Weiss, who was hired on October 6, met with Baier a week before her discussion with Jennings. However, it appears unlikely a deal could be made with Baier, given that he is under contract with Fox News' evening broadcast until the end of 2028. The possible moves come amid uncertainty, as Paramount, the parent company of CBS, is expected to make cuts in the next couple of days, according to Semafor. Before any layoffs are made, co-anchor John Dickerson announced on Monday that he is leaving CBS. CBS's new editor in chief, Bari Weiss met with Pro-Trump commentator Scott Jennings to fill the channel's prime-time slot Jennings, 48, has made a name for himself among right-wing media consumers for his cut-throat debating on CNN as a part-time contributor Dickerson, who has not explained the abrupt exit announced on his Instagram: 'Local news: At the end of this year, I will leave CBS, sixteen years after I sat in as Face the Nation anchor for the first time.' 'I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me - the work, the audiences attention and the honor of being a part of the networks history - and I am grateful for my dear colleagues whove made me a better journalist and a better human. I will miss you.' The 57-year-old began hosting the flagship broadcast alongside co-anchor Maurice DuBois just nine months earlier. Now, Dickerson's possible replacement, Jennings, has been sought after not only by CBS but also by the Los Angeles Times, according to the New York Post. Jennings also served as a staffer for the George W. Bush administration and was an aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell. Weiss, a former New York Times journalist who ran the anti-woke The Free Press news website, has been given a broad remit by the network's new owner, David Ellison, to tame liberal excesses at the Tiffany Network in a bid to boost ratings and win back viewers' trust. Weiss also met with Fox News anchor Bret Baier a week before her discussion with Jennings as another possible right-wing option Weiss has been given a broad remit by the network's new owner, David Ellison, to tame liberal excesses at the Tiffany Network in a bid to boost ratings and win back viewers' trust She quit her role as opinion editor at The New York Times in 2020 over the paper's narrow liberal views and staff bullying of anyone who dared to voice a different opinion. Weiss began a small news site called Honestly, which later became The Free Press and was sold to Paramount, as part of a $150 million deal. Problems at Evening News pre-date Weiss's arrival by months and it is unclear if she is behind Dickerson's apparent ouster. CBS Evening news is watched by around 3.6 million viewers nightly - a 14 percent slump compared to the same time last year. The news network's president Tom Cibrowski sought to put a positive spin on Dickerson's departure, saying he 'epitomizes the very best in journalism.' Cibrowski added: 'We'll have plenty of time to thank him for his work here and honor his contributions to our success.' It is unclear if DuBois will host Evening News on his own after Dickerson departs. CBS Mornings star Gayle King is also believed to be in the firing line, with insiders say they expect her departure in the coming months. CBS News is closing in on Anderson Cooper as it continues to search for the next host of CBS Evening News, a new report has claimed. New network Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has a 'strong interest' in the CNN star, who is also a correspondent for 60 Minutes, sources told Status. Weiss is looking to retool Evening News after taking the reigns at the network earlier this month. Cooper's $18million-a-year CNN contract is said to be up soon, Status reported. In August, he ranked as the US's most-loved news anchor in a DailyMail+ Power List. Evening News co-host John Dickerson announced his resignation Monday, putting an end to a stint plagued by poor ratings. The 16-year CBS veteran had been quietly negotiating his exit for weeks prior to the announcement, sources told Status. Recent changes at the network after its parent company Paramount's merger with David Ellison's Skydance in July led to the decision, Status reported. Sources said that the anti-woke Weiss - a vehement critic of legacy media - has since made it her mission to overhaul Evening News. CBS News is closing in on Anderson Cooper as it continues to search for the next host of CBS Evening News CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has a 'strong interest' in Cooper, whose CNN contract is up this year The program has been met with declining ratings since Dickerson and co-anchor Maurice DuBois were tapped to replace Norah O'Donnell at the start of the year. Other figures reportedly being considered to replace Dickerson include Fox News' Bret Baier, CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil, and ODonnell. Baier - whose contract with Fox News runs through 2028 - responded to reports of the interest in him Monday during an interview with Meghan McCain, saying he was 'flattered by all the press and everything like that, but I'm in a multi-year contract with Fox.' He added, 'well see what happens at the end of that.' Internally, Dokoupil is another top candidate, Status reported. He has helmed CBS Mornings alongside Gayle King since 2019. King's contract is also up at the end of the year. O'Donnell, meanwhile, stepped away from the Evening News desk late last year after six years as host. Sources told Status that she is also being considered. CBS Evening News co-host John Dickerson announced his resignation from the network Monday after 16 years at the network CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil is also being considered for the Evening News hosting spot. He has helmed the morning show for nearly seven years Evening New has been met with declining ratings since Dickerson and co-anchor Maurice DuBois were tapped to replace Norah O'Donnell at the start of the year. Dickerson's exit marks the first major talent change at the network since Weiss was installed as editor-in-chief The multiyear deal he signed when he and DuBois were picked to host Evening News will be paid out in full, Status reported. The network has announced no new plans for DuBois. CBS News standards chief Claudia Milne resigned earlier this month, telling her coworkers: 'We live in complicated times. For our company, for our industry and for our country. In the spring, 60 Minutes Executive Producer Bill Owens and CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon both resigned over concerns with the company's direction. Each was responsible for the Evening News revamp in January, which saw one anchor replaced with two despite decades of tradition. The Daily Mail has reached out to Paramount and CBS News for comment. A popular anchor at a Texas TV station has revealed she is leaving the network through a cryptic post on social media. FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth's Hanna Battah offered the abrupt update on her Instagram and Facebook pages Sunday. She thanked colleagues for their '7.5 years' together but said it was time for her to 'sign off.' 'Im filled with gratitude for the adventures, stories, and everyone who supported me and tuned in throughout my time at KDFW,' the 32-year-old revealed. 'This is the final week you'll be able to see me on your screens! My last day on the desk is this Thursday.' No other details were provided. Battah hosts Fox 4 Good Day from 4-6am. She started appearing on the program in 2018, initially as an anchor on the weekend morning team. FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth's Hanna Battah is leaving the network after nearly 8 years, she revealed She thanked colleagues for their '7.5 years' together but said it was time for her to 'sign off' Battah provided a clue about her next move in response to a commenter online, where many lamented losing the local star Within three months of her debut, she was promoted to weekdays, her bio on Fox 4's website states. Prior to her stint in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Battah worked as an afternoon anchor and evening reporter at KBAK/ KBFX in Bakersfield, California. Before that, she covered state politics in Missouri, reporting for radio stations in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield. Her next move remains unclear. However, a clue was provided in one of Battah's responses to a commenter on Facebook, where fans flocked to lament losing the local star. 'I can't share next plans quite yet, but I'm hoping to be able to VERY soon,' she teased in reply. The Daily Mail has reached out to Battah for comment. Taylor Sheridan, the powerhouse behind Yellowstone and its spinoffs, is walking away from Paramount after a series of clashes with the studio's new leadership, according to a new report. For years, Sheridan operated with near-total autonomy at Paramount. His shows were greenlit without much pushback, and budgets soared to eye-watering levels. For example, 1923, a spinoff of Yellowstone, reportedly cost $22 million per episode, the Wall Street Journal reported. That era ended when Paramount merged with Skydance and David Ellison took over as CEO. According to the Journal, Ellison's team began tightening the reins, questioning Sheridan's spending and floating ideas for new projects. One of the earliest flashpoints allegedly came when Ellison suggested a series tied to America's 250th anniversary, the Journal reported. Sheridan allegedly pushed back, telling associates he didn't want to make anything too politically charged, insiders claimed. His brand of storytelling, hallmarked by gritty dramas about rugged men navigating a changing world, has always appealed to middle America, but Sheridan resisted overtly patriotic or political themes. Budget allegedly scrutiny added fuel to the fire. Paramount challenged the costs of Lioness, Sheridan's spy thriller starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman, despite previously granting him carte blanche, the Journal reported. The Yellowstone creator behind Paramounts biggest hits Taylor Sheridan (right) is now heading to NBCUniversal Oscar winner Nicole Kidman became a flashpoint in Sheridans feud with Paramount after being cast in another series without his knowledge Kevin Costners Golden Globe-winning role anchored the neo-Western drama for five seasons Nicole Kidman also became a key point of contention. Sheridan was allegedly blindsided when Paramount signed Kidman for a separate legal series, Discretion, without consulting him, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Journal. The move allegedly created potential scheduling conflicts with her role in Lioness and, to Sheridan, signaled a lack of respect for his projects. Combined with the rejection of a film script he pitched, despite his track record with acclaimed movies like Sicario and Hell or High Water, the relationship allegedly soured, the Journal reported. Earlier this month, Sheridan sealed his exit with a blockbuster deal at NBCUniversal. The five-year contract worth up to $1 billion, allowing him to make movies as early as next year and television shows starting in 2029, according to people familiar with the agreement cited by the Journal. NBCU also signed a first-look deal with Sheridan's longtime partner, 101 Studios, effective in 2026. Sheridan will remain involved in his Paramount projects until his current deal expires, but his departure is allegedly a major blow to Ellison, who is trying to revive Paramount amid looming layoffs and an ambitious bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the Journal reported. Yellowstone, created by Taylor Sheridan, is a drama about the Dutton family, who own the largest ranch in Montana and fight to protect their land from developers, rival ranchers, and political forces. The series stars Hollywood heavyweight Kevin Costner as the family's patriarch, John Dutton. During its five-season run, Yellowstone earned numerous awards, including a Golden Globe recognizing Costner's acting. The show recently came to an end after Costner's dramatic departure, following a rumored rift with Sheridan. Costner later confirmed he would not return for Season 5 Part 2, citing scheduling conflicts with his own film project, Horizon. The Daily Mail has contacted Paramount and Skydance for comment. Trading platform Robinhood has announced that it will launch futures trading in the UK, allowing customers to trade index, energy, metals and foreign exchange futures. Futures are contracts traded on an exchange that represent agreements to buy or sell assets at a fixed price at a future date. They allow traders to profit from future price changes, or to hedge against market volatility. The firm said platform users will be able to trade these products directly on the Robinhood app and on Robinhood Legend, its advanced desktop trading platform. The broker will give customers access to more than 40 CME group futures products, such as futures on the S&P 500, oil and gold. The products, which Robinhood said will be rolled out over 'the coming weeks,' will come with a $0.75 contract fee for each trade, while the firm will offer real-time market data for no extra cost. Traders may also be charged regulatory fees and exchange fees, it said. New offering: Robinhood says futures products will be available to trade 24 hours a day, across indices, energy, foreign exchange and metals Jordan Sinclair, president of Robinhood UK, said: 'In the UK, futures trading has traditionally been seen as the preserve of institutional investors, with limited resources to help retail traders get started. 'Today, we start changing that. We're introducing futures trading in the UK with an intuitive mobile experience, smarter tools, education and insights and some of the lowest fees in the industry.' Robinhood says futures products will be available to trade 24 hours a day, across indices, energy, foreign exchange and metals. Futures are a high-risk investing instrument, as traders lose money if prices are lower at expiration than the price in the futures contract. Robinhood isn't the first platform to offer futures to retail traders, with futures products also offered by the likes of IG, Saxo and Etoro. The firm said customers will have to be approved in order to be allowed to trade futures. 'Futures offer retail traders a fully transparent, cost-effective way to participate in some of the most liquid markets in the world,' Julie Winkler, chief commercial officer at CME Group said. 'We are pleased to work with Robinhood to educate and empower their UK customers to access these new opportunities.' Robinhood, which only offers trading of US products, is aggressively expanding its operations in the UK as it looks to compete with established names in the UK. In the summer, Robinhood launched an AI product 'digests', which offers explanations of stock price changes, using Robinhood Cortex, its AI investing assistant. Earlier this year, Robinhood launched options products, stock lending and margin investing, allowing customers to leverage their trades. 'I do look at the UK market, and it feels a lot like the US did 10 years ago,' Sinclair previously told the Financial Times. 'You don't need to have a Hargreaves Lansdown account and pay 11.95 to trade. That's the old world.' The platform has also previously suggested that it aims to launched a fee-free stocks and shares Isa before the end of the 2025 financial year. Although we are still three weeks away from the Budget, its likely impact on our wealth is already causing widespread panic and in some cases frightening people into making rash financial decisions they might regret for the rest of their lives. Its an unacceptable state of affairs and the blame lies squarely at the door of Number 11 Downing Street, home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves. Ever since the Budget date of November 26 was confirmed at the beginning of September, Ms Reeves has sat back and allowed her Treasury officials to leak details of a raft of possible new taxes that might be coming our way irrespective of the fear, panic or damage they may engender (and despite the fact that some of them will never see the light of day). She employed the same appalling tactic ahead of last years Budget, resulting in many people panicking and making decisions regarding their pensions that have seriously impaired their long-term wealth. Not once has Ms Reeves apologised for the financial detriment she caused. And I imagine no apology will be forthcoming second time around. Unforgiveable. Unacceptable. No respectable Chancellor would play such games with our hard-earned personal wealth, be it our pensions, investments, or homes. But this is Labour 2025, a government hell bent on attacking personal wealth while refusing to tackle a soaring benefits bill north of 300billion a year. Class warfare on steroids. The stream of new tax ideas ahead of next months Budget has been endless and will continue, I imagine, until right up to Budget day as the Chancellor works out how best to patch-up the nations woeful finances, made many times worse by Labours feckless, reckless spending. To be blunt, Ms Reeves is in an almighty pickle and could well have to break Labours manifesto promise not to raise income tax in order to keep financial markets on her side. The latest Budget idea, exclusively revealed in The Mail on Sunday, is a mansion tax on high-value homes. Its one which actually has more teeth than most of the others that have gone before it. Ever since the Budget date of November 26 was confirmed, Rachel Reeves has sat back and allowed Treasury officials to leak details of a raft of possible new taxes, writes Jeff Prestridge Although the tax will make little dent on the 40billion black hole in the public finances, thats not the point. Its another act of class warfare and Labour MPs will revel in it Although the tax, set at 1 pc on property values above 2million, will make little dent on the 40billion black hole in the public finances, thats not the point. Its another act of class warfare and Labour MPs will revel in it. Yet its imposition could well have far wider consequences than Ms Reeves and her Treasury officials ever imagined when they dreamt it up. A mix of financial and property experts have already formed a queue to warn of a possible correction in house prices if the Chancellor goes ahead with the new tax. Dont do it, said TV property guru Kirstie Allsopp. [It] is not a coherent tax strategy, added Mervyn King, former head honcho at the Bank of England. Mansion tax is hanging like a sword of Damocles [over the housing market] said Trevor Abrahmsohn of estate agent Glentree International. Does Ms Reeves care that her Treasury minions are wreaking havoc by threatening potentially devastating attacks on our personal wealth? As Ive already indicated, from where Im sitting, the answer is a big fat no. The Chancellor doesnt give a dicky bird. For proof of this, may I take you back to the autumn of last year when Ms Reeves was preparing her first ever Budget as Chancellor. For weeks, Ms Reeves and her Treasury officials allowed rumours about possible changes to our pensions (not the State pension, but the ones we pay into as an employee or a self-employed individual) to fester like a financial sore. The most wicked rumour, inflamed by research from various economic think tanks, was that the Budget would include an assault on pension tax-free cash. A tax break considered by many Left-leaning experts as being far too generous to the wealthy (in other words, not egalitarian enough). Ahead of the Budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published research indicating that the tax break costs the public purse some 5.5billion a year with 70 pc of the benefit going to the pensions of those accumulated by the top fifth of earners. It said that by making pension tax-free cash less generous, it would raise some 2billion a year for the Chancellor. So instead of allowing retirees or those accessing their pensions from age 55 to take 25 pc of their pension fund as tax-free cash subject to a cash cap of 268,275, the IFS proposed a lower cap of 100,000. With other think tanks such as the Resolution Foundation on the same wavelength it had previously put forward a cap of 40,000 fears that the Chancellor would snap up the idea mounted. And not once did Ms Reeves or her phalanx of Treasury spokespeople seek to quell them. Instead, they sat back and allowed thousands of hard-working people to take their tax-free cash when they really didnt need to do so. A mix of financial and property experts have already formed a queue to warn of a possible correction in house prices. Dont do it, said TV property guru Kirstie Allsopp As it turned out, the Budget on October 30 included no attack on tax-free cash (although it did put forward a spiteful plan to tax unspent pensions from April 2027). In other words, thousands of people had been duped into taking their precious tax-free cash earlier than they really needed to. Money that in most cases was not required to clear a debt for example, an outstanding interest-only mortgage. And in many cases, money that was then simply deposited in a bank or building society account attracting taxable interest. Theres another cost which people might not be aware of which is the investment gain lost on the tax-free money which was withdrawn in a panic. A crude back of the envelope calculation indicates that the investment loss suffered by someone who took their tax-free cash at the beginning of October last year is considerable. Assuming a pension fund tracking the performance of the FTSE All-Share Index, the investment gain foregone on the money withdrawn would be 20 pc: slightly higher if it mirrored the FTSE World Index (22 pc). If I had been hoodwinked into taking tax-free cash last October, I would be feeling pretty peeved at losing out on such gains. To put this into pounds and pence, lets take someone with a pension pot valued at 200,000 at the beginning October 2024. If they had then taken 25 pc tax-free cash (50,000), they would now have a pension fund worth 180,000, assuming it had grown in line with the 20 pc increase in the UK stock market. But, if they had kept the fund intact last October, they would now be sitting on a pot of 240,000 giving them now the opportunity to take 60,000 of tax-free cash. In other words, they would be 10,000 better off overall. Recent figures from the Financial Conduct Authority, the City regulator, confirm the extent of this desperate rush for tax-free pension cash. In the tax year ended April this year, 18.3billion of it was withdrawn, a whopping 62 pc increase on the year before. As my colleague Toby Walne reports, many people that he has spoken to didnt take their cash because they needed it. They took it because they were panicked into doing so. As single mother Joanne Smith says, she was pushed over the edge into taking her precious tax-free pension cash because she interpreted the governments refusal to rule out a cut as a signal that one was coming. Sadly, there seems nothing that Joanne and thousands like her can do to make good the damage done. Once a tax-free lump sum from a pension has been paid, the decision cannot be reversed and the money put back in as if it had never been taken out in a mad panic. Her Majestys Revenue & Customs confirmed this earlier this month in a warning to savers not to act impulsively second time round and take tax-free cash ahead of the impending Budget. Of course, we are none the wiser as to what the Chancellor has in mind on the tax-free pension cash front second time round. Ms Reeves and her Treasury lackeys are playing the same game as they did last October: on the one hand refusing to comment on speculation while simultaneously planting rumours that the Chancellor once again has her eye on tax-free cash. She could well take an axe to pension tax-free cash, especially given the fact that her Budget support team includes pensions minister Torsten Bell. This is the individual who as head of the Resolution Foundation called for a 40,000 cap. Yet, we dont know for sure because Ms Reeves is happy playing political games with our long-term wealth. Mr Bell despises wealth and the wealthy. Its unacceptable and it should stop immediately. The Chancellor should either announce that the current rules on tax-free pension cash will not be touched in the Budget and leave us to keep building our retirement fund. Or she should say that changes are coming thereby allowing us to decide for ourselves what is the best course of action. Stick or twist and take the tax-free cash. After all, shes done it with cash Isas by signalling that a cut to the annual 20,000 allowance is coming our way. So, why not come clean about pension tax-free cash? As for those people like Joanne Smith who feel they were deceived into taking their tax-free cash earlier than they needed to, HM Revenue & Customs should look at possible remedies. Surely, its not beyond them to allow the Joannes of this world to reinstate this cash if thats what they want without being penalised. The Chancellor is reportedly mulling over a new 'mansion tax' ahead of the Budget on 26 November. Under the proposals, revealed by the Mail on Sunday, owners of 2million-plus homes would face a charge of 1 per cent on anything over that amount. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is in a desperate hunt for more tax revenue as she scrambles to close the Government's fiscal black hole. Official figures show public borrowing reached 20.2 billion in September, the highest for that month in five years. It brings total borrowing for the first half of the fiscal year to nearly 100 billion, significantly above the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts. The potential mansion tax is the latest in a long line of property taxes that are reportedly being considered ahead of the Budget. We look at what's being considered, how it would work and how much it could raise for the Treasury. Fewer buyers: The prime country house market has seen values fall 8.1% on the year, according to estate agent Savills What would a mansion tax mean? There are roughly 160,000 homes in the UK worth 2million or over, according to Zoopla. This equates to 0.6 per cent of all homes. The 1 per cent annual levy would mean owners of a 3million property would face a bill of 10,000 every year. Meanwhile, those living in a home valued at 5million would face a bill of 30,000 a year. It's worth pointing out that the levy would only impact the amount by which the property exceeds 2million. Any homes worth less than this would not be impacted. Some property experts think the tax would be unfair on those living in expensive parts of the country who have worked hard to afford a nice home. Property expert and buying agent Henry Sherwood says: 'This is not a wealth tax, it is an attack on anyone who has worked hard to be successful. 'Between 2m and 3m in many areas of London buys a fairly standard Victorian terraced house, so it is hardly targeting the rich and wealthy. 'These are people that have performed at school, been to University, got good jobs and worked on their careers. 'Equally, it affects entrepreneurs and business owners, who took a different route, and shouldered huge risks to get where they are.' What the mansion tax would mean for homeowners Property value Extra tax to pay each year after 1% levy 2 million 0 2.5 million 5,000 3 million 10,000 4 million 20,000 5 million 30,000 10 million 80,000 Pete Mugleston, mortgage advisor and managing director at Online Mortgage Advisor says these are significant that will put off many would-be buyers in the future. He says: 'This is essentially a wealth tax in disguise. Once you start taxing wealth, theres nothing to stop future governments from going further. 'A 1 per cent levy on a 5 million home could mean an annual 30,000 bill, which is hardly trivial. 'Its impractical, costly to enforce, and risks driving wealth, investment, and talent out of the country at a time when Britain needs to attract it.' How much could it raise for the Treasury? The proposal would be similar to the Liberal Democrats' policy in the 2010 general election, and could raise between 2billion and 3billion for the Exchequer. What would it mean for the housing market? Activity in the housing market has slowed down in recent months, due to buyers' worried about the economy and changes that might happen in the Budget. The usual pre-Christmas slowdown has begun six to eight weeks earlier than normal, according to Zoopla. The property portal says uncertainty surrounding November's Budget is causing many home buyers to adopt a 'wait and see' strategy. The market for expensive homes has already been hit particularly hard by this, data suggests. Estate agent Savills says that in the high end country house market, including plenty of homes worth more than 2million, values are down 8.1 per cent on the year. Frances McDonald, director of research at Savills, says: 'Over the past year, country and coastal markets have been challenged with ongoing concerns around council tax reform, and now face fresh speculation around additional taxation, placing downward pressure on pricing.' 'The market, particularly above 3 million, is adjusting to a smaller pool of active and committed buyers.' Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, added that Budget speculation had acted as a 'handbrake', with potential home movers deferring decisions. Older people could be disproportionately hit Concerns have also been raised that older people who don't have a huge income, but have benefited from house price rises over many decades, could be penalised by the policy. Jeremy Leaf, an estate agent and a former Rics residential chairman, says: He says: 'A fair proportion of those asset-rich, cash-poor older people may feel forced to move at a time when it doesnt suit them and may be distressing or difficult to do.' Jeremy Leaf, an estate agent and a former Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors residential chairman Amy Reynolds, head of sales at Richmond estate agency Antony Roberts, says that this tax would negatively impact the market in London. "In areas such as East Sheen and Richmond, 2 million doesnt necessarily buy a mansion - it buys an ordinary family home,' says Reynolds. 'A so-called "mansion tax" would unfairly penalise people who are property-rich but cash-poor. 'Many long-term owners here have simply benefited from rising property values over decades, not from high incomes. 'An annual charge based on property value rather than income would hit retired homeowners and families already stretched by high living costs, and could even force some to sell their homes just to pay the bill.' How easy would it be to implement? Much like with a general wealth tax, implementing a mansion tax could be challenging for the Government. The problem with valuing homes that have not actually sold is that it assumes value, without a buyer being in place to justify it. Affected homeowners will no doubt challenge any Government valuations, which could also prove costly to administrate. Such a tax is likely to also have a negative impact on house prices above 2million, meaning initial valuations could quickly become redundant. Louis Mason, communications director at Oportfolio Mortgages thinks this form of tax would almost certainly lead to disputes. He says: 'The UK doesnt have a system for valuing homes at scale, so disputes would be inevitable. 'In the short term it could dampen high-end transactions and deter international buyers, though over time prices would likely settle at levels reflecting the ongoing tax burden.' Eamonn Prendergast, chartered financial adviser at Palantir Financial Planning Ltd also thinks such a tax would backfire. 'Valuations would be contentious and costly to enforce, especially for homes hovering near the threshold,' says Prendergast. 'Rather than raising stable long-term revenue, this could undermine confidence in the UK property market and discourage investment at a time when growth and stability are needed most.' What else could change at the Budget? There are several options open to Reeves when it comes to hiking property taxes. These include replacing stamp duty with a new annual property tax on homes worth more than 500,000; a capital gains tax which kicks in when homes worth 1.5million or more are sold and an additional tax raid on landlords. New leasehold law was passed in 2024 - but it's far from being implemented Owners of leasehold homes were given a glimmer of hope that Government reforms could soon become a reality after a court ruled in their favour last week. On Friday, the High Court dismissed a significant legal challenge brought by major freeholders against the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The freeholders' argument was that these reforms - which could make it cheaper for Britain's 4.5million leaseholders to extend their leases or purchase their freeholds - would have infringed upon their human rights. The challenge, which was heard in July this year, was brought by six major freeholders including the Duke of Westminster and Earl of Cadogan. Harry Scoffin, campaigner and founder of Free Leaseholders welcomed the result in the High Court and labelled the freeholder challenge as an 'affront to democracy.' This latest development is good news for leaseholders - though some may be wondering why change isn't coming more quickly. It has been nearly 18 months since the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act was passed in the last hours of the Conservative government. We look at what this latest development means, what leasehold reforms are tabled, and when they are likely to happen. Thrown out: The High Court dismissed a significant legal challenge brought by major freeholders against the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 Will this decision be appealed? Linz Darlington, managing director of lease extension specialists, Homehold says that while this latest ruling is a step in the right direction for leaseholders, the High Court decision is likely to be appealed. 'While this ruling is an important next step in the leasehold reform journey, it is not the end of the battle,' he says. 'It seems likely that this decision will be appealed, and the outcome might be different.' Even if the court ruled in favour of leaseholders again, the appeal could delay the process of leasehold reform by months. Campaigner Harry Scoffin believes the government must now react fast and fulfil its manifesto promise to end leasehold. Linz Darlington , managing director and founder of lease extension service Homehold 'The High Court decision should embolden the government to move not just faster, but further,' he says. 'It's not only arbitrary service charge demands from greedy freeholders killing leasehold and the flats market, gouging ground rents are doing it, too.' Freeholders, however, say that the leasehold reforms would breach contracts they had entered into, undermine confidence in the property market and create uncertainty over existing properties owned by companies such as pension funds. A spokesman for the Residential Freehold Association said: 'Property rights and contract law are fundamental drivers of domestic and global investor confidence in the UK. 'This ruling opens the door for Government to intervene in markets far beyond the leasehold sector, a risk which will seriously undermine the UKs reputation as a destination for business. 'At a time when the Chancellor of the Exchequer is seeking 50bn of inward investment from pensions funds, the Government is creating significant uncertainty around the safety of existing assets which total 31bn in the leasehold sector.' When will leasehold reforms become reality? While the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 was passed a year and a half ago, many of the changes it will enact haven't yet been implemented. One thing that has already changed is that, in February 2025, the requirement for a leaseholder to have lived in their property for two years before they can ask the freeholder to extend their lease was scrapped. However, reforms to service charges and the cost of lease extensions will take longer to come into play. The Government has said that it needs to complete further consultation on the rates and percentages used to calculate the cost of lease extensions before this can happen. Darlington says: 'Only once these rates have been set will leaseholders know whether their lease extension will be cheaper and for some it could be more expensive,' added Darlington. Change is coming: The High Court's judgement is a win for Britain's 4.5 million leaseholders He called on the Government to launch this consultation 'without delay'. There are also other pieces of what is known as 'secondary' legislation which need to be passed before the reforms can be enacted. According to the Homeowners Alliance, this process will take 'years, not months'. What else do the leasehold reforms include? Among the other reforms proposed in the Act is a proposal to remove what is known as 'marriage value'. Marriage value is the increase in value of a leasehold property as a result of a lease extension. Put another way, it's the financial benefit that results from merging part of the freeholder and leaseholder interests, hence the term 'marriage'. Under current law, where the unexpired term of the lease exceeds 80 years, no marriage value is payable. However, when a lease drops below 80 years the marriage value must be split 50:50 with the freeholder. There is also a clause to cap ground rent in lease extension calculations. Many leaseholders have to pay ground rent each year to the freeholder. This is a levy charged to reflect that leaseholders do not own the land their property is built on. The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act banned ground rent being charged on new leases on homes purchased after 30 June 2022. However, it doesn't apply to existing leases, including those which are passed on from one owner to another when the property is sold. Some leases have ground rents which rise at an alarming rate, sometimes hundreds of pounds a year. At present when a leaseholder extends their lease, they must pay a sum of money to 'buy out' this future ground rent and the Act will make this cheaper by capping the ground rent in the calculation at 0.1 per cent of the flat's value. The Act will also seek to change the qualifying criteria to give more leaseholders the right to take over management of their building. It should also create greater transparency over service charges and give leaseholders a new right to request information about service charges and the management of their building, administration charges and buildings insurance commissions. It will also remove the presumption that leaseholders pay their landlord's legal costs when challenging poor practice and give them a new right to apply to claim their legal costs from their landlord. Could leasehold be scrapped altogether? In March, the Government published a white paper in which it said it intended to ban the sale of new leasehold flats in England and Wales. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook described the system as 'feudal' while announcing plans to move to the commonhold system, which is already standard for apartment owners in Scotland and other parts of the world. In this system, each flat owner owns the freehold of their home and shares ownership of the building and the land it sits on with all of the other owners through membership of a 'commonhold association'. The Government has said it plans to make commonhold the default tenure by the end of the current parliament in 2029. It had said it would publish draft legislation on this by the end of 2025, but this has not yet happened. One in three people in work today will struggle to afford essential bills in retirement, new research reveals. Some 11.6million full and part-time workers are on course to miss minimum income thresholds of 13,400 a year for a single person and 21,600 for a couple, it found. But people in full-time jobs are more likely to hit these basic income levels than those in part-time work, who often earn less than the 10,000 trigger to be auto-enrolled into a pension by their employers. The Government should look at expanding auto-enrolment to support part-time workers and lower earners, according to pension firm Scottish Widows which carried out the study. Its analysis of people's current savings, future retirement income and likely living expenses found 28 per cent of the UK's 34.2 million workers will reach the minimum income thresholds described above. Some 8 per cent are on track for a moderate income, which is 31,700 for an individual and 43,900 for a couple, but 30 per cent should achieve a comfortable retirement, with an income of 43,900 for one person or 60,600 for a couple. The percentage of workers on track to hit minimum, moderate and comfortable retirement income standards - or to miss out (Source: Scottish Widows) Retirement living standards annual study by Pensions UK. This is a widely used yardstick, but another measures whether your retirement income would replace your current salary. The income levels were drawn from an annual industry study by Pensions UK, which attempts to highlight what lifestyle people can expect in retirement, but does not include tax, housing or care costs in its calculations. Scottish Widows found one in five full-time workers face poverty on an income short of the minimum, while 36 per cent of part-time workers will miss the target. People over state pension age who are on low incomes are eligible for pension credit, which currently tops up an individual's income to around 11,800 and a couple's to around 18,000. But many who are eligible do not claim pension credit, and the Government will this week launch its latest awareness drive to get more people to sign up. > Can YOU claim pension credit? Find out how to top up your weekly income Scottish Widows also surveyed 1,000 employers and 2,000 staff across a range of industry sectors about pensions. It found some 45 per cent of firms provide regular information and support about pensions, but some 38 per cent of employees had little to no understanding of what they offered. Additional benefits and support can include making higher than the auto enrolment minimum contributions into pension pots, offering matched contributions where employers pay in more if you do, salary sacrifice, financial education sessions and access to financial advice. Firms told Scottish Widows they regard offering matched contributions as the most important additional support they can offer their workforce. 'A workplace pension can be the most powerful tool people have to shape their financial future, but low engagement is holding people back from taking their best shot at long-term saving,' says Graeme Bold, managing director of workplace and intermediary wealth at Scottish Widows. > How to squeeze the most out of your work pension How to sort out your pension if you fear it's falling short 1) If you are worried about whether you will have saved enough, investigate your existing pensions. Broadly speaking, you need to ask schemes the following questions. - The current fund value. - The current transfer value - because there might be a penalty to move. - Whether the pension is in a final salary or defined contribution scheme. Defined contribution pensions take contributions from both employer and employee and invest them to provide a pot of money at retirement. Unless you work in the public sector, they have now mostly replaced more generous gold-plated defined benefit - career average or final salary - pensions, which provide a guaranteed income after retirement until you die. Defined contribution pensions are stingier and savers bear the investment risk, rather than employers. - If there are any guarantees - for instance, a guaranteed annuity rate - and if you would lose them if you moved the fund. - The pension projection at retirement age. You can use a pension calculator to see if you will have enough - these are widely available online. 2) You should add the forecast figures to what you anticipate getting in state pension, which is currently 230.25 a week or nearly 12,000 a year if you qualify for the full new rate. Get a state pension forecast here. 3) If you are tempted to merge your old pensions, read our guide first to ensure you won't be penalised. 4) If you have lost track of old pots, the Government's free pension tracing service is here. Take care if you do an online search for the Pension Tracing Service as many companies using similar names will pop up in the results. These will also offer to look for your pension, but try to charge or flog you other services, and could be fraudulent. Many employers pay more into staff pensions than auto enrolment minimum of 3% of salary between 6,240 and 50,270 (Source Scottish Widows) Do you qualify for pension credit? You can check if you qualify for a valuable pension credit top-up payment here or call the claim line on 0800 99 1234. 'Around one in three older people entitled to pension credit are not receiving close to 2,000 a year that has been set aside for them,' says Amy Dodge, head of Influencing at charity Independent Age. 'This money can be life-changing for older people on low incomes who simply can't afford to miss out. 'If you're eligible, not only will you receive an additional income, but you will be able to access a host of other benefits, including help with housing costs and council tax, vouchers towards glasses and contact lenses, and you'll receive Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Home Discount Scheme in the winter. 'It's also important to note that if you weren't previously eligible but your circumstances have changed, you may now be entitled, so it's worth checking again.' Independent Age has a helpline on 0800 319 6789, and Age UK's is on 0800 678 1602. Thousands of vacant homes across Australia could be freed up with a straightforward change to tax reforms, according to a property expert. Bob Morton has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with calls to allow families to claim professional clearance service costs as a tax deduction when selling the home of a loved one due to death or transition into aged care/retirement living. The Property Clearance Company co-founder believes the proposed incentive is a win-win by easing the emotional and financial stress on families and unlocking much-needed housing supply by turning over existing properties. The arduous process of sorting through decades of possessions, dealing with repairs and maintenance and preparing a property for sale often takes months or years, which delays the sale of a home. However, many time-poor Aussies are willing to fork out thousands for the job to be done professionally, which means their homes are ready for the market not only in a matter of weeks, but also in better condition. A tax exemption would give more families an incentive to move quickly, efficiently and with less emotional strain, according to Mr Morton. 'The idea came from travelling around Australia for jobs and seeing so many families living in tents and dealing with others managing vacant properties for extended periods of time, which should be going back into the housing pool,' he told Daily Mail. 'There are thousands of vacant homes out there and this is one way of getting them on the market quicker. Property expert Bob Morton (right) has written to the PM proposing a 'simple' tax exemption The Property Clearance Company co-founder told Daily Mail that his idea could ease Australia's housing supply pressures. Pictured are homes in Melbourne 'Families can also move forward without being overwhelmed, disputes are avoided, and valuable possessions aren't accidentally thrown away.' Professional clearance services cost an average $4,000 to $8,000, depending on the size of the home. Mr Morton insisted that the proposal has genuine legs, and estimated that 90 per cent of clients intend to either sell or rent out their loved ones' homes. 'There is overwhelming demand to get these properties back into the market,' he said. 'But solving the housing crisis isn't going to take one policy approach, it will take many.' The proposed exemption wouldn't apply to families who decide to keep the property. About 170,000 new homes are being built each year, well below the National Housing Accord objective of 240,000, as part of a federal government agreement to build 1.2million homes by 2029 to address the shortage. 'The government needs to start looking at other initiatives other than building new homes to address the shortage,' Mr Morton said. Hiring a professional clearance service means that homes are ready for the market in a matter of weeks A tax exemption would give more families an incentive to move quickly, efficiently and with less emotional strain, according to The Property Clearance Company co-founders Bob and Jude Morton 'Building more homes takes time in an industry that's also facing skill and material shortages. 'It would be good for the industry and enable us to help more Aussies. 'Any home freed up is a good thing.' His comments came after Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock issued a dire warning about Australia's housing supply. 'The issue with the housing market is supply and demand we have demand for housing that outstrips the supply of housing and it's occurring both in housing prices and rents,' she told a Senate hearing in Canberra earlier this month. 'There's more demand for rental properties than there are rentals available.' She noted that governments are trying very hard to get the supply of housing moving. 'But it involves planning, it involves construction, and a whole series of other things governments are looking at, and I encourage them to keep looking at,' Bullock added. She also believed that new measures will take years to have a real impact and warned that supply constraints are likely to persist through 2026. Mr Morton has contacted Albanese's office to follow up on his recent letter and seek a meeting but is yet to hear back. 'It is an easy thing to do and will help so many people,' he said. 'We know there are thousands of homes sitting idle because families are paralysed by the enormity of the task. 'A tax deduction could unlock those homes faster and in better condition, making them available to the next generation of Australian families.' When the future Mrs Gavin Newsom started dating him there was some confusion - lots of people thought she was a teenage model half his age whom he had also been linked to. Jennifer Newsom later recalled: 'The whole first month we were dating, everyone thought I was her [the 19-year-old model] and were saying, "We need to card you."' Indeed, the likeness was striking, and not just between those two women - the wife of a close friend of Newsom's, whom he had an affair with in the noughties - bore a passing resemblance too. Back in those days Newsom did a lot of apologizing, including over his 'problems' with alcohol, which he said he would address. He never went to rehab, despite initially indicating he would. Of course, it was all a long time ago. Newsom and his wife Jennifer have now been happily married for 16 years and have four children. And, on Sunday he confirmed his ambition to run for the White House in 2028, telling CBS: 'Yeah, I'd be lying otherwise. I'd just be lying. And I can't do that.' He added: 'I'm looking forward to who presents themselves in 2028 and who meets that moment. And that's the question for the American people.' Newsom is already the clear favorite for the Democratic nomination. But Republican operatives are busily looking at the scandals they can revisit, and his own supporters will also have to reckon with his past. Another potential banana skin for Newsom is expected to be the infamous French Laundry scandal. The incident, named after a swanky restaurant where he dined during the pandemic, is set to haunt him in the campaign to come. But more on that later. Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom wave to supporters during a gubernatorial election night event on November 6, 2018 in Los Angeles The tale of Newsom's colorful love life began in the early 1990s when he dated kindergarten teacher Kelley Phleger for five years. Later, she ended up wedding Miami Vice actor Don Johnson, to whom she is still married. Newsom then married Kimberly Guilfoyle in 2001 and they divorced in 2006, while he was Mayor of San Francisco. She was later engaged to Donald Trump Jr. The mayor was then photographed, on September 6, 2006, walking the red carpet at the opening night of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with 19-year-old aspiring model Brittanie Mountz, when he was 38. Newsom later denied he was dating Mountz. He told the New York Times: 'She was a friend. I wont go into details. Dating is not a term I would use. But friendship, yes.' Soon after, he was then set up on a blind date with Jennifer, who had previously dated George Clooney. Jennifer later revealed that, shortly after they began seeing each other, Newsom told her: 'You're not going to want to talk to me after tomorrow. There's a thing in the paper coming out about me and my 20-year-old girlfriend. I never dated her.' After it did, Jennifer was repeatedly mistaken for Mountz. The California Governor confirmed he will consider running for the White House in 2028 Brittanie Mountz was linked to Newsom in the press when he was mayor of San Francisco. He later said they were not dating 'You just have to have a sense of humor about those things,' she later told People magazine. But a worse scandal, one that rocked Newsom's chances of a national political future, was about to hit. In 2007 Newsom publicly admitted to having had an affair two years earlier with his City Hall appointments secretary. The employee, Ruby Rippey Gibney, was at the time married to his good friend and campaign adviser, Alex Tourk. 'I am deeply sorry,' Newsom said in a written statement the time. 'I humbly ask all of those I have hurt for their forgiveness. I will not let my personal failures impact my public duties. 'I believe the best way I can atone for what I have done is to focus every day on helping to make this a better city. That is what I intend to do.' Newsom had an affair with his campaign adviser's wife Ruby Rippey Gibney in 2005 Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007, Jennifer, his future wife, defended him and blamed Gibney. 'I shouldn't say this, but there are two sides to every story,' she said. 'If people did research into the scandal...the woman is the culprit. Alex Tourk is a nice man and it saddens me that his wife did that to him.' She later apologized for those comments, saying: 'I am deeply sorry that I have made some public statements in the past few days that have hurt Alex and Ruby Tourk and everyone else involved in this issue. 'This is a very painful situation for everyone involved and, in my case, it lead to an expression of frustration that I profoundly regret. 'I have tried to see Ruby's side of the story but unfortunately everyone near to her has stories and says she is bad news.' The Tourk marriage ended after the affair and Gibney quit her job at City Hall. Jennifer, whom the governor married in 2008, watches her husband on TV in 2023 Later, when the #MeToo movement emerged, Gibney said the affair with her boss was not a case of sexual harassment. 'I fully support the #metoo movement,' she wrote on Facebook. 'In this particular instance, however, I am doubtful that it applies. 'Yes, I was a subordinate, but I was also a freethinking, 33-year-old old adult married woman & mother. [I also happened to have an unfortunate inclination towards drinking-to-excess & self-destruction].' For his part, Newsom, on February 6, 2007, announced he would seek treatment at San Francisco's Delancey Street Foundation, which bills itself as a 'leading residential self-help organization for substance abusers, ex-convicts, homeless and others who have hit bottom.' The Los Angeles Times ran a headline saying: 'San Francisco mayor seeks alcohol treatment.' In his statement Newsom, who was 39 at the time, said: 'Upon reflection with friends and family this weekend, I have come to the conclusion that I will be a better person without alcohol in my life. 'My problems with alcohol are not an excuse for my personal lapses in judgment.' Then-San Francisco mayor Newsom, left, Gordon Getty, center, and Oakland mayor Jerry Brown at an event at the PlumpJack Winery in Oakville, California, in 2004 Newsom greets President Donald Trump and the First Lady earlier this year Newsom's first wife Kimberly Guilfoyle was later engaged to Donald Trump Jr However, Newsom later clarified that he had not entered rehab, instead undergoing counseling from Mimi Silbert, president of the Delancey Street Foundation, and then resumed drinking under her guidance. A decade later, he told the San Francisco Chronicle that he 'enjoys a little wine again.' 'It was a reset.' he said. 'And Im glad I did it. It was a great thing to do. And it was easy to do. Theres ten years of evidence that, you know, thats not an issue. I literally, one day, just stopped for a couple of years.' In 2018 he told the Sacramento Bee: 'Theres no rehab. I just stopped. There was no treatment, no nothing related to any of that stuff. I stopped because I thought it was a good thing to stop. There is no 12-step [program] here.' He added: 'Sometimes people make mistakes in their lives and you then work hard never to make them again, because you learn from them. I like to think I'm a better person.' Many Democratic voters clearly think that is the case. In a series of recent polls Newsom has led Kamala Harris by up to 16 points. However, one poll in found California voters think the state's governor is spending too much time increasing his national profile. In the 1990s Newsom dated Kelley Phleger for five years and she later married Miami Vice star Don Johnson Newsom has been with his current wife Jennifer for 16 years and they have four children Some Democrats have praised him for being a loud voice opposing Trump's ICE immigration raids and California redistricting, including by mimicking the President's style on social media. Many Republicans are already convinced that he will be the Democratic nominee and are preparing social media attacks. Those are likely to include a resurfacing of a scandal which Republicans believe will show him as a hypocrite. On November 6, Newsom and his wife dined at French Laundry, a Michelin star restaurant in Napa Valley, with a group of ten friends just days before his administration advised Californians not to host indoor Thanksgiving dinners. The occasion was a 50th birthday party for Jason Kinney, one of Newsom's political advisers, and the $350 tasting menu included charcoal grilled Japanese Wagyu and Island Creek Oysters. Newsom is shown above, left, sitting with ten others in the dining room at The French Laundry on November 6, without a mask. The photos were obtained by Fox 11 LA via a Twitter user Amid a subsequent backlash Newsom initially said the gathering was outdoors, but witnesses revealed the group was completely inside. Photographs then emerged of them sat around a table not wearing masks. Two top officials from the California Medical Association were among those in attendance. The CMA represents 50,000 doctors and had recently tweeted messages including #StayHome and #WearAMask. Dustin Corcoran, CMA's chief executive officer and Janus Norman, a senior vice-president, were also among the dozen people at the dinner. The CMA is considered a lobbying powerhouse in Sacramento and had spent more than $2 million lobbying state leaders the previous year. As the dinner conversation flowed Newsom, dressed in a gray sweatshirt, was seen leaning close to one of the CMA executives. The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California News of the gathering caused outrage in California where Newsom had imposed one of the harshest lockdowns in the country. Social situations were supposed to be limited to people from no more than three households. Jack Pitney, a professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College, said: 'In the future when critics of lobbyists make their case, this dinner will be Exhibit A.' Newsom, by now well practiced in the art of the public apology, asked forgiveness again. He said: 'I made a bad mistake. I need to preach and practice, not just preach and not practice.' As Democrats mull their choice for 2028 they will have to consider if it was one mistake too many. The US Department of Justice is being asked to review every single executive action taken by the Biden administration following a months-long inquiry by top investigators in the US House of Representatives. A lengthy report released Tuesday by the House Oversight Committee led by Republican Chairman James Comer describes the deeply 'flawed process', akin to a 'presidential pardon game of telephone' used in the Biden White House. Among the most controversial measures taken via autopen by the former president were the pardons of Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and members of Congress who served on the January 6th committee. Biden also pardoned members of his family - James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden - on his last full day in office. The House Committee, led by Comer, is effectively asking the Department of Justice to invalidate Biden's actions, including some of his most controversial pardons - a move that would be without precedent. A 1869 federal court ruling notes that, 'the law undoubtedly is, that when a pardon is complete, there is no power to revoke it, any more than there is power to revoke any other completed act.' In total, President Biden issued 149 executive actions during his time as president. A Heritage Foundation report released earlier this year showed that Biden used the autopen as early as day five in office. Comparatively, President Donald Trump has already signed 210 Executive orders in 2025, preferring to conduct those signings with a large media presence. Trump signed 220 executive orders during the entirety of his first term. Joe Biden's only hand-signed pardon during his final months in office was also his most controversial - his son, Hunter. Joe and Jill Biden walk on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022 An image of an autopen signing Biden's signature is displayed in place of a portrait of Biden next to portraits of U.S President Donald Trump at the 'Presidential Walk of Fame' along the Colonnade at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 5 Tuesday's report exposes how 'Biden's top advisors, political operatives, and personal physician concealed the President's mental and physical decline from the American people, per the Oversight Committee's letter. Capitol Hill Republicans have used every tool at their disposal to uncover potential misconduct by former President Joe Biden's top White House aides since the investigation was announced earlier this summer. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer issued formal subpoenas to Biden's former White House Physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, as well as other top Biden aides, Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini. While other former top Biden aides did testify, all three aforementioned aides pleaded the Fifth Amendment, invoking the right against self-incrimination when asked to testify by Comer's committee. The Daily Mail has reached out to a point of contact for former Biden aides for comment. The refusal of Dr. O'Connor to testify before the House Oversight Committee raised numerous red flags for investigators, who have also asked for his medical license to be reviewed following the release of their report. In a letter to Dr. Andrea Anderson, Board Chair of the DC Board of Medicine, Comer notes that 'The Committee has found that President Biden's aides coordinated a cover-up of the president's diminishing faculties.' Comer additionally notes that the board should investigate if O'Connor 'was derelict in his duty as a physician by, including but not limited to, issuing misleading medical reports, misrepresenting treatments, failing to conform to standards of practice, or other acts in violation of District of Columbia law regulating licensed physicians.' Comer also suggests that the Board punish O'Connor by imposing 'discipline, sanction, or revocation of his medical license.' Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former chief medical adviser to President Biden, becomes emotional after being asked about threats to him and his family, as he testifies before a House Oversight and Reform Select Subcommittee hearing on the Coronavirus Pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 3, 2024 Another top doc in former President Biden's orbit, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is sure to face increased scrutiny as well. In Capitol Hill's upper chamber, Senator Rand Paul is leading an investigation into Fauci, and has asked him to testify before Congress once more. Senator Paul exclusively told the Daily Mail last month, in the midst of a Kentucky campaign swing, that there are serious questions about Fauci's pardon, which was among those signed by Biden via autopen. 'There's a question of whether or not that's a valid pardon,' Paul said at the time, adding that 'the only way to determine that is to take it to court.' Paul also expressed doubts at the time that Biden 'may not have been aware of what he was pardoning,' a view supported by new evidence from House investigators in their latest report. House Oversight's report shed light on the never-before-exposed chain of command in the Biden White House, which appears to have relied heavily on secondary and tertiary information passed along by decision makers who were not even present in certain meetings. Investigators describe the chain of command as 'lax', and the instances of the 'clemency actions taken in the final days of the Biden presidency' are described as the 'most flagrant.' One particular instance laid out in the report highlights former White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients admitting that not all decisions made by the president were formally documented. Investigators also note several times that Biden made executive decisions verbally. US President Joe Biden (L) stands with (from L) daughter Ashley Biden, daughter-in-law Melissa Cohen Biden, grandson Beau, son Hunter Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden to view a Christmas tree lighting in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on November 29, 2024 The pardons of Biden family members were communicated 'second-hand' to a Zients aide, Rosa Po, who informed Zients about the pardons. He then 'verbally authorized the use of the autopen from home' without knowing who actually executed the signatures. Acting through his aide's email, Zients approved the autopen's use for the clemency actions without confirming with President Biden that those were in fact his wishes. Due to concerns about the president's mental state and the opaque approval process, the Committee has deemed all autopen-signed executive actions without direct, written presidential consent to be invalid. The New Democratic Party of Canada has come under scrutiny for an email that appeared to be sent to members, announcing newly elected leaders as 'non-male' and 'male'. Independent journalist Jonathan Kay shared the email on X with the caption: 'The @NDP now apparently classifies its executive members in two categories: (1) NON-MALE, and (2) MALE.' The screenshotted email was apparently sent by the New Westminster - Burnaby -Maillardville chapter and detailed highlights from the party's last annual general meeting. The new members who identified as 'non-male' were listed as Doris Mah, Alodie Yen, Agnes Jackman, Penny Oyama, and Marla Penner. The 'male' members were listed as Dante Abbey, Eric Van Fleet, Aidan McDonough, Peter Julian, and Kebebe Abate. The apparent leaked email went viral on X, with many social media users denouncing the party's 'erasure' of women. 'The party of acceptance has erased women. How nice of them...' one tweet read. 'Alienating half of the voting public seems like a poor political strategy,' another comment noted. An email reportedly sent to members of the New Democratic Party of Canada seemingly only referred to people as 'male' or 'non-male' (Pictured: Former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh) The Daily Mail has reached out to the NDP for comment on the email and confirmation of its legitimacy. The NDP is a progressive social democratic political party in Canada, founded in 1961. The party struggled to achieve electoral success until 2011, when it garnered over 30 percent of the popular vote and 103 seats in the House of Commons. The NPD's former party leader, Jack Layton, led the group to historic success, but after his death in 2011, the party began to decline in popularity. Since then, the party has typically come in third or fourth in parliamentary seat counts and has never won an election for prime minister. The NDP began as a socialist party but has moved to a more moderate platform, embracing a 'mixed economy,' instead. The party is ideologically similar to Canada's Liberals, but is more progressive on taxes for the wealthy and corporations, environmental regulations, and non-interventionist foreign policy. The Liberals are the country's oldest and historically most successful political party, with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leading the party for 10 years before Mark Carney assumed the position. MP Don Davies (pictured) is serving as the interim leader of the NDP until next year's election Jagmeet Singh is the most recent leader of the NDP and the first non-white, non-Christian to lead a political party in Canada. He stepped down earlier this year and was replaced by Don Davies, who represents Vancouver Kingsway in Parliament. Davies is serving as the interim leader until the election next March. The NDP has a progressive stance on transgender acceptance, releasing a statement on Transgender Day of Visibility that read: 'Transgender Canadians - especially trans women and trans women of color - continue to disproportionately face hate, abuse and violence. 'Any policies that stoke division and make trans people, including children, less safe are wrong and unacceptable.' An asylum seeker who was allowed to stay in the UK has been jailed for trafficking migrants in a gang run by his gun-toting 'brother' who was previously hailed as the 'best people smuggler'. Anjan Ahmadi, 26, was jailed at Preston Crown Court for five years and seven months for his role in helping two migrants to illegally enter the country with border-crossing kingpin Amanj Hasan Zada, 35. The court heard Ahmadi illegally entered the UK before claiming asylum and had been granted indefinite leave to remain by the Home Office, allowing him to work and claim benefits in Britain. Ahmadi, who had a Kurdish interpreter in court, is among a growing number of refugees granted indefinite leave to remain who have later been alleged to be involved in people smuggling. Zarif Khan, his defence lawyer, said Ahmadi had been granted asylum not long before his subsequent arrest by the National Crime Agency for people smuggling offences in July 2024. Such cases have led to concerns about abuse of the system, which also allows people to later apply for British citizenship, with Reform UK pledging to abolish it if it wins the next General Election. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also told the Labour Party Conference last month she will prevent people with criminal records and those claiming benefits from being able to qualify for it. The court heard that after Ahmadi was granted indefinite leave to remain, he went on to assist Zada, known as the 'best smuggler' who advertised small boat Channel crossings with testimonials from people he smuggled in on Facebook. Anjan Ahmadi (pictured) was allowed to stay in the UK by the Home Office before helping two migrants illegally enter the country Ahmadi worked with Amanj Hasan Zada (pictured), who was hailed as the 'best people smuggler' Zada was jailed for 17 years at the same court last November after an NCA investigation linked him to three separate Channel crossings from France in 2023, involving Kurdish migrants who had previously travelled from Turkey then through eastern Europe. The 35-year-old was convicted on three counts of facilitating illegal immigration. However, NCA Branch Commander Martin Clarke said after the trial there was 'no doubt' Zada's gang was likely to have been involved in many more illegal crossings as he was running 'a sophisticated enterprise' that was 'all about profit'. During the investigation, the NCA discovered videos of Zada, including one where he was firing a gun in the air in celebration. Zada, known by those he tried to smuggle as Amanj Zaman, sometimes used videos of him being thanked by those he had previously helped, which were used on social media to generate more customers, the NCA said. One showed a group of men on a boat to Italy praising him. Another, thought to have been recorded in Iraq in 2021, showed Zada at a party with musicians singing a song in Kurdish praising him as 'the best smuggler', saying 'all the other smugglers have learned from him' while he throws cash at them and fires a gun into the air in celebration. Yesterday, the court heard that Zada had health problems and was unable to drive, so Ahamdi acted as his driver throughout the enterprise. Ahmadi, who was granted asylum in 2024, was arrested (pictured) in July that year by National Crime Agency officers Zada was arrested (pictured) just two months prior in May 2024 before being convicted on three counts of facilitating illegal immigration The pair lived together in Stefano Road, Preston, and are believed to be brothers, but this has never been conclusively proven, the court heard. NCA officers covertly recorded conversations Zada had with several other smugglers in Europe and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), discussing movements of migrants, locations and successful crossings. Zada was arrested in May 2024 and his phone was seized. Analysis showed it was linked to a number of social media accounts used to post material, and phone numbers advertised on them. He had also had direct contact with some of the migrants who had come to the UK in 2023. Evidence found by NCA investigators showed that Ahmadi played a critical role in Zada's crime group, staying in contact with migrants and booking travel tickets for legs of their journey. Conversations recorded by NCA officers showed the pair were in contact. Ahmadi was arrested in July 2024 after evidence was recovered implicating him in the gang. Following his arrest, investigators found a voice note conversation on his phone with an individual who wanted to travel to the UK with his relatives, but 'not by dinghy'. Ahmadi referred the man to another people smuggler who dealt with lorries, saying 'go with my name'. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitating illegal immigration to both the UK and EU. Zada (pictured) was jailed for 17 years after an investigation linked him to three separate Channel crossings from France in 2023 Defending, Mr Khan said: 'He will be deported. He was in rented accommodation and had some form of employment. There was no luxury lifestyle and nothing of real value discovered upon his arrest. He was not the organiser, but at all times he acted under Zada's authority.' Sentencing, Judge Andrew Jefferies KC, said: 'This was a purely commercial activity and you must have been expecting some financial reward. Those brought to the UK were strangers to you.' He disputed defence claims they were not dangerous crossings, adding: 'The irony was that beautiful yachts were advertised on social media for the travel through the Mediterranean, but at this end of the journey small rubber dinghies were always used.' He said he was likely to be deported before his term in prison was served, but this would be a matter for the Home Office. Mr Clarke said after today's hearing: 'Ahmadi played a crucial role in Zada's criminal network, assisting him in moving people into the EU and then to the UK in small boats. 'Evidence gathered by the NCA showed Ahmadi acted as right-hand man to Zada, arranging illegal transportation across borders, communicating with migrants and other smugglers. 'These men didn't care about the risks those they were moving faced, they just saw them as a commodity to be profited from and preyed upon their desperation. 'In this case we have also been able to take our investigation upstream, working with partners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to target other members of the network.' Following Zada's conviction the NCA supported law enforcement in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in an operation which saw another three members of the network arrested in Sulaymaniyah in January 2025. They included two other people smugglers and a Hawala banker who had processed financial transactions for the gang. Mr Clarke added: 'This investigation has demonstrated how the NCA is targeting people smugglers at every step, from their operations in the UK right the way back to source countries where they previously thought they were untouchable. 'We have a global reach. Disrupting and dismantling people smuggling gangs like this is a priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to stop them.' A Texas Congressman rocked by claims he allegedly had an affair with an aide who set herself on fire is being mocked for his vow that he can still win his campaign to stay in office. 'I look forward to another SUCCESSFUL re-election,' US Representative Tony Gonzales wrote on the social media platform X, last week, days after the Daily Mail exposed his alleged affair with staffer Regina Aviles. The Republican, 45, represents Texas's 23rd Congressional district, which includes San Antonio, Uvalde and stretches west to El Paso. Aviles, a married, mother-of-one, died after dousing herself with gasoline on September 13 and becoming engulfed in flames in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, about two hours outside San Antonio. The married member of Congress became romantically involved with Aviles, 35, after she began working for him in November 2021, according to sources who spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity. The revelation of their alleged romance has prompted calls from fellow conservatives for Gonzales to step down. 'You cant be serious,' @JenTexas16 posted in response to the announcement by Gonzales. 'You should never hold an elected office ever again,' responded @libertyorfail. Congressman Tony Gonzales hosted Elon Musk in September 2023 as he toured the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas. The aide he allegedly had an affair with, Regina Aviles, can be seen on the right of Musk Congressman Tony Gonzales signaled he's not resigning or dropping out of his re-election bid after tweeting, 'I look forward to another SUCCESSFUL re-election,' on Oct. 23 'No, we reject you. Were going with Brandon @TheAKGuy now,' @steve_h2a replied, referring to Brandon Herrera, the primary challenger to Gonzales. Aviles and her husband, Adrian Aviles, had separated after he learned of her relationship with Gonzales, a source said, but continued to co-parent their eight-year-old son. Sources added that Adrian had installed cameras at the home they once shared, and footage from those devices captured his wife pouring gasoline on herself on September 13. The Uvalde Police Department told the Daily Mail that the video had been turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab for review. Aviles, known by friends and family as 'Regi', was airlifted to San Antonio after the fire department responded to the flames and died in the hospital the next day. The medical examiner told the Daily Mail on Monday that autopsy results remained pending, though authorities believe the death was due to self-immolation. 'Regina Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard when the fire began, which ultimately caused significant injuries and required her transport to the emergency room,' Uvalde Police said in a statement to the Daily Mail. 'At this stage of the investigation, we do not have any information to suggest that anyone else was involved.' Aviles's mother, Nora Gonzales, described the incident as a tragic accident and said the final words of her daughter, above, were: 'I don't want to die,' according to the San Antonio Express News Gonzales, a father of six, pictured with his wife, Angel, did not attend Aviles's funeral on September 25, sources told the Daily Mail Aviles was found engulfed in flames at her Uvalde home, above, on September 13. Investigators determined that she was alone at the time Aviles is survived by her husband, Adrian, and their eight-year-old son. Her obituary described her as 'a devoted mother, a loving daughter, sister, and wife and a loyal friend' Despite the controversy, Gonzales pinned the re-election message to his X account, making it clear that he does not have plans to cancel his candidacy - which had been declared even before the death of Aviles. Gonzales did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment but has continued to regularly post campaign content on X, sharing photos of himself at constituent meet-and-greets and with supporters. The Republican Party is quietly scrambling to replace him, courting two San Antonio Republicans, Kyle Sinclair and Grant Moody, to run in his place, sources confirmed to the Daily Mail. Gonzales's refusal to step aside is seen as tone-deaf, since he does not have enough support to win the race, political sources said. One insider said it would cost the national Republican party $10 million in donations to help Gonzales win the 500 votes needed to clinch the GOP primary on March 3. However, the party no longer thinks that Gonzales can win over that many voters in what will surely be a close race against Herrera. Best known for his massive YouTube following of 4.2 million on his gun enthusiast channel, Herrera, 29, nearly beat Gonzales in the last election. Gonzales held on to the Republican nomination by just 354 votes, according to Ballotpedia, but it took millions of dollars from the Republican Party to bolster his campaign coffers. Brandon Herrera described himself on his website as an entrepreneur, Second Amendment activist and social media personality running for Congress in Texas District 23 Tony Gonzales continues to campaign for re-election despite the scandal swirling over the death of his aide, Regina Aviles, with whom the Daily Mail revealed he had an alleged affair before she died by setting herself on fire Gonzales was already in a difficult primary race against challenger Brandon Herrera, even before his alleged affair with Regina Aviles was revealed Gonzales earned 15,023 votes compared to Herrera's 14,669. In a statement to the Daily Mail, Herrera said: 'Tonys refusal to address the allegations is emblematic of his attitude toward the people of this district. He refuses to take accountability of any kind, and opts to pretend like nothing is wrong while declining to answer questions from voters. 'You cannot be a leader of people you dont respect. This goes beyond politics. This is about right and wrong.' Herrera also signaled that he was ready for a fight on the campaign trail. 'Youll certainly get the campaign that you deserve,' the YouTuber wrote on X in response to Gonzales's brag that he would win again. The AKGuy, as he is known to fans, also announced that he out-fundraised Gonzales last week. 'Im proud to say that our fundraising this quarter has demolished what Tony Gonzales raised. We raised $829,000+ while taking no money from shady DC Super PACs, only myself and over 30,000 individual donors who believe in putting America First,' he said in an October 21 post. 'We have the momentum. We will win.' It is the phenomenon leaving shoppers with lighter baskets and a heftier bill to foot at the checkout. And now, some of the worst culprits of so-called shrinkflation have been revealed as Britain's favourite chocolate, porridge and coffee brands. The term was first coined to describe when companies diminish the size or quantity of one of its products while the price remains the same or even increases - and those who do it are often met with fury from customers. Earlier this month Kerrygold faced a backlash after its 250g butter offering was slashed to 200g despite selling at the same price in supermarkets like Asda and Waitrose. Now, fresh research by consumer brand Which? has named some of the worst offenders of shrinkflation in the UK as household staples such as Nescafe, Cadbury, and Nestle. One other example sure to stick in the throat of customers is Gaviscon, with the findings uncovering that the indigestion relief medicine has shrunk from 600ml to 500ml - but the price at Sainsbury's remains at a steep 14. Elsewhere in the healthcare aisles, Aquafresh's Complete Care Original Toothpaste has risen from 1.30 to 2 in supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Ocado despite having waned from 100ml to 75ml. For those who like a bowl of porridge with an early rise there is yet further bad news as Sainsbury's Scottish Oats have shrunk from 1kg to 500g while the price increased from 1.25 to 2.10 - a 236 per cent rise per 100g. Your browser does not support iframes. And if you like a hot cup of coffee with your breakfast, the findings compound yet more misery. Because Nescafe's Original Instant Coffee has also reduced from a 200g jar to 190g at Tesco, Morrisons and Asda where it sells for 7 - totalling a rise of five per cent per 100g. The research also delivers a blow to sweet-toothed Britons, who are regularly among the greatest victims of shrinkflation. KitKat's Two-Finger Milk Chocolate Bar multipacks dropped from 21 bars to 18 at a price rise of 53 per cent in Ocado, which now sells the bars for 5.50 when it previously sold them for 3.60. And with the Christmas season approaching, it looks like it is no longer the most wonderful time of the year for those who crave a sugary treat. Some festive chocolates will be in much lighter boxes this year after the research uncovered Quality Street tubs have been reduced from 600g to 550g - though Morrisons have hiked the price from 6 to 7. Meanwhile, Cadbury's multipacks of Freddo and Fudge bars both went from five bars to four at Morrisons, Ocado and Tesco, yet the price of 1.40 didn't change - making it a 25 per cent price increase per bar. The Terrys Chocolate Orange Ball Toffee Crunch price of 2 also did not change but the size dwindled from 152g to 145g at Tesco - another five per cent price increase on shoppers' receipts. Nestle's KitKat bars stood out as one of the worst offenders of so-called shrinkflation after its multipacks rose in price by 53 per cent in supermarkets (Stock Image) Not only are products getting smaller, the nation's favourite snacks are also frequently missing key ingredients as manufacturers find ways to cut costs. This separate issue, known as skimpflation, means White KitKats cannot be marketed as a white chocolate product because they no longer contain more than 20 per cent of cocoa butter. It is a similar story for British staples - most often paired with a cup of tea - Penguin and Club bars which can no longer lawfully be sold as a chocolate biscuit due to the rising levels of palm oil and shea oil, and diminishing cocoa. Also subject to skimpflation were McVitie's white digestives, which do not contain any cocoa butter and thus cannot be marketed as a white chocolate biscuit. Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said: 'Households are already under immense financial pressure with food bills inching up and the expense of Christmas looming on the horizon, so it can feel especially sneaky when manufacturers quietly reduce pack sizes or downgrade key ingredients. 'Supermarkets must be more upfront about their prices so that it's easy to see what the best value is. 'This includes ensuring that their unit pricing is prominent, legible and consistent in-store and online to help customers easily compare costs across different brands and sizes of packaging - that way shoppers can be more confident they're getting the best value.' A spokesperson for Mondelez International, which makes Cadbury products, said 'changes to our product sizes is a last resort for our business' but added that it is experiencing higher than usual costs of ingredients such as cocoa and dairy. Nescafe's Original Instant Coffee has also diminished from 200g to 190g at Tesco, Morrisons and Asda - a rise of five per cent per 100g (stock image) They said: 'Meanwhile, other costs like energy and transport, also remain high. This means that our products continue to be much more expensive to make and while we have absorbed these costs where possible, we still face considerable challenges. 'As a result of this difficult environment, we have had to make the decision to slightly reduce the weight of our Cadbury Fudge and Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo multipacks so that we can continue to provide consumers with the brands they love, without compromising on the great taste and quality they expect.' Regarding its instant coffee, a spokesperson for Nescafe cited the increased costs of coffee, which they say makes it 'much more expensive to manufacture our products'. They added: 'As always, we continue to be more efficient and absorb increasing costs where possible. To maintain the same high quality and delicious taste that consumers know and love, it has sometimes been necessary to make adjustments to the weight or size of some of our products. Retail pricing is always at the discretion of individual retailers.' On White KitKat's, the spokesperson said it was combating the 'significant increases in the cost of cocoa over the past years' and had to make necessary adjustments. A spokesperson for the Food & Drink Federation said: 'Cocoa prices rose sharply last year, reaching a 45-year high. Alongside other rising costs such as national insurance increases and a new packaging tax manufacturers are paying nearly 40 per cent more for ingredients and energy than they were in January 2020. 'As a result, in some cases food manufacturers will have had to make changes to products to continue offering shoppers the food and drink they love at reasonable price points.' It is understood that manufacturers' input costs such as ingredients rose by around 39 per cent between January 2020 and September 2025. More than 20 per cent of food and drink manufacturers have also reported costs increasing by 10 per cent in the last year. The daughter of a Kentucky sheriff filmed shooting his judge friend dead has blasted gossip linking her to the dead man. Lila Stines, 18, took to TikTok to slam 'made up' stories about her and Judge Kevin Mullins, who was shot and killed by her father - Letcher County Sheriff Shawn 'Mickey' Stines - in September 2024. Asked by one commenter what the gossip was, Stines answered: 'What I mean by that is the stories that were made up about me and the other party,' she said in reference to Judge Mullins. Stines, 43, was filmed killing Mullins, 54, in his own chambers in footage that shocked America. He denies murder and is planning an insanity defense. A slew of allegations of corruption and misconduct were levied at the judge after he was killed. Mullins was accused of running his office 'like a brothel.' One of the rumors was that the married judge was linked to Stines's daughter, Lila, who was a child at the time. But the teenager created a TikTok account to tell people to stop spreading gossip about her. 'I just have one question,' Lila said in her original video. 'Do you all not have anything better to do than to sit and gossip? You are taking my pain and making it your pleasure.' She went on to say: 'So my advice to the people doing that - get a job, do something meaningful with your life and contribute to society in a positive way.' Lila Stines, the daughter of a Kentucky Sheriff who was captured on camera allegedly shooting a judge, made a post on TikTok addressing rumors about her and the slain judge In September 2024, Letcher County Sheriff Shawn 'Mickey' Stines (right), 43, allegedly shot and killed District Judge Kevin Mullins (left), 54, in his own chambers Surveillance footage in the office captured the whole encounter between the men, who had long been friends, and the story made national headlines The video received 1.9 million views and 41,400 likes. In a follow-up video Lila posted the next day, she addressed the reception it got and clarified some of her comments. She said that when she posted the video, she only had about 950 followers and did not expect it to reach an audience beyond her hometown and 'maybe a couple others.' 'I wasn't actually talking about the situation and what actually happened itself. I was more leaning towards the rumors that had been spread about me,' she added. 'I was not talking about news or social media. I was simply talking about the people who sit at home behind a keyboard all day and say terrible things about my name.' She also said that she is 'just human' and that she is 'just trying to learn how to process and cope with it all.' The rumors were fueled by the fact that Mullins had the phone number of Stines's daughter in his phone, according to detectives. In the surveillance footage, Stines can be seen placing a call to his daughter from Mullins's phone moments before he shoots the judge dead. It is unclear if anyone answered the call. A slew of allegations of corruption and misconduct were levied at the judge after he was killed. Mullins was accused of running his office 'like a brothel' Stines admitted to the shooting but pleaded not guilty to a murder charge, arguing it was manslaughter instead A medical report from Leslie County Detention Center staff revealed Stines was still in a state of 'active psychosis' for days after the shooting. Stines admitted to the shooting but pleaded not guilty to a murder charge, arguing 'it was something that occurred in the heat of passion' and at most represented manslaughter. Accusations of sexual misconduct against Mullins were made by a woman named Sabrina Adkins who was raped by one of Stines's deputies, Ben Fields. Adkins said she had seen Mullins having sex with a woman in his office and that the judge had 'some videotapes of some stuff in the judge's chambers just with girls, sexual and stuff.' Both Stines's wife Caroline and his daughter have already vehemently denied suggestions that Lila had a relationship with Mullins, who was married with two children. During grand jury testimony, State Police Detective Clayton Stamper maintained that Lila never had any contact with Mullins via text, social media, phone calls or in person despite her phone number appearing in his phone. A medical report from Leslie County Detention Center staff revealed Stines was still in a state of 'active psychosis' for days after the shooting. Stines and Mullins had been longtime friends who regularly had lunch together, including the day of the shooting just hours before it happened. Stines also served as Mullins's bailiff before he became sheriff in 2018. Stines is being held without bond at the Leslie County Detention Center. Nigel Farage has likened masked Muslim protesters marching through the streets of east London to a 'foreign invading army'. The Reform UK leader today condemned the scenes of balaclava-clad men who declared they were 'uniting' while chanting a series of messages in Arabic. He revealed that Saturday's Tower Hamlets demonstration - which came after police banned a planned UKIP protest to 'reclaim' the area - was 'one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen in my life'. Many young men dressed in black, with hoods up and their faces covered, roamed the streets waving Bangladesh and Palestine flags where UKIP had originally intended to march. One protester at the Whitechapel demo took to a microphone and vowed he would 'stand firm' in defending his community. 'They came specifically targeting Islam,' he said. 'They said, "we are coming on a crusade", they said "we need to take back our streets". 'We stand firm to let them know if you come, we will stand firm and will be ready to defend our elders, to defend our women, to defend our community. 'We have never once said we were going on crusades or going into your areas to cause you problems. Nigel Farage today condemned the scenes of balaclava-clad men who declared they were 'uniting' while chanting a series of messages in Arabic Members of the Bangladeshi community dressed in all black took to the streets to oppose a UKIP march which was banned from entering Whitechapel A man raises his fist in the air as the other speaks on a microphone as members of the community take to the streets of east London 'You are coming into our homes and you want to cause us problems. What is wrong with us standing up? Today is a day we unite.' Before the March, a community leader flogged 5 balaclavas to his 'Muslim brothers' as he urged others to ensure they were prepared and ready. Suggesting protesters should cover their faces to avoid being identified by police, he said: 'No face no case.' The seller added: 'What's going on my people? In all our shops... this Saturday inshallah if you guys need it, 5 each. My brothers, please start buying them now as I don't want you to come the day before and found out we have run out. 'I want to be able to facilitate this for the ends, inshallah. I've got this one as I don't like the other ones, it makes Muslims look like criminals, you know with the eye, none of that. 'Please my brothers come and start buying it now so I can get more stock in to facilitate everyone for the day... get them on.' Tower Hamlets - which has the largest percentage of Muslim residents anywhere in the UK - was described by Mr Farage as having 'proper racism' going on. A masked man standing with a megaphone in Whitechapel Members of the Bangladeshi community praying during a counter demonstration outside an east London Mosque Balaclava-clad men reportedly chanted: 'We will honour all our martyrs. 'Allahu akbar. Zionist scum off our streets'. Mr Farage claimed: 'This was intimidation to the point of basically urging the mass wipe out of huge numbers of Jewish people. 'It's one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen in my whole life. 'Maybe one day the deluded left will wake up to realise they've been with very strange bedfellows.' He added: 'It was like a foreign invading army marching through our streets. 'And I defy anyone in this room to tell me thats wrong.' During today's press conference Mr Farage also responded to the furious backlash against one of his MPs, Sarah Pochin, who had complained there were too many black and Asian people in television advertisements. Reform MP Sarah Pochin issued an apology after saying 'it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people' The party leader said Ms Pochin's wording was 'wrong', 'ugly' and 'phrased poorly' - but he refused to condemn the comments as 'racist'. Yesterday, Zia Yusuf, head of party policy, insisted the remarks made by his 'close friend' should be put into context and that she had made a 'valid point'. Ms Pochin became the party's first by-election-winning MP following her win in Runcorn and Helsby in May. But she apologised on Saturday, admitting her comments made that week were 'phrased poorly'. The remarks were aired on Talk TV in response to a viewer who took issue with the demographics of modern-day advertising. Ms Pochin sympathised with the caller, saying they were 'absolutely right' and 'it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people'. Health Secretary Wes Streeting branded the remarks a 'disgrace' and called them 'racist'. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats demanded Ms Pochin lose the party whip, which would force her to sit as an independent MP in the Commons. Ms Pochin later said: 'A study commissioned by Channel 4 as part of its Mirror On The Industry project, found that Black people were featured in more than half of adverts in 2022, up sharply from 37 per cent in 2020 following the Black Lives Matter movement. 'By contrast, Black people make up around four per cent of the population in England and Wales, according to the 2021 Census. 'Representation in advertising should reflect the diversity of modern Britain, but it should also be proportionate and inclusive of everyone. 'My comments were made in that context, and I stand by the principle that equality should mean fairness for all.' Zohran Mamdani built his campaign on promises to dismantle privilege but new accounts of his childhood reveal that the self-styled socialist firebrand was educated amid the very elite institutions he now rails against. The 33-year-old Democratic Socialist lawmaker, who has electrified young voters with pledges to freeze rents, free childcare and taxing the rich, spent his formative years at a $60,000-a-year progressive private school on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Former classmates describe him as charismatic, confident and adored - a far cry from the struggling working-class narrative that has fueled his meteoric political rise. His upbringing, stretching from Uganda to Manhattan's cultural heart, has become a fresh line of attack from opponents in a race already defined by identity and class. Born in Kampala, Uganda, to renowned academic Mahmood Mamdani and film director Mira Nair, Mamdani moved to the United States at age seven when his father joined Columbia University's faculty. The family settled into university housing on the Upper West Side, one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods. It was there that Mamdani enrolled at Bank Street School for Children, a private, ultra-progressive academy long favored by Manhattan's liberal elite. Tuition now costs more than $66,000 per year with teachers addressed by their first names, classes have without grades and students encouraged to develop their own 'leadership voices.' Zohran Mamdani, the man expected to become New York City's next mayor has built his campaign on promises to dismantle privilege but he was educated amid the very elite institutions he now rails against Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to the United States at age seven when his father joined Columbia University's faculty Mamdani enrolled at Bank Street School for Children, a private, ultra-progressive academy long favored by Manhattan's liberal elite. Tuition costs upwards of $66,000 Mamdani stood out within the school walls classmates say, even as a child. 'It was so obvious this guy was going to be some sort of leader of people,' recalled Evan Roth Smith, a former schoolmate to the Daily Telegraph. Mamdani's early political instincts were obvious even in middle school when he ran in a 'mock election'. At age the age of 12, frustrated that only eighth-graders could run as Democrats or Republicans, Mamdani led a breakaway campaign under a self-created third party - and won in a landslide. The are echoes of his mayoral campaign two decades later with Mamdani, a state assemblyman representing Queens, upending New York's political establishment in much the same way. Mamdani's campaign videos have flooded TikTok feeds while his insurgent style have drawn both supporters and haters. In the halls of Bank Street, his former classmates remember a bright boy who thrived. 'Zohran was a very worldly person who had experiences none of us did,' said Smith who was Mamdani's running-mate in his mock election. 'Golden rule of Zohran is you're not gonna win that contest - everyone's in love with Zohran.' In the halls of Bank Street, his former classmates remember a bright boy who thrived Mamdani is seen alongside family members in a picture from his childhood Bernie Sanders (pictured left) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured right) celebrated Zohran Mamdani at a New York City rally on Sunday night 'He had charisma at an age where most people could barely get their words out,' former classmate John McAuliff, now a Democratic candidate for state office in Virginia, said. 'I think at some level he, coming from out of the country, felt he probably needed to work harder to fit in, which I think is what breeds that skill' Mamdani's political awakening seem to come not in the classrooms of Bank Street, but on the streets of New York during the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign. He has said Sanders' populist message convinced him to 'step into the arena' and run for office himself. Before that, he had tried on other identities: as a rapper under the name 'Mr Cardamom', a filmmaker, and foreclosure-prevention counselor for immigrant families in Queens. Those experiences, he says, showed him how economic systems crush working-class people - and solidified his socialism. He won a seat in the state Assembly in 2020, becoming one of the first Democratic Socialists elected to Albany in a generation. Mamdani has tried on other identities including as a rapper under the name 'Mr Cardamom' Polls suggest Mamdanis lead remains commanding, driven by under-35 voters and turnout from immigrant neighborhoods in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn By 2025, when Mayor Eric Adams abandoned his re-election campaign following repeated scandals, a federal indictment and his courtship of Trump, Mamdani became the clear choice for the progressive wing in the upcoming election. Since then, his message has captured national attention. Trump labeled him a 'little communist' from the Oval Office. After Bank Street, Mamdani attended the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city's most prestigious public schools, before heading to Bowdoin College in Maine. Rejected by Columbia, the university where his father worked he majored in Africana Studies, later co-founding a campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, the controversial activist group that remains central to his political identity today. A week after Hamas's October 7 attack, he was arrested during a cease-fire protest outside Senator Chuck Schumer's Brooklyn home. He later said he would 'discourage' use of the slogan 'globalize the intifada' but refused to condemn it outright, drawing accusations of antisemitism from critics. More than 650 rabbis, including 60 from New York, have since signed a letter warning against his possible mayoralty. Mamdani insists he recognizes Israel's right to exist, 'but not as a Jewish state,' and has vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visits the city. Polls suggest Mamdanis lead remains commanding, driven by under-35 voters and turnout from immigrant neighborhoods in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn. After being plied with vodka and cocaine, Sasha, a 16-year-old girl from Rotherham, south Yorkshire, was bundled into a car and driven to London. By this time, she had been raped or abused by more than 100 men since being targeted by a grooming gang as she left school one day five years earlier. Once in the capital, her driver, a man called Mahmood, took Sasha to a flat and introduced her to several men. Like her abusers in Rotherham and in Bradford and Birmingham, where she was also trafficked the men she met were of Pakistani heritage. This time, however, they spoke with London accents. She was taken back to London on three further occasions, during which Sasha said she was subjected to repeated rapes and forced to carry out a variety of depraved sex acts. The men involved were not only high on cannabis and cocaine but also conducting drug deals, a situation which raises the possibility that Sasha was used as a human chattel, offered to obtain drugs for free or at a reduced price. I never saw money changing hands but it is a possibility, she told me, adding: Why would they take me all that way for free? Charlie Peters says he is convinced through a combination of naivety and inaction on the part of the Met Police and politicians the same pattern of abuse has been repeated in the capital Proof of this attitude among high-ranking Labour politicians was evident when Londons mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan stonewalled questions put to him by his Tory opposite Susan Hall But her experience of being trafficked raised another disturbing possibility that a crime mostly associated with northern towns such as Rotherham and Rochdale is also happening in London. In the course of investigating the grooming gangs phenomenon as a reporter for GB News, I have interviewed dozens of victims across the country. I am convinced that through a combination of naivety and inaction on the part of the Metropolitan Police and local politicians the same pattern of abuse has been repeated in the capital. Last week, Labours grooming gangs inquiry announced by Sir Keir Starmer in June after he had previously argued an inquiry was not necessary collapsed into chaos. Both of the candidates who had been shortlisted to chair the inquiry withdrew. Meanwhile, four abuse victims resigned from an advisory panel set up to advise the investigation and are now demanding the safeguarding minister Jess Phillips steps down, claiming she implied they were liars for raising concerns about widening the scope of the inquiry. This is just the latest appalling development in what has been a conspiracy of silence and obfuscation surrounding the decades-long grooming scandal. A scandal where gangs of predominantly Pakistani men were allowed to prey on young girls unhindered because the ideology of diversity and community-cohesion was given greater priority by politicians and civic leaders than the safeguarding of victims. Only in January, for example, Sir Keir accused those calling for a national inquiry of jumping on a bandwagon and amplifying the demands of the far-Right. Proof of this attitude among high-ranking Labour politicians was also evident that same month when Londons mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, stonewalled questions put to him by his Conservative opposite number Susan Hall. She made nine successive attempts to ask Khan if rape gangs had operated in the capital or if they were still an active concern. Instead of giving Halls line of questioning the considered response it deserved, he kept firing back requests for her to clarify what she meant by grooming gangs, claiming: Im not clear what she means. He even tried to change the subject by observing that young people were being groomed in the capital by County Lines drug gangs. A classic example of widening the scope instead of laser focus on this form of exploitation. Closing out the back-and-forth exchange, the mayor said: Im still none the wiser why shes so nervous about saying what she means. But he knew exactly why she might be nervous. At the time, politicians and reporters were still being accused of racism for pointing out the over-representation of Pakistanis in what mealy-mouthed politicians labelled group-based child sexual exploitation cases, a clinical term for what I call grooming gangs committing child rape. Ms Hall clearly avoided the issue of ethnicity in a bid to avoid a political attack and to ensure the focus was kept purely on the crisis at hand. But Khan obstinately refused to play ball. A month later, in February, a Tory proposal to budget 4.5 million for an independent inquiry into the exploitation of children in London was voted down by Labour members of the London Assembly supported by Green, Liberal Democrat and independent members presumably on the basis that they didnt think there was a problem. But a problem there certainly is, and has been for many years. A newspaper report last week revealed that evidence of grooming in the capital, citing six potential victims, was contained in four different reports from His Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services between 2016 and 2025. The reports contained details of girls as young as 13 being plied with drugs and alcohol and raped by gangs of men and they were read by the same Sadiq Khan who stone-walled Susan Hall on grooming gangs. They were also acknowledged by Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who went on to reveal the organisation had a steady flow of live child sexual exploitation investigations involving multiple offenders, even though he claimed earlier to have heard no reports of Rochdale or Rotherham-style rape gangs in London. During my own investigations, one social worker from an east London borough told me that they have been inundated with cases of girls being groosamed by these abusers. Unlike many of the former mill and mining towns in the North and the Midlands, Londons population has a vast range of demographics. This is reflected in its grooming gang victims and perpetrators. There are non-white girls and boys caught up in these cases, the social worker said, adding: And the culprits are diverse, too. The worker lamented that social services and local authorities were ill-equipped to handle the gangs and that laws around confidentiality in the NHS mean that when young teenage girls become pregnant as a result of rape, they are unable to step in and inform the family. In one ongoing case involving a pregnant 15-year-old girl, I was informed, the victim told her social workers that she was in love with one of her abusers. The social worker believes that more than 100 men have been involved in her exploitation for years. The 15-year-old was first approached by older men while on a night out with her friends. Girls are often introduced to perpetrators by other victims, the social worker said, with girls being rewarded by their abusers for facilitating introductions. In this specific case, the victim is a Muslim girl, and the social worker has not been able to tell her parents about the pregnancy because it would create a safeguarding concern. She would be at risk of honour-based violence, I was told. Groomers are able to exploit this loophole because they know we cant get the families involved. In May, GB News published a national audit of every grooming gang case that ended in a conviction. This revealed more than 50 towns and cities had been affected by the scandal, and our report went on to be central to the political conversation behind demands for a national grooming gangs inquiry. It also revealed that there were extensive trafficking links between abuse gangs in south Yorkshire and Oxfordshire and networks in London. The unspeakable excesses of these men were laid bare at the trial of Oxford-based Mohammed Karrar, Akhtar Dogar, Anjum Dogar and Kamar Jamil, whose abuse of one victim in particular was so horrific it left a number of hardened court reporters in tears. From left to right, Akhtar Dogar, Anjum Dogar, Kamar Jamil, Assad Hussain, Mohammed Karrar, Bassam Karrar and Zeeshan Ahmed who were found guilty of charges involving vulnerable underage girls who were groomed for sexual exploitation Karrar was alleged to have prepared the girl to be raped by five or six men and, at one point, four men simultaneously. A red ball was placed in her mouth to keep her quiet, Judge Peter Rook revealed in his harrowing summing up. When the victim discovered she was pregnant at 15, Karrar forced her to have an illegal abortion in Reading. Despite the nightmare she had endured, the girl was so brainwashed that she still considered Karrar who was 38 when he was sentenced to life in 2013 her boyfriend. But the truth is that Karrar had many other victims. We know that one of them, who, like Sasha, was hooked on cocaine and cannabis, was sold to men in London for sex. At the age of 14 or 15 she remains so traumatised that she cannot remember exactly how old she was at the time she was instructed to meet men at Londons Paddington station who proceeded to take her away for the purpose of sexual abuse. She made the trip to the capital a total of six times. The Oxford gang sold access to these girls to their friends and family members in the capital. Meanwhile, the London links stretch further still. A victim of other abusers in Bradford, who has secured prosecutions of some of the men who gang-raped her, described how their family members would regularly visit from across the country. Some of the men involved took me down to London, she said. All I remember is breaking the heel of my shoe, with the men having to stop off and buy me new high heels. I cant even remember getting back to Bradford, I was so completely out of it. But she did remember that the members of her grooming gang considered their London clients to be more important than the rest. They would get agitated when London-based men visited asking victims to introduce them to more girls and pointing to the power and influence that such men wielded. Another victim from Bradford also said she was trafficked to London. Fiona Broadfoot was groomed by a boyfriend who became her pimp and forced her to sell sex on the capitals streets. Given a criminal record as a prostitute rather than being treated as a victim of child sexual, she later told the BBC that perpetrators had been allowed to do what they want. In Halifax, one schoolgirl said she was preyed on by more than 100 Asian men, and London was listed as one of her main trafficking destinations. But, despite all of these horror stories, just a handful of men have ever been jailed for their role in Londons grooming gangs. In 2013, a gang was prosecuted, resulting in three London men being jailed after they trafficked a troubled girl to Ipswich where she was treated like a piece of meat and a sex slave. Mohammed Sheikh, Hamza Ali and Suran Uddin were all convicted of sex offences and trafficking. Only Uddin remains behind bars. Meanwhile, at court proceedings I attended in Sheffield Crown Court last year, I saw Sasha finally obtain some degree of justice. Seven men were in the dock for abusing her and another Rotherham survivor. They were jailed for a total of more than 100 years. The court heard how she was picked up outside her school gates at the age of 11 and subjected to escalating levels of abuse, which culminated in her being raped in taxis while still wearing her school uniform. But only a handful of the men responsible for her terrible suffering have been jailed; the majority remain at large. Some have fled to Pakistan, fearing that the law might finally catch up with them after decades of laughing in the face of British justice. And there is a group of men that this Rotherham woman knows are unlikely to be investigated and prosecuted thanks to the culture of denial that still infects our political class: the rapists who trafficked her to London and abused her in the capital. Most of the time, politicians attempt to project a facade of empathy and understanding, with wildly varying results. Platitudes are deployed and warm words of sympathy are spoken, and perhaps some voters even buy the routine. Often its about as convincing as Hannibal Lecter, but you might be tempted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Increasingly, however, the act doesnt wash and its becoming painfully clear that they couldnt care less. Worse than that, they regard us either with disdain or even outright contempt, and the same goes for all their flunkeys. How else to explain the briefing notes handed to Health Secretary Neil Gray before he gave evidence to MPs about the heroin shooting gallery? For months, many people living nearby had warned there were more addicts openly injecting in some cases only yards away from the safer consumption room in the Calton district in Glasgows East End. The UK's first official consumption room for illegal drugs including heroin and cocaine is in Glasgow Health Secretary Neil Gray has defended the project despite concerns raised by locals Addicts can visit The Thistle and inject themselves with their own drugs under the supervision of doctors Addicts are encouraged to come to the clinic to inject themselves with their own drugs under medical supervision and there are even plans for a crack cocaine inhalation room. Discarded needles abound in the area which has degenerated into a war zone, but the officials drawing up talking points for Mr Gray dismissed their concerns. It was the usual suspects stirring up trouble, or so they said. But dont worry, minister, health and council bosses running the facility (at a cost of more than 2million a year) assure us its all going to plan. As the Mail reported on Saturday, the internal briefing paper said criticism of The Thistle, as the facility is called, had been orchestrated by those who were always opposed to the project and who had never had any interest or engagement in Calton. Officials even suggested that some of the information shared locally at events was incorrect and stoking ill-feeling in the community. Naturally, media coverage was condemned as very emotive and stigmatising a common form of scapegoating known as shooting the messenger. Rightly, campaigner Annemarie Ward said the officials were gaslighting entire communities, at a time when drug deaths in Scotland remain at the highest level in Europe. The content of the paper for Mr Gray, and the sick smears it contained, only came to light when it was unearthed under freedom of information laws, giving us a glimpse into what the political class and their staff really think of us. You can bet that none of them live in Calton and if they did they would be just as worried about needles lying around in playparks or on the streets as those parents who have spoken out about the risk to their kids. The SNPs failure to curb drug deaths is one of the great social catastrophes in Scotland and it patently has no clue how to resolve the crisis. Instead, it denigrates those who took a stand, a tactic familiar to anyone who remembers the debate on gender self-ID when people who disagreed with the governments line were traduced and demonised. The same applied at the time of Named Person, the deeply sinister scheme which sought to appoint state guardians for all children, even those in the womb. It was the kind of idea which George Orwell might have rejected as a bit OTT, but it was SNP policy for years until campaigners finally derailed it by going to the courts. Humza Yousaf even alleged that opponents of the Named Person plan were actually putting childrens lives at risk. Government knows best is the strategy but it has failed miserably because it plainly doesnt. Its also obvious that they long ago gave up caring, if they ever did, about the relatively small-scale stuff which really shouldnt be as tough as they make it look. Take the ditching of a licensing plan for fireworks, something which might have made a tangible difference to many people who live in fear as Bonfire Night looms. It was quietly dropped despite having been hailed as groundbreaking at the time, but the fanfare fizzled out. The plans to license the buying of fireworks and restrict sales to just a few days a year was abandoned in favour of focusing our resources on front-line public services, including police and fire. You can see how well thats going by looking at the state of our single police force, as a diminished rump of demoralised officers fight rising crime. This is another type of gaslighting but were expected to swallow the line with no further explanation. Either they cant be bothered to make it work or they know it would be a disaster, like every other Nationalist policy. Yet surely its not beyond the wit of government even this one to implement a fireworks crackdown that at least stands a chance of working. It might have restored a semblance of order to communities terrorised by yobs throwing flaming projectiles around in the street (and often at those supposedly well-resourced cops). If devolution cant deliver a relatively minor change albeit one that would make a huge difference to many people then whats the point of it? Our political masters dont care, and probably never have, which explains why the elderly and vulnerable are being left to fend for themselves as the fireworks thugs gear up for another onslaught. Then theres all those fantasies we are force-fed by the SNP about independence, and the good times that lie ahead if only wed take the plunge. This is also a form of contempt because its an insult to our intelligence anyone can see that all of the big questions about separatism, including currency, remain unanswered. But the SNP insists on churning out toxic bilge about the socialist nirvana it would build if it were freed of the UK Governments tyrannous yoke. The civil service which primed Mr Gray with material to paint Calton families as liars was also dragooned into turning out papers on how an independent Scotland would work. Campaigner Annemarie Ward says officials are gaslighting entire communities They dont know how to run the country effectively now, so what makes anyone think theyd do a better job starting from scratch in the aftermath of the break-up of the UK? Contempt works both ways, and it accurately describes the attitude of a growing number of voters who are sick of the incompetence of government, and the way that it minimises the problems in their lives or simply pretends they dont exist. That explains why Reform UK is riding high, coming in second behind the SNP in a poll of voting intentions for the Holyrood election in May. Its a product of an erosion of trust, and a recognition that the political elite and their bag-carriers dont care what we think, and dont care (or even know) what matters to most Scots and their families. The disillusionment is bound to grow exponentially for as long as we have politicians and civil servants who treat us like fools. Olivia Attwood opens up on divorce rumours as she admits she and Bradley Dack 'really weren't getting on very well' as she reflects on using partying to cope CPC plenum crafts blueprint for China's sci-tech innovation 09:29, October 28, 2025 By Li Xuanmin, Zhang Weilan ( Global Times The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, which was released last week, has crafted a blueprint for China's sci-tech innovation from 2026 to 2030. The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) stressed that the country should achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, while also steering the development of new quality productive forces. A number of Chinese tech practitioners and industry insiders told the Global Times that they're greatly inspired by the plan, which not only shows policy continuance from the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, but also lays out new top-level design that could significantly boost the development of cutting-edge Chinese tech industries in the next five years - a critical period when the global tech race and unilateralism intensify. The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened its fourth plenary session in Beijing from last week. Participants at the session deliberated over and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the CPC for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, according to a communique of the session released on Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported. "The five-year plan is of profound significance for China's scientific and technological development, particularly in advancing sci-tech self-reliance. Practices have shown that only by firmly grasping the initiative in science and technology and continuously making breakthroughs in cutting-edge fields, such as quantum computing, can we secure our position in future industrial competition," Guo Guoping, chief scientist of Origin Quantum and director at the Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center, told the Global Times on Monday. Guo said the plan had greatly inspired researchers and strengthened their confidence to press ahead. "We will continue to develop China's independently controllable quantum computers, so as to contribute to the development of new quality productive forces over the next five years and strengthen the technological foundation for Chinese modernization," he noted. Laying out the top-design The 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) will be critical as the country works to reinforce the foundations and push ahead on all fronts toward basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035, and it will thus serve as a key link between the past and the future, according to the communique. The next five years will also be a critical juncture for China to build itself into a sci-tech powerhouse, Chinese tech industry insiders pointed out. And thus, the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) will serve as a beacon and an aggregator, leveraging the country's institutional strength to pool innovative forces from various sectors and concentrate resources to overcome technical challenges in key areas. At a press briefing on Friday, China's Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun said that the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) has outlined four arrangements regarding sci-tech innovation from 2026 to 2030. The arrangements include strengthening original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies, promoting deep integration between scientific and industrial innovation, advancing the coordinated development of education, sci-tech and talent, and further boosting the construction of the Digital China initiative, according to another Xinhua report. Yin also noted that China will accelerate innovation in digital intelligence technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and enhance the efficient supply of computing power, algorithms, and data. Yan Yijun, vice president of Shanghai-based AI startup MiniMax, told the Global Times on Sunday that aligning the overarching goal, the company will, in the next stage, continue to "focus on investment in foundational model research and strive to make breakthrough in areas such as model development and application." According to Yan, the Chinese authorities' strong support for basic AI research as well as breakthrough in other key technologies, including model architecture innovation and computing infrastructure construction, has laid a solid foundation for likewise tech-driven Chinese companies to develop, prosper and accelerate global cooperation. When it comes to deepening the integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun emphasized the need to accelerate the efficient transformation and application of major scientific and technological achievements and enhance the protection of intellectual property rights, according to the Xinhua report. Zhou Hongyi, founder and chairman of 360 Security Technology, told the Global Times that the guidance has charted the course for the synergistic development of technology and industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period. Zhou said that the new round of technological revolution represented by AI is transitioning from a phase of "technological breakthroughs" to a critical stage of "application implementation." In this process, intelligent agents, as a new form of AI development, are becoming a "key bridge" in connecting innovation with practical deployment. He suggested to fast-track the development of intelligent agents, whose widespread application "will serve as a crucial breakthrough in China's development of new quality productive forces and profoundly reshape production methods." To gear up the process, some industry insiders also suggest the country to scale up the cultivation of interdisciplinary AI talent. "What China now needs is top-tier professionals who are well-versed in both AI technology and various specialized fields, and they will play a key role in propelling the development of China's AI industry into globally leading position," Chinese AI company iFlytek said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday. 'A profound assessment' Observers stressed that the previous five-year plans have jointly built up the foundation for the miraculous progresses recorded China's sci-tech industry. For example, while China has achieved the goal of making its sci-tech capabilities surge remarkably during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the freshly-released 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) put extensive focus on achieving greater sci-tech self-reliance. Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that the shift in technological policy priority is a forward-looking strategy based on "a profound assessment of both domestic and international situations." "In the global stage, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation - driven by AI - has been unfolding. Meanwhile, global competition for tech dominance has been intensifying, with tech blockades by certain country showing more signs of escalating," Wang said, noting that this all highlights the urgent task for bolstering China's tech self-sufficiency rate. Meanwhile, as China resolutely embarks on the journey toward Chinese modernization, the country also faces the urgent needs for industrial upgrade, along with coping with other challenges such as aging population. This all will make the tech industry play a more critical and efficient role in driving the country's high-quality development, analysts noted. In 2024, China's total national R&D expenditure exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan ($507.6 billion), an increase of 48 percent compared to 2020, data from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology showed. The country's comprehensive innovation capability ranking rose from 14th in 2020 to 10th in 2024. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) At least 49 relatives and colleagues of Afghans affected by the Ministry of Defence's mass data breach have been killed, according to research submitted to the Commons defence committee. The report found that out of 231 respondents, who were told their data had been leaked, 49 said a family member or colleague had been killed because of the blunder. Around 100,000 Afghans were put 'at risk of death' for supporting Britain during the UK's 20 years of operations there after a data breach which was exposed by the Daily Mail. Nearly 24,000 Afghan soldiers and their families were secretly offered asylum and airlifted to Britain over five years at the cost of 7billion. The Daily Mail discovered the data breach disaster in 2023 but the Government obtained a super-injunction a draconian court order - to hush it up, before it was lifted in July. The research, submitted to the defence committee's inquiry into the leak, revealed that 200 of 231 reported threats were made to them or their families. While 99 said they had received a direct threat to their life, with 121 saying family and friends in Afghanistan had received threats from the Taliban. 'Heads should roll for this,' Philip Ingram, a former colonel in British military intelligence said, adding the figures were 'completely shocking'. Pictured: Taliban fighters patrolling the streets of Kabul, using vehicles, weapons and often uniform seized from the Afghan National Army and police Tens of thousands of Afghans were secretly airlifted into the UK after the catastrophic data breach One Afghan hero, who risked enemy fire carrying the body of a British special forces soldier down a mountain alongside the now-Veterans Minister Al Carns, was attacked and tortured while fleeing from the Taliban in July. He was tortured by thugs linked to the Taliban who broke and cut the fingers on his right hand. The 34-year-old married father served with Afghan commandos 'the Triples' who were trained and paid by UK forces - for nearly a decade. He was part of a brave detachment of British and Afghan special forces who stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul and helped free Western hostages in 2018. The leak took place in February 2022 when an official working at UK Special Forces headquarters mistakenly sent a spreadsheet containing the identities and details of around 25,000 Afghans applying for asylum to a contact, who passed it on. The Ministry of Defence admitted there have been 49 separate data breaches at the unit handling the relocation applications of Afghans seeking sanctuary from Taliban revenge. Defence officials have refused to provide any details of the nature or scale of each breach. Some are known to be human error, others cyber hacks. The breach prompted Operation Rubific, the largest ever operation of its kind during peacetime. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: 'The independent Rimmer review, conducted based on existing assessments, expertise and reflections from current Afghanistan work, focused on those most able to provide a high level of insight into the current situation as of spring 2025, and concluded that it is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted.' A heart-wrenching video shows the moment Charlie Kirk's daughter is overwhelmed with joy as she is driven past a picture of her late father. The video, posted earlier today on Instagram by Kirk's wife Erika, showed the little girl traveling in a car while going past a Turning Point USA center. Kirk, a well-known conservative commentator, was shot and killed as he spoke at Utah Valley University campus on September 10. Coldplay's emotional song 'Fix You' plays behind the tearful moment where Kirk's little girl can be heard cheering, 'I see daddy! Charlie Kirk!' In the caption, Erika wrote: 'Her saying your name, as she witnesses all youve built and continue to build, proves that love never dies, just changes form. It breathes through our children. This is her legacy also. 'And as she grows up and continues to say your name, Ill be reminding her that each time heaven leans in to listen. 'I love you, Charlie baby, Im so proud of you. We all are so proud of you.' Charlie and Erika had two children together, a boy and a girl. The video, posted earlier on Monday, shows Charlie and Erika's Kirk spotting a picture of her late father as she was driven past a Turning Point USA center Charlie Kirk pictured with his wife Erika and their young children Thousands of moving comments flooded Erika's video with messages of support. One person wrote: 'This is at once beautiful & heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing this intimate moment with us.' Another added: 'That broke me. These sweet babies shouldnt be without their dad.' A third said: 'As a mother that has to wreck you, and yet, you hope that never stops at the same time. That sweet girl should have her father at home with her. Heavenly Father, protect her precious heart.' Kirk was the CEO and founder of Turning Point USA, a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by Charlie, and its mission, according to its website, is to 'identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.' The father-of-two was conducting his popular 'prove me wrong' segment, where audience members can debate with Kirk a range of topics, when he was shot in the neck for 200 yards. Just weeks before he was killed, a heart-warming video was shared of Kirk and his daughter embracing in July. The clip was taken on the set of Fox & Friends Weekend, where Kirk was appearing as a guest host for the first time after years of spots on the conservative leaning network. His daughter is seen on the Fox set walking toward the couch Kirk is sitting on before eventually running to greet her father. Kirk gives a bright, wide smile as the pair embrace one another. Erika's tear-jerking post comes after Erika shared a montage of clips in honor of Kirk's birthday on October 14, multiple clips showed the Turning Point USA founder with his kids. Kirk appeared on Fox and Friends with his family just weeks before he was shot in Utah The activist and influencer and his wife Erika spent much of his kids' lives protecting their names and faces from the press The assassination of Charlie, a close ally of Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, has rallied Republicans who have vowed to carry on Kirks mission of moving American politics further right. The President has declared Kirk a 'martyr' for freedom and threatened to crack down on what he called the 'radical left.' He presented Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, with the Medal of Freedom in honor of her late husband earlier this month. The 22-year-old, who is accused of fatally shooting the political firebrand was granted a legal victory on Monday afternoon. Tyler Robinson will be allowed to dress in civilian clothing for his trial, a judge ruled, because 'the presumption of innocence remains.' Although he will be allowed to avoid jail clothing, Robinson will have to wear handcuffs and shackles in the courtroom, the judge decided. 'The court recognizes that Mr. Robinson has no criminal history and no record of misconduct while in custody, however the charges he faces are extraordinarily serious, carrying potential penalties of life imprisonment or death,' Judge Grant Jr. added. Cameras have also been banned from showing 'him entering, exiting or standing in the courtroom.' His restraints are not allowed to be photographed or recorded, per the judge. Robinson's lawyers claimed their client's behavior has been 'polite, deferential to jail staff and without any disciplinary issue while in the Utah County Jail.' The 22-year-old has been placed on suicide watch in jail, where his movements will be monitored at all times. He is also not allowed to wear regular prison garb and instead he must wear the special anti-suicide smock at all times. These are made of an especially thick and quilted material that they cannot tear or use to hang or suffocate themselves. Kirk's alleged assassin Tyler Robinson will be allowed to dress in civilian clothing for his trial, a judge ruled Monday afternoon A note that Robinson left for his romantic partner before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nations leading conservative voices, 'and Im going to take it,' Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters before the first hearing. Gray also said Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: 'I had enough of his hatred.' The funds owe about $600million to creditors The trustees embroiled in a super fund scandal that saw Aussies lose millions of dollars have urged the government to repay investors a whopping $600million. In March, The First Guardian Master Fund was placed into liquidation after corporate watchdog ASIC obtained a Federal Court order to freeze its assets. ASIC also blocked investment in Shield Master Fund, with liquidators notifying investors in April that the super fund had been terminated. Some 12,000 Aussies have been left devastated after investing $590million into the super fund - retirement money they fear is lost for good. On Monday, one of the trustees for First Guardian Master Fund confirmed it has called on the Albanese government to step in and repay its investors. Netwealth submitted an application to Financial Service Minister Daniel Mulino for financial assistance via the Superannuation Industry Supervision Act. Part 23 of the act allows the government to provide financial assistance to a super fund if the fund has suffered losses due to fraudulent conduct or theft. For the super fund to be eligible, it must show that the losses have made it difficult to pay benefits to its members and that the assistance is in the public interest. Netwealth has submitted an application to the government for financial assistance after members lost $101million following the collapse of First Guardian Master Fund (pictured Netwealth's Michael Heine and son Matt Heine) Some 12,000 Aussies have been left devastated after investing $590million into the super fund - retirement money they fear is lost for good (stock) Of those affected by the First Guardian fund collapse, 1,088 Aussies invested about $101million in the fund through Netwealth. Netwealth's application hopes the government will provide enough financial assistance to help members restore their funds to the amount prior to the fraud. However, they have cautioned their members that there might be a shortfall between the government assistance and their losses. 'Netwealth considers the responsible entity of First Guardian, Falcon Capital, has engaged in fraudulent conduct and that the Netwealth Superannuation Master Fund has suffered a loss as a result of that conduct,' Netwealth told investors in a letter seen by The Australian. 'Should a grant of financial assistance be made, the proceeds will be applied to restore the fund and to compensate members. 'Even if financial assistance is provided (by the government), it may only compensate members for a portion of the losses they have suffered.' It comes after creditor reports found fund directors had spent members' money on Lamborghinis, luxury homes and escapes overseas. First Guardian Master Fund director David Anderson was accused of moving $242million in funds offshore. Director of First Guardian Master Fund's parent company, Falcon Capital, David Anderson (pictured) was accused of moving $242million in funds offshore A creditor report also showed Mr Anderson had bought a $9million mansion in Melbourne in 2020. Director of First Guardian Master Fund's parent company, Falcon Capital, Simon Selimaj also used company funds to buy a $548,000 Lamborghini Urus SUV. Meanwhile, Melbourne-based financial adviser Ferras Merhi faced court this week accused of encouraging thousands of his firm's clients to invest in the failed funds. Mr Merhi was also accused of failing to declare interests in a business which took millions of dollars linked to the collapsed superannuation funds. ASIC claimed Cayman Islands firm NexOasis Consulting Inc. had 'substantial inflows of funds from companies connected to investments made by the First Guardian Master Fund' to the tune of about $US9.6million (AU$14.8million). Mr Merhi is also accused of pocketing tens of millions of dollars in fees and benefits for advising his clients to invest in the two collapsed superannuation funds. ASIC has previously alleged Mr Merhi engaged in 'unconscionable conduct,' failed to act in the best interests of clients, gave conflicted advice, and issued defective statements of advice. The corporate regulator said at least 5,800 Aussies had also invested about $480million with Shield Master Fund since February 2022. Financial advisor Ferras Mehri faced court accused of encouraging thousands of his clients to invest in collapsed superannuation funds First Guardian and Shield Netwealth is the first trustee to make an application to the government for financial assistance in a bid to repay their member's super savings lost in the collapse. Thousands more invested in First Nation Guardian Master Fund and Shield Master Fund through platforms hosted by Diversa, Equity Trustees, Macquarie as well as through their self-managed super funds. Diversa told The Australian it was in the process of making an application with the government for members who lost a total of $286million with First Guardian. Equity Trustees said it was considering an application after members lost $60million in the First Guardian collapse and $160million to Shield Master Fund. In September, Macquarie brokered a deal with ASIC and agreed to repay investors $321million for the funds lost in the Shield Master Fund collapse. It was the heist to end all heists. In the Hollywood version of the story, a Thomas Crown or a Danny Ocean pulls off the most audacious and unprecedented of robberies, stealing centuries-old jewels from the impenetrable coffers of the Louvre. Then, they disappear. Here's the reality: Seven suspects are now in custody in connection to the October 19 theft of crown jewels from the Paris museum. Two men, reportedly in their 30s, were arrested Sunday. Five others were detained on Wednesday night after coordinated raids in the region around Paris. Now, the FBI agent who founded the agency's first art crime unit, tells the Daily Mail that these men are no criminal masterminds and, he believes, they may lead investigators straight to the stolen jewels. 'People want to believe that a robbery is something sexier than it is,' said Geoffrey Kelly, an ex G-man whose investigative work recovered more than $100 million in thieved treasures. According to Kelly, the Louvre is far easier to rob than a high-end jewellery store and these alleged crooks had very little chance of getting away with the crime. For the last seven days the world has been captivated by the burglary, which saw four men dressed as construction workers use a mechanical lift and power tools to break into a wing of the Louvre in broad daylight and in an operation that lasted less than eight minutes. Kelly said it was highly likely that the four had inside information (80 percent of thefts that he dealt with fell into that category), even though French authorites say they have no evidence of that. After the robbery it emerged that a video camera which was supposed to be focused on the window through which the bandits entered was pointed in the wrong direction. In the Hollywood version of the story, a Thomas Crown or a Danny Ocean pulls off the most audacious and unprecedented of robberies, stealing centuries-old jewels from the impenetrable coffers of the Louvre On Saturday night police in Paris arrested two men, one of whom was reportedly attempting to fly to Algeria. The pair were identified from DNA left at the scene, French media reported, with newspaper Le Figaro listing a plethora of objects that the gang left behind: two angle grinders; a blowtorch; gasoline; gloves; a walkie-talkie; a yellow vest; and a blanket. Kelly said they showed some professionalism in the speed of their operation but were remarkably haphazard with the debris. 'When I heard about the objects left behind, I immediately thought to myself that they'd be caught, because of the advancements in DNA technology over the last few years. 'It only takes a very small sample in order to affect a match,' said Kelly. French media reported that the pair were known to police and had been implicated in other burglaries of jewelry stores. Their DNA would have been recorded following a prior arrest or they could have been tracked by genetic material submitted to a genealogy service, such as 23 & Me or AncestryDNA. Even if a relative as far removed as a second cousin sent their DNA to a database, it would have been enough to narrow down the search sufficiently to secure a warrant, Kelly said. Beyond that, one of the alleged thieves' decision to fly out of a Paris-area airport, rather than immediately flee by ground transportation within Europe and depart from a small airfield, showed his lack of sophistication, Kelly said. The authorities, of course, were monitoring major airports. And in many ways, Kelly explained, the heist plan was quite obvious. 'Museums are soft targets,' said Kelly, who formed the FBI art task force in 2004 after he was assigned to investigate the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in Boston in 2002 - the largest theft in US history. Two men dressed as police officers talked their way into the museum in March 1990 and seized 13 works of art - among them Degas sketches, Rembrandts and a Vermeer, valued in total at the time at over $500 million. The case has never been solved. Your browser does not support iframes. Kelly said: 'Museums have to temper the security of their collection with a pleasurable experience for their visitors. There's always this antagonistic relationship between museum security directors, and museum directors and curatorial staff.' Curators want visitors to get as close as possible to the collections, security staff want to make sure they maximally secured, he explained. 'It would have been much more difficult to steal $100 million worth of jewels from anywhere else,' Kelly added. 'Any jewelry store is going to be under better protection than you're going to get at the museum.' If these crooks were cleverer, Kelly said, they would have targeted a lesser-known museum rather than strike at the heart of the Parisian cultural scene. 'Trying to pull off a robbery of the Louvre in the first place wasn't a great idea. It's just too iconic, and it was too much of a black eye to French police, and to the Louvre, and to the people of France. Fortunately, even a really good crook can't get away with that kind of thing when those assets are brought to bear.' 'I used to say, when I was interviewing people that I'd arrested: Listen, you might be smarter than me, and you might be smarter than my partner, but in order to get away with this, you got to be smarter than the entire FBI. And that's not going to happen. 'That's the same thing here. You can be pretty clever, but you've got to be smarter than the entire French national police force, which is going to be a difficult hurdle to overcome.' 'I used to say, when I was interviewing people that I'd arrested: Listen, you might be smarter than me, and you might be smarter than my partner, but in order to get away with this, you got to be smarter than the entire FBI,' said Kelly Kelly now expects the suspects, if guilty, will realize the DNA evidence is irrefutable and likely give up the other members of their gang. 'They'll now likely be telling investigators everything they can to mitigate their sentences. There's definitely no honor among thieves.' 'My guess is that it was a simple opportunistic gang,' he added and dismissed the idea that a shadowy kingpin would have ordered the burglary to fill out a private, nefarious jewel collection. 'That's more the stuff of Hollywood than reality: we rarely see somebody ordering a robbery like that,' Kelly said. His one hope is that the crooks had enough sophistication to know that they shouldn't immediately dissemble and melt down their stolen goods for an illicit sale. 'Hopefully, they would have known enough to hold off for a period of time before they do anything rash with those jewels: break them down, recut the gems, things like that. Because they need to have a bargaining chip in the event that they're arrested,' he said. If Kelly is right, France may soon have their treasures returned. Spanian has introduced his potential new girlfriend after confirming he has split from his ex-wife in a series of videos while recovering from a nose job. The 37-year-old, whose real name is Anthony Lees, shared a Snapchat story cuddling up to a young woman in front of Sydney Harbour Bridge over the weekend. It comes following rumours of his separation from his wife of two years Angela McColl, and a month after she teased a tell-all about their marriage. In the Snapchat story, Spanian smiled at the camera alongside the woman, with the pair believed to have a ten year age gap between them, the Daily Telegraph reported. He also filmed himself shirtless while showing off several knives from a new knife kit, as his unnamed date sat on a sofa. Spanian addressed the rumours of his split in another social media post, confirming he had separated from Ms McColl, who is the mother of his five-month-old son. 'I'm in The Daily Telegraph because I have a missus. I'm in the news because I have a beautiful new missus,' he said. 'I get a girlfriend, I'm in the news. I break up with my ex-wife, I'm in the news. I love the fact that I'm extremely relevant.' Anthony Lees, who creates content on social media under the name Spanian, has debuted his youthful new girlfriend (both pictured) after speculation about a split from his wife of two years Lees has a five-month-old baby boy with Angela McColl (both pictured), whom he married in August 2023 at Le Montage in Sydney Spanian said in another video he was 'clearly separated' from Ms McColl and said it was a simple case of people changing and that the pair had 'fallen out of love'. 'She thought it would be better if we separated and I lived here, and I did,' he said. The content creator shared the footage while recovering from rhinoplasty, with a nose bandage seen on his face. Spanian took aim at the constant public scrutiny of his personal life, claiming he was copping criticism for what he drove, his nose job and even his relationship with God. 'I'm a YouTuber. I don't know what you are trying to expect of me and hold me to some standard,' he said. Spanian has built up more than 1million followers on YouTube sharing visits to 'notorious neighbourhoods', food reviews, drill rapping, and starting a kebab takeaway business. Spanian spent a total of 13 years in prison before the age of 30 for various offences, including a ram raid on an ATM, assaults, and drug distribution. After his release, he briefly tried his hand at a career as a drill rapper, before finding a large audience posting videos on YouTube. The content creator shared the footage while recovering from rhinoplasty, with nose bandage seen on his face Ms McColl suggested she would talk about her marriage on social media The vlogger has a five-month-old baby boy with Ms McColl, whom he married in August 2023 at Le Montage in Sydney. Ms McColl first signalled the split only a few weeks ago when she changed her Instagram bio to: 'Who the f*** did I marry coming out soon.' The since-deleted caption, which was accompanied by emojis of popcorn and a celebratory face, was echoed in a separate post. 'Who the f*** did I marry and have a kid too will be out shortly, shout out to spanian.official,' she wrote. Ms McColl walked back the now-deleted post. In May, Spanian's foray into the Melbourne food scene appeared to have ruffled a few feathers with one of his kebab trucks targeted by arsonists. Firefighters were called to Bell Street in Preston following reports the truck had been set alight using flammable liquid. The blaze was extinguished and the damage confined to the trailer, which had been moved to the site ahead of the grand opening on May 16, which Spanian, said was 'the biggest turnout we've ever had'. Spanian launched Spanian's Kebabs in Sydney, which has since expanded to multiple locations. The Daily Mail has contacted Spanian and Ms McColl for comment. Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has launched a fiery defence of Lidia Thorpe, attacking 'you white people' who were officially censuring the independent senator for threatening to 'burn down Parliament House' in support of Palestine. The censure motion, brought forward by Liberal senator Anne Ruston, condemned Thorpe for remarks made at a Melbourne rally on October 12 in which she said: 'If I have to burn down Parliament House to make a point I am not there to make friends'. The Australian Federal Police confirmed they are examining whether Thorpe's words may have breached Commonwealth law. Ruston said the censure was necessary to uphold standards of behaviour and workplace safety, arguing that parliamentarians must not use language that could incite violence. 'Senators should not, in any forum, be threatening to burn down Parliament House,' Ruston told the chamber. 'They should not be threatening to burn down anybody's workplace. Australians rightly expect that their representatives are careful with their public commentary.' But Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi denounced the motion as 'performative outrage' by rival senators who lived in a 'parallel universe'. 'You would have thought that many of the Coalition MPs and senators and Labor MPs and senators would perhaps understand the meaning of "burning down the house" - given that many of you white people in here claim English as your first language, you would actually know what this means,' she said. Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi hit back has accused her colleagues of living in a 'parallel universe' after a motion to censure Lidia Thorpe was raised in parliament 'For heaven's sake, this is a metaphor. It is a figure of speech.' Faruqi said the phrase was an allegory meaning to pursue liberation from oppression. 'Maybe some of you have heard the Talking Heads song 'Burning Down the House', which is about liberation. But no. Instead, you've twisted and distorted her words for your own political theatre,' Faruqi said. When other senators began voicing their disapproval, Faruqi - who is of Pakistani heritage - claimed she and Thorpe were victims of racial discrimination. 'This is how you treat people of colour,' she said. 'So I'm not surprised you're ranting back at me.' Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie hit back at claims that racial bias was behind the censure. 'This chamber, despite its broad diversity of political views, only censures senators when it believes - despite our differences - that a senator has brought this chamber and this parliament into disrepute,' she said. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie (pictured) hit back, slamming the Greens for inferring the censure against Lidia Thorpe had been motivated by the colour of her skin 'It is not a decision this chamber should take lightly; nor is it a decision that this chamber today takes lightly. 'But the fact is that Senator Thorpe last month stood up in the public arena at a pro-Palestinian rally in Melbourne and said, 'Burn down Parliament House. 'That ain't no song lyric that I've ever heard. Senator Thorpe was being very clear to the people she was speaking to - because this is on form for Senator Thorpe.' McKenzie did not believe Thorpe was going to walk into Parliament House armed with matches and a lighter, but said the issue 'was about incitement'. 'Let's look at the context in which this senator was making these comments - feeding, on social media, aggrieved people who are given one side of the Gaza war's petition, feeding that hate, feeding that anger, fuelling division in our community,' she said. 'Senator Thorpe's comments should be censured by this chamber. 'This follows on from multiple incidents, such as her modified oath and her consistent defiance towards authority and the very legitimacy of the Australian parliament and our constitution.' Tech billionaire Richard White and three employees at WiseTech are being investigated by federal police for allegedly trading during a blackout period. In a statement to the ASX on Tuesday, the $38billion software giant confirmed that one of its offices had been raided. 'Officers of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Federal Police attended WiseTechs Sydney office yesterday,' it said. 'They executed a search warrant requiring the production of documents regarding alleged trading in WiseTech shares by Richard White and three WiseTech employees during the period from late 2024 to early 2025. 'So far as WiseTech is aware, no charges have been laid against any person and there are no allegations against the Company itself. 'WiseTech intends to fully cooperate with any investigation.' ASIC began investigating in March after it was alleged Mr White had sold shares during a blackout period between December 31 until February 26 when WiseTech released its financial results, The Australian Financial Review reported. The billionaire allegedly offloaded about 1.87 million shares during that period, with the average price about $122, which means Mr White could have raised $229 million in total. He previously said he received legal advice before the trades. Tech billionaire Richard White (pictured with wife Zena Nasser) is being investigated for alleged trading during a blackout period WiseTech confirmed the investigation in a statement to the ASX on Tuesday An ASIC spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail that officers, with assistance from police, had carried out search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation. 'As the investigation is ongoing, ASIC is unable to provide further comment at this time,' they said. Mr White held a consultant role during the period being investigated; however, he was not a member of WiseTech's board or an executive. The founder was forced to step down from WiseTech's board in October last year following revelations of the 70-year-old's affairs, as well as accusations of bullying and intimidation in 2019. He transitioned to a long-term consulting role last year with the newly created title of 'founder and founding CEO', but was then appointed executive chairman in February. The scandal surrounding Mr White erupted last year after he counter-sued former lover Linda Rogan over a $92,000 furniture bill. Ms Rogan, who owns a laser clinic at Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs, claimed she initially met Mr White through his wife Zena Nasser, and offered to invest in her business and they began a sexual relationship. She later launched a Federal Court battle over a $13.1million mansion she claimed Mr White had bought her in the exclusive eastern Sydney suburb of Vaucluse to live in with her three children. Richard White had been forced to step down from WiseTech's board in October after revelations surrounding his affairs and accusations of bullying Officers from ASIC and the Australian Federal Police have raided WiseTechs Sydney office Ms Rogan, who never moved into the house, claimed the tech billionaire took back the keys after his wife discovered they were in a sexual relationship. In 2023, she successfully sought a local court order that Mr White reimburse her for $92,123 she allegedly spent on furnishing the Vaucluse mansion. The pair reached an out-of-court settlement in October. Mr White also reached a settlement in April of this year with Caroline Heidemann, who alleged the billionaire had provided her with financial assistance and help with her visa in exchange for sex. Ms Heidemann, a Brazilian on a temporary visa who worked at WiseTech for 15 months, accused Mr White of creating 'economic dependency' and engaging in 'unlawful conduct for sexual gratification'. Mr White denied the allegations and said he had been in a consensual relationship with Ms Heidemann up until last year. The matter was settled ahead of a scheduled court date on Tuesday and was dismissed. Mr White had also entered into a confidential settlement with another former lover in 2021. The bullying accusations have been cleared. A fed-up Melbournian has called for change after his car was broken into and robbed, proving his city has become a playground for criminals. Mark Josem shared how his car window had been completely smashed and his baby seat damaged in a video shared to TikTok on Monday. 'Melbourne was the most liveable city in the world. Now, it is the most liveable city in the world for criminals,' the Aussie dad said. 'That's because of the opportunity available. The opportunity this morning was my car. They smashed my window. 'It's such a disappointing feeling - and I know I'm not the only one. There's been a flood of break-ins and robberies across Melbourne lately. 'They literally cleared everything out including all of my rubbish, so thanks for taking the rubbish out. They cut my baby's car seat. What the hell is that about?' The Aussie dad called on the government to come down harder on criminals or for voters to step in and support politicians willing to take on crime. 'This pattern has been going on for a very long time. Last weekend, the street over had a couple of cars taken. They couldn't steal mine for some reason,' he said. Aussie dad Mark Josem (pictured) said Melbourne was now an attractive target for criminals Mark Josem shared how his car window had been completely smashed (pictured) 'If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting. 'I would love somebody to do something in relation to policy to make it change. 'I think everybody in Melbourne wants our city to be safe and I would love somebody to do something.' Aussies agreed the Jacinta Allan government needed to take urgent action. 'Melbourne is now Gotham City. Used to be such a cool place,' one commenter said. 'Why Victorians continue to vote Labor in state government has the whole country shaking their heads in disbelief,' another wrote. 'Planning to move to Melbourne but videos like this make me feel afraid and scared to move,' a third commented. Research by the Committee for Melbourne and Ipsos recently found a growing number of residents now rank Melbourne as the worst city in Australia to live in. Glass is seen in the foothold in the backseat of the car (pictured) The thieves even cut out the baby seat as they went through the car The 2025 Living in Melbourne Report showed that concern about violence and anti-social behaviour had jumped from 29 to 41 per cent in just 12 months. Many residents said they were fed up with daily reports of home invasions, carjackings, armed robberies, and machete and knife attacks. Melbourne once topped the EIU's Global Liveability Index every year from 2011 to 2017, before losing the number one spot to Vienna in 2018. Since then, the city has continued to slide, ranking fourth in the 2025 global list. Committee for Melbourne chief executive Scott Veenker said the city was 'at a crossroads'. 'The city is at a real tipping point. The future isn't looking bright unless we make some changes,' he told 3AW radio. 'We need strong leadership here. Melburnians have had enough. We really want to be proud of our city.' Ms Allan has acknowledged machete attacks are causing concern in her state but maintained Victoria was safe despite crime rates hitting a 20-year high. The premier reminded Victorians the three-month machete amnesty finishes at the end of November, with prison time and 'hefty' fines to follow. A witness has spoken of the heartbreaking moment he discovered the body of a young woman on a Sydney beach - as friends say she will be deeply missed. Alice Meucci, 24, was found dead at Mona Vale Beach, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, at about 5:50am on Thursday. Police confirmed that afternoon that the incident was being treated as a suicide. The Daily Mail understands Ms Meucci's family migrated to Australia from Italy 25 years ago, before becoming members of the Scotland Island community. Scotland Island, which sits in the Pittwater Estuary, is home to 711 residents who can only reach the isle by ferry or boat. Ms Meucci was an avid sailor who won the Newport Public School trophy for sailing in 2013, having been inspired by Australia's Jessica Watson, the youngest person to sail solo around the world. 'RIP Alice,' one person wrote. 'You will be missed.' Alice Meucci, 24, tragically died at Mona Vale beach last week Police and emergency services are seen at the beach on Thursday morning as they investigated the incident Ms Meucci was a member of the Scotland Island (pictured) community, in Sydney's Northern Beaches Another said: 'RIP Alice Meucci. I don't know what she went through, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.' The tragedy has sparked an outpouring of grief within the local community, as residents call on the state government to boost mental health resources. 'No family should ever have to endure that kind of pain,' one man said. 'While her parents are left to suffer the unimaginable consequences, we as a society need to face the truth, our system is failing too many who need help the most. The government must do more, not tomorrow, not next year, but now. 'We need proper funding for hospital beds, mental health clinics, and early intervention services before more lives are lost and more families are shattered. Our future depends on caring for those who feel they have no way out.' Ms Meucci's family declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail on Tuesday. Police remained at the beach for almost six hours on Thursday, with officers seen rummaging through a Toyota Corolla station wagon with a red P-plate in the car park. A large section of the beach was shut down in the wake of the discovery Detectives were seen searching through a silver car parked on the beach A thin mattress covered in a yellow sheet, with a bundled-up sleeping bag sitting on top, could be seen in the back of the car. Other officers were seen carrying brown paper evidence bags up the beach before placing them into their vehicles. The area where she was found is heavily monitored by security cameras, with police seen collecting CCTV from surrounding homes. A local man, who was the first person to discover Ms Meucci's body, told the Daily Mail he stumbled across the horrible sight while walking along the beach at about 5.50am on Thursday. 'I knelt by her to see if she was breathing and then said a prayer,' he said. He said he immediately called emergency services, with police arriving at the scene at about 6.05am. The man said he did not understand how the death was ruled as 'not suspicious' because Ms Meucci's back and top were soaked in blood. A report will be prepared for the coroner. For confidential support 24/7, contact Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline: 13 11 14 New York's socialist mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is battling a credibility crisis after admitting he lied about a family story tied to 9/11 - and is now facing mounting questions over a series of other controversial claims about his background, identity and finances. On Monday, Mamdani, 34, was forced to clarify his widely publicized story about a Muslim 'aunt' who, he claimed, stopped riding the subway after the 2001 terror attacks because she feared harassment. The Assemblyman, who is the favorite to become New York City mayor in next Tuesday's election, admitted that the woman was not his aunt at all. 'I was speaking about Zehra fuhi, my father's cousin, who passed away a few years ago,' Mamdani said, using the Urdu and Hindi word for a paternal aunt. The questions go beyond the widely reported mischaracterization of a family 'aunt' who was fearful of riding the subway after 9/11. It has now opened the door to deeper concerns about consistency, transparency and accuracy in the campaign of the democratic socialist candidate whose surge has displaced established political figures. Another chink in Mamdani's background involves his 2009 application to Columbia University, where he reportedly identified himself as both 'Asian' and 'black or African American.' According to leaked admissions documents, the Ugandan-born candidate, whose parents are of Indian descent, ticked the 'black or African American' box on his application to the Ivy League school, which ultimately rejected him. New York's socialist mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani appears to be battling a credibility crisis The Assemblyman is the favorite to be New York City's next mayor in next week's election Critics, including the current mayor of New York Eric Adams, have called the dual identification 'an insult to every student who got into college the right way.' Former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now running as an independent, said the disclosure should come as no surprise. 'This issue must be fully investigated because, if true, it could be fraud and just the tip of the iceberg,' said Cuomo through a campaign spokesman. Mamdani explained himself as simply ticking the boxes to reflect his Ugandan-Indian heritage. 'Most college applications don't have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,' he explained earlier this year. In July, state ethics filings revealed Mamdani declared 'less than $2,000' in declared savings despite earning $131,000 a year as a state lawmaker and coming from a wealthy academic and artistic family. At the time he also listed an asset of four acres of land in Uganda valued between $150,000 and $250,000. His mother, Mira Nair, is an Oscar-nominated film director whose works include Monsoon Wedding and a Netflix series, while his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a celebrated Columbia University professor and author. Mamdani's only living aunt, a woman called Masuma Mamdani (pictured), lived in Tanzania at the time of the September 2001 terror attacks Records show Nair sold her West Chelsea apartment in 2019 for $1.45 million, while professors in Mahmood Mamdani's position make about $300,000 a year. The family still occupies a taxpayer-subsidized Columbia faculty apartment overlooking Riverside Drive, where Mamdani grew up while attending the $66,000-a-year Bank Street School on the Upper West Side. 'If anybody believes that Mamdani is a poor person, they need to see a psychiatrist. This is a complete lie,' political strategist Hank Sheinkopf told the New York Post. Cuomo has alleged Mamdani's campaign to be built on 'theatrics' and fabrication. 'Zohran is an actor and his entire campaign has been theatrics. Literally, his mother is a noted film director. He was a rapper, actor - and he has produced great videos - but it is all an act,' Cuomo said at a press conference. More recently, Mamdani faced accusations of hypocrisy after being spotted dining at Omen Azen, a high-end SoHo sushi restaurant popular with celebrities. Actor and comedian Michael Rapaport posted photos of the mayoral frontrunner eating at the upscale venue with his wife, questioning how the 'working-class socialist' could afford the prices. 'How's a so-called 'working-class' mayoral candidate like Zohran Mamdani eating at OMEN SUSHI - one of the priciest joints in NYC?' Rapaport wrote on X. 'This clown lives in a rent-stabilized apartment in Queens but dines like a diplomat on a Qatar-funded per diem.' Mamdani was ripped for eating out at pricey Omen Azen restaurant in Manhattan Mamdani has tried on other identities including as a rapper under the name 'Mr Cardamom' Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo called Mamdani a 'divisive force' in New York politics The restaurant's menu features a $145 seasonal tasting dinner, a $93 Kobe beef hot pot, and a $92 Wagyu steak. Rapaport sneered, 'Who's paying for that toro, 'Zoron the Moron'? You ain't working class - you're fraud class.' Mamdani has also drawn sharp criticism from Jewish organizations over his repeated use of the term 'genocide' to describe Israel's war in Gaza and his refusal to support Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. In a lengthy statement, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) said it was 'deeply troubled' by Mamdani's 'continued use of problematic rhetoric' and urged him to reconsider his positions and 'engage in dialogue' with mainstream Jewish groups. 'By continuing to prioritize anti-Zionist synagogues and groups, Mamdani ignores the perspectives and concerns of the vast majority of Jewish New Yorkers,' the AJC said. 'Calling Israel's actions genocide cheapens the word, fuels antisemitism, and fans the flames of division.' While Mamdani condemned Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, he refused in a subsequent Fox News interview to explicitly condemn the terror group or support its disarmament - a stance that Jewish leaders said was 'deeply concerning.' 'It should not be difficult to clearly and consistently condemn this terror organization,' the AJC wrote. 'Mamdani's professed concern for peace would be more credible if he advocated for Hamas's disarmament.' The Indigenous tracker who joined the search for missing South Australian boy Gus Lamont has expressed quiet confidence that the child will eventually be found. Monday marked a month since four-year-old Gus vanished from his grandparents' remote Oak Park sheep station, about 43km south of Yunta. Despite two major search operations involving SAPOL, Air Pol, the ADF and SES, hopes of finding the boy alive have faded. The only sign of Gus was a footprint in the dust, believed to match the boots he was wearing when he disappeared at about 5.30pm while playing in a sandpile under his grandmother's care. Ronald Boland, a Port Augustabased Aboriginal tracker and trapper, joined the early days of the search, which has since been called off, though investigations continue. Speaking to the Daily Mail this week, Mr Boland said he remained certain Gus will be found. He made the cryptic comment: 'That little boy deserves respect to go about it on all the right roads. 'Police will find him, they will. They do what they do best, I do what I do best.' He added: 'One day I will tell the story (about Gus).' Indigenous tracker Ronald Boland joined police in the search for Gus Lamont after he vanished near Yunta in September Mr Boland was seen on his green motorbike as he looked for clues Gus, 4, disappeared while playing at the front of his grandparents' homestead around 5pm Gus lived on the station with his grandmother Shannon Murray, grandparent Josie Murray - a transgender woman, his mother Jessica and his younger brother Ronnie. Gus's father, Joshua Lamont, lives two hours away in Belalie North and is understood to be in a 'commuter relationship' with Gus and Ronnie's mother. Police do not suspect foul play and believe Gus likely wandered off into the twilight. Mr Boland, 58, who has Nukunu, Narungga and Kokatha heritage, learned the ancient Indigenous art of tracking from a young age while growing up on Outback stations in South Australia. During the search for Gus, police superintendent Mark Syrus described the tracker, identified by Daily Mail as Mr Boland, as having 'a very good connection with the land here'. 'He has worked on this property and knows it quite well,' Supt Syrus said. ABC News footage showed Mr Boland surveying the area from his green motorbike. He declined to comment on the significance of the solitary red footprint found about 500m north of the Oak Park homestead, citing his close working relationship with SAPOL. A solitary red footprint was found 500m north of the family home in the search's early days An aerial view of the remote homestead where Gus lived with his mum and grandparents 'I'm keeping out of that,' he said. Mr Boland, whose day-to-day work involves tracking feral animals, has helped recover at least seven missing people throughout his long career. He never 'went to a school with four walls and a blackboard' and explained that 'my classroom was wide open spaces and my numbers and letters were human and animal tracks'. Mr Boland, who learned tracking from his elders, lifted the veil on his fascinating and life-saving skill. 'Not all people are cut out to be a tracker,' he said. 'An average person will follow a footprint and keep going as long as they see a visual track. 'But a tracker has been taught to see and feel. 'Humans are easier to track than animals - animals learn from a young age not to leave their tracks. Gus's parents, Jess Murray and Joshua Lamont, at the SA Music Awards in 2019 Gus's grandparent Josie Murray was 10km away tending sheep when the little boy vanished 'It's a lot more than just looking for prints, we are more aware of our surroundings.' Mr Boland - who founded company Tracks in the Sand - said his father Jeff Boland was a fence-builder for stations across South Australia and was a 'well respected bushman' who kept his kids out of trouble. 'Whenever we got to a very remote job on a cattle station about 80km from the main homestead, he used to teach me and my brothers, "If you children ever get lost out here or wander away from my camp, I want you boys to remember what I am going to teach you". 'He passed on to me that if we got lost out bush, he said always look for that little zebra finch. He's not far from water. Watch which way that sun comes up in the morning and watch where the sun sets in the evening. '(He said), "You must learn how to follow fresh cattle pads (prints) - they will lead you to a dam or water hole. If you come across an old road or a road that has been used a lot, stay on that road, I will find you. If you find a dam or waterhole with water in it, stay there - don't move - me and my men will find you".' Mr Boland added, 'Him and his men, old Aboriginal stockmen, taught us how to dig and find water in an old dry river bed when there is no water for miles.' He admitted he feared his bushcraft was fading out. 'The culture is dying. Young people are too focused on what's on their phone and on the internet and aren't looking at what's around them,' he said. Mr Boland's dad taught him to follow zebra finches to sources of water Supt Mark Syrus revealed Mr Boland was familiar with the search area 'And a lot of (Aboriginal) families used to live on stations but now they've all moved into the cities so there are less of us going bush.' He said he honed his skills playing hide and seek with other children while growing up around Coober Pedy. In a bid to prevent the world-famous art being lost, Mr Boland encouraged young people to join him so he can teach them his ways - just as elders did for him. 'All my teaching was from Aboriginal people in the north of South Australia. I was taught the ways by those old traditional Aboriginal stockmen, that's where all my skills come from,' he said. 'Sometimes there were up to 15 men in the camp mustering cattle, very kind men they were. 'I am all about helping young Aboriginal people to gain employment and learning new skills, so taking them out bush with me is a good turning point in their lives. This field shows them there is life outside of the big towns and cities.' In 1966, Aboriginal trackers Jimmy James and Daniel Moodoo famously rescued nine-year-old Wendy Pfeiffer in the Adelaide Hills after she had been missing for almost three days. She had been stabbed three times and was left for dead by her attacker. More than 150 police and volunteer searchers had failed to find her using modern methods. Three masked teenagers who embarked on a viral doorbell prank that police spent more than 100 hours investigating were related to their victim, it has emerged. In a video, the trio were seen approaching the property in Alexandria, Virginia, on October 14, taunting the homeowners with demands to open the door and threatening to make their own way in. One of the suspects could be heard yelling: 'It's either you come out or we coming in.' The incident, captured on the familys doorbell camera and believed to be an attempted burglary, gained national attention. Detectives have now confirmed that the three teenagers were related to the victim, and their mother helped orchestrate the prank. No charges will be filed. Shayla Whiteside was with her mother in the home at the time and screamed at the masked youths to reveal their identities as they continued to yell at her to open the door. After more than ten minutes of taunting, the group finally fled the home, and Whiteside's family called 911. Alexandria Police Department had said those responsible could face criminal charges and the public was encouraged to report any information that could help identify the masked individuals. Three masked teenagers taunted a home in Virginia on the night of October 14, prompting a criminal investigation They made threats as they approached the home in haunting masks, doorbell footage showed After more than 100 hours of investigating, police revealed that the teenagers were related to the victim and no charges would be filed A spokesman said yesterday: 'A significant break in the case came after the department's first press conference, when multiple community tips led investigators to the suspects, three juveniles, ages 14 to 16, who were related to the victim.' The mother later confessed to the police that she approached the home in Halloween masks with her two sons and nephew. Two additional adults participated in the prank by filming the interaction from the street, officers said. It is not believed the homeowners were aware of who was responsible until they were informed by police. The family has decided not to pursue criminal charges, so officers have not had cause to reveal their identities. 'While this case may not result in prosecution, it represents a serious moral failure,' Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said. 'Pranks of this nature are not taken lightly. Actions like these could have deadly consequences.' McGuire added that parents have a responsibility to guide their children's behavior and must be held accountable for it. He defended the decision not to press charges, telling reporters during a press conference: 'From a human perspective, while this was very challenging, we also have to ask: "Does this individual desire to prosecute against their family?"' Shayla Whiteside was visiting her mother's home in Alexandria during the prank. She told police that she called her brother, who arrived at the house with a firearm Police warned that similar pranks tend to escalate around Halloween and cautioned parents to remain vigilant 'And I think that they decided not to, and we have to work through that. We have to try to respect that decision.' Police stressed that, even though the incident turned out to be a family prank, the situation could've quickly escalated into violence. Whiteside had called her brother for help before reporting what had happened, and he arrived at her home with a firearm. After the prank, Whiteside condemned the behavior on her Facebook, writing in a post: 'This isnt a prank. They came to my door dressed like this then tried to get in [the house].' McGuire warned the community that similar pranks tend to escalate as Halloween approaches and said he hopes people learned from the incident. Labour's plan to hammer homeowners with a new mansion tax is 'hanging like a sword of Damocles' over the housing market, experts warned last night. After Housing Secretary Steve Reed refused four times to rule out the proposal yesterday, estate agents said it would 'hasten the stampede' of people leaving the country. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a punitive levy on high-value homes in next month's Budget. Under the plan, owners of properties worth at least 2million would face a charge of one per cent of any amount over that value the equivalent of an annual bill of 10,000 for a home worth 3million. The tax grab has been blasted by economists and property experts, and there are signs that it is already hitting the housing market. Trevor Abrahmsohn, head of the estate agency Glentree International, told the Daily Mail last night: 'There is no doubt there are fears affecting the market. 'Mansion tax is hanging like a sword of Damocles.' He warned that introducing a mansion tax would mean Britain had 'one of the highest property tax regimes in the world', adding: 'This would hasten the stampede of people leaving the country the very people who should be our wealth creators.' After Housing Secretary Steve Reed (pictured) refused four times to rule out the proposal yesterday, estate agents said it would 'hasten the stampede' of people leaving the country Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a punitive levy on high-value homes in next month's Budget. Pictured: File photo Dominic Agace, chief executive of the agency Winkworth, said: 'The Government is driving away the wealth generators in our country. 'Speculation of this kind has already affected the market and it's hard not to see how such a tax won't cause wealth destruction.' Will Watson, head of London at The Buying Solution, a property consultancy, said the housing market had been 'very slow' since the mention of property taxes in recent weeks. 'The speculation is causing the people who were prepared to move to think, "Let's just pause". 'People will be agreeing sales, but I think the number of actual exchanges until after the Budget will be very few.' After The Mail on Sunday revealed that Ms Reeves was plotting a mansion tax, estate agents were swamped with calls from worried clients. Becky Fatemi, executive partner at Sotheby's, said customers had told her: 'Look, whatever price I need to sell at, just reduce it to that so I can get it away.' There are major concerns about how such a tax would work, with experts warning there was no way of fairly valuing property in the current market. Lucian Cook, head of residential research at Savills, said: 'A mansion tax which targets homes worth more than 2million would be a very blunt and crude instrument that was unlikely to truly target the wealthy. 'It would be very difficult to get an accurate valuation of all properties worth over 2million as such houses tend to be quite specific properties, so administering this tax is going to be expensive because any valuation is likely to be contested.' There are fears that a mansion tax could lead to higher rents, too, with young professionals sharing four or five-bedroom homes that are likely to be affected. The tax may also lead to a loss of stamp duty revenues. Asked yesterday whether he supported such a tax in the Budget on November 26, Mr Reed told LBC: 'It's never a good idea for a minister to come in and speculate.' Pressed again on whether he would support such a levy in principle, the Housing Secretary said: 'You are asking me to speculate, given that we've got the Budget coming up soon.' Challenged for a third time, he replied: 'It's best for me not to answer that. 'With the Budget coming up and the speculation that's around, it will sound like I'm giving the Chancellor advice on what she should or shouldn't do, and that's never a good idea for a minister.' Under the plan, owners of properties worth at least 2million would face a charge of one per cent of any amount over that value. Pictured: The Chancellor on a visit to Berkeley Homes' Glasswater Locks Development in Birmingham last month Dodging for a fourth time, he added: 'We do need to wait and see. 'We need to make sure we have a system that is fair, that is proportionate and that brings in the investment we need to get our economy moving again and our public services functioning.' The mansion tax is the latest in a string of soak-the-rich measures being touted ahead of next month's Budget. Yesterday, Ms Reeves defended the Government's approach to the wealthy. Asked why some were leaving the UK, she said: 'Everybody knows that countries are having to spend more on defence, that we need to rebuild our public finances and our public services, and everyone who makes Britain their home should contribute to that. 'We don't want to drive anyone out of the UK, but we do want to make sure that we tax people fairly, people who make Britain their home, whichever country they or their parents are originally from.' A Treasury spokesman said: 'We do not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy.' Rachel Reeves admitted she was coming back for more yesterday even as new figures laid bare the painful financial burden already facing workers. The Chancellor said she was 'of course' looking at tax increases as well as spending cuts as she seeks to patch up public finances in next month's Budget. But research from the Resolution Foundation think-tank showed that the 'effective tax rate' charged to the average worker was at its highest for more than a decade, with those on the median salary of 33,000 paying 27 per cent. Tory business spokesman Andrew Griffith said: 'With the effective tax rate the highest for 13 years and millions on welfare instead of working, Rachel Reeves should be cutting taxes not raising them.' Fears of a fresh tax grab are growing as the Chancellor scrambles to fill a financial black hole estimated at 30billion. Asked last week about prospects of a manifesto-breaking income tax hike, she said only that she would keep taxes for working people 'as low as possible'. And speaking yesterday during a visit to Saudi Arabia, Ms Reeves reiterated the need to meet Budget rules requiring her to bring down borrowing and debt with enough room to spare in case of unexpected problems in the future. The Chancellor said: 'We are looking, of course, at tax and spending to ensure that we have resilience against future shocks by ensuring we've got sufficient headroom, and also just ensuring that those fiscal rules are adhered to.' Rachel Reeves (pictured) said she was 'of course' looking at tax increases as well as spending cuts as she seeks to patch up public finances in next month's Budget Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride (pictured) said: 'If the Chancellor had a plan and a backbone she'd reduce government spending including the welfare bill. This is about choices' Yet observers are sceptical that Ms Reeves will be able to get any significant cuts through Parliament given opposition from Left-wing backbenchers who already forced a U-turn on welfare reform. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said: 'If the Chancellor had a plan and a backbone she'd reduce government spending including the welfare bill. This is about choices. 'Hardworking families deserve a government that helps them keep more of what they earn, not one that keeps coming back for more. Britain can't tax itself to prosperity but that's exactly what Labour is trying to do.' While Labour pledged not to put up income tax, there has been speculation Ms Reeves is considering such a move to make the sums add up. There are also fears of a stealth raid on workers if the Chancellor chooses to extend a freeze on income tax bands that has already dragged millions more into paying higher rates. Analysis published yesterday by the Resolution Foundation showed the 'effective tax rate' which includes employer National Insurance (NI) for low and middle earners has been rising. Those workers had seen the rate fall under the Tories in the 2010s as they benefited from higher tax-free allowances the amount that can be earned before any income tax is due as well as cuts in employee NI, the report said. The Left-wing think-tank also noted that the recent increase in employer NI has widened a 'damaging tax gap' between employees and the self-employed to record levels. And it said there was 'plenty of evidence' that employer NI 'is ultimately paid for by the employee'. Nigel Farage warned yesterday that London may be the 'last great grooming scandal to be uncovered' as he accused Sir Sadiq Khan of failing victims. The Reform UK leader accused the Labour mayor of denying the existence of grooming gangs in the capital after police chiefs said they would review thousands of cases. He also demanded that Parliament take control of the crisis-hit inquiry into child sexual abuse after a victim who quit its panel said it was 'rigged'. Sir Sadiq has been accused of stonewalling questions on the issue, saying only that young Londoners were being targeted by county lines gangs. The Metropolitan Police has, however, said that it will reinvestigate 9,000 child sexual abuse cases in London over 15 years following Baroness Casey's grooming review, which was published in June. Asked yesterday whether the mayor had failed victims in London, Mr Farage said: 'Yes, he's been denying that there's grooming going on in London. The Met have been denying there's grooming going on in London.' He added: 'Of course it's more difficult to spot a particular type of grooming gang in central London than it is in Rotherham just by the sheer size of the city, by the different communities that live in this city. Maybe London is the last great grooming gang scandal to be uncovered and it looks like we're very, very close to that.' Mr Farage gave a press conference alongside grooming gang survivor Ellie Reynolds, who said Sir Sadiq should quit for 'covering up a mass failing in London'. Nigel Farage warned that London may be the 'last great grooming scandal to be uncovered' during a press conference with grooming gang survivor Ellie Reynolds (pictured) Asked what she made of accusations that he had stonewalled the issue by referring to county lines rather than grooming gangs, she branded him a liar, adding: 'County lines is linked in with grooming and rape gangs. There's many different types of avenues to which rape gangs operate. There's county lines, there's exploitation, there's drug dealing, there's sexual exploitation. 'Sadiq Khan's a liar. He should be stepping down. It was very bizarre of him to try and cover up a mass failing in London.' Asked if he had let London victims down, she added: 'Massively. It's really traumatising the victims because at the end of the day we get failed twice once by the abuse we had to suffer and then by the institutions and systems that were there to protect us. 'They don't ever protect us. So, yes, he has let them down.' Labour's national grooming gangs inquiry has descended into chaos after five survivors quit the victims' liaison panel and the two candidates to chair it pulled out. Ms Reynolds, who is one of those who have quit the panel, said she had yet to meet victims' minister Jess Phillips, despite having tried for more than a year. She claims the minister has cancelled on her seven times. She alleged the inquiry was 'rigged from the start'. Mr Farage, who is calling for Parliament to use its 'extraordinary powers' to hold an inquiry, claimed there was a 'huge racial and ethnic' dimension to the scandal, adding: 'A very large part of these crimes could be attributed to racism in its absolutely worst possible form.' He wants to see a 'laser focus' on Pakistani grooming gangs over other forms of abuse. A spokesman for Sir Sadiq said: 'Any gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent. 'Sadiq wants justice for every single victim of these horrific crimes, which is why the Met have increased the arrests of vile perpetrators and are reassessing historic cases of child sexual exploitation in London.' More than 1,000 jobs are at risk as Australia's biggest aluminium smelter begins talks over its potential closure. Tomago Aluminium, which is majority owned by Rio Tinto, said that high energy costs have forced the company to consider ending its operations when its current electricity supply contracts expire in three years' time. A consultation process with staff is set to run until November 21, as executives concede that the future of the site in the NSW Hunter region is uncertain. 'We continue to engage with stakeholders on a viable pathway for Tomago,' chief executive Jerome Dozol said in a statement on Tuesday. 'Unfortunately, all market proposals received so far show future energy prices are not commercially viable, and there is significant uncertainty about when renewable projects will be available at the scale we need. 'While no decision has been made, this is a difficult point to reach. Our focus remains on operating safely and giving our people certainty as soon as possible.' Industry Minister Tim Ayres has vowed to 'exhaust every opportunity' to ensure the smelter remains open, despite the company so far turning down offers of assistance from the federal and NSW state governments. 'Certainly [the negotiations] didn't reach an agreed outcome and I don't want to sort of speculate about why, because we're going to continue discussions,' he said. Soaring energy prices could force the closure of Tomago Aluminium - Australia's largest aluminium smelter More than 1,000 jobs at Tomago Aluminium are under threat 'Every government has an interest here. It's important in jobs terms and investment terms but it's also important (for) economic resilience and strategic terms. 'I am determined to exhaust every opportunity to secure the future of that site, for the Hunter Valley, for the NSW economy, for Australian aluminium production, and for Australia's economy.' Australian Aluminium Council chief executive Marghanita Johnson described Tomago's decision as 'deeply disappointing but understandable'. 'It is a difficult day for its staff but also for the greater Hunter, who rely on the smelter for its economic contribution, and the people of NSW who must now consider the vital role it plays in supporting stability and reliability in their grid,' she told Daily Mail in a statement. 'Competitive energy is the critical foundation that enables Australian businesses to compete internationally for aluminium smelters this is not optional it is existential. 'The aluminium industry is no longer competing against foreign companies but against foreign governments writing the rules to their own advantage.' Electricity makes up more than 40 per cent of the company's operating costs, according to Tomago Aluminium. As its contract with AGL nears its December 2028 endpoint, future electricity supply options would significantly increase costs and leave the operation unviable. Tomago Aluminium has blamed rising energy prices for the potential closure of its smelter in the NSW Hunter region Located about 13km west of Newcastle, the smelter produces almost 40 per cent of Australia's aluminium every year and employs about 1,500 staff from the Hunter Valley and Central Coast regions. An estimated 5,000 indirect jobs would also be lost if the smelter shuts down. Founded in 1983, Tomago produces up to 590,000 tonnes of aluminium per year - with 90 per cent exported to the Asia-Pacific region. Tomago has been seeking a lifeline from the federal and state governments after bailout packages for several other struggling refineries and smelters. Swiss mining giant Glencore, in October, received a $600million injection as part of a joint federal and state deal to keep Queensland's Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville copper refinery open, securing about 600 jobs. Representatives for Tomago were previously in talks with the federal and NSW government over a bailout reportedly worth more than $1billion. Bell Bay Aluminium in Tasmania, which is also owned by Rio Tinto, is facing a potential shutdown as a 10-year deal with Hydro Tasmania nears its December 31 deadline. A woman has been accused of deliberately sabotaging two major hospitals after gas and water lines were cut during the early hours of the morning. Police rushed to Kareena Road in Caringbah, 24km south of Sydney's CBD, about 4.20am on Tuesday following reports of vandalism at two hospitals. Critical supplies of gas and water was disrupted at Kareena Private Hospital and Sutherland Hospital, both located on the same street. A 42-year-old woman allegedly cut the gas and water mains just after midnight before setting off the fire hoses at one of the hospitals. About an hour later, she allegedly walked across the road and switched off the gas main at the other facility. Sutherland Hospital was forced to switch to portable oxygen and air for two hours after it lost gas supplies at 2am. NSW Police later arrested the woman on Parkside Avenue, in Miranda, at about 4am for breach of bail. She was taken to Sutherland Police Station and is assisting police with their inquiries. No charges have been laid at this stage. The 42-year-old woman allegedly cut the medical gas and water supply at Kareena Private Hospital (pictured) and Sutherland Hospital NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the incident was alleged to be deliberate 'sabotage' (pictured, NSW vehicle waiting for emergency call at Sutherland Hospital) NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the act of alleged 'sabotage' could have had 'catastrophic' consequences for patients. 'It is very, very concerning that life-saving medical gases have been [allegedly] sabotaged at the public and private hospitals,' he said. Mr Park confirmed on Tuesday that the incident did not impact patient care and that gas and water systems have since returned to normal. 'Access to gas systems in NSW public hospitals is restricted and we will review the incident to see what improvements can be implemented,' he said. NSW Health has been contacted for further comment. An elderly woman has been found dead after she 'failed to board' a cruise ship while visiting a popular tourist island in the Great Barrier Reef. Police have launched an investigation into the death of the solo traveller, 80, while she was hiking Lizard Island's highest summit off the Far North Queensland coast on Saturday. It's understood the woman was walking up to the Cook's Look summit with a Coral Expeditions group when she stopped and became lost on her way back to the ship. 'The group continued on and boarded the vessel before realising she was not there,' a source told The Australian. Another source claimed that the woman had fallen from a cliff. The tourist was reported missing after she failed to return to the cruise ship anchored offshore, sparking a widespread land and sea search that continued well into the night. The woman's body was located and retrieved from the mountain the following day. Coral Expeditions confirmed to the Daily Mail that a passenger on a Coral Adventurer voyage died during an excursion to the island on Saturday. An excursion to Lizard Island ended in tragedy with the death of an elderly tourist on Saturday The tourist was reported missing after she failed to return to the Coral Adventurer cruise ship (vessel pictured) 'The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea,' chief executive Mark Fifield said. 'Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island. 'While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman's family. 'The Coral team has been in contact with the woman's family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process. 'We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.' Police are treating the woman's death as non-suspicious and will prepare a report for the coroner. Popular with divers, snorkelers and hikers, Lizard Island is one of the most remote tourism destinations on the Great Barrier Reef. Cook's Look is the highest point on the island and follows the footsteps of British explorer Captain James Cook, who is believed to be the first European to have trekked up the mountain in 1770 after his ship Endeavour struck a reef. The tourist was hiking with other cruise ship passengers to Cook's Look summit on Lizard Island when she needed to stop and became lost on her way back to the vessel 'It covers four kilometres and at times is very steep so we recommend medium to high fitness and agility to safely undertake this hike,' the Lizard Island website states. 'Due to the time it takes to hike and the heat of the day, it is recommended that you hike early in the morning. 'Those that have done this hike say it is challenging but incredibly rewarding.' Launched in 2019, the Coral Adventurer cruise ship has a capacity of up to 120 passengers and 46 crew. The vessel is currently on a 60-night circumnavigation of Australia which departed Cairns on October 17 and ends on December 16. Actor Charlie Sheen impressed Bill Maher with a tough-on-crime idea, telling the podcast host that cities should create a 'special place' for repeat offenders. The two were discussing how a small group of people commit the most offenses in major cities, when Sheen jumped in with his suggestion. 'If you know who they are, why not take just those 600 people and build a special place for them? Call it the 600 Building,' he said during Sunday's episode of Club Random. Maher immediately responded, 'That's good - that's very good. The 600 Building.' During Sunday's episode of Club Random, Maher argued how Democrats have failed to deal with repeat offenders. 'This is why Republicans get elected. Democrats run cities and they don't do that. Everyone should like that. These are career criminals. Call me crazy, but I don't think crime should be a career.' 'Or be allowed to become one,' Sheen added. The pair had initially been talking about social media before the conversation took a turn to crime. Actor Charlie Sheen surprised Bill Maher with a tough-on-crime idea telling the host that cities should create a special prison for repeat offenders - a plan Maher praised as 'very good' Sheen's proposal echoes the frustration among voters in major cities who say bail reform and early release policies have made streets less safe 'Ninety percent of Twitter is from the 10 percent of people who use it,' Maher said. 'That's their hobby.' 'It's like crime!' Sheen replied. 'In New York, they had some crazy stat - because, you know, they throw people in jail and then they're out the next day. Like, some crazy percentage of crimes, some side of crime, was like from 600 people who just over and over did like 80 percent of whatever,' Maher explained. The notion that a small number of habitual offenders drive much of the violence in major cities is reflected in data reported by police departments in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In New York, officials have long said that a few hundred repeat offenders are behind a large share of burglaries and robberies. The pair's discussion comes as Donald Trump continues to focus on law and order ahead of the 2026 midterms. His administration has deployed National Guard troops in several Democrat-led cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, and Washington, DC, arguing that local leaders have failed to control crime. Maher has often criticized both political parties but recently spoken out against progressive approaches to policing and prosecution. Trump continues to focus on law and order ahead of the 2026 midterms. Pictured, law enforcement officers clash with demonstrators during a protest near the ICE facility in Chicago Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and others, stand guard outside an ICE facility in downtown Portland, Oregon, this month During Sunday's episode of Club Random Maher argued how Democrats have failed to deal with repeat offenders Sheen's proposal echoes the frustration among voters in major cities who say bail reform and early release policies have made streets less safe. New York City has seen recidivism skyrocket since 2018. Among offenders with three or more arrests in a single year for the same crime, numbers are up 147 percent for those charged with felony assault, 119 percent for grand larceny-auto and 83 percent for robbery with hardened and hard-core repeat offenders, committing same crimes time and again. President Donald Trump praised Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Tuesday morning in Tokyo for being the first woman to ever hold the position. In the moments following their opening meetings, Takaichi said she planned to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Takaichi, who was sworn in last week, is the protege of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a friend of Trump's who was assassinated in 2022. 'Shinzo Abe was a great friend of mine and I was very sad to see what happened,' Trump told Takaichi at Akasaka Palace during their first in-person meeting. 'It was so shocking.' Trump had been welcomed to the prime minister's state guest house with a regal ceremony and then was brought into another room where the U.S. and Japanese delegations sat across from one another. 'But he spoke so well of you even before we knew what was going to happen with your ascension, he spoke so well of you long before we met,' Trump continued. 'And I'm not surprised to see that you are now the prime minister.' Later in their brief remarks, Trump turned to the history-making part of Takaichi's resume. 'I'd also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister,' the president said. 'That's a big deal. That's a big deal. I want to congratulate you on that. I think that has to be called out.' Trump also predicted that Takaichi, who hails from Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, which is actually conservative in nature, would be one of Japan's 'greatest prime ministers.' President Donald Trump (left) and the U.S. delegation hold a bilateral meeting Tuesday in Tokyo at Akasaka Place with Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right), the first woman to hold the job President Donald Trump (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) participate in a welcome ceremony Tuesday morning at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, before their first face-to-face meeting Takaichi, speaking through a translator, also flattered Trump. 'As a matter of fact, Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy,' she said, pointing to the peace deal Trump signed Monday in Malaysia between Thailand and Cambodia. She also touted Trump's role in trying to achieve an end to the war in Gaza. 'In such a short period of time, the world started to enjoy more peace on the ground,' she said. 'And in this context, I highly value your unwavering commitment toward peace and stability.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that Takaichi told Trump she was nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. To further lighten the mood of the meeting, Takaichi said she was enthusiastically watching the World Series. Japanese great Shohei Ohtani plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are battling the Toronto Blue Jays in the series. She also highlighted how Japan is donating 250 cherry trees to Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S.'s 250th birthday next year. The cherry trees will replace ones that had to be removed - including 'Stumpy,' a beloved half-dead cherry tree that continued to bloom - to shore up the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial. Takaichi also noted how Japanese fireworks would be used in next year's Fourth of July celebration in the nation's capital. Afterward, the leaders signed two agreements - one on critical minerals and the other implementing a 'golden age' in the U.S.-Japanese alliance. Trump was also presented with a golden gift - a gold golf ball, Abe's putter and a golf bag signed by Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama, according to a video posted by longtime aide Margo Martin. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae (left) walks alongside President Donald Trump (right) at a welcome ceremony at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo Tuesday morning President Donald Trump (left) attends a meeting Tuesday morning at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, meeting Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for the first time President Donald Trump reviews an honor guard during a welcome ceremony Tuesday morning at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan President Donald Trump (left) attends a signing ceremony with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) at the Akasaka Palace Tuesday morning in Tokyo The White House account posted a picture of 'Japan is Back' baseball hats signed by both President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday touted Japan's gift of 250 cherry trees to mark the U.S.'s 250th birthday that will replace tress cut down including Stumpy (pictured) in a project to shore up the Tidal Basin's seawalls in Washington, D.C. The leaders also met with families whose loved ones were abducted by North Korea. Trump has kept the door open to meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, after previously meeting him three times during his first term, but there doesn't seem to be progress in scheduling one. 'We have not done anything, we've been so busy, we really haven't. We'll be discussing it,' Trump told reporters at Akasaka Palace. At a working lunch, American beef and American rice were served with Japanese ingredients, a White House readout of the meeting later said. Japan was Trump's second stop in Asia on his three-country tour, which will conclude with a high-stakes meeting Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Officials from the U.S. and China signaled over the weekend that a possible end to the trade war was in sight, with a potential deal that would keep the dangerous fentanyl supply from coming into the U.S. Beijing would also buy a 'substantial' amount of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural products while lowering barriers for the U.S. to access rare earth minerals. On board Air Force One, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said 'we had a very good meeting.' 'But nothing has been agreed to yet,' Trump cautioned. 'But we feel good.' The meeting with Xi is expected to take place on Thursday, directly before the president returns to the United States. The president also teased that they 'might' finalize the TikTok deal during his meeting with the Chinese leader. 'I mean, we got an original approval from President Xi. I expect we have an approval, but I'd rather wait a couple of days to let you know,' he said. The president kicked off his three-country tour of Asia Sunday morning with Trumpian flair, doing his trademark fist-pump dance alongside native dancers as he arrived in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. President Donald Trump touched down in Tokyo, Japan Monday evening - the second country he's visiting on his tour of Asia this week. While in Tokyo, he'll meet with the country's new prime minister President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One in Tokyo, Japan Monday evening President Donald Trump spoke with reporters on board Air Force One as he traveled between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Tokyo, Japan He traditionally does those moves to the song YMCA by the Village People. Trump allies applauded that video of the president dancing, shot by his longtime aide Margo Martin, had gone viral. At the ASEAN summit, Trump announced the finalization of trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia and said progress was made in completing two more, with Vietnam and Thailand. Trump also put on his peacemaker hat, attending a signing ceremony for an enhanced ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, after the countries engaged in a brief border conflict in July. On the sidelines of the summit, Trump also met with Brazil's leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the talks had gone well and expressed confidence that the U.S. and Brazil could also ink a trade deal. The president had threatened to hike tariffs on Brazil over the country's prosecution of a Trump political ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to prison for plotting a coup. On board Air Force One en route to Tokyo, Trump said his meeting with Lula was 'very good' but added 'I don't know if anything's gonna happen, but we'll see.' He also wished the Brazilian leader a happy birthday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) spoke with reporters alongside President Donald Trump (right) during the flight Monday between Malaysia and Japan, giving updates on a brewing Chinese trade deal White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt captures President Donald Trump participating in a gaggle with reporters on board Air Force One en route to Tokyo, Japan on Monday 'I want to wish the president happy birthday, OK? It's his birthday today. He's a very vigorous guy, actually, and it was very impressive, but today's his birthday, so happy birthday,' Trump said. Trump had harsher words for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who will also be traveling to South Korea for the APEC conference. 'I don't want to meet with him, no. Im not going to be meeting with him for a while,' Trump told reporters en route to Tokyo. The president was enraged over an ad campaign spearheaded by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, which quoted the late Republican Ronald Reagan's warning about tariffs. 'Ronald Reagan loved tariffs. He used them sparingly, which he probably made a mistake in that, and again, I was the biggest fan of Ronald Reagan, but on finance, on trade, it wasn't his strong suit,' Trump said. 'But he liked tariffs and they totally changed that to say that he didn't.' The president also claimed that 'Canada has been ripping us off for a long time.' Trump's trip to Asia marks his sixth trip abroad since he returned to the White House. He traveled to Rome with First Lady Melania Trump in April for the funeral of Pope Francis and hit up three countries in the Middle East - Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates several weeks later. Trump traveled to Canada for the G7 in June - cutting that trip short to deal with the brief war between Israel and Iran. He and the first lady then took part in a historic second royal state visit to the United Kingdom in September, being feted by King Charles in the historic Windsor Castle. Earlier this month, he flew to Israel and Egypt to ink a peace deal to try and bring an end to the war in Gaza. The father of murdered young woman Hannah McGuire has been brought to tears after an extraordinary decision by a Supreme Court of Victoria judge. Hannah McGuire, 23, was terrified of her estranged partner Lachlan Young, then aged 21, when he strangled her in the bathroom of their home and torched her body to make it look like suicide. On Tuesday, her father Glenn was consoled by his wife Debbie as Justice James Elliott called for the minute's silence after hearing sentencing submissions from Young's barrister Glenn Casement. Mr McGuire could not hold back his tears as the court fell silent. 'GIven the interest of the community and the circumstances of this case, I know it's been done elsewhere, but I'd like to have a minute's silence now, in memory of Hannah,' Justice Elliot said. Young, sitting in the dock at the back of the courtroom, could be seen with his head down, it was reported. The call for silence came a day after Ms McGuire's friends and family were forced to endure submissions by Young's barrister Glenn Casement aimed at earning him a reduced sentence. Young faces life behind bars for the cruel way he ended his estranged partner's life and desecrated her corpse. Hannah McGuire's father Glenn enters the Supreme Court of Victoria in Ballarat on Monday Mr Casement had commended his client for providing the full account of how he murdered his estranged partner. The court heard Young killed Ms McGuire after luring her to their home in April last year under the guise of ending their relationship with a civilised discussion. Young claimed Ms McGuire fled to the bathroom, where he assaulted and strangled her to death. Whether any of that actually ever happened will never truly be known. Forensic experts had little to work with what remained of Ms McGuire's mangled remains, which amounted to just 13kg of bone and dust. Her cause of death could not be ascertained. In a gruelling day for Ms McGuire's family inside the Supreme Court of Victoria in Ballarat, west of Melbourne, the court heard Young had made the vilest remarks about his partner after what was left of her body was found. While faking sadness over his ex-partner's supposed suicide, his cousin remarked to Young that he used to refer to her as 'beautiful and hot'. Lachlan Young as he appears now Hannah McGuire knew Lachlan Young was bad but didn't know how to escape his grip Ms McGuire's mum Debbie enters the Ballarat courthouse on Monday Young looked her in the eye and remarked: 'Well, she's hot now, isn't she?' Young is facing a preliminary sentence hearing where he hopes to convince the judge he should not be jailed for life. Young had pleaded guilty to Ms McGuire's murder in July, eight days into his trial. The cold-blooded killer had tormented her friends and family since April 5 last year with a twisted story he cooked up, claiming she had suicided by setting herself on fire over the thought of losing him. In reality, Ms McGuire was doing everything she could to get away from her deranged and abusive partner. On the night he took her life, Ms McGuire made the fateful mistake of once again trying to appease the bully with whom she had reluctantly bought a home in March of the previous year. It was the same home at 8 King Drive, Sebastopol just outside of Ballarat where she would die. Crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill told the court Ms McGuire had shared a meal with friends at the hotel her parents owned in Clunes on the night she would die. Parents of Hannah McGuire, Debbie McGuire (left) and Glenn McGuire (right) arrive at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Ballarat on Monday Lachlan Young was a twisted loser and thug who never deserved a second in the presence of Hannah McGuire By then, Ms McGuire had already made it clear to Young that their relationship was over. She had more than valid reasons. Young had monstered her almost from the day they got together towards the end of 2021. He had not even tried to hide his contempt for Ms McGuire, abusing her routinely in front of friends and family. 'F**k off, Hannah, you don't know anything,' he was observed telling her. In June 2023, one of Ms McGuire's friends overheard Young talking to her on a Facetime call. 'You're a fat whale,' he told her. Young also called Ms McGuire a 'fat slut' and told her to 'work faster and cook me dinner.' The Sebastopol home where Lachlan Young murdered Hannah McGuire The burnt section of bushland where Young torched the body of Ms McGuire By then, Ms McGuire had already made her mind up to leave him, but was struggling to work out how to safely escape. She had obtained an intervention order against him in February that year, but knew it was not worth the paper it was printed on. The court heard Young tormented Ms McGuire with endless calls, stalked her and performed burnouts outside a house she had moved into. Despite his behaviour, she continued an on-again-off-again relationship with her abuser whose behaviour only became more erratic. In the month before her murder, Ms McGuire moved back in with her parents and was forced to climb through a window of her old home to retrieve personal items. On March 28, Young took to her car with an angle grinder, removing a canopy he claimed he had paid for. In the safety of her parents' pub, Young told Ms McGuire via text that he wanted to see her one last time so they could part in an amicable fashion. 'I don't want to fight or be angry or anything,' he told her. Hannah McGuire and Lachlan Young upon buying their home. She had already been trying to leave him when she took the plunge Lachlan Young murdered his ex-partner and attempted to pass it off as a suicide 'I'm not going to get angry. I'm over being angry. I just want everything finalised and planned out.' Little did Ms McGuire know, Young had already made plans to do horrible things to her. Young's suicide claims were quickly dismissed by police. When they came knocking, he made a run for it. But he continued to deny what he had done. 'I would never f**king harm that girl,' he claimed. In a statement read to the court by the police officer who charged Young, Mr McGuire, described his daughter as the 'light of my life'. 'She was kind, understanding and full of potential,' he said. Hannah McGuire was loved by everyone who met her Ms McGuire and Lachlan young in one of their few happy times together 'The accused took everything away from her and from all of us. As her father I was supposed to protect her, supposed to be there to guide her ... instead I had to bury her. 'Hannah did not deserve to die, her life mattered and our pain and loss and broken hearts deserve justice.' Ms McGuire's mum was inconsolable. 'I hope every day, for the rest of the accused's life, he experiences the most intense pain imaginable,' she told Young. 'While I commend people who can offer forgiveness, unfortunately for the accused, I am not one of them. 'I will never forget and I will never forgive.' Ms McGuire told Young of her howls which echoed through the town of Clunes after she learnt her daughter was dead. 'Not only did the accused take Hannah's life, but he also attempted to elaborately cover up her death, setting her body on fire, treating her like discarded trash,' she said. 'He even sat for a moment to watch her burn.' The hearing continues. Democrats are facing pressure from the nation's biggest federal worker union to back a Republican plan to end the government shutdown immediately. The American Federation of Government Employees called on Democrats to advance a continuing resolution that the GOP has been trying to pass since the government shutdown began 28 days ago. Just three Democrats have voted in favor of the resolution across 12 attempts to push it through Congress - despite the party voting for a similar bill on 13 occasions under President Biden. The continuing resolution would have been a stopgap approach to avoiding the widespread crisis that a shutdown has caused, allowing funding to continue until November 21 while negotiations continued. But so far, Democrats have refused to compromise without a guarantee that parts of the Affordable Care Act would be extended. The left-leaning union's President Everett Kelley implored the Democrats to accept a solution to prevent millions of Americans from going hungry and working for free. 'Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,' Kelley said. 'Congress pushed our nation into the fourth week of a full government shutdown an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together.' As the government hiatus stretches into a 28th day, American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley (pictured) implored both sides of politics to find a solution to prevent millions of Americans from going hungry and working for free House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries has been put on notice, along with the rest of the Democrats, to back a Republican plan to end the shutdown Republicans have made 12 attempts to end the shutdown but have been repeatedly blocked by Democrats, who are refusing to negotiate without some healthcare guarantees Kelley called on Congress 'to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay today.' Strategists and pollsters in both parties have warned the shutdown is a liability for both sides, but so far more Americans are placing the blame on Republicans, given they are the party in power. 'What we're seeing primarily is disgust with the system as a whole and a pox on both your houses,' Republican pollster Whit Ayres told The Hill. 'Most Americans can't understand why the federal government can't function effectively enough to pass a budget and keep the government open.' According to a Reuters/Ispos poll with 4,385 respondents, 50 percent blamed Republicans more while 43 percent said the shutdown was primarily Democrats' fault. John Fetterman, one of only three Democrats who has voted in favor of the continuing resolution during the past 12 attempts to push it through, said Kelley and the AFGE union were 'firmly on the right side of this and we should absolutely listen.' 'Our servicemembers, federal workers, and Capitol Police are hurting. It's one of many reasons why I've continuously voted to open our government,' the Pennsylvania senator wrote on X. 'We need to end this chaos.' Democrats are facing pressure from the nation's biggest federal worker union to work with Republicans to end the government shutdown But former Democrat strategist Steve Jarding said if the Democrats continued to hold out past November 1, when many as 42 million Americans face losing access to food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Republicans will be faced with immense pressure to cut a deal. 'When these cuts [to subsidies] start coming in November, I think, boy, things are going to hit the fan,' he said. The US Department of Agriculture revealed this week that the 'well has run dry' for SNAP benefits. 'At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.' The Trump administration reportedly declined to tap into approximately $5 billion in contingency funds to cover SNAP costs amidst the second longest shutdown in US history. Staffing issues have also gripped federal industries across the United States, impacting travel from major US airports, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, New York, Houston, Atlanta and other hubs. The FAA revealed that more than 8,000 flights were delayed on Sunday due to staffing shortages at 22 airports. Kelley represents more than 800,000 federal and D.C. government workers 'who serve with pride and professionalism. In an effort to stem the damage, T rump ordered members of the military to receive pay during the government shutdown 'They ensure our skies are safe, our veterans receive care, our borders are protected, and our food is inspected,' he said. 'They come from every political background and every corner of this nation. What unites them is a simple belief: that service to country is honorable work.' 'Today,' Kelley said, 'that belief is being tested. 'The Army nurse in San Antonio, the TSA officer in Atlanta, the USDA food safety inspector in Iowa, and hundreds of thousands more like them are being asked to keep our country running without the paychecks that keep their own households afloat. 'These are patriotic Americans parents, caregivers, and veterans forced to work without pay while struggling to cover rent, groceries, gas and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington. That is unacceptable.' While Kelley did not single out Democrats or Republicans to solve the issue, the message will sting for liberal politicians who have already voted against reopening on 12 occasions. Democrats have refused to reopen the government until Republicans agree to compromise on extending parts of the Affordable Care Act. While Kelley did not single out Democrats or Republicans to solve the issue, the message will sting for liberal politicians who have already voted against reopening on 12 occasions Republicans have argued Democrats are risking stability for everyday, hardworking Americans in favor of 'holding out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures' Republicans have argued Democrats are risking stability for everyday, hardworking Americans in favor of 'holding out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures.' The federal government entered into shutdown on October 1 when lawmakers failed to pass new funding bills. FBI Director Kash Patel also called on lawmakers to find a solution on Monday, noting it was 'another day where 2/3 of the FBI goes without a paycheck, after 45 Senators (all of whom are still getting paid) voted against paying them last week. 'When law enforcement isn't paid, it weakens our ability to keep America safe. We owe it to those who protect this nation to end the shutdown.' While non-essential government employees have been furloughed during the shutdown, thousands more are being required to work without pay throughout the ongoing saga. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are among those who must work even though they are not being paid. Staffing issues have also gripped federal industries across the United States, impacting travel from major US airports , including Los Angeles , Chicago , Denver, New York, Houston, Atlanta and other hubs SNAP is a fully electronic system which allows beneficiaries to receive a set amount of money loaded onto a card each month. The average $187 monthly can then be used like a debit or credit card in stores In an effort to stem the damage, Trump ordered members of the military to receive pay during the government shutdown. The president has ruled that they will be paid using any available funds from the Fiscal Year 2026 budget that Congress has already appropriated. But the crisis will go from bad to worse on November 1 when SNAP benefits run dry. SNAP is a fully electronic system which allows beneficiaries to receive a set amount of money loaded onto a card each month. The average $187 monthly can then be used like a debit or credit card in stores. Cards apply to major grocery stores, dollar stores, farmers' markets, and to order food online from retailers such as Amazon. Fallout could include sales declining at grocery stores and added strain on food banks as impoverished Americans look for other ways to eat. Barnaby Joyce's political career has now gone full circle. He started out as an unlikely maverick senator from Queensland, elected when the Howard government secured four of the six senate seats in Joyce's home state at the 2004 election. In time he rose to become Nationals leader and deputy PM, before controversies struck and he lost the leadership, frontbench duties... and now sits as a backbench maverick once again. Having moved to the NSW lower house electorate of New England as part of his ambitious bid to become deputy PM, Joyce has now declared that he won't recontest his seat at the next election, nor sit in the Nationals' party room in the meantime, saying that his relationship with the leadership has 'irreparably broken down'. That's not quite a formal crossbench shift, but it's a very public walk out all the same. After two decades in parliament, Joyce's career has come full circle. He's back to where he started: loud, contrarian and off message. When Joyce first arrived in Canberra he wore the maverick tag like a RM Williams belt buckle. He threatened to cross the floor early and often, and then actually did it, 19 times under John Howard's prime ministership, and 28 during his Senate career. Joyce at times became a one man negotiating caucus. The branding worked. It made him famous, and it made him useful. Then he stopped being a rebel and became part of the political establishment. Twice leader of the Nationals. Twice Deputy Prime Minister. The maverick persona remained, but the maverick behaviour was only for the cameras. He became a team player. Barnaby Joyce as he was sworn in as a Queensland senator in 2005... He was regarded as a young maverick and, twenty years later, the more things change, the more they stay the same This episode - where the Daily Mail obtained video of him lying on a Canberra footpath, mumbling on the phone, late at night - marked a low point for Joyce... but he survived The Vikki Campion affair rocked the Turnbull government and saw a humiliating 'bonk ban' introduced into parliamentary offices - but Joyce was still left standing But then the barnacles started to build. Personal controversies did real damage, for him, and, arguably, the Coalition too. The Vikki Campion affair culminated in Malcolm Turnbull rewriting the ministerial code to ban relationships between ministers and staffers. Joyce was especially aggrieved by the way he was treated at that time. Years later, the late night footpath episode - broken by the Daily Mail - was explained away as a 'big mistake' after mixing prescription medication with alcohol. The footage turned him into a punchline for many. Yet Joyce survived both controversies and others, continuing to serve, albeit with declining cachet. Which brings us to the current reboot. Joyce has reverted to the maverick persona that kicked off his political career. He wants net zero gone, root and branch, and even drafted a private member's bill to repeal the 2050 commitment, which he labelled a 'lunatic crusade'. He's also said that One Nation is 'not barking mad' on climate, and is flirting with a defection to the minor party. As of now, he refuses to sit in a Nationals party room that won't junk net zero. This is vintage Barnaby: pick a fight, draw a line and dare colleagues to cross it. The difference is that this time he's fighting his own party, not prodding a Liberal prime minister from the Senate backbench. Joyce has made his demands clear in the same way he always has: pick a fight, draw a line and dare colleagues to cross it The move by Joyce probably hurts the Nationals more than it helps them. David Littleproud insists he wants Joyce to stay, but the real issue isn't whether Barnaby dozes off in party room meetings, it's whether the party still knows what it stands for beyond a rolling argument about climate policy. Joyce isn't simply dissenting on tactics, he's rejecting the destination the Coalition might be heading. He has confirmed conversations with Pauline Hanson. For her part, Pauline has flatly denied any talk of Barnaby leading her outfit. Could Joyce actually fit in as a future One Nation senator and possible future leader? Possibly. He still has a draw, especially with voters who long ago lost interest in centrist major party politics. Joyce is also younger than many assume. At 58 years of age he's much younger than Hanson, who at 71 is 13 years his senior. But parties built around personalities can be jealous places. Two suns cannot occupy the same sky. Barnaby's mid-career political crisis hasn't happened in a vacuum. The Nationals' identity crisis, folded into the Coalition's broader confusions, has contributed to the return of Joyce the maverick. If you treat someone like a relic for long enough, they start behaving like the old version of themselves. Joyce has returned to the posture that made him famous, only this time, any patience with his behaviour is gone. If Joyce does jump across to One Nation, he'll energise sections of the right and deepen the Coalition's fragmentation. If he doesn't, he'll keep haunting the party room he refuses to enter. Joyce's ongoing presence is now a no-win situation for the Nationals and the Coalition alike. Dozens of Year 12 students have discovered they had been taught the wrong ancient history topic just 48 hours before a crucial exam. Students in two ancient history classes at Brisbane State High School were due to sit their final external exam on Wednesday. But on Monday, staff discovered students had been taught the unit on Augustus, instead of Julius Caesar like the rest of the state. A spokesperson from the Queensland Education Department said it was 'deeply sorry' for the mix-up and students and their families were being supported. 'To ensure students are not disadvantaged, the school is making a whole cohort Illness and Misadventure application for this assessment,' they said. 'This will ensure consideration is given to the circumstances when student results are finalised.' Impacted student, who have already completed 75 per cent of their assessments, have been given an electronic resource pack and a plan for cramming sessions. This will include a full day of support for students on Tuesday and on Wednesday morning to run through practice exam questions and examples. The Year 12 ancient history students will undertake cram sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday in order to prepare them for the exam properly (pictured, Brisbane State High School) Students at Brisbane State High School discovered they had been taught the wrong topic (pictured, students sit an exam at a unrelated school) Julius Caesar and Augustus were two of the most influential figures in Roman history. Augustus was the first emperor after the 'republic' was destroyed by the dictatorship of Julius Caesar, his great-uncle and adoptive father. Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) was also made aware of the major mix-up on Monday afternoon. 'Schools are notified of the topic for Ancient History external exam more than 12 months in advance,' acting chief executive officer Claude Jones said. 'We are now working closely with the school's staff to ensure that no student is disadvantaged.' The authority said it will apply additional quality assurance processes when marking these exam responses to 'ensure every student receives fair and accurate results'. In an email, which has been seen by the Courier Mail, students and their families were informed that an additional paper could not be written on Augustus. Australians have shared their sympathy for students impacted by the mistake. The students at Brisbane State High School were taught about Augustus, the first emperor of Ancient Rome, instead of Julius Caesar (pictured, bronze monumental statue of Augustus) 'Year 12 was hard enough, I feel so sorry for the students!' one wrote. Another, who said they taught ancient history, said they felt for the teacher. 'The students will do fine (admittedly probably a little worse as they will be mentally stressed), though. It's a skills based exam and the teacher actually has no idea what's on it outside of the general topic,' they wrote. 'It's hard in a small subject like this where you are often the only person. 'In a large subject like English you might have a team of 10 to 20 people all with an eye on such changes.' Year 12 students at other Brisbane schools have also encountered challenges while sitting their exams. External exams for Accounting, Design, Aerospace Systems and Music were cancelled on Monday at three schools due to power outages following a storm. A fierce power struggle within the Department of Homeland Security has cost up to a dozen jobs and sparked sweeping changes within Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership. Donald Trump's handpicked border czar Tom Homan, along with his right-hand man, ICE Director Todd Lyons, are understood to be at odds with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem over her approach to tackling the illegal immigration crisis. Homan and Lyons want to pour their resources into tracking down convicted criminals who are living in the United States illegally, as well as people who have already been served final deportation orders. Their targeted approach to removing the worst of the worst has frustrated Noem, along with her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, according to Fox News. Noem is instead instead advocating for a broader and more aggressive approach in an effort to boost the number of reportable deportations each day. She has made a point to share statistics of successful deportations amid pressure from Trump to rid America of as many as 1,500 illegal immigrants per day. But the growing friction between the two sides has sparked a mass leadership shakeup within at least eight ICE field offices across the nation. As many as 12 senior leaders within the field offices are being turfed and replaced with Border Patrol officials, in a sign that Noem's allies are seizing more power within ICE. Homan and Lyons want to pour their resources into tracking down convicted criminals who are living in the United States illegally, as well as people who have already been served final deportation orders Noem is instead advocating for a broader and more aggressive approach in an effort to boost the number of reportable deportations each day Homan maintains the focus must be on hunting down criminals who are residing in America illegally, like the Venezuelan migrants deported to Honduras in March (pictured) The impacted field offices include Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, El Paso, New Orleans, Portland and Philadelphia. 'ICE started off with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol came to LA in June, we've lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization,' one senior DHS official told Fox. 'It's getting numbers, but at what cost?' A second official described the mood as 'tense' and 'combative' amid fears that the broader approach could alienate the public. 'ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes,' the insider said. ICE falls under the DHS remit, which is run by Noem, but Trump specifically appointed Homan as his 'border czar' when he returned to office as part of his pledge to clamp down on immigration. Homan previously served as acting ICE director, and Trump said 'Homan will be in charge of all deportation of illegal aliens back to their country of origin.' The leadership purge marks the latest upheaval to rock the department. A separate report last week suggested Noem was upset with Homan's frequent television appearances because she felt he had 'gotten out front' of her on certain immigration issues. Meanwhile, Noem is focused on the numbers, and is willing to track down any illegal immigrant, rather than specifically focusing on criminals, insiders say ICE agents fear Noem's approach of raiding street vendors (pictured) and people at their places of work will alienate Americans ICE has been ramping up arrests in the streets, at places like Home Depot and on street vendors (pictured), whereas Homan wants to focus on targeting criminals and the worst of the worst An administration official said, according to the New York Magazine report, that Noem 'tried to put a comms blackout on him.' Trump was reportedly so annoyed by the feud with Noem and Lewandowski that he called them into the Oval Office to raise his concerns. But the department quickly shut down the rumors, insisting there was 'no truth to that.' Last week, the White House offered its full support of Homan after it emerged he had been investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover agents posing as businesspeople during an FBI operation last year. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized Homan's encounter with the undercover agents as an effort by the Biden administration to 'entrap one of the president's top allies and supporters, someone who they knew very well would be taking a government position.' 'The White House and the president stand by Tom Homan 100 percent because he did absolutely nothing wrong, and he is a brave public servant who has done a phenomenal job in helping the president shut down the border,' she said. Around the same time, Jonathan Karl alleged in his book 'Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America' that Trump only chose Noem to lead the department as a favor to Lewandowski, who served as his campaign manager and is now a close ally of Noem. 'I did it for Corey,' Trump allegedly said when his shocked allies asked why he picked Noem. 'It's the only thing Corey asked me for.' Homan reportedly believes the priority must remain with hunting down criminals who are in the United States illegally, like the Venezuelan gang members sent to CECOT prison in El Salvador (pictured) A new book 'Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America' alleged that Trump only chose Noem to lead the department as a favor to Lewandowski (pictured), who served as his campaign manager and is now a close ally of Noem Since her appointment, Noem has earned the moniker 'ICE Barbie' for her camera-ready, stylized militaristic outfits during publicized immigration raids. She has decorated agency walls with framed photos of herself in rugged, tough-looking photo-ops and is frequently seen wearing the forest-green Border Patrol uniform and strutting through border checkpoints in tight jeans and a CBP cap. She also sparked controversy earlier this month after it was revealed that DHS spent $172 million on two Gulfstream private jets for her use. The purchase came off as ill-timed to critics, as it took place in the midst of a government shutdown which has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed and caused mass layoffs. A DHS official said the department's existing jet was more than 20 years old and 'well beyond its operational lifespan for a corporate aircraft.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin railed against suggestions that Homan and Noem were at a crossroads, stating: 'While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country.' And White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Mail last week 'the president's entire team' including Homan and Secretary Noem are all in lockstep. 'They are implementing the president's policy agenda, and the tremendous results securing the border and deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves.' Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons (left) is backing Homan, while Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino (right) is backing Noem There are fears within ICE that going after immigrants at their places of employment with zero criminal record is sending the wrong message. Pictured: Federal agents detain a woman as her son cries beside her Efforts have particularly ramped up this month in Chicago after protestors repeatedly gathered at the local ICE facility. At the ICE facility, some protesters have aimed to block vehicles from going in or out of the area in recent weeks, part of growing pushback to a surge of immigration enforcement that began in early September. Called 'Midway Blitz,' the DHS announced Friday that it has resulted in more than 1,000 immigration arrests. Federal agents have repeatedly fired tear gas, pepper balls and other projectiles toward crowds in response and at least five people have faced federal charges after being arrested in those clashes. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker lashed out at the Trump administration for the way federal agents, many of them masked to hide their faces, have treated protesters over the past month. He slammed officers' 'inhumane' tactics including slamming protesters to the ground, arresting a reporter and firing chemical agents into the crowds. 'It is clear federal agents cannot be trusted to act to protect the safety and constitutional rights of the public,' the Democrat said. Pritzker also ordered state agencies to coordinate possible action to 'hold federal agents accountable' for a raid on an apartment building in the city's South Shore neighborhood last week in which residents, regardless of status and including children, were detained for hours, some handcuffed. The department maintains both Homan and Noem are 'in lockstep' to achieve Trump's agenda to rid America of criminal illegal aliens Children were separated from their parents, while officers smashed windows and tore through apartments, leaving piles of debris in the hallways. Homeland Security officials said 37 undocumented immigrants were arrested, some with criminal histories and two allegedly members of a criminal Venezuelan gang. According to the DHS, since Trump returned to office as many as two million illegal immigrants have been removed or opted to self deport. An estimated 400,000 have been rounded up and deported, while 1.6million have left the country of their own volition. 'The numbers don't lie: 2 million illegal aliens have been removed or self-deported in just 250 days - proving that President Trump's policies and Secretary Noem's leadership are working and making American communities safe,' McLaughlin said last week. 'Ramped-up immigration enforcement targeting the worst of the worst is removing more and more criminal illegal aliens off our streets every day and is sending a clear message to anyone else in this country illegally: Self-deport or we will arrest and deport you.' Critics say cash mandate doesn't go far enough Treasurer Jim Chalmers has hit back at claims his plan to 'protect Australians' right to pay with cash' is a sham. Under the new industry code, only large supermarkets and major petrol chains will be required to accept cash, and only for purchases under $500. Smaller retailers, government agencies and most businesses will be exempt from the so-called 'cash mandate', meaning they can continue refusing cash payments without penalty. Independent MP for Calare, Andrew Gee, slammed the plan during Question Time on Tuesday, calling it a 'green light for the phasing out of cash in Australia.' 'The government's regulation only covers supermarkets and major fuel retailers, and only for transactions under $500,' Gee said. 'With respect, it's the green light for the phasing out of cash in Australia. Cash is vital during outages or disasters - it's about preserving choice and freedom.' Gee has introduced his own Keeping Cash Transactions in Australia Bill, which would require all businesses to accept cash for face-to-face purchases under $10,000. Chalmers defended the government's approach, saying it followed an extensive consultation process earlier this year, including 61 organisational submissions and 4,000 individual responses. Critics say the Government's cash mandate is a 'green light' for phasing out cash in Australia The plan will mandate cash for supermarkets, petrol stations and transactions under $500 'We don't want to place unnecessary burdens on small businesses, particularly in the regions,' he said. 'After that extensive consultation, we think we've got the balance right.' The Treasurer confirmed the government will review the mandate after three years, considering whether to expand the rules and assess their impact on businesses and cash distribution. 'We know cash still plays an important role in the lives of many Australians. Right now, there's no obligation - we're changing that,' Chalmers said. The move follows mounting pressure from advocates warning that digital-only payments risk leaving vulnerable Australians behind. Nearly 5,000 ATMs have vanished across Australia in just five years as the shift toward digital banking accelerates. Mark Latham has publicly claimed that his ex-partner Nathalie Matthews has withdrawn her private AVO application against him. Nathalie Matthews, 38, filed a private AVO in the NSW Local Court in July alleging Mr Latham subjected her to abuse including claims that he defecated on her during sex and drove a vehicle at her. The hearing was set for Wednesday, however the NSW MP revealed the day before that Ms Matthews had dropped the case. 'Agreed undertakings have been arrived at,' Mr Latham wrote on X. 'That's the end of that. Thank you for your attention to this matter.' 'Now waiting for the media apologies to roll in . NOT! Especially from the schoolgirls who covered the story desperately wanting me to be the villain.' He also described as 'fake' a report in the Sydney Morning Herald suggesting the AVO had been withdrawn on the condition Mr Latham not tweet about Ms Matthews or use parliamentary privilege to discuss the break-up. 'Just as parliament can't determine a court decision, no court process can limit or control a MP's parliamentary speech,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Of course, it's the separation of powers. The SMH report is nonsense.' Mark Latham is pictured with his ex-partner Nathalie Matthews Mr Latham claimed the AVO application had been 'withdrawn' on social media on Tuesday The case remained listed for Wednesday at time of writing on Tuesday afternoon. Ms Matthews first brought the AVO against Mr Latham in July, alleging he inflicted a 'sustained pattern' of of psychological, financial and emotional abuse against her. She further alleged Mr Latham pressured her to have sex with other people and engage in sordid sex acts and demanded she refer to him as 'master'. Mr Latham has consistently denied all abuse allegations. In a signed affidavit filed with the court, the NSW MP admitted to defecating on his ex-partner but insisted it was at her request. He said their relationship was 'entirely consensual' and free of 'coercion, intimidation and harassment'. Ms Matthews pleaded not guilty to revenge porn charges last month after being arrested at Sydney Airport following a flight from Dubai. The international businesswoman and former adult content creator was charged with accessing or modifying restricted data and intentionally recording and distributing an intimate image without consent. She spent a night in custody before being released on bail by a court. Gas will be banned in Sydney under new planning rules following similar bans in Victoria and the ACT as part of efforts to combat climate change. The City of Sydney formally endorsed a ban on gas connections at a meeting on Monday, with all new homes and businesses required to be electric only. Council claims the ban will reduce emissions and improve affordability, but critics say it will increase the risk of blackouts, delay the building sector and make household bills more expensive. The ban extends a previous prohibition on gas in kitchens as part of new house builds. It will now include outdoor gas appliances and will affect apartments and medium to large commercial buildings, hotels and serviced units. Industrial buildings and existing properties are exempt. Mixed-use developments can install gas kitchens only if they can be converted to electric at a later date. Ironically, millions of Australians will be banned from using gas while the country's mining sector exports record amounts of it that is then burned in foreign countries - all while raking in huge profits and, according to the tax office, dodging paying tax. The changes in Sydney will take effect on January 1, 2027. Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the decision would help residents save money and cited research that linked gas stoves to 12 per cent of childhood asthma cases in Australia. 'Relying on gas is bad for the planet, bad for our finances and bad for our health,' she claimed. 'More energy efficient buildings which meet future energy standards and avoid expensive retrofitting is an obvious next step.' New buildings in the City of Sydney must be fully electric under new planning rules banning gas connections in homes and businesses from January 2027 This graph shows how Australia's gas exports to foreign countries have skyrocketed while the consumption by Australians has remained steady Sydney Mayor Clover Moore claimed banning gas in homes and commercial buildings would make household bills cheaper and drive down pollution The City of Sydney has previously garnered criticism over its focus on social causes rather than providing services for ratepayers. In 2021 council spent part of its budget erecting dozens of rather obvious, 'racism not welcome' street signs. While hundreds of parking spots throughout the city were replaced with what's been described as a 'disjointed' and 'rushed' bike lane network. Ms Moore said the ban on gas makes financial sense, as the fossil fuel is expected to increase in price and would likely drive up energy bills. But some groups say the policy will drive up building and power costs, make projects less viable and affect housing affordability. Industry body Urban Taskforce challenged the idea electrification would bring down carbon emissions and said energy should remain a matter of consumer choice. 'Urban Taskforce Australia is concerned about the ramification these apparently small changes to the DCP will have on project feasibility, apartment affordability, supply-chain risks, and other unintended consequences,' it submitted. 'The application of energy requirements or constraints must be measured against the implications for project feasibility, housing supply, market demand and economic resilience.' Several groups questioned whether the electricity grid could reliably handle the extra demand without blackouts and outages. While gas network operator Jemena, warned it could undermine other renewable gas technologies like hydrogen and biomethane. Critics say the changes will increase the risk of blackouts and drive up energy bills (stock) The Master Plumbers Association of NSW objected to the ban on gas appliances in new homes earlier this year, stating its concerns were 'mostly ignored'. 'This is ideology over common sense,' chief executive Nathaniel Smith said. 'The City of Sydney is pushing forward with a policy that disregards expert input, public safety, and energy security in one sweeping motion.' It said the removal of gas appliances will reduce energy resilience across the city by deepening reliance on single power source for heating and cooking. 'Banning natural gas appliances won't stop people from wanting them,' Mr Smith added. 'It will push more households into illegal, DIY LPG setups that pose extreme fire, health, and safety risks.' Despite the backlash, the council will forge ahead with the plans as part of its broader target to reach net zero emissions by 2035. Similar bans are already in place in Victoria, where new gas connections were outlawed in 2024 for all new homes and government buildings. The ACT introduced similar measures in 2023, requiring new developments to be fully electric to meet its zero-emissions target. Several local councils in Sydney have also introduced similar controls, including Waverley and Parramatta, signalling a shift away from gas in urban areas. A gunman has admitted to killing Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe in broad daylight with a homemade weapon. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, allegedly gunned down Japan's longest serving prime minister as Mr Abe was giving a speech in the Japanese city of Nara in July 2022. The assassination shocked the world and led to an outpouring of tributes from global leaders. At a court in Nara today, Yamagami pleaded guilty to assassinating Mr Abe in broad daylight in July 2022. 'Everything is true,' he told the court. Yamagami appeared in a black top and gray trousers, with his long hair tied in a ponytail. He has previously claimed that he targeted Mr Abe over his perceived ties to the controversial Unification Church - a South Korean-based religious organisation which is known for its aggressive donation-seeking tactics. Yamagami said that he had a long held grudge against the Unification Church after his mother's hefty donations to the organisation left his family in financial ruin. Tetsuya Yamagami (pictured), 45, allegedly gunned down Japan's longest serving prime minister as Mr Abe was giving a speech in the Japanese city of Nara in July 2022 Shinzo Abe with US President Donald Trump in 2018. Mr Abe had famously warm relations with the US President Since the killing, the churchs aggressive fundraising practises have faced intense scrutiny in Japan and it exposed their deep ties to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party - which has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955. The Japan Times reports that defense lawyers will try to highlight Yamagamis troubled upbringing as part of efforts to call for leniency. Meanwhile, prosecutors will likely focus on the heinous nature of the shooting and the immediate events before it. Mr Abe was a towering figure in Japanese politics: Serving two terms from 2006 to 2007, and then again from 2012 until poor health forced him to resign in 2020. He remained hugely influential within the Liberal Democratic Party. He was best-known for his 'Abenomics' agenda to revive Japan's sluggish economy via a programme of vast government spending, massive monetary easing, and cutting red tape. But he also pushed for reforms of Japan's pacifist post-war constitution to allow the country to develop a fully-fledged military, and deepened ties with western allies - particularly with the US. Mr Abe was known have to have built a particularly good friendship with President Donald Trump. Trump previously referred to Mr Abe as 'one of his best friends' and speaking with Japan's current prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, he said was 'very saddened' by Mr Abe's death and that 'he [Abe] spoke well' of Mrs Takaichi. The US President is in Japan this week for trade talks. It has been revealed that Prince Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein at Royal Lodge. Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein were at the 30 room royal residence - where the former Duke of York continues to live for free - for Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday party in 2006. While it had previously been reported that the trio attended the masked ball at Windsor Castle, it was not known that they were hosted by Andrew at his home. It is understood that Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein visited Royal Lodge ahead of the main party. In the image, the trio can be seen wearing fancy dress, Weinstein - who is currently serving a 16 year prison sentence for the sexual assault and rape of multiple women - is wearing coat and tails. Epstein is dressed up in US military uniform clutching a wine glass while Maxwell can be seen wearing a feathered boa mask while grinning for the camera. The visit came two months after an arrest warrant was issued for Epstein for the sexual assault of a minor. He was subsequently arrested in Florida eight days after the party. In the picture taken at Royal Lodge Harvey Weinstein is wearing a coat and tails while Jeffrey Epstein is dressed up in US military uniform clutching a wine glass and Ghislaine Maxwell an be seen wearing a feathered boa mask while grinning for the camera The trio can be seen posing for the photo in front of the distinctive trees - and garden wall - around Royal Lodge - seen in this aerial shot During his infamous 2019 Newsnight interview, Andrew was asked why he invited Epstein to his daughter's birthday party. He replied: 'Certainly I wasn't aware when the invitation was issued what was going on in the United States and I wasn't aware until the media picked up on it because he never said anything about it.' The revelation that Andrew hosted Epstein and Maxwell at Royal Lodge, which has been verified by BBC News, is the most recent visit to a royal residencies the convicted sex traffickers are known to have taken in the late 1990s and early 2000s. An image of Epstein and Maxwell at Balmoral was released by prosecutors during Maxwell's sex trafficking trial. The image, which shows the pair relaxing at a cabin thought to be the porch of the Queen's log cabin on the Balmoral estate, is believed to have been taken in 1999 when Prince Andrew reportedly invited the couple to the royals' private Highland estate. In 2000 Andrew hosted a birthday event for Maxwell at Sandringham where Epstein was also a guest. And in 2002, Maxwell was given a private tour of Buckingham Palace in 2002. During the tour she was pictured sitting on the monarch's throne alongside the disgraced actor Kevin Spacey who has faced several allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Epstein and Maxwell relaxing at a cabin thought to have been taken in 1999 when Prince Andrew reportedly invited the couple to Balmoral Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir on display in London. Ms Giuffre claimed in her memoir that Andrew had sex with her on three separate occasions including on one occasion with Epstein and 'eight other young girls' Earlier this month, Andrew relinquished his titles as he faced fresh scrutiny for his links to Epstein and following the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre's memoir. Ms Giuffre claimed in her memoir that Andrew had sex with her on three separate occasions including on one occasion with Epstein and 'eight other young girls'. Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and in 2022 he reached an out of court financial settlement with Ms Giuffre. On top of this, Andrew has faced further criticism for after it emerged he had kept in contact with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted to. Focus has since turned to Andrew's residency at Royal Lodge, with some MPs eager to debate the issue in Parliament. The King's brother is in talks about leaving the 30-room Grade II listed mansion voluntarily following public outcry over his 'peppercorn' rent, but is reluctant to give up his residence of more than 20 years. Reports have since suggested King Charles may pay Andrew out of his own pocket to leave Royal Lodge, from which he cannot be legally evicted. Last weekend, the Mail on Sunday revealed that Prince Andrew allegedly asked his taxpayer-funded Met bodyguard to dig up information on Ms Giuffre, passing on her date of birth and social security number - claims he denies. In an autobiography which has been published posthumously tells the full story of how she was recruited by Maxwell to be Epstein's sex slave. The Mail on Sunday also revealed Epstein introduced Andrew to another woman he had abused for years, although there have been no allegations about Andrew's conduct towards her, and that the financier bankrolled Sarah Ferguson for more than 15 years. A palace source told the paper the allegations were 'very serious and of grave concern' and 'should be examined in the proper and fullest ways.' Ms Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year, claimed that paedophile Epstein trafficked her to London and forced her to have sex with the prince, allegations Andrew has repeatedly and vehemently denied. Do YOU live near either site? The locations of two new military sites which Labour will use to house 900 migrant men have been revealed. The Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex are at the centre of talks about where to house the male asylum seekers as the government seeks to end the use of hotels. Sir Keir Starmer ordered the Home Office and Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials to expedite work to locate appropriate military sites, it is understood. It came after Labour's pledge to end the use of hotels to accommodate migrants by the next election, in a bid to save millions of pounds and control anti-migrant protests. Around 32,000 asylum seekers are currently being housed in hotels, an increase of 2,500 since last year. Other locations under consideration include industrial sites, temporary accommodation and currently disused accommodation. A Home Office spokesperson told The Times: 'We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. 'This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.' Your browser does not support iframes. The Cameron Barracks (pictured) in Inverness is one of two locations at the centre of talks on where to house asylum seekers Yesterday, a damning report found the Home Office has 'squandered' billions of pounds on asylum hotels. MPs blasted the department's 'incompetence' over its handling of a 'failed, chaotic and expensive' system. There was 'manifest failure' by the Home Office to 'get a grip' of contracts with private companies it appointed to house asylum seekers, they concluded. As a result, the firms had been allowed make 'excessive profits' from the Channel crisis. In one of the most damning reports ever published into the dysfunctional department, the MPs said the Home Office was 'not up to this challenge' and demanded a series of major changes. The Commons' home affairs select committee said it was 'inexplicable' the Home Office did not require accommodation providers to assess the impact on local areas before opening migrant hotels. It had led to 'some local services experiencing unsustainable pressures', damaging community cohesion and allowing 'misinformation and mistrust to grow'. The Crowborough army training camp (pictured) in East Sussex is the second location where the government plans to house male asylum seekers Committee chair Dame Karen Bradley MP said: 'The Home Office has presided over a failing asylum accommodation system that has cost taxpayers billions of pounds. 'Its response to increasing demand has been rushed and chaotic, and the department has neglected the day-to-day management of these contracts. 'The Government needs to get a grip on the asylum accommodation system in order to bring costs down and hold providers to account for poor performance. 'Urgent action is needed to lower the cost of asylum accommodation and address the concerns of local communities.' She added: 'There is now an opportunity to draw a line under the current failed, chaotic and expensive system, but the Home Office must finally learn from its previous mistakes or it is doomed to repeat them.' Donald Trump had Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi jumping for joy during his remarks addressing America's 'good looking' sailors in the Tokyo region on Tuesday. U.S. troops went wild as Takaichi pumped her fist, smiled from ear-to-ear and jumped in a circle on stage aboard the USS George Washington when Trump boasted her as 'the first female prime minister in the history of Japan.' Trump made a grand entrance to his event, coming down on a giant lift and strutting out flanked by fighter jets and large missiles before inviting the new Japanese leader on stage. The two flowered compliments on each other during their day together before Trump heads to South Korea to wrap up his weeklong trip through Asia. 'I'm so happy to have gotten to know your new Prime Minister,' Trump said during remarks during a reception with business leaders. 'I think she's going to go down as great.' 'She's got all of our support,' he insisted. And earlier on Tuesday, Takaichi said she would nominate Trump for next year's prize. The president made it his mission on Tuesday to tell U.S. troops stationed in Japan how great they were. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaich jumped for joy and pumped her fist in the air as US troops cheered President Donald Trump bragged about her being Japan's first-ever female prime minister The two got chummy as Trump invited new Takaichi on stage for his rally aboard the USS George Washington Navy aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 'You see that nobody makes equipment like we do. Nobody makes the ammunition, the weapons, the missiles, planes, none of it,' Trump said. 'And if they do, the American sailor stands ready to crush them and sink them and wreck them and blast them into oblivion, right?' The president then caught himself, saying that was a 'terrible statement to make.' 'That's the end of it because everybody said that I should immediately get the Nobel Peace Award,' he said. 'With that statement, that takes me out of the running,' Trump laughed of Takaichi's earlier suggestion he would be up for the award. The president continued by saying that the Navy's 'ultimate strength' doesn't come from the equipment. 'It comes from the men and women of the rank and file,' he said. 'It comes from you people, incredible people, good-looking people, too many good-looking people,' Trump told the crowd of men and women, representing both the U.S. and Japan. 'I don't like good-looking people,' he continued. 'I never liked good-looking people, I'll be honest with you.' 'Never admitted that before,' he added cheekily. President Donald Trump speaks to sailors on Tuesday on board the US Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier, which is stationed in the Tokyo region of Japan President Donald Trump can be seen emerging between fighter jets as he made a dramatic entrance to deliver remarks to sailors stationed abroad on the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan A the conclusion of her remarks, Trump grabbed Takaichi's hand and guided her off stage From there, Trump alluded to how the Pentagon had scrapped diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on his watch. 'Everything now in our country is based on merit, and that's why I look at you and see nothing but merit,' he continued. 'It's great to have a country back where we can go by merit. Now we don't go by anything else except for talent and work and hard work.' Trump told the crowd he supported an 'across-the-board pay raise' for the entire military, an announcement that received loud cheers. 'But now, all we really have to do is get the Democrats to approve it,' Trump said. 'But they'll come along, they always do.' He chided his former Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, later in the speech, suggesting that the gaffe-prone Biden had told people he was a pilot. While Biden has made some dubious claims - including that his uncle was eaten by cannibals after his plane crashed - pretending to be a pilot wasn't one of them. President Donald Trump (left) arrives on board the USS George Washington alongside Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right), which is docked in the Tokyo region White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt arrives on the USS George Washington ahead of President Donald Trump's remarks on the aircraft carrier on Tuesday in Yokosuka, Japan President Donald Trump (left) had Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (right) address the crowd as he referred to her as 'a winner' President Donald Trump did his trademark moves to the Village People's YMCA after he wrapped up nearly an hour-long speech to members of the US Navy and their Japanese counterparts 'And see, Biden used to say he was a pilot. He was a pilot, he was a truck driver, whatever, whoever, walked in,' Trump said. 'He wasn't a pilot.' 'He wasn't too much of a president either, to be honest with you,' the Republican digged. Traditionally, presidents have avoided giving political speeches in front of U.S. military personnel, but Trump already scrapped that norm several times during his second term. Trump also admitted during his remarks that he'd 'like to be an admiral.' 'I always wanted to be an admiral, to be honest,' he said, adding, 'I love those uniforms.' Trump arrived on the aircraft carrier alongside Takaichi, Japan's new leader, who was sworn in last week. The president said a deal to sell U.S. missiles to Japan was already underway, explaining that's why he used them to make his bold entrance. 'You saw a couple of them coming down with me, I hugged them,' he said. 'It's the first batch of missiles to be delivered to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces for Japan's F-35s, and they're coming this week, so they're ahead of schedule.' Takaichi was a protege of Trump's friend, the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. That connection set the table for a warm visit, with Trump calling Takaichi up onstage to deliver remarks as part of the programming, announcing to the crowd, 'This woman is a winner!' 'So, you know, we've become very close friends all of the sudden, because their stock market today and our stock market today hit an all-time high,' Trump said. 'That means we're doing something right.' Tourists trapped in Jamaica have been left in fear for their lives as the island braces itself for the world's most powerful storm this year with forecasters expecting it to unleash catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides and 175mph winds. Hurricane Melissa intensified to a Category 5 - the maximum strength - on Monday and has already begun lashing the coast with 'life-threatening hurricane-force winds', and damaging waves. Deadly Melissa is expected to bring 40 inches of rain in parts of Jamaica over the next four days, and brutal storm surges with 13ft waves according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), as resorts and hotels across the island prepare to take on the brutal force of the tropical storm. Now, as the hurricane hurtles closer, holidaymakers in Jamaica have been sharing updates on social media as they scramble for safety before Melissa makes its devastating landfall. One tourist said she was 'really scared' and 'praying for the whole of Jamaica', while another revealed many were left feeling 'anxious' as they wait for in anticipation for the storm to hit. Hotel staff across the island have been boarding up doors with wooden planks, taping windows, removing lights and clearing out pools as they attempt to limit the destruction Hurricane Melissa threatens to bring later today. Resort restaurants and beaches have been completely shut off to the public, with tourists being moved from their ground floor rooms to ones higher up and further away from the 'dark and angry' sea. Holidaymaker Rebecca Chapman told BBC Radio 4 this morning that she 'doesn't feel safe' as she scrambled to take shelter with her children at their resort just 30 minutes from Montego Bay. Resorts across the island have begun boarding up doors and windows in preparation for the storm to hit Light fixtures in buildings have been removed to prepare for the island's worst ever storm Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 status on Monday. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will make landfall over Jamaica, home to nearly three million people Palm trees sway as Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Kingston, Jamaica, October 28, 2025 A wave crashes, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in the Harbour View neighbourhood of Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025 'It never looked like a Caribbean sea, it seems very dark and angry, it's very foreboding, there's a weird rumbling noise coming from the horizon, it's ominous, eerie, strange,' she said. Hanna Mcleod, a 23-year-old hotel receptionist in the Jamaican capital of Kingston, said she boarded up the windows at her home, where her husband and brother are staying. She stocked up on canned corned beef and mackerel and left candles and flashlights throughout the house. 'I just told them to keep the door closed,' she said. 'I am definitely worried. This is actually the first time I'll be experiencing this type of hurricane.' British tourists have also been warned to take precautions as the storm closes in, with 1.5million people on the island set to be affected by Melissa. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has set up a crisis centre ready to help Britons on the Caribbean island and the Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is already in the region on stand-by. Around 5,000 British nationals are on the island, reports have said. UK travel trade organisation Abta warned British tourists in Jamaica to monitor local news. A spokesperson said: 'The international airports in Jamaica are now closed as a precaution until the storm passes. 'Travel providers are liaising with their suppliers locally and providing advice and assistance to their customers. 'Customers currently in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news and should follow the advice of the local authorities, their accommodation and travel providers. 'Customers who are imminently due to travel to Jamaica should liaise with their travel provider and airline to establish if there are any changes to their travel arrangements.' Now, fears are also rising that a four-foot storm surge will leave a key Jamaican airport underwater, potentially leaving tourists stranded for even longer when the storm passes. BBC science correspondent Thomas Moore explained the Norman Manley International Airport, which lies on the south coast of Jamaica, may be left flooded as the runway is just three metres above sea level. 'If that is under a metre of water, even when the hurricane is gone, how quickly does that water dissipate? How quickly can they get aid flights, doctors, emergency teams on the ground who haven't been able to get in since the airport closed over the weekend?,' he said. All of Jamaica's international airports have been closed until further notice. 'It's a catastrophic situation expected in Jamaica,' WMO tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan told a Geneva press briefing. 'For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure.' The storm, which has been blamed for three deaths in Jamaica, and four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said. Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm bearing down on the island of Jamaica at 10:10GMT, October 28, 2025 in the Caribbean Sea Your browser does not support iframes. A house stands damaged by the preliminary winds of Hurricane Melissa at Hellshire Fishing Beach in Portmore, Jamaica, 27 October 2025 Hurricane Melissa will make landfall in Jamaica as the strongest hurricane to strike the island since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 People take shelter in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa's forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, October 27, 2025 A man wearing a protective suit cycles on a street, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025 A fallen tree lies on a street while it rains, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025 A gas station and nearby businesses are boarded up ahead of the imminent impact of Hurricane Melissa in Port Henderson, St. Catherine, Jamaica, 27 October 2025 A fence lays on the road, damaged by the preliminary winds of Hurricane Melissa at Hellshire Fishing Beach, Portmore, Jamaica, 27 October 2025 But it is worryingly travelling at a slow pace which is feared to lead to prolonged torrential rain in areas and widespread destruction. It is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less. This means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes. The NHC has warned it could cause 'catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides' as well as 'total structural failure'. It also warned that failure to take immediate action may result in 'serious injury or significant loss of life'. The NHC said Melissa was currently about 140 miles south-west of the capital Kingston, with sustained winds of 175mph. It was moving 'north-northeast' at 2mph. The government has urged extra caution in Jamaica's 'higher elevation areas', where wind speeds could be as much as 30 per cent stronger, and has already ordered evacuations for parts of Kingston and vulnerable communities across the island. NHC director Michael Brennan warned Jamaicans: 'Do not venture outside with catastrophic life threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides expected through Tuesday.' He advised not to 'go out in the eye as it passes over your area. The forward speed of Melissa is going to increase and the eye is going to start to move very quickly across the island.' Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in a post on X, urged 'every Jamaican to prepare, stay indoors during the storm, and comply with evacuation orders'. 'We will weather this storm and rebuild stronger,' he wrote. 'You have been warned. It's now up to you to use that information to make the right decision,' he said during a briefing, and told CNN, 'I don't believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation.' He also told a news conference that he has 'been on my knees in prayer', adding that he had been in contact with world leaders. 'It would appear the entire world is praying for Jamaica,' he said. Crews across the island are already working to restore power before Melissa makes landfall after Jamaica Public Service said more than 52,000 customers have been impacted by power outages. 'We are working to connect the remaining customers, however, in some areas, heavy rain and difficult terrain are creating access challenges,' it added. 'The safety of our crews and the public is our top priority. We stand with you. Please stay safe and stay indoors.' Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 storm Monday as it approaches Jamaica. Forecasters said it could unleash catastrophic flooding and landslides A man walks by a house damaged by the preliminary winds of Hurricane Melissa at Hellshire Fishing Beach in Portmore, Jamaica Volunteers assemble relief packages for Hurricane Melissa at the Global Empowerment Mission headquarters in Miami, Florida, on October 27 People gather at a shelter where they were moved as a precautionary measure as people prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, October 27, 2025 But regardless of warnings to seek shelter, some are insisting on staying in their flood-prone communities. 'I hear what they say, but I am not leaving,' said Noel Francis, a 64-year-old fisherman who lives on the beach in the southern town of Old Harbor Bay, where he was born and grew up. 'I can manage myself.' His neighbor, Bruce Dawkins, said he also had no plans to leave his home. After making landfall in Jamaica, the hurricane is expected to continue northwards towards eastern Cuba and across the southeastern or central Bahamas. The Bahamas will experience hurricane conditions on Wednesday, with tropical storm conditions in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. At least three people are already known to have died and hundreds of homes have been flooded in Haiti as Melissa brought torrential rainfall to the island of Hispaniola. In the Dominican Republic, located on the eastern side of Hispaniola, one person also died. Local media identified the victim as a 79-year-old man who had been swept away by floodwaters in the capital, Santo Domingo. A 13-year-old has also been reported missing after being dragged away by strong currents as he was swimming in the sea. Several people were rescued after being trapped in their cars by the rising floodwater. Five flights packed with British tourists had to be diverted to other destinations after a mystery drone was spotted near Alicante Airport. Airport authority AENA suspended operations just before 9pm last night following the drone sighting. Normal activity wasnt resumed until around 11pm last night. Overnight it was confirmed ten international flights bound for the Costa Blanca had to be diverted to nearby airports, seven to Valencia, one to Murcia, one to Barcelona and one to Palma in Mallorca. Five were flights coming from the UK - three Ryanair planes which had taken off from Manchester, London Stansted and Newcastle; an easyJet flight from Liverpool and a Jet2 flight from Manchester. The drone alert also caused delays for holidaymakers on outbound flights. Graphics shared on flight tracking website Flightradar showed several flights headed for Alicante airport being diverted to nearby travel hubs. Local reports said around 1,000 travellers had been directly affected. A statement by AENA said: 'Due to the presence of a drone in the vicinity of the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport, flight diversions are occurring. Five flights had to be diverted to other destinations after a mystery drone was spotted near Alicante Airport. File photo: Spanish policemen walk at Alicante-Elche airport on January 15, 2020 Overnight it was confirmed ten international flights bound for the Costa Blanca had to be diverted to nearby airports 'We are working together with the Security Forces to normalize operations as soon as possible'. Police were continuing to investigate today to try to identify the drone operator. Earlier this month Palma Airport was thrown into chaos after a mystery drone was spotted near the runways. And in late September flights were also diverted from Fuerteventura airport after a drone sighting, with reports at the time saying at least three planes packed with holidaymakers were turned away from the island airport. Police are still trying to identify the person responsible for the problems in Majorca. Recent reports said they could face a fine of up to 3.9 million. The highest fine could be applied if the drone operator turned out to be a professional like a pilot or aeronautical engineer. If the person turned out to be a non-professional, the likely fine would be around the 195,000 mark. The drone sightings over the Spanish holiday hotspot also comes after Lithuania was forced to close its capital airport late on Saturday and shut both crossings on the border with Belarus after helium weather balloons drifted into the Baltic country's territory for a second consecutive day. Graphic shows flights headed for Alicante being diverted It comes after a Mallorcan airport was forced to ground all flights after a 'drone was spotted' flying overhead over the weekend (file photo) Traffic at Vilnius Airport was suspended until 2am local time while the Belarus border will remain shut until the same time, Lithuanian officials said. European aviation has repeatedly been thrown into chaos in recent weeks by drone sightings and other air incursions, including at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and the Baltic region. The Vilnius airport also closed on Tuesday and Friday of this week and on October 5, each time due to balloons entering the capital's airspace, authorities have said. Lithuania has said balloons are sent by smugglers transporting contraband cigarettes, but it also blames Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, for not stopping the practice. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene on Friday said the country's National Security Commission will meet next week to assess the situation. The airport closure comes after NATO jets were scrambled on Thursday after two Russian military planes were briefly spotted in Lithuanian airspace. The aircraft, an Su-fighter and Il-78 refuelling tanker, were in the airspace for 18 seconds, with Spanish jets from NATO's Baltic division scrambled in response, according to the Lithuanian military. The Russian planes were possibly conducting a refuelling exercise over the city of Kaliningrad before they flew 700 metres into Lithuanian territory, according to local media. The country's Ministry of National Defence said in a statement: 'Our forces acted quickly with NATO jets on patrol. 'Lithuania remains strong and ready. Every inch of our country is protected.' President Gitanas Nauseda condemned the incident, stating: 'This is a cruel violation of international law and the territorial sovereignty of Lithuania, and we have to react to this.' This is a breaking news story, more to follow. Pregnant 'drugs mule' Bella Culley will have her baby behind bars after agreeing to serve two years in prison - despite her family paying a staggering 140,000 fine. The Teesside teenager's parents were given three weeks to find 215,000 to secure her freedom at the start of this month. Mother Lyanne Kennedy, 44, a charity worker, and father Niel Culley, 49, an oil rig technician who lives in Vietnam, have no UK property but managed to come agonisingly close to the total. But after Niel handed over 500,000 Georgian Lari (140,000) today in a plea bargain, she will be sentenced to two years by Judge Giorgi Gelashvili on Monday. On pleading guilty, Culley, 19, asked her lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia: 'Will I be able to take the baby with me if I go back to jail?' Mr Salakaia responded: 'Nobody is going to take the baby away from you.' Astonishingly, Lyanne said after the hearing that the Georgian government 'did budge' on the fine and the original amount 'was a lot more'. Culley is due to give birth before Christmas after falling pregnant while travelling South East Asia with a man she said was not involved in drug smuggling. The teenager did not even know Georgia was a country when she was arrested, touching down in the capital, Tbilisi, in May. She has insisted that a British gang threatened to kill her family if she didn't do as they told her before being found with 200,000 worth of cannabis in her luggage. This morning, she appeared in a grey sleeveless cardigan and a pink t-shirt and appeared slightly taken aback on being told she must serve two years. Pregnant 'drugs mule' Bella Culley will have her baby behind bars after agreeing to serve two years in prison - despite her family paying a staggering 140,000 fine Culley's mother seen arriving in court today. Although she and Culley's father Niel, 49, an oil rig technician who lives in Vietnam, have no UK property but managed to come agonisingly close to the total 215,000 needed to secure her freedom Prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili told Tbilisi City Court: 'The plea bargain has been reached, our conditions have been met two years of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 Georgian Lari.' Mr Salakaia, defending, said: 'I can confirm. All relevant parties have been informed as well. We would like to ask the judge to schedule one final hearing to pass the final verdict. 'She pleaded guilty, fully cooperated with the investigation, and the plea bargain has just been reached. So we would like to ask the judge to release her on bail, given her advanced pregnancy.' But Judge Gelashvili said: 'There are no legal grounds for changing her conditions, I am afraid,' after a doctor ruled her conditions are 'satisfactory'. She waved to her mother as she was led off. Lawyers confirmed afterwards that had the family paid the full amount, the teenager could have been freed immediately. Culley's time already served since May will be taken into account, meaning she has just over 18 months left behind bars. It is understood that she may be permitted to move to house arrest in the last month of her pregnancy for 10 months in total. Culley claims she was forced to peddle the drugs from Thailand to Georgia, claiming she was burned with a hot iron and shown a beheading video by a Thai gang. She then claims she flew to Tbilisi - thinking that was the name of a country - not knowing she had 14kg of illegal cargo hidden in her bags. Culley has claimed she flew to Tbilisi not knowing she had 14kg of illegal cargo hidden in her bags It follows a huge surge in backpackers being targeted and groomed by British gangs who have flocked to Thailand. The country recently legalised cannabis, meaning there is a massive illicit trade in smuggling it to Britain for huge mark ups. After the National Crime Agency shut down a scheme to post it to Britain, they have reverted to grooming drug mules. Sentencing is scheduled for 2pm local time next Monday. A British couple detained in Iran seem to be 'losing hope' after telling their family a recent court hearing had not gone well. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, were arrested in Kerman, southern Iran, in January during a motorcycle tour around the world and were later charged with espionage, which they deny. The couple, from east Sussex, had intended to travel from Armenia to Pakistan via Iran when they were intercepted by authorities and taken into custody. They were supposedly held in a security detention facility in Kerman, but were moved into separate prisons in August - seven months on from their arrests. Ms Foreman is being kept in Qarchak women's prison near the Iranian capital Tehran, a hellhole jail criticised for its dire conditions by human rights groups. Meanwhile Mr Foreman has been transferred from Fashafouyeh prison to the notorioous Evin jail, where British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained for almost six years. Their son, Joe Bennett, who has been campaigning for their release, recently spoke to his mother for the second time since she was detained, after she was permitted a 20-minute call from prison on Thursday. Mr Bennett said: 'There was very little my mother could say. Her spirits were low. She told me that a further recent court appearance last week had not gone well. 'We had been told to expect a verdict rather than another appearance. I don't know exactly what that means, but I could feel she's losing hope.' Lindsay and Craig Foreman (pictured), both 52, were arrested in Kerman, southern Iran, on January 3, as they embarked on a motorcycle trip around the world to Australia The couple, from east Sussex, had intended to travel from Armenia to Pakistan via Iran when they were intercepted by authorities and later charged with espionage The detained couple's family met Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper earlier this month, but Joe described the approach of the UK Government as 'deeply concerning'. He said: 'Right now, it feels like each side is waiting for the other to move first. 'The British are waiting for a sentence before acting. The Iranians are deciding what sentence to hand down. 'And in the middle of this diplomatic stalemate are my parents, innocent people caught between two systems moving too slowly.' Mr Bennett added: 'It's been 10 months. It feels like living a nightmare, one we can't wake from. 'The horizon for their freedom feels hard to see, but with public support, I still believe we can get there.' Mr Bennett revealed last month that Lindsay had been put on a drip in her cell, which she shares with 70 other women. The reason for this is not known. He has described how the prison is unbearably hot and has frequent power outages and poor food, with his mother given only a metal bunk with no mattress to sleep on. According to Mr Bennett, his step-father Craig is also suffering from a tooth abscess and stomach problems and is sharing a cell with around 40 men. Joe Bennett has been forefront in campaigning for his mother and step-father's release The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warns all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a 'significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention'. The FCDO has been approached for comment. A spokeswoman said previously: 'We are deeply concerned by reports that two British nationals have been charged with espionage in Iran. 'We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities. 'We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members.' Rachel Reeves has suffered a fresh blow ahead of her Budget next month following a larger-than-expected downgrade to official productivity forecasts, it has emerged. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) watchdog is reportedly poised to cut its trend productivity forecast by about 0.3 percentage points in its upcoming projections. It is estimated this will open a fresh hole in the public finances of more than 20billion as the Chancellor attempts to put together her latest fiscal package. This will increase the size of Ms Reeves' task in balancing the books and will put Britons on alert for even bigger tax hikes on 26 November. There has already been speculation she could break Labour's manifesto pledges and raise income tax, while the Treasury is also considering proposals for a 'mansion tax'. The Chancellor on Monday acknowledged the OBR was likely to downgrade its productivity forecasts due to the UK's 'very poor' record. Speaking in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Ms Reeves also said she was 'of course' looking at tax increases - as well as spending cuts - in her bid to balance the books. She reiterated the need to meet Budget rules requiring her to bring down borrowing and debt - with enough room to spare in case of unexpected problems in the future. Rachel Reeves has suffered a fresh blow ahead of her Budget next month following a larger-than-expected downgrade to official productivity forecasts, it has emerged Speaking in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the Chancellor said she was 'of course' looking at tax increases - as well as spending cuts - in her bid to balance the books The Chancellor said: 'We are looking, of course, at tax and spending to ensure that we have resilience against future shocks by ensuring we've got sufficient headroom, and also just ensuring that those fiscal rules are adhered to.' One Labour official told the Financial Times there was 'fury' in No10 and the Treasury that the OBR has decided to deliver its productivity downgrade now, rather than before last year's general election. The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank has said a 0.1 percentage point downgrade to the productivity forecast would increase public sector net borrowing by 7billion in 202930. This means a 0.3 percentage point cut could create a 21billion hit for Ms Reeves, at a time when she is already thought to be facing a multi-billion pound spending hole. A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We won't comment on speculation ahead of the OBR's forecast, which will be published on November 26.' Ms Reeves last week declined to rule out an income tax rise at the Budget. Your browser does not support iframes. Asked about reports that the Treasury is in active discussions over raising the rate, the Chancellor said on Friday she would 'continue to support working people by keeping their taxes as low as possible'. She added she was still 'going through the process' of writing her Budget. Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Monday repeatedly refused to rule out a 'mansion tax' being imposed by the Chancellor. It was this weekend revealed how Ms Reeves could hit those with homes worth more than 2million with a punitive levy in the Budget . Under the proposals, reported by the Mail on Sunday, the owners of properties worth 2million and above would face a charge of 1 per cent of the amount by which the property exceeds that value. That would mean the owners of a 3million property would face a bill of 10,000 every year. But the plans have been widely condemned by property experts and a former Bank of England governor. Your browser does not support iframes. Research from the Resolution Foundation think-tank has shown that the 'effective tax rate' charged to the average worker was at its highest for more than a decade, with those on the median salary of 33,000 paying 27 per cent. The analyis showed the 'effective tax rate' - which includes employer National Insurance (NI) - for low and middle earners has been rising. Those workers had seen the rate fall under the Tories in the 2010s as they benefited from higher taxfree allowances - the amount that can be earned before any income tax is due - as well as cuts in employee NI, the report said. The think-tank also noted that the recent increase in employer NI has widened a 'damaging tax gap' between employees and the self-employed to record levels. And it said there was 'plenty of evidence' that employer NI 'is ultimately paid for by the employee'. Tory shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: 'With the effective tax rate the highest for 13 years and millions on welfare instead of working, Rachel Reeves should be cutting taxes not raising them.' The Bureau of Meteorology has come under fire for 'putting lives at risk' by launching a 'flawed' website redesign ahead of a severe thunderstorm in Queensland. Changes to the Bureau's website went live on Wednesday, days before about 120,000 homes were affected by power outages following a thunderstorm in the state's southeast on Sunday. Premier David Crisafulli joined the chorus of criticism on Tuesday, telling state parliament the changes 'were not good enough' and did not 'make sense'. The Bureau has defended the new website - which cost $4million - claiming it followed user research and testing and was supposed to improve clarity and access to information. But Queensland residents lashed the redesign, describing it as difficult to understand and confusing as to the extent and severity of a weather event. 'The website is flawed,' Crisafulli said. 'Easy access to individual radars have been removed. 'The colour scheme we've become accustomed to has changed, and platitudes from Canberra won't cut it with Queenslanders.' Treasurer David Janetzki, meanwhile, penned a letter to the federal Environment Minister Murray Watt saying the decision to make the changes last week risked putting 'the lives and safety of Queenslanders at risk'. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli (above) lashed the Bureau of Meteorology's decision to update its website days before a severe thunderstorm left tens of thousands without power The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the storm a 'significant event' and stated insurers received 11,000 claims over 48 hours He said the federally-operated website had changed for 'the worst' and outlined several 'critical flaws' with the platform. 'Caboolture, a growing area of the south-east corner, has disappeared as a locator on the BoM map,' he said. 'The strength and associated colour coding of the storms that Queenslanders relied on through thick and thin has significantly changed for the worse.' Mr Janetzki said he had asked the federal government to consider options to improve the accessibility of information and the impact of the redesign. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt, meanwhile, said he met with the Bureau's acting chief executive Peter Stone on Tuesday to convey the 'public's concerns'. He said the Bureau confirmed it was considering feedback and possible changes. The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the storm a 'significant event' and stated insurers received 11,000 claims over 48 hours. Sunday's storm could be escalated to an 'insurance catastrophe' as the full extent of the weather event comes into view. Meteorologist Anthony Cornelius shared a side-by-side of the Bureau's weather radar (above) to social media, pointing out a range of confusing and unhelpful changes The new Bureau of Meteorology website which was done at a cost of $4million The former website, which many have said was a better design About 5,500 homes across the state's south-east remained without power on Tuesday afternoon, with high heat and winds delaying remediation efforts. The Bureau's website attracted 2.6million views on the day of its launch, demonstrating its importance as a source of timely weather information. The redesign cost about $4million as part of a broader effort to increase the security and stability of of the Bureau's technology. Residents pointed to a range of unpopular changes, including using new rainfall measurements and changing the colour scale, making it harder to identify the most severe part of a storm. Critics also include weather experts and even Bureau employees, who claim the changes were poorly-timed and failed to improve the site. Bureau meteorologist Livio Regano admitted on Monday he was still using the old version of the website. 'I don't like it (the new website) myself,' he told ABC Radio. 'It was never going to be a smooth transition to (an updated version of) literally one of the most popular websites in Australia. Lighting forced a pause in play at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Sunday during the rugby league Pacific Cup Men's match between Samoa and Tonga 'In the end, it comes down to what we're used to.' Weatherwatch meteorologist Anthony Cornelius, meanwhile, said the new website had 'underestimated' the strength of Sunday's storm even and was slow to provide updated information. 'It beggars belief that the BoM would roll out such a significant change to an essential infrastructure service just as the main storm season is about to start,' he said. 'Historically, late October sees a significant increase in storm activity, so it's not unforeseen that a major storm would occur in the last week of October.' A spokesperson for the Bureau told the Daily Mail the changes came off the back of user research and testing and a 15 month beta trial. 'During that time, community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,' they said. They added a dip in user satisfaction was to be expected following the changes and said it expects it will increase as users become more familiar with the site. The Bureau of Meteorology came under fire in 2022 over another rebranding effort that urged Australians to stop using its long-standing nickname, 'the BoM.' The move sparked widespread backlash after the government agency asked media outlets to refer to it only as 'The Bureau'. Then Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek criticised the campaign at the time, saying the agency's priority 'should be on weather, not branding.' The widow of a maintenance engineer crushed to death when a pop-up urinal he was repairing dropped suddenly is suing his employer for over 200,000 compensation. Kevin Holding died in January 2023 when a telescopic toilet he was repairing outside the Palace Theatre in London's West End 'suddenly and without warning dropped and fell onto him'. Emergency services, including four fire engines and an air ambulance, raced to save the trapped worker but he was pronounced dead shortly after being freed from the machine. The 60-year-old was identified by his Oyster card. An inquest heard Mr Holding, a father-of-three from Beckenham, suffered 'catastrophic' injuries and died of compression asphyxia. Mr Holding's long-term partner, Katrina Woods, has now launched a six-figure damages claim over his death, suing his employers, Hi-Tec Washrooms Solutions Ltd. She is seeking damages for over 200,000 alleging negligence and breach of duty, but the company is denying all liability. Documents lodged with London's High Court allege that Mr Holding's bosses were at fault in failing to provide adequate training and in allegedly failing to properly maintain the urinal which ended up killing him. Kevin Holding (left) with his partner Katrine Woods who is suing his employer after he was crushed to death by a pop up toilet Katrina Woods (right) has launched a six-figure damages claim over Mr Holding's (left) death, suing his employers, Hi-Tec Washrooms Solutions Ltd Mr Holding, of Elmers End, Beckenham, Kent, died from 'catastrophic' injures caused by the impact, documents lodged with London's High Court have disclosed. The tragedy occurred after Mr Holding was sent out on January 27 2023 to carry out repairs to the urinal which involved him entering the 'void' beneath the pop-up toilet. The cutting-edge retractable toilet unit, manufactured by Dutch company Urilift, is designed to be lowered below ground during the day then raised up at night using hydraulic power. The urinal 'suddenly and without warning dropped and fell onto him', his barrister said, blaming the fatal drop on a 'catastrophic failure of a fitting in its hydraulic system'. Mr Holding was fatally crushed by the falling urinal and likely died from acute suffocation due to being trapped beneath the massive object. Barrister Simon Brindle said: 'The urinal dropped as a result of a catastrophic failure of a fitting in its hydraulic system. The fitting failed due to excessive corrosion'. He argued that through poor maintenance the company allowed the fitting to become 'excessively corroded' and also failed to replace it in time to avoid the tragedy. In court documents lawyers for Hi-Tech insist that another company was tasked with maintaining the urinal. While acknowledging that the tragedy probably occurred due to corrosion in the hydraulic system defence barrister, Anna Symington, claimed: 'The defendant was not responsible for the maintenance of the hydraulic system; further the defendant was not a specialist hydraulic contractor. FIrecrews are seen trying to lift the pop up urinal after it fell on Mr Holding in January 2023 The urinal is pictured being lifted up from above as police looked down into the shaft 'Hi-tech Washrooms had no responsibility for the fitting and could not reasonably have been aware of its corroded nature.' On top of that the defence legal team say that Mr Holden was an experienced and well trained operator who 'contributed' to the accident through his own negligence in 'failing to take sufficient care for his own safety'. Pinpointing his alleged failings Ms Symington said Mr Holden was at fault in 'failing to lower the urinal before commencing work inside the inspection chamber', trying to replace the urinal's water pump while the urinal was raised, and in failing to seek help if he felt it was necessary. The case has yet to reach court and be tested in evidence before a judge. Mystery surrounds the discovery of a mummified cat buried close to the reputed grave of England's last Anglo-Saxon king. The desiccated feline was found in the walls of Waltham Abbey Church, where Harold Godwinson is believed to have been buried after his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In Britain, mummified cats have been found interred in walls as a protection against evil spirits like witches and ghosts, but typically in domestic settings like homes. So experts are baffled to find one walled up inside one of Britain's most historic churches. Ian Channell, manager of Epping Forest District Museum, expressed his shock at the discovery. He said: 'We came to be aware of it through an audit of our collection, looking for undiscovered and underutilised objects. 'I was not expecting to open a box and see a mummified cat inside of it I was definitely quite shocked. 'It's been part of the museum collection since its inception in the 1970s. Mystery surrounds the discovery of a mummified cat buried close to the reputed grave of England's last Anglo-Saxon king The desiccated feline was found in the walls of Waltham Abbey Church, where Harold Godwinson is believed to have been buried after his death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 'It was originally part of the Waltham Abbey Historical Society collection who gave it to them, unfortunately we don't know. 'Looking through the documentation that we had in the museum we were able to piece together the original place that it was found, within the walls of the church. 'It's quite a frightening object to be honest.' Waltham Abbey Church has been a place of worship since the seventh century, with the present building dating mostly to the early 12th century. The church, in Essex, was once one of England's largest, and a major destination for pilgrims seeking the healing powers of its cross. One of those healed was Harold Godwinson, or Harold II, who had the church rebuilt on a grander scale and reconsecrated in 1060. Six years later, he was slain in the Battle of Hastings, losing the throne to William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England. The mummified cat, however, is thought to have been buried much later, at some point in the 16th to 18th centuries. Waltham Abbey Church, in Essex, has been a place of worship since the seventh century, with the present building dating mostly to the early 12th century The cat was found during an audit of the collection at Epping Forest District Museum. When exactly it was found in the walls of Waltham Abbey is a mystery The cat found in the walls of Waltham Abbey Church Mr Channell said: 'Cat mummification has a long history it was first really done by the ancient Egyptians, where they were offerings to the god Bastet. 'In European history you do have it from the 16th to 18th centuries, with most cat mummification tending to be within barns or domestic settings. 'It could have been put there to ward off evil spirits that could be witches, warlocks, ghosts, evil spirits coming down the chimney, things like that. 'It could also have been intended as a bit of good luck, or a way to ward off vermin.' How you reconcile this folkloric belief with Christianity, however, is a mystery. Mr Channell said: 'The fact that this was found within the walls of Waltham Abbey Church is quite rare. Why it was there is anyone's guess. 'The town was Christian in the 16th to 18th centuries, so whether it was kind of a backup if Christianity didn't work, I don't know. 'Your guess is as good as mine, to be honest.' Harold was slain in the Battle of Hastings, losing the throne to William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England The museum, which is also based in Waltham Abbey, benefits from some supernatural protection of its own. In its Tudor Gallery, burn marks shaped like tear drops have been found around windows and doors, apparently to ward off evil. Other signs of superstition include a cross of nails above the fireplace and a children's shoe beneath the floorboards. The mummified cat has now been put on display by the museum. To mark the occasion, archaeologist Wayne Perkins will host a talk on the subject of mummified cats tomorrow (Wednesday, October 29). Tickets are 6.50 and can be booked on the museum's website. After Harold was slain at Hastings, William refused to let his mother claim his body. It was later identified by his first wife, Edith Swanneck, and then taken back to Waltham. However, the exact location of his tomb is a mystery. It is believed to have been moved as the church at Waltham was extended. Two stone markers at the church point to Harold's burial at the church. Keir Starmer has told officials to close asylum hotels within a year, it's been claimed - as a minister suggested more military bases could be used to house migrants. The Cameron Barracks in Inverness and the Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex have already been lined up to house 900 male asylum seekers. The move is a significant reversal for Labour, which criticised the previous Conservative government over the practice and scrapped plans to convert RAF Scampton - the former Dambusters base - into an asylum camp. Defence minister Luke Pollard today told BBC Breakfast that conversations about using the bases for accommodation had been taking place for 'a number of months'. He added: 'Some bases are small, some bases are larger in terms of numbers, but I think the conversation around the bases that are in the news today is about proving this concept, is about seeing whether this works. 'We believe that these bases can provide adequate accommodation for asylum seekers. 'This isn't luxury accommodation by any means, but it's adequate for what is required, and that will enable us to take the pressure off the asylum hotel estates and enable those to be closed at a faster rate.' He later added that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was working with the Home Office 'on standing up a number of bases at the moment'. Mr Pollard continued: 'We've got to make sure that the facilities are right there, that we've got the adequate security arrangements in place, and that we've got engagement with the local authorities, the councils in those areas, to make sure that there is adequate provision for what is expected in those locations.' According to latest figures the Home Office is housing just over 32,000 migrants in hotels, which cost the taxpayer an average of 144.98 per person per night. Sir Keir Starmer pictured yesterday during a joint press conference with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan Your browser does not support iframes. The Cameron Barracks (pictured) in Inverness is one of two locations at the centre of talks on where to house asylum seekers The Mail revealed yesterday that the Home Office had been presented with plans to shut down asylum hotels in as little as a year - including through the use of former military sites. Bosses at Serco - which already holds a contract to provide asylum accommodation - believe the scheme could allow Labour to close down hugely expensive migrant hotels within 12 to 18 months, it is thought. Today, new reports in The Times - citing government sources - suggested Sir Keir had been piling pressure on ministers to meet the one-year timeframe. Other accommodation options alongside ex-military bases are also thought to have been put forward to the Government as part of the same package. They are likely to involve modular, or prefabricated, buildings to provide accommodation more quickly than in bricks and mortar. Asked about whether it would cost more to house migrants at military bases than in hotels, Mr Pollard insisted that 'the public want to see those hotels close'. But he added: 'We're looking at what's possible and, in some cases, those bases may be a different cost to hotels, but I think we need to reflect the public mood on this asylum hotels need to close.' The minister later told ITV's Good Morning Britain that there would be 'different costs' depending on the age of the base, with older bases likely costing more. But the Home Office budget, not the MoD's cash, will be spent on housing migrants at the military sites, he added. Barrack sites will be handed over in their 'entirety' to the Home Office, Mr Pollard told LBC. Migrants are not being housed alongside serving military personnel, he added, as the bases selected are currently out of use. Both Crowborough and Cameron barracks sites were used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021 while they were resettled elsewhere, with that work ending earlier this year. The Crowborough army training camp (pictured) in East Sussex is the second location where the government plans to house male asylum seekers The move is part of Government efforts to end the use of asylum hotels, which a parliamentary committee branded 'failed, chaotic and expensive' yesterday. MPs blasted the department's 'incompetence' over its handling of a 'failed, chaotic and expensive' system. There was 'manifest failure' by the Home Office to 'get a grip' of contracts with private companies it appointed to house asylum seekers, they concluded. As a result, the firms had been allowed to make 'excessive profits' from the Channel crisis. In one of the most damning reports ever published into the dysfunctional department, the MPs said the Home Office was 'not up to this challenge' and demanded a series of major changes. The Commons' home affairs select committee said it was 'inexplicable' the Home Office did not require accommodation providers to assess the impact on local areas before opening migrant hotels. It had led to 'some local services experiencing unsustainable pressures', damaging community cohesion and allowing 'misinformation and mistrust to grow'. Committee chair Dame Karen Bradley MP said: 'The Home Office has presided over a failing asylum accommodation system that has cost taxpayers billions of pounds. 'Its response to increasing demand has been rushed and chaotic, and the department has neglected the day-to-day management of these contracts. 'The Government needs to get a grip on the asylum accommodation system in order to bring costs down and hold providers to account for poor performance. 'Urgent action is needed to lower the cost of asylum accommodation and address the concerns of local communities.' She added: 'There is now an opportunity to draw a line under the current failed, chaotic and expensive system, but the Home Office must finally learn from its previous mistakes or it is doomed to repeat them.' Ukraine has carried out a massive drone strike on a Russian dam, leading to widespread flooding in the country's southern Belgorod region which left Vladimir Putin's soldiers stranded. Russian authorities have declared an emergency after the Belgorod reservoir dam was hit on Friday and Saturday, resulting in several of the country's military units being cut off. Footage shared on social media shows water gushing out of the damaged reservoir which reportedly caused major disruptions and left Russian troops stationed on the Ukrainian side of the border in Vovchansk stranded. In other clips, debris can be seen scattered across the dam. After the strike, water spilled into the Siverskyi Donets River, reportedly flooding Russian bunkers and trenches and complicating logistics for Moscows troops. Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the reservoir had been struck by Ukrainian drones and urged residents of the border settlements of Shebekino and Bezlyudovka to evacuate their homes due to a risk of flooding. Meanwhile Ukrainian forces have touted the strike as a logistical nightmare for the Russian troops surrounding the city of Vovchansk. Col Rober Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, confirmed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had carried out the attack. Ukraine has carried out a massive drone strike on a Russian dam, leading to widespread flooding in the country's southern Belgorod region Footage shows water gushing out of the damaged reservoir 'The Belgorod Reservoir cracked today. Since the moment of the magical kick, the level has dropped by 100cm (3ft),' he wrote on Facebook. 'The operation was named 'Hang in there, dam!', but as the worms' [Russians'] intelligence shows, the dam is a little messed up,' he added. The Belgorod region borders Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region, and has come under attack by Kyiv's forces since the outbreak of full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2022. Ukraine has in recent weeks mounted a major campaign of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure that has taken up to a fifth of Russia's refining capacity offline. Last week, Ukraine used British Storm Shadow missiles to strike an important chemical plant that produces gunpowder in southern Russia. 'A massive combined missile and air strike was carried out, including the use of air-launched Storm Shadow missiles, which successfully penetrated the Russian air defense system,' Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on X last Tuesday. 'This enterprise produces gunpowder, explosives, and components for rocket fuel, in particular for ammunition and missiles that the enemy uses to shell the territory of Ukraine,' the military said. The British government last year approved the use of Storm Shadow missiles by Ukrainian forces in operations on Russian territory, with the first known strikes happening in November. Your browser does not support iframes. Water spilled into the Siverskyi Donets River, reportedly flooding Russian bunkers and trenches and complicating logistics for Moscow s troops Ukraine's general staff described the plant asa 'key facility' producing gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel and said damage caused by the operation was being assessed. Images on social media claim to show flames billowing out of the facility. The Ukrainian air force, army and other units carried the attack. Ukraine has targeted the Russian capital with increasing frequency, last month unleashing 140 drones, killing a woman, grounding flights and setting off air defences across the country. The latest attacks come days after Ukraine pounded one of Vladimir Putin's key oil refineries with drones following Donald Trump's announcement of crippling sanctions on Moscow's oil giants. The strike set the massive Ryazan refinery ablaze on Wednesday night, sending flames above one of the country's largest industrial plants. It also comes as Ukraine launched a drone attack on Moscow, forcing two of the city's major airports to close yesterday. Russian air defence systems battled to repel repeated attacks targeting Moscow that led to the closure of Domodedovo airport and Zhukovsky airport, authorities said on Monday. Russia downed 28 drones within a five-hour span from 10pm on Sunday Moscow time, the city's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Telegram. Residents of the border settlements of Shebekino and Bezlyudovka were urged to evacuate their homes due to a risk of flooding In this photo released by Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, a view of damaged by the Armed Forces of Ukraine social facility building in Maslova Pristan village, Shebekinsky district of Belgorod region, Russia The airports, two of Moscow's four international hubs, were closed to ensure air safety, aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya said. Information about potential damage has yet to emerge. Russia rarely discloses the full scale of damages inflicted by Ukrainian strikes inside its territory unless civilian objects are involved. The defendants accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron by spreading the rumour that she was born a man have complained that the trial violates their freedom of speech, asking the court: 'Do you need a licence to crack a joke now?' Ten people are facing jail time for allegedly spreading the false claims that the French First lady, 72, is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux - a rumour that circulated widely on social media before being amplified by conspiracy theorists and far right activists. The defendants a woman and six men all face up to two years in prison if found guilty of the online harassment of Mrs Macron. Prosecutors say the group engaged in a coordinated effort to humiliate and defame Mrs Macron, sharing hundreds of posts that falsely describe her as a man and compared her relationship with President Macron, 47, to paedophilia. Several of the accused sought to downplay their roles in court, insisting their posts were made in humour or sarcasm rather than in malice. One defendant, who was asked about social media posts in which he reposted or wrote about Brigitte Macron being a man or having a penis, reportedly told judges he had only reposted comments he thought were 'funny'. He said: 'Like a lot of people, I'm asking why I'm here today. Today, you can send people to court for tweets.' The First Lady of France has long been the subject of rumours questioning her gender French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at the Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas on August 28, 2025 Ten people are facing jail time for allegedly spreading false claims that the French First lady, 72, was born a man. Among the defendants is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a publicist known on social media as 'Zoe Sagan' and often linked with conspiracy theory circles Meanwhile, another defendant claimed his remarks were just 'humour' and questioned whether people now needed 'a permit to crack a joke in France'. He also told the court that he had shared posts about Brigitte Macron being a man or a paedophile in order to 'inform' others and denied harassment. Others went further, claiming the trial itself represented an attack on freedom of speech. A Paris gallery owner with a large social media following said the case was 'a trial of freedom of thought', while another defendant told reporters outside court that he and his co-accused were 'the true victims of bullying'. Investigators say the campaign took a heavy personal toll on Mrs Macron, who has spoken publicly about how the conspiracy theories affected her health and reputation. Yesterday, the presiding judge told one of the defendants that harassment had led to a serious deterioration in her (Mrs Macron's) physical and mental health.' In testimony to police, she said she was confronted about the claims during official visits abroad and that the rumour was now known to 'every head of state's spouse'. Among the defendants is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a publicist known on social media as 'Zoe Sagan' and often linked with conspiracy theory circles. The defendants a woman and six men all face up to two years in prison if found guilty of cyberbullying Mrs Macron The little girl with a pudding bowl haircut sitting on her mother's knee is Brigitte Trogneux, and far left is her brother Jean-Michel The defendants also include a woman already the subject of a libel complaint filed by Brigitte Macron in 2022: Delphine J., 51, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium who goes by the pseudonym Amandine Roy. The case has reignited debate in France over the limits of online expression and the responsibility of social media users for harassment campaigns. Supporters of the defendants claim the government is stifling dissent, while Mrs Macron's lawyers argue that unverified online smears can cause profound real-world harm. The Macron marriage has always been subjected to hurtful speculation because of its controversial beginnings. It was in 1992 , when the future president was a schoolboy at La Providence high school in Amiens, northern France, that he first developed deep affection for his drama teacher, the then 40-year-old Brigitte Auziere, who was married with three young children. Some claim the relationship became a dangerously irresponsible one allegations both parties have always denied but Mrs Macron later admitted that being romantically linked 'with such a young boy was crippling,' especially in a close-knit, Roman Catholic community. She spoke of the rumours her own boy and two girls one a classmate of young Emmanuel had to deal with, saying: 'You can imagine what they were hearing. But I didn't want to miss out on my life.' The couple finally wed in 2007, a decade before Mr Macron came from nowhere to win the French presidency as an independent candidate. Mrs Macron's latest court trial comes after she was given a male name on her official French tax portal by hackers. A routine audit of Brigitte's financial reports in September 2024 discovered the insult, according to senior Paris civil servant, Tristan Bomme. Mr Bomme said: 'Like many French people, Madame Macron logged into her personal account on the tax website. 'She logs into the system and saw that it did not say Brigitte Macron, but Jean-Michel Macron.' He added that Mrs Macron had made an official complaint about the hacking. Vicious rumours claiming Brigitte was born a man have continually been spread online by conspiracy theorists and right-wing personalities, including American commentator Candace Owens. Last March, Owens said she 'would stake [her] entire professional reputation' on the claim that Mrs Macron was born a boy. Mrs Macron and her husband President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the US in July against American right-wing influencer Candace Owens after she promoted claims that Mrs Macron was born a man When the Macrons filed for defamation in July, Ms Owens hit back, saying she would demand a medical exam as part of any trial in the USA. The proceedings at the 17th criminal chamber of the Paris judicial court are expected to continue throughout the week, with a verdict due later this year. The trial over false claims that Mrs Macron was born a male comes months after she and her husband President Emmanuel Macron filed a defamation lawsuit in the US against American right-wing influencer Candace Owens. Owens was accused by the couple of propagating 'outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions' that fuelled a lie-filled 'campaign of global humiliation' and 'relentless bullying' after she promoted claims that Mrs Macron was born a man. The political commentator, who has millions of followers on social media, has publicly repeated the claims on her channels. The allegation originated online and found an audience through French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey in a 2021 YouTube video. Owens took to social media in March 2024 to announce she was 'waging her entire professional reputation' on the theory that the French first lady was born Jean-Michel Trogneux - the actual name of her older brother - before transitioning aged 30. Those allegations were seized upon after far-right blogger and Faits et Documents contributor Natacha Rey, and clairvoyant Amandine Roy, covered them in a YouTube interview that went viral. The Macrons won their initial defamation case against Roy and Rey in 2024, but the ruling was overturned on appeal this year on freedom of expression grounds. The Macrons are also appealing that decision. Owens said she based her allegations on what she called a 'thorough investigation' by French blogger Natacha Rey. The Macrons in turn filed a 218-page lawsuit in Delaware on July 23, seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages. Mr and Ms Macron said in a statement at the time: 'Because Ms Owens systematically reaffirmed these falsehoods in response to each of our attorneys' repeated requests for a retraction, we ultimately concluded that referring the matter to a court of law was the only remaining avenue for remedy. 'Ms Owens' campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety. We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused. 'It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.' A POLISH woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann said an American psychic stole her passport and phone after arranging for her to appear on the Dr Phil chat show. Julia Wandelt said Fia Johansson also made her 'hand over' her social media accounts after promising to help her get a DNA test to prove she was Madeleine. She said Ms Johannson took her to the US and arranged for her to go on the talk show to discuss her claims but then took her documents to prevent her returning to Poland. Wandelt told a court she eventually managed to return home after calling police. She made the claims while giving evidence at her stalking trial at Leicester Crown Court on Monday, when she also denied ever trying to upset the McCann family. She is accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February 2025, bombarding them with calls, emails and texts and turning up at their home asking for a DNA test. Fia Johansson, pictured in 2019, is said to have told Wandelt she could help her get a DNA test Wandelt told jurors Ms Johansson 'took over my Instagram account even before she came to Poland'. Wandelt said Ms Johannson first contacted her on Instagram in February 2023 shortly after she 'came out' with her story about being Madeleine and she started an account called 'I am Madeleine McCann'. She came over to Poland to meet Wandelt before returning to the US with her, she said. Tom Price KC asked: 'Did she explain to you why she was coming to Poland to see you? Wandelt replied: 'Yes she said she was coming to help me...a lot of people were warning me ...but I thought she really wanted to help me. 'She said she was in touch with Kate and Gerry McCann and they had agreed for DNA test with me. ; Mr Price said: 'Did you believe that?' Wandelt replied: 'Yes'. Wandelt told jurors Ms Johansson 'took over my Instagram account even before she came to Poland'. The court has previously been told Wandelt had more than one million followers on Instagram. 'She said if she was going to help me I need to hand over social media, she took it over and made it look like I admire her. She lied quite a lot.' The court has been told previously that Wandelt had more than one million followers on Instagram. Wandelt said she stayed with Ms Johansson at her home in Orange County but said her 'attitude towards me changed as soon as I entered her house'. She said she told her she was in danger before taking her phone, passport and European ID card. Wandelt said: 'She took my phone and gave me a different one and changed my number for a different one.' Wandelt told jurors she then arranged for her to appear on the Dr Phil chat show. She said she was not paid. She said she confronted Ms Johansson after the show, accusing her of lying. 'I told her you are a liar and I don't trust you I am going to Poland. She said I am not going,' she told jurors. 'She controlled everything it was very hard for me to contact anyone.' Wadelt said it was only when she threatened to expose her to journalists that she handed back her passport and she was able to return home. Earlier Wandelt denied being a 'liar or attention seeker' saying she never intended to upset the McCanns. Asked by Mr Price about messages she sent to Madeleine's sister Amelie, Wandelt said: 'I tried everything to get help to find out who I am, get a DNA test with Kate and Gerry McCann. 'No one seemed to be interested in helping me.' Questioned about a message she sent to Miss McCann which said 'I don't want to give up', Wandelt told jurors: 'I wanted to be able to heal from my trauma. I knew this was the only way to find out who I am and what exactly happened to me - just where I came from.' She denied being manipulative in sending the messages to Amelie. 'No, I think I was being very honest, trying to get the truth of who I really am,' she told the court. Wandelt admitted receiving money from supporters - around 400 - but said she was 'ashamed' people gave her money because she 'knows what it looks like'. She told the court she 'mentions quite often' when explaining her story that she is not after money because 'people read what is written about me in the news' and 'get all the lies'. Asked if she has every received money, Wandelt said: 'Not for personal usage.' She said she did get money for a polygraph test 'from people who wanted to help me', adding that her boyfriend had told her to move out without any savings. Wandelt said: 'My friends advised me to ask people for help. 'I felt bad about this especially this is not their life.. I should be able to take care of myself. 'I'm ashamed of this because I know what it looks like. I did not want to end up homeless on the street with my boyfriend telling me I have to move out straight away.' LISTEN: The Trial of the 'McCann Stalkers'. Listen to the latest on this Daily Mail podcast Julia Wandelt, 24, denies stalking Kate and Gerry McCann. Pictured in a photo on Facebook Kate and Gerry McCann have both given evidence during the trial in Leicester Wandelt was also asked about 'journalist' Surjit Singh who she was put in touch with by someone who said he could help her. She told the court he said he could get Gerry McCann to do a DNA test, but after 'some time' he told her it would be impossible. She said: 'I don't know actually if everything he said was true but he told me we would have to make this story big.' Wandelt denied that Singh was paying her, and said her hope was that a DNA test with the McCanns would be carried out. Asked by Mr Price if he would 'tell you what to do, direct you as to what you should be doing', Wandelt replied: 'Yes.' Mr Price asked if she trusted Singh, to which Wandelt said: 'I had my doubts. I thought, I just don't know how people can lie so much. I just thought someone would help me.' Giving evidence on Monday, Wandelt broke down in court as she told how she remembered being 'taken, abused and held with other girls'. Wandelt spoke through tears as she described what she said were 'genuine memories'. She said that while she was 'willing to accept what I am told now' she was not going to 'deny what I remember'. Wandelt told jurors her memories included growing up in a house with large glass doors just like the ones at the McCanns' house in Leicestershire adding: 'So if I am not her that is OK but how can I remember something that turned out to be true?' After swearing on the bible, Wandelt in a white shirt and navy cardigan with long blonde hair, said her name was 'Julia Wandelt according to documents'. She said she still questioned her identity and told the court she did not believe her parents in Poland were her real parents. She also told how she was abused as a child by her step-grandfather and later started self-harming and tried to take her own life on more than one occasion. Wandelt said he was jailed for two and half years in 2012. She said it was during therapy for the abuse that she started 'questioning her identity'. Wandelt said she did not believe she was her parents' daughter as they both had dark hair and brown eyes. She also said she did not have any childhood memories before the age of eight or nine and her parents refused to hand over her birth certificate. Wandelt told the court she discovered who Madeleine was when she was in hospital for 'suicidal thoughts' in the summer of 2022 when she spoke with her father, who told her the man who abused her had 'been involved in kidnapping'. She told jurors it was at that time she started considering whether she had been adopted or abducted and decided to 'check out databases' of missing people. Wandelt claimed she did not have any names in mind but 'just wanted to check' for any matches. 'Did you find anyone who matched you?' Mr Price said. She said: 'There were not actually a lot of people my age or around my age, but that is how I found Madeleine.' She told the court a sketch of a suspect in the Madeleine case looked 'quite similar to the person who abused me' and had the same surname, which she said was a 'big factor'. Wandelt added that she has a similar mark on her eye to Madeleine, so she contacted Operation Grange 'genuinely' believing she could be the missing girl. The court heard Wandelt approached Operation Grange, Interpol and missing persons charities while she thought she could be Madeleine. She told the court: 'I did not want to contact Kate and Gerry and the McCann family until I contacted every single person I can. 'I did everything before.' 'I wanted to contact every institution I had in my mind before getting in touch with the parents of Madeleine directly... I didn't want to give them any false hope or give them any distress.' The trial continues. The release of the sex-attack migrant whose offences sparked protests around the country could have been an inside job, a former prison governor has claimed. Hadush Kebatu was set free from HMP Chelmsford in error on Friday just four weeks after being sentenced for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, while being housed at an asylum seeker hotel. The 38-year-old was awaiting transfer to an immigration detention centre ahead of his planned deportation back to Ethiopia, but bungling prison staff freed him instead. Incredibly, it later emerged how the 'confused' migrant tried to return to the prison multiple times, only to be turned away and directed to the railway station by staff where he then travelled to London. Kebatu's release sparked a nationwide manhunt until he was finally caught in Finsbury Park, north London, on Sunday morning. David Lammy, the justice secretary and deputy prime minister, has confirmed there will be an independent investigation and yesterday blamed 'human error' for the blunder. But the accidental release of such a high-profile prisoner has sparked accusations that something more sinister could have gone on behind bars. Professor David Wilson, a former prison governor and leading criminologist, claimed Kebatu could have been released by a rogue member of staff to cause a 'major political embarrassment'. Hadush Kebatu was set free from HMP Chelmsford in error on Friday just four weeks after being sentenced for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, while being housed at an asylum seeker hotel Professor David Wilson (pictured), a former prison governor and leading criminologist, claimed Kebatu could have been released by a rogue member of staff to cause a 'major political embarrassment' This is the moment Hadush Kebatu (second from left) was arrested by Met Police officers in Finsbury Park, north London on Sunday. He was seen wearing a dark puffer jacket with a black and grey hoodie, jeans and grey trainers Speaking to former This Morning editor Martin Frizell on their This Much is True Crime podcast, Prof Wilson said: 'I don't see a set of circumstances, knowing the prison service as I do from having worked as a prison governor, how no prison service governor, no member of staff would be aware that you should not be releasing Kebatu but in fact taking him to an immigration and detention centre. 'I just don't know any circumstances that would have happened by accident. I'm prepared to be proven wrong. But for me this reeks of something much more serious.' He added: 'I'm absolutely aware of the amount of corruption going on in our prisons at the moment. Who knows? If you can turn a prison officer, if you can corrupt them to turn a blind eye to drones coming in with drugs, drones coming in with knives, drones coming in with mobile phones. 'Who is to say you can't get a prison officer not just to turn a blind eye but to actively release somebody that shouldn't be released because that will cause major political embarrassment to the government of the day.' Prof Wilson, who began his career as Assistant Governor at HMP Wormwood Scrubs before becoming a professor, admitted there could have been human error but pointed out that HMP Chelmsford is a remand centre. 'Therefore its entire function, its only reason for being is to process people in and back out again,' he said. 'Therefore it is dealing with warrants and calculations all the time. That is its function. 'And for the highest profile prisoner, because he was. He was the highest profile prisoner in prison service to be mistakenly released, to me, just smells really fishy. 'I'm prepared to accept human error but for me there is something that needs to be really thoroughly investigated about how the highest profile prisoner in our country was wrongly released as opposed to being processed to an immigration and detention centre.' Quizzing Prof Wilson about his claims, Mr Frizell said: 'You are suggesting, this is quite a bold accusation here, that it may well be someone that supports the cause of Reform or those who are very against immigration and the immigration policies could have done this deliberately, what just to cause trouble, to highlight it?' Prof Wilson, a emeritus professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, replied: 'I think that's what I'm saying. I am prepared to accept there has to be an investigation and it may very well come down to a genuine human error. 'But don't you think it feeds into the narrative of Broken Britain, a narrative in which we are criticising the one in, one out system with France. The first guy that gets removed in the one in one out system is able to get on a small boat to come back. 'Here we have the highest profile prisoner in the country, who is the cause of riots, being released wrongly. 'That for me feeds into a narrative. There will be some staff, not just in Chelmsford, there will be prison officers who will be attracted to the narrative saying there is something wrong with our immigration system. 'This isn't about Labour being unable to read the room. I can not see a set of circumstances in which the highest profile prisoner in the entire prison system gets released mistakenly.' Your browser does not support iframes. It comes as Mr Lammy said an independent inquiry into how Kebatu was released from prison will look at how to prevent further 'rising' releases in error. Kebatu was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford on Friday morning instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. He was set for deportation under an early removals scheme (ERS) for foreign national offenders, but was released into the community in 'what appears to have been in human error', Mr Lammy told MPs. The migrant, who had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, later travelled to London and was arrested on Sunday morning in Finsbury Park after a two-day manhunt. In the Commons on Monday, Mr Lammy confirmed stronger release checks will come into force immediately while shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick branded the incident a 'national embarrassment'. Mr Lammy said: 'I've been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable. 'We must get to the bottom of what happened and take immediate action to try and prevent similar releases in error to protect the public from harm.' Former Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Dame Lynne Owens will chair the probe and will speak to the victims in the case about how the incident impacted on them, Mr Lammy said. He added: 'Her report will highlight points of failure and make recommendations to help prevent further releases in error, which have been rising year on year since 2021 - going from nine per month on average in 2023, to 17 per month in the period spanning January to June 2024. 'And I'm clear that a single release in error is one too many, which is why we have launched this independent investigation.' A prison officer has been suspended while the probe takes place. The deputy prime minister also said he ordered an 'urgent review' into the checks that take place when someone is released from prison, and that new safeguards have been added that amount to the 'strongest release checks that have ever been in place'. As well as further accountability for senior staff to check processes, Mr Lammy also said that no removals from HMP Chelmsford under the ERS will take place this week. Foreign criminals facing deportation will also be able to be released from prison only when a duty governor is physically present under the changes, Mr Lammy said. In a statement, the Prison Governors' Association said the additional checks are 'undoubtedly' the result of the need to do something following such an apparent failure, but whether they will address the issues 'we will not know until the issues have been identified'. The representative group added: 'A checklist won't cut it - but neither will pantomime politics change our prisons for good.' Elsewhere in the Commons, Chelmsford MP Marie Goldman said that 'scapegoating a single prison officer for systemic failure is unacceptable', adding that any prison governors found to be at fault over the incident should resign. Earlier on Monday, Mark Fairhurst, the national chairman of the prison officers' union, told the Guardian that a single member of staff had been 'unjustly suspended' while there had been other more senior staff members involved. Reacting to Mr Lammy's statement, he added that a severe lack of training for staff has been highlighted to the prison service 'for at least a decade' and that the pressure on staff is 'intolerable' and could lead to mistakes. Footage shows Kebatu being bundled into the back of a police van after being arrested in Finsbury Park 'These issues should have been addressed a long time ago, but as usual, our employer waits for a headline and then acts,' he said. It comes as the chief inspector of prisons said that mistakes over prisoner releases are happening 'all the time' and are symptomatic of the chaos within the system. Charlie Taylor said prisoners being released early, in error or even late is an 'endemic problem' now that needs to be fixed by prison service leaders. According to Government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025 - a 128 per cent increase on 115 in the previous 12 months. It is understood Kebatu, who crossed the Channel in a small boat to enter the UK on June 29, left prison with an amount of personal money but was not given a discharge grant to cover subsistence costs. He was convicted of making inappropriate comments to a 14-year-old girl before he tried to kiss her on July 7 - just eight days after he arrived in the country on a small boat. His trial also heard that a day later he sexually assaulted a woman by trying to kiss her, putting his hand on her leg and telling her she was pretty. Kebatu was found guilty of five offences after a three-day trial at Chelmsford and Colchester magistrates' courts in September, and his sentencing hearing heard it was his 'firm wish' to be deported. Kebatu's crime sparked protests and counter-protests on the streets in Epping, and eventually outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Jenrick claimed 'the only illegal migrants this Government are stopping are those that actually want to leave the UK'. Responding to the Justice Secretary, Mr Jenrick said: 'Dear oh dear. Where to begin? This Justice Secretary could not deport the only small boat migrant who wanted - no - who tried to be deported. 'Calamity Lammy strikes again. It's a national embarrassment and today the Justice Secretary feigns anger at what happened.' Conservative former minister Caroline Johnson pressed Mr Lammy on how many prisoners released in error 'are still at large', to which he did not directly respond. He said: 'There are a number of people released under different regimes. Some of them will be released at home and will be leading hopefully productive lives. Others will be back in prison. Some are recalled under licence. 'All of this will be examined by the independent, full investigation.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This is pure speculative and irresponsible reporting, with no evidence to back it up. There is an investigation ongoing and all evidence so far points to this being a human error - not a conspiracy.' A British man is missing and his 11-year-old son has died after the pair got into difficulty in front of horrified relatives while swimming off a beach in Malta. Rescuers are continuing to search for the 37-year-old Briton, who vanished at Ramla Bay yesterday afternoon. His wife had been on the beach with two young children when the nightmare began to unfold. The British family of Pakistani origin had been enjoying the final hours of a Malta holiday when the tragedy struck. Other family members are understood to have flown out to Malta on Tuesday to support them. Police were alerted at around 1.15pm, and the Armed Forces of Malta and Civil Protection Department launched an intensive search using dinghies and a helicopter. The boy was pulled from the water and treated at the scene before being taken to Gozo General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. As of Tuesday morning, the search remained ongoing. The Meteorological Office had issued a warning about strong north-west winds hitting Malta on Monday. The 11-year-old's death marks the 16th drowning since the start of the year. It comes after a British tourist died while swimming in Malta's famed Blue Lagoon after using a slide on a tourist boat in September. Rescuers are continuing to search for the 37-year-old Briton, who vanished at Ramla Bay yesterday afternoon (stock image of Ramla Bay) The 43-year-old had taken the slide down into the water at around 1.30pm before finding himself struggling in the lagoon, located in Comino. A number of travellers spotted he was underwater before pulling him up to the surface of the water and beginning CPR, reports Times of Malta. Volunteer first aiders from Malta's Emergency Response and Rescue Corps (ERRC) quickly arrived at the scene and took over efforts to save him. They carried the unnamed man to Mgarr Harbour in Gozo where a hospital medical team was waiting, but he was tragically pronounced upon arrival at Victoria Hospital. According to local reports, following the incident, Magistrate Brigitte Sultana is holding an inquiry. Just a month earlier, a 35-year-old Italian man died after getting into difficulty, while also at the Blue Lagoon in August. In April the body of a 71-year-old fisherman was found off the coast of Comino, hours after he was reported missing. And a Spanish tourist sustained grievous injuries in July after she was hit by a boat propeller as she was boarding a boat in Comino, a popular destination for tourists. A fashion designer was ordered to leave a Hobbycraft shop after she questioned a badge reading 'no TERFs, no Tories' worn by a staff member. Rebekah Chapman, 33, was paying for pencils and ribbons at the Dundee branch of the art supplies chain on Sunday when she spotted the slogan on the cashier's lapel and asked her what it meant. The employee's 'demeanour changed' immediately and she became 'unpleasant' as she explained the acronym stood for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist, Ms Chapman claimed. The designer, who describes herself as 'gender critical', then asked to speak to the manager as a long queue of shoppers built up at the tills. But she was surprised when, instead of smoothing the situation over, he backed up his employee and told Ms Chapman and her partner to 'read a biology textbook'. The pair were then ordered to leave and, despite the promise of an internal investigation, the designer claims they have still not received an apology for what she describes as 'a public dressing down'. She told the Daily Mail: 'I noticed her badge and being someone who is gender critical and highly aware of how we are hounded and often publicly shamed, I felt compelled to speak up.' Ms Chapman added that things should have changed since the Maya Forstater versus the Centre For Global Development case in 2023 saw Ms Forstater awarded more than 100,000 after being 'discriminated' against for her gender critical beliefs. Fashion designer Rebekah Chapman was ordered to leave a Hobbycraft shop after questioning badges reading 'no terfs, no Tories' worn by staff members 'After that case, there's a legal precedent set that people who hold gender critical beliefs don't have to face that kind of stigma anymore,' she said. 'That badge, to me, said that she would exclude gender critical people if she could identify who they were. 'As soon as I confronted her and she began to suspect I might be one of these people, her demeanour changed. She became really quite unpleasant, and locked eyes on me, kind of gritting her teeth and wasn't taking on board what I was saying.' The designer claimed that when the manager arrived on the shop floor, he did not listen to a word they said. 'He just immediately put his hands up and said, "you need to go and read a biology textbook",' she added. 'And then he told us we could write a letter of complaint and we could leave. 'They are entitled to their beliefs and I respect they can feel the way they do and I can feel the way I do, but you can't be discriminating against people. 'It is helping create stigma against people who have the perfectly reasonable, lawful, mainstream belief that the reality of biological sex matters and is a fact. 'But the manager wasn't interested in a word we had to say and was really quite animated. Again, he told us to leave the store and we complied at that point, not wanting to escalate the situation further. Ms Chapman pictured with her Hate Monster, in opposition to SNP ministers' controversial Hate Crime and Public Order Act 'It was incredibly uncomfortable, really quite stressful, and not what I anticipated when I went out.' Ms Chapman said that the experience was particularly concerning given that crafting is popular among women, the group 'worst affected' by the kind of ideology extolled by the staff at that branch of Hobbycraft. She added: 'It's really upsetting. I don't understand why the representative of a public facing business would wear a badge like that as part of their uniform if it wasn't to broadcast a message that persons who hold gender critical beliefs are unwelcome. 'And when the manager came over, he appeared to be really relishing the opportunity to give us a dressing down publicly. 'We weren't interested in having an argument about who was right or wrong. We just wanted discrimination to not be condoned, but he really seemed to want to get into this conversation and tell my partner and I how wrong we are. 'It was really unpleasant. We felt a little bit ambushed and definitely intimidated.' Meanwhile, a crowd of customers at the popular crafts chain, which has more than 100 stores across the UK, watched on in silence, according to Ms Chapman. But she has no hard feelings towards these bystanders, given the way staff treated her and her partner. She was paying for pencils and ribbons at the Dundee branch of the arts retail chain on Sunday when she spotted the slogan on the cashier's lapel and asked her what it meant Ms Chapman added: 'If there was another person in that shop who held the same views as me, I would argue they would have felt very unable to intervene. They would have felt really quite intimidated and pressured to conceal themselves having seen how my partner and I were treated.' As an outspoken proponent of her views, the designer is not unused to such a reaction, but has never been confronted in a public store before. 'When I speak openly about my views on the internet, I get a lot of abuse,' she said. 'They're always appearance-based insults. They make fun of the colour of my teeth and my breasts. 'There's a lot of misogynistic abuse you get. You come to anticipate it. 'There is a culture of cruelty and disdain towards gender critical people in Scotland, and great progress has been made by the women who have stood up for themselves, and because they've stood up for themselves, that's empowered me to do so.' Ms Chapman claimed that Hobbycraft only said they were sorry to 'hear' about the experience and had not yet issued a satisfactory apology. 'I'm hoping that they treat it with the gravity that it deserves,' she added. An investigation is ongoing, and the designer said that she while she does not want anyone to lose their job, she would like evidence that Hobbycraft will not 'tolerate' the kind of behaviour on show that day in Dundee. She said things should have changed since Maya Forstater, pictured, was awarded more than 100,000 from the Centre For Global Development after being 'discriminated' against for her gender critical beliefs She said: 'If it's a case that one store has gone rogue and become a bit of a faction, I would really hope they will take steps across the entirety of their business. 'We've all got a responsibility to treat members of the public with respect. And so if there's a particular problem at this Hobbycraft store in Dundee, there needs to be kind of some targeted interventions. 'The manager absolutely endorsed the wearing of this badge. He had no problem with his member of staff wearing it, and he very much had a problem with my partner and I for having confronted it. 'Tone and culture and workplace practices are set from the top down. I'm led to believe that that is absolutely policy at that store.' Has the experience put her off spending money at Hobbycraft in future? 'There is absolutely no chance I'm going back to face similar treatment. I expect if I was to try to go back into the store, they would reject me on site. I am not going to put myself through that. 'I will shop online. Even the Falkirk store, closer to me, I'll avoid that too. I'll avoid all of them. 'I don't want to give money to a business that permits what happened.' Ms Forstater, CEO of sex-based rights charity Sex Matters said: 'Even if they aren't aware of the law, staff and managers should have the common sense to understand that a badge saying "no terfs, no Tories" would discriminate against customers of those beliefs and political views. 'Over the past decade, many companies have adopted policies based on prejudice and hostility towards ordinary people with ordinary beliefs about the two sexes. 'They have allowed radical transactivist training groups and staff networks to preach intolerance as corporate policy, and failed to understand the law which protects everyone. This could be the case at Hobbycraft. 'Managers would surely recognise that a staff member wearing a badge that says that people of a particular race or religion are not welcome in the store as a cut and dry case of discrimination. 'It is a relief that Hobbycraft says these staff members' actions do not reflect company values or policies. The real test will come for Hobbycraft in their investigation into the incident and response to its findings.' A Hobbycraft spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the incident and are taking the matter seriously. We're sorry that the customer was asked to leave the store, have apologised and launched an immediate internal investigation. 'We will remain in contact with the customer throughout this process.' A young woman who was tragically killed in a mining explosion along with another man has been identified, as tributes flow in from loved ones. Holly Clarke, 24, was working at the Endeavour mine in her hometown of Cobar, about 450km east of Broken Hill, when the explosion occurred about 3.45am on Tuesday. It is understood Ms Clarke was part of a trio of miners who travelled underground to set explosive discs when they unexpectedly detonated before they were out of range. One of the miners, 66-year-old Patrick McMullen, was killed instantly. Ms Clarke and another 24-year-old woman, Mackenzie Stirling, were brought to the surface but Ms Clarke later died from her injuries. Ms Stirling received emergency treatment on site and was then airlifted to Orange Health Service suffering hearing damage and shock and is understood to be in stable condition. It is understood all three workers involved in the tragedy are local residents. Investigations are now underway to determine why the explosives detonated sooner than they should have. Cobar local Holly Clarke, 24, (above) died following the tragic mining explosion in the early hours of Tuesday morning Ms Clarke has been remembered as a 'beautiful soul' who was 'taken too soon' Endeavor mine first opened in 1982. It was purchased by Polymetals last year Ms Clarke had been employed at the mine for several years. It is understood several of her relatives are also involved in the mining industry. The tragedy has left the Outback town reeling, with friends and loved ones of Ms Clarke's changing their social media profile pictures to a mining helmet reading: 'In memory of our fallen miners.' Floral tributes were left at Cobar Miners Memorial, a local monument established in June 2021 to commemorate those who have died in the area's mines. One friend remembered the 24-year-old as a 'beautiful soul' who was 'taken far too soon'. Another wrote of Ms Clarke: 'She always had a smile on her face, would make anyone's day.' Cobar mayor Jarrod Marsden said the community was 'devastated' by the incident, adding it was 'impossible to try to find the words to describe it'. 'The most valuable thing in a mine are the miners, and two families won't see their loved ones again,' he said. 'Their lives have been changed forever, just decimated by this.' The sole survivor of an underground mine explosion in Cobar was airlifted to Orange Hospital Tributes are pictured at Cobar Miners Memorial mourning the tragic loss of Ms Clarke and fellow miner 66-year-old Patrick McMullen Operations at Endeavor Mine will cease as investigations into the tragedy continue Mining and Energy Union district president Bob Timbs told the media on Tuesday there had been a 'catastrophic failure' in the explosion system. 'In this day and age, that type of accident just should not have happened,' he said. 'We will do everything in our power once we've dealt with and supported the families and mine workers in the community to find out what happened and make sure that it never happens again.' NSW Premier Chris Minns and Natural Resources Minister Courtney Houssos shared their condolences in a joint statement on Tuesday. 'We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the workers who have tragically died in Cobar today,' the pair said. 'This is a heartbreaking day for the Cobar community and will be felt across the entire mining industry.' The pair said they understood investigations were underway and that safety must be the top priority for any mine. 'While safety protocols and procedures have greatly improved in mining, these deaths are a sobering reminder of why we need to always remain vigilant to protect workers,' they wrote. The tragedy unfolded at Endeavor Mine in Cobar, in New South Wales' far-west Located 40km north of Cobar, Endeavor is a major underground silver, zinc, and lead mine operated by Polymetals. The project is described on its website as the second-largest mine in Australia's richest polymetallic region known, as the Cobar Basin. The mine first began operations in 1982. Operations ceased in 2020 until mining activity resumed in June after Polymetals bought the site from CBH Resources. It employs more than 200 workers, with about 30 reportedly on site the night of the explosion. General manager Matt Gill said the mine would remain closed for some time, the Daily Telegraph reported. 'Obviously there will be an investigation, and only when it's deemed safe by the inspector of police and the mine owners will we consider reopening,' he said. NSW Police will prepare a report for the coroner and assist SafeWork NSW in its investigations into the workplace tragedy. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000. Daily Mail has contacted Polymetals for comment. At least nine have reportedly been killed after Benjamin Netanyahu sanctioned his military to carry out 'powerful strikes' in Gaza on Tuesday. The Israeli Prime Minister accused Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire, saying the militant group had broken the truce by faking the return of a hostage's remains and by opening fire on IDF forces. Israel claims militants were caught on drone footage staging the 'discovery' of remains, only to send back body parts that actually belonged to an Israeli who had already been recovered nearly two years ago. Officials said the deception was a 'clear violation' of the ceasefire, which requires Hamas to return all remaining bodies immediately. Nine people have reportedly killed in the latest Israeli strikes, Gaza's civil defence agency claimed in their latest statement. The escalation came amid reports of gunfire in Rafah, where Israeli troops came under attack on Tuesday. The IDF said its soldiers were targeted by Hamas militants. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated the militant group 'will pay a heavy price' for their actions. An Israeli military official added: 'Hamas violated the ceasefire once again.' Elsewhere, the IDF's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said Israel would 'not remain silent' over the alleged breaches. Hamas says it has recovered the body of an Israeli hostage from a tunnel in Gaza and has vowed to return it after an earlier overnight exchange was branded a fake by Israel. An image shows Hamas militants carry a white bag, believed to contain the remains, after retrieving it from a tunnel in Khan Younison Tuesday Israel has accused Hamas of faking the discovery of hostage remains, claiming the group sent back body parts belonging to a captive who was already returned to Israel nearly two years ago. Pictured: Hamas operatives appear to stage the 'recovery' of the remains of a hostage The IDF has released drone footage that it claims shows Hamas operatives staging the 'recovery' of the remains of a hostage in Gaza City An Israeli military official also told the Daily Mail: 'Hamas violated the ceasefire once again, carrying out an attack against IDF forces east to the yellow line, an area under Israeli control. This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire. 'This comes after Hamas has also shown their true face and the fact that that are pretending to not know where the remaining hostages are.' However, Hamas on Tuesday denied responsibility for the attack in Rafah and said it remained committed to the ceasefire deal. There are still 13 bodies of hostages believed to be in Gaza. Hamas said it had recovered the body of another hostage that it planned to hand over in the evening, but has now refused to go ahead with the exchange over the Israeli strikes. 'We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupation's violations,' Hamas's armed wing said in a statement, adding that any Israeli 'escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies'. Reporters and witnesses alike are said to have heard tank fire and saw explosions in various parts of Gaza, including in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah, on Tuesday. 'That doesn't mean there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there,' Mr Vance told reporters on Capitol Hill. In AFP footage, several masked Hamas fighters are seen emerging from a tunnel carrying a body wrapped in a white plastic bag, believed to be that of a hostage Hamas had planned to hand over on Tuesday. Behind them trails a crowd of men and children, some raising their mobile phones to capture the moment. Hamas handed over late on Monday what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on October 10. But Israeli forensic examination determined Hamas had in fact handed over partial remains of a hostage whose body had already been brought back to Israel around two years ago, according to Netanyahu's office. In returning only the partial remains of an already returned captive, Netanyahu's office and a campaign group representing hostage families accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire. Netanyahu's office decried a 'clear violation of the agreement' after identification procedures revealed the latest remains belonged 'to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had been returned from the Gaza Strip in a military operation about two years ago'. Israeli government spokeswoman, Shosh Bedrosian, told journalists that 'in terms of consequences for Hamas nothing is off the table right now, but all of this is in full coordination with the United States, with (US) President (Donald) Trump and his team.' Bedrosian also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of Tzarfati's remains. 'I can confirm to you today that Hamas dug a hole in the ground yesterday, placed the partial remains of Ofir inside of it, covered it back up with dirt, and handed it over to the Red Cross,' she said. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has urged the Israeli government to take action. 'In light of Hamas's severe breach of the agreement last night... the Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations,' the forum said, accusing Hamas of knowing the location of the missing hostages. According to the troops who spoke to Arutz Sheva, the terrorists placed the body in a hole that they had dug, and called the Red Cross as if they had just located it Pictured: Red Cross transports the body of a deceased hostage, who had been held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 attack, on October 27 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israeli forces had received a coffin containing what Hamas said was the sixteenth of 28 bodies of hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 attacks Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem rejected claims the group knows where the remaining bodies are, arguing that Israel's bombardment during the two-year conflict had left locations unrecognisable. 'The movement is determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible once they are located,' he told AFP. Hamas has already returned all 20 living hostages as agreed in the ceasefire deal. Hamas also accused Israel of ceasefire violations, with the territory's health ministry saying that at least 94 people had been killed in Israeli fire since the truce began. On the ground in Gaza, 60-year-old Abdul-Hayy al-Hajj Ahmed told AFP he was afraid the war would start again because of the mounting pressure on Hamas. 'Now they accuse Hamas of stalling, and that is a pretext for renewed escalation and war,' he said. 'We want to rest. I believe the war will come back.' US Vice-President JD Vance insisted the ceasefire 'is holding' despite the Israeli action. He added: 'That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there.' Since the ceasefire began on October 10, it has largely held despite two incidents of violence. On October 19, Israel said two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fire. Israel responded with a series of strikes killing over 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Over the weekend, Israel reportedly carried out an airstrike - wounding several people. The return of hostages from Gaza poses a challenge in the next stages of the ceasefire, which will address complex issues such as the disarmament of Hamas, as well as deciding who will govern Gaza. Over the weekend, Egypt reportedly deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of the remaining hostages, with work continuing in Khan Younis and Nuseirat on Tuesday. An Arab official involved in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas claimed talks were underway with both sides to try to prevent the truce from collapsing. 'Both sides violated the agreement, but there was no significant breach,' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Violations included delays in handing over bodies and evacuating patients in Gaza, the failure to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the limited scale-up of aid delivery, and 'minor skirmishes' on the line that separates Israeli troops from the rest of Gaza, the official said. Israel's far-right national security minister accused Hamas of stalling the release of the remaining bodies. 'It is time to break its legs once and for all,' Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on X. During their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Hamas militants took 251 people hostage, most of whom had been released, rescued or recovered before this month's ceasefire. The attack itself resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel's subsequent assault on Gaza killed at least 68,531 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable. Despite the ceasefire, the toll has continued to climb as more bodies are found under the rubble. Ofir Tzarfati was at the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was 'abducted into captivity, where he was murdered', the hostage forum said. It added that this was the third time remains belonging to him had been returned, after his body was recovered at the end of 2023, and additional remains were returned in March 2024. 'This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son,' Tzarfati's family were quoted as saying in the statement from the forum. 'The circle supposedly 'closed' back in December 2023, but it never truly closes.' A Romanian man who stabbed an 11-year-old girl in a random knife attack in Leicester Square will not face trial for her attempted murder after the charge was dropped. The Australian child was on holiday with her 34-year-old mother when she was targeted by Ioan Pintaru in London's West End on the morning of August 12 last year. Pintaru, 33, allegedly approached the girl as she left the Lego store in Leicester Square at around 11:30am, placed her in a headlock and stabbed her eight times. Members of the public, including a security guard working in the area, intervened and Pintaru was disarmed and pinned to the ground until police arrived to arrest him, the court previously heard. The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was taken to hospital for treatment for injuries to her face, shoulder, wrist and neck area. Pintaru, of no fixed address, had previously pleaded guilty to wounding the girl with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and possession of a knife in Leicester Square. Ioan Pintaru, 33, put the 11-year-old girl in a headlock before attacking her in Leicester Square in 2024 The Australian child (not pictured) was on holiday with her 34-year-old mother when she was targeted by Ioan Pintaru in London 's West End on the morning of August 12 last year He denied a charge of attempted murder and had been due to face trial at the Old Bailey on Monday. At a brief hearing on Tuesday, Judge Richard Marks KC said he had been in touch with the prosecution who had indicated the attempted murder charge would 'not be proceeded with'. The judge set a sentencing date for December 16, which the victim's family would be able to join by videolink from Australia. No explanation was given in court for the reason for the decision not to go ahead with the trial. The defendant, who is in a high-security hospital in Liverpool, was not required to attend. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts remain with the victim and family affected by the horrendous actions of Ioan Pintaru - who remains criminally responsible and will be sentenced accordingly. 'The decision to accept a guilty plea to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was taken after carefully reviewing evidence provided by two separate expert psychiatrists. 'The impact of the expert evidence meant that we could not prove that Pintaru specifically intended to kill, which is an essential element of an attempted murder offence. 'We explained our decision to the family in detail and will continue to assist and support them.' The Tories will today push for the release of correspondence relating to the collapsed China spying case. Kemi Badenoch's party will use a House of Commons debate to call for the release of Government documents related to the trial. The Conservatives have claimed Labour 'sabotaged' the case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher. The two men were accused of spying for Beijing and were charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in April last year under the Official Secrets Act 1911. But the case collapsed last month after the CPS said it did not have the evidence to secure a conviction. Both men deny wrongdoing. The Government denies deliberately collapsing the case with ministers and special advisers said to have had no role in preparing witness statements from deputy national security adviser Matt Collins. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has maintained, because the last Tory government didn't designate China as a threat to national security, his administration could not provide evidence to that effect. The Conservatives will use an opposition day debate in the Commons on Tuesday to hold a vote demanding the release of correspondence relating to the case, which the party has dubbed 'the China files'. Sir Keir Starmer has maintained, because the last Tory government didn't designate China as a threat to national security, his administration could not provide evidence to that effect The Tories will use a House of Commons debate to call for the release of Government documents related to the collapsed China spying trial Shadow home secretary Chris Philp vowed not to stop 'until the truth is out', saying: 'The collapse of the China spy case is a disaster that has put Britain's national security at risk. And it is a disaster made in Downing Street. 'We all know Starmer is too weak to stand up to Beijing, and it's no coincidence the case fell apart on his watch.' The Tories are also demanding the release of minutes of a meeting involving national security adviser Jonathan Powell at which, they say, the prosecution of the two alleged spies was discussed. On Monday, Mr Collins and Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald told a parliamentary committee the meeting on September 1 had not discussed the evidence in the case, but had focused on how to handle 'different scenarios' in Britain's relationship with China. Mr Collins said there had been 'at least four lawyers in the room who ensured that there was no discussion about the evidence that was going forward in the case'. Earlier, he had told Parliament's Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy that he had not discussed his evidence with any ministers or special advisers after the two men were charged in April 2024. He also said he believed he had provided enough evidence to support their prosecution and was 'surprised' to learn the case was being dropped last month. Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson told the same committee that witness statements provided by Mr Collins had been insufficient as they did not describe China as a threat to national security in general terms, although they did refer to 'a range of threats'. Lord Richard Hermer, the Attorney General, and Darren Jones, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, are due to give evidence to the committee on Wednesday. A tech tycoon who was abducted, stabbed and shot dead in central California had bullied and humiliated his employees ahead of his grisly murder, a court heard. Tushar Atre, 50, was dragged out of bed at his Santa Cruz beach house around 3am on October 1, 2019, by a group of men who broke into his plush $5.4 million residence. The men - two of whom were his employees - stabbed and kidnapped the millionaire, before shooting him and leaving him for dead 14 miles away in a rural mountain area, investigators alleged. They also stole thousands of dollars in cash from a safe in Atre's home. Stephen Nicholas 'Nic' Lindsay and Kurtis Charters were convicted of murder and related charges in trials earlier this year, KRON reported. They have been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Charters's younger brother Kaleb Charters and their friend Joshua Camps have also been charged in Atre's death. The younger Charters was back in court on Monday as experts and witnesses testified before the jury, alleging that the men had been 'humiliated' at the hands of the tech honcho. Atre, who bragged about being 'worth thousands of dollars an hour,' forced Lindsay and Kaleb to perform between 300 to 500 push-ups in order to receive their $1,400 paychecks, Atre's right-hand-man Sam Borghese testified. Millionaire tech and cannabis tycoon Tushar Atre, 50, was abducted, stabbed and shot dead in Santa Cruz, California on October 1, 2019 Artre was dragged out of bed at his $5.4 million beach house (pictured) around 3am after a group of men broke into the home. The group stabbed and kidnapped him, before shooting him and leaving him for dead 14 miles away in a rural mountain area, investigators alleged Pictures is the front door and entry way into Atre's home. Police said they found no signs of forced entry at the time of the horrific attack The home invaders-turned burglars also stole thousands of dollars in cash that had been kept in a safe in Atre's bedroom Lindsay and Kaleb, both of whom were members of the Army National Guard, were hired to work at Atre's marijuana farm in August 2019. For his part, Borghese - a graduate of the University of California Santa Cruz - had been hired to manage the cannabis business. Atre 'pushed his employees very hard', invoked fear, and would frequently yell, withhold pay and fire workers if he felt disrespected, Borghese told the court. Lindsay and Kaleb performed manual labor on Atre's farm for nearly two weeks, working from sunrise to sunset, the jury heard. During their employment, Borghese was tasked with driving the duo approximately 300 miles to Humbolt County to purchase hundreds of marijuana plants. Atre had given them $25,000 in cash to carry out the transaction, Borghese said. The business manager explained that the pair, after receiving pay for their work, 'told me they needed a break, because this was very intense work'. After Lindsay and Kaleb left, it soon emerged that keys to a farm truck were missing. Atre seemingly assumed that the pair had taken them. Kaleb Charters (left) appeared in court Monday. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He is also charged with robbery, burglary, kidnapping and carjacking. His friend Joshua Camps (right) has also been charged in Atre's death. Camps's trial is currently paused Stephen Nicholas 'Nic' Lindsay (left) and Kurtis Charters (right) were convicted of murder and related charges in trials earlier this year. Both were sentenced to life in prison without parole Three suspects were caught on surveillance camera walking near the 50-year-old's home with a duffel bag and rifle on October 1, 2019 Atre was seen on surveillance footage being kidnapped from his Santa Cruz home in a white SUV BMW (circled) that the suspects stole from the home Atre's right-hand-man Sam Borghese (pictured) testified in court Monday, telling the jury how the millionaire bullied and humiliated his employees ahead of his grisly murder 'Tushar got really upset. Tushar called the bank and bounced the checks,' Borghese told the court, according to KRON. The duo returned to the farm, located the keys at the property and confronted Atre about the bounced checks, prompting an argument. Atre allegedly bragged about his wealth to the duo and highlighted how 'anyone who wastes his time is costing money'. He also ordered them to do hundreds of push-ups, the court heard. Just weeks later, in September 2019, the pair approached Borghese and requested the security code for their boss's home. They allegedly said they planned to rob Atre. Borghese believed they were joking and provided them with a fake code, he testified. The duo then recruited Charters's older brother and Camps to help them rob Atre. Charters drove Lindsay, Camps and his brother to Atre's beach house on October 1, dropped them off, and drove away, investigators told the court. Surveillance cameras captured Atre running down his street, with his hands apparently tied behind his back. He screamed for help before he was tackled by the trio and stabbed. The inside and outside of the stolen BMW, found abandoned in a rural mountain area roughly 14 miles away from his beach house, was covered in blood Atre's hands had been bound with flex-ties, evidence photographs revealed Acre screamed for help before he was tackled by the trio and stabbed. Pictured is blood found on the street outside his home Camps shot Atre in the back of the head and the group left him for dead. His body was found about 20 to 30 yards away from the stolen BMW on a rural road in the Santa Cruz mountains Lindsay, Camps and Kurtis Charters forced Atre into a stolen BMW and took him to his cannabis farm in the mountains. Kaleb Charters was waiting for them at the property. Camps shot Atre in the back of the head and the group left him for dead. His body was found about 20 to 30 yards away from the stolen BMW several hours later. His hands had been bound with flex-ties, evidence photographs revealed. The inside and outside of the BMW was also covered in blood. In the days following the murder, Lindsay and Kaleb Charters deposited cash into their personal bank accounts and attempted to use Atre's banking details to pay their bills, credit cards and transfer funds via PayPal. Kaleb Charters has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He is also charged with robbery, burglary, kidnapping and carjacking. His attorney argued that although Charters agreed to participate in the burglary, he never intended to be part of a murder. The defense told the court his accomplices diverted from the plan, which was to break into Atre's home while he was out of town and steal cash and a vehicle. Atre (pictured) 'pushed his employees very hard', invoked fear, and would frequently yell, withhold pay and fire workers if he felt disrespected, Borghese told the court Atre was the founder of Interstitial Systems, a cannabis business with a laboratory on Fern Street in Santa Cruz (pictured) and a farm in the Santa Cruz mountains Kaleb Charters (left) and Stephen Lindsay (right) are seen working on Tushar Atre's cannabis farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2019 Charters dropped the trio off and went to the meeting place at the farm, the defense argued. It is only there that he learned of the change of plans. 'Kaleb never touched Tushar,' his attorney told the court, highlighting how Camps shot him and how Charters did not burglarize the home or attack Atre on the street. Charters's trial will continue Tuesday. Camps's trial, meanwhile, has been paused and will resume after the jury reaches a verdict in the current case. A lawyer jailed for beating up his wife before she died in mysterious circumstances has now been charged with her murder. Caitlin Tracey, 36 plunged to her death from the 24th-floor condo in Chicago she shared with her husband Adam Beckerink, 47, on October 27 last year. Her body was said to be 'pulverized' and missing a foot after the deadly fall to the bottom of a stairwell and police always considered Beckerink a suspect. But they only charged him on Monday after the tax lawyer was jailed for 94 days plus two years' probation on separate domestic violence accusations. 'We dearly miss Caitlin as do her friends,' Tracey's family said in a statement. 'Our family hopes that during the murder case against Adam Beckerink, that the truth about the last months of Caitlin's life and the events leading to her tragic death are revealed, so our wonderful daughter can finally be laid to rest.' Chicago cops rushed to the scene and detained Beckerink, who reported Tracey missing the day before. They released him after 48 hours without filing any charges. Beckerink claimed he hadn't seen his wife for months, but surveillance cameras filmed them together at the apartment complex just three days before she died. Attorney Adam Beckerink, 47, was sentenced to 93 days in jail and two years probation for beating up his wife before she died in mysterious circumstances Caitlin Walch Tracey, 36, known to her friends as 'CT' , was found 'pulverized' and missing a foot in the stairwell of her husband Adam P Beckerink's high-rise on October 27, 2024 Tracey fell down 24 flights of stairs in Beckerink's high rise (pictured) on the 1200 block of Prairie Street in South Loop, severing her foot during the descent Tracey told police in January 2024 that Beckerink 'assaulted her and stole some of her items' in Michigan, where the couple lived before moving to Chicago. Officers noted that Tracey had 'cuts on her lips and other red markings 'from being kicked' that evening. Beckerink pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge last Monday. A terrified Tracey was heard in harrowing 911 calls begging for help as she said Beckerink attacked her. Court documents also detailed how Beckerink allegedly stole $45,000 worth of jewelry and designer accessories from his wife during her final days. Before her death, Tracey called 911 several times alleging abuse by Beckerink in her home state of Michigan. Prosecutors shared several videos during Beckerink's pre-trial hearings, including one from August 2024, that shows him being arrested after Tracey called 911. The Daily Mail previously revealed that Tracey's parents accused Beckerink (pictured in his mugshot) of wreaking a secret 'campaign and abuse of terror' against her in her final months Tracey's body was said to be 'pulverized' and missing a foot after the deadly fall to the bottom of a stairwell Beckerink's screams that day rang out through the courtroom as video showed him being held to the ground by police officers. The attorney wailed for help while a tearful Tracey sat rigidly on a bed close by. Tracey made the 911 call that sparked the arrest - something a New Buffalo police officer told the court happened several times. In the weeks that followed Tracey's death, heartbroken parents, retired real estate developer Andrew Tracey, 69, and college professor Dr Monica Tracey, 65, battled against Beckerink for custody of their daughter's remains. Beckerink, a former partner of international law firm Duane Morris who had been married to Tracey for six months, argued that he had the rights to her body as the surviving spouse. But court documents obtained by the Daily Mail revealed her family hit back on November 6, accusing him of wreaking a 'campaign of abuse and terror' against their daughter during her final months. The alleged torture included throwing a glass pickle jar at her head and pouring vodka on her wounds. Tracey told police in January 2024 that Beckerink 'assaulted her and stole some of her items' in Michigan, where the couple lived (pictured) before moving to Chicago Prosecutors shared several videos during Beckerink's pre-trial hearings, including one from August, 2024, that shows him being arrested after Tracey called 911 Tracey's parents said she was in a relationship with Beckerink from October 2022 until September 2023, but the couple never lived together or had children. At some point after September, they got back together, and married in a private ceremony on April 8, 2024 which did not involve any of Tracey's relatives. Amid the acrimonious wrangling for control of her body, her parents accused Beckerink of 'manipulating' their daughter, of 'purposefully isolating her from her family' and being responsible for her 'tragic and highly suspicious death.' Tracey's parents are still going through the agonizing process of piecing together their daughter's suffering via Freedom of Information requests to find any further documents she filed with police. Local officials are protesting a Maine prosecutor over her soft-on-crime policies by proposing a ridiculously-low budget to stop her. Natasha Irving, the Lincoln County district attorney, could end up with a $1 budget if the commissioners uphold the county budget advisory committee approved proposal. 'Its a statement being made that were unhappy with the present district attorneys administration,' advisory committee member, Richard Powell, told the Bangor Daily News. It is unlikely to officially pass, as commissioners have a legal obligation to fund prosecutors and Irving has promised to sue to county if the $1 budget is approved. 'It's an insult to the work that I do and the work that my staff does,' she told the Daily Mail. '[The proposal] should be frightening to the people of Lincoln County.' Powell and locals are upset with Irving's track record and reject her soft-on-crime policies. Irving claimed Powell sees charges against defendants dismissed in local news reports and then blames her for it. 'There are hundreds of reasons,' she said of the charge dismissals. 'I don't think they understand how the criminal justice system works.' Irving said that 80 percent of domestic violence charges in Maine have victims who are not in support of prosecution. Dismissals of charges or cases can also result from plea deal negotiations or her choosing not to prosecute crimes of poverty, like a suspended license for failing to update a car's registration. Natasha Irving, the Lincoln County district attorney, could end up with a $1 budget if the commissioners uphold the county budget advisory committee approved proposal She also is fond of dismissing charges if the jail time will remain the same, making it quicker and easier for prosecutors to get through cases and prove criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt, but keep the same outcome. 'Non-violent misdemeanors, you got me!' she joked, calling the advisory board proposal a 'ridiculous fiasco' that is 'completely unserious.' 'I'm not the only one that has received criticism about being soft-on-crime,' she said, stating that Districts 3 and 7 have also gotten the same. 'This is not new to a district attorney. 'We win some, we lose some, but we take them to trial.' Unlike other parts of the state, which has a significant backlog, Irving prides herself on the fact that her office does not face the same fate. Part of that reasoning is her refusal to get 'bogged down' on non-violent crimes. The state as a whole has a lack of attorneys and state law dictates that if a criminal has been sitting in jail for weeks without getting a public defender assigned them, they could be released from jail. Irving doesn't agree with this, which is why, she said, she focuses on serious crimes, like rape and domestic violence and kidnapping, rather than traffic fines and suspended licenses, so that serious offenders don't stand a case of being released. 'That's not going to happen in my community,' the mother told the Daily Mail. 'Its a statement being made that were unhappy with the present district attorneys administration,' advisory committee member, Richard Powell, said (pictured: Wiscasset, ME) She also said she has invited the advisory board, including Powell, to come to court to watch her office perform their duties, but none of them have taken her up on the offer. 'Come to court, come to my office, see what we do,' the prosecutor, who is currently running unopposed for reelection, said. 'It's soft-on-crime to be willful ignorant to not known how the process works.' She also pushes back on having her policies be called 'progressive.' 'That's not the word I'd use to describe myself,' she told the Daily Mail. Rather, she prefers to call her policies 'reformative justice,' which considers incarceration a last resort. Instead, it opts to form a dialogue between the victims and offenders. However, Democrat Commissioner William Blodgett said the advisory committee 'asked good questions' about Irving at the last budget meeting. The committee, itself, has not provided specific reasons against Irving. However, Blodgett said that the commissioners will take the $1 proposal into consideration, even if it will more than likely have to deny it. 'I have personally spoken to Powell, explained what the criminal process is and the prosecutors role, I have invited him to attend court and see firsthand what we do,' Irving told the Daily Mail in a statement. 'I have invited commissioner Blodgett to see a trial, and no one has taken those steps to learn about what we do and dispel the myths they have created. Locals are upset with Irving's track record and reject her soft-on-crime policies. Irving won her seat in 2018 on progressive policies and believes imprisonment should be a last resort 'When they are ready to have a serious and informed discussion with me, they know how to find me. Until then, they should get to work.' Irving won her seat in 2018 on reformative policies, which many district attorneys ran on at the time. 'The role of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not to merely convict people of crimes,' she told the Penobscot Bay Pilot in 2018. 'I believe that implementing community-based restorative justice, focusing on the needs of victims and the community, is of utmost importance. 'I believe that criminal justice is about keeping us safe, righting wrongs, making victims whole, and addressing the root cause of crime, with an eye on preventing re-offense. 'Mainers dont care about conviction rates, they care about the safety of their families and communities.' Irving, who was the first woman and Democrat to hold her seat, is running for reelection, which she announced in mid-August. She said she was 'eager to lead my team through another four years' and wanted to focus on domestic violence, sexual assault, impaired driving, community safety, and more. She also said she wants to continue 'expanding opportunities for restorative justice, and maintaining and building upon efficiency in the criminal dockets to ensure speedy access to court time and defense resources for the accused,' the Midcoast Villager reported. Irving won her reelection bid in 2022 uncontested. The Daily Mail has contacted Powell for comment. Viral jacket potato sellers SpudBros have hit back at claims they are 'bullying' a small business after it tried to use the name of one of their biggest-selling dishes. And co-founder Jacob Nelson, 30, said the resulting online storm had led to warnings that their Preston tram would be vandalised - and even threats to his three-year-old daughter. Jacob and brother Harley, 22, became a TikTok sensation after they started sharing videos of themselves serving up hot potato snacks to customers. The duo have now amassed more than four million followers and even expanded to a central London store, attracting visitors from across the world. But they were yesterday accused of bullying by The Spud Father, which opened in Portsmouth last month aiming to capitalise on the hot new food craze. Owner Rumen Islam, 27, said lawyers for SpudBros had threatened him with legal action as the Lancashire brothers had already trademarked the name. One of the main offerings on the SpudBros menu, The Spudfather is a concoction topped with three types of cheese mix, chilli con carne and crispy onions. 'To suddenly face the threat of losing it because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around its hard to put into words how disheartening that feels,' Rumen wrote on social media. Preston brothers Jacob, 30, and Harley Nelson, 22, known as the SpudBros, have become a viral food sensation Rumen Islam, owner of The Spud Father in Portsmouth, complained that he must now find a new name 'because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around' Hitting back, Jacob said SpudBros were 'not suing anyone' or 'trying to ruin someones livelihood', adding: 'Not now. Not ever.' 'This isnt a statement we ever wanted to make but when my three year old daughter starts receiving threats, enough is enough,' he posted on the official SpudBros Instagram account. 'Youve grown with us from day one. 'Youve seen every step from our small tram in Preston to SpudBros Express in London and Liverpool. Weve always been open with you, so it's important you know the truth here too. 'There are rumours flying around that weve sued a small business called The Spudfather, or that were trying to ruin someones livelihood. 'We are not suing anyone. Not now. Not ever.' Jacob said the Spudfather dish was a tribute to their father Anthony, 57, who along with Harley opened the business in 2020. 'Hes been peeling potatoes, running the tram, and supporting us since day one,' Jacob wrote. Owner of The Spud Father Rumen Islam took to TikTok to complain that the 'stress and worry' of facing potential legal action had 'taken a real toll mentally and emotionally' Jacob, left, and Harley Nelson have seen customers queuing for hours to get their hands on their famous spuds in Preston 'Hes the reason were on this incredible journey. That name means a lot to our family. 'It became our number one seller. It became part of who we are. 'As we grew, we developed merch, franchises expanded and had discussions with major retailers. 'We therefore trademarked The Spudfather to protect it. 'In June, we paid for it, filed it, and it was approved and registered in September before any other business applied for the same name.' Jacob informed followers that trademarks 'exist to prevent confusion and protect brands', adding that 'every business should do a simple trademark search before launching'. 'If that had been done here, none of this would have happened. 'Because without a trademark, another restaurant could open using the same name or supermarkets could sell products using it that arent ours, misleading customers and fans. The duo have hit back at allegations of 'bullying' The Spud Father over use of a similarly named business 'After our trademark was granted, a brand-new business opened using the same name. 'They filed their own trademark and the Intellectual Property Office notified our partners and legal team. 'Our lawyers responded, as they are required to do. 'To be absolutely clear, there is no lawsuit, no court case, just a standard legal reply to protect something that belongs to our business and our dads legacy. 'We havent tried to shut anyone down. 'We love seeing small food businesses thrive, we were one, and in many ways we still are. 'We wish this hadnt gone online before wed even had a chance to speak to one another, resolve this or get a response from the IPO. 'There's been huge misunderstanding and suddenly we were dealing with threats towards my three-year-old daughter and people saying they would vandalise the tram. 'Thats why were addressing this properly.' Jacob added that the SpudBros had trademarked other brand names including their signature tangy Tram Sauce 'because we want to take this dream further into supermarkets and beyond'. 'We are still the same family business, just with bigger ambition building a global brand and these are the things that need to happen. 'And look, if you run a business, please always check trademarks first. It protects you too.' Jacob said he had since 'reached out privately to The Spudfather'. 'We would never want anyone to feel attacked,' he added. 'Thats not who we are and its not cool.' And in a message to fans he concluded: 'The internet can be painfully hateful but we will keep doing what weve always done: work hard, stay positive and put good energy into everything we do. 'Thank you for always supporting us and supporting our family. 'And please always support your local spud seller too. There is room for everyone to succeed.' In his original post, Rumen wrote: 'I never thought Id have to write something like this. 'After months of graft long days, late nights, and putting everything we have into The Spud Father weve now been threatened with legal action from Spudbros over the use of our name. 'Theyve trademarked several potato-related words and are now trying to stop us from using The Spud Father. 'Its gutting. Weve poured our heart and soul into this from the name, to the menu, to every bit of branding and hard work behind the scenes. 'This isnt just a business to us its something weve built with pride, passion, and community spirit. 'To suddenly face the threat of losing it because a bigger company wants to throw their weight around its hard to put into words how disheartening that feels. The stress and worry have taken a real toll mentally and emotionally. 'Thank you to every single person whos stood by us, sent messages, and kept us going through this. Your support means the world.' Rumen also shared his disappointment on a video on TikTok, where he spoke about the toll which it had taken on him - adding that he accepts he will need to come up with a new name for his start-up. He told his followers he will take time away from the stand due to all the stress caused by the threat of legal action. 'Unfortunately I think we will have to change our name,' he added. 'It is hard, we are a really small business. 'It has taken a long time, a long journey of hard work, so many different emotions to try and get this up and ready. 'We are a small business, a really small business. I am born and bred in Pompey, we opened this for the locals, we know a lot of our customers. 'For someone else to come and say "yeah, that is it" is quite disheartening.' Responding to Jacob's post, he questioned the timing of SpudBros' decision to trademark The Spudfather, claiming they did so 'as soon as they saw us opening'. But followers were not sympathetic, with one writing: 'Even if thats true theres nothing you can do about that now unfortunately. 'Theyve trademarked it and thats it. Its business.' Another replied: 'You know like McDonald's named it the big Mac and trademarked it. That's what businesses do!' And a third wrote: 'The first thing you do when opening a business is check the name you like isn't trademarked, in this case The Spudfather is. 'You should take accountability.' The Preston potato tram business was founded in 1955 by Ernie Rhodes, who then passed it on to his nephew Keith Roberts in 1978. Exactly 30 years later, Keith passed the company to his son, who was also called Keith, but he passed away in 2020. Anthony then took over the business, and his two sons have served jacket potatoes five days a week ever since. Jacob quit his job as a sales manager to work at the company full time and the duo decided to start posting on TikTok to market themselves to the thousands of students that live in Preston. A mom-of-three tried to kill herself and her young children in a pond on her family's Texas estate after being unable to flee her marriage, police said. Jessica Quintana, 39, is accused of attempting to drown herself and her three kids, aged 6, 11 and 15, after loading them up on tequila and Nyquil late last month. Sheriff's deputies swarmed the $3 million Liberty County mansion she shares with her husband Domingo, 61, after being called to reports of an attempted drowning. The three children were found near the pond alongside their father. Their mother remained in the water. Prosecutors have since revealed that the alleged drowning and poisoning was a backup plan devised by Quintana to flee the isolated rural estate. According to Liberty County District Attorney Jennifer Bergman, Quintana's 15-year-old daughter told investigators that her mom had formulated two plans. The first, Plan A, was to pack up and leave the home. When that failed she loaded the children up on the syrup and booze and led them into the water the next day. Quintana is alleged to have poisoned the kids until they 'felt fuzzy' before leading them into the water. Jessica Quintana, pictured here, is accused of poisoning her kids with Nyquil and tequila before leading them into a pond on their family's rural estate in Liberty County, Texas Law enforcement swarmed the family's $3 million mansion late last month after her husband Domingo called police over an attempted drowning It remains unclear at this time what stopped them from being unable to leave the address and why Quinanta was so keen to leave it. Charging documents reveal she was formally charged with two counts of injury to a child and one count of Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault. Bergman told reporters: 'Therefore, on the morning, the early wee morning, of Sept. 29, Ms. Quinanta carried out 'Plan B'. 'She instructed the children to drink a mix of alcohol and Nyquil, and she would roll them into the water once they were knocked out. 'We know they consumed these substances based upon medical and toxicology records and information from witnesses.' Quintana and the three kids were all rescued and spent weeks in hospital, she was arrested and charged on Friday morning as she was released from hospital. According to Captain David Meyers, of the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, Quintana was unconscious and unresponsive when she was pulled from the water. He added: 'They pretty much went into the water together, and based on the evidence we have, the intent was that they would drown and not wake up.' Domingo Quintana, seen here, was charged in an unrelated animal abuse case and made his own appearance in court last week Quintana and the three children were all rescued from the water but had to remain in hospital for several weeks, she was arrested on her release on Friday When questioned by reporters, Bergman refused to elaborate on what was going on between Quintana and her husband. She did add: 'As of today, the father of the children will not be charged with the current murder suicide plot.' Her husband Domingo was charged in an unrelated animal abuse case and made his own appearance in court last week. The three children were released into the custody of Child Protective Services who then handed them over to family members. Court records showed that Domingo was named in multiple civil lawsuits, including complaints alleging he owes thousands of dollars in property taxes. He has also been accused of failing to pay contractors hundreds of thousands of dollars in labor costs for their work on Rancho Monte Carmelo. The Quintana family has lived at Rancho Monte Carmelo since 2017, The Vindicator newspaper reports. The children were not enrolled in school with Meyers telling the media they had not been enrolled 'for a little bit'. Additional records highlighted there was at least one previous 911 call for an alleged assault at the residence, though it is unclear if that case involved the Quintana family. An illegal immigrant who admitted to raping an 11-year-old girl has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Ricardo Leonel Mejia raped the child in her family's Virginia Beach home last year after her parents hired him to renovate a bathroom in the residence. Mejia, 35, was caught abusing the child on October 9, 2024 when her mother tried to check on her after hearing noises coming from her bedroom, prosecutors said. She tried to open her daughter's bedroom door, but it was locked. She pried the door open with a butter knife and saw Mejia naked in her daughter's bed. He jumped out of the bed, grabbed his clothing and fled through an open bedroom window, the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's assistant attorney said. The girl told investigators that Mejia had vaginal intercourse with her. His DNA and sperm were found on her body, forensic analysis revealed. Mejia admitted to police that he was 'having a relationship' with the girl, despite knowing she was underage, the prosecution in a press release. Mejia, a citizen of El Salvador, was in the US illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents confirmed. The agency issued a detainer for his arrest. Ricardo Leonel Mejia, 35, pled guilty to three counts of child rape on June 17, 2025. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, with 45 years suspended Mejia has since apologized to the victim. He told his sentencing hearing: 'I know I am not the only one experiencing hard times. I'm sorry for the pain she is going through in this process' Mejia told investigators that he had sex with the girl two times before he was caught in her bed on October 9. The first incident occurred multiple days before in the family's bathroom. The child's parents were not home at the time. The second and third rapes took place in her bedroom at night after he broke into the family's home, prosecutors said. He also admitted to fleeing the scene, telling police he jumped out of the window because he feared a confrontation with the girl's father, prosecutors said. Mejia pled guilty to three counts of rape of a victim under the age of 13 on June 17 this year. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, with 45 years suspended, on October 7. During his sentencing, Mejia apologized to the victim. 'I know I am not the only one experiencing hard times,' he told the hearing, WTKR reported. 'I'm sorry for the pain she is going through in this process.' Mejia (pictured at his sentencing hearing) admitted to police that he was 'having a relationship' with the girl, despite knowing she was underage After Mejia, a citizen of El Salvador, serves his 30-year sentence with the Virginia Department of Corrections, he will be handed over the ICE. Pictured: Virginia Beach Correctional Center Mejia will serve his 30-year sentence and then be transferred over to ICE custody, the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office (VBSO) said. VBSO notified ICE of Mejia's arrest after a routine query revealed he was not born in the US. Immigration authorities have since lodged a detainer for his arrest. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin branded Mejia's crimes as 'unthinkable' in a press release on October 10. She also blamed Joe Biden's administration for not removing him from the country. 'Ricardo Leonel Mejia's crimes are unthinkable. This monstrous individual repeatedly raped an 11-year-old child in her own home,' said McLaughlin. 'ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure that after his prison sentence, he is removed from our country and not able to prey on any more innocent American children.' Mejia had previously been convicted on four separate occasions for traffic offenses, according to McLaughlin. Mejia had previously been convicted on four separate occasions for traffic offenses He was slated for deportation, but his July 25, 2023 removal proceedings were canceled after he was ruled a 'non-enforcement priority.' 'The Biden Administration marked this heinous criminal as a non-enforcement priority - allowing him to roam free and commit these child sex crimes,' McLaughlin said. 'These are the type of depraved criminals, our brave ICE law enforcement officers are arresting and removing from our country every single day.' Mark Zuckerberg had a private sit-down with the Attorney General at the Department of Justice earlier this year as he sought advice on how to talk to Donald Trump, a book has claimed. The Meta boss specifically wanted Pam Bondi's help with how to 'effectively speak' to the President about 'Meta's concerns', according to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl in Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America. The meeting between the tech CEO and America's top law enforcement officer is said to have taken place on March 12. Later that same day, Zuckerberg sat down with Trump at the White House. The two meetings came roughly a month before the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against Meta went to trial on April 14. The Department of Justice declined to comment and Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The case is hugely important to Zuckerberg. If the government convinces the judge overseeing the case that Meta has been acting as an illegal monopoly, the company may have to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp. The trial ended in May, though US District Judge James Boasberg has not made a ruling yet. Like several other big-tech tycoons, Zuckerberg has been cozying up to Trump since he re-took the White House. Mark Zuckerberg (pictured at the President's second inauguration) went to Attorney General Pam Bondi on March 12 to discuss how to 'effectively speak' to Donald Trump about 'Meta's concerns,' according to a book from ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl After meeting with Bondi, the book claims, Zuckerberg went to the White House to meet with Trump. This came a month before the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against Meta went to trial Zuckerberg has been a regular presence at the White House since Trump's inauguration. He has also pledged to invest billions in data centers on US soil over the next three years Zuckerberg had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago shortly after his reelection last November. It was reported that the two met again at the President's Palm Beach residence in January. Zuckerberg was a prominent guest at Trump's inauguration, where he was seated next to Lauren Sanchez and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Nearby was Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk. The tech boss also bought a $23 million home close to the White House in Washington, DC, which could be seen as a means to stay close to Trump. Zuckerberg was even asked to leave a meeting at the Oval Office after he 'walked in unexpectedly' while Trump was meeting with high-ranking military leaders. Since then, Meta has pledged to invest at least $600 billion in the US over the next three years in light of Trump's sweeping global tariffs. Much of that spend will go toward hulking data centers around the country that will support the massive computing power needed for Meta's suite of artificial intelligence products. The company is also among the 37 private donors to Trump's new White House ballroom, a $300million project that led to the demolition of the East Wing last week. President Donald Trump will come face-to-face with China's Xi Jinping late Wednesday night in a showdown that could reshape relations toward a tentative truce after a string of bellicose rhetoric and actions between the two powers. Negotiators on both sides see a ratcheting down of tensions due to measured concessions: While Xi is expected to ease hardline restrictions on China's rare-earth material, Trump is set to pull back his monstrous tariffs, according to reports. While Trump is betting on his personal charisma, Xi also comes into the meeting carrying a powerful negotiating hand given that China produces 80 to 90 percent of the world's rare earths, essential for America's high-tech industry. Just last month, Trump took to Truth Social to publicly chastise the Chinese leader, linking him to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un while criticizing Beijing for conspiring 'against the United States of America.' Don't expect to see that flash of rage with Xi in person. After his Moscow outreach with Putin fell apart and new US oiltrade sanctions tightened the screws on Russia, Trump has turned his attention to Beijing, seeking to leverage the failed Russian dialogue into pressure on Xi, who has quietly backed Putin's war in Ukraine. Brent Sadler, a military diplomat in Asia who spent twenty-six years in the Navy, including a final assignment in the China branch at the Pentagon, warns that Xi is unlikely to offer much to Trump. 'I'm not so sure there will be anything we haven't already seen They might buy some soybeans. That's not really a concession, but they need to change a lot of the way that they engage. I just don't see a lot of room there for concessions on the Chinese part,' Sadler, now a senior research fellow at Heritage, told Daily Mail. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi walk on the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at a U.S. naval base, before speaking to members of the military, in Yokosuka, Tokyo In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second right, and his wife Peng Liyuan greet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Forbidden City in Beijing in early September Soybean purchases would offer a modest boost to US farmers and help trim the trade deficit, but theyre largely symbolic a goodwill gesture that skirts the more serious disputes over technology and security. Symbolically, Trump is arriving on a 'wave of successes,' Sadler notes, including renewed military and infrastructure partnerships with Japan and South Korea, two of China's rivals. A former Trump administration official told Daily Mail the president's Asia swing has shifted the region's balance of confidence. 'The stakes are high, but the Chinese have more to lose,' the official said. Yet from Beijing's view, limited gestures like buying soybeans or freeing a wellknown Christian pastor, cost little but look generous on camera. Sadler calls them 'contrived concessions,' warning that Washington should not reward Beijing for 'doing what it should have done in the first place.' Instead, he says, reciprocity must be the rule: if China restricts American media, the US should treat Chinese outlets the same way; if Beijing blocks US industries, Washington should match the treatment. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump is even prepared to curtail the severity of his favorite weapon: tariffs. That could easily mean that China nets the better deal, according to Brad Stetser, a Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow. 'Bringing the Trump 2 tariff on China down to 20 percent (10 percent reciprocal, 10 percent fentanyl) is a huge win for China; it puts the new tariffs at the same level as the new tariffs on Southeast Asia,' Setser said. Behind the scenes, officials say there is already a framework for the TrumpXi talks, developed under Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. 'We discussed a wide range of things from tariffs to trade, fentanyl, a substantial purchase of US agricultural products and rare earths,' Bessent said. The proposed framework includes further cooperation to curb the flow of fentanyl into the US, 'substantial' Chinese purchases of American soybeans, potential delays to export controls on rareearth minerals and finalizing a deal to transfer TikTok ownership. Trump himself, flying to Asia, underscored the uncertainty around each outcome outcomes, telling reporters on Air Force One, 'what we understood yesterday or two days ago or even today is not going to be necessarily what it's going to be in two days.' The meeting's real drama, Sadler suggests, will be about the optics. He argues that Trump should make it publicly clear that Xi requested the summit. In Asian diplomacy, Sadler explains, appearances are as important as actual agreements, and showing that China came to the table first would signal that 'they're in a weaker position.' US President Donald Trump and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hold documents titled: 'Economic Partnership between Uzbekistan and the United States: new horizons of cooperation', showing the American technologies and equipment that Uzbekistan utilizes, as they meet during UNGA Russia's President Vladimir Putin walks with China's President Xi Jinping and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square President Trump gestures as he prepares to alight from Air Force One upon arrival at Haneda Airport in Tokyo this week President Trump gestures next to Japan's Emperor Naruhito as he departs after their meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo President Trump greets Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Trump cancelled their second summit this month Trump's own approach is expected to be guarded. Sadler notes that the former president 'keeps his cards close' in negotiations and has learned from experience not to trust easily after feeling betrayed by Xi during the early days of the Covid outbreak and blameshifting. That history, combined with the failure of his last attempt to deal directly with Putin, could set a tougher tone. When Moscow tried to lure him into what Sadler calls 'a familiar game,' Trump simply walked away, and Sadler expects he would do the same with Xi rather than accept a shallow deal. When assessing Trump's diplomatic strategy, John Sitilides, national security senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, notes a key difference between his dealings with Xi and Putin. 'Trump's menu of incentives and constraints differs between Xi and Putin. Xi needs a deal with Trump more than Putin needs to end his invasion of Ukraine. Putin believes the Russian economy can endure sanctions and that he can outlast Ukraine's exhausted military and depleted arsenal.' Behind the scenes, a former senior administration official says new energytrade restrictions on Russia could be used to pressure Beijing. China's financial system and industrial exports have kept Moscow afloat, and Asia experts note Xi values access to Western markets far more than friendship with the Kremlin. For Sadler, that calculation is central: if China wants to preserve its economic future, it must distance itself from Russia's war. 'The differences between Washington and Beijing are too vast to solve in one meeting,' Sitilides says. 'A modest truceending Chinese fentanyl flows, reopening some trade, and committing to peace over Taiwancould buy the US time to rebuild its defense and industrial strength.' Whether the leaders achieve anything concrete may matter less than perception. If Trump and Xi simply sit down, Sadler says, that alone counts as a modest success. But if Trump walks away and calls out Beijing's theatrics, it could mark the start of a harder era in USChina relationsand show that lessons from Moscow are now being applied in Beijing. A light aircraft carrying foreign tourists crashed in Kenya on Tuesday, killing the 11 people on board. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said the plane was carrying 10 passengers: eight Hungarians and two Germans. The captain was Kenyan. 'Sadly, there are no survivors,' Mombasa Air Safari said in a statement. The Civil Aviation Authority said the accident happened at Kwale, near the Indian Ocean coast, at about 8.30am local time (5.30am GMT). A regional police commander, in comments aired by public broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said all the passengers were tourists. Citizen TV station said the bodies of those on board had been burned beyond recognition. The aviation authority said the aircraft was travelling from Diani, on the coast, to Kichwa Tembo in Kenya's Maasai Mara national reserve. The airline's statement added: 'Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected.' Stephen Orinde, Kwale County Commissioner, told the BBC that the investigation into the crash was being hindered by bad weather. A light aircraft carrying tourists to a game reserve has crashed in Kenya, killing 11 people on board Government agencies have been spotted at the scene as investigators begin to piece together the circumstances of the crash He said: 'The weather is not very good here at the moment. Since early in the morning, it is raining and it is very misty, but we cannot preempt [the findings].' It has been speculated in local media that poor visibility and bad weather may have contributed to the crash. The plane reportedly crashed just minutes after takeoff and burst into flames. Witnesses told AP that they heard a loud bang. They said they found unrecognisable human remains when they went to investigate the source of the sound. Emergency responders arrived on the scene with forensic teams to piece together the circumstances of the crash. Footage shared online shows the aircraft in flames with debris scattered on a dirt path. Other videos show emergency workers on a rescue mission. Over the last few days, Kenya's Meteorological Department has been warning of a storm identified as Chenge. It was predicted to come with heavy rainfall and strong winds. In August, a plane belonging to Amref, a medical charity, crashed near Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. It killed six people and left two others injured. This is a breaking news story with more to follow The husband of the head of Georgia's child protective services had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit when he was arrested for a hit-and-run with his two children in the back of his truck, police said. Jason Broce, 43, crashed his Ford F-150 on October 16 around 5.10pm near Felton Road in North Georgia and then fled the scene, according to a Georgia State Patrol report cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Law enforcement said two children, five and eight, were in the back of his truck. His breath smelled like alcohol, he was slurring his speech and his eyes were bloodshot and watery, police added. Jason, of Adairsville, is the husband of Candice Broce, who has been director of the state's Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) since 2021. Jason was charged with six misdemeanors, including hit-and-run, driving under the influence of alcohol and two DUIs while endangering children under the age of 14, according to Bartow County jail records. Before his arrest, Jason's vehicle had 'nearly backed' in to a state trooper's patrol car when the officer stepped out to talk to the driver. His truck had been 'weaving heavily' and crossing double lines. Jason Broce, 43, crashed his Ford F-150 with his two children in the back of the truck on October 16 and then fled the scene Candice Broce has served as director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services since 2021 A preliminary breath test determined that Broce's blood alcohol concentration was 0.333, more than four times the legal limit in Georgia. Broce's kids and car were picked up by Candice, who is in charge of the well-being of Georgia's most vulnerable families and children. He was released from jail early on October 17 after posting $3,800 bond. The DFCS website noted that Candice lived 'with her husband, Jason, and two sons, Beau and Jack.' The Daily Mail contacted the Broces and Bartow County Sheriff's Office for comment. The incident puts a spotlight on how Candice's agency would potentially approach an investigation involving her husband. An agency spokesperson told the Daily Mail it could neither confirm or deny the existence of any child abuse or neglect case: 'The agency has protocols in place to avoid conflicts of interest if a report is received on an agency employee. 'Under these protocols, the employee shall be recused from reviewing the case, which shall instead be referred to an impartial, independent reviewer.' Broce was charged with six misdemeanors, including a hit-and-run and two DUIs while endangering children under the age of 14 Broce's kids and car were picked up by his wife after his arrest Before his arrest, Jason's vehicle had 'nearly backed' in to a state trooper's patrol car when the officer stepped out to talk to him Jason served as a campaign policy advisor for Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp before founding his own lobbying firm. Candice was appointed to her position by Kemp. In the wake of the arrest, some Georgia residents called on the DFCS to take action against Jason. 'Candice was able to take their children home and later posted his bond. Many, many, other families in Georgia have not been afforded the same right that the Director of DFCS had to take her children home,' one person commented on Facebook. 'If this had been any other family in the state of Georgia, child protective services would have taken the children into foster care and charged the nonoffending parent with "failure to protect" - whether the parent had knowledge of the situation or not, especially if the nonoffending parent bonded the offending parent out of jail.' Another post on X added: 'Will [Child Protective Services] be opening up a case? Nope. 'They would if it was YOU.' The state agency is tasked with investigating reports of child abuse and finding foster and adoptive homes for abused and neglected children. More than 2,000 people, mainly women and children, have been reportedly executed in the last 48 hours in Sudan after the city of El-Fasher was captured by paramilitaries. The western Sudanese city fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after more than 18 months of brutal siege warfare, giving the group control over every state capital in the vast Darfur region. Allies of the army, the Joint Forces, said on Tuesday that the RSF 'committed heinous crimes against innocent civilians in El-Fasher, where more than 2,000 unarmed citizens were executed and killed on October 26 and 27, most of them women, children and the elderly'. Local groups and international NGOs had warned that El-Fasher's fall could trigger mass atrocities, fears that Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab said were coming true. The monitor, which relies on open source intelligence and satellite imagery, said the city 'appears to be in a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti indigenous non-Arab communities through forced displacement and summary execution'. This included what appeared to be 'door-to-door clearance operations' in the city. A video released by local activists and authenticated by AFP shows a fighter known for executing civilians in RSF-controlled areas shooting a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground at point-blank range. A report published on Monday said the actions of the RSF 'may be consistent with war crimes and crimes against humanity and may rise to the level of genocide'. More than 2,000 civilians have been reportedly executed in the last 48 hours in Sudan after the city of El-Fasher was captured by paramilitaries A video released by local activists and authenticated by AFP shows a fighter known for executing civilians in RSF-controlled areas shooting a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground at point-blank range Screen grab shows a gunman pointing his weapon at unarmed civilians The same day, UN rights chief Volker Turk spoke of a growing risk of 'ethnically motivated violations and atrocities' in El-Fasher. His office said it was 'receiving multiple, alarming reports that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions'. Pro-democracy activists, meanwhile, said El-Fasher residents had endured 'the worst forms of violence and ethnic cleansing' since the RSF claimed control. The paramilitaries have a track record of atrocities, having killed as many as 15,000 civilians from non-Arab groups in the West Darfur capital of El-Geneina. The northeast African nation was plunged into a deadly conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions about the future of the country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the head of the paramilitary rebel group erupted. Fighting exploded in the capital Khartoum but rapidly spread, where it is now estimated that at least 150,000 people have been killed, including many civilians. The civil war has forced more than 14 million people to flee their homes and left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine swept parts of the country. An investigation by Amnesty International suggests that RSF rebels have waged a calculated campaign of sexual violence against defenceless civilians, using rape, murder and torture to terrorise, demoralise and subjugate the population living in areas they seized. This image grab taken from handout video footage released on Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Telegram account on October 26, 2025, shows RSF fighters holding weapons and celebrating in the streets of El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur The paramilitaries have a track record of atrocities, having killed as many as 15,000 civilians from non-Arab groups in the West Darfur capital of El-Geneina In this satellite photo provided by Planet Labs PBC, the area around the headquarters of the Sudanese military's 6th Division in el-Fasher, Sudan, is seen Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 The army, which has been fighting the RSF for two-and-a-half years, has also been accused of war crimes. More than a year and a half of siege warfare made El-Fasher one of the grimmest places in a war that the UN has labelled among the world's worst humanitarian crises. Displacement camps outside the city were officially declared to be in famine, while inside it, people turned to animal fodder for food. The UN warned before the city's fall that 260,000 people remained trapped there without aid, half of them children. The African Union's chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf on Tuesday expressed 'deep concern over the escalating violence and reported atrocities', and condemned 'alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians'. The Sudanese army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said on Monday that his forces had withdrawn from El-Fasher 'to a safer location', acknowledging the loss of the strategic city. He pledged to fight 'until this land is purified', but analysts said that Sudan was now effectively partitioned along an east-west axis, with the RSF having already set up a parallel government. Alan Boswell, project director for the Horn of Africa at the International Crisis Group, told AFP: 'The longer this war drags on, this division will likely only grow more concrete and harder to unwind.' Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, called the city's capture a 'turning point' that showed 'the political path is the only option to end the civil war'. Screen grab shows unarmed civilians running away as they are chased by paramilitaries The UAE has been accused by the UN of supplying the RSF with weapons, a charge it denies. It is also a member of the so-called Quad - alongside the United States, Saudi Arabia and Egypt - which is working for a negotiated peace. The group has proposed a ceasefire and a transitional civilian government that excludes both the army and the RSF from power. Talks last week in Washington involving the Quad made no progress. The army has its own foreign backers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey, observers have reported. They too have denied the claims. In March, the army retook full control of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, but with both sides now having achieved significant gains neither appears willing to compromise in negotiations. Just one in eight migrants arrested for working illegally has been deported, new figures show. Of the 8,000 people arrested in the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement raids in the last year, only 1,050 have been removed from the UK. Labour said the figure marked the largest enforcement crackdown on illegal working since records began. But it means less than 15 per cent of migrants caught working illegally have been deported. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said today: 'Illegal working creates an incentive for people attempting to arrive in this country illegally. No more. 'Those found to be illegally working in beauty salons, car washes and as delivery drivers will be arrested, detained and removed from this country. 'I will do whatever it takes to secure Britain's borders.' The announcement comes days after sex offender Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from Chelmsford Prison rather than deported to his native Ethiopia, while more than 36,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of the year. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said record numbers of illegal workers had been deported - but that only amounted to around one in eight of those arrested But the Home Office said arrests had increased around 63 percent on the previous year, after 5 million was invested in the crackdown to arrest and deport those working illegally in takeaways, beauty salons and car washes. It comes as the Government is expanding right to work checks. While it is a criminal offence for migrants to work illegally, only companies using traditional employer-to-employee contracts are obliged to verify someone's immigration status and whether it permits them to work in the UK. The new laws close this loophole so there will be no hiding place for illegal workers who flout the rules in the gig, casual, subcontracted and temporary worker economy, the Home Office said. Bosses who fail to conduct these checks could be jailed for up to five years, face a fine or have their business closed. The Government said it is working with the likes of Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to strengthen checks in a bid to prevent asylum seekers working illegally as delivery drivers. It follows reports of small boat migrants based in asylum hotels illegally working, often in the gig economy, while their claim is being processed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last month plans to introduce digital ID. The cards are expected to be required for 'right to work' checks by the end of this Parliament in 2029. Critics have called his plan, first touted and then dropped by Sir Tony Blair when he was in office, a 'cynical ploy' designed to 'fool' voters into thinking something is being done about immigration. MPs from Reform, the Tories and the Lib Dems are also opposed to the plans. US troops with exemptions to the military's 'no beard' rule have been barred from attending an event with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in South Korea the latest salvo in his controversial war on facial hair. The ban comes after Hegseth's fiery September 30 speech at Quantico, Virginia, where he told hundreds of generals and admirals there will be 'no more beardos' in his ranks - effectively ending religious and medical exemptions that allowed troops to grow facial hair. 'Today at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over,' Hegseth thundered before the assembled military leadership. 'The age of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done.' Now anyone breaking the Pentagon's new grooming standards and sporting a beard will be turned away from the War Secretary's event at Camp Humphreys in Osan scheduled for Wednesday. The directive affects service members who suffer from pseudofolliculitis barbae - razor bumps that become inflamed by shaving - and had previously been granted medical waivers. It also impact those with religious waivers. An email from the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base confirmed that service members 'with shaver waivers are NOT authorized to attend' Hegseth's function at the largest US military base in the world. Hegseth, who joins President Donald Trump for his weeklong trek through Asia, also plans to meet with his South Korean counterpart at the country's demilitarized zone (DMZ) with North Korea. Osan Airbase sent an email justifying the exclusion of bearded troops from the event with Hegseth, stating 'this is not an open event' and that leadership has the ability to 'decide the composition of the formation to present the most standardized, uniform, and professional force.' Military members with shaving waivers who are still sporting facial hair will not be permitted to attend an event with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Camp Humphreys in Osan, South Korea this week Hegseth delivered remarks to troops on board the USS George Washington just south of Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 The unofficial Air Force Facebook account, which posts news, pictures, emails and submissions from service members, called the message 'damage control bulls***.' Hegseth believes that the US military has strayed from its standards in recent years specifically when it comes to physical fitness and unformed physical appearance and grooming standards. He believes that too many shaving waivers have been issued lately, causing the number of troops with permissible facial hair to increase, and he sent a memo on September 30 saying the Department of War would go back to pre-2010 standards on religious waivers. At his Quantico speech, the War Secretary said he was skeptical of many religious waivers. 'We don't have a military full of Nordic Pagans,' insisted Hegseth, who has repeatedly emphasized his Christian faith. He added: 'But unfortunately, we have had leaders who either refused to call B.S. and enforce standards, or leaders who felt that they were not allowed to enforce standards. Both are unacceptable.' Shaving waivers date back to the 1970s, when the Army led the way of religious exemptions by giving a Sikh soldier the ability to maintain a beard. Around this time, the military also implemented the waiver for medical reasons, such as pseudofolliculitis barbae, which are razor bumps, and are much more common in black service members. In September, Hegseth delivered a speech where he said there will be 'no more beardos' in his ranks as he cracks down on grooming standards in the military Osan Airbase sent an email justifying the exclusion of bearded troops from the event with Hegseth, stating 'this is not an open event' and that leadership has the ability to 'decide the composition of the formation to present' But Hegseth's new policy limits these exemptions for service members who have 12 months or less before potential separation, and his August 20, 2025 memo directs unit commanders to begin separation for troops who still require a shaving waiver after more than a year of medical treatment for any complications. Hegseth's trip through Asia underscores the US military's focus in the Indo-Pacific region. Stops include Malaya, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea. He attended Trump's remarks on the USS George Washington in the Tokyo region on Tuesday. His August memo emphasized how US military grooming standards require troops to be 'clean-shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.' A Dallas high school has been rocked after a principal reportedly pulled a group of black students aside to blame them for the school's lower academic rating. Principal Chandra Hooper-Barnett reportedly took a group of black students into an assembly to discuss their academic performance, The Dallas Morning News reported. The Texas Education Agency assigns schools an A through F rating, considering student achievement and progress, and how well they prepare students for success beyond high school. '[My son] said that Principal Barnett stated that those students, the black students, were the reason why the school had a B rating,' Jennifer Bush told the outlet. 'She said it in a derogatory manner,' Bush told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. 'I was really shocked she would say something like that.' She added that her son currently holds a 3.5 GPA. In a letter sent to parents on Sunday, Hooper-Barnett, who is black, apologized for hosting the meeting and admitted it was 'not appropriate.' 'I take full ownership and responsibility for what occurred, and I want to assure you that it was never my intent to single out or cause harm to any group of students,' she wrote. Principal Chandra Hooper-Barnett reportedly took a group of black students into an assembly to discuss their academic performance She reportedly accused the black students for the school's B rating. The Texas Education Agency, a state government agency, assigns schools an A through F rating. The school has ranked a B rating for the past several years 'I understand my actions and decisions have caused disappointment and frustration, and for that, I sincerely apologize.' Hooper-Barnett will not return to school, and Danielle Petters has since been appointed as interim principal. The Executive Director of the Woodrow Wilson Vertical Team, Aaron Aguirre-Castillo, said Hooper-Barnett's actions do 'not reflect the values and expectations of our school community.' Bush said the students need to 'know that they're enough.' 'I dont even know how you resolve this and take it back, because the damage has been done,' she told The Dallas Morning News. 'There is a trust that is broken between parents and students.' She is hoping the school will hold a meeting, so parents and educators can 'put our heads together and get this taken care of.' 'Because if you guys do want to come up to an A rating, you have to put in the work as an administration, as a community. If were all striving for a goal, lets do that together, and lets not single out children,' she told the outlet. Hooper-Barnett had been the principal of the 1,800 students for the last three years and has been an educator in the school district for 22 years. In a letter sent to parents on Sunday, Hooper-Barnett, who is black, apologized for hosting the meeting and admitted it was 'not appropriate.' Hooper-Barnett had been the principal for the last three years and has won several Teacher of the Year awards The school has appointed Danielle Petters as interim principal in the meantime She has won several Teacher of the Year awards. Black students make up 7.3 percent of the student population at the East Texas school. Hispanic students make up 62 percent, while white students make up 27.7 percent. The high school received an 83 out of 100 points on this year's rating. In the 2023-24 school year, the school scored an 87. The year prior, it scored an 88. All the scores were of B ratings. The Daily Mail has reached out to the school, district, and Hooper-Barnett for comment. Tucker Carlson invoked the wrath of conservative influencers and commentators after he interviewed his most controversial guest to date, Nick Fuentes. Fuentes, a controversial figure on the right, is infamous for his views on race and gender. The 27-year-old political commentator routinely promotes anti-Israel rhetoric and has made anti-Semitic statements in the past including comparing the Holocaust to baking cookies. The former Fox News host sat down in an interview published on Monday night with Fuentes, who also has a proclivity for bashing Israel. Carlson, throughout the interview, disagreed with Fuentes on a variety of issues, ranging from identity politics to intrapersonal relationships between men and women. The pair, however, did agree on their hatred for conservatives they considered to be 'Christian Zionists,' such as Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz. 'How do you explain Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz. And they're a lot like that - John Bolton. I mean, I've known them all - George W. Bush, like Karl Rove,' Carlson told Fuentes.' I mean, all people I know personally who I've seen be seized by this brain virus, and they're not Jewish.' 'Most of them are self-described Christians. And then the Christian Zionists who are, well, Christian Zionists. Like, what is that? And I could just say for myself, I dislike them more than anybody.' Carlson concluded, 'Because it's Christian heresy, and I'm offended by that as a Christian.' Huckabee, who serves as Trump's US ambassador to Israel, responded by claiming Carlson was not familiar with the Bible. Tucker Carlson is receiving pushback from conservatives online for bashing 'Christian Zionists' during his interview with Nick Fuentes US Ambassador Mike Huckabee responded to Carlson by claiming the former Fox News host was unfamiliar with the teachings of the Bible Carlson claimed that anyone who describes themselves as a 'Christian Zionist' is practicing 'Christian heresy' 'Wasn't aware that Tucker despises me,' Huckabee wrote on X. 'I do get that a lot from people not familiar with the Bible or history. Somehow I will survive the animosity.' Huckabee, back in September at a pro-Israel conference, told a delegation of over 200 US lawmakers that Israel should be viewed as the 'wife' of the United States. 'If you came to my house tonight for dinner and you came in and you said, 'Oh, Mike, we like you. We really think the world of you. We just enjoy being with you. So excited to be here with you and have dinner with you,' he said. 'But your wife, we can't stand her. We don't like her a bit. I hope she's not going to be at the table.' I would say, 'Well, she will be. You won't be. Get out.' Because if you were to insult my partner, you have insulted me.' Other conservatives commentators likewise bashed Carlson with some claiming that Charlie Kirk was a self-described Christian Zionist. 'Tucker is literally calling Charlie a Heretic whom he despised who also had a mind virus,' wrote Brandon Tatum on X. 'Charlie Kirk was a Christian Zionist. This is disgusting. Not to mention he is saying this while interviewing Nick Fuentes, a clear Trump hater and antisemite.' A close personal friend to Kirk, Josh Hammer, also jumped in the online conversation to bash Carlson for sitting down with Fuentes. 'The great Charlie Kirk is rolling in his grave right now,' Hammer told his followers. 'Simply despicable.' Fuentes told Carlson that conservative radio show host Mark Levin helped radicalize him on the topic of race Levin is a frequent critic of Carlson who he disagrees with on a variety of foreign policy issues, including US support for Israel Kirk was one of the most outspoken supporters for Israel among right-wing evangelical Christian conservative leaders in the US. Before his passing, Kirk famously refused to not disinvite Carlson from a Turning Point conference despite pressure from the organization's wealthy donors. 'It's been a little more than a month after he spoke at Charlie's funeral, and here he is talking with one of America's most prominent and noxious antisemites about how much he despises Christian Zionists,' wrote conservative legal commentator Will Chamberlain 'Tucker should be ashamed, this is a total betrayal.' Earlier in the interview, Fuentes shares his backstory with Carlson and explains how he became radicalized as a young college student supporting Trump in 2016. Fuentes claims that conservative radio host Mark Levin, a self-described Zionist, influenced his early views on race. He recalls that during high school, Levin was the first conservative commentator who made him think differently about the topic. 'I listened to him every day in high school. I was a fan. I loved his show. And I actually liked how he was kind of obnoxious and mean to his callers,' Fuentes told Carlson. 'I'll never forget one show. He goes live and he says, "America's becoming a majority non-white country. Does anybody think that's a good idea?" And I was thinking to myself, yeah, that actually doesn't sound so good.' A couple was caught in a sex act at an Arizona restaurant before stealing hundreds of dollars and liquor. The unidentified couple, who are still on the run, allegedly broke into Mon Cheri, a rose-themed restaurant in Scottsdale, around 4am on Saturday. They stole $450, an iPhone 5 that was used at the hostess' desk, and a bottle of Bacardi rum - after allegedly engaging in sexual activity inside the floral decorations on the outside patio. 'I think its maybe all the roses,' restaurant owner Lexi Caliskan told Fox 10 Phoenix. 'They definitely have some romantic time up front on the property and our roses. And Mon Cheri is my dear in French, which is a really endearing term, so you never know. 'It's a beautiful place for photos.' The couple, who were originally wearing masks before taking them off, forced entry into the restaurant, breaking down two doors and tearing apart the hostess stand. 'There were things all over,' she told the outlet. 'They damaged my two doors. So two doors need to be repaired or replaced. The actual registers are, like, just torn apart.' The man was also caught on camera eating a bag of chips after their love fest was complete. An unidentified couple, who are still on the lam, allegedly broke into Mon Cheri, a rose-themed restaurant in Scottsdale, around 4am on Saturday. They allegedly had sex in a rose-themed outdoor area before breaking into the establishment They stole $450, an iPhone 5 that was used at the hostess' desk, and a bottle of Bacardi rum 'To be so casual, to eat afterward,' Caliskan told ABC 15. Hours later, the Scottsdale Police Department responded to a delayed robbery call around 10am. Employees told police they caught the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde on security footage and reported the stolen items. The couple has yet to be taken into custody. The Daily Mail has reached out to police for comment. The restaurant is known for its abundance of roses, its pink pasta, and being known as the prettiest food establishment in Scottsdale. Mon Cheri staff is now warning the couple to leave the establishment alone. 'I think its maybe all the roses,' restaurant owner Lexi Caliskan said. 'They definitely have some romantic time up front on the property and our roses' The restaurant is known for its abundance of roses, its pink pasta, and being known as the prettiest food establishment in Scottsdale 'This is such a happy place, like c'mon. Look how beautiful. Stay out,' server Caitlyn told Fox 10 Phoenix. 'We dont want you. Leave. Never come back.' The owner agreed, telling the outlet: 'Yeah, do not come here. Do not steal from us. We will catch you and we will find you.' Police have launched an investigation after a young woman's lifeless, naked body was found dumped on a New York City street. The unidentified woman was found in East Harlem, near the intersection of East 124st Street and Park Avenue, on Monday just before 7pm, the Daily Mail has learned. She was unconscious and unresponsive on the sidewalk when officers arrived, the NYPD said. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Her body has since been transferred to the city medical examiner's office, which will carry out an autopsy to determine her cause of death. Police have not yet classified the incident as a homicide and said their investigation is ongoing. Little is known about the case, but sources close to the probe told WABC that the body was found inside a plastic bag. The woman, who appeared to be in her 20s, had been nude and had blood on her head, the insiders added. A woman was found dead on a sidewalk at East 124 Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood at 6.33pm on Monday The victim was unconscious and unresponsive on the sidewalk when officers arrived at the location. NYPD officers are pictured at the scene Monday night The body was found near the Harlem-125th Street station on the Metro-North Railroad by a man who had been looking for bottles to recycle, sources said. The remains were reportedly found in a plastic bag that had been placed among a pile of trash The woman's body has been transferred to the city medical examiner's office, which will carry out an autopsy to determine her cause of death. Pictured are medical examiner officials loading what appears to be her body into a van on Monday night The NYPD was called to the scene at 6.33pm on Monday at the request of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police. Her body was found near the Harlem-125th Street station on the Metro-North Railroad by a man who had been looking for bottles to recycle, according to WABC. He reportedly felt the plastic bag, which had been placed among a pile of trash, and realized there was a body inside. Sources told the New York Post that the victim's remains had been tossed into a black garbage bag, which was then shoved into a green duffel bag. The duffel, the insiders alleged, was secured with a drawstring. Police have not yet classified the incident as a homicide and said the investigation into the woman's death remains ongoing The NYPD was called to the scene at 6.33pm on Monday at the request of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police An officer collects evidence near the Harlem-125th Street station on the Metro-North Railroad after a woman was found dead Monday night A medical examiner loads the victim's remains into a van as police continue to work the scene The Daily Mail was not able to independently verify WABC and the Post's reports. NYPD did not mention a plastic bag or duffel in their statement to the Mail. A follow up request for further information did not receive an immediate response. An MTA police spokesman told the Daily Mail that the 'MTA Police have no reports of responding to anything of that nature.' 'NYPD has lead on this,' they added. This is the moment after piranhas attacked swimmers at a popular Amazon resort, leaving several injured and a seven-month-old baby with part of his toe ripped off. The incident happened at the Miriti Beach in Manacapuru, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, on Sunday, October 26. According to local reports, seven people were injured, including a seven-month-old baby who lost part of his toe during the attacks. Footage shared on social media shows families and children watching on as a crowd gathers in the water - seemingly to help those injured in the attack. In another scene, a firefighter is seen treating one of the victims whose hand is bleeding heavily as she receives first aid on the riverbank. The Amazonas Fire Department said the attacks happened throughout the day as bathers enjoyed the water. According to swimmers, the attacks occurred at points further from the beach, where the river is deeper. A spokesperson said that the baby was attacked in the morning and that firefighters on duty provided first aid before the parents decided to take the infant to hospital themselves. Later in the day, crews carried out new treatments and dressings while advising swimmers to stay away from the deeper parts of the river, where the attacks had been concentrated. This is the moment after piranhas attacked swimmers at a popular Amazon resort, leaving several injured and a seven-month-old baby with part of his toe ripped off Footage shared on social media shows families and children watching on as crowd can be seen gathering in the water - seemingly to help those injured in the attack In another scene, a firefighter is seen treating one of the victims whose hand is bleeding heavily as she receives first aid on the riverbank. The Amazonas Fire Department said the attacks happened throughout the day as bathers enjoyed the water Local fishermen believe the aggressive behaviour of the fish is linked to the breeding season, which occurs during the rivers low-water period when piranhas move closer to the banks to spawn and defend their nests. The discharge of food waste into the water - a practice common among visitors and nearby establishments - may also be drawing shoals to bathing areas. The Manacapuru city council has since advised the public to stay away from Miriti Beach until the fish disperse. Biologist and aquatic ecology expert Edinbergh Caldas Oliveira explained that the behaviour is typical of piranha species and that most incidents occur when people unknowingly enter nesting zones. He said the fish act defensively and usually deliver a single warning bite to drive away intruders rather than launching sustained attacks. He added that such incidents are accidents caused by human interference with natural habitats. This isn't the only piranha attack to happen in Brazil in recent years. In 2023, at least eight people were left injured in an attack, with the victims suffering bloody wounds, according to local media. The fish are said to have torn in to their legs at a beach resort in Taruma-Acu, a region that lies to the north of Manaus - a city that sits on the Amazon River. Shocked victims were playing in a stream on May 1 during the Labour Day holiday when they suddenly felt sharp pains on their feet and legs. One victim said they only realised what they had been attacked by upon getting out of the water and finding others nursing their wounds. Images taken at the scene show how several people had to have their bloodied feet bandaged up after receiving nasty bites from the vicious fish. 'I felt a "shock" on my heel, I even thought it was the poraque [a fish that emits electrical charges],' University student Adaiany Monteiro told G1 news. But 'when I left, I saw that some people were talking about piranhas and bites. I noticed my foot and saw the bite mark', she told the Brazilian news outlet. The dangers posed by piranhas have often been mythologised in books, films, television and video games (including the 1978 horror flick 'Piranha' or more recently Netflix's 'Wednesday'). Some stories suggest a school of the carnivorous fish can skeletonize a human body or cattle in seconds. While such stories are often exaggerated, they still pack a nasty bite, and while a person is unlikely to be stripped to the bone - attacks can be fatal. The fish - which inhabit South American rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs - have one of the strongest bites found in bony fishes. Relative to its body mass, the black piranha produces one of the most powerful bites measures in vertebrates. There have been several documented attacks similar to the latest in Taruma-Acu. In one incident in 2011, a series of attacks resulted in 100 people being injured. An Oklahoma middle-school teacher died after enduring searing pain and dozens of surgeries after she drank a margarita made of degreaser two years ago. Holly Hill, 30, was a 'beloved' third-grade teacher when she consumed the poisoned concoction in 2023. Hill, a wife and mother of three, had ventured out on a romantic Valentine's Day date with her husband at Hacienda Las Margaritas Bar & Grill in Elgin where she ordered the fateful cocktail. But the night quickly took a wrong turn after her drink was allegedly found to contain industrial-strength degreaser. Her mother, Kelly Hunter, told News on 6 that Hill's 'mouth was on fire' after drinking the beverage. 'She knew immediately something wasn't right,' Hunter told the outlet. 'She immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom, started throwing up, started rinsing her mouth out with water.' In the years that followed, Hill was forced to make multiple trips to the emergency room for severe chemical burns in her esophagus. While the restaurant made no public acknowledgement of the incident, a vague post from May 2023 issued an apology which appeared to be directed at Hill and her family. Holly Hill, 30, was a 'beloved' third-grade teacher at Elgin Middle School when she was accidentally poisoned in 2023, leading to her tragic death on Thursday A margarita at Haciendas Las Margaritas Bar & Grill Haciendas Las Margaritas Bar and Grill in Elgin, Oklahoma, has not publicly addressed the incident except for a vague Facebook post in May 2023 'Good afternoon Elgin community. Please accept our apologies for our delay in addressing the situation we encountered a few months ago,' the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post. 'We are very sorry for what happened and we feel deeply since the moment it occurred because during these ten years we have never had a situation like this, a situation that should not have occurred in the first place. 'The manager in charge at the time of the situation, Miguel Esparza , has always tried to constantly communicate with her and her family. We have never walked away from responsibility and will continue to support them in any way possible while our insurance company is on the case. 'We have always tried to give back to the community and will continue to do so. We again want to apologize to her, her family, and the Elgin community. Our prayers continue for her and her family. The support you have given us over the years is greatly appreciated and we are here to assist you in any way we can. Thank you.' Since the alleged ingestion, Hill required dozens of surgeries and even reached a confidential settlement with the restaurant after she sued, News9 reported. 'For the past two-and-a-half years, while continuing to teach and care for her family, Holly faced a long and difficult medical journey,' her obituary said. 'Through fighting to survive countless procedures, hospital stays, and uncertain days, she met each challenge with courage, faith, and a quiet strength that inspired everyone around her. Her perseverance and love were nothing short of remarkable.' On October 1, Hill posted a picture of herself preparing for her 30th surgery. Hill was forced to endure countless surgeries, including her 30th on October 1 and her last on October 17 Hill had gone on a Valentine's Day date with her husband, Brandon (pictured), when she allegedly ingested the drink containing industry-strength degreaser 'It's been one year and seven-and-a-half months since I took one swallow of what I thought was my margarita,' she wrote on Facebook. 'To say its changed my life is an understatement. I continue to pray and believe in my doctor to lead the way through this never ending journey that I now call life.' Her last procedure took place on October 17, just days before her death, according to her mother. 'The hole in her esophagus wasn't healed but it was a bit better and not as inflamed,' Hunter wrote on Facebook. '[T]hey were able to call in a pulmonologist to assist in stitching it up. She will have to continue tube feeds for a while longer.' Hunter added that Hill would have had to return in a 'few weeks' for a swallow study to check on her progress. 'Not exactly the news we wanted but overall good news,' Hunter wrote at the time. But, as the hospital was preparing to transport her they lost her pulse, Hunter told News on 6. Hill on her wedding day with her mother, Kelly Hunter (right), who said Hill knew 'immediately' something was wrong with her drink Hill had taught at Elgin Middle School since 2019 and was said to have been a 'dedicated teacher, Elgin Alumni, and beloved mother and wife' Hunter said that one of their family's priorities is to find justice for her daughter. 'The number one thing that we really want at this point, and out of this, is we want people to be aware of what happened at that restaurant and to quit supporting them,' Hunter said. 'We want them to be held accountable for taking my daughters life; because they did. It might have been a long fight, but ultimately, they are the cause.' The Elgin Police Department announced on Facebook that Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation had launched an investigation. Hill had taught at Elgin Middle School since 2019 and was said to have been a 'dedicated teacher, Elgin Alumni, and beloved mother and wife,' according to Elgin Schools Superintendent Nate Meraz. 'Please join me in sending our heartfelt condolences to the family of one of our beloved teachers, Holly (Hunter) Hill. This morning I received the unimaginable call that Holly had passed away unexpectedly,' Meraz wrote on Facebook. 'She was an Owl through and through and we lift her family up in prayer tonight.' According to her obituary, Hill had a passion for teaching in 'everything she did' and began her career at Kid Central Early Childhood and School Age Center where 'she touched the lives of many children and parents alike.' Hill leaves behind her husband, Brandon, and her children Paisley, Finn and Brady Hill had a passion for teaching in 'everything she did' and began her career at Kid Central Early Childhood and School Age Center where 'she touched the lives of many children and parents alike' Hill leaves behind her husband, Brandon, and her children Paisley, Finn and Brady. '[Her children] were her world, her greatest joy, and the reason behind every smile. Whether cheering them on, reading bedtime stories, or simply holding them close, Holly poured her heart into motherhood,' her obituary read. 'Holly will be remembered for her kindness, her bright smile, and the way she made every child feel seen and loved.' A GoFundMe was created to help support her family following Hill's passing. 'Holly was an amazing woman, daughter, wife, and mother. After 2 1/2 years of battling complications from ingesting industrial cleaner that had been served to her in a margarita at a local restaurant, she succumbed to her injuries,' the fundraiser said. 'She leaves behind her husband of 7 years, three children 6, 11, 14, her family and countless friends.' The GoFundMe garnered over $1,600 by Tuesday afternoon. The Daily Mail reached out to Haciendas Las Margaritas Bar and Grill, the Elgin Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for comment. A Melbourne hospital has come under fire for directing staff to fast-track the treatment of Indigenous patients over that of other Australians. St Vincent's Hospital introduced a directive ordering staff to treat Indigenous patients within 30 minutes of arrival to the emergency department, potentially prioritising their treatment over others. The policy has won endorsement from Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan who said it would help to achieve better health outcomes for 'vulnerable groups'. But it has also attracted backlash from some who claim the move, which has been in place since April 2024, amounts to discrimination, could fuel division and undermine confidence in the healthcare system. Indigenous activist and prominent Voice 'No' campaigner Warren Mundine said treatment should be given based on the needs of the patient rather than their race. 'We aren't asking for that, we're asking to be treated like everyone else,' he told The Herald Sun. He said he was shocked at the policy and that common sense would dictate that treating patients should be based on need. 'This is where (governments) try and do nice things and you wind up with idiot policies.' Warren Mundine (pictured) condemned the 'idiot' policy, claiming patients should be attended to based on their needs rather than race St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne (above) has come under fire for directing staff to fast-track Indigenous patients at its emergency department Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier said the policy amounted to a kind of 'discrimination (that) will only divide our society'. She said the colour of a person's skin should not affect the triaging of patients. The St Vincent's policy is a window, she argued, into what would happen in Victoria under a treaty being pursued by the state government. The government looks set to pass Australia's first statewide Indigenous treaty bill this week, with debate to resume in the upper house. Mundine said he himself had attended St Vincent's after he suffered a heart attack in 2012 and was rushed through after telling staff he had a pain in his chest. 'That should be the only priority,' he said. Premier Allan defended the policy at a press conference on Tuesday, saying it was a 'good example' of a hospital improving outcomes for Indigenous Australian patients. 'The issue that is being addressed here is recognising that first peoples have poorer outcomes, first peoples have been waiting longer to be treated,' she said. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan (pictured) defended the directive, claiming it was a 'good example' of hospital leadership improving outcomes for Indigenous patients '(St Vincent's) are putting in place an initiative that supports the principle of treating the sickest patients quickest. 'When you have better outcomes for every health outcomes for everyone, that's good for our strong, healthy community.' She also rebuffed claims the directive undermines the principle that emergency departments ought to treat patients according to their needs. 'There has been some disadvantage in that (Indigenous) people haven't been getting treated in that spirit of treating the sickest patients quickest.' St Vincent's has defended the policy, claiming it was necessary given Indigenous patients wait longer to be seen on average than non-Indigenous patients. It also cited research showing First Nations patients were more likely to remain engaged with care if seen within the first hour of presentation at emergency. 'ED wait times for First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians are now comparable thanks to the introduction of this policy,' a spokesperson told the Herald Sun. 'It has had no negative impact on overall ED access and patient flow.' Under the policy, Indigenous patients are automatically assigned a minimum category three triage - meaning they must be attended to within 30 minutes. First Nations Australians make up an estimated five per cent of the emergency departments presentations, the highest among Victorian hospitals. Daily Mail has contacted St Vincent's for comment. A late-night brawl at one of Southern California's busiest waterfront attractions left a security guard critically injured and sparked a dramatic rescue effort involving police officers and a civilian nurse. The fight broke out shortly after midnight on Monday near the City Cruises dock along North Harbor Drive in San Diego. When Port of San Diego Harbor Police arrived, they found a security guard unconscious and without a pulse. Witnesses reported to 619 News that a bald man wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts had been provoking multiple people in the crowd before security intervened. As the confrontation escalated, a woman wearing a Halloween 'police' costume allegedly kicked the security guard in the head while he lay on the ground. The man reportedly struck the security guard, knocking him to the pavement and leaving him unconscious. Two officers from the Harbor Police immediately began CPR. They were joined moments later by Marie Aponte, a hospice nurse of eight years who, along with her friend, had just disembarked from a Halloween-themed cruise. The security guard's pulse was restored through life-saving efforts before medics rushed him to the hospital, where he was stabilized. Police respond to a violent altercation near the City Cruises dock in San Diego shortly after midnight that left a security guard without a pulse Passengers from a Halloween-themed cruise looked on as police secure the scene One female suspect wearing a Halloween 'police' costume allegedly kicked the security guard in the head while he lay on the ground A bald man wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts had been allegedly provoking the crowd before security intervened San Diego Police assisted with crowd control as dozens of onlookers, many of whom had just exited the cruise, gathered along the waterfront to watch the scene unfold. The two suspects were identified as Ernesto Molina Jr., 39, and Claudia Mendiola De Franco, 48. Both were taken into custody and charged with felony assault involving a deadly weapon or force likely to cause great bodily injury, Lt. Shawn Woody told CBS 8. Investigators believed Mendiola De Franco attacked Molina Jr. after the security guard had already been assaulted. Officials had not released the name of the injured guard, and the motive behind the altercation remained unclear. 'This was a violent act,' Aponte said. 'I feel that if there's somebody who can respond or help, it's important that people come together and act quickly.' This is the moment two thieves who brazenly attempted to steal a bike opposite a police station are caught red-handed. John Kent and John Hutchenson were caught on CCTV attempting to steal the bicycle on Bishopsgate in the City of London. However, the pair were seemingly unaware - or did not care - that City of London Police Station was across the road. Kent and Hutchenson were spotted on camera at around 1:30pm on October 20, and were arrested mere minutes later. Kent, 43, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle and handling stolen goods. Hutchenson, 44, of Tower Hamlets, pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle, going equipped to steal and theft from a shop. Const Sibyl Beaumont said: 'These thieves foolishly believed they could steal a bike outside a police station, when we have officers on patrol and we have the City of London's extensive camera network and we caught them red-handed. 'Officers responded immediately to apprehend the culprits. John Kent and John Hutchenson were caught on CCTV attempting to steal the bicycle on Bishopsgate in the City of London John Kent (left) 43, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle and handling stolen goods. John Hutchenson (right), 44, of Tower Hamlets, pleaded guilty to attempted theft of a pedal cycle, going equipped to steal and theft from a shop 'There are ways to make your bike harder to target by thieves or help return it to you if it is stolen, such as using a thick D lock, getting your bike marked or taking removable parts with you.' Bike thefts in London have become a more and more prevalent crime in recent years. Between January and June this year some 6,721 bikes were reported stolen. But if you are a Londoner unfortunate enough to have your bike stolen, you are more likely to win the lottery than get their stolen bicycle back. Of the over 6,000 stolen, as of last month, just 39 cases have so far seen anyone charged, prosecuted or cautioned. This equates to just 0.6 percent of cases having what the police coin 'a positive outcome' - compared to an 11 percent chance of winning any prize on the National Lottery. The mysterious disappearance of an American journalist who went missing in war-torn Syria 13 years ago appears to have finally been 'solved'. Former Marine Austin Tice, then aged 31, was kidnapped while reporting in the Middle Eastern country on August 13, 2012. His family never lost hope and have been striving to secure his safe return, even as previous administrations failed to retrieve him. Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad consistently dodged questions about Tice's whereabouts, but as his brutal regime fell, clues about the journalist's fate were revealed. Bassam Al-Hassan - a general close to Assad - told CNN that Tice was killed in 2013. CNN's investigative team tracked down Al-Hassan in September and confronted him during a 20 minute conversation. 'Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead,' he said on video, captured by hidden cameras worn by the investigative team. However, Hassan failed a lie detector test and it remains unclear if he is telling the truth. Austin Tice (pictured) in Cairo in March 2012, the US journalist has been missing for 13 years The last footage of Tice was in 2012, a shaky video showed him blindfolded and reciting a prayer in Arabic Debra and Marc Tice with a photo of their son, Austin The former general said the kill order came from Assad. CNN also reported that several sources connected directly with his capture said there were 'holes' in his story. The outlet's sources testimonies implicate that Tice was killed but there is no definitive proof. Tice was 31 when he was abducted in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus on the uprising against Assad, who was ousted by rebels after 24 years in power. He was a former marine and aspiring journalist, who was passionate and 'restless' about helping people. He traveled to the war zone county because he wanted to bring awareness to the on-going conflict in Syria. 'There was no talking him out of this,' Tice's family friend told CNN. 'He wanted to tell their story. Because he felt like nobody else was there.' Tice was relentless and freelanced for several well-known publications, including McClatchy, The Washington Post and CBS News. His past editors told CNN that he was a 'natural' and 'didn't struggle to write a news story at all.' The US journalist was convinced the corrupt Syrian regime was going to fall, and needed to see it for himself. Tice posted his last tweet on August 12, and days later, he was captured. Tice was 31 when he was abducted in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus on the uprising against Assad Debra Tice, the mother of missing journalist Austin Tice, has been relentless in her search and advocacy for her son Syrian rebel fighters shoot during target practice in Daraya on August 4, 2012 The last footage of Tice was in 2012, a shaky video showed him blindfolded and reciting a prayer in Arabic, surrounded by jihadi militants that the US later concluded was staged by Assad loyal forces. Assad's regime collapsed 12 years later, in December 2024, but many questions about his whether Tice is alive or not remain unanswered. Tice's mother, Debra, has been relentless in her search and advocacy for her missing son. She wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin - along with several other global leaders- who gave the former Syrian ruler sanctuary after he fled. Putin released a public response at his end-of-the-year conference, saying he would talk to Assad about her son's location. Little information has surfaced, but this remarkable development could point to answers for Tice's family. 'Austin Tice is alive. We look forward to seeing him walk free,' the Tice said to CNN in a statement. A woman who died giving birth to her stillborn daughter was given eight times the recommended dose of a labourinducing drug which experts say may have contributed to her death. Jacqui Hunter, from Fowlis near Perth in Scotland, had been given the devastating news in May 2020 that her daughter Olivia had died in the womb days before her due date, and that she would be given medication to help deliver her the next day. What the 39yearold wasn't told was that staff at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee gave her eight times the recommended dose of misoprostol needed to induce labour. She endured a painful, protracted labour with intense contractions before collapsing into her husband's arms, entering cardiac arrest. Doctors worked rapidly to deliver Olivia by C-section in order to give Ms Hunter the best chance of survival - but within hours, she was dead. Her husband, LoriMark Quate, lost his daughter and wife in the space of 24 hours. A fatal accident inquiry Scotland's equivalent of a coroner's inquest ruled that she died of an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), a severe allergic reaction to amniotic fluid in the bloodstream. But Mr Quate, believes the overdose of misoprostol 400 micrograms (mcg) against a recommended 50mcg had a role to play. Misoprostol is known to increase the risk of AFEs because the drug can cause severe contractions that may force amniotic fluid into the mother's bloodstream. Neither Mr Quate nor his wife were told of the error despite medics being aware. Jacqui Hunter pictured at home among the babygros picked out for Olivia before tragedy struck. She died giving birth to Olivia stillborn Jacqui (pictured building her baby's crib at home) was given eight times the recommended dose of a drug used to induce labour. The medication has a known link with increased risk of amniotic fluid embolism LoriMark Quate, Jacqui's husband, believes the overdose played a role in her death that has been played down (pictured with Lori) While he will never have all of the answers as to how his wife died, he believes she may have had a fighting chance had she been told she had been given too much. 'In Jacqui's medical notes, there is no mention of that drug at all, at any point, until after she's declared dead and passed,' he told BBC Disclosure. 'Not going to Jacqui, their patient, and saying 'we have messed up'... there would have been opportunity to have removed that drug. 'It may not have altered events going forward, but it might have and it's a decision Jacqui should have been given.' A 2020 review conducted by NHS Tayside, the health board in charge of Ninewells Hospital, acknowledged that the 'incorrect dose must be considered as a major contributing factor to (Jacqui's) AFE and subsequent death'. The subsequent fatal accident inquiry hear from a consultant obstetrician, Dr Philip Owen, who said it was 'possible but not probable' that the overdose contributed to her death. Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown ultimately made no ruling on whether the overdose or whether failing to tell Ms Hunter had told her about the overdose, which Mr Quate declared a 'whitewash'. In a statement to the Daily Mail, NHS Tayside said it acknowledged that the deaths of Ms Hunter and Olivia were 'devastating' and that it was 'so deeply sorry' for their losses. A spokesperson for the health board added: 'NHS Tayside undertook a number of internal investigations and engaged in external reviews following the deaths to ensure all learning opportunities were taken by the organisation to deliver improvements. 'All recommendations identified in the reviews were fully accepted and, as a result, our systems and processes have been strengthened where required and improvements have been made to how we provide care.' The tragedy has shone a light on what experts say is a growing problem with maternity care in Scotland, where two significant spikes in deaths among newborn babies in 2021/22 prompted a national review. LoriMark Quate spoke to BBC Disclosure about what he felt were the failings to prevent his wife's death on a maternity ward The overdose playing a role in Ms Hunter's death was 'possible, not probable', a fatal accident inquiry later heard Lori-Mark Quate and Jacqui Hunter pictured together. He later branded his wife's fatal accident inquiry a 'whitewash' The fatal procedure was undertaken at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee (pictured), which has since been the subject of Scotland's first dedicated maternity service inspection Healthcare Improvement Scotland found that health boards were carrying out reviews of varying quality following neonatal deaths, meaning learning opportunities were being missed. Its findings prompted a governmentcommissioned review of neonatal deaths, which concluded last year, and the commissioning of independent inspections of Scottish maternity units. At Ninewells, where Ms Hunter died, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) inspectors issued 20 requirements for improvement in May last year after making troubling findings. They found that the maternity unit was shortstaffed, workers were unsure of where to find emergency medication, expectant mothers were waiting up to 72 hours to have labour induced and fetal heartbeat monitors were missing vital cables. NHS Tayside said of the HIS visit: 'The focus of the inspection was different from the reviews following Ms Hunter and Olivias death. 'The HIS report identified areas for learning and improvement and also highlighted where our teams were delivering sensitive, responsive, and highquality care. 'NHS Tayside is committed to providing safe, compassionate, and highquality services to women and families in our care. 'We also remain committed to continuously learning and improving so that we can offer the best possible support to every family we serve.' Experts told the BBC that they believed health boards were failing to learn from infant deaths, even after significant adverse event reviews (SAERs) that are commissioned following unexpected or avoidable deaths in care. Dr Helen Mactier has expressed concern over whether reviews after neonatal deaths are leading to any real change in the health service Parents Julie and Angus lost their son Mason Scott McLean at the age of just three days Julie and Angus have expressed concern over whether health boards will learn lessons from reviews meant to prevent further deaths Parents Julie and Angus' son Mason Scott McLean died at just three days old after developing sepsis. He had developed hypothermia but equipment to warm him up was not sourced after they took him to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. Mr and Mrs McLean say staff failed to grasp the seriousness of his condition before he passed. Tests were not carried out to ascertain his condition. 'You just think, are the mistakes going to happen again?' Julie asked. Just 143 SAERs have been held in Scotland since 2020 while 613 equivalent reviews were conducted in England between April 2024 and March 2025 alone. Dr Helen Mactier, who wrote the review of neonatal deaths published last year, said: 'It's very concerning that review after review says essentially the same thing. It says that we commonly fail to listen to patients.' The Scottish Government says it has made 'significant progress' in reducing infant mortality, and that it is committed to learning from unexpected deaths. Jenni Minto, public health minister, told the BBC: 'We are committed to learning from every case to improve care, strengthen safety, and support women and their families.' A couple have sued the New York Police Department over claims a surveillance camera has been pointed right into their bedroom. Pamela Wridt and Robert Sauve say they have 'lost the enjoyment and value of their home' because of the camera. They claim the camera was placed outside their home in Brooklyn, New York in April 2022. 'We had to mirror tint all our windows. We can't open them because if we do, we're exposed,' Sauve told the Intercept. 'There's very hot days. I like having my windows open. I can't even do that.' According to the complaint obtainted by the Daily Mail, the couple no longer use their front yard, open their blinds, or open the windows widely for air, as the 'presence of cameras' looms over their property. At first, they were unsure where the footage was fed back to, but they eventually learned that it was collected in the city's surveillance network. Wridt said in the suit that the 'omnipresent surveillance' is a 'daily violation' that has left her 'unable to feel at ease in her own home.' A couple in Brooklyn, NYC, have sued the New York Police Department over the 'daily violation' from surveillance cameras across the city (stock image) She told the outlet: 'Your home is supposed to be your safe space, and I feel very violated. It's constant. It never goes away, that level and feeling of violation.' With its technological abilities, the camera 'can see potentially directly into any part of our house,' Sauve told the outlet. The suit alleged that 'they, like all who live in or visit New York City' have and would continue to be subjected to injury, intimidation and interference as long as the NYPD's surveillance system remains in place. New York City's Domain Awareness System, or DAS, was described in the complaint as a 'voyeuristic policing platform.' DAS, according to the suit, allows the NYPD to collect information on the identity, location, banking details, vehicle information, social media activity, and friend groups of those in the city. 'It combines these entries with civil and criminal records and converts them into digital profiles that chart peoples thoughts, plans, beliefs, and affiliations -reconstructing, in effect, the private lives of millions. It is virtually impossible to avoid,' the complaint said. The pair have claimed that the surveillance of their home infringes on their Fourth Amendment rights of a reasonable expectation of privacy in the 'whole of Plaintiff's movements and captures information about the privacies of life,' the complaint said. 'You are being watched,' the suit ominously begins. 'Today throughout New York City, the police are monitoring, tracking and cataloguing you. Nearly everywhere. Nearly all the time.' The duo's suit has sparked hope for further exposure of the private companies that have access to data collected by the NYPD 'without limit,' the complaint stated. 'There is no one firm that is really enabling this mass surveillance. That's what's key to the lawsuit,' attorney Albert Cahn of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, and one of the attorney's representing the couple's case, told the outlet. The suit further claimed that, while the system has been noted as being used often in investigations, there have been no recorded cases of misuse of the system. 'The ease and range of access magnify the risks of misuse, removing natural barriers that once constrained surveillance and enabling the constant monitoring of New Yorkers,' the suit said. 'With no oversight, officers enjoy broad discretion to search the DAS for purposes that may be departmental as well as personal.' While defense of the system has pointed to the reduction in crime, the suit claimed that the surveillance system has had little effect. It further noted that 'the department had conceded that some of its most expansive programs did not produce any credible leads.' The couple claimed that the block they live on isn't a 'hot spot for crime' and questioned the motives for having such a level of surveillance (stock image) Concerns for the abuse of the system were raised, namely over protected activity such as political expression, religious practice, or private association, the suit said. The monitoring of their neighborhood, they told the outlet, appears to have ulterior motives as they say their neighborhood is hardly riddled with crime. 'There's no crime on our block. This is not a hot spot for crime. So of course your brain is going to go in other directions - why is it there?' Sauve told the outlet. According to a 2018 report from the office of the New York State Comptroller, violent crime in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood fell by 44 percent between 2000 and 2016 but it 'remains a concern.' The report also found the crime rate per 1,000 residents was 'significantly higher' in the area than the rest of New York City - 18.4 compared to 12.2. Bedford-Stuyvesant accounted for 7 percent of all shootings in NYC in 2016 and 6 percent of gun arrests - despite accounting for less than 2 percent of the total population. The couple has since sought to help inform their friends and neighbors of the threat of the surveillance system. 'It's like my greatest concern and my greatest fear was confirmed,' Sauve said. 'People that are oblivious to the whole surveillance state we're in - they're getting more and more comfortable with it being there.' The Daily Mail has contacted the NYPD for comment. Bill Gates has declared that climate change 'will not lead to humanitys demise' and said world leaders should instead focus more on health and poverty issues. The Microsoft co-founder has spent a large amount of his estimated $122 billion net worth raising the alarm on climate change. He previously warned that it is already affecting lives and threatening long-term consequences for families and future generations. However, Gates has now signaled a shift, arguing that the United Nations's 'doomsday outlook' focuses too heavily on short-term emission targets instead of looking at how to improve overall life right now. The 70-year-old billionaire is calling for more focus and spending on vaccines to fight deadly diseases across the world, including malaria. 'Although climate change will hurt poor people more than anyone else, for the vast majority of them, it will not be the only or even the biggest threat to their lives and welfare,' Gates wrote in an open letter ahead of the upcoming UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil. 'The biggest problems are poverty and disease, just as they always have been. 'To be clear: Climate change is a very important problem. It needs to be solved, along with other problems like malaria and malnutrition. Every tenth of a degree of heating that we prevent is hugely beneficial because a stable climate makes it easier to improve peoples lives.' According to his letter, the world has already made significant progress on climate change. Bill Gates (pictured) declared that climate change 'will not lead to humanitys demise' and said the nation should instead focus more on health and poverty caused by a warming planet The 70-year-old Microsoft co-founder has spent billions of his estimated $122 billion net worth raising the alarm on climate change, including investing in more than 150 climate-focused companies (pictured: Heliogen, a clean energy company. Gates was an early investor) 'People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future,' he wrote. 'Emissions projections have gone down, and with the right policies and investments, innovation will allow us to drive emissions down much further.' While continued investment in breakthroughs is essential to reach net-zero emissions, Gates warned that health and development funding cannot be sacrificed in the process. The co-founder argued that the attention should shift from temperature targets to improving human lives, making human welfare the central pillar of climate strategies. 'Our chief goal should be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions who live in the worlds poorest countries,' he wrote. Gates acknowledged that some climate advocates might now call him a 'hypocrite'. According to the Financial Times, he also later said: 'If you said to me, ''Hey, what about 0.1 degrees versus malaria eradication?'' Ill let the temperature go up 0.1 degrees to get rid of malaria. People dont understand the suffering that exists today.' The 70-year-old billionaire is calling for more focus and spending on vaccines to fight deadly diseases across the world, including malaria (pictured: Gates and his daughter, Phoebe, at TIME 100 gala in 2022) Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University professor of geosciences and international affairs, argued that Gates was framing a misleading narrative 'usually propagated by climate skeptics.' 'Despite his efforts to make clear that he takes climate change seriously, his words are bound to be misused by those who would like nothing more than to destroy efforts to deal with climate change,' he told The New York Times via email. Johannes Ackva, climate work leader at Founders Pledge, disagreed with Oppenheimer and told the outlet: 'He [Gates] saw the U.S.A.I.D. situation as more pressing, and something where he could be more effective.' Just four years ago, Gates released his book titled How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (pictured), outlining technological strategies to combat climate change based on years of research and collaboration Mondays memo comes just a week before global leaders are set to gather in Belem, Brazil, for this years COP30. 'Its not too late to adopt a different view and adjust our strategies for dealing with climate change,' Gates wrote. 'COP30 is an excellent place to begin, especially because the summit's Brazilian leadership is putting climate adaption and human development high on the agenda,' he added. Gates has spent the past 20 years studying climate change, collaborating with scientists and innovators. Just four years ago, Gates released his book titled How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, outlining technological strategies to combat climate change based on years of research and collaboration. In 2015, the billionaire launched Breakthrough Energy, a venture that invests in promising clean energy startups and later added a climate policy group in Washington to advocate for emissions reduction strategies. So far, Gates has backed over 150 clean energy companies, many of which have grown into major industry players. Then, in March, Breakthrough Energy announced significant cuts, including axing its climate policy group. Two months later, Gates revealed plans to gradually wind down the Gates Foundation. His foundation has poured billions into the cause, including a $1.4 billion pledge to help farmers in developing countries adapt to the climate. Nevertheless, Gates continues to invest in clean energy start-ups through groups such as the Breakthrough Energy Catalyst program and the Breakthrough Energy Ventures. He also continues to fund nuclear energy. According to Gates, 'temperature is not the best way to measure our progress on climate.' A civil war broke out amongst ex-President Joe Biden's Democratic staffers after he performed woefully at his June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump, sparking an unseen battle. A congressional report released on Tuesday lays bare which top Biden officials wanted the octogenarian to cling to power and steamroll ahead with his flagging presidential run, and which loyalists expressed concern over the Democrat's condition and thought he should hang it up. The House Oversight Committee, led by Republicans, interviewed an array of former officials for the probe into Biden's health and autopen use. Some ex-officials provided detailed insights into the critical period when Biden was faltering in the polls following the debate and calls for him to step aside were mounting. However, three of Biden's closest former aides plead the Fifth Amendment, refusing to cooperate with the congressional investigators. Biden's former Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told the committee that he and a cohort of top aides, including former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough all had expressed concerns over Biden staying in the race after his poor debate performance. 'Within a few days after the debate, [Biden] was aware of my view that I thought it was prudent to consider getting out of the race,' Zients told investigators. The former Biden chief of staff also asked Dr. Kevin O'Connor, former physician to the president, to do a 'full work-up' of medical exams after the debate. O'Connor refused to answer questions from the GOP panel, pleading the Fifth. President Joe Biden grips first lady Jill Biden by the hand at the White House on May 24, 2023 Biden doctor Kevin O'Connor departs the Rayburn House Office building following testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill, July 9 He refused to answer whether he was instructed to lie about Biden's health and if the Democrat was fit to be president. The committee alleges that O'Connor did not perform a cognitive assessment on Biden. 'It is shocking that the physician to the president would invoke the Fifth Amendment when asked whether he ever thought the president he served was unfit to execute his duties,' the GOP report states. Bruce Reed, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy to Biden, told the Committee that members of the president's team raised concerns about his health with O'Connor. But he 'heard Doc OConnor say [cognitive exams] are meaningless.' The Committee's report says: 'Dr. OConnors financial and personal ties to the Biden family demonstrate the incentives he had to conceal President Bidens deterioration from the American people.' Despite the concern among half of Biden's camp following the debate, another large group of the Democrats' inner circle argued the performance was not as bad as the media made it seem. When pressed on Biden's cognitive decline being apparent during the 2024 debate, former Biden aide Steve Ricchetti told the committee: 'It isn't how the country perceived it. That just isn't true.' A new congressional report details the discord in Joe Biden's inner circle after his disastrous 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump. Som of his aides wanted the Democrat to drop out, while others had multi-million dollar financial incentive for Biden to win re-election Joe Biden's former White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients Another top Biden aide, Mike Donilon, also downplayed the disastrous debate, telling the panel Biden 'had pretty good answers. Stylistically, I was worried about his voice.' Donilon disagreed with the idea that the debate 'produced a substantial change in the horse race.' Donilon also testified that he had a major financial incentive for Biden staying in the race. He told the congressional committee that if Biden were re-elected, he would have made a $4 million bonus. In addition to the intra-White House drama, the report also skewers the former president for his autopen use. In total, President Biden issued 149 executive actions during his time as president. It's unclear, however, which actions, including pardons, were actually signed by Biden's hand. Comparatively, President Donald Trump has already signed 210 Executive orders in 2025, preferring to conduct those signings with a large media presence. Trump signed 220 executive orders during the entirety of his first term. The report concludes with the GOP lawmakers on the panel calling for a full review by the Department of Justice into each of Biden's executive actions to determine if it was done properly and with Biden's knowledge. Among the most controversial measures taken via autopen by the former president were the pardons of Dr. Anthony Fauci, California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff and other members of Congress who served on the January 6th committee. Biden also pardoned members of his family - James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden - on his last full day in office. Brigitte Macron's daughter has revealed the cruel taunts the French first lady's grandchildren have had to face with 'constant attacks', claiming that she was born a man and how it adversely affected her mother's health. Tiphaine Auziere, 41, said her mother 'cannot ignore the horrible things said about her' at the trial of ten people accused of cyber-harrassment. She said: 'This has repercussions on her children and grandchildren. They hear things at school such as, "Your grandmother is a man." I don't know how to make it stop.' Auziere also stated that her mother 'has to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself, because she knows that her image can be distorted.' The trial comes after President Emmanuel Macron and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States at the end of July, in connection with a false claim amplified and repeated online that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth. Ms Macron, 72, told investigators the rumour had greatly impacted her and her family, especially her grandchildren who were told their grandmother was a man. The first lady's lawyer had asked her daughter to testify. She was spotted on Tuesday entering the courthouse dressed in a suit and clutching documents on the second day of the trial. In a stark insight into how public figures cope with troll hate, Auziere explained how her mother was 'constantly under attack and it affected her enormously.' She said: 'It was important for me to be here today to express the harm. I wanted to express what her life has been like since she suffered this hatred. There has been change and deterioration. 'My mother always has to be careful about how she dresses and behaves in public because of this fake news. She knows that her image could be taken and distorted. She's constantly under attack. She can't ignore all the horrors being said about her.' Asked by a prosecuting lawyer if Ms Macron had seen all the messages being discussed at trial, Auziere replied: 'She read them all. It hurt her enough. She doesn't want to see them again.' The first lady's lawyer had asked her daughter Tiphaine Auziere to testify She was spotted on Tuesday entering the courthouse dressed in a suit and clutching documents on the second day of the trial French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at the Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas on August 28, 2025 Even tweets as messages on the X outlet were described that Ms Macron misses, are 'reported to her,' by Elysee Palace aides, said Ms Auziere. 'There's a feeling that it never stops. This whirlwind of online abuse has a growing impact on her day-to-day life and health.' Auziere, the youngest of three children born to Ms Macron and her first husband, said even her 'seven grandchildren' had to be put up with the scandal. 'It's something that affects her enormously,' said Auziere. 'I wouldn't wish what she's going through on anyone.' The unsubstantiated gender claims have long targeted the presidential couple, alongside criticism of their 25-year age gap. The first lady has not attended the Paris trial of 10 defendants - eight men and two women, aged 41 to 65 - accused of harassing her online, who if convicted face up to two years in prison. The French first lady filed a complaint in August 2024 that led to an investigation into cyber-harassment and arrests in December 2024 and February 2025. Among the defendants is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a publicist known on social media as 'Zoe Sagan' and often linked with conspiracy theory circles, who claimed on the sidelines of the trial on Monday that he was the one being harassed. He was also to speak on Tuesday. Jerome C. 55, told the court he was exercising his right to 'freedom of speech' and 'satire' when he posted or re-posted on social media. Bertrand S., 56, had on Sunday said the trial was targeting his 'freedom to think' faced with the 'media deep state'. The defendants also include a woman already the subject of a libel complaint filed by Brigitte Macron in 2022: Delphine J., 51, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium who goes by the pseudonym Amandine Roy. In 2021, she posted a four-hour interview with self-described independent journalist Natacha Rey on her YouTube channel, alleging Brigitte Macron, whose maiden name is Trogneux, had once been a man called Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her brother. When Auziere was asked whether she saw her uncle at the trial, she replied: 'I saw him a few months ago and he was doing very well.' The two women were ordered to pay damages to Brigitte Macron and her brother in 2024 before the conviction was overturned on appeal. The first lady has since taken the case to the country's highest appeals court. Delphine J. refused to speak to the court on Monday, saying she had already spoken at length on the matter. Defendant Amandine Roy shows her convocation on her phone on the first day of the trial for sexist cyberbullying against Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, at the Paris Court in Paris, France, 27 October 2025 French author Aurelien Poirson-Atlan also known as Zoe Sagan arrives for the first day of his trial with nine other persons accused of sexist cyber-harassment of Brigitte Macron Bertrand Scholler arrives for his trial with nine other persons accused of sexist cyber-harassment of Brigitte Macron Defendant Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, center, arrives at the courtroom as ten people go on trial over cyberbullying of Brigitte Macron When Roy appeared in the dock on Monday for her criminal trial, she was told by the presiding Judge: 'You are accused of the same offence as the other defendants, namely harassing Brigitte Macron online. This led to a serious deterioration in her physical and mental health.' Mrs Macron was not in court, and instead represented by her barrister, Jean Ennochi. Maud Marian, for Roy, said her client had merely 'replied to other posts' online, and had not trolled Mrs Macron directly. All of the defendants deny any wrongdoing, and claim their right to free speech is being infringed because they attacked a senior member of the Paris political establishment. The trial is focusing on 'numerous malicious comments about Brigitte Macron's gender and sexuality, as well as her age difference with her husband which have seen her likened to a paedophile,' said a spokesman for Paris prosecutors. He added: 'On August 27th, Brigitte Macron filed a complaint for cyberbullying, an offence punishable by two years of imprisonment.' The Macron marriage has also always been subjected to hurtful speculation because of its controversial beginnings. It was in 1992 , when the future president was a schoolboy at La Providence high school in Amiens, northern France, that he first developed deep affection for his drama teacher, the then 40-year-old Brigitte Auziere, who was married with three young children. Some claim the relationship became a dangerously irresponsible one allegations both parties have always denied but Mrs Macron later admitted that being romantically linked 'with such a young boy was crippling,' especially in a close-knit, Roman Catholic community. Emerging as early as Emmanuel Macron's election in 2017, the claims have been amplified by far-right and conspiracy theorist circles in France, and in the United States, where transgender rights have become a hot-button issue at the heart of American culture wars. The little girl with a pudding bowl haircut sitting on her mother's knee is Brigitte Trogneux, and far left is her brother Jean-Michel The presidential couple filed a US defamation lawsuit in July against conservative podcaster Candace Owens, who produced a series titled 'Becoming Brigitte', claiming she was born a man. The couple are planning to offer 'scientific' evidence and photos proving that the first lady is not transgender, according to their US lawyer. Several of those on trial in Paris shared posts from the US influencer. Mrs Macron's latest court trial comes after she was given a male name on her official French tax portal by hackers. A routine audit of Brigitte's financial reports in September 2024 discovered the insult, according to senior Paris civil servant, Tristan Bomme. Mr Bomme said: 'Like many French people, Madame Macron logged into her personal account on the tax website. 'She logs into the system and saw that it did not say Brigitte Macron, but Jean-Michel Macron.' He added that Mrs Macron had made an official complaint about the hacking. The callous owners of the Titanic charged grieving relatives a first class train ticket to transport their dead loved ones back to New York, a newly-unearthed document reveals. In the days after the 1912 disaster, devastated families travelled by train to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to collect the bodies that had been recovered from the sea. Upon arrival they were handed an 'Important Notice' by White Star Line officials which told them to stump up the cost of a first class fare so the bodies could travel in the baggage car of the same train back to New York with them. The British shipping company even offered an 'express' service on payment of two first-class tickets. Such a cruel approach to a disaster by a commercial giant would cause public outrage today, with the company likely to be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter instead. The order by the White Star Line is exposed in an emotive archive of documents and possessions that have been kept by the family of Titanic victim Frederick Sutton for 113 years. The 60-year-old first class passenger was one of the 1,520 victims who died in the sinking on Titanic's maiden voyage. His daughter travelled from their home in New Jersey to New York when the rescue ship Carpathia landed with 700 survivors. The callous owners of the Titanic charged grieving relatives a first class train ticket to transport their dead loved ones back to New York, a newly-unearthed document reveals She learned that her father had perished in the disaster but that his body had been recovered by the cable-laying ship the Mackay Bennett, which was to arrive in Halifax on April 27, 12 days after the sinking. The family headed north only to later find out that they had a wasted journey as Mr Sutton had already been buried at sea. They did receive a canvas personal effects bag that contained Mr Sutton's possessions that were on him when his body was pulled from the Atlantic. The white bag was stamped 46 to denote his body number on the Mackay Bennett. Inside it was a water-stained First Class passenger list that was given to Mr Sutton when he boarded Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912. The document contains the names of the great and the good who travelled in style across the Atlantic. These included some of the wealthiest people in the world at the time like John Jacob Astor IV, Benjamin Guggenheim, Isidor and Ida Straus and 'The Unsinkable' Molly Brown. Hardly any of these lists survive today. The Sutton family have paid to have it professionally conserved so that it is 'stable' and readable. The order by the White Star Line is exposed in an emotive archive of documents and possessions that have been kept by the family of Titanic victim Frederick Sutton (pictured) for 113 years The canvas bag given to the relatives of first-class passenger Frederick Sutton. It contained the belongings that were on his body when he was pulled from the Atlantic The first class passenger list given to Mr Sutton when he boarded the Titanic A page showing the names of some of the Titanic's first class passengers The front page of the first class passenger list, showing the name of American John Jacob Astor IV, who was one of the richest men in the world. He perished in the disaster. Also listed is his wife, her maid and his manservant The 20-page document has been revealed for the very first time after being consigned for auction with Henry Aldridge & Son Auctioneers of Devizes, Wiltshire. The archive has an estimate of 50,000 to 80,000. The notice made out to 'relatives or friends arriving in Halifax to take charge of the bodies recovered from the scene at the Titanic disaster' reads in part: 'Only those who establish their right to do so will be permitted to view the bodies. 'Identified bodies will so far as possible be sent to [the undertakers] and friends may take charge of them just as soon as the undertaker is complete necessary preparations. 'When bodies are ready for shipment friends may take them on the same train in the baggage car on payment of the regular First-Class. 'Bodies may also be sent by express on payment of two first-class fares.' Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: 'Today it is difficult to comprehend how any large organisation could take such a cold-hearted approach to the response of a major disaster that was of their own making. 'To think that the families of the victims would have been in a state of trauma and grief and had travelled all the way to Halifax to identify and take charge of the body of their loved one, and they are told to pay out of their own pocket the cost of transporting the body back to New York which was Titanic's destination. The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Above: The ship before it left Southampton 'The mere concept of requiring payment for the return of the body of anyone who died on Titanic is just beyond comprehension. 'In the case of the Sutton family it was even worse. 'After going to New York and being informed that Frederick had sadly died in the disaster, they were then wrongly told that his body would be arriving in Halifax. 'So his daughter, Francis, and her brother-in-law travelled to Halifax only to later realise that Frederick had been buried at sea. 'It was horrific behaviour by White Star Line who apparently treated the dead as a commodity, which is callous in the extreme. 'Bearing in mind that there were not enough lifeboats for the people on board Titanic and the fact the ship was steaming through an icefield when it struck an iceberg, the owners would today very likely be charged with corporate manslaughter and would have to pay out hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation.' Frederick Sutton was originally from Wangford, Suffolk. After marrying wife Ellen and having three daughters, they moved to New Jersey, US. He became an estate agent and made a small fortune developing the fishing village of Wildwood in New Jersey. In 1912 he was advised to return to England to seek some medical help for an unknown illness. He boarded the Titanic for the return journey. On the night of the disaster he dined with first class passenger George Arthur Brayton who survived and told how Frederick had reported feeling unwell. After the collision with the iceberg, it is thought Frederick was trapped in his room. The sale takes place on November 22. An asylum seeker who 'deceived' officials after entering Britain 26 years ago has won the right to stay in the UK. In what is thought to be one of the longest-running immigration cases, Albanian-born Gentian Hoti, 41, has gained the right to be a British citizen after first launching his claim in 1999. The asylum court heard that Mr Hoti falsely told British officials in 1999 that he was a year younger than he was and that he had 'suffered at the hands of the Serbian-dominated Yugoslavian authorities in Kosovo'. The Albanian, who first arrived to the UK aged 15, was awarded citizenship shortly after arriving but it was deprived in 2019 after the Secretary of State discovered he had relied on a 'false identity'. They said that while Mr Hoti should not be held accountable for relying upon a false identity when he was a minor, he had 'intended to deceive' the Home Office in his applications afterwards. After a long-drawn legal battle, Mr Hoti's immigration case has finally concluded with him having succeeded in a bid to claim British citizenship. Upon arrival, Mr Hoti claimed asylum under an 'assumed identity' in which he said he was born in 1985 rather than 1984. He also falsely said he was a citizen of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was said that Mr Hoti's family had consequently arranged for their family to leave Kosovo and that the teen had lost contact with them as they moved across the border. Gentian Hoti was accused of intending to 'deceive' the Home Office in his applications for asylum (Stock Image) In November of that year, the Secretary of State refused Mr Hoti's claim for international protection, but granted him exceptional leave to remain until November 2003. He was then placed into local authority care. In October 2003, Mr Hoti applied for indefinite leave to remain, which was granted the following year. 'At this date, Mr Hoti was still aged 18 under his false identity and 19 in his true identity,' the judgement states. In 2005, Mr Hoti's application to to naturalise as a British citizen was granted. But five years later, the Secretary of State sent Mr Hoti an investigation letter regarding his British citizenship. In February 2013, he was sent a notice of decision advising him that his 'naturalisation as a British citizen was null and void'. Communication over his British citizen status continued over the following years and in June 2019 the Secretary of State issued a notice of decision to deprive Mr Hoti of British nationality. They had observed that 'in every application made to the Secretary of State since his arrival in the United Kingdom, Mr Hoti had maintained or left uncorrected that he had been born in 1985 and that he was a Kosovan national'. The Home Office accepted that Mr Hoti could not properly be 'held accountable' for relying upon a false identity when he was a minor, but the view was taken that he 'had intended to deceive her in each of his applications after his initial application'. Mr Hoti appealed the decision in 2019 which a judge allowed in 2020. The Secretary of State further contested this decision to the Upper Tribunal where it was decided that the case should be heard afresh. A first-tier tribunal judge found that since his application for judicial review in 2013, Mr Hoti had not and continued not to maintain that he was born in Kosovo. In what is thought to be one of the longest-running immigration cases, Mr Hoti has won the right to be a British citizen after first launching his claim in 1999 (Stock Image) Since that time, he has accepted that he was born in Albania, the judgement stated. The judge found that Mr Hoti 'probably' told his legal representatives in 2010 that he was born in Albania. They said that he may have been advised by friends that this might 'cause problems for him as it was inconsistent with the identity he had previously informed the Secretary of State'. It was also found that Mr Hoti was placed in 'limbo' between the nullity decision of 2013 and the grant of his indefinite leave to remain in 2017. During this time, it was heard that Mr Hoti had lost both his employment and accommodation and was being supported by his wife. The first-tier tribunal judge referred to the potential of him losing his employment and accommodation for a second time and found this to be a 'sufficiently grave interference with his private and family life'. His appeal was allowed Mr Hoti's appeal under the British Nationality Act 1981, which the Secretary of State appealed yet again. A fresh upper tribunal ruling found that the previous judge had made an error of law and dismissed Mr Hoti's earlier appeal. Aggrieved by this decision, Mr Hoti further appealed the case and the Court of Appeal allowed it. In the most recent hearing, the Upper Tribunal said it was accepted by Mr Hoti - who is a father of three - that there had been 'false representation' of facts in relation to his country of nationality and his date of birth. Upper Tribunal Judge Declan O'Callaghan dismissed the Secretary of State's appeal in relation to the judgement made by Judge Shaerf. He said: 'Having weighed the evidence with care, and placed into his assessment the public interest, we are satisfied that the Judge properly directed himself and his conclusion as to proportionality was reasonably open to him.' Reform UK will kick malevolent actors out of the civil service as it seeks to emulate Donald Trumps drive to bring the State back under control, the party has pledged. A Nigel Farage government would change the civil service code to ban Left-wing activism that has led to a woke agenda that has infected so much of Whitehall, Reform vowed today. Danny Kruger, who defected to Reform last month, set out plans to slash civil service numbers by up to 140,000 and shutter government offices if the party wins the next general election. The head of Reforms 'preparing for government' unit said the civil service will have to accept the mandate the party hopes to win as he put Whitehall on notice. Mr Kruger told a press conference the party wants to rewrite the ministerial code and civil service code to bring officials under ministerial control and make firing and hiring easier. Reform will also slash the size of the civil service to pre-Brexit levels - a cut equivalent to almost 140,000 people - as well as closing down five government buildings including the Home Office, he added. Mr Kruger said: What I can confidently say is we are going to get the overall headcount at the centre of the civil service based in Whitehall, back down below the levels it was at before Brexit. So ten years ago, it was 30 per cent smaller than it is today. So we can at least get back to that size, and I'm confident we can go further. In June 2016, when the Brexit referendum took place, the civil service had a workforce of 384,230 - the smallest it had been since the Second World War. But as of June 2025, there were 516,950 full-time equivalent civil servants, according to the Institute for Government. Reform's plans to restore the civil service to pre-Brexit levels would, therefore, see at least 133,000 jobs cut in Whitehall. Danny Kruger, who defected to Reform last month, set out plans to slash civil service numbers by at least 140,000 and shutter government offices if the party wins the next general election A Nigel Farage government would change the civil service code to ban Left-wing activism that has led to a woke agenda that has infected so much of Whitehall, Reform said Reform will also slash the size of the civil service to pre-Brexit levels - a cut of about 140,000 people - as well as closing down five government buildings including the Home Office The East Wiltshire MP said he is very, very conscious of the obstructions we may well face and the malevolent actors of bad faith who are trying to stop us but is confident that with reforms we can get the civil service as a whole under control. And asked if Reform wants to emulate US President Donald Trump in taking on the machine of government, Mr Kruger said: So on Trump, I mean, in a nutshell, yes. I think he came into government with exactly the same analysis that we have, which was that in his case, the federal government wasn't under the control of the administration. And he has taken deliberate steps to bring it back under control. But he added: But I think stylistically, we'll be more British about it. Reform would also expand the definition of impartiality in the civil service code beyond party political causes so that officials cant push the woke DEI agenda and the nonsense around boycotting and divesting investment in Israel, the party vowed today. Mr Kruger said: The definition of impartiality is too narrow in the current civil service code, so it's defined simply as being party political, which, of course, it shouldn't be. But there's a whole range of other political affiliations or commitments that civil service can have and introduce through their work that might not have a party political label, but that is nevertheless essentially political. So, you know, the whole, the whole DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) woke agenda that has infected so much of Whitehall will be a contravention of the civil service code that we that we introduce. So socially controversial political positions will not be acceptable in the civil service. Mr Kruger also claimed that by not renewing the leases of five government buildings, including the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education's premises, Reform would save 100million a year. He added that by cutting the number of officials we will be able to make do without those buildings, as he vowed to make Whitehall Whitehall again, to restore the civil service to the street called Whitehall. However Labour and the Lib Dems both attacked the plans and said they would collapse at the first contact with reality, as the Government pointed out most of the buildings identified by Reform for closure are already being shut by the Cabinet Office. Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: It's deeply embarrassing for Nigel Farage that his new policy chief's first policy has already fallen apart. You can't save money by closing government buildings that are already closing. Danny Kruger didn't do the work and he's been found out. It's the same at local level. Reform made big claims about the money they could save in councils, found they were wrong, and are now proposing raising council tax and cutting services. Local government was supposed to be the blueprint for what Reform would do nationally, and it's true: their savings plans collapse at the first contact with reality. Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said: Reform are completely out of their depth and it's residents and council taxpayers who are paying the price for their incompetence. Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect union said: 'The civil service is already overstretched, partly because of the impact of the bad Brexit deal that Reform championed. 'Civil servants will serve whichever party is in government but these proposals show that, far from being a party ready for government, Reform is still in denial about the fundamental reality of governing a modern country.' Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Fran Heathcote said: 'Reducing staffing in the civil service is a sure-fire way to reduce efficiency and load the taxpayer with the hidden costs of social failure. The people of the UK deserve respect, not Reform. 'They and our members demand a civil service that gives value for money and gets the job done properly. That kind of common sense is obviously lacking from Farage, Kruger and their clickbait cronies.' A man living unlawfully in the US has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed two teenagers with a metal fork in the head and chest during a mid-flight attack. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, attacked two 17-year-olds with the utensil during a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt on Saturday, according to prosecutors. The plane was diverted to Boston, Massachusetts, following the attack. One of the boys had been asleep in a middle seat when he woke up to find India-born Usiripalli standing over him with a fork shortly after the cabin crew had served meals, according to the US Attorneys Office. Usiripalli - who overstayed his American student visa after studying at a private evangelical college in Chicago - allegedly lunged forward and stabbed the teenager in the collarbone. He then turned on another passenger, striking him in the back of the head. Cabin crew intervened, but prosecutors said Usiripalli made a gun shape with his hand, put his fingers in his mouth and mimed pulling the trigger. He then slapped a female passenger and tried to hit one of the crew members before being restrained. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, came to America on a student visa while studying at the Moody Bible Institute. He was arrested for the in-flight attack Usiripalli allegedly lunged forward and stabbed the teenager in the collarbone before turning on another passenger. Pictured: Stock image of a Lufthansa flight The aircraft was forced to reroute to Bostons Logan International Airport, where police apprehended him upon landing. Usiripalli has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause bodily harm. Authorities said he previously entered the US on a student visa and was enrolled in a masters program in biblical studies, but no longer holds legal status in the country, the US Attorneys Office said. Usiripalli attended the Moody Bible Institute, which is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. The school has been contacted for comment. He was living at an address in the Edgewater Glen neighborhood, just a few miles north of Chicago, at the time of his arrest, according to online records. Usiripalli's charge carries of a sentence of up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. This is not the first time a brawl has erupted on a flight. In August, passengers aboard an American Airlines plane were seen scrambling to get off as a man and a woman began brawling after the aircraft landed in Miami. The 28-year-old was living at an address in the Edgewater Glen neighborhood, just a few miles north of Chicago, at the time of his arrest, according to online records Usiripalli has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause bodily harm. Pictured: Bostons Logan International Airport, where he was arrested Footage of the violent incident showed the unidentified pair standing in the aisle. The woman appeared to make a comment to the man, who retaliated by grabbing her by the neck and pushing her back into a row of seats. Passengers onboard immediately called for the man to take his hands off her and one woman can be heard screaming 'Oh my god!' Another passenger stood up from his seat and appeared to grab the man, while a crew member can be heard saying 'safety alert,' over the PA system. Other people onboard stepped in between the two, while passengers can be heard saying they need to get past to make their connecting flights. 'Someone arrest him, somebody arrest this man. We're trying to pass, someone needs to get this man. Call the police, he just choked her', one woman shouted. A 57-year-old man has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a falling 'cast iron decorative ball' in London's Piccadilly Circus. The man was treated by paramedics at the scene following the incident which took place in the busy tourist hotspot at 2.27pm on Tuesday. He was later taken to hospital from Coventry Street by air ambulance, which was seen landing at Trafalgar Square, to a major trauma centre. The area has since been cordoned off, with witnesses saying the man was struck by a 'decorative ball' which fell from a building. A passerby described the pedestrian as walking along the street as 'something fell from upstairs'. They told LBC: 'It knocked the man down and his head was widely open with a lot of blood.' FInley Dart, 18, said he also heard screaming and rushing after the 57-year-old had been struck down by the brick. 'Everyone was worried as bystanders approached the man,' he told The Sun. 'Lots of people wanted to help him and it was nice to see everyone trying to do so.' A 57-year-old man has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a falling 'cast iron decorative ball' in London's Piccadilly Circus An air ambulance landing in Trafalgar Square after the incident on Tuesday The item reportedly fell from a building onto the man. He has since been transported to a major trauma unit The Reading native described bystanders wrapping their clothes around the man so his injuries were not visible to the public. 'When police and ambulance services arrived, they closed off the nearby shops and dispersed the crowd that had formed.' When emergency responders arrived, a neck brace was placed around the wounded man while he was being treated, Finley added. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Emergency services are responding to an incident in Coventry Street, W1 after reports a piece of masonry fell from a building and hit a 57-year-old man. 'The man is currently receiving treatment from the London Ambulance Service and will be taken to hospital shortly by London's Air Ambulance. 'The severity of his injuries are not known at this stage. 'This incident is ongoing. People are advised to avoid the area at this time.' A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called today (Tues 28) at 2.27pm to reports of a person injured in Coventry Street, London, W1. 'We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, an incident response officer, an advanced paramedic practitioner and London's air ambulance. 'We treated a man at the scene before taking him to a London major trauma centre.' A pro-Palestine activist accused of vandalising an RAF base with Palestine Action spoke to anti-Israel protesters gathered outside his jail using a prison telephone. Muhammad Umer Khalid, 22, who is being held on remand charged with offences linked to a break-in at the RAF Brize Norton, was heard urging his supporters to 'keep fighting' while being held inside Wormwood Scrubs prison. In video recordings published 10 days ago, and obtained by The Telegraph, Khalid - his voice amplified by a megaphone - can be heard speaking to scores of pro-Palestine campaigners. 'We can't let things like being in prison stop us from achieving what we have always [wanted]' he states. 'It's our victory. We've pushed the state to the point of vulnerability. We have exposed the thin, thin veil that they prevent their national security and their democracy and we've exposed that. And how thin that is. And how fragile that really is.' he continues. 'On a daily basis we continue to achieve victory over the state. 'As long as we live, we win and if they kill us, win. 'As long as we keep fighting, we keep winning. 'That's always how it has been done and that's always how it will continue to be.' Muhammad Umer Khalid, 22, who is being held on remand charged with offences linked to a break-in at the RAF Brize Norton, was heard urging his supporters to 'keep fighting' while being held inside Wormwood Scrubs prison Umar Khalid, 22, is being held on remand charged with offences in relation to a break-in by protesters at RAF Brize Norton In video posted by CAGE International in August 2025 - a supporter of Umar Khalid appears to hold a phone to megaphone so crowds can hear defendant's voice as he reportedly speaks from prison to lead chants to the crowds outside court In other clips he states: 'Let out one big massive scream again. And then we will all pray (...) it's going to be nice to know that you guys are praying on the outside at the same time as me. 'Salaam Alaikum.' This latest security farce comes days after sex offender and Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from jail rather than being sent to a deportation centre - prompting a two day manhunt by authorities. Responding to the scandal, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'Muhammad Umer Khalid is in jail charged with offences in relation to the break-in at an RAF base by the terrorist organization Palestine Action. 'Khalid managed to get hold of a phone and used it to rant and rave to [his] supporters. 'It is a total and utter farce and breach of security in a matter of days. 'Calamity Lammy has lost control of our prisons.' Khalid's supporters had gathered outside Wormwood Scrubs to 'demand justice' on October 17 amidst unclear allegations that his 'religious freedoms' were being challenged. Pro-Palestine activists broke into the base and vandalised the planes causing 7 million worth of damage RAF Voyager aircraft at RAF Brize Norton that was vandalised with spray paint by campaigners associated with Palestine Action Palestine Action red paint spray attack on RAF plane at Brize Norton base In videos posted on social media, the activists - who were draped in Keffiyehs and Palestinian flags - were seen gathered outside the prison chanting 'we don't want no two states. Palestine '48' and 'Allah Akbar'. Palestine Action is a proscribed terrorist organization. Association with the banned group can carry a maximum jail sentence of 14 years. The charges against Khalid - which include the 7 million vandalisation of two Voyager planes - were made before the Government introduced its controversial terror ban against the group. A prison spokesperson told the Telegraph: 'Misuse of a prison pay phone is a serious breach, prisoners who do so will face penalties and could face losing access.' A British tourist has died two months after allegedly being kicked in the head in Dublin city centre. The English man, in his early 40s, was taken to hospital after reports of a 'serious assault' in the Temple Bar Square area of the Irish capital in the early hours of August 21. He was treated at Beaumont Hospital in the north of the city, and was placed into an induced coma before being later transferred back to the UK. A Garda spokesperson said the man died on Saturday in Britain. Darragh OBrien, 22, was arrested and charged with assault causing harm in relation to the incident. He remains before the courts and has not yet indicated a plea. It is alleged that the tourist was kicked in the head by Mr O'Brien at around 12.30am after the pair had become embroiled in a verbal altercation. The Irish Times reported that a court heard how a physical altercation followed the quarrel, during which Mr OBrien allegedly launched four kicks towards the English man, one of which hit his midriff. The tourist was then allegedly kicked in the head and knocked unconscious after hitting the ground. The English man was taken to hospital after reports of a 'serious assault' in the Temple Bar Square area (a general view of the area is pictured) of Dublin on August 21 Garda said: 'The man (40s) injured following a serious assault in Temple Bar on the 21st of August 2025 passed away in the UK on Saturday the 25th October 2025. 'As this matter is now before the courts, this office will not be providing further information.' The force said at the time of the alleged assault: 'Gardai in Pearse Street are appealing for witnesses in relation to a serious assault that occurred in the Temple Bar Square area of Dublin 2 in the early hours of this morning, Thursday 21st August 2025. 'Gardai and emergency services responded to the incident at approximately 12.30am. 'A man, aged in his 40s, was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he remains in a critical condition. 'The scene was preserved and a technical examination has been completed.' Harvard University bosses fear the elite college is giving out too many A grades. The average GPA for the class of 2025 was a whopping 3.83 - an 81 percent increase compared to the graduating class of 1914. More than 60 percent of grades awarded at the prestigious school to undergraduate students are As, an internal report by Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh found. The 25-page document, which was sent to faculty and students on Monday, details how professors have become soft on grading and too accommodating to America's youngest and brightest scholars. 'Our grading is too compressed and too inflated, as nearly all faculty recognize; it is also too inconsistent, as students have observed,' the report read. 'More importantly, our grading no longer performs its primary functions and is undermining our academic mission.' The number of As awarded to students is up from 40 percent a decade. It was less than 25 percent two decades ago, the report found. In 1914, the average GPA was 2.4. By 1950, it was 2.55. In 1985, it was 3.17. It's notoriously hard to get accepted into Harvard University, which has a 3.5 percent acceptance rate, but it's apparently not so hard to achieve an A inside the classroom - worrying Ivy League bosses (stock image) Thirty years later, in 2015, it went up nearly half a point to 3.64. And is now currently sitting around 3.83, The Harvard Crimson, the school's student newspaper, found. Since the 2016-17 school year, the median grade has been an A. Several factors went into the lenient grading, including professors being told to take into consideration that some students might be experience imposture syndrome or having personal hardships. Now, one of the ways Harvard is potentially exploring to toughen up its curriculum is by offering only a set number of A+ available in each class. This would only award the best student the top grade. 'Permitting faculty to award a limited number of A+s in each course would increase the information our grades provide by distinguishing the very best students,' Claybaugh wrote. Harvard bosses are also exploring adding a median grade to students' transcripts. This comes after all faculty 'expressed serious concern' about the school's grading. 'They perceive there to be a misalignment between the grades awarded and the quality of student work,' Claybaugh wrote. More than 60 percent of grades awarded at the prestigious school to undergraduate students are As, an internal report by the Dean of Undergraduate Education, Amanda Claybaugh, found However, Harvard bosses did not find that students were spending less time on their academics than previous generations. 'Workload is notoriously difficult to measure, but our data suggest that students are working as hard as they ever have - if not more,' the study said. The average time spent on homework was 5.5 to 6.5 hours. The average time students spent in the Spring 2025 semester was 6.46 hours, which is up 5.85 in 2015. However, the time spent on classwork differed based on the discipline. The humanities and interpretive social sciences had to 'trim some readings and drop others entirely' or switch from novels to short stories due to 'increasing student complaints.' 'A fair number of students in reading-intensive courses report doing lower than the average hours of work outside of class,' the report said. The report also found that some professors were pitying their students, as they were aware not every young scholar who stepped foot into their classroom was as prepared as their peers sitting next to them. 'For the past decade or so, the College has been exhorting faculty to remember that some students arrive less prepared for college than others,' the report said. 'Unsure how best to support their students, many have simply become more lenient.' One of the ways Harvard is potentially exploring to toughen up its curriculum is by offering only a set number of A+ available in each class. This would only award the best student the top grade (stock image) The report also suggested that some educators worry handing out low grades could hurt their job prospects and evaluations, which could have resulted in softer grading. But students aren't faultless, as the report accuses them of using 'increasingly litigious' techniques to pressure their professors into raising their grades. Currently, in order to graduate summa cum laude, a student needs a 3.989 GPA, which is higher than in previous years. However, the number of first-year students with 4.0s dropped 12 percent. Claybaugh also acknowledged that generative AI could be playing a role in students' success and encouraged professors to proctor in-person exams. 'Seated exams are prudent in this age of Generative AI,' she wrote in the report. 'They are also useful for encouraging students to engage with all course materials, and they tend to produce a broader distribution of grades.' Claybaugh also acknowledged to students and faculty that the GPA doesn't 'always have to rise.' Scrutiny of the school has heightened in recent months since the Donald Trump Administration began an investigation into the school. Harvard bosses are also exploring adding a median grade to students' transcripts (stock image) The Ivy League school also sued the government after Trump issued a ban on enrollment of foreign students over the summer. The school has around 7,000 international students enrolled at the institution. 'Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.' The punishment came after the Trump Administration accused the school of fostering antisemitism on its campus. The Daily Mail has contacted Harvard University for comment. Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed Donald Trump's political staffers during a phone call with House Republicans on Tuesday, decrying how the GOP does not have a plan to lower healthcare costs set to rise at the end of the year. The current shutdown, which has been just shy of a month, is ongoing because Democrats are demanding Republicans include healthcare reform in any bill that will fund, and thereby reopen, the government. On the House GOP's conference call on Tuesday, Greene aired out her issues with Trump's political staff giving members of Congress marching orders. Not denying her reportedly critical comments on Trump's political team, Greene herself began posting additional critiques. 'You left out that I said I have no respect for the House not being in session passing our bills and the Presidents executive orders,' the Georgia Republican wrote. 'And I demanded to know from Speaker [Mike] Johnson what the Republican plan for healthcare is to build the off-ramp off Obamacare and the ACA tax credits to make health insurance affordable for Americans.' Boasting close to seven million followers on X, the influential congresswoman has taken a unique position in urging for Republicans to muster up a plan to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax subsidies before they expire at year's end. She has repeatedly stressed in TV hits and on social media how high health insurance costs impact her own children and that her family weighs into how she votes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., reportedly criticized Trump's political team on a conference call with all the GOP House members. She later openly critiqued GOP Speaker Mike Johnson on social media Trump has blamed the ongoing shutdown on Democrats and has not indicated that he is involved in dealing with them on ending a shutdown GOP leadership in the House and the Senate, meanwhile, have suggested any negotiations on ACA (Obamacare) extensions will take place after the government is reopened. On Monday, the speaker announced at a press conference that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is leading the GOP's health care plans. The shutdown is in its 28th day. Still, the Senate is at an impasse after having failed to advance a funding bill over a dozen times. The speaker also has said that the appropriate planning is being done to handle the Obamacare subsidy renewals. MTG admitted as much in her post, responding to Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman. 'Johnson said hes got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call,' Greene revealed on X. She joked that she must have to 'go into a SCIF to find out the Republican healthcare plan,' the congresswoman joked of the private intelligence briefing rooms. Former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare policy Obamacare is a hot topic of debate on Capitol Hill Democrats are hoping President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson want to negotiate with them on Obamacare subsidy extensions and government funding, but Republicans have been adamant that no health care negotiations should happen during a shutdown The Georgia Republican has been distancing herself from leadership and has made no qualms over naming what she perceives as Johnson's shortcomings. However, her vote on any legislation is still vitally important for Johnson due to the House GOP's ultra-thin 219 - 213 margin. On the call, Greene also reportedly called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to destroy the Senate filibuster and lower the threshold needed to pass legislation when funding the government. Currently, the Senate needs 60 votes to pass government spending bills, Greene is suggesting that rule gets changed to a simple majority, meaning Republicans could fund the government without Democratic support. The effort, if enacted, would break historical Senate precedent and is not a widely supported. A one-year-old child has died following a 'hazardous materials incident' in east London. The fire brigade rushed to a flat on Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, at around 1.20pm on Tuesday after two adults and two children complained about 'a smell of chemicals'. All four people attended hospital, where the infant tragically died while receiving treatment. Firefighters, who evacuated around 12 people from the surrounding properties, were drafted in from Poplar, Millwall, and Euston. The flat was then ventilated and underwent a sweep 'to detect any hazardous materials present'. Analysis at the scene lasted for around three hours and emergency crews departed shortly after 4.20pm. The cause of the incident is not yet clear, but it is now subject to investigation by the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade. Those evacuated from their homes are being supported by Newham Council, who said its thoughts are 'with the family of the young child who has so tragically lost their life in this terrible incident'. The fire brigade rushed to a flat on Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, at around 1.20pm on Tuesday after two adults and two children complained about 'a smell of chemicals' (Pictured: A general view of the street) A council spokesperson added: 'Details about the exact nature of the incident are not yet clear and the Metropolitan Police will remain on the scene as the investigation progresses. 'As a council we have taken speedy measures to ensure those residents who were evacuated are being cared for in a warm, safe environment.' A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said it was called to the street by the fire service following reports of the 'chemicals'. The fire service said: 'Crews were mobilised to a property on Barking Road, Upton Park, after two adults and two children attended hospital complaining about a smell of chemicals in a flat. 'Sadly, one of the children later died in hospital whilst receiving treatment. 'Around 12 people were evacuated from surrounding properties as a precaution whilst crews responded. 'Specially trained firefighters carried out a systematic sweep of the affected property, working to detect any hazardous materials present and ventilate the scene. 'The first call reporting the incident was received at 1318, and firefighters from Poplar, Millwall, Euston and surrounding fire stations attended the scene. The incident was over for crews by 1623. 'The incident is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service, supported by the Brigade.' Three members of the US Air Force have been found dead in a suspected murder suicide which has rocked the military community in Ohio. Jacob Prichard, 34, is believed to have killed his wife, Jaymee Prichard, 33, and Lieutenant Jaime Gustitus, 25, before taking his own life on Saturday morning. The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio has confirmed their deaths, while police have told local media outlets it was a murder suicide. Jaymee, a mother of three, was found dead inside the trunk of her husband's car. His dead body was found nearby. Gustitus's body was discovered in her apartment. The Daily Mail has reached out to the air force base and local police for confirmation. West Milton Police Chief Doyle Wright told WHIOTV a witness in Sugarcreek Township called police after hearing a loud bang in her neighbor's home around 2am. 'The glass door shattered. I think they shattered her door,' the caller said, per WHIOTV. The witness looked outside and saw a man, who police said was Jacob. Three members of the US Air Force have been found dead in what police have called a suspected murder suicide. Jacob Prichard, 34, is believed to have killed his wife, Jaymee Prichard, 33, and Lieutenant Jaime Gustitus, 25. (Pictured: The Prichards) Jaime Gustitus (pictured) was a lieutenant working in 711th Human Performance Wing, part of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson The Prichards have three children together in Huber Heights, who they posted about online 'I opened up my back door, and he said he had a gun (and) to get back in my house. And he hopped off their patio and left,' the caller said. Police told WHIOTV that Jacob had just killed Gustitus in her apartment at this point. They added that Jacob also killed Jaymee, but did not disclose how or where. Hours later, at 4am, Jacob pulled up to his workplace and parked outside. He opened the trunk of his car and shot himself on camera, per WHIOTV. Police said Jaymee's body was found in the trunk of the car, and that they believe her husband wanted people to find her there. The Prichards lived in Huber Heights just north of Dayton, close to Cincinnati. They have three children, who they often posted about on social media. Police said they don't think the children witnessed any of the horror. A motive is yet to be determined. Gustitus was a lieutenant working in 711th Human Performance Wing, part of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson. The Prichards worked at the same base as civilian employees - Jaymee at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and Prichard at the Air Force Research Laboratory. It's unclear what their relationship with Gustitus was. Police have described her as their colleague. Pictured: Lieutenant Jaime Gustitus, 25, on the right. Police said she was killed on Saturday The Prichards lived in Huber Heights just north of Dayton, close to Cincinnati in Ohio The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio has confirmed their deaths, while police have told local media outlets it was a murder suicide 'We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones affected,' Lt Gen Linda Hurry, Deputy Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, said in a statement. 'We stand with them as they navigate this unimaginable pain, and we offer our sincerest condolences to all impacted by this heartbreaking loss. 'We are committed to fully investigating this incident and ensuring the families and co-workers of the victims receive the support they need during this difficult time.' Jaymee's family have launched a fundraiser to support her three children, where people can donate to provide meals for the kids. 'The Rock/Pritchard family is grieving the heartbreaking loss of their daughter and her three children the loss of their mother,' the fundraiser reads. 'As they navigate this unimaginable time, wed like to ease a small part of their burden by organizing meals for the family. 'If youre able, please consider signing up to provide a meal. Your support and kindness mean more than words can express.' The air force base said the deaths are being investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. They added that the Air Force and local authorities are providing counseling services and support to everyone impacted by the tragedy. Migrants deported to France under Labour's 'one-in, one-out' scheme have escaped their asylum centre and vowed to return to Britain via a small boat. A number of deportees are understood to have already fled their accommodation in Paris with their sights set on re-entering the UK. 'Abdul' and 'Ali' complained of a lack of support offered to migrants in France compared to the UK, saying there is homelessness and a lack of housing. 'Ali' went on to claim his future had been 'destroyed because of the UK government'. Speaking to Channel 4 News, the pair said: 'We are just looking for a safe [place]. If we have a chance to go back legally. We would. I will try my best again to go to the UK. 'I don't have any choice. If I go [back] to my country, the government will kill me. I think I'll be (only) safe in the UK.' The pair added they are now considering another Channel crossing after claiming officials sent them to France without clear reason or support. It is understood that several deportees in their group have also absconded from the accommodation and not been seen for a number of days, with some likely to attempt to re-enter the UK. 'Abdul' and 'Ali' (pictured) complained of a lack of support offered to migrants in France compared to the UK, saying there is homelessness and a lack of housing It is understood that several deportees in their group have also absconded from the accommodation and not been seen for a number of days. Another migrant is pictured speaking to the programme The total number of small boat migrants to have arrived since Labour came to power has now soared past 60,000 (file image) To date, 42 people have been returned to France under the 'One In, One Out' deal. Only last week, Home Office sources confirmed an unnamed Iranian who first arrived in the UK on August 6 had come back to Britain on a small boat. He was initially removed on September 19 but skipped a migrant shelter in Paris, where he had been housed, and headed back to the northern French coast. There he boarded a dinghy back to the UK, arriving on Saturday - less than a month after he was kicked out. Border officials identified him as a returning migrant by biometric checks and he is now being held in a British immigration removal centre. The total number of small boat migrants to have arrived since Labour came to power has now soared past 60,000. And this year has seen the second-highest annual number of small boat migrants since the crisis began nearly seven years ago, topping the 36,816 witnessed last year. But he skipped a migrant shelter in Paris, where he had been housed, and headed back to the northern French coast. Footage obtained by Channel 4 of a French detention centre appeared to show 40 asylum seekers housed in one room in temporary accommodation Your browser does not support iframes. Speaking anonymously, Ali from East Africa and Abdul from Yemen both said they were fleeing warzones and ethnic persecution in their countries. 'Abdul' said: 'When we landed, we felt safe when we saw the British flag. But a few hours later, we were under detention.' Recalling his similar circumstances, 'Ali' said: 'My country is at war. If I go back, I will be arrested or killed.' Both migrants said they had spent nearly two months in UK detention before being taken to France. 'Ali' claimed his future is now 'destroyed because of the UK government', with both men saying they were led to believe in Britain that once deported, they would still be given the opportunity to claim asylum. France's interior ministry confirmed the migrants may not be eligible to claim asylum in France and could face further deportation. 'Ali' alleged it was French-based people smugglers who had brought him to the UK and that they now wish to kill him due to an initial failed crossing and money they say he owes. Having travelled from East Africa to the UK with his childhood friend, he said his friend was now in a hotel in the UK and that he was given no reason as to why he was selected to be returned. 'Ali' went on to allege his experience of deportation had made him suicidal. He said: 'I see so many people in the street after two months or after one month, it may be like this for me. 'They say France is a safe country, but it's not safe for me. There is an acute lack of housing in Paris and the men have been told they may face homelessness. 'Why would we throw ourselves into the boat? It was difficult. If someone has a chance to claim asylum, he wouldn't throw himself on a boat.' The Home Office said: 'Individuals who are returned under the pilot and subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be removed.' The French Interior Ministry declined to comment. Coles has begun to play opera music at one of its supermarkets in an attempt to deter thieves, as Victoria grapples with a rise in retail theft. The store on Chapel Street in Prahran, Melbourne, has received approval from Stonnington Council to blast Beethoven, Puccini or Pavarotti onto the street. Different genres of music are known to affect people's moods, with classical music linked to dopamine which can be soothing to listeners. However, younger people may find the sound irritating. 'Our customers and team members have responded very positively to this initiative, with many noting a relaxing and more welcoming environment in our store,' a Coles spokesman told The Age. It comes as the Prahran Coles claims to be 'one of Victoria's most targeted supermarkets'. When an Age reporter shadowed staff at the branch for four hours, they saw seven incidents, including thefts of stashed chocolate bars and groceries. The supermarket giant is not the first to adopt this method to dissuade, with Swan Hill Rural City Council in Victoria piping Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries into public toilets. Prahran Coles has claimed to be 'one of Victoria's most targeted supermarkets' 'Since the music has been playing, which is now in the order of three to four weeks, we have seen a dramatic reduction [in antisocial behaviour],' council's infrastructure director Leah Johnston told ABC News. In 2015, classical music was used by staff at Blacktown Station in western Sydney over the concourse speakers to stop loitering at the ticket gates. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows Victoria was the worst state for retail crime, which reached a 21-year high in 2023. There were 595,660 victims of personal and retail theft recorded by police, which was up six per cent from the previous year. In Victoria, there were 169,673 victims of personal and retail theft in 2024 - a rise of 29 per cent from the previous year. Some US 7-Eleven stores have blared classical music to deter homeless people from loitering outside because they claim people 'find opera annoying'. The sonic deterrent has been used by stores in California since at least 2019. A group of 7-Eleven stores in Canada is credited with being the first to use the method to discourage antisocial behaviour in 1985, when they played Mozart and Beethoven to disperse crowds of teenagers in their parking lots. It is using opera music played in-store to deter thieves from stealing groceries (pictured, a shopper and security guard caught in a confrontation at Prahran's Coles supermarket in 2023) It is not clear whether classical music in particular annoys loiterers, or whether its volume keeps them away. But studies on the London Underground have shown that violence in stations was reduced by a third when classical music was played. Daily Mail contacted Coles and Stonnington Council for comment. The shellshocked brother of a nanny charged with murdering a grandfather has offered an astonishing insight into her personal life. Last Friday, Danny Booth's older sibling Samantha Rae Booth, 35, was arrested for the murder of 83-year-old David Ong at his daughter Katie Ong's beautiful home in Royal Oak, Michigan. Ong is said to have been trying to shield his granddaughter from harm. And on Tuesday, Danny told the Daily Mail that he does not recognize the woman who police say stabbed Ong to death before she allegedly stripped naked and tried to flee. 'My sister is the bright child of the family, full of joy, always smiling and caring. She loves that family,' Danny said, in reference to the Ongs. 'She was babysitting that child for a while, we are just trying to get to the bottom of this.' 'I do think it's important that people know the good side of her, she had no history of drug abuse or mental health issues.' Booth was found with marijuana and magic mushrooms in her purse after the killing, police said. No motive for Ong's murder has been disclosed. Samantha Booth's family have been left distraught and confused after she was arrested last week with the murder of 83-year-old David Ong Danny insists his sister was a clean-living woman who thrived on eating well, going to the gym - and who adored being outdoors. The family of Ong, a successful realtor, have been left utterly grief-stricken by his sudden murder. Danny says he and his parents have been left utterly bereft by their loved one's arrest too with his father experiencing panic attacks. He said he is the one holding everything together, adding: 'It has been especially hard because we have been unable to speak to Samantha.' Ong was killed after his daughter Katie, a psychotherapist, asked him to go and check on her daughter, who was being cared for by Ong at Katie's $513,000 home. When Ong went quiet, Katie asked her unnamed brother-in-law to go and check on the house. He arrived to find Ong fatally wounded with Booth allegedly 'manic and covered in blood'. Booth is said to have flown at the brother-in-law with a screwdriver as he went to rescue Ong's granddaughter. David Ong, right, was killed at his daughter Katie's home. His other daughter Kelly said he had been trying to shield his youngster granddaughter (pictured being held by Ong's wife Jacqueline) from harm The horrific murder unfolded inside Katie Ong's $513,000 home in Royal Oak. Michigan (pictured) The brother-in-law managed to flee to a neighbor's house where he dialed 911. When police arrived, Booth is said to have taken her clothes off and tried to flee. She was arrested shortly after and has been charged with six felonies including murder. On Tuesday, Booth was due to appear before a court. The hearing was forced to continue in her absence over claims she stripped naked and refused to leave her holding cell. She has pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and was denied bond after prosecutors claimed she was too dangerous to release. The highly-disturbing details have left Danny and his parents aghast. He told the Daily Mail that he just cannot square the sibling he knows and loves with the woman now charged with a shocking crime. Booth, pictured after her arrest, was found to have drugs in her purse. Her brother Danny told the Daily Mail that the allegations against her have come as a huge shock to her family Ong is pictured with 10 of his 11 grandchildren. He was a father of four who enjoyed a long and successful career in real estate 'We are all really trying to process everything.' Danny said. 'This outcome would not come from her, we don't know everything and it seems like there is a lot of confusion.' 'The woman we know is a bright light. She is caring. She is always smiling.' Ong's family have yet to comment further on the woman who was trusted to care for the family's youngest member for two years. The late realtor is survived by his wife Jacqueline, three daughters, a son and 11 grandchildren. A criminal gang member who falsely claimed he was the father of eight Albanian children to get them UK citizenship has been jailed. Gerald Cera, 28, was sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration in August earlier this year, a court heard. Between September 2022 and August 2024 he was falsely named as the father in passport applications for eight infants. Cera, originally from Albania, provided staged photographs of him holding the babies to support the applications. He also offered personal documents including his own UK passport and naturalisation certificate, a court was told. Payments for the applications were associated with bank cards linked to a 'G Cera' and contact email addresses provided were often also in his name. At his sentencing today, St Albans Crown Court heard the scam involved an increasingly 'high degree of planning and sophistication' over time. Alongside his prison sentence, the Home Office is considering revoking his citizenship. Between September 2022 and August 2024 Gerald Cera (pictured) was falsely named as the father in passport applications for eight infants to help them obtain UK citizenship Alex Norris MP, Minister for Border Security and Asylum welcomed the conviction saying sentences like Cera's 'show that those who attempt to exploit our borders will be brought to justice'. All the children for whom Cera supported citizenship applications have also had their passports revoked. A jury previously found him guilty after they were convinced he was aware the applications were made with him named as the father - even though he was not the father to any of the infants and there was not any DNA evidence. An investigation into Cera's arrest uncovered he was part of a conspiracy to obtain UK passports for babies who had no right to get one. It was also found that the 28-year-old was friends with Petrit Musa, who previously pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming to father 13 children born to Albanian mothers on UK passport applications earlier this month. Cera was also convicted of failing to comply with a notice after he refused to provide police with his phone and laptop passcodes following his arrest at Luton Airport on 16 February 2025. Roma Karampatsi, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern said: 'Throughout the investigation and trial process, Cera's account has been riddled with inconsistencies. 'By fraudulently seeking UK citizenship for those with no right to it, Cera undermined our immigration system and those who seek to come by legal and legitimate means. At his sentencing today, St Albans Crown Court (pictured) heard the scam involved an increasingly 'high degree of planning and sophistication' over time 'Working closely with police and Home Office, we exposed Cera's crimes and made sure he was held accountable for them. 'I hope today's outcome demonstrates that the Crown Prosecution Service is committed to robustly prosecuting those who exploit our immigration system.' Alex Norris MP, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, said: 'We will not stand by while criminal gangs abuse our immigration system by exploiting children to make quick cash. 'These sentences show that those who attempt to exploit our borders will be brought to justice, with our Immigration Enforcement teams working day and night, doing whatever it takes, to protect our communities from harm. 'Our Plan for Change will allow officers to go even further, with our Borders Bill granting counter-terror style powers to law enforcement to enforce earlier arrests of immigration offenders.' Scotland's jails have reached crisis point through a toxic combination of overcrowding and understaffing, prisoner officers warn today. In a damning report, the union representing Scotlands 4,000 frontline prison staff said the pressure on the system was unprecedented and extreme. Over half said violence in jails was the highest they had seen in their careers and three-quarters said drug abuse and drug smuggling in jails was the worst they had known. Three-quarters also said they worried about the health effects of being exposed to the fumes from inmates taking drugs, and most felt the prison service was not protecting them from it. Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: These damning findings lay bare how the SNPs failures have pushed Scotlands prison estate to breaking point. With the prison population at record levels, the safety and wellbeing of both hardworking officers and inmates are being dangerously compromised. POA Phil Fairlie Justice Minister Angela Constance The SNP have failed to deliver the capacity the estate needs with new prisons they promised in Glasgow and the Highlands years late and massively overbudget. Nationalist ministers need to finally get a grip of the chaos in our prisons, rather than doubling down on their current approach, which has only exacerbated the situation. Drawing on interviews, surveys and focus groups, the report for the Prison Officers Association (POA) described overcrowding, understaffing, and inadequate training. It found widespread concern about rising levels of violence, self-harm and drug misuse. The upshot was plummeting staff morale and unbearable pressure on prison officers. One anonymous officer summed up the situation as a ticking time bomb. Launched at the POAs annual conference today, the report makes 41 demands, including more funding, better pay, an overhaul of recruitment including tougher vetting and more extensive training, anti-drone technology to help stop drugs being flown into jails, PPE to shield staff from drug fumes and more protection from organised crime gangs. POA Assistant General Secretary Phil Fairlie said: Crisis point really has been reached in Scotlands prisons and our members are on the frontline of it. These skilled workers desperately want to do the job they are trained to do but are being prevented from doing so because of the intense pressures they face on a daily basis. The toxic combination of overcrowding and understaffing is having a huge impact on every officer in every prison, and is the root cause of many of the problems experienced by both staff and prisoners. Addressing overcrowding requires investment in both personnel and the prison estate - this is a key demand in this report. The Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service would be wise not to ignore its findings. Scotlands prison population hit a record 8,430 this week, more than 600 inmates above the design capacity of 7,805. Scottish Prison Service (SPS) chief executive Teresa Medhurst said the unfortunate landmark raised very serious concerns around our ability to keep people safe and secure. The increase was despite a series of SNP emergency measures to ease overcrowding. Almost 800 criminals serving short sentences were let out early under two schemes last year and this spring and another 840 will be let out early between November and April. Justice Secretary Angela Constance has refused to rule out early release for more serious offenders, those sentenced to at least four years behind bars. At Holyrood yesterday, Mr Kerr accused her of applying sticking plaster solutions to a crisis of the SNPs own making, including a failure to build enough prisons over the last 18 years. Ms Constance said a rise in long-term prisoners, including more convictions for violence and historical sex offences, had contributed to overcrowding. She said: That means we have to make different decisions around the release of short term prisoners or bolstering robust community justice alternatives. HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow The SPS said: We are proud of our staff and the tireless work they do. It is important their voice is heard and listened to, particularly given the extremely high and complex population they are managing, and we remain committed to working alongside them and our trade union partners. Ms Constance said of the PA report: I appreciate the hard work of all staff in our prisons. I want a safe and rehabilitative prison environment and have taken a number of actions to tackle the rising prison population, including maximising the estate, increased investment in community justice, with a total of 159 million this year to strengthen alternatives to custody, and an increase in the use of Home Detention Curfew. In addition, I have introduced regulations for the early release of short term prisoners. Whilst prison will always be needed, we need to have sustainable solutions to the prison population and address why Scotland, along with England and Wales, is a complete outlier in comparison with other European countries in terms of our high prison population. Former Scottish Green minister Patrick Harvie has come under fire for totalitarian plans to set up abortion clinic-style buffer zones around places used for assisted suicide. The Glasgow MSP has tabled an amendment to the Assisted Dying Bill at Holyrood to give ministers the power to create safe access zones. If passed, the legislation would make it a criminal offence for someone to impede, harass, alarm, distress or influence the decision of a person ending their own life. But with many assisted suicides overseas done at home, critics said the measure could criminalise family members and create censorship zones across Scotland. Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing called it draconian and dangerous. Even the MSP behind the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill said he was sceptical. MSPs approved the general principles of the Bill by 70 to 56 in a free vote in May. Proposed by Orkney Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur, it would give terminally ill adults the right to ask for a self-taken lethal drug if overseen by two doctors. Mr Harvies amendment is to due to be debated when the Bill returns to parliament next month for line-by-line consideration in committee. Former Scottish Green party co-leader Patrick Harvey His idea echoes the protest-free buffer zones created by fellow Green MSP Gillian Mackay through her Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act last year. That law specified a 200m exclusion zone around hospitals and clinics. Mr Harvies amendment would empower ministers to establish safe access zones for premises used for assisted dying, but leave them to fill in the details. Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, which opposes the Assisted Dying legislation, warned the plan could create censorship zones in large parts of the country. He cited the experience of the US state of Oregon, where 80 per cent of assisted suicides occur at home and added: We could see, in theory, buffer zones of 200m round the homes of the vast majority of patients. Family members, doctors, priests, nurses or anyone else who in any way seeks to influence the patient not to commit suicide risks being criminalised. Priests might be banned from giving the last rites or a church nearby might be banned from holding a public meeting on the subject of assisted suicide. A GP surgery near a care home might have to take down the Samaritans poster from the notice board in the waiting room. It could ban a family member from crying. Yet there has been no evidence of harassment of people applying for assisted suicide or euthanasia anywhere in the world. Patrick Harvie reveals his true colours with such a Draconian, dangerous, selfish, unnecessary and totalitarian proposal. Mr McArthur said: I welcome the fact that colleagues have lodged their own amendments aimed at strengthening and improving the Bill. In relation to the amendment on safe access zones, I am not aware of these operating in other jurisdictions. As its likely that people who choose to have an assisted death may do so at home and not necessarily in a specific hospital setting, it is difficult to see how this would replicate what weve seen with abortion clinics. I will listen to what Patrick has to say but I am sceptical of the need for such a provision in this Bill. Mr Harvie said: My amendment will allow Parliament to discuss whether measures might be needed in future to protect people from harassment and intimidation by the same kind of American-funded groups who have targeted abortion clinics across Scotland. Ill see how the discussion goes before deciding whether to press this to a vote. It is important that if this bill is passed, safeguards are in place to protect those workers providing the service as well as patients. A petro-chemical giant has been fined 176,000 for six days of flaring that sounded like a jet engine. ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd was slapped with the penalty at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday (Tue) after pleading guilty to breaching its environmental permit over six continuous days at its site in Mossmorran, in Cowdenbeath, Fife, in April 2019. The US-based firm which employs more than 300 people at the plant that has operated for 40 years admitted it had failed to comply with condition of its operating licence relating to smoke emissions. It also admitted that on various occasions between April 7 and 26 that year, it had not followed its processes sufficiently to minimise the risk of flaring at the plant as required by its operating permit. The company also prioritised the prevention of smoke emissions which resulted in elevated noise from flaring during the time frame in breach of pollution prevention and control regulations. Residents described the noise as being like a jet engine and a giant blow torch with the bright glow from the chimney easily seen from around Fife and Edinburgh. Prosecutor Iain Batho told the court one of the boilers at the Fife Ethylene Plant had stopped working on April 21 meaning there was no longer sufficient steam balance and so the whole plant had to be shut down. He added: In that scenario, it was inevitable that it would take around five days to get the plant up and running again and in the meantime it was essential to continuously flare until the plant became operational. Mossmorran gas plant, Cowdenbeath, Fife The flaring could be heard and seen from nearby homes It was accepted by the Crown that the firms culpability was negligible with Mr Batho pointing out processes were in place but not followed sufficiently. Sheriff James Williamson recalled the community had felt considerable discomfort and anxiety over the period and added: It caused quite a stir and caused extreme anxiety in the communities around the complex. The court was told that there has been significant investment at the plant since the incident including the construction of an enclosed ground flare and there has been no repetition of it in the years since. Sheriff Williamson said it had taken an extraordinary length of time to bring the case to court and fined the company 176,000. Exxon Mobil is an American multi-national oil and gas corporation with its headquarters in Texas. It is the largest US-based oil and gas company and one of the worlds biggest firms. Following the sentencing, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency said the conviction followed an extensive regulatory investigation by the quango. It had received more than 900 complaints over the flaring, the highest number ever for a single environmental event north of the Border. Ross Haggart, SEPAs chief operating officer for regulation, business and environment, said: For nearly a week, communities around ExxonMobil Chemical Limiteds site were impacted by unacceptable and preventable flaring, causing noise and disruption on a scale that was simply intolerable. The scale of complaints, the highest number ever received by SEPA for a single environmental event, illustrates how many people were impacted by the noise, described as like a jet-engine that disturbed sleep and caused fear and anxiety. Our investigation found that ExxonMobil had processes in place that could have prevented this incident, but they were not followed to a high enough standard. Todays result holds the company to account for these failures, and the serious impacts communities experienced. An ExxonMobil spokesman said: We regret and apologise to local communities for the impact of the flaring event in 2019. The flare system is our sites ultimate safety mechanism and its use was vital to safely manage an unplanned shutdown of one of our operating units. We recognise that community trust is earned and have invested over 250million to improve operational reliability and reduce the potential for flaring, including an enclosed ground flare, which has demonstrated in operation to be smokeless with no detectable noise or vibration. Combined, these have helped to reduce elevated flaring by over 99 per cent compared to 2019. Australians have been urged to treat their lottery ticket like it's worth millions to avoid missing out on a life-changing prize. More than 500 people a year win the division one jackpot of Lott draws. 'While it is rare, we have seen an extraordinary range of ticket mishaps over the years,' the Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell said. These have included tickets being scorched by irons, blackened by laminators, or even mistakenly thrown in the bin. 'Sometimes people forget when you buy a lottery ticket in store, you actually need the physical ticket to claim a division one prize,' she said. 'It was just earlier this year that a division one winner tried to iron out the wrinkles on their unregistered ticket. As a result, a scorched ticket began to darken. 'Another ticket mishap that comes to mind is when a Blue Mountains couple saved their Weekday Windfall ticket worth $1million from landfill just in time.' Ms Hobdell has shared her top tips for making sure Lotto tickets are kept secure. The Lott has recorded an extraordinary range of ticket mishaps over the years (stock image) 'Don't laminate it,' she said, after a sentimental division one winner decided to preserve their winning ticket as a keepsake and destroyed it. 'Instead of preserving the moment, they watched in horror as the ticket turned completely black,' the organisation added. The Lott also advised people to avoid leaving a ticket on a car dashboard or near heat as they are printed on thermal paper, just like receipts. Leaving them on a hot appliance, a sunny car console, or near any heat source can cause the ink to fade or disappear entirely. The Lott also warns Australians not to iron their ticket, referencing an example of a jackpot winner from earlier this year. '(They) tried to iron out a few wrinkles in their lottery ticket before they presented it to The Lott headquarters,' the organisation said. 'As a result, a scorched ticket began to darken before their eyes. Thankfully, the essential ticket number and key details were still readable, allowing the prize to be claimed - but it was a close call.' The Lott also suggested Aussies check their ticket before throwing them away. The Lott spokesperson Anna Hobdell said people can forget about a ticket after it is bought Aussies should also avoid leaving their lottery ticket unchecked on the fridge, in a shopping bag, glovebox or in storage. The Lott said a man from Coburg, Melbourne, found a ticket worth millions while searching for his passport 244 days after the draw. Another warning was to those gifting lottery or Instant Scratch-Its tickets as gifts as they can remain unchecked in birthday or Christmas cards. A large stash of razor cartridges and toothbrush heads was discovered by cops in the boot of a car following a high-speed pursuit in southern NSW. Highway patrol officers first tried to stop a Holden Astra travelling along the Hume Highway at Mount Adrah at about 9.50am on Tuesday. The driver allegedly refused to pull over, sparking a pursuit that was soon called off due to dangerous driving. Forty minutes later, officers spotted the same Astra on the highway near Little Billabong, 70km away, and launched a second pursuit. Tyre deflation spikes were deployed, bursting both passenger-side tyres on the Astra, bringing it to a halt near Mullengandra. Police arrested the 24-year-old male driver from Deanside, Victoria, who allegedly returned a positive sample on a roadside drug test. A search of the vehicle uncovered a large quantity of razor cartridges and electric toothbrush heads, many still in security packaging, which police suspect were stolen. A man will face court on Wednesday after a high-speed chase along the Hume Highway came to a bizarre end A search of the vehicle uncovered a large quantity of razor cartridges and toothbrush heads, many still in security packaging, which police suspect to be stolen Police also allege the learner driver refused a secondary oral fluid test. The man was charged with a string of offences: driving in a dangerous manner during a police pursuit, driving unaccompanied while on a learner licence, possessing property suspected of being stolen, and refusing to undergo oral fluid testing. He was refused bail and scheduled to appear in the Bail Division Court on Wednesday. A male passenger in the Astra was released without charge, pending further inquiries. Investigations into the incident continue. Many saw the funny side when NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol shared a Facebook post about the alleged driver's brush with the law. 'Was he clean shaven? Good work NSW Police,' one woman commented. Another quipped: 'But I bet hes well groomed.' A third joked: 'Well, at least he will be very presentable in court.' German city of Gotha to strengthen cultural exchanges with China Xinhua) 09:32, October 28, 2025 BERLIN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Ducal Museum in the central German city of Gotha plans to deepen its cooperation with Chinese cultural institutions, the Friedenstein Foundation Gotha, which oversees the museum, announced on Monday. According to the foundation, discussions are underway for an exhibition featuring artworks from the Palace Museum in Beijing, to be held in Gotha in 2027. A reciprocal exhibition showcasing treasures from Gotha's collections in Beijing could follow in 2028. The planned cooperation builds on Gotha's ongoing partnership with the Xi'an Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Their joint exhibition, "China's Gold and Gotha's Treasures -- A Unique Encounter," is currently running at the Ducal Museum and will continue until January 2026. Under a cooperation agreement between the two institutions, selected masterpieces from Gotha's collections will travel to Xi'an next year for a return exhibition, featuring valuable artifacts once owned by the dukes of Gotha. Established on Oct. 10, 1925, the Palace Museum was founded on the grounds of the Forbidden City, the former imperial palaces of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It opened to the public for the first time later that year, showcasing its priceless imperial art collections. In 2009, annual attendance at the museum surpassed 10 million for the first time, with visitor numbers exceeding 17.6 million in 2024. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Locals rushed to the shore to catch the wild scenes Extraordiary video has captured dozens of sharks thrashing in ankle-deep water during a feeding frenzy at a popular surf break on the Gold Coast. The swarm of sharks at Snapper Rocks was seen chasing and feeding on bait balls - dense schools of small fish - in the shallows on Tuesday. 'On a serious note this is so scary!' one local captioned the footage on TikTok. 'And definitely do not go swimming or surfing!' Stunned locals were seen running down to the shore to watch the wild scenes. The break, usually frequented by surfers, was deserted apart from one brave man who paddled out close to the feeding frenzy. Fishermen were seen taking advantage of the bait ball and dropping their lines. Online commenters were perturbed by the footage. Dozens of sharks have been captured thrashing around in ankle-deep water at a popular surf break on the Gold Coast (pictured) 'Gives new meaning to Snapper Rocks,' one person wrote. 'This is so scary,' a second said. A third questioned if the footage was AI. 'Genuinely wish it was! Unfortunately it's not... was there this morning. No surfing for a while for me!' the woman who posted the footage replied. 'Not small sharks either, that's terrifying they came in so close,' a fourth said. 'Well that just ruined my summer,' a fifth wrote. Bait balls are common along the east coast in NSW and Queensland and can spark beach closures when they attract sharks close to shore. Nick Slater, 46, was the last surfer to be fatally mauled on the Gold Coast, at Greenmount Beach just north of Snapper Rocks. Nick Slater, 46, was the last surfer to be fatally mauled on the Gold Coast, at Greenmount Beach just north of Snapper Rocks One rider paddled out despite the feeding frenzy at Snapper Rocks (pictured) Slater was just metres away from other surfers at Greenmount Beach when he was mauled by a great white shark on September 9, 2020. At least 40 surfers were in the water when Mr Slater was attacked in the shallows at the popular break and left with catastrophic injuries. The horrific mauling was captured by surf watch cameras and witnessed by at least one other rider. Mr Slater's death was the first fatal shark attack in the area since 1958. A woman has been charged after allegedly sabotaging two major Sydney hospitals by cutting gas and water lines. Vanessa Joy Moulton, 42, allegedly disrupted the critical gas and water supplies at Kareena Private Hospital and Sutherland Hospital, in Sydney's south, during the early hours of Tuesday. Police rushed to Kareena Road in Caringbah, 24km south of the CBD, about 4.20am following reports of vandalism at the two hospitals, which are on the same street. Moulton allegedly cut the gas and water mains just after midnight before setting off the fire hoses at one of the hospitals. About an hour later, she allegedly walked across the road and switched off the gas main at the other facility. Sutherland Hospital was forced to switch to portable oxygen and air for two hours after it lost gas supplies at 2am. NSW Police later arrested Moulton on Parkside Avenue, in Miranda, at about 4am for breach of bail. She was taken to Sutherland Police Station and has since been charged with two counts of public nuisance, two counts of trespassing, sabotage, and destroy or damage property and breach of bail. Vanessa Joy Moulton, 42, has been charged after allegedly sabotaging two major hospitals Moulton allegedly cut the medical gas and water supply at Kareena Private Hospital (pictured) and Sutherland Hospital She is due to face court later today She has also been charged charged with tamper with fire alarm or fire signalling apparatus, trespass on protected premises in relation to an alleged incident at a Darlinghurst hostel on Monday. Moulton was refused bail and is due to face Sutherland Local Court later on Wednesday. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the act of alleged 'sabotage' could have had 'catastrophic' consequences for patients. 'It is very, very concerning that life-saving medical gases have been [allegedly] sabotaged at the public and private hospitals,' he said. Mr Park confirmed on Tuesday that the incident did not impact patient care and that gas and water systems have since returned to normal. 'Access to gas systems in NSW public hospitals is restricted and we will review the incident to see what improvements can be implemented,' he said. NSW Health has been contacted for further comment. Before February 13, 2017, Delphi, Indiana, was just like any other close-knit, small town in America. That all changed when the bodies of best friends Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, were found close to the local walking trails. Their murders shattered their families, struck fear into the local community and hit headlines nationwide - the case all the more harrowing after a haunting video of their killer Richard Allen was discovered on Libbys cell phone. With Allen now finally behind bars, the Daily Mails crime correspondent Rachel Sharp sat down with the lead investigator and lead prosecutor on the case to speak about their years-long quest for justice. Indiana State Police Lieutenant Jerry Holeman and Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland revealed how one crucial piece of evidence is still missing - and how it could hold the key to answering a lingering question around Allens motive and what exactly happened in the final minutes of Libby and Abbys lives. To get the full inside story on the case - and more - sign up here to The Crime Desk, the brand new newsletter from the Daily Mail delivered to your inbox on Wednesdays. Libby German and Abby Williams set off on a walk on February 13 2017 and never returned. Their bodies were found the next day Haunting video captured on Libby's cellphone shows 'Bridge Guy' following Abby along the abandoned bridge Each week, our team of investigative journalists will take you inside the cases shocking the world, from the crime scene to the courtroom and everywhere in between. Delivered straight to your inbox, well bring you exclusive interviews with those close to the case, so you can hear firsthand from victims, investigators and experts. Youll also learn about intriguing cold cases, get access to expert Q&As and all the latest Daily Mail podcasts and shows - and have the chance to ask the team questions and send in clues. Sign up here for free - and join The Crime Desk on the case. He may have been cleared in court of stealing 310 items belonging to his boss Princess Diana, but in some peoples minds at least, Paul Burrell can never quite escape the scandal surrounding his 2002 arrest and trial, as well as the questions that still linger. Did he help himself to her possessions, or did she give them to him? After a last-minute intervention by the Queen, who indicated through lawyers that Burrell had told her hed kept the items for safekeeping, the judge called the Old Bailey trial off. Soon after, Burrell agreed to return the majority of the items to the Spencer family. He wasn't the first royal servant to face such doubt. Back in the 1880s, a well-dressed woman surfaced in the frozen wilds of North Dakota, laden down with many trunks containing court dresses, jewels, watches and other items. Her name was Marie Downing, and shed arrived at the last stop on the northbound line to Canada - as far away as humanly possible from her previous place of employment, Buckingham Palace. Marie had been Queen Victoria's dresser - and if you were to believe her tale, the Queen loved her so much she bequeathed many, many items of clothing and personal adornments to thank the servant for her devoted work over eight years. Marie's husband, like Paul Burrell, was a royal butler. They'd lived an extremely comfortable life in Victoria's palaces and castles. But they then were in a place, newly arrived in a freezing cold whistle-stop with a population of 200, where in winter the temperature would reach minus 40 degrees. Marie had found a place which was beyond the reach of British law. Royal butler Paul Burrell may have been cleared in court of stealing 310 items belonging to his boss Princess Diana Marie Downing was Queen Victoria's dresser and apparently the Queen loved her so much she bequeathed many, many items of clothing and personal adornments But then, strangely, nobody came looking for her. And so her story, which she was to tell again and again over the next 40 years until her death in 1933, was never challenged or contradicted. Had Queen Victoria actually given Marie so much finery that she was able to sell off portions of it to buy extra land and pay her grocery bills? Or had she helped herself? It's a story with which Paul Burrell, ruefully, will find all too familiar. But Marie's good fortune was that she was never interviewed by police or brought before a court - and instead lived, in the wilds of northern America, a local celebrity who'd lend out her dresses and other royal items giving her a status that nobody could match. Marie had joined the royal staff at Windsor in the 1880s and, her needlework being so fine and manner so beguiling, she was singled out by Queen Victoria to become her principle dresser. She also spent time as a companion to Empress Eugenie, widow of the ousted Napoleon III, while she lived in England. Queen Victoria, like Eugenie, held Marie in high regard and presented her with numerous gifts, such as a beautiful watch as a form of rebuke after she had once arrived late on duty. Indeed Victoria valued Marie so greatly that she apparently twice refused her permission to leave her service she wanted to marry her sweetheart Harry Williams, butler to royal courtier Lord Stamfordham, but women of the Royal Household were not allowed to wed without the queens permission. According to Marie, Harry grew bored with royal service and, hearing of opportunities in the New World he set his sights on claiming a piece land and farming it, set sail for America. Did he help himself to her possessions, or did she give them to him? After a last-minute intervention by the Queen, who indicated through lawyers that Burrell had told her hed kept the items for safekeeping The young bride who sailed over from England became the belle of the community in the eighties and nineties, with her elaborately embroidered and beautifully fitted gowns Marie followed many months later and on landing in New York was told by customs inspectors, much to her surprise, that I had several more trunks than I claimed. Upon investigation I discovered the trunks were all labelled with my name - and I knew that Her Majesty had sent them. Victoria had made sure that her favoured maid-in-waiting should have many reminders of the regal days she had left behind her, Marie said. Did she really? But you have to admire Maries pioneering spirit when she arrived at the couples new home at Rolla, northern Dakota, she found it was a one-room log cabin with a hole in the roof. Nonetheless from a life at ease and warmth in palaces and castles, she rolled up her sleeves and learned to stack wheat and drive a horse-team, ploughing the frozen earth. Slowly acclimatising to this shock transition, she became a local celebrity not exactly difficult in a one-horse town with a population of 200. 'Life in this social backwater was quickly enlivened by Maries tales of her time in royal service, as she opened her trunks and produced the royal treasures to show to her friends,' writes the historian Helen Rappaport, whos investigated Maries dubious claims. 'Dresses, silks, laces, nightgowns of Irish linen with Victorias monogram, tablecloths, and silver cutlery, to name but some of them. The young bride from England became the belle of the community in the eighties and nineties, with her gowns of heavy silk, elaborately embroidered and beautifully fitted.' Marie was singled out by Queen Victoria to become her principle dresser. She also spent time as a companion to Empress Eugenie, widow of the ousted Napoleon III A dress worn by Queen Victoria for a Garter ceremony survives today in the Prairie Village Museum in Rugby, North Dakota Piece by piece, items were sold off to buy farmland or to pay for the meagre necessities of life on the Dakota frontier. Other things went to pay medical bills or to satisfy the vanity of richer local ladies eager to own something that had once belonged to Queen Victoria. 'But would the Queen really have sent Marie "an elaborate gold-mounted saddle" for use in that rough-and-ready place after she apparently wrote and told her she had no saddle for the horse?' asks Helen Rappaport, before answering her own question with a 'Hmmm ' Marie had brought with her a collection of jewels which had been sewn into royal head-dresses and collars, but had no sense of their true market value and sold off the diamonds and other gems for well below the market price. A diamond brooch, presented to her by Empress Eugenie, was sold to the Governor of North Dakota for his wife, as well as diamonds from a tiara. And so slowly Marie's priceless hoard of royal memorabilia melted away like Dakota summer snow. Some pieces were sold, others simply given away or lost, but one a dress worn by Queen Victoria for a Garter ceremony survives today in the Prairie Village Museum in Rugby, North Dakota. Back in the 1880s, did Marie take this treasure-trove of historic possessions without permission? Did Paul Burrell, in the 1990s, do the same? Two royal mysteries, over a hundred years apart. We'll never know the answer to either. On the latest episode of the Daily Mail's Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things podcast, Robert Hardman reveals what the Prince and Princess of Wales are 'very conscious' of while raising their three children. The royal biographer said that William and Kate are eager to make sure that Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7, do not feel any 'less loved or relevant' than their older brother and heir to the throne, Prince George, 12. He explained this commitment to a more equal upbringing is to ensure that Charlotte and Louis do not grow up with the same 'resentment' as other recent royal 'spares', such as Princess Margaret and Prince Harry. Robert Hardman has revealed what the Prince and Princess of Wales are 'very conscious' of while raising their three children The royal biographer said that William and Kate are eager to make sure that Charlotte, 10, and Louis, 7, do not feel any 'less loved or relevant' than their older brother He explained this commitment to a more equal upbringing is to ensure that Charlotte and Louis do not grow up with the same 'resentment' as other recent royal 'spares' Looking at the worst 'spares' from across British history, Hardman however warned that monarchs often benefit from having a controversial sibling who can take the flak and deflect attention from the heir to the throne. He told co-host and historian Kate Williams: 'It is said that the Prince and Princess of Wales are very concerned. 'Of course, Prince George is the heir, and that's the way it's going to be. It's a hereditary, hierarchical, constitutional monarchy. You can't change that. 'But there are ways I think, in which you can try and ensure that you don't leave the younger ones feeling they are any less loved or any less relevant. 'They're just going to have to accept their career path is going to be different.' The royal biographer pointed to Princess Margaret as the best example of how not to raise a spare. He said Margaret, who died in 2002, was 'subjected to a series of slights' throughout her life on account of being the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. This treatment, Hardman said, created a melancholy and 'rebellious streak' in the Princess that remained with her until her death. 'It was very tough for Margaret', Hardman said. The royal biographer pointed to Princess Margaret (R) as the best example of how not to raise a spare He said Margaret, who died in 2002, was 'subjected to a series of slights' throughout her life on account of being the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II Hardman argued that having a controversial sibling who attracts negative attention can actually be an asset to the monarch 'On the one hand, she was expected to dress like her older sister. To look like her and do the same things. 'But from an early age [there were differences]. Elizabeth got a proper education. She gets history lessons from Sir Henry Martin at Eton, Margaret doesn't. 'Elizabeth gets to wear a uniform and serve in the war, Margaret doesn't. She got to have her own household and do engagements, Margaret doesn't. 'These are things that Margaret resents really all through her life. They do, I think, account for the rebellious streak in her that was there all the way until her death in 2002.' There may be an unexpected downside to William and Kate's pursuit of a more equal upbringing for the next generation of royals. Hardman warned that having a controversial sibling who attracts negative attention can actually be an asset to the monarch, drawing criticism away from the heir to the throne. He explained: 'There was a very old courtier, Lord Charteris, who was one of Elizabeth's favourite private secretaries. 'Later in life, he always said that it's very important in every Royal family to have a wicked fairy to take the flak. 'Princess Margaret did more than her fair share of her life as the wicked fairy. 'You have got to have your yin and yang.' To listen to the full episode charting British history's worst royal spares, search for Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things now wherever you get your podcasts. Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Stylish travel bags are a must-have wardrobe staple all year round - and who better to take inspiration from than the Duchess of Sussex herself? Famed for her luxurious style, Meghan Markle packed to perfection for her trip to Washington DC to attend the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. In footage shared on Instagram, eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted Meghan's new Longchamp Travel Bag, emblazoned with 'DS' - a nod to her royal title, the Duchess of Sussex. The spacious tote is fully customisable, from the background canvas colour and initials to the trimming and hardware - so it's easy to see why Meghan's a fan. I absolutely love anything that can be personalised - it adds such a thoughtful touch - and this bag is an instant winner in my book. When it comes to design options, there is plenty to choose from, including playful heart motifs and striped prints, allowing you to tailor it perfectly to your style. Customers can select from 14 background colours ranging from soft neutrals to bold tones, choose between silver or gold hardware, and even add personalised embossing on the leather trim for a truly bespoke finish. In footage shared on Instagram, eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted Meghan's new Longchamp Travel Bag, emblazoned with 'DS' - a nod to her royal title, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan's sleek bag is a bestselling design crafted from 100 per cent recycled polyester with a Russian leather trim. Its streamlined silhouette and generous capacity make it the perfect travel companion, ideal for carrying all your essentials on any getaway. The adjustable, removable strap offers comfortable wear, whether in hand or crossbody, while the secure zip and snap closure keeps your belongings safe. Meghan's bag is from the My Pliage Signature range, spanning handbags, travel bags, shoulder bags, clutches and briefcases. The Le Pliage collection is one of Longchamp's most iconic and best-selling lines, inspired by the Japanese art of origami. Launched in the 1990s, it's celebrated for its lightweight, foldable design that combines practicality with Parisian elegance. Meghan isn't the only one who loves the brand - Longchamp's Le Pliage has earned a loyal following among royals and celebrities alike. Catherine, Princess of Wales, has often been seen with her trusted Le Pliage in hand, whether on official duties or travelling through airport terminals. Beyond the UK, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is another devoted admirer, while Queen Sofia of Spain also counts the classic tote among her favourites. Sarah Ferguson 'has nowhere to go or anyone else to go with', friends said last night as negotiations rumble on over her and Prince Andrew's future. The former Duchess of York is said to be 'on the edge' as it is claimed she and her ex-husband have demanded royal officials provide two homes at Windsor one for each of them if they are to move out of Royal Lodge, the mansion they have shared since 2008. In the latest twist to the saga it has been suggested that they may finally go their separate ways with Andrew taking Harry and Meghan's old home Frogmore Cottage, while his ex-wife is demanding Adelaide Cottage, currently being vacated by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Sources close to the couple, who have been divorced for almost 30 years, have reacted angrily, however, to such a suggestion, insisting the offer is 'misrepresentative of the truth' and has, in fact, 'been on the table for months'. 'It was an option put forward by the "other side" and at an early stage [in negotiations]', they claimed. 'Whether it is still on the table, I don't know. But the suggestion that they have been demanding a new home each is misrepresentative of the truth. 'No demands have been made. People have been trying to come up with solutions.' While Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the claims, insiders say they simply 'do not recognise' this version of events, however. The former Duchess of York (pictured in September last year) is said to be 'on the edge' as it is claimed she and her ex-husband have demanded royal officials provide two homes at Windsor if they are to move out of Royal Lodge In the latest twist to the saga it has been suggested that the pair (pictured at Ascot in 2019) may finally go their separate ways, into a home each King Charles has long wanted his beleaguered younger brother to move out of Grade II-listed, 30-room Royal Lodge on the Windsor Great Park estate, which he acquired in 2004 after the Queen Mother's death two years earlier. Andrew bought a 75-year lease on the property for 1million and paid 7.5million upfront for repairs and refurbishment, which means he largely lives there rent-free, paying only a nominal 'peppercorn' amount each year. Now it has been claimed that Andrew and his ex-wife may finally be willing to go their separate ways, albeit in houses barely a few miles' drive from each other. That has sparked surprise among some in royal circles who point out that the King has no legal responsibility whatsoever towards Sarah, who has, in effect, been a 'lodger' at her former husband's home for almost two decades. Others, however, point out that the monarch may consider it prudent to keep Sarah 'in the fold', rather than her consider another tell-all book. She has already brought out a memoir in 1996, the year she divorced Andrew, and then an autobiography in 2011. The King has also treated his former sister-in-law kindly in recent years given her personal battles after being diagnosed with both breast and skin cancers. Sources with knowledge of Sarah's situation have described her as 'absolutely bereft' and 'completely on the edge'. She is said to be hugely 'embarrassed' by the scandal which has also come home to roost for her personally after the publication of a 'cringeworthy' email she wrote to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, apologising profusely for disassociating herself from him publicly following his child sex conviction in 2008. King Charles has long wanted his beleaguered younger brother to move out of Grade II-listed, 30-room Royal Lodge (pictured) on the Windsor Great Park estate It has also been claimed that she repeatedly pestered the billionaire paedophile for money to bail her out of personal and business debts. 'She is contrite and embarrassed but also fears the scandal has fatally damaged her own business interests, including a number of new fictional books that are due to come out,' a source said. 'People don't want to be associated with her any more.' The friend added: 'The honest truth is that she has nowhere to go and no one to go with [if Andrew loses Royal Lodge].Her future is hanging in the balance.' Another source added: 'The King is a kind man but his patience has been pushed to the limit. However, the last thing he also wants is another "Spare" [the vitriolic memoir brought out by his own son, Prince Harry, in 2023].' Five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage, although 'lovely', according to one who has visited it, will be considered a step down by Andrew from Royal Lodge, which has been described as 'terribly grand'. While both Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage are managed by the Crown Estate, each would require Andrew and Sarah to pay a commercially reasonable rent. The King has previously offered to fund his brother again if he moved out of Royal Lodge, but it is not known whether that offer is still on the table given recent events. Five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage (pictured), although 'lovely', according to one who has visited it, will be considered a step down by Andrew from Royal Lodge, which has been described as 'terribly grand' While both Frogmore Cottage and Adelaide Cottage (pictured) are managed by the Crown Estate, each would require Andrew and Sarah to pay a commercially reasonable rent Andrew is now said to be reconsidering his future, however, after weeks of renewed scandal over his relationship with Epstein and allegations from 'beyond the grave' by Virginia Giuffre (pictured, with a photo of herself as a teen) Charles believes Andrew's determination to stay in the mansion which despite the advantageous lease comes with huge annual running costs has played a large part in his downfall, drawing him to wealthy businessmen with shadowy backgrounds such as Epstein and British businessman Adrian Gleave, whose company allegedly ripped off pensioners. More than a year ago he cut off the prince's private allowance and offered him Frogmore Cottage as an alternative home, but Andrew stubbornly turned him down, insisting his lease on Royal Lodge was 'cast iron' and he would not move. Andrew is now said to be reconsidering his future, however, after weeks of renewed scandal over his relationship with Epstein and allegations from 'beyond the grave' by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by the billionaire businessman to have sex with the prince on three occasions in her posthumous memoir Nobody's Girl claims Andrew vehemently denies. The furore has also led to further examination of his lavish living arrangements despite having been forced to give up his HRH title and official duties several years ago. Earlier this month the growing public outrage forced the prince to finally 'give up' his remaining honorary titles, including that of the Duke of York, although there are still calls for Parliament to formally strip them from him. Negotiations about his future living arrangements are now said to be at an 'advanced stage', although some sources have cautioned they are by no means concluded yet. The Queen paid a touching tribute to the nation's fallen today as she laid a wreath at St Bartholomew's Church's First World War memorial in Corsham, near her Wiltshire estate. Camilla, 78, visited a display of knitted and crocheted flowers created to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, as hundreds of well-wishers came out to greet her. The King's wife said she was 'very impressed' by the Poppy Project, launched by the Peacock Women's Institute (WI) at the start of the year, with a goal to create 10,000 poppies for display in the town. Camilla joked that volunteers had 'poppies coming out of (their) ears' after she witnessed the group's 31,000 flowers from people across the UK and overseas, including from schools, youth organisations, residential homes and businesses. Meeting volunteers and members of the WI, Camilla said the project was a 'lovely idea' and agreed to attach the final poppy to complete a cascade of faux flowers from St Bartholomew's Church. Her Majesty also greeted an adorable baby - and met crowds of school children during the day. Addressing WI members, the Queen said: 'It's so lovely because it's all the generations working together. You've got poppies coming out of your ears.' Camilla laid a wreath at the church's First World War memorial with a note reading: 'In remembrance, Camilla R.' Pippa Owen, secretary of the Peacock WI, said: 'People have been posting (the poppies), we've had big packages from all over the UK, Scotland, Isle of Wight, but also from Canada, Los Angeles, Germany, Netherlands, it's mad. Camilla, 78, visited a display of knitted and crocheted flowers created to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, as hundreds of well-wishers came out to greet her Queen Camilla wrapped up warm as she visited a moving poppy display honouring the heroes of World War II in the Wiltshire town of Corsham today Queen Camilla lays a wreath at the First World War memorial at St. Bartholomew's Church The Queen, 78, who arrived without her husband King Charles , was warmly greeted by local well-wishers who lined the cobbled streets as she visited The Poppy Project outside St. Bartholomews Church Camilla shakes hands with a young well-wisher during her visit to The Poppy Project 'And people just loved it because their grandfather or father might have been in the war, and it's just brought this really nice feeling to a lot of people. It's their act of remembrance. 'We actually were a little bit cheeky, and we wrote to (the Queen) and then in about June or July, they said, 'well, she might come'.' Maggie Bowden, a member of the WI, made Camilla a knitted wreath to display at her home in nearby Raybridge. 'It's quite an honour, actually, she thanked me twice for the wreath,' Mrs Bowden said. The Queen also visited Martingate Shopping Centre, where a dedicated Poppy Shop was opened to provide free knitting lessons and co-ordinate community involvement. Chris Galpin, another member of the WI, said she thought Camilla was 'impressed' by the project. 'I think she was really thrilled,' she added. Queen Camilla wrapped up warm as she visited a moving poppy display honouring the heroes of World War II in the Wiltshire town of Corsham today. The Queen, 78, who arrived without her husband King Charles, was warmly greeted by local well-wishers who lined the cobbled streets as she visited The Poppy Project outside St. Bartholomews Church. Camilla dressed elegantly in a tailored beige coat with a gold brooch pinned to her lapel and she kept warm in black leather gloves Her Majesty smiled as she chatted to members of the public and local knitting community behind the poignant display The display showcased thousands of hand-knitted and crocheted poppies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Camilla dressed elegantly in a tailored beige coat with a gold brooch pinned to her lapel and she kept warm in black leather gloves. She completed her ensemble with a brown dress, cream suede boots and a stylish brown leather handbag. Adding a bit more glamour the royal donned pearl earrings and her locks were styled in her signature bouncy curls. Her Majesty smiled as she chatted to members of the public and local knitting community behind the poignant display. In one sweet moment a little girl approached the monarch with a bouquet of flowers and Camilla shook her hand. Later, Camilla visited the poppy workshop at Martingate Shopping Centre, where she met those involved in making the poppies and observed a demonstration of how they had been created. The visit comes after Charles and Camilla's historic meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican last week. Camilla aligned with tradition by wearing black, accompanying her husband King Charles for his historic visit. Later, Camilla visited the poppy workshop at Martingate Shopping Centre, where she met those involved in making the poppies and observed a demonstration of how they had been created Adding a bit more glamour the royal donned pearl earrings and her locks were styled in her signature bouncy curls Camilla paired her silk dress by Fiona Clare with a veil by milliner Philip Treacy over her head and shoulders. Fittingly, she also wore the late Queen Elizabeth II's 'raspberry pip' brooch in the shape of a cross. The Queen joked that volunteers have 'poppies coming out of (their) ears' while she visited a community project in Wiltshire. Camilla said she was 'very impressed' by the Poppy Project in Corsham, a display of knitted and crocheted flowers created to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The Peacock Women's Institute (WI) launched the project at the start of the year, with a goal to create 10,000 poppies for display in the town. The group received more than 31,000 poppies from across the UK and overseas, including from schools, youth organisations, residential homes and businesses. Meeting volunteers and members of the WI, Camilla said the project was a 'lovely idea' and agreed to attach the final poppy to complete a cascade of faux flowers from St Bartholomew's Church. Addressing WI members, the Queen said: 'It's so lovely because it's all the generations working together. You've got poppies coming out of your ears.' Camilla laid a wreath at the church's First World War memorial with a note reading: 'In remembrance, Camilla R.' Queen Camilla shook hands with a well-wisher during her visit to The Poppy Project The display showcased thousands of hand-knitted and crocheted poppies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War Pippa Owen, secretary of the Peacock WI, said: 'People have been posting (the poppies), we've had big packages from all over the UK, Scotland, Isle of Wight, but also from Canada, Los Angeles, Germany, Netherlands, it's mad. 'And people just loved it because their grandfather or father might have been in the war, and it's just brought this really nice feeling to a lot of people. It's their act of remembrance. 'We actually were a little bit cheeky, and we wrote to (the Queen) and then in about June or July, they said, 'well, she might come'.' Maggie Bowden, a member of the WI, made Camilla a knitted wreath to display at her home in nearby Raybridge. 'It's quite an honour, actually, she thanked me twice for the wreath,' Mrs Bowden said. The Queen also visited Martingate Shopping Centre, where a dedicated Poppy Shop was opened to provide free knitting lessons and co-ordinate community involvement. Chris Galpin, another member of the WI, said she thought Camilla was 'impressed' by the project. 'I think she was really thrilled,' she added. Meghan Markle has launched her first Christmas collection with As Ever - including a $64 candle paying tribute to her wedding to Prince Harry. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, took to Instagram today to unveil the range in a clip showing the mother-of-two decking the halls in an olive green dress, making desserts with her fruit preserves and glazing a turkey with one of her honeys. Meghan's festive collection includes new products, such as two candles inspired by her wedding date and her August 4 birthday and a 2021 Vintage Napa Valley Brut, costing $89. Signature Candle No. 519, scented with Moroccan mint, cardamom, and tea leaves apparently 'evokes the freshness of a day in the English countryside', according to a gushing description on her website. It's said to capture 'cherished memories' of the 'ease and joy' of Meghan's wedding day on May 19, 2018, with no mention of rows over bridesmaids' dresses or the last-minute drama of her father not attending. Fans wishing to make their home smell just like the Sussexes' Montecito mansion can also splash out on the Signature Candle No. 084, which is named after Meghan's August 4 birth date. Scented with water lotus, sandalwood and California poppy, Meghan promises the smell that 'warms her family home' will 'feel like a hug' - at the cost of $64. Meanwhile, a 2021 Vintage Napa Valley Brut crafted from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes is a new addition to her range of wines. Costing $89 a bottle, shoppers must purchase more than 12 bottles to avoid a $20 shipping fee. Meghan Markle (pictured) has revealed her first ever Christmas collection with As Ever - including a $64 candle paying tribute to her wedding to Prince Harry Adding to her range of fruit spreads, Meghan has also launched a new strawberry flavour, which comes as part of the Signature Fruit Spread Gift set, priced at $42, alongside a jar of orange marmalade and raspberry. The new gift set comes in an As Ever box - a seemingly sharp U-turn from the former individual spread packaging, which drew comparisons to a 'perfume' or 'candle' package online, leaving people baffled. In March, shoppers received their long-awaited pots in a very elaborate white case, which was almost twice the size of the product itself. On social media, people were left confused by the design, expecting it to contain a completely different item. Others expressed environmental concerns over the amount of packaging used. Elsewhere, the duchess also added a $32 Sage Honey With Honeycomb to her festive collection, which is said to 'hold a special place in Meghan's heart'. Beekeeping has become a favourite pastime for the mother-of-two, and in May, she shared a clip of herself and her daughter Lilibet harvesting honey before cutting out a slice of honeycomb and storing it in a jar. However, shoppers shouldn't confuse their As Ever honey with a jar harvested by Meghan, because though she relishes the honey gathered from her homegrown apiary, her two hives likely won't produce enough of the sweet stuff to sell commercially. The new collection also included a Hot Toddy Mulling Spice Kit and a Spiced Cider Mulling Spice Kit, and Meghan advised shoppers that both are best enjoyed with company. 'Introducing Our 2025 Holiday Collection,' read the caption of the post. 'Gifts for giving and gathering, thoughtfully curated to elevate every occasion.' Pictured, Meghan in the clip The latest As Ever collection includes a candle, Signature Candle No. 519 (pictured), inspired by Meghan's May 2018 royal wedding date to Prince Harry The Duchess of Sussex drizzles one of her honeys over a turkey in the promotional video In addition to the $16 price point, the kits require shoppers to purchase either their alcohol of choice for the hot toddy or, for the spiced cider, a pot of apple cider to add the spice packets to. Less than an hour before the drop, Meghan had teased the launch of her collection on her Instagram stories, showing her drinking a cup of tea in her Montecito mansion while watching her website on a laptop. She turned the camera towards her window and the view of her two dogs sleeping next to her, while Taylor Swift's new tune Opalite played in the background. 'Don't you sweat it baby, it's launch day,' her caption read. Meghan Markle has said that she hopes her daughter Lilibet becomes a young activist - even though she is only four. The Duchess of Sussex expressed her admiration for 15-year-old Avery Colvert, the founder of Altadena Girls - an organisation set up to support teen girls in the aftermath of the wildfires in southern California. Meghan and Harry have been big supporters of the group since it launched, having made donations to Altadena Teen Girls Fire Recovery through their Archewell Foundation in January. They also volunteered with Ms Colvert and her organisation at the time. Speaking of the young activist's work, Meghan said: 'You never thought your work would grow to be this big. And even if it hadn't, it still would have been meaningful and made an impact. 'My goodness, if our daughter turns out to be anything like you, I'll be the proudest mom.' Her comments were part of a wider interview about the founding of Altadena Girls, which included Ms Colvert, and volunteers Lula Seifert, Journey Christine, and Laurel Kleeger-Read. The blaze erupted in January - destroying more than 6,800 homes and buildings across southern California. Meghan Markle, previously pictured with Lilibet, says she hopes her daughter becomes an activist Princess Lilibet could this week be seen in the back of a video shared of Harry carving a pumpkin to celebrate Halloween Lilibet was previously pictured wearing a pale blue frock with a white bow in her reddish locks while she sat in the grass during her first birthday party in 2022 Meghan made the comments about her four-year-old daughter's future in an interview for Town and Country's November 2025 issue. It comes after Meghan, 44, shared a number of revealing insights into her family's life in California in her latest video - including a rare glimpse of Archie and Lili's faces. In footage shared to Instagram over the weekend, Meghan was seen with Prince Harry and their two children on an outing to Lane Farms in Santa Barbara and afterwards carving their Halloween decorations at home. While Meghan usually obscures her children's faces by only photographing them from behind, her latest video offered fans a peek at their features as they ran around while Prince Harry worked on his pumpkin. Though the pictures were blurry, it is the first time a photo of Lili's face has been shared publicly since 2022, when an official portrait was released for her birthday. Lilibet was pictured wearing a pale blue frock with a white bow in her reddish locks while she sat in the grass during her birthday party People also got a glimpse of the top half of Lilibet's face to mark her fourth birthday in June. The Duchess shared a black and white snap of herself cuddling Lilibet, who was sat on her lap, with the pair both sporting windswept hair. A second image also posted on the same day by Meghan showed her cradling newborn Lili shortly after her birth in 2021. The first official photograph of Lilibet was released as part of the Sussexes' festive card in 2021 when she was already six months old. Earlier this month, Meghan paid tribute to her daughter on Instagram to mark International Day of the Girl. She posted a sweet snap showing her holding hands with Lilibet in the scenic grounds of their Montecito home, in a shot captured from behind. The post was captioned: 'To all the girls - this world is yours. Do everything you can to protect your rights, use your voice, support each other. 'We will do the same for you. It's your right and our responsibility. Go get 'em, girl! Happy International Day of the Girl.' Meghan has previously discussed her hopes for her daughter's future, revealing she is considering going into business with her. During her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, she spoke about 'building something' with her youngest child. She made the comment while interviewing 71-year-old fashion designer Tina Knowles, who launched the haircare line Cecred with her daughter Beyonce last year. Meghan said in the podcast: 'I wonder if one day I'll be in business with Lili and we'll be building something.' A video shared online over the weekend showed the family out picking pumpkins The Duchess of Sussex previously shared a black and white photo of herself cuddling Princess Lilibet, who was sat on her lap, with the pair both sporting windswept hair An image posted by Meghan to mark her daughter's birthday in June showed her cradling Princess Lilibet as she enjoyed skin-to-skin time with the new addition to her family in 2021 In a post in April, Meghan was seen smiling and showing her daughter Lilibet a large rose Lili - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's youngest child - was born on June 4 2021 and was named Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. She is named after her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Elizabeth had difficultly pronouncing her own name as a toddler and her grandfather George V would affectionately call her Lilibet, imitating her own attempts to say Elizabeth. The sweet nickname stuck and she became known as Lilibet to her family from then on. But the late Queen was reportedly 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' after Harry and Meghan claimed they had her blessing to use the name for their daughter Lilibet, a royal aide said. Royal author Robert Hardman, in his biography of the King, told how a member of staff recounted Elizabeth II's fury following Harry and Meghan's announcement in 2021 over the use of her childhood family nickname. The BBC later reported a Palace source said the Queen was not asked by the Sussexes whether they could use Lilibet. But the Sussexes' lawyers fired off legal letters to the broadcaster and other publishers, saying the claim was false and defamatory. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan insisted at the time that the duke spoke to his grandmother in advance and would not have used the name had the monarch not been supportive. Hardman wrote however: 'One privately recalled that Elizabeth II had been 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' in 2021 after the Sussexes announced that she had given them her blessing to call their baby daughter 'Lilibet', the Queen's childhood nickname.' Harry and Meghan started using prince and princess for Archie and Lili after the princess's christening in 2023, following correspondence with King Charles about the matter. Their daughter became entitled to be a princess when her grandfather acceded to the throne, because of rules set out by King George V in 1917. President Donald Trump's childhood home in New York is going back on the market after undergoing its own million-dollar, East Wing-style makeover. The five-bedroom house at 85-15 Wareham Place in Jamaica Estates, Queens, has been extensively renovated and now has a new aesthetic that some designers are describing as a 'Manhattan modern' look. The once-idyllic suburban property was where the future president lived with his parents and four siblings until he was four. In 1950, the family moved to another home nearby. The residence had been left to decay for nearly a decade before it was sold last year for $835,000 - a steep loss from the $2.14 million it fetched in 2017. Neighbors told the Daily Mail that they had endured flooding, power outages, pests and even burglary scares during years of neglect. They are relieved that the work is finally finished but nervous about who might now move in. Spencer Gale, who has lived on the block for the past 25 years, called the President's former home before the renovation an 'eyesore.' 'It brought down the value of all the homes in the neighborhood,' he told the Daily Mail. 'We are delighted that it has been renovated and looks good. Our only concern is that the new owner doesn't rent it out to St John's students, which often happens in this neighborhood.' President Donald Trump's childhood home is back on the market after a million-dollar, East Wing-style makeover Gale said that he had been inside the property at one point during the work and was surprised by how quickly it was completed. 'It looked pretty extensive but I don't know what the finished product looked like. We are only hoping a nice family comes in,' he said. Built by Trump's father, Fred, in 1940, six years before the future president was born, the two-story, Tudor-style house was typical of Trump Snr's upscale suburban developments in the 1930s and 40s. The brick and stucco walls and the steeply pitched gabled rooflines remain but the exterior now features a sleek metal front door, replacing the old, weather-worn wooden one. New windows and doors were installed, and a tiled walkway and landscaping was added. Inside, the home has been fully gutted and redesigned with an open-floor plan. Most internal walls have been removed, and an all-white palette gives the space a more airy, light feel. The dark oak floors are gone, replaced by pale herringbone wood. The kitchen now has modern appliances, including a double oven. Some of the new features in the bathroom include porcelain tiles and a bidet. The staircase, once in the living room, is now in the kitchen-dining area. A staging company filled the home's interior with modern furniture and accessories, including a mid-century modern light fixture, swivel accent chairs and wall art. Although the property has not yet officially been listed on the market and the price has not been disclosed, sources familiar with the sale speculated that it will be valued at well more than $1 million some time before Election Day, November 4. The two-story Tudor-style home at 85-15 Wareham Place in Jamaica Estates, Queens, underwent an extensive renovation and has a new aesthetic that some are calling 'Manhattan modern' The home's exterior features a sleek metal door, replacing the old, weather-worn wooden one, new windows and tiled pathway The back of the house has new windows, doors, stairs and banisters with a fresh paint job A staging company set up the home's interior with modern furniture and accessories, including a mid-century modern light fixture, swivel accent chairs and wall art One of the locals, who asked not to be identified, told the Daily Mail: 'It is ironic that Trump's childhood home is going on the market as he is putting a bulldozer to the East Wing of the White House and removing part of history.' The neighbor was ecstatic that the home had been renovated and was heading back on the market. 'I am happy it has been taken from the absolutely disgusting conditions. It looked like an abandoned, haunted home. 'It didn't have the appeal it used to have when owners lived in there. It was sad to see it in the condition it was left in. You had animals living there - raccoons and stray cats. The front yard and back yard became a big litter box. 'Although it is not the look of the neighborhood, it is rentable, sellable and in good shape at this point; I am happy with that.' Before Brooklyn-based 1388 Group Inc - owned by real estate investor Huisha Zhen - stepped in, the home had been empty and crumbling. Neighbors said the yard was overgrown and strewn with rubbish, and feral cats had taken over. Neighbors are worried that the new look home will be rented out to students studying at the nearby St John's University A mess of leaves, twigs and garbage was scattered across the lawn, infuriating neighbors when the house was neglected and left in disrepair During the warmer months, the grass became so overgrown it was difficult to locate the path A young Donald Trump was the second of five children. He was born on June 14, 1946, at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, formerly Jamaica Hospital. The future president lived in the Jamaica Estates home until he was four They added that the 2017 buyers never moved in. Shortly after the sale, a chain of unfortunate events took place. During a September 2018 heatwave, many homeowners had no air-conditioning, television or internet service after an electrical circuit fault at the Trump house. In 2021, a burst pipe in the attic bathroom flooded some nearby residents' homes, a neighbor told the Daily Mail. The water damage was so severe that hazardous mold grew from floor to ceiling. Another neighbor said that there had been an attempted break-in at the property in August 2024 - the alleged trespassers can be seen walking around the property on a home security video reviewed by the Daily Mail. To the neighbors who saw the two men, it appeared that they tried to break open the front door when they were unable to go through one of the windows, then fled when they could not enter. The incident left families, particularly those with young children, feeling unsafe. Feral cats were seen hiding under cars on the block and roaming the street during the resurrection of Trump's old home The yard was overgrown and residents in the neighborhood called the construction site an eyesore in the time it was abandoned One resident grew so frustrated that an account on X was created called Why This 24.7?', posting photos and videos of the once charming home in the hope of luring a more attentive buyer. I loaded everything that p****d me off,' the neighbor told the Daily Mail. 'I even flagged Trump's organization but nobody did anything.' In one of the photos, notices and citations are posted on the door from the Department of Sanitation, Con Edison and other city offices. Images of overgrown grass and weeds, twisted branches and piles of leaves in the front yard were shown to the Daily Mail. Conditions deteriorated so badly that some residents hired a landscaper at their own expense. President Trump arrives at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Monday during his week-long three- nation trip to Asia President Donald Trump lived in the Tudor-style home in Jamaica Estates, Queens, with his real estate developer father, Fred C Trump, mother Maryanne McLeod, and four siblings until he was four years old. The family sold the home and moved in 1950 Before the home was acquired earlier this year, some neighbors were considering buying it to take control. They are hopeful now that 1388 Group Inc is in charge of the property and has visibly started cleanup efforts. The site has a colorful ownership history. In 2016, shortly after the presidential election, a retired engineer who lived at the property sold it to real estate developer Michael Davis for $1.14 million, according to property records. Davis then flipped the house and sold it to Trump Birth House LLC for $2.14 million in 2017. It is unclear who the actual buyer behind the LLC was, and the company has only been traced back to New York-based lawyer Michael X Tang, who signed the paperwork. Tang did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Neighbors claimed there was an attempted burglary at the property in August 2024. They said trespassers tried to break the door - a missing lock and keyhole on the door is shown here The inside of the home was gutted all the way down to the stud walls during renovation The East Wing of the White House has been bulldozed to make way for Trump's new ballroom Under the Trump Birth House's ownership, the property was listed on Airbnb for about five months. Some renters were college-age students and Trump supporters who hosted 'late-night booze-fueled parties,' one neighbor told the Daily Mail. The business was reportedly run by former owner Davis, who was renting the property from Trump Birth House LLC for $4,000 a month, according to The New York Times. A stay at the house could cost occupants $725 a night, according to The Times reporter who stayed there. To lure in MAGA fanatics, the listing claimed that the Jamaica Estates home is where the President was conceived and featured a life-size cutout of Trump in the living room. After a sewage leak in the basement, the tenant left and the venture ended. In mid-2019, Trump Birth House attempted to auction the property with Paramount Realty USA for $2.9 million but it failed to sell, according to The New York Times. In 2021, the auction company, which was also behind the 2016 and 2017 sales of the property, launched a crowdfunding drive on behalf of the LLC. The GoFundMe campaign was titled Thank You President Trump and, at the time of this reporting, had raised around $8,000 of its $3 million goal. The purpose appears to have been to purchase the house, then give it to Trump. 'What happens to the historic property is up to him!' the description reads. Representatives from Paramount Realty declined the Daily Mail's request for comment. Archaeologists in Jerusalem have uncovered an ancient Assyrian inscription that may shed light on historical events described in the Old Testament. The discovery, a tiny 2.5-centimeter pottery shard inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform, the world's oldest written Semitic language, was uncovered near the Temple Mount and dates back approximately 2,700 years. Researchers from Bar-Ilan University deciphered the inscription, revealing what appears to be a complaint from the Assyrian empire regarding a late payment expected from the kingdom of Judah. The text specifies the first of the month of Av, the 11th month of the Hebrew calendar, as the due date for the delayed tribute, suggesting a formal communication between the Assyrian empire and the kings of Judah. Scholars noted that this could correspond to events recorded in 2 Kings 18 and 19, during the reign of King Hezekiah. These biblical passages describe Hezekiah being required to pay 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold to King Sennacherib of Assyria, a tribute meant to secure Judah from Assyrian aggression. Dating of the shard places it around the time of Hezekiah's reign, though researchers noted it could also originate from the period of his son Manasseh or even King Josiah. Dr Peter Zilberg of Bar-Ilan University, who was part of the research team, said the fragment's small size belies its significance. The discovery, a tiny 2.5-centimeter pottery shard inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform, the world's oldest written Semitic language, was uncovered near the Temple Mount and dates back approximately 2,700 years The rare sealing was discovered next to an ancient drainage channel 'This small fragment may be short, but it tells a very important story,' he said. 'It's part of an inscribed royal sealing, a clay bulla used to close or authenticate letters and official documents. What we're seeing here is direct evidence of official communication between Assyria and Judah.' This is believed to be the first discovery of its kind. Dr Anat Cohen-Weinberger of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which conducted the excavation, explained how the shard was traced back to Assyria rather than Jerusalem. Petrographic analysis revealed that the pottery's composition differs from local materials, with mineral content matching the geology of the Tigris Basin region, home to major Assyrian cities such as Nineveh, Ashur, and Nimrud/Kalhu. This suggested the shard may have been part of a shipment of official Assyrian documents or correspondence to Judah. Experts say the find also highlights the complexity of ancient diplomacy, showing that even small kingdoms like Judah were engaged in detailed negotiations with one of the era's superpowers. Such correspondence would have been vital to navigating the political pressures of the time, especially when facing a powerful empire like Assyria. While the inscription does not directly cite a specific biblical passage, it provides tangible evidence of the kingdom of Judah's interactions with the Assyrian empire. 'While we cannot determine the background for this demand, whether it stemmed from a mere technical delay or carried political significance, the very existence of such an official appeal would seemingly attest to a certain point of friction between Judah and the imperial government,' the researchers said. The text specifies the first of the month of Av, the 11th month of the Hebrew calendar, as the due date for the delayed tribute, suggesting a formal communication between the Assyrian empire and the kings of Judah Dr Peter Zilberg of Bar-Ilan University, who was part of the research team, said the fragment's small size belies its significance (PICTURED) The discovery offers historians and biblical scholars a rare glimpse into the diplomacy, economics, and political pressures of the ancient Near East. It also reinforces the historical context of the Bible's accounts of Judah's tributes to Assyria, demonstrating that these stories were grounded in real-world interactions between kingdoms. As analysis continues, the tiny shard stands as a potent reminder of how much history can be preserved in even the smallest of artifacts, connecting biblical narrative with archaeological reality and enriching our understanding of life in ancient Jerusalem. Hurricane Melissa rapidly made landfall in Jamaica as a monster storm. It struck the west coast of the island on Tuesday, ripping off roofs and pounding the streets with rain as it began its path of destruction. With maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 miles per hour (297km/h), it is the world's most powerful storm of 2025, according to the USbased National Hurricane Centre (NHC). Like other blasts this year, Melissa has exhibited strange, intense growth spurts - which scientists are attributing to climate change. They say hurricanes are essentially 'convective heat engines', meaning they are driven by the rise and fall of warm, moist air from the ocean. The warmer the ocean is, the more energy a hurricane can gather and the more destruction it is capable of producing. Professor Friederike Otto, a leading climate scientist from Imperial College London and head of World Weather Attribution, told the Daily Mail: 'The Gulf of Mexico has been very warm over the last months, in large part due to global warming, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, providing ideal conditions for hurricanes to become very intense.' Analysis from the research group Climate Central suggests that unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico were made up to 700 times more likely by climate change. Hurricane Melissa, like other blasts this year, has exhibited strange growth spurts - which scientists are attributing to climate change Your browser does not support iframes. This study suggests that these warm waters, combined with overall tropical climate warming, increased Melissa's wind speeds by about 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) and increased the potential damage by 50 per cent. 'Every single hurricane in the North Atlantic that we studied over the years has become more intense, both with respect to wind speeds and associated rainfall, due to climate change,' says Professor Otto. 'Melissa is no exception, but to quantify how much more intense we need to still do the study.' The hurricane has been difficult to forecast, according to The New York Times, with the NHC highlighting that its models have often differed from the storm's actual path. Professor Hannah Cloke, a hydrologist from the University of Reading, told the Daily Mail that the blast will 'leave a deep and permanent scar across the whole region.' She added: 'Melissa has been a strange, slow hurricane that has been hanging around in the Atlantic, growing stronger and stronger in bursts. Scientists say that Hurricane Melissa has the perfect conditions to cause major damage. It has spent multiple days growing in the Gulf of Mexico and is moving very slowly as it approaches land 'This is one of those deadly scenarios that you prepare for but hope desperately will not come true. Those people sheltering on the island remain in great danger.' Scientists warned that Melissa's initially slow passage around five miles per hour (seven km/h)- means the storm will linger above Jamaica for several days, creating more devastation with each passing minute. The NHC predicts that this could see as much as 40 inches (100 cm) of rain dropped over some parts of the island, triggering massive flooding. At the same time, storm surges are expected to reach nine to 13 feet (2.7 to 3.9 meters) above ground level near where Melissa makes landfall. The storm reached Category 4 status on October 26, after its wind speeds accelerated by more than 70 miles per hour (112 km/h) in just one day. The next day, the storm further intensified to reach Category 5 as it drifted over warm ocean waters. Once Hurricane Melissa made landfall, the most immediate damage was caused by rapid flooding. At its current pace, scientists warn that Hurricane Melissa could linger over Jamaica for multiple days Jamaica is no stranger to tropical storms and is considered wellprepared compared to other islands in the region Experts say the storm surge, which is caused by low atmospheric pressure and friction between wind and the water, will likely be the deadliest component. For example, during 2013's Typhoon Haiyan 6,300 people died in Eastern Visayas, Philippines, mostly in a 16ft (five-meter) storm surge. Professor David Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Emergency Planning and Management at University College London, told the Daily Mail: 'Flooding damage will be extensive and very substantial. Fastmoving water will scour out the foundations of buildings and uproot trees.' At the same time, winds will be powerful enough to destroy buildings by ripping off the roof, even where metal brackets known as hurricane straps have been installed. To make matters worse, Professor Alexander points out that major hurricanes often spawn multiple tornadoes when they hit land. Like many islands in the Caribbean, Jamaica is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of hurricanes due to its lowlying geography. The storm has already led to heavy rain in the Dominican Republic, where a waterlogged road is seen last week Scientists warn that Jamaica's lowlying geography and small size make it particularly vulnerable to flooding from storm surges, often the deadliest part of a hurricane. Pictured: Fallen power lines in St Catherine Parish, Jamaica The wind speeds will be strong enough to destroy houses by tearing off roofs. Before the storm's arrival, some houses have already been severely damaged (pictured) Dr Lina Speight, a meteorologist from Oxford University, told the Daily Mail: 'Jamaica is a small island, which means that there are limited safe areas. 'Everywhere will be affected by strong winds and the majority of the population live in lowlying coastal areas, which will be affected by flooding.' Jamaica is no stranger to tropical storms and is considered wellprepared compared to other islands in the region. However, all the storms that the country has faced in the past have been Category 3 hurricanes or smaller. Experts are increasingly concerned that Hurricane Melissa may be more powerful than the island could be prepared to face. 'It is very hard for anyone to prepare for something that is an order of magnitude bigger than anything they have ever experienced before,' says Dr Speight. 'Buildings, infrastructure and disaster management plans have never been tested to this level before.' Although Jamaica is considered wellprepared for hurricanes compared to some islands in the Caribbean, experts are concerned that Melissa may be too strong to properly prepare for. Pictured: A man rides a bike ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa Scientists warn that Hurricane Melissa has been made significantly more dangerous by climate change, which made abnormally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico almost 700 times more likely And while Jamaica is wealthier than many of its neighbors, such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Hispanola Island, the country has significantly limited resources to prepare for and recover from the destruction to come. Scientists also warn that storms on the scale of Hurricane Melissa are likely to become more common in the future. As climate change continues to increase average ocean surface temperatures and to make extreme heat events more intense, hurricanes will become stronger. Professor Ralf Toumi, an expert on the connection between climate change and hurricanes, told the Daily Mail: 'We know that warmer oceans will sustain stronger storms, so there is a direct connection to climate change.' Although the total number of hurricanes is not changing, major storms on the scale of Category 3 to Category 5 are becoming more frequent. That means islands in the Caribbean will likely need to prepare for destruction on the scale of Hurricane Melissa again in the near future. Owners who see their pets as 'fur babies' could be unwittingly causing them harm, according to experts. A group of vets have issued a stark warning about people treating their animals as human children, often leading to overtreatment. They said pets have evolved from working animals to family members, with the shift creating 'the profitable fur baby phenomenon'. And it has led to more intensive surgical and medical interventions, many of which are not always in animals' best interests. 'A few vets, us included, see the rise of the "fur baby" as a huge problem for animals and their welfare,' Professor Eddie Clutton, the chair of veterinary anaesthesiology at the University of Edinburgh, said. 'Some, perhaps many vets, as well as corporate shareholders, see the concept as a tremendously useful way in which to make loads of money.' Some of the most notorious 'pet parents' include Paris Hilton, who has previously housed her dogs in their very own mansion, and Demi Moore, who brings her chihuahua Pilaf to fashion shows and on superyachts. Alarming examples of modernday overcoddling include animals being placed in pushchairs, wearing clothes, being taken on 'spa days' or being treated to gourmet meals all things that experts say is unnecessarily excessive unless there is a medical reason for it. Paris Hilton (left) is known for providing her pooches with a lavish lifestyle and regularly refers to her pets as her 'babies'. Meanwhile animal charities have previously criticised Claudia Schiffer (right) for bringing her cat to a premiere in a backpack Paris Hilton took to Instagram in 2019 to show off her unbelievable 'doggy mansion' which she bought in 2009, dropping $325,000 on the digs Pet owners almost always have good intentions, the authors said but warned they face a huge challenge of misinformation online, making it difficult to make informed decisions about their animals' care or even take vet advice at face value. Dr Tanya Stephens, a wildlife researcher at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said anthropomorphism treating pets like human children may cause more suffering than benefit. 'There is a push by some vets to promote and support the human/animal bond as special and essential for human welfare without any acknowledgement that maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be and there are some downsides, for the pet as well as the owner,' she said. 'In fact village dogs which hang around in groups may have a better quality of life than a designer dog left alone all day. There is no doubt that this emphasis on the human/animal bond supports the rise of the 'fur baby'.' Writing in their new book Veterinary Controversies and Ethical Dilemmas, the authors challenge the idea that the most expensive or technologically advanced treatment is always best for animals. They advocate for moving away from the mythical 'gold standard' toward care that considers each animal's individual circumstances. 'Better preventative medicine has allowed animals to reach old age,' Dr Stephens said. 'However, longer lives may not necessarily be happier ones if the animal is riddled with oldage ailments and the owner and veterinarian are reluctant to say the last goodbye.' Demi Moore regularly brings her pooch Pilaf to events (pictured left attending the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards in California). Meanwhile Taylor Swift (right) has been known to fly her pets on private jets Some owners even push their pets around in prams. Pictures: King Charles Spaniels Lola (left) and her cousin Roxie (R) sit in a dog pram as they are wheeled up the Champs Elysees during the 'Marche Des Animaux' on the Avenue Des Champs Elysees The rise of social media has contributed to issues, they added, with influencers sharing 'health tips' for pets which aren't founded in scientific fact. Similarly, pet owners will often look up their pet's symptoms online before an appointment, making it difficult for bets to communicate clinical information. The 'fur baby' phenomenon, they argue, is stoke by some in the industry driven by a focus on profit. The team hope their book serves as a wakeup call and a guide for both vets and owners to ensure the best outcomes for pets. Experts have previously warned that overcoddling your dog can lead to issues such as a lack of boundaries, separation anxiety, a lack of socialisation and a sense of entitlement. Over half a million ChatGPT users exhibit signs of mania, psychosis or suicidal thoughts every week, according to OpenAI. In a recent blog post, the AI giant warned that 0.07 per cent of its weekly users showed signs of serious mental health emergencies. While this figure might sound small, with over 800 million weekly users according to CEO Sam Altman, that adds up to 560,000 users. Meanwhile, 1.2 million users 0.15 per cent send messages that contain 'explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent' each week. Likewise, OpenAI warns that more than one million weekly users display signs of 'exclusive attachment to the model'. The company warns that this emotional attachment frequently comes 'at the expense of realworld relationships, their wellbeing, or obligations'. In the face of mounting scrutiny, the company says it has created a panel of over 170 mental health experts to help the AI respond more appropriately to signs of mental health issues. However, Dr Hamilton Morrin, a psychiatrist from King's College London, told Daily Mail: 'It's encouraging to see companies like OpenAI working with clinicians and researchers to try to improve the safety of their models, but the problem is likely far from solved.' Over half a million ChatGPT users exhibit signs of mania, psychosis or suicidal thoughts every week, according to OpenAI. A further 1.2 million users send messages that contain 'explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent' each week (stock image) This comes as OpenAI faces a lawsuit from the family of Adam Raine (pictured), a teenage boy who died by suicide after months of conversations with the chatbot This update comes amid increasing concern that AI chatbots might be harming the mental health of their users. Most notably, OpenAI is currently being sued by the family of Adam Raine, a teenage boy who died by suicide after months of conversations with the chatbot. Similarly, prosecutors in a murdersuicide which took place in Greenwich, Connecticut, suggest that ChatGPT had fuelled the alleged perpetrator's delusions. OpenAI says that it has now trained its models to provide better responses to conversations that show signs of mental health issues or delusions. In their blog post, the company wrote: 'Our new automated evaluations score the new GPT5 model at 91% compliant with our desired behaviors, compared to 77% for the previous GPT5 model.' A spokesperson for OpenAI also told DailyMail that sensitive conversations were difficult to detect and measure, adding that the numbers may change significantly as more research is carried out. However, experts suggest that the sheer volume of users exhibiting signs of mental health crises is concerning. Dr Thomas Pollak, a consultant neuropsychiatrist from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, told Daily Mail: 'OpenAIs report that 0.07% of users show possible signs of mania, psychosis or suicidal thinking should be taken seriously, although its important to interpret it cautiously. OpenAI says it has now improved the chatbot's ability to respond to 'sensitive messages', including those that show signs of mania or psychosis 'With 800 million weekly users, even a small percentage represents a very large number of people.' What isn't yet clear is whether this simply represents mental health trends in the general population, or whether ChatGPT is causing its users crises. Scientists say that there isn't currently enough data to conclusively prove whether chatbots cause poor mental health. However, Dr Pollak says there is growing evidence that chatbots can amplify certain tendencies. For example, AI bots have been shown to reinforce delusional or grandiose ideas through overpersonalised or supportive responses. Dr Pollak says: 'This may not mean that the technology causes illness, but rather that in some cases it might act as a catalyst or amplifier in vulnerable individuals, much as social media or cannabis can do in other contexts.' On the other hand, OpenAI insists that there is no causal link between poor mental health and using its services. The blog post states: 'Mental health symptoms and emotional distress are universally present in human societies, and an increasing user base means that some portion of ChatGPT conversations include these situations.' This comes after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (pictured) said the company would begin relaxing restrictions on customers using ChatGPT for mental health support Likewise, the company also believes that its tools are now able to help users who might be struggling with their mental health. OpenAI says that it has now built a series of responses in ChatGPT that encourage users to seek help in the real world. At the same time, Sam Altman would 'safely relax' the restriction on users turning to the chatbot for mental health support. In a post on X earlier this month, Mr Altman wrote: 'We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. 'We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.' Mr Altman added that the company now had 'new tools' which would allow users to start using ChatGPT for mental health purposes. In the same post, Mr Altman also announced that adult ChatGPT users would now be able to create AIgenerated erotica. The mysterious interstellar visitor traveling through our solar system may finally reveal its true nature in just hours, as scientists wait for it to emerge from behind the sun. While many astronomers are convinced the object known as 3I/ATLAS will be confirmed as a comet, some scientists have said the three-mile-long visitor could be an artificially constructed craft that's maneuvering around the solar system. 3I/ATLAS has been obscured by the sun since last week, but it will reach its closest point, called the perihelion, on October 29. Scientists expect to determine which scenario is correct once they observe exactly where the object exits perihelion, saying that a noticeable shift in its trajectory tomorrow could indicate that 3I/ATLAS is artificially powered. In space travel, the most effective moment to accelerate or decelerate a spacecraft is when it is closest to a massive body. Firing the engine at this point, an effect known as the Oberth effect, produces the greatest change in speed. The majority of astronomers have maintained that 3I/ATLAS is simply a strange space rock from a distant solar system that formed under conditions completely foreign to comets in our solar system. Studies of the interstellar visitor to this point have shown the classic signs of 3I/ATLAS being a comet, including a tail and a coma, a large cloud of gas and dust surrounding it. However, some researchers have argued that there are still too many irregularities to overlook, including 3I/ATLAS appearing to reverse thrust like a spacecraft as it moved behind the sun from our perspective. Astronomers observed 3I/ATLAS strangely shift the position of its tail as it approached our sun in October 2025 3I/ATLAS (Pictured) is expected to reach its closest point to the sun on October 29, and a change in its position as it leaves this blind spot could be a sign of intelligence Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has argued since the object's discovery that 3I/ATLAS could be an 'alien mothership' which could be positioning itself in this blind spot to either change direction or release smaller probes before continuing on its journey. Loeb said 3I/ATLAS could be completing a maneuver known as the Oberth effect to change its speed and path, which would be a sign that it has an engine and was being controlled by an unknown intelligence. Astronomers tracking 3I/ATLAS revealed last week that the object performed a dramatic tail reversal, shifting from an unusual 'anti-tail' that was pointing towards the sun to one that was pointing away. High-resolution observations from the Nordic Optical Telescope in the Canary Islands confirm that this anti-tail seen in July and August 2025 vanished and a new one formed in the opposite direction by September. The shift is believed to have occurred because the comet's dust and ice particles reacted differently to sunlight. Early on, large, slow-moving dust grains scattered light sunward, creating the anti-tail. As 3I/ATLAS moved closer to the sun, rising temperatures ejected more ice fragments and longer-lived dust particles, producing the tail that now points away like a traditional comet moving through space. However, Loeb has noted that 3I/ATLAS shed very little of its mass as it has moved closer to the sun, meaning the true nature of the object's chemical makeup is still a mystery. 3I/ATLAS is widely thought to be a comet, but scientists like Professor Avi Loeb maintain that unusual clues point to the object being a spacecraft 3I/ATLAS appears to be coated in nickel, which astronomers believe is responsible for giving the object a green glow Through October 2025, the supposed comet has seen about two million tons melt away as it approached the sun, which is just a tiny fraction of the 33billion tons Loeb has calculated the giant object to weigh. Moreover, Loeb told the Daily Mail that scientists still can't explain how 3I/ATLAS is releasing nickel in a gaseous form as it moves around the sun. 'Nobody understands how nickel can be released into the gas form, because you need a special process for that, and the temperatures are not high enough to release the nickel, so that's a puzzle,' Loeb explained. Nickel is a metal used by Earth-made space technology to shield against the extreme heat from booster engines, and 3I/ATLAS seems to be coated in it. Until now, astronomers have only seen nickel alongside deposits of iron in nature, but Loeb noted that there have been no signs of iron in 3I/ATLAS at all. 'That is unprecedented in comets. So, it's not so much the existence of nickel. It's the nickel without iron, which we only know about in the context of nickel alloys that we produce industrially for spacecraft,' the professor added. While Loeb said any drastic change in 3I/ATLAS speed, course, or size when it emerges from the sun would be a clear sign of intelligence, other scientists still believe these changes still fall in line with normal comet behavior. Austrian astronomer Michael Jager told Daily Mail: 'Even though there were some unusual things about this comet, I still assume that we are observing a comet here.' 'This is because 3I/ATLAS has not changed its course or its calculated speed so far,' Jager continued. The scientist added that even if the interstellar object splits apart as it emerges from the sun, that's not uncommon for comets, which have been observed breaking apart as they travel through space. 'A split of a comet would not be so unusual. Just a few weeks ago, the split of comet 240P/NEAT was confirmed,' Jager concluded. Departures from Miami International Airport (MIA) were facing major delays as severe weather linked to hurricane activity swept through South Florida. According to the latest update issued at 11:28am EDT, departing flights were delayed an average of 45 minutes and are climbing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alert came as Hurricane Melissa was just minutes away from making landfall on Jamaica as a Category 5, powerful enough to send pounding waves and dangerous winds north to Florida. Earlier on Tuesday, meteorologists confirmed that Melissa was now more intense than Katrina, which caused an estimated $125bn worth of damage and killed 1,392 people when it struck New Orleans in 2005. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that Miami and nearby areas could be experiencing offshore winds and seas due to the approaching system in the Caribbean. 'Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms may also move into southeastern Florida as the storm progresses,' the NWS warned. Passengers at MIA were being urged to check with their airlines before heading to the airport, as additional delays or cancellations are likely throughout the afternoon. The NWS said that conditions could worsen as the tropical system strengthens near the Florida coast, warning that sudden wind gusts and lightning strikes could make takeoffs unsafe at times, forcing temporary ground stops. No ground stops or cancellations were reported at MIA, but the situation is fluid and could worsen as Melissa's impacts evolve MIA averages about 153,000 travelers per day, but can exceed 200,000 passengers, as seen on a record-setting day in January 2025. Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 mph, is generating powerful waves, dangerous winds, and heavy rain that are rippling northward into South Florida. While MIA itself was not in the direct path, these outer band effects are causing low-level wind shear, thunderstorms, and airspace congestion, leading to the delays. No ground stops or cancellations were reported at MIA. Departure delays at MIA were moderate to high and increasing, with approximately 70 to 75 percent of flights on time, down from 85 to 90 percent earlier yesterday, due to impacts from low-level wind shear and thunderstorms. Arrival delays remain low to moderate, averaging 20 to 30 minutes with minimal backlog, though they could increase if the weather intensifies. No cancellations have been reported tied to Hurricane Melissa so far today, but travelers should monitor for changes, especially since Jamaica's airports, such as Norman Manley and Sangster, are closed, affecting connecting flights. The weather impact was high and hurricane-related, with conditions including scattered thunderstorms, a temperature of 82F, winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph, and tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain expected through the evening from Melissa's outer bands. Departures from Miami International Airport (MIA) are facing major delays as severe weather linked to hurricane activity sweeps through South Florida (stock) Hurricane Melissa will make landfall on Jamaica as a Category 5 storm Hurricane Melissa is on track to deliver a historic and catastrophic Category 5 strike on Jamaica on Tuesday, bringing life-threatening flash floods, landslides and destructive winds. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned residents: 'Remain sheltered! Failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life.' Melissas intensity could fluctuate this morning due to internal processes like eyewall replacement cycles. Regardless, the storm is expected to hit Jamaica as an extremely dangerous major hurricane within the next 12 hours. While interaction with Jamaica and eastern Cuba may cause some weakening, Melissa is still forecast to move over portions of the Bahamas as a strong hurricane on Wednesday. The storm is currently moving north-northeast at about 4 mph and is expected to accelerate over the next few days as it tracks ahead of a strengthening trough over the southeastern US. The US Air Force Hurricane Hunters stunned the public after their planes were seen crossing the massive eye of Hurricane Melissa before it made landfall in Jamaica. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew a Super Hercules from one side of the storm to the other, passing directly over the massive eye of up to 10,00 feet in the air. The other plane, a WP-3D Orion piloted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), came in soaring southwest and conducted several loops around Melissa's edge. The purpose of the US Air Force Hurricane Hunters is to fly into and around tropical and winter storms to collect critical real-time data on wind speed, pressure, temperature and humidity. This data is essential for the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and other forecasters to improve hurricane and winter storm forecasts, which helps emergency managers with evacuations and warnings to protect lives and property. The Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters posted on Facebook that the Super Hercules, call sign TEAL 75, made a safe return from crossing the eye of the storm. 'During the event, the aircraft briefly experienced forces stronger than normal due to turbulence,' reads the post. 'While this does not automatically indicate damage, standard safety procedures require an inspection before returning to operations.' The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew a Super Hercules from one side of the storm to the other, passing directly over the massive eye of up to 10,00 feet in the air. The other plane was a WP-3D Orion (top) The purpose of the US Air Force Hurricane Hunters is to fly into and around tropical and winter storms to collect critical real-time data on wind speed, pressure, temperature and humidity Melissa struck the west coast of Jamaica around 1pm ET and will now move in a north-easterly direction over its landmass at a speed of around 9mph. So far, multiple deaths have been reported. Locals have been warned to shelter indoors, with 185mph winds, flooding and huge ocean surges all forecast. Melissa is one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history, surpassing the intensity of Katrina. That storm caused an estimated $125bn worth of damage and killed 1,392 people when it struck New Orleans in 2005. Hours before landfall, the two planes took off from the US to brave the storm and collect data to help improve emergency responses. The Super Hercules took off from Willemstad, the capital city of Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island, at 6am ET and soared through Melissa and looped back around. The aircraft returned to Willemstad at 4pm. The WP-3D Orion left Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida at 7:05am. Melissa struck the west coast of Jamaica around 1pm ET and will now move in a north-easterly direction over its landmass at a speed of around 9mph Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said over 6,000 Jamaicans are in 382 shelters as they evacuate from Hurricane Melissa. McKenzie noted that St Elizabeth, which is forecast to face the brunt of the storm, had a low turnout. 'St Elizabeth is of concern because Im understanding that we are getting calls before we came on air of persons in St Elizabeth asking for transportation to be sent into various communities to transport persons out of those areas,' McKenzie said. 'It is going to be difficult; Ive given instructions to the ODPEM director and the team to advise the disaster coordinators and the Members of Parliament and the mayors, wherever transportation is needed. 'They should do everything possible to provide transportation to get the people out. 'But the system that we have had [to evacuate people], those systems have been put on hold now because of the closeness of the system [hurricane].' I feel proud to be Taiwanese, says my tour guide, Yvonne. Not everyone does. But I do. A thousand-odd metres above sea level, were sitting in the Saiji Tea House in Taiwans Alishan Mountains sipping cups of oolong tea as mist blankets the valley below. Its easy to understand her national pride. Im spending a week in Taiwan, travelling from the capital Taipei, in the north, down to the southernmost province, with plenty of stop-offs in between. Yet despite the countrys abundant offerings, Taiwan has long been largely overlooked by Western tourists. While Japan and South Korea welcome 36.9million and 16.4million international visitors respectively every year, Taiwan is far behind with a mere 7.85million, including a paltry 65,000 Britons - but interest is booming, with tourist rates close to eclipsing those pre-pandemic. With direct Heathrow flights from 730 on China Airlines and a plethora of interesting cultural sights, buzzing cities and great food and distinctly less overcrowding than in other parts of Asia this subtropical island is set to hit the big time. We begin our trip in Taipei, the northernmost city, and as of 1949 (after the end of Japanese rule in 1945), Taiwans capital. Its a lively place with the buzz of Tokyo but without its rigidity. People are notably friendly as we tour the streets. The Daily Mail's Executive Travel Editor Genie Harrison visits the subtropical island of Taiwan, to find out why it's Asia's fastest growing hotspot Genie samples some of the culinary delights of Taiwan's foodie hotspot, Tainan Taiwan is home to to a plethora of natural wonders, including the Alishan Mountains and the Alishan Forest, some 1000m above sea level First on our itinerary is Ximending: Taipeis answer to Times Square, where visitors stop traffic to take photos on the rainbow-coloured crossing. Taiwan is renowned for its progressive attitude towards LGBTQ+ communities; it became the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019, and is home to the continents largest annual Pride celebration. But as we come to learn, Taiwanese self-determination was not always a given. We visit the impressive Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, and guide Yvonne explains the decades Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) spent under rule by the Dutch, China, and finally the Japanese. Its quite a sad history, she concedes. But today, theres an optimistic feel to Taiwan that moves beyond its tragic past even if the threat of invasion from China, which disputes its nationhood, continues to loom. A few hours drive from Taipei, Sun Moon Lake takes its name from its formation: its eastern half is rounded like the sun, while the western end curves into a crescent moon. Its a far cry from the rush of Taipei, and there are few other boats on the blue-green water as we cruise across. First on Genie's itinerary is Ximending, Taipeis answer to Times Square, where visitors stop traffic to take photos on the rainbow-coloured crossing. Taiwan is renowned for its progressive attitudes towards LGBTQ+ communities, and hosts Asia's biggest Pride celebration every year There are 16 different indigenous communities in Taiwan, 2.6 per cent of the overall population, and one of these tribes, the Thao, live in the region surrounding the lake. Accordingly, we make a lunch stop at indigenous restaurant, Lu Thao, run by an award-winning chef and Thao community member. The food is like nothing Ive eaten before and is distinct, also, from the Taiwanese cuisine weve sampled so far on our trip. As we tuck in, Yvonne explains how the Lalu Island, at the centre of the lake, is considered a sacred site for the tribe, where the sprits of their ancestors reside. Looking over the tranquil water the following morning from the Lalu Hotel, you cant help but feel a sense of that spirituality. The lushness of Taiwans natural environment continues to impress as we head to Alishan Forest: 2,500m high, and surrounded by what translates from Chinese as a sea of clouds. We traverse the forest trails in light rain, admiring the cypresses and cedars as well as three generations of trees that have grown intertwined with one another. While autumn brings soft greens to the alpine area, Alishan is also a great place to admire cherry blossom and wisteria during the spring. Genie visits Taiwan's Sun Moon Lake, home to one of the country's 16 indigenous communities, the Thao tribe The forest is home to its own 85-kilometre railway, built originally by the Japanese in 1912 for logging, but today a favourite attraction for visitors to the area. Food plays a vital role in Taiwanese culture so much so locals dont ask how someone is by way of greeting, but instead: have you eaten yet? The diversity of the culinary offerings is eye-opening: we try everything from oyster omelettes in Taipeis Shinlin Night Market to rainbow-coloured noodles in the countryside of Gaoshu, a southern province. Its Tainan, though, that stands out as Taiwans foodie destination. After visiting a Confucian Temple the countrys oldest we head to restaurant Po Jen Tang. A hundred years ago, this same space functioned as a Chinese medicine shop, and the sixth-generation owner has intentionally kept the apothecary cabinets. Underneath the glass-topped dining tables are inscribed plaques from the shops heyday, and atop the shop counter is a bronzed acupuncture model. The food comprises a variety of broths and teas on the set menu, including happy and sleep well tea, as well as a delicious chicken broth thats supposedly good for the liver. The flavours are faintly medicinal but tasty, and you cant help but leave feeling nourished. Taiwan is the birthplace of bubble tea: a cold drink, usually made with a tea or milk base (although fruitier options are on offer), and chewy tapioca pearls In an antidote to healthy living, though, Taiwan has plenty to please those with a sweet tooth. This is, after all, the birthplace of bubble tea: a cold drink, usually made with a tea or milk base (although fruitier options are on offer), and chewy tapioca pearls. While its precise origin remains up for debate (ownership is claimed by two rival stores), bubble tea is thought to have been invented in the 1980s: during summer months, when hot tea was not to everyones taste, shop owners began experimenting with cold brews, and added tapioca to the traditional drink. Theres no shortage of the stuff during our trip, acting as a welcome refreshment to Taiwans subtropical climate. However, the variety we try in Tainans Hanlin Tea House, one of the supposed original sites, is particularly delicious. We spend a final morning in the country down south, watching purple crow butterflies float along the Maolin Butterfly Trail. Before we leave the visitor centre though, the receptionist stops our tour group in a bid to get a photo. He wants to prove that Western tourists have made it here, Yvonne explains. He seems positively thrilled by our presence. But its a joy to be here, wandering along the paths and spotting the different species of butterfly along the paths and among the trees. Passengers travelling with a budget airline are being charged 84 to check in at the airport as the company's website regularly fails to work. Disgruntled customers travelling with Wizz Air have complained of extra costs as a result of the technical glitch. One traveller reported an 84 fee at the airport as a result of the website not working. Peter Staunton told The Times: 'We tried for hours to get on to the Wizz Air website the day before flying home from Malaga on October 4. 'It was impossible to get into the page to provide boarding passes but when we looked earlier in the week, when we would have had to pay for seats, there was no problem. 'We finally got through on the customer service help line. They appeared to understand the problem and told us to send a screenshot of the blocked page, which we did.' He went on to explain: 'They then said theyd let the check-in desk know there was a problem and to issue our boarding passes without charge. 'When we arrived the staff at check-in said they had no notice of any waiver and wed have to pay 84. Disgruntled customers travelling with Wizz Air have complained of extra costs as a result of the technical glitch 'Im no conspiracy theorist, but its a strange coincidence that the check-in website was unavailable only in the period when its free to check in.' Online forums are full of complaints about the impossibility of checking in online with Wizz Air, The Times explained. This is not the first instance of a passenger being forced to pay a fee at the airport. However, Wizz Air said the problem resulted from the passenger not booking flights directly with the airline. A Wizz Air spokesperson said: 'An error occurred at the check-in process due to the customer booking through an OTA (online travel agency). 'We advise customers to book direct to get the best deals and avoid any complications with their bookings.' This customer has now been refunded. If you experience issues with online check-in, the Wizz Air website advises you first verify if online check-in is available for your flight. Passengers travelling with a budget airline are being charged 84 to check in at the airport as the company's website regularly fails to work It adds that in some locations, online check-in may not be available. In these exceptional cases, you can check in at the airport free of charge. The list of such airports includes Agadir Al Massira Airport, Corfu, Marrakesh Menara Airport, Moscow and Zaragoza. Alternatively, you can try using a laptop, Google Chrome, incognito mode or clearing your search history and cookies. If you lived in London in the 1950s and 60s, you may remember 'ladies only' carriages on trains, marked by green signs to distinguish them from the red smokers' sections. They operated from as far back as the 1840s, and by the 1850s, South Eastern had a rule that a 'carriage is always reserved for ladies if required'. A 1936 Great Western Railway rulebook required guards to inform any unaccompanied women that the 'ladies-only' compartments were available. But by the 1960s, they were much rarer to spot, existing mainly on suburban lines and the replacement of compartments with open carriages rendered them impractical. In March 1977, The Times reported that British Rail was phasing out its remaining 'ladies only' compartments. At the time, around 100 still existed on services between London and Essex. The compartments were mainly found on older 'slam door' trains, and the abolition marked the end of a long-standing tradition. But now, almost five decades after their abolition, a 21-year-old UCL student has launched a campaign calling for women-only carriages on the tube. Camille Brown's petition urges Sadiq Khan and TfL to 'do more to protect women' after saying harassment on public transport has become a 'growing issue' in the capital. Camille Brown's petition urges Sadiq Khan and TfL to 'do more to protect women' after saying harassment on public transport has become a 'growing issue' in the capital If you lived in London in the 1950s and 60s, you may remember 'ladies only' carriages on trains, marked by green signs to distinguish them from the red smokers' sections. With a change.org petition signed by more than 12,000 people and the attention of the London Mayor, Camille is asking that at least one dedicated women-only carriage be introduced on every tube line in an attempt to curb gender-based harassment on the underground. The latest Girlguiding survey found that more than half of girls and young women aged 11 to 21 feel unsafe travelling alone on public transport. It comes as there were 2,671 sexual offences across TFL services between 2023 and 2024, not including those that went unreported to the police. This marks a 10.5 per cent increase from the previous years. But the idea of gender segregated carriages has been met with some criticism. Journalist Ben Kentish wrote on X: 'Women-only Tube carriages is a gimmick "solution" to a problem that deserves much deeper and more serious thinking from leaders. Poor.' Another user wrote: 'This again. It's a sign of how bad things are that we start talking about segregation. 'Women-only carriages will be a target, the space for waiting for them will be a target. 'How about tube staff and a society that demands the bare minimum from men not to harass and assault women.' A 1936 Great Western Railway rulebook required guards to inform any unaccompanied women that the 'ladies-only' compartments were available In cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, these particular trains can be identified by pink or purple signs on the train doors and specific markings on the floor Women-only carriages have already been implemented in a number of countries. Japan, for example, introduced women-only train cars in the early 2000s to combat sexual harassment. In cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, these particular trains can be identified by pink or purple signs on the train doors and specific markings on the floor. In the UK, there have been some improvements made to try and help women and girls feel safer on public transport. In November 2024, the Met installed CCTV cameras at a further 15 bus shelters across the city, focusing on quiet locations with a high footfall and a history of reported crime. Shortly after Camille's petition went live, Transport for London announced that it would not be considering women-only tube carriages. Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, made a statement noting how the priority is to work closely with the police and use intelligence to determine hot spots and target repeat offenders. The statement read: 'We do not support any proposal for female-only train carriages on TfL services, but instead are working closely with the police to ensure our capital's transport network is a hostile place for offenders, including the use of intelligence-led policing operations to target offenders and hotspot locations.' A popular Mediterranean destination beloved by Brits has been named 'Short-Haul Destination of the Year' in the 2025 Food and Travel Reader Awards. The annual event, held by Food and Travel Magazine in London on 20 October, celebrates excellence across every corner of the global travel and tourism industry, with categories ranging from hotels to restaurants to holiday hotspots. Results are determined by the British magazine's loyal 31,000 readership, many of which are professionals aged 26-54 with a burning enthusiasm for travel, food and wine. In a surprising blow to Spain, indisputably one of the leading holiday spots for British tourists seeking a quick getaway, Greece has seized the crown for best short-haul destination this year. Not only is the country easily accessible for UK visitors, with direct flights from London to Athens just over 3 hours, the award underscores Greece's position among travellers who value getaways with culture, accessibility and gastronomy at its core. As reported by Travel and Tour World, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) said the accolade has strengthened Greece's 'visibility in the British market and supporting its broader goal of promoting year-round, high-value tourism.' In recent years, Greece has seen a significant increase in short-term getaways, with key destinations for quick escapes including popular spots like Athens, Rhodes, and Crete. According to Euro News, visitor arrivals increased by 4.1 per cent in the first months of 2025 compared to the previous year, with non-European Union tourists showing especially strong growth. In a surprising blow to Spain , indisputably one of leading holiday spots for British tourists seeking a quick getaway, Greece (pictured) has seized the crown for best short-haul destination this year In an era where travellers are increasingly seeking out destinations that offer culturally rich experiences, Greece offers a unique blend of ancient sites, dozens of diverse islands, picturesque villages, pristine beaches and world-class cuisine Visitors can immerse themselves in history by exploring renowned archaeological sites such as the Acropolis in Athens and the Palace of Knossos in Crete, or indulge in traditional fare such as gyros (pictured), dolmades, moussaka and baklava In an era where travellers are increasingly seeking out destinations that offer culturally rich experiences, Greece offers a unique blend of ancient sites, dozens of diverse islands, picturesque villages, pristine beaches and world-class cuisine. Visitors can immerse themselves in history by exploring renowned archaeological sites such as the Acropolis in Athens and the Palace of Knossos in Crete, or indulge in traditional fare such as gyros, dolmades, moussaka and baklava. From iconic Aegean and Ionian islands to mainland spots such as Delphi and Meteora, to lesser-known storybook villages, such as Kardamyli, Molyvos and Kythnos, the country boasts a wide variety of scenery and sites. While Greece's warm hospitality - known as 'filoxenia' - is frequently praised by tourists, the allure of its affordable luxury, historic towns, crystal-clear waters and dry climate make it a year-round destination for visitors of all ages. A plane was delayed by an hour this week after a flight attendant accidentally deployed the aircrafts emergency slide and it could cost Delta Airlines up to $100,000 (75k). Passengers on Delta Flight 3248, which departed from Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday 25th October, recall hearing a boom as the slide hit the tarmac, shortly after landing in Salt Lake City. One passenger wrote on Reddit: The flight attendant accidentally triggered the emergency slide. Everyones entire night just became a cluster f**k. He did apologise and was quite flustered, cited over the 26 years of career, it never happened. Explaining the sequence of events, they continued: The door is armed, jet bridge just left. As the flight attendant is making the announcement, I heard a moderate sound of boom, and saw the slide deployment. Minutes later, another announcement of the situation. I remember that it was mentioned something wrong with the door. My guess is that the intent was to fix it, but a wrong lever was pulled. I don't know whether it was the FA or the pilot. A plane was delayed by an hour this week after a flight attendant accidentally deployed the aircrafts emergency slide and it could cost Delta Airlines up to $100,000 (75k) The Reddit member went on to explain that it took maintenance crew around an hour to unhook and remove the slide, before the staff brought the jet bridge to allow passengers to exit the plane. A Delta spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the incident occurred on an Airbus A220 parked at the gate after it had flown from Salt Lake City. They added it occurred after a crew member opened the door without first disarming it. Usually, the doors must be armed before take-off and disarmed after landing. On many aircrafts, when the door is armed, if its opened from the inside, the emergency slide will automatically burst out immediately which is what happened in this case. Accidentally deploying an emergency slide is considered a serious mistake, as each slide can cost tens of thousands of dollars to repack and replace - and often renders the aircraft temporarily inoperable. According to Business Insider, repacking an undamaged slide can cost up to $12,000 (9k), with inspections and any necessary repairs or replacements adding an additional $20,000 (15k). Along with the costs of rebooking passengers, providing hotels, and taking the plane out of service while the slide is reinstalled, Delta's total tab could reach $100,000, according to industry experts. Accidentally deploying an emergency slide is considered a serious mistake, as each slide can cost tens of thousands of dollars to repack and replace - and often renders the aircraft temporarily inoperable This emergency slide deployment mistake isn't uncommon, with Airbus claiming 30 to 40 cases happen each year. In January, a British Airways crew member accidentally set off a slide on an Airbus A321 an error that The Sun reported could cost about 50,000. And, in October, a United Airlines passenger accidentally triggered it when they tried to open a door after landing in Houston. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that emergency slide deployments cost airlines around $20 million (15.04m) per year. The Daily Mail has reached out to Delta Airlines for comment. Thousands of tourists' Jamaican vacations have been ruined after Hurricane Melissa locked down the Caribbean paradise, with flights home cancelled. Families have also been told there is no way off the island as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Caribbean rips through the country. The Category 5 monster is packing sustained winds of around 175mph and dumping up to 40 inches of rain in some parts of Jamaica. Forecasters have warned of catastrophic flash flooding and lethal landslides. Jamaican authorities have declared a national emergency, ordered mass evacuations in flood zones, and told people to shelter in place. Airports have been shut, and many roads have been left underwater or covered in debris, with many buildings boarded up. The huge shutdown has trapped thousands of holidaymakers in beach resorts and rented villas with nowhere to go. According to reports, around 5,000 Brits are currently on the island. Many have taken to social media to describe how their dream holiday has now been turned into a nightmare. Travel agents have also reported feeling 'helpless' as their desperate clients bombard them with demands to return them back home. To compound the fears of tourists, the country's energy minister has warned that around 51,000 people have already been left without power as conditions worsen. Cruise holidays have also been thrown into chaos - major cruise lines have already begun diverting ships away from Jamaica and the central Caribbean, ripping up itineraries and skipping planned stops. Hurricane Melissa was upgraded to Category 5 status on Monday. Thousands of tourists' Jamaican vacations have been ruined after Hurricane Melissa locked down the Caribbean paradise, with flights home cancelled Palm trees are shaken by the wind ahead of Hurricane Melissa. Jamaican authorities have declared a national emergency, ordered mass evacuations in flood zones, and told people to shelter in place Tourists have shared pictures from their holiday resorts where they remain trapped and have been told not to go outside Some tourists have spoken about how frightened they are, while some have shared their anxiety as they brace themselves for the worst. Restaurants in hotels have been completely closed, and staff have been instructed to board up doors with wooden planks and remove lighting fixtures. Several holidaymakers have also said they have been moved from ground floors in anticipation of the floods. Before the hurricane was upgraded to a Category 5, one American tourist complained: 'Stuck in Jamaica until Wednesday due to Melissa. SMH I really just want to go home. 'But she has just turned into Category 4. And the hotel will be on full lockdown tomorrow. So my flight Wednesday was cancelled as well! This is outrageous!' A couple, hoping for a romantic getaway, wrote: 'Our anniversary vacation has not gone as we planned and sadly we are faced with Hurricane Melissa making landfall sometime tonight or tomorrow morning. 'The airport closed Sunday and the only flight we were able to get was for today, so we went back to our original departure for this Wednesday. WiFi has been spotty already.' Another, who anticipated 'rough' days ahead said: 'Stuck in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane is going over the island. The Riu Negril has the entire property on lock down. Going to get a little rough here over the next few days. 'Airport closed last night and we couldn't get our flight back.' A woman appealed for funds to help a newlywed couple, who she says will be impacted financially as they remain stuck in Jamaica. She said: 'Our sweet newlyweds were supposed to come home today. Instead they have no end date, all flights cancelled. Resort is being boarded up as Jamaica prepares for the worst hurricane in history. 'They are a hard working couple, this will affect their finances as neither has PTO and at this point there is no end date to their time in Jamaica.' Meanwhile, holidaymaker Rebecca Chatman shared with BBC Radio 4 earlier today that she 'doesn't feel safe' as she and her children took shelter at their resort near Montego Bay. Strong winds have have began damaging properties, including this fence damaged in Poortmore Light fixtures in buildings have been removed to prepare for the island's worst ever storm Your browser does not support iframes. She said: 'It never looked like a Caribbean sea, it seems very dark and angry, it's very foreboding, there's a weird rumbling noise coming from the horizon, it's ominous, eerie, strange.' Another Brit, Toby Lindley-Smith, who has two small children told Sky News that hotel staff have instructed him not to go outside 'under any circumstance' during the height of the storm. He said his main worry was the flooding and what the 'state of the island' would be in the aftermath of the hurricane. The Foreign Office has set up a crisis centre ready to help Britons on the Caribbean island and the Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is already in the region on stand-by. Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely, with up to 700mm of rain, four-metre waves and 135mph winds possible, the FCDO said. The Jamaican government has published a list of available hurricane shelters. A spokesperson said: 'The international airports in Jamaica are now closed as a precaution until the storm passes. 'Travel providers are liaising with their suppliers locally and providing advice and assistance to their customers. 'Customers currently in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news and should follow the advice of the local authorities, their accommodation and travel providers.' Huge waves have been reported as Melissa hits Jamaica. The Category 5 monster is packing sustained winds of around 175mph and dumping up to 40 inches of rain in some parts of Jamaica Holiday providers have also been inundated with calls from worried customers desperately trying to change or cancel their flights. Travellers who tried to get out early say they were hit first by soaring last-minute fares, then by outright cancellations as airlines pulled their crews and the islands main gateways, Sangster in Montego Bay and Norman Manley in Kingston, closed. Both airports have suspended commercial flights, and carriers including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have halted services, leaving families told bluntly that they will not be able to fly home until authorities say the runways are safe again. One travel agent said: 'There's no blame, but I have full frustrations that there were not enough repatriation flights to get clients off the island before Montego Bay airport closed yesterday. 'There was zero communication to us and to the client [from our tour operator] until after the airport was closed. They had days to communicate and get people off the island.' A traveller has warned Ryanair passengers after witnessing 'at least six' people fined for attempting to travel with a bag that doesn't fit the size limit. Their caution was for passengers carrying a popular style of backpack that can be adjusted depending on how much you need to carry. On Reddit, a user shared a post titled 'Rolltop backpacks - precautionary tale' on the channel r/TravelHacks. They wrote: 'We are right now at the airport waiting to board a flight with Ryanair and we noticed that almost all the rolltop backpacks are being put to measure and at least six people (while we were here) had to pay extra. 'So, unless yours is extra small, be aware that if you have it as a personal item (under the seat bag), people in the gates are extra sharp with those. The post has been upvoted 53 times and has sparked debate in the comments. The top comment, which has been upvoted almost 140 times, reads: 'The real travel hack is to not board a Ryanair plane until you are very near the last person boarding. A traveller has issued a warning to Ryanair passengers after witnessing 'at least six' people fined for attempting to travel with a bag that doesn't fit the size limit Ryanair passengers are allowed a free bag to take on board, but can be charged up to 75 if they try to bring a larger bag than allowed onto a flight, depending on the route and travel date 'Airlines must keep to schedules or they miss their take-off slot. And airline crew need to get it off the ground in time or they get reprimanded. 'Being one of the last to board means you can walk on without them having time or even caring to check the size of your bag. 'But 20 minutes before that point, they will be targeting people and having their card machine ready to take 80 off you. They get paid 2.50 commission for this, it is very sad.' Ryanair passengers are allowed a free bag to take on board, but can be charged up to 75 if they try to bring a larger bag than allowed onto a flight, depending on the route and travel date. The airline currently allows a small carry-on bag with a size capped at 40cm x 20cm x 25cm and a weight of 10kg with every ticket. However, this is set to increase to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm from September after a change in EU rules. It comes as Ryanair's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, pledged to increase the bonus for gate staff who spot oversized bags. Starting in November, employees who identify bags that exceed the limit will see their bonuses raised from 1.50 (1.31) to 2.50 (2.18) per item. The incentive was previously capped at 80 (68.98) a month - now, the cap is set to be scrapped. O'Leary said about 200,000 passengers per year have to pay extra to put carry-on luggage in the hold, and that he did not feel sorry for 'chancers' trying to bring 'rucksacks' aboard. 'We're the airline with the lowest air fares in Europe,' he said. 'Those are our rules. Please comply with the rules, as 99.9 per cent of our 200 million passengers do, and you won't have any problem.' The Daily Mail has contacted Ryanair for comment. Aer Lingus UK cabin crew have escalated industrial action by announcing more strike dates, in a further blow to holidaymakers travelling through Manchester Airport next month. Almost 130 Unite members working for the airline will stage walkouts on 9-11, 14 and 16-18 November, in addition to the strikes already scheduled from 30 October to 18 November. British employees, including check-in staff and cabin crew, for the airline have called the strikes amid a dispute over pay and lower flying allowances than their Dublin-based colleagues. Many say years of low pay has left them struggling for essentials, with many having little option but to take on a second job or work more hours to improve their wages, which has left them at risk of burnout. Though Aer Lingus recorded an operating profit of 205 million for 2024, employees allege their base salaries are so low that they struggle to afford rent, bills and groceries. In response, the airline offered staff a pay rise of 12 per cent over two years - an increase they have since rejected. As reported by Travel Gossip, Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Any strike action will be hugely disruptive to these routes.' Meanwhile, Unite Regional Officer John ONeill has encouraged Unite to improve pay and employment terms 'to avoid major disruption to flights in the coming weeks.' In a further blow to holidaymakers travelling through Manchester Airport next month, Aer Lingus UK cabin crew have escalated industrial action by announcing more strike dates Almost 130 United members working for the budget airline will stage walkouts at Manchester Airport (pictured) on 9-11, 14 and 16-18 November, in addition to the the strikes already scheduled from 30 October to 18 November A spokesperson for Aer Lingus told Daily Mail: 'The Unite trade union, representing Cabin Crew on Aer Lingus UK transatlantic routes, served notice of three additional blocks of industrial action. 'It is regrettable that Unite has decided on a significant further escalation of this type, which will be very disruptive to Aer Lingus customers flying between Manchester and each of New York, Orlando and Barbados. 'Aer Lingus will continue to focus on planning for this increased disruption and communicating directly with impacted customers with a view to reaccommodating them where possible and minimising the disruption caused to them. 'Aer Lingus negotiated in good faith with the Unite trade union having regard to benchmarked market pay in the UK. 'Aer Lingus and Unite reached agreement on two separate comprehensive and market competitive pay deals which Unite then recommended to its members, the latter being based on a recommendation following a detailed conciliation process at ACAS.' Elsewhere, up to 50,000 passengers could find themselves impacted by airport strikes in Italy this week. Strike action taking place on October 29 is set to disrupt several airports, as workers from KLM, Air France and Vueling walk out. Airport workers at Milan Malpensa and Linate, Florence and Pisa are also expected to take part. British employees, including check-in staff and cabin crew, for the airline have called the strikes amid a dispute over pay and lower flying allowances than their Dublin-based colleagues Vuelling workers will strike between 1pm and 5pm the same day. Meanwhile, Swissport and Dussman workers will stand down for the full 24 hours, as will staff at Milan's Malpensa and Linate airports, Pisa Airport and Florence Airport. The industrial action by Air France, KLM, and Vueling is set to be 'severely disruptive' because the carriers offer flights to over a dozen popular Italian locations. They fly frequently to Milan, Rome, Florence, Catania, and Naples. US flight delays are expected to get even worse as air traffic controllers are reportedly 'wearing thin'. The country is currently in the midst of a huge government shutdown which started on October 1. Since then, essential workers such as air traffic controllers have been asked to continue performing their duties without being paid. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News: 'I'm seeing the stress come for the controllers.' He explained how workers were struggling to come to work without the security of being paid. Sean revealed: 'Just yesterday we had 22 staffing triggers, that's one of the highest that we've seen in the system since the shutdown began and that's a sign that the controllers are wearing thin.' A 'staffing trigger' refers to air traffic controllers not turning up to work and calling in sick. 'They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking,' Sean added. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy (pictured) told Fox News : 'I'm seeing the stress come for the controllers.' He predicted 'more staffing shortages' in the coming days, 'which means, you're going to see more delays, more cancellations'. Meanwhile, Daniel Elwell, a former FAA deputy administrator, told Fox News the Federal Aviation Administration would still insure air traffic remains safe. He said: 'There's a shortage of controllers, it's debatable how many but there is a shortage on a good day. 'During this shutdown we're going to see that shortage exacerbated by the folks that aren't going to be able to come in after this drags on and on. 'The airspace will be safe, but your listeners can expect increasing delays, longer delays, longer cancellations because the FAA will slow down traffic to maintain safety.' Daniel emphasised the strain the workers would be feeling financially. He said: 'These controllers are fantastic but you can't ask them to keep going on with no pay, this stress is too much.' He predicted 'more staffing shortages' in the coming days, 'which means, you're going to see more delays, more cancellations' Some airports have even had to bring in a ground stop or ground delay because of staffing issues due to the shutdown. These include, Teterboro, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O'Hare, Hollywood/Burbank and Ronald Reagan International. Phoenix, Denver, Houston, Newark Liberty, Las Vegas and Nashville were also listed by the news outlet. The TSA told Fox News: 'The longer the shutdown goes on, the more severe the impact on our TSA workforce who have expenses they must pay for, making it harder to show up for work when not being paid.' A medieval town in Italy offers visitors an unusual yet exhilarating ride to the summit of a historic mountain - in a life-sized birdcage. Thrill-seekers headed to Gubbio, a medieval town in the Umbria region, are certainly in for a real treat if their itinerary includes a trip to the top of Mount Ingino. The Funivia Colle Eletto cable car has been transporting visitors since 1960 from the heart of Gubbio to the Basilica of SantUbaldo, a mountaintop sanctuary dedicated to the town's patron saint. It allows riders to embark on a 'death-defying' journey in an open-air birdcage, all while soaking in panoramic views of the Umbrian countryside - known as Italys green heart - before reaching the sacred site atop Mount Ingino. At the mountain's summit stands the Basilica of SantUbaldo, a historic Roman Catholic church that houses the body of Saint Ubaldo, the protector of Gubbio. For just 7 (around 6) for a round-trip ticket, riders can step inside the cage and be whisked to the top in only six minutes - though for those afraid of heights, it might feel like a lifetime. Each 'car' is a tiny metal cage, open on all sides, where two passengers stand shoulder-to-shoulder as they journey hundreds of meters above rolling hills and forested slopes, as reported by Italia. There are no seats, no windows, and no sense of enclosure - all of which only adds to the thrill of the ride. Gubbia, a medieval town in Italy, offers visitors an unusual yet exhilarating ride to the summit of a historic mountain - in a life-sized birdcage Riders can embark on a 'death-defying' journey in an open-air birdcage, all while soaking in panoramic views of the Umbrian countryside - known as Italys green heart - before reaching the sacred site atop Mount Ingino Each 'car' is a tiny metal cage, open on all sides, where two passengers stand shoulder-to-shoulder as they journey hundreds of meters above rolling hills and forested slopes The moving cages never stop, so attendants assist travelers in hopping aboard as each car glides smoothly past the platform. While designed for two people, solo riders are also welcome to experience the journey alone. Once at the top, a short scenic walk leads to the Basilica di SantUbaldo, where breathtaking views of the lush landscape below await. Visitors are encouraged to consider walking back down the mountain paths for a different perspective - or a bit of exercise. For fans of history, nature, or those who are up for a unique experience, the Gubbio Cable Car is a must-do for any visitor to Umbria - but not everyone is convinced. In an Instagram video shared by @tourist.in that shows a visitor hopping inside the bird-cage before 'taking flight,' hundreds of viewers in the comments were left divided on whether the view at the end point is worth the thrill. One person exclaimed, 'Absolutely NOT,' while another mused, 'Just imagine getting hit by a bird passing through.' A third added: 'Getting on its not the problem, it's if it has to stop and then it starts swaying - that's where my fear of heights kick in.' The moving cages never stop, so attendants assist travelers in hopping aboard as each car glides smoothly past the platform While designed for two people, solo riders are also welcome to experience the journey alone For fans of history, nature, or those who are up for a unique experience, the Gubbio Cable Car is a must-do for any visitor to Umbria - but not everyone is convinced A fourth wrote: 'Imagine working here and you don't get to close their gate thing fast enough, I'd have a literal panic attack. Heck no.' Some even compared the scene to that of a horror movie, as one person added: 'I just finished watching Final Destination, so probably not.' However, others saw the ride as a challenge, as one person wrote: 'Why is this comment section so soft, of course I'd ride that.' Another expressed their idea to take a more cautious approach, as they added: 'I would if it's gonna be just me and nobody else with me.' Netflix has snapped up a legendary British crime drama with a all-star cast dubbed 'one of the best ever' after it turned the entire nation into wannabe detectives. Acclaimed TV series Broadchurch, created by Chris Chibnall, first hit our screens in 2013. The second season followed in 2015 and the show wrapped up in 2017. Over the five years it ran 24 episodes aired and it became a huge fan favourite, sparking all manner of fan theories. Now, eight years after it was last on our screens, it has landed on another streaming service - and fans don't have long to wait. Broadchurch will be available to watch on Netflix from November 18. Netflix has snapped up a legendary British crime drama with a all-star cast dubbed 'one of the best EVER' after it turned the entire nation into wannabe detectives Much-loved TV series Broadchurch, created by Chris Chibnall, hit our screens in 2013 Netflix's official synopsis reads: 'After a young boy is murdered in the small seaside town of Broadchurch, local detectives Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy are assigned the mysterious case.' It stars David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Jonathan Bailey, Charlotte Beaumont, Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Matthew Gravelle, Carolyn Pickles and Adam Wilson. The programme has received rave reviews, with 92% on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Many have also taken online to share their positive thoughts on the show. 'Mesmerizing. A show somewhere between your most beautiful imagination and your darkest fears.' 'At its best, 'Broadchurch' was some of the best television to grace my television set, not just in recent years but in general. Simply adore mystery dramas and the positive word of mouth was near-universal, reasons enough to watch it. Was riveted and couldn't look away throughout all three seasons and was thirsty for more, that's the mark of a great or more series.' 'I enjoy British crime dramas. I find the pacing and depth of characterization is more engaging than the better American shows and there is often more emphasis on "mystery".' Many have taken online to share their positive reviews about the police drama - with one saying it was 'full of surprises' 'I can't say too much how much I enjoyed this series. Unlike most murder dramas, this story isn't about autopsies and gunfights. 'It's about human nature. It's about the tragedy of the murder of a child. It's about the court of public opinion, the sinister nature of irresponsible journalism, the failures, frailties and flaws of our fellow human beings. 'This is 'Shakespeare writes a detective story'.' 'Broadchurch is a fantastic and refreshing British crime-drama.' 'I have been loving the emotional depth of this show! So often families of murder victims exist merely to give clues for the eventual solution but in Broadchurch we are exposed to the grief of a bereft and torn family.' 'This series was just full of surprises! I loved the twists and turns along the way. The two main characters make the show great with their dynamics together.' It comes after an 'absolutely outstanding' David Tennant drama has been snapped up by Netflix 12 years after its release on the BBC - and viewers have insisted that 'it's a must-watch'. The Escape Artist, written and created by David Wolstencroft, hit our screens back in October 2013.The British thriller lasted just one series and aired three episodes until it wrapped up in November the same year. The British thriller lasted just one series and aired three episodes until it wrapped up in November the same year. 'A junior barrister celebrated for spiriting people out of tight legal corners represents an accused murderer,' IMBD's synopsis reads. And it stars the likes of David, Toby Kebbell, Sophie Okonedo, Ashley Jensen, Jeany Spark, Tony Gardner. While it is unable to be watched on BBC iPlayer, many are over the moon that it has landed on the streaming service. University Challenge viewers raged 'shame on you!' as they blasted 'patronising' host Amol Rajan for talking down to one of the teams and looking 'gutted' that they won on Monday's episode. The latest instalment of the BBC show saw Sheffield take on New College, Oxford, in a bid to get a place in the semi-finals. Rhys Lewis, Abdelrahman Elsisi, Jacob Price and Isobel Dobbie went up against Benji Stimpson, Paige Crawley, Jonah Poulard and Dan Timmers. While watching some viewers thought that host Amol was patronising towards one of the teams. One asked on X: 'Could Amol Rajan be more patronising to Sheffield when they answer a question about paintings! #UniversityChallenge.' They added: 'We know about paintings in the north, Amol. #UniversityChallenge.' University Challenge viewers raged 'shame on you!' as they blasted 'patronising' host Amol Rajan for talking down to one of the team and looking 'gutted' that they won on Monday's episode The latest instalment of the BBC show saw Sheffield take on New College, Oxford, in a bid to get a place in the final second round Things only got worse when they were crowned winners, as some claimed that Amol seemed peeved about the result. When the gong was hit, it was revealed that New College had 125 points, while Sheffield won with 175. Amol said: 'You were so far ahead for so long, guys.' Stimpson said: 'I don't know what I was doing.' Amol asked: 'What do you mean?' He added: 'I wouldn't let that colour the way you look back on this, because you were so impressive, just the last five minutes went against you. 'But crucially, Jonah, you knew everything you needed to know about Russia and Russian literature.' He replied: 'My tutors won't be after me.' One said on X: 'Hmmm.. More bothered about commiserating with New College Oxford than congratulating Sheffield ? #UniversityChallenge' Sheffield were crowned winners of the show on Monday's episode Amol said: 'Exactly, you sounded very clever. It's been wonderful getting to know you. Well done for playing so fantastically well. I'm sorry that we're going to be saying goodbye to you guys, it's been an honour.' He continued: 'Sheffield, you did sort of slightly leave it rather late, but that last five minutes was rather crucial. You came storming through. So well done. We shall see you again.' One said on X: 'Hmmm... More bothered about commiserating with New College Oxford than congratulating Sheffield ? #UniversityChallenge.' Another agreed: 'That infuriated me too. Shame on you, 'Amol is gutted Oxbridge lost #UniversityChallenge.' 'Amol sounded disappointed @sheffielduni won! Spent way too long commiserating with @newcollegeox!' It comes after University Challenge viewers were left stumped by a string of tricky questions that even left Britain's sharpest university teams admitting defeat. Last Monday's episode saw SOAS University of London and Imperial College London went head-to-head for the coveted trophy. But multiple puzzles throughout the episode proved to be so hard that it stopped both teams in their tracks. Amol asked the students: 'What six-letter acronym was adopted by a group of mid-20th-century French writers who experimented with works restricted by logical or mathematical constraints? 'Members included Georges Perec and Raymond Queneau.' University Challenge viewers have been left stunned by a string of tricky questions that even left Britain's sharpest university teams admitting defeat Hosted by Amol Rajan, the hit BBC series has earned its reputation as television's most savage quiz show Both teams were left in panic as one of them admitted: 'I have no idea' and they passed. Another tricky question was: 'Which Canadian province is the only one whose borders are not determined by any natural features such as bays, rivers or coastlines?' And another: 'Question: In which English county is the Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, a stretch of coastline that runs from Skegness to the mouth of The Wash?' Both university groups are no strangers to intense quiz pressure, with Imperial famously winning their fifth University Challenge title last year. But even they both looked rattled by the relentless complexity of the round. While contestants had seconds to buzz in, viewers at home paused their TVs and still struggled. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, they penned: 'It doesn't matter how many times and years I've been watching this I don't think I'm improving, my only real chance of getting any right is the music round.' 'Questions on #UniversityChallenge seem to get longer and longer.' During Monday's episode, SOAS University of London and Imperial College London went head-to-head for the coveted trophy But multiple puzzles throughout the episode proved to be so hard that it stopped both teams in their tracks Amol asked the students: 'What six-letter acronym was adopted by a group of mid-20th-century French writers who experimented with works restricted by logical or mathematical constraints? Members included Georges Perec and Raymond Queneau' While contestants had seconds to buzz in, viewers at home paused their TVs and still struggled 'I've never felt more thick than I do watching this show.' 'One of my lowest scores tonight. Not my kind of questions.' If you fancy giving yourself a test, try answering the questions now before scrolling further. Answers: Oulipo, Saskatchewan, Lincolnshire. It comes after 'Spooked' University Challenge viewers gasped 'how did they know?!' last week as one of the episodes closed with a Jilly Cooper 'tribute' - despite being filmed before her death. The instalment saw Imperial take on Churchill College, Cambridge. At the end of the last round, Amol asked the teams a question about the late Jilly Cooper - which left fans lost for words as it was revealed on Monday that she had died aged 88. The author and journalist passed away on October 5 following a fall. Presenter Amol asked the two teams: 'First, the county in the Cotswolds created by Jilly Cooper and which is the setting of a number of her novels, including Riders and Rivals...' But the players didn't get a chance to answer as the final buzzer rang out. University Challenge airs Mondays on BBC Two and is available to stream on iPlayer. Anita Rani and her father Bal Singh Nazran have revealed how they were mistaken for refugees by hotel staff in Mexico during filming for the new Celebrity Race Across The World series. Speaking about their refugee encounter, Anita's father Bal, from Bradford, revealed: 'We were filming in a hotel in Mexico and the owners thought we were refugees. 'It is because we kept asking where the border was, as we were obviously trying to get to the next location point. 'We were asking this hotel at night and we were asking where the border was. 'And because they did not speak any English they translated on their mobile phone and kept asking if we needed sanctuary.' Anita added: 'We were asking how to get to the border and there we are, these cultural ambiguous looking brown people in Central America. Anita Rani and her father Bal Singh Nazran have revealed how they were mistaken for refugees by hotel staff in Mexico during filming for the new Celebrity Race Across the World series Speaking about their refugee encounter Anita's father Bal from Bradford revealed: 'We kept asking where the border was as we were obviously trying to get to the next location point' 'Also on this trip dad stayed at his first ever back packers [hostel] and they were all playing pool and everyone was really young. They were just tattooing each other. 'They were like 16 or 17-year-olds from all over the world and I was like "Now dad. You are going to see people smoking weed." He was like "as long as I dont get high!"' Also taking part in the BBC One series, which just premiered at the Curzon Cinema in Soho, are Strictly stars Molly Rainford, Tyler West, Roman and Harleymoon Kemp. Harleymoon Kemp claimed that filming the show 'absolutely changed' her relationship with her sometimes distant brother Roman 'forever'. 'We are a really close family but when you are a close family it does not mean that me and my siblings are best mates,' she noted. 'Like, you meet up at your mum and dad's place and take the dogs out and make each other a cup of tea and do the small talk. 'I don't remember the last time me and Roman went for dinner together or have been on holiday together. 'We are such different characters. I was really up for the adventure and I did not realise what a bag of nerves I was taking with me. 'But he was always the more sensitive and straight guy. 'The first thing our parents asked us when we got home was "Please tell us. Did you get on?" They were so worried about us. It was great to have that time to really understand each other.' The contestant added: 'Because they did not speak any English they translated on their mobile phone and kept asking if we needed sanctuary' Also taking part in the BB1 series, which just premiered at the Curzon Cinema in Soho, are Strictly stars Molly Rainford, Tyler West, Roman and Harleymoon Kemp Harleymoon continued: 'That's why I went on this adventure as I am not sure there would have been another time when we would have come together in that way. Learning that being vulnerable (Roman) is a very beautiful thing to be. 'Being sensitive is beautiful and when we were kids I used to find it annoying that he was trying to tell me off for having a different way of thinking. 'This gave us seven weeks of understanding each other and I cant put any price on doing that adventure.' However, she conceded that it wasn't always easy. 'I shared a bed with my brother and he is 6ft2 and we were in a single bed on the first night and it was a bit awkward,' she admitted. 'There was no air con and he was sweating with anxiety. That was our first night for seven weeks.' The new series of Celebrity Race Across the World returns with four new celebrity duos who trade luxury for limited budgets and public transport as they embark on an epic 5,900km race across Central America. From the pristine beaches of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, to the wild beauty of La Guajira, Colombia, the series explores deep personal connections and emotional journeys in one of the most culturally rich and visually spectacular routes yet. Anita Rani confirmed her romance with new boyfriend Alex Lavery as they made their first public appearance together at a London Fashion Week afterparty back in September. Alex is at the helm of immersive sonic experience company Frqncy Ldn which 'explores the effects of sound and mind on the body,' and he performed sound meditations as part of Glastonbury Festival's wellness programme. The pair were previously seen this summer enjoying the Green Man Music Festival together and at the homeware store B&Q , The Sun reports. Antia's new relationship comes two years after she ended her 14-year marriage to technology executive Bhupinder Rehal in September 2023. Celebrity Race Across the World begins November 6 on BBC One and will be available to stream on iPlayer. Loose Women's Carol McGiffin has described Kaye Adams as the 'epitome of professionalism' amid her ongoing investigation for bullying at the BBC - but admitted the pair had a tendency to butt heads. Admitting that her friend 'always likes to get the last word', Carol, 65, said that she has never witnessed Kaye, 62, mistreat anyone in the two and a half decades they have known each other. Kaye, who earns around 155,000 a year, was dramatically removed from her position at BBC Scotland earlier this month after junior staff members accused her of bullying them under the broadcaster's Call It Out scheme. The presenter, who allegedly shouted and screamed at her colleagues, has described the scandal as 'the most distressing weeks of my professional life'. She told the Mail on Sunday that the BBC has 'still not provided me with any details of the allegations which have been made against me.' However, she has thanked those who have spoken out in her defence since she was removed from the airwaves on October 6. 'I thank them from the bottom of my heart,' she said. Loose Women 's Carol McGiffin has described Kaye Adams as the 'epitome of professionalism' in her Best Magazine column amid her ongoing investigation for bullying at the BBC Admitting that her friend 'always likes to get the last word', Carol, 65, said that she has never witnessed Kaye, 62, mistreat anyone in the two and a half decades they have known each other. Now, Carol is the latest person to offer a message of support to the Scottish presenter, who has been 'inundated' with well-wishes. She wrote in Best Magazine: 'I've known Kaye Adams for around 25 years. I started working with her in 2000, and even when we weren't working together, we always stayed in contact. 'She is a friend and I know her very well. She is the epitome of professionalism and one of the best presenters I've ever worked with. 'So, imagine my shock to read that she has been suspended from her long-running morning radio show on BBC Scotland.' While the star acknowledged that there are TV presenters who do not always behave well, Kay is 'definitely not' one of them. She continued: 'It's true, some TV "stars" can be pretty abominable. 'I've seen plenty of them treat staff appallingly... but they're usually awful people to start with. 'I wish I could name names, but I can tell you Kaye is definitely not one of them.' Kaye, who often joins Carole on Loose Women, said she is ultimately hoping that her name will be cleared after it has been 'dragged through the mud' by the investigation. Kaye, who often joins Carole on Loose Women, said she is ultimately hoping that her name will be cleared after it has been 'dragged through the mud' by the investigation Speculating about the parts of her friend's personality that could be an issue, she said that her friend 'doesn't like to be wrong'. Carol added: 'She's fiercely intelligent and a pedantic, persistent perfectionist.' 'Also, she doesnt like to be wrong, which she is sometimes, although she'd never admit it... Yes, she's annoying sometimes, but never a bully.' 'Not even when, as anchor on Loose Women, if she was losing the argument in a debate (especially to me), she would always make sure she got the last word!' The Loose Women star said that even when the pair have clashed over issues like Brexit and climate change, their differences have never actually led to a fallout. A BBC Scotland spokesperson said: 'We would not comment on any individual case. If any complaints or concerns are raised, we have robust internal processes in place to manage these.' The BBC has confirmed the fate of Doctor Who as Disney+ quits its partnership with the troubled sci-fi series after just two seasons. Despite rumours that the long-running show could be facing the axe, fans will be delighted to learn that there will be a Christmas special written by Russell T Davies, but not until 2026. The broadcaster has stressed that while a new season of the show itself has yet to be announced, they are 'fully committed' to the show and plan to confirm it 'in due course'. Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama at the BBC, said: 'We'd like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. 'The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. 'We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC.' The BBC has confirmed the fate of Doctor Who after Disney+ QUIT its partnership with the troubled sci-fi series - confirming that there will be Christmas special in 2026 The broadcaster has stressed that while a new season of the show itself has yet to be announced, they are 'fully committed' to the show and plan to confirm it 'in due course' As well as the upcoming Christmas special, fans also have the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea to look forward to. While an exact release date has yet to be announced, it is expected to air in 2026. The five-part series will centre on a war between humanity and an ancient species known as the Sea Devils. As the show was produced prior to the show's breakup with Disney+, it is set to air on the streaming platform, BBC1 and BBC1 iPlayer. Its synopsis reads: 'When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. 'With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war.' The show has some big-name talent appearing, including Russell Tovey, 43, as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. 42, as Salt. Russell T Davis refused to answer when questioned about whether or not another streaming platform could partner with the show at the 2025 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, telling reporters: 'We're not going there.' As well as the upcoming Christmas special, fans also have the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea to look forward to Disney+ investment in Doctor Who was colossal and the platform is reported to have spent an estimated 100 million on two seasons and specials. Broadcast reported at the time that the budget per episode could have increased from 1 to 3 million to as much as 10 million. The update comes hot on the heels of Prince William's visit to the Doctor Who set ahead of the Welsh BAFTAs earlier this month. The 43-year-old royal enjoyed a special, behind-the-scenes tour of the much-loved television show, after being invited to one of Wales' most successful TV and film studios. In a video released on the Kensington Palace Instagram account, the Prince of Wales could be seen visiting Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff, which has produced iconic TV series including Doctor Who and His Dark Materials. The Prince is President of BAFTA and has long been a champion of the homegrown arts. The royal, who attended the studios solo, is seen browsing the futuristic technology behind the Time Lord's Tardis door, with the Doctor's famous juke box also pictured. The update comes hot on the heels of Prince William 's visit to the Doctor Who set ahead of the Welsh BAFTAs earlier this month The 43-year-old royal enjoyed a special, behind-the-scenes tour of the much-loved television show, after being invited to one of Wales' most successful TV and film studios The recent positive Doctor Who news comes after much backlash to its latest series, which was branded 'unoriginal and uninspired' by critics. The first episode, named The Robot Revolution, was directed by Peter Hoar and written by Russell T Davies. It saw Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa, 32, return as the Doctor, with Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra, and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Unfortunately critics were quite harsh with their verdicts. Radio Times' Louise Griffin said of the episode: 'The episode is dragged down in various ways, most of which we can't talk about just yet. 'Suffice to say that the episode's climax, involving a rather ludicrous reveal, fails to stick the landing. There's also some very on-the-nose writing, characters stating the obvious rather than allowing the episode's themes to speak for themselves' The recent positive Doctor Who news comes after much backlash to its latest series, which was branded 'unoriginal and uninspired' by critics Meanwhile Tom Power at Tech Radar said: 'The Doctor and Bel's robotic foes are largely unoriginal. 'In fact, I'd say, unique design notwithstanding, they're an uninspired amalgam of two of the most notorious enemies in Doctor Who's rogue gallery those being, the Daleks and Cybermen. 'The Robot Revolution also moves at a break-neck pace. Episodes of Doctor Who are renowned for being breezy, but it feels like this one is particularly guilty of barrelling through its story without stopping to take a breath. 'That doesn't allow its most pertinent story beats to have the emotional impact they require.' Luckily there have also been more positive things said about it as well. The War Between the Land and the Sea series will centre on a war between humanity and an ancient species known as the Sea Devils Variety's Scott Bryan said: 'The last few seconds of the first episode are particularly spine-tingling.' While The Times' Ben Dowell wrote: 'It is a fun, fast-paced hour of TV.' The new series was good news after in February it was revealed that the show was reportedly facing the axe. A spokesperson for the BBC told The Sun: 'This story is incorrect. Doctor Who has not been shelved. 'As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs. 'The deal with Disney+ was for 26 episodes and exactly half of those still have to transmit.' Happy Days star Marion Ross made a rare appearance while celebrating her 97th birthday in a new snap shared by her son Jim Meskimen on Saturday. Meskimen, who is also a famous actor and comedian, posted a sweet Instagram tribute and shared a glimpse at how the famous actress celebrated her birthday. In one photo, the TV star who is beloved for playing Marion Cunningham on the hit 70s sitcom Happy Days could be seen blowing out the candles on her cake. The actress sat in front of the colorful confection and in front of many birthday cards on display in the background. Meskimen wrote in his caption: 'My mom and yours, Marion Ross, turns 97 today! She loves you, too!' Many fans took to the comments section to extend happy birthday wishes to the TV legend, and her Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler also took to social media to share a gushing tribute. Happy Days star Marion Ross made a rare appearance while celebrating her 97th birthday in a new snapshot shared by her son Jim Meskimen on Saturday He reposted a photo of Ross celebrating her 95th birthday two years earlier and penned a sweet note to his former castmate. 'A magnificient woman, artist and friend,' he wrote. 'HAPPY B DAY Marion ... love, Henry.' Ross, who starred for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984 as Marion Cunningham on ABC's Happy Days, previously opened up about living in a beach community in San Diego County in California with her kids in close proximity. Ross's iconic acting career started in 1953 but it wouldn't be until two decades later when she landed her legendary role of Mrs. C and America's mother with her role in Happy Days. The actress's long career began over 70 years ago when she made her debut in the film Forever Female, starring Ginger Rogers and William Holden. That same year, she made her television debut when she played an Irish maid on the series Life with Father and the following year starred as Ginny Thorpe in popular show The Lone Ranger. She then went on to appear on the silver screen in a slew of movies with stars including James Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas, Clark Gable, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. But what really thrust Ross into the spotlight was the hit sitcom Happy Days, starring alongside co-stars Henry Winkler aka The Fonz, Ron Howard who played Richie, Erin Moran who played Joanie, and Anson Williams who played Potsie. Meskimen, who is also a famous actor and comedian, posted a sweet Instagram tribute and shared a glimpse at how the famous actress celebrated her birthday She appeared to be surrounded by love as she sat in front of the colorful confection and in front of many birthday cards on display in the background Meskimen wrote in his caption: 'My mom and yours, Marion Ross, turns 97 today! She loves you, too!'; Marion and Jim pictured in November 2014 Many fans took to the comments section to extend happy birthday wishes to the TV legend, and her Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler also took to social media to share a gushing tribute He penned a sweet note to his former castmate on the show. Ross starred for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984 as Marion Cunningham on ABC's Happy Days; pictured alongside Tom Bosley and Henry Winkler in 1982 portrait Ross's iconic acting career started in 1953 but it wouldn't be until two decades later when she landed her legendary role of Mrs. C and America's mother with her role in Happy Days; pictured alongside Erin Moran, Henry Winkler and Ron Howard in 1974 After Happy Days ended in 1984 she became a regular on The Love Boat and starred in the critically acclaimed comedy Brooklyn Bridge as well as recurring roles on The Drew Carey Show, That '70s Show and Gilmore Girls. She was also the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants's grandmother. Back in November 2019, Ross joined her former sitcom stars for a special reunion at the Garry Marshall Theatre's 3rd Annual Founder's Gala in LA. Marshall, who created Happy Days and several spin-offs including Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, passed away in 2016 at the age of 81. Ross walked the red carpet with Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Don Most and Anson Williams as they were honored at the fundraising event. She previously told Remind magazine that she felt 'very lucky' to live such a long life and enjoy such a withstanding, successful career. While sharing advice for others who want to live over age 90 like her, she told the outlet in 2023: 'Keep a positive attitude and enjoy every day.' Maks Chmerkovskiy is sounding off about Dancing With the Stars casting Jan Ravnik as a professional dancer on the long-running series. Speaking on wife Peta Murgatroyds The Penthouse With Peta podcast on Friday, the 45-year-old former DWTS pro said, 'Im sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars.' According to Maks, 30-year-old Jan, who previously served as a backup dancer to Taylor Swift, has 'zero foundation technique, quality,' or 'understanding of the partnership.' 'Bro, Im getting emotional,' he said while on his soapbox. 'It is absurd, and this is unreal how blind we have to be and God forbid say whats obviously there.' Maks pointed to Jan's choreography for last Tuesdays 'Wicked Night' as an example. 'He had no idea what foxtrot is supposed to look like,' the Latinballroom dance champion emphasized. Maks Chmerkovskiy is sounding off about Dancing With the Stars casting Jan Ravnik as a professional dancer on the long-running series; Ravnik pictured with partner Jen Affleck on the Tuesday, October 21 episode Speaking on wife Peta Murgatroyd's The Penthouse With Peta podcast on Friday, the former DWTS pro, 45, said, 'Im sorry, Jan has absolutely no business being a pro on Dancing with the Stars' Jan is currently partnered with Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck in the competition. Maks went on to posit, 'How are you going to expect him to teach it and deliver that message in a format that is completely different from even ballroom dancing? 'We had this criticism weeks ago, and Im like, "Bro, is anybody going to explain it to him?"' The former DWTS regular clarified that his criticism of Jan is not personal, and moreso directed toward the people responsible for casting him. 'Jan, whoever he is, I have zero against him whatsoever,' the father-of-three said. 'No way. This was a missed opportunity.' Meanwhile, his wife Peta weighed in, saying Jen is at a 'major disadvantage' due to her partner's inexperience. 'I feel bad because shes not getting taught the basics that she needs to,' she shared, adding, 'Shes not getting taught the base of the dance.' And she suggested that Jan was cast due to his affiliation with pop star Taylor, with whom he performed on the Eras tour. According to Maks, 30-year-old Jan (pictured left in May 2024), who previously served as a backup dancer to Taylor Swift, has 'zero foundation technique, quality,' or 'understanding of the partnership' Maks pointed to Jan's choreography for last Tuesdays 'Wicked Night' as an example. 'He had no idea what foxtrot is supposed to look like,' the Latinballroom dance champion emphasized Peta weighed in, saying Jen is at a 'major disadvantage' due to her partner's inexperience The podcast host declared, 'They hired him. Hes a Taylor Swift dancer. Its the obvious reason why he is hired.' She added, 'Apart from that, hes a lovely guy. He looks great. He obviously is a great dancer. Hiring a non-ballroom dancer to teach ballroom dancing to a celebrity as a job is outrageous.' Jen and Jan appeared to respond to Maks' dig in a TikTok posted to her account on Monday. The video showed her typing on the phone, mimicking leaving comments, between her rehearsals with Jan. 'Take it down. Take it down. Take it down. We need it gone. Take it down. That doesn't represent me or what we need to be doing,' Jan was pictured lip syncing. A text on the video read, 'Me when anyone talks trash about Jan.' 'We don't tolerate Jan slander in this house !! @Jan Ravnik @Dancing with the Stars #DWTS,' Jen wrote in the caption. Jen and Jan appeared to respond to Maks' dig in a TikTok posted to her account on Monday, captioned, 'We don't tolerate Jan slander in this house !!' The video showed her typing on the phone, mimicking leaving comments, between her rehearsals with Jan. 'Take it down. Take it down. Take it down. We need it gone. Take it down. That doesn't represent me or what we need to be doing,' Jan was pictured lip syncing This is not the first time Maks has aired his grievances with the popular ABC series. In September 2024 he slammed Anna Delvey, branding her a 's****y dancer.' 'There's so many other people you could choose from,' he said about the producers' decision to cast the formerly incarcerated socialite. He also said her 'standoffish' personality was 'not really going to help her in this competition.' New claims have emerged amid Rebel Wilson's legal battle involving her directorial debut, The Deb. The film is a musical about a country town debutante ball and stars emerging actor Charlotte MacInnes, who is suing Wilson for defamation over comments made on social media in July 2024. The defamation case hit the Federal Court for the first time on Friday, a month after MacInnes lodged proceedings. MacInnes is suing Wilson over a series of social media posts in which the rookie director said her lead actor had revealed she was subjected to sexual harassment by a female producer on the film. Lawyers representing MacInnes argue that these posts suggest the young actor lied when she denied having made a complaint about one of the film's producers, Amanda Ghost, who is accused of sexually harassing her, documents released by the court claim. The emerging actor has denied the claims, calling them a 'fabricated narrative' while adding that 'false accusations undermine real victims'. New claims have emerged amid Rebel Wilson's (pictured) legal battle involving her directorial debut The Deb New documents released by the court have revealed Wilson had expressed being 'very uneasy' about MacInnes' relationship with Ghost. Wilson claimed that she and MacInnes attended an event on a yacht to promote the film on May 24, 2023, along with other cast members. They were asked to sing songs written for the film on the yacht by Ghost, who allegedly asked MacInnes to return to the yacht 'late in the evening' after the event. Wilson felt 'uneasy' about this, court documents claim. It was also claimed that Ghost arranged for MacInnes to stay at her Bondi penthouse, which made Wilson 'feel very uneasy again'. During the hearing on Friday, MacInnes' high-profile defamation lawyer, Sue Chrysanthou SC, pushed for a quick resolution, citing 'ongoing reputational damage' to her client, who she said had been 'unapologetically defamed'. But Wilson would find it difficult to provide a sworn statement quickly without seeing the substance of the complaints against her, the Hollywood star's lawyer said. 'Her evidence is not simple and straightforward,' Renee Enbom KC said. The film is a musical about a country town debutante ball and stars emerging actor Charlotte MacInnes, who is suing Wilson for defamation over comments made on social media in 2024. Pictured left to right are the film's stars Natalie Abbott, Rebel Wilson, Charlotte MacInnes and Stevie Jean 'It goes back to 2022 and it deals with numerous issues, not just the sexual harassment.' Ms Chrysanthou pushed back against the delay, arguing Wilson must be 'very familiar' with the conversations she has repeated publicly. 'People telling the truth don't need to see documents in order to make a statement,' she said. 'We don't understand why - when Ms Wilson has adamantly claimed for a year that she had these conversations - why she would be assisted by text messages to help her remember what happened. That's concerning for us.' Wilson was no busier than anyone else in court and had enough time to continue making statements about MacInnes to the media, Ms Chrysanthou said. 'She is clearly not too busy,' she said. Ms Enbom said people giving evidence about events that occurred years ago 'often need to be assisted by documents'. There was also no evidence to show Wilson, who is working on another film on the other side of the world, had continued to speak about the emerging actress, her lawyer said. New documents released by the court have revealed Wilson was 'very uneasy' about MacInnes' (pictured) relationship with one of the film's producers, Amanda Ghost Wilson was ordered to file an affidavit by December 10, with the matter set to return to court in February. It is the third legal stoush to involve the embattled 2024 film directed by Wilson after production company AI Film accused the star of trying to sabotage its release. The case, which has been lodged in the NSW Supreme Court, claims the Pitch Perfect actor made highly derogatory public comments to that end. AI Film issued a statement after filing its lawsuit. 'These proceedings are regrettable but essential to ensure The Deb's timely release,' the company said. 'It's a joyous, fun film, and we are sure that audiences are going to love it.' The comments are also the focus of a defamation suit lodged against Wilson in the Superior Court of California by the film's producers, Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden. The legal action alleges Wilson engaged in conduct calculated to damage the reputations of her co-producers and wanted credit for work she did not do. In July, Wilson called her co-producers' NSW Supreme Court action an act of 'spiteful toxic behaviour' in a lengthy Instagram post. 'Apparently I'm being sued in Australia? It makes no sense,' she began. 'As the director, producer and co-star who nurtured a project called The Deb for five years from a three-page idea into a gorgeous feature film - I wish nothing more than to have this film released and have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get this to happen. 'To say otherwise is complete nonsense. I'm so proud of the film!' 'In my opinion this is continued bullying and harassment from UK financiers of the project Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden. 'They tried to prevent the film from premiering there (they lost) and now they've tried to stop the film being released because of a baseless US lawsuit and now a further Australian one.' Wilson went on to say it was 'imperative the movie is released' and added it was 'sad' to see the hard work of 'so many Australians' involved in the film go to waste. 'Contractually as financiers they have the power to sell or release/distribute the film,' she wrote. 'They haven't done so. 'It's been a year since the film has been completed and ready to go in cinemas. Instead, in my opinion they have continued this spiteful toxic behaviour.' Last month, MacInnes sent Wilson a concerns notice threatening defamation action in either the NSW or Western Australian Supreme Court. In documents filed to the Los Angeles Superior Court, MacInnes claimed she informed Wilson she was never sexually harassed by Ghost. 'I was deeply disturbed by this behaviour by Wilson, who was the director of the film and in a position of authority over me,' MacInnes told the US court. Daily Mail had put MacInnes's claims about Wilson's behaviour to her US management, but they did not respond at the time. Kim Kardashian put on a sizzling display as she stepped out New York City on Monday to promote her show All's Fair. The 45-year-old multihyphenate who recently defended daughter North, 12 nearly spilled out of a figure-hugging navy blue Dior SS 1999 co-ord while out in the Big Apple. She amped up her busty chest while modeling the maxi skirt and matching cardigan, which boasted a strategically centered cutout. Kim slipped her feet into a pair of open-toe gunmetal-hued heels while en route to SiriusXM's Town Hall. Her jet black hair was parted down the middle and slicked into a tight and neat bun set at the back of her head. She was fully made up for the busy press day, during which she was joined by co-stars Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor, and Naomi Watts. Kim Kardashian put on a sizzling display as she stepped out New York City on Monday to promote her show All's Fair The 45-year-old multihyphenate nearly spilled out of a figure-hugging navy blue Dior SS 1999 co-ord while out in the Big Apple She amped up her busty chest while modeling the maxi skirt and matching cardigan, which boasted a strategically centered cutout Kim is in the throes of a media tour ahead of All's Fair's Tuesday, November 4 premiere date. The reality TV star-turned-actress plays fierce divorce attorney Allura Grant in the Ryan Murphy series. The show follows a team of high-powered female lawyers who leave their firm to start their own company as Allura vows to destroy her younger husband who married her for money. Big name guest stars including Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judith Light appear in the series as the attorneys' clients. Kim was in London last week to plug the new show with co-star Sarah, 50. While appearing on the Graham Norton show, she said: 'Working with a cast like this I wanted to make sure I was completely prepared. What I could control was absolutely knowing my lines, being on time and being super professional. 'These women are the greatest at what they do, and I just watched and learned every day.' She added, 'It was an honor, and I have just had the best time. Working with these women was like summer camp.' Kim slipped her feet into a pair of open-toe gunmetal-hued heels while at SiriusXM's Town Hall She was joined by co-stars Teyana Taylor(L), Naomi Watts (center left), and Sarah Paulson (center right) Kim was later spotted exiting the Whitby Hotel in a fur-trimmed Dominique Sirop haute couture corset The fashionista added black capri leggings and strappy sandals as she headed out for the night Elsewhere during the television spot, the SKIMS founder revealed she will soon find out if she passed the bar exam. 'I took the bar exam in July. I get the results a few days after our [All's Fair] premiere. So in two weeks. So everyone please pray for me. I worked really hard,' she said. As she awaits the results of the bar exam, she could be days away from fulfilling her longtime dream to be a legal professional. The reality television star-turned-mogul estimated, 'Maybe in 10 years, I think Ill give up being Kim K and be a trial lawyer. Thats what I really want.' Kim has spent six years working on a law apprenticeship the unconventional path that allowed her to bypass law school before officially wrapping the program on May 21, 2025. She passed the 'baby bar' on her fourth try in December 2021, clearing the first major hurdle on her way to becoming a licensed attorney. Later she faced the notoriously brutal California bar, considered the hardest in the nation, with one of the lowest pass rates. Adrian Portelli has ripped into The Block for a second time after only three of the five Daylesford properties sold over the weekend. The billionaire bidder, who made headlines last year after buying all five Phillip Island homes for a whopping $15million, let loose during the series finale. 'Wow, that's a bit awkward,' he began the clip, which showed him watching the drama unfold on television. 'But anyway I still have The Block houses, and it's clear that nobody really wants to pay for them. But I've still got five from last year down at Phillip Island, so I am giving them away through LMCT Plus,' he said of his online giveaway business. 'You don't have to pay for them clearly people don't want to buy these houses.' In the last year, the 36-year-old has seemingly struggled to offload the properties, even sharing an Instagram post in June begging his followers to buy the homes. Adrian Portelli (pictured) has ripped into The Block for a second time after only three of the five Daylesford properties sold over the weekend The billionaire bidder, who made headlines last year after buying all five Phillip Island homes for a whopping $15million, let loose during the series finale. (Pictured: Han and Can) 'For Sale. EOI. The Phillip Island Block Resort. Selling complex complete. Everything included. Will not sell houses separately,' he said. The Block came to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday night and Adrian wasted no time gloating over the poor results, which saw a few Blockheads walk away empty-handed. Taking to his Instagram stories as the disastrous finale aired, the popular entrepreneur shared a graphic of The Block logo scribbled out in red, replaced with Channel Seven branding and a plug for My Reno Rules. He announced in July he would be turning his back on The Block and Channel Nine, and jumping ship to rival show My Reno Rules on Seven. It was Western Australian couple Britt and Taz took who were the big winners on The Block over the weekend. They managed to offload their stylish House 3 for an impressive $3.41million. With a reserve of $2.99million, the pair went home $420,000 richer adding to that, a $100,000 bonus prize, netting them a total $520,000. The winning sale came from an anonymous phone bidder, after a battle with Melbourne rich lister, Danny Wallis. Taking to his stories as the disastrous Block finale went to air, the entrepreneur shared a graphic of The Block logo scratched out, replaced with Channel 7 branding and a plug for My Reno Rules The finale was heartbreaking for Blockheads Emma and Ben (pictured) who saw their properties passed in Robby and Mat's property scored a poor result going for $3.099million, netting the best mates a meagre $109,999 profit. The auction went better for Sonny and Alicia, who sold their home for $3.06million $120,000 above their $2.94million reserve. Still, the finale was heartbreaking for Blockheads Emma and Ben, and Han and Can, who saw their properties passed in. Bidding stalled on Emma and Ben's home at their $2.99million reserve and even a $3.10million bid failed to help it generate interest. Meanwhile, Han and Can left the series without making a penny after their pad failed to generate much heat from potential buyers. The pair admitted to feeling 'physically sick' as their dreams were dashed. There were tears throughout the episode for Han and Can, who felt their journey on the show had been a disaster all round. A body language expert has weighed in on Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster's red carpet debut. Sutton, 50, accompanied Hugh, 57, to the premiere of his latest film Song Sung Blue at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles, California on Sunday. Louise Mahler told Daily Mail the couple appeared loved-up as they posed for photographs together. 'They look so relaxed and happy,' she said. Louise added that another positive sign the relationship is strong is that Hugh kept his ladylove close by wrapping his arms around her. Hugh suited up for the occasion in a black suit and tie, while his girlfriend wowed in a low-cut black satin dress. A body language expert has weighed in on Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster 's red carpet debut She carried a black clutch and flashed a wide smile as she stood proudly beside the actor on his big night in Hollywood. It comes after Radar Online claimed Hugh and his ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness, whose shock separation in September 2023 stunned Hollywood, have improved their relationship since their split. Deborra-Lee stunned fans earlier this year when she described the breakdown of her nearly 30-year marriage as a 'traumatic betrayal' that 'cut deep'. It was a rare candid statement for the Australian actress who like her ex-husband had remained publicly dignified since their split in 2023. Fresh reports suggest The Greatest Showman star has been attempting to repair his friendship with his ex-wife. Hugh has been trying to make peace with Debs for a long while now, but as you can imagine, it has taken her time to feel ready,' an insider recently told Radar Online. 'Settling all the legal stuff seems to have helped because she's finally coming around - they've gotten together a couple of times in New York recently to talk things out. 'By all accounts things have improved dramatically, which is fantastic for everyone, most of all their kids.' Sutton, 50, accompanied Hugh, 57, to the premiere of his latest film Song Sung Blue at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles, California on Sunday They added that now that the divorce had been finalised, the former couple is both open to maintaining an amicable friendship. 'It's been two years now since they officially separated. It really is time to let the hatred and anger go,' they said. In June, the pair finalised their divorce a month after filing, the Daily Mail exclusively revealed. A judgment of divorce was filed on June 12, making it official. The document, however, wasn't made public until June 23. The divorce had effectively been settled some time ago, but the judge's final sign-off was required to make it official. Furness, who shares two adopted children with the Wolverine actor, will receive a payout, according to an insider who previously spoke to the Daily Mail. 'A settlement was reached that Deborra is pleased with, which includes a handsome spousal support payment,' they revealed. 'There was some back and forth regarding this financial agreement but, in the end, she got what she believed she deserved. Both are coming out of this financially secure. Louise Mahler told Daily Mail the couple appeared loved-up as they posed for photographs together Louise added that another positive sign the relationship is strong is that Hugh kept his ladylove close by wrapping his arms around her 'There is not going to be any drama with this - it gives closure that she needed.' In May, the Daily Mail exclusively broke the news of them filing for divorce to officially terminate their 27-year marriage. Furness filed the complaint in New York on May 23 and, per the filings, everything has been ironed out behind the scenes. The divorce is 'uncontested,' meaning there was not a major disagreement between the couple divorcing. Jackman has been dating his former The Music Man co-star Sutton Foster for months, although the timeline of when they began dating has never been confirmed. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Donald Trump haven't always had the warmest of relationships, but the former California governor appeared to take up for the Commander in Chief while appearing on CNN Monday. The Terminator star, 78, spoke with the network's Jake Tapper about gerrymandering - a cause he has held dear for years. Schwarzenegger - who held office as California's 38th governor from 2003 to 2011 - was asked if he thought that Republicans were behind the efforts to rearrange districts to the party advantage. Tapper appeared to place the brunt of the blame on President Trump: 'As youve acknowledged, this all started because of redistricting in Texas - and this was Trump pushing Republican-controlled states to throw out their current congressional maps so as to cook the books.' Tapper suggested that the current efforts were 'so that ... it is less likely for Democrats to retake control of the House during the next year's midterm.' Tapper continued: 'I mean, is it fair to argue that - do you believe that the Republican Party is starting this?' to which Schwarzenegger said, 'No, Jake.' Arnold Schwarzenegger, 78, and President Donald Trump, 79, always haven't had the warmest of relationships, but the former California governor appeared to take up for the Commander in Chief while appearing on CNN Monday talking to Jake Tapper, 56, about gerrymandering The Austria-born star pointed out two states were Democratic efforts to gerrymander had clearly been effective. 'There is such extreme gerrymandering going on that in a state like Massachusetts, it has like 40 percent of the people voting for Trump, they only - they have zero representatives,' Schwarzenegger said. Schwarzenegger added that 'the Republican Party has zero representatives sent to the House - think about that.' The veteran action star also said Democratic efforts to gerrymander in the Southwestern United States had worked. 'In New Mexico, 45 percent of the people voted for Trump and vote Republican, and zero [are] sent to the House - zero representatives from the Republican Party,' Schwarzenegger said. The FUBAR actor said that it was clear both parties had engaged in the practice, which needed to cease. 'Theres gerrymandering - crazy gerrymandering - going on all over the country, and we wanted to try to stop it in California, and we did stop it in California,' Schwarzenegger said. Daily Mail has reached out to California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office for further comment on the topic. Trump and Schwarzenegger following the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on September 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, California President Donald Trump, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pictured Monday on Air Force One The Total Recall star told Tapper gerrymandering wasn't a particularly partisan problem The Total Recall star told Tapper the issue wasn't particularly a partisan one: 'I think this whole thing about finger pointing ... that's not really the way to go.' The True Lies actor - who appeared to be conducting the interview from Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, California - said that he feels 'one party should perform the other party' in elections moving forward, adding that 'it should be performance.' Schwarzenegger - who attended Oktoberfest proceedings last month in Munich, Germany - pointed out political trends in responding to Tapper's concerns about next year's midterm elections. 'When it comes to midterm elections, as you know, always the party that is not in the White House usually wins by 20, 25, 30 seats,' he said. Schwarzenegger last month said rearranging districts in California - after Trump made moves in Texas to garner five extra districts prior to next year's midterms - would ultimately 'take the power away from the people. 'It is insane,' Schwarzenegger said. 'It doesn't make any sense to me that because we have to fight Trump, to become Trump. Two wrongs don't make a right.' It took six years for Charlie Sheen to reconcile with his third ex-wife Denise Richards following their toxic 2006 divorce - which entailed alleged death threats, a 300ft restraining order, and supervised child custody visits. So when Club Random host Bill Maher told the 60-year-old nepo baby of Martin Sheen on Monday that he believed the 54-year-old Bond Girl 'obviously still loves you' - he smiled and responded: 'Yeah.' Charlie beamed as he recalled how Denise called him 'a little shy' and 'a little bit old-fashioned' when she was interviewed for his new Netflix doc, AKA Charlie Sheen. 'She said, "He's not at all what people think,"' the 69-year-old Real Time host added during their 140-minute conversation. Sheen (born Carlos Estevez) replied: 'Yeah, it was nice to hear that. Yeah...I remember it well.' Bill went on to laugh about Richards' 'sincere blubbering' in Andrew Renzi's two-part docuseries where she got 'emotional' discussing their divorce 'because it was a lot and I've had to f***ing hold it together' for their two daughters. It took six years for Charlie Sheen to reconcile with his third ex-wife Denise Richards following their toxic 2006 divorce - which entailed alleged death threats, a 300ft restraining order, and supervised child custody visits (pictured September 4) So when Club Random host Bill Maher (L) told the 60-year-old nepo baby of Martin Sheen (R) on Monday that he believed the 54-year-old Bond Girl 'obviously still loves you' - he smiled and responded: 'Yeah' The Wild AF Brewing founder replied to Maher during his basement podcast: 'Right, yeah. Kind of got away from her, didn't it? A little bit.' Charlie remains estranged from their 21-year-old daughter Sami but he's close with their 20-year-old daughter Lola, whom they welcomed during their two-year marriage. 'I believe in destiny. I wouldn't have Sami and Lola if it weren't for him,' the Wild Things star said in her People cover story in February. 'Despite everything we went through, we can have a sense of humor about all the s*** we went through.' Sheen is nearly eight years sober and he's remained celibate since being diagnosed with HIV a decade ago. Bill later recommend the former Hollywood bad boy watch Richard Curtis' 2003 Christmas blockbuster Love Actually, which features a cameo from Denise. Charlie exclaimed: 'I think Denise is in that, isn't she?! She's in the very end of Love Actually, and has, like, a super memorable part. I've never seen it, but people love her from that movie. Or have I torpedoed this? She's in it.' Bill explained a bit more about Richards' role as the 'real friendly one' Carla presented to Tony (Abdul Salis), and Sheen exclaimed: 'Oh, damn. Go get it, D!' Ironically, the Book of Sheen author appears harmless to the RHOBH alum now that she's in the midst of a contentious divorce from her estranged second husband Aaron Phypers since Charlie 'never hit below the belt.' Charlie beamed as he recalled how Denise called him 'a little shy' and 'a little bit old-fashioned' when she was interviewed for his new Netflix doc, AKA Charlie Sheen 'She said, "He's not at all what people think,"' the 69-year-old Real Time host (L) added during their 140-minute conversation Sheen (born Carlos Estevez) replied: 'Yeah, it was nice to hear that. Yeah...I remember it well' Bill went on to laugh about Richards' 'sincere blubbering' in Andrew Renzi's two-part docuseries where she got 'emotional' discussing their divorce 'because it was a lot and I've had to f***ing hold it together' for their two daughters The Wild AF Brewing founder replied to Maher during his basement podcast: 'Right, yeah. Kind of got away from her, didn't it? A little bit' Charlie remains estranged from their 21-year-old daughter Sami (R, pictured February 26) but he's close with their 20-year-old daughter Lola (L), whom they welcomed during their two-year marriage 'I believe in destiny. I wouldn't have Sami and Lola if it weren't for him,' the Wild Things star said in her People cover story in February (pictured in 2002) She added: 'Despite everything we went through, we can have a sense of humor about all the s*** we went through' Sheen is nearly eight years sober and he's remained celibate since being diagnosed with HIV a decade ago Bill later recommend the former Hollywood bad boy watch Richard Curtis' 2003 Christmas blockbuster Love Actually, which features a cameo from Denise Charlie exclaimed: 'I think Denise is in that, isn't she?! She's in the very end of Love Actually, and has, like, a super memorable part. I've never seen it, but people love her from that movie. Or have I torpedoed this? She's in it' Bill explained a bit more about Richards' role as the 'real friendly one' Carla presented to Tony (R, Abdul Salis), and Sheen exclaimed: 'Oh, damn. Go get it, D!' Ironically, the Book of Sheen author appears harmless to the RHOBH alum now that she's in the midst of a contentious divorce from her estranged second husband Aaron Phypers (R, pictured April 8) since Charlie 'never hit below the belt' On October 17, a judge extended Denise's temporary restraining order against the unemployed 52-year-old until November 7 and, during a break at the hearing, he was taken into custody by police. Aaron was charged with two felony counts of injuring a spouse (back in 2022), and two felony counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat and he was released hours later on a $200K bond. 'I have not seen the criminal complaint yet, however, based upon the little that I have been told, it appears to be the same allegations we're already fighting and I think proving to be false in the domestic violence case,' Phypers' lawyer Michael Finley told People. 'So, we expect it to also be proven false and for him to be exonerated.' The Canadian-American ex-CEO - who has 'no income' - filed for divorce from Richards on July 7 after six years of marriage and requested spousal support of around $105K/month. The Illinois-born beauty wants Aaron to pay her legal expenses and any expenses related to the alleged abuse, and she requested that he attend a 52-week batterer intervention program. The ex-couple originally began dating in December 2017 before Phypers' divorce from Desperate Housewives alum Nicollette Sheridan was finalized in 2018. Jennifer Lawrence is not opposed to plastic surgery. In fact, the Hunger Games star, 35, said she is looking to get a boob job and revealed all of the procedures she's had in an interview with The New Yorker. The actress said that 'nothing bounced back' after welcoming her second child earlier this year with husband Cooke Maroney, 41. 'Everything bounced back, pretty much, after the first one,' she said, speaking of her first pregnancy with her eldest son, Cy. 'Second one, nothing bounced back.' Lawrence said that she's planning to shoot a nude scene on-camera next spring but that is not the only reason she's considering breast enhancements. The actress said she would still get the surgery if she wasn't a famous actress. 'Maybe I wouldn't be hustling to the appointment in the same way,' the star said, adding, 'But I think yes.' Jennifer Lawrence, 35, revealed her plans to get a boob job and shared all of the plastic surgery she's had in a new interview with The New Yorker; Seen October 17 In terms of the enhancements she's already had done, Lawrence admitted she gets Botox, but said she is mindful of the fact that she needs to use her forehead to express emotions as an actress. She also revealed that she doesn't get fillers because they show on camera. Lawrence went on to clarify that she hasn't had a facelift, but added, 'Believe me, I'm gonna!' Elsewhere in the interview, Lawrence finally revealed the gender of her second child as she opened up about her postpartum anxiety battle. The star welcomed her second baby, now over six months old, in March with her husband, art gallery director Cooke. While talking about her new film, the movie adaptation of Ariana Harwicz's novel Die, My Love, produced by Martin Scorsese, she revealed she welcomed a second son whose name she might have accidentally hinted at in September. She said that with the birth of her first child Cy in February 2022, she 'wasn't really having a bad postpartum'. In contrast, she said of her second child: 'I had a worse postpartum with my second, but the first time the only thing I was at war with was the rest of the world.' Lawrence said that she's planning to shoot a nude scene on-camera in spring, but added that she would still get the surgery if she wasn't a famous actress; Seen in 2024 in Paris The actress said that 'nothing bounced back' after welcoming her second child earlier this year with husband Cooke Maroney; She is seen during her pregnancy in 2024 'I just thought every time he was sleeping he was dead,' the Oscar winner said. 'I thought he cried because he didnt like his life, or me, or his family. I thought I was doing everything wrong, and that I would ruin my children.' Lawrence said she was prescribed Zurzuvae, a recently developed drug, to help with her postpartum anxiety. She recounted a story about crying while asking ChatGPT a question about breastfeeding, and said the kind response from AI chatbot made her more anxious and doubt herself even more. 'You're doing the most amazing thing for your baby. You're such a loving mother,' it had told her, but she said that a robot would tell her that made her question the sincerity of other people who said the same thing to her. During the same interview, the No Hard Feelings star talked about her longtime battle with anxiety. 'I feel like I am driven by anxiety,' she shared at one point. 'When I was a kid, I soothed my anxiety by trying to be good, trying to do the right thing, so that I wouldn't upset God or my parents.' Lawrence also finally revealed the gender of her second child, sharing she gave birth to a baby boy. She and husband Cooke already share older son Cy; the pair seen in 2023 In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Lawrence opened up about the joy of becoming a first-time mother, sharing that the birth of Cy 'felt like my whole life had started over'. 'I just stared. I was just so in love. I also fell in love with all babies everywhere. Newborns are just so amazing,' she gushed. Elsewhere in the conversation, she described, 'I mean the euphoria of Cy is just Jesus, it's impossible. My heart has stretched to a capacity that I didn't know about. I include my husband in that.' The Kentucky native and Cooke married in October 2019 at the Belcourt mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Celebrity baker Brooke Bellamy has stepped out with her newborn daughter Colette for the first time since giving birth last month. The cult cookie-maker - who made headlines earlier this year after being accused of plagiarising recipes from RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi - brushed off that messy saga as she enjoyed a sunny park outing in Brisbane on Monday. Joined by her husband Justice and their eldest daughter, Brooke beamed as she carried baby Colette in a sling, embracing relaxed family life. Brooke - who welcomed Colette on the same day she opened her new Brooki Bakehouse bakery in Brisbane - dressed casually in a maroon button-up shirt, jeans and a pair of brown clogs. She accessorised with a gold 'B' pendant and stud earrings, and her famous flaming locks were swept into a loose plait. Her husband was dutifully dressed in Brooki Bakehouse merchandise, sporting a branded cap and white T-shirt as he pushed his eldest daughter in her pram. Celebrity baker Brooke Bellamy stepped out in Brisbane with her newborn daughter Colette, husband Justice and their eldest daughter on Monday Brooke was all smiles as she carried little Colette in a baby sling for the relaxed outing Brooke - who welcomed Colette on the same day she opened her new Brooki Bakehouse bakery in Brisbane - dressed casually in a maroon button-up shirt, jeans and a pair of sandals She accessorised with a gold 'B' necklace and stud earrings Earlier this year, RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi (pictured) accused Brooke of plagiarising her recipes Nagi and Brooke both had cookbooks out when the controversy made headlines During the outing, Justice was seen pushing his eldest daughter on the swing as Brooke lovingly watched on. Earlier that day - and in a clear sign her culinary career is firmly back on track after her high-profile feud with Nagi - Brooke visited one of her bakeries after taking just one month of maternity leave. Dressed in a chef's jacket, black trousers and brown clogs, the entrepreneur was seen pulling up to the venue in a black car and striding towards the front door. She accessorised her look with a black tote bag, and pulled her hair into a sleek low bun with a beige scrunchie. Back in April, RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi made headlines when she accused Brooke of plagiarising her caramel slice and baklava recipes for use in her best-selling cookbook Bake with Brooki. The claims sparked weeks of online scrutiny, with Brooke, who was pregnant at the time, forced to issue a series of statements defending her work. In a video posted to her followers, Brooke admitted that her recipes were not wholly original - recipes almost never are - but insisted that they were still personal. 'While all of these recipes are personal to me, I cannot say that I have invented the cookies, cupcakes, brownies or cakes in the recipe book. They are all inspired from somewhere and someone before me,' she said. Her husband was dutifully dressed in Brooki Bakehouse merchandise, sporting a branded pink hat and white T-shirt Justice was seen pushing his eldest daughter on the swing as Brooke lovingly watched on Earlier that day - in a clear sign her culinary career is firmly back on track after her high-profile feud with Nagi - Brooke visited one of her bakeries after taking just a month of maternity leave Looking chic in a chef's jacket, black trousers and brown clogs, the entrepreneur was seen pulling up to the venue in a black car and striding towards the front door She added a black tote bag, and pulled her hair into a sleek low bun with a beige scrunchie In April, RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi made headlines when she accused Brooke of plagiarising her caramel slice and baklava recipes for her best-selling book Bake with Brooki The claims sparked weeks of online scrutiny, with Brooke, who was pregnant at the time, forced to issue a series of statements defending her work In a video posted to her followers, Brooke admitted that her recipes were not wholly original - recipes almost never are - but insisted that they were still personal Brooke rejected the suggestion that her work was stolen, pointing out that many recipes inevitably share similarities She also revealed her biggest inspiration had always been close to home. 'I have been so inspired by bakeries and bakers the world over but the biggest inspiration in my life is my mum, because I learnt to cook and bake with her in the kitchen growing up.' Brooke rejected the suggestion that her work was stolen, pointing out that many recipes inevitably share similarities. 'While baking has leeway for creativity, much of it is a precise science and is necessarily formulaic,' she said. 'Many recipes are bound to share common steps and measures: if they don't, they simply don't work.' Maehashi is not the only baker to have levelled plagiarism claims against Bellamy. Hours after Maehashi went public with her claims, American baker and author Sally McKenny claimed her own vanilla cake recipe had been stolen for use in the cookbook and on Bellamy's YouTube channel. 'Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit - especially in a best-selling cookbook,' McKenny wrote. An Australian influencer has been disfigured following a horrific accident that left her with smashed teeth. Cartia Mallan, 27, who is based in the UK, took to Instagram earlier this week to share shocking pictures of her bruised and battered mouth, cut up and swollen. In the close-up frames, the Brisbane-born beauty is seen missing a 'big chunk' of her two front teeth, with her million-dollar smile changed forever. Mallan went on to inform her 480,000 followers that she was rushed to hospital and underwent a heart test and a scan for concussion following her mishap. 'Waited in hospital 7 hours to get scans for concussion and heart checks, and then they finally stitched my lip up,' she explained in the caption. She added: 'But yes, thats a big chunk out of my two front teeth.' An Australian influencer has been disfigured following a horrific accident that left her with smashed teeth. Pictured: Brisbane-born model Cartia Mallan Cartia Mallan, 27, who is based in the UK, took to Instagram earlier this week to share shocking pictures of her bruised and battered mouth, cut up and swollen She later shared a photo of her new teeth. 'Waited six hours to get into an emergency dentist to put my teeth back in,' she explained. Mallan also teased that she would fill in her concerned followers with details about her accident when she was feeling better. 'Its been a hell of a day, girls. Im so grateful to be alive, it could have gone so badly,' she said. It comes after Mallan made headlines earlier this year after falling out with her business partner and long-time friend, influencer Ashton Wood. The pair had a million followers combined and were known for sharing intimate details of their lives on their podcast Common Chaos - as well as popular social platforms like TikTok. 'Life is full of chaos, and longtime BFFs Cartia and Ashton certainly have that in common,' runs the podcast blurb. Indeed, their friendship was at the very heart of their business plan, with the time they spent together mined for 'insights and stories' into their 'chaotic' lives. In the close-up frames, the Brisbane-born beauty is seen missing a 'big chunk' of her two front teeth, with her million-dollar smile changed forever She later shared a photo of her new teeth. 'Waited six hours to get into an emergency dentist to put my teeth back in,' she explained In June last year, they posted a video heading out to dinner, both in white dresses, to celebrate 10 years of being besties. But last October their friendship was under a cloud. Amid frantic questions from fans, Cartia and Ashton mysteriously cancelled a real-life business venture they'd been working on together. Just three months after its launch, with zero explanation, the TikTok stars' brand Highline - which sold matcha, a trendy green tea - was no more. For months, Cartia, and Ashton, 31, who both still live in London, chose to remain silent on the matter. And after months of speculation, a source revealed to Daily Mail that Cartia and Ashton, who once described each other as family, had fallen out over a man. The insider said: 'Ashton rekindled a friendship with Cartia's ex-boyfriend from back home in Australia, Josh Heuston, and it was the ultimate betrayal for Cartia. 'When it all ended with Josh, Cartia was heartbroken, and Ashton was seriously there for her. She became Cartia's lifeline and it really brought them closer. They had this crazy single-girl summer and really bonded. 'So now for Ashton to be friends with him, Cartia just can't get her head around it and couldn't face continuing the matcha company with her. There were some other factors - but that was one of them.' Jessica Rowe has shed light on one of Peter Overton's odd habits. The podcast host, 55, took to TikTok on Monday to share a video compilation of pictures listing the reasons she loves her husband of 21 years. Some of the reasons included that the Nine star is good at vacuuming their home, brings her coffee in bed every morning and shows love to her cat Diana, despite saying he didn't want any more pets. However, eagle-eyed fans noted a certain detail in one of the pictures that raised eyebrows. In one snap, which showed Peter sitting at a dinner table with the adorable feline, the 59-year-old could be seen eating a burger with a knife and fork. 'Is he eating a burger with a knife and fork? Call 000,' one of Jess' followers joked in the comments section. Jessica Rowe (pictured) has shed light on one of Peter Overton's odd habits Jess took to TikTok to share a video compilation listing the reasons why she loves her husband, Peter Overton. (Pictured) 'He always does!!!' Jess replied alongside a laughing emoji. Peter was recently in the headlines after he weighed in on the rumoured Today show shake-up. Recent reports have hinted at a sweeping overhaul of the popular breakfast show, with suggestions that co-host Sarah Abo may be replaced by Samantha Armytage. As the network's biggest stars came out for the Nine Upfronts event in Sydney, claims of a Today overhaul threatened to overshadow Nine's night of nights. Speaking to Daily Mail at the event, Peter said he did not put much stock in the speculation, choosing instead to await official confirmation. 'I don't engage in rumour, only news,' the 60 Minutes star said. The query was also put to Today Extra host Sylvia Jeffreys, who had a rather awkward reply. 'I'm sure you can speak to the bosses,' the 39-year-old told Daily Mail, before making a swift exit. In one snap, the 59-year-old could be seen eating a burger with a knife and fork Speaking to Daily Mail at the event, Peter said he did not put much stock in the speculation Sarah herself skillfully sidestepped red carpet interviews, gliding into the venue with a tight-lipped smile. The television host ensured she didn't run into Samantha, either making her way inside quickly before joining ranks with her Today show co-stars. Earlier this month, it was reported by The Australian that Sarah could soon be ousted from the high-profile hosting gig and replaced by Samantha. According to the publication, Nine is banking on the 'Armytage effect' which saw Sunrise score a ratings victory when she joined the program in 2013. Samantha left Sunrise in 2021 and has gone on to helm Farmer Wants A Wife and The Golden Bachelor. Nine CEO Matt Stanton did little to dispel the chatter regarding Sarah's future at Today, giving The Australian a coy response when asked if Samantha was stepping into the role alongside Karl Stefanovic. 'I don't know. I'm not into that level to be honest, I haven't seen that level of detail,' Matt told the publication. New love is on the menu for Sydney hospitality figure Eddie Levy. Levy, the restaurateur behind Double Bay hotspots Tanuki and Matteo, was in an eight-year relationship with socialite Kimmy Smalls - with all signs pointing to a lavish proposal befitting an eastern suburbs culinary king. But it wasn't meant to be. Sources say the pair quietly called things off late last year. Eddie is now in a new relationship with McGrath real estate agent Jaimee Curdie. While Eddie remains as private as ever, keeping his Instagram on lockdown, his new squeeze isn't shy about flaunting their romance. Jaimee debuted their relationship online in February, sharing a rather unsubtle photo of herself licking Eddie's face while riding on the back of his motorcycle. Sydney hospitality figure Eddie Levy - behind Double Bay hotspots Tanuki and Matteo - has found love with real estate agent Jaimee Curdie following his split from socialite Kimmy Smalls Eddie Levy was in an eight-year relationship with socialite Kimmy Smalls (above, in happier times). But it wasn't meant to be - sources say the pair quietly called things off late last year In recent months, Jaimee has been sharing loved-up photos with Eddie on her public Instagram In recent months, Jaimee has shared even more loved-up photos with Eddie on her public Instagram, while he's been responding with emojis in the comments. The new relationship, while hardly a secret, flew under the society radar for months. Indeed, it didn't enter the eastern suburbs rumour mill until gossips started noticing that 'It' girl Dina Broadhurst was liking all of Jaimee's posts featuring Eddie. You see, Dina and Kimmy used to be best friends back in the day, with one source describing the two as 'thick as thieves'. Kimmy was apparently Dina's shoulder to cry on after her split from long-term boyfriend Max Shepherd back in 2023. Fast-forward to now, their friendship seems to have cooled - and Dina's enthusiastic liking of Eddie and Jaimee's photos together has seemingly made her loyalties clear. Dina and Kimmy haven't been seen together in months, insiders say, nor has Kimmy appeared on Dina's Instagram feed for quite some time. What happened between them remains a mystery, but almost a year on from the break-up, Dina looks to be firmly on Team Jaimee. Eddie is pictured on a recent snow trip with his new girlfriend, real estate agent Jaimee Curdie Jaimee debuted her relationship with Eddie in February with this face-licking photo 'It girl' Dina Broadhurst, once a close friend of Kimmy's, has been liking Jaimee's photos of the couple on Instagram, seemingly making her loyalties clear. (Dina, right, is pictured with Kimmy) Dina is known as the 'nude artist' thanks to her collage works that incorporate racy selfies Meanwhile, a reportedly heartbroken Kimmy has gone to ground since her split with Eddie, deleting her Instagram altogether. Eddie last made headlines after a fiery war of words with celebrity chef Neil Perry, sparked by the launch of Perry's new Double Bay restaurant, Gran Torino - directly across the road from Eddie's established hotspot, Matteo. Eddie, who opened Matteo in 2017, couldn't resist taking potshots at Perry's habit of shuttering venues, then reopening new ones in the same spot. 'Hopefully [Gran Torino] goes better than Rosetta, Jade Temple, Song Bird etc. etc. Otherwise you guys can always try Mexican next - heard that could work... let us know if we can assist you any further.' Perry's beloved Italian restaurant Rosetta closed in May 2024 after 12 years in business amid large-scale redevelopments at Crown Melbourne, where it was once located. Jade Temple, Perry's Cantonese (later pan-Asian) fine-dining restaurant, shuttered in 2018, exactly a year on from its grand opening, after a menu overhaul was unable to save it. Eddie Levy recently got into a war of words with fellow hospitality heavyweight Neil Perry after he opened an Italian restaurant a stone's throw away from his long-standing venue, Matteo Eddie couldn't resist taking potshots at Perry (pictured with his wife Samantha), who has a habit of shuttering venues, then reopening new ones in the same spot Japanese favourite Tanuki (pictured) is one of Eddie's celebrated venues in Sydney's east Similarly, Song Bird, once an ambitious three-level Chinese mega-restaurant, served its final wonton on August 3, almost a year after it opened. The restaurant's downfall was attributed to struggles with overscale - Perry admitted he 'missed the mark' with the three-level layout - as well as a rushed opening, staffing issues and equipment failures. Despite these setbacks, Perry remains one of Australia's most celebrated and successful restaurateurs, with an empire that has included Rockpool, Spice Temple and, of course, Australia's top steak restaurant, Margaret. Matteo is regarded as one of Double Bay's trendiest trattorias thanks to its relaxed atmosphere and authentic Italian menu. Eddie has also established himself in Double Bay as co-owner of the Japanese favourite Tanuki. Tanuki made headlines earlier this year when an influencer customer hurled a table lamp at her ex-boyfriend's head after seeing him dining out with his new partner. NEW TO MAIL+? READ MORE GREAT STORIES The dark side of Duromine: Some doctors prefer it to Ozempic and Mounjaro - but these patients reveal how the drug shattered their lives with terrifying side effects Secret past of Double Bay's alleged 'fake cop': Failed property developer charged with impersonating AFP had a reputation... 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On Monday, the AFL WAG, 29, showed off her incredible figure in a bikini as she went for a relaxing swim during the trip. Darcy shared a photo to Instagram of his ladylove walking along the sand after going for a dip in the water. He also posted a gallery of images of the couple as they explored Bangkok and dined at several lavish venues. One picture saw Dee and Darcy embrace one another while posing for a mirror selfie at a restaurant. 'Bangkok rocked my socks,' he captioned the post. Dee Salmin (right) is currently enjoying a romantic holiday in Thailand with her Collingwood star boyfriend, Darcy Moore (left) On Monday, the AFL WAG showed off her incredible figure in a bikini as she went for a relaxing swim during the trip It comes after Dee recently fired back at a vile online comment about her relationship with Collingwood captain Darcy. The radio star attended the Brownlow Medal count with Darcy last month, where the couple drew attention for their serious expressions on the red carpet. After Dee shared a photo of herself with her footy star partner at the exclusive Melbourne event, one troll left a crude remark: 'They look like they do a Welcome to Country before f***ing.' Dee wasted no time in serving up a tongue-in-cheek reply. 'Thanks, but it's actually an Acknowledgment [sic] of Country,' she quipped. Her witty comeback quickly drew praise from fans in the comments. 'My woke King and Queen. Love youse!' one person wrote. 'Hahahah get 'em girl,' a second added. It comes after Dee fired back at a vile online comment about her relationship with Collingwood captain Darcy Moore Dee has developed a reputation for speaking out about her very 'woke' views Dee has developed a reputation for speaking out about her very 'woke' views. In July last year, she was labelled incredibly woke for her explanation of why she doesn't want to live with Darcy. Dee, who hosts Triple J radio's The Sunday Hook Up sex education programme, went into detail about their romance on the ABC show, Ladies, We Need To Talk... Back. 'I don't live with my partner at the moment and we have such different, independent, busy lives,' she said. 'We get to have so much of what we had when we were still single in our relationship. But I wonder how much you can actually upkeep that when you do end up living together. 'So much of it is hetero-dynamic learnt behaviours you might fall into.' To clarify, it appears she was using those five key words to indicate she and Darcy don't conform to the heterosexual gender stereotype of women taking on the bulk of housework and domestic duties when they live with a partner. Kelsey Grammer has revealed he recently welcomed his eighth child, a son named Christopher, with his fourth wife Kayte Walsh. The 70-year-old Frasier star announced his baby news while appearing on Monday's episode of Pod Meets World. 'Just had our fourth one, so it just became eight kids!' Kelsey gushed. 'It was like three days ago. Christopher that's just joined the family.' It's been four months since the Daily Mail confirmed Kelsey and Kayte, 46, were expecting, with a source saying the pregnancy 'reignited' the spark between them. 'Kelsey is thrilled to finally have time to fully enjoy being a father all over again,' a source told the Daily Mail. Kelsey Grammer has revealed he recently welcomed his eighth child, a son named Christopher, with his fourth wife Kayte Walsh (pictured in 2018) The 70-year-old Frasier star announced his baby news while appearing on Monday's episode of Pod Meets World 'This will be their fourth child together, and with Kelsey's other children from his past marriages, their new bundle of joy will have so much love.' 'After giving Frasier one last go, he has hung his hat up on that character and is ready for the next phase of his life. He is looking forward to embracing the hands-on parenting he missed in the past.' The couple, who have been married for 14 years, share three older children together - daughter Faith, 13, as well as sons Kelsey Gabriel, 11, and Auden James, eight. Kelsey originally met the British blonde in 2009 while she was working as a flight attendant on his London flight. Grammer first became a father in 1983 when he welcomed 42-year-old daughter Spencer during his two-year marriage to first ex-wife Doreen Alderman, which ended in 1990. The six-time Emmy winner then welcomed daughter Kandace Greer, 33, with retired hair/make-up artist Barrie Buckner, whom he reportedly dated between 1991 and 1992. Kelsey welcomed two more children - daughter Mason, 24; and son Jude, 21 - during his 13-year marriage to third ex-wife Camille Meyer, which ended in 2011. Last year, Grammer acted opposite his daughter Greer during season two of his Paramount+ sitcom revival, Frasier. It's been four months since the Daily Mail confirmed Kelsey and Kayte, 46, were expecting, with a source saying the pregnancy 'reignited' the spark between them (pictured in June) Kelsey originally met Kayte in 2009 while she was working as a flight attendant on his London flight, and they married in 2011 (pictured in 2017) Grammer welcomed two children - daughter Mason (R, pictured May 11), 24; and son Jude, 21 - during his 13-year marriage to third ex-wife Camille Meyer (L), which ended in 2011 Last year, the six-time Emmy winner acted opposite his 33-year-old daughter Greer (with ex-wife Barrie Buckner) during season two of his Paramount+ sitcom revival, Frasier In 2022, the Virgin Islands-born, Florida-raised grandfather co-starred with his daughter Spencer in Lifetime movie, The 12 Days of Christmas Eve. 'Kayte and I were talking about how it's really something that a child would follow in their father's footsteps,' Kelsey said in his Variety cover story last year. 'To think that all my kids, at least the ones that have a hand in the air, are ready to take responsibility for their lives, are all drawn to this industry. And she said, "That's something to be proud of." It's something I've never told them. I'm hoping they're going to read [my upcoming memoir] and realize, "Oh, so Dad's okay with this." 'Because I never wanted to push myself on them. I never wanted to force them into the industry or intrude too much into their process. Because it's a bit of a mixed blessing to have my last name. People take it out on you. You get some attention maybe because of it. And there's a split as to whether or not it's good or bad.' Grammer said he's happiest when all of his children are 'all in the same room together'. 'My work has allowed me to be able to do that,' the Karen: A Brother Remembers author gushed. 'I've been given this great experience. It's been painful and challenging and hard and tragic all those things. But boy, it's a great life. And I want to pass that on to them.' Kelsey's upcoming films include Tyler Russell's romance The Christmas Ring (hitting US theaters November 6), Joe Erwin's 2026 George Washington biopic Young Washington, and the Russo Brothers' 2026 MCU flick Avengers: Doomsday. Blue Ivy Carter looked every bit the mini-me of her famous mother Beyonce Knowles-Carter as she glammed up to attend The Angel Ball, which was held at Cipriani Wall Street in Lower Manhattan on Monday night. The 13-year-old nepo baby of Queen Bey and Jay-Z strutted inside the sold-out leukemia/lymphoma cancer benefit wearing a $170 Babyboo 'Calanthe' pink gown, matching feathered coat and slingback kitten heels. Blue Ivy was at the charity function to support her grandmother Tina Knowles, who was honored for 'her extraordinary impact and continue our mission to fund the future of cancer research'. Beyonce, 44, shared a sweet Instagram snap captioned: 'Congrats Mom on your philanthropy award at the Angel Ball tonight!' The 71-year-old grandmother-of-six followed the black-tie dress code in a burgundy velvet gown featuring a thigh-high slit and a flirty chest cutout along with opera gloves and peep-toe platform heels. Hairstylist Nakia Collins coiffed Tina's signature blonde mane and make-up artist Armando Kole applied her hot pink lips and lashes. Blue Ivy Carter looked every bit the mini-me of her famous mother Beyonce Knowles-Carter as she glammed up to attend The Angel Ball, which was held at Cipriani Wall Street in Lower Manhattan on Monday night The 13-year-old nepo baby of Queen Bey and Jay-Z strutted inside the sold-out leukemia/lymphoma cancer benefit wearing a $170 Babyboo 'Calanthe' pink gown, matching feathered coat, and slingback kitten heels Knowles - who posed on the red carpet with Destiny's Child alum Michelle Williams - is not only a stage 1 breast cancer survivor; she also lost one of her 'really good friends' to cancer. Blue Ivy might be a pre-teen - but she's already garnered a Grammy Award, MTV VMA Moon Man, NAACP Image Award, Voice Arts Award, two BET Awards, and broken two Guinness World Records. Carter served back-up dancer duties for her mother's $407.6M-grossing, 32-date Cowboy Carter World Tour this year after making her dance debut during the $579.8M-grossing, 56-date Renaissance World Tour last year. 'You have to say to them, "It's more important to be a good person" and that "You've got to work for what you get. Nobody's going to just hand it to you because you're somebody's daughter,"' her grandmother said on Monday's Sherri. 'You have to work hard. And also, you know, they know they'll get jacked up if they [behave badly]. That's just the truth. Not physically! Don't y'all start that, "They beat the kids up." But you know, their mothers [Beyonce and Solange] set them straight and don't let them get away with bad, you know, that entitlement.' Tina (born Celestine Ann Beyonce) went on to reveal that her eight-year-old granddaughter Rumi has been asking her mother 'for four years' to bring her out onstage just like her big sis. 'She was so excited. People were making all these crazy comments and so Blue was like, "Rumi, you might need to calm it down,"' Knowles recalled. 'By maybe the third or the fourth [time], she would pick out her own outfits at night. You could pick them out. [Bey's stylist Ty Hunter] would come and she'd be like, "No, I don't like that. I don't want that."' Blue Ivy was at the charity function to support her grandmother Tina Knowles (pictured), who was honored The 44-year-old Cowboy Carter star shared a sweet Instagram snap captioned: 'Congrats Mom on your philanthropy award at the Angel Ball tonight!' The 71-year-old grandmother-of-six followed the black-tie dress code in a burgundy velvet gown featuring a thigh-high slit and a flirty chest cutout along with opera gloves and peep-toe platform heels Hairstylist Nakia Collins coiffed Tina's signature blonde mane and make-up artist Armando Kole applied her hot pink lip and lashes Knowles - who posed on the red carpet with Destiny's Child alum Michelle Williams (R) - is not only a stage 1 breast cancer survivor, she also lost one of her 'really good friends' to cancer Blue Ivy might be a pre-teen - but she's already garnered a Grammy Award, MTV VMA Moon Man, NAACP Image Award, Voice Arts Award, two BET Awards, and broken two Guinness World Records (pictured July 26) Carter served back-up dancer duties for her 44-year-old mother's $407.6M-grossing, 32-date Cowboy Carter World Tour this year after making her dance debut during her $579.8M-grossing, 56-date Renaissance World Tour last year (pictured June 5) The Matriarch author said on Monday's Sherri: 'You have to say to them, "It's more important to be a good person" and that "You've got to work for what you what you get. Nobody's going to just hand it to you because you're somebody's daughter"' She continued: 'You have to work hard. And also, you know, they know they'll get jacked up if they [behave badly]. That's just the truth. Not physically! Don't y'all start that, "They beat the kids up." But you know, their mothers [Beyonce and Solange] set them straight and don't let them get away with bad, you know, that entitlement' Tina (born Celestine Ann Beyonce) went on to reveal that her eight-year-old granddaughter Rumi has been asking her mother 'for four years' to bring her out onstage just like her big sis As for serving as the 35-time Grammy winner's vice chairman of her haircare brand Cecred, Knowles called her daughter 'very, very demanding' The former beautician noted: 'She'll say, "No that's wack. Start all over again." We're like, "Oh Lord!" Even with coming up with the products, she sent them back so many times. I was like, "Oh my God, we can't please her!" But she just wants the best' Also spotted mingling at The Angel Ball was Ty Hunter who happens to be the longtime stylist for Beyonce, Tina, and Blue Ivy The former beautician continued: 'And I said, "What are you going to do tonight?" Because, you know, I was encouraging her to do a little twirl a wink or whatever. And she said, "Be myself." So she was! It was really good for her confidence.' As for serving as the 35-time Grammy winner's vice chairman of her haircare brand Cecred, Tina called her daughter 'very, very demanding'. 'But in a very kind creative way,' Knowles noted. 'And we've just learned so much from her because she'll say, "No that's wack. Start all over again." We're like, "Oh Lord!" Even with coming up with the products, she sent them back so many times. 'I was like, "Oh my God, we can't please her!" But she just wants the best. She always is striving for it to be the best. So I appreciate that.' Also spotted mingling at The Angel Ball was Ty Hunter who happens to be the longtime stylist for Beyonce, Tina, and Blue Ivy. The woman of the hour - Gabrielle's Angel Foundation founder Denise Rich - posed on the red carpet with her hand-picked emcee, CBS host-turned-'astronaut' Gayle King. Rich - wearing a sheer lace gown - later greeted retired record mogul Clive Davis inside the packed ballroom. The woman of the hour - Gabrielle's Angel Foundation founder Denise Rich (L) - posed on the red carpet with her hand-picked emcee, CBS host-turned-'astronaut' Gayle King (R) Rich - wearing a sheer lace gown - later greeted retired record mogul Clive Davis inside the packed ballroom New York Mayor Eric Adams - who ended his reelection campaign last month - was a surprise speaker at the fancy function Two-time Grammy-winning R&B belter Patti LaBelle put her three-octave soprano pipes to good use performing a song onstage the Angel Ball And Grammy-nominated rapper Ja Rule kept the crowd going with his energetic set Nine-time Grammy winner Mary J Blige showed a lot of leg in an asymmetric Tony Ward chain-link gown and black pumps selected by stylist Jeremy Haynes The 54-year-old R&B belter beamed as she reunited with two-time Grammy-winning rapper, LL Cool J (R) The 57-year-old NCIS actor (born James Smith) made it a family affair by bringing along his wife of 30 years - Simone Smith (R) - and their 34-year-old daughter Italia (M) New York Mayor Eric Adams - who ended his reelection campaign last month - was a surprise speaker at the fancy function. Two-time Grammy-winning R&B belter Patti LaBelle put her three-octave soprano pipes to good use performing a song onstage The Angel Ball. And Grammy-nominated rapper Ja Rule kept the crowd going with his energetic set. Nine-time Grammy winner Mary J Blige showed a lot of leg in an asymmetric Tony Ward chain-link gown and black pumps selected by stylist Jeremy Haynes. The 54-year-old R&B belter beamed as she reunited with two-time Grammy-winning rapper, LL Cool J. The 57-year-old NCIS actor (born James Smith) made it a family affair by bringing along his wife of 30 years - Simone Smith - and their 34-year-old daughter Italia. Grammy-winning rapper Lil' Kim appeared to go red carpet official with Presidential Luxury Limousines owner David Yahodah. The 51-year-old Diddy supporter (born Kimberly Jones) flaunted substantial cleavage in a sheer bedazzled corset beneath a dark-brown fur coat, brown PVC leggings, and gold booties. Grammy-winning rapper Lil' Kim appeared to go red carpet official with Presidential Luxury Limousines owner David Yahodah The 51-year-old Diddy supporter (born Kimberly Jones) flaunted substantial cleavage in a sheer bedazzled corset beneath a dark-brown fur coat, brown PVC leggings, and gold booties Speaking of making relationships public, Glen Powell's beleaguered ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris appeared to go red carpet official with retired NFL tight end Cooper Helfet Presenters at The Angel Ball included The View alum Star Jones (L) and The Queen of Versailles herself, socialite Jackie Siegel (R) SI Swimsuit stunner Brooks Nader found two ways to stand out wearing a racy cut-out LBD selected by her stylist Kristina Askerova The 28-year-old blonde bombshell brought along her sisters (from L-R) Grace, Mary, and Sarah following the release of their very own Hulu/Freeform reality series, Love Thy Nader Brooks also posed with Kim Kardashian's former BFF Jonathan Cheban (L), who was famously given the nickname 'Foodgod' by her third ex-husband Kanye West Cheban looked dapper in a black velvet blazer Brooks also posed with glamorous Liv Perez on the red carpet Other catwalkers at The Angel Ball included IMG Model Chanel Iman wearing a grey caped gown and ex-Playboy Playmate Victoria Silvstedt clad in a black cut-out creation Also there were The Real Housewives of New Jersey-turned-Wife Swap couple Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga, who complained about having to wear a bow-tie with his tuxedo via Instastory The Real Housewives of New York City alum Ubah Hassan flaunted an excess of cleavage in a black strapless high-low gown featuring pink-feathered trim and stilettos selected by stylist Arnold Milfort TV presenter Gayle King stunned in an orange satin gown Speaking of making relationships public, Glen Powell's beleaguered ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris appeared to go red carpet official with retired NFL tight end Cooper Helfet. Presenters at The Angel Ball included The View alum Star Jones and The Queen of Versailles herself, socialite Jackie Siegel. SI Swimsuit stunner Brooks Nader found two ways to stand out wearing a racy cut-out LBD selected by her stylist Kristina Askerova. The 28-year-old blonde bombshell brought along her sisters Sarah, Mary, and Grace following the release of their very own Hulu/Freeform reality series, Love Thy Nader. Brooks also posed with Kim Kardashian's former BFF Jonathan Cheban, who was famously given the nickname 'Foodgod' by her third ex-husband Kanye West. Other catwalkers at The Angel Ball included IMG Model Chanel Iman wearing a grey caped gown and ex-Playboy Playmate Victoria Silvstedt clad in a black cut-out creation. Also there were The Real Housewives of New Jersey-turned-Wife Swap couple Melissa Gorga and Joe Gorga, who complained about having to wear a bow-tie with his tuxedo via Instastory. The Real Housewives of New York City alum Ubah Hassan flaunted an excess of cleavage in a black strapless high-low gown featuring pink-feathered trim and stilettos selected by stylist Arnold Milfort. She looks set to top the charts with her new breakup album West End Girl. Yet it seems Lily Allen will be using the profits to help pay for her divorce after admitting to suffering from financial difficulties. In the 14-song listing, her first album in seven years, Lily recounts in graphic detail the end of her marriage to David Harbour , accusing him of infidelity and being jealous of her career success. It's not known if there was a prenuptial agreement between them, but the former couple will be sitting down with their legal teams to figure out how they'll be dividing their assets. Just last week, Lily, 40, said she's no longer financially stable since splitting from David - admitting she'd been forced back into work in order to support daughters Ethel, 13, and Marnie, 12. She may have been hoping to claw back some cash from the sale of the New York City apartment she shared with David, which has gone on the market for $7.99 million. She looks set to top the charts with her new breakup album West End Girl. Yet it seems Lily Allen will be using the profits to help pay for her divorce (pictured in June) Yet profits from the sale will not be as high as expected, as records show the four-storey, five-bed property still has a whopping $2.5million mortgage. It is not clear how much money, if any, Lily invested in the home. Official records state it was bought in January 2021 for $3.35million using David's long-term business manager Anthony Bonsignore as a trustee. However, a mortgage was taken out for $2,512,500 with City National Bank - nicknamed Bank to the Stars, due to its Hollywood clientele. It's the second blow to Lily's property portfolio, as in 2016, she was forced to sell her 4.2M Cotswolds mansion to pay off a hefty tax bill and after being sued by a former tour manager. Meanwhile, records from her UK company accounts show that she's not been doing as well financially of late. The Smile hitmaker, who has an estimated 3 million net worth, has two active UK companies, both of which have struggled in recent months. Tourings Boring Ltd has accumulated losses of 11,122, according to accounts filed earlier this year. While another firm Pack It Up Pack It In LLP has just 2,541 in its coffers in accounts filed last month - down from 155,920 the previous year. This substantial drop is a result of a reduction of 'cash at the bank' - with 149,622 taken out in the last year. In the 14-song listing, her first album in seven years, Lily details in graphic detail the end of her marriage to David Harbour, accusing him of infidelity (pictured in 2022) Despite being married to David since September 2020 and taking the name of Allen professionally, she's still known in business as Cooper, from her first marriage to Sam Cooper, with whom she had two children. According to docs filed with Companies House, she goes by the name of Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper. Last week, Lily opened up about her financial difficulties, admitting: 'Contrary to popular belief, my parents have not been bankrolling my life since I was 17 or 18 years old. 'A year and a half ago, I was financially stable and I didn't have to think about work. And now I do. And this is what I do to earn money.' Lily added in her chat with Perfect magazine: 'I have two children to support. This is all I know how to do. Im not going to train to be a lawyer now. Its a bit late for that.' In November last year, Lily purchased a property in Notting Hill, where she grew up, after returning to London. She was forced to purchase a UK property amid her divorce, after selling her Cotswold home nine years prior to pay off her taxes. Lily explained on her podcast Miss Me?: 'I had a beautiful house, which was my house of dreams in the countryside. 'And, I did it up so nice, and it was like my life project, I was very proud of it, it was the place where I was going to raise my children.' There has been much talk of what will become of the New York City apartment she shared with David (pictured) which has gone on the market for $7.99million She continued: 'And, I was always good with my tax, I'm a big firm believer in paying tax and I think people in a higher earning bracket should absolutely pay as much tax as they possibly can. 'But anyway, I have always put money aside to pay for my tax. 'What happened was, I got sued by somebody, for an extremely large amount of money, which I hadn't accounted for. 'I had to pay him off, with the money I had put aside for my tax. 'And then when my tax bill came along, I tried to work out a deal with HMRC in which I can pay them back in instalments. 'Which I would have been able to do, but they said no so, I had to put my house on the market.' Speaking in a separate episode, David told how Lily loved 'spending', telling Lily's co-presenter Miquita Oliver: 'She loves dragging me to really expensive (shops). 'She really likes spending my money. I don't blame her. I've got nothing really to do with it'. In 2016, Lily was forced to sell her 4.2M Cotswolds mansion (pictured) to pay off a hefty tax bill and after being sued by a former tour manager. She now owns a property in Notting Hill Lily's marriage to David broke down last December after she accused the Stranger Things star of having multiple affairs including a three-year affair with a younger costume designer. The Mail on Sunday later exclusively revealed the identity of 'Madeline' and spoke to her from her home in the US. Lily's new record, West End Girl, has drawn attention for her explicit and brutally honest lyrics about the breakdown of her four-year marriage to David. The lyrics see Lily appearing to suggest the couple had an open arrangement in regards to sex, as long as it was discrete, with paid strangers and not based on emotional connection. She sings: 'How long has it been going on? Is it just sex or is there emotion?/ He told me it would stay in hotel rooms, never be out in the open. The chorus continues: 'We had an arrangement/ Be discrete and don't be blatant. There had to be payment/ It had to be with strangers/ But you're not a stranger, Madeline.' Speaking to The Times, Lily seemingly confirmed that 'agreed-upon boundaries were not adhered to' in her relationship with David, while addressing how apps had made cheating easier. She said: 'There are usually agreed-upon boundaries in relationships. But whether those boundaries are adhered to or not is becoming a grey area all of a sudden. 'Dating apps make people disposable and that leads to the idea that if you are not happy, there's so much more to choose from right in your pocket. Lily's new record, West End Girl, has drawn attention for her explicit and brutally honest lyrics about the breakdown of her four-year marriage to David Lily famously uncovered David's infidelity when she discovered his profile on celebrity dating app, Raya, and 'joined the dots'. The pop star joined the app herself, pretending to be 'looking for women' and allegedly found that her now ex-husband had already set up a dating profile. Speaking to the publication, she detailed how she believed dating apps were making people 'disposable' and changing conventional ideas about monogamy. Her split from David led Lily to check into a 8,000-a-week trauma treatment centre to focus on her mental health. And she admitted that she has used her music as a way to work through the dark feelings she was having and to 'lay my truth on the table'. Despite backlash that their joint lingerie shoots were 'inappropriate,' Heidi Klum and her daughter Leni have silenced the critics by posing for a new campaign with the beloved underwear brand Intimissimi. The model, 52, previously hit back at criticism towards her joint shoots with her daughter, 21, insisting she's 'proud' they get to pose together. In their latest ad, which was posted on Leni's Instagram, she and Heidi were dressed in matching cashmere knitwear. The pair showed off their incredible figures while appearing in the video together, with Heidi dressed in a pale cream jumper while Leni opted for a dark brown shade. Leni captioned the Instagram post: 'I live in these super soft and cosy @intimissimi shirts! My new campaign with my mom @heidiklum for the iconic Ultralight with Cashmere shirts!' Heidi and Leni sparked backlash when they posed for a string of lingerie campaigns together earlier this year, with some branding the images 'inappropriate' or 'weird.' Despite backlash that their joint lingerie shoots were 'inappropriate,' Heidi Klum and her daughter Leni have silenced the critics by posing for a new campaign with Intimissimi The model previously hit back at criticism towards her joint shoots with her daughter insisting she's 'proud' they get to pose together In their latest ad, which was posted on Leni's Instagram, she and Heidi were dressed in matching cashmere knitwear But the Project Runway star has hit back at the criticism, telling People: 'A lot of people are like, "Oh, I don't know about mom and daughter doing this together."' 'But for us? I'm proud of my daughter. She's fine with me like that.' Heidi also made it clear that body confidence runs in the family, noting that she's always been comfortable in her own skin. 'I've always been very open with my body,' she added. 'When I'm suntanning in the backyard, I might not have a top on. I'm European my kids don't know me any other way.' While some critics have labeled the mother-daughter shoots as 'inappropriate', Heidi says her family simply doesn't view nudity through a hypersexualized lens. In fact, she believes that openness has helped her children become more self-assured. Heidi and Leni have fronted several campaigns together, including a lingerie basics collection earlier this year and a cosy cashmere shoot in 2023 that also featured Heidi's mother, 80-year-old Erna Klum. The pair showed off their incredible figures while appearing in the video together, with Heidi dressed in a pale cream jumper while Leni opted for a dark brown shade Leni captioned the post: 'I live in these super soft and cosy @intimissimi shirts! My new campaign with my mom @heidiklum for the iconic Ultralight with Cashmere shirts!' Leni captioned the Instagram post: 'I live in these super soft and cosy @intimissimi shirts! My new campaign with my mom @heidiklum for the iconic Ultralight with Cashmere shirts!' Heidi and Leni sparked backlash when they posed for a string of lingerie campaigns together earlier this year, with some branding the images 'inappropriate' or 'weird' But the Project Runway star has hit back at the criticism, saying: 'I'm proud of my daughter. She's fine with me like that' The trio wore long-sleeved sweaters in a rare three-generational fashion moment. Leni, Heidi's daughter with Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, was adopted by Seal during his marriage to Heidi. Although Leni was offered modeling gigs throughout her childhood, Heidi held off on allowing her to enter the industry until she felt her daughter was ready. Leni officially began modeling in 2020. Heidi's decision to wait until Leni was 'old enough' was rooted in her desire to protect her daughter from the pressures of fame - though clearly, Leni has since caught the modeling bug. In a March interview with Vogue Germany, Leni shared her own thoughts on the criticism. 'I always try to remember that no matter what you do, there will always be someone who doesn't like it,' she said. 'You simply have no control over it, and you can't focus too much on the negative.' Leni, now a student at New York University, added that the hate is often easier to brush off than people might expect. 'Most of the comments are in German, and I don't really understand many of them,' she joked. 'That helps too, of course.' Meanwhile, it's not just Leni following in her mom's fashionable footsteps. Heidi's son Henry, 19, made his runway debut at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year, signaling that the Klum family modeling dynasty may only be getting started. Katie Price has claimed that she discovered emails from her ex-husband's PR manager telling him to pursue her on I'm A Celeb to boost his profile. The former glamour model, 47, who was known as Jordan in her Page 3 days, said Peter was told 'if you stick with Jordan she'll make your career'. Speaking at her live show, An Evening with Katie Price & Kerry Katona, claimed that she found correspondence between Peter and his long-standing manger, Claire. She told the audience: 'There was emails between Claire and Pete before he went in the jungle if you stick with that girl Jordan she'll make your career.' Sources close to Peter's camp have denied that Claire ever encouraged the singer, 52, to get close to Katie on the show. It comes as fans have been resharing a moment between Peter and Katie during their time in the Australian jungle in 2004, where Katie claimed Peter had asked her to orchestrate a scene in order to 'stay on the show longer'. Katie Price has claimed that she discovered emails from her ex-husband's PR manager telling him to pursue her on I'm A Celeb to boost his profile The former glamour model, 47, who was known as Jordan in her Page 3 days, said Peter was told 'if you stick with Jordan she'll make your career' (pictured during An Evening with Katie Price and Kerry Katona on Monday) In the resurfaced clip, Peter can be heard asking Katie to go to the swimming pool with him the next day. He pulls her close and whispers in her ear, with the words 'go for a swim together, it's simple, easy - you know what I mean? Nothing bad', picked up by the cameras. Katie then goes over to another of their campmates, Alex Best, and says: 'He said "if we go to the swimming pool together tomorrow... he says you know it would make a thing. "The only way we can stay in the show longer is if we do that". And I'm thinking... don't you think like, he's using that? You watch, I'm completely off now.' Alex tells her: 'That's terrible, that's really bad. Katie says: 'I feel like he's only been trying to hang around with you and me just to stay in the show. Do you not agree now? I do. 'I didn't really want to b****, but I can't believe he's just said that.' Later discussing the issue, Peter reassures Katie: 'What I said to you was genuine.' It comes as fans have been resharing a moment between Peter and Katie during their time in the Australian jungle in 2004, where Katie claimed Peter had asked her to orchestrate a scene in order to 'stay on the show longer' Katie then goes over to another of their campmates, Alex Best, and says: 'He said "if we go to the swimming pool together tomorrow... he says you know it would make a thing Katie then goes over to another of their campmates, Alex Best, and says: 'He said "if we go to the swimming pool together tomorrow... he says you know it would make a thing. Katie replies: 'I can't believe that until I'm out of here. I just can't.' But Peter adds: 'I'm not interested anymore mate. I don't care anymore. Because one thing I don't need in my life is games.' The person who shared the video, commented: 'Genuine? You asked her to set up a scene in the pool with you so you could stay in the show longer. 'She wants to wait until they get out and all of a sudden he's not interested anymore?' For a time, Katie and Pete were the golden couple of reality TV, with a wedding and a string of big-money deals making them one of the most talked-about pairs in Britain. But things turned sour between the pair when their marriage came to an end in 2009 after four years together, with Katie claiming it was Peter's decision to walk away from the relationship. Much of the nation has witnessed the fall-out of the end Katie and Peter's marriage, and the string of public swipes that have been thrown from both sides. Their daughter Princess Andre spoke about how their feud took a toll on her, confessing she sought help from a counsellor after realising her parents 'don't like each other.' She discussed her thoughts on their split in her ITV2 reality series The Princess Diaries, sharing she felt she couldn't 'go to her dad' after he split from Katie due to their dislike of one another. She revealed on the show how she has a counsellor and previously 'couldn't just go to my dad' due to her parents, who split in 2009, 'not liking each other'. For a time, Katie and Pete were the golden couple of reality TV , with a wedding and a string of big-money deals making them one of the most talked-about pairs in Britain (pictured in 2009) The pair were once the golden couple of reality TV , with a lavish wedding and a string of big-money deals making them one of the most talked-about pairs in Britain (pictured in 2007) 'She [Katie] is so unpredictable and she lives life and doesn't care,' said Princess. 'I love that, I'd love that mind set of I don't care because deep down I do, I'll get to bed and cry about it. 'I do have a counsellor who I see now and then and I write everything down in my notes. I wish I could have had a happier childhood, I had so much on my plate at such a young age and had things at the back of my mind. Princess also revealed how she used to stay at Katie's Monday and Tuesday nights and dad Peter's Wednesday and Thursdays, however the weekends 'it was whoever's turn it was'. Comparing the two households, she added: 'Mum's house was chaotic there weren't many rules, a few boundaries maybe but it was go to bed when you want and eat what you want.' Katie has hit out at Peter on numerous occasions since their four-year marriage ended, branding him 'boring' in a TikTok outburst in 2023, before admitting she walked out of a screening of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 as it reminded her of him. It had long been rumoured that the glamour model and her ex split over her close relationship with her dressage rider Andrew Gould, with Katie speaking about the claims during an appearance on Paul C Brunson's podcast We Need To Talk. She said: 'We broke up because he thought I was having an affair with my dressage rider, and I've never slept with him. I just kept my horse there, and I was happy keeping my horse there, and he was married. 'But when me and Pete split, because he used to keep saying, "That's it. I've had enough. I've had enough". It got to a point where I went, "Well f***ing divorce me". And I remember the day, because then I flew to the Maldives with the kids. Princess Andre has spoken about how her parents' feud took a toll on her, confessing she sought help from a counsellor after realising mum and dad 'don't like each other' Princess opened up about the impact of her parents' divorce in her ITV2 show, saying she felt she couldn't 'go to her dad' after he split from Katie due to their dislike of one another Katie has hit out at Peter on numerous occasions since their four-year marriage ended, branding him 'boring' in a TikTok outburst (pictured in 2004) 'That day, I'm at the airport, it's all on Sky News, it wasn't mutual at all. And then I released a statement saying I don't want to split with Pete, it's Pete that's splitting with me. Until this day, me and Pete have never sat down and spoken about it. 'It's all through lawyers. I've never sat down with him, we probably would've sorted it out but we were kept apart.' After they announced their split, Peter said he was 'gutted' that Katie had taken their children to the Maldives villa where they had honeymooned in 2005. He told the Daily Star: 'Being apart from my kids is just breaking my heart. It's destroying me - I'm absolutely gutted.' Katie added that it is 'the most difficult thing' to co-parent, saying: 'But I realised you get to know what people are really like, and I've had it tough. But yeah, it is sad.' The TV personality and her ex-husband were honest about their jealous rows and were regularly seen arguing on their reality show, Katie & Peter. However, it came as a shock to their huge fanbase when they decided to go their separate ways - and seemingly to Katie, too. Revealing it wasn't her choice to split at the time, she said: 'Pete is the love of my life and my life. We have children together, and I am devastated and disappointed by his decision to separate and divorce me as I married him for life. 'This is not what I want, and the decision has been taken out of my hands. I will not comment further or do any interviews regarding the separation, but I will always love my Pete.' After his marriage to Katie ended, Peter, who shared daughter Princess and son Junior with the glamour model, went onto marry doctor Emily MacDonagh in 2015. They have three children together, daughter Amelia, 11, son Theo, eight and daughter Arabella, 16 months. Ruth Jones has dropped the asking price on her former marital home in Cardiff after she split from her husband of 25 years David Peet. The home she shared with TV executive David, 72, initially went on the market in September for a tidy 1,150,000. But it appears the actress might be struggling to get the house sold, after the asking price for the five bedroom Tudor-style home in Penylan was reduced. Now, in a listing online, the house is seen to be on sale for 1,099,950 - almost 50,000 less than it was originally put up for. Ruth, 58, famous for playing Nessa Jenkins in the much-loved BBC sitcom, split from David some time ago and they announced the separation earlier this year. James Corden, Ruth's Gavin and Stacey co-writer and co-star, was regularly spotted paying his pal Ruth a visit at the sprawling home, The Mirror has reported. Ruth Jones has dropped the asking price on her former marital home in Cardiff after she split from her husband of 25 years David Peet (Pictured) The home (Pictured) she shared with TV executive David, 72, initially went on the market in September for a tidy 1,150,000 A neighbour reportedly told the publication: 'Her and James would wander just down the road to the Jubarah restaurant for a curry - and even based some of their scenes on experiences there.' Ruth once described the Edwardian property as 'my favourite place to be' and said the spacious kitchen was 'the best bit'. But the couple have not been seen together at the imposing mock Tudor property for almost two years. The furniture has been cleared out and what was once a cosy home is now an empty shell. The pair bought the five-bedroomed semi in 2001 for 325,000 so stand to make a profit of 825,000. They also shared a holiday home on the west coast of Scotland and owned a popular restaurant called Peet's in the village of Lochinver where Jones occasionally helped out. Since the split, the Stella star has been living in London while David has moved to Vancouver, Canada, to be with his new love Jayne Charity Cook, 46. Welsh actress Jones was stepmother to David's three children from his previous marriage and their relationship was thought to be rock solid. But it appears the actress might be struggling to get the house sold, after the asking price for the five bedroom Tudor-style home in Penylan was reduced (Ruth seen at the BAFTAs) James Corden, Ruth's Gavin and Stacey co-writer and co-star (Seen together) was regularly spotted paying his pal Ruth a visit at the sprawling home, The Mirror has reported But there were rumours of a split when friends noticed the Gavin and Stacey creator had stopped wearing her wedding ring. It came as a bombshell when Canadian digital creator and mother-of-two Jayne announced on social media she was in a relationship with millionaire David. Ruth and David issued a statement in June saying: 'We amicably went our separate ways 18 months ago and are now legally separated. We remain good friends. 'Since our separation, Ruth is living in London and David is living in Canada where he is in a new relationship.' It comes after Ruth announced a new BBC comedy series with Steve Spiers after leaving bosses 'weak at the knees' with their script. The pair have previously worked together on Ruth and Steve: From Merthyr with Love, which hit our screens on BBC One Wales back in June this year. Now fans will be happy to know that they will be back on our screens very soon with another programme. The new show, which is currently an untitled project, will focus on the ups and downs of being in a relationship as a middle-aged person. Ruth will take on the character of a 55-year-old environmental officer Shelly-Ann, who was recently divorced. She becomes pals with a 60-year-old retired teacher called Clive after meeting a knee trauma clinic. Ruth Jones said of the new drama: 'I'm so grateful to the BBC for commissioning our new series. Steve and I are old friends and working with him is always a thrill. Cant wait.' Steve Speirs added: 'Thanks to the team at the BBC for backing our new show. I've worked with Ruth for over 30 years and am really looking forward to doing it again!' The new programme follows the wrapping up of Gavin & Stacey with an epic Christmas special last year. The sitcom hit the Beeb in 2007 and finished in 2010. It went on to air 22 episodes across three seasons, and was followed by one special in 2019 and another in 2024. Gavin & Stacey follows the love story of Gavin, from Essex, and Stacey, from Barry in Wales. The show stars Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, James Corden, Larry Lamb, Alison Steadman and Rob Brydon. Lily Allen's new album has stunned fans - with intricate details of the dissolution of her marriage to philandering ex-husband David Harbour leaving jaws dropping. West End Girl is an ode to her marriage to the Stranger Things actor, to whom she was married for four years after meeting on dating app Raya, with 14 tracks detailing in brutal honesty the breakdown of their relationship. The record is her first in seven years and was recorded in just 10 days, in the wake of her devastating split from the Stranger Things actor, 50, in December after Lily, 40, discovered his three-year affair and slew of infidelities. The widely-lauded album has been carefully dissected by avid fans however many have taken to Google to attempt to establish the meaning behind some of the words - including a dojo, Billy Cotton, 4chan and a Madonna-whore. The song Pussy Palace's repeated use of the word dojo has seen a spike in searches for the definition, among other references leaving fans confused. Lily Allen's new album has stunned fans - with intricate details of the dissolution of her marriage to philandering ex-husband David Harbour leaving jaws dropping The record is her first in seven years and was recorded in just 10 days, in the wake of her devastating split from the Stranger Things actor, 50, in December after Lily, 40, discovered his three-year affair and slew of infidelities The widely-lauded album has been carefully dissected by avid fans however many have taken to Google to attempt to establish the meaning behind some of the words - including a dojo, Billy Cotton, 4chan and a Madonna-whore DOJO On the song Pussy Palace, Lily sings about visiting her husband's West Village apartment, where she discovers a slew of racy goods. The stung star sings: 'I didn't know it was a pussy palace, pussy palace, pussy palace, pussy palace // I always thought it was a dojo, dojo, dojo // So am I looking at a sex addict, sex addict, sex addict, sex addict?' While there is no subtlety to the moniker she gives the apartment, a surge in Google searches came for the definition of a 'Dojo'. The definition of a Dojo is: 'A dojo is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese.' Lily's heartbreaking confessional tells listeners she believed his apartment was a peaceful getaway as opposed to the place he was bringing conquests. On the song Pussy Palace, Lily sings about visiting her husband's West Village apartment, where she discovers a slew of racy goods Lily's frequent use of the word dojo got tongues wagging MADONNA-WHORE In the song Sleepwalking, Lily addresses the lack of sex the couple were having - something she detailed on a number of occasions. The star sings: 'I know you've made me your Madonna I wanna be your whore Baby, it would be my honour Please, sir, can I have some mor? // I could preserve all of your fantasis If only you could act them all out with me'. A Madonnawhore complex is a theory by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s. The psychological phenomenon was first observed in psychoanalysis, and later applied to feminist critique of broader society. In psychoanalysis, the complex is defined as an inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed and loving relationship. The complex is explained on Modern Intimacy as: 'The Madonna Whore Complex (MWC) is a psychological complex often perpetuated by heterosexual, cisgender males which places women into two categories... 'The Madonna, defined as a woman who is pure, virtuous, and nurturing, or a Whore, a woman who is deemed as overly sexual, manipulating, and promiscuous... 'The dichotomy of MWC creates a rigidity that limits womens sexual expression, agency, and freedom by defining their sexuality into one of two categories.' A Madonnawhore complex is a theory by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud (pictured in 1921) in the early 1900s. The psychological phenomenon was first observed in psychoanalysis, and later applied to feminist critique of broader society In the song Sleepwalking, Lily addresses the lack of sex the couple were having - something she detailed on a number of occasions 4CHAN STAN The eighth track on the album is called 4chan Stan, in a nod to the website 4chan, which gained notoriety since its 2011 launch for dark materials. Wikipedia states: 'The site has been described as a hub of Internet subculture, its community being influential in the formation and popularization of prominent Internet memes, such as lolcats, Rickrolling, rage comics, wojaks, Pepe the Frog, as well as hacktivist and political movements, such as Anonymous and the alt-right.' In April this year, The New Yorker published a scathing piece about 4chan's unsavoury content, writing: 'Illicit material was never hard to find on the internet, but 4chan served as an early hub - or dumping ground might be more apt... 'The site was inundated with pornography, pirated files, and uncensored screeds about dating or politics. Its background, a pale yellow gradient, still gives me a slight frisson, like a Playboy issue hidden under the bed'. Stan meanwhile is internet slang for a huge fan of a subject, inspired by Eminem's 2000 hit Stan, about an obsessive stalker. The eighth track on the album is called 4chan Stan, in a nod to the website 4chan, which gained notoriety since its 2011 launch for dark materials DUANE READE, BERGDORF'S AND TROJANS Trojan meanwhile is the leading condom brand in America While American listeners are all too aware of the brand names Duane Reade, Trojans and Bergdorf's, UK fans took to Google to work out what Lily meant. On Pussy Palace she sings: 'Duane Reade bag with the handles tied // Sex toys, butt plugs, lube inside // Hundreds of Trojans, you're so f**king broken // How'd I get caught up in your double life?' Duane Reade is a a New York City-based chain of pharmacies and convenience shops, that is a subsidiary of US shopping giant Walgreens. Trojan meanwhile is the leading condom brand in America. On 4chan Stan, Lily details how she finds a receipt from Bergdorf Goodman - a high-end department store in America. She sings: 'I went through your bedside drawer // You know I've never been inclined to have to do that before // Never been in Bergdorf's... 'But you took someone shopping there in May, '24 .. You bought her a handbag, it wasn't cheap // I was in London, probably asleep // Did you go to Montauk for the weekend? // And was there an encore? Did it pay dividends?' Duane Reade is a a New York City-based chain of pharmacies and convenience shops, that is a subsidiary of US shopping giant Walgreens On 4chan Stan, Lily details how she finds a receipt from Bergdorf Goodman - a high-end department store in America BILLY COTTON In the titular track West End Girl, Lily sings about her move to America with David and how life got underway when they bought their home. She sings: 'And now we're all here, we've moved to New York // We've found a nice little rental near a sweet little school... 'Now I'm looking at houses with four or five floors // So we went ahead and we bought it // Found ourselves a good mortgage // Billy Cotton got sorted // All the furniture ordered // Made me feel a bit awkward'. Again, what may be clear to US listeners was lost on those in the UK, as Billy Cotton is not a household name in Britain leading to head scratching. David and Lily are pictured at a dinner party thrown in honour of their interior designer Billy Cotton in February last year Billy Cotton is an esteemed interior designer who helped furnish the couple's kooky NYC home, which featured in Architectural Digest in 2023. The feature read: 'Its a mad, mad, mad, mad world at the Brooklyn town house of Lily Allen and David Harbour. Dressed in an intrepid pasticcio of chintz balloon shades, crystal chandeliers, pink silk, tiger-patterned textiles, and Mylar wallpaper... 'The home issues a full-throated rebuke to the current vogue for hushed good taste wrapped in a straitjacket of beige... 'With an able assist from AD100 designer Billy Cotton and architect Ben Bischoff, Allen and Harbour have conjured a familial fantasyland of daring beauty and individual connoisseurial vision. In short, its a knockout.' The former couple have reportedly put the townhouse on the market for $8million. It's been reported that Lily and David are set to make a huge profit on their Brooklyn property, which they originally purchased for $3.3million (2.5m) in 2020. Myleene Klass stripped off to her underwear as she shared a video getting ready to host Classic FM's 25th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall. The presenter, 47, showed off her incredible figure in a white strapless bra and black lace thong as she stood in her dressing room while her team helped her get into her gown for the evening. Myleene was lent a hand by two designers as she slipped into a show-stopping silver dress which boasted a dazzling strapless corset top and a dramatic puff satin skirt. She put on a leggy display in the number, which was shorter at the front and featured a huge train. The TV personality elevated her frame in a pair of matching metallic heels as she posed for the camera while getting ready. Once ready, Myleene headed to the Royal Albert Hall and posed for a series of stunning photos at the iconic venue ahead of the audience arriving. Myleene Klass stripped off to her underwear as she shared a video getting ready to host Classic FM's 25th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall The presenter, 47, showed off her incredible figure in a white strapless bra and black lace thong as she stood in her dressing room while her team helped her get into her gown for the evening She wrote: 'From first stitch to final bow. The @desire_avenue girls behind my dress of dreams. 'Theyre the best kept secret in high end dresses, you should see some of the weddings theyve created for. Andreea and Laura, you know how I adore. Your talents are off the scale. Thank you'. The star hosted the magical night with Dan Walker, who looked dapper in a silver blazer and black trousers. Earlier this month, former popstar Myleene expressed her relief that 'my family and I finally have peace' after a schizophrenic man was convicted of stalking her. Peter Windsor was found guilty of stalking the star after sending her an air pistol and calling her a naughty vixen during a nine-month campaign of harassment. He also asked her in sick correspondence to 'correct him' with a whip and cane, as well as sending her letters and gifts including fancy dress costumes and jewellery. The 61-year-old, from Stetchford, Birmingham, tried to argue some of his gifts were a joke, but was found guilty of stalking Myleene between November 2023 and August 2024, following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. He was also found guilty of also stalking her Classic FM colleague Katie Breathwick, 54, after sending her a pair of binoculars, running shoes with spikes, a bottle of champagne and a stamp collection for her son. Myleene was lent a hand by two designers as she slipped into a show-stopping silver dress Her gown boasted a dazzling strapless corset top and a dramatic puff satin skirt, which was shorter at the front and had a huge train Once ready, Myleene headed to the Royal Albert Hall and posed for a series of stunning photos at the iconic venue ahead of the audience arriving He sent her between 80 and 100 items over a period spanning March 2020 to December 2023. In a statement following the verdicts, which she posted on Instagram, Myleene said: 'After a horrific year, my family and I finally have peace. 'Thank you for your love and support, especially to Birmingham Police, in particular PC Marius Dinescu, Judge Tom Rochford, State Prosecutor Timothy Sapwell, Members of the Jury and Birmingham crown court, Katie Breathwick, Classic FM, Global radio, Severine Berman and Simon jones.' The trial also heard Windsor sent a letter signed in blood to former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in which he pledged his soul to satan. The items and correspondence addressed to the two Classic FM presenters were intercepted at Global radio's London office where the pair worked. The air pistol was stopped by police before it reached Myleebe, the court heard. Jurors reached their unanimous guilty verdict on Peter Windsor after deliberating for four hours and eight minutes over two days. Windsor, wearing a grey sweatshirt, sighed and pursed his lips in the dock as the verdicts were announced. Judge Tom Rochford told Windsor, who has been on remand throughout his trial, that the options for his sentencing included prison or two types of hospital order. Sobbing in court as she gave evidence, Ms Klass described her 'sheer terror' at finding out she had been sent a cache of 'overtly sexual' letters and presents over four years including a set of handcuffs with a note saying 'whip me, beat me priestess Myleene'. The star hosted the magical night with Dan Walker, who looked dapper in a silver blazer and black trousers The mother-of-three had to pause several times in the witness box to compose herself as she recounted how a police officer called her while on the school run to tell her about the weapon, which was an air pistol. 'He said that whilst this gun wasn't necessary for a licence, at close proximity, right up to six feet it could prove fatal,' she told jurors. 'I think anyone receiving a gun would be terrified. 'I was extremely shocked because suddenly it felt extremely real. I think we spend so much time as women trying to justify why we feel the way we do, have we misinterpreted it? There was no grey area here, there was a gun in a box with my name on it.' Myleene said she had been forced to enhance security at home after being targeted by Windsor. Letters and parcels sent to Ms Klass and Mrs Breathwick were also shown to the jury. One of the notes tells how he managed '5,000 pull ups in 19 hours' while another talks about the women's' 'alien' eyes and how he would like to paddle in a lake outside Buckingham Palace with them. He also sent the two women a bottle of Champagne each. Wilson sent Mrs Breathwick perfume and a stamp collection for her son. In some he referred to himself as 'Sir Peter Windsor' Kourtney Kardashian has got fans talking with her latest release from her vitamin and supplement brand Lemme, after launching lollipops to promote vaginal health. The reality star, 46, who has previously been accused of 'copying' Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness brand after launching Poosh and later Lemme, was once again likened to the actress after releasing her latest headline-grabbing product. Kourtney's brand's latest item is the Lemme Purr Probiotic Lollipop, infused with Vitamin C, pineapple and the SNZ 1969 probiotics to promote vaginal health. This first-of-its-kind women's health probiotic lollipop builds on the success of America's #1 vaginal probiotic gummy brand, Lemme Purr. Speaking about her new product, Kourtney said: 'Our community fell in love with our first lollipops, so I couldn't wait to bring them back in a new way. 'Lemme Purr Lollipops are such a fun extension of one of our best-sellers, Lemme Purr, and I love that they turn daily self-care into something sweet and simple.' Kourtney Kardashian has got fans talking with her latest release from her vitamin and supplement brand Lemme, after launching lollipops to promote vaginal health The reality star, 46, who has previously been accused of 'copying' Gwyneth Paltrow 's wellness brand after launching Poosh and later Lemme, was once again likened to the actress after releasing her latest headline-grabbing product Kourtney's brand's latest item is the Lemme Purr Probiotic Lollipop, infused with Vitamin C, pineapple and the SNZ 1969 probiotics to promote vaginal health Kourtney's line of supplements have the same shock factor as some of Gwyneth's Goop products, most notably her This Smells Like My Vagina candle. But rather than pitting their brands against each other, Kourtney and Gwyneth previously collaborated to sell the Smells Like My Pooshy candle, which is a play on Kourtney's wellness brand, Poosh. Kourtney founded Poosh in March 2019, more than a decade after Gwyneth launched Goop in September 2008. The wellness guru met with Gwyneth during an episode of The Kardashians in 2022, revealing they were working on a new vagina candle collaboration. The TV star was seen heading to Goop's Santa Monica headquarters as they both meet and embrace in the office. Kourtney says, 'This is so nice' and Gwyneth says, 'Oh my God I'm so happy you're here. I'm really happy to have you.' Kourtney admits that the timing was perfect because she was just down the street doing Panchakarma at the Surya Spa in Santa Monica. Gwyneth asks how many days she's been doing it, and Kourtney responds, 'So I just recently did 12 days of like no sex, no working out.' But rather than pitting their brands against each other, Kourtney and Gwyneth previously collaborated to sell the Smells Like My Pooshy candle, which is a play on Kourtney's wellness brand, Poosh Kourtney met with Gwyneth during an episode of The Kardashians in 2022, revealing they were working on a new vagina candle collaboration Meeting: Kourtney met with Gwyneth during the eighth episode of The Kardashians, revealing they were working on a new vagina candle collaboration dubbed Smells Like My Pooshy, while they both bonded over blended families The Se7en star was surprised when Kourtney mentioned no sex, as Kourtney wonders, 'Did she not say that to you? Only me?' as they share a laugh. Kourtney adds in confession, 'Gwyneth Paltrow has a similar healthy lifestyle and we both are in the wellness space, and so I'm thinking of doing this collaboration between Poosh and Goop, which is Gwyneth Paltrow's health and wellness brand. They both sit down and Kourtney tells Gwyneth that she's on a 'journey' as Gwyneth asks if she has a 'destination in mind.' 'I want to have a baby, so I've done all the fertility stuff,' Kourtney tells her, as Gwyneth asks how that has been for her. 'It just makes me, like mentally, not well,' Kourtney admits, adding that when she did her cleanse, she thought, 'this is what I'm supposed to be doing.' Destination: They both sit down and Kourtney tells Gwyneth that she's on a 'journey' as Gwyneth asks if she has a 'destination in mind' Fertility: 'I want to have a baby, so I've done all the fertility stuff,' Kourtney tells her, as Gwyneth asks how that has been for her This comes after Kourtney was called out over her 'unprofessional' Lemme promo she haphazardly shared via Instastory while 'a little jet lagged' on vacation with her family in the Italian village of Portofino. The Lemme co-founder attempted to promote a sale at her company in honour of Amazon Prime Day, but she didn't even know what day it was when she filmed it in the car. Kourtney stammered: 'Hi everyone, ummm... it... Lemme... what is it? I can't talk. Amazon Prime Day started yesterday, and...' Kourtney managed to make her 13-year-old daughter Penelope Scotland Disick cringe as she interrupted: 'Restart.' 'No, I'm not going to restart. I'm just going to do it,' she clapped back. 'And so, everything Lemme is on sale. So [I] just wanted to say happy shopping! Ummm, I don't know what day it is, but it ends on August 11th.' Quickly realizing her mistake, Kourtney - now wearing sunglasses - filmed a second video: 'Okay, whoops, it ends July 11th not August 11th. That would be the longest Prime Day ever.' When a TikTok user reposted Kardashian's fumbling clip, users like @Chels commented: 'One thing about Kourtney is she literally hates working.' This comes after Kourtney was called out over her 'unprofessional' Lemme promo she haphazardly shared via Instastory while 'a little jet lagged' on vacation with her family in the Italian village of Portofino TikTok user @kaymendez96 agreed: 'So when she means I don't want to work, she really doesn't want to work at all haha!' 'This is why I don't buy Lemme. [Because] at least you can tell Kim cares about SKIMS at least you can tell Kylie is super invested and into make-up,' TikTok user @tickytocker53 wrote. 'Kourtney and her carefree attitude is usually iconic but not when it comes to running a business and taking my money.' TikTok user @Erica commented: 'Every one can detect the twinge of narcissism when she says "No, I'm not gonna restart" instead of just being humble and laughing at herself. Kim is much more professional than this.' 'She doesn't even care enough about her product to make an accurate video,' TikTok user @Alissagator scoffed. 'So why should we care about buying it? Unprofessional and unrelateable.' TikTok user @vavisboring wrote: 'That's so on brand for her.' 'She doesn't care, and I love it,' TikTok user @jdub055 commented. Kourtney co-founded Lemme with publicist Simon Huck in 2019, but they didn't launch the brand until 2022 in order to 'meet with doctors, formulators, and scientists.' The gummies come in varieties like Purr, Debloat, Grow, and GLP-1 Daily - the last of which became the subject of a two class action lawsuits filed in California on February 19 and New York on March 9 alleging false advertising for weight loss. Katie Price made a cryptic comment about 'current news' after her ex-husband Kieran Hayler was charged with raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl during their marriage. Speaking on stage during An Evening With Katie Price and Kerry Katona on Monday night, Katie, 47, seemingly alluded to Hayler's situation, and said: 'What I've gone though, and, how do I word it? Current news Personal trainer Hayler, 38, is alleged to have committed the offences between June and October 2016 - in the middle of his marriage to the ex-glamour model. The former stripper has been charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on the teenage girl and is under police investigation. Katie and Hayler wed in 2013 and went on to have two children before splitting in 2018. The alleged victim is not a member of either Katie or Hayler's families. Katie Price made a cryptic comment about 'current news' during her show on Monday night, after her ex Kieran Hayler was charged with the rape and sex assault of girl, 13, while they were married She said: 'What I've gone though, and, how do I word it? Current news(pictured 2014) 'I had a real reason to be wary of things because it's closer to home than you realise. I can't say anymore on it but I'm sure you know what I'm getting to.' It was reported last week that Katie could be set to give evidence in court after the charges were announced. A Crown Prosecution Service source has been quoted by the Sun as saying: 'Katie may well be called to court to give evidence. 'She was married to Kieran when these offences are said to have happened - it wouldnt be surprising for her to be called up. 'Family and friends are being made aware they may be asked to speak out, and stand up in a court of law if necessary. 'It is all part of the judicial process, an imperative that the truth is heard.' Sussex Police said : 'We can confirm Kieran Hayler, 38, of Northchapel in West Sussex, has been charged with three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault against a 13-year-old girl. 'The offences are alleged to have occurred at an address in West Sussex between June 1 and October 13, 2016. The alleged victim is not a member of either Katie or Kieran's families. Pictured: Katie and Hayler in 2013 'Hayler remains released under investigation and is due to appear before Crawley Magistrates' Court on November 19. 'The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has received support from specially trained officers as our enquiries continue.' A legal representative for Hayler said on Monday night: 'Kieran Hayler strongly denies the allegations made against him in its entirety. 'Mr Hayler is fully engaged and has been co-operating with the police throughout the investigation and will continue to do so. 'He looks forward to his name being cleared, believing in the judicial system to do so.' Representatives for Katie refused to comment when approached by the Daily Mail. Hayler, who has also worked variously as an actor, stripper and reality star, first met Katie in 2012 before he proposed on Christmas Day of that year. They married at the Sandals Royal Bahamian luxury resort in the Bahamas in January 2013. This was followed by a wedding blessing ceremony at the Rookery Manor Hotel in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in March of the same year. The newlyweds then took a glamorous honeymoon to the Maldives. Katie gave birth to a son with Hayler in August 2013, before they then welcomed a daughter. Tradwife Nara Smith has praised her 'miracle' body two weeks after giving birth to her fourth child with husband Lucky Blue. The 24-year-old TikTok star and her 27-year-old model husband announced the birth of their new addition earlier this month. But the post revealed their baby girl Fawnie Goldie Smith was actually born weeks prior on September 27 - her mother's birthday. Now, Nara has taken to Instagram to share some snaps with baby Fawnie as she praised her body for bringing her daughter into the world. Sharing pictures cuddling Fawnie, Nara wrote: 'Women's bodies are pure magic - divinely designed to create, grow and nurture life. 'We become the bridge between heaven and earth guiding life into this world. With that our bodies transform and stretch. Tradwife Nara Smith praised her 'miracle' body on Instagram on Monday two weeks after giving birth to her fourth child with husband Lucky Blue The 24-year-old TikTok star and her 27-year-old model husband (Pictured) announced the birth of their new addition earlier this month 'I used to feel the need to bend and force it back into how it used to look only to realize that it has been home to four other bodies. 'This final stage is filled with grace and slowing down.' 'Fawnie Golden Smith,' Nara wrote in a post shared earlier this month. 'Our little golden girl born on my birthday welcomed to this world by Lucky. 'Her entry into this world was graceful, gentle and oh so magical. Soaking all the love and snuggles!' Fawnie's unique name likely comes as no surprise to fans, with the couple also parents to children named Rumble Honey, 4, Whimsy Lou, 18 months, and son Slim Easy, 3. Nara first teased the name with followers with a video containing clues about the moniker. 'any name guesses? theres clues in this video,' she captioned the post. Nara's pregnancy with Fawnie was announced back in June, with the couple unveiling her baby bump in a sweet video broadcasting 'our little surprise.' A short caption over the clip read, 'Baby 4 Loading ' Now, Nara has taken to Instagram to share some snaps with baby Fawnie as she praised her body for bringing her daughter into the world Sharing pictures cuddling Fawnie, Nara wrote: 'Women's bodies are pure magic - divinely designed to create, grow and nurture life' The announcement came nearly a year after the couple revealed they were done having children. During an interview with GQ at the time, Lucky told his wife amid the joint interview, 'Well, we have three. So, you're done.' Nara then replied to her husband - who is also father to daughter Gravity with ex Stormi Bree - with, 'Yep, I'm done.' However, Lucky also pointed out to the Nara, 'You did want six. When we first met, you wanted six.' In regards to welcoming children at a young age, Nara - who was 19 when the couple welcomed their first child Rumble - said, 'And it worked out great. I love being a young mom.' She continued to the outlet, 'I want to build my life with them rather than trying to integrate them into my life later.' Fawnie's unique name likely comes as no surprise to fans, with the couple also parents to children named Rumble Honey, 4, Whimsy Lou, 18 months, and son Slim Easy, 3 Nara's pregnancy with Fawnie was announced back in June, with the couple unveiling her baby bump in a sweet video broadcasting 'our little surprise' Nara is also known for her lifestyle and cooking content on social media - and boasts millions of followers. However, the star has previously gotten candid about the negative effects of being on social media - such as dealing with backlash. While talking to Who What Wear, Nara discussed how negative comments had affected her while pregnant with her third child. 'I just felt so heavy,' the media influencer admitted, before adding, 'Nothing felt good to me anymore.' Game Of Thrones star Isaac Hempstead Wright has swapped acting for a wholly different career path after studying for a degree in neuroscience. The actor, 26, who revealed on Monday he'd tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend, had shared his passions for particle physics while starring on the HBO show, which concluded with its divisive finale in 2019. Isaac starred as Bran Stark in all eight seasons of Game Of Thrones, and his character was at the centre of its hugely controversial ending, when he was crowned King of Westeros. Since the series ended, Isaac has stepped away from the big screen to finish his degree at the University of Birmingham, but still attends fan events to discuss his role in the series. He first shared his interest in neuroscience in 2016, and admitted it first stemmed from his physics teacher who would share the 'interesting concepts' with him. Earlier this week Isaac shared a series of photos from his intimate London wedding to his partner Martha Comerford, who he simply referred to as 'M'. Game Of Thrones star Isaac Hempstead Wright has swapped acting for a wholly different career path after studying for a degree in neuroscience The actor shared his passions for particle physics while starring on the HBO show, where he starred as the eventual King of Westeros Bran Stark (pictured on the show in 2019) Isaac first shared his unlikely interest while he was still on Game Of Thrones, admitting it began while he took a break from the show to focus on his school exams. He told People: 'I've gone through various interests, before physics it was neuroscience and how the brain works. 'Through that, I had a fantastic physics teacher at my school, he is a really smart guy and I would talk to him in general about things that might link to neuroscience and before I knew it he was telling me about other interesting concepts and I got into the whole idea of particle physics and that fascinated me.' Isaac said his interest in particle physics led him to visit the world's biggest particle accelerator in Sur, Switzerland, but said he doesn't see it as a career path. When Game of Thrones ended in 2019, he admitted he was keen to focus on a different path to acting. He told GQ: 'It feels like I've just lived an entire career and an entire life, but I've literally just started my life. I mean, I'm 19. 'I feel like I've got time to try and be like ''right let's take stock, and have fun for a bit'', so yeah the plan is: just relax and have fun, get some acting jobs here and there and then come back and go for it at uni.' Isaac went on to land a BSc in neuroscience at University College London and focused on the neurology of eye movements, which led to him authoring a paper on 'oculomotor changes in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)'. Since the series ended, Isaac stepped away from TV to finish his degree at the University of Birmingham, and now works in 'clinical training' in London Isaac still continues to cash on his famous role, promoting a Game Of Thrones soap in a post on Instagram, and attending fan conventions to discuss his role on the show Alongside his degree, he's stepped away from acting, and is now doing 'clinical training' in London. Despite stepping away from the screen, Isaac but still continues to cash on his famous role, promoting a Game of Thrones soap in a post on Instagram, and attending fan conventions to discuss his time on the show. Isaac has also settled down with his now-wife Martha Comerford, who has featured in a handful of snaps on his Instagram, including a gallery of images he shared in May. Martha began her career in journalism, but now works in the Digital Communications team at the House of Commons. Isaac shared idyllic snaps from his intimate wedding in London, writing in the caption: 'The best person I have ever met, the best day of my life, the best friends and family we could ever ask for. What a day, what a life - I love you M. 'An enormous thank you to everyone who made the day so special.' The images showed them emerging from the ceremony as confetti was thrown by their friends and family. Back in 2019 when Game of Thrones ended, Isaac revealed he did not expect his character Bran to ascend to the Iron Throne in the divisive season finale. The British actor told 9Honey he was nonetheless pleased that a 'disabled character' was crowned king. He's also settled down with his now-wife Martha Comerford, who works for the Digital Communications team at the House of Commons Earlier this week Isaac shared a series of photos from his intimate London wedding to his partner, who he simply referred to as 'M' Having joined the cast of Game of Thrones when he was 12, Isaac didn't have the 'slightest inkling' that the youngest living Stark would become King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men. 'Nobody thought it was going to be Bran - least of all me! So I didn't even have a slight inkling,' he said. Isaac also spoke of his pride at Bran representing the disabled community on screen. 'I think it's brilliant to have a disabled character win the whole game. What are the odds of that? There are dragons and all these other things going on and Bran comes out on top, it was really special,' he said. He was particularly happy that his character went from 'Bran the Broken' to 'The Lord of the Six Kingdoms'. 'In the very first episode, you think he's toast, he's dead,' he explained, referring to when Bran was pushed out a window by Jaime Lannister. 'He goes from being this vulnerable character to the most powerful there is,' he added. Isaac revealed at the time that he liked the controversial ending, but acknowledged that it would have been impossible for the writers to please everybody. 'I think the thing to remember is Game of Thrones isn't a superhero movie, it's not all going to be tied up in a neat bow when you find out everything about all these people, that's not how it works,' he said. In the dramatic final shock twist, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was exiled for stabbing his lover Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). Jon was handed the punishment to live out the rest of his days with the Night's Watch, take no wife and father no children for the murder of the Mad Queen. While the pack survived, the Stark family went their separate ways in an emotional sequence that broke fans hearts. Bran was named king of the six kingdoms, Sansa (Sophie Turner) became Queen in the North while Arya (Maisie Williams) headed out to explore unknown territory. Throwing his support behind the HBO bosses, Isaac pointed out the ending wasn't 'predictable' and that was what the producers were hoping for. Elliott Wright has announced he is selling his restaurant Olivia's in La Cala, Spain to return to the UK to be near his family. The former TOWIE star, 45, confirmed news that he is flogging the eatery after a decade so he can be near his older children, Elliott Jr, 18, and Olivia, 16, who he revealed did not want to carry on the restaurant's legacy despite his wishes. The restaurateur has been married to Sadie Wright, nee Stuart, since 2017 and they share three children, Billy, six, John, two, and Dolly, three months. Despite undergoing an entire rebrand earlier this year and recovering the building from a devastating fire four years ago, Elliott is taking the establishment to auction, with bids starting at 7.5million (6.5million). The sale will include the freehold beachfront property, the trading business, and the Olivias La Cala brand and trademark. Bidding is scheduled to open December 5. Olivia's has been a reality star hotspot for some time, with Elliott's pal and former TOWIE co-star James 'Arg' Argent holding residencies. Elliott Wright has announced he is selling his restaurant Olivia's in La Cala, Spain to return to the UK to be near his family (Elliott and his wife Sadie pictured at the restaurant in 2018) Elliott pictured on the day he bought the restaurant a decade ago He revealed he is returning to the UK to be with family. He is father to Olivia, 16, (left) and Elliott Jr, 18, (right) from a previous relationship and shares three kids with wife Sadie In a new video, Elliott says: 'Hi everybody, I just wanna do a short reel just to explain that what's in the news today is true. I am selling my beautiful restaurant Olivia's. It's been an amazing 10 years... 'I've loved every minute of it. We've got some fantastic memories we'll take forever with us but I'm a family man, and, I've got 3 beautiful children with Sadie. Dolly who come along this year and I've got two elder children Olivia and Elliott.' He then revealed his initial plan had been to hand the reins over to his older children, yet lamented them wanting to pursue different paths. Elliott said: 'I always assumed that their dreams would align with mine and they would take over the restaurant, but that's not the case. Elliott's been working on and off in the city for the last two years and wants to pursue that career... 'Olivia passed her GCSEs this year and she wants to carry that same path as Elliott, so it's something me and Sadie have been talking about for the last 2 years, and we've decided we need to all be together... 'So we're moving on. It's a bold new chapter for us. And yeah, whoever is going to be the new custodian of Olivia's, you know, wish him all the luck in the world. It's been a great business for me for 10 years... 'It's got massive growth over the next 2 years. There's potential to get to the beach soon. So I hope whoever takes it can take it on another level and do justice to it... In 2021, Olivia's was victim to an arson attack, after which Elliott condemned the 'scumbag' responsible for the blaze which gutted the Costa del Sol restaurant Eliott and Sadie welcomed daughter Dolly in August 'Yeah, I've loved it. It's been an amazing, amazing time. Lots of, of great memories. We're selling it via Bromley's Estates. It's one of the biggest estate agents down here. 'We're doing an auction process for it. I think that's the easiest way for us and yeah, like I say, by next season there'll be a new owner... 'This will be my last Christmas and New Year here. It's just, it's been fantastic. I don't know who these owners could be... 'As I say, time will tell. I've had people before come in and want to buy us a house. What a house it will be. It's huge, over 9000 square foot, the build size, or just under the build size is here, so who knows what it will be... 'It's not for me to decide. I've decided I want to move to the UK, new business venture. I want to be around all my children and turn the page. It's been 10 years. It's been emotional. I've loved every second of it... 'I love Le Cala de Mijas. We're going to holiday here all the time, so I'm not leaving. I'm always going to be here. It's always going to have a special place in my heart, but that is the situation, so what you see in the papers is true... 'I've had a few people say, is it true, so I'm putting it out there, it is. That's the situation, and I look forward to my new chapter with the children and the kids and Sadie in the UK.' Olivia's has been a reality star hotspot for some time, with Elliott's pal and former TOWIE co-star James 'Arg' Argent (pictured with Love Island star Amy Hart) holding residencies Sadie and Elliott tied the knot in 2017 and welcomed their first son together in 2019 In 2021, Olivia's was victim to an arson attack, after which Elliott condemned the 'scumbag' responsible for the blaze which gutted the Costa del Sol restaurant. At the time, in a video uploaded online, the devastated star walked around his restaurant, which has been completely destroyed by the fire, before pledging that he would have it reopened. He said: 'So probably one of my worst videos I've ever made. My beautiful restaurant, my dream that I always dreamt of having, that I built six years ago, that was still work in progress, has been completely destroyed, absolutely destroyed... 'Devastated. And I can say now that it is arson. Someone's come and took my whole dream away, for whatever reason I'll never know, because I don't have any enemies as far as I'm aware, I didn't think I did.. 'Whether it's jealousy or competition, it doesn't really matter.' The plan to be closer to family comes in the wake of a slew of tragedies, including suffering a miscarriage, Olivia's' arson attack and losing his dad to Coronavirus. He lost his father Edward Wright in March 2021, who died at the age of 66 following an eight-week battle with Covid. He lost his father Edward Wright in March 2021, who died at the age of 66 following an eight-week battle with Covid Elliott is pictured with his daughter Olivia on her 16th birthday in April Elliott shared the news on Instagram and wrote: 'It is with heart wrenching regret, that I have to post this post. 'My father Edward George Wright passed away peacefully with his family by his side on the 02.03.2021 after bravely fighting Covid for 8 weeks 'For those who knew my father, you know what a great man he was, always smiling, always humble, always happy, despite the fact in his later years he bravely fought prostate cancer... 'To Dad, what can I say that you dont already know in heaven, you are and will always be my rock, my best friend, the man who taught me to always be a gentleman, to put family first!' Chris Evans and his wife Alba Baptista have welcomed their first child together. Just weeks after celebrating their second wedding anniversary, the Portuguese actress, 28, gave birth to a baby girl named Alma Grace at 1:27pm in Massachusetts on Saturday. According to the birth certificate, obtained by TMZ, the couple gave their daughter both of their last names. The Daily Mail has reached out to Evanss representatives but has not heard back. While Evans has been seen at movie premieres and events in recent months, Baptista has remained largely out of the public eye. Rumors of her pregnancy first surfaced in July after Evans's father-in-law, Luiz Baptista, hinted at it on social media. Commenting on a fan-made Father's Day tribute honoring both Alba's and Evans's dads, he wrote: 'Chris, your turn is coming!' Chris Evans and his wife Alba Baptista have reportedly welcomed their first child together after recently celebrating their second wedding anniversary In November 2024, Evans confirmed to Access Hollywood that he would 'absolutely' love to become a dad. 'Yeah, I hope so,' he told the outlet. 'The title of dad is an exciting one.' The actor was first romantically linked to the Portuguese actress in 2021, though they never publicly announced their engagement. 'I proposed to my wife in Portuguese,' he told The Knot in June. 'She's Portuguese, so I learned how to say, 'Will you marry me?' in Portuguese. I had practiced it all week.' Evans said he kept practicing what he would say in her native language and almost ruined the surprise. 'I had practiced it so much that while I'd be making breakfast and you almost just start saying it out loud,' he recalled. 'Like, 'Oh God, that's not just a song that's stuck in my head! It's gonna let the cat out of the bag.'' The lovebirds, who wed on September 9, 2023 during a ceremony at a private estate in Cape Cod, pictured in March 2024 Although Evans has attended a number of movie premieres and events to promote his projects over the past few months, Baptista has remained completely out of the public eye Although Evans has attended a number of movie premieres and events to promote his projects over the past few months, Baptista has remained completely out of the public eye (seen last month) Fortunately, he didnt spoil the surprise. 'I got really nervous when it came time to do it,' he said. 'I actually think I screwed it up, but I still know it.' The couple, who share a 16-year age gap, were first romantically linked in 2021 but only publicly debuted their relationship nearly two years later. In early 2023, the actor made their romance Instagram official when he posted a reel of them playing around and trying to scare each other at home. In October 2023, one month after getting married, Evans opened up about their wedding at New York Comic Con. 'It was really, really great. We kinda had two ceremonies,' he recalled before explaining how they got married in both of their hometowns. In November 2024, Evans confirmed to Access Hollywood that he would 'absolutely' love to become a dad 'We had one on the East Coast. We did one in Portugal.' He said that both ceremonies were 'wonderful and beautiful' before he admitted wedding planning was 'a lot'. 'For those of you who are married, it takes a lot out of you,' he confessed. Now that we're through that, we've just kinda been enjoying life, gearing up for autumn, my favorite season,' he said at the time. 'It's, like, the best time of the year right now,' he added. 'Now we're just relaxing and enjoying life and reflecting.' The couple, who share a 16-year age gap, were first romantically linked in 2021 but only publicly debuted their relationship nearly two years later In early 2023, the actor made their romance Instagram official when he posted a reel of them playing around and trying to scare each other at home Last year, the Captain America star said they were torn between going down the 'puppy route' or adopting an 'older dog' when asked about expanding their family. 'Anytime you see one of those stories about some eight or nine-year-old dog that gets adopted who's had a rough life, it just kills you. And so, to some degree, that's kind of what we've been thinking,' he revealed. And while whether to get a second dog or not is a hot topic of discussion for the couple, they haven't acted on the urge, yet despite Evans saying adopting Dodger eight years ago was the best decision of his life. 'We both need a little bit of downtime for that,' the actor said. 'We've always said, 'Well, maybe we'll just go down to the shelter,' and I'm like, 'Listen, do you really think we're going to walk down there and not leave with at least one dog?' 'There's no way. So if we make the decision to actually walk in the door, we're walking out with one.' Last year, the Captain America star told People they were torn between going down the 'puppy route' or adopting an 'older dog' when asked about expanding their family Evans adopted Dodger from a shelter while filming his 2017 movie Gifted and said the dog has made his life 'exponentially better' Evans adopted Dodger from a shelter while filming his 2017 movie Gifted and said the dog has made his life 'exponentially better'. 'He is an incredibly special dog, and I don't think it's possible to stay in a bad mood when he's around,' he gushed. '[Adopting him] was one of the most profound experiences I've ever had. It was incredibly kismet. I knew right away the second I saw him that he was coming home with me. 'Moving forward, I'll only rescue dogs,' Evans added. 'That's the new approach from now on.' Evans previously shared a video of 'the moment I met Dodger' for a National Rescue Dog Day post in 2021. 'I was filming a movie in Savannah and the scene took place at a shelter,' he recounted. 'I had no intention of rescuing a dog that day, but the minute I saw him I knew he was coming home with me,' Evans added. Felicity Kendal has dismissed modern woke backlash to beloved BBC sitcom The Good Life. The actress, 79, who played Barbara Good, had her say about recent interpretations of the show that have seen main character Tom Good named as an example of 'toxic masculinity'. Richard Briers, the actor who played Tom, admitted before his death in 2013 that he didn't like the character, calling him 'a bully' and 'obsessive'. But Felicity has defended the show, saying Tom never dragged his wife along against her will. 'I think that sometimes these days, because the show has endured for so long and become part of the folklore, people look back on it mistakenly, and slightly narrow-mindedly,' she told the i paper. 'It wasn't a documentary, it was a comedy, and Tom did not drag Barbara along unwillingly. Barbara was positive, and practical, and totally in love with her partner. I loved Tom.' Felicity Kendal has dismissed modern woke backlash to beloved BBC sitcom The Good Life The actress, 79, who played Barbara Good, had her say about recent interpretations of the show that have seen main character Tom Good named as an example of 'toxic masculinity' The Good Life ran from 1975 to 1978. It's first season attracted a modest audience of five million, but by series two, 17 million people were tuning in. Among them was the Queen, who was such a huge fan of the show that Buckingham Palace wrote to the BBC and asked if she could come for a taping. While the series had ended the year before, the programme was intentionally commissioned in 1978 as the late Queen had been unable to attend a recording at the BBC's television centre due to her hectic schedule during her Jubilee year. 'We were used to filming in front of an audience. But we were worried about what we would do if something went wrong during the recording,' Felicity said. The actress added that the cast 'tended to swear' but they all made sure not to utter a single curse word while the Queen was on set. Written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde, the hit show followed the Good family as they abandoned the rat race to live off the land and life a life of self-sufficiency all while remaining in their suburban home in the Surbiton, London. Dame Penelope Keith, who famously brought the iconic Margo Leadbetter to life, revisited the moment the late Queen visited the iconic show's set to witness that final episode. Speaking in a retrospective documentary, titled 'The Good Life: Inside Out', she poignantly described the atmosphere as 'electric' that day, adding: 'The Queen had an awful lot of diamonds on and she was sitting in the middle. Felicity has defended the show, saying Tom never dragged his wife along against her will The late Queen was such a huge fan of the show that Buckingham Palace wrote to the BBC and asked if she could come for a taping The show followed the Good family as they abandoned the rat race to live off the land and life a life of self-sufficiency all while remaining in their suburban home in the Surbiton, London 'Around her, was spread the governors and their ladies who also had diamonds on. So when you looked out, all you saw was sparkle, sparkle, sparkle'. Recalling how she had to curtsey for the Queen, she added: 'It was huge fun, fascinating to have done. 'Felicity who was next to me, she curtsied. But was much shorter than me so I had to curtsey very low.' Meanwhile, Paul Eddington, who played the role of Jerry Leadbetter in the show, also recalled in 1983 how there had been 'quite an excited atmosphere' and a 'certain kind of tension' as the cast anxiously prepared for the episode's filming in the presence of the late Queen. Jamie Lee Curtis appeared to retract her condolences for Charlie Kirk following backlash from her liberal fanbase. The 66-year-old Oscar winner was initially praised for her tearful response to the Turning Point USA co-founder's assassination last month, in which she said she hoped Kirk 'felt connected to his faith' in his final moments. As the mother of a transgender child, Curtis comments surprised many, given Kirks controversial stance on LGBTQ+ issues. In a new interview, however, she walked back her sympathy. 'An excerpt of it [my comments] mistranslated what I was saying as I wished him well like I was talking about him in a very positive way, which I wasn't; I was simply talking about his faith in God. 'And so it was a mistranslation, which is a pun, but not,' she said in the Variety cover story for the Power Of Women issue. Jamie Lee Curtis surprised many as she had an emotional response to political activist Charlie Kirk's assassination last month but the star has since made a rather cold-blooded U-turn on the matter. The 66-year-old Oscar winner had a slightly different reaction to the Turning Point USA co-founder's (pictured in Utah on September 10 before his assassination) death in a new interview as she notably walked back on her tearful sympathy Curtis went on to talk about the backlash public figures receive for making any sort of social or political stand. The actress explained: 'In the binary world today, you cannot hold two ideas at the same time: I cannot be Jewish and totally believe in Israel's right to exist and at the same time reject the destruction of Gaza. 'You can't say that, because you get vilified for having a mind that says, 'I can hold both those thoughts. I can be contradictory in that way.' Many did not expect Curtis to cry over the Republican firebrand as the actress has been a longtime proponent of LGBTQ+ rights, especially given that her daughter is trans. Before his death, Charlie had said: 'The transgender thing happening in America now is a throbbing middle finger to God.' Curtis also pushed back on the assertion that she has to be careful with what she has to say as a public figure. She said in the Variety piece: 'I don't have to be careful. If I was careful, I wouldn't have told you any of what I just told you. 'I would have just said, 'Hi, welcome. I baked you banana bread. Here's my dog. Here's my house, blah, blah, blah. What do you want to know?' I can't not be who I am in the moment I am.' Last month, Curtis got surprisingly emotional while discussing the murder of right-wing political activist Kirk as he was speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10. 'I'm going to bring something up with you just because it's front of mind,' the Halloween actress said on WTF with Marc Maron last month. 'An excerpt of it mistranslated what I was saying as I wished him well like I was talking about him in a very positive way, which I wasn't; I was simply talking about his faith in God,' Curtis said 'And so it was a mistranslation, which is a pun, but not,' she said in the Variety cover story for the Power Of Women issue Last month, Curtis got surprisingly emotional while discussing the murder of right-wing political activist Kirk as he was speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10 'I'm going to bring something up with you just because it's front of mind,' the Halloween actress said on WTF with Marc Maron last month (she is seen with the podcast host at the time) 'I disagreed with him on almost every point I ever heard him say, but I believe he was a man of faith, and I hope in that moment when he died, that he felt connected with his faith.' Curtis - an outspoken Democrat - began crying: 'Even though I find what he, his ideas were abhorrent to me. I still believe he's a father and a husband and a man of faith. And I hope whatever connection to God means that he felt it.' The Turning Point USA co-founder was shot and killed on the first stop of his American Comeback Tour where he challenged college students to debate him. The suspected gunman - 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson - was turned over to the US Marshals Service by his own father last month. Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and their two children. Curtis also worries about 'the longitudinal effects of seeing' footage of Kirk's gruesome execution on social media platforms. 'I know there is video of his assassination. I know people who've seen it,' Jamie said. Jamie - an outspoken Democrat - began crying: 'Even though I find what he, his ideas were abhorrent to me. I still believe he's a father and a husband and a man of faith. And I hope whatever connection to God means that he felt it' (pictured September 5) The Turning Point USA co-founder was shot and killed on the first stop of his 15-date American Comeback Tour where he challenged college students to debate him The suspected gunman - 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson - was turned over to the US Marshals Service by his own father last month Charlie - who's survived by his wife Erika Kirk and their two children under age 3 - was honored at a memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ Curtis can relate as she has two adopted daughters - Annie Guest (R), 38; and Ruby Guest (L), 29 - from her 40-year marriage to Spinal Tap II star Christopher Guest (pictured in 2022) 'The Zapruder film is the only visual document that moves, that shares that horror of what happened [to President John F. Kennedy in 1963]. But here we have now these images.' Curtis continued: 'And we are inured to them and we are numb to them, but they are in there. We don't know enough psychologically about what that does. What does that do? That kind of I don't ever want to see this footage of this man being shot.' The Halloween alum has been hard at work promoting Paul Greengrass' wildfire survival drama The Lost Bus, which she executive produced, which is streaming on Apple TV+. The big-screen adaptation of Lizzie Johnson's 2021 book Paradise - starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera - currently has an 83% critic approval rating (out of 30 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm A Celebrity's Lady Colin Campbell has reportedly been rushed to hospital after a nasty fall that broke her pelvis. The author and socialite, 76, was at the Soho Hotel in London when the accident occurred according to a new report. She had been a guest at a screening of filmmaker Amanda Eliasch's new project at the hotel when the accident happened and she is now being looked after in hospital. A source told The Sun of what happened: 'She was going to her seat in the screening room at the Soho Hotel when she fell. 'It was so badly lit, there was a step with a 15 inch drop and she didn't see it so basically she stepped out onto nothing. The fall was bad and an ambulance was called immediately. 'Incredibly the paramedic who came in to treat her almost fell down the exact same step because he didn't see it either. She is keeping a brave face on but it's been rather horrible for her.' I'm A Celebrity's Lady Colin Campbell has reportedly been rushed to hospital after a nasty fall that broke her pelvis The author and socialite, 76, was at the Soho Hotel in London when the accident occurred according to a new report The source added that she had an X-ray at the hospital and doctors then confirmed she had broken her pelvis. She was taken to St Thomas hospital in London and is now thought to be in the process of being transferred to another hospital which specialises in pelvic injuries. A representative for the star has been contacted by Daily Mail for comment. Lady Campbell was one of the most memorable contestants of all time on I'm A Celeb and managed to clash with almost all of her fellow campmates. While normally private about her personal life, earlier this year she shed further light on her affair with Gavin And Stacey star Larry Lamb in their younger years. She appeared on Best Magazine's I Suddenly Single podcast, where she detailed her six-month romance with the actor, 77, which occurred when she was '28 or 29'. She said: 'I had a roaring affair with Larry Lamb', before lavishing him with praise, saying: 'Larry is a great guy, he was gorgeous and is still good looking.' The Jamacian aristocrat previously said of their affair: 'He was very appealing and gloriously attractive. Pumping testosterone in all directions... Larry was absolutely rampant, he was a very naughty boy'. She had been a guest at a screening of filmmaker Amanda Eliasch's new film at the hotel when the accident happened and she is now being looked after in hospital (Amanda seen at the event) As well as her impassioned stance on their romance, she added that while they did not come from the same background, he was 'one of nature's aristocrats'. She continued: 'My cousin and my brother both agreed that daddy would have loved Larry. He was decent person, intelligent, hard working. When I was 27 or 28, I had a roaring affair with Larry Lamb... 'Larry is a great guy, he was gorgeous and is still good looking. He has impeccable manners. The fact he didn't come from our world is neither here nor there. Larry, I used to say, is one of nature's aristocrats'. Back in 2016, Lady C revealed that she called an end to her romance with Larry after she realised he wanted to get married. Divulging details, she said: 'Larry and I had a small romance in 1978 and I was about 28 and he was about 30 or 29. I think he's a year or two older than me so he was at the peak of his masculinity. He is gorgeous. I can't sing his praises highly enough.' Revealing how their romance came to be, she added: 'We met at the opening of the Ritz casino and he saw me across the room ... As soon as I caught his eye, he caught mine more accurately, he came over and didn't let go.' However, the blonde star wasn't prepared to jump into bed with him straight away and made him wait until she returned from her trip to Jamaica before they did the deed. 'I absolutely [didn't go home with him that night],' she dished. 'I believe in letting a man wait. Larry is lovely and he's very intelligent and very focused. He is one of natures true gentleman.' Although she was enjoying the passionate romance, Lady C decided to call time on their relationship shortly afterwards because she realised Larry wanted to get married. She explained: 'You know what men are like when they want to get married, they want to get married. I realised that wonderful as Larry was, I didn't think we were going to make it in the long haul.' But the pair have remained friends and the former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star even dished out a few tips to actor ahead of his stint in the jungle in 2016, although he failed to reply to her email and text message. She explained: 'I converted him - and he was a willing convert - into a great, great, friend. And we were great, great, friends for years after.' The conversation took a darker turn later in the show as she discussed her fractured relationship with her mother, Gloria. She explained: 'My mother became a big problem... She was a complete narcissist. When I broke free her narcissisticness came out and it was tough to get out.' However, she revealed that after going to therapy at the age of 32 she found a way to move on from her heartache. 'Once you realise you're carrying around lots of pain, I think go to therapy so you release yourself. You don't want to be a problem bore, poor me.' Tragic new details have emerged following the shock death of TikTok star Ben Bader. The 25-year-old influencer known for giving lifestyle and financial advice to young people died suddenly on Thursday, October 23, hours before he was due to go on a date with his girlfriend. Now, police have told the Daily Mail Bader was found 'unresponsive' at Admirals Cove, a private members club in Jupiter, Florida, at around 6:30 p.m. 'He was discovered by fellow residents and appeared not to be breathing,' said Jupiter Police Department spokesperson Shawn Reed. Reed added that 'lifesaving measures' were conducted on Bader by first responders. They said an 'active investigation' is currently being conducted into Bader's passing and authorities have not ruled out foul play. Heartbreaking new information has come to light surrounding the tragic death of TikTok star Ben Bader Jupiter Police Department spokesperson Shawn Reed told People that the TikToker was found 'unresponsive' at the clubhouse in Admirals Cove, the private community in Jupiter, Florida where he resided (pictured) Bader was then transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Bader's girlfriend, Reem, confirmed he passed 'extremely suddenly' as she wrote in a tribute on TikTok: 'The past few days have been the hardest few days of my entire life and Ive never dealt with this before,' she wrote in a tribute on TikTok. She added: 'Especially not the loss of someone as important as he was to me... He genuinely loved every single person that he met and he was so positive all the time.' Reem said that his cause of death is 'still unknown.' Bader had just celebrated his 25th birthday just a month prior on September 22 and was due to go on a dinner date with Reem the night of his death. 'No one really knows [how he died] and it seemed to have been extremely sudden,' Reem said. 'There were really no signs of this happening we were supposed to get dinner that night and he seemed so normal.' She continued: 'I had just talked to him on FaceTime a couple hours before he passed and he was so happy and so normal and he was just smiling and being so funny.' His girlfriend posted a TikTok tribute as she shared the news on Sunday. She shared that his cause of death is 'still unknown' The Miami-based content creator died 'extremely suddenly' after missing a dinner date 'Ben was the kindest, most caring, most generous person I have ever met in my entire life,' she wrote. About her 'hero' and 'inspiration,' she added: 'I know this is selfish but I just feel like I devoted my everything to him and he devoted his everything to me, only for him to be taken away. 'I feel so lucky to have been loved by him but I'm also so jealous of the people who didnt know him well because it's just so easy to just move on.' Over the clip, she wrote, 'rest in peace Ben Bader,' and called her late boyfriend 'the best man I've ever met.' In her caption, she penned: 'please hold your loved ones extra tight and never forget to say I love you. life is unforgiving sometimes. I'm still in disbelief. he was such a special person.' In a statement obtained by TMZ, the Upham and Bader family described Ben as 'visionary who led with love, lived with intention, and turned his passions into helping others.' 'He made a profound impact on everyone who knew him through his wisdom, humor, and compassion. Ben lived each day to the fullest, inspiring those around him to seek meaning, connection, and purpose in their own lives,' the statement said. The statement further said he 'will continue to shine through the countless people he touched' and also stated Ben was born prematurely at 28 weeks. Bader had just celebrated his birthday weeks ago on September 22 Bader resided at the ultra-luxurious private members club Admiral's Cove (pictured) in Jupiter, Florida. Residents pay at least $180k to live in the community, along with annual fees and dues ranging from $28K to $48K The influencer was known across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube for sharing lifestyle content and financial advice boasting a combined following of more than 200,000 people across his multiple social media platforms. His final Instagram post came a little over a month ago and commemorated his 25th birthday celebration. He also seemingly filmed and shared a financial advice video on the day he died. 'All I want for my birthday is more of everything,' he captioned a carousel of photos with his girlfriend and his friends. Bader was found unresponsive at the Admirals Cove, a private members-only community located in Jupiter, Florida, near Miami. The community sits on a massive tract of land originally purchased by the renowned philanthropist John D. MacArthur. After his death in 1978, its 727 acres were purchased for the creation of an exclusive community for wealthy members, with the first residents moving in in 1987. Memberships at the exclusive community cost a minimum of $180,000, while members looking for access to its golf course pay will have to pay at least $300,000 for initiation, as of 2024. Members also have to pay anywhere from $28,000 to $48,000 in annual dues and fees. Lesley Joseph has given a devastating health update on her best friend Pauline Quirke amid her dementia battle. Pauline, 65, was diagnosed with the disease in 2021, but the illness only became public knowledge when her husband Steve Sheen made an announcement in January this year. And now her Birds Of A Feather co-star Lesley, 80, has admitted the actress is 'not okay' as she gave an update while chatting to Bella magazine at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards last week. She admitted: 'Pauline is not too well after being diagnosed with dementia a while ago. She's not okay now. I haven't had time, but I'm going to go up and see her next week.' It comes after Lesley admitted she feels 'tremendous guilt' for failing to spend much time with her grandchildren. The actress, whose stage and screen career has spanned over sixty years, revealed she is not exactly a doting grandmother. Lesley Joseph has admitted her best friend Pauline Quirke is 'not okay' as she gave a health update on the dementia stricken co-star last week Speaking at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards she admitted: 'Pauline is not too well after being diagnosed with dementia a while ago. She's not okay now' (pictured in Birds Of A Feather) Lesley has largely kept her personal life out of the spotlight but she has two children, Andrew and Elizabeth, from a previous relationship with Carl Littlejohn. 'I feel tremendous guilt for not being the grandmother my kids probably expected,' she said, as she discussed having grandchildren for the first time. 'I've never done the school run or babysitting. I just find it hard to say no to acting jobs.' Earlier this year Pauline's other co-star Linda Robson shared a heartbreaking health update on her pals health as she revealed that Pauline has been having 'up days' recently and has even been asking after her. Speaking on the Loose Women Podcast, in collaboration with Mecca Bingo, Linda told Jane Moore that she recently had a call from Pauline's son Charlie. She said: 'Charlie rang me and said she's doing really really well at the moment. Sometimes she has down days, but at the moment she's quite up about everything. 'They said they got really excited when she said "where's my mate Linda Robson?" I got quite emotional when he told me. '[We've known each other] since we were 10 years old. She's always been an amazing actress and my best friend. It comes after Lesley admitted she feels 'tremendous guilt' for failing to spend much time with her grandchildren (pictured at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards) Pauline, 65, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021, but the illness only became public knowledge when her husband Steve Sheen made an announcement in January this year; pictured in 1989 with Linda Robson 'Amazing things happened to us. When Birds Of A Feather came out we started getting invited to everything. We got VIP tickets for Stringfellows and all these different places, we couldn't believe our luck.' Back in February, Maurice Gran, co-writer of Birds of a Feather, explained Pauline was experiencing trouble recognising her own family members. He said: 'Since the diagnosis, her condition has gathered pace. 'She's still only 65 so your heart goes out to her. Initially, she felt she was beginning to lose her grip. Now, we understand she struggles to identify members of her own family.' It comes after Linda opened up about the moment she realised that close friend Pauline 'wasn't right'. Linda told Bella Magazine: 'I hadn't spoken to her for a little while and I kept wondering why she hadn't returned my calls. 'Eventually, Steve phoned me back. Lesley [Joseph] and I went for lunch with her and that's when we realised something wasn't right with her, and that was three years ago.' Linda found the news hard, but respected the family's privacy and kept the diagnosis confidential. She said: 'I've known for the last three years that she wasn't well. I managed to keep it a secret. It was very important that I did, because it was up to her family when it was time for them to let everyone know.' An innocent comment left by a well-intentioned family member inadvertently revealed Chris Evans was set to become a father, months before the world officially learned. Four months before Chris and his wife Alba Baptista welcomed their first child together, the actor's father-in-law Luiz Baptista posted a telling comment hinting about the star's expanding family. The couple had not revealed they were expecting a child, but Baptista set pregnancy rumors off after he dropped a telling comment on a fan-made Father's Day tribute honoring both Alba and Chris' dads. 'Chris, your turn is coming!' Luiz wrote on the post, which has since limited comments. Alba, 28, gave birth to a baby girl named Alma Grace at 1:27pm in Massachusetts on Saturday, just weeks after the couple celebrated their second wedding anniversary together. According to the birth certificate, obtained by TMZ, the couple gave their daughter both of their last names. The Daily Mail previously reached out to Evanss representatives but have not yet heard back. An innocent comment left by a well-intentioned family member inadvertently revealed Chris Evans was set to become a father, months before the world officially learned Chris' father-in-law Luiz Baptista inadvertently revealed the actor's expanding family back in June While Evans has been seen at movie premieres and events in recent months, Baptista has remained largely out of the public eye. In November 2024, Evans confirmed to Access Hollywood that he would 'absolutely' love to become a dad. 'Yeah, I hope so,' he told the outlet. 'The title of dad is an exciting one.' The actor was first romantically linked to the Portuguese actress in 2021, though they never publicly announced their engagement. 'I proposed to my wife in Portuguese,' he told The Knot in June. 'She's Portuguese, so I learned how to say, 'Will you marry me?' in Portuguese. I had practiced it all week.' Evans said he kept practicing what he would say in her native language and almost ruined the surprise. 'I had practiced it so much that while I'd be making breakfast and you almost just start saying it out loud,' he recalled. 'Like, 'Oh God, that's not just a song that's stuck in my head! It's gonna let the cat out of the bag.'' The couple had not revealed they were expecting a child, but Baptista set pregnancy rumors off after he dropped a telling comment on a fan-made Father's Day tribute honoring both Alba and Chris' dads The lovebirds, who wed on September 9, 2023 during a ceremony at a private estate in Cape Cod, pictured in March 2024 Although Evans has attended a number of movie premieres and events to promote his projects over the past few months, Baptista has remained completely out of the public eye (Evans seen last month) Fortunately, he didnt spoil the surprise. 'I got really nervous when it came time to do it,' he said. 'I actually think I screwed it up, but I still know it.' The couple, who share a 16-year age gap, were first romantically linked in 2021 but only publicly debuted their relationship nearly two years later. In early 2023, the actor made their romance Instagram official when he posted a reel of them playing around and trying to scare each other at home. In October 2023, one month after getting married, Evans opened up about their wedding at New York Comic Con. 'It was really, really great. We kinda had two ceremonies,' he recalled before explaining how they got married in both of their hometowns. In November 2024, Evans confirmed to Access Hollywood that he would 'absolutely' love to become a dad 'We had one on the East Coast. We did one in Portugal.' He said that both ceremonies were 'wonderful and beautiful' before he admitted wedding planning was 'a lot'. 'For those of you who are married, it takes a lot out of you,' he confessed. 'Now that we're through that, we've just kinda been enjoying life, gearing up for autumn, my favorite season,' he said at the time. 'It's, like, the best time of the year right now,' he added. 'Now we're just relaxing and enjoying life and reflecting.' The couple, who share a 16-year age gap, were first romantically linked in 2021 but only publicly debuted their relationship nearly two years later In early 2023, the actor made their romance Instagram official when he posted a reel of them playing around and trying to scare each other at home Last year, the Captain America star said they were torn between going down the 'puppy route' or adopting an 'older dog' when asked about expanding their family. 'Anytime you see one of those stories about some eight or nine-year-old dog that gets adopted who's had a rough life, it just kills you. And so, to some degree, that's kind of what we've been thinking,' he revealed. And while whether to get a second dog or not is a hot topic of discussion for the couple, they haven't acted on the urge, yet despite Evans saying adopting Dodger eight years ago was the best decision of his life. 'We both need a little bit of downtime for that,' the actor said. 'We've always said, 'Well, maybe we'll just go down to the shelter,' and I'm like, 'Listen, do you really think we're going to walk down there and not leave with at least one dog?' 'There's no way. So if we make the decision to actually walk in the door, we're walking out with one.' Last year, the Captain America star told People they were torn between going down the 'puppy route' or adopting an 'older dog' when asked about expanding their family Evans adopted Dodger from a shelter while filming his 2017 movie Gifted and said the dog has made his life 'exponentially better' Evans adopted Dodger from a shelter while filming his 2017 movie Gifted and said the dog has made his life 'exponentially better'. 'He is an incredibly special dog, and I don't think it's possible to stay in a bad mood when he's around,' he gushed. '[Adopting him] was one of the most profound experiences I've ever had. It was incredibly kismet. I knew right away the second I saw him that he was coming home with me. 'Moving forward, I'll only rescue dogs,' Evans added. 'That's the new approach from now on.' Evans previously shared a video of 'the moment I met Dodger' for a National Rescue Dog Day post in 2021. 'I was filming a movie in Savannah and the scene took place at a shelter,' he recounted. 'I had no intention of rescuing a dog that day, but the minute I saw him I knew he was coming home with me,' Evans added. On Friday, October 17, around 75 California residents belted out karaoke in a mall where they used to gather for after-school hangouts. Their voices echoed off the shuttered windows and doors of permanently-closed stores. 'I wanted to get people to go enjoy the space while it was still there,' Alexis Malatesta, the woman who organized the event and runs an Instagram fan account for the soon-to-close mall, told the LA Times. 'The Westminster Mall was a huge part of my childhood and I've met a ton of people through our shared obsession with the mall.' Opened in 1974 and situated 30 miles south of Los Angeles, the mall used to be an important retail hub. In 1986, it was the second-highest grossing retail site in the US, according to the Times. Chains like Macy's, Sears, JCPenney, Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, and Spencer's all had a shop in the mall. Its over 1 million square foot floor plan spanned two levels and even featured a carousel. It was developed on an old goldfish farm. But, after 51 years, developers are ending most of the store's leases and turning the property's 100-acres into a 3,000-unit housing project. The Westminster Mall, one of America's most profitable malls in the 1980s, is closing almost all of its stores in days Most stores will close on October 29. The JCPenney shuttered on November 21. Victoria's Secret, Vans, and Kay Jewelers shops will celebrate their final day on Wednesday. However, both the Best Buy and Target that are attached to the property will stay in business during the redevelopment. The closures aren't a major surprise: Westminster's city council approved plans for the redevelopment in 2022, years after the mall fell into disrepair. Plans also include a nine-acre park and an outdoor shopping center. 'The community has expressed a strong desire to revitalize this important commercial center,' the plans for redevelopment said. Still, many Orange County residents are grappling with the end of one of their childhood hang outs. 'I grew up in Huntington Beach just a few miles from the mall,' one former shopper commented on Malatesta's Instagram page. The mall's iconic carousel will finally go silent on October 29, officials said Shops inside of Westminster Mall have been closing ahead of redevelopment plans. Some stores have been struggling with flagging foot traffic since 2020 Westminster Mall used to be one of the biggest retail spots - during the 1980s, it took the silver as America's second-highest grossing retail site 'I have so many memories there and it hurts to see it go.' Another added: 'I moved here in 1978 when the mall was new and I am so sad it's going. I have worked across the street from it for 22 years and will miss it terribly.' But for anyone who missed the karaoke party, Malatesta has one more trick up her sleeve. The Instagrammer is holding a candlelight vigil for the mall on Wednesday, October 29 at 6.30pm. 'Bring your prayer candles (plastic if you must), your tears, your funeral fits, and your unwavering respect for Orange County retail history and the best mall ever,' she wrote. It comes as stores across the US are closing at a worrying pace. Retail analysis firm Coresight Research predicted 15,000 stores will shut by year's end, doubling last year's peak of 7,000 shops. Many stores have closed because of increased competition from online giants like Amazon and Shein. An iconic clothing retailer is plotting store closures and mass layoffs and it's partially blaming President Donald Trump's signature policy. Carter's, the Atlanta-based baby clothing chain behind brands like OshKosh Bgosh, Otter Avenue, and Skip Hop, says it will shut down about 150 stores across North America. That's up from its earlier plan to close 100 underperforming locations. The company said tariffs were largely to blame for its recent financial slump, forcing cost-cutting measures over the next three years. It's the latest in a wave of retailers closing stores to stay afloat, and adds to a growing list of US retailers cutting jobs at a record pace. On Monday, Carter's reported that profits fell to $11.6 million, 80 percent less than the same quarter in 2024. The company attributed much of that drop to tariffs. It said it expects the levies imposed by the Trump administration to cost between $200 million and $250 million annually. Carter's is plotting 150 store closures in the next three years Apparel has been one of the hardest-hit sectors of the economy, with several massive chains announcing closures in the past month. Many say their largely foreign-made products are getting smacked with huge tariffs The stores which are due to close generated about $110 million in sales over the past 12 months. Carter's also plans to eliminate roughly 300 corporate jobs about 15 percent of its office workforce a move expected to save $35 million a year starting in 2025. 'Elevated product costs, in part due to the impact of higher tariffs, as well as additional investment, weighed meaningfully on our profitability,' Douglas Palladini, the company's CEO, said. 'The Board of Directors and I have also decided to reduce our 2026 compensation.' In the past month, several clothing chains have announced a slate of store closures. Popular co-op REI, 169-year-old Orvis, and the iconic tween-based Claire's have all announced plans to close stores. All three referenced tariffs as part of their decisions. The announcement also adds to a bleak outlook for Americans seeking new roles. Layoffs have risen 140 percent from a year ago. Companies like Target, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart have collectively slashed thousands of mid-level corporate jobs this year. Staff cuts have been even more pronounced in the tech sector, as firms increasingly replace human employees with hyper-intelligent machines. Carter's - the owner of child clothing chains OshKosh Bgosh, Otter Avenue, and Skip Hop - said it will save around $35million annually after the cost-cutting Carter's announcement comes as analysts predict America will hit a record number of store closures by December Intel which makes processors that power millions of Dell, HP, and Lenovo computers will slash 25,000 jobs this year as it battles to turn around its flagging fortunes. Carter's closure also comes amid a record-breaking blitz to shut down brick-and-mortar stores across the US. Retail analysis firm Coresight Research predicted 15,000 stores will shut by year's end, doubling last year's peak of 7,000 shops. Many stores have closed because of increased competition from online giants like Amazon and Shein. Walmart's dominance has also contributed to the small-store downfall. Carter's didn't immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Earliest Chinese writing possibly unearthed in Hubei 09:40, October 28, 2025 By Sun Langchen ( Global Times New research suggests that the earliest known Chinese characters have possibly been unearthed at the Liulinxi Neolithic site in Zigui county, Central China's Hubei Province, pushing the origins of Chinese writing back to 7,000 years ago, according to the Hubei Daily. Chinese archaeologist and paleographer Feng Shi, who released the research findings, confirmed to the Global Times that his study noted that inscriptions carved on pottery-made supports unearthed from the Liulinxi site are the earliest known Chinese characters to date. These inscriptions were discovered among 232 carved symbols found on more than 1,000 pottery supports during the early excavation of the site, which was identified in the 1960s as belonging to the Neolithic period dating back roughly 7,000 years. Eight individual characters, including zhu, wei, and yao have been identified so far, per the Hubei Daily. The Liulinxi Neolithic site now lies submerged beneath the waters of the Three Gorges reservoir. Zhou Hao, an expert with Zigui's cultural heritage department, said he had visited the Liulinxi site multiple times in the 1990s and early 2000s to conduct field surveys and provide preliminary assessments for future excavations. "The site sits on a low terrace by the Yangtze River," Zhou explained. "Even after years of sediment buildup, numerous artifacts and traces of ancient human life remain well preserved." In 1998 and 1999, before the Three Gorges reservoir was filled, archaeologists carried out rescue excavations at Liulinxi, which covers an area of 1,325 square meters. The discoveries mainly included tombs and ash pits, with stone and pottery artifacts making up the bulk of the unearthed items. Among the finds, over 1,000 pottery supports stand out as particularly significant, with more than 100 restored to near-complete condition. A total of 232 carved symbols were found on these artifacts, providing crucial physical evidence for tracing the origins of Chinese characters. Replicas of these eight ancient characters were unveiled at the Hubei Three Gorges Migration Museum on Saturday, where visitors could take part in activities such as tracing and copying the inscriptions. A museum staff member told the Global Times that a special display case has been set up for the Liulinxi site, showcasing three pottery supports with clearly discernible and patterned carved symbols. Feng noted that the inscriptions, carved on the columns or tops of pottery supports, exhibit features consistent with the writing system represented by the Shang Dynasty (c.1600BC-1046BC) oracle bone script. These inscriptions can be considered the earliest known Chinese characters. More importantly, the Liulinxi symbols appear in groups rather than in isolation, making their interpretation more feasible, the research reads. In one instance, a pottery support is carved with eight sets of the characters. The Hubei Daily reported that the forms of these characters are nearly identical to those found in oracle bone inscriptions, demonstrating that 7,000 years ago, early inhabitants of the region already possessed a relatively sophisticated concept of civilization. Feng noted that the accumulation of early writing materials has made it increasingly plausible to establish a line of continuity predating the Shang Dynasty oracle bone script. For example, the discovery of cinnabar inscriptions from the mid-Shang period, the early Xia Dynasty (c.2070BC-c.1600BC) cinnabar inscriptions discovered at the Taosi site in North China's Shanxi Province, and incised symbols unearthed on pottery at the Hongshan Temple site in Central China's Henan Province together help extend the developmental history of Chinese writing back to the early third millennium BC or even earlier. Liu Zheng, a member of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, told the Global Times that while Feng's findings and similar discoveries are highly valuable for exploring the origins of writing, as to the early leap from pictorial signs to pictographic oracle bone script, scholars are still debating the defining characteristics and exact time period of this transition. "Hopefully, a consensus will be reached in the near future," Liu said. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. A man who has been out of prison ten days has appeared at Derry Magistrate's Court charged with multiple counts of burglary. Jordan Leighton (25) of Drumard Park in Derry was charged with, on June 20 this year, attempted burglary. He was also charged with, on July 23, of attempted burglary and criminal damage to windows and, on October 27, criminal damage, attempted burglary, burglary, possession of an offensive weapon, namely am axe, and attempted assault on police. Leighton was first reported to police in June after neighbours alerted the occupants of a house he was attempting to break into. He was challenged at the scene and gave his name while having his photo taken. He was said to be in an extremely intoxicated state. In July, he was again arrested after breaking into another house in the same area. He was said to have broken a window to get in and bloodstains were found on the blinds that was later found to be a match to his. On October 27, police were called to a report of two men attempting to break into another house. One of the men made off on foot and the other was said to be Leighton. When police arrived, they saw an item fall to the ground, later discovered to be an axe. Leighton was taken to hospital due to his condition. He told police that he had taken drink and various drugs. While there, he attempted to punch an officer who managed to dodge him. When questioned, he admitted to breaking in but denied possessing the axe and attempting to punch the officer. Police objected to bail as he had been released from custody ten days ago and has 59 previous convictions, including 15 for burglary. Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that Leighton has 'long standing issues' with drugs and alcohol, adding that he had to be resuscitated last week. Bail was refused and he will appear again on November 11. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe The Lu Festival of Light drew to a close this Bank Holiday Monday, welcoming approximately 30,000 people to Drogheda for a spectacular display urban animation of lights and storytelling on a unique heritage canvas of Drogheda. The Lu Festival offered unique experiences to all visitors, with the first public opening of the Dominican Church. An example of urban regeneration, this creative reimagining of an underutilised building brought the stunning church back into civic usage again before its redevelopment into a library. Children from across the region were also invited to participate in the festival, either in person through the Drogheda Credit Union Spooks Parade which kicked off the festival on Friday 24th, or via the colouring competition which saw winners designs projected onto the giant heritage canvas of St Peters Church during the festival. The overall winner of the childrens competition was Anaoise McArdle, though the church hosted pictures by over 100 children over the weekend. Festival organisers said: "We are delighted with the visitor turnout again, it really shows that the projection and stories resonate with the visitors. We have been delighted by the reception received by the new installations, such as the Methodist Church and the Dominican Church. The response to the festival has been overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to its continued growth as a Home of Halloween event in the future." Read Next: Biggest ever Frostival Festival coming to Dundalk this festive season Key sites for animations include St Peters Church, Laurences Gate and The Old Abbey. Part of the national Home of Halloween celebrations, Lu Festival of Light is delivered in partnership by Love Drogheda BID, produced by Visual Spectrum, and proudly funded by Louth County Council, Drogheda Councillors and Failte Ireland. Click the 'Next >' arrow above or 'Next Story' below to go through the gallery Photos: Jenny Callanan Photography Network Ireland Louth hosted a very inspiring event on Authenticity in Business, in the Marcy hotel with Sharon Farrell, founder of Face Credit, as the guest speaker. Sharon, who also generously sponsored multiple awards at Network Ireland Louths regional ceremony earlier this year, travelled from Kildare to share her personal and professional insights on the theme of authenticity in business. In a heartfelt and engaging session, she explored how the lessons learned in her personal life have shaped the way she leads and grows her business, emphasising that true success stems from alignment between who we are and what we do. Sharon's business values are what has made her team and business so incredibly successful. The event drew a strong turnout from local businesswomen and entrepreneurs, with representation from Louth LEO and AIB in attendance. The atmosphere in the room was electric, with lively discussion, a powerful Q&A session, and numerous lightbulb and breakthrough moments among attendees. As with every Network Ireland Louth event, the evening wasnt just about inspiration it was about action. New members and guests connected, shared ideas, sourced solutions, and offered tangible support to one another, demonstrating the powerful spirit of collaboration that defines the Network Ireland Louth community. Speaking after the event, Nicola Connolly Byrne, President of Network Ireland Louth, said: Sharons story really struck a chord with everyone in the room. Her honesty, humour, and openness reminded us that authenticity is a strength, not a risk and that when women show up as their true selves, everything shifts. The connections, conversations, and growth that came from the event truly embody what Network Ireland Louth is all about. Network Ireland is a progressive, dynamic organisation supporting the professional and personal development of women. With over 1,200 members and a strong nationwide presence, the group holds regular events, workshops, and networking opportunities that promote empowerment and leadership for women in business. They are always open to new members joining, who can avail of all the supports and benefits available. It doesnt matter if someone is an established businesswoman or just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey. To join Network Ireland, go to: www.networkireland.ie and become a member. We want your photos to feature on the website via our Camera Club. Do you have a great photo from life in the locality? Whether its a party, wedding, communion, landscape, a quirky shot from your archives, or a simple everyday moment, we want your snapshots. We are inviting people to share photos that capture the spirit of the county. From special occasions to quieter moments, your pictures help tell the story of everyday life in our community. To submit: Go to the Camera Club page and follow the instructions to upload your photo. Include your name, where it was taken, and a short caption if you can. Your photo could be featured on our website and newspaper and seen by readers across the county and beyond. TAP HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES TODAY A petition opposing an arcade in Ballincollig, which was recently granted permission by An Coimisiun Pleanala, has garnered almost 1,300 signatures. In June 2024, Cork City Council refused permission for the gaming arcade at Unit 4, Westside Retail Park, but An Coimisiun Pleanala overturned this decision last week, and granted permission to Coalquay Leisure Ltd to open the facility, which will be open from 9am to 1am daily. This was despite strong local objection, with over 50 submissions received when the plans were before council and a further 22 sent into the planning commission, saying the development would increase the risk of undesirable behaviours, crime, disturbance, littering and normalise gambling. However, the Coimisiun Pleanala inspector said the proposal could contribute positively to the retail park by bringing back into use a vacant unit and economically benefitting the area. The petition on Change.org, which had 1,293 signatures by Monday of this week was set up by Ballincollig resident Emer Murphy, who said: I am a Ballincollig resident. I was born here and witnessed my parents help to build our wonderful town. Ballincollig is a wonderful place to live ... our beautiful park ... our charming ' village'. Today I learned that permission has been granted for a large gaming arcade in our town. Our town does not need this and many do not want this. The petition comes as plans for a similar facility in Bandon were withdrawn last month. Cork County Council had granted planning permission to Leeside Leisure Centre Ltd for the change of use of a former bar in Bandon to a gaming amusement arcade complex, but following local objection and a protest attended by 400 people, the application was withdrawn. The Land Development Agency has lodged planning permission for the development of 147 new homes in the heart of Cork city centre in partnership with Cork City Council. The Anglesea Terrace development will deliver 72 one-bed and 75 two-bed cost rental and social apartments. The tenure mix will be 132 or 90% cost rental and 15 or 10% social homes. The development height will vary from four to 16 storeys at its tallest point and will complement the nearby Elysian building. Located at the junction of Old Station Road and South Link Road, the site is within short walking distance of amenities, retail and public transport including Kent Station and Cork Bus Station. The development height will vary from four to 16 storeys at its tallest point. Upon completion, residents will be able to enjoy a landscaped courtyard, and the ground floor will include 242m2 of commercial space that can be divided into two or three separate units. Subject to planning permission, construction could begin in 2027, with the first homes delivered in 2030. John Coleman, LDA chief executive, said: We are delighted to be partnering with Cork City Council to deliver much needed affordable housing in the heart of Cork City. Anglesea Terrace is a fantastic site with great potential. Our vision is to turn this underutilised brownfield site into high quality affordable housing that can act as a catalyst for rejuvenation in the local community and create positive societal impact for Cork City. This is the latest step in the LDAs ongoing progress in Cork. The Agency is set to deliver the first of 267 homes at the site of the former St. Kevins Hospital in Shanakiel early next year and has received planning for 345 homes at a former ESB site in Wilton in August 2025. They are also active in the Cork Docklands, developing 302 apartments at Horgans Quay in partnership with HQ Developments Residential Company Ltd and a further 337 apartments in partnership with Glenveagh Properties at Marina Depot. Subject to planning permission, construction could begin in 2027, with the first homes delivered in 2030. Valerie OSullivan, chief executive of Cork City Council said: We are excited to see the Anglesea Terrace project move to a new phase in its development. This demonstrates the welcome and growing demand for city living in Cork, which, along with City revitalisation is a key objective of the Council. This project has the capacity to create a desirable, vibrant and well-connected neighbourhood for the people of Cork. No evidence will be heard by the jury today in the case against a man and woman who are accused of the murder of 61-year-old Michael Foley at his home in Barretts Place in Macroom on February 1 2024. Both of the accused made the same reply to the murder charge when they were arraigned at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork. Each of them replied: Not guilty of murder but guilty of assisting an offender under Section 7 Subsection 2 of the Criminal Law Act 1997. Jane Hyland prosecution senior counsel said that both of the accused effectively blamed each other for what happened. 32-year-old Daniel Hourigan, who is originally from Farranree in Cork city and 32-year-old Linda O'Flynn, who is originally from the Hollyhill area of Cork city, are the two accused. The jury of seven men and five women was told by Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford today: I have had some discussions with counsel. A legal issue has arisen. I need to attend to it. I do not require you for the rest of the day. I am going to leave you go now and see you back here tomorrow at 11am. The judge repeated her warning to the jury not to engage in any explorations on social media or on the internet. Nine Cork towns, villages, and islands were recognised at this years SuperValu TidyTowns awards. The awards ceremony, held in Croke Park in Dublin, saw 600 TidyTowns volunteers from across Ireland in attendance, with 929 towns competing for the prestigious awards. Organisers of the awards said this is the highest number of entries ever received since the competitions inception in 1958. Among the Cork winners at this years event, Rosscarbery was named as Irelands Tidiest Village for 2025, with a 5,000 prize fund. Fermoy was also recognised under the large town/village urban centre category for the Gum Litter Taskforce Award, seeing 2,000 allocated to the Fermoy TidyTowns Association. Volunteers head out working in Fermoy, which was recognised under the large town/village urban centre category for the Gum Litter Taskforce Award, which sees 2,000 allocated to the Fermoy TidyTowns Association. Glanworth Tidy Towns was recognised as a regional runner-up in the Waters and Communities Award, with a 500 prize allocated to the group; Kilworth TidyTowns received third place and 700 under the EPA Circular Economy Award; and the Coolagown Development Group received a highly commended certificate and 500 under the EPA Circular Economy Award. In the Island Award category, Sherkin Island received a highly commended certificate and 500, and Bere Island was crowned the national winner, with a 1,000 prize. Ballyphehane Tidy Towns received a highly commended certificate under the Young Person in Tidy- Towns Award; and Boherbue Tidy- Towns was crowned the national winner under the Town Centre First Award, with a prize of 2,500. Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary announced the awards, with Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim named Irelands Tidiest Town overall, as well as Irelands Tidiest Small Town. Mr Calleary said the standard of competition was exceptionally high this year in all categories, with a record 929 entries received overall from the almost 1,000 active groups nationwide. He said: I want to congratulate all the winners, across all the various categories. In particular, I recognise the vital role of volunteers across the country who are working so hard all year round to ensure our communities are vibrant, sustainable places to live, work, and visit. Investment in our communities through this wonderful competition reaps long-term rewards for all, as showcased by the winning groups. At the awards ceremony, Mr Calleary also announced investment of 1.5m in funding to support the work of TidyTowns groups in their continued efforts to make their towns and villages better places to live, work, and visit. Luke Hanlon, managing director of SuperValu, said the company is inspired by the phenomenal pride and dedication of more than 30,000 volunteers across 929 committees, who together have given over 1m hours to their communities this year alone. Its heartening to see that 70% of groups have been active for more than 10 years, demonstrating a remarkable legacy of commitment and civic engagement. The commitment of volunteers and our independent retailers, who consistently go above and beyond for their local areas, is proof that local action can create real lasting change, transforming our streets and protecting biodiversity. For more information, visit: www.tidytowns.ie. With Ireland now an associate member of Cern the European organisation for nuclear research Munster Technological University (MTU) has become the first Irish institution to take a direct role in the worlds largest scientific experiment. As part of a global effort to uncover the fundamental secrets of the universe, MTU is now playing a leading role in the worlds most powerful scientific machine, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Last year, MTU became Irelands first technical associate institute to join the Atlas Collaboration, one of the LHCs flagship experiments that helped discover the Higgs boson particle in 2012. Of the 246 organisations worldwide analysing Cern-Atlas data, only 17 are technical associate institutes, placing MTU among a select group of institutes worldwide. MTUs contribution to Cern is focused on engineering critical systems for the Atlas detector as it prepares for the upcoming high luminosity phase of the LHC. MTU senior researcher Dr Manuel Caballero, and his team are building and testing the electrical panels and cables that will deliver power to the upgraded detectors, where every component must function to avoid disrupting experiments involving scientists across the world. Lecturer Paddy McGowan and his team at MTU are designing the delicate mechanical supports that will hold thousands of sensors, along with the cooling pipes and cables, all operating under extreme conditions deep underground. MTU is also contributing to the design of the core cooling system for these detectors. Dr Niall Smith, head of research and Cern-Atlas lead, MTU described the work as about more than engineering. This is about giving Irish staff, students, and industry the chance to be part of one of humanitys greatest scientific quests, he said. Dr Sean McSweeney, dean of engineering, serves as the deputy lead, with support from the Nimbus Research Centre and MTUs Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering. Atlas spokesperson and Cern physicist Andreas Hoecker, welcomed Munster Technological University to the international Atlas collaboration at Cerns Large Hadron Collider. MTUs innovative engineering expertise will be a tremendous asset as we prepare for the high-luminosity phase of the LHC, he said. MTU is the first Irish research institution to join Atlas, marking an exciting milestone. Difficulties securing a psychiatric report are delaying the sentencing of a man who set fire to a house in Cork city on Christmas Day 2023 while there were people inside. 33-year-old Shane Casey of Shanowen, Rathcormac, County Cork, faces sentencing on three charges at the Central Criminal Court but so far it has not been possible to get the pre-sentencing psychiatric report on the accused. Ray Boland senior counsel for the defence said that solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher had been making a lot of efforts to get a psychiatric report but to no avail. Mr Boland said the defence were now trying to get a UK psychiatrist to examine the defendant and prepare a report for the court. In the meantime the accused has written letters of apology to victims in the case and the defence indicated that copies of these would be sent to the prosecution. Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford remanded the accused in custody for sentencing on November 28. Mr Boland said: Hopefully, there will be a psychiatric report at that stage. Originally there was an attempted murder charge against the accused. He did not plead guilty to that count but he admitted related charges on the indictment on the basis that the full facts of the case would be given at the sentencing hearing. Detective Garda Brian Barron originally charged Shane Casey of Shanowen, Rathcormac, County Cork, with the attempted murder of Billy Murphy, a man in his 60s, owner of the house at Dyke Parade, Cork, where the arson was carried out. There was a plea of guilty to a charge of assault causing harm to Mr Murphy, production of an article, namely a blade, in the course of the assault, and finally causing criminal damage to the house and neighbouring properties with intent to endanger life. It was previously alleged when the case first came before the courts that the accused set fire to the house on Dyke Parade, Cork, just after 6pm on December 25, 2023 when four people were present in the house and that the accused man stood outside swinging a blade when the first person ran from the burning building, telling him: You are going to die here tonight. Referring to CCTV and other evidence, Detective Garda Barron said: At 6.05pm, he exits and stands looking in the open front door at the fire taking hold. At 6.06pm, it is alleged that he closes the front door and attempts to barricaded the front door from the outside, using a piece of timber to jam to the side and then under the door. It is alleged he takes a blade from his pocket and holds it out in front of him and waits outside. At 6.08pm, the front door bursts open and [one of the men] attempts to escape the now blazing house. "It was alleged he said (to one injured party), 'My name is Shane Casey and you remember me from two days ago you are going to die here tonight.' It was further alleged that one woman had to be rescued from the roof and that it took six units of the fire service more than six hours to bring the fire under control and make the building safe and the fire caused thousands of euro in damage, the detective said. Met Eireann has issued status yellow rain and wind warnings for four counties, including Cork, this week. A yellow rain warning has been issued for Cork from 11am on Thursday morning until 8pm that evening. Cork will also be under a status yellow wind warning on Thursday. This will be in effect from 11am until 11pm, with Met Eireann predicting very strong and gusty southerly winds with gales on coasts. Kerry, Wexford and Waterford are also to be placed under status yellow weather warnings this coming Thursday. Possible impacts include localised flooding, difficult travel conditions, and poor visibility. Other possible impacts include difficult travel conditions, some fallen trees, and wave overtopping. Forecast More generally, Met Eireann says Tuesday night will see clear spells and scattered showers. Some of the showers will be heavy with a chance of hail. Temperatures will fall to lows of 3C to 7C. Wednesday will be a "breezy day with sunny spells and scattered showers, some heavy with a chance of hail in the west and north". Temperatures will hit between 9C and 12C as the showers become isolated by evening. Wednesday night will see outbreaks of rain over Munster and it will be cold with temperatures falling to 0C to 5C. A period of low pressure will set in from Thursday, bringing mixed and at times unsettled weather. Thursday will be wet and windy as the weather warnings come into effect. Rain will clear northeastwards early on Thursday night giving way to the clear spells in the east and north and showers elsewhere. Some of the showers will be heavy, and may merge to longer spells of rain in parts of the west and northwest. Temperatures on Thursday will range from highs of 8C in the north to 14C in the south. Heading into Friday and the weekend, Met Eireann says the details are uncertain. "Current indications suggest a dry and bright start for most away from the northwest where showers will be gradually clearing northwards through the morning," Met Eireann said. "It looks as though cloud will increase over southern and eastern parts of the country through the morning and afternoon with outbreaks of rain moving up from the south. Drier in the west and northwest with just a few showers." The mixed and "changeable weather conditions" look set to continue into the weekend. By Isabel Hayes A drug dealer who sold drugs to undercover gardai and took part in the 89,000 burglary of a new Tesco store has been jailed for five and a half years. Eric Norton (32) pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing drugs for sale or supply and two counts of possession of drugs at addresses in Dublin on dates in October 2020 and March 2021. He also pleaded guilty to one count of burglary at Tesco in Adamstown on March 26th, 2023. He has 101 previous convictions. Detective Garda Grainne Collier told David Perry BL, prosecuting, that an undercover garda rang Norton and said they had seen his ad for drugs on Snapchat. Undercover gardai proceeded to buy drugs from Norton on three separate occasions, including cocaine and tablets. In February 2021, gardai noticed unusual activity in a basement flat in Fitzwilliam Square, with several young men coming in and out of the building. They discovered it was being leased out on a short-term basis by Norton. When searched, gardai found Diazepam tablets, cannabis, and ketamine with a combined total of just under 7,500. Documents found in the flat were linked to Norton, including his passport. He was arrested and questioned by gardai. When shown his passport, he admitted it was his and asked for it back as he needed it, the court heard. While on bail for these drug offences, Norton and three other men arrived in a van at a Tesco store in Adamstown in March 2023 disguised as workmen. A fire test was being carried out in the store and the men gained access through an open shutter. They loaded 89,000 worth of mobile phones, razors and cigarettes into the van before making their escape. Norton was recognised in CCTV footage of the burglary and his DNA was found in the van when it was seized. He had photos and videos of the stolen goods on his phone, Garda Kevin Duffy told the court. After entering guilty pleas to some of the drug offences, Norton failed to show up for a sentence hearing and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest, the court heard. Keith Spencer BL, defending, said his client had a drug addiction at the time of the offending and his life had spiralled out of control. He engaged in crime to pay for drugs, defence counsel said. Norton has said he is now drug-free and his sponsor gave evidence on his behalf. Sentencing him on Tuesday, Judge Martin Nolan handed down sentences of two years and three and a half years, which he ordered to run consecutively. (Photo: Caritas Internationalis)Musamba Mubanga-Mtonga of Caritas Internationalis (left) and Kenneth Mtata of the World Council of Churches at a meeting in Rome on the right to food on Oct 22, 2025. Three of the world's biggest Christian organizations have joined in Rome for an unprecedented move: a unified statement on the right to food and nutrition. The World Council of Churches (WCC), Caritas Internationalis, and World Vision International launched their Joint Faith Statement on Oct. 22 during Jubilee Year 2025 celebrations. "As we engage in this dialogue of faith leaders and communities addressing the root causes of hunger and global nutrition challenges, we recognize the vital role of faith-based resources in confronting the systemic drivers of hunger," said Rev. Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace. "Our aim is to build a strong coalition of faith actors to influence policy, empower local communities, and draw upon our shared theological wisdom and enabling legal instruments. "Together, we can make a real difference for the more than 673 million people who currently live with chronic hunger." The accord marks the first time these three global Christian bodies have united on food security. Faith leaders, UN officials, and policy experts had gathered at the headquarters of Caritas Internationalis, a conference of 162 Catholic relief organizations to address a moral and ethical crisis: hunger persists in a world of unprecedented wealth. Michael Fakhri, United Nations special rapporteur on the Right to Food, welcomed the statement as a first-of-its-kind collaboration, according to the WCC report. - RIGHT TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD Access to nutritious food is a right, not charity, he stressed. Fakhri praised the statement's attention to how conflict and war affect food security, particularly in Sudan and Palestine. Arif Husain, chief economist at the World Food Programme, backed the statement's statistics but pointed to a harsher truth. "Today we have $450 trillion of wealth in our world but 14 million people may die of hunger, out of which five million are children," said Husain. "This is morally and ethically unacceptable." Senior representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Holy See, Rome-based government missions, and Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty gathered for a high-level reception. The dinner offered space for informal conversations and relationship-building between governments, faith groups, and UN agencies working on food justice. Represented by Juan Echanove, team lead of Right to Food, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations welcomed the faith leaders' statement. He praised faith-based organisations for their commitment to advancing the right to adequate food. At the reception, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations officials pledged continued collaboration with faith actors to strengthen human rights-based policies and governance frameworks. For Musamba Mubanga-Mtonga, Senior Advocacy Officer for Food Security and Climate Change at Caritas Internationalis, said that global statistics tell a story of moral failure. "The earth's abundance was entrusted to all, not a privileged few. Ending hunger demands that we choose compassion over conflict, solidarity over indifference, and shared humanity over misplaced priorities," said Mubanga-Mtonga. "True justice requires freeing communities from the chains of debt that perpetuate hunger and povertya call that the Jubilee Year powerfully reminds us of: to forgive debts, restore dignity, and build a world where all can thrive." Kai Hutans said, "As World Vision, we stand with faith leaders around the world in affirming that hunger in a world of abundance is a moral failure, not an inevitability. "Every child has the right to adequate and nutritious food, and our collective faith compels us to act so that no child goes to bed hungry," said the World Vision Internationla partnership leader, AMD is working with the US Department of Energy to build sovereign AI supercomputers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the agency's famous research and development center. NVIDIA describes sovereign AI as "a nations capabilities to produce artificial intelligence using its own infrastructure, data, workforce and business networks." The company's products will power Lux and Discovery, which will be built by Hewlett Packard Enterprises and will become the DoE's flagship supercomputers under the Trump administration's AI Action Plan. AMD says the supercomputers' development is made possible by a $1 billion investment from private and public funding and that they will help researchers tackle the biggest challenges in energy, medicine, health, and national security. The Lux supercomputer will be powered by AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs and AMD Pensando advanced networking technologies. DoE plans to deploy it sometime in 2026, and AMD says that would make Lux the first US AI Factory supercomputer. Lux would fulfill the agency's immediate AI needs and will give the US "an early and decisive advantage" when it comes to deploying AI to accelerate scientific innovation. AMD is also working on the Discovery supercomputer with the same organizations, which will be powered by next-gen AMD EPYC CPUs that are codenamed "Venice." It will be equipped with AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs, a new MI400 Series accelerator made specifically for sovereign AI and high-performance computing. "The Discovery system will drive scientific innovation faster and farther than ever before," said Oak Ridge director Stephen Streiffer. They're hoping for Discovery to become operational in 2029 and expect it to produce scientific and security breakthroughs, such as how to make nuclear energy safer and cheaper. Insta360 has launched a new camera that sits between the X4 and its current flagship, the X5. The company says the new Insta360 X4 Air is lightest-ever 8K 360-degree camera at just 165 grams. It is definitely lighter than the 200-gram X5 and the 203-gram X4 cameras, but the company says it packs flagship-level features. The camera has 1/1.8-inch sensors and can capture footage with a 134 percent increase in pixel area per frame compared to recording by the X4. It has lenses that users can replace in seconds, with optical coating that doubles its drop resistance compared to its predecessor. The camera is also waterproof up to 49 feet underwater. The company explained that while the "X5 is engineered for precision, X4 Air is made for freedom." It's compatible with most X5 accessories, but since the camera itself is lighter, the whole setup will still be easier to handle. The X4 Air also has a built-in wind guard like the X5 and captures footage from every angle with its dual fisheye lenses. You can later reframe your footage in the Insta360 app to give your viewers various perspectives of what you shot. It has gesture controls and other intelligent tools the X5 also has, and its Invisible Selfie Stick enables drone-like shots like in other Insta360 cameras. Being lighter, however, means it has a battery with a lower capacity: It can last around 88 minutes while shooting at 8K 30fps, whereas the X5 can last up to 100 minutes. Insta360 X4 Air comes in black or white and is now available for certain regions on the company's website and on Amazon. It's coming "soon" in the US and Canada. The Standard bundle will set you back $400, while the Starter bundle that comes with a 114cm invisible selfie stick, a lens cap and an extra battery will cost you $440. Whatever you choose, you're getting a free one-year subscription to the Insta360+ cloud service with 200GB of storage with your purchase. Mexican businessman Victor Manuel Alvarez Puga, husband of former Mexican TV host Ines Gomez Mont and a fugitive from Mexican justice, has been held for a month in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center located south of Miami. According to public records from the United States government, Alvarez was arrested on September 24 as a result of his irregular immigration status, and not directly for the crimes that kept him a fugitive in Mexico. Since September 2021, there has been an arrest warrant in Mexico against him and Gomez Mont for alleged money laundering, organized crime, and embezzlement of public funds. Details of the arrest According to court documents reported by the Mexican newspaper La Jornada , Alvarez Puga entered the United States on July 10, 2021, without undergoing immigration inspection, and in July 2022, he requested political asylum, a process still pending. The detention center is the Krome North SPC in Miami-Dade, where he remains in ICE custody while his immigration status is resolved. A federal judge, Cecilia M. Altonaga, ruled that he should not be held in mandatory detention without bail assessment, as provided for in U.S. immigration law. The charges against them stem from alleged involvement in a network that allegedly used "ghost" companies to bill for services that were never performed, through contracts with the Ministry of the Interior and the federal prison system during the administration of Miguel Angel Osorio Chong. They are accused of embezzling approximately $163 million at today's exchange rate. According to Forbes Mexico , the Attorney General's Office (FGR) has open investigations into money laundering, organized crime, and embezzlement. Gomez Mont's whereabouts remain a mystery. There is no public record of her being detained or in the United States. Some reports suggest she could be in Dubai, although none have been officially confirmed. The whereabouts of the five children who lived with themthree of her children and the two they had togetherare also unknown. The murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk continues to shake Utah's legal system as new developments unfold inside the courtroom. This week, the case against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University, took an unexpected turn when a judge issued a ruling that could influence how jurors perceive him. During the latest pretrial hearing, Robinson's defense team made a request centered on optics, arguing that how the accused appears before the jury could affect fairness. TMZ reported that the judge ultimately agreed to one of their motions while rejecting another, offering Robinson a small but symbolically important win as he prepares to face a potential death-penalty trial. According to court filings, Robinson will be allowed to wear civilian clothes when the trial begins, instead of the orange jail uniform typical for defendants in custody. The judge cited concerns about media coverage and the extraordinary attention surrounding the case. However, Robinson must remain shackled during proceedings, a measure prosecutors insisted was necessary for safety reasons. The ruling came during a tense session attended by both defense and state prosecutors, who also discussed limitations on courtroom photography and video recordings. Both sides agreed that restricting cameras was necessary to preserve the defendant's right to a fair trial in what has become one of Utah's most closely watched murder cases. Robinson, who was not present for Monday's hearing, is accused of shooting Charlie Kirk on September 10 at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege he later confessed to the crime to his father, who then contacted a youth pastor affiliated with the U.S. Marshals Service. Robinson turned himself in the following day. He faces multiple charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. Prosecutors have stated their intention to seek the death penalty, according to People Magazine. The next court hearing is set for January, when Robinson will be required to appear in person. Until then, the legal teams are expected to continue battling over pretrial motions that could shape how this politically charged case unfolds before a Utah jury. Originally published on Latin Times Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) mocked President Donald Trump after he claimed she "is low IQ." "Trump: AOC is low IQ. If you give her an IQ test, have her pass like the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed. Those are very hard. They're really aptitude tests, in a certain way, but they're cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump," Trump said while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. "They couldn't come close to answering any of those question," Trump added when discussing the final questions of the cognitive tests. He didn't disclose what the questions are like but said the first ones are "easy." "A tiger, an elephant, a giraffe." Hello Mr. President! Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too? Asking for 340 million people. https://t.co/afaYP47knh Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 27, 2025 The lawmaker responded on social media. "Hello Mr. President! Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too? Asking for 340 million people," she added, referencing the U.S. population. It is the latest instance of AOC mocking top Republicans, a strategy she has told her supporters to engage in to exploit their "insecure masculinity." Earlier this month she argued that mockery could be an effective tool to counter authoritarian tendencies she pins on the Trump adminitration. "One of the best ways that you can dismantle a movement of insecure men is by making fun of them," Ocasio-Cortez said. "Laugh at them!" The congresswoman added that the issue goes beyond what's often called "toxic masculinity." "This is about insecure masculinity," she said, "and one of the best ways you can dismantle a movement of insecure men is by making fun of them." She also urged "secure men who aren't afraid of successful people around them, who are good dads, who have strong values" to participate in that effort. Originally published on Latin Times Brazilian influencer Melissa Said, known for promoting cannabis use on social media, spoke out for the first time after being arrested in Salvador, Bahia, on charges of leading a drug trafficking and money laundering network. The arrest was part of a police operation called Erva Afetiva (Affectionate Grass) . Melissa Said, approximately 23 years old, has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and was known for posting content about recreational cannabis use and "personal freedom." According to authorities, this front served as a platform to coordinate the distribution of marijuana and hashish between the states of Bahia and Sao Paulo. "It's a shame," the woman said. "No one should be arrested for smoking marijuana." According to Globo's G1 news outlet , Operation Erva Afetiva included five house searches, where officers found skank marijuana, hashish, digital scales, bank cards, and two cars allegedly used to transport drugs. According to the Civil Police, the influencer was located in the Itapua neighborhood after remaining a fugitive for several days. The investigation began in 2024, after Said was intercepted with drugs at an airport. Since then, investigators have tracked bank transfers, cryptocurrency transactions, and money movements linked to her entourage. Police reports indicate that the influencer not only participated in the direct sale of narcotics, but also instructed followers on how to evade controls and conceal substances during transportation. The Bahia Department for the Prevention and Suppression of Drug Trafficking announced that Melissa Said will face charges of drug trafficking, criminal association, and money laundering. The prosecutor's office requested preventive detention while the judicial process continues. His defense maintains that this is a case of persecution for his public discourse in favor of cannabis legalization and that the evidence presented does not yet demonstrate his direct involvement in criminal activities. The case has sparked widespread debate in Brazil about the role of influencers in normalizing drug use and the use of social media as a tool for recruiting or promoting illegal activities. Melissa Said remains in custody while the Civil Police and the Bahia courts deepen their investigations to determine the true scope of the network and its connection to money laundering in the country. A New York City police detective died in the Colombian city of Cali, a week after traveling to the South American country and undergoing plastic surgery on her buttocks. Now, Alicia Stone's family is asking for justice and help repatriate her remains. According to the Daily News , the case has caused a stir and prompted an investigation by Colombian and U.S. authorities. Alicia Stone, 40, traveled to Cali, Colombia, to undergo liposuction and a Brazilian butt lift, the newspaper reported. The officer, a 13-year veteran and mother of three, was found dead in her hotel room and later pronounced dead at a local clinic. Her husband, Michael Stone, told the newspaper that she appeared to be recovering without complications. "She looked perfectly fine. I don't have the facts, and that's what I need: to know what happened," he said. He said he will request a full autopsy and a formal investigation into the case. According to Colombian authorities, the initial cause of death was cardiac arrest, although medical records are being reviewed and the clinic staff who treated her are being interviewed. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota and the NYPD have also been notified and are participating in information gathering. Stone's death has rekindled the debate about the risks of medical tourism. Every year, thousands of Americans travel to countries like Colombia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic in search of lower-cost cosmetic surgery. However, specialists warn that the lack of medical supervision and inadequate postoperative care can significantly increase the risks. Stone was reportedly staying in a hotel during her recovery and taking painkillers and blood thinners, common medications after such procedures. She last spoke to her family a few hours before she was found unconscious. The officer's colleagues and friends described her as a woman of integrity and committed to her work. "She was a loving mother, a loyal friend, and an exemplary police officer," her colleagues wrote on social media. Alicia Stone's family has launched a campaign to repatriate her remains and cover the expenses of her three children. Colombian authorities continue to investigate the exact circumstances of her death in Cali. Sydney Sweeney is setting the record straight once and for all. The Euphoria star has denied long-running rumors that she and her Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell faked a romance to promote their 2023 romantic comedy. In a new interview with Variety published October 27, the 28-year-old actress made it clear that the media, not the actors, created the love story that fans couldn't stop talking about. "The press did it themselves," Sweeney said. "There was no leaning in, per se." While working together on "Anyone But You," fans began speculating that Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell's on-screen chemistry had carried over into real life. According to PageSix, their playful chemistry sparked speculation that the two were more than co-stars, especially since Sweeney was then engaged to businessman Jonathan Davino, and Powell was dating model Gigi Paris. But according to Sweeney, their connection was purely professional. "The tabloids and journalists just created it and kept going," she explained. "Even if we were just standing next to each other, it was, 'They're standing two inches apart!'" Still, Sweeney admitted that she and Powell share a strong bond rooted in friendship and respect. "Glen and I genuinely care for each other and have a love and respect for one another," she said. "I love being with him. And I think people just truly saw a really beautiful pairing." Sydney Sweeney addresses the dating rumors surrounding her and Glen Powell after "Anyone But You": "Honestly, the press did it themselves. There was no leaning in, per se. Truly the tabloids and journalists just created it and kept going. Even if we were just standing next to pic.twitter.com/6ALxcW3fQS Variety (@Variety) October 27, 2025 Sydney Sweeney Hints at Future Film with Glen Powell Despite all the chatter, Sweeney said she wouldn't mind working with Powell again. The pair's on-screen chemistry made "Anyone But You" a box-office success, and she's open to a sequel if the right project comes along, ENews reported. "We are always open to it," Sweeney said. "I think that when the right concept and script come to Glen and I, we will jump in hand-in-hand." Powell, 37, has also spoken about their natural connection, telling The New York Times in 2024, "The two things that you have to sell a rom-com are fun and chemistry. Sydney and I have a ton of fun together, and we have a ton of effortless chemistry." However, the rumors took a toll on Powell's personal life. His ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris shared on the "Too Much" podcast that the speculation contributed to their breakup. "I just wanted respect, especially if it's gonna be public," she said. Powell later responded to her comments in GQ, saying, "Everybody's always going to have their own narrative on things. And she's welcome to it." George Clooney is reportedly furious over allegations in Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir that Ghislaine Maxwellonce claimed to have performed a sexual act on him at a Hollywood party. Sources told OK! magazine that the 64-year-old actor is "boiling with anger" over what friends describe as a "grotesque fabrication." The memoir, Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, was released earlier this month following Giuffre's death in April at age 41. In the book, Giuffre recalls Maxwell allegedly telling her she had taken Clooney into a bathroom during a social event and performed a sexual act on him. Clooney's representatives have declined official comment, but a Hollywood associate said, "George's blood was boiling when he heard what had been written. He has never met Ghislaine Maxwell in his life, and he's horrified his name has been dragged into this." Maxwell's Fantasies and the Reality Rob Shuter, writing on his Substack #ShuterScoop, added context to the story. Sources close to Maxwell said she had long been "fixated" on Clooney, seeing him as "the ultimate gentleman powerful, charming, adored." One insider emphasized, "George never gave her the time of day." Giuffre's memoir recounts Maxwell bragging about the alleged encounter, but even Giuffre acknowledges the story's uncertainty. "Whether that was true or not, we'll never know," she wrote. Industry sources maintain Clooney had no contact with Maxwell, saying, "George never met her. He didn't party with her, didn't travel in her circles nothing." Another blunt observer added, "She dreamed about George, but that's all it ever was." Remember when Jeffrey Epstein's partner in crime Ghislaine Maxwell said she had a sexual encounter with George Clooney in a bathroom? They are all in on it...https://t.co/puanz2Mz9S pic.twitter.com/GaLvAEL2mo Redpill Drifter (@RedpillDrifter) March 24, 2025 Clooney's Response and Legacy Friends and associates say Clooney is frustrated not only for himself but for his family. "He wants to make clear he had no connection whatsoever to these people. It's a disgusting lie and he won't let it stand," said a longtime associate. Clooney, married to international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, 47, has maintained a low profile on the matter. Sources confirm the actor is "absolutely furious" that his name was attached to the allegations, which he considers a "grotesque fabrication." Giuffre's memoir also revisits her well-documented allegations against Prince Andrew, including claims she was trafficked to him three times at age 17. "He believed having sex with me was his birthright," Giuffre writes, revisiting assertions that previously resulted in a civil settlement in 2022. Beyond the celebrity connections, the book details the psychological and physical control exerted by Epstein and Maxwell over young women. Giuffre described being "broken down step by step until I believed I was nothing more than what they told me to be" and recounted "years of fear and humiliation" before escaping at 19. She went on to become an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, founding the non-profit Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR). Clooney's friends insist the actor had "zero involvement" with either Epstein or Maxwell, and the latest allegations have caused him significant distress. "George's entire reaction has been disbelief and anger," one insider said. "He understands that Virginia suffered enormously, but to have this falsehood attached to his name is devastating." Art curator and model Racquel Chevremont has filed a $14 million lawsuit against her ex-fiancee and former business partner, acclaimed artist Mickalene Thomas, accusing her of physical assault, emotional abuse, and financial exploitation. The case, filed in the New York State Supreme Court, outlines years of alleged mistreatment during and after their personal and professional relationship. According to court documents, Chevremont claims Thomas "subjected her to escalating abuse emotional, and ultimately physical," leading her to end their relationship in October 2020 after what she describes as an assault. The filing states that Thomas later became hostile when Chevremont refused to rekindle their romance, resulting in what she calls "a campaign of harassment and retaliation." Chevremont alleges that she continued to work for Thomas after their breakup, taking on roles such as modeling for artwork, managing commissions, and negotiating contracts. However, she claims that Thomas withheld promised payments and bonuses, including a $2 million commission tied to a multimillion-dollar art deal with collector Jose Mugrabi, PageSix reported. The lawsuit also says Chevremont's contributions went uncredited in Thomas's art business, despite her active involvement in securing deals and overseeing creative projects. Racquel Chevremont, a model, curator, and Real Housewives of New York star, has filed suit against her former romantic partner, artist Mickalene Thomas, whom she had already accused of harassment over the summer. Read more: https://t.co/tZ2na992FP pic.twitter.com/tdxVkPNNoR ARTnews (@artnews) October 27, 2025 Mickalene Thomas Accused of Invading Ex's Privacy According to HyperAllergic, one of the lawsuit's most serious claims involves Chevremont's accusation that Thomas invaded her privacy by searching through her belongings and copying personal photos from her phone. Court papers also allege that Thomas threatened to expose intimate videos and photos from their relationship. "Ms. Chevremont was terrified, especially given Ms. Thomas's prior assault," the filing states. The lawsuit further claims that Thomas "illegally fired" Chevremont in 2022 after she rejected her advances, and later attempted to damage her career by discouraging other artists and galleries from working with her. Chevremont says this led to significant emotional distress and loss of income, estimating total damages at more than $14 million. A spokesperson for Mickalene Thomas has strongly denied the allegations, telling ARTnews, "Mickalene is a world-renowned artist who is the sole author and architect of her decades-long success. The allegations made by her ex-girlfriend are completely false and a desperate attempt to remain relevant and profit off Mickalene's hard-earned reputation and legacy. We will deal with this frivolous and petty exploitation in court." Jennifer Lawrence is keeping it honest about motherhood, aging, and her body. The "Hunger Games" star revealed she plans to undergo breast surgery later this year after giving birth to her second child, saying her body hasn't "bounced back" the way it did after her first pregnancy. In a new interview with The New Yorker published Monday, the 35-year-old actress shared that she's considering the procedure for November. "Everything bounced back, pretty much, after the first one," Lawrence said, referring to her first child, Cy. "Second one, nothing bounced back." Lawrence, who welcomed her second baby with husband Cooke Maroney earlier this year, said she's approaching the decision with confidence rather than insecurity, PageSix reported. She added that while she has a nude scene planned for an upcoming project next spring, the surgery isn't just about being on camera. "Maybe I wouldn't be hustling to the appointment in the same way," she said. "But I think yes." The Oscar-winning actress also opened up about her approach to cosmetic procedures. Lawrence said she gets Botox but avoids fillers because they "show on camera." She noted that subtlety is key to maintaining her ability to express emotion in her roles. When asked about the possibility of getting a facelift in the future, she laughed and said, "Believe me, I'm gonna!" In a new profile for The New Yorker, Jennifer Lawrence got candid about motherhood and shared that, after her second baby, nothing bounced back. https://t.co/ut5jZyZNG2 New York Magazine (@NYMag) October 27, 2025 Read more: Jennifer Lawrence Reacts to Critics of Her Talking Politics After She Dropped Out of School at 14 Jennifer Lawrence: Motherhood Changed All The "Die My Love" actress has openly shared that becoming a mother has deeply shifted the way she views life and her priorities. During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, she described becoming a parent as both "brutal and incredible." According to US Magazine, Lawrence explained, "Having children changes everything. They go into every decision of if I'm working, where I'm working, when I'm working." In her upcoming film "Die My Love," Lawrence plays a new mother struggling with postpartum depression, a role she says she connected to deeply after her own experiences. "I didn't know that I could feel so much," she said. "My job has a lot to do with emotion, and my kids have opened up the world to me." Lawrence and Maroney, an art dealer, married in 2019 and share two children Cy, 3, and a second son, whose name has not yet been confirmed. Recently, fans spotted the actress with a keychain reading "Louie," sparking speculation that it may be her new baby's name. Kim Kardashian is gearing up for a legal career while clients are already seeking her services, even before she officially receives her bar exam results. According to Rob Shuter's Substack, the reality starturnedlaw student has requests coming in daily, ranging from innocence projects to Hollywood disputes. "Everyone wants Kim's name on their side," an insider said. Though she will not know if she has passed the bar until November 7, Kardashian is assembling a boutique legal team to handle selective, high-profile cases. The source noted that she has "shadowed real lawyers for years" and is poised to transition from advocate to licensed attorney. After being inspired by her father, one of the O.J. Simpson defense lawyers Robert Kardashian, Kim started working on prison reform in 2018 and has been instrumental in the release of several inmates who were wrongfully convicted. A friend emphasized, "She's not doing this for fame. She wants justice." With her bar results pending, Kim is reportedly already operating as if she were sworn in, with an insider noting, "She's built the brand, the mission, and the momentum. All she needs now is the certificate and trust me, the courtroom's not ready." The SKIMS mogul has dedicated thousands of hours to legal study while managing her businesses and raising four children. Jessica Jackson, one of her supervising attorneys, confirmed, per People, "Over the course of this program, Kim has dedicated 18 hours a week, 48 weeks a year for six straight years." "That's a total of 5,184 hours of legal study, that's time she carved out while raising four children, running businesses, filming television shows and showing up in courtrooms to advocate for others." Kim Kardashian tells Graham Norton that she wishes to eventually become a lawyer full-time: I will be qualified in two weeks, I hope to practice law. Maybe in 10 years, I think Ill give up being Kim K. and be a trial lawyer. Thats what I really want." pic.twitter.com/TAxXDlqjA1 Pop Base (@PopBase) October 24, 2025 Read more: Kim Kardashian Reveals How Kanye West Turned Her Suitors Away Bar Results and Career Aspirations During a recent appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Kim discussed her imminent bar results and long-term goals. She revealed she hopes to practice law and eventually become a trial lawyer. "Maybe in 10 years, I think I'll give up being Kim K and be a trial lawyer. That's what I really want," she said. She also reflected on balancing her legal ambitions with other projects, including her acting role in "All's Fair" and her SKIMS brand. Kim said of filming, "I've learned you can. It was mentally challenging having to do it all, but I loved it." Co-star Sarah Paulson added, "The truth of the matter is that she made me feel like a slacker. She's running a business, she's looking after four children, she's studying for the law. She really is an impressive person." Kim's journey to become a lawyer involved an apprenticeship in San Francisco since 2018, passing the First-Year Law Student's Examination in 2021, and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam in March 2025. According to People, she was formally released from her Law Office Study Program in May 2025 after finishing six years of demanding study alongside her personal and professional commitments. Prince Andrew is reportedly ready to leave his longtime home at Royal Lodge, Windsor, but he has conditions. According to insiders, the former Duke of York wants to move into Frogmore Cottage, once home to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, while his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, would relocate to Adelaide Cottage. This would mark the first time the couple would live separately in over 20 years. Andrew, 65, has lived at Royal Lodge rent-free for 22 years under a 75-year lease granted by the Crown Estate. He paid a $1.2 million premium for the lease and spent an additional $9 million on renovations, effectively covering his rent for the past two decades, PageSix rereported. Sarah Ferguson, 66, has resided there since 2008, despite the couple divorcing in 1996. A source told the Sun, "[Andrew] is realistic and knows the writing is on the wall and that his time at Royal Lodge is up." King Charles III, 76, has reportedly wanted the former Duke of York and Ferguson to vacate the property for some time. The royal family plans to use Royal Lodge for new tenants, which would fund necessary renovations. Absolutely not! Frogmore can go to Andrew, it has 5 bedrooms, so enough room for his daughters & grandchildren to stay over Christmas & enough room for Fergie & his teddy bear collection! Fergie got a large DIVORCE settlement and she owns a 5 million house in Belgravia! pic.twitter.com/fhzaJTBGnY According2Taz (@according2_taz) October 27, 2025 Duke of York Steps Back, Denies Allegations Frogmore Cottage, a five-bedroom home with a nursery, and Adelaide Cottage, which has four bedrooms, are within Windsor Castle's security perimeter and require no additional taxpayer-funded security upgrades. "Frogmore Cottage is too small for both and Adelaide Cottage is around the corner, so they will see each other whenever they want," the source said. According to the NY Post, both homes also provide space for their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their families to visit. Andrew's potential move comes after he relinquished his royal titles, including the Duke of York, following his controversial ties to convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein. "With His Majesty's agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me," Andrew stated. He also emphasized that he "vigorously deny[s] the accusations" against him. The Duke and Duchess of York's new arrangement would allow them a fresh start. "They have been under immense strain this year and need a break from one another. It's a fresh start for both," a source said. While the Crown Estate and Palace have yet to confirm the logistics of rent or tenancy for the new homes, insiders say the plan is under active discussion. Andrew previously declined an offer to move to Frogmore, citing its smaller size compared to Royal Lodge, which features 30 rooms, seven bedrooms, and nearly 100 acres of grounds. King Charles is under more fire after the news broke that if Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson decide to move out of Royal Lodge, they could each be given a separate residence. They have been living together in a 30-room mansion in Windsor which they have been sharing for nearly two decades. A source claimed that after a long period of tension Andrew has finally decided to leave the property. However, he and Ferguson have made a supposed request that Andrew be given a home at Frogmore Cottage and Fergie at Adelaide Cottage. The plan has sparked the anger of both the insiders of the royal family and the public. Expert Calls Plan 'Brazen' and 'Tone-Deaf' Royal commentator Jennie Bond told The Mirror that granting the couple's request would be "a serious mistake." She questioned whether Andrew and Ferguson "are completely deaf to public opinion," pointing to the public backlash over their continued royal privileges despite years of scandal. Bond said it "beggars belief" that the pair would expect two new residences within Windsor Great Park, adding, "They should be made to fend for themselves and not rely on the King or the goodwill of the Crown Estate." Public reaction has been overwhelmingly negative, especially after it emerged that Andrew has lived at Royal Lodge under a long-term lease costing a "peppercorn" rent since 2003. He reportedly paid $10 million for renovations but now benefits from what many call a taxpayer-subsidized lifestyle. Ongoing Fallout and Negotiations The King's efforts to move Andrew out of Royal Lodge date back to early 2023, when Frogmore Cottagevacated by Prince Harry and Meghan Marklewas first offered to him. Andrew initially rejected the offer but appears to have changed his stance following renewed scrutiny of his association with Jeffrey Epstein and the publication of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir Nobody's Girl. Ferguson, who has lived at Royal Lodge since 2008, is reportedly "on edge" about her future. Friends told The Daily Mail she "has nowhere to go or anyone else to go with" if Andrew leaves. The former Duchess of York, who has battled both breast and skin cancer, is said to be "absolutely bereft" and "embarrassed" by the lingering Epstein scandal. Despite denials from those close to the couple that they are "demanding" new homes, palace insiders maintain that the King is unwilling to meet their terms. "No demands have been made," one source told the Mail, claiming the idea of separate homes was raised early in talks by "the other side." King Charles has been heckled by a protester over his brother Prince Andrew's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while greeting royal fans during a cathedral visit in England. For more news, visit: https://t.co/JpTsni2Vfb pic.twitter.com/2VgneUTXDH SBS News (@SBSNews) October 28, 2025 The Palace's Dilemma Royal aides say the monarch has been patient but firm about his brother's living situation. Andrew's reluctance to downsize has reportedly frustrated Charles, who believes the upkeep of Royal Lodgealong with its public symbolismhas worsened Andrew's reputation. Some in royal circles argue that providing Ferguson with a smaller home, like Adelaide Cottage, could prevent her from writing another tell-all book. She has published two autobiographies, and the palace remains wary of another insider account. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment publicly, but insiders insist the King's priority is to protect the monarchy's image amid rising public anger. "It's an audacious demand," one palace figure said. For more than 30 years, the author and public intellectual Peter Brimelow has argued for and published the writings of like-minded immigration patriots who support strong restrictions on immigration. Standing at the right edge of the policy debate, he has drawn the ire of pro-immigration advocates who ascribe racism to his positions. Left-wing groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League label him a white nationalist. They put him and VDARE, the nonprofit he established in 1999, on their well-publicized hate lists. Brimelow claims those long-running battles over protected speech are the reason he has been targeted by New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged financial improprieties connected to a West Virginia real estate deal an effort that has so far cost more than $1 million in legal fees and forced him to pull the plug on VDARE last year. Its website now states the nonprofit organization, established in New York, was battered into suspension on July 23, 2024, by lawfare from New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Although the state of New York began investigating Brimelow and VDARE in 2022, it only brought civil charges last month for a complex series of transactions tied to a castle in West Virginia. The Brimelows used VDARE like their personal piggy bank, draining millions in charitable assets to enrich themselves, James alleged in announcing her lawsuit. The suit says Brimelow and his wife, Lydia, have looted or wasted the corporate assets, have perpetuated the corporation solely for their personal benefit, or have otherwise acted in an illegal, oppressive or fraudulent manner. The Brimelows contend the allegations are baseless and that James confected a case to mask her true purpose, which was silencing political voices with which she disagrees. The couple says James has taken a page from the same playbook she used to fulfill a campaign promise by prosecuting and convicting then-citizen Donald Trump last year. That, too, involved a sophisticated real estate deal in which there were no injured parties. The years of subpoenas and legal harassment that drained VDARE months before the suit was filed, along with tactics publicly outlined in 2022 by the lead prosecutor on the case, are further proof that James is engaged in a political witch hunt, according to the defendants. Heres our response to all that: we are completely innocent, Peter Brimelow told RealClearInvestigations. We are an example of lawfare. The immigration issue has become increasingly crucial to Democrats who are really upset by Trumps re-election, and they are clearly trying to bankrupt us with an overly broad and cumbersome investigation. The case brought by James comes at a time when concerns are high about the partisan use of the legal system to quash political enemies, and James herself is under federal indictment brought by the Trump administration over alleged mortgage fraud connected to homes she bought outside New York. Cancel Culture Castle At the center of James allegations against the Brimelows is the Berkeley Springs Castle in West Virginia, which VDARE bought for $1.4 million in February 2020. The castle was intended to serve as a location for VDARE events. Lydia Brimelow told RCI that it was a purchase necessitated by a concerted political campaign against the charity. More than a dozen venues in several states buckled to pressure from leftist groups and canceled contracts to host VDARE conferences. She said the nonprofit hoped to generate revenue by renting out the castle, a landmark completed in 1891 and included in the National Register of Historic Places, for weddings or other events. In its suit, the New York AGs office alleges the Brimelows got VDARE to buy the castle as a home for themselves, and then had the nonprofit pay them rent while they lived there. In another improper move, according to the lawsuit, ownership of the castle was transferred to the Berkeley Springs Castle Foundation, which prosecutors portray as shifting $1.7 million to a corporation created by Lydia Brimelow. None of that is true, Lydia Brimelow said. The family lived in the Castle after the purchase was made, but never gave up their home or official residence in Connecticut. They stayed in the Castle for about a year, but mostly in 2020, when COVID-19 shutdowns complicated travel back to Connecticut. A felled tree that smashed through a roof also required oversight of a restoration project. Nor of course does the Complaint acknowledge that [while staying there] I was running a [the VDARE] website and that Lydia was now also locked into a constant battle to stop the Castle from falling down, Peter Brimelow posted on VDARE Sept. 5 when the lawsuit was filed. Instead, it insinuates we were just sitting around drinking tea. The Brimelows say the ownership transfer cited in the AGs complaint in which the building became the property of the Berkeley Springs Castle Foundation, a new nonprofit formed for that purpose was a routine move meant to protect VDARE from personal injury and other lawsuits that might be brought by people using the property. And while James raised concerns over the overlap of the Castle Foundation and VDARE boards, the Brimelows said that it is required to comply with Internal Revenue Service rules for supporting organizations. Without citing this case or naming specific nonprofits because of the political nature of the case, RCI asked CharityWatch, a prominent nonprofit watchdog, whether these sorts of transactions raise red flags. A CharityWatch representative said they are common. Frederick Kelly, a New York attorney who represents VDARE, says two other allegations against the Brimelows are also unfounded. The lawsuit claims that the $230,000 paid to Lydia Brimelows father for consulting services is an unapproved related-party transaction. Kelly said that figure actually represents years of payments made for work at fair market value. The fourth charge in the lawsuit relates to Happy Penguins, a now-defunct Connecticut company controlled by the Brimelows that received some $1.2 million in VDARE funds. Kelly said that it, too, was a response to cancel culture. Because many VDARE contributors wrote under pen names and were concerned about blowback for their opinions, the Brimelows set up Happy Penguins to handle payroll and other financial issues for years, according to Kelly. A Fig Leaf The castle kerfuffle is just a thin pretext for the true attention of the New York attorney generals office, Kelly said. If it was the castle James office was concerned about and neither West Virginia nor the IRS has raised questions that could have been easily resolved if the New York AG had simply asked about it in 2022. The very first thing we heard about this was a blizzard of subpoenas" requesting "nearly 70" different categories of information, he said. If it had been a smaller universe of information, okay, but their approach only makes sense if the goal isnt regulatory but is crushing of speech. There was no informal inquiry, no effort to sort it out, Kelly added. If this was really about the castle, we made it clear we were happy to meet and lay that to rest. But right away they took the most aggressive stance they could take, asking for some 40 gigabytes of emails and more. It isnt clear what triggered the AGs investigation of VDARE three years ago. Neither the New York Attorney General, the ADL, nor the SPLC responded to multiple requests for comment. After a week, the NYAG sent an email, pointing RCI to its complaint and press release. There is no evidence that the actions were promoted by VDARE donors. RCI spoke with two VDARE donors, both of whom said they have no issue with the organization or the way the Brimelows managed it. The AGs office has not brought similar cases against any other nonprofit in 2025, according to its press releases. VDARE, which draws its name from Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World, doesnt raise the kind of money that typically attracts regulatory scrutiny, according to its tax returns. In 2021, the year before James launched her probe, VDARE reported $721,161 in contributions and grants, a figure that dropped to $582,929 in 2022. In 2023, VDARE reported $664,477 in contributions, according to IRS filings. When investment income and other sources are added, VDARE reported gross receipts of $1.7 million in 2021, a total that dropped to $763,754 in 2023, tax returns show. IRS records also show VDAREs legal bill skyrocketing. After spending just $49,152 in 2021, legal fees jumped to $178,658 the following year and in 2023 hit $566,700, according to tax records. But if possible financial chicanery wasnt the motive here, what was? Securing Our Democracy One obvious clue is contained in the filing of the original civil complaint. Letitia James and James Sheehan, chief of the states charities bureau, are listed first, but right below them is Meghan Faux, a longtime progressive lawyer whose title is chief deputy attorney general for social justice. Another attorney listed in the filing in the case against the Brimelows was Rick Sawyer, who in 2022 headed the New York attorney generals Hate Crimes and Bias Prevention branch and is now director of its Civil Rights Division. In November 2022, at an Anti-Defamation League conference called Securing Our Democracy: Taking Hate and Extremism to Court, Sawyer laid out his prosecutorial strategy. Sawyer acknowledged that hate is protected in the U.S. Constitution; the First Amendment protects hate, but said that should be no deterrent to aggressive tactics against those alleged to engage in it. Attorney generals offices have massive amounts of power, he said. In New York, we have subpoena authority for any kind of hate crime, subpoena power against charities and this is before we even file a lawsuit, by the way. We can get massive amounts of discovery without even having to go to court. We have the authority to do massive investigations that look into an organization, or sham charities that are advocating hate speech, Sawyer continued. We can look into groups that are making money off of hate, and we can look into individuals who committed acts of hate crimes without even going to court. Its an untapped power. Kelly said politically charged prosecutors have followed that path. VDARE and the Brimelows were forced into exactly the outline Sawyer gave there, he said. The Brimelows have sought to admit Sawyers speech as evidence in a federal motion they filed on First Amendment grounds, but thus far the court has not accepted it. Kelly insisted that no federal judge has yet issued a ruling on substantive grounds, instead using procedural steps to punt the matter back to state court. But we knew that if Donald Trump didnt have First Amendment protections in New York courts, then the Brimelows certainly wouldnt, Kelly told RCI. Outside the Mainstream Brimelow, 78 and an immigrant himself who was reared in England, is no newcomer to the immigration debate. In 1995, he published Alien Nation: Common Sense About Americas Immigration Disaster, which became a bestseller and is still available on Amazon. His position on immigration remains largely unchanged. Brimelow argues that the 1965 Immigration Act opened a spigot that went far beyond what Congress or the American people expected. The country is being transformed against its will, Brimelow said in a C-Span interview on Alien Nation. He believes the U.S. should stop illegal immigration, deport illegals in the country, and institute an immigration moratorium for between five and 15 years. During that time, there should be a national debate that would establish immigration policy in a rational way. Even then, Brimelow said he expected pushback to his controversial contention that the immigrants coming to America were disconnected from the Western tradition and were more concerned with welfare than assimilation. They didnt expect (immigration) would be dominated by just 15 countries, which is what happened, he said of the 1965 measure. They had no idea any of this was going to happen, but once it did it became a sacrosanct subject and people are afraid to discuss it. If it wasnt for electronic media I would probably be in quite serious trouble. In addition to Brimelows views, VDARE published writers who seemed intent on pushing the boundaries of debate. Posts there included, along with long-standing objections to open borders and lax enforcement of immigration court rulings, things like a claim that the Central Park Five were never exonerated, or that James herself is a black supremacist. Some of the writers at VDARE were pseudonymous, as the Brimelows said they feared cancel culture, and many of them are unfamiliar to a wide audience. Most of the complaints lodged against VDARE by the Southern Poverty Law Center are from many years ago, when they highlighted the organization for publishing what they categorize as white nationalist or racist writers, like the late John Tanton and Sam Francis. The VDARE website also posted items by John Derbyshire, who was banned by National Review in 2012 for a piece he wrote for Takis Magazine that discussed IQ and race and crime and said it was best to avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods. VDARE also has published pieces by Kevin MacDonald, a psychology professor and editor of a publication called The Occidental Observer, who has been characterized as racist and anti-Semitic by critics, and it is this work Peter Brimelow believes leftist groups found particularly objectionable. VDARE writers and the Brimelows have criticized other groups opposed to unrestricted immigration for failing to come to its defense in recent weeks, but some of them told RCI they are concerned about whats happened, especially in light of James track record. Some of the stuff they posted there was interesting; some of it some people might find repellent, said Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. But you are supposed to be able to say what you want, and the idea you should be punished for that by organs of the state is outrageous. And immigration has become a kind of litmus test for the left. Correction: This article incorrectly reported the number of subpoenas VDARE received from the NY Attorney General. It was 3 subpoenas covering nearly 70 different categories of information. The article has been updated to reflect this. Croatian students learn more about China during embassy's Open Day Xinhua) 09:57, October 28, 2025 ZAGREB, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Croatia welcomed students from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb on Monday during the embassy's Open Day. Chinese Ambassador to Croatia Qi Qianjin delivered a lecture to an audience of over 30 students, introducing the 15th Five-Year Plan for China's economic and social development. He said the plan outlines China's development blueprint for the next five years and sends a strong signal of shared opportunities and common development between China and the rest of the world. Regarding China-Croatia relations, he said China will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation at all levels and in all fields with Croatia, deepen people-to-people friendship, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. Damian Bhaskar, one participant, told Xinhua that he has been looking forward to learning about China-Croatia relations and about China's economy. "It is really nice and important for me to come here and learn," he said. Mihaela Magdic, another student, described the visit as a unique experience. Appreciating the opportunity to engage directly with the ambassador, she said this visit offered her a deeper understanding of China's economic growth. "I enjoyed it very much," she said. Moreover, the Croatian students enjoyed Tai Chi and performances of Chinese musical instruments by members of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zagreb. They also participated in workshops such as shuttlecock kicking, tea tasting, and writing their names in Chinese. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) SALEM, Ohio Efforts to plug abandoned oil and gas wells in West Virginia are ramping up after the state announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with oil and gas company Diversified Energy to establish a well plugging fund. The Mountain State Plugging Fund will be made up of $70 million in funding from Diversified Energy, which is expected to grow to $650 million through interest payments over time. The fund will be the first-of-its-kind, giving the state financial assurance that if the companys efforts do not live up to the states expectations, there will still be money to plug its wells, Diversified Energy spokesman John Sutter told Farm and Dairy. Diversified Energy is the largest owner of oil and gas wells in the state, with 20,179 active and abandoned oil and gas wells in West Virginia. According to Diversified Energy, the Mountain State Plugging Fund ensures the companys wells will be retired at no cost to taxpayers. This fund sets a new standard of financial assurance for the industry and reflects our shared vision for responsible energy development in West Virginia, said Rusty Hutson Jr., Diversified Energy CEO, at a press conference announcing the news on Oct. 16. Well plugging The companys success was built on its ability to rehabilitate and continue using older conventional wells across Appalachia, but this business model has also gotten it into hot water with the courts. Diversified was ordered by a West Virginia judge in a lawsuit last year to plug 2,600 wells over the next 10 years in six states, including West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. The lawsuit was brought on by West Virginia landowners in 2022, who have abandoned oil and gas wells on their property owned by Diversified Energy. According to the landowners, the unplugged wells reduce the enjoyment of their property, lower its value and present health and environmental risks. In West Virginia, well owners are required to plug abandoned wells non-producing wells with a known owner. Currently, well-plugging efforts in the state are financed through federal grants and the WV DEPs Abandoned Well Plugging Program, funded by industry permit fees, bond forfeitures and severance taxes. There are currently 21,000 abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells in West Virginia. The cost to plug an abandoned oil and gas well can be expensive. In West Virginia, the average cost is up to $100,000, reports the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Through the new program, well-plugging operations will be conducted by Next LVL Energy, a subsidiary of Diversified Energy. The company uses over 20 rigs, with plans to expand this number and hire new employees as its well-plugging efforts grow. Already, Next LVL Energy the largest well-plugging company in Appalachia has plugged almost 1,335 wells in the Appalachian Basin, plugging roughly 360 wells in 2025. As part of the well-plugging fund, Diversified Energy agreed to retire at least 1,500 of its wells in the next 20 years, and hopes to eventually plug 250 wells each year. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey praised the fund, specifically for the economic benefits it is expected to bring to the state. The Mountain State Plugging Fund is a bold step forward delivering high-paying jobs, as well as environmental and economic benefits for our communities while showcasing West Virginias leadership in energy innovation, Morrisey said at the Oct. 16 press conference. This initiative sends a clear message: West Virginia can both be a leader in energy dominance and in environmental solutions. The fund leaves the door open for other oil and gas operators to contribute similar funds for well-plugging operations for non-producing or existing orphan wells. (Liz Partsch can be reached at epartsch@farmanddairy.com or 330-337-3419.) SALEM, Ohio The ongoing government shutdown is an inconvenience for farmers missing payments from government organizations like the U.S. Department of Agricultures Farm Service Agency or who are unable to access agricultural data. But if the impasse over federal spending drags on for weeks or months as expected it could grow much more dire for the nations agriculture community. Many farmers were on the cusp of harvesting their crops when agencies like the USDA largely closed their doors on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to agree on a funding plan. As a result, many growers are missing loan and grant payments when they are most in need of cash. Any payment that is coming from the Farm Service Agency, whether thats a typical commodities support payment or any type of disaster aid, those are being held up, said Robert Moore, an attorney and research specialist for the Ohio State Universitys agricultural extension. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on the social media platform X on Oct. 22 that the Farm Service Agency would resume some of its core functions, including loan processing. However, a tranche of federal money intended to help soybean farmers harmed by an ongoing trade war is on hold until the government reopens. The shutdown comes at a time when agricultural producers are already struggling with high costs and low commodity prices. But the situation could get worse. Randy Smith, a corn and soybean farmer from Butler County, Pennsylvania, has a commodity loan from the Farm Service Agency, which is supposed to go to the buyer of his crops, who then pays him for his grain and then holds on to it until the prices rise. But Smith said the buyer wont pay until the loan payments come through from the FSA, even as his crops sit in their storage bins. Were not going to go out of business, Smith stressed. But every dollar helps. The Pennsylvania farmer was also supposed to split the bill for a new grain dryer with the National Resources Conservation Service which is also part of the USDA through a cost-sharing program. Its days away from being done, Smith said of the dryer, worrying that he wont see the agencys share for some time. On their own, lack of payments and missing data are inconvenient, but I think its going to have a compounding effect over time, Moore said. The shutdown is worse for small farmers, said Dana DiPrima, founder of For Farmers Movement, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that provides grants to farmers in several Midwest and East Coast states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania. Small farmers dont have a cushion, she said. When something happens during harvest season, it can mean they cant pay workers, and harvest is left in the field. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding is set to run out in November, which could be a major impediment to Ohio farmer Lauren Gerig, who raises hogs near New Madison on the western side of the state. She sells her meat at farmers markets where customers sometimes pay with SNAP benefits. A local nonprofit matches any money spent by SNAP recipients at one of those markets, guaranteeing her a haul of several hundred dollars every time she participates. Thats where we probably have our biggest solid group of customers, she said. Data from the mostly shuttered USDA also helps markets set prices for commodities like corn and soybeans. Without that data, buyers will almost certainly be conservative in the prices they offer growers to avoid the risk of overpaying, Moore said. If they dont have the most up-to-date reports on what current yields are doing, and what the progress of the crops are, then they dont have data thats as good as they normally have, Moore said. Without that data, I think they could err on making the price a little on the low side rather than the high side. Farmers across northern and eastern England are being ordered to bring their flocks indoors as Defra imposes a mandatory housing order to contain the fast-spreading threat of avian influenza from from 00:01 hrs on Thursday 30 October. The emergency measure applies to large parts of England, including the North, Midlands and eastern counties, where infection risk is highest. However, the absence of a similar order in southern England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland has left many producers beyond the boundary questioning why restrictions stop short. The high-risk zone extends from the Scottish and Welsh borders south to Knighton, sweeping across the Midlands north of Birmingham and Peterborough before looping around East Anglia down to Colchester and Harwich. England last saw a regional housing order in December 2024, lifted in stages from May 2025, following months of outbreaks that affected multiple counties. The affected counties and unitary authorities include Cheshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Tyne & Wear, and West Yorkshire. The measures do not apply to hobby keepers, only to those with more than 50 birds, or keep farmers who sell or give away eggs or poultry products. Defra said this was due to the increased biosecurity risk associated with trading activity, such as vehicle movements between sites. These keepers must therefore keep their birds housed to reduce exposure to infection. UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: The risk of avian flu is seasonally very high which is why we are introducing these measures to help protect livelihoods and animal welfare. There is an increasing number of avian influenza cases on commercial farms and in backyard flocks across various counties across England. Prompt action to try and prevent the further spread of disease is now necessary and I would urge bird keepers to comply with the new housing measures." Experts had been warning for weeks that the autumn migratory season would bring renewed pressure on poultry farms. Speaking in September, Gordon Hickman, Defra's head of exotic disease policy, told a seminar audience that authorities were planning for another difficult autumn and winter, adding that it was going to be worse than the last 12-month period, and certainly a lot worse than the six [cases] that we had the previous year. That warning has proven prescient. Since the start of the administrative year on 1 October, outbreaks have accelerated, including one affecting a 300,000-bird barn unit and four commercial free-range layer farms together accounting for more than half a million hens lost so far this season. With ten confirmed cases across the UK, this has already become the worst October since 2021, when the industry lost over one million birds from outdoor systems. The continuing spread has prompted concern within retail supply chains, with reports that supermarkets are asking suppliers to prepare contingency plans for egg shortages. The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) has welcomed Defra's swift decision to impose a regional housing order, calling it a necessary and decisive response to the escalating threat. But the organisation expressed disappointment that the policy has not been extended nationwide. It argues that a GB-wide housing order would provide stronger protection for flocks and consistency for producers facing similar risks across the UK. BFREPAs Head of Strategy and Producer Engagement, Gary Ford, said: We welcome Defra's decision to take decisive action in areas most affected by avian influenza. However, this remains a really testing and extremely worrying time for free range egg producers across the whole of the UK. A consistent, UK-wide housing order would not only offer stronger protection for free range birds but also provide clarity and fairness for farmers, wherever they are based. "Producers are all facing similar risks, and a joined-up approach would give the sector much-needed reassurance and confidence at an extremely difficult time, and so early in the bird flu season. While Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland continue to determine their own approaches, BFREPA is urging devolved governments to work closely with DEFRA to deliver a coherent, UK-wide strategy. The association said it would keep supporting members with practical guidance, regular updates and engagement with officials to safeguard bird welfare and farm resilience throughout the housing period. The welfare of our flocks and the livelihoods and mental wellbeing of those who care for them remain our top priority, BFREPA said. In a breakthrough for animal health and biosecurity, scientists at the Roslin Institute have successfully developed pigs resistant to classical swine fever (CSF) using cutting-edge gene-editing technology. The highly contagious virus, which was last detected in the UK in 2000, continues to cause devastating outbreaks across Europe, Asia and Latin America, costing the global pig industry millions of pounds each year. Researchers at the world-renowned Edinburgh institute modified a protein that the virus relies on to replicate inside pig cells. In controlled trials, the gene-edited pigs remained completely healthy when exposed to CSF, while unedited pigs developed the disease. The team said the genetic alteration provided complete protection from infection without affecting the pigs health, growth or development. They also believe the modified animals would be unlikely to transmit the virus to others, potentially offering a powerful new tool to combat one of the worlds most damaging livestock diseases. Before creating the pigs, the Roslin team collaborated with international partners to study how a group of viruses known as pestiviruses which includes CSF interact with pig cells. They focused on a key protein called DNAJC14, previously identified as crucial to the replication process. In laboratory studies, altering the gene responsible for producing this protein stopped the virus from reproducing in cultured cells. Based on those findings, researchers made a precise change to a section of the DNAJC14 gene in pig embryos, disabling the viruss ability to hijack the animals cellular machinery. The embryos were implanted into surrogate mothers, and when the offspring reached adulthood, they were exposed to the CSF virus under controlled conditions. Over several weeks of monitoring, the gene-edited pigs showed no signs of infection, while unedited pigs developed typical symptoms of the disease confirming the edits protective effect. Dr Simon Lillico, core scientist at the Roslin Institute, said the results demonstrate the growing potential of genetic technology to protect animal health and improve sustainability. Our research highlights the growing potential of gene editing in livestock to improve animal health and support sustainable agriculture, he said. The study, published in Trends in Biotechnology, was conducted in collaboration with Genus/PIC, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), and the University of Lubeck in Germany. The project received funding from the BBSRC National Bioscience Research Infrastructure and support from the Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility at the University of Edinburgh. Although classical swine fever has not been detected in the UK for 25 years, it remains endemic in many parts of the world and continues to threaten biosecurity. Experts say the Roslin breakthrough could pave the way for disease-resistant livestock that reduce the need for culling and vaccination during outbreaks a potential game-changer for global animal health and food security. However, gene-edited animals remain subject to strict regulation and public scrutiny in the UK and Europe, meaning any commercial rollout would still require extensive review and approval. Even so, the work marks another milestone in the Roslin Institutes legacy of livestock innovation building on its world-leading role in genetic science since the creation of Dolly the sheep nearly three decades ago. New laws will require all new ATVs and GPS units to carry forensic markings in a bid to crack down on rural machinery theft a major victory for the industry after years of campaigning. The move follows a sharp rise in the theft of farm vehicles and GPS equipment, crimes increasingly linked to organised gangs targeting rural areas across the UK. The government confirmed the measure in its response to the Home Offices call for evidence on extending the Equipment Theft Act, which became law in 2023. The original act gave ministers powers to introduce regulations deterring the theft and resale of agricultural equipment such as quads and ATVs. In its latest response, the government said it would introduce new regulations to parliament this year requiring all new ATVs and GPS units to have forensic markings and to be registered on a property database. The NFU worked closely with Greg Smith, MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, and the National Rural Crime Unit on shaping the legislation. Rural crime continues to be a huge issue for our members and we welcome the governments recognition of its devastating consequences in the Equipment Theft Acts secondary legislation, said NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos. Hallos welcomed the governments recognition of the scale of the problem but warned that critical opportunities to strengthen the Act had been missed. Former Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention Dame Diana Johnsons remarks at our NFU summer reception earlier this year that there is still more to be done in tackling machinery theft still rings true, she said. The inclusion of removable GPS units in the legislation is a positive step forward, especially with GPS theft still on the rise and NFU Mutuals latest report showing it cost more than 4 million last year. However, she said the government had failed to include mandatory immobilisers for new ATVs, or to extend protection to larger agricultural vehicles and GPS units integrated with machinery. Since the Equipment Theft Act came into force, the industry has repeatedly called for a mandatory registration scheme for ATVs and high-value farm machinery, along with defined standards for tracking, forensic marking and immobiliser technology to improve recovery of stolen assets. The governments response confirmed that the new secondary legislation would not cover those measures. While progress has been made, this response feels like a missed opportunity to deliver meaningful deterrents against the organised criminal networks targeting our sector, Hallos added. The NFU said it will continue to lobby for stronger security requirements in future legislation, including the fitting of immobilisers on new ATVs and extending the rules to larger agricultural equipment. Hallos said that while forensic marking was a welcome deterrent, a more comprehensive package of measures was still needed to protect farmers and rural businesses from increasingly sophisticated criminal activity. With rural machinery theft costing farmers millions of pounds each year, the union said it would monitor how the new rules are implemented and continue pressing for broader reforms to keep pace with evolving rural crime. Scotlands rural economy faces a potential hammer blow if the government presses ahead with its current Land Reform Bill, according to rural businesses. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) has warned MSPs that the legislation must be workable, proportionate and evidence-based to avoid doing lasting harm. With Stage 3 of the Bill due to begin today (28 October), SLE has issued an urgent briefing to parliament highlighting what it calls major flaws in the proposals and warning that some amendments could make the legislation even more damaging for rural businesses and investment. The Bill aims to address long-standing concerns over land ownership concentration in Scotland, where a small number of individuals and organisations own a significant proportion of private rural land. However, SLE says that without substantial revision, the legislation risks doing more harm than good. In its submission to MSPs, SLE identified several major problem areas, including new powers that it says would interfere with the land market, create bureaucratic burdens for land managers, and undermine investor confidence across the countryside. One of the most controversial measures would allow the breaking up of estates for sale through lotting and introduce a property transfer test proposals SLE described as serious and unworkable interference in the land market. The organisation said these steps lack any clear evidence base and risk deterring long-term investment. SLE also highlighted widespread confusion over which landholdings would actually fall under the new rules. The Bills hugely complex mechanism for identifying large landholdings could make it almost impossible to know what land is covered, with officials unable to clarify definitions such as contiguous holdings and connected persons. Another area of concern is the proposed prior notification process, which would require the Scottish government to alert not only local communities but potentially anyone anywhere in the world who had expressed an interest in purchasing land from a large holding. SLE said this would effectively cast ministers in the role of global estate agents, creating cost and confusion while offering little tangible benefit to rural Scotland. The group also warned that proposed Land Management Plan requirements risk becoming a bureaucratic nightmare for large farms and estates. Some amendments would compel annual reporting to the Scottish Land Commission, creating excessive administrative burdens without clear benefit for communities or the environment. While stressing that it supports the principle of land reform, SLE said the Bill in its current form is not fit for implementation and could stall rural development, deter investment and undermine job creation, climate and biodiversity projects across Scotland. Concerns about the Bills drafting have also been echoed by a range of voices including former Green MSP Andy Wightman, several parliamentary committees, and rural law and accountancy firms. Wightman and Don Macleod, head of property at a leading Edinburgh firm, have jointly written to Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon, urging her to delay Stage 3 and return the Bill to committee for further scrutiny. SLE said it had also submitted formal legal advice to the government identifying significant issues with the drafting of key provisions. The group's chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing warned that the legislation could have severe unintended consequences if pushed through in its current form. Research endorsed by the Scottish government demonstrates that estates generate an estimated 2.4 billion GVA each year for the Scottish economy and support around 57,000 jobs roughly one in ten rural jobs, she said. The reality is that this Bill, if passed in its current form, risks delivering a hammer blow to that rural economy by discouraging investment, increasing red tape and threatening the break-up of successful estate and large farm and land-based businesses. Laing said that while some deficiencies had been addressed during the Bills progress, fundamental problems remain, and much of the detailed work will fall to secondary legislation, regulation and guidance. The scale and complexity of that task should not be underestimated it could take years before key elements of the Bill are practically workable, if at all, she added. SLE has reiterated that it is not opposed to reform, but is calling for a measured, evidence-led approach that supports rather than penalises rural enterprise. We recognise that the Scottish government wishes to pursue land reform, and there are many aspects we can support, Laing said. However, the current Bill and many of the proposed amendments risk creating bad law. That view is shared by campaigners, legal experts and professionals across finance, property and land management. With debate on Stage 3 amendments beginning, SLE says the coming days will be crucial in deciding whether land reform strengthens Scotlands rural future or sets it back a generation. Bright pink feed buckets are returning to fields as Rumenco relaunches its Lifeline Lamb and Ewe Pink Bucket campaign, following an overwhelmingly successful first year that raised more than 21,600. The campaign, launched to support the Pink Ribbon Foundation's work with people affected by breast cancer, has struck a powerful chord with farmers and rural communities across the UK. Rumenco says the campaigns success and emotional impact made continuing it into 2025 an easy decision. Managing director Nigel Lyon said the result showed how deeply the cause resonated with farmers. It shows how poignant cancer is to farmers and how important it is to raise awareness and support organisations like the Pink Ribbon Foundation, he said. When we calculated the total, everyone was surprised at the success of the campaign, and it was an easy decision to roll it out for a second year. Every year, more than 55,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer, including around 400 men. The Pink Ribbon Foundation is a grant-making trust that supports charities working to improve early detection, treatment and understanding of the disease, as well as those helping patients and their families. The pink bucket initiative has turned a practical on-farm product into a symbol of solidarity and awareness. Farmers have embraced the campaign not only for its charitable purpose but also for the powerful visual reminder it sends across the countryside. Rumenco employee Jo Taylor, who was treated for breast cancer in 2024, said seeing the campaigns reach has been deeply moving. Raising awareness to help catch cancer early is paramount, she said. Seeing so many pink buckets in fields, farms and merchants highlights the support of everyone in helping combat this terrible disease. With the relaunch of the campaign, Rumenco hopes to raise even more funds for the foundation while continuing to shine a light on the importance of early diagnosis and support for those affected. Lyon added that the response from the agricultural community has been incredible and demonstrates the strength of solidarity within farming. The company plans to continue donating a portion of sales from every pink Lifeline Lamb and Ewe bucket sold throughout the coming year. Rumenco hopes to raise even more funds in 2025 while continuing to highlight the importance of early diagnosis and support for those affected by breast cancer. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the luxury hospitality industry continues to redefine what sophistication means to the modern traveler, Tom Rowntree, Vice President of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands at IHG Hotels & Resorts, will take the stage at ILHA INSPIRE Europe, November 12-13 at the Congress Centre of the Czech National Bank in Prague. In an exclusive conversation titled "IHG's New Vision for Modern Luxury," Rowntree will speak with Terence Baker, Senior News Editor, STR / CoStar News Hotels, exploring how IHG is building iconic luxury brands designed for individuality, authenticity, and meaningful connection. Building Iconic Luxury Brands for the Modern Traveler Drawing on his leadership across brands like Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, and Vignette Collection, Rowntree will discuss how IHG is redefining luxury through thoughtful brand evolution and deep consumer insight. The conversation will explore: Reimagining legacy brands while preserving heritage and identity Balancing modern innovation with timeless sophistication The rise of multigenerational and experiential travel and How wellness, cultural connection, and authenticity are shaping the future of luxury View the agenda here Beyond the stage, INSPIRE Prague offers countless opportunities to connect with the people shaping the future of luxury hospitality. Attendees can unwind and network in the INSPIRE Hub, enjoy curated cocktail receptions, and engage in informal meetups designed to spark conversation and collaboration. It's a relaxed yet dynamic environment where meaningful connections turn into lasting partnerships - and where the leaders of the luxury hotel world come together to share ideas, celebrate innovation, and build relationships that extend well beyond the conference. Supporting Partners and Sponsors The INSPIRE Prague conference is supported by leading sponsors driving innovation, design, and engagement across luxury hospitality, including Honeywell, WorldHotels, Avendra International, Crestron, Cvent, Ecolab, Haus of Park, Coffee Break, Dutch Cocktail Club, 2Spicy, Le Petit Chef,The Guest Club, Dialogue Agency, Jupiter, IRIS Systems and Uniguest. See the full list of sponsors: https://inspire.ilha.org/eu/eu-sponsors/ A Global Gathering of Hospitality Leaders With 300+ attendees and 60+ speakers, INSPIRE Prague will bring together hotel owners, investors, developers, and brand leaders to explore innovation, culture, wellness, technology, development, and investment in the luxury sector. Following Prague, ILHA will host INSPIRE USA at Resorts World Las Vegas, December 10-11, continuing the global dialogue on leadership and opportunity in luxury hospitality. Join Us Registration now: Prague (Nov 12-13, 2025) : inspire.ilha.org/eu : Las Vegas (Dec 10-11, 2025): inspire.ilha.org/us About the International Luxury Hotel Association (ILHA) The ILHA is the leading trade association in the luxury hospitality industry, uniting hoteliers, travel professionals, and industry partners across the globe. With a community of over one million professionals worldwide, ILHA advances growth, best practices, and innovation in luxury hospitality. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2595059/ILHA_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ihgs-tom-rowntree-to-discuss-the-evolution-of-modern-luxury-at-international-luxury-hotel-association-inspire-prague-302595901.html Platformed's AI Auditor ensures consistent and high-quality results for HLB Mann Judd across all IT aspects of financial audits, and enables the firm to offer additional IT audit services across multiple frameworks Partnership signals new opportunities for efficiency across global auditing industry LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Platformed , the AI auditor provider, today announced HLB Mann Judd , a leading Australian accountancy and audit network, has selected Platformed's AI auditor to standardize its IT General Controls (ITGC) testing for statutory financial audits. HLB Mann Judd firms have started using Platformed to support ASA 315* assessments as part of statutory audits for its clients, and is considering offering additional IT audit services to its clients across multiple frameworks in the future. "Audits are not just about compliance - they deliver real insight and confidence for our clients. By working with Platformed, we can standardize ITGC testing across our network and give our auditors the tools to deliver consistent, high-quality results. This partnership strengthens our statutory audit work under ASA 315 and creates a foundation to expand into broader IT assurance services in the future, offering clients more value from a single trusted provider. Our team recognized the value of Platformed straight away during the trial phase and were eager to adopt it. Since then, they've built a strong working relationship with the Platformed team." Jude Lau, Senior Partner, HLB Mann Judd The HLB Mann Judd Australasian Association consists of 11 independent member firms and two representative firms, located in major cities and regional business centres in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The firms' specialists provide advice and services to a large and diversified client base that includes growing businesses, governments, not for profits and individuals. "HLB Mann Judd's decision to adopt Platformed underscores the growing importance of technology assurance in statutory audits. We're proud to support HLB Mann Judd in delivering consistent, efficient, and high-quality audits - and in helping their clients unlock even greater value from assurance." Henry Irish, CEO and Founder, Platformed Platformed's AI Auditor offering has been developed to enable audit firms to meet the increasing IT audit requirements of ISA 315, and its global and regional equivalents, and other frameworks with efficiency and precision. Platformed's AI system discovers risks and assesses control compliance by mapping the client's data and context, performing a preliminary assessment automatically. Auditors can review these insights, make necessary adjustments, and request additional data from clients when required, using collaborative workflow features. Reports generated by Platformed are easily integrated into auditors' existing templates, while detailed evidence packs ensure comprehensive record-keeping for case management systems. For more information, please visit: platformed.com *Note: ASA 315 is the Australian equivalent of ISA 315 About Platformed Platformed is an AI agent purpose-built for risk-based IT audits, including ISA 315 and its global equivalents. It automates data collection, client complexity classification, and control and risk assessments - identifying critical risks that impact financial reporting with greater speed and consistency. By guiding auditors through a consistent audit process and generating detailed reports and evidence packs, Platformed revolutionizes the entire audit process. Trusted by firms like HLB Mann Judd and Menzies LLP, Platformed increases audit quality and consistency and enables firms to deliver more value to clients and unlock new revenue - all while boosting profitability through smarter, more scalable audits. Media contacts: Declan Grant press@platformed.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2583030/5581649/Platformed_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hlb-mann-judd-selects-platformed-to-automate-it-general-controls-testing-for-financial-audits-reducing-time-to-completion-302594084.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2025) - Planet Based Foods Global Inc. (CSE: PBF) (OTC Pink: PBFFF) (FSE: AZ00) (the "Company") wishes to clarify information contained in its management information circular dated October 23, 2025 (the "Circular") prepared in connection with the Company's upcoming annual general meeting of shareholders scheduled for November 24, 2025 (the "Meeting"). The Company advises that Supreet Bhullar, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, was erroneously listed in the table of nominees for election as directors on page 12 of the Circular. Ms. Bhullar has not been nominated for election as a director at the Meeting. The correct nominees for election as directors are: Kerem Akbas, David Eaton, Olha Yushchenko, Beata Jirava, Ceri Cukran, and William Blake Aaron. The accompanying form of proxy and voting instruction form circulated to shareholders correctly identify these six nominees. No action is required by shareholders who have already submitted proxies or voting instructions. Except for the correction noted above, all other information in the Circular remains accurate and unchanged. This clarification has been filed on SEDAR+ and posted to the Company's investor relations website. About Planet Based Foods Global Inc. Planet Based Foods Global Inc. is reimagining the future of food through a diverse portfolio of sustainable ingredients, plant-based solutions, and advancements in agricultural technology. With a focus on environmental stewardship, product excellence, and scalable impact, the Company empowers food manufacturers, partners, and consumers to participate in a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient global food system. Planet Based Foods operates with integrity and purpose, delivering products that align with evolving consumer values and contribute to a more sustainable future. Additional information, including risk factors, is available in the Company's public filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. On Behalf of the Board Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future plans, strategies, objectives, expectations, and intentions of Planet Based Foods Global Inc. (the "Company"). These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, industry developments, regulatory changes, access to capital, operational challenges, supply chain disruptions, and economic conditions. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this release and accepts no responsibility for its adequacy or accuracy. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272167 SOURCE: Planet Based Foods Global Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2025) - Benz Mining Corp. (TSXV: BZ) (ASX: BNZ) (Benz or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has acquired the remaining 25% interest held by Fury Gold Mines Limited (TSX: FURY) (NYSE American: FURY) (Fury Gold), indirectly through its wholly owned subsidiaries Eastmain Mines Inc. (EMI) and Eastmain Resources Inc. (ESI, and together with EMI, Eastmain), in the Eastmain Gold Project and the Ruby Hill East and Ruby Hill West properties (the Ruby Hill Properties), located in the James Bay District, Quebec. Eastmain Gold Project On October 27, 2025, the Company made the first milestone payment of C$1,000,000 (the First Milestone Payment) to Fury Gold to acquire the remaining 25% interest (for a total 100% undivided interest) held by Eastmain in the Eastmain Gold Project. The First Milestone Payment, of which C$750,000 was paid in cash and the balance of C$250,000 by the issuance 171,142 common shares at a deemed issue price of C$1.46078 (the Payment Shares) in the capital of the Company, was made in accordance with the terms of the option agreement (the Option Agreement) dated August 7, 2019 between Benz and Eastmain, as amended by an agreement dated April 30, 2020 between Benz and Eastmain. The Payment Shares are subject to a four month and one day resale restriction, expiring on February 28, 2026, in accordance with Canadian securities laws. The issuance of the Payment Shares remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Under the terms of the Option Agreement, the Company granted EMI a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty in respect of certain areas of the Eastmain Gold Project (the New NSR Royalty). The Company may, at any time, purchase one half (1%) of the New NSR Royalty, thereby reducing it to a 1% NSR royalty, for a payment of C$1,500,000. In addition, the Eastmain Gold Project remains subject to pre-existing royalties (the Underlying NSR Royalties), including: (i) a 2.3% NSR royalty granted pursuant to the agreement dated February 19, 2007 among the EMI, ESI, MVS Resources Inc. and Campbell Resources Inc. (the Franco/Osisko Royalty); and (ii) a 2% NSR royalty that was granted pursuant to the agreement dated December 30, 1988 among Placer Dome Inc., MVS Resources Inc. and Northgate Exploration Limited. The combination of Underlying NSR Royalties and the New NSR Royalty cannot result in a royalty burden on the Eastmain Gold Project greater than a 2.5% NSR royalty burden, and to the extent that the New NSR Royalty results in greater than a 2.5% NSR royalty burden, the New NSR Royalty will be offset by the Underlying NSR Royalties. The New NSR Royalty will apply to certain areas after the first 250,000 oz of production from such areas, which are encumbered by the Franco/Osisko Royalty of up to 2.3% on the first 250,000 oz of production. Ruby Hill Properties On October 27, 2025, in accordance with the Option Agreement, Benz made the final cash payment of C$100,000 to Eastmain to acquire Eastmain's remaining 25% (for a total 100% undivided interest) interest in the Ruby Hill East Properties. Concurrently with the acquisition, the Company granted Eastmain a 1% NSR royalty (the Additional NSR Royalty), of which one half (0.5%) may be purchased for C$500,000 thereby reducing it to a 0.5% NSR royalty. The combination of any enforceable pre-existing royalties on the Ruby Hill Properties and the Additional NSR Royalty cannot result in a royalty burden on the Ruby Hill Properties greater than a 2.5% NSR royalty burden, and to the extent that any enforceable pre-existing royalties on the Ruby Hill Properties results in greater than a 2.5% NSR royalty burden on the Ruby Hill Properties, the Additional NSR Royalty will be offset to zero. If the Additional NSR Royalty is offset by any pre-existing royalties, the Company's NSR royalty buyback option will be adjusted on a pro rata basis. The Option Agreement and the transactions completed thereunder are arm's length and there are no finder's fees payable. For additional information on the Option Agreement, please see Benz's previous news releases dated August 9, 2019, April 30, 2020 and October 26, 2023. - END - This announcement has been approved for release by the Board of Benz Mining Corp. For more information please contact: For more information, please visit: https://benzmining.com/. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively Forward-Looking Information) as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the Option Agreement, the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange in respect of the issuance of the Payment Shares, the New NSR Royalty and statements regarding the Additional NSR Royalty. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information can be identified by the use of words and phrases or variations of such words and phrases or statements such as "anticipates", "complete", "become", "expects", "next steps", "commitments" and "potential", in relation to certain actions, events or results "could", "may", "will", "would", be achieved. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the Company's ability to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner and on terms and conditions reasonable to the Company, the continuity of the price of gold and other metals, the continuity of favourable economic and political conditions, and the continuity of the Company's current management and operations. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, that occurrences such as those referred to above are realized and result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, and delays in regulatory approval, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and www.asx.com.au. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. The Forward-looking information in this news release is based on plans, expectations, and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272169 SOURCE: Benz Mining Corp. Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2025) - Canamera Energy Metals Corp. (CSE: EMET) (OTCQB: EMETF) (the "Company") wishes to announce that, further to its press release dated October 20, the Company has increased the size of its previously announced non-brokered private placement offering from 2,222,223 units of the Company ("Units") to 4,444,445 Units, at a price of C$0.45 per Unit (the "Offering Price"), for aggregate proceeds of up to C$2,000,000 (the "Amended LIFE Offering"). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Common Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$0.56 for 36 months. The Units are to be offered to purchasers pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "LIFE Exemption") under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by the Canadian Securities Administrator's Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption. Accordingly, the Units will not be subject to a hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an amended and restated offering document (the "Offering Document") dated October 27, 2025, related to the LIFE Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, or via its website at www.canamerametals.com. Prospective investors of the Units should read the Offering Document before making an investment decision. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the LIFE Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, as more specifically described in the Offering Document. The LIFE Offering is scheduled to close on or about October 31, 2025, or such other date that is within 45 days (the "Closing Date"). The LIFE Offering remains subject to certain conditions customary for transactions of this nature, including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the CSE. The securities to be offered pursuant to the Amended LIFE Offering, and sale of the concurrent non-brokered private placement (the "Concurrent Offering) (as defined herein), have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Amendment to Concurrent Non-Brokered Private Placement The Company also wishes to announce that further to its press release dated October 15, 2025, the Company has decreased the size of its previously announced Concurrent Offering from 4,444,445 (non-flow-through) units (the "NFT Units") to 3,333,334 NFT Units at a price of $0.45 per NFT Units, with each NFT Unit consisting of one non-flow-through common share (each, a "NFT Share") and one-half of one warrant (the "NFT Warrant"), with each whole NFT Warrant exercisable at $0.56 to acquire one NFT Share for 36 months for aggregate proceeds of up to C$1,500,000. Commencement of Trading on OTCQB The Company is also pleased to announce that its common shares have commenced trading on the OTCQB market under the ticker symbol EMETF as of Oct. 24, 2025. The Company will continue to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol EMET. Brad Brodeur, Canamera's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Uplisting to the OTCQB Venture Market represents another milestone for our company and reflects our commitment to transparency, growth and delivering long-term value to our shareholders. This achievement enhances our visibility with investors in the U.S. markets and supports our growth plans as we move through 2025 and beyond." The OTCQB Venture Market is designed for developing and entrepreneurial companies in the United States and abroad. To be eligible, companies must be current in their reporting, undergo an annual verification and management certification process, and meet a minimum bid price test, among other requirements. Being listed on the OTCQB will provide current and prospective investors with enhanced visibility and access to real-time Level 2 quotes. About Canamera Metals Corp. Canamera is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of mineral resource projects, including the Mantle project in British Columbia, as well as high-quality REE (rare-earth elements) and critical metal assets in the Americas. The Company targets underexplored regions with district-scale potential, leveraging geochemical, geophysical and geological data to identify first-mover opportunities. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plans", "strategy", "opportunity", "positions" and similar expressions, or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the ability of the Company to complete the Amended LIFE Offering and Concurrent Offering as contemplated, the receipt of CSE approval in respect of the Amended LIFE Offering and Concurrent Offering, and the Company's intended use of proceeds therefrom, as well as the Company's ability to advance its projects or to acquire new mineral properties. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including: the Company's inability to complete the Amended LIFE Offering and Concurrent Offering as contemplated or at all; the use of proceeds therefrom being different than what is currently intended; the Company's inability to identify suitable staking targets; completion of satisfactory due diligence on potential projects; successful negotiation of acquisition terms; availability of financing; changes in commodity prices and market conditions for rare earth elements; regulatory or permitting delays; geopolitical developments affecting rare earth supply chains; and competition for rare earth properties in the United States. Additional risk factors can be found in the Company's public disclosure documents available at www.sedarplus.ca. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such statements, except as required by law. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272173 SOURCE: Canamera Energy Metals Corp. 66% of UK enterprises are already experiencing significant AI-driven productivity improvements UK organisations outperforming wider EMEA businesses in AI-driven operational efficiency gains Only 38% of UK organisations are prioritising AI upskilling opportunities, stalling the rollout of pilot AI projects LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new IBM (NYSE: IBM) study reveals that 66% of UK enterprises are experiencing significant AI-driven productivity improvements, with 63% of senior leaders citing increased operational efficiency. However, nearly two-thirds (62%) of organisations are yet to tap into the full potential of AI, highlighting a critical need for a greater focus on workforce transformation and AI skills training. The Race for ROI study-based on insights from 3,500 business leaders across EMEA, including 500 in the UK, spanning Banking, Public Sector, Retail, Telco, and Energy-reveals AI's growing role in boosting workforce productivity. UK senior leaders say AI and automation are freeing up time for high-impact work-such as driving innovation and new ideas (41%), engaging in creative work (41%), strategic decision-making and planning (39%), strengthening client and stakeholder relationships (35%), and advancing sustainability initiatives (35%). These findings underscore how AI is enhancing workforce capabilities and enabling a shift toward value-driven activities that accelerate growth. Lack of investment in workforce development While AI holds strong potential to boost productivity, 67% of the UK business leaders say internal resistance and cultural barriers are stalling the rollout of pilot AI projects. A key driver of this hesitation may be the lack of investment in workforce development: only 45% of UK enterprises currently offer company-wide or role-specific AI training. Even fewer-just 38%-are prioritising inclusive workforce transformation to ensure upskilling opportunities reach employees across all roles, ages, and levels of technical expertise. To help close this gap and prepare the UK workforce for the AI jobs of the future, initiatives like the UK government's drive to deliver AI skills training to 7.5 million UK workers is a step in the right direction. Boosting technology skills across the economy is key to the UK maintaining its leadership position in AI. Still, there are signs of productivity momentum. Over a quarter (27%) of UK senior leaders say their organisations are already seeing financial or cost-saving returns from AI-driven productivity initiatives, with another 34% expecting similar outcomes within the next year. UK Consumer Expectations and the Demand for AI As consumers increasingly expect seamless and intelligent experiences, businesses must invest in AI technologies and workforce development to stay ahead of the curve. A recent IBM survey of over 2000 UK consumers highlighted that 74% of respondents are comfortable with AI-powered assistants playing a role in their decision-making - ranging from offering personalised suggestions to making household financial selections on their behalf. This emerging behaviour presents potential opportunities for companies to use AI agents to power customer-led growth - if based on transparent and trusted technology. The demand for AI-powered services is clear. Seventy nine percent of consumers surveyed said they trust interactive AI experiences like chatbots to deliver reliable results, while 72% reported enjoying their use. To meet this demand, businesses must prioritise convenience, speed, and security, as these are the key factors driving consumer adoption, with 40% citing convenience and speed, 37% prioritising robust data security and privacy, and 35% valuing 24/7 support. By investing in AI solutions and equipping their workforce with the necessary skills, businesses can build trust with their customers, drive growth and innovation, and establish a competitive edge in the market. Overcoming Challenges and Barriers While business leaders recognise the benefits, businesses also face challenges in quantifying ROI from AI adoption. According to the UK senior leaders who contributed to The Race for ROI study, high upfront investment costs which distort short-term ROI (37%), the difficulty in attributing business outcomes solely to AI efforts (35%) and lack of skills or expertise (31%) are the biggest challenges their organisations face when measuring the ROI of AI implementations. To address these barriers, businesses must ensure AI investments are tightly aligned with core objectives-focusing on cost efficiency, revenue growth, and enhanced customer experience. Rising consumer trust and enjoyment of AI indicate new potential areas for business - from improving interactions with customers to internal productivity gains. Companies across industries, from retail and financial services to public sector and more, could benefit by embedding AI into core operations, evolving from single chatbots to managing multiple connected agents that work together to share information and handle complex, multi-step activities. Leon Butler, Chief Executive, IBM UK and Ireland, said: "UK businesses are clearly seeing the productivity benefits of AI, with two-thirds already reporting significant gains. But the real opportunity lies ahead-unlocking even greater value through workforce transformation and upskilling. By investing in AI skills training across all levels, organisations can not only outperform their peers but build a future-ready workforce that drives innovation and resilience." Sue Daley OBE, Director of Tech and Innovation at techUK, said: "Adoption and use of AI within organisations of all size and sector presents both opportunities and challenge. While AI offers immense benefits, businesses can only realise its full potential when their workforce is equipped with the right knowledge." "IBM's Race for ROI study highlights the importance of skills in the face of this issue. To succeed in the long-term, businesses must make AI reskilling a key part of their employee development strategy. This will empower employees to embrace and leverage AI's potential, unlocking its full value across the whole business." To accelerate ROI from AI, the report recommends five priorities for enterprise leaders: Establish an effective operating model for AI: Establishing a common and universally understood approach for AI transformation across the organisation, such as a federated or hub-and-spoke model, along with clear ownership, is crucial for delivering return on investment. Establishing a common and universally understood approach for AI transformation across the organisation, such as a federated or hub-and-spoke model, along with clear ownership, is crucial for delivering return on investment. Cultivate AI literacy and a culture of innovation, from the Board to entry-level: In the coming years, AI tools will become increasingly embedded in every interaction. Knowledge of how and why to use these tools across teams and functions will help the organisation to adapt and thrive as AI capabilities and the opportunities they create continue to evolve. In the coming years, AI tools will become increasingly embedded in every interaction. Knowledge of how and why to use these tools across teams and functions will help the organisation to adapt and thrive as AI capabilities and the opportunities they create continue to evolve. Get comfortable with uncertainty and rapid change: We are moving into a world of AI everywhere. AI tools will be embedded and procured into every interaction layer we have - whether it is the search engine we use, the device we interact with or the companies we engage with. Success in this era means developing a culture that embraces change and uncertainty, and enables rapid, purposeful innovation. We are moving into a world of AI everywhere. AI tools will be embedded and procured into every interaction layer we have - whether it is the search engine we use, the device we interact with or the companies we engage with. Success in this era means developing a culture that embraces change and uncertainty, and enables rapid, purposeful innovation. Understand the risks around AI deployment: As with any technology, AI must be applied with caution and a detailed understanding of regulatory, reputational and operational risks. Enterprises should apply AI governance tooling to monitor and mitigate potential risks, such as unauthorised data sharing and unwanted bias. As with any technology, AI must be applied with caution and a detailed understanding of regulatory, reputational and operational risks. Enterprises should apply AI governance tooling to monitor and mitigate potential risks, such as unauthorised data sharing and unwanted bias. Establish a cross company "AI Board" to mitigate risk: The AI Board's role is to define ethical principles and risk appetite and review higher risk AI use cases before they are implemented. This, combined with increased AI literacy, will give business units a high level of autonomy to implement AI use cases with confidence. To discover more about how AI is helping unlock opportunities for growth and innovation across EMEA, including across major industry sectors, download the "The Race for ROI" report here: The Race for ROI: How AI is transforming enterprise productivity in EMEA Methodology The Race for ROI: The study surveyed 3,500 business leaders aged 25 and over from organisations currently using AI tools across multiple countries, including 500 from the UK. The research was conducted by Censuswide, 8 - 12 September 2025. Consumer AI Study: The study surveyed 2,257 UK and Ireland consumers aged 18+ that are aware when they are interacting with AI. The research was conducted by Censuswide, 9 - 11 September 2025. About IBM IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information. Media contact Imtiaz Mufti External Communications, IBM UKI Imtiaz.Mufti@IBM.com Tel: +44 (0)7909020019 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/95470/ibm_logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ibm-report-two-thirds-of-uk-firms-gain-from-aireskilling-key-to-unlocking-greater-productivity-302595145.html Gazyva/Gazyvaro versus mycophenolate mofetil shows significantly more children and young adults achieved sustained complete remission at week 52 If approved, Gazyva/Gazyvaro could help children and young adults sustain remission, potentially with a reduced need for steroids to manage their disease 1 INShore is the first global phase III study of a targeted therapy in this chronic kidney disease commonly diagnosed in early childhood Basel, 28 October 2025 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today statistically significant and clinically meaningful results from the phase III INShore study of Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) in children and young adults (aged >= 2-25 years) with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). The study met its primary endpoint, with more people achieving sustained complete remission at one year (week 52) with Gazyva/Gazyvaro compared with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Sustained complete remission was defined by the absence of relapses during the study together with a low amount of protein in the urine (protein to creatine of 0.2 or less) at week 52.1 Certain important key secondary endpoints were also met. No new safety signals were identified and safety was in line with the well-characterised profile of Gazyva/Gazyvaro in adults. "These results show that Gazyva/Gazyvaro may achieve robust disease control with a reduced need for corticosteroids, which are associated with serious side effects over time," said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, Roche's Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. "Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is a severe and chronic kidney disease usually diagnosed in early childhood, yet meaningful treatment progress has been limited. As a targeted therapy, Gazyva/Gazyvaro has the potential to help address this unmet need and we look forward to sharing the data with health authorities." For several decades, treatment for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome has primarily relied on steroids yet relapse rates remain high and long-term use is limited by serious side effects.2-4 Newer approaches that target specific immune cells - such as B cells, thought to be a key driver of disease activity - may help control symptoms more effectively.5,6 Analysis of key secondary endpoints showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefits with Gazyva/Gazyvaro with an increase in those with overall relapse-free survival (RFS), median time to relapse or death, reduction in cumulative corticosteroid dose from baseline to week 52, and fewer relapses from baseline to week 52, all compared with MMF. Other key secondary endpoints showed no significant difference with Gazyva/Gazyvaro versus MMF.* Data will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and shared with health authorities, including the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. INShore data add to a growing body of evidence, including the phase III REGENCY study in lupus nephritis, that shows targeting disease-causing B cells with Gazyva/Gazyvaro may help address disease activity across a spectrum of immune-mediated kidney and kidney-related diseases.7-10 In October 2025, Gazyva/Gazyvaro was approved in the US for the treatment of adults with active lupus nephritis who are receiving standard therapy, based on data from the phase III REGENCY and phase II NOBILITY studies. In addition to idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, Gazyva/Gazyvaro is being investigated in membranous nephropathy, lupus nephritis, rare immune-mediated kidney diseases and systemic lupus erythematosus an autoimmune disease that can lead to lupus nephritis, as part of our ambition to be leaders in immune-mediated kidney and kidney-related diseases.11-13 About Gazyva/Gazyvaro Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) is a Type II engineered humanised monoclonal antibody designed to attach to CD20, a protein found on certain types of B cells.14 Gazyva/Gazyvaro is approved for adults with lupus nephritis who are receiving standard therapy in the US. In October 2025, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended approval in the European Union, with a final decision expected from the European Commission in the near future. Gazyva/Gazyvaro is also approved in 100 countries for various types of haematological cancers. In the US, Gazyva is part of a collaboration between Genentech and Biogen. About the INShore study INShore [NCT05627557] is a phase III open-label, randomised, multicentre study investigating Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab) compared with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in children and young adults in clinical remission (aged >=2-25 years) with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome. The study enrolled 85 children or young adults who were randomised 1:1 to receive Gazyva/Gazyvaro at weeks 0,2, 24 and 26, or MMF daily. The primary endpoint is the percentage of participants with sustained complete remission at one year (week 52). About idiopathic nephrotic syndrome Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is a rare kidney-related autoimmune disease, usually diagnosed in early childhood.2 It is characterised by unpredictable relapses that cause fatigue, swelling, weight gain and increased susceptibility to infections and clotting, as well as anxiety, depression and reduced self-esteem, brought on by the fear of relapse and social isolation.2,15 The current mainstay of treatment is steroids, however relapse rates remain high (>70%) and the serious side effects limit long-term use.2-4 There is an urgent need for new targeted treatment approaches that can sustain remission and reduce the physical and psychosocial burden of the disease. About Roche in kidney and kidney-related diseases For more than 20 years, we have combined innovation, scientific expertise and commitment to patients to address unmet needs in kidney diseases. Today, our industry-leading programme includes Gazyva/Gazyvaro (obinutuzumab), approved in the US for adults with lupus nephritis, and more than 10 phase II-III clinical studies in immune-mediated kidney and kidney-related diseases with some of the highest unmet needs. Our aim is to continue delivering meaningful value for those affected, healthcare systems and society, and help address this growing public health burden. About Roche Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world's largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice. For over 125 years, sustainability has been an integral part of Roche's business. As a science-driven company, our greatest contribution to society is developing innovative medicines and diagnostics that help people live healthier lives. Roche is committed to the Science Based Targets initiative and the Sustainable Markets Initiative to achieve net zero by 2045. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com. All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law. *Sustained complete remission (week 76), probability of relapse free survival (week 52), proportion of participants experiencing oedema associated relapse (during 52 week treatment period), mean change in CureGN Edema scale (from baseline to week 52), mean change in "General Fatigue" domain of PedsQL-Multidimensional Fatigue Scale total score (from baseline to week 52), mean change in "Physical Functioning" domain of PedsQL (from baseline to week 52). References [1] Clinicaltrials.gov. A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Obinutuzumab Versus MMF in Participants With Childhood Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome [2] Vivarelli M, et al. Childhood nephrotic syndrome. Lancet. 2023 Sep 2;402 [12] Clinicaltrials.gov. A Study To Evaluate The Efficacy And Safety Of Obinutuzumab In Patients With ISN/RPS 2003 Class III Or IV Lupus Nephritis [13 Clinicaltrials.gov. A study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab in participants with systemic lupus erythematosus (ALLEGORY). [Internet; cited 2025 October 27]. Available from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04963296. [14] Herter S, et al. Preclinical activity of the type II CD20 antibody GA101 (obinutuzumab) compared with rituximab and ofatumumab in vitro and in xenograft models. Mol Cancer Ther. 2013 Oct;12(10):2031-42. [15] Shukla J, et al. Quality of Life of Children with Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome. Indian J Nephrol. 2025 Feb 25;35(2):234-42 Roche Global Media Relations Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com Hans Trees, PhD Phone: +41 79 407 72 58 Sileia Urech Phone: +41 79 935 81 48 Nathalie Altermatt Phone: +41 79 771 05 25 Lorena Corfas Phone: +41 79 568 24 95 Simon Goldsborough Phone: +44 797 32 72 915 Karsten Kleine Phone: +41 79 461 86 83 Kirti Pandey Phone: +49 172 6367262 Yvette Petillon Phone: +41 79 961 92 50 Dr Rebekka Schnell Phone: +41 79 205 27 03 Attachment The Singapore-based media technology leader launches Moving Walls Science, an AI-powered intelligence suite that combines behavioral research and predictive analytics to redefine how brands plan, measure, and optimize connected media. SINGAPORE, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Moving Walls, a global leader in media technology and enterprise software for Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) and retail media, today announced the acquisition of Insightz Club, a pioneer in audience research and behavioral intelligence. This acquisition unites two powerful data intelligence companies with one shared mission: to make media smarter, more measurable, and more human. Moving Walls has long led the digitization of the offline world of outdoor and in-store media, while Insightz Club has specialized in decoding how people think, move, and buy. Together, they aim to give brands a complete view of audience behavior from exposure to action. The Out-of-Home industry is rapidly evolving toward connected media, where physical and digital environments converge to deliver measurable, data-driven outcomes. In step with this transformation, Moving Walls is launching Moving Walls Science, an AI-powered intelligence suite that turns audience behavior into predictive insight, giving marketers clarity before investment and proof after execution. The DOOH market is gaining strong momentum, growing nearly 30% year-on-year to reach USD 21.5 billion in 2024, and projected to exceed USD 54 billion by 2033. As advertisers demand measurable outcomes, DOOH's growth will accelerate further through its convergence with the USD 700 billion connected media ecosystem, where digital, social, CTV, and physical media work together seamlessly. At its core, Moving Walls Science introduces five integrated modules designed to unify and elevate campaign intelligence across all channels: Audience IQ , Predicts audience reach and exposure across DOOH and connected channels with scientific precision. , Predicts audience reach and exposure across DOOH and connected channels with scientific precision. Campaign IQ , Benchmarks performance across campaigns and channels, revealing what drives results and enabling cross-campaign optimization. , Benchmarks performance across campaigns and channels, revealing what drives results and enabling cross-campaign optimization. Media IQ , Tracks Media usage and applies Media Mix Modeling (MMM Analytics) to uncover each channel's true contribution to sales and brand outcomes. , Tracks Media usage and applies Media Mix Modeling (MMM Analytics) to uncover each channel's true contribution to sales and brand outcomes. Retail IQ , Connects media exposure with in-store engagement and purchase intent through real-time shopper behavior data. , Connects media exposure with in-store engagement and purchase intent through real-time shopper behavior data. Location IQ, Location Lift Study (LLS) location-based exposure on brand lift, footfall, and conversion outcomes. Srikanth Ramachandran, Founder and Group CEO of Moving Walls, said: "For years, Moving Walls has been at the forefront of digitizing and connecting the fragmented world of offline media. With Insightz Club joining our ecosystem, we're taking a major leap forward-embedding AI and connected intelligence into the very core of our planning, activation, and measurement DNA. Moving Walls Science empowers marketers to go beyond data, applying true scientific precision to decode outcomes like impact, purchase, and incrementality across the connected media mix. This marks a new era where every impression is intelligent, every screen is connected, and every campaign delivers measurable business growth. With data as our foundation and science as our engine, we're engineering the future of autonomous, outcome-driven media." Mritunjay Kumar (MJ), Founder of Insightz Club, added: "Audience research is shifting from retrospective surveys to real-time, AI-driven intelligence. At Insightz Club, we've always focused on decoding consumer behavior as it happens. The future of marketing lies in connected intelligence, where insights, media, and outcomes are seamlessly orchestrated. After hundreds of brand studies, one truth is clear: no single medium is the hero. The real magic happens when all channels work in harmony to create measurable impact. By joining Moving Walls, we're turning research into predictive science, giving brands clarity before they invest and proof after they execute. This aligns perfectly with Moving Walls' vision of outcome-driven, autonomous connected media powered by Moving Walls Science." Operating across Asia Pacific, MENA, the US, and Latin America, Moving Walls has launched Moving Walls Science globally. Following the acquisition of Insightz Club, this marks the rise of a new intelligence powerhouse redefining how brands understand and influence audiences. As the advertising industry moves toward a connected, data-driven future, Moving Walls Science is built on one simple belief: when media becomes scientific, marketing becomes truly human. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/moving-walls-acquires-insightz-club-to-lead-the-out-of-home-industrys-ai-driven-transformation-302596246.html CALGARY, AB / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Southern Energy Corp. ("Southern" or the "Company") (TSXV:SOU)(AIM:SOUC) is pleased to announce that, at its meeting (the "Annual Meeting") of shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders") held yesterday, Shareholders approved the re-election of Bruce Beynon, Ian Atkinson, R. Steven Smith and John Joseph Nally to the Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Company. Former directors Tamara MacDonald and C. Neil Smith did not stand for re-election and have accordingly retired from the Board. The Company's Board and management team would like to sincerely thank Ms. MacDonald and Mr. Smith for their leadership, valuable contributions and dedicated service to Southern over their respective tenures. Mr. Atkinson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated: "On behalf of the Company, I'd like to thank Ms. MacDonald and Mr. Smith for their significant contributions since Southern's recapitalization transaction in 2018. We wish them both every success in their future endeavours." All other items of business put forward to Shareholders at the Annual Meeting were approved. For further details, please review the management information circular of Southern dated September 12, 2025, available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. For further information about Southern, please visit our website at www.southernenergycorp.com or contact: Southern Energy Corp. Ian Atkinson (President and CEO) Calvin Yau (CFO) +1 587 287 5401 +1 587 287 5402 Strand Hanson Limited - Nominated & Financial Adviser James Bellman / Rob Patrick / Edward Foulkes +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 Tennyson Securities - Broker Peter Krens / Jason Woollard +44 (0) 20 7186 9033 About Southern Energy Corp. Southern Energy Corp. is a natural gas exploration and production company characterized by a stable, low-decline production base, a significant low-risk drilling inventory and strategic access to premium commodity pricing in North America. Southern has a primary focus on acquiring and developing conventional natural gas and light oil resources in the southeast Gulf States of Mississippi, Louisiana, and East Texas. Our management team has a long and successful history working together and have created significant shareholder value through accretive acquisitions, optimization of existing oil and natural gas fields and the utilization of re- development strategies utilizing horizontal drilling and multi-staged fracture completion techniques. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Southern Energy Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/oil-gas-and-energy/southern-energy-announces-result-of-annual-meeting-and-board-changes-1092323 London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - The Resourcing Tomorrow Government Roundtable is once again setting the benchmark for dialogue between governments and the mining sector. Now in its third year, the Roundtable will bring together ministers, ambassadors, and industry executives to focus on the critical pillars of the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan. Taking place on 1 December at the London Stock Exchange, the Roundtable provides a high-level setting for translating policy into tangible action. This year's discussions will tackle the most pressing challenges facing the critical minerals sector. Key topics include: Establishing global standards to ensure ethical and transparent practices Mobilising capital for sustainable projects Fostering innovation to build resilient, circular critical mineral economies Global Ministers, Ambassadors, and Mining Executives will explore practical solutions to: Strengthen traceability De-risk investment Promote inclusive collaboration Accelerate technological innovation These discussions ensure alignment between policy and actionable outcomes in a rapidly evolving global market. We are delighted to welcome Ministers and Trade Ambassadors from more than 40 countries, including: Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada (Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec), Chile, Peru, United States Europe: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, European Commission Africa: Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe Asia-Pacific & Other: Armenia, Australia (Western Australia), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Moldova, Nepal, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Greenland, Tlicho (Indigenous Nations), Somalia Mining companies attending include: Agnico Eagle, Albemarle, Almansane Alkobra Mining Company (AMAK), Anglo American, Barrick, BHP, Cameco, Eldorado Gold, Endeavour Mining, Freeport McMoRan, Ivanhoe Electric, Pan American Silver, Sandstorm Gold Royalties, Saudi Gold Refinery, Traxys, Wheaton Precious Metals International, Valterra Platinum, Cornish Lithium, ACG, and Pensana Rare Earths. In addition, top industry experts and organisations will contribute to the discussions, including BCM Group, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Copper Mark, Critical Minerals Association UK, Critical Minerals Africa Group, Edison Electric Institute, Euromines, Global Witness, kfW, ICMM, International Copper Association, London Stock Exchange, Manara Minerals Investment, NATO, OECD, Refute, Stratum International, Weir Minerals, SAFE, S&P Global, Techmet, and the United Nations. "The Resourcing Tomorrow Government Roundtable is crucial for turning policy into action. By convening leaders from across government and industry, we are setting the agenda for ethical, sustainable, and resilient critical mineral supply chains, ensuring that global standards and innovation go hand in hand," said Andrew Thake, Divisional Director of Resourcing Tomorrow. The 2025 Resourcing Tomorrow Government Roundtable reaffirms its position as a cornerstone event for stakeholders committed to advancing responsible mining and resilient supply chains worldwide. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272197 SOURCE: Resourcing Tomorrow OSLO, Norway, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the third quarter 2025, Navamedic ASA (OSE: NAVA), a Nordic pharma company and trusted supplier of high-quality prescription, consumer health, and hospital products to hospitals and pharmacies, delivered revenues of NOK 138.9 million, a 12.9% increase from the third quarter in 2024. Gross margin improved to 37.5 per cent, compared to 37.1 per cent in Q3 2024 and Adjusted EBITDA amounted to NOK 11.3 million compared to NOK 8.6 million in 2024. The overall revenues performance was driven by increases in all three business areas and the Rx business area included 10.6MNOK in revenues from the dne business. The acquisition of the dne pharma business was completed in July, with a subsequent successful rights issue completed in October. "We are excited about the acquisition of the dne pharma business. The portfolio of products we have acquired fits well into the Navamedic setup and provides a new focus area with growth potential, Addiction, within our Rx portfolio. Further to this, addiction is a growing societal challenge and Navamedic is now in a position to be at the forefront of treatment within this category," said Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen, CEO of Navamedic. Additional Q3 key figures Operating costs ended at NOK 40.8 million, compared to NOK 37.1 million last year. Operating results (EBIT) for the second quarter of 2025 amounted to negative NOK 0.2 million, mostly due to the amortization of the intangible assets acquired through the dne transaction. Net financial items ended at negative NOK 3.6 million and profit before tax was negative NOK 3.8 million. The total cash flow for the quarter was positive NOK 9.1 million and the cash balance at the end of the quarter was NOK 51.7 million. Outlook Navamedic continues to see growth and new expansion opportunities and reiterates its mid-term ambition of building a NOK 1 billion revenue company. "The third quarter was marked by the acquisition of the dne business and growth across our three business areas. The acquired portfolio of products with growth potential within the addiction treatment area, combined with the antibiotics portfolio, the Parkinsons disease product Flexilev in Orafid and Navamedic's other hero brands, sets Navamedic up for growth going forward towards the ambition of reaching NOK 1 billion in revenues," Andreassen concluded. Presentation Navamedic will present the results for the third quarter of 2025 at 08.30 today. CEO Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen and CFO Lars Hjarrand will host the presentation, which will take place at Haakon VIIs gate 2 in Oslo. It will be webcast at the following link: https://navamedic.com/investors/financial-results/ Note: EBITDA and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and reconciled to the IFRS financial statements as a part of the APM section in the attached presentation. For further information, please contact: Kathrine Gamborg Andreassen, CEO, Navamedic Mobile: +47 951 78 680 E-mail: kathrine@navamedic.com Lars Hjarrand, CFO, Navamedic Mobile: +47 917 62 842 E-mail: lars.hjarrand@navamedic.com About Navamedic: Navamedic ASA is a Nordic pharmaceutical company dedicated to enhancing people's quality of life by being a reliable supplier of high-quality prescription, consumer health, and hospital products to hospitals and pharmacies. Our growing product portfolio has been carefully selected to meet current public health concerns, such as obesity, Parkinson's disease, antibiotics and metabolism, to empower people to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. What sets us apart is our deep-rooted commitment to understanding the needs and requirements of the countries where we are present. Our local insight and competence enable us to understand the specific needs of each country where we operate and ultimately to gain market access. This makes us a preferred partner for international companies expanding their footprint across the Nordics and Benelux regions, through either in-licensing or out-licensing. Navamedic has been listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange since 2006 (ticker: NAVA) and is headquartered in Oslo, Norway. For more information, please visit Navamedic.com. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/navamedic-asa/r/navamedic-asa--double-digit-growth-in-the-3rd-quarter--2025,c4257501 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/17619/4257501/3747596.pdf Navamedic Q3 2025 Presentation View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/navamedic-asa-double-digit-growth-in-the-3rd-quarter-2025-302596271.html The Public Address and Voice Alarm (PAVA) systems market is driven by rising safety and security requirements across commercial, industrial, transportation, and public infrastructure sectors. Increasing government regulations and building codes mandating voice alarm systems for emergency communication are accelerating the adoption of advanced PAVA technologies. Additionally, rapid urbanization, smart city initiatives, and the modernization of transportation networks are fueling investments in integrated communication and evacuation systems. The growing emphasis on real-time information delivery, system reliability, and interoperability continues to shape the evolution of the public address and voice alarm systems industry. WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, 'Public Address And Voice Alarm Systems Market by Component (Hardware and Software), Technology (Analog System, Digital System, and IP System), Type (Distributed PAVA System and Centralized PAVA System), and Industry Vertical (Commercial Building, Hospitality, Industrial, Transportation, Government and Public Infrastructure, Educational Institutions, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025-2034'. According to the report, the public address and voice alarm systems market was valued at $4.2 billion in 2025 and is estimated to reach $8.6 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2025 to 2034. Download Sample Pages of Research Overview: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A53624 The public address and voice alarm systems market is propelled by the expansion of smart buildings, transportation hubs, and large-scale public venues, which is driving the demand for efficient, scalable, and networked communication solutions. Manufacturers and system integrators are increasingly focusing on delivering enhanced audio clarity, system redundancy, and compliance with international safety standards through innovations in IP-based PAVA systems, digital signal processing, and centralized monitoring technologies. Regulatory frameworks such as EN 54 and NFPA standards are further encouraging the deployment of certified, high-performance systems designed to improve emergency response and occupant safety. However, high installation costs, complex integration requirements, and the need for skilled maintenance personnel act as key restraints, particularly for small and medium-sized facilities. Despite these challenges, the market offers significant growth opportunities through the adoption of IoT-enabled PAVA solutions, wireless communication technologies, and cloud-based system management, especially as sustainability, automation, and digital transformation gain momentum. The ongoing development of energy-efficient components, AI-driven monitoring, and intelligent building integration further boosts market expansion. Report coverage & details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2025-2034 Base Year 2025 Market Size in 2025 $4.2 billion Market Size in 2034 $8.6 billion CAGR 7.8 % No. of Pages in Report 300 Segments Covered Component, Technology, Type, Industry Vertical, and Region Drivers Increase in Safety and Security Regulations Urbanization and Infrastructure Development Growth in Demand for Smart and Integrated System Opportunities Rapid Adoption of Smart Technologies and Demand for Mass Notification Systems Restraints High Investment, Technological, and Infrastructure Challenges Buy This Research Report (300 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/0e6ecaa71b4a16efbe0ead231791241e The hardware segment to maintain its leadership status during the forecast period By component, the hardware segment dominated the market in 2024, accounting for nearly three-fourths of the Public Address and Voice Alarm (PAVA) systems market revenue. This is due to the rising demand for high-quality speakers, amplifiers, microphones, control panels, and cabling solutions that provide reliable performance, clear and intelligible audio output, and adherence to stringent safety and emergency communication standards. However, the software segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 10.2% from 2025 to 2034, driven by the growing demand for intelligent, centralized, and automated Public Address and Voice Alarm (PAVA) system management solutions. The rising integration of IP-based platforms, cloud computing, and IoT-enabled monitoring allows for real-time system control, predictive maintenance, and seamless scalability across large facilities and smart city projects. The Digital System segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period By technology, the digital system segment held the highest market share in 2024, accounting for more than half of the public address and voice alarm systems market revenue. This dominance is attributed to the superior audio clarity, reliability, and flexibility offered by digital systems compared to traditional analog solutions. However, the IP system segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 10.2% from 2025 to 2034, due to increasing demand for networked and scalable public address and voice alarm (PAVA) systems that enable centralized control, real-time monitoring, and seamless integration across multiple sites. The Centralized Public Address and Voice Alarm System segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. By type, the centralized public address and voice alarm system segment held the highest market share in 2024, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the public address and voice alarm system market revenue. However, the distributed public address and voice alarm system segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 8.7% from 2025 to 2034. The industrial segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period By industry vertical, the industrial segment held the highest market share in 2024, accounting for nearly one-third of the public address and voice alarm system market revenue and the same is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 9.5% from 2025 to 2034. North America to maintain its dominance by 2035 The North America region held the highest market share in 2024, accounting for a dominating share of the global market revenue, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Also, the Asia-Pacific region is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.1% from 2025 to 2034. Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/A53624 Leading Market Players: - ATEIS ZENITEL JOHNSON CONTROLS EATON HEINRICH LIMITED COMMEND INTERNATIONAL GMBH ATLASIED BOGEN COMMUNICATIONS LLC POTTER ELECTRIC SIGNAL COMPANY, LLC BALDWIN BOXALL COMMUNICATIONS LTD. SIEMENS BOSCH SECURITY SYSTEMS (BOSCH SICHERHEITSSYSTEME GMBH) OPTIMUS S.A. HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC. The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the public address and voice alarm system market. These players have adopted different strategies such as expansion and product launch to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario. Explore AMR's Extensive ongoing Coverage on Semiconductor and Electronics Domain: Optoelectronics Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 LED Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 Smart Glass and Smart Window Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024 - 2034 3D Printing Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 Personal 3D Printers Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030 Smart Devices Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Optical Fiber Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023 - 2032 Industrial Controls Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025-2034 4D Printing Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Printed Electronics Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022 - 2032 Microgrid Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2030 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides end-to-end solutions along with information, education, advocacy, and networking resources to SMEs and early-stage start-ups to bring excellence to their processes. In addition, we offer a nurturing environment required to develop and grow businesses, including business planning; virtual support; market intelligence; acquiring resources; and getting direct access to finance, suppliers, and other experts to boost the growth of businesses and entrepreneurs. Our bundled and hassle-free business support systems are customized to meet the needs of SME consultants and industry leaders. Moreover, our large network of skilled consultants and experts help start-ups get the business on a roll. Contact: David Correa 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. Int'l: +1-503-894-6022 Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com Allied Market Research Blog: https://blog.alliedmarketresearch.com Follow Us on | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/public-address-and-voice-alarm-systems-market-to-reach-8-6-billion-globally-by-2034-at-7-8-cagr-allied-market-research-302596287.html SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 25, 2025, "AI lights up the future "- Unilumin Group's 21st Anniversary AI Forum and New Products Launch Event was held grandly at Daya Bay Intelligent Manufacturing Base. Over 400 partners, including Unilumin's global ecosystem partners, investors, and media representatives, gathered to discuss the path to industrializing AI and witness the latest achievements and breakthroughs in Unilumin's LED+AI strategy. Tiger Lin, Chairman of Unilumin Group, stated in his speech that 2025 is a critical year for the accelerated implementation of AI, with the resonance of policies, technology, and ecology driving artificial intelligence to fully integrate into public life. Facing the AI era, Unilumin will focus on two directions: "industry-specific vertical model customization" and "AI application", enabling large screens to think and serve, evolving from information carriers to intelligent interactive gateways. Unilumin looks forward to collaborating with global partners to jointly advance AI solutions into thousands of industries, reshaping the terminal value of the Metasight industry. At the event, Unilumin officially signed and reached cooperation agreements with Zhipu and YMATE, and the three parties jointly invested in establishing Shenzhen Intelligent Display Robot Co., Ltd. The new company will build an innovative ecological system in the AI intelligent terminal field through technical collaboration, providing end-to-end support from industry-specific vertical model training to software and hardware integration to promote the "display embodiment" implementation of AI in governance, education, conferences, cultural tourism, and other scenarios, aiding the intelligent upgrade of the Metasight industry. The establishment of the joint venture company signifies a strategic transformation of the LED display industry from "hardware competition" to "ecosystem competition". Through deep technological coupling and precise scenario implementation, the three parties are redefining the value boundaries of large screens, driving them to become core infrastructure in the digital economy era. As the "display embodiment" trend accelerates, this cooperation model is expected to spur disruptive innovation in more vertical fields, setting a new benchmark for the industry's intelligent upgrade. By strategically leaping from a mere "display hardware supplier" to an "AI intelligent service application provider", Unilumin hopes to join hands with partners to leverage AI to help businesses achieve leapfrog development and provide smarter AI solutions for various industries. For more information, please visit: https://www.unilumin.com/ Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806884/Unilumin_AI_Forum_New_Product_Launch__Signing_ceremony.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/unilumin-establishes-joint-venture-achieving-a-strategic-leap-from-display-hardware-supplier-to-ai-intelligent-service-application-provider-302596322.html COPENHAGEN, Denmark, October 28, 2025 - Bavarian Nordic announced today a donation of mpox vaccines to Africa CDC to support the response to the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa. The donation of 110,000 doses of the vaccine has been allocated to Uganda in coordination with the key partners involved in the mpox Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM), significantly increasing the availability of vaccines in the country, which has reported the second-highest number of cases of mpox in Africa in 2025. The vaccines were delivered to Uganda earlier this week. Paul Chaplin, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said: "Mpox remains a health emergency in Africa as evidenced by the continued spread across the continent and increase in number of cases. The continued availability of funding and vaccines is critical for a successful public health response, and we are pleased to reinforce our commitment through another donation of our mpox vaccine." H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, said: "Africa CDC welcomes this continued partnership with Bavarian Nordic in responding to the ongoing mpox outbreak. This donation of vaccines will significantly strengthen Uganda's outbreak response and supports our collective efforts to ensure timely and equitable access to life-saving tools across Africa. Sustained collaboration with our partners is vital to achieving a continent that is prepared, self-reliant, and resilient against public health threats." With this donation, Bavarian Nordic has committed a total of 165,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine to Africa. The Company previously donated doses to the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and GAVI eligible countries as part of a joint response to mpox outbreak. About the mpox vaccine MVA-BN or Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic is the only non-replicating mpox vaccine approved in the U.S., Switzerland, Singapore and Mexico (marketed as JYNNEOS), Canada (marketed as IMVAMUNE), and the EU/EAA and United Kingdom (marketed as IMVANEX). Originally developed as a smallpox vaccine in collaboration with the U.S. government to ensure the supply of a smallpox vaccine for the entire population, including immunocompromised individuals who are not recommended vaccination with traditional replicating smallpox vaccines, MVA-BN has been indicated for use in the general population in individuals considered at risk for smallpox or mpox infection. About Bavarian Nordic Bavarian Nordic is a global vaccine company with a mission to improve health and save lives through innovative vaccines. We are a preferred supplier of mpox and smallpox vaccines to governments to enhance public health preparedness and have a leading portfolio of travel vaccines. For more information, visit www.bavarian-nordic.com. Contact media: Nicole Seroff, Vice President Corporate Communications, nise@bavarian-nordic.com, Tel: +45 53 88 06 03 Attachment Fund IV brings total Assets Under Management (AUM) to c. 9 billion, making GHO the largest healthcare specialist private equity firm headquartered in Europe GHO has diversified its investor base to include over 30 new institutional investors across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East Since GHO Capital III's 2021 close, GHO has expanded its leading transatlantic healthcare platform with 19 new hires, including one Partner and five Operating Partners London, UK - 28 October 2025: Global Healthcare Opportunities (including investment manager GHO Capital Management Limited and investment advisor GHO Capital Partners Advisory Ltd.) ("GHO"), the European specialist investor in global healthcare, today announces the final close of its fourth fund, GHO Capital IV LP ("the Fund" or "Fund IV"), raising over 2.5 billion (~$2.9 billion) of capital available to invest. Fund IV further diversifies GHO's investor base, with strong support from both existing investors as well as a significant amount of capital from over 30 new institutional investors across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. As GHO's largest fund to date, 25% larger than its predecessor, Fund IV brings total assets under management (AUM) to c.9 billion, making GHO the largest healthcare specialist private equity firm headquartered in Europe. Building on GHO's proven success and market leadership across multiple healthcare verticals, GHO remains well-positioned to capitalise on mid-market opportunities in the rapidly growing technical healthcare sector across BioPharma, MedTech, Advisory & Data, Life Science Tools & Diagnostics and HealthTech. Fund IV will continue the strategy of its predecessor funds - delivering better, faster and more accessible healthcare, through scaling innovative regional leaders into vertically-integrated platforms with diversified offerings and global reach. Beyond fundraising, GHO has made strong progress in 2025, signing three new platform investments and several add-on acquisitions. New investments include Avid Bioservices, a CDMO focused on development and CGMP manufacturing of biologics, Scientist.com, an AI-powered R&D orchestration platform serving pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and FotoFinder Systems, a manufacturer of cutting-edge skin diagnostics and imaging solutions. These investments exemplify GHO's continued commitment to scaling industry leaders, transforming critical healthcare segments through operational excellence and transatlantic expansion. Since closing GHO Capital III in 2021, GHO has expanded its transatlantic footprint with 19 new hires, taking the team to over 75 professionals who provide on the ground support for its portfolio across Europe and the US. The firm has also strengthened its senior leadership with the appointment of a new Partner in 2024 alongside five new integrated Operating Partners and Senior Advisors, who bring deep industry insights to support GHO's thematic investment and value creation approach. Mike Mortimer, Alan Mackay and Andrea Ponti, the Managing Partners at GHO Capital commented:"We are witnessing a golden era of healthcare innovation, driven by the convergence of advanced science, digital technologies, and data. GHO Capital is at the forefront, delivering strong returns while enabling better, faster and more accessible healthcare. Fund IV's success against the backdrop of a challenging fundraising environment reflects confidence in our strategy, transatlantic reach and consistent track record of outperformance across the healthcare ecosystem. "We are grateful for the trust from both existing and new investors as we partner with world-class management teams to build the next generation of healthcare leaders." GHO Capital was advised by placement agent Rede Partners and law firm Kirkland & Ellis on the fundraising. -Ends- Further information: GHO Capital Partners Advisory Ltd. T +44 20 3700 7440 E IR@ghocapital.com For Media Enquiries ICR Healthcare Amber Fennell, Angela Gray, Kris Lam Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 ghocapital@icrhealthcare.com (mailto:ghocapital@icrhealthcare.com) About GHO Capital Global Healthcare Opportunities, including investment manager GHO Capital Management Limited and investment advisor GHO Capital Partners Advisory Ltd., is a leading specialist healthcare investment firm headquartered in London. GHO Capital applies global capabilities and perspectives to unlock high growth healthcare opportunities, targeting Pan-European and transatlantic internationalisation to build market leading businesses of strategic global value. GHO Capital's proven investment track record reflects the unrivalled depth of our industry expertise and network. GHO Capital partners with strong management teams to generate long-term sustainable value, improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery to enable better, faster, more accessible healthcare. For further information, please visit www.ghocapital.com. The global IoT market is experiencing rapid growth due to rise in the developments of wireless networking technologies and increase in the use of cloud platforms for deployment of IoT. The advent of advanced data analytics and data processing further drive market expansion. PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report titled, "IoT Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2034," valued at $1,425.58 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.1% from 2025 to 2034, reaching $5,372.46 billion by 2034. Key factors fueling this growth include rise in the developments of wireless networking technologies, adoption of cloud platforms, and the advent of advanced data analytics and data processing to enhance operational efficiency, which enable real-time decision-making, and support the seamless integration of connected devices. Report Overview: The rise in the development of wireless networking technologies and the increase in the adoption of cloud platforms have driven the demand for IoT-enabled solutions, prompting businesses to invest in scalable and connected infrastructures. In addition, the advent of advanced data analytics and data processing in edge computing and real-time monitoring applications is positively influencing market growth. However, the high cost associated with the implementation and maintenance of IoT platforms and increase in concern regarding security and privacy pose significant restraints. Conversely, increase in the use of IoT among SMEs presents significant opportunities for market players. Request Sample Pages:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/463 Key Segmentation Overview: The IoT market is segmented based on component, deployment, application, and region. By Component: Solution and Services By Application: Consumer and Industrial By Deployment: Cloud and On-premises By Region: North America (U.S., and Canada) Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) LAMEA (Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Rest of LAMEA) Market Highlights By component, the solution segment dominated the market in 2024 and is expected to continue leading due to increasing demand for intelligent connectivity, real-time data insights, and automation across industries. By application, the industrial segment witnessed significant growth due to increase in the integration of sensors, edge devices, and cloud platforms, which enables real-time monitoring of assets and production environments, thus reducing equipment downtime, enhancing safety, and increasing overall productivity. By deployment, the cloud segment is expected to register the highest growth, due to increase in adoption of cloud-based software owing to lower deployment costs, predictable running expenses, increased flexibility & scalability in IoT platforms, and risk reduction for system downtime. Enquiry Before Buying:https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/463 Report Coverage & Details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2025-2034 Base Year 2024 Market Size in 2024 $1,425.58 Billion Market Size in 2034 $5,372.46 Billion CAGR 14.1 % Segments covered Component, Application, Deployment, and Region Drivers Developments of wireless networking technologies Adoption of cloud platform for deployment of IoT Opportunities Increase in the use of IoT among SMEs Restraints High cost associated with the implementation and maintenance of IoT platform Security and privacy concerns across industry verticals Factors Affecting Market Growth & Opportunities: The rise in the development of wireless networking technologies, driven by advancements in 5G, Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), and improved connectivity infrastructure, has propelled the growth of the IoT market. Factors such as increase in cloud platform adoption for deployment of IoT, growth in demand for real-time data monitoring and automation across industries, and the advent of advanced data analytics and data processing to extract actionable insights and enhance decision-making in the IoT sector are driving the market forward. Adoption Across Industries: IoT is transforming industries with IIoT in manufacturing, remote monitoring in healthcare, smart farming in agriculture, and connected solutions for smart city management. Innovations in IoT-Driven Robotics: IoT provides real-time data to robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles, enabling warehouse automation, precision agriculture, and smart delivery systems with greater efficiency and accuracy. However, challenges such as high cost associated with implementation and maintenance of IoT platforms along with security and privacy concerns remain concerns for industry players. Companies are adopting flexible cloud models to cut initial costs, while strengthening security through encryption, device authentication, and regular updates to build trust, driving wider adoption and long-term growth of IoT solutions across various sectors. Regulatory Landscape & Compliance: The Internet of Things (IoT) market is increasingly governed by stringent data privacy and security regulations that vary across regions. Laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the U.S. and Brazil's General Personal Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados (LGPD)) play a critical role in shaping how IoT solution providers collect, store, and manage user data. Compliance with these regulations is not only crucial to avoid significant legal and financial penalties but also to strengthen user trust, ensure data integrity, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global market. Recent government policies emphasizing the development of digital infrastructure, innovation incentives, and stringent cybersecurity standards are accelerating the growth of the IoT market by fostering connectivity, ensuring data privacy, and supporting smart city initiatives across various sectors. Buy this Complete Report (256 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/internet-of-things-IoT-market/purchase-options Technological Innovations & Future Trends: Edge computing enables devices to process data locally, reducing latency and bandwidth usage. AI/ML on-edge devices enable autonomous tasks such as anomaly detection and predictive maintenance. Sustainable IoT emphasizes low-energy sensors, solar-powered devices, and carbon footprint tracking. It helps monitor and reduce energy consumption in buildings, logistics, and manufacturing, promoting greener operations. IoT-as-a-Service (IoTaaS) offers a managed services model providing IoT infrastructure, data analytics, and security. This approach enables faster deployment, making IoT more accessible, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Regional Insights North America dominated the IoT market, driven by rapid technological advancements and widespread adoption of smart devices, driving the need for enhanced connectivity and data management solutions. In addition, industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation are leveraging IoT technologies to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enable predictive maintenance. Furthermore, there is a growing trend toward the integration of artificial intelligence and edge computing to enhance real-time data processing and decision-making capabilities. The U.S. leads the market in this region, due to the increasing investment in smart infrastructure, advanced telecommunications networks, and the need for improved security and regulatory compliance. For instance, in May 2025, Simbase launched a groundbreaking '10 for 10' IoT connectivity offer in the U.S., providing 10GB of data for just $10 per month per device, with no contracts. This plan is designed to simplify and scale IoT deployments, offering transparent pricing, real-time SIM management, and access to Verizon's 5G network. Aimed at high-data use cases like telematics and smart retail, the offer reflects Simbase's mission to eliminate traditional telecom barriers and empower businesses with flexible, enterprise-grade connectivity. LAMEA is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period, due to rapid digital transformation across industries, driven by increasing internet penetration, smartphone adoption, government smart city initiatives, and industrial automation. In addition, the rising demand for real-time data analytics and connected infrastructure is accelerating market development. The Middle East leads the region in this market, driven by substantial investments in smart city projects, the expansion of 5G networks, and the proactive digital strategies of regional governments such as Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the UAE's Smart Dubai initiative. For instance, in February 2025, Myriota partnered with the Saudi Space Authority and other local entities to bring its ultra-low power satellite IoT connectivity to Saudi Arabia. As part of the Emerging Technologies Regulatory Sandbox by the Saudi Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), Myriota successfully deployed smart water meters in remote areas for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. These devices enable real-time monitoring in regions with limited or no cellular coverage, showcasing the potential of satellite IoT in supporting critical infrastructure and environmental management. Get Customized Reports with your Requirements: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/463 Key Players: Major players in the IoT market include Amazon Web Services, Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, Siemens AG, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, ABB Ltd., Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Zebra Technologies Corp, Thales, Advantech Co., Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd., Samsung SDS Co Ltd, Huawei Cloud Computing Technologies Co., Ltd., Alphabet (Google Inc.), and Armis Inc. These companies are focusing on expanding their service offerings, strategic partnerships, and enhancing data protection and disaster recovery measures in the IoT industry. Key Strategies Adopted by Competitors In February 2025, Vodafone Business IoT expanded its connectivity footprint in the Middle East through a strategic partnership with Mobily, a leading Saudi telecom provider. This collaboration allows Vodafone's IoT customers to deploy connected devices across Saudi Arabia using Vodafone's Global SIM+, ensuring secure, reliable, and regulation-compliant connectivity. The move enhances cross-border IoT capabilities and supports businesses aiming for seamless operations in the region. In October 2024, Qualcomm launched a powerful new product portfolio for Industrial IoT (IIoT) under the Qualcomm IQ brand, unveiled at Embedded World North America. This lineup includes industrial-grade chipsets with on-device AI capabilities reaching up to 100 tera operations per second, designed for demanding applications like robotics, drones, industrial automation, and edge AI. The portfolio supports a wide range of use cases-from premium to entry-level-and is built for extreme environments. Qualcomm also launched the IoT Solutions Framework, which streamlines the development and deployment of end-to-end industrial IoT solutions. 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Get an access to the library of reports at any time from any device and anywhere. For more details, follow the link: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/library-access About us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of 'Market Research Reports' and 'Business Intelligence Solutions'. AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. Contact: David Correa 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. Int'l: +1-503-894-6022 Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/iot-market-to-reach-5-372-46-billion-by-2034-globally-at-14-1-cagr-allied-market-research-302596419.html Bangkok, Thailand--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - BacklinkHighIntent.com, developed by TMD SPACE Co., Ltd., introduces a trusted SEO authority platform built on more than 15 years of professional expertise and modern search technology. Designed to help brands strengthen their online presence through ethical, data-driven strategies, the platform emphasizes credibility, safety, and measurable long-term visibility. As global search algorithms evolve toward greater authenticity and domain trust, businesses face increasing challenges in sustaining performance. BacklinkHighIntent.com addresses these challenges with a transparent framework that focuses on verified, high-quality digital authority signals rather than automated or quantity-based link generation. The result is a responsible, compliance-focused approach that aligns with the latest search standards. BacklinkHighIntent.com - A Trusted SEO Backlink Service Built on 15 Years of Expertise and Modern Search Technology, Launched by TMD SPACE To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/272190_471af6e724e6c8a8_002full.jpg Integrating Human Expertise With Structured SEO Evaluation "BacklinkHighIntent.com was created to redefine how organizations approach SEO visibility and authority development," said Nawaphon Hinsui (Tong), Founder and CEO of TMD SPACE. "Our process is deeply hands-on - every project is manually reviewed, evaluated, and verified by experienced SEO professionals to ensure quality, safety, and long-term value." The platform relies on manual domain assessment, contextual evaluation, and multi-step verification to identify credible authority sources that comply with ethical optimization practices. Each campaign follows a structured workflow combining human expertise, strategic placement, and post-verification to maintain lasting visibility gains while minimizing risk. Ethical, Transparent, and Performance-Focused BacklinkHighIntent.com maintains complete transparency across every project - from domain assessment and placement to ongoing visibility reporting. Each campaign is designed to deliver verifiable results based on data, ensuring accountability and long-term trust between the brand and its audience. "Every client deserves clarity in their SEO growth journey," added Nawaphon. "Our methodology is rooted in measurable outcomes - every optimization we deliver is traceable, credible, and aligned with best practices in modern search visibility." About TMD SPACE TMD SPACE Co., Ltd. is a Bangkok-based international PR and digital marketing agency specializing in search visibility, brand reputation management, and global media communication. With clients across Asia, Europe, and North America, TMD SPACE has established itself as one of Southeast Asia's emerging leaders in digital reputation and visibility management. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272190 SOURCE: Plentisoft Domain Therapeutics Doses First Patients in Phase I/II Trial of DT-7012 Targeting CCR8 in Solid Tumors PR Newswire STRASBOURG, France, MONTREAL and BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2025 DT-7012 is a proprietary, differentiated Treg-depleting anti-CCR8 monoclonal antibody Differentiated binding capacities and competitive properties position it as a promising therapeutic to boost anti-tumor immunity, overcoming immunosuppression STRASBOURG, France, MONTREAL and BOSTON, Oct. 28, 2025 Domain Therapeutics ("Domain" or "the Company"), the GPCR experts harnessing deep receptor biology to develop breakthrough treatments for patients, today announced that the first patients have been dosed in its Phase I/II DOMISOL clinical study of DT-7012, a differentiated Treg-depleting anti-CCR8 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of solid tumors. The DOMISOL study is an open-label, multicenter Phase I/II, first-in-human dose-escalation and cohort-expansion trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of DT-7012 in adult patients with selected advanced solid tumors. The trial is being conducted in Australia, with initial clinical sites including Peninsula and Southeast Oncology (PASO) and Cabrini Health in Melbourne. Additional centers are expected to come online in the coming months. For more information on the trial, visit: NCT06819735. Stephan Schann, Chief Scientific Officer of Domain Therapeutics, said: "CCR8 has rapidly emerged as a highly competitive target, drawing significant interest across the industry, including from leading pharmaceutical companies. DT-7012 stands out with its unique and differentiating properties, offering unprecedented selectivity in depleting intratumoral Tregs while simultaneously improving overall immune system function. These features are critical for effective cancer immunotherapy, positioning DT-7012 as a promising candidate to overcome immune resistance and bring hope to patients with limited treatment options." Professor Vinod Ganju, Principal Investigator at PASO, commented: "Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment, yet a significant unmet need remains as Tregs suppress immune response, driving resistance to ICIs and limiting their effectiveness. We are excited to participate in this important trial and offer patients access to a highly promising therapeutic candidate that could make Treg depletion a reality in cancer therapy. DT-7012 adds to the growing momentum around CCR8, complementing another CCR8-targeting asset currently undergoing significant patient expansion." "Dosing of the first patients in the DOMISOL trial represents a significant milestone, as DT-7012 becomes our second fully proprietary asset to enter the clinic, underscoring our proven ability to translate cutting-edge GPCR biology into high value differentiated products", addedSean A. MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer of Domain Therapeutics. "Initiating this trial in Australia aligns with our strategy to accelerate clinical development and strengthens momentum behind our pipeline of drug candidates. As we continue to advance our programs and deliver value for stakeholders, we are proud to contribute to the introduction of a potentially groundbreaking therapeutic solution that could transform lives of cancer patients worldwide." About Domain Therapeutics Domain Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing highly differentiated therapeutic strategies targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a crucial class of drug targets. Its robust regulatory and clinical pipeline aims to address significant unmet medical needs, offering novel solutions for patients, particularly in immuno-oncology and inflammation. Domain's key programs include a best-in-class Treg-depleting anti-CCR8 antibody and a first-in-class biased antagonist of PAR2. These innovative therapies are driving value creation, positioning the company in competitive and fast-expanding markets. Domain leverages its proprietary drug discovery and development approach, founded on a unique platform and unmatched knowledge of GPCR receptor biology, to successfully unlock very challenging GPCR targets, including intractable and orphan receptors. The team's expertise, developed over two decades, is reflected in its solid track record of collaboration with major pharma, KOLs and physicians worldwide. By integrating detailed biological understanding of GPCRs at each step of the drug discovery and development process, Domain creates highly effective and differentiated drugs that target specific pathways, thereby improving therapeutic efficacy. For more information, please visit https://www.domaintherapeutics.com/ About DT-7012 DT-7012 is a novel immunotherapy candidate designed to selectively deplete intratumoral regulatory T cells (Tregs) by targeting CCR8, a receptor predominantly expressed on Tregs within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Leveraging potent ADCC and ADCP mechanisms, DT-7012 effectively eliminates these immunosuppressive cells, transforming the TME into a more immunocompetent state. By disrupting CCR8-mediated immunosuppressive environment, DT-7012 promotes tumor regression, offering a potential new treatment option to patients unresponsive to existing immunotherapies. Distinct from other CCR8-targeting therapies currently in clinical development, DT-7012 exhibits broader binding across CCR8 variants, extending its therapeutic reach across diverse immunosuppressive populations. Additionally, DT-7012 maintains depletion efficiency even in CCL1-rich environments, preventing CCR8 internalization and ensuring sustained Treg depletion in challenging TMEs. About GPCRs G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) are at the top of complex signaling cascades and are responsible for translating extracellular messages into intracellular actions, making them critical for various biological processes and attractive for therapeutic intervention. Despite being the most validated drug target family, with 30-35% of all marketed drugs acting on them, they remain challenging to drug, with existing drugs targeting only 10% of the total potential GPCR targets. While most efforts in GPCR drug discovery and development have traditionally focused on central nervous system and cardio-metabolic disorders, Domain recognizes the untapped potential of GPCRs in immuno-oncology and inflammatory diseases, areas where GPCRs have not been as extensively explored. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/domain-therapeutics-doses-first-patients-in-phase-iii-trial-of-dt-7012-targeting-ccr8-in-solid-tumors-302595770.html Karen Baxter , former VP & GM at Dexcom with deep expertise in diabetes device commercialization across Europe, joins as SVP Sales , Europe Jay Little, leader from Medtronic Diabetes, appointed VP Strategy & Business Development Team expansion will drive growth strategy, market development, and partnerships for scalable expansion to accelerate Kaleido's growth across European markets UTRECHT, Netherlands, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ViCentra, a European medical device company redefining insulin delivery for people with diabetes with the Kaleido insulin patch pump system, today announced two strategic senior leadership appointments following the company's recent $85 million Series D financing. Karen Baxter, former Vice President & General Manager at Dexcom, joins as Senior Vice President of Sales, Europe, and Jay Little, a long-time commercialization and market access executive at Medtronic Diabetes, takes on the newly created role of Vice President of Strategy & Business Development. Together, they bring nearly 40 years of experience commercializing diabetes medical devices, further strengthening ViCentra's leadership team. With fresh capital fueling its next phase of growth, ViCentra is strategically investing in talent, market expansion, and commercial infrastructure to accelerate the reach of its Kaleido insulin patch pump across Europe and into new markets, ultimately improving outcomes for people living with diabetes. "These are transformative additions to our leadership team," said Tom Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of ViCentra. "Karen brings an exceptional track record of scaling category-defining diabetes businesses across Europe through both direct sales as well as distributors. Jay adds deep strategic expertise in partnerships, reimbursement, and commercial execution. With their leadership, ViCentra is well-positioned to bring the Kaleido experience to more people living with diabetes." With nearly two decades of commercial experience in European diabetes markets, Karen Baxter joins ViCentra after nine years at Dexcom, where she served as VP & GM for Northern Europe and select international markets. She launched and scaled Dexcom's UK & Ireland business to more than $200 million in annual revenue, built a commercial team of 250+, and helped deliver more than $1 billion in cumulative regional sales. Karen brings deep expertise in market entry, reimbursement, and commercial execution across Europe's diverse healthcare systems. "I am thrilled to join ViCentra at such a pivotal stage in its growth," commented Karen Baxter, Senior Vice President of Sales, Europe. "Kaleido's user-centered design and lifestyle-first approach truly sets it apart, offering people with diabetes greater freedom, comfort, and discretion in their insulin therapy. I am excited to collaborate with our teams and clinical partners to expand access, drive adoption, and bring this premium, life-enhancing experience to more people across Europe." With deep experience in strategic growth, market access, and partnerships, Jay Little joins ViCentra as Vice President of Strategy & Business Development. He brings 18 years of U.S. leadership experience from Medtronic Diabetes, where he led payer strategy, value-based care initiatives, and large-scale commercial partnerships. His expertise spans reimbursement and access strategy for new product launches, enterprise-level contracting, and cross-functional commercialization, all critical to navigating complex healthcare systems and driving sustainable market expansion. At ViCentra, Jay will be responsible for corporate strategy and business development, with a mandate to support long-term scalability, commercial readiness, and strategic partnerships. His focus will include building strategic alliances, optimizing market development pathways, and advancing ViCentra's broader growth ambitions. "ViCentra distinguishes itself through a compelling fusion of design, precision, and purpose. The momentum behind Kaleido is both strong and growing, underscoring its potential to reshape diabetes care," remarked Jay Little, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development. "Throughout my career, I have been committed to expanding access to diabetes technology that truly improves lives. This is the right team and the right time to make a bigger impact. I am excited to build the partnerships and strategies needed to bring Kaleido's innovative, user-centered insulin delivery to more people." With strong new leadership and fresh capital, ViCentra is primed to accelerate the expansion of Kaleido across Europe and into new markets. These strategic moves mark a major step forward in the company's mission to transform diabetes care through innovative, user-centered technology. About Kaleido Kaleido is redefining the category of wearable insulin delivery as the first insulin patch pump designed with the form, function, and simplicity of a lifestyle product. Compact, featherlight, and discreet, Kaleido is designed with a focus on personal technology rather than a traditional medical device. It is made from premium materials and features customizable aluminum shells in ten color options, enabling self-expression, not just glycemic control. It offers users flexibility in how and where they wear their pump, allowing people with diabetes to manage their therapy in a way that fits seamlessly into their daily lives. It is the smallest, lightest, most precise insulin patch pump in its class-delivering advanced, automated insulin therapy through seamless integration with Diabeloop's clinically validated hybrid closed loop algorithms, DBLG1 and DBLG2. About ViCentra ViCentra is on a mission to improve life with diabetes through empathetic innovation, simplicity, and design excellence. The company develops and manufactures the Kaleido insulin patch pump system, a flexible, discreet, and beautifully crafted alternative to traditional insulin pumps. Headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands, ViCentra is commercially expanding across Europe and preparing for U.S. market entry. Its investors include Innovation Industries, Partners in Equity, Invest-NL, EQT Life Sciences, Health Innovations, and INKEF. More information about ViCentra can be found at www.hellokaleido.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/vicentra-strengthens-leadership-team-to-accelerate-growth-302595782.html The organic spice market is driven by factors such as increase in demand for sustainable and ethically sourced spices and government initiatives to support the growth of organic spices. WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Organic Spice Market by Product Type (Organic Ginger, Organic Turmeric, Organic Clove, Organic Pepper, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Mustard Seeds, and Others), Form (Powder, Granular, Extract, and Raw), and Distribution Channel (Direct and Indirect): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025-2034". According to the report, the organic spice market was valued at $1.6 billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach $4.3 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 10.6% from 2025 to 2034. Prime determinants of growth However, rise in the incidence of contamination and strict regulatory compliances restrict market growth. Moreover, growing demand for convenience food and increasing the requirement for organic spices offer new opportunities in the coming years. Download Sample Pages of Research Overview: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5300 Report coverage & details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2025-2034 Base Year 2024 Market Size in 2024 $1.6 billion Market Size in 2034 $4.3 billion CAGR 10.6 % No. of Pages in Report 286 Segments covered Product Type, Form, Distribution Channel, and Region Drivers Increase in demand for sustainable and ethically sourced spices Government initiatives to support the growth of organic spices Growth in interest in new flavors and international cuisines Opportunities Growth in demand for convenience foods increases the requirement for organic spices Increase in Importance for clean label spices Restraints Rise in incidence of contamination Strict regulatory compliances The organic turmeric segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. By product type, the organic turmeric segment dominated the organic spice market in 2024 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This growth was driven by increasing consumer awareness of health benefits associated with turmeric, including its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as its widespread use in traditional medicine and functional foods. The rise in demand for clean-label and natural ingredients in both domestic and international markets further boosts the consumption of organic turmeric. Buy This Research Report (286 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures): https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/organic-spice-market/purchase-options The powder segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period. By form, the powder segment dominated the organic spice market in 2024 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This dominance was primarily due to the convenience, longer shelf life, and ease of use associated with powdered spices in both household and commercial kitchens. Powdered organic spices are widely preferred for their ability to blend seamlessly into recipes, ensuring consistent flavor and aroma. The indirect segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period By distribution channel, the indirect segment dominated the organic spice market in 2024 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. The growth in popularity of organic food trends, increased availability of organic spices through supermarkets, specialty stores, and online platforms, and rise in disposable incomes contribute to this dominance. In addition, clear product labeling, certifications, and consumer trust in organic brands further boosted sales within the indirect segment, making it the leading distribution channel for organic spices during the year. Enquiry Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5300 Asia-Pacific to maintain its dominance by 2035 By region, Asia-Pacific dominated the organic spice market in 2024 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period, owing to its rich agricultural heritage, favorable climatic conditions, and extensive cultivation of a wide variety of spices. Countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam played a significant role, supported by strong domestic demand and a growing export base. The increasing adoption of organic farming practices, government initiatives promoting sustainable agriculture, and rising consumer awareness about health and wellness further fueled market growth in the region. Leading Market Players: - Ispice Foods SunOpta Inc. AKO GmbH Husarich GmbH Organic Spices Inc. Pacific Spice Company Inc. UK Blending Limited Suminter India Organics Ramon Sabater S.A.U Watkins Incorporated The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the organic spice market. These players have adopted different strategies, such as acquisition, partnerships, and new product launches, to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in the market. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario. Explore AMR's Extensive ongoing Coverage on Food and beverages Domain: Biological Organic Fertilizer Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025 - 2033 Organic Starch Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024 - 2035 Organic Baby Food Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024 - 2033 Organic Sweeteners Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024 - 2033 Organic Rice Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024 - 2034 Organic Soy Lecithin Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024 - 2033 Organic Cassava Starch Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022 - 2032 Organic Cheese Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022 - 2032 Organic Olive Oil Market : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021 - 2031 About us: Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact us: David Correa 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. Int'l: +1-503-894-6022 Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/organic-spice-market-to-reach-4-3-billion-globally-by-2034-at-10-6-cagr-allied-market-research-302596469.html Embeddable, compliant, and auditable AI agents unlock trusted automation for banks, insurers, and financial institutions. SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / GoodData, a leading analytics and data intelligence company, today unveiled new finance-focused applications for its composable AI platform, designed to tackle the industry's toughest challenges. By combining its AI Lake, AI Hub, and AI Apps into a single foundation for enterprise data intelligence, the next-generation platform gives financial institutions powerful tools to build and deploy AI agents. These agents can detect and investigate fraud in seconds with audit trails regulators can trust, keeping portfolios compliant in real time within industry guidelines. This streamlines regulatory reporting by compiling, checking, and submitting disclosures transparently, all while meeting strict standards for financial compliance, governance, and security. Purpose-built for finance The financial services sector faces unique challenges, from strict regulations and legacy systems to siloed data and rising expectations for modern client experiences. GoodData's layered platform is designed to meet these needs head-on: AI Lake: Turns structured and unstructured financial data into a governed semantic layer, grounding AI agents in accurate, compliant, and context-aware knowledge for better decision-making. AI Hub: Delivers orchestration and governance with built-in guardrails, escalation paths, and compliance workflows, ensuring safe, auditable AI operations that align with financial regulations. AI Apps: Embeddable agents, copilots, and automations that enhance client-facing applications (like personalized financial advice or onboarding) and back-office functions (like regulatory reporting or fraud detection). Benefits for financial institutions The platform ensures regulatory compliance and auditability through semantic grounding, detailed audit trails, and robust compliance controls that reduce black-box risk and help meet transparency requirements. Its scalable, multitenant architecture enables seamless expansion across business units, geographies, and client bases. Designed to work with both legacy banking systems and modern cloud infrastructures, it is capable of supporting bring-your-own LLMs and deployment in SaaS, on-premise, or hybrid environments - while its developer-friendly SDKs and APIs accelerate time to value for AI-powered products and services. "Financial institutions face some of the world's strictest data governance rules, and our goal is to make compliance simpler," said Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData. "This platform lets them innovate with AI while ensuring transparency, trust, and regulatory alignment, modernising client experiences and improving risk management without compromise." The tech behind GoodData's AI At the core is a developer-focused stack that balances compliance with innovation: MCP Server: Manages fast-moving financial processes in real time, while keeping governance in check. SDKs and APIs: Easy-to-use tools (Python, React, APIs) make it simple to add AI agents to apps and internal banking systems. Flexible by design: Open architecture works with existing fintech and banking systems, avoids vendor lock-in, and adapts to changing regulations. Ready to embed: AI copilots, agents, and assistants can be seamlessly added to financial platforms, apps, and dashboards, with your own branding. AI-native finance GoodData is taking another step into AI-native data intelligence, helping financial institutions move past traditional dashboards and siloed reports toward autonomous, AI-driven services. By combining governance, scalability, and AI innovation in a single platform, GoodData allows banks, insurers, and asset managers to deliver faster results, build stronger client trust, and uncover new revenue opportunities in an increasingly AI-powered financial world. GoodData will be exhibiting at Money20/20 USA (Booth #20093), October 26-29th. About GoodData GoodData is a full-stack, AI-native data intelligence platform built for speed, scale, and trust. Its composable platform is designed to empower every enterprise to transform governed insights into action and integrate seamlessly into any data environment across public, private, on-premises, or hybrid cloud. With no-code interfaces, SDKs, and powerful APIs, GoodData supports the full analytics lifecycle from data modeling to AI-powered insights. GoodData enables companies to customize flexibly, deploy fast, and monetize new applications and automations - all with enterprise-grade security and governance to embed AI into a range of products. GoodData serves over 140,000 of the world's top companies and 3.2 million users, helping them drive meaningful change and maximize the value of their data. For more information, visit GoodData's website and follow GoodData on LinkedIn , YouTube , and Medium . GoodData Contact press@gooddata.com 2025, GoodData Corporation. All rights reserved. GoodData and the GoodData logo are registered trademarks of GoodData Corporation in the United States and other jurisdictions. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. SOURCE: GoodData View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/gooddata-brings-ai-native-data-intelligence-to-financial-services-1090104 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (OTCQB: PVGDF) ("Provenance" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of $4,500,000. Upon closing, the Company issued 18,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"), with each full Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional share at a price of $0.30 until October 27, 2030. In connection with closing the Offering, the Company paid $156,000 and issued 624,000 broker warrants to an arms-length brokerage firm. Each broker warrant is exercisable on the same terms as the subscriber Warrants. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to restrictions on resale until February 28, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, all subscribers in the Offering have agreed that the Units will be subject to additional restrictions on resale until October 27, 2026. Stock Options The Company also announces that it has granted 1,530,000 stock options to certain officers, directors and consultants of the Company. The options have an exercise price of $0.30 per share, have a sixty (60) month term from the date of the grant and vest immediately. Ongoing Exploration The Company continues to have two drill rigs operating at Eldorado West. Further assay results are pending. About Provenance Gold Corp. Safe Harbor Statement: Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272171 SOURCE: Provenance Gold Corp. The Kia PV5 Cargo sets a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS for electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs) The model travelled 693.38 km on a single charge while carrying its maximum payload The achievement highlights the efficiency, flexibility, and real-world practicality of Kia's first PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia has made history, setting a new global benchmark for all-electric range. The Kia PV5 Cargo, the company's first dedicated electric light commercial vehicle and part of its pioneering Platform Beyond Vehicle line-up, has officially broken a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for achieving: "The greatest distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electric van with maximum payload on a single charge is 693.38 km (430.84 mi)." The PV5 Cargo Long Range 4-door variant, featuring a 71.2 kWh battery, was utilised for the trial with its maximum authorised payload of 665kg. It covered 693.38 km on a single charge, setting a new benchmark for efficiency and endurance in the eLCV segment. The record-breaking drive took place on 30 September 2025 under authentic, real-world conditions on public roads north of Frankfurt, Germany. "Even if Kia is new to the LCV market, this record is a testament to the versatility and innovation behind Kia's first PBV, showing that we are serious contenders," said Marc Hedrich, President and CEO of Kia Europe. "The fact that much of our target audience for this van variant could operate for almost two full working days on a single charge speaks volumes about its real-world capability. The PV5 combines efficiency, flexibility, and intelligent connectivity in one package." The record attempt was meticulously prepared. Inspectors from TUV Hessen and buck Vermessung supervised the loading process and verified compliance with weight specifications. At the wheel of the record-setting PV5 were George Barrow, a respected commercial vehicle journalist who specialises in vans and Christopher Nigemeier, a senior engineer at HMETC. The drive was continuously recorded using GPS tracking and in-cabin cameras. Before departure, the PV5's battery was charged to 100% and both the charging port and cargo compartment were sealed until the end of the 22-hour, 30-minute journey. With this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, Kia underscores its ongoing commitment to developing innovative, efficient, and practical solutions for the mobility of tomorrow. The record-breaking Kia PV5 Cargo will be on display at the Solutrans Tradeshow in Lyon (EurExpo) from 18 November 2025, Hall 5, Booth C130. https://www.press-eu.kia.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2805744/Kia_PV5.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2662750/Kia_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-kia-pv5-cargo-sets-a-guinness-world-records-title-693-38-kilometres-on-a-single-charge-with-maximum-payload-302595519.html BANGKOK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- IBS Software, a global leader in SaaS solutions for the travel industry, announced that Thai Airways International Public Company Limited has selected IBS Software's iLoyal platform to digitally transform and modernise the THAI's Royal Orchid Plus Programme. At the heart of this digital transformation strategy is the deployment of IBS Software's iLoyal platform, designed to deliver more personalised, connected and rewarding experience for Royal Orchid Plus members. The platform will provide Thai Airways with a future-ready loyalty foundation, ensuring members benefit from seamless digital touchpoints across their travel journey. With its advanced AI and data-driven capabilities, iLoyal will enable Thai Airways to accelerate member engagement across the customer lifecycle, design targeted promotions and expand opportunities beyond traditional rewards programmes. The platform's open architecture also supports integration with partners in banking, retail, hospitality, and lifestyle, enhancing the overall value of Royal Orchid Plus. "Thai Airways understands the power of loyalty in driving meaningful customer relationships," said Marcus Puffer, Head of Loyalty Solutions, IBS Software. "With iLoyal, we will help future-proof Royal Orchid Plus, enabling Thai Airways to deliver the digital-first experiences today's travellers expect." "As loyalty expectations evolve across the APAC region, Thai Airways' selection of IBS Software reflects our commitment to helping airlines transform into digital retailers," added Gautam Shekar, APAC Region Head, IBS Software, "Thai Airways is an iconic carrier, and we are proud to support their journey of innovation." Kittiphong Sansomboon, Chief Commercial Officer, Thai Airways said "Strengthening our loyalty programme is a key priority. This investment marks a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey, focusing on the programme's "Power of Plus" - Plus Value Propositions, Plus Members, and Plus Revenue - to transform Royal Orchid Plus to be future-ready and to continue supporting THAI's business growth" The implementation of IBS Software's iLoyal platform reinforces the company's leadership in airline loyalty solutions across the APAC region and reflects Thai Airways' strategic focus on digital transformation to deliver next-generation customer experiences." For more information on IBS Software's loyalty management solutions, visit here. About IBS Software IBS Software is a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, managing mission-critical operations for customers in the aviation, tour & cruise, hospitality, and energy resources industries. IBS Software's solutions for the aviation industry cover fleet & crew operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, loyalty programs, staff travel, and air cargo management. Across the hospitality sector, IBS Software offers a cloud-native, unified platform for hotels and travel sellers, including central reservation (CRS), property management (PMS), revenue management (RMS), call centre, booking engine, loyalty, and distribution. For the tour & cruise industry, IBS provides a comprehensive, customer-centric, digital platform that covers onshore, online and on-board solutions. Across the energy & resources industry, we provide logistics management solutions that cover logistics planning, operations & accommodation management. The Consulting and Digital Transformation (CDx) business focuses on driving digital transformation initiatives of its customers, leveraging its domain knowledge, digital technologies and engineering excellence. IBS Software operates from 17 offices across the world. Further information can be found at www.ibsplc.com. Follow us: Blog | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram ABOUT THAI AIRWAYS Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) is a full-service airline renowned for its exceptional service, strong global presence, and deep-rooted Thai hospitality. THAI is a public company registered in The Securities Exchange of Thailand since 1991. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Bangkok, THAI operates the airlines business as a full-service carrier, which provides the transportation for passengers, goods, parcels and postal through domestic and international routes, including a warehousing service, ground handling service, ground equipment services, in-flight catering and aircraft maintenance services. As a Member of Star Alliance, THAI has a network of routes covering 30 countries around the world. THAI aims to focus on safety and quality of service with THAI touches for passenger comfort throughout the journey which have made THAI become one of the world's top-ranked airlines guaranteed by the various awards of recognition. For more information, visit thaiairways.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2805853/Thai_Airways.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1169353/IBS_Software_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/thai-airways-invests-in-digital-loyalty-transformation-with-ibs-softwares-iloyal-platform-302595350.html LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EMCORE Asset Management, a specialist in liquid alternatives, convertible bonds, and bespoke derivative strategies, announces a strategic partnership with Premialab, a leading provider of quantitative analytics and factor intelligence, to deliver advanced, data-driven insights to institutional clients. EMCORE's rule-based, quantitative overlay strategies are designed to support investors in meeting their strategic and tactical asset allocation (SAA/TAA) objectives through funded and unfunded solutions that seek to generate additional alpha or reduce portfolio volatility. By leveraging Premialab's advanced analytics platform and Pure Factors benchmarks, EMCORE will gain unique insights into the comparative performance of its strategy offering vs the wider quant industry. The partnership also provides existing and prospective EMCORE clients access to independent and comprehensive ex-ante risk analytics, further strengthening EMCORE's ability to design and implement highly tailored, systematic derivative solutions aligned with institutional investors' objectives and fitting for their portfolios. In addition, EMCORE's investment strategies will be added on the Premialab platform, which aggregates the largest global databases of quantitative investment strategies (QIS), sourced from leading banks and asset managers worldwide. Stephan Knuser, Founder and Managing Partner at EMCORE Asset Management, said: "Our clients and their evolving needs remain at the heart of everything we do. Partnering with Premialab allows us to equip investors with powerful tools to assess risk, optimise portfolios, and pursue sustainable, risk-adjusted returns. This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering innovative investment solutions on a global scale." Adrien Geliot, CEO of Premialab, commented: "Institutional demand for liquid, transparent, and cost-efficient strategies continues to accelerate, with quantitative strategies becoming central to this transformation. Premialab's role is to provide the clarity and intelligence investors need in this evolving landscape. We are delighted to partner with EMCORE to make systematic strategies more accessible to institutional investors." Premialab's multi-asset, multi-region platform handles over 15 million data points daily across more than 6,000 investible systematic strategies, representing client assets under management of approximately USD 20 trillion. Its proprietary dataset and analytics provide detailed risk decomposition, factor attribution, and scenario-based analysis - enabling investors to make better allocation decisions. About Premialab Premialab is the leading independent platform that collaborates with leading investment banks and institutional investors globally, providing data, analytics, and risk solutions for systematic, factor, and multi-asset strategies. With offices in London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai and Sydney, the company has forged strong partnerships with the top 18 investment banks, asset managers, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies globally. For more information, please visit: www.premialab.com. About EMCORE Asset Management EMCORE Asset Management is a specialist asset manager focused on liquid alternatives, convertible bonds, and bespoke derivative strategies. Serving institutional and professional investors worldwide, EMCORE combines traditional asset management with advanced quantitative methods to deliver sustainable, risk-adjusted returns aligned with client objectives. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2752715/5584590/Premialab_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/emcore-asset-management-selects-premialab-for-strategic-partnership-302595612.html Duck Creek Managing Director, EMEA Elodie Hilderal will speak on the panel: "Insuring the uninsurable: where does the solution lie?" LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Duck Creek Technologies , the global intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (P&C) insurance, will gather with global insurance leaders, partners, and innovators at the Insurance Innovators Summit (IISummit25) in London, 4-5th November 2025 to showcase its intelligent, modern core platform, built to empower insurers with agility, intelligence, and operational excellence. Elodie Hilderal, managing director, EMEA, will join the panel discussion titled "Insuring the uninsurable: where does the solution lie?" "Duck Creek is committed to helping insurers thrive in a digital-first world," said?Hilderal. "Our platform is designed not just to support today's operations, but to anticipate tomorrow's challenges - whether that's scaling AI, unlocking data, or modernising core systems." Join the Industry-Shaping Panel Discussion: Elodie Hilderal will join the panel titled "Insuring the uninsurable: where does the solution lie?" on 4 November at 12:30 p.m. on Stage 3 at the Business Design Centre. Other panelists include: Amy Ing, Underwriter, Portfolio Solutions for Tokio Marine Kiln; Tom Dickson, President, Innovation Strategies for OakRe; and Neil Kempston, Head of Incubation Underwriting for Beazley. The discussion will explore key issues such as climate-related uninsurability, the role of parametric insurance, the growth of alternative risk transfer, and more. Anchored by three strategic pillars: Beyond the Core,?Data Without Barriers, and an?AI-Ready Foundation, Duck Creek will demonstrate how its modern, cloud-native platform is redefining what it means to be a technology partner for the insurance industry of tomorrow. What's New Attendees will experience Duck Creek's platform firsthand at?stand #27, where product experts will offer live demonstrations and in-depth discussions on the company's efficiency-driving innovations: Unlock the Full Potential of Your Data with cloud-native management, unified governance, real-time analytics, and seamless integration with Snowflake and Power BI. with cloud-native management, unified governance, real-time analytics, and seamless integration with Snowflake and Power BI. Modernize and Scale Without Disruption with a modular, low-code ecosystem, continuous delivery, automated upgrades, and enterprise-grade security. with a modular, low-code ecosystem, continuous delivery, automated upgrades, and enterprise-grade security. Make Smarter Decisions, Faster with an AI and machine learning platform purpose-built for insurance-powered by secure, connected data and human-in-the-loop governance backed by award-winning innovation. About Duck Creek Technologies Duck Creek Technologies is the global intelligent solutions provider defining the future of the property and casualty (P&C) industry. We are the platform upon which modern insurance systems are built, enabling the industry to capitalise on the power of the cloud to run agile, intelligent, and evergreen operations. Authenticity, purpose, and transparency are core to Duck Creek, and we believe insurance should be there for individuals and businesses when, where, and how they need it most. Our market-leading solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite , and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand . Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Follow Duck Creek on our social channels for the latest information - LinkedIn and X .?? Media Contacts:?? Tara Lefave Stred/Marianne Dempsey? duckcreek@threeringsinc.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2778773/Duck_Creek_Technologies_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/duck-creek-technologies-showcases-intelligent-core-platform-at-the-insurance-innovators-summit-302595917.html Results presented at the 17th World Stroke Congress (WSC 2025) LT3001(Odatroltide)-202 phase 2b study met primary endpoint. No symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred. Data suggest that LT3001 has the potential to provide significant clinical benefit to patients in a longer treatment window (up to 24 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms) compared to current standard of care (4.5 hours). TAIPEI, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumosa Therapeutics (Lumosa; 6535.TWO) today announced positive results from its Phase 2b clinical trial (LT3001-202) evaluating LT3001 (intravenous Odatroltide) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Results from this China-based study were presented by Dr. Shuya Li, Chief Neurologist at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, during an oral presentation at the 17th World Stroke Congress (WSC 2025) held in Barcelona, Spain. The study, led by Professor Yongjun Wang of Beijing Tiantan Hospital, was conducted across 34 medical centers in China. The results showed that LT3001 maintained a favorable safety profile under an extended 24-hour treatment window and demonstrated clear functional improvement signals in large artery atherosclerosis and disabling stroke patients, supporting advancement into global Phase 3 development. Phase 2b (LT3001-202, China): Efficacy and Safety Overview The China Phase 2b study met its primary endpoint of safety. No treatment-related symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) was observed. Across all treatment groups, LT3001 demonstrated a consistent trend of functional improvement compared with placebo. At day 90, patients receiving LT3001 achieved a 7.3% higher rate of functional independence (mRS 0-2). Key efficacy results: Moderate strokes (166 patients): +9% improvement in both mRS 0-1 and mRS 0-2 and Severe strokes (59 patients): positive trends observed; high-dose group achieved +4% (mRS 0-1) and +12% (mRS 0-2) , indicating potential benefit even in more advanced cases and , indicating potential benefit even in more advanced cases Large artery atherosclerosis (LAA; 169 patients): +9% (mRS 0-1) and +11% (mRS 0-2) improvement and improvement Disabling strokes with arm motor drift (91 patients): +24% (mRS 0-1) and +21% (mRS 0-2) improvement and improvement Disabling strokes with leg motor drift (110 patients): +14% (mRS 0-1) and +12% (mRS 0-2) improvement These data demonstrate consistent efficacy trends across multiple clinically meaningful subgroups, supporting LT3001's potential to improve outcomes for stroke patients who are ineligible for current reperfusion therapies. "LT3001 combines both thrombolytic and neuroprotective mechanisms," said Dr. Shuya Li, Chief Neurologist at Beijing Tiantan Hospital. "The Phase 2 results demonstrate strong potential, and we look forward to the Phase 3 trial further confirming its clinical benefits." Global Phase 2 Study (LT3001-205; US/EU/Taiwan): Reinforcing Efficacy Trends The global Phase 2 study (LT3001-205; n=88), conducted in the United States, Europe, and Taiwan, also met its primary safety endpoint. No treatment-related sICH was observed. The study demonstrated efficacy trends consistent with the China trial: Disabling strokes with arm motor drift (22 patients, high dose): +13% (mRS 0-1) at day 90 at day 90 Disabling strokes with leg motor drift (17 patients, high dose): +14% (mRS 0-1) at day 90 Unlike the 202 study, the 205 trial included mismatch imaging analysis, further validating LT3001's therapeutic effect in ischemic regions with salvageable tissue, with +7% (mRS 0-1) and +10% (mRS 0-2) improvements. "LT3001 represents a completely novel drug design in stroke treatment-combining thrombolytic and neuroprotective properties into a single agent," said Thomas Devlin, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Principal Investigator of the study. "The positive results of this trial across numerous endpoints are particularly exciting given the unique efficacy and safety advantages of this compound within an extended treatment window." Next Steps and Global Development Plans These combined Phase 2 results provide critical clinical evidence supporting the continued development of LT3001 for acute ischemic stroke. Lumosa will continue its strategic collaboration with Shanghai Pharma (https://www.sphchina.com) and is actively engaging in global licensing discussions with international pharmaceutical partners. Lumosa aims to accelerate global Phase 3 development of LT3001 and deliver innovative and effective treatment options for stroke patients worldwide. About Acute Ischemic Stroke According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stroke is the second leading cause of death for people over the age of 60 with approximately 6 million deaths in the world per year. Stroke can be categorized as hemorrhagic (bleeding) or ischemic (lack of blood flow to critical areas of the brain). Studies show ischemic stroke is most common, occurring in about 85% of all stroke cases. Stroke is notably a disease with significant global unmet medical need. There are 15 million people worldwide who suffer a stroke each year. Because only surgery and limited therapeutic options are currently available, 80% of stroke patients are left with no other treatment options or without desired outcomes. About LT3001 LT3001(intravenous odatroltide) is a first-in-class, new chemical entity (NCE) being developed by Lumosa Therapeutics, Inc. (https://www.lumosa.com.tw). LT3001 is an antioxidant small molecule conjugated to a short peptide. The peptide induces reperfusion, restoring occluded blood flow, while the small molecule plays an important role in reducing reperfusion injury, such as caused by inflammation and free radicals. This dual-function molecule is thought to uniquely contribute to clot dissolving, anti-thrombosis, anti-inflammation, and anti-oxidation, and designed to increase the treatable AIS population by safely restoring blood flow with an extended treatment window. About Lumosa Lumosa Therapeutics, Inc. (https://www.lumosa.com.tw/) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of novel therapies and solutions for neurologic diseases with urgent unmet medical need. In addition to utilizing its own technology platform, the Company is also actively engaged in scientific licensing and co-development collaboration -- building a pipeline from early to late-stage assets consisting of first-in-class and best-in-class drugs. Lumosa's mission is to enrich patients' quality of life through pioneering medical science, diverse collaborations, and a commitment to remain genuine and ever-evolving. Central to this mission is the company's objective to develop its novel small molecule, LT3001, for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, a medical disease for which more effective therapies are greatly needed. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lumosa-therapeutics-announces-positive-results-from-lt3001intravenous-odatroltide-phase-2b-clinical-trial-in-acute-ischemic-stroke-302596484.html Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. EQS-Media / 28.10.2025 / 10:17 CET/CEST Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (A joint stock limited company incorporated in the People's Republic of China with limited liability) (HKEX: 2318 (HKD counter) and 82318 (RMB counter); SSE: 601318) UNAUDITED RESULTS FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025 (28 October 2025, Shenzhen, China) - Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An" or the "Company") (HKEX: 2318 (HKD counter) and 82318 (RMB counter); SSE: 601318) announced the unaudited results of the Company and its subsidiaries (the "Group") as of and for the nine months ended 30 September 2025 on 28 October 2025. Set out below are the financial and business highlights of the Group for the nine months ended 30 September 2025: 1. Business Highlights China's economy achieved steady progress amid overall stability as domestic demand potential was unleashed and development resilience was enhanced in the first nine months of 2025. China dealt with various uncertainties in a complex external environment with the certainty of high-quality development. Ping An achieved steady growth in overall business by focusing on its core financial businesses and pursuing high-quality development. Overall business results significantly improved. In the first nine months of 2025, operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company grew 7.2% year on year to RMB116,264 million. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company was RMB132,856 million, up 11.5% year on year in the first nine months of 2025, and surged 45.4% year on year in the third quarter of 2025. Revenue (1) was RMB901,668 million, up 4.6% year on year. Equity attributable to shareholders of the parent company was RMB986,406 million, up 6.2% year to date as of 30 September 2025. was RMB901,668 million, up 4.6% year on year. Equity attributable to shareholders of the parent company was RMB986,406 million, up 6.2% year to date as of 30 September 2025. Life and health insurance ("Life & Health") business sustained growth with high-quality multi-channel development. In the first nine months of 2025, Life & Health's new business value ("NBV") increased 46.2% year on year to RMB35,724 million, and NBV margin based on annualized new premium rose 9.0 pps year on year. Agency channel NBV rose 23.3% year on year, driven by a 29.9% year-on-year increase in NBV per agent; bancassurance channel NBV surged 170.9% year on year. Bancassurance, community finance and other channels contributed 35.1% of Ping An Life's NBV. Ping An P&C achieved solid growth with consistently improving business quality. Ping An P&C's premium income rose 7.1% year on year to RMB256,247 million in the first nine months of 2025. Overall combined ratio ("COR") improved by 0.8 pps year on year to 97.0%. Insurance funds investment performance improved significantly. Ping An's insurance funds investment portfolio achieved an unannualized comprehensive investment yield of 5.4% in the first nine months of 2025, up 1.0 pps year on year. Ping An Bank maintained steady business performance and asset quality, with a rising core tier 1 capital adequacy ratio. Net profit was RMB38,339 million in the first nine months of 2025. Non-performing loan ratio dropped by 0.01 pps year to date to 1.05%, and provision coverage ratio was 229.60% as of 30 September 2025. Core tier 1 capital adequacy ratio rose 0.40 pps year to date to 9.52% as of 30 September 2025. Integrated finance-enabled core competitive moat and steadily improving customer development efficiency. Ping An's retail customers increased 2.9% year to date to nearly 250 million as of 30 September 2025. The retention rate of retail customers holding four or more contracts within the Group was 97.5%. The retention rate of retail customers served by Ping An for five or more years was 94.4%. Differentiation-enabled core businesses under the advancing health and senior care strategy. Ping An partnered with 100% of China's top 100 hospitals and 3A hospitals as of 30 September 2025. Nearly 240,000 customers were entitled to home-based senior care services, which covered 85 cities nationwide. Premium health and senior care communities have been unveiled in five cities. Ping An actively fulfilled its social responsibilities, supporting green development and rural vitalization. Ping An's green insurance premium income amounted to RMB55,279 million and funds provided for rural industrial vitalization via "Ping An Rural Communities Support" totaled RMB47,390 million in the first nine months of 2025. Note: (1) Revenue increased 7.4% year on year to RMB832,940 million in the first nine months of 2025 under the Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises and other applicable regulations issued by the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China. 2. Key Figures For the nine months ended 30 September 2025 2024 Change (%) Revenue (in RMB million) 901,668 861,817 4.6 Net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company (in RMB million) 132,856 119,182 11.5 Basic earnings per share (in RMB) 7.56 6.73 12.3 Operating profit attributable to shareholders of the parent company(1) (in RMB million) 116,264 108,445 7.2 Basic operating earnings per share(1) (in RMB) 6.62 6.12 8.2 Life & Health NBV(2) (in RMB million) 35,724 24,438 46.2 Ping An P&C's COR(3) (%) 97.0 97.8 Improved by 0.8 pps 30 September 2025 31 December 2024 Change (%) Number of retail customers (in million) 249.55 242.47 2.9 Contracts per retail customer (contract) 2.94 2.92 0.7 Notes: (1) The computation of operating profit for the current period and the same period last year is based on the end-2024 long-run investment return assumption (4.0%). (2) The computation of NBV for the current period and the same period last year is based on the end-2024 long-run investment return assumption (4.0%) and risk discount rate assumption (8.5%/7.5%). (3) COR = (insurance service expenses + (allocation of reinsurance premiums paid - amount recovered from reinsurers) + (net insurance finance expenses for insurance contracts issued - net reinsurance finance income for reinsurance contracts held) + changes in insurance premium reserves)/insurance revenue. For further details, please refer to the third quarterly result announcement published by the Company on the websites of HKEX (www.hkexnews.hk) and the Company (www.pingan.cn) on 28 October 2025 (the "Third Quarterly Results Announcement"). Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this announcement shall have the same meanings as those defined in the Third Quarterly Results Announcement. -End- End of Media Release Issuer: Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. Key word(s): Insurance 28.10.2025 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Press Release, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. View original content: EQS News GEVORKYAN Force Defense (G-FD) Building on many years of cooperation in the development and production of components for the arms industry, GEVORKYAN, a.s. has established a subsidiary, GEVORKYAN Force Defense (G-FD), under the full management of the parent company, focusing exclusively on the arms industry. GEVORKYAN, a.s. has begun implementing the AS9100 standard for the aerospace and defense industry, as well as the ISO 27001 and TISAX cybersecurity standards. In addition, the newly created GEVORKYAN Force Defense will implement AQAP 2110 certification, which is a prerequisite for supplying NATO members. New project for small-caliber ammunition in Europe Thanks to the growing reputation of GEVORKYAN, a.s. in the arms industry, the company has signed an NDA and is starting a project with a leading Western European ammunition manufacturer with over a century of tradition. GEVORKYAN will contribute to the development and production of special components for high-quality ammunition, which is the first choice of police and military units as well as special forces. Another step towards sustainability GEVORKYAN, a.s. has taken another step towards more efficient and environmentally friendly production. In cooperation with AQUAFLOT, wastewater will be treated directly at the plant. This investment will bring significant savings and flexibility in responding to production needs and legislative changes. In addition, it will significantly reduce the costs associated with the transport and disposal of waste materials. Self-sufficiency as the key to success In an interview for Investicni web, founder and chairman of the board Artur Gevorkyan describes how GEVORKYAN, a.s. is able to maintain growth even in difficult conditions thanks to automation, digitization, and its own production of energy and materials. The full interview in Slovak and Czech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgyM1yZeiAQ&t=1s. WOOD's Winter Wonderland Conference GEVORKYAN, a.s. would like to remind you of its participation in the WOOD's Winter Wonderland EMEA conference on December 2-5, 2025, at the Hilton Prague Old Town hotel. Register for the meeting here: https://events.wood.cz/praguewinter. Contact here: woodswinter@wood.com. About GEVORKYAN GEVORKYAN, a.s. is a leading powder metallurgy company in Europe, a global supplier for large multinational companies, and one of the most innovative companies in this industry worldwide. For more information, please visit https://www.gevorkyan.sk/en. Contact information: Investors: Maxim Platonov, investor.relations@gevorkyan.sk Media: Alexandra Hazuchova, marketing@gevorkyan.sk At least $80 billion to construct new Westinghouse nuclear power reactors Partnership will accelerate nuclear power and artificial intelligence deployment in America All values are USD TOKYO and CRANBERRY, Pa., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Westinghouse Electric Company ("Westinghouse"), Cameco Corporation ("Cameco") and Brookfield Asset Management ("Brookfield") today announced that the United States Government ("U.S. Government") has entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of nuclear power, in accordance with the President's May 23, 2025 Executive Orders. At the center of the new strategic partnership, at least $80 billion of new reactors will be constructed across the United States using Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology. These new reactors will reinvigorate the nuclear power industrial base. As a result of this historic agreement, nuclear energy deployment will be a central pillar of America's program to maintain global leadership in nuclear power development and Artificial Intelligence ("AI"). Howard Lutnick, Secretary for the United States Department of Commerce, said:? "Our administration is focused on ensuring the rapid development, deployment, and use of advanced nuclear technologies. This historic partnership supports our national security objectives and enhances our critical infrastructure. Together with Westinghouse we will unleash American energy. This partnership embodies the bold vision of President Trump - to rebuild our energy sovereignty, create high-paying jobs, and drive America to the forefront of the nuclear renaissance." Chris Wright, Secretary for the United States Department of Energy, said: "This historic partnership with America's leading nuclear company will help unleash President Trump's grand vision to fully energize America and win the global AI race. President Trump promised a renaissance of nuclear power, and now he is delivering." Connor Teskey, President of Brookfield Asset Management, said:? "This partnership with the U.S. Government will help unlock the potential that Westinghouse and nuclear energy can play to accelerate the growth of artificial intelligence in the United States, while meeting growing electricity demand and energy security needs at scale. Brookfield has more than half a trillion dollars invested in the critical infrastructure that underpins the U.S. economy, and we expect to double that investment in the next decade as we deliver on building the infrastructure backbone of artificial intelligence."? Tim Gitzel, CEO of Cameco, said: "Our highly successful partnership with Brookfield as owners of Westinghouse will be further strengthened through this collaboration with the U.S. Government. We expect this new partnership to support the global growth opportunities for both Westinghouse's and Cameco's nuclear products, services and technologies, adding significant long-term value for our stakeholders and enhancing energy, national and climate security around the world. As a strategic partner, Cameco is a secure and reliable western-based supplier of the uranium fuel needed to support the civilian deployment and long-term reliable operation of Westinghouse's technology in the U.S. and globally." A new partnership for growth The partnership will facilitate the growth and future of the American nuclear power industry and the supporting supply chain. Each two-unit Westinghouse AP1000 project creates or sustains 45,000 manufacturing and engineering jobs in 43 states, and a national deployment will create more than 100,000 construction jobs. The program will cement the United States as one of the world's nuclear energy powerhouses and increase exports of Westinghouse's nuclear power generation technology globally. As part of the partnership, at least $80 billion of nuclear reactors will be constructed using Westinghouse technology. Once constructed, the reactors will generate reliable and secure power, including for significant data center and compute capacity that will drive America's growth in AI. The partnership contains profit sharing mechanisms that provide for all parties, including the American people, once certain thresholds are met, to participate in the long-term financial and strategic value that will be created within Westinghouse by the growth of nuclear energy and advancement of investment into AI capabilities in the United States. Westinghouse Overview Westinghouse is a recognized global leader in nuclear energy with its technology serving as the basis for more than half the world's operating nuclear power fleet. The company's industry-leading intellectual property is rooted in American engineering, pioneering the construction of nuclear energy plants in the United States in the 1950s and industrializing its technology worldwide.? The AP1000 reactor is the most advanced reactor commercially available, with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design and the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. There are six AP1000 reactors currently setting operational performance and availability records worldwide with 14 additional reactors under construction and five more under contract. The AP1000 technology has been selected for nuclear energy programs in Poland, Ukraine and Bulgaria. Brookfield and Cameco formed a strategic partnership to acquire Westinghouse in October 2022. The partnership brought together Cameco's expertise in the nuclear industry and nuclear fuel supply chain with Brookfield's recognized position as one of the world's largest investors in energy generation technologies. Brookfield initially acquired Westinghouse in 2018 and performed a successful turnaround to reposition the company to benefit from the resurgence in nuclear investment. Contact Information Brookfield Media: Simon Maine Tel: 44 7398 909 278 Email: simon.maine@brookfield.com (mailto:simon.maine@brookfield.com) Brookfield Investors: Alex Jackson? Tel: 647-484-8525 Email: alexander.jackson@brookfield.com (mailto:alexander.jackson@brookfield.com)? Cameco Media: Veronica Baker Tel: 306-385-5541 Email: veronica_baker@cameco.com (mailto:veronica_baker@cameco.com)? Cameco Investors: Cory Kos Tel: 306-716-6782 Email: cory_kos@cameco.com (mailto:cory_kos@cameco.com) Westinghouse Media: Shanan Guinn Tel: 412-789-9674 Email: shanan.guinn@westinghouse.com (mailto:shanan.guinn@westinghouse.com) About Westinghouse Westinghouse Electric Company is the future of energy, providing reliable, innovative nuclear technologies and services globally. Westinghouse pioneered commercial nuclear power, delivering the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957. The company has industrialized more nuclear reactors than any other company, with its technology forming the basis of half of the world's operating nuclear plants. More than 135 years of innovation makes Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle. For more information, please visit our website at www.westinghousenuclear.com.? About Brookfield? Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE: BAM, TSX, BAM) is a leading global alternative asset manager, headquartered in New York, with over $1 trillion of assets under management across infrastructure, renewable power and transition, private equity, real estate, and credit. We invest client capital for the long-term with a focus on real assets and essential service businesses that form the backbone of the global economy. We offer a range of alternative investment products to investors around the world - including public and private pension plans, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, insurance companies and private wealth investors. We draw on Brookfield's heritage as an owner and operator to invest for value and generate strong returns for our clients, across economic cycles. For more information, please visit our website at www.brookfield.com. About Cameco Cameco is one of the largest global providers of the uranium fuel needed to power a secure energy future. Our competitive position is based on our controlling ownership of the world's largest high-grade reserves and low-cost operations, as well as significant investments across the nuclear fuel cycle, including ownership interests in Westinghouse Electric Company and Global Laser Enrichment. Utilities around the world rely on Cameco to provide global nuclear fuel solutions for the generation of safe, reliable, carbon-free nuclear power. Our shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Our head office is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.? Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements This news release includes statements and information about Cameco's, Westinghouse's and Brookfield's expectations for the future, which we refer to as forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is information that is not a historical fact. Words such as "guidance," "expect," "will," "may," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "project," "intend," "should," "can," "likely," "could," "outlook" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on Cameco's, Westinghouse's and Brookfield's current views, which can change significantly, and actual results and events may be significantly different from what we currently expect. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include: expectations concerning the planned amount of investment in the construction of nuclear power reactors in the United States using Westinghouse nuclear technology; the parties' expectations regarding the acceleration and growth of nuclear power and supporting supply chain and AI deployment in the United States and globally; the ability of the strategic partnership to facilitate America's program to maintain global leadership in nuclear power development and AI, to strengthen national, energy, climate and economic security and to enhance critical infrastructure;the ability of the strategic partnership to support global growth opportunities for Westinghouse, Cameco and Brookfield, including export opportunities; expectations regarding the creation of jobs in connection with the construction and deployment of each nuclear reactor project;and expectations regarding the profit sharing mechanism involved in the strategic partnership and participation therein, including by the American people. Material risks that could lead to different results include: risks related to developing and deploying the Westinghouse nuclear reactors;the anticipated timing of the strategic partnership, including any failure to obtain the required governmental clearances or third party consents required to close the strategic partnership or implement the profit sharing mechanism or the imposition of material conditions as a part of obtaining such clearances or consents and any failure of any other conditions to the strategic partnership or the implementation of the profit sharing mechanism;the inability of Westinghouse and the U.S. Government to enter into definitive agreements relating to the strategic transaction or to effect their future obligations related to the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership;the potential reliance on unrelated third parties for the placement of orders or other obligations related to the construction and deployment of the Westinghouse nuclear reactors; the potential reliance by the U.S. government on unconventional funding mechanisms to effect any future commitments to purchase Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology; the availability of government funding and support for the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership, including the ability of the executive branch of the U.S. Government to obtain funding and support via the appropriations process or from other sources; the availability of additional or replacement funding for the nuclear reactor projects and operations, if needed;following the execution of definitive transaction documents by the parties, the determination by the legislative, judicial or executive branches of the federal or any state government that any future funding commitments or other aspect of the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership was or is not in compliance with law; the financial, tax and accounting assessment and treatment of the various obligations and commitments under the strategic partnership documentation, once executed;the continued demand for nuclear energy and AI, and the markets for nuclear energy and AI more generally; future demand for nuclear energy and AI; litigation, Congressional investigations, or investigations by other U.S. or non-U.S. authorities, related to the strategic transaction or otherwise; challenges associated with identifying alternate locations, sales channels and customers for the highly specialized nuclear products contemplated by the strategic transactions should the strategic partnership be altered or terminated; Cameco's, Westinghouse's and Brookfield's ability to effectively realize the anticipated benefits of the strategic transaction; the parties' ability to comply with the broader legal and regulatory requirements and heightened scrutiny associated with government partnerships and contracts;changes in energy, AI and other policies and priorities in U.S. and foreign governments; fluctuations, variations and uncertainty in demand and pricing in the market for nuclear energy and AI; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement, negotiation or execution of the strategic transaction; the complexities and uncertainties in developing and implementing new nuclear projects; macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical tensions and conflicts; risks associated with Westinghouse's complex supply chain supporting its nuclear reactors, including from disruptions, delays, trade tensions and conflicts or shortages; volatility and uncertainty with respect to international trade policies; risks related to the development and use of the Westinghouse nuclear reactors, including product defects; potential security vulnerabilities in the Westinghouse nuclear reactors; and the risk of disputes between the parties to the strategic transaction. In presenting the forward-looking information, Cameco, Westinghouse and Brookfield have made material assumptions which may prove incorrect about: the success of the Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology and Westinghouse's ability to construct and commence commercial operations at new large-scale nuclear power plants; the ability of Westinghouse and the U.S. Government to enter into definitive agreements to effect their future obligations related to the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership, including with respect to commitments to purchase Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology and to effect the profit sharing mechanic; the availability of government funding and support for the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership, including any future commitments to purchase Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology; the availability of additional or replacement funding for the nuclear reactor projects and operations, if needed; the financial, tax and accounting assessment and treatment of the various obligations and commitments under the strategic partnership documentation; the continued demand for nuclear energy and AI, and the growth of the markets for nuclear energy and AI more generally; future demand for nuclear energy and AI; the estimates and forecasts of Cameco's, Westinghouse's and Brookfield's cash position, results of operations and other financial and operational performance metrics; Westinghouse's ability to make distributions to its partners; Westinghouse's ability to mitigate operating risks and any disruptions, delays, trade tensions, conflicts or shortages; that there will not be any significant adverse consequences to the strategic partnership resulting from business disruptions or economic or political uncertainty; that the parties will comply with their obligations under the strategic partnership; and that Westinghouse will maintain protections against liability for nuclear damage. Please also review the risk factors described in greater detail in and www.sedarplus.ca, respectively and and www.sec.gov, respectively. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Brookfield and Cameco; however, these factors should be considered carefully. There can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Brookfield and Cameco expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. The consortium comprising France's TotalEnergies (Paris:TTE) (LSE:TTE) (NYSE:TTE) and Saudi developer Aljomaih Energy Water (AEW) has been awarded by the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) following a tender process, the license to develop, build and operate a 400 megawatts (MW) solar power plant in As Sufun, KSA. The electricity produced will be sold to SPPC through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The solar plant is expected to connect to the grid in 2027, and will power more than 68,400 homes. The As Sufun project is part of Round 6 of the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) overseen by the Ministry of Energy, aiming to reduce reliance on liquid fuels in electricity generation, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, where Saudi Arabia aims to increase the installed capacity shares from renewable energy sources and energy storage systems to reach Up to 50% by 2030, subject to electricity demand growth. "Together with our partner Aljomaih Energy and Water Co, we are thrilled to contribute to Saudi Arabia's target of increasing the share of renewables in its energy mix. This project marks the second success for our consortium in the Saudi National Renewable Energy Program. TotalEnergies is a close partner of Saudi Arabia, where we are deploying our multi-energy strategy, notably through our participation in major refining and petrochemical assets", said Olivier Jouny, SVP Renewables at TotalEnergies. "We are proud to lead the development of the 400 MW As Sufun Solar PV Project in partnership with TotalEnergies. This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to supporting the Saudi Green Initiative and advancing the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. Through our deep local expertise and trusted international partnerships, we continue to contribute to the Kingdom's energy transition toward a more sustainable future. We also extend our sincere appreciation to SPPC for their continued trust and cooperation", stated Mr. Ibrahim Aljomaih, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aljomaih Energy and Water Company. "The 400 MW As Sufun Solar PV Project in Hail region demonstrates our ongoing efforts to expand our renewable energy investments in the Kingdom. The project will supply clean energy to more than 68,400 households, underscoring our role in supporting the Saudi's Vision 2030 objectives toward a thriving and sustainable economy", added Eng. Adnan Buhuligah, Acting CEO of Aljomaih Energy and Water Company. This renewable project is a new milestone for TotalEnergies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where TotalEnergies is currently operating the 119 MW Wadi Al Dawasir solar power plant and building the 300MW Rabigh 2 project. TotalEnergies and electricity TotalEnergies is building a competitive portfolio that combines renewables (solar, onshore wind, offshore wind) and flexible assets (CCGT, storage) to deliver clean firm power to its customers. As of the end of June 2025, TotalEnergies has more than 30 GW of installed gross renewable electricity generation capacity and aims to reach 35 GW by the end of 2025, and more than 100 TWh of net electricity production by 2030. About TotalEnergies TotalEnergies is a global integrated energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas, biogas and low-carbon hydrogen, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to provide as many people as possible with energy that is more reliable, more affordable and more sustainable. Active in about 120 countries, TotalEnergies places sustainability at the heart of its strategy, its projects and its operations. About Aljomaih Energy Water Company Founded in 2007, Aljomaih Energy and Water Company is one of the Kingdom's leading local investors, developers, and operators in the utilities and infrastructure sectors, with a growing global presence. The company's portfolio includes energy projects with a total generation capacity of 13 GW and water production and transmission projects with a combined capacity of 1,300,000 cubic meters per day across Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and Asia. As a subsidiary of Aljomaih Holding Group, Aljomaih Energy and Water Co, builds upon a legacy of nearly 90 years of excellence and a firm commitment to sustainability, driving impactful infrastructure projects that align with Saudi Vision 2030 and contribute to the Kingdom's sustainable development goals. @TotalEnergies TotalEnergiesTotalEnergiesTotalEnergies Cautionary Note The terms "TotalEnergies", "TotalEnergies company" or "Company" in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies' financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Universal Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028963672/en/ Contacts: TotalEnergies Contacts Media Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l presse@totalenergies.com l @TotalEnergiesPR Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l ir@totalenergies.com Aljomaih Energy Water Company Contact For general inquiries: info@jenwa.com Global enterprises scale IFS's Industrial AI across mission-critical operations, driving larger deal sizes and accelerating expansion LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- IFS, the leading provider of Industrial AI software, today announced its FY2025 Year-to-Date (YTD) financial results, demonstrating sustained profitable growth, as the world's largest industrial enterprises move from AI experimentation to deployment across their most critical operations. Q3 FY2025 YTD Financial Highlights Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR): +22% YoY Cloud Revenue: +31% YoY Recurring Revenue: +20% YoY, now representing 82% of total revenue Unlike many AI projects that are yet to achieve real impact, IFS.ai is delivering meaningful and measurable outcomes for customers. This is why many of the world's largest industrial companies are choosing IFS.ai, including: Arcelor Mittal, Boralex, Callaway, Collins Aerospace, Dixstone, Hitachi Energy, Japan Airlines, OFI, TotalEnergies and Westinghouse. These customers are increasing their investments in IFS, driving growth in recurring revenue, deal sizes and customer expansion. Why Enterprise Leaders Are Choosing IFS: Industrial AI Delivering in the Real World IFS's Industrial AI capabilities are purpose-built for the operational complexity of industries that manufacture goods, maintain critical assets, and manage service-intensive operations. This domain expertise, combined with cutting-edge AI innovation, enables IFS to deliver outcomes that traditional vendors cannot match. IFS.ai, embedded across IFS solutions, delivers industry-specific intelligence that orchestrates operational complexity, optimizes real-time decision-making, and transforms efficiency at scale; contextual insights that generic AI simply cannot provide. embedded across IFS solutions, delivers industry-specific intelligence that orchestrates operational complexity, optimizes real-time decision-making, and transforms efficiency at scale; contextual insights that generic AI simply cannot provide. Nexus Black, IFS's AI innovation accelerator, is already delivering breakthrough AI products and measurable customer results within weeks. Forward-deployed engineers turn customer challenges into AI solutions. IFS is differentiated as these AI solutions are productised at unprecedented speed and scale. IFS's AI innovation accelerator, is already delivering breakthrough AI products and measurable customer results within weeks. Forward-deployed engineers turn customer challenges into AI solutions. IFS is differentiated as these AI solutions are productised at unprecedented speed and scale. IFS Loops agentic Digital Workers autonomously manage complex workflows that previously required extensive manual intervention, operating seamlessly across any enterprise data source, be it IFS or any other vendor. Early deployments are demonstrating significant efficiency gains and faster decision-making. autonomously manage complex workflows that previously required extensive manual intervention, operating seamlessly across any enterprise data source, be it IFS or any other vendor. Early deployments are demonstrating significant efficiency gains and faster decision-making. IFS's Q3 acquisition of 7Bridges adds advanced AI-driven supply chain, logistics, and transportation optimization capabilities, further extending IFS's Industrial AI leadership. Mark Moffat, CEO of IFS, commented: "Our 22% ARR growth and increase in average deal size is driven by our AI investments and reflects a clear market shift: the world's largest industrial enterprises are done experimenting with AI: they're deploying it at scale, and they're choosing IFS to co-innovate with them. "They're choosing us because Industrial AI purpose-built for their operations delivers outcomes they can measure and scale. That's only possible because of our deep industry expertise that has enabled IFS to stand out in asset and service management. That proven value drives expansion. As they see returns, they invest more, and that dynamic is accelerating." Matthias Heiden, CFO of IFS, said: "These results demonstrate disciplined execution. Our recurring revenue base at 82% of total revenue provides strong visibility and funds continued innovation. As customers realize measurable returns, they're making larger commitments and expanding faster, strengthening both our business model and competitive position." Momentum Accelerating Into 2026 IFS's ability to create customer impact continues expanding through strategic partnerships and relentless innovation. The company's thriving global partner ecosystem played a crucial role in enabling continued scaling and deal size growth throughout FY2025 YTD. On November 13 in New York, IFS will host Industrial X Unleashed, uniting AI leaders including Anthropic, Boston Dynamics, Microsoft, PwC, and Siemens to showcase breakthrough Industrial AI applications. The event will feature live demonstrations of how AI, large language models, robotics, and enterprise software are transforming operations across the world's most critical industries. Highlights Appointed Kriti Sharma as CEO of Nexus Black to lead next generation AI innovation as CEO of Nexus Black to lead next generation AI innovation Acquired 7Bridges to transform supply chains with Industrial AI Established partnership with Climatiq to integrate real-time sustainability data into IFS Cloud Acquired TheLoops: first agentic AI workforce for mission-critical industries Named Customers' Choice in the 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for Cloud ERP IFS Press Contacts: EUROPE / MEA / APJ: Adam Gillbe IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications Email: adam.gillbe@ifs.com NORTH AMERICA / LATAM: Mairi Morgan IFS, Director of Corporate & Executive Communications Email: mairi.morgan@ifs.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/ifs/r/ifs-delivers-22--arr-growth-as-industrial-ai-moves-from-promise-to-performance,c4257681 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ifs-delivers-22-arr-growth-as-industrial-ai-moves-from-promise-to-performance-302596528.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Dryden Gold Corp. (TSXV: DRY) (OTCQB: DRYGF) (FSE: X7W) ("Dryden Gold" or the "Company") is pleased announce that it will be participating in a number of upcoming conferences and roadshows in the United States and Europe: New Orleans Investment Conference "NOIC" (November 2-5, 2025), Atlanta Roadshow at the Palm Restaurant coordinated by Roger Fitzpatrick (November 6, 2025), Central Canada Mineral Exploration Convention "CCME" (November 3-4, 2025), 121 Mining Investment London "121" (November 17-18, 2025), Swiss Mining Institute Zurich "SMI" (November 20-21, 2025). Trey Wasser, CEO & Director, will be meeting new investors and updating shareholders in Europe, while Maura Kolb, P. Geo., President, will be presenting and networking with new investors in the United States of America; she will be presenting at NOIC on November 3rd at 3:25pm CT at Presentation Area 1 of the Exhibit Hall and will be available for questions at Booth #228. Simultaneously, Dryden Gold's Exploration Manager, Ryan Humphries will be presenting at the CCME in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on November 3rd at 1:30pm CT and will be available to answer questions at Booth #183. Investors can look forward to hearing about the Company's recent exploration achievements from the 2025 drill program (see hyperlinked videos and highlights below), as well as a corporate update on the pending drill results from the Gold Rock Camp as well as the regional priority projects - Hyndman and Sherridon. 2025 Exploration Highlights: The first objective for Dryden Gold was to expand the footprint of the Gold Rock Target Area. Drilling tested along strike on the Elora Gold System where the Company discovered multiple parallel gold-bearing structures with exceptional high-grade intercepts. The 15 outstanding drill holes at Gold Rock continue to expand the footprint. The Geology Team (the "Team") is working to finalize long section interpretation of these multiple parallel zones and continue to pinpoint the controls of the high-grade gold. The second objective was to prove the periodicity at the deposit scale, within the Gold Rock Camp, by drill testing the potential at Mud Lake. Mud Lake is approximately two kilometers northeast of Gold Rock and became an exploration target due to the geophysical anomaly comparable to Gold Rock. It was initially tested in 2024 through mapping and surface sampling. The Company has completed an initial four-hole drill program with assays pending. The recent assays from channel sampling at our third objective, Hyndman, have resulted in a positive drill decision and the Team is currently planning its first-pass drill targets for the 2026 Program. The channel sampling program targeted existing outcrop exposures while geophysics anomalies show a potential strike length of approximately four kilometers. High-grade gold was assayed where the exposed rock hosted veining and shear hosted gold mineralization. Drill testing will allow the team to test the continuity of this mineralization below surface and along strike. The Team believes there is potential for multiple shear parallel gold bearing structures, with significant strike length, at Hyndman. Lastly, the initial three-hole drill program at Sherridon has discovered board-scale gold mineralization. This board-scale mineralization differs from anything else encountered on the property to date. Sherridon is hosted within a large geophysical anomaly with a strike length of five kilometers. Testing to date has focused on a small portion of that trend leaving the Sherridon target open in all directions. Additional drill targets will be designed based on drill results and geological interpretations from expanded mineral assays, geochemistry and re-logging of historic core. For more information, please review our updated corporate presentation, here. ABOUT NEW ORLEANS INVESTMENT CONFERENCE NOIC is the one place where the world's most sophisticated investors gather every year to discover new opportunities and strategies, exchange ideas, plan for the coming year and enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals in America's most fascinating and entertaining city. Interested investors can register, here. ABOUT CENTRAL CANADIAN MINERAL EXPLORATION CONVENTION Founded in November 2018, CCMEC was the first-ever industry-driven mineral exploration convention in Manitoba. The event has grown and now features two days of globally recognized speakers and attracts an attendance of over 700 exploration professionals, academics, government representatives, supplies, financiers, innovators, Indigenous Peoples, and community representatives. The convention provides opportunities for networking, professional development, and industry engagement. It continues to expand and is now the largest event of its kind in Central Canada. ABOUT 121 MINING INVESTMENT LONDON 121's online event series connects portfolio managers and analysts from institutional funds, private equity groups and family offices with mining company management teams for one-to-one, private online meetings. Each online event features 48 hours of one-on-one meetings matching projects to investment capital, they offer a highly efficient use of your time and resources and a global reach that physical events cannot match. Registration information can be found, here. ABOUT SWISS MINING INSTITUTE ZURICH SMI presents two major annual investment conferences per year in Switzerland. Each conference provides top quality, independent perspectives from experts within the Resources Sector together with presentations from 80 selected mining companies. SMI invites over 400 selected Asset Managers, Fund Managers and other Professional Investors from all over the world. Participation in SMI'S private Events is by invitation only. ABOUT DRYDEN GOLD CORP. Dryden Gold Corp. is an exploration company focused on the discovery of high-grade gold mineralization listed on the TSX Venture Exchange ("DRY") and on the OTCQB marketplace ("DRYGF"). The Company has a strong management team and Board of Directors comprised of experienced individuals with a track record of building shareholder value through property acquisition and consolidation, exploration success, and mergers and acquisitions. Dryden Gold controls a 100% interest in a dominant strategic land position in the Dryden District of Northwestern Ontario. Dryden Gold's property package includes historic gold mines but has seen limited modern exploration. The property hosts high-grade gold mineralization over 50km of potential strike length along the Manitou-Dinorwic deformation zone. The property has excellent infrastructure, enjoys collaborative relationships with First Nations communities and benefits from proximity to an experienced mining workforce. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the acquisition of the Property, receipt of corporate and regulatory approvals, issuance of common shares; future development plans; future acquisitions; exploration programs; and the business and operations of Dryden Gold. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings including receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval for the acquisition of the Property; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in Dryden Gold's and the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and Dryden Gold and the Company do not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from Dryden Gold's and the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272121 SOURCE: New Orleans Investment Conference Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Copper Fox Metals Inc. (TSXV: CUU) (OTCQX: CPFXF) (FSE: HPU) ("Copper Fox" or the "Company") and its wholly owned subsidiary, Desert Fox Mineral Mountain Co. ("Desert Fox"), are pleased to announce that drilling operations have commenced on its 100% owned Mineral Mountain porphyry copper project in Arizona. The Mineral Mountain project is located on a prolific northeast trending porphyry copper belt approximately 25 kilometers (km) southwest from Rio Tinto and BHP's giant Resolution porphyry copper-molybdenum deposit and approximately 20km northeast of the Florence porphyry copper deposit (Figure-1). The diamond drilling program is designed to drill test at depth the large area of copper-molybdenum mineralization and alteration exposed at surface and the equally large, open ended positive chargeability body at depth. A brief description of the porphyry copper target to be tested is set out below. Porphyry Copper Target Copper and molybdenum mineralization occurs over an area of approximately 4,500 meters (m) long up to 2,000m wide and is underlain by an open-ended, northeast trending positive chargeability anomaly (>14mrad) measuring approximately 3,200m by 1,200m. The copper mineralization is hosted in Laramide age, potassic, propylitic and phyllic altered porphyritic and non-porphyritic quartz monzonites and biotite granodiorites, typical host rocks for porphyry copper deposits in Arizona. Copper mineralization contains enhanced gold concentrations, several Laramide age porphyry copper deposits in Arizona contain enhanced gold concentrations. The copper mineralization contains a significant amount of chalcocite, a copper sulfide mineral that results from weathering/oxidization/supergene cycles and is typically observed in Laramide age porphyry copper deposits in Arizona. Elmer B. Stewart, President, and CEO of Copper Fox, stated, "Copper Fox is excited to test this large, high-quality porphyry copper target that exhibits the mineralization, alteration, host rocks, and geophysical signatures typically observed at other porphyry copper deposit in Arizona. The size of the porphyry footprint and its location on a northeast trending porphyry copper belt that hosts some of the largest porphyry copper deposit in Arizona is an indication of the porphyry potential of the Mineral Mountain project." Rationale for Drill Plan The objective of the 2025 drilling program is to drill test the depth extent of the porphyry style copper-molybdenum mineralization and alteration exposed on surface and determine the cause of the underlying, equally large open-ended chargeability anomaly. Figure-2 shows the distribution of the copper-molybdenum mineralization, the underlying open-ended positive chargeability anomaly, and the locations of drillholes approved in the Plan of Operation filed with the Bureau of Land Management for the project. Figure-1: Regional location of the Mineral Mountain copper project on northeast trending porphyry copper belt. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2177/272129_8bf009d0d4d34942_001full.jpg Figure-2: Proposed drillhole locations showing Cu-Mo mineralization and the underlying chargeability anomaly (>14mrad). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2177/272129_8bf009d0d4d34942_002full.jpg The drilling program calls for up to 2,000m of drilling in four locations as specified in the drilling permit. Copper Fox has designed a flexible drilling program to consider the possibility of extending the length of a drillhole depending on observations in drill core based on the factors such as presence and abundance of copper mineralization, veining, and associated alteration patterns. While this could result in extending the depth of a drillhole there is a possibility that the planned drilling could result in less than the four drillholes being completed. Qualified Person Elmer B. Stewart, MSc. P.Geo., President, and CEO of Copper Fox, is the Company's non-independent, nominated Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101, Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approves the scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release. About Copper Fox Copper Fox is a Canadian resource company focused on copper exploration and development in Canada and the United States. Copper Fox, and its wholly owned subsidiaries being Northern Fox Copper Inc. and Desert Fox Copper Inc., assets are the 25% interest in the Schaft Creek Joint Venture with Teck Resources Limited on the Schaft Creek copper-gold-molybdenum-silver project, the 100% owned Eaglehead polymetallic porphyry copper project each located in northwestern British Columbia, and the 100% ownerships of the Van Dyke ISCR project, and the Mineral Mountain and Sombrero Butte porphyry copper exploration projects all located in Arizona. For more information on Copper Fox's mineral properties and investments visit the Company's website at www.copperfoxmetals.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors Elmer B. Stewart President and Chief Executive Officer Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and forward-looking information within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information is generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "may," "plans," "will," "anticipates," "intends," "budgets," "could", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "projects" and similar expressions, and the negative of such expressions. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding; a drilling program; the objective of the program; porphyry style alteration and mineralization; a chargeability anomaly; enhanced gold concentrations; supergene chalcocite; the estimated dimensions of quartz vein hosted copper and molybdenum mineralization and interpreted Laramide age intrusive rocks. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Copper Fox and its standards have made numerous assumptions regarding, among other things: the geological advice that Copper Fox has received is reliable and is based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with industry standards; and the reliability of historical reports. While Copper Fox considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause Copper Fox's actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include among others: the drilling program may not be completed as planned or at all; the objective of the program may not be achieved; the porphyry style alteration and mineralization may not be representative of a porphyry copper system; the estimated dimensions of the chargeability anomaly may not be accurate; the chargeability anomaly may not represent porphyry copper mineralization; enhanced gold concentrations may not occur with the copper mineralization; the supergene chalcocite may not represent weathering/oxidization/supergene cycles; the estimated dimensions of quartz vein hosted copper and molybdenum mineralization may not be accurate and the intrusive rocks may not be of Laramide age; further exploration may not locate additional porphyry style mineralization, the financial markets and the overall economy may deteriorate; the need to obtain additional financing and uncertainty as to effects of threatened tariffs, timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing Copper Fox is disclosed in Copper Fox's continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedarplus.ca. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and Copper Fox disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events, or developments, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272129 SOURCE: Copper Fox Metals Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Powermax Minerals Inc. (CSE: PMAX) (OTCQB: PWMXF) (FSE: T23) ("Powermax" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of its Phase 2 exploration program at the Cameron Rare Earth Element (REE) Project, located in the Kamloops Mining Division, British Columbia. Building on Encouraging Phase 1 Results The Phase 2 program follows the results of Phase 1 exploration, which confirmed the presence of light and heavy rare earth element (REE) mineralization across the property. Highlights from Phase 1 included (see August 08, 2025, news release): Total REE (TREE) values range from 17 ppm to 1,943 ppm. Heavy mineral concentrates samples returned TREE values ranging from 365 ppm to 7,561 ppm. REE enrichment is noted across the property, with LREEs generally more abundant than HREEs. Consistent enrichment of both light (LREE) and heavy (HREE) rare earth elements across multiple lithological units. These results support the presence of REE-bearing minerals such as monazite, allanite, and xenotime within pegmatitic and gneissic lithologies of the Monashee Group. Phase 2 Program Objectives Geological mapping and systematic rock sampling across new and previously identified mineralized zones. Additional stream sediment and soil geochemical surveys targeting untested drainages and low outcrop areas. Integration of geological, geochemical, and geophysical datasets in a GIS platform to refine and prioritize drill targets. Fieldwork Schedule The Phase 2 fieldwork has commenced and is expected to take approximately 2-3 weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions. Figure 1: Total REE Assay Map Cameron REE Project, BC To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11633/272185_d4bc45b24496aa02_001full.jpg CEO's Comment Paul Gorman, CEO of Powermax Minerals Inc., commented: "Our team is very encouraged by the early success at Cameron, which continues to demonstrate strong potential for both light and heavy rare earth mineralization in a favorable geological environment. The Phase 2 program represents another important step in systematically advancing the project that could add significant value for our shareholders." About the Cameron REE Project The Cameron REE Project covers approximately 2,984 hectares (three mineral claims) in the Kamloops Mining Division. The property lies within the Monashee Group, a high-grade metamorphic and granitic terrane known to host REE-bearing minerals. Mineralization at Cameron is associated with pegmatites, shear zones, and altered gneisses enriched in both light and heavy REEs. Qualified Person The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Afzaal Pirzada, P.Geo., who is a director of the Company and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Powermax Minerals Inc. Powermax Minerals Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element projects. The Company holds an option to acquire the Cameron REE Property, comprising three mineral claims totaling approximately 2,984 hectares in British Columbia. Powermax also optioned to acquire the Atikokan REE Property, consisting of 455 unpatented mining claims in NW Ontario. Powermax also owns a 100% interest in the Ogden Bear Lodge Project, in Crook County, Wyoming. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions of management and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding potential mineralization, exploration plans, timing of activities, and future exploration results. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Powermax Minerals Inc. disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in CSE policies) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272185 SOURCE: Powermax Minerals Inc. Regulatory approval positions Ayan Capital to expand Shariah-compliant finance solutions to the retail market LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ayan Capital, a leader in B2B Shariah-compliant car finance, has officially secured authorisation from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to enter into regulated consumer credit agreements as a lender. This marks a major milestone in its plan to provide a digitally enabled Islamic finance ecosystem. The fintech has been disrupting the private hire segment in the UK, which includes 300,000+ drivers; a segment typically disregarded by banks and conventional finance institutions due to higher perceived risks. Against those odds, Ayan has retained an exceptionally high-quality portfolio, attributing its success to its data-driven underwriting approach. Serving businesses and sole traders for less than 2 years, Ayan has generated 127 million in demand from leads on its website in the last 3 months alone. However, some had to be turned away due to Ayan not having the license to provide car finance for consumers, whilst others didn't meet responsible underwriting thresholds - resulting in 2.6 million in finance issued in the last quarter. Having been granted authorisation this month by the FCA, Ayan can now serve retail customers, addressing the UK's 40 billion/year retail car market; as well as eyeing the introduction of additional Shariah-compliant consumer finance products. Abdullo Kurbanov, CEO and Co-founder of Ayan, said: "We are excited about the next phase of growth for Ayan. We are currently in funding discussions, which will allow Ayan to scale its operations to 10 million origination per month in the next 6-9 months, whilst offering customers not only halal finance, but also customer-centric processes, tech and pricing. This is about more than finance; it's about financial inclusion and choice for millions in the UK." Zarrina Rajabova, CIO of Ayan, and ex-CIO of Alif Bank, said: "We have been building banking-grade scalable technologies to offer innovative Shariah compliant solutions for over 11 years now between Alif and Ayan. Through Alif, having built our own Core Banking system, payment solutions, apps, internet banking and so on for regulated financial products across 3 jurisdictions in Central and South Asia, we have learned how to build these technologies from scratch in multiple agile iterations. These technologies today are at the core of a digital ecosystem we built that processed US$ 4.5 billion in payments alone in 2024, doubling every year. With this authorisation, our mission at Ayan is to apply that experience and know-how here in the UK - to make halal financing truly technology-driven and accessible to everyone seeking ethical finance." According to Fitch, a ratings agency, Islamic banking assets in the UK have climbed to $11.4 billion as of the end of 2024, demonstrating an impressive 38% YoY growth. Yet Muslims in the UK remain underserved, with surveys showing 3.52 million Muslims in the UK would opt for an Islamic banking solution, if there was one, alongside 30% of non-Muslims who would also consider it, according to a consumer report published by Gatehouse Bank. The introduction of Ayan's consumer finance products, paired with its objective to apply for a banking license in 2026, brings Ayan one step closer to building a platform of seamlessly integrated, technology-driven, competitively priced Shariah-compliant finance products in the UK. About Ayan Capital Ayan Capital is a fintech startup building a tech-driven Halal finance ecosystem. Founded in 2023 by Abdullo Kurbanov, Firdavs Mirzoev, and Zuhursho Rahmatulloev - the team behind Alif Bank, a leading fintech in Central Asia - Ayan today offers Shariah-compliant vehicle finance in the UK. Its edge is rooted in an automated, data-led underwriting process, allowing for rapidly precise decisions, and a completely digital operating model, with stringent Shariah auditing. The result is a modern, values driven alternative to conventional credit. Recently authorised by the FCA for consumer credit, they look towards applying for a banking license, to expand into a suite of Islamic financial services. Ayan Capital is headquartered in Paddington, London and operates across the UK. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806151/Ayan_Capital_UK.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806152/Ayan_Capital_Tajikistan.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2656297/5586891/Ayan_Capital_Ltd_Logo.jpg Contact: Shehrez Riaz +44 7747422203 s.riaz@ayan.co.uk View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ayan-capital-secures-fca-credit-license-and-launches-tech-driven-islamic-consumer-finance-302596505.html FM leader publishes its annual ESG Impact Report Ipswich, UK, Oct. 28, 2025, building on the progress made in social value creation, environmental performance, and governance standards. The report underscores OCS's commitment to doing business responsibly while delivering measurable impact for colleagues, customers, and communities. The report highlights that in 2024, OCS supported 378 individuals into employment through its People into Work programme, and delivered 564 active apprenticeships, reinforcing its mission to create inclusive pathways into employment. Community engagement also grew, with OCS colleagues raising over 143,000 for charities and contributing 1,072 volunteering hours across the UK and Ireland. Environmental performance remained a key focus, with 92% of electricity procured from renewable sources and 99% of waste diverted from landfill. OCS also continued its transition to a low-emission fleet and invested in energy efficiency measures across its operations. This year also saw the strategic acquisition of FES FM and FES Support Services, significantly enhancing OCS's capabilities in energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Governance improvements included strengthened anti-bribery measures, ISO 27001 certification for information security, and enhanced modern slavery risk assessments across the supply chain. "Reflecting on 2024, we have achieved significant growth while carefully balancing our commitment to minimising environmental impact and maximising social value," said Daniel Dickson, CEO of OCS UK & Ireland. "Looking ahead, we are excited to expand and deepen our collaborations with partners to further enhance our social and environmental contributions." Why ESG matters now The findings come at a time when ESG performance is under increasing scrutiny from investors, customers, and regulators. Across industries, there is growing pressure for businesses to demonstrate not just intent, but measurable progress on sustainability and social value. Regulatory frameworks such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the UK's evolving climate disclosure requirements are raising the bar for transparency, while stakeholder demands and the need for risk mitigation are making ESG credentials increasingly weighted in the procurement process. According to Jacky So, Sustainability Director OCS UK & Ireland, this shift represents a fundamental change in how businesses operate. "ESG is no longer a 'nice to have'. Stakeholders expect transparency, measurable targets, and tangible social impact. We're seeing a clear trend; organisations that embed ESG into their core strategy are outperforming on resilience, reputation, and long-term value creation. This isn't just about compliance; it's about competitive advantage. Companies that fail to act risk losing trust, talent, and market share." OCS's approach links social mobility initiatives with environmental commitments and strong governance, reflecting best practice in the sector. "What stands out in this report is the integration of ESG across every part of the business," Jacky said. "From reducing emissions and waste to creating real employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups, OCS is demonstrating that ESG can deliver both social good and commercial success in a scalable and replicable way." Download the full ESG Impact Report here - https://uk.ocs.com/esg-impact-report-2024/ ENDS Attachments OCS UK&I ESG Impact Report (https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/11df74f7-be6a-4a65-92ca-97857d1cf4c3) Photo of Jacky So (https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/820d26fc-3a38-4faf-94d9-517be2110739) Press Office OCS press@ocs.com Treo's ROIC process technology leverages high-density, low-power architecture for mission-critical aerospace, defense, security, and scientific applications SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- onsemi today announced that Teledyne Technologies has selected its Treo platform to develop next-generation readout integrated circuit (ROIC) application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for infrared imaging systems. As the industry's most advanced analog and mixed-signal platform, Treo can be combined with specialized ROIC modules to meet the demands of infrared focal plane array (FPA) systems, which are essential to a wide range of aerospace, defense, security, and scientific applications. Built on an advanced 65nm node, the Treo platform features a modular architecture and a rich set of IP building blocks that help speed up development and reduce time-to-market. Its ROIC process technology combines onsemi's established ROIC offering with Treo's precision analog, advanced digital, and low-voltage power features to deliver a powerful, differentiated solution. Key Features Higher gate density to allow for more functionality in a smaller footprint, improving performance while reducing size Lower power dissipation to improve power efficiency and enable longer mission life Dense on-chip energy storage to improve signal integrity and support large detector arrays without increasing die size Low resistivity substrates for greater resilience against radiation in space and defense applications Wide temperature range for consistent performance in extreme conditions, from cryogenic to automotive temperature grades Die stitching to support large-format sensor designs for advanced imaging systems Together, these advanced features enable Teledyne to build smaller, faster, and more reliable imaging systems with mission-critical capabilities that operate efficiently in extreme environments. "The ability to deliver high-performance imaging sensors that operate reliably in the harshest environments is critical for our space products. The onsemi Treo platform provides the advanced capabilities we need to add more functionality in a smaller footprint, with lower power for thermal management. These are key to our ability to design next-generation infrared imaging systems." - Anders Petersen, Teledyne Imaging Sensors Chief Engineer and Fellow "onsemi's Treo platform is designed to accelerate innovation and reduce time to market by combining a modular architecture with a comprehensive library of proven IP building blocks. This enables the rapid development of custom ROICs, while the full compatibility of our Treo low-voltage devices within the ROIC flow ensures seamless integration of precision analog and digital functions. This makes Treo the ideal foundation for Teledyne's next-generation infrared imaging designs." - Michel De Mey, Vice President, Sensor Interface Division, onsemi. The Treo platform is manufactured in onsemi's East Fishkill, NY facility. With the facility's Category 1A Trusted Supplier accreditation, onsemi is positioned to address the U.S. government's need for domestic chip manufacturing in support of national security. ### About onsemi onsemi?. onsemi?and the?onsemi?logo are trademarks of Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC. All other brand and product names appearing in this document are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders. Although the Company references its website in this news release, information on the website is not to be incorporated herein. Contact Info Michael Mullaney michael.mullaney@onsemi.com +1 838-289-7314 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Hayasa Metals Inc. (TSXV: HAY) (OTCQB: HAYAF) ("Hayasa" or the "Company") has begun drilling additional holes between the Oxide Basin and Copper Creek targets, located at the western end of the Urasar Mineral District. An Atlas Copco CS14 drill rig, operated by contractor AT Group, has been mobilized from Hayasa's Vardenis Project to the Urasar site and has commenced drilling hole UDD-021 as at Oct 28. Fig. 1. Planned, late season drill hole UDD-021 and UDD-022 locations To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/272180_87e7b1e39465b91d_002full.jpg CEO Joel Sutherland comments: "When I joined the Company, I felt the odds of making a discovery were favorable given the visual outcropping of mineralization at surface, and, in general, how underexplored Armenia is despite its central location within the Tethyan Belt. We remain convinced that there is a deposit at Urasar and look forward to reamining 1,000m of assays from the summer program expected to be released mid-November. Given that the primary use of proceeds from the recent capital raise is for drilling, we have decided to undertake additional meters this year given we had three drill pad locations already completed and minimal additional roadwork was required. The location logic is addressed below, our goal is to drill at least one deeper hole to intersect with the conductive zone identified by the AMT survey undertaken this summer, conditional upon weather and safety conditions. If the drilling goes well and weather conditions remain good, we'll aim to do a second hole." Fig. 2. 2025 Drill hole locations at Urasar To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/272180_87e7b1e39465b91d_003full.jpg Background: In July 2025, a trial audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) geophysical survey comprising three survey lines was completed at Urasar just as the summer drilling program was concluding. As seen in the resistivity model below, zones of low resistivity/high conductivity appear to correspond to areas of sulfide mineralization intersected in drill holes UDD-01, UDD-11, and UDD-14. The data also suggests that these holes may have been terminated prematurely-particularly hole UDD-01, which was lost at 146m just as it entered a zone of promising quartz-chalcopyrite mineralization. Fig. 3. AMT line 3 & nearby drill holes Figure 4. AMT line 2 showing planned UDD-021 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3169/272180_hayasaimg34.jpg To test this interpretation, drill hole UDD-021 is planned to target one of the most conductive zones identified by the AMT survey on Line 2, located between Oxide Basin and Copper Creek. The hole is planned to a depth of 500m, considerably deeper than previous drilling. Depending on the results-and weather conditions-an additional hole (UDD-022) is proposed approximately 300m east of hole UDD-021, to test the same conductive anomaly as well as the surface alteration mapped along the main access road as seen in Fig. 1 above. Urasar Mineral District The 15-kilometre-long Urasar mineral district is situated along a major crustal suture that marks the closure of the ancient Tethyan Sea. The district is characterized by strong to intense argillic to advanced argillic alteration as well as surficial sulfide mineralization throughout its length. The western portion of the license features breccia-hosted copper-gold mineralization, while the central zone is dominated by massive sulfide bodies containing gold and copper. The eastern end of the district exhibits base metal mineralization and anomalous gold at surface. Urasar was first exploited by the French in 1914, followed by Soviet exploration programs in the 1930s and 1956-1960, comprising over 20 exploration adits and at least 15 shallow drill holes. Qualified Person The content of this news release was reviewed by Dennis Moore, Hayasa's President and Chairman, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Joel Sutherland CEO Hayasa Metals Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking statements This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration programs. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by Canadian securities law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272180 SOURCE: Hayasa Metals Inc. Royal Caribbean Group extends its robust vacation pipeline from two to eight land-based destinations by 2028 MIAMI, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is bringing the ultimate day to Santorini. Set to open in summer 2026, Royal Beach Club Santorini will welcome vacationers from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises and combine the breathtaking volcanic beaches of this iconic Greek island with the company's signature experiences alongside the vibrant Grecian spirit and culture to create the ultimate Santorini experience. The beach club will be part of an Ultimate Santorini Day that will include a day of exploring the gems of the island, from the white-washed buildings and blue-domed churches in Oia, to a stroll through the shops, cafes and art galleries in Fira. Vacationers will have the opportunity to check off these bucket list items while also enjoying the Mediterranean vibes of the beach club. "Expanding our Royal Beach Club Collection to include Santorini - one of the world's most popular and beautiful locations - is a bold step forward in growing our vacation portfolio from two to eight by 2028, giving guests more ways to have unforgettable experiences with us," said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. "We're thrilled to connect guests with Santorini's gems - from its iconic villages to the Aegean Sea's famous beach club culture - creating a balanced, authentic island experience." "Santorini is an incredible destination that our guests love to explore, and with this new beach club, we are able to bring the best of what the island has to offer with the signature service Royal Caribbean is known for," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean. As Royal Caribbean Group prepares for the beach club's opening next summer, the company's ultimate beach club experience will feature a new innovative way to alleviate congestion throughout the island by better distributing guests arriving to Santorini. Vacationers can start their journey in one of three locations, minimizing crowding while maximizing time spent enjoying sights and sounds. As the first Royal Beach Club experience readies to launch in The Bahamas this December, Royal Beach Club Santorini is the latest in the vacation company's growing lineup of exclusive land-based destinations, which includes the top-rated Perfect Day at CocoCay, which disrupted the cruise industry and redefined the future of cruise vacations. Alongside Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti, Royal Caribbean Group's pipeline of land-based vacation offerings include Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in The Bahamas (2025), the Southernmost Hotel on Earth The Cormorant at 55 South in Chile (2026), Royal Beach Club Santorini (2026), Royal Beach Club Cozumel in Mexico (2026), Perfect Day Mexico (2027), and Royal Beach Club South Pacific in Lelepa (2028). For more information about Royal Beach Club Santorini, click here. About Royal Caribbean Group Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is a vacation industry leader with a global fleet of 68 ships across its five brands traveling to all seven continents. With a mission to deliver the best vacations responsibly, Royal Caribbean Group serves millions of guests each year through its portfolio of best-in-class brands, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea; and an expanding portfolio of land-based vacation experiences through Perfect Day at CocoCay and Royal Beach Club collection. The company also owns 50% of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. With a rich history of innovating, Royal Caribbean Group continually delivers exciting new products and guest experiences that help shape the future of leisure travel. Learn more at royalcaribbeangroup.com or rclinvestor.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807139/RC_Santorini.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1213007/5587006/RCG_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-ultimate-santorini-day-comes-summer-2026-with-royal-beach-club-santorini-and-tours-of-the-islands-hot-spots-302596610.html Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Silver Wolf Exploration Ltd. (TSX-V:SWLF)(OTCQB:SWLFF) ("Silver Wolf" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 10,000,000 units of the Company ("Units") at a purchase price of C$0.15 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$1,500,000, subject to a minimum of 6,000,000 Units for gross proceeds of not less than C$900,000. Subject to the acceptance of the Offering by the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V"), the Company will carry out the Offering utilizing the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, and the shares to be issued as part of the Units will be free-trading except in certain cases. The Company reserves the right to increase the size of the Offering, subject to the approval of the TSX-V. Each Unit will be comprised of one (1) common share ("Common Share") of the Company and one half (1/2) of one non-transferable Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional Common Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.25 at any time up to 36 months following the date of issuance. Finder's fees may be paid by the Company in connection with the Units sold under the Offering as permitted under the policies of the TSX-V and applicable securities laws. The Units may be offered in all provinces of Canada except Quebec. The Units may also be sold in offshore jurisdictions where permitted by law, and in the United States to Qualified Institutional Buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), as well as "accredited investors" as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the 1933 Act, by way of private placement pursuant to available exemptions from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used for a 13 hole, 3,000 meter drill program at the Skarn target on the central claim at the Ana Maria property in Mexico, and for the Company's general working capital requirements. There is an offering document related to this Offering that will be available and can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at the Company's website at www.silverwolfexploration.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision. To the extent that any directors and/or officers of Silver Wolf (collectively, the "Insiders") participate in the Offering, such participation will constitute a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company expects any participation by the Insiders in the Offering will be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 based on the fact that neither the fair market value of the Units subscribed for by the Insiders, nor the consideration for the Units to be paid by the Insiders, will exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. Common Shares issued to Insiders under the Offering may also be subject to a 4-month resale restriction under TSX-V policies. About Silver Wolf Silver Wolf is an exploration company focused on exploring high potential projects in prime silver and gold regions of Mexico including the Ana Maria and El Laberinto properties. The Ana Maria claims are located 21 kilometres (km) northwest of the City of Gomez Palacio and the adjacent City of Torreon. The property consists of 9 mining concessions encompassing 2,549 hectares (ha). The claims are located in a well-known area that is prolific for carbonate replacement deposits (CRDs) as well as skarn deposits in the vicinity of many active or historic mining operations. The Company has operational synergies with Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. and shares many years of combined experience in exploration, development and production. In addition, Silver Wolf has an experienced geological field team who have worked on similar projects with a demonstrated understanding of the jurisdiction and local communities. For further information please contact Silver Wolf Exploration Ltd. at ph. (604) 682-3701 or visit our website at www.silverwolfexploration.com. The management team at Silver Wolf welcomes the opportunity to connect with investors and answer questions. Connect with us on Twitter @SWLFexploration and on LinkedIn at Silver Wolf Exploration Ltd. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Peter Latta" _________________________________ Peter Latta President Cautionary Note The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on numerous assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including risks inherent in mineral exploration and development, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any projected future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; and the uncertainties surrounding the mineral exploration industry. Such information contained herein represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume an obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available. SOURCE: Silver Wolf Exploration Ltd. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/silver-wolf-announces-life-offering-of-units-for-up-to-cad-1.5-millon-1092449 Pioneering compostable single-serve capsule technologies for 10+ years Technology covered by large portfolio of granted and pending patents Validity and strength of patents recently confirmed in multiple proceedings RHENEN, Netherlands, Sept. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- OxBarrier today announced the official launch of its first technology licensing program, built on more than a decade of innovation in sustainable food and beverage (F&B) packaging. At the heart of OxBarrier's offering is its patented compostable single-serve capsule technology which features an integrated oxygen barrier, designed to meet the unique demands of the single-serve coffee capsule industry. This breakthrough innovation ensures long-term freshness and flavor while eliminating the environmental drawbacks of traditional capsules. The company's technology is protected by a large portfolio of intellectual property rights. The validity of multiple European patents was recently confirmed by both the Opposition Division and the Technical Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office in multiple contentious proceedings. OxBarrier's single-serve capsule technology patents have been granted in more than 30 countries, including all major European markets, Canada and Australia - providing a strong foundation for international partnerships and licensing. Through its licensing program, OxBarrier is making its technologies available to partners worldwide. This enables coffee brands and manufacturers to accelerate their sustainability commitments while meeting consumer demand for high-performance, compostable single-serve solutions. The global coffee pods and capsules market was valued at over USD 38 billion in 2023 and is forecast to surpass USD 58 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research, 2024). Yet this expansion carries an environmental cost, with an estimated 576,000 metric tonnes of capsule waste generated annually and millions ending up in landfills (Mongabay, 2022; Earth.org, 2024). "Single serve capsules are a symbol of modern convenience, but they've also created a global waste challenge," says Boele Oltmans, OxBarrier's managing director. "OxBarrier's technology allows brands to offer compostable capsules without sacrificing quality or shelf life. Our goal is to help the industry transition to sustainable single-serve packaging at scale, hence our drive to 'Preserve with Purpose'." About OxBarrier: OxBarrier pioneers sustainable food & beverage packaging, specializing in patented compostable capsule technologies for the single-serve market. Validated by the European Patent Office and protected across major European markets, its technology is available worldwide via a licensing program. Founded on over a decade of R&D, OxBarrier's mission is to enable the global transition to sustainable single-serve packaging-helping leading coffee and F&B brands deliver performance without environmental compromise. www.OxBarrier.com . Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2771764/OxBarrier_Capsule_Top.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2771765/OxBarrier_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/oxbarrier-launches-first-licensing-program-for-its-patented-compostable-capsule-technology-covering-single-serve-coffee-capsules-302555185.html NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kasowitz LLP (New York) and Mishcon de Reya LLP (London) today announced the public release of an Updated Veliaj Report, titled "Report Regarding the Political Persecution of Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana." The report updates the "Report Regarding SPAK's Unjust Detention of a Democratically Elected Mayor in the Capital of Albania: Erion Veliaj," which the firms previously published on June 24, 2025. The Updated Veliaj Report examines the apparent and improper political motivations underlying SPAK's case against Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj. According to the report, in the span of eight months, key events have created the undeniable appearance that SPAK's prosecution of Mayor Veliaj is no ordinary prosecution. Mayor Veliaj has been detained since February, despite the fact that he does not pose a risk of flight, a risk of obstructing SPAK's case, or a risk of re-committing the supposed offenses for which he has been charged. According to the report, the fact that Mayor Veliaj was denied bail - while 17 of the other defendants charged in the same case were released on minimal conditions - illustrates the stark disparity in the way that he has been treated by the Albanian authorities. Moreover, the Updated Veliaj Report notes that recent political events have amplified the concern that Mayor Veliaj's case is a political persecution designed to strip him of his duly elected position as Mayor in violation of the Albanian Constitution. In September, the Municipal Council of Tirana - citing Mayor Veliaj's involuntary detention - removed him from office. As the report notes, this decision, followed by an announcement by the President of the Republic to hold new elections to replace Mayor Veliaj, created the appearance that Mayor Veliaj's unjustified detention was the pretext on which the Albanian authorities have tried to unconstitutionally strip him of his position and disenfranchise the citizens of Tirana of their right to self-government. While the Constitutional Court has, for the time being, suspended any such actions until Mayor Veliaj's appeal challenging the Municipal Council's decision has been decided, the Updated Veliaj Report explores the implications of this constitutional crisis. One of the observations of the report is that Mayor Veliaj's case is a clear example in which Albania's commitment to due process has come into question. According to the report, recent political maneuvers intended to depose Mayor Veliaj have vitiated the presumption of innocence to which Mayor Veliaj is entitled, and deprived him of his liberty and his office - all before his trial has even begun. A copy of the Updated Veliaj Report is available here. Any inquiries should be directed to Shannon O'Reilly (soreilly@kasowitz). The Kasowitz team includes partners Daniel J. Fetterman and Brian S. Choi in New York, and senior counsel Clarine Nardi Riddle and special counsel David Miller in Washington, D.C. The Mishcon de Reya team includes partners James Libson and Ben Brandon, managing associate Celia Marr, and associates Grace Houghton and Elizabeth Fitton. Contact Information: Shannon O'Reilly (212) 547-1290 SOReilly@kasowitz.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2725717/Kasowitz_RGB_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/kasowitz-llp-and-mishcon-de-reya-llp-publish-an-updated-report-regarding-the-political-persecution-of-erion-veliaj-mayor-of-tirana-302595850.html Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Conquest Resources Limited (TSXV: CQR) ("Conquest" or the "Company") announces that it is reviewing data on its 100% owned Ontario gold projects for potential upcoming winter exploration, sale, options or joint ventures. In addition to its 100% properties, the Company also holds a 70% stake in the King Bay Project located in northwestern Ontario. The Company has been focused on its Belfast-Teck Mag Project where it has been evaluating VMS and IOCG mineralization. The former producing Golden Rose Mine is located within the 350sqkm Belfast-Teck Mag Project. The Golden Rose Mine produced 45,414 ounces of gold between 1935 and 1941 after development by Cominco. Gold occurs in quartz fractures and veining with pyrite within two banded iron formations. There are over 6km of underground development, a three compartment shaft 228m deep, a decline ramp to the 6th level and a winze connecting the 6th and 7th levels. The Smith Lake Property consists of 181 staked mining claims and 6 patented claims located in Leeson, Stover and Rennie Townships in the Missinabie region of Northern Ontario. It is adjacent and contiguous with the former Renabie Mine owned by Barrick Gold to the east and the Island Gold Mine Project owned by Alamos Gold to the west. Grab samples from previous overburden stripping of the Campbell vein returned values in excess of 10g/t Au. The Alexander Gold Project consists of 27 patented mining claims covering 448 hectares in Balmer Township adjacent to the producing Campbell Red Lake Mine. Drilling by Goldcorp in 2008 intersected 4.97g/t Au over 1.82m including 14.25g/t over .61m and 12,67g/t over 1m. The Property is located on the "Mine Trend" and hosts favorable geology untested at depth. Qualified Person The technical content of this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Joerg Kleinboeck, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined in NI 43-101. ABOUT CONQUEST Conquest Resources Limited, incorporated in 1945, is a mineral exploration company that is exploring for base metals and gold on mineral properties in Ontario. Conquest holds a 100% interest in the Belfast-TeckMag Project, located in the Temagami Mining Camp at Emerald Lake, Ontario, which is believed to have exceptional exploration upside for magmatic sulphide deposits (Cu-Ni-PGE), VMS, IOCG, Iron formation hosted Au and Paleo-placer Au. The Belfast-TeckMag Project is the Company's flagship property, evolved from the Golden Rose Project, which was initially acquired in December 2017, and significantly augmented through the acquisition of Canadian Continental Exploration Corp. ("CCEC") in 2020 and subsequent additional claim staking and purchases in its adjacent Belfast Copper Project and TeckMag Property. Conquest now controls over 300 square kilometers of underexplored territory in the Temagami Mining Camp, including the past producing Golden Rose Mine at Emerald Lake. Conquest also holds a 100% interest in the Alexander Gold Property located immediately east of the Red Lake and Campbell mines in the heart of the Red Lake Gold Camp along the important "Mine Trend" regional structure. Conquest's property is almost entirely surrounded by Evolution Mining landholdings. In addition, the Company holds interests in the Smith Lake Gold Property and Lake Nipigon Basin Property. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Forward-looking statements: This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's expectations, plans, exploration activities, proposed expenditures, potential mineralization, and the timing and content of upcoming work programs. Forward-looking information can often be identified by words such as "anticipates", "believes", "expects", "intends", "plans", "estimates", "may", "will", "should", and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Such risks include but are not limited to: exploration results not being indicative of future results; variations in mineral grade or recovery rates; delays or failures in obtaining necessary permits; changes in commodity prices, capital market conditions, and general economic conditions. Although the Company believes the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking information, except as required by law. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272130 SOURCE: Conquest Resources Limited DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bybit , the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, is pleased to announce a new educational initiative with Master Trading Academy (MTA), a fast-growing crypto education and trading community in Sri Lanka. Accepting application now until November 17, 2025, the program will benefit eligible participants of select MTA courses with a focus on crypto trading fundamentals, practical knowledge and tools, and risk management. With a shared vision to advance blockchain awareness and inclusive knowledge transfer for crypto enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, Bybit has joined forces with MTA to sponsor 120 students on their learning journey, committing to up to 120 USDT per course in fee subsidies. The exclusive Diploma in Cryptocurrency Trading & Market Analyst Mastery program delivers in-depth coverage of key concepts in blockchain technology, financial market basics, research and analytical skills, and practical knowledge of trading platforms. The program integrates technical analysis with trading psychology principles, offering a complete framework for both novice and experienced traders. Program Highlights Quality Assurance : Spearheaded by the MTA learning community, the localized program will address key topics in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, trading, and asset safety from basic to advanced levels. : Spearheaded by the MTA learning community, the localized program will address key topics in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, trading, and asset safety from basic to advanced levels. Upskilling and Certification: The courses follow MTA's tradition of offering practical and actionable insights tailored for real trading scenarios, and empowers participants to expand their research skills and knowledge base. Complete with enrollment requirements and certification for the completion of studies, the exclusive MTA course supported by Bybit is designed to uplift traders in an increasingly complex market. The courses follow MTA's tradition of offering practical and actionable insights tailored for real trading scenarios, and empowers participants to expand their research skills and knowledge base. Complete with enrollment requirements and certification for the completion of studies, the exclusive MTA course supported by Bybit is designed to uplift traders in an increasingly complex market. Flexible Access: Participants will enjoy the benefits of real-time interactions in remote classes via Zoom as well as on-demand access to the recordings in a 6-month viewing period. Course Structure The courses will be conducted in three batches, starting on November 20, 2025, December 23, 2025, and January 21, 2026 respectively. Duration: 7 hours of classes per week for 3 months 7 hours of classes per week for 3 months Class size: 40 students per cohort "Bybit and MTA have just concluded a successful crypto trading bootcamp and competition in Sri Lanka. The Bybit x MTA collaborative initiative in crypto education marks the beginning of another chapter of our partnership," said Nazar Tymoshchuk, Regional Manager at Bybit. "We share the belief that resources and education should be accessible to more people who want to build a career in or simply want to learn more about the emerging digital economy, and we are working towards turning this into a reality with the new initiative." "MTA has delivered over 100 sessions to over 1,500 students in Sri Lanka and built a closely-knitted community of over 20,000 members. The partnership with Bybit offers a platform for our potential students to get on board the latest trends in crypto, receive hands-on training, and connect with the global crypto community in the Bybit ecosystem," said Gayan Abeyrathna, Director and Investment Advisor at MTA. Terms and conditions apply. To qualify, applicants may be subject to a screening process to ensure fair opportunity. Interested parties may sign up here and request further information. Bybit / CryptoArk About Bybit Bybit is the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving a global community of over 70 million users. Founded in 2018, Bybit is redefining openness in the decentralized world by creating a simpler, open and equal ecosystem for everyone. With a strong focus on Web3, Bybit partners strategically with leading blockchain protocols to provide robust infrastructure and drive on-chain innovation. Renowned for its secure custody, diverse marketplaces, intuitive user experience, and advanced blockchain tools, Bybit bridges the gap between TradFi and DeFi, empowering builders, creators, and enthusiasts to unlock the full potential of Web3. Discover the future of decentralized finance at Bybit.com . For more details about Bybit, please visit Bybit Press For media inquiries, please contact: media@bybit.com For updates, please follow: Bybit's Communities and Social Media Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube About MTA Master Trading Academy (MTA) is Sri Lanka's leading trading education platform, offering a broad range of resources and training on forex and cryptocurrency markets. With an active trading community of over 20,000 members, MTA has hosted numerous workshops, live sessions, and mentorship programs aimed at equipping local traders with practical, actionable skills. Our mission is to empower individuals with financial literacy through immersive and accessible learning experiences. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807065/Bybit_Bridges_Crypto_Financial_Knowledge_Gap_Master_Trading_Academy_Sri.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2267288/Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bybit-bridges-crypto-financial-knowledge-gap-with-master-trading-academy-in-sri-lanka-302596691.html WARREN, ID / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Sidney Resources Corp. (OTCID:SDRC) ("Sidney" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a major advancement at its flagship Warren District Project in the historic Warren Mining District, Idaho. Recent metallurgical testing has successfully produced both gold and rare earth element (REE) concentrates from Lucky Ben and Knott vein ore using a simple, environmentally friendly gravity separation process. Preliminary results from the Company's internal laboratory demonstrate the ability to concentrate REE-bearing monazite sands with and without nitric acid leach yielding 30% TREO via gravity alone and over 60% TREO in post-leach Knott Vein residuals - using targeted nitric acid only in the leach path. A dual-process, low-impact pipeline for U.S. critical minerals. "This isn't hype - it's a fortified moat in the war for American resource sovereignty," said Sean-Rae Zalewski, CEO. "Like compounding interest on undervalued granite, our ore delivers 20 g/t gold and30% TREO via gravity alone - or over 60% TREO with targeted nitric leach. We're not chasing REEs. We're weaponizing monazite - 70% cheaper, 100% domestic, and DoD-grade from Idaho's batholith." Key Highlights from Preliminary Internal Lab Results 20 g/t Au + 30% TREO via gravity (no reagents) 60%+ TREO in post-leach residuals (Knott Vein) - highest-grade U.S. monazite 70% cost reduction vs. flotation/acid leach 40%+ NPV uplift from REE credits (preliminary) Scalable flowsheet: Upgrades enhance gold-REE output, reducing operating costs, with REE byproduct credits enhancing project NPV. Rich History and Untapped Potential of Monazite in the Warren District, Idaho The Warren Mining District, located in Idaho's Idaho County within the Idaho Batholith, is a legendary gold mining region that produced over 1.5 million ounces of placer and lode gold from the 1860s through the early 1900s. Named after the Warren brothers who discovered gold in 1864, the district is renowned for its rich paleochannels and quartz veins. Less known but equally significant is its world-class monazite potential, documented in historical USGS reports as a byproduct of placer gold operations in Warren. - Historical Production: Early 20th-century USGS bulletins (e.g., **Bulletin 814, 1930** and **Professional Paper 180, 1933**) detail monazite sands recovered from Lucky Ben placers, assaying **3-7% TREO**. Over 300 tons of monazite concentrates were shipped from Idaho districts pre-WWII for thorium and REE extraction, with Warren contributing significantly due to its granitic source rocks. "True value lies in the margin of safety - Warren's documented 3-7% TREO monazite provides exactly that, buried in plain sight since the 1930s." - Benjamin Graham (paraphrased) - Geological Endowment: The district's **Idaho Batholith granites** host placer and hard-rock monazite in pegmatites, aplites, and quartz veins, often co-mineralized with gold and heavy minerals. "The REEs are not confined to the vein system. This leaves value in the surrounding material as we drift." - Steve Dobson, Chief Geologist - Strategic Value: Monazite is the highest-grade primary REE source globally (up to 60% TREO), rich in heavy REEs essential for EVs, wind turbines, and defense tech. With Idaho emerging as a domestic REE hub, Warren's monazite represents a secure, U.S.-sourced alternative amid rising REE prices and China's 90% global supply dominance. The suite of rare earth elements identified includes both light and heavy rare earths, cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), yttrium (Y), gadolinium (Gd), dysprosium (Dy), and holmium (Ho) - representing a complete monazite-xenotime-type mineral signature. These elements are critical for high-performance magnet and defense applications, with Nd, Pr, and Dy essential for permanent magnet alloys and Y and Gd used in advanced energy and electronics technologies. The presence of thorium (Th), tungsten (W), and phosphorus (P) further supports the classification of the Warren District material as a naturally enriched monazite-bearing system, underscoring its potential as a domestic source of strategic rare earth elements. Multiple Initiatives Launched to Accelerate Development Sidney is advancing the Warren District Project on multiple fronts to fast-track toward production: 1. Partnership with Hazen Research: The Company has engaged Hazen Research Inc. (Golden, CO), a world-renowned metallurgy firm, for advanced flowsheet optimization, locked-cycle testing, and pilot plant testing. 2. Project-Wide Sampling Campaign: A comprehensive sample program is underway, targeting all historical workings, tailings piles, and areas of interest across 4,000+ acres. Focus includes untested paleochannels and vein extensions, with assays expected in November 2025. 3. Airborne Geophysics: Sidney has engaged Precision GeoSurveys Inc. to conduct a project wide aeromagnetic survey. 4. Drilling Campaign: Western Frontier Exploration & Mining are preparing for a drift and drill campaign for the winter season. 5. Strategic Partnerships: Sidney has engaged with (details confidential) for joint venture exploration, off-take agreements, and technology sharing. These partners bring expertise in monazite cracking and separation, aligning with DoD critical minerals priorities. "These aren't handshakes - they are alliances in the REE arms race," added Zalewski. "DoD-aligned partners bring monazite cracking tech that turns concentrate into deployable dominance." Next Steps - Ongoing Due Diligence: Actively engaging REE industry leaders to maximize asset yield, aligning with the Critical Minerals Security Act to build a sustainable U.S. supply chain. Upon successful testing by off-take partners, third-party verification, and scaling, Sidney will transition from exploration to a catalyst for domestic REE security, targeting full production. - Q4 2025: Complete sampling, aeromagnetic survey, and initial Hazen sample analysis. - Q1 2026: Pilot plant commissioning - 2026: Maiden Resource estimate About Sidney Resources Sidney Resources (OTCID:SDRC) is the Palantir of critical minerals - deploying dual-process tech to extract 20 g/t gold + 60% TREO monazite from America's batholiths, securing supply chains one gravity table at a time. General Disclaimer Sidney Resources Corporation ("Sidney" or the "Company") has taken all reasonable care in producing and publishing information contained in this announcement. However, such information is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all matters and developments concerning the Company and the Company cannot guarantee the accuracy, currency or completeness of the information at all times. The information posted on the Company website and contained in this announcement are accurate at the time of posting but may be superseded by subsequent disclosures. Material in this announcement may still contain technical or other inaccuracies, omissions, or typographical errors, for which Sidney assumes no responsibility. Sidney does not warrant or make any representations regarding the use, validity, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any claims, statements or information. Under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall Sidney be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For more information on Sidney Resources Corporation and its ESG initiatives, visit: https://sidneyresources.com/ For further information, contact: Dan Hally COO, Sidney Resources Corporation Phone: 509-552-9858 Website: https://sidneyresources.com/ FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause materially different results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc. Our public filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the OTC Markets at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SDRC/disclosure SOURCE: Sidney Resources Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/sidney-hits-60-treo-via-leach-30-via-gravity-dual-gold-ree-fortress-100-u.s.a.-1092467 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - AbraSilver Resource Corp. (TSX: ABRA) (OTCQX: ABBRF) ("AbraSilver" or the "Company") is pleased to announce new assay results from five drill holes from the ongoing Phase V exploration program at its wholly-owned Diablillos project in Argentina (the "Project"). These results continue to expand oxide-hosted gold mineralization to the east of the Oculto deposit, extending the high-grade gold zone and highlighting the continued strong exploration upside potential across the Diablillos system. Highlight Drill Results - Widths are reported as drilled; true widths are not yet known. At Oculto East, numerous broad zones of gold and silver mineralization were intercepted, including: DDH 25-073: 10.0 metres ("m") grading 59 g/t silver (from 117 m downhole) & 20.0 m grading 0.66 g/t gold (223 m downhole) DDH 25-074: 31.0 m grading 0.59 g/t gold (from 255 m) DDH 25-075A: 73.0 m grading 0.55 g/t gold (from 277 m), including 13.5 m at 0.83 g/t gold & 16.5 m grading 0.75 g/t gold DDH 25-076: 12 m grading 62 g/t silver (from 128 m downhole) & a very broad, well-mineralized intercept of 180.0 m grading 0.65 g/t gold (from 170 m), including 15.0 m at 1.36 g/t gold DDH 25-077: A high-grade interval of 13.81 g/t gold over 8.5 m from 317 m , and a separate interval of 44.0 m at 0.65 g/t gold from 368 m John Miniotis, President and CEO, commented, "Drilling at Oculto East continues to deliver impressive results with wide, high-grade gold intercepts. The continued expansion of this zone well beyond the current conceptual open pit demonstrates the strong growth potential of Diablillos and positions us to continue unlocking significant value through ongoing exploration and development." Figure 1 - Plan View of Drill Results To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11792/272103_6e58763c443ed887_001full.jpg Dave O'Connor, Chief Geologist, commented, "Drilling at Oculto East continues to confirm broad, high-grade gold mineralization extending well beyond the eastern margin of the conceptual open pit. The consistency of these strong intercepts points to a large, continuous mineralized envelope with significant potential for further expansion." Table 1 - Summary of Key Drill Intercepts Intercepts greater than 25 gram-metres gold or 2,000 gram-metres silver shown in bolded text: Drill Hole Area From (m) To (m) Type Interval (m) Ag g/t Au g/t DDH-25-073 Oculto East 117.0 127.0 Oxides 10.0 59.0 - 133.0 139.0 Oxides 6.0 36.9 0.24 223.0 243.0 Oxides 20.0 13.3 0.66 256.0 266.0 Oxides 10.0 24.7 0.78 313.5 315.5 Oxides 2.0 - 0.86 327.5 330.0 Oxides 2.5 4.2 1.41 DDH-25-074 Oculto East 224.0 225.0 Oxides 1.0 - 1.30 233.0 243.0 Oxides 10.0 - 0.61 255.0 286.0 Oxides 31.0 - 0.59 DDH-25-075A Oculto East 148.0 168.0 Oxides 20.0 3.5 0.40 187.0 189.0 Oxides 2.0 3.5 1.05 277.0 350.0 Oxides 73.0 3.3 0.55 Including 286.0 299.5 Oxides 13.5 4.0 0.83 Including 313.0 329.5 Oxides 16.5 2.6 0.75 DDH-25-076 Oculto East 121.0 124.0 Oxides 3.0 83.7 0.17 128.0 140.0 Oxides 12.0 62.1 0.17 150.0 156.0 Oxides 6.0 10.3 1.12 161.0 162.0 Oxides 1.0 5.5 0.99 170.0 350.0 Oxides 180.0 10.8 0.65 Including 297.0 312.0 Oxides 15.0 25.3 1.36 DDH-25-077 Oculto East 317.0 337.0 Oxides 20.0 6.2 0.27 337.0 345.5 Oxides 8.5 14.3 13.81 368.0 412.0 Oxides 44.0 3.6 0.65 425.0 428.0 Oxides 3.0 10.1 0.77 435.0 450.0 Mixed 15.0 13.3 0.62 446.5 448.0 Sulphides 1.5 8.9 2.81 Note: All results in this news release are rounded. Assays are uncut & undiluted. Widths are drilled widths, not true widths. True widths are unknown. Additional Details on Drill Results - Oculto East Several holes drilled at Oculto East continue to demonstrate broad, continuous intervals of oxide gold mineralization extending beyond the eastern margin of the current conceptual open pit. The stand-out intercept was returned in hole DDH 25-077 with a high-grade interval of 8.5 m grading 13.81 g/t gold and 14.3 g/t silver. As seen in Figure 2 below, this intercept occurs along the same mineralized trend as hole DDH 25-024, which previously returned 31.0 m grading 9.96 g/t gold and 16.2 g/t silver, highlighting the strong continuity of high-grade gold mineralization at Oculto East. Additional assay results from nearby holes are pending, with drilling ongoing to further define the continuity and extent of this expanding high-grade gold zone within the larger mineralized system. Figure 2 - Section Through Latest Drill Holes - at Oculto East Looking Northeast To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11792/272103_6e58763c443ed887_002full.jpg Note: Widths are drilled widths, not true widths. True widths are unknown. Exploration Update In parallel with the ongoing oxide-focused drilling, exploration is underway at the porphyry complex located approximately 4 kilometres northeast of Oculto. The Company has completed a deep drill hole at the Cerro Blanco target and four shallow holes at the Cerro Viejo target, with an additional deep drill hole underway at Cerro Viejo. These holes were designed to evaluate the potential for a large-scale mineralized system at depth. In addition, a deep drill hole is currently underway at Oculto East to test for potential porphyry-style mineralization beneath the high-grade gold zone, marking an important step toward assessing the deeper potential across the broader Diablillos system. All assay results for these deeper holes are expected to be received before year-end. Collar Data Hole Number UTM Coordinates Elevation Azimuth Dip Depth (m) Area DDH 25-073 720644 7199602 4,317 180 -70 350 Oculto East DDH 25-074 720926 7199724 4,362 180 -60 290 Oculto East DDH 25-075A 721099 7199691 4,427 175 -70 350 Oculto East DDH 25-076 721007 7199649 4,413 175 -60 350 Oculto East DDH 25-077 720877 7199433 4,432 315 -75 450 Oculto East About Diablillos The Diablillos property is located within the Puna region of Argentina, in the southern part of Salta Province along the border with Catamarca Province, approximately 160 km southwest of the city of Salta and 375 km northwest of the city of Catamarca. AbraSilver acquired the property in 2016, which comprises 15 contiguous and overlapping mineral concessions with excellent year-round road access. Exploration to date has outlined multiple occurrences of silver-gold oxide mineralization at Oculto, JAC, Laderas, and Fantasma, located within a 500 m to 1.5 km distance surrounding the Oculto/JAC epicentre. To date, over 150,000 metres have been drilled on the property, which continues to demonstrate the strong growth potential of shallow, oxide-hosted silver and gold resources. In addition, a large porphyry complex is centered approximately 4 km northeast of Oculto which includes outcropping porphyry intrusions within a major zone of alteration and associated gold rich epithermal mineralization. Comparatively nearby examples of high sulphidation epithermal deposits include: La Coipa (Chile); Yanacocha (Peru); El Indio (Chile); Lagunas Nortes/Alto Chicama (Peru) Veladero (Argentina); and Filo del Sol (Argentina). The most recent Mineral Resource estimate for Diablillos is shown in Table 3: Table 3 - Diablillos Mineral Resource Estimate - As of July 21, 2025 Zone Category Tonnes (000 t) Ag (g/t) Au (g/t) AgEq (g/t) Contained Ag (000OzAg) Contained Au (000 Oz Ag) Contained AgEq (000 Oz Ag) Tank Leach Oxides Measured 26,545 119 0.71 183 101,564 604 156,487 Indicated 46,584 56 0.63 114 84,430 948 170,592 Measured & 73,129 79 0.66 139 185,994 1,553 327,078 Indicated Inferred 9,693 34 0.57 86 10,616 176 26,647 Heap Leach Oxides Measured 6,673 16 0.14 25 3,486 30 5,342 Indicated 24,102 12 0.17 23 9,163 133 17,506 Measured & 30,774 13 0.16 23 12,649 162 22,848 Indicated Inferred 10,024 9 0.20 21 2,811 64 6,850 Total Oxides Measured 33,218 98 0.59 152 105,050 634 161,829 Indicated 70,686 41 0.48 83 93,593 1,081 188,098 Measured & 103,904 59 0.51 105 198,643 1,715 349,927 Indicated Inferred 19,628 21 0.38 53 13,427 241 33,496 Footnotes for Tank Leach Resource: Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and have not demonstrated economic viability. The formula for calculating AgEq is as follows: Silver Eq Oz = Silver Oz + Gold Oz x (Gold Price/Silver Price) x (Gold Recovery/Silver Recovery). The Mineral Resource model was populated using Ordinary Kriging grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model and mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids, which are a combination of lithology and alteration domains. The 1m composite grades were capped where appropriate. The Mineral Resource is reported inside a conceptual Whittle open pit shell derived using US$ 27.50/oz Ag price, US $2,400/oz Au price, 83% process recovery for Ag, and 87% process recovery for Au. The constraining open pit optimization parameters used were US $1.94/t mining cost, US $22.96/t processing cost, US $3.32/t G&A cost, and average 51-degree open pit slopes. The MRE has been categorized in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards (CIM, 2014). A Net Value per block [NVB] calculation was used to constrain the Mineral Resource, determine the "Benefits = Income-Cost", where, Income = [(Au Selling Price (US$/oz) - Au Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Au grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Au Recovery (%)] + [(Ag Selling Price (US$/oz) - Ag Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Ag grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Ag Recovery (%)] and Cost = Mining Cost (US$/t) + Process Cost (US$/t) + Transport Cost (US$/t) + G&A Cost (US$/t) + [Royalty Cost (%) x Income] The Mineral Resource is sub-horizontal with sub-vertical feeders and a reasonable prospect for eventual economic extraction by open pit and tank leach processing methods. In-situ bulk density were assigned to each model domain, according to samples averages for each lithology domain, separated by alteration zones and subset by oxidation. All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes and ounces of contained gold are troy ounces. Mining recovery and dilution factors have not been applied to the Mineral Resource estimates. The Mineral Resource was estimated by Luis Rodrigo Peralta, B.Sc., FAusIMM CP (Geo), Independent Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Peralta is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues that could materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Resource. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimates. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures. Footnotes for Heap Leach Resource: Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and have not demonstrated economic viability. The formula for calculating AgEq is as follows: Silver Eq Oz = Silver Oz + Gold Oz x (Gold Price/Silver Price) x (Gold Recovery/Silver Recovery). The Mineral Resource model was populated using Ordinary Kriging grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model and mineralized zones defined by wireframed solids, which are a combination of lithology and alteration domains. The 1m composite grades were capped where appropriate. The Mineral Resource is reported inside a conceptual Whittle open pit shell derived using US$ 27.50/oz Ag price, US $2,400/oz Au price, 80% process recovery for Ag, and 58% process recovery for Au. The constraining open pit optimization parameters used and overall operational cost of US $11.31/t. The MRE has been categorized in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards (CIM, 2014). A Net Value per block [NVB] calculation was used to constrain the Mineral Resource, determine the "Benefits = Income-Cost", where, Income = [(Au Selling Price (US$/oz) - Au Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Au grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Au Recovery (%)] + [(Ag Selling Price (US$/oz) - Ag Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Ag grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Ag Recovery (%)] and Cost = Mining Cost (US$/t) + Process Cost (US$/t) + Transport Cost (US$/t) + G&A Cost (US$/t) + [Royalty Cost (%) x Income] In-situ bulk density were assigned to each model domain, according to samples averages for each lithology domain, separated by alteration zones and subset by oxidation. All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes and ounces of contained gold are troy ounces. Mining recovery and dilution factors have not been applied to the Mineral Resource estimates. The Mineral Resource was estimated by Mr. Peralta, B.Sc., FAusIMM CP (Geo), Independent Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Peralta is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues that could materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Resource. All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimates. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate significant figures. QA/QC and Core Sampling Protocols AbraSilver applies industry standard exploration methodologies and techniques, and all drill core samples are collected under the supervision of the Company's geologists in accordance with industry best practices. Drill core is transported from the drill platform to the logging facility where drill data is compared and verified with the core in the trays. Thereafter, it is logged, photographed, and split by diamond saw prior to being sampled. Samples are then bagged, and quality control materials are inserted at regular intervals at site; these include blanks and certified reference materials as well as duplicate core samples which are collected in order to assess sampling precision and reproducibility. Groups of samples are then placed in large bags which are sealed with numbered tags in order to maintain a chain-of-custody during the transport of the samples from the project site to the laboratory. All samples are received by the ASA (Alex Stewart Argentina) preparation laboratory in Salta, where they are prepared, then the pulp sachet is directly dispatched to its facility in Mendoza, Argentina, where they are analyzed. All samples are analyzed using a multi-element technique consisting of a four-acid digestion followed by ICP/AES detection, and gold is analyzed by 50g Fire Assay with an AAS finish. Silver results greater than 100g/t are re-analyzed using four acid digestion with an ore grade AAS finish. Qualified Persons David O'Connor P.Geo., Chief Geologist for AbraSilver, is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and he has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this news release. About AbraSilver AbraSilver is an advanced-stage exploration company focused on rapidly advancing its 100%-owned Diablillos silver-gold project in the mining-friendly Salta province of Argentina. The current Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource estimate for Diablillos (tank leach-only) consists of 73.1 Mt grading 79 g/t Ag and 0.66 g/t Au, containing approximately 186Moz silver and 1.6Moz gold, with significant further upside potential based on recent exploration drilling. The Company is led by an experienced management team and has long-term supportive shareholders. In addition, the Company has an earn-in option and joint venture agreement with Teck on the La Coipita project, located in the San Juan province of Argentina. AbraSilver is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ABRA" and in the U.S. on the OTCQX under the symbol "ABBRF." For further information please visit the AbraSilver Resource website at www.abrasilver.com, our LinkedIn page at AbraSilver Resource Corp., and follow us on X at www.x.com/abrasilver Cautionary Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements that address future plans, activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur are forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. When considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in the Company's disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272103 SOURCE: AbraSilver Resource Corp. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Glow Lifetech Corp. (CSE: GLOW) (OTCID: GLWLF) (FSE: 9DO) ("Glow" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has further strengthened its balance sheet and simplified its capital structure through the recent exercise and expiry of a combined 20 million common share purchase warrants ("Warrants"). These developments reflect continued shareholder confidence in the Company's long-term growth strategy and commitment to disciplined financial management. $452,500 in Cash Proceeds from 9.05 Million At-the-Money Warrants Exercised Glow's largest shareholder has exercised 9,050,000 warrants at $0.05 per share, for total proceeds of $452,500 to the Company, bolstering its overall cash position. The exercise price was equal to the Company's closing price at the time of exercise, underscoring that this investment represents a strong vote of confidence in Glow's business performance and long-term growth strategy, and further strengthens its balance sheet to support ongoing operations and strategic growth initiatives. 11.12 Million Warrants Expire, Reducing Total Warrant Overhang by 20 Million In addition to the exercise, 11,116,667 warrants expired unexercised on October 26, 2025, minimizing potential dilution and reducing overall warrant overhang. In total, approximately 20 million warrants have now been removed from Glow's capital structure through exercise or expiry. "The exercise of warrants by our largest shareholder is a strong endorsement of Glow's progress, strategy, and future potential," said Rob Carducci, CEO of Glow Lifetech. "Combined with the expiry of additional warrants, these developments strengthen our already strong balance sheet, streamline our capital structure and reduce potential dilution, and position us to continue executing our growth strategy with focus and discipline." Completion of Debt Settlement Strengthens Balance Sheet In line with these initiatives to further strengthen its financial position and maintain a lean, efficient capital structure, the Company issued 714,286 common shares ("Shares") to settle approximately $50,000 in outstanding debt at a deemed price of $0.07 per Share (the "Debt Settlement"). The board of directors of the Company determined that it was in the best interests of the Company to settle the outstanding debt through the issuance of the Shares in order to preserve the company's cash for working capital. The shares issued in connection with the Debt Settlement are subject to a four month and one day hold period as required under applicable Canadian securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Combined with recent commercial progress, these developments mark another milestone in Glow's continued effort to enhance financial flexibility and maintain a clean, efficient capital structure as the Company advances through its next phase of growth. SUBSCRIBE: For more information on Glow or to subscribe to the Company's mail list visit: https://www.glowlifetech.com/news About Glow Lifetech Corp Glow Lifetech is a Canadian-based biotechnology company focused on producing nutraceutical and cannabinoid-based products with dramatically enhanced bioavailability, absorption and effectiveness. Glow has a groundbreaking, plant-based MyCell Technology delivery system, which transforms poorly absorbed natural compounds into enhanced water-compatible concentrates that unlock the full healing potential of the valuable compounds. Website: www.glowlifetech.com Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the proposed Debt Settlement, including the amount and completion thereof and statements regarding the Offering, including the amount of proceeds expected to be raised, the timing for closing, the receipt of required regulatory approvals and the intended use of proceeds. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the Offering and Debt Settlement described in this news release will be completed on the terms described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272117 SOURCE: Glow Lifetech Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Lodestar Metals Corp. (TSXV: LSTR) (OTC Pink: SVTND) ("Lodestar" or the "Company"), a junior exploration company unlocking world class gold potential in Nevada, is pleased to report that recent soil sampling at its 100%-owned Goldrun Property in Nevada has delineated three extensive gold-silver anomalies with significant scale potential. The new preliminary results highlight the strength of Lodestar's evolving geological model and underscore the project's potential to host multiple deposit styles across a large, underexplored mineralized system. Highlights Three extensive one-kilometre-scale gold-silver soil anomalies identified across the Goldrun Property. identified across the Goldrun Property. Peak gold values up to 298 ppb Au and silver up to 33 g/t Ag , confirming multiple strong geochemical targets. , confirming multiple strong geochemical targets. Distinct metal assemblages indicative of both Carlin-style and epithermal-style deposit systems. indicative of both and deposit systems. Multiple drill-ready targets already defined by historical DDIP surveys along the Gomes and Independence Trends. already defined by historical DDIP surveys along the Gomes and Independence Trends. Goldrun remains largely untested by drilling, providing exceptional discovery potential in a proven mining district. Lodestar's Technical Director, Leo Horn, commented: "I am impressed with the quality of the new soil data in comparison to earlier sampling completed to the north of the license. The preliminary findings delineate coherent, well-defined target anomalies and provide valuable insights into the metal assemblages that help us interpret potential deposit styles at each area. These soil anomalies clearly demonstrate significant scale potential and contain metal assemblages characteristic of at least two gold-silver deposit types found across Nevada. The results confirm that the Goldrun Property is highly prospective for new discoveries, especially considering it has not been drill tested in many years." Lowell Kamin, CEO of Lodestar Metals, added: "Goldrun continues to exceed our expectations and validate our conviction in the district's untapped potential. Leo's technical work is revealing a mineral system of remarkable scale and diversity-one that aligns with Lodestar's vision to uncover the next generation of significant gold-silver discoveries in Nevada. These results are more than just anomalies; they represent the early stages of defining a truly high-impact exploration opportunity in one of the world's most productive gold belts." As noted in a previous news release (See news release on Aug 18, 2025), a total of 395 soils were collected on a 100 x 100m grid with a 50 x 50m spacing in areas of known mineralization. Preliminary analysis of the soil geochemistry for gold, silver, and key pathfinder elements such as mercury, has outlined three large, coherent anomalies-the Robbers Trend, Gomes Trend, and Independence Trend-each exhibiting distinct metal associations consistent with major deposit styles known across Nevada. Figure 1: Map of Goldrun claims and the historical drill highlights To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3029/272155_38fd7638b42c3872_001full.jpg Figure 2: Preliminary Gridded Geochemical Map Proximal to the Adelaide Crown Pits Highlighting A) Gold Soils Results; B) Silver Soil Results; and C) Mercury Soil Results. Geochemical Maps Outline Three similar trends: Robbers Trend; Gomes Trend; and Independent Trend To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3029/272155_figure2.jpg Robbers Trend A one-kilometre-long gold-mercury soil anomaly trending northwest, extending from the Robbers Knob prospect, where previous drilling intersected 18.3 metres grading 4.3 g/t gold. Peak soil values reach 100 ppb gold. The association of gold + mercury with low silver is characteristic of Carlin-style gold systems prevalent in Nevada. Gomes Trend A one-kilometre-long gold-silver-mercury anomaly trending north with peak soil values up to 223 ppb gold and 7.8 g/t silver, centred on the Gomes Prospect. Historical drilling at Gomes returned 13.7 metres at 1.3 g/t gold, while the southern extension toward the Crown North Prospect includes intersections of 27.4 metres at 9.7 g/t gold near the Crown open pit. The metal association (Au + Ag + Hg) and mineralization style are typical of low-sulphidation epithermal systems, similar to those in the nearby Adelaide-Crown group of deposits. Historical DDIP surveys across the trend have identified strong chargeability anomalies with two drill-ready targets previously announced. The Gomes Trend is now interpreted as the northern extension of the same Adelaide-Crown epithermal system. Independence Trend A one-kilometre-long gold-silver-mercury anomaly trending north, with peak values up to 298 ppb gold and 33 g/t silver. Previous drilling at the Independence area intersected 10.7 metres at 55.0 g/t silver and 0.36 g/t gold, while recent rock sampling has returned up to 3,307 g/t silver and 2.7 g/t gold in highly gossanous, brecciated material. The metal associations suggest either epithermal or intrusion-related systems, and further work is ongoing to refine the geological interpretation. Historical DDIP surveys have outlined three drill-ready targets. While the interpretations remain preliminary, the results to date reveal compelling geochemical trends. A broader review integrating the additional geochemical data and ongoing magnetic interpretation of recently received drone magnetic data is underway, which may refine existing targets and identify/refine new zones of interest across the property. Qualified Person Ty Magee, P. Geo., a Qualified Person, as defined by NI 43-101, and a consultant to the Company, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. ABOUT LODESTAR METALS Lodestar Metals Corp. is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on advancing the drill-ready Goldrun Project in Nevada, strategically located on a major Carlin-style gold trend and adjacent to some of the largest gold deposits in North America. With decades of combined geological and capital markets expertise, Lodestar follows a disciplined, step-by-step approach to discovery. The Company's strategy is clear: focus capital on high-value targets, move quickly on known mineralization, and build a compliant gold resource that delivers lasting shareholder value. For more information, please visit www.lodestarmetals.ca. Notes & QAQC: The drill results disclosed are of a historical nature. While this historical data provides valuable context, the Company has not conducted a detailed validation or verification process and, therefore, cannot ensure their accuracy or completeness. The Company intends to undertake further exploration, including additional drilling, to verify these results in accordance with NI 43-101 regulatory standards. Laboratory parameters for soil analysis method by ALS in Reno, Nevada is AuME-ST43: Super trace detection limit method for Au plus multi-element package using aqua regia digestion for acid extraction Au - 25g. Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) for the soil sampling program included the insertion of two certified reference materials (standards), two blanks, and four field duplicates to monitor analytical accuracy, contamination, and assay precision. The standards used were MEG-Au.13.05, with a certified gold value of 10.28 ppb, while blanks consisted of MEG LLC SiBlank.21.02, with a certified threshold of 0.3 ppb. All QA/QC results were within acceptable limits, confirming the reliability of the analytical data. Forward-Looking Statements The information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. Lodestar cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by several material factors, many of which are beyond Lodestar's control. Such factors include, among other things, risks and uncertainties relating to Lodestar's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates. NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272155 SOURCE: Lodestar Metals Corp. MARION, NC / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Greene Concepts Inc. (OTCID:INKW), owner and operator of a 60,000-square-foot bottling and beverage facility in Marion, North Carolina, today announced key highlights from its Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Report (August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2025), marking a year of continued national expansion, financial growth, and strengthened operations for its flagship Be Water brand. Retail Expansion and Strategic Growth During Fiscal 2025, Greene Concepts expanded Be Water six-pack distribution beyond the Southeast into Walmart distribution centers across Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, and New Mexico, increasing brand accessibility to millions of new consumers nationwide. The Company continues to collaborate with Anderson Merchandisers to optimize in-store placement, inventory management, and product performance. The Company also broadened its white-label and gallon-size production capabilities for retailers such as Walmart and Camping World, and began manufacturing for a well-known spring water brand across the Eastern U.S. Financial Growth and Strength Greene Concepts reported total assets of $5.6 million and a 13% year-over-year revenue increase. The Company also eliminated all convertible notes, removing $313,995.68 in toxic debt and preventing potential dilution of approximately 6.28 billion shares, further solidifying its financial foundation, and enhancing shareholder value. Digital Expansion and Technology Partnerships In 2025, Greene Concepts expanded its online presence by joining Temu, one of America's fastest-growing e-commerce platforms with over 100 million users. This partnership enhances digital reach and provides a cost-effective way to engage new consumers. The Company also joined Keychain, an AI-driven CPG manufacturing network connecting 30,000 manufacturers and 20,000 brands, improving operational efficiency, and expanding Greene Concepts' national exposure for co-packing and bottling services. Marketing, Community, and Operations Progress The Company strengthened Be Water's visibility through national media exposure, community partnerships, and facility enhancements. Notable highlights include televised appearances on New to the Street, recognition in Grand View Research's 2025 Bottled Water Market Report, and collaborations with the Aiguille Rock Climbing Center and Southeastern Climbers Coalition. At its Marion, NC bottling plant, Greene Concepts completed key upgrades-including enhanced security, lighting, insulation, conveyor improvements, and staff-wide HACCP and SQF compliance training-while completing a large-scale refill station to serve both domestic and international clients. Commitment to Transparency and Investor Confidence The Company's Fiscal 2025 Annual Report (year ending July 31, 2025) is now available on the OTC Markets INKW Disclosure Page: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/INKW/disclosure. This filing underscores Greene Concepts' ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and full OTCID financial compliance. By maintaining consistent corporate disclosure and streamlined reporting, the Company enhances investor confidence, marketplace credibility, and visibility among both retail and institutional investors. CEO Statement Lenny Greene, CEO of Greene Concepts, Inc., commented: "Fiscal 2025 marks one of our strongest years to date. We expanded Be Water's national reach, strengthened our operations, and enhanced financial stability," stated Lenny Greene, CEO of Greene Concepts, Inc. "The filing of our annual report reaffirms our commitment to transparency, growth, and long-term value creation for our shareholders." Mr. Greene added, "We remain deeply committed to transparency and alignment with our business goals in everything we do. By maintaining a consistent trail of responsible disclosure and performance, we strengthen investor confidence and open doors to new opportunities, greater sales, and sustained growth in the marketplace." Follow Greene Concepts, Inc. on Social Media at: X - @GreeneConcepts , Facebook - @inkw2025, Instagram - Greene Concepts, Inc. and Be Water About Greene Concepts, Inc. Greene Concepts, Inc. (https://www.greeneconcepts.com) is a publicly traded company whose purpose is to provide the world with high-quality, healthy and enhanced beverage choices that meet the nutritional needs of its consumers while refreshing their mind, body and spirit. The Company's flagship product, Be Water, is a premium artesian bottled water that supports total body health and wellness. Greene Concepts' beverage and bottling plant is located in Marion, North Carolina, and their water is ethically sourced from spring and artesian wells that are fed from a natural aquifer located deep beneath the Blue Ridge Mountains. Greene Concepts continues to develop and market premium beverage brands designed to enhance the daily lives of consumers. Safe Harbor: This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a few uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and OTC Markets, Inc. OTC Disclosure and News Service. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, because of new information, future events or otherwise. CONTACT: Greene Concepts, Inc. Investor Relations IR@greeneconcepts.com SOURCE: Greene Concepts Inc. Be Fresh_6-pack Be Water Gallon Flyer View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/greene-concepts-highlights-otc-fiscal-2025-disclosure-statement-1092456 Credit Benchmark, the leading provider of consensus credit risk data, announces the appointment of Kuveshen Chetty as Acting Head of Africa In this role, Kuveshen will accelerate the firm's Africa franchise, working with banks, regulators and investors to deepen contributor relationships and expand the use of consensus credit data across Africa. Kuveshen joins Credit Benchmark with more than two decades' experience in credit portfolio management, financial resource optimisation and capital markets. At Nedbank he established in 2016 and led the Corporate Investment Banking Portfolio Management function, focusing on portfolio strategy, analytics, balance-sheet efficiency and active risk management. Beyond banking, Kuveshen has played a prominent role in advancing the CPM profession globally. He serves as Senior Advisor (Africa) and former Board Member of the International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers (IACPM), and is Director of the Johannesburg chapter of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), where he champions practitioner education and best practice. "Africa's financial ecosystem is entering a new phase-one defined by sophistication, transparency and cross-border connectivity," said Kuveshen Chetty. "Credit Benchmark's consensus views provide the common language for pricing, provisioning and portfolio decisions. I'm excited to help build the partnerships that will unlock that value." Michael Crumpler, CEO of Credit Benchmark, added: "Kuveshen helped shape CPM in South Africa. His expertise and long-standing relationships across African financial institutions will be instrumental as we expand contributor coverage and deliver consistent, data-driven credit insight across the region." About Credit Benchmark Founded in 2015, Credit Benchmark is a leading provider of credit risk data and analytics. The company aggregates and anonymises contributed risk views from 40+ global financial institutions, producing unique obligor-level Credit Consensus Ratings and related credit metrics. Covering 115,000+ legal entities-most not publicly rated-Credit Benchmark's insights help major institutions enhance internal credit assessment and gain accurate, comparable risk perspectives. Credit Benchmark is headquartered in London with offices in New York and Bangalore. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028704646/en/ Contacts: Media contact Laura Saville, Marketing laura.saville@creditbenchmark.com +44 20 7099 4322 SYDNEY, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MOVUS (now part of Infinite Uptime Inc.), an Australian pioneer in industrial asset intelligence, has been honored with the Mining Beacon Breakthrough Innovation Award at the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) 2025. The award recognizes MOVUS's contribution to transforming asset maintenance for the mining industry through its breakthrough innovation in intelligent industrial monitoring, which works seamlessly with its cloud-powered prescriptive AI platform, PlantOS. Held in Sydney, Australia, from October 21-23, 2025, IMARC is among the world's most influential gatherings for the mining and resources industry. The event brought together over 10,000 delegates from 120+ countries, including government leaders, mining majors, investors, and technology innovators, with a shared focus on sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence. MOVUS made a strong impact with live demonstrations of its PlantOS platform, attracting operators eager to explore smarter, AI-assisted decision-making to optimize reliability, productivity, and efficiency. The Mining Beacon Breakthrough Innovation Award recognized MOVUS for its breakthrough innovation that combines advanced hardware with an AI-powered analytics engine. At its core is Ultra vSense, the world's first piezoelectric sensor to integrate vibration, temperature, and RPM measurement in a single compact and rugged device built for mining's toughest conditions. Ultra vSense transmits real-time data to PlantOS, the Industrial Prescriptive AI platform, enabling fault diagnostics and prescriptive recommendations. The jury noted, "MOVUS' innovation addresses some of the key challenges facing the sector, replacing multiple sensors across sites and helping clients cut their costs by up to 40% while driving new levels of safety, efficiency, and reliability in mining." Karthikeyan Natarajan, Co-CEO of Infinite Uptime Inc., said, "The Mining Beacon Breakthrough Innovation Award celebrates more than a product; it recognizes a mindset of an industry in transformation. At Infinite Uptime, we're reimagining how complex industrial operations are run by combining data, AI, and deep domain expertise to predict and prevent failures before they happen and reduce the cost of production. This recognition reaffirms our mission to make reliability a science - helping the world's leading manufacturers build smarter, safer, and more sustainable operations." Malcolm Schulstad, COO of MOVUS, added, "IMARC was a great week for MOVUS. We had a lot of interest from mining companies and partners keen to modernize their maintenance practices with PlantOS, and taking home the Innovation Award shows how an Australian company can deliver technology that helps the industry boost reliability, cut costs, and make operations safer. It's a privilege to be part of the mining community." About MOVUS: MOVUS (now part of Infinite Uptime Inc.) is an Australian technology innovator that extends the life of industrial assets, reduces unplanned downtime, and supports more sustainable operations through smart, scalable monitoring solutions. Powered by PlantOS, the world's most user-validated prescriptive AI platform, MOVUS combines AI-powered insights, continuous diagnostics, and hands-on support to help industries move from predictive to prescriptive maintenance with ease and precision. https://movus.com.au/ Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807164/Award_Ceremony.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807165/MOVUS_Team.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2796162/5587078/MOVUS_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/movus-wins-the-mining-beacon-breakthrough-innovation-award-at-imarc-2025-for-its-breakthrough-in-prescriptive-ai-for-mining-operations-302596737.html Partnership will redefine the consumer journey on Behr.com by creating a seamless, intelligent digital experience for both DIYers and professionals. Behr Paint Company, one of the largest paint brands for both DIYers and professionals, has selected Huge, a global design and technology company, to redesign Behr.com. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in Behr's ongoing commitment to innovation and consumer-centric solutions. The redesigned site will deliver a more modern and intuitive approach, helping consumers find project inspiration, select the right color and products, and access expert resources to use throughout their personalized experience. "As a design company at heart, we understand that color is personal," said Ez Blaine, Chief Creative Officer at Huge. "We're excited to help transform Behr's website into a tool that sparks creativity, growth, and builds on the long-term love for the brand." Today's announcement reinforces Huge's strength in creating intelligent experiences (IX) personalized, contextual, and intent-aware digital experiences that are developed leveraging AI and other emerging technologies. Bringing this expertise to life, Huge will lead a full-scale transformation of Behr.com, modernizing both the front- and back-end infrastructure and introducing personalized, AI-powered tools that guide users through the design-to-purchase journey. The goal is to evolve Behr.com, turning it into a full-service platform that supports consumers from inspiration to project completion. "Our website needs to be more than a brand destination," said Andy Lopez, SVP Head of Global Marketing at Behr Paint Company. "It should be an ongoing source of project inspiration and a trusted guide in the paint journey process to boost consumer confidence at every step of a project. With Huge's expertise in creativity, data, and technology, we've found the right partner to help us lead this digital transformation." The redesign is currently underway, with the launch of the new web experience planned for 2026. To learn more about Huge and its digital transformation work, visit www.hugeinc.com. About Huge Huge is an independent design and technology company that creates intelligent experiences for the world's most ambitious brands.With offices across North America, Latin America, and Europe, Huge blends creativity, strategy, technology, and data to build impactful human-first digital experiences that accelerate many of the world's most iconic businesses. For more information, visit www.hugeinc.com. About Behr Paint Company Founded in 1947, Behr Paint Company is one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains, surface preparation and application products for do-it-yourselfers and professionals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Santa Ana, Calif.-based company, and maker of BEHR, KILZ and WHIZZ brands, are dedicated to meeting the project needs of DIYers, designers and professional paint contractors with an unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and value. For more information, visit Behr.com. Professional paint contractors and designers can visit Behr.com/Pro to learn about products, color tools and services. Behr Paint Company is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028783730/en/ Contacts: Media Contacts: De'Andra Roberts Huge Director of Communications droberts@hugeinc.com RiPSIM and Swisscom team up to scale eSIM-as-a-Service management platform and strengthen digital identity authentication RiPSIM Technologies, makers of the world's first cloud native software platform for generating and delivering mobile network authentication credentials on demand, today announced a strategic investment led by Swisscom Ventures, the venture capital arm of Swisscom AG. Based in Switzerland, Swisscom AG is one of Europe's leading eSIM operators, with over a decade of experience in eSIM technology. The investment will accelerate the growth of RiPSIM's eSIM-as-a-Service management platform, a next-generation solution that modernizes how eSIMs are generated and delivered. With RiPSIM, wireless carriers and enterprise network operators gain full control of the credentialing process-enabling them to authenticate subscribers more securely, provision services on demand, and unlock new avenues for business growth. RiPSIM estimates that over the next five years, the number of devices secured with eSIMs (versus traditional plug-in SIMS) will move from 20% to over 70%. As adoption scales, ensuring the security and integrity of eSIMs has become a critical priority for the telecommunications industry. "Partnering with Swisscom Ventures is a tremendous milestone for us," said Chris Jahr, founder and CSO of RiPSIM. The true impact of the mobile evolution isn't just about new devices, it's about the explosion of entities running their own networks. Yet the industry still lacks the capacity to deliver wireless authentication credentials at the scale required for the tens of thousands of private networks enabled by next-generation technologies. Swisscom Ventures sees the great potential in our technology and how it can make a meaningful difference for customers worldwide." "RiPSIM is addressing a critical challenge for network operators and the telecommunications industry, and we're excited to support their next stage of growth," said Semih Kacan, Investment Director, Swisscom Ventures."Their cloud native platform gives carriers the agility and speed to create and deliver eSIMs instantly, whenever and wherever they're needed. We are confident the technology will scale globally and make a lasting impact for many who need these advantages." As part of Swisscom AG, Switzerland's leading telecom and ICT provider, Swisscom Ventures invests strategically in telco and IT cloud infrastructure, deeptech, and cybersecurity. The investment will also support the integration of RiPSIM's platform into Swisscom AG's telecommunications services, strengthening its portfolio and driving faster adoption among enterprise customers worldwide. About RiPSIM Technologies RiPSIM Technologies has developed and patented the world's first end-to-end eSIM-aaS management platform. This digital identity authentication platform enables wireless service providers of any size to design, develop and deliver eSIMs at any time, in any quantity, for any device and at the highest security level in the wireless industry. RiPSIM's GSMA-certified, cloud-native, microservices-based software features highly intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces that allow users, regardless of skill level, to develop eSIMs with confidence. Now, wireless service providers can fully automate their eSIM workflows and reduce operational expenses. For more information, visit www.ripsim.com. About Swisscom Ventures Swisscom Ventures is the venture capital arm of Swisscom AG, the leading telecom and ICT provider in Switzerland. Since 2007, we have invested in over 80 technology companies from our offices in Switzerland (Zurich, Bern and Lausanne) and the USA (Silicon Valley). We invest in 8-10 new companies every year for a total volume of $50-100m p.a. As an investor, we offer entrepreneurs access to Swisscom's technical infrastructure and market channels in addition to financial support. We focus on sectors of domain expertise such as Telco IT Cloud, DeepTech, Cybersecurity and Fintech as well as Big Data AI related new business models where we leverage our access to Swisscom's technology and market experts. For more info about Swisscom Ventures, visit https://ventures.swisscom.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028794541/en/ Contacts: Media Contacts: Tina Willibald Swisscom Ventures tina.willibald@swisscom.com Monsy Carlo Ten Eleven Ventures for RiPSIM monsy@1011vc.com New Analog Neuromorphic Processors Offer Microwatt Edge AI Booth HB143, CES Unveiled Europe POLYN Technology, a pioneer in ultra-low-power neuromorphic computing, today announced the successful manufacturing and testing of the world's first silicon-proven implementation of its unique NASP (Neuromorphic Analog Signal Processing) technology. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028837137/en/ POLYN Technology has introduced its first NASP Chip. The NASP platform employs trained neural networks in the analog domain to perform AI inference with much lower power consumption than conventional digital neural processors. POLYN will demonstrate its first NASP chips available for ordering at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6-9, in Hall G, Booth #61701, and also showcases a limited selection at CES Unveiled Europe in Amsterdam. NASP chips with AI cores process sensor signals in their native analog form in microseconds, using microwatt-level power and eliminating all overhead associated with digital operations. This is ideal for always-on edge devices. Application-specific NASP chips can be designed for a diverse range of edge AI applications, including audio, vibration, wearable, robotics, industrial, and automotive sensing. This key milestone validates both NASP technology and POLYN's revolutionary design tools, which automatically convert trained digital neural network models into ultra-low-power analog neuromorphic cores ready for manufacturing in standard CMOS processes. The testing confirmed the chip's parameters strictly match its model. "This is not just another chip it's proof that our novel technology works in silicon," said Aleksandr Timofeev, CEO and Founder of POLYN Technology. "For the first time, we generated an asynchronous, fully analog neural-network core implementation in silicon directly from a digital model. It opens the door to an entirely new design paradigm neural computation in the analog domain, with digital-class accuracy and microwatt-level energy use." This first chip contains a VAD core for real-time voice activity detection. It marks the first step toward a new level of voice processing offered by POLYN. It will be followed by other cores POLYN is developing for speaker recognition and voice extraction, enhancing home appliances, critical communications headsets, and other voice-controlled devices. Customers developing products with ultra-low power voice control can apply online for the NASP VAD chip evaluation kit. The first NASP VAD chip offers breakthrough performance: Ultra-low power: approximately 34 W during continuous operation approximately 34 W during continuous operation Ultra-low latency: 50 microseconds per inference 50 microseconds per inference Fully asynchronous operation: no clock, no ADC/DAC conversion POLYN's NASP technology and design tools give semiconductor and AI developers a new way to quickly implement neural networks directly in analog silicon. It offers process-agnostic design across 40-90 nm CMOS nodes and automatic conversion from digital ML models. "The successful introduction of our first NASP chip transforms NASP from a concept into a production-ready technology," said Timofeev. "It proves that analog neuromorphic computation can coexist with today's digital flows opening vast opportunities for chipmakers, OEMs, and AI innovators." POLYN is preparing evaluation kits for early adopters and extending the implementation of its NASP product families for automotive, critical communication, and wearable applications. About POLYN POLYN Technology Ltd. is a fabless semiconductor company that develops Neuromorphic Analog Signal Processing (NASP) technology and products, bringing AI to the sensor edge with unprecedented energy efficiency. POLYN has offices in the UK, Israel, the US, Europe, and Asia. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028837137/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Kevin Tanzillo kevin@duxpr.com +1-214-732-0734 Featuring new wearable pumps, a CHF 20,000 research commitment, and a symbolic gift, Medela underscores its ongoing support for moms and families worldwide. Baar, Switzerland, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Motherhood isn't one big leap, it's thousands of small steps: to the pediatrician, to a lactation consultant, to a trusted friend. It's milk stains and first smiles, it's sleepless nights and quiet triumphs, and all the messy meaningful routines in between. Some steps are visible, others unseen. Some feel magical, others mundane. But every step matters. To mark the launch of its new wearable breast pumps - Magic InBra and Motion InBra- Medela is introducing With You, Every Step of the Way - a campaign that celebrates the journey of motherhood and honors the beauty, strength, and care behind every step. At the heart of the campaign: Freedom in motion: Magic InBra and Motion InBra wearable breast pumps, designed for freedom, comfort, discretion, and performance. Magic InBra and Motion InBra wearable breast pumps, designed for freedom, comfort, discretion, and performance. A symbol of care: Limited-edition mom-baby socks, designed by Swiss artist Yael Anders (https://www.yaelanders.com/), as a reminder that every step matters and no one walks this path alone. Limited-edition mom-baby socks, designed by Swiss artist Yael Anders (https://www.yaelanders.com/), as a reminder that every step matters and no one walks this path alone. Shared progress: A CHF 20,000 research contribution to support community-based breastfeeding initiatives and sustainable support systems. With You, Every Step of the Way honors the visible milestones and the quiet, unseen acts of care. Rooted in community and connection, it celebrates how moms - and those who support them - move forward together. Freedom in motion: Medela's new wearable breast pumps Leading the campaign are Magic InBra and Motion InBra, Medela's newest wearable breast pumps, both designed to fit seamlessly into real life. Offering freedom to move, discreet comfort, and uncompromising performance - whether at home, on the go, or somewhere in between - they give moms the confidence to pump on their terms, stay present for the moments that matter, and nurture the bond with their baby. Starting on November 3, 2025, and available for a limited time, every pump purchase through participating e-tailers includes a free pair of symbolic, limited-edition mom-baby socks. And because small steps can lead to big progress, Medela will contribute to a campaign-linked breastfeeding research project.* A shared step toward progress, turning science into care. Breastfeeding is more than nutrition. It's closeness, trust, and proven health benefits for both babies and moms. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to evidence-based care and as part of this campaign, Medela will contribute up to CHF 20,000 to fund a community-based breastfeeding research project - an amount equivalent to the value of the socks produced for this campaign. The contribution will be awarded by Medela through a formal RFP process, reviewed by a panel of maternal health experts. A symbol of care, connection and strength The limited-edition mom-baby socks, designed by Zurich-based illustrator Yael Anders, embody the campaign's message: shared steps, visible care, and everyday strength. Featuring bold, abstract shapes inspired by the diversity of breasts, the socks are both playful and powerful. These socks turn simple, everyday moments into quiet reminders that we're all connected, says Yael Anders. Their bold colors and abstract design celebrate the power of motherhood and make the invisible care of moms visible, strong, and worth celebrating. Whether worn at home or out and about, the socks are a subtle yet powerful reminder that every step in motherhood matters - and that no one walks this path alone. We've got you - every step along the way With this campaign, every step a mom takes becomes a shared step - toward progress, connection, and care. For herself, her baby, and the broader community, says Nicole Kettenus-Schwarz, Chief Marketing Officer at Medela. For over 60 years, Medela has walked alongside families, turning science into care to support moms and families on their unique journeys of nurturing their babies with love and unmatched nutrition: breast milk. Because even the smallest steps can lead to a big impact. *This promotion is valid for purchases of the Motion InBra in EU countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain), Switzerland, and the UK, and for purchases of the Magic InBra in Canada and the United States, and for purchases of the Magic InBra or Motion InBra in Australia, through participating e-tailers - Amazon and Brack.ch - and in markets where the product is officially launched. The promotion, starting on November 3, runs for a limited time, while supplies last. Socks are a symbolic, non-medical gift and do not impact the performance or intended use of the breast pump. Contact and downloads For more information on the With You, Every Step of the Way campaign, visit medela.com/EveryStep For information about our wearable breast pumps Magic InBra and Motion InBra the scientific research behind Medela's innovations, visit medela.com/InBraBreastPumps. For media inquiries, please contact the Medela media office . About Medela Through advancing research, observing natural behavior and listening to our customers, Medela turns science into care while nurturing health for generations. Medela supports millions of moms, babies, patients and healthcare professionals in more than 100 countries all over the world. As the healthcare choice for more than 6 million hospitals and homes across the globe, Medela provides leading research-based breast milk feeding products, healthcare solutions for hospitals, and clinical education. Medela is dedicated to building better health outcomes, simplifying and improving life, and developing breakthroughs that help moms, babies and patients live their life to the fullest. For more information, visit www.medela.com. Attachments Every Step in Motherhood Matters: Medela Supports Mothers Throughout Their Journey (https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/9d53ea13-ebab-45da-b718-1e408a7068ed) With You, Every Step of the Way: Medela Celebrates the Everyday Journey of Motherhood (https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/92784aac-28e3-4e88-bca5-ac82b1e46511) Medela Media.Inquiries@medela.com Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Further to its news release of October 17, 2025, Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is very pleased to announce that, due to continued strong investor demand, it has increased the size of its previously announced unit offering (the "Unit Offering") from 8,333,333 units to 10,000,000 units at a price of $0.15 per unit (a "Unit") for gross proceeds of approximately $1,500,000. To accommodate the increased interest, the Company will be closing the offering in two tranches with the first tranche expected to close by the end of October and the second tranche by mid-November. Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share and one (1) common share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to acquire an additional common share of the Company at a price of C$0.25 for a period of 24 months. Insiders of the Company may acquire securities in the Unit Offering. Any participation by insiders will constitute a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company expects such participation will be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the securities subscribed for by insiders, nor the consideration paid, is expected to exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. Securities issued in accordance with the Unit Offering will be subject to a statutory four-month-and-one-day hold period. The Company may pay finder's fees in accordance with TSX Venture Exchange policies. The Unit Offering is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange. About Colibri Resource Corporation Colibri Resource Corporation is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: CBI) and focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing prospective gold and silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds four high-potential precious-metal projects: (1) 100% ownership of the EP Gold Project in the prolific Caborca Gold Belt, (2) 49% of the Pilar Gold & Silver Project (near-term production potential), and (3) a 60% interest in the Diamante Gold & Silver Project in the Sierra Madre region. For more information, please visit: www.colibriresource.com Forward-Looking Statements Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272210 SOURCE: Colibri Resource Corporation Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Bullion Gold Resources (TSXV: BGD) ("Bullion Gold" or "The Company") is pleased to further assay results have been received for the Decoeur Prospect drilling at the Bousquet Project in Quebec, Canada. Highlights Olympio delineates new target area following assay results for final drill holes east of the Decoeur Prospect within the Bousquet Project, which included: 7.1m @ 1.43 g/t Au from 47.1m (BO-25-51) Holes BO-25-50 and BO-25-51 extend the strike of the Decoeur Prospect by over 400m to >1km, with open ground to the west and east Over 1.7km of strike length from Joannes Prospect to the eastern extension of Decoeur defined Significant down dip potential at Decoeur indicated by previously announced intersection of 14.5m @ 1.96 g/t Au from 355.5m (BO-25-40) First hole at CB-1 target following up historical intercept of 2.9m @ 5.7 g/t Au from 63.26m (CB-1) highlights an emerging third east-west trending structure High impact drilling planning underway for the advanced Paquin Prospect The Bousquet Project is located on the Cadillac Break in Quebec, Canada, a regional structure associated with world-class gold mines. Situated within 15km of multi-million ounce working gold mines (Agnico Eagle's La Ronde and Iamgold's Westwood). Olympio's Managing Director, Sean Delaney, commented: "We are excited to see drilling at the Decoeur Prospect continue to increase the scale of this mineralized system. Drill hole BO-25-51 extends gold mineralization to the east while the Joannes Prospect indicates an extension to the west. The mineralized system has expanded over 1.7km and has demonstrated down dip potential with drill hole BO-25-40 (reported 26th August 2025). These drilling results continue to support our interpretation that the North Bousquet Fault, the Paquin/Amadee Trend and the emerging CB-1 trend demonstrate the potential for the Bousquet Gold Project to contain multiple large-scale gold deposits." Drill hole BO-25-51 returned 7.1m @ 1.43 g/t Au from 47.1m, demonstrating a significant increase in the width of mineralization from previous intersections at Decoeur (holes BO-25-39 and BO-25-50, see Table 1). The result links Decoeur to the Joannes Prospect (3m @ 13.10 g/t Au - see Figure 1) and confirms the North Bousquet Fault is fertile for gold mineralization over a 1.7km strike. Partial results have also returned for the CB-1 target, with hole BO-25-54 intersecting a broad zone of gold-bearing veins towards the bottom half of the hole. Structural data shows the vein sets are striking approximately east-west and indicate a third feeder structure emerging north of Paquin. Assays are pending for two more drill holes at CB-1. Final results were also received for the VLF target. The drilling intersected stacked lenses of gold-bearing veins that dip under the Paquin system, with peak results of 1.10m @ 3.43 g/t Au from 188.50m in BO-25-45 (Table 1). These results are important in modelling the orientation of the gold mineralization at the Paquin prospect and will aid in vectoring in on gold mineralization at emerging target areas like CB-1. The Bousquet Gold Project continues to demonstrate potential for a multi-deposit gold system with the identification of a third east-west trending feeder structure at CB-1 in hole BO-25-54 (2.70m @ 1.49 g/t Au from 289.5m, see Table 1,Figure 1), as a third order splay fault off the major regional scale feeder structure in the Cadillac Break. Assay results are outstanding for a further five holes from the total 7,083 metres completed. Link to Picture 1 Table 1: Significant gold intersections from recent drilling at the Bousquet Gold Project (>= 0.5g/t Au cut-off, 1m min. width, 2m max. internal dilution (downhole)) Hole ID Prospect From (m) Width (m) g/t Au Significant Intercept BO-25-45 VLF 21.75 1.00 1.07 1.00m @ 1.07 g/t Au from 21.75m BO-25-45 VLF 131.00 1.00 0.70 1.00m @ 0.70 g/t Au from 131.00m BO-25-45 VLF 188.50 1.10 3.43 1.10m @ 3.43 g/t Au from 188.50m BO-25-48 VLF 94.20 1.05 1.40 1.05m @ 1.40 g/t Au from 94.20m BO-25-48 VLF 103.50 1.50 0.91 1.50m @ 0.91 g/t Au from 103.50m BO-25-48 VLF 171.50 3.00 0.60 3.00m @ 0.60 g/t Au from 171.50m BO-25-49 VLF 198.80 1.32 0.55 1.32m @ 0.55 g/t Au from 198.80m BO-25-50 Decoeur Ext. 37.00 2.00 1.15 2.00m @ 1.15 g/t Au from 37.00m BO-25-51 Decoeur Ext. 47.10 7.10 1.43 7.10m @ 1.43 g/t Au from 47.10m BO-25-51 Decoeur Ext. 59.60 2.40 1.06 2.40m @ 1.06 g/t Au from 59.60m BO-25-51 Decoeur Ext. 68.00 1.00 0.50 1.00m @ 0.50 g/t Au from 68.00m BO-25-54 CB-1 224.00 1.35 1.54 1.35m @ 1.54 g/t Au from 224.00m BO-25-54 CB-1 245.70 1.30 0.82 1.30m @ 0.82 g/t Au from 245.70m BO-25-54 CB-1 261.80 1.50 1.18 1.50m @ 1.18 g/t Au from 261.80m BO-25-54 CB-1 279.30 1.00 1.73 1.00m @ 1.73 g/t Au from 279.30m BO-25-54 CB-1 289.50 2.70 1.49 2.70m @ 1.49 g/t Au from 289.50m BO-25-54 CB-1 334.00 1.00 0.602 1.00m @ 0.60 g/t Au from 334.00m BO-25-54 CB-1 341.00 1.50 0.606 1.50m @ 0.61 g/t Au from 341.00m Decoeur Prospect Holes BO-25-50 and BO-25-51 were designed to test the eastern strike extension potential of the North Bousquet Fault, as interpreted from field mapping, in conjunction with Very Low Frequency (VLF) EM data. These significant results associate with the margins of the highly sheared Piche Group talc-schist units, and were previously intercepted by BO-25-40 (14.50 m @ 1.96 g/t Au from 355.50mi) which sits 900m to the west of BO-25-51 (Figure 1) (Table 3). The Piche Group talc-schist units have also been intersected at the Joannes Prospect with 3m @ 13.10 g/t Au in 13-E-H (Figure 1). This extends the North Bousquet Fault trend to 1.7km and open to the east within the tenement. Hole BO-25-40 was designed to test north-trending structures at Decoeur, interpreted from field mapping at Amadee and Decoeur by the Olympio geology team. Historical drilling was drilled exclusively north-south to test for east-trending structures (Figure 1), thus potentially missing these important north-trending mineralized structures. Hole BO-25-40 was drilled with an azimuth of 220o and intercepted 14.50m @ 1.96 g/t Au 355.50mi (Table 3), the best gold intercept recorded at Decoeur to date. The mineralized zone in hole BO-25-40 is associated with another significantly chlorite-carbonate altered talc-schist unit. The mineralized zone is interpreted to occur in the hanging-wall of the North Bousquet Fault. The mineralization style and the host lithology (talc schist) are very similar to gold mineralization associated with Piche Group lithologies on the Cadillac Break 1.4km to the north (Figure 1). The distinctive Piche Group volcano-sedimentary package is intimately associated with gold mineralization at numerous resources along the Cadillac Break. CB-1 Prospect Partial results have returned for the CB-1 target, with BO-25-54 revealing visible gold at 225.1m during core processing and significant assay results of 2.70m @ 1.49 g/t Au from 289.5m (Table 1). These results indicate additional mineralized veins beyond the original CB-1 drill hole which returned 2.9m @ 5.7 g/t Au from 63.26m (Figure 1). Structural data from BO-25-54 have indicated that veining is striking parallel to magnetic lineaments, indicating a potential third feeder structure that runs sub-parallel to the North Bousquet Fault (Decoeur Prospect) and the Paquin/Amadee Trend (Figure 1). Additional assays are pending from BO-25-55 and BO-25-56 which will help to confirm potential strike continuity of the mineralization over 200m. The North Bousquet Fault has revealed elevated gold over 1.7km and the Paquin/Amadee trend shows continuity over 1.3km. The evidence of a third structure that remains untested to the west highlights the multi-deposit potential of the Bousquet Gold Project, with east-west trending third order feeder structures and north-south trending, dextral strike slip structures causing deposit scale dilation zones. Additional Results Results for the VLF target to the south of Paquin were also received. Significant intercepts are seen in Table 1. Preliminary interpretation indicates the target was too far to the south for the up-dip position of Paquin and was outside the larger east-west trending VLF lineament that hosts Paquin and Amadee (Figure 1). The lower-level gold results in intersected veining does provide vector indicators to Paquin, which will provide valuable input to understanding distal mineralization vectors for future targeting. The Paquin and CB-1 Prospects still have five holes pending assays. In-depth analyses of each prospect will be conducted as results are received. QA/QC Current Exploration All core is logged, then sampling intervals are selected by the logging geologist, with a maximum sample interval of 2m. Core samples were collected by sawing each sample interval in half lengthwise with a bench rock saw. One half of the interval was returned to the core box, and the other half was placed in a plastic bag with a tag. The tag number was marked in indelible ink on the outside of the bag, and the bag was sealed with a plastic tie-wrap. Sample are sent to AGAT Laboratories in Thunder Bay. The half core samples were crushed to 90% passing 2mm and then riffle split to a 250g sub-sample that was pulverised to pulp 90% passing 105m. The Next Steps A review of the Paquin Prospect has identified that the up-dip position of the mineralization is dominated by drilling from the mid-1940s. While this drilling shows significant gold results, the historical core was drilled as AQ and the lack of documentation on assay methodology means these samples could not be used in any future mineral resource estimation. A 2,300m diamond drill program is proposed to provide 40 x 40m spacing through the shallow section of the Paquin Prospect. These drill holes will provide additional structural data, modern sample preparation and analytical methods, including sample screening for coarse gold, to provide a reliable base for a maiden mineral resource estimate reported in accordance with the JORC Code. Structural analysis of the diamond core from the 2025 drill program at Paquin has indicated dip and plunge orientations of the gold lodes. This has provided an opportunity to target the down dip and strike extension positions with a higher degree of accuracy. A 4,200m diamond drill program is proposed to test the down dip and strike extension potential of the Paquin Prospect. Link to Picture 2 Drilling results at the Decoeur Prospect has revealed a 1.7km trend of mineralization. A detailed review of the structural data from drilling and mapping at Decoeur will be conducted to better understand the structural controls on mineralization and identify the highest priority target areas along the 1.7km mineralized strike. Interpretation of geophysical data, in conjunction with field mapping and review of regional prospects, has resulted in several key AOIs (Areas of Interest) north of the Cadillac Break that require further investigation. The Company will continue to develop these early-stage regional targets to progress them towards preliminary drill testing. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Gilles Laverdiere, P.Geo. Mr. Laverdiere is a geologist and Chairman of the Board of Bullion Gold and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 respecting Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). About Bullion Gold Resources Bullion Gold Resources is a junior exploration company primarily working in Quebec, specifically in the Abitibi and James Bay mining regions. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Bousquet (Au), Cadillac-Extension (Langlade Prospect - VMS), and Bodo (Polymetallic) projects. The Bousquet project is optioned to the Australian company Olympio Metals (Oly), which can acquire up to 80% of the gold project in exchange for $1.25M in cash and shares and $2M in exploration work. Bullion would then retain a 20% undivided interest (net carried interest). The Langlade project (72 claims - 4,127 Ha) is a VMS project under development, ready to be drilled. The Bodo project (761 claims - 410 km) is an early-stage exploration project. Anomalous and indicative occurrences of critical and strategic minerals (Au, Ag, Cu, Zn, Li, Pb, Co, Mn) have been noted throughout this project. The main prospects, which are Rivon Lake, Canico, Lice, Tichegami, and Didi, offer polymetallic, VMS, and IOCG potential. Other Information The TSX Venture Exchange and its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts no responsibility for the veracity or accuracy of its content. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. The forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Corporation. Although Bullion Gold believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Bullion Gold can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks. In addition to other risks that may affect the forward-looking statements in this press release are those set out in the Corporation's management discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 and the first quarter ended June 30, 2025, which are available on the Corporation's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Bullion Gold undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272135 SOURCE: Bullion Gold Resources Corporation JT and FICO, with support of the GSMA, are engaging telecom providers to launch groundbreaking Scam Signal As mobile-enabled scams continue to surge worldwide, Jersey Telecom (JT) and global analytics software leader FICO, with support of the world's largest mobile industry association, GSMA, are working together to accelerate the global rollout of Scam Signal an award-winning fraud prevention solution already delivering results for UK banks. First deployed in 2024, Scam Signal uses real-time telephony data to detect and stop scams as they happen and help to protect consumers from significant financial loss. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028297085/en/ The organizations are now urging mobile network operators in several countries worldwide to act swiftly and adopt the solution to help stem the rising tide of fraud. In South Africa and Spain, operators have already begun to make the solution available through APIs. The partners are reaching out to operators in the United States, Canada, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile. More information on the APIs: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/gsma-open-gateway/gsma-open-gateway-api-descriptions/ More information on Scam Signal: https://www.fico.com/en/latest-thinking/solution-sheet/scam-signal-real-time-scam-detection-and-prevention According to reports from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), scams have cost the global economy over $1 trillion in 2024. Authorised Push Payment or APP fraud is recognised as the number one global fraud threat. Scam Signal is designed to combat authorized push payment (APP) fraud, where victims are tricked into sending money to criminals. It's the first network API solution to combine real-time telephony network data with customer and payment information during live transactions providing banks with the ability to spot the subtle signs of scams as they unfold. Delivered through FICO Platform, Scam Signal draws on real-time signals from mobile and landline networks to identify suspicious activity. When a threat is detected, FICO Platform Omni-Channel Engagement Capability enables banks to intervene during the live transaction by engaging with the customer with personalized messages that help stop the fraud in its tracks. Importantly, the solution maintains a direct connection with the banks to enable any other additional action to protect their customers from harm. Results from UK banks using Scam Signal within FICO Platform Omni-Channel Engagement include: 41% reduction in the number of people scammed 44% decrease in fraud losses 55% reduction in false positives (payments flagged as fraud that are in fact genuine) "APP fraud is costing billions globally and eroding consumer trust with 25% of victims leaving their bank following a fraud incident, according to a recent Juniper Research report," said Henry Howe, head of Product Development for Mobile Intelligence at JT. "We developed Scam Signal to help telcos turn network intelligence into real-time protection. It's already proven to reduce scam losses and false positives, but its impact depends on industry-wide adoption. This is a moment for mobile operators to lead not just in connectivity, but in consumer protection." APIs such as those provided under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative allow financial institutions to securely access mobile network data in real time within a compliant framework a critical capability in the fight against fraud. The Scam Signal API can analyse telephony events such as impersonation calls that often precede fraudulent payment requests. By standardising these APIs across operators, the industry ensures interoperability, scalability and faster deployment of fraud prevention tools across multiple telecoms networks and financial institutions. The GSMA will support the initiative by running a program to unite mobile operators with the financial services industry and help its members design, build and launch standardised fraud-related APIs. This will help facilitate universal adoption of the APIs and consistent protection for consumers. "In order to protect as many consumers as possible in as many markets as possible, we need mobile network operators to support banks and enable the appropriate APIs," said Paresh Modi, senior director, GSMA Fusion. "This is another opportunity for telcos to play a direct role in stopping financial crime, protect consumers, and comply with emerging regulatory expectations." "The fight against financial fraud is a shared responsibility," said Scott Taylor, principal consultant, FICO. "Cross-industry collaboration is paramount and major network operators together with banks need to act as innovators in the fight against fraud at a time when criminals are exploiting new technologies like AI. By fostering partnerships between major operators and banks, we can effectively combat scams and secure customer trust." In its first full year since launching in 2024, the Scam Signal solution won the Best Anti-Fraud Solution award at the Credit Collections Technology Awards and received the Silver Medal in the Fraud Impact Award for Best Scam and APP (Authorised Push Payment) Fraud Prevention solution from Datos Insights in 2024 and 2025. Barclays and FICO also won a 2025 Credit Award for Excellence in Fraud Prevention based on the bank's deployment of the solution through FICO Platform Omni-Channel Engagement Capability. About the GSMA The GSMA is a global organization unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop, and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy; tackling today's biggest societal challenges; underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work; and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. Visit https://www.gsma.com/ About Jersey Telecom JT is a global technology company delivering advanced fraud prevention and identity solutions through its Mobile Intelligence division. Using real-time data from mobile networks worldwide, JT supports banks and organisations in tackling APP fraud, SIM swap fraud, and account takeovers. Scam Signal, developed with UK banks and operators, combats impersonation scams and supports regulatory compliance. JT's solutions enable fast, secure identity verification and real-time KYC insights-empowering global institutions to fight financial crime and protect consumers in an increasingly digital world. Learn more at JT International JT International (jtglobal.com) About FICO FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 80 countries do everything from protecting 4 billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency. Learn more at https://www.fico.com FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028297085/en/ Contacts: For further comment contact: GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com JT Press Office press@jtglobal.com FICO press@fico.com Slingshot Aerospace awarded UK Space Agency contract to improve the UK's sovereign space domain awareness capabilities Slingshot Aerospace, Ltd., the leader in AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination and space modeling and simulation, announced today it has been awarded the United Kingdom Space Agency Provision of Optical Delivery Partner contract to expand the UK's satellite tracking capabilities. This award strengthens the UK's sovereign space domain awareness, expanding the UK Space Agency's ability to track and characterize satellites and orbital debris. As orbital traffic surges-about 12,000 active satellites in orbit today and 100,000 expected by 2030-maintaining a persistent, independent view of orbit is now mission-critical. "Our partnership with the UK Space Agency establishes a strong foundation for the United Kingdom to expand mission-critical space capabilities-not only in hardware, but also in advanced data services, AI-driven insights and real-time mission support," said Tim Solms, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace. "By joining this global network, the UK is showing how accessible space safety and sustainability can be and setting an example for other nations looking to build and strengthen their own space programs." Under the contract's terms, Slingshot will deploy 13 new optical sensor systems across five global sites to enable high-precision tracking and monitoring for satellites, space debris and other near-Earth objects like asteroids and comets. Slingshot will partner with Baader Planetarium to equip each site with AllSky Domes to provide environmental protection and enable resilient, autonomous, 24/7 operations across diverse conditions. Angus Stewart, Head of the National Space Operations Centre said: "We are delighted to welcome Slingshot onboard as our delivery partner for a global network of optical space sensors. This sensor network is critical to our mission of protecting UK and allied interests in space and on Earth, and ensuring space remains safe and sustainable." Slingshot is renowned for its exquisite global sensor network which delivers unmatched precision in space object and satellite tracking. Building on this expertise, the company's Sovereign Space Object Tracking offering gives governments and organizations the ability to design and deploy their own dedicated sensor networks-providing trusted, independent space domain awareness that scales with mission needs. Slingshot currently operates 204 sensors in 21 locations across five continents. Built for resilience and remote operations, the Slingshot Global Sensor Network delivers unparalleled optical coverage and data quality to support tracking, characterization and conjunction risk mitigation. To learn how Slingshot helps governments build independent space domain awareness programs, contact info@slingshot.space or visit https://www.slingshot.space/. About Slingshot Aerospace Slingshot Aerospace provides government and commercial partners around the world with AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation. The Slingshot Platform transforms disparate space data into a common operating picture of the space domain by leveraging advanced space object tracking, artificial intelligence, astrodynamics, and data fusion. Slingshot's platform combines data from the Slingshot Global Sensor Network, the Slingshot Seradata satellite and launch history database, satellite owner-operators, and other third-party space data providers to create a holistic and dynamic view of space for training, planning, and operations. This unified representation of space activities past, present, and predicted enhances operators' space situational awareness, improves operational efficiency, and reduces risk for space operators. Slingshot is driven by its mission to make space safe, sustainable, and secure. The company was launched in 2017 and has locations in Colorado, Texas, Canada, Taiwan, and the UK. Visit https://www.slingshot.space/ and follow Slingshot Aerospace on X and LinkedIn. The Slingshot Aerospace media kit, including photos, can be found HERE. About UK Space Agency (UKSA) The UK Space Agency exists to boost prosperity, understand the Universe, and protect our planet and outer space. We support a thriving UK space ecosystem a network of investors, scientists, engineers, universities and research labs and a sector that generates an annual income of 18.6 billion and employs 55,000 people across the country. Our staff includes scientists, engineers, commercial experts, project managers and policy officials who: Catalyse investment to advance space-based technology and maximise UK space sector growth; Deliver missions and capabilities that responsibly meet national needs and advance our understanding of the Universe; and Champion the power of space to inspire people, offer greener, smarter solutions and support a sustainable future. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028724063/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Nick Wodzinski Sage Communications (for Slingshot Aerospace) nwodzinski@aboutsage.com State-of-the-art facility expands company's global research and development capabilities THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SI Group, a leading global developer and manufacturer of performance additives, process solutions, and chemical intermediates, announced the official opening of its European Innovation Centre (EIC) in Four Ashes, United Kingdom. This milestone marks an important expansion of SI Group's global innovation network, strengthening R&D and application development to better serve customers worldwide. The new state-of-the-art facility is equipped with advanced tools and resources to support a wide range of research activities. With a focus on plastics and rubber application development, as well as analytical characterization, the EIC will serve as a collaborative hub for addressing technical challenges and driving sustainable innovation in partnership with customers and industry leaders. In addition to the new Four Ashes, UK facility, SI Group also operates Innovation Centers in: Houston, Texas, USA Rotterdam Junction, New York, USA Morgantown, West Virginia, USA Lote, India Shanghai, China "The opening of the European Innovation Centre represents a significant investment in SI Group's global innovation capabilities," said Robert Kaiser, VP Strategic Marketing and Managing Director - EMEA at SI Group. "Together with our five additional Innovation Centers, we're building a robust, globally connected R&D network that enhances competitiveness, delivers advanced solutions tailored to regional needs, and supports the long-term growth of our business." The inaugural event was held on October 23, 2025, featuring a tour of the facility and a keynote address by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Professor Elizabeth Barnes CBE, on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III. Media representatives and industry professionals were invited to attend. About SI Group SI Group is a global leader in the innovative technology of performance additives, process solutions, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and chemical intermediates. SI Group solutions are essential to enhancing the quality and performance of countless industrial and consumer goods within plastics, rubber & adhesives, fuels & lubricants, oilfield, and pharmaceutical industries. SI Group's global manufacturing footprint includes 19 facilities on three continents, serving customers in 80 countries with approximately 1,600 employees worldwide. In 2025, SI Group received a bronze award for corporate social responsibility by EcoVadis and is ranked among the top 35 percent of the more than 150,000 companies worldwide. SI Group innovates and drives change to create value with a passion for safety, chemistry, sustainability, and extraordinary results. Learn more at www.siigroup.com. Media Contact: Joseph Grande ph: + 1.413.684.2463 joe@jgrandecommunications.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/95496/si_group__inc__logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/si-group-opens-new-innovation-center-302596034.html NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 9, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith's The Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, esteemed global economist Dambisa Moyo will deliver a keynote address at Panmure House in Edinburgh, the last home of the 'father of modern economics', Adam Smith. Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations is the most influential work of economic theory that helped define modern capitalism. Dr. Moyo's speech will analyze the extent to which Smith's ideas can still be used to address today's four (4) great global challenges: Artificial Intelligence, climate change and the energy transition, deglobalization, and the expanding role of government. 2026 also marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, a country that is foundationally based on market capitalism as espoused by Smith, and which remains at the forefront of driving the changes to the global economy today. Named as one of "Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World", Baroness Moyo is a member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords, and a board member of Chevron, the National Geographic Society, the Oxford University Endowment Investment Committee and Starbucks. She was awarded the "Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award (2013)", named after the Nobel Laureate, Friedrich von Hayek. Dr. Moyo shares, "This anniversary of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations comes at a time that we need to critically review the relevance of economics; when we must challenge and renew the ideas and ideals that have governed the global economy and the capital markets for 250 years. "Major challenges to the global economy will only continue to accelerate and evolve, and we must understand whether, and how, to apply Adam Smith's founding principles to the complexities of today's environment. "I am deeply honored at the invitation and opportunity to deliver a speech that aims to define the opportunities and roadmap for navigating the next chapter of the global economy." In announcing the lecture, Professor Adam Dixon, Adam Smith Chair and Executive Director, said, "At Panmure House, we are reimagining Adam Smith's legacy for the twenty-first century - not as a museum of ideas, but as a living think tank for global economic renewal. As the world grapples with technological disruption, climate change, and the reordering of global markets, revisiting Smith's principles has never been more urgent. We are honored that Baroness Moyo will help lead that conversation on this historic anniversary." Dr. Moyo is a pre-eminent thinker who influences key decision makers in strategic investment and public policy. Her New York Times bestselling books, including Edge of Chaos, established her as a leading voice in international economic discourse. Dr. Moyo holds a PhD in economics from Oxford University and master's degrees from both Harvard University and American University. Dr. Moyo's biography and insights spanning topics across economics, technology, globalization, leadership and management, democracy, geopolitics, asset allocation, et al. are included in the Press Kit which can be downloaded online here: https://dambisamoyo.com/ . This features a comprehensive list of publications, speeches, board memberships, House of Lords debates, awards and honors, strategy and investment experience, education, media interviews and more. Contact: Kristi Brusa: kristi@versaca.com Samantha Norquist: snorquist@prosek.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dambisa-moyo-baroness-moyo-of-knightsbridge-to-deliver-major-economic-address-as-the-keynote-speaker-at-the-250th-anniversary-commemoration-of-adam-smiths-the-wealth-of-nations-302596516.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Battery Mineral Resources Corp. (TSXV: BMR) (OTCQB: BTRMF) ("Battery" or "BMR" or the "Company") is pleased to update its shareholders regarding the Gowganda silver tailings project that is located about 125 kilometers northeast of Sudbury, Ontario. BMR Reviewing Strategic Options for Gowganda Silver Project BMR is reviewing several alternatives with respect to its Gowganda silver tailings project in order to maximize value for our shareholders. The tailings historical resource estimate was classified as an indicated resource at a silver cut-off grade of 10.0 grams per tonne ("g/t") and was historically estimated to contain approximately 1,940,000 tonnes grading 47.5 g/t silver ("Ag"), containing an estimated 2,960,000 oz Ag (per the Gowganda Silver Technical Report, July 8, 2011). As per NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure Section 2.4 - the above resource estimate is considered historical in nature and is not treated as current mineral resources by the Company. The 2011 historical resource is relevant in that the historic work program and estimation confirmed the tailings contained silver mineralization that could be potentially recoverable. There have been no resource estimates for the project since 2011 historic resource. Since acquiring the project, BMR has not undertaken an updated estimate of this historical resource. The Gowganda Silver tailings project was referenced as a historical resource in the Company's NI 43-101 "Technical Report on Cobalt Exploration Assets in Canada" dated as of May 26, 2020 with an effective date of March 31, 2020, prepared by Glen Cole (P.Geo) of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (the "Cobalt Technical Report, March 31, 2020"). Laz Nikeas, CEO of BMR, stated, "Our Gowganda silver tailings project has been historically estimated to contain approximately 2.96 million oz of silver resources and is located within Canada's prolific cobalt and silver district in northeastern Ontario. BMR is actively reviewing various project options with the objective of enhancing shareholder value." The Gowganda mining camp was one of three historic silver-cobalt districts in Canada's Cobalt Embayment situated in northeastern Ontario approximately a six-hour drive north of Toronto. Estimated historic production from the Gowganda camp (1910-1969) was 60 million oz of silver and 1.3 million pounds of cobalt. This production was sourced from high-grade silver-cobalt veins hosted in Proterozoic Nipissing diabase intrusions. The Gowganda project totals 630 mining claims and four mining leases covering 9,452 hectares. Thirty-seven mineral occurrences are present within BMR's Gowganda concessions which have an extensive exploration and mining history dating back to 1908 when silver was first discovered at Miller Lake (McIlwaine, 1978). In the Gowganda camp most of the polymetallic silver-cobalt-nickel vein occurrences are hosted in the Nipissing diabase and near the Archean and/or Huronian sediment contact. Most of the productive veins were hosted in the upper half, or hangingwall, of the Nipissing diabase sill. Mineralized quartz-calcite veins are typically vertical to steeply dipping. Vein widths range from millimetre-scale to one metre in width. Silver mineralization is present as native silver. The core holdings at Gowganda are the four mining leases covering approximately 225 hectares that encompass four of the five past producing mines in the Gowganda Camp including the Capitol, Bonsall, Millerett, and Miller Lake-O'Brien mines. The mine leases host the historic tailings from all four historic producers. In the early 1980s, it was recognized that the tailings contained silver grades that were potentially recoverable. Several programs tested this opportunity, focusing on the potential extraction of silver without testing for cobalt. Between 1981 and 2011, the tailings were the focus of several evaluation efforts that included auger and sonic drilling and sampling as well as gravity and limited metallurgical testwork. In 2011, TEMEX Resources Corp. commissioned GeoVector Management Inc. to complete an NI-43-101-compliant resource estimate and technical report on the tailings. The 2011 mineral resource estimate was based on 764 auger, drive pipe, and sonic drill holes (3,012 metres) and 2,039 assay values that included results from earlier drilling in 1981, 1987, and 2000. The historic tailings resource estimate was categorized as an indicated resource at a silver cut-off grade of 10.0 g/t and is estimated to contain 1,940,000 tonnes grading 47.5 g/t silver containing an estimated 2,960,000 oz Ag. Results at various silver cut-off grades were tabulated below (per the Gowganda Silver Technical Report July 8, 2011). The above resource estimate is considered historical in nature and is not treated as current mineral resources by the Company. A Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources. BMR is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral. The 2011 historical resource is relevant in that the historical work program and estimation confirmed the tailings contained silver mineralization that could be potentially recoverable. There have been no resource estimates for the project since the 2011 historic resource. Since acquiring the project, BMR has not undertaken an updated estimate of this historical resource. The Gowganda silver tailings project was referenced as a historical resource in the Company's NI 43-101 "Cobalt Technical Report March 31, 2020", prepared by Glen Cole (P.Geo) of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. Any update of the resource estimate would include all available historical drilling, and assays. Additional Infill drilling (including selected number of "twin holes") and a program of check assays of any available historic samples are recommended as part of any new resource estimate program. 2011 TEMEX RESOURCES CORP. INDICATED MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE FOR THE GOWGANDA TAILINGS AT VARIOUS SILVER CUT-OFF GRADES BY GEOVECTOR MANAGEMENT INC. Cut-off Grade g/t Ag Tonnes Silver Grade g/t Ag Silver Contained Ounces oz Ag 5.00 1,946,465 47.30 2,961,665 10.00 1,937,520 47.50 2,959,487 20.00 1,903,081 48.10 2,941,810 30.00 1,743,690 50.10 2,806,483 40.00 1,112,423 58.20 2,083,075 NOTES: Please see the Technical Report on the Gowganda Silver Project Including a Resource Estimate of the Surface Tailings Deposit Gowganda, Ontario, Canada with an effective date of July 8, 2011, prepared by Joe Campbell, P. Geo., Alan Sexton, P.Geo, M.Sc. and Allan Armitage, Ph.D., P.Geo of GeoVector Management Inc. Table 4, page 31. The above resource estimates are considered historical in nature and are not being treated as current mineral resources by the Company. A Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources. As per NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure Section 2.4c historic resource parameters. Historical Mineral Resource Estimate for the Gowganda project - Resource grades were total in situ assay results. Assay values used in the resource estimate were verified against assays on drill logs contained in historic drill reports and assay certificates. A site visit was carried out by Alan Sexton, P.Geo. and Vice President of GeoVector to verify drill collar locations, tailings extent, and mine infrastructure. Digital data files of hole collar locations and down-hole surveys were checked and verified. The mineral resource was estimated using 1.5-metre sample composites (2,504 composites) of assay values (2,039 assays) from 764 auger and sonic drillholes totaling 3,012 metres. For the resource, metallurgical recoveries were assumed to be 100%. A block model, with the origin at 518550E, 5280050N, 430 metres elevation, and oriented at 300, was constructed using 4m x 4m x 1m blocks in the X, Y, Z direction respectively. Grades for silver were interpolated into the blocks by the inverse distance squared method using between four and twenty composites in a minimum of 2 drillholes to generate block grades. Based on a statistical analysis of the composite database from each resource model, it was decided that no capping was required on the composite populations to limit high values. The size of the search ellipse was set at 42 x 42 x 3 metres in the X, Y, Z direction respectively for the indicated resource. The principal azimuth is oriented at 155 (trend of the tailings piles), the principal dip is oriented at 0 and the Intermediate azimuth is oriented at 65. Specific gravity (SG) testing was previously carried out on 11 representative samples of tailings and the calculated average SG value of 2.12 was applied to all blocks within the updated block model. Qualified Person P. J. Doyle, FAusIMM (#208850), a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Vice President Exploration of BMR, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release. The Gowganda silver tailings project was referenced as a historical resource in the Company's NI 43-101 "Technical Report on Cobalt Exploration Assets in Canada" dated as of May 26, 2020 with an effective date of March 31, 2020, prepared by Glen Cole (P.Geo) of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (the "Cobalt Technical Report, March 31, 2020"). The historical mineral resource estimate for the Gowganda Silver tailings project was derived from the Technical Report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Gowganda Silver Tailings Project, Ontario, Canada" dated July 8, 2011, prepared by GeoVector Management Inc. (the "Gowganda Silver Technical Report, July 8, 2011"). About Battery Mineral Resources Corp. Battery Mineral Resources' mission is to build a mid-tier copper producer. The Company has recently initiated mine and mill operations at the Punitaqui Mining Complex, a historic copper-, gold-, and silver-producing mine in the Coquimbo region of Chile. The Company's portfolio also includes 100%-owned ESI Energy Services Inc. and North American mineral exploration assets. The Company is focused on providing shareholders with accretive exposure to copper and the global mega-trend of electrification while targeting growth through cash flow, exploration, and acquisitions in favorable mining jurisdictions. Further information about BMR and its projects can be found on www.bmrcorp.com. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could," or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements that BMR is reviewing several alternatives with respect to its Gowganda silver tailings project in order to maximize value for its shareholders; that the Gowganda Silver Project is estimated to contain approximately 1,940,000 tonnes grading 47.5 g/t silver, containing an estimated 2,960,000 oz Ag; that the Company continues to look for opportunities to generate shareholder value from the Gowganda tailings project, that BMR is actively reviewing various project options with the objective of enhancing shareholder value; and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: uncertainty and variation in the historical estimation of mineral resources on the Gowganda tailings project; risks related to exploration, development, and operation activities; exploration and development of the Gowganda tailings project will not be undertaken as anticipated; the historical estimate on the Gowganda tailings project will prove to be unreliable and inaccurate; the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions; the economic performance of the Gowganda tailings project may not be consistent with management's expectations; the Company's exploration work may not deliver the results expected; compliance with extensive government regulation; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain governmental permits, or non-compliance with permits; environmental and other regulatory requirements; risks related to natural disasters, terrorist acts, health crises, and other disruptions and dislocations; global financial conditions; uninsured risks; climate change risks; competition from other companies and individuals; conflicts of interest; outside contractor risks; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies, and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance; and other risks associated with executing the Company's objectives and strategies as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking information in this news release is based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements were made, including without limitation, assumptions regarding: the Company's expectations regarding the Gowganda tailings project will prove to be accurate; the Company will be successful in creating shareholder value with respect to the Gowganda tailings project; anticipated costs and the Company's ability to fund its programs; the Company's ability to carry on exploration, development and mining activities; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies, and services; the timing and results of drilling programs; that the historical mineral resource estimate on the Gowganda tailings project will be updated and verified; that the historical mineral resource estimate on the Gowganda tailings project is reliable and accurate; mineral resource estimates and the assumptions on which they are based; the Company's ability to operate in a safe, efficient, and effective manner; that the Company's exploration work will deliver the results expected; and that there will be no material adverse change or disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272159 SOURCE: Battery Mineral Resources Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Quetzal Copper Corp. (TSXV: SICO) (doing business as Silverco Mining Ltd.) ("Silverco" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a corporate and operational update following the successful completion of its listing on the TSXV Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") via its reverse takeover by Silverco Mining Corp. on October 17, 2025. The Company is pleased to be publicly trading, having established a strong shareholder base, a solid cash position, and a clear path toward expected production in H2 2026 from its Cusi Property in Chihuahua State, Mexico. Key Highlights: Advancing the Cusi Property : The 100%-owned Cusi Property in Chihuahua State, Mexico includes a fully permitted underground silver, lead, zinc mine (approximately 85% of the recovered metal by value was silver in 2022) (the "Cusi Mine"), with a 1,200 tonnes per day mill. The past producing Cusi Mine was put on care and maintenance in 2023 due to low silver prices. : The 100%-owned Cusi Property in Chihuahua State, Mexico includes a fully permitted underground silver, lead, zinc mine (approximately 85% of the recovered metal by value was silver in 2022) (the "Cusi Mine"), with a 1,200 tonnes per day mill. The past producing Cusi Mine was put on care and maintenance in 2023 due to low silver prices. Capital Raised: Silverco raised C$25 million privately over the previous 18 months, including the most recent financing which was over-subscribed, which enabled it to significantly advance the Cusi Property prior to the TSXV listing. Silverco raised C$25 million privately over the previous 18 months, including the most recent financing which was over-subscribed, which enabled it to significantly advance the Cusi Property prior to the TSXV listing. Significant Drill Program Underway on the Cusi Property: A 15,000-metre drill program is currently underway, with two drill rigs on site. Consistent drill results are expected through Q4 2025 to Q1 2026. A 5,000-meter drill program was completed in 2024. A 15,000-metre drill program is currently underway, with two drill rigs on site. Consistent drill results are expected through Q4 2025 to Q1 2026. A 5,000-meter drill program was completed in 2024. New Mining Zone: Silverco has acquired the San Miguel and La Bamba inset claims which were not held during the previous production of the Cusi Mine. These acquisitions provide a third mining zone which is expected to enable increased mining tonnage. Silverco has acquired the San Miguel and La Bamba inset claims which were not held during the previous production of the Cusi Mine. These acquisitions provide a third mining zone which is expected to enable increased mining tonnage. Resource Estimate & Preliminary Economic Assessment: Silverco expects to complete a mineral resource estimate on the Cusi Property under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") in Q4 2025 and a preliminary economic assessment under NI 43-101 on the Cusi Property in Q1 2026, with a view to supporting planned production in H2 2026. Silverco expects to complete a mineral resource estimate on the Cusi Property under National Instrument 43-101 - ("NI 43-101") in Q4 2025 and a preliminary economic assessment under NI 43-101 on the Cusi Property in Q1 2026, with a view to supporting planned production in H2 2026. Company Vision: Management's vision is to transform Silverco into a 10+ million-ounce silver producer in the next three years through the development and production of the Cusi Property, potential expansion and accretive acquisitions. Mark Ayranto, CEO of Silverco commented: "The completion of our listing on the TSXV marks a major milestone for Silverco. With a strong treasury, an experienced technical team, and a high-quality asset in the fully permitted Cusi Property, we are well positioned to execute on our plan to enter production in the second half of 2026. Our 2025 drilling campaign is already underway, and we look forward to delivering consistent results." About the Cusi Property The 100%-owned Cusi Property, located in Chihuahua State, Mexico, includes a fully permitted, past-producing underground silver, lead, and zinc mine with a 1,200-tonne-per-day mill, where silver accounted for approximately 85% of the value of recovered metals in 2022. Recent consolidation of claims along the San Miguel Vein System brings the total size of the Cusi Property to 11,665 hectares, hosting several historic silver, gold, lead, and zinc deposits. A historical mineral resource estimate (the "Historical MRE") was completed on the Cusi Property in 2022 and is summarized in Table 1 below. Table 1. 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate Classification Tonnes AgEq Ag Au Pb Zn (1,000s) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (%) (%) Measured 850 231 213 0.06 0.26 0.30 Indicated 4,506 212 176 0.13 0.54 0.63 Measured + Indicated 5,356 215 182 0.12 0.49 0.58 Inferred 4,893 183 146 0.18 0.43 0.69 Variable density assigned by zone ranging from 2.51 t/m3 to 2.73 t/m3 Cut-off of 95 g/t AgEq Price (US$) Recovery (%) Ag 20/oz 87 Au 1,541/oz 57 Zn 1.07/lb 51 Pb 0.91/lb 86 Source: Ortiz et al.(2020) The Historical MRE is not a current mineral resource under NI 43-101. A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to make the Historical MRE current, and the Company is not treating the Historical MRE as current. The Historical MRE is disclosed in the Company's technical report on the Cusi Property (the "Technical Report") titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report - Cusi Property, Chihuahua, Mexico" with an effective date of May 1, 2025. The summary of the Historical MRE in this news release is qualified in its entirety by the Technical Report, which is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR+. Strategically situated within the prolific Sierra Madre Occidental belt, on trend with Los Gatos and Parral (see Figure 1), the Cusi Property benefits from excellent infrastructure, including paved highway access and connection to the national power grid. Figure 1. Cusi Property located along the Sierra Madre Occidental belt hosting many major deposits To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10393/272188_b8d3934a642d5bb9_002full.jpg Drilling and Exploration Update Following the acquisition of the Cusi Mine in 2024, Silverco completed a 5,500-metre drill campaign focused on the San Miguel and La Bamba inset claims, as well as downthrown extensions at Eduwiges. Results from the 2024 program are expected shortly and are anticipated to confirm the continuity of mineralization and highlight significant potential for resource expansion. A 15,000-metre drill program is now underway with two rigs actively turning, targeting high-grade zones within newly discovered downthrown blocks. Additional drilling will continue through year-end 2025, with results expected between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026. Upcoming Milestones & Long-Term Vision The Company plans to release its maiden resource estimate, incorporating both new and historical data, in Q4 2025, followed by an expected mine plan and supporting economic study in Q1 2026 to guide the restart strategy. Subject to exploration results and market conditions, the Company is targeting a production restart in H2 2026. Looking ahead, Silverco's vision is to become a 10+ million-ounce annual silver producer within three years, through initial development and optimization of the Cusi Property and accretive acquisitions that add both ounces and shareholder value. Highly Experienced Team The Company's management and directors comprise: Mark Ayranto, President, CEO & Director: Accomplished mining executive, including the former COO of Victoria Gold, where he led the development and construction of the Eagle Mine into production . Accomplished mining executive, including the former COO of Victoria Gold, where he led the development and construction of the Eagle Mine into production Sean Fallis, CFO & Corporate Secretary: CPA, CA with extensive leadership at mining companies with projects in Latin America. He was a key member of the management team of Sierra Wireless which was sold to Semtech for $C1.8 billion in 2023. CPA, CA with extensive leadership at mining companies with projects in Latin America. He was a key member of the management team of Sierra Wireless which was sold to Semtech for $C1.8 billion in 2023. Nico Harvey, VP Project Development: Mining engineer experienced in open-pit and underground operations, including as the former Head of Technical Services at Victoria Gold. Mining engineer experienced in open-pit and underground operations, including as the former Head of Technical Services at Victoria Gold. Tim Sorensen, Director: Over 25 years of experience in institutional equity sales with a specialized focus on the mining sector. He currently serves as CEO of TSCG Capital, a mining-focused merchant bank. Over 25 years of experience in institutional equity sales with a specialized focus on the mining sector. He currently serves as CEO of TSCG Capital, a mining-focused merchant bank. Gary Brown, Director: Former CFO of Wheaton Precious Metals, which is one of Canada's 20 largest companies by market capitalization. Former CFO of Wheaton Precious Metals, which is one of Canada's 20 largest companies by market capitalization. Gregg Bush, Director: COO of Heliostar Metals and metallurgical engineer with over 40 years of experience in feasibility, mine development, and project engineering. Qualified Person In accordance with NI 43-101, Nico Harvey, the Vice President, Project Development of the Company, is the Qualified Person for the Company and has validated and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. About Silverco The Company owns a 100% interest in the 11,665-hectare Cusi Property, located in Chihuahua State, Mexico (the "Cusi Property"), within the highly prolific Sierra Madre Occidental gold-silver belt. The Cusi Property features a permitted, past-producing underground silver-lead-zinc-gold mine and includes an existing 1,200-tonne-per-day mill with permitted tailings capacity. Situated approximately 135 kilometers west of Chihuahua City, the Cusi Property benefits from excellent infrastructure, including paved highway access and a 33 kV connection to the national power grid. The Cusi Property encompasses multiple historical Ag-Au-Pb-Zn producing mines, each developed along several vein structures, and hosts numerous high-potential exploration targets. These include extensions of newly identified downthrown mineralized blocks and further opportunities through claim consolidation, offering significant potential for resource expansion. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this document include, among others, statements relating to future exploration and development plans, the future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value capital markets profile of the Company, the future growth potential for the Company and its business and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; and the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272188 SOURCE: Silverco Mining Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Stardust Solar Energy Inc. (TSXV: SUN) (OTCQB: SUNXF) (FSE: 6330) today reported record quarterly results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, and the Company's first-ever EBITDA-positive quarter. Q3 revenue reached a record $1.78M (+99% YoY) with a gross margin of 44% (31% in Q3 2024). The Company secured a record $2.55M (+206% increase YoY) in new signed contracts, lifting backlog to $4.4M total. Q3 2025 Highlights (three months ended September 30, 2025) Record revenue: $1.78M (+99% YoY), the strongest quarter in Company history. Gross margin: 44% (vs. 31% in Q3 2024); year-to-date margin also 44% (vs. 29% in YTD 2024). First-ever EBITDA-positive quarter: EBITDA of $16,293. Nearing profitability: Net loss of $25,018 (loss per share $0.00); net loss margin improved from -39% ($475K net loss) in Q2 to -1% in Q3 (a 95% narrower loss QoQ). Operating expenses: $812,628 (+14% YoY), reflecting higher advertising, promotion, professional and administrative costs tied to growth and public-company compliance. Record signed contracts & visibility: $2.55M signed in Q3 (largest quarter to date), which is +206% increase YoY compared to $829K in Q3 2024, driving the total backlog to $4.4M (+38% vs. June 30, 2025). Liquidity: Cash and cash equivalents $340K at quarter-end (June 30, 2025 - $171K). Operating cash flow: Positive $131K, the Company's first positive quarter since going public. Year-to-Date and Trailing Twelve-Month Growth Nine months ended Sept 30, 2025: Revenue $3.99M, up $1.14M (+40%) from $2.85M in the prior-year period. TTM revenue: ~$4.8M, up 32% from ~$3.6M in the comparable prior-12-month period, underscoring sustained top-line momentum and diversified growth. Management Commentary "Q3 proves our model is scaling with discipline," said Mark Tadros, Founder & CEO. "We delivered record revenue, first-ever EBITDA positivity, a 44% gross margin, and a record quarter for signed contracts that pushed backlog to $4.4M. Most importantly, our net loss narrowed to just $25,000 with positive operating cash flow, showing clear progress toward consistent profitability. We are focused on converting backlog into revenue, supporting our franchise partners, and tightly managing working capital." Outlook Management expects to continue franchise expansion and direct product sales growth across Canada, the U.S. and internationally through 2026, with a sustained focus on working-capital optimization, supply-chain efficiency, and profitable franchise network scaling. (Forward-looking information; see "Regulatory Disclosure & Forward-Looking Information.") Non-IFRS Measures This news release refers to "signed contract", "backlog", which do not have standardized meanings under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other issuers. The company backlog represents the aggregate dollar value of all solar projects that have not yet been executed across the Company's franchise network. Management believes the Company backlog is an important indicator of the overall strength and growth of the franchise network as they reflect the total activity generated by franchisees. The Company backlog is not equivalent to revenue recognized by the Company under IFRS and should not be considered as a substitute for the Company's consolidated results. Rather, they are provided as supplemental information to illustrate the performance of the entire network, including projects generated at the franchise level. About Stardust Solar: Stardust Solar is a North American franchisor of renewable energy installation services, specializing in solar panels (PV), energy storage systems, and electric vehicle supply equipment. The Company equips entrepreneurs with branded business management services, cutting-edge equipment, and comprehensive support, including marketing, sales, engineering, and project management. With franchises across Canada and the United States, Stardust Solar drives the adoption of clean energy solutions that boost economic development and create a more sustainable future. stardustsolar.com Stardust Solar Energy Inc. B101-9000 Bill Fox Way, Burnaby BC V5J 5J3 - Canada 732 S 6th St, STE N, Las Vegas, NV 89101 Follow us on > Facebook / LinkedIn / Instagram Disclaimer: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the Company's business plans and expected future growth, expected franchise expansions, the outlook of future operations, revenue growth, new opportunities and the demand for the Company's products. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention. It assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272198 SOURCE: Stardust Solar Energy Inc. Honolulu, Hawai'i--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Orthogonal Thinker, Inc. ("Orthogonal" or the "Company"), a Hawai'i-based holding company integrating wellness, plant medicine, artificial intelligence, and digital assets, today announced DAT 3.0, its next-generation Decentralized Autonomous Treasury governance framework, and the planned integration of Ei.Ventures under a single operating structure. Together with the Company's recently launched Capital Infrastructure Group, these initiatives position Orthogonal as both architect and operator of a unified ecosystem designed to channel long-term capital into high-impact sectors. "This is Conscious Capital put to work," said David Nikzad, founder and CEO of Orthogonal Thinker. "We're building financial and technological systems that expand human potential and create durable value. By bringing Ei.Ventures, the Capital Infrastructure Group, and DAT 3.0 together, we're laying the foundation for that future." Founded in 2020, Ei.Ventures anchors Orthogonal's mission in wellness and human performance. Its early plant-science work and intellectual property helped shape Orthogonal's Conscious Capital thesis. Consolidating Ei.Ventures into Orthogonal brings wellness, technology and finance under one roof to drive long-term impact. At the center of Orthogonal's platform is DAT 3.0, a rules-based treasury governance approach emphasizing transparency, programmability, and alignment. Capital Infrastructure Group applies that framework in the market - structuring vehicles and alliances that direct capital into AI, digital assets, clean energy, DePIN and related sectors. With Ei.Ventures as a consciousness-driven foundation, these three components form a living system where technology, markets, and human advancement reinforce one another. "Decentralized Autonomous Treasuries are where capital and intelligence meet," Nikzad added. "We engineered DAT 3.0 to make capital flows auditable, adaptive, and mission-aligned. The market is turning and capital is moving again - we built Orthogonal for this moment." About DAT 3.0 DAT 3.0 is Orthogonal's treasury governance framework that combines traditional controls with on-chain auditability and programmatic policy. It aims to provide transparent reserves and mandates, adaptive allocation within predefined guardrails, and long-term alignment between investors, operators and the mission. About Orthogonal Thinker, Inc. Orthogonal Thinker is a Hawai'i-based holding company investing in financial and operational infrastructure across AI, digital assets, clean energy, DePIN, and wellness. Founded in 2016, Orthogonal bridges long-term capital with transformative innovation through a conscious-capital approach and a growing portfolio of ventures. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements include, but are not limited to, expectations regarding Orthogonal Thinker's strategies, anticipated market opportunities, and potential growth across artificial intelligence, digital assets, clean energy, validator node infrastructure, DePIN, defense, longevity, and related industries. Forward-looking statements are based on current assumptions and projections that involve risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially, including market volatility, regulatory developments, execution risks, and other factors beyond the Company's control. Orthogonal Thinker undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272205 SOURCE: Orthogonal Thinker, Inc. Detroit, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (OTCID: AITX) (the "Company"), a global leader in AI-driven security and productivity solutions, along with its wholly owned subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), has partnered with the Taylor, Michigan Police Department to launch a community safety initiative utilizing RADCam Enterprise. The pilot program will evaluate how RADCam Enterprise's AI-enabled interactive capabilities can help deter crime and enhance community safety across local businesses. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5243/272122_8c3e15cfc4404b3f_001full.jpg This initiative marks the next step in Taylor PD's collaboration with RAD, following the Department's 2024 pilot involvement with the first and evolving RADDOG quadruped robot for law enforcement use. The RADCam Enterprise pilot will focus on real-world performance in reducing nuisance crimes, improving situational awareness, and supporting officers with timely information and communication tools. Initial deployments will begin with ten businesses, expanding to one hundred as data is collected and analyzed for future replication across other communities. At the center of this initiative is SARA (Speaking Autonomous Responsive Agent), the Company's multiple award-winning agentic AI platform, which powers RADCam Enterprise. SARA enables the cameras to communicate directly with individuals, provide real-time notifications, and deliver autonomous voice-down messages to deter unwanted activity. The system can instantly alert officers when assistance is needed, bridging the gap between detection and response while reducing the burden on human monitoring resources. An Example of RADCam Enterprise in Action When a property is armed for the evening, RADCam Enterprise continuously monitors for motion and activity. If movement is detected near a vehicle or structure, the system issues a verbal warning advising the individual to leave the premises immediately or law enforcement will be contacted. The suspect's behavior determines the next step. If the individual departs, RADCam records the encounter and preserves video and audio evidence. If the individual remains, SARA automatically places a phone call to the Taylor Police Department, providing real-time details such as the location, description, visible objects or weapons, and current behavior. Officers can then interact with SARA to request additional information or a transcript of the event, ensuring rapid, informed response. "We're proud to see our technology supporting law enforcement and helping communities become safer," said Steve Reinharz, CEO/CTO and founder of AITX and RAD. "This partnership with Taylor PD demonstrates how RADCam Enterprise can deliver measurable results, improve response times, and strengthen collaboration between local businesses and police. We are looking forward to success here, followed by significant expansion throughout the country. We thank the City of Taylor and the Taylor Police Department for leading the way in community law enforcement." RADCam Enterprise was introduced on September 15, 2025, as the world's first speaking, AI-powered talking camera designed for commercial and enterprise applications. The system integrates seamlessly with leading video management systems (VMS) and supports SARA's autonomous engagement features, giving businesses and law enforcement new tools to proactively address security challenges. "We're always exploring new ways to strengthen public safety and enhance our connection with the community," said Lt. Jeff Adamisin of the Taylor Police Department. "This pilot allows us to evaluate how RADCam Enterprise can improve visibility across incidents, expand officer response, and help reduce incidents before they escalate. Our goal is to leverage technology that truly makes a difference for the people we serve." "We see this as the beginning of something much larger," added Reinharz. "Communities everywhere are searching for effective, affordable ways to strengthen safety without adding personnel or infrastructure. I anticipate that what we learn in Taylor will serve as the blueprint for future partnerships with police departments and municipalities across the country." AITX, through its primary subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), is redefining the nearly $50 billion (US) security and guarding services industry1 through its broad lineup of innovative, AI-driven Solutions-as-a-Service business model. RAD solutions are specifically designed to provide cost savings to businesses of between 35%-80% when compared to the industry's existing and costly manned security guarding and monitoring model. RAD delivers these tremendous cost savings via a suite of stationary and mobile robotic solutions that complement, and at times, directly replace the need for human personnel in environments better suited for machines. All RAD technologies, AI-based analytics and software platforms are developed in-house. The Company's operations and internal controls have been validated through successful completion of its SOC 2 Type 2 audit, reinforcing the Company's credibility with enterprise and government clients who require strict data protection and security compliance. RAD is led by Steve Reinharz, CEO/CTO and founder of AITX and RAD, who brings decades of experience in the security services industry. Reinharz serves as chair of the Security Industry Association's (SIA) Autonomous Solutions Working Group and as a member of the SIA Board of Directors. The RAD team also draws on extensive expertise across the sector, including Mark Folmer, CPP, PSP, President of RAD and Chair of the ASIS International North American Regional Board of Directors, Troy McCanna, former FBI Special Agent and RAD's Chief Security Officer, and Stacy Stephens, co-founder of security robotics company Knightscope. Their combined backgrounds in security industry leadership, law enforcement, and robotics innovation reinforce RAD's ability to deliver proven, practical, and disruptive solutions to its clients. RAD has a prospective sales pipeline of over 35 Fortune 500 companies and numerous other client opportunities. RAD expects to continue to attract new business as it converts its existing sales opportunities into deployed clients generating a recurring revenue stream. Each Fortune 500 client has the potential of making numerous reorders over time. About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX) AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITX's RAD, RAD-R, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staff and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, www.radsecurity.com , www.stevereinharz.com, www.raddog.ai, www.radgroup.ai, www.saramonitoring.ai, and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on X @SteveReinharz. CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS The information contained in this publication does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy securities of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (the "Company"). This publication contains forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance and may involve subjective judgment and analysis. The information provided herein is believed to be accurate and reliable, however the Company makes no representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. The Company has no obligation to provide the recipient with additional updated information. No information in this publication should be interpreted as any indication whatsoever of the Company's future revenues, results of operations, or stock price. ### ________________________ 1 https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/security-services-industry/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272122 SOURCE: Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. BOSTON and LONDON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Indico Data, the leader in AI-powered automation for insurance operations, today announced a strategic investment from Aviva Ventures, the corporate venture capital fund for Aviva plc, one of the UK's largest insurers. The investment reinforces Indico's growing leadership in the London Market and its expanding adoption among global property and casualty carriers. As part of the investment, Arslan Hannani, Chief Innovation Officer at Aviva, will join Indico's Board of Directors as a Board Observer and Advisor. "This partnership underscores the increasing demand for intelligent automation that transforms how insurers handle the critical 'front door' of their business - from submission ingestion to claims intake to policy servicing and beyond," said Tom Wilde, CEO of Indico Data. "Aviva's investment and Arslan's participation on our board validate Indico's vision for the agentic insurance enterprise and our mission to help carriers turn unstructured data into competitive advantage." Aviva Ventures invests in companies driving transformation across insurance and financial services through emerging technologies and new business models. "Indico's technology is reshaping how insurers operate by bringing AI deeper into core workflows," said Arslan Hannani, Chief Innovation Officer at Aviva. "We've seen firsthand the impact Indico is having in streamlining operations and unlocking new efficiencies, particularly in complex markets like London and beyond. We're excited to support its continued growth." This investment builds on Indico's growing footprint among top global carriers, who leverage its Agentic AI platform to automate underwriting, claims, and operations processes that depend on unstructured data. Aviva's investment follows a strategic investment from Guidewire earlier in 2025. About Indico Data Indico Data is the leading provider of AI solutions that automate complex insurance operations by transforming unstructured data into actionable insights. Trusted by leading carriers across North America and the London Market, Indico's Agentic AI platform enables insurers to streamline underwriting, claims, and policy operations while improving accuracy, speed, and compliance. www.indicodata.ai About Aviva Ventures Aviva Ventures is the corporate venture capital fund for Aviva plc, one of the UK's leading insurance, wealth, and retirement businesses. Aviva Ventures invests in early- and growth-stage companies driving innovation across insurance, financial services, and sustainability. www.aviva.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2094782/Indico_Data_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aviva-ventures-completes-strategic-investment-in-indico-data-to-accelerate-ai-driven-insurance-automation-302596202.html Akdital Group, Morocco's leading private healthcare provider listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, today announced a major step in its global expansion with the signing of landmark strategic partnerships in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028437358/en/ Announcement of Akdital's new partnerships in Saudi Arabia during Global Health Exhibitions in Ryadh (Photo: Akdital Group) Under these agreements, Akdital will collaborate with top-tier Saudi partners to develop and operate a network of multidisciplinary hospitals. By 2030, the projects will mobilize a total of SAR 5.3 billion (approximately USD 1.4 billion). The allocation includes 25 percent for real-estate investments led by partners, 60 percent for operating expenditures, and 15 percent for medical equipment and facility outfitting jointly financed by Akdital and its financial partners. The partnerships were formalized during the Global Health Exhibitions held in Riyadh on October 27. Two agreements were signed covering both the development and management of a flagship hospital in Riyadh and the lease and operation of Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mishari Hospital in the capital. "This expansion marks a defining chapter in Akdital's international strategy," said Dr. Rochdi Talib, Chairman and CEO of Akdital Group. "By partnering with leading Saudi healthcare players, we are accelerating our global growth while bringing our expertise in hospital management and integrated care to one of the most dynamic healthcare ecosystems in the world." The new projects will be overseen from Akdital's regional headquarters in Riyadh, established to support the Group's Middle East operations. This expansion underscores Akdital's ambition to become-starting from Morocco-a pan-African and Middle Eastern benchmark in private healthcare. About Akdital A pioneer and market leader in Morocco's private healthcare sector, Akdital Group is dedicated to delivering accessible, high-quality medical care to all. The Group operates 41 healthcare facilities across 24 Moroccan cities, providing 4,111 beds and employing nearly 10,000 professionals committed to patient well-being. Listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange since December 2022 under the ticker AKT, Akdital continues to drive innovation and regional development with a human-centered vision built on excellence, trust, and proximity. Source: AETOSWire View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028437358/en/ Contacts: Abdelkoddous Hafsi Director of Communications and Media Relations, +212669034213a.hafsi@akdital.ma New Apollo510 Lite SoC Series delivers breakthrough energy efficiency and AI performance for smarter, longer-lasting connected devices AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ambiq Micro, Inc. ("Ambiq"), a leading provider of ultra-low-power semiconductor and AI solutions, today announced the Apollo510 Lite System-on-Chip (SoC) Series - the newest member of its Apollo5 family. Designed to meet the growing demand for always-on intelligence at the edge, the series delivers advanced AI processing, multi-protocol wireless connectivity, and industry-leading energy efficiency -empowering next-generation devices from wearables and medical devices to industrial IoT sensors and smart buildings. Transforming What's Possible at the Edge "The Apollo510 Lite Series marks an important step forward in Ambiq's expanding portfolio of ultra-low-power AI solutions, bringing the power of Edge AI to a broader array of devices and uses across wearables, healthcare, industrial, and smart home applications," said Fumihide Esaka, CEO of Ambiq. "This milestone underscores our commitment to making intelligence possible everywhere, without compromise on power or performance." A Leap Forward in Edge AI Efficiency Built on Ambiq's proprietary Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology (SPOT) platform, the Apollo510 Lite Series delivers over 16 faster performance and up to 30 better AI energy efficiency than comparable M4 or M33 solutions. This performance leap enables developers to deploy sophisticated AI workloads-including health analytics, sensor fusion, and voice recognition-while dramatically extending battery life for connected devices. Apollo510 Lite Series Highlights High-performance Compute: Up to 250 MHz Arm Cortex-M55 Processor with turboSPOT and Helium technology for efficient AI acceleration. with and technology for efficient AI acceleration. Dedicated Coprocessor: 48/96 MHz Arm Cortex-M4F Coprocessor for optimized wireless and sensor fusion tasks. 48/96 MHz for optimized wireless and sensor fusion tasks. Expanded Memory: 2 MB RAM and 2 MB non-volatile memory with dedicated instruction/data caches for faster execution. and with dedicated instruction/data caches for faster execution. Advanced Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4 with +14 dBm transmit power for robust signal performance. Dual-mode Bluetooth (Classic + LE) for low-power audio and backward compatibility. Built-in Security: secureSPOT 3.0 with Arm TrustZone, secure boot, and authenticated firmware updates for data integrity. The series is available in three variants: Apollo510 Lite (no BLE radio), Apollo510B Lite (BLE-enabled), and Apollo510D Lite (dual-mode Bluetooth). Availability The Apollo510 Lite Series is available for sampling now, with volume production expected in Q1 2026. Visit the Apollo510 Lite SoC series product pagefor technical details, development tools, and ordering information. About Ambiq Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Ambiq's mission is to enable intelligence. Forward-Looking Statements The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "intends," "plans," "estimates," or "anticipates," or similar expressions which concern our strategy, plans, projections or intentions. By their nature, forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact or guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions or changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify, including those described in the sections titled "Risk Factors" in Ambiq's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ambiq undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws. PR and Media Charlene Wan VP of Corporate Marketing and Investor Relations cwan@ambiq.com +1.512.879.2850 Investor Relations Teneo Christina Coronios christina.coronios@teneo.com +1.212.915.4581 An image accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1dde6260-281e-4572-9dcb-27c99f7bd952 Exterro to Lead the Conversation on AI, Risk, and the Future of eDiscovery PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exterro today announced that the 11th annual eDiscovery Day will take place on December 4, 2025, commemorating the landmark 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) that formally recognized electronic discovery as a core part of modern litigation. Founded by Exterro in that same year to celebrate this turning point, eDiscovery Day has evolved into the profession's defining global event, uniting legal, compliance, and technology leaders worldwide around this year's theme, "AI, Risk, and the Future of eDiscovery." From 2015 to Today: A Legacy of Leadership Recognizing early on that the profession needed a neutral, practitioner-led forum to exchange expertise and elevate standards, Exterro created eDiscovery Day as an event that brings together the legal, compliance, and technology communities around shared principles of defensibility, governance, and continuous learning. What began as a single day of collaboration has since evolved into a global tradition, one that mirrors the growth and maturity of the eDiscovery discipline itself. eDiscovery Day has become one of the largest annual events in legal technology, spanning in-person and virtual sessions across continents and engaging thousands of professionals in the past five years alone. Today, its reach extends far beyond the United States, with active participation across Canada, the U.K., Europe, and Asia-Pacific, supported by organizations such as The Sedona Conference and Women in eDiscovery. Together, they've helped transform what started as an awareness initiative into the global heartbeat of the profession. As AI adoption accelerates, with nearly 40% of eDiscovery professionals and three out of four law firms now using AI tools, Exterro continues to guide the profession toward innovation grounded in trust. "In 2015, we founded eDiscovery Day to celebrate the formal recognition of electronic discovery as a foundational element of modern litigation, and ultimately, data risk management. Fast forward 11 years, and the profession is at another major inflection point: the dawn of AI," said John Vincenzo, Chief Marketing Officer at Exterro. "This year's theme, 'AI, Risk and the Future of eDiscovery,' directly addresses the reality that AI is no longer a disruptor - it is the discipline's next foundation. Our goal, as always, is to provide a neutral, global forum where legal, compliance and technology leaders can exchange expertise and establish the principles of defensibility, governance and ethics that must ground this new era of discovery." 2025: Where AI and Risk Meet Reality This year's program features a full day of educational thought leadership, anchored around the theme "AI, Risk, and the Future of eDiscovery." Across five expert-led webinars and global community events, participants will hear directly from judges, corporate counsel, and technologists on how AI is reshaping discovery, from defensibility and governance to validation and ethics. The complete agenda, including all sessions hosted by Exterro, ACEDS, EDRM, and eDiscovery Today, is available at www.eDiscoveryDay.com . Each discussion builds on a single idea: AI is no longer a disruptor; it's the discipline's next foundation. "Across the ACEDS community, we're seeing unprecedented demand for professionals who understand not just how to use AI, but how to use it responsibly," said Maribel Rivera, VP of Strategy and Client Engagement at ACEDS. "eDiscovery Day provides the environment for that accountability, where learning, ethics, and innovation meet." Mary Mack, CEO of EDRM, added that this year's theme reflects a turning point for governance itself: "Data has outgrown borders, and AI has outpaced policy," Mack said. "eDiscovery Day helps practitioners learn from each other as we share new and updated frameworks, workflows and the results of our experiments. We are grateful to our Trusted Partner Exterro for creating a full day of education and engagement for our global multidisciplinary community." For Doug Austin, Editor of eDiscovery Today, the value of the event lies in its practicality. "eDiscovery Day is where ideas become action," Austin said. "These sessions translate innovation into meaningful workflows, from cross-border compliance to early case assessment and beyond, giving teams defensible tools and best practices that deliver results." Beyond an Event: A Reflection of the Industry's Evolution For Exterro, the day represents both its history and its future, a reminder of why the company pioneered this celebration of eDiscovery professionals in the first place, and how it continues to lead it into the AI era. "We founded eDiscovery Day to unite the profession around progress," John Vincenzo added. "In 2025, that mission means helping the world's leading legal teams use AI not just to work faster, but to work smarter, safer, and with purpose." Join the conversation on December 4, 2025. About Exterro Exterro empowers organizations to manage data risks with a complete platform for eDiscovery, data privacy, cybersecurity and governance, and digital forensics. Unlike any other software provider, Exterro makes it easy for organizations to understand their data and take swift action. Exterro's AI-driven solutions provide accurate, actionable insights, enabling businesses to ensure compliance, reduce risks, and streamline operations while lowering costs. With Exterro, organizations gain the clarity and confidence needed to address their most critical data challenges. For more information, visit www.exterro.com Media Contact: hazel@plat4orm.com Partnership combines Merck's chemistry and organoid expertise with Promega's assay technologies Aims to improve researcher access to disease-relevant cell models Strengthens Merck's leadership in next-generation biology Merck, a leading science and technology company, has entered into a partnership with Promega Corporation, a global life science solutions and service leader based in Madison, Wisconsin in the US, to co-develop novel technologies that advance drug screening and discovery. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028493228/en/ Merck and Promega will co-develop novel technologies that advance drug discovery. The agreement unites Merck's strength in organoids and synthetic chemistry with Promega's market leading assay and reporter technologies. Together, the companies aim to develop assays capable of tracking cellular activity in real time using an innovative reporter system within three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures. These 3D cell cultures, also called organoids, mimic the human biology, where testing can be done in a model that is physiologically more relevant than traditional two-dimensional (2D) models. "This partnership with Promega shows what is possible when two companies with a shared commitment to science join forces," said Anand Nambiar, Head of Science Lab Solutions for the Life Science business of Merck. "By combining our organoid expertise with Promega's advanced reporter technology, we aim to enable high throughput screening that helps researchers identify safer and more effective drug candidates for complex diseases such as cancer-and do it faster than ever before." "Collaborating with Merck allows us to push the boundaries of drug discovery," said Tom Livelli, VP, Life Sciences Products Services at Promega Corporation. "By combining our technological strengths, we are helping to create more relevant and accessible models for drug discovery, with the goal of enabling new insights and eventually better outcomes for patients." In addition to the primary co-development agreement, Merck and Promega have signed a separate agreement to explore the integration of Merck's Duolink with Promega's HiBiT technologies. This aims to create new workflows for studying the protein interactions inside cells, providing researchers with deeper insights into cellular signalling and supporting applications in both biologics and small molecule drug discovery. The partnership with Promega is one of the latest steps that Merck is taking to strengthen its leadership in next-generation biology and uniting complementary expertise to deliver the next wave of breakthroughs in drug discovery. In December 2024, Merck acquired HUB Organoids B.V., a pioneer in organoid technology, which expanded Merck's capabilities in 3D cell culture and enhanced its portfolio with HUB's foundational patents, advanced model generation, and high-throughput screening services. These strategic moves position Merck as a leader in providing researchers with the tools needed to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical success. About Merck Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices the company is everywhere. In 2024, Merck generated sales of 21.2 billion in 65 countries. Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck's technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics. All Merck press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service. About Promega Corporation Promega Corporation is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company's portfolio of over 4,000 products supports a range of life science work across areas such as cell biology; DNA, RNA and protein analysis; drug development; human identification and molecular diagnostics. These tools and technologies have grown in their application over the last 45 years and are used today by scientists and technicians in labs for academic and government research, forensics, pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics and agricultural and environmental testing. Promega is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028493228/en/ Contacts: Media Relations jenny.wuestner@merckgroup.com Phone: +49 151 1454 3158 The purrfect gift for your feline friend this Christmas! MANCHESTER, England, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This Christmas, Encore is giving cats across the country a reason to purr with joy, thanks to the launch of its brand-new Festive Loin Selection. Thoughtfully created as the ultimate stocking filler, these limited-edition loins bring a festive twist to some of Encore's most-loved recipes - because Christmas isn't just for humans. With 80% of seasonal pet purchases bought as gifts, Encore knows how important it is to include feline family members in the celebrations. And with cats spending more time indoors during the colder months, a little festive treat is the perfect way to add enrichment, fun and bonding moments to their day. "Christmas is all about sharing joy - and that includes our pets," said Robyn Long, Innovation Manager at Encore. "Our new Seasonal Loins are a fun, festive way to treat your cat while still giving them the high-quality, natural ingredients Encore is known for." Wrapped in a special seasonal design, the selection includes three festive favourites, made with 100% natural ingredients: Tuna Loin - Encore's bestselling flavour amongst cats - Encore's bestselling flavour amongst cats Mackerel Fillet - rich in Omega 3 to help support a glossy coat - rich in Omega 3 to help support a glossy coat Chicken Fillet with Rosemary - a festive twist with a hint of seasonal flavour These naturally nutritious, delightfully delicious loins can be enjoyed in a variety of ways: On their own - a healthy and irresistibly tasty treat for Christmas Day Flaked over kibble - to make everyday meals extra exciting Served as a topper with wet food - adding festive flavour and texture The Festive Loin Selection (RRP 5) is available now at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado and Amazon - but only for a limited time this Christmas. Treat your cat to true joy this Christmas with Encore - and don't forget to share your festive feline moments with @encorepet. Launched in 2008, Encore believes mealtimes should be a highlight of the day for the whole family - pets included! That's why its variety of exciting, limited-ingredient cat food will have four-legged friends racing to the bowl. Every recipe is made with the highest quality, natural ingredients and more real protein. Encore is so good; pet owners will see the difference in every bowl. For more information, visit Natural Cat Food | Luxury Cat Food | Encore Cat Food Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806153/Encore_Festive_Treats_Loins.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2739285/Encore_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/add-a-sprinkle-of-festive-magic-to-treat-time-with-encores-new-seasonal-loin-selection-302596793.html Agency ranks on AdWeek's Fastest Growing Agencies, Entrepreneur's Top Franchise Suppliers, Philadelphia Business Journal's Fast 50, and Philadelphia100 PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / 215 Marketing, a leading full-service performance marketing agency based in Philadelphia, has earned several prestigious industry awards in 2025, highlighting its remarkable growth and impact in the marketing space. 215 Marketing 215 Marketing Logo This year, 215 Marketing was named to AdWeek's Fastest Growing Agencies, an award recognizing firms that have achieved exceptional growth and influence in a competitive marketplace. The agency also earned a spot on Entrepreneur Magazine's Top Franchise Suppliers, which spotlights service providers that drive measurable success for franchisors and franchisees alike. Locally, 215 Marketing joined the Philadelphia Business Journal's Fast 50, which honors the region's fastest-growing companies, and was recognized by the Philadelphia100, celebrating the 100 top-performing private companies in the area. "Our team's dedication and collaborative approach make this recognition possible," says Garrett Gillin, Co-Founder and Principal at 215 Marketing. "These awards reflect the hard work our team delivers for every client and the trust our clients place in us every day." Looking ahead, 215 Marketing will continue expanding its services and supporting franchise and multi-location brands through its franchise-specific sister agency, Units. The firm aims to capitalize on this momentum and continue extending its footprint across regional, national, and even international markets. About 215 Marketing 215 Marketing is a full-service performance marketing agency dedicated to helping service-based businesses drive leads, enhance visibility, and achieve measurable ROI. Serving clients across industries and stages of growth - from startups to established franchises - the firm develops tailored marketing strategies that align with each business's unique objectives. Its comprehensive suite of services include CRM integrations, custom website development, paid advertising, SEO, landing pages, and social media management. Contact Information Helen Eng Agency Operations Assistant heng@215marketing.com SOURCE: 215 Marketing View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/215-marketing-recognized-among-fastest-growing-agencies-and-top-1091677 In Partnership with the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and the International Society of Dermatology (ISD), CeraVe Mobilizes 9 Countries to Expand Access to Dermatological Care Worldwide NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- To address the global skin health crisis that leaves billions without access to a dermatologist, CeraVe, the #1 dermatologist-recommended skincare brand in the U.S.*, reached over 3,900 patients around the globe through World Skin Health Day initiatives this summer. World Skin Health Day is led by the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and the International Society of Dermatology (ISD). Taking place on 8 July each year, it delivers education on the significance of skin health and encourages discussions and actions that contribute toward improving skin health around the world. As the day's official corporate partner for the second year, CeraVe worked with the ILDS and ISD to build on the achievements of 2024, activating in 9 countries, in addition to amplifying awareness around the world. Raising Global Awareness for a Skin Health Crisis While one-third of the global population is affected by skin disease, there is less than 1 dermatologist per million people in some countries, creating a coverage gap that leaves 3 billion without access to care.1-3 Through its partnership with ILDS and ISD, CeraVe is on a mission to help close the gap and ensure that more patients worldwide can access dermatological expertise. Individuals and organizations from 76 countries participated in sharing campaign messages for World Skin Health Day, their stories and activities to raise awareness on social and digitally, contributing to a reach of more than 4.5 million, which included a global awareness initiative at CeraVe's 20th Birthday event. Timed to its 20th anniversary, the brand also hosted a global celebration of two decades of skincare on World Skin Health Day. Top dermatologists and creators came together to learn about accessible dermatological solutions and the CeraVe commitment to improving skin health worldwide. Impact at a Glance 9 countries activated across 5 continents 3,900+ underserved patients treated 4.5M+ people reached online and in person 200+ government officials pledged support for skin health advocacy Mobilizing Care within the US and Around the Globe Additionally, there were 11 in-country events spanning government advocacy, healthcare education and patient care, including: Indonesia: over 220 patients received dermatological care and more than 60 government officials pledged support for skin health. Nigeria: more than 1,200 patients accessed dermatological services for the first time. Bangladesh: mobile dermatology units reached remote, flood-prone areas to diagnose and treat over 1,000 patients. Philippines: Nearly 50 dermatologists and healthcare workers served 163 patients in a remote community and trained 136 other healthcare workers. Within the United States, CeraVe teamed up with its partner, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC), to bring skin health to the forefront of underserved and under-resourced communities. Around the country, dermatologists volunteered their time at NAFC clinics to see patients, while L'Oreal Skin Health Advisors led educational sessions in other clinics. On World Skin Health Day and beyond, the CeraVe and NAFC partnership impacted hundreds of patients and volunteers, inspiring long-term action. "Our ongoing partnership with CeraVe has brought tremendous value to our clinics, from providing educational opportunities for volunteers to expanding the scope of care we can offer our patients," said Ariana Gordillo, Senior Director at NAFC. "We know that access to skincare and skin resources is both limited globally and within our own communities, so having a partner like CeraVe allows us to grow our offerings and deliver meaningful care to patients across the country." Prof. Henry W. Lim, ILDS President, said: "Once again, this year's World Skin Health Day highlighted the profound impact of skin diseases on billions of people and their families worldwide, while also delivering vital education and shining a light on the urgent need for greater access to dermatological care. "Thanks to CeraVe Care For All's generous partnership, we were able to fund 9 inspiring initiatives in underserved regions across the globe - each making a meaningful difference to skin health in communities that need it most. We are deeply grateful for CeraVe's continued commitment to advancing skin health equity." Championing Skin Health Equity Through Care For All These initiatives are all part of CeraVe Care For All, a philanthropic program dedicated to improving access to dermatological care in underserved communities around the world and empowering frontline healthcare workers to help millions of underserved patients. "We at CeraVe have had the privilege to collaborate with extraordinary organizations and leaders who share our deep commitment to expanding access to dermatological care," said Tom Allison, Senior Vice President of Medical Dermatology Marketing at L'Oreal. "Skin health is a fundamental human right, and supporting initiatives such as World Skin Health Day provides CeraVe a global platform to spark conversation, champion equity and lead the way in enacting meaningful change for all people." Supporting World Skin Health Day 2025 was another bold step for CeraVe in breaking down barriers to care and empowering skin health experts. To learn more about CeraVe Care For All and the initiatives happening around the globe, visit https://www.lorealdermatologicalbeauty.com/cerave/care-for-all. About CeraVe Founded in 2005 with a mission to provide therapeutic skincare for all, CeraVe creates products developed with dermatologists to restore and maintain the skin's natural barrier. All CeraVe formulas are enriched with three skin-identical ceramides (ceramides 1, 3, and 6-II), with select products featuring MVE Technology for controlled, long-lasting hydration. CeraVe is the #1 dermatologist-recommended skincare brand in the US* and is now available in over 60 countries worldwide. Find CeraVe on Facebook (@ceraveusa), Instagram (@cerave), TikTok (@cerave), X (@cerave) or visit www.cerave.com. About World Skin Health Day World Skin Health Day is a joint project of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) and the International Society of Dermatology (ISD). Since 2013, World Skin Health Day has been taking place across the world to raise awareness of and treat a diverse range of skin conditions. About National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of medically underserved people throughout the U.S. and the more than 1,400 Free and Charitable Clinics and Charitable Pharmacies that serve them. NAFC programs provide a wide range of support to our members and in turn patients through funding, education and training, advocacy, standards, disaster relief and more. * IQVIA, ProVoice Survey, rolling 12-month data as of January 2025 1 Seth D et al. Curr Dermatol Rep. 2017;6(3):204-210. 2 Rosenbaum BE et al. Pan Afr Med J. 2017;26:125. 3 Coustasse A et al. Telemed J E Health. 2019;25(11):1022-1032. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2804149/CeraVe_World_Skin_Health_Day.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2804150/CeraVe_celebrates_World_Skin_Health_Day.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2783504/CeraVe_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cerave-supports-global-skin-health-leaders-to-deliver-care-to-underserved-patients-on-world-skin-health-day-302593563.html NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health challenge impacting millions of people around the world and with the potential to lead to even greater disruptions to care if not addressed. AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Viatris takes a multi-pronged approach to actively engage in addressing AMR, both by providing access through our portfolio of more than 90 antimicrobials and in partnership with others, including as a founding member and active board member of the AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA). In 2024, the UN General Assembly convened a high-level meeting among heads of state to secure the highest level of political commitment to address AMR globally through the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Political Declaration on AMR. Contributing to these ongoing political discussions, global news organization Foreign Policy, Viatris and other stakeholders co-hosted the "A World Without Antibiotics - Confronting the Global AMR Challenge" simulation. This meeting convened leaders and experts from government, industry and civil society to work through a simulation exploring solutions to avert the potentially devastating outcomes of unchecked AMR. During the event, Viatris and AMRIA called on member states to ensure universal, equitable, affordable and sustainable access to quality assured appropriate antibiotics and diagnostics as well as to prevent and address the drivers, sources and challenges of the environmental dimensions of AMR. As the co-chair of the AMRIA Access working group, Viatris led the development of the AMRIA Equitable and Responsible Access Roadmap, published in February 2024, through a consultative and evidence-based process. The roadmap is a global policy tool focusing on increasing global access of people to appropriate and high-quality antibiotics. It highlights key barriers to diagnostics and antimicrobial access and outlines solutions to tackle the global barriers of regulatory issues, demand forecasting and procurement challenges. Promoting a Scalable Model in the Fight Against AMR In 2024, Viatris collaborated with BBC Storyworks to raise awareness about PLATINEA (PLATform for INnovation of Existing Antibiotics), a unique multi-stakeholder collaboration in Sweden that includes academia, healthcare, public health authorities, public payers and regulators and the pharmaceutical industry to find solutions to AMR. The campaign highlighted the PLATINEA model beyond Sweden, sparking discussions within and beyond the policy and medical communities about replicating this initiative in other regions and driving global momentum in the fight against AMR. View the full Viatris 2024 Sustainability Report. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Viatris on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Viatris Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/viatris Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Viatris View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/collaborating-to-address-antimicrobial-resistance-at-viatris-1092541 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Whirlpool Corporation, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, and Indiana University's Kelley School of Business are marking a major milestone in their long-standing collaboration: 15 years of building hope and homes together in Bloomington, Ind. This year's build constructed five new net-zero homes in Bloomington's Osage Place neighborhood as part of the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program, emphasizing the company's deep commitment to sustainable housing and community building. "At Whirlpool Corporation, we believe a home is the foundation of opportunity, stability, and well-being," said Jim Peters, Whirlpool chief financial and administrative officer and Kelley School alumnus. "For 15 years, our work with Habitat for Humanity and the Kelley School has enabled us to put that belief into action. This year's expanded build is a milestone that reflects our long-term commitment to building thriving and sustainable communities." The 2025 build, held the week of October 13, marked the completion of phase one of the Osage Place development, where nine of the homes, including the five net zero homes built this year, are climate resilient and energy-efficient BuildBetter with Whirlpool homes. In addition, the City of Bloomington has awarded $250k in grants for solar panels for 30 homes in this community to help continue the sustainable housing efforts from the BuildBetter with Whirlpool work. "Every home we build is more than just walls and a roof; it's a step toward generational change for families," said Wendi Goodlett, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County. "Thanks to the unwavering support and the energy of Whirlpool Corporation and IU Kelley students, five more families will soon have a safe, affordable, and sustainable place to call home. Together, we are creating not just houses, but thriving neighborhoods that embody hope and resilience." Launched in 2021, the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program has supported the construction of 260 climate-resilient, energy-efficient homes across the U.S., delivering an average of 45% energy cost savings per family, compared to the average new home, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15% per home. In the program's current phase, it will deliver 50 net-zero energy or net-zero energy-ready homes in the next two years with features such as solar panels, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems and energy and water efficient appliances based on the homeowner and geographic needs. Volunteers remain at the heart of these builds, including Whirlpool employees, Monroe County Habitat for Humanity volunteers, and students from IU's Kelley School of Business. Beyond construction, Whirlpool is also investing in workforce development by engaging IU students through professional development opportunities and hands-on building experiences. "This collaboration demonstrates the power of learning by doing," said Pat Hopkins, dean of the IU Kelley School of Business and the James R. Hodge Chair of Excellence. "Our students don't just study leadership and social impact in the classroom--they live it through meaningful projects like these builds. By working alongside Whirlpool Corporation and Habitat for Humanity, our students gain invaluable experience that will shape their futures while leaving a lasting mark on their community." For more info about Whirlpool Corporation's support of Habitat for Humanity, visit whirlpoolcorp.com/HfH. About Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) is a leading home appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. As theonly major U.S.-based manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana,Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2024, the company reported approximately $17 billion in annual sales - close to 90% of which were in the Americas - 44,000 employees, and 40 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com. View original content here. Whirlpool Corporation, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, and Indiana University's Kelley School of Business are marking a major milestone in their long-standing collaboration: 15 years of building hope and homes together in Bloomington, Ind. This year's build constructed five new net-zero homes in Bloomington's Osage Place neighborhood as part of the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program, emphasizing the company's deep commitment to sustainable housing and community building. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Whirlpool on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Whirlpool Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/whirlpool-corporation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Whirlpool View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/whirlpool-corporation-habitat-for-humanity-and-indiana-university-cele-1092538 TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Script Runner , an AI-powered medication logistics platform, today announced a partnership with Uber Direct to introduce prescription delivery in Canada, giving pharmacies a smarter, lower-cost way to deliver at scale. This makes prescription delivery faster, more efficient, and more reliable for patients nationwide. Through Uber Direct's software capabilities, Canadian pharmacies can now intelligently organize prescriptions into optimized delivery routes. This approach enables faster deliveries, better use of resources, and lower costs for pharmacies - addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing the industry today: the need to do more with limited staff and time. "In rural Alberta, delivery workforce shortages are a constant challenge for pharmacies," said Fayaz Rajabali, franchise owner of three pharmacies and past President of the Alberta College of Pharmacy. "By ensuring it's done properly and within the right regulatory framework, Script Runner's innovative approach with Uber helps us deliver more prescriptions in fewer trips. That means saving time, lowering costs, and ensuring patients receive their medications quickly and reliably, even when resources are stretched." Uber echoed the importance of bringing improvements to the Canadian market to enhance access and efficiency. "We're excited to partner with Script Runner to bring more options to Canadian pharmacies. With Script Runner's logistics platform, pharmacies can serve patients faster and more efficiently while reducing strain on their operations. This is an example of technology improving access to care." said Kiran Vinta, Head of Uber Direct for US and Canada. This partnership builds on Script Runner's track record of innovation in pharmacy logistics. In 2024, the company completed Canada's first long-distance autonomous drone delivery of insulin. With the expansion to allow Uber platform integration, Script Runner continues to lead the way in reimagining how pharmacies connect patients with their medications. About Script Runner Script Runner is modernizing the infrastructure for medication delivery. Its software powers pharmacies and healthcare organizations to digitize prescription delivery, streamline operations and improve patient care, all through one unified platform. Built for real-world pharmacy operations, Script Runner has been battle-tested in 150+ active deployments across Canada, helping pharmacies and hospitals deliver over 1 million prescriptions safely and efficiently. About Uber and Uber Direct Uber's mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 52 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. Launched in 2020, Uber Direct enables businesses to offer on-demand, local delivery to customers through their own sales channels. Businesses around the world use Uber Direct to tap into Uber's delivery network and offer fast and reliable delivery to their customers. For more information about the partnership or to request an interview, please contact: Kiran Kilambi General Manager Script Runner info@script-runner.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2805059/Script_Runner_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/script-runner-and-uber-direct-partner-to-bring-prescription-delivery-to-canada-302595787.html New software simplifies programming and configuration for Micro800 controllers MILWAUKEE, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced the launch of FactoryTalk Design Workbench, a free design software built specifically for micro control systems. Version 1 supports Micro800 controllers and provides a unified workspace for programming, configuration and troubleshooting. FactoryTalk Design Workbench software gives machine builders and manufacturers working on compact, standalone systems a consistent and efficient way to develop automation solutions. Companies in packaging, water and wastewater, agriculture and material handling often face long development cycles, fragmented tools and limited flexibility. The new software streamlines the process from programming to deployment while supporting multiple devices at once to simplify system management. Key features in version 1 capabilities include: Modern design environment with a consistent Logix experience for faster onboarding with a consistent Logix experience for faster onboarding Improved download speed and online workflows for greater efficiency for greater efficiency Multi-device support for Micro810 and newer Micro800 Lx0E controllers allowing easy access to multiple controllers at the same time to simplify troubleshooting "FactoryTalk Design Workbench software is our next-generation design environment for micro control systems, delivering a productive, more reliable and familiar experience for users of Rockwell Automation products," says Wan Shan Loo, product manager at Rockwell Automation. "Customers have asked for something intuitive and easy to use, and FactoryTalk Design Workbench software delivers. With support for Micro800 controllers and a scalable architecture, it simplifies workflows and lays the foundation for broader device integration in the future." FactoryTalk Design Workbench software is available now through Rockwell's Product Compatibility & Downloads Center (PCDC). Future versions are planned to expand support beyond Micro800 controllers, with annual updates expected. Visit Rockwell's website to learn more, or register to attend for Rockwell's Automation Fair event, taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago from Nov. 17-20, to get a first-hand experience of the new software through hands-on labs and technical sessions. About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 27,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2024. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806462/FactoryTalk_Design_Workbench_software.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2487262/Rockwell_Automation_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/rockwell-automation-launches-factorytalk-design-workbench-a-free-software-tool-for-building-micro-control-systems-smarter-and-faster-302596228.html NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- LILYSILK, world's leading silk brands with a mission to inspire people to live a better life and a more sustainable lifestyle, has officially launched its 2025 Black Friday Sale. The sale, which began October 27, highlights the brand's signature blend of craftsmanship, comfort, and eco-conscious design, and expresses heartfelt thanks to its global community. Among this year's featured pieces is the Ultra-Soft Brushed Cashmere Cardigan, made from 100% Grade A Mongolian cashmere and brushed using advanced Japanese techniques. Its cloud-soft texture and polished silhouette make it a layering essential that moves effortlessly from workdays to weekends. The Worry-Free Wool Skirt redefines woolwear with machine-washable practicality. Designed to flatter all body types, its breathable stretch knit and fluid silhouette offer comfort without compromise and are perfect for office wear or casual elegance. LILYSILK's innovative Heirloom '89 Zip Jacket also joins the lineup. It's crafted from SILKERRY, a proprietary terry fabric featuring 100% natural silk loops that touch the skin, offering instant softness, temperature regulation, and moisture-wicking performance. This two-way zip jacket delivers relaxed structure and elevated style in every wear. Celebrity-loved items are also part of the sale. Selena Gomez was recently spotted in the Tailored Silk Shirt, a crisp, slim-cut essential made from machine-washable silk, perfect for modern professionals seeking elegance and ease. In her music video Sunset Blvd, she wore the Brushed V-Neck Cashmere Sweater, featuring plush Mongolian cashmere and a softly tailored cinched waist. Jasmine Tookes , an American fashion model, shared her look featuring the Silk Charmeuse Crewneck Blouse and Full Bias Cut Silk Pants. These pieces are crafted from double-faced 100% silk charmeuse and cut to drape effortlessly, embodying polished minimalism with every movement. Additional deals include up to 25% off ready-to-wear favorites, up to 60% off selected collections, and a "Buy One, Get One 50% off" offer on select silk pillowcases. "This season of gratitude, we extend our deepest thanks to our community," said David Wang, CEO of LILYSILK. "The trust of our customers inspires our continued pursuit of excellence, where the finest materials are honored through mindful creation and every piece is crafted to stand the test of time." These exclusive offers are available while supplies last, offering up to 60% off on a curated collection of luxurious fashion and home essentials. Explore the full selection and discover more at www.lilysilk.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806938/LILYSILK_Launches_2025_Black_Friday_Sale_Celebrating_Elegance_Gratitude_Sustainable.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/lilysilk-launches-2025-black-friday-sale-celebrating-elegance-and-gratitude-with-sustainable-favorites-302596940.html AUSTIN, Texas and TOKYO, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to DataM Intelligence, the Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Analogues Market is witnessing a transformative expansion, driven by soaring demand for effective obesity management and type 2 diabetes therapies. The GLP-1 Analogues Market Size, valued at USD 62.81 billion in 2024, is projected to reach an astounding USD 299.08 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 17.6% during the forecast period (2025-2033). This explosive growth is primarily attributed to the global success of blockbuster drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Rybelsus, which have revolutionized chronic metabolic disease management. GLP-1 analogues, known for mimicking the natural incretin hormone to enhance insulin secretion and suppress appetite, are now being increasingly prescribed beyond diabetes-particularly for obesity and cardiovascular benefits. Market Dynamics: The Dual Impact of Diabetes and Obesity Epidemics The GLP-1 analogues market is being reshaped by intersecting public health trends-the global rise in obesity and the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes. According to DataM Intelligence, over 1 billion people worldwide are now classified as obese, while diabetes affects over 540 million adults globally, intensifying the need for multi-target therapeutic options. Key Market Drivers Include: Rapid uptake in obesity management: GLP-1 receptor agonists, initially approved for diabetes, are now widely used off-label for weight reduction and appetite regulation. GLP-1 receptor agonists, initially approved for diabetes, are now widely used off-label for weight reduction and appetite regulation. Strong clinical outcomes: Trials demonstrating reduced cardiovascular risk and improved metabolic parameters have strengthened physician adoption rates. Trials demonstrating reduced cardiovascular risk and improved metabolic parameters have strengthened physician adoption rates. Expansion into oral formulations: Novel oral GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide tablets, are enhancing patient compliance and broadening the consumer base. Novel oral GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide tablets, are enhancing patient compliance and broadening the consumer base. Pipeline diversification: Multiple pharmaceutical players are investing in dual and triple agonists (GLP-1/GIP/GCG) to improve efficacy and tolerability profiles. Multiple pharmaceutical players are investing in dual and triple agonists (GLP-1/GIP/GCG) to improve efficacy and tolerability profiles. Policy and reimbursement support: Several governments have begun to include obesity treatment within reimbursable health programs, further accelerating global access. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.datamintelligence.com/download-sample/glucagon-like-peptide-1-analogues-market Browse in-depth TOC on 'GLP-1 Analogues Market' 79 - Tables 73 - Figures 215 - Pages Market Segmentation Analysis The global GLP-1 analogues market is segmented By Product, By Type, By Route of Administration, By Application, and By Distribution Channel. By Product The semaglutide-based formulations (marketed under Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) dominated the product landscape in 2024, accounting for over 45% of global market share, equivalent to approximately USD 28 billion. These drugs have set new standards for efficacy, with average weight loss of 15-20% observed in clinical trials. Liraglutide-based products (Saxenda, Victoza) represented the second-largest share, though their growth has plateaued due to next-generation replacements. Emerging competitors like tirzepatide (Mounjaro)-a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist-are projected to capture nearly 25% of the market by 2027, driven by superior weight loss efficacy and growing regulatory approvals. By Type Based on molecular structure and modification, the market is classified into short-acting and long-acting GLP-1 analogues. Long-acting analogues, such as semaglutide and dulaglutide, dominate with approximately 70% market share in 2024 due to lower injection frequency and sustained glycemic control. Short-acting analogues like exenatide retain niche use for postprandial glucose regulation. By Route of Administration Injectable formulations continue to account for nearly 85% of global sales (USD 53 billion in 2024). However, oral formulations-led by Rybelsus (oral semaglutide)-are expected to expand rapidly, growing at over 22% CAGR through 2033. The convenience of daily oral dosing is anticipated to attract a new segment of non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients and weight management consumers. By Application While type 2 diabetes remains the dominant indication, representing 60% of total market demand, the obesity management segment is witnessing exponential growth, projected to rise from USD 18 billion in 2024 to over USD 150 billion by 2033. This transition reflects the shifting therapeutic focus of GLP-1 analogues from glucose regulation to holistic metabolic management. Emerging applications include cardiovascular risk reduction and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), both under active clinical evaluation by key industry leaders. By Distribution Channel In 2024, hospital and specialty clinics represented nearly 50% of global GLP-1 analogue prescriptions, while retail and online pharmacies accounted for the remaining share. The online channel is expanding rapidly due to growing direct-to-consumer telemedicine platforms offering prescription weight-loss programs. Request for Customized Sample Report as per Your Business Requirement: https://www.datamintelligence.com/customize/glucagon-like-peptide-1-analogues-market Regional Insights: United States and Japan Lead Market Expansion United States Market The United States dominates the global GLP-1 analogues market, accounting for nearly 65% of global sales, equivalent to USD 40.8 billion in 2024. The U.S. has witnessed explosive adoption due to the unprecedented popularity of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, coupled with favorable reimbursement policies and expanded production capacity by leading pharmaceutical firms. Recent U.S. market developments (2025): Eli Lilly increased production of Mounjaro by 150% with a new USD 2.5 billion manufacturing facility in Indiana. increased production of Mounjaro by 150% with a new USD 2.5 billion manufacturing facility in Indiana. Novo Nordisk announced a USD 4.1 billion expansion plan to enhance Wegovy's global supply and meet U.S. demand. announced a USD 4.1 billion expansion plan to enhance Wegovy's global supply and meet U.S. demand. The FDA granted fast-track review status for combination GLP-1/GIP drugs targeting both obesity and metabolic syndrome. As a result, U.S. prescriptions for GLP-1 analogues surged by over 160% year-over-year between 2023 and 2024, marking one of the fastest adoption cycles in pharmaceutical history. Japan Market Japan is emerging as a major growth frontier for GLP-1 therapies, particularly driven by a rise in obesity rates among adults aged 35-60. The Japanese GLP-1 market reached USD 2.1 billion in 2024, representing approximately 3.3% of global share, and is projected to exceed USD 8.7 billion by 2033. Recent updates include: Approval of Ozempic (semaglutide) for obesity treatment under Japan's national insurance system in August 2025. for obesity treatment under Japan's national insurance system in August 2025. Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Glenmark expanded clinical collaborations to introduce next-generation GLP-1 agonists targeting the Asian population. and expanded clinical collaborations to introduce next-generation GLP-1 agonists targeting the Asian population. Japan's Ministry of Health announced policy incentives for domestic production of peptide-based drugs to reduce import dependence. Competitive Landscape The GLP-1 analogues market is dominated by a few key players, with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk together holding over 80% of global revenue as of 2024. However, new entrants and regional biopharma companies are actively developing differentiated delivery systems and combination therapies to capture emerging niches. Key Players: Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Hanmi Pharm Co., Ltd., Amgen Inc., Gmax Biopharm, and Sciwind Biosciences Co., Ltd. Revenue Highlights (FY2024): Company FY2024 Revenue Key Products & Notes Novo Nordisk A/S USD 38.7 billion (+31% YoY) Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus; expanding global capacity by 2026. Eli Lilly and Company USD 34.1 billion (+37% YoY) Mounjaro, Zepbound; pipeline includes triple agonist 'Retatrutide'. Sanofi USD 7.8 billion Focused on next-generation incretin pipeline post-Lyxumia divestment. AstraZeneca USD 4.9 billion Developing dual GLP-1/GIP analogues for metabolic disorders. Amgen Inc. USD 3.7 billion Advancing AMG-133 (weekly oral GLP-1 candidate) in phase II trials. Together, these companies represent the backbone of the rapidly expanding GLP-1 ecosystem, supported by over 150 ongoing global clinical trials targeting diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Buy This Exclusive Report at Just USD 4350 Only: https://www.datamintelligence.com/buy-now-page?report=glucagon-like-peptide-1-analogues-market Recent Industry Developments: Eli Lilly (September 2025): Announced phase III success for its next-generation triple agonist Retatrutide , demonstrating 24% average weight loss in obese adults. Announced phase III success for its next-generation triple agonist , demonstrating in obese adults. Novo Nordisk (August 2025): Invested USD 6.2 billion to expand production across Denmark and North Carolina to address global drug shortages. Invested to expand production across Denmark and North Carolina to address global drug shortages. Amgen (July 2025): Reported positive mid-stage data for AMG-133, showing strong efficacy with fewer gastrointestinal side effects. Reported positive mid-stage data for AMG-133, showing strong efficacy with fewer gastrointestinal side effects. Hanmi Pharm (August 2025): Entered co-development agreement with Glenmark to commercialize long-acting GLP-1 analogues in Japan and India. Entered co-development agreement with Glenmark to commercialize long-acting GLP-1 analogues in Japan and India. Regulatory Policy Shift (September 2025): The U.S. CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) approved reimbursement for obesity treatments containing GLP-1s, marking a historic milestone for metabolic therapy access. Market Outlook and Opportunities DataM Intelligence projects that the GLP-1 analogues market will continue its meteoric rise as multi-indication use expands beyond diabetes into obesity, NASH, and cardiovascular health. The industry's next phase will be defined by innovations in oral delivery systems, peptide stability, and dual/triple receptor agonists. Key projections: Obesity-focused GLP-1 products will represent 50% of global market revenue by 2030. Oral GLP-1 drugs to surpass USD 40 billion in annual sales by 2033. by 2033. Asia-Pacific to record the fastest CAGR (>20%), driven by increasing metabolic disease prevalence. Conclusion The Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Analogues Market stands at the epicenter of the global pharmaceutical revolution, redefining chronic disease management and reshaping the future of metabolic care. According to DataM Intelligence, with a market poised to surge from USD 62.81 billion in 2024 to USD 299.08 billion by 2033, the next decade will witness continued innovation, patient access expansion, and strategic collaborations among industry leaders. As GLP-1 therapies evolve from injectable to oral and combination formats, they are set to transform healthcare outcomes for millions battling diabetes, obesity, and associated metabolic disorders worldwide. Related Report: Nucleoside Analogues Market Size to Exceed USD 5.8 Billion by 2031, Driven by Advancements in Antiviral and Oncology Therapeutics. Fish Collagen Peptide Market Size to Grow at 5.9% CAGR to 2031 as Skincare & Nutraceutical Demand Accelerates. Peptide Therapeutics Market Size Projected to Grow at 7.8% CAGR Through 2031 on Rising Cancer & Metabolic Disorder Demand. Peptide Cancer Vaccine Market Size Set to Expand at 21.3% CAGR from 2023 to 2030 - Strategic Growth Opportunity for Oncology Players. About DataM Intelligence DataM Intelligence is a renowned provider of market research, delivering deep insights through pricing analysis, market share breakdowns, and competitive intelligence. The company specializes in strategic reports that guide businesses in high-growth sectors such as nutraceuticals and AI-driven health innovations. To find out more, visit https://www.datamintelligence.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Sai Kiran DataM Intelligence 4 Market Research LLP Ground floor, DSL Abacus IT Park, Industrial Development Area Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana 500039 USA: +1 877-441-4866 Email: Sai.k@datamintelligence.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1858619/3573087/DataM_Intelligence_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/glucagon-like-peptide-1-analogues-market-to-surpass-usd-299-08-billion-by-2033--fueled-by-the-weight-management-and-diabetes-revolution--datam-intelligence-302596816.html GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- inGroup International proudly announces that its flagship brand, inCruises, has been recognized for excellence in the travel industry, earning Gold and Silver Travel Weekly Magellan Awards. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which inCruises has been honored with multiple Magellan Awards. "These latest awards highlight our continued commitment to evolving both our digital outreach and empowering our Partners worldwide," said Michael Hutchison, inGroup's Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. "It's rewarding to see our technology and marketing team's efforts recognized alongside other leading innovators in the travel industry." The Gold Magellan Award was earned in the Marketing category for its newly launched public website, which features a modern, intuitive design that more powerfully reflects the brand's mission to make luxury travel experiences more accessible and rewarding for people around the world. The new site enhances the user experience while delivering clearer, more robust messaging for both Members and Partners. In addition, AMP UP-a global initiative designed to challenge and inspire Partners to expand their teams-earned a Silver Magellan Award in the Marketing category for its significant impact on community engagement and growing the company's unique referral marketing model. "We are honored to be recognized again by Travel Weekly," added Doug Corrigan, Chief Marketing Officer. "We are constantly striving to deliver messaging that matches our unparalleled offering and it's very satisfying to be recognized for the progress." The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards honor the best in travel services. This latest recognition reinforces inCruises' position as a leader in global travel innovation, further strengthening inCruises' reputation for excellence in travel technology, marketing, and Partner support About inGroup International and inCruises inCruises is a division of inGroup International and the world's largest subscription-based travel club. Since launching in 2016, inCruises has booked more than 600,000 guests. inCruises Members have access to nearly 200,000 cruises, hotels, and resort offers. inCruises Club Members earn Reward Points that they can use to save on cruises, hotels, and resorts on the inCruises website, which supports 17 languages. inCruises is making a measurable difference in its Club Members' lives and provides a world-class business to its growing Partner team. inCruises Club Membership grows exclusively through independent referring Partners who can earn compensation by sharing the exclusive Membership advantages with others. inGroup International is deeply committed to being a positive global corporate citizen and actively supports Mercy Ships and other humanitarian relief efforts. For more information, visit in.Group and inCruises .com. Contact: Beatriz Diaz Vazquez beatriz.diaz@in.group NEW DELHI, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the recent report by MarkNtel Advisors, the Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market size was valued at around USD 898 million in 2024 and is estimated to reach USD 1,328 million by 2030. Along with this, the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 6.74% during the forecast period, i.e., 2025-30. The market growth is primarily driven by the increasing frequency of natural disasters such as floods, bushfires, and cyclones across states including New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. These recurring events, coupled with rapid urbanization and construction activities in high-risk areas, are amplifying the need for immediate and professional restoration services. Furthermore, technological advancements are playing a vital role in transforming the disaster recovery landscape in Australia. The adoption of tools such as infrared cameras, moisture-mapping systems, and AI-based assessment software has revolutionized the way restoration firms assess, plan, and execute recovery operations. These technologies enable rapid detection of hidden structural damage, accurate estimation of restoration needs, and real-time progress monitoring, leading to quicker project completion and lower operational downtime. Moreover, the integration of digital platforms for documentation and communication is improving coordination between insurers, restoration teams, and property owners. This growing digitalization not only enhances efficiency and cost control but also ensures consistent service quality, data accuracy, and overall transparency across restoration projects, thereby strengthening client confidence and industry credibility. Download Free Sample of Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market Research Report- https://www.marknteladvisors.com/query/request-sample/australia-disaster-restoration-services-market.html Additionally, the key players in Australia disaster restoration service industry are significantly driving market growth through strategic expansions, technological upgrades, and regional service diversification. Their focus on enhancing operational infrastructure and localized response networks is strengthening industry efficiency and readiness. These initiatives are improving restoration turnaround times, expanding service reach, and aligning operations with region-specific disaster risks. For instance: in 2024, First Response Restoration, supported by the Victorian Business Growth Fund, established a new base in Geelong to enhance service accessibility across regional Victoria. Likewise, Decon Solutions Australia inaugurated its new headquarters in Scoresby to expand manufacturing capabilities and better serve commercial and industrial clients. Such developments demonstrate the industry's shift toward faster, technology-enabled service delivery and broader regional coverage, ultimately supporting Australia's long-term disaster resilience and service reliability. Regionally, the Eastern region holds the largest share of the Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market, primarily due to its dense population centers and extensive infrastructure networks across New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland. These areas face frequent flooding events, storm surges, and bushfires, causing substantial property and infrastructure damage that fuels the constant need for restoration services. Additionally, the region's strong presence of commercial enterprises, higher building density, and government-led urban resilience programs further intensify market activity. Read full market research report on Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market with TOC & list of Figures - https://www.marknteladvisors.com/research-library/australia-disaster-restoration-services-market.html Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market Report Highlights: The rising emphasis on eco-friendly restoration practices, such as low-emission drying systems and use of recycled materials, substantially aligning with Australia's national sustainability goals. This trend represents a shift towards more coordinated, efficient, and environmentally conscious restoration efforts, enhancing market resilience and long-term growth potential The residential segment holds the largest market share, fueled by frequent property damage and increasing insurance claims filed by homeowners for rapid, professional restoration. The Natural disasters dominate market demand with capturing significant shares, reflecting Australia's exposure to climate change-induced environmental risks. Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market Segmentation Markntel Advisors has segmented the Australia disaster restoration services market report based on service type, disaster type, and end-use: Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market - Service Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030) Water Damage Restoration Services, Smoke and Fire Damage Restoration Services, Flood Damage Restoration Services, Storm Damage Restoration Services, Mold Damage and Remediation Services, Others Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market - Disaster Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030) Natural Disasters, Man-Made Disasters Talk to Our Industry Analyst: https://www.marknteladvisors.com/query/talk-to-our-consultant/australia-disaster-restoration-services-market.html (Get personalized insights into company strategies and regional market dynamics.) Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market - End User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030) Residential, Commercial, Industrial Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2020 - 2030) West North South East List of Key Players in the Australia Disaster Restoration Services Market Disaster Restoration, Restoration Resolutions Australia, Restore Corp, Capital Restoration Cleaning, First Response Restoration, FEN Australia Pty Ltd., Zintra Group, Steamatic, Westaway Restorations, Decon Solutions Australia, NLR Restorations Others Select a License That Matches Your Business Requirements: https://www.marknteladvisors.com/pricing/australia-disaster-restoration-services-market.html Browse More MarkNtel Reports: Asia Pacific Industrial Gases Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032) - The Asia Pacific Industrial Gases Market size is valued at around USD 40.58 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 52.93 billion by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 5.46% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. China Fresh Grocery Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032)- The China Fresh Grocery Market size is valued at around USD 656 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 754 billion by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 2.01% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. Germany Waste to Energy Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032)- The Germany Waste to Energy Market size is valued at around USD 3.19 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach USD 5.29 billion by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 7.49% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. Asia Pacific Waste to Energy Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032)- The Asia Pacific Waste to Energy Market size is valued at around USD 16.19 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 23.29 billion by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 5.33% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. GCC Organic Fertilizer Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032)- The GCC Organic Fertilizer Market size is valued at around USD 455.8 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 842.8 million by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 9.18% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. GCC Fruits and Vegetables Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032)- The GCC Fruits and Vegetables Market size is valued at around USD 17.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 25.8 billion by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 5.38% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. UAE Ceramic Tiles Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032)- The UAE Ceramic Tiles Market size is valued at around USD 446.05 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 834.90 million by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 9.37% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. GCC Fertilizer Market Research Report: Forecast (2026-2032) - The GCC Fertilizer Market size is valued at around USD 13.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 18.8 billion by 2032. Along with this, the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 4.84% during the forecast period, i.e., 2026-32. About Markntel Advisors MarkNtel Advisors is a globally recognized Industry Research Firm specializing in delivering comprehensive market intelligence across diverse sectors, including disaster restoration services. Not only we provide deep insights at global and regional levels, but we also have specialized expertise in country-specific markets such as Australia. Additionally, our in-depth syndicated research reports provide multi-layered insights into market trends, technological adoption, regulatory frameworks, and investment. Leveraging advanced business analytics, quantitative modeling, and validated export-import data, we empower technology providers, service companies, investors, and policymakers to navigate dynamic market landscapes and capitalize on emerging opportunities. Our expertise in analyzing disaster response industries enables us to deliver actionable intelligence on market growth drivers, segmentation, and regional dynamics. Through specialized consulting services, we support clients in achieving measurable revenue impact and strategic leadership in managing complex recovery, restoration, and resilience ecosystems shaped by evolving environmental and socio-economic challenges. Contact Us: MarkNtel Advisors Office No.109, H-159, Sector 63, Noida, Uttar Pradesh-201301, India Contact No: +91 8719999009 Email: sales@marknteladvisors.com Visit our Website: https://www.marknteladvisors.com Explore More -Healthcare Market Insights | Energy Industry Insights | Environment Industry Insights| Chemicals Market Insights | ICT & Electronic Insights| FMCG industry Reports Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2687299/MarkNtel_Advisors_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/australia-disaster-restoration-services-market-size-to-reach-usd-1-328-million-by-2030-at-a-cagr-of-6-74---markntel-advisors-302596935.html Chinese medical equipment manufacturers shine at Kenyan healthcare expo Xinhua) 10:05, October 28, 2025 NAIROBI, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- At the 2025 WHX Nairobi and WHX Labs Nairobi expo, which ran from Oct. 22 to 24 in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, Chinese medical equipment manufacturers showcased a wide range of advanced health technologies and innovations, drawing hundreds of local visitors. Favour Mueni, a middle-aged marketing executive, was among the large crowd gathered around the dazzling booth of Jiangsu Saikang Medical Equipment Co., Ltd., her eyes fixed on a customized hospital bed. "For nearly a decade, I have been working for a mid-sized health facility on the outskirts of Nairobi, and what is most striking about this year's expo is the high number of Chinese companies showcasing high-end diagnostic equipment, hospital beds, syringes, and sensors," Mueni said. At one corner of the vast exhibition hall, Yao Xiwen, overseas department manager of Chongqing LBBC Medical Device Co., Ltd., engaged visitors in a hearty conversation as they sought to gain insight into health technologies on display. Yao, a first-time visitor to Kenya, showcased the company's flagship products, including hemostatic powder used to control bleeding during surgical procedures. He said he was keen to explore long-term partnerships with local hospitals and enhance the visibility of his company's medical solutions. "We are definitely looking for higher sales of our products in Kenya. They are easy to apply and affordable. I have already seen the great potential of the Kenyan market," Yao said. At the booth of Hunan Runmei Gene Technology Co., Ltd., Bravington Ogutu, a young clinical psychologist, examined the sleek blood glucose testing devices displayed on makeshift shelves. "Some of these diagnostic devices from China impressed me because they are portable, allowing patients to analyze both blood pressure and sugar levels at home and later send the results to their doctors," Ogutu said. "I really enjoyed learning new medical technologies that Chinese companies have brought to this country to help improve diagnosis," he added. Agnes Mwende, a university student from central Kenya, took a keen interest in the surgical instruments displayed by Shanghai Bojin Medical Instrument Co., Ltd., reaching out to exhibitors for a better understanding of their real-world applications. Mwende said that during an extensive tour of the expo, she came across top-tier medical equipment from China that local health facilities should consider procuring to help revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of chronic ailments. "This expo is an eye-opener, exposing us to the latest medical technologies from far afield, including China and Gulf nations. Going forward, I am convinced that Chinese-manufactured medical equipment can raise the standards of our local healthcare facilities," Mwende said. According to Joel Gondi, senior deputy director of medical services at Kenya's Ministry of Health, Kenya is committed to leveraging health technologies and innovations from China to improve surveillance, diagnosis, and management of diseases. "As a country, we work with China to help strengthen the health systems, and we look forward to meaningful engagements to ensure there is mutual benefit for both countries," he added. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) AUSTIN, Texas and TOKYO, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DataM Intelligence, a global leader in industrial market intelligence and consulting, has successfully supported a Japan-based engineering and technology firm in identifying high-potential opportunities across the Asia-Pacific critical minerals market. The engagement helped the client connect its chlor-alkali production technologies with key mining and refining companies active in lithium, nickel, rare earth, and aluminum processing, key segments driving the region's sustainable industrial transition. Expand Globally with Confidence - Book Your FREE Consultation Today: https://www.datamintelligence.com/campaign/partnership-identification Challenge The client aimed to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific mining and mineral processing market by promoting its advanced chlor-alkali and electrochemical process technologies. Despite its global expertise, the company faced major challenges: Limited visibility into mineral processing systems using both caustic soda (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) as core reagents. into mineral processing systems using both and as core reagents. Data fragmentation regarding reagent consumption and process efficiency across various ore and brine-based extraction routes. regarding reagent consumption and process efficiency across various ore and brine-based extraction routes. Difficulty identifying qualified operators and EPC partners across Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia . across . Lack of project intelligence to track new refining and tailings treatment initiatives adopting chlor-alkali systems. These gaps restricted the company's ability to target the right customers, evaluate reagent supply potential, and scale its presence in the growing Asia-Pacific rare earth elements market. DataM Intelligence's Solution To bridge this gap, DataM Intelligence executed a 12-week industrial consulting engagement combining chemical-process analysis, industrial facility mapping, and technology pipeline assessment. Using its proprietary Industrial Process Intelligence Platform and extensive market datasets, DataM provided a multi-dimensional view of reagent usage, process applications, and partnership opportunities. Key Deliverables Process Mapping: Identification of 18 refining and extraction processes involving both NaOH and HCl across lithium, nickel, rare earth, and aluminum value chains. Identification of involving both NaOH and HCl across lithium, nickel, rare earth, and aluminum value chains. Quantitative Benchmarking: Estimation of reagent use between 0.9-1.4 tons of NaOH and 0.6-1.2 tons of HCl per ton of processed output. Estimation of reagent use between and per ton of processed output. Market Mapping: Profiling of 75+ refining and processing facilities and 40+ mining operators across the Asia-Pacific region using or developing chlor-alkali-based processes. Profiling of and across the Asia-Pacific region using or developing chlor-alkali-based processes. Technology Pipeline Analysis: Tracking of 20+ upcoming mineral projects (2025-2030) incorporating electrochemical and chlor-alkali systems in refining and tailings treatment. Tracking of incorporating electrochemical and chlor-alkali systems in refining and tailings treatment. Opportunity Prioritization Framework: Development of a partner-ranking model that shortlisted 12 high-fit companies with strong alignment to the client's technologies and process needs. Impact and Results The engagement delivered measurable outcomes, allowing the client to develop a precise, data-backed expansion roadmap in the Asia-Pacific rare earth minerals sector. Through DataM's intelligence and analysis, the client: Achieved visibility across 115+ verified industrial sites (operational and planned). (operational and planned). Identified 12 strategic customers and partners across lithium and nickel refining sectors. across lithium and nickel refining sectors. Optimized internal business development efforts with process-level insights and verified reagent demand data. with process-level insights and verified reagent demand data. Strengthened strategic positioning for chlor-alkali technologies in green refining initiatives. This case demonstrates how DataM Intelligence's process-level consulting combines engineering insight with commercial data to empower clients in the chemical, materials, and mining markets to make faster, smarter, and more strategic decisions. Expand Globally with Confidence - Book Your FREE Consultation Today: https://www.datamintelligence.com/campaign/partnership-identification About DataM Intelligence DataM Intelligence 4 Market Research LLP, headquartered in Hyderabad, India, is a global market intelligence and consulting firm specializing in industrial research, technology scouting, process analytics, and partner identification across chemicals, manufacturing, and energy sectors. With coverage of 200+ industries, 10,000+ facilities, and an in-house Asia-Pacific industrial intelligence database, DataM helps global companies bridge technical innovation with market growth. Need Customized Industrial Intelligence? If your organization requires similar support in the chemicals, materials, or mining market, DataM Intelligence offers tailored solutions including: Partner Identification - Find qualified distributors, EPC partners, or technology adopters across target regions. - Find qualified distributors, EPC partners, or technology adopters across target regions. Lead Generation & Business Mapping - Build verified customer pipelines with technical and commercial intelligence. - Build verified customer pipelines with technical and commercial intelligence. Market Sizing & Forecasting - Quantify opportunities across value chains with data-backed projections and growth models. - Quantify opportunities across value chains with data-backed projections and growth models. Competitive & Technology Benchmarking - Evaluate industrial competitors, emerging processes, and R&D trends. DataM will customize every report according to your business objectives, ensuring actionable insights for market entry, technology promotion, or regional expansion. Expand Globally with Confidence - Book Your FREE Consultation Today: https://www.datamintelligence.com/campaign/partnership-identification Contact: Sai Kiran DataM Intelligence 4 Market Research LLP Ground floor, DSL Abacus IT Park, Industrial Development Area Uppal, Hyderabad, Telangana 500039 USA: +1 877-441-4866 Email: Sai.k@datamintelligence.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1858619/3573087/DataM_Intelligence_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/critical-minerals-industry-datam-intelligence-helped-japan-based-tech-leader-in-identifying-strategic-opportunities-across-asia-pacific-302596868.html The Merz Group, an international, diversified, family-owned healthcare company, is positioning itself for the future by expanding its Executive Board: Effective November 1, Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Merz Group. She will join the existing leadership team of Philip Burchard (Chief Executive Officer) and Hans-Jorg Bergler (Chief Operating Officer). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028140638/en/ Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler, new CFO of Merz Group With the appointment of Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler, the Merz Group is strengthening its core finance function. As CFO, she will not only be part of the Merz Group Executive Board but will also take on responsibilities in the governance bodies of the various companies within the Group. Christian Baatz (Director of the Merz Family Holding): "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler as an accomplished finance expert to the Merz Group. We were particularly impressed by her successful tenure as CFO at a leading pharmaceutical packaging company. With her expertise and strategic perspective on business development, she will significantly strengthen our family-owned company during an important phase of growth. We warmly welcome her and wish her a successful start." Philip Burchard (CEO, Merz Group): "I am very much looking forward to working with Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler. Her international experience as a finance executive and her proven expertise in the pharmaceutical industry make her an ideal addition to our Executive Board. Equally valuable is her experience in digitalization and process optimization. Together with our expanded leadership, we will continue to drive the successful development of the Merz Group." About Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler Dr. Almuth Steinkuhler brings extensive experience in senior finance roles at international companies, including Continental, thyssenkrupp, and SCHOTT Pharma. Most recently, she served as CFO of SCHOTT Pharma, where she played a key role in shaping the company's profitable growth strategy and led Europe's largest IPO in 2023. She also spearheaded the transformation into an independent company and advanced the digitalization of financial processes. Dr. Steinkuhler holds a Ph.D. in economics. About the Merz Group The Merz Group has been a family-owned company for 117 years, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The Group comprises seven different businesses. The largest include Merz Aesthetics one of the world's leading providers in the field of aesthetic medicine; Merz Therapeutics a pharmaceutical company specializing in the treatment of neurological conditions; and Merz Lifecare, which offers over-thecounter healthcare products with well-known brands such as tetesept, Merz Spezial, SOS, and Zirkulin. With this portfolio, Merz Lifecare is among the market leaders in German-speaking countries. The Merz Group employs more than 5,000 people worldwide and generated revenues of over 2.2 billion in the last fiscal year. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028140638/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Jesko Giessen Head of Group Communications office: +49 69 1503 2581 mobile: 49 1511 6480 378 jesko.giessen@merz.de merz.com Eckenheimer Landstrae 100, 60318 Frankfurt am Main New Naqsh School of Crafts in Tashkent will champion traditional arts and culture TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) will today announce an exciting new partnership with The King's Foundation School of Traditional Arts (KFSTA), an education institution established by King Charles III in the early 1990s to promote and sustain traditional arts and skills worldwide. The announcement comes just days before the start of the 43rd UNESCO General Conference in the ancient city of Samarkand, the first time that the high-profile event has been held outside France for 40 years. The honour of staging the conference, which runs from 30 October until 13 November and will be attended by more than 5,000 delegates from 194 countries, is recognition of Uzbekistan's cultural achievements, championed and led by Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the ACDF. Heralding the partnership, Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the ACDF, said: "This is a defining moment for Uzbekistan's cultural sector. By combining our strength with the expertise of the KFSTA, we will nurture a new generation of artists and craftspeople, ensuring that Uzbekistan's living heritage continues to inspire and connect people around the world." Dr. Khaled Azzam, Director of the KFSTA, which boasts decades of expertise in traditional arts education, said: "We are delighted to partner with the ACDF in this ambitious initiative. Our collaboration will not only advance the progress of art and culture in Uzbekistan but also illustrates the growing global contribution of The King's Foundation School of Traditional Arts in supporting the regeneration of traditional arts and skills." The ACDF will also announce the establishment of the Naqsh School of Crafts, a new educational institution located in the new Center for Islamic Civilization that will champion the preservation and promotion of Uzbekistan's traditional crafts. Naqsh is the Uzbek word for decorative motifs used in art, architecture, textiles or crafts and is also used metaphorically in literature to signify a lasting impression. Working with experts from the KFSTA, the Naqsh School of Crafts will run five courses during its pilot year. The first began in Tashkent earlier this month and will shortly move to Samarkand where students will engage with the architectural and decorative context of the iconic Ulugh Beg Madrasa, built in the early 15th century by one of the greatest astronomers and scholars of the Islamic Golden Age. Many of Uzbekistan's living craft traditions appear on UNESCO's official lists of cultural practices and traditions considered important to preserve for future generations and contribute to Uzbekistan's expanding SME sector, which provides important employment in rural areas and within cultural tourism. Further information about the ACDF and Ms. Umerova can be found at www.acdf.uz and about the KFSTA and Dr. Azzam at www.schooloftraditionalarts.org Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807320/Gayane_Umerova_Dr_Khaled_signing_agreement.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807321/Students_Tashkent_Naqsh_School.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807293/Naqsh_School_of_Crafts_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/uzbekistan-art-and-culture-development-foundation-and-the-kings-foundation-school-of-traditional-arts-announce-landmark-partnership-302597009.html Whittier Trust's Reno office honored by Nevada Women's Fund for creating an empowering workplace culture and advancing opportunities for women through education, purpose-driven work, and family-first values. RENO, NV / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / The Whittier Trust Company of Nevada has been recognized by the Nevada Women's Fund (NWF) as one of the Best Places for Women to Work in Northern Nevada in the NWF's inaugural regional survey. The recognition highlights Whittier Trust's ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and empowering workplace for women in the wealth management company's Reno office. With this honor, Whittier Trust also earned special recognition in three key categories: Empowerment Through Education: This recognition reflects Whittier Trust's investment in continuous learning and professional development, ensuring every team member has opportunities to advance their expertise, leadership, and career growth. Empowerment Through Purpose-Driven Work: This category highlights the company's focus on meaningful, values-based work that connects employees to a larger purpose: serving families, foundations, and communities with integrity and long-term perspective. Empowering Families: A Family First Workplace: This honor acknowledges Whittier Trust's belief that strong families, both within the company and among the clients it serves, are the foundation of lasting success. Whittier Trust was also recognized for its contributions to the Nevada Women's Fund at the organization's annual Celebrating Achievement Scholarship Dinner, where team members from Whittier Trust's Reno office represented the company and met scholarship recipients from the University of Nevada, Reno. The event celebrated women pursuing higher education and leadership opportunities across the state, values deeply aligned with Whittier's own commitment to empowerment and community advancement. "These recognitions are a reflection of our people and the values that guide how we work together across all of our offices," said David Dahl, President and CEO of Whittier Trust. "At Whittier, we believe that empowering women and fostering purpose-driven growth strengthens not only our team, but also the clients and communities we serve. We're honored to be recognized by an organization that continues to make such a profound impact across Northern Nevada." The Nevada Women's Fund's Best Places for Women to Work in Northern Nevada survey, conducted for the first time this year, highlights organizations that exemplify inclusive leadership and equity-focused practices. Participating employers represent a collective workforce of more than 33,000 employees across Northern Nevada. Founded in 1982, the Nevada Women's Fund has awarded more than $10.5 million in grants and scholarships to advance educational and career opportunities for women in the region. ### About Whittier Trust Collectively, Whittier Trust Company and The Whittier Trust Company of Nevada, Inc. (referred to herein individually and collectively as "Whittier Trust") are state-chartered trust companies wholly owned by Whittier Holdings, Inc. ("WHI"), a closely held holding company. As the oldest multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast, Whittier Trust isn't just a financial institution; it's a trusted partner with a long, rich history of successfully navigating the financial markets to preserve, protect, and enhance its clients' wealth and well-being across generations. Whittier Trust operates with the singular focus of providing holistic, top-tier client service and highly personalized investment solutions to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families, designed to advance and secure their long-term financial legacies and goals. The firm has offices in Pasadena, Menlo Park, Newport Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, West Los Angeles, Reno, Seattle, and Portland. To learn more, visit http://www.whittiertrust.com . Contact: Brandi J. Fields Whittier Trust Email: BFields@whittiertrust.com SOURCE: Whittier Trust View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/whittier-trust-recognized-as-one-of-the-best-places-for-women-to-wor-1092574 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - AISIX Solutions Inc., (TSXV: AISX) (FSE: QT7) ("AISIX" or "the Company"), a wildfire risk assessment and analytics solutions provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Gio Roberti as Chief Executive Officer and Director, effective immediately. Dr. Roberti previously served as Head of Product at AISIX and has led the Company's wildfire product development initiatives since their inception. "AISIX has a strong foundation and a clear path to commercialization of its wildfire intelligence products," said Dr. Gio Roberti, Chief Executive Officer. "I look forward to continuing this important work and leading the Company through its next phase of growth." Dr. Roberti succeeds Mr. Mihalis Belantis, who has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer and will continue to serve AISIX as Chairman of the Board of Directors, ensuring strategic continuity and guidance as the Company advances its mission in climate risk intelligence. "When I joined AISIX, my objective was to define a strategic path that positioned the Company at the forefront of wildfire risk intelligence," said Mr. Mihalis Belantis, Chairman of the Board. "I am proud of the team's accomplishments and confident that under Dr. Roberti's leadership, AISIX will continue to progress." Mr. Belantis assumed the role of CEO in June 2023 and provided AISIX with a renewed strategic vision focused on wildfire risk product offerings, partnerships, and sales. During his tenure AISIX established a strong market position within Canada's wildfire intelligence sector, releasing the Wildfire 2.0 dataset and Wildfire 3.0 dataset and API, as well as Climate Genius dashboard. He also developed key relationships with MNP, Cytora, Stessa Real Estate, and Carmanah Wildfire, and secured significant contracts with RedZone, an S&P 500 insurance company, and OctoAI, establishing AISIX's first recurring revenue client. The Board of Directors extends its gratitude to Mr. Belantis for his leadership and continued commitment to the Company in his new capacity as Chairman. The Board also announces that Scott Davis has resigned as Director and thanks him for his services and support for the company. Learn more about AISIX products and reserve your spot to try the dashboard by requesting a demo. For more information about AISIX Solutions Inc. and its climate risk solutions, please visit www.aisix.ca or follow the Company on X (formerly Twitter) at @AISIXSolutions or on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/aisixsolutionsinc/ About AISIX Solutions Inc. AISIX Solutions Inc., is a wildfire risk and data-analytics solutions provider trusted by organizations seeking a more predictive future. Leveraging the advancements of data analytics and risk assessment, AISIX Solutions Inc. is on a mission to provide auditable, explainable, and defensible assessments to help businesses and communities protect their property, assets, and infrastructure from wildfire-related risks. By empowering organizations with wildfire risk insights, AISIX Solutions Inc. aims to foster resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change. Forward Looking Statements Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, the "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, and is subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, many of which are beyond the Company's control. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, information with respect to the Company's beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. The words "may", "could", "should", "would", "suspect", "outlook", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "target" and similar words and expressions are used to identify forward-looking information, including the Company's expected product offerings, the functionalities of the Company's products and the Company's expected growth opportunities. The forward-looking information in this news release describes the Company's expectations as of the date of this news release. The results or events anticipated or predicted in such forward-looking information may differ materially from actual results or events. Material factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, among others, the Company's ability to engage and retain qualified key personnel, employees and affiliates, the Company's ability to obtain capital and credit on reasonable terms, the Company's ability to compete and the Company's ability protect its intellectual property rights. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed a certain progression, which may not be realized. It has also been assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time. Media Contact media@aisix.ca Investor Relations investors@aisix.ca Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272231 SOURCE: AISIX Solutions Inc. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Las Vegas Sands On Sept. 13, the National Hispanic Institute hosted a celebration to honor 84 Las Vegas high school students who participated in its leadership development programs this year, marking the organization's fourth year in Las Vegas through funding from Sands Cares. "With its continued support for our Las Vegas program, Sands is making an investment in bright futures for local students and the community, as we aim to give participants the skillsets, confidence and inspiration to invent ideas and actions for community advancement," Nicole Nieto, executive vice president of NHI, said. "Some of this year's graduating seniors completed the entire NHI journey, and we've seen their growth and increased confidence as strong, capable leaders." NHI's curriculum aims to cultivate future civic and business leaders by developing participants' skills in communication, community advocacy and policy-making, while preparing them for success in higher education. Rising sophomores enter NHI's program to prepare for the Great Debate, which emphasizes communications skills as a tool for self-advancement and community change. Rising juniors participate in the Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session, which exposes students to governance, organizational development and policy design, and rising seniors participate in the Collegiate World Series, which has a dual focus of preparing students for college admissions and community leadership. Each program emphasizes asset-based thinking and trains youth to view themselves as capable of affecting change through their own resources and strengths. The September celebration culminated the students' participation in these progressive leadership development programs over the past year. After the event, Las Vegas students reflected on the empowering impact of the NHI experience: Abbey Messner, senior, West Career and Technical Academy "These programs teach you how to collaborate with different people from different geographies, who may have different ideas and ideals than you. I've heard so many different ideas and experiences, and I really feel so grown and mature because through NHI, I've gotten to interact with people from all over the world. "Because of these programs, I have changed my plans from pursuing a pre-medical degree, and I want to become a lawyer. I realized it doesn't matter how nervous I may feel speaking in front of people - I want to advocate for people. Being a part of NHI has brought that to light for me. "NHI helped me find my community and helped me improve my skills and realize how important my impact is. I learned you can speak out. I get to be a whole new person because NHI gave me a safe space to try anything." Emmanuel Gutierrez, senior, West Career and Technical Academy "What I remember most is the friends I made at the programs and the moments we shared. Being together for a week allowed me to foster strong connections and make long-lasting relationships. "NHI has prepared me for the future by opening doors by networking with college recruiters and NHI staff. I learned so much about the college application process, and it has made my application so much more manageable." Moises Medina, senior, Rancho High School "My most important takeaway was how powerful, loud and impactful someone my age can be. It might sound a little cliche, but doing NHI has really helped me find my voice and taught me the importance of advocacy. I gained the skills of leadership, advocacy and empathy. Talking with the other participants and learning about each other's stories really shows how stories can impact and help someone." Selena Orejuela, senior, Cristo Rey St. Viator College Preparatory High School "The most important takeaway from NHI is learning that leadership is not about waiting for change but becoming the change yourself. NHI gave me a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of a Latino community that is dedicated to shaping the future, and it showed me that I have the ability to take initiative, build community and lead with purpose. "NHI has prepared me for the next phase of life by teaching me to seek opportunities and embrace challenges with determination. Beyond academics, it showed me the importance of vision-driven leadership and gave me a community of peers who also believe in creating a brighter future for Latinos. The lessons I learned at NHI will continue to guide me as I move into college and beyond." Sands helped bring NHI to Las Vegas in 2022 and has supported the leadership development program annually since then. This summer, Sands Cares funding enabled NHI to introduce the Heroes, Heroines and Legends program as an entree to NHI's curriculum and its asset-based thinking approach. Since 2022, NHI has provided transformative learning experiences to more than 140 Las Vegas students. Sands' support for NHI is part of the Sands Cares focus on education and building the workforce of the future. To learn more about the company's education initiatives, read its latest ESG report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Las Vegas Sands on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Las Vegas Sands Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/las-vegas-sands Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Las Vegas Sands View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/travel/national-hispanic-institute-honors-84-las-vegas-students-that-participated-in-its-leadership-1092575 ALBUQUERQUE, NM / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Power Ford has announced the introduction of Ford Custom Garage vehicles to its performance lineup, making it the only dealership in New Mexico currently offering these factory-customized trucks and SUVs. The Ford-backed program allows customers to purchase or order specially designed vehicles featuring unique styling, lift kits, upgraded interiors, and off-road enhancements, all while maintaining OEM warranty support. ford-custom-garage-trucks-power-ford-new-mexico Ford Custom Garage vehicles with lifted designs and upgraded exteriors showcased at Power Ford in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ford Custom Garage is part of the company's broader strategy to meet customer demand for individuality and high-end personalization, without compromising reliability or serviceability. Through this program, vehicles such as the F-150, Bronco, and Super Duty receive appearance and functional upgrades installed by certified Ford partners and approved for dealer sale. "Ford Custom Garage brings something truly special to the market," said Rob Sneed, General Manager at Power Ford. "These are more than trucks. They're statements. We're excited to deliver that boldness to New Mexico drivers who don't want cookie-cutter vehicles but still expect quality and accountability." The arrival of these vehicles at Power Ford reflects a growing appetite for custom and lifted trucks nationwide. According to industry analysts, demand for lifted pickups and off-road-ready SUVs has steadily increased over the past five years, driven by a blend of lifestyle branding, social media exposure, and manufacturer-sanctioned modifications. By handling sales, financing, and servicing all under one roof, Power Ford simplifies the buying process for these specialty vehicles. Contact Information Matt Sneed Director of Operations matt@myforddealer.com 505-449-1241 SOURCE: Power Ford View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/automotive/power-ford-becomes-new-mexicos-exclusive-destination-for-ford-custom-garage-builds-1085474 The policy map highlights that only five of the 18 EU Member States included in the tool have set a legal definition of agrivoltaics. SolarPower Europe is calling on policymakers to develop an EU-wide definition.from pv magazine Spain. SolarPower Europe has launched a new agrisolar policy map. The tool is designed to compare policy regulations across 18 EU Member States. It highlights best practices and regulatory gaps, with the aim of accelerating the deployment of agrivoltaic solutions. The map assesses six policy areas: legal definitions, land use and zoning, support schemes, technical requirements, ... Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Raleigh, North Carolina--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - In response to a significant surge in demand for alternative business financing, VIP Capital Funding announces the expansion of its credit programs across the United States. The launch features their 2025 financing suite, including working capital loans and Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) relief solutions - a comprehensive program that offers funds between $25,000 and $15,000,000 to those navigating cash flow challenges. The Fintech firm, being one of America's fastest-growing, has undertaken this initiative to empower small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) with rapid, flexible, and industry-specific borrowing options. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10050/271779_ba831ebe947718db_001full.jpg According to Carlos Hernandez, Vice President of VIP Capital Funding, "Small enterprises are the key catalysts for innovation, creativity, employment generation and community development." Shedding light on their expansion move, he added, "The company wants to ensure that every business in the US has reliable access to real capital in the fastest possible time - be it through same-day business financing or customized credit for existing MCA obligations." In the States, there has been a noticeable surge in SMEs seeking solutions for merchant cash advances. This uptick is largely driven by the burdensome high costs and inflexible daily repayments that often deplete necessary funds for ongoing business operations. VIP Capital Funding strives to address this gap, providing critical financial support and MCA debt relief solutions to companies seeking sustainable growth pathways. Carlos Hernandez informed that the MCA Debt Relief Program is suitable for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) struggling with multiple merchant cash advances, rebuilding stability, inventory gaps, etc. The unsecured working capital loans are sanctioned through an online application process that requires minimal paperwork. With no collateral needed, applicants pass the eligibility criteria based on their business performance, monthly revenue and processing volume. Upon completion, applicants receive loan approval and disbursal within 24 hours. Credit obtained from VIP Capital Funding, a trusted financial institution in North Carolina, can be utilized to address diverse business purposes, including payroll, expansion, equipment needs, management of high-cost advances or stacked payments, etc. The company's comprehensive financial suite also allows small and medium-sized enterprises to avail short-term bridge loans and refinance options for temporary monetary requirements and optimizing cash flow. "To us, our clients are not just customers but invaluable entrepreneurs who've poured everything into their businesses," said Carlos Hernandez. "Our goal is, therefore, to align our financial strength with the ambition of the companies we serve." Interested owners can learn more about MCA relief and working capital loans through their online form available at https://vipcapitalfunding.com/apply-now/. About the Company: VIP Capital Funding stands among the top fintech companies in the US and the most trusted names in alternative business financing. Boasting an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, the Fintech firm offers fast, transparent, flexible business loans, MCA refinancing, and debt-relief solutions to small and midsize businesses nationwide. Currently, they have a client base of more than 10,000 businesses. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271779 SOURCE: VIP Capital Funding The full text of the resolutions can be found in the Notice of the Annual General Meeting contained in the 2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements which is on the website www.aberforth.co.uk . The report has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and is available for inspection at: https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism . Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Javad Sajan is the best plastic surgeon in Seattle. SEATTLE, WA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / (Allure Esthetic) - Dr. Javad Sajan is a world-renowned plastic surgeon widely regarded as the best plastic surgeon in Seattle and the top cosmetic surgeon in Washington State. As the founder of Seattle's Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery, Dr. Sajan has earned international recognition for his surgical expertise and innovative techniques. He has been featured by major media outlets, including CNN, Cosmopolitan magazine, and ABC News affiliates, underscoring his authority in the field. Dr. Sajan also authored an advanced plastic surgery textbook titled Aesthetic Laser Therapy: Principles, Medical Applications, and Long-Term Effectiveness , further establishing him as a leading educator in his specialty. Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Sajan is an active contributor to medical research and education. He has published research in numerous peer-reviewed journals, such as JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery and The Journal of Surgical Research , advancing the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. He even served as editor of a comprehensive textbook on aesthetic procedures, demonstrating his commitment to knowledge-sharing and innovation. Patients from around the world travel to Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery in Seattle for Dr. Sajan's expertise, benefiting from his state-of-the-art techniques and patient-centered care. In addition to surgical excellence, Dr. Sajan is deeply committed to giving back to the community. He founded the Zera Foundation to support charitable initiatives in the Seattle area, including back-to-school drives that provide backpacks filled with school supplies to underprivileged students, food drives to support local veterans and families in need, and holiday toy drives that deliver gifts to children who might otherwise go without presents. Dr. Sajan's philanthropic efforts extend overseas as well - through international medical missions, he has performed life-changing reconstructive surgeries for children with craniofacial deformities, completing dozens of procedures during trips to the Dominican Republic and Tanzania. Dr. Sajan also engages the public through media and storytelling. He hosts the popular Plastic Surgeon Podcast, where he shares real patient stories and insights into plastic surgery, and he stars in a YouTube documentary series called RealDrSeattle (available at RealDrSeattle.tv), which follows patients through their surgical transformations. Through these platforms, Dr. Sajan educates a global audience about plastic surgery and provides a transparent look at his practice. Despite his busy schedule, he prioritizes family life in Seattle, where he resides with his wife and three children. Dr. Javad Sajan's dedication to his craft and compassionate care continue to earn him recognition as a leading figure in plastic surgery, both locally and internationally. Media Contact: www.realdrseattle.com - Seattle, WA Phone: (206) 209-0988 Email: tylerbirch@realdrseattle.com SOURCE: Allure Esthetic Plastic Surgery View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/who-is-javad-sajan-1092654 EQS Newswire / 28/10/2025 / 17:00 CET/CEST BARCELONA, SPAIN - Media OutReach Newswire - 28 October 2025 - Leading global smart device brand OPPO today announced the worldwide availability of its latest flagship smartphones, Find X9 and Find X9 Pro. This new series delivers an exceptional all-around experience, combining a camera system co-engineered with Hasselblad, revolutionary battery life, powerful performance, and the smart, smooth ColorOS 16. "Find X9 Series represents a giant leap forward in mobile imaging, driven by industry-leading innovations like the 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto," said Pete Lau, SVP and Chief Product Officer at OPPO. "As OPPO's new-generation flagship, Find X9 Series delivers a comprehensive, top-to-bottom upgrade, setting a new global standard for smartphone excellence." Precision in Every Pixel: The New-Generation Hasselblad Master Camera System Continuing the Find X legacy of imaging innovation, Find X9 Series debuts a new-generation Hasselblad Master Camera System. By pairing cutting-edge hardware with advanced computational photography, the series represents a major leap in image quality. Find X9 features a pro-level 50MP main camera with a 1/1.4-inch Sony LYT-808 sensor and an f/1.6 aperture, capturing 57% more light for stunning clarity. It's joined by a versatile 50MP ultra-wide camera with autofocus for macro photography and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera featuring a 1/1.95-inch Sony LYT600 sensor for superior zoom shots. Complementing the three 50MP cameras is an industry-first True Color Camera. This dedicated spectral sensor precisely measures ambient light, resulting in more accurate color reproduction even in the most difficult lighting. Find X9 Pro builds on this foundation with an upgraded main and telephoto camera. The Ultra XDR Main Camera features a customized 1/1.28-inch Sony LYT 828 sensor. This sensor uses groundbreaking Real-Time Triple Exposure technology that captures breathtaking detail in both shadows and highlights. Amping up its telephoto capabilities, Find X9 Pro introduces the 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto. Developed in partnership with Hasselblad, this 3x camera features a massive 1/1.56-inch 200MP sensor. It's paired with a Hasselblad-certified lens that has an ultra-fast f/2.1 aperture for superior light gathering and a 10cm minimum focus distance for incredible macro shots. To carry that even further, OPPO developed an Active Optical Alignment process that precisely matches the lens with the sensor, boosting resolution by an additional 15%. Debuting on Find X9 Series is the brand-new LUMO Image Engine, OPPO's suite of computational photography algorithms that enhances clarity, dynamic range, and color science while ensuring photos look natural. By rebuilding the imaging pipeline with Parallel Computing, the engine achieves more with less: up to 50% less CPU usage, 60% less memory usage, and 50% less power consumption.1 The efficiency of the LUMO Image Engine unlocks the full potential of the high-resolution sensors. In bright daylight, users can capture photos in full 50MP resolution by default, delivering over four times the detail of standard 12MP images. In low light or other challenging cases, the camera intelligently switches to 25MP or 12MP modes, using pixel binning for superior noise control. The series also introduces industry-first 4K Motion Photos, elevating video resolution from 1080p to 4K for dramatically clearer results. Additionally, users can extract any frame as a high-resolution still image, ensuring every moment is preserved in perfect detail. Your Best Companion for Concerts Find X9 Series is engineered to be the perfect companion for concerts and live events, providing unrivaled zoom in both photo and video shooting. By intelligently cropping its 200MP sensor, Find X9 Pro delivers high-quality lossless zoom up to 13.2x, while both models feature OPPO's Super Zoom algorithm for enhanced clarity up to 120x. With OPPO's Stage Mode, users can capture concert photos with enhanced contrast and tone for a dramatic, atmospheric effect. The series' pro-grade video capabilities are equally impressive, as both devices support 4K 120fps Dolby Vision HDR video recording on the main camera, with Find X9 Pro extending this capability to its 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto. For professional users, Find X9 Series supports LOG recording with ACES certification, providing a flat, data-rich file that serves as the perfect canvas for professional color grading. For the ultimate advantage, OPPO also offers the Hasselblad Teleconverter. This professional-grade optical accessory, designed exclusively for Find X9 Pro, transforms the phone into a 10x optical super-zoom powerhouse, enabling up to 200x digital zoom for photos and 50x for video. A New Era of Battery Power: 7000mAh and Beyond Find X9 is equipped with a substantial 7025mAh battery, all within a slim 7.99mm profile. Taking advantage of its larger size, Find X9 Pro packs an even more impressive 7500mAh battery, the largest in any OPPO flagship. Fitting all that battery power into such a slender frame is made possible by the third-generation OPPO Silicon-Carbon Battery, which has 15% silicon content. And with OPPO's customized spherical carbon material, Find X9 Series is engineered for long-term reliability, retaining over 80% of its original capacity even after five years of typical use. 1 When it's time to recharge, both models support 80W OPPO SUPERVOOC wired flash charging, 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging for convenient power top-ups. Elegant Design, Built to Last Find X9 Series features a modern, flat-edged aesthetic with a subtly contoured frame for a comfortable grip. The streamlined camera module is positioned to stay clear of fingers during use. Both models feature a new-generation flat display with ultra-thin, 1.15mm symmetrical bezels for an immersive, borderless viewing experience. The 120Hz displays boast a peak outdoor brightness of 3600 nits and a minimum brightness of 1 nit, combined with high-frequency PWM dimming for eye comfort in all conditions. Find X9 is available in three sophisticated finishes: Titanium Grey, Space Black, and Velvet Red. Find X9 Pro is offered in exclusive Silk White and Titanium Charcoal finishes. All models feature a matte aluminum frame and glass back cover that resists fingerprints. Beyond aesthetics, both devices are engineered for exceptional durability. With IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings, Find X9 Series delivers class-leading protection against dust, powerful water jets, water submersion, and even high-temperature spray. Unleash the Peak Power of Dimensity Find X9 Series is powered by the cutting-edge MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset. Built on TSMC's third-generation 3nm process, its All-Big-Core CPU architecture achieves up to 32% higher performance and 55% less peak power consumption. The Arm G1-Ultra GPU delivers a massive boost as well, with 33% higher graphics performance and 42% better power efficiency, while the new MediaTek NPU 990 offers over double the performance with 56% more efficiency. These capabilities are enhanced by Find X9 Series' customized vapor chambers, ensuring smooth and stable gameplay that stays cool to the touch. 2 Developed in close collaboration with MediaTek, OPPO's All-New Trinity Engine redefines chip-level resource management for sustained high performance and superior power efficiency. This includes features like Chip-Level Dynamic Frame Sync for greater fluency in high-stress scenarios, a Unified Computing Power Model for over 90% accuracy in power-consumption prediction, and Sensor Offload, resulting in 16.1% less power usage during 4K 60fps HDR video recording. 1 ColorOS 16: Smarter, Smoother, More Connected Debuting on OPPO Find X9 Series, ColorOS 16 sets a new benchmark for smoothness, intelligence, and connectivity. Building on the foundation of ColorOS 15's Parallel Animation, the new Seamless Animation delivers instantaneous, fluid interactions powered by the All-New Luminous Rendering Engine. ColorOS 16 also brings a range of AI-powered features that boost productivity and creativity. With AI Mind Space, users can capture on-screen content instantly using the new Snap Key. AI Recorder automatically generates titles and summaries, while AI Portrait Glow enhances low-light portraits by balancing light and skin tones with a single tap. Expanding its cross-device capabilities, O+ Connect now supports both Mac and Windows. Users can manage phone files from their computer or remotely control their PC via their phone. Screen Mirroring allows up to five apps to be displayed and operated using a mouse and keyboard-perfect for multitasking across devices. OPPO Find X9 and Find X9 Pro Availability OPPO Find X9 and Find X9 Pro will be available globally beginning at early November. Find X9 comes in 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, and 16GB + 512GB configurations, while the Find X9 Pro is offered in a 16GB + 512GB configuration. 3 The devices will be offered through official OPPO stores, authorized retailers, and partner carriers worldwide. For detailed information about pre-orders and launch promotions, visit oppo.com/global or follow OPPO's official social media channels. 1. Data from OPPO Lab 2. Data from MediaTek 3. Specific available date, price and configuration may vary among different regions Hashtag: OPPO The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - "Smiley Face" - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services. OPPO has footprints in more than 70 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. News Source: OPPO 28/10/2025 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Media archive at www.todayir.com View original content: EQS News Swiss Rockets, MGI US LLC and Complete Genomics Inc. announced today that they entered into a exclusive license agreement with MGI Tech and Complete Genomics, USA, granting Swiss Rockets a perpetual, transferrable, sublicensable, freedom-to-operate, license for USA, Europe, Latam, Africa and Central Asia with option to expand rights into Asia-Pacific in 2026, covering patents and other intellectual property necessary for development, manufacturing, and sales of the next-generation CoolMPS sequencing platform that will provide faster, cheaper and more accurate whole genome sequencing and other omics tests. The agreement includes payments linked to technology transfer and revenue-based royalties. Swiss Rockets' future development will focus on advancing CoolMPS products with innovative read barcoding. These innovations will support comprehensive omics testing for advanced genomic research and molecular health monitoring. CoolMPS chemistry provides the most advanced MPS/NGS generating cost-effective Sanger sequencing quality reads of 600-700bases. It also enables the most accurate typical 150-200b reads. Combined with proprietary co-barcoding libraries the CoolMPS offering comprises complete haplotype-phased genome, transcriptome and microbiome sequencing for both disease prevention and optimal treatment selection, such in cancer detection area. It also enables the most accurate WGS-based early cancer detection and MRD, when combined with a special sequencing library for cell-free dsDNA allowing to sequence both original strands in one DNA nanoball eliminating almost all false somatic mutations due to DNA damage, or amplification and sequencing errors. First CoolMPS sequencers, allowing cost-effective SE600+ reads for new applications such as CompleteWGS, CompleteTranscriptome and CompleteMicrobiom are scheduled for early access in Q1 2026 This exciting deal between Swiss Rockets, MGI and Complete Genomics will help us to further develop our breakthrough technology CoolMPS and accomplish our original vision of supporting longer healthy living through omics for all. "This is a dream coming true for me", said Dr Rade Drmanac, Chief Scientific Officer of MGI and Founder of Complete Genomics, "We now have all that's needed to utilize full potential of our cutting edge CoolMPS technology." "This strategic license partnership with MGI and Complete Genomics perfectly complements Swiss Rockets' advanced precision therapeutic development companies", said Vladimir Cmiljanovic, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Swiss Rockets. "It enables us to provide affordable, accurate and informative multi-omics tests in preventive health and early diagnostics, as well as effective treatments in precision medicine and longevity." About Swiss Rockets AG: Swiss Rockets AG, as both an incubator and accelerator, supports growth of biotech and precision healthcare start-ups, particularly in the field of oncology. Its portfolio of radioligand therapies, small molecules and vaccines in pre-clinical and clinical stage, already drew attention of the best global pharmaceutical companies for future partnerships. Swiss Rockets AG was founded by a team consisting of Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic, Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Natasa Cmiljanovic, Chief Operating Officer; Manuel Ebner, Dr. Thomas Sander, and Dr. Thomas Staehelin. About MGI MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (or its subsidiaries, together referred to as MGI) is committed to building core tools and technologies that drive innovation in life science. Our focus lies in research development, manufacturing, and sales of instruments, reagents, and related products in the field of life science and biotechnology. We provide real-time, multi-omics, and a full spectrum of digital equipment and systems for precision medicine, agriculture, healthcare, and various other industries. Founded in 2016, MGI has grown into a leader in life science, serving customers across six continents and establishing research, manufacturing, training, and after-sales service facilities globally. MGI stands out as one of the few companies capable of independently developing and mass-producing clinical-grade gene sequencers with varying throughput capacities, ranging from Gb to Tb levels. With unparalleled expertise, cutting-edge products, and a commitment to global impact, MGI continues to shape the trajectory of life sciences into the future. For more information, please visit https://en.mgi-tech.com/, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. Complete Genomics Complete Genomics is a pioneering life sciences company that provides novel, end to end DNA sequencing solutions. It has been at the forefront of high throughput cost-effective sequencing technology development since its inception in 2005. Our products have powered more than 10,900 publications across a wide array of applications. To learn more, visit www.completegenomics.com. DISCLAIMER Swiss Rockets AG has prepared this press release to the best of its knowledge. The general background information about Swiss Rockets AG's activities is current as of the date of this press release. This information is provided in summary form and does not claim to be exhaustive. The information contained in this press release does not constitute a solicitation or offer to buy, sell, or otherwise trade or engage in any similar transaction involving Swiss Rockets AG's shares. The information presented herein includes certain forward-looking statements and estimates. Such information is subject to significant scientific, economic, business, and financial uncertainties that cannot be predicted in advance. Therefore, actual results may materially differ from those projected. Neither Swiss Rockets AG nor its group companies make any warranties, representations, or guarantees regarding the data and information made available through this communication, including but not limited to their accuracy, timeliness, completeness, marketability, commercial usability, or suitability for any particular purpose and in particular with regard to forward looking statements and does not make any warranties or gives any guarantees on the future course of development and success of any of its products, strategies or business activities. This disclaimer is governed by Swiss law. Any disputes arising from or in connection with this press release shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028034359/en/ Contacts: For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Swiss Rockets AG For more information visit www.swissrockets.com Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic, Ph.D. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lautengartenstrasse 6 4052 Basel E-mail: vladimir.cmiljanovic@swissrockets.com Media Contact: Dada Zhang Public Relations and Branding, MGI Tech Zhangling8@mgi-tech.com Media Contact: Betsy Yates Complete Genomics byates@completegenomics.com NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. OTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE APPLICABLE. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THE PRESS RELEASE. THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE (7)(1) OF THE EUROPEAN MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (596/2014) EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ONWARD Medical N.V. (Euronext: ONWD - US ADR: ONWRY), the leading neurotechnology company pioneering therapies to restore movement, function, and independence in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and other movement disabilities, today announces the closing of its previously announced private placement with institutional investors (the "Private Placement"). The gross proceeds from the Private Placement amount to EUR 50,850,000. As of today, the new shares issued pursuant to the Private Placement are admitted to listing and trading on Euronext Brussels, Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Paris. This press release does not constitute, contain, or form part of an offering of securities in any jurisdiction. About ONWARD Medical ONWARD Medical is the leading neurotechnology company pioneering therapies to restore movement, function, and independence in people with spinal cord injuries and other movement disabilities. Building on decades of scientific discovery, preclinical research, and clinical studies conducted at leading hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, and neuroscience laboratories, the Company developed ARC Therapy. It has subsequently been awarded 10 Breakthrough Device Designations from the FDA. The Company's ARC-EX System is cleared for commercial sale in the US and Europe. The Company is also developing an investigational implantable system called ARC-IM, designed to address several unmet needs including blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury. It can also be paired with a brain-computer interface (BCI) and artificial intelligence (AI) to restore thought-driven movement. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the Company has a Science and Engineering Center in Switzerland and a US office in Boston, Massachusetts. The Company is listed on Euronext Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam (ticker: ONWD) and its US ADRs can be traded on OTCQX (ticker: ONWRY). For more information, please visit ONWD.com. To stay informed about ONWARD's research studies, technologies, and the availability of therapies in your area, please complete this webform. For Media Inquiries: Sebastien Cros, VP Communications media@onwd.com For Investor Inquiries: investors@onwd.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements, beliefs, and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company directors' current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve several risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, delays in regulatory approvals, changes in demand, competition, and technology, can cause actual events, performance, or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions, or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Trademarks: ONWARD, ARC-EX, ARC-IM, ARC-BCI, and the stylized O-Logo are proprietary and registered trademarks of ONWARD Medical. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. ARC-EX Indication for Use (US): The ARC-EX System is intended to deliver programmed, transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation in conjunction with functional task practice in the clinic to improve hand sensation and strength in individuals between 18 and 75 years old that present with a chronic, nonprogressive neurological deficit resulting from an incomplete spinal cord injury (C2-C8 inclusive). ARC-EX Indication for Use (EU): The ARC-EX System is intended to deliver programmed, transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation in conjunction with functional task practice in the clinic and with take-home exercises in the home to improve hand sensation and strength in individuals between 18 and 75 years old that present with a chronic (>1 year post-injury), non-progressive neurological deficit resulting from an incomplete spinal cord injury (C2-C8 inclusive). Other Investigational Products: All other ONWARD Medical devices and therapies including ARC-IM and ARC-BCI are investigational and not available for commercial use. Additional important information These materials may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. These materials do not contain, constitute or form part of an offer of securities for sale or a solicitation of an offer to purchase securities (the "Securities") of ONWARD Medical N.V. (the "Company"), in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. The Securities of the Company may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). There will be and has been no public offering of the Securities in the United States. The Securities of the Company have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act. The Securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in Australia, Canada or Japan or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Australia, Canada or Japan subject to certain exceptions. This document (and the information contained within) is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 in each member state ("Member State") of the European Economic Area (the "Prospectus Regulation"). The Company has not authorised any offer to the public of Securities in any Member State of the European Economic Area. With respect to each Member State (each, a "Relevant State"), no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of securities requiring publication of a prospectus in any Relevant State. As a result, the Securities have only be offered in Relevant States (i) to any legal entity, which is a "qualified investor", as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; or (ii) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation. For the purpose of this paragraph, the expression "offer of securities to the public" means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Securities to be offered so as to enable the investor to decide to exercise, purchase or subscribe for the Securities. This document (and the information contained within) is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as it forms part of U.K. domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "U.K. Prospectus Regulation"). No action has been undertaken or will be undertaken that constitutes an offer of the securities referred to herein to the public in the United Kingdom or requires the publication of a prospectus in the United Kingdom. The securities referred to herein have not and will not be offered in the United Kingdom, except to relevant persons in accordance with the exemptions set forth in the U.K. Prospectus Regulation. In the United Kingdom, this document is only being distributed to and is only directed at "qualified investors" within the meaning of the U.K. Prospectus Regulation, and who are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the "Financial Promotion Order"), (ii) high net worth entities or other persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Financial Promotion Order or (iii) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended)) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons being referred to as "Relevant Persons").This document is directed only at Relevant Persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not Relevant Persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. This communication is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation. This communication cannot be used as basis for any investment agreement or decision. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering making such investments should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the securities referred to herein. No announcement or information regarding the offering, listing or securities of the Company referred to above may be disseminated to the public in jurisdictions where a prior registration or approval is required for such purpose. No steps have been taken, or will be taken, for the offering or listing of securities of the Company in any jurisdiction where such steps would be required, except for the admission of the offered shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels, Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Paris. The issue, exercise, or sale of, and the subscription for or purchase of, securities of the Company were subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person. EQS Newswire / 28/10/2025 / 18:00 CET/CEST BARCELONA, SPAIN - Media OutReach Newswire - 28 October 2025 - OPPO's global launch of the Find X9 Series reinforces its continued commitment to the high-end segment. This move coincides with the brand's global user base exceeding 740 million, reflecting its success in engaging new generations through user-centric innovation. "OPPO is advancing its brand and user experience with a clear focus on the new generation of global users," said Ling Liu, Overseas CMO of OPPO. "The new generation is defining the future of premium smartphones - they seek a complete experience that integrates imaging, AI, battery life, and connectivity. With Find X9 Series, OPPO aims to lead the new era of mobile imaging and set a new benchmark for camera flagships, marking a new chapter in our premium smartphone and innovation journey." Ling LIU, Overseas CMO of OPPO Fueling Premium Market Momentum through Product Innovation OPPO's sustained momentum in the premium market is clearly reflected in recent data from Counterpoint Research, which shows the brand's average selling price (ASP) surged by 14% year-on-year in Q2 2025. This is the fastest growth rate among all leading smartphone brands. OPPO sustains product innovation by deeply understanding the needs of a new generation of consumers worldwide. According to IDC , the rising demand from young users is reshaping the technical roadmap of the mid-to-high-end market. In response, OPPO has integrated cutting-edge imaging systems, AI-powered features, long-lasting battery performance, and seamless cross-device connectivity into its products. This addresses the specific needs that are defining the next generation of mobile experiences. Equipped with these comprehensive capabilities, Find X9 Series empowers today's creators by turning the smartphone into a true content studio. Find X9 Pro's 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto camera delivers exceptional clarity in every scenario - from live concerts to night cityscapes, ensuring users never miss a moment. ColorOS 16 further enhances the experience with intuitive AI features. AI Portrait Glow optimizes lighting conditions for professional-grade portrait results, whileAI Mind Space helps users organize ideas and inspiration effortlessly . Meanwhile, advanced privacy protection ensures user data remains secure. More than just a smartphone, Find X9 Series embodies OPPO's commitment to empowering creators, providing the advanced tools they need to create and express every moment in their own way. OPPO Find X9 Series Reimagining Retail Service for the New Generation Going beyond its product innovation, OPPO has reimagined the retail experience. By embedding immersive display and customized service into its retail stores, offering new opportunities for users to connect directly with the brand. Online, OPPO is strengthening its global e-commerce presence across platforms favored by the new generation of shoppers, such as integrated TikTok storefronts and livestreaming, creating a seamless experience from discovery to purchase. Immersive Display in OPPO Retail Stores "Make Your Moment" with the New Generation The brand slogan of "Make Your Moment" extends to OPPO's partnerships. As the Official Smartphone Product Partner of the UEFA Champions League, OPPO elevates the fan experience with its cutting-edge imaging technology. As part of the second chapter of the Culture in a Shot initiative, OPPO partners with Discovery to launch the campaign Every Culture Finds Its Stage . The journey continues through Spain, Mexico, and Thailand, capturing cultural performances on stage through OPPO Find X9 series, and encouraging creators worldwide to share their cultural moments. OPPO and Discovery Channel partner to capture the cultural moments with OPPO Find X9 Series. This spirit of co-creating with the new generation is further brought to life by OPPO Creation Ambassador, Ollie, who shares cutting-edge technologies, product experiences, and cultural stories with users through OPPO devices. Ollie, OPPO Creation Ambassador The OPPO Photography Awards 2025 invite creators around the world to capture and share the beauty of life through their lenses. The contest has already received over 15.4 million submissions from 78 countries, with the invitation still open until the November 20 deadline for creators worldwide to share their perspectives. OPPO Photography Awards 2025 Guided by its user-centric strategy, OPPO will continue delivering high-quality products and services to global users, leveraging technological innovation and deep market insights to redefine the premium smartphone experience. Hashtag: OPPO The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone - "Smiley Face" - in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO also provides its users with ColorOS operating system and internet services. OPPO has footprints in more than 70 countries and regions, with more than 40,000 employees dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. News Source: OPPO 28/10/2025 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Media archive at www.todayir.com View original content: EQS News Meeting American Demand for French properties, the U.S.'s Premier Luxury Real Estate Brokerage Forms Alliance with Renowned European Real Estate Leaders Philippe Curutchet, Fredrik Lilloe, and Edward de Mallet Morgan Douglas Elliman expected to have 14 offices and more than two dozen agents across the south of France. In 2024, properties valued over $5.85 million USD represented 30% of total transactions on the French Riviera, generating more than $10.5 billion USD in real estate sales. Since 2022, American tourism in France has increased, surpassing British and German visitors in 2024 and translating into greater American demand for real estate. More and more Americans are drawn to the area's culture, cuisine, and way of life. NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Douglas Elliman Realty, one of the largest residential real estate firms in the country with the highest national average sales price of top-ranked brokerages and a subsidiary of Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG), today announced a new foray into France that will bring its renowned brand and high standard of service to the prestigious markets of Bordeaux, the French Riviera, Monaco, and Saint-Barthelemy (St. Barths), with plans to expand into Paris and the French Alps soon. The announcement was made today in Las Vegas at Douglas Elliman's annual sales gathering, ENDEAVOR, in front of hundreds of Douglas Elliman agents, executives, and staff. Led by industry veterans Philippe Curutchet, Fredrik Lilloe, and Edward de Mallet Morgan-who are in Las Vegas to sign their agreement with Elliman live on stage-the new alliance will serve clients throughout the south of France and Monaco, providing seamless access to luxury properties in some of the world's most sought-after destinations. "This announcement represents the realization of our vision for a truly global network that exemplifies our commitment to excellence," said Michael S. Liebowitz, President and CEO of Douglas Elliman Inc. "Philippe, Fredrik, and Edward have built an exceptional reputation in the French luxury real estate market, with a track record that speaks for itself. They embody the entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to client service that define Douglas Elliman, and we are thrilled to welcome them to our team." Philippe Curutchet, a prominent figure in high-end real estate, founded the holding company Globality in 2009 to specialize in luxury property operations across France. Under his leadership, the company has established a strong presence in prestigious locations, including the southwest of France (Bordeaux, Cap Ferret, Pyla sur Mer), Paris, Biarritz, the French Riviera, Monaco, Saint-Barthelemy, and French Alps (Megeve). Also the founder of Residential Group, Curutchet guides Globality with a clear vision to expand and elevate the luxury real estate market in these prime destinations, combining market expertise with a commitment to excellence and client service. With over 25 years of experience in the luxury property market, Fredrik Lilloe has established himself as a leading figure in French Riviera real estate. His team has transacted over $2 billion in sales and currently holds the French record for achieving the highest price per square meter. Originally from Oslo, Norway, Lilloe moved to Paris in 2001 before settling in Nice. A trusted expert regularly quoted in publications including the Financial Times, The New York Times, and Le Figaro, he has handled some of the most prestigious trophy assets along the Cote d'Azur. Edward de Mallet Morgan brings more than 20 years of experience transacting on behalf of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients across more than 15 countries and four continents. As Group Head of The Private Office, de Mallet Morgan specializes in selling properties, including many sourced off-market, in key high-value locations from Monaco to the Bahamas. A recognized authority on super-prime and ultra-prime real estate market trends, he has built enduring relationships with clients ranging from royal families to titans of industry across Europe, America, and Asia. "We are incredibly proud to be the first to join the new Elliman International," said Philippe Curutchet and Fredrik Lilloe. "Douglas Elliman's reputation for excellence and innovation in luxury real estate aligns perfectly with our values and vision. This opportunity allows us to offer our clients an elevated level of service and access to a truly global portfolio of extraordinary properties." "This endeavor represents a natural evolution for our business," added Edward de Mallet Morgan. "Our clients increasingly view real estate as a global portfolio, and this collaboration enables us to provide seamless service across continents while maintaining the personal touch and market expertise they expect from us." The team's recent notable sales include Manoir de Pigranel, in Mougins, for $45 million, and Villa Aquila, in Cannes, for $42 million. Current listings include Chateau Louis XIII, in the prestigious La Californie district of Cannes, for $33.54 million, and a waterfront estate in the exclusive French Riviera enclave of Eze-sur-Mer, for $32.5 million. The collaboration enables Douglas Elliman's extensive client base to access premier properties throughout France and Monaco while providing French and Monaco-based clients direct access to luxury real estate opportunities in the U.S. through Elliman's unparalleled network of agents and offices across major American markets. The expansion into France, Monaco and St. Barths represents the first of several strategic markets Douglas Elliman plans to enter, with additional territories including the French Alps and Paris expected to be announced in the coming months. Unlike traditional franchise models, Douglas Elliman's approach emphasizes substance over scale, carefully selecting real estate professionals whose work ethic and client service standards reflect Elliman's entrepreneurial culture. The initiative enables the company to directly serve the growing international real estate needs of its agents, clients, and development partners without relying on third-party intermediaries. About Douglas Elliman Inc. Douglas Elliman Inc. (NYSE: DOUG, "Douglas Elliman") owns Douglas Elliman Realty, LLC, which is one of the largest residential brokerage companies in the United States with operations in New York, Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In addition, Douglas Elliman sources, uses and invests in early-stage, disruptive property technology ("PropTech") solutions and companies and provides other real estate services, including development marketing, property management and settlement and escrow services in select markets. Additional information concerning Douglas Elliman Realty is available on its website, www.elliman.com. Investors and others should note that we may post information about Douglas Elliman Inc. on our website at investors.elliman.com or, if applicable, on our accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube or other social media platforms. It is possible that the postings or releases could include information deemed to be material information. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media and others interested in Douglas Elliman to review the information we post on our website at investors.elliman.com and on our social media accounts. Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities law. All statements other than statements of historical or current facts made in this document are forward-looking. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the future plans, strategies and results of Douglas Elliman. We identify forward-looking statements in this press release by using words or phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may be," "continue" "could," "potential," "objective," "plan," "seek," "predict," "project" and "will be" and similar words or phrases or their negatives. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations are described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed thereafter. We undertake no responsibility to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1120706/Douglas_Elliman_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/douglas-elliman-announces-international-expansion-into-france-and-monaco-302597208.html Almere, The Netherlands Oct 28, 2025, 6 p.m. CET Strong Q3 earnings amid mixed market conditions ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today reports its Q3 2025 results (unaudited). Financial highlights million Q3 2024 Q2 2025 Q3 2025 New orders 815.3 702.5 636.8 yoy change % at constant currencies 30% (4%) (17%) Revenue 778.6 835.6 800.0 yoy change % as reported 25% 18% 3% yoy change % at constant currencies 26% 23% 8% Gross profit 384.4 433.2 414.9 Gross profit margin % 49.4% 51.8% 51.9% Operating result 215.2 258.4 242.8 Operating result margin % 27.6% 30.9% 30.3% Adjusted operating result 1 219.9 263.2 247.5 Adjusted operating result margin %1 28.2% 31.5% 30.9% Net earnings 127.9 202.4 384.1 Adjusted net earnings 1 133.6 173.0 206.2 1 Adjusted figures are non-IFRS performance measures. Refer to Annex 3 for a reconciliation of non-IFRS performance measures. New orders of 637 million in Q3 2025 decreased by 17% over the same period last year at constant currency (decreased by 22% as reported). Compared to Q2 2025, orders decreased by 7% at constant currency (decreased by 9% as reported). The sequential decrease in order is predominantly attributable to orders from the Chinese market, which were strong in the first half year, as highlighted in the previous quarter. Advanced logic/foundry orders increased strongly compared to Q2, even though lower than initially expected, as indicated in our press release from September 23, 2025. Revenue of 800 million increased by 8% at constant currencies (increased by 3% as reported) from Q3 last year. At constant currencies, revenue remained flat compared to Q2 2025 (decreased by 4% as reported). This was at the higher end of our guidance of Q3 revenue to be in a range of flat to down 5% versus Q2 at constant currencies. Gross profit margin of 51.9% in Q3 2025 improved compared to 49.4% in Q3 last year, minor increase compared to 51.8% in Q2 2025. Q3 2025 margin remained healthy thanks to mix, including continued strong sales to China. Adjusted operating result margin of 30.9% increased by 2.7% points compared to the same period last year and slightly decreased by 0.6% points compared to previous quarter. The y-o-y improvement this quarter is mainly due to higher gross profit margin and a decrease in SG&A. Net earnings included a non-cash result of 181 million, related to the full reversal of the previous impairment of the ASMPT stake, reflecting the recovery in the market valuation of ASMPT. Comment "ASM reported strong quarterly profitability amidst mixed market conditions," said Hichem M'Saad, CEO of ASM. "Revenue increased 8% year-on-year to 800 million at constant currencies. Revenue was approximately flat at constant currency compared to Q2, landing at the high end of our previous guidance range. The year-on-year growth was primarily driven by a strong performance in our advanced logic/foundry business. Operating margin was robust at 31% following a strong gross margin and tight cost discipline on SG&A expenses, while increasing R&D investment by 10%, reinforcing our commitment to innovation and future readiness. Gross margin held strong at 51.9%, driven by positive mix effects, including sales from China which were lower than in Q2 but still at a relatively high level. Even with less favorable mix effects in Q4, we expect the gross margin for the full year 2025 to be around 51%. Bookings totaled 637 million, a 7% sequential decline at constant currencies, largely due to a substantial drop in bookings from China, including the impact from recently announced export restrictions, following a strong first half. Order intake in the advanced logic/foundry segment showed strong sequential growth, albeit with very mixed customer dynamics and below prior projections, as already communicated. Demand in the power/analog/wafer markets, including in SiC, continued to be weak. Orders for HBM-related advanced DRAM remained stable at healthy levels. We expect the subdued order trend to bottom out in Q4 at a slightly higher level than Q3. Quarterly orders are projected to pick up again as 2026 progresses. This is expected to be driven by: continued healthy advanced logic/foundry investments, including the start of 1.4nm pilot line investments in the second half of 2026; increasing investments in the DRAM segment; and a gradual recovery in (Si-based) power/analog/wafer segment. Demand in China is expected to normalize, as communicated previously, with a projected double-digit year-on-year decrease in 2026 China revenue. As shared during our Investor Day on September 23, 2025, we remain confident in our long-term growth trajectory. Recent industry announcements have reinforced expectations that AI will fuel solid growth in the semiconductor markets for many years to come. This will drive above-average growth in the advanced logic/foundry and DRAM markets. These trends align closely with ASM's core strength in ALD and Epi technologies. We are seeing evidence of this through new wins in Epi and ALD dipole and work function related layers in DRAM HBM for nodes expected to ramp in the next couple of years. In our Investor Day, we highlighted the increase of $450-500 million in our served available market with the transition to the 1.4nm gate-all-around technology, and the increase of $400-450 million in DRAM with the move to 4F technology starting in 2028 (both based on 100k wafer starts per month capacity). We have also stepped up our focus on the advanced packaging (AP) market, leveraging our chemistry and materials expertise and deposition capabilities, with some recent wins in ALD liner for through silicon via (TSV) applications in this segment. Supported by continued leadership in ALD and growing share in leading-edge Epi, we introduced a revenue target of more than 5.7 billion by 2030, implying a CAGR of at least 12% for the next several years." Outlook For Q4 2025, we expect revenue to be in a range of 630 to 660 million. For the full year 2025, we continue to expect revenue growth at close to 10% at constant currencies. Despite a projected slow start in 2026, we expect ASM revenue to grow in 2026. Share buyback program During the third quarter, on July 25, 2025, we completed the 150 million share buyback program that was started on April 30, 2025. In total, we repurchased 322,533 shares at an average price of 465.07, under the 2025 program. ASM Investor Day 2025 On September 23, 2025, ASM held its Investor Day, where Hichem M'Saad, CEO, and Paul Verhagen, CFO, together with other senior leaders, provided updates on our business, financial performance, and market outlook, and outlined our strategic priorities through 2030. Highlights included: Guidance 2027: revenue adjusted for currency only to 3.7-4.6 billion and margins increased. New guidance for 2030 is as follows: Revenue of more than 5.7 billion, representing a 2024-2030 CAGR of at least 12%, outperforming WFE. Gross margin target range increased to 47%-51% Operating margin target range increased to 28%-32%. Target >30% by 2030. Continue low double-digit % investment in net R&D while SG&A is expected to decrease to below 7% in 2030, both as % of total sales. Capex 150-250 million in years with infrastructure expansion and 100-200 million after main expansions are completed. Free cash flow is expected to increase to more than 1 billion by 2030. About ASM ASM International N.V., headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, and its subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and process solutions to produce semiconductor devices for wafer processing, and have facilities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol: ASM). For more information, visit ASM's website at www.asm.com. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations, pandemics, epidemics and other risks indicated in the company's reports and financial statements. The company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances. This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Quarterly earnings conference call details ASM will host the quarterly earnings conference call and webcast on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. CET. Conference-call participants should pre-register using this linkto receive the dial-in numbers, passcode and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call. A simultaneous audio webcast and replay will be accessible at this link. Contacts Investor and media relations Investor relations Victor Bareno Huiying Jing T: +31 88 100 8500 T: +31 88 100 8124 E: investor.relations@asm.com E: investor.relations@asm.com Attachment Clichy, France - October 28, 2025 THIRD QUARTER & NINE MONTHS 2025 NET SALES Soft performance in Q3 leading to 2025 outlook revision Announced divestiture of BIC's Cello activities in India Q3 2025 net sales were 519 million euros, up +0.3% at constant currency, down -3.3% excluding Tangle Teezer: Human Expression: Q3 net sales were 192 million euros, down -0.5% at constant currency. Continued sequential improvement was driven by a strong performance in the US. This solid growth was offset by poor results in Skin Creative, Rocketbook and Cello. Flame for Life: Q3 net sales were 175 million euros, down -4.3% at constant currency. Despite significant improvement since the beginning of the year, US market trends remained negative during the quarter. Performance was also challenging in Europe and Latin America. Q3 net sales were 175 million euros, down -4.3% at constant currency. Despite significant improvement since the beginning of the year, US market trends remained negative during the quarter. Performance was also challenging in Europe and Latin America. Blade Excellence: Q3 net sales were 146 million euros, up +7.4% at constant currency, and down -6.1% excluding Tangle Teezer. Deteriorating market trends in the US shaver segment and soft performance in Middle East and Africa more than offset growth in Brazil and Europe. Tangle Teezer contributed +3.6 points to the Group's growth in Q3, with double-digit net sales increase driven by solid performance across North America and Europe. Q3 net sales were 146 million euros, up +7.4% at constant currency, and down -6.1% excluding Tangle Teezer. Deteriorating market trends in the US shaver segment and soft performance in Middle East and Africa more than offset growth in Brazil and Europe. Announced sale of BIC's Cello activities in India1: Following a strategic review of BIC's activities in India, the Group concluded that the growth and profitability profile of its Cello manufacturing and commercial capabilities were no longer aligned with its ambitions. FY 2025 outlook updated: Following the soft performance in Q3, which is expected to continue in Q4 and after a thorough assessment of the tariffs landscape in the US, the Group now aims for: Net sales growth at constant currency in the range of -1% to -1.5%. at constant currency in the range of -1% to -1.5%. Adjusted EBIT margin at around 13.7%. at around 13.7%. Free Cash Flow at around 210 million. Group Net Sales Figures in million euros Q3 2024 Q3 2025 9M 2024 9M 2025 Net Sales 540 519 1,679 1,595 Change as reported (3.7) % (3.9) % (3.3) % (5.0) % Change on a comparative basis +2.7% (3.3) % +3.1% (5.4) % Change on a constant currency basis +2.7% +0.3% +3.1% (1.6) % Rob Versloot, CEO, commented : "As I begin my journey as CEO of BIC, I'm honored to lead a company with such a strong legacy and deep consumer trust, and I am excited about the opportunities ahead. 2025 is a challenging year for BIC. Our global operations have struggled in the face of a tough environment, and we experienced negative organic growth during the first nine months of the year. Our performance in the US continues to be challenged, while we saw areas of growth in other regions driven by value-added products and strong Back-to-School season in several countries. Tangle Teezer continued to perform strongly. However, other acquired businesses weighed negatively on our financial performance. One of my first actions was to complete the divestiture of our Cello activities in India. As a result, the revision of our 2025 outlook was a necessary step. My goal is to build a solid foundation for the Company while sharpening our focus on operations. I am determined to act swiftly to define a clear plan for the next chapter of BIC." 2025 Outlook updated Following thorough assessment of the tariffs landscape in the US, the outlook for 2025 now includes the full impact of tariffs: Net sales growth at constant currency is expected to be in the range of -1% to -1.5%. is expected to be Adjusted EBIT margin is expected to be around 13.7% . is expected to be . Free Cash Flow is expected to be around 210 million. Operational Trends by Division Human Expression in million euros Q3 2024 Q3 2025 9M 2024 9M 2025 Net Sales 200 192 652 598 Change as reported (7.0) % (4.0) % (3.4) % (8.4) % Change on a comparative basis (1.0) % (0.5) % +3.9% (5.6) % Change on a constant currency basis (1.0) % (0.5) % +3.9% (5.6) % 9M 2025 Human Expression net sales were down -5.6% at constant currency. Q3 2025 Human Expression net sales were down -0.5% at constant currency, a strong sequential improvement since the beginning of the year driven by solid performance in the US. In Europe , Q3 net sales were relatively flat at constant currency, driven by strong Back-to-school in Eastern Europe, Germany and the UK, offset by weaker performance in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. Continued distribution gains in the discounters' channel were also a key growth driver as BIC's net sales in this channel grew double digits during the quarter. Moreover, value-added and recently launched products performed well, such as the 4-Color Smooth, Intensity Paint markers and Break Resistant Mechanical pencils. , Q3 net sales were relatively flat at constant currency, driven by strong Back-to-school in Eastern Europe, Germany and the UK, offset by weaker performance in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy. Continued distribution gains in the discounters' channel were also a key growth driver as BIC's net sales in this channel grew double digits during the quarter. Moreover, value-added and recently launched products performed well, such as the 4-Color Smooth, Intensity Paint markers and Break Resistant Mechanical pencils. In North America , Q3 net sales grew high-single digits at constant currency, fueled by a solid performance in the US. In Q3, the US stationery market was slightly up (+0.7% 2 ), and BIC successfully maintained share driven by strong momentum at key retailers and outstanding performance in the Mechanical pencils segment. However, this strong growth in the core stationery business was partially offset by poor performance of our Skin Creative business and Rocketbook. , Q3 net sales grew high-single digits at constant currency, fueled by a solid performance in the US. In Q3, the US stationery market was slightly up (+0.7% ), and BIC successfully maintained share driven by strong momentum at key retailers and outstanding performance in the Mechanical pencils segment. However, this strong growth in the core stationery business was partially offset by poor performance of our Skin Creative business and Rocketbook. In Latin America, Q3 net sales declined high-single digits at constant currency, mainly due to a challenging market in Mexico with competitive intensity from private labels, however coloring and gel products performed well. In Brazil, Q3 net sales were slightly down at constant currency, a strong improvement compared to the first half of the year. Nevertheless, BIC experienced solid growth from higher value-added items such as 4-Colors and coloring pencils. In Middle East and Africa, net sales slightly grew at constant currency on a particularly strong comparable base in Q3 2024. Performance was driven by a solid Back-to-School season in the Middle East region, as well as net sales growth from the iconic BIC Cristal and Lucky Pen products in Nigeria, illustrating BIC's strong value proposition in the region. Flame for Life in million euros Q3 2024 Q3 2025 9M 2024 9M 2025 Net Sales 192 175 594 529 Change as reported (4.3) % (8.8) % (6.4) % (10.9) % Change on a comparative basis +1.3% (4.3) % (2.2) % (7.2) % Change on a constant currency basis +1.3% (4.3) % (2.2) % (7.2) % 9M 2025 Flame for Life net sales were down -7.2% at constant currency. Q3 2025 Flame for Life net sales were down -4.3% at constant currency. Despite significant progress in the US market trends since the beginning of the year, performance remained challenging in North America in Q3, as well as in Europe and Latin America. In Europe , Q3 net sales decreased mid-single digits at constant currency impacted by softer performance in Eastern Europe, Italy and Germany. However, BIC demonstrated solid growth in other countries, fueled by distribution gains particularly in France and the Netherlands in the utility lighters segment. Following recent launches in several countries, BIC's value-added lighter EZ Reach, continued to deliver strong performance. , Q3 net sales decreased mid-single digits at constant currency impacted by softer performance in Eastern Europe, Italy and Germany. However, BIC demonstrated solid growth in other countries, fueled by distribution gains particularly in France and the Netherlands in the utility lighters segment. Following recent launches in several countries, BIC's value-added lighter EZ Reach, continued to deliver strong performance. In North America , Q3 net sales were down mid-single digits at constant currency. In the US, the pocket lighter market improved significantly since the beginning of the year and was down -2.0% in value in Q3 and BIC maintained share. However, the decline in the utility lighter market accelerated in Q3, at -4.1% in value 3 . In this context, BIC's sell-in performance remained challenging. , Q3 net sales were down mid-single digits at constant currency. In the US, the pocket lighter market improved significantly since the beginning of the year and was down -2.0% in value in Q3 and BIC maintained share. However, the decline in the utility lighter market accelerated in Q3, at -4.1% in value . In this context, BIC's sell-in performance remained challenging. In Latin America , Q3 net sales decreased mid-single digits at constant currency, with soft performances in both Mexico and Brazil. In Mexico, despite solid growth in decorated lighters, BIC faced strong competition from low-cost lighters. In Brazil, while BIC continued to outperform in the utility lighter segment, performance was negatively impacted by the overall lighter market slowdown and heavier competition. , Q3 net sales decreased mid-single digits at constant currency, with soft performances in both Mexico and Brazil. In Mexico, despite solid growth in decorated lighters, BIC faced strong competition from low-cost lighters. In Brazil, while BIC continued to outperform in the utility lighter segment, performance was negatively impacted by the overall lighter market slowdown and heavier competition. In Middle East and Africa, Q3 net sales were up low-single digits at constant currency. While BIC's net sales remain small in the region, the Group grew high-single digits since the beginning of the year, driven by geographical expansion, distribution gains and new product launches, particularly in its biggest markets such as Morocco and Nigeria. Blade Excellence in million euros Q3 2024 Q3 2025 9M 2024 9M 2025 Net Sales 142 146 413 448 Change as reported +2.1% +2.6% +1.4% +8.5% Change on a comparative basis +10.5% (6.1) % +10.2% (3.0) % Change on a constant currency basis +10.5% +7.4% +10.2% +12.8% 9M 2025 Blade Excellence net sales were up +12.8% at constant currency mainly driven by the positive contribution from Tangle Teezer. Net sales were down -3.0% excluding Tangle Teezer. Q3 2025 Blade Excellence net sales were up +7.4% at constant currency driven by Tangle Teezer, which continued to grow double-digits. Excluding Tangle Teezer, net sales were down -6.1%, notably due to challenging market trends in the US and poor performance in the Middle East and Africa. In Europe , Q3 net sales were significantly up, driven by Tangle Teezer. Excluding Tangle Teezer, net sales slightly increased, driven by further distribution gains in Eastern Europe and the continued success of value-added products such as BIC Hybrid Flex 5, BIC Soleil Click 3 and BIC Flex 5 Sensitive. , Q3 net sales were significantly up, driven by Tangle Teezer. Excluding Tangle Teezer, net sales slightly increased, driven by further distribution gains in Eastern Europe and the continued success of value-added products such as BIC Hybrid Flex 5, BIC Soleil Click 3 and BIC Flex 5 Sensitive. In North America , net sales were down low-single digits at constant currency. Excluding Tangle Teezer, net sales decreased double digits due to difficult market trends in the drug and discount channels and continued competitive pressure. BIC's reduced promotional activity versus last year also negatively impacted performance. The decline in the US disposable shaver market accelerated in Q3 to -4.6% in value and BIC lost 0.5 pts of share 4 . However, recently launched value-added products delivered solid results, such as the BIC Flex 5 and BIC Soleil Glide shavers. , net sales were down low-single digits at constant currency. Excluding Tangle Teezer, net sales decreased double digits due to difficult market trends in the drug and discount channels and continued competitive pressure. BIC's reduced promotional activity versus last year also negatively impacted performance. The decline in the US disposable shaver market accelerated in Q3 to -4.6% in value and BIC lost 0.5 pts of share . However, recently launched value-added products delivered solid results, such as the BIC Flex 5 and BIC Soleil Glide shavers. In Latin America , Q3 net sales increased low-single digits at constant currency, fueled by robust growth in Brazil with the success of value-added products in the triple-blade range such as BIC Comfort 3 and in the five-blade range such as BIC Soleil Escape. However, this was partially offset by a decline in Mexico, negatively impacted by challenging market trends and a highly competitive environment. , Q3 net sales increased low-single digits at constant currency, fueled by robust growth in Brazil with the success of value-added products in the triple-blade range such as BIC Comfort 3 and in the five-blade range such as BIC Soleil Escape. However, this was partially offset by a decline in Mexico, negatively impacted by challenging market trends and a highly competitive environment. In Middle East and Africa, net sales were down double-digits at constant currency, impacted by poor performance in North Africa and competitive intensity in South Africa. This more than offset distribution gains for BIC's Flex and Soleil ranges in Nigeria and the Middle East region. BIC ANNOUNCES THE DIVESTITURE OF ITS CELLO ACTIVITIES IN INDIA BIC announces today that it has signed an agreement to sell its Cello stationery activities in India to a consortium of investors led by Authum Investment & Infrastructure Limited. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. Following a strategic review of BIC's activities in India, the Group concluded that the growth and profitability profile of its Cello manufacturing and commercial capabilities were no longer aligned with its ambitions. This transaction is not expected to have a material impact on the Group's net sales or adjusted EBIT margin in 2025. Rob Versloot, CEO, said: "This transaction marks a first step to prepare the new chapter of the Group. Despite our repeated turnaround efforts, the performance of our Cello activities has not met our ambitions. It is my responsibility to sharpen our focus and act swiftly, while continuing to invest with determination in markets where we have a winning strategy." Appendix Net sales by geography (in million euros) 2024 2025 % as reported % on a comparative basis % at constant currency Q3 Group 540 519 (3.9) % (3.3) % +0.3% Europe 175 183 +4.6% (0.9) % +5.6% North America 198 185 (6.6) % (4.3) % (0.4) % Latin America 99 91 (8.7) % (2.9) % (2.9) % Middle East and Africa 45 42 (7.0) % (4.8) % (4.8) % Asia and Oceania 22 18 (19.7) % (11.9) % (11.9) % 9M Group 1,679 1,595 (5.0) % (5.4) % (1.6) % Europe 548 578 +5.4% (1.4) % +5.8% North America 622 570 (8.5) % (9.8) % (5.7) % Latin America 318 270 (14.9) % (4.4) % (4.4) % Middle East and Africa 126 122 (3.3) % (2.1) % (2.1) % Asia and Oceania 65 56 (14.4) % (9.2) % (9.2) % Net sales by division (in million euros) 2024 2025 % as reported FX impact Perimeter impact Change on a comparative basis Q3 Group 540 519 (3.9) % (4.2) % +3.6% (3.3) % Human Expression 200 192 (4.0) % (3.5) % +0.0% (0.5) % Flame for Life 192 175 (8.8) % (4.5) % +0.0% (4.3) % Blade Excellence 142 146 +2.6% (4.8) % +13.5% (6.1) % Other products 7 7 +2.0% (0.0) % +0.0% +2.0% 9M Group 1,679 1,595 (5.0) % (3.4) % +3.8% (5.4) % Human Expression 652 598 (8.4) % (2.8) % +0.0% (5.6) % Flame for Life 594 529 (10.9) % (3.7) % +0.0% (7.2) % Blade Excellence 413 448 +8.5% (4.3) % +15.8% (3.0) % Other products 20 21 +2.3% +0.1% +0.0% +2.2% Impact of change in perimeter and currency fluctuations on net sales in % Q3 2024 Q3 2025 9M 2024 9M 2025 Perimeter - +3.6 - +3.8 Currencies (2.7) (4.2) (2.1) (3.4) of which USD (0.3) (2.3) (0.1) (1.0) of which BRL (1.3) (0.4) (0.4) (0.9) of which MXN (0.6) (0.1) - (0.6) of which ARS (3.7) (0.4) (4.3) (0.5) of which CAD (0.1) (0.2) - (0.1) of which NGN (0.6) +0.0 (0.8) (0.1) of which TRY (0.2) (0.3) (0.6) (0.2) of which RUB and UAH +0.1 +0.1 (0.3) +0.0 Glossary Constant currency basis: Change at constant currency figures are calculated by translating the current year figures at prior year average exchange rates. Change at constant currency figures are calculated by translating the current year figures at prior year average exchange rates. Comparative basis: Change at constant currency and constant perimeter. A presentation related to this announcement is also available on the BIC website (www.bic.com). This document contains forward-looking statements. Although BIC believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties. A description of the risks borne by BIC appears in the section "Risk Factors and Management" in BIC's 2024 Universal Registration Document (URD) filed with the French financial markets authority (AMF) on March 27, 2025. Conference call BIC's Q3 2025 net sales conference call and webcast will be hosted by Rob Versloot, CEO, and Chris Dayton, interim CFO, on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 8:30 AM CET: To participate in the webcast: https://bic.engagestream.companywebcast.com/2025-10-29-q3 To participate in the conference call: From France: +33 (0) 1 70 37 71 66 From the UK: +44 (0) 33 0551 0200 From the USA: +1 786 697 3501 Vocal access code: BIC Contacts Brice Paris VP Investor Relations +33 6 42 87 54 73 brice.paris@bicworld.com Investor Relations investors.info@bicworld.com Bethridge Toovell VP Global Communications +1 917 821 4249 bethridge.toovell@bicworld.com Isabelle de Segonzac Image 7, Press Relations contact +33 6 89 87 61 39 isegonzac@image7.fr Agenda All dates to be confirmed Full Year 2025 Results February 24, 2026 First Quarter 2026 Net Sales April 28, 2026 Annual General Meeting May 20, 2026 About BIC A global leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers, BIC brings simplicity and joy to everyday life. For 80 years, BIC's commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable, and trusted products has established BIC as a symbol of reliability and innovation. With a presence in over 160 countries, and over 13,000 team members worldwide, BIC's portfolio includes iconic brands and products such as BIC 4-Color, BodyMark, Cristal, Inkbox, BIC Kids, Lucky, Rocketbook, Tattly, Tipp-Ex, Wite-Out, Djeep, EZ Load, EZ Reach, BIC Flex, Soleil, Tangle Teezer and more. Listed on Euronext Paris and included in the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes, BIC is also recognized for its steadfast commitments to sustainability and education. For more, visit www.corporate.bic.com and to see BIC's full range of products visit www.bic.com. Follow BIC on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. 1 See page 6 2 Circana data in value: period from July to September 2025 3 Circana data in value: period from July to September 2025. Estimated total lighter measured market (c.70% total market coverage) 4 Circana data in value: period from July to September 2025 BH Macro Limited - Transaction in Own Shares PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, October 28 BH Macro Limited (the "Company") (a closed-ended collective investment scheme established as a company with limited liability under the laws of Guernsey with registered number 46235) Transaction in Own Shares 28 October 2025 BH Macro Limited (the Company) announces today it has purchased the following number of its ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange from J.P. Morgan Securities plc: Ordinary Shares: - Share Class US Dollar Sterling Date of purchase: 28 October 2025 28 October Number of ordinary shares purchased: 31,074 96,025 Lowest price per share (pence) 4.10 403.00 Highest price per share (pence) 4.14 403.00 Trading venue London London Aggregate volume per date per trading venue: 31,074 96,025 Weighted average price per day per trading venue (pence): 4.1309 403.0000 The Company intends to hold the purchased shares in treasury. Following the above share transactions of the relevant US Dollar and Sterling Shares, the total number of shares in issue in each share class of the Company will be as follows: Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding Treasury) Ordinary Shares held in Treasury 321,233,543 Sterling Shares 55,861,029 Sterling Shares 25,302,981 Dollar Shares 71,863 Dollar Shares From 28 October 2025, the total number of voting rights in the Company (rounded up to the whole number) is 491,779,989. Enquiries: Company website: www.bhmacro.com William Simmonds JPMorgan Cazenove Tel: 020 7588 2828 The Company Secretary Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited Tel: 01481 745001 North Yorkshire, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Natura Flooring, part of Italy's prestigious Florian Group, has officially launched in the UK with a new 6,000 sq ft site near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, opening the door to authentic Italian-made wood flooring for British homeowners, architects, and designers. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8530/271180_247537e1149a8bd8_001full.jpg Every Natura floor is 100% made in Italy from superior European oak and walnut. Crafted by skilled artisans using traditional methods and modern precision. The result is a non-toxic, family safe range that combines timeless beauty, structural integrity, and environmental responsibility, offering Italian quality at prices that remain surprisingly attainable while being shipped from the UK. "We started this new distribution because the UK is a fantastic market that deserves to understand what true wood flooring really means," said Silvia Florian, Director of Natura Flooring and a member of the founding Florian family. "With Natura, we make it possible for every customer to have beautifully crafted, responsibly sourced Italian floors that are built to last, without paying premium prices." The Harrogate facility, located just off the A1 at Junction 47, spans 6,000 square feet and holds more than 1,000 square metres of each flooring range, allowing for rapid next-day delivery and standard delivery within two business days. The site operates by appointment only, offering customers a personalised experience to view collections and discuss their projects directly with the team. A dedicated on-site showroom is under construction and will open in 2026, complementing the existing Northampton showroom. The investment has already created seven local jobs and established a strong UK base for stock, service, and customer support. All Natura products are FSC certified and comply with the European Timber Regulation (EUTR), guaranteeing full traceability and sustainable sourcing from controlled European forests. The brand's partnership with the Florian Group ensures every stage of production, from forest to finished plank, follows environmentally conscious practices using renewable energy and zero-waste principles. Oliver Dodds, UK Sales Manager at Natura Flooring, added: "Imagine walking across a floor crafted with the same precision, beauty, and soul that defines Italian design. That's exactly what Natura Flooring is bringing to the UK. We're thrilled to be able to bring the feet of this country the feel of Italian luxury." Natura's collections include Engineered Wood Flooring, Solid Wood Flooring, and The Family Floor, a patented hybrid line exclusive to the Florian Group. The Florian Group's heritage spans more than 50 years and includes collaborations on world-renowned projects. Now, that same craftsmanship and passion are available to British homes and design professionals. About Natura Flooring: Natura Flooring, brings timeless beauty of wood flooring into your home, combining premium quality with exceptional design. Natura is the UK's new and emerging wood flooring retailer, and proud to be sister company to Florian, a world-renowned manufacturer based in Venice, Italy. With decades of expertise, Natura deliver expertly crafted floors that blend Italian artistry with the finest European materials. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/271180 SOURCE: GYT CEC earns triple honours from the Financial Times' fDi Intelligence: Ranked #6 globally, named Knowledge Zone of the Year in the Americas, and Global Runner-Up GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) has been recognised as one of the world's leading free zones, securing the sixth position in the Top Ten Global Free Zones by the Financial Times' fDi Intelligence. As the only Caribbean free zone to make it into the global top 10, CEC stands out as a future-ready hub for innovation and knowledge-based industries. In addition to this prestigious global ranking, CEC has earned the Knowledge Zone of the Year in the Americas and was commended as the runner-up in the global ranking within the same category, further solidifying its international reputation. "CEC's recognition on the global stage is compelling evidence of its success in providing a strong platform for world-class tech business and innovation, one that uniquely reflects Cayman's pioneering qualities and entrepreneurial spirit," said Hon. Andre Ebanks, Premier of the Cayman Islands. "CEC's success in driving industry diversification and harnessing top talent is increasingly producing job, business, and training opportunities for young Caymanians which is exciting for our country." The highly competitive fDi Awards, evaluated by a panel of international and external judges, recognises free zones that excel in creating value for their regions. "The global runner-up in the world's best knowledge zones is Cayman Enterprise City." Announced fDi Intelligence. "The [CEC] free zone, founded in 2011, has evolved into a bustling innovation hub with 'plug-and-play' infrastructure for services companies. The judging panel gave high marks for its pitch to investors. Alongside flexible workplaces and IT infrastructure, the zone offers mentorships, internships and marketing support to companies through its non-profit partner Cayman Enterprise." CEC's socio-economic impact is significant. Since inception, CEC has generated over USD $1.07 billion in local economic activity, is home to more than 450 special economic zone companies and delivers 4,200+ professional development opportunities including 200+ events annually through its nonprofit, Enterprise Cayman. With above-average wages and a focus on Caymanian workforce development, CEC is helping to build a resilient, inclusive, and innovation-driven economy. "For the past 14 years, we have been developing what we consider to be a globally unique innovation ecosystem, one that blends business licensing services and physical office space solutions with community engagement, workforce development, and entrepreneurship support services for businesses of all sizes and at all stages of development. We are delighted to be recognised by fDi Intelligence for the quality of our work," said Charlie Kirkconnell, CEO of Cayman Enterprise City. "These awards reaffirm that our offering is amongst the world's best solutions for knowledge and technology businesses and reflect the strength of our vibrant and growing ecosystem that continues to positively shape the future of the Cayman Islands." As global markets become increasingly fragmented and talent-driven, CEC offers a high quality, stable, scalable, and future-proof platform for companies navigating complex global environments. With tax neutrality through 2061, fast-track business and work visa licensing, plug-and-play infrastructure, and a dynamic community, CEC is uniquely positioned as a strategic base for growth. For more information, visit caymanenterprisecity.com. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact: Kaitlyn Elphinstone Call: +1 345 945-3722 Email: kje@caymanenterprisecity.com Website: caymanenterprisecity.com LinkedIn: @CaymanEnterpriseCity Instagram: @CaymanEnterpriseCity Facebook: @CaymanEnterpriseCity YouTube: @ceccayman About Cayman Enterprise City Cayman Enterprise City (CEC) is an award-winning development project which consists of three special economic zones focused on attracting knowledge-based and specialised-services businesses to set up a physical presence in the Cayman Islands. The zones included within CEC are Cayman Tech City (CTC), Cayman Commodities & Derivatives Centre (CCDC) and Cayman Maritime & Aviation City (CMAC). With a dedicated Government Authority, licensing fee concessions and guaranteed fast-track processes, CEC enables international companies to quickly and efficiently establish a Cayman Islands office, which in turn enables them to generate active business income within a tax neutral environment. About Enterprise Cayman Enterprise Cayman is a non-profit organisation (NPO) powered by Cayman Enterprise City in partnership with Cayman Islands' special economic zone companies (SEZCos). The organisation, which applies the Theory of Change (TOC) methodology, provides Caymanians and residents with access to high-quality learning experiences and opportunities to develop and launch new business ventures, to pursue careers within the technology and innovation sectors, and to join a dynamic network of industry professionals. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2795918/Cayman_Enterprise_City.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2795919/Cayman_Enterprise_City_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cayman-enterprise-city-secures-6-spot-in-prestigious-global-free-zone-rankings-302597293.html Revolutionary Platform Design Marks Major Evolution in AI Infrastructure, Eliminating Traditional CPU Requirements While Delivering Breakthrough Performance Density, Linear Scalability and Exceptional Power Efficiency for Enterprise AI Factories WASHINGTON and CAMPBELL, Calif., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From GTC Washington, D.C. 2025: WEKA today announced that it is developing the next generation of NeuralMesh by WEKA, its intelligent storage system, for the newly announced NVIDIA BlueField-4 data processing unit (DPU) , marking a transformational shift in how AI infrastructure will be architected and deployed. This groundbreaking approach eliminates the need for standalone CPU servers, instead leveraging the unprecedented 800 Gb/s networking bandwidth and 6x compute improvement of NVIDIA BlueField-4 to deliver what WEKA CEO Liran Zvibel hails as "the perfect foundation for the future of AI data infrastructure." Reimagining AI Infrastructure Architecture Rather than deploying NeuralMesh on traditional servers with separate CPUs, the new generation of WEKA's NeuralMesh storage software will run directly on NVIDIA BlueField-4, fundamentally simplifying AI infrastructure deployment while dramatically improving economics, performance, and power efficiency. This architectural shift represents WEKA's most substantial alignment yet with NVIDIA's infrastructure roadmap and vision for the AI data center. The Perfect Complement to Modern AI Infrastructure NVIDIA BlueField-4 brings programmable infrastructure, acceleration, zero-trust security, and massive networking capabilities that align seamlessly with NeuralMesh's microservices-based mesh architecture. When paired with NVIDIA's latest accelerated compute platforms, BlueField-4 and NeuralMesh create a unified, efficient foundation for gigascale AI factories. "The rapid evolution of AI demands intelligent data infrastructure that can adapt and scale with unprecedented efficiency," said Liran Zvibel, co-founder and CEO at WEKA. "WEKA's NeuralMesh architecture, built for NVIDIA BlueField-4, is a tremendous leap forward, providing the foundational storage for next-generation AI factories." "The demands of AI reasoning and other inference workloads require a new foundation for data infrastructure - one that unifies compute, network, and storage for unprecedented efficiency and scale," said Justin Boitano, vice president, Enterprise Products, NVIDIA. "With NVIDIA BlueField-4 integration, WEKA's NeuralMesh storage system supports this architectural transformation to power efficient data processing in gigascale AI factories." Benefits of the BlueField-4-Powered Architecture WEKA's next-generation NeuralMesh storage system, built on BlueField-4, will deliver: Exceptional Power Efficiency: Delivering over 100x tokens/watt improvement for agentic AI workflows Delivering over 100x tokens/watt improvement for agentic AI workflows Simplified Infrastructure : Eliminates the need for dedicated storage servers with standalone CPUs, reducing complexity and footprint. : Eliminates the need for dedicated storage servers with standalone CPUs, reducing complexity and footprint. Superior Economics : Dramatically lowers infrastructure costs by consolidating compute, networking, and storage functions. : Dramatically lowers infrastructure costs by consolidating compute, networking, and storage functions. Enhanced Performance : Leverages BlueField-4's 800 Gb/s networking and 6x compute improvement for unmatched data movement speeds. : Leverages BlueField-4's 800 Gb/s networking and 6x compute improvement for unmatched data movement speeds. Seamless Integration : Aligns with NVIDIA's infrastructure roadmap and AI factory architectures. : Aligns with NVIDIA's infrastructure roadmap and AI factory architectures. Zero-Trust Security: Built-in security acceleration and tenant isolation at line rate through the NVIDIA DOCA software framework . A Collaboration for the Age of Reasoning WEKA and NVIDIA have collaborated closely for close to a decade, spanning NVIDIA AI Enterprise software , WEKA's achievement of multiple NVIDIA certifications, and collaboration on the introduction of new NVIDIA technologies. NeuralMesh storage software built on BlueField-4 represents WEKA's deepest integration of NVIDIA technologies yet. "Power efficiency is key to bringing gigascale AI factories online. NVIDIA BlueField-4 and WEKA's NeuralMesh storage software will directly address this challenge, delivering breakthrough tokens-per-watt efficiency without compromising performance, scale, or operational simplicity. We view NeuralMesh's integration with BlueField-4 as a strategic growth engine that can simplify and accelerate Enterprise AI factory deployments for our customers," said Nilesh Patel, chief strategy officer at WEKA. Availability and Next Steps WEKA is actively developing its next-generation NeuralMesh software release for NVIDIA BlueField-4, with detailed roadmap information to be shared with customers and partners in early 2026. Organizations interested in learning more about WEKA's NeuralMesh architecture can contact WEKA directly or visit www.weka.io . About WEKA WEKA is transforming how organizations build, run, and scale AI workflows with NeuralMesh by WEKA, its intelligent, adaptive mesh storage system. Unlike traditional data infrastructure, which becomes slower and more fragile as workloads expand, NeuralMesh becomes faster, stronger, and more efficient as it scales, growing dynamically with AI environments to provide a flexible foundation for enterprise AI and agentic AI innovation. Trusted by 30% of the Fortune 50, NeuralMesh helps leading enterprises, AI cloud providers, and AI builders optimize their GPUs, scale AI faster, and lower their innovation costs. Learn more at www.weka.io or connect with us on LinkedIn and X . WEKA and the W logo are registered trademarks of WekaIO, Inc. Other trade names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2806613/Weka_nvidia_AI_Factory.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1796062/WEKA_v1_Logo_new.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/weka-announces-new-neuralmesh-architecture-built-for-nvidia-bluefield-4-302596764.html PUNE, India, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A pivotal new report from Credence Research forecasts transformative growth for the Global Wireless Condition Monitoring Services Market, underscoring a fundamental shift in how industries maintain critical assets. The market, valued at USD 1,090.97 million in 2018, grew significantly to USD 2,166.84 million in 2024. This upward trajectory is set to accelerate, with the market anticipated to reach an impressive USD 5,633.97 million by 2032, expanding at a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.82% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2032. This exponential growth is being propelled by the convergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the decreasing cost of wireless sensor technology, and an urgent enterprise-wide demand for predictive maintenance strategies to minimize costly unplanned downtime. Wireless Condition Monitoring (WCM) services enable industrial operators to move beyond reactive or calendar-based maintenance, allowing them to continuously track the health of their machinery in real-time. By leveraging a service-based model, companies can access advanced analytics and expert insights without the substantial upfront investment and specialized expertise required for an in-house program, thereby democratizing access to next-generation maintenance intelligence. Browse the report and understand how it can benefit your business strategy - https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/wireless-condition-monitoring-services-market Market Overview The Wireless Condition Monitoring Services Market represents a comprehensive, service-oriented approach to industrial asset management. It moves beyond the mere sale of hardware, providing an end-to-end solution that encompasses wireless sensors, data transmission networks, cloud-based software platforms, and, most critically, the data analysis and expert interpretation needed to generate actionable insights. This service model allows industrial plants to monitor the health of their machinery-tracking key parameters like vibration, temperature, acoustics, and power consumption-without the need for cumbersome and expensive hardwired installations. The market's significant expansion from USD 2,166.84 million in 2024 to a projected USD 5,633.97 million by 2032 highlights a profound industry transition from traditional, manual inspection routes to continuous, automated, data-driven monitoring. At its core, the WCM service model is designed to detect the early signs of mechanical fatigue and failure. By identifying subtle changes in operational data, these systems can predict impending breakdowns weeks or even months in advance. This capability is the cornerstone of predictive maintenance (PdM), a strategy that allows maintenance activities to be scheduled precisely when needed, thereby avoiding both catastrophic failures and unnecessary servicing of healthy equipment. The benefits are substantial, including drastically reduced unplanned downtime, extended asset lifespan, improved operational safety, and optimized allocation of maintenance resources. The service-based nature of this market is particularly appealing, as it shifts the burden of technology management-from sensor deployment and network maintenance to data analysis and platform updates-from the client to the specialized service provider. This allows the client to focus on their core competency: acting on the clear, prescriptive maintenance recommendations delivered by the service. The market is defined by this partnership, which delivers not just data, but actionable intelligence as a service. Key Growth Determinants The Proliferation of Industry 4.0 and IIoT: The global push towards Industry 4.0 and the creation of "smart factories" is the primary catalyst for the WCM services market. In these interconnected industrial ecosystems, real-time data is the lifeblood of operational efficiency. WCM services provide the essential sensory input for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), feeding crucial machine health data into digital twins, advanced analytics platforms, and automated control systems. As companies digitize their operations to gain a competitive edge, the need for continuous, wireless monitoring of all critical assets becomes a foundational requirement, not just an option. Shift Towards Predictive Maintenance (PdM): Businesses are aggressively moving away from outdated maintenance strategies. Reactive maintenance ("fix it when it breaks") is incredibly costly due to unplanned downtime and collateral damage. Preventive maintenance (servicing on a fixed schedule) is inefficient, often leading to the unnecessary replacement of healthy components. WCM services enable true Predictive Maintenance, using live data trends to forecast failures before they occur. The clear and compelling ROI-achieved through maximized asset uptime, reduced maintenance costs, and extended equipment life-makes the adoption of PdM a top strategic priority for industrial operators worldwide. Decreasing Cost and Advancements in Sensor Technology: The economic feasibility of large-scale WCM deployment has been transformed by innovations in sensor technology. Advances in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocols like LoRaWAN have made wireless sensors dramatically cheaper, smaller, and more energy-efficient. This has drastically lowered the financial barrier to entry, making it viable to monitor not only the most critical machinery but also a much wider range of secondary or previously hard-to-reach assets. This improved accessibility and cost-effectiveness are crucial for expanding the market's reach into new applications and industries. Key Growth Barriers Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Risks: As WCM services rely on transmitting sensitive operational data over wireless networks to cloud platforms, they introduce significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Asset owners are rightly concerned about the potential for cyberattacks, which could lead to data breaches, manipulation of machine health data, or even operational sabotage. A compromised system could result in either missed failure predictions or false alarms, eroding trust and causing significant financial damage. Establishing robust, end-to-end security protocols, including data encryption and secure network architecture, is paramount to overcoming this major adoption barrier. Complexity of Integration with Legacy Systems: Many industrial facilities are "brownfield" sites, operating with a diverse mix of modern and aging legacy equipment and control systems. Integrating a new WCM service with these existing systems, such as a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or a plant historian, can be technically challenging and expensive. The lack of universal interoperability standards often necessitates significant customization and IT resources. This integration complexity can delay deployment, increase the total cost of ownership, and act as a significant deterrent for companies without dedicated in-house IT and OT (operational technology) integration expertise. Shortage of Skilled Data Analysts and Reliability Experts: The WCM service model generates a tremendous volume of complex data, especially from vibration and acoustic sensors. The true value of this data is only unlocked through expert analysis and interpretation. However, there is a global shortage of skilled reliability engineers and data scientists who possess the domain expertise to accurately diagnose specific fault conditions (like bearing wear or misalignment) from raw data. While AI is beginning to fill this gap, many services still rely on human experts, and the scarcity of this talent can limit a provider's ability to scale and deliver high-quality insights consistently. Preview the report with a detailed sample and understand how it can benefit your business strategy. Request a free sample today - https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/wireless-condition-monitoring-services-market Key Market Trends AI and Machine Learning for Automated Diagnostics: The most transformative trend in the market is the deep integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning into the core service platforms. These advanced algorithms are moving beyond simple threshold-based alerts to perform automated, sophisticated diagnostics that once required a human expert. AI can identify complex fault patterns, accurately predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of components, and even provide prescriptive recommendations for repair. This trend is creating a new paradigm of "AI-as-a-Service," making advanced predictive maintenance more accurate, scalable, and accessible to a broader market. Rise of End-to-End "Turnkey" Service Models: Customers are increasingly demanding comprehensive, hassle-free solutions. This is driving the trend towards end-to-end "turnkey" or "monitoring-as-a-service" models. In this approach, the service provider handles everything: initial site assessment, sensor selection and installation, network setup, cloud hosting, data analysis, and final reporting. The client simply subscribes to a flow of actionable insights. This model abstracts away all the technological complexity, significantly lowering the barrier to adoption for companies that lack the internal resources or expertise to manage a condition monitoring program on their own. Fusion of Multiple Sensor Modalities for Holistic Insights: Leading service providers are moving beyond monitoring a single parameter and are instead embracing sensor fusion. This trend involves combining and correlating data from multiple, disparate sensor types-such as vibration, temperature, ultrasonic, motor current, and oil analysis-on a single analytics platform. By analyzing these different data streams in concert, the system can provide a far more accurate and holistic assessment of machine health. This multi-modality approach enables the detection of a wider range of potential failure modes with much greater confidence and diagnostic precision. Key Opportunities Expansion into Underserved Industrial and Commercial Sectors: While traditional heavy industries like oil and gas, power generation, and manufacturing are primary adopters, a massive opportunity exists in expanding WCM services to underserved sectors. These include renewable energy (monitoring wind turbine gearboxes and solar panel trackers), water/wastewater treatment facilities, mining operations, transportation and logistics (fleet vehicle health), and even large-scale commercial HVAC systems. Developing tailored, cost-effective service packages for the unique assets and failure modes of these verticals represents a significant avenue for market growth. Development of Scalable Packages for SMEs: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute a vast, largely untapped market for WCM services. These companies face the same pressures to maintain uptime but often lack the capital and expertise for traditional programs. A significant opportunity lies in creating scalable, affordable, and easy-to-deploy service packages designed specifically for the needs of SMEs. Offering a "starter kit" with a few sensors and a simplified, user-friendly analytics dashboard could democratize predictive maintenance, opening up a high-volume market segment that has been previously priced out. Integration with Digital Twins and Augmented Reality (AR): The future of industrial services lies in deeper integration with other Industry 4.0 technologies. There is a powerful opportunity to feed the real-time data from WCM services directly into a company's digital twin initiatives. This allows for highly accurate, physics-based simulations of asset health and performance. A further opportunity is to connect this data to Augmented Reality (AR) platforms. A maintenance technician wearing AR glasses could look at a machine and see its live health data and step-by-step repair instructions overlaid directly onto their field of view, dramatically improving maintenance efficiency and accuracy. Segmentation By Monitoring Parameter Wireless Vibration Monitoring Services Wireless Temperature Monitoring Services Wireless Lubrication / Oil Condition Monitoring Services By Connectivity Technology Wi-Fi-Based Monitoring Services Bluetooth-Enabled Monitoring Services Zigbee / LoRaWAN Monitoring Services Cellular (4G/5G) Monitoring Services Others By End-Use Industry Oil & Gas Power Generation & Utilities Manufacturing Automotive Mining & Metals Others Based on the Geography: North America U.S. Canada Mexico Europe UK France Germany Italy Spain Russia Belgium Netherlands Austria Sweden Poland Denmark Switzerland Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan South Korea India Australia Thailand Indonesia Vietnam Malaysia Philippines Taiwan Rest of Asia Pacific Latin America Brazil Argentina Peru Chile Colombia Rest of Latin America Middle East UAE KSA Israel Turkey Iran Rest of Middle East Africa Egypt Nigeria Algeria Morocco Rest of Africa Regional Analysis North America currently commands the largest share of the global market, driven by high labor costs and a relentless focus on operational efficiency and asset uptime in its mature industrial sectors, including oil and gas, manufacturing, and power generation. The region's leadership in technology and the strong presence of key IIoT and cloud computing firms further catalyze the adoption of advanced WCM services. Europe is another key market, with Germany's powerful Industrie 4.0 initiative serving as a major catalyst. The continent's formidable automotive, chemical, and heavy manufacturing industries are significant adopters of predictive maintenance strategies. Furthermore, stringent safety, environmental, and energy efficiency regulations create strong incentives for companies to invest in continuous monitoring solutions to ensure compliance and optimize performance. The Asia Pacific region is forecast to be the fastest-growing market. Rapid industrialization, the presence of the world's largest manufacturing hubs, and strong government support for "smart factory" initiatives in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea are fueling explosive demand. As companies in the region grapple with rising labor costs and the need to maintain global competitiveness, the adoption of automated WCM services is becoming a strategic imperative. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also showing steady growth, primarily within their asset-intensive mining and energy sectors. Credence Research's Competitive Landscape Analysis The competitive landscape of the Wireless Condition Monitoring Services Market is a dynamic and multifaceted arena. It is populated by large, established industrial automation giants such as Emerson Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., General Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Siemens AG, which leverage their deep domain expertise and extensive customer relationships to offer integrated WCM services. This segment is complemented by specialized condition monitoring veterans like SKF and Fluke Corporation, which are transitioning their hardware-centric models to include more robust service offerings. A third crucial element is a vibrant and growing ecosystem of agile IIoT startups and pure-play service providers who compete on innovation, user experience, and AI-driven analytics. The basis of competition is rapidly shifting from the hardware itself to the sophistication, scalability, and user-friendliness of the software platform and the quality of the predictive insights and reports generated. Strategic partnerships between sensor manufacturers, cloud platform providers, and analytics software companies are becoming increasingly vital for delivering comprehensive, market-leading solutions. Key Player Analysis Emerson Electric Co. SKF Group Honeywell International Inc. Siemens AG Schneider Electric SE ABB Ltd. General Electric (GE Vernova) Recent Industry Developments In September 2025, Siemens introduced the next-generation Simatic Edge AI platform for condition monitoring. The upgraded system analyzes vibration and thermal data locally, enabling real-time maintenance without cloud dependency. This reduces data traffic and strengthens cybersecurity for automotive and process industries. In July 2025, Rockwell Automation partnered with Microsoft to deploy Azure AI-powered condition monitoring across North American factories. The integration of Rockwell's FactoryTalk software with Microsoft's cloud tools helps manufacturers predict equipment failures up to 30 days in advance. In July 2025, Siemens and Bosch collaborated to integrate Bosch's IoT-enabled motor monitoring system with Siemens' MindSphere platform, offering a unified predictive maintenance and energy efficiency solution. In May 2025, Emerson Electric launched advanced wireless sensors for remote oil and gas sites, featuring 10-year battery life and built-in edge analytics to detect early bearing wear and pump cavitation. In April 2025, Emerson Electric also introduced AI-enhanced vibration monitoring devices to advance predictive maintenance capabilities. In March 2025, ABB announced a USD 150 million expansion of its condition monitoring production in Germany and Singapore. The facilities will produce industrial IoT sensors, including models designed for wind-turbine gearboxes operating under harsh environments. In January 2025, Honeywell International launched cloud-based condition monitoring software focused on scalability and easy deployment for manufacturing industries. In September 2024, ABB secured a USD 50 million investment from the European Investment Bank to expand its Ability Wireless Condition Monitoring portfolio, supporting the development of advanced wireless motor monitoring systems. In July 2024, I-care acquired the assets and licenses of Sensirion AG's predictive maintenance product line, strengthening its presence in Germany and global market leadership. In June 2024, Siemens AG expanded in the Asia-Pacific region through partnerships with local automation firms to promote IoT-based condition monitoring solutions. In June 2024, SPM Instrument AB acquired Status Pro Maschinenmesstechnik GmbH, enhancing its innovation and customer service capabilities in the German condition monitoring market. In May 2024, DMG MORI Co. Ltd. launched WALC CARE, an advanced machine health monitoring service that performs predictive diagnostics to detect early failures and minimize downtime. In April 2024, IMI Sensors released a fully programmable accelerometer featuring a universal Link IO protocol, ideal for full-spectrum industrial vibration monitoring. In March 2024, KCF Technologies launched Piezo Sensing within its SMARTsensing suite, providing high-resolution data for early fault detection and reduced maintenance costs. In March 2024, the European Union implemented the Ecodesign Regulation for Motors, mandating advanced monitoring and control systems to improve energy efficiency and lower emissions. In March 2024, Tan Delta launched its mining and mineral processing oil condition monitoring system, which applies real-time oil analysis to reduce maintenance costs by up to 30%. In February 2024, Schneider Electric introduced the EcoStruxure Asset Advisor, a wireless motor monitoring system for real-time predictive maintenance and reduced energy consumption. In February 2024, Tan Delta partnered with DAPONA to integrate SENSE technology for real-time oil condition monitoring alongside plant efficiency systems. Reasons to Purchase this Report: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the market through qualitative and quantitative analyses, considering both economic and non-economic factors, with segmentation and sub-segmentation details provided in terms of market value (USD Billion). Identify regions and segments expected to experience the fastest growth or dominate the market, with a detailed analysis of geographic consumption patterns and the factors driving or hindering market performance in each region. Stay informed about the competitive environment, with rankings of major players, recent product and service launches, partnerships, business expansions, and acquisitions from the past five years. Access detailed profiles of major market players, including company overviews, insights, product benchmarking, and SWOT analysis, to understand competitive advantages and market positioning. Explore the present and forecasted market landscape, with insights into growth opportunities, market drivers, challenges, and constraints for both developed and emerging regions. Benefit from Porter's Five Forces analysis and Value Chain insights to evaluate various market perspectives and competitive dynamics. Understand the evolving market scenario, including potential growth opportunities and trends expected in the coming years. Tailor the report to align with your specific business needs and gain targeted insights. Request Here - https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/wireless-condition-monitoring-services-market Discover additional reports tailored to your industry needs Condition Monitoring Service Market https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/condition-monitoring-service-market Weather Monitoring Solutions and Services Market https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/weather-monitoring-solutions-and-services-market Satellite Data Services Market https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/satellite-data-services-market Dairy Testing Services Market https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/dairy-testing-services-market Security Operation Center as a Service Market https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/security-operation-center-as-a-service-market Field Service Management Market https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/field-service-management-market Follow Us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/credenceresearch/ https://x.com/CredenceResearc https://www.facebook.com/CredenceResearch About Us: Credence Research is a viable intelligence and market research platform that provides quantitative B2B research to more than 2000 clients worldwide and is built on the Give principle. 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Contact Us Credence Research Europe LTD 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, UNITED KINGDOM Europe - +44 7809 866 263 North America - +1 304 308 1216 Australia - +61 4192 46279 Asia Pacific - +81 5050 50 9250 +64 22 017 0275 India - +91 6232 49 3207 sales@credenceresearch.com www.credenceresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2562161/Credence_Research_Logo.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wireless-condition-monitoring-services-market-to-reach-usd-5-633-97-million-by-2032--growing-at-an-11-82-cagr--credence-research-302597383.html Los Angeles, California--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Kars-R-Us, a leading nonprofit vehicle donation platform, today announced the nationwide expansion of its Vehicle Donation Program, enabling donors in all 50 states to contribute cars, trucks, vans, and RVs to benefit a growing network of charitable organizations. This expansion marks a major milestone in the company's mission to simplify the giving process and increase funding for vital community programs that support veterans, families, children, and individuals with disabilities. "We're proud to announce that our Vehicle Donation Program is now available across the country," said Lisa Frank, founder of Kars-R-Us. "This expansion means more donors can turn unused vehicles into opportunities for change - directly helping local charities and the people they serve." Empowering Communities Through Every Donation Since its inception, Kars-R-Us has worked closely with nonprofits to transform donated vehicles into essential funding. The newly expanded program allows more regional and national charities to join the platform, ensuring that donor contributions have broader and faster impact. With the upgraded infrastructure, Kars-R-Us can now handle increased donation volumes, offer faster processing, and provide enhanced reporting tools to participating nonprofits - giving them clear visibility into the impact of each donation. A Streamlined Process for Donors Nationwide The expansion also includes updates to the online donation portal, allowing individuals anywhere in the U.S. to complete the process in minutes. Donors simply submit their vehicle information online, and Kars-R-Us coordinates free pickup, title transfer, and tax documentation. "We've made donating a vehicle easier than ever before," Frank added. "Whether you're in California or Maine, your unused vehicle can make a difference in someone's life - and we handle all the logistics." Expanding Partnerships and Impact Kars-R-Us currently supports dozens of nonprofit organizations nationwide, and the expansion aims to double the number of partner charities by 2026. Each partnership helps fund critical programs including veteran support, family housing assistance, child education, and disability empowerment initiatives. With thousands of vehicles already processed through the program, Kars-R-Us projects a 30% increase in charitable funding over the next year through its expanded network. About Kars-R-Us Kars-R-Us provides a simple and transparent way for donors across the United States to support nonprofits through vehicle donations. By transforming unused vehicles into charitable resources, the organization reduces barriers to giving while empowering local communities through measurable impact. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272189 SOURCE: FG Newswire BUJUMBURA, Burundi, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --The Pan-African company Afrique Media today hosted a high-level event to commemorate the eighth anniversary of Burundi's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The event, held in Bujumbura, brought together prominent African leaders, diplomats, lawyers, and human rights officials to discuss the future of justice on the continent and the importance of national sovereignty. Burundi, which finalized its withdrawal from the ICC on October 27, 2017, reaffirmed its commitment to accountability, transparency, and sustainable development "within the legitimacy of its political system and the African continent as a whole". Speakers emphasized that strengthening national judicial systems is crucial for fostering social cohesion. The event's discussions were framed by a broader continental movement, including the recent announcement by the Sahel States Alliance of their intention to withdraw from the ICC. A central theme was the call for African-led alternatives to international tribunals. Patrick Balagizi, Deputy High Representative of the African Union for the Great Lakes Region, delivered a strong message, stating, "Africa gains nothing from the ICC". He stressed the urgent need for African countries to develop their own mechanisms to address their issues independently. This sentiment was echoed by Jassane Maguate, a magistrate of the Malian Court, who joined the event remotely. He spoke on the importance of each African country taking independent responsibility and called for the establishment of "common alternatives for fair and sovereign justice". Vera Mutoni, a UN Human Rights Officer, also addressed the participants, highlighting the importance of discussing and considering new mechanisms to ensure justice for countries that have already withdrawn from the ICC. The event concluded by outlining several key directions for future collaboration: Strengthening the legitimacy and sovereignty of African states. Creating mechanisms to resolve problems independently. Ensuring sovereign policies to foster social cohesion. Participants agreed to maintain regular interaction and knowledge exchange to advance these goals. The event was described as a "significant milestone" for the continent, with Burundi reiterating the benefits of its withdrawal and calling for collaboration to build a "legitimate and free judicial system on the continent". About Afrique Media Afrique Media is a Pan-African company dedicated to fostering dialogue and promoting African-led solutions for the continent's development and political sovereignty. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807617/Afrique_Media.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/afrique-media-burundi-marks-8th-anniversary-of-icc-withdrawal-african-leaders-call-for-sovereign-justice-mechanisms-302597403.html Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - James Bay Resources Limited (CSE: JBR) ("James Bay" or the "Company") wishes to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of up to 17,500,000 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.02 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $350,000. The closing of the Offering will take place on or before November 26, 2025. The net proceeds from the Offering will be used to fund working capital. The Common Shares issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four month plus one day regulatory hold period commencing from the date of closing. The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About James Bay Resources Limited James Bay is a Canadian company with 81,076,241 shares outstanding prior to any issuance of shares pursuant to the Offering, and trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "JBR". Disclaimer This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Corporation's operations, exploration and development plans, expansion plans, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, predictions and projections of the future. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "projects", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or "variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "can", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of James Bay Resources Limited to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the Company's proposed Offering, as well as those factors discussed in the sections relating to risk factors of our business filed in James Bay Resources Limited's required securities filings on SEDAR+. Although James Bay Resources Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. James Bay Resources Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. For further information please contact: The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272298 SOURCE: James Bay Resources Limited Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE: HEAT) (FSE: 7HI) ("Hillcrest" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce it has closed the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of its previously announced offering (the "Offering") of units of the Company (the "Units") for gross proceeds of $2,656,758 at a price of $0.09 per Unit, comprised of: (i) $764,650 in aggregate gross proceeds raised through the issuance of 8,496,112 Units on a private placement basis (the "Cash Offering") and (ii) $1,892,108 in proceeds raised through the issuance of 21,023,424 Units in consideration for the settlement of $1,892,108 in debt owing to arm's length creditors of the Company (the "Debt Settlement"). Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). As a result, the Company issued a total of 29,519,536 Common Shares and 29,519,536 Warrants pursuant to the closing of the First Tranche. Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.12 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The Warrants are subject to an accelerated expiry upon thirty (30) business days' notice from the Company in the event the Common Shares trade for ten (10) consecutive trading days any time after four (4) months from the date of issuance at a volume-weighted average price of at least $0.36 on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). In addition to the announcement of the Cash Offering and Debt Settlement in the Company's press release issued on October 14, 2025, the Company had also announced it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Pasqua First Nation ("PFN") and a letter agreement with Apeiron Resources Ltd. to establish an entity to commercialize the Company's ZVS technology. Separately and independent of the partnership entity, PFN may invest up to $3,000,000 directly into Hillcrest through the purchase of Units in the Company. This potential investment in Hillcrest is intended to support the further development and commercialization of Hillcrest's ZVS technology and support general operating needs. PFN's potential investment in Hillcrest is contemplated to occur in a second tranche of the Offering, which may also include additional investors and debt settlements (the "Second Tranche"). The Second Tranche of the Offering is expected to trigger Company security holder approval requirements pursuant to Section (2)(a)(i)(2) of Policy 4 of the CSE's policies ("CSE Policy 4"), due to the potential issuance of over 100% of the total number of securities currently outstanding of the Company as result of the aggregated Offering. The Company, however, will rely on the financial difficulties exemption under Section (2)(b) of CSE Policy 4 such that it will not be required to seek or obtain Company security approval for the Offerings (the "Exemption"). In this regard, the audit committee of the Company, which is composed solely of independent directors of the Company, had determined that: (i) the Offerings are in the best interests of the Company, (ii) the Offerings are reasonable in the circumstances, and (iii) it is not feasible to obtain Company security holder approval or to complete a rights offering to the Company's existing security holders on the same terms as the Offerings. In connection with its reliance on the Exemption, no Related Person (as such term is defined under the policies of the CSE) will participate in the Offerings, including that outstanding director fees will no longer be settled pursuant to the Debt Settlement. "This financing strengthens Hillcrest's financial health by retiring debt and providing fresh capital for the Company's continued technology development and general operations," said Don Currie, CEO of Hillcrest Energy Technologies. "This puts Hillcrest in a much stronger position to execute on our business objectives and deliver value to our shareholders." It is intended that the proceeds from closing of the First Tranche of the Cash Offering will be used for further development of Hillcrest's ZVS technology, marketing of its products to potential customers, investor relations activities, retirement of existing accounts payable, and general working capital. The securities issued in connection with the Offering, including any Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants, are subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period, in accordance with the policies of the CSE and applicable Canadian securities laws. About Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd. Hillcrest Energy Technologies is an energy technology company focused on providing advanced power conversion technologies and digital control systems for next-generation powertrains and grid-connected renewable energy systems. From concept to commercialization, Hillcrest is investing in the development of energy solutions that will power a more sustainable and electrified future. Hillcrest is publicly traded on the CSE under the symbol "HEAT," on the OTCQB Venture Market as "HLRTF" and on the Frankfurt Exchange as "7HI". For more information, please visit: https://hillcrestenergy.tech/. THE SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY REFERRED TO IN THIS PRESS RELEASE HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "U.S. SECURITIES ACT"), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS. ACCORDINGLY, THE SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD WITHIN THE UNITED STATES UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THIS NEWS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF ANY OFFER TO BUY ANY SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the expected use of proceeds from the Cash Offering, the Company's reliance and ability to qualify for the Exemption, and that no Related Parties will participate in the Offering. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to receiving all regulatory approvals, including but not limited to approval from the CSE, with respect to the Offerings and the Exemption, risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; political and regulatory risks; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Additional information on these and other risk factors can be found in the Company's continuous disclosure documents available under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272233 SOURCE: Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd. The dynamics of the CAR T-cell therapy market are anticipated to change due to the extensive R&D activities, an increase in investment for research and development of the new CAR T-cell therapy, such as zamtocabtagene autoleucel (Miltenyi Biomedicine), rapcabtagene autoleucel (Novartis), descartes-08 (Cartesian Therapeutics), (CABA-201) (Cabaletta Bio), anito-cel (Arcellx and Kite Pharma), and others, and the high effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy over other conventional drugs for cancer treatment. LAS VEGAS, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DelveInsight's CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size, Target Population, Competitive Landscape & Market Forecast report includes a comprehensive understanding of current treatment practices, addressable patient population, which includes top indications such as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Follicular Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Glioblastoma Multiforme, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Myasthenia Gravis, Lupus Nephritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and others. The selected indications are based on approved therapies and ongoing pipeline activity. The report also provides insights into the emerging CAR T-cell therapy, market share of individual therapies, and current and forecasted market size from 2020 to 2034, segmented into leading markets (the US, EU4, UK, and Japan). Key Takeaways from the CAR T-cell Therapy Market Report The total market size of CAR T-cell therapy in the leading markets is expected to surge significantly by 2034. The report provides the total potential number of patients in the indications, such as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Follicular Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Glioblastoma Multiforme, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Myasthenia Gravis, Lupus Nephritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and others. and others. Leading CAR T-cell therapy companies, such as Arcellx, Kite Pharma, Miltenyi Biomedicine, Allogene Therapeutics, Luminary Therapeutics, Precigen, Poseida Therapeutics, Roche, Autolus, Cartesian Therapeutics, Cabaletta Bio, Interius BioTherapeutics, Umoja Biopharma, and others, are developing novel CAR T-cell therapies that can be available in the CAR T-cell therapy market in the coming years. and others, are developing novel CAR T-cell therapies that can be available in the CAR T-cell therapy market in the coming years. Some of the key CAR T-cell therapies in clinical trials include Anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), Zamtocabtagene autoleucel, Cemacabtagene ansegedleucel, LMY-920, PRGN-3006 UltraCAR-T, LMY-920, P-BCMA-ALLO1, AUTO4, Descartes-8, Rapcabtagene autoleucel, INT2104, UB-VV111, and others. Discover which indication is expected to grab the major CAR T-cell therapy market share @ CAR T-cell Therapy Market Report Key Factors Driving the CAR T-cell Therapy Market Large and Growing Unmet Need in Oncology Rising cancer incidence, especially relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancies and an expanding focus on solid-tumor settings, creates a sustained demand for novel, effective therapies. Rising CAR T-cell Therapy Clinical Trial Activity Many emerging CAR-Ts are currently being investigated for various indications. Some of the potential therapies include anitocabtagene autoleucel (Arcellx and Kite Pharma), zamtocabtagene autoleucel (Miltenyi Biomedicine), LMY-920 (Luminary Therapeutics), PRGN-3006 (Precigen), cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (Allogene Therapeutics), P-BCMA-ALLO1 (Poseida Therapeutics and Roche), AUTO4 (Autolus), descartes-08 (Cartesian Therapeutics), resecabtagene autoleucel (CABA-201) (Cabaletta Bio), and others. Entry of Cemacabtagene Ansegedleucel in First-line With no approved first-line CAR-T cell therapy, Allogene Therapeutics'cemacabtagene ansegedleucel is an off-the-shelf, allogeneic CD19 CAR-T cell in the Phase II ALPHA3 trial, assessing its role in first-line consolidation for LBCL patients with MRD post-standard treatment. Its market entry could offer a breakthrough option. Emerging In Vivo CAR-T Candidates in the Pipeline Some of the CAR-Ts in the pipeline in in vivo include INT2104 (Interius BioTherapeutics), UB-VV111 (Umoja Biopharma), and others. CAR T-cell Therapy Market Analysis The CAR T-cell therapy market is projected to experience substantial growth in the coming years, driven by the rising incidence of cancer, increasing awareness of CAR T-cell treatments, and the growing number of therapies advancing through clinical trials or awaiting regulatory approval. The first CAR-T therapy, KYMRIAH, received approval in 2017 for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), followed later that year by YESCARTA for large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). This market is marked by intense competition and rapid innovation, fueled by the urgent demand for more effective cancer treatments. A key advantage of CAR-T therapies lies in their "one-and-done" mechanism, which typically requires a single administration-unlike bispecific antibodies such as TECVAYLI and TALVEY, which require ongoing treatment. The approvals of ABECMA (idecabtagene vicleucel) by Bristol-Myers Squibb and CARVYKTI (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) by Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine further underscore CAR-T therapy's transformative potential in treating multiple myeloma. These regulatory milestones have created new opportunities for companies developing next-generation CAR-T products at various stages of the pipeline. Notable emerging players include Arcellx and Kite Pharma (a Gilead company) with anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), Poseida Therapeutics/Roche with P-BCMA-ALLO1, Luminary Therapeutics with LMY-920, and Precigen with PRGN-3006 UltraCAR-T, among others. Learn more about the CAR T-cell therapy @ CAR T-cell Therapy Analysis CAR T-cell Therapy Competitive Landscape Some of the CAR-Ts in the pipeline include zamtocabtagene autoleucel (Miltenyi Biomedicine), rapcabtagene autoleucel (Novartis), descartes-08 (Cartesian Therapeutics), resecabtagene autoleucel(CABA-201) (Cabaletta Bio), anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel) (Arcellx and Kite Pharma), and others. Some of the CAR-Ts in the pipeline in in vivo include INT2104 (Interius BioTherapeutics), UB-VV111 (Umoja Biopharma), and others. Miltenyi Biomedicine's Zamtocabtagene autoleucel is a CAR-T cell therapy designed to simultaneously target both CD19 and CD20 proteins expressed on B cells. This innovative investigational therapy has been granted inclusion in the European Union's Priority Medicines (PRIME) scheme. It is currently undergoing Phase II clinical trials for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in both second- and third-line settings, with additional studies evaluating its potential in first-line DLBCL, B-cell neoplasms, and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Novartis' Rapcabtagene autoleucel is an investigational autologous CAR-T therapy directed against CD19, developed using the T-Charge platform. Another treatment, YTB323, is being studied in a Phase I trial for autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, severe refractory Sjogren's disease, primary progressive multiple sclerosis, generalized myasthenia gravis, and relapsing multiple sclerosis. In Phase II, it is under evaluation for ANCA-associated vasculitis, severe refractory systemic lupus erythematosus/lupus nephritis (SLE/LN), myositis, systemic sclerosis, and first-line high-risk large B-cell lymphoma. Descartes-08, Cartesian's lead CAR-T candidate, is an autologous therapy targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and is in clinical development for autoimmune diseases such as generalized myasthenia gravis and SLE. It is currently in Phase II trials for these two indications, as well as in Phase I/II studies involving pediatric and young adult patients with childhood-onset SLE, ANCA-associated vasculitis, juvenile myasthenia gravis, and juvenile dermatomyositis. Interius BioTherapeutics' INT2104 is a fully owned investigational gene therapy that selectively targets CD7-positive T and NK cells, delivering a CAR transgene to generate effector CAR-T and CAR-NK cells in vivo. These cells, in turn, attack CD20-positive B cells to treat B-cell malignancies. Unlike conventional ex vivo CAR-T products, INT2104 is an off-the-shelf, single-dose therapy administered intravenously-requiring no lymphodepletion, specialized equipment, or training. The therapy has received regulatory clearance from Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and German authorities, and its Phase I evaluation is ongoing in Australia and Europe. Umoja Biopharma's UB-VV111 is another investigational off-the-shelf product designed to generate CD19-directed CAR-T cells in vivo. It aims to overcome limitations of traditional autologous CAR-T approaches, such as high manufacturing costs, extended production timelines, and limited patient access. Developed by Umoja Biopharma in collaboration with AbbVie, UB-VV111 has been granted Fast Track Designation (FTD) by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) following two or more prior therapies. The anticipated launch of these emerging therapies are poised to transform the CAR T-cell therapy market landscape in the coming years. As these cutting-edge therapies continue to mature and gain regulatory approval, they are expected to reshape the CAR T-cell therapy market landscape, offering new standards of care and unlocking opportunities for medical innovation and economic growth. To know more about CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials, visit @ CAR T-cell Therapy Treatment Recent Developments in the CAR T-cell Therapy Market In September 2025, Umoja Biopharma announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted Fast Track Designation (FTD) to UB-VV111 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma following two or more lines of prior therapy and relapsed/refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) following two or more lines of prior therapy. announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had granted Fast Track Designation (FTD) to UB-VV111 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma following two or more lines of prior therapy and relapsed/refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) following two or more lines of prior therapy. In August 2025, Kite Pharma (a Gilead Sciences company ) announced plans to acquire Interius BioTherapeutics for USD 350 million to advance in vivo CAR-T therapies. ) announced plans to acquire Interius BioTherapeutics for USD 350 million to advance in vivo CAR-T therapies. In June 2025, Novartis presented Phase I/II data for YTB323 in the treatment of severe, refractory SLE at EULAR 2025. presented Phase I/II data for YTB323 in the treatment of severe, refractory SLE at EULAR 2025. In April 2025, Kite Pharma presented findings from a retrospective study of brexucabtagene autoleucel in patients over 70 years of age with R/R MCL who do not benefit from intensive treatment at the 51st Annual EBMT Meeting. presented findings from a retrospective study of brexucabtagene autoleucel in patients over 70 years of age with R/R MCL who do not benefit from intensive treatment at the 51st Annual EBMT Meeting. In February 2025, Miltenyi Biomedicine presented the data from the Phase II DALY II USA trial (NCT04792489) at the 2025 Transplant and Cellular Therapy Meetings. What is CAR T-cell Therapy? CAR T-cell therapy is an innovative immunotherapy approach for treating specific blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma. The treatment starts by collecting the patient's T cells through a process called apheresis. In the laboratory, these cells are genetically engineered to produce a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR), which enhances their ability to identify and destroy cancer cells. Once modified, the CAR-T cells are expanded in number and reintroduced into the patient's bloodstream, where they target and eliminate malignant cells. This therapy has demonstrated remarkable success, with some patients achieving complete remission after other treatments have failed. Nonetheless, CAR-T therapy carries potential risks, including Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and neurological side effects, requiring vigilant monitoring by trained healthcare professionals throughout the treatment process. CAR T-cell Therapy Epidemiology Segmentation The CAR T-cell therapy market report is a comprehensive and specialized analysis, offering in-depth epidemiological insights for the study period 2020-2034 across the leading markets. Among age-specific cases of multiple myeloma, the 65+ age group has the highest number, accounting for more than 70% of cases in the US, followed by 55-64 and 0-54 years. The CAR T-cell therapy target patient pool is segmented into: Total Incident Cases of Selected Indications for CAR T-cell Therapy Total Eligible Patient Pool for CAR T-cell Therapy in Selected Indications Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for CAR T-cell Therapy CAR T-cell Therapy Report Metrics Details Study Period 2020-2034 CAR T-cell Therapy Report Coverage 7MM [The United States, the EU-4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), the United Kingdom, and Japan] Key Indications Covered in the Report Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Follicular Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Glioblastoma Multiforme, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Myasthenia Gravis, Lupus Nephritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and others Key CAR T-cell Therapy Companies Arcellx, Kite Pharma, Miltenyi Biomedicine, Allogene Therapeutics, Luminary Therapeutics, Precigen, Poseida Therapeutics, Roche, Autolus, Cartesian Therapeutics, Cabaletta Bio, Interius BioTherapeutics, Umoja Biopharma, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Juno Therapeutics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, and others Key CAR T-cell Therapy Anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel), Zamtocabtagene autoleucel, Cemacabtagene ansegedleucel, LMY-920, PRGN-3006 UltraCAR-T, LMY-920, P-BCMA-ALLO1, AUTO4, Descartes-8, Rapcabtagene autoleucel, INT2104, UB-VV111, CARVYKTI, TECARTUS, BREYANZI, ABECMA, YESCARTA, KYMRIAH, and others Scope of the CAR T-cell Therapy Market Report CAR T-cell Therapy Therapeutic Assessment: CAR T-cell Therapy's current marketed and emerging therapies CAR T-cell Therapy's current marketed and emerging therapies CAR T-cell Therapy Market Dynamics: Conjoint Analysis of Emerging CAR T-cell Therapy Drugs Conjoint Analysis of Emerging CAR T-cell Therapy Drugs Competitive Intelligence Analysis: SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies SWOT analysis and Market entry strategies Unmet Needs, KOL's views, Analyst's views, CAR T-cell Therapy Market Access and Reimbursement Discover more about CAR T-cell therapies in development @ CAR T-cell Therapy Clinical Trials Table of Contents 1 CAR T-cell Therapy Market Key Insights 2 CAR T-cell Therapy Market Report Introduction 3 Executive Summary 4 Key Events 4.1 Upcoming Key Catalyst 4.2 Key Conference and Meeting Insights 4.3 Key Transactions and Collaborations 4.4 News Flow 5 Epidemiology and Market Forecast Methodology 6 CAR T-cell Therapies Market Overview at a Glance 6.1 Clinical Landscape (Analysis by Molecule Type, Phase, and Route of Administration [RoA]) 6.2 Market Share (%) Distribution by Class of CAR T-cell Therapies in 2024 6.3 Market Share (%) Distribution by Class of CAR T-cell Therapies in 2034 7 Background and Overview 7.1 Understanding CAR T-cell 7.2 Oncology 7.3 Non-oncology 8 CAR T-cell Therapy Treatment Guidelines 9 Epidemiology and Patient Population 9.1 Key Findings 9.2 Assumptions and Rationale: 7MM 9.3 Epidemiology Scenario in the 7MM 9.3.1 Total Cases of Selected Indications for CAR Ts in the 7MM 9.3.2 Total Eligible Patient Pool for CAR Ts in Selected Indications in the 7MM 9.3.3 Total Treated Cases in Selected Indications for CAR Ts in the 7MM 10 Marketed CAR T-cell Therapies 10.1 Keycross Competition 10.2 YESCARTA (axicabtagene ciloleucel): Kite Pharma and Gilead Sciences 10.2.1 Product Description 10.2.2 Regulatory Milestones 10.2.3 Other Development Activities 10.2.4 Summary of Pivotal Trial 10.2.5 Clinical Development 10.2.5.1 Clinical Trial Information 10.2.6 Safety and Efficacy of Ongoing Clinical Trials 10.2.7 Analyst Views 10.3 KYMRIAH (tisagenlecleucel): Novartis List to be continued... 11 Emerging CAR T-cell Therapies 11.1 Key Cross Competition 11.2 Zamtocabtagene autoleucel: Miltenyi Biomedicine 11.2.1 Product Description 11.2.2 Other Development Activities 11.2.3 Clinical Development 11.2.3.1 Clinical Trial Information 11.2.4 Safety and Efficacy 11.2.5 Analyst Views 11.3 Rapcabtagene autoleucel (YTB323): Novartis List to be continued... 12 CAR T-cell Therapies Market: Seven Major Market Analysis 12.1 Key Findings 12.2 CAR T-cell Therapy Market Outlook 12.3 Conjoint Analysis 12.4 Key Market Forecast Assumptions 12.5 Total CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size by Country in the 7MM 12.6 Total CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size by Indications in the 7MM 12.7 Total CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size by Therapies in the 7MM 12.8 The United States CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size 12.9 EU4 and the UK CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size 12.10 Japan CAR T-cell Therapy Market Size 13 CAR T-cell Therapy Market Unmet Needs 14 CAR T-cell Therapy Market SWOT Analysis 15 KOL Views on CAR T-cell Therapy 16 CAR T-cell Therapy Market Access and Reimbursement 16.1 The United States 16.2 In EU4 and the UK 16.3 Japan 16.4 Summary and Comparison of Market Access and Pricing Policy Developments in 2025 16.5 Market Access and Reimbursement of CAR T-cell Therapy 17 Bibliography 18 CAR T-cell Therapy Market Report Methodology Related Reports CAR T-cell Therapy Clinical Trial Analysis CAR T-cell Therapy Competitive Landscape - 2025 report provides comprehensive insights about the pipeline landscape, pipeline drug profiles, including clinical and non-clinical stage products, and the key CAR T-cell therapy companies, including Cartesian Therapeutics, Arcellx, Inc, Nexcella, Inc, Autolus Therapeutics, Sana Biotechnology, Orgenesis, CARsgen, TILT Biotherapeutics, Poseida Therapeutics, Precision BioSciences, Novartis, Kyverna Therapeutics, Hrain Biotechnology, UTC Therapeutics, Kiromic, Suzhou Fundamenta Therapeutics, Gracell Biotechnology, Innovent Biologics, Nanjing IASO Biotherapeutics, CellabMED, Umoja Biopharma, TC BioPharm, ElevateBio, Century Therapeutics, Allogene Therapeutics, among others. Multiple Myeloma Market Multiple Myeloma Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast - 2034 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key multiple myeloma companies including Sanofi, Karyopharm Therapeutics, AbbVie, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb, RAPA Therapeutics, Pfizer, Array Biopharma, Cellectar Biosciences, BioLineRx, Celgene, Aduro Biotech, ExCellThera, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Precision BioSciences, Takeda, Glenmark (Ichnos Sciences SA), Poseida Therapeutics, Molecular Partners AG, Chipscreen Biosciences, AbbVie, Genentech (Roche), Janssen Biotech, Nanjing Legend Biotech, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., among others. Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Market Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast - 2034 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, as well as the market trends, market drivers, market barriers, and key DLBCL companies including BMS, Roche (Genentech), Biogen, Nektar Therapeutics, Merck, Allogene Therapeutics, Miltenyi Biomedicine, AstraZeneca, BioVaxys, ImmunoVaccine Technologies, Cellectar Biosciences, Galapagos, Novartis, Lyell, ImmPACT Bio, Pfizer, Kartos Therapeutics, 2seventy bio, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, BeiGene, Ranok Therapeutics, Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Genmab, IDP Discovery Pharma S.L., Immunitas Therapeutics, Monte Rosa Therapeutics, SymBio Pharmaceuticals, Eagle Pharma, AVM Biotechnology, Autolus Therapeutics, Kymera Therapeutics, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Caribou Biosciences, Adicet Bio, Gilead Sciences, Xynomic Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, among others. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Market Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Market Insights, Epidemiology, and Market Forecast - 2034 report deliver an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, market share of the individual therapies, and key SLE companies including Biogen, Novartis, MorphoSys, Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, Viatris, RemeGen, UCB Pharma, Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie, among others. About DelveInsight DelveInsight is a leading Business Consultant and Market Research firm focused exclusively on life sciences. It supports pharma companies by providing comprehensive end-to-end solutions to improve their performance. Get hassle-free access to all the healthcare and pharma market research reports through our subscription-based platform PharmDelve. Contact Us Shruti Thakur info@delveinsight.com +14699457679 Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082265/3528414/DelveInsight_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/car-t-cell-therapy-market-forecasts-indicate-strong-growth-trajectory-in-the-7mm-during-the-forecast-period-20252034--delveinsight-302596187.html Fort Worth, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth has announced the arrival of the full 2026 Subaru model lineup at its car dealership, providing customers in the North Texas region with access to the manufacturer's newest vehicles. The availability of the 2026 models comes at a time when demand for new inventory remains high, and vehicle manufacturers continue to implement yearly updates focused on safety, efficiency, and technology. The introduction of the 2026 Subaru models at Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth is part of Subaru of America's nationwide rollout of its new model year lineup. These vehicles include updates to existing models, with modifications that vary across trim levels. The dealership has confirmed that these vehicles are now available on-site for test drives and purchasing. This release is particularly relevant at a time when new vehicle availability is a priority for many dealerships and customers. There is sustained interest in fuel-efficient, versatile vehicles that incorporate updated driver-assistance systems and enhanced connectivity features. The 2026 Subaru models reflect these priorities as part of the manufacturer's ongoing product development cycle. Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth has received the shipment of the updated models, completed standard pre-delivery inspections, and made the new vehicles available to customers both in person and online. The Hiley dealership's inventory includes Subaru models across multiple segments, offering a range of sizes, performance, and feature options. In preparation for the 2026 launch, the dealership has coordinated internally to ensure sales and service teams are trained and informed on the new features. The service department is equipped to handle maintenance and warranty needs for the new model year, including manufacturer-recommended inspection and diagnostic procedures. The availability of the 2026 Subaru lineup supports Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth's broader operational planning for the end of the year and into 2026. Customers who wish to explore the 2026 models can do so by visiting the dealership or viewing the latest inventory listings online. As the automotive market continues to evolve, early access to new model-year vehicles supports both consumer decision-making and allows dealerships to align inventory and service planning with current demand. About Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth: Hiley Subaru of Fort Worth is a full-service automotive dealership located in Fort Worth, Texas. The dealership provides new and pre-owned vehicle sales, maintenance and repair services, and a complete inventory of Subaru parts and accessories to support drivers throughout the region. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272314 SOURCE: GetFeatured Mexico City, Mexico--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - At Klar, we've always believed that the future of financial services should be simple, transparent, and built around real people. But as our platform continues to scale, helping millions across Mexico and LATAM manage their money, the question became: how do we maintain that human touch at scale? Eighteen months ago, we began exploring that answer through AI. By integrating OpenAI's APIs into our customer support operations, we unlocked a new layer of responsiveness and efficiency. What started as a technical experiment quickly reshaped how we interact with our users. Today, Klar handles over 300,000 customer conversations per month, resolving more than 50% of Tier-1 inquiries with no human intervention. That alone has led to a 65% drop in initial response times and a 62% decrease in total resolution times, all while boosting our customer satisfaction to 98%. But our story doesn't stop with chat. Now, we're bringing that same intelligence to voice. Using OpenAI's Realtime API and Twilio's Media Streams, Klar has launched a scalable AI voice platform, one that can handle dozens of simultaneous calls per second, with warmth, clarity, and personalized support. These agents don't just follow scripts; they retrieve relevant information from Klar's internal knowledge base using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), speak in a custom-trained voice model to foster empathy, and hand off complex inquiries to human agents seamlessly. With over 50,000 monthly calls already managed, we're resolving 55% of basic inquiries and holding an 88% CSAT. "Klar is showing what's possible when AI meets real customer needs. By pairing OpenAI's real-time capabilities with Klar, they've built support that's fast, personal, and human at scale." - James Dyett, Head of Strategic Accounts at OpenAI. But one of the most powerful applications has come in an unexpected place: debt resolution. Klar is replacing rigid, one-size-fits-all approaches with conversations that are personal, respectful, and centered on helping people move forward. Klar is making it easier for people to get back on track financially with flexible payment plans and clear, personalized ways to pay down what they owe. Our resolutions system is powered by a knowledge graph rather than generic agents, enabling task-specific reasoning and dynamic segmentation. The system automatically routes incoming calls, schedules outbound ones based on user behavior, and even runs A/B tests on different negotiation approaches. Today, it handles over 200,000 effective calls per month and has improved our collections efficiency by more than 10%, both in Collector Effectiveness and Net Recovery. Part of the cost savings from this automation has been reinvested into Centers of Excellence, where highly skilled agents resolve our users' most delicate financial matters, not only with greater empathy, but in a fraction of the time it previously took. Because while tech gives us scale, it's people who deliver impact where it counts most. And this is just the start. As we look to the future, Klar sees AI not as a replacement for people, but as a tool to unlock real inclusion. Nearly 90% of Klar's users had never accessed an investment product before using our platform. We believe AI can help change that, not just through faster service, but by guiding users toward smarter financial decisions, accessible credit, and real returns. As Rodrigo Sestari, Klar's Engineering Director, puts it: "We're not building AI to replace people. We're building AI to give people more power, to get help faster, to negotiate with confidence, and to access the financial education they've always deserved." At Klar, we're proving that financial technology can be fast and personal, automated and empathetic, and most importantly, designed for real life. Klar App To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11982/272285_472dcbd2c40d1b86_001full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272285 SOURCE: Klar Tucson, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Tucson Breast Health Specialists, led by board-certified breast surgical oncologist Dr. Michele Ley, is proud to celebrate its first anniversary this October. Tucson Breast Health Specialists, led by board-certified breast surgical oncologist Dr. Michele Ley, is proud to celebrate its first anniversary serving the Tucson community. Since opening its doors in 2024, the practice has become a trusted resource for comprehensive breast care, combining cutting-edge surgical expertise with genuine compassion and personalized attention. As a breast cancer survivor herself with more than 19 years of experience, Dr. Ley brings not only unmatched clinical expertise but also a personal understanding of what her patients face. Her patient-centered approach and dedication to communication, education, and empathy have made Tucson Breast Health Specialists a leading destination for breast care in Southern Arizona. "At Tucson Breast Health Specialists, our mission is to walk alongside patients through every stage of their journey, offering education, compassion, and the highest quality care," said Dr. Ley. "Our team empowers patients - especially younger women who may face more difficult decisions - to understand their options for survival and cosmetic outcomes, and we work closely with skilled plastic surgeons to help restore not just health, but wellness." Over the past year, Tucson Breast Health Specialists has expanded its services, strengthened partnerships with local providers, and increased community outreach efforts to raise awareness about breast health and early detection. Dr. Ley provides a wide range of advanced treatment options for both younger and older patients, including nipple-sparing mastectomy and neoadjuvant therapy to shrink tumors, helping patients preserve their natural appearance whenever possible. By focusing on education and communication, she ensures that patients fully understand their treatment choices and can make empowered decisions about their care. Tucson Breast Health Specialists is also dedicated to the long-term well-being of patients beyond surgery. Practice Manager Dawn Morrow, herself a breast cancer survivor, extends the healing process through medical tattooing services that restore confidence and self-image. The team at Tucson Breast Health Specialists is guided by a philosophy rooted in compassion, empowerment, and dignity. Every patient is treated with individualized care, ensuring that their voices are heard and respected. By combining cutting-edge surgical options with supportive services, the practice offers a holistic approach that extends far beyond traditional oncology care. As they celebrate their first anniversary, Tucson Breast Health Specialists expresses deep gratitude to their patients, staff, and the greater Tucson medical community for their continued trust and support. The practice remains committed to advancing breast care, expanding access to specialized services, and supporting women through every step of their journey, from diagnosis to long-term recovery. About Tucson Breast Health Specialists: Tucson Breast Health Specialists is Southern Arizona's premier practice dedicated exclusively to breast health. Founded and led by Dr. Michele Ley, MD, FACS, the practice specializes in breast cancer surgery, including nipple-sparing mastectomy and oncoplastic surgery, while also offering supportive services such as medical tattooing to restore confidence and quality of life. With a strong focus on patient education, compassionate care, and long-term survivorship, Tucson Breast Health Specialists stands at the forefront of breast health innovation in Arizona. To celebrate this milestone, Tucson Breast Health Specialists invites community members to learn more about their mission and services by visiting www.tucsonbreasthealth.com. Email: info@tucsonbreasthealth.com Media Contact To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10740/272324_figure1.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272324 SOURCE: GetFeatured Woodridge, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - October 28, 2025) - Boerman Moving & Storage, a fourth-generation, family-owned moving company based in suburban Chicago, announced today its expansion into Wisconsin through the acquisition of JL Moving, LLC. The new warehouse and office, located in Cudahy, Wisconsin, marks an exciting step in Boerman's continued growth and its long-standing mission to deliver reliable, family-driven service across the Midwest. After 46 years in business at the same location, the Florida moving company, owned by Brad Quesenberry, chose to become part of a van line with more than 130 years of experience moving families and companies. Why Milwaukee? Milwaukee was a natural choice for expansion. As a thriving logistics hub with easy access to major interstates and proximity to both Chicago and key Wisconsin communities, it offers the ideal location for Boerman to strengthen its service network. "Our family has always had strong Wisconsin ties," said Mike Boerman of Boerman Moving & Storage. "Expanding to the Milwaukee area allows us to serve more customers efficiently while maintaining the personal service that's been our hallmark since 1926." Benefits for the Boerman Team The expansion creates new opportunities for the Boerman team to collaborate, share resources, and provide faster, more flexible service across a broader territory. The new facility increases warehouse capacity, strengthens long-distance and corporate relocation operations, and supports the company's growing national and international moving services as an agent for Bekins Van Lines. Benefits for Clients in Both States For Illinois and Wisconsin clients alike, the expansion means greater scheduling flexibility, shorter response times, and increased storage availability. "Our goal is to ensure every customer-from Chicagoland to Milwaukee-receives the same trusted, family-oriented experience Boerman is known for," added Rachel Cwiak, CFO of Boerman Moving and Storage. "With this acquisition, we're better equipped to serve both regions with consistency, care, and efficiency." Continuity for JL Moving Customers Clients of JL Moving can expect a seamless transition. The company's existing team and operations will remain in place, now supported by Boerman's expanded resources, advanced equipment, and nearly 100 years of expertise. Customers will continue working with the same local crews they know and trust-just under a larger, family-backed umbrella. "The JL team has earned tremendous trust in Milwaukee for their reliable, hardworking approach," said Dan Boerman of Boerman Moving & Storage. "We're excited to build on that reputation and deepen our commitment to the community." Looking Ahead Boerman's Wisconsin division will serve both residential and commercial clients throughout the greater Milwaukee region and beyond. The expansion strengthens existing relationships with major corporate relocation partners and large-scale clients in both markets, allowing Boerman to meet growing demand for high-quality moving, packing, and storage solutions across the Midwest. About Boerman Moving & Storage Founded in 1926, Boerman Moving & Storage is a fourth-generation, family-owned company providing local, long-distance, and international moving services, as well as packing, crating, and secure storage solutions. As an agent for Bekins Van Lines, Boerman combines the resources of a national carrier with the care and attention of a family business. The company's reputation for reliability, community involvement, and customer satisfaction has made it a trusted name in moving for nearly a century. Learn more at https://boerman.com/. Media Contact: Jina Boerman, Boerman Moving & Storage | Phone: (630) 972-1000 | Email: jina@thebmarketinggroup.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272315 SOURCE: Bekins Van Lines YOKOHAMA, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pivotal Trend Service (PTS), a Yokohama-based infrastructure firm with deep roots in Japan's telecom sector, announced today its strategic engagement with Republic, a leading global investment platform for digital securities. PTS is preparing to launch the first Japan-origin digital security backed by Bitcoin mining infrastructure, which will be offered under U.S. securities regulations (Regulation D and Regulation S) through the Republic platform-providing compliant, long-term Bitcoin exposure to international investors. The investment product, Pivotal Mining Note (PMN), will be offered under Regulation D Rule 506(c) and Regulation S, targeting U.S. accredited and eligible international investors. Issued by Japan-based PTS and offered via Republic's platform. PMN provides structured, long-term exposure to Bitcoin through professionally managed mining - without requiring hardware setup or active market timing. Unlike speculative or synthetic products, PMN is backed by real mining infrastructure. Over a three-year term, investors accumulate Bitcoin directly from actual hashpower, combining the benefits of dollar-cost averaging with institutional-grade reliability. What Makes PMN Unique? Disciplined Bitcoin Accumulation: Three-year structure smooths volatility and removes short-term speculation. Three-year structure smooths volatility and removes short-term speculation. Telecom-Grade Reliability: Built and operated by PTS with 15+ years of infrastructure and uptime expertise from Japan's telecom sector. Built and operated by PTS with 15+ years of infrastructure and uptime expertise from Japan's telecom sector. Japan-Origin, U.S.-Compliant: Structured and offered by Japan-based PTS under Reg D & Reg S exemptions-designed for global access and secondary tradability. Structured and offered by Japan-based PTS under Reg D & Reg S exemptions-designed for global access and secondary tradability. Direct Bitcoin Distributions: Investors receive the actual Bitcoin mined-directly and transparently. Investors receive the actual Bitcoin mined-directly and transparently. Stablecoin Subscription: Seamless participation using stablecoins such as USDC. "PMN is a new class of Bitcoin investment product-grounded in real infrastructure, secured by compliance, and designed for global reach," said Doer Qu, CEO of PTS. "By engaging with Republic, we are translating institution-grade mining operations into tokenized financial products that deliver long-term value to both retail and institutional investors. In today's environment-where stablecoin-based investments and regulated digital assets are gaining momentum-PMN offers a concrete, operationally backed solution for disciplined Bitcoin accumulation. We're proud to show that Japan's next financial exports may no longer be limited to stocks and bonds-but also include blockchain-powered, professionally managed investment opportunities." This engagement marks a pivotal step in bringing Japan-origin infrastructure-based digital assets to the global stage. As PMN prepares to launch, the initiative represents a new direction in Bitcoin investing-prioritizing long-term accumulation over short-term speculation, and delivering real, mined Bitcoin through a regulated offering. With Republic's expertise in offering digital securities and PTS's telecom-grade operational foundation, PMN offers a forward-looking model for disciplined, infrastructure-backed Bitcoin exposure on a global scale. About PTS PTS (Pivotal Trend Service Co., Ltd.) is a Japan-based leader in telecom and digital asset infrastructure. With a long history of providing mission-critical engineering services to top-tier telecom carriers, PTS in 2024 strategically pivoted to blockchain infrastructure, applying its strengths in system stability and monitoring to professionally manage Bitcoin mining operations. PTS is dedicated to creating secure, transparent opportunities for global investors to participate in the digital economy. For more information, please visit Pivotal Trend Service About Republic: Headquartered in New York City, Republic is a global financial firm operating a full-stack private investment platform for regulated digital assets, covering primary issuance through secondary trading. Republic's full-stack spans private market investing for both retail and institutional investors, wallet infrastructure, enterprise digital advisory, asset management and more. With a deep track record of legal and technical innovation, Republic is known for opening retail access to new asset classes across venture, film, sports, private equity and pre-IPO opportunities. Backed by Valor Equity Partners, Galaxy Interactive, HOF Capital, AngelList and other leading institutions, Republic boasts a global portfolio of over 2,000 companies and a community of nearly three million members in over 150 countries. More than $3 billion has been deployed through investment platforms, funds, and firms within the Republic family of companies with operations established in the US, the UK, EU, the UAE and South Korea. For more information on Republic, visit www.republic.com . All broker-dealer related securities activity is conducted by OpenDeal Broker LLC, an affiliate of OpenDeal Inc. (dba Republic), a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SiPC, located at 149 5th Avenue, 10th FL, New York, 10010 please check our background on FINRA's BrokerCheck and Form CRS here . All investments in securities are risky and subject to potential total loss of principal investment. Please carefully review the related risk disclosures on the offering page related to this investment. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807124/image_5052887_34725824.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/pts-to-launch-japan-origin-bitcoin-mining-investment-product-via-republic-platform-under-us-regulation-302596994.html EQS-Ad-hoc: Dexus Finance Pty Limited / Key word(s): Quarterly / Interim Statement/Real Estate Dexus Finance Pty Limited: September 2025 quarter update 29-Oct-2025 / 00:20 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Dexus (ASX: DXS) ASX release 29 October 2025 September 2025 quarter update - Well positioned investment portfolio and continued fund outperformance Ross Du Vernet, Dexus Group Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director said: "The outlook for Australian real asset markets continues to improve, with location and quality remaining key performance drivers. "Dexus remains focused on driving performance across the Platform through actively managing our high-quality well-located investment portfolio, progressing our strategic priority areas, unlocking deep sector expertise and delivering for fund clients." Key highlights High quality property portfolio well positioned, with Dexus industrial portfolio occupancy at 95.9% and Dexus office portfolio occupancy at 91.2%, with momentum in office portfolio leasing with Dexus industrial portfolio occupancy at 95.9% and Dexus office portfolio occupancy at 91.2%, with momentum in office portfolio leasing Rent collections remain strong at 99.5% remain strong at 99.5% Exchanged or settled circa $2.0 billion of transactions across the Platform, the majority of which were transactions on behalf of funds of transactions across the Platform, the majority of which were transactions on behalf of funds Delivered continued outperformance from Dexus Wholesale Property Fund (DWPF) and Dexus Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund (DWSF) from Dexus Wholesale Property Fund (DWPF) and Dexus Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund (DWSF) DREP2 raised circa $30 million of equity commitments , taking total commitments to over $510 million, with final close scheduled for HY26 , taking total commitments to over $510 million, with final close scheduled for HY26 Recognised for strong sustainability performance across funds in the 2025 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) results Outlook Ross Du Vernet said: "Australia's economy is entering a phase of cautious optimism, with a lift in business confidence a positive sign for real asset markets. Our high-quality investment portfolio, led by our market-leading office portfolio, together with a large, diversified funds management business, positions us for long-term value creation. "Barring unforeseen circumstances, for the 12 months ended 30 June 2026, Dexus reiterates its expectation for AFFO of 44.5 - 45.5 cents per security and distributions of 37.0 cents per security[1]." High quality property portfolio Dexus's $14.5 billion[2] high quality portfolio comprises predominantly $9.7 billion in office and $3.6 billion in industrial. Key metrics[3] Office Industrial 30 Sep 2025 30 Jun 2025 30 Sep 2025 30 Jun 2025 Occupancy by income 91.2% 92.3% 95.9% 96.2% Occupancy by area 90.7% 91.7% 96.4% 97.4% Weighted average lease expiry (by income) 4.2 years 4.2 years 4.3 years 4.5 years Average incentives 28.7% 26.8% 19.5% 16.3% Leasing volumes[4] 3 months 12 months 3 months 12 months Stabilised leasing (sqm) 49,200 107,500 47,500 461,500 Number stabilised lease transactions 83 248 13 65 Development leasing (sqm) - - 22,200 114,900 Number development lease transactions - - 6 11 Office portfolio The Australian office market showed a broad-based improvement in demand over the September quarter, reflecting expansion of tenants across a range of industries. Net absorption was positive in the quarter in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. A flight to core and quality is evident with Premium vacancy rates well below the total market vacancy in each of the major capital cities. Net effective market rents are responding to tighter availability, growing by over 10% in both Sydney and Brisbane CBDs over the past year. With circa 76% of its office portfolio located in core CBD locations, Dexus continues to benefit from the flight to core and quality. Dexus's portfolio occupancy at 91.2% remains well above the market average[5] of 85.7%, albeit slightly below occupancy at June 2025 as expected following known departures at 80 Collins South in Melbourne and 25 Martin Place in Sydney. Average incentives of 28.7% primarily reflected key large renewal deals in Perth and North Sydney and remain well below market average. Leasing volumes recovered during the quarter, exceeding the prior corresponding period as well as HY25, and included leasing of vacant space at 80 Collins North in Melbourne and 56 Berry Street in North Sydney, with 56 Berry Street now fully leased. Industrial portfolio Following record volumes of stabilised leasing in FY25, leasing momentum continued across Dexus's industrial portfolio during the quarter led by new deals and development leasing in Sydney. Portfolio occupancy remained strong at 95.9%, while average incentives increased slightly to 19.5%. Dexus is in active leasing discussions on the vacant space across its portfolio and remains focused on delivering strong total returns over the lifecycle of its assets. Releasing spreads of circa 36% were achieved in the quarter. The portfolio remains 9.5% under-rented, creating the opportunity to grow income by resetting the rents on vacancy and upcoming lease expiries across approximately 25% of the portfolio by FY27. Developments The Platform's $13.3 billion[6] real estate development pipeline comprises $7.1 billion within the Dexus portfolio and $6.2 billion within the funds management business. Construction at Dexus's city shaping office development Atlassian Central in Sydney continues to progress, with completion scheduled for late 2026. Construction at Waterfront Brisbane continues, with the core now out of the ground and completion expected in late 2028. Dexus secured 22,200 square metres of industrial development leasing and completed construction of two assets across 30,500 square metres in Ravenhall and a 7,000 square metre facility at Jandakot, all 100% leased. Construction continues at eight projects across 180,400 square metres at key industrial sites in NSW, VIC and WA. Funds management Dexus manages $35.6 billion2 of funds across its diversified funds management business. Fund raising continues for DREP2 with an additional circa $30 million of equity committed, taking total commitments to over $510 million, with final close scheduled for HHY26. Powerco, New Zealand's largest dual electricity and gas distributor and majority-owned by Dexus-managed funds, entered into an agreement to acquire Firstlight Network, a New Zealand electricity distribution business. The acquisition, subject to regulatory approval, reflects Powerco's strong asset management capabilities and strategic approach to bolt-on growth and aligns with Dexus's Climate Transition Action Plan to invest in resilient, future-focused infrastructure that supports the energy transition. Flagship fund, DWPF, continued to outperform its benchmark across all time periods, while DWSF has outperformed its benchmark over the 2, 3 and 5-year time periods. Dexus continues to work through fund specific matters and redemptions, including the resolution of the APAC matter. On the application of other parties to the matter, the New South Wales Supreme Court has rescheduled the hearing to April 2026 and mediation to be held by 12 December 2025. This is in place of the earlier hearing date of between 10 and 21 November 2025, with mediation to be held by 3 November 2025. Dexus continues to work towards a resolution of this matter in the best interests of its clients. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Dexus continues to be recognised for its sustainability performance, maintaining a 5-star GRESB rating for 2025. Dexus's funds also performed well with DDIT achieving a historical best score of 98/100 and 5 stars, while DHPF, DWPF and DALT all ranked in the top three of their categories in Australia. During the quarter, Dexus continued to deliver on the key strategic pillars of its sustainability strategy. Key highlights include: Showcasing innovative sustainable development and climate practices with the unveiling of the first of seven timber habitats at the Atlassian Central development, with the use of timber over conventional materials delivering a 50% reduction in upfront carbon Achieving a 6 Star Green Star rating for the Nike facility at Ravenhall recognising world leadership in industrial design Raising awareness and funds through campaigns with community partners across the Platform, including R U OK Day, Hard Hat Day and NAIDOC Week Authorised by Brett Cameron, General Counsel and Company Secretary of Dexus Funds Management Limited For further information please contact: Investors Rowena Causley Head of Listed Investor Relations +61 416 122 383 rowena.causley@dexus.com Media Louise Murray Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications +61 403 260 754 louise.murray@dexus.com [1] Based on current expectations relating to asset sales, performance fees and trading profits, APAC litigation assumptions, and subject to no material deterioration in conditions. [2] Data as at 30 June 2025. [3] Dexus balance sheet portfolio performance statistics exclude co-investments in pooled funds and development leasing. [4] Includes Heads of Agreements. [5] Australian CBD vacancy average by Property Council of Australia at July 2025. [6] Includes Central Place Sydney scheme which is under review. End of Inside Information Information and Explanation of the Issuer to this announcement: About Dexus Dexus (ASX: DXS) is a leading Australasian fully integrated real asset group, managing a high-quality Australasian real estate and infrastructure portfolio valued at $50.1 billion. The Dexus Platform includes the Dexus listed portfolio and the funds management business. The $14.5 billion listed portfolio includes direct and indirect ownership of office, industrial, retail, healthcare, infrastructure, alternatives and other investments. We manage a further $35.6 billion of investments in our funds management business which connects third party capital with exposure to quality sector specific and diversified real asset products. The funds within this business have a strong track record of delivering performance and benefit from Dexus's Platform capabilities. The Platform's $13.3 billion real estate development pipeline provides the opportunity to grow both the listed and funds' portfolios and enhance future returns. We are deeply connected to our purpose unlock potential, create tomorrow, reflecting our unique ability to create value for our people, customers, investors and communities over the long term. Our sustainability approach focuses on the priority areas where we believe we can make the most impact: Customer Prosperity, Climate Action and Enhancing Communities. Dexus is supported by more than 37,000 investors from 26 countries. With more than four decades of expertise in real asset investment, funds management, asset management and development, we have a proven track record in capital and risk management and delivering returns for investors. www.dexus.com Dexus Funds Management Limited ABN 24 060 920 783, AFSL 238163, as Responsible Entity for Dexus (ASX: DXS) (Dexus Property Trust ARSN 648 526 470 and Dexus Operations Trust ARSN 110 521 223) Level 30, 50 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000 29-Oct-2025 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. View original content: EQS News Madam Sir, reprised by Shefali Shah, and her formidable team come face-to-face with Badi Didi (Huma Qureshi) - the ruthless mastermind who builds her empire by trading away the future of young girls Two forces on either side of the law, a crime that traverses the span of the country and beyond, and a chase that reveals the hidden realities of society around us. Netflix Indias acclaimed International Emmy-winning true crime drama series returns on November 13, for a third season with their biggest case that rattles not just the capital, but the entire nation- _Delhi Crim_e of course. Madam Sir, reprised by , and her formidable team come face-to-face with Badi Didi ( Huma Qureshi) - the ruthless mastermind who builds her empire by trading away the future of young girls. An abandoned baby unravels a trail so deadly it exposes the brutal realities of human trafficking, setting off a harrowing nationwide cat-and-mouse chase in pursuit of the perpetrators. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The backdrop of Assam? The promo shows Shahs character being welcomed in Silchar, located in Assam. Seeing the promo, one user commented- As an Assamese, I feel so proud to see Assam receiving such wonderful attention from filmmakers and series creators." Tanuj Chopra returns to direct _Delhi Crime S_3, along with actors Shefali Shah, Rasika Dugal (as Neeti Singh), Rajesh Tailang (as Bhupendra Singh), Jaya Bhattacharya (as Vimla Baradwaj) and Anuraag Arora (as Jairaj Singh) reprising their roles. The cast is joined by Huma Qureshi, Sayani Gupta, Mita Vasisht, Kelly Dorji and Anshumaan Pushkar in powerful performances that bring to life the series most thrilling season yet. Shefali Shah, reprising her role as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, shares, Returning as Madam Sir always feels deeply personal. Her significance, both to me and in todays times, has only grown stronger in my eyes. Vartika is fighting an enemy that not only crosses borders, but also exists in the shadow of everyday society. Human trafficking isnt the act of a few; its the symptom of a society that looks the other way. But Vartika, true to who she is, keeps fighting anyway, even if it means saving just one life from the clutches of this murky world. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is accused of using a metal fork to stab two 17-year-old male teens on a Lufthansa flight. The 28-year-old also allegedly slapped a female passenger and attempted to assault a crew member before being restrained The incident occurred on Saturday on a Lufthansa flight from Chicago's OHare International Airport to Frankfurt. An Indian man has been accused of stabbing two teenagers on a flight from the United States to Germany. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is accused of using a metal fork to stab two 17-year-old male teens on a Lufthansa flight. Usiripalli also allegedly slapped a female passenger and attempted to assault a crew member. But what do we know about Usiripalli? And what happened? Lets take a closer look: What we know Usiripalli, 28, is enrolled in a masters programme in biblical studies. Usiripalli, who entered the US on a student visa, doesnt have lawful immigration status. He was on a 4.26 pm flight on Saturday from Chicago OHare International Airport to Frankfurt. The incident occurred when the plane had been in the air for two hours. Meals were being served on the flight at the time of the disturbance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Praneeth Kumar Usiripallii also struck a woman passenger and attempted to hit a flight attendant before he was subdued. Representational Image: Pexel One of the teenagers was sleeping in the middle seat. He awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli then stabbed him in the clavicle with the fork and then jammed the fork into the back of the head of the other teenager, which caused a laceration. When the crew attempted to stop Usiripalli, he made a gun gesture with his fingers, placed it in his mouth and then mimed pulling the trigger. Usiripalli then struck a woman passenger and attempted to hit a flight attendant before he was subdued. The plane was then diverted to Boston Logan International Airport. Usiripalli was taken into custody by the authorities after the plane reached Boston Airport. Usiripalli facing 10 years in prison, $250,000 (Rs 2.2 crore) fine Usiripalli is accused of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm. Authorities have charged him with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while travelling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He now faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible maximum fine of $250,000 (Rs 2.2 crore). He will now appear at a federal court in Boston. There are no confirmed reports of a court date or whether he has legal representation. This isnt the first time such an incident has occurred aboard a flight. In 2023, a man attempted to stab several people, including a flight attendant, with a broken spoon. That incident, which occurred on 5 March 2023, witnessed Francisco Severo Torres attempting to open the crafts emergency exit mid-flight. Torres made a weapon by breaking a metal spoon in the restroom, approached flight attendants and thrust towards one of the flight attendants in a stabbing motion hitting the flight attendant on the neck area three times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also threatened to kill every man on this plane and said, Im taking over this plane. Torres was arrested on arrival in Boston and later pleaded guilty. Torres was sentenced to time served and banned from flying commercially. Authorities noted that Torres had a history of mental health issues and encounters with the police. Aviation authorities say such incidents are part of a wider trend of unruly passenger incidents in aviation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has noted a rapid growth in flights disrupted by threatening or violent behaviour. With inputs from agencies More than a million users of ChatGPT exhibit signs of mental health distress or emergencies, including suicidal thoughts, according to OpenAIs estimates. Around 0.07 per cent of the chatbot users active in a given week, about 560,000 people of the total 800,000,000 weekly users, exhibit possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania OpenAI has released an estimate of the number of ChatGPT users experiencing mental health distress or emergencies, including suicidal thoughts or psychosis. More than a million users of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot each week send messages that include explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent, OpenAI said in a blog post on Monday (October 27). The findings are part of an update on how the chatbot responds to sensitive conversations. OpenAI said it is working with a network of healthcare experts globally to assist its research. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lets take a closer look. ChatGPT users facing mental health crisis OpenAI said that around 0.07 per cent of ChatGPT users active in a given week, about 560,000 people of the total 800,000,000 weekly users, exhibit possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania. As many as 1,200,000 users, or 0.15 per cent, displayed signs of self-harm and increased emotional attachment to ChatGPT. OpenAI estimated that 0.15 per cent of ChatGPT users have conversations that include explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent. The company said these cases are extremely rare, adding that its AI chatbot recognises and responds to these sensitive conversations. OpenAIs post said in its post that these chats were difficult to detect or measure, saying that this was an initial analysis. Some ChatGPT users have shown explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent. Representational Image/AFP The company claimed in its post that its recent GPT-5 update brought down the number of undesirable behaviours from its product. It said it also improved user safety in a model evaluation comprising more than 1,000 self-harm and suicide conversations. Our new automated evaluations score the new GPT5 model at 91 per cent compliant with our desired behaviours, compared to 77 per cent for the previous GPT5 model, the companys post read. As part of this work, psychiatrists and psychologists reviewed more than 1,800 model responses involving serious mental health situations and compared responses from the new GPT5 chat model to previous models, OpenAI said. By desirable, the company meant whether a group of its experts reached the same conclusion about the appropriate response in certain situations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These experts include 170 psychiatrists, psychologists, and primary care physicians who have worked in 60 countries, the company said. It said these experts have drawn a series of responses in ChatGPT to encourage users to seek help in the offline world. ChatGPT has been trained to reroute sensitive conversations originating from other models to safer models by taking the user to a new window. ALSO READ: Is ChatGPT making its frequent users lonelier? Experts flag concerns Mental health experts have sounded an alarm about people using AI chatbots for psychological support. They have warned that this could harm users at risk of mental health issues. Even though 0.07 per cent sounds like a small percentage, at a population level with hundreds of millions of users, that actually can be quite a few people, Dr Jason Nagata, a professor who studies technology use among young adults at the University of California, San Francisco, told BBC. AI can broaden access to mental health support, and in some ways support mental health, but we have to be aware of the limitations, Dr Nagata added. On criticism about the number of ChatGPT users potentially affected, OpenAI told BBC that this small percentage of users amounts to a meaningful amount of people, adding that they are taking changes seriously. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD OpenAI under scrutiny OpenAI is already facing legal challenges over ChatGPT. A California couple has sued the company over the death of their teenage son, alleging that the chatbot encouraged him to take his own life in April. The high-profile lawsuit was filed by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who had died by suicide after extensive engagement with ChatGPT. This is the first legal action accusing OpenAI of wrongful death. In another case, the suspect in a murder-suicide in Connecticut that took place in August, posted hours of his conversations with ChatGPT, which seemed to have fuelled his delusions. More users struggle with AI psychosis as chatbots create the illusion of reality. It is a powerful illusion, Professor Robin Feldman, Director of the AI Law & Innovation Institute at the University of California Law, told BBC. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission launched a probe into companies that create AI chatbots, including OpenAI, to analyse how they measure negative impacts on children and teens. OpenAIs post, however, seems to have distanced itself from any possible future links between its product and the mental health crises experienced by many of its users. Mental health symptoms and emotional distress are universally present in human societies, and an increasing user base means that some portion of ChatGPT conversations include these situations, the companys post read. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669) Just a day after a 20-year-old Delhi University student had claimed she was attacked by acid by a man who had been stalking her for days, the case had taken a new turn. The womans father, identified as Aqeel Khan, has confessed to plotting the entire crime to frame three men with whom he had enmity. Heres how the shocker unfolded The 20-year-old woman had claimed she was attacked by a man who had been stalking her for days. But as investigators dug deeper, a completely different story began to emerge. Turns out, the womans father, identified as Aqeel Khan, has now confessed to fabricating the entire acid attack story to frame three men. Image courtesy: News18 Just a day after a college student was admitted to the hospital with burn injuries from what was believed to be an acid attack in northwest Delhi, the case has taken a dramatic twist. The 20-year-old woman had claimed she was attacked by a man who had been stalking her for days. But as investigators dug deeper, a completely different story began to emerge. According to officials, the womans father, identified as Aqeel Khan, has now confessed to fabricating the entire acid attack story to frame three men. He revealed that his daughter had carried a bottle of toilet cleaner from their home and poured it on her own hands to fake the attack. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Delhi Police is set to take legal action under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused and his daughter for plotting the fake story. Heres how the shocking plot unfolded. How a Delhi student plotted a fake acid attack story Woman claims acid attack A 22-year-old BCom student from Delhi University claimed she was attacked with acid while on her way to attend an extra class at Lakshmibai College. In her statement, the woman alleged that the main accused, Jitender, a resident of Mukundpur, approached her on a two-wheeler with two friends, Ishan and Arman. According to her, Ishan handed a bottle to Arman, who then hurled a flammable substance at her. She said she managed to protect her face but ended up with burns on her hand. Her brother later told the media that she had suffered multiple acid burns. I know one of the attackers. He stays near our home. He had been stalking my sister, and she confronted him last month. We want justice; the accused should be put behind bars, he said. Following the claim, police went out looking for the three accused, who were reported to be on the run. The case had shaken th capital, with the National Commission for Women and even the Delhi Lt Governor taking cognisance. Lt Gov of Delhi VK Saxena has taken an extremely serious view of the recent unfortunate incident of acid attack in the Capital. He has instructed the Commissioner of Police to ensure that the guilty are arrested and brought to the book at the earliest, and the most stringent pic.twitter.com/4udROGk5QL ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How the acid attack story fell apart It didnt take long for investigators to notice that something wasnt adding up in the young womans account. According to PTI, police began spotting inconsistencies in her statement soon after the probe began. One of the first clues came from the phone records of the alleged main accused, Jitender. His call detail records (CDR) placed him in Karol Bagh at the time of the supposed attack, far from the scene of the crime. So far, his location at the time of the incident does not place him at the crime scene. Multiple angles are being verified. His call detail records show him in the Karol Bagh area and not near the college, an officer told PTI. #WATCH | Delhi: DCP North-West Delhi, Bhisham Singh says, "Yesterday morning, we received a call at 10:52 am from Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, about the admission of a girl with burn injuries. As per the statement of the girl, a case has been registered, in which she has alleged https://t.co/XJy7Lw0SaG pic.twitter.com/MeD6g6EUSS ANI (@ANI) October 27, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD CCTV footage and witness statements later backed up this finding. Further, the bike that the woman had described in her complaint was also discovered parked in Karol Bagh. Investigators grew even more doubtful after learning that the woman had gotten off an e-rickshaw about 200 metres away from her college. To add to the suspicion, no traces of acid were found on the wall near the alleged attack site, sources told PTI. Why did man make up the fake acid attack story? Investigators believe the incident may have been motivated by revenge. The father had previously been accused of raping the wife of one of the accused, and hence, he decided to frame him in the acid attack case. Just two days before the alleged incident, Jitenders wife made a PCR call claiming that she was being blackmailed and harassed by Khan. She told police that between 2021 and 2024, she had worked at Khans factory, where he sexually assaulted her and later threatened her with objectionable photos and videos. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Based on her complaint, police questioned Khan, and thats when the truth began to surface. During interrogation, he admitted to fabricating the entire acid attack story to frame Jitender and his friends. The acid used in the act, he confessed, was actually a common toilet cleaner that his daughter had carried from home. Meanwhile, police said that Jitenders friends, Arman and Ishan, are currently in Agra with their mother, Shabnam, and are expected to join the investigation soon. In another twist, Shabnam told investigators that she herself was a victim of an acid attack back in 2018, allegedly carried out by relatives of Aqeel Khan. She also revealed that she and Khan are locked in an ongoing property dispute over a plot in Delhis Mangolpuri, which is still pending in court. With input from agencies US President Donald Trump is meeting Japans new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Day 2 of his visit to the nation. Potus is on a big Asia tour and will be heading to South Korea next. In India, Cyclone Montha, which is brewing in the Bay of Bengal, will make landfall in Andhra Pradesh It is set to be a busy Wednesday with several events lined up for the day. Firstly, US President Donald Trump is holding a meet with his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, today in Tokyo. In India, Cyclone Montha, which is brewing in the Bay of Bengal, will make landfall in Andhra Pradesh today. The first hearing for Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of killing Japans ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe, will take place today. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV will lead the prayer for peace at the Colosseum in Rome. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here is all that is set to take place throughout the day. Trump meets Takaichi US President Donald Trump is meeting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. This is a key event in Trumps three-day visit to the country, marking his first trip to the country since returning to the White House in January. US President Donald Trump waves upon his arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters The discussions are expected to focus heavily on national security and trade issues, crucial topics for the US-Japan alliance. Analysts anticipate Takaichi will pledge to increase Japans defence spending, a priority for both leaders. A recalibrated trade deal will also be on the agenda, with Japan hoping to protect its interests. The meeting will be Takaichis first major diplomatic test since becoming Japans first female prime minister on October 21. Cyclone Montha to make landfall near Andhra coast Cyclone Montha, which has been brewing in the Bay of Bengal for the last few days, is expected to make landfall near the coast of Andhra Pradesh today. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red and orange alerts across multiple districts in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the storm will likely cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 90100 kmph, and gusts up to 110 kmph. In preparation, authorities have closed schools and colleges in several high-risk districts in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Senior government officers have been appointed to oversee readiness and relief efforts in the affected districts. While Coastal residents are being evacuated, with over 900 fishing vessels shepherded to safety. First hearing for Tetsuya Yamagami The first hearing for Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is scheduled to take place today. The 45-year-old faces charges of murder and violating firearm laws for the shooting that occurred while Abe was giving a campaign speech in Nara. The trial will be held at the Nara District Court. Yamagami has reportedly admitted to the killing and is expected to plead guilty at the first hearing. The cases central focus will likely shift to the motive and sentencing. The defence is expected to argue for leniency, highlighting Yamagamis grievances against the Unification Church. Pope Leo XIV to lead a prayer for peace at the Colosseum Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to lead a major prayer for peace at Romes historic Colosseum today. This is a part of his ongoing commitment to reconciliation and global harmony. The prayer event at the Colosseum serves as a powerful symbol of the Churchs message of peace amid global tensions. In prior addresses, the pope has consistently called for an end to conflict and a deeper solidarity among people. During the ceremony, faithful and dignitaries are expected to gather to reflect together on peace, justice and the healing of divisions. The choice of the Colosseum highlights both the endurance of Christian witness and the journey from persecution to hope. Liturgical elements will intertwine with prayer, reflection and a call to action. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jamaica is bracing itself for catastrophe as Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm this year, is expected to make landfall today (October 28). What makes this storm particularly dangerous is the rapid intensification it has undergone it went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 281 kmph in less than five days Palm trees are shaken by the wind, ahead of Hurricane Melissa at Hellshire Beach, in the coastal town of Hellshire, Jamaica. Reuters Three deaths and it hasnt even made landfall yet. We are talking about Hurricane Melissa, which is barrelling towards Jamaica and is expected to be the most powerful hurricane to ever make a direct hit on the island. In fact, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned on Monday (October 27) that if the Category 5 storm was to hit with full force then I dont believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jamaican officials have called on the public to get to higher ground and shelters before Melissa makes a landfall, expected today (October 28). According to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in the United States, the storm will cause destructive winds and catastrophic flooding, which it forecast to worsen throughout the day and night. Now, as people prepare for the storm, we take a closer look at just what makes it strongest storm on the planet this year and what it means for the people of Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa: From tropical storm to Category 5 in few days What makes Hurricane Melissa particularly dangerous is that it has undergone, what experts call rapid intensification a climate-charged phenomenon thats increasingly sending devastating storms to the region. On Saturday morning, Melissa was still just a tropical storm. But in under a day, the storms wind speeds increased from about 115 kilometres per hour to 225 kilometres per hour on Sunday. By Monday morning, it had become a Category 5 hurricane, one of the fastest intensifications ever seen in the Caribbean. By that afternoon, the winds reached speeds of 281 kilometres per hour, according to the US NHC, making it the strongest storm on the planet so far in 2025. This footage from inside the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa might be the most jaw-dropping video ever captured of a hurricanes eye, showcasing the infamous stadium effect." pic.twitter.com/AEhj2g2Ban Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) October 27, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what caused this rapid transformation of the storm? According to scientists, it is probably a symptom of the rapid heating of the worlds oceans. That part of the Atlantic is extremely warm right now around 30 degrees Celsius [86 degrees Fahrenheit], which is 2 to 3C above normal, said Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, in the United Kingdom. And its not just the surface. The deeper layers of the ocean are also unusually warm, providing a vast reservoir of energy for the storm. Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at Climate Central, a US-based research group, also agreed that Hurricane Melissa underwent rapid intensification and pointed the finger at climate change. It does not mean that every single tropical cyclone is going to go through rapid or super-rapid intensification. However, in our warmer world, it will continue to increase the likelihood of storms going through rapid and super-rapid intensification, she was quoted as telling The Guardian. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And science shows that the experts are correct. A 2023 study found that Atlantic hurricanes are now more than twice as likely as before to intensify rapidly from minor storms to powerful and catastrophic events. The rapid intensification of Hurricane Melissa also complicates disaster preparations officials might be preparing for a weaker storm, only to suddenly face one far worse. People stand along the Kingston waterfront as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica. Reuters Slow-moving Melissa likely to cause more destruction While Hurricane Melissa went from being a tropical storm to a Category 5 storm in just a few days, scientists tracking it have noted that it is slow-moving. In fact, weather watchers have said that its drifting at just two miles per hour, slower than the average person on an afternoon stroll. But its snail-like pace is exactly what makes Hurricane Melissa dangerous. A slow-moving storm is expected to linger more, inundating the island and buffeting it with winds. Experts said that Melissas slow pace may mean prolonged torrential rain in some areas, increasing the risk of deadly flooding and landslides. A man boards up a hotels windows in preparation of Hurricane Melissas expected arrival in Kingston, Jamaica. AP And the NHC concurred. It said that the storm now moving at five mph will cause more damage. This extreme rainfall potential, owing to the slow motion, is going to create a catastrophic event here for Jamaica, NHC Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said. Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the UKs National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, also said the same. Because its moving very slowly, Melissa is very, very dangerous. If a tropical cyclone is moving slowly, then it means that whenever it will start dumping rain over Jamaica, it will give more chances for a lot of rainfall. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A fisherman ties boats in preparation for the forecasted arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Old Harbour, Jamaica. AP Catastrophic conditions await Jamaica And ahead of Hurricane Melissas landfall in Jamaica, officials are bracing for catastrophic conditions, with the US NHC warning of catastrophic flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with extensive infrastructural damage. Up to 40 inches (about a metre) of rainfall has been forecast, with deluges expected to bring flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica as well as Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. A storm surge is also likely along Jamaicas southern coast, with waters potentially rising some 13 feet, along with destructive waves. People buy groceries ahead of the forecast arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica. AP NHC director Michael Brennan warned Jamaicans: Do not venture outside with catastrophic life threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides expected through Tuesday. He also advised not to go out in the eye as it passes over your area. The forward speed of Melissa is going to increase and the eye is going to start to move very quickly across the island. Meanwhile, Jamaicas Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island. In a post on X, he urged every Jamaican to prepare, stay indoors during the storm, and comply with evacuation orders. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We will weather this storm and rebuild stronger, he wrote. You have been warned. Its now up to you to use that information to make the right decision, he said during a briefing, and told CNN, I dont believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation. Teenagers gather at the Bank of Jamaicas car park on the Waterfront in Kingston. Hurricane Melissa threatens Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the islands most violent weather on record. AFP Speaking on its evacuation efforts, Desmond Mackenzie, Jamaicas minister of local government and community development, said Sunday night that 218 people were already in some of the countrys 881 shelters. As of Monday morning, all of the islands shelters were open, but many were still not full. Visuals from the area showed residents filling up gas canisters for their generators and boarding up windows to prepare for the intense wind and rain. Zookeepers in the capital city were relocating their animals ahead of the storm. Jamaicas geography likely to worsen the situation Experts have also noted that Jamaicas mountains is likely to make Hurricane Melissa even more potent than it already is. Thats because water rushing downhill is unpredictable. When you get a storm like this that is approaching the higher echelons of what we have observed, its harrowing, especially because it is pointing at a populated island with complex terrain, said Kim Wood, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Arizona. Youre dealing with a funnelling effect, where that water, as it falls, will then join other water thats coming down the mountainside and exacerbate the impacts. A janitor mops the floor at Norman Manley International Airport, closed ahead of the forecast arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica. AP Haiti, Cuba and Dominican Republic to also feel Melissa The storm has already drenched the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed on Monday in four of nine provinces still under the most serious form of weather alert. Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the country and displaced more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters also have cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In neighbouring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions, including 15 hectares (37 acres) of maize at a time when at least 5.7 million people, more than half of the countrys population, are experiencing crisis levels of hunger. The storm is also forecast to move southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night, and across southeastern or central Bahamas on Wednesday, forecasters at the NHC said. And as Jamaicans wait for the strongest storm of this year, may be its time to pray as the Jamaican PM said. With inputs from agencies While rare earths themselves comprise over a dozen elements on the periodic table, rare earth magnets are even more valuable. These are among the strongest permanent magnets known to science and are used in smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Heres why they matter (File) Miners are seen at the Bayan Obo mine containing rare earth minerals, in Inner Mongolia, China. Reuters From Washington to Beijing, everyone is talking about rare earths. The Pentagon is trying to get its hands on it. So, is India, which wants to create a strategic stockpile. US President Donald Trump, who is on a swing of Asia, is signing deals with nations to try to secure it. Beijing, which controls more than 80 per cent of the worlds rare-earth refining facilities, has imposed export controls on it which a furious Trump claimed was akin to taking the world hostage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While rare earths themselves comprise over a dozen elements on the periodic table, rare earth magnets are even more valuable. These are among the strongest permanent magnets known to science and are used in smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). But what do you know about them really? How strong are they? Why do they matter? Lets take a closer look India is set to conduct a major exercise on its western frontier with Pakistan and Islamabad is not happy. Pakistan has issued a notice to air missions (NOTAM), covering the majority of its airspace. The development comes months after India conducted Operation Sindoor targeting terror hubs in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April. But what do we know about Indias military manoeuvres that have rattled the neighbour? India is set to conduct a major exercise on its western frontier with Pakistan and Islamabad is not happy. Pakistan has expanded a notice to air missions (NOTAM), covering the majority of its airspace as Indias exercise is set to commence in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The development comes months after India conducted Operation Sindoor targeting terror hubs, airbases and radar sites in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April. But what do we know about the manoeuvres India has named Trishul? How has Pakistan responded? Lets take a closer look. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What do we know? Trishul is a tri-combat service exercise. This means it comprises all three branches of the Indian Armed Services the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Trishul will be conducted for 10 days from October 30 to November 10. It will take place in Sir Creek, near the Pakistan border in Gujarats Rann of Kutch region. India has issued a notice to air missions (NOTAM) for large parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Defence analyst Damien Symon also shared satellite images showing the airspace closed off for Trishul. Symon noted that it extended up to 28,000 feet and added that the chosen area and scale of activity were unusual. The armed forces will likely undertake joint operations across varied and difficult terrains, including offensive manoeuvres in the creek and desert sectors. They will also conduct amphibious operations off the Saurashtra coast as well as multi-domain operational drills. The Indian Army will deploy more than 20,000 soldiers as well as main battle tanks, howitzers, armed helicopters and missile systems. Drills like Trinetra with a focus on full-cycle electromagnetic spectrum operations and counter-unmanned aerial system kill-chains are already being c onducted by the 21 Sudarshan Chakra strike corps in the desert sector. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The IAF will conduct `Mahagujraj and deploy Rafales and Sukhoi-30MKIs, special aircraft, helicopters, remotely-piloted aircraft and force-enablers like IL-78 mid-air refuellers and airborne early-warning and control aircraft. The Indian Navy will deployed multiple assets for Operation Trishul. File image/Reuters The Navy has also deployed some frigates and destroyers off the Gujarat coast. Remember, the Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat will be a target for Pakistan in any full-scale war, the officer told the newspaper. Different indigenous weapon systems and innovations will be fully tested during the Trishul exercise. In the non-kinetic domains, ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), EW (electronic warfare) and cyber capabilities will also be a focus area. India had deployed Rafale and air defence systems like S-400, MRSAM, and Spyder during previous Trishul exercises. A senior officer told the Times of India that the wargames are routine in nature. He said it is practice to hold one such massive tri-services war game every year. He, however, noted that the scale, complexity and area of the operations are indeed massive. Multiple joint combat drills, both offensive and defensive in nature, will be executed during Trishul, the officer said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The exercise comes days after Rajnath warned Pakistan about a military build-up in the sensitive Sir Creek area. Any aggression by Pakistan in the Sir Creek area will be met with a resounding response that will change both history and geography, Singh said. The Defence Minister made the remarks on Dussehra while addressing troops at the IAF base in Bhuj, around 150 kilometres from the sensitive area. Sir Creek is a 96-kilometre tidal estuary between Gujarats Rann of Kutch and Pakistans Sindh province. It is the source of a major bilateral dispute between the two countries. The Defence Ministry has said that the exercise is aimed at demonstrating the joint operational capabilities, the atmanirbharta (self-reliance), and innovation of the Indian Armed Forces. Troops from Southern Command will actively participate to validate joint operations across diverse and challenging terrains, including offensive manoeuvres in the creek and desert sectors, amphibious operations off the Saurashtra coast, and joint multi-domain operational exercises, the statement read. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How has Pakistan responded? Islamabad has been in a panic. It issued a notice to air missions (NOTAM) covering a larger part of its airspace, mostly along its central and southern routes. Pakistan has now issued a notification restricting multiple air traffic routes along its central & southern airspace, possibly for a military exercise/weapons test, as India prepares for its Tri-Services Exercise across the border, Symon wrote on X. It gave no reason for doing so. However, analysts suggest Pakistan could conduct its own exercises or even a weapons test. Islamabad has also placed multiple commands and bases on high alert. News18 reported that the Pakistani Air Force and Navy have been told to remain on standby in case of any perceived aggression. They have also been instructed to increase their patrols in the Arabian Sea. Sources told the outlet the Pakistani military is in a state of panic over potential contingency scenarios. The Pakistani Navy Chief also visited the Sir Creek area over the weekend to inspect troops and check on readiness levels. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies The Bangladesh government has reportedly approved a nearly month-long visit of controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. During the tour, the Indian orator is expected to travel across the South Asian country and deliver sermons. This comes a year after Naik, wanted in India, had gone to Pakistan for a month-long state visit Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik reacts during a prayer at a mosque in Melaka, Malaysia, September 7, 2019. File Photo/Reuters After Pakistan, now Bangladesh is set to roll out the red carpet for controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has reportedly green-lit a nearly month-long visit of the Indian orator to Bangladesh. Naiks nationwide tour has been scheduled for November and comes a little over a year after he went on a month-long state visit to Pakistan. Naik, a proponent of the radical Salafi school in Sunni Islam, is wanted in India on money laundering and hate speech charges. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lets take a closer look. Zakir Naiks Bangladesh visit The Yunus government has approved Indian fugitive Zakir Naiks three-week visit to Bangladesh. His tour will begin on November 28 and conclude on December 20. During his trip, Naik will travel across the South Asian country and deliver a series of sermons, reported India Today. This will be the Islamic preachers first-ever visit to Bangladesh. The approval by the Yunus government is in sharp contrast to the previous Sheikh Hasina governments move to ban Naiks Peace TV following the 2016 Dhaka Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack. Naiks role in Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack Several gunmen had attacked the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka on July 1, 2016, killing 22 people, mostly foreigners, including an Indian girl. Five militants were killed during a rescue operation, while two police officers and a cafe chef lost their lives during the 12-hour standoff. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. However, Bangladesh disputed this and held the local Neo Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh responsible for the terror attack. One of the gunmen told Bangladeshi investigators that he had been influenced by Naiks speeches on his YouTube channel. Within hours of the attack in Dhaka, Naik had fled India. He has remained a fugitive since, settling in Malaysia after being denied visas by Britain and Canada. Indias National Investigation Agency (NIA) has accused Naik of encouraging youth to take up terror activities, making hate speeches, and promoting enmity on communal lines. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Enforcement Directorate has also lodged a complaint against Naik under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2019. India is seeking the controversial preachers extradition, but Kuala Lumpur has yet to comply. Bangladeshs major shift on Zakir Naik Bangladeshs approval of Naiks tour signals a major policy shift under the government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Since Hasinas ouster last August, the interim government has freed militants and there have been reports of a surge in attacks on Hindus. Indian agencies have flagged the rise of radicalisation in Bangladesh under Yunus. According to analysts, Naiks forthcoming visit is a well-thought-out one, reported IANS. During the visit, he could meet commanders of terror outfits of the Harper-ul-Jihadi Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB). Naiks visit comes a year after he travelled to Pakistan. The Islamic preacher had made several controversial remarks during the month-long visit, ranging from misogynistic to absurd. In Pakistan, he had met the top leaders of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, Muhammad Harris Dhar, and Faisal Nadeem. Naiks warm welcome by Pakistan was condemned by India, with the external affairs ministry calling it disappointing but not surprising. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per IANS, Pakistans spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has sent top commanders of the terror groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, to Bangladesh to train members of the HuJI and JMB. It has cooked up a plan to carry out attacks against India by using Bangladesh-based terror outfits. In such circumstances, Naiks visit to Pakistan would be a big boost to Pakistans anti-India activities. With inputs from agencies The United States is reeling under its longest government shutdown, now in its fifth week, leaving 1.4 million federal employees unpaid and vital programmes on the brink of collapse. From food aid to airport security, the crisis has crippled public services and exposed deep political divisions US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La, faces reporters, joined from left by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn, and Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler at a news conference on day 27 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, October 27, 2025. File Image/AP The United States government shutdown has extended beyond its fourth week and has brought the worlds wealthiest nation to an unusual standstill where hundreds of thousands of its own employees are going unpaid, essential public programmes are running out of funds, and millions of Americans are bracing for mounting economic pain. What began as a budget standoff between the White House and Congress has now evolved into one of the longest and most disruptive federal shutdowns in US history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How are the 1.4 million federal workers dealing with no pay? The shutdowns most visible impact lies in the plight of federal workers, who have become unintended casualties of political gridlock. Nearly 730,000 employees are currently working without pay, continuing their duties to keep critical government functions alive. Another 670,000 have been furloughed, meaning they are not working and will not receive a paycheck unless Congress later approves retroactive compensation. For those caught in the middle, the situation has grown increasingly dire. Many federal employees, including those from agencies such as Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Internal Revenue Service, have now missed their first full paychecks. The missed salaries have forced workers into makeshift solutions taking up side jobs, delivering food, walking dogs, or selling personal possessions to stay financially afloat. Others have turned to food banks and local charities for groceries and essentials. Some have been calling their creditors, asking for temporary relief, while others have withdrawn funds from their retirement savings or pension plans just to cover rent and bills. The growing distress among the federal workforce has drawn calls from labor unions and lawmakers to immediately reopen the government. Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship, said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. His organisation, the largest union representing federal workers, has demanded that Congress restore normal funding and ensure back pay for all affected employees. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Which programmes are running dry? As the shutdown enters its fifth week, the consequences are spilling far beyond Washingtons political corridors. A series of federal programmes that millions of Americans rely on daily are now either halted or nearing the end of their funding reserves. Among the most urgent is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP), which provides food assistance to more than 40 million people across the country. With no congressional funding in place, the programme is expected to run out of money by Saturday, leaving many low-income families without a safety net. According to internal government communications cited by officials, the Trump administration has declined to draw from a $5 billion contingency fund to sustain SNAP benefits into November, reported Politico. That amount falls short of the $9 billion required to fully cover food assistance through the month. At least 25 states have already begun preparations to cut off or reduce benefits in the absence of federal payments. The administration is making an intentional choice not to fund SNAP this weekend, said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, arguing that the Department of Agricultures position contradicts its own previous guidance on using emergency reserves during shutdowns. The strain also extends to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which supports around 7 million low-income mothers and children with food and health aid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Earlier in the shutdown, the administration redirected limited funds from school meal programs to keep WIC afloat temporarily. However, those funds are expected to dry up this weekend unless another $300 million in emergency allocations are approved. Another programme now under threat is Head Start, a cornerstone federal initiative offering early education, healthcare, and nutrition to children from disadvantaged families. The National Head Start Association estimates that funding for more than 130 programmes covering 41 states and Puerto Rico and serving roughly 59,000 children will lapse without immediate intervention. Many Head Start centres have already begun notifying parents that they may need to close temporarily, resulting in lost wages for teachers and lost childcare for working families. The Essential Air Service (EAS), a programme that ensures commercial flights to remote and rural areas, is facing a similar shortfall. Without subsidies from the Department of Transportation, small carriers serving isolated communities, especially in Alaska and the Midwest, are expected to suspend operations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The department already diverted $42 million earlier this month to avoid immediate disruptions, but that temporary fix is nearing exhaustion. Airlines have warned that ticket prices could rise sharply, or routes could be discontinued altogether if the programme isnt restored soon. How has the US military pay been affected? While civilian workers await relief, the Trump administration has taken unusual and legally untested steps to prevent a complete collapse of military pay. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump approved payments for active-duty service members by drawing from funds intended for military research and development, redirecting about $6.5 billion to meet payroll. That stopgap measure ensured that the 1.3 million active-duty service members received their paychecks temporarily. But it is unclear how sustainable this manoeuvre will be. The US Defence Departments remaining discretionary funds are limited, and the next payroll is due this Friday. If no new funding is authorised, even military personnel may begin to miss pay. In an unexpected twist, Pentagon officials confirmed they had accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million from a wealthy private individual to help meet salary obligations during the shutdown. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The donors identity remains undisclosed, and defence officials have not clarified how the funds will be distributed. White House aides have privately acknowledged that while such private contributions can bridge short gaps, they are not a long-term solution. Meanwhile, civilian employees at the Department of Defence and other agencies are beginning to miss their full pay cycles, including staff in logistics, procurement, and administrative roles. The administration has been exploring whether it can extend Trumps earlier military pay model to other essential government functions such as air traffic control and airport security but legal and political resistance has made that difficult. Some lawmakers have proposed piecemeal legislation to ensure that certain employees, such as TSA agents or air traffic controllers, continue to be paid during the shutdown. However, Senate Democrats have rejected selective funding proposals, arguing that they would allow the administration to decide who gets paid and who doesnt, potentially giving Trump leverage over the shutdown negotiations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What else has been affected by the shutdown? At major airports across the country, travel disruptions are growing more frequent as TSA agents and air traffic controllers work without pay. Absenteeism is rising, leading to longer security lines, delayed flights, and in some cases, cancelled routes. Aviation experts have warned that prolonged unpaid work among key safety personnel could jeopardise operational efficiency and morale. During the 35-day partial shutdown in 2018-19, the nation experienced similar challenges, with air traffic controllers calling in sick in protest of unpaid labour, forcing the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily close airspace in some regions. Beyond transportation, the current impasse has also paralysed the healthcare sector in critical ways. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), responsible for managing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, has recalled limited staff to oversee the start of open enrolment on November 1. However, many Americans have reported issues accessing plan previews and enrolment options, as the Healthcare.gov website initially displayed outdated data from 2025 instead of upcoming 2026 plans. The delay is significant because millions of Americans rely on the ACA marketplace to purchase insurance. Lawmakers say the confusion reflects the broader paralysis caused by the shutdown. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Democrats in Congress are pushing for legislation to extend federal subsidies that lower premiums for ACA users. Without an extension, insurers are expected to raise premiums substantially next year, reflecting uncertainty about whether the government will continue financial support. US Senator Tim Kaine stated that Democrats are seeking a comprehensive deal to reopen the government while ensuring the administration cannot mass-fire workers or terminate healthcare subsidies. Weve got to get a deal with Donald Trump, he said. However, Republicans maintain that discussions on healthcare should not proceed until the government resumes full operations. Im particularly worried about premiums going up for working families, said US Senator David McCormick. So were going to have that conversation, but were not going to have it until the government opens. What is going on in Washington? Despite rising public frustration, political leaders remain entrenched. Trump, currently on a three-nation Asia tour, has shown no signs of softening his stance. The White House has focused on preserving key spending priorities, while US House Speaker Mike Johnson has resisted calls to bring lawmakers back to Washington to pass interim funding bills. Johnson has argued that piecemeal bills to pay select groups of federal workers would take the pressure off Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats, reducing their incentive to negotiate a broader resolution. Schumer, meanwhile, accused Republicans of preferring a prolonged shutdown to meaningful compromise. The administration is just choosing not to use available emergency funding for essential programs, he said. So lowering health care is not a crazy demand. In Congress, partisan divisions have deepened over whether to tie funding for government agencies to healthcare reforms. Democrats have insisted that any spending bill include measures to address soaring health premiums, while Republicans argue that the two issues must remain separate. The House of Representatives had passed a short-term continuing resolution on September 19, intended to keep the government funded temporarily. However, the Senate failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required to advance it. Since then, no alternative proposal has gained traction. Even as pressure mounts, some lawmakers continue to urge moderation. US Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has called on her colleagues to come together and put aside partisan concerns. Right now, those that are losing are the American people, she said on the Senate floor. What about the US economy? Analysts warn that extended disruptions could slow economic growth, particularly through reduced consumer spending, delayed contracts, and lower federal procurement. The US Treasury Department has not yet reported delays in debt payments or bond operations, but economists caution that prolonged gridlock could rattle financial markets and weaken investor confidence. The last major shutdown in 2019 resulted in a measurable slowdown in quarterly GDP growth. International observers note that the shutdown underscores the vulnerabilities of a system that allows partisan disagreements to halt core government functions. The image of the worlds largest economy unable to pay its own workers has prompted both criticism and disbelief abroad. At home, the political fallout could be significant. With Thanksgiving approaching, millions of families face uncertainty about food assistance, healthcare, and employment. The shutdown is also complicating airport operations and border management, both vital for national security and trade. Despite repeated warnings from economists and lawmakers about the long-term damage, Washingtons stalemate shows few signs of resolution. Both sides appear unwilling to concede ground, even as public pressure builds. As US Senate Majority Leader John Thune bluntly warned, Things are about to get worse. Unless an agreement is reached soon, the worlds richest nation home to some of the largest corporations and the most powerful military could continue to fail in the most basic function of governance: paying its own people. With inputs from agencies A major study finds that a single, uninterrupted 15-minute walk may do more for heart health and longevity than several shorter walks totalling the same steps. Tracking over 33,000 adults for nearly a decade, researchers found markedly lower heart disease and death rates among those walking in longer bouts People walk on the promenade of Las Canteras beach on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, May 2, 2020. Representational Image/Reuters A major new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that one continuous walk lasting at least 15 minutes could be more beneficial for the heart and longevity than breaking up walking into several short sessions throughout the day. The research, which tracked more than 33,000 adults in the United Kingdom over nearly a decade, found that people who typically walked in longer, uninterrupted stretches had lower risks of heart disease and early death compared with those whose steps were taken in brief bursts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The findings are challenging long-held assumptions that the total number of daily steps is all that matters. How the study was conducted The study, carried out by researchers from the University of Sydney and the Universidad Europea in Spain, examined data from 33,560 adults aged 40 to 79 who generally walked fewer than 8,000 steps per day a level considered below optimal daily activity. Each participants walking pattern was measured using accelerometers over a week, allowing researchers to analyse not only how many steps they took, but how those steps were distributed throughout the day. Participants were divided into four groups according to the average duration of their walking bouts: Less than five minutes (43 per cent) Five to ten minutes (33.5 per cent) Ten to fifteen minutes (15.5 per cent) Fifteen minutes or more (8 per cent) Over an eight-year follow-up period, the researchers recorded cases of cardiovascular disease, hospitalisations, and deaths from any cause. What the results revealed People who accumulated most of their steps in continuous walks of 15 minutes or longer had substantially lower risks of both heart disease and death compared with those whose walking was broken into smaller increments. Among those walking less than 5,000 steps a day often categorised as sedentary longer bouts of walking provided especially strong protective effects. The study found that participants who typically walked in 15-minute or longer sessions were 80 per cent less likely to die from any cause and nearly 70 per cent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those whose steps came from walks of five minutes or less. Risk levels declined progressively with walking duration. The rate of heart disease was roughly 13 per cent among participants who mainly walked for less than five minutes at a time. This fell to 11 per cent for those walking five to ten minutes, 7.7 per cent for ten- to fifteen-minute walkers, and just 4.4 per cent for those regularly walking for at least fifteen minutes without interruption. These trends remained significant even after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, body mass index, cholesterol levels, and other lifestyle factors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The researchers noted that while they could not definitively establish cause and effect, the correlation between longer walking sessions and improved heart health was consistent and strong. Why walking duration may matter The idea that longer, continuous exercise sessions might be more beneficial than frequent short bursts stems from how the cardiovascular system responds to sustained physical activity. Extended walking allows the heart rate to remain elevated for longer, improving blood circulation, oxygen delivery, and metabolic efficiency. In contrast, brief bouts of movement may not maintain those physiological benefits long enough to significantly impact heart function. The studys lead author, Dr. Borja del Pozo Cruz, an epidemiologist at the European University of Madrid, said that while any movement is beneficial, longer walking periods seem to yield greater results. Were not saying shorter bouts dont work, he noted. But it seems like its much better to accumulate steps in longer periods. Sustained activity can also help regulate blood pressure, improve cholesterol profiles, and enhance insulin sensitivity, all of which are linked to lower risks of heart disease and mortality. Why how you walk is also as important as how much you walk For decades, health advice about walking has often centred on total daily step counts with 10,000 steps per day becoming a widely circulated goal. However, that number originated not from scientific research but from a Japanese pedometer marketing campaign in the 1960s. Recent research, including the latest findings, has clarified that health benefits begin at lower step counts and depend heavily on how those steps are taken. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Co-lead researcher Prof Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney highlighted this point. We tend to place all the emphasis on the number of steps or the total amount of walking but neglect the crucial role of patterns, for example how walking is done. This study shows that even people who are very physically inactive can maximise their heart health benefit by tweaking their walking patterns to walk for longer at a time, ideally for at least 10-15 minutes, when possible. This suggests that people who cannot meet the 10,000-step benchmark should not be discouraged. Instead, focusing on one or two longer, more deliberate walks each day could offer comparable or even greater cardiovascular benefits. Brisk walking at a pace that slightly elevates your heart rate but still allows you to talk improves cardiovascular efficiency, strengthens the respiratory system, and can help regulate blood sugar levels. Sustained bouts of walking also promote weight management by boosting metabolism and encouraging the body to burn fat for energy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What limitations the study may have Despite its strong findings, the studys authors and independent experts caution that the results show correlation rather than causation. It is possible that people who walked for longer periods were already healthier or more motivated, which could partly explain their better outcomes. Prof Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, pointed out, The study shows a link between walking and better heart health, but it doesnt prove that walking directly causes the improvement. The researchers also acknowledged that factors such as neighbourhood walkability, access to parks, socioeconomic background, and pre-existing health conditions could have influenced walking habits and health outcomes. Moreover, step data were collected over a one-week snapshot, which may not perfectly represent participants typical long-term routines. Still, even when controlling for multiple variables such as age, smoking, obesity, and cholesterol, the benefits of longer walking sessions remained evident. The pattern was particularly clear among individuals who were least active overall, reinforcing the idea that small adjustments to walking habits can meaningfully improve heart health. Why making walking a daily habit is essential For many people, incorporating a longer walk into their daily routine can be a realistic and sustainable step toward better health. Simple strategies include taking a dedicated 15- to 20-minute stroll during lunch, walking part of the commute, or setting aside time for an evening walk. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even modest changes like getting off public transport one stop early or parking further from work can help create the habit of longer, more continuous walking. The researchers suggest that those who are sedentary should focus less on hitting a specific step target and more on extending the length of each walk. Over time, longer bouts of activity can help increase endurance, strengthen the heart, and lower blood pressure. For safety, experts advise taking basic precautions during outdoor walks. When walking at night or in low-light conditions, wearing reflective clothing or carrying a flashlight or headlamp increases visibility. Pedestrians should remain alert, use designated lanes or walking paths whenever possible, and cross only at marked points where drivers expect foot traffic. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies Indias east coast is on alert as severe Cyclone Montha is forecast to make landfall at Andhra Pradeshs coast later today. Sustained wind speed of 90-100 kilometre per hour (kmph) gusting to 110 kmph is expected along with extremely heavy rainfall in Andhras Rayalaseema region and many districts of Odisha. Sea waves crash against the shore amid strong winds ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Montha at Manginapudi beach in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, on October 28, 2025. (Photo: PTI) Indias east coast is on alert on Tuesday as Cyclone Montha is forecast to make landfall later in the day at Andhra Pradeshs coast. In an update on Tuesday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Cyclone Montha is forecast to make landfall on Tuesday between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada between 5:30 pm and 11:30 pm. Cyclone Montha will bring sustained winds with the speed of 90-100 kilometre per hour (kmph) gusting to 110 kmph, according to the IMD. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The update further said that storm surge of height about 1 metre above astronomical tide is likely to cause inundation over low-lying areas of coastal Andhra and Yanam (Puducherry) around the time of landfall. Previously, the IMD had forecast that Cyclone Montha will bring extremely heavy rainfall of over 210 millimetres in Andhras Rayalaseema region on Tuesday and several districts of Odisha on Tuesday and Wednesday Malakangiri, Koraput, Rayagarh, Gajpati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi. ALSO READ Cyclone Montha: What are tropical storms, how are they named? Additionally, northern Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and coastal Karnataka are likely to experience very heavy rain of 115-210 mm on Tuesday. Moreover, Yanam, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh are also forecast to have heavy rain till Thursday. So far, rain has lashed at least eight districts of Odisha as the storm intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning. Rain also lashed Andhra Pradeshs Vijayawada. 50,000 evacuated as east coast remains on red alert Reuters has reported a government source as saying that up to 50,000 people have been evacuated to safer areas ahead of Cyclone Monthas landfall. Most of the Indias east coast is on red alert on Tuesday and National Disaster Response Forces (NDRF) and states forces personnel have been deployed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In Odisha, evacuations have been conducted in low-lying districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, and Kandhamal, according to The Indian Express. Several districts of Indias east coast are on red alert from Cyclone Montha. (Photo: IMD) The newspaper reported that the state government has deployed 140 rescue teams with over 5,000 personnel from NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and fire service. Around 3,000 people, including 1,496 pregnant women, were shifted to the safer places by 5 pm of Monday ahead of the cyclone, according to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said 3,778 villages are likely to receive heavy rains from the Cyclone Montha. Naidu said, The impact of Montha will be severe from Tuesday morning. According to officials, 338 mandals and 3,778 villages have been forecast to receive heavy rainfall. The state government has estimated that 3.9 million people will be affected in the low-lying areas the state, according to Reuters. It is sad that we are living in a world where government leaders at the highest level in the world have been putting their own credibility to stresses and strains, thus creating unintended black marks for the nations and institutions that they represent for a period but whose negativity will take their successors years and decades to live down. That in the fast-paced 21st century in particular, the world is not going to wait on the incumbents, nor wait for their successors. The consequences are worse for their own nations and leaderships than they are ready to comprehend and correct. The reference, of course, is about US President Donald Trump and his claims to having discussed trade and tariffs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they purportedly talked some days ago. Spokesman Randhir Jaiswal of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was guarded at best when he said that he had no information. Yet, Trump has reiterated his claim. The apprehension in the future would be that any leader talking to Trump, if at all, would have to be doubly guarded. His team may, which even otherwise discusses much of such telephonic conversation for internal assessments, might make it doubly sure that those audio recordings, if any, are not erased even by accident. The reverse is equally true. Worse will be the day when, in situations such as this one, either side officially publishes the audio recordings for the world to know. Alternatively, they might leak it to their media. The White House, the Pentagon and the CIA are past masters in this game, while other nations and institutions are mostly circumspect all along. They may now have reasons to review the status. New nomenclature Time used to be when diplomats posted outside the parent country used to rejoice at the very idea of one round of communication from or with the home office, which used to take weeks, and in some cases, months. Not after international subscriber dialling, email and secured lines became possible. It is also true that diplomacy does not stop with what it used to be, even when national security and defence become a part of the same. Today, all kinds of trade and commerce lend urgency and credibility to diplomacy more than any other aspect of foreign policy-making. These days, the MEA is the first one to react whenever Trump fires yet another tariff salvo at India. The Commerce Ministry, the nodal agency in the matter, provides the details later on, if there is anything to offer. Many nations have long rechristened and re-crafted their diplomatic ministry as DFAT, or Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, or call it by some such nomenclature. New Delhi is playing it safe still. In the post-Cold War, post-reforms era, international interlocutors often used to complain that Indian political leaderships, whether in power or out of it, were easy to convince (or, covert?), but the bureaucratic policy-makers are too hard-nosed for comfort, however old-fashioned. Today, after years and decades, cautious optimism of the old India seems to be what New Delhi is looking back at. Yes, in between, the bureaucrats and diplomats, too, may have tended to shed their caution more and become more optimistic. But realities around them are slowly but surely forcing them to dust their old books for a revision in some cases and a first-time read in most others. The political leadership is also learning to hear them out. Whether they listen to the other has to wait. Long-term bet In this discovery of the new, or the rediscovery of the old, we are getting caught somewhere in between, more often than not. This has meant that we continue to be more reactive than proactive. Only that the way we react and the way we put it may have changed. But nothing else has, especially for the other side(s). Operation Sindoor is a case in point. It is also the most recent one, if you leave out Trumps tariff wars and threat over Russian oil. By exploring new relations, starting with new trade ties, we are still in the reactive mode. Whether the chosen nations would abide by their side of the bargain if Establishment US squeezes them, now or post-Trump, is a medium- and long-term bet that we are wagering. The current choice of examples may be transient or a work-in-progress. The best one, and from the post-Cold War past, is the way the US twisted the arms of then Russian President Boris Yeltsin to deny us the cryogenic engine that Moscow had contracted to supply us for our space programme. National commitment The result was that our scientists were forced to develop the same. The same in a way applied to the Indian nuclear programme and also the early stages of the space programme, too. It means that our scientists can do it, but they need national commitment, government support, massive funding and adequate time at their disposal. That takes us to the question: can we believe to be the worlds third largest economic, military or political power? In the crudest of terms, military power, to many people, is where it rests, followed by economic power and culminating in political power. The fact is that other nations dont believe that we are already there, or will be there soon, as the world which world, whose world? claims us to be. Technology is the finer arbiter, and we have to go a long, long way. If we have adequate firepower, we need it to secure our borders and inland, too. If someone is telling us that we are great as a military power, they want us to buy more of their weapons. Enemys enemy Where does all of it lead us to? Rather than guiding global or even regional destiny, we are being led by them. It is about the presence or absence of what is euphemistically and comprehensively known as National Power without anyone defining it or its components. Either you have it or you do not have it. You may be working towards it, even inching towards it, but you are not there until you already are there. There is no two-day, or halfway, about it. Now coming to Pakistanis, they have the twin support of China and the US, after a gap, and with that got the IMF and the World Bank to refinance their failing economy even more. Afghanistan is their new game. Rather, it is the old Afghanistan, but a new game. India did well to open up to the Taliban-controlled Kabul for its own reasons, going beyond the norm, Enemys enemy is my friend. Already after the post-Qatar truce pact, New Delhi has to be watchful about what transpires on the Pakistan-Afghanistan front. Self-anointed Field Marshal Asim Munir only has to point the White Houses eyes towards what lies beyond Afghanistan Iran and Russia, across the Caspian Sea and how India was friendly with them all. Back to the blackboard All of it should take us back to the blackboard. Definitely, New Delhi has acted as it should, as in the case of Sindoor now and the surgical strikes earlier. Beyond that, we should not allow our rhetoric to say what only our actions on the ground can do, however much time it would take us to be there. We are neither in Maos China, when Beijing withdrew from everything and was out to destroy itself from within. Nor are we there where Dengs China had begun through a cautious opening up of the nations economy. What Xi Jinping now claims is globalisation with Chinese characteristics began then. Barring what certain economists have been crying hoarse about, at least for over two decades now, the Chinese economy does not seem to be failing. Instead, it continues to be feeding and funding what is projected as Xis personal political ambitions on the global stage, but those are the ambitions of a nation that Deng had kindled before handing over the reins. Today, if the US has a Trump, China has a Xi, but neither makes it comfortable for India. Maybe Xis BRI is a colossal failure. It was expected to be one on day one, but was it also meant to be one? There are no clear answers, and China does not answer, Xi or no Xi. Rules-based order We are not counting on what is increasingly becoming multilateralism with Indian characteristics, but there again, we lack clarity. In his congratulatory message to Japans first woman Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Indian counterpart Narendra Modi has underlined the importance of bilateral ties for promoting peace in the Indo-Pacific. This is only an example, as none of the original four signatories to the US-initiated Indo-Pacific, also including Australia, have clearly defined if the concept encapsulates a peace dimension, going beyond collective prosperity. For peace, the four nations had signed the Quad, but New Delhi long ago claimed it was not a military alliance. The same applies to India fast-tracking long-negotiated trade pacts with non-American western nations following Trumps tariff war. Called by whatever name, those FTAs, either recently signed or for which negotiations have been further fast-tracked, barring a few, might end up being influenced by the US, especially if they involve some American technology or are sanctioned by the West as a whole. The same applies to New Indias multilateral approaches to global politics and security cooperation. They need constant attention and frequent alterations, the way they are going. Diverse, disruptive In the years to come, New Delhis officials may realise that their progress turned out exactly as they had planned and expected. Despite the goodwill India earned during the Covid era, surpassing expectations, the country never aimed to go beyond its motto of Vasudeva Kutumbakamthe world is one family. Soft power, even if unintended, has its limits, which aligns with what India, as a nation, seeks. (N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and author, is a Chennai-based policy analyst and political commentator. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) If IMEEC is truly going to counter the Belt and Road Initiative, it must respond to the maritime advantages China has built over the last decade. Greece and Cyprus do that It was perhaps the central achievement of the G20 Summit in New Delhi hosted in 2023. On September 10, 2023, India, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). The concept was both simple and wise: India will be an economic superpower for the 21st century. Its markets lie not just to its east but also to its west. Europe, meanwhile, seeks trade routes and supply chain security. At the core of the IMEEC scheme will be a ship-to-rail network to transit goods across the northern Indian Ocean to the United Arab Emirates, transshipment to Haifa, and then via ship again across the Eastern Mediterranean to Greece and Italy, and onward into the European market. The beauty of the scheme is that it allows Europe to bypass all malign actorsRussia, Iran, and Turkey. The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, the Israel-Iran war, and disarray at the State Department and National Security Council forced the scheme to pause. While global attention focused on Houthi attacks on Israel, India also suffered. Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps controls and profits heavily from logistics across Iran. Because IMEEC bypassed Iran, some officials inside the Islamic Republic appear to have encouraged the Houthis to attack Indian shipping in order to redirect commerce toward the Northern Route across Iran into Russia and Turkey. With the Israel-Gaza ceasefire in place, the time is right to renew IMEEC. The first Trump administration led to the Abraham Accords, the 3+1, and the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forumall showing that this administration has an appetite for grand new diplomatic initiatives. IMEEC is well primed to be a legacy-building scheme into which Trump will dive all in, notwithstanding his second-term tilt toward Pakistan. If IMEEC is to succeed, however, India cannot simply rely on Trump but must be proactive in building the blocks. Trump may claim credit, but diplomats and analysts will know the truth. Greece and Cyprus bring several advantages to IMEECand perhaps the most important is their muscle memory from previous initiatives. For the past two decades, they have been part of trilateral and multilateral mechanisms that seemingly came out of nowhere and constantly progressed. Simply put: Athens and Nicosia know how to do this. The ability of Greece and Cyprus to be honest brokers between the Global North and Global South also stands out. They are stalwart allies of Israel but still have close and long-standing ties to Arab states. They both have standing ties to IndiaCyprus and India were both British colonies and later partnered in the Non-Aligned Movement. One of Greeces priorities, meanwhile, has been to upgrade its ties with India. In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Greece in 40 years, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reciprocated the visit the year after. Defence Minister Nikos Dendias just floated a trilateral naval cooperation scheme between Greece, India, and the United Kingdom that could significantly alter the operational environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea, if not the broader Indian Ocean. There are several advantages to IMEECand to Greece and Cyprus becoming its European hubs. If IMEEC is truly going to counter the Belt and Road Initiative, it must respond to the maritime advantages China has built over the last decade. Greece and Cyprus do that. Greece has the worlds largest merchant marine fleet, and Cyprus ranks in the top 10. The proximity of Greece and Cyprus to both the Suez Canal and Israel gives both countries an advantage that none of the other European IMEEC participants enjoy. Greece also brings infrastructure to the table. The country has multiple ports that can serve as an entry into southeastern Europe. Thessaloniki is tailor-made for the purpose. Utilising the Port of Piraeus near Athens would require wrestling control away from the Chinesea necessity that the U.S. government currently seeks to address. IMEEC member United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, has upgraded Limassol, one of Cyprus major ports. Nicosia will soon open bidding to upgrade the port of Larnaca. With the establishment of the Gaza maritime humanitarian corridor, Cyprus has already demonstrated the advantage of being mere hours by ship from Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. There are also institutional advantages to working with Greece and Cyprus now. While the European Unions attention is often scattershot and dependent upon who holds its rotating presidency, the stars align for real focus upon IMEEC as Cyprus will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026 and Greece will hold it in the second half of 2027. Within the United States, the stars also align. As senator, current Secretary of State Marco Rubio was co-author of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019, which created an East Med Energy Center and required reporting regarding energy infrastructure that can now expand to drive IMEEC forward. The East Med Gateway Actpending before this Congressbuilds on that and tries to refocus attention back on IMEEC; Indian officials should lobby Congress to prioritise this as soon as the U.S. government shutdown ends. Trumps turn toward Pakistan has antagonised India, but Trumps tenure is limited; the logic behind IMEEC is generational. Whatever Delhis feelings toward Washington at present, IMEEC is crucial for trade and to limit Chinas influence and leverage over supply chains. While attention spans are always short in Washington and IMEEC risks falling by the wayside, not only Delhi but also Athens and Nicosia have the focus to drive IMEEC forward. All that is needed is concerted and sustained outreach by Delhi to signal it is open for business and that IMEEC is the way it will drive that commerce forward. (Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy research at the American Enterprise Institute. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) There ought not to be a debate over Orsinis deportation; that there was tells us how structures of knowledge production still perpetuate colonial power relations. Francesca Orsini is an acclaimed scholar of Hindi literature and author of The Hindi Public Sphere 19201940 (Photo: Ashoka Centre for Translation) I admit I wasnt following too closely the controversy around Francesca Orsini, a noted scholar of Hindi literature and a professor at SOAS, London, who was denied entry into India when she landed at the New Delhi airport on October 20 and was asked to leave. It did come to my notice that public intellectuals and academics of various stripes are descending from their ivory towers and taking the Narendra Modi government to task. However, since most of these critics (overwhelmingly South Asianists of Indian descent) draw legitimacy and acceptance in their circles from how virulently they may castigate the Modi government, and how firmly they must press perfumed handkerchiefs to their noses while engaging online with the Hindoo nationalist crowd, I didnt give it too much thought at that time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is only when I started gathering information for this piece that I was reminded anew how conceited these snotty eggheads arethe sheer arrogance of this privileged class that thinks it is above all rules and laws. There ought not be any debate over the professors deportation. Violation of visa rules attracts immediate penalty worldwide. That there was, and the fact that the debate quickly became a running commentary on Orsinis scholastic prowess, and whose knowledge is considered valid and whose voices carry authority, tells us how the very structures of knowledge production still perpetuate colonial power relations. Even in 2025. Wait a minute, I can almost hear you asking, foreign academics may enter India at will without bothering about visa provisions or infractions related to visa category misuse if they are serious scholars? Im afraid thats where we are at the moment. Because the facts are clear. Orsini had arrived in India from China via Hong Kong. The London-based scholar had a valid tourist visa. Her name was added to the blacklist in March 2025 after authorities determined that she had breached visa provisions during her October 2024 stay by participating in academic activity, for which she needed a separate R category visa, according to Indian immigration rules. Naturally, any future arrival at an Indian port of entry would trigger automatic denial and deportation, as is the standard practice worldwide. Tourist visa holders may not undertake, unless prior permission is obtained, professional work, research, evangelical activities or any form of employment in India. The authorities are under no obligation to specify the terms during denial of entry. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Did the Indian authorities commit a legal breach in denying entry to Orsini? What does the law say? The Business Standard quotes an expert in immigration laws, as saying, The Indian government possesses clear legal authority to deny entry to foreign nationals who are found to have violated visa conditions. Regardless of whether a foreign scholar is serious, has presided over a bunch of PhDs or is integral to our understanding of our own civilization (!!!), the fact remains that Orsini indulged in visa category misuse, and Indian authorities asserted their sovereign right to regulate foreign entry. Case closed. This, I would imagine, is rather obvious. If there is no border, there is no law and there is no country. Do foreign countries enforce visa policies and regulate entry? The United States offers specific visa categories for academics and engaging in work, research, or teaching outside the terms of ones visafor example, working while on a visitor (B-1/B-2) visamay result in blacklisting, revocation, or deportation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Similarly, the UKs academic visa routes have stringent conditions regarding genuine study intentions and permissible activities. Guidelines point out that visa conditions are strictly enforced. If your activities stray beyond what has been approved by the (UK) Home Office, you could be in breach of your visa terms. A refused visa application, or being denied entry at the border will also be recorded on your immigration history. Examples are galore. We dont have to stray too far. The Guardian reports of a historian at Oxford University, Manikarnika Dutta, who is facing deportation from the UK because the Home Office has determined that she spent too many days conducting her research requiring access to historic Indian archives stored in India. According to the report that cites UKs Home Office rules, people who apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK based on long residency of 10 years or more can be abroad for a maximum of 548 days during a 10-year period prior to applying for indefinite leave. Dutta was away for 691 days. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Dutta, who resides in the UK with her husband in South London, has filed an appeal. The British authorities rejected her right to remain in the country on the basis that she does not have a family life in Britain, although she and her husband have been married for more than 10 years. I havent seen too many academics or public intellectuals take up Duttas case. Were the South Asianists too busy gatekeeping, or are there no liberal points to score here and hence no chance to impart quotes, or get profiled on the pages of the BBC or CNN? Or is it because India is a soft target? Rupak Chattopadhyay, political economist and an expert on intergovernmental relations, makes a good point on the burgeoning army of South Asianists in Western academia. Over the years, I have seen too many Indian social science and humanities doctoral students and academics take the path of least resistance by studying India. Most dont even study India in a comparative context and end up piegion (sic) holing themselves as Indianists or Area Studies experts. Our understanding of India would be richer if in fact more comparative work was undertaken, and Indians might learn more if they were curious about other cultures. Such missed opportunities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This is both a result of preferring convenience over risk-taking, fear of failure, the perils of publish-or-perish culture on the one hand, and the epistemic dominance of the West on the other. Why go against the grain and risk ones career advancement? This dominance, however, ultimately informs the works of Western scholars such as Orsini, gives her the bully pulpit as she proceeds to deconstruct Indian national linguistic identity from her vantage point as an occidental linguist. This also ends up perpetuating Indian elite consensus. Consider this post on X (formerly Twitter) by historian Mukul Kesavan: The visceral hostility of the NDA government to scholars and scholarship is something to behold. A government ideologically committed to Hindi has banned Francesca Orsini. You cant make this up. Or historian Ram Guha: Professor Francesca Orsini is a great scholar of Indian literature, whose work has richly illuminated our understanding of our own cultural heritage. To deport her without reason is the mark of a government that is insecure, paranoid, and even stupid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is obvious that in Orsinis case, the Indian authorities did nothing wrong in denying her entry, and the action was in conformation with visa policies worldwide. What, then, explains this fact-free outrage? The almighty brouhaha? It stems mainly from an astounding sense of entitlement that foreign scholars are immune to the visa laws or immigration rules of a third world country, but the manifestation of the debate on social media takes us into an even more disturbing corner where it appears that Indians do not have the license to interpret their own heritage and culture and must fall back on Western scholars as authoritative interpreters of Indian languages, texts and traditions. Nobody is denying Orsinis scholarship, or the collective weight of her body of work where she explores, through her lens on Hindi, Urdu, and Indo-Persian literary cultures the topics of multilingualism, interaction of language, literature, politics in North India, and the cultural history of Hindi and Urdu. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But to suggest that the legatees of a living, thriving, flourishing civilisation needs outside help to better assimilate their own culture is to propose that Indians are alienated from their own language, roots and intellectual heritage, and their knowledge systems stand devalued, marginalised and lobotomised unless benevolent, empathetic scholars from abroadwho might act out of genuine wisdom or respectcarry out the heroic task of illuminating our understanding. Was it Gayatri Spivak who argued that subaltern groups are silenced by power structures, they cannot speak for themselves within dominant frameworks, and that outsiders cannot speak for them without producing distortions? What Guha or Kesavan propagate is the elite internalisation of a dynamic that involves presenting the Western scholar as the definitive expert, while indigenous voices are repositories of local data for theories developed in the West than knowledge holders in their own right. As has been evident in Orsinis case, in this corner of epistemic colonialism a scholars academic credentials become central to the debate even though it has no bearing on the issue of deportation. Why? Because the subject in question is a noted literary historian, a European based in London, whose vast body of work in Hindi gives her an automatic stature as the primary authority on a colonized culture in continuation of colonial-era power structures. Professor Hindol Sengupta, a historian, calls it scholastic apartheid. He writes in Firstpost, For instance, any German historian working on Indian topics is treated with a presumed authority and seriousness by institutions in both Germany and India, but if an Indian historian proposes to research, say, the Protestant Reformation or the intellectual legacy of the Enlightenment from a critical Indic perspective, they are met with cold indifference, suspicion, or even ridicule. To quote from scholar Bunmi Isaiah Omodans 2024 paper titled The Roles of Epistemology and Decoloniality in Addressing Power Dynamics in University Education, The dominance of Western epistemological frameworks has significantly influenced the dissemination and validation of knowledge within academic settings, subsequently marginalising non-Western, Indigenous, and alternative knowledge systems. This dominance contributes to a continuous cycle of unequal power relations, exclusion, and marginalisation of diverse voices and perspectives. We see a reflection of this in Rutgers University professor Audrey Truschkes post on X, where she writes, Academics matter. And Hindu nationalism is no match for us. Hindu nationalists know their weakness. Thats why they fight to keep professors out and crush those within their borders; its their only tool to suppress critical inquiry and knowledge. Two things are happening here. The Western knowledge system reserves for itself the right to denote the nomenclature of things on which meanings and interpretations are imposed, generating and propagating discourse. It signifies Professor Tang Jingtai of Fudan Universitys theory that nomenclature power and interpretive power are in themselves the core essentials of discourse power. Truschke doubles down on this hegemonic system that delegitimizes Indian scholars who seek to reclaim narrative authority. Second, this superiority complex, rooted in colonial hierarchies, manifests through structural gatekeeping, methodological prejudice, and the systematic marginalisation of alternative epistemologies. For instance, another South Asianist academic, Samyak Ghosh, holds forth on the controversy: This insider/outsider differentiation is nonsense. Only an ignorant person wont have heard about Orsini, Busch, Hawley, and many other not Indian Hindi scholars. Study of Hindi is rigorous in American universities and many Hindi scholars work and teach outside India. Nobody is contesting the rigour of Western scholars or scholastic traditions. The fundamental issue, however, is whether Indians have the right to define their own languages, cultural traditions, civilisational narratives or whether this authority permanently resides with Western academia or Indologists sitting outside and looking in. This is true even when Western interpretations contradict how practitioners themselves understand their own heritage. For instance, as US-based journalist Avatans Kumar writes in his essay Weaponizing Caste Against Indian Diaspora, caste is an import in India and has no antecedents in Indian culture. Linguistically, also, caste has no cognates in Indian languages The native Hindu word for caste proper is jati, which Arvind Sharma (The Rulers Gaze) points out denotes the social unit one is born in. There is, however, a disconnect between jati as perceived within the native insider tradition and the way the West conflates the caste system. When Indian scholars challenge Western academic narrativesparticularly regarding caste, religion, or colonial historythey encounter organised resistance framed as defence of scholastic integrity. To cite the case of American scholar Sheldon Pollock in 2016, when 132 Indian academics petitioned for his removal from the Murty Classical Library editorship, citing his systematic bias against Hindu civilisation (the petition held that Pollock echoes the views of Macaulay and Max Weber that the shastras generated in India serve no contemporary purpose except for the study of how Indians express themselves), Western academia responded by closing ranks and framing the petitioners as nationalist zealots attacking academic freedom. The Time magazine called it a disconcerting sign of Indias increasing Hindu nationalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am overlooking Orsinis anti-CAA activism or her stance on Kashmir, or the issue of mixing political activism with serious scholarship. This is not the space, either, for literary criticism of her work as a scholar. But it cannot be that the everyday experiences of an Indian rooted in her praxis, her lived realities, her language, culture, tradition, heritage is incomplete without a helping hand from a Western scholar. As Bharat Gupt so eloquently wrote in Swarajya while critiquing Wendy Doniger, The hunter Rama of Valmiki is the same as the vegetarian Rama of Tulsi, because he is Vishnu incarnating for establishing the dharmait need not be placed exclusively within an oppressive-oppressor framework. Let us be. Let us speak. (Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) Amid President Donald Trumps push to bring manufacturing back to America, his administration has announced it will procure two supercomputers from AMD that it plans to use for many purposes, ranging from nuclear energy generation to cancer treatments. A view of Condor Galaxy supercomputing systems for artificial intelligence work made by Cerebras Systems, in Santa Clara, California, US, in this undated handout photo received on July 19, 2023. (Representational Photo, Credit: Rebecca Lewington of Cerebras Systems/Handout via Reuters) Amid President Donald Trumps push to bring manufacturing to America, his administration has formed a $1 billion partnership with semiconductor giant AMD. These two supercomputers will tackle large scientific problems ranging from nuclear power to cancer treatments to national security, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and AMD CEO Lisa Su told Reuters. The idea behind building these supercomputers is to ensure that the United States has enough supercomputers to run increasingly complex experiments that require harnessing enormous amounts of data-crunching capability, according to the news agency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD These supercomputers can accelerate the process of making scientific discoveries in areas the United States is focused on. The first of these supercomputers, Lux, will be constructed and come online in the next six months. It will be based around AMDs MI355X artificial intelligence chips and the design will also include central processors (CPUs) and networking chips made by AMD. It will be co-developed by AMD, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer said the Lux supercomputer will deliver about three times the AI capacity of current supercomputers, as per Reuters. The second and more advanced computer, Discovery, will be delivered in 2019 and enter service in 2029. It will be based around AMDs MI430 series of AI chips that are tuned for high-performance computing. It will be designed by ORNL, HPE, and AMD. The partnership with AMD has come months after Nvidia, the semiconductor giant powering the worlds AI boom, announced it will manufacture AI supercomputers entirely in the United States. It said it will produce up to $500 billions of AI infrastructure in the United States through its manufacturing partnerships over the next four years. AMD partnership to supercharge nuclear fusion: Trump official These two supercomputers being procured from AMD will supercharge advances in nuclear power and fusion energy, technologies for defense and national security, and the development of drugs, said Energy Secretary Wright. Nuclear fusion refers to the nuclear energy generation in which two very small atoms join together to make a larger atom, releasing huge energy. This is the process that powers the starts, such as the Sun. Nuclear fusion has not yet been harnessed at scale. Wright told Reuters that these two supercomputers will lead to massively faster progress and be able to harness nuclear fusion in two to three years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Wright further said these supercomputers would also help manage the US arsenal of nuclear weapons and accelerate drug discovery by simulating ways to treat cancer down to the molecular level. My hope is in the next five or eight years, we will turn most cancers, many of which today are ultimate death sentences, into manageable conditions, Wright said. A DoE official told Reuters that the department will host the computers, the companies will provide the machines and capital spending, and both sides will share the computing power. Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm has warned that Elon Musk could walk away from the company if shareholders vote against his proposed $1 trillion performance-based pay package, calling the plan vital to retaining his leadership, according to a report Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm has warned that Elon Musk could walk away from the company if shareholders vote against his proposed $1 trillion performance-based pay package, calling the plan vital to retaining his leadership, according to a CBT News report. The warning comes ahead of Teslas annual meeting on November 6, where investors will decide on Musks future compensation amid renewed scrutiny over the boards independence and governance practices. Denholm said the package was designed to keep Musk at Tesla for at least another seven-and-a-half years, arguing that his time, talent, and vision are essential as the company pushes deeper into artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and robotics. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Without a structured incentive plan, she cautioned, Tesla risks losing the focus and innovation that have defined its success. Musks pay plan According to the report, under the proposal, Musk would receive 12 tranches of stock options tied to ambitious performance goals, including achieving a market capitalisation of $8.5 trillion and reaching milestones in next-generation technologies. Denholm framed the package as aligning Musks rewards with long-term shareholder value. The plan, however, comes after a Delaware court earlier this year struck down Musks 2018 pay deal, ruling that it was improperly approved by a board that lacked full independence. Teslas governance has since come under increased scrutiny, with some investors questioning the close ties between Musk and several directors. In her letter to shareholders, Denholm also urged support for the re-election of three long-serving board members who have worked closely with Musk, describing them as vital to maintaining Teslas momentum. The upcoming vote will determine whether Musk remains at Teslas helm through 2032. A rejection could trigger a leadership shake-up with far-reaching implications for the companys strategy, market performance, and investor confidence. With inputs from agencies Beijing has unveiled the Communist Partys Central Committee proposal for Chinas upcoming 15th five-year plan, outlining fresh commitments to support the private sector and accelerate the countrys rise as a global financial power Chinas President Xi Jinping gives a toast at a reception in the Great Hall of the People, following a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on September 3, 2025. AFP File Beijing has unveiled the Communist Partys Central Committee proposal for Chinas upcoming 15th five-year plan, outlining fresh commitments to support the private sector and accelerate the countrys rise as a global financial power. According to a South China Morning Post report, the announcement, which offers clearer assurances to private enterprises about their role in the economy over the next five years, has helped ease market concerns about policy direction. Notably, the new pledges were absent from the communique issued last week following the fourth plenum of the Communist Party. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Heres a look at key points from the new plan: Private Economy Promotion Law: The plan calls for the implementation of a new law to guarantee equal access to resources, fair competition, and legal protection for private firms a move aimed at ensuring a level playing field with state-owned enterprises. Boosting business vitality: Authorities vowed to fully stimulate the dynamism of all types of enterprises and encourage the joint development of multiple ownership models, from state-led to privately held. Fairer enforcement practices: The proposal emphasises building a sound and standardised enforcement mechanism, warning against unlawful or profit-driven actions by regional regulators that harm businesses. Private capital in infrastructure: The government plans to expand private investment in major infrastructure projects, guided by public funds, to increase effective investment and economic momentum. Financial system reform and risk control: Beijing aims to modernise and strengthen financial regulation, improve coordination between central and local authorities, and establish a risk-prevention and resolution system to safeguard financial stability. Yuan internationalisation and financial opening: The plan promotes the yuans global use, with a focus on developing a self-reliant cross-border payment system and increasing foreign capital access to domestic projects. Building a strong financial nation: China will accelerate efforts to develop Shanghai as an international financial centre, and promote science and technology finance, green finance, inclusive finance, pension finance, and digital finance as pillars of its next growth phase. Pakistan is preparing to send up to 20,000 soldiers to the Gaza Strip as part of an international stabilisation force, according to deal brokered by Field Marshal Asim Munir with the American CIA and Israels Mossad, top intelligence sources have said. This handout photograph taken on May 1, 2025, and released by the Pakistan's Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) shows Pakistan's Army Chief General (now Field Marshal) Syed Asim Munir standing on a tank and speaking with troops at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges in Jhelum, Punjab. (Photo: ISPR/AFP) Pakistan is preparing to send up to 20,000 soldiers to the Gaza Strip as part of an international stabilisation force under a deal with the United States and Israel. The CNN-News 18 has reported top intelligence sources as saying that Pakistan is preparing to deploy up to 20,000 troops to Gaza after Field Marshal Asim Munir held secret meetings with senior officials from Israels Mossad and Americas Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As Pakistan does not recognise Israel, the development marks a fundamental realignment of the Israel-Pakistan relationship. With a role in Gaza, Pakistan would further seek to entrench itself in West Asia's evolving security architecture. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sources have called the development a historic and unprecedented realignment" for Pakistan and West Asia. It would be the first time Pakistan would be part of Israeli security operations. ALSO READ Military boots in Saudi Arabia, petro dollar in Pakistan: Whats inside Riyadh-Islamabad defence pact In Pakistan, officials have said the government is inclined to contribute to the ISF. Officials familiar with the deliberations told the Dawn newspaper that internal discussions were at an advanced stage and the tone suggests that the leaders are inclined to deploy troops to Gaza. Pakistan to neutralise Hamas, oversee a buffer zone, say sources In Gaza, Pakistani soldiers mandate will include neutralising remaining Hamas elements and stabilising the territory under Western instructions, sources told CNN-News 18. Sources further said that the arrangement involves a controlled Pakistani military presence in Gaza" under the guise of humanitarian rehabilitation and reconstruction, but the real mandate would involve neutralising Hamas and maintaining a buffer zone between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. In Gaza, Pakistani soldiers will be part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that is meant to provide security until the Palestinian enclaves eventual handover to the Palestinian Authority (PA) under US President Donald Trumps 20-point plan for the strip. Last week, US Vice President JD Vance said the ISF will take the lead in disarming Hamas in Gaza, which is among the most important points in Trumps plan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Under the arrangement brokered by Munir with Mossad and CIA, Pakistani contingent will likely work with troops from Indonesia and Azerbaijan, sources said. Under Munirs deal with Mossad and CIA, Pakistani troops would act as a buffer force between Israel and Gazas remaining armed factions, providing a security umbrella while facilitating reconstruction and institutional restructuring, according to sources. In exchange for such a deployment, Israel and the United States have promised Pakistan a package of economic incentives, including World Bank loan leniency, deferred repayment schedules, and financial support routed through Gulf intermediaries, sources said. However, a Pakistani presence in Gaza is expected to be opposed by Iran, Turkey, and Qatar, who have historically sheltered and supported Hamas, and have used the Palestinian terrorist group as a leverage in advancing their goals in the region. Former US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has cautioned that Washingtons current trade approach is alienating key partners, calling it a major mistake to neglect economic ties with India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Former US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has criticised the current administrations approach to international trade, warning that its policies could isolate the country from its allies and weaken its position in the global economy. Speaking at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Institute of Politics during a discussion with former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, Raimondo said Washington is making a big mistake with India by failing to strengthen trade relations with key democratic partners. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Raimondo argued that Americas leadership cannot endure if it continues down a path that alienates traditional allies and emerging partners. America first is one thing, but America alone is disastrous, she said, warning that isolationist tendencies are undermining decades of diplomatic and economic progress. In her view, the strength of the United States depends as much on the health of its partnerships as it does on its domestic economy. She stressed that the US must invest more effort into maintaining productive ties with Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia, adding that these alliances form the backbone of the international order that supports American prosperity. We cannot be effective without strong relationships in Europe and Southeast Asia, Raimondo said. I wish we had much stronger commercial links with Europe and a far more strategic economic partnership with India. Her remarks reflect growing unease among former officials and trade experts that Washingtons inward-looking trade policies are creating missed opportunities, particularly in Asia. Raimondo noted that closer economic and technology partnerships with India could serve both strategic and economic goals, helping counterbalance Chinese influence in the region. She concluded by emphasising that collaboration, not confrontation, should define Americas position in the world. A United States that alienates its friends, she said, risks becoming weaker, not stronger. The Israeli military and security service were to take the coffin from Gaza to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony before being brought to the national forensic institute for identification and eventual return to the hostages family People take part in a demonstration outside the Israeli prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on October 18, 2025, calling for the release of all the bodies of hostages held in Gaza by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.- AFP Hamas handed over the remains of a deceased hostage on Monday as the Palestinian group came under increasing pressure to return its remaining deceased captives as promised under the Gaza ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said Israeli forces had received a coffin containing what Hamas said was the sixteenth of 28 bodies of hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 attacks.The Israeli military and security service were to take the coffin from Gaza to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony before being brought to the national forensic institute for identification and eventual return to the hostages family. All of the hostages families have been updated accordingly, and our hearts are with them in this difficult hour. The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned, the statement said. Deadline missed An informed source within Hamas confirmed the handover. The body of an Israeli captive that was recovered today in the Gaza Strip has been handed over to the Red Cross, the source told AFP. The latest exchange came as both senior Israeli officials and an association representing the families of the October 7 hostages demanded that Hamas speed up the transfer, which has slowed since it released its 20 living captives. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held. Two weeks have passed since the deadline set in the agreement for the return of all 48 hostages, yet 13 remain in Hamas captivity, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel, the association said. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem protested that the claim that the group knows the location of the remaining missing bodies is false, arguing that Israels bombardment during the two-year conflict had left locations unrecognisable. We affirm our commitment to completing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement to prevent the occupation from finding any pretexts, he said, referring to Palestinians fears that Israel could renew military action despite the truce. We are determined to hand over the bodies of the Israeli captives as soon as possible, he said. Search for bodies During their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas militants took 251 people hostage, most of whom had been released, rescued or recovered before this months ceasefire. The attack itself resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israels subsequent assault on Gaza killed at least 68,527 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run territorys health ministry that the UN considers reliable. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Monday, Israel lifted the state of emergency for areas near the border with Gaza for the first time since the 2023 attack, Defence Minister Israel Katz announced. Hamas says it is committed to the ceasefire and insists it is trying to return all the remaining bodies 11 Israelis and two workers from Thailand and Tanzania but that the search has been hampered by the destruction wrought on Gaza during the war. In the past two days, Egypt has sent recovery crews and heavy earth-moving equipment into Gaza, with Israeli approval, to help with the recovery operation. Israeli spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said a team of Red Cross staff, Egyptian rescuers and a Hamas member were searching for bodies and had been allowed to cross the so-called Yellow Line into the area of Gaza controlled by Israeli forces. A Red Cross spokesperson also confirmed it was part of the search team. Opposition to Turkey No firm timescale has been put on the next stages of the Gaza truce plan, but US President Donald Trumps administration is working to set up an international security force with troops from Arab and Muslim nations to police the truce. Israel has voiced strong opposition to Turkeys participation in the proposed security force. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said that, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey had led a hostile approach against Israel, that included not only hostile statements, but also diplomatic and economic measures against Israel. So it is not reasonable for us to let their armed forces enter the Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that, and we said it to our American friends, he added, at a news conference during a visit to Budapest. The US military has also set up a coordination centre in southern Israel to monitor the ceasefire and to coordinate aid and reconstruction, but aid agencies are pushing for greater access for humanitarian convoys inside Gaza. Israel has withdrawn its forces from Gazas main cities, but still controls around half of the territory from positions on the Yellow Line, and has resisted calls to allow aid through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The recorded wind speeds of the storm are at their maximum strength, 175mph (282km/h), making Hurricane Melissa a category five storm. It has already killed four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic A man uses his cellphone at the waterfront in Kingston on October 27, 2025. AFP Hurricane Melissa, dubbed the strongest storm of the year, will make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, with US meteorologists warning of catastrophic and life-threatening winds, flooding, and storm surge. The recorded wind speeds of the storm are at their maximum strength, 175mph (282km/h), making Hurricane Melissa a category five storm. It has already killed four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Catastrophic storm Meteorologists have warned that Melissas slow movement will cause it to unleash torrential rain over affected regions for a prolonged period, heightening the threat of deadly flooding and landslides. According to the latest data from the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa currently ranks as the worlds strongest storm this year, based on its maximum wind speeds and low central pressure. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In its most recent public advisory issued at 18:00 GMT on Monday, the NHC cautioned that catastrophic and life-threatening winds, flooding, and storm surge are expected in Jamaica tonight and early Tuesday. NHC deputy director Jamie Rhome said, This extreme rainfall potential, owing to the slow motion, is going to create a catastrophic event here for Jamaica. The Caribbean island-nation is all set to receive 40 inches of rain over the next four days, the agency noted. Will weather this storm Jamaican President Andrew Holness, meanwhile, has ordered the immediate evacuation of residents across the island. In a post on X, he urged every Jamaican to prepare, stay indoors during the storm, and comply with evacuation orders. We will weather this storm and rebuild stronger, he added. Melissa could be the worst hurricane Jamaica has experienced since recordkeeping began but some residents on the Caribbean island say they will believe it when they see it. The countrys top officials have urged people on the island of 2.8 million to cooperate with evacuation orders, but some are staying put, even as torrential rains and battering winds begin. Jamaicans on the whole arent the type of people who would just get up and leave their home, said Jamal Peters, a 34-year-old front manager at a hotel in Port Royal. Theyd prefer to stay. And if a window blows out or something like that they can be there. With inputs from agencies STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine will need Europes support for two to three years. He said that funds would be spent on recovery if the war ends. In case the war does not end, he said those funds would be spent on weapons. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 11, 2025. (Photo: Alina Smutko/Reuters) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine needs European financial support to continue fighting Russian forces for another two or three years. Kyiv has been largely dependent on military and financial support from allies abroad to hold off Moscows army, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. I emphasised this again to all European leaders. I told them that we are not going to fight for decades, but you must show that for some time you will be able to provide stable financial support to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in comments released Tuesday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And that is why they have this program in mind two-three years, Zelenskyy said, referring to Brussels plans to tap Russias frozen assets to help Kyiv. EU leaders last week tasked the European Commission to move ahead with options for funding Ukraine for two more years, leaving the door open for a mammoth loan using tens of billions of euros in Russian state assets that the bloc has frozen. If the war ends in a month, we will spend this money on recovery. If it does not end in a month, but after some time, then we will spend it on weapons. We simply have no other choice, Zelenskye added. The Ukrainian leader also urged US President Donald Trump to pressure Chinese leader Xi Jinping to cut his support for Russia when the two leaders meet later this week. I think this may be one of (Trumps) strong moves, especially if, following this decisive sanctions step, China is ready to reduce imports from Russia, Zelenskyy told journalists, including AFP, at a briefing released Tuesday. Trump hit two major Russian oil companies with sanctions last week and has been urging buyers of Moscows vital energy exports specifically China and India to cut their purchases that Washington and Kyiv say fund Russias invasion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As the war drags through its fourth year, Russia is pushing forward across the front line, at significant cost. Zelenskyy conceded that Russian forces have gained a foothold in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, an important former rail hub that Moscow has been trying to capture for over a year. Around 200 Russians are located there in various places we see this from drones. Pokrovsk is currently the main target for the Russians, Zelensky said. (This is an agency story. Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.) In the Netherlands general election tomorrow, far-right leader Geert Wilders PVV is projected to emerge as the leading party. But he may not become the prime minister as other parties are unlikely to join his extremist party in a coalition. Election campaign boards are displayed ahead of the Dutch parliamentary election on October 29, in The Hague, Netherlands, on October 7, 2025. (Photo: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters) The Netherlands will hold a general election on October 29 after the previous government collapsed. Geert Wilders far-right PVV leads polls though some support has shifted to Christian Democrats. Here is what you need to know about the election: Whats at stake? Opinion polls indicate that the housing market, healthcare, and immigration top the list of concerns among Dutch voters. Nearly two-thirds want answers on a shortage of affordable housing, while healthcare resonates with older voters and immigration remains a key issue for right-wing supporters, according to a poll by broadcaster RTL. The upcoming election follows the collapse on June 3 of the previous short-lived coalition over stricter immigration policies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD All parties agree on the need to increase construction and defence spending, but differ on how this should be financed. When do polls open and close? Voting takes place on Wednesday, October 29. Polls open at 7:30 am (0530 GMT), though some locations may open as early as midnight. All polls close at 9 pm (1900 GMT). A first exit poll is expected to be aired on TV and radio at 9 pm. When will the result be known? Seats are apportioned by dividing the total votes by the number of seats. Every party that gets enough votes for at least one seat makes it into parliament. Ballots are counted by hand, with results expected to trickle in through the evening and overnight. The Electoral Council, the central electoral committee for elections to the Lower House, Upper House and the European Parliament, determines the official results. Which parties are running and who are their leaders? Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders The far-right PVV has put an asylum moratorium and fighting woke-ideology gone mad central to its campaign. This is YOUR country! The Netherlands is full, overfull, bursting at the seams, the first words of its manifesto read. Wilders has proposed saving funds by closing the borders, sending male Ukrainian refugees back to Ukraine, and halting development aid to finance energy and healthcare benefits. Polling around 34 seats versus current 37 seats. Christen-Democratisch Appel (CDA) Henri Bontenbal The CDA fell to a historical low in the 2023 election, but it has managed to recover lost ground by campaigning on the promise of stable government and affordable housing under its new leader. The CDA is neck and neck with GroenLinks-PVDA in the polls with both estimated to take home around 15 per cent of votes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Polling around 23 seats versus current five seats. GroenLinks-PVDA Frans Timmermans A combined list of the recently merged Green Party and the Social Democrats, is running on familiar centre-left policies and has made solidarity its main message. Fronted by ex-European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, the list has promised more affordable housing, a cleaner environment, and a more equitable distribution of wealth. Polling around 25 seats versus current 25 seats. D66 Rob Jetten The liberal democratic D66 has swung upwards during the campaign and is now polling above the VVD with promises to build more houses and spend more on education among its core campaign themes. Polling around 16 seats versus current 9 seats. Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) Dilan Yesilgoz The party previously led by former prime minister Mark Rutte has campaigned on tax breaks for businesses and extra defence spending financed by cutting social security. The VVD has trended downwards under Yesilgoz, with the party headed for a historic defeat after already having lost ten seats at the last election. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Polling around 15 seats versus current 24 seats. Others Current government party NSC is set to disappear from the Parliament, with other parties such as the right-wing JA21 projected to take around 8 per cent of the vote and a plethora of smaller parties hovering around the 2 per cent-3 per cent mark. What happens next? After the vote, parties will begin talks to form a coalition and secure a majority in parliament. With 15 parties set to be represented in the legislature, a majority may need at least four parties. The PVV leads in the polls, but most parties have ruled out joining it in government. Coalition parties negotiate an agreement setting out goals for the next four years. The king officially appoints the new cabinet, which then presents its program to parliament. (This is an agency story. Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.) Airstrikes come hours after Netanyahu accused Hamas of breaching the truce by returning wrong hostage remains, deepening tensions in the fragile US-brokered ceasefire Heavy machinery operates at a site where searches are underway for deceased hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. Reuters Shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to carry out immediate and powerful strikes in Gaza, Israeli warplanes struck an area near Shifa Hospital, the largest functioning medical facility in northern Gaza, according to a Reuters report, citing witnesses and Hamas media. Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement, saying the renewed attacks were in response to what he described as repeated breaches by the militant group. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The strikes followed a security meeting in which Israeli leaders discussed their next steps after the alleged ceasefire violations. Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip," prime ministers office said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of casualties following the latest Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. The Israeli military has not yet issued a comment on the strikes, which mark the latest escalation in a fragile three-week-old ceasefire. While the official statement did not specify the reason for the attacks, an Israeli military official said the strikes came in response to a Hamas attack against Israeli forces in an area of the enclave under Israeli control. This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire, Reuters quoted the official as saying. The US-brokered ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, was intended to end two years of conflict that began after Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The war has since left much of Gaza in ruins. Both Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of breaching the truce. On Saturday, Israel said its forces carried out a targeted strike in central Gaza against an individual allegedly planning to attack Israeli troops. Netanyahu accuses Hamas of violating ceasefire Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by returning the wrong remains during the process of handing over hostages bodies to Israel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Netanyahu said the remains transferred on Monday were those of Ofir Tzarfati, an Israeli killed in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, whose body had already been partially recovered by Israeli forces earlier in the war. In response, Hamas initially announced it would deliver the body of another missing hostage found in a Gaza tunnel on Tuesday. However, the groups armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, later said it would postpone the handover, alleging Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Israeli media also reported an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, though the Israeli military declined to comment on the reports. Hamas, for its part, insisted it was adhering to the truce terms and accused Netanyahu of seeking excuses to withdraw from Israels commitments. Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas agreed to release all living hostages in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, while Israel suspended its military offensive and withdrew troops from key areas of Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Search for hostage bodies continues Hamas has agreed to hand over the remains of all deceased hostages still unrecovered but says the process will take time due to the extensive destruction across Gaza. Israeli officials, however, insist that the militant group has access to most of the bodies. The dispute over the recovery of hostages remains has become a key sticking point in the fragile ceasefire, which US President Donald Trump has said he is watching closely. In recent days, efforts to locate the bodies have intensified with the arrival of heavy machinery from Egypt. On Tuesday, bulldozers were seen operating in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and in Nuseirat further north, as Hamas fighters secured the sites. Some of the remains are believed to be buried within Hamass extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza. Witnesses in Khan Younis said Egyptian teams, working alongside armed Hamas members, were digging near the Qatari-funded Hamad Housing City on the western side of the city and had reached several tunnel shafts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Reuters images showed excavations about a dozen meters deep, with Hamas men at the bottom of the trench beside a tunnel opening, apparently searching for remains. According to Gaza health authorities, at least 68,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the conflict, with thousands more missing. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. With inputs from agencies In his memoir So Help Me God, Pence recalled that Trump phoned him around 11 a.m. on January 6. (AFP) US President Donald Trump called former Vice President Mike Pence a wimp and berated him during their final phone conversation on January 6, 2021, just hours before Congress certified Joe Bidens election win, according to newly surfaced notes by Pence. The handwritten entries, hastily scribbled in the former vice presidents day planner, are included in ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karls upcoming book, Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the notes, Trump told Pence, Youll go down as a wimp, after the vice president said he would not attempt to block Bidens certification. Pence recorded Trump adding, If you do that, I made a big mistake 5 years ago. The notes also show a small sketch resembling an angry emoji beside Trumps accusation that Pence was listening to the wrong people. Court filings reveal that special counsel Jack Smith had intended to use these notes as evidence in his case against Trump, arguing they illustrated the moments before the former president allegedly incited the mob to storm the Capitol, reported ABC News. Smiths investigation also collected terabytes of evidence, including a forensic copy of Trumps phone and early drafts of his Ellipse rally speech, which was reportedly altered to target Pence directly. Smith wrote in his final report to Attorney General Merrick Garland that the evidence would have shown Trump used lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States democratic process. However, the materials were never released publicly after Trumps reelection led to the dismissal of the case. Karl reports that the Supreme Courts July 2024 ruling on presidential immunity may have further limited the governments ability to use such evidence had the prosecution continued. Before his resignation in January, Smith argued he had enough proof to convict Trump were it not for his return to office. The Departments view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical, Smith wrote, asserting that the evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pences defiance and Trumps digital trail Smiths original indictment highlighted Pences contemporaneous notes, which documented how Trump was repeatedly told his voter fraud claims were baseless yet continued to push them. In the days leading up to the certification, Trump and his allies increased pressure on Pence to intervene, though Pence consistently refused, maintaining that he had no constitutional power to alter the results. In his memoir So Help Me God, Pence recalled that Trump phoned him around 11 a.m. on January 6 the time Trump was initially set to begin his Ellipse speech in a final attempt to persuade him. When Pence said he planned to issue a statement clarifying his limited authority, Trump called him a wimp. Pence noted Trumps words: Youre not protecting our country; youre supposed to support + defend our country. Pence responded, We both took an oath to support + defend the Constitution. It doesnt take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law. Witnesses later described the exchange as heated. Ivanka Trump said her father used a different tone than usual, while former aide Nicholas Luna recalled hearing Trump use the word wimp. Retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg also testified that Trump told Pence he was not tough enough. Roughly an hour later, Trump took the stage at the Ellipse and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol, where Pence would certify the election results. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Investigators supported their timeline using data from Trumps iPhone. A forensic copy revealed when the device was locked and unlocked throughout Jan. 6, along with a screenshot of Trumps lock screen showing him in a red MAGA hat giving a thumbs-up. According to Karl, the phone data also showed that Trump viewed multiple images depicting violence at the Capitol, including clashes between officers and rioters and photos of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot while trying to breach the House floor. At 7 p.m. that evening, the phone accessed a Twitter help page on locked accounts, just one day after Trumps suspension from the platform. Karl writes that Smiths team intended to use this digital evidence to demonstrate Trumps awareness of both his election loss and the violence unfolding in real time. In his final report, Smith concluded, The throughline of all of Mr. Trumps criminal efforts was deceit. An aircraft carrying 12 people crashed in Kenyas Kwale County on Tuesday, prompting an investigation by aviation and government authorities. An aircraft carrying 12 people crashed in Kenyas Kwale County on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. The plane was travelling from Diani to Kichwa Tembo, Maasai Mara National Reserve, when the accident occurred. Government agencies are at the scene conducting investigations to determine the cause of the crash and assess its impact, the authority said. The Kwale County commander who is on site says the aircraft is completely destroyed and no survivor, reported the Kenya News Centre. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD (This is a developing story.) The latest war of words between Trump and Putin started after the latter announced the successful testing of a new, powerful cruise missile called the Burevestnik The two biggest nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, are talking tough about their weapons, making the world nervous. It feels like a return to the Cold War era, where each side tries to prove it has the better, more powerful bomb. The latest fight started when Russian President Vladimir Putin made a big announcement. He said Russia successfully tested a new, powerful cruise missile called the Burevestnik. Putin claimed this nuclear-powered missile has an almost unlimited range and can fly low with a path that no one can predict. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Of course, US President Donald Trump wasnt one to let that slide. Within moments, he slammed the Russian test as inappropriateand followed it up with his signature flex about Americas military might. Instead of naming a new missile, Trump talked about Americas power right now. He reminded everyone that the US has nuclear submarines. They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores. So, I mean, it doesnt have to go 8,000 miles. And theyre not playing games with us. Were not playing games with them either. We test missiles all the time, Trump said while interacting with reporters on Air Force One. Trumps message was simple: Russias long-range missile doesnt matter much when a US warhead is already close to their border. He essentially said that while Russia has a new toy, the US is still better and closer. Focus on Ukraine Trump didnt stop at just comparing weapons. He also told Putin to stop fighting in Ukraine and end the war, which has been going on for years. He (Putin) ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its fourth year, said Trump. Meanwhile, Putin has formally ended the plutonium disposal agreement with the United States, as reported by Russia Today (RT). This agreement was originally designed to limit the production of materials used for nuclear weapons. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After being passed by the lower house of Parliament and approved by the upper chamber last Wednesday, it became official on Monday when President Putin signed the legislation. Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip," Prime Ministers Office said in a statement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to carry out immediate and powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to a Times of Israel report, citing his office, following a meeting on Israels response to repeated breaches of the Gaza ceasefire. The directive comes after IDF troops were attacked in southern Gaza and amid rising Israeli anger over further Hamas violations, including the return of hostages bodies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip," read the statement. Meanwhile, Hamass armed wing said it was postponing the handover of another hostage body scheduled for Tuesday evening after what it called Israeli violations of the US-brokered ceasefire. We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupations violations, AFP quoted the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades as saying in a statement, adding that any Israeli escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies. Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas said it would hand over another hostages body, following accusations that the group violated the Gaza ceasefire by returning only partial remains of a previously recovered captive. Late Monday, the militant group handed over what it claimed was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies agreed upon under the ceasefire that took effect on October 10. However, Israeli forensic experts determined that the remains were those of Ofir Tzarfati, a hostage whose body had already been returned about two years ago. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office called the move a clear violation of the agreement, while Israeli officials and a group representing the hostages families said the incident directly contravened the truce terms. Hamass armed wing later announced plans to deliver the remains of another hostage at 1800 GMT on Tuesday. Netanyahus office said he would convene security chiefs to decide on further steps in response to the breach. The US-brokered ceasefire was intended to halt hostilities between Israel and Gaza, but tensions remain high as both sides trade accusations of violations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Pakistan has offered Bangladesh access to the Karachi port amid strained Dhaka-Delhi ties, signalling a bid to boost bilateral trade. The move could give Bangladesh a new maritime route to expand its global exports. Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus (R) holds a bilateral meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the D-8 summit in Cairo, Egypt on December 19, 2024. Image/X-ChiefAdviserGoB At a time when Indias ties with Bangladesh remain tense, Pakistan has made a major diplomatic and economic move offering Dhaka access to the Karachi port, Pakistani broadcaster Samaa reported on October 28. The move could give Bangladesh a new trade route to expand its global export network. The offer came a day after Bangladeshs interim chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, stirred controversy by gifting a Pakistani general a distorted map of Bangladesh that showed Indias northeastern states as part of the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistan offer Karachi port to Dhaka Amid strained India-Bangladesh trade relations, Pakistan has sensed an opportunity to reset ties with Dhaka. During the 9th Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting held in Dhaka the first in two decades Pakistan proposed allowing Bangladesh to use the Karachi port for exporting jute and other goods. The meeting was co-chaired by Pakistans petroleum minister Ali Pervez and Bangladeshs finance adviser. Pakistan-based Samaa TV, both sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation between their national shipping corporations. The proposal could provide Bangladesh direct maritime access to markets in China, the Gulf, and Central Asia though some experts have questioned the economic viability of such a route. The offer comes just weeks after India imposed restrictions on overland imports of Bangladeshi jute and related products, effectively tightening its trade policy toward Dhaka. Revival of old ties The Pakistan-Bangladesh dialogue marks a symbolic revival of engagement between two nations that share a complex past Bangladesh having gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 with Indias support. The renewed cooperation, therefore, carries significant diplomatic weight, symbolising a rare instance of collaboration between the once East and West Pakistan, with India now lying between them. What the cooperation covers Beyond trade, both countries agreed to enhance ties across several sectors, including energy, climate initiatives, health, information technology, investment, tourism, and industrial development. They also discussed launching direct flights to improve people-to-people and business links. Additionally, the Pakistan Halal Food Authority and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute signed a memorandum of cooperation to collaborate on quality standards a move expected to help both countries tap into the global halal market. Timing crucial for India The development comes as Indias relations with the interim Bangladeshi regime have soured. Since Nobel laureate Yunus took charge last year following Sheikh Hasinas ouster in a youth-led revolt, Dhakas rhetoric toward New Delhi has hardened. With Hasina now in exile in India, the Modi government has expressed concern over the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, while Dhaka has accused New Delhi of economic coercion. Earlier this year, India banned imports of several Bangladeshi goods including jute products, processed foods, and textiles through land routes, a move seen as retaliation for Dhakas decision to restrict Indian yarn exports. Pakistans outreach, therefore, comes at a strategically sensitive time offering Dhaka both an alternative trade route and a potential diplomatic counterweight to India. Pakistan has reportedly admitted to having a deal with a foreign country permitting drone strikes in Afghanistan, saying it cannot halt them due to the agreements binding nature. The revelation came amid high-level peace talks in Istanbul. Afghan Taliban's Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif shake hands following the signing of a ceasefire agreement during negotiations mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha, Qatar, on October 19, 2025. (Photo: Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters) In a rare admission, Pakistan has reportedly acknowledged having an agreement with a foreign country under which drone strikes were carried out inside Afghanistan and said it cannot stop further attacks due to the binding nature of the deal. The ongoing recent high-level talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan ended without any breakthrough, Reuters reported. Citing a source, Afghanistans TOLO News reported that Pakistan told Kabul it was bound by an arrangement allowing a third country to conduct drone operations in Afghanistan from Pakistani soil. Islamabad, however, did not name the country involved. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Talks hit deadlock despite fragile ceasefire Peace talks between the two nations, held in Turkey, appear to have hit a deadlock even as a fragile ceasefire continues after deadly border clashes in September and October that left hundreds dead. TOLO News report said Pakistan admitted for the first time that it has an agreement with a foreign country allowing drone strikes and claimed it cannot prevent them as breaking the agreement is not possible. The report added that the Pakistani delegation appeared disorganised and seemed intent on distancing itself from Afghanistan. At one point, they even asked the Afghan side to recognise Pakistans right to strike Afghan territory in response to TTP attacks, TOLO News quoted the source as saying. Violence escalates along the Afghan border The tensions follow one of the deadliest border flare-ups in years. Both countries accused each other of sparking the violence, which escalated after two explosions rocked Kabul last week. Although Islamabad denied involvement, the blasts came shortly after Pakistani leaders vowed big action against those harbouring Pakistani Taliban (TTP) fighters a group long fostered and supported by Pakistan itself. In response, the Taliban launched offensives along the southern Pakistani border, prompting Islamabad to threaten strong retaliation, during which several Afghan civilians were killed. Saudi Arabia brokers ceasefire as talks stall Saudi Arabia stepped in to broker a fragile ceasefire and encouraged both sides to resume dialogue, but the latest meeting in Turkey ended without any progress. Sources told TOLO News that Pakistans delegation appeared unprepared, offering no coherent arguments and seemingly retreating from earlier positions. Islamabad strengthening ties with Riyadh and Washington The diplomatic standoff comes just weeks after Pakistan signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia in September, pledging joint defence and deeper military and economic ties. Around the same time, Islamabad also strengthened its partnership with the United States under President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs Oval Office meeting with Trump, attended by Army Chief Asim Munir, highlighted the renewed alignment. Trump has since demanded that the Taliban return the Bagram airbase to US control, warning of bad consequences if it is not handed over. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sharif, meanwhile, praised Trumps leadership, calling his role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire historic, and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Clashes leaves hundreds dead before ceasefire The Istanbul talks followed weeks of fighting that began in early September after a surge in TTP attacks on Pakistani forces. In response, Pakistan claimed it carried out precision airstrikes inside Afghanistan, targeting what it claimed were TTP hideouts in Kabul and Kandahar. Drone and jet bombings left over 200 people dead on both sides, with the Pakistani sides killing dozens of Afghan civilian, including women and children. Pakistan maintained that its strikes targeted only TTP commanders. In retaliation, Afghan forces shelled Pakistani border posts along the Durand Line, killing at least 23 soldiers and wounding hundreds. Fierce clashes erupted in border areas like Spin Boldak and Kurram before a Saudi- and US-brokered ceasefire took effect on 15 October. Though the ceasefire continues to hold, it remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of repeated violations. In the ongoing war, Russia has systematically and intentionally attacked Ukrainian civilians with drones in acts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, a United Nations (UN) inquiry has concluded. In its ongoing war on Ukraine, Russia has systematically and deliberately targeted Ukrainian civilians with drones in acts that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, a United Nations (UN) inquiry has concluded. In its latest report published on Monday, the UNs Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine documented hundreds of instances in which Russian drone operators targeted civilians in the city of Kherson, according to The New York Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report stated that Russian drones have been dropping grenades on civilians going about their daily lives in Kherson for over a year people were attacked while walking on pavements and in the backyards of their homes. Rather than being isolated acts of cruelty, such attacks were part of a campaign to create a permanent climate of terror and to force residents out of Kherson, the report said. These attacks were committed as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians from those territories and amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population, the report added. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, multiple UN and independent investigations have concluded that Russia has systematically targeted Ukrainian civilians with missiles and drones, tortured detainees, and used sexual violence as a weapon of war. UN has previously indicted Russia for sexual violence as torture In earlier reports, the UN concluded that Russia subjected detainees both soldiers and civilians to torture and sexual violence, constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity. In its October 2024 report, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found that sexual violence as a form of torture has been prevalent in detention facilities held by Russian authorities". The report detailed that Russian authorities acts of sexual violence included rape, attempted rape, attempted rape using objects, beatings, electric shocks, burns or other assaults on genital organs, forced nudity, threats of sexual mutilation and castration, and intrusive body searches. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Commission reported testimonies of sexual violence as a form of torture in 41 Russian detention centres. The report also stated that most Ukrainian prisoners of war had reported being subjected to sexual violence. The United States and Japan have signed new trade and rare earth agreements to strengthen supply chain security and deepen bilateral ties. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) and US President Donald Trump attend a signing ceremony after a Japan-US Summit at the Akasaka State Guest House in Tokyo on October 28, 2025. (AP) The United States and Japan on Tuesday signed agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation on trade and securing critical minerals and rare earth supplies, the White House announced as President Donald Trump continued his visit to Tokyo. According to the statement, the deal seeks to assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains, reinforcing the economic partnership between the two nations. A new chapter in bilateral relations During the signing ceremony, Trump described the accords as marking a new golden age in the relationship between Washington and Tokyo. He praised Japan as an ally at the strongest level for the US and lauded Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who recently became Japans first female leader. I would like to realise a new golden age of the Japan-US Alliance, where both Japan and the United States will become stronger and also more prosperous, she said as the two leaders sat down for talks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps Asia visit opens with trade pacts The Republican leader, on Sunday, signed a series of trade deals and framework agreements with Southeast Asian nations, marking the start of his regional tour at a summit in Malaysia. This visit, Trumps first to Asia since his return to the White House in January, helped ease regional concerns following years of economic strain caused by his earlier trade policies and sweeping tariffs. During the meetings, Trump also secured commitments for expanded collaboration on rare earths, as Washington works to reduce its dependence on China for essential materials vital to modern technology. Rare minerals The US president signed two memoranda of understanding with Malaysia and Thailand, both aimed at strengthen[ing] cooperation on critical minerals. The deals, which lack specifics, come as the United States grapples with restrictions on rare earth exports imposed by China, the worlds top producer of the minerals crucial to the auto, electronics and defence industries. (With agency inputs) The meetingthe first between the two leaders in several yearscomes as Canada finds itself under increasing economic pressure from its closest ally, the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea, marking a significant step to repair one of the worlds most strained bilateral relationships. The meetingthe first between the two leaders in several yearscomes as Canada finds itself under increasing economic pressure from its closest ally, the United States. Carneys planned engagement with Xi is widely seen as a calculated pivot to diversify Canadas economic dependencies after trade relations with the US reached a crisis point. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US President Donald Trump recently terminated all trade talks with Ottawa and announced an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports, retaliation spurred by a controversial ad run by the Ontario government that criticised US protectionism. Speaking from Malaysia, Carney stressed the need to seek reliable partners, implicitly calling out the volatility of the current US administration. The focus of the Xi-Carney dialogue is the resetting of expectations for the relationship, which has been frozen since the diplomatic fallout surrounding the 2018 detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and the subsequent arbitrary detention of two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The Canadian leader also plans to follow up on his recent meeting with Premier Li Qiang to push for an easing of travel restrictions and trade gains for Canadian agriculture, fisheries, and manufacturing, according to a Bloomberg report. We will pick up on the discussions I had with Premier Li in New York a few weeks ago, he said, referring to a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with Chinas top official, Li Qiang. A crucial point of speculation surrounding the APEC meeting is Canadas current 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). Reports suggest that Canada is on the verge of lifting these tariffs, which were imposed in 2024 following similar actions by the United States. If Ottawa removes the tariffs, it would represent a significant divergence from the US trade posture and could be key to thawing relations with Beijing. China had previously retaliated to the Canadian EV tariffs with duties on Canadian agriculture, including vital canola and pork products. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Business leaders and provincial premiers in Canada have been urging Carney to make a move that would ease the trade dispute with Beijing. The Canadian government, by signalling a willingness to engage with China, particularly on the EV issue, is seemingly leveraging President Trumps instability to secure its economic future against an increasingly unpredictable North American trading landscape, making a friend of President Xi in the process. The American Federation of Government Employees has urged Senate Democrats to pass a short-term funding bill to end the nearly month-long government shutdown A view of the US Capitol dome, following a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., US. (Reuters ) The United States largest union representing federal employees has called on Senate Democrats to end the ongoing government shutdown, which is nearing a month, by approving a short-term spending bill. Describing the situation as an avoidable crisis, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley said the period for political brinkmanship had passed. Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight, he stated. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay today. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Union pressures Democrats amid growing financial strain AFGE, which represents 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers and is closely aligned with the Democratic Party, has taken the unusual step of breaking ranks with Democrats. The move increases pressure on Senate Democrats to support the Republican-backed short-term spending measure that has been blocked for weeks. The shutdown, now entering its fifth week, has prompted the union to demand the governments immediate reopening under a continuing resolution. The House-passed stopgap funding bill, which would keep the government running through Nov. 21, has been defeated 12 times by Senate Democrats. They have insisted on additional funding to maintain COVID-era expansions of Obamacare subsidies and other Democratic priorities. AFGE is now urging Senate Democrats to accept the Republicans proposal to negotiate health care issues only after the government resumes operations, without requiring a GOP pledge to extend the enhanced subsidies. The unions appeal comes as many federal employees miss their first full paycheque and the US Department of Agriculture warns that funding for food stamps will run out on Nov. 1. Takaichis first major test on the international stage will come as she attends the Asean summit in Malaysia and the Apec meeting in South Korea, trips that will show how much of her signature conservative rhetoric she brings into office Japans newly inducted Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, as the new leadership in Tokyo tries to renew its relationship with Washington. During their meeting, Trump said that the US is Japans ally at the strongest level, while PM Takaichi said that she wants to realise a new golden age of relations with the United States as she met President Donald Trump in Tokyo. I would like to realise a new golden age of the Japan-US Alliance, where both Japan and the United States will become stronger and also more prosperous, she said as the two leaders sat down for talks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Takaichis first major test on the international stage will come as she attends the Asean summit in Malaysia and the Apec meeting in South Korea, trips that will show how much of her signature conservative rhetoric she brings into office. As Trump and Takaichi hold a meeting, heres a look at what is at stake. Whats on agenda? Their discussions are expected to focus on tariffs, regional security, and Japans defence spending, all sources of tension in recent months. Within Japans conservative ruling party, some have voiced concern that Washingtons commitment to the Indo-Pacific may be waning as it places greater demands on its allies. Defence is set to dominate the agenda. Under former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan vowed to boost defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2027. Takaichi now aims to accelerate that goal to March 2026, urging Japan to proactively advance the fundamental strengthening of its defence capabilities in her first address to parliament. However, how this buildup will be funded remains uncertain. With the yen weakening and Takaichi advocating tax cuts, financing her plans could prove challenging. Trade issues may be just as difficult. Since returning to the office, Trump has revived his tariff battles, targeting even long-standing allies. After months of negotiations, tariffs on Japanese exports were reduced from 25 per cent to 15 per cent, while Tokyo agreed to invest $550 billion in US industries. Still, many of the deals details remain unclear, and Takaichi is expected to press for greater transparency. Eyes on China Takaichis approach to regional diplomacy will be a key factor in determining how well she works with Trump. She has long been associated with a hardline stance, sharply criticising Chinas expanding military influence and taking a conservative, nationalist position on historical disputes with South Korea, where memories of Japans colonial rule and wartime sexual slavery still strain ties. Her repeated visits to the contentious Yasukuni Shrine, viewed by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Japans wartime aggression, have also fueled regional tensions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, since assuming office, she has signalled a shift toward a more conciliatory tone. The two leaders are in the final stages of preparing a joint document on securing rare earths and other critical minerals and strengthening supply chains. The agreement, which the two leaders plan to sign during their meeting later on Tuesday, aims to address economic security concerns following Chinas move in October to tighten export controls on rare earths, which are crucial for a wide range of products from smartphones to fighter jets, the paper said citing Japanese government officials. With inputs from agencies Trump dismissed the idea of running for vice president in 2028, a suggestion made by some supporters as a potential way to bypass the US Constitutions ban on presidents serving a third term US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One on October 24, 2025, in flight. AFP US President Donald Trump has once again indicated that he would love to run for the presidency for a third time in 2028, a move that is constitutionally impermissible in the country. However, Trump dismissed the idea of running for vice president in 2028, a suggestion made by some supporters as a potential way to bypass the US Constitutions ban on presidents serving a third term. Talking to reporters on his way to Japan from Malaysia, Trump noted that while he would be allowed to run for vice president, he has no plans to do so in 2028. I think people wouldnt like that. Its too cute. It wouldnt be right, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked about US Vice President JD Vance and State Secretary Marco Rubio as being potential Republican successors, Trump said, All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they dont, referring to Democrats. The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms. Overturning the amendment would require approval from two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or the convening of a constitutional convention by two-thirds of state legislatures, a scenario considered highly improbable. To take effect, the amendments repeal would also need ratification from 38 states. Last week, former Trump adviser and outspoken supporter Steve Bannon claimed there was a plan in place to secure a third term for Trump. Talking to The Economist, Bannon said, Trump is going to be president in 28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that. At the appropriate time, well lay out what the plan is. Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet amid growing trade tensions, with both sides striking markedly different tones Trump projecting optimism about a potential deal, and Beijing urging caution against unilateralism in global trade. As anticipation builds for the meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Washington and Beijing are projecting sharply contrasting tones optimism from Trumps camp, and caution from Chinas leadership. Li Qiang warns against unilateralism Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday cautioned against the rising tide of unilateralism in global trade, urging nations not to return to the law of the jungle amid escalating tariff tensions with the United States. Speaking at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Li said that economic globalisation and multipolarity are irreversible, and called for stronger support for the global free trade system. He warned that unilateralism and protectionism are rampant and pose huge risks to the region. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His remarks come as Beijing pushes back against Washingtons tougher trade policies and technology restrictions, signalling that China prefers a rules-based international economic order ahead of the Trump-Xi dialogue. Trump strikes upbeat tone before meeting Xi Donald Trump, meanwhile, has projected confidence as he begins his Asia tour focused on strengthening business relations. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, he predicted that a US-China trade deal would be finalised before his return to Washington. We pretty much agreed that Ill be going to China, Trump said, expressing optimism about his upcoming visit. I have a lot of respect for President Xi, he added. He likes me a lot, I believe, and respects me. And I think he respects our country a lot. Were going to have a successful transaction for both countries. Early diplomatic test in Japan Before meeting Xi, Trump also held talks with Japans new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi the countrys first woman leader in what will be her first major diplomatic test since taking office last week. Takaichi leads a fragile coalition and faces the challenge of balancing Japans domestic priorities with regional expectations. During his flight, Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He said his visit would emphasise the great friendship between the US and Japan. I hear phenomenal things about Takaichi, Trump said, noting her close ties with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he shared a strong rapport. Its going to be very good, he added. That really helps Japan and the United States. Taiwan watches closely In Taipei, attention is fixed on the Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea, with some fearing that Taiwans interests could be compromised in a potential US-China trade bargain. However, Taiwans Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung dismissed such concerns on Tuesday, saying he was not worried Trump would abandon the island. No, because our Taiwan-US relations are very stable, Lin told reporters in Taipei. No matter whether on security, trade and business and other areas, there is close co-operation, he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has shifted his tone toward Taiwan which China claims as its own while pursuing a trade deal with Beijing. He has said Xi assured him that China would not invade during his presidency, though he has yet to approve new US arms sales to Taipei. The United States, like most countries, does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is legally obligated to provide the island with defensive support a commitment that often strains ties with Beijing. A meeting of contrasts Trumps upbeat tone about successful transactions and great friendships stands in sharp contrast to Li Qiangs warnings against unilateralism and protectionism. As both leaders prepare for their meeting, the differing rhetoric underscores the delicate balance of optimism and caution shaping one of the worlds most closely watched relationships. The US has killed 14 people in strikes on four suspected drug boats in the eastern Pacific, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. One survivor was rescued by Mexican authorities. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo The United States has carried out strikes on four suspected drug-running vessels in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 people, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. He said one survivor was rescued by Mexican authorities following the Monday strikes, which were ordered by President Donald Trump as part of Washingtons intensified campaign against narco-trafficking networks. The latest attacks bring the total death toll from recent US operations to at least 51, further straining relations with Colombia and Venezuela. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Hegseth, the vessels were travelling along known narco-trafficking routes and carrying narcotics. Eight people were killed in the first strike, with six more in the subsequent attacks, he added. This is a developing story. With frequent reports of mass killings from Sudans Darfur following RSFs victory, fears have mounted that the regions non-Arab communities could be on the brink of ethnic cleansing. Previously, RSF and its allies killed around 300,000 non-Arabs in Darfur in a genocidal campaign during 2003-05. A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Representational Photo, Credit: AFP) With the paramilitary group RSFs victory in Sudans western Darfur region, fears have mounted that the regions non-Arab ethnic communities could be on the brink of facing another episode of ethnic cleansing. In the ongoing Sudanese civil war, the RSF on Sunday seized control of El-Fasher, the militarys last stronghold in Darfur. With this victory, the RSF and its allies have gained complete control of the region, effectively splitting the country into western and eastern halves. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Since the RSFs takeover, reports have emergedfrom Sudanese civilians, the United Nations (UN), and open-source investigatorsthat the paramilitaries have begun mass killings, raising concerns that the region could face another genocide. Between 2003 and 2005, the same paramilitaries, who are Arabs, waged a genocidal campaign in Darfur, killing around 300,000 people from the non-Arab Masalit, Fur, and Zaghawa communities, according to the UN. ALSO READ: How civil wars in Sudan and South Sudan jeopardise Africas security The current Sudanese civil war began in 2023 following the collapse of an uneasy power-sharing arrangement between the countrys military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti. Following the fall of El-Fasher, the RSFs coalition now controls Sudans western and southwestern regions, while the Sudanese military holds the east and the capital, Khartoum. Since 2023, the RSF and its allies have already killed over 17,000 people in Darfur in a series of massacres. In one such mass killing in El-Geneina, the UN reported that up to 15,000 people were killed. Evidence of mass killings and fears of another ethnic cleansing mount The Joint Forces, an ally of the Sudanese military, has claimed that the paramilitaries have killed over 2,000 people in El-Fasher since Sunday, according to AFP. The Joint Forces stated that the RSF and its allies committed heinous crimes against innocent civilians in the city of El-Fasher, where more than 2,000 unarmed citizens were executed and killed on 26 and 27 October, most of them women, children, and the elderly". While the exact number could not be independently verified, open-source investigators from Yale Universitys Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) confirmed that mass killings had indeed occurred in El-Fasher. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a report published on Monday, HRL investigators said they had discovered piles of corpses lying near RSF vehicles in a neighbourhood known to shelter non-Arab communities. They concluded that those killings were carried out in a door-to-door search and victims were singled out on the basis of ethnicity. HUMAN SECURITY EMERGENCY El-Fasher has fallen to RSF. HRL finds evidence of mass killings including door-to-door clearance operations and objects consistent with reported bodies on berm entrapping El-Fasher.#KeepEyesOnSudan @AirbusSpace @Maxarhttps://t.co/1HApllgNL5 pic.twitter.com/yrCbM5HxeP Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at YSPH (@HRL_YaleSPH) October 27, 2025 Separately, UN rights chief Volker Turk said there was a growing risk of ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El-Fasher. Turks office said it was receiving multiple, alarming reports that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Separately, the AFP authenticated a video from El-Fasher that showed a fighter known for executing civilians in RSF-controlled areas shooting a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground at point-blank range. Worlds worst humanitarian crisis The UN has previously declared the Sudanese civil war the worlds worst ongoing humanitarian crisis. An estimated 150,000 people have been killed, hundreds of thousands injured, and 14 million displaced. Around 24 million people are considered to be in acute hunger across Sudan, with 600,000 facing famine. The city of El-Fasher, where approximately 260,000 people are still believed to be living, is also gripped by famine after more than a year under siege. In addition to the massacres of over 17,000 people, the RSF and its allies have been widely accused of committing systematic sexual violence against women during the conflict, including rape, gang rape, forced marriages, and sexual slavery. If President Trump manages to hold talks, make decisions, and reach an understanding with China to reduce imports of Russian energy, I think it will help all of us, Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday called on US President Donald Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping to reduce Beijings support for Russia during their upcoming meeting. Trump confirmed he plans to address the Russian invasion of Ukraine when he meets Xi on Thursday in South Korea. If President Trump manages to hold talks, make decisions, and reach an understanding with China to reduce imports of Russian energy, I think it will help all of us, AFP quoted Zelenskyy as saying at a press conference in Kyiv. Trump has attempted to use his personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin to broker an end to the conflict in Ukraine but has so far made little headway. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Last week, he imposed sanctions on two of Russias largest oil companies and urged major energy buyers particularly China and India to reduce their purchases, which Washington and Kyiv say help finance Russias invasion. We support the US policy of exploring any opportunities to limit the supply of energy resources from Russia, Zelenskyy said. It concerns Ukraine, European security, and the entire world because they use the money from gas and oil to fund the war, he added. With inputs from agencies London-based consumer tech brand, Nothing, today announced the winner of its Nothing Incubator program in India. The competition, which aimed to tap into the countrys brightest young minds under the theme Making Tech Fun Again, concluded with Team Connection from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune taking the top honors. Team Connection, comprising SIBM Pune students Atmarani Mohanty, Abhishek Chauhan, and Riya Garg, secured the win with their innovative concept focused on enhancing STEM learning through augmented reality (AR). Their proposal outlined a plan to transform traditional textbooks into interactive, vernacular learning experiences for students. The winning submission was praised by the jury for its clarity and a precise identification of existing educational pain points. The team successfully demonstrated a deep understanding of how to blend cutting-edge technology with practical and engaging applications in the learning environment. Akis Evangelidis, Co-founder and India President of Nothing, commented on the conclusion of the program, stating: The Nothing Incubator program reaffirmed what weve always believed India is a powerhouse of creative, unfiltered talent. We received an incredible response, with so many bold and original ideas coming in from students across the country. Team Connections idea perfectly embodied the spirit of the challenge it was bold, addressed a real-world problem, and made learning fun again through smart use of augmented reality. Were proud to see students not just dreaming big, but designing ideas that can truly make tech fun again. OPPO just introduced the Find X9 and Find X9 Pro smartphones for the global markets, as it had promised, after the phones went official in China earlier this month. The new series is positioned as an all-around premium experience, featuring a camera system co-engineered with Hasselblad, advanced battery technology, powerful performance, and the integrated ColorOS 16 operating system. Precision in Every Pixel: The New-Generation Hasselblad Master Camera System The Find X9 series introduces a new-generation Hasselblad Master Camera System, combining updated hardware with computational photography. The Find X9 features a triple 50MP camera setup. This includes a pro-level 50MP main camera with a 1/1.4-inch Sony LYT-808 sensor and an f/1.6 aperture, designed to capture 57% more light. It is complemented by a 50MP ultra-wide camera with autofocus and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with a 1/1.95-inch Sony LYT600 sensor. The system also integrates an industry-first True Color Camera, a dedicated spectral sensor intended to precisely measure ambient light for more accurate color reproduction. The Find X9 Pro features upgraded primary imaging components. Its Ultra XDR Main Camera utilizes a customized 1/1.28-inch Sony LYT 828 sensor and groundbreaking Real-Time Triple Exposure technology. For telephoto capabilities, the Pro model includes a 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto camera. Developed with Hasselblad, this 3x camera features a large 1/1.56-inch 200MP sensor, an f/2.1 aperture, and a 10cm minimum focus distance. OPPO notes an Active Optical Alignment process was used to boost resolution by an additional 15%. Both devices debut the LUMO Image Engine, OPPOs suite of computational photography algorithms. The engine is claimed to enhance clarity, dynamic range, and color while operating with up to 50% less CPU usage and 50% less power consumption. This efficiency allows the cameras to capture photos in full 50MP resolution by default in bright daylight, delivering over four times the detail of standard 12MP images, while intelligently switching to lower resolution modes in challenging light. The series also introduces industry-first 4K Motion Photos, which allows users to extract high-resolution still images from 4K video. Enhanced Zoom and Pro-Grade Video Capabilities The Find X9 Series is engineered for live events, offering substantial zoom capabilities. The Find X9 Pro provides high-quality lossless zoom up to 13.2x by intelligently cropping its 200MP sensor, while both models feature OPPOs Super Zoom algorithm for enhanced clarity up to 120x. They also feature a Stage Mode for concert photography. For video, both devices support 4K 120fps Dolby Vision HDR recording on the main camera, with the Find X9 Pro extending this to its 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto. Professional users are offered LOG recording with ACES certification for color grading. An optional Hasselblad Teleconverter optical accessory is available for the Find X9 Pro, transforming it into a 10x optical super-zoom, enabling up to 200x digital zoom for photos and 50x for video. A New Era of Battery Power and Design Battery capacity is a key focus, with the Find X9 featuring a 7025mAh battery within a 7.99mm profile, and the Find X9 Pro packing a larger 7500mAh battery. This is achieved using the third-generation OPPO Silicon-Carbon Battery, which features 15% silicon content. OPPO states the battery is engineered to retain over 80% of its original capacity after five years of typical use. Both models support 80W OPPO SUPERVOOC wired flash charging, 50W AIRVOOC wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The design of the Find X9 Series features a modern, flat-edged aesthetic with a contoured frame. They utilize a new-generation flat display with 1.15mm symmetrical bezels. The 120Hz displays boast a peak outdoor brightness of 3600 nits and a minimum brightness of 1 nit, along with high-frequency PWM dimming. Both feature a matte aluminum frame and glass back cover. Durability is addressed with IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings. Performance and Efficiency The Find X9 Series is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, built on TSMCs third-generation 3nm process. OPPO cites performance gains of up to 32% higher performance for the All-Big-Core CPU and 33% higher graphics performance for the Arm G1-Ultra GPU, with efficiency improvements of 55% and 42% respectively. These capabilities are supported by customized vapor chambers for thermal management. The devices also feature OPPOs All-New Trinity Engine, developed with MediaTek to redefine chip-level resource management. This includes Chip-Level Dynamic Frame Sync, a Unified Computing Power Model, and Sensor Offload, which is claimed to result in 16.1% less power usage during 4K 60fps HDR video recording. OPPO Find X9 specifications 6.59-inch (2760 1256 pixels) 120Hz AMOLED display, 3840Hz ultra-high-frequency PWM dimming, up to 3600 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection Octa-Core Dimensity 9500 3nm SoC with Arm Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X RAM with 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.1 storage Android 16 with ColorOS 16 Dual SIM (nano + nano) 50MP camera with 1/1.4 Sony LYT808 sensor, f/1.6 aperture, OIS, 50MP ultra-wide camera with JN5 sensor, 50MP 1/1.95 LYT600 sensor 3x periscope telephoto camera with /2.6 aperture, OIS, 2MP multi-spectral lens, f/2.4 aperture, Hasselblad portrait 32MP front camera with 1/2.74 Sony IMX615 sensor, f/2.4 aperture In-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor Dust and water resistant (IP66 + IP68 + IP69) USB Type-C audio, Stereo speakers Dimensions: 156.9873.937.99mm; Weight: 203g 5G SA/NSA, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6.0, Beidou (B1I + B1C + B2a + B2b), GPS (L1 + L5), GLONASS (G1), Galileo (E1 + E5a + E5b), QZSS (L1 + L5), NavIC (L5), NFC 7025mAh (Typical) battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, 50W wireless charging OPPO Find X9 Pro specifications 6.78-inch (27801264 pixels) 1~120Hz LTPO AMOLED display, 3840Hz ultra-high-frequency PWM dimming, up to 3600 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection Octa-Core Dimensity 9500 3nm SoC with Arm Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU 16GB LPDDR5X RAM with 512GB UFS 4.1 storage Android 16 with ColorOS 16 Dual SIM (nano + nano) 50MP camera with 1/1.28 Sony LYT828 sensor, f/1.5 aperture, OIS, 50MP ultra-wide camera, 200MP 1/4 Samsung HP5 3x periscope telephoto camera with /2.1 aperture, OIS, telephoto macro, up to 120x digital zoom, 2MP multi-spectral lens, f/2.4 aperture, Hasselblad portrait 50MP front camera with 1/2.75 JN5 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 4K 60fps Dolby Vision video recording In-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor Dust and water resistant (IP66 + IP68 + IP69) USB Type-C audio, Stereo speakers Dimensions: 161.2676.468.25mm; Weight: 224g 5G SA/NSA, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 6.0, Beidou (B1I + B1C + B2a + B2b), GPS (L1 + L5), GLONASS (G1), Galileo (E1 + E5a + E5b), QZSS (L1 + L5), NavIC (L5), NFC, USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 7500mAh (Typical) battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, 50W wireless charging Pricing and availability The OPPO Find X9 comes in Space Black, Velvet Red and Titanium Grey colours and is priced at 999 Euros (USD 1164 / Rs. 1,02,750 approx.) for the 12GB + 512GB model. The OPPO Find X9 Pro comes in Titanium Charcoal and Silk White colours and is priced at for the 1299 Euros (USD 1514 / Rs. 1,33,600 approx.) for the 16GB + 512GB model. The phones will roll out from early November globally. The company has already confirmed the India launch of the phones in November. Commenting on the global launch, Pete Lau, SVP and Chief Product Officer at OPPO, said: Find X9 Series represents a giant leap forward in mobile imaging, driven by industry-leading innovations like the 200MP Hasselblad Telephoto, As OPPOs new-generation flagship, Find X9 Series delivers a comprehensive, top-to-bottom upgrade, setting a new global standard for smartphone excellence. Google Pixel 10a, the companys next smartphone in the Pixel 10 series, has surfaced in the first set of CAD-based renders, thanks to @OnLeaks. This shows a familiar rear design, but sleeker bottom bezels. It still has dual rear cameras, and is said to retain a plastic back with flush camera module. It is said to get a smaller 6.2-inch, so it is said to measure 153.9 x 72.9 x 9mm, making it slightly shorter and narrower than the 9a, but the thickness is said to be almost similar. Earlier rumours revealed that the phone will stick to Tensor G4 SoC from the Pixel 9a instead of using Tensor G5 SoC and stick to UFS 3.1 storage. It also revealed 2,000 nits HDR brightness, slightly higher than the 1,800 nits on the Pixel 9a. The phone is not expected to come with Magic Cue, Googles on-device AI tool for live contextual assistance during calls and chats. The Pixel 10a is expected to be priced around the USD 500 price point, in line with earlier a series devices when it launches in Q1 2026. Source Paul Biya re-elected president of Cameroon Xinhua) 10:08, October 28, 2025 YAOUNDE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Paul Biya has been re-elected president of Cameroon for an eighth term, securing 53.66 percent of the votes, the country's Constitutional Council announced Monday. The candidate of the Cameroon National Salvation Front, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, finished second with 35.19 percent of the votes. More than 4.6 million Cameroonians cast their ballots out of over eight million registered voters, bringing the turnout rate to 57.76 percent, compared with 53.85 percent in 2018 and 65.82 percent in 2011. While proclaiming the final results, Constitutional Council President Clement Atangana said the election was free and fair. Biya, 92, who has been in power since 1982, leads the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement. He is now set to rule the country for another seven-year term. Security was tightened in the capital, Yaounde, and the commercial capital of Douala, where four protesters were shot dead by security forces on Sunday as opposition supporters took to the streets to protest what they called "electoral fraud," local media reported. According to the Constitution, the newly elected president must be sworn in within 15 days of the official announcement of the results. The swearing-in ceremony will take place before the Cameroonian people, in the presence of members of Parliament, the Constitutional Council and the Supreme Court. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun) Written statement by the Government Spokesman of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Konstantinos Letymbiotis, on the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus Republic of Cyprus From: Presidency of the Republic 24/10/25 17:34 | Press release | Government Spokesperson The usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus is not being addressed passively or with tolerance. In a law abiding, lawful state that faces the painful reality of the Turkish occupation, the duty to make known the magnitude of the illegality is predominant, the implementation of the law is necessitated, and the protection of national interest is imperative. The unanimous decision delivered today by the Lefkosia Assize Court, to impose a five-year prison term, following an admission by an accused person for committing offences related to usurpation, indicates the seriousness of the said offence. At the same time, the decision sends out a strong message about the repercussions that can be brought on those who try to be or are already implicated in such transactions and in the relevant international sequence of usurpation. (RM/MS/IA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lebanon: Statement by the Spokesperson on Israeli strikes on UNIFIL European External Action Service (EEAS) 27.10.2025 EEAS Press Team The European Union condemns the Israeli attack that targeted again a UNIFIL detachment on 26 October 2025. This is the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent weeks. The EU recalls that the safety and security of UN personnel and premises must be ensured in accordance with international law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The EU reiterates that all parties must fully respect the ceasefire of 26 November 2024, and calls on Israel to withdraw from the entire Lebanese territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Eleven negative decisions on real estate transactions Finnish Ministry of Defence 27.10.2025 09:20 On 24 October 2025, Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen denied eleven prospective buyers from outside the EU and EEA a permit to buy real estate in Finland. "Real estate is a tool for hybrid influence activities. That is why we will prevent any real estate transaction that in our estimation could threaten our national security and security of supply and possibly complicate the organisation of homeland defence. We can do this effectively thanks to our permit system for real estate transactions and the total ban on transactions by Russians and Belarusians that entered into force in the summer," Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen said. The negative decisions concerned properties in Mikkeli, Pargas, Puumala, Taipalsaari, Savonlinna, Simo, Kouvola, Kolari and Tornio. The applicants had different kinds of plans for the real estate, such as business, forestry, residential and recreational use. The applicants are citizens of Russia, Israel, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The decisions to deny the applicants a permit were based on the Act on Permit Requirements for Certain Real Estate Acquisitions (470/2019). The decisions are not yet final. Any requests by media for access to documents should be sent via email to the Registry of the Ministry of Defence at kirjaamo.plm(at)gov.fi. Further information can be inquired by email from the Media and Communications Unit of the Ministry of Defence at tiedotus.plm(at)gov.fi. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese FM spokesperson hits back at Philippine president's S.China Sea claims; expert says Manila-Tokyo cooperation to heighten tensions in region Global Times By GT staff reporters Published: Oct 27, 2025 07:21 PM In response to a question about Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr's remarks that it is regrettable that incidents continue to occur in the South China Sea and "[the incidents] have put the lives of Philippine personnel and the safety of our vessels and aircraft at risk" at the ongoing ASEAN meetings on Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that the South China Sea is the shared home of China and ASEAN countries, and its peace and stability must be jointly safeguarded. The root cause of the current tensions lies in the Philippines' deliberate maritime infringements and provocations, Guo said. China will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty and rights in accordance with the law, while remaining willing to properly manage maritime differences with the Philippines through dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson said. China will also work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and advance consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to maintain peace and stability in the region, Guo said, noting that relevant countries should strictly abide by the provisions of the declaration, cease acts of infringement and provocation and stop hyping up tensions. Marcos made the claims at the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit in Kuala Lumpur, which attended by newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. Marcos expressed deep concern over continuing incidents in the region, according to the release by its Presidential Communications Office. On the same day, Marcos and Takaichi also welcomed the new pact on the two nations' growing security cooperation during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings, according to Philippines News Agency on Monday. The leaders welcomed their countries' agreement in principle on the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, or ACSA. The pact allows Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military to provide each other with supplies, such as food and fuel, according to Japanese outlet NHK. The report by NHK also noted that they agreed to continue working to bolster security assistance. Takaichi's office said both the leaders concurred on continuing close coordination in addressing various international challenges, including the situation in the South China Sea, PNA reported. The backdrop of this accelerated cooperation is strategic leverage, Xiang Haoyu, a distinguished research fellow at the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times. For the Philippines, leveraging Japan's support aims to bolster its confidence in making illegal sovereignty claims in the South China Sea and countering China. By introducing Japan as a partner alongside the US-Philippines alliance, the Philippines can diversify its reliance on a single ally and utilize Japan's technology and equipment to quickly address its military capability gaps, the expert noted. For Japan, the objective is to expand its military cooperation network into the South China Sea, using the Philippines as a springboard and foothold to curb China, Xiang said. From a regional security perspective, the ACSA agreement will heighten tensions in the South China Sea. The Philippines and Japan seek to enhance their security influence in the region through strengthened bilateral cooperation. This sends a confrontational signal, which may prompt countermeasures from relevant parties, further fueling a regional arms race, the expert added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese FM hits back Philippine president's South China Sea claims, stressing Manila's deliberate provocations cause tensions Global Times By Global Times Published: Oct 27, 2025 05:05 PM In response to a question about Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr's remarks that it is regrettable that incidents continue to occur in the South China Sea and "[the incidents] have put the lives of Philippine personnel and the safety of our vessels and aircraft at risk" at the ongoing ASEAN meetings on Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that South China Sea is the shared home of China and ASEAN countries, and its peace and stability must be jointly safeguarded. The root cause of the current tensions lies in the Philippines' deliberate maritime infringements and provocations, Guo said. China will continue to firmly defend its sovereignty and rights in accordance with the law, while remaining willing to properly manage maritime differences with the Philippines through dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson said. China will also work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and advance consultations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea to maintain peace and stability in the region, Guo said, noting that relevant countries should strictly abide by the provisions of the declaration, cease acts of infringement and provocation and stop hyping up tensions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel continues to weaponize aid in Gaza despite ceasefire: MSF IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Oct 27, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Israel continues to restrict humanitarian aid into Gaza despite a ceasefire that came into force earlier this month, using aid as a tool of pressure against Palestinians there, Caroline Willemen, the Gaza project coordinator of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said. In an interview published Friday, Willemen told Turkey's Anadolu news agency that Israel is restricting aid to Gaza under different excuses, while humanitarian assistance should not be tied to political issues. "I think as we've seen over the past two years, humanitarian aid is being used against the people of Gaza. Many different excuses have been put forward to block humanitarian aid, such as the return of the bodies of deceased Israeli prisoners and ceasefire violations. However, humanitarian aid shouldn't be contingent on such things," she said. Willemen also said shortages of water and shelter persist, with hundreds of thousands of residents still living in tents despite approaching winter. She reported cases of severe malnutrition among children and pregnant women as well, saying that the situation is alarming, as providing daily health services remains extremely difficult. On Thursday, Doctors Without Borders said in another report that despite the ceasefire, more than a million Palestinians are still being forced to survive on "a tiny patch of land in southern Gaza," where living conditions are dire and dangerous to their health. "Along with the massive destruction of civilian infrastructure and the health system by Israeli forces, this displacement has created a perfect storm for the spread of disease and illness," the report said. Citing medical data collected by MSF teams this year, the report said that diseases directly linked to poor living conditions account for 70% of all outpatient consultations in the NGO's healthcare centers in southern Gaza. Without immediate improvements to water, sanitation, shelter, and nutrition, more people will die from entirely preventable causes, it said. The ceasefire, agreed between Hamas and Israel, began on October 10 and was meant to put an end to two years of the regime's genocidal war on Gaza. However, since then, Israeli forces have repeatedly violated the ceasefire, launching airstrikes and shooting at civilians across the territory. According to Gaza officials, some 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire took effect. 4194**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah Chief: Supporting Gaza was the right move; Ayatollah Khamenei fully supported the resistance IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Oct 27, 2025 Tehran, IRNA -- Sheikh Naim Qassem, Secretary General of Lebanese Hezbollah, has emphasized in a speech that supporting the resistance in the Gaza Strip was a correct and appropriate action and decision. Sheikh Naim Qassem held a detailed interview with the media on Sunday night on the occasion of the first anniversary of his appointment as Hezbollah's Secretary-General. Sheikh Naim Qassem conducted a comprehensive conversation with Al-Manar network to mark the first anniversary of assuming the post of Hezbollah's Secretary-General. In his remarks, Qassem said that Hezbollah is a strategic project grounded in vision, addressing people's concerns and taking clear positions on every challenge they face. "When we face challenges on the social, economic, and educational levels or even in the form of aggression and land occupation, it is essential to take a stand," he said. "Resistance for us is a way of life, not something tied to short-term gains that we might abandon once." "We do not grow weary, and it is unnatural to surrender from fatigue, for Hezbollah's path remains steadfast and unbroken." Sheikh Qassem added, "Everyone in Hezbollah, myself included, is committed to self-sacrificefrom those on the front lines to the families who have given everything. This commitment means confronting every difficulty to achieve our goals." Sheikh Qassem further added that Hezbollah managed the battle through its leadership, consultative council, fighters, and all those involved in the effort. "I am confident in leading Hezbollah, and I am not alonethe group includes its consultative council, leadership, fighters, and the people who support it." Elsewhere in his remarks, Qassem said," I chose not to go to Iran during the 2024 war, out of personal ethical considerations and the practical need to manage the battle on the ground." Turning to the war with the Israeli regime, he said that communication and coordination between the Secretary General and the military leadership were fully maintained during the Mighty Warriors Battle. "Netanyahu's residence was targeted through precise intelligence, and the bombing of 'Tel Aviv' was based on a political decision." "The resistance leadership demonstrated great discipline, striking at the enemy, and could have continued resolutely if the war had persisted." "We focused solely on military targets, guided by our circumstances and political judgment. The key was managing the battle to sustain the confrontation as long as possible." 2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FM Sa'ar meets with Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto in Budapest Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs FM Sa'ar: "The PA never stopped Pay-for-Slay. They just changed the method. The terrorists are collecting their payments from the Palestinian Post Office. And the PA is now making additional payments to evil terrorists released as part of the deal." Type: Press Releases Topic: Foreign Policy, Innovative Israel Secondary topic: Economic Publish Date: 27.10.2025 Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar met today (Monday, 27 October 2025) with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. This meeting in Budapest marks the eighth meeting between the two ministers. Minister Sa'ar was accompanied on his visit to Hungary by the largest Israeli business delegation ever to travel to the country. The two ministers held a one-on-one meeting, followed by an expanded meeting with their respective teams. After their meeting, they held a joint press conference. Full Speech: "My dear friend, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto, It's always good to be back in Budapest. This is my third visit here as Foreign Minister. It is our eighth meeting since I assumed office a year ago. The friendship between our nations is closer than ever. Hungary, under Prime Minister Orban's leadership, is a country with a clear moral dimension in its foreign policy. We see that in your unwavering support for Israel. And we saw it in your historic decision to withdraw from the corrupt so-called "International Criminal Court". Last week - another corrupt body - the "International Court of Justice" - published a morally distorted Advisory Opinion regarding UNRWA. UNRWA is a UN Agency infested with Hamas terrorists that took part in the October 7th massacre. We will never cooperate with this evil organization. I say it clearly - we completely reject the attempt of the so-called "International Courts", to tie our hands and force us to accept things that endanger our security. We reject the attempt to weaponize international law and harm the sovereignty of proud, independent nations such as Israel, Hungary and the United States of America. Because it's not law. It's politics. **** Peter, I am here today with the largest-ever economic delegation of Israeli businesses to Hungary. Around 50 businesspeople and heads of the leading Israeli economic organizations are in Budapest with me today. I thank all the business leaders for coming. The delegation will meet with Hungary's business leadership. They will focus on cyber and homeland security, space and communications, food, medicine, agriculture, technology and energy. This delegation showcases Israeli innovation at its finest. There will be over 150 business meetings between Israeli and Hungarian businesses. There is huge potential for mutual investments and economic cooperation between Israel and Hungary. This delegation represents the true and warm friendship between our nations. It's an expression of our mutual desire to take them to new heights. Our governments are very close. And we are eager to even further strengthen economic and people-to-people relations between Israel and Hungary. And we already saw lately a huge increase in Israeli tourism to Hungary. *** Minister, Israel is fully committed to working toward the success of President Trump's Plan. In the first stage of the agreement, 20 of our living hostages were released after over two years of cruel captivity in the dungeons of Gaza. Among them, was Israeli-Hungarian citizen Omri Miran. Both Israel and Hungary were overjoyed to see Omri reunited with his wife Lishay and his daughters Roni and Alma. Hungary played in an important role in the fight for Omri's freedom. You remember our conversations on the matter and the efforts we both made. As a token of his appreciation, Omri asked me to personally deliver a letter thanking you - dear Minister - along with Prime Minister Orban and President Sulyok. The people of Israel will never forget your part in the struggle for Omri's freedom. Thank you! But the struggle is not over yet. Hamas is still holding 13 of our slain hostages. This is a clear violation of the agreement. We know it can easily return most of the remaining hostages. It is slowly trickling their return to delay the second phase of disarmament. Hamas is barbarically abusing the families who have waited for more than two years and simply want to lay their sons to rest. Hamas must immediately return all of the bodies that it is holding! *** Ladies and Gentlemen, Contrary to the PA's promises in English, they are continuing their Pay-for-Slay Policy. Paying salaries to terrorists and their families for murdering Jews and Israelis - has been Palestinian law since 2004 and until this very day. The PA rewards Palestinian terrorists - including Hamas - with Jewish blood on their hands: Those sitting in jail and those released for example in the last deal. The PA never stopped Pay-for-Slay. They just changed the method. The terrorists are collecting their payments from the Palestinian Post office. And the PA is now making additional payments to evil terrorists released as part of the deal. Instead of holding the PA accountable - the European Union whitewashes it. They ignore the distorted, ongoing crime of Pay for Slay. The practical meaning of encouraging terrorism. They seek to reward the PA with a terror state of their own. Hungary has been a unique and clear moral voice in Europe - calling for accountability, which is a Western value, for the PA and an end to its support for terror. But the money of EU taxpayers is still going to the PA unconditionally. It's funding the terrorists. European leaders are ignoring Pay-for-Slay and giving the PA legitimacy - without accountability. This pushes peace further away. It allows the PA to continue its incitement against Israel and Jews in its school textbooks, kindergartens, mosques and Palestinian media. This poisons the mind of the next generation by filling it with hate. President Trump's 20-point plan made it clear: the PA will not be whitewashed without real reforms. It referred to the 2020 "Deal of the Century" which said, and I quote: The "PA shall take all necessary actions to immediately terminate the paying of salaries to terrorists serving sentences in Israeli prisons, as well as to the families of deceased terrorists." Until this day - the PA has failed to meet the required criteria, as determined by President Trump. I call on responsible and moral European leaders to follow the example set by Hungary in Europe. Hold the PA accountable! Stop Pay-for-Slay now! *** I want to finish by thanking you Peter, for your warm hospitality as always, here in this beautiful stadium. I hope to repay it by hosting you again in Jerusalem - very, very soon! And we already discussed that. Thank you." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Foreign Ministry issues a protest to Belarus over another violation of Lithuanian airspace Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Updated 2025-10-27 On 25 October, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania summoned the Charge d'Affaires ad interim of the Republic of Belarus and handed a diplomatic note, expressing a strong protest regarding the second violation of the Lithuanian state border airspace from the Republic of Belarus this week. On the evening of 24 October 2025, the competent authorities of the Republic of Lithuania recorded another unlawful entry into the Lithuanian airspace of an organised group of meteorological balloons from the Republic of Belarus. This incident once again resulted in significant financial losses for the airports, airlines, and travelers of the Republic of Lithuania. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania emphasized that violations of the state border constitute a serious violation of international law. It recalled the recurring violations of the airspace of the Republic of Lithuania from the Belarusian side, and urged Belarus to provide a detailed explanation of the incidents through established channels without delay and to prevent their recurrence. Lithuania also warned that it considers these incidents a deliberate provocation and an escalation of tensions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, received, on Monday in Rabat, a delegation from the Italian parliamentary intergroup of "Support for the Autonomy Initiative in the Sahara," currently on a working visit to the Kingdom until October 28. Morocco Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday 27 October 2025 Speaking to the press following the meeting, Ettore Rosato, coordinator of the delegation and Secretary General of the Azione Party, said that the purpose of the visit was to reaffirm his group's support for "the autonomy plan for the Moroccan Sahara" as a "long-term peace proposal," expressing his conviction that an international resolution, under the auspices of the UN Security Council, would make it possible to build "lasting peace." Rosato also praised the development momentum in "the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom," as well as the region's potential and the infrastructure it has in various socio-economic sectors. This visit, he said, which coincides with the Kingdom's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Green March, is part of the celebration of 200 years of diplomatic and friendly relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Italy. As part of this visit, the Italian parliamentary intergroup "Support for the Autonomy Initiative in the Sahara" also visited the Southern Provinces to meet with local authorities and elected officials, as well as to visit structural socio-economic development projects in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region. The Italian parliamentary intergroup delegation included seven members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic, representing both the majority and opposition parties. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudan: Appalling reports of summary executions and other serious violations, as RSF makes major territorial gains in El Fasher and North Kordofan Press releases Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 27 October 2025 GENEVA -- The UN Human Rights Office is receiving multiple, alarming reports that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions, after seizing control of large parts of the besieged city of El Fasher, North Darfur and of Bara city in North Kordofan state in recent days. "In El Fasher, initial reports indicate an extremely precarious situation since the RSF yesterday announced its takeover of the army's 6th Infantry Division," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. "The risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El Fasher is mounting by the day. Urgent and concrete action needs to be taken urgently to ensure the protection of civilians in El Fasher and safe passage for those trying to reach relative safety." The Office has received reports of the summary execution of civilians trying to flee, with indications of ethnic motivations for killings, and of persons no longer participating in hostilities (hors de combat). Multiple distressing videos received by UN Human Rights show dozens of unarmed men being shot or lying dead, surrounded by RSF fighters who accuse them of being SAF fighters. Hundreds of people have reportedly been detained while trying to flee, including a journalist. Given past realities in North Darfur, the likelihood of sexual violence against women and girls in particular is extremely high. The Office has also received reports of numerous civilian deaths, including of local humanitarian volunteers, due to heavy artillery shelling from 22 to 26 October. It is difficult to estimate the number of civilian casualties at this point, given communications cuts and the large number of people fleeing. Amid severe food shortages and exorbitant prices, the Office has also received disturbing reports of the summary execution of five men by RSF fighters for attempting to bring food supplies into the city, which has been under RSF siege for 18 months. Summary executions of civilians by RSF fighters are also being reported in Bara city, North Kordofan state in western Sudan, after it was captured by the RSF on 25 October following a major offensive. The victims were reportedly accused of supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces. Reports suggest that dozens of civilians have been killed. "The RSF must urgently take concrete steps to end and prevent abuses against civilians in both El Fasher and Bara, including ethnically motivated violence and reprisal attacks," Turk said. "I remind the RSF commanders of their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians and to ensure the passage of essential supplies and humanitarian assistance - which just days ago they again publicly committed to doing." The High Commissioner underlined that international humanitarian law prohibits violence against individuals no longer participating in hostilities (hors de combat). The use of starvation as a weapon of war is also strictly prohibited. Turk reiterated his call on Member States with influence to act urgently to prevent the commission of large-scale atrocities by the RSF and allied fighters, and to intensify pressure to end this intolerable conflict. Ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law by all parties to the conflict is critical to ensure fresh cycles of violations and abuses do not recur. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Message from the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, on Kashmir Black Day on 27th October 2025 Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs On the solemn occasion of Kashmir Black Day, we recall the dark events of 27 October 1947, when Indian troops landed in Srinagar to enforce India's illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. In the last seventy-eight years, the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have suffered a systematic and relentless campaign of tyranny, oppression and subjugation at the hands of Indian occupation forces. The UN Security Council, in a series of landmark resolutions, had unequivocally affirmed that the final disposition of Jammu and Kashmir would be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. India has blatantly defied these binding resolutions, choosing instead to tighten its grip on the occupied territory through sheer force and repression. Pakistan, on its part, has always remained committed to the sanctity and centrality of UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir. We have consistently recognized as well as emphasized the critical role of the international community in securing a just and lasting solution to this long festering dispute in our region. The human tragedy in IIOJK has even worsened in the last six years following India's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019. The revocation of the special status of IIOJK, followed by the imposition of draconian laws, demographic changes triggered by the issuance of a barrage of domiciles to non-residents, and the imprisonment of the legitimate Kashmiri leadership have become the defining features of the Indian occupation. These measures are yet again a manifestation of India's utter disregard of the UN Charter, the UN Security Council resolutions and the 4th Geneva Convention. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam Attack, the Indian authorities launched another sweeping crackdown in IIOJK, subjecting thousands of Kashmiris to arbitrary detention and interrogation, while also carrying out demolition of homes of innocent residents in the occupied territory. These developments added to a long record of India's human rights violations and atrocities in IIOJK that have been well documented by the UN bodies and international human rights organizations. Yet, even in the face of such overwhelming adversity, the people of IIOJK have shown remarkable resilience, courage, dignity and perseverance. Their struggle remains unflinching, constantly reminding us of their unyielding quest to attain the right to self-determination. The recent hostilities between Pakistan and India have once again demonstrated how the Indian intransigence on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and its defiance of international law pose a grave threat to peace and stability in South Asia. It is in the shared interest of all regional states and the international community that the dispute be peacefully and urgently resolved in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. On this Day, Pakistan calls upon the international community to play their due role in bringing an end to the suffering of the people in IIOJK. Their plight deserves not only attention but also meaningful action. Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering political, moral and diplomatic support to the just struggle of Kashmiri people. Pakistan will continue to raise its voice at every international forum until the realization of Kashmiris' legitimate right to self-determination. Islamabad October 27, 2025 319/2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US 'doomsday plane' lands in PH for refueling, crew rest Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno October 27, 2025, 1:56 pm MANILA -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Monday confirmed that a U.S. Boeing E-4B aircraft nicknamed doomsday plane as it can survive nuclear attack landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sunday and stayed overnight for refueling and crew rest. "This aircraft has diplomatic clearance, but there is no VIP (very important person) visit to the Philippines associated with it," it added. The PAF also said it has assisted the plane on this diplomatic layover. It departed at around 11:38 a.m. Monday. The E-4B, also known as the "Advanced Airborne Post" or "Nightwatch" aircraft, was modified from the Boeing 747-200B for the U.S. National Emergency Command Post (NEACP) Program. There are only four such aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory. Drones promising for PH defense As this developed, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said drone systems are one of the areas that can thrive for the Philippines ' Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program. Teodoro, in his speech at the Navy's Drone Warfare Summit delivered by Assistant Secretary for Defense Technology Research and Industry Development Augusto Gaite, said Filipino engineers and innovators are now developing prototype systems for surveillance, logistics, disaster response and maritime domain awareness. The Navy's Drone Warfare Summit is set from Monday to Wednesday at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center, Olongapo City, Zambales. "The challenge now is now to scale these innovations, to bridge the gap between prototype and production, between concept and capability," Teodoro said. The DND chief also added that the rapid evolution of drone systems, whether in the air, on land, at sea, has fundamentally changed the way nations prepare and respond to threats. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PBBM raises aggression in WPS before ASEAN meet with Trump Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora October 27, 2025, 1:22 pm KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. raised concerns over China's aggressive activities in the West Philippines Sea before a summit meeting between United States President Donald Trump and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Sunday. Among these actions is Beijing's unilateral plan to establish a so-called nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), a maritime feature long claimed by the Philippines. Marcos did not directly name China but said Manila is deeply concerned over "dangerous maneuvers and coercive actions" that interfere with legitimate Philippine activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). He stressed these actions violate international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Philippines has repeatedly protested China's harassment of Filipino vessels, including water cannon attacks by the China Coast Guard on resupply missions. The Philippines on several occasions rebuked China over its coast guard's repeated harassment, including the water cannoning of Filipino vessels conducting legitimate operations in the WPS. "On the South China Sea, it is regrettable that incidents continue to occur in the West Philippine Sea that have put the lives of Philippine personnel and the safety of our vessels and aircraft at risk," he said in his intervention at the 13th US-ASEAN Summit. This was also the first time Marcos criticized China's move to establish its so-called Huangyan Island National Reserve in the Bajo de Masinloc before a multilateral fora since it was approved by China's State Council in September. "[T]he attempt of some actors to establish the so-called 'nature reserve' status over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, which is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction, clearly violates not only Philippine sovereignty, but also the traditional fishing rights of our people," he added. He emphasized that these rights are guaranteed by the 1982 UNCLOS, the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award, and the country's domestic law. Despite the continued maritime tensions, Marcos said the Philippines remains "firm, calm, and resolute" in advocating for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. He reaffirmed Manila's commitment to a Code of Conduct that is "effective, substantive, and consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS." "This commitment is shared throughout all levels of the government, which desires to conclude an effective and substantive Code of Conduct that can effectively govern the behavior of parties at sea," he said. Emerging challenge Beyond maritime issues, Marcos highlighted the sustained collaboration between the U.S. and ASEAN to confront emerging challenges in the region such as scam hubs, cybercrimes and other forms of transnational crime. Marcos said the country looks forward to the Philippines' co-chairing the 22nd ASEAN Region Forum (ARF) Inter-Sessional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime. On the economic front, Marcos stressed the value of the ASEAN-United States Trade and Investment Facilitation Arrangement in supporting trade, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), digital economy initiatives, cybersecurity, and sustainability. "We recognize that the global economic landscape is marked by uncertainty. ASEAN values its partnership with the United States and seeks to build practical, strategic, and forward-looking collaboration that delivers concrete outcomes for our businesses and citizens alike," he said. He also noted continued initiatives of ASEAN and the United States to promote people-to-people exchanges, including on education and youth empowerment. "We hope that these valuable initiatives will continue to promote understanding and strengthen lasting connections among our future leaders," Marcos said. In closing, he welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN-United States Joint Vision Statement, calling it a strategic framework that aligns with ASEAN's long-term vision and strengthens collaboration for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. "This important document embodies our shared aspirations and aligns closely with both the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and the ASEAN Community Vision 2045," he said. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palace: ICC rulings based on Rome Statute, not by political statements Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora October 27, 2025, 7:14 am Updated on October 27, 2025, 7:25 am KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) is basing its rulings on the Rome Statute and not on political statements, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro has said. She made the statement on Sunday in reaction to the camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte's recent use of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s pronouncements to challenge the ICC's jurisdiction over his crime against humanity case. "Sa ating pagkakaalam, the ICC will base its decision or order or resolution on the Rome Statute and it will not be guided by the political statements (Based on our knowledge, the ICC will base its decision, order, or resolution on the Rome Statute and it will not be guided by political statements)," she said in a press briefing on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Malaysia. "Kung iyan po ay kanilang gagamitan ay depende na ito sa ICC kung papaano nila ito ie-evaluate (If that is what they would use, then the evaluation would fall on the ICC)," she added. Duterte's camp, in its previous submissions to the ICC, argued that Marcos previously "impliedly accepted, for jurisdictional reasons, that former President Duterte should not be tried at the [...] Court," referencing a 2023 letter to Vice President Sara Duterte that the government "will not assist the ICC, in any way, or form." Judges of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I affirmed on Oct. 23 the court's jurisdiction in the case against Duterte, who is currently detained at its detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands. The court junked the defense's argument that the ICC cannot exercise jurisdiction over the case because the investigation into the war on drugs in the Philippines was only authorized in September 2021, or two years after the country's effective withdrawal from the Rome Statute. The judges ruled that no provision in the Statute imposes any time limit on the ICC's ability to exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed during the period when the State was a party to the Statute. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South African president condemns Israel for 'undermining' Gaza ceasefire Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 6:57 PM South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed grave concern that the recently agreed Gaza ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas resistance movement is being systematically "undermined" by the regime's ongoing assaults on the besieged Palestinian enclave. Speaking on Monday at a public lecture at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Ramaphosa reminded the international community of Israel's daily violations since the truce took effect in early October. He also condemned Israel's continued military incursions into the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, which has been under Israeli occupation since June 7, 1967. "After decades of dispossession, repression, and oppression, the people of Gaza are facing genocide," Ramaphosa stated. "We cannot but be moved to action by the slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians, forced displacement, deliberate starvation and the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure," he said at the public lecture. His remarks came as Gaza's health authorities reported that at least 93 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 200 wounded by Israel over the past two weeks, despite a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered earlier this month. Ramaphosa reiterated his country's support for the ceasefire deal, which includes the exchange of captives, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the resumption of humanitarian aid to the war-torn strip. The South African president urged the international community to "make every effort" to ensure the truce becomes a path toward lasting peace, Palestinian statehood, and self-determination, emphasizing the need for a "two-state solution" based on the 1967 borders. Ramaphosa also hailed Malaysia's principled solidarity with the Palestinian people and praised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his firm support of South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In December 2023, South Africa initiated landmark proceedings against Israel at the ICJ, highlighting the violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention through the regime's genocidal war on the besieged strip. Between January and May 2024, the ICJ issued three sets of provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent genocide, halt its military aggression, and allow humanitarian access into the blockaded Palestinian territory. Ramaphosa also expressed admiration for Malaysia's leadership within the Hague Group - a coalition of Colombia, South Africa, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, and Senegal, which aims to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its crimes under international law. In November last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, over war crimes committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. During Israel's two-year-long genocidal war on Gaza, the occupying regime killed at least 68,527 Palestinians and wounded 170,395 others, before the ceasefire agreement was reached in the besieged strip earlier this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address King Abdullah rejects US plan for international force in Gaza, insists on Palestinian sovereignty Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 6:19 PM Jordan's King Abdullah II has rejected the idea of countries joining an international force to "enforce" peace in Gaza under a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, insisting that the security of the besieged strip must remain solely in Palestinian hands. "What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it's peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that," King Abdullah told the BBC on Sunday. Under Trump's 20-point ceasefire proposal, troops from Arab nations and other countries would be deployed to Gaza as part of an "international stabilization force" that, according to the plan, would "train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and consult with Jordan and Egypt, who have extensive experience in this field." King Abdullah stressed that countries would oppose a scenario involving foreign troops maintaining order in Gaza. "Peacekeeping is that you're sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we're running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that's not a situation that any country would like to get involved in." The initial phase of Trump's 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan took effect earlier this month and saw a prisoner exchange, but further stages will be negotiated at a later date. King Abdullah emphasized that Jordan would not send its forces into Gaza, noting that the country is "too close politically" to the situation. His remarks come as more than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian descent, and some 2.3 million Palestinian refugees currently reside in the kingdom. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement has stressed that any peacekeeping or "stabilization force" in Gaza must be authorized by a UN Security Council resolution not by Trump's wishes. During Israel's two-year-long genocidal war on Gaza, the occupying regime killed at least 68,527 Palestinians and wounded 170,395 others, before a ceasefire agreement was reached in the besieged strip earlier this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US doesn't view Israeli strike on Gaza as violation of ceasefire: Rubio Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 2:00 PM US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has come out in defense of an Israeli strike on Gaza, brushing aside the blatant violation of a Washington-brokered ceasefire. "We don't view that as a violation of the ceasefire," Rubio said aboard US President Donald Trump's plane during a trip to Asia on Monday. Israel claimed it had targeted a member of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement in central Gaza on Saturday, alleging the individual was preparing an attack on Israeli forces. Islamic Jihad denied the allegation, confirming that a senior figure survived the Israeli strike. The movement dismissed Tel Aviv's justification as "merely false," aimed at fabricating threats to "legitimize its aggression and violation of the ceasefire." "They have the right if there's an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that," Rubio claimed, in reference to the mediators of the ceasefire agreement: Washington, Egypt, and Qatar. Israel's Saturday strike came shortly after Rubio departed the Israeli-occupied territories after a visit allegedly aimed at consolidating the ceasefire. Over the last 48 hours, Israel has killed at least eight Palestinians and wounded 13 others across Gaza in violation of the ceasefire, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. During Israel's two-year-long genocidal war on Gaza, the occupying regime killed at least 68,527 Palestinians and wounded 170,395 others, before a ceasefire agreement was reached in the besieged strip earlier this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senator Lindsey Graham says land strikes in Venezuela 'real possibility' amid rising tensions Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 8:13 AM American senator Lindsey Graham has said that land strikes in Venezuela are a "real possibility", amid rising tensions over a major US military buildup in the Caribbean, condemned by Caracas as preparation for an invasion. "President [Donald] Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress when he gets back from Asia about future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia," Graham said in an interview with CBS's Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "So there will be a congressional briefing about a potential expanding from the sea to the land. I support that idea," he added. Trump said Thursday that land strikes are "going to be next," claiming that "the drugs coming in by sea are like 5% of what they were a year ago" due to the strikes. Despite Trump's claims, he provided no proof to support it, and congressional members have also stated that the administration has failed to supply adequate evidence that the ships in question are transporting drugs. While Graham announced a Congressional briefing on the land strikes, the US Constitution gives Congress, not the executive branch, the exclusive power to declare war. However, Graham repeatedly said he is confident the Trump administration has the authority to carry out the strikes. "There is no requirement for Congress to declare war before the commander-in-chief can use force," he said. Democrats and even some Republicans have criticized the White House's action. Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona said Sunday that the Trump administration's actions in the Caribbean are "murder." Graham pushed back against Gallego's remarks, claiming that "this is not murder. This is protecting America from being poisoned by narco-terrorists coming from Venezuela and Colombia." As of Friday, at least 43 people have been killed in the US strikes on 10 vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September 2. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the US presence as a prelude to a possible invasion aimed at toppling his government, which Washington accuses of leading a drug cartel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At least 3 killed in new Israeli strikes across Lebanon amid ceasefire violations Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 7:21 AM At least three people have been killed as a result of Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect almost a year ago. Lebanese officials initially reported that two individuals had lost their lives due to Israeli strikes on Sunday; however, they later updated the death toll following a further attack. The Public Health Emergency Operations Center at the Health Ministry reported that one person was killed in an Israeli strike on a car in the coastal border town of Naqoura of the southern Tyre district. An aerial attack on a vehicle in Nabi Sheet village of the eastern Baalbek region resulted in another fatality. The health ministry later said a Syrian national was among the victims after being struck in the town of al-Hafir - also in the Baalbek area. The strike resulted in the injury to another Syrian as well. Elsewhere in Aitaroun town of the Bint Jbeil district, a man was injured when an unexploded Israeli ordnance detonated. Hours later, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said an Israeli drone had dropped a grenade close to one of its patrols near the southern Lebanese town of Kafr Kila on Sunday afternoon. An Israeli tank then fired a shot, UNIFIL added, but there was no injury to its personnel or damage to its assets. Israeli attacks were "in violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and Lebanon's sovereignty, and show disregard for the safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council-mandated tasks in southern Lebanon", the UN force said in a statement published on the social media platform X. In light of the substantial losses during 14 months of war and the inability to fulfill its military objectives in the aggression against Lebanon, Israel had no choice but to accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which came into effect on November 27, 2024. Ever since the agreement was enacted, the occupying forces have conducted numerous assaults on Lebanon, including airstrikes throughout the country, in blatant disregard of the ceasefire. Israeli forces have also occupied five important regions in southern Lebanon, which include Labbouneh, Mount Blat, Owayda Hill, Aaziyyeh, and Hammamis Hill, all located close to the border. Lebanon has denounced the ongoing presence of the Israeli military as a breach of the ceasefire agreement and the predetermined schedule for withdrawal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Venezuela blasts US-Trinidad and Tobago joint military drills as 'military provocation' Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 6:52 AM Venezuela has denounced the US-Trinidad and Tobago joint military exercises in the Caribbean as a "military provocation." After a US warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez lashed out at the neighboring Caribbean government for conducting "a military provocation" with the CIA. "Venezuela denounces the military provocation of Trinidad and Tobago, in coordination with the CIA, aimed at provoking a war in the Caribbean," Rodriguez stated on her Telegram channel on Sunday. Rodriguez criticized Trinidad and Tobago for acting as a vassal nation and a "military colony" in Latin America for the United States government to wage war against the South. The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago lies just off the coast of Venezuela, about 11 kilometers away at its closest point. The American warship USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer that has US marines and helicopters on board, docked in the Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago, located on the western coast of the island of Trinidad, on Sunday. The US warship is scheduled to stay for four days, during which it will take part in joint training with local military forces. On Friday, the Trump administration ordered the deployment of the USS Ford and its strike group to the Caribbean. It carries fighter jets along with electronic warfare jets and surveillance aircraft. Pentagon said it was sending CSG-12 to the Southern Command in the Caribbean, claiming it only sought to enhance US capabilities to "detect, monitor, and interdict illicit activities that threaten the security and prosperity of the United States." This is the biggest military buildup of US forces in the waters off Venezuela in the past decades. Earlier this month, Trump confirmed reports that he had also ordered the CIA to carry out covert operations in the Latin American country and was considering carrying out land attacks there. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the Trump administration is "fabricating" a war against the Latin-American nation to topple its government and take control of its vast energy reserves. Maduro, who is a proponent of the Leftist Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement, has survived numerous US-backed assassination attempts and other efforts by Washington and its local lackeys to bring him down. On Wednesday, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry slammed Washington following Trump's announcement that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert actions inside Venezuela and said he was weighing carrying out land attacks there. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Trump's anti-Venezuela stance was undermining peace and stability in the Caribbean and constitutes a grave violation of international law and the UN Charter. The Foreign Ministry said it had formally lodged a complaint against Washington at the extraordinary meeting of Latin America's top diplomats at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Romania has another F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron to conduct NATO-led enhanced Air Policing Missions Romania - Ministry of National Defence Press release No. 193 27.10.2025 The 48th Fighter Squadron of the 71st "General Emanoil Ionescu" Air Base from Campia Turzii will conduct, starting October 20th, 2025, Air Policing Missions in the Romanian airspace. The goal of the missions is to ensure the integrity of Romanian airspace, defend NATO's Eastern flank and reflect Romania's firm commitment to collective security. The certification of the second F-16 Fighting Falcon Squadron demonstrates the high level of interoperability of the Romanian Air Force, as well as Romania's ability to contribute with modern defensive capabilities within a common air defence system. * Currently, there are three fighter squadrons conducting NATO-led air policing missions on Romanian territory. In addition to the 53rd Fighter Squadron from Fetesti and the 48th Fighter Squadron from Campia Turzii, a detachment of the Tactical Air Wing 71 "Richthofen" of the German Air Force, consisting of 5 Typhoon aircraft, conducts air policing missions at Mihail Kogalniceanu. The Press Office NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spanish Government calls for immediate ceasefire and guaranteed access for humanitarian aid in Sudan Spain - Ministry of Foreign Affairs PRESS STATEMENT 110 27 Oct 25 Spain expresses its utmost concern about the conflict that has been ravaging Sudan since 15 April 2023 and its devastating consequences. The situation in El Fasher, after 18 months of siege, has only exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. We urge the RSF and the groups that support them to agree to an immediate ceasefire, guarantee access to humanitarian aid and open humanitarian corridors to alleviate the conditions of the civilian population, particularly women and children, who are the victims most affected by this conflict. Resolving the conflict in Sudan is a priority for Spain. We defend the unity and territorial integrity of the country. We support an inclusive dialogue between all parties, including regional actors and the African Union, to proceed with an orderly and peaceful democratic transition leading to the formation of a civilian Government. -NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli Army Targets UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon - UNIFIL Sputnik News 20251027 BEIRUT (Sputnik) - An Israeli drone dropped a grenade on a patrol of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near the settlement of Kfar Kila, no personnel were injured, the peacekeeping force said. "This afternoon, at about 5:45 p.m. [14:45 GMT], an Israeli drone came close to a UNIFIL patrol operating near Kfar Kila and dropped a grenade. Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets," UNIFIL said in a statement on Sunday. It said the incident occurred after an earlier incident in the same location when an Israeli drone flew over the UNIFIL patrol. "The peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone," the statement said. It said these actions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) violate UN Security Council resolution 1701 and Lebanon's sovereignty. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Secretary statement on Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher News story Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, has released a statement following the advance of the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher, Sudan. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP Published 27 October 2025 Further advances by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, Sudan, are having a horrifying and devastating impact on civilians. With hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the city, many facing forced displacement and indiscriminate violence, the humanitarian consequences are catastrophic. Civilians must be able to leave safely and access lifesaving aid without obstruction. We are witnessing a deeply disturbing pattern of abuses in El Fasher including systematic killings, torture, and sexual violence. Women and girls are facing particularly horrific violations such as sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war, and their suffering must not be ignored. Both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have publicly committed to protecting civilians and enabling humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. These commitments must now be translated into immediate and concrete action. Orders must be issued to forces on the ground to ensure the safety of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and operations. The RSF leadership will be held accountable for the actions of their forces. All parties must urgently cooperate with the UN and humanitarian agencies to enable safe, rapid, and unimpeded access, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2736. Attacks on civilians, aid workers, and civilian infrastructure including hospitals must stop now. UK aid is making a difference on the ground, including reaching the most vulnerable through organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Sudan Humanitarian Fund. In total we are contributing by providing over 120 million in aid to Sudan, including allocating an additional 5 million to the Sudan Cash Consortium, with around two-thirds of this support for the most vulnerable in North Darfur. Bringing an end to the war in Sudan will also support security at home and help tackle illegal migration to the UK. The UK will continue to work with international partners, including the Quad, to push for an immediate ceasefire and a path toward peace. The suffering must end. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 27 October 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Guest We are delighted to be joined by our good friend Denise Brown, who as you know is the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan. We thought of bringing her in at the last minute today to talk to you about what is going on in Sudan. Denise, without further ado, I will give you the floor; then we will take some questions. [This part of the briefing was not transcribed.] ** Sudan Okay, thank you all. You obviously just heard Denise, but I wanted and flag the comments the Secretary-General made in Malaysia earlier this morning in responding to a question about the reports indicating that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had captured El Fasher. Mr. [Antonio] Guterres said this marked a terrible escalation in the conflict. He stressed that it is high time for the international community to speak clearly to all countries interfering in the war and providing weapons to the warring parties, urging them to stop. The Secretary-General noted that the problem is not only the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, but also the growing external interference that undermines prospects for a ceasefire and a political solution. Amid these developments, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, as you heard from Denise just now. ** Secretary-General/Malaysia The Secretary-General as mentioned is just wrapping up his program in Malaysia, where he took part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-UN summit. In his remarks at the summit, the Secretary-General condemned once again the bloodshed in Myanmar and urged all parties to halt the fighting, protect civilians, allow unimpeded humanitarian access, and also to engage in an inclusive political process. The release of those arbitrarily detained, the Secretary-General said, including democratically elected leaders in Myanmar, is essential. The Secretary-General told ASEAN leaders that under current conditions, any elections in Myanmar risk further exclusion and instability. Earlier in the day, the Secretary-General held a press conference, in which he reiterated his call for an immediate end to the violence in Myanmar and for a credible path back to civilian rule. Turning to climate, the Secretary-General said the stakes are very high for South-East Asia, where climbing temperatures, rising seas and worsening storms threaten lives; they threaten livelihoods and entire communities, if not countries. Next week, when leaders gather in Brazil for the thirtieth Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), they must agree on a credible plan to close the gap to 1.5C and mobilize $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance by 2035; that's for developing countries, he said. Also today, Mr. Guterres delivered remarks at an event to mark the UN's eightieth anniversary, organized by the Malaysian authorities. All of those remarks were shared with you. The Secretary-General will be heading to New York shortly. ** Thailand/Cambodia Also over the weekend, or rather yesterday, we issued a statement in which the Secretary-General welcomed the Joint Declaration between Cambodia and Thailand as a means to consolidate the July ceasefire. The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for the important role played by Malaysia, as Chair of ASEAN, and the United States in facilitating this Declaration. We are committed to supporting all efforts aimed at promoting peace, stability and development in the region. ** Viet Nam And just for the record and taking you back to Saturday, when the Secretary-General was in Hanoi taking part in the high-level event marking the opening for signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. In his remarks, the Secretary-General said this new convention is a powerful, legally binding instrument to strengthen our collective defences against cybercrime. He added that it is also a promise that fundamental human rights such as privacy, dignity and safety must be protected both offline and online. Over the weekend, the convention gathered 72 signatories. According to our colleagues in the Treaty section, they tell us that number is one of the most significant for a multilateral treaty deposited with the Secretary-General in the last 10 years. And as the Secretary-General said during his joint press conference in Vietnam, we must turn signatures into action. ** Lebanon I want to flag the situation along the Blue Line, which as you know lies between Israel and Lebanon. I can tell you that we are very concerned about the incident that occurred on Sunday in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol and subsequently an Israeli tank fired a shot at the peacekeepers in Kafr Kila in the UNIFIL area of operations. Fortunately, no one was injured, and no damage was caused to our peacekeepers and assets. This incident came after an earlier one in the same location, where an Israeli drone flew over a UNIFIL patrol in an aggressive manner. UNIFIL peacekeepers employed defensive countermeasures to neutralize the drone. Any actions that may endanger the safety and security of the peacekeepers are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately. ** Lebanon/Israel Also to mention that our Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, began a visit to Israel today as part of her regular consultations with stakeholders who are key to the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 (2006). During her visit, Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert is scheduled to meet with senior Israeli officials for discussions on recent developments, particularly those related to the resolution and the November 2024 Cessation of Hostilities arrangement, all with the overarching goal of advancing security and stability on both sides of the Blue Line. Earlier this month, the Special Coordinator also held meetings in Lebanon with senior officials, including President Joseph Aoun. They discussed prevailing regional and domestic developments, with a focus on resolution 1701 (2006). ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to Gaza: Our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tell us that, over the weekend, people continued to move across the Gaza Strip. Since the ceasefire, more than 470,000 movements of people have been recorded towards the north. Families are trying to return to their destroyed homes, though many structures are unstable and unexploded ordnance poses a risk. Our partners tell us that water, food and essential services are still desperately needed. Meanwhile, aid continues to enter the Strip. Between Friday and Saturday, more than 300 truckloads were collected from the Palestinian side mostly from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing. The aid in these trucks included thousands of pallets of wheat flour, supplies for hot meals, canned food as well as rice. The supplies also included diapers and jerrycans, as well as hundreds of pallets of health supplies, such as medical equipment and medicine. Tarps, tents and winter clothes also entered Gaza. While we don't yet have the data on the cargo collected on Sunday, I can tell you that hygiene kits, shelter supplies and post-partum kits entered Gaza. Additionally, yesterday, the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) distributed some 329,000 litres of diesel and that was to support health, food security, telecommunications and other critical humanitarian operations. As of Sunday, our partners, working with 170 community kitchens, delivered more than 1 million hot meals, mostly in Gaza with 15 UN-supported bakeries producing tens of thousands of loaves of bread in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Gaza City; community kitchens and shelters across hundreds of sites are distributing bread for free. Over the weekend, our partners continued their work on reducing the risk of unexploded ordnance, reaching nearly 3,200 people in central and southern Gaza. This is increasingly important as people are on the move. Overall, since 7 October 2023, humanitarians have recorded 150 explosive ordnance incidents which led to casualties, including among children. As for the West Bank, OCHA tells us that since the olive harvest season started on 9 October, more than 85 Israeli settler attacks on farmers and their land have repeatedly disrupted harvesting. These incidents have resulted in the injury of more than 110 Palestinians and the vandalization of over 3,000 trees and saplings across 50 villages. Last week alone, 17 attacks were recorded in 14 towns and villages, mostly in the Ramallah Governorate. ** Yemen Also, I want to update you on the situation in Yemen with our staff in Sana'a. I can tell you that today, the de facto authorities arbitrarily detained one more of our UN colleagues. This follows the detention of five of our colleagues in recent days, including two UN female colleagues, bringing the total number of detainees to at least 59, and as you know some of them has been held for years. We reiterate our strong condemnation of their continued arbitrary detentions by the Houthis. In a related development, Houthi security members entered several UN offices in Sana'a on Sunday and over the past few days, confiscating IT and communications equipment and assets. We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all personnel from the United Nations, from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations and diplomatic missions. They must be respected and protected in accordance with applicable international law. ** Ukraine From Ukraine, our humanitarian colleagues on the ground are telling us that attacks over the weekend and this morning led to dozens of civilian casualties and further damage to homes and energy infrastructure. Children are among the injured. The most impacted regions are Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that evacuations of civilians continue from front-line communities in the Donetsk region. Between 24 and 26 October, more than 900 people were evacuated. The Ukraine Humanitarian Fund continues to support local and national NGOs in facilitating safe evacuations and rehabilitating collective centres ahead of the upcoming winter. Since May, the Fund has released $13 million for the Kharkiv region to assist people living near the front line whose lives are impacted by airstrikes. The allocation, implemented by 15 partners, nearly 60 per cent of them local NGOs, reached some 76,000 residents; half of those are women and girls. They were assisted through cash assistance, as well as shelter, health, water, sanitation and hygiene support. Our partners also provided assistance on the prevention of gender-based violence. ** Hurricane Melissa And as you know, there is a horrific hurricane south of the United States heading to the Caribbean. Hurricane Melissa has reached Category 5, bringing destructive winds, dangerous storm surges and catastrophic rainfall across the region. The Regional Office for OCHA is coordinating closely with resident coordinators and UN country teams, as well as with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and emergency authorities, on readiness and response. OCHA is deploying staff to Cuba and Jamaica this week, as conditions allow, to reinforce preparation and coordination efforts across the region. In Jamaica, the UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu, is supporting national preparedness and response efforts, of course in close coordination with the Government. The World Food Programme (WFP) is providing logistics support, including generators, while the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has pre-positioned water and sanitation supplies, as well as materials for child protection. The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) is reinforcing health emergency operations, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is preparing shelter support. For their part, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are mobilizing for early recovery and protection. In Haiti, a country that is already suffering from many different issues, OCHA and its partners are supporting authorities with ahead of further impact. This includes pre-positioning relief supplies, including medical and nutrition supplies, as well as supporting with cash assistance, early warning messaging and community outreach. Authorities report that priority needs include emergency shelter, essential household items, hygiene and cleaning kits, safe water and additional logistical support to reach isolated areas. And finally, in Cuba, where the hurricane is anticipated to hit tomorrow night, the Anticipatory Action Framework was fully activated yesterday, with a $4 million allocation released from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) ahead of the storm. This allowed our partners to pre-position food and essential supplies including rice, grains, hygiene kits, fuel vouchers and portable water-treatment plants in the eastern provinces. OCHA continues to support the resident coordinator and the UN country team to prepare alongside the authorities. ** UN-Women A couple of things I want to flag one, a new UN-Women report called "At Risk and Underfunded", which warns that sweeping aid cuts are jeopardizing the organizations essential to ending violence against women and girls. Based on a global survey of 428 women's rights and civil society groups, it finds that over a third have suspended or shut down their programmes, while more than 40 per cent have scaled back critical services, including shelters, legal aid and healthcare. With an estimated 736 million women experiencing physical or sexual violence, UN-Women calls onGovernments and donors to protect and expand funding and prevent backsliding. ** Exhibition This afternoon, at 6 p.m., you are all invited to be in the Visitors Lobby to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the women, peace and security agenda. There will be an exhibit. Our colleague Melissa Fleming, the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, will be joined by the head of peace operations, Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and other senior officials, will present the photo exhibition Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace. The exhibition comes courtesy of our Peace and Security pillar, UN-Women and the Elsie Initiative Fund. The event will also include a creative performance by Do Nsoseme Dora, a Congolese poet and photographer whose work focuses on women's rights and gender equality in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as a guided tour of the exhibition. Please contact our peacekeeping colleagues for more information. ** International Day Today is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. Under the theme "A Window to the World", this year's observance celebrates how film, sound and video connect cultures, histories and generations. It reminds us that audiovisual archives preserve our shared memory, reflecting humanity's diversity and keep our collective story alive for future generations. ** Briefings Tomorrow Speaking of the future, busy day tomorrow: At 11 a.m., there will be a briefing here by Mariana Katzarova, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, following her presentation of her report to the General Assembly's Third Committee. Then, at 1 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, and that follows their presentation to the General Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). Lastly, at 2 p.m., there will be a hybrid briefing by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, that will also be following her presentation to the General Assembly's Third Committee. I've spoken enough. Pam? ** Questions and Answers Question : Thanks, Steph. A big picture question and a narrow one. Given what you talked about the attacks during the weekend on civilians in Ukraine, including a kindergarten, and what you may have seen at the ASEAN meeting, the lack of any or the stalling of current peace proposals for Ukraine did you get any sense that any country is taking the lead? Did you or the SG in ASEAN...? Spokesman : No. I have no development to report. Question : Okay. And just a UN question. This morning, the 42nd Street [entrance] was closed, and security said it was lack of personnel. How bad are these cuts in terms of security? Spokesman : I mean, it's not that they were cut... Question : How long will it last? Spokesman : Today is a staffing issue, so it's just that a staffing issue. We have a lot of staff also traveling to various conferences. Greg? And then Abdelhamid. Question : On the Blue Line, I wonder if you could tell us about any contacts between UNIFIL commanders and UN officials in the Israeli side, if there's been any, and what steps have been taken to deescalate the situation? Spokesman : Obviously, our colleagues at UNIFIL are in touch with the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to protest vehemently what has happened. It's not the first time that we feel we've been targeted in different ways by the IDF, whether it's things like pointing lasers or warning shots. It's very, very dangerous. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you, Steph. First, Francesca Albanese has she been denied a visa to enter? Spokesman : I mean, she's briefing virtually. I think you'd have to ask. Question : But, why? That's my question. Spokesman : I mean, you need to ask her. I can't speak for her. Question : Okay. My second question. An Israeli drone killed two Palestinian in the town of Abbasan in Gaza, and a number of people were injured. Are you aware of this? Spokesman : I personally had not seen that report, but we will look into it. Question : And also, there are five orders issued by the Israeli Army to confiscate 73 dunams in Al Bir and Ramallah under the pretext that... security necessities. So, are you aware of also these developments? Spokesman : I mean, not this particular incident, but I think we've been very vocal in speaking out against the confiscation of Palestinian land by Israeli security forces. Okay. Islam? Question : Thank you, Stephane. On Sudan again, according to the Sudanese Doctors' Network and also some NGOs over there, past a few days, like almost 50 civilians were killed. My question is, does UN have any reliable sources? What is the number that past two years, you know, civilians number that, you know, people killed? Spokesman : Over the past two years that have been killed? Correspondent : Yes. Spokesman : I don't have those numbers on top of my head. We will ask our humanitarian colleagues. Namo? Question : Thank you, Stephane. Yesterday, I don't know if you saw the reports in Turkiye that PKK started withdrawing its fighters in what's considered the most significant practical step towards ending this conflict. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on this? Spokesman : Yes. The Secretary-General is obviously following very closely the progress made regarding the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its decision to dissolve, disarm and we take note of the announcement by the PKK that it's withdrawing its forces from Turkiye to Iraq. The decision, if implemented, would represent another important step towards the peaceful resolution of this long-standing conflict. The Secretary-General encourages all concerned to continue acting in good faith towards implementation. Yes, Prosper? Question : Thank you very much. I want to know, the UN has appointed a committee that will be following up about human rights situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. So, can we say that it is a beginning of holding accountable all warring parties or all stakeholders that are being accused of perpetrating atrocities in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo? That's my first question. Spokesman : It is part of an ongoing process of documenting human rights violations. As you know, our peacekeeping colleagues and their human rights cell have been doing that a lot, consistently throughout the years. The Office of the [United Nations] High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has also been doing that. We are not short of facts about human rights abuses in the eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], and we've been calling them out repeatedly in as transparent a way as possible. There will need to be accountability for all those who have perpetrated crimes in the DRC. We've seen already some movement, but sadly, and it's unfortunately a fact that accountability takes a long time, but accountability there will need to be. Your next question, sir? Did you have another question? Question : Another question: On 30 October, in Paris, Emmanuel Macron will host a conference aiming to bring about peace and prosperity within Great Lakes region, especially it will be more focused on situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. What does UN think about that conference, really? Spokesman : I will see if we have any representatives at that conference, and I will let you know. Okay. Sorry. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you. The Prime Minister of Israel said that the security of Gaza will remain in the hands of Israel. That's on one hand. And he said also that Israel has to approve who will be part of the stabilization force in Gaza. Your thoughts on that? Spokesman : The issues and negotiations around the stabilization force is not one that includes the UN at this point. We understand, I think we read the same reports that you do, that there may very well be a resolution in front of the Security Council. So that's what I have to say at this point. Okay. Thank you all. Have a great day, and happy Monday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address World News in Brief: Funding cuts curb development, human rights in Belarus update, Ebola and mpox in Africa 27 October 2025 - Sharp declines in global aid are undermining decades of human rights and development progress, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al Nashif, warned on Monday. Speaking in Geneva, she said the world was facing "declining respect for human rights and multilateralism", with conflicts, debt, and shrinking development assistance threatening to reverse hard-won gains. The 38-member economic cooperation organization, OECD, projects a nine to 17 per cent fall in aid next year, and up to 25 per cent for the least-developed countries bloc, while military spending has soared to record highs. "The results speak for themselves: poverty reduction has stalled, and virtually all SDGs are off track," Ms. Al Nashif said, citing the World Bank's warning of a "lost decade for development." Way forward Despite the bleak outlook, she said the right to development offered a practical path forward by reshaping fiscal policies, strengthening social protection, and aligning global finance with human rights principles. Nearly 40 years after the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, Ms. Al Nashif urged governments to "move from words to action", noting new momentum through initiatives such as the Sevilla Commitment and renewed global solidarity voiced at the 80th UN General Assembly. UN independent expert: Belarus is no 'paradise' for workers "Belarus is not the worker's paradise authorities say it is, despite their proclaimed commitment to economic and social rights," said UN independent human rights expert on Belarus, Nils Muiznieks, addressing the UN General Assembly Monday. In his capacity as a Human Rights Council-appointed expert, Mr. Muiznieks presented his latest report, which revealed pervasive politically-motivated discrimination and harassment in both the Belarusian public and private sectors. Forced labour He also found unjustified restrictions on access to jobs based on political grounds - and the use of forced labour for little or no pay as a form of punishment for persons unjustly incarcerated. The report follows a two-year engagement under the International Labour Organization (ILO), which has put Belarus under enhanced scrutiny due to violations of trade unions' rights. Mr. Muiznieks - who is not a UN staffer and who receives no salary for his work - recalled that over 1,100 people continue to be detained arbitrarily in the country and that some of those released have been deported and had their passports confiscated, leaving them at risk of statelessness and afraid of returning back home. IOM steps up Ebola and mpox preparedness across Africa The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is scaling up its health response across Africa, responding swiftly to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this past September and supporting mpox preparedness in several African countries. The agency's priority is to make fully operational all points of entry and screening to prevent disease in areas where there is human movement. "These measures help prevent the spread of disease and keep both travellers and border communities safe," said Frantz Celestin, IOM's regional director for East, Horn and Southern Africa. Border communities face heightened risk due to high mobility and limited access to health services, but thanks to operational screening points, over 169,000 screenings have been conducted. Improved mpox response The agency is also supporting national mpox responses in several countries. In Uganda and Ethiopia, health authorities are using IOM's mobility data for public health planning and outbreak preparedness. In Malawi and South Sudan, IOM is enhancing surveillance, contact tracing and access to vaccination at key border points. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Hurricane Melissa, Ukraine UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territory Water, food and essential services still desperately needed as families move north OCHA reports that people continue to move across the Gaza Strip over the weekend. Since the ceasefire, more than 470,000 movements of people have been recorded towards the north. Families are trying to return to their destroyed homes, though many structures are unstable and unexploded ordnance poses a risk. Humanitarian partners report that water, food and essential services are still desperately needed. Meanwhile, aid continues to enter the Strip. Between Friday and Saturday, more than 300 truckloads were collected from the Palestinian side - mostly from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The aid in these trucks included thousands of pallets of wheat flour, supplies for hot meals, canned food and rice. The supplies also included diapers and jerrycans, as well as hundreds of pallets of health supplies, such as medical equipment and medicine. Tarps, tents and winter clothes also entered Gaza. While the UN does not yet have the data on the cargo collected on Sunday, it can confirm that hygiene kits, shelter supplies and post-partum kits entered the Strip. Additionally, yesterday, the UN Office for Project Services distributed some 329,000 litres of diesel to support health, food security, telecommunications and other critical humanitarian operations. As of Sunday, humanitarian partners, working with 170 community kitchens, delivered more than one million hot meals, mostly in south and central Gaza. With 15 UN-supported bakeries producing tens of thousands of bundles of bread in Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Gaza city, community kitchens and shelters across hundreds of sites are distributing bread for free. Over the weekend, humanitarian partners continued their work on reducing explosive ordnance risk, reaching nearly 3,200 people in central and southern Gaza. This is increasingly important as people are on the move. Overall, since 7 October 2023, humanitarians have recorded 150 explosive ordnance incidents which led to casualties, including among children. On the West Bank, OCHA says that since the olive harvest season started on 9 October, more than 85 Israeli settler attacks on farmers and their land have repeatedly disrupted harvesting. These incidents have resulted in the injury of more than 110 Palestinians and the vandalization of over 3,000 trees and saplings across 50 villages. Last week alone, 17 attacks were recorded in 14 towns and villages, mostly in the Ramallah governorate. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Gaza and the West Bank with urgent support. Sudan El Fasher: 26,000 people flee in two days as situation deteriorates OCHA warns of a further sharp deterioration in the situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, with reports yesterday indicating that the Rapid Support Forces captured the Sudanese army headquarters in the city. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, called in a statement yesterday for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, across Darfur and throughout Sudan. With fighters pushing further into the city and escape routes cut off, he noted that hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified - shelled, starving, and without access to food, healthcare, or safety. Fletcher emphasized the urgent need to protect civilians in El Fasher and to ensure safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access. He reiterated that humanitarian supplies are ready but cannot be delivered due to intensified hostilities. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 26,000 people fled El Fasher between yesterday and today towards the localities of Melit and Tawila, where OCHA teams are on the ground monitoring the situation and coordinating the response to the needs of the affected population. OCHA stresses that people seeking to leave the area must be able to do so safely, voluntarily and in dignity. Fighting has also intensified in North Kordofan State, where reports indicate that several civilians were killed and infrastructure looted over the weekend. The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical association, reports that 47 civilians were killed in the city of Bara, while IOM estimates that the clashes displaced 340 people from Um Bashar village in the locality of Ar Rahad yesterday. OCHA once again calls on all parties to immediately halt hostilities, uphold international humanitarian law, and ensure the unhindered delivery of life-saving assistance to people in dire need across Sudan. Hurricane Melissa Hurricane Melissa reaches category 5, bringing devastating winds, rain to Caribbean OCHA reports that Hurricane Melissa has reached Category 5, bringing destructive winds, dangerous storm surge and catastrophic rainfall across the region. OCHA's Regional Office is coordinating closely with Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams, as well as with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and emergency authorities, on readiness and response. OCHA is deploying staff to Cuba and Jamaica this week, as conditions allow, to reinforce coordination and preparedness efforts across the region. In Jamaica, the Government has activated the National Emergency Operations Centre at Level 3 and opened hundreds of shelters, with priority evacuations underway in high-risk areas, such as Bull Bay, Port Royal and Old Harbour Bay. All international airports have suspended operations. The UN team, led by Resident Coordinator Dennis Zulu, is supporting national preparedness and response efforts, in close coordination with the Government. The World Food Programme is providing logistics support, including generators, while UNICEF has pre-positioned water and sanitation supplies, as well as materials for child protection. The Pan-American Health Organization is reinforcing health emergency operations, while IOM is preparing shelter support. For their part, the UN Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Population Fund are mobilizing for early recovery and protection. In Haiti, authorities have placed the South and Grand 'Anse departments on red alert, while the departments of Nippes, South-East and the West remain on orange alert. More than 3,600 people have taken shelter in emergency sites in Grand South. The storm has also caused significant agricultural losses, particularly in Nippes and the South, where banana plantations were destroyed in several areas. OCHA and its partners are supporting authorities with ahead of further impact. This includes pre-positioning relief supplies, including medical and nutrition supplies, as well as supporting with cash assistance, early-warning messaging and community outreach. Authorities report that priority needs include emergency shelter, essential household items, hygiene and cleaning kits, safe water and additional logistical support to reach isolated areas. In Cuba, where the hurricane is anticipated to hit tomorrow night, the Anticipatory Action Framework was fully activated yesterday, with $4 million released from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund ahead of the storm. This allowed humanitarian partners to pre-position food and essential supplies - including rice, grains, hygiene kits, fuel vouchers and portable water-treatment plants - in the eastern provinces. OCHA continues to support the Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team to prepare for the hurricane with authorities. Ukraine Weekend attacks leave dozens of civilian casualties across the country OCHA reports that attacks over the weekend and this morning led to led to dozens of civilian casualties and further damage to homes and energy infrastructure. Authorities reported more than 160 civilian casualties across the country, including over 20 deaths. Children are among the injured. The most affected regions are Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. Meanwhile, OCHA says that evacuations of civilians continue from front-line communities in the Donetsk region. Between 24 and 26 October, more than 900 people were evacuated. Over the same period, the Pavlohrad Transit Centre in the Dnipro region registered 205 evacuees. The Ukraine Humanitarian Fund continues to support local and national NGOs in facilitating safe evacuations and rehabilitating collective centres ahead of the winter season. Since May, the Fund has released $13 million for the Kharkiv region to assist people living near the front line affected by airstrikes. The allocation, implemented by 15 partners - nearly 60 per cent of them local NGOs - reached some 76,000 residents, half of whom are women and girls, through cash assistance, as well as shelter, health, water, sanitation and hygiene support. Humanitarian partners also provided assistance on the prevention of gender-based violence. Posted on 27 October 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ceremony launches regional disaster relief exercise By Major Martin Hadley 27 October 2025 Jakarta's Seskoal Naval Base hosted the official opening ceremony for Exercise Bhakti Kanyini AusIndo 2025 (BKA25). This multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) training activity is taking place in Indonesia from October 20 to 31. Attended by senior defence and diplomatic representatives from Australia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and the United States, the exercise aims to develop relationships and enhance interoperability between the militaries of participating and observer nations. It also includes a wide range of Indonesian and Australian governmental and non-governmental organisations to improve preparedness and response to natural and humanitarian disasters in Indonesia and across the region. The senior Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) representative, Air Commodore Taufiq Arasj, said BKA25 was an extremely important training activity for improving collective HADR responses in times of need. "BKA25 not only strengthens multinational cooperation between military and civilian institutions, but also reinforces our common commitment to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in helping protect and serve our communities," Air Commodore Taufiq Arasj said. The air commodore's opening remarks were echoed by senior ADF representative Commodore David Landon, who said BKA25 was a strong demonstration of shared commitment to regional stability and improving humanitarian and disaster assistance response. "BKA25 is more than a joint military exercise. It is a test for government and society. It brings together our armed forces, emergency services, health professionals and local civilian authorities," Commodore Landon said. In his address, he highlighted three key themes that will guide participants throughout the exercise: interoperability, a community-centric response, and safety first. "We must continue to improve our communication and coordination of our HADR response. The ability to act as a cohesive force is critical," Commodore Landon said. "Your mission is not just to restore infrastructure - but to restore lives and support communities. "Above all, the safety of our personnel and the communities we serve is paramount." Australia's senior diplomatic representative, Deputy Head of Mission Gita Kamath, reinforced the vital nature of real-world preparedness to respond to catastrophic events. "It is now more important than ever to maintain our skills and build our resilience and readiness, and this joint exercise will help us to do this," Ms Kamath said. The exercise is being conducted in two phases: an academic and tabletop activity in Jakarta, followed by a field training exercise in Bayah, in Java's Banten Province. About 40 ADF personnel are participating, joined by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Civil-Military Centre and the Disaster Assistance Response Team. They will be training side-by-side with their Indonesian, Timor-Leste and US counterparts to build partnerships and enhance interoperability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press conference - Kuala Lumpur Transcript Monday 27 October 2025 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese The Hon Anthony Albanese MP Prime Minister of Australia ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Well, it's been a big 24 hours. A day ago, some of you were with me at Uluru in Central Australia. And now here we are in Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit, including of course, the East Asia Summit that will be conducted this afternoon. Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. And one of the things that I spoke about this morning was that Australia used to speak about the tyranny of distance from our markets in the United Kingdom, in the United States and in Europe. Now we speak about the proximity of opportunity. And that is what Southeast Asia represents for us. That is what living right near the fastest growing region of the world in human history represent for us. An opportunity to grow jobs, to grow our economy, to diversify our markets and our trade to succeed in Australia, which is the basis of why I am here. ASEAN alone represents nearly 700 million people and by 2040 it will be the fourth largest economy in the world. We're working to be not just neighbours or observers, but participants and investors here in the region. And this morning we announced two major investments under the Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility. This is something that arose from Nicholas Moore's landmark report that we launched in 2023. It's one of the first things I did upon coming to government, was to commission Nicholas Moore, a very successful Australian businessperson who devoted his time and his commitment to nation building to engage with the economies of Southeast Asia and identify where opportunities were of expanding our economic relationship in order to boost jobs and economic activity in Australia, but also to integrate more fully our economy with Southeast Asia. Because economic relationships and people to people dynamics also boost national security and engagement in the region. Today, we announced $175 million in IFM Investors' Asia Pacific debt fund. IFM, of course, represent at least 15 superannuation companies. What that will do is provide that pool of funding for investment here in Southeast Asia. And $50 million US in Plenary's new Southeast Asia Public Private Partnership Investment Fund - together, these investments represent a major step forward in my government's delivery on that Southeast Asia Economic Strategy. It's a quarter of a billion dollars to kick start Australian investments in the region, support the growth of Australian companies and deliver jobs back home. In addition to that, last night I had the opportunity to meet Japan's new Prime Minister Takaichi for the very first time. We had a very warm first engagement and it was terrific to be one of the first international leaders to meet the new Prime Minister, the first woman to be Prime Minister of Japan. And of course, Japan is such an important relationship for us. We engage in defence and security issues, but importantly as an economic partner, we're a reliable supplier of energy for Japan. Japan, of course, has recently with the Mogami frigates as well, is where we will source them and then manufacture in Western Australia as that relationship goes forward. This morning I met with China's Premier Li. Not our first meeting, indeed our seventh meeting. That says something about the engagement which is there. Once again, it was a positive meeting. Dialogue is about advancing our interests, managing our differences, but also dealing with each other in a frank and clear way. China is our largest trading partner. One in four of Australian jobs depends upon trade. And China represents almost around about 30 per cent of the destination of our exports. So, this is a relationship that has improved, that is stabilising. It's a relationship that's important for Australian jobs. It's as simple as that. I've said repeatedly we must cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, but engage in our national interest. And that's the spirit in which we entered the discussion today. Later today I will attend an event shortly. The next event I attend will be to welcome Timor Leste's ascension into full ASEAN membership. We welcome this. Timor Leste is an important relationship for Australia, they're a near neighbour, and I very much congratulate them on their joining the ASEAN Group of Nations as well. So, the next period is going to be very busy. We have a dinner tonight that is hosted, of course, by the Malaysian Prime Minister, who welcomed me here this morning. I have other bilaterals with a range of nations, but last night as well, I was able to engage informally with the leaders of Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos and other nations as well, just to reinforce the work that we're doing on engaging in our region. Happy to take some questions. JOURNALIST: [INDISTINCT] did you raise the flaring over the South China Sea directly? PRIME MINISTER: Yes. JOURNALIST: What did you say? PRIME MINISTER: Yes, I raised it. JOURNALIST: You call him friend. How do you marry calling the Premier Li 'friend' when China is firing flares at Australian RAAF aircraft? PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have disagreements and friends are able to discuss issues frankly. I did that. I did that directly. That's what we're able to do. It's important that we engage and that we engage diplomatically, that we make clear our position, which I did directly, which we did when the incident occurred. JOURNALIST: How did the Premier respond? PRIME MINISTER: Well, he heard the message very directly. I'm not here to report in on what people say when I have meetings. I'm accountable for what I say. And I made the position directly clear that this was an incident of concern for Australia. JOURNALIST: You've said that Xi Jinping has given you no reason not to trust him. When there is an incident which is dangerous and unprofessional, as your government says, with this flare, is that not such a reason or does it make it harder to trust the President? PRIME MINISTER: No, that's a nation-to-nation issue which we raised very directly. What I've said very clearly in that context, very clearly and explicitly, is that anything that President Xi has said to me has occurred. And that is just a fact. That's how you deal with these things. This is engagement internationally. I engage very directly. I'm a straight guy. I talk to leaders the way that I talk to the Australian straight, clear, unambiguously, but also in a positive way. And so that where there are differences, I talk about that, but always bearing in mind what is in Australia's national interest. And clearly it is in Australia's national interest to have relations with nations in our region. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've met with the Japanese leader. So too will Donald Trump while he's in the area. Narendra Modi hasn't come to the meeting. We're getting to November. It really looks from a practical standpoint that there won't be a Quad this year, a Quad leaders meeting. And many judge that with Donald Trump in power, there won't be a Quad. What's your judgement today on the future of the Quad, and won't it be a great disappointment if it disappears? PRIME MINISTER: The Quad is an important forum and an important vehicle for us to engage Australia, the United States, Japan and India. I'm hopeful that there will be a meeting in the first quarter, I would hope, of next year. Prime Minister Modi is due to host the Quad meeting. This is a busy summit season. President Trump has a busy period. He is travelling to Japan, but also having the meeting in Korea with President Xi. We welcome the fact that the leaders of the two largest economies in the world are having that direct engagement. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have you been briefed, PM, on the two US aircraft that have gone down in the South China Sea. And they're not blaming anyone at the moment. But does it add to your level of concern about a possible catastrophe if there's a miscalculation or something of that sort? PRIME MINISTER: I have been briefed. And the positive news that I've received in my briefing, obviously, these are developing issues, is that the crew on both the helicopter and the aircraft are safe. There hasn't been a loss of life and that is a very positive thing that has occurred. Obviously, the US will undertake the investigations as occurs when issues arise from the military. I have been briefed but it will be up to the United States, obviously, to make statements about that. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, did Premier Li raise any concerns with you about Australia's critical minerals cooperation with the US? PRIME MINISTER: We talked about the relationship with the US. I clearly have indicated the success of my visit to the United States, and we talked in a common way about that it was a good thing that President Trump and President Xi are having a meeting over the next little period. JOURNALIST: You were just talking about the importance of ASEAN and the promise of ASEAN, but I understand you're cutting your visit here short by one day. Can you just explain what you're leaving out of your trip here and what you're going to get out of the extra day in Korea? PRIME MINISTER: I'm not leaving out anything. Our program has been truncated. Because I note that the journalists who are here, as I said on the plane, aren't the same as the journalists who were there on the trip to the United States. And as I say to my friends and colleagues here, just try and keep up with me. It's a busy period. And we are engaged with Prime Minister Anwar as well. We will have our bilateral tomorrow afternoon rather than Wednesday morning. It will enable me to be in Korea in time for the dinner, which is Wednesday night. Programmes at events like this change. That's what happens. President Prabowo was going to be there today. It was unable to be so. So, a Minister stepped in. I don't have other Ministers here. I'm doing the lot. And as I say, just try and keep up. JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, did the Chinese Premier, on critical minerals, sort of express a sentiment that he wants the status quo to remain, that he doesn't potentially welcome Australia shaking up the market? And on the Quad, did you speak with President Trump in DC about the Quad directly, and what do you think is his view on the regional grouping? PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Quad, I refer previous comments that I've made about the Quad. It is important. It's a busy period. You can only be in one place at one time, although sometimes I think that I managed to almost be in two places at once, if you look at my schedule over the last little period. So, we will try to, I think it's important that we engage with regard to the issue of the United States. And the agreement that we made with the United States is a very positive one for investment as we go forward. It's a really good outcome that we had in the United States because these critical minerals and rare earths are what will power the global economy in the 21st century. I will see you all at a number of events over the coming little period, but thank you to the journalists as well who've made the effort to come, and for locally based journalists as well. Thanks for engaging with us while we're here. Thanks very much. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prime Minister Carney meets with Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim Prime Minister of Canada - Mark Carney October 27, 2025 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, met with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, on the margins of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prime Minister Carney thanked Prime Minister Anwar for his leadership as Chair of ASEAN for 2025 and emphasised the importance of the Summit for forging new partnerships, strengthening cooperation, and unlocking new opportunities for workers and businesses around the world. The leaders welcomed the signing of a Letter of Intent between Canada and Malaysia to deepen investment in liquified natural gas, oil, nuclear, and renewable energy. They underscored the potential to further strengthen economic ties between Canada and Malaysia, which already support over $5 billion in bilateral trade, and focused on opportunities for further collaboration, including on clean and conventional energy, critical minerals, defence, and artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister discussed Canada's new mission to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade and the opportunities across the region to advance it, including accelerating negotiations toward a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement. Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Anwar agreed to remain in close contact. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press statement by President Costa following his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang European Council / Council of the European Union European Council Statements and remarks 27 October 2025 06:57 I met the Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the margins of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. We discussed EU-China bilateral relations and multilateral and global issues. I underlined the importance that the EU attaches to constructive and stable relations with China, as well as our willingness to enhance cooperation to address global challenges. I underlined that climate action has to remain top of our agendas. The upcoming COP30 on climate change in Brazil will offer an opportunity for the EU and China to lead with ambition in order to achieve a successful outcome. I stressed the need to make concrete progress as a follow up to the EU-China Summit, more particularly to rebalance the trade and economic relationship. I shared my strong concern about China's expanding export controls on critical raw materials and related goods and technologies. I urged him to restore as soon as possible fluid, reliable and predictable supply chains. I also raised Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. I expressed the EU's expectation that China helps to put an end to the war. This war is an existential security threat for the EU. The EU will continue to increase pressure on Russia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese Premier calls for building more stable strategic partnership in meeting with Australia PM Global Times By Wang Qi and Ma Tong Published: Oct 27, 2025 06:06 PM Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday voiced China's readiness to maintain strategic communication with Australia, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and keep working together to build a more mature, stable and productive China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, Xinhua News Agency reported. This will deliver more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world, he said during talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation held in Malaysia. In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Albanese and mapped out new plans for deepening China-Australia relations, Li said. Over the past months, bilateral ties have continued to show a positive trend, with steady progress in exchanges and cooperation across various fields, he said. For his part, Albanese noted that his country is committed to promoting the mature and stable development of bilateral relations, according to Xinhua. Australia, he said, stands ready to enhance high-level exchanges and dialogues at all levels with China, deepen mutual understanding, properly manage differences, and expand cooperation in such fields as trade, green economy, minerals, climate change, culture and people-to-people exchanges, among others. "Australia's relationship with China matters. For our economy, our security and the stability of our region," Albanese wrote in an X-post after his meeting with Premier Li on Monday, sharing images of the meeting. Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Monday that a defining feature of China-Australia relations in recent years has been strong top-down leadership driving momentum. "Such frequent high-level exchanges are not often seen between China and other Western countries," said Chen. The meeting also came following the recent incident over China's countermeasures against an Australian P-8A warplane intruding into China's territorial airspace over Xisha. In addition, the rare earth deal signed by US and Australia leaders last week, is widely viewed as aimed at countering China. On Monday, Albanese described both sides as "friends," saying that "we have disagreements and friends are able to discuss issues frankly," according to a statement from the Australian government. In this context, continuation of high-level exchanges between the two countries reflect a shared willingness to dispel misunderstandings and managing differences, Chen said. During the meeting with Albanese, Premier Li also mentioned that China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies and policy coordination with Australia. Li expressed China's readiness to leverage the role of institutional dialogues, including the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue and the joint economic commission, and to actively explore ways to advance the review and upgrading of the bilateral free trade agreement. These efforts, he said, will further deepen practical economic and trade cooperation and tap the potential for cooperation in such fields as green economy, high-tech industries and the digital sector. China will continue to support more competent Chinese enterprises in investing in Australia, Li said, voicing hope that Australia will provide an open, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for their investments and operations. The Chinese premier called on both sides to advance exchanges and cooperation in youth, education, tourism and other fields, and work together to nurture the friendly sentiments between the peoples. Despite differences with China on certain issues arising from alliance dynamics or strategic priorities, Australia has held a pragmatic and constructive approach to maintain trade stability and bilateral relationsrecognizing that this alignment serves the core national interests of both countries, Sun Chang, a research fellow with the Institute of Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Monday. China has remained Australia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, official data show. By noting that 2025 marks the start of the second decade of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership as well as the 10th anniversary of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement implementation, Chen said the bilateral cooperation between the two sides has now reached at a pivotal moment for deeper, more substantive progress. The fields emphasized by Premier Lithe green economy, high-tech industries, and digital fieldsrepresent key areas of structural complementarity between the Chinese and Australian economies, Sun said. "Both nations are steadfast in meeting their emissions reduction commitments and international responsibilities, backed by strong capabilities in technological innovation and scientific research," Sun said. "These shared goals open vast opportunities for collaboration across markets, technology, and R&D." Li also stressed that as the current global governance deficit is widening, China is willing to strengthen coordination with Australia in multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization to push for the continuous improvement of global governance. While Albanese said that Australia supports China hosting the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, and is willing to maintain communication and collaboration with China to safeguard the free trade system and promote regional stability and prosperity, according to Xinhua. Leveraging the ASEAN Summit, closer regional cooperation among China, Australia, and ASEAN will serve as a powerful bulwark against rising global protectionism, according to Sun. "China has long enjoyed deep and stable economic ties with ASEAN, while Australia has increasingly prioritized the bloc for economic diversification and expanded trade engagement," Sun said, "Building on this enduring foundation of bilateral and multilateral partnership, the three sides are keen to proactively seize new opportunities and foster fresh drivers of growth amid heightened global economic uncertainty." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address If US makes a request, China willing to provide necessary assistance from humanitarian perspective: FM on US Navy aircraft crashes in SCS Global Times By Global Times Published: Oct 27, 2025 04:27 PM In response to media reports revealing that two US Navy aircraft - an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and a US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) - crashed in the South China Sea on Sunday in two separate incidents, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated Monday that China has taken note of the relevant reports. If the US side makes a request, China is willing to provide necessary assistance from a humanitarian perspective. He emphasized that the US military aircraft crashed while conducting military exercises in the South China Sea. The spokesperson noted that the frequent dispatch of US warships and military aircraft to the South China Sea to flex its muscles is the root cause of maritime security issues and undermines regional peace and stability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun's Regular Press Conference on October 27, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: October 27, 2025 20:38 At the invitation of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Vice President Han Zheng will visit Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from October 28 to November 2. He will then attend the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar upon invitation from November 3 to 5. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev will pay an official visit to China from October 27 to 28. CCTV: Premier Li Qiang concluded his official visit to Singapore yesterday. Can you share more information about the visit? How does China view the significance of the visit? Guo Jiakun: Premier Li Qiang paid a successful official visit to Singapore from October 25 to 26. During the visit, he met and had talks with Acting President Eddie Teo and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and attended the China-Singapore Business Roundtable together with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong. The visit achieved fruitful outcomes and bears great significance to enriching and developing the China-Singapore all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership. The two sides are committed to all-round cooperation and deeper political mutual trust. This year marks the 35th anniversary of China-Singapore diplomatic relations. The two sides will follow the strategic guidance of the leaders, cherish the commitment made when establishing diplomatic ties, carry forward the traditional friendship, and deepen and add more substance to bilateral relations. Singapore reiterated its commitment to the one-China principle and firm opposition to "Taiwan independence." The two sides are committed to the characterization of developing high-quality partnership and mutual benefit. The two countries will work for more achievements in key cooperation projects, including the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park and the China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City. The two sides will improve and upgrade their cooperation from complementing production factors to joint innovation, from bilateral to tripartite cooperation, and from participating in global division of labor to jointly taking the lead in rules-making. The two sides are committed to the "future-oriented" direction and greater synergy of strategies. Premier Li Qiang stressed that the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, which was deliberated over and adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, provide important opportunities for China-Singapore cooperation in the coming years. Singapore extended congratulations on the successful convening of the fourth plenary session and expressed the hope that the 15th Five-Year Plan will benefit the region and beyond. The two sides reiterated that they will uphold multilateralism and free trade and jointly work for greater development. The development of China and Singapore creates important opportunities for each other. China stands ready to work with Singapore to uphold mutual respect, mutual trust and open cooperation, share development outcomes and create a better future while helping each other succeed, and make greater contribution to regional peace, stability and development. China Daily: China announced that Vice President Han Zheng will visit Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and attend the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar. Could you share with us the background and the program of the visit, and China's expectation? Guo Jiakun: Saudi Arabia is China's comprehensive strategic partner. Kuwait and Qatar are China's strategic partners. At the end of 2022, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia and attended the first China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and the first China-Arab States Summit. Since then, China's relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have scored remarkable progress. China has cemented political mutual trust with the three countries. Practical cooperation has produced fruitful results in various fields. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have intensified. China has also had sound communication and coordination with the three countries in regional and international affairs. This trip is an important high-level interaction between China and countries in the Middle East. During the trip, Vice President Han Zheng will have in-depth exchange of views with relevant parties on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. Vice President Han Zheng will also attend the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha. Humanity is a community that shares one future, and social development bears on the common good of people worldwide. China actively supports Qatar in hosting the Second World Summit for Social Development. Together with the international community, we stand ready to inject fresh impetus to global social development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. CCTV: We noted that the Foreign Ministry today held the Lanting Forum on Improving Global Governance to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity. Can you brief us on that? What message does China want to convey through the event? Guo Jiakun: On September 1 this year at the SCO Tianjin Summit, President Xi Jinping put forth the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). In less than two months, the GGI has received warm response from the international community and swift and clear support from more than 140 countries and international organizations. Many countries and international organizations expressed their readiness to work for new outcomes in reforming and building the global governance system through implementing the GGI. Today's Lanting Forum on Improving Global Governance to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity aims at exploring ways to improve global governance, effectively tackling global challenges, expanding consensus on solidarity and cooperation and pooling strength for implementing the GGI. The Forum gathered over 300 participants, including heads of international organizations, former political leaders, diplomatic envoys and representatives of international and regional organizations in China, renowned experts and scholars and media representatives, which fully demonstrates the impact and appeal of the GGI. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the Lanting Forum and delivered a speech entitled "Implementing the Global Governance Initiative for a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity." He elaborated on the significance of the GGI and stressed that the initiative responds to the needs of the world and wishes of the people. Together with the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), it promises much needed stability and provides certainty for this volatile world. The most unequivocal message from the GGI is a call for stronger solidarity. The GGI represents a most powerful statement of multilateralism. The most desired vision of the GGI is a future of fairness. Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China is ready to work with all parties to put the GGI into action. We will engage consistently in equal consultation, listen to different views, and take useful advice with an open mind to build maximum consensus. We will base our creativity on past achievement, and make timely changes to reform and improve, rather than replace, the current international system. We will promote global governance reform with gradual and sustained effort to make it beneficial to the whole world. Foreign Minister Wang Yi shared the actions to be taken by China in implementing the GGI. He stressed that we should jointly uphold the authority and status of the U.N. to cement the foundation of global governance. We should work together to advance common development to enhance the efficacy of global governance. We should stand together to tackle pressing challenges and shore up the weak links in global governance. We should actively respond to the aspirations of the Global South and improve the global governance architecture. We should fully leverage the roles of diverse stakeholders and pool strength for global governance. We stand ready to work with the international community, fully deliver the Global Governance Initiative, build a more just and equitable global governance system, and jointly usher in a brighter tomorrow for humanity. DPA: The German Federal Foreign Office said on Friday that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed his visit to China. A spokesperson from the Office said aside from the meeting with the Chinese foreign minister, the Chinese side "could not confirm any other additional appointments." What is the comment of the Foreign Ministry? Guo Jiakun: China always views and grows its relations with Germany from a strategic and long-term perspective. China and Germany are major countries and leading economies in the world, and cooperation is mutually beneficial. Under the current circumstances in particular, it is all the more vital for the two sides to uphold mutual respect, equality and win-win cooperation, and advance the bilateral relationship on the right track. Bloomberg: China and the U.S. reached a framework trade agreement ahead of the expected meeting of the Chinese and U.S. presidents. Could you give any more details about that, particularly as regards purchases of soybeans as outlined by the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent? Guo Jiakun: On the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation, China has released a readout. During the consultation, under the guidance of the important common understandings between the two presidents, the two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges and consultation on important economic and trade issues of mutual interest, and reached basic consensus on the arrangements to address respective concerns. The two sides agreed to make further effort to work out the details and go through their respective domestic procedures for approval. For specifics, I'd refer you to competent authorities. China Review News: China set October 25 as Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration, which received a lot of attention from international media. Could you share with us more details? What's your comment on that? Guo Jiakun: In 1945, the Chinese people, after 14 years of strenuous struggle with tremendous sacrifice, won the great victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On October 25 that year, the ceremony to accept Japan's surrender in the Taiwan Province of the China war theater was held in Taipei, which put Taiwan and Penghu Islands back under China's sovereign jurisdiction. Taiwan's restoration is an important outcome of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, a piece of irrefutable evidence that China resumed exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan, a key part of the fact that Taiwan is part of China supported by both history and law, and the shared memory of all Chinese as a nation. It is in this context that as the nation marks the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress decided to designate October 25 as the commemoration day of this historic occasion. The designation shows the firm stance of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to uphold the one-China principle and defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the shared aspiration of Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad, including our Taiwan compatriots, and the firm resolve of the Communist Party of China in pursuing the historic mission and realizing China's complete reunification. The restoration of Taiwan is an important part of the outcomes of WWII victory and post-war international order. The one-China principle is a prevailing consensus in the international community and a basic norm in international relations. The creation of the commemoration day will greatly cement the international consensus that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. We hope countries in the world will stay committed to the one-China principle, promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, firmly uphold the outcomes of the victory of World War II, and support the just cause of the Chinese people to oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and achieve complete reunification. Reuters: President Putin said on Sunday that Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-capable cruise missile and will move to deploy it. Does the Ministry have any comment on this development? Guo Jiakun: We noted the reports. Global Times: La Republica, a Uruguayan newspaper, in a recent article said that the perception forged by U.S. media and officials that China has become "an influential military actor in Latin America" seems overstated and is part of a discourse aimed at maintaining the U.S.'s geopolitical prominence. The article also stressed that the "China threat" narrative that creates an external challenge for the U.S. allows Washington to justify its role as guarantor of hemispheric security and maintain its traditional status in the region. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: The people of China and Latin America and the Caribbean love peace. China actively supports the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and the Declaration of Member States of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. The China-LAC cooperation is always about giving each other support and never driven by geopolitical calculations, still less any military agenda. The fact is clear in the eyes of the people of the LAC region. The false narratives picturing China as a "threat" can hardly convince anyone in the region. Who is hampering peace and stability in the LAC region through unilateral military operations? The answer is rather evident. We urge certain countries to respect facts, heed the call from regional countries and their peoples, and stop smearing and vilifying China-LAC relations, otherwise they would simply find themselves repelled and rejected by regional countries and their peoples. Reuters: Philippine President Marcos said at the ASEAN-U.S. Summit today that he is "regrettable" that incidents including "dangerous manoeuvres and coercive use" of equipment continue to happen in the South China Sea, and these endangered Philippine personnel, vessels and aircraft. Does the Ministry have any remarks to this? Guo Jiakun: The South China Sea is the common home of China and ASEAN countries and we need to jointly uphold peace and stability there. The Philippines' deliberate infringement and provocative activities at sea are the root cause leading to the current tensions. China will continue to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and rights and interests in accordance with the law, and in the meanwhile, stands ready to properly handle maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation with the Philippines, and work with ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), move forward consultations on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly uphold peace and stability there. Relevant country should earnestly abide by the provisions of the DOC and stop its infringement, provocations and scare-mongering. AFP: A follow-up on the trade talks between the United States and China in Malaysia, in addition to soybeans, among the details that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared from the talks was that China would delay imposing rare earth export controls for a year in order to re-examine the policies. And he has also suggested that China may sign a final deal on TikTok. Does the Chinese side have any comment on this? Guo Jiakun: We have answered questions on the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation just now. For anything specific, I'd refer you to competent authorities. On TikTok, China's position is consistent. Bloomberg: We understand that China has not yet sent a congratulatory message to Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Do you plan to? Guo Jiakun: We have answered this question more than once. China made proper arrangements according to diplomatic practices. Hubei Media Group: October 25 marks the Anti-Sanctions Day established by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Zimbabwe hosts events in celebration of the anniversary of the Day and calls for the unconditional removal of illegal and unjust sanctions imposed on the country by the West as soon as possible. What's China's comment? Guo Jiakun: The 39th SADC Summit in 2019 named October 25 the Anti-Sanctions Day and called on the U.S. and individual Western countries and organizations to remove illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. China supports Zimbabwe in hosting the commemorative events of the anniversary of the Day. A few Western countries have illegally sanctioned Zimbabwe for decades. This typical act of hegemonism severely undermines Zimbabwe's national sovereignty, infringes on Zimbabwean people's right of development, disrupts the effort of Southern Africa to deepen cooperation and pursue common development, and harms international fairness and justice. China, as always, firmly supports Zimbabwe in opposing external interference and keeping to its own development path. China stands ready to work with African countries and the international community to help Zimbabwe defend its independence and sovereignty, uphold stability and achieve development. We once again urge the few countries and organizations to lift the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe as soon as possible, and take responsible and concrete steps to help the country develop its economy and improve people's wellbeing. Reuters: It's a follow-up to the German foreign minister. Is Germany's postponement of its foreign minister's trip a sign of rising bilateral tensions between China and Germany? Guo Jiakun: I have answered relevant question just now. China always views and grows its relations with Germany from a strategic and long-term perspective. Under the current circumstances, it is all the more vital for the two sides to uphold mutual respect, equality and win-win cooperation, and advance the bilateral relationship on the right track. AFP: What is on the agenda for the potential meeting between the presidents of China and the U.S.? Trump has expressed optimism towards finalizing a trade deal. So I want to ask how is China viewing the meeting and its potential outcomes? Are you able to provide any details of the meeting? Guo Jiakun: China and the U.S. are in close communication on a meeting between the two heads of state. If there is further update, we will release it in a timely way. DPA: U.S. President Donald Trump said in Malaysia that Chinese leader will visit the U.S. next year. What is the comment of the Foreign Ministry? Can you confirm the visit? Guo Jiakun: Heads-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in providing strategic guidance for the China-U.S. relations. The Chinese and U.S. presidents maintain close communication and exchanges. As for the specifics you mentioned, we have no information to share at the moment. Bloomberg: A U.S. military helicopter and a fighter jet crashed in the South China Sea in separate incidents within 30 minutes of each other. Does the Ministry have any comment on those events? Guo Jiakun: We noted the media reports. China is willing to provide necessary assistance in a humanitarian spirit if requested by the U.S. side. I need to stress that the U.S. aircraft crashed while conducting military drills in the South China Sea. The U.S. has been flexing muscles by frequently sending military vessels and aircraft to the South China Sea. This is the root cause of security issues at sea and disruption to regional peace and stability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Rubio's Call with China's Director of the Office of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson October 27, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with China's Director of the Office of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two discussed the importance of the U.S.-China relationship and the upcoming meeting between President Trump and State Chairman Xi in Busan, Republic of Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui 27 October 2025 17:32 1788-27-10-2025 On October 27, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Choe Son-hui, who is in Moscow on a working visit. During the talks, the ministers discussed current issues concerning the development of bilateral relations, including practical cooperation, with particular focus on the implementation of the agreements reached during the talks between President Vladimir Putin and Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK Kim Jong-un in June 2024 in Pyongyang, as well as on the sidelines of the Beijing events marking the 80th anniversary of victory over militarist Japan and the end of World War II. The ministers reaffirmed their strong commitment to fulfilling the provisions of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed by the two leaders following the Pyongyang Summit. When discussing the current international situation, the ministers expressed a shared view that the main source of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, in Northeast Asia, and globally lies in the aggressive actions of the United States and its allies. Russia expressed its full support for the measures taken by the DPRK leadership to safeguard the country's sovereignty and ensure its national security. The results of the talks will give a significant boost to the development and strengthening of traditionally friendly Russian-Korean relations, which have reached a qualitatively new level of alliance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia, North Korea Committed to Respecting Strategic Partnership Treaty - Moscow Sputnik News 20251027 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui reaffirmed their commitment to fulfilling the provisions of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. "On October 27, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Choe Son Hui, who is in Moscow on a working visit... The ministers reaffirmed their firm commitment to implementing the provisions of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by the leaders of the two countries following the Pyongyang Summit," the statement said. The results of the ministerial talks will give great impetus to the development and strengthening of bilateral relations, the ministry said. "When discussing the current international situation, a common understanding was expressed that the main reason for the growing tension on the Korean peninsula, in Northeast Asia and the world as a whole is the aggressive actions of the United States and its allies. The Russian side expressed full support for the measures taken by North Korean leadership to protect the sovereignty and ensure the security of the country," the statement said. The ministers also discussed the current issues in development of bilateral relations, including in practical areas, the ministry concluded. During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang on June 18-19, 2024, the two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in health care, medical education and science, an agreement on the construction of a border road bridge over the Tumen River, and a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian-North Korean Ties Received Powerful Boost in Recent Months - Lavrov Sputnik News 20251027 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Over the past three and a half months, relations between Russia and North Korea have received a powerful impetus from the agreements reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. "Over the past three and a half months, our relations have received additional and very powerful impetus in developing the fundamental agreements reached by our leaders in June 2024 during the Pyongyang Summit," Lavrov said during talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. The talks will touch upon bilateral relations, as well as international agenda, the Russian foreign minister added. "Russians will never forget the heroic deeds performed by the soldiers and officers of the Korean People's Army in the Kursk region to liberate Russian soil. These deeds will, of course, further strengthen the bonds of friendship and shared history in our shared struggle for justice," Lavrov also said. The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing in September was an event that elevated relations between the two countries to a new height, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said on Monday. "The meeting ... in Beijing on September 3 was a significant event that raised the entire previous strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia to a new height," the minister said at talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The top diplomat added that Pyongyang consistently supports Russia's policy of upholding territorial integrity. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address MAJ GEN YOUSEF MAAYOUF SAEED AL HALLAMI, COMMANDER, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES LAND FORCES ARRIVES IN INDIA India - Press Information Bureau Ministry of Defence Posted On: 27 OCT 2025 4:55PM by PIB Delhi Maj Gen Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami, Commander, United Arab Emirates Land Forces, is undertaking an official visit to India from 27-28 October 2025. This high-level visit is set to enhance bilateral military cooperation and explore new avenues for collaboration, particularly in the areas of training and capability enhancement. It underscores the continued efforts of both nations to further strengthen and deepen their longstanding defence partnership. During the visit, Maj Gen Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami was accorded a ceremonial welcome and received a detailed briefing on Operation Sindoor. He was also briefed by DG Information System and the Army Design Bureau on India's defence capabilities and Artificial Intelligence roadmap for Indian Army. On 28 October 2025, Maj Gen Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami will lay wreath at the National War Memorial. Later in the day, he will visit DRDO and receive detailed briefing on various indigenous weapon and equipment platforms. He will also interact with Dr Samir V Kamat, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO. The Commander will also interact with representatives of Indian Defence Industries to discuss issues of mutual interest. Maj Gen Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami, Commander, United Arab Emirates Land Forces visit marks an important milestone in the defence cooperation between UAE and India. It will further solidify the already robust defence ties, paving the way for a stronger, future-ready partnership in military engagement and regional security cooperation. **** NA/PK (Release ID: 2182955) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia says it stands 'shoulder to shoulder' with Iran, urges deeper relations IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Oct 27, 2025 Moscow, IRNA -- Russia is ready to expand cooperation with Iran across economic, financial, and nuclear sectors despite pressure from Western countries, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Monday. Ryabkov said the two countries have developed "very in-depth" and "multifaceted" relations over many years and insisted there is "no mistrust" between Moscow and Tehran. He said both nations are facing a "very difficult, challenging period" and should stand "even closer to one another." "We are very prepared to do so in all areas... be it practical cooperation on transportation, where we have good projects, be it nuclear," he said, adding that peaceful nuclear energy remains a strong avenue for collaboration. Ryabkov accused the United States and European Union of using Iran's peaceful nuclear activities as a pretext for "bullying" and the use of military power against Tehran, calling such moves harmful to global security and prosperity. "We stand hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder with Iran. And it will be so further on," he said. 9341**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address United Nations at 80: Iran calls for impartial UN amid US-Israeli violations of international law Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 10:35 AM Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has called on the United Nations to genuinely represent the rights of all nations, condemning US-Israeli aggression, the Security Council's bias, and repeated violations of international law while emphasizing its continued faith in the UN's principles. Addressing a ceremony on Monday marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations' founding, Esmaeil Baghaei elaborated that safeguarding international peace and security, alongside developing friendly relations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people, were defined as the UN's primary goals. Baghaei lamented that from its inception, the UN's principles have been subjected to "violation, arbitrary interpretation, and repeated abuse" by powers unable to free themselves from a "colonial mindset and delusion of superiority." He pointed to the current global landscape, marred by endless wars, widespread injustice, and human dignity falling victim to greed and racism, as a consequence. He also slammed "militant unilateralism" guiding the United States and its allies, which has plunged the world into unprecedented insecurity and chaos. "Undoubtedly, the United States and some of its allies are the biggest violators of the principles and objectives of the UN Charter," Baghaei stated. According to Baghaei, the genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli regime's military attacks on several countries, terrorist acts, and occupation of sovereign lands, all with the "full support and complicity" of the US and some European governments, created an atmosphere of "absolute impunity." The Iranian diplomat also condemned US "provocative actions and continuous threats" against Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Nicaragua, Brazil, and other nations in the Caribbean and Latin America, stating they are contrary to international peace and security. UN's failure during US-Israeli attack on Iran Referring to a US-Israeli aggression against Iran in June, which killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, Baghaei highlighted why Iran must hold the international community and the United Nations accountable. "Our country was attacked by the Zionist regime and the United States without any justification. In this test, the United Nations failed to perform effectively," he underlined. He further noted that the Security Council, "due to US influence, was unable to issue even a brief statement condemning this aggression." "This same situation has been observed in other recent events, including the efforts by three European countries to reimpose terminated sanctions on Iran under the pretext of nuclear issues," he added. Despite clear biases within the UN Security Council and other bodies, and "unlawful and oppressive resolutions" against Iran, Baghaei said the country has "never torn apart the UN Charter in disrespect of its principles." "We have never considered the United Nations an ineffective body," he said, contrasting Iran's approach with actions like threatening international court judges or designating the Secretary-General as persona non grata. "Now is not the time for retreat or inaction. We believe in justice, and we have faith in a United Nations that truly represents the rights of nations," he highlighted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, Russia, China playing 'effective' role in shaping new world order: Leader's adviser Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 10:01 AM A senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran, China, and Russia, as three independent powers in Asia, play a significant role in shaping the new world order. In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Cong Peiwu on Monday, Ali Akbar Velayati said historical ties between Iran and China are based on common interests, mutual respect and political independence. He hailed "strategic and deeply rooted" relations between Tehran and Beijing, saying both sides have the capacities to further expand cooperation in light of regional and global developments. He commended China's principled positions vis-a-vis Iran, especially regarding the European trio's so-called snapback mechanism, which triggers a re-imposition of sanctions suspended by the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "Beijing's constructive support [for Iran] in international forums reflects the depth of friendly cooperation and mutual trust between the two countries," Velayati emphasized. The Chinese ambassador, for his part, pointed to deep-rooted and valuable relations between his country and Iran and said Beijing has always attached special significance to the expansion of mutual ties with Tehran. China is ready to further strengthen ties with Iran in different fields, he added. During the meeting, Velayati and Cong also exchanged views on regional and international developments, including US expansionism and interference in the internal affairs of different countries. In line with its principled policies, Iran has promoted its relations with Russia and China in recent years despite tough sanctions and restrictions. Iran and China signed a landmark 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in March 2022 in defiance of unilateral sanctions imposed on the two nations by the United States. The deal officially documents the Iran-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and sets the outlines of cooperation in political, cultural, security, defense, regional, and international domains. On October 2, Iran and Russia officially started to implement a 20-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on January 17, 2025. The deal signaled a significant step towards deepening bilateral ties between the two countries in various fields. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, Russia to sign key deal on construction of Rasht-Astara railway next month: Minister Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 6:12 AM Iran's Minister of Roads and Urban Development Farzaneh Sadeq says Iran and Russia are to sign a long-anticipated agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway. Sadeq said on Sunday that the agreement will be signed next month, marking a major step in advancing the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The 162-kilometer strategic transport corridor is expected to facilitate freight and cargo transit between Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan. On October 2, Iran and Russia started officially to implement a 20-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on January 17, 2025. The deal signaled a significant step towards deepening bilateral ties between the two countries in various fields. The minister noted that she paid visits to Azerbaijan and Pakistan over the past two weeks in line with Iran's active diplomacy to promote interactions with the neighboring countries, particularly through the key role of transportation in regional interaction. Sadeq said her recent talks in Baku on transit guarantees, particularly in the Rasht-Astara railway project, were well beyond initial expectations. She further noted that her recent talks in Pakistan centered on establishing a connection between Pakistan and Eurasian and Caucasian countries via Iran, and a connection between China and Iran through Pakistan and transportation of goods from China to Iran and finally to Europe via Pakistan. The minister said that transport infrastructure plays a role in the development of regional relations, adding, "The expansion of highways and railway infrastructure can play an effective role in facilitating Iran's relations with neighboring countries," she emphasized. She said restrictions and tough sanctions have failed to hinder development projects over the past year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-Australia Summit Meeting Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan October 26, 2025 On October 26, commencing at 6:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. on October 26, Japan time) for approximately 20 minutes, Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, who is visiting Malaysia to attend the ASEAN-related Summits' meetings, held a Japan-Australia Summit Meeting with the Hon. Anthony Albanese, MP, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia. The overview of the meeting is as follows: At the outset, Prime Minister Albanese conveyed his congratulations on Prime Minister TAKAICHI's appointment as Prime Minister. In response, Prime Minister TAKAICHI expressed her gratitude and stated that Japan looks forward to strengthening the strategic cooperative relationship between Japan and Australia. She also mentioned that Japan and Australia are like minded countries that have the will and capability to play a leading role in realizing a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP). The two leaders exchanged views on the security environment and strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including the situations in East Asia, and concurred that they would further strengthen cooperation. The two leaders shared concerns about the impact of recent export control measures on critical minerals on supply chains and concurred that Japan and Australia would advance concrete cooperation in the field of economic security, including supply chains for critical minerals. In addition, the two leaders affirmed that Japan and Australia would promote multi-layered cooperation with U.S. and other like-minded countries, including Japan-US-Australia, Japan-Australia-India-U.S.(Quad), and Japan-Australia-New Zealand-ROK. Furthermore, they concurred that they would strengthen bilateral cooperation across a broad range of areas, including security, economic, and people-to-people exchanges to elevate the 'Special Strategic Partnership' between Japan and Australia to even greater heights, looking ahead to next year's 50th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-Australia Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan October 27, 2025 On October 27, commencing at 4:10 p.m. local time, (5:10 p.m. on October 27, JST) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a Japan-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting with H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India during his visit to Malaysia to attend the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings. The overview of the meeting is as follows. At the outset, Minister MOTEGI stated that the intentional situation and security environment surrounding us have become more severe in recent years. Minister Motegi emphasized that Japan and India, who share fundamental values and strategic interests, play a significant role in realizing peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the international society. Minister Motegi expressed his desire to fulfill this role together with Minister Jaishankar, including through Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad). In response, Minister Jaishankar stated that he is pleased that Minister Motegi has returned as Foreign Minister again, and that he shares the recognition stated by Minister Motegi. Minister Jaishankar also stated that the long-standing Japan-India partnership is special, and that he would like to work together toward regional stability. Furthermore, Minister Motegi stated that during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Japan this August, the two leaders were able to demonstrate to the world the direction of Japan-India cooperation for the next decade and the robust, strategic nature of the bilateral relationship. Minister Motegi expressed the intention to steadily achieve results in the three areas of (1) Security, (2) Economy, Investment, and Innovation, and (3) People-to-People Exchanges, and to elevate the bilateral relationship to new heights as mutually complementary partners. In response, Minister Jaishankar stated that Prime Minister Modi's recent visit to Japan was positive and fruitful, and that he would like to discuss how to advance these cooperation initiatives in a concrete manner. Both ministers also held discussions on regional issues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-Vietnam Foreign Ministers' Meeting Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan October 27, 2025 On October 27, commencing at 6:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. on October 27, Japan time), for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is visiting Malaysia, held a Foreign Ministers' meeting with H. E. Mr. Le Hoai Trung, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. The overview the meeting is as follows: At the outset, Minister MOTEGI expressed his gratitude to Minister Trung for the congratulatory message on his appointment. He also conveyed his condolences regarding damage caused by multiple typhoons in Vietnam and stated that the Government of Japan had promptly provided emergency assistance. In response, Minister Trung reiterated his congratulations to Minister MOTEGI on his appointment and extended appreciation for Japan's sympathy and support in the wake of the typhoon disasters. The two Ministers affirmed their intention to further advance the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" and concurred on continuing to enhance cooperation in a broad range of areas, including security and the economy. The two Ministers also exchanged views on regional and international affairs and concurred on further strengthening coordination in addressing various issues, including the situations in the East and South China Seas, North Korea, including the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abductions issue, the situation in Myanmar, the situation regarding the Cambodia-Thailand border, and the international economy. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The 28th ASEAN Plus Three (Japan-China-Republic of Korea) Summit Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan October 27, 2025 On October 27, commencing at 11:00a.m. local time (12:00p.m., JST) for approximately 95 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the 28th ASEAN Plus Three (Japan-China-Republic of Korea) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The overview of the meeting is as follows. 1. Opening Remarks At the outset, Minister Motegi expressed his gratitude for warm welcome of Prime Minister Anwar and the Malaysian Government. Then after expressing his deep condolences to the passing of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother of Thailand, Minister Motegi stated as follows: ASEAN+3 was established in Kuala Lumpur in 1997 against the backdrop of the Asian financial crisis. Since then, ASEAN+3 has advanced practical cooperation centered on building regional safety nets, making significant contributions to regional stability and prosperity. Beyond its traditional financial and food security cooperation, ASEAN+3 cooperation has great potential in addressing common challenges facing the region and the international community in recent years, such as disaster response, declining birth rates and aging populations and organized crime. Japan has led the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) initiative. Japan will also continue to lead discussions on enhancing cooperation with regard to food security, including the strengthening of the organizational capacity of the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS). Furthermore, Japan-led Rapid Financing Facility (RFF) was established under the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) in May this year. Additionally, Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) led by Japan contributes to the swift recovery of affected countries. Through such initiatives, Japan will contribute to regional stability and prosperity, and promote a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). Japan fully supports the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which shares many fundamental principles with FOIP. Japan will also advance initiatives that contribute to the mainstreaming of the AOIP within the ASEAN+3 framework. Japan currently chairs the Japan-China-Korea Trilateral Summit process. Japan will continue to work closely also with China and Korea to promote future-oriented cooperation that is also beneficial to ASEAN, with the Trilateral Summit to be held in mind. 2. ASEAN+3 Cooperation Minister Motegi expressed Japan's strong support for this year's Chair theme of "Inclusivity and Sustainability", as well as Japan's full support for the "ASEAN Community Vision 2045" and its commitment to furthering the ASEAN+3 cooperation in line with the Vision. Minister Motegi outlined the three areas of Japan's focus in his remarks as follows: First is financial cooperation. The importance of regional financial cooperation is increasing amid growing uncertainty about the global economic outlook. Japan expects the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) to play a vital role under the leadership of Director/CEO Watanabe, and will promote initiatives in view for regional economic growth and financial stability. From this perspective, Japan supports the Chair's proposal of the "ASEAN+3 Leaders' Statement on Strengthening Regional Economic and Financial Cooperation". Second is cooperation for a sustainable society. Japan will actively contribute to strengthening APTERR's initiatives and lead efforts to enhance the organizational capacity of AFSIS from a perspective of the regional food security. Amid increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, Japan hosted the Working Group of the Network of East Asian Think-Tanks (NEAT) on disaster risk reduction and produced a set of recommendations. Japan will continue to advance broad cooperation on disaster risk reduction based on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The rapid aging and declining birth rates seen in Japan, China, and Republic of Korea are also the challenges that ASEAN countries are to face. Japan will strengthen cooperation, including the sharing of insights and experiences of the plus three countries. Third is cooperation for public safety. Organized crime is a serious issue causing significant economic loss to ASEAN+3 countries and jeopardizing the safety of their citizens. Japan is implementing cooperation in this region, including through international organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to enhance law enforcement capabilities. Japan will also address countermeasures against organized fraud. Japan also wishes to strengthen coordination within ASEAN+3. Other participating countries expressed their determination to further promote cooperation within the ASEAN+3 framework, and spoke on their undertaking initiatives and priority areas of cooperation, including economic and financial cooperation, food security, health, digital and energy transitions. 3. Regional and International Issues Referring to the ballistic missile launch on October 22, Minister Motegi pointed out that North Korea had steadily enhanced its nuclear and missile capabilities, funded by its cryptocurrency thefts, and gained combat experience through military cooperation with Russia, and expressed serious concern over such actions that heighten regional tensions. Minister Motegi underscored the importance of the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and reiterated Japan's call for the full implementation of these resolutions and for coordinated action. Furthermore, Minister Motegi stated that the immediate resolution of the abductions issue was an urgent matter and called for the continued understanding and cooperation of the ASEAN+3 countries. Other participating countries remarked on the importance of the denuclearization of North Korea. (Reference) ASEAN Plus Three Leaders' Statement on Strengthening Regional Economic and Financial CooperationEnglishPDF NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump says Russia's testing of nuclear-powered missile 'not appropriate' Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 8:57 AM US President Donald Trump has described Russia's recent testing of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile as "not appropriate," echoing Washington's routine attempts to tarnish Moscow's deterrence building efforts, even as he claims to seek a softer approach toward Russia. Trump made the remarks aboard Air Force One on Monday after President Vladimir Putin confirmed successful final testing of the cutting-edge defense system, boasting about its "unlimited range" and unmatched endurance. The condemnation flew in the face of the repeated pledges the US president has made to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, including his campaign pledges. He went on by throwing the ball in Moscow's court by alleging that Putin "ought to get the war ended," and calling it a conflict that "should have taken one week." On Saturday, Trump had also said he was not going "to be wasting" time by meeting with the Russian president in case of, what he called, the latter's unpreparedness "to make a deal to end" the conflict. "This has been very disappointing," Trump had added, apparently trying to accuse Moscow of procrastination or obstruction. This is while, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's senior economic negotiator, had on Friday voiced hope about resolution of the conflict through American mediation. "I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution," he had told CNN in remarks that seemed to be reflecting Moscow's cautious optimism about Washington's positive contribution on the issue. The US has, meanwhile, refused to categorically rule out its potential provision of advanced Tomahawk missiles to Kiev, and is also reportedly preparing additional sanctions targeting "key areas" of Russia's economy. Some of the measures, an unnamed US official told Reuters on Sunday, reportedly include targeting of Russia's banking sector and the infrastructure used to get oil to the market. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Administration Provides Life-Saving Humanitarian Assistance to Druze, Christian, and Bedouin Communities in Southern Syria US Department of State Media Note Office of the Spokesperson October 27, 2025 As part of efforts to restore stability to Southern Syria, the United States is providing humanitarian assistance to Suwayda, where Druze, Christian, and Bedouin communities have faced violence, the destruction of their homes and have lost their livelihoods. This assistance will support life-saving needs of approximately 60,000 people through targeted provision of food, water, and hygiene items, as well as the rehabilitation of houses and water systems for when people can safely return home. While hostilities have largely subsided, the security situation remains unpredictable. This has resulted in limited movement of supplies that has affected civilian safety and the ability of the approximately 187,000 displaced individuals to return to their homes. The provision of food and safe water supplies will help address critical needs for families displaced in emergency shelters and within host communities, as well as those unable to access goods due to the ongoing disruption to supply deliveries that support stores and markets. The United States calls on partner countries to contribute life-saving assistance for the people of Syria as they seek to rebuild, which is critical to securing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jilin-1 releases high-resolution satellite images of Taiwan island, showcasing mainland's tech capacities and warning 'Taiwan independence' separatists: expert Global Times By GT staff reporters Published: Oct 27, 2025 05:28 PM Amid a series of activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration, the commercial satellite "Jilin-1" released satellite images of Sun Moon Lake, Alishan, and Port of Taipei, which an expert on military affairs said demonstrate mainland's high-tech developments, and some Taiwan compatriots regarded it as the pride of the Chinese nation. The official WeChat account "Jilin-1" published an article titled "A satellite view of Taiwan Province of China," stating that "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China" and every inch of Taiwan Province is full of vitality from the space perspective of "Jilin-1." When overlooking Sun Moon Lake from space, the lakes were like jade inlaid in the mountains, with scattered villages around, showing the tranquility and grandeur of the natural landscape in Taiwan island. The images show the operating docks of the Port of Taipei are arranged in sequence along the reclaimed land, and the containers and transportation lines forming a busy logistics picture. This important commercial port in Taiwan Province faces Fuzhou Port on the Chinese mainland across the sea and has become an important node in the cross-Straits shipping network. Taiwan news outlets including udn.com and China Times have noticed the release. The report by China News was titled "Every street is clearly visible! Mainland's 'Jilin-1' satellite sees Taiwan through." Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times on Monday that even civilian satellites can detect these facilities so clear; military satellites, with much higher resolution, are certainly even more capable. This sends a message to "Taiwan independence" separatists that your activities and maneuverers are within the scope of monitoring. That is a warning to the separatist forces, Zhang said. This satellite platform also showcases the systematic development of the Chinese mainland's high-tech capabilities in recent years, which was supposed to promote shared prosperity across the Taiwan Straits, Zhang said. However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been creating an "information cocoon" for Taiwan residents, indoctrinating them with false claims like "the mainland is backward," "high-speed trains have no backrest," and "people can't even afford tea eggs." With these high-resolution satellite images, ordinary Taiwan people will be able to see clearly that the mainland is making remarkable progress in high-tech, the expert added. Chi Chia-lin, honorary chairman of the Reunification Alliance Party in Taiwan who is in Beijing participating in a series of activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration, told the Global Times that he felt very familiar and excited after seeing these satellite images. "I study Taiwan history and have been comparing historical place names in Taiwan by looking at maps all year round. But the maps I used before were still the topographic maps of Taiwan released by US satellites in the 1960s and 1970s. This time, seeing the maps taken by the mainland, I am extremely excited. This is the pride of the Chinese nation." A former consultant to Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, told the Global Times that "China has taken the lead in the world in terms of BeiDou navigation system, space technology, drones, radar. The development of military equipment is even more amazing." China's high-tech development should be shared across the Taiwan Straits, but now the DPP authorities have repeatedly incited hatred and put the high-tech of the Chinese mainland in opposition to the safety and well-being of the Taiwan residents, which is wrong and futile, said the consultant. He further added that the integrated development across the Taiwan Straits will provide a powerful driving force for the Chinese nation. "Only in this way can Taiwan avoid being blackmailed by foreign forces." China on Sunday sent a new Gaofen-14 02 satellite into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in its Southwestern Sichuan Province. This satellite is capable of efficiently acquiring high-precision stereo imagery on a global scale, providing fundamental geographic information support for national economic development and national defense construction, Xinhua News Agency reported. Recently, several units of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command Air Force have carried out actual combat training to test the troops' reconnaissance and early warning, air blockade, precise strike and other capabilities in key areas, CCTV Military reported Monday. Several J-10 fighter jets flew to a target airspace in a combat formation, and several H-6K bombers went to the sea and airspace around the Taiwan Island to carry out simulated confrontation training. Zheng Jian, a visiting professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times that this move can be regarded as part of the activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration, a necessary act to safeguard the post-World War II order, a just act to support the patriotic forces in the island in support of reunification, and a severe warning to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China says bombers, fighter jets flew near Taiwan ahead of Trump-Xi meeting Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 9:34 AM China says several of its fighter jets and strategic bombers flew near Taiwan's airspace, ahead of President Xi Jinping's meeting with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, scheduled on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported late on Sunday, "Several J-10 fighter jets flew in combat formation to a designated target airspace, and multiple H-6K bombers went to the waters and airspace around Taiwan island to carry out simulated confrontation drills." The report added that units from the Eastern Theater Command conducted combat-oriented training to test their capabilities in areas such as air blockades and precision strikes. Xinhua said the exercises were intended to defend national sovereignty and "safeguard the peace and happiness of hundreds of millions of people." The H-6K is a long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Taiwan deploys its own combat aircraft and warships into the skies and waters around the self-ruled island daily. China's fourth-highest-ranked Politburo member, Wang Huning, said on Saturday that China and Taiwan should work to achieve "peaceful reunification." However, Wang, who was speaking at an event in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the island's "restoration" to Chinese rule, added that China would not tolerate any activities promoting the island's independence. He also said China will take the lead in sharing the fruits of its development and progress with Taiwan's people. Trump and Xi are expected to meet on the sidelines of APEC in Gyeongju in South Korea this week to discuss their ongoing trade dispute. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Taiwan should not be concerned about the negotiations. He added that the US will not abandon its long-standing support for the island in negotiations with China to reach a trade agreement. Beijing has sovereignty over Taiwan, and under the "One China" policy, almost all countries recognize that sovereignty, meaning they do not establish diplomatic contact with the island's secessionist government. The US, too, claims commitment to that principle, but in violation of its own stated policy, and in an attempt to antagonize Beijing, has courted the secessionist government in Taiwan, supporting its anti-China stance and supplying it with a large cache of weaponry. Beijing has often emphasized that the issue of the self-ruled island is a red line for the government and people of China and must not be crossed. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan ROC Ministry of National Defense 2025/10/27 PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan 1.Date 6 a.m. Oct. 26 (Sun.) to 6 a.m. Oct. 27 (Mon.) (UTC+8) 2.PLA activities 4 sorties of PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN ships and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities. 1141027_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window] 1141027_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window] NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tsahkna meeting with Zelenskyy: Ukraine belongs in the European Union and NATO Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 27.10.2025 | 20:48 Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today to discuss strengthening sanctions against Russia, Euro-Atlantic relations, Ukraine's path towards NATO and EU membership, and security guarantees. During the meeting, President Zelenskyy presented Minister Tsahkna with a national decoration in recognition of Estonia's support for Ukraine. Minister Tsahkna emphasised that Estonia will never, under any circumstances, recognise territorial changes imposed by force, nor accept any limitations on Ukraine's sovereign right to choose its allies. He reaffirmed Estonia's commitment to working with the European Union and other partners to reduce the revenue streams fuelling Russia's war machine. "The EU's 19th sanctions package has just been approved, but work is already underway on the next one, and it should include tariffs," Tsahkna noted. "Sanctions are having an impact on Russia's economy, but we must continue to seek new ways to raise the cost of aggression. Estonia has led the debate on the use of frozen Russian assets for over three years, and we hope to see concrete results soon. As the damage has been caused by Russia, using its frozen assets to support Ukraine is morally the only right course of action," he said. "Estonia's position is clearUkraine's strongest security guarantee is NATO membership. Until that is achieved, credible security guarantees backed by capabilities and forces must be in place, though these cannot serve as a permanent alternative to NATO membership," the Foreign Minister added. He recalled that Estonia was the first country to declare its readiness to contribute to Ukraine's future security guarantees, including through the deployment of forces on the ground. Minister Tsahkna also stressed that Estonia will continue to strengthen its military assistance to Ukraine, using all available mechanismsincluding the PURL initiativeand ensuring bilateral defence support amounting to at least 0.25% of Estonia's GDP annually. He reiterated Estonia's firm support for Ukraine's EU membership aspirations and confirmed that Estonia is actively working to advance the accession process. The Minister also highlighted Estonia's priority of combating impunity, welcoming the decision to establish a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression. At the conclusion of the meeting, President Zelenskyy presented Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna with a national decoration for his contribution to supporting Ukraine. "This honour belongs to all the people of Estoniait is a tribute to their unwavering commitment to Ukraine," Tsahkna said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tsahkna in Ukraine: Estonia contributes 150,000 to Ukraine Energy Support Fund Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 27.10.2025 | 15:09 Today, 27 October, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna informed his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv that Estonia will allocate 150,000 to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Since October 2022, when Russia began its targeted attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Estonia has supported Ukraine's energy system both with equipment and financial contributions to the Energy Support Fund. With today's announcement, Estonia's total contribution to the fund now stands at 620,000. This support will help restore Ukraine's energy system, repair critical infrastructure, and secure gas supplies ahead of the winter season. "We are deeply concerned by Russia's brutal and deliberate assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which has intensified further over the past month. By attacking power stations, gas facilities and railways, and killing innocent civilians, Russia aims to plunge Ukrainians into darkness and cold this winter," said Foreign Minister Tsahkna. "These attacks are not merely acts of warthey are acts of terror against the Ukrainian people. Russia is trying to destroy Ukraine's economy, make everyday life unbearable, and break the spirit of its people," Tsahkna added. Repairing Ukraine's energy infrastructure is a long-term undertaking. "The constant attacks on repair crews make restoration efforts extraordinarily difficult. To enable their work, Ukraine urgently needs more air defence and military assistance to protect what remains of its infrastructure," Tsahkna said. "Support for Ukraine's energy system must continue and expand. Estonian companies are actively seeking ways to donate additional energy supplies, while the European Union strengthens its sanctions. Just last week, EU energy ministers agreed to ban Russian gas imports by 2028 at the latestbecause aggressors have no place in Europe's energy market," Tsahkna stated. "As Ukraine faces its fourth wartime winter, Estonia's support remains unwavering. We stand with Ukrainefor freedom, resilience, and victory," the Foreign Minister emphasised. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Minister Tsahkna in Kyiv: Estonia strengthens support for Ukraine Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 27.10.2025 | 14:45 On 27 October, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv. During the meeting, the two ministers signed a memorandum of cooperation confirming Estonia's readiness to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Tallinn in 2027, in support of Ukraine's rapid and comprehensive reconstruction efforts. "The answer to Russia's brutal campaign of destruction must be a stronger Ukrainian state," Minister Tsahkna said. "Since 2022, Estonia has contributed significantly to Ukraine's reconstruction through hundreds of projects and the provision of humanitarian aid. Today, we reaffirmed our commitment to helping build a resilient and democratic Ukraine, and to organising the 2027 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Tallinn." "Our aim in hosting the conference is to bring together heads of state and international partners from both the public and private sectors, civil society, local government leaders, international financial institutions, and businesses to advance a comprehensive and effective reconstruction process in Ukraine," Tsahkna added. Despite Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukraine's civilian population and infrastructure, Estonia and Ukraine continue to work closely to ensure unified, robust, and long-term support for Ukraine. "Estonia's support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity is unwavering. The Ukraine Recovery Conference will be a vital and impactful step towards achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine," Tsahkna emphasised. During the meeting, Minister Tsahkna confirmed Estonia's continued efforts to advance new European Union sanctions and stressed the importance of reducing Russia's sources of revenue in cooperation with the United States and the United Kingdom. He also highlighted the importance of mobilising Russia's frozen assets for the benefit of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland Joins the Tallinn Mechanism to Strengthen Ukraine's Cyber Defense Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland 27.10.2025 Press releases Finland has become the thirteenth country to join the Tallinn Mechanisman international initiative that helps Ukraine enhance its cyber resilience and digital security. "Ukraine's resilience in defending against cyberattacks aimed at civilian infrastructure, government systems, and businesses has increased remarkably. By joining the Tallinn Mechanism, Finland joins likeminded partners in reinforcing Ukraine's cyber security and resilience while also strengthening Finland's own role as a committed and trusted actor in international cyber diplomacy," Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland stated. "The recent expansion of the Tallinn Mechanism marks its transformation from an international initiative supporting Ukraine's cyber resilience into a genuine platform of strategic solidarity among democratic nations in cyberspace. We warmly welcome Helsinki's decision to join the Tallinn Mechanism community. The engagement of our Finnish partners, together with Finland's valuable expertise in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and digital governance, will contribute to reinforcing Ukraine's cyber resilience and will further strengthen the collective capacity of participating nations to develop a coordinated and effective response to malicious activities in cyberspace", emphasized Anton Demokhin, Deputy Foreign Minister, Chief Digital Transformation Officer. Finland brings strong expertise in digital governance, cybersecurity, and the protection of critical infrastructure. Its participation in the Tallinn Mechanism will enhance international cooperation in countering cyber threats and open new opportunities for sharing technological solutions and experience. "The Tallinn Mechanism is an international initiative that coordinates assistance aimed at strengthening Ukraine's cyber resilience. Finland's accession is a strong signal of solidarity and strategic support in cyberspace. The country brings extensive technological expertise and a high level of cyber culture, and its participation enhances our joint potential, opening new opportunities for knowledge exchange and the development of innovative solutions. Together, we are shaping new standards of digital security for the entire democratic world," Valeriia Ionan, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on Innovation, Digitalization, and Global Partnerships emphasized. Moreover, Finland's involvement in the Tallinn Mechanism opens new opportunities for cooperation between Finnish technology companies and Ukrainian partners. "Ensuring uninterrupted access to public services, information, and digital platforms is vital for the Ukrainian people. Through the Tallinn Mechanism, Finland not only supports Ukraine's digital resilience but also opens avenues for Finnish cyber security companies to contribute their expertise and collaborate in meaningful ways," Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland noted. Launched in 2023, the Tallinn Mechanism is a key tool for international technical assistance in the field of cybersecurity. Current member countries include: Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and now Finland. The EU, NATO, and the World Bank participate as official observers. Activities in Ukraine are supported by the Tallinn Mechanism Project Office (TMPO), based in Kyiv and funded by the Estonian Centre for International Development and EU CyberNet. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia repels major Ukrainian drone assault on Moscow: Mayor Iran Press TV Monday, 27 October 2025 6:39 AM Russian air defense units successfully foiled a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow overnight, neutralizing more than three dozen hostile UAVs aimed at the capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Monday. Speaking to media persons, the official said the attempted strike involved at least 37 drones, with emergency crews swiftly deployed to areas where debris had fallen. "Air defenses have shot down more than three dozen UAVs," the mayor said, noting that no casualties or serious damage were reported on the ground. The Ukrainian assault, one of the most extensive in recent weeks, targeted multiple locations in the southern and southeastern outskirts of Moscow, including the Ramensky District, Podolsk, Klimovsk, Domodedovo, Kolomna, and Troitsk, the Moscow mayor said. Local media reported loud explosions during the night, but confirmed that Russia's multi-layered air defense shield had effectively intercepted the incoming swarm. Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports as a precautionary measure, before normal operations resumed. The latest reported aggression came just a day after another Ukrainian drone incursion, which had involved seven drones and was also thwarted by Russian defenses. Russian officials have condemned Ukraine for repeatedly launching drone strikes deep into the country's territory, seeking to damage energy facilities and civilian infrastructure far from the frontlines. The acts of terrorism serve no military purpose other than to spread fear among civilians, they contend. Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine in 2022 to demilitarize its neighbor's Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The regions are largely populated by ethnic Russians and have declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Kiev's Western-backed government. Amid the situation, Kiev has been soliciting Western support, which it has received in the form of substantial arms supplies as well as anti-Moscow sanctions and mounting political pressure. Recently, though, reports pointed to US President Donald Trump's withholding of the country's request for American Tomahawk missiles to be used against Russia. Trump has also reportedly pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to Moscow's terms for ending the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if Russia were attacked with the missiles, the response would be "very strong, if not overwhelming." On October 16, following a phone call with Putin, Trump announced that the two heads of state had agreed to meet soon in Budapest, Hungary. On Saturday, though, he said he was not going "to be wasting my time" by meeting with the Russian president in case of, what he called, the latter's unpreparedness "to make a deal to end" the conflict. "This has been very disappointing," Trump added on that day, apparently trying to accuse Moscow of procrastination or obstruction. This is while, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's senior economic negotiator, voiced hope on Friday in resolution of the conflict through American mediation. "I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution," he told CNN in remarks that seemed to be reflecting Moscow's cautious optimism in Washington's positive contribution on the issue. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by Russian Defence Ministry 27 October 2025 08:11 Russian units continue to eliminate hostile troops surrounded in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk. In Kupyansk, four attempts of Ukrainian formations to break through the encirclement to reach the right bank of the Oskol River over the destroyed water crossings near Petrovka were foiled. As a result, artillery and UAV strikes eliminated up to 50 AFU troops, six units of armoured hardware, including two HMMWV armoured fighting vehicles. In Krasnoarmeysk, assault detachments of the 2nd Army conduct resolute offensive actions to increase a control zone near a railroad terminal. Over the course of the day, more than 60 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and three motor vehicles were neutralised. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine's Accession to EU Will Not Happen Under Current Hungarian Government - Szijjarto Sputnik News 20251027 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine's accession to EU will not take place under current Hungarian government, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday. "As long as I can be foreign minister and Viktor Orban is Prime Minister, you can be sure that negotiations on EU accession with Ukraine will not begin," Szijjarto said, speaking in the Hungarian parliament. Previously Ukraine's possible accession to the EU would have brought peace closer, but now it is dangerous for Europe, Szijjarto added. "There was a time long ago and not for long when the start of negotiations on European integration with Ukraine could mean peace. But that is in the past. This is no longer the case today. Ukraine's accession to the European Union, even the beginning of substantive negotiations, now poses a danger to Europe, since Ukraine's membership in the EU will lead to war and take money away from Europeans," Szijjarto said. Ukraine's membership in the EU would mean a threat to the functioning of the European economy and the labor market, the minister said, adding that the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU have not yet begun because Hungary vetoed them. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address For peace in Ukraine we must go after Russia's money: Foreign Secretary's article Authored article Writing in The Times, the Foreign Secretary outlines why now is the time for fresh economic pressure to deprive the Kremlin of war revenues and push Putin to the negotiating table. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP Published 27 October 2025 Written on: 27 October 2025 To get a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, we have to go after Russia's money. Three and a half years on from President Putin's unprovoked invasion of a sovereign nation, he has failed in his war aims, but he is refusing to pursue peace. The UK has been driving the case for economic action against Russia with our allies - announcing our own new crackdown on Russia's 2 biggest oil and gas companies as I did in parliament 11 days ago, swiftly followed by similar major sanctions from the US and new EU sanctions last week and an important meeting of the "coalition of the willing" on Friday. With the tailwind behind us, now is the time for fresh economic pressure to deprive the Kremlin of war revenues and push Putin to the negotiating table. President Zelensky has made clear he is ready for a ceasefire and for serious peace talks. But Putin has sought only to escalate conflict - launching some of the largest attacks in Europe since the height of the Second World War: children killed in playgrounds, hospitals destroyed, and vital energy infrastructure hit. A cruel and deliberate strategy in the run-up to winter. But Ukrainian people are standing strong. In Kyiv last month, I saw a nation resolute in its fight. The soldiers and civilians, mothers and fathers and health care workers who are defending their homes and their land. At every stage the Russian president has been deluded - on the war he thought he could win in three days in 2022, on the strength of Ukrainian resilience and resistance and on the determined support of Ukraine's friends. Instead, after a million Russian casualties and a front line essentially where it was three years ago, Putin has failed in all his military and political objectives. The Russian economy is ailing. Forty per cent of federal spending goes on the war. The Kremlin is struggling to equip its forces, resorting to military kit from the 1950s. The UK and allies - many that gathered for the "coalition of the willing" in London on Friday - are continuing to ensure there is a strong flow of weapons, air defence and infrastructure support to sustain Ukraine in its fight. And as we head into winter, we are helping the Ukrainian people withstand Putin's onslaught including repairing damaged energy infrastructure to keep Ukrainian homes warm as temperatures drop. At the UN general assembly last month, I told Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, directly that "we will target your ailing economy, your oil and gas revenues and the defence industry making your munitions". That is exactly what we have done. In the past six weeks I have agreed and announced two major new packages of sanctions hitting Russia's oil and gas. Eleven days ago the UK sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil - the largest 2 Russian energy firms. We also designated refineries around the world that import Russian oil; suppliers of drone and missile components; and a further 42 shadow fleet vessels that transport Russian oil. Collective efforts will make the greatest difference. So I strongly welcome President Trump's decision this week to also sanction Rosneft and Lukoil, which is prompting other countries to think again about Russian oil imports. The EU's 19th sanctions package, imposed this week, is a powerful further show of shared resolve. Already Western sanctions have deprived Russia of at least $450 billion - equivalent to about 2 more years of funding Putin's war. But I am clear we need to go much further still in tightening the economic vice. That means new measures to choke Russian oil and gas out of international markets but it also means leveraging Russian assets. Now is the time for international action to use Russia's frozen sovereign assets to support Ukraine. Through measures like the reparations loan proposed by the EU Commission and through chancellor Rachel Reeves's efforts with international partners, we need to ensure funds can be used to support Ukraine's resistance and reconstruction right now. Because, frankly, it is Russia that should pay for the damage they are doing to Ukraine. Ukraine's security is Europe's security. That is why the UK continues to stand squarely with Ukraine, now and for decades to come. Not just to help brave people to defend themselves. But to make clear that aggression will not pay; that force will be resisted; and to defend principles that matter for the whole world. This article was first published in The Times. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Finland Joins the Tallinn Mechanism to Strengthen Ukraine's Cyber Defense Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 27 October 2025 13:00 Finland has become the thirteenth country to join the Tallinn Mechanisman international initiative that helps Ukraine enhance its cyber resilience and digital security. "Ukraine's resilience in defending against cyberattacks aimed at civilian infrastructure, government systems, and businesses has increased remarkably. By joining the Tallinn Mechanism, Finland joins likeminded partners in reinforcing Ukraine's cyber security and resilience while also strengthening Finland's own role as a committed and trusted actor in international cyber diplomacy," Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland stated. "The recent expansion of the Tallinn Mechanism marks its transformation from an international initiative supporting Ukraine's cyber resilience into a genuine platform of strategic solidarity among democratic nations in cyberspace. We warmly welcome Helsinki's decision to join the Tallinn Mechanism community. The engagement of our Finnish partners, together with Finland's valuable expertise in cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and digital governance, will contribute to reinforcing Ukraine's cyber resilience and will further strengthen the collective capacity of participating nations to develop a coordinated and effective response to malicious activities in cyberspace", emphasized Anton Demokhin, Deputy Foreign Minister, Chief Digital Transformation Officer. Finland brings strong expertise in digital governance, cybersecurity, and the protection of critical infrastructure. Its participation in the Tallinn Mechanism will enhance international cooperation in countering cyber threats and open new opportunities for sharing technological solutions and experience. "The Tallinn Mechanism is an international initiative that coordinates assistance aimed at strengthening Ukraine's cyber resilience. Finland's accession is a strong signal of solidarity and strategic support in cyberspace. The country brings extensive technological expertise and a high level of cyber culture, and its participation enhances our joint potential, opening new opportunities for knowledge exchange and the development of innovative solutions. Together, we are shaping new standards of digital security for the entire democratic world," Valeriia Ionan, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on Innovation, Digitalization, and Global Partnerships emphasized. Moreover, Finland's involvement in the Tallinn Mechanism opens new opportunities for cooperation between Finnish technology companies and Ukrainian partners. "Ensuring uninterrupted access to public services, information, and digital platforms is vital for the Ukrainian people. Through the Tallinn Mechanism, Finland not only supports Ukraine's digital resilience but also opens avenues for Finnish cyber security companies to contribute their expertise and collaborate in meaningful ways," Ville Tavio, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland noted. Launched in 2023, the Tallinn Mechanism is a key tool for international technical assistance in the field of cybersecurity. Current member countries include: Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and now Finland. The EU, NATO, and the World Bank participate as official observers. Activities in Ukraine are supported by the Tallinn Mechanism Project Office (TMPO), based in Kyiv and funded by the Estonian Centre for International Development and EU CyberNet. The MFA of Ukraine expresses its gratitude to all partners for their continued support of Ukraine's cyber resilience, and welcome Finland to the Tallinn Mechanism's team. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Denys Shmyhal: Ukraine and Croatia strengthen joint defence capabilities Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 27 October, 2025, 5:55 PM EET Ukraine's Minister of Defence Denys Shmyhal and Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ivan Anusic signed a Letter of Intent in Kyiv to deepen defence industry cooperation. The parties agreed to establish joint production chains and foster cooperation between the defence industries of Ukraine and Croatia. Furthermore, an agreement was reached to organise a joint industrial forum for manufacturers early next year. "I thank Croatia for its support and for providing thirteen military assistance packages worth over 200 million," said Denys Shmyhal. The Croatian Minister of Defence announced the fourteenth assistance package and a fifteenth to follow by the end of this year. During the meeting, the ministers also discussed joint participation in the SAFE mechanism and the possibility of Croatia joining the PURL initiative. Denys Shmyhal also highlighted Croatia's contributions to the Demining Coalition's activities. The Croatian company DOK-ING has already delivered 69 mine-clearance vehicles and launched spare parts production in Ukraine. "The experience of this friendly country is crucial in demining our land," underlined the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. In continuation of the discussion, the Ukrainian and Croatian delegations examined the potential for participation in the joint FPV drone production initiative. "I would like to thank Mr Ivan Anusic for his firm stance in supporting Ukraine, as well as the entire Croatian people. We feel the friendly support at all levels. Together, we will defend Europe," stated Denys Shmyhal, expressing gratitude for the support. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Through DOT-Chain Defence, the military will be receiving ground robotic systems under the 'Army of Drones Bonus' program Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 27 October, 2025, 12:59 PM EET The Ministry of Defence's Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) has signed contracts with manufacturers of ground robotic systems (GRS) to supply the Defence Forces under the 'Army of Drones Bonus' program. From now on, the military will be able to exchange combat points earned for destroying or damaging enemy targets to independently choose the required systems in the Brave1 Market and promptly receive them through DOT-Chain Defence. Since August, a total of 71,000 units of equipment including various types of drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems have been delivered to the military through DOT-Chain Defence under the 'Army of Drones Bonus' program, amounting to UAH 2.8 billion. Reference information: The new model of the 'Army of Drones Bonus' program was launched in August, based on the integration of the DELTA IT system, DOT-Chain Defence, and Brave1 Market. It functions as follows: Service members earn points for destroying and damaging enemy targets, and exchange them for the drones and equipment they need to accomplish combat missions through Brave1 Market, following authorization in DELTA. Supply is managed by the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) through the DOT-Chain Defence digital system. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Armed Forces of Ukraine to gain new digital personnel services powered by the 'Impulse' system Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 27 October, 2025, 10:46 AM EET The 'Impulse' digital personnel record-keeping system will serve as the foundation for developing new digital services and other IT products within the military, helping to address a wide range of service-related needs. Service members will be able to view their military ID, receive electronic leave authorizations, track their leave days and length of service, and manage records related to weapons, property, and payments. The 'Impulse' system is currently being deployed in Air Assault Forces units, streamlining the work of personnel services, personnel offices, and commanders. For personnel services, it automates routine tasks and enables the quick generation of orders, certificates, and reports without manual data entry. For personnel offices, it provides a unified service record card that documents all events throughout a service member's career, ensuring coherence and accuracy of unit-level information. For commanders, it provides instant analytics on unit manning and readiness, available on demand. The 'Impulse' system is the foundation for the digital transformation of the entire military. "The system already enables unified recording of service events, reduces document preparation time, and forms the technological basis for new digital services designed for service members," said Oksana Ferchuk, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization. The system operates within a closed, secure environment. Information access is role- and level-based, and all user actions are logged. The system was developed by the Center for Scaling Technological Solutions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where IT specialists with civilian experience in developing digital products serve. The rollout of the system is being implemented by units of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address All Deep-Strike Goals Must Be Fully Locked In by Year's End, including Expansion of Our Long-Range Footprint - Address by the President President of Ukraine 27 October 2025 - 19:47 I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians! I held a Staff meeting today - much of the discussion focused on our long-range sanctions against Russia and the results of our responses to Russian attacks. In particular, we spoke with manufacturers of weapons - weapons for deep strikes. This is the right format for a Staff meeting - bringing together manufacturers, those responsible for the effective employment of our drones and missiles, those in charge of funding, as well as diplomats. We are providing three-year contracts for the most effective manufacturers. We are expanding this long-contract approach so that both manufacturers and our army have greater certainty. At every Staff meeting, I will check the pace of contracting: this must be implemented. Under any scenario, Ukraine must always - and will always - have sufficient long-range capabilities. Both now, in wartime, and no less afterward - as part of the security guarantees for our future, for our children. Long-range capability is a component of independence and will be the greatest component for ensuring peace. Global sanctions and our pinpoint precision are practically syncing up to end this war on terms fair for Ukraine. All deep-strike goals must be fully locked in by year's end, including expansion of our long-range footprint. I thank every unit and every element of Ukraine's Defense and Security Forces for their accuracy. I thank our manufacturers - those who are fully delivering on the tasks set. The funding is secured. We are working practically on a daily basis on air defense as well, engaging with every partner that can help with air defense systems and also with missiles. Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine delivered a report. It is defense cooperation with partners that is the top priority of our foreign policy. And it is important that every week bring results. Last week was exactly that - significant. This week should also be a positive one for our defense. I have already spoken today with the representative of Croatia - the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense - about the next defense package and European programs supporting defense production. I also spoke today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia - the Baltic states will continue to be among the most active in support. Today, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine delivered a report. I want to thank all our people working on recovery across the regions. There are many difficult situations, particularly in the Chernihiv region, in border areas of other regions, and near the frontline. But it is important that recovery continues everywhere, and our people - repair crews, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and energy companies - are working heroically. I thank all of you for this. I spoke with our military - special attention is focused on Pokrovsk and the neighboring areas. That is where the occupier has concentrated its largest assault forces and where there is significant assault activity. Battles continue in the city as well: it is Pokrovsk that is their main objective. And every result achieved by our forces in this sector is a result for all of Ukraine, for the entire defense of our state. I thank everyone who understands this. I thank everyone who is fighting for Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defense Support for Ukraine and Veteran Policy: The President Met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia President of Ukraine 27 October 2025 - 20:32 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Defense of Croatia Ivan Anusic. "We are very pleased to welcome you to our country. We are good friends with your Prime Minister and are very grateful to your government and your people for their full support of our nation," said the Head of State. The President thanked Croatia for the 14th package of military assistance already allocated and for the 15th package planned by the end of this year. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ivan Anusic discussed the importance of implementing projects within the PURL initiative, particularly regarding air defense assets, and of using the opportunities provided by the SAFE mechanism. The President also thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for his personal participation in the International Veterans Conference held on October 9-10 in Split, Croatia. The Head of State emphasized that veteran policy and social reintegration are very important and sensitive issues for Ukraine, and that our country is interested in Croatia's experience in this area. "We are ready to help your veterans. We know how difficult it is for servicemen returning from the frontline to reintegrate into civilian life. It is a difficult task, but it is possible," said Ivan Anusic. The Croatian Deputy Prime Minister also noted that he had visited Bucha and paid tribute to those who gave their lives for Ukraine's freedom and for the values of democracy. He stressed that Croatia has supported Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war and will continue to do so. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President and the Estonian Foreign Minister Discussed Ways to Increase Pressure on Russia and Opportunities to Expand Defense Assistance to Ukraine President of Ukraine 27 October 2025 - 19:20 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna. "We are very grateful to your people and government for standing with us since the very beginning of this war. Thank you for supporting our path toward the European Union and our sanctions policy. We are also grateful for the share of your budget directed to supporting our army and our warriors," said the Head of State. Margus Tsahkna assured that Ukraine can count on Estonia's support. "We are doing everything we can because we share the same bad neighbor. You have taken the main blow, but it is our neighbor too. We will never recognize any changes in territorial integrity achieved by force - that is our principle," he stressed. During the meeting, the parties discussed long-range capabilities, drone production, and overall defense support for Ukraine. The President thanked Estonia for its contribution to the PURL initiative, which enables our country to purchase American weapons. They also discussed cooperation between Ukraine and the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). Special attention was paid to ways of increasing pressure on Russia. The parties discussed Estonia's proposals regarding tariffs and the preparation of the 20th EU sanctions package. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Margus Tsahkna also spoke about priorities during Estonia's upcoming chairmanship of the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) next year. Estonia plans to focus on the issues of supporting Ukraine - defense assistance, EU accession, recovery, security cooperation, and the use of frozen Russian assets. The Head of State emphasized that it was important that last week the European Union provided political support for the maximum use of these funds to defend against Russian aggression. The meeting also covered diplomatic efforts. The President spoke about contacts with the United States and other partners. Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented Margus Tsahkna with the Order of Merit, II class, and thanked him for his significant support for Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian army committing murder in Ukraine: Independent rights commission 27 October 2025 - Drones operated by Russian forces have repeatedly attacked Ukrainian civilians, causing deaths, injuries and large-scale destruction, independent UN human rights investigators said on Monday. The Russian military's actions amount to two crimes against humanity, the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine's report states - firstly of "murder and of forcible transfer of population" and secondly, "deportations and transfers of civilians" from areas occupied by Russian forces, some of whom were tortured. Systematic and coordinated The attacks - which have struck a wide range of civilian targets in an area spanning over 300 kilometres along the right bank of the Dnipro River, across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts - are systematically coordinated actions designed to drive Ukrainians out of their homes, say the report's authors. They have targeted individuals, houses and buildings, humanitarian distribution points and critical energy infrastructure servicing civilians. They also targeted first responders - including ambulances and fire brigades, which are afforded special protection under international humanitarian law. Many of the attacks struck the same vehicles and infrastructure repeatedly, deliberately setting them on fire, spreading terror among the civilian population and violating their fundamental human rights. The report from the UN Human Rights Council-appointed investigation team - established in March 2022 - contains testimony from residents who have come under fire, describing their living conditions as unbearable. 'Severe mental pain and suffering' "We are hit every day, drones fly at any time - morning, evening, day or night, constantly," said a man interviewed for the report. The investigators' report documents that Russian authorities coordinated actions to deport or transfer groups of people from areas under occupation. Some were transferred to areas under Ukrainian Government control; others were sent to neighbouring Georgia. Detention, torture and confiscation of documents and belongings are also laid out - acts which have "inflicted severe mental pain and suffering and amount to inhuman treatment as a war crime and a violation of human rights," the report states. On Monday, the Commission of Inquiry presented the report to the UN General Assembly's Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues. The findings are based on some 500 publicly available videos of crimes examined - 247 of which have had their locations technically verified - and 226 interviews with Ukrainian citizens. The Commission also examined Russian allegations of drone attacks by Ukrainian armed forces against civilian targets in Russian occupied areas. It was unable to draw any conclusions due to lack of access to the territory, concerns relating to the safety of witnesses, and the lack of responses from Russian authorities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Receives North Korea's Top Diplomat As Zelenskyy Pushes Long-Range Missile Development By RFE/RL October 28, 2025 Russian President Vladimir Putin received North Korea's top diplomat at the Kremlin on October 27 as Russian forces continued their push in eastern Ukraine, penetrating a key city amid fierce fighting. North Korean media said Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui discussed "many future projects to constantly strengthen and develop" the bilateral relationship while also passing on leader Kim Jong Un's "brotherly regard" to Putin. No further details were given. North Korea has become a crucial backer of Russia's nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, sending artillery, missiles, and troops to its larger neighbor. Pyongyang in return has received Russian military technology and economic aid. Choe's visit comes as Russia struggles to maintain recruitment levels amid mounting losses and lower financial incentives. Russia last week said it would seek to use reservists to defend civilian infrastructure following a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone attacks. Such a move would potentially allow Moscow to free up more troops to fight at the front, where it is suffering significant losses as it seeks to take well-defended Ukrainian territory. Russia is also reportedly seeking to recruit more foreign fighters to plug the gap. North Korea has been Russia's biggest supplier of foreign troops to date, sending a reported 11,000 servicemen last year to help Moscow push Ukrainian forces out of Russia's Kursk region. North Korean media did not say whether Choe discussed sending more servicemen to Russia. Despite its massive losses at the front, Russia's armed forces continue to inch forward in eastern Ukraine. Some 200 Russian troops have entered the key logistics city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said that Russia has concentrated its largest attack forces outside Pokrovsk. He said there is currently "significant assault activity" around Pokrovsk, including inside the city, but gave no assessment of the situation. Russia has been trying to take the city for more than a year. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with makers of long-range drones and missiles, saying he was ready to sign three-year contracts with the companies producing the most effective weapons. The Ukrainian leader said funding for the weapons has been secured. Ukraine sees long-range weapons as a key tool in bringing Europe's longest war in decades to a conclusion. Ukraine has been using domestically produced drones and missiles to conduct deep strikes against Russian oil refineries, a key source of state revenue. However, it has been seeking more powerful Western missiles, including the US-made Tomahawks, to destroy the facilities. Russian oil exports account for about a third of total federal budget revenues and thus are key to funding the Kremlin's war. The strikes on the refineries come amid falling oil prices and the toughest round of Western sanctions in months against Russia, compounding the country's economic problems. Last week, the United States sanctioned Russia's top two oil producers and signaled that third parties buying their output -- such as China and India -- could face penalties. The US sanctions came on the heels of a similar step by the UK and were followed by EU sanctions on Russia's oil industry. "Global sanctions and our pinpoint precision are practically syncing up to end this war on terms fair for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. Earlier on October 27, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and the European Union intend to prepare a cease-fire plan within seven to 10 days. At a meeting in London last week of the Coalition of the Willing, a grouping of more than 20 nations backing Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU leaders laid out four steps they hoped would force Putin to the negotiating table: supporting Ukraine financially with frozen Russian reserves, imposing tougher sanctions, supplying more long-range weapons, and delivering greater air defense. Ever since taking office for the second time in January, US President Donald Trump has been seeking to get Putin to agree to a cease-fire but the Kremlin leader has rebuffed him each time, betting -- experts say -- that the Western coalition will fall apart with time. Following his last call with Putin earlier this month, Trump initially said he would meet with the Russian leader in the coming weeks in Budapest but then later scrapped that, saying he saw no progress on peace. Trump then imposed the potentially powerful oil sanctions, the first time he has levied penalties on Russia since returning to the White House. Russia last week dispatched special envoy for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev, a fluent English speaker who studied in the United States, to Washington for talks. It is unclear what the outcome of those talks were. In a video he posted to Telegram on October 26, Dmitriev said Moscow was "committed to constructive dialogue and to clearly communicating Russia's position." Amid the West seeming to close ranks against the Kremlin, Russia this week announced it had successfully tested a new nuclear capable intercontinental cruise missile, drawing criticism from Washington. The Kremlin has repeatedly turned to nuclear saber-rattling during the war to undermine Western resolve and create divisions within the coalition. Trump has at times cautioned against sending powerful military aid to Ukraine, saying it could provoke nuclear war. However, this time he fired back at Putin. "You've got to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year," Trump said while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo. "That's what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has warm ties with Trump and Putin, is due at the White House next week for talks that will almost certainly touch on the war in Ukraine. Hungary stands to lose from the recent round of oil sanctions -- which come into effect at the end of November -- because it still buys Russian energy. Orban will be seeking exemptions to the sanctions, his top diplomat said, but with the war approaching its fourth year, the Trump administration could question its determination to diversify. "Hungary, unlike many of its neighbors, has not made any plans or any active steps" toward weaning itself off Russian energy supplies, US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News published on October 27. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-putin-choe-zelenskyy-north-korea/33572760.html Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address TORONTO, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Friday, Oct. 31, over 100 workers in telecommunications will lose their jobs at Ericsson, when the company moves these jobs to India in the middle of workers efforts to gain job security through union representation. Right now, the workers who operate our communications network are being abandoned by their government. Doug Ford must step up now, before Oct. 31 Lets stop the layoffs and lets protect good jobs, said Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition. These jobs are being offshored at the expense of our workers as well as the security of our province and our country. Its about giving up control of the very technology that keeps us connected, said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). This is not only the offshoring of our economy, but the offshoring of our privacy and of our national security. Unlike the Stellantis closure in Brampton, these jobs arent being taken from us by coercion from other nations; were giving these jobs away. This is a Made-in-Canada problem, and one that can be solved through government action, said Michael Phillips, President of United Steelworkers (USW) National Local 1944. The Ericsson technicians operate and maintain the back-end infrastructure of the Rogers wireless network. During the campaign to unionize, Ericsson announced these workers would be laid off and their jobs would move to India. To make matters worse, telecommunications jobs are federally regulated. Yet, when USW Local 1944 filed federally to represent these workers as their union, Ericsson opposed the application, claiming the workers are under provincial jurisdiction. In Question Period today, Jamie West, MPP for Sudbury and Shadow Minister of Labour, asked Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call on Ericsson and Rogers to protect these workers and their jobs before its too late. Watch the Oct. 27 media conference at Queens Park: Ontario NDP Fight for Good Union Jobs - Presser - Oct 27.25 - YouTube Broadcast and Recording Service, Legislative Assembly of Ontario About the United Steelworkers union The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the unions strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation including good wages, benefits and pensions. For more information: Michael Phillips, USW Local 1944 President, 604-818-7466, michael.phillips@usw1944.ca Kim Hume, USW Communications, 416-553-2421, khume@usw.ca A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05c4cb06-fef2-453d-a968-e58af8a94ab3 NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Brunello Cucinelli S.p.A (OTC: BCUCY) resulting from allegations that Brunello Cucinelli may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Brunello Cucinelli securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=45546 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On September 25, 2025, Morpheus Research published a report entitled From Moscow to TJ Maxx How Brunello Cucinelli Continues To Lie About Its Russian Business While Aggressive Discounting Damages Its Exclusive Positioning. The report discussed how Brunello Cucinelli had represented that its Russian store locations were shut, which was consistent with laws prohibiting the sale of luxury goods in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Contrary to this representation, the report claimed, Brunello Cucinelli continued to conduct business in Russia. On this news, Brunello Cucinelli American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) fell 17.8% on September 25, 2025. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. At the time Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. _______________________ Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of investors in liquid staking tokens (called stETH and rETH) sold by Consensys Software, Inc., resulting from allegations that Consensys may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased stETH or rETH tokens from Consensys you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=45318 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published a release entitled SEC Charges Consensys Software for Unregistered Offers and Sales of Securities Through Its MetaMask Staking Service. The release further stated that since at least January 2023, Consensys has offered and sold tens of thousands of unregistered securities on behalf of liquid staking program providers Lido and Rocket Pool, who create and issue liquid staking tokens (called stETH and rETH) in exchange for staked assets. Further, the release stated that while staked tokens are generally locked up and cannot be traded or used while they are staked, liquid staking tokens, as the name implies, can be bought and sold freely. Investors in these staking programs provided funds to Lido and Rocket Pool in exchange for the liquid tokens. The SECs complaint alleges that Consensys engages in the unregistered offer and sale of securities by participating in the distribution of the staking programs and operates as an unregistered broker with respect to these transactions. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. At the time Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ------------------------------- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential breaches of fiduciary duties by the directors and officers of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE: EW). SO WHAT: If you currently own shares of Edwards stock, please visit the firms website at https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=29704 for more information. You may also contact Phillip Kim of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via email at case@rosenlegal.com. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com PANAMA CITY, Oct. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The crypto world is witnessing a surge of momentum around Blazpays Phase 2 Crypto Presale , now over 75% complete with above $880,000 raised and growing daily. Priced at $0.0075 per BLAZ token, this Crypto Presale offers a rare low-entry point, giving investors a front-row seat to one of 2025s most compelling early-stage opportunities before the next price hike to $0.009375. Blazpay is proving that innovation at a fraction of traditional token costs can capture market attention. While major platforms remain costly and volatile, Blazpays Crypto Presale offers retail and institutional investors an asymmetric growth opportunity thats hard to ignore. Blazpay combines AI-driven execution, gamified rewards, and multichain interoperability, delivering a unique ecosystem that positions it as one of the Best Crypto Coins to Invest In and a leading contender for the Best Crypto Presale this year. Early adoption has already proven profitable, and the Phase 2 countdown is drawing urgent attention from savvy investors. Blazpay: Explosive Growth Blazpay offers an early-stage entry point that large-cap tokens cant match. At $0.0075 per token, investors secure a stake in a platform designed for AI Crypto Presale success. The combination of low cost, high upside, and cutting-edge technology puts Blazpay in the spotlight for those seeking the Best Crypto Presale and a potential 100x opportunity. With over 800,000 active users, 3 million transactions, and $200,000 in rewards distributed, Blazpay is more than a token its a full-fledged Crypto Presale ecosystem, redefining accessibility and innovation in the market. Perpetual Trading: Advanced Tools for Early Adopters Blazpay integrates perpetual trading with leverage options, bridging the gap between DeFi innovation and centralized exchange functionality. Users can manage trades seamlessly while participating in one of the Best Crypto Presale phases available today. Multichain Power: Reach Across Networks Supporting Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana, and Polygon, Blazpay ensures users enjoy cross-chain access and integration. Its multichain infrastructure allows for smooth, flexible operations, helping position the project as a top Crypto Presale contender. Conversational AI: Real-Time Smart Assistance Blazpays AI assistant provides real-time insights, trend analysis, and predictive alerts, giving investors a competitive edge in the Crypto Presale market. This level of intelligence is rare among early-stage crypto projects, making Blazpay a standout in 2025. Gamified Rewards: Engagement Equals Earnings Blazpay turns participation into profit. Through missions, staking, and rewards, users contribute to network growth while earning, strengthening its case as one of the Best Crypto Coins to Invest In this year. Unified Services: One Dashboard, Complete Control From payments to trading and asset management, Blazpays unified dashboard simplifies complex processes and enhances user experience, a critical factor in a successful Crypto Presale. SDK: Empowering Developers Blazpays SDK allows seamless development of dApps and DeFi projects across supported chains, reinforcing its ecosystem and long-term utility for investors eyeing the Best Crypto Presale opportunities. $2,000 Investment Scenario: Turning Small Entry Into Significant Gains A $2,000 investment at $0.0075 per token secures roughly 266,667 BLAZ tokens. With the upcoming price increase to $0.009375, early participants already gain immediate appreciation. If Blazpay reaches a conservative $0.20, your investment could grow to $53,333, with potential upside to $106,000$133,000 at $0.40$0.50, highlighting why Blazpay is considered among the Best Crypto Coins to Invest In. Price Prediction: Countdown to Market Breakout Phase 2 pricing at $0.0075 is set to increase soon. Analysts forecast post-listing targets of $0.15$0.25, mid-term growth to $0.40$0.50, and long-term potential exceeding $1.00 in a bullish market. The momentum confirms Blazpay as the Best Crypto Presale in early-stage AI crypto investment. Conclusion: Blazpay Surges Ahead While Market Giants Stabilize With 74.6% of Phase 2 tokens sold and $826,300 raised, Blazpay continues to outshine larger market players. Early investors enjoy low-entry pricing and massive upside potential, positioning Blazpay as one of the Best Crypto Coins to Invest In this year. Blazpay proves that strategic, low-cost participation in a cutting-edge Crypto Presale can redefine market dynamics. About Blazpay Blazpay merges AI execution, perpetual trading, gamified rewards, and multichain services into a single DeFi hub. With its Phase 2 presale at $0.0075 live, Blazpay stands out among new AI crypto coins as the best crypto coin to buy now, offering retail and institutional investors a chance at significant early gains. Join the Blazpay Community: Website - https://blazpay.com Twitter - https://x.com/blazpaylabs Telegram - https://t.me/blazpay Media Contact: Contact Person: Alan Wright Email: alan@blazpay.com Disclaimer: This content is provided by Blazpay. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sectorincluding cryptocurrency, NFTs, and miningcomplete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. 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Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3932c032-9e3c-4bb9-a272-23b3cf116dd2 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af60a5e2-fb68-4aca-ad8c-ba26fcad406a https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5398a9eb-e4f2-4f94-a1b6-1d92abd5f426 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/997bd0a7-21f8-4f86-9503-c8e35523b47c Fund IV brings total Assets Under Management (AUM) to c. 9 billion, making GHO the largest healthcare specialist private equity firm headquartered in Europe GHO has diversified its investor base to include over 30 new institutional investors across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East Since GHO Capital III's 2021 close, GHO has expanded its leading transatlantic healthcare platform with 19 new hires, including one Partner and five Operating Partners London, UK 28 October 2025: Global Healthcare Opportunities (including investment manager GHO Capital Management Limited and investment advisor GHO Capital Partners Advisory Ltd.) (GHO), the European specialist investor in global healthcare, today announces the final close of its fourth fund, GHO Capital IV LP (the Fund or Fund IV), raising over 2.5 billion (~$2.9 billion) of capital available to invest. Fund IV further diversifies GHOs investor base, with strong support from both existing investors as well as a significant amount of capital from over 30 new institutional investors across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. As GHOs largest fund to date, 25% larger than its predecessor, Fund IV brings total assets under management (AUM) to c.9 billion, making GHO the largest healthcare specialist private equity firm headquartered in Europe. Building on GHOs proven success and market leadership across multiple healthcare verticals, GHO remains well-positioned to capitalise on mid-market opportunities in the rapidly growing technical healthcare sector across BioPharma, MedTech, Advisory & Data, Life Science Tools & Diagnostics and HealthTech. Fund IV will continue the strategy of its predecessor funds delivering better, faster and more accessible healthcare, through scaling innovative regional leaders into vertically-integrated platforms with diversified offerings and global reach. Beyond fundraising, GHO has made strong progress in 2025, signing three new platform investments and several add-on acquisitions. New investments include Avid Bioservices, a CDMO focused on development and CGMP manufacturing of biologics, Scientist.com, an AI-powered R&D orchestration platform serving pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and FotoFinder Systems, a manufacturer of cutting-edge skin diagnostics and imaging solutions. These investments exemplify GHO's continued commitment to scaling industry leaders, transforming critical healthcare segments through operational excellence and transatlantic expansion. Since closing GHO Capital III in 2021, GHO has expanded its transatlantic footprint with 19 new hires, taking the team to over 75 professionals who provide on the ground support for its portfolio across Europe and the US. The firm has also strengthened its senior leadership with the appointment of a new Partner in 2024 alongside five new integrated Operating Partners and Senior Advisors, who bring deep industry insights to support GHOs thematic investment and value creation approach. Mike Mortimer, Alan Mackay and Andrea Ponti, the Managing Partners at GHO Capital commented: We are witnessing a golden era of healthcare innovation, driven by the convergence of advanced science, digital technologies, and data. GHO Capital is at the forefront, delivering strong returns while enabling better, faster and more accessible healthcare. Fund IV's success against the backdrop of a challenging fundraising environment reflects confidence in our strategy, transatlantic reach and consistent track record of outperformance across the healthcare ecosystem. We are grateful for the trust from both existing and new investors as we partner with world-class management teams to build the next generation of healthcare leaders. GHO Capital was advised by placement agent Rede Partners and law firm Kirkland & Ellis on the fundraising. -Ends- Further information: GHO Capital Partners Advisory Ltd. T +44 20 3700 7440 E IR@ghocapital.com For Media Enquiries ICR Healthcare Amber Fennell, Angela Gray, Kris Lam Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 ghocapital@icrhealthcare.com About GHO Capital Global Healthcare Opportunities, including investment manager GHO Capital Management Limited and investment advisor GHO Capital Partners Advisory Ltd., is a leading specialist healthcare investment firm headquartered in London. GHO Capital applies global capabilities and perspectives to unlock high growth healthcare opportunities, targeting Pan-European and transatlantic internationalisation to build market leading businesses of strategic global value. GHO Capitals proven investment track record reflects the unrivalled depth of our industry expertise and network. GHO Capital partners with strong management teams to generate long-term sustainable value, improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery to enable better, faster, more accessible healthcare. For further information, please visit www.ghocapital.com. Press Release E.ON and Nokia join forces for a five-year strategic collaboration for telecommunications network modernization for distribution system operators Under the E.ON group-wide frame contract, Germany becomes the first country to deploy a high-efficiency telecommunications network for distribution system operators designed to reduce energy consumption up to 50% while boosting grid security and resilience. Renewed network infrastructure will increase E.ONs ability to further grow in telecommunications services and respond quickly to service incidents. E.ON selected Nokias complete network solution across optical, IP and fiber domains, laying the foundation for future advancements, including support Europes No. 1 DSOs sustainability goals for quantum-safe networks. 28 October 2025 Espoo, Finland Nokia today announced a strategic contract with E.ON SE, one of Europes largest energy companies, to modernize its mission-critical communications infrastructure. The renewal starts across Germany and creates an optimized, highly automated telecommunications network for distribution system operators (DSO), which can be a model for other E.ON affiliates in Europe. E.ON plays a key role in Germanys energy transition. Its distribution grid already connects 1.4 million renewable energy plants, hence making the performance, flexibility and sustainability of its communications infrastructure critical. A key pillar, among others, is the IP, optical and fixed access part of its DSO telecommunications network. With the new Nokia-powered network and its market leading chipsets, E.ON will benefit from significantly reduced energy consumption of up to 50% compared to its existing IP and optical infrastructure, while improving scalability, operational flexibility, responsiveness, and service continuity. Nokias fixed access fiber solutions offer a future-proof, flexible alternative that is easy to upgrade to 25G PON and beyond. The new infrastructure will enhance both security and resilience, aligning with KRITIS (critical infrastructure) requirements and increasing E.ONs ability to respond quickly to service incidents without interruption. Nokias full-stack delivery across optical, IP and fiber domains also lays the foundation for future advancements, including support for quantum-safe networks. Modernizing our network and harmonizing our technical infrastructure is a crucial move to ensure E.ON Group continues to deliver secure, reliable and energy-efficient services across Europe. Were investing in a next-generation telecommunications network that is ready for future demands operationally, technologically and environmentally. Nokia is a trusted long-term supplier, and its ability to support our network makes it the right choice as we scale our digital transformation, said Lars Ramelow, Head of Supply Chain, Grid Communication Infrastructure, E.ON Group. Our long-standing relationship with E.ON reflects a shared commitment to building secure, efficient and future-ready networks. As a European company with global reach, Nokia brings the scale, security standards and domain expertise needed to support critical national infrastructure. What sets this project apart is the ability to deliver across all key domains as a single vendor. That end-to-end capability, combined with high-quality platforms and proven experience in mission-critical environments and telecommunications, perfectly positions us to enable E.ON to digitize its grids in Germany, said Eleftherios Papadopoulos, Managing Director, Germany, Nokia. Under the agreement, Nokia will deliver the full suite of next-generation networking solutions to E.ON, including IP routing and switching, optical transport, fixed broadband access (XGS-PON) and Nokias wide range of industry-leading network automation solutions. Multimedia, technical information and related news Product Page: Nokia Lightspan MF fiber platform Product Page: Nokia IP Networks Product Page: Nokia WaveSuite applications Product Page: Nokia Altiplano Access Controller Product Page: Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch About Nokia At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation. With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future. About E.ON SE E.ON is one of Europe's largest energy companies and a leader in energy networks, energy infrastructure solutions and energy sales. With a distribution network of 1.6 million kilometers and around 47 million customers, E.ON plays a central role in an increasingly CO 2 -free, digital and decentralized energy world. To actively shape Europe's green transformation, E.ON is investing heavily in a future-proof energy infrastructure and sustainable customer solutions. Around 77,000 employees strive every day to make new energy work. More information at: www.eon.com. Media inquiries Nokia Press Office Email: Press.Services@nokia.com Follow us on social media LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Members of the HAUST Network community celebrate the launch of the HAUST mainnet, the completion of the first phase of the roadmap, and their first chance to acquire, trade and use the $HAUST token. The impressive launch solidifies expectations around HAUST Network that it can become a user-friendly portal to advanced DeFi in the near future when it implements its HAIA AI agent. Haust Network is a project with lofty ambitions, seeking to become a DeFi mainstay through its user-facing approach and its cross-chain integration via the Polygon Agglayer. The network launched with a wide slate of infrastructure on day 1, including a native AggLayer bridge, dedicated link between Ethereum and their L2, a network explorer, oracle, wallet, and standalone web-bridge UI for any non-custodial wallet seeking to participate in the network. Account Abstraction features for users are already in place, with Paymaster for sponsored or gasless transactions and Guardian-based recovery that helps simplify crypto storage and access for retail users. Haust Network has grand ambitions for their AA, hoping to deploy it to other chains to enable unified cross-chain addresses later on down the line. Although minimally featured to start, within the HAUST mobile wallet users can already send and receive tokens in HAUST Network and Ethereum while viewing unified activity history. They can also perform cross-chain transactions via the integrated native AggLayer built directly into the wallet. In future, the wallet will be a portal to provide liquidity, participate in lending and borrowing, and even handle NFTs. Too many projects launch with no features. We wanted to do the opposite. Yes, Phase 2 and 3 represent our groundbreaking advances, such as our revolutionary HAIA AI agent, but the completion of Phase 1 of our roadmap means delivering to our fantastic community an ecosystem they can use from day one, said Lana, CMO of Haust Network. In line with that day 1 demand, the team is also making the $HAUST token available on Uniswap the moment the mainnet launches. Users will be able to also trade the token on the HAUST Network L2 DEX, as well as provide liquidity with the native $HAUST token. A wrapped contract has also been completed, meaning advanced DeFi users can get hold of $wHAUST for use in other DeFi protocols. Its a broader launch than most achieve, and builds confidence that Phase 2 and 3 of their roadmap will also be implemented successfully. Phase 2 includes expansion of DeFi activity directly on the HAUST Network chain, adding an NFT module with dynamic NFTs, building a lending protocol for supply and borrowing, and giving their community a voice through the DAO - alongside a general improvement in the mobile wallets capabilities so that in can interact with the AggLayer in cross-chain swaps. The real long term goal for the project however is HAIA. The proprietary AI agent will be embedded directly in the wallet and allow users to trade and execute DeFi strategies through a voice-commandable AI agent. This, alongside Haustoria, their native-yield engine, will be the key to HAUSTs long term success - and the completed launch of Phase 1 indicates that success may not be too much to hope for. This is just the start, insists Lana, our mainnet launch is incredibly exciting for our team who have worked so hard to deliver Phase 1 - but we want to assure our community that our work has just begun. It is the next step that will make HAUST Network the go-to portal for DeFi for both novice and experienced users. Media Contact: Lana Kovalski info@haust.network Disclaimer: This content is provided by the sponsor. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an "as-is" basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d67e244-8332-4195-92c0-08d0d3f09c10 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the Palazzo Versace Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, MOVA successfully hosted the Vision 2030: Global Digital Economy & Brand Excellence Summit. Distinguished guests attending the summit included: Mr. Mohammed Al Ahbabi from the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism; Mr. Shehab Bin Nouri from the Al Maktoum Royal Family Private Office; Mr. Khalifa Al Mazrouei from UAE Capital Group; Mr. Peter Hacham, representative of Mubadalas Hub71 sovereign fund; Professor Peter Knez, former Investment Director at BlackRock (USA) and Chairman of Palm Global (Abu Dhabi); Mr. Samir M. Suleymanov from the World Banks New Economy Industry Department; Ms. Nancy Guan, Secretary-General of the International Olympic Arts Development Committee; Mr. Eric Lee, CEO of Bithumb (Korea Exchange); Mr. Bobby Zhou, Co-founder of Aqua Labs; and Ms. Christina Wang, Chief Representative of PIF China. (USD1SWAP members with Bithumb CEO Eric Lee) The summit brought together global industry leaders, capital institutions, and technology innovators to discuss the future of RWA (Real World Asset) tokenization, public blockchain ecosystems, and brand digitalization. Beyond exploring global trends in the digital economy, the event also provided an important platform for USD1SWAP and the MOVA ecosystem to showcase their latest developments. USD1SWAP: Bridging the Real and Digital Asset Worlds As a key player in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, USD1SWAP became one of the highlights of the event. USD1SWAPs Chief Marketing Officer, Smith, delivered a keynote speech elaborating on the projects strategic positioning within the global digital economyparticularly focusing on liquidity solutions and decentralized financial infrastructure built on the MOVA blockchain. Smith emphasized that USD1SWAP aims to provide a secure and transparent channel for global asset exchange through innovative cross-chain liquidity protocols and intelligent risk control systems. In the future, USD1SWAP will be more than just a decentralized trading platformit will become a vital bridge between traditional finance and the Web3 world, said Smith. As a major application on the MOVA chain, USD1SWAP is driving the tokenization of real-world assets, opening new possibilities for the circulation of digital assets worldwide. Global Collaboration in RWA Tokenization and Brand Digitalization The summit centered on two major themes: RWA tokenization and brand digital transformationboth of which align with USD1SWAPs long-term strategic direction. Smith noted that as stablecoin models and cross-chain technologies mature, traditional assets such as real estate, energy, and commodities are entering a new era of digital transformation. Digital assets are no longer confined to cryptocurrenciesthey are increasingly linked to real-world asset value, forming an entirely new global capital structure, Smith explained. Through its RWA on-chain protocol, USD1SWAP enables liquidity and value mapping for real assets, helping traditional financial assets transition smoothly into the decentralized digital economy. This strategy complements the MOVA ecosystem, jointly advancing asset digitalization and public blockchain developmentultimately creating a seamless, secure cross-chain value exchange network for users worldwide. MOVA: Strategic Partnership Empowering USD1SWAPs Growth As a core component of the MOVA blockchain, USD1SWAP collaborates closely with MOVA on asset mapping, cross-chain liquidity, and brand digitalization initiatives. MOVA CEO Wael Muhaisen also delivered an inspiring address at the summit, highlighting the pivotal role of the MOVA chain in advancing decentralized finance and brand ecosystems. Wael noted that MOVA is not just a smart contract platformit is the foundational engine for global decentralized asset exchange and ownership verification. The distinguished guests at the summit discussed the latest trends in RWA tokenization and cross-chain liquidity in the global financial market, offering strategic insights and validation for the USD1SWAP and MOVA ecosystems. By fostering deep integration among global capital markets, governments, and technology sectors, USD1SWAP is not only laying the technological groundwork for decentralized finance but also providing strong momentum for the convergence of capital and innovation. About Mova Mova is a next-generation blockchain engineered for high performance, institutional-grade trust, and a versatile modular architecture setting the new standard for compliant and scalable Web3 infrastructure. Xhttps://x.com/MovaChain Telegramhttps://t.me/MovaChain Websitehttp://www.movachain.com/ About USD1SWAP Born from a hackathon-winning team, USD1 Swap leverages aggregated trading, DAO governance, node incentives, and deflationary mechanisms to create a new paradigm in decentralized finance. Media Contact: Smith team@movachain.com Disclaimer: This content is provided by the sponsor. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an "as-is" basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b0cbb93-c447-40b4-b91c-2dd825b400a8 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e173f735-dd3e-4c55-846e-215fee383c51 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5c922a6-b6b3-44aa-a5e7-ab5642ac57c0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3e3c2f17-5450-4ee6-aa05-08b631098a7f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d143de1-67f8-41b3-93df-a19f8b992729 JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MWX, the worlds first decentralized AI marketplace platform built for global SMEs, will officially launch its MWX Token (MWXT) on the Aerodrome platform on October 28, 2025. This launch marks a key step in MWXs mission to connect artificial intelligence (AI) and Web3 technology through an inclusive productivity ecosystem. Originating from MediaWave Indonesias pioneer in AI-driven digital solutions MWX was established to eliminate barriers to AI adoption among more than 400 million SMEs worldwide. The MWX platform offers over 20 ready-to-use AI solutions for marketing, operations, and financial management, with flexible payment options in fiat, stablecoins, or MWXT. AI is now essential for business competitiveness. Through MWX, we are making enterprise-grade AI more accessible to SMEs, with simplicity and transparency, said Yose Rizal, Founder and CEO of MWX. After more than a decade of building real-world AI solutions under MediaWave, we believe MWX will drive a new era of productivity economics where every token used contributes directly to real business growth. MWX has been officially entrusted by Indonesias Ministry of MSMEs to onboard 100,000 SMEs to adopt its AI tools. This national initiative aims to accelerate digital transformation and reduce the technology gap across regions. Global interest in AI continues to rise. Stanford University research shows that 78% of global companies integrated AI into operations by 2024 a 55% increase from 2023. Statista projects the global AI market to reach US$250 billion in 2025, growing to over US$800 billion by 2030. Investor momentum in AI and Web3 is also accelerating, with CB Insights reporting that AI funding in the first half of 2025 has already surpassed total investments in 2024. These trends reinforce MWXs positioning at the intersection of high-growth sectors. CertiK Audit and Deflationary Tokenomics MWXT has completed a comprehensive smart contract audit by CertiK, ensuring transparency and security ahead of launch. This independent assessment reaffirms MWXTs commitment to maintaining high security standards within its smart contract ecosystem. The token operates on the Base (EVM-L2) network with a fixed total supply of 1 billion tokens and no additional minting. It uses a deflationary model designed to support long-term token value: 20% of marketplace commissions burned. 15% of quarterly profits allocated for a buy-back & burn program. Staking incentives to strengthen ecosystem participation. As more SMEs adopt MWXs AI services, token demand grows, supporting a sustainable economic cycle. MWX is driven by real economic activity, not speculation, said Nanda Ivens, CMO of MWX. Every AI transaction adds value to the ecosystem. We aim to empower a new generation of productive and globally competitive digital entrepreneurs. MWX Token Utility and Benefits As stated on mwxtoken.ai , users can transact in fiat while benefiting from blockchain-level transparency, without requiring technical knowledge of cryptocurrency. The MWXT token functions as: A primary payment method within the MWX AI marketplace (convertible from fiat or stablecoins). A staking and reward instrument for users, partners, and third-party AI developers. MWX combines familiar Web2 usability with Web3 trust, allowing SMEs to use AI tools easily while benefiting from blockchain-backed verification lowering onboarding barriers for non-crypto users. MWX offers Flexible Staking (stake/unstake anytime) and Locked Staking for 3, 6, or 12 months with boosted rewards (1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x). Staking begins one week after the Token Generation Event (TGE) on Aerodrome. Token Allocation MWXTs token distribution is structured for long-term ecosystem sustainability. Seed (3%) and Private (7%) allocations are locked for six months, followed by a 12-month linear vesting period. Team & Founders (18%) and Advisors (5%) also have a six-month lock, with a longer 24-month vesting schedule. This ensures all key stakeholders are aligned with MWXs long-term growth. Roadmap and Expansion Following its Aerodrome launch, MWX will expand SME programs across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe, and pursue global AI collaboration by 2028. With the vision AI for Everyone, Everywhere, MWX focuses on practical, transparent, and accessible AI for real-world users. Details on token purchase and community programs leading to TGE will be available at mwxtoken.ai/how-to-buy . Updates will also be shared via MWXs official X , Instagram , Telegram , and Discord channels. About MediaWave MediaWave is an Indonesian pioneer in data analytics and AI with 15+ years of experience, providing accessible AI-driven solutions to accelerate digital transformation among MSMEs. Learn more at mediawave.id . About MWX MWX is the worlds first decentralized AI marketplace offering ready-to-use business solutions for global SMEs. Built by leading AI and Web3 experts from SEA, MWX combines agentic AI services with deflationary tokenomics, enabling transactions in fiat or crypto (MWXT). The platform provides 20+ AI tools for marketing, reporting, legal workflows, and data analysis. Backed by MediaWave, MWX delivers enterprise-grade capability with Web3 transparency and scalability. Learn more at mwxplatform.ai . Media Contacts: Azela M. Yunarko (Azel) Public Relations Specialist azel@mwxplatform.ai Disclaimer: This content is provided by the sponsor. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an "as-is" basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26e447f7-c952-420c-8bf7-1706234a7b94 China actively supports Qatar in hosting Second World Summit for Social Development: spokesperson Xinhua) 10:10, October 28, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China actively supports Qatar in hosting the Second World Summit for Social Development, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday. "Together with the rest of the international community, we stand ready to inject fresh impetus to global social development, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity," Guo told a regular press briefing. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng will visit Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from Oct. 28 to Nov. 2, and then attend the Second World Summit for Social Development in Qatar upon invitation from Nov. 3 to 5. Guo said the trip will be an important high-level interaction between China and countries in the Middle East. During the trip, Han will exchange in-depth views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest with relevant parties. Saudi Arabia is a comprehensive strategic partner of China, and Kuwait and Qatar are strategic partners of China. At the end of 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Saudi Arabia and attended the first China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and the first China-Arab States Summit. "Since then, China's relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have achieved remarkable progress. China has cemented political mutual trust with the three countries. Practical cooperation has produced fruitful results in various fields. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have intensified. And China has had sound communication and coordination with the three countries in regional and international affairs," Guo said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH) securities between February 5, 2025 and July 23, 2025, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), have until Tuesday, December 2, 2025 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Molina class action lawsuit. Captioned Hindlemann v. Molina Healthcare, Inc., No. 25-cv-09461 (C.D. Cal.), the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit charges Molina Healthcare as well as certain of Molina Healthcares top executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-molina-healthcare-inc-class-action-lawsuit-moh.html You can also contact attorneys J.C. Sanchez or Jennifer N. Caringal of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at info@rgrdlaw.com. CASE ALLEGATIONS: Molina Healthcare provides managed healthcare services to low-income families and individuals under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. The Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period failed to disclose: (i) material, adverse facts concerning Molina Healthcares medical cost trend assumptions; (ii) that Molina Healthcare was experiencing a dislocation between premium rates and medical cost trend; (iii) that Molina Healthcares near term growth was dependent on a lack of utilization of behavioral health, pharmacy, and inpatient and outpatient services; and (iv) as a result, Molina Healthcares financial guidance for fiscal year 2025 was substantially likely to be cut. The Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit further alleges that on July 7, 2025, Molina Healthcare revealed second quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of approximately $5.50 per share, which was below its prior expectations due to medical cost pressures in all three lines of business. Molina Healthcare also disclosed that it expects these medical cost pressures to continue into the second half of the year, cut guidance for expected adjusted earnings per share 10.2% at the midpoint, and that it was experiencing a short-term earnings pressure from a dislocation between premium rates and medical cost trend which has recently accelerated, the complaint alleges. On this news, the price of Molina Healthcare stock fell, according to the complaint. Then, the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit alleges that on July 23, 2025 Molina Healthcare reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025 and further cut its full-year 2025 earnings guidance. In doing so, Molina Healthcare revealed that GAAP net income was $4.75 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 8% year over year and it now expects its full year 2025 adjusted earnings to be no less than $19.00 per diluted share, the Molina Healthcare class action alleges. Molina Healthcare allegedly attributed its results and full year outlook to a challenging medical cost trend environment, including utilization of behavioral health, pharmacy, and inpatient and outpatient services. On this news, the price of Molina Healthcare stock fell nearly 17%, according to the complaint. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired Molina Healthcare securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Molina Healthcare class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the worlds leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud and shareholder litigation. Our Firm has been ranked #1 in the ISS Securities Class Action Services rankings for four out of the last five years for securing the most monetary relief for investors. In 2024, we recovered over $2.5 billion for investors in securities-related class action cases more than the next five law firms combined, according to ISS. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs firms in the world, and the Firms attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest ever $7.2 billion in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Contact: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP J.C. Sanchez, Jennifer N. Caringal 655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101 800-449-4900 info@rgrdlaw.com Pune, India, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The QKS Group SPARK Matrix provides competitive analysis & ranking of the leading ITSM vendors. EasyVista, with its integrated IT and enterprise service management platform, has received strong ratings across technology excellence and customer impact. QKS Group announced today that it has named EasyVista as a leader in the SPARK Matrix: IT Service Management Tools, Q4 2025. Karun E S, Principal Analyst at QKS Group, states, EasyVista continues to strengthen its positioning by combining ITSM, endpoint management, and digital experience monitoring into a cohesive platform. With AI-driven features like EV Pulse AI for summarization, multilingual support, and automation, the solution enhances both efficiency and user engagement. Its integration of real-user monitoring and XLA-based sentiment tracking allows IT teams to move beyond traditional SLA metrics, providing a clearer picture of end-user satisfaction. EasyVistas unified approach helps organizations streamline operations while proactively managing digital experiences across diverse IT environments. The QKS Group SPARK Matrix includes a detailed analysis of the global market dynamics, major trends, vendor landscape, and competitive positioning. The study also provides a competitive analysis and ranking of the IT Service Management Tools providers in the form of the SPARK Matrix. The study also provides strategic information for users to evaluate different vendor capabilities, competitive differentiation, and market positions. "This Leader designation from QKS Group highlights EasyVistas ability to set the benchmark for IT service excellence and deliver measurable outcomes for our customers, commented Loic Besnard, Chief Product Officer, EasyVista. We know organizations are looking for IT solutions that leverage AI to simplify complexity and deliver actionable insights, and our platform equips teams to turn intelligence into better experiences and measurable business outcomes. This recognition also reflects our commitment to customer-driven innovation and our ongoing investment in technology that delivers meaningful value to our customers. Additional Resources: About EasyVista: EasyVista is the European Champion in AI-Powered IT Service Management, bringing together service management, monitoring, automation, and remote support in one seamless platform. We enable AI that delivers value: empowering enterprises to transform data governance into a competitive advantage, automate IT operations, and accelerate innovation at scale. Our customer-first approach and advanced AI capabilities make us the technology partner of choice for businesses navigating the future of IT. www.easyvista.com. Media Contact: Marketing@easyvista.com About QKS Group QKS Group is a global analyst and advisory firm helping enterprises, technology vendors, and investors make trusted, data-driven decisions. Our portfolio spans the flagship SPARK Matrix evaluation framework, SPARK Plus analyst advisory platform, QKS Intelligence for market and competitive tracking, and QKS Community for CXO leaders and practitioners. All offerings are powered by a Human-Intelligence-driven framework and QKSs closed-loop research methodology - integrating expert-led insights, quantitative modeling, and continuous validation to deliver credible, outcome-focused intelligence. For more available research, please visit Research Media Contacts: Shraddha Roy PR & Media Relations QKS Group 5th Floor, Wing 2, Cluster C, EON Free Zone, Kharadi, Pune, India Email: shraddha.r@qksgroup.com Content Source: https://qksgroup.com/newsroom/easyvista-positioned-as-a-leader-in-the-spark-matrix-it-service-management-tools-q4-2025-by-qks-group-1559 Connect with us on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/qksgroup/ SUWANEE, Ga., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following its recent recapitalization with Battle Investment Group, Future Technologies Venture, LLC (Future Technologies), a leading North American systems integrator specializing in end-to-end private network solutions, today announced the appointment of Mary Peterson as Chairperson of its Advisory Board. This appointment marks the next phase in Future Technologies growth strategy, strengthening the companys advisory leadership as it accelerates expansion across its core markets Energy, Transportation, Manufacturing, Utility, Enterprise, and Government. Mary Peterson brings decades of experience in scaling global technology brands and building strong partner ecosystems, said Peter Cappiello, CEO of Future Technologies. Her vision and expertise in driving digital transformation across enterprise and telecommunications industries will be invaluable as we execute on our mission to connect and modernize Americas mission-critical infrastructure with resilience and innovation. Petersons Background Mary is a seasoned B2B technology marketing executive with an accomplished career spanning leadership roles at Cambium Networks, Ruckus Networks (CommScope), and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Most recently, she served as SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Cambium Networks, where she transformed the marketing function into a strategic driver of revenue growth and global brand presence Mary holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has served on nonprofit boards. She resides in northern Michigan with her husband and operates Tip of the Mitt Consulting, LLC I am honored to join Future Technologies as Chairperson of the Advisory Board, said Mary Peterson. The companys vision for advancing secure, high-performance connectivity infrastructure aligns perfectly with my career focus on growth, customer success, and technology-driven transformation. I look forward to working with this impressive team and my fellow advisors to support Future Technologies ambitious mission. Advisory Board Expansion Mary joins a distinguished Advisory Board comprised of leaders from across telecommunications, defense, and critical infrastructure industries. As Chairperson, she will guide strategic discussions on market expansion, innovation, and partnership development. Current members of the Advisory Board can be viewed here. About Future Technologies Venture, LLC Future Technologies is a North American lead systems integrator specializing in end-to-end private network solutions for the strategic vertical sectors; Energy, Transportation, Manufacturing, and Critical Infrastructure. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in metro Atlanta, GA, the company delivers assessment, design, deployment, and ongoing support to enable mission-critical infrastructure. With expertise spanning Private 5G, Fixed Wireless, Wi-Fi, Fiber, and legacy networks, Future Technologies powers advanced connectivity solutionsfrom AI, Edge Computing, and Robotics to Connected Worker and Automation. Tagline: Connecting Americas mission-critical infrastructure with security and resilience. Media Contacts Future Technologies Taylor Juska VP of Marketing E: tjuska@futuretechllc.com P: +1 (770) 995-6070 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/78548ccd-c1dc-4f8c-b98a-7f393b2dfe0b NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE: JHX) and certain of the Companys senior executives for securities fraud after significant stock drop resulting from the potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in James Hardie, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit. Investors have until December 23, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in James Hardie common stock (formerly American Depositary Shares). The class action is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is captioned Laborers District Council and Contractors Pension Fund of Ohio v. James Hardie Industries plc, et al., No. 1:25-cv-13018. Why Was James Hardie Sued for Securities Fraud? James Hardie is a producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement building solutions. The largest application for the Companys fiber cement building products in the United Stated and Canada is in external siding for the residential building industry. During the relevant period, James Hardie told investors that the results of its North American fiber cement segment demonstrated its inherent strength and the underlying momentum in our strategy. The Company also stated on May 20, 2025, that it was seeing normal stock levels among its customers and that it was seeing performance in the month to date as we would expect. As alleged, in truth, the Companys North American sales during the relevant period were the result of inventory loading by channel partners, with the hallmarks of fraudulent channel stuffing, not sustainable customer demand as represented. The Stock Declines as the Truth Is Revealed On August 19, 2025, James Hardie revealed that its North American fiber cement sales declined 12% during the quarter, driven by destocking first discovered in April through May as customers made efforts to return to more normal inventory levels[.] The Company also revealed that significant inventory destocking was expected to continue to impact sales for the next several quarters. On this news, the price of James Hardie stock fell $9.79 per share, or more than 34%, from $28.43 per share on August 19, 2025, to $18.64 per share on August 20, 2025. Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit. What Can You Do? If you invested in James Hardie you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@bfalaw.com 212.789.3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? BFA is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It has been named a top plaintiff law firm by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and ISS SCAS, and its attorneys have been named Elite Trial Lawyers by the National Law Journal, among the top 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers by Lawdragon, Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar by Law360 and SuperLawyers by Thomson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com. https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Ahead of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, set to be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1, CGTN has published an article highlighting how China has continuously injected stability and fresh momentum to the development of the Asia-Pacific region over the years. BEIJING, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just days after the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping is going to make his first overseas trip since the CPC plenum to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and to pay a state visit to South Korea from October 30 to November 1. As the session reaffirmed China's long-term vision and steady commitment to sharing growth opportunities with the world, observers are watching closely to see how China's leadership will bring new energy to Asia-Pacific development and help guide the region through increasing geopolitical and economic challenges. "There has never been a more critical time for APEC," said Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, in a recent interview. He expressed his anticipation of President Xi's participation, emphasizing that China has long been a strong supporter and contributor to APEC. Openness and connectivity for win-win cooperation On the Pacific coast of Peru, the Chancay Port South America's first smart and green port will soon celebrate its first anniversary of operation. Described as a "New Inca Trail," the project has created new trade routes between Latin America and Asia, serving as a clear example of openness and connectivity in the Asia-Pacific. When President Xi attended the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima in 2024, he watched the port's opening via video link. He has called for fully utilizing APEC's role as an "incubator of global economic and trade rules," promoting regional integration and connectivity, and removing barriers to the free flow of trade, investment, technology, and services. For decades, China has been a positive force for openness in the Asia-Pacific. In the first three quarters of 2025, China's trade with other APEC economies increased by 2 percent year-over-year, reaching 19.41 trillion yuan ($2.73 trillion), or 57.8 percent of its total trade. The ongoing growth of goods ranging from textiles to electronics and auto parts reflects the region's strong shared opportunities. China's actions reflect its consistent stance against protectionism and unilateralism. From the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to proactive steps toward joining the CPTPP and Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), Beijing has been contributing Chinese strength to building an open Asia-Pacific economy. Driving innovation to share development opportunities At the 2023 APEC CEO Summit, President Xi urged regional economies to "seize the opportunities of the new technological revolution" and to work together to promote digital, intelligent, and green transformation. He emphasized the importance of strengthening scientific and technological cooperation and creating an open, fair, and non-discriminatory environment for innovation. This vision is gaining ground across the region. At the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo, 62 projects involving new energy, artificial intelligence, and advanced materials were signed many focused on joint R&D rather than just trade. In Chile, Chinese-made double-decker electric buses played a key role in transporting people during the 19th Pan American Games in Santiago, providing clean energy for a continental sporting event and demonstrating China's sustainable technologies on a global scale. Herman Tiu Laurel, president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, a Manila-based think tank, observed that China's high-tech innovation and green transition open new frontiers for supply chains and create fresh opportunities for Asia-Pacific economies. Fostering inclusive growth for shared prosperity In late September, a China-supported Juncao and upland rice demonstration center was opened in Goroka, the capital of Papua New Guinea's Eastern Highlands Province. The project, a new achievement in China-Papua New Guinea collaboration on poverty reduction, is helping local communities boost food security and build sustainable livelihoods. It provides a glimpse into how China's development approach is changing lives across the Asia-Pacific. President Xi has reaffirmed that common development remains the main goal of Asia-Pacific cooperation. Following this vision, China has been actively taking action rather than just promoting the idea. From advancing initiatives within APEC to increase household income and promote cluster-based growth among small and medium-sized enterprises, to inviting Asia-Pacific partners to join the Global Development Initiative (GDI), China has consistently strengthened collaboration in poverty reduction, food security, industrialization, and development financing with regional economies to maintain steady momentum in the region's pursuit of shared prosperity. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-10-28/How-China-injects-stability-fresh-momentum-into-Asia-Pacific-growth-1HPVyFCnl9S/p.html FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deutsche Lufthansa AG (EXCHANGE: LHA.XE), based in Cologne, Germany, focused on the aviation industry, today announced that Marc-Dominic Nettesheim, Head of Investor Relations Lufthansa Group, will present live at the dbVIC - Deutsch Bank American Depositary Receipt (ADR) Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on November 4th, 2025. This virtual conference program is aimed exclusively at introducing global companies with ADR programs to investors. DATE: November 4th TIME: 11:00 AM ET LINK: REGISTER HERE This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Participation is free of charge. Recent Company Highlights Deutsche Lufthansa AG recently hosted a capital markets day with the following key messages and strategic and financial outlook: Maximization of synergies by consistently promoting integrated and networked cooperation within the Group Focus on hub airlines: transformation programs and fleet renewal pave the way for greater profitability More than 230 new aircraft by 2030 including 100 long-haul aircraft Point-to-point business with Eurowings, MRO and cargo business complete the Group's broad portfolio New medium-term financial targets for 2028-2030: 8-10 percent Adjusted EBIT margin 15-20 percent Adjusted Return on Capital Employed Over 2.5 billion euros in Adjusted Free Cash Flow per year Reduction of 4,000 administrative jobs by 2030 through digitalization, automation, and process consolidation About Deutsche Lufthansa AG The Lufthansa Group is an aviation group with operations worldwide. It plays a leading role in its European home market. With 101,709 employees, the Lufthansa Group generated revenue of EUR 37,581m in the financial year 2024. The Lufthansa Group consists of the business segments Passenger Airlines, Logistics, MRO and Additional Businesses. The Passenger Airlines business segment includes, on the one hand, the network airlines Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways. As part of a multi-hub strategy, they offer their passengers a broad range of flights from their hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome. Lufthansa Airlines also has close relationships with the regional airlines Lufthansa CityLine, Lufthansa City Airlines and Air Dolomiti as well as Discover Airlines, the Lufthansa Groups holiday airline. Edelweiss, the leading Swiss holiday airline, has a close relationship with SWISS. Eurowings also belongs to the Passenger Airlines business segment. This airline provides a comprehensive range of point-to-point connections for short- and medium-haul destinations, in particular from German-speaking countries. Additional Businesses include, in particular, Lufthansa Aviation Training and Lufthansa Systems. The Group Functions are also part of this business segment. AirPlus was sold to SEB Kort Bank AB in July 2024. About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. CONTACTS: Deutsche Lufthansa AG Marc-Dominic Nettesheim Head of Investor Relations Investor.relations@dlh.de Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 johnv@otcmarkets.com SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Little Leaves Behavioral Services, a leading provider of center-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for preschool-aged autistic children, today announced the launch of two new Virginia centers one in Chantilly, which is now open, and the other in Tysons Corner, which will open in early November. These centers, Little Leaves fifth and sixth in the state, will help meet the rising demand for early intervention resources in the region. Designed for children up to age 6 who have been recommended for ABA therapy, Little Leaves programs operate in a preschool-like setting that fosters school readiness and independence. The clinical team works closely with each childs family to develop and implement individualized therapy plans tailored to their unique needs. Two board-certified behavior analysts who specialize in working with young children with autism will lead the new centers: Sunya Alam, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA will direct the Chantilly location (4090 Lafayette Center Dr., Chantilly, VA) and Regional Director Chelsea Moore, MS, BCBA, LBA will oversee Tysons Corner (133 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA). Families in Fairfax County deserve timely access to high-quality autism services, said Alam. By opening the Chantilly center, were giving children the chance to learn important communication, social, and everyday life skills in a supportive environment while easing the burden of long commutes and wait times for parents. The new locations each have the capacity to serve up to 24 children and create approximately 30 jobs locally, including roles for board-certified behavior analysts and registered behavior technicians. Both centers include spaces for individual and group therapy, as well as designated play areas. Our team is passionate about creating a warm, engaging space where young children can grow in confidence and independence, said Moore. Every childs journey is unique, and its an honor to work alongside Fairfax County families as we prepare their children for success in school and beyond. Earlier this year, Little Leaves opened two new centers in Maryland. In total, the organization operates 18 centers across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Florida, with plans to expand to 25 centers on the East Coast over the next five years. Our goal is to increase access to high-quality early intervention services for children with autism, said Steven DeVore, president of Little Leaves Behavioral Services. This expansion is part of a broader growth strategy that includes adding more centers in existing markets where demand exceeds capacity, so more families in underserved communities can benefit from ABA therapy. We also plan to establish centers in new regions, helping even more children develop essential skills for success in school and beyond. ABA is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Academies of Science and the surgeon general. For more information or to schedule a tour, please visit Little Leaves, Chantilly: https://littleleaves.org/location/chantilly-va/ and Little Leaves, Tysons Corner: https://littleleaves.org/location/tysons-corner-va. About Little Leaves Behavioral Services Little Leaves, a division of FullBloom, is a center-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program for young children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder run in a preschool-like setting. It is designed for children up to age 6 who have been recommended for intensive ABA services. Each client works one-on-one with a trained behavior technician on individualized goals with a focus on social communication, social interactions, and school readiness skills. The company operates centers in Maryland, Virginia, and Florida. www.littleleaves.org. MAYFIELD VILLAGE, OHIO, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As previously announced, The Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR) will host an Investor Relations conference call on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, beginning at 9:30 a.m. eastern time. This quarterly call, which will consist of both a conference call and audio-only webcast, is scheduled to last 60 minutes and will consist of a question-and-answer session with Tricia Griffith, our CEO, and John Sauerland, our CFO. Call-in participants will be able to ask questions via phone, however, webcast participants will not be able to submit questions online. On November 3, 2025, Progressive expects to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission and post its Shareholders Report, including the Letter to Shareholders from Tricia Griffith, to its website at https://investors.progressive.com/financials . To receive the details on how to access the call or to join the webcast, visit Progressives website at https://investors.progressive.com/events . Replays of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the call concludes. The archived webcast will be able to be accessed from Progressives website at https://investors.progressive.com/events and will remain available until November 5, 2026. About Progressive Progressive Insurance makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance , home insurance , and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however its most convenient for them online at progressive.com , by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent. Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle , and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers. Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price, Snapshot, and HomeQuote Explorer. Atlanta, GA, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 1-800TruckWreck, powered by Witherite Law Group, partnered with Hot 107.9 and Majic 107.5/97.5 to award a record-breaking $85,000 to the top 10 high school bands in Metro Atlanta during the fifth annual Great Atlanta Band Challenge. The first-place winner received $20,000, second- and third-place winners each received $15,000 and the remaining seven finalists took home $5,000 each - for the fourth consecutive year of expanded support. The challenge honors the talent, discipline and creativity of local high school musicians, providing a platform to showcase their skills and secure vital funding to strengthen their band programs. Sponsored by 1-800TruckWreck, Atlantas Radio One stations promoted the Great Atlanta Band Challenge throughout September, drawing 62 entries from high school bands across Metro Atlanta competing for the top three spots. South Gwinnett High School, Griffin High School and Douglas County High School secured first, second and third place, respectively. Each school was honored with a celebratory check presentation from 1-800TruckWreck on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. The presentations took place during spirited pep rallies at each campus, where Hot 107.9 radio personality Partyboi Deuce joined students and staff to celebrate their achievements. The excitement was palpable across the winning schools. Were ecstatic! We are the ATL champions for the Great Atlanta Band contest, said Shawan Baptiste, band director, South Gwinnett High School. Amy Witherite will get you right. For many educators, the recognition means more than just financial support. Im elated and the students are elated because what it represents is the community is behind them. There are so many times where we have music students who feel like theyre performing in the background and that theyre not appreciated, said Torre Goodson, band director, Douglas County High School. This represents the fact that the community respects and appreciates all that we contribute and the students see it. And all that does it put a battery pack in their back to continue growing and doing better. This is an awesome thing that Amy Witherite and 107.9 are doing for the community. To further support the growing need for fine arts funding, 1-800TruckWreck also awarded $5,000 each to seven additional finalists, including Dutchtown High School; Stockbridge High School; Riverdale High School; Miller Grove High School; Westlake High School; South Cobb High School; and Creekside High School. Since its inception five years ago, the Great Atlanta Band Challenge has helped Atlanta-area schools strengthen their music programs by providing vital financial support. Past winners have used the funds to cover competition travel, purchase new uniforms and invest in new instruments. Including this years challenge, 1-800TruckWreck has contributed more than $200,000 to support local high school band programs and keep the spirit of music education alive in the community. For more information about the Great Atlanta Band Challenge and the winners, visit http://www.greatbandchallenge.com. ### EVENT PHOTOS AND B-ROLL INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES The following spokespeople are available for interviews: Amy Witherite founder, Witherite Law Group and owner, 1-800TruckWreck Gary Saunders director of programs and promotions, 1-800TruckWreck Band winners at local Atlanta schools ABOUT 1-800TRUCKWRECK 1-800TruckWreck is a personal injury law firm with offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Atlanta, and Chicago. The firm's attorneys specialize in helping those injured in a car or truck accident and can be reached by calling 1-800TruckWreck or 1-800CarWreck, 24 hours a day. SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS 1-800TruckWreck Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1800TruckWreck/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1800truckwreck/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/1800truckwreck Attachment BRADENTON, Fla., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recreatives Industries, Inc. (OTC: RECX) (Recreatives or the Company), the manufacturer of the legendary MAX 6x6 Amphibious All-Terrain Vehicles, today announced that it has signed its first authorized dealer under the companys newly launched dealer floorplan program. Vilonia Treasure Chest of Vilonia, Arkansas has joined the MAX Dealer Network with an initial purchase of three units. Watch Vilonias Facebook video showcasing the vehicles here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1G2sGJDSwP/ RECXs new floorplan program, announced in August, allows qualified dealers to secure MAX vehicles with $0 down and 0% interest for the first six months, dramatically lowering the barrier to entry for powersports and outdoor equipment dealers seeking to expand their product lines. With the initial flooring capacity, RECX can support up to 40 additional dealers under this program nationwide. Signing Vilonia Treasure Chest as our first dealer on our floorplan program is an exciting milestone for us as it represents the beginning of a new growth chapter for MAX ATVs, said Andrew Lapp, CEO of Recreatives Industries Inc. Our floorplan financing structure is designed to make it easier than ever for dealers to carry the MAX line, while providing consumers across the U.S. with better access to shop for and service our amphibious ATVs. Currently, RECX has seven active dealers in Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Looking ahead to Q4 2025 and beyond, RECXs primary focus is building out its U.S. dealer network by leveraging the new floorplan. The company plans to expand its footprint significantly, providing more consumers with access to the only U.S.-made amphibious 6x6 vehicles, trusted since 1969. To receive frequent updates, follow Recreatives Industries, Inc.: On Facebook: facebook.com/maxatv On X (formerly Twitter): x.com/recreativesind MAX Mailing List: maxatvs.com To learn more about MAX ATVs and for general inquiries, visit www.maxatvs.com or contact 1-800-255-2511. About Recreatives Industries, Inc. RECREATIVES INDUSTRIES, INC. ("RECX") is the manufacturer of MAX amphibious six-wheel-drive (6x6) all-terrain vehicles (www.maxatvs.com), originally manufactured by Recreatives Industries Inc. of Buffalo, NY, from 1970 to 2013. RECX is continuing MAX's brand legacy of 53 years by relaunching the entire MAX ATV product line from existing, proven designs, which will ensure a rapid re-entry into the global ATV and UTV. Beyond traditional MAX ATV production, RECX plans to diversify its product line by introducing new vehicles and products to market in a compressed timeframe. The company's planned diversification includes larger eight-wheeled vehicles (8x8) as well as electric vehicle (EV) drivetrains to draw on recent advancements in battery and drive motor technology, which make fitment in smaller vehicles possible. RECX management believes that electric vehicles can ultimately offer performance that exceeds that of the traditional mechanical transmissions that most all-terrain vehicles employ. Safe Harbor This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this press release are also "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). Such statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "plans," "projects," "will," "may," "anticipates," "believes," "should," "intends," "estimates," and other words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, involve known and unknown risks, a reliance on third parties for information, transactions or orders that may be canceled, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in our industry, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results include risks and uncertainties related to the fluctuation of global economic conditions, the performance of management and our employees, our ability to obtain financing or maintain contractual relationships with vendors and customers, competition, general economic conditions and other factors that are detailed in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC "). We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA, Securities Act, and Securities Exchange Act. CONTACT: Recreatives Industries, Inc. Investor Relations ir@recreatives.com 1-800-255-2511 www.recreatives.com DALLAS, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EXP, a global engineering, architecture, design and consulting firm, announces the opening of its new office in Galleria Dallas, Texas. The move signifies EXPs ongoing commitment to expanding its footprint throughout Texas and the region. The new state-of-the-art office serves as another hub of EXPs mission critical, aviation and infrastructure capabilities. EXP is invested in Texas, Executive Vice President Timothy Neumann, AIA, NCARB said. We selected a location where employees can enjoy a collaborative and client-focused office space. Were now focused on growing our team to support EXPs operations. Strategically located in the Galleria Dallas, the new office offers convenient access to amenities and transportation. EXP intends to hire over 30 engineers and specialists to support its ongoing expansion. The hiring initiative underscores EXPs dedication to cultivating top talent and delivering exceptional service to its clients. To learn more about EXP's ongoing projects and open positions, visit www.exp.com/careers and connect with EXPs recruiters directly at recruitment@exp.com. About EXP With a mission to understand, innovate, partner and deliver, EXP provides engineering, architecture, design and consulting services to the worlds built and natural environments. Our heritage dates back to 1906, when the earliest of EXPs predecessor companies started its engineering infrastructure practice. Since then we have grown to a full-service, multidisciplinary firm delivering projects and solutions to clients and communities around the world. Today, thousands of creative professionals across EXP work together to deliver extraordinary experiences year after year. For more information, visit www.exp.com. Media contact Nadia Abou-El-Seoud EXP | Vice President, Communications +1.630.936.8207 | nadia.abou@exp.com This press release was published by a CLEAR Verified individual. BERLIN, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WINGIE, the leading travel marketplace in MENA, has launched Wingie Talkie, an AI-powered solution transforming multilingual customer support in call centers. It instantly translates Turkish-speaking agents' speech into the user's language, ensuring clear communication and fast, high-quality service worldwide, without the need for multilingual agents. Redefining Global Travel with AI With Wingie Talkie, WINGIEs call center team in Turkiye now answers calls from customers worldwide in Turkish, while AI instantly translates conversations into the user's language. This solution ensures fast, consistent, and high-quality service, enhancing communication across markets with ease and enabling seamless booking for users worldwide. Developing Technology Locally, Serving the World Serving 18 million users globally, WINGIE offers high-quality services in 27 countries and 19 languages. Wingie Talkie empowers local teams to support international customers in five languages, with plans to expand to 19 languages, all while maintaining exceptional service standards, while ensuring fast, seamless booking for users worldwide. Improved Customer Satisfaction with Wingie Talkie WINGIE Co-Founder and COO, Nihan Colak Erol, highlighted the impact of Wingie Talkie on global customer support: "Weve reduced waiting times in the foreign language queue by 60%, with 10% of global calls now answered through Wingie Talkie. Representatives can handle calls faster with less stress, offering multilingual support seamlessly." Wingie Talkie: A Smarter, Data-Driven Travel Companion Beyond real-time translation, Wingie Talkie is enhancing call quality with sentiment analysis, success metrics, and actionable insights for representatives. By analyzing data, WINGIE will optimize user experience and operational efficiency, making Wingie Talkie a continuously smarter companion for customers worldwide. About Wingie Enuygun Group Wingie Enuygun Group is a leading travel marketplace in the MENA region, specializing in flights through its platforms wingie.com, sa.wingie.com, wingie.ae and enuygun.com. The company offers a comprehensive range of travel products including flights, hotels, rental cars and bus tickets. Recognized for its innovation, Wingie Enuygun Group is at the forefront of the MENA online travel space, pioneering technological advancements and driving digital transformation within the industry. Wingie leverages advanced AI technology to provide seamless user experience, featuring virtual interlining for flights and a diverse array of airline tickets and travel content. The platform is available in six languages, employs over 400 people, and attracts approximately 200 million visitors annually, reaffirming its position as a premier choice for travelers. Contact: marketing@wingie.com Winners of the 4th TIRI Awards Listed Companies Group. TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Taiwan Investor Relations Institute (TIRI) held its 7th Annual Conference, officially launching the Taiwan Investor Relations Charter (TIRC) professional training program. The initiative establishes a structured learning and talent development framework aimed at enhancing the communication and governance standards of Taiwans listed companies and setting a new benchmark for IR professionalism in the capital market. The conference also featured the 4th TIRI Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in investor relations. Award winners included DELTA (2308), CHENBRO (8210), VPEC (2455), AURAS (3324), and JARLLY (3548). A new category, the IR Progress Potential Award, was introduced to commend ten emerging small and mid-cap companies for their exceptional corporate governance and market growth. Winners of the TIRI Awards OTC Companies Group. Distinguished speakers from Extel, S&P Global, and Bloomberg delivered keynote presentations on Global Investor Perspectives on Taiwan-listed Companies, The Evolving IR Landscape in Volatile Markets, and Leveraging Data Insights to Strengthen IR Strategy. First Cohort of TIRC Participants (from left to right): Jonny Kuo, Paul Yeh, Teng-Hsi Chang, Cash Hung, An-Ci Lin, Jack M. Chang, Ya-Jou Chang, and Judy Hsu. TIRI Chairperson Jonny Kuo stated that the TIRC program marks a major milestone in Taiwans IR development helping IR practitioners gain global perspectives and professional capabilities while fostering transparent and effective communication with investors. In 2025, TIRI also deepened international collaboration by engaging with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Japan Investor Relations Association (JIRA), National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI, U.S.), German IR Association (DIRK), Turkish IR Association (TUYID), and Bulgarian IR Association (ABIRD). These partnerships strengthen Taiwans connection to the global IR community and align its practices with international standards. As the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) transitions Taiwans Corporate Governance Evaluation into an ESG-focused framework by 2026, TIRI continues to enhance board training, governance assessment, and sustainability disclosure guidance. Through these efforts, TIRI helps companies build investor confidence and reinforce Taiwans competitiveness in the international capital market. Media Contact: Taiwan Investor Relations Institute (TIRI) office@tiri.tw Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3cc98af0-7356-4bb6-a69e-a17c861991bb https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0fbd1040-fc35-4b2d-81f5-0cdf373a2b3b https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26c5856e-a413-4780-85fe-e7d1b07d48c1 PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that it is investigating MediaAlpha, Inc. (NYSE: MAX) on behalf of the companys long-term investors. Click here for additional information: https://kaskelalaw.com/case/mediaalpha-max/ Since February 2024, shares of MediaAlphas stock have declined in value from a trading price of over $21.00 per share to a current trading price of less than $12.00 per share, a cumulative decline of over $9.00 per share, or over 42% in value. The investigation seeks to determine whether MediaAlpha and/or the companys officers and directors violated the securities laws or breached their fiduciary duties to the companys investors in connection with recent corporate actions. Current MediaAlpha shareholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) to receive additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options at (484) 229 0750. Alternatively, investors may contact the firm by clicking on the following link (or by copying and pasting the link into your browser): https://kaskelalaw.com/case/mediaalpha-max/ Kaskela Law LLC exclusively represents investors in securities fraud, corporate governance, and merger & acquisition litigation on a contingent basis. Since 2020, Kaskela Law LLC has helped to recover over $500 million for investors. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com. CONTACT: KASKELA LAW LLC D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. (skaskela@kaskelalaw.com) Adrienne Bell, Esq. (abell@kaskelalaw.com) 18 Campus Blvd., Suite 100 Newtown Square, PA 19073 (888) 715 - 1740 www.kaskelalaw.com This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. Dublin, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 100+ KPIs, Market Size & Forecast by End Markets, Precast Products, and Precast Materials - Q2 2025 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The prefabricated construction market in Myanmar is expected to grow by 10.5% on annual basis to reach MMK 357.09 billion in 2025. The prefabricated construction market in the country has experienced steady growth during 2020-2024, achieving a CAGR of 12.2%. This upward trajectory is expected to continue, with the market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% during 2025-2029. By the end of 2029, the prefabricated construction sector is projected to expand from its 2024 value of MMK 323.01 billion to approximately MMK 553.36 billion. This report provides a detailed data-centric analysis of the prefabricated construction sector in Myanmar, offering a comprehensive view of market opportunities across end-markets, materials, and products at the country level. With over 100+ KPIs covering growth dynamics in prefabricated construction, this databook provides a wealth of data-centric analysis with charts and tables. Reasons to buy Comprehensive Market Value Forecasts (2020-2029): Access detailed, data-driven forecasts of the prefabricated construction market's value across a nine-year period, segmented by construction methods, products, materials, and sectors. Granular Product and Component-Level Analysis: Measure the market value of individual prefabricated components - including superstructures, roofs, floors, walls, room modules, and columns & beams - with breakdowns by material and end-use sector. Sector-Wise Breakdown of Prefabrication Demand: Track prefabricated construction adoption across residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, with further segmentation by construction type (e.g., single-family vs. multi-family, office, retail, hospitality). Cross-Segmentation for Deeper Clarity: Leverage detailed cross-tabulations such as Product Material and Product Sector to understand layered market structures and identify segment-specific demand patterns. Scope Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Size by Prefabricated Material X Product Aluminium (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Wood (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Iron & Steel (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Concrete (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Glass (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Other (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Size by Prefabrication Product X Construction Sector Residential (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Commercial (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Industrial (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Institutional (Building Superstructure, Roof Construction, Floor Construction, Interior Room Modules, Exterior Walls, Columns & Beams, Other) Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Size by Building Construction Sector Residential Single-Family Multi Family Commercial Office Retail Hospitality Other Institutional Industrial Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Size by Prefabrication Methods Panelised construction Modular (Volumetric) construction Hybrid (Semi-volumetric) construction Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Size by Type of Material Aluminium Wood Iron & Steel Concrete Glass Other Myanmar Prefabricated Construction Market Size by Type of Product Building Superstructure Roof Construction Floor Construction Interior Room Modules Exterior Walls Columns & Beams Other For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/izl8bj About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. QUITO, Ecuador, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NVA APP Ecuador (NVA APP ECU) is set to launch its Initial Public Offering (IPO), marking a major milestone that heralds a new stage in the companys development and brings renewed vitality to the film promotion industry. As an emerging force in film promotion and marketing, NVA APP ECUs upcoming listing underscores the companys excellence in creative planning, event execution, media partnerships, and fan engagement, while signaling vast potential for future growth in movie promotion, theatrical distribution, and cross-media marketing. Justin Anthony Tripodi, CEO of NVA APP South America, commented on the upcoming IPO: The forthcoming listing of NVA APP ECU represents the collective efforts of our entire team. Every promotional campaign and marketing initiative embodies our creativity, professionalism, and commitment. This IPO will not only mark a historic moment for the company but also serve as recognition and reward for the long-term dedication of our employees. Since its establishment, NVA APP ECU has adhered to the core philosophy of innovation-driven, integrity-based operations, focusing on comprehensive film promotion services, including movie premiere event planning, theatrical marketing, social media campaigns, fan engagement activities, and media collaboration. The company is committed to providing clients with **end-to-end solutionsfrom creative concept and event execution to performance evaluation**continuously driving innovation and development in the film promotion industry. NVA APP ECU expects to complete its IPO process by the end of this year, an important step that will bring employees new career development opportunities while laying a solid foundation for business expansion and strategic growth. The company also expresses its sincere appreciation to government agencies, regulatory authorities, investors, partners, and all employees for their continued support and trust. Through this IPO, NVA APP ECU aims to further enhance its international influence, brand recognition, and corporate value. As a U.S.-regulated multinational, NVA APP ECU remains committed to compliance with international standards, maintaining transparency and high-quality governance to foster a trustworthy corporate image. Looking ahead, NVA APP ECU will continue to follow its business philosophy of customer-centered, quality-driven, management-oriented, and innovation-focused, strengthening its core competitiveness, expanding its film promotion portfolio, optimizing event execution processes, and enhancing both brand value and industry influence. The company plans to leverage post-IPO resources to organize more large-scale movie premieres, cross-platform marketing campaigns, and international collaborations, ensuring that each film achieves maximum exposure and market impact. NVA APP ECU is also dedicated to maintaining open, transparent, and standardized operations, while continuously enhancing corporate value and market competitiveness to deliver greater returns for shareholders. At the same time, it will continue to invest in employee growth and welfare, ensuring every team member shares in the companys progress and success. With the upcoming IPO, NVA APP ECU is poised to set a new benchmark in the film promotion industry and inject new momentum into its development. Moving forward, the company will continue to drive creative marketing and fan engagement innovation, lead industry trends, and strengthen its presence on the international stagedelivering a fresh, dynamic, and impactful promotional experience for film projects worldwide. Media Contact: Company: NVA Ecuador Advertising Co., Ltd. Contact Person: Justin Anthony Tripodi Email: nvaecuador@gmail.com Website: https://ninva.com Disclaimer: This content is provided by NVA Ecuador Advertising Co., Ltd. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. 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We assume no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained herein. Any complaints, copyright issues, or inquiries regarding this article should be directed to the content provider listed above. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ba4eca29-e994-4dbb-9e25-cedf8b6809c7 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bbbafe30-bf8a-4590-b667-7c648b7155dc https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2707b0ed-3ce3-4a91-8169-ae86775ddc98 MISHAWAKA, Ind., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lighthouse Autism Center, a leading provider of center-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, announced plans to open a new center in Grand Island, Nebraska. This latest expansion underscores Lighthouses ongoing commitment to serving families and addressing the growing need for autism therapy services across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and North Carolina. The Grand Island Autism Center will be Lighthouses sixth location in Nebraska. The center is slated to open on December 15, 2025, and will provide autism services to 15 families while creating 20 new jobs in the area. The center will be located at 3230 West Schimmer Drive, Suite 1, Grand Island, Nebraska 68801. The Grand Island center will feature Lighthouses signature design bright, engaging play spaces and therapy rooms that foster natural learning through fun and exploration. Families will have access to a full range of services, including autism testing, ABA therapy, speech therapy, parent support and school readiness programming. This expansion marks another important milestone in Lighthouses growth across Nebraska, joining existing centers in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and South Sioux City that have seen strong community response and high demand for services. With this new location, Lighthouse continues to address the critical need for accessible, high-quality autism therapy in Nebraskas south-central region. Every community deserves access to compassionate, evidence-based ABA services, said Lindsey Aberle, regional director at Lighthouse Autism Center. Expanding into Grand Island allows us to reach even more families and provide individualized care. Our team is proud to bring the Lighthouse Fusion model and our play-based approach to a community that has shown tremendous enthusiasm for what we do. About Lighthouse Autism Center Founded in 2012 by parents of a child with autism, Lighthouse Autism Center has grown into the Midwest's leading provider of ABA therapy. With a network of centers across multiple statesincluding Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and North CarolinaLighthouse offers an array of services tailored to meet the unique needs of children with autism. At Lighthouse, ABA therapy is delivered in a natural, play-based environment where children can explore their interests and learn through fun and engagement. Notably, Lighthouse Fusiona groundbreaking approach to speech therapyallows children to participate in co-treat sessions with dually certified BCBA/SLPs, enabling comprehensive therapy that promotes accelerated progress in speech and communication skills. Lighthouse Autism Center believes that every child possesses unique and unlimited potential. By combining compassionate care with clinical excellence, Lighthouse is dedicated to unlocking that potential and making a lasting difference in the lives of families across the nation. For more information about Lighthouse Autism Center and its services, please visit www.lighthouseautismcenter.com . Media Contact: Ethan Sheckler (574) 345-0051 esheckler@lighthouseaba.com Dublin, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Australia Tomato Seeds Market - Variety Trends & Forecast 2025-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Australia's Tomato Seeds Market is expected to reach US$ 42.18 million by 2033 from US$ 23.69 million in 2024, with a CAGR of 6.62% from 2025 to 2033. Australia's tomato seed business is expanding due to growing greenhouse farming, customer desire for locally grown, fresh product, and improvements in seed breeding technology. Key Factors Driving the Australia Tomato Seeds Market Growth Growth in Greenhouse Production In Australian agriculture, greenhouse farming has grown significantly, especially for the production of tomatoes. By offering a controlled atmosphere that lessens the difficulties caused by seasonal weather fluctuations, this approach enables manufacturing to continue throughout the year. Greenhouses provide for constant crop yields and high-quality food by controlling variables like temperature, humidity, and light. Furthermore, plants grown in greenhouses are less susceptible to pests and diseases, which results in healthier plants and a lower need for chemical treatments. Sustainability is further improved by greenhouses' effective use of resources, such as water and fertilizers. The tomato seeds business is growing as a result of the rising demand for greenhouse-friendly tomato seed variants. Preference of Locally Sourced Produce by Consumers Locally grown and organic produce, especially tomatoes, is becoming more and more popular in Australia. The advantages of eating fresh, locally farmed food are becoming more widely recognized since it is seen to be healthier and more ecologically friendly. Farmers are encouraged to embrace agricultural approaches that suit these tastes, such as organic farming and sustainable growing techniques, by this change in consumer behavior. As a result, there is a greater need for tomato seed types that can grow well in regional growing circumstances and are appropriate for organic farming. In addition to promoting regional farming, this tendency spurs innovation and expansion in the tomato seed sector as growers look for seeds that satisfy changing customer demands. Technological Developments in Seed Breeding The Australian tomato seed market has been greatly influenced by recent developments in seed breeding technology. The production of tomato seed varieties with improved features, such as increased disease resistance, increased yield potential, and improved tolerance to different climatic situations, has been made possible by innovations like genetic alteration and marker-assisted selection. Farmers can now grow tomatoes that are more resistant to pests and environmental stressors because of technological improvements, which lessens the need for chemical treatments and enhances crop health overall. Additionally, producing tomato varieties that are suited to certain area circumstances improves quality and output. In order to satisfy the demands of contemporary agriculture, the tomato seed business is expanding as a result of the acceptance of these cutting-edge seed types. Challenges in the Australia Tomato Seeds Market Climate Variability and Extreme Weather Climate unpredictability and extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and protracted heatwaves are posing a growing threat to Australia's tomato seed industry. Because tomatoes are sensitive to changes in their environment, these occurrences directly affect the agricultural industry. Reduced total output, slowed plant development, and decreased seed germination rates might result from unpredictable weather. This increases the risk and unpredictability of crop planning and investment for farmers. Climate-resilient seed kinds that can tolerate extreme circumstances are becoming more and more necessary in order to adapt. These cutting-edge seeds, however, are frequently more expensive and could not be accessible. Because of this, many producers find it challenging to consistently guarantee output and effectively reduce climate-related hazards. High Price for High-Quality Seeds To increase productivity in Australia's tomato farming, high-yield, disease-resistant, and hybrid tomato seeds must be used. However, a major obstacle is the expensive price of these premium-quality seeds, especially for independent or small-scale farmers with tight finances. These producers may reuse seeds from prior crops or use less expensive, lower-quality substitutes since they cannot purchase sophisticated seed types. This frequently leads to reduced marketable yields, more susceptibility to pests and diseases, and uneven crop performance. Experimentation with newer types that could give superior flavor or resilience is also limited by the cost of purchasing high-quality seeds. As a result, the high cost of improved seeds prevents wider adoption and may impede the sector's overall growth. Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 200 Forecast Period 2024-2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $23.69 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $42.18 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.6% Regions Covered Australia Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 2. Research & Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Growth Drivers 4.2 Challenges 5. Australia Tomato Seeds Market 5.1 Historical Market Trends 5.2 Market Forecast 6. Market Share Analysis 6.1 By Product 6.2 By Application 6.3 By Type 6.4 By Technology 7. Product 7.1 Large Tomato Seeds 7.2 Cherry Tomato Seeds 7.3 Others 8. Application 8.1 Farmland 8.2 Greenhouse 8.3 Others 9. Type 9.1 Open-Pollinated Varieties 9.2 Hybrids 9.3 Others 10. Technology 10.1 Open-Field 10.2 Protected Cultivation 11. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 11.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers 11.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 11.3 Degree of Rivalry 11.4 Threat of New Entrants 11.5 Threat of Substitutes 12. SWOT Analysis 12.1 Strength 12.2 Weakness 12.3 Opportunity 12.4 Threat 13. Key Players 13.1 BASF S.E. 13.1.1 Overviews 13.1.2 Key Persons 13.1.3 Recent Developments 13.1.4 Revenue 13.2 Sakata Seed Corporation 13.3 Bayer Crop Science SE 13.4 Syngenta AG 13.5 Gansu Dunhuang Seed Co. Ltd. 13.6 UPL LMt. 13.7 GroupeLimagrain Holding 13.8 RijkZwaanZaadteelt en Zaadhandel B.V. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dqkjbp About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Please find below Aedificas interim financial report for the 3rd quarter of the 2025 financial year. Progress on Aedificas exchange offer on all Cofinimmo shares Aedifica has formally filed its request for approval of the transaction with the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) on 27 October Final decision from BCA anticipated within 55 working days Robust operational performance driving strong results above budget EPRA Earnings* amounted to 185.8 million (+4% compared to 30 Sept. 2024) or 3.91/share Rental income increased to 271.8 million (+8% compared to 30 Sept. 2024) 3.1% increase in rental income on a like-for-like basis* in the first 9 months of the year Weighted average unexpired lease term of 18 years and occupancy rate of 100% Real estate portfolio* of 6.2 billion as at 30 September 2025 615 healthcare properties for 48,900 end users across 7 countries Valuation of investment properties increased by 0.4% in Q3 and 0.8% YTD on a like-for-like basis 33 properties were divested for 125 million as part of strategic asset rotation programme (YTD) 163 million in new investments announced to date in 2025 (14 new projects added to pipeline & 8 acquisitions) Pipeline of 189 million, offering an average initial yield on cost of 6.5%. 9 projects totalling 81 million have been delivered so far in 2025 Solid balance sheet and strong liquidity 41.2% debt-to-assets ratio as at 30 September 2025 614 million of headroom on committed credit lines to finance CAPEX and liquidity needs Average cost of debt* including commitment fees of 2.2% S&P reconfirmed BBB credit rating and placed Aedificas rating on CreditWatch with positive implications following the announcement of the agreement between Aedifica & Cofinimmo to unite EPRA NTA* of 76.58/share (vs. 76.63/share on 31 Dec. 2024, before distribution of dividend) Improved outlook for 2025 Estimated EPRA Earnings* per share for the full 2025 financial year are increased to approx. 5.10/share (previously 5.01/share), excluding the transaction costs related to the exchange offer Proposed dividend for the 2025 financial year reconfirmed: 4.00/share (gross) Attachments MADRID, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Technology services company Lleida.net has exceeded three million in cumulative EBITDA at the end of the third quarter for the first time in its history. As of 30 September, the listed company's EBITDA stood at 3.02 million, up 34% on the same period last year, when it stood at 2.24 million. Likewise, the EBITDA without activations recorded by the company at the end of the third quarter exceeded last year's figure by 53%, closing at 2.25 million. Lleida.net's cumulative pre-tax profit at the end of the period was 1.15 million, up 182% on last year. "We have crossed an important threshold this quarter, proving once again that we are doing things right, adding value for shareholders and innovating for the future," said Sisco Sapena, CEO and founder. "The context is good for the company after the implementation of the new legislation on conciliation before legal proceedings, and we believe we have a lot of growth potential in the short term," he added. In the first nine months of the year, the company recorded sales of 14.52 million, up 4% on a year ago, and a gross margin of 8.13 million, up 10%. The notification, contracting and SMS business lines grew at double-digit rates, in cumulative terms. The company's net financial debt has been reduced by 21% so far this year, to 5.88 million. The number of customers billed in the third quarter of 2025 has increased from 1,955 to 3,128 in the last twelve months, representing growth of 60%. At the same time, the number of invoices issued has risen from 4,686 to 6,226, an increase of 33% compared to the same period last year. Founded 30 years ago, in 1995, Lleida.net is one of Europe's leading providers of certification, notification and registered electronic signature services. Last week, it celebrated 10 years as a listed company. The company currently holds more than 300 patents in over 60 countries in the field of registered electronic notification, contracting and signatures. Its shares are currently traded on BME Growth, Euronext Paris, OTCQX New York, Stuttgart and Frankfurt. Last June, the company became the first listed company on BME Growth to achieve full gender parity on its Board of Directors, following the appointment of four new independent directors. DISCLAIMER This press release contains statements regarding the future of the Lleida.net company and its innovations. Statements regarding the future may be accompanied by words such as "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "wait", "anticipate", "pretend", "power", "plan", "potential", the use of future time and other terms of similar meaning. No undue reliance should be placed on these claims. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including uncertainty of the company's commercial success, ability to protect our intellectual property rights, and other risks. These statements are based on current beliefs and forecasts and refer only to the date of this press release. The company assumes no obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements, regardless of whether new information, future events or any other circumstance arise. Dublin, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Japan Beauty and Personal Care Product Market Report by Type, Category, Distribution Channel, City and Company Analysis, 2025-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Japanese beauty and personal care product industry is expected to expand from US$ 31.87 billion in 2024 to US$ 41.73 billion by the end of 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.04% between 2025 and 2033. The growth is propelled by growing consumer desires for new and high-quality products and an emerging concern for personal grooming and well-being among different segments. Growth Drivers for the Japan Beauty and Personal Care Product Market Population Aging and Anti-Aging Product Demand: Japan's fast-growing aging population is a key growth driver for the beauty and personal care product market. The country has one of the world's highest ratios of elderly citizens, with high demand for anti-aging skin care, wrinkle prevention, and skin firming. Aging consumers also are seeking higher-end and science-formulated beauty products to keep youthful looks and skin healthy. That trend fuels the development of cosmeceuticals, functional cosmetics, and skincare products with natural or technologically superior formulations. With longevity comes a focus on "healthy aging," and this assures continued growth for the Japanese beauty and personal care market. July 2025 - Kao Corporation has announced the international launch of SENSAI TOTAL FORM EXPERT CREAM, an anti-aging face cream that will be a major flagship product in its global prestige portfolio. The launch goes live internationally on September 1, 2025, and rolls out progressively across over 40 countries. Growing Demand for Natural and Eco-friendly Products: Japanese consumers are increasingly concerned about product safety, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. This trend is fueling strong consumer demand for organic, cruelty-free, and environmentally friendly personal care and beauty products. Brands are reacting by incorporating natural ingredients like green tea, rice water, and plant extracts while employing sustainable packaging practices. Younger consumers especially are being loyal to ethical brands that share their values. This shift is restructuring the competitive environment with both local and global players focusing on transparency and sustainability. Increasing consciousness of health and environmental concerns is driving steady market expansion. Dec 2024, REI COSMETICS JAPAN will begin full-scale sale of the vegan cosmetic brand "Cocoon" from Vietnam in Japan. Technological Innovations and Beauty-Tech Integration: Advances in technology are radically altering Japan's beauty and personal care industry. Firms are utilizing AI, AR, and IoT technologies to individualize skincare regimes, facilitate virtual try-ons, and boost consumer interaction. Smart beauty devices, diagnostic instruments, and digital skin analysis are becoming increasingly popular, especially among tech-smart urban consumers. Japanese companies are also renowned for their R&D prowess, which is fueling innovation in product formulas and delivery mechanisms. Incorporation of beauty-tech not only improves customer experience but also reinforces consumer confidence in efficacy. This marriage of technology and tradition guarantees Japan's market at the cutting edge of global beauty development. Nov 2024 - Rakuten Group, Inc. and L'Oreal Japan announced today that the two parties have come to an agreement to begin discussions for a partnership aimed at enhancing customer experiences in the beauty sector further. Challenges facing the Japan Beauty and Personal Care Product Market Intense Competition and Market Saturation: Japan's beauty and personal care industry is highly saturated with several domestic players competing alongside established global names. The local giants like Shiseido, along with global giants like L'Oreal and Estee Lauder, create intense competition. Since many products make similar claims, differentiation becomes a challenge, especially in mass-market categories. Japanese consumers are also highly sophisticated, demanding high quality and innovation, thus making entry barriers high for new brands. This high competition results in pricing pressure, marketing tactics, and ongoing innovation, which makes it challenging for smaller or new competitors to maintain growth. Consumer Behavior Shifts and Economic Pressures: Demographic changes, economic slowdown, and changing consumer lifestyles confront the Japanese beauty and personal care industry. Younger generations are being more discriminatory in their expenditure, with many focusing on price-sensitive but still effective products rather than luxury brands. Economic uncertainty and increasing living expenses also affect buying behavior, prompting prudent consumption. In addition, Japan's shrinking population could result in long-term stagnating demand. Also, growing minimalism in beauty practices diminishes the demand for multi-step products that are historically preferred in Japan. Companies need to respond to these trends by providing value-centric, multi-functional, and innovative products to sustain growth in an evolving consumer environment. Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 200 Forecast Period 2024-2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $31.87 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $41.73 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 3% Regions Covered Japan Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 2. Research & Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Growth Drivers 4.2 Challenges 5. Japan Beauty and Personal Care Product Market 5.1 Historical Market Trends 5.2 Market Forecast 6. Market Share Analysis 6.1 By Type 6.2 By Category 6.3 By Distribution Channel 6.4 By City 7. Type 7.1 Personal Care Products 7.2 Cosmetics/Make-up Products 8. Category 8.1 Premium Products 8.2 Mass Products 9. Distribution Channel 9.1 Specialist Retailers 9.2 Hypermarkets/Supermarkets 9.3 Online Retailing 9.4 Others 10. Top 10 City 10.1 Tokyo 10.2 Kansai 10.3 Aichi 10.4 Kanagawa 10.5 Saitama 10.6 Hyogo 10.7 Chiba 10.8 Hokkaido 10.9 Fukuoka 10.10 Shizuoka 11. Value Chain Analysis 12. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 12.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers 12.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 12.3 Degree of Competition 12.4 Threat of New Entrants 12.5 Threat of Substitutes 13. SWOT Analysis 13.1 Strength 13.2 Weakness 13.3 Opportunity 13.4 Threats 14. Pricing Benchmark Analysis 14.1 Unilever PLC 14.2 Procter & Gamble Co 14.3 Kao Corporation 14.4 Mandom Corporation 14.5 Lion Corporation 14.6 Shiseido Company 14.7 L'Oreal SA 14.8 AS Watson Group 14.9 SK-II 14.10 Makanai 15. Key Players Analysis 15.1 Unilever PLC 15.2 Procter & Gamble Co 15.3 Kao Corporation 15.4 Mandom Corporation 15.5 Lion Corporation 15.6 Shiseido Company 15.7 L'Oreal SA 15.8 AS Watson Group 15.9 SK-II 15.10 Makanai For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4qon90 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to escalating wildfire risks across Canada, Wawanesa is increasing the funding available through its Community Wildfire Prevention Grants to $200,000 as the next round of applications opens. Ten grants will be awarded to support community-led prevention and mitigation efforts. The Community Wildfire Prevention Grants are a cornerstone of the Wawanesa Climate Champions program, which invests $2 million annually to support the people and organizations on the front lines of climate change. Now in its fourth year, Wawanesas Community Wildfire Prevention Grants were developed in collaboration with FireSmart Canada and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and originally provided $150,000 in funding. After a destructive wildfire season in Canada, its clear that communities need more support to reduce their risk and help them adapt, said Mitchell McEwen, Wawanesas Director of Sustainability, Climate Resilience & Community Impact. Through Wawanesa Climate Champions, were proud to support organizations and communities leading local solutions. Tackling climate change takes collective effort to build stronger, more resilient communities and help Canadians protect what matters most. Since launching the Community Wildfire Prevention Grants in 2022, Wawanesa has provided more than $450,000 to 35 communities across Canada to support dozens of grassroots initiatives, helping build resilience in high-risk areas. Previous funding recipients include rural municipalities, Indigenous communities, property owner associations, and youth organizations. FireSmart Canada is proud to collaborate with Wawanesa to support the Community Wildfire Prevention Grants program, said Hannah Swift, Director of Prevention and Mitigation at the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which operates FireSmart Canada. Resilience is built through local leadership and collective action. This important initiative provides communities with the support they need to take proactive steps that reduce their shared wildland fire risk. Wildfire conditions are changing faster than anyone had previously thought, said Paul Kovacs, Executive Director of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. Wawanesas commitment to funding wildfire prevention and mitigation initiatives is a vital step toward helping communities adapt, share best practices, and reduce the devastating effects these events have on lives and livelihoods nationwide. For more details and how to apply, please visit the Community Wildfire Prevention Grants webpage. The deadline to apply for funding is December 9, 2025. About The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1896, is one of Canadas largest mutual insurers, with over $4 billion in annual revenue and assets of $11.5 billion. Wawanesa Mutual, with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.87 million members in Canada. The company actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change. Learn more at wawanesa.com. For more information: Michel Rosset Manager, Corporate Communications & Media Relations The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company media@wawanesa.com Dublin, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Prepaid Cards Knowledge Center - Online Business Intelligence Platform Offering Data, Analysis, and Opinion on Prepaid Cards" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Prepaid Cards Knowledge Center offers an expansive online research platform providing strategic business intelligence on prepaid cards. This comprehensive resource features over 40,000 data points and 400+ reports spanning 40 countries. The in-depth, unbiased analysis combines industry opportunities, consumer dynamics, and market risks to deliver exclusive insights. The Prepaid Card Knowledge Center's reports furnish strategic analysis to help businesses navigate the rapidly evolving prepaid cards market: Market Dynamics: Offers detailed insights on market size, structure, industry trends, consumer behavior, and the competitive landscape in the prepaid card industry. Innovation and Market Strategies: Examines prepaid card strategies, innovations across categories, competitive positioning, and new product introductions. Open and Closed Loop Markets: Provides estimates and forecasts for assessing opportunities in open and closed loop segments, covering KPIs like card circulation, transactions, load value, and transaction value. Prepaid Segment Analysis: Identifies risks, consumer adoption, and market size in both open and closed loop segments across multiple categories for 2011-2020, including gift, payroll, healthcare, and others. Market Share Analysis: Details market share by issuers and processors, elucidating the competitive landscape. Benchmarking and Risk Index: Benchmarks the prepaid card industry against global markets and assesses risk through the proprietary Prepaid Cards Industry Risk Index (PCIRI). Consumer Behavior Insights: Uses proprietary survey results to analyze prepaid KPIs including consumer spending by age, gender, income level, and usage in travel, retail spend, cash withdrawal, and more. Report Scope Market Data: A detailed overview of market opportunities in over 75 segments of prepaid cards, assessing industry KPIs from 2011-2020. Comprehensive Consumer Segmentation: Covers retail (banked and unbanked), corporate scales, and government sectors. Retail Spend Categories: Detailed breakdowns across food, health, apparel, electronics, and more, offering insights into consumer behavior shifts. Prepaid Card Functions: Analysis of open loop and closed loop segments within prepaid card categories. In-depth Category Analysis: Offers insights and forecasts on various prepaid card types such as gift cards, payroll, travel forex, and security benefit programs, divided by consumer segments and card functionality. For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ovz8l2 About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Washington, D.C., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Crime Prevention Council is warning consumers about a growing wave of scam advertisements on social media that direct users to imitation merchant websites. The watchdog says the solution is for social media companies to fact-check ads before they run. Scammers are creating near-identical websites and ads that tout a blowout sale and other enticing clickbait offers. These sites and the productsif they even existare fake. One recent example impersonated popular retailer Aerie, using a nearly identical, but fraudulent website called Amelrie.com that advertised whole store under $10 pre-holiday deals. The fake website copied images and language from Aeries legitimate promotions. First, consumers need to be aware of this scam spreading ahead of the holiday season, says Paul DelPonte, Executive Director of the National Crime Prevention Council. The real solution is for TikTok and other social media companies to verify ad content before accepting money to place it. Such policies have been in place at television and radio stations for decades. Consumers who fall for the trick are likely to receive fake or no products at all, and risk having their personal and financial information stolen. NCPCs independent monitoring spotted these fake ads on TikTok and alerted TikTok, which subsequently removed the ads. Fraudsters increasingly use social media platforms to scam consumers. Under current policies, scammers can easily purchase ad space or exploit weak verification systems. While TikTok points to a growing number of ads it removes, NCPC says the real fix is to block the ads from running in the first place. Stopping fake merchants is a critical safety and national security issue, DelPonte added. Counterfeiting is a $2 trillion global enterprise that turns profits from fake products into drugs, guns, human trafficking and other dangerous activities. Best known for the iconic McGruff the Crime Dog, NCPC says social media companies need to take responsibility. The current social media ad-buying system is backward, taking money from crooks and swindlers first, then relying on delayed verification processes that often come too late, after consumers are defrauded and criminals have moved on. Tips to Protect Yourself from Social Media Scams: Double-check URLs : Look carefully at the web address before making a purchase. Scammers often use slight misspellings of brand names. : Look carefully at the web address before making a purchase. Scammers often use slight misspellings of brand names. Avoid deals that seem too good to be true : Deep discounts from unfamiliar links are a red flag. : Deep discounts from unfamiliar links are a red flag. Shop through official channels : Access retailers directly through their verified websites or apps, not through ads on social media. : Access retailers directly through their verified websites or apps, not through ads on social media. Use secure payment methods: Avoid direct bank transfers or payment apps that dont offer buyer protection. If You Believe You Were a Victim: Brecksville, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brecksville, Ohio - October 28, 2025 - - Elite Cleveland Handyman, a locally owned home repair and improvement company, has expanded its comprehensive service offerings throughout Cuyahoga County, providing professional solutions for residential maintenance, repairs, and improvements. The company serves Cleveland and surrounding communities, including Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Independence, Richfield, Sagamore Hills, and Seven Hills. The expansion addresses growing demand for reliable, professional home repair services in the region, where homeowners increasingly seek trusted contractors for both routine maintenance and specialized projects. The company offers an extensive range of services from basic repairs to complete home improvements, backed by a two-year workmanship warranty and full insurance coverage. "We're excited to be part of the community and are ready to help make a difference for homeowners across the area," said owner Tom Jenkins. "We look forward to helping homeowners with their home repair and remodeling needs." In addition to their comprehensive home repair services, including door installation, window repair, drywall repair, and interior painting, Elite Cleveland Handyman also specializes in plumbing repair services, addressing common household issues such as dripping faucets, clogged drains, running toilets, and minor pipe leaks. Additional services encompass electrical work, TV mounting, smoke detector installation, and various maintenance tasks that help preserve home value and functionality. Beyond standard repairs, the company offers home improvement services including bathroom and kitchen remodeling, deck building, and accessibility modifications such as grab bar and ramp installation. The team of skilled tradesmen brings professional expertise to each project, ensuring quality results that meet industry standards. The company has introduced a quarterly home maintenance package designed to help homeowners stay ahead of potential problems. This program includes seasonal checkups, filter replacements, vent cleanings, and minor fixes that prevent larger issues from developing. Regular maintenance helps homeowners avoid costly emergency repairs while maintaining their property's condition and value. Recognizing that plumbing issues can arise unexpectedly, the company maintains emergency service availability for urgent repairs. The team addresses everything from toilet installation and faucet replacement to drain unclogging and leak repair, helping homeowners resolve problems quickly and efficiently. The company's commitment to quality has earned accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, reflecting its dedication to customer satisfaction and professional standards. With liability insurance coverage of one million dollars, homeowners can trust that their property and projects are protected throughout the service process. Elite Cleveland Handyman operates as a full-service home repair and improvement provider, offering solutions for virtually every aspect of home maintenance. From simple tasks like curtain and blind installation to complex projects such as complete bathroom renovations, the company's skilled professionals deliver reliable results. The team also handles specialized services, including pet door installation, dryer vent cleaning, and seasonal maintenance tasks that keep homes functioning optimally year-round. Established as a trusted resource for Cuyahoga County homeowners, Elite Cleveland Handyman continues to expand its service capabilities while maintaining the personalized attention and quality craftsmanship that define its reputation in the community. ### For more information about Elite Cleveland Handyman, contact the company here: Elite Cleveland Handyman Tim Busbey (216) 428-0116 timbusbey2023@gmail.com Elite Cleveland Handyman Brecksville, OH 44141 ORLANDO, Florida, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ThreatLocker is proud to announce that CEO and Co-founder Danny Jenkins has been named to Florida Trends Florida 500 list in the technology, information, and media category. The annual list recognizes the states most influential business leaders across major industries, highlighting those who are driving innovation and shaping Floridas economic future. Jenkins was honored for his leadership in developing a Zero Trust Platform that has transformed how organizations defend against modern cyber threats. Under his direction, ThreatLocker has become a global cybersecurity leader serving more than 70,000 organizations worldwide. Recognition on this list is a reflection of our teams commitment to advancing cybersecurity, said Jenkins. Were making Zero Trust practical and manageable, helping organizations take control of their environments so they can operate with confidence in an increasingly dangerous digital world. Since its founding in 2017, ThreatLocker has pioneered innovative solutions including Application Allowlisting, Ringfencing, Network Control, and Cyber Hero Managed Detection and Response (MDR). The company continues to advance its Zero Trust security stack with new offerings like Web Control, Patch Management, and Defense Against Configurations, all designed to help IT teams stop cyberattacks at the source. The Florida Trend 500 honorees are selected through a comprehensive research process that considers executive leadership, impact within their industries, contributions to the states business growth, and philanthropic efforts. Florida Trend looks for individuals to whom others in their industry sectors turn to for best practices in their sector. Demonstrating his commitment to advancing cybersecurity education, Jenkins launched two no-cost programs: Zero Trust Cybersecurity Bootcamp and the Defend & Thrive live event series for small businesses, empowering both IT professionals and business leaders to strengthen their security posture. For the full list of honorees and industry categories, visit FloridaTrend500.com. Attachment New York, NY, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This independent investigative report examines a pattern of factual and ethical failures in the reporting of Ethan Rothstein, Deputy Managing Editor at Bisnow. Through detailed analysis of his published work from 20232025, as well as Bisnows own public corrections and relevant court filings, this report finds repeated inaccuracies, omissions, and lapses in journalistic integrity. These issues culminated in the misleading coverage of LuxUrban Hotels Inc., where Rothsteins reporting ignored clear, verifiable facts contained in public filings and created an inaccurate public narrative. Court records demonstrate that LuxUrban did not process guest bookings or payments directly, instead relying entirely on third-party Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as Booking.com and Expedia. This crucial fact, confirmed in bankruptcy filings, was omitted from Rothsteins reporting, leading readers to believe that LuxUrban itself stranded guests or withheld refundsan assertion unsupported by evidence. The recurring pattern of misrepresentation, corrections, and missing context across Rothsteins body of work raises significant concerns about both individual journalistic conduct and Bisnows editorial oversight. The findings suggest systemic breakdowns in fact-checking, verification, and ethical accountability that have undermined public trust. I. The Pattern of Neglect in Reporting In October 2025, Bisnow published an article by Ethan Rothstein titled LuxUrban Hotels To Liquidate As Bankruptcy Claims Surpass $123 Million. The article framed the companys bankruptcy as a collapse driven by external creditors, depicting abandoned hotels, unpaid taxes, and stranded guests. However, bankruptcy court filings from the Southern District of New York tell a very different story. They show that LuxUrbans management voluntarily consented to convert the case from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 at the request of the U.S. Trustee, not as a result of lender coercion. The same records confirm that the hotels were not abandoned but transferred under court supervision to a Chapter 7 trustee for orderly liquidation. The most glaring omission, however, lies in how Rothstein ignored LuxUrbans publicly documented operating structure. In a sworn declaration filed with the court, LuxUrbans Chief Financial Officer explicitly stated: The Debtors are not the merchant of record for guest transactions; all bookings and payments are processed through third-party Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). This means that LuxUrban never directly charged guests, held their money, or issued refundsthose responsibilities belonged entirely to the OTAs. By neglecting to include this central fact, Rothsteins story misled readers into believing that LuxUrban directly stranded paying customers. In reality, those guests transactions, payments, and refund processes were managed by the third-party OTAs through which they booked. The failure to acknowledge this not only distorted the companys conduct but also unfairly shifted public blame. This omission transforms what should have been a factual account of bankruptcy procedure into a sensationalized narrative of negligence. It reveals a disregard for the primary role of a journalist: to accurately reflect the record and provide fair, verified information. II. Broader Pattern of Misstatements and Omissions The LuxUrban coverage fits within a broader pattern of reporting errors and omissions across Rothsteins career at Bisnow. In June 2024, Rothstein co-authored LuxUrban Faces $83M Lawsuit From REIT As More Landlords Try To Evict WeWork for Hotels. A quote was wrongly attributed to hotelier Richard Born via text message, prompting a correction the next day: A previous version of this article misattributed a quote to Richard Born via text message. The quote has been removed. This is not a trivial mistake. Misattributing quotesparticularly in litigation coveragerepresents a fundamental lapse in journalistic verification. Similarly, in November 2024, his article on the sale of 799 Broadway initially miscredited the outlet that broke the story, requiring a correction to acknowledge Commercial Observer as the original source. In July 2023, another Bisnow article misstated the date of an investor communication, also requiring correction. Beyond these formal corrections, several of Rothsteins pieces present allegations as fact. In the LuxUrban coverage, claims of hazardous conditions at hotels were lifted directly from a creditors motion, presented to readers without indicating that these were unproven allegations. In another Bisnow feature on opioid addiction in the construction industry, editors later added a note admitting that the publication was unable to independently verify the claims reported. When considered collectively, these examples show more than isolated errorsthey suggest a pattern of haste over accuracy and a tendency to prioritize dramatic narratives over balanced reporting. III. Editorial Oversight and Institutional Responsibility at Bisnow While Rothsteins byline appears on each story, accountability must extend to Bisnows editorial leadership. Each piece passes through multiple levels of review before publication. The consistent presence of factual and contextual inaccuracies implies that systemic editorial failures allowed these errors to persist unchecked. Bisnow brands itself as a leading source of business intelligence for the real estate industry, yet this reputation depends on factual integrity. When its deputy managing editor repeatedly publishes stories requiring correction or lacking essential context, the problem is not merely individualit is institutional. The editorial teams failure to verify the LuxUrban narrative is particularly concerning. The companys public filings, accessible through PACER, explicitly outlined its OTA-based revenue model. Any competent editorial review would have identified the discrepancy between the articles claims and the documentary record. The fact that no correction was ever issueddespite clear contradictions in the public recorddemonstrates an abdication of editorial responsibility. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics obligates reporters and editors alike to take responsibility for the accuracy of their work and to correct errors promptly and prominently. Bisnows silence following publication of the disputed LuxUrban articles stands in stark contrast to these ethical standards. By failing to provide readers with accurate contextespecially on matters involving bankruptcy, litigation, and financial implicationsBisnows leadership compromised its credibility and failed the public trust that journalism demands. IV. Conclusions and Recommendations for Accountability This report finds substantial evidence of repeated factual errors, omissions, and editorial failures in Ethan Rothsteins reporting at Bisnow. The findings include: 1. Recurrent Omission of Verifiable Facts: Rothsteins LuxUrban coverage ignored the companys OTA-based booking and payment system, a central fact available in court filings. 2. Repeated Post-Publication Corrections: His work over the past two years has required multiple public corrections for misattribution, misidentification, and timeline inaccuracies. 3. Lack of Editorial Safeguards: Bisnows failure to review or correct high-impact stories indicates structural deficiencies in its editorial process. 4. Public Impact: These inaccuracies misled readers, damaged reputations, and eroded confidence in both individual and institutional credibility. Recommendations: Bisnow should initiate a comprehensive editorial audit of all reporting under Rothsteins direction within the past 24 months. The company should issue a formal correction to its LuxUrban coverage, clarifying that LuxUrban did not process customer bookings or payments directly. An independent media-ethics review should assess whether Bisnows editorial standards meet professional norms of accuracy and fairness. Bisnow should implement mandatory verification procedures for all financial or legal reporting prior to publication. This report concludes that the pattern of misreporting and lack of corrective transparency constitute an ongoing risk to journalistic integrity. Bisnows leadership must take responsibility for systemic oversight failures that have enabled inaccurate, misleading, and incomplete reporting to reach the public unchallenged. Appendix: Supporting Evidence and References Court Filings and Public Records: In re LuxUrban Hotels Inc., U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, Case No. 25-12000. Debtors Consent to Conversion Motion (Oct. 18, 2025). Declaration of CFO confirming OTAs as merchants of record. Trustee Appointment Order (Oct. 21, 2025). Public Statements: LuxUrban CFO statement confirming OTA responsibility for payments, refunds, and customer communication. The Capital Link (Oct. 24, 2025) analysis of mischaracterizations in Bisnows coverage. Bisnow Articles and Corrections: LuxUrban Hotels To Liquidate As Bankruptcy Claims Surpass $123 Million (Bisnow, Oct. 23, 2025). Justice Department Cites Gross Negligence (Bisnow, Oct. 13, 2025). LuxUrban Faces $83M Lawsuit (Bisnow, Jun. 5, 2024) Correction issued Jun. 6. Savanna Buys 799 Broadway (Bisnow, Nov. 19, 2024) Correction acknowledging source attribution. CrowdStreet Seeks Takeover (Bisnow, Jul. 23, 2023) Date correction Jul. 24. Ethical Standards: Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics (2014): Emphasizes accuracy, context, and transparency. Independent Analyses: The Capital Link (Oct. 30, 2025): Mischaracterizations in Coverage of LuxUrbans Bankruptcy: A Factual Review. SEC Form 8-K filings (2025 Q3): Confirm OTA-based booking and payment structure. Prepared independently for public transparency and accountability, October 2025. All information contained herein is derived from public records, verified filings, and published corrections. This report evaluates journalistic practices, not personal character, not to be construed as legal advice we are not attorneys. NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone, a leading national commercial real estate finance company, has provided a $46,000,000 Freddie Mac loan to refinance Madbury Commons, a student housing community located in Durham, New Hampshire. The financing was originated by Eric Rosenstock, Jesse Yodice and Yarin Amzalag, at Greystone. The $46,000,000 fixed-rate financing carries a 10-year term and amortization, with full-term interest only payments. Located in Strafford County, Madbury Commons is walking distance from the University of New Hampshire and downtown Durham. The student housing complex consists of 524 beds across 126 fully furnished residential units, with 45,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground level. The community offers modern student amenities, including a fitness center, and its prime location enhances walkability and access to campus. Greystone is committed to executing on transactions that enable our clients to provide quality housing in markets with extremely high demandas is the case with student housing in many college towns across the country, said Mr. Yodice. Our comprehensive multifamily lending platform allowed us to structure a solution through Freddie Mac at terms that reflect both the strength of the sponsorship and the performance of this unique property. About Greystone Greystone is a private national commercial real estate finance company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac lender in these sectors. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Company LLC, Greystone Funding Company LLC and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greystone.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Fran Del Valle fran@influencecentral.com SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson Fistel, PLLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of WideOpenWest, Inc. (NYSE: WOW) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the company to DigitalBridge Group, Inc. and Crestview Partners. If you own WOW! shares and believe this proposed transaction undervalues your investment, please consider joining our investigation. To participate or learn more, you can click or copy and paste the following link: https://www.johnsonfistel.com/investigations/wideopenwest-inc/ Shareholders seeking more information may also contact lead analyst Jim Baker (jimb@johnsonfistel.com, 619-814-4471). If emailing, please include a phone number. Background On August 11, 2025, WideOpenWest, Inc. (WOW!) announced that it had entered into a definitive merger agreement under which investment funds affiliated with DigitalBridge Investments, LLC and Crestview Partners (Crestview) will acquire all outstanding shares of WOW! common stock not already owned by Crestview for $5.20 per share in cash, valuing the company at approximately $1.5 billion. Crestview currently owns approximately 37% of WOW!s outstanding shares and controls a majority of the companys board seats, raising potential conflicts of interest in the negotiation and approval of the transaction. The $5.20 per-share offer, while representing a premium to WOW!s recent trading price, may still undervalue the company given its strategic position, assets, and growth potential. About Johnson Fistel, PLLP | Top Law Firm Securities Fraud & Investor Rights Johnson Fistel, PLLP is a nationally recognized shareholder-rights law firm with offices in California, New York, Georgia, Idaho, and Colorado. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits and also assists foreign investors who purchased shares on U.S. exchanges. Stay informed about stock-drop news and learn how Johnson Fistel can help you recover losses by visiting www.johnsonfistel.com. Achievements In 2024, Johnson Fistel was ranked among the Top 10 Plaintiff Law Firms by ISS Securities Class Action Services. This recognition reflects the firms effectiveness in advocating for investors, having recovered approximately $90,725,000 for aggrieved clients in cases where it served as lead or co-lead counsel. This marks the eighth time the firm has been recognized as a top plaintiffs securities law firm in the United States, based on the total dollar value of final recoveries. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Johnson Fistel, PLLP has paid for the dissemination of this promotional communication, and Frank J. Johnson is the attorney responsible for its content. Contact Johnson Fistel, PLLP 501 W. Broadway, Suite 800 San Diego, CA 92101 James Baker, Investor Relations or Frank J. Johnson, Esq. (619) 814-4471 | jimb@johnsonfistel.com | fjohnson@johnsonfistel.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xali Gold Corp. (TSXV:XGC) ("Xali Gold or the Company) is pleased to announce plans to advance the Pico Machay Gold Project (Pico Machay or the Project) in Central Peru. The Project is under acquisition through a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Pan American Silver Corp. (TSX:PAAS) (NYSE:PAAS) (Pan American) and its subsidiary, Aquiline Resources Inc. (Aquiline) as per the October 24th, 2025 news release. The Pico Machay transaction is considered a fundamental acquisition for Xali Gold and therefore, pursuant to Policy 5.3, is pending the receipt and review of acceptable documentation by the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V). The Pico Machay transaction is subject to TSX-V acceptance. With the issuance of this news release, the trading halt will be lifted such that Xali Gold will resume trading tomorrow Wednesday October 29th, 2025. Pico Machay has a historic Measured and Indicated Resource of 264,600 ounces (oz) of gold (10.6 million (M) tonnes grading 0.78 grams per tonne (gpt) gold) and an additional Historic Inferred Resource of 446,000 oz of gold (23.9 M tonnes grading 0.58 gpt gold). David Thomas, Independent Qualified Person (QP), completed a site visit of Pico Machay from October 21 to 24, 2025 and collected 26 samples. Nine of these samples were collected on the property and 17 samples were collected from pulps and rejects to allow his due diligence on the reported mineralized zones and the Historic Resource. A total of 154 reverse circulation holes drilled prior to 2009, were relied upon to delineate the Historic Resource. All of these holes were drilled in a central zone while nine additional high-potential exploration targets remain untested. Xali Gold plans to commence field work by advancing exploration targets in preparation for drill testing; initiating a bulk sampling program, both to confirm grades from previous drilling and better understand the higher grade zones; and also by conducting additional metallurgical testing to confirm and potentially increase estimated recoveries from previous work. Importantly, all this immediate work can be conducted without the need for additional permits, allowing Xali Gold to continue advancing the Project while applying for the necessary permits for drilling from surface. Pico Machay offers Xali Gold both immediate value and substantial upside, especially given that the original resource was calculated using a long-term gold price of just US$700 per ounce. With the current gold prices, our priority is to move Pico Machay forward aggressively, said Joanne Freeze, President and CEO of Xali Gold. Over the next six months, our goal is to update the historic resource estimate using currently accepted long-term gold prices, as well as review and optimize previous engineering studies. Previous owners of Pico Machay outlined a low-cost, low-strip ratio open pit heap-leach operation. Xali Gold will work to update these studies to re-estimate the Projects current economic potential with a goal to move quickly and cost-effectively toward our goal of near-term production. The Project lies within the northern extent of the Southern Peru Epithermal Gold-Silver Belt and in the eastern part of Western Cordillera Andes within a well-established mining area/district. Minera IRL Ltd.'s Corihuarmi Mine operates 63 km north of Pico Machay. Several mines within a 45km radius of Pico Machay including: Lalira, San Genoro, Astohuaraca, El Paloma, Cauduloso, Reliquias and Recuperada (see Figure 1 below). The property comprises seventeen claims covering 4,700 hectares and all claims are in good standing. Figure 1: Pico Machay location map in comparison to existing mines and prospects Details of Share Purchase Agreement As per the October 24th, 2025 news release, Xali Gold entered into an SPA on October 23rd to acquire the company Minera Calipuy S.A.C (Calipuy), which wholly owns Pico Machay, from Pan American and its subsidiary, Aquiline. The transaction with Pan American and Aquiline to acquire 100% of their collective interest in Calipuy is arms length and no finders fees were paid. The $17.5M in deferred payments are secured by: Promissory Notes for each of the six deferred payments; a first-priority Share Pledge Agreement over 100% of Calipuys shares; and a first-priority Mortgage Agreement over both the Pico Machay property as well as the Companys Las Brujas II property in Peru. A total of $15M will be paid over 5 years for the known historic gold resource. If a minimum of 1.25M oz Au aggregate mineral reserves or mineral resources classified as any of proven mineral reserves, probable mineral reserves, measured mineral resources, or indicated mineral resources (as per CIM Definitions) are disclosed in a National Instrument (NI) 43-101 technical report then Xali Gold is to pay an additional $2.5M. Xali Gold has provided Pan American with a Purchaser's Special Indemnity. This indemnity is unlimited in amount and indefinite in duration and covers all existing and future liabilities (environmental, tax, labour, etc.) of the Project. Details on the cash payments (all dollar values are United States dollars): Time Period Cash Payments Closing of Transaction $0.5M 1st Year Anniversary $1.5M 2nd Year Anniversary $1.5M 3rd Year Anniversary $4.0M 4th Year Anniversary $3.0M Earlier of 5th Year Anniversary or commencement of commercial production $4.5M On delineating a minimum of 1.25M oz Au in a NI43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated Resource or Proven and Probable Reserve $2.5M Total $17.5M Closing of the transactions under the SPA are subject to customary closing conditions for transactions of this nature, as set out in the SPA, including TSX-V approval for Xali Gold. Pan American will retain certain security interests over Calipuy, subject to Xali Golds completion of the deferred payments under the SPA. Technical Information Information regarding the historical resource at Pico Machay was obtained from the report titled: Independent Technical Report and Resource Estimate Pico Machay Gold Deposit prepared by Caracle Creek International Consulting Inc. for Aquiline (purchased by Pan American) on November 25th, 2009. The resource numbers are highlighted in the Pan American News Release dated September 11, 2024 and found on both the Pan American website and on www.sedarplus.ca. All resource estimates have used the same categories in accordance with CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves. All resource estimates for Pico Machay are considered historical in nature and are based on prior data and reports prepared by previous property owners. A qualified person has not done sufficient work yet to classify the historical estimates as current resources in accordance with current CIM categories and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current resources. Significant data compilation, redrilling, resampling and data verification may be required by a qualified person before the historical estimates on the project can be classified as a current resource. There can be no assurance that any of the historical mineral resources, in whole or in part, will ever become economically viable. In addition, mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Even if classified as a current resource, there is no certainty as to whether further exploration will result in any inferred mineral resources being upgraded to an indicated or measured resource category. Xali Gold is dedicated to being a responsible community partner. Both David G. Thomas, P.Geo. and Joanne C. Freeze, P.Geo. Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 have reviewed and approved the contents of this release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. On behalf of the Board of Xali Gold Corp. Joanne Freeze P.Geo. President, CEO and Director For further information please contact: Joanne Freeze, President & CEO Tel: + 1 604-512-3359 info@xaligold.com Forward-looking Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation: the timing to close the SPA and meet closing conditions; potential upside and production from and viability of the Pico Machay Project; the potential tonnage, grades and content of deposits; the steps and timing to convert historical mineral resource estimates to current estimates for the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. Although the Company believes the forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Known risk factors and assumptions include risks associated with exploration and project development; accessing further funding and related dilution: continuing its projected growth, or being fully able to implement its business strategies; the calculation of mineral resources and additional work required to convert historical resources to current mineral resources; the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located on the project; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in metal prices and assumptions including costs; title matters; government regulation; obtaining and renewing necessary consents, authorizations, licenses and permits; environmental liability and insurance; reliance on key personnel; local community opposition; currency fluctuations; labour disputes; competition; variations in market conditions, and the volatility of our common share price and volume; future sales of shares by existing shareholders; and other risk factors described in Xali Golds MD&A and other filings with Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sedarplus.ca. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Xali Gold expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. CAUTIONARY NOTE TO U.S. INVESTORS We advise U.S. investors that this news release uses terms defined in the 2014 edition of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, as incorporated by reference in Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, for reporting of mineral resource estimates. These Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as set forth in the mining disclosure rules under Regulation S-K 1300. Regulation S-K 1300 uses the same terminology for mineral resources, but the definitions are not identical to NI 43-101 and CIM Definition Standards. Regulation S-K 1300 uses the term initial assessment for an evaluation of potential project economics based on mineral resources. This study type has some similarities to a Preliminary Economic Assessment, but the definition and content requirements of an initial assessment are not identical to the definition and content requirements for a PEA under NI 43-101. FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) today announced its third quarter 2025 financial results. Third Quarter 2025 Highlights Cash flow from operating activities of $248 million Cash flow from operations, before working capital changes, of $279 million Repurchased $56 million of shares and paid $21 million in dividends Capital spending was $190 million, approximately 29% of the annual 2025 budget Realized price, including hedges, was $3.29 per mcfe a $0.22 premium versus NYMEX natural gas Pre-hedge NGL realizations of $22.09 per barrel a premium of $0.33 over Mont Belvieu equivalent Natural gas differential, including basis hedging, of ($0.49) per mcf to NYMEX Production averaged 2.23 Bcfe per day, approximately 69% natural gas Commenting on the results, Dennis Degner, the Companys CEO said, Ranges third quarter results continue to showcase our ability to generate significant free cash flow through cycles, which supported $77 million in share repurchases and dividends, while maintaining net debt at $1.2 billion and continuing to build operational momentum. Our counter-cyclical investments in drilled inventory over the last two years support the very efficient growth we have planned through 2027, while keeping capital relatively flat. We believe Range is exceedingly well-positioned to benefit from growing local and global demand for natural gas given our consistent well results, high-return, long-life asset base and low full-cycle cost structure. Together, these advantages enable Range to help meet this demand while continuing to return meaningful capital to shareholders. Financial Discussion Except for generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) reported amounts, specific expense categories exclude non-cash impairments, unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on derivatives, non-cash stock compensation and other items shown separately on the attached tables. Unit costs as used in this release are composed of direct operating, transportation, gathering, processing and compression, taxes other than income, general and administrative, interest and depletion, depreciation and amortization costs divided by production. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for a definition of non-GAAP financial measures and the accompanying tables that reconcile each non-GAAP measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Third Quarter 2025 Results GAAP revenues and other income for third quarter 2025 totaled $749 million, GAAP net cash provided from operating activities (including changes in working capital) was $248 million, and GAAP net income was $144 million ($0.60 per diluted share). Third quarter earnings results include a $93 million mark-to-market derivative gain due to decreases in commodity prices. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital, a non-GAAP measure, was $279 million. Adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates, a non-GAAP measure, was $135 million ($0.57 per diluted share) in third quarter 2025. The following table details Ranges third quarter 2025 unit costs per mcfe(a): Expenses 3Q 2025 (per mcfe) 3Q 2024 (per mcfe) Increase (Decrease) Direct operating(a) $ 0.11 $ 0.12 (8 %) Transportation, gathering, processing and compression(a) 1.47 1.51 (3 %) Taxes other than income 0.04 0.03 33 % General and administrative(a) 0.17 0.16 6 % Interest expense(a) 0.11 0.14 (21 %) Total cash unit costs(b) 1.91 1.96 (3 %) Depletion, depreciation and amortization (DD&A) 0.46 0.45 2 % Total unit costs plus DD&A(b) $ 2.37 $ 2.41 (2 %) (a) Excludes stock-based compensation, one-time settlements, and amortization of deferred financing costs. (b) Totals may not be exact due to rounding. The following table details Ranges average production and realized pricing for third quarter 2025(a): 3Q25 Production & Realized Pricing Natural Gas (mcf) Oil (bbl) NGLs (bbl) Natural Gas Equivalent (mcfe) Net production per day 1,534,065 5,208 110,420 2,227,831 Average NYMEX price $ 3.07 $64.98 $ 21.76 Differential, including basis hedging (0.49) (10.73) 0.33 Realized prices before NYMEX hedges 2.58 54.25 22.09 3.00 Settled NYMEX hedges 0.38 3.37 0.39 0.29 Average realized prices after hedges $2.96 $57.61 $22.48 $3.29 (a) Totals may not be exact due to rounding. Third quarter 2025 natural gas, NGLs and oil price realizations (including the impact of cash-settled hedges and derivative settlements) averaged $3.29 per mcfe. The average natural gas price, including the impact of basis hedging, was $2.58 per mcf, or a ($0.49) per mcf differential to NYMEX. Range is improving its expected 2025 natural gas differential to average ($0.40) to ($0.43) relative to NYMEX. Ranges pre-hedge NGL price during the quarter was $22.09 per barrel, approximately $0.33 above the Mont Belvieu weighted equivalent. Range now expects its 2025 NGL differential to average +$0.50 to +$0.75 relative to a Mont Belvieu equivalent barrel. Oil and condensate price realizations, before realized hedges, averaged $54.25 per barrel, or $10.73 below WTI (West Texas Intermediate). Range continues to expect condensate differentials to average ($10.00) to ($15.00) relative to NYMEX. Repurchase Activity and Financial Position During the third quarter, Range repurchased 1,580,711 shares at an average price of approximately $35.59 per share. As of September 30, 2025, the Company had approximately $839 million of availability under the share repurchase program. As of September 30, 2025, Range had net debt outstanding of approximately $1.23 billion, consisting of $1.1 billion of senior notes, $129 million on the credit facility, and $0.2 million in cash. In October, Range entered an amended and restated revolving bank credit facility, which will mature in 2030. This amended facility maintained a maximum facility of $4.0 billion and an initial borrowing base of $3.0 billion, and increased bank commitments from $1.5 billion to $2.0 billion. Capital Expenditures and Operational Activity Third quarter 2025 drilling and completion expenditures were $165 million. In addition, during the quarter, approximately $16 million was invested in acreage, and $9 million was invested in infrastructure, pneumatic upgrades, and other investments. Total capital spending through third quarter was $491 million, representing approximately 74% of Ranges capital budget for 2025. During the quarter, Range drilled ~262,000 lateral feet across 16 wells, while turning to sales ~228,000 lateral feet across 15 wells. Range remains on track to exit 2025 with greater than 400,000 lateral feet of growth inventory to support announced growth plans. The table below summarizes expected 2025 activity plans regarding the number of wells to sales in each area. YTD Wells TIL 3Q 2025 Remaining 2025 2025 Planned TIL SW PA Super-Rich 8 6 14 SW PA Wet 20 4 24 SW PA Dry 5 - 5 NE PA Dry 4 - 4 Total Wells 37 10 47 Guidance 2025 Updated Capital & Production Guidance Ranges 2025 all-in capital budget is $650 million - $680 million. Annual production is now expected to be approximately 2.23 Bcfe per day in 2025, updated from prior guidance of ~2.225 Bcfe per day. Liquids are expected to be over 30% of production. Updated Full Year 2025 Expense Guidance Updated Guidance Prior Guidance Direct operating expense: $0.12 - $0.13 per mcfe $0.12 - $0.13 per mcfe Transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense: $1.50 - $1.52 per mcfe $1.50 - $1.55 per mcfe Taxes other than income: $0.03 - $0.04 per mcfe $0.03 - $0.04 per mcfe Exploration expense: $24 - $28 million $24 - $28 million G&A expense: $0.17 - $0.18 per mcfe $0.17 - $0.18 per mcfe Net Interest expense: $0.12 - $0.13 per mcfe $0.12 - $0.13 per mcfe DD&A expense: $0.45 - $0.46 per mcfe $0.45 - $0.46 per mcfe Net brokered gas marketing expense: $8 - $12 million $8 - $12 million Updated Full Year 2025 Price Guidance Based on recent market indications, Range expects to average the following price differentials for its production in 2025. Updated Guidance Prior Guidance FY 2025 Natural Gas:(a) NYMEX minus $0.40 to $0.43 NYMEX minus $0.40 to $0.48 FY 2025 Natural Gas Liquids:(b) MB plus $0.50 to $0.75 per barrel MB plus $0.40 to $1.25 per barrel FY 2025 Oil/Condensate: WTI minus $10.00 to $15.00 WTI minus $10.00 to $15.00 (a) Including basis hedging. (b) Mont Belvieu-equivalent pricing based on weighting of 53% ethane, 27% propane, 8% normal butane, 4% iso-butane and 8% natural gasoline. Hedging Status Range hedges portions of its expected future production volumes to increase the predictability of cash flow and maintain a strong, flexible financial position. Please see the detailed hedging schedule posted on the Range website under Investor Relations - Financial Information. Range has also hedged basis across the Companys numerous natural gas sales points to limit volatility between benchmark and regional prices. The combined fair value of basis hedges as of September 30, 2025, was a net loss of $12.9 million. Conference Call Information A conference call to review the financial results is scheduled on Wednesday, October 29 at 8:00 AM Central Time (9:00 AM Eastern Time). Please click here to pre-register for the conference call and obtain a dial in number with passcode. A simultaneous webcast of the call may be accessed at www.rangeresources.com. The webcast will be archived for replay on the Company's website until November 29th. Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement the presentation of its financial results prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the Companys earnings press release contains certain financial measures that are not presented in accordance with GAAP. Management believes certain non-GAAP measures may provide financial statement users with meaningful supplemental information for comparisons within the industry. These non-GAAP financial measures may include, but are not limited to Net Income, excluding certain items, Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital, realized prices, Net debt and Cash margin. Adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates as set forth in this release represents income or loss from operations before income taxes adjusted for certain non-cash items (detailed in the accompanying table) less income taxes. We believe adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates is calculated on the same basis as analysts estimates and that many investors use this published research in making investment decisions and evaluating operational trends of the Company and its performance relative to other oil and gas producing companies. Diluted earnings per share (adjusted) as set forth in this release represents adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates on a diluted per share basis. A table is included which reconciles income or loss from operations to adjusted net income comparable to analysts estimates and diluted earnings per share (adjusted). On its website, the Company provides additional comparative information on prior periods. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital represents net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital and exploration expense adjusted for certain non-cash compensation items. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital (sometimes referred to as adjusted cash flow) is widely accepted by the investment community as a financial indicator of an oil and gas companys ability to generate cash to internally fund exploration and development activities and to service debt. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is also useful because it is widely used by professional research analysts in valuing, comparing, rating and providing investment recommendations of companies in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. In turn, many investors use this published research in making investment decisions. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operations, investing, or financing activities as an indicator of cash flows, or as a measure of liquidity. A table is included which reconciles net cash provided by operations to cash flow from operations before changes in working capital as used in this release. On its website, the Company provides additional comparative information on prior periods for cash flow, cash margins and non-GAAP earnings as used in this release. The cash prices realized for oil and natural gas production, including the amounts realized on cash-settled derivatives and net of transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, is a critical component in the Companys performance tracked by investors and professional research analysts in valuing, comparing, rating and providing investment recommendations and forecasts of companies in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. In turn, many investors use this published research in making investment decisions. Due to the GAAP disclosures of various derivative transactions and third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, such information is now reported in various lines of the income statement. The Company believes that it is important to furnish a table reflecting the details of the various components of each income statement line to better inform the reader of the details of each amount and provide a summary of the realized cash-settled amounts and third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, which were historically reported as natural gas, NGLs and oil sales. This information is intended to bridge the gap between various readers understanding and fully disclose the information needed. Net debt is calculated as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. The Company believes this measure is helpful to investors and industry analysts who utilize Net debt for comparative purposes across the industry. The Company discloses in this release the detailed components of many of the single line items shown in the GAAP financial statements included in the Companys Annual or Quarterly Reports on Form 10-K or 10-Q. The Company believes that it is important to furnish this detail of the various components comprising each line of the Statements of Operations to better inform the reader of the details of each amount, the changes between periods and the effect on its financial results. We believe that the presentation of PV 10 value of our proved reserves is a relevant and useful metric for our investors as supplemental disclosure to the standardized measure, or after-tax amount, because it presents the discounted future net cash flows attributable to our proved reserves before taking into account future corporate income taxes and our current tax structure. While the standardized measure is dependent on the unique tax situation of each company, PV 10 is based on prices and discount factors that are consistent for all companies. Because of this, PV 10 can be used within the industry and by credit and security analysts to evaluate estimated net cash flows from proved reserves on a more comparable basis. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) is a leading U.S. independent natural gas and NGL producer with operations focused in the Appalachian Basin. The Company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. More information about Range can be found at www.rangeresources.com. Included within this release are certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are not limited to historical facts, but reflect Ranges current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. Words such as may, will, could, should, expect, plan, project, intend, anticipate, believe, outlook, estimate, predict, potential, pursue, target, continue, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. All statements, except for statements of historical fact, made within regarding activities, events or developments the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as those regarding future well costs, expected asset sales, well productivity, future liquidity and financial resilience, anticipated exports and related financial impact, NGL market supply and demand, future commodity fundamentals and pricing, future capital efficiencies, future shareholder value, emerging plays, capital spending, anticipated drilling and completion activity, acreage prospectivity, expected pipeline utilization and future guidance information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on assumptions and estimates that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information; however, management's assumptions and Range's future performance are subject to a wide range of business risks and uncertainties and there is no assurance that these goals and projections can or will be met. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information on risks and uncertainties is available in Range's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless required by law, Range undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events after the date they are made. The SEC permits oil and gas companies, in filings made with the SEC, to disclose proved reserves, which are estimates that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions as well as the option to disclose probable and possible reserves. Range has elected not to disclose its probable and possible reserves in its filings with the SEC. Range uses certain broader terms such as "resource potential, unrisked resource potential, "unproved resource potential" or "upside" or other descriptions of volumes of resources potentially recoverable through additional drilling or recovery techniques that may include probable and possible reserves as defined by the SEC's guidelines. Range has not attempted to distinguish probable and possible reserves from these broader classifications. The SECs rules prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC these broader classifications of reserves. These estimates are by their nature more speculative than estimates of proved, probable and possible reserves and accordingly are subject to substantially greater risk of actually being realized. Unproved resource potential refers to Range's internal estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be potentially discovered through exploratory drilling or recovered with additional drilling or recovery techniques and have not been reviewed by independent engineers. Unproved resource potential does not constitute reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineer's Petroleum Resource Management System and does not include proved reserves. Area wide unproven resource potential has not been fully risked by Range's management. EUR, or estimated ultimate recovery, refers to our managements estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be recovered from a well completed as a producer in the area. These quantities may not necessarily constitute or represent reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Petroleum Resource Management System or the SECs oil and natural gas disclosure rules. Actual quantities that may be recovered from Range's interests could differ substantially. Factors affecting ultimate recovery include the scope of Range's drilling program, which will be directly affected by the availability of capital, drilling and production costs, commodity prices, availability of drilling services and equipment, drilling results, lease expirations, transportation constraints, regulatory approvals, field spacing rules, recoveries of gas in place, length of horizontal laterals, actual drilling results, including geological and mechanical factors affecting recovery rates and other factors. Estimates of resource potential may change significantly as development of our resource plays provides additional data. In addition, our production forecasts and expectations for future periods are dependent upon many assumptions, including estimates of production decline rates from existing wells and the undertaking and outcome of future drilling activity, which may be affected by significant commodity price or drilling cost changes. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, available from our website at www.rangeresources.com or by written request to 100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 1200, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. You can also obtain this Form 10-K on the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. SOURCE: Range Resources Corporation Range Investor Contacts: Laith Sando 817-869-4267 Matt Schmid 817-869-1538 Range Media Contact: Mark Windle 724-873-3223 RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Based on GAAP reported earnings with additional details of items included in each line in Form 10-Q (Unaudited, In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 % 2025 2024 % Revenues and other income: Natural gas, NGLs and oil sales (a) $ 611,491 $ 533,277 $ 2,070,049 $ 1,578,728 Derivative fair value income 92,946 47,124 88,736 110,530 Brokered natural gas and marketing 43,807 31,289 131,224 91,513 ARO settlement (loss) gain (b) - - 1 (26 ) Interest income (b) 52 3,188 4,867 9,507 Loss (gain) on sale of assets (b) (6 ) 69 158 222 Other (b) 238 155 322 193 Total revenues and other income 748,528 615,102 22 % 2,295,357 1,790,667 28 % Costs and expenses: Direct operating 23,305 24,799 70,757 68,744 Direct operating - stock-based compensation (c) 525 486 1,566 1,454 Transportation, gathering, processing and compression 301,110 306,154 911,933 878,524 Taxes other than income 8,265 5,117 23,087 15,459 Brokered natural gas and marketing 48,256 32,017 139,800 96,425 Brokered natural gas and marketing - stock-based compensation (c) 626 571 2,268 1,862 Exploration 7,820 6,988 21,426 17,506 Exploration - stock-based compensation (c) 285 346 998 1,005 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 4,899 4,723 16,254 8,618 General and administrative 35,253 32,674 99,563 97,818 General and administrative - stock-based compensation (c) 9,448 8,639 28,885 27,099 General and administrative - lawsuit settlements 11 213 101 691 Exit costs 8,085 7,649 25,484 28,058 Deferred compensation plan (d) (765 ) (1,930 ) 2,026 5,715 Interest expense 23,200 27,958 76,615 85,430 Interest expense - amortization of deferred financing costs (e) 1,068 1,343 3,610 4,060 Gain on early extinguishment of debt - (11 ) (3 ) (254 ) Depletion, depreciation and amortization 93,793 91,137 275,866 265,872 Total costs and expenses 565,184 548,873 3 % 1,700,236 1,604,086 6 % Income before income taxes 183,344 66,229 177 % 595,121 186,581 219 % Income tax expense (benefit) Current (1,022 ) 1,282 5,623 5,263 Deferred 40,059 14,291 110,561 9,820 39,037 15,573 116,184 15,083 Net income $ 144,307 $ 50,656 185 % $ 478,937 $ 171,498 179 % Net income Per Common Share Basic $ 0.61 $ 0.21 $ 2.00 $ 0.71 Diluted $ 0.60 $ 0.21 $ 1.99 $ 0.70 Weighted average common shares outstanding, as reported Basic 237,378 240,865 -1 % 238,523 240,832 -1 % Diluted 239,026 242,623 -1 % 240,255 242,802 -1 % (a) See separate natural gas, NGLs and oil sales information table. (b) Included in Other income in the 10-Q. (c) Costs associated with stock compensation and restricted stock amortization, which have been reflected in the categories associated with the direct personnel costs, which are combined with the cash costs in the 10-Q. (d) Reflects the change in market value of the vested Company stock held in the deferred compensation plan. (e) Included in interest expense in the 10-Q. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION BALANCE SHEET (In thousands) September 30, December 31, 2025 2024 (Unaudited) (Audited) Assets Current assets $ 274,431 $ 636,982 Derivative assets 62,152 87,098 Natural gas and oil properties, net (successful efforts method) 6,627,222 6,421,700 Other property and equipment, net 3,464 2,465 Operating lease right-of-use assets 154,842 119,838 Other 75,652 79,592 $ 7,197,763 $ 7,347,675 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity Current liabilities $ 591,453 $ 1,263,247 Asset retirement obligations 1,189 1,189 Derivative liabilities 2,464 9,634 Bank debt 125,650 - Senior notes, excluding current maturities 1,091,117 1,089,614 Deferred tax liabilities 650,428 541,378 Derivative liabilities 2,049 10,488 Deferred compensation liabilities 67,293 65,233 Operating lease liabilities 95,937 35,737 Asset retirement obligations and other liabilities 145,640 137,181 Divestiture contract obligation 221,035 257,317 2,994,255 3,411,018 Common stock and retained deficit 4,894,936 4,449,987 Other comprehensive income 568 611 Common stock held in treasury (691,996 ) (513,941 ) Total stockholders' equity 4,203,508 3,936,657 $ 7,197,763 $ 7,347,675 RECONCILIATION OF TOTAL DEBT AS REPORTED TO NET DEBT, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands) September 30, December 31, 2025 2024 % Total debt, net of deferred financing costs, as reported $ 1,216,767 $ 1,697,883 -28 % Unamortized debt issuance costs, as reported 12,233 10,819 Less cash and cash equivalents, as reported (175 ) (304,490 ) Net debt, a non-GAAP measure $ 1,228,825 $ 1,404,212 -12 % RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Net income $ 144,307 $ 50,656 $ 478,937 $ 171,498 Adjustments to reconcile net cash provided from continuing operations: Deferred income tax expense 40,059 14,291 110,561 9,820 Depletion, depreciation and amortization 93,793 91,137 275,866 265,872 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 4,899 4,723 16,254 8,618 Derivative fair value income (92,946 ) (47,124 ) (88,736 ) (110,530 ) Cash settlements on derivative financial instruments 62,033 112,265 98,072 362,695 Divestiture contract obligation, including accretion 8,085 7,604 25,484 27,933 Amortization of deferred financing costs and other 852 927 2,996 3,352 Deferred and stock-based compensation 10,248 8,260 36,378 37,597 Loss (gain) on sale of assets 6 (69 ) (158 ) (222 ) Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt - (11 ) (3 ) (254 ) Changes in working capital: Accounts receivable (5,001 ) 24,617 63,063 101,530 Other current assets 3,426 20,596 (5,084 ) (1,809 ) Accounts payable (1,142 ) (21,334 ) 8,016 (27,052 ) Accrued liabilities and other (21,074 ) (20,619 ) (107,828 ) (122,424 ) Net changes in working capital (23,791 ) 3,260 (41,833 ) (49,755 ) Net cash provided from operating activities $ 247,545 $ 245,919 $ 913,818 $ 726,624 RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES, AS REPORTED, TO CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS BEFORE CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Net cash provided from operating activities, as reported $ 247,545 $ 245,919 $ 913,818 $ 726,624 Net changes in working capital 23,791 (3,260 ) 41,833 49,755 Exploration expense 7,820 6,988 21,426 17,506 Lawsuit settlements 11 213 101 691 Non-cash compensation adjustment and other 87 313 (22 ) 397 Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital - non-GAAP measure $ 279,254 $ 250,173 $ 977,156 $ 794,973 ADJUSTED WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Basic: Weighted average shares outstanding 237,643 241,676 239,063 242,133 Stock held by deferred compensation plan (265 ) (811 ) (540 ) (1,301 ) Adjusted basic 237,378 240,865 238,523 240,832 Dilutive: Weighted average shares outstanding 237,643 241,676 239,063 242,133 Dilutive stock options under treasury method 1,383 947 1,192 669 Adjusted dilutive 239,026 242,623 240,255 242,802 RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF NATURAL GAS, NGLs AND OIL SALES AND DERIVATIVE FAIR VALUE INCOME (LOSS) TO CALCULATED CASH REALIZED NATURAL GAS, NGLs AND OIL PRICES WITH AND WITHOUT THIRD-PARTY TRANSPORTATION, GATHERING, PROCESSING AND COMPRESSION COSTS, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, In thousands, except per unit data) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 % 2025 2024 % Natural gas, NGLs and Oil Sales components: Natural gas sales $ 361,124 $ 234,139 $ 1,249,456 $ 715,266 NGLs sales 224,376 266,186 738,064 750,547 Oil sales 25,991 32,952 82,529 112,915 Total Natural Gas, NGLs and Oil Sales, as reported $ 611,491 $ 533,277 15 % $ 2,070,049 $ 1,578,728 31 Derivative Fair Value Income, as reported $ 92,946 $ 47,124 $ 88,736 $ 110,530 Cash settlements on derivative financial instruments - (gain) loss: Natural gas (56,420 ) (107,923 ) (90,263 ) (355,030 ) NGLs (4,000 ) (1,409 ) (5,096 ) (3,310 ) Oil (1,613 ) (2,933 ) (2,713 ) (4,355 ) Total change in fair value related to commodity derivatives prior to settlement, a non-GAAP measure $ 30,913 $ (65,141 ) $ (9,336 ) $ (252,165 ) Transportation, gathering, processing and compression components: Natural Gas $ 157,193 $ 153,063 $ 469,416 $ 456,215 NGLs 142,815 152,624 439,862 420,975 Oil 1,102 467 2,655 1,334 Total transportation, gathering, processing and compression, as reported $ 301,110 $ 306,154 $ 911,933 $ 878,524 Natural gas, NGL and Oil sales, including cash-settled derivatives: (c) Natural gas sales $ 417,544 $ 342,062 $ 1,339,719 $ 1,070,296 NGLs sales 228,376 267,595 743,160 753,857 Oil Sales 27,604 35,885 85,242 117,270 Total $ 673,524 $ 645,542 4 % $ 2,168,121 $ 1,941,423 12 Production of natural gas, NGLs and oil during the periods (a): Natural Gas (mcf) 141,133,949 138,193,783 2 % 413,394,538 406,943,086 2 NGLs (bbls) 10,158,612 10,254,759 -1 % 30,107,652 29,392,292 2 Oil (bbls) 479,142 514,659 -7 % 1,483,512 1,717,958 -14 Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) 204,960,473 202,810,291 1 % 602,941,522 593,604,586 2 Production of natural gas, NGLs and oil - average per day (a): Natural Gas (mcf) 1,534,065 1,502,106 2 % 1,514,266 1,485,194 2 NGLs (bbls) 110,420 111,465 -1 % 110,284 107,271 3 Oil (bbls) 5,208 5,594 -7 % 5,434 6,270 -13 Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b) 2,227,831 2,204,460 1 % 2,208,577 2,166,440 2 Average prices, excluding derivative settlements and before third-party transportation costs: Natural Gas (per mcf) $ 2.56 $ 1.69 51 % $ 3.02 $ 1.76 72 NGLs (per bbl) $ 22.09 $ 25.96 -15 % $ 24.51 $ 25.54 -4 Oil (per bbl) $ 54.25 $ 64.03 -15 % $ 55.63 $ 65.73 -15 Gas equivalent (per mcfe) (b) $ 2.98 $ 2.63 13 % $ 3.43 $ 2.66 29 Average prices, including derivative settlements before third-party transportation costs: (c) Natural Gas (per mcf) $ 2.96 $ 2.48 19 % $ 3.24 $ 2.63 23 NGLs (per bbl) $ 22.48 $ 26.09 -14 % $ 24.68 $ 25.65 -4 Oil (per bbl) $ 57.61 $ 69.73 -17 % $ 57.46 $ 68.26 -16 Gas equivalent (per mcfe) (b) $ 3.29 $ 3.18 3 % $ 3.59 $ 3.27 10 Average prices, including derivative settlements and after third-party transportation costs: (d) Natural Gas (per mcf) $ 1.84 $ 1.37 34 % $ 2.11 $ 1.51 40 NGLs (per bbl) $ 8.42 $ 11.21 -25 % $ 10.07 $ 11.33 -11 Oil (per bbl) $ 55.31 $ 68.82 -20 % $ 55.67 $ 67.49 -18 Gas equivalent (per mcfe) (b) $ 1.82 $ 1.67 9 % $ 2.08 $ 1.79 16 Transportation, gathering and compression expense per mcfe $ 1.47 $ 1.51 -3 % $ 1.51 $ 1.48 2 (a) Represents volumes sold regardless of when produced. (b) Oil and NGLs are converted at the rate of one barrel equals six mcfe based upon the approximate relative energy content of oil to natural gas, which is not necessarily indicative of the relationship of oil and natural gas prices. (c) Excluding third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression costs. (d) Net of transportation, gathering, processing and compression costs. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES AS REPORTED TO INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES EXCLUDING CERTAIN ITEMS, a non-GAAP measure (Unaudited, In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 % 2025 2024 % Income from operations before income taxes, as reported $ 183,344 $ 66,229 177 % $ 595,121 $ 186,581 219 % Adjustment for certain special items: Loss (gain) on the sale of assets 6 (69 ) (158 ) (222 ) ARO settlement loss (gain) - - (1 ) 26 Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement (30,913 ) 65,141 9,336 252,165 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 4,899 4,723 16,254 8,618 Loss (gain) on early extinguishment of debt - (11 ) (3 ) (254 ) Lawsuit settlements 11 213 101 691 Exit costs 8,085 7,649 25,484 28,058 Brokered natural gas and marketing - stock-based compensation 626 571 2,268 1,862 Direct operating - stock-based compensation 525 486 1,566 1,454 Exploration expenses - stock-based compensation 285 346 998 1,005 General & administrative - stock-based compensation 9,448 8,639 28,885 27,099 Deferred compensation plan - non-cash adjustment (765 ) (1,930 ) 2,026 5,715 Income before income taxes, as adjusted 175,551 151,987 16 % 681,877 512,798 33 % Income tax expense (benefit), as adjusted Current (1,022 ) 1,282 5,623 5,263 Deferred (a) 41,399 33,675 151,209 112,681 Net income, excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 135,174 $ 117,030 16 % $ 525,045 $ 394,854 33 % Non-GAAP income per common share Basic $ 0.57 $ 0.49 16 % $ 2.20 $ 1.64 34 % Diluted $ 0.57 $ 0.48 19 % $ 2.19 $ 1.63 34 % Non-GAAP diluted shares outstanding, if dilutive 239,026 242,623 240,255 242,802 (a) Taxes are estimated to be approximately 23% for 2024 and 2025. RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME, EXCLUDING CERTAIN ITEMS AND ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE, non-GAAP measures (In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 2024 2025 2024 Net income, as reported $ 144,307 $ 50,656 $ 478,937 $ 171,498 Adjustments for certain special items: Loss (gain) on the sale of assets 6 (69 ) (158 ) (222 ) ARO settlement loss (gain) - - (1 ) 26 Gain on early extinguishment of debt - (11 ) (3 ) (254 ) Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement (30,913 ) 65,141 9,336 252,165 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 4,899 4,723 16,254 8,618 Lawsuit settlements 11 213 101 691 Exit costs 8,085 7,649 25,484 28,058 Stock-based compensation 10,884 10,042 33,717 31,420 Deferred compensation plan (765 ) (1,930 ) 2,026 5,715 Tax impact (1,340 ) (19,384 ) (40,648 ) (102,861 ) Net income, excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 135,174 $ 117,030 $ 525,045 $ 394,854 Net income per diluted share, as reported $ 0.60 $ 0.21 $ 1.99 $ 0.70 Adjustments for certain special items per diluted share: Loss (gain) on the sale of assets - - - - ARO settlement loss (gain) - - - - Gain on early extinguishment of debt - - - - Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement (0.13 ) 0.27 0.04 1.04 Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties 0.02 0.02 0.07 0.04 Lawsuit settlements - - - - Exit costs 0.03 0.03 0.11 0.12 Stock-based compensation 0.05 0.04 0.14 0.13 Deferred compensation plan - (0.01 ) 0.01 0.02 Adjustment for rounding differences 0.01 - - - Tax impact (0.01 ) (0.08 ) (0.17 ) (0.42 ) Dilutive share impact (rabbi trust and other) - - - - Net income per diluted share, excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 0.57 $ 0.48 $ 2.19 $ 1.63 Adjusted earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure: Basic $ 0.57 $ 0.49 $ 2.20 $ 1.64 Diluted $ 0.57 $ 0.48 $ 2.19 $ 1.63 GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toobit, the award-winning global cryptocurrency exchange, today announces the launch of its highly anticipated AI vs Lead Traders event. The 6-day competition, which runs from October 28, 2025, 02:00 AM (UTC) to November 3, 2025, 02:00 AM (UTC), challenges traders to predict whether AI or Toobit's top Lead Traders will achieve the highest Return on Investment (ROI). The competition is structured around two main events, with a total prize pool of 130,000 USDT. Event 1: AI vs Lead Traders Voting Challenge (100,000 USDT Pool) Traders cast a vote for either the AI Team or the Lead Traders Team. The team that achieves the highest ROI during the event period will be declared the winner. Voters of the winning team will equally share 70% of the 100,000 USDT prize pool (70,000 USDT) in Copy Trading Trial Funds. Voters of the losing team will still be rewarded, equally sharing the remaining 30% of the prize pool (30,000 USDT) in Copy Trading Trial Funds. All traders are guaranteed a reward, regardless of which team they choose. Event 2: Refer-a-friend challenge (30,000 USDT Pool) For every successful referral, the Inviter will receive 10 USDT in Trial Funds, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis from the 30,000 USDT pool. A referral is considered successful once the invited friend registers a Toobit account, completes at least one copy trade, and participates in Event 1. "With the recent explosion in the popularity of AI, everyone is debating its real-world effectiveness. We're putting the cutting edge of AI up against the battle-tested strategies of our top human traders in a public, definitive face-off," said Mike Williams, Chief Communication Officer at Toobit. "This event is a high-stakes, high-excitement way for our entire community to participate, predict the winner, and guarantee a share of the prize pool." All traders must register on the event page to participate. Full details of the event can be found on the announcement page. The Toobit competition launches amid a surge in AI's role in crypto trading. The global generative AI market in the cryptocurrency sector is projected to exceed $1 billion in value in 2025, representing a CAGR of approximately 34.5%. This growth is fueled by the fact that roughly 80% of buy-side firms now view AI and machine learning as primary technology drivers for modern trading. Following highly publicized real-money contests, such as those by nof1.ai pitting models like GPT-5 and Gemini against specialized trading AIs, autonomous trading agents have been cemented as a new frontier in finance. About Toobit Toobit is where the future of crypto trading unfoldsan award-winning cryptocurrency derivatives exchange built for those who thrive exploring new frontiers. With deep liquidity and cutting-edge technology, Toobit empowers traders worldwide to navigate the digital asset markets with confidence. We offer a fair, secure, seamless, and transparent trading experience, ensuring every trade is an opportunity to discover whats next. For more information about Toobit, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Instagram Contact: Davin C. Email: market@toobit.com Website: www.toobit.com Disclaimer: This content is provided by the sponsor. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice.Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an "as-is" basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a540916f-1942-4ed5-938f-97c7e09385f0 Alameda, CA, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bayside Builders Group, a fully licensed, bonded, and insured home remodeling contractor, is today celebrating their 115th 5-star Google review. This milestone has helped them earn recognition as one of the top-rated bathroom remodelers in Alameda County. Bayside Builders Group work For more than two decades, Bayside Builders Group has built its reputation on trust, reliability, and results. The companys approach combines hands-on expertise with a personalized design process that helps homeowners transform outdated bathrooms into comfortable, functional, and visually appealing spaces. A Reputation Built on Quality and Trust Founded and operated by Shai Drihem, Bayside Builders Group has established itself as a leading name in residential remodeling across Northern California. The companys consistent five-star reviews reflect years of satisfied customers who appreciate its attention to detail, fair pricing, and dedication to completing projects on time and within budget. We treat every project like its our own home, said Drihem. Our team takes pride in building long-term relationships with clients who trust us to deliver lasting results. Bayside Builders Groups client-first philosophy has helped it become a trusted resource not only for homeowners but also for property managers, real estate investors, and maintenance professionals who rely on dependable craftsmanship. Bathroom Remodeling Designed for Everyday Living Bayside Builders Group specializes in bathroom renovations that combine functionality, style, and durability. Every remodel begins with a detailed consultation to understand the clients vision, budget, and long-term needs. The companys skilled team serves homeowners throughout Alameda County including Alameda, Orinda, Lafayette, Fremont, Hayward, and Union City providing locally tailored design solutions that reflect the character of each community. Common projects include: Complete bathroom redesigns with new layouts, tilework, and fixtures Tub-to-shower conversions for improved accessibility and space optimization Water-efficient plumbing installations that conserve resources and reduce utility costs Custom vanities and cabinetry for increased storage and modern design Lighting and ventilation upgrades to enhance comfort and prevent moisture issues Each project is carefully managed from start to finish, ensuring homeowners receive clear communication, transparent pricing, and superior workmanship. Our clients are often surprised by how much difference a well-planned remodel can make, said Drihem. A new bathroom doesnt just improve daily livingit increases property value and energy efficiency, too. Serving Alameda County with Local Expertise As a local contractor, Bayside Builders Group understands the distinct needs of homes in Alameda County. The company has completed numerous projects across the East Bay, from classic Alameda bungalows to modern Fremont residences. Its licensed professionals are experienced in navigating local permitting requirements and building codes, ensuring every remodel meets Californias strict safety and environmental standards. The companys central service area includes Alameda, Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, Union City, and Fremont, allowing the team to respond quickly to inquiries and maintain close relationships with clients throughout the region. Why Homeowners Choose Bayside Builders Group The recognition as a top-rated bathroom remodeler reflects more than just technical skillit represents a company culture built around integrity and care. Homeowners consistently praise Bayside Builders Group for its: Transparent process with clear communication and detailed estimates Experienced team that combines design expertise with precise craftsmanship Commitment to cleanliness and professionalism on every job site Use of high-quality, long-lasting materials suited for California homes Responsive aftercare and a satisfaction guarantee on completed projects This focus on accountability and quality has led to repeat business, strong referrals, and lasting partnerships with clients who continue to recommend the company across Alameda County. Supporting the Local Community Beyond construction, Bayside Builders Group contributes to the Alameda community through local partnerships and continued employment opportunities. The companys mission extends beyond improving homesits about helping local families feel proud of where they live. Being part of this community for so many years means a lot to us, said Drihem. When we remodel a bathroom or a kitchen, were not just upgrading a space; were helping people feel more comfortable in their homes. A Focus on Long-Term Value Every Bayside Builders Group bathroom remodel is designed to stand the test of time. By combining expert installation with high-grade materials and modern technology, the company ensures its work adds both beauty and value to the property. Homeowners frequently turn to Bayside Builders Group for additional home projects after completing their first remodela testament to the companys long-standing reputation for excellence. Bayside Builders Group Work About Bayside Builders Group Bayside Builders Group is a premier home remodeling contractor serving Alameda County and the Greater Bay Area. With more than 25 years of experience, the company provides complete residential remodeling services including kitchen renovations, bathroom remodels, roofing, siding, deck construction, and backyard transformations. Fully licensed, insured, and bonded, Bayside Builders Group is known for its dedication to quality, customer satisfaction, and transparent project management. Source: https://baysidebuildersgroup.com/top-rated-bathroom-remodelers-in-alameda-county/ Contact Information: Bayside Builders Group Phone: 510-901-9972 Email: info@baysidebuildersgroup.com Website: www.baysidebuildersgroup.com Google Maps: Bayside Builders Group Location Service Area: Alameda, Oakland, Hayward, San Leandro, Union City, Fremont, Newark, and surrounding East Bay communities OMAHA, NE, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday at the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) 2025, Air Methods, Airbus, and ChristianaCare celebrated the official ribbon cutting of ChristianaCares new Airbus H145 D3 helicopter. This event marks a milestone in emergency medical aviation for the Northeast, as ChristianaCare introduces the first H145 D3 to the region, further advancing the mission of providing lifesaving care when seconds count. ChristianaCare, which was established nearly 25 years ago, provides service to Delaware and its surrounding states via two bases. One helicopter is based at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, with a second helicopter at the Delaware Coastal Airport in Georgetown. ChristianaCare also maintains helipads at its Wilmington Hospital and Middletown Free-standing Emergency Department. We are proud to celebrate this moment alongside our longtime partners at ChristianaCare and Airbus, said Air Methods CEO Rob Hamilton. The H145 D3 demonstrates whats possible when industry leaders come together with a shared purpose. Together, were advancing innovation, elevating safety, and ensuring the best possible care for every patient, every time. The state-of-the-art aircraft joins the ChristianaCare LifeNet air medical program, operated in partnership with Air Methods, expanding capabilities to serve patients across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The D3s advanced avionics, increased cabin space, and smoother, quieter performance enable flight crews to deliver critical care with greater safety, precision, and comfort. This aircraft represents a transformative step in our commitment to delivering critical care when seconds count, said John Roussis, program director at ChristianaCare. With advanced capabilities that improve safety, reliability, and performance, the H145 D3 enables us to better serve patients and communities across the region while positioning ChristianaCare LifeNet at the forefront of air medical care. The H145 D3s five-bladed main rotor system and enhanced engines improve power and efficiency while reducing maintenance and vibrationkey benefits that translate to more uptime and better outcomes for patients. Were proud to showcase this beautiful aircraft and celebrate two of our strongest partners, ChristianaCare and Air Methods, said Bart Reijnen, President of Airbus Helicopters in the U.S. and Head of the North America Region. The H145s Helionix avionics suite and advanced autopilot reduce pilot workload and enhance safety, while the new five-blade rotor delivers a smoother, quieter flight, benefiting both crew and patients. Every detail of this aircraft is designed for high-tempo medical operations. About Air Methods Air Methods is the leading air medical service, delivering lifesaving care to more than 100,000 people every year. With 45 years of experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. Air Methods Ascend is the companys clinical education program, allowing critical care nurses and paramedics best-in-class training opportunities using high-fidelity mannequins, virtual reality, and cadaver labs. Attachments OTTAWA, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Red Cross has launched the Hurricane Melissa Appeal to help those impacted by the hurricane in the Caribbean. The Red Cross is working to get help to people in affected areas as quickly as possible. Money raised will enable the Red Cross to provide immediate relief, support recovery efforts, and resilience and preparedness and capacity strengthening activities for future events. The activities and areas impacted may evolve based on emerging needs and compounding future events. People in Canada wishing to make a donation can do so online at redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Additional Resources @redcrosscanada.bsky.social | facebook.com/CanadianRedCross | redcross.ca/blog Red Cross donor inquiries: WeCare@redcross.ca or 1-800-418-1111 About the Canadian Red Cross Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 191 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supporting them in strengthening their resilience. MEDIA CONTACTS English Media: 1-877-599-9602 media@redcross.ca French Media: 1-888-418-9111 communication@croixrouge.ca FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A jury today awarded $20 million to the family of Dr. Alberto A. Casaretto, finding that Johnson & Johnsons talc-based products caused his fatal mesothelioma. The lawsuit, brought by his son, Alberto Casaretto Jr., alleged that the companys talc was contaminated with asbestos and that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers. The verdict delivers long-awaited justice to the Casaretto family and reinforces corporate accountability for unsafe consumer products. Dr. Casaretto allegedly used Johnson & Johnsons talc-based products for decades, trusted their marketing as pure and safe. However, evidence at trial showed the company knew its talc could contain asbestos but continued to market it as pure and risk-free. The jurys verdict holds Johnson & Johnson responsible for the harm caused by that deception. Key Facts & Background Dr. Casaretto practiced as a physician for decades in Florida and passed away in 2022 from malignant pleural mesothelioma. Evidence introduced at trial showed routine, lifelong use of talc-based Johnson & Johnson products and expert testimony linking that use to asbestos exposure and disease. Internal company documents and expert testimony established that Johnson & Johnson knew of asbestos risk in talc, selected testing protocols unlikely to detect asbestos reliably, and elected not to replace talc with safer alternatives such as cornstarch. The verdict award of $20,000,000 reflects compensatory damages awarded by the jury to the Casaretto Estate. This outcome reaffirms the ongoing accountability of manufacturers for decades-old products that have long-term health ramifications for consumers. Plaintiff Counsel Comments Levin Papantonio attorneys Chris Tisi, Cameron Stephenson, and Sara Papantonio tried this case with John Uustal and Cristina Pierson from Kelley Uustal. Chris Tisi, lead trial counsel for the plaintiff, issued this statement: This verdict is for the families who never knew the dangers hidden in Johnsons Baby Powder. For too long, Johnson & Johnson has ignored the pain of the people harmed by its product. Today, this family was finally heard. Cameron Stephenson added: This verdict goes beyond one familys tragedy. Its about decades of corporate concealment finally meeting accountability. The evidence made clear that Johnson & Johnson chose profits over safety, and the jurys decision reflects a demand for truth. Sara Papantonio commented: Todays verdict provides meaningful justice to the Casaretto family and sends a clear message to all manufacturers: when you market a product as pure and safe, you must ensure it is so, and you must warn of known dangers. Our firm remains committed to assisting victims and families holding corporations accountable for their negligence and misconduct. About Levin Papantonio The Levin Papantonio law firm has been representing injured people across the globe since 1955. The national trial law firm specializes in mass torts, products liability, environmental contamination, drug injuries, and complex personal injury. Levin Papantonio has gained national recognition as one of the most successful personal injury firms in the world and has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Forbes, and the National Law Journal. LP attorneys handle lawsuits throughout the country and have helped obtain more than $80 billion in jury verdicts and settlements, litigating against some of the largest corporations in the world. About Kelley | Uustal Founded in 2008 by trial attorneys Robert Kelley and John Uustal, Kelley | Uustal specializes in catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and complex commercial litigation. Based in Fort Lauderdale, the firm is home to more than a dozen award-winning attorneys who have secured more than $1 billion in life-changing verdicts and settlements for clients nationwide. Contact Media inquiries: Sara Stephens, Director of Content & Communications Levin Papantonio Phone: (281) 744-6560 Email: sstephens@levinlaw.com Website: www.levinlaw.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e60c2ac-d058-4e76-bf53-7cb7ee650dcf Auckland, Auckland, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZEIL, a New Zealandbased job marketplace, has announced a new partnership with licensed immigration advisers New Zealand Shores to streamline how skilled migrants live and work in Aotearoa. The initiative connects international professionals directly with Kiwi employers and provides visa-eligibility guidance as part of the recruitment process. zeil logo Solving the Job-Visa Challenge Migrants have long faced a Catch-22 situation: they need a visa to get a job offer and a job offer to get a visa. The ZEIL New Zealand Shores partnership solves that loop by aligning job search and visa support in one place. For migrants: Candidates who sign up on ZEIL and indicate they dont yet have work rights in New Zealand receive a free visa-eligibility check facilitated through New Zealand Shores. For employers: ZEIL highlights international candidates with clear visa pathways, reducing uncertainty and time-to-hire. This joined-up process is especially valuable in sectors facing ongoing skill shortages healthcare, engineering, information technology, construction and the trades. Watch the Explainer Video ZEIL has released a short guide to help international professionals understand how to start their journey: How to Move to New Zealand in 2025 Connecting Ambition with Opportunity As New Zealand employers continue to look abroad for hard-to-fill roles, platforms that simplify hiring and reduce friction between talent and employers are increasingly in demand. When people search for a job website in New Zealand, theyre often seeking a platform that balances authenticity, ease, and trust. ZEIL fits within that modern category a job marketplace that connects ambition with opportunity while integrating real-world immigration support. About ZEIL ZEIL is a New Zealand-founded job marketplace on a mission to connect talent and teams more dynamically than ever before. For job seekers: Personalised job matches tailored to each profile Visually rich job cards instead of traditional text ads Filters that help people find roles with the benefits and lifestyles they value from four-day workweeks to wellness perks An AI-powered CV Builder that generates four professional designs upon sign-up For employers: Access to one of New Zealands most engaged pools of job seekers Creative job listings that elevate employer branding Improved application quality through advanced job matching Automatic, well-formatted candidate resumes for easier screening Built-in messaging and candidate-tracking tools for fast communication Find out more at www.zeil.com or download the ZEIL app on the App Store and Google Play. sales@zeil.com A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.youtube.com/embed/tq9stavAqUY Vancouver - Wedgemount Resources Corp. (CSE: WDGY) (OTCQB: WDGRF) ("Wedgemount" or the "Company"), announces it has offered to settle outstanding interest owing to holders of its principal amount $2,599,000, 10% unsecured convertible debentures (the "Debentures") issued during August and September of 2024 (see press releases dated August 22 and September 12, 2024). Under the Interest Settlement Agreement ("Settlement"), the Company proposes to settle interest owing of $129,950 in connection with an interest payment due August 25, 2025 ("August Payment"), through the issue of 2,599,000 common shares at a deemed price of $0.05 per common share. The Settlement also provides the Company the right to make the scheduled February 25, 2026 interest payment ("February Payment") of $129,950 in shares, at the election of the Company. In order to exercise this right, the Company shall, within 10 business days of the date the February Payment is due, issue to the Debenture holder such number of shares as is equal to the amount of the February Payment, divided by the market price (as defined by the policies of the CSE) at the close of business on the day before the February Payment is due. The Shares issued in satisfaction of the August and February Payments will be subject to a hold period expiring 4 months and 1 day after issuance, in accordance with the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable Canadian securities laws. To date, Debenture holders owning principal amount $1,832,000 have agreed to the Settlement proposal. The Settlements remain subject to acceptance by the Canadian Securities Exchange. Private Placement The Company intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 10,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at CAD$0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to CAD$500,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one half of one (1/2) non-transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one (1) Common Share at CAD$0.12 for two years from the date of issuance. In connection with the Offering, the Company may pay finder's fees to qualified non-related parties, in accordance with the policies of the Exchange, being 7% cash commission on total proceeds raised by the finder and 7% in Warrants on total Units sold by the finder. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for general working capital purposes. All securities issued under the Offering, including securities issuable on exercise thereof, will be subject to a hold period expiring 4 months and 1 day after issuance, in accordance with the rules and policies of the Exchange and applicable Canadian securities laws. About Wedgemount Resources Corp. Wedgemount Resources is a junior natural resource company focused on maximizing shareholder value through the acquisition, development and exploitation of oil and gas projects in Texas, USA. On behalf of the Board of Directors, WEDGEMOUNT RESOURCES CORP. Mark Vanry, President and CEO For more information, please contact the Company at: Telephone: (604) 343-4743 info@wedgemountresources.com www.wedgemountresources.com Reader Advisory This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements made in this news release includes, the proposed use of proceeds of the private placement. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, availability of funds, personnel and other resources necessary to conduct exploration or development programs, successes of the Company's exploration efforts, availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Westgold is an unhedged Australian ASX200 gold producer, committed to unearthing enduring value for all its stakeholders. Westgold's vision is to become Australia's leading gold company, sustaining safe, responsible and profitable production. Our current business encompasses mines and processing plants across the Murchison and Southern Goldfields, two of Western Australia's most prolific gold-producing regions. Financial values are reported in A$ unless otherwise specified This announcement is authorised for release to the ASX by the Board. $180M underlying cash build in Q1 FY26 Westgold Resources Limited (ASX: WGX) (TSX: WGX) (Westgold or the Company) is pleased to report results for the period ending 30 September 2025 (Q1 FY26). Q1 HIGHLIGHTS OPERATIONS Safety Performance Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) of 5.04 / million hours - an improvement of 11% Group production of 83,937oz Au @ AISC of $2,861/oz - in line with FY26 guidance 3 YEAR OUTLOOK High confidence organic growth plan that sees costs fall FY26 guidance: 345-385koz @ AISC of $2,600-$2,900/oz FY27 outlook: ~420koz @ AISC of $2,456/oz FY28 outlook: ~470koz @ AISC of ~$2,499/oz RESERVES & RESOURCES Group Mineral Resource Estimate increased 24% to 16.3Moz Ore Reserves up 5% to 3.5Moz - driven by additions at Beta Hunt, Bluebird-South Junction and Starlight Update reflects strong exploration success - and supports a 10-year Reserve life TREASURY Gold sales of 94,913oz at an average price of A$5,296/oz - generating revenue of A$503M Underlying cash build of $180M - before investments in growth ($60M) and exploration ($12M) $472M in closing cash, bullion, and liquid investments @ 30 September 2025 - a $108M increase Q on Q Westgold remains 100% unhedged CORPORATE 3cps final dividend declared for FY25 - and 5% on-market share buyback program launched for FY26 Non-core divestments underway - including Peak Hill, Mt Henry-Selene and Chalice gold opportunities Westgold Managing Director and CEO Wayne Bramwell commented: "Westgold's underlying cash build in Q1, FY26 of $180M before growth and exploration spend, culminated in a closing balance of $472M in cash, bullion, and liquid investments. This was an increase of $108M quarter on quarter. Operationally, we maintained our focus on safety and efficiency, achieving an 11% improvement in our TRIFR and delivering group gold production of 83,937 ounces at an AISC of $2,861 per ounce. This was a solid start to FY26, and we remain on track to FY26 guidance of 345,000 to 385,000 ounces at an AISC of $2,600 to $2,900 per ounce. The 2025 Reserves and Resources statement released during the quarter demonstrated the success of continued investment in growth projects and exploration, with our Mineral Resource Estimate increasing by 24% to 16.3Moz and Ore Reserves up 5% to 3.5Moz. This growth now underpin a 10-year Ore Reserve life and highlights the latent mineral potential that drilling can unlock from within our portfolio. In Q1 the Company released its first three-year outlook (3YO) to the market. The 3YO is a high confidence plan building from a FY26 production guidance mid-point of 365,000 ounces, growing organically to approximately 470,000 ounces of production by FY28. Importantly, the 3YO is conservative by design, sees our cost profile fall and excludes multiple tangible opportunities currently being advanced to bring value forward in the outlook. Westgold's value proposition is to focus on organic growth to increase shareholder returns. This objective is now underpinned by growing treasury strength, increasing Ore Reserves, four processing hubs and a pragmatic approach to capital allocation that creates value. The declaration of a 3 cent per share final dividend for FY25 shows our commitment to shareholder returns with an upgrade to our dividend policy for FY26 and the launch of a 5% on-market share buyback defining our approach. Our team is focussed on optimising our larger producing assets in FY26 to maximise free cash flow. With improving operational performance and a clear pathway defined by the 3YO, the business can now plan to sustain safe, responsible, and profitable production into the future." Executive Summary Cash Position as of 30 September 2025 Westgold closed Q1, FY26 with cash, bullion and liquid investments of $472M - representing a build of $108M in total cash, bullion and liquid investments. Underlying cash build was $180M before growth and exploration spend (invested $60M on non-sustaining capital and $12M on exploration, refer Figure 1). This result was driven by consistent Group gold production and an increase in realised gold price to $5,296/oz. Notes Westgold remains unhedged and fully exposed to the spot gold price. $2.3M in additional New Murchison Gold (ASX: NMG) shares purchased during Q1, FY26. $28M FY25 dividend payment to shareholders (3cps) declared during Q1, FY26 - payment made post quarter end and will be reflected in the Q2 FY26 cashflows. $75M stamp duty invoice for the Karora transaction was received during Q1, FY26 - with payment due in Q2 FY26. Closing Q1, FY26 investments include 1.7B NMG shares - but exclude 19.8M shares received in Blackcat Syndicate Limited (ASX: BC8 - under escrow until 31/3/26). Group Production Highlights - Q1, FY26 Westgold is pleased to report Q1, FY26 Group gold production of 83,937oz (Q4 FY25: 88,022oz). The Murchison produced 53,140oz (Q4 FY25: 54,811oz) and the Southern Goldfields produced 30,797oz (Q4 FY25: 33,211oz). Q1, FY26 production was marginally lower than Q4, FY25 as expected due to scheduled process plant shutdowns across the group. This is consistent with the expectations set out in Westgold's FY26 Guidance, which shows group production output weighted towards the second half of FY26. All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC) for Q1, FY26 was $240M (Q4 FY25: $237M), and on a per ounce basis was $2,861/oz (Q4 FY25: $2,688/oz). The higher quarter-on-quarter costs were primarily due to the early commencement of third-party ore delivery (from the gold price linked Ore Purchase Agreement (OPA) with New Murchison Gold), planned maintenance costs and lower Group production. Excluding gold production from ore purchased under the OPA, Group AISC was $2,792/oz. Westgold maintains its production and cost guidance for FY26 of 345 - 385koz at $2,600 - $2,900/oz. The Company sold 94,913oz of gold for the quarter achieving a record price of $5,296/oz, generating $503M in revenue. With Westgold hedge free, operations generated $205M of mine operating cashflows with the achieved gold price $2,435/oz over AISC. Total non-sustaining capital expenditure during Q1 FY26 of $60M (Q4 FY25: $39M) includes $39M of investment in growth projects (Bluebird-South Junction and Great Fingall development) and $21M in plant and equipment (processing facilities, ventilation, water, power and paste infrastructure across the Group). Investment in exploration and resource development of $12M (Q4 FY25: $9M) for the quarter continued focusing on Bluebird-South Junction and Starlight in the Murchison, and the Fletcher Zone at Beta Hunt in the Southern Goldfields. Westgold remains on track to achieve the FY26 exploration guidance of $50M. The net mine cash inflow for Q1 FY26 was $133M (refer Table 1 under Group Performance Metrics). FY26 guidance and 3 year outlook Westgold issued its FY26 guidance in August 2025, signalling an uplift over the prior year in group mine and milling outputs. The Company's outlook is supported by ongoing investments in key processing and mining assets and more consistent operational performance, positioning Westgold for continued value creation. For FY26, Westgold forecasts gold production in the range of 345,000oz to 385,000oz at an AISC of $2,600 to $2,900 per ounce, reflecting a substantial production improvement over FY25. The Company's guidance also includes indicative AISC for purchased ore. Planned non-sustaining capital expenditure totals $270M, predominantly directed toward major growth projects and infrastructure upgrades. The exploration and resource definition budget is set at A$50M, representing a balanced investment in exploration, targeting significant drilling activity across core regions. Building on the FY26 guidance, Westgold released a detailed three-year outlook (3YO) on 1 October 2025 that presents a high-confidence, executable plan to increase the Group's annual gold production to approximately 470,000oz per annum by FY28, while reducing AISC to around $2,500/oz from FY27 onwards. This organic growth plan is predicated upon Westgold's existing portfolio of operating assets, 2025 Ore Reserves (56Mt at 1.93g/t for 3.5Moz of gold), and the four processing hubs with a combined current processing capacity of approximately 6Mtpa. Importantly, the 3YO excludes tangible opportunities that, if realised represent substantial upside to the plan. These opportunities are being actively advanced to bring value forward into the 3YO. For more information, refer to "Westgold Provides 3-Year Outlook" lodged on the ASX on 1 October 2025. Group Performance Metrics Westgold's quarterly physical and financial outputs for Q1 FY26 are summarised below. Table 1: Westgold Q1 FY26 Performance Physical Summary Units Murchison Southern Goldfields Group ROM - Ore Mined t 687,951 537,380 1,225,331 Grade Mined g/t 2.3 2.1 2.2 Ore Processed t 906,500[1] 448,692 1,355,192 Head Grade g/t 2.01 2.3 2.1 Recovery % 911 94 92 Gold Produced oz 53,1401 30,797 83,937 Gold Sold oz 59,947 34,966 94,913 Achieved Gold Price A$/oz 5,296 5,296 5,296 Cost Summary Units Murchison Southern Goldfields Group Mining A$'M 981 58 156 Processing A$'M 411 17 58 Admin A$'M 8 9 17 Stockpile Movements A$'M (1) (22)2 (23) Royalties A$'M 7 13 20 Sustaining Capital A$'M 10 2 12 All-in Sustaining Costs A$M 163 77 240 All-in Sustaining Costs A$/oz 3,061 2,516 2,861 All-in Sustaining Costs - Excluding OPA A$'M 150 77 227 All-in Sustaining Costs - Excluding OPA A$/oz 2,960 2,516 2,792 Notional Cashflow Summary Units Murchison Southern Goldfields Group Notional Revenue (produced oz) A$'M 282 163 445 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 163 77 240 Mine Operating Cashflow A$'M 119 86 205 Growth Capital A$'M (30) (9) (39) Plant and Equipment A$'M (8) (13) (21) Exploration Spend A$'M (7) (5) (12) Net Mine Cashflow A$'M 74 59 133 Net Mine Cashflow A$/oz 1,392 1,915 1,583 1 Includes 24kt of ore purchased at 3.5g/t for 2,601oz 2 Southern Goldfields stockpile movement is predominantly due to the combined impact of a 61kt stockpile build and the non-cash adjustment to stockpile values following the finalisation of the purchase price allocation for the Karora transaction. Q4 FY25 Group Performance Overview Westgold mined a total of 1,225kt at 2.2g/tAu (Q4 FY25: 1,264kt at 2.3g/t Au) slightly down quarter on quarter as expected, driven by level access and paste establishment at Bluebird South Junction mine at Meekatharra. Westgold processed 1,355 kt (Q4 FY25: 1,408kt) of ore in total at an average grade of 2.1g/t Au (Q4 FY25: 2.1g/t Au), producing 83,937oz of gold (Q4 FY25: 88,022oz). Group AISC in Q1 FY26 was $240M, marginally higher than the previous quarter (Q4 FY25: $237M). MURCHISON The Murchison hubs produced 53,140oz of gold (Q4 FY25: 54,811oz). Quarterly production declined slightly as anticipated due to planned processing maintenance shutdowns at the three processing hubs and lower grades mined at Fortnum. The quarter-on-quarter reduction in ore mined was driven primarily by schedule constraints at Bluebird-South Junction as the mine transitioned to paste fill. Encouragingly, the first paste pour was completed in Q1 ahead of target, placing the Meekatharra Hub in a strong position to lift production as forecast over the year. The lower quarter-on-quarter mining rate from Bluebird-South Junction was partly offset by the early delivery of ore under the OPA with New Murchison Gold which contributed 2,601oz. Total AISC of $163M (Q4 FY25: $138M) was higher than the prior quarter, mainly due to the commencement of the gold price linked OPA and planned maintenance across the three processing hubs. AISC per ounce of $3,061/oz (Q4 FY25: $2,503/oz) increased due to the higher total AISC and lower quarterly production. Excluding the OPA, the Murchison AISC per ounce was $2,960/oz. Total Non-Sustaining Capital Expenditure of $38M, includes Growth Capital ($30M) and Plant and Equipment ($8M) across the Murchison. Growth Capital mainly related to the continuation of Great Fingall development and expansions to the Bluebird-South Junction underground mine. SOUTHERN GOLDFIELDS The Southern Goldfields hub produced 30,797oz of gold in Q1 FY26 (Q4 FY25: 33,211oz). Higginsville throughput was in line with expectations. Production was lower quarter on quarter due to the timing of an additional tolling parcel in Q4 FY25 at Lakewood. Beta Hunt mining output was in line with expectations and steady quarter on quarter. Beta Hunt mining rates are expected to lift from late Q2, FY26 onwards as new ventilation and pumping infrastructure removes constraints in the mine. The total AISC in the Southern Operations decreased quarter on quarter (Q1 FY26 AISC: $77M vs Q4 FY25 AISC: $99M). On a per ounce basis, AISC was lower at $2,516/oz in Q1 FY26 (Q4 FY25: $2,992/oz). This is predominantly due to the combined impact of a 61kt stockpile build and the non-cash adjustment to stockpile values of the Southern Goldfields following the finalisation of the purchase price allocation for the Karora transaction. Total Non-Sustaining Capital Expenditure of $22M, includes Growth Capital ($9M) and Plant and Equipment ($13M) across the Southern Goldfields Operations mainly relating to water management, primary ventilation and underground infrastructure at the Beta Hunt mine. Table 2: Q1 FY26 Group Mining Physicals Ore Mined ('000 t) Mined Grade (g/t) Contained ounces (Oz) Murchison 688 2.3 50,837 Bluebird 144 3.2 14,615 Fender 58 2.3 4,214 Big Bell 269 1.7 14,975 Great Fingall 15 1.3 597 Starlight 202 2.5 16,436 Southern Goldfields 537 2.1 36,956 Beta Hunt 381 2.3 27,642 Two Boys 37 3.3 3,868 Lake Cowan OP 119 1.4 5,446 GROUP TOTAL 1,225 2.2 87,793 Table 3: Q1 FY26 Group Processing Physicals Ore Milled ('000 t) Head Grade (g/t) Recovery (%) Gold Production (Oz) Murchison 906 2.0 91 53,140 Bluebird 151 3.1 94 14,296 Fender 28 1.7 88 1,325 Ore Purchase 24 3.5 97 2,601 Open Pit & Low Grade 189 0.9 91 5,145 Meekatharra Hub 392 2.0 93 23,367 Big Bell 217 1.4 85 10,494 Fender 41 2.3 85 2,516 Great Fingall 33 1.4 86 1,271 Open Pit & Low Grade 0.2 0.9 86 5 Cue Hub 291 1.8 85 14,286 Starlight 197 2.5 94 14,853 Open Pit & Low Grade 26 0.8 94 634 Fortnum Hub 223 2.3 94 15,487 Southern Goldfields 449 2.3 94 30,797 Beta Hunt 365 2.3 94 25,269 Two Boys 32 3.6 92 3,344 Lake Cowan 45 1.4 93 1,836 Open Pit & Low Grade 7 1.6 92 348 GROUP TOTAL 1,355 2.1 92 83,937 Operations Safety Safety performance improved across key indicator areas, with the Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) reducing to 5.04 by the end of September. This marks a sustained, 11% improvement from the prior quarter and reflects the effectiveness of targeted safety initiatives and operational discipline. Our continued success in enhancing safety performance is achieved by prioritising leading indicators and implementing proactive strategies to prevent incidents and injuries among our workforce. The Murchison Fortnum Hub In Q1 Fortnum processed 223kt at 2.3g/t with 94% recovery for 15,487oz (Q4 FY25: 231kt at 2.6g/t with 93% recovery for 18,149oz). Fortnum continues to perform well, though production and grade was down quarter on quarter, following a record quarter in Q4 FY25. Meekatharra Hub In Q1 the Meekatharra Hub processed 392kt at 2.0g/t with 93% recovery for 23,367oz (Q4 FY25: 377kt at 1.7g/t with 94% recovery for 19,640oz). Meekatharra production continues to improve on the back of higher grades from the Bluebird-South Junction underground mine and the introduction of softer oxide feed from the Crown Prince open pit. Westgold purchased 33kt of ore at 3.3g/t containing 3,231oz of gold as part of the OPA, and processed 24kt at 3.5g/t during the quarter for 2,601oz. Bluebird-South Junction mined production amounted to 144kt at 3.2 g/t for 14,615oz (Q4 FY25: 170kt at 2.6 g/t for 14,027oz). Two key milestones were achieved at Bluebird-South Junction with the paste fill plant commissioning, and first paste pour was completed ahead of schedule, and level access design changes to the South Junction area were finalised. The introduction of paste fill to the mine is a critical step for the larger more productive South Junction stopes, allowing full orebody extraction. The updated mine design is a hybrid approach which allows the productivity benefits of transverse mining whilst mitigating the ground control issues that have previously delayed the project ramp up during FY25. Mining volumes decreased as planned compared to the previous quarter due to a reduction in available work areas as additional accesses were established and paste fill was incorporated into the schedule. However, the impact of lower volumes was balanced by higher ore grades. Cue Hub In Q1 the Cue Hub processed 291kt at 1.8g/t with 85% recovery for 14,286oz (Q4 FY25: 333kt at 1.8g/t with 88% recovery for 17,022oz). Production at Cue was lower quarter on quarter primarily due to planned processing plant maintenance, and slightly lower metallurgical recoveries. The variation in recovery was primarily the result of increased production from a particular section of the Big Bell upper cave, which has unique metallurgical characteristics. This is anticipated to be a temporary occurrence and not indicative of the long-term recovery performance expected from the upper cave as a whole. Big Bell and Fender mined a combined 327kt at 1.8g/t for 19,189oz (Q4 FY25: 369kt at 1.9g/t for 21,967oz). Mining at Big Bell was relatively steady quarter on quarter, with the slightly lower grades and volumes being schedule driven. The rehabilitation of the upper cave continues and will drive improved mining volumes from Q2 as the number of available mining areas approach steady state. With the Fender strike length shortening at depth and forecast production reducing, the operation has been consolidated into Big Bell in order to efficiently manage costs and equipment utilisation. Great Fingall delivered 15kt at 1.3g/t for 597oz (Q4 FY25:32kt at 1.4g/t for 1,498oz), from the Great Fingall Flats target, completing this opportunistic early low grade mining campaign. BarmInco Ltd. (Barminco) mobilised to Great Fingall during the Quarter, successfully commencing the full-service mining contract on 1 September. First stoping in the main Great Fingall orebody will commence in late Q2 FY26 adding high grade feed to the Cue Hub. The Southern Goldfields Southern Goldfields The 1.6Mtpa Higginsville processing plant processed 404kt at 2.3g/t with a 94% recovery for 28,043oz (Q4 FY25: 382kt at 2.4g/t with 93% recovery for 27,698oz). Beta Hunt achieved consistent mining rates quarter on quarter, mining 381kt at 2.3g/t for 27,642oz (Q4 FY25: 383kt at 2.3g/t for 28,533oz). Key infrastructure milestones were achieved in Q1 for Beta Hunt with the newly installed primary ventilation fans running, and the new rising main line installed. Production will see a ramp up in Q2 with key primary infrastructure upgrades commissioned and operating at full design capacity. The detailed Higginsville expansion study commenced in Q1, evaluating a production uplift to 2.6Mtpa, with a further option to expand to 4Mtpa. Toll milling of Beta Hunt ore at the Lakewood mill processed 45kt at 2.1g/t with 92% recovery for 2,754oz (Q4 FY25: 85kt at 2.2g/t with 92% recovery for 5,513oz). Exploration During the quarter, Westgold invested $12M (Q4 FY25: $9M) in Exploration and Resource Definition and drilled 46,744m. Greenfields exploration drilling was focused on targets in the Labouchere region near Fortnum, the Jubilee-Golden Treasure and Murphy Creek targets at Peak Hill, and the Meekatharra North target north of Bluebird. Extensional exploration / resource definition drilling was focussed on routine work on all active mines and continued definition of Fletcher, inclusive of initial testing of the Stage 2 area. Reserve and Resource update During the September quarter, Westgold released its updated Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve Statement as at 30 June 20252. The Group's total gold Mineral Resource Estimate increased by 24% year-on-year to 231Mt at 2.2 g/t for 16.3Moz, following a focused exploration and resource definition program. Notably, the maiden Stage 1 Mineral Resource Estimate for the Fletcher Zone at Beta Hunt delivered 2.3Moz, effectively doubling the Beta Hunt Mineral Resource . Significant growth was also achieved at Bluebird-South Junction (up 35% to 1.3Moz) and Starlight (up 46% to 866koz), with both assets reporting increases post-mining depletion. These results underscore the value of Westgold's ongoing investment in organic growth and the strong potential within its Western Australian portfolio. Ore Reserves grew by 5% to 56Mt at 1.9 g/t for 3.5Moz, marking the second consecutive year of post-depletion Ore Reserve growth. This uplift was driven by substantial increases at Bluebird-South Junction (up 90% to 528koz) and Starlight (up 94% to 250koz), offsetting mining depletions at other operations. With a current milling capacity of 5.7 Mtpa, Westgold's estimated Ore Reserve life now stands at approximately 10 years. The company plans to invest $50M in exploration and resource development in FY26, maintaining its focus on converting Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves and supporting long-term value creation for shareholders. 2 Refer to ASX announcement titled "2025 Mineral Resource Estimate and Ore Reserves" - 3 September 2025 Corporate At the end of Q1 FY26, Westgold's total cash, bullion and investments totalled $472M. Cash, Bullion and Investments Description Jun 2025 Quarter ($M) Sep 2025 Quarter ($M) Variance ($M) Variance (%) Cash 240 357 117 49 Bullion 96 61 (35) (36) Investments1 28 54 26 93 Cash and Bullion 364 472 108 30 1. Investments exclude investment in Blackcat Syndicate (BC8) under escrow until 31 March 2026. Debt Westgold's unhedged debt facility of $300M under the Syndicated Facility Agreement with ING Bank (Australia) Limited and Societe Generale incorporates two Revolving Corporate Facilities (Facility A - $100M) and a Term Loan (Facility B - $200M). On 30 September 2025, Facility B expired leaving Westgold with access to $50M of the underdrawn Facility A. Gold Hedging Westgold is fully unhedged, completely leveraged to the gold price and achieved an average gold price of $5,296/oz for Q1 FY26 (Q4 FY25 $5,174/oz). Divestment of non-core assets As part of Westgold's ongoing strategy to focus on its larger operational assets and bring value forward into the 3YO, the Company commenced a formal divestment process for three smaller non-core properties including Peak Hill (near Fortnum), Mt Henry-Selene (near Norseman), and Chalice (near Higginsville). These smaller gold assets contain existing Mineral Resources (circa 1.6Moz in total) and are not included in Westgold's three-year outlook or longer term mine plans. With a view to crystallising value from these assets for our shareholders Westgold has commenced a divestment programme which, amongst other value benefits, could deliver additional ore to Westgold hubs via new ore purchase agreements. The divestment process for these three assets is targeted for completion in Q3 FY26. In addition to this divestment programme, Westgold is evaluating potential value accretive options regarding the Comet and South-Emu Triton underground mines (currently in care and maintenance) and associated tenure in the Murchison. Share Capital Westgold closed the quarter with the following capital structure: Security Type Number on Issue Fully Paid Ordinary Shares 944,831,564 Performance Rights (Rights) 8,922,112 Dividend & Share buyback During the quarter, Westgold declared a FY25 final unfranked dividend of 3 cents per share, reflecting the company's strong financial performance and robust cash flow generation in FY25. This dividend, totalling $28.3M and representing a 78% payout ratio, was approved by the Board and paid on 10 October 2025. The dividend decision was made after careful consideration of Westgold's forecast cash flows and operating scale and marks a continuation of the company's commitment to shareholder returns, with $38.6M in dividends paid since the inception of its policy in FY24. The Board also enhanced the dividend policy for FY26, doubling the minimum dividend per share to 2 cents per share and raising the required minimum net cash balance to $150M after dividend payments. To complement our capital return programme, Westgold's Board authorised an FY26 on-market share buyback of up to 5% of the company's ordinary shares (to be executed over the next 12 months). This buyback, approved and announced during the September quarter, is designed to enhance capital management and reflects the Board's confidence in Westgold's 3YO and future cash flow generation. The programme will be conducted in accordance with Australian and Canadian securities laws, with purchases made through the ASX at the company's discretion, subject to prevailing share prices and market conditions. By reducing the number of shares on issue, the buyback aims to increase shareholder value and further align capital returns with the company's growth trajectory and operational outlook. Quarterly conference call details Wayne Bramwell (Managing Director & CEO), Tommy Heng (Chief Financial Officer) and Aaron Rankine (Chief Operating Officer) will present the results via webcast on Tuesday, 28 October 2025 at 8:30AM AWST / 11:30AM AEDT, followed by a Q&A session. To listen to the Webcast live, please click on the link below and register your details. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. SEPTEMBER 2025 QUARTERLY WEBCAST https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3212880079702862424 Please log on a few minutes before the scheduled commencement time to ensure you are registered in time for the start of the call. Compliance Statements Forward Looking Statements These materials prepared by Westgold Resources Limited (or the "Company") include forward looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "believe", "forecast", "predict", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "continue", and "guidance", or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production outputs. Forward looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance, and achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance, or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of Ore Reserves, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the Company operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation. Forward looking statements are based on the Company and its management's good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future. The Company does not give any assurance that the assumptions on which forward looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the Company's business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the Company or management or beyond the Company's control. Although the Company attempts, and has attempted, to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the Company. In addition, the Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of the factors outlined in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR+ or the ASX, including, in the Company's current annual report, half year report or most recent management discussion and analysis. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in these materials speak only at the date of issue. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances. Mineral Resources The information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources is provided by Westgold technical employees and contractors under the supervision of the General Manager of Technical Services, Mr. Jake Russell B.Sc. (Hons), who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and who has verified, reviewed, and approved such information. Mr Russell is a full-time employee to the Company and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the styles of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the activities which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the "JORC Code") and as a Qualified Person as defined in the CIM Guidelines and National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Russell is an employee of the Company and, accordingly, is not independent for purposes of NI 43-101. Mr Russell consents to and approves the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Russell is eligible to participate in short and long-term incentive plans of the Company. It is a requirement of the ASX Listing Rules that the reporting of Mineral Resources, Ore Reserve Estimates in Australia complies with the JORC Code. Investors outside Australia should note that while Ore Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates of the Company in this report comply with the JORC Code (such JORC Code-compliant Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources being "Ore Reserves" and "Mineral Resources" respectively), they may not comply with the relevant guidelines in other countries. The JORC Code is an acceptable foreign code under NI 43-101. Information contained in this announcement describing mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of US securities laws, including Item 1300 of Regulation S-K. All technical and scientific information in this report has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and has been reviewed on behalf of the Company by Qualified Persons, as set forth above. This report contains references to estimates of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. The estimation of Mineral Resources is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral Resources that are not Ore Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. Mineral Resource estimates may require re-estimation based on, among other things: (i) fluctuations in the price of gold; (ii) results of drilling; (iii) results of metallurgical testing, process and other studies; (iv) changes to proposed mine plans; (v) the evaluation of mine plans subsequent to the date of any estimates; and (vi) the possible failure to receive required permits, approvals and licenses. Appendix A - Key metrics by operating asset Q1 FY25 Q2 FY25 Q3 FY25 Q4 FY25 Q1 FY26 Fortnum Mill Ore milled kt 196 208 202 231 223 Milled grade g/t 2.5 2.5 2.1 2.6 2.3 Recovery % 95 95 93 93 94 Gold Produced oz 15,069 15,517 12,506 18,149 15,487 Bluebird Mill Ore milled kt 349 219 240 377 392 Milled grade g/t 2.0 2.4 2.0 1.7 2.0 Recovery % 89 89 92 94 93 Gold Produced oz 20,306 14,933 14,136 19,640 23,367 Tuckabianna Mill Ore milled kt 334 322 310 333 291 Milled grade g/t 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.8 Recovery % 87 87 88 88 85 Gold Produced oz 17,514 16,011 16,264 17,022 14,286 Southern Goldfields Ore milled kt 411 593 545 467 449 Milled grade g/t 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.3 Recovery % 92 92 93 93 94 % Gold Produced oz 24,480 34,425 37,201 33,211 30,797 Starlight UG Ore mined kt 174 168 147 197 202 Mined grade g/t 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.5 Contained gold oz 14,936 14,374 12,495 18,457 16,436 Bluebird-South Junction UG Ore mined kt 95 88 109 170 144 Mined grade g/t 3.7 3.4 2.7 2.6 3.2 Contained gold oz 11,297 9,649 9,483 14,027 14,615 OPA Ore Purchased kt - - - - 33 Ore grade g/t - - - - 3.3 Contained gold oz - - - - 3,231 Big Bell UG Ore mined kt 307 333 247 279 269 Mined grade g/t 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 Contained gold oz 19,143 19,338 14,251 16,416 14,975 Great Fingall UG Ore mined kt - - - 32 15 Mined grade g/t - - - 1.4 1.3 Contained gold oz - - - 1,498 597 Fender UG Ore mined kt 75 76 79 90 58 Mined grade g/t 2.5 2.3 2.4 1.9 2.3 Contained gold oz 5,851 5,531 6,048 5,551 4,214 Beta Hunt UG Ore mined kt 250 407 363 383 381 Mined grade g/t 2.4 2.3 2.8 2.3 2.3 Contained gold oz 18,949 29,555 32,498 28,533 27,642 Two Boys UG Ore mined kt 41 43 52 56 37 Mined grade g/t 2.6 2.2 2.5 2.9 3.3 Contained gold oz 3,464 3,125 4,213 5,210 3,868 Lake Cowan OP Ore mined kt - - - 57 119 Mined grade g/t - - - 1.4 1.4 Contained gold oz - - - 2,582 5,446 Appendix B - Group metrics Physical Summary Units Q1 FY25 Q2 FY25 Q3 FY25 Q4 FY25 Q1 FY26 ROM - Ore Mined t 941,508 1,115,123 996,641 1,264,056 1,225,331 Grade Mined g/t 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.2 Ore Processed t 1,289,561 1,342,005 1,296,656 1,408,120 1,355,192 Head Grade g/t 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 Recovery % 90 91 91 92 92 Gold Produced oz 77,369 80,886 80,107 88,022 83,937 Gold Sold oz 72,202 86,879 78,398 71,500 94,913 Achieved Gold Price A$/oz 3,723 4,066 4,630 5,174 5,296 Cost Summary Mining A$'M 88 124 120 152 156 Processing A$'M 53 56 57 54 58 Admin A$'M 15 15 15 15 17 Stockpile Movements A$'M (2) (3) 5 (7) (23) Royalties A$'M 10 17 16 12 20 Sustaining Capital A$'M 23 10 14 11 12 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 187 219 227 237 240 All-in Sustaining Costs A$/oz 2,422 2,703 2,829 2,688 2,861 All-in Sustaining Costs - Excluding OPA A$'M 187 219 227 237 227 All-in Sustaining Costs - Excluding OPA A$/oz 2,422 2,703 2,829 2,688 2,792 Notional Cashflow Summary Notional Revenue (produced oz) A$'M 288 329 371 456 445 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 187 219 227 237 240 Mine Operating Cashflow A$'M 101 110 144 219 205 Growth Capital A$'M (39) (29) (31) (27) (39) Plant and Equipment A$'M (19) (27) (15) (12) (21) Exploration Spend A$'M (14) (9) (11) (9) (12) Net Mine Cashflow A$'M 29 45 87 171 133 Net Mine Cashflow A$/oz 368 554 1,094 1,937 1,583 Murchison Physical Summary Units Q1 FY25 Q2 FY25 Q3 FY25 Q4 FY25 Q1 FY26 ROM - Ore Mined t 650,066 664,568 582,184 767,751 687,951 Grade Mined g/t 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 Ore Processed t 878,890 749,182 751,207 940,810 906,500 Head Grade g/t 2.1 2.1 2 2.0 2.0 Recovery % 90 90 90 91 91 Gold Produced oz 52,889 46,461 42,906 54,811 53,140 Gold Sold oz 49,813 50,263 43,824 42,879 59,947 Achieved Gold Price A$/oz 3,723 4,066 4,630 5,174 5,296 Cost Summary Mining A$'M 57 72 72 84 98 Processing A$'M 32 32 33 34 41 Admin A$'M 10 9 10 10 8 Stockpile Movements A$'M 1 (6) 4 (6) (1) Royalties A$'M 5 5 6 7 7 Sustaining Capital A$'M 17 7 11 9 10 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 122 119 136 138 163 All-in Sustaining Costs A$/oz 2,294 2,556 3,160 2,503 3,061 All-in Sustaining Costs - Excluding OPA A$'M 121 119 136 138 150 All-in Sustaining Costs - Excluding OPA A$/oz 2,294 2,556 3,160 2,503 2,960 Notional Cashflow Summary Notional Revenue (produced oz) A$'M 197 189 199 284 282 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 121 119 136 138 163 Mine Operating Cashflow A$'M 76 70 63 146 119 Growth Capital A$'M (34) (26) (28) (25) (30) Plant and Equipment A$'M (11) (15) (9) (6) (8) Exploration Spend A$'M (11) (5) (5) (3) (7) Net Mine Cashflow A$'M 20 24 21 112 74 Net Mine Cashflow A$/oz 369 509 508 2,045 1,392 Southern Goldfields Physical Summary Units Q1 FY25 Q2 FY25 Q3 FY25 Q4 FY25 Q1 FY26 ROM - Ore Mined t 361,830 450,555 414,457 496,305 537,380 Grade Mined g/t 2.3 2.3 2.8 2.3 2.1 Ore Processed t 410,671 592,823 545,449 467,310 448,692 Head Grade g/t 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.3 Recovery % 92 92 93 93 94 Gold Produced oz 24,480 34,425 37,201 33,211 30,797 Gold Sold oz 22,389 36,616 35,574 28,621 34,966 Achieved Gold Price A$/oz 3,723 4,066 4,630 5,174 5,296 Cost Summary Mining A$'M 31 52 48 68 58 Processing A$'M 21 24 24 20 17 Admin A$'M 6 6 5 5 9 Stockpile Movements A$'M (2) 3 1 (1) (22) Royalties A$'M 5 12 10 5 13 Sustaining Capital A$'M 5 3 3 2 2 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 66 100 91 99 77 All-in Sustaining Costs A$/oz 2,696 2,903 2,446 2,992 2,516 Notional Cashflow Summary Notional Revenue (produced oz) A$'M 91 140 172 172 163 All-in Sustaining Costs A$'M 65 100 91 99 77 Mine Operating Cashflow A$'M 26 40 81 73 86 Growth Capital A$'M (5) (3) (3) (2) (9) Plant and Equipment A$'M (8) (12) (6) (6) (13) Exploration Spend A$'M (3) (4) (6) (6) (5) Net Mine Cashflow A$'M 10 21 66 59 59 Net Mine Cashflow A$/oz 367 605 1,758 1,759 1,915 SOURCE Westgold Resources Limited Vancouver, October 28, 2025 - Sienna Resources Inc. (TSXV: SIEN) (FSE: A418KR), (the "Company" or "Sienna") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated October 17, 2025, it has completed the first tranche of its private placement (the "Financing"), pursuant to which it issued an aggregate of 15,322,001 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.12 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,838,640. Each Unit is comprised of one common share (each, a "Share") and one transferrable share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.17 per Warrant Share until October 27, 2030. The Company paid cash finder's fees of $78,111 and issued 591,543 non-transferrable share purchase warrants (the "Finder's Warrants") to certain finders as a finder's fee in connection with the Financing. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Share (each, a "Finder's Warrant Share") at a price of $0.17 per Finder's Warrant Share until October 27, 2027. All securities issued in connection with the Financing are subject to a statutory hold period that expires on February 28, 2026. Net proceeds from the financing are expected to be used towards general working capital as well as evaluating and working on existing projects, including expected drill programs for gold and lithium. The Financing is subject to final approval of TSX Venture Exchange. Jason Gigliotti, President of Sienna stated, "We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the first portion of the placement. The funds raised are more than sufficient to cover the costs of multiple work programs and to support a robust marketing budget. We want to thank our subscribers for their continued support. We remain committed to ensuring that this placement benefits all shareholders, drives future growth for Sienna, and maximizes shareholder value." The next tranche of the financing is expected to close shortly. If you have any questions regarding this placement, please contact Jason Gigliotti directly at info@siennaresources.com or call 604.897.7440. None of the securities issued have been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none of them may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state where such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. "Jason Gigliotti" President Sienna Resources Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication, distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272186 VANCOUVER, October 28, 2025 - Giant Mining Corp. (CSE:BFG | OTC:BFGFF | FWB:YW5 | CSE:BFG.WT.A | CSE:BFG.WT.B) ("Giant Mining" or the "Company") applauds the White House's proclamation, "Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Mineral Security," 1 which grants temporary regulatory relief to designated U.S. copper smelting facilities to safeguard domestic mineral supply under national-security authorities. Click Image To View Full Size Figure 1: Regulatory Relief For Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Mineral Security - Read Here: Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Mineral Security - The White House The action extends compliance timelines by two years for specific stationary sources, helping preserve critical U.S. copper processing capacity during a period of rising strategic demand. "Friday's decision makes one thing clear: American copper matters. It's a constructive step to strengthen America's critical-mineral supply chains while upholding responsible environmental stewardship. Giant Mining supports smart policy that advances domestic copper supply responsibly. We believe exploration and development go hand in hand with sustainability, and we fully support initiatives that strengthen America's ability to secure essential metals like copper in an environmentally responsible way." - David Greenway, Chief Executive Officer, Giant Mining Corp. The White House emphasized that the proclamation is aimed at bolstering American mineral security and reducing reliance on foreign processing, particularly by avoiding near-term disruptions at named U.S. smelters while maintaining environmental oversight. Independent reporting identifies at least one U.S. primary copper smelter among the facilities receiving relief.2 Click Image To View Full Size Figure 2: View Corporate Presentation at GiantMiningCorp.com The Company recognizes that responsible resource development is essential to ensuring long-term U.S. mineral independence. Giant Mining remains committed to applying best practices in exploration and environmental management as it advances its Majuba Hill Copper-Silver-Gold Project in Nevada, one of the most mining-friendly and environmentally regulated jurisdictions in the world. Majuba Hill's critically important characteristics are as follows: Location: Nevada, USA - a globally top-ranked mining jurisdiction, ranked #1 in the Fraser Institute's 2022 Annual Survey of Mining Companies. Project Size: 9,684 Acres Infrastructure: The Majuba Hill property is located 113 road kilometers (70 miles) southwest of Winnemucca, Nevada, and 251 kilometers (156 miles) northeast of Reno. It is accessible via well-maintained county roads from the Imlay, Nevada exit on U.S. Interstate 80, followed by a 23-mile drive west. People, roads, power, and water are fundamental considerations for infrastructure, and Majuba Hill already benefits from a strong foundation in all these areas. This existing infrastructure provides a significant advantage, offering substantial cost savings compared to more remote projects. History: Historical Producer Drilling: Approximately 89,395 feet of drilling to date. Approximate replacement value of drilling USD $12.1 Million using current costs. Mineralization: The project exhibits characteristics of a large Cu-AgAu mineralized system, sharing many features with major porphyry copper-gold-silver deposits. Expandability: The IP survey, deep drilling, and step-out drilling indicate significant expansion potential, with mineralization open in all directions. Fully Financed: Secured funding for next phase of drilling at Majuba Hill About Giant Mining Corp. Giant Mining is focused on identifying, acquiring, and advancing late-stage copper and copper/silver/gold projects to meet the growing global demand for critical metals. This demand is driven by initiatives like the Green New Deal in the United States and similar climate-focused programs worldwide, which require substantial amounts of copper, silver, and gold for electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, and the modernization of clean and affordable energy systems. The Company's flagship asset is the Majuba Hill Copper, Silver, and Gold District, located ~155 miles (251 km) from Reno, Nevada. Majuba Hill is situated in a mining-friendly jurisdiction with supportive regulations and has the potential to become one of the next major copper deposits, critical for meeting the increasing need for this red metal. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. On Behalf of the Board of Giant Mining Corp. "David Greenway" David C. Greenway President & CEO For further information, please contact: E: info@giantminingcorp.com P: 1 (236) 788-0643 VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS www.giantminingcorp.com LIKE AND FOLLOW Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn DOWNLOAD INVESTOR INFORMATION Click Here Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward?looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward?looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward?looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. Company has utilized artificial intelligence ("AI") tools and modeling in its exploration targeting, such technologies are emerging and unproven in mineral exploration. There can be no assurance that the use of AI will improve exploration outcomes, result in discoveries, or provide results consistent with management's expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward?looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ### 1 Source: Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Mineral Security - The White House 2 Trump reverses Biden-era rules on copper smelters | Reuters Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. ("West Red Lake Gold" or "WRLG" or the "Company") (TSXV: WRLG) (OTCQB: WRLGF) is pleased to announce the commencement of a fully funded infill and conversion drilling program at its 100% owned Rowan Project located in the Red Lake Gold District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. HIGHLIGHTS: West Red Lake Gold announced results for a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") for the Rowan Project on July 8, 2025 which demonstrates robust preliminary economics for an underground mine at Rowan producing an average of 35,230 ounces ("oz") per year over a 5-year mine life at an average grade of 8.0 grams per tonne gold (a copy of this news release can be viewed HERE 1 ). ). The drill program at Rowan (Figure 1) will consist of 5,000 metres ("m") of HQ diameter diamond drilling including infill drilling on Veins 001 and 004 to support the potential upgrade of Inferred resources to Indicated 2 and conversion-focused drilling on Veins 006b and 013 to provide data that may enable mine design consideration ahead of a planned combined Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") for the Madsen Mine and Rowan projects. This planned study will evaluate the potential for developing the two projects using shared infrastructure and integrated mine planning, with the goal of identifying possible operational and economic synergies 3 . and conversion-focused drilling on Veins 006b and 013 to provide data that may enable mine design consideration ahead of a planned combined Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") for the Madsen Mine and Rowan projects. This planned study will evaluate the potential for developing the two projects using shared infrastructure and integrated mine planning, with the goal of identifying possible operational and economic synergies . Conversion drilling 2 at Rowan will be focused on Veins 001 and 004, with the objective to bring Inferred resources to an Indicated category. These veins account for the majority of PEA production tonnes. Approximately 63% of the tonnes and 72% of the ounces were already in the Indicated category in the Rowan PEA. at Rowan will be focused on Veins 001 and 004, with the objective to bring Inferred resources to an Indicated category. These veins account for the majority of PEA production tonnes. Approximately 63% of the tonnes and 72% of the ounces were already in the Indicated category in the Rowan PEA. Infill drilling will be focused on Veins 006b and 013 to provide data for potential inclusion in the planned combined PFS. Integration of Veins 006b and 013 could not only extend mine life at Rowan, but may also allow for ore extraction to begin approximately 6 months sooner due to closer proximity to the access portal. Accessing and mining mineralization earlier at Rowan has the potential to positively impact the net present value ("NPV") of the project. Inclusion of Veins 006b and 013 in future mine plans and the impact such inclusion could have is subject to the results of the drill program and the outcome of the combined PFS as reviewed by a Qualified Person. Further geotechnical, metallurgical and engineering studies are also planned at Rowan to inform the planned PFS. These studies will be conducted in conjunction with ongoing permitting efforts to advance Rowan towards Advanced Exploration status, which is required for bulk sample extraction. Permits to support Advanced Exploration activities, including underground mine development, are targeted for 2027, subject to regulatory review and consultation. The Advanced Exploration permit is targeted for approval in 2027, a timeline supported by the recent launch of the One Project, One Process mine permitting framework in Ontario that aims to cut review times within the mine permitting process in half for Designated Projects, a status the Company is pursuing at Rowan.4 Shane Williams, President and CEO, stated, "It's very exciting to have a drill turning again at Rowan. The Rowan project, according to the PEA, is projected to produce 35,000 ounces of gold a year. Success in advancing Rowan through permitting and development could position WRLG to target a combined production rate of up to 100,000 ounces per year gold5 in Red Lake in the coming years. The drilling at Rowan not only aims to increase confidence in the existing mineral resource but will also provide the physical core material needed to complete advanced metallurgical and geotechnical studies ahead of the planned combined PFS. "With gold prices continuing to trade around all time highs we anticipate strong economics in the combined PFS, which is expected to be completed by Q3 2026. This study will be a significant milestone for WRLG, establishing a valuation benchmark for our total Red Lake assets. The study will also inform our permit applications; based on our discussions with permitting authorities in Ontario, we are encouraged that the new One Project, One Process permitting framework has potential to truly expedite permitting of projects like Rowan." Figure 1. Plan view showing Rowan Veins 001, 003, 004, 006b and 013 with proposed infill and conversion drilling and current PEA underground mine design [1]. [1] Mineral resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 3.80 g/t Au and a gold price of US$1,800/oz. Please refer to the technical report entitled "Rowan Project NI 43-101 Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment, Ontario, Canada", prepared by Fuse Advisors Inc., and dated June 30, 2025. A full copy of the report is available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. DISCUSSION There are multiple opportunities to potentially expand and upgrade the resource and mine plan at Rowan. The Rowan resource comprises 26 domains that capture multiple parallel veins. Three of those veins - 001, 003 and 004 - are mined in the PEA. A fourth vein with strong gold grades, called 006b, is the third largest contributor of tonnes and ounces in the current mineral resource estimate ("MRE") but was not included in the PEA mine plan because its data stems largely from historic drilling, which suffers from unsampled intervals. . Vein 013 runs adjacent and sub-parallel to Vein 006b and may demonstrate similar resource upgrade potential, subject to confirmation drilling and subsequent resource estimation by a Qualified Person. Historic operators often only sampled and assayed drill core with quartz veining containing visible gold. Surrounding rock, including vein margins, narrow gaps between veins, and adjacent wall rock, was typically not sampled. During the MRE estimation process those unsampled intervals were assigned a value of half detection limit equal to 0.0025 grams per tonne ("gpt") gold ("Au"). This excessively diluted those areas in the resource model, which was constructed on 2-metre minimum composites for longhole stoping design consideration. During the 2023 drill campaign, WRLG demonstrated that gold mineralization regularly persists into the altered wall rock adjacent to high-grade gold veins. Selective sampling would have missed mineralization of this type. Additionally, most of the drilling on Veins 006b and 013 is from the 1980's utilizing very small 27-millimeter diameter AQ drill core with no existing competent historic core available for resampling. The 2025 drilling program will be completed with 63.5-millimeter diameter HQ drill core and will aim to infill the gaps in the historic analytical data set on Veins 006b and 013 with the goal of bringing these veins back into consideration for mine design. The next layer of opportunity at Rowan is based on expanding the deposit. Notably, the highest-grade intercept ever drilled at Rowan was achieved during the 2023 drill campaign when hole RLG-23-163B returned 70.8 g/t gold over 8.3 metres (interval reported as core length; true width is unknown). This intercept came from the deeper portion of Vein 001 and indicates potential for mineralization to continue at depth. The Rowan vein system has only been defined down to approximately 400 metres and remains wide open for expansion at depth (Figure 2). The Rowan deposit also remains open along strike to the east and west. Figure 2. Long section of Rowan block model at 1 gpt Au cutoff showing PEA mine design (blue) and outline of areas planned for long hole stoping on Veins 001, 003 and 004 (red outline). Notable assay intercepts have been highlighted to indicate the strength of gold mineralization and expansion potential at depth. [Intercepts are reported as core length unless otherwise stated; true widths are estimated where available.] [2]. [2] Mineral resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 3.80 g/t Au and a gold price of US$1,800/oz. Please refer to the technical report entitled "Rowan Project NI 43-101 Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment, Ontario, Canada", prepared by Fuse Advisors Inc., and dated June 30, 2025. A full copy of the report is available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. ________________________ 1 The PEA is preliminary in nature; it includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves; there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. 2 There can be no assurance that drilling at Rowan will result in the conversion of Inferred resources to Indicated; any such upgrade will depend on the results of the drill program and subsequent resource estimation by a Qualified Person. 3 There can be no assurance that the planned combined PFS will support the development of the Madsen Mine and Rowan projects as a single operation or using common infrastructure. Any such determination will depend on the outcome of such PFS and subsequent technical and economic studies. 4 https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006621/ontario-implements-one-project-one-process-to-build-mines-faster 5 The Rowan project production projection is based on the PEA for Rowan. The Madsen Mine is supported by a Pre-Feasibility Study technical report, effective January 7, 2025, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and available on SEDAR+. The PEA is preliminary in nature; it includes Inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Any reference to a combined or target production rate for Rowan and Madsen is show for illustrative purposes only; no combined economic analysis or production schedule has been prepared. The Rowan PEA and Madsen Pre-Feasibility Study are separate studies prepared to different levels of confidence, and their results should not be blended or considered as a single project scenario. There can be no assurance that the projects will be developed using common infrastructure or as a single operation, or that such a rate will be achieved. Any such determination will depend on the outcome of the planned combined PFS and receipt of all necessary approvals. QUALITY ASSURANCE/QUALITY CONTROL The Rowan Mine deposit presently hosts a National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") Indicated resource of 478,707 tonnes containing 196,747 ounces ("oz") of gold grading 12.78 g/t Au and an Inferred resource of 421,181 tonnes containing 118,155 oz of gold grading 8.73 g/t Au. Mineral resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 3.80 g/t Au and a gold price of US$1,800/oz. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Please refer to the technical report entitled "Rowan Project NI 43-101 Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment, Ontario, Canada", prepared by Fuse Advisors Inc., and dated June 30, 2025. A full copy of the report is available on the Company's website and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The technical information presented in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Will Robinson, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for West Red Lake Gold and the Qualified Person for exploration at the West Red Lake Project, as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Robinson is not independent of WRLG. The PEA and Mineral Resource disclosure summarized herein is derived from the independent technical report prepared by Fuse Advisors Inc. ABOUT WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. is a gold miner development company that is publicly traded and focused on advancing and developing its flagship Madsen Gold Mine and the associated 47 km2 highly prospective land package in the Red Lake district of Ontario. The highly productive Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada has yielded over 30 million ounces of gold from high-grade zones and hosts some of the world's richest gold deposits. WRLG also holds the wholly owned Rowan Property in Red Lake, with an expansive property position covering 31 km2 including three past producing gold mines - Rowan, Mount Jamie, and Red Summit. ON BEHALF OF WEST RED LAKE GOLD MINES LTD. "Shane Williams" Shane Williams President & Chief Executive Officer FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Gwen Preston Vice President Communications Tel: (604) 609-6132 Email: investors@wrlgold.com or visit the Company's website at https://www.westredlakegold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT AND FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by words such as "anticipate", "expect", "estimate", "forecast", "planned", and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations of management; however, it is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this news release and include without limitation, statements relating to results of the drill program at Rowan; completion and results of the geotechnical, metallurgical and engineering studies to prepare for the combined PFS; timing and receipt of advanced exploration permit; anticipated timing and expected results in the combined PFS; any untapped growth potential in the Madsen deposit or Rowan deposit; and the Company's future objectives and plans. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information involves numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market volatility; the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities; fluctuations in commodity prices; and changes in the Company's business plans. Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will continue with its stated business objectives and its ability to raise additional capital to proceed. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Additional information about risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2024, copies of which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to the Company. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e8531e02-445b-49c2-905e-12e98fffd8a5 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/191b54e8-08dd-4b1d-a468-acd30608531f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/658777b2-0c2c-475f-b72a-96e36712c982 All amounts in Canadian dollars unless specified otherwise Cameco Corp. (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) today announced that it, along with Brookfield Asset Management (Brookfield), has entered into a binding term sheet with the United States Department of Commerce (US Government) to establish a strategic partnership, which is expected to accelerate the global deployment of Westinghouse Electric Company's (Westinghouse) nuclear reactor technologies and reinvigorate supply chains and the nuclear power industrial base in the US and abroad. The agreement provides for the US Government to arrange financing and facilitate the permitting and approvals for new Westinghouse nuclear reactors to be built in the US, with an aggregate investment value of at least US$80 billion, including near-term financing of long lead time items. Once constructed, the reactors are expected to generate reliable and secure power for the American grid, including powering significant data center and compute capacity to drive growth in artificial intelligence in the United States. "We are pleased to see the US government make this commitment to expanding nuclear power capacity using Westinghouse's proven technology. We expect that our highly successful partnership with Brookfield as owners of Westinghouse will be further strengthened through this strategic collaboration with the US Government," said Tim Gitzel, CEO of Cameco. "At the center of this new partnership is value creation. When coupled with the May 23, 2025 Executive Orders, we believe the US Government's participation in the partnership creates the right incentives to deploy its full suite of tools behind the construction of Westinghouse reactors, including financial, regulatory, policy and diplomatic support. That support is expected to drive additional value for the partnership and the many stakeholders who are expected to benefit from enhanced energy, national and climate security around the world. "We expect that the new build commitments from the US will bolster broader confidence in the durable growth profile for nuclear power, and support increased demand for Westinghouse's and Cameco's products, services and technologies. This new partnership highlights the role that Westinghouse's reactor technologies, based on fully designed, licensed and operating reactors, are expected to play in the planned expansion of nuclear capacity and diversification of global nuclear supply chains. Cameco remains well positioned as a secure and reliable supplier that can fuel the long-term reliable operation of Westinghouse's technology in the US and globally." The launch of a nuclear power plant construction program is expected to accelerate growth in Westinghouse's energy systems segment during the construction phase, along with its core fuel fabrication and reactor services business for the life of the reactors. Upon closing of the transaction and with financing facilitated by the US Government, Westinghouse plans to commence project execution and initiate orders for critical equipment with long lead times, which is expected to leverage the nuclear industry supply chains that were established during the construction of Vogtle units 3 and 4. Cameco, as one of the world's largest and most reliable suppliers of uranium and nuclear fuel services and components, is well-positioned with what is expected to be tremendous upside optionality to benefit from the continued expansion of nuclear power in the US and globally, through the anticipated acceleration of nuclear fuel demand growth as a result of this partnership. Partnership Structure Under the new strategic partnership, the US Government will be granted a participation interest (Participation Interest), which, once vested, will entitle it to receive 20% of any cash distributions in excess of US$17.5 billion made by Westinghouse after the granting of the Participation Interest. For the Participation Interest to vest, the US Government must make a final investment decision and enter into definitive agreements to complete the construction of new Westinghouse nuclear reactors in the US with an aggregate value of at least US$80 billion. Additionally, in recognition of the anticipated acceleration of long-term value creation that the US Government is expected to help unlock by deploying its financial, regulatory, policy and diplomatic tools to support the objectives of the partnership, if, on or prior to January 2029 the Participation Interest has vested, and if the valuation in an initial public offering (IPO) of Westinghouse is expected to be US$30 billion or more at that time, the US Government will be entitled to require an IPO. Immediately prior to, or in connection with the IPO, the Participation Interest will directly or indirectly convert into a warrant, with a five-year term, to purchase equity securities equivalent to 20% of the public value of the IPO entity at the time of exercise after deducting US$17.5 billion from the public value. Brookfield and Cameco acquired Westinghouse in November 2023. The partnership brought together Cameco's expertise in the nuclear fuel supply chain with Brookfield's recognized position as one of the world's largest investors in energy generation technologies. The transactions and other matters contemplated by the term sheet with the US Government are subject to, among other risks, the factors discussed below under Forward Looking Information. The expectation is that the US Government, Brookfield, Cameco and Westinghouse will negotiate and enter into definitive agreements replacing the binding term sheet, but, in the event such agreements are not reached, the term sheet will remain effective. The transactions are subject to obtaining required regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary conditions. Forward Looking Information This news release includes statements and information about Cameco's expectations for the future, which we refer to as forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is information that is not a historical fact. Words such as "guidance," "expect," "will," "may," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "project," "intend," "should," "can," "likely," "could," "outlook" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on Cameco's current views, which can change significantly, and actual results and events may be significantly different from what we currently expect. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include: expectations regarding the acceleration of the global deployment of Westinghouse's nuclear reactor technologies and reinvigoration of supply chains and the nuclear power industrial base in the US and abroad; expectations regarding the generation by the reactors of reliable and secure power for the American grid, including for data center and compute capacity; expectations regarding the US Government's participation in the strategic partnership as a driver of additional value, including with respect to enhanced energy, national and climate security around the world; expectations regarding increased demand for Westinghouse's and Cameco's products; Cameco's ability to fuel the long-term reliable operation of Westinghouse's technology in the US and globally; expectations regarding the impact of the launch of a nuclear power plant construction program on the acceleration of growth in Westinghouse's energy systems segment, core fuel fabrication and reactor services business; expectations regarding Westinghouse's planned commencement of project execution; the anticipated acceleration of nuclear fuel demand growth as a result of the strategic partnership; expectations concerning the planned amount of investment in the construction of nuclear power reactors in the United States using Westinghouse nuclear technology; and expectations regarding the profit sharing mechanism involved in the strategic partnership and participation therein. Material risks that could lead to different results include: risks related to developing and deploying the Westinghouse nuclear reactors; the anticipated timing of the strategic partnership, including any failure to obtain the required governmental clearances or third party consents required to close the strategic partnership or implement the profit sharing mechanism or the imposition of material conditions as a part of obtaining such clearances or consents and any failure of any other conditions to the strategic partnership or the implementation of the profit sharing mechanism; the inability of Westinghouse and the US Government to enter into definitive agreements relating to the strategic transaction or to effect their future obligations related to the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership; the potential reliance on unrelated third parties for the placement of orders or other obligations related to the construction and deployment of the Westinghouse nuclear reactors; the potential reliance by the US government on unconventional funding mechanisms to effect any future commitments to purchase Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology; the availability of government funding and support for the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership, including the ability of the executive branch of the US Government to obtain funding and support via the appropriations process or from other sources; the availability of additional or replacement funding for the nuclear reactor projects and operations, if needed; following the execution of definitive transaction documents by the parties, the determination by the legislative, judicial or executive branches of the federal or any state government that any future funding commitments or other aspect of the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership was or is not in compliance with law; the financial, tax and accounting assessment and treatment of the various obligations and commitments under the strategic partnership documentation, once executed; the continued demand for nuclear energy and the markets for nuclear energy more generally; future demand for nuclear energy; litigation, Congressional investigations, or investigations by other US or non-US authorities, related to the strategic transaction or otherwise; challenges associated with identifying alternate locations, sales channels and customers for the highly specialized nuclear products contemplated by the strategic transactions should the strategic partnership be altered or terminated; Cameco's ability to effectively realize the anticipated benefits of the strategic transaction; the parties' ability to comply with the broader legal and regulatory requirements and heightened scrutiny associated with government partnerships and contracts; changes in energy, artificial intelligence and other policies and priorities in US and foreign governments; fluctuations, variations and uncertainty in demand and pricing in the market for nuclear energy and artificial intelligence; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement, negotiation or execution of the strategic transaction; the complexities and uncertainties in developing and implementing new nuclear projects; macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical tensions and conflicts; risks associated with Westinghouse's complex supply chain supporting its nuclear reactors, including from disruptions, delays, trade tensions and conflicts or shortages; volatility and uncertainty with respect to international trade policies; risks related to the development and use of the Westinghouse nuclear reactors, including product defects; potential security vulnerabilities in the Westinghouse nuclear reactors; and the risk of disputes between the parties to the strategic transaction. In presenting the forward-looking information, Cameco has made material assumptions which may prove incorrect about; the success of the Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology and Westinghouse's ability to construct and commence commercial operations at new large-scale nuclear power plants; the ability of Westinghouse and the US Government to enter into definitive agreements to effect their future obligations related to the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership, including with respect to commitments to purchase Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology and to effect the profit sharing mechanic; the availability of government funding and support for the transactions contemplated by the strategic partnership, including any future commitments to purchase Westinghouse nuclear reactor technology; the availability of additional or replacement funding for the nuclear reactor projects and operations, if needed; the financial, tax and accounting assessment and treatment of the various obligations and commitments under the strategic partnership documentation the continued demand for nuclear energy, and the growth of the markets for nuclear energy more generally; future demand for nuclear energy; the estimates and forecasts of Cameco's cash position, results of operations and other financial and operational performance metrics; Westinghouse's ability to make distributions to its partners; Westinghouse's ability to mitigate operating risks and any disruptions, delays, trade tensions, conflicts or shortages; that there will not be any significant adverse consequences to the strategic partnership resulting from business disruptions or economic or political uncertainty; that the parties will comply with their obligations under the strategic partnership; and that Westinghouse will maintain protections against liability for nuclear damage. Please also review the discussion in Cameco's 2024 annual MD&A, 2025 second quarter MD&A and most recent annual information form for other material risks that could cause actual results to differ significantly from Cameco's current expectations, and other material assumptions we have made. We will not necessarily update this information unless we are required to by securities laws. Profile Cameco is one of the largest global providers of the uranium fuel needed to power a secure energy future. Our competitive position is based on our controlling ownership of the world's largest high-grade reserves and low-cost operations, as well as significant investments across the nuclear fuel cycle, including ownership interests in Westinghouse Electric Company and Global Laser Enrichment. Utilities around the world rely on Cameco to provide global nuclear fuel solutions for the generation of safe, reliable, carbon-free nuclear power. Our shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Our head office is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. As used in this news release, the terms we, us, our, the Company and Cameco mean Cameco Corporation and its subsidiaries unless otherwise indicated. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251027861514/en/ Contact Investor inquiries Cory Kos 306-716-6782 cory_kos@cameco.com Media inquiries Veronica Baker 306-385-5541 veronica_baker@cameco.com Vancouver, October 28, 2025 - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (OTCQB: PVGDF) ("Provenance" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of $4,500,000. Upon closing, the Company issued 18,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share and one-half of one share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"), with each full Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional share at a price of $0.30 until October 27, 2030. In connection with closing the Offering, the Company paid $156,000 and issued 624,000 broker warrants to an arms-length brokerage firm. Each broker warrant is exercisable on the same terms as the subscriber Warrants. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to restrictions on resale until February 28, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, all subscribers in the Offering have agreed that the Units will be subject to additional restrictions on resale until October 27, 2026. Stock Options The Company also announces that it has granted 1,530,000 stock options to certain officers, directors and consultants of the Company. The options have an exercise price of $0.30 per share, have a sixty (60) month term from the date of the grant and vest immediately. Ongoing Exploration The Company continues to have two drill rigs operating at Eldorado West. Further assay results are pending. About Provenance Gold Corp. Safe Harbor Statement: Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/272171 Toronto - Laurion Mineral Exploration Inc. (TSX.V: LME | OTC: LMEFF I FSE: 5YD) ("LAURION" or the "Corporation is pleased to announce the commencement of a focused 1,700-metre diamond drill program at its 100%-owned Ishk?day Project, located approximately 220 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, near Greenstone, Ontario. This focused program is designed to follow up on previously reported gold- and base metal-bearing zones Au-(Ag-Zn-Cu) intersected east of the Ishk?day Project, within the A-Zone and McLeod Zones. These near-surface zones represent compelling opportunities within the broader Ishk?day system and complement ongoing objectives towards better definition across the 6.0 km by 2.5 km corridor. Highlights from Previously Reported Drill Programs The following intersections, selected for context, collectively demonstrate the presence of a broader and continuous gold and base metal mineralization corridor across the eastern Ishk?day Project mineral system. Gold Intercepts (Previously Reported): LBX20-002: 125.90 m to 128.52 m - 2.62 m @ 11.98 g/t Au LBX12-010: 46.16 m to 59.00 m - 12.84 m @ 3.31 g/t Au LBX21-047: 160.00 m to 164.00 m - 4.00 m @ 2.53 g/t Au LBX22-065: 175.30 m to 178.10 m - 2.80 m @ 2.12 g/t Au LBX22-089: 72.00 m to 73.05 m - 1.05 m @ 5.91 g/t Au LBX12-006: 138.80 m to 140.05 m - 1.25 m @ 4.24 g/t Au LBX12-008: 64.00 m to 64.50 m - 0.50 m @ 7.13 g/t Au Gold-Base Metal Intercepts (Previously Reported): BX20-001: 116.96 m to 141.50 m - 24.54 m @ 0.67 g/t Au, 6.40 g/t Ag and 1.50 % Zn LBX20-003: 130.85 m to 194.78 m - 63.93 m @ 0.58 g/t Au, 6.10 g/t Ag and 1.92 % Zn LBX20-005: 212.27 m to 213.67 m - 1.40 m @ 5.93 g/t Au, 97 g/t Ag and 8.42 % Zn LBX20-006: 81.38 m to 92.20 m - 10.82 m @ 0.65 g/t Au, 3.89 g/t Ag and 1.09 % Zn (including 1.25 m @ 1.43 g/t Au and 5.30 % Zn) LBX20-010: 67.10 m to 67.80 m - 0.70 m @ 15.6 g/t Au, 73 g/t Ag and 14.5 % Zn Channel samples include 7.50 m @ 0.90 g/t Au, 35 g/t Ag, 0.53 % Cu; and 5.71 % Zn and 1.11 m @ 4.97 g/t Au, 8.00 g/t Ag and 1.35 % Zn- 445496E 5512267N. All technical results referenced below have been disclosed in prior LAURION news releases available on www.laurion.ca and on SEDAR+. Please refer to press releases dated 24 September 2019, 18 October 2019, 25 October 2019, 29 May 2020, 24 June 2020 and 15 July, 2022 The A-Zone and McLeod Zone remain under-explored areas, hosting consistent gold and zinc-rich mineralization within sheared, sulphide rich and quartz-veined volcanic sequences. Together with the Sturgeon River Mine and Brenbar corridors, these areas define a 6.0 km by 2.5 km kilometre-long structural trend that remains open at depth. "This is an exciting, unanticipated addition to our 2025 exploration plans," said Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President & CEO of LAURION. "While our principal focus remains the Sturgeon River Mine and Brenbar corridors, this targeted program also reflects the growing importance of the A-Zone and McLeod Zone in shaping Ishkoday Project's near-surface gold and base metal potential. Building upon current technical input of our evolving 3D model, we're laying the groundwork for future resource definition and valuation growth across multiple zones." Next Steps and 2026 Exploration Objectives Drilling under the current 1,700-metre follow-up program is scheduled to commence in late October 2025, with assay results released as will be received. All data will be incorporated into LAURION's evolving 3D geological model to refine targeting across the A-Zone, McLeod Zone, and Sturgeon River Mine and Brenbar areas. Looking ahead to 2026, LAURION plans an expanded 7,000 - 10,000 metre multi-phase drill campaign with objectives to advance near-surface resource definition, drill deeper extensions beneath the Sturgeon River and Brenbar mine as areas, the east side of the Ishk?day Project and expand structural and geochemical coverage. This next-phase campaign will provide the technical foundation for LAURION's future resource-growth and valuation-enhancement strategy is designed to leverage and position the Ishk?day Project for future resource definition and development milestones. Qualified Person The technical contents of this release were reviewed and approved by Jean-Philippe Paiement, PGeo, MSc, a consultant to LAURION and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. The Corporation is a mid-stage junior mineral exploration and development company listed on the TSXV under the symbol LME and on the OTCPINK under the symbol LMEFF. LAURION now has 274,097,283 outstanding shares, of which approximately 73.6% are owned and controlled by insiders who are eligible investors under the "Friends and Family" categories. LAURION's emphasis is on the exploration and development of its flagship project, the 100% owned mid-stage 57 km2 Ishkoday Project, and its gold-rich Base Metal mineralization. LAURION's chief priority remains maximizing shareholder value. A large portion of the Corporation's focus in this regard falls within the scope of its mineral exploration activities and more specifically, advancing the Ishkoday Project. A consequence of LAURION's success and advancement over the past several years is that the Corporation has become positioned as an acquisition target for appropriate potential acquirors. Accordingly, the Corporation's Board of Directors is aware that possible strategic alternatives and transactional opportunities may arise and/or could be procured in the short or medium terms. The Corporation will promptly issue a press release if any material change occurs. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin - President and CEO Tel: 1-705-788-9186 Fax: 1-705-805-9256 Douglas Vass - Investor Relations Consultant Email: info@laurion.ca Website: http://www.LAURION.ca Follow us on: X (@LAURION_LME), Instagram (laurionmineral) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-le-sueur-aquin-laurion-lme-04b03017/) Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the Corporation's current expectations regarding future events including with respect to LAURION's business, operations and condition, management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions, the Corporation's ability to advance the Ishkoday Project, the nature, focus, timing and potential results of the Corporation's exploration, drilling and prospecting activities in 2025 and beyond, including the Corporation's 1,700-metre follow-up program and planned expanded 7,000 - 10,000 metre multi-phase drill campaign, both as described in this press release, and the Corporation's other planned activities for the Ishkoday Project for the remainder of 2025 and for 2026, the Corporation's future resource-growth and valuation-enhancement strategy, and the statements regarding the Corporation's exploration or consideration of any possible strategic alternatives and transactional opportunities (including, without limitation, the Corporation's engagement of third party advisors to explore any such potential alternatives and opportunities), as well as the potential outcome(s) of this process, the possible impact of any potential transactions referenced herein on the Corporation or any of its stakeholders, and the ability of the Corporation to identify and complete any potential acquisitions, mergers, financings or other transactions referenced herein, and the timing of any such transactions. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events and future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements could differ materially from those projected herein including as a result of a change in the trading price of the common shares of LAURION, the TSX Venture Exchange or any other applicable regulator not providing its approval for any strategic alternatives or transactional opportunities, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future prices of gold and/or other metals, possible variations in grade or recovery rates, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, the failure of contracted parties to perform, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors disclosed in the Corporation's publicly filed documents. Investors should consult the Corporation's ongoing quarterly and annual filings, as well as any other additional documentation comprising the Corporation's public disclosure record, for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. Subject to applicable law, the Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. All sample values are from grab samples and channel samples, which by their nature, are not necessarily representative of overall grades of mineralized areas. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on the assay values reported in this press release. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Trigon Metals Inc. (TSX-V: TM; OTCPK: PNZTF) ("Trigon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Noureddine Mokaddem to its board of directors, effective immediately. Mr. Mokaddem is an experienced professional in the mining industry and international development, he offers a strong local presence as the Company works to build shareholder value around the Moroccan exploration portfolio. Mr. Mokaddem's appointment is subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Noureddine Mokaddem Mr. Mokaddem brings extensive experience, of 42 years, from his leadership roles across several private and publicly traded companies in Africa, Europe and North America. He currently serves on the boards of LSL Pharma Group and Abcourt Mines Inc. His previous roles include serving as founder, president and chief executive officer & chairman of the board of directors of MAya Gold & Silver Inc. (now Aya Gold & Silver) from 2010 to 2020. Jed Richardson, Executive Chairman and CEO of Trigon Metals, commented: "We are honoured to welcome Noureddine to the board of directors. His deep understanding of the mining sector and extensive connections in the mining industry and throughout Morocco will be pivotal as we commence exploration at Addana. Mokaddem is recognised as an experienced architect of large existing mines in Morocco and abroad. His insight and expertise will strengthen our governance and help guide Trigon through this next exciting phase of growth." Noureddine Mokaddem, Director of Trigon Metals, added: "I have known Jed for almost 16 years, regularly meeting to discuss the positive development of the mining sector in Morocco. I was pleased when he asked for my support in developing the Addana project, which has been a historic artisanal mining area that has been an area of interest for me for decades. I am confident that together we can develop this area for the benefit of the mining sector in Morocco and Trigon Shareholders." Trigon Metals Inc. Trigon Metals Inc. is a publicly-trading Canadian exploration and development company with its core focus on copper and silver holdings in mining-friendly African jurisdictions. The Company holds the Kalahari Copperbelt Project in Namibia. In Morocco, the Company is advancing two exploration projects; Addana, which hosts silver-bearing veins along with other metals, and Silver Hill, a sedimentary copper prospect that has already undergone drilling. Cautionary Notes This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements include statements regarding the Company's strategies, board of director appointments and the Company's abilities to execute such strategies, and the Company's future plans and objectives. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028001033/en/ Contact For further information, contact Tom Panoulias, VP Corporate Development: 1(647)276-6002 ext. 1127 IR@trigonmetals.com Website: www.trigonmetals.com Program Tests Vertical and Structural Extensions of High-Grade Zone Tonopah, October 28, 2025 - A2Gold Corp. ("A2Gold" or the "Company") (AUAU: TSX-V) (AUXXF: OTCQX) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its three-hole diamond core drill program at the McIntosh Zone within the Company's flagship Eastside Gold-Silver Project, located in the prolific Walker Lane Trend near Tonopah, Nevada. The fully funded program, totaling approximately 1,680 metres (5,512 feet) of diamond core drilling, was designed to test the vertical and structural extensions of the High-Grade Zone (HGZ) discovered during A2Gold's 2021 drill campaign. "We are very pleased to have successfully completed our three-hole diamond core drilling program safely and on schedule," stated Peter Gianulis, CEO. "This program was specifically designed to test the vertical and structural extensions of the McIntosh High-Grade Zone and marks the first deep core drilling ever conducted at Eastside. The results will provide valuable geological and structural insights to guide our next phase of exploration. Once assays are received, we expect they will help refine our understanding of the continuity and potential expansion of high-grade mineralization at depth." This core program represents the first phase of A2Gold's broader 2025-2026 exploration strategy, which also includes a fully funded 18,000-metre reverse circulation (RC) drill program scheduled to commence once data interpretation from the recently concluded property-wide geophysics program is finalized. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Hole ES-331: Vertical hole drilled to a total depth of 1,738 feet (530 metres), testing extensions of gold mineralization intersected in ES-239 along strike and at greater depth; Hole ES-337: Angled hole (-60) drilled to a total depth of 1,778 feet (542 metres), designed to test multiple structural orientations and to test other known gold mineralized structures at greater depths than previously drilled. Hole ES-338: Angled hole (-60) drilled to a total depth of 1,996 feet (608 metres), tested for extensions of gold mineralization cut in ES-243 laterally and at greater depth. All three holes were successfully completed. Core samples have been logged, photographed, and shipped to the laboratory for assay. Results are expected within the next 4-6 weeks, following which the Company will release the full analytical results and interpretations. A2GOLD PARTNERS WITH MACHAI A2Gold has retained Machai Capital Inc. ("Machai"), a marketing, advertising and public awareness firm having an office at 101-17565 58th Avenue, Surrey, BC, specializing in the metals & mining, technology, and special situations sectors. Suneal Sandhu is the President and sole owner of Machai and can be reached at (604) 375-0084. Machai will provide digital marketing services with branding, content and data optimization to assist the Company to create in-depth marketing campaigns, tracking, organizing and executing the services through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Lead Generation, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, and Brand Marketing. The services will be conducted in accordance with the applicable TSX.V policies. The marketing campaign will be launched immediately and continue through October 26, 2026, pursuant to which Machai will receive C$200,000 plus GST. Machai is arm's length to the Company and has no other relationship with the Company other than under this marketing agreement. The marketing agreement is subject to TSX.V approval. The Company has also issued 250,000 stock options to Machai which are exercisable at $0.89, vest over a one-year period and expire three years from the date of grant. QUALIFIED PERSON Andy Wallace is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) with the American Institute of Professional Geologists and is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, who has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this press release. Mr. Wallace is a consultant to the Company. ABOUT EASTSIDE The Eastside Gold-Silver Project is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, approximately 20+ miles northwest of Tonopah, within the prolific Walker Lane Trend. The project hosts a current inferred resource of 1.4 million ounces of gold and 8.8 million ounces of silver, with mineralization open in all directions. Eastside covers a 92 km land package that includes multiple high-priority zones such as McIntosh, Castle, and other exploration targets yet to be named. *Source: "Updated Resource Estimate and NI 43-101 Technical Report, Eastside and Castle Gold-Silver Project Technical Report, Esmeralda County, Nevada" conducted by Mine Development Associates of Reno, Nevada, with an effective date of July 30, 2021. Pit-constrained Inferred Resources (cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t Au) of 61,730,000 tonnes grading 0.55 g/t Au and 4.4 g/t Ag at the Original Pit Zone (1,090,000 ounces gold and 8,700,000 ounces silver) and 19,986,000 tonnes grading 0.49 g/t Au at the Castle Area (314,000 ounces gold) with a gold price of $1,725/ounce. A copy of the Eastside Technical Report can be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. ABOUT A2GOLD CORP A2Gold Corp. owns three highly prospective gold projects in the United States all of which are in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Nevada. A2Gold's flagship, district-scale Eastside Gold-Silver Project hosts a large and expanding gold and silver resource and is in an area of excellent infrastructure. Preliminary metallurgical testing indicates that both oxide and sulphide gold mineralization at Eastside is amenable to heap leaching. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Peter Gianulis CEO For more information contact: Investor [ANNOTATION: BY 'Sean McGrath' ON '2025-10-26T07:26:00'SM NOTE: 'We should have our social media links beneath this section as well, Linkedin, X, whatever we have.']Relations info@A2gold.com Follow us: X LinkedIn Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which are referred to collectively as "forward-looking statements". The United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. A2Gold Corp.'s ("A2Gold") exploration plans for its gold exploration properties, the drill program at A2Gold's Eastside project, the preparation and publication of an updated resource estimate in respect of the Original Zone at the Eastside project, A2Gold's future exploration and development plans, including anticipated costs and timing thereof; A2Gold's plans for growth through exploration activities, acquisitions or otherwise; and expectations regarding future maintenance and capital expenditures, and working capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are statements and information regarding possible events, conditions or results of operations that are based upon assumptions about future economic conditions and courses of action. All statements and information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "seek", "expect", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "estimate", "continue", "forecast", "intend", "believe", "predict", "potential", "target", "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" and similar words or phrases (including negative variations) suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Some of the known risks and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are described in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in A2Gold's Listing Application, dated January 24, 2018, as filed with the TSX Venture Exchange and available on SEDAR under A2Gold's profile at www.sedar.com. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. A2Gold undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law. The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities for sale, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. DENVER, Oct. 28, 2025 - American Rare Earths (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) ("ARR" or the "Company") advises the following changes to its Board of Directors, with the appointment of Mr. Jason Beckton as Non-Executive Director and the resignation of Mr. Hugh Keller as Non-Executive Director, both effective October 28, 2025. The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jason Beckton as a Non-Executive Director. The Company also advises that Mr. Hugh Keller has resigned as Non-Executive Director. The Board extends its sincere thanks to Mr. Keller for his valued service and contribution to the Company since his appointment in October 2024. Jason Beckton Appointed as Non-Executive Director Mr. Beckton is a professional geologist and Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists with more than 30 years' experience in exploration, project development, production, and management across Australia and internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Economic Geology from the University of Tasmania. Mr. Beckton has been active in the rare earth elements sector since 2012, initially in the Mt. Isa district and more recently in Finland with Prospech Limited, where he has been involved in developing conventional carbonatite-hosted mineralization to strengthen future EU supply chains. He commenced his career with Pancontinental and Goldfields Ltd in the early 1990s, later joining Gympie Gold as a senior geologist in 2001. In 2004, he served as Project Manager for the Palmarejo silver-gold project in Mexico before taking on the role of Manager - Chile for Exeter Resource Corp., where he led the team responsible for the 2007 commercial discovery of the Caspiche Porphyry deposit in Chile's Maricunga Gold-Copper Belt. Mr. Beckton is currently a Non-Executive Director of Lode Resources Ltd (ASX: LDR) and Cipango Japan, and serves as an advisor to Uvre Ltd. Chairman's Comment Chairman Richard Hudson said: "We are delighted to welcome Jason Beckton to the Board. His depth of geological expertise and successful track record in project discovery and development add significant technical strength as ARR advances the Halleck Creek Project toward demonstration and pre-feasibility stages. Jason's international experience and understanding of critical mineral markets will be invaluable as the Company continues to build a world-class rare earths business aligned with U.S. supply-chain objectives. On behalf of the Board, I would also like to thank Hugh Keller for his commitment and guidance during his tenure. His counsel and governance leadership have been greatly appreciated, and we wish him every success in his future endeavors." This announcement has been authorized for release by the Chairman of American Rare Earths Ltd.. About American Rare Earths Limited: American Rare Earths (ASX: ARR | OTCQX: ARRNF | ADR: AMRRY) is a critical minerals company at the forefront of reshaping the U.S. rare earths industry. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Wyoming Rare (USA) Inc., the company is advancing the Halleck Creek Project in Wyoming-a world-class rare earth deposit with the potential to secure America's critical mineral independence for generations. The Halleck Creek Project boasts a JORC-compliant resource of 2.63 billion tonnes, representing approximately 16% of the greater Halleck Creek project surface area, making it one of the largest rare earth deposits in the United States. Located on Wyoming State land, the Cowboy State Mine within Halleck Creek offers cost-efficient open-pit mining methods and benefits from streamlined permitting processes in this mining-friendly state. With plans for onsite mineral processing and separation facilities, Halleck Creek is strategically positioned to reduce U.S. reliance on imports-predominantly from China-while meeting the growing demand for rare earth elements essential to defense, advanced technologies, and economic security. As exploration progresses, the project's untapped potential on both State and Federal lands further reinforces its significance as a cornerstone of U.S. supply chain security. In addition to its resource potential, American Rare Earths is committed to environmentally responsible mining practices and continues to collaborate with U.S. Government-supported R&D programs to develop innovative extraction and processing technologies for rare earth elements. The opportunities ahead for Halleck Creek are transformational, positioning it as a multi-generational resource that aligns with U.S. national priorities for critical mineral independence. For Further Information: Stepping into the land of the Trump resistance, Seema Verma flatly rejected Californias pursuit of single-payer health care as unworkable and dismissed the Affordable Care Act as too flawed to ever succeed.Speaking Wednesday at the Commonwealth Club here, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said she supports granting states flexibility on health care but indicated she would not give California the leeway it would need to spend federal money on a single-payer system.I think a lot of the analysis has shown its unaffordable, Verma said during a question-and-answer session following her speech. It doesnt make sense for us to waste time on something thats not going to work.During her speech, Verma issued a broader warning to advocates pushing for a Medicare-for-all program nationally. She said that socialized approach to medicine would endanger the program and the health care it provides for millions of older Americans.We dont want to divert the purpose and focus away from our seniors, Verma said in the address before more than 200 people. In essence, Medicare for all would become Medicare for none.Single-payer has emerged as a key issue in the California governors race this year. The current front-runner for governor, Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and the current lieutenant governor, has vowed to pursue a state-run, single-payer system for all Californians if elected in November. Many California lawmakers have endorsed that idea as the next step toward achieving universal coverage and to tackling rising costs.California has enthusiastically embraced the Affordable Care Act, and state leaders have struggled with and even bucked the Trump administration on a variety of health-policy fronts. The state stands to lose more than any other if the Trump administration is successful in further dismantling the ACA.About 1.4 million Californians buy coverage through the states Obamacare exchange, Covered California, and nearly 4 million have joined Medicaid as a result of the programs expansion under the law.Verma wields enormous power as head of CMS, overseeing a $1 trillion budget. The agency sets policy for Medicare, Medicaid and the federal insurance exchanges under the ACA.The landmark health law, she said, was so flawed it could not work without further action from Congress.It wasnt working when we came into office and it continues not to work, Verma said, responding to a question from moderator Mark Zitter, founder of the Zetema Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes debate on health care across partisan lines. The program is not designed to be successful.Zitter billed the event as a rare chance for Californians to hear directly from a top Trump administration official, although Vermas remarks broke little new ground, he said.Trump health care policies figure into many of Californias congressional races this fall in which incumbent Republicans are fending off Democratic challengers. And in court, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading a coalition of attorneys general who are defending the constitutionality of the ACA in a Texas case with national implications.The Trump administration has sided with the officials waging the lawsuit, choosing not to defend the health laws protections for people with preexisting conditions. Separately, the administration has backed work requirements for many people on Medicaid.Californias state Senate passed a law in May banning such requirements as a condition for eligibility in Medi-Cal, the states Medicaid program. The bill is pending in the state Assembly.Making health insurance coverage contingent on work requirements goes against all weve worked for here in California, state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), author of SB 1108, said in May.State lawmakers also are considering bills that would limit the GOP-backed sale of short-term health policies and prevent people from joining association health plans that dont have robust consumer protections.In an interview after the speech, Verma criticized those legislative efforts in California because they would limit consumer choice.Any efforts to thwart choice and competition and letting Americans make decisions about their health care is bad health policy, she said.Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California, the states ACA marketplace, has criticized the Trump administration for promoting those cheaper, skimpier policies as an alternative to ACA-compliant plans. He said he fears consumers will be harmed by bait-and-switch products that dont provide comprehensive benefits.There have been a series of policies from Washington that have the effect of raising costs, particularly for middle-class Americans, and pricing them out of coverage, Lee said in an interview last week. This is not a failure of the ACA. This is entirely happening since the new administration.Most of Vermas speech in San Francisco focused on Medicare. She outlined a number of initiatives designed to strengthen the program and protect taxpayers from ballooning costs. After the speech, CMS announced proposed changes to Medicare payment policies for outpatient care that could yield savings for the government and patients.In her remarks, Verma reiterated the Trump administrations efforts to reduce prescription drug prices, improve patients access to their own medical records and eliminate burdensome regulations on doctors and other medical providers.Verma received a polite round of applause at the beginning and end of her appearance. Colapinto unfazed by Alpine 'silence' on 2026 seat Franco Colapinto insists he is unconcerned by rising speculation about his Alpine future - saying the absence of rumours of a potential team shakeup is not proof of anything. Franco Colapinto, Mexican GP 2025 Alpine The 22-year-old Argentine rookie has spent much of the last month at the centre of intrigue - from his defiance of team orders in Austin to suggestions that a 2026 Alpine deal funded by his powerful backers is already signed. With drivers in the Red Bull family jostling for limited 2026 seats, the calm around Enstone has only fuelled talk that Colapinto's place is already secure. Asked by DAZN in Mexico why there were plenty of rumours at Red Bull and Racing Bulls but no rumours of alternatives for Alpine, Colapinto laughed as he replied: "I don't know. "Everyone has their own opinion, right? And I think lately, at least, those opinions - there's not much to them. There aren't many rumours, not much going on. As a team we need to work on having a better car, and then focus on what's coming. I'm focused on the present, taking it race by race. After that, obviously, I'm not the one who makes the decision. Colapinto's composure contrasts with the turmoil that followed his Austin team-order controversy, when Alpine deleted a social media post quoting boss Steve Nielsen's criticism. Still, the rookie's Sunday wasn't without frustration - after clashing with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. He knocked me onto the grass, Colapinto complained. I don't know where he's looking when he checks his mirrors. He always does the same thing. (GMM) Ecclestone turns 95 - I've never been so happy Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone turns 95 on Tuesday - and longtime friend and veteran journalist Roger Benoit says the sport's onetime "tsunami" remains sharp, content, and quietly amused by his own longevity. Bernie Ecclestone, Austrian GP 2025 McLaren I don't think about it, because at my age, you no longer count in years, Ecclestone smiled when asked by Blick if he hopes to reach 100. Even if I'm aching more often now, he added, noting with typical wit that his daily pills are multiplying. Ecclestone still avoids alcohol - I need milk and fruit juices, he quipped - and lives quietly with his wife Fabiana, 49, and their five-year-old son Ace on their farm in Ampero, near Sao Paulo. My greatest wish has come true, he told Benoit. I can now talk to my son Ace. And with Fabiana, I've never been so happy. Benoit and Ecclestone's 50-year friendship has spanned countless Formula 1 eras and anecdotes, including their annual backgammon battles and late-night political debates. Benoit recalled that during the last US elections, Ecclestone - ever the gambler - declined to bet on Donald Trump. 'The odds are too poor. It's not worth it,' Benoit wrote, recalling Ecclestone's words. When I looked over a little later, Bernie had fallen asleep." (GMM) The iPhone is turning 20 in 2027 and Apple will mark the anniversary with a special iPhone 20 release. Weve already heard about the big redesign with its sloping display bezels that are supposed to make the device look like a single piece of glass when viewed from the front. We now get an additional report that suggests some major camera upgrades as well. The 2027 iPhone model likely the Pro variant will reportedly bring Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor (LOFIC) camera sensor. In short, this means the cameras will capture more light per pixel, leading to higher dynamic range and better overall image quality. Huawei already implemented an LOFIC sensor on its Pura 80 Ultra. Apple will be joined by the top-five Chinese makers Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, Oppo, and vivo, who are also rumored to bring LOFIC camera tech to their flagships. In related news, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumored to get a variable aperture for its main camera. Tipster Digital Chat Station shared alleged supply chain information which corroborates earlier rumors about the iPhone 18 Pro series gaining the feature but we now get clarification that it will be exclusive to the larger 18 Pro Max model. The new tip also suggests a larger fixed aperture for the 18 Pro Maxs 48MP periscope lens. Source 1 (in Korean) Source 2 (in Chinese) I have written in this space about the mental health and well-being of your workforce and how fostering a positive and productive atmosphere is paramount for any organizations success. Lets expound on this and discuss employee recognition programs in the workplace. Beyond just a pat on the back, these programs are tools designed to acknowledge employees contributions, boost morale and ignite a powerful sense of motivation. For businesses and organizations on Guam, where community ties are tight, effective recognition can be even more impactful. Employee recognition programs are essentially systems to acknowledge and reward employees for their efforts, achievements and contributions to the companys goals. The benefits are multifaceted: increased job satisfaction, lower turnover rates, enhanced productivity and a stronger organizational culture. When employees feel valued, they are more likely to be engaged, loyal, willing and mentally fit to go the extra mile. One of the most significant advantages of a recognition program is its ability to directly influence employee morale. Imagine a scenario where an employee consistently exceeds expectations but never receives any acknowledgment. Over time, this lack of appreciation can lead to disengagement, burnout and ultimately, a decline in performance. Conversely, a simple thank you or a more formal award can reignite their passion and reinforce positive behaviors. This is particularly crucial in a close-knit community like Guam, where word-of-mouth and personal reputations play significant roles. Motivation is another critical aspect directly impacted by recognition. When employees understand that their hard work will be noticed, they are naturally incentivized to perform at their best. This creates a virtuous cycle: recognition leads to motivation, which leads to improved performance, which in turn leads to further recognition. Moreover, effective programs can inspire healthy competition and team improvement. So, what do effective employee recognition programs look like in practice, particularly on Guam? Many organizations on Guam, from government agencies to private corporations and small businesses, recognize the importance of these programs. Here are a few examples of approaches that are commonly used and resonate with the local workforce: Employee of the Month/Quarter programs This classic approach is popular. Companies like Bank of Guam and the Guam Power Authority often use variations of this. Typically, employees are nominated by their peers or supervisors based on specific criteria such as exceptional performance, outstanding customer service or demonstrating core company values. The recognized individual might receive a plaque, a gift certificate, a prime parking spot or a feature in the company newsletter or local paper. This not only celebrates the individual but also publicly reinforces desired behaviors. Service awards Recognizing longevity and loyalty is particularly important on Guam, where many employees dedicate decades of work to an organization. Government of Guam agencies, such as the Guam Department of Education or the Department of Public Health and Social Services, regularly hold ceremonies to honor employees reaching significant milestonesfive, 10, 20 or even 30-plus years of service. These events often include certificates, pins, and sometimes monetary bonuses, fostering a sense of pride and commitment. Peer-to-peer recognition This less formal, but highly effective method, encourages employees to acknowledge each others value. Companies with a strong team culture, like some of the smaller tech firms or hospitality businesses on the island, might implement kudos boards or internal communication channels where employees can publicly praise their colleagues for specific acts of helpfulness or collaboration. This fosters a supportive environment and reinforces a sense of shared success. Performance-based incentives, bonuses While not strictly recognition in the traditional sense, performance-based bonuses are a powerful form of recognition for achieving specific goals. Many sales organizations on Guam, as well as companies in the tourism sector, use annual bonuses tied to individual or team performance targets. This directly links effort to reward, providing incentive for high achievement. Informal recognition Sometimes, the simplest gestures have the biggest impact. Managers on Guam are often encouraged to practice informal recognition, such as a personalized thank you note, a team lunch or outing after a successful project, or even a simple verbal commendation during a meeting. These small acts of appreciation, though not formal programs, build trust and reinforce a culture of gratitude. Seeing all the options, recognition programs are not merely a nice-to-have. They are a strategic tool for organizations in Guam seeking to cultivate a motivated, engaged, and loyal workforce. By thoughtfully designing and consistently implementing these programs, companies can not only boost morale and motivation, but also build a stronger, more vibrant organizational culture that thrives in the unique context of our community. The Guam Police Department launched on Oct. 21 an Internal Affairs investigation to evaluate the response of its personnel in a recent case involving a hotel employees alleged secret filming of a South Korean father and his daughter in a hotel restroom on Oct. 6. But it wasnt until Oct. 16 when GPD officers were able to again locate and then arrest the suspect, Pacific Islands Club employee Noah-Jay Blas, 20, because he was on work leave, police and charging documents stated. GPD earlier said patrol officers with the Tumon Tamuning Precinct Command interviewed Blas on Oct. 6 and reviewed his phone, which didnt contain any relevant images. The tourist was advised that a follow-up investigation would be conducted. GPD spokesperson Norman Analista on Tuesday and Wednesday confirmed the Internal Affairs investigation, and said GPD takes all criminal activity against residents and visitors alike very seriously. GPDs Internal Affairs investigation, on the video voyeurism complaint investigation, was launched on Oct. 21. No personnel have been placed on administrative leave. There is no further releasable information at this time, Analista said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, he said GPD fully investigated this complaint expeditiously which led to the arrest of the suspect in the case. The actions committed against our visitors are not reflective of who we are as a people and we want to assure them and all new and repeat visitors to the island that GPD is fully committed to their safety. Internally, GPD has launched an internal affairs investigation to evaluate the response of its personnel involved in the incident, Analista said. Blas was charged with criminal voyeurism as a third-degree felony. GPD earlier said Blas was arrested on suspicion of criminal voyeurism, video voyeurism and destruction of evidence. Blas told officers he is gay and is only into guys. He said he records people in the restroom as a way to get sexual gratification when he manages to record a man he finds attractive, the complaint stated. He was released on $3,000 personal recognizance, according to Office of the Attorney General documents. Investigation On Oct. 6, police officers went to PIC for a harassment complaint and met with a hotel manager who said a tourist brought his 4-year-old daughter into the mens restroom and heard what sounded like a camera shutter. The tourist looked up and saw what appeared to be a camera from the top of the stall. The tourist exited and waited for the person in the next stall to get out. When the person exited the stall, the tourist confronted him and brought him to the hotel front desk. That person was identified as Blas, who denied any wrongdoing on Oct. 6. GPD said due to the nature of the crime, the case was forwarded to GPDs Special Victims Unit and a follow-up investigation was initiated but officers were unable to locate Blas until Oct. 16. That day, Blas was brought in for questioning and denied recording any individuals in the mens restroom stall, the magistrates complaint stated. He said he doesnt have any desire or sexual gratification of filming people in the restroom, documents stated. Police asked to search Blas phone, but he didnt consent, and officers said they would confiscate the phone for evidence and request for a search warrant. Officers asked Blas if anything concerning would be found on his phone. He then admitted to using his phone to record the stall next to him, the complaint stated. Blas said he put the camera lens of his phone over the bathroom stall wall and recorded the stall next to him, documents stated. He said he recorded several seconds and then brought the camera back down to review what was recorded and saw a little girl sitting on the toilet and deleted it, the complaint stated. Haiti - FLASH : 3 departments in red, 4 in orange, the worst to come Tuesday, October 28, 2025, in its latest bulletin at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (0900 UTC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the center of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa was located at 17.2 degrees North latitude and 77.8 degrees West longitude with maximum sustained winds of 280 km/h with higher gusts (minimum central pressure 901 millibar). Melissa is located 640km southwest of Port-au-Prince. Melissa is moving slowly westward at nearly 5 mph (7 km/h). A turn toward the Northeast with an increase in movement speed is expected later today, followed by a faster movement toward the Northeast Wednesday and Thursday. On the forecast track, Melissa's core is expected to move over Jamaica today, cross southeast Cuba Wednesday morning, and cross the southeast or central Bahamas later Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are expected late Tuesday and Wednesday on the west coast of Haiti. Note that tropical storm force winds extend up to 195 miles (315 km) from the center of Melissa. Catastrophic and potentially fatal flash floods and landslides are expected in southwest Haiti. Significant damage to infrastructure and isolation of communities is likely. The Haitian Hydro Meteorological Unit (UHM) in conjunction with the General Directorate of Civil Protection and the Permanent Secretariat for Risk Management maintains the departments of South, Grande Anse and Nippes on red alert. The departments of South-East, West, Artibonite and North West are on orange alert. Melissa is expected to bring additional precipitation of 8 to 16 inches (20 cm to 41 cm) for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday, with total local maximums of 40 inches (1m) possible. Swells generated by Melissa are expected to affect portions of the coasts of Hispaniola, Jamaica, Eastern Cuba and the Cayman Islands over the next few days. These swells are likely to cause potentially fatal breaking conditions and rip currents. Please check your local weather office's bulletins. The Maritime and Navigation Service of Haiti (SEMANAH) prohibits all cabotage activity on the southern coastal zone of Haiti until further notice due to the passage near Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Civil Protection Advice : The Departmental Directorate of Civil Protection calls on the entire population of the departments concerned to remain vigilant during this period, as there could be flash floods and floods. The Directorate asks the population not to cross any watercourse under any circumstances, not to tie your animals where the water could carry them, not to stand on hills and bridges to observe the flowing water, not to protect yourself from the rain under the trees, do not stay barefoot in the rain and do not touch any object that conducts electricity. Store your important papers in a safe place to prevent them from getting wet. Remember to keep an eye on people needing help so they can move if necessary. Stay calm and listen to civil protection messages from reliable sources. Haitian Diaspora : Jamaica : Hurricane Warning: The Cuban Provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin Heavy rains and strong winds rock Jamaica on Monday as Hurricane Melissa approaches, which could be the strongest to make landfall in this country where it threatens to cause catastrophic floods and landslides. With winds of up to 280 km/h which can reach 340 to 350 km/h, Hurricane Melissa is in category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale and is expected to hit the island head-on this Tuesday, October 28. The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, warned of the risks of particularly significant damage for the West of the country "I don't think that a single infrastructure in this region can withstand a Category 5 hurricane, so there could be significant destruction. Torrential rains could dump up to 1m of water per square meter, leading to major flooding on the island. A life-threatening storm surge is likely along the south coast of Jamaica today. Maximum storm surge heights could reach 9 feet to 13 feet (2.74 m to 3.96 m) above sea level, near and east of where the center of Melissa will make landfall. This storm surge will be accompanied by strong destructive waves. Dominican Republic : Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are expected in the southern Dominican Republic through midweek. Additional precipitation of 6 inches to 12 inches (15cm to 30 cm) for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday, with local maximum totals reaching 40 inches (1m). Catastrophic flash floods and numerous landslides are likely. Rains will be more frequent in Pedernales, Barahona, Azua, Peravia, San Jose de Ocoa, San Cristobal, Grand Santo Domingo, Monte Plata, Sanchez Ramirez, Duarte, Samana, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, La Romana and San Pedro de Macoris. Eastern Cuba : Tropical Storm Warning Cuban Province of Las Tunas Storm rainfall totals of 10 in. to 20 in. (25 cm to 51 cm), with local amounts of up to 25 in. (63 cm), are expected through Wednesday, accompanied by flash flooding and numerous potentially fatal landslides. Storm surge and strong winds are expected Tuesday and Tuesday evening. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in eastern Cuba on Tuesday, with hurricane conditions expected in the hurricane warning zone from tonight through Wednesday morning. There is a potential for significant storm surge along the southeastern coast of Cuba late Tuesday or Wednesday. Maximum storm surge heights could reach 7 ft to 11 ft (2.13 m to 3.35 m) above normal tide levels, near and east of where the center of Melissa will make landfall. Southeast and central Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands: Hurricane warning for the Southeast and central Bahamas. Hurricane Watch for Turks and Caicos Islands. Rain is expected to develop later Tuesday and continue into Wednesday. Rainfall totals of 5 in. to 10 in. (13 cm to 25 cm) are expected to cause flash flooding. Hurricane conditions, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rain are expected Wednesday in parts of the Southeast and central Bahamas. Tropical storm conditions, heavy rain and significant storm surge are expected in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. A storm surge of 4 ft to 6 ft (1.22 m to 1.83 m) is possible in the Southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46077-haiti-flash-hurricane-melissa-becomes-cat-5-haiti-on-maximum-alert.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46069-haiti-flash-melissa-has-become-a-cat-4-hurricane.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46067-haiti-hurricane-melissa-2-departments-on-red-alert.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46053-haiti-flash-melissa-promises-to-be-devastating-in-haiti.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46046-haiti-flash-melissa-risks-becoming-a-hurricane-5-departments-on-orange-alert.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46039-haiti-flash-storm-melissa-threatens-haiti-5-departments-on-yellow-alert.html SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Security : Successful sea rescue operation On the night of Friday, October 24, 2025, the Haitian Coast Guard conducted a search and rescue operation off the coast of Leogane, following the drifting of the boat "PRINCESS SAM ASIA" (a landing craft flying the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) at around 9:00 p.m. Two shuttles were immediately dispatched to the scene. Thanks to effective coordination, all crew members were rescued safely. The barge was towed to Petit-Goave around 2:00 a.m., with the support of the tactical boat "Dragon." Despite the success of this operation, the Haitian Coast Guard wishes to remind the general public of the extreme dangers associated with navigation during periods of severe weather. In particular, with the passage of Hurricane Melissa, currently classified as a Cat. 5, sea conditions are extremely perilous. It is strongly recommended not to venture out to sea during these adverse weather conditions, when winds are strong and swells are high. Strictly adhere to the restriction and safety instructions issued by the Haitian Hydrometeorological Unit (UHM) and the Haitian Maritime and Navigation Service (SEMANHA). The Coast Guard remains mobilized to protect lives at sea, but your safety also depends on your caution. HL/ TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Cap-Haitien : Justinien University Hospital since 1890 In the heart of the historic city of Cap-Haitien, the Justinien University Hospital (HUJ), a pillar of care and hope, stands proudly as a symbol of knowledge, dedication, and humanity. Behind its white and turquoise facade, steeped in history, beats the heart of a medical institution that, since March 1890, has trained, treated, and supported the population of northern Haiti. Surrounded by lush vegetation and buildings steeped in history, the hospital's layout reveals a vast network of services: from maternity to pediatrics, from the laboratory to the operating rooms, each pavilion shares a shared mission : to save lives, alleviate suffering, and advance public health. The roofs, now covered with solar panels, reflect a commitment to the future : a desire for energy autonomy and modernity in a context where every resource counts. Students, doctors, nurses, and technicians work hand in hand, forming a large family united by the same vocation: to serve life. From the air, Justinien University Hospital opens onto the city and the sea, like a bridge between science and community, between care and hope. More than just a healthcare facility, it is a school of life, a refuge for the sick, and a beacon for an entire population. HL/ HaitiLibre Judicial reforms strengthen China's maritime rule of law China Daily) 10:12, October 28, 2025 China is enhancing its maritime legal framework and adjudication approach to support the high-quality development of its marine economy and position itself as a leading hub for resolving international maritime disputes, according to the country's top judge. Zhang Jun, president of the Supreme People's Court, shared these insights on Sunday while presenting a report on maritime adjudication to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body. The report highlights that China has developed a comprehensive maritime adjudication system, tackling the largest and most diverse array of maritime disputes globally. Since the establishment of maritime courts more than 40 years ago, marine disputes have surged from 18 cases in 1984 to an estimated 34,400 in 2024, the report showed. The report revealed that the scope of cases has expanded beyond maritime trade and shipping to include emerging sectors such as marine resource development, environmental protection, port construction and cultural tourism. It noted a sharp increase in disputes related to new marine economic activities such as offshore wind power and marine ranching. Over the past four decades, 88,000 cases have involved foreign parties, and a growing number of international litigants are choosing to bring their cases to Chinese maritime courts, even when their disputes have no direct connection to China, the report stated. For example, in a maritime cargo transportation dispute involving Chile, Turkiye and Singapore, all parties opted to litigate in a Chinese court, with the Dalian Maritime Court in Liaoning province successfully mediating a settlement. In another case, the Qingdao Maritime Court in Shandong province mediated a settlement involving parties from six countries in an oil tanker dispute, allowing the continuation of the ship sale contract. The new Greek shipowner renamed the tanker Respect to honor China's legal system. "Over the past four decades, China's specialized maritime adjudication system has become increasingly mature, with a significant increase in the number of cases, a diversification in case types and an enhancement in international influence," Zhang said. However, Zhang noted that as China transitions from a major maritime nation to a maritime power, new challenges are emerging for the country's judicial system. While the number of foreign-related disputes is significant, the proportion of cases involving only foreign litigants remains low, he said. He called for efforts to be intensified in resolving disputes in shipping service sectors, such as marine insurance, ship financing and charter party contracts. Zhang also emphasized the need to optimize the maritime legal framework in response to the rapid development of emerging marine industries, including offshore renewable energy, deep-sea aquaculture, new offshore engineering technologies and marine carbon credit trading. "We will promptly formulate judicial interpretations for maritime laws and release relevant notable cases, making every effort to continuously improve the rule of law environment for the high-quality development of the marine economy," he said. According to the report, bilingual and multilingual white papers on maritime adjudication will be released, and an English-language database of maritime cases along with a cross-border legal service mechanism will be established. Additionally, revisions to the Special Maritime Procedure Law and the development of relevant judicial interpretations will also be initiated. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) The cyber attack, which affected air traffic at several European airports at the end of September, is proving to be more complex than initially assumed. While operator Collins Aerospace officially reported a ransomware attack, the hacker group Everest claims to have merely exfiltrated data via an insecure FTP server. Continue after ad The initial report at the end of September 2025 seemed clear: a cyber attack on Collins Aerospace's passenger processing system "MUSE" had affected operations at airports such as Berlin (BER) and Brussels. The official explanation was ransomware, which led to an emergency shutdown of the systems. However, a differing account from the hacker group Everest now shifts the focus to another, no less serious incident. Everest's Version: Data theft through a years-old open door According to its own statements, Everest gained access to an FTP server ( ftp.arinc.com ) of Collins Aerospace as early as September 10. The credentials used for this were strikingly simple: the username was aiscustomer , and the password was muse-insecure . Particularly explosive: Hudson Rock's security firm analysis traces the compromised credentials back to an infostealer infection from an employee PC in 2022. The fact that this entry point was apparently open for years and simple default passwords were not changed casts a poor light on the company's security culture. The group claims to have exfiltrated more than 50 gigabytes of data through this access. The time delay is striking: although the data was copied on September 10, a serious reaction from RTX/Collins Aerospace seems to have occurred only more than a week later. Everest states that negotiations began with an intermediary from Collins Aerospace but broke off between September 18 and 24 precisely in the timeframe when Collins completely shut down the systems. According to Everest, contact was made with a supposed RTX employee even before the shutdown of the boarding systems at the airports. (Image: Everest) Potentially Millions of Passengers in Europe Affected Continue after ad The impact of the data leak is becoming increasingly visible. As the Irish Times reports, potentially millions of passengers who used Dublin Airport in August are affected. The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) confirmed that boarding pass information from this period was compromised. Airlines such as SAS have already begun informing customers. German travelers and employees are also likely to be affected. At least, screenshots published by Everest show de-domains and German-language account names. In Germany, primarily Eurowings, Lufthansa City Airlines, Condor, EasyJet, and Ryanair operate through airports such as BER, Cologne/Bonn, and Munster using the MUSE system. It remains unclear how many individuals from the DACH region are included, but it is to be assumed. Identity theft and targeted phishing attacks are conceivable with the stolen data. In a screenshot published by Everest, the supposed FTP entry point is visible; as access credentials with de/eu domains are also included, employees and travelers from German-speaking countries could also be affected by the data theft. (Image: Everest) Ransomware Report as Part of Unclear Communication? On the other hand, there are the official reports that speak of a ransomware attack. For example, the parent company RTX reported such an incident in a mandatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This statement is supported by the British National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Its director, Dr. Richard Browne, stated according to a report by Cyber Daily on September 23 that the NCSC is aware of both the attacker and the malware strain used. However, the term ransomware is not always used precisely. While it often implies encryption by malware, companies also use it in their public communications for incidents where data is merely stolen and extortion is threatened through deletion or non-publication. From this perspective, the official report from Collins/RTX could be technically correct but misleading. The late reaction the FTP access was only closed a week after the data exfiltration suggests internal communication problems or incompetent handling of the incident. Instead of assuming two parallel attacks, it could therefore be a single, but poorly managed incident, where the emergency shutdown of the systems was a late measure to regain control and assess the extent of the damage. After an initial countdown expired, the cyber gang Everest has now set a new deadline. Collins Aerospace now has about a week left for negotiations. (Image: Screenshot heise medien) Everest itself explicitly distances itself from any ransomware activity. On their page in the Tor network, it says verbatim: "Our current position on ransomware: Our group does not use or distribute ransomware. Many are aware that we have not used ransomware for many years and have not announced any plans to do so in the future." This distinction would fit the group's strategic shift in recent years, which, according to reports, now acts more as a specialized initial access broker. Nevertheless, one must ask to what extent the statements of cybercriminals can be trusted. The lack of transparency from Collins Aerospace towards its partners is meanwhile substantiated by research from IT security expert Kevin Beaumont. He wrote on Mastodon that at least one of the affected airlines had not been informed about the theft of its data. (vza) Don't miss any news follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication. An update to the collaboration software Microsoft Teams, scheduled to roll out starting December 2025, could make working from home a challenge for some. The IT giant plans to use a new feature to record actual presence in the office building. Specifically, Teams will detect if the user has connected to the company's own Wi-Fi and automatically set the work location accordingly to the respective building. Continue after ad Previously, Teams already offered the option to manually set the work location. This is intended, for example, to help colleagues orient themselves in a large office complex or on a campus. With the upcoming update, this process will be automated by the software determining likely by comparing details such as the IP address or MAC address of the router whether one is actually on-site. This innovation, which the company announced on its current roadmap for the cloud-based office suite Microsoft 365, provides managers with a clear overview of where their employees are currently located. According to the roadmap, the feature is planned for both Windows and macOS. The tech portal Tom's Guide notes: For those who have found a haven of peace and productivity in their home office, the update represents a potential threat. Teams could function as a "snitch" in the future. Technical details still unknown Microsoft has clarified that the function will not be enabled by default initially. Activation ultimately lies with the IT managers within the company. End-user consent is required. The debate about automated location detection is reminiscent of a tactic that Amazon employees, for example, used after the Corona pandemic. To circumvent the controversial return to the office, some tried to change the name of their private Wi-Fi (SSID) to match that of the official company network. Tom's Guide, however, assumes that an application like Microsoft Teams will see through this simple trick through verification mechanisms. The company has not yet revealed technical details about the implementation of the new function. What about data protection? The automatic recording of the work location raises data protection concerns. Although the function aims to simplify hybrid collaboration, the thought of constant monitoring worries many employees. Microsoft counters in the roadmap: the function cannot be activated secretly. Admins are not allowed to consent on behalf of the affected users. Continue after ad The detection is based on the office's SSID, which technicians must enter into the system. The latter thus knows: connecting to this specific network means the employee is in a certain building. Microsoft Teams already uses geo-data for other functions such as emergency calls and improving call quality. The outlined function only records the location in relation to the company Wi-Fi and sets the user's status to the deposited building. It is not designed to perform constant geolocation outside the work environment. Microsoft describes the function as "neutral." Critics, however, emphasize that the company's internal policy is crucial. If the feature is misused as a control instrument, it can undermine trust in the hybrid work model. GDPR and Works Constitution Act The function could fundamentally be compatible with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In any case, strict adherence to several conditions by the company wishing to use the feature would be necessary. Legal admissibility essentially depends on the consent of the employees and the purpose of data collection. The company must obtain the voluntary and informed consent of each individual employee. It may primarily use the function only to improve collaboration and not as a surveillance tool. Furthermore, transparency obligations must be met. In Germany or a state with similar labor law that provides for co-determination rights, the company must conclude a work agreement. This is intended to prevent misuse of control. Without the voluntary consent of employees and clear rules for use, the function would likely violate applicable European and German data protection and labor law. Corresponding company plans would primarily have to be examined from a labor law perspective, explains Niko Harting from the law firm of the same name in Berlin, to heise online: "This concerns the right to personal integrity in the workplace." Continuous tracking would likely be unlawful unless there is a compelling interest for the employer to justify such a profound infringement of fundamental rights. This could be the case, for example, in the logistics industry, the lawyer explains. If a works council exists, it would have to agree. Furthermore, data protection lawyers might doubt the voluntariness of consent if, for example, fears of job loss could play a role. (nen) Don't miss any news follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication. Juuso confirmed the family connection in a text message to Helsingin Sanomat , saying that Rajainmaki is her only child. The news was first reported by Iltalehti . The assistant, Ville Rajainmaki , began work on 8 September. He will serve until the end of the current parliamentary term in April 2027. His role replaces that of Hannu Peurasaari , who previously held the post. The job is full-time, with a monthly salary of 3,034. Kaisa Juuso , Minister of Social Affairs and Health, has appointed her son as her new parliamentary assistant. The move has drawn surprise from fellow members of parliament and criticism from political observers. Helsingin Sanomat reviewed the employment contract, which was signed by Parliaments Director of Administration Pertti Rauhio. The hiring proposal was submitted by Juuso. Parliament procedure allows MPs to choose their assistants freely. Political groups are not involved in the selection. When contacted by Helsingin Sanomat, Jani Makela, chair of the Finns parliamentary group, said he was unaware of the appointment. Internal reactions from the group have reportedly included surprise over the family connection. Rajainmaki is 25 years old. Parliament records contain no information about his educational background. This is not the first time a Finns party MP has hired a family member. Veijo Niemi employed his own son, and Mikko Polvinen hired his partner as an assistant. Parliament confirms that there are no formal restrictions on such appointments. Juuso, who is 65, has previously stated that she has one child, born when she was 40. She has described the child as long-awaited and said motherhood gave her insight into the lives of young people in Finland. The appointment follows a previous controversy involving Juusos former assistant Mikko Talso. In spring 2025, Talso sparked backlash after writing in a public Facebook group that people receiving benefits from Kela, the Finnish social insurance institution, were losers. No one dies of hunger in Finland, Kela takes care of that, Talso wrote. If you dont get food, its your own stupidity. You losers waiting for benefits with your hand out without lifting your arse from the chair have earned your poverty. He apologised the next day. Juuso responded by calling the comment unpleasant and unsuccessful. She stated she did not accept such behaviour from her assistants but said it would be unfair to end the employment over a single incident. Talso left the position on 31 August. Meanwhile, Juuso has also faced criticism over the reduction of hospital services in her home region of Lapland. During a recent visit, she was confronted by local residents over cuts at Lansi-Pohja Hospital. The Ministry of Finances evaluation group has recommended transferring even more services from Kemi to Rovaniemi, contrary to earlier government plans. Parliament passed the hospital network law under Prime Minister Petteri Orpos government. The law already shifted surgical procedures from Kemi to Rovaniemi. Day surgeries were to remain in Kemi, but the new proposal would centralise them in Rovaniemi as well. HT In his message, Xi Jinping said that Finland was one of the first European countries to sign an intergovernmental trade agreement with China. China and Finland established official ties on 28 October 1950. Finland had recognised the Peoples Republic of China in January of that year, becoming one of the first Western nations to do so. The countries later opened reciprocal embassies in Beijing and Helsinki, with General Geng Biao appointed as Chinas first envoy to Finland. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Finnish President Alexander Stubb exchanged messages on Tuesday to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Finland. That agreement, signed in 1953, made Finland the first capitalist country to formalise trade relations with the Peoples Republic. Xi said the bilateral relationship had grown despite differences in ideology and political systems, and had withstood changes in the international situation. Xi described the 75 years of cooperation as covering politics, economics, trade, people-to-people exchange, and cultural activity. He referenced Alexander Stubbs state visit to China in October 2024, during which both sides agreed on a future-oriented framework for cooperation. Xi said he was ready to strengthen bilateral ties, promote comprehensive cooperation, and support global multipolarity and inclusive economic globalisation. Alexander Stubb said that FinlandChina relations were close and based on steady development. He noted that the countries had jointly issued a detailed action plan during his 2024 visit to China. That agreement, titled Joint Action Plan between China and Finland on Promoting the Future-oriented New-type Cooperative Partnership 20252029, outlines cooperation across multiple sectors. Stubb said he recognised Chinas role in global governance and welcomed continued dialogue with Xi on both bilateral and international issues. He said the United Nations framework provided important context for global cooperation, and noted Finlands trust in Chinas role as a permanent member of the Security Council. Finlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs also released a statement highlighting the historical and current state of relations. Finlands early recognition of the Peoples Republic of China in 1950 was followed by the rapid development of trade relations. By 1953, Finland became the first Western capitalist country to sign a formal bilateral trade agreement with China. That agreement and Finlands early political support gave it a unique position among Western countries operating in China. The current structure of the bilateral relationship is based on a declaration signed by President Sauli Niinisto and President Xi Jinping in Helsinki in 2017. That agreement established the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership, which was later formalised into action plans covering specific periods. The first such plan ran from 2019 to 2023. The current agreement spans from 2025 to 2029. According to Finnish government data, China is Finlands largest trading partner in Asia and among the top globally. By 2021, more than 400 Finnish companies were operating in China. Finland had invested around EUR 11 billion in China, while Chinese investments in Finland totalled EUR 10 billion. Trade is complemented by environmental and energy cooperation. These areas are driven by memoranda between ministries, bilateral working groups, and joint pilot projects. Finlands Ministry for the Environment and Business Finland are key bodies in these efforts. Cultural cooperation also forms a central part of the relationship. A cultural exchange agreement signed in 1984 has been regularly updated. The scope includes education, science, youth exchanges, and sport. Direct collaborations between artists, designers, and institutions have expanded in recent years. Finnish music, visual arts, and design receive formal promotion through bilateral initiatives. The Finnish Ministrys statement listed recent high-level visits between the two countries. These include Xi Jinpings visit to Finland in 2017, during Finlands 100th anniversary of independence, and Stubbs visit to China in 2024. Political dialogue continues through regular meetings. Topics include climate change, arms control, sustainable development, international law, human rights, gender equality, and global security. Finlands approach to China is shaped by its EU membership and the broader context of European foreign policy. Both governments say they are committed to strengthening ties through structured agreements and regular contact at the political level. The Joint Action Plan for 20252029 outlines specific goals in trade, environmental cooperation, education, and innovation. It also includes mechanisms for monitoring progress and resolving disputes. The plan is expected to guide ChinaFinland relations over the next four years. HT City lands almost 200 jobs paying $79,000/year BorgWarner, a U.S.-based mobility solutions company operating 84 manufacturing and technical locations globally, will further expand its operations in the city of Hendersonville and Henderson County. Related Stories A legacy employer in Western North Carolina, the corporation is establishing a 220,000-square-foot building at Blue Ridge Commerce Center off McMurray Road. BorgWarner is proud to continue to invest in the state of North Carolina to bring an exciting new technology to market and provide jobs to local residents, said Joseph F. Fadool, president and chief executive officer, BorgWarner Inc. We appreciate the grant and continued support from the state of North Carolina to expand our manufacturing footprint here in the United States. This project is a testament to the dedication we have seen from the city and the county over the last several years, said John Bryant, chair of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. "By working together, weve built a thriving industrial corridor along Upward Road, that allows for companies such as BorgWarner to invest and create high paying jobs for our friends and neighbors. Economic development serves as a unifying force within our community, and BorgWarner is an ideal employer for our community. The company is expected to create 193 jobs over five years with an annual average salary for the new positions expected to be $78,628. The company will invest a minimum of $74.9 million to build an advanced manufacturing facility. We have long said that manufacturing is crucial to the quality of life in our community. Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, this project is especially meaningful as we work to ensure our communitys long-term resilience. We gladly welcome BorgWarner back to Henderson County, said Bill Lapsley, chair of the Henderson County Commissioners. The Hendersonville facility will be an advanced manufacturing site for a new industrial product. This investment will support the first tranche of production volumes in North Carolina. The city has strategically grown its manufacturing base the past few years, with a focus on sustainability and advanced industries," Mayor Barbara Volk said. "It is exciting to see facilities like this locating here and positioning Hendersonville on the cutting edge of clean energy and advanced manufacturing. Leaders statewide touted the announcement as a victory for jobs recruiting. I am pleased that BorgWarner will deepen its roots in western North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein said. This decision reaffirms our ranking as the best state to do business, highlights our thriving automotive industry, and invests in our manufacturing economy in western North Carolina at a time when its sorely needed. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, BorgWarner supplies leading technologies and systems solutions to every major automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer in the world. For more than 130 years, BorgWarner has been a transformative global product leader bringing successful mobility innovation to market. The new 220,000-square-foot manufacturing site will be the companys second North Carolina facility, adding to its portfolio of 84 manufacturing and technical center locations worldwide. BorgWarner could have chosen anywhere in the world for this new product line, but they chose to reinvest in North Carolina, said N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. Western North Carolina is recovering stronger every day, and companies looking to grow want to do so in places like Henderson County, where there is access to a strong talent pool, a solid supply chain, and an excellent quality of life. While wages vary by position, the annual average salary for the new positions is expected to be $78,628. The average wage in Henderson County is $51,565. The new jobs could create an annual payroll impact of more than $15 million for the region. BorgWarners expansion in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) awarded to BorgWarner Industrial Solutions LLC; the grant was approved by the states Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the states economy by $583 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs and the capital investment, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,786,500, spread over 12 years. State payments occur only following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. The projects projected return on investment of public dollars is 74 percent, meaning for every dollar of potential cost to the state, the state receives $1.74 in revenue. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grants reimbursement payments to a given company. Because BorgWarner chose to locate to Henderson County, classified by the states economic tier system as Tier 3, the companys JDIG agreement also calls for moving $595,500 into the states Industrial Development Fund Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even when new jobs are created in a Tier 3 county such as Henderson, the new tax revenue generated through JDIG grants helps more economically challenged communities elsewhere in the state. The recruitment was a joint effort of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, Henderson County, the city of Hendersonville, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, North Carolina Community College System and Blue Ridge Community College and Duke Energy. The county Board of Commissioners and Hendersonville City Council both granted property tax refunds in order to attract the investment. Xi's special envoy attends inauguration of Seychelles' president Xinhua) 10:36, October 28, 2025 VICTORIA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the government of Seychelles, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Gao Yunlong on Sunday attended the inauguration of Seychelles' President Patrick Herminie in Victoria. On Monday, Herminie met with the Chinese envoy in Victoria, the capital city. Gao, also vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, conveyed Xi's cordial greetings and good wishes. China attaches great importance to the development of China-Seychelles relations and stands ready to work with Seychelles to take the implementation of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit as an opportunity to translate the friendship between the two countries into more cooperative achievements that benefit the people of both sides and elevate the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level, he said. For his part, Herminie asked Gao to convey his sincere greetings and good wishes to Xi, saying that he highly appreciates the global initiatives proposed by his Chinese counterpart. Seychelles and China enjoy a traditional friendship, Herminie said, noting that Seychelles will continue to firmly adhere to the one-China principle and deepen practical cooperation with China within frameworks such as the Belt and Road Initiative to promote greater development of bilateral relations. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Orient Express is pleased to announce the appointment of Bartolomeo Fusco as General Manager of Orient Express Venice, effective immediately. Bartolomeo Fusco will oversee the strategic positioning and operational launch of the Venice property ahead of the highly anticipated opening of the brand's second hotel, at the beginning of 2026. Fusco will be responsible for overseeing the strategic positioning, development, and daily operations of the hotel in Venice, thanks to a well-established approach to excellence and a strong tradition of Italian luxury hospitality. Fusco most recently served as General Manager of Aman Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano. His career also includes five years as Deputy General Manager at Aman Venice, international leadership roles as Interim General Manager at Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro and Amanjena in Marrakech. His operational expertise is grounded in years of experience as Director of Food & Beverage at Aman Venice, a role he began in 2013. Originally from Umbria, he holds an MBA in Hospitality Management from MIB School of Management in Trieste and a degree in Tourism Economics from the University of Perugia. A native Italian speaker, he is fluent in English and has a good command of both Spanish and French. Beyond hospitality, his passions range from sailing to literature, as well as the development of new gastronomic concepts. Thanks to his extensive professional background, he will bring his international vision to Venice. This appointment further advances Orient Express' vision to create a seamless journey across Italy's most iconic destinations. From the immersive voyages aboard La Dolce Vita Orient Express luxury train to extraordinary stays in Rome at Orient Express La Minerva, and in Venice at Orient Express Venice, the brand continues to celebrate the art of travel. The Kimpton Sawyer Hotel is pleased to announce the appointment of Emily Nichols as General Manager of the refined property located in Sacramento's vibrant Downtown Commons. Overseeing the hotel's daily operations, Nichols' extensive hospitality background prepares her to guide the hotel with innovative strategy, thoughtful leadership and a commitment to delivering exceptional service. Before heading west, Nichols spent over 15 years honing her hospitality expertise in Chicago, Minneapolis and New York - three cities that shaped her dynamic approach to guest experience and team culture. Her career then brought her to the Kimpton Alton Hotel in San Francisco's iconic Fisherman's Wharf, where she led the team for four years and fostered Kimpton's unique style of genuine, heartfelt hospitality. Her time in the Bay Area also included leadership roles at The Kimpton Buchanan and the historic Sir Francis Drake Hotel. A proud Chicago native, Nichols is a passionate traveler with a desire to curate one-of-a-kind stays that inspire connection and a sense of place. The Kimpton Sawyer delivers a modern and tranquil experience with 250 spacious guest rooms and suites that feature decor inspired by the hues of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Revival at the Sawyer , the hotel's signature rooftop venue, provides an elevated experience with flavorful bites, curated beverages and sweeping views. This news follows the departure of former general manager Nikki Glass, who played an instrumental role in the success of Kimpton Sawyer since its 2017 opening. Recently recognized by Sacramento Business Journal as one of Sacramento's "40 under 40," Glass now serves as IHG Hotels & Resorts' Regional Vice President of Luxury & Lifestyle Americas Operations - West. DENVER The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) announced its 2025 General Managers of the Year Awards during The Hospitality Show in Denver, Colorado. The awards recognized general managers going above and beyond for their guests and employees. In the more than 64,000 hotels across the United States, general managers are the driving force behind each propertys success. General managers often rise from entry level positions, proving that hospitality is an industry that recognizes talent, rewards perseverance, and transforms frontline team members into the leaders who drive our sector forward. This years winning general managers were chosen from submissions received across the entire nation selected by an independent group of judges from various cross-sections of the industry. AHLAs 2025 General Managers of the Year are: GM Lifetime Achievement Award: Pete Boyd, General Manager, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, NV Boyd was nominated by his colleagues for his deep commitment to people, purpose, and culture over the course of his career. Pete Boyd, General Manager, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, NV GM of the Year, Extended Stay Property: Wyatt Cardwell, General Manager, Residence Inn Dupont Circle, Washington, DC Cardwell was nominated by his colleagues for his compassion, gratitude, and resilience. Wyatt Cardwell, General Manager, Residence Inn Dupont Circle, Washington, DC GM of the Year, Full-Service Property: Trish Drews, General Manager, DoubleTree by Hilton McLean Tysons, McLean, VA Drews was nominated by her colleagues for her 35 years of dedicated service to her team members, property, and community. Trish Drews, General Manager, DoubleTree by Hilton McLean Tysons, McLean, VA GM of the Year, Select-Service Property: David Giaco, General Manager, Dolphin Sands Clearwater Beach, FL (formerly Winter the Dolphin's Beach Club, Ascend Hotel Collection) Giaco was nominated by his colleagues for his innovation, confidence, and resilience. David Giaco, General Manager, Dolphin Sands Clearwater Beach, FL (formerly Winter the Dolphin's Beach Club, Ascend Hotel Collection) GM of the Year, Independent Property: Erik Kreft, General Manager, One Ocean Resort & Spa, Atlantic Beach, FL Kreft was nominated by his colleagues for creating moments of care and belonging through compassion, integrity, and humanity. Erik Kreft, General Manager, One Ocean Resort & Spa, Atlantic Beach, FL GM of the Year, Resort Property: Seth McDaniels, General Manager, Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, FL McDaniels was nominated by his colleagues for his exemplary efforts as a culture builder and champion of people. Seth McDaniels, General Manager, Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, FL General managers are the heart of every hotel. The best of them are focused equally on the guest and the team, providing excellent experiences for visitors, driving results, problem solving, building careers and community at the same time. This years honorees reflect that magic perfectly, building their teams and talent while supporting the communities in which they live and serve and making us all so proud to be part of this dynamic industry. Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO of AHLA About the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide including iconic global brands, 80% of all franchised hotels, and the 16 largest hotel companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at www.ahla.com. Singapore - The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), in partnership with the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) awarded Karan Mahesh, Senior Sales South & Southeast Asia, STR CoStar, with the Rising Star Award Asia Pacific during the HICAP event on 22 October 2025. The award recognizes an emerging leader in the hospitality industry who has demonstrated exceptional professional growth, leadership, and impact in the Asia Pacific region. Born and raised in India, Karan began his career in sales and marketing with ITC Hotels in Bangalore, where his talent and drive quickly led to a series of promotions from property-level roles to the corporate office. In 2019, he joined STR (a CoStar company) as Account Manager for Central and South Asia, where he distinguished himself through his ability to build strong client relationships, expand data coverage, and grow revenue across diverse markets including India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Now based in Singapore, Karan leads STRs business development efforts across South and Southeast Asia, representing CoStar at major industry conferences and investment forums. His collaborative approach and thought leadership have earned him recognition as a trusted advisor among clients and colleagues alike. Beyond his commercial achievements, Karan is deeply committed to mentorship, regularly guiding interns and junior colleagues in their professional growth. In recognition of his consistent excellence, Karan was named to CoStars prestigious Presidents Club in both 2023 and 2024an honor reserved for top-performing sales professionals globally. His innovative mindset, adaptability, and dedication to advancing hospitality analytics have made him a standout example of the next generation of industry leadership. Karans curiosity, discipline, and generosity make him a role model for future leaders in hospitality. He embodies the balance of drive and humility that defines true leadership. Jesper Palmqvist, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific at STR CoStar, who nominated him for the award Im incredibly honoured to receive the Rising Star Award. Its been overwhelming and deeply humbling to be recognised by such respected organisations and leaders from an industry Im so proud to be a part of. Ive been fortunate to learn from amazing leaders, mentors, colleagues, and friends along the way with my family as my constant anchor of love and support. This recognition is a powerful reminder to keep paying it forward and to continue contributing to the future of this incredible industry. Karan Mahesh, the 2025 Rising Star Award recipient Added Andrea Belfanti, CEO of ISHC, We are delighted to recognize Karan as the recipient of the 2025 Rising Star Award Asia Pacific. This award celebrates emerging leaders who are shaping the future of hospitality through innovation, excellence, and passion. Karans achievements and commitment to advancing our industry embody the very spirit of this recognition. Congratulations, Karan! It was a privilege awarding Karan with the Rising Star Award Asia Pacific at the 35th edition of HICAP. Karans exceptional dedication, analytical prowess, and unwavering commitment to the hotel industry distinguish him as a promising leader. Moreover, serving as a HICAP Regional Advisor for South Asia, Karan is actively shaping the landscape of the industry in Asia Pacific. We look forward to continued collaboration with him for many years to come , shared by Jonathon S. Zink, COO of The BHN Group by Northstar. ISHC launched the Rising Star Award Asia in 2014 in partnership with HICAP to recognize young, emerging leaders in the Asia hospitality community. Nomination criteria require an individual be 35 years or younger, currently working and living in Asia and working in the hospitality development and/or investment field. Past Rising Star Award Asia recipients include Stella Blythe (2024), Vicky Jian (2023), Calvin Li (2022), Siddhant Jhunjhunwala (2021), Corey Hamabata (2020), Daniel Yip (2019), Kieran Bestall (2018), Peter Harper (2017), Kiichi Mashita (2016), Nihat Ercan (2015) and Christopher Hur (2014). About HICAP Founded over 30 years ago, HICAP is Asias largest and longest-running hotel investment event, making it the most important gathering of hotel developers, investors, lenders, operators, and other industry executives for information exchange, trend spotting, and deal making. With a rich tradition and unrivaled history of stability, HICAP is the unequaled gathering place for Asia-Pacifics hotel investment community, attracting the most influential owners, developers, lenders, executives, and professional advisors from around the globe. The HICAP portfolio of events consists of three key events across the region Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Singapore; HICAP UPDATE in Hong Kong, and HICAP Australia New Zealand (HICAP ANZ) in Sydney. Visit HICAPconference.com for more information. About Northstar Travel Group (www.northstartravelgroup.com) Northstar Travel Group is the leading B-to-B media company providing information and marketing solutions for the global travel industry. The company owns 14 media brands connecting 1.4m industry professionals through a comprehensive portfolio of digital, social, print and more than 100 events in 13 countries. Northstar Travel Group is owned by EagleTree Capital. Northstar Travel Group is based in Rutherford, NJ, and more information is available at northstartravelgroup.com. About The BHN Group The BHN Group is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. With over three decades of experience, more than 190 events completed to-date, and in excess of 130,000 international delegates, these conferences have become must attend events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business, and to learn about the latest trends. The current slate of events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles; ALIS Law in Los Angeles; ALIS DESIGN+ in Los Angeles, the ALIS Summer Update series held in various U.S. cities; ALIS CALA in Miami; Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Singapore; HICAP UPDATE in Hong Kong, and HICAP Australia New Zealand (HICAP ANZ) in Sydney. The BHN Group also publishes Hotel Investment Today, a digital media outlet focused on the ROI of hotel investment. The BHN Groups website is the gateway for information about the annual conferences it produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world. About ISHC The International Society of Hospitality Consultants is truly The Leading Global Resource for Hospitality Expertise, represented by over 250 of the industry's most respected professionals from across six continents. Collectively, ISHC members provide expert services in over 50 functional areas and have specialized skills in virtually every segment of the hospitality industry. ISHC is dedicated to promoting the highest quality of professional consulting standards and practices for the hospitality industry. Candidates undergo a rigorous screening process, ensuring that all ISHC members have a reputation of integrity and are qualified by their experience, training, and knowledge to develop and express sound judgment on industry issues. Additional information about the organization and membership process, along with a directory of ISHC members, is available on the ISHC website at ishc.com. Libby Acquista Manager of Membership and Marketing +1 314.724.8436 ISHC View source 48% of Thai Hoteliers Report Missing Revenue Opportunities Weekly Due to Lack of Responsiveness: SiteMinder Research - Image Credit SiteMinder Forty-eight percent of Thai hoteliers acknowledge they miss revenue opportunities at least weeklysuch as when competitors adjust rates or new events are announcedbecause they cannot respond fast enough, according to new research by SiteMinder, the world's leading hotel guest acquisition and revenue platform. The August survey, which drew responses from 700 hoteliers across diverse roles and property sizes in key destination markets, including 67 in Thailand, examined hotel revenue management practices, technology adoption and the barriers facing the industry today. The findings reveal a critical operational gap at a time when 96% of Thai hoteliers say speed-to-market has become more important over the past 12 months. Despite this urgency, many Thai properties continue to rely on manual processes that limit responsiveness. Among those surveyed, 25% reported updating their rates only monthly or less frequently, with another 30% adjusting their rates weekly, in an industry where market conditions can change multiple times per day. This revenue leakage is particularly significant as Thailand's hotel sector faces exceptional opportunities from major events. Data from SiteMinder shows the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok (9-20 December) for example are already driving a 16% year-on-year surge in advance bookings and 6% increase in room rates, demonstrating the revenue potential for hotels that can respond quickly to event-driven demand. To address these challenges, SiteMinder has today announced the global availability of Dynamic Revenue Plusa mobile-first revenue management solution developed in partnership with IDeaS that makes advanced revenue management accessible to every hotel in the world. The announcement was made at the company's emergent event in Bangkok. The platform delivers real-time market intelligence and enables instant action on pricing, inventory and distribution through daily recommendations based on local events, competitor movements and market demand patterns. The launch aligns with strong appetite for innovation among Thai hoteliers, with 55% actively seeking AI solutions, higher than the global average of 49%, and another 40% open to AI-driven recommendations, according to SiteMinder. "Many Thai hotels don't have dedicated revenue management teams, yet they're facing increasingly complex market dynamicsfrom major events to rapidly shifting travel patterns," said Bradley Haines, Market Vice President for Asia Pacific at SiteMinder. "Dynamic Revenue Plus encourages a wider adoption of revenue management by uniquely combining real-time market intelligence with instant execution in one mobile-first system. Now any Thai hotelwhether a boutique property in Chiang Mai or a resort in Phuketcan move from static, manual practices to being truly dynamic, gaining the tools to move at the speed of the market and maximise their revenue potential. Dynamic Revenue Plus is powered by SiteMinder's extensive data ecosystem, which processes 130 million hotel reservations annually. Enhanced by SiteMinder iQ, the company's AI engine, the platform transforms vast amounts of data into actionable insights that enable smarter decisions across all aspects of revenue management. Media enquiries Zoe Lee +61 2 9056 7415 media@siteminder.com Investor information Paul Wong +61 411 889 876 investor.relations@siteminder.com About SiteMinder SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the worlds leading hotel guest acquisition and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, the all-in-one property management system built to simplify operations and grow bookings for small accommodation providers. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila, Mexico City and Pune. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 130 million reservations worth over US$55 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com. Rendering of the Crowne Plaza hotel in Parramatta, Sydney - Image Credit IHG Hotels & Resorts IHG Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Urban Property Group to open a 217-room Crowne Plaza hotel in Parramatta, scheduled to open in 2029. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced a collaboration with Urban Property Group to develop a new Crowne Plaza hotel in Parramatta, Sydney. The hotel, set to open in 2029, will feature 217 rooms and will be located in a mixed-use development directly opposite Parramatta Train Station. This location offers direct connectivity to the Westfield Parramatta shopping precinct. The Crowne Plaza Parramatta will feature various dining options, including an all-day restaurant and a lobby bar. Additionally, the hotel will provide flexible meeting and event spaces, along with a rooftop infinity pool and outdoor terrace. These facilities aim to cater to business travelers, event delegates, and leisure guests. Parramatta is recognized as Sydney's second central business district, with significant developments in commerce, education, health, and the arts. The area is experiencing increased visitor numbers due to cultural investments like the new Powerhouse Parramatta Museum and the expanded Riverside Theatre precinct. The upcoming Western Sydney International Airport, expected to open in 2026, is anticipated to further enhance accessibility to the region. This development is part of IHG's strategy to expand the Crowne Plaza brand, which currently includes 415 open hotels and 144 properties in the pipeline worldwide. The addition of Crowne Plaza Parramatta will join other Australian locations such as Crowne Plaza Sydney Darling Harbour, Crowne Plaza Melbourne, and Crowne Plaza Adelaide Mawson Lakes. Rendering of the Tempo by Hilton Riyadh Al Narjis - Image Credit Hilton Hilton has announced it has surpassed 100 hotels in operation and development in Saudi Arabia, with a total owner investment of $8 billion. Hilton has reported reaching a significant milestone in its expansion across Saudi Arabia, with more than 100 hotels now either operational or in development. This expansion represents a combined investment of $8 billion by the owners. The company plans to add over 22,000 rooms to the country's hospitality sector, contributing to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 goals. The expansion includes the introduction of Hilton's Tempo brand to the Middle East and Africa, with the Tempo by Hilton Riyadh Al Narjis expected to open in 2029. This hotel will feature 135 guest rooms and various amenities, including a lobby cafe, restaurant, fitness room, and meeting spaces. It will be located along King Salman Road, providing access to residential and commercial areas. Hilton's growth strategy in Saudi Arabia also includes developing luxury properties. Notable projects include the Conrad Riyadh Laysen Valley, set to open in 2026, and several Waldorf Astoria hotels in Riyadh, Diriyah Gate, and Madinah. Additionally, Hilton is collaborating with Rua Al Madinah Holding to open three properties in Madinah, including a Conrad Hotels & Resorts location. Further developments are planned in various cities, including Abha, Buraidah, Dammam, Riyadh, and Jeddah. The Hijla Hotel Abha, Curio Collection by Hilton, is scheduled to open in 2027 with 151 rooms and suites. DoubleTree by Hilton Riyadh Al Narjis and DoubleTree by Hilton Buraidah are expected to open in 2029 and 2028, respectively. Hilton has also signed an agreement with Medokhil Group for the development of Spark by Hilton Dammam, a 160-room property located on King Fahd Road. The company is introducing its premium economy brand, Spark by Hilton, in the Middle East with the upcoming Spark by Hilton Makkah Aziziyah, set to open next year. The company currently operates 21 hotels in the Kingdom, with 83 more in the pipeline. IHCL to Develop Taj Hotel in Pondicherry, India - Image Credit IHCL Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) has signed an agreement to develop a Taj hotel in Pondicherry. The project will be constructed on a greenfield site and is set to expand the company's presence in the region. The planned Taj Pondicherry will be situated on a 52-acre site on the outskirts of White Town. The hotel will include 180 rooms and offer views of the Bay of Bengal. The development will feature an all-day dining restaurant, two specialty restaurants, a bar, and a lounge. Additional amenities will include a gym, swimming pool, and recreational facilities. The hotel will provide extensive banqueting spaces, including a 10,700-square-foot indoor banquet hall and beachfront lawns for outdoor events. The facility will also offer the J Wellness Circle, providing spa therapies. The development aims to accommodate the increasing demand for large-scale social events in Pondicherry, a region experiencing growth in both domestic and international tourism. The project is a collaboration between IHCL and Mr. M.K. Rajagopalan. Pondicherry, known for its French colonial architecture and beaches, is a notable tourist destination. The area includes attractions such as Auroville, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, and the Pondicherry Museum. Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco - Image Credit Marriott International The Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco has affiliated with Marriott, with plans to renovate and rebrand as Marriott Redwood Shores by 2027. The Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco has officially joined the Marriott portfolio as of October 2025. The hotel, located in Redwood Shores, California, features 421 rooms and is a AAA Four Diamond waterfront property. This affiliation allows guests to access Marriott Bonvoy rewards and benefits. A comprehensive renovation of the hotel is scheduled for 2026. The renovation will include the addition of Marriott's M Club, a lounge designed for elite guests and select room bookings. The rebranding to Marriott Redwood Shores is planned for early 2027. The hotel will now be integrated into Marriott's global sales and account infrastructure, which provides enhanced visibility to corporate and group clients. This includes access to Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy, which offers negotiated business rates and centralized booking platforms. Additionally, the hotel will be part of Marriott Bonvoy Events, a platform that supports meeting planners with resources and sustainability tools. This integration positions the property as a destination for business travel and group gatherings in the Bay Area. Guests will continue to have access to the hotel's existing amenities, which include 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a restaurant and lounge, a heated outdoor pool, and 24-hour fitness and business centers. The Grand Bay Hotel San Francisco is owned by Arden Group and managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts. The hotel's location in Redwood Shores, between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, makes it a convenient hub for business and leisure travelers. Pittsfield CPA Public Hearing Set for Nov. 3 PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Community Preservation Committee will be holding a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 related to the use of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds and the City of Pittsfield's priorities in relation to the Community Preservation Plan. The hearing will be held in Room 203 on the second floor of City Hall, 70 Allen Street. Also, the Committee announces that the project eligibility application process for a new year of CPA funding is open through Nov. 15. The Committee will provide an overview of previous allocations of CPA funds and welcomes public participation to understand community priorities as it begins a new year of soliciting potential projects for funding. Eligibility project applications are due by 3 p.m. on Nov. 15. The application process involves two steps: The first is a determination of whether a project is eligible for CPA funds under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44B. A digital version of the application for this first step is available through the Community Preservation Committee webpage: https://www.pittsfieldma.gov/251/Community-Preservation-Committee Upon confirmed eligibility, projects will then be invited to submit applications for funding in early 2026. A link to the Community Preservation Plan and eligibility application is available on the Community Clark Art Offers Free Gallery Tour For Parents and Infants WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. On Saturday, Nov. 1 at 10:15 am, the Clark Art Institute continues a series of gallery tours designed specifically for new parents/caregivers and their infants. Participants should meet at the Clark's main admissions desk. On the first Saturday of the month, SeptemberJune, a Clark educator leads an informal, baby-friendly tour of the permanent collection. The program aims to provide a stress-free experience for new parents and caregivers, as well as the chance to socialize with others caring for young infants. Works by a variety of artists are featured. This program is best suited for adults with pre-toddlers. Strollers and front-carrying baby carriers are welcome. Vermont Fish and Wildlife: Homes for Bats on Halloween MONTPELIER, Vt. The onset of fall sends Vermont's bats into motion, which makes it an important time for conservation-minded Vermonters to learn about, and help conserve, our nine native bat species. If you have noticed bats roosting in your attic, barn or office over the summer, fall and spring are the perfect times to safely evict these uninvited guests from your property. Bats migrate between winter and summer roosts during the fall and spring and do not have vulnerable young at these times. You can learn how to safely evict bats from your building at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department's best management practices page. You can also help bat conservation efforts by reporting large colonies of bats living in structures to the department's website. Locations with rare colonies of endangered little brown bats are eligible for free bat houses from Vermont Fish and Wildlife. Through this successful program, 135 free bat houses have been placed since 2014, with over half already occupied by over 1500 endangered bats. Bat houses provide an alternative location for safely evicted bats to remain in your yard and continue eating huge quantities of insects that may be forest, agricultural or human pests. Variety is important, so placing at least two bat houses with variable solar exposure to help bats find the right temperature ranges throughout the summer helps bats raise their young successfully. Information on successful bat house design and placement can be found on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website. Bat houses can be put up any time of year but do require some simple maintenance. Late fall or winter is the time to look up inside your bat house and make sure all the bats have left before cleaning out any abandoned wasp nests and planning any needed caulking or repainting. "Fall also means Halloween, and scary images of bats, but this presents an opportunity to bring positive attention to bats as well," said Vermont Fish and Wildlife Small Mammals Biologist Alyssa Bennett. "We celebrate Bat Week' in the days leading up to Halloween." Bat Week takes place October 24-31 and aims to raise awareness about the vital ecological functions of bats and to dispel the many myths and misinformation about them. Intelligent integration will define digital future China Daily) 10:39, October 28, 2025 LI MIN/CHINA DAILY Five years ago, few could have imagined farmers livestreaming their harvests to millions, surgeons performing complex operations across provinces or tourists exploring faraway sites through VR headsets. Yet, today these scenes are part of everyday life in China all thanks to the nation's rapid advances in information and communications technology. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China's communications industry made a historic leap from "catching up" to "running alongside" and even "leading" the world. It has built the planet's largest and most advanced digital infrastructure, fostered deep integration between digital technologies and the real economy and expanded the reach of inclusive digital services. Now, guided by the recommendations in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which was adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the industry is poised for another leap toward a space-air-ground integrated network and the fusion of computing power and connectivity. This vision aligns with the plenary's call for accelerating the building of a "digital China" and turning the country into a "network power". Building powerful digital backbone If digital transformation is a city, networks are its highways and computing power its factories one ensures swift data flows, the other processes and refines them into intelligence. China now leads in both. The plenary session called for deepening efforts in innovation and breakthroughs in key core technologies to reinforce China's global leadership position in these areas. By August 2025, the country had built 4.6 million 5G base stations and 30 million gigabit fiber ports, achieving nationwide coverage from counties to villages. More than 1.15 billion Chinese nearly two-thirds of mobile users now enjoy 5G connectivity. Meanwhile, computing power has grown exponentially: the country operates 10.85 million standard server racks. The "East Data, West Computing" project has created a coordinated network of data hubs across the nation, ensuring resources are used efficiently and sustainably. In plain terms, China has built a digital "super factory" that powers everything from smooth video streaming and cloud gaming to automated logistics and self-driving vehicles. Digital transformation across industries The 14th Five-Year Plan has witnessed the transformation of 5G from an experimental technology into a powerful driver of industrial productivity. China's 5G networks now serve 86 of the country's 97 major economic sectors supporting more than 138,000 real-world applications. In manufacturing, more than 20,000 "5G + industrial internet" projects are underway. At Qingdao Port, for instance, 5G-powered cranes can be remotely controlled with centimeter-level precision, greatly boosting efficiency as well as safety. In healthcare, hospitals such as the Shanghai Ruijin have used 5G-enabled surgical robots to perform complex procedures in hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal surgery simultaneously on patients in locations as far away as Sanming in Fujian and Diqing in Yunnan. Such innovations are bringing high-quality medical care within reach of more citizens. A similar revolution has taken place in education. With 5G and virtual reality classrooms, students in Sichuan's remote Liangshan region can attend live lessons delivered from Chengdu, realizing the goal of "same screen, same class". These examples show that technological progress is not an abstract achievement. It reshapes the daily life of ordinary people, enhancing efficiency and promoting inclusion. Bringing connectivity to every corner Equally striking has been China's drive for digital inclusion. Over the past five years, more than 130,000 villages have been connected to fiber networks, supported by 100,000 rural 4G and 5G base stations. Broadband prices have dropped by two-thirds while 5G data prices are down nearly by half. New digital services from Beidou satellite messaging to AI-powered anti-fraud call alerts are enhancing safety and convenience in daily life. During the 2024 floods in Sichuan, Beidou terminals enabled rapid emergency communication and coordination. It proved that reliable connectivity can save lives. Perhaps the most remarkable development is the rise of China's low-altitude economy, powered by 5G connectivity. Once just a concept on paper, it is now taking flight. In Suzhou, a 5G-enabled drone network transports thousands of medical samples daily, cutting the delivery time by half. In Jiangxi, drones equipped with infrared sensors patrol forests to detect and prevent wildfires. Once the stuff of science fiction, these technologies are now part of the country's infrastructure. As China charts its course for the 15th Five-Year Plan, the vision ahead is becoming clearer. The goal is a universal intelligent communications network that connects everything, everywhere. This aligns with the plenary's emphasis on technological self-reliance, secure development and high-quality growth. The next phase will see the integration of air, space, and ground communications networks, while reinforcing domestic innovation and safeguarding national security. With the GW satellite constellation set to deploy tens of thousands of low-orbit satellites, China will achieve seamless connectivity across land, sea and air empowering maritime transport, emergency response and polar research. On the ground, 5G-A will expand rapidly, while 6G is expected to go commercial by 2030, enabling ultra-dense internet of things, holographic communication and immersive education. Gigabit optical networks will soon make 8K streaming and virtual collaboration as effortless as browsing the web. The embedding of AI in communications technologies will be equally transformative. AI-powered devices from smartphones to robots could soon anticipate users' needs, optimize energy consumption and support smarter living. Imagine a phone that maps your optimal commute each morning or a home robot that tidies your space after interpreting your casual request. This is not speculation about a distant future it is the reality that China's communications industry is actively building. China's achievements in the past five years have not been accidental. They reflect a consistent vision: that technology should serve development, bridge divides, and improve people's lives. With the conclusion of the fourth plenary session, the coming period will give the communications industry an explicit mandate to drive high-quality, secure and self-reliant technological development. China's communications sector will continue to be the cornerstone of the digital economy intelligent in capability, inclusive in reach and globally connected in its outlook. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) At the 27th edition of the Mediterranean Archaeological Tourism Exchange, scheduled in Paestum from October 30 to November 2, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation present a series of projects dedicated to enhancing cultural heritage as a lever for sustainable and inclusive development, with a focus on Albania, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco. Within the MAECI-AICS stand, thematic workshops on metallurgy, toreutics, and painting are also planned, aimed at both young people and adults, curated by archaeotechnologist Ettore Pizzuti. The panels Also on the agenda are two thematic panels dedicated to Italian Cooperation projects on restoration, training, and enhancement of cultural heritage. The first, scheduled for October 31 at 4 pm, features the participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmondo Cirielli, Albania's Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport Blendi Gonxhja, and Syria's Ministers of Culture and Tourism, respectively Mohamad Yassin Saleh and Mazen Al Salhani. The second panel, scheduled for November 2 at 10:30 am and curated by the Central Institute for Restoration, focuses instead on projects implemented and underway in Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, with the participation of teachers and experts, as well as the Director of ICR Luigi Oliva. "For Italian Cooperation, cultural heritage represents a fundamental development tool. In all our interventions, for which we rely on the capabilities of centers of excellence like the Central Institute for Restoration, what we pursue is economic growth, social cohesion, and skill transfer," explains AICS Director Marco Riccardo Rusconi. Projects in Albania and the Balkans Italian Cooperation in Albania has been supporting the enhancement of cultural heritage and the development of the tourism sector for years. Among the pilot projects is the one on the Archaeological Park of Bylis and Klos, financed by the European Union with Italian co-financing for a total budget of 6.25 million euros, which aims to preserve and restore archaeological treasures in the Municipality of Mallakastra, improving access and promoting economic growth through work carried out alongside the local community. With Cooperation funds (650 thousand euros), AICS Tirana is also supporting the preparation of the Management Plan for the Archaeological Park of Antigonea, an extraordinary site located in the Drino River valley, and the project in Tirana of the Park of the Arts, which includes drafting the Management Plan for the ex-Kinostudio complex, as well as grants for the artistic development of the area (1.8 million euros). The Agency has also been chosen as a partner by the Albanian Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport for the preparation of a new Culture Strategy 2026-2030, a recognition that confirms the leading role of Italian Cooperation in the local cultural landscape. At the regional level, noteworthy is the "Culture & Creativity for the Western Balkans" initiative, financed by the EU with a budget of 8 million euros, of which 1.4 managed by AICS Tirana, promoting artistic activities, reconciliation, and local development. Syria: heritage, resilience, and "triple nexus" In Syria, Italian Cooperation operates with an integrated multisectoral approach, combining humanitarian assistance, community resilience, and local development. The "Mustaqbali Phase II" project, implemented by Terre des Hommes as part of an early recovery and social cohesion initiative by AICS Beirut, also competent for Syria, aims to improve access to educational, training, and protection services for vulnerable youth and adolescents in the Aleppo governorate. The Italian funding of 600 thousand euros has enabled, among other things, the rehabilitation of the National Museum of Aleppo, with spaces for training, social cohesion, and intercultural dialogue, as well as training cycles in archaeology for students and museum operators, educational guided tours for school groups. Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco: partnership with the University of Siena and ICR In the Maghreb, various cultural projects are active. In Morocco, thanks to a multi-year collaboration with the University of Siena and the local Ministry of Culture, Italy supports the protection of three world-significant archaeological sites: Chellah, Volubilis, and Lixus. The initiative, which sees funding of 3 million euros, is part of the larger debt conversion program of 15 million euros. In Libya, through the three-year "Heritage" program, financed by the EU for 2.2 million euros, the aim is to establish a School of Restoration and theoretical and practical training courses for Libyan Department of Antiquities technicians and university students. In Tunisia, finally, an initiative led by ICR in collaboration with the Tunisian National Heritage Institute is being formulated, aimed at strengthening the cultural goods sector and promoting economic growth through the conservation, enhancement, and promotion of archaeological heritage, starting with the three pilot sites of Pupput (Hammamet), Neapolis (Nabeul), and Kerkouane (Hammam Ghezaz). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This article is automatically translated On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The son of British media tycoon Jimmy Lai has thanked Donald Trump for promising to raise the matter of his fathers incarceration when he meets Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday. Mr Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered newspaper Apple Daily, is awaiting a verdict on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kongs draconian national security law. The ailing pro-democracy activist has pleaded not guilty, but faces the prospect of life in prison if convicted. Mr Trump is due to meet Xi in South Korea on the sidelines of a regional summit, and has said Mr Lais case is on my list to discuss alongside matters such as trade tariffs and Russias war on Ukraine. Responding to Mr Trumps remarks, Mr Lais son Sebastien told The Independent: I am very grateful to President Trump for his commitment to saving my fathers life. We hope that he convinces President Xi to free my father. The issue of Jimmy Lais case was brought to Mr Trumps attention in a joint letter penned by Republican senator Rick Scott and signed by more than 30 US lawmakers, urging the president to intervene due to Mr Lais deteriorating health. The humanitarian case for Mr Lais release is stronger and more dire than ever, which is why this must be addressed at the highest possible level, the lawmakers wrote. open image in gallery Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy, speaks during a press conference outside Downing Street in London in September ( AFP/Getty ) While departing for his five-day Asia tour this week, Mr Trump told reporters: I have a lot of respect for Rick Scott and a lot of them that are asking me to do that [raise Mr Lais case], and its on my list. Im going to ask. Look, theyre big enemies, so well see what happens, you know. Jimmy Lai and President Xi are big enemies, but its been a long time, Trump added. Hopes of a breakthrough from the Trump-Xi meeting come after a relentless campaign, led by Sebastien, urging the international community to increase pressure on China to release his father, whose high-profile trial is being viewed as a test of press freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub. Concerns over Mr Lais health delayed the delivery of closing arguments in his trial in August, with the authorities eventually issuing him a heart monitor to be worn during the proceedings. He has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly four years for his role in the pro-democracy protests of 2019, which eventually ended with Beijing imposing new national security laws in the city. Sebastien has repeatedly warned that his father suffers from diabetes and says he has lost weight due to being denied independent medical care. On the campaign trail last year, Mr Trump said he would secure Mr Lais release if elected. One hundred per cent, I will get him out, he said at the time. Trump then denied saying he would 100 per cent save Mr Lai, but rather that he would raise the issue with Mr Xi at some point. Sebastien last month said he believed it was in Chinas interests to free Mr Lai, warning that he would become a martyr for the pro-democracy movement if he died behind bars. Its horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, hes actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs, he said. The Chinese foreign ministry in Hong Kong has criticised the joint letter signed by US lawmakers that urged Mr Trump to seek Mr Lais release. The US politicians concerned have sought to exonerate [Jimmy Lai], harboured and glorified him, and interfered in the administration of justice in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is a serious violation of the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations, the Chinese-language statement said, according to Hong Kong Free Press. open image in gallery Media tycoon Lai is escorted into a Hong Kong Correctional Services van outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong in 2021 ( AFP via Getty ) The Chinese foreign ministry said that the call for Mr Trump to raise the issue amounted to open support for the jailed anti-China tycoon. Though it has now been weeks since the August conclusion of closing arguments in a trial that stretched to nearly 160 days, it remains unclear when the court will deliver its verdict in Mr Lais case. The US, UK, Australian and Canadian Governments, the EU and UN experts all agree he should be released immediately. But this is not enough, said Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who is leading the international legal team for Mr Lai and his son. The UK government, in particular, must now make clear to China the consequences of continuing to imprison this British national. President Trump is taking a strong stance; the prime minister must also do all he can to bring Mr Lai home to London. Last year, Sir Kir Starmer said he agreed that Mr Lais arrest was a breach of the treaty governing Hong Kongs handover from British to Chinese rule, and that securing his release was a priority for the government. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice U.S. president Donald Trumps whirlwind tour of Asia reaches its climax on Thursday with a long-awaited meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the first between the pair since the American began his second term. The White House has voiced its optimism about signing a wide-reaching deal during the talks, as the two superpowers seek a mutually beneficial end to their trade detente. Trump will be in South Korea for the last stop on his five-day Asia tour, which has included significant visits to the Asean summit in Malaysia and a meeting with the new prime minister Sanae Takaichi in Japan. He will meet Xi for the first time in six years on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic summit on Thursday. Negotiators from the world's top two economies have already hashed out a framework for a deal, with U.S. officials over the weekend saying it would include a halt to steeper American tariffs and Chinese export controls on rare earth minerals. They hope Thursdays interaction will shape the trajectory of U.S.-China relations, strained by years of trade tensions, for the remainder of Trumps second term. Experts do not expect the two countries to resolve all their differences before the two presidents meet, but they are hoping for enough progress to stop the rivalry from doing more economic damage. The lead-up to the meeting has gripped headlines for weeks. Stock markets across the world jumped on Monday at just the possibility of a deal being discussed. Trump has since added to the general optimism, sounding confident of a breakthrough. "I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to, I think, come away with a deal," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One, indicating a shift in his tone and a softer approach towards the Asian rival. He said he aimed to visit China "in the earlier part of 2026". Leaders from 21 Pacific Rim economies are gathering in Gyeongju, South Korea, this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum. Thursdays meeting on the sidelines of Apec comes after Washington and Beijing raised tariffs on each other's exports and threatened to halt trade involving rare earths and technologies. Trump has so far managed to clinch trade deals with Japan and four Southeast Asian nations, but the real challenge lay in convincing Xi to lift curbs on rare earth exports, restart US farm imports, and granting American firms a bigger foothold in China. The talks are also expected to touch upon the issues of Taiwan which China claims as part of its own territory Russias war in Ukraine, and Americas fentanyl crisis, among others. But the possibility of the highly-anticipated meeting was initially jeopardised by Trump's threats of imposing a 100 per cent additional tariffs in retaliation against China's restrictions on export of rare earths the minerals crucial for everything from smartphones to fighter jets. File: US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hand with China's President Xi Jinping at the end of a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017 ( AFP/Getty ) Even though Trump ramped up the tariff pressure against China that he began during his first term in office, Beijing pushed back with its stranglehold on strategic minerals. China produces almost 70 per cent and processes nearly 90 per cent of the worlds rare earth elements. It also stopped agricultural imports that could hurt Trump's Republican voter base and diversified exports to different markets across Asia and Africa. In a tit-for-tat move, China also hit US-owned vessels docking in the country with new port fees. Beijing has also threatened American companies such as Google and Nvidia with antitrust investigations. Bloomberg Economics estimates that a 100 per cent tariff hike by the US will raise effective rates on Chinese goods to 140 per cent, which could halt trade altogether. Therefore, Trump's threats to cripple China through a near-total embargo would cause irreparable damage to America as well. Trump believes he holds the upper hand, but Xi is unlikely to kowtow to the US president, as Chinas economy has remained largely unaffected by Washingtons tariffs so far. The enraged US administration called China "weak", after Beijing imposed export restrictions. But numbers show China might be winning the trade war. Chinese exports rose 8.3 per cent in September from a year earlier to about 246bn even as shipments to the US fell about 27 per cent. A U.S. official told The Financial Times that they expected the truce would be extended by more than the previous 90-day period. We think it would give great stability and great certainty to the global economy and to the U.S.-China relationship, the official said. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who led the U.S. side of the talks in Malaysia, said both sides have agreed on a "very positive" framework. Chinese state media Xinhua reported that the negotiations covered export controls, levies against Chinese shipping, agriculture and fentanyl. "A short-term trade framework is highly likely to emerge from the talks, including Chinas commitment to purchase more U.S. soybeans," observes Sun Chenghao, a fellow at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Since China diversified imports toward Brazil and Argentina, U.S. farmers have faced mounting stockpiles and storage costs. Increasing purchases is therefore a low-cost, high-impact concession meeting U.S. demands while fitting Chinas domestic needs, he tells The Independent. However, this deal is best viewed as a transactional truce rather than a structural breakthrough. It may include limited cooperation on issues such as rare-earth exports and fentanyl control, but core disputes over technology and industrial policy will remain unresolved. Both sides appear to be testing a pragmatic engagement model, one that sidelines grand narratives and focuses on concrete problem-solving. If successful, the summit could signal to the world that the two largest economies are learning to compete without confrontation, managing differences while cooperating on shared interests, Dr Chenghao says. Globally, such predictability would stabilize economic and supply-chain expectations, reducing pressure on third countries to take sides. Even a limited agreement would demonstrate that diplomacy and pragmatism remain viable tools for great-power management amid rivalry. Trade analysts warn that markets could be in for another week of sharp twists and turns. Global equity bulls have regained control as optimism over a potential USChina breakthrough sparks risk appetite. But traders should brace for heightened volatility as policy decisions and corporate results dictate sentiment," Lukman Otunuga, senior market analyst at FXTM, tells The Independent. Trump is also expected to press China to resume the purchase of soybeans, which are America's largest export to China. I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he [Xi] wants things also," Trump said. Should he fail to reach a deal, Trump has said he would subsidise American farmers a key demographic for the Republican vote in the Rust Belt for their lost export revenue. Trump wants to push China to bring Russia to the negotiating table to end its three-year-long war with Ukraine. "I'd like to see China help us out [with Russia]," he said, adding that Xi too wants to see the war end. Trump has been pushing for Russian president Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, but a ceasefire deal has so far eluded the American president, who appears to be on a spree to end all global conflicts. China is Russia's strongest ally and has been accused by the U.S. in the past of aiding Putin's war machine through oil purchases and providing technology a claim denied by Beijing. Following Western sanctions, China has been the No. 1 overall consumer of Russian energy, having purchased some $219.5bn (164bn) worth of Russian oil, gas and coal. The US president last week claimed the Chinese president "can have a big influence on Putin". Trump has since grown frustrated with Putin following the failed Alaska summit in August and imposed sanctions on two Russian oil giants. "Every time I speak to Vladimir, I have good conversations and then they don't go anywhere," Trump said earlier this week. "This approach acknowledges that China holds critical, non-military leverage over Russia as its key economic partner. By tasking Xi with resolving the conflict, Trump is employing his signature transactional style, but also asking a strategic rival to execute a major US foreign policy goal," says Yuriy Boyechko, founder of non-profit Hope for Ukraine. For its part, China is expected to push Trump to adhere to the one-China policy and denounce ties with the self-governed island of Taiwan. Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has vacillated on his position towards Taiwan. Trump says Xi has told him he will not invade while the Republican president is in office, but the American is also yet to approve any new US arms sales to Taipei. The US, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself, and the issue is a frequent irritant in Sino-US relations. Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-lung said he was not worried that Trump would "abandon" the island. Over the weekend, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio rejected the idea that Taiwan would be used as a bargaining chip as part of its trade talks with China. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Indias eastern coastal states were on high alert and thousands of people had been moved to safety as a severe cyclonic storm neared landfall on Tuesday, weather officials said. A red alert for heavy downpour has been issued for Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu as Cyclone Montha lashed Indias eastern coast with strong winds and rains. The eastern state of Odisha and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh are expected to be in the direct line of the cyclones movement as Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal on Monday, the weather department said. Montha is expected to make landfall between the cities of Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near the city of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, during the evening or night of 28 October as a severe cyclonic storm, weather officials said. The storm is likely to bring maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100kmph gusting to 110kmph. At least 50,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps in Indias eastern region as the cyclone picked up pace over the Bay of Bengal. Indias east coast is prone to cyclones during the months of April and December with several small and major storms lashing the region. India faced its deadliest natural disaster in October 1999 when a super cyclone killed around 10,000 people in Odisha. open image in gallery A fisherman repairs his net ahead of Cyclone Montha at the Marina beach in Chennai ( AFP via Getty Images ) Officials have cancelled holidays for emergency staff and also ordered shutdown of schools and colleges in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh. The state government has deployed disaster teams to move out families and households from low-lying areas in Andhra Pradesh. At least 3.9 million are expected to be affected by the cyclone in the state. open image in gallery A map by the India Meteorological Department shows the trajectory of cyclone Montha ( X/ Indiametdept ) Evacuation of people from near the coast in Kakinada district has already started, a disaster management official in Andhra Pradesh said. In the port city of Visakhapatnam, the city police commissionerate has deployed security personnel and swimmers at at least four beaches as part of security measures. Andhra Pradesh has set up 1,906 relief camps and 364 school shelters to accommodate people being evacuated from 1,238 villages, the Hindustan Times reported. The East Coast Railway, serving major parts of Odisha, northern Andhra Pradesh and four districts of Chhattisgarh state, also cancelled several trains. open image in gallery Fishing boats are moored to a safer area at the Marina beach as a preventive measure ahead of Cyclone Montha in Chennai ( AFP via Getty Images ) Odisha government is bracing to save all humans and animals with a goal of zero casualty, Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said. Fishermen in the state have also been asked to avoid venturing to the sea for the next few days. In the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, officials have asked people to stay alert and follow forecasts for heavy to very heavy rains in some districts. An orange alert, the second highest warning level, has been issued for Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry for heavy rains with an additional warning for strong winds in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Several other states in Indias central and western parts will also face rains and are on yellow alert. These include Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bengal, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan and Goa. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Last month, a pregnant woman was brought to a district hospital in an eastern Afghanistan province with severe bleeding and needed to be transferred to a better facility for treatment. However, with the country under a total internet blackout imposed by the Taliban, the authorities at the provincial hospital could not be contacted and she could not be given the urgent medical help she needed, according to a healthcare worker. She lost her newborn baby and suffered severe complications herself. Healthcare workers, speaking to a United Nations mission in the war-ravaged country, have outlined the heartrending impact of the Taliban-imposed, 48-hour internet blackout. The shutdown that started on 29 September coincided with a morality drive imposed by the hardline Islamist groups supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Without an ambulance or any way to call for help, they had to wait for hours for someone to travel to the provincial centre to deliver the message. The womans condition deteriorated, and her baby died, a healthcare worker in Laghman province told the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama). According to the healthcare worker, the hospital ran out of critical medical supplies, including antibiotics and intravenous fluids. For an emergency resupply, they are required to speak to the provincial office but without any phone connection or internet, they could not reach out. It was devastating. The phone call and internet blackout made me feel completely abandoned. As a health worker, I am trained to save lives, but without communication, I was feeling helpless. There was very little I could do. I started sending support staff by motorcycle to the provincial hospital to deliver urgent messages. Sometimes this took hours or even a full day, she told the UN agency in Afghanistan. None of the workers are named due to concerns for their safety. At least nine children died during the blackout, healthcare workers told the Unama. The 12-page report, Out of reach: The impact of telecommunications shutdown on the Afghan people, described the impact of the shutdown on a country whose nearly 75 per cent of rural population relies heavily on telecommunication During those two days, Afghanistans healthcare and banking sectors, ambulances, emergency call lines, markets, small businesses, and offices were completely cut off from the people. Hospitals and nursing homes were hit the hardest. Several healthcare workers spoke about preventable deaths which occurred because of the shutdown, according to the report. Akhundzada, the top-most authority in the Taliban regime, ordered the ban allegedly to prevent immorality. While the Taliban authorities confirmed the fibre-optics ban, they did not comment on how the two-day outage affected the population. The Independent has reached out to them for a comment on the Unama report. open image in gallery A midwife holds a newborn after a delivery at the provincial hospital's maternity unit in Ghazni ( Getty Images/ Representative image ) Three children died due to lack of blood supply in Zabul province, a healthcare worker said. The staff at the hospital were unable to contact the childrens family to ask them to procure blood from blood banks. Five more children suffering from malnutrition also died in the remote Badghis province on the night of 29 September as the hospital was unable to contact doctors to treat them after facing understaffing issues. The actual death toll is expected to be much higher as the authorities have not collected all the data on deaths during the two days, including emergency calls that did not connect, Unama sources told The Independent. Healthcare workers said the emergency phone call lines fell completely silent and calls for ambulances stopped coming, leaving Afghans needing urgent medical care across the country in limbo. A man who experienced chest pain and feared he was having a heart attack said he could not make an appointment at a hospital and went there without one. When he arrived, all the patient registration processes had to be done manually because there was no internet. As a result, the man waited many hours, in pain, for treatment, the UN report said. open image in gallery An Afghan man speaks on a cell phone as he sits on the boot of a vehicle in Kabul ( AFP via Getty Images ) Unama officials have recorded some of the most concerning stories from healthcare sectors. The crisis was particularly grave for those suffering medical emergencies, and it was particularly grave for in a number of cases where at the end of the day, people died, according to the UN officials. Additionally, several Afghan women who are now required to travel long distances with a male chaperone or mahram under the Talibans diktat, said they feared for their lives as they had to travel back alone when they could not contact a family member due to telecommunications being snapped. I am a female and must be accompanied by a mahram... I could not contact my father, so I had to walk home alone. I was very scared when I was on my way home, but fortunately, I made it home safely after about one hour, she told Unama. Another woman, working as a nurse in a remote area one of the few sectors in which women were still allowed to work said she faced the risk of losing her job when her family could not contact her. "As a woman working in a remote area, it is already difficult to be accepted by the communities and even by our own families. When the phones and internet stopped working, I was completely cut off from my family. My husband and other relatives became very concerned, the families do not permit women to work if they feel its unsafe or if there is no communication. I was at risk of losing my job just because I couldn't call to check in with my family, she said. According to Unama officials, the country, marred by years of conflict, is not equipped to handle internet blackouts. The entire country from its health systems to its banking sector and small businesses is substantially reliant on telecommunications to operate and provide essential services to the Afghan people, they said. It is the impact for a population that has been through decades of conflict and how that mental shift could be made but suddenly they are placed into some form of darkness and you don't really know where things are going to go, said Fiona Frazer, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Afghanistan since August 2019. Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Declining respect for human rights and a retreat from multilateralism are putting hard-won gains in global development at risk, a senior UN figure has warned. In comments made at a high-level meeting in Geneva, Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, said that warfare, resurgent climate skepticism, cuts to overseas aid and a retrenchment from values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are all putting global progress at risk. In recent decades, our world has advanced in extraordinary ways becoming safer, fairer, more inclusive, and more prosperous. Human rights are at the heart of this progress, she said. Yet today, declining respect for human rights and multilateralism are threatening these very hard-won development gains. The results speak for themselves: poverty reduction has stalled, Ms Al-Nashif said, repeating a warning from the World Bank about a lost decade for development. Ms Al-Nashif also cited conflicts that are causing appalling suffering, and which are ignoring the rules of war by targeting civilians and critical infrastructure. The comments come amid conflicts in both Gaza and Ukraine. Ms Al-Nashif also criticised the pushbacks on climate action, on civic participation, on diversity, and equality that is taking place - even in countries that once championed them. The US has seen a significant about-turn in these areas in 2025, with President Donald Trump announcing his intention to pull his country out from key climate treaty, the Paris Agreement, targeting DEI initiatives in the public sector, and deploying troops to a number of Democrat-run cities on questionable grounds. Ms Al-Nashif also warned of the crushing levels of debt faced by countries as well as the big drop in overseas aid faced by the worlds least developed countries. Ms Al-Nashif was speaking at a session of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development in Geneva, which is a body that meets to discuss best global practices in the pursuit of the Right to Development: a human right adopted by the UN in 1986, that recognises every human beings right for constant improvement in their well-being. Despite her grime assessment, Ms Al-Nashif said there is still a path forward. She noted, for example, how a clear majority of leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September showed support for human rights, for multilateralism, and for international law. They called for a return to the values of the UN Charter, and for revitalized cooperation anchored in global solidarity, she said. This years UNGA also saw President Trump provide blistering attack on everything from migration to those pushing the climate agenda, telling countries including close ally the UK: Youre all going to hell. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The family of a pregnant British teenager, Bella Culley, has confirmed they paid $187,000 (140,000) to a Georgian court on Tuesday to secure her release. It followed her arrest on drug smuggling charges earlier this year. Nineteen-year-old Ms Culley, from Billingham, northeast England, was apprehended at Tbilisi airport in May upon her arrival in the South Caucasus nation. Her arrest followed a period where she had been reported missing in Thailand. Georgian prosecutors allege she was found with 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish in her luggage. Lyanne Kennedy, the mother of 19-year-old Bella May Culley who was arrested upon arrival at the Tbilisi Airport in May and accused of attempting to smuggle marijuana and hashish into the country ( AP ) Drug smuggling carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years in Georgia. Culley has been held at a women's prison in Rustavi, a city just outside Tbilisi. Culley's mother, Lyanne Kennedy, told reporters outside the Tbilisi courthouse on Tuesday that the family had paid 500,000 lari ($186,846) and were waiting for the funds to be credited to the relevant government account. Asked about the health of her daughter Kennedy said: "She's looking big, pregnant, but she looks strong." Culley's lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, said the court would hold another hearing on the case next Monday. Culley initially pleaded not guilty at a hearing in July to possession and trafficking illegal drugs, and said she had been tortured into transporting them. She said she was a "clean person" and did not do drugs. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The same prison responsible for mistakenly releasing a migrant sex offender last week was also conned into freeing a fraudster two years ago. An email disguised to look like Royal Courts of Justice correspondence was sent in June 2023 to HMP Chelmsford instructing the prison to releasing convicted fraudster Junead Ahmed on bail. At the time Ahmed was awaiting sentence after he admitted to posing as a doctor in order to rent a property he could not afford and buy a home worth more than 2 million. Ahmed was released from custody later that day following the emails instructions, and it was only when the staff received more emails from the same address a day later ordering two other inmates to be freed they realised the emails were fake. One of the emails named Charlotte Whittaker who was also released during the chaos. A member of prison staff became suspicious of these orders and after further checks were conducted, the Royal Court of Justice verified that no release orders were made for the two men and that Ahmed was incorrectly released. open image in gallery An email disguised to look like Royal Courts of Justice correspondence was sent in June 2023 to HMP Chelmsford instructing the prison to releasing convicted fraudster Junead Ahmed on bail ( Essex Police ) Essex police said the email appeared authentic because it contained a number of identifying marks which led the staff to be easily deceived. On 23 June, Essex Police re-arrested Ahmed who was hiding in the loft of his home for escaping lawful custody. Later that day, Charlotte Whittaker was also arrested at her home and her phone was seized, which showed texts between her, Ahmed and his wife arranging to have two more prisoners escape. On Friday, a three-day national manhunt was launched after Hadush Kebatu, a man who was convicted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Epping was accidentally released by HMP Chelmsford. The criminal was later arrested on Sunday morning and is being detained at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London. open image in gallery The Justice Secretary is set to face questions in Parliament over Hadush Kebatu ( Crown Prosecution Service ) Kebatu was supposed to be transferred to an immigration removal centre before being deported to his home country of Ethiopia. He will now be awaiting a second flight to Ethiopia this week, after he missed the one he was originally supposed to be on during the mistaken release. An officer was immediately fired on Friday as a result of the error following an internal investigation. Addressing the House of Commons, David Lammy, The Justice secretary and deputy Prime Minister, was expected to announce an inquiry into the mistakes made, shedding more light on the failures of the prison. Lammy stated that all prisons will now have to undergo advanced security measures before releasing any prisoners, including filling out a three-page compulsory checklist before inmates are released to prevent the error repeated in the future. open image in gallery Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy speaking in the House of Commons after Hadush Kebatu was accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford last week ( Parliament TV ) However, prison governors argue that this performative reaction from ministers will do nothing but increase already over-burdened prison staff workloads, adding an extra 45 minutes per prisoner. These mistakes are becoming increasingly more common, with the number of prisoners freed in error having doubled in the last year. This is partly due to the governments emergency release scheme brought in to tackle the overcrowding problem and lack of free jail cells. In the year to March 2025, 262 prisoners were accidentally released, which was a 128 per cent rise on the 115 from last year. The chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, warned that the mistake of releasing Kebatu is endemic of a much bigger, sinister issue. He said: This is a case that has hit the news because its an incredibly high-profile prisoner convicted of a very serious offence. But the worry is that below the radar, this stuff has been going on a lot recently and Im worried about it. Close Virginia Giuffre speaks about Prince Andrew in resurfaced Panorama interview: 'I was a toy' Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Unseen footage of a BBC interview with the late Virginia Giuffre has aired, in which she reflected on her introduction to Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. I was a toy. I was there to be passed around, she said. But I was still a human being with feelings and emotion and sadness. And to know that this man had daughters, that he was still capable of abusing me. It's... it just doesn't make sense. In the interview, which featured on BBC Panorama on Tuesday night, the late Ms Giuffre told the story of how she met Andrew in London in 2001 when she was 17 years old. The prince vehemently denies the allegations that Ms Giuffre was forced to have sex with him three times after being trafficked by Epstein. Ms Giuffre told the BBC: "He knows what happened, I know what happened. And there's only one of us telling the truth." Andrew was formally stripped of his remaining royal titles on Thursday. A statement from Buckingham Palace said Andrew continued to deny all allegations against him. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A teacher has been banned from the classroom after asking a girl to wear her school uniform when they had sex. Benjamin Hiscox, 34, was working as a maths teacher at South Nottinghamshire Academy when he engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the girl between October 2022 and February 2023. The girl had been a pupil at Madras College in St Andrews, Scotland, where the 34-year-old had completed his teacher training. The pair later began speaking on social media and their conversation quickly became sexual in nature, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard. The panel found that Hiscox asked the girl to bring her uniform and put it on in a hotel room on 28 October 2022, when they had sex on a number of occasions. Among the other serious findings were that he bought her a sex toy, exchanged sexual messages, including photos and videos, and gave her alcohol. In her police statement, speaking of the October 2022 hotel stay, the pupil said: [Hiscox] asked me to bring my school clothes to the hotel. Then, when in the room, she said: [Hiscox] asked me to put on my school uniform. My [uniform] is a short black skirt, white [shirt] and tie. The TRA panel described Hiscoxs behaviour as sustained and with the sole intention of that behaviour moving into physically inappropriate contact for the purposes of his sexual gratification it was akin to grooming behaviours. Consequently, it said that his actions were at the higher end of the spectrum of serious misconduct. The panel said a prohibition order was both proportionate and appropriate. It pointed especially to the current risk to children posed by Hiscox as well as the potential damage to public confidence in teaching if a ban were not imposed. Accordingly, the panel made a recommendation to the secretary of state that a prohibition order should be imposed with immediate effect, it said. A review period was also not allowed due to the case being one of serious sexual misconduct involving a child and indecent images of a child. In his response this month, David Oatley, acting on behalf of the education secretary, said: In this case, I have placed considerable weight on the comments of the panel about the serious nature of the misconduct, the risk to children and the likely damage to confidence in the teaching profession if a prohibition were not imposed. I have also placed considerable weight on the panels comments concerning the lack of insight and remorse. He concluded that Hiscox should be prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or childrens home in England. In light of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, Mr Oatley added that Hiscox cannot apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach. The order took effect as soon as it was served on Hiscox. He had a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The government has admitted that plans to move hundreds of asylum seekers into military barracks are part of a bid to appease the public but might not save the taxpayer any money. The Home Office has confirmed that Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex and Cameron Barracks in Inverness will be used temporarily to house a total of around 900 men as ministers scramble to find a way to end migrant hotels after huge controversy surrounding their use. But Downing Street has signalled that spending on the plan could prove to be higher than housing migrants in hotels, just one day after MPs on an influential committee described the use of such hotels as failed, chaotic and expensive. It came as refugee charities and organisations described the plans as cruel and costly and accused the government of exchanging one failed approach with another. Small-boat migrants will start being housed in the military accommodations by the end of next month as Labour ramps up its bid to move tens of thousands of migrants out of hotels. Officials are also working with the Ministry of Defence to identify other disused sites that can be used in the coming months. open image in gallery Keir Starmer during a visit to BAE Systems in Lancashire on Tuesday ( PA ) Asked if the costs of using military sites will be higher than using hotels, the prime ministers official spokesperson said on Tuesday: The costs will vary site by site, but our priorities are security and fairness. Pushed later on whether this meant ministers thought barracks were a better option even if costs were higher, the spokesperson said that the matter is also a core issue of public confidence. The public is very clear it does not want asylum seekers housed in hotels, and neither does the government, they added. The spokesperson also suggested that hotel accommodation currently used to house asylum seekers was luxury a suggestion which was condemned by refugee charity Care4Calais. "What we dont want is there to be an entitlement to luxury sites as weve seen in recent years. Military sites can provide proper security, health and wellbeing standards. And thats what were intent on delivering, the Downing Street official said. Responding, Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said: "It's clear that the people who create policy are detached from reality. These are not 'luxury' hotels. Nothing screams 'luxury' like overcrowded rooms, inadequate food, filthy conditions, damp, rodents and bugs. On Monday, a parliamentary committee accused the Home Office of squandering billions of pounds on asylum accommodation as a result of incompetence. But the committee also said that the use of military sites is likely to cost more than using hotels, and that it would present safety issues and legal risks. Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the committee, cautioned ministers to act carefully when considering large sites. She added: We have seen in the past that rushing in to sites that arent fit for purpose brings more problems. open image in gallery Migrants depart the northern coast of France on their way to England ( AFP/Getty ) Before any asylum seekers are moved to these new sites, the government must make sure that the accommodation is of suitable quality and the support services are there. The defence minister Luke Pollard also appeared to suggest that the cost of moving people to the bases could be higher than housing them in hotels, but that the government needs to reflect the public mood, adding: The public want to see those hotels close. Charities supporting refugees slammed the plans on Tuesday, with Jacob Burns at Medecins Sans Frontieres saying it was a pointlessly cruel and costly move that will do nothing to deter those seeking safety in the UK. Mr Burns pointed to conditions at former military base RAF Wethersfield, the Home Offices largest asylum site, saying: Our medical teams have seen first-hand the devastating impact of this approach at RAF Wethersfield in Essex, where prison-like conditions, barbed wire, and constant surveillance caused widespread and serious psychological distress. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the government was exchanging one failed approach with another. Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, added: How much evidence does the government need that camps are bad for peoples health and wellbeing? Weve had Napier, Penally and Wethersfield, and hunger strikes, protests and attempted suicides have been a regular occurrence at all of them. Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels by 2029, but the prime minister has reportedly told ministers in private that he wants to end the practice within a year. Speaking on a visit to Lancashire on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer said he wants to see asylum hotels closed as quickly as possible and is bearing down on this every day of the week. Mr Pollard told Sky News on Tuesday that ministers want to go faster in closing the hotels, and that the Ministry of Defence is stepping up. He explained: We are looking at the sites that we have available where we could house asylum seekers, allowing the Home Office to close more asylum hotels faster. Its right that we step up and support our Home Office colleagues in this respect, because I dont think anyone wants to see asylum hotels open. Both of the military sites were used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021. Those families were resettled elsewhere, and that process was completed earlier this year. It is reported that the Scottish site will house around 300 people, while the site in Sussex will hold around 600. Highland Council has raised concerns over community cohesion over the plans. In a joint statement from council convener Bill Lobban, leader Raymond Bremner and opposition leader Alasdair Christie, the trio said: Inverness is a relatively small community but the potential impact locally and across the wider Highlands appears not to have been taken into consideration by the UK government. The MoD has previously been criticised for long-standing problems maintaining their homes for service personnel, some of which is also being used to house Afghan refugees, with issues with damp, mould, heating and hot water reported. A 2024 parliamentary committee report concluded that the MoD had under-invested in its housing estate over decades, and contractors were often slow to make repairs. The government has not yet said what sort of accommodation asylum seekers will be housed in in Inverness and Wealden. open image in gallery Keir Starmer has reportedly told ministers in private that he wants to end the use of hotels within a year ( PA ) On Monday, housing secretary Steve Reed said the government was looking at modular buildings to ensure that the new sites can be ready in a short timeframe, as part of the plan to end the use of hotels entirely. Pop-up cabins are already being used to expand capacity at former military base RAF Wethersfield, in Essex. Plans had been floated to install cabins at RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire, but this idea was scrapped when Labour came to power. As of June this year, around 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels, down from a peak of more than 56,000 in 2023, but 2,500 more than at the same point last year. A Home Office spokesperson said: We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Labour has fallen to its lowest rating in a YouGov poll, with Sir Keir Starmers party almost level with the Conservatives, Greens and Liberal Democrats. The new poll, commissioned by The Times, found that just 17 per cent of voters back Labour, the same number that would vote for Kemi Badenochs Tories, while Reform UK continue to surge ahead on 27 per cent. The Greens sit at 16 per cent, the partys highest level of support, closely followed by the Liberal Democrats on 15 per cent. It comes as Sir Keir has been warned that he could struggle to turn the partys fortunes around following last weeks defeat in a Welsh by-election. Labour faces threats from the left and the right, with concerns about voters being lost to Reform or the surging Greens. Tuesdays figures represent the lowest rating that Labour have recorded in YouGov figures, and show support for the Greens is surging among younger voters. The data suggests that 40 per cent of people aged 18-24 currently intend to vote for Zack Polanskis party, with Labour lagging in second at 21 per cent, and the Liberal Democrats in third on 13 per cent. open image in gallery Labours popularity has dropped significantly since Keir Starmer was elected last year ( Getty ) Among over-65s, Reform are in the lead. It comes after Labour were pushed into third place in the Caerphilly by-election last week, recording just 11 per cent of the vote in the contest for the Senedd seat. They finished behind Nigel Farages Reform and Plaid Cymru, who were victorious. It was the first time that Labour had lost an election in the former mining town in more than a century, and the prime minister said that he had been deeply disappointed by the result and that his party clearly need to do much more. open image in gallery Plaid Cymrus Lindsay Whittle (centre) makes a speech after being declared winner ( PA Wire ) Pollsters and politicians are looking ahead to next years local elections, as well as national elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, with predictions that they could be a bruising prospect for the government. The landmark elections will be a crucial test of how Labour are performing in power, and could be seen as a deadline for the prime minister to start delivering on the governments priorities. Following the defeat, the Andy Burnham-allied pressure group Mainstream warned that Labour will be wiped out in Wales next May without a major reset, advising Sir Keir to reject the hyper-factional culture [that is] determined to concentrate power at the top of the party. Ipsos pollster Keiran Pedley told The Independent that it is hard to see how Labour will turn things around. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Cameroon's opposition leaders have rejected presidential election results that extended President Paul Biya's rule for another seven years. They say the outcome did not reflect the will of the people in a country already battling a separatist conflict. The central African nation's constitutional council declared Biya, 92, as the winner Monday of the disputed vote with over 53% of the ballots. That triggered violent protests in several cities in the oil- and cocoa-producing nation. The court's ruling, which is final and cannot be appealed, signals a potentially prolonged post-election standoff. Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Biya's main challenger, had earlier declared victory and warned he would not accept any other outcome. His supporters have angrily taken to the streets, clashing with riot police and blocking roads in the commercial capital Douala with burning tires and debris. Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma, protest on the streets of Garoua, Cameroon, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 ( AP Photo/Welba Yamo Pascal ) The protests killed at least four people over the weekend and two others on Monday, according to the opposition. There were scattered celebrations in Biya's strongholds and government ministers held a party. The usually bustling streets of Douala remained quiet Tuesday as rain and riot police kept protesters away. The European Union expressed "deep concern" about the recent violent repression of protests and called on authorities to tackle the excessive use of force. It also urged leaders to engage in dialogue to preserve national stability. OPPOSITION FIGURES ALLEGE WIDESCALE FRAUD Other opposition leaders have alleged widespread fraud, accusations rejected by the government. Akere Muna, a prominent lawyer and former presidential candidate, condemned the process as fraudulent and accused the Constitutional Council of being "nothing more than the rubber stamp of a tyranny." Muna, whose name appeared on the ballot despite dropping out 11 days earlier to join a rival coalition, said the election reflected the will of a decades-long system designed to maintain power. He cited implausible turnout figures in English-speaking regions embroiled in a separatist conflict since 2017 as evidence of fraud. "What we experienced was not an election worthy of a Republic," said Tomaino Ndam Njoya, the sole female candidate, who finished fifth. "It was a confiscation of the people's choice by interests that reject transparency in the democratic process. I solemnly reject these results," she added in a statement late on Monday. Cabral Libii, who finished third, congratulated Biya on his victory. In Douala, which has seen some of the most violent protests over the past week, residents were braced on Tuesday for another day of unrest. But bad weather and armed police appeared to have mostly dispersed small groups of protesters by the early afternoon on Tuesday. Jean-Pascal, a resident of Douala, described Paul Biya's re-election as "a stolen victory," saying the people had rejected the government, which has failed to deliver progress in over four decades. "The people did not choose ...Paul Biya. This government has brought us nothing. For 43 years -- since I was born -- this government has been in place. And it has brought us nothing. Nothing at all," he said. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A 25-year-old TikTok influencer giving young people lifestyle and financial advice has died suddenly, his girlfriend has said. Ben Bader passed away in Miami on October 23, his partner Reem revealed on social media, in a post to TikTok that has since been made private. She added that his cause of death is still unknown. The past few days have been the hardest few days of my entire life and Ive never dealt with this before, she wrote, per the Daily Mail. open image in gallery Bader was described as a kind, caring, generous person ( YouTube/ Ben Bader ) Especially not the loss of someone as important as he was to me, she continued. He genuinely loved every single person that he met and he was so positive all the time. There were no signs of [his death] happening, we were supposed to get dinner that night and he seemed so normal. Reem said she had spoken to Bader on FaceTime a few hours before he passed when he seemed happy. Ben was the kindest, most caring, most generous person I have ever met in my entire life, she added. Reem captioned her post telling everyone to hold your loved ones extra tight and never forget to say I love you. Bader had a combined following of more than 200,000 people across his social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok. His final TikTok by Bader was posted the same day as his death, where he shared financial advice to followers. He previously posted a series of photos including one with his girlfriend celebrating his 25th birthday a month ago in September. Friends have paid tribute to Bader, including fellow Miami based content creator Jimmy Farley, who posted a photo of the pair to Instagram. You truly knew how to live life to the fullest and it was so special to be around everyday, Farley wrote. And even though I dont think Ill ever be okay from this horrible mishap happening, Im just so grateful you achieved so many of your dreams in this short but epic life you had and that I got to enjoy so many of them with you too. Another influencer, Trina Nuance posted a video tribute to Bader. Lifes precious and our fingerprints dont fade from the lives we touch. How we treat each other in the smallest ways has more impact than we think rest east, Ben, she wrote in her caption on Instagram. You were such a talented writer. The worlds lucky to have your mind and soul immortalised across platforms. Ill never forget our heart to heart. Legends never die. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A dozen guests were suspended mid-air over the weekend after a power outage left a dozen passengers hanging on a ride at a New Hampshire amusement park - the parks second incident in a week. Twelve guests were aboard the Time Winder at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, a suburb of Boston, on Saturday when the ride experienced a power issue, a spokesperson for the park told Fox 35. The 12 riders who were approximately 30 feet in the air were removed by members of the Salem, NH Fire Department in conjunction with the Parks Maintenance Team in accordance with Park procedures, the spokesperson added. The Time Winder is described by the park as being a dynamic family ride with four rotating arms, each carrying eight gondolas for up to 32 passengers. It is meant to create a hypnotic movement as the arms swing in circular motions around horizontal axes. None of the rides passengers were injured, WMUR 9 reported. The Time Winder is closed until further notice, according to the parks website. open image in gallery A dozen passengers on an amusement park ride at Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire got stuck about 30 feet in the air Saturday ( Google ) Battalion Chief Corey Ward said it was the first time in his 18-year career that Salem fire crews had to help passengers off a ride at the park. We were able to move it so that it was a little bit easier for us to, you know, help passengers to get on our tower ladder and also Canobie Lake Park had a lift there as well that we were able to assist passengers to get them down to the ground, Ward said. Just a week earlier on Friday October 17, the parks Untamed Roller Coaster halted mid-way up a hill, forcing people to be removed from the attraction. A spokesperson for the park told WMUR 9 the two incidents are completely separate issues. The park did not immediately return The Independents request for comment. Both incidents occurred during the amusement parks Screeemfest Halloween festivities. The State Fire Marhsals Office is working with the park to determine the cause of both of the malfunctions. We are aware of the recent incidents that led to the evacuation of guests from rides at Canobie Lake Park," the office said. "Our inspectors are working closely with the park's management team to assess what caused these malfunctions and to ensure the continued safety of all guests." The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Frustrated passengers were delayed for hours after a Delta Airlines flight attendant accidentally activated an emergency exit slide a mishap that may have cost up to $100,000. The incident occurred Saturday on Delta flight 3248 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Salt Lake City, Utah. While the aircraft door was being opened, crew inadvertently deployed an emergency slide at the arrival gate in PIT, a spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Independent. As a result, customers on the return flight from PIT to SLC were rebooked on other Delta flights to their destination later that evening or the following morning. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel plans. The experience was described as a cluster f*** by one passenger, who recalled the experience on Reddit. The flight attendant, who cited over 26 years of experience flying, was quite flustered and had apologized for the mistake, they said. open image in gallery The mishap may have cost up to $100,000 ( Reddit user Wiley ) In a follow-up post the passenger described hearing a small boom and seeing the slide deploy. The slide was deployed against the jet-bridge causing passengers to be trapped onboard until the slide could be detached by maintenance workers, according to The New York Post. According to data from Flightradar24, the incident caused the flight to be delayed by almost four hours, departing from Pennsylvania at 9.21 p.m. instead of 5.30 p.m as scheduled. Accidental deployment of emergency slides can occur when the door handle is raised while arming doors for departure, due to the triggering of an emergency power assist response. open image in gallery The flight was delayed by nearly four hours ( AFP/Getty ) Repacking an evacuation slide for the Airbus A220 models clocking in at between $50,000 to $100,000, multiple sources told The New York Post. Industry analysts also told the outlet that the total figure could be closer to six figures when maintenance inspections, passenger compensation and relocation costs are added. The Independent has contacted Delta Airlines for more information about the incident. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads as the storm of the century made landfall over the Caribbean island of 2.8 million people. Thousands of people were warned to flee before destructive winds, flash flooding and landslides caused catastrophic damage. At least seven people have been killed so far three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Melissa intensified. One person is missing. The Miami-based hurricane centre warned that total structural failure was likely in Melissas path. The government has ordered 28,000 people to leave their homes and go to shelters, but some were reluctant, and only 6,000 have done so so far, said minister Desmond McKenzie. Officials have also urged civilians to evacuate danger zones. The International Federation of the Red Cross estimated 1.5 million people would be affected. British people in Jamaica have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office, which has set up a crisis centre for UK citizens. Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is in the region on stand-by. Up to 8,000 Britons are in the Caribbean country, forced to stay inside their hotels. Trillions of gallons of water are expected to fall on the country, said United Cajun Navy vice-president Brian Trascher. Its a catastrophic situation, the World Meteorological Organisations tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan said. For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century, for sure. Storm surges of up to four metres were expected, with rainfall set to exceed 2.3ft, she said, causing catastrophic flash flooding and landslides. Mr McKenzie warned: Dont bet against Melissa, because you will lose, as authorities implored residents to seek protection in shelters and fortify their homes. Jamaican electricity company JPS said power cuts had affected more than a third of its customers, but in its worst-hit areas, three-quarters lost power. open image in gallery Cooks prepare meals on Monday at a shelter set up in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissas forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica ( AP ) Melissa made landfall where the eye of the storm moves over land near the town of New Hope, 39 miles south of Montego Bay, packing maximum sustained winds of 185mph, the US National Hurricane Centre said. The most powerful level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, Category 5, requires speeds of at least 157mph. The destruction could be unlike anything people in Jamaica have seen before, said AccuWeathers lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. The island has never taken a direct hit from a Category 4 or a Category 5 hurricane in recorded history. Melissa is the third-most intense hurricane in the Caribbean after Wilma in 2005 and Gilbert in 1988, according to AccuWeather. open image in gallery Residents evacuate their homes in pouring rain in Playa Siboney, Cuba ( AFP via Getty Images ) Its extreme wind speeds mark it out as the second-strongest hurricane in the history of the Atlantic, tied with four other storms. Moving at a deceptively glacial pace of around 3mph, the tropical storm intensified from Category 4 to Category 5 within 24 hours. After reducing in intensity to a Category 4 on Wednesday and crossing eastern Cuba, where 500,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes, Melissa is forecast to head through Bermuda and the Bahamas, where prime minister Philip Davis has ordered evacuations of homes in southern and eastern areas. Surrounding areas, including the southeastern and Central Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, could also suffer a life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall, the National Hurricane Centre said. open image in gallery Timelapse shows the slow approach of Hurricane Melissa to Jamaica ( Zoom Earth/The Independent ) There is also concern about the countrys ability to withstand the damage. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Jamaicas prime minister, Andrew Holness, admitted on Tuesday. Its slow pace makes Melissa deadlier, with sustained winds and accumulated rainfall inflicting maximum damage to the vulnerable and low-lying island. Around 70 per cent of Jamaicas population of over 2.8 million people lives in coastal areas. Slow-moving major hurricanes often go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record, said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter. This is a dire situation unfolding in slow motion. open image in gallery The eye of Hurricane Melissa approaches the southwestern coast of Jamaica ( NOAA/STAR ) Cherelle Mukoko, former Miss Jamaica UK, told The Independent that her uncle was on the islands central plateau amid the storm. Living in his late parents home, a building that has been in the family for generations and was built with love from the ground up, he had decided not to evacuate. Weve been in close contact with him, checking in daily about Hurricane Melissa, she said. He remains calm and optimistic, as hes lived through several major storms in the past. Hes taken all possible precautions: the windows are boarded up, the property secured, and supplies stocked. He wont be leaving for a shelter; instead, hell stay in the family home, which has stood strong through many severe weather conditions. While we here in the UK probably feel more anxious, he reassures us constantly and embodies that quiet Jamaican resilience. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of devastation across the Caribbean, with dozens killed and billions of dollars worth of damage inflicted across the region. The storm of the century is one of the most powerful in Atlantic history, and the most forceful hurricane to ever hit Jamaica. At least 49 people have been killed so far, including 19 in Jamaica, 30 in Haiti, and one person in the Dominican Republic. At least 10 children were killed due to flooding caused by the storm when a river burst in Haiti. The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts get underway. Despite reducing in intensity, the storm continues to move on. Melissa was last recorded as a Category 2 storm 264 km (164 miles) west of the North Atlantic British island territory of Bermuda, packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (161 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center. Melissa began as a tropical wave near West Africa, before gaining traction and blowing westward to the Caribbean. open image in gallery A map of Hurricane Melissa's forecasted path as of Wednesday at 8 p.m. ( National Hurricane Center ) After passing over Jamaica, it made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday. It crawled across the countries with destructive winds and torrential rainfall before passing over to the Bahamas and Bermuda. Surrounding areas, including the southeastern and central Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, were also at risk of a life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall, the National Hurricane Centre said. It travelled over the Bahamas as a Category 1 storm, having reached the intensity of a Category 5 over recent days, including when it made landfall in Jamaica. AccuWeather estimates that $48 billion to $52 billion in damage and economic loss has been inflicted across the western Caribbean. Red Cross teams have been mobilising as Hurricane Melissa has left deaths and devastation across the region. Its slow pace makes Hurricane Melissa more destructive, with sustained winds and accumulated rainfall inflicting maximum damage to the vulnerable and low-lying island. Around 70 per cent of Jamaicas population of over 2.8 million people lives in coastal areas. Slow-moving major hurricanes often go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record, said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter. This is a dire situation unfolding in slow motion. Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel ordered mass evacuations across the country, with at least 735,000 people being forced to leave their homes to escape the devastation. The National Hurricane Centre warned that the hurricane will inflict a life-threatening storm surge, flash flooding and landslides. In the Bahamas, the government ordered evacuations of residents in the southern portions of that archipelago. open image in gallery These images show the Barnett River along Montego Bay before and after Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica ( Vantor ) Early indications are that Hurricane Melissa was a disaster of unprecedented catastrophe for the island, Alexander Pendry, the charitys global response manager said on Wednesday. News is already coming through that whole communities are underwater and that the damage left by the strong winds has been devastating. Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness said the country is expecting that there would be some loss of life in the aftermath of the event. United Cajun Navy vice-president Brian Trascher estimated that trillions of gallons of water would fall on Jamaica. The UK announced it would provide an additional 5m ($6.71 million) in emergency humanitarian funding to support the Caribbean region's recovery from hurricane Melissa, after pledging 2.5m earlier this week. Sir Keir Starmer described scenes from the country as "truly shocking". The reports that we have had so far would include damage to hospitals, significant damage to residential property, housing and commercial property as well, and damage to our road infrastructure, Mr Holness said. Our country has been ravaged by Hurricane Melissa, but we will rebuild and we will do so even better than before. More than 500,000 residents have been left without power, with the parish of St Elizabeth in southwestern Jamaica left completely underwater, an official said. Video of the airport in Montego Bay showed inundated seating areas, broken glass and collapsed ceilings. Meteorologists at AccuWeather said Melissa ranked as the third most intense hurricane observed in the Caribbean, after Wilma in 2005 and Gilbert in 1988 the last major storm to make landfall in Jamaica. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The search for two endangered tortoises stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo has come to an end after the pair was found unharmed, officials said. An Egyptian tortoise and a Northern Spider tortoise, both of which are on the critically endangered species list, were taken from their enclosure in the zoos desert exhibit between 10 a.m. local time on October 11 and 10 a.m. on October 12, Indiana State Police say. Captain Ron Galaviz with the Indiana State Police confirmed to Fox 59 that the tortoises were not reported missing until last Thursday, 11 days after they vanished. On Monday, authorities asked for the publics help in finding the two tortoises in a Facebook post. One day later, Indiana State Police announced they were found safe and uninjured in Falls Park in Pendleton, Indiana, about 40 miles from the zoo. open image in gallery The Indianapolis Zoo waited 11 days to report the theft of two endangered tortoises, including this Northern Spider tortoise ( Indiana State Police ) Park visitors stumbled upon an unattended cardboard box covered by a paper plate with a note referencing the Indianapolis Zoo. Inside the box, the visitors saw the two missing tortoises and immediately called the local police department. The tortoises were later positively identified as the two reported stolen after having their microchips scanned by Zoo personnel, state police said in a Tuesday release. The incident remains under investigation. After the tortoises went missing, Facebook users questioned how the theft couldve happened. Im curious how exactly you steal not one but TWO tortoises from a Zoo? one user wrote. To which another replied, We recently went to the Indianapolis zoo and theyre not in a really closed encounter. Theyre just smack in the middle with very accessible fence type thing you could reach in and pick it up. How do you walk out of the zoo with 2 turtles? That must be a big rain coat, a third user commented. But Galaviz explained the tortoises stolen were rather small. open image in gallery An Egyptian tortoise was also taken from the zoo between 10 a.m. local time on October 11 and 10 a.m. on October 12, police say ( Indiana State Police ) The tortoises are not the large giant tortoises that you see people sitting on and riding around on, he told Fox 59. These are actually very small, probably fit in the palm of your hand. According to the zoos website, the Egyptian tortoises are typically four inches long and weigh one pound, and are endangered due to habitat loss and pet trade. Northern Spider tortoises, which are five inches long and weigh one pound, suffer from habitat loss and poaching. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice At least 60 people are dead after about 2,500 Brazilian police and soldiers launched a massive raid on a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro. Eighty-one suspects were arrested in the Tuesday operation, which sparked shootouts and was dubbed the biggest such raid in history. Authorities said it included officers in helicopters and armored vehicles and targeted the notorious Red Command in the sprawling low-income favelas of Complexo de Alemao and Penha. open image in gallery Police gather outside the Getulio Vargas Hospital Tuesday after 60 people were killed during a raid on a notorious gang in Rio de Janeiro ( AP ) Police did not confirm any deaths, but local media reports, including by online news website G1, said scores of people were believed killed. An Associated Press journalist also saw the bodies of at least two police officers among 10 bodies brought to the Getulio Vargas hospital in Penha. An unknown number of people were wounded. open image in gallery Getulio Vargas Hospital workers remove an injured person from a police truck after he was injured in a police operation against alleged drug traffickers in the Complexo do Alemao favela where the criminal organization "Comando Vermelho" operates in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 ( AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo ) Footage on social media showed fire and smoke rising from the two favelas as gunfire rang out. The city's Education Department said 46 schools across the two neighborhoods were closed. Claudio Castro, the conservative governor of Rio state, said the operation was the largest in the city's history, and that the federal government should be providing more support to combat crime. The coordination action Tuesday followed a year of investigation into the criminal group, police said. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Three aggressive monkeys are still on the loose after a truck transporting them overturned in Mississippi, officials confirmed. The truck was loaded with caged Rehsus monkeys when it crashed on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg, on Tuesday. It is still not clear what caused the truck to overturn. Despite reports initially suggesting that the monkeys were carrying infectious diseases - including hepatitis C, herpes and Covid-19 - Tulane University, where they were being housed, denied that was the case. The primates...aren't infectious. We're actively collaborating with local authorities & will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed, the university wrote. Tulane stressed to The Independent that the monkeys have not been exposed to any infectious agent. open image in gallery A truck hauling aggressive monkeys thought to be carrying hepatitis C, herpes and Covid-19 has overturned in Mississippi, with at least one on the loose, according to authorities ( Getty Images ) The monkeys, which the Associated Press say are among the most medically studied in the world, were being transported to a testing facility in Florida, Connecticut, WFSB reported. Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson told local outlet WAPT that 21 monkeys were on the truck, six of whom initially escaped. "The monkey that got away actually crossed interstate, went out into a wooded area," Johnson said. Initial reports suggested only one monkey was still on the loose, but after Jasper County officials were able to reach the wreck safely, they discovered two others had also fled from the wreck, The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans, the department wrote in a Facebook post, warning the public they were aggressive. Tulane previously told The Independent that the monkeys left the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center in Covington, Louisiana, and were traveling to a non-Tulane-affiliated location. The primates in question belong to another entity, the university said, adding that they were not being transported by a Tulane-affiliated service. open image in gallery The truck was loaded with caged Rehsus monkeys when it crashed on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg, on Tuesday ( Jasper County Sheriff's Department ) The monkeys that escaped and were recovered have been destroyed, according to officials. Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries also responded to the scene. Tulane will send a team to pick up the monkeys that are still caged on Wednesday, according to authorities. In the wake of the incident, PETA issued a statement, calling the incident an example of the risks posed by the greedy monkey experimentation industry. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The man charged with fatally shooting Charlie Kirk can appear in court wearing street clothes but must be physically restrained due to security concerns, a judge ruled Monday. Attorneys for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson argued images of him shackled and in jail clothing would spread widely in a case with extensive press coverage and public interest, which they said could prejudice future jurors. Judge Tony Graf agreed to certain measures to protect Robinson's presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn extraordinary public and media attention. Mr. Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent, Graf said during a virtual court hearing. open image in gallery While Robinson has no prior criminal history, Graf said the charges he faces are extremely serious and present safety concerns in the courtroom. ( Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP, ) Utah prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on a Utah college campus, and plan to seek the death penalty. While Robinson has no prior criminal history, Graf said the charges he faces are extremely serious and present safety concerns in the courtroom. It's the court's highest priority to protect the attorneys, court staff and Robinson himself during what could be emotional hearings, Graf said before denying Robinson's request to appear without restraints. He did, however, prohibit members of the media from photographing or filming Robinson's restraints. Robinson is accused of firing a fatal gunshot at Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, from a rooftop overlooking a crowded courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem. He was arrested the following night when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriffs office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting, to turn himself in. As law enforcement agencies were scouring the state for the shooter, Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said he received a phone call from a retired deputy saying he knew who killed Kirk. Robinson's family had reached out to the retired deputy, who they knew through their involvement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and worked with him to help negotiate a peaceful surrender. Part of the negotiation of getting him to bring himself in was that, that we would treat it as delicate and as soft as possible to make him feel comfortable to where he would show up at my office, Brooksby said just after the arrest. Prosecutors have since revealed incriminating text messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing. Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he had enough of his hatred. Graf ordered Robinson to appear on Jan. 16 and Jan. 30 for his first in-person public hearings. He appeared Monday from jail on a blacked out screen and spoke only to confirm he was present. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Some Americans are pretending to be Canadian while traveling - but locals arent buying it. One way in which they do this is through flag jacking. The trend goes like this: traveling Americans, wary that a foreign hosts will treat them with scorn and resentment, affix Canadian flags to their backpacks or clothing in an attempt to hide their heritage. Reports of "flag jacking" date back to at least the 1960s, when the U.S. was facing scrutiny over the Vietnam War. It happened again in the 2000s as some Americans reportedly sought to distance themselves from U.S. foreign policy. More recently, Canadians angry with the Trump administrations policies and rhetoric towards their country have called out the act, with many online even comparing it to cultural appropriation, according to CNN. open image in gallery Reports of supposed flag jacking in which Americans use Canadian flags to try to hide their ethnicities while abroad are on the rise again. ( Getty Images ) On top of that, American tourists in disguise are not really fooling anyone. Apart from the obvious differences - such a systems of measurements, accents, customs and geographical knowledge - many subtleties distinguish Americans from their neighbors to the north. European tour guides who spoke to CNN said that one way they can tell Americans apart is how loud they are. Stereotypes exist for a reason, Denisa Podhrazska, the founder of the Let Me Show You London tour group, told the broadcaster. We use them because many of them are true. And its not just Americans, its for everybody. Every nation has its own little quirks, thats how we recognize each other. Americans are typically "really nice, and loud," she added. open image in gallery Some Americans have reportedly started wearing Canadian flags abroad to avoid harassment ( Getty Images ) As Podhrazska said, stereotypes exist on both sides of the aisle. The old joke of: How do you tell is someone is from Canada? They tell you, also rings true, according to guides. Canadians will identify themselves as Canadian right away, Parisian Bertrand dAleman, founder of My Private Paris tours, told CNN. Other tour guides interviewed by the outlet added that Canadians do often try and distinguish themselves from Americans. The approaches tourists take to foreign cultures can also help differentiate which country they come from, guides say. Many Canadians have a broader knowledge of European history and affairs given their cultural heritage. Charley Harrison, founder of the London-based Totally Tailored Tours, meanwhile, told CNN that Americans can fall into the trap of assuming their culture is the norm, even trying to pay in U.S. dollars while abroad and their insistence that it is British people who have an accent. Canadian cultural commentator Stewart Reynolds said that his countrymen arent perfect either, however. Canadas got jerks. Weve got loads of jerks, he told CNN. Robert Schertzer, a professor at the University of Toronto, explained that some Canadians get upset by acts such as flag jacking as the countrys nationalism at its core has an element of anti-Americanism. So when an American pretends to be Canadian, its understandable why a person who is feeling this national pride and is stimulated by outside threats would respond emotionally to that, he said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Democrats have branded the Trump administrations decision to remove export restrictions on American-made firearms a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers. A group led by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro wrote to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticizing the scrapping of a Joe Biden-era rule intended to frustrate the black market in illegal small arms sales. Eliminating firearm export rules is a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers responsible for the deaths of Americans and innocent civilians around the world, the lawmakers wrote in their letter, first reported by The Hill. By rescinding the rule, Commerce is empowering the very cartels and criminal organizations that this administration has sought to counter. Warren and Castros letter, signed by 14 other senators from their party and dozens of representatives, included a string of questions they are seeking answers to regarding the decision-making process, giving Lutnick and Rubio until November 4 to respond. open image in gallery Homeland Security Investigations displays a selection of confiscated guns recovered as part of a crackdown on the smuggling of firearms and ammunition to the Caribbean at its Miami Field Office on August 17 2022 ( Getty ) A coalition of over 80 NGOs have meanwhile issued a statement of their own agreeing with the Democrats and calling the administrations actions reckless and irresponsible. Without sufficient controls, U.S.-sourced guns can end up in the hands of abusive governments and transnational criminal organizations where they may stoke political violence, empower narcotics trafficking, foment regional instability, and spur forced migration as people seek refuge outside their own country, their statement read. The law rescinded on September 30 was introduced on April 30 2024 after the Government Accountability Office found that 73 percent of firearms recovered in crimes in the Caribbean between 2018 and 2022 were sourced from the U.S., prompting the Biden administration to try to stem the flow of American firearms into the hands of foreign criminals. open image in gallery Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are under pressure from Democrats to explain the roll back ( AFP/Getty ) Governments in the Caribbean region expressed concern that individuals are using license exceptions to bring firearms, particularly semi-automatic handguns, to their countries, and that those firearms are being diverted to violent criminals, the rule stated. These partner governments have sought U.S. assistance in addressing diversion, which is fueling violence, criminal activity, and instability within their countries or regions. Rubio himself has previously expressed agreement with the Biden administrations position on the problem, telling a House hearing in May: The cartels that operate within Mexico and threaten the state are armed from weapons that are bought in the United States and shipped there. We want to help stop that flow. open image in gallery Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has led the opposition outcry over the decision ( AP ) In justifying its decision to roll back the law last month, the Trump administration said it was causing American firearms manufacturers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars per year in lost sales by imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens. By restoring export controls on firearms to the state they were in at the end of the first Trump administration, BIS [Bureau of Industry and Security] is advancing the administrations commitment to reducing regulatory burdens on industry and law-abiding firearms owners, it said. The issue comes as the administration continues to blow up alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, aggressions that its critics have warned fail to observe the demands of due process. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that three further strikes had been carried out, killing 14 crew and taking the total number of narco vessels targeted to at least 13 since early September and the total number of fatalities to more than 50. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Two members of the Illinois National Guard say they will refuse orders to carry out the Trump administrations long-stated goal of sending federal troops into Chicago. It's disheartening to be forced to go against your community members and your neighbors," Staff Sergeant Demi Palecek, a state legislative candidate, told CBS News. "It feels illegal. This is not what we signed up to do." Captain Dylan Blaha, a congressional candidate in the state, had similar reservations, accusing the Trump administration of actively dismantling our rights free speech, due process, freedom of the press. "Look at 1930s, 1940s Germany," Blaha added in an interview with the broadcaster. "There is a point where if you didn't stand up to the [Nazi secret police] Gestapo, are you just actively one of them now?" The Guard members could face a court martial, imprisonment, or a discharge if they refuse a lawful order. open image in gallery Members of the Illinois National Guard say they would refuse orders to deploy in Chicago, criticizing the Trump administration aim of launching a military crackdown in the city as unlawful and authoritarian ( REUTERS ) The Independent has contacted the White House, Illinois National Guard and Pentagon for comment. The Trump administration is attempting to send roughly 500 federalized National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas into the city, the latest in a string of attempts to use the military in largely Democrat-run cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, to crack down on crime and protests against immigration raids. City and state leaders in Illinois have vocally opposed the latest attempted deployment, which Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called a form of authoritarianism. Troops began massing outside of Chicago earlier this month, though they havent deployed to the city yet, amid an ongoing lawsuit from Illinois leaders challenging the operation. open image in gallery The Illinois National Guard has been blocked in court from being sent to Chicago, but federal immigration agents have been operating in the city in a surge operation since last month ( Chicago Sun-Times ) A federal court temporarily blocked the deployment, finding it likely violates the 10th and 14th Amendments as well as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits the military from enforcing domestic law. An appeals court upheld the pause, and the Trump administration has sought emergency relief before the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the operation to move forward. An expanded contingent of federal immigration agents have separately been on the ground in Chicago since last month as part of the Department of Homeland Securitys Operation Midway Blitz. open image in gallery Border Patrol agents in Chicago have been accused of using abusive tactics and were ordered by a federal court to stop firing riot control weapons at protesters ( Chicago Sun-Times ) As part of the mission, masked federal agents have carried out military-style raids across the city and have been accused of abuses. A federal judge this month ordered the agents to wear body cameras and to stop firing rubber bullets, tear gas, and chemical munitions at protesters and journalists. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, a top official leading the operation, is accused of violating these orders, after he was filmed throwing what appeared to be a tear gas canister at protesters. DHS claims violent protesters struck him in the head with a rock. Bovino has been ordered to appear in court later this week. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice House Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on President Donald Trumps flirtation with a third term, saying he doesnt see a path for another run for the White House. When asked on Tuesday about Trump floating the possibility of a third term, which is barred by the Constitution, Johnson replied, Well, theres the 22nd Amendment. Its been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and Ive talked about the constraints of the Constitution, Johnson told reporters, according to Politico. The 79-year-old president has long been flirting with the idea of a third term, most recently telling reporters Monday on Air Force One that he would love to do it. open image in gallery House Speaker Mike Johnson said he doesnt see a path for President Donald Trump to run for a third term as president, despite Trumps continual flirtation with the idea. ( Reuters ) The comments come as Trump was asked about an interview his ally Steve Bannon gave to The Economist, in which he said Trump would get a third term and be president in 28, which is when the next presidential election is set to be held. Despite the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits anyone from serving more than two terms as president, Bannon claimed, At the appropriate time, well lay out what the plan is. When asked if that was something Trump would be willing to challenge at court to be able to do, Trump replied, I havent really thought about it. We have some very good people, as you know, but I have the best poll numbers Ive ever had. Pressed as to who he was referring to by good people, Trump pointed to Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The president then said, Im not sure if anybody would run again. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable, I do. I really believe that. I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever. A reporter then asked if Trump could circumvent the 22nd Amendment by running as the vice president, which Trump said he could but wouldnt want to: I would rule that out because its too cute. I think the people wouldnt like that. Its too cute. It wouldnt be right. However, running with that plan, Trump would run into issues with the 12th Amendment, which states: No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of the President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. Trump boosted the idea by claiming he solved eight wars, an uptick from last month when he took credit for solving seven after he oversaw a peace treaty between Cambodia and Thailand over the weekend. open image in gallery Trump spoke to reporters about the possibility of a third term while on Air Force One Monday, saying he would love to do it. ( Getty ) I mean, I just solved eight wars and a ninth is coming. I believe Russia-Ukraine will happen, the president said Monday. I mean its millions of people we saved. I saved the lives of millions of people. Thats whats important. When he was asked directly if he wasnt ruling out a third term, Trump replied: Am I not ruling it out? I mean, youll have to tell me. All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they dont, the president said, seemingly referring to the Democrats. Its not the first time Trump has floated the idea of running for a third term. Just days after winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump told House Republicans: I suspect I wont be running again unless you say Hes so good, we got to figure something else out. Days later, he declared at a Las Vegas rally that he was the most upwardly mobile politician in history, adding that it will be the greatest honor of my life to serve, not once but twice or three times or four times. In March, Trump told Meet the Press he was not joking about running for election again. A lot of people want me to do it, the president said at the time. But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, its very early in the administration. Even before winning the most recent presidential race, Trump seemed keen on a third term. Were going to win four more years in the White House, he said in 2022. And then after that, well negotiate, right? Because were probably based on the way we were treated we are probably entitled to another four after that. Despite flirting with the idea, Trump told Time in April 2024 that he didnt plan on trying to make a third term happen. I wouldnt be in favor of it. I wouldnt be in favor of a challenge [to the 22nd Amendment]. Not for me, Trump told the magazine. I wouldnt be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Former President Barack Obama was not happy with Rep. Nancy Pelosis speedy endorsement of then-Vice President Kamala Harris and chewed the former House speaker out in an angry phone call, according to a new book. Less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden ended his 2024 re-election bid, Pelosi said her enthusiasm for Harris candidacy was official, personal and political, and that she believed the former California Senator was the candidate best suited to defeat Donald Trump. Pelosis eagerness to endorse Harris apparently drew ire from Obama, who reportedly wanted to let a process determine the Democratic nominee and thought Pelosi was on the same page, ABC News Jonathan Karl wrote in his new book, Retribution. The Obamas were not happy, a Pelosi confidant told Karl, according to an excerpt obtained by The Daily Mail. Obama called Pelosi soon after her public endorsement, Karl wrote, noting, This person summed up Obamas message to Pelosi as, essentially, What the f**k did you just do? open image in gallery Former President Barack Obama apparently was angered by Rep. Nancy Pelosis quick endorsement of then-Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a new book ( AP ) open image in gallery Pelosi, once the top Democrat, endorsed Harris as president within 24 hours of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race ( Getty Images for Concordia Annua ) Meanwhile, the former top Democrat told the 44th president, That train has left the station, according to the report. Pelosis endorsement came as a surprise to Obama, as he and Pelosi were in regular communication as it grew increasingly evident that the then-81-year-old Biden would drop out of the race. The two reportedly agreed Harris should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged, Karl wrote. Obama and Pelosi privately agreed to abstain from making any endorsements before Biden shockingly dropped out of the race on July 21, 2024, the book claims. The former president wanted to know what had happened. Why had Pelosi issued a statement endorsing Harris so soon? Hadnt he and Pelosi agreed days earlier that party leaders anointing the vice president as Bidens replacement would be a mistake? Karl wrote. A source close to Obama told the author he wasnt actually angry with Pelosi over the endorsement, and characterized the conversation as a good-natured ribbing. However, the source close to Pelosi said Obama sounded genuinely irritated during the call. open image in gallery Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for president in the 2024 election after then-President Joe Biden abruptly stepped down in July 2024 ( Getty Images ) Meanwhile, at least one Biden official believed that Obama, who waited five days to endorse Harris, didnt believe the then-VP could win. Theres only one Black Jesus, the senior Biden advisor told Karl. Even Pelosis husband was stunned by her quick endorsement, reportedly questioning, Kamala? according to the book. Dont start with me, the California Democrat reportedly replied. In Retribution, hitting bookstores Tuesday, Karl notes that, as many other prominent Democrats, like the Clintons and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, endorsed Harris, Pelosi had no choice. No other candidates had stepped forward Kamala Harris was it. The only thing Pelosi could do was try to help her win the election, Karl wrote. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has continued his campaign against facial hair in the Armed Forces by refusing to meet with bearded troops during his visit to South Korea this week, according to a report. Hegseth has joined President Donald Trump on his tour of the Far East and is meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday before visiting Camp Humphreys in South Korea, the largest U.S. military base in the world. However, while he is there, the secretary has given explicit instructions that he will not spend time with soldiers granted shaver waivers, medical exemptions from orders to remain clean shaven. open image in gallery U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers a speech aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan ( Getty ) The detail was reported by the military periodical Task and Purpose, citing an email sent in advance of Hegseths visit by the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea outlining appearance expectations. As you know, it is typical for senior leaders to visit the troops when they travel to installations around the world, an Air Force official told Task and Purpose, confirming the authenticity of the email but declining to dwell on the anti-beard stipulation. The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for comment. Hegseths fixation with lax personal appearance standards, as he sees it, has become a feature of his tenure leading the Department of War, formerly Defense. He raised the issue in a March memo to senior military leaders in which he called for a review of all fitness, body composition, and grooming standards, which includes but is not limited to beards. The secretary went further in another memo in August in which he called for a clean-shaven military and gave full vent to his feelings in the address he delivered to top brass, assembled at huge expense and inconvenience, at Quantico, Virginia, on September 30. open image in gallery Hegseth has cracked down on beardos in the military ( AP ) In his speech on warrior ethos, Hegseth told his highly-decorated audience: Today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos. The age of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. We dont have a military full of Nordic pagans, he continued. No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. Were going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards. If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave. All of which is surprising because, as The Daily Beast has pointed out, Hegseth himself turned up at Fox News in August 2018, in his previous guise as a presenter, sporting a vacation beard, which was ultimately shaved off on air at the urging of his co-hosts. Im hoping to keep a mustache, Hegseth joked in the segment. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice More than a year and a half after a 12-member jury found him guilty of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump has formally called on a state appeals court to toss the verdict that made him the first-ever criminally convicted president. In a midnight filing, attorneys for the president revived familiar arguments from Trumps previous attempts to dismiss the case, which is still moving through state and federal courts as the president looks to the Supreme Court to vindicate him, once again. This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction, Trumps six-person team of Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys wrote Monday. Attorneys outlined five reasons why the case should be thrown out, arguing that Manhattan prosecutors concocted charges using a convoluted legal theory, then fatally marred the case with evidence that Trump claims is protected under the Supreme Courts immunity ruling. The office of New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg made a mockery of criminal law and relied on an elaborate theory to drum up charges against him, according to Trumps attorneys. open image in gallery Attorneys for Donald Trump asked a New York appeals court October 27 to overturn his historic 34-count criminal conviction ( Reuters ) Attorneys also argue in the 111-page document that the judge who presided over the case should have recused himself over his political contributions and disqualifying family conflicts. Throughout Mondays late-night filing, Trumps legal team argues that the case was pursued only for political reasons in an attempt to derail his 2024 campaign, calling the case the most politically charged prosecution in our Nations history. Like every criminal defendant in a New York courtroom, President Trump was entitled to a fair trial before a properly instructed jury and a neutral judge. Instead, he was convicted after a trial that featured repeated and clear violations of his constitutional rights, federal law, and New York law, presided over by a judge who was required to recuse, attorneys wrote. The Independent has requested comment from Braggs office. open image in gallery Days before he was sworn into office, Trump appeared virtually in a Manhattan criminal courtroom to receive a sentence of conditional discharge, which preserved his felony convictions without little other consequences ( Getty Images ) Jurors reached a 34-count guilty verdict against the president on May 30, 2024, following a weeks-long trial surrounding Trumps efforts to pay off an adult film star to prevent her from speaking publicly about having sex with him. Trumps then-attorney Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 for the rights to her story. Trump then reimbursed Cohen in a series of checks, some of which were cut from the White House. Those reimbursements were falsely recorded in accounting records as legal expenses, fulfilling a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election, the jury found. On January 10, Trump received a sentence of conditional discharge which preserved the jurys verdict but came with little, if any, criminal consequences. Trump was sworn into office a second time 10 days later. Roughly one month after his conviction, the Supreme Court issued its immunity decision, throwing a wrench into the presidents federal criminal indictments and opening a door for his lawyers to question his conviction in New York. Trumps attorneys argue certain evidence including Twitter posts and trial testimony from former White House aides about should never have been shown to a jury under the Supreme Courts immunity decision, which shields the president from criminal prosecution for official acts in office. Those arguments were already rejected by Justice Juan Merchan, the Manhattan criminal court judge who presided over the trial, finding that the case involved Trumps private conduct, not his official duties as president. open image in gallery A unanimous jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide payments to his lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid off Stormy Daniels to prevent her from going public with a story about having sex with Trump ( Getty Images ) The presidents legal team also took aim at Merchan, who they say put the whole case in jeopardy by remaining on the bench throughout Trumps trial. His impartiality was reasonably in doubt because he donated $35 to Democratic candidates or causes in 2020, and because his daughter worked for a digital ad agency that did work for Democratic officials, they argue. The New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics had previously stated that there is nothing in the inquiry to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judges relative, the relatives business, or any of their interests. Falsifying business records, on their own, are misdemeanor offenses. But Manhattan prosecutors elevated those charges to felonies by tying them to another crime one that involves a conspiracy to manipulate an election through unlawful means. Trumps lawyers claimed that prosecutors who argued that the president sought to unlawfully promote his 2016 campaign by burying allegations of his affairs from the public through business fraud had erred by telling jurors that they did not have to unanimously agree what those unlawful means were. Prosecutors also had no proof that Trump had intent to defraud, according to his lawyers. State appellate judges are likely to take their time reaching a decision on what happens next in the presidents case. But in June, his lawyers asked a federal appeals court to take up the case instead, which could give the president a shortcut to overturning his conviction at the Supreme Court. A ruling from the federal appeals court ruling is pending. The nations high court had previously denied hearing Trumps appeal in the hush money case, stating that the president should go through the normal course of appeals at the state level. That decision was narrowly decided by a 5-4 vote. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump's demand for Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps has ignited a national redistricting battle, aimed at retaining his party's control of Congress. The conflict began in Texas, where Republicans approved a rare mid-decade map to flip five Democratic House seats. California, the most populous Democratic state, retaliated by targeting five Republican-held districts. Other states, both Republican and Democratic, have followed or threatened similar moves. D Despite Republicans winning a narrow three-seat House majority in 2024, the party is poised to gain more seats through redistricting, even if California's effort succeeds. Here is how the conflict is unfolding across the country: open image in gallery Governor Greg Abbott signed a new Republican-backed map into law on August 29 aimed at flipping five Democratic-held seats. ( (AP Photo/Eric Gay ) REPUBLICAN GAINS Texas- Five seats Governor Greg Abbott signed a new Republican-backed map into law on August 29 aimed at flipping five Democratic-held seats. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers had fled the state weeks earlier, temporarily preventing a vote on the map. The missing lawmakers returned after California Democrats announced a retaliatory redistricting effort. Republicans already control 25 of Texas' 38 seats under a Republican-drawn map from 2021. Civil rights groups have sued Texas over the new map, arguing it illegally dilutes the power of minority voters. Missouri - One seat Republican Governor Mike Kehoe signed a new map into law on September 28 that dismantled a Democratic-held seat based in Kansas City, giving his party the advantage in seven of the state's eight congressional seats. Opponents are attempting to force a voter referendum on the map, while several organizations have filed lawsuits challenging its legality. Ohio - at least two seats A quirk in state law requires the Republican-dominated legislature to pass a new map for 2026, because the previous one, drawn in 2021, was approved with no Democratic votes. Republicans already control 10 of the state's 15 seats and are likely to target at least two incumbent Democrats. open image in gallery North Carolinas state legislature's Republican majority approved a new map in October designed to flip a Democratic seat ( AP Photo/Gerry Broome ) North Carolina - One seat The state legislature's Republican majority approved a new map in October designed to flip a Democratic seat, which would give Republicans control of 11 of the state's 14 U.S. House seats despite its status as a closely divided swing state. Under state law, Democratic Governor Josh Stein had no say in the process. Indiana - Possibly one or two seats Republican Governor Mike Braun has called for a special session starting on November 3 to consider redistricting, following a pressure campaign from the White House. Republicans already control seven of the state's nine U.S. House seats. Florida - Possibly two or three seats Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed support for a new map, which analysts believe could take aim at two or three Democratic incumbents. Republicans control 20 of the state's 28 seats, after DeSantis and the Republican-controlled legislature passed a map in 2021 that flipped four Democratic seats in 2022. The effort would have to overcome a constitutional amendment, approved by voters in 2010, that bars the legislature from drawing districts purely for partisan gain. A majority of justices on the Florida Supreme Court, which upheld the 2021 map, were nominated by DeSantis. Kansas - Probably one seat Some Republican lawmakers have advocated for a new map that would take aim at the state's only Democratic House member, Sharice Davids. Republicans have large enough majorities in both legislative chambers to override a veto from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. Republicans hold the state's other three congressional seats. open image in gallery Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers have advanced a new map designed to flip five Republican-held seats in direct response to Texas. ( Mario Tama/Getty Images ) DEMOCRATIC GAINS California - Possibly five seats Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers have advanced a new map designed to flip five Republican-held seats in direct response to Texas. The plan requires approval from the state's voters in a November special election, due to a state law that gives authority over redistricting to an independent commission. Democrats currently hold 43 of the state's 52 districts. Virginia - Possibly three seats Virginia Democrats launched a special legislative session on October 27 to consider a complicated three-step process to land a new congressional map for 2026. Redistricting is currently overseen by a nonpartisan commission, and only a constitutional amendment can give that authority back to lawmakers. Under state law, an amendment must first be approved by two consecutive legislatures. With a legislative election next week, Democrats can pass the amendment now and then seek to do so again in January after the new legislature is sworn in. If that happens, voters would then have to approve the amendment before a new map could be installed. Democrats hold six of the state's 11 seats and would likely try to flip as many as three Republican districts with a revised map. Maryland - Possibly one seat Democrats have not ruled out redistricting. Any new map would take aim at the lone Republican among the state's eight House members. Democrats attempted to install an 8-0 map in 2022, but a state judge struck it down as unconstitutionally gerrymandered. open image in gallery Maryland Democrats attempted to install an 8-0 map in 2022, but a state judge struck it down as unconstitutionally gerrymandered. ( AFP via Getty Images ) Utah - possibly one seat A state judge in August ordered the Republican-led legislature to redraw the state's congressional map, finding that lawmakers improperly repealed a voter-approved ballot measure creating an independent redistricting commission. The current Republican-drawn map splits Salt Lake County, home to most of Utah's Democratic voters, among the state's four districts. In response, Republican legislators approved a redrawn map that would maintain the party's edge in all four districts, though the district that includes Salt Lake City would be closely competitive. A judge will decide by November 10 whether to approve the legislators' map or an alternative proposed by voting rights groups that filed the lawsuit. Illinois - unlikely Democratic Governor JB Pritzker has not ruled out redistricting in response to Republicans. But Illinois already has a gerrymandered map in place, with Democrats controlling 14 of 17 seats, and flipping even one Republican seat could prove challenging. New York - likely no change in 2026 Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has vowed to respond to Texas, but legal constraints likely make that impossible until 2028. Voters would have to approve a constitutional amendment to permit mid-decade redistricting, and under state law such an amendment cannot be put on the ballot before 2027. Democrats hold 19 of the state's 26 seats, after a more aggressive gerrymander in 2022 was blocked by the courts. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump has directed three more strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats, killing at least 14 people, raising the death toll from the administrations war on drug cartels to more than 50. According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. military assets carried out three strikes on four vessels in the Pacific Ocean Monday, marking at least 13 strikes on 14 vessels since early September. At least one person survived the latest attacks, he said. The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics, according to Hegseth. Eight men were killed in the first strike, another four men were killed in a second strike, and three more men were killed in a third strike, he said. open image in gallery The death toll from Trumps campaign against alleged drug traffickers has killed more than 50 people following three more strikes against four vessels in Pacific waters October 27 ( Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ) U.S. military personnel performed search and rescue operations to retrieve the survivor, and Mexican authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue, according to Hegseth. The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, were defending our own, he said. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them. Last month, the administration declared that the United States is formally engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels that the president has labeled unlawful combatants, according to a notice to members of Congress. The notice claims cartels are nonstate armed groups whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States and are now engaged in a noninternational armed conflict or war with a non-state actor. Critics, including members of Congress, have argued that the Trump administrations air campaign against alleged smugglers amounts to illegal extrajudicial killings. Lawmakers and civil rights groups are pressing the administration for any evidence or legal arguments to justify the attacks. Asked last week why he wont seek permission from Congress for his military campaign taking aim at South American regimes he claims are fueling a drug epidemic in the United States, Trump said his government is just going to kill people instead. I dont think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think were just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? Were going to kill them, Trump said during a White House roundtable with administration officials. Theyre going to be, like, dead, OK, he said. open image in gallery Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has compared alleged drug traffickers to Al-Qaeda, calling them narco terrorists as the Trump administration seeks to justify a series of killings in Pacific and Caribbean waters ( REUTERS ) While the U.S. military builds up a presence off the coast of Venezuela, the Trump administration is mulling potential plans for attacking the country, an operation that risks spilling over into a regional war. Venezuela is not a major cocaine-producing country, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Virtually all coca crops are inside Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, and the Drug Enforcement Administration under Trump did not mention Venezuela in a March report on the state of cocaine trafficking. Still, the Trump administration has sought to link Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to the drug trade, as well as the gang Tren de Aragua, despite reports from intelligence agencies that have denied ties between the group and Maduros government. And while the administration continues to describe those killed as terrorists, two people who survived a recent strike in the Caribbean were repatriated to their home countries rather than being detained by the United States. Earlier this month, Trump said he authorized the CIA to perform covert operations inside Venezuela, claiming that Maduros government emptied their prisons into the United States of America and flooded the country with drugs. Venezuela claims to have foiled a CIA-backed group plotting an alleged false-flag attack on an American warship, in what Maduros government claims is an attempt to draw the country into a full military confrontation. On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier the worlds largest and its accompanying strike group to a command area that encompasses the Caribbean and South American waters. The enhanced force presence of the massive aircraft carrier and its escort ships would bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere, according to chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell. These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle [transnational criminal organizations], he added. Flight-tracking data also showed a B-1B bomber operating over the Caribbean near Venezuelas coast, which Trump denied. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice While Japan is known for its compact vehicles, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi presented a different image to build rapport with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump this week. She strategically placed U.S.-made cars, including an enormous American Ford F-150 truck, in the courtyard of Akasaka Palace for their initial talks. This diplomatic gesture demonstrates Takaichis ambition to strengthen economic ties with Washington and cultivate a robust relationship with Trump. A fan of the F-150, Trump has welcomed the possibility of Japan buying dozens of the pickups, having often complained about the lack of American cars and strict safety standards in the country. However, the scarcity of large American automobiles in Japan may stem from more practical reasons, including local tastes, road conditions, and marketing, rather than solely regulatory hurdles. The trucks may be too big for Japanese roads open image in gallery A Ford F-150, center, and two other American-made cars sit parked outside the Akasaka Palace, Tokyo's guest house for visiting foreign leaders, in Minato, Japan, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, as President Donald Trump meets Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ( AP Photo/Mayuko Ono ) Japan is smaller than California, there is limited parking and many streets here are very narrow. Consumers seem to prefer compact or mini cars that can easily navigate the crowded, narrow roads. Those who can afford more expensive foreign cars tend to go for compact or medium-size vehicles from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi. Except for American-produced Japanese cars such as Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the top-selling American brand is Jeep, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. Many American cars have their steering on the left side, the opposite of the standard right-side steering in Japan, where expressway tolls are on the right side, for instance. Lower mileage and lack of maintenance and service networks also help explain why American brands except for Jeep have struggled in Japan. Why don't American cars sell well in Japan? Because they lack understanding for road conditions and housing situations, as well as energy conservation, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament in April. Trump loves the idea, but it's unclear how Japan will respond open image in gallery A fan of the F-150, Trump has welcomed the possibility of Japan buying dozens of the pickups, having often complained about the lack of American cars and strict safety standards in the country. ( Associated Press ) When Trump heard of the Ford truck idea as he flew to Asia on Air Force One, he reacted enthusiastically. She has good taste, Trump told reporters of Takaichi. Thats a hot truck. The underlying context is Takaichi's need to figure out how to navigate the complex trade relationship that Trump shook up earlier this year with tariffs. Trump wants allies to buy more American goods and also make financial commitments to build factories and energy infrastructure in the United States. Japans previous administration agreed in September to invest $550 billion in the U.S., which led Trump to trim a threatened 25% tariff on Japanese goods to 15%. But Japan wants the investments to favor Japanese vendors and contractors. In Japan, sport utility vehicles and are becoming popular among people with families and for outdoor activities such as camping, but buyers often go for more stylish, smaller models. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump urged American troops to buy cars from Japanese manufacturer Toyota after long complaining about the lack of American vehicles sold in Japan. Trump, who has long promoted America First, told U.S. soldiers during his trip to Asia to buy the Japanese-made cars following his announcement that Toyota is set to invest $10 billion to build manufacturing plants all over the U.S. Theyre going to be putting auto plants all over the United States to the tune of $10 billion, the president told troops Tuesday aboard the USS George Washington, docked at the Yokosuka naval base. So thats Toyota, so go out and buy a Toyota. Japans new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has only been in the post for a week but has rolled out the red carpet for Trump on a charm offensive. Before sitting down with Takaichi, Trump was greeted by the sight of an enormous American-made Ford F-150 truck, a nod to an idea recently floated by Japans government to buy a fleet of the vehicles. open image in gallery President Donald Trump urged American troops to buy cars from Japanese manufacturer Toyota after long complaining about the lack of American vehicles sold in Japan. ( AFP via Getty Images ) The gesture went down well with the president. She has good taste, Trump told reporters on the journey to Asia. Thats a hot truck. Japan exported over 1.37 million vehicles to the U.S. last year, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, and cars are the countrys top export to America. On the flip side, American cars have proved a tough sell in Japan, which imported fewer than 17,000 American cars last year, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. Experts have cited Japans narrower roads and smaller parking lot spaces as one of the reasons why large, heavy-duty-style trucks do not sell as well. Those who can afford more expensive foreign cars tend to go for compact or medium-size vehicles from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi. open image in gallery Before sitting down with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump was greeted by the sight of an enormous American-made Ford F-150 truck, a nod to an idea recently floated by Japans government to buy a fleet of the vehicles. ( AP ) Except for American-produced Japanese cars such as Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the top-selling American brand is Jeep, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. Many American cars have their steering on the left side, the opposite of the standard right-side steering in Japan, where expressway tolls are on the right side, for instance. Lower mileage and lack of maintenance and service networks also help explain why American brands except for Jeep have struggled in Japan. Why don't American cars sell well in Japan? Because they lack understanding for road conditions and housing situations, as well as energy conservation, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament in April. The Associated Press contributed reporting Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump greeted trick-or-treaters at the White House Halloween event on Thursday night and once again placed candy on top of a childs head. The president, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, distributed candy for about an hour outside the White House, which was decked out in pumpkins, leaves, and other decorations for the event. The president was spotted placing a candy bar on top of a childs light-up mask, in a moment that mirrored a viral incident from Halloween 2019, when the President placed candy on the head of a child dressed as a Minion. The moment has already made the rounds on social media. In a post with hundreds of likes and reshares, one user uploaded todays clip side-by-side with the 2019 viral moment. President Trump DOES IT AGAIN! He just recreated the time he placed a candy bar on a kids head for Halloween 6 years ago, the user wrote. We are SO BACK! open image in gallery President Donald Trump places a bar of candy on top of a childs costume at the White House Halloween event ( AP ) Some trick-or-treaters appeared to be dressed as Trump himself, while others opted to be Secret Service agents or the Statue of Liberty. As the President and First Lady handed out candy, Halloween-themed tunes played in the background. Trump also greeted two young kids who were in a wagon decorated with the McDonalds drive-thru sign. The president notably operated a McDonalds fryer last year for a campaign photo-op. open image in gallery President Donald Trump high-fives a trick-or-treater who appears to be dressed as him at the White House Halloween event ( AP ) open image in gallery President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet two trick-or-treaters in a wagon displaying the McDonalds drive-thru sign at the White House Halloween event ( Reuters ) Several kids dressed as pumpkins, ballerinas and dinosaurs. Some trick-or-treaters also brought items for Trump to sign, including a golf ball and copies of Time magazine with covers that featured him. Top White House officials, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were also spotted with their families at the event. open image in gallery President Donald Trump greets White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and her family at the White House Halloween event ( AP ) open image in gallery White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller attends the White House Halloween event with his family ( AFP via Getty ) Meanwhile, Trumps tariffs are reportedly driving up the prices of Halloween candy and costumes. His tariff hike on Chinese goods has resulted in tighter Halloween inventory and higher prices, The Independent previously reported. The National Retail Federation also estimates that consumers are expected to spend a record $13.1bn this Halloween, which is up from $11.6bn last year and tops the previous 2023 record of $12.2bn. When asked about the higher prices earlier this month, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The Independent, Real prosperity is good jobs, booming industry, and thriving communities for everyday Americans not cheap Chinese imports. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday. It marks their second encounter in just two months. High-stakes discussions on trade and security are anticipated, potentially charting the future of their 72-year alliance. These crucial issues are expected to top their agenda, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, which Mr Trump will not attend. open image in gallery Trump meeting Japans president Sanae Takaichi during his tour of Asia ( Getty Images ) Trade South Korea's hope to finalise a deal on cutting U.S. import duties on South Korean goods during Trump's visit this week appears all but dashed, as negotiators for the two sides remain deadlocked over a $350 billion investment pledge by Seoul. Initially heralded by South Korea as a monumental commitment that could help the U.S. rebuild its manufacturing industries, the demand by Trump for South Korea to pay the total in cash or equity "up front" has upended the preliminary deal. South Korean officials have said the plan was for the bulk of the $350 billion in investment to be in the form of loans and loan guarantees to South Korean companies setting up new facilities in the U.S. South Korea's Lee has said such a cash outlay would destabilise the country's financial markets. Defence and nuclear energy Trump has argued that countries such as South Korea should pay more for the cost of U.S. military presence - roughly 10 times the 1.5 trillion won ($1.06 billion) that was agreed by the allies for 2026. Trump has also demanded that U.S. allies, including the EU, spend 3.5% of their GDP on defence. South Korea's defence cost is currently 2.3 per cent of GDP. South Korea plans to increase its defence spending by 8.3 per cent for 2026, more than double the increase for this year. U.S. officials have hinted at the idea of broadening the role of the 28,500 U.S. troops from a focus on countering North Korea to responding to security tensions with China's rise as a major military power. South Korea is looking to revise an agreement with the U.S. on nuclear energy to win approval from Washington to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and enrich uranium for purely civilian energy purposes. North Korea While Seoul and Washington are formally in agreement on the goal of dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, Trump has said Pyongyang was already a "nuclear power," hinting at the idea of abandoning denuclearisation. open image in gallery Trump has said he is keen to meet with Kim Jong Un while in Asia ( Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Lee has made it a top priority to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue and said Trump was the ideal person to entice North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump has boasted of his three summits with Kim during his first term and has expressed willingness to meet him during this week's trip to the region. North Korea has not responded, although Kim has said he has "fond memories" of Trump from their previous meetings. US visas for South Korean workers The United States has pledged to improve South Korean workers' access to visas that would allow them to work in the U.S. to set up and manage business facilities invested in by South Korean companies. The promise, which Trump has backed, follows the arrests of more than 300 South Korean workers by U.S. immigration authorities at a Hyundai Motor facility in the U.S., which stunned South Korean officials and the public. The discussions have yet to yield a concrete resolution to South Korean businesses, which have resorted to a grey area in the U.S. immigration process. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice President Donald Trump rarely has anything negative to say about the men and women of the U.S. military, but he made an exception on Tuesday to offer a rare criticism of Americas fighting forces: They may be too good-looking for his tastes. Trump was in the midst of an address to sailors aboard the U.S.S. George Washington, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that is semi-permanently based at the American naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, when he paused an attempt to praise the assembled service members to rant about their excessive attractiveness. Speaking on the second day of a multi-day, multi-country trip through Asia that will conclude after a planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, Trump said the Navys ultimate strength comes from the men and women of the rank and file, calling his uniformed audience incredible people and good-looking people. After a beat, he said there were too many good-looking people present. I dont like good-looking people, he continued, as the sailors laughed at their commander-in-chiefs bizarre remark. I never liked good-looking people, Ill be honest with you ... never admitted that before, he said. open image in gallery President Donald Trump railed against good-looking people and longed for a return to steam power as he spoke to troops aboard USS George Washington on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images) ( Getty Images ) The presidents meandering, stream-of-consciousness remarks followed a theatrical arrival to the George Washington, which is forward-deployed in Japan as part of the permanent American military presence that has remained there pursuant to 1960 joint defense treaty that replaced an earlier agreement imposed as a condition of end the post-World War II occupation of Japan by U.S. forces. Trump, who made his entrance on one of the aircraft carriers massive elevators that are used to ferry planes and helicopters from hangars to the carriers enormous flight deck, eventually launched into a litany of complaints about the elevator and catapult systems aboard the newest class of American carriers starting with the class lead ship, U.S.S. Gerald R Ford. Unlike the previous Nimitz-class carriers like the one on which the president was speaking, the Ford-class uses massive electromagnets to raise and lower elevators used for aircraft as well as those employed to move munitions from armored hangars up to the flight deck for loading on aircraft. The Ford-class also uses an electromagnetic system to power the catapults used to launch aircraft from the flight deck and the arrestor gears which slow planes down as they land upon their return. The new systems are favored by the Navy because they allow planes to be armed and launched at double the speed of the hydraulic elevators and steam-powered catapults aboard older carriers such as the George Washington. The electromagnetic catapult system, known as EMALS, also permits smaller aircraft such as drones to be launched from carriers and can launch advanced fighters such as the F-35C with far less wear and tear on the expensive planes fragile airframes But Trump, who oversaw the commissioning of the Gerald Ford during his first term and complained about the newer systems back then, claimed the electromagnetic systems could easily be damaged by water something systems aboard Navy ships are designed to withstand. You know, the new thing is magnets. So instead of using hydraulic that can be hit by lightning and its fine. You take a little glass of water, you drop it on magnets, I dont know whats going to happen, Trump said. So, you know, the elevators come up in the new carriersI think Im going to change it, by the waythey have magnets. Every tractor has hydraulic, every excavator, every excavating machine of any kind has hydraulic. But somebody decided to use magnets. open image in gallery A U.S. Navy fighter is pictured aboard U.S.S. Gerald R Ford. President Trump has repeatedly complained about the high-tech systems used to launch aircraft aboard the newest American aircraft carrier. ( AFP via Getty Images ) Continuing, Trump asked the assembled sailors aboard George Washington to opine on whether they prefer the older system or the new one before suggesting that hed order the Navy to return to the steam-based catapults and hydraulic elevators on future carriers. Im going to sign an executive order. When we build aircraft carriers, its steam for the catapults and its hydraulic for the elevators. Well never have a problem, Trump said. He referred again to prior difficulties during the Fords shakedown period and vowed to have the Navy reverse course a second time. They spent $993 million on the catapults trying to get them to work. And they had steam, which works so beautifully, and it has for 50 years, Trump said. Im going to do an executive order. Im not going to let them continue to do this. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump intends to follow through with his plan to use his executive authority to upend the construction of the Ford-class carriers by mandating a return to the older steam-based systems. Such move would require massive revisions to the design of the cutting-edge supercarriers, of which ten are planned to replace the existing Nimitz-class ships that form the backbone of Americas carrier fleet. Two such vessels, the future U.S.S. John F Kennedy and the future U.S.S. Enterprise, are currently under construction at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Construction on two more, the future U.S.S. Doris Miller (named for the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross) and the future U.S.S. William J Clinton, is scheduled to begin in 2026 and 2027, respectively. A planned start date for the sixth of the planned ten carriers, the future U.S.S. George W Bush, has not yet been set. That ship, which will be named for the 43rd President of the United States, will eventually serve alongside the tenth Nimitz-class carrier that was named for the 41st president, the U.S.S. George HW Bush. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Nearly 42 million Americans and their families could imminently lose access to federal food assistance if Donald Trumps administration does not tap into billions of dollars in emergency funding to keep the critical program afloat during the government shutdown. Democratic leaders from 25 states are now suing the administration to keep those dollars flowing, arguing that the Department of Agriculture is legally required to continue providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as long as there is money to support it. Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide, said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is among 25 attorneys general suing the Trump administration to keep SNAP running. SNAP is one of our nations most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running, she said. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline. The federal government must do its job to protect families. A notice on USDAs website this week claims the well has run dry for SNAP benefits and states there will be no benefits come November 1. open image in gallery A lawsuit from 25 Democratic-led states demands a court order the Trump administration to tap into emergency funds to keep SNAP running before funding lapses November 1 ( REUTERS ) But the government was preparing for an emergency plan, as outlined in a September memo, which said the agency would tap into a multiyear contingency to continue supporting SNAP in the event funding came to a screeching halt. That document was recently removed from the USDA website, and a follow-up memo now claims USDAs contingency funding was not legally available to cover regular benefits. Plaintiffs claim the federal government is illegally blocking those funds, which should cover at least a significant portion of November SNAP benefits based just on the $6 billion in SNAP-specific contingency funds. USDA claims that those funds were earmarked for natural disasters and other emergencies, not in the event of an impasse in Congress over a funding bill to reopen the government. The USDA, echoing a recent wave of partisan attacks on government websites, is explicitly blaming congressional Democrats for the shutdown and the suspension of SNAP funding. Bottom line, the well has run dry, according to the latest notice on its website. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. If SNAP benefits are suspended this weekend, it would mark the first time in the programs 60-year history that the federal government had let it lapse. Withholding emergency funds is illegal, immoral, and cruel, according to Chris Swartz, senior ethics counsel at legal advocacy group Democracy Defenders Fund. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has both the authority and the legal obligation to act, the groups chief counsel and director for ethics and anticorruption Virginia Canter said. Congress created the SNAP contingency fund precisely to prevent hunger during funding lapses, she added. Choosing not to use it is a deliberate decision to deny food to 42 million Americans who are legally entitled to those benefits, including the elderly, children, and veterans. open image in gallery Food banks across the country, already stretched thin, are bracing for an influx of families who rely on SNAP if the anti-hunger program isnt funded by November 1 ( AP ) SNAP funds, which are distributed by the federal government to states each month, support the nations largest anti-hunger program, which serves millions of households, with a vast majority of recipients being children and seniors. Recipients receive roughly $188 per person per month, or about $6 per day, which is administered on prepaid cards that can be used for grocery store staples. The program provides roughly nine meals for every one meal provided by a food pantry, according to anti-hunger advocates. More than 3 million people in New York alone rely on SNAP, as do tens of thousands of people in states with some of the highest poverty levels in the country. Tens of millions of Americans are on the cusp of crisis, according to the lawsuit. Every day that this suspension of SNAP benefits is not enjoined is another day that critical food assistance does not go out to families who need it. Suspending funds risks burdening the state agencies that administer SNAP and the state and local programs that will need to compensate for the lack of SNAP benefits, according to the lawsuit. State governments and food banks are now warning SNAP recipients that those funds could soon be coming to an end, for now. A hearing in the lawsuit is set for October 30. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Venezuela claims to have foiled a CIA-financed cell plotting a false-flag attack on an American warship, in what the government alleges is a cynical ploy to spark a full military confrontation. Interior minister Diosdado Cabello said that a cell financed by the CIA planned to attack the USS Gravely and pin the blame on Caracas, after the missile destroyer docked in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday to conduct joint exercises with Trinidad's navy. Venezuela said that it had captured a group of mercenaries "with direct information of the American intelligence agency" and whose goal it was to carry out a false-flag attack in the region. Cabello said four people had been arrested, without providing details. A false flag attack is an operation carried out in such a way as to look like a different party was responsible. open image in gallery The USS Gravely docked in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday for joint naval exercises ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) A false flag attack is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to generate a full military confrontation with our country, the government claimed in a statement. The statement did not provide details or evidence of alleged CIA interference. Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro accused Washington of plotting false flag attacks earlier this month. The Independent approached the White House for comment. Donald Trump said earlier this month that he had authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, having built up a large presence of warships and jets in the Caribbean Sea. Such authorisations are usually highly classified. Washington claims to have killed dozens of people in small vessels alleged to be involved in narco-trafficking, without providing evidence. Dr Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House think tank, told the BBC that the Trump administration was aiming to show strength in an effort to displace president Maduro. open image in gallery Venezuela believes the US is using a show of strength to displace president Nicolas Maduro (pictured) ( AP ) This is about regime change, he said, adding that it was unlikely the US would invade. Tensions escalated further last week as the Trump administration announced it would be deploying its largest aircraft carrier to the southern Caribbean. It was to join a flotilla that already includes eight warships, a submarine, drones and fighter jets. Caracas this week took aim at Trinidad for hosting the USS Gravely, claiming its prime minister had decided to join the war mongering agenda of the United States. Venezuela on Monday suspended energy agreements with the country over what officials called hostile actions. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An elderly Australian woman has been found dead after she failed to return to a cruise ship anchored off the Great Barrier Reefs Lizard Island. The solo traveller, aged in her 80s, was aboard a 60-day circumnavigation cruise of Australia, costing $80,000 per person. The 112-passenger Coral Adventurer ship began its journey from the Queensland city of Cairns on Friday. On Saturday, it stopped at Lizard Island with passengers able to hike and snorkel for the day. The woman failed to return to the Coral Expeditions cruise ship before it departed but her disappearance was not noticed until Saturday night, according to The Australian. The boat has since continued its journey to Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. When it docks in the Australian city of Darwin on Sunday the Australian Maritime Safety Authority will meet those aboard the ship. The woman was allegedly hiking a steep trail called Cooks Look with a group on Saturday but she needed to stop. The woman did not return to the boat with other travellers before it left at sunset. open image in gallery An Australian woman died on Lizard Island. ( AFP via Getty Images ) Police have been told the ship came back to Lizard Island after midnight but the womans body was not found until Sunday morning by police. Before her body was found, members of the crew thought she could have fallen overboard, involving a helicopter in the search. A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman told The Australian a report would be prepared for the coroner after a sudden and non-suspicious death of a missing woman. The woman was reported missing to the police on 25 October 25, after failing to board a vessel in waters off Queensland earlier on Saturday, she said. Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield said confirmed a tragic death occurred during an excursion to Lizard Island. On Saturday, 25 October, the crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea. Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island, Mr Fifield said. While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the womans family. The Coral team have been in contact with the womans family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process. We are working closely with Queensland police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is under way. The 60-day voyage is staffed by 46 crew members. Rooms for solo travellers cost between $81,000 and $97,200. The companys website informs travellers that it is an expedition cruising experience which includes rugged terrain, small boat transfers and limited facilities. Guests need moderate mobility to board tenders, walk on uneven ground, and use stairs unaided, it says. The boat did not have any doctors or nurses on board. The Independent has contacted both Coral Expeditions and Queensland Police. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia has reportedly conducted a test of a new nuclear-capable and nuclear-powered cruise missile, which President Vladimir Putin claims is designed to bypass existing defence systems as it moves closer to military deployment. Video footage released on Sunday, accompanied by remarks from the Kremlin, showed Mr Putin in camouflage fatigues meeting senior military officials. General Valery Gerasimov, Russias chief of general staff, informed the Russian leader that the Burevestnik missile travelled 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles) during a critical test carried out on Tuesday. General Gerasimov stated that the Burevestnik, also known as Storm Petrel, remained airborne for 15 hours, adding that "thats not the limit." In the video, Mr Putin instructed General Gerasimov to work on the missiles final tests, stating: "We need to determine the possible uses and begin preparing the infrastructure for deploying these weapons to our armed forces." He further asserted that the weapon was invulnerable to current and future missile defences, citing its almost unlimited range and unpredictable flight path. open image in gallery In this image made from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Office on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks while visiting one of the command posts of the Joint Group of Forces. (Russian Presidential Press Office via AP) ( Russian Presidential Press Office ) Here are some key facts about the weapon. What is Russia's Burevestnik missile and what does it translate to? - The 9M730 Burevestnik, whose name translates as "storm petrel", is a ground-launched, low-flying cruise missile that is not only capable of carrying a nuclear warhead but is also nuclear-powered. NATO refers to it as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall. - Putin, who first revealed the project in March 2018, has said it has an unlimited range and can evade U.S. missile defences. But some Western experts have questioned its strategic value, saying it won't add capabilities that Moscow does not already have, and may disgorge radiation along its flight path. - Putin said on Sunday that the weapon was unique. Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces, told Putin that in the October 21 test the missile travelled 14,000 km (8,700 miles) and was in the air for about 15 hours. He said it travelled on nuclear power, could defeat any missile defence and has an unlimited range. open image in gallery 9M730 Burevestnik (known in US as SSC-X-9 Skyfall) nuclear-propelled cruise missile. ( Russian Defence Ministry ) - Its nuclear propulsion is designed to enable it to fly much further, for longer, than traditional turbojet or turbofan engines that are limited by how much fuel they can carry. This would allow it to "loiter" for an extended period before hitting a target. The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a U.S.-based non-profit security organisation, said it could stay aloft potentially for days: "In operation, the Burevestnik would carry a nuclear warhead (or warheads), circle the globe at low altitude, avoid missile defenses, and dodge terrain; and drop the warhead(s) at a difficult-to-predict location (or locations)," it said in a 2019 report. - Some Western experts say the Burevestnik's subsonic speed would make it detectable, and it would become more vulnerable the longer it stayed in flight. Responding to this, Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov wrote in 2019 that the role of Burevestniks would be to eliminate the "remnants" of the enemy's command posts, military bases, factories and power plants after Russia had already fired intercontinental ballistic missiles, by which point the opponent's air-defence systems would be incapable of stopping them. He said Burevestniks would "trample the aggressor countries into the Stone Age", completing the destruction of their military and civilian infrastructure. - The International Institute for Strategic Studies, quoting a specialist Russian military journal in 2021, said the Burevestnik would have a notional range of up to 20,000 km (12,400 miles), so could be based anywhere in Russia and strike targets in the United States. - The same Russian journal said the notional altitude of the missile was just 50 to 100 metres (164 to 328 feet), much lower than a conventionally powered cruise missile, which would make it harder for air-defence radar to detect - A 2020 report by the United States Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center said that if Russia successfully brought the Burevestnik into service, it would give Moscow a "unique weapon with intercontinental-range capability". - Experts assess that it would be sent aloft by a small solid-fuel rocket to drive air into an engine containing a miniature nuclear reactor. Superheated and possibly radioactive air would be blasted out, providing forward thrust. - The Burevestnik has a poor test record with numerous past failures, according to Western experts. In 2019 at least five Russian nuclear specialists were killed in an explosion and release of radiation during an experiment in the White Sea, and U.S. intelligence sources said they suspected it was part of a test of the Burevestnik. Putin presented their widows with top state awards, saying the weapon they were developing was without equal in the world, although he did not name it. Putin announced a successful test of the missile in October 2023. - Two U.S. researchers said in 2024 that they had identified the probable deployment site for the missile, alongside a nuclear warhead storage facility called Vologda-20 or Chebsara. The site is 295 miles (475 km) north of Moscow. open image in gallery FILE - In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, Russia's new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile blasts off during a test launch from an undisclosed location in Russia ( RU-RTR Russian Television ) On Wednesday, Putin directed drills of Russias strategic nuclear forces that featured practice missile launches. The exercise came as his planned summit on Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump was put on hold. The Kremlin said that the maneuvers involved all parts of Moscows nuclear triad, including intercontinental ballistic missiles that were test-fired from launch facilities in northwestern Russia and a submarine in the Barents Sea. The drills also involved Tu-95 strategic bombers firing long-range cruise missiles. The exercise tested the skills of military command structures, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia launched a blistering assault on Ukraine overnight, killing at least six people and injuring 35. Some 430 drones and 18 missiles targeted the country, Ukraines president said, calling the strikes a deliberate and calculated attack aimed at causing maximum harm to people and civilian infrastructure. Ukraines air force said most of the drones and missiles were shot down, but officials said falling debris and fires damaged high-rise apartments, a school, a medical facility and administrative buildings across nine districts in the city of about three million. "At that moment you don't know what to do first: save yourself, your child, or run to help people, because so many people were screaming and needed help," said Anastasia, 29, whose apartment block was hit. The attacks came just two days after Russias foreign ministry indicated it was ready to resume direct talks with Ukraine on ending the war in Istanbul. An official told TASS the ball is in Ukraines court. Russia continues to escalate its strikes on Ukraine while coordinating its messaging to present a show of good faith to the United States. Nearly four years since the invasion, the Kremlin maintains its maximalist designs on Ukraine. Zelensky said that Ukraine was responding to the strikes with long-range strength, and called for greater sanctions to be imposed on Russia. open image in gallery The overnight attacks hit residential buildings, despite Russias insistence it does not target civilians ( AFP/Getty ) Russia has waged a devastating aerial campaign against Ukraine since its all-out invasion of its neighbour nearly four years ago. US-led diplomatic efforts this year to stop the fighting have so far come to nothing. Friday's aerial assault, which also targeted Odesa in the south and Kharkiv in the northeast, was mostly aimed at Kyiv, where drones and missiles smashed into high-rise apartment blocks, according to Zelensky. Mariia Kalchenko said it was a miracle she survived after her building was hit. "I didn't hear anything, I just realised that my hair was on fire," the 46-year-old volunteer rescue dog handler said. In the Odesa region, Russian drones struck a busy street on market day in Chornomorsk, killing two people and injuring 11 others, including a 19-month-old girl, regional military administration chief Oleh Kiper said. Moscow denies targeting civilian areas, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying Friday it carried out an overnight strike on Ukraine's "military-industrial and energy facilities." Analysts nevertheless accuse Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in order to wound morale. open image in gallery Eight of the capital's 10 districts reported damage. Emergency crews fought fires in apartment blocks, debris from explosions was strewn across yards and cars parked in the streets were set ablaze ( Reuters ) Natia Seskuria, an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that the systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure was a central element of Russias strategy, designed to terrorise the Ukrainian population and erode public morale. The underlying calculation is that a war-weary society subjected to sustained attacks might exert pressure on the government to accept almost any settlement that promises an end to hostilities, she told The Independent. Thus far, however, this strategy has proven ineffective, as Ukrainians have demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination in the face of ongoing aggression. Fridays attack was the biggest on Kyiv in almost three weeks. Most recent Russian aerial attacks have aimed at electricity infrastructure around the country ahead of the bitter winter months. With no sign of the war abating, millions of Ukrainians face one of the harshest winters in years as humanitarian organisations scramble to deliver essentials to the frontlines and affected areas. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned on Friday that people whose livelihoods have been destroyed by the war are entering the winter with no financial buffer to support themselves. open image in gallery At least six people were killed in the strikes overnight, Ukrainian officials said ( Reuters ) Frequent power cuts continue to plunge neighbourhoods into darkness, cut heating and force hospitals to use emergency power. For older people and vulnerable people in high-rise buildings, blackouts can mean hours or days of isolation without elevators, heat, and often without food or medicine, the IFRC warned. Almost four years of conflict have eroded peoples resources. Many families are entering this winter with no financial buffer seven out of ten people said they dont have any savings left, said Jaime Wah, Deputy Head of Delegation for IFRC in Ukraine. We have been providing support to people for several years, but our resources are also running thin, Wah added. The scale of the needs is overwhelming, and with each passing day, those needs only grow. Keir Giles, a fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, told The Independent that Moscows attacks are designed to cause the maximum possible misery and suffering among the civilian population. Thats the principle we saw applied in Syria, in Chechnya and in countless others of Moscows wars dating back decades and centuries, he said. Mr Giles said Ukraine was the victim of Russias attempts to demoralise its victims through inhumanity. Thats the reason for attacks on maternity hospitals, and nurseries, targeting the most vulnerable in society, as well as for the systematic torture and starvation of Ukrainian military and civilian captives not for any objective purpose other than deliberate and demonstrative cruelty. These attacks continue despite Russias insistence that it is open to talks moving towards a ceasefire. open image in gallery ( Reuters ) Foreign ministry official Alexei Polishchuk said on Wednesday that Russia was ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. No face-to-face talks have taken place between the two sides since they met in the Turkish city on July 23. Overtures towards peace come after a proposed summit between Russias Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump broke down in October, reportedly over Moscows intransigence over its demands. The two leaders have not met since August, when a summit held in Alaska failed to produce a deal. Mr Trump said the meeting was very productive, but the diplomatic push to end the war has yet to yield any results. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice At least 19 people have been killed after the Israeli prime minister ordered his military to immediately carry out powerful attacks on Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement shortly after claiming Hamas had opened fire on Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Hamas has denied any involvement. Dozens are reported to have been injured after Israeli forces launched strikes in various areas across Gaza, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and hit a courtyard of Shifa Hospital, the largest operational hospital in northern Gaza. Tensions were already high after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the fragile ceasefire agreement by handing back additional remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had already been recovered and buried in 2023. The prime ministers office said the transfer was a clear violation of the agreement, which has increasingly come under strain over the return of hostage bodies. open image in gallery Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes on Gaza ( Reuters ) Mr Netanyahu subsequently held a security assessment with defence officials to discuss a response. Hamas was expected to hand over a body it had recovered from a tunnel in Gaza on Tuesday, but announced it would delay the return after Israel revealed its plans to strike. Hamass armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, announced the postponement, citing what it said were Israels violations of the ceasefire. Amid a delicate ceasefire, an Israeli military official said troops had retaliated after Hamas fired on Israeli forces in Rafah earlier on Tuesday. They said the attack in the southern city of Rafah, which is under Israeli control, was yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire. open image in gallery Explosions seen over Gaza sky after Netanyahus order ( AP ) Hamas has yet to return the bodies of 13 hostages, which it said were difficult to locate amid the destruction in Gaza. Israel has accused the group of deliberately delaying the handover. Tzarfati was kidnapped in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023, and was killed in captivity. In a statement, his family said this was the third time they had been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son. Israeli troops recovered his body in November 2023, and in March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. This is the second time the handover of remains has proved problematic, after Hamas gave back the body of an unidentified Palestinian in the first week of the ceasefire. Hamas expanded its search for the bodies of the hostages on Sunday, after Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help locate them. On Saturday, US president Donald Trump said he would be watching Hamass return of the deceased hostages very closely over the following days. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump has insisted the US-backed ceasefire in Gaza is not at risk despite Israeli strikes overnight killing more than 100 people, according to health officials. The president told reporters on Wednesday that Israel was justified in carrying out the strikes on Tuesday after Hamas allegedly killed an Israeli soldier during an exchange of gunfire in Gazas Rafah. As I understand it, they took out an Israeli soldier, he said aboard Air Force One. So the Israelis hit back and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back. open image in gallery Palestinians inspect the site of an overnight Israeli strike on a house, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip ( Reuters ) Trump insisted that nothing was going to jeopardise the ceasefire, which has been shaken in recent days by fresh strikes in Gaza, the delayed return of hostage remains and blockages to the delivery of humanitarian aid. Gazas health ministry said Tuesdays strikes had killed 104 people. An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that their soldier was killed by enemy fire on Tuesday afternoon, targeting his vehicle in Rafah. The official said Israeli troops in the area came under attack numerous times on Tuesday as they worked to destroy tunnels and Hamas infrastructure. Israel identified the soldier who was killed as Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37. Hamas denied any involvement in the deadly shooting and, in turn, accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal. open image in gallery The aftermath of Israeli strikes in Khan Yunis on Wednesday ( AFP/Getty ) The violent strikes carried out by Israel across the strip [are] a blatant violation of the ceasefire deal, it said, calling on mediators to pressure Israel to stop. The IDF said early on Wednesday that following strikes, it had begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire in response to Hamas violations. It said that Israeli forces had struck 30 terrorists holding command positions within the terrorist organisations operating in Gaza. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the military to conduct powerful strikes over Gaza after his office said a coffin handed over by Hamas did not contain the remains of an additional hostage, but Ofir Tzarfati, whose body was recovered in 2023. The IDF shared footage it said showed Hamas operatives removing remains from a building and reburying them nearby to stage a false discovery for photographers. open image in gallery Israel carried out strikes in Gaza on Tuesday, further straining the ceasefire ( AP ) Hamas said that it would postpone a planned handover of another dead hostage due to what it called violations of the ceasefire agreement by Israel. Israel notified the United States before launching the strikes on Tuesday, according to two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the subject. The Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah said that at least 10 bodies, including three women and six children, reached the hospital overnight following air strikes in the region. The Al-Awda Hospital, also in central Gaza, said it had received 30 bodies, including 14 children. Nasser Hospital, in the south, said that it had received 20 bodies, including two women and 13 children, following five strikes in the area. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Israel accused Hamas of breaching the fragile ceasefire agreement on Tuesday after it received the additional remains of a hostage already retrieved in 2023. Remains transferred from Gaza overnight were identified as those of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who was killed during Hamass October 7 attack, and whose remains were recovered by Israeli forces at the start of the war. Hamas is expected to return the remains of 13 hostages still held in Gaza as part of a ceasefire arrangement. The prime ministers office said the transfer was a clear violation of the agreement, increasingly under strain over the return of hostage bodies. The office said that Benjamin Netanyahu would hold a security assessment with defence officials to discuss a response. open image in gallery Ofir Tzarfati was killed on 7 October 2023, and his remains were recovered by Israeli forces that November ( X/@IsraelMFA ) Any response would likely have to first be green-lit by Washington, which brokered the fragile ceasefire this month that has halted two years of war, a senior Israeli official said. Israels finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, both called on Mr Netanyahu to take tough action against Hamas. The IDF said late on Monday that the coffin of a deceased hostage had been transferred to the Red Cross and was on the way to IDF troops in Gaza. Tzarfatis family claimed they were shown a video of Hamas burying his remains in Gaza before calling the Red Cross to retrieve them. They accused Hamas of deception at the expense of our family as we try to recover, and suggested the manipulation was designed to torpedo the deal and abandon the return of all the hostages. This is the third time that we have been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son. The circle supposedly closed in December 2023, but it never really closes. Since then, we have been living with the wound that keeps opening, between memory and longing, between bereavement and a sense of mission, they said in a statement. Israeli Army Radio reported that a military drone observed Hamas operatives carrying out digging work in Gaza on Monday before bringing out a body from a nearby building and burying it in the hole. Hamas was alleged to have covered the body in dirt before calling the Red Cross to watch its members uncover it. Remains were initially recovered at the start of the war and then, in March 2024, taken back to Israel for burial. Israel has criticised Hamas over the delayed return of hostage bodies, further jeopardising a ceasefire agreement already under pressure from renewed air strikes and blockages to humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Hamas said it was complying with the ceasefire and doing its best to locate hostage remains, but was hindered by a lack of equipment to identify bodies. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said finding all the bodies was a challenge because of the scale of destruction in Gaza. open image in gallery Palestinians work to recover the bodies of hostages in Gaza on Monday ( AP ) Nonetheless, Hamas will continue to exert every effort possible to hand over the remaining bodies until this issue is fully concluded and as soon as possible, Qassem said. The search for hostage bodies accelerated over the past few days since the arrival of heavy machinery from Egypt. Bulldozers were working in Khan Younis on Tuesday, in the southern Gaza Strip, and further north in Nuseirat, as Hamas masked fighters deployed around them. On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Tensions in southern Lebanon have escalated following reports that UN peacekeepers shot down an Israeli drone over the weekend, an incident that has drawn conflicting statements from both the Israeli army and the United Nations peacekeeping mission. It unfolds amidst a backdrop of intensifying Israeli military actions across Lebanon, challenging a fragile ceasefire established last November after Israel's conflict with Hezbollah. The Lebanese government is simultaneously facing mounting international pressure to disarm the powerful group. The renewed hostility traces back to the day after the October 7 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Subsequently, the militant group Hezbollah, primarily based in southern Lebanon, began launching rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinian cause. Israeli Arabic military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Monday that while the drone was near peacekeeping forces from UNIFIL in the southeastern border town of Kfar Kila, it was conducting routine information-gathering and reconnaissance activity and did not fire at the peacekeeping troops. An Israeli drone flies over Beirut on 20 October ( AP ) After the drone was shot down, Defence Army forces threw a hand grenade at the area where the drone was downed, Mr Adraee said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. UNIFIL, however, in a statement Sunday said an Israeli drone had flown over a UNIFIL patrol in an aggressive manner and that peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralise it. It said that shortly after that, an Israeli drone dropped a grenade near the peacekeeping mission and an Israeli tank fired toward them. No peacekeepers were wounded. The peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after Israels 1978 invasion of southern Lebanon. Its mission was expanded following the monthlong 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Earlier this year, the U.N. Security Council voted to end UNIFIL's mandate as of 31 December 2026, at which point the force will have a year to wind down its mission and withdraw its forces and personnel. Q You have been writing a lot about the entry-exit system. What worries me is changing planes at an EU airport. If I am held up and miss my connection, even having to stay overnight, what are my rights? Mahesh P A For the benefit of readers who have had the good fortune not to have heard of the entry-exit system (EES): this is the plan to connect every frontier crossing point in the Schengen area (comprising all EU nations except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) with a central database. On the first occasion on which the traveller comes into contact with the system, it will create a digital record: registering your face and fingerprints, along with personal data from your passport. On subsequent crossings of the Schengen area border, the facial biometric will be checked against this record. As you realise, this can increase the time taken at frontiers. Importantly, this is not going to affect anyone transferring direct from the UK to points beyond the Schengen area. Typically, British travellers use Air France via Paris CDG to reach worldwide destinations. On arrival, you follow the Transfer signs and the worst that happens is an extra security check. A fair number of passengers, though, will be connecting through EU hubs to reach other Schengen destinations Edinburgh via Amsterdam to Warsaw, for example, or Manchester via Munich to Naples. In these cases, you must be admitted to the Schengen area before you proceed to your connecting flight. Some airports have special arrangements to try to ensure passengers make their flights. At Frankfurt, for example, there is a long-established system for tight connections: you might see your flight departure showing up on a screen indicating a fast-track opportunity. Sadly, some transfer passengers will miss their connections. I have heard reports of long waits at Paris CDG and onward European flights departing (according to one traveller) half-full because of EES hold-ups. Were this to happen to you, the airline should rebook you on the first available flight and provide accommodation if necessary. Personally, though, I am steering clear of tight connections until the system has bedded down. open image in gallery There are no longer any direct flights between the UK and Kathmandu, Nepal ( Simon Calder ) Would you risk Kathmandu journey via a self-transfer? Q I am travelling to Kathmandu in Nepal next month, and have been holding off booking flights from London in the hope they might get cheaper. But fares are rising, with Qatar Airways currently nearing 1,000 return. I have seen prices of around half as much online but they include the phrase self-transfer. Would you risk it? Maurice E A Probably not. First, some basics. There are no longer any direct flights between the UK and Kathmandu, and I do not foresee them being reintroduced any time soon. So a change of planes is always required. Qatar Airways via Doha is the main approach. Turkish Airlines via Istanbul is another viable option, as is a combination of Emirates and FlyDubai via Dubai. In all these cases, you (and your luggage) will be transferred airside; no need to go through passport control. Should a late first flight mean you miss the connection, the airline will arrange onward transportation for you, as well as a hotel and meals if necessary. I tapped in a request to Skyscanner, the fare-comparison site I use, and found a self-transfer itinerary for 486. It involves an afternoon Pegasus flight from London Stansted to Istanbuls second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, with a two-hour and 10-minute gap before an Air Arabia departure to Sharjah. A bit tight, but I have found Pegasus reliable and would take the chance. Arrival is at dawn the following day, with a nine-hour wait before the onward leg, also on Air Arabia, to Kathmandu. This long wait appeals: a chance to explore Sharjah, Dubais sister city, for the morning. The connection to Nepal gets in at a reasonable hour, 8.45pm, allowing for a proper nights sleep. Coming back, though, the enterprise is doomed from the start. The first leg is on SpiceJet, a decent Indian budget airline, to Delhi. But you wont be allowed on board unless you happen to have a valid Indian visa. Even if you have cabin baggage only and vow to stay airside, the carrier will point out that you need to be documented for the destination on your booking, which is Delhi. My recommendation: take the 1,000 Qatar Airways fare. At this time last year, I was in Nepal, for which I paid Qatar Airways an uncomfortable 1,636 return in economy class. Youll save a fortune compared with me. open image in gallery Our reader had an unexpected stay in Amsterdam after his flight from Athens was late ( Getty ) Can we claim for a missed connection due to delays? Q We were booked on KLM from Athens via Amsterdam to Inverness on a Saturday night. A late departure from Athens meant we reached Amsterdam too late for the Inverness connection. KLM couldnt rebook us until Monday. Due to storm disruption there was almost no hotel availability in Amsterdam, so we ended up having to book the first night at the Waldorf Astoria for 549 [480]. With our checked bags in the transit system, we also bought basic clothes and toiletries. Are we entitled to full reimbursement of the hotel, essentials and meals? And should we get additional compensation for arriving two days late? John I A Air passengers rights rules have two aspects. The first is the duty of care an airline must discharge regardless of the cause of a long delay, cancellation or (as in your case) missed connection. The carrier is obliged to provide meals and accommodation as appropriate. In circumstances where there is widespread disruption such as extreme weather as opposed to a one-off aircraft problem due to a mechanical issue airlines may tell passengers to find somewhere to stay and send in the bill for reimbursement. Your first night hotel was much more that KLM would like to pay, but the airline will surely know the city was very heavily booked on that night and cough up. Carriers have in the past disputed expensive meals, and/or demanded itemised receipts to ensure that you are not claiming for alcoholic drinks. You may face pushback on the basic clothes and toiletries there is no definitive rule, but I imagine anything much over 30 (25) will be called into question. The other aspect of passengers rights is compensation when the airline is at fault. Bad weather is regarded as an extraordinary circumstance and saves the airline from having to pay out. But your travel insurance if you have some may make a modest payment of perhaps 100 per person for such a long delay in returning home. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed your unexpected day in Amsterdam. Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, has confirmed air traffic controllers are not being paid because of the government shutdown. The budget crisis has plunged public services into turmoil, with airports forced to cancel or delay thousands of flights because they cannot afford to pay staff. That means flight schedules have been thrown into chaos, leading travelers to desperately work out what their rights are before heading to the airport. Duffy has warned that the problem could continue to drag on and told Fox and Friends things could get worse before they get better. open image in gallery Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that the delays are going to get worse before they get better ( AP ) "The first day is hard, but the second day is even harder than that, he said. And the third day. Because they have gas, they have childcare costs. Controllers, TSA officers and air safety personnel are required to work without pay during a shutdown, forcing many to take second jobs, according to Duffy. The shutdown will continue until Congress agrees on a spending plan, although Republicans and Democrats remain at loggerheads over GOP plans to axe Affordable Care Act subsidies and to slash Medicaid. Is it safe to fly during a government shutdown? The Transportation Secretary would not answer questions on Fox & Friends about how safe it is to fly amid the shutdown. I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home, he simply said. However, earlier this month, Henry Harteveldt, the president of the Atmosphere Research Group, spoke to CBS News to reassure people that flying remains safe during a government shutdown. There is no slacking, he said. FAA safety standards don't go on hiatus just because the government is shut down." Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must still work even though they are not being paid during the shutdown. Should travelers expect delays because of the shutdown? open image in gallery Thousands of flights have been delayed or cancelled because of a government shutdown which is entering its third week ( Getty ) In order to keep up the high standards of flight safety required by law, airports limit the number of planes that can take off each day. On Sunday, the 26th day of the shutdown, there more than 8,000 flights cancelled across the country due to major staff shortages. That was up from 5,300 on Saturday. Southwest Airlines has 2,000 flights delayed Sunday, while American Airlines had nearly 1,200, according to FlightAware. United Airlines had a further 739 flights delayed and Delta Air Lines 610 flights. Duffy told reporters that an average of 5 percent of flights are being delayed per day. However, this number has risen to as high as 53 per cent. Multiple airports have been affected in major cities across the country since the shutdown began, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta among others. In the last week there have been reported delays of 105 minutes at Newark Liberty International and 86 minutes at JFK. Disruption has continued to cause problems on Tuesday, with a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration suggesting 7,000 flights have been delayed across America. Airports particularly affected include the aforementioned Newark airport, as well as Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. While the shutdown drags on, travelers can expect delays to continue. Since the crisis has unfolded during fall, delays have been made worse by extreme weather conditions. open image in gallery Major airports from coast to coast are struggling with flight delays caused by staff shortages ( AFP/Getty ) What should travelers do to minimize the impact of the delays? Melanie Fish, a travel expert at Expedia, told The Washington Post that people should arrive at the airport much earlier than normal. Since there could be staffing shortages at TSA, queues could take much longer than normal. Another expert, John Rose from Altour, said travelers should book flights with longer connection times in case their first plane is delayed. I like people to prepare for these things because its going to get a lot worse if the shutdown continues, he told The Post. Can you get a refund if your flight is delayed because of the shutdown? open image in gallery Pete Buttigieg, Joe Bidens secretary of transportation, introduced laws which require airlines to give you a refund if delays exceed a certain duration ( Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) If your travel plans are disrupted, rules introduced by the Biden-Harris administration require airlines to give you a full refund if the delay exceeds a certain duration. Refunds become available after delays which stretch over three hours for domestic flights and over six hours on international flights. At the time, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them. All of those laws remain in effect even during a government shutdown. Passengers need to make the refund request themselves by contacting the airline online or on its customer helpline. During times of mass cancellations, this could make the process take much longer than normal. While speaking to officials who may be in a rush to get to another customer, it is important to be clear with the company about whether you want a full refund or whether you want your tickets to be transferred to another flight. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice On Saturday, Turkish Airlines decided I wasnt fit to fly, writes Mark Mardell. The former BBC Newsnight political editor, who is living with Parkinsons disease, says: Rest assured I wasnt drunk, violent or even late. No, my sin was having Parkinsons. I was flying from Istanbul to Gatwick. Checked in, bag gone down the chute, but before I even got through security Id been chucked off the flight. Apparently, Turkish Airlines has decided that people with Parkinsons are a danger to themselves or others. Parkinsons is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and can cause tremors. Mr Mardell is a presenter, along with Jeremy Paxman and other media figures living with Parkinsons, of the award-winning Movers & Shakers podcast. He describes his experience at the hands of Turkish Airlines at the carriers main base, Istanbul airport. Ground staff insisted he needed a report from his doctor containing the phrase: There is no harm in travelling by plane. The broadcaster has travelled widely by air while living with Parkinsons. His experience was made worse by having to spend seven hours at the airport trying to retrieve his checked baggage. He then booked a hotel and flew home the next day with Wizz Air, without any problems. The Independent has approached Turkish Airlines for comment on the incident, and, more widely, on its policy to require a doctors report from people living with Parkinsons or autism. How widespread are such demands and why are airlines so concerned about passengers health? These are the key questions and answers. Why do airlines need to know about a passengers medical history? All airlines want to know: does this person present a potential problem to other passengers and crew? Risks include an individual who is drunk, has a contagious disease, or appears to be in such poor health that a medical diversion might be necessary. Airlines want to identify any possible conditions that could be exacerbated by flying. These include: Unstable cardiac or pulmonary (heart or lung) conditions Recent surgery, which could leave a pocket of air trapped in the body that expands in flight Wearing a cast over a fracture: unless the plaster is split, low cabin pressure can lead to an extremely painful swelling Being heavily pregnant, typically from 28 weeks onwards Surely if someone is ill, the pilots can simply divert? Yes, and they always do when there may be a risk to life. But diversions can prove extremely disruptive and expensive. In April, for example, a British Airways flight from the Bahamas to London diverted to Newfoundland because of a medical emergency, but could then get only as far as Iceland before the crew reached their legal limit and ran out of hours. Passengers were stuck until BA laid on a special flight to take fresh pilots and cabin crew out to Reykjavik. Medical diversions appear to be becoming more common among European and North American airlines. There are three reasons: The average age of airline passengers is rising, increasing the likelihood of poor health Carriers are using bigger planes: with more people on board, there is a higher chance that someone is going to fall ill There are more ultra-longhaul flights, during which there is more scope for a passenger to fall ill Carriers understandably want to know all relevant health information in order to protect the health of the individual and the plans of other passengers. What risk does someone with Parkinsons disease pose to a flight? It is hard to see how people living with the condition could constitute a danger to themselves or to others. Mr Mardell is unaware of such a request being made by any other airline. Parkinsons UK, which represents people living with the condition, does not indicate any problem for the passenger. The organisation says: Its important to drink plenty of fluids during your flight, so you dont become dehydrated. This is particularly important if you have low blood pressure. If the cabin crew know you have Parkinsons, they can make sure to offer you drinks throughout the flight. What does Turkish Airlines ask for? The carrier makes clear on its website that passengers living with Parkinsons need a doctors report that includes a statement specifying that the passenger can travel accompanied or unaccompanied. The report must be in Turkish or English and obtained at least 10 days before the flight. It must include the doctors name, surname, diploma number and signature, and the phrase: There is no harm in travelling by plane. People with autism who are travelling alone must also produce a doctors note stating that they can travel by plane without a companion. Like Mr Mardell, The Independent is unaware of other airlines making similar stipulations. To its credit, Turkish Airlines, most unusually, offers discounts to disabled passengers. Turkish citizens who are members of the Miles&Smiles frequent-flyer scheme and are registered disabled get 20 per cent off domestic flights and 25 per cent off international flights. The carrier adds: Passengers who are not citizens of the Republic of Turkiye can benefit from the discount by presenting the disability certificate issued by the official authorities in the country of their citizenship to the sales office. What happens next? Mr Mardell has asked Turkish Airlines for an explanation of its unusual requirement. The carrier has contacted him via social media and says it is investigating the incident. He has also complained about his treatment to the Civil Aviation Authority. Could airlines get more inquisitive about a passengers health? I believe so, at least in regard to older travellers on longer flights. The Civil Aviation Authority points out: The majority of in-flight emergencies occur in situations when an individuals medical condition is unknown to the airline. Many such cases involve passengers of advanced years. It could be that airlines will start to require anyone above a certain age, possibly 80, to complete a medical questionnaire before being allowed on board a longhaul flight. Read more: What happens if EES makes me miss my connecting flight? Donald Trump appeared to wander off while being given a tour by new Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi. During a welcome ceremony, the new leader of Japan guided the president around a room filled with troops and dignitaries. At one point, Trump saluted the US and Japanese flags and then kept walking, leaving Takaichi behind to bow to the flags alone. On two other occasions, she had to direct him where to walk. During the trip to Asia, Trump confirmed that hed had an MRI during a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center but would not disclose the reason. The wind comes with a roar that sounds like a hundred trains rushing at you at once. All we are hearing in Kingston is howling winds, and every now and again, an explosion, which is an electricity transformer blowing somewhere. Its been raining non-stop since last night, and the ground is boggy and waterlogged. When its giant gusts whip up, it makes me shudder. I now know what a sitting duck feels like. The word Ive been using since yesterday is dread, bubbling up, and you try to calm it down and go about as normally as you can, while you can. You can fight this sense of impending horror. For in the wake of a storm, its not just what the winds wreak, but all that follows. Looting and crime go through the roof, you have to worry about that kind of thing, as well as shortages of food. The population is already at their limit with how much things have gone up in price, so when a storm like this happens, it just compounds all of that. And I am trying to stifle that sense of creeping panic. open image in gallery Are we all as insignificant as ants? These storms and these huge forces of nature make you realise how insignificant you are ( SeeJamaica ) This thing has been coming for more than a week. We thought it was going to hit us last Thursday. Then last Thursday was bright and sunny all day long and not a drop of rain. And then they said no, it will come next week. People ended up hurricane shopping every day of the week since then, so every time you thought it was going to come tomorrow, it didn't. There was no bread to be found anywhere for the last week. Last night I cooked a beef curry thinking that my friends could come over in the evening but of course things deteriorated. Finally, today is the first day. Landfall arouses a certain sense of dread in me. I can just imagine whats going on in that radius of 13 miles where they have hurricane force winds, including St Elizabeth, where they were hit very badly two years ago. It also makes you wonder about what the meaning of life is and other profound questions. It makes you think, There but for the grace of God go I. Its just a matter of luck that I happen to be in Kingston and that I didnt buy a property in St Elizabeth, waiting for everything to go up in the wind and smoke. The poet Kamau Brathwaite said the hurricane doesnt roar in pentameter. We cant describe it using the standard English language. Thats one of the problems if you were able to interview people who were patois speakers they would put it so lyrically it makes you realise how insignificant you are in the face of such strength and fury. You are a speck of sand on a little island, in the backyard of the US. Then it makes you wonder about life itself. Are we all as insignificant as ants? open image in gallery The skies are impenetrably grey: People walk down a road in Rocky Point, Jamaica ( AP ) My French doors looked like they were going to burst open with the pressure and so I propped them open to face the storm. My upstairs neighbour has moved in because the wind up there is getting to her. But I dont think Im in any danger right now. I live in a solid concrete apartment building. The people going to shelters are the less fortunate who dont have reliable housing or they live too close to rivers and gullies. Ive thought about the trees well lose, the homes that will lose their roofs. But having lived through Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, it was almost as if the landscape appreciated the pruning. Within a couple of months, everything was bursting back. But at first it was scarred, it was like it was wounded. Everywhere you went, there were signs of the catastrophe. In Kingston, we have Hope Road, where all the telegraph poles were flattened so it looked like a railway line, right down from one end to the other. Nature bounces back. I dont know whether these great big apartment buildings that are mushrooming all over the place in Kingston will have the same luck. The skies are impenetrably grey. I cant see the hills that normally I can see. It seems as if the sky has been packed with clouds, so thick that the sun could never break through. And thats how you feel. A director of an insolvent packaging company had been taking payments in excess of 45,000-a-month from the business prior to its collapse into liquidation. The average Irish advertising agency enjoyed a 24pc increase in revenues last year, a survey by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) has found. Revenues in the first six months of 2025 were up a further 20pc on the same period last year, according to the report, which is based on data from 22 agencies that are members of IAPI, representing two-thirds of the sector. Profits at Irish unit of e-commerce group ESW fall to 10.6m Revenue decline also means likely IPO will be delayed until 2027 at the earliest Its believed that Nike is ESWs single biggest customer. Photo: Nicole Tung/Bloomberg John Mulligan Mon 27 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Ireland-based global e-commerce platform ESW saw profits after tax at its main Irish unit tumble from 15.4m to 10.6m last year as it continued to invest in the business. Ring sales at Goffs fell by 13pc in the year to the end of March, while pre-tax profits at the bloodstock auctioneering business declined by 22pc to 2.83m. Irish civil liberties group complains to European Commission about Data Protection Commissioners previous tech roles ICCL claims Niamh Sweeneys background at Meta should have precluded her from getting public sector job Data Protection Commissioner Niamh Sweeney Adrian Weckler Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 18:31 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has filed a complaint to the European Commission over the appointment of the Data Protection Commissions (DPC) most recent Commissioner, Niamh Sweeney. This Limousin cross weighing 420kg sold for 2,480 at Elphin last Wednesday. Photo: Gerry Faughnan No one thought numbers would continue this far into October, said Castlerea mart manager Brendan Egan after his sale last week. And it may not be over yet, with Brendans experience telling him a harsh spell of weather will see more weanlings coming. Gerry Clifford in Ballinakill had a different take. With close to half his total entry of 610 made up of weanlings mostly at 6.00-7.00/kg he said: Weve had good numbers throughout the year so I dont see any mad rush developing at this stage. With demand strong on Saturday, Gerry said forward bullocks were selling well north of 4.60/kg while Angus stores were up 10c/kg, averaging around 4.30/kg. In Macroom on Saturday Gerry Sullivan presided over a sale of 1,100 where the general run of weanlings made 5.80-6.00/kg. Angus bullocks and heifers ranged from 4.00-4.50/kg, with Friesian bullocks at 3.70-4.00/kg and continental heifers at 5.00-5.60/kg. Several animals were donated to aid the recovery fund for 13-year-old Feile OSullivan, who suffered life-changing injuries in a farm accident in the summer. Among the animals auctioned were an Angus weanling that made 3,000 and a continental bullock that sold for 12,000. Well done to all. Michael Harty of Central Auctions in Tipperary said numbers had started to ease back but slightly more farmers were buying. He reckoned some had held off buying to see if the factory price pulls of September and early October might affect mart prices. Mart prices did fall by up to 50c/kg for bullocks during September as a result of a concerted effort by processors to bring factory base prices back to 7.00/kg. By the last week of September, it was clear this had failed and mart prices began to recover. Ringside data shows that overall average prices for stores under 600kg have recovered some but not all of that 50c/kg loss. There is, however, one exception lighter continentals. By the end of last week, the overall average price for 300-400kg continental bullocks was 60c/kg above where it was at the end of September. Back then they were at 4.73/kg overall, last week they averaged 5.32/kg a jump of 180-240/hd. The lift for better quality is even more dramatic: from 5.51/kg five weeks ago to 6.28/kg last week a rise of 87c/kg or 231-308/hd. This increase for lighter continentals appears to be driven by a combination of shipper buying and farmers deciding to step back in weight in the hope of keeping their numbers up and money down, compared to what they would have to give for a more forward continental store. However, the majority of stock under 600kg have not seen anything like those increases. Last week, Angus and Hereford steers generally ranged from 4.20-4.47/kg an in increase of just 9-10c/kg over their late-September 4.11-4.37/kg, with better types up 14c/kg at 4.52-4.94/kg versus 4.38-4.80/kg. Friesians under 600kg were better by 20-22c/kg, at 3.76-3.85/kg as against 3.54-3.65/kg at the start of the month, while the top end is now 18-27c/kg dearer at 3.97-4.31/kg versus 3.79-4.06/kg at the end of that factory price pull. Continentals over 600kg are averaging just 5c/kg stronger at 4.36/kg than at the end of September. By comparison 600kg+ Angus and Hereford bullocks are 18c/kg better overall at 4.09/kg, with better types up 23c/kg to 4.37/kg, while heavy Friesians are up 14c/kg at 3.72/kg, with better types up 15c/kg to 3.92. In the know around the marts Macroom mart Saturdays sale had 1,100 cattle on offer including weanlings for the show and sale the 390kg Belgian Blue champion sold for 2,710, with the first runner-up being a 355kg Limousin at 2,360. On the bullock side there was a full clearance with Friesian stores at 3.70-4.00/kg, Hereford and Angus at 4.00-4.50/kg and continentals at 4.70-5.00/kg. Ten 422kg Angus made 1,820/hd, 390kg Friesians sold for 1,560/hd and 390kg continentals made 2,020/hd. Cull cows also met a full clearance, with 750kg Friesians selling to 2,540/hd or 3.89/kg and parlour types making 2.50-3.00/kg. Ballinakill mart Numbers on Saturday reached 610, almost half of which were weanlings 200-350kgs made 6-7/kg, with shippers very active. A 400kg Charolais-Limousin cross sold for 2,820 (7.05/kg) and a 320kg Belgian Blue made 2,550 or 7.97/kg. Forward stores were up 50-80/hd, with 520-540kg Charolais-Limousin crosses selling for 2,730-2,860/hd. 850-905kg Charolais made 4,250-4,400/hd, or 4.86-5.00/kg. Friesian bullocks also saw a good trade, with ten 490-510kgs averaging 2,055/hd. Roscrea mart Fridays numbers eased back to 600 but farmer demand increased and prices rose. Hereford bullocks included 1,820/hd for eight at 400kg, 1,620 for two at 340kg and 1,510/hd for three at 317kg. Friesian store numbers were small, with 4.00/kg very achievable for smarter types which included 495kgs at 2,050/hd or 4.14/kg. Among the heavier bullocks 690kg Limousins hit 3,140/hd, with 662kg Charolais at 3,280/hd going for further feeding. A strong trade for heifers included eight 350kg Angus at 1,630/hd and three 540kg Charolais at 2,790/hd. Carnew mart The entry on Saturday was just shy of 1,100, with prices up 50-70/hd. Demand was very especially strong at 450-600kg. 410kg Hereford bullocks sold to 4.63/kg, with 524kg Angus reaching 5.24/kg. On the heifer side three 418kg Charolais made 5.21/kg, with 468kg Limousins selling for 5.30/kg while a 604kg Charolais made 5.07/kg. Top calls for forward/beef types included 3,190 for a 668kg Limousin bullock and 3,090 for 570kg Charolais heifer. Castlerea mart Thursdays entry of 700 met a very good trade, driven by farmers needing to replace the beef or forward stores they had sold. Continental runner calves sold for 760-2,480/hd. Among the stores and forward heifers, a 425kg Limousin made 2,400/hd and a 565kg Limousin made 3,100. At last Mondays sale of 260 bullocks, 2,840-2,880/hd was paid for 470-475kg Charolais and Limousins, with a 610kg Angus making 3,190. Final phase for trials for the vaccine and companion skin test expected to conclude in 2026 The UK is hopeful that a combination of a cattle vaccine and companion skin test for bovine tuberculosis will be deployable in the next few years. It comes as the next phase of trials is scheduled to conclude next year, following successful safety results from the first two phases of the vaccine and companion skin test, which could help save thousands of cattle every year that would have been culled to prevent the spread of disease. The trials, overseen by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), are taking place on farms across Englands Low-Risk Area and Wales Low TB Area, involving at least 10 farms and around 750 animals. The agency said that vaccinating cattle against bTB would present a significant new tool in the fight against the disease. It has the potential to protect individual animals from infection and create a barrier to transmission within herds and across populations, a spokesperson said. APHA has said that research studies have indicated that the vaccine and companion DIVA skin test are safe and that the test performs well, under controlled APHA facility environments. This third phase has been designed to provide additional information to guide how the vaccine and skin test can be used most effectively to support England and Wales eradication strategies. The completion of phase three will mark the end of field trials for the bTB vaccine. Bovine TB remains one of the worlds most challenging animal health problems. APHA estimates that in England alone, it costs around 100m (115m) every year, with an estimated further 50m (57m) cost to the wider farming industry. It said over 60,000 cattle in England and Wales were slaughtered during 2023/24 to tackle the disease. In Ireland, the cost of the countrys bovine TB eradication programme has gone up in recent years, to over 100m last year, and in the 2026 budget, Minister Martin Heydon announced an increased TB budget of 85m for 2026, bringing the total to 157m. The cost of the bTB Programme is substantial for the Exchequer, farmers, and the agri-food industry, with an estimated 70m lost in milk revenues at farm-gate prices alone in 2024. To tackle the disease, Minister Heydon unveiled a new bTB Action Plan in September, which includes 30 measures ranging from improved biosecurity and communication to changes in movement testingand a national breeding strategy aimed at increasing cattle resistance to TB. EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen said Europe does not have a healthy situation when it comes to farmers' age. Photo: Getty Images European Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen has reiterated his commitment to helping young farmers and reducing the level of EU payments available to older farmers. I believe the overall objective should be that the money, which is limited, should go to those who actively farm, he said. CHI administrator claims she was dismissed after being told to suspend names of 10 children on spinal surgery waiting list Anita Littles lawyer said she had been scapegoated as she was granted an interim injunction restraining her dismissal in the High Court today Stock image Tim Healy Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 18:24 The High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining Children's Health Ireland (Ireland) from dismissing a business manager. Dick Henggeler took proceedings against the company behind the festival last year Doubt has been cast over whether a lawsuit over control of the company behind the Rose of Tralee will now proceed following the death of the US investor who took the case. Councillor texted garda to sort speeding ticket while at the same time calling for review of speed van locations, trial told You have to take it on the chin Joey OBrien notes gap in class but fears Shels players showed Palace too much respect Giraffes are one of the attractions at Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, which is also one of the world's premier breeding sites for endangered species. Photo: Neil Danton Tanaiste Simon Harris has said the civil war in Sudan cannot be ignored as he condemned the use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. There have been major delays across Dublin this evening after the Dart was suspended due to a technical issue. The Dart service was earlier suspended between Dun Laoghaire and Bray due to a technical issue, however, it has now been reopened with delays, Irish Rail said. LATEST | President Higgins returns to Aras after two-night hospital stay Mr Higgins has just two weeks left at Aras an Uachtarain before handing over to Catherine Connolly on November 11. President Michael D Higgins speaking during his final afternoon tea event before he leaves office, at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin last Wednesday. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire Kevin Doyle Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 16:09 President Michael D Higgins has been discharged from hospital and has returned to Aras an Uachtarain. A priest in the west of Ireland has appealed to people to stop posting comments such as he is in a better place now or she is at peace with the angels when sending condolences for those who have died by suicide. There was always something missing Dublin woman on why she left desk job to become a firefighter Jane Cassidy (27) says the career change was daunting, but incredibly rewarding Jane Cassidy (27) left a retail and communications job to join Dublin Fire Brigade Sarah Burke Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 06:30 A Dublin woman who left her corporate job to join Dublin Fire Brigade has said trading a desk for a firefighters suit was the best decision she ever made. Joe Barnes: Russias latest attempt to reach out to Trump smacks of panic Kirill Dmitriev, Moscows top economic envoy, visits Washington after US imposes crippling sanctions on Russian oil companies US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Photo: Getty Joe Barnes Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlins top economic envoy, arrived in the United States with holes in his sails and no wind to push him forward. He was a man on a desperate mission. Taoiseach Micheal Martin with Ambassador of Canada to Ireland Dennis King and speakers. Calls have been made for North Cork to be twinned with a prominent Canadian county with Irish roots following successful Peter Robinson Settlers week in September. The Peter Robinson Emigration Scheme was one of the largest government-assisted emigration programmes in Irish history which saw over 2,000 people from Cork, Limerick and Tipperary move to Ontario 200 years ago. Fianna Fail councillor, Ian Doyle proposed a motion for North Cork and Peterborough County to be twinned to promote the common cultural and economic benefits during a recent Northern Committee meeting. My motion follows a very successful week-long Peter Robinson visit by our Canadian diaspora in North Cork. We had over 200 Canadians for the week here spending money in North Cork. It included the Mayor of Peterborough County and the Chief Executive as well, which was then followed up, totally unrelated, by a week-long visit by Cork County Council and our Chief Executive to Canada. What came from both visits is the hunger and with our widespread diaspora in Canada, we have been concentrating on our friends in America, but certainly Canada is an area that is mad keen to come over here, he said. Unlike many emigration stories marked by tragedy, the Robinson settlers largely prospered, building thriving communities in the Peterborough area and beyond. The IrelandCanada Homecoming 2025 marked the first time their origins have been formally recognised in Ireland. Senior Executive Officer at Cork County Council, Aidan Creagh, said the council will investigate the nature of the twinning and what steps must be taken to make it happen. There are a few details to be sorted out because it is not across a singular municipal district. It is across the general North Cork area where the people came from. We will come back to you, hopefully by the next meeting with a proposal as to how we would go about doing it, he said. Mr Doyle thanked Mr Creagh for the reply and suggested a committee may need to be set up. During the visit in September, 190 descendants of the Peter Robinson emigration scheme travelled to the Ballyhoura region for a historic homecoming that included heritage tours and community gatherings. The visitors attended the Robinson Settlers Emigration Scheme conference at Saint Georges Arts and Heritage Centre, Mitchelstown, and the final commemoration ceremony at Griston Bog and Woodland, Ballylanders, Co Limerick. Two custom plaques - one to remain in Ireland and one to travel to Canada - were unveiled as a symbol of enduring connection. Speaking at the event, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: This has been a powerful week in Ballyhoura, honouring the 1823 and 1825 emigrants and recognising the communities from which they came. We acknowledge the pain of parting, the strength of those who left, and the steadfastness of those who remained. The IrelandCanada connection is not abstract - it is lived in families, in scholarship, in art, and in welcome. The plaques and the tree at Griston Bog will stand as lasting markers of our shared past and a hopeful future. I congratulate everyone involved, Mr Martin said. Nearly 850 people have received addiction treatment from Coolmine in Cork and Kerry so far this year, including 415 people seeking alcohol treatment. The statistics for the first nine months of the year were recently released by Coolmine Therapeutic Community. They indicate a continued predominance of alcohol-related treatment in the South-West, with 50% of all presentations linked to alcohol use, followed by 24% linked to cocaine use and 11% linked to cannabis use. Between January and September 2025, 829 individuals accessed Coolmines South-West services, including 415 seeking alcohol treatment. The regional profile differs from national trendsclients are predominantly male (64%), over 50 years of age (31%), and living alone (28%). Notably, 20% present with both a mental health and alcohol-related diagnosis. Coolmines wraparound approach ensures that addiction treatment is supported by linked mental health, housing, and family services, offering practical, person-centred recovery pathways across Cork and Kerry. Stephen Cashman, South-West Regional Services Manager said over half of all people seeking help in the South-West region are doing so because alcohol is devastating their health and family life. We are committed to helping individuals rebuild their lives with compassion, respect, and belief in their recovery. Coolmine continues to deliver accessible, evidence-based community supports across Cork and Kerry, including hubs in Cork City, Mallow, Midleton, Ahiohill, and Tralee, with satellite clinics extending care to rural areas in collaboration with the HSE. From a national perspective over 3,293 people sought help from Coolmine Therapeutic Community, Irelands National Drug and alcohol treatment centre, in 2024. This represents a 35% increase compared to the previous year. The figures, published in Coolmines 2024 Annual Report Building Recovery Pathways, reveal a growing national need for accessible, evidence-based addiction services. In 2024, Coolmine supported 3,293 individuals and their families, including 1,396 women an 11% year-on-year increase, reflecting reduced barriers to treatment such as stigma, childcare, and domestic violence and 326 families who accessed direct support, including counselling, parenting and education. The report also indicated that Coolmine supported 365 parents who completed the Parents Under Pressure (PuP) programme a 28% increase from 2023 demonstrating the value of family-based interventions and 52 children who entered womens residential services with their mothers, each receiving a personalised care plan and dedicated key worker. Coolmine achieved a 74% retention rate across residential services, double the international average, with clients reporting substantial improvements in health, housing, family relationships and financial stability. Pauline McKeown, Chief Executive of Coolmine Therapeutic Community said Ireland is witnessing an unprecedented rise in people seeking help for addiction. Last year alone, more than 3,000 people turned to Coolmine. Each one represents a story of courage and hope. Our mission is to ensure that every person, regardless of background, has access to compassionate, evidence-based treatment that helps them rebuild their lives. Ms McKeown continued: Our staff, volunteers and partners are at the heart of this success. Their dedication ensures Coolmine can respond to growing demand with innovation, integrity and care. We remain steadfast in our belief that recovery is possible and that no one should have to face addiction alone. Dublins vibrant contemporary art scene takes centre stage next month as Dublin Gallery Weekend (DGW) returns for its 2025 edition. The four-day festival running from November 6-9, presented by the Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA) and produced by SoSimpatico, promises a city-wide celebration of visual culture, featuring more than 100 artists across 40 galleries, cultural institutions, and creative spaces. This year, DGW has partnered with the Guinness Storehouse to continue the 25th anniversary celebrations of the iconic St Jamess Gate attraction. Through the public art initiative These Walls, the Storehouse has commissioned ambitious new works that celebrate the heritage and identity of Dublin 8. The initiative transforms public spaces into immersive artistic experiences, bringing art closer to communities and visitors alike. Guinness Storehouse Managing Director Catherine Toolan emphasised the significance of the collaboration: As we celebrate the 25th year of the Guinness Storehouse, we are thrilled to join forces with Dublin Gallery Weekend in a pivotal year for visual arts in Ireland. She added: Through this partnership, we deepen our commitment to commissioning contemporary art and amplifying fresh voices, building upon Guinnesss storied legacy of patronage and community investment in Dublin 8. Artist Niall de Buitlear A highlight of DGW 2025 is the launch of These Walls: Landmarks, a newly commissioned exhibition by Irish artists Hazel OSullivan and Niall de Buitlear. Drawing inspiration from Guinnesss archival content from the legendary ROSC exhibitions of 1984 and 1988, the works will be displayed in the Storehouses central atrium from November 7. Visitors can also enjoy Rising Conversations, a creative breakfast event in the Gravity Bar on November 7, featuring discussions with artists OSullivan and de Buitlear, Annie Fletcher, Director of IMMA, and Colgan. Meanwhile, Walking Tours: Art in Motion, on November 8-9, will guide attendees through the streets of The Liberties, uncovering site-specific artworks by Deirdre Breen, Owen de Forge, Alice Rekab, Venus Patel, Thais Muniz, and Farouk Alao, as well as large-scale public art by street artists like Aches. DGW offers a rich programme including artist talks, workshops, gallery trails, and family-friendly events. Highlights include Chilean artist Cecilia Vicunas Reverse Migration, a Poetic Journey at IMMA, and Just Another Human Experience by Japan-based artist Atsushi Kaga at the Douglas Hyde Gallery. The National Gallery of Ireland continues its major Picasso exhibition, alongside Maurice Marinot On Paper, In Glass, while Temple Bar Gallery+Studios hosts Frank Sweeneys Go Ye Afar. Full event details, gallery listings, and tickets are available at dublingalleryweekend.ie, with most events free of charge but some requiring booking due to capacity limits. News Buyer wanted to bring Galway nightclub back to life as price slashed on property A Galway nightclub has been put up for sale at a slashed price this week as it seeks a buyer to restore it to its former glory. The celebrations in the Mercy College count centre were low key on Saturday afternoon as it became apparent Catherine Connolly was on course for a decisive victory. With no doubt about the outcome Cllr Declan Bree began to ready himself for the journey to Dublin for the official declaration. Prior to his departure Cllr Bree noted he had been in Dublin for the declaration of Mary Robinsons victory 35 years ago but conceded it was extra special to be making the journey to toast Catherine Connollys victory. Speaking to The Sligo Champion, the Sligo-Leitrim Director of Elections of the Connolly for President campaign, Cllr Declan Bree, who is a brother-in-law of Catherine Connolly, said: This has been a stunning result for Catherine Connolly and all those involved in her election campaign. Today in Sligo-Leitrim and in constituencies throughout the country we have defeated the government and put a voice for ordinary people, for peace, housing, justice and solidarity into Aras an Uachtarain. Despite a negative campaign of fears and smears from the political establishment, people have delivered the largest Presidential vote ever for Catherine Connolly. Throughout our campaign, we built a popular unity around Catherines platform. We engaged thousands of people nationwide into participating and building this movement up from the grassroots. Today it is clear that people voted for the values which Catherine Connolly stands for defending our neutrality, opposing war and genocide and ending the normalisation of homelessness and inequality. The vote represents a resounding defeat for the politics of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and has shown that a left which unites and fights can develop the momentum to create a better Ireland. In terms of the campaign in the constituency I would like to take this opportunity to thank a number of people including Chris MacManus Director of Canvass, Pat Fallon, Michelle Brennan Shyabo and Helga Keogh. Also the leads in our postering teams Terry McGowan, Johnny Markey, John Cronogue. Thanks are also due to elected representatives and colleagues from Sligo including Mayor Cllr Gino O Boyle, Cllr Arthur Gibbons, Cllr Ann Higgins, Cllr Thomas Healy and Senator Nessa Cosgrove - And from Leitrim Deputy Martin Kenny, Cllr Eddie Mitchell, Cllr Brendan Barry, Cllr Padraig Fallon, Cllr Roisin Kenny and Cllr Cormac Flynn. Thanks also to the members of People before Profit, Sinn Fein, Labour and Social Democrats and the very large number of grass root activists who canvassed the highways and byways of this constituency. It was an amazing campaign, an intense campaign, with a huge number of households canvassed. I also must mention Catherines two sisters Teresa Connolly and Margaret Connolly, they did not leave a stone unturned in terms of the effort they put in to make the campaign a success. But the biggest thanks of all must go to the people in this constituency, in Sligo and Leitrim and South Donegal who have voted for Catherine and who made us so welcome at the doorsteps and who encouraged us on a daily basis through-out the election campaign. Today is their day. It is their victory. In this election people had a choice between a candidate who supported a Government which is overseeing a housing crisis, a waiting list crisis in the health sector, a cost of living crisis - and a candidate who has been standing up for those who are suffering. People had a choice between a Fine Gael candidate who suggested that the Occupied Territories Bill will not make any difference and a candidate who has been consistent for decades in opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestine. People had a clear choice between a Fine Gael candidate who supports the government's moves to scrap the Triple Lock and fundamentally undermine neutrality and a candidate who defends neutrality. The victory today does not mark the end of the campaign. I believe it actually marks the start of a movement for an alternative Ireland, an Ireland that will put hope and fairness back at the heart of our politics and makes change not just possible but inevitable, Cllr Bree said. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. Less than 48 hours after Heather Humphreys and Simon Harris went canvassing through the streets of Sligo town in the hope of securing crucial last minute votes, the mood amongst the Fine Gael contingent at the Sligo/Leitrim count centre was downbeat but they were nevertheless magnanimous in defeat. Before assessing where it went wrong for his party, Deputy Frank Feighan was quick to pay tribute to Catherine Connolly on her resounding victory. "Congratulations to Catherine Connolly and her team. They had a very impressive election. I noticed about two weeks ago we simply werent getting momentum with what I believe was an excellent candidate. Thats how Presidential elections work out and we have to dust ourselves off and again I congratulate Catherine Connolly and I wish her all the best as President of this great country. When asked if there was anything he would have liked to have seen Fine Gael do differently in the campaign Deputy Feighan replied, I dont think so. I think there was a resounding election for Catherine Connolly. I think there was a few things there was an anti-government vote and an anti-establishment vote and the momentum with Gaza and it was a very difficult election for the two government parties. You had Mairead McGuinness stepping down but I dont think Mairead McGuinness would have done any better Heather Humphreys in the current climate. Fianna Fail selected a candidate as well and that candidate stepped down, it certainly wasnt ideal. The fact that there wasnt enough names on the ballot paper, that resonated with our supporters and on the doorstep. One of the main talking points of the election was the number of spoiled votes with Deputy Feighan acknowledging the electorate delivered a message and that must be listened to. On the subject of spoiled votes, Deputy Feighan said, You have to deal with the issues that pertain in a very turbulent environment and you carry on but you have to listen to the people and on this occasion we have to listen twice as hard as normal. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. It was hailed as a gamechanger by Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald when she announced that her party would be throwing their weight behind the Catherine Connolly campaign and Deputy Martin Kenny was quick to pay tribute to the Galway native as it became clear she would romp to victory, long before all the votes were counted. "When asked if Catherine Connollys victory represents a victory for the left, Deputy Kenny replied, It certainly is and it is a sort of wind changing, things are turning and people are recognising that there is an alternative to the old politics of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and Catherine very much represented that and brought people together in that respect. "I think for the future if we can try to work an alliance between all of the political parties on the left, progressive parties that want to see a different Ireland, I think we can do that, and this is an example of that. It has shown that we can have electoral success, and we have seen that today with Catherine. Commenting on Sinn Feins decision not to run a candidate of their own but instead throw their weight behind the Connolly campaign, Deputy Kenny felt it was a decision that was vindicated. We were keeping our powder dry for a while but it was more than likely at all stages that was what we were going to do. Were delighted that it has worked out so well. Catherine will make an excellent President for Ireland and we look forward to having her in the Aras. The feedback and enthusiasm on the canvas gave cause for optimism for all associated with the Catherine Connolly campaign with Deputy Kenny saying, We knew it was going very well on the doorstep when we were out canvassing whether it was Sligo, Leitrim or any part of the constituency. People were saying they were voting for her anyway, that was the impression we were getting. "We were also aware it was competitive and elections are always competitive. Were delighted she has got such a good vote, she is clearly going to be over 50%, it is going to be a very clear and decisive victory. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. A Bray man who got involved in drug dealing to help pay his stepsons drug debt has avoided a custodial sentence after a court heard his family came under severe intimidation from a criminal gang. Zukauskas Linas (47), with an address in Bray, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty at Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court to possession of drugs for the purpose of sale or supply. The court heard from Detective Mark Colgan that in June 2024, gardai searched Mr Linass business premises, where they uncovered drugs and 16,500 in cash, found in various denominations. Det Colgan told the court that the defendant took ownership of everything seized at the auto-body premises. A set of scales was also found on the property, which Mr Linas claimed was used for weighing dirt-bike pistons. Counsel for the defence, Paul Murray SC, instructed by Brendan Maloney Solicitors, told the court that his client is a full-time mechanic who was fully cooperative with gardai. He said Mr Linas became involved in drug activity after his stepson, Jamie Gray, had accrued a severe drug debt. Mr Gray, of Hazelwood, Fassaroe, Bray, Co Wicklow, is well known to gardai and previously appeared before the Special Criminal Court in connection with organised crime activity. In 2023, he pleaded guilty alongside convicted murderer Robert Roo Redmond to possession of a PAK PM-63 sub-machine gun, discovered in a vehicle on the M11 at Shankill in May 2020. He has more than 90 previous convictions and was described by his defence as struggling with addiction and gambling issues at the time of the offence. The court heard that Mr Linas apologises to his adopted country He came to Ireland in the early 2000s, met Mr Grays mother, and raised her four children as his own, they also have one child together. Mr Linass wife told the court that it was her fault for persuading him not to go to gardai after the family came under drug intimidation. She said her family had been placed under extreme pressure, with windows smashed, a car damaged, and perspex fitted due to repeated attacks on their home. Decorative Scales of Justice in the Courtroom. Today's News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, October 28 The court also heard that when Mr Grays partner was intimidated by members of an unknown organised crime gang it was the straw that broke the camels back. When sentencing, Judge Patrick Quinn noted the early plea of guilt and the circumstances that led to Mr Linass offending. He imposed a sentence of two years and eight months imprisonment, but suspended the sentence in full for 18 months. Judge Quinn said: I am concerned that you engaged with these evil people and showed a lack of confidence in the system, but added, with the harrowing evidence I will suspend the sentence in full. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Cliodna Mitchell of Greystones, Co Wicklow, is presented with a 30 Year Service Award by Clare McGrath, Chairperson, Water Safety Ireland (left) and Jerry Buttimer, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (right). Photograph: David Branigan/Oceansport. Keith Keating and Stephen OShea are presented with Lifesaving Bravery Awards by Jane Humphries, Chief Superintenden of, An Garda Siochana and junior minister Jerry Buttimer. Photo: David Branigan /Oceansport Two Wicklow gardai who saved a man from drowning in the River Vartry, have been honoured with a bravery award at Water Safety Irelands national annual awards ceremony. The awards were held on Tuesday, October 21, at OReilly Hall, UCD, Dublin, in recognition of the 53 lives that were saved from drowning thanks to the swift and selfless actions of rescuers, who were all recognised at the ceremony. Among the award recipients were Garda Stephen OShea and Garda Keith Keating, who both received a bravery award. On July 17 this year, they both became aware of a man in difficulty in the water at the River Vartry in Wicklow town. The individual had become trapped by thick vegetation and overgrown trees. Both men entered the river from the opposite bank and swam toward the man, despite very poor visibility. They successfully reached him and managed to bring him to safety. Alongside bravery awards, more than 70 volunteers were given long service awards in recognition of their voluntary commitment to promoting a public awareness of water safety and rescue. Wicklow winners included Marlene Mitchell and Mhairi Nicoll for ten years of service. Katie Sexton and Claire Morton both received a 15 years service medal of honour, while Linda Farrell was rewarded with the 20 years of service bronze bar. The 30 years silver bar service recipients included Jackie Olohan, Cliodna Mitchell and Carmel OToole, while Marie Farrell and Joan Morton were recipients of the 40 years of service gold bar. Junior minister Jerry Buttimer TD, who presented some of the awards, said: It is a privilege to honour these extraordinary individuals who acted selflessly and courageously in moments of crisis. Their actions are a powerful reminder of the importance of water safety awareness, and of the life-saving impact of the work carried out by Water Safety Ireland and its dedicated volunteers across the country." WSI CEO Joanne Walsh commented: These awards shine a light on real-life heroes ordinary people who made extraordinary decisions in moments of crisis. Their actions saved lives and serve as an inspiration to us all. We urge everyone to reflect on these rescues and take time to respect the risks and enjoy the water safely. "Start a water safety conversation with your family, friends and colleagues and with the right knowledge, skills and attitudes everyone can avoid the hazards and take responsibility for their own safety. Plans for a Telsa electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in a location on the outskirts of Wicklow town have been deemed invalid because the wrong Eircode was provided. Tesla Motors Ireland Limited were seeking planning for high-speed electric-vehicle charging points and associated infrastructure at The Wilds Restaurant, The Beehive, Coolbeg. The proposed development involved the installation of eight electric vehicle charging bays with eight Tesla illuminated charging units and associated signage. Permission was also sought for the installation of Tesla supercharger power cabinet equipment, installation of a proposed modular substation, the erection of associated EV signage and all associated site development works including surfacing, lighting and line mark. The site currently comprises of a single building to the northwest of the development. McArdle Doyle Chartered Engineers, acting on behalf of the applicant, stated as part of the application that the proposed development would deliver the high-power charging infrastructure that is required by the modern electric vehicle consumer on a 24hr basis at a convenient location. The site is serviced, can absorb the development, is ideally positioned on the national road network and will not create any impacts in the area. However, the planning section of Wicklow County Council have informed the applicant that the application does not comply with the requirements of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended. In this instance, the site notice did not accord with the planning and development regulations, as the Eircode on the site notice is incorrect and may be deemed to be misleading by members of the public. The newspaper notice in place as part of the planning application also contained the wrong Eircode. Your job here is not to fight one another, it is to fight this climate crisis, UN climate chief tells Cop30 in Brazil The controversy surrounding Prince Andrew has continued to grow as King Charles was heckled during an engagement in the Midlands. Charles was a few metres away from a man in the crowd who asked a string of questions including How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? during the visit to Lichfield Cathedral on Monday. As Putins army closes in, some Ukrainians are refusing to leave their homes Donald Trump says report querying his health may be act of treason as he rages against op-ed Israel blocks Turkish role in force overseeing Gaza ceasefire Mr Erdogan criticised war in Gaza and Netanyahu and relations are now at an all-time low Destruction in a residential neighbourhood after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City. Photo: Reuters Justin Spike and Renata Brito Associated Press Tue 28 Oct 2025 at 06:30 Israel will not allow Turkish troops to take part in an international force the United States has proposed to oversee the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Israels top diplomat said yesterday. Israeli planes launched strikes in Gaza on Tuesday after Israel accused the militant group Hamas of violating a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, the latest test of a fragile deal brokered earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump. At least nine people were killed in the strikes, including four in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood and five in a car targeted in Khan Younis, according to local health authorities. A member of staff look at Canalettos masterpiece Venice, the Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day (Jonathan Brady/PA) A painting said to be Canalettos greatest depiction of Venice during his decade spent in England is expected to fetch for more than 25m at auction. The Bucintoro At The Molo On Ascension Day, which depicts the Feast of the Ascension, marking the day Jesus Christ was taken up to heaven in his resurrected body, was last auctioned by Christies in July 2005 when it sold for 11,432,000 (13m). Fengjie County makes full use of ecological, cultural, historical edges to build world-class tourist destination Xinhua) 11:22, October 28, 2025 This photo shows an exhibit at Kuizhou Museum in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi) An aerial drone photo shows a view of Qutang Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Liu Chan) A tourist experiences rubbing techniques at the ancient town of Baidi in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi) People look at an exhibit at the ancient town of Baidi in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi) People takes photos of a statue of Liu Yuxi, a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), at the ancient town of Baidi in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi) An aerial drone photo shows people visiting the ancient town of Baidi in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Liu Chan) This photo shows an exhibit at Kuizhou Museum in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi) An aerial drone photo shows a view of Qutang Gorge, one of the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River, in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Liu Chan) People visit the ancient town of Baidi in Fengjie County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 27, 2025. Fengjie, a county in Chongqing where the Kuimen gateway to the magnificent gorges of the Yangtze River is located, gained its reputation as the "city of poetry," as poets, military figures and politicians in history wrote extensively about the forbidding landscape of rapid currents and narrow waterways. In recent years, the county has made full use of its ecological, cultural and historical advantages, aiming to build itself into a world-class tourist destination. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Understanding Indias New HSN Code Guidebook 2025 Indias new HSN Code Guidebook (2025), released on October 6, 2025, introduces a unified framework for classifying goods under the GST 2.0. and Customs systems. Released by the Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the guidebook maps over 12,000 HSN codes, aligning Indias classification structure with global WCO standards. India has released a new HSN Code Guidebook to provide greater clarity and uniformity in product classification under the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Customs framework. The comprehensive dossier, released to the public on October 6, 2025, is a key step in improving tax transparency, compliance accuracy, and ease of doing business, particularly for manufacturers, importers, and exporters who rely heavily on correct product categorization. In a modern, complex trade environment where classification discrepancies can lead to tax disputes, delayed shipments, or compliance penalties, the new guidebook can serve as a much-needed reference for businesses navigating Indias evolving indirect tax landscape. It also incorporates an updated classification framework aligned with recent amendments to Indias Customs Tariff and the World Customs Organization (WCO) revisions, ensuring consistency with international nomenclature standards. The document is digitally accessible via the DPIIT website: dpiit.gov.in/ Understanding features of the new guidebook In September 2025, the central government unveiled a comprehensive guidebook mapping 12,167 HSN (Harmonized System of Nomenclature) codes to 31 ministries and departments. By linking each HSN code to its corresponding administrative authority, the new guidebook seeks to simplify regulatory decision-making, eliminate jurisdictional overlaps, and enable faster, data-driven policy responses. Out of the total 12,167 HSN codes, 11,651 have been formally accepted by the respective ministries and departments. HS Codes Accepted by the Central Government Ministries/Departments S. no. Ministry/department HS codes (8-digit level) 1 Department Of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare 289 2 Ministry Of Ayush 49 3 Department Of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals 1,900 4 Department Of Fertilizers 29 5 Department Of Pharmaceuticals 618 6 Ministry Of Civil Aviation 49 7 Ministry Of Coal 30 8 Department Of Commerce 348 9 Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) 2,938 10 Department Of Telecommunications 48 11 Department Of Posts 1 12 Department Of Food and Public Distribution 55 13 Ministry Of Culture 25 14 Ministry Of Defence 25 15 Ministry Of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) 178 16 Ministry Of Environment, Forest and Climate Change 125 17 Department Of Fisheries 374 18 Department Of Animal Husbandry and Dairying 264 19 Ministry Of Food Processing Industries 869 20 Ministry Of Heavy Industries 841 21 Ministry Of Information and Broadcasting 49 22 Ministry Of Mines 666 23 Ministry Of New and Renewable Energy 2 24 Ministry Of Petroleum and Natural Gas 86 25 Ministry Of Ports, Shipping and Waterways 34 26 Ministry Of Power 3 27 Ministry Of Railways 34 28 Ministry Of Steel 567 29 Ministry Of Textiles 2,176 30 Department Of Sports 34 31 Department Of Atomic Energy 45 32 Total 11,651 Source: Guidebook on Mapping HSN Codes 2025; Ministry of Commerce and Industry The remaining 516 codes are categorized under a residual grouping, with proposed alignments to ensure complete administrative coverage across sectors. Three-pillar framework for policy and trade enhancement The guidebook outlines a three-pillar framework designed to help ministries and departments utilize HSN code mapping to support industrial growth, quality enhancement, and trade competitiveness. 1. Manufacture in India It emphasizes strengthening domestic manufacturing through data-driven decision-making. HSN-level insights enable ministries to formulate targeted, product-specific policies, identify value chain links across raw materials and machinery, and align skill development initiatives with industry requirements to enhance workforce efficiency. 2. Strengthen Brand India The second pillar focuses on improving product quality and compliance, this pillar promotes the creation of a robust quality assurance ecosystem. 3. Make for the world The third and final pillar supports the enhancement of Indias trade performance through import monitoring, substitution, and export promotion. Data derived from HSN mapping assists ministries in tracking import patterns, identifying domestic production opportunities, and prioritizing export-oriented products with strong comparative advantages. These insights contribute to evidence-based trade policy formulation and strengthen Indias position in international trade negotiations. Enhancing the effectiveness of trade agreement negotiations Indias expanding network of Trade Agreements (TAs), including Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs), has become a central tool for advancing economic integration, improving market access, and strengthening global competitiveness. The 2025 HSN Code Guidebook is expected to augment Indias trade negotiation capabilities by providing ministries and policymakers with granular, product-level intelligence. Through precise mapping of over 12,000 HSN codes, the guidebook enables a more data-driven and coordinated approach to formulating Indias trade positions. By offering detailed classification and sectoral ownership of products, the guidebook allows negotiators to: Identify strategic product categories for tariff concessions or protection based on their economic importance and domestic sensitivities. Formulate accurate Rules of Origin (ROO) by understanding the products value chain, component structure, and industry linkages. Assess non-tariff measures (NTMs) such as technical standards, quality control orders, and regulatory requirements that may affect market access. Develop evidence-based negotiation strategies, ensuring that tariff liberalization aligns with Indias industrial priorities and global competitiveness goals. This structured and analytical framework helps align trade discussions with national economic priorities, sectoral strengths, and value-chain interdependencies. As a result, Indias negotiating teams can engage in more coherent, consistent, and strategically informed trade dialogues, ensuring that new and existing trade agreements deliver balanced benefits across industries. CLICK HERE: GST Reforms in India: How Foreign Companies Can Prepare Understanding the structure and application of HSN Codes In India, the use of HSN codes under the GST framework varies based on the annual turnover of a business: Turnover below INR 15 million (US$169,951): HSN code reporting is not mandatory. Turnover between INR 15 million (US$169,951) and INR 50 million (US$566,504): Businesses must use 2-digit HSN codes. Turnover above INR 50 million (US$566,504): Businesses are required to use 4-digit HSN codes. Import, export, and international trade: Require 8-digit HSN codes to align with global standards. Classification hierarchy of HSN codes The HSN system follows a tiered classification structure, organizing goods from broad categories to specific product types: Section (2-digit level): The system begins with 21 sections, each representing a broad class of goods. Example: Section I Live Animals and Animal Products. Chapter (2-digit HS Code): Each section is divided into chapters that refine the categorization. Example: Chapter 1 Live Animals. Heading (4-digit HS Code): Chapters are further broken down into headings for more specific groupings. Example: Heading 0102 Live Bovine Animals. Subheading (6-digit HS Code): Headings are subdivided to identify particular goods in detail. Example: Subheading 0102.21 Pure-bred Breeding Animals. Tariff line (8-digit HS Code): In India, tariff lines provide the most detailed classification, used for Customs and international trade. Example: Tariff Line 0102.21.10 Bulls. Compliance and business implications Accurate HSN classification is not merely a documentation exercise; it directly impacts tax liability, compliance status, and operational efficiency. GST return accuracy: Correct HSN codes ensure that GST returns, and e-invoices match system validations, reducing errors and reconciliation issues. Avoidance of penalties: Misclassification can lead to tax underpayment or overpayment, both of which attract penalties or refund delays. Audit preparedness: Clear documentation based on official references strengthens a businesss position during GST audits or departmental inquiries. Trade documentation: Proper classification facilitates smoother Customs clearance and prevents delays due to disputes over tariff headings. Businesses are therefore encouraged to revisit their current HSN mapping in ERP and accounting systems to verify compliance with the revised guidebook. This will help in identifying mismatches, updating product masters, and training staff involved in billing or filing returns. How the new HSN code guide supports businesses under GST 2.0 The rollout of GST 2.0 on September 22, 2025, with its focus on automation, interoperability, and data-driven compliance, underscores the need for accurate and consistent product classification. Indias new HSN Code guidebook is set to play a pivotal role in this transition by helping businesses strengthen GST reporting, minimize compliance risks, and align with future regulatory standards. By defining over 12,000 product classifications and linking them to the relevant ministries and departments, the document eliminates ambiguity in tax treatment and supports seamless data exchange between Customs, goods and services tax network (GSTN), and e-invoicing systems. This integration ensures uniformity across trade and taxation, improving reconciliation accuracy and reducing the likelihood of compliance disputes or refund delays. The guidebook also complements GST 2.0s risk-based assessment framework, enabling both businesses and authorities to identify trends and anomalies more effectively. KNOW MORE: GST 2.0: How Indias New HSN and SAC Code Structure Transforms Tax Compliance for Businesses Advisory insights: Preparing for implementation To effectively adapt to the new guidebook, businesses should take a structured, proactive approach: Conduct an internal HSN audit: Review all product and service classifications currently in use, verifying accuracy against the new guidebook. Update master data and ERP systems: Ensure that new codes and descriptions are reflected in accounting and inventory software. Train finance and logistics teams: Conduct training sessions on revised classifications and compliance requirements to reduce manual errors. Engage with vendors and partners: Communicate any changes in product classification to suppliers and distributors to maintain alignment across the supply chain. Leverage digital tools: Use online HSN search portals or professional advisory services for complex classifications, particularly for multi-component or hybrid products. By taking these steps, businesses can ensure smooth compliance and minimize exposure to classification-related disputes or audit risks. (US$1 = INR 88.26) ( Image credit : X/ @SirJamieH | Mike struggles to keep control of Kingstown ) Kyle McLuskys imprisonment and the fall of influence ( Image credit : X/ @4KStills | Kyle struggles to survive behind bars ) Inside Anchor Bay : A dangerous start for Kyle Mike got dragged into something he didnt expect. #MayorOfKingstown pic.twitter.com/t6J6diuXkS Mayor of Kingstown (@kingstown) October 28, 2022 New threats beyond the prison walls ( Image credit : X/ @4KStills | Mike fights to protect his brother and his city ) The 4th season ofbegan with a gripping premiere that pulls viewers back into the city's turmoil. The First episode opens with the brutal scene of Russian mobsters, setting the tone for a season that promises both violence and emotional turmoil. But beneath all the chaos lies a more personal battle, one that tests Mike McLuskys (Jeremy Renner) influence and resolve.Following the chaos of Season 3, Kyle McLusky finds himself behind bars for shooting rogue officer Robert Sawyer, a decision made to save innocent civilians and to protect Mike and their allies from exposure. Even though his actions were to protect others, Kyle faces a two-year prison sentence, though early release could be possible with good behavior.Desperate to protect his younger brother, Mike uses every string he can to secure Kyles safety in Anchor Bay Prison. But the arrival of Warden Nina Hobbs (Edie Falco) changes the power dynamics completely. When Mike asks her for help, she replies,Her refusal to cooperate leaves Mike powerless, a rare and dangerous position for the Mayor of Kingstown.The scenes inside the prison are some of the episodes most distressing. Without Mikes protection, Kyle is attacked on his very first day by an inmate wielding a lock in a sock, a cruel welcome, leaving him bruised and terrified. Viewers soon realised that Kyles cell is placed near Merle Callahan, leader of the Aryan Brotherhood, a detail that hints the assault was a calculated move. The incident highlights the limits of Mikes influence and how easily things can spiral when his control is tested.As Kyle fights to survive inside the prison, the streets of Kingstown are no safer. Bunny, the Crips leader and one of Mikes uneasy allies, barely survives a drive-by shooting possibly linked to a growing Colombian presence in the city. Ians concern about Colombians in Kingstown signals that the balance of power is shifting fast.As the episode ends, Mikes grip on Kingstown is slipping, his alliances are falling apart, and his brothers safety is uncertain, setting up a gripping and volatile season ahead. Trump is the master peacemaker pic.twitter.com/0orTwldk30 TheogeGlory (@GloryDoge) October 27, 2025 White House shares a viral GameStop meme featuring Donald Trump in Master Chief Armour ( Image credit : X | @WhiteHouse | Trump as Master Chief Goes Viral ) White House turned the console war post into a viral meme frenzy ( Image credit : X | @gamestop | GameStop Jokes Ignite Meme Frenzy ) Viral memes and White House banter drive GameSpot buzz even more ( Image credit : X | @PawlowskiMario | Halo Comes to PlayStation ) What does the 'Console War' meme really mean? Are you also getting bombarded with the internet's latest favourite meme called "Console War"? Well, the playful online trend has given GameStop a boost, pushing its shares up by 7 per cent after a series of humorous social media exchanges that even drew attention from the White House and President Donald Trump. The buzz regarding the same spiralled when GameSpot humorously announced that it had "outlived the console wars," alluding to Microsofts move to bring the Halo franchise to PlayStation. But what does the "console wars" meme really mean?On Sunday, the White House's social media account shared a striking AI-generated image depicting Donald Trump wearing Master Chief's iconic armour and wielding an energy sword. In the illustration, Trump is seen saluting a 40-star flag while the White House appears in the background with its demolished east wing restored.Further, the post, captioned Power to the Players, references a GameStop statement joking that the console wars are over following the announcement that Halo will be coming to PlayStation in 2026, merging pop culture, gaming, and political imagery into a viral online moment.In a move that blended the gaming world, political commentary and internet satire, Microsoft announced on Friday that the classic Halo: Combat Evolved, which was previously an Xbox exclusive, will be arriving on Sony's PlayStation 5 in 2026 under the new title called Halo: Campaign Evolved.According to, this announcement sparked an immediate response online, starting with GameSpot's tweet declaring the long-running "console war" officially over. Interestingly, what started as a marketing strategy quickly escalated into a meme-driven spectacle after the White House's official X (formerly called Twitter) account reshared a GameSpot meme featuring an AI-generated image of Donald Trump as Master Chief, accompanied by the tagline, "Power to the Players."The report further revealed that the playful online exchange continued when the administration's "Rapid Response 47" account joked that this marked the ninth war Trump had resolved, fuelling a flurry of gaming-related discussions.Meanwhile, GameStop amplified the frenzy with multiple posts, briefly sending its stock up roughly 7 per cent in pre-market trading. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Xbox remained silent, as fans and commentators dissected both the cultural impact and the commercial repercussions of the unexpected viral moment.The 'Console war' meme taps into the decades-long rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation, a defining element of gaming culture. GameStop leveraged this nostalgia by humorously positioning itself as a survivor of the era. When political figures joined the fun, most notably the White Houses AI-generated image of Trump as Halos Master Chief, reportsThe meme transcended gaming, blending humour, cultural commentary, and market speculation into a single viral phenomenon that captured widespread online attention. Comment byu/EasternTurtle7 from discussion inIndiaTech grokipedia content is adapted from wikipedia? im so confused pic.twitter.com/ZdB57dqg86 Aaditya Sabharwal (@Aaditya152007) October 28, 2025 What is Grokipedia? How is it different from Wikipedia https://t.co/op5s4ZiSwh version 0.1 is now live. Version 1.0 will be 10X better, but even at 0.1 its better than Wikipedia imo. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 28, 2025 Size of Grokipedia's knowledge base compared to Wikipedia ( Image credit : X | Is Elon Musk's Grokipedia better than Wikipedia? ) Is Grokipedia more neutral than Wikipedia? ( Image credit : X | Grokipedia accused of copying Wikipedia ) How to use Grokipedia effectively? How to correct information on Grokipedia? Grokipedia rips off directly from Wikipedia, word for word, formatting, structure, the whole thing. pic.twitter.com/HUVIgh5Swg Dave Jones (@eevblog) October 28, 2025 Elon Musk has launched his latest AI venture, Grokipedia, an AI-powered encyclopedia, which is an alternative to Wikipedia. Since the core aim was to provide fast, algorithm-driven knowledge generation, leveraging artificial intelligence for article creation and potentially reducing human editorial bias, it is already receiving backlash after people noticed that Grokipedia is copying pages from Wikipedia. "Well when you make the ultimate plagiarism machine, can't really expect not to see plagiarism," one of the users wrote."Wikipedia with extra steps if you will," said another user. "It's better at spreading rightwing propaganda than Wikipedia. Just read it's articles on vaccine and climate change," wrote another user. If you're also wondering what's going on, here's a simple guide to understand Grokipedia, how it works, and what you can do if you find wrong information there.Grokipedia is powered by artificial intelligence, created to challenge the dominance of Wikipedia. Unlike Wikipedia, which is written and edited by thousands of volunteers worldwide, Grokipedia uses AI algorithms to generate and update articles automatically. This makes Grokipedia not only faster at creating content but also makes it impartial.Currently, Grokipedia's knowledge base boasts nearly 885,000 AI-generated articles. While this sounds like a large number, it is still smaller than Wikipedia's over 6 million English articles. Another thing to note is that Grokipedia's content will grow rapidly compared to Wikipedia because of AI automation rather than human edits.While a lot of people doubt if Grokipedia is more neutral than Wikipedia, saying that "it's better at spreading rightwing propaganda than Wikipedia. Just read its articles on vaccine and climate change," Grokipedia claims to offer more neutral content by eliminating human bias using AI. Early reports and user feedback have also indicated that Grokipedia sometimes inherits biases from the sources it is learning from, including Wikipedia itself. Hence, neutrality is so far not guaranteed.Grokipedia works best as a search-driven tool. Instead of asking conversational questions like chatbots, users can enter specific keywords or topics to get quick summaries and information. In order to get the most accurate results, try using clear, precise search terms and cross-check information with other reliable sources.Correcting mistakes on Grokipedia is different from Wikipedia's open-edit system. Since Grokipedia content is AI-generated and automated, users cannot directly edit pages. However, they can report errors through the platform's feedback options or contact the Grokipedia team via official support channels. Reporting inaccuracies helps improve the AI's training data and future updates. So, you cannot directly correct information on Grokipedia.While Grokipedia is an exciting AI experiment that offers fast and vast content generation, as of now, there are potential inaccuracies that also include copying content from Wikipedia. Like Elon Musk says, "We will never be perfect, but we shall nonetheless strive towards that goal." A sign of reconciliation ( Image credit : X/DramaAlert | According to new court documents, both DDG and Halle asked the judge to dismiss their respective DVRO filings ) Co-parenting rules and social media boundaries ( Image credit : X/@DailyLoud | The filing also includes an important clause: neither parent can publicly insult the other or post their child online ) From court battles to music-driven peace ( Image credit : X/@DramaAlert | DDG extended an olive branch to Halle through his emotional track 17 More Years, where he praised her parenting and expressed a wish to end their fighting ) It seems Halle Bailey and DDG are finally ready to move forward peacefully. The former couple has officially dropped their domestic violence restraining order requests against each other and agreed on a temporary custody arrangement for their one-year-old son, Halo. The move marks a turning point for the pair, who have spent months battling in court following their October 2024 breakup.According to new court documents, both DDG and Halle asked the judge to dismiss their respective DVRO filings. The stipulation also outlines that while both retain the right to refile if any future incidents occur, they appear focused on creating a more stable environment for Halo.The agreement gives DDG custody on Wednesdays and select weekends, while the rest of the time will be spent with Halle. They even divided upcoming holidays, starting with Halloween, ensuring Halo can enjoy time with both parents.The filing also includes an important clause: neither parent can publicly insult the other or post their child online. Social media had been a major source of conflict between the two, with fans often speculating about their private lives. This new boundary signals a fresh start and mutual respect between Halle and DDG.Earlier this month, DDG extended an olive branch to Halle through his emotional track 17 More Years, where he praised her parenting and expressed a wish to end their fighting. The gesture seems to have worked, as the pair are now showing signs of genuine reconciliation. For two people who went from celebrating their love to feuding in public, this new agreement might be the first step toward lasting peace for their family. The costume claim & whats known so far conservatives were dressing up as george floyd and derek chauvin for halloween i do not care that people are doing the same for charlie kirk https://t.co/5gm3IxrYhl pic.twitter.com/u1jIVbmCIb ralph (@TheRocketRalph) October 27, 2025 Wow. The left are dressing up as dead Charlie Kirk for Halloween. I cant imagine being so heartless? Evil? Psychopathic? pic.twitter.com/ykBxKjOvuE Hazel Appleyard (@HazelAppleyard_) October 28, 2025 Reactions & implications from the X users ( Image credit : X/ @cotton30310191/ X user reacts to the Halloween costume post ) ( Image credit : X| @wcbuecker| Another X user slams the controversial Halloween costume ) ( Image credit : X| @alwaysknowking| Social media divided over shocking Halloween look ) Recent social-media posts claim that some individuals dressed up as George Floyd, former police officer Derek Chauvin, and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk for Halloween sparking viral outrage, political commentary, and heated exchanges online. The alleged costumes, which surfaced through screenshots and user-shared images, have fuelled a fresh wave of left-versus-right debate, as social media once again turns real-world tragedy and trauma into a battleground for cultural and political theatre.The murder of George Floyd by ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020 sent the world into a frenzy of protesting racism and the brutality of the police. In 2021, Chauvin was charged for second- and third-degree murder in addition to manslaughter with regard to the case thus sealing this tragedy in an important moment for America's reckoning with systemic abusive power. Floyd's death united millions as it did divide sharp ideological lines across much of the online space. Conservative commentators like Charlie Kirk often countered the established view of protests and policing, which increasingly led to heated clashes between left and right on social media.A handful of social-media posts, particularly on X, show people apparently dressed in costumes referencing the FloydChauvin incident, some spoofing the kneeling pose, others depicting Chauvin in uniform. However, investigative checks find no verifiable news report of a large-scale movement or organised event centred around such costumes.Similarly, a handful of posts circulating on X show users mostly left-leaning dressing up as Charlie Kirk, wearing a blood-stained FREEDOM T-shirt resembling the one he wore during the Utah Valley shooting incident. The costumes have sparked backlash from conservatives and Kirks supporters, who accuse users of mocking a traumatic event. While these posts have stirred sharp political reactions online, theres no indication of any organised or widespread offline trend behind them.People argue that turning real-life tragedies or individuals into Halloween costumes can trivialize serious issues and reopen emotional wounds for those affected.A user defines the entire incident in his tweet as: How many instances like this? 1? Show us how many more? And I'll show you thousands that mocked an execution of an innocent man!Another user reacted saying: These people who do these shock videos must love all the clicks and engagements they get thanks to Right wing pundits posting their videos over and overA lot of people also came and took a stand for Charlie Kirk, calling him a strong husband and father who was just doing his duty.By contrast, some individuals posting these images claim theyre making a political statement: pointing to perceived bias, critiquing what they see as cancel culture, or simply seeking attention via viral shock-value costumes.These incidents expose how Halloween costumes have become another battleground of political wars. Costumes once purely spooky or funny now often carry ideological weight. Mum who defied education norms now has a daughter making six figures ( Image credit : YouTube/Truly | Jenny and Mitch Erickson decided years ago that school was a waste of time. ) All about influencer, Calystabelle Erickson ( Image credit : YouTube/Truly | Calystabelle Erickson has 2.1 million TikTok followers. ) Parents defend their choice ( Image credit : YouTube/Truly | Jenny Erickson was trolled for quitting traditional schooling for kids. ) Family life beyond school Netizens react to the story A mother from the United States, Jenny Erickson, has hit back at trolls who mocked her decision to pull her children out of traditional school. The 45-year-old mum, who runs several businesses with her husband Mitch Erickson, said her choice to home educate her four children has paid off, especially after her youngest daughter, 21-year-old influencer Calystabelle, began earning a six-figure incomeJenny and Mitch Erickson decided years ago that school was a waste of time. They wanted their children, Chloe, 27, Colette, 24, Calystabelle, 21, and Christian, 17, to learn differently. Instead of sending them to regular classes, they taught them at home and took them around the world to learn from real-life experiences.On a recent episode of, Jenny explained talking tothat she wanted her kids to have the freedom to follow their dreams. Moreover, the family also wanted to spend more time together, something they felt regular school didnt allow. The couple, now, reveals homeschooling helped their children grow more confident and creative.Their decision to take a different route worked out well for their youngest daughter, Calystabelle, who is now a social media influencer with 2.1 million TikTok followers. She creates lifestyle and fashion videos, often featuring her family in them. The young influencer allegedly makes six figures a year, all from her online content.Calystabelle said she was never interested in a regular 9-to-5 job and that being homeschooled gave her the freedom to explore what she loved. She explained that she earns her own money and doesnt depend on her parents.Jenny and Mitch have also received their share of online hate. Some critics went as far as calling their parenting borderline child abuse, accusing them of giving their children a shallow worldview. But the couple disagreed.Mitch said that instead of raising children who are a menace to society, they have raised ones who are self-sufficient and hardworking. Jenny added proudly that her children have travelled the world and learned more by experience than she and Mitch ever did when they were younger.Jenny shared that homeschooling allowed her kids to study at their own pace, explore their creativity, and spend more time as a family. She believes this lifestyle taught her children how to handle money, business, and independence better than traditional schooling would have.Her husband, Mitch, said the goal was always to raise confident kids who know how to create their own opportunities rather than wait for them. The family continues to live together, often appearing in each others social media posts, showing their close bond.After the familys story appeared on YouTube, netizens were divided. Some supported their decision, while others strongly disagreed. One person wrote, Yay for these parents! Theyve taught their kids about money and how to be successful! Another commented, Good for you! I absolutely agree with you!Others, however, werent convinced. A user snapped, I dont even know where to begin. Knowing no trade and having no proper education will not carry you through life. Another said, Very unacceptable. A few even doubted the familys long-term success, with one viewer writing, Dont see this working out long term.Despite the backlash, Jenny and Mitch stand by their choice. For them, success means happiness and freedom, and they believe their daughters achievements prove that their unconventional path worked. Hannah Grubbs controversial Jamaica vacation ( Image credit : TikTok / @hannahhgrace21 | Influencer slammed for bragging about Jamaica trip ) ( Image credit : TikTok / @hannahhgrace21 | Hannah Grubbs controversial Jamaica vacation ) How netizens reacted Hurricane Melissa: Second-strongest Atlantic storm hits Jamaica ( Image credit : X/@TannerCharlesMN | Hurricane Melissa, with sustained winds of up to 185 mph ) A young social media influencer, Hannah Grubbs, is facing intense backlash online after posting videos about her vacation in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa, a deadly Category 5 storm, approaches. The storm, considered the strongest expected to hit the island, has already caused destruction across the Caribbean. As reported by, Hannahs posts have angered many who see them as tone deaf amid a natural disaster.Hannah Grubbs shared multiple TikTok and Instagram videos showcasing her time in Negril, Jamaica, despite the imminent storm. In one clip, she complained, Hurricane Melissa is out here messing with my vacation, while posing on her hotel balcony.Another video showed her walking through the airport, writing, Just two girls headed to Jamaica in a Category 5 hurricane. She also posted a clip of of being served a cocktail, joking, Pretending theres not a Category 5 hurricane hitting Jamaica.Her posts quickly sparked outrage, as many criticised her for flaunting a vacation while locals were facing life-threatening conditions.She faced intense criticism on TikTok, with many calling her content tone deaf. One user wrote how people were about to lose everything, including loved ones, yet the influencer was worrying about her vacation. Another said they would feel ashamed if people died while she purposely travelled there when locals had no money to leave. Critics also accused Grubbs of using resources that should have been available for Jamaicans ordered to evacuate or shelter in place, as reported by The New York Post.Hurricane Melissa, with sustained winds of up to 185 mph, is now the second-strongest storm in Atlantic history. The hurricane has already caused seven deaths across the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, and threatens life along the islands coast with a storm surge of up to 13 feet.Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone specialist at the World Meteorological Organization, warned, Its a catastrophic situation expected in Jamaica. For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure.Hundreds of tourists, including British visitors, are confined to their hotel rooms as authorities enforce safety measures. Some resorts have instructed guests to remain in place until at least Wednesday.The Category 5 storm is bringing extremely strong winds, up to 157 mph in some areas, heavy rainfall of up to 30 inches, and massive waves that have already battered Jamaicas southern coast. Homes and infrastructure have suffered significant damage, and residents continue to brace for the worst.Authorities estimate that around 1.5 million people could be affected, with the International Federation of the Red Cross noting that over half of Jamaicas population faces some level of risk. OpenAI Codex Making it so you could use your ChatGPT subscription for the Codex CLI was a big change for OpenAI. Previously, no one really used Codex CLI, which was a poor CLI and expensive. When GPT-5 came out, it was slow and underwhelming. Now, GPT-5-Codex is one of the best models, especially if you turn reasoning up. It is, however, very slow. Codex CLI is still not anyones favorite, but it is much better than it used to be. You can subscribe for $20 to $200, which gets you both ChatGPT and Codex. Everything will change next week Anthropic changed the game with their Claude Pro/Max plans. Qwen changed things dramatically by releasing an open-weight model that was actually useful (Qwen3-Coder-480B). Cerebras was the first inference provider to launch a subscription plan for an open-weight model and has changed the horizon for what is possible in terms of performance. Yet shortly after, several other providers followed with subscription models that, while not as fast, have technical advantages. And Qwen3 has lost its throne in terms of model capability. It is a great time to feast on the excess now that the Claude party is over. However, next month, expect new models and new subscription plans. Expect some of these providers to overload and fall over as they (like Z.ai) sign up more people than they can serve. Note that the same model can perform very differently between two different providers, and it isnt just quantization. Test them all with short-term commitments and be prepared to switch at the drop of a dime or a hot new model on Hugging Face. Gabriel Ruscalleda, an engineer at Chevron who graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, and his wife, Karina, as he accepts an award at the 2024 Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers hiring fair and convention in Anaheim, Calif., which was attended by 15,000. Nearly 10,000 are expected in Philadelphia for the 2025 event this week. Read more Carmen Mercado, a Comcast engineer, lives near the Convention Center, so she knows when the really big events are in town by the influx of people often in matching shirts who crowd the streets and her favorite places. This week, however, Philadelphia is hosting a convention that shes professionally ready for: the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, known as SHPE (colloquially, Ship). Advertisement Mercado and Amtrak program manager Moises Young, both past presidents of the Drexels SHPE chapter, are lifelong members and cochairs welcoming nearly 10,000 expected for the groups annual convention and hiring fair Oct. 29 through Nov. 1. I cant wait to show them Philadelphia. We in Philadelphia have so much to offer, such a strong, colorful culture of every culture, said Mercado, whos earning her masters in systems engineering. Ill get everyone to eat at Reading Terminal. I have favorites at every place there. The churros at El Merkury are my guilty pleasure. Hundreds of science, technology, financial, manufacturing, distribution, and engineering employers will meet with prospective hires and interns, including Amazon, Apple, Bank of America, Boston Scientific, Caterpillar, Chevron, Delta, Ford, Honda, Intel, Merck, and Microsoft. Among celebrities on the SHPE program will be Rickie Ricardo, a New Jerseyan familiar to Eagles and New York Yankees fans as a Spanish-language play-by-play commentator. His famous field-goal tagline is Si sennnor! You dont have to be Hispanic or an engineer to be a member, so long as you support our mission, said Young, a New York native. Im also part of the American Society of Civil Engineers. As with SHPE, we are always trying to increase our numbers. The world needs more engineers. The number of Latinos earning masters and doctoral degrees in engineering doubled in the 2010s to about 16% of the U.S. annual total, though as a group Latinos remain a smaller proportion of engineers than of the general population, according to National Science Foundation data. Most of the hundreds of panelists are engineers and managers seeking to extend community and personal connections in professions that are sometimes outside students family and hometown experiences. Mercados parents, who are Puerto Rican, encouraged her to study science and math when they saw her building LEGO bouquets. Her mother found a SHPE event on social media, and Mercado joined the chapter at Northern Burlington County Regional High. She got her first job at Raytheon in Boston through SHPE contacts and has helped others do the same at the last 10 SHPE conventions in California, Texas, and the Midwest. Mercado, Young, and other locals will be joined by out-of-town SHPE leaders such as Gabriel Ruscalleda, who first visited Philadelphia as a mechanical engineering student on an Air Products internship he learned about as a SHPE member at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. At a SHPE convention in Fort Worth, Texas, Ruscalleda landed an internship at Chevron, leading to field assignments and his current job as facilities engineer in Houston, specializing in rotating equipment compressors. He heads the Chevron chapter of SHPE because we at Chevron believe in the SHPE mission to really empower the Hispanic community in STEM. For all the enthusiasm, its a smaller SHPE show this year. Last year 15,000 attended SHPEs 50th anniversary hiring fair and convention in Anaheim, Calif. Some past sponsors, such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., arent on this years list. Theres definitely some drop-off in participation from companies, said Suzanna Valdez Wolfe, SHPEs chief executive, citing economic reasons. They are conveying to us that they will be back next year or the following year. She also notes that the Northeast, though home to diverse and growing Latino communities, is far from the larger Latino populations and SHPEs biggest chapters in California, Texas, and Florida. But SHPE is committed to rotating its annual event between regions. Recruiters as well as job hopefuls are traveling long distances to participate, and Valdez said theyll be confirmed in the expectation there is an internship or job waiting for them. Like the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and other groups that seek to promote the profession among people who have been historically underrepresented, SHPE welcomes all, said Valdez Wolfe. If you attend our conference, you see the diaspora of the Hispanic community, as well as representations of other nationalities and races. Its not only about having a solid corporate job, said Isaac Rodriguez, SHPEs board secretary, who joined SHPE in the 2000s at the University of Virginia and has since earned a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and founded Memphis-based SweetBio, a wound-care developer. His message as a founder: If the job you want isnt out there, you can create it. We arent telling people to leave their Fortune 500 company jobs but to stay on top of industry trends and to start thinking like an entrepreneur. When youre ready, we will be with you every step of the way. Rodriguez notes that through changing political currents, SHPE has worked since its 1974 founding to build this pipeline of talent through our very wide range of ethnicities and every kind of diversity in our membership. Here, you can be yourself. Once you get involved, you find you have this innate need to give back. We arent going away. This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Gabriel Ruscalledas name. John Schaeffer, who served as a "pinch hitter" for the winner of the lottery to be first person to use a new Philly Phlush, emerges from the unit at Clark Park Monday morning. Read more A small crowd gathered around the new Philly Phlush at Clark Park in West Philadelphia on Monday morning, their phones at the ready, waiting for the inaugural user of the parks first public bathroom to emerge. As John Schaeffer cracked open the door, his face flushed with pride and his right hand raised in an enthusiastic thumbs up, the crowd burst into thunderous applause. Advertisement Id like to start by thanking my mom for teaching me everything I needed to know for this moment, Schaeffer said. It took a lot. It put up a good fight, but I think its ready for prime time. Two years after it was initially slated to be installed, Clark Parks Phlush is finally up and running. The Friends of Clark Park who organized Mondays wonderfully silly and wonderfully West Philly grand opening couldnt be happier and honestly, neither could I. As a huge proponent of these free, standalone bathrooms that are part of Phillys pilot public restroom project, I was thrilled to see the third one finally debut. Ben Sirolly, president of the Friends of Clark Park, said having a permanent restroom is something users of the park have asked for not just for years, but decades. Clark Park is a park that is used by people from across the city, from all across West and Southwest Philadelphia, and this will help people have better access to the park and enable them to feel welcomed and enable them to use our park at anytime, he said. So we are thrilled that the city has brought a restroom to Clark Park. Until Monday, the friends group used its own money to fund porta-potties at the park, an expensive burden thats now been lifted from them thanks to the city-funded (and maintained) Phlush unit. Friends of Clark Park board member Carol Jenkins had the brilliant idea of selling lottery tickets for a chance to Be the Phirst to Phlush when the bathroom opened. It just popped into my brain, Jenkins said. At my age, you have to grab the ideas before they fly away. The group sold about 50 tickets for $1 each. The winner was drawn Saturday, as news of the impending opening spread. Unfortunately, that individual was unavailable to come to the potty party at 9 a.m. on a Monday and so their friend, Schaeffer, signed on to be a pinch pee-er, an undercarriage understudy, if you will. A West Philly resident who frequents Clark Park, Schaeffer said the new restroom was a fantastic asset for the public space. He prepared for his duty Monday by drinking espresso and wooder and by stretching before he entered the bathroom, which was decorated with brightly-colored balloons and a giant red ribbon by Lauren Hoffarth, senior project manager with the citys Health and Human Services Department. Schaeffer saluted the gathered crowd before entering the bathroom and as he opened the door to step inside, I was sure I heard a faint Wow! reverberate off the interior metal walls. Despite the peer pressure from the crowd outside, Schaeffer wasnt struck with stage fright and conducted his business like a true professional. He lauded the Phlush for being professional, too. Its a for-real bathroom, he said. The only hiccup came when Schaeffer went to wash his hands in the units exterior sink and found the soap hadnt been filled (but the water and hand dryer worked like a charm). The citys Phlush history Philadelphias potty pilot project called for six Portland Loo standalone units which the city rebranded as Philly Phlushes to be installed across the city over five years at an annual cost of $656,864. The first two opened in 2023 one at 15th and Arch Streets in Center City and the other at Fotterall Square Park in North Philly under former Mayor Jim Kenneys administration. Clark Park was always slated to be the third site, but the project got clogged up for two years on various issues, including the permitting process, which took more than seven months. All of the bathrooms, which are free to use, include a changing table, toilet paper, toilet seat covers, free menstrual products, and free naloxone. A team of public restroom specialists keep the units cleaned, stocked, and functioning by visiting the bathrooms every two hours. A potential site has been selected for the fourth Phlush, but the location hasnt been announced yet, while the fate of the remaining two units in the pilot project is uncertain. James Garrow, director of communications for the Department of Public Health, told me this summer that a fifth Phlush is likely but a site is not expected to be chosen until next summer, and that a sixth Phlush will not be possible with the pilots current funding. Philly has long lagged behind other metro areas when it comes to the availability of public bathrooms. As I have from the beginning, I beg Philadelphia officials to not only find a way to bring the full scope of this project to fruition but to expand it across the city. Nearly every person Ive talked to over two years whos used a Phlush has asked me to tell our city leaders one thing: We need more. And if they doubt me, folks holding a literal potty party with balloons at 9 a.m. on a Monday should be proof enough of how happy these bathrooms make people. The Clark Park Philly Phlush is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on holidays. A Parkside Elementary School student celebrates her school's Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon award. The school is in the Penn-Delco School District. Read more Three local schools have won recognition as Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Schools honored for their academics and work to close achievement gaps. The three are Parkside Elementary in the Penn-Delco School District, Lionville Elementary in the Downingtown Area School District, and St. Elizabeth Parish School in Chester Springs. Advertisement Statewide, 13 schools won the honor. The state designation begun last month by the Pennsylvania Department of Education is a new one, begun after President Donald Trumps administration ended the popular National Blue Ribbon Schools program, which rewarded high-performing schools for 40 years. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education told Chalkbeat the program was cut in the spirit of returning education to the states, and said local awards programs would be better than centralized honors. Trump has said he wants to eliminate the federal education department altogether. Carrie Rowe, acting education secretary under Gov. Josh Shapiro, said in a statement that the 13 schools that won Pennsylvania honors are showing real progress in closing the achievement gap. These schools prove that with commitment, creativity, and care, we can ensure that every student has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. About the schools Parkside, in Brookhaven, educates about 250 students in grades K-5. PDE said the schools teachers are dedicated to continuous improvement and actively refine their practices through professional development. This commitment, combined with strong partnerships between students, teachers, and families, creates a nurturing environment where high expectations are balanced with a focus on both academic and social-emotional well-being. Parkside meets students at their instructional level, providing differentiated instruction for intervention and enrichment. Lionville, in Downingtown, believes that learning thrives when relationships are strong, expectations are clear, and every student is engaged in meaningful growth, PDE said. Staff is deeply committed to both the heart and mind of every learner, fostering a culturally responsive environment where all students feel a true sense of belonging. Through intentional instructional practices, the school empowers students to think critically, take ownership of their learning, and rise to high expectations. Lionville strives to prepare students for success in a global society by cultivating curiosity, character, and confidence. The school educates 670 students in grades K-5. St. Elizabeth, in Chester Springs, educates students in grades K-8. PDE said the school offers a broad-based curriculum that strives to meet the needs of every student, builds a love of learning and the development of the skills needed to become well-informed, accomplished, and dedicated leaders, and actively engages students. Lincoln University Brenda Allen (at microphone) answers questions about the shooting on campus during homecoming festivities Saturday. Read more Lincoln Universitys president said Tuesday the school is conducting an after-action review of its policies and procedures following the on-campus shooting of seven people one who died during homecoming festivities Saturday. Our goal is to refine our policies, procedures, and protocols as needed to enhance the safety of our community, president Brenda A. Allen said during a news conference that lasted less than seven minutes and was held at the entrance to the historically Black universitys campus in rural Chester County. Advertisement Classes will resume Wednesday, she said, but professors have been asked to offer grace to students who may need a little bit more time returning to their full routine. READ MORE: One dead, six others shot at Lincoln University Meanwhile, law enforcement officials said Tuesday afternoon that they had confirmed a match between a fired .380 cartridge recovered from the scene and the Glock 28 semiautomatic pistol Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson had in his possession the night of the shooting. He was charged with possessing a concealed firearm without a license. Given the new information, a Chester County Court judge approved prosecutors request to increase Morgan-Thompsons bail to $1,000,000, prosecutors said. No new charges have been filed against him. Prosecutors say Morgan-Thompson is not a student at Lincoln and is not an alumnus. It remained unclear why Morgan-Thompson was on campus and whether he had any relation to the victims. Our duty is to protect the public and to responsibly pursue justice, even in the wake of an unthinkable tragedy, said Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe during a news conference in West Chester. The bail increase is a step forward in that process. De Barrena-Sarobe offered few additional details, however, citing the integrity of the investigation. He did not confirm whether any of the bullets fired from Morgan-Thompsons pistol struck anyone, for example. Allen, the Lincoln president, and the universitys general counsel declined to answer most questions at the news conference, including what their review may entail or which safety changes might be needed, and referred questions that pertained to the investigation to the district attorneys office. Unfortunately, shootings happen every day in this country, and the Lincoln University community is one of the latest victims of this scourge, said general counsel Venus Boston. Six of the people, ages 20 to 25, wounded by gunfire are expected to recover, authorities have said. One victim is a student and another an alumnus, authorities have said. Jujuan Jeffers, 20, of Wilmington, was killed. READ MORE: Chester County prosecutors still trying to determine motive, identify suspects in Lincoln University shooting The district attorneys office has said investigators believe there were multiple shooters. The district attorney urged witnesses to the shooting to submit tips and videos taken that evening to the FBI, which is partnering with Chester County law enforcement in the search for additional suspects and information. He said investigators were dealing with a complicated crime scene that involved a variety of fired cartridge casings as well as unfired ammunition. Every asset from the state, the county, the FBI, and other partners in other states is being used at this very moment to track down every single lead, de Barrena-Sarobe said. Lincoln officials said they are not aware of any connection that Jeffers or Morgan-Thompson had to the university. They were not employees or students. We have been focused on supporting our students, faculty, and staff as they process the shock and loss of the sense of security in the aftermath of such a violent incident, Allen said. The school has been providing counseling to students, and those services will be available throughout the semester, she said. Faculty and staff also are being offered support through the employee assistance program, she said. The Lincoln University community offers its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased young man, and we pray for the full healing of those injured during this tragic incident, Allen said. She thanked the community for sending food, offering prayers, and posting supportive messages on social media. William Penn School District, which relies on Pennsylvania for 55% of its operating budget, will run out of money in January with no state budget, its superintendent said Monday night. Pictured here is the district's Penn Wood High School, in Lansdowne. Read more William Penn School District only has enough cash to operate its schools for about three more months, its superintendent said Monday. If theres no state budget, we will be able to continue to operate through the end of January, Eric Becoats, superintendent of the Delaware County school system, told the William Penn school board Monday night. Advertisement Pennsylvania lawmakers have now blown past their June 30 state budget deadline by more than 100 days, throwing school systems, counties and other entities that rely on state funding into turmoil. The pain is more acute in struggling districts like William Penn, where the districts tax base cannot adequately fund its students needs. The school system, which encompasses Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne and Yeadon boroughs, has about 4,500 students in 11 schools. Anticipating tough times, it had already made some budget cuts going into the 2025-26 school year, but state funds comprise more than half the districts $119 million budget, and with all allocations frozen because of the impasse in Harrisburg, it is missing millions of dollars for operations. READ MORE: Loans and layoffs: Missing $3 billion in state payments, Pa.s public schools implore lawmakers to end budget impasse Most William Penn students come from economically disadvantaged families; most are children of color. The district was a plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit that ultimately resulted in a judge declaring Pennsylvanias education formula unconstitutional, and ordering lawmakers to fix it. Becoats said he had reached out to the lawyers who argued the fair-funding case to explore options amid the continuing Harrisburg stalemate. Im not trying to scare anyone, but we are in some hard times, board president Monique Boykins said. I just need everyone to know what we are about to face. Running a public school system, Boykins said, means we are obligated to keep the doors open. But, she said, How can we keep the doors open if theyre not funding us properly? William Penn is not alone in its pain; other districts have had to borrow money to make ends meet because of the budget deadlock. In Philadelphia, the school board in September authorized a temporary borrowing of up to $1.5 billion an action that will cost the district $30 million in borrowing costs it cannot recoup. Philadelphia School District officials have not said how long they can continue to operate without state funds. The governors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nicole Reigelman, a spokesperson for House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia and Delaware), whose district includes William Penn, said chronically underfunded systems like William Penn are suffering the consequences of the state Senates rejection of the commonsense budgets passed by the House. It is unfair to our school districts and the students they serve. We cannot keep borrowing William Penn which, based on education adequacy calculations, is underfunded by about $28 million a year spends $6 million per month on payroll, utilities, transportation, and essential services. It has already taken out a $9.9 million loan just to keep its doors open this far into the school year. We cannot keep borrowing money from banks, Boykins said, because that means taxpayers will have to continue to pay more money. We already know that people are losing foreclosing on their homes because they cant cover taxes. Initially, Becoats told his board the district would definitely have enough money to sustain operations into October. But with no end in sight to the budget crisis, he asked his finance team: How long can we keep going? READ MORE: Philly schools just had to borrow $1.5 billion to pay their bills. Heres why. If theres no state budget by the end of January, we will definitely be in uncharted territory, a grim Becoats said. And I would say to you that were already in uncharted territory. Officials would not say for sure what happens if January comes with no deal. If that happens, we will have to re-evaluate all spending and operations in the coming months, Deirdre Abrahamsson, William Penns spokesperson, said. Our priority remains keeping schools open and supporting student learning, but without state funds, which make up 55% of our operating budget, difficult decisions will eventually become unavoidable. William Penn officials already cut spending on staffing, transportation, and programs ahead of the school year. Becoats said he was hopeful the state will have an approved budget sooner rather than later, but Boykins suggested the district must explore alternative solutions like appealing to athletes and other famous people for help. In my mind, weve got to go get the money, Boykins said. I dont know how; were open to suggestions. Weve got to figure out a way. I dont care if we got to go out and email every celebrity we have to. Whatever we need to do, we have to be able to keep our district open, and were at that point. A federal judge rules against DOJ in its quest to obtain private medical records of children who sought gender-affirming care at CHOP. Read more Gov. Josh Shapiro has entered the legal fight between Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and President Donald Trumps administration over a federal subpoena seeking the private medical records of transgender youth. In a new court filing, Shapiro argues that states not the federal government are legally empowered to regulate the practice of medicine, and that Trumps Department of Justice is trying to usurp state laws that license and oversee doctors. Advertisement Permitting DOJ to demand the confidential health information of hundreds of patients based on manufactured justification would erode the trust between doctors and patients and undermine state efforts to use their regulatory authority to protect that trust, the filing says. Shapiro made the argument in a legal document, called an amicus curiae or friend of the court brief, in which a judge permits a third party to weigh in on a case if it has a strong interest in the outcome. The legal brief, filed Tuesday in federal court in Philadelphia, was submitted on behalf of Shapiro and the attorneys general of 14 other states, including New Jersey and Delaware, and the District of Columbia. The DOJ did not immediately reply to a reporters request for comment Tuesday. The federal court gave the DOJ until Nov. 4 to respond to the amicus brief. Earlier this year, the DOJ sent sweeping subpoenas to CHOP and at least 19 other hospitals nationally that are under scrutiny for treating transgender youth. The Trump administration is targeting gender-affirming care for minors, characterizing it as chemical mutilation and child abuse. The subpoenas sparked legal opposition playing out in federal courts in Pennsylvania and across the nation. In Philadelphia, U.S. District Judge Mark A. Kearney is now weighing whether to grant a motion filed by CHOP seeking to limit the scope of the federal subpoena to protect patient privacy. CHOP runs one of the nations largest clinics providing medical care and mental health support for transgender and gender-nonbinary children and teens and their families. Each year, hundreds of new families seek care at CHOPs Gender and Sexuality Development Program, created in 2014. The DOJ subpoena seeks patient names, Social Security numbers, and addresses, as well as every communication by doctors emails, Zoom recordings, voicemails, and encrypted text messages dating back to January 2020. Federal officials say a key focus is how doctors are prescribing puberty blockers and hormones off-label, meaning for a condition not specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Once a drug is approved by the FDA, it is legal for doctors to prescribe it to treat other conditions that could benefit from the medication. Off-label prescribing is a common and widely accepted medical practice, especially in pediatrics. Gender-affirming care for children and adolescents has been deemed medically appropriate by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical and mental health organizations. Research shows young people with gender dysphoria suffer higher rates of suicide, self-harm, depression, and anxiety. Gender dysphoria is a medical condition in which a persons body does not match their gender identity. If enforced, DOJs subpoena to CHOP would threaten all states ability to regulate the practice of medicine, write Shapiro and the 15 attorneys general. It is part of an effort to end a specific type of care for a particularly vulnerable population, even though there is no federal law prohibiting such care. Proposed cuts in funding for the National Institutes of Health led to this protest in Philadelphia in February. Now scientists worry the federal government shutdown will see more grants disrupted. Read more Ari Friedman has a list of proposals from scientists seeking coveted federal research funding, all stuck in limbo during the federal shutdown. Friedmans work as a peer reviewer for the National Institutes of Health is a crucial part of the arduous system that the federal agency uses to disburse billions in grant funding each year. Advertisement But the ongoing federal government shutdown has halted that process. Friedman, a physician and University of Pennsylvania professor, receives no salary for his work as a peer reviewer. During the shutdown now in its third week, he has been able to read the grant proposals slated for his review. But a meeting where he was set to discuss grant proposals and give them scores a first step toward federal funding didnt take place last week. These meetings must be led by federal staffers, and NIH officials say they cant take place during the shutdown. After a year in which the Trump administration has already cut research grants and held up grant reviews, Friedman is worried that crucial medical research and potential life-saving cures will be further delayed. The longer the shutdown continues, the less likely it becomes that grants will be reviewed on time. Many, many, many months years, at this point of science progress for many promising research lines have been lost, Friedman said. In a statement, an NIH spokesperson said that the agency is focusing on mission-critical tasks during the Democrat-led shutdown. Republicans, who hold slim majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, are blaming Democrats for not helping them attain a budget compromise that would have continued funding. Democrats have demanded concessions from Republicans on critical issues like halting price increases for health insurance. Another layer of chaos The NIHs billions in funding for scientific research are allocated through an intense process that involves volunteer reviewers like Friedman, full-time scientific review officers at the NIH, and agency officials. After volunteer peer reviewers read and score grants, the proposals are considered by a national advisory council, NIH staff, and finally the directors of NIHs 27 institutes and centers. Only about 5 to 10% of grants submitted to the NIH are ultimately funded, Friedman said. If one cycle of grant review doesnt happen, that means that you have to go through and update a 200-page grant to reflect any new publications that have come out, any new findings, Friedman said. Its not like if its not reviewed in one cycle, you click a button and submit it again. Grant reviews have already been delayed this year, in part because President Donald Trumps administration has been scouring grants to see if they dovetail with its political priorities, NIH officials have said. The administration has also cut millions in grant funding on research topics like diversity, equity, and inclusion and transgender peoples health. The cuts are the subject of an ongoing court battle. In a statement, an NIH spokesperson said that the agency is taking actions to prioritize research that directly effects [sic] the health of Americans and is focusing on research that tackles chronic disease. The administration has argued that DEI policies discriminate against white people and said, contrary to scientific understanding, that the United States recognizes only two sexes, male and female. Continued grant delays Researchers expect some level of uncertainty and disruption in their work. With the shutdown, another layer of chaos has been imposed on it, said Jeremy Berg, a former director of the NIHs National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Berg, now a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, stressed that he was speaking to The Inquirer as a former NIH institute director, not on behalf of his current employer. He has received funding from a private philanthropy to track the impact of delayed and canceled grants under the Trump administration this year. In July, he said, NIH was many billions behind in terms of grant money that should have been distributed to researchers. By September, he said, to his surprise, the agency had managed to distribute nearly all the funds it was expected to but monthslong delays, in some cases, still impacted researchers and their work, and the agency did not fund all the grants it could have. Its not just bureaucratic delays. It has real consequences: People laid off, staff you didnt hire, discontinued projects, he said. Friedman, who became a faculty member at Penn just before the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on his clinical work as emergency rooms filled with patients in 2020. I never felt like putting my research on hold to treat patients in critical condition was unjustified, he said. But these disruptions are entirely manmade. There are cures that will never happen, or will happen years later, because of the things that have been imposed on the scientific enterprise this year. In an email Friedman received on the shutdown, an NIH official said that the agency will make every effort to review all applications originally slated to be reviewed this round. But the longer the government shutdown persists, Berg said, the more challenging it will be to get everything on track. Mass firings across the federal government make digging through a shutdown backlog even harder, Berg added. Youve got a lot more to do and now you have fewer people on the job to do it, he said. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College associate curator Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, 1838 Black Metropolis academic director and board member Kirsten Lee, and 1838 intern and Cheyney Student Mwihaki Kiiru review one of the censuses taken of Philadelphia's Black community in the mid 19th century. Read more If you were a free Black person living in antebellum Philadelphia, you may have worked as an astrologer, an oyster catcher, or a pepper pot seller. You might have owned several horses, ferried people through your home along the Underground Railroad, or been one of the wealthiest people in the whole city. A collaboration between the 1838 Black Metropolis history nonprofit and Swarthmore College is creating a clearer picture of what daily life was like for the roughly 20,000 free Black people living in Philadelphia at that time. Advertisement Two years ago, Black Metropolis launched what has become an award-winning series of walking tours, curricula, and other resources based on its findings from an 1838 census funded by the Pennsylvania Abolitionist Society of Phillys free Black population. Meanwhile, Swarthmore held in its archives a copy of a similar 1847 census conducted by a group of Quakers. The later census included additional details about households. Black Metropolis and Swarthmore recently partnered to track the changes in the community over time. The project has transformed dry numbers into a vivid picture of Black life in the city, James Truitt, digital archivist with Swarthmore Colleges Friends Historical Library, said in a statement. We are really committed to the idea that the Black ordinary is extraordinary. And so our goal is always to make these lesser-known histories and lesser-known figures visible, said Kirsten Lee, 1838 Black Metropolis academic director and board member. Black Metropolis and Swarthmore matched about 400 households between the two censuses, and have published tools that trace the differences in the community over the intervening decade. Here are a few of the people they tracked: One of Phillys wealthiest widows Hagar Ballard was likely one of the richest people in all of Philadelphia, not just among the citys free Black population. And she made sure that others knew it, too. Ballard lived at Quince and Locust Streets, in a large house that still stands today. Her husband died likely at some point during the 1820s, and by the time the 1838 census was recorded, she was living with five other women in the home. In the first census, Ballard made a somewhat unusual decision: She declared her net worth of $56,000, which would translate to roughly $50 million today. Declaring what one owned was optional in these Black community censuses, and other wealthy individuals kept their holdings private. Stating ones wealth could attract harassment or attacks, especially for someone at Ballards level. The significance of Ballard saying, This is how much my property is worth, is hard to understate, Lee said. But Lee said people did so anyway out of a sense of pride about what they owned, and to demonstrate that they were part of a potential voting bloc with power and wealth that ought to be courted. When the states constitution was amended at the 1838 Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, Black men lost their right to vote, which they would not regain until after the Civil War. The Black census that came out that year was a response intended to show how valuable the community was. The project tracked a man named William Jefferies and his wife, who declared in the 1847 census that in addition to their modest incomes as a porter and washer, they had paid for the freedom of three enslaved people for about $500. Its clear that for them, this is a very important genre of identifying what their households contributions to society are, Lee said. Where Ballard and her husbands wealth came from remains a mystery. While the 1847 census lists her occupation as domestic duties, Lee said that Ballard likely was living off her preexisting wealth, and possibly underreporting the full extent of her holdings. Nat Turners inspiration Shadrack Bassetts official occupation listed in both censuses may have been a humble hominy seller, someone who hawks the corn-based food. But his work as a preacher and hymn writer is what might have inspired the countrys most famous uprising of enslaved people. In addition to his day job, Bassett was a reverend in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He was ordained in 1817 by Bishop Richard Allen, the founder of Philadelphias Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. Bassett (his first name is spelled multiple ways in official records; Black Metropolis chose to use the spelling used in a 1902 A.M.E. history book) was assigned to be an itinerant pastor in Maryland and later Virginia. READ MORE: The Rev. Carolyn Cavaness, Mother Bethel A.M.E.s first female pastor, reflects on her first year He became known for using the Bible to preach about emancipation, and white authorities eventually banned him from preaching. But in 1830 he wrote The African Hymn, a song meant to inspire Black people in their fight for freedom. Some of its lyrics include: We shall not always weep and groan And wear these slavish chains of woe, Theres a better day thats coming Come and go along with me. The song and its message spread through Virginia, and was likely an inspiration for Nat Turners rebellion in 1831. Participants were later found to have printed editions of the hymn in their possession. 1838 Black Metropolis researchers discovered that Bassett had bought a home on South Fourth Street in Philadelphia in 1825, meaning he must have split his time between the city and Virginia for some period. By the 1847 census he was still living in the same home with his wife, a shopkeeper. He remained in Philadelphia at least until 1862; it is unknown when he died. Heres this person whos got all this almost mythology around them, and now here they are very firmly in place with actual statistics, said Michiko Quinones, cofounder and lead public historian of 1838 Black Metropolis. I feel the beauty of the censuses is that its irrefutable that this person existed, she said. An Underground Railroad hub Philadelphia served as a critical stop for many formerly enslaved people as they moved north through the Underground Railroad. And theres a good chance that if someone passed through here, they spent some time in the home of John and Mary Lewton. They lived on Paschalls Alley in Northern Liberties, which is now the 400 block of Wallace Street. Paschalls Alley was a buzzing junction for the Underground Railroad, where neighbors worked together across the narrow street to provide shelter for freedom seekers. One three-story home was noted in the 1847 census for having 33 people living inside it. But the Lewtons, and Mary in particular as reported in a 1914 Philadelphia Tribune article, were noted for their aid. The 1838 census said they had just one child, but six members of their family. In 1847, they listed four women in the home along with two orphans. Some oral histories recalled the nickname Mother Mary for Mrs. Lewton. To have a distinction of being one of the more active members of the Underground Railroad on an active block is a huge deal, Lee said. Honoring Black Philadelphias legacy Those who worked on the project hope the two censuses inspire other researchers and community members to take interest in this period of Philadelphia history. Its about really honoring their legacy and making sure that their contributions as well as their experiences are not forgotten, said Mwihaki Kiiru, a senior at Cheyney University who worked with 1838 Black Metropolis on the matching project. Their work helps bring to life people who help us to imagine that Black people were there in early Philadelphia, and to tell a story about early American life in the city that centers Black people rather than keeps them on the margins, Lee said. The principal of Wagner Middle School in West Oak Lane, Connie Grier, praised the Junior Defender Program for helping burst the school-to-prison pipeline wide open. Read more Philly doesnt need cops in schools or troops in our streets. It needs a justice system that invests in young people before they ever set foot in a courtroom. For decades, the dominant law-and-order approach, a strategy recently escalated in cities by the Trump administration, insisted that safety could be achieved by flooding our neighborhoods with policing, prosecution, and punishment. Advertisement That approach failed. It criminalized children, hollowed out communities, and left whole neighborhoods defined not by opportunity, but by surveillance and incarceration. The Junior Defender Program at the Defender Association of Philadelphia offers a different path. Launched in 2019, the program brings our attorneys directly into schools not to lecture, but to listen, to teach, and to build with students. Real safety is created when young people are given tools, knowledge, and voice. With support from a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, staff and volunteers, and vital community partners, weve seen what happens when public defense leaves the courthouse and enters the classroom. Over the past three years, more than 518 students across seven Philadelphia schools have participated. Students were ages 12-18, and in grades six through 12, for our in-school programming. Our initial focus was on schools located in Philly neighborhoods, where our data showed an increase in gun violence in the city when we launched in 2019-2020. Students designed and implemented programs to support system-impacted youth such as A Kids Guide to Court Ordered Obligations and collective resistance projects like the Plead the Fit clothing brand that challenge punitive systems and create real solutions. The principal of one of the participating schools, Wagner Middle School in West Oak Lane, praised the program for helping burst the school-to-prison pipeline wide open. This is the second year of collaboration with Defender Association of Philadelphia and Guy Lang. Our scholars learn advocacy skills and develop debate, discussion, and critical thinking skills, principal Connie Grier said. [The students] had a mile wide smile as they presented their counter argument and proposal to one of our school policies. Thats right, Im here for the discussion. Our youth must be heard, and they have salient points to make. Onward to Year 3! The program is open to all public schools in the city of Philadelphia through our asynchronous learning course launching in spring 2026. Our 10-week summer fellowship paired 39 students all 18 or older with Defender attorneys, giving them hands-on experience in our courts, sparking interest in law and public service. Fellows from the Black Public Defender Association and student peer educator interns helped amplify youth voices and expand their impact, while partners like Victorias Kitchen, CNS Film Co., and the Education Law Center grounded this work in schools and communities. The results have been extraordinary. Students who are too often underestimated rose to meet us as equals, analyzing injustice, proposing reforms, and presenting their vision for a fairer Philadelphia. Their brilliance and resilience have reshaped not only their futures, but ours as Defenders. But to sustain and grow this work, we need investment. While we are pursuing additional grant funding, we are also requesting city support to continue the summer fellowship and strengthen the foundation weve built. Philadelphia must decide: double down on failed law enforcement strategies, or invest in a future where young people themselves lead the way toward justice. Keisha Hudson is the chief defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Guy Lang is the Defense Associations youth outreach director and the creator of the Junior Defender Program. Stefano Forte, president of the New York Young Republican Club, center, speaks next to Republican New York mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, center right, at a vigil for Charlie Kirk at Madison Square Park in September in New York. Forte leads the 1776 Project PAC, which has endorsed Republicans in Philly-area school board races. Read more A political action committee that works to elect conservatives to school boards nationwide is backing several slates of Philadelphia-area Republicans in next weeks local election. The 1776 Project PAC is spending money and working to support Republican candidates in Bucks and Montgomery Counties. As Election Day approaches, the endorsements are drawing strong rebukes from local Democrats and bringing national politics into a largely quiet school board election cycle. Advertisement The PAC which is supporting GOP candidates in the Central Bucks, Centennial, Pennridge, Perkiomen Valley, and Lower Merion School Districts was founded to combat indoctrination in the classrooms, said executive director Stefano Forte. Campaign finance reports disclosing the PACs spending in local school board races, due Friday, were not yet available on the counties websites Monday. Local Democratic committees are not happy, but Bucks County Democratic chair Steve Santarsiero said hes not all that concerned by the PACs presence. The people of Bucks County have seen what happens when right-wing ideologues take over their school districts, Santarsiero, who is also a state senator, said in a statement to The Inquirer. In 2023 they voted overwhelmingly to reject those candidates. I believe that they will again this year. Heres what to know about the PAC and the local races in which it is endorsing Republican candidates. What is the 1776 Project PAC? The 1776 Project PAC aims to help the Republican Party own education issues, Forte said, and he believes his group is on the right side of what parents want. Some of its priorities, according to the groups website, include Protect Girls Spaces and standing Against Indoctrination representing that it does not support policies that help transgender students, such as allowing students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity, or teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion. It also stands for transparency, parental rights, and improving reading scores. The PAC sells bumper stickers reading My kids arent your social experiment and has a portal on its website for visitors to report names of teachers who are celebrating Charlie Kirks death. The culture-war issues that the PAC takes a stance on have been debated in Philly-area school districts. In Central Bucks, a GOP-led board passed policies that made national news, including banning Pride flags in classrooms in 2023 and passing a library policy in 2022 prohibiting sexualized content in books. The policies sparked backlash from residents who said the board was imposing a partisan agenda on classrooms, and Democrats flipped control of the board in 2023 and reversed those policies. This year, many Republican candidates are shying away from public discussion of culture-war issues but the 1776 Project PAC has reignited some of that debate. Forte said the PAC has a 69% win record in Pennsylvania as a whole but did not provide a district breakdown. Who is behind the 1776 Project PAC? Ryan James Girdusky, a writer and conservative commentator, founded the 1776 Project PAC in 2021. He serves as an advisory board member for a group that was named a coalition partner for Project 2025, a conservative initiative that worked to suggest an agenda for President Donald Trumps second term. Girdusky was banned from appearing on CNN last year after making a racist remark on air. He also founded the 1776 Project Foundation this year, which aims to research and develop education policy and become the NRA of conservative education, according to a news release announcing its creation. Forte said that the PACs involvement in this years school board races in Pennsylvania and other states compensates for Republicans lackluster candidate recruitment, and that his group is a voice for concerned parents. While the woke left is talking about these insane issues, we have been talking about the things that really matter to parents, Forte said. What has the local reaction been to the PACs endorsements? In Lower Merion, Republican candidates Talia Nissim, Deena Pack, and Omer Dekel part of the Together for Tomorrow slate said they sought an endorsement from 1776 Project PAC, as well as from other groups across the political spectrum. The candidates said they disagreed with the PAC on culture-war issues but aligned with them on other topics, like supporting parental involvement in schools and greater transparency. When the PAC endorsed the slate and became its only outside endorsement, it set off a firestorm in Lower Merion, a majority-blue community where Democrats are favored to win next weeks election. Jacob Rudolph, another school board candidate, posted on social media that he left my former slate mates over the PACs endorsement to be free of ideological purity tests and outside interference. Robert Paul, chair of the Lower Merion and Narberth Democratic Committee, said in a statement that the Republicans acceptance of this endorsement shows a lack of judgement and aligns with an extremist agenda fundamentally at odds with the values of our community. The backlash prompted Nissim, Pack, and Dekel to release a statement explaining why they as self-described moderates who aim to support students of all backgrounds, including transgender kids wanted 1776s endorsement. The endorsement does not change who we are, Pack said in an interview last week with her fellow GOP candidates, also noting the campaigns focus on local issues. It does not change our profile and everything weve stood for the entire campaign. Now, images of mailers with the Republican candidates names paid for by 1776 are plastered on local Democratic Facebook pages. We sort of got derailed into another conversation, Dekel said. In Central Bucks, voters have received similar mailers from the PAC. Republican Central Bucks candidate Drew Miller said: Our community has been through a lot of division in recent years, and while some issues have gained national attention, I believe its time to move forward. I dont think ongoing culture wars serve our students or strengthen our schools. Diana Leygerman, communications director for CBSD Neighbors United, the Democratic slate, said by accepting the endorsement, Republican candidates are inviting chaos into Central Bucks, into our lives, into the taxpayers lives, into our classrooms. Forte, for his part, said that his PAC is not pushing culture-war issues and that anybody that agrees with somebody else 100% of the time is absolutely insane. We will never find the candidate who is going to be able to recite our exact policy points from our website, Forte said. Staff writer Denali Sagner contributed to this article. Governor Josh Shapiro visited Talview Dairy Farm Oct. 15. His administration has joined a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security's funding cuts. Read more Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has joined a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Securitys slashing of emergency preparedness funding as the Trump administration seemingly makes good on its vow to target the funding of jurisdictions that wont comply with the presidents federal immigration enforcement policies. The Philadelphia region could stand to lose $18 million from a grant that helps prominent and high-density urban areas prevent and protect against acts of terrorism, the Shapiro administration said Tuesday. Cutting such funding ahead of major 250th anniversary celebrations of Americas founding next year in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania is irresponsible, Shapiro said. Advertisement Pennsylvania joined 11 other states, including New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., in suing the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and their directors, Secretary Kristi Noem and Administrator David Richardson, respectively, over cuts to the Homeland Security Grant Program and restrictions on the Emergency Management Performance Grant. The lawsuit says that the states funding is being targeted because of the Trump administrations repeated vow to cut funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, which have policies that prevent these areas from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration has deemed Philadelphia, not Pennsylvania as a whole, as a sanctuary jurisdiction. Although DHS has for decades administered federal grant programs in a fair and evenhanded manner, the current Administration is taking money from jurisdictions it believes are its enemies, the plaintiffs wrote in the lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary for public affairs, said Tuesday in a statement to The Inquirer that cities and states who break the law and prevent us from arresting criminal illegal aliens should not receive federal funding. The President has been clear on that. Under Secretary Noems leadership, DHS is working to end violations of federal immigration law and remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities, McLaughlin said, adding that Radical sanctuary politicians need to put the safety of the American people first and that No lawsuit, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that. Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers administration did not join the suit as a plaintiff because This is a Pennsylvania statewide issue," said Joe Grace, a spokesperson for Parker. The mayor, in a news release from the Shapiro administration Tuesday, highlighted the citys $960 million investment in public safety in last years budget. Leaders from Philadelphias collar counties also reaffirmed the importance of the at-risk federal grant dollars. The states said in the lawsuit that the funding has, for decades, been distributed evenhandedly until now. In late September, states received their awards, but they were hundreds of millions of dollars less than expected from the State Homeland Security Program and Urban Area Security Initiative, two components of the Homeland Security Grant Program. Pennsylvania could also lose $4.2 million in salary reimbursement for emergency personnel, via the Emergency Management Performance Grant, if new restrictions set by DHS are not relaxed, the Shapiro administration said in its news release. DHS is freezing funds from the grant unless states provide a population estimate that excludes individuals removed by federal immigration law. The states say they do not have access to that data. Additionally, the Trump administration is reducing the time period, from three years to one, when states can spend federal funds. Philadelphias sanctuary policies, created by a 2016 executive order from former Mayor Jim Kenney, were first highlighted by President Donald Trump in May when the administration released a list of jurisdictions it vowed to punish for such policies. Philadelphia remained on a republished version of the list in August. Hundreds of other cities, states, and counties were removed. Philadelphia City Solicitor Renee Garcia told City Council in May, ahead of the first sanctuary jurisdiction list, that the Parker administration is ready to litigate should the Trump administration decide to revoke the citys federal funding. Since Trump took office in January, Parker has avoided confrontation with Trump. In her statement Tuesday, Parker said that there is no more important issue facing Philadelphia than ensuring our residents feel safe in their homes, their neighborhoods, and at work. My promise to Philadelphia is a safer, cleaner and greener city, with access to economic opportunity for all, Parker said. Public safety investments like these help us deliver on that vision, for every resident of Philadelphia, and for every visitor planning to come to our city for the Semiquincentennial in 2026. District Attorney Larry Krasner (right) arrives outside SOUTH Restaurant & Jazz Club Tuesday, May 20, 2025, as his challenger, Judge Patrick Dugan (left) is interviewed at the primary election day lunch and political gathering. The two candidates for DA did not interact. Read more Ignoring the Republican opponent is a time-honored strategy for Philadelphia Democrats, one that has become as reliable a fall tradition as Eagles tailgates and Mischief Night. So its of little surprise that incumbent Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is barely campaigning with just a week until Election Day. Hes expecting to cruise to his third term in office over his Republican challenger, former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan, who is taking on Krasner for the second time this year. Advertisement There have been no public events featuring both candidates in the lead-up to the general election, and no television advertising. Krasner is not engaging with Dugans attempts to debate. And campaign finance reports filed late last week show Krasner raised just $12,000 over the course of the last month a tiny amount compared with the $213,000 he collected in the final stretch of the primary campaign. National groups that have in the past poured money into pro-Krasner advertising in the city arent doing so now. Krasner is still the odds-on favorite to win. Democrats outnumber Republicans 6-1 in Philadelphia, and it has been 35 years since the city had a Republican district attorney. Then theres the fact that Krasner has twice before defeated his Republican opponents in landslide fashion after similarly refusing to debate them. And he already beat Dugan handily once Dugan ran as a Democrat in the spring primary, then landed the Republican nomination following a write-in campaign organized by the citys GOP. It all adds up to a sleeper of a race and a sense of inevitability for Krasner, the brash and controversial former civil rights attorney who has openly clashed with members of both major parties, but whose opposition has yet to successfully sweep him from office. Dugan said Monday that Krasners refusal to engage is a way to run away from his record. Any time anybody pushes him on his record, he pivots and avoids it, Dugan said. He refuses to debate or engage about specific policies that hes done and things Im calling failed policies. Krasner declined to comment on his campaign strategy, but said he encourages all Philadelphians to get out and vote, and vote their conscience. Its important that every candidate for office and every elected official is responsive to the source of their power, and that power is [political] outsiders, it is voters, it is individuals, Krasner said. It is not the institutions, or famous or wealthy people. Its the voters. Dugan is doing what he can to try to make it a race. But he does not have the financial resources to mount a sizable opposition campaign. He amassed a six-figure war chest in the spring with the help of the politically powerful building trades unions, but he spent much of it on advertising in the primary. READ MORE: Phillys building trades unions have turned against Pat Dugan as he runs against DA Larry Krasner as a Republican According to recently filed fundraising reports, Dugan brought in about $40,000 over the last month. Thats more than Krasner and included small donations from a few unions, but its likely not enough to fund a robust advertising campaign. So far this fall, neither candidate has run ads on television. Thus far, Dugan has spent the money he does have on social media and lawn signs, according to his spending reports. And he is trying to get on TV other ways: appearing as a guest on national cable news programs and criticizing Krasner. Dugan appeared on both Fox News and NewsNation last week, where he was particularly focused on the killing of 23-year-old Mount Airy resident Kada Scott. READ MORE: Killing of Kada Scott prompts hearing on Phillys handling of domestic violence cases In the interviews, Dugan slammed Krasner for his offices handling of previous cases against Keon King, the man accused of kidnapping and killing Scott earlier this month. King had previously been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting his ex-girlfriend, but prosecutors withdrew the cases after the victim and witnesses did not come to court. Krasner has admitted that dropping charges against King in one of the cases was a mistake because there was video evidence that could have allowed for prosecution to proceed. On Fox News, Dugan called Krasner a coconspirator, and he accused the district attorney of failing to properly train his attorneys, adding that he is trying to create chaos. I saw this from the bench, Dugan added Monday. I saw the DAs office being inept and not being able to handle a basic case. Unfortunately, Kada Scott is one of those who lost their life due to the ineffectiveness of the DAs offices policies. Krasner declined to respond. In a statement Monday, Scotts parents said they are deeply grateful for the cooperation, transparency, and commitment demonstrated by Krasner and his office. Councilmember Jimmy Harrity has criticized the so-called soda tax for being unreliable as a revenue source. Read more City Councilmember Jimmy Harrity wants to revisit the contentious debate that led to the 2017 creation of Philadelphias sweetened beverage tax, arguing that the levy has cost the city jobs and will eventually prove insufficient to pay for the programs it was enacted to support, such as subsidized prekindergarten. Were going to keep on pulling more money out of the general fund each year, taking away from other programs, Harrity, a Democrat, said Monday at a hearing of Councils Labor and Civil Service Committee, which he chairs. If we were in business and these numbers were the numbers of the business, we wouldnt be in business long. Advertisement The tax, which is paid by distributors of sweetened beverages sold in Philadelphia, is 1.5 cents per ounce. Council approved it in 2016 despite vociferous opposition from the beverage industry and Teamsters Local 830, which testified Monday the tax has led to 1,000 of its members who drove trucks for distributors losing work. Harrity, an ally of the Teamsters, noted that revenue from the tax has declined as Philadelphians either drink fewer sweetened beverages or find ways to purchase them outside the city. The tax produced about $73.4 million in the 2023 fiscal year, but only $64.4 million last year, he said. READ MORE: How Mayor Kenneys soda tax ignited controversy and impacted Philadelphia For Harrity, that means that the city should consider eliminating the soda tax, as it is widely known, in favor of a more sustainable funding stream. He did not offer any alternatives. But based on his colleagues reactions, it is unlikely the tax will be reconsidered in a serious way any time soon. Several Council members, public health advocates, and childcare industry representatives defended the tax, which was championed by former Mayor Jim Kenney. They noted that research by the University of Pennsylvania indicates it has been a public health success story that has helped to keep down obesity rates. READ MORE: Phillys soda tax had an impact on health in the city, new research finds And they stressed its critical role in paying for the three initiatives that Kenney launched alongside the tax: PHL Pre-K, which provides free childcare to 5,250 kids; community schools, which offer a multitude of services to families in 20 Philly schools; and the Rebuild program, which renovates and improves recreation centers and playgrounds. We have to make tough decisions that will actually benefit the greater good, and thats what we did here, Democratic Councilmember Rue Landau said during the hearing, adding that the majority of us up here on this panel think this is a great investment. What we always intended Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, a Democrat who voted for the tax as a Council member, also remains supportive of it. We would not have been able to fund these programs without that beverage tax money, said city Finance Director Rob Dubow, who has held his role under Parker, Kenney, and former Mayor Michael A. Nutter. Nutter twice tried unsuccessfully to implement a soda tax before Kenney succeeded. Dubow told lawmakers that the decline in the taxs revenue over time was always part of the plan and that city leaders intended for the regular city budget to make up the difference for funding Rebuild, pre-K, and community schools when they created the tax. The moment when the soda tax began taking in less money than the city pays out for the three programs it helped launch was the 2024 fiscal year, he said. We pay for it out of the general fund, which is what we always intended we would do, Dubow said. This year, Rebuild, pre-K, and community schools are projected to cost $110 million, Dubow said. Of that, $73 million pays for the 5,250 slots in the citys pre-K program. Why not Taj Mahals? Councilmember Brian ONeill was the only other Council member besides Harrity to vocally criticize the tax at Mondays hearing. ONeill, Councils lone Republican, noted that Council members have traditionally had control over capital funding for Philadelphia Parks and Recreation projects in their districts. That money, he noted, is split evenly among the 10 district Council members. Rebuild, he lamented, instead gives the power to decide which projects move forward to the mayors administration. Consequently, he said, the program has produced uneven results and overbudget and unnecessarily ambitious playground and recreation center renovations. This program Rebuild, they call it they didnt decide to bring playgrounds up to some minimum level where people over the years may not have spent their money well, ONeill said. They decided to build Taj Mahals in many cases. You know what happens when you build a playground and spend tons of money on it? All the playgrounds around it look terrible. That comment did not go over well with some of his colleagues. My community benefited from a rec center that was through the Rebuild program, said Councilmember Kendra Brooks, a member of the progressive Working Families Party who lives in Nicetown. Its not a Taj Mahal. Its a quality rec center in the middle of North Philadelphia. It does not have everything, because I personally went and bought a refrigerator. And Councilmember Nina Ahmad, a Democrat, questioned why building grandiose rec centers would be a problem in the first place. Why not Taj Mahals for all our folks? Why not have the best-quality rec centers so our children want to go there, our children want to spend time there? Ahmad said. We live in a first-world country and yet we are begging for scraps for our youngest citizens. A New Jersey officer has been charged with misconduct after prosecutors say he didnt quickly respond to and properly investigate reports of a shooting that turned out to be a double murder, instead stopping at an ATM and pizzeria. Franklin Township Police Sergeant Kevin Bollaro was the on-duty officer on the evening of Aug. 1, when police received 911 calls reporting gunshots and screaming in Pittstown, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) from Manhattan in central New Jersey, according to Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renee Robesons office. But rather than responding immediately, prosecutors say GPS data and surveillance video show Bollaro drove nearly two miles in the opposite direction of the callers location to a bank ATM. Dispatchers relayed other calls from concerned neighbors as Bollaro proceeded towards their locations without activating his police vehicles emergency lights and sirens, they said. When he arrived at the location of the first caller, the officer told the dispatcher he didnt hear anything and said he would continue to the locations of the other callers. But Robesons office said GPS data shows he never visited those locations before he asked the dispatcher to clear him from the scene. They say Bollaro instead headed to Dukes Pizzeria in Pittstown, where he remained for nearly an hour. Witnesses later saw him park and enter another local restaurant, where he remained for roughly another hour, prosecutors said. Bollaro later submitted a report in which prosecutors say he made false statements about the extent of his investigation. They note that during the timeframe he claimed to be canvassing the area, the officer was already on route to the pizzeria. The following day, Aug. 2, the bodies of Lauren Semanchik, 33, and Tyler Webb, 29, were found in a home roughly 600 feet (183 meters) away from the location of the first 911 caller. Prosecutors say the two had been shot to death by New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Ricardo Santos, who had later killed himself. Bollaro has been charged with official misconduct for knowingly refraining from performing his police duties, prosecutors said. He also faces a charge of tampering with public records for knowingly making false entries in his incident report. Bollaro is due to appear in court Nov. 5. His lawyer, Charles Sciarra, didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday but, in a statement to the New York Post, called the charges unfortunate. He maintained nothing Kevin Bollaro did or did not do that day impacted or could have stopped the killings. The families of the two shooting victims, meanwhile, have said they are shocked at Sgt. Bollaros egregious conduct and believe it is the tip of the iceberg of the many failures by the local and state police in the killings, WABC-TV reports. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board was sued by a group of young people who claim the pension fund is putting their benefits in jeopardy by mismanaging climate-related financial risks. Aliya Hirji, Travis Olson, Ravneet Singh and Chloe Tse, who dont plan to retire until after 2050, allege in the lawsuit that the countrys largest pension fund breached its legal duties to them by failing to prudently identify, assess or manage climate-related risks. The suit, filed in Ontarios Superior Court of Justice, also calls out the pension plan for its continued investments in fossil fuels. CPPIB is flying blind to the real risks of climate change and failing to protect the pensions of young Canadians, Karine Peloffy, a lawyer and sustainable finance lead at Ecojustice whos representing the investors with attorneys from Goldblatt Partners LLP, said in a statement. CPPIB said in a statement that it intends to take whatever steps are necessary to uphold the interests of all Canadians who contribute to the pension plan. Climate change is one of many material factors we consider in managing risk and pursuing opportunities across the whole economy over the long term, CPPIB added. Groups of young people in several nations have sued governments and major energy companies for allegedly contributing to future climate change or failing to address it. Perhaps the most prominent of these a case against the US government alleging it had violated their rights to life, liberty and property by encouraging fossil fuel consumption was dismissed by a federal appeals court in 2020. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case in March. The four Canadian workers, all under the age of 33, are seeking a range of declarations, including that CPPIB act in the best interests of all contributors and beneficiaries, and an order that CPPIB disclose more information about the climate-related risks in its investment portfolio. Im part of this case because I want to protect the financial interests of hardworking young people like me who want to be able to retire when we are older, said Olson, whos one of plaintiffs, in a statement. My financial future is on the line. CPPIB has said it doesnt intend to sell fossil fuel assets, but rather invest in the energy transition. The pension fund has reported a 41% decline in its portfolios carbon footprint since fiscal 2020 and says on its website that it remains committed to sustainability. However, CPPIB announced in May that it dropped its commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, three years after making the pledge. Toronto-based CPPIB currently manages the retirement funds of more than 22 million Canadians with almost C$732 billion ($523 billion) of assets under management, making it the worlds sixth-largest pension fund. Ecojustice said the case against CPPIB is 100%-funded by organizations and individuals who share the Canadian nonprofits vision as the countrys largest environmental law charity. Photograph: Fishing boats docked in Port Edward near Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, July 15, 2025; photo credit: James MacDonald/Bloomberg Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits Canada Hurricane Melissa is churning toward Jamaica as the islands worst-ever storm, with high winds and flooding rains already pummeling coastal areas in the hours before landfall. Melissas top winds reached 185 miles (298 kilometers) per hour, up from 180 mph earlier Tuesday. Its a Category 5 storm, the highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. The dangerous storm was about 30 miles southeast of Negril, Jamaica, at the western tip of the island, the US National Hurricane Center said in an update at noon New York time. If the storm maintains this intensity, it will be the strongest to hit in the Atlantic since Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas also with 185-mph winds, said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University. Meteorological Service of Jamaica Director Evan Thompson said the hurricane may make landfall soon. If it maintains its strength, Melissa would be the first confirmed Category 5 storm to hit Jamaica. It will cause catastrophic damage, life-threatening damage. There is very little that can stop a Category 5 hurricane, Thompson said. The hurricane center advised residents to take shelter in the most interior part of their homes, away from windows that could shatter if struck by debris. You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection, forecaster Larry Kelly wrote in an update. Officials say that more than 6,000 people are now taking refuge in 382 of the 800 shelters that have been opened. There are about 25,000 tourists in the country as well. Buildings where Melissa comes ashore may be completely destroyed, according to the hurricane center. The hurricane is forecast to dump as much as 40 inches (102 centimeters) of rain across parts of Jamaica, and Melissa also threatens to push a wall of water of up to 13 feet into the coastline where it comes ashore. About half of all hurricane deaths come from drowning. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a video statement posted on Monday that residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas should be prepared to flee given the high risk of complete displacement and loss of life. Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said about 240,000 people, or 35% of the islands clients, have lost power, largely in the west. In addition, 26% of mobile networks are now offline. The government is hopeful that there will not be serious damage at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. If all goes as planned, clean up crews will be working Wednesday and the countrys main airport can begin receiving relief flights as soon as Thursday. PetroJam has two to three weeks of aviation fuel stored, so we will be able to accommodate relief flights, Vaz said. The fate of the airport at Montego Bay remains in doubt, as its expected to receive at least Category 3 winds. We know that it could have potentially disabling impact on that airport, he said. Melissa has already led to at least seven deaths across the Caribbean, including three in Haiti. The storm is endangering roughly 3.5 million people across the region, according to estimates from the United Nations and European Unions Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. Melissa is forecast to hit Cuba next and then rip through the Bahamas later this week. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel told his cabinet on Monday to spare no expense when it comes to making preparations ahead of Melissas landfall, despite an ongoing economic crisis that has resulted in shortages of food, medicine and basic goods. Melissas compact size and western landfall in Jamaica means losses will likely fall short of early estimates that went as high as $16 billion, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler with Enki Research. He now estimates losses will reach $6.5 billion, comparable to the impact of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Jamaicas ports have been closed to shipping, according to the national port authority, and the state broadcaster reported the islands international airports both halted operations over the weekend. Officials have ordered evacuations in more than a half dozen towns and cities, including Port Royal at the entrance to Kingston Harbor, which dates back to the 17th century. Related: Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Hurricane Investors in Jamaicas catastrophe bond now face a full trigger event that would force payment of the entire $150 million bond to help the island deal with fallout from Hurricane Melissa. Thats according to Florian Steiger, chief executive of Icosa Investments AG, a Swiss investment firm specializing in alternative fixed-income strategies. We expect the cat bond to pay out in full or at least close to it, he told Bloomberg on Tuesday. Read more: Reinsurers Hold Bulk of Jamaicas Property Exposures From Hurricane Melissa: Reports Jamaicas cat bond, which was arranged by the World Bank, is designed as the ultimate backstop to help provide funds to pay for only the most extreme weather events. The last time a weather-related cat bond paid out in full was in connection with Hurricane Ian in 2022, when several bonds suffered a 100% loss in principal, according to Artemis, a data provider specialized in insurance-linked securities. Jamaica narrowly missed getting any coverage from its cat bond last year when Hurricane Beryl hit, after it was judged that the air pressure required for a payout wasnt reached. Thats despite the fact that Jamaicas prime minister had declared the island a disaster area. Hurricane Melissa became the first recorded Category 5 storm to strike Jamaica, coming ashore on Tuesday as one of the most powerful landfalls ever observed in the Atlantic. The storm had estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 miles (298 kilometers) per hour, according to a 1 p.m. New York time advisory from the US National Hurricane Center. The high winds and flooding rains put at risk the countrys residents and at least 25,000 tourists still on the island. Losses from Hurricane Melissa may fall short of early estimates that went as high as $16 billion, said Chuck Watson, a disaster modeler with Enki Research. He now estimates losses will reach $6.5 billion, comparable to the impact of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. A spokesperson for the World Bank said it is closely monitoring Melissas location and severity. Jamaicas catastrophe bond includes parametric triggers based on storm characteristics such as its central pressure and path, and the World Bank will provide updates as they become available, the spokesperson said. The worlds growing reliance on capital markets to deal with such events coincides with a steep increase in costs caused by natural catastrophes. Insured losses tied to extreme weather are set to exceed $150 billion this year, which is well above the historical average, according to risk modeler Verisk. Since 2023, meanwhile, the market for cat bonds has grown by well over 50% to $55 billion, estimates provided by insurance broker Aon Plc show. Jamaica, which the World Bank estimates is the third most-exposed country to natural catastrophes, has built up several layers of disaster-risk financing, including pre-arranged credits and parametric insurance. Its cat bond sits at the top of the insurance tower as protection against extreme events. Melissa ranks among the most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever observed, Icosa said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday. The human toll and physical damage will be severe, with recovery efforts requiring significant international support over the coming months and years. A full payout of the Jamaica cat bond will hopefully bring some fast relief funds to the most affected communities, Steiger at Icosa said. Cat bonds allow issuers often insurers but sometimes also whole countries to pass part of their risk to capital markets. Sales of the instruments have soared amid increasing risk from property exposure, inflation and climate change. Investors can face potentially large losses if a bond is triggered and can generate significant returns if a predefined catastrophe doesnt occur. Even a full $150 million payout of Jamaicas cat bond isnt likely to have a big impact on investor portfolios because it makes up a tiny portion of the $55 billion market for the securities. Cat bonds have delivered record returns since 2023 and investors have dodged major losses so far this year, despite forecasts of an above-normal US hurricane season. Returns for the year currently stand at 10% according to the Swiss Re Cat Bond Total Return Index. Related: Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics Catastrophe PepsiCo has resolved a lawsuit accusing it of falsely marketing its Gatorade protein bars as good for you, though they contain more sugar than protein and more sugar than Snickers bars and chocolate-frosted Dunkin donuts. U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts in San Jose, California, on Monday dismissed the proposed class action with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be brought again, at the request of PepsiCo and three self-described fitness enthusiasts who sued. It was unclear whether the parties settled following court-ordered mediation. PepsiCo and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Maia Kats, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, declined to comment. PepsiCo was accused of violating federal and state consumer protection laws by assuring that Gatorade bars help muscles rebuild, are used by the pros and are backed by science. The plaintiffs said the bars were actually fortified junk food with 28 grams of added sugar, above the American Heart Associations recommended 25 gram daily limit for women, and just 20 grams of protein. They said excess added sugar is linked to high rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and they wouldnt have bought the bars or would have paid less had they understood the contents. PepsiCo had called the deception claims implausible because it did not market Gatorade bars as healthy or low in sugar, especially for flavors such as Chocolate Chip and Cookies and Cream. Pitts let the case proceed in August 2024, saying reasonable consumers might be confused by PepsiCos labels and misled by its self-proclaimed science-backed claims. PepsiCo is based in Purchase, New York. Its dozens of brands also include Fritos, Lays, Mountain Dew and Ocean Spray. The case is McCausland et al v PepsiCo Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 23-04526. Topics Lawsuits Claims Net income at The Hartford increased 41% to about $1.1 billion in the third quarter 2025. Q2 property/casualty written premiums increased 7% compared to Q3 2024, led by growth of 9% in the business insurance segment. Helped by lower catastrophe losses$70 million versus $247 million a year agoThe Hartfords personal insurance and business insurance segments turned in nearly identical combined ratios of 88.7 and 88.8, respectively. The Hartfords business insurance segment contributed $710 million in net income during Q3, up 34% from the same period in 2024.Underwriting profit increased 57% to $397 million. Net favorable reserve development for the segment, primarily from reserve reductions in workers compensation, was $52 million pretax, compared to $10 million for Q3 2024. In personal lines, Q3 net income was $139 millionfar more than $31 million recorded a year ago. The segment reversed a $22 million Q3 underwriting loss in 2024 to book a profit of $107 this year during Q3. Earned premium was up 7% on double-digit earned pricing increases, The Hartford said. Catastrophe losses before tax were $31 million, or about a third of the total during Q3 2024. The combined ratio for personal auto improved 13.2 to a profitable 92.5. The underlying combined ratio was 97.9, an improvement of 3.6 points, primarily due to improvement in the underlying loss and loss adjustment expense ratio, driven by the impact of earned pricing increases outpacing loss cost trends, the insurer said. Renewal price increases during Q3 were 11.3% in auto and 12.6% in homeowners, where the combined ratio improved to 81.2 from 94.7 a year ago. Topics Profit Loss The makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N and Kenvue KVUE.N, were sued on Tuesday by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused them of knowingly hiding the drugs links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Paxton, a Republican, sued five weeks after Republican President Donald Trump said using Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in children. Trump is not a doctor, and his claim is unproven and not backed by scientific evidence. Johnson & Johnson sold Tylenol for more than six decades, and its former Kenvue unit has sold it since 2023 after being spun off. The pain reliever is known generically as acetaminophen. Kenvue has repeatedly defended Tylenols safety, and in a statement said it would defend against Paxtons lawsuit. Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy, Kenvue said. We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen. In a separate statement, Johnson & Johnson did not comment on Paxtons lawsuit, and said Kenvue is responsible for all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) Topics Lawsuits Texas A commercial truck driver who is charged with killing three people in a deadly crash in Florida in August had failed a commercial drivers license test 10 times in the span of two months in 2023 in Washington state, before he was ultimately issued a license, according to a senior official in the Florida Attorney Generals Office. Florida is using the case of Harjinder Singh, who is accused of being in the country illegally, to urge the nations highest court to permanently bar some states from issuing commercial drivers licenses or CDLs to people who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. In a separate case, another semitruck driver accused of being in the country illegally was charged with the killings of three people in a crash on a southern California freeway this week, renewing federal officials criticisms of immigrant drivers and concerns about who should be able to obtain CDLs. Heres what to know. Floridas investigation of Harjinder Singh has revealed that the trucker failed a written test to receive a CDL in Washington state 10 times between March 10, 2023, and April 5, 2023, a senior official for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier who was briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press. The official is not authorized to comment publicly about an ongoing investigation and provided the information on the condition of not being identified. Singh, who is from India, lived in California and was originally issued a CDL in Washington before California also issued him one. He was carrying a valid California CDL at the time of the crash, according to court filings. A spokesperson for Washingtons Department of Licensing said no one was immediately able to respond to questions Friday. In California, all commercial truck drivers must pass a written test but may be allowed to skip the driving test if they have an out-of-state license with equivalent classification, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles website. State officials didnt immediately respond to requests for more information. He is accused of attempting an illegal U-turn from the northbound lanes of Floridas Turnpike near Fort Pierce on Aug. 12. A minivan that was behind Singhs big rig couldnt stop and crashed into the truck, killing its driver and two passengers. Singh and a passenger in the truck were not injured. Singh is currently being held without bond in the St. Lucie County Jail, not far from where the crash occurred. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 13. Florida Goes to the Supreme Court Florida is now petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its case against the states of California and Washington, and urging the high court to bar states from issuing CDLs to people who are in the country illegally. Floridas petition filed this month argues the Western states have demonstrated open defiance of federal immigration laws and a failure to enforce public safety, which Florida is urging the court to declare a public nuisance. Thats a type of legal claim thats typically used to address local concerns like blighted homes, illegal drug-dealing or dangerous animals, but has also been directed at pharmacies for their role in the opioid crisis. If the court accepts the case, Florida officials hope it could lead to a new legal precedent for states abilities to issue CDLs to people who are not citizens or legal permanent residents. A ruling could also have a downstream effect on how or if conventional drivers licenses are issued to immigrants, the senior Florida official said. A Deadly Crash in California In a separate case, Jashanpreet Singh was arrested and jailed after Tuesdays eight-vehicle crash in Ontario, California, that killed three people and left four others injured. Singh, who also is from India, is accused of being under the influence of drugs and causing the fiery crash. According to the California Highway Patrol, westbound traffic on Interstate 10 near San Bernardino had slowed Tuesday afternoon when a tractor-trailer failed to stop, struck other vehicles and caused a chain-reaction crash. Singh, of Yuba City, entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 across the southern border, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Thursday in a post on X. Trump Administration Cracks down The U.S. Transportation Department took steps to tighten CDL requirements for noncitizens in September, following a series of fatal crashes this year that officials say were caused by immigrant truck drivers. This weeks deadly crash in California and the assertion that Jashanpreet Singh entered the country illegally has renewed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffys concerns about who should be able to obtain CDLs. Duffy and President Donald Trump have been pressing the issue and criticizing California ever since the deadly Florida crash in August. Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Duffy said there were multiple failures that allowed Harjinder Singh to obtain his commercial drivers license. The truth is I think we have a lot of abuse in the commercial drivers license issuing space, Duffy said. He noted that Singh didnt speak English and maintained that he couldnt read road signs. So the question becomes how in the heck can you ever pass a test for a commercial drivers license? You cant do it but for fraud, Duffy said. The new rules announced last month make getting commercial drivers licenses extremely hard for immigrants because only three specific classes of visa holders will be eligible. States will also have to verify an applicants immigration status in a federal database. These licenses will be valid for up to one year unless the applicants visa expires sooner than that. Photo: FILE Harjinder Singh is escorted onto an airplane by Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and law enforcement on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Stockton, Calif. (AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy, file) ___ Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Auto Florida Personal Auto Security First Insurance, ranked the 15th largest property insurer in Florida earlier this year, announced it has filed for an 8% average statewide rate decrease for thousands of homeowners policies, making it the latest carrier to follow through on expectations after landmark legislative changes were made in 2022. The use-and-file rate cut has yet to be approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, but is set to take effect Dec. 18. It follows a 5.2% average rate decrease in its Signature HO3 polices last year. Together, the filings will mean significant savings on premiums for some 50,000 policyholders, the company said in news release Monday. This 8% decrease on our most popular homeowners product reflects our ongoing commitment to making comprehensive coverage more affordable and accessible, Security First President Melissa Burt DeVriese said in a statement. The news comes three months after another prominent insurer, Florida Peninsula Insurance, filed for an 8.4% average decrease in homeowners policies. Since historic legislation was approved in late 2022, disincentivizing what insurers had said was excessive claims litigation, at least 17 new carriers have entered the Florida market and 30 carriers have filed for a rate decrease, the OIR has reported. Most of those rate cuts have been relatively minor. Security Firsts and Florida Peninsulas rate decreases are among the largest so far. The Security First rate cut followed a cumulative 23.5% rate increase for the carrier in 2022 and 2023, an Insurance Journal analysis of OIR quarterly data shows. The Florida turnaround has been noted by reinsurance companies and market analysts. In short, the reforms have led to a significant drop in property claims lawsuits, better loss ratios and profitability for insurers and a reversal of the exodus of carriers from the Florida market, Gallagher Re said in a September report. Florida regulators in July approved one major rate increase, a 31.5% average hike by Tampa-based startup Trusted Resource Underwriters Exchange. Officials with the firm said the increase was needed in part to make up for missed filings in recent years. Security First, based in Ormond Beach, held more than 140,000 policies in force as of the first quarter of 2025. This year, the company also announced it had implemented a 3% statewide decrease on its HO6 condominium product and a 5% decrease on its HO4 renters policies. Our rate decreases, combined with industry-leading coverage options, flexible deductibles, and exceptional customer service, demonstrate that affordable, comprehensive homeowners insurance is possible in Florida, DeVriese said. Related: Two Insurers Expand Product Lines in Florida Topics Florida Homeowners Religious discrimination in school admissions in Ireland might still be happening in practice, the Council of Europes anti-racism body has noted. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), has published today a report assessing Irelands progress when it comes to anti-discrimination and anti-racism policies. In a report examining Irelands progress spanning five years, it noted a number of developments it deemed positive, such as the launch of a new national action plan against racism, a draft of a new national LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy, and new mechanisms for dealing with hate crime. Call for hate speech law and education However, it also called for new legislation to punish hate speech to be introduced as a matter of priority and recommended the improvement of the availability and quality of accommodation for people seeking or granted asylum. The ECRI also found that human rights education for young people can vary significantly depending on schools and teachers, noting the need for mandatory topics to be covered by all schools, such as combating racism and intolerance, including against Travellers and Roma, people of African descent, and LGBTI people. While the 2018 Education (Admissions to Schools) Act prohibits schools from using religion as a selection criterion in school admissions, publicly-funded schools promoting religious values can refuse to admit pupils if it is considered essential to maintain the ethos of the school. Transfer of patronage Historically, most primary schools in Ireland have been run by the Catholic Church, with Catholic religion classes as part of the curriculum, the report notes. Transferring the patronage of formerly religious schools has now been considered as a viable option for providing a non-religious alternative, and the education authorities also committed to the secularisation of schooling through the establishment of new multi-denominational schools. Furthermore, the Department of Education has announced plans to survey parents nationally about schools patronage and ethos. In the view of ECRI, these are positive developments. However, a 2024 visit to Ireland found that religious discrimination in school admissions might still be happening in practice, it added. Privately-funded primary and secondary schools promoting religious values can give preferential treatment to pupils of a particular religion, the ECRI said. The ethos of schools can also impact the delivery of relationship and sexuality education. The ECRI recommended a review of existing legislation to ensure the exemption for refusal of admission based on religion does not adversely impact access to education. It also recommended that this review look at the definition of ethos and what is required in order to establish that a refusal was essential to maintain the ethos of the school, to ensure it does not constitute discrimination. Concerns were also raised with the ECRI about the lack of diversity within the teaching profession and barriers faced by teachers from migrant, Traveller, and ethnic minority backgrounds. Mental health teams for children who also have an intellectual disability are staffed around the country at just 25% of recommended levels, startling new HSE data shows. The teams are part of the child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs), which has openly struggled with recruitment to match rising demand in recent years. Separate information reveals a 2023 look-back review of 300 childrens mental health care in North Kerry is still not ready for publication, more than two years since it began. In relation to South Kerry, the Maskey review, led by Sean Maskey, found in 2022 that hundreds of children attending Camhs were overprescribed medication and received substandard treatment. Children in South Kerry continue to struggle with the fallout, with one father telling the Irish Examiner that "our children are shutting down in the years since. Maurice OConnell said it feels as though the government and HSE are throwing money at people, then once thats done, their hands are clean". In relation to Camhs' intellectual disability teams (Camhs ID), the HSE said hiring is so challenging that the northwest of Ireland does not have a team. Nationally, Camhs ID teams are resourced at approximately 25% of the recommendations for staffing, it said. Each team should have 11 staff. However, separate data from HSE Southwest showed the Cork team has only seven people. The Kerry team has three, including two working part-time and one on a pro-rata basis. The HSE Midwest region covering Limerick, Clare, and north Tipperary has one team with five staff, it said. The national data was released to Sinn Fein spokesman for disability, Ruairi O Murchu. He warned: There has been much commentary in relation to Camhs, and the frightening aspect of the figures is the number of positions unfilled. The capacity of the service to deliver is impacted. He cautioned that even these figures may not give the full picture, noting health unions' disputes with the HSE on workforce figures and recruitment processes. He called for further analysis of why it is so challenging to recruit into these vital services. Hiring embargo and recruitment challenges In a letter released with the national data, the HSE Mental Health Services said: The recruitment embargo in 2024, coupled with ongoing recruitment challenges, not only faced by Camhs, but across the health sector as a whole, saw the number of staff fall in 2024. Paul Braham, senior operations manager, stressed that new funding is changing that picture. Some 99 roles were funded in the HSE service plan 2024. A dedicated Camhs recruitment campaign in Ireland and abroad saw 58 start work by mid-September this year. A further 15 are in the final stages of hiring, and 26 have started the process. Recruitment continues for 27 roles funded through the service plan for this year. HSE Southwest said that, in relation to North Kerry, all families and young people affected by the look-back review have been informed of individual findings. Work continues on recommendations. We sincerely regret that this review process has taken longer than we initially hoped, and we apologise to the young people involved and their families, it said. Fianna Fail TD for Kerry, Michael Cahill, has repeatedly raised these delays in the Dail. He has called on the Government to urgently publish the report. A spokeswoman for minister of state for mental health, Mary Butler, said she is aware of the families frustrations. She has been told by the HSE that the final recommendations will be made available as soon as possible following due diligence. Mental health funding was announced in Budget 2026, including recruitment money to ensure an additional 300 whole-time-equivalent staff could be hired in mental health services. The Government needs to urgently change its approach to hospital overcrowding in Limerick, and a "capacity emergency" needs to be declared as patients continue to face reduced privacy and dignity compared to elsewhere, doctors have warned. The call from doctors on the University Hospital Limerick medical board follows findings in Hiqas review of emergency services in the region, published last month. It would be helpful for Limerick to be regarded as a capacity emergency, Dr Joe Devlin, deputy chairman of the medical board, said today. That is really what this Hiqa report says theres a lack of capacity. Its unequal, and very different to every other part of the country. "Hiqa stated baldly this is posing a risk to patient safety, so if you dont regard that as an emergency, I dont know what is. Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has pledged to respond to three solutions proposed by Hiqa by Christmas, and to look at bed shortages in the interim. Dr Devlin said it was clear during the pandemic that construction could happen quickly in health if necessary. He called for a similar approach for the Mid-West. Why should the children in the Mid-West have less access to emergency healthcare than the children in the North-West, or the South-West, or in Dublin? he said. The medical board said that the Hiqa review is the third investigation or review to find overcrowding to be a real problem since the death of Aoife Johnston in 2022, but that little has changed. Aoife Johnston, aged 16, died on December 19, 2022, from meningitis-related sepsis after waiting for treatment in the emergency department of UHL. We hope to no longer hear the HSE or the Department of Health blame staff in HSE Midwest for problems that have yet again been clearly identified as those of physical bed capacity, the board stated. It highlighted the privacy and dignity deficiencies our patients experience, and stressed that Hiqa found staff still deliver more care than in other hospitals despite having fewer beds and working "in an inappropriately overcrowded environment". Dr Devlin pointed out while hospitals such as Cork University Hospital have ready support from smaller hospitals locally at Model 3 level, UHL does not. The board stated: The direction from Government on this critical point needs to urgently change." Gardai have seized more than 8m worth of cocaine following the search of a home and lands in Co Laois today. Officers from the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau carried out the search as part of Operation Tara. The 116kg of cocaine valued at approximately 8.1m was recovered, along with a number of electronic devices. One man in his 30s was arrested under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. He is being held at a Laois Garda station. A spokesperson said the drugs seized will be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis. Following the operation, Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland, head of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, said: "An Garda Siochana will continue to focus our resources on those who collaborate with and facilitate organised crime. "We are determined to continue dismantling drug-trafficking routes into Ireland, and will continue doing our part to keep our communities safer. Please think before you use." Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, was launched by the Garda Commissioner in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels international, national, local involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale, and supply of controlled drugs. A 33-year-old man who threatened to kill a woman serving lunches at Cork Penny Dinners will be sentenced on November 25. Flavio Andrade, of Shamrock Place, College Road, Cork, appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday on a signed a plea of guilty to making the death threat. His barrister, Elaine Audley, applied for an extension of free legal aid for a medical report on the accused. Judge Helen Boyle acceded to that application and adjourned the case for sentencing in a months time. Sergeant Gearoid Davis previously outlined the background to the incident, which occurred at about lunchtime on May 1, 2022, as Garda David OSullivan responded to a call to Penny Dinners on Little Hanover Street, Cork. Garda OSullivan met with a woman who had been serving food at the well-known service. She was visibly shaken. She alleged that while serving Flavio Andrade, he became extremely aggressive, pointing his finger in her direction, stating that he was going to kill her, Sgt. Davis said. The sergeant said the wording of the threat was: Ill kill you, I can kill you anytime. Im ex-military so I can kill you anytime. It is alleged he later added: Ill track you down. I will find where you live. And if I go to Portugal for 15 years and come back, I will still track you down. You will be no more. A plane crash has killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenyas coastal region of Kwale while en route to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement eight Hungarian and two German passengers were onboard, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 25 miles from Diani airstrip, authorities said. The airline did not confirm what time the aircraft departed Diani airstrip, saying the pilot failed to communicate upon departure and the airport control tower tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located. Kenyan officials inspect the scene of the plane crash near Diani (AP) Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash that happened at 5.30am local time, Kwale county commissioner Stephen Orinde told The Associated Press. There was heavy rain in coastal Kenya at the time. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving a charred wreckage at the scene, officials said. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority had earlier said that 12 people were onboard the Cessna Caravan-type aircraft. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, located west of the coastline and is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches. The reserve attracts a large number of tourists as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania. The Kenyan coastlines white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean attract tourists from all over the world. According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organisation site, from 2018, the country fell below the global average in accident investigation. The US Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the "Hurricane Hunters," flew through Hurricane Melissa on Monday to collect vital data for the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Melissa, described as "catastrophic" by the NHC, is expected to hit Jamaica late Monday or early Tuesday before moving across eastern Cuba and the Bahamas. Forecasters warned of unprecedented winds, up to three feet of rain, and widespread destruction, exacerbated by the storm's slow movement over warm Caribbean waters. Oakland, Ca. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) Vice President J. D. Vance went out to the Middle East last week to show the MAGA flag. While convicted felon Donald Trump, Vances boss, prosecutes his undeclared wars on Venezuela and the American people, he has declared Peace between Israel and Gaza, where there is none. Other than the hostage-prisoner exchange, for which the diplomatic teams from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar deserve most of the credit; the rest is a blueprint for a Trump resort in Gaza. Call it a more selfish version of the Abraham Accords. Trump no more deserves credit for ending the war, than Ronald Reagan did for the fall of the Soviet Union. The stated reason for Vances visit was to ensure that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu doesnt violate the cease fire. It isnt even clear what that would mean. Other than the hostage-prisoner exchange, no deal has been made for the other vague and obtuse 19 points of this nascent peace plan. Israel still controls half of Gaza as an occupying force. And despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to weaponize aid, food and water as tools of war, while Hamas refuses to disarm without a comprehensive agreement for the governance of the Strip. While the Trump Administration may share some credit for the preliminary agreement, and most notably the return of the living Israeli hostages, the heavy lifting to accomplish that was done by high level diplomats from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. The presence of Vice President JD Vance in Israel last week was no more than a reality TV stunt, which accomplished nothing toward ending hostilities on both sides. The destructive nature of the Israeli Likud government under Netanyahu threatens to undermine any lasting impact of the Gaza ceasefire, with parliaments recent vote to annex the West Bank territories. As no Palestinians were involved in drafting the agreement, their interests were not represented at the negotiating table, thus affirming the sense of colonial manipulation at their expense. Or by check: Juan Cole P. O. Box 4218, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548 USA (Remember, make the checks out to Juan Cole or they cant be cashed) One may have thought that Trumps Siamese-twin criminal relationship with Netanyahu might give him leverage to press for a major change in Israeli policy. Netanyahus extreme-right finance minister Bezelel Smotrich, however, is devoted to annexing the West Bank and sending Israeli squatters in to Gaza, leaving the prime minister embarrassed by his Faustian bargain to bring him into his government. Without the support of his extreme-right Religious Zionism bloc, there is no Likud government. Everything about the ceasefire and continuation of the self-sabotaging Abraham Accords is a threat to the Likud agenda. The extreme-right character of the Israeli government heightens the challenge of getting Tel Aviv to keep to its agreement. Vances visit to Israel was an indignant display of showmanship, rather than effective diplomacy. The trip reflected the Trump II Administrations sense of reality-TV dynamics, at the expense of substance and effective progress. Despite Trumps proclamations, Hamas never agreed to disarm; only to cede governing Gaza to the Palestine Liberation Organization. The most profane failure of the Gaza Ceasefire has been Israels continued bombardment, and Israels ongoing strangulation and starvation of Gaza. Vance had no bandwidth, negotiation skills or interest to address that on his trip. The most consequential outcome of the new agreements has been the collapse of the Hamas government in Gaza, which has led to violent chaos, and Hamas publicly shooting suspected Israeli collaborators. Prof. Juan Cole points out that the most cogent question is who will govern Gaza in the vacuum left by Hamas. Never miss an issue of Informed Comment: Click here to subscribe to our email newsletter! Social media will pretend to let you subscribe but then use algorithms to suppress the postings and show you their ads instead. And please, if you see an essay you like, paste it into an email and share with friends. One might think that the Palestinian Authority, dominated by the Palestine Liberation Organization, would be best positioned to govern Gaza, but Netanyahu knee-capped them years ago as a viable negotiating partner in order to empower Hamas. Netanyahu further enabled Hamas to commit the October 7 atrocities by ignoring intelligence warnings about the visible military buildup, and relying on a flawed electronic system, rather than having active boots and eyes on the ground at the border. Since then, hes done everything he can to prolong the war he invited, to escape the criminal consequences of indictments for bribery, breach of public trust and fraud. Its difficult to imagine Netanyahu acquiescing to any form of Palestinian self-rule, without Israeli colonial involvement. Old habits die hard. The official body count in Gaza stands at 68,229 people killed by Israel firepower since October 7. Few functional buildings remain for viable housing or infrastructure. So thorough has been the Israeli devastation that the apocalyptic reality is, a moonscape of total devastation and unfathomable loss. While many Hamas fighters were killed, the vast majority of those killed has been women, children and elderly. Then there is an untold number of deaths from starvation, disease, and untreated medical conditions, aside from the official body count. So Israels aid embargo killed as many as 50,000 other innocents by non-trauma deaths. The phrase refers to deaths not caused by bullets or bombs, but surely any loss of innocent civilian life is traumatic. Israel already violated the ceasefire by killing 45 Gaza Palestinians in response to the loss of two Israeli soldiers on October 20th, and the Netanyahu government continues to limit the aid allowed into Gaza, a war crime proscribed by UN instruments. The scope and scale of devastation brings an insurmountable challenge to repair, recover and rebuild. The healthcare system and infrastructure for water and sanitation have been bombed to the Stone Age. Israel continues to invent new pretexts for disrupting or discontinuing aid into Gaza. The extremist coalition in charge of Israel embarrassed Vance by passing a first reading of a bill to annex the West Bank while he was there. Vance dismissed that vote as a stupid political stunt, bringing a rare alignment of the Trump Administration with the UN Security Council Resolution 2334. That document characterizes Israels imperial efforts as having, no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law. The peace plan proposed by Trump is a collection of admirable goals, couched in obtuse language, with the fantasy of a temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people in Gaza. Apolitical? In this world? And with Trump as the chair of a new a new international transitional body, the Board of Peace? This amounts to a re-colonization of Gaza, as it makes no mention of elections or direct Palestinian participation. It reads more like a lofty real estate promotional brochure, than a blueprint for ending a war. Vances primary job description last week should have been to assure that Israel honors the terms of the ceasefire, including all conditions for aid delivery and rebuilding Gaza. But Vances presence was no more than a glorified tourist visit, to Holy Sites, and a working lunch with envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, author of the disingenuous Abraham Accords. The practical reasons for these mens presence was to see that Netanyahu does not actively work against the deal, so carefully constructed by the Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish diplomats. But Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his extremist Religious Zionism bloc, along with his Likud colleagues are doing just that. Not Peace, Digital, Dream / Dreamland v. 3, ChatGPT, 2025 For the people of Gaza, and the diplomats of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey who did the real work; the Gaza truce is a complex conceptual machinery, with many moving parts still in flux. For Trump, Netanyahu, Witkoff and Kushner; it was just another reality TV episode. Since taking office again, Trump has started wars without declaring them. Now he has declared peace before there is any, in keeping with the presidents habit of, . . . claiming credit before closing the deal. As noted by Forward columnist Dan Perry, . . . the instinct to declare progress rather than enforce it haunts this administration, and undermines the stated goals of the ceasefire. ( Code Pink ) On October 4th, 2025, in an interview with Axios, President Trump stressed that one of the main goals behind his Gaza plan was to restore Israels international standing. Bibi took it very far and Israel lost a lot of support in the world, Trump said. Now I am gonna get all that support back. Under Trumps plan, a supposed ceasefire took effect on October 10th. But Israel only withdrew from less than half of the Gaza strip, and killed at least 93 people in the next two weeks, after killing at least that many per day for the previous two years. Israel has only allowed 15% of the humanitarian aid called for in the plan to enter Gaza, and has kept the critical Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza closed. The daily life-and-death struggle to find food, water and shelter carries on unabated for two million people in Gaza. While the reduction in the daily scale of Israels mass murder is obviously welcome, this is not a real ceasefire. Like previous Israeli ceasefires in Gaza, as in Lebanon, this is a one-sided ceasefire that Israel violates at will, on a daily basis, with no accountability. This is only the first part of Trumps plan for Gaza, and there is still no agreement on the other parts, such as the disarmament of Hamas, who provide the only government and police force in Gaza. They now have the added job of protecting their people from Israel-backed criminal gangs and death squads, some with links to ISIS, who prey on them from the Israeli-occupied areas, stealing aid supplies, assassinating local leaders and terrorizing the population. Hamas is obviously not going to disarm under these conditions, and previously said it would only surrender its weapons once Palestine has an internationally recognized government with its own armed forces. On the other side, Israel has not agreed to other parts of Trumps plan, such as its withdrawal from the rest of Gaza, nor to any plan for the future of Palestine. In the United States, where corrupt politicians and corporate media take U.S. and Israeli lies at face value or even repeat them as statements of fact, some may believe that Trumps plan has resolved the crisis in Palestine. The rest of the world is not so naive or easy to manipulate, but many other governments are also beholden to oligarchies that profit from trade, investment and arms deals with Israel, even as the public in those same countries reels in shock at Israels mass murder of Palestinians and U.S.-backed impunity for its crimes. Trumps Gaza plan, like much of his foreign policy, cynically exploits the greed and fear of political leaders and their oligarch patrons. Admitting that Israel has lost a lot of support in the world, he offers a shortcut back to business as usual for governments eager to protectand even expandprofitable ties despite Israels ongoing atrocities and open contempt for international law. In his first term, Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and Sudan that included mutual recognition and expanded trade. He now has his eye on the big prize: Saudi Arabia. But Arab-Israeli relations have long been contested. In the 1949 UN General Assembly vote on Israels admission, all Arab and Muslim countries except Turkiye (which abstained) voted against recognizing the state of Israel. Thirty-two mostly Arab and Muslim countries, including some of its closest neighbors, still either dont recognize Israel or have no diplomatic relations with it. Despite decades of hostility, Trump persuaded Israel and some of these countries to support his Gaza plan with the promise of future benefits from normalization and trade. But there is still a gaping chasm between Israel and these Arab and Muslim countries over Palestine. They say they will not recognize Israel unless Israel recognizes Palestine, with full sovereignty over East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But the foundational basis of Netanyahus Likud Party is its plan for a Greater Israel, to be formed by annexing all of occupied Palestine between the sea and the Jordan. And on October 22, during Vice President Vances visit to Israel, the Knesset voted in favor of annexing the West Bank. Trump unveiled his Gaza plan at the very end of the UN General Assemblys annual high-level meeting in New York, where many world leaders spoke out for much stronger international action against Israel. The New York Declaration, which 142 countries voted for, was the result of a conference in July led by France and Saudi Arabia that promised concrete, timebound, coordinated action to enforce a ruling by the international Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024 that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal and must be ended as quickly as possible. Trumps initiative temporarily upstaged and marginalized calls for further action at the UN. But on October 22nd, the ICJ issued a new ruling strongly condemning Israels use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, and ruling that, as an occupying power, Israel must ensure that the basic needs of the population are met, including food, water, fuel, shelter and medicine. The court also ruled that Israel must permit UN staff working for UNRWA to do their work in Gaza, after Israel provided no evidence to the court for its claim that UN staff were members of Hamas or took part in its October 2023 incursion into Israel. In the wake of the ICJ decision, Norway said it would introduce a resolution in the UN General Assembly to enforce the Courts directives, including ensuring the full amount of aid reaches Gaza. Humanitarian advocates hope that this resolution will be introduced in an Emergency Special Session under the Uniting For Peace option, enabling the UN to deliver the concrete, timebound, coordinated action it promised in Julypotentially including sanctions such as an arms embargo and targeted trade and investment measures that should take effect within days if Israel continues to block aid. Trump plainly intended his plan to close the book on Israels crimesand on U.S. complicityand to inaugurate a new phase: normalization of the occupation and Israels diplomatic rehabilitation. Yet even before the ICJ condemned Israels starvation policy, people worldwide were already mobilizing, urging their governments not to let Israel off the hook. In Europe, momentum for accountability continues to build. As the British parliament debates a new pensions law, an amendment has been submitted to divest local government pension funds from companies that are complicit in the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. Many local councils in the U.K. have already passed individual ordinances to do this, but the amendment to the pensions law would force all of them to divest the $16 billion that their pension funds still have invested in those firms. In September, the European Union (EU) announced plans to suspend its 25-year-old free trade agreement with Israel and impose sanctions on extremist Israeli cabinet members and settler leaders. On October 20th, it paused these steps in response to Trumps plan, but EU leaders immediately faced strong push-back on that decision. Over 400 former senior diplomats and officials signed a statement that the EU must take robust action against spoilers and extremists who would jeopardize the establishment of a future Palestinian state, noting that Trumps plan only vaguely addressed that goal. International lawyers advised EU leaders that EU policy must comply with the 2024 ICJ ruling that the Israeli occupation is illegal and must be ended as quickly as possible. Individual European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, already ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, and Ireland is currently debating a similar trade ban in its Occupied Territories Bill, which should get a final vote by January. The original bill would only affect trade in goods, but activists want trade in services included in the ban, while powerful business interests, including U.S. tech firms with European headquarters in Ireland, are lobbying to kill the bill altogether. It should help that Irelands newly elected president, Catherine Connolly, is a strong supporter of Palestine. In stark contrast to much of the world, which is still grappling with the contradictions of Trumps Gaza plan and Israels ongoing unlawful occupation, U.S. officials are already trying to turn the pagemoving to fortify and expand Washingtons military alliance with Israel. This alliance is renewed and updated every ten years in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two governments, which would normally be negotiated in 2026, before the previous MOU expires in 2028. Theres already a bipartisan bill in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (S.554) to initiate this process, titled United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025, authorizing joint projects with Israel under categories like countering unmanned systems anti-tunnel cooperation(and) war reserves stockpile authority. Photo of Rome Demonstration, late September 2025, by Leonardo Basso on Unsplash Conspicuously absent from this policy review is any debate over U.S. complicity in Gazas destructiona debate that should come first and set the terms for any serious re-examination of the U.S.Israel alliance. On October 20th, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, released a new report titled Gaza Genocide: a Collective Crime. Here is the summary of her report: The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a collective crime, sustained by the complicity of influential Third States that have enabled longstanding systemic violations of international law by Israel. Framed by colonial narratives that dehumanize the Palestinians, this live-streamed atrocity has been facilitated through Third States direct support, material aid, diplomatic protection and, in some cases, active participation. It has exposed an unprecedented chasm between peoples and their governments, betraying the trust on which global peace and security rest. The world now stands on a knife-edge between the collapse of the international rule of law and hope for renewal. Renewal is only possible if complicity is confronted, responsibilities are met and justice is upheld. We urge all members of the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees to read the UN report and to invite UN experts to testify at hearings on U.S. complicity and participation in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Palestine. To move ahead with consideration of a new MOU or any arms transfers with Israel without first conducting such a serious and objective policy review would only serve to perpetuate the endless wars that all our leaders, including President Trump, keep telling us they want to end. Via Code Pink Shanghai (Gasgoo)- A fleet of futuristic autonomous delivery vehicles has quietly rolled onto the bustling streets of Huaqiangbeiknown as "China's No.1 Electronics Street"as part of an AI-powered logistics pilot in Shenzhen's Futian District. The project, supported by local autonomous driving technology firm MINIEYE, marks the debut of its "Xiaozhu" (translating to "Little Bamboo") driverless delivery vans in one of the world's densest commercial hubs. The initiative represents a major milestone for MINIEYE's expansion into intelligent logistics and forms part of Huaqiangbei's broader effort to build a "new productivity hub" through AI applications. With more than 1.5 million parcels handled daily, the district faces chronic congestion and last-mile delivery bottlenecksproblems this project aims to alleviate through automation. Photo credit: MINIEYE Huaqiangbei has long topped China's professional logistics markets, processing over one billion parcels annually with a total value exceeding 100 billion yuan. Yet, the area's success has come at a costits narrow streets and high logistics density have pushed traditional delivery systems to their limits, creating persistent inefficiencies. To tackle these challenges, the Futian District AI Industry Office, together with Shenzhen Bus Group, launched the "AI + Autonomous Logistics Vehicle" pilot. MINIEYE, leveraging its mature autonomous driving stack, has enabled driverless vehicles to integrate into Huaqiangbeis busy logistics network. During the trial phase, Xiaozhu vehicles will operate primarily around the Sanda Industrial Park, SEG Technology Park, and Huakang Building. They will run on fixed routes and schedules to serve logistics hubs, merchants, and residents. The program is jointly operated by state-owned Shenzhen Bus Group, with MINIEYE providing the autonomous technology, while logistics giants Yunda Express and SF Express participate in field testing. Each day, the driverless fleet completes three scheduled delivery runs, collecting and distributing parcels across the district. These frequent operations allow MINIEYEs Xiaozhu vehicles to demonstrate their precision sensing and decision-making capabilities amid Huaqiangbeis chaotic traffic, while also gathering vital data on performance, road compatibility, and public acceptance. Technically, the Xiaozhu vehicles are equipped with three LiDAR units and eleven cameras, powered by MINIEYEs self-developed software stack. Designed to handle the districts unique traffic chaosfrom pedestrians darting between vehicles to mixed motorbike and car flowsthe system integrates passenger car-grade production experience with multi-sensor fusion, city-level NOA algorithms, and end-to-end AI models, achieving Level 4 autonomy across urban scenarios. Safety remains a top priority. Each vehicle undergoes passenger car-level testing and component validation, ensuring reliability and operational safety in real-world use. The Xiaozhu fleet has also been optimized for short-haul, high-frequency logistics typical of Huaqiangbei. Each vehicle can carry 400 to 700 standard parcels per trip, offering one of the largest load capacities in its class. It also supports multi-stop delivery and reverse collection, enhancing operational flexibility. The rollout of Xiaozhu in Huaqiangbei marks more than a technical milestoneit signifies AI's integration into everyday life, as intelligent transportation moves from pilot zones into real urban communities. Sudan's army admitted on Monday it had withdrawn from the strategic hub of El-Fasher, while the United Nations issued a stark warning over reports of "atrocities" by the paramilitary group now in control of the city. Fears have mounted for the safety of tens of thousands of civilians in the city in western Darfur, trapped in an 18-month siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting a brutal war with Sudan's army for more than two years. "We have agreed to withdraw the army from El-Fasher to a safer location," the army chief and de facto ruler of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said in a speech broadcast on national television, after the RSF announced victory on Sunday. Burhan also vowed revenge and to fight "until this land is purified". The capture of El-Fasher could mark a significant turning point in Sudan's war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people since April 2023. The city's capture gives the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, consolidating its parallel administration in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. The army is now confined to the north, east and centre of Sudan and is excluded from a third of Sudanese territory, a development, experts say, which raises the possibility the country could face partition. "This represents a terrible escalation in the conflict," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in answer to an AFP question, adding that "the level of suffering that we are witnessing in Sudan is unbearable". UN rights chief Volker Turk spoke of a growing risk of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" in El-Fasher. - 'Summary executions' - His office said it was "receiving multiple, alarming reports that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions". The UN Human Rights Office said the reports consisted of "summary execution of civilians trying to flee, with indications of ethnic motivations for killings", as well as videos showing "dozens of unarmed men being shot or lying dead, surrounded by RSF fighters who accuse them of being (Sudanese army) fighters". A video released by local activists and authenticated by AFP shows a fighter known for executing civilians in RSF-controlled areas shooting a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground at point-blank range. Footage shared by pro-democracy activists purportedly showed dozens of people lying dead on the ground alongside burned-out vehicles. AFP was unable to contact civilians in the city, where the Sudanese Journalists' Syndicate says communications, including satellite networks, have been cut off by a media blackout. The syndicate expressed "deep concern for the safety of journalists" in El-Fasher, adding that independent reporter Muammar Ibrahim has been detained by RSF forces since Sunday. The UN Human Rights Office noted hundreds of people have reportedly been detained while trying to flee, including a journalist. The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed outrage at the attack on the only hospital still partially operational in El-Fasher. "According to reports, a nurse lost her life and three other health workers were injured" on Sunday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X. The army-aligned governor of Darfur called for the protection of civilians in El-Fasher and demanded "an independent investigation into the violations and massacres carried out by the militia away from public view". - 'Turning a blind eye' - According to the UN, more than one million people have fled the city since the start of the war and around 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain trapped in El-Fasher without aid, where many have resorted to eating animal fodder. The UN's migration agency said more than 26,000 people had fled the fighting in El-Fasher since Sunday, either seeking safety in the outskirts of the city or heading to Tawila, 70 kilometres (45 miles) to the west. In Tawila, teams from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said they were facing a massive influx of wounded "coming from El-Fasher to the overwhelmed town's hospital". Since Sunday evening, 130 have been hospitalised, including 15 in critical condition, MSF said in a statement. The RSF said they were conducting "comprehensive search and clean-up operations" to "eliminate the last pockets of terrorists and mercenaries". The paramilitary group also claimed to have deployed teams to "protect civilians," and "secure the streets" by clearing away ordnance and debris. The Emergency Lawyers, a group which has been documenting atrocities in Sudan, accused paramilitaries of "deliberately turning a blind eye to the actions of their members who carry out mass executions of civilians and prisoners", denouncing "systematic practices amounting to war crimes." The UN last month voiced alarm over potential massacres targeting non-Arab communities in El-Fasher, similar to those reported after the RSF captured the nearby Zamzam camp in April. Now well into its third year, the war has spiralled into what the United Nations describes as the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. The African Union chairman condemned on Tuesday alleged "atrocities" and reported "war crimes" in Sudan's strategic hub of El-Fasher and called for an immediate halt to fighting. After an 18-month siege, the city was seized in October by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group which Sudanese army troops have been fighting since April 2023. African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf "expresses deep concern over the escalating violence and reported atrocities" in El-Fasher, said a statement on X, condemning "alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians". He also called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow life-saving aid to reach affected populations". Youssouf emphasised there could be "no military solution" to the crisis, urging all parties to engage in dialogue to "commit to a peaceful, inclusive political process". On Monday, Sudan's army admitted it had withdrawn from El-Fasher as the United Nations issued stark warnings over atrocities by the RSF. The capture of the city in western Darfur could mark a significant turning point in Sudan's war, which has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million. dyg/rbu/er/ach X Sheikh Hasina is the nucleus and the life-force of the crime, and her crime surpasses that of every criminal on earth. Therefore, this life-force must be punished, and the nucleus must be destroyed. Hence, I request the maximum penalty under the law, Tajul Islam, the chief prosecutor told Bangladeshs International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in his closing statement on October 16, 2025. Islam, who led the prosecution, also asked the court to impose a similar sentence on the former Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal who he said was equally guilty. The decisions regarding the deployment and instructions for the police and other law enforcement agencies were primarily made during meetings held each evening at the residence of Asaduzzaman Khan the former Home Minister and president of the core committee, Islam said. The trial for crimes against humanity took place in the absence of the two main accused whom are both believed to be on the run in India. Their state appointed defence lawyer told the court, on October 21, that his two clients were innocent and should be acquitted. It is claimed, there was an order, facilitation, assistance, complicity, and conspiracy, by my clients, through which crimes against humanity were committed, which were knowingly carried out with their knowledge, Amir Hossain stated. This is the primary allegation. I am denying all these. No such offense was committed by my clients. Regarding the sole defendant present at the trial, the former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who had pleaded guilty and gave evidence against his co-accused, the chief prosecutor suggested a more lenient sentence. If the court believes that he has provided truth and full disclosure, [it] may deliver a verdict as it deems fit, he indicated. Widespread and systematic attack against protesters The prosecution alleged that the three men has committed five offences of crimes against humanity. The first centred on remarks made by the prime minister on 14 July 2024, before any killing had taken place, depicting the protesters as relatives of Razakars (named after the pro-Pakistan collaborators during the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence ), which incited to attack them. The second involved the planning and use of lethal weapons, drones, and helicopters to kill protesters. The third involved the killing of the student Abu Sayeed at Rangpur university in the North of the country on the 16 July. The forth concerned the killing in the morning of 5 August of six men in Chankerpur in the capital city of Dhaka. And the fifth involved the killing on the same day of another six men in Ashulia, just outside Dhaka, and the subsequent burning of their bodies. The prosecution argued that each of these incidents were part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against a civilian population. As evidence of the widespread nature of the attack, Islam pointed to the large number of people who were killed, as many as 1.400 estimated by a United Nations Fact Finding Report, and how the killings took place throughout Bangladesh. It also argued that the attack carried out was systematic as it involved the same group of perpetrators who conducted similar attacks using the same kind of weapons and ammunition, with the authorities denying medical treatment to injured victims. The prosecution witnesses have consistently deposed that the armed members of the Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League [the youth and student wings of the Awami League] were involved together with the police in carrying out the attacks against students and civilians, Islam told the court. This demonstrates the organized nature of the acts of violence and an identifiable pattern of the commission of crime. Moreover, the fact that the law enforcement agencies and the members of the ruling party worked together in attacking the civilian population is a strong indicator of a coordinated and organized effort. This was not a random and spontaneous act of violence by one group, but a joint operation by state forces and a political party and its student wing, suggesting a planned policy of violence against the protester Order to use lethal weapons The testimony given to the ICT on September 2, by the former inspector general of police was significant for the prosecution. Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun told the court that on July 18th 2024, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal called me and informed me that prime minister Sheikh Hasina had instructed the direct use of lethal weapons to suppress the movement. At that time, I was present at the police headquarters, and DIG [deputy inspector general] Proloy Joarder was present in front of me. When I informed Proloy Joarder of the prime ministers instruction, he left my room and conveyed this instruction to the DMP [Dhaka Metropolitan Police] and nationwide. He went onto say that the use of lethal weapons began on that day. The former head of the Bangladesh police went onto admit that Countless students and members of the public were injured and killed during the movement by the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons. In addition to the Awami Leagues political forces, Awami League-aligned intellectuals, journalists, cultural workers, and businessmen encouraged the government to suppress the movement. At the end of his testimony, Mamum explained why he had given his evidence: As the police chief, I am ashamed, remorseful, and apologetic for the excessive use of force against the protesters, which resulted in their injuries and deaths, carried out under the governments order. Some incidents may have happened State appointed defence lawyer Hossain questioned the basis of the prosecution case. When the prosecution says widespread it should mean the entire Bangladesh, he told the court. If it were really widespread, there should have been at least two witnesses per district, and their testimonies should have been corroborated. Therefore, it cannot be called widespread. He also argued that the videos of people being shot, shown to the court by the prosecutors were AI generated. He questioned the credibility of the evidence given by the former inspector general of police. He placed the blame on others to conceal his own faults. Everything he said was his own version, the lawyer said. Hossain also claimed that the magistrate to whom Mamun gave the confessional statement never explained to him the legal consequences of giving it. Hossain said drones were used to see in which areas the crowd was larger, where they could damage more state property, cause more loss of life and property. For controlling an ongoing movement, if drones are used, it doesnt mean that the drones were used for shooting. It doesnt mean that bombs were dropped from the drones on the people, on the protestors. Not that. He however acknowledged some people did die. In trying to control the movement, some incidents may have happened. It is not right to think that those incidents happened on the instructions of Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Kamal. The lawyer also pointed out that Hasina did take steps to investigate those deaths, setting up an investigative commission. My statement is that Sheikh Hasina, being in the superior status, did not conspire, did not plan to conspire, and did not directly give any instructions, as a result of which, the widespread, systematic use of lethal weapons, murder, attempted murder, torture, inhumane acts, and other inhumane acts of crime against humanity have been committed. After the defence lawyer made his submissions, the Bangladesh attorney general Md. Asaduzzaman addressed the court. If we cannot ensure justice, the people of Bangladesh will remain cowardly and spineless in the ruins of history, he said, adding that he expected the maximum punishment. On November 13, the court will announce the date on which it will give its judgement. The Gambia on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to arrest and prosecute exiled former dictator Yahya Jammeh should he return to the west African nation, after the brutal ex-leader told followers he planned to come back next month. Jammeh's two decades in power from 1994 to 2017 were marked by significant rights abuses and the earmarking of state funds for the eccentric leader's personal use, the current government and rights groups say. "If and when Mr. Jammeh returns, robust legal processes will be activated," the Gambian Ministry of Information said in a statement. "This will include investigation, arrest, and prosecution, with a guarantee of due process, fair trial standards, and respect for the rights of all involved," it said. On Sunday, Jammeh supporters gathered at his hometown of Kanilai. where an audio message was played in which he said he would return in November. Jammeh now lives in Equatorial Guinea, after he was forced out under pressure from regional neighbours following his 2016 election loss to Adama Barrow, who was re-elected in 2021. The right to return home "does not shield any person from accountability for serious alleged crimes", the ministry said in its statement. Those include crimes established by the country's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which probed alleged offences committed during the Jammeh era, it said. It additionally reiterated that recent claims about "a memorandum of understanding or any promise of immunity for the former president" were false. "No such agreement exists," it said. The Gambian government in 2022 committed to implementing recommendations made by the TRCC, which found that 240 to 250 people were killed by the state during Jammeh's rule. It also found evidence of widespread extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, witch hunts and other human rights abuses. Barrow's government said it would prosecute 70 people named in the TRRC report, including Jammeh. There is no extradition treaty between Equatorial Guinea and The Gambia, where Jammeh still exerts influence. While the region has faced a series of military coups since 2020, The Gambia has undergone a re-establishment of democracy. The former British colony of two million people is among the 20 least developed countries in the world, according to the United Nations. Fears mounted in Sudan on Tuesday, three days after paramilitaries seized the key city of El-Fasher, amid reports of mass atrocities and the killing of five Red Crescent volunteers in Kordofan. The capture of El-Fasher, the historic heart of Darfur, has sparked fears of mass killings reminiscent of the region's darkest days. After an 18-month siege marked by starvation and bombardment, the city is now under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) -- descendants of the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide two decades ago. The paramilitary group, locked in a brutal war with the army since April 2023, launched a final assault on the city in recent days, seizing the army's last positions. In the neighbouring region of North Kordofan, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent said five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers had been killed in Bara on Monday, and that three others were missing after the RSF took control of the town on Saturday. Analysts say Sudan is now effectively partitioned along an east-west axis, with the RSF running a parallel government across Darfur while the army is entrenched along the Nile and Red Sea in the north, east and centre. For many, El-Fasher's fall revives memories of the 2000s, when the Janjaweed razed villages and killed hundreds of thousands in what is believed to be one of the worst genocides of the 21st century. But this time, the atrocities are not hidden. The army-aligned foreign ministry said the crimes were "shamelessly documented by the perpetrators themselves". - 'Rwanda-level' - Since the city's fall on Sunday, RSF fighters have shared videos reportedly showing executions and abuse of civilians. An RSF-led coalition said Tuesday it would form a committee to verify the authenticity of videos and allegations, adding that many of the videos are "fabricated" by the army. The United Nations warned of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" while the African Union condemned "escalating violence" and "alleged war crimes". Pro-democracy groups described "the worst violence and ethnic cleansing" since Sunday as the army-allied Joint Forces accused the RSF of killing over 2,000 civilians. The UN said more than 26,000 fled El-Fasher in just two days, most on foot towards Tawila, 70 kilometres west. "We're watching Rwanda-level mass extermination of people who are trapped inside," said Nathaniel Raymond, a US war investigator and executive director of Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL). In 1994 during the genocide in Rwanda, an estimated 800,000 people, mainly ethnic Tutsis, were killed in one of the 20th century's worst atrocities. "The level, speed and totality of violence in Darfur is unlike anything I've seen," Raymond, who has been documenting war crimes across the world over the past 25 years, told AFP. Around 177,000 civilians remain trapped in El-Fasher, according to the UN's migration agency, after the RSF built a 35-mile (56 kilometre) earthen berm sealing off food, medicine and escape routes. Once the seat of the Darfur Sultanate, a centuries-old African kingdom that flourished long before Khartoum existed, El-Fasher's streets are now strewn with charred vehicles and bodies, smoke rising over shattered neighbourhoods. One clip on Monday appeared to show corpses beside burnt-out cars. Another showed an RSF gunman firing into a crowd of civilians -- identified by AFP as a notorious fighter known from execution videos on his TikTok account, where he boasts of killings in newly captured areas. - A new power map - Pro-democracy activists also accused the RSF of executing all wounded people receiving treatment at the Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher. Satellite analysis by Yale's HRL revealed door-to-door killings, mass graves, red patches and bodies visible on the city's berm, consistent with eyewitness accounts. "We think those red patches are blood pools from bodies bleeding out," said Raymond, describing imagery showing "objects consistent with human bodies" and trenches filled with corpses. To many Sudanese, these tactics are hauntingly familiar. But Yale University's Raymond said that the RSF has grown deadlier and more militarily equipped with time. "These people have an air force... no one can hide because they can see them from the air," he said. Raymond also warned the current violence would not stop at El-Fasher but would spread to other non-Arab communities. The Zaghawa, the dominant group in El-Fasher, have long seen the RSF's advance as an existential threat. In 2023, the RSF was accused of massacres in West Darfur's capital, El-Geneina, killing up to 15,000 people from the Masalit -- another non-Arab group. "The prospects for peace are very minimal," said Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair. "Neither the army nor the RSF, for strategic or battlefield reasons, is willing to commit to a ceasefire or genuine peace talks," she told AFP. The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and triggered the world's largest displacement and hunger crisis. Both sides stand accused of widespread atrocities. Chinese premier urges joint efforts with ASEAN to fend off external disruptions Xinhua) 13:10, October 28, 2025 Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the 28th China-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday urged China and ASEAN countries to unite more closely for self-strengthening, fend off external disruptions, and defend their legitimate rights and interests through mutual reliance and coordinated actions, amid new changes in the current international landscape. Addressing the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, Li also called on both sides to gather greater synergy and promote steady economic growth through addressing each other's needs and deepening cooperation. Li said that, as President Xi Jinping said during his April visit to Southeast Asia, unity brings strength, and cooperation leads to mutual success. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. During that war, China and Southeast Asian nations supported each other and fought side by side, ultimately achieving independence and liberation, he said. In the decades that followed, Li said, China and Southeast Asian countries pursued common development together, achieving rapid economic growth through mutual inspiration and concerted efforts, and weathering major storms such as the financial crisis, tsunamis, and the COVID-19 pandemic through mutual assistance and solidarity. Li said that China stands ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with ASEAN countries and effectively implement the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030), in a continued effort to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. In doing so, first, Li said, is to make mutual strategic trust more solid. China will enhance strategic communication, properly handle differences, and continue to support efforts to peacefully resolve disputes between Cambodia and Thailand through the "ASEAN Way," he said. China also calls for accelerating the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and striving for its early conclusion, Li said. Second, Li said, is to deepen the integration of interests. Taking the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as an opportunity, China and ASEAN should work to advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and strengthen industrial integration, he said. China will inject more capital to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund, and is ready to establish the China-ASEAN Digital Academy, build a cooperation platform on artificial intelligence, and set up a center for maritime development and technology cooperation, he said, adding that the two sides can also deepen cooperation in transportation, digital economy, green economy, disaster prevention and mitigation, and climate change. Third, Li said, is to strengthen people-to-people bonds. China will ensure the successful conclusion of the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges, and designate 2026 as a thematic year of the 5th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said. Li also urged the two sides to establish mechanisms for meetings of the China-ASEAN tourism ministers and education ministers, and make full use of the China-ASEAN Network of Academies on Governance and Public Administration and Think Tanks. China stands ready to proceed shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN countries to achieve steady and sustained progress in the China-ASEAN cooperation, Li added. Chinese Premier Li Qiang poses for a group photo while attending the 28th China-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On October 26, Great Wall Motor ("GWM")'s premium motorcycle brand Soul (SOUO) officially put its first cruiser model, the S2000 CL, onto the market in China. The S2000 CL Knight Edition is priced at 189,800 yuan, while the limited Collector's Edition retails for 218,800 yuan. At the heart of the S2000 CL lies what makes it truly stand outa 1,999cc horizontally opposed eight-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission (DCT), making it the only production motorcycle in the world to feature such a combination. This powerhouse delivers 113 kW of maximum output and 190 Nm of torque, enabling effortless acceleration beyond 200 km/h. The low-end torque offers instant throttle response for smooth city cruising, while high-speed performance unleashes commanding power for overtaking on open roads. Photo credit: Great Wall Motor Beyond raw power, the S2000 CL impresses with its refined mechanical balance. The 180-degree flat-opposed cylinder layout and optimized crankshaft balancing deliver a level of smoothness comparable to six-cylinder engines. Its distinctive exhaust noteneither the thunderous roar of American cruisers nor the sharp pitch of Japanese bikesresonates with a deep, organ-like timbre. The eight-speed DCT, meticulously calibrated through thousands of tests, ensures seamless gear shifts, maintaining low revs during highway cruising for improved fuel efficiency and a vibration-free long-distance ride. Attention to detail reinforces the S2000 CL's premium identity. Eschewing flashy chrome, it adopts matte metallic finishes for a refined, understated aesthetic. The 740mm seat height strikes a balance for riders of various builds, while automotive-grade cushioning ensures sustained comforteven after four hours of continuous riding. Blurring the lines between motorcycles and cars, the S2000 CL brings automotive-grade features into the rider's cockpit. A 4-inch smart circular display supports navigation, phone connectivity, and driver fatigue alerts. Through Bluetooth, the system enables three-way communication between the bike, smartphone, and headset, while FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) updates allow remote system upgrades. The bike offers multiple riding modesTouring, Sport, and Rainalongside specialized Launch Control and Walking Assist functions that balance excitement with practicality. In terms of safety, the S2000 CL is equally advanced. Beyond the ABS as a standard feature, it comes equipped with cornering ABS, hill-start assist, combined braking (CBS), and an electronic parking brake (EPB)features typically found in high-end automobiles. These systems significantly enhance stability during cornering and hill starts, making the 450 kg heavyweight cruiser easier and safer to handle, even for less experienced riders. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Tom Brady was known for dropping a few F-bombs during his playing days, but did he drop one on Sunday while in the Fox booth? Midway through the first quarter of Sundays NFC East showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, Brady was praising the way that Eagles QB Jalen Hurts moves around when it sounded to some like hed had a slip of the tongue. TB got a lil too excited and dropped an fbomb on Fox lol pic.twitter.com/WHc5hN87pL Riley (@rlyshw) October 26, 2025 Whenever I watch him play, its like the D-lines almost there to get him, and then, nope, he just squirts away and they cant [???] -err just like that, Brady said. To some, it sure sounded like the seven-time Super Bowl champion was about to say they cant f***ing catch him or something like that and stopped himself. Honestly, were not entirely convinced. Most of us in the Awful Announcing Slack room found the evidence unconvincing, while one person felt the context would have been odd for him to drop an F-bomb in that moment. It could be a case where it sounds like an F-bomb because thats what we all expect to hear, but it wasnt actually. Well see if Brady confirms or dispels the news in a social media post or his newsletter. Hes often good at laughing at himself (though not always). Monday, October 27, 2025 - Kenyas Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale, has stirred controversy following his public endorsement of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan ahead of the countrys October 29th elections. In a statement released on Sunday, October 26th, Duale lauded Suluhus leadership, calling her a visionary who has fostered unity and development across Tanzania. I extend my very best wishes to Her Excellency President Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan Tanzania has made remarkable strides in growth, unity and development, Duale stated. He also praised the enduring diplomatic ties between Kenya and Tanzania, expressing optimism about continued cooperation between the two nations. Additionally, Duale extended his support to Zanzibars President Hussein Mwinyi, Agriculture Minister Bashe Hussein, and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. However, the message has drawn sharp criticism from Kenyans online, many of whom questioned Duales decision to publicly endorse a foreign leader during a politically sensitive period. Social media users accused him of overstepping diplomatic boundaries, with some declaring, You are alone. Others called out President Suluhus reign of terror with key opposition figures either in jail or banned from contesting against her in the upcoming elections. Monday, October 27, 2025 - The never-ending drama between flamboyant city lawyer, Steve Ogolla, and his ex-wife, Cebbie Koks, has taken a new twist after Cebbies brother, Foky Mopao, made sho cking revelations about the couples short-lived marriage. In a social media post that has since gone viral, Cebbies brother exposed Ogolla, claiming that the Toyota Prado he gifted her during their lavish wedding ceremony was hired from a showroom. According to him, the expensive car, which was paraded as a wedding gift in front of cameras, was returned to the showroom a month after the wedding. The revelation has sparked reactions on social media, with some mocking the lawyer for clout-chasing with hired luxury See photos of the hired Prado. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, October 27, 2025 - Tension gripped Rangwe after MP, Lillian Gogos husband, Kennedy Owuor, a lecturer at Egerton University, reportedly pulled out a pistol during a heated domestic altercation at their rural home. According to sources, Owuor allegedly stormed the homestead and attempted to eject occupants, sparking chaos. Alarmed villagers rushed to the scene after hearing loud commotions, only for Owuor to brandish his firearm, claiming he acted in self-defense. The villagers accused him of being jealous of his wifes rising political success, a matter said to have fueled frequent domestic wrangles. It is further alleged that the MPs house was torched during the ensuing chaos, though the cause of the fire remains unclear. A neighbour who spoke online claimed that the couples marital issues have been ongoing, with the husband accusing the MP of infidelity and seeking political favours from her alleged associates. Police are said to be investigating the incident. Monday, October 27, 2025 - Alego Usonga Member of Parliament, Samuel Atandi, has found himself entangled in the bitter fallout between flamboyant city lawyer, Steve Ogolla, and his estranged wife, Cebbie Koks. In leaked WhatsApp messages seen by DAILY POST, Ogolla is said to have confronted the MP, claiming that Cebbie, who is allegedly dating Atandi, has been harassing him and his new wife, both directly and through proxies. The outspoken lawyer also dismissed claims that he had sent Cebbie an email warning her against dating the legislator. I have never sent such an email, and I dont care who Cebbie dates or marries, Ogolla wrote in the leaked messages. Ogolla further denied secretly communicating with Cebbie after their breakup, saying the last time they spoke was when she called him after hearing that he had been seen with another woman at Serena Hotel. I told her upfront that I am dating, now married, and she shouldnt indulge me on what people tell her about me, he said. The lawyer also complained that Cebbie has been trying to wreck his new marriage by spreading claims that he is a violent man. The explosive revelations have reignited the public feud between the former couple, which continues to play out in the open, and now, it appears, has dragged the prominent MP into the drama. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, October 27, 2025 - The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has dismissed reports suggesting that the party is positioning Homa Bay Governor, Gladys Wanga, to be President William Rutos running mate in the 2027 elections, clarifying that no such endorsement has been made. However, speaking on Monday morning during an interview on NTV, ODM Deputy Party Leader and Mombasa Governor, Abdulswamad Nassir, said the party will not oppose such a move if it followed due process. He was responding to questions on whether the unity pact between ODM and the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance could result in Ruto choosing a running mate from ODM. Would I propose her to be the Deputy President? First, Id sit down with her and ask if shes interested. If she agrees, then the matter would go to the Central Management Committee for deliberation, Nassir stated. He noted that such a decision would hinge on political strategy, regional balance, and data-driven analysis. We will weigh all options and see who makes the best fit from across regions. Numbers must guide the choice, he said. Nassir further clarified that Wanga has not expressed interest in the position, despite her name frequently featuring in political discussions even before the passing of ODM leader, Raila Odinga. He also ruled himself out of consideration, saying he is content serving as Mombasa Governor. The ODM Deputy Leader emphasized that succession or running mate debates are not a current party priority, noting that the focus remains on re-organising and realigning after Odingas death. Nassir reiterated that ODM is not in a coalition agreement with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) but is part of the Broad-based Government. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, October 27, 2025 - Photos circulating online have sparked intense debate after claims emerged that a multimillion-shilling luxury hotel is being constructed near Nakuru State House, allegedly linked to President William Ruto through his close political ally, Governor Susan Kihika. According to reports shared on socia l media, the massive project sits on prime land and is said to feature ultra-modern amenities. Sources further claim that President Ruto personally visited the site during his development tour of Nakuru, sparking even more speculation about the ownership of the property. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been accusing President Ruto of massive looting since taking office. Speaking in a past interview, Gachagua alleged that Ruto might have made Ksh 3 trillion to 4 trillion over the last two years. See photos of the hotel. The Kenyan DAILY POST Monday, October 27, 2025 - Kenyan socialite and beauty entrepreneur, Huddah Monroe, has sparked fresh debate online after sharing her thoughts on motherhood and why shes choosing to delay having children. In a recent Instagram Story, Huddah reposted a viral video by creator @theelijahnovels, who emotionally blamed his parents for bringing him into a difficult world against his will. I blame my parents for all my problems. They brought me into this world against my will. I didnt ask for it. You mean to tell me that you all knew how life is hard and still decided to bring people into this world? That should be illegal, the creator said. Huddah captioned the clip with a statement that resonated with many: That is why Im never ready for kids. Coz until it makes sense, it doesnt make sense to add more people yet. Her words reignited conversations around societal pressure, especially on women in the public eye, to embrace motherhood. Huddah has previously addressed this topic, once responding to a fans question about baby plans with: Why is this the most asked question? Dont yall have something better to focus on than my womb? Her latest remarks reflect a growing sentiment among many millennials and Gen Zers choosing to delay or opt out of parenthood until they feel fully prepared - emotionally, mentally and financially. The Kenyan DAILY POST Sean McCarthaigh An international human rights monitoring body has called on Ireland to introduce new legislative measures to punish hate speech as a matter of priority and to ensure expressions of hate speech are punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions". The Council of Europes anti-racism body the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) claimed the measure was necessary as hate speech remains widespread in the Republic. The ECRI also expressed concern about the stark decline in the mental health of LBGTI+ people and the fact that so-called conversion practices and medically unnecessary and non-consensual surgeries performed on intersex children were still not prohibited in Ireland. It also recommended improving the availability of accommodation for people seeking or granted international protection including measures to ensure that LGBTI beneficiaries and applicants have access to safe accommodation and in which they will not experience discrimination. Report The ECRI made a total of 15 recommendations in a new report monitoring Irelands progress in its legal and institutional anti-discrimination frameworks as well as policies to protect vulnerable groups such as Roma and Travellers whom it claimed are continuing to face high levels of racism and discrimination. The ECRI acknowledged that progress had been made and good practices have been developed in a number of areas since its previous monitoring report in 2020 including a new National Action Plan Against Racism and the preparation of a draft National LGBTQI+ Inclusion Strategy. It also welcomed the adoption of important new measures concerning Travellers and Roma. In particular, it noted the efforts put in place to support staff in fostering inclusiveness in schools and implementing an action plan on bullying. Despite such positive developments, the ECRI said there were also some issues which give rise to concern. They include the failure for the allocation of new mandates and functions to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to be accompanied by adequate human and financial resources so that it negatively impacted on its effectiveness. The ECRI said hate speech including the reaction of politicians to events in local communities resulted in ill-informed responses which fuelled hatred and escalated tensions further. Discriminatory content It observed that most discriminatory content was motivated by anti-migrant, anti- Black/African, anti-refugee/asylum seeker sentiments". The ECRI recommended that the Irish authorities should take steps to specify and clearly define hate speech in legislation and to ensure expressions of hate speech are punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions". It also urged the Government to introduce legislation that clearly prohibits racial profiling by gardai. In addition, it said the authorities in Ireland should step up efforts to encourage public figures including politicians and religious, economic and community leaders to take a prompt and firm public stance against the expression of racist and LGBTI-phobic hate speech. Political parties The ECRI said all political parties should be encouraged to sign the Charter of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society. The report claimed there is still a lack of a breakdown of data on hate crime and a lack of systematic recording of all stages of investigation, prosecution, conviction and sentencing for such offences. The ECRI said harassment and hate speech against LGBTI persons remained a reality in Ireland with a notable deterioration towards transgender and intersex communities. The ECRI noted that many LGBTI people felt unsafe about expressing their sexual orientation or gender identity in public. The Commission recommended that a comprehensive bill should be brought before the Oireachtas that expressly acknowledges the right of intersex persons to bodily integrity and which banned any unnecessary sex-normalising surgery and other non-therapeutic treatments until such time as the intersex child is able to participate in the decision based on the principle of free and informed consent. The ECRI expressed concern that its findings indicated that Travellers and Roma continue to face high levels of racism and discrimination across all areas of life including education, health, employment and housing. BETWEEN 150 and 200 skeletal remains were uncovered last month at a recent excavation of a proposed house site at Dublin Road, Naas, according to the towns mayor cllr Seamie Moore. I was made aware of it on 8 October, but theyve been adding to it every day, said cllr Moore. A private developer applied for planning permission, and because of where it was, they had to do an archaeological assessment. I understand that these skeletal remains have been moved to Cork for further autopsy examinations, but Im hoping to get them repatriated after that, he said. As a local historian with a strong focus on the history of Ireland and Naas, I am aware that in excess of 1,000 men, under the banner and leadership of the United Irishmen, fought a major 1798 Battle of Naas to capture the town from its English stewardship and to release local leaders from the town gaol, later to become the town hall and todays Naas Library, he clarified. However, due to the availability of heavy artillery pieces, a well-secured fortress area around the Naas gaol and the ready availability of heavily-armed militia and yeomanry, the rebels were routed and lost the Battle of Naas. In the subsequent round-up of captured rebels and suspects, hundreds of local men were detained in the local gaol and at rural fortified farm bases. Accounts of that battle are recorded, and local history would claim that many rebels were publicly executed and many others were never heard of again. Gallows Glen on the Dublin Road has always been identified as an execution and public hanging area. It is believed that almost all of the skeletons found were those of men and some youths. No grave markings, timber boxes, metal or religious artifacts were found, indicating a lack of tribute or identification, but one of barbaric indifference, said cllr Moore. There is no known register of the area being a community graveyard at any time, and many of the found skeletons were strewn across each other. The numerous site findings would indicate that the burials were spread over a time period. Many skeletons were found way below the normal depth of burials, indicating that the workings of the gravel pits in the area piled unrequired clay and stones over the burial area as it was worked or intentionally to avoid exact locations. Revelations from the autopsies should reveal if quicklime was used. The findings would give a strong indication that Gallows Glen was both a hanging and a burial site and most likely the last resting place for the bodies of the disappeared rebels of 1798. However, it cant be ruled out that the skeletal remains could be those of victims from the Black Death of the 14th century. It is highly unlikely that local families or communities would have combined in agreement for health, safety or convenience reasons to create a commonplace burial site. As mayor of Naas MD, including Naas town, I am requesting the repatriation of the skeletal remains of the disappeared 1798 rebels, to be reinterred in a mass grave of tribute in the nearby St Corbans Cemetery in Naas, said cllr Moore. I think the history of the town and the ultimate sacrifice of the Naas dead of 1798 requires that this is the minimum we should do. There are many 1798 sites of tribute throughout both the Republic and the six counties. I hope you will agree to my proposal and that you will make contact with the necessary officials involved with the excavations to ensure the return, in due course, of the skeletons to a final resting place in Naas, said cllr Moore in an appeal to the county manager Sonya Kavanagh. It would also be of local historical interest if the details of both the burial findings and autopsies were made available to Kildare County Council History Archives, he concluded. By Rebecca Black, PA Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan has come under fire over a trip to Israel. Mr Givan appeared to have travelled with a number of other unionist MLAs for what has been described as a fact-finding mission. However, questions were asked after his department publicised a visit by Mr Givan to a school in the Jerusalem district. The ministers actions in promoting this visit on these platforms is an overtly political and divisive act that serves to diminish confidence in his judgment Northern Ireland Teachers' Council In a statement, the Northern Ireland Teachers Council (NITC) condemned the actions of the Department of Education and Education Minister Paul Givan in taking part in and promoting a tour hosted by Israeli officials. The fact that the Education Minister has undertaken this tour in the context of what has been recognised by the UN as a genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as Israels consistent disregard and abuse of international laws in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is deeply troubling, they said. The NITC also condemned the posting of "inappropriate social media posts", as "official governmental online platforms should be politically neutral". The ministers actions in promoting this visit on these platforms is an overtly political and divisive act that serves to diminish confidence in his judgment and respect for the views of the wider education workforce and community, they said. The NITC has demanded that the department remove the social media posts and stories on its website about the visit. The council added: The minister should also be asked to explain his actions in accepting the invitation of the Israeli embassy at a time when senior officials of that state stand accused of war crimes. The world has watched in horror as Israel continued to commit atrocities in Gaza. It is clear that the Education Minister and his department have significant questions to answer Nick Mathison Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, who chairs the Stormont Education Committee, said questions on the appropriateness of the ministers trip must be answered. Over the past two years, the world has watched in horror as Israel continued to commit atrocities in Gaza. It is clear that the Education Minister and his department have significant questions to answer." He said a recent statement from the Department of Education, promoting the ministers trip, created additional confusion regarding whether the minister was attending for party business or departmental business. There was no prior indication that this was a departmental engagement, making its promotion on official department platforms both surprising and inappropriate," he said. There should be no blurring of the ministers private political activity and the work of the department. It is vital that clarity on the role of the department in this trip is provided urgently." Education Minister @paulgivan visited Ofek School in the Jerusalem District today to learn more about Israels innovative approaches to gifted education and inclusive learning. The Minister engaged in discussions with Principal Racheli Yitzhak, along with representatives of the pic.twitter.com/VhVThJjMg0 Education NI (@Education_NI) October 27, 2025 Sinn Fein MLA Cathy Mason said: I have written to the Education Minister to ask a series of questions, including who funded this trip and whether it was undertaken in an official ministerial capacity, or if elements of his visit have been carried out with departmental support. If not, I am requesting clarification as to why departmental social media has been used to comment on elements of this trip." TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell, who also went on the trip to Israel, said he was invited to do so by the Israeli embassy in London. The issues specific to the Education Minister are, of course, matters for him, he said. While Sinn Fein seek to undermine the efforts to secure trade and partnership with the worlds only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East, I am pleased to be part of a delegation seeking to build links. The Department of Education has been approached for a response. Tom Tuite A 17-year-old boy has been accused of rioting and looting sportswear shops during the outbreak of mass violence on Dublins OConnell Street two years ago. The youth, who cannot be identified because he is a juvenile, appeared at the Dublin Childrens Court on Tuesday after gardai received directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He is charged with engaging in a riot under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, punishable by a 10-year sentence. Furthermore, he faces four counts of burglary pursuant to Section 12 of the Theft and Fraud Act. They involved allegations of trespassing and theft at Footlocker, Asics, Lifestyle Sports, and Guud Cafe on OConnell Street on November 23rd, 2023. There had been large-scale disorder on that date in response to a knife attack on young children. Garda Brian Kenny told Judge Paul Kelly, the District Court president, that the boy made no reply when charged on Tuesday. There was no objection to bail, subject to conditions agreed with the defence. Judge Kelly noted that the DPP has recommended that the boys case be sent forward to the Circuit Court, which can, on conviction, impose greater sentences. However, because he is a juvenile, the defence can make an argument, under Section 75 of the Children Act, that the boy is suitable to be tried in the Childrens Court. That legislation allows the judge to consider accepting jurisdiction by taking into account a juvenile defendants age, level of maturity, or other factors deemed relevant to the proceedings. No plea was indicated. Judge Kelly adjourned the case until a date in November to hold a preliminary hearing to rule on the trial venue issue. Disclosure of evidence was ordered; however, Garda Kenny said there may not be enough time to furnish copies of the 70 prosecution witness statements. The boys solicitor, Aonghus McCarthy, told Judge Kelly that he appreciated it was a large-scale investigation, but he believed that his client was implicated by CCTV footage. The garda agreed that the boy was identified from video evidence about a year after the incidents. Mr McCarthy submitted that it would not be necessary to provide all the statements, and the preliminary hearing could proceed by playing the CCTV footage. Remanding the boy on bail, Judge Kelly informed him that his bail terms state he must remain contactable by phone, stay out of parts of the city centre, obey a 9pm to 6am curfew, and notify of any address change. He was also ordered not to attend protests after the defence agreed to forgo a possible constitutional objection to that condition. Kilkenny man, John Gibbons has this week been Shortlisted for Book of the Year in the prestigious Irish Book Awards. His book, The Lie of the Land a game plan for Ireland in the climate crisis was one of just six non-fiction titles shortlisted for the accolade, the overall winner of which will be revealed on November 27 at a televised awards ceremony in Dublin. Gibbons is a well-known environmental journalist and commentator and an outspoken advocate for strong action on the climate emergency. The Lie of the Land, published by Penguin Sandycove, is his first book. Since its release in early September, it has met with critical acclaim and has spent several weeks in the national bestseller list. TAP HERE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS The book, according to the Irish Independent, is a fascinating tale, succinctly told, while the Irish Times described it as an explosive bookGibbons is naming names. A review in the Business Post described The Lie of the Land as a well argued and well-written book by a passionate, principled and pugnacious author. According to the Sunday Independent, Gibbons wields integrity. His arguments are compelling and impassioned, backed up with a lengthy appendix of sources and citations in a book that is a fiercely detailed rebuke and analysis of Irelands sorry contribution to planetary heating. A detailed review in the Irish Examiner concluded as follows: Gibbons has indeed done the State and generations as yet unborn some service in his book, which The Currency described as a devastating critique of Irelands complacency and failure to prepare for the climate emergency. The Lie of the Land is a bracing appraisal of the bad decisions that have put Ireland in such a vulnerable position, and a devastating dissection of the wishful thinking and outright dishonesty that have propped up the status quo in Irish agribusiness. It also offers an inspiring vision of how through a revolution in farming, the development of renewable energy (including solar farming and tapping into our vast offshore wind resource), and a dramatic acceleration of moves to decarbonise transport and housing we can prepare for the new realities of the climate crisis. As Gibbons argues, Ireland has tended to think of itself as a Goldilocks country: not too hot, not too cold, and well positioned to ride out the climate emergency. But this is a fantasy: the effects of climate change in Ireland, he points out, will be profound, and at the moment were not doing nearly enough about it. Thats the bad news. The good news is that Ireland has the wherewithal to dramatically cut its emissions while making itself far more resilient. The Lie of the Land shows how it can be done. Above all, we must reimagine the ways in which we use the land. The agrifood sector accounts for 38 per cent of Irelands greenhouse emissions and just 7 per cent of gross national income. As John Gibbons shows, Irelands dramatic shift towards the most polluting food sectors driven by a small number of agribusiness giants and facilitated by the state benefits the few while imposing huge costs on the many. Gibbons, who grew up on a mixed farm near Bennettsbridge and whose late father, Michael, was a prominent activist for farmers rights, shows how we can embrace a low-emissions farming model while preserving farmers livelihoods, reducing pollution and reversing biodiversity collapse while making the countryside a better place to live, and delivering something Ireland conspicuously lacks: genuine food security. To mark publication of the book, Gibbons was recently invited to Aras an Uachtarain for a Courtesy Call by President Michael D. Higgins, a long-time advocate for climate action. Other titles shortlisted for the non-fiction Book of the Year include Dynasty by Matt Cooper, Catastrophe by Fintan Drury, Deadly Silence by Jacqueline Connolly with Kathryn Rogers and The Bailout Babies by Adam Maguire. The Irish public is invited to vote for their favourite title by visiting: www.irishbookawards.ie/vote/ - " "! , ! , , . Fianna Fail needs a new leader in the not too distant future, one of the partys Kilkenny TDs has said. John McGuinness, TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, said the party made serious errors in the presidential election campaign which ultimately saw its candidate Jim Gavin dropping out of contention. Mr Gavin was the candidate put forward by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and deputy leader Jack Chambers after expressions of interest from other hopefuls including MEP Billy Kelleher and former taoiseach Bertie Ahern. READ NEXT: Full Kilkenny voting results announced as Catherine Connolly strolls to presidential win Mr McGuinness said party members are extremely disappointed by the lack of selection process in the election. He said: They were not consulted, councillors were not consulted, TDs were not consulted, the national executive was not consulted so as a result of that inaction, we have arrived a situation where the campaign itself turned into a shambles. Mr McGuinness said the party now stood at 17% in opinion polls, which is where it stood in 2011. We do have to look at the structures within the party, but we also have to question the leadership team, which is made up of the Taoiseach, some unelected advisers and Fianna Fail headquarters. READ NEXT: Kilkenny school bid farewell to treasured teacher after 32 years of service Asked if the candidate selection was mostly Mr Martins responsibility, Mr McGuinness said it was and added: The selection of Jim Gavin came at a time when the leadership team decided that Billy Kelleher should not be the candidate, so they announced Jim Gavins candidacy, and that in turn caused a vote there was a contrived majority. He said the whole election exposed weaknesses in Fianna Fail and was just a shocking embarrassment for members of the party. Speaking to RTEs This Week, Mr McGuinness said the presidential election has underlined the need for Fianna Fail to reinvent itself for the future. Asked whether that meant a new leader, he said: In due course, yes. Pressed on when that should happen, Mr McGuinness replied: Firstly we have to examine what happened in this election but I think its quite clear what happened and I think its quite clear what needs to be done some time in the not too distant future. It has been suggested that Mr Martin may continue as leader and Taoiseach until the end of Irelands presidency of the EU Council in December 2026. READ NEXT: Kilkenny hurling fan to face 'penalties' as gardai take action outside UPMC Nowlan Park However, Mr McGuinness said: Quite frankly, I dont think the party can wait until then. I think the party must reflect immediately on what happened and take the appropriate steps. He said there should be an open discussion within the next 10 days. Mr McGuinness contended it was a majority viewpoint within the party that there should be a root-and-branch change. Fianna Fail TD John Lahart also told the broadcaster there needed to be a conversation about leadership. In an interview with Newstalk on Saturday, Mr Lahart said there was huge affection for Mr Martin, whom he said had stood by the party when others left the scene in difficult times in 2011. He said: But the party cant afford the kind of error and errors that were made in the selection process here. SEE ALSO: PICTURES: The Shamrocks end three year wait for Kilkenny senior county title Mr Lahart said backbenchers took the proposal of Mr Gavin in good faith. A lot of this went on the trust in the judgment of what the leader was saying and recommending and this was a really significant error of judgment. FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE Gardai are investigating an incident of criminal damage at the constituency office of a TD who represents constituents in North West Kilkenny and Tipperary North. Fianna Fails Ryan OMeara, 30, who was elected as a TD for the first time in November, said graffiti on his office was an attempt to intimidate and disrupt him and his team. READ NEXT: Kilkenny school bid farewell to treasured teacher after 32 years of service The word traitors was written on the TDs Thurles office where it was discovered on Friday morning as voters went to the polls to elect the next president of Ireland. The TD said no one should face threats or intimidation at work. This mornings attack on my office is more than an act of vandalism, he said in a statement. READ NEXT: Kilkenny hurling fan to face 'penalties' as gardai take action outside UPMC Nowlan Park It is a deliberate attempt to intimidate me and my team, and any action that threatens our democracy must not be tolerated. Those responsible are attempting to disrupt the work of my team. Any attack on politicians and their staff must be treated seriously, and I have contacted the gardai. I want to acknowledge the members of my fantastic constituency team, who work every day to support our community. They do important work, providing advice and assistance to constituents, and it is completely unacceptable for anyones workplace to be targeted. No one should face threats or intimidation at work. These actions are a disservice to the community as a whole and an attack on the people of North Tipperary and North West Kilkenny, who democratically elected me as their local TD. SEE ALSO: PICTURES: The Shamrocks end three year wait for Kilkenny senior county title Those responsible must be held to account. I will continue to ensure that my staff can work safely and without fear. Democracy depends on public representatives being able to do their jobs without harassment or intimidation, and we cannot allow actions such as this to stand in the way of that. Gardai said they were investigating an incident of criminal damage to a building on Parnell Street in Thurles between Thursday night and Friday morning. Gardai are appealing for witnesses including those travelling in the area at the time who may have dashcam/video recordings, it said. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Thurles Garda Station on 504 25100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE The Irish deputy premier has said the civil war in Sudan cannot be ignored as he condemned the use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. Simon Harris said 14 million euro in aid from the Irish state this year was aimed at helping Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries as he urged the suffering must stop. There is deep concern for hundreds of thousands of civilians in El Fasher, in the Darfur region of Sudan, after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a paramilitary group accused of genocide said it had captured the city following a year-long siege. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Harris, who is also Irelands Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, called for an immediate cessation of atrocities in Sudan and urged for an international push to deliver humanitarian aid. I am horrified by alarming reports coming out of El Fasher that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out large-scale, ethnically motivated atrocities including summary executions, sexual-based violence and detaining civilians, he said. This is part of a terrible and widespread pattern we have seen in Sudan, including the use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. The suffering must stop. I call on the RSF to take action urgently to end these criminal acts. All warring parties in Sudan must adhere to their commitments and obligations to protect civilians and to enable humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. The safety of civilians and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed and perpetrators must be held to account. All civilians attempting to flee El Fasher must be guaranteed safe passage. He added: The plight of the people of Sudan cannot be ignored. I will continue to work with EU and international partners to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the facilitation of sustained humanitarian access. Last week, I joined colleagues at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in strongly condemning the ongoing conflict. The international community must engage to ensure an effective humanitarian response and a pathway to peace. Ireland has provided over 14 million euro in humanitarian support this year to people in Sudan and to refugees in neighbouring countries. The support of Irish Aid is making a difference on the ground including in reaching the most vulnerable. This support will be provided as long as the suffering of the Sudanese people continues. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. News / Africa by Staff reporter KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, has declared war on rogue elements in the province's trucking industry, following a far-reaching enforcement operation that laid bare a web of exploitation, corruption, and unsafe practices along South Africa's busiest freight routes.Over the weekend, Duma joined law enforcement agencies at the Mkhondeni Weighbridge in Pietermaritzburg, where his department's #NenzaniLaEzweni ("What Are You Doing in This World?") campaign intensified its push to restore order on KZN's roads.The operation saw 98 trucks stopped, 47 drivers interviewed, and several arrests made, including one of a Zimbabwean truck driver found driving under the influence of alcohol."Undoubtedly, he was on his way to cause a horrific accident that could have resulted in fatalities," Duma said, adding that the operation's purpose was to "clean our road networks as part of creating a safe and secure KwaZulu-Natal for citizens."Authorities also arrested five foreign nationals for being in the country illegally or for presenting fraudulent documents, while another Zimbabwean driver was charged for transporting European tourists without a valid permit.A bus from Zimbabwe carrying foreign nationals was also impounded for inspection by a multi-agency team that included the RTI, SAPS Dog Unit, and Home Affairs Immigration officials.Behind the arrests, however, lies a deeper crisis within the province's freight sector. Interviews with truck drivers, conducted during and after the operation, painted a grim picture of exploitation and labour violations that Duma described as "human rights abuses in broad daylight.""We have uncovered exploitative practices, financial fraud and human rights violations involving certain players in the logistics and freight industry," he said."They are behaving with impunity and must be held accountable for turning our road networks into killing fields."According to the MEC, drivers reported that they have no written contracts or employment protection, local drivers are being replaced by undocumented foreign nationals willing to work for less, bribes are paid to law enforcement officers to bypass inspections, no payslips or overtime payments are issued despite long hours, and many work without rest days or leave.The crackdown forms part of a wider provincial campaign to stem the tide of deadly truck crashes, particularly along the N3 corridor, where heavy-duty vehicle accidents have claimed dozens of lives this year alone.Duma confirmed that his department has now mandated the RTI to arrest company owners implicated in criminal activities, not just their employees."Honest players in the logistics and freight industry must stand up and join hands with us to protect the sector from being destroyed by rogue elements," he said.The province's multi-agency task force includes the SAPS K9 Dog Unit and Highway Patrol, Department of Labour and Employment, Cross-Border Road Transport Agency, Umsunduzi Traffic, N3 Toll Concession and ADTF ASA (Truck Drivers' Union), a partnership Duma described as "enduring and unbreakable."The operation marks a turning point in the province's transport safety strategy, a move that blends road policing with labour justice and immigration control.While the MEC's tough stance has won praise from safety advocates, industry insiders say long-term reform will require tightening the employment laws, licensing regulations, and cross-border compliance mechanisms that allow exploitation to persist. News / Africa by Staff reporter Senior officials in the Ministry of Justice have accused their minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, of attempting to frustrate disciplinary proceedings against High Court Judge Never Katiyo, who faces allegations of serious judicial misconduct for allegedly writing a judgment in a case he never heard.The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) reportedly adopted a unanimous round-robin resolution three weeks ago referring Justice Katiyo to a disciplinary tribunal after he failed to justify his actions to the commission's satisfaction.According to ministry insiders, the process - which by law requires the Justice Minister to swiftly set up a tribunal - has stalled because Ziyambi is allegedly trying to protect Katiyo, whom insiders describe as "a pro-government judge.""Three weeks on, there has been no progress on constituting the tribunal," a senior ministry official said on condition of anonymity. "There are strong suspicions that the minister is manoeuvring to set up a panel that will acquit Katiyo."Officials allege that Ziyambi has delayed appointing tribunal members to ensure a "sympathetic" panel that could exonerate the judge.Sources within the judiciary say Katiyo is closely linked to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his family, a connection that could further compromise the disciplinary process.Earlier this year, Judge President Mary Zimba-Dube reportedly ordered Katiyo's transfer to Bulawayo following growing concern over his conduct, but sources say the judge defied the directive with Ziyambi's backing.Following the JSC's recommendation, Katiyo is said to have told colleagues he would "go through the motions" of the disciplinary hearing and return to work by mid-next year.Legal experts have warned that any perception of executive interference in judicial discipline would gravely undermine public trust in the rule of law."The integrity and independence of the judiciary are fundamental," said a retired judge who requested anonymity. "If there is an appearance of political influence in judicial discipline, that undermines the entire system."The JSC, constitutionally mandated to oversee judicial accountability, is limited by statute once a complaint is deemed to have merit, relying on the minister to establish a tribunal.Ministry officials stress that transparency, professionalism, and adherence to due process are essential to preserving the rule of law and public confidence in any outcome.Katiyo's refusal to accept his transfer and his reported political ties have heightened scrutiny over the matter, which has reignited debate about the separation of powers and mechanisms safeguarding judicial independence in Zimbabwe. CPC in Global Eyes: 'It is CPC that makes world respect Chinese': says Russian expert with ties to Party 'birthplace' 13:28, October 28, 2025 By Huang Lanlan ( Global Times Editor's Note: Chinese President Xi Jinping has pointed out, "to understand China today, one must learn to understand the Communist Party of China (CPC)." With the rapid development of China's economy and society, and the steady advancement of Chinese path to modernization, the notable achievements of the CPC have drawn extensive international attention and scholarly interest. Against this backdrop, the Global Times has launched the "CPC in Global Eyes" column, focusing on the feelings, perspectives and insights of international friends from various fields regarding the CPC's historical path and achievements. They include those who have toured China, who deeply study CPC in academic fields, who work, live, study, seek employment or do business in various fields in China, and who, though having not visited China in person, pay close attention to the CPC's policies and trends. Through their vivid personal experiences, we aim to present a multifaceted overseas view of the CPC. In this first installment of the series, we turn our attention to the birthplace of the CPC - the Memorial of the First National Congress of the CPC in Shanghai. There, some overseas scholars specializing in CPC and Chinese history studies have made multiple visits. For them, the site serves as a key platform to deepen their understanding of the Party's founding, and of how its early members led China's resistance to aggression and its relentless struggle for national independence. "Dear friends: How are you all? ...Please extend my warmest greetings to all our friends! Dasha also sends her most sincere regards [through me]! Best wishes, Sasha." One day, staff at the Memorial of the First National Congress of the CPC received the above email. Its tone was warm and familiar, like a face to face greeting between longtime friends. Signed "Sasha," the message came from Alexander Pantsov, an internationally known Russian expert on China and CPC studies. "Dasha" refers to Pantsov's daughter, Daria Arincheva, who is also engaged in research on modern and contemporary Chinese history, and the history of the CPC. "Sasha" and "Dasha" are the affectionate diminutives the father and daughter use with close friends. For these two Sinologists, the Memorial - the founding site of the CPC - is not only a subject of scholarly inquiry, but also an enduring witness to their personal and professional ties with the CPC and with China. 'The CPC led China from semi-colonialism to prosperity' Pantsov first visited the Memorial in 1987. Already well versed in the history of the early CPC, he was familiar with and impressed by a lot of exhibits on display. In 2009, Pantsov returned to the site with his daughter. "We were particularly interested to see the room where the Party's First Congress took place," he recalled. Pantsov clearly remembered each of his five visits to the Memorial over the years, as well as the two occasions on which he delivered lectures there, in 2016 and 2019. As his academic exchanges with the Memorial and its staff deepened, his ties with them grew closer. Pantsov and Arincheva come from a family of Sinologists. Pantsov said his grandfather George Borisovich Ehrenburg, a professor at Moscow State University, was a renowned Soviet sinologist. "He sparked my interest in China at an early age, [when I was] around nine years old," said Pantsov. Inspired by his grandfather, Pantsov enrolled at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University in 1973, and later became a scholar of China studies. Following in her father's footsteps, Arincheva, also researches the country and its ruling party. In 2016, Pantsov was invited to join the Memorial's Center for the History of CPC Founding as a contract research fellow, and became a member of the Memorial's editorial board of the academic journal CPC Founding History Studies. Now, 70-year-old Pantsov is a professor of history at Capital University in Ohio, with his research primarily focused on history of the Chinese revolutionary movement. Having conducted in-depth research on the founding and growth of the CPC, Pantsov said that his most admired early Party member is Mao Zedong. Pantsov has been engaged in research on Mao, as well as the Russian translation and annotation of Mao's poems, being widely recognized as an expert in the field of overseas studies on Mao. His book Mao: The Real Story once sparked widespread attention and discussion among both Chinese and international readers. "Mao impressed me with his organizational dexterities, and literary and journalistic talents," said Pantsov. "Overall, I am deeply impressed by the efforts of early CPC members," Pantsov told the Global Times. He mentioned a book that he and Arincheva wrote about the lives and fates of the early CPC members, which is a collection of articles and materials dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the CPC's founding. "According to my and my daughter's estimation, there were only [more than] 50 CPC members in July 1921; yet by 1949, the CPC managed to seize power in a country of 450 million." The rapid growth of CPC membership convincingly demonstrated that, in those difficult years, the CPC had earned widely support from the Chinese people while leading them toward national independence. Looking back at the history of the CPC, many scholars in China Studies reached by the Global Times said that, from an overseas perspective, the Party's achievements - from securing national independence and driving modernization, to launching programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative that promote win win development globally - have commanded wide attention and praise. "The CPC led China from semi colonialism to prosperity," Pantsov noted. "It was the CPC that completed the national revolution in China, making the whole world respect Chinese." Today, delegations from many countries visit the Memorial during their stays in Shanghai, and the Memorial's entrance receives many foreign tourists every day. The Memorial, together with many other "red (patriotic-themed)" sites across China, has become a vivid window, through which people from other countries can gain an authentic, multi dimensional understanding of the CPC and China. A frequent visitor himself, Pantsov affirmed the unique value of these sites for international audiences to know more about the Party. "The significance of these sites is enormous," he told the Global Times. "They make history come alive." (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Zhong Wenxing) A man was arrested in connection with incidents at the Citywest riots on October 21st and 22nd. The man in his 40s was arrested on Sunday, October 26th. He was detained at a Dublin Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. The man has since been charged with an offence contrary to Section 15 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994, and appeared before the Criminal Courts of Justice on Monday November 24th. He was remanded on bail to appear before Blanchardstown District Court on Monday. An Garda Siochana continues to appeal to those with any information on persons involved in this serious public disorder to contact the Garda investigation team at Clondalkin Garda Station on 01 6667600 or any member of An Garda Siochana at any Garda Station. Members of the public can provide information confidentially to An Garda Siochana by contacting the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. Laois County Council has been given the nod to submit a planning application for the Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme to An Coimisiun Pleanala for planning consent. The news has been welcomed by Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin 'Boxer' Moran TD, who said: I am pleased to announce that following OPW approval, Laois County Council is proceeding with a planning application for a flood relief scheme for Mountmellick to provide protection up to the level of a 1 in 100 year flood event and I wish to acknowledge the support from the community in Mountmellick that was valuable to inform the design of a scheme for its town, which will protect some 244 properties including the 90 properties which experienced flooding in 2017. Mountmellick experienced severe flooding from the Owenass River and other tributaries of the River Barrow in 2017. In 2019, following the Governments introduction of Flood Risk Management Plans, Laois County Council with funding from the OPW appointed JBA Consulting and JB Barry and Partners (now Egis) engineering and environmental consultants to design a flood relief scheme for Mountmellick. The scheme design for Mountmellick comprises continuous flood defences to defend properties from flooding from the Owenass River, Garroon Stream, Pound River and Clontygar River. The flood defences include a series of embankments, flood defence walls, a bridge replacement, culverts and a pumping station installation. These will be readily adaptable to protect against any increased flood risks from climate change. Todays announcement is the outcome of very detailed engineering analysis, environmental assessments and engagement with the public on the sources of flooding from Mountmellicks rivers and the options to protect the town. Todays announcement follows Laois County Council approval from the OPW to proceed to seek planning consent for the Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme. Minister Moran concluded by highlighting the Government is investing 50m in flood risk management across Laois and that Mountmellick is one of three flood relief schemes for the county. A Flood Relief Scheme has already been submitted for planning for Clonaslee, which will protect 74 properties when completed. A flood relief scheme for Portarlington is also being developed and is expected to be submitted for planning in 2026. The cost of these schemes will be met from the Governments commitment to managing Irelands flood risk through the financial provisions for flood relief measures set out in the National Development Plan. The design of this and all flood relief schemes is future proofed and is adaptable to meet the increasing flood risk from climate change. In addition to these major schemes, the OPW has approved approximately 0.6m. to Laois County Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for localised flood relief works across 8 other locations in the county. Collette Sherlock, a former student of Scoil Criost Ri in Portlaoise, has been reappointed Student Ambassador at St Patricks Pontifical University in Maynooth following a university-wide recruitment process. Student Ambassadors at St Patricks assist with orientation activities, campus tours and provide pastoral support for students transitioning from second to third level education. St Patricks, founded in 1795, specialises in the study of theology and philosophy and related areas at postgraduate and undergraduate level, Ms. Sherlock is currently undertaking a bachelors in theology and arts. Ms. Sherlock said, The minute I heard of the Bachelors and Arts course in St Patrick's, I instantly knew it was for me. I have had my expectations significantly surpassed since I began studying here. The small class sizes really encourage connections with both my classmates and the lecturers, allowing us to get to know one another. The stunning campus is another thing I love; it's great to be able to go on a walk surrounded by nature in my free time. Also having the privilege of living on campus because of the course has made my experience even better. Overall, in St Patrick's I continuously grow in a sense of content in my decision of choosing here to spend the next three years. PORTLAOISE College came alive with colour, flavour, and celebration recently as students, parents and staff came together for the schools much-loved Intercultural Day. With over 30 nationalities represented within the school community, the event offered a vibrant display of global culture, unity, and pride. Students set up beautifully decorated stands featuring flags, traditional clothing, and food from their native countries, creating a lively atmosphere throughout the school. From the jollof rice of Nigeria to the sweetness of the Brazilian chocolates, the tastes and sounds of the day reflected the diversity that makes Portlaoise College. The stands were carefully judged by Aran Grehan, community garda; Josephine Moore, LOETB school support coordinator; and George Leahy, general manager of the Midlands Park Hotel. After much deliberation, the judges selected China, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Pakistan/Sudan as the winning stands praised for their creativity, authenticity, and engagement. Event organiser and teacher Sean ONeill expressed his joy at the occasion, saying: Intercultural Day is always my favourite day of the school year. Its a wonderful celebration of our students diversity and unity, giving them the chance to share their cultures with pride while promoting inclusion, understanding, and mutual respect within our school community here in Portlaoise College. Principal Noel Daly also commended the efforts of students and staff, noting: Intercultural Day is a highlight of our school calendar. It showcases the incredible diversity and sense of belonging that defines Portlaoise College. We are very proud of our students and their enthusiasm in sharing their cultures with the wider school community. For the third consecutive year, students from Louisiana Tech Universitys School of Design have placed in the national ACSA Steel Design Competition. The 2025 team earned second place for their project, Nor-Cal 101 Fire Station, continuing an impressive streak that includes first-place finishes in both 2023 and 2024. The competition, sponsored by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the American Institute of Steel Construction, celebrates innovation and creativity in steel design. The winning team Blayne Springer, Leyton Spencer and Matthew Wright developed a wildfire response station on Lake Shasta in Northern California. Guided by faculty sponsors Dr. Pasquale De Paola and Professor Kevin Singh, the students created a thoughtful response to ongoing wildfire crises across the West. Their design addresses the increasing scale and frequency of these disasters by incorporating water conservation and firefighter training facilities. Jurors praised Nor-Cal 101 Fire Station for presenting a thorough and futuristic vision for a fire station. They noted the projects expressive exterior and inventive kit-of-parts strategy. The jurors also appreciated its overall playfulness, visible in both the design and the drawings: a direct reflection of the teams camaraderie. I think what made this project so memorable was just how much fun we had working together, said Spencer. Its something architecture students look forward to since second year. To be able to collaborate on a project at this scale really made us lean into each others strengths. Blayne handled a lot of the modeling and rendering, I focused on drawings and graphics, and Matt played a huge role tying everything together. Matt and I built most of the physical models while Blayne pushed the visuals. We all worked on what we enjoyed most. That made the process not just efficient, but actually super fun. Each year, fourth-year architecture students at Louisiana Tech participate in the ACSA Steel Design Competition, developing projects that explore unique ways of working with steel. The Universitys continued success reflects a strong studio culture where creativity and collaboration consistently produce exceptional work. For a full list of 2025 winners, visit the ACSA website. The Foodshed Alliances LocalShare program is intensifying efforts to provide fresh food access across Northwest New Jersey. With SNAP benefits potentially facing interruption next month, LocalShare and its partners are proactively increasing food supplies to ensure households maintain reliable access to nutritious produce. LocalShare has scheduled a distribution event from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, at Hillcrest Plaza, 755 Memorial Parkway in Phillipsburg. Organizers encourage bringing bags to take home fresh produce and a cup to warm up with hot soup. The organization warns that any pause in SNAP benefits would create a serious hardship for thousands of local families. Through its weekly Free Produce Pop-Up Markets, LocalShare delivers fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to residents in need throughout the year, creating open-air spaces where anyone can access healthy food without questions. LocalShare is here to provide produce and hope during a time of uncertainty, the organization states, emphasizing their commitment that no community member should worry about their next meal, particularly during uncertain times. The event, organized in partnership with St. Lukes, will offer freshly harvested produce alongside hot soup made with River Valley Community Grains donated by NOFA and prepared by SCCC Culinary Students. These free markets rotate locations throughout Warren and Sussex counties to maximize their reach. Corporate and community volunteers play an essential role in market operations, helping with setup, distribution, and creating welcoming environments that foster connection and dignity. The organizations sustainable approach includes partnering with regional farms to recover surplus crops that would otherwise go to waste, creating a consistent supply of seasonal produce that supports both community nutrition and local agriculture. Developers behind the proposed Wood Avenue megawarehouse are requesting a special exception from Easton Zoning Hearing Board tied to one piece of the project. Residents are concerned that it could increase flood risks. Scannell Properties, the developer of the warehouse, is looking to relocate a watercourse, retention basin and access road within a designated floodplain. This is part of a greater construction of a 1-million square-foot warehouse along Wood Avenue. The warehouse needs approval from Easton, which rests in the hands of The Easton Planning Commission. The commission is continuing to hear testimony from both the developer and the opposition during its monthly meetings. The Zoning Hearing Board held a special hearing Sept. 18 to hear testimony from Scannells team, which included project manager Donald Haas and environmental consultant Jeff Smith. On Monday evening, residents opposing the plan presented their own expert witness. Dozens filled the room, including several attorneys. Opponents are concerned that the plan would cause environmental issues, increased flooding, and affect connecting bodies of water such as the Bushkill Creek. Attorney Edward Shaughnessy, representing nearby residents, called David Brandes, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Lafayette College, to testify about his review of the projects stormwater and channel design plans. Brandes told the board that his main concern is the adequacy of the proposed flood channel and runoff modeling. So the main point is that the channel is not correctly designed, he said. He explained that the development would increase impervious surface area from about 2.7 acres to 54 acres, which would result in an additional 6 million gallons of runoff during a 10-year storm and about 10 million gallons during a 100-year storm. That increased volume is also basically extending the high flows from the site, and so thats going to tend to cause some downstream erosion, Brandes said. Developers of the 1525 Wood Ave Warehouse are seeking a special exception to relocate an existing tributary that will daylight into the Bushkill Creek, a retention basin, and a 40-foot-wide access road. Courtesy of the Easton Planning Commission. He also questioned the hydrological models used by the developers engineers. He said they relied on scaled data from Bushkill Creek rather than site-specific measurements from Spring Brook, which he argued have different characteristics. Brandes said that approach may have led to underestimating potential flood flows and runoff. Were going to have more overbank flows and more localized flooding, because that channel is not designed to contain the flows that are likely to be coming downstream, he said. Brandes added that the soil type assumptions used in the analysis could be inaccurate and that regulatory approvals do not necessarily ensure safety or compliance with local conditions. He recommended that Scannell install a stream gauge on Spring Brook and develop a runoff model specific to the site. During a heated cross-examination, Scannells attorney, Marc Kaplin, challenged Brandess conclusions, pointing out that he had not conducted field measurements or submitted findings to state regulatory agencies. Kaplin emphasized that the project met required engineering and environmental standards. We have done everything that we are required to do, and other than sitting here and showing us pictures and drawing conclusions, you have not done a study, and thats what the law requires. You cant come in here and just criticize what was done, Kaplin said. Several other residents spoke to the board in opposition. Xavier Garcia-Molina, a resident who lives 85 feet from the Bushkill Creek, said he has observed high water levels firsthand after various rain events and has documented those conditions through photos and videos. He said the projects hydrologic study might underestimate the real flood risk, noting how quickly the creek rises even after modest rainfall. He argued that Eastons zoning board and city officials should not rely solely on external agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when determining approval. The Zoning Hearing Board opens up this hearing so that you and I can both talk about our differences of opinion and our interpretation of the study, Garcia-Molina said. Bruce McCutcheon, a city resident representing the 131-member Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited, also spoke at the hearing. He said the creek is a treasured resource, home to a Class A wild trout population that draws anglers from across the region. McCutcheon warned that stormwater runoff from the proposed warehouse could raise stream temperatures and carry pollutants like road salt and oil into the creek, harming trout habitats and water quality. He said such impacts could violate state regulations that protect high-quality cold-water fisheries and conflict with Eastons stormwater permit obligations. It is this boards responsibility to protect Easton residents, reduce long-term municipal liability and safeguard the Bushkill for decades to come, he added. The Easton Zoning Hearing Board will continue the hearing at a later, unannounced date. New Jersey health officials announced a potential measles exposure after a non-New Jersey resident visited the state while contagious. The New Jersey Department of Health said Monday that anyone in Terminal B of Newark Liberty International Airport between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19 was potentially exposed to the virus. Anyone who suspects they were exposed should contact their local health department and doctor before going to a medical office or emergency department, officials said. Those infected by the virus could exhibit symptoms as late as Sunday, Nov. 9, and officials are working on contact tracing and notifying potential exposures, authorities said. Symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and a rash that typically appears around three to five days after the onset of symptoms, officials said. The rash usually appears on the face and hairline as flat red spots, but spreads downward through the torso. New Jersey has had 10 confirmed cases of measles in 2025 and seven in 2024, according to state health officials. In recent years, measles infections have soared to the highest levels in the U.S. since 1992, eight years before the disease was declared effectively absent from the U.S. population in 2000, officials said. Fall colors litter the landscape along Lake Nockamixon in this file photo. Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com Whitewater boating enthusiasts will have a chance to tackle challenging rapids in Bucks County when the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources releases water from Lake Nockamixon into Tohickon Creek on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1-2. The scheduled water release, which begins at 4 a.m. both days, will send millions of gallons downstream to create suitable whitewater conditions at Ralph Stover State Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This semi-annual event typically occurs on the third weekend in March and the first weekend in November, drawing skilled kayakers, canoeists, and occasional rafters from across the Northeastern United States. Most participants launch at Ralph Stover State Park near Pipersville and navigate approximately four miles along Tohickon Creek to its junction with the Delaware River at Point Pleasant. DCNR officials emphasize that the release creates technical whitewater with Class 3 and 4 rapids requiring experienced boating skills. Participants must follow the American Whitewater Affiliation safety code, wear appropriate flotation devices, take precautions against hypothermia, and use craft designed for this type of water. The best hours for spectators to view the boating activity are between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Ralph Stover State Park. Trail users, particularly on the High Rocks Vista Trail System, should expect increased traffic during the event. DCNR encourages hikers to stay on blazed trails to prevent erosion, remain mindful of others, consider splitting large groups, and keep dogs on required 6-foot leashes. For additional information, contact Nockamixon State Park at 215-529-7300 or Delaware Canal State Park at 610-982-5560. Generative AI was used to organize information for this story, based on data provided by DCNR. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff. Photograph depicts 170 Howard St. and surrounding area near the Delaware River in Phillipsburg. Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com New Jersey has finalized terms with Peron Construction, LLC, to purchase approximately 33 acres for public recreation and open space in Phillipsburg, the town announced. The agreement represents an unprecedented preservation effort for the community. Mayor Randy Piazza described the collaborative effort as achieving what has never been done before in Phillipsburg: the preservation of more than 30 acres of valuable recreational land for public use. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the town are now in the process of purchasing the land on Howard Street. After years of speculation about the future of the site, the town approached the developer with a proposal to preserve the land for public use and the developer accepted the offer, helping to make this long awaited vision a reality, according to the announcement by the town. Piazza indicated the agreement represents the best outcome for residents, noting that something had to be done with that property. The area has become increasingly unsafe, as years passed without development. The propertys future has for years sparked heated debate among the resident public and legal battles by fierce opponents of various iterations of proposed warehouse development since 2021. Lehighvalleylive.com published in-depth coverage of the propertys history and dispute in May. David and Sandra Morrisette have led the crusades against development near the Delaware Riverfront. They thanked the town and Peron Construction for agreeing to sell the land for the purpose of open space. A warehouse would not have complemented the surrounding residential areas as specified in the 2013 Phillipsburg Master Plan Reexamination Report. Open space is the optimal outcome, they said. The Morrisettes are still waiting to learn the outcome of outstanding litigation against the town and the developer, they said. The New Jersey Highlands Coalition, Phillipsburg Riverview Organization, Citizens for Sustainable Development and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and hundreds of Phillipsburg citizens contributed to the push. The Phillipsburg Riverview Organization actively spearheaded a plan in October to partner with the town to join the developers lots with the towns adjoining public park. They also championed an initiative to control truck traffic through South Main Street, between McKeen Street and Union Square, except for local deliveries. The politician who promised flood defences for Mountmellick, Portarlington and Clonaslee after devestating flooding in 2017 has welcomed the announcement of a big step forward in protecting the worst hit of the three towns. Confirming the advancement of the Mountmellick Flood Relief Scheme (FRS), Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), also revealed that a budget of 50 million has been set aside for projects in Mountmellick, Portarlington and Clonaslee. The Leinster Express / Laois Live reported on October 28, that, following OPW approval, Laois County Council has submitted a planning application for the Mountmellick FRS to An Coimisiun Pleanala for planning consent to provide protection up to a 1 in 100-year flood. "I wish to acknowledge the support from the community in Mountmellick that was valuable to inform the design of a scheme for its town," he said. The project will protect hundreds of properties, including the 90 properties which experienced flooding in 2017. Minister Moran was also in Government in November 2017 when he saw first-hand the damage caused in Mountmellick by severe flooding from the Owenass River and other tributaries of the River Barrow. He promised a solution at the time and in in 2019, following the Governments introduction of Flood Risk Management Plans, Laois County Council with funding from the OPW appointed JBA Consulting and JB Barry and Partners (now Egis) engineering and environmental consultants to design a flood relief scheme for Mountmellick. MORE BELOW PHOTO Kevin Boxer Moran in Irishtown, Mountmellick in 2017. The scheme design for Mountmellick comprises continuous flood defences to defend properties from flooding from the Owenass River, Garroon Stream, Pound River and Clontygar River. The flood defences include a series of embankments, flood defence walls, a bridge replacement, culverts and a pumping station installation. These will be readily adaptable to protect against any increased flood risks from climate change. Minister Moran concluded by highlighting the Government is investing 50m in flood risk management across Laois and that Mountmellick is one of three flood relief schemes for the county. A statement from his department said a Flood Relief Scheme has already been submitted for planning for Clonaslee, which will protect 74 properties when completed. It said a flood relief scheme for Portarlington is also being developed and is expected to be submitted for planning in 2026. READ ALSO: 'Daft' plan for derelict Laois hotel A statement said the cost of these schemes will be met from the Governments commitment to managing Irelands flood risk through the financial provisions for flood relief measures set out in the National Development Plan. The design of this and all flood relief schemes is future proofed and is adaptable to meet the increasing flood risk from climate change. In addition to these major schemes, the OPW has approved approximately 600k. to Laois Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme for localised flood relief works across 8 other locations in the county. A GoFundMe page has been set up for an Irishman who was involved in a horrific crash in Australia which left him with life-changing injuries. Ben Denning Galligan from Virginia, county Cavan, who is currently on a working holiday visa in Western Australia, was involved in the horror crash earlier this month which resulted in an arm amputation, spinal injuries and a traumatic brain injury. READ NEXT: ALERT: Warning as Irish dodgy box users could face huge fines for the first time The 25-year-old is currently in a induced coma while his family have flown out to the remote region to be by his side. Donations have already reached an incredible 184,740 out of a 210,000 goal. The message on the GoFundMe page reads, "We are Ben's family and we are fundraising to help in his recovery "On Tuesday, October 14th, 2025, our dear Ben Denning Galligan (25) from Cavan, Ireland, was involved in a serious road collision in a remote area of Western Australia. "Ben, who is on a working holiday visa, was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital, where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit. He has sustained life-changing injuries, including a right arm amputation, spinal injuries, and head trauma (traumatic brain injury) and is currently in an induced coma. "His father Ollie, sister Joy, and their partners (Sophia & Johnny) have flown out from Ireland to be by his side for now. He also has a large network of friends and his girlfriend in Perth, all of whom are rallying around him with incredible love and strength. "Ben, a construction worker, is a much loved member of both the Irish in Perth community and his home communities in Crosserlough and Virginia, Co. Cavan. Hes known for his hard work, resilience, and great sense of humour. Qualities that will be vital in the long road ahead. "We are in close contact with the Claddagh Association, who are providing invaluable guidance and support during this difficult time. However, Ben faces a long and uncertain road to recovery, one that will likely take many months and involve specialist rehabilitation, prosthetic fitting, and ongoing medical and emotional care. "The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) will cover urgent medical care with some future support such as initial rehabilitation, but the extent of his needs are not known. Ben will likely need to remain in Australia for many months to receive the quality of care he needs. "As his friends and family come together to support him, we are setting up this GoFundMe to help ease the financial burden that lies ahead. Funds raised will go directly towards: READ NEXT: ALERT! Irish parents warned as popular drink recalled amid serious risk of illness in children Future medical care and rehabilitation not covered by the RHCA Urgent family travel and accommodation costs during his recovery in Australia as his condition changes Bens non medical costs as he will be without income for months or longer And any future care or adaptation needs as his recovery continues into his future Any remaining money would be donated to charitable organisations e.g. Claddagh Association, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Royal Perth ICU "Bens journey will require immense strength and community support. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference and help give him the best possible chance to rebuild his life after this devastating accident. "We also want to say a huge thank you for the outpouring of support from everyone in Cavan, across Ireland, and all over Australia, from those who attended masses for Ben to those sending messages, prayers, and donations. Your kindness means more than words can say. The staff in the Royal Perth hospital are giving him great care and we thank them too. "Please consider donating and sharing this page widely. Lets rally together for Ben, to show him that no matter how far from home he is, hes surrounded by love and support from his friends, family, and the Irish community across the world." You can donate by clicking HERE In an update on Tuesday, Ben's father Ollie posted a message to thank everyone for their donations while giving an update on Ben's current health situation, "It has now been 2 weeks since Bens accident, and he continues to receive outstanding care from the incredible team at Royal Perth Hospital. He has undergone multiple surgeries on his arm and is being treated for spinal injuries, for which he currently has a halo head brace in place to stabilise his neck and spine. READ NEXT: Brutal weather on the way as Ireland could see remnants of 'scary' Hurricane Melissa "Were very glad to share that Ben is making progress slowly but surely "He is moving all of his limbs and responding to some commands, even while in his coma. "Just two days ago, the doctors were able to remove his breathing tube for some time, and during that window Ben was awake, recognised people around him, and even asked a few questions. "Because he is still very weak, he was placed back under sedation to allow his body more time to rest and heal. "These are really encouraging signs, and his family and friends are feeling hopeful as he takes these small but important steps forward. "We also want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated, sent messages, or kept Ben in their thoughts and prayers. The outpouring of support from Cavan, across Ireland, and all over Australia has been incredible, and it means the world to Bens loved ones as they stay by his side. "Please keep Ben in your thoughts as he continues to fight and heal, one day at a time." The issue of EV vehicle charging in a Kildare estate must wait until county-wide legislation is introduced next year before being resolved - if not resolved by the management company first - Celbridge Leixlip Municipal District has ruled. Cllr David Trost (FF) called on the council to write to Ardstone property developers and request that in consultation with the management company, they resolve the issue of electric vehicle (EV) chargers for the residents in Ardrath View, Celbridge, in advance of the estate being taken in-charge. Speaking at a Celbridge Leixlip Municipal District meeting held on Friday, October 24, Cllr Trost said it was his belief that it was important this issue is pursued, as the residents were promised availability of EV charging points in their estate, and at the moment it was presenting a problem for them. Cllr Trost said it can be very problematic for residents if they do not have an EV point on their driveway, in the context of people being encouraged to purchase electric vehicles from an environmental point of view. From what he could gather, he said, more and more people appeared to be buying electric vehicles, which seemed to be a reversal of the trend, and he encouraged councillors to see this as a serious issue. READ NEXT: Kildare Minister welcomes progress on St Vincent's Hospital Athy Ardrath estate was a fantastic estate, Cllr Trost told members, adding there were very little issues with regards to taking it in charge, save for the issue of EV charging points. This one issue was really concerning residents at the moment, he said, and he suspected the issue would be replicated in other areas also. Cllr Nuala Killeen (SD) told Cllr Trost that the problem of EV charging points was common with new Strategic Housing Developments (SHDs). The scheme would have come before the council before a brick was laid, she said, and county-wide the policy on EV charging points has not been adopted yet, and was outstanding for quite some time. Cllr Killeen pointed out that this was perhaps not an issue unique to Ardrath, but was instead an MD-wide issue concerning a number of similar properties. She would be worried, therefore, she said, about implementing something for one estate and not addressing the needs of other estates with the same issue. She knew an EV charging policy was before a transport committee last year, but was not aware of its current status. A council official explained that the problem with EV charging for these estates arose from the fact that the residential units do not have individual parking spaces, which made cabling for the EV charging points an issue. What developers had typically done in the past, he continued, was install communal EV charging points for residents of the estate, but the problem with this is that the cost of the service is charged at a different rate. A report issued by the council stated: Development Control has been advised that the developer is currently engaged in discussions with the Board of Management (BOM) of the Owners Management Company (OMC). The OMC is actively considering a strategy for the provision of individual EV charging facilities for residents within this element, which is a critical component in determining the appropriate delivery mechanism for EV infrastructure. Following debate, it was agreed to wait until the overall EV charging policy is updated for early next year. Buildings Beo is a property show with a difference: it's not only about the renovation of heritage buildings all around the country, but also about the people and the communities who bring these buildings to life. In this 6-part series, presenter Carrie Crowley takes a closer look at six inspiring projects across Ireland, where derelict architectural legacies are being preserved and transformed into vital community spaces. READ NEXT: ALERT! Irish parents warned as popular drink recalled amid serious risk of illness in children With over 166,000 vacant buildings in Ireland today, Buildings Beo sheds light on the urgent need for renewal of abandoned spaces. With projects ranging from historical mills to old schoolhouses, each episode follows the journey of a different restoration, showcasing the trials, tribulations and triumphs that come with preserving Ireland's architectural heritage. Some of the remarkable restorations include the transformation of the historic Hope Castle Gate Lodge into a thriving community library in Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, the revival of a railway building into a digital hub and youth centre in Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, and the redevelopment of a fire-ravaged cinema into a state-of-the-art local theatre in Cork's market town of Macroom. Audiences will be wowed as each episode culminates in a final reveal, as all the hard work comes together and the building is brought back to life. Throughout the series, Carrie meets with the builders, architects, and communities driving these restoration projects, offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the transformation process. Through compelling storytelling and stunning visuals, "Buildings Beo" celebrates Ireland's rich cultural and architectural heritage, demonstrating how it takes a village to make a Building BEO. Produced by New Departures Media. READ NEXT: Brutal weather on the way as Ireland could see remnants of 'scary' Hurricane Melissa On her trip to Leitrim, Carrie heads to the idyllic town of Ballinamore, where she falls in love with the town's old railway station, which has fallen into disuse and dereliction. She'll learn of how Ballinamore Community Council devised an exciting plan to revitalise the area by transforming the stunning red-brick junction house into a dynamic multi-purpose hub: the beating heart of the town. From conception to completion, she'll meet a colourful cast of characters who are all united in their mission to breathe new life into the junction house. Catch the episode on Wednesday November, 26, on TG4 at 8.30pm. The Mohill Scouts, officially the 4th Leitrim Scout Group, are calling on the people of Mohill, the wider area, and Leitrim County Council to help them find a permanent place to call home. The group is appealing for help in finding a hall, building or site that could serve as their long-term Den for scouts that have been part of life in Mohill for more than 90 years. READ MORE: We came up a little bit short last year, and we just weren't letting that happen again, Sorohan. The very first local Scout was invested back in 1932 in the Canon Donohue Memorial Hall, starting a proud tradition that has guided generations of young people to learn teamwork, confidence, outdoor skills and community spirit. Today, the Mohill Scouts are thriving, with more than 70 members across Beavers (ages 68), Cubs (911), Scouts (1215) and Ventures (1517). Over 20 dedicated volunteers give their time every week to run meetings, camps and activities that help local children and teenagers grow in confidence and independence. For years, the group has relied on the generosity of local schools, community organisations and halls who have shared their spaces so that Scouting could continue in the town. The group say they are deeply grateful for that support and goodwill. However, as numbers continue to grow, the challenge of operating from temporary venues has become more difficult. Without a permanent base, the Scouts have no secure storage for equipment, no dedicated space for training, and no firm foundation for future growth. READ MORE: 'Still lack of school choice' in Leitrim states Educate Together Each member already pays more than 100 a year to Scouting Ireland, as well as a small weekly subscription, so families cannot be asked to take on the financial burden of a new building. We are so thankful for every hall and venue that has welcomed us, said Group Leader Kim Taylor. But we cant build for the future without a permanent home. Mohill has an incredible community spirit, and were asking for help to find a proper base where Scouting can grow and thrive., A suitable space would ideally include a large hall or activity room, access to toilets, safe drop-off facilities, storage for camping and adventure gear, and, if possible, some land that could accommodate temporary or modular structures in the future. Were open to any ideas, said one volunteer. It could be a shared space, a long-term lease, or even a small site we could develop. What matters most is giving our young people a safe, steady home where they can learn, play and give back to the community. Anyone who might be able to help or offer suggestions is encouraged to contact the Mohill Scouts through their local leaders or via Scouting Ireland. A man has been arrested after a stand-off on the grounds of a creche on Monday afternoon. The man in question is alleged to have had a replica double barrel shotgun that was seized during the incident which is understood to have lasted almost five hours. READ NEXT: 'A rough day ahead' - Weather warnings issued as wind and rain set to batter four counties Gardai were alerted around 7am on Monday morning of a man who was holed up on the grounds of the creche in the Flowerhill are of Navan town in county Meath. It's alleged the man was also posting videos on social media that later began to circulate. Gardai rushed to the scene along with the Armed Response Unit and the Emergency Response Unit. The man was subsequently apprehended at the back of the creche, which was empty at the time. No one was hurt during the incident and Gardai say the matter was quickly resolved. A spokesperson for the Gardai said, READ NEXT: Fundraiser set up for young Irish man who lost an arm after horror crash in Australia "Yesterday morning, Monday 27th October 2025, Gardai and emergency services attended the scene of an incident at a business property in Flowerhill, Navan, Co. Meath. "The incident was subsequently resolved later that afternoon. "Arising from the incident, an adult male has been arrested and is currently detained under provisions of Section 12 of the Mental Health Act, 2001. "Investigations are ongoing." LIMERICK councillors have taken the almost unprecedented step of passing a motion of confidence in local authority director general Dr Pat Daly and his Limerick City and County Council staff. It follows a week of communication between Mayor John Moran and council staff, plus Dr Daly and his own staff and local councillors over an interview Mayor Moran gave to local radio over the preparations for Christmas in Limerick. In this, the first citizen said: "It's a question of higher standards". At a stormy special meeting of the council this Tuesday afternoon, Fianna Fail council leader, Cllr Michael Collins formally proposed the motion of confidence after the interview, which he described as "toxic". And in an extraordinary intervention, council director general, Dr Daly admitted he "fears for" Limerick City and County Council. He said staff are fatigued and he is genuinely worried for them. READ MORE: 'People are very angry': Lidl lodges appeal as council rejects plan for new Limerick store "You threw Dr Daly, his executive and staff of this organisation under a bus," said Cllr Collins. "It has been a huge topic of debate among management, staff, councillors and the general public since that toxic interview took place. Your favourite mantra is trust and transparency and I question that." "Let me tell you mayor: morale was never as low in this organisation and has been since the Mayoral election in 2024," he added "We have seen management, personnel, senior staff members leave this council - and Im also aware of staff members out on sick leave." The confidence motion was seconded by Fine Gael council leader, Cllr John Sheahan who added: "I am flabbergasted all our competencies are being questioned." He described the council as a "s**tshow" as things are at present, a sentiment reflected by Cllr Adam Teskey, who called the Government department responsible for the directly elected mayoralty to intervene. Cllr Sheahan said: "This council was working fine prior to the introduction of the directly elected mayor. "We are at the coalface, and every place I went, I was asked, what the hell are you doing inside there? I can tell from staff's body language that things are not working in sync. If there is a toxic element to the thing, we need to flush it out. The public are not fully aware of what is going on behind the scenes." Cllr Joe Leddin of Labour supported the motion, as did Independent councillors Frankie Daly and Brigid Teefy. Cllr Kieran O'Hanlon, the longest serving member of the local authority said: "We respect the fact the staff come to work in the best manner they can do it, and we are proud of the work they do." He pointed out how council officials have families, and asked Mayor Moran how he imagines they feel when hearing their work being "rubbished" on local radio. A number of councillors took the mayor to task for "browsing on his phone" while they were addressing him. In response Mayor Moran acknowledged there are "staffing constraints" at the local authority. "The sharp reality is in the real world, there is a need for Ireland to do a reset in the way we deliver across Government to deliver a better country," he said. Mayor Moran claimed he was "muted" at a previous online meeting of the local authority "by someone who didn't necessarily like what I was trying to say". He pointed out that 700 homes are planned in Limerick, but in real terms, thousands are needed. "I believe staff in this organisation have done amazing work. I do not believe they are supported fully to do what they need to do. I have listened to ridicule, but I've not heard concern about my family in that respect. I've been elected to deliver a better Limerick. I've worked with Pat Daly, and I'd like to continue to do so," he added. Mayor Moran said it is "absolutely correct" to have a vote of confidence in the director general. "But we need to take a look at ourselves in the context of demand, in the context of resourcing." No counter-motion was forthcoming, and so the motion, which reads 'do you have confidence in Dr Daly, The executive and all the staff of Limerick City and County Council?' was passed. Dr Daly thanked members for their kind words, but admitted: "I am worried about the future of the organisation. We are at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end." It's extremely rare that a political group would launch an action to show their confidence in non-political figures, which is what Dr Daly, and his staff in the council, ultimately are. The move, which appeared to catch Mayor Moran by surprise, took place after last Wednesday, October 25, the first citizen made the above mentioned comments on local radio about Christmas in Limerick, adding he was elected "to be more demanding". This prompted Dr Daly on Thursday, October 26, to email council staff and local representatives expressing his "disappointment" over the mayor's comments. In the email, marked "for internal circulation only", the director general stated he and his colleagues "remain committed to maintaining a positive, respectful, and productive working environment." But in a further email - sent only to council staff and not councillors - on Friday night, October 27, Mayor Moran stated Limerick City and County Council needs a "specific new experienced team to guide it through the transformation brought about by his election. He added he was "disappointed" with the communication from Dr Daly, insisting: "There are two sides to every debate." Speaking at this Tuesday's meeting, Dr Daly said he felt "uncomfortable sending the email", but he will always defend the local authority and its staff, describing it as "a bloody good organisation". He asked Mayor Moran to give the council staff time and space. A COLLECTION of objects from County Limerick feature in Changing Ireland Galleries, an exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. This includes a handkerchief decorated and signed in 1977 by republican paramilitary prisoners Rita OHare, Rose Dugdale, Marian Coyle, Marie Murray, and Angela Duffin in Limerick Prison, symbolising resistance and solidarity; and an Irish Volunteer uniform tunic button belonging to Edward Daly. Edward was executed on May 4, 1916, connecting the county to Irelands revolutionary history. Commandant Daly's Irish Volunteer tunic button was given by him to a nun in the North Dublin Union. The nun had it inscribed and later presented it to his sister, Madge Daly. The button was later fitted with a pin to wear as a brooch, but the pin is missing. With capital funding from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sports Decade of Centenaries Programme, and working in partnership with the Office of Public Works, the new galleries open following a full refurbishment of a part of Collins Barracks that had been untouched since the departure of the Defence Forces almost 30 years ago. READ MORE: New website launched to support flood relief efforts along River Shannon The Changing Ireland Galleries feature hundreds of political, social and cultural objects from the Museums 20th and 21st century collections extraordinary and everyday artefacts that have borne witness to the last 150 years. On entering the galleries, visitors are invited to reflect on the objects and consider the question 'Cad Is Ann Eire Dar Leat?' 'What Is Ireland to You?' Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick ODonovan TD, said: The Changing Ireland Galleries are a legacy project of the Decade of Centenaries Programme and a testament to the power of cultural reflection. This new space at the National Museum ensures that our shared history, in all its complexity, can be explored by future generations. Chair of the National Museum of Ireland Board, Professor Cathal ODonoghue, added: This is a momentous day for the National Museum, and we would like to express our gratitude to Government for the funding to expand the galleries in this way. There are millions of objects in the Museums collection, and our physical infrastructure only allows us to have a fraction of that on display at any one time. The expansion of our galleries and the nature of this new display will ensure that the Museum can share more of Irelands history with visitors in years to come. Lead Curator of the Changing Ireland Galleries, Brenda Malone, concluded: The galleries have been designed to allow for the regular rotation of objects, which helps us to preserve these important artefacts for future generations while ensuring the galleries remain dynamic and continually offer fresh perspectives on modern Irelands history. The galleries also embrace sensory experiences, using music, visuals, and immersive audiovisual installations to add context, mood, and texture to the display. The exhibition is now open at Collins Barracks. Admission is free. A COUNTY Limerick man who allegedly terrorised his neighbours for months over a land dispute has avoided a prison sentence for assault. Kieran Daly, aged 36, of Hillview, Cloverfield, Dromkeen received a fully-suspended sentence when he appeared before Limerick District Court in Kilmallock. He was previously convicted of the assault and public order charges and Inspector Barry Manton confirmed there has been "nothing to report" since. The incident at the centre of the case occurred in a field near Caherconreafy, Pallasgreen on November 11, 2024 at approximately 8:30am. A previous sitting of the court heard it involved Mr Daly driving a vehicle at his neighbour on the disputed lands. READ NEXT: Gardai 'hosed down' during tense showdown amid angry scenes outside Limerick home Solicitor Michael ODonnell told the court that Mr Daly is a very qualified man who has engaged with probation and counselling services since the incident. Things are positive, he stated, adding: "He has a previous good record, he has learned his lesson." Inspector Barry Manton agreed and confirmed that An Garda Siochana are happy "with how things are going". Having noted the contents of a probation report, Judge Patricia Harney also expressed her satisfaction with how Mr Daly has engaged with the Probation Service, describing it as absolutely stellar. The injured party, Rory Mooney, was present in court and gave evidence during the brief sentencing hearing. He said that his family had been terrorised for six months by Mr Daly, who, he alleged, had threatened his wife and children. He told Judge Harney that he would love if Mr Daly could be jailed, but Judge Harney said that would not be possible given it was his first offence. The judge added that we dont live in a totalitarian state and that people are entitled to dislike each other. The court heard that Mr Daly had apologised over what happened and that he is regarded as being at low-risk of reoffending. After formally convicting Mr Daly, Judge Harney sentenced him to three months imprisonment for the assault, suspending the sentence for 18 months. The public order offence was marked as taken into consideration. The suspended sentence was handed out on the condition that Mr Daly has no contact with Mr Mooney or his family. A WOMAN has appeared in court accused of assaulting a garda and damaging a patrol car during an incident in Kilmallock earlier this month. Shauna Moore, aged 31, who has an address at Orr Street, Kilmallock also faces a number of charges under the Public Order Act arising from the incident which occurred on October 10. She is also charged with failing to provide information to gardai regarding an unrelated incident, which is under investigation. Inspector Barry Manton told Kilmallock court the defendant first appeared before a special court sitting in Ennis after she was arrested and charged and that the Director of Public Prosecutions has consented to summary disposal of the case, meaning it can be dealt with in the district court, rather than the circuit court. READ NEXT: Money sent back to Limerick woman who tried repeatedly to pay a speeding fine Having noted the update from Insp Manton, Solicitor Julianne Kiely sought a disclosure order which, the court heard, would take "at least eight weeks" to comply with. Judge Patricia Harney granted the application and she adjourned the matter to January 13, 2026. The defendant, who was assigned legal aid, was remanded on continuing bail pending her next court appearance. No information regarding the details of the incident were given during the brief court hearing. IARNROD Eireann has welcomed the decision of Limerick City and County Council to grant planning permission to commence construction for a new train station at Moyross. The granting of planning permission for this crucial piece of infrastructure allows for the progression to the next stages of the project, which include detailed design, procurement, and further stakeholder engagement. The station will be located at the rear of Corpus Christi Primary School and Moyross Community Enterprise Centre. Access to the station will be adjacent to both Corpus Christi Parish Church, and from Moyross Avenue through the Millennium Park, serving the civic heart of Moyross. The project is funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority (NTA), and forms part of the Department of Transports Pathfinder Programme, which consists of exemplar sustainable mobility projects to be delivered by local authorities and agencies around the country. READ MORE: 'People are very angry': Lidl lodges appeal as council rejects plan for new Limerick store The new Moyross station will be located on the existing Limerick to Galway rail line and will provide new public transport links for the growing population in this area, with connectivity to Limerick city centre, Galway, Cork, Dublin and beyond. It will also provide connections to local attractions such as Thomond Park and the TUS Gaelic Grounds, as well as the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and other educational and civic amenities. The new station will also integrate with Limerick Councils proposed University Avenue scheme, as well as the NTAs BusConnects Limerick, and the proposed Limerick CycleConnects Network. The provision of a new railway station in Moyross is highlighted as one of the rail-based measures in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) 2040 and was also listed as an objective in the Limerick Development Plan 2022 - 2028. The new Moyross station will assist the regeneration of this area and will support the National Strategic objective of Compact Growth as outlined in the National Development Plan 2021 - 2030. On confirmation of funding, the project will move to tender preparation with station construction targeted to begin in 2026, with an estimated 15-month completion timeframe. Minister for Transport, Darragh OBrien said: "The granting of planning permission by Limerick City and County Council for the new station at Moyross represents a key milestone for the project. This new station will provide a key public transport connection to the growing urban area of Moyross, supporting its regeneration. The new station will provide a link to sporting and educational amenities in the city, helping people access the areas they want using a sustainable and reliable transport mode." Minister of State with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Sean Canney, added: "The granting of planning permission for Moyross station represents the latest positive development in a series of rail station upgrades progressing across our national rail network. This new station will help broaden access to the rail network and help implement the vision set out in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review." Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, commented: This project is a cornerstone of the More for Limerick Mayoral Programme and I am thrilled to see it granted planning permission. A modern and accessible train station will connect Moyross and surrounding areas like Caherdavin, Thomondgate, and the wider Northside, more directly with greater Limerick, other major cities, and, hopefully soon, Shannon Airport. It will unlock access to education, employment and social opportunities, all while benefitting business too. Moyross story continues to be written and I look forward to a new chapter being delivered. Priomh Chomhairleoir, Limerick Council, Cllr Catherine Slattery, said: This is a proud day for Moyross. Securing planning permission for the train station is a major milestone in our journey towards greater inclusion and opportunity across Limerick. For decades, this community has called for better connectivity and we are now one step closer to delivering it. I want to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to make this happen. Moyross deserves this investment, and I look forward to seeing the positive change it brings. Iarnrod Eireann Chief Executive, Mary Considine stated: "The provision of a new station at Moyross is a key strategic development for the area. This station is a central provision of LSMATS and aligns with our vision to deliver better rail connectivity for people in the Mid-West and make rail the backbone of Ireland's sustainable transport network. This station will provide excellent connectivity for the existing community of Moyross and for future communities. Hugh Creegan, Acting CEO of NTA concluded: We are delighted to support the approval of the new Moyross station. This marks a significant milestone in delivering sustainable mobility and enhanced connectivity for the community. By linking Moyross directly into the broader rail network, this station is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable future for the people of Limerick. Celebrating 25 years in business, Enet, headquartered in the National Technology Park in Castletroy, Limerick, is the backbone of Irelands connectivity. From operating the States Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) in 2004 to a nationwide presence today, Enet has grown into Irelands largest alternative wholesale telecoms provider facilitating the delivery of affordable, world-class broadband and wireless services to over 1.2 million homes and businesses across Ireland. With over 10,000km of fibre, a 450-strong workforce, and a proven track record of innovation, Enets networks also support Irelands fastest-growing sectors technology, finance, pharmaceuticals and AI ensuring reliable, high-capacity infrastructure for communities across the country, including here in Limerick. At the heart of Enets success are its people. With engineers, IT specialists, project managers and service delivery experts driving innovation, the company fosters an environment where talent thrives. Enet is proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work in 2025, recognising the trust, pride and camaraderie shared across their teams. Peter McCarthy, CEO of Enet Employees benefit from professional development plans, in- house training, and access to the Learning Hour initiative, which provides dedicated time for continuous learning via platforms like Udemy. The focus on people extends to inclusion and sustainability. Speed Fibre Group, Irelands leading telecom infrastructure provider, has earned the Investors in Diversity Silver Accreditation, achieving an 83% Inclusion Score, and in 2025 has achieved a 100/100 rating from Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). Part of Speed Fibre Group, Enet is now delighted to mark 25 years of connecting Ireland. And its mission remains clear; keeping communities, businesses, and industries connected now and into the future. From AI to Cloud, from smart cities to 5G and beyond, the next 25 years will demand more connectivity than ever and Enet is building the infrastructure to make this possible. Connected then. Connected now. And ready for whats next. *Sponsored Content Bengaluru: Leading office developers are setting up platforms to offer GCC-as-a-service to new global capability centres looking to set up operations in India. GCCs constitute a significant portion of the tenant base for most commercial office developers. So far, mainstream office developers and flexible office space operators have leased space to such offshore R&D and backend centres for global companies. Now, developers are looking to leverage the opportunity to provide real estate, operational support, talent acquisition, technology, and regulatory compliance support to them as services. On Tuesday, Bengaluru-based real estate firm Sattva Group, along with Chennai-based consulting and operations partner Innovalus Group, launched GCCBase. It will offer end-to-end ecosystem solutions to help multinational companies set up and scale GCCs across India. If a company from the US plans to set up a GCC base here, even if at a small scale, we can help with a location of their choice, provide tech support, and offer the flexibility to scale. There is a lot of interest from companies that want to set up new GCCs, and we are currently in talks with five interested parties," Vishal Vijay, chief executive of GCCBase, told Mint. In the next two years, the company aims to service around 20 new GCCs, Vijay added. Such developer-led GCC servicing platforms will offer real estate solutions even beyond their own commercial office properties. Indias GCC ecosystem has evolved into one of the most dynamic in the world, with over 1,800 centres employing 2.16 million professionals, said a July report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Deloitte India. Analysts project the number of GCCs to more than double to 5,000 by 2030. Also Read | New chapter for Indian GCCs? Two big money managers plan Bengaluru tech centres Earlier this year, property developer Embassy Group set up Embark, an integrated platform to support global firms building and scaling their GCCs in Indiait covers strategy, operations, infrastructure and governance. Embark has a strategic alliance with Deloitte India, under which organizations receive end-to-end support across the GCC lifecycle, for a seamless setup and execution. The fundamental reason behind this is the growth of GCCs and new GCCs coming into India. Today, there are even nano or micro GCCs being set up, with just 40-50 people. Companies are coming in to set up capabilities, and not just scale. Platforms such as Embark are looking at easing the process of setting up operations, and how quickly it can be done," said Keerthi Kumar, partner, Deloitte India, which has been advising GCCs for several years now. Even mid-scale developers have launched GCC servicing units. In July, Bengaluru-based Bhartiya Urban launched a platform named Bhartiya Converge offering tailored micro-services across real estate, talent, operations, and infrastructure, eliminating vendor markups and ensuring faster turnaround and cost-efficiency. Also Read | Mid-sized IT companies bet on GCC advisory firms to score quick deal wins GCCs in real estate Every one in three Fortune 500 companies has a GCC in India, representing the countrys dominant market share in the larger GCC segment. Not just multi-national companies, mid-market firms, regional powerhouses and single-country enterprises now represent the next growth wave of the GCC movement. Not surprisingly, GCCs have become one of the main occupiers of office space in the country. Of the 60 million sq ft of gross leasing between January and September in 2025, nearly 35-40% was by GCCs, as per property advisory CBRE India. This momentum is expected to continue. Developers want to provide value-added services to GCCs, which have become crucial to office leasing, according to Ram Chandnani, managing director, leasing, CBRE India. Going forward, more developers are expected to set up similar servicing units focused on GCCs. The India talent story is not going anywhere and developers want to offer services beyond just real estate space," Chandnani added. However, most developers would need suitable partners to create these platforms that are outside their core expertise." E-commerce giant Amazon on 28 October said that it is laying off 14,000 employees as it seeks to reduce bureaucracy and increase investment in artificial intelligence (AI), according to reports. Overall, amid news of layoffs at multiple tech companies, at least 81,445 jobs have been directly impacted due to AI-led restructuring. Amazon, in an official statement, called the job cuts a continuation to strengthen operations by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we're investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers' current and future needs, AFP reported. Earlier today, Reuters and Fortune cited sources to report that the retail and tech company would fire a total of 30,000 corporate employees globally its largest layoffs since late 2022, when it cut 27,000 roles. Amazon employs around 15 lakh people overall, of which 3.5 lakh are corporate employees. Amazon layoffs: Key Highlights AI most transformative: What did Amazon say about job cuts? The statement, signed by Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, read: While this will include reducing in some areas and hiring in others, it will mean an overall reduction in our corporate workforce of approximately 14,000 roles. Galetti added that AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the Internet, adding that it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before, the AFP report added. Watch: Amazons Biggest Layoff: Why 30,000 Corporate Jobs Will Be Gone | Reducing Excess Of Bureaucracy Looking ahead to 2026, we expect to continue hiring in key strategic areas while also finding additional places we can remove layers, increase ownership, and realise efficiency gains, she stated. Notably, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been vocal about AI adoption, stating that those who fail to adapt would be left behind. In June, in a company memo, he wrote, Those who embrace this change, become conversant in AI, help us build and improve our AI capabilities internally and deliver for customers, will be well-positioned to have high impact and help us reinvent the company. Also Read | 8th Pay Commission update: Cabinet approves terms of reference Meta to Microsoft which companies have cut jobs amid AI push? Amazon is joining the ranks of big tech that have, in recent months, shaved staffing strength as increased investment in AI reshapes the industry. Overall, at least 81,445 jobs have been directly impacted due to AI-led restructuring. Meta: On 23 October, Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang informed employees that 600 roles will be cut from the company's artificial intelligence unit, also known as Meta's Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Reportedly, the newly formed TBD Lab group, which includes many of the highly paid recent hires, has not been hit. Meta is encouraging the fired workers to apply for jobs in other departments, and the company plans to keep hiring for its AI teams, as per a Bloomberg report citing sources. Google: On 2 October, CNBC reported that Alphabet-owned Google laid off 100 design department employees, working on its data, survey and other tools, as part of its ongoing push to accelerate AI. Prior to that, in September too, Google laid off over 200 contractors working to train and refine its AI projects AI Overviews and Gemini, Wired reported, citing sources. Microsoft: The software major has reportedly cut close to 4,000 jobs (over 40% roles) in its software engineering business, as per a Bloomberg report. The move made alarm bells ring for software developers in the age of AI. Microsoft also announced that it will cut nearly 6,000 jobs across divisions, with over 30% based in Washington. Also Read | CEOs are furious about employees texting in meetings TCS: Tata Consultancy Services laid off 6,000 employees globally this year, and plans to cut another 6,000 jobs as part of its restructuring plans and push for AI. The Tata Group unit will shave 2% of its total workforce in the 2025-26 fiscal. Salesforce: In September, CEO Marc Benioff, in a YouTube interview, said that the company has cut 4,000 customer support jobs amid the use of AI tools. He said that AI has taken over a larger share in the California-based tech major's customer service. Overall, Salesforce has reduced its customer support workforce from 9,000 employees to 5,000, as per Benioff. Accenture: In October, IT consulting firm Accenture also announced 11,000 roles would be slashed globally, with potentially more jobs on the chopping block, as the firm undertakes major restructuring amid its AI push. Foxconn, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer, announced late Monday that its board of directors has approved an investment of NT$42 billion ($1.37 billion) to build an AI compute cluster and supercomputing centre. Foxconn said in a company filing published late on Monday that it will fund the planned investment using its own resources between December 2025 and December 2026. What will the funds be used for? Foxconn said the substantial investment aims to expand the cloud compute service platform and accelerate the development of the Group's three smart platforms. Also Read | Foxconn subsidiary pulls back 300 Chinese engineers from India: Report While the company did not provide specific details or the location of the project, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the investment will likely be made in Taiwan. Foxconn's push into AI development This initiative is part of Foxconn's ongoing strategy to strengthen its position in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure. Known formally as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, Foxconn is the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and has been actively seeking to diversify its growth drivers beyond the company's traditional reliance on smartphones and electronics manufacturing. The recent announcement by Foxconn follows two other key AI-related developments announced earlier this year. In May, Foxconn announced that it plans to build an AI centre in Taiwan, in collaboration with Nvidia, which is targeted to have a power capacity of 100 megawatts. Also Read | Foxconn to make more components locally to ramp up India presence In another development, in August, the company announced a partnership with Japan's SoftBank to manufacture data centre equipment at the Taiwanese firm's former electric vehicle factory in Ohio, United States, as part of the Stargate project aimed at advancing US AI infrastructure. Foxconn's investments in India Foxconn is also expanding its footprint in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, where it plans to manufacture more electronic components to boost profitability. The company recently reaffirmed its planned investment of $1.5 billion in the region, Mint reported. In addition to assembling iPhones for Apple, Foxconn is reportedly exploring opportunities to produce components for other smartphone companies, including Google Pixel, Mint reported. Over the last decade, Foxconn has committed to investing $11.5 billion in India. It first announced a $5 billion investment for the first time in the country in 2015, and in August 2025, company chairman Young Liu confirmed that its India investment had crossed $10 billion. State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a deal with Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) in Moscow to produce civil commuter aircraft SJ-100 in Moscow, the aeronautics company said on Tuesday. According to a media release by the PSU, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Prabhat Ranjan of HAL and Oleg Bogomolov of PJSC UAC, Russia, in the presence of HAL CMD DK Suni and UAC Director General Vadim Badekha. What is the HAL-UAC SJ-100 deal? Under the deal, HAL will be able to have the rights to produce the SJ-100 aircraft for domestic customers, the company said. This collaboration between HAL and UAC is the result of mutual trust between the organisations, HAL said. The signing of the HAL-UAC MoU also marks the first time in which a complete passenger aircarft will be made in India. The last such project was HAL's production of AVRO HS748, which started in 1961 and ended in 1988, HAL said. The manufacturing of the SJ-100 aircraft will also lead to the strengthening of the private aviation sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the industry, the company said. HAL has not mentioned the number of SJ-100 aircraft it will manufacture under the deal. What is SJ-100 aircraft? SJ-100 is a new generation short-haul jet aircraft of Russian origin. Earlier called the Sukhoi Superjet 100, it originally was designed by the now-merged Russian aircraft company Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft. As on date, over 200 SJ-100 aircraft have been manufactured. The aircraft are being operated by more than 16 airlines across the world, nine of them being from Russia. Also Read | Russian steel makes a comeback in India at deep discounts According to the official website, the SJ-100 is capable of accommodating 103 seats and has a flight range of 3,530 kilometres. The aircraft has been touted as having low operating costs for airlines. It can operate at extreme weather conditions, from -55 degrees Celsius to +45 degrees Celsius, making it a perfect fit for Indian weather conditions. The cabin of the aircraft can be easily redesigned to meet the needs of the airline. How will India use SJ-100 aircraft? According to the press release by HAL, the SJ-100 aircraft will be manufactured for commercial use. SJ-100 will be the game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme in India, the company said. Under the UDAN scheme, new aircraft are being added every year over the past nine years to make air travel more seamless and economic in India. It is estimated that over the next 10 years, the Indian aviation sector will need more than 200 jets in the passenger aircraft category for regional connectivity and an additional 350 aircraft for the Indian Ocean region to serve nearby international tourist destinations. The indigenous manufacturing of the SJ-100 planes will aid to that need. A lifeline may finally be on the horizon for Indias debt-laden telecom sector. Bharti Airtels tower arm Indus Towers on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Courts order permitting the government to reassess adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, a move that analysts say could ease it key customer Vodafone Ideas burden and, by extension, improve its own risk outlook and valuation, and bolster the sector's overall prospects. Indus Towers managing director and chief executive officer Prachur Sah called the development a good sign for the industry, while reiterating that decisions on dividend payouts remain scheduled for the March quarter. Many brokerages said the ruling could strengthen Vodafone Ideas survival prospects and narrow Indus Towers valuation gap with global peers. What has happened is a good development for the industry in general. We welcome that support. As and when the clarity comes, it will help us make the right decisions (on cash returns for shareholders), Sah said in a post earnings call with analysts. The board will consider and is committed to distribute the cash to the shareholders and the timing (for review) still remains end of the financial year in Q4. If anything changes, we will keep you posted. Notably, financial stability concerns surrounding its major customer Vodafone Idea, was one of the reasons for Indus Towers to put on hold any cash returns to its shareholders. This is because, in the absence of any relief for Vodafone Idea from the government, the company will not be able to sustain, thereby also having an adverse affect on the business of Indus Towers as well. On Monday, the apex court allowed the government to address the grievances of the beleaguered telecom operator without the court's intervention, and reassess the demand for AGR dues. The court observed there is no impediment in the interest of the government reconsidering the issue and taking appropriate decision in law, thereby clarifying that the matter is within the policy domain of the government. Vodafone Idea had filed a petition last month challenging the telecom department's demand for an additional 9,450 crore in AGR dues. The company also sought a waiver of interest and penalties, arguing that the disputed components of the dues have not yet been finalised. The Supreme Courts verdict now paves the way for the struggling telecom operator to receive much-needed financial relief, easing concerns about its continued survival. We believe this (the court order) could have significant positive ramifications for Vodafone Idea and, by extension, for Indus Towers, said analysts at brokerage house Citi in a note dated 27 October. With a large lumpsum amount towards AGR dues coming up for payment by Vi (Vodafone Idea) to the government in March 2026, we believe that relief from the government should be forthcoming well ahead of this deadline in the coming weeks and months. To be sure, Vodafone Idea has been paying an amount equivalent to monthly billing to Indus Towers. As of September end, the companys trade receivables were at 4,851.5 crore compared to 4,361 crore in the preceding quarter and 5,629 crore in the year-ago period. Even as Vodafone Idea cleared additional dues amounting to 210 crore to Indus Towers during the quarter, the companys trade receivables rose sequentially. The management attributed the rise in receivables to a timing gap in collection and expects the same to normalize in the current quarter. We note that Indus Towers is trading at a discount to global peers, on account of concerns regarding long-term sustainability of Vione of its key clients The SC decision allows it (government) to create a plan for long-term sustainability of the company, thereby increasing chances of survival for Vi (Vodafone Idea). With this, we expect the valuation discount of Indus Towers vs global peers to narrow, said analysts at Emkay Global in a note dated 27 October. Africa expansion Separately, Indus Towers elaborated on its plans to expand into Africa. Last month, the company had said it will expand its footprint in the African markets, beginning with Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. Anywhere within 3 to 6 months is what we are targeting from today (for Africa foray), Sah said, adding that there are certain administrative things such as licensing that are under process. To get started, Indus Towers is looking to bank on Bharti Airtels Africa arm as its anchor customer in the market. The company said the foray in Africa will initially focus on organic growth where they will be installing new towers for Airtel and understand the local market. We will enter this market with an ability to make a difference on how we can reduce the cost per tower, improve the uptimes and manage energy better. So that will be our value addition to be more competitive in these markets, Sah said. With full scale in Africa, Indus Towers capital expenditure could reach $200300 million, with the entitys capital structure planned as a balanced mix of debt and equity, the management said during the call. Indus Towers, however, would look at major scaling decisions later, which could include inorganic expansion as well. Quarterly show In July-September, Indus Towers reported a 9.7% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase in revenue from operations to 8,188 crore. However, the net profit fell 17.3% to 1,839 crore due to higher energy and power expenses such as increased diesel consumption. Besides, a lower reversal of provisions for doubtful debts than in the year-ago period related to collections from a major customer (Vodafone Idea) also affected the profit during the quarter. The company added 4,301 towers sequentially and 26,416 when compared on a y-o-y basis, taking its tower count to 256,074 as of September end. The co-location sites were at 415,717 compared to 411,212 in the preceding quarter. Co-locations or tenancies refer to how many telecom operators are using a single tower. A single tower can host equipment for multiple mobile operatorseach is considered a co-location. Moscow-headquartered oil major Lukoil announced on Monday that it will start selling its international assets following sanctions imposed by the United States. Lukoil, Russias second-largest oil producer, also said it has started considering bids from potential purchasers. The asset sales will be carried out under the wind-down license issued by the US OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control). According to Lukoil, the move is a direct response to the introduction of restrictive measures against the Company and its subsidiaries by some states, ANI reported. The US imposed sanctions on Russian oil firms on 22 October, specifically targeting two of Russia's largest oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil. This decision marked the first major measure against Russia since US President Donald Trump returned to office. Deadline to wind down business OFAC has set a 21 November deadline for Lukoil to wind down its businesses abroad or face hefty penalties. The company said it is prepared to seek an extension of the license to ensure the uninterrupted operations of its international assets. US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Lukoil, along with oil and gas firm Rosneft, saying that it was a result of Russia's lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine. Washington also gave any firms working with the sanctioned Russia entities one month to cut ties or face secondary sanctions, which include denial of access to the US banks, traders, shippers and insurers, ANI reported. Why were sanctions imposed on the US? The US Treasury Department said it aims to increase pressure on Russia's energy sector and degrade the Kremlin's ability to raise revenue for its war machine and support its weakened economy. The United States will continue to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the war, and a permanent peace depends entirely on Russia's willingness to negotiate in good faith. Treasury will continue to use its authorities in support of a peace process, the US Treasury's statement read. US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said now is the time to stop the killing, and called for an immediate ceasefire. He said, Given President Putin's refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia's two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin's war machine. Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump's effort to end yet another war. We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions. The oil major Lukoil engages in the exploration, production, refining, marketing, and distribution of oil and gas in Russia and across the world. Subsidiaries of the company The US Treasury Department has also sanctioned several Russia-based Lukoil subsidiaries under EO 14024 for operating in the energy sector of the Russian Federation economy. The subsidiaries include: Limited Liability Company Lukoil Perm: Involved in geological exploration and oil and gas production in Russia. Lukoil West Siberia Limited: Involved in oil and gas production in Russia. Also Read | Indian refiners review Russian oil contracts after Trump's latest sanctions Lukoil Kaliningradmorneft: The firm develops onshore and offshore oil and gas fields in Russia and is involved in oil and gas production in Russia. Lukoil subsidiary Russian Innovation Fuel and Energy: Involved in the development, production, testing, and implementation of new technologies, techniques, and equipment for the development of hydrocarbon reserves and enhanced oil recovery in Russia. BENGALURU , MUMBAI : Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and vice-chairmen Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh have not approved the reappointment of Ratan Tata long-time confidant, Mehli Mistry, as a permanent trusteesetting the stage for a 2016-like battle between the Tatas and ousted Tata Sons chief Cyrus Mistry. Mistry, a first cousin of Cyrus Mistry, is considering options including challenging the move in court, people close to him said, potentially plunging the philanthropic entities that control Tata Sons into uncertainty. On Tuesday, Noel Tata, TVS Motor Co. chair emeritus Srinivasan, and former defence secretary Singh voted against Mistrys candidature for trustee for life, according to an executive privy to the development. The three other trusteesformer Citibank India chief executive Pramit Jhaveri, Mumbai lawyer Darius Khambata, and Pune-based philanthropist Jehangir H.C. Jehangirvoted in favour. The split vote marks a sharp departure from the recent consensus-driven approach. Just last week, when Srinivasan was appointed a lifelong trustee, four trustees, led by Mistry, had described the move as a procedural formality", referring to a unanimous decision in October 2024 to grant themselves permanent positions. Under the Trusts rules, appointments and removals require unanimous consent. The opposition to Mistry presents two immediate challenges for Noel Tata: An impending legal battle and a widening divide among trustees. To be sure, it was Mistry, whose current tenure at both the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) ended on Tuesday, who proposed Noel Tatas candidature as Chairman of Tata Trusts in the board meeting on 11 October 2024, less than 48 hours after Ratan Tatas death. Legal battle Mistry is expected to legally contest the decision, given that a joint meeting of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) on 17 October 2024 agreed to make all trustees permanent, the executive said. [I]t needs to be noted that the substantive decision regarding the re-appointment of Mr. Venu Srinivasan and all other Trustees was already taken and approved pursuant to the aforesaid resolution of 17 October 2024 by each of the Trustees and the resolution proposed in Circular No: 87 dated 18 October 2025 is a formalistic one to give effect to an already taken unanimous decision of the Trustees," Mistry wrote in response to a circular, dated 18 October, seeking re-appointment of Srinivasan, Mint reported last week. Srinivasan was appointed as a permanent trustee after a similar proposal to appoint Noel Tata was approved in January, according to the executive cited above. A top Mumbai lawyer told Mint last week that legal recourse would be within the rights of a trustee who doesnt get reappointed. Hypothetically, if any trustee fails to get reappointed, then that means the other Trustees have violated the decisions taken on the 17 October 2024 board meeting. That trustee who fails to get reappointed has the right to take legal action against Tata Trusts, said senior Supreme Court lawyer H.P. Ranina. The consensus question Second, the standoff raises questions about how the Trusts will now achieve consensus. The divide has widened since 11 September, when three trusteesJhaveri, Khambata, and Jehangirvoted with Mistry to remove Singh as their representative on the board of Tata Sons. Also Read | How Tata Trusts are navigating life after Ratan Tata The four had expressed unhappiness over what they saw as a lack of transparency in Tata Sons board decisions, leading to Singhs oustera move that exposed deep fissures within the promoter group of Indias largest conglomerate, as first reported by Mint on 24 September. Consensus within the Tata Trusts is crucial for Tata Sons, as the holding company of the countrys largest conglomerate requires approval from the Trustees for many of its decisions, according to Tata Sons' articles of association. This includes the appointment of directors at Tata Sons and investments exceeding 100 crore. Tata Sons, which is chaired by Natarajan Chandrasekaran, has six board members, including Noel Tata and Srinivasan. Tata Sons group chief financial officer Saurabh Agrawal, and independent directors Harish Manwani and Anita Marangoly George are the other three members. Queries emailed to all seven trustees were unanswered at the time of publishing. After Mistrys ouster, the SRTT has six members, and the SDTT five. At the divided Tata Trusts, Noel Tata, Singh, and Srinivasan are members of both trusts; they hold a majority over Jhaveri and Khambata in the SDTT, and over Khambata and Jehangir in the SRTT. Ratan Tatas brother, Jimmy N. Tata, is the sixth trustee at SRTT, but, due to advancing age, he does not participate in the proceedings of the philanthropic entities. The SRTT and the SDTT own 27.98% and 23.56% of Tata Sons, respectively. The smaller trusts hold the remaining 14.38%, giving the Tata Trusts an ownership of 65.9% of Tata Sons. Mistry vs Tata 2.0 However, all this could change when the Mistry vs Tata Trusts battle lands in court, which, incidentally, would make Mistry the second person to take on a Tata in less than a decade. Put simply: It could be a Mistry vs Tata all over again. Although the circumstances and individuals are different. Mehli Mistrys first cousin, Cyrus Mistry, was ousted as the Chairman of Tata Sons by Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata in 2016. After a lengthy court battle, the Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that there was nothing wrong with the sacking of Cyrus. Mistry had a fractious relationship with Cyrus, which worsened after Cyruss fallout with Ratan Tata. Mistrys support for Ratan Tata during that time later led to his induction onto the boards of the SRTT and the SDTT in October 2022. Incidentally, Noel Tata was inducted on the board of the SDTT in February that year. Every possibility is there," senior Supreme Court lawyer Ranina said, when asked if the Tata group runs the risk of another Mistry vs Tata battle. The simple point is that the three Trustees have rescinded on their decision, the seven trustees took on 17 October 2024. The seven trustees agreed then. Now, three trustees have unilaterally acted in violation of their earlier agreement. Moreover, Noel Tata and the two other trustees have gone against the directive of the Indian government, as reported in the media, to resolve their differences amicably." Jensen Huang's Nvidia is planning to make an equity investment woth $1 billion in Nokia Oyj, as the AI chipmaker bets on the Finland-based company's turnaround from mobile networking kit into artificial intelligence. Also Read | Microsoft stock jumps over 4% after tech giant reaches deal with OpenAI Nvidia will purchase 166 million shares of Nvidia at $6.01 apiece, getting a 2.9 per cent stake in the company, according to a statement by the the companies. In turn, Nvidia will give Nokia access to its chips to enhance the company's for 5G and 6G networks. Nvidia will also expole ways to utilise the data centre technology of Nokia in its AI infrastructure, the companies said. Nokia, best known for selling mobile network parts, has been pushing into data centers a business thats growing thanks to the growing demand for computing capacity from the artificial intelligence boom. The move has paid off, and helped Nokia beat Wall Street estimates last quarter. The Espoo, Finland-based company earlier this year bought Infinera Corp. for $2.3 billion to expand into networking products for AI data centers. Also Read | Apple hits $4 trillion market cap after Nvidia and Microsoft How did Nokia shares react? Nokia shares jumped as much as 17% in Helsinki after the statement, the biggest intraday gain since 2013. The tie up could be a boost for the Nokia brand, which is still best known among consumers for the range of mobile phones it no longer makes. Chief Executive Officer Justin Hotard is leading a turnaround of the Nordic company, emphasizing its position as the only Western alternative to Huawei Technologies Co. for supplying the entire portfolio of communications kit, from 5G radios to fiber optic cables. Nvidia's spending spree Nvidia has been on a spending spree in recent months. The company said it will invest as much as $100 billion into OpenAI and will fund autonomous vehicle companies Wayve and Oxa, fintech Revolut and AI companies like PolyAI. The company also will invest in a German data center alongside Deutsche Telekom AG, Bloomberg News reported earlier. European policymakers and tech executives alike have been talking for months about the need for the bloc to develop its own AI ecosystem and catch up to rivals in the US and China. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and others have criticized Europe for being too slow to develop its own infrastructure and support companies that want to use AI while keeping their data within the region. Realty major Signature Global has successfully raised 8.75 billion through a private placement of Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, it said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday. This strategic financial move is aimed at bolstering the company's efforts in developing mid-income and sustainable housing projects. The funds raised through this transaction will not only support the development of environmentally conscious housing projects but also aid in reducing the company's existing debt. The NCDs have been assigned an 'A+' stable rating by CareEdge Ratings and are already listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the company said. This marks Signature Global's first-ever listed debt transaction, enhancing its presence in the capital market. The NCDs have a tenure of three years, two months, and 30 days, with a maturity date set for January 15, 2029. Pradeep Aggarwal, Founder & Chairman, Signature Global (India), said Ever since our inception, we have focused on key pillars of customer satisfaction, delivery and transparency. The faith reposed in us by an institution of repute like IFC is a testimony to our approach and direction. We are indeed grateful to IFC for their confidence in Signature Global Group. As an environmentally conscious developer, Signature Global is committed to delivering high-quality, sustainable mid-income housing projects, and to implementing robust ESG standards across all future projects. The company believes that India's rapid urbanization presents a significant opportunity to expand access to quality housing. It is estimated that Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities will require an additional 18 million housing units, with projections indicating a need for a further 3 million units between 2022 and 2027. Imad N. Fakhoury, IFC Regional Division Director for South Asia, said, Housing is a fundamental pillar for Indias progress, and expanding access is both an opportunity and an imperative for inclusive growth. Through IFCs investment in the Daxin project of Signature Global, a long-standing partner, we aim to deliver high-quality, mid-income homes for families who need them most. In addition to supporting job creation and market competitiveness, this partnership will also help advance the companys sustainability strategy. Together, we are contributing to stronger urban infrastructure and building resilient communities in Indias fast-growing cities. Greening Real Estate Investment Portfolios In addition to the financial investment, IFC will provide GRIP (Greening Real Estate Investment Portfolios) advisory support to enhance Signature Global's sustainability strategy, the company said. This collaboration aims to achieve EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Advanced certification for the Daxin project, supported by the European Union under the Accelerating Climate-Smart and Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia program. Signature Global's commitment to green building is further evidenced by its 17 projects that have already received EDGE certification, ranking it among the highest in India's real estate industry for green building commitments. In the fiscal year 2024-25, Signature Global ranked as the fifth-largest listed real estate developer based on sales bookings, achieving pre-sales of 102.9 billion. The company is targeting 125 billion in the current financial year. As of the first quarter of FY26, Signature Global boasts a robust project pipeline of 17.1 million square feet of recently launched projects and 9.2 million square feet of ongoing projects. The company has 24.5 million square feet of forthcoming developments slated for completion over the next two to three years. Non-bank lenders such as Kinara Capital, Lendingkart, Aye Finance and Ashv Finance are taking a step back from unsecured loans after regulatory heat tightened funding to the sector. These lenders who serve small businesses have sold unsecured loans, explored such sales, or are securitizing them, the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity. Potential buyers include banks and larger non-bank lenders. The development, which came after a central bank crackdown on the runaway growth in personal, credit card and small business loans, marks a pivot for these lenders and their backers, who had bet on such loans without collateral for growth. Kinara Capital has started the sale process for its 2,200-crore unsecured lending book, three people aware of the matter said. Also Read | Banks, NBFCs continue to battle rising stress in unsecured loans in Q1 We remain open to different liquidity options that could further our commitment to meet our obligations towards our customers, lenders and partners," a spokesperson of the Bengaluru-based company said in response to a query. Crunch time Kinara, which has raised about $117 million equity from investors like British International Investment and US asset manager Nuveen, faces a liquidity crunch, after some lenders appropriated fixed deposits and recalled loans, according to an August report by rating agency Icra. In August, Kinara said it had paused repayments until October as part of a resolution plan agreed with its lenders. Portfolio sale discussions are at a preliminary stage, one of the people cited above said. Unsecured loans, which are not backed by collateral, are seen as inherently riskier than, say, mortgage or vehicle loans. The red-hot growth in unsecured loans prompted the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to raise risk weights on consumer credit and bank loans to NBFCs in 2023, and tighten regulations for peer-to-peer platforms over 2023 and 2024. The crackdown squeezed fund flows to the sector, which has since turned to secured loans to protect profitability and sustain growth. Lendingkart, backed by Temasek-owned Fullerton Financial, is securitizing its unsecured loans, where loans are pooled into a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The SPV issues pass-through certificates (PTCs) to large investors who are then paid from loan repayments. A company spokesperson denied any distress sale, but said that it continues to securitize loans. Lendingkart is not selling its unsecured loan portfolio to raise cash. Lendingkart has sufficient liquidity to meet all its obligations In the normal course of business, Lendingkart continues to undertake securitization transactions," the spokesperson said. Also Read | Non-bank financiers rush in to fill unsecured loan space vacated by banks Lendingkart's fiscal year 2025 (FY25) annual report spoke of a renewed focus on quality, profitability and capital adequacy, alongside a pivot towards secured lending. Fullerton Financial is investing 2,000 crore in Lendingkart to grow its secured lending book, The Economic Times reported in September. The company's assets fell 31% to 5,000 crore at the end of March and further to 4,141 crore by 30 June, said a Crisil note on 9 October, as it exited co-lending and shifted to higher-ticket secured loans. Towards secured Aye Finance, backed by Google, A91 Partners and British International Investments, is also reducing exposure to unsecured lending. It has raised focus on mortgage loans and increased its conoctotribution to about 15% of its assets in FY25, compared to about 7% in the previous year, a CareEdge Global Ratings report said in May. The report said that in line with its planned strategy, Aye plans to grow its mortgage loan business and gradually shift from a largely unsecured loan book to a diversified portfolio. The lender has also seen worsening asset quality in the last fiscal, with gross non-performing assets (NPAs) rising to 217 crore due to significant write-offs in hypothecation loans, CareEdge said. The company has raised over 770 crore since FY20. Ashv Finance has halted new unsecured business loan originations in December 2024 and has sold most of its assets to Protium Finance, using proceeds to repay liabilities, according to India Ratings. Also Read | Asset reconstruction companies see spike in unsecured loan sales by lenders While larger lenders such as Navi, Moneyview and KreditBee have managed to scale profitably, crossing 10,000 crore in assets under management (AUM), smaller fintechs have struggled. Delinquencies According to CRIF Highmark data for June 2025, fintech lenders continue to face higher delinquencies, particularly in very small-ticket loans below 10,000. In this segment, 4.1% of loans were overdue by 3190 days and 4.8% by 91180 days, much higher than 1.7% and 1.8%, respectively, for other NBFCs. The pivot away from unsecured loans has improved loan quality. Between June 2023 and June 2025, the share of very low-risk borrowers in NBFC-fintechs rose from 20% to 28.9%, while high- and very-high-risk segments fell sharply from 38.4% to 28.9%, reflecting tighter underwriting and better risk controls. Experts say the surge in portfolio deals is driven by funding constraints, rising bad debt and a need to optimize capital. Bank credit growth to NBFCs has slowed down to 3.4% as of August 2025, compared to 11.9% in August 2024. Yet, NBFCs continue to grow, which means they need alternate pools of capital to sustain momentum," said Ashish Mehrotra, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Northern Arc, a non-bank lender. Equity inflows have dried up too. Tracxn data showed that total funding to India's online personal loans segment peaked at $464 million in 2022, following $426 million in 2021, but plunged to $152 million in 2023 and $89.2 million in 2024. In 2025 so far, the category has seen just $26.4 million in funding. This indicates a steep fall in investor interest since the high-growth phase of 2021 and 2022. The segment has seen cumulative funding over the five-year period totaling $1.47 billion across 166 rounds. Unlocking capital Slower equity inflows and limited bank funding have pushed NBFCs to securitize loans via PTCs, unlocking capital to honour their financial obligations and for new lending, without raising additional equity," said Bhavin Shah, partner and deals leader at PwC India. Manish Aggarwal, partner at Deloitte India, said rising capital costs have made originate-to-sell" models more common among smaller fintechs. Demonstrating portfolio quality through successful sales helps attract institutional investors and improve credibility in future funding rounds," he said. Shah also added that rising delinquencies, especially in consumer finance and microfinance, have prompted NBFCs to sell stressed or non-performing assets to clean up balance sheets and meet financial covenants. In case of distressed sell-downs, deals are happening at discounts of up to 30% to book value, depending on borrower mix and recovery track record, said one of the people cited earlier. There are always buyers at the right price," one of the sources quoted above said. However, Aggarwal cautioned that investor appetite remains weak for unsecured portfolios. Investor appetite for securitization pools of unsecured loans remains limited due to elevated credit risk and absence of collateral, which heightens loss severity in defaults. Current yield requirements and credit enhancement needs often make transactions uneconomical," he said. The cleanup As NBFCs and fintech lenders look to clean up their books ahead of quarterly results and potential listings, several are selling off their unsecured loan portfolios. There is an increase in unsecured loan portfolios being sold. One key reason is that in the last few years, there was significant growth in unsecured lending, and in the process, there was some dilution in credit underwriting quality," said Hari Hara Mishra, CEO of the Association of ARCs in India. The association's data shows ARCs paid around 770 crore to acquire unsecured retail loans in the June quarter, more than double the 263 crore recorded in the same period last year. Mishra said the pricing paid for unsecured retail loans stood at around 20% of total dues. Loans with higher period of past dues, say with over three years of vintage, tend to fetch still lower recoveries, since theyre riskier and have no underlying security. Unsecured loans are typically written down to zero after being in doubtful category i.e. NPA over a year. If a lender can recover 20% now, thats often better than projected cash flows from underlying assets after waiting two or three years for similar or lower recoveries," he added. Mishra noted that the trend is likely to continue as lenders prepare for the expected credit loss (ECL) provisioning framework, which is likely to roll out from 1 April 2027. Under ECL, lenders have to make provisions proactively, rather than waiting for an actual loss. Sale to ARC at an early date helps maintain healthier balance sheets," he said. While margins on unsecured assets are thinner, Mishra added that the volume makes it attractive for ARCs," as they continue to expand in this segment. New Delhi: State-run Bharat Petroleum Corp. is exploring to jointly develop its proposed greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh with public sector explorer Oil India Ltd. The companies, as part of their memorandum of understanding (MoU), will also evaluate the possibility of Oil India (OIL) taking a minority equity stake in the proposed project, said a statement by Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) on Tuesday. The proposed facility will have a refining capacity of 9-12 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) and will entail an estimated investment of 1 trillion ($11 billion). The project has already secured key statutory clearances and 6,000 acres of land near Ramayapatnam Port from the government of Andhra Pradesh, and pre-project activities are on. The project is slated to begin commercial operations by FY30. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our journey to build world-class refining and petrochemical infrastructure in southern India, Sanjay Khanna, director (refineries) with additional charge of chairman & managing director (CMD) at BPCL, said. By joining hands with OIL, we are combining complementary strengths to create a project of strategic scale and sustainability." The move is in line with OILs commitment to strategic diversification initiatives in midstream and downstream sectors, according to Ranjit Rath, chairman & managing director at OIL and chairman, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. Strategic partnership "By partnering with BPCL, OIL and NRL look forward to leveraging our collective strengths to unlock value creation and contribute to the nations energy security and distribution infrastructure, he said. The Ramayapatnam complex will feature a 1.5 mmtpa ethylene cracker unit. In an interview to Mint, erstwhile BPCL CMD G. Krishnakumar had said that the company's refining capacity would reach around 50 million tonnes after the proposed refinery is commissioned. In December, the board had approved the commencement of pre-project activities that would incur an estimated cost of 6,100 crore. Separately, BPCL, OIL, and Numaligarh Refinery signed a tripartite MoU to facilitate the efficient evacuation of petroleum products following NRLs expansion from 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA. The agreement covers the joint construction of a 700-km cross-country product pipeline from Siliguri (West Bengal) to Mughalsarai (Uttar Pradesh) through Muzaffarpur (Bihar), with an estimated investment of 3,500 crore. The pipeline, designed to transport petrol, high-speed diesel (HSD) and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) will be jointly owned by the three companies. BPCL would own 50%, and the remaining 50% would be held by Oil India and NRL. Also Read | Indias October oil imports rise as refiners return to full capacity On the waste-to-energy front, BPCL also signed an MoU with Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) for the supply and trading of fermented organic manure (FOM) and liquid fermented organic manure (LFOM) produced from BPCLs upcoming municipal solid waste (MSW)-based compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram, near its Kochi refinery. The plant will process 150 MT of municipal waste per day, generating 5.6 mt (metric tonnes) of CBG, along with 28 mt of FOM and 100 kilolitres of LFOM daily. This collaboration is expected to enable FACT to trade high-quality organic fertilizers, supporting sustainable agriculture while contributing to Indias waste-to-energy and green fuel vision. BPCL, a Maharatna oil marketing and refining company, reported a net profit of 6,839.02 crore in the April-June quarter, up 140.67% year-on-year. Late industrialist Ratan Tata left his heirloom guns to Mehli Mistry, his close confidant for decades. In the coming battle between Mistry and the trustees of Tata Trusts, guns will be drawn, albeit metaphorically. Mistry, who inherited Tata's Alibaug bungalow and executed his will, was ousted from the boards of Tata Trusts on Wednesday. According to people close to him, the businessman is expected to launch a legal challenge to his ouster soon. The exit marks an abrupt end to Mistry's tenure at the philanthropic trusts that own the majority of Tata Sons, the holding company of the sprawling Tata Group. Mistry heads the M. Pallonji Group, which has interests in shipping, dredging and auto dealerships. Appointed in November 2022 to the boards of two of the largest Tata Truststhe Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Sir Dorabji Tata TrustMehli was a staunch ally of Ratan Tata. His appointment back then was seen as the late Tata Group patriarch entrusting his key allies at the helm of the philanthropic bodies that control the fabled business group. Also Read | Srinivasan as permanent trustee a formality, say four Tata trustees Mentor Mistry had expressed his admiration for Ratan Tata when he told this publication in 2022, post his appointment to the Tata Trusts boards, that he considered the industrialist his mentor. Ill do whatever he wants me to do. I have to secure his interests at all times," he said. The ouster of Cyrus Mistry as chairman of Tata Sons in 2016 led to a protracted Tata-Mistry clash that played out across various forums. Mehli Mistry will launch a legal challenge to his ouster, people close to him said, presaging another high-stakes Tata-Mistry battle in the courts, this time involving different individuals in new circumstances. Incidentally, it was Mehli Mistry who had proposed appointing Noel Tata as the chairman of the two main Tata Trusts, days after the death of Ratan Tata last year. Noel Tata was one of the three trustees who on Wednesday voted Mistry out of the same trusts. Tata Trusts Tata Trusts is an umbrella entity that comprises 15 philanthropic entities, six of which own shares in Tata Sons. Sir Ratan Tata Trusts and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, on whose boards Mistry was a trustee, own 27.98% and 23.56% of Tata Sons, respectively. The smaller trusts hold the remaining 14.38%, giving the Tata Trusts an ownership of 65.9% of Tata Sons. The Shapoorji Pallonji family owns 18.38% in Tata Sons, while nine Tata Group companies own 12.86%. Seven individuals own the remaining 2.87% of Tata Sons' shares. Incidentally, Noel is the single largest individual shareowner, owning 1% of the shares. Ratan Tata owned 0.83%, while his brother Jimmy owns another 0.81%. Mistry is also related to Noel Tata's wife. Mehlis mother and the mother of Cyrus, Aloo, Shapoor and Laila Mistry were sisters. Noel Tata is married to Aloo Mistry. Shapoor Mistry is the chair of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Lineage Mehli Mistry's maternal grandfather lived in England, where his mother was born. The family then took shelter in Ireland during the Second World War, where the mother of Shapoor and Aloo Mistry was born. The small detail holds significance even todayMehli Mistry holds a British passport, while Shapoor Mistry, his sister Aloo and Noel Tata are Irish citizens. Mehli Mistry and Aloo Mistry are also related on the paternal side their fathers were first cousins. Their great-grandfather set up a small construction firm called Littlewood Pallonji in 1865, the progenitor of both the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and the M Pallonji Group. Mehlis father Kersasp Mistry then started a business that took contracts for painting and coating at an industrial scale. Under Mehli and his brother Pheroze, this business diversified into dredging, barging and shipping. The growth of the M. Pallonji group was closely tied to the Tata Group, and the two houses had business relations dating back to the 1950s. It was with Tata Power that the group diversified into dredging in the 1990s. Today, it also runs several Tata Motors dealerships through Sterling Motors. Also Read | SP Group invokes Jamsetji Tata, says Tata Sons IPO is a moral imperative Close ties The close-knit relationships between the Tatas and the Mistrys put Mehli in a tricky position when the conflict flared between Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry nine years ago. He had then voiced his support for Tata, whom he considered a mentor, over Cyrus, with whom he already had a strained relationship. Later, the Cyrus Mistry camp had even named Mehli Mistry in some of the numerous court cases that followed. Mistry had then purchased 200 crore worth of Tata Power shares to show his solidarity with Ratan Tata and the Tata Group. New Delhi: India could see its first private commercial rocket launch in three monthsa landmark moment set to be propelled by the countrys most-funded space startup. So far, only the government-run Indian Space Research Organisation has launched rockets to put satellites in orbit. However, Isros main mandate is research and development, and its frequency of launch operations is limited. Now, three years after India opened up its space sector to private companies, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace is targetting its first full-scale commercial satellite launch mission by January. Skyroot, co-founded by two former Isro scientists, is targetting one launch every three months next year, and one every month from 2027. Each satellite launch mission is expected to generate the company nearly $5 million, according to Skyroot chief executive Pawan Chandana. Making a single rocket takes about eight to nine months, and costs us $23 million. As we build scale, this cost and time will both reduce. Our revenue expectation per launch is about double that of the cost of making a rocket," said Chandana. Well start realizing operating revenue from the [first] launch itself, which will have a couple of paying satellite customers onboard." Skyroots rocket launch will be a major milestone for Indias space sector. It would allow government bodies such as the ministry of defence as well as companies in fields such as broadcasting and data analytics the ability to launch satellites from within India itself, and at a fraction of the cost. While SpaceX, the Elon Musk-owned private space company, has been able to drastically lower the cost of rocket launches, it has a long wait list of almost two yearsmaking it difficult for companies to use its services. ... The SSLV (Isros Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) will cater to a different set of clients that will approach the government consortium for space launches. But on the private front, it will be a question of which launch provider has the more superior, more reliable technology," Chandana said. Even though there is competition, theres also a lot of demand in the marketall operational private space launchers are booked out for the next two years already. Thats where wed come in." Key Takeaways Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, backed by Temasek and GIC, is preparing Indias first private commercial rocket launch within three months, aiming to conduct one launch every three months next year. A successful mission would open space access to Indian companies and government agencies, letting them launch satellites domestically at lower costs and without long global wait times. However, engineering delays, funding cycles, and limited domestic demand for satellite launches could test Skyroots path to profitability and Indias broader push to privatize its space sector. Skyroots take-off Incorporated in 2018, Skyroot Aerospace has raised $95.5 million ( 850 crore) across five tranches from investors including Singapore-based investment firm Temasek and the countrys sovereign fund GIC. Chandana, a thermal science and mechanical engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of TechnologyKharagpur, began his space journey with Isro in September 2012. During his six-year stint there, he contributed to Indias heavy rocket launcherwhich was used in the landmark Chandrayaan lunar missions. It was at Isro that Chandana met his co-founder, Naga Bharath Daka. While Daka left Isro for a three-year stint at US semiconductor design firm Xilinx, the two reunited in July 2018 to begin Skyroot. Skyroot became Indias first space startup to demonstrate a rocket launch when it sent up a smaller version of its satellite vehicle from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh in November 2022. At the time, Chandana had told Mint that Skyroot aimed to launch a rocket every two months by 2025. But the company has only conducted a solitary suborbital launch since thenmeaning that while Skyroot did become the first private company to launch a rocket from Indian soil, its demonstration mission did not go beyond the earths orbit and enter outer space. Also Read | India awaits space laws to realize private push Building proprietary technology took time, Chandana explained. ... Were the worlds only active small rocket that has a fast turnaround time, and would be capable of carrying up to five different payloads that need to be injected in five different levels of the earths orbit. At our size and scale, were the only company in the world with such a capability." Skyroot is one of only three homegrown rocket-manufacturing entities, alongside Chennai-headquartered Agnikul Cosmos, and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltds privatised version of Isros Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. Agnikul conducted its suborbital test launch in May last year18 months after Skyroot. It has so far raised $41 million in funds from investors including Pi Ventures, Mayfield India, and Celesta Capital. Delays and challenges Skyroots seven-year journey, however, has not been without challenges. In 2022, its management had projected that the company would become profitable by 2026, with satellite launch missions every two months beginning this year. However, following engineering delays and other challenges, the company now expects to become profitable by March 2028. These delays are not unnatural. In space, there are multiple challengessourcing of raw materials in many strategic cases takes months. Then, there are engineering challenges, and we need to be absolutely sure that weve gotten all calculations accurate in order to avoid any mishaps," Chandana said. Perfecting engineering and production is a challenge, because any failed move would adversely affect the company and the industry alike. A high level of safety and accuracy is what takes time to get right," he added. View Full Image Skyroot's co-founder and chief executive Pawan Chandana. (Skyroot Aerospace) Chandana isnt wrong. Musks SpaceX commenced in March 2002 with a grant from the USs Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It took SpaceX four years to develop its first rocket, Falcon 1, which failed in all of its launch attempts between mid-2006 and mid-2008. SpaceX finally found success in July 2009 with its fifth attempt, when it accurately deployed a Malaysian satellite in orbit. Today, SpaceX is the worlds most successful space services company. In 2024, it totalled 138 launchesan average of more than two every week. The company is one of the worlds most heavily-funded companies, having raised nearly $6.2 billion. India has at least 200 space-related startups, per estimates by the Department of Space, which runs Isro. At least half a dozen of these startups, including Agnikul, Pixxel, and Digantara, have raised over 100 crore from investors. Indias space sector is projected to surge to $44 billion by 2033 from about $8 billion now if the governments privatisation push is successful, Jitendra Singh, Union minister of state for the Department of Space, said during the India Mobile Congress event earlier this month. A billion-dollar opportunity While Skyroot generated a small revenue of about 50 lakh from its suborbital launch in 2022, it had no operating revenue in 2023-24, per the companys financials filed with the ministry of corporate affairs and accessed via business intelligence platform Tofler. Chandana expects that to change in the ongoing financial year with the companys first satellite launch mission (he didnt disclose Skyroots financials for FY25). Our hope is that as soon as we start generating operating revenue, well start taking steps toward profitability. The goal is to get there as soon as possible, but definitely within the next two fiscals," he said. In October 2023, a decadal vision released by Indian space promoter body, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (In-Space), said that by 2033, Indias space launch services providers would generate $3.5 billion in annual revenue. The most recognizable name in space globally is SpaceX, and the first thing people think of when space is mentioned is a rocket. This holds true in India as well, and the first company that is named in conjunction with SpaceX and rockets in India is Skyroot," said Surbhi Patni Dalmia, director and India head of space consulting firm Novaspace. This is because the founders have excellent pedigree, and are running the business with core issues such as control of technology, phase wise testing in mind. Based on how Skyroots launches fare, the company has every identifier of becoming a multi-billion-dollar space venture out of India, in the not so distant future," Dalmia added. Chandana isnt looking for additional capital right away for the companys upcoming rocket launches. Were well funded for at least the next two to three launches, beyond which we will think about it. But for now, were not looking at an immediate funding roundand it is too early to think or talk about public listings," he said. Chandana is the primary promoter of Skyroot Aerospace, owning about 56% of the company, followed by Daka, who holds 28%. Also Read | Eye in the sky: How Indian companies are rocketing into space defence Missed global opportunities" Skyroots delays so far represent missed global opportunities", said Chaitanya Giri, space fellow at global think-tank Observer Research Foundation. India does not have the kind of rocket launch demand that companies have so far projected. As a result, most demand is likely expected to come from abroad. But this demand isnt going to come from the US, Russia, or China, which are the most active in space and have ample internal capacities. [It] will come from Iran, Israel, and other such countries, which are big demand generators for small satellite launches. [But] given the current geopolitics, it is difficult to imagine space companies such as Skyroot to see the kind of demand it could have [had] a few years ago," Giri said. Also Read | How Nasa biologist Sharmila Bhattacharya is prepping humans for space According to him, Indias private space companies need to be able to pivot to defence- and military-related services, as have Frances Dassault Systemes SE, and the USs Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. Even SpaceX is on the verge of being a military launch vehicle resource," Giri said. From an engineering standpoint, Skyroot would have to prove its reliability and consistency once it achieves scale, said Narayan Prasad Nagendra, a space industry veteran and chief operating officer of European satellite services firm SatSearch. And from an operations standpoint, he said, the company would have to find enough demand to be able to conduct one launch every month to achieve operational profitability. All of these will prove whether Skyroot will be able to realize its true potential," Nagendra said. While the projections are there, the current geopolitical [divisions] mean international collaborations for critical technologies are not the same as what it used to be before." Also Read | Indian space startups have run into a talent hurdle As parents eagerly await Directorate of Education's (DoE) admission schedule for entry level classes in private unaided schools, it's time to look at the expected timeline of events for the upcoming academic session. The excitement for the exact dates is building after the recent circular in which DoE revised the admission age to 6 years for Class 1 in all the government, government-aided and recognised unaided private schools. This implies that DoE will revise the age criteria for the foundational stage from the academic session 2026-27, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. According to a circular issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE), the foundational stage currently comprises two classes Nursery and KG followed by Class 1, with minimum ages for admission being 3 , 4 and 5 years, respectively. Entry level minimum and maximum age As per the revised structure, the minimum and maximum age as on March 31 is given as follows: Nursery (Balvatika 1 / Pre School 1): 3+ years up to 4 years Lower KG (Balvatika 2/ Pre School 2): 4+ years up to 5 years Upper KG (Balvatika3 / Pre School 3): 5+ years up to 6 years Class 1: 6+ years up to 7 years "For admissions in the Academic Session 2026-27, a child must have attained the prescribed minimum age as on 31st March, 2026. That is, a child entering Nursery at the age of 3+ years in Session 2026-27, will be in Class 1 at 6+ years," the DoE circular dated October 24 states. Nursery admission timeline Admissions for private schools in Delhi are set to begin next month. The state education department will release a missive detailing the admission process start and end date along with first and consecutive list of selected children and the waiting list. This year also it is expected that the admission schedule will follow a similar timeline as last year. Last year, the education department released the admission calendar on November 11. Also Read | Karnataka High Court stays government order seen as move to curb RSS activities Previous year key dates Last year, the admission process began on November 28. The last date of submission of application form was December 20. On January 10, schools published list of scores obtained by candidates, based on distance, sibling quota, alumni quota or other parameters. The first list of selected children and the waiting list was released by schools on January 17. In case of vacant seats, schools issued second list on February 3, as per DoE guideline. Notably, the admission process closed on March 14, 2025. The Education department will specify the eligible age brackets applicable on the wards of those applying for pre-school or nursery admission as of March 31 next year. Union Minister Chirag Paswan said on Tuesday that Bihar Chief Minister candidate from Mahagathbandhan, Tejashwi Yadav, knows his alliance is not coming to power and so, it's not a big deal if the INDIA bloc lies in its manifesto. Paswan's comments came as the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc is set to release its manifesto for the Bihar Elections 2025 on Tuesday, October 28. When asked to comment on Mahagathbandhan's upcoming poll manifesto, Paswan said it won't be a setback for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief also questioned the basis of various announcements and promises by the Opposition. Paswan argued that at least 7 lakh crore are required to fulfil the promise of providing government jobs to nearly 2.5 crore families, which exceeds Bihar's current 3 lakh crore budget. Also Read | Tejashwi Yadav declared Mahagathbandhans CM face for Bihar polls Chirag Paswan said, What's the big deal in making announcements if you know that you are not going to be in power? What is the basis for those announcements? He added, On the one hand, you claim that one of your biggest announcements is that we will provide government jobs to every family. What is the budget of Bihar? It's 3 lakh crore." "Even if you calculate the bare minimum salary, you'll need at least 7-9 lakh crore to provide government jobs to approximately 2.5 crore families. Where will that budget come from?" Paswan asked as he spoke with reporters near Chhath Ghat," the NDA leader said. Jhoot bolne me kya jata hai Chirag Paswan said that Bihar's Leader of Opposition (LoP) and chief minister candidate Tejashwi Yadav knows there's no harm in lying since they won't come to power. How will you fulfil all the other announcements you've made? When you're releasing your manifesto, please explain the path forward. How do you plan to increase the state's revenue? These promises doesn't mean anything if the state's revenue is not generated, Paswan said. "The chief minister candidate knows that he will not come to power. To jhoot bolne me kya jata hai? bade bade waade karne me kya jata hai [what's the harm in lying? What's the harm in making big promises]?" Paswan said. The Bihar Elections 2025 will be held in November. The voting for the first phase of polls will be held on November 6, and for the second phase, it will be held on November 11. The Bihar Election Results will be announced on November 14. Chirag Paswan performs Chhath Puja Chirag Paswan performed Chhath Puja rituals Tuesday morning at his Patna residence and said, Chhathi Maiya has given me so much without asking. May the blessing of Chhathi Maiya be bestowed upon every person, every family in Bihar and the country. Along with the Chhath festival, the great festival of democracy is also underway. Today, as we offer our arghya to the rising sun, this festival is now coming to an end, Paswan said. He added, "I believe that while one great festival is coming to an end, the other great festival of democracy will reach its full peak. Starting today, we will begin a vigorous campaign. Whatever the outcome, I believe it will be in our favour, but it will be a positive outcome for the people of Bihar." Actors Rajinikanth and Dhanush became the latest celebs to receive bomb threats to their houses. The threats were sent via email to the Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police (DGP). According to the latest update by news agency PTI, police found the threats to be a hoax. Fake bomb threats at Rajinikanth and Dhanush's houses As per Teynampet police, under whose jurisdiction the actors' homes are located, the first bomb threat to Rajnikanth's house was received at about 8.30 am on October 27. "When we reached out, we were told that they do not require the assistance of a bomb squad," an official said. A second threat via email was later received at 6.30 pm. However, Rajnikanth's team reportedly declined a security inspection. Actor Dhanush also received a bomb threat via email on Monday. "He, too, refused our assistance," shared the official. Cyber police probe bomb threat mails Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched to probe the emails. It is still unclear who sent these hoax emails or why. "The Cyber Crime police are tracing those emails, but are yet to make an underway," said the official. Not just Rajinikanth and Dhanush, several other notable personalities received a similar threat mail. Hoax mails to celebrity houses On October 2, emails were sent to the DGP alleging that explosives had been planted at the offices and residences of several VIPs. It included actor Trisha Krishnans home in Teynampet and Sekhers residence in Mandaveli. A week later, on October 9, police apprehended a 37-year-old man named Shabik for making a hoax call to the control room, falsely claiming that a bomb had been planted at actor and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijays residence in Neelankarai. Also Read | Vijay receives bomb threat amid row over Karur stampede Besides this, on October 14, a similar threat targeted music composer Ilaiyaraajas studio in T Nagar. After the initial probe, the police confirmed that all these bomb threat emails and calls were baseless. Even prominent political leaders, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, have received similar hoax threats recently. Meanwhile, neither Rajinikanth nor Dhanush has issued a statement in this regard. On the work front, Rajinikanth was last seen in filmmaker Lokesh Kanagarajs Coolie. He is currently busy with the filmming of Nelson Dilipkumars Jailer 2. Also Read | Malayalam OTT releases this week: From Kantara Chapter 1 to Idli Kadai One of the most talked-about international films of the year, The Voice of Hind Rajab, is finally coming to U.S. cinemas. The Voice of Hind Rajab gets a release date The critically acclaimed drama from two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania will premiere on December 17, opening first at New Yorks Film Forum and Los Angeles Laemmle Theatres before expanding to theatres across the country. The distribution is being handled by WILLA, the distribution arm of the films production partner. The film has already earned widespread recognition on the global festival circuit. It won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, where it reportedly received the longest standing ovation in the festivals history. Since then, it has continued to gain momentum, taking home the Audience Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival setting a new record for the highest score ever received at the event. It also picked up accolades at the Middleburg Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival, while screening to acclaim at TIFF, BFI London, and AFI Fest. What is The Voice of Hind Rajab based on? The Voice of Hind Rajab is based on true events and tells the harrowing story of Red Crescent volunteers racing against time to save a six-year-old girl trapped under fire in Gaza. Through its intimate storytelling and emotional realism, the film sheds light on the human cost of conflict and the resilience of those caught in its midst. The cast includes Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Amer Hlehel and Clara Khoury, whose performances have been praised for their depth and authenticity. Who have helmed the film? The film has been selected as Tunisias official submission for the 98th Academy Awards, making it one of the frontrunners in this years international feature category. It is produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha (Four Daughters), Odessa Rae (Navalny), and James Wilson (The Zone of Interest). Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed the first long-distance test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile that the Kremlin leader said has no equal in the West. The claim sent a warning to the West about risks of escalation in Ukraine and could yield a bargaining chip in potential arms negotiations with Washington. While Western diplomats said the test represents a dangerous new capability for Russia, the announcement sparked more head scratching than fear for some missile-technology and nuclear-proliferation experts. Putin, wearing a camouflage military uniform, met with Russias chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, according to a video released by the Kremlin on Sunday. Gerasimov told him the missile, called the Burevestnik, flew 8,700 miles over 15 hours. If the Burevestnik performs as Putin and his top general boasted, it could deliver a nuclear warhead to the far side of the planet using a unique propulsion system. It could stay aloft almost indefinitely, hugging the ground or sea and swerving to evade missile-defense systems. But the weapon would be anachronistic in many ways, experts say. The Burevestnik, which flew at well below the speed of sound, made its debut just as subsonic missiles are increasingly being shot down in Ukraine because modern defensive systems can lock onto them. Strategists are instead focusing on using faster hypersonic projectiles, now in development. The Burevestniks radioactivity could make it easy to detect. Its apparent complexityincluding multiple propulsion systems that must be perfectly timed for successincreases its risk of failure. Technically its feasible," said William Alberque, a former arms-control official at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But now speed and maneuverability are the sine qua non." The missile test comes amid growing tension between Russia and the Trump administration. President Trump has expressed frustration with Putin in recent weeks over his slow-walking of the Ukraine peace process. A proposed summit between the leaders is on hold, and the administration lifted restrictions on Ukraines use of some long-range missiles to target Russia. The new missile could also pose a potential threat to Trumps proposed Golden Dome" missile-defense system, which is designed to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles that have a much higher trajectory than the low-flying Burevestnik. As such, it could give Moscow potential leverage in arms-control talks, should they ever resume. The Burevestnik really is a political weapon," said Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research. Nuclear-powered cruise missiles arent a new idea. The U.S. had an extensive program on them in the 1950s but abandoned the concept as scientists perfected intercontinental ballistic missiles, which fly far faster and higher. Russian research papers on the topic also date to the 1950s, said Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank in London. It was always a kind of science-lab project," said Barrie. Theres a lack of practicality and a vulnerability about it." Russia began looking into nuclear-powered missiles and other potentially game-changing technologies after the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002. Then-President George W. Bush said quitting the 1972 agreement was necessary so the U.S. could develop defenses against rogue states, following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Russian officials worried that U.S. missile defenses made a pre-emptive strike on Russia more conceivable for Washington, as they would allow it to parry any retaliatory strike. Similar concerns had dogged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, when then-President Ronald Reagan pursued his Strategic Defense Initiative, widely known as Star Wars. Putin first unveiled the Burevestnik in 2018, during Trumps first term, showing a computer animated video depicting the missile approaching America from the South Polea nod to the missiles near-limitless nuclear propulsion. The slick graphics showed the missile dodging air-defense systems as it traversed the globe. The reality, however, soon proved far more complicated. Within months of the unveiling, tests showed the missile could fly for little more than minutes at a time. Several failed tests forced the military to retrieve one missile from Russias Arctic waters, a person briefed on the tests said at the time. The next year, five nuclear scientists died in mysterious circumstances when an explosion ripped through a Russian testing site in the White Sea. Nuclear arms experts attributed the accident to development of the Burevestnik. This missile has cost Russia so much" in money and lives, said Alberque. Nuclear arms experts noticed activity earlier this year near an Arctic launching site used in previous Burevestnik launches, but it was unclear whether any tests were made at that time. In Putins comments earlier in the week to Gerasimov, the leader acknowledged the technological difficulty of a nuclear-powered missile. Even advanced specialists told me that the goal is good and worthy but was impossible to be realized in the near future," he said. And now a decisive test has been completed." Nuclear experts outside Russia have long believed the Burevestniks political importance outstrips its military capabilities. While the ground-launched Burevestnik is conceived as a retaliatory weapon, any initial nuclear strike would likely hit the missiles launchpads. The main purpose of the system is that it allows the Russian president to tell his U.S. counterpart that Moscow can circumvent missile-defense systems," said Podvig. But even that might not be true." Russia has long sketched out nuclear-war plans that include hitting the U.S. with salvos of subsonic cruise missiles comparable to the U.S. Tomahawk missile. Over recent months, Ukraine has shown that such missiles are relatively easy to shoot down, while much faster projectiles are far harder to stop. Russia and China have pursued hypersonic missilesagainst which the U.S. currently has no defenses. The U.S. and its NATO allies are racing to catch up. If Russia were to launch a Burevestnik, it could become a target before getting airborne because its nuclear reactor would emit radiation detectable from great distances, including from space. As soon as they power on that reactor, well know," said Alberque, now a senior fellow at the Pacific Forum, a think tank. A spokeswoman for Norways radiation authority said radiation levels had not risen since the test on Oct. 21. Some experts said it may be too soon to draw conclusions. Launching the missile would also be difficult. A nuclear reactor doesnt generate enough thrust to hurl a missile skyward, so the Burevestnik shown in footage from the 2018 test appeared to use a more conventional solid-rocket engine to launch and then two additional boosters to gain speed before the reactor takes over, said Barrie. Its not the easiest launch sequence," said Barrie. Multiple systems add cost and complexity to production, maintenance and operation, he said. Your scientists may hand-craft one in a lab, but can you put it into production?" Write to Thomas Grove at thomas.grove@wsj.com and Daniel Michaels at Dan.Michaels@wsj.com A 45-year-old man admitted to killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, and his defense team asked the court for leniency at the opening of his trial. Tetsuya Yamagami fired a homemade gun at Abe while the former leader addressed a campaign rally in the city of Nara, Japan. He was immediately arrested. Abe was hit twice and died shortly afterward, aged 67. It took more than three years for Yamagamis trial to begin, in part because of delays for a psychiatric evaluation. After the prosecutors charges were read out in Nara District Court on Tuesday, Yamagami was asked by the chief judge to respond. It is all true. There is no question that I did it," he said, according to Japanese news organizations in the courtroom. The trial started just days after an Abe acolyte, Sanae Takaichi, became Japans prime minister with a platform strongly influenced by Abes views, including support for higher military spending. The beginning of Takaichis term has brought back memories of Abe, with the new leader enjoying high poll ratings and a stock-market surge resembling the one when Abe took office in 2012. Takaichi stressed her longtime friendship with Abe when meeting President Trump in Tokyo on Tuesday. Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy," she said to Trump. The two leaders signed hats with a slogan used by Abe, Japan is back." Shinzo Abe was a great friend of mine, sad to see what happened. It was so shocking, but he spoke so well of you," Trump told Takaichi. Yamagamis defense team is focusing on reducing his sentence after admitting that he is guilty of murdering the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. At Tuesdays trial, both the prosecutors and the defense confirmed the basic outlines of Yamagamis motive, which became known in the weeks after the killing. Yamagamis uncle told The Wall Street Journal at the time that Yamagamis mother had donated large sums to the former Unification Church founded by the late Moon Sun-myung. Yamagami and his siblings sometimes didnt have enough to eat as children, and he saw his hopes of higher education dashed, the uncle said. Yamagamis brother later died by suicide after battling cancer. Blaming the church for his troubles, Yamagami initially thought of targeting Moons relatives but then trained his sights on Abe after seeing a 2021 speech at a church-related event in which Abe praised Moons widow, prosecutors said, affirming Yamagamis own account in a letter he sent shortly before the murder. While both sides at the trial agreed that Yamagami killed Abe to take revenge on the church, they disagreed over whether he deserved leniency because of his upbringing and troubles. Prosecutors said Yamagami didnt, citing the gravity of the crime and its consequences for Japanese society. The defense team said Yamagamis suffering when growing up amounted to child abuse and should be considered an extenuating circumstance. Neither side has yet suggested a sentence. Three judges are hearing the case alongside a jury of civilians. In Japan, a trial continues even after the defendant has admitted guilt. The verdict is set to be announced along with the sentence in January. After Abes death, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said nearly half of its lawmakers at the time had some kind of ties to the church, including Abes brother and others close to the former prime minister. The Japanese government is seeking to strip the churchs Japanese arm of its legal status as a religious organization. The church is fighting in court against the move, which it says would undermine freedom of religion. Meanwhile, Moons widow, Hak Ja Han, faces her own legal battle in South Korea, where she was charged this month in connection with alleged bribes to the countrys former first lady. The church has said Han is innocent and the victim of religious persecution. Write to Peter Landers at Peter.Landers@wsj.com and Junko Fukutome at junko.fukutome@wsj.com President Trumps quest to reorder global trade through personal diplomacy will be tested during his tour of Asia this week, as he faces the tantalizing prospect of a pact with China and the chance to bust through obstacles to completing deals with other key trading partners. On Sunday, Trump won some momentum by winning tariff agreements with a handful of Southeast Asian nations. He also sounded an optimistic note on China ahead of a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping planned for later this week. I think we are going to come away with a deal," Trump said Monday aboard Air Force One en route to Japan. Trump is scheduled to be in the region through Thursday. As well as the high-stakes meeting with Xi, Trump is due to meet Japans new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Tuesday to discuss trade and security issues, and will sit down with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday. There is much ground left to cover on trade with other important Asian economies, including South Korea, India, Australia and Taiwan. In some instances, negotiators are struggling to turn bare-bones agreements into actionable deals, while other talks are continuing. Completing more trade deals would bolster Trumps centerpiece trade agenda as his controversial levies face legal and political blowback at home and abroad. More delays, despite Trumps direct involvement, could embolden other countries to dig in longer in the hope of winning more concessions. Trump needs to show that hes winning," said Carlos Casanova, senior economist for Asia at Union Bancaire Privee, a private bank. View Full Image (WSJ) Illustrating the challenge is South Korea, which appeared to tap the brakes on a swift finalization of the deal it struck with Washington earlier this year. A senior aide to South Koreas president on Monday said a deal was unlikely when Trump meets Lee in South Korea later this week. The two countries agreed in late July that Seoul would invest $350 billion in the U.S. in return for Washingtons agreement to lower its tariffs on South Korean autos and many other goods to 15% from 25%. But the two sides have struggled to bridge differences over how exactly the investment pledge will work, with Trump at one point insisting the money be paid upfront," rather than on a project-by-project basis similar to the Japan deal. To some economists, such wrinkles show the perils of Trumps preference for announcing bold agreements and leaving the nitty-gritty to later. These deals do still feel quite performative," said Gaurav Ganguly, head of international economics at Moodys Analytics. Still, Trump has signaled a breakthrough with South Korea. It is pretty close to being finalized," he said at a news conference aboard Air Force One en route to Malaysia. If they have it ready, Im ready." Trump landed in Japan on Monday for an audience with Emperor Naruhito. He is due to discuss trade, defense and other issues with Takaichi at a summit scheduled for Tuesday. Japan stands as one of the Trump administrations trade successes: Tokyo has agreed to invest $550 billion in the U.S. over the next few years in exchange for a tariff of 15% on most U.S. imports from Japan, including cars. Under the terms of the agreement, the U.S. has a considerable role in identifying projects for Japan to finance, and Tokyo agreed that the U.S. can take 90% of the profits from its investments once its original outlay has been recouped. Trump administration officials, shortly after unleashing proposed tariffs on dozens of countries this spring, said they wanted to give priority to quick deals with five countries: Australia, India, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. The U.K. reached a rapid agreement in which the U.S. rolled back tariffs to 10% in exchange for British purchases of U.S. airplanes and food. Most goods from Australia, which runs a trade deficit with the U.S., are also subject to a 10% tariff, but a deal appears distant. Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell has said the government believes the U.S. should remove the tariffs altogether, but acknowledged it could take time. These things dont get resolved overnight," he told Australian media. India is also proving tough. Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped a potential face-to-face meeting with Trump over the weekend in Malaysia, opting to virtually attend the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. Trade negotiations between New Delhi and Washington had been under way for months when Trump dropped a bomb: The U.S. would impose a 50% tariff on India, partly as punishment for Indias continued purchase of discounted Russian oil. Modi is facing increasing domestic pressure to hammer out an agreement, as exports of Indian goods to the U.S. have plunged since the tariffs went into effect over the summer. In September, the first full month under Washingtons 50% tariffs, Indias exports to the U.S. fell to $5.5 billion, down 20% from August and nearly 40% from May, according to Ajay Srivastava, founder of New Delhi consulting firm Global Trade Research Initiative. Taiwan is continuing to seek a lower tariff rate with the U.S. after getting a temporary reduction from a proposed 32% to 20%, which took effect Aug. 7. Officials have rejected the Trump administrations proposal to evenly split Taiwanese semiconductor production at home and in the U.S. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te signaled last week that concrete results" on trade talks could be delivered soon. Trump has already made some deals during his first trip to Asia since winning his second term. On Sunday, the U.S. struck detailed agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia that will see the Southeast Asian nations lower tariffs and increase purchases of U.S. goods, including vehicles and farm products. The U.S. also reached looser agreements with Thailand and Vietnam that could provide the foundation for fuller trade deals later on. Write to Jason Douglas at jason.douglas@wsj.com, Timothy W. Martin at Timothy.Martin@wsj.com and Shan Li at shan.li@wsj.com Bank holiday today: Banks in Patna and Ranchi will be closed today, October 28, for Chhath Puja, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) region-wise holiday calendar list. Banks in the rest of the country will remain open today. Bank holiday for Chhath Puja 2025 Banks in Patna and Ranchi will be closed on Tuesday, October 28, for Chhath Puja, a four-day festival predominantly celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal. This year, Chhath Puja is being observed from October 25 to October 28. As part of Chhath Puja rituals, devotees worship the Sun God, Surya, and his sister Chhati Maiya, who is believed to sustain life. They express gratitude for sustaining life and seek blessings for health, prosperity, and well-being by fasting, bathing in sacred rivers, and offering prayers to the sun. Notably, after accounting for Tuesday, October 28 bank holiday, banks in Patna and Ranchi will remain closed for four consecutive days including last week's weekend holiday and Monday, October 27 holiday for Chhath Puja. Also Read | Bank holidays this week: Banks to be closed for 5 days from Oct 27 to Nov 1 Upcoming bank holiday Banks in Ahmedabad will be closed on Friday, 31 October 2025, for the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who played a leading role in India's independence movement and served as the country's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister from 1947 to 1950. When are banks closed? Banks are typically closed across different parts of the country to observe national, religious, and regional holidays. Additionally, banks close on the second and fourth Saturdays and every Sunday of the month. Also Read | THESE 8 banks offer up to 7.1% interest on term deposits to senior citizens Bank holidays in October 2025 The RBI designated 15 bank holidays for the month of October, as per its region-wise holiday calendar. Gandhi Jayanti, Dussehra and Diwali are some of the observances when the banks were closed this month. Can I access online banking services on a bank holiday? It must be noted that online banking services will most likely be available across the country to ensure access to banking services, even during bank holidays. These services can be used by customers for convenient financial transactions. The move comes as Indias clean mobility ecosystem gains traction through government incentives worth over 65,000 crore, spanning consumer subsidies and production-linked incentives (PLIs). Heres a look at what Chinas complaint is about, how Indias EV sector has evolved, and what happens next at the WTO. What are Chinas concerns? China made more than 70% of the worlds EVs in 2024, including 12.4 million electric cars, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The global EV outlook report also said China was the force to reckon with in EV exports, with a 40% share. In essence, the worlds biggest EV ecosystem has everything to lose. India, on the other hand, has gradually made headway into the sector. EV sales in the country rose about 17% in FY25 from the last fiscal year, topping 1.9 million units compared to the 1.6 million in FY24, according to the central governments vehicle registry Vahan. On 15 October, China alleged that Indias public policy related to giving incentives for manufacturing EVs and subsidies to reduce consumers burden to buy pricier EVs violates the clause around national treatment. What is national treatment under the WTO? To answer this, we need to understand the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The GATT was a post-World War II agreement among most nations governing international trade. It created a principle of national treatment, wherein nations cannot treat imported products less favourably than domestically made products. If imported products have cleared customs, they cannot be treated differently from indigenous products. National treatment is now a key component of not only global economic trade but also of most bilateral and free trade agreements. The GATT was re-ratified in 1994 through multiple long trade discussions, and led to the creation of the WTO as an implementing agency in 1995. How have national treatment disputes played out? It all starts with a nation raising an issue just like China has raised one this time. The WTOs dispute resolution board takes up the issue once it is raised, and the country against whom it is raised also has to submit its reasoning. But the debate begins much before this point, with countries often refuting that the imported product is not a like" product. For instance, if country As alcohol is taxed extra after customs and it raises an issue, the importing country B often starts disputing the claim from the get-go, citing that the foreign liquor is not a like" or directly competitive product. But it does not always work. Take the example of Japan. In a 1996 challenge to Japans liquor tax law, Western countries such as Canada, the EU, and the US alleged that imported alcohols were being taxed at a higher rate than local brews. A shochu, they alleged, was being sold at lower taxes than imported vodka, for example. The WTO then ruled that Japans taxation system was unfair towards imported drinks, and that they were indeed in competition with shochu, and they were substitutes for each other. Also Read | EV makers strike key policy victory as UP pulls plug on hybrid car incentives What happens to the EV policy issue now? It remains to be seen. However, we know that the key issue will be assessing whether Chinese EVs are directly competitive with those made in India, and whether the WTO believes that Indias public policy gives preferential treatment to domestically made goods In 2015, the worlds most populous country decided to nudge consumers towards purchasing EVs. These zero-emission vehicles are typically about 20-50% more expensive than fossil fuel cars, with the differential between luxury models being even wider. So, the government created the FAME scheme Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (& Hybrid) vehicles with a 895 crore outlay. The scheme mandated automakers to sell EVs at a discount to consumers, which the government would reimburse later. In 2019, the FAME scheme was renewed for a second iteration with a massive 10,000 crore outlay. Along with this, the government also reduced the goods and services tax on EVs to 5%, significantly lower than the 28% + cess levy on other fossil fuel vehicles. In September this year, the government revamped the goods and services tax regime to boost consumption, but the tax on EVs remained 5%, while the levy on other vehicles was reduced significantly. The government also launched PLI schemes to boost the supply of EVs and batteries in India. In May 2021, the government launched a 18,100 kickback package to get private players to develop 50 GWh of battery capacity called the PLI for Advanced Chemistry Cells (PLI-ACC). It also created a 25,938-crore incentive plan for automakers to make EVs in India called the PLI for automakers and auto parts (PLI-Auto). The government also allocated 10,900 crore for the continuation of the FAME scheme, renamed the PM E-Drive scheme in its third iteration in FY25. The scheme is set to run till FY28. Also Read | GST relief for small cars, bikes set to rev up auto demand All these schemes, except the tax law, have a strict localisation mandate only those products with substantial value addition in India would qualify for these benefits. How happens next at the WTO? It starts with a nation raising a request for consultations. This is what China has done at this stage. The Chinese Communist Party-ruled nation has called India to the negotiation table, in an effort to address the issue and settle it bilaterally. If these negotiations do not end in 60 days, the WTOs dispute resolution board sets up a panel of experts. This panel, over a period of six months, takes written and oral evidence from the parties, and publishes a draft report. Both sides can send recommendations on the draft report, and the WTO adjudicators then create a final report which is binding on the parties. But just like in any judicial process, there is room for appeals. The WTO also has an appellate body to listen to challenges to the dispute resolution boards final report. However, this body is defunct, as members terms expired in 2020. To fill this gap, a group of nations, including the EU, China, Brazil, and Canada, formed an interim appeals mechanism called the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) in 2020. Also Read | GST reset clouds Indias EV drive Indias defence is likely to be that these schemes do not violate Article III (national treatment), because one of the schemes China has raised objections against is the Scheme to Promote the Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India (SPMEPCI), which invites foreign carmakers to make in India," said Divya Mittal, professor of international economic law at ILS Law College, Pune. Since foreign automakers are incentivised to set up production in India, the arguments of violation of national treatment are weakened, Mittal added. New Delhi: The union government has decided to introduce additional safeguards and scrutiny to prevent road and highway arbitrations against the National Highways Authority of India Ltd (NHAI) from running longer than expected and causing costs to pile up, two people aware of the matter said. Mint reported on 25 June that NHAI has faced many such disputes in recent years, leading to a drop in highway project awards from 6,300 km in FY22 to about 4,000 km in FY25. Arbitration claims against NHAI have swelled to nearly 1 trillion as of March, which is roughly 40% of NHAIs total liabilities, underscoring the financial strain from unresolved conflicts. In July 2024, the finance ministry said in a Lok Sabha disclosure that about 60% of arbitral awards in cases related to public sector units (PSUs) such as NHAI Ltd and NTPC Ltd were challenged. Now, according to an internal communication in the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), which Mint has seen, the union government has asked regional officials to seek MoRTHs approval before giving extensions to arbitrators or asking a court to extend the arbitration period beyond two years. MoRTH expects these changes to improve the efficiency and certainty of dispute resolution in highway and infrastructure projects. Ministrys approval required Under Indian law, an arbitration may last up to two years, provided there are no delays from intervening courts. Once an arbitrator is appointed, arguments from both sides must be completed in six months. Once this is done, the arbitrator must make a decision in a year. In case the arbitrator fails to do so, both parties can seek another six-month extension. Now, MoRTH has hit the brakes on this extension. It has asked all regional officials to seek approval from the union government a month before the extension has to be made. There are two parts to this extending the time period for the arbitral award by six months, and extending the appointment of the arbitrator for that period. Under the law, the arbitrators term ends when the two-year period, as explained above, lapses. But the clock stops ticking when a party asks a court to extend the term of the arbitrator, thus creating two separate applications. MoRTH has now asked regional officers to seek its approval for extensions of the arbitral award period at least one month in advance, and for extensions of the arbitrators appointment at least two months in advance. Any extension beyond the two-year period must be ratified by a court, under the law. MoRTH has decided that a detailed application, citing justifiable causes, must be prepared and filed on behalf of NHAI before going to court for a further extension. Proposals for court applications must reach the MoRTH headquarters at least two months before the expiry of the party-led extension period, said the first person quoted above. The circular also addresses persistent delays in processing extension requests, which often lead to procedural complications, unnecessary litigation, and stalled dispute resolution," said the second person. Arbitration delays aren't restricted to NHAI disputes and are an India-wide phenomenon. "One way to restrict delays is to prescribe strict timelines for arbitration awards and time-bound enforcement of such awards without further judicial review. All of this will require changes to existing laws," said kuljit Singh, partner and national leader, infrastructure, EY India. Responding to Mints queries, NHAI said there are currently 142 ongoing cases with contractor claims of 1.24 trillion and counter-claims by NHAI of 0.64 trillion. Queries sent to MoRTH remained unanswered. Also Read | NHAI's plan to let highway builders toll parallel routes is unfair to commuters Mediation over arbitration The union government has been wary of using arbitration to resolve disputes of late. In June 2024, the finance ministry asked the union and state governments, as well as their agencies and public sector units, to halt arbitral disputes valued under 10 crore and choose mediation instead. This permeated all tiers of the government, and now major PSUs including NHAI choose mediation over arbitration, Mint reported on 1 October. As per a ministry of finance circular dated 03.06.2024, incorporation of mediation clauses in its contracts is under active consideration. Highway contracts are expected to include mediation provisions," NHAI told Mint earlier, adding that mediation is being promoted as it is faster and cheaper. Mediation is non-adversarial and ends with both sides winning some and losing some, while arbitration ends with one party winning and the other losing. Delays in arbitration and frequent challenges to awards are very much an issue for NHAI as they can lead to inflated and prolonged financial exposure, and block projects. They can also weaken NHAIs budgetary and risk planning," said Shiv Sapra, partner at Kochhar & Co., a law firm in New Delhi. The governments decision to require prior approval may reduce uncertainty and enable quicker resolution, he added. Delays in resolving such disputes could also damage India's reputation for contract enforcement among potential investors, said Chinmay Bhosale, an advocate practising in the Bombay High Court. Prolonged arbitrations keep funds blocked, sour contractor relationships, and often lead to cascading project delays and mounting interest costs," said Bhosale. Early central review forces regional offices to build stronger cases upfront, weeding out weak challenges that would likely fail in court anyway, thus improving the quality of litigation and reducing frivolous appeals," Bhosale added. Also Read | Why India wants private money to build and run highways again Loan-against-property lender Optimo Capital has raised $17.5 million in a new round of funding led by the startup's founder Prashant Pitti with participation from existing investors Blume Ventures and impact venture capital firm Omnivore. Alongside the equity raise, the non-banking financial company, or NBFC, has also raised just under $12.5 million in debt from IDFC Bank and Axis Bank. With the new round, Optimo's total equity fundraising stands at $27.5 million. The Blume-backed company targets medium and small business entrepreneurs in tier-2 and tier-3 cities of India providing them loans against commercial or residential property as collateral. Such loans are typically extended at lower rates compared to unsecured or personal loan products. The fresh funds will be used to expand presence, Prashant Pitti, founder and managing director at Optimo Capital told Mint. We want to be in six more cities by the end of the fiscal year and have 80 branches in total." He added that expansion to the north and western parts of India is part of next year's roadmap. Currently, the startup has branches across 56 cities in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. The NBFC's assets under management currently stands at 350 crore and is targeting 700 crore by the end of FY26. Banks such as HDFC Bank, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank have traditionally provided loans against property. A few startups are trying to carve out their presence in the space. These include InCred, Kishht (which launched loan against property services in March), Money View and Electronica Finance Ltd. AI at play Some part of the new capital will go to deepen its technology infrastructure, especially its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. As part of its existing technology stack, the company uses 7.7 million digital land records in conjunction with AI to disburse loans quicker. We're running an AI agent to chat with people looking for loans to help them quickly get the construction value of their homes so we can help them get the loans quicker," said Pitti. Market researcher Mordor Intelligence estimates loan against property, advancing at a 15.34% CAGR, is the fastest growing segment in India's home mortgage market. Still, experts say low awareness of such products among commercial borrowers makes it hard for NBFCs offering such loans to scale up. Small borrowers, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, remain a challenging segment. One of the biggest is the high cost of monitoring and collections borrowers are often spread across smaller towns, and many still rely on cash-based or informal business practices," said Dnyanesh Pandit, managing director- financial services at Protiviti India, a consulting firm. Another key concern is the risk of fraud, especially around documentation and financial reporting." Optimo Capital is Pitti's third outing as an entrepreneur, his last venture was as co-founder of bootstrapped online travel company EaseMyTrip, which he helped take public in 2021. Pitti announced Optimo Capital in 2023 and raised $10 million in seed funding from Blume and Omnivore last year. In August this year, he resigned from the role of managing director at EaseMyTrip. Pipe maker Supreme Industries Ltd is hoping to find respite from demand and margin woes in the second half of the financial year (H2FY26) after a patchy first half. The likely imposition of an anti-dumping duty on PVC resin in November, and improved agriculture and plumbing demand are expected to buoy earnings prospects. Still, following the muted September quarter (Q2FY26) performance, a meaningful earnings revival may be easier said than done. Overall Q2 volumes increased around 12% year-on-year. The key plastic piping segment rose 17%, partly aided by Wavin Industries plastic pipes business acquisition in August. Consumer products, industrial and packaging are the other businesses in which Supreme Industries operates. Consolidated Ebitda margin fell 160 basis points year-on-year to 12.4%, missing the consensus estimate of 13.6%. Operating margin was hurt primarily by higher other expenses arising from the Wavin acquisition and integration. A worry is that margin pressure may linger even as volumes improve. Blended realization fell around 6% year-on-year in Q2, primarily due to lower realization in the plastic segment. The company saw an estimated overall inventory loss of 50-60 crore in H1FY26 owing to falling prices of various materials such as PVC, CPVC and polyethylene. Currently, channel inventory levels are lower than usual. For pipe companies, dealers restocking and destocking decisions are highly influenced by changes in PVC prices. According to management, polymer prices have remained under pressure, but the decline is likely to stabilize unless there is a significant drop in crude oil prices. Guidance cut prompts downgrades The company does not expect inventory loss in H2FY26, but a downward revision in guidance upset investors, causing the stock to fall more than 4% on Tuesday. While volume growth guidance for the pipes segment was maintained at 15-17%, overall volume guidance was lowered to 12-14% from 14-15%. It also cut the upper band of consolidated Ebitda margin guidance to 14.5-15% from 14.5-15.5%. Also Read | Uniform focus helps 120-year-old Mafatlal Industries sew up revival Consequently, various brokerages have downgraded their earnings estimates. We have revised downwards our FY26, FY27 and FY28 earnings per share estimates by 7%, 6% and 4%, considering lower margin and higher depreciation led by the Wavin acquisition," said an Antique Stock Broking report on 28 October. Wavin has a total installed capacity of 71,000 million tonnes per annum. It recorded 3,000 tonnes of volume in August and September, and is expected to achieve 20,000 tonnes in FY26. Supreme has stabilized Wavins operations by reducing warehousing and employee costs, and raising production, thus preventing losses. Supreme Industries incurred capital expenditure of 870 crore in H1FY26 and expects full-year cash outflow of 1,300 crore toward existing and new capital commitments, including the Wavi acquisition. The entire capex will be funded internally. A new material handling plant is to be set up in Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh, and new pipe facilities are coming up in Bihar and Jammu, and a packaging plant in western Maharashtra. All new capacities are likely to be operational by H1FY27. Supreme Industries shares are down around 19% so far in 2025, versus a 5% gain in the Nifty Midcap 50 index. Global macroeconomic headwinds and volatile input costs have affected the entire pipe industry, including Supreme, over the past few quarters. While stabilizing PVC prices could help to a certain extent, unless growth momentum picks up as expected, a re-rating is unlikely. We believe Supreme Industries may see near-term profitability headwinds due to increased competition and tepidness in demand," said an ICICI Securities report dated 28 October. As the record date for Infosys 18,000 crore share buyback is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, the companys shares continue to trade sideways. Although the stock showed some strength in recent sessions, it still hovers near a six-month low. The board approved the buyback proposal earlier in September, its first in nearly three years, which initially sparked a brief recovery in the stock. However, the momentum soon faded, with shares slipping to their lowest level since August last week. Infosys is the first IT bellwether to announce a buyback since 2023, and the 18,000 crore program is also the largest in its history. The move comes at a time when the stock has been under prolonged pressure, having lost about 25% from its recent highs. The buyback also comes at a time when global tech companies are channeling their capital towards AI innovation, even as debates around soaring valuations and a potential AI bubble continue. In this article, we look at how Infosys stock performed following its previous buyback announcements and in the subsequent periods. How did Infosys share price respond to previous buybacks? Investor response to Infosys previous buyback programs has been mixed. The Bengaluru-based IT major has announced four buybacks over the past eight years, with 2017 marking its first repurchase program involving more than 113 million shares. In 2019, the company bought back 110 million shares, followed by over 55 million shares in 2021. The most recent buyback came in December 2022, when Infosys repurchased 60 million shares through the open market. During the 2017 and 2021 buybacks, the companys shares reacted negatively in the short-term following the announcement but recovered in subsequent months, delivering positive returns, as per the data compiled by the Mint. Following its first repurchase announcement in August 2017, the stock came under pressure, closing the month with a 10% drop and declining another 2% in the following month. However, it recovered strongly thereafter, closing 11 out of the next 12 months in the green. Similarly, the stock initially reacted negatively to the April 2021 buyback, ending the month 1% lower before resuming its uptrend, posting gains in six of the subsequent eight months. Year Buyback Size (Cr) Initial stock reaction (1 month) 3-month return 6-month return Aug - 2017 13,000 -10% -4.90% 10.6% Jan - 2019 8,260 13.75% 12% 16% April - 2021 9,200 -1% 10.52% 22.3% Oct - 2022 9,300 9% 6% -2.11% In contrast, both the 2019 and 2022 buybacks delivered gains in the short and medium term. In 2019, the stock ended January with a 13.75% gain and continued to rally in the following months to hit a fresh all-time high. During 2022, when the buyback was announced in October, the stock closed the month with an 8.79% gain, followed by another 6.33% rise in November, before entering a prolonged six-month sell-off. Also Read | Behind promoters opting out of Infosys largest buyback is a tax conundrum Infosys bought shares back at over a 24% average premium Across its last four buyback programs, Infosys has repurchased shares at an average premium of more than 24.5%. In 2017, the company bought back shares at a 25% premium, followed by an 18% premium in 2019. The 2021 buyback was executed at a 25% premium, while the 2022 program saw the highest premium so fararound 30%. Nearly 40,000 crore spent on buybacks Over the four buyback cycles, Infosys has spent 39,760 crore in total repurchasing its own shares. The company spent 13,000 crore in 2017 through a tender offer at an average price of 1,150 per share. The second-largest program came in 2022, worth 9,300 crore, followed by 9,200 crore in 2021. In 2019, the tech major spent 8,260 crore to repurchase shares. Infosys share buyback details Infosys will repurchase up to 10 crore equity shares, representing 2.41% of the paid-up equity share capital of the company. The buyback price was set at 1800 per share. The Infosys share buyback offer is open to all shareholders, with 15% reserved for small investors. The buyback will be conducted through the tender offer route on NSE and BSE, and the tender window will remain open for five working days once announced. Also Read | Infosys share price jumps over 4% after promoters opt out of share buyback Meanwhile, Infosys has confirmed that its promoters and promoter group, including Nandan M Nilekani and Sudha Murthy, have decided not to participate in the companys biggest buyback in its history. Deep Diamond India share price was locked at 5% upper circuit for the fourth straight session on Tuesday, hitting a fresh 52-week high, driven by strong buying interest. The penny stock rallied as much as 5% to 8.69 apiece on the BSE. Deep Diamond India shares have been hitting upper circuits for four consecutive sessions led by heavy volumes. Around 49 lakh equity shares of Deep Diamond India changed hands on stock exchanges on 28 October 2025, as compared with its one month average trading volumes of 24 lakh shares. The rally in Deep Diamond share price comes ahead of the board meeting of the company later this week. Deep Diamond India announced its board meeting date to consider an interim dividend and subscribing to equity shares of its associate company - Ferry Automotives Pvt. Ltd. Deep Diamond India Board Meeting Date The meeting of the Board of Directors of the company is scheduled to be held on Friday, October 31, 2025, to consider and, if thought fit, approve the proposal for declaration and payment of an interim dividend to the shareholders, Deep Diamond India said in a regulatory filing on October 24. The companys board of directors will also deliberate, consider and approve, if deemed appropriate, the proposal for subscribing to equity shares of Ferry Automotives Pvt. Ltd., (Associate of the Company) by converting existing loan granted by the Company. Also Read | Tata Steel share price hits fresh 1-year high on upbeat analyst views Deep Diamond Share Price Deep Diamond share price has jumped 98% in one month and has spiked 115% in three months. The penny stock has rallied 99% in six months and 36% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. Deep Diamond shares have delivered multibagger returns of 568% in the past five years. At 2:50 PM, Deep Diamond India share price was still locked at 5% upper circuit of 8.69 apiece on the BSE. Despite the sell-off in the Indian stock market during Tuesday's trading session, October 28, small-cap stock Blue Cloud Softech Solutions defied the market trend, edging higher by 1.2% to 24 apiece following the company's partnership with Orange Business Services to expand into the telecommunications sector. The company announced today that it has entered into a Master Service Agreement with Orange Business Services India Technology Private Limited, a global leader in network and digital integration. Also Read | Ashish Kacholia raises stake in this small-cap multibagger stock in Q2 "Orange Telecom has been selected as an integration partner by Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited (BCSSL) to support the implementation of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology. As part of this collaboration, Orange is actively involved in launching a proof of concept (POC) for 5G FWA at the BSNL exchange located in Mindi, Visakhapatnam. BCSSL, acting as the principal partner for BSNL in this initiative, is spearheading the deployment of advanced 5G FWA solutions to enhance high-speed connectivity and network performance in the region," the company said in Tuesday's regulatory filing. Commenting on the partnership, the Group Chairman of Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited said, By joining forces with Orange, BCSSL gains access to a wealth of experience, advanced infrastructure, and international network reach, all of which empower us to deliver world-class telecom solutions on an unprecedented scale. Our enhanced capabilities not only position us as a key player in the telecommunications sector but also enable us to unlock new opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, and exceptional value creation for our stakeholders. Reported strong performance in Q1 Blue Cloud Softech Solutions reported strong earnings for the first quarter of FY26. The company posted a standalone net profit of 13.29 crore in the June quarter, registering a growth of 71.7% from 7.74 crore in the year-ago quarter. Revenue grew 45% to 154.39 crore from 106.47 crore YoY. On a consolidated basis, revenue for the quarter stood at 206.20 crore, showing a slight 11% YoY decline, primarily attributed to a temporary slowdown in subsidiary performance, particularly in the United States. On the operational front, Blue Cloud Softech Solutions reported standalone EBITDA of 18.79 crore, up 71.13% from 10.98 crore YoY. Consolidated EBITDA for the quarter reached 21.35 crore, reflecting an 18% YoY increase from 18.80 crore in the same period last year. The EBITDA margin improved by 186 basis points to 12.17% from 10.31% YoY. Blue Cloud Softech Solutions share price trend The small-cap IT companys shares have remained under pressure over the last three months, losing 35% of their value. In August 2025, it declined over 14%, its biggest monthly drop in five months after three consecutive months of gains. It had risen 8 percent in July, 45 percent in June, and 34 percent in May. Before this streak, the scrip endured a prolonged slump, falling for nine straight months between August 2024 and April 2025. Meanwhile, the recent crash has also impacted its year-to-date performance, with the stock down 52%. If the current trend continues toward the end of the year, it will mark the companys first annual decline since 2022. Tata Steel share price extended its winning streak for the fifth consecutive session on Tuesday, October 28, gaining 3% to hit a new 52-week high of 182 apiece as the stocks upward momentum remained intact, supported by a series of bullish brokerage outlooks, with Motilal Oswal joining the list of firms. The domestic brokerage firm, in its latest note, has upgraded its rating on the stock to Buy from Neutral, with an SOTP-based target price of 210 per share. Also Read | Tata Steel to include female staff in all three shifts at Jamshedpur plant It turned bullish on the stock for the following four reasons: Improved realizations : The brokerage said Tata Steel is set to benefit from improving steel price realizations. To protect against rising imports, the Indian government has proposed a 12% safeguard duty on flat steel products, which is expected to help domestic operations achieve better realizations. : The brokerage said Tata Steel is set to benefit from improving steel price realizations. To protect against rising imports, the Indian government has proposed a 12% safeguard duty on flat steel products, which is expected to help domestic operations achieve better realizations. Recovery in European business: Tata Steels European operations are moving toward breakeven amid restructuring and cost optimization. EBITDA losses have narrowed from USD 76/t in 2QFY25 to an USD 8/t EBITDA gain in 1QFY26, aided by lower energy costs and improved efficiency. Tata Steels European operations are moving toward breakeven amid restructuring and cost optimization. EBITDA losses have narrowed from USD 76/t in 2QFY25 to an USD 8/t EBITDA gain in 1QFY26, aided by lower energy costs and improved efficiency. Growing domestic steel demand : Indias steel demand is projected to grow by around 810% over FY2627, backed by a robust demand environment, policy support, and an ongoing recovery in industry fundamentals. : Indias steel demand is projected to grow by around 810% over FY2627, backed by a robust demand environment, policy support, and an ongoing recovery in industry fundamentals. Aggressive capacity expansion: To meet growing demand, Tata Steel is aggressively expanding its capacity, targeting an increase from 26.5 MTPA in FY25 to 40 MTPA by FY30. Also Read | Metal PSU stock SAIL declares date to announce Q2 results 2025. Check details Against the backdrop of an expected rise in realizations, the brokerage expects the company to generate a strong operating cash flow (OCF) of 957 billion, which will help fund the ongoing and planned expansion of 160 billion annually without leveraging the balance sheet. Net debt stood at 848 billion as of 1QFY26, which includes cash of 141 billion. This translates into a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 3.21x as of June 2025. InCred Equities double upgrades the stock On Monday, InCred Equities upgraded its rating on Tata Steel to Add from Reduce, viewing the company as a leveraged play on Indias industrial upcycle and Europes post-war reconstruction boom. The brokerage also revised its target price higher to 224 apiece. According to the brokerage, Tata Steel is poised to benefit from a major steel demand revival in Europe as the Russia-Ukraine war approaches a negotiated conclusion and large-scale reconstruction spending begins. With the US and the EU tightening sanctions on Russias oil sector and signalling fatigue over the prolonged conflict, a peace settlement appears increasingly likely. The brokerage added that post-war rebuilding, estimated at over US$800 billion, will trigger a long-duration demand upcycle in infrastructure, energy, and industrial manufacturing across Europe. Its almost Halloween, which means it is time for ghoulish dinner parties in the form of hollowed-out pumpkins, or at best bloody red cocktails. But, how about a meal inspired by Indian devils and monsters, as well as spooky legends from around the world? For Halloween this year, horror buffs can sign up for Nelvanthi, that will see chef Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore Bengaluru team up with chef Nelly Robinson of NEL restaurant from Sydney for a unique four-hands dining experience. "It's a feast that plays with light and dark, fun and fear," says the British chef, who is known for his innovative degustation menus. Both the chefs were recognised at The Best Chefs Awards 2025 held in Milan earlier this month. Nelvanthi is a mishmash of the words Nel, Robinsons Sydney restaurant NEL, and vanthi, a take on the Tamil word vatanthi that means rumour, suggesting the ways in which folklore is usually passed around. Also Read | Odette comes to Mumbai and Indore toasts to Thai cocktails The 10-plus course menu features five dishes by Robinson, who is also making his maiden trip to India, and will highlight native Australian ingredients such as wild barramundi, wildfire spice and spanner crabs from North Queensland. His first course takes inspiration from Mexicos Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead festival (celebrated on 2 November) and is called Lucifers Awakening. Created out of a mould that resembles a human skull, the sorbet course will feature green chilli, pineapple and coriander. Theres also a dish inspired by the interplay of smoke and fire called Infernos Whisper. The small plate will be his take on biryani, and served with a biryani-smoked bread along with a (biryani) broth and crispy black rice. I dont know if Im being brave doing this, but biryani is my absolute favourite dish in the world," he says. The dessert course named Heart of Hades will have beetroot brulee meant t evoke an edible heart along with strawberry and balsamic compote and a strawberry gum consomme. The idea is not to be outrightly devilish but also bring some prettiness into the dish," he adds. View Full Image A dish inspired by 'Raatha Kaateri'. Ebenezer, on the other hand, has done his research on popular Indian devils and witches such as Munjya, Raatha Kaateri, Kutty Shaitan and Mohini among others to create a menu that honours stories from regional folklore. Take Raatha Kaateri, who devours animal blood, and is also worshipped as a village deity in some parts of southern India. Ebenezer has created a dish with mushrooms that resemble duck feathers, a sausage made with beetroot and duck, and layered with gobindobhog rice to be served with a butter made of lamb brain. There is a dish inspired by the tales of Mohini, who is believed to reside in a moringa tree, dressed in a white saree wearing jasmine perfume. His take: a white lobster made to resemble a saree and presented with a whiff of jasmine. There will be a lot of surprises through the experience. The restaurant will be transformed into a den of devils with the staff wearing horns and vampire teeth. Diners may expect to be blindfolded to eat on the farm outside the restaurant. One of the courses may also have them watch a horror movie clip wearing 3D glasses. I want people to come with an open mind and go back with the idea that food is a great medium of storytelling," says Ebenezer. In the past, Farmlore's Halloween menu has taken inspiration from the 2022 film The Menu where the head chef (played by actor Ralph Fiennes) murders his diners. The team faithfully recreated every course under Ebenezer's supervision, except that he didnt kill anyone in the end. Also Read | Inside the most beautiful coffee house in the world Nelvanthi is available to book for dinner on 31 October and 1 November at Farmlore, Bengaluru at www.farmlore.in. Priyanko Sarkar is a Mumbai-based writer covering the F&B industry. The show, hled on 14 October in Mumbai, brought together friends, muses and memories from over the decades. His runway shows have been few since Phadnis turned a filmmaker with two Marathi movies, Hrudayantar and Smile Please (which he is currently remaking in Hindi). But they have always been some of the biggest shows on our calendars during fashion season, with Naomi Campbell and Amitabh Bachchan as show stoppers. In an interview with Lounge, the designer discusses making it in the industry without formal fashion education, and his thoughts on the Indian fashion industry in 2025. Edited excerpts: Which actor has been a dream to work with as a costume stylist? The actor with whom I've had the best journey is Salman, obviously. I've had a great time on a different film with Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan), with Lolo (Karisma Kapoor), Priyanka Chopra or with Sushmita (Sen). Every film was a different bond and a different experience. But if I had to just pick one, it would only be Salman. Your favourite for Salman styling memory for a movie? Biwi No.1; every look became huge after the films release. The orange coat I made for Salman for the song Tenu Leke Mein from Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. It became very popular as well. What was your real fashion school? Just observing, and understanding what my take on that observation would be, and what I could get to the table by what I was seeing. Then there was FTV, MTV, a lot of Stardust, Filmfare, Star in Style; there were so many film magazines then. But those were not to learn, those were just to put your work out in the industry. Learning was merely by watching anything that you saw on television. What made it to your moodboards while working on costumes? It was just what the director wanted at that point of time. There was no stylist putting things together. We would have discussions with the make up and hair artists, see real life locationsit was all about learning on the job. You needed to have a strong sources for fabrics, tailors, everything was what you knew at that point of time. Today you have 10 international brands at your disposal and the actors can choose. We used to personally go to sources without assistants, interns or teams. If a piece goes missing from the costumes, the shooting would come on hold, you didnt have brands and stores who would instantly courier things. The dressman, the needle, the thread, the sewing machine, were most important on sets. What was your process of creating costumes? We didnt have a luxury of extra outfits, heels or jewellery. Everything had to be curated, styled, and crafted for a look much in advance. To be safe, I used to carry a little bit of everything that I would anticipate a scene would require, whether it was tassels, beads, extra zips, huge safety pinsthe backup kit used to be the most important thing on set. Bandra was my haven to buy materials for costumes. Hill Road and Turner Road had these little shops that we frequented. Anwarallys was the only place with imported and stretch fabrics back then. In the late 90s and early 2000s is when we got to go abroad. Whether I went to London to shop for Salam e Ishq, or I went to Hong Kong for Biwi No 1 and Dulhan Hum Lejaenge, Sajid Nadiadwala or Vashu Bhagnani (both film producers) would just give us a ticket. We didnt splurge the money and had to be sure of what the film requires, not dozens and bags of clothes, you know? Favourite peers? I started as a fashion choreographer first so I entered the industry much earlier. But when Anna Singh, Neeta Lulla and Rocky S started designing and styling, we literally started our careers as costume designers together. There were only a handful of us in this industry and everything was about interpersonal relations between the designers and relationships between designers and actors. You designed your first capsule collection in 1991 while working on movies I had my first exhibition at my home in Bandra. I'd invited friends, family, and people from industry. It was supposed to be a two-day exhibition, but I was sold out on day one. And then I realised, it is in an industry where I can take this out of my home and out of my comfort zone and take this into boutiques and stores. My first collection was a fusion collection because I was still tapping what the market wanted. I've learned a lot on-ground. I've not gone to fashion school but I've always learned from my achievements or failures. Go by your gut. There is no formula to success. Your favourite memory of your runway firsts? As a choreographer, it was the GGMA (The Gujarat Garments Manufacturers Association) show in Ahmedabad and we had very senior models like Mehr Jesia, Shyamoli Varma, Shikha Swaroop, Ranjeev Mulchandani, Namrata Shirodkar and Deepak Malhotra. I was just thrown into this world of extremely professional models. Everybody was a supermodel. We had 25 names in the glamour business and they were all very big. As a designer it was a show in Bombay, it had Madhu Sapre, all the professional models. It was in a small auditorium (Birla Hall in Marine Lines) and I was very happy with the response I received then. How has the fashion consumer evolved in India? Everybody knows what they want. The demand and supply balance is better today. There was a time when everybody depended on a stylist or a designer, today people know what suits them. You can't just pass off anything. There's an evolution. And the international market for Indian clothes? I have a set database who expects a certain aesthetic from me, even if I try to reinvent myself, I know what my international markets want. The Hong Kong markets (his labels biggest international market) choices are completely different from what my Dubai market wants. Also Read | How designer Vivek Karunakaran uses fashion to break stereotypes On a humid evening in Mumbai, a group of women gather at their neighbourhood chai stall. The conversations drift easily between recipes, school fees, and neighbourhood gossip. To an outsider, its just another everyday moment in Indias teeming cities. But for one woman, who has been silently battling thoughts of giving up on life, that cup of tea and the warmth of familiar chatter act as a lifeline. She may never put it into words, but the casual camaraderie of these interactions keeps her tethered, reminding her that she still belongs. Across India, countless such small, ordinary gestures such as chai breaks, shared meals, WhatsApp group check-ins, neighbours dropping by, function as quiet safety nets against despair. While therapy and helplines remain critical, experts say suicide prevention in India often begins much earlier, in the unassuming rhythms of daily life. Small, everyday gestures such as a shared meal, a genuine phone call, or a few minutes of listening remind people that they are seen, valued, and not alone," says Arpita Kohli, psychologist and counsellor at PSRI Hospital, Delhi NCR. These micro-moments, she explains, create safe spaces where individuals feel accepted without judgement. For Sunitha Ramachandran, co-founder of Ankahee Helpline, Mumbai, the power of small acts is deeply personal. She recalls a moment from decades ago: I was on a train, upset after a fight with my sister. A young man next to me quietly shared his dinner and spoke to me. That act of empathy stays with me even 28 years later." To her, these everyday acts are like pressure valves, offering temporary reprieve until coping skills can return. Also Read | Inside Mumbais first crying club where tears turn into catharsis A FEELING OF BELONGING In India, stigma around seeking professional help is still pervasive. Many delay reaching out to a psychologist out of fear of judgment. But everyday community practices normalize conversations around stress. When families or colleagues engage in open, everyday conversations, they normalize emotions as part of life. Sharing tea or asking, How are you really doing? communicates belonging," says Kohli. Ramachandran points out how silence around emotional distress is often rooted in myths. One of the greatest myths is that talking about harming oneself plants ideas. In fact, allowing someone to vent could help much more. When we engage with them, even casually, we dispel stigma and foster belonging." Shruti Padhye, senior psychologist at Mpower, Aditya Birla Education Trust, Mumbai notes that belonging itself is a protective factor. When people feel part of a web of care, they are less likely to feel hopeless. Research shows community support reduces stigma and increases help-seeking," Padhye notes. Take the case of a young professional in Mumbai who confided to Ramachandran that she was indifferent to whether she lived or died. Instead of recoiling, Ramachandran asked directly if she was having thoughts of self-harming. That simple act broke the silence and enabled the young woman to access professional help. READ THE SIGNALS Many people who are on the verge give out subtle cues before taking any drastic step. Withdrawal, sudden changes in routine, or casual references to hopelessness can all be signs. Intervention should begin with gentle curiosity," says Kohli. Ask open questions, offer time together, simply be present." Ramachandran adds that sometimes the signs appear paradoxical. The person may seem suddenly cheerful and families often misinterpret this as recovery." Spotting such shifts, she says, requires sensitivity and a willingness to engage without judgment. Even simple words can make a difference. Saying, Ive noticed you seem quieter lately, how are you doing? can open channels of support," says Padhye. COMMUNITY VS CLINICAL CARE None of the experts diminish the importance of therapy, helplines, or medication. But they agree that these interventions often arrive after a crisis is visible. Community, in contrast, provides the first line of defense. A supportive neighbour, colleague, or friend can notice changes early and provide comfort in ways professionals cannot always replicate," Kohli explains. Take the case of this retired professor in Pune (*she didnt want to be named). After her husband passed away, shed withdrawn into silence. Her neighbourhood womens bhajan group began calling her daily and insisting she join them for evening prayers. At first I went reluctantly," she says. But the singing, and the tea after, kept me alive on the days I didnt want to be." Padhye cites global evidence: A 2024 Lancet Psychiatry report shows that community-led initiatives, when combined with clinical care reduce attempts to end ones life significantly." This is where its crucial to note how Indias cultural fabric offers unique protective factors. Joint families, neighbourhood tea stalls, and even digital WhatsApp groups often function as informal safety nets. These practices help people feel part of something larger than themselves, reducing loneliness," says Kohli. Ramachandran, however, cautions that these same spaces can also alienate. Joint families or WhatsApp groups can sometimes ostracize people who dont conform due to gender, caste or mental health differences." Protective factors, she stresses, are double-edged. Still, even within these contradictions, moments of compassion shine through. Ramachandran recalls hearing about strangers comforting one another on Mumbais crowded local trains which are brief, powerful acts of humanity. SUSTAINABLE COMPASSION One challenge is preventing burnout among caregivers and communities. Rotating responsibilities or weekly community meals spread the effort and ensure no single person feels overwhelmed. Kohli suggests keeping practices small and consistent. Regular neighbourhood gatherings or simple peer-support circles sustain compassion without exhausting anyone." Indias suicide rate remains among the highest in the world. But within its streets, homes, trains, and tea stalls lie immense, untapped potential for prevention. As Kohli puts it, Community care does not replace therapy, but it weaves support into the fabric of life." Ramachandran adds: One conversation, one act of kindness, can impart hope. You never know when someone benefits." In the end, perhaps the real question is not only how India expands its mental health infrastructure, but also how it sustains these quiet, everyday safety nets that already exist. For someone teetering on the edge, it may not be a helpline or a therapy session that first saves them but a cup of chai or a simple, How are you, really?" Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please reach out for help. In India, you can call AASRA (91-9820466726), Snehi (91-9582208181), or Vandrevala Foundation Helpline (1860 2662345 / 9999666555) for free and confidential support. Divya Naik is an independent writer based in Mumbai. Also Read | Why mental health support groups are gaining ground and members EPFO New Rule: The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is reportedly mulling the wage ceiling to 25,000 for compulsory inclusion of workers in the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) and the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS), Moneycontrol reported quoting sources. The Central Board of Trustees of the EPFO is likely to take up the matter for discussion in its next meeting, which is expected to be held in December or January, an official quoted by Moneycontrol said. A final approval for the new EPFO rule could be given in the meeting, the report said. Livemint could not verify the authenticity of the report. This article will be updated if the government or EPFO issues a statement regarding the same. The current EPFO wage ceiling is 15,000 per month. According to the official quoted by the news outlet, the new EPFO rule could benefit 10 million additional employees. As per an internal assessment of the labour ministry, the 10,000 per month increase in the wage ceiling would make social security benefits mandatory for over 10 million more individuals, Moneycontrol reported quoting the official. The official further said that many employees in metro cities get more than 15,000 basic pay, which makes it optional for them to be an EPFO member. The labour unions have been seeking a raise (on wage limit) for a long time as monthly salaries of several low or mid-skilled workers in many metro cities are more than 15,000 per month. A higher ceiling would make them part of EPFO, the report said, citing the person. What is EPFO wage ceiling? The EPFO wage ceiling is the maximum monthly basic salary on which mandatory PF contributions and EPS are calculated, and is governed by the retirement funds body. Employees who earn more than 15,000 as basic pay can opt out of EPF and EPS schemes. Employers also do not have a mandate to register such employees and give PF contributions for them. If an employee's basic salary is 15,000 or less, he or she must be enrolled under EPF and EPS. The employer and employee must contribute 12 per cent of their salaries as PF (provident fund). EPFO new rules Earlier this month, retirement body EPFO approved liberalised part withdrawals for its more than seven crore subscribers. A provision has been made for earmarking 25 per cent of the contributions in the Members account as Minimum Balance to be maintained by the member at all times. The remaining 75 per cent can be withdrawn by employees. The EPFO further decided to change the period for availing premature final settlement of EPF from the existing 2 months to 12 months and final pension withdrawal from 2 months to 36 months. The Tata Group Companies span across most sectors of the economy. From a retail customers point of view, the Tata Group Companies have a presence in groceries, daily-use consumer goods, food delivery, fashion, jewellery, hotels, air travel, diagnostics, and medicines etc. A retail customer usually shops with various Tata Group Companies across most of these categories regularly. What if you could get up to 5% rewards and other benefits when you shop with the participating Tata Group Companies under a single loyalty program? The NeuPass is a loyalty program that offers members various benefits when they shop across participating Tata Group Companies. In this article, we will explore the Tata NeuPass program, its tiers, eligibility, and benefits of each tier, how to redeem NeuCoins, etc. What is the NeuPass program? The NeuPass is a loyalty program offered by TataNeu that rewards its members for shopping across various participating Tata Brands. The program is divided into various tiers, and the benefits vary with each tier. The more a member shops, the higher the membership tier, and the more benefits they receive. A member can earn up to 5% in rewards in the form of NeuCoins on each transaction. The value of each NeuCoin is Rs. 1. The NeuCoins can be redeemed for orders on TataNeu or at the website/outlet of the participating Tata brands. The brands participating in the NeuPass program include: Bigbasket Croma AirAsia India Cult.fit Indian Hotels Corporation Limited (IHCL) Tata 1mg Tata CliQ Titan Westside Air India The list of brands may change from time to time, with new brands getting added and existing brands leaving. Also Read | Marriott, Flipkart tie up for loyalty programmes Membership tiers The NeuPass program has four tiers. A new member starts as an Explorer, which is the base membership tier. With the specified spends in a membership year, a member can work their way up to the highest membership tier, which is the Legend. The following outlines are the NeuPass membership tiers and their benefits. Benefits Explorer Insider Elite Legend NeuCoins on TataNeu orders 1% 2% 3% 5% NeuCoins birthday bonus NA NA 2x earn 2x earn Brand memberships NA Yes Yes Yes Exclusive vouchers Up to Rs. 5,000 Up to Rs. 8,000 Up to Rs. 12,000 Up to Rs. 15,000 Source: Tata Neu App Note: The above benefits are subject to change in the future by Tata Neu. Please check the Tata Neu App for updates. The Insider, Elite, and Legend tier members get the IHCL Silver Tier Membership. The Legend members get an 85% discount on the 1mg care plan. The 2x NeuCoins in the birthday month are subject to a maximum of 200 NeuCoins. When an Explorer Tier member spends Rs. 5,000 or more in a membership year, they get upgraded to the Insider Tier. An Insider Tier member must place a minimum of three orders and achieve spends of Rs. 20,000 or more in a membership year to get upgraded to Elite Tier. An Elite Tier member must place five orders and achieve a spend of Rs. 40,000 or more in a membership year to get upgraded to Legend Tier. Any NeuPass member who has the NeuCard will earn 5% NeuCoins on their TataNeu orders, irrespective of their NeuPass membership tier. Earning and redeeming NeuCoins In the earlier section, we saw how a NeuPass member can earn up to 5% NeuCoins on their orders with participating Tata Brands placed through the TataNeu App. The timeline for crediting NeuCoins may vary among various participating Tata Brands. The value of each NeuCoin is Rs. 1. The NeuCoins can be redeemed for orders placed with participating Tata Brands through the TataNeu App. The NeuCoins can also be redeemed directly with the participating Tata Brands. These include paying at IHCL hotels, Tanishq stores, Westside outlets, etc. The NeuCoins can also be redeemed online with participating Tata Brands, like ordering medicines/diagnostic tests online with 1mg, ordering groceries online with Bigbasket, etc. NeuCoins are valid for 12 months from the end of the month in which they are issued. This does not apply to NeuCoins earned through IHCL and promotional NeuCoins. The validity of promotional NeuCoins is mentioned in the offer details. Additional benefits of the TataNeu App Apart from up to 5% NeuCoins on various orders, the TataNeu App provides other benefits for NeuPass members. Members can avail themselves of instant discounts on credit cards of various banks. The discounts usually range between 5% to 30%, and are valid during specified offer dates for specific Tata Brand(s). TataNeu comes up with various promotional offers during weekends, the start of the month, festivals, IPL, etc. By participating in the promotional offer, members can earn bonus NeuCoins, subject to fulfilling the offer terms and conditions. For example, in August 2025, Tata Neu offered the August Pay Day Bonanza 2025. As per the offer terms, a member who shopped for Rs. 1,200 / Rs. 2,500 or above received 100 / 250 extra NeuCoins. The order must be placed between 1st and 6th August with participating Tata Brands. Usually, these offers are customised and sent to select members. A member is eligible only if they have received the offer communication from TataNeu. The member must collect the offer first to claim it. Clubbing multiple offers A member can maximise their benefits by clubbing multiple offers. For example, while placing a Bigbasket order, a NeuPass member can benefit by clubbing multiple offers as follows: Up to 20% instant discount on specified bank debit/credit cards during specified dates Up to 5% NeuCoins for placing the order through the TataNeu App Bonus NeuCoins for any ongoing promotional offer (for example, weekend offer, Pay Day offer, Rewards League offer, etc.) Should you join the NeuPass loyalty program? Most people usually shop with several Tata Brand Companies regularly. However, when an individual joins the NeuPass program and shop with these Tata Brand Companies through the TataNeu App, they get an additional up to 5% benefit. An individual can enjoy instant discounts with credit cards, promotional NeuCoins under various offers, tier-specific benefits, etc. To evaluate whether you should join the NeuPass loyalty program, you need to assess your shopping needs. Do you shop regularly with Tata brands, and how much do you spend with them every month? If the monthly spends with Tata brands are substantial, you may consider joining the NeuPass loyalty program. Please note that the features and benefits of any loyalty program are subject to devaluation from time to time. The NeuPass loyalty program is no exception and can undergo devaluation in the future with a reduction in the features and benefits. Please refer to the Tata Neu App for the latest updates. Gopal Gidwani is a freelance personal finance content writer with 15+ years of experience. He can be reached on LinkedIn. For all personal finance updates, visit here. Helicopters conduct multi-subject flight training over the sea China Military Online) 13:55, October 28, 2025 Assault troops assigned to a brigade under the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command file into a Z-8 transport helicopter during a multi-subject flight training exercise on September 12, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhang Mao) (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Zhong Wenxing) A bus operated by Air India caught fire on Tuesday at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. In an X post, the Delhi Airport announced that the bus, operated by one of its ground handlers, caught fire at noon. The post revealed that the airport's ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) team swung into action and extinguished the fire within a couple of minutes. The bus was stationary and vacant, but near a parked aircraft when the incident occurred. There were no injuries or casualties, and operations at the airport continue to be normal. Also Read | Narrow escape for over 40 passengers in Ranchi as moving bus catches fire "Only the driver was present when the fire broke out. The blaze was promptly brought under control by fire officials. No injuries or casualties have been reported," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Vichitra Veer said in a statement, as per PTI. The area was briefly cordoned off as part of security measures. A detailed inspection of the bus is underway to ascertain the cause of the blaze. The fire in the Air India-operated bus at the IGI Airport comes amid a number of bus fire incidents across the country, with the deadliest two being in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Bus fire incidents on the rise As many as 26 people lost their lives in a bus accident in Jaisalmer on October 14 after it caught fire due to a short circuit in the air-conditioning. The bus had only one emergency exit, which reportedly jammed after the fire, thus trapping passengers inside. In Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool, a bus going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru caught fire after it collided with a motorbike that was lying on the road, resulting in the death of 20 people. The two-wheeler had already met with an accident, and the bus, after striking it, dragged the bike underneath, with its fuel tank bursting subsequently. The bus' two 12 KV batteries also burst, thus intensifying the blaze. Also Read | Did the drunk biker cause Kurnool bus accident that killed 20? Report reveals It was later revealed that the bus was carrying 234 smartphones as a shipment to Bengaluru, and the fire presumably intensified further once the batteries of these phones burst. The Commission for Air Quality Management has directed a ban on all commercial goods vehicles registered outside Delhi and not compliant with BS-VI norms, which will be prohibited from entering the national capital from November 1, ANI reported. Vehicles compliant with BS-VI norms must follow stricter emissions standards equivalent to the European Union's Euro-6 standards, which are expected to reduce air pollution. A notice from the transport department said that BS-IV commercial goods vehicles will be allowed to enter Delhi until October 31, 2026, as a temporary transition step, PTI reported. Until October 31, 2026, there will be no restrictions on the entry of commercial goods vehicles registered in Delhi, BS-VI compliant diesel vehicles, BS-IV compliant diesel vehicles, or those running on CNG, LNG, or electricity. The notice further stated that restrictions on commercial goods vehicles imposed by various stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue to apply according to the particular stage that is in force. On October 17, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) approved a comprehensive ban on polluting commercial vehicles entering Delhi starting November 1, as a measure to address the city's pollution problems. However, transporters were hoping the government would extend the easing of restrictions on the entry of BS-IV compliant vehicles into Delhi. Bhim Wadhawa from the All India Motor Transport Congress told PTI that there is a one-year period during which BS-IV compliant vehicles will be permitted entry. Meanwhile, Rajendra Kapoor from the All India Motor and Goods Transport Association mentioned that they will hold a meeting to discuss the next course of action. The Supreme Court had given the orders. If we want the restrictions on entry of BS-IV compliant vehicles not to be imposed even after the period of one year, we will have to approach the court. We will hold a meeting next week to decide what needs to be done, Kapoor told the news portal. Delhi air pollution woes Delhi witnessed a hazy morning with cloudy skies on Tuesday, October 28. The capital's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category at 304, CPCB data showed. As per CPCB, an AQI from 0 to 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'. CPCB data showed that on Monday, Delhi's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 301 at 4 p.m. The Sameer app created by the CPCB showed that 27 out of 38 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded 'very poor' air quality, with readings surpassing 300. (With inputs from agencies.) The Delhi government is likely to conduct its first cloud seeding trial on Tuesday, provided weather conditions are favourable, an official said. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told PTI that officials scheduled a review meeting for Tuesday (28 October) to assess the feasibility of carrying out the trial. Also Read | Delhi to receive rain today ahead of cloud seeding trial? Check weather forecast "The flight will arrive in Delhi from Kanpur tomorrow. If the weather conditions are favourable, we may conduct the cloud seeding trial. However, everything depends on the weather," the minister said. What is cloud seeding? Cloud seeding is the practice of using aeroplanes to fire salt or other chemicals into clouds to induce rain. The cloud seeding trial aims at inducing artificial rain to tackle air pollution in Delhi. It is part of the government's broader strategy to mitigate deteriorating air quality during the winter months. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said last week that cloud seeding had become a necessity for the national capital and termed it a pioneering step in addressing the city's persistent environmental crisis. "Cloud seeding is a necessity for Delhi and is the first experiment of its kind. We want to try it in Delhi to see if it can help us control this very serious environmental problem," Rekha Gupta told ANI. She added, So the blessings of the people of Delhi are with the government, and we feel that this will be a successful experiment, and in future, we will be able to overcome these environmental problems. Dates likely suitable for cloud seeding in Delhi Last week, CM Gupta said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had indicated the possibility of suitable cloud formations between 28 and 30 October. Also Read | Cloud seeding in Delhi: How it works as city awaits first artificial rain "According to the weather department, cloudy conditions are expected on October 28, 29, and 30. If the weather remains favourable, Delhi is likely to witness its first artificial rain on October 29," Gupta said in a post on X on Thursday. Delhi weather today, Oct 28 Delhi is likely to witness a cloudy sky, with mist/haze during morning hours. Light rainfall is also possible. One or two spells of very light rain/drizzle are likely during early hours/morning, the IMD said. Successful trial A successful trial of the project was conducted last Thursday in the Burari area, Gupta said in a post on X. During the test run in Burari, officials released small quantities of silver iodide and sodium chloride compounds from an aircraft to trigger artificial rainfall. However, the attempt failed to induce rain due to low atmospheric moisture of less than 20%, as against the 50% typically required for cloud seeding. In its report on the exercise, IIT Kanpur, which is leading the project, said, "This was the trial flight for checking the capabilities for cloud seeding, the readiness and endurance of the aircraft, the capability assessment of the cloud seeding fitments and flares, and coordination among all involved agencies." The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had already granted permission to IIT Kanpur to conduct the trials anytime between 1 October and 30 November. The Delhi government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Kanpur on 25 September to conduct five cloud seeding trials, all planned for northwest Delhi. New Delhi: India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said there was a substantial headway on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU), and several key differences narrowed after a series of intense but very productive engagements in Brussels. Goyal met Maros Sefcovic, EU commissioner for trade and economic security, as both sides sought to accelerate work on the long-pending pact aimed at deepening trade, investment and employment ties. Also Read | Brussels talks intensify as India seeks balance in EU trade deal The talks have significantly reduced our outstanding issues and allowed us to create the framework that will help deliver a win-win for our economies, Goyal said in a statement on social media platform X, adding that the discussions have laid the foundation for a robust and balanced agreement to support businesses of both sides. The minister was in Brussels for a two-day visit from 27 October to fast-track the conclusion of a comprehensive trade agreement. EU team to visit india Goyal said the EU's negotiating team will visit India next week to carry forward the dialogue. Sefcovic said the talks were very intensive but also very constructive and had created a positive momentum in advancing the India-EU free trade agreement. "We share a common objective, to deliver on the mandate given to us by President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Modi, he said. Also Read | For India and EU, a deal is closer than ever The EU commissioner said the negotiations had yielded substantial progress across a number of areas with both delegations providing concrete guidance to their teams. A high-level EU delegation led by the director-general will travel to New Delhi next week to continue technical discussions beyond the area of tariffs, he added. For strategic direction Goyals visit to Brussels was aimed at providing strategic direction and political impetus to the trade deal talks following the momentum generated by the 14th round of negotiations held earlier this month. On 16 October, Mint reported that the central government had directed its negotiating team, led by special secretary L. Satya Srinivas, to resolve the pending issues in the FTA talks with the EU before returning to New Delhi, underscoring its push to conclude the deal by the year-end. At the heart of the dispute lies the EUs demand for tighter origin norms to ensure third-country goods dont enter the bloc through India, particularly in sensitive categories such as agricultural products, spirits, wines, and other products with geographical indication status, prized for their cultural and commercial value. Also Read | Goyal eyes overseas visits to push export agenda Another major sticking point between New Delhi and Brussels is the mutual acceptance of agricultural products. We have significantly reduced the outstanding issues between the EU and India, and I must thank both teams for the significant progress made in the last three days, Goyal said. Looking to add new mid-air refuelling aircraft for a long time, the Indian Air Force is likely to award the around 8,000 crore deal for buying six aerial tanker planes from an Israeli government-owned firm, which has emerged as a single vendor. The Israeli firm Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), if awarded the contract, would be modifying six old and second-hand Boeing 767 commercial planes to turn them into tanker aircraft and then supplying them to the Indian Air Force, defence sources told ANI. The IAI has emerged as the resultant single vendor in a competitive bid where it has agreed to the need for around 30 per cent Made in India content through offsets involved in the deal, they said. The competition launched a few years ago has seen participation from Russian and European firms also, but IAI was the only one left in the race, as others were not meeting the requirements, including the one for 3-30 per cent indigenous content on second-hand planes, they said. The Indian Air Force has been operating a fleet of six Russian-origin Il-78 mid-air refuelling aircraft, which are based out of Agra and provide support to all types of fighter aircraft operations of the Indian Air Force and the Navy. The Indian Air Force has made several attempts in the last 15 years to buy six more flight refuelling aircraft, but has failed to do so due to multiple reasons. The Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday put an interim stay on the Siddaramaiah governments controversial order that required private organisations to seek permission before conducting gatherings of more than ten people in government premises a directive widely viewed as targeting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activities. The order, issued on October 18, 2025, declared any such assembly without prior approval as illegal. The High Courts single-judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna issued the stay while hearing a petition filed by Punashthen Seva Sanstha, a Hubballi-based organisation. What did the petitioners argue? Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Ashok Haranahalli argued that the governments directive was unconstitutional and violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Indian Constitution which protect freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. The government has ordered that permission should be obtained for gatherings of more than 10 people. This is a restriction on the fundamental right provided for in the Constitution. Even if a party is held in a park, it is an illegal gathering as per the government order, Haranahalli said during the hearing. He further contended that the directive lacked legal standing since the Police Act already governs public order and assembly. The government cannot issue such an administrative order. Why is this rule needed when the Police Act is in force? Haranahalli asked, suggesting that the move may have been politically motivated. How did the Karnataka HC respond? The High Court questioned the states intent behind issuing such a sweeping order, with Justice Nagaprasanna pointedly asking, Did the government want to achieve something else? Government counsel sought one day to present its argument, to which the court agreed, scheduling the next hearing for November 17. In the meantime, the court issued notices to the Karnataka government, the Home Department, the Director General of Police (DGP), and the Hubballi Police Commissioner. What did the Karnataka High Court say in its order? In its interim order, the court observed that the states directive effectively stripped citizens of rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The government has taken away the right granted under Article 19(1)(a), (b) of the Constitution. The right granted by the Constitution cannot be taken away by a government order, the bench noted. Also Read | 39 RSS members detained for conducting Guru Puja, training in Chennai school The order further criticised the government for overreaching its powers: Entry to roads, parks, grounds, lakes, etc., has been restricted. The government has exercised the power under the Police Act through the order, the court said. The stay means that the state governments directive will remain suspended until further orders from the court. Why is the order seen as targeting the RSS? Although the government did not explicitly name any organisation, the directive was widely interpreted as an attempt to restrict RSS shakhas and other affiliated gatherings that often take place in public parks and grounds. The issue has sparked political controversy in Karnataka, with opposition leaders accusing the state of misusing administrative powers for political ends. Delegates from more than 30 countries, including researchers and policymakers, will deliberate on comprehensive and practical solutions to tackle climate change at a conference to be held in Mumbai in February next year. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced that the global-level conference, 'Mumbai Climate Week', will be organised from February 17 to 19. The event, conceptualised by Project Mumbai, will be organised in collaboration with the Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Department and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Also Read | Coral reefs face irreversible dieback as Earth hits first climate tipping point Delegates from more than 30 countries from the Global South (nations that are in Africa, Latin America and developing parts of Asia), including experts, researchers and policymakers, will participate in the event and deliberate on comprehensive and practical solutions to tackle climate change, said a release from Chief Minister's Office (CMO). The announcement about the three-day conference was made at a meeting held at Mantralaya, attended, among others, by Environment Minister Pankaja Munde, BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, department secretary Jayshree Bhoj and Project Mumbai CEO Shishir Joshi. On the occasion, the Chief Minister unveiled the logo of 'Mumbai Climate Week' and launched its introductory film. Fadnavis said the initiative underlines India's leadership in climate action and environmental sustainability. "Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mumbai and Maharashtra are ready to contribute towards building a just, innovative and well-funded climate future for the Global South," he noted. The international meet will focus on three core themes -- food systems, energy transition and urban resilience -- with discussions from the perspective of justice, innovation and finance, said the release. The Chief Minister said it was time for collective action involving citizens, businesses and every section of society to mitigate the impact of climate change, a phenomenon which refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. President Droupadi Murmu will be taking a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet from the Ambala Air Force base in Haryana on Wednesday, 29 October, the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on Tuesday. India had used these jets to launch attacks on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan as part of Operation Sindoor. Earlier, former presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had both taken sorties in fighter jets. Kalam and Patil undertook sorties in the Shukhoi-30 MKI. Murmu herself had taken a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet back on 8 April, 2023, making her the third president of India to do so. The Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a statement on Tuesday, saying, "The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will visit Ambala, Haryana tomorrow where she will take a sortie in Rafale." On Tuesday, the President inaugurated the Eighth Session of the International Solar Alliance Assembly's first plenary in the national capital, the President's secretariat said. At the event, the President spoke of the harmful effects of climate change and urged for concrete steps to be taken to mitigate the same. "Access to affordable and clean energy empowers communities, drives local economy, and opens up opportunities that extend well beyond the provision of electricity," ANI quoted the President as saying at the event. Take a look at the President's speech at the event here: The Rafale jets, which are manufactured by French aviation company Dassault Aviation, were first inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020. Rafale jets: All you need to know The Rafale production began in France after the country fell out with the UK, Spain, Germany, and Italy while trying to jointly produce a future-ready fighter plane in the late 1970s. Following the dispute, France pursued its own project involving most of its major defence companies. The Rafale was formally introduced in 2001 for the French Air Force and the French Navy. The Rafale jets can reach a maximum speed of 1,912 kmph at high altitudes and 1,390 kmph at lower altitudes. There are several variants of the Rafale jets, with the Indian Air Force using the two-seater Rafale DH variant and the single-seater Rafale MH variant. The Indian Navy uses the single-seater Rafale MH variant. New Delhi: Indias largest oil refiner, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOC), on Tuesday said it will absolutely not halt buying Russian crude and will also comply with international sanctions. The statement underscores Indias attempt to balance energy security with growing global restrictions, even as fresh US measures target major Russian suppliers Rosneft and Lukoil. We are absolutely not going to discontinue (buying Russian crude) as long as we are complying with the sanctions. Russian crude is not sanctioned. It is the entities and the shipping lines which have got sanctions, Anuj Jain, director (finance) at the state-owned firm, said in an analysts' call. He said the company maintains a database of sanctioned entities and will continue sourcing crude oil from non-sanctioned suppliers under the price cap mechanism. "If somebody comes to me with a non-sanctioned entity, and the (price) cap is being complied with and the shipping is okay, then I will continue to buy it," Jain added. Also Read | Russian oil: IndianOil to abide by all international sanctions Supplies from Rosneft and Lukoil, the two Russian energy companies sanctioned last week account for about 55% of the total Russian oil supply to India. On Monday, the chairman and managing director of Indian Oil Arvinder Singh Sahney had said the company would comply with all sanctions imposed by the international community. Currently, Russian supplies comprise 19-20% of the companys overall crude oil import basket. Last week, the US imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, which supply about 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of the 1.8 million bpd of Russian oil coming into India. Indias public and private refiners are expected to reduce their imports from Russia after the sanctions take effect on 22 November. On 23 October, Mint reported that the latest sanctions are likely to force Indian refiners to buy from West Asian countries and other markets that do not offer discounts, increasing the countrys import bill. A top government official, on the condition of anonymity said decisions on sources for oil are taken at the company level. "Companies decide which oil is most economical and whether it complies with government norms. They look at both things," the official added. Asked whether the government provides any direction, the official said: Theres no question of our telling them to buy more or less. I dont have to tell them. They are smart enough to understand. If they buy a cargo that they cant takeIf they are buying oil from a sanctioned company, how will they pay? The banker will not allow the payment. A Bengaluru-based AI startup founder's job opening post on X has sparked an intense discussion about the Indian workplace culture and expectations from an employee or even an intern. The job in question required employees and interns to work for 60 to 80 hours per week, which did not sit right with many people. Umesh Kumar, founder of Runable, a Bengaluru-based AI company recently came under social media scrutiny after his hiring post. He said in a post on X that the ideal candidate, who can be a full time employee or an intern, must work six days a week and agree to pull off a 60-80 hours workweek. The job post is for the role of a full or intern stack engineer at Runable, and will be based out of Bengaluru, Kumar said in his job requirement. "Not looking for a beginner. not looking for a cracked dev either (if you are, then good). Someone who believes in Runable, its goal to become the "General AI Agent For Every Task" and has no commitment issues," he added. How did internet react? Umesh Kumar's job posting received a mixed reaction from netizens, with many pointing out that 60-80 hours of work in a week was not healthy. Eighty hours doesnt feel healthy, to be honest. Thats more than 12 hours a day, a user said. Another user asked, Are you Narayana Murthy?, referring to the Infosys co-founder's controversial 70-hour workweek idea. To this, Kumar replied that he had recently met Nandan Nilekani, the other co-founder of Infosys. Oh noice. Seems like you got the 60hrs working culture tip from there, the user replied. Bro wants to finish the entire companys work in one quarter; 80 hours a week is crazy, another netizen said. Some users also pointed out the missing compensation details on his post. What about the stipend? Youve mentioned everything - six-day work week, long hours - except the pay, the person said. To this, Kumar replied that he would disclose the salary structure to shortlisted candidates. Also Read | Work for 10 hours a day? Maharashtra plans longer working hours in private firms However, his post received some positive response too, with some users commenting that they had mailed their resumes to him. But largely, the post, meant to attract candidates, turned into a topic of a heated debate around overwork and ideal working hours. Who is Umesh Kumar? According to his LinkedIn profile, Umesh Kumar co-founded Runable, an AI company, in April 2025. He now serves as the CEO of the company. Velankanni (TN)/Bhimavaram (AP): In 2018, when Venkatapathy Raju, a software engineer, chose to give up his promising job in the IT sector and join his fathers shrimp business, things were looking good. Bhimavaram, his hometown in Andhra Pradesh, was fast becoming the nerve centre for shrimp farming. The land was virgin and water aplenty. A high shrimp survival rate of over 80% meant steady output, which was lapped up by exporters at good prices. Over the next seven years, Raju expanded the farm size from 100 to 650 acres. 2025 turned out to be different. US President Donald Trump imposed 50% duty on Indian goods and that has hit shrimp exports hard. About 36% of Indian shrimp, and most of Bhimavarams production, are exported to the US. Farm gate prices have since fallen by up to 20%. Raju, nevertheless, hasnt given up. My passion for farming shrimp has kept me from questioning the decision to leave IT," he said. Shrimp exports, at $5.2 billion, accounted for 70% of Indias $7.4 billion seafood exports in 202425. The US is the biggest market and India caters to 40% of the countrys demand annually. Other major buyers are China, the European Union (EU), South-East Asian countries, and Japan. Andhra Pradesh is the largest cultivator of shrimp, accounting for 78% of Indias overall output of 1.1 million tonnes (mt) in 2024-25. The high tariff has made us uncompetitive," said Pavan Kumar, national president, Seafood Exporters Association of India and a shrimp exporter based in Visakhapatnam. Only exporters with long-term contracts with big retail chains are supplying, and that, too, at lower volumes. Spot buyers, who lift major volumes, have moved away from India to countries such as Ecuador and Indonesia, he added. According to Shrimp Insights, a global shrimp sector consultant, Indias year-on-year exports to the US crashed by 43% in August, while overall volumes declined by 9%. Some financially weak farmers in Bhimavaram have begun shifting to farming fish, such as Roopchand, Rohu and Katla. But not everyone is despondent. A few see opportunity in this crisis. We needed this slap from Trump," said Manoj Sharma, a Gujarat-based farmer who produces 1,000 tonnes of shrimp every year. For too long, he explained, the Indian shrimp sector has remained within its comfort zone depending heavily on the US and ignoring the domestic market. There are other challenges, as well. In recent months, shrimp farmers have been battling multiple diseases, such as white spot viral disease and running mortality syndrome (caused by virus/bacteria), which have reduced the survival rate to less than 50%. Continuous farming and poor soil maintenance has increased the risk of pathogens that cause various diseases. Lower prices, coupled with lower output, mean that farmers barely make any money. We have not invested enough in disease identification and control. Today, low survival rate is the biggest cost a farmer pays," said Balasubramaniam V., general secretary, Prawn Farmers Federation of India and a large farmer in Tamil Nadus Nagapattinam district. This can be tackled effectively if India has its own indigenous species which will be more disease resistant, he added. Indian farmers usually farm Vannamei, a native of the Pacific Ocean. We will be thankful to Trump in five years, if the industry takes up these challenges now," Sharma said. Vannamei vs Black Tiger But such thoughts are far from the minds of Bhimavarams shrimp farmers. They are more worried about the short-term. The emergence of this town, located 140 kilometres east of Vaijayawada, as the nerve centre for shrimp farming in Andhra Pradesh, coincided with the rapid growth of Indias exports. In 2011, when Bhimavaram began farming shrimp, exports were less than 6,000 crore. Today, they rake in 45,000 crore. As one approaches the town, lush green paddy fields give way to large ponds with bio-security fencing made of a ubiquitous green fabric. Each pond has multiple aerators. They are needed to ensure adequate oxygen levels. Some farms have thin wires running across the length and breadth of the ponds to keep birds out. The town survives and thrives on aquaculture. View Full Image Aerators in operation at a farm in Bhimavaram that ensure adequate oxygen in the ponds. (N. Madhavan) We shifted out of paddy in the 1990s as the area, being low lying, was prone to flooding during monsoon. Initially we opted for fishing but then moved to shrimp in a big way after the Vannamei variety became popular," explained Raju. Nellore, another Andhra Pradesh town down south, was the shrimp capital of India until recently. At the time, Black Tiger prawns, a large species of marine shrimp, were in demand. Around 2006, the world began shifting to Vannamei or pacific white prawns, for reasons more economic than the taste. Vannamei requires less or almost zero salinity to farm. This means that they can be raised farther from the seaBhimavaram is located about 25 kilometres inland. This species also allows higher stocking. A farmer can raise as many as 100,000 shrimp on an acre-sized pond as against 25,000 in the case of Black Tiger prawns. Also, Vannamei requires just 90-120 days of cultivation. Black Tiger prawns, on the other hand, have to be grown for up to 180 days. In short, Vannamei was more attractive for the entire ecosystem. Lower farming time meant farmers could do three crop cycles a year, exporters could scale up their operations and retail chains had an assured supply. Today, Vannamei accounts for 90% of the shrimps raised across the world. The Black Tiger prawns share has declined to just 9%. How shrimp are farmed A typical cycle, Raju explained, starts with sourcing of shrimp seeds from hatcheries that import the broodstock (parent shrimps) from the US. The seeds are then grown in large ponds, each measuring five acres or more for 90 to 120 days. The challenge here is to maintain the water quality and provide the right quantum of feed. The first 60 days are critical as the shrimp grows to weigh 100 grams," explained Pavan Nadimpalli, a cultivator with a 3-acre farm. He also operates one of the many aqua labs that dot the town. They are needed to test the water quality and health of the shrimps periodically. At 60 days, even if disease strikes, the farmer can harvest and recover part of the cost from the unaffected stock. A farmer gets around 220 per kg for 100-count, which is about 100 shrimps, and that is a break-even price at current costs, he added. The price increases as the count drops. A 30-count (30 shrimps make up 1 kg) fetches a price of 400 per kg. For that, the shrimps have to grow for more than 90 days. Once the shrimp is harvested, it is frozen and taken for processing before export. We make money only if we are able to cultivate shrimp for a longer duration. That is possible only if there are no diseases. If disease strikes before 60 days, the crop is totally lost," said Krishnam Raju, another Bhimavaram farmer. In recent cycles, he and his fellow farmers have struggled to farm shrimp beyond 60 days. Indigenous remedy The latest incidence of disease is alarming, admitted Balasubramaniam of the Prawn Farmers Federation of India. What is more alarming is that the pathogen that is causing the disease and spreading like wildfire is yet to be identified. The disease typically strikes 45 days after the seed is purchased. Within a week 10% of the crop is lost. In four weeks, if not harvested, 50% is gone," he added. Diseases have killed the aquaculture sector in South East Asian countries such as Thailand and Taiwan in the past. If not tackled on a war footing, Indian shrimp output could fall sharply, he warned. The increase in cases of disease has cast doubts on Indias approach to genetic selection. The government follows a pathogen exclusion approach. It allows import of pathogen-free broodstock (parent animals), which are then mated in India by hatcheries to produce eggs. This approach, scientists say, has worked well so far, causing shrimp production and exports to grow rapidly. But the rise in pathogens from water and soil is testing this model. Calls have been made to adopt the pathogen exposure approach that countries such as Ecuador follow. In Ecuador, they constantly expose the shrimps to various pathogens and build their immunity. Their success rate, as a result, is as high as 85%," said Balasubramaniam. The long-term solution, both farmers and exporters agree, is developing an indigenous broodstock that can handle local conditions and pathogens better. Vannamei has been around for more than a decade. The scientific community should have looked into this much earlier," rued Kumar from the Seafood Exporters Association. Double whammy Though India exports shrimp to over 90 countries, the bulk of the volumes goes to the US, China and the EU. Exporters love the US market as it takes up huge volumes at premium prices. Other markets are not that attractive. China, the second-biggest market, is very price conscious and prefers smaller sizes. The EU, where each of the 27 nations has different tastes and rules, is a compliance nightmare. But Indias reliance on the US market faces another challenge apart from Trumps high tariffs. A couple of senators have proposed The Indian Shrimp Act, which if passed, will impose an anti-dumping duty of up to 40% over and above the existing tariff. Their grouse: India is dumping shrimp in the US at cheap prices. The US currently has an anti-dumping duty of 2.49% and a countervailing duty of 5.27% on shrimp, taking the effective tariff to 58%. Experts opine that such efforts have been made in the past but have failed. Nevertheless, there is fear within the industry because of the prevailing political environment in the US. View Full Image A couple of US senators have proposed The Indian Shrimp Act. (Pixabay) In light of these developments, farmers want exporters to reduce their reliance on the US by strengthening traditional markets and entering new ones. Japan and Russia can be tapped more, they say. Japan has been importing seafood from India for years. Their economy is stagnant and the population is aging. Volumes are low," said Selwin Prabhu of Tuticorin-based Nila Seafoods Pvt. Ltd, a large exporter. He is also the Tamil Nadu region president of the Seafood Exporters Association. Efforts are on to push harder into the EU and Russia. But the association is not letting go of the US. We took two decades to develop the lucrative US market. We cant lose it," he added. The trade body is seeking help from the government to tide over the current tariff-created crisis. The finances of exporters are stretched, and banks, having placed the sector in the red category (signals high-risk), are tightening the screws. What is happening is no fault of the industry, Kumar said, seeking some form of temporary hand holding. If the US buyers shift to other markets such as Ecuador, the shrimp sector will be hurt irrecoverably. Local potential Farmers such as Manoj Sharma dont agree. While they accept the importance of the US market, they fault policymakers for not exploring the domestic market at all. Of the 150 crore Indians, 74% are non-vegetarians and if they consume even 100 grams of shrimp each, the demand will be 1.2mt," said Sharma. This is more than the industrys current output. Indias domestic shrimp consumption is estimated at 140,000 tonnes annually, barely a tenth of Sharmas projection. A strong domestic market could supplement exports. Indian cuisine prefers small shrimps, which are anyway exported at low prices," said Balasubramaniam. Shrimp is also a healthy food as it is high in protein, Omega 3, low on saturated fat and can raise good cholesterol, he added. Awareness is low on its health benefits. A strong domestic market could supplement exports. Indian cuisine prefers small shrimps, which are anyway exported at low prices. According to Sharma, a concerted effort is needed to develop the local market. The green revolution (food grains), the blue revolution (milk) and the pink revolution (meat) focussed on meeting domestic demand. Why is the blue revolution (sea food) export focused?" he questioned. He blamed exporters for thwarting the development of domestic demand for shrimps. The exporters, however, disagree. We are for a strong domestic market but prices are very low and this will hurt returns of farmers," said Kumar. That will be the case if export volumes are diverted to satisfy local tastebuds. There is huge headroom to increase production thoughIndia uses just 10% of the 1.2 million hectares of its land under brackish water, which cannot be put to any other productive use, to farm shrimp. Strong domestic demand, at a time when exports to their biggest market face a dire threat, may be just what Indias shrimp farmers need. A federal judge has ordered senior US Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino to appear in court in Chicago on Tuesday after a video surfaced allegedly showing him deploying tear gas in violation of a court order restricting the use of crowd-control weapons against protesters. US District Judge Sara Ellis issued the summons after protesters submitted footage they said showed Bovino tossing a gas canister without issuing required warnings. Ellis had previously barred federal agents from using certain anti-riot tactics following legal action by demonstrators. Three former immigration officials told Reuters that compelling a top enforcement leader to appear on short notice is highly unusual. Immigration crackown in Chicago Bovino oversees Operation Midway Blitz, President Donald Trumps aggressive deportation campaign focused on Chicago. The effort has led to raids in residential neighborhoods, use of tear gas, and clashes with protesters. DHS defends actions The Department of Homeland Security said agents acted only after being surrounded and attacked with fireworks and rocks. A spokesperson insisted warnings were given and praised Bovino for his role in the operation, saying the court misunderstands DHSs mission. Courts and protesters push back Tuesdays hearing is tied to a lawsuit filed by protesters, journalists, and clergy who allege they were targeted and brutalized during demonstrations. Another court has already blocked Trumps attempt to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois. Judge Ellis has repeatedly raised concerns that federal agents are ignoring her orders requiring visible identification and tighter limits on chemical agents. She has since expanded her ruling to mandate activation of body cameras during immigration enforcement and public interactions. Also Read | Trumps big tariff task in Asia is to close the deal Former US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has lashed out at the Donald Trump administration over its current trade policy, warning that America is making a big mistake with India and its other trade partners. Speaking recently at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, Raimondo said that the tariff impositions of Donald Trump are distancing its key allies, calling out the disastrous policy. Among the top 20 things that I would be critical about his administration is pissing off all our allies. America first is one thing, but America alone is disastrous policy, and America that is not a friend or ally to Europe or Japan is a weak America, she said. Raimondo also mentioned India, with which US' ties have significantly soured since Trump imposed a 50% tariff on all exports. We are making a big mistake with India, she said. Also Read | How India's exports defied steep US tariffs in September Calling for stronger commercial relationships with Europe and other countries, the former Commerce Secretary urged the Trump administration to rethink its economic and global policies. I don't think we can be effective without strong relationship with Europe or Southeast Asia for that matter. I wish we would have much stronger commercial relationships with Europe. I think there is so much more with Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan or South Korea's economy than we are doing now, she said. India-US trade talks Gina Raimondo's comments come amid reports that India and the US have reached the final stages of their bilateral trade talks. On Friday, PTI reported, quoting an official, that India and the US are "very near" to finalising a bilateral trade deal. We are very near as far as the deal is concerned, the official said, adding that there are not much differences now for the resolution. The India-US trade talks are progressing smoothly, and there are no new issues that can potentially cause any hurdle to the agreement, the official said. We are converging on most of the issues. Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had last Thursday said India will not enter into any trade agreement with haste or accept conditions from its partners that may threaten its trading limits. Also Read | India invites Canadian PM Carney for trade talks with PM Modi details here America first is one thing, but America alone is disastrous policy. He noted that trade agreements extend beyond "tariffs or market access" and are centred on building "trust, long-term ties, and creating sustainable frameworks for global business cooperation." This perspective underscores India's intention to ensure that any future deal with the US aligns with its long-term economic goals. An Indian national allegedly stabbed two teenagers and tried to to slap a crew member mid-air during his flight from Chicago to Germany over the weekend, according to authorities. The Lufthansa airline flight was diverted to Boston following the incident, the authorities said in a media release on Monday. The accused has been identified as Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, with authorities saying that he had previously been admitted to the US on a student visa. The incident took place on Lufthansa flight 431 en route from Chicago to Frankfurt. Lufthansa mid-air stabbing: What happened? As per reports, the mid-air stabbing incident happened shortly after the Chicago to Germany flight took off, just after the meal service. According to the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts, Usiripalli stabbed the minors with a metal fork after the meal service. One of the minors was lightly asleep in a middle seat and he woke to find out that the Indian man was lunging over him with the fork in his hand. Usiripalli allegedly attacked the teenager with his right hand using the fork in the left collar bone area. Usiripalli then allegedly stabbed a second 17-year-old male passenger in the back of the head with the same metal fork. The second teenager suffered a laceration to the rear of his head, the Attorney's office said. When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger, authorities said. He then immediately turned around to his left and slapped a female passenger before allegedly trying to slap another crew member. Indian national arrested Owing to the chaos, the flight was directed to Boston and Usiripalli was arrested upon landing. The arrest happened on October 25. Usiripalli has been charged at the US District Court with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while travelling on an aircraft, the Attorney's office said. The charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (October 28) ordered the Israeli army to carry out powerful strikes in Gaza, escalating tensions under the fragile US-brokered ceasefire. Israel accused Hamas of firing on its forces in southern Gaza and returning the remains of a hostage in violation of the terms of the truce. Netanyahu called the return of the body a clear violation of the agreement, which requires Hamas to deliver all Israeli hostage remains without delay. Exchange of fire in Rafah Israeli troops came under fire in Rafah and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident underscored how unstable the ceasefire remains more than two weeks after taking effect. Hostage remains dispute continues Thirteen bodies of hostages are still believed to be in Gaza. Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered one more body and planned to hand it over later in the day. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis observed a white body bag carried from a tunnel by masked militants before it was loaded into an ambulance. The identity of the remains was not immediately confirmed. Both sides have accused each other over delays. Hamas has said widespread destruction makes recovery difficult. Israel insists the group is purposely slowing the process. Egyptian forensic teams with heavy equipment are assisting searches in Gazas south. Family reopens sons grave for third time The latest remains were identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Israel says he was killed in captivity and previously recovered in November 2023. His family said in a statement they have now been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son for the third time. Israel says it has received 15 deceased hostages since the ceasefire began and has returned 195 Palestinian bodies in exchange. The last 20 living hostages were handed over earlier in the truce, in return for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Also Read | Trumps big tariff task in Asia is to close the deal Deadly West Bank raid Separately, the Israeli military said it killed three Palestinian militants near Jenin in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday. The men were shot as they exited a cave believed to be used by armed groups. Troops later carried out an airstrike to destroy the cave, the military said. Hamas identified two of the men as members of its Qassam Brigades. The third was referred to as a comrade, but no additional details were released. Israel says intensified operations have weakened militant networks in the West Bank. Palestinian officials and human rights groups say many civilians have also been killed and tens of thousands displaced. Heavy Gaza toll Over 68,500 Palestinians have been killed since the war began two years ago, according to Gazas Health Ministry. The ministry does not separate fighters from civilians in its tally, though UN agencies consider its reporting generally reliable. Israel disputes the figures but has not provided its own detailed breakdown. Also Read | Who is Amjad Shawa? New leader of board that will rule Gaza Strip House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled their long-promised report on former President Joe Bidens use of the autopen, delivering a blistering critique of his time in office and inner circle that largely rehashes public information while making sweeping accusations about the workings of his White House. The GOP report does not include any concrete evidence that aides conspired to enact policies without Bidens knowledge or that the president was unaware of laws, pardons or executive orders signed in his name. But Republicans said their findings cast doubt on all of the Democrats actions in office. They sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging a full investigation. Republican President Donald Trump ordered a similar inquiry earlier this year. At its core, the report advances contested claims that Biden's mental state declined to a degree that allowed White House officials to enact policies without his knowledge. It focuses heavily on the pardons he granted in office, including to his son, Hunter Biden, based on depositions with close Biden aides. Also Read | Donald Trump orders probe into predecessor Joe Biden's actions as president The cost of the scheme to hide the fallout of President Bidens diminished physical and mental acuity was great but will likely never be fully calculated, the report reads. The cover-up put American national security at risk and the nations trust in its leaders in jeopardy. Biden has strenuously denied he was unaware of his administrations actions, calling such claims ridiculous and false. Democrats on the House Oversight committee denounced the probe as a distraction and a waste of time. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Oversight Democrat, said in a statement the GOP report was a sham investigation and that testimonies from Biden aides make it clear the former president authorized every executive order, pardon, and use of the autopen. He added that Democrats were more focused on the government shutdown than debates over the last administration. Republicans are shifting attention back to Biden at a politically tumultuous time, 10 months into Trumps presidency, with the government shut down and Congress at a standstill over legislation to fund it. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of session for nearly a month, with most public-facing committee work grinding to a halt. Johnson touted the 100-page report at a news conference and said the findings could have major implications for the legality of Biden's actions as president, including pardons. The president was checked out of his job for quite some time, and everybody knows it, Johnson said. The report on Biden was largely compiled over several months before the shutdown began. Based on interviews with more than a dozen members of Bidens inner circle, the report offers few new revelations, instead drawing broad conclusions from unanswered questions. Also Read | Trump hints at controversial Biden autopen portrait in White House gallery It includes repeated references to polls of Bidens approval rating and perceptions of his public gaffes and apparent aging, much of it publicly known. It alleges a cover-up of the presidents cognitive decline orchestrated by Biden's inner circle and takes particular aim at Bidens doctor, Kevin OConnor, who invoked his Fifth Amendment right against testifying. Republicans also singled out senior aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini, who similarly pleaded the Fifth. All three should face further scrutiny" from the Justice Department, Republicans said. Republicans also sent a letter to the D.C. Board of Medicine urging that O'Connor face discipline, sanction or revocation of his medical license and be barred from the practice of medicine in the District of Columbia. Lawyers for O'Connor told Oversight Republicans over the summer that doctor-patient confidentiality precluded him from discussing his conversations with Biden or any medical care he may have provided. While doctor-patient privilege is a legal principle that often protects communications between medical providers and patients, courts and state laws are divided on its scope. Congressional Republicans dismissed O'Connor's use of the principle before he cited his Fifth Amendment rights during testimony. The report does not include full transcripts of the multiple hours of recorded testimony witnesses delivered before the committee. It repeatedly scolds Biden officials and Democratic allies for defending Biden's mental state. The inner-most circle, or cocoon, of the White House senior staff organized one of the largest scandals in American history hiding a cognitively failing president and refusing any means of confirmation of such demise, the report says. While the report claims that record-keeping policies in the Biden White House were so lax that the chain of custody for a given decision is difficult or impossible to establish," Republicans do not offer any concrete instances of the chain of command being violated or a policy being enacted without Biden's knowledge. Still, Republicans argue that Biden's use of the autopen should be considered invalid unless there is documented proof of him approving a decision. Barring evidence of executive actions taken during the Biden presidency showing that President Biden indeed took a particular executive action, the committee deems those actions taken through use of the autopen as void, the report says. As the Trump administration pushes for reforms to the H-1B visa programme, with an aim to benefit American-born workers, Skillstorm CEO Justin Vianello have voiced strong support, citing potential benefits for the US workforce and job market. In an interview with Fox News, Vianello described one of the biggest challenges with the current H-1B system as its impact on college hiring, particularly for graduates in fields such as computer science and computer engineering. He added that there was a concerning level of unemployment among college graduates in the IT sector of the country. US President Donald Trump unveiled his new H-1B visa policy in September. He introduced a $100,000 one-time fee for fresh visa petitions filed on or after 21 September, a major jump from the prior application fee of about $1,000. Three-headed monster competing with US grads Vianello argued that the recent US college graduates in the IT sector face a severely competitive job market, which he referred to as the three-headed monster. He explained that employers often pay significantly less to H-1B visa holders than their counterparts doing equivalent IT roles, making them more appealing to those looking to pay less. In addition to competing with H-1B visa holders, college graduates also face competition from Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa holders, an extension of the F-1 visa for STEM graduates. Vianello pointed out that since OPT participants don't pay Social Security or Medicare taxes, they are automatically 15% cheaper. He told Fox News that the third challenge that US graduates have faced so far is that an employer can simply choose to offshore work instead of hiring within the country. Vianello said that while the original intent of the H-1B visa was to bring in and retain skilled people, including those studying in universities, the outcome for college grads competing for those roles has been really bad. The reason Im in America, along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong, is because of H1B, he said, adding that was the intended benefit of the visa programme. Proposed changes and their impact The Trump administration's new H-1B visa rule aims to curb the perceived misuse of the programme and nudges employers to offer higher salaries or reserve H-1B petitions for jobs that require advanced skills. Vianello told Fox News Digital, Certainly I think that the $100,000 fee on any new applications is gonna go a long way toward changing behaviour, but that's focused on H-1B. The expert, who himself came to the US on a visa, told Fox News Digital that he is not opposed to worker visa programs in general, provided they are used to attract top-tier workers and do not leave the American workers behind. United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, October 28, that he would be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, calling it a fantastic and big meeting that he said will work out really well. Speaking optimistically ahead of the US-China talks amid a tariff tussle, Donald Trump said the meeting would be great for everybody, raising hopes for progress on trade issues between the two countries. I will be meeting President Xi todaya very fantastic meeting.It's a big meeting. I think it's going to work out really well. It's going to be great for everybody, Donald Trump said. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to meet on the sidelines of a regional summit in South Korea this week to discuss their ongoing trade dispute. The meeting between both the leaders is expected to de-escalate the trade tensions that have rattled the global economy. Trump was infuriated earlier this month after Beijing imposed new export controls on rare earths used in technology and threatened to hike retaliatory tariffs to sky-high levels. In retaliation, the Trump administration threatened to impose export controls on goods incorporating US software. What is expected in Trump-Xi meeting? According to the reports, an interim agreement between China and the US could include some relief on tariffs, an extension of current rates, or China committing to buy US-made soybeans and Boeing airplanes. Beijing reneged on similar promises in a 2020 deal with Trump. Washington may allow more advanced computer chips to be exported to Beijing, in exchange for China easing restrictions on rare earth magnets. Zelensky asks Trump to pressure Xi to not support Putin Ahead of Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the US President to pressure the Chinese leader to cut his support for Russia when the two leaders meet later this week in an attempt to get Russia to end the war on Ukraine. Trump said he would certainly discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine when he meets Xi on Thursday in South Korea. If President Trump manages to hold talks, make decisions, and reach an understanding with China to reduce imports of Russian energy, I think it will help all of us, Zelensky said, adding, We support the US policy of exploring any opportunities to limit the supply of energy resources from Russia. Last week, Trump sanctioned two of Russia's largest oil companies and pressed top energy buyers notably China and India to curb their purchases, which Washington and Kyiv say fund Russia's invasion. As the government shutdown in the United States continue to stretch over disagreement with the Democrats, hundreds of air traffic controllers have taken up temporary second jobs. Recently, the air traffic controllers missed their first full paychecks, a union official has said. National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels said that the number would rise as more controllers look for ways to pay bills. It's quickly going to be 1,000, Daniels said, calling on the government to end the standoff. We want the shutdown to end today... Whatever way that it gets done, that's what the American people deserve. Meanwhile, the US continues to see several flight disruptions amid a shortage of air traffic controllers who have been working without pay. The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing-related delays on averaging about 20 minutes at the airport in Dallas and about 40 minutes at both Newark Liberty International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The delays in Austin came after a brief ground stop that forced flights to remain at their departure airports until the FAA lifted the restriction around 4:15 pm local time. Flights were also briefly delayed at Los Angeles International Airport. Just two weeks ago, the Trump administration axed as many as or more than 4,200 federal workers. Mass layoffs across the federal government have hit seven agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education, according to a court filing by the Justice Department. While hundreds of federal employees continue to work without pay, some may even see harder times next month amid fears that free food stamps may not be distributed from November if the government shutdown continues. Recently, a video showed Americans lining up to collect free meal benefits after several states warned that nutrition benefits may not be distributed next month. The video was reportedly filmed in Landover, Maryland. Several social media users claimed the people in line were federal employees. While 700,000 federal workers furloughed, nearly as many working without pay as the US government shutdown continues. Mint could not independently verify the claims of the video. At least a dozen states including Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania and Texas have warned of a possible disruption in benefits for over 41 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, and nearly 7 million recipients of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program threatening rising hunger rates in the country as the shutdown continues. The United States Embassy in Mali has urged American citizens to depart immediately from the West African nation, warning that a jihadist-imposed fuel blockade against the countrys junta government has made daily life increasingly perilous. In its advisory, the US Embassy has said that the ongoing armed conflict has made the security situation completely unpredictable. The US Embassy said, Persistent infrastructure challenges in Mali including continued disruptions of gasoline and diesel supplies, the closure of public institutions such as schools and universities nationwide, and ongoing armed conflict between Malian government and terrorist elements around Bamako increase the unpredictability of Bamakos security situation. All US citizens have been advised to leave the country immediately using commercial aviation. The international airport in Bamako remains open and flights are available. US citizens should depart using commercial aviation, as overland routes to neighboring countries may not be safe for travel due to terrorist attacks along national highways, it said. Also Read | US issues travel alert for THIS popular travel destination, terrorists may hit shopping spots, tourist locations For those who chose not to leave Mali, the US Embassy has asked them to prepare contingency plans for any emergency situations that may arise, including a need to shelter in place for an extended period. For thsoe planning travel to Mali, the embassy said they should avoid travel as the embassy itself is unable to provide emergency services or support to US citizens outside the capital. American citizens are advised to: Avoid any areas of public demonstrations; Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks; Continue to exercise vigilance while in Mali; Exercise caution if in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests; Review your personal security plans; Keep a low profile; Be aware of your surroundings; Keep some form of communication with you; Keep travel documents up to date and easily accessible; Develop plans to gather supplies for sheltering in a secure place; Review your personal security plans; and prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Since September, Al-Qaeda-linked fighters have targeted fuel tankers, particularly those coming from Senegal and Ivory Coast, through which the majority of Mali's imported goods transit. Also Read | American women in India advised 'not to travel alone': US updates travel advisory, warns of rape The jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, have recently appeared to be seeking to isolate the capital Bamako by increasing operations on the surrounding roads. Mali has faced a deepening security crisis for over a decade, driven by violence from jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, along with criminal networks and armed gangs. The situation has been compounded by coups in 2020 and 2021, leaving the country under military rule as the junta continues to struggle against the insurgent groups. The Senate on Tuesday (October 28) took its 13th vote on a Republican-backed clean funding bill intended to reopen the US government until November 21. The measure once again failed to clear the 60-vote threshold, falling 54-45, with no lawmakers switching their positions from previous attempts. Vice President JD Vance is expected to join Senate Republicans for a closed-door lunch as frustration mounts over the prolonged shutdown. Shutdown fallout grows nationwide The shutdown, now in its 28th day, continues to deepen its impact across federal services. The largest union representing government employees is pressing Senate Democrats to reach a deal to restore pay and operations. One of the most urgent concerns is the looming disruption to SNAP food assistance, which supports 42 million low-income Americans. Benefits could stop as early as Saturday, unless emergency funds are released. States sue over food aid freeze A coalition of Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of unlawfully refusing to use existing emergency reserves to keep food benefits flowing. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson warned that millions of children could go hungry if action is not taken. Nearly 600,000 children in our state could be without food in a few days because USDA is playing an illegal game of shutdown politics, Jackson said. They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and theyre refusing to spend it. The states argue that the government has a $5 billion contingency fund available that should be used to cover the estimated $8 billion needed for Novembers payments. Austin Bennett Tice, a former US Marine turned journalist, disappeared in Syria in 2012 while covering the countrys civil war, has become one of the most enduring mysteries of the conflict. His commitment to documenting human suffering and challenging those in power defined his work, while his fate has remained a source of heartbreak and unanswered questions for more than a decade. Here is what to know about the courageous war reporter who risked everything to tell Syrias story. Family roots and early life Born in Houston, Texas, Tice was the eldest of seven children in a close Catholic family passionate about travel and global awareness. He was fiercely protective of his siblings and deeply connected to his parents, Debra and Marc Tice. Marine Corps Service and motivation Before entering journalism, Tice served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine Corps officer. Commanders remembered him as curious, confident and committed to inclusivity, especially toward local partners on the battlefield. The violence he witnessed during his deployment shaped his worldview and ultimately inspired him to pursue war reporting as a mission to document suffering and hold power to account. Shift to war reporting After returning home, Tice enrolled in law school at Georgetown University but soon realized that a legal career was not his calling. When the Arab Spring erupted, he saw an opportunity to witness history and amplify the voices of Syrians fighting for their freedom. In May 2012, he traveled independently to Syria, embedding with rebel groups, dodging shelling and filing vivid dispatches and photographs for outlets including McClatchy and The Washington Post. He quickly earned recognition for his natural instincts as a reporter, capturing both the danger and humanity of a collapsing nation. Disappearance near Damascus In August 2012, just after his 31st birthday, Tice vanished near Damascus. A video later emerged showing him blindfolded, widely believed to have been staged by Syrian government forces. For more than a decade, his whereabouts remained unknown. His parents waged an unrelenting campaign to bring him home, meeting US presidents and pressing global leaders for answers. They never gave up hope that he was alive. Unresolved fate after Assads fall A new chapter opened in late 2024 when Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime fell. Fresh claims surfaced indicating Tice may have died as far back as 2013 on Assads orders, according to a senior Syrian general who later failed an FBI polygraph, CNNs coverage stated. The conflicting information has left key questions unresolved, prolonging the anguish of those who knew and admired Tice. Legacy of courage and accountability Austin Tice embodied the courage and conviction that drives journalists to witness war even at great personal risk. His disappearance has become a symbol of the countless Syrians who were detained, tortured or killed in secret. Thirteen years on, his legacy continues to push families, activists and governments to demand accountability and the safe return of all who vanished while seeking the truth. (With CNN contribution) Also Read | Tear gas use: Chicago judge orders Border Patrol official to appear in court United States Vice President JD Vance has asserted that the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is holding despite the skirmishes. Vance's remarks came after Israel launched air strikes on Gaza over alleged attack on its troops. The ceasefire is holding. That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there, Vance said. Speaking of the skirmishes, Vance said that an IDF soldier was attacked so the United States expects retaliation from the Israelis. We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an (Israeli military) soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the President's peace is going to hold despite that, he said. The US-brokered ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 10, halting two years of war that was triggered by deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and that has devastated the narrow coastal strip. Both sides have accused each other of ceasefire violations. Gazas civil defence agency said Israel launched airstrikes despite an active ceasefire after the authorities alleged that Hamas violated the truce by attacking its troops. After the strikes, Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli air strike on a vehicle in the south of the territory killed five people. At least five [were killed] in an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the agency, told AFP. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered powerful strikes on Gaza after alleging that Hamas had violated the ceasefire. Defence Minister Israel Katz accused Hamas of attacking its troops in Gaza. The terrorist organisation Hamas will pay a heavy price for attacking IDF soldiers in Gaza and for violating the agreement to return the bodies of the hostages, Israel Katz said in a statement. Hamas's attack today on IDF soldiers in Gaza is a crossing of a bright red line, to which the IDF will respond with great force. Hamas has, however, denied attacking the Israeli troops in Gaza, as it also affirmed its commitment to the agreement with Israel to cease war and exchange the prisoners and hostages. In a statement, the group said, Hamas affirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement. Days before major countries of the world are set to meet in Brazil for the COP30 climate summit, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has come out with a memo where he has claimed that climate change will not be ending civilisation. The memo, published on his Gates Notes blog on Tuesday, called for a pragmatic as well as proportionate approach when it comes to tackling the effects of global warming. Gates, who himself is a big advocate of green technology, said that there will be 'serious consequences" of climate change but "People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future." Also Read | Climate talks: Fossil fuel lobbyists should be kept off the high table He also writes on how he believes some climate advocates might disagree with his views and even call him a hypocrite considering the carbon footprint he leaves behind. Gates claims that he offsets the same with "legitimate" carbon credits. Gates against doomsday outlook Gates does not support what he calls 'the doomsday outlook', since he believes such sentiments will make the climate community "to focus too much on near-term emissions goals", which will divert resources from what he calls "the most effective things we should be doing to improve life in a warming world." Gates, in the blogpost, outlines "Three tough truths about climate", i.e., 1. climate change will not be ending human civilisation, 2. temperature is not the best measure to judge progress in combating climate change, and 3. health and prosperity can humanity's strongest defence in a world that is growing warmer. He points out that global warming will be less than three-degree Celcius by 2100, and that innovation will be crucial to fight the climate crisis. Projected global warming scale. "In the past 10 years, weve cut projected emissions by more than 40 percent," Gates said. Gates insists that it is far more important to ensure "fewer people live in poverty and poor health so that extreme weather isn't such a threat to them." Also Read | Are we doing enough to reduce emissions? In the article, he goes on to point out five sectors which emit all the greenhouse gases: manufacturing, electricity production, agriculture, transportation, and buildings. He then takes each sector and elucidates on how to make them more eco-friendly, and also points out how prioritising just the reduction of emission while ignoring concerns like steady food supply might prove to be detrimental in the long run. Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first woman prime minister, lauded US President Donald Trump's role in mediating international conflicts and announced plans to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House. This is Trump's second Nobel Peace Prize nomination in a week, following Cambodia's announcement days earlier. Japan's new premier, Sanae Takaichi, lavished Donald Trump with praise and vowed a "golden age of ties" during his visit to Tokyo on Tuesday, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Why did Japan nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize? At a meeting in Tokyos Akasaka Palace on Tuesday, Takaichi commended Trump for his diplomatic interventions, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Mr. President succeeded in securing a ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia... also, the deal you have recently achieved in the Middle East is an unprecedented, historic achievement, Takaichi said. Also Read | Cambodia joins list of countries to nominate Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize Her remarks echoed Trumps self-styled image as the President of Peace, a phrase he frequently uses to describe his claims of having resolved or mediated conflicts in regions including Gaza, Thailand and Cambodia, and between India and Pakistan. Although Donald Trump did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize this year, his campaign for the accolade has gathered momentum, with formal nominations from Israel, Pakistan, Cambodia, Thailand, and now Japan. How did Cambodia show support? During Trumps earlier stop in Kuala Lumpur, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reiterated his decision to nominate Trump, citing his unwavering dedication to peace. Also Read | Pak PM Shehbaz Sharifs Sycophancy In Full Display For 3 Mins Recognising your unwavering dedication and resolute efforts to promote peace, not only between Cambodia and Thailand but also among other nations, and reflecting the gratitude of the Cambodian peoples, I have nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, Hun said in Malaysia. Which countries have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize? Donald Trumps growing list of international nominations underscores his continued diplomatic influence and the admiration he commands among certain world leaders. Beyond Japan, the US President has received formal nominations from: Cambodia, for mediating peace between Thailand and Cambodia Israel and Pakistan, for regional stabilisation efforts Thailand, for supporting cross-border diplomacy Gabon, for brokering a ceasefire between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema credited Donald Trump for bringing peace back to a region where that was never possible. What did Trump and Takaichi agree on in Tokyo? In addition to the symbolic nomination, Trump and Takaichi signed a bilateral deal on critical minerals and rare earths, a strategic move aimed at reducing dependency on China and strengthening supply chains for advanced technologies. According to Japans Kyodo News, the agreement emphasises joint cooperation to secure rare earth supplies a critical area in which China currently dominates global production. Takaichi pledged to build what she called a new golden era of USJapan relations, declaring that the alliance had become the greatest alliance in the world. I have always had a great love of Japan and a great respect of Japan, Trump said during their talks. I will say that this will be a relationship that will be stronger than ever before. Any time you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favours you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there. Whats next on Trumps Asia tour? Donald Trump began his Asia tour in Malaysia, where he attended the ASEAN Summit and brokered a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia. Weeks after violent clashes erupted between GenZ protesters and security forces in Morocco as the youth demonstrated for better education and health care in the country, the country's public prosecutors office said on Tuesday that nearly 2,400 people now face possible prosecution. Over 1,400 were already in detention, Hassan Farhan, a judge and senior judicial official at the public prosecutor's office, said in a press conference and of the 2,480 defendants, about a fifth were charged with rebellion as part of a group. Dozens of individuals have been charged with offenses including assaulting law enforcement officers and incitement to commit crimes and participation in armed gatherings, Farhan said. As many as 411 people, including 76 minors, have been convicted of the said crimes, the prosecutor's office added, and more than 60 persons have been sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 years. The charges mainly include vandalism, looting, or arson. Violent clashes broke out between GenZ protesters and security forces in Morocco as the demonstrators demanded a corruptionless society echoing similar youth-led protests in Nepal, where young people took to the streets calling for transparency and accountability in governance. Cars and banks were set ablaze, and protesters also allegedly pelted stones at the forces. They were organised on social media by a youth group called GenZ 212. The group organised a series of demonstrations seeking reforms in the health and education sectors, as well as an end to corruption. In the initial days of the protests, when the gatherings were banned, police made hundreds of arrests. Two nights were marked by violence, including in Agadir, where three people were killed in clashes, though organisers insisted on their commitment to nonviolent protest. Last week, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) called for "fair trials" for all defendants and denounced what it described as "police reports written under duress". Farhan said that "all conditions for fair trials" had been guaranteed, adding that the police records were all drawn up in accordance with the Moroccan law. For two weeks, the demonstrations were held on a near-daily basis. But they have gradually waned in both frequency and turnout, particularly after a speech by Morocco's king calling for social reforms and the announcement of a draft $15 billion budget laying out improvements to health and education. Social inequality has been a major challenge in Morocco, where deep regional disparities persist alongside a gap between the public and private sectors. Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm, one of the strongest ever to hit the island, and is expected to leave a trail of widespread destruction in its wake. Up to 1.5 million people in Jamaica are expected to be impacted by Hurricane Melissa, with officials warning of extensive devastation along the storms path. As a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Melissa will be sustained with wind speed of 295 kmph. In Jamaica, it entered near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and will exit around St. Ann parish in the north. At least seven persons have died in the Caribbean due to Hurricane Melissa three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. After making a landfall in Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa will head for Cuba. Thousands living in the impact region have been evacuated before the hurricane makes its way there. Authorities in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people on Tuesday, in addition to a similar number moved to safety from the town of Banes. Melissa would make landfall in eastern Cuba overnight Tuesday or early Wednesday. Footage on social media and state television showed blue-and-white buses transporting evacuees to shelters. Families held tight to babies and bundles of belongings, while elderly passengers, some leaning on canes, carefully made their way off the buses. Also Read | Tropical Storm Melissa to become a major hurricane? Here is what we know Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martinez said, This phenomenon is very dangerous. It is unprecedented. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. It is going to be a very dangerous scenario, said Michael Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, warning that there would be total building failures. The highest mountains in Jamaica could also see winds gusting up up to 321 kmph. Michael Brennan said, Its just a catastrophic situation playing out here for Jamaica. Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council, has urged people to move to shelters or stay indoors to stay safe during the Category 5 storm. Jamaica this is not the time to be brave, local government minister Desmond McKenzie told a briefing. Israeli warplanes struck Gaza City on Tuesday (October 28), targeting an area near Shifa hospital, the largest remaining operational medical facility in northern Gaza, according to witnesses and Hamas media, Reuters reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes, the news report stated. The attack came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to carry out "powerful attacks" in response to what he called a Hamas violation of the fragile ceasefire in place since October 10. Israel accuses Hamas of ceasefire breach Netanyahus office gave no further details, though an Israeli military official accused Hamas of firing on Israeli forces in an area under Israeli control. This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire, the official said. The current US-backed truce halted two years of war that began after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaches in recent days, including an Israeli claim of a targeted strike in central Gaza on Saturday. Dispute over hostage remains Earlier, Netanyahu accused Hamas of breaking the agreement by returning the wrong remains during the process of handing over hostage bodies. Israel said the remains delivered belonged to Ofir Tzarfati, whose body had already been partially retrieved by Israeli forces. In response, Hamas announced it would delay a planned handover of another hostages remains, alleging Israeli violations of the deal. Hamas said it continues to comply with the terms and accused Netanyahu of looking for excuses to back out of Israels obligations. Ceasefire terms under strain As part of the agreement, Hamas should release all living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, while Israel withdrew its troops and paused major operations. Hamas also agreed to locate and return bodies of deceased hostages, though the group said the process is difficult amid widespread destruction. Israel insists Hamas has access to most of the remains. Search effort expands across Gaza The search intensified this week, with Egyptian heavy machinery operating in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. Bulldozers have been digging near tunnel shafts as Hamas fighters secure the area, looking for remains believed to be buried in the militant groups underground tunnel network. Footage from Reuters showed excavations several metres deep, including one tunnel entrance where fighters appeared to be searching for bodies. Human toll of the war Gaza health officials say 68,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli strikes since the war began, with thousands more missing under rubble. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in the October 2023 attack. International tech giants Meta, TikTok and Snapchat announced on Tuesday that they will comply with Australia's under-16 social media ban, once it takes effect on 10 December. Australia's Parliament approved the law, which requires social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to remove users under 16. Tech companies could face fines up to $32.5 million for non-compliance. Although the platforms agreed to abide by the law, they warned that the landmark law could prove difficult to enforce and raised concerns about imposing such a law, AFP reported. What are the difficulties? Snapchat, ByteDance's TikTok and Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) said the ban would be hard to police, but confirmed they would comply with the regulations. Meta's policy director, Mia Garlick, said the firm was still solving numerous challenges, including identifying and removing hundreds of thousands of users under 16 by the 10 December deadline. However, she also said the process is difficult and poses significant new engineering and age assurance challenges. TikTok's Australia policy lead, Ella Woods-Joyce, was present in the Senate hearing on Tuesday. She commented, TikTok will comply with the law and meet our legislative obligations. However, the short video platform also cautioned that the blunt age ban could have unintended consequences. Snapchat owner Snap's Senior Vice President of global policy and platform operations, via a video link, shared the sentiments of other social media platforms. She said, We don't agree, but we accept and we will abide by the law. Experts fear banning younger users from social media will simply push them towards darker corners of the Internet where protections don't exist, said Woods-Joyce. While social media companies are not required to verify the ages of all users, they must take reasonable steps to detect and deactivate underage accounts. Companies found to be flouting the law will face substantial fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32.5 million). Tech industry's criticism There is keen interest in whether Australia's sweeping restrictions would work or not, as regulators around the globe have been contemplating the dangers of accessing social media at a young age. Australia's under-16 social media ban is considered one of the strictest in the world, on paper. With just over a month until the law comes into effect, the nation is scrambling to fill in key questions around enforcement and firms' obligations. The tech industry has largely criticised Australia's ban, calling it vague, problematic, and rushed, AFP reported. Also Read | Javed Akhtar schools social media user for comparing Mughals with the Jews Video streaming platform YouTube, which also falls under the ban, expressed concerns earlier this month. Local spokeswoman Rachel Lord said, The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfil its promise of making kids safer online. US President Donald Trump met Japan's newly chosen conservative leader and first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, on Monday. The two leaders signed a framework for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths. The deal was signed during the US president's visit to Tokyo on an Asia trip. Earlier, the White House said the US and Japan will work to secure their critical minerals and rare earths supply chains by addressing non-market policies and unfair trade practices. Takaichi and Trump were also expected to finalise a trade deal. Takaichi's predecessor had negotiated a 15 percent rate for most Japanese exports to the US but the deal is yet to be signed. Within six months of date of framework, Japan and the US intend to take measures to support projects to generate end-product for delivery to buyers in US, Japan and like-minded nations, the White House said. According to BBC, Trump wants more US access to Japans markets - especially in cars, agriculture, and technology. Hes pressing Japan to buy more American rice and soybeans, and to open its market to US vehicles. Here's all about Trump-Takaichi meeting in 5 points: 1. In her first face-to-face meeting with President Trump, Takaichi described him as a partner in a new golden age and praised his role in Middle East peace. She pledged Tuesday to build a "new golden era" of the Japan-US alliance together with President Donald Trump. Also Read | Trump Reveals Key Details On Tariffs Ahead Of Meet With Xi Jinping In Seoul 2. Meanwhile, President Trump praised Japan as "a great ally" and said hell be there to help Japan whenever needed. But hes also pushing hard on trade and security. "I want to just let you know - any time you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there," Trump was quoted by BBC as saying. 3. A Japanese government source reportedly said Takaichi intends to tell Trump of her plan to recommend him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Pakistan and Cambodia have already nominated Trump for the prize. 4. For Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Japan's first female leader it was an early test of both her diplomacy and her leadership. Shes hosting Trump just days after taking office, at a moment when Japan faces a more uncertain regional landscape. 5. Donald Trump told Japan's new leader Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday that Washington is an ally of the strongest level. "We are an ally at the strongest level, and it's a great honour to be with you, especially so early in what will be, I think, one of the greatest prime ministers," he told Takaichi at their meeting. Trump tariff on Japan Automakers Japan's largest exporters to the US faced 24 percent tariffs and tens of billions of dollars in losses. Tariffs have now been lowered to 15 percent. Trump imposed tariffs of 15 percent on imports from Japan and forced its ally to commit to investing $550 billion to advance economic and security interests in the US. Opinion / Columnist In every community setting across South Africa, the dominant conversation is about the criminal activities of the ANC party and government. Multiple commissions of inquiry have exposed serious acts of corruption, only for the cases to fizzle out without consequence. The only commission that stood out was the Mkhwanazi Commission - because it revealed the devil in the detail. It exposed the magnitude of corruption embedded in key levers of state power.Corruption began early. When Nelson Mandela left his Soweto home for the leafy suburb of Houghton, courtesy of De Beers magnate Mr. Oppenheimer, it set a dangerous precedent. That gesture came with strings attached - one of which was to distance himself from Winnie Mandela. At the time, few realized such gestures carried political implications.There is not much money to be made in politics. A politician's salary does not support opulent living in white suburbs. Yet black elites strive to emulate white lifestyles - at all costs. Among themselves, competition becomes vicious: Who owns the better home? Which holiday resorts do they frequent? What schools do their children attend? How many luxury cars? How many domestic workers?This competition is evident in the case of President Ramaphosa's nephew, Hangwani Maumela, who looted over R1 billion from Tembisa Hospital. He bought multiple villas - one in Sandton worth R20 million - and four luxury cars, three of them Lamborghinis.Criminals and mafias know how to approach black politicians in key ministries - Police, Justice, even the Presidency. Once backdoor deals are made, the politician becomes powerless. Criminals dictate terms: who gets released from prison, which whistleblowers are silenced. Drugs enter the country unchecked. Human trafficking is rampant. Recently, over 100 women and children from Malawi were trafficked into South Africa in containers. Lack of oversight made detection impossible, Mkhwanazi said.Many politicians are now part of these underground syndicates - becoming criminals themselves. South Africa has adopted a Colombian-style mafia economy. The silence surrounding the death of Ambassador Nkosinathi Mthethwa is disturbing. Even Julius Malema's name has surfaced - he reportedly spoke to Mthethwa shortly before his death. This suggests that no one is clean.South Africa needs a complete reset - a renewed commitment to serve its 64.5 million citizens, most of whom are black and living below the poverty line. The ANC has failed. It made empty promises in 1994 and has since been captured by criminals. Citizens must reclaim power.What would a reset look like? South Africa is not Zimbabwe - not even by a stretch. Its intelligentsia remains intact. There are platforms for critique, spaces for dissent. Activists and think tanks can challenge the ANC without fear of death.In Zimbabwe, this is impossible. Ibbo Mandaza's SAPES Trust was recently petrol-bombed. The security guard was abducted. Those who dare to speak out are imprisoned or eliminated - like Itai Dzamara. Zimbabwe's educated class has fled, not out of disloyalty, but to protect their children. The absence of intelligentsia is now being felt.South Africa still has vibrant platforms exploring alternatives to the ANC. But the country is collapsing before our eyes. There is urgency. If the rot reaches the presidency, the ANC must be dismantled. A new dispensation - beyond politics - must be imagined.Before Zimbabwe's 2017 coup, the country teetered on collapse. Ibbo Mandaza and others proposed a National Transitional Authority (NTA) to buffer the fall. The idea was to avoid chaos and create a roadmap for recovery. Somalia and Sudan show what happens when there is no Plan B.The NTA was designed to restore constitutional governance, reform key institutions, transform the electoral framework, and stabilize the economy. It would replace both executive and legislature for 3-5 years, with a singular mandate: reform.Prince Mashele, speaking on Sizwe Mpofu's platform, argued that ANC leaders must be held accountable. Investigate them. Follow the money. Prosecute the guilty. That is the first step toward a reset.Second, a national dialogue must begin. A reset means suspending politics and selecting a coalition of technocrats - ethical, educated, competent, black and white - to govern for 15 years without elections. True reform is only possible with leadership dedicated to the people.Democratic elections that reproduce the same corrupt, unqualified ANC politicians must end. The reset button must remove the ANC permanently from power.Ibbo Mandaza and Prince Mashele's proposals converge. Both advocate for technocratic governance. Their ideas echo a continental trend. In West Africa and the Sahel, countries are improving living standards - without parliamentary democracy.Mashele proposes suspending parliament for 15 years. Mandaza's NTA spans 3-5 years. The methods differ, but the goal is the same: reform.Mashele goes further - calling for the removal of racial, social, and economic barriers in leadership. This would allow the best professionals from the private sector to serve. Zimbabwe's farm invasions were a disaster. The land was not given to the people, but to the elite. It brought hunger and poverty.Neither Ramaphosa nor Mnangagwa can lead this renewal. Both countries need a new generation of educated, ethical leaders. A renaissance leadership - one that understands the complexity of tribal dynamics and builds unity for the common good. Most AI developers prefer to use open-weight models to build their solutions because they can be fine-tuned to suit specific requirements. Take, for example, DeepSeek, the open-weight Chinese AI model. Perplexity was able to fine-tune it to remove all China-specific bias, as a result of which its users were able to get honest answers to questions about the 1989 protests at Tiananmen Square. This is not possible when the same questions are asked of the DeepSeek API (or application programming interface). Perhaps more importantly, open-weight modelsthese are not open-source as traditionally understood but allow some amount of adjustmentcan be downloaded and deployed in their own compute environment, ensuring that developers are not dependent on big AI labs for continued access to the models they need. This gives companies developing retail applications a level of freedom they otherwise lack. Also Read | When will tech firms gain from AI? They must reinvent work to harness its power I used to believe that open weight models were the way to go until I read the documentation accompanying GPT-OSS, OpenAIs first open-weight model since GPT-2. In the safety paper it released, OpenAI stated that it had intentionally kept the models capabilities below the current frontier, as that was the only way to ensure that bad actors would not be able to use it for nefarious purposes. While I am all for ensuring that AI models are safe, I worry that if there is no other way to guarantee model safety, the long-term implications for Indian developers will be grim. Among the many concerns raised about open-weight models, foremost is the risk of malicious fine-tuning. In much the same way that Perplexity removed Chinese bias from DeepSeek, malicious actors could circumvent safeguards that block access to the potentially harmful information in these models. If that happens, the knowledge uplift will make it far easier for those so inclined to carry out dangerous cyberattacks, develop deadly weapons, or synthesize harmful biological substances. Also Read | Will the Agentic AI browser frenzy push Big Tech into an AI winter? While all AI models contain this sort of information, when users can only access a model through an API that is under the deployers control, requests for dangerous information can be denied or side-stepped with a benign response. This, however, is not possible in the case of open-weight models, given that they can not only be downloaded and used within their own compute environment, but their weights can be modified to remove constraints designed to guard against precisely this sort of behaviour. It seems that OpenAI has come to the conclusion that the only way to ensure this does not happen is to make sure that its models are far less capable than those at the frontier. If safe openness becomes a function of how far behind the state-of-the-art a model has to be in order to ensure that it cannot be misused, those who build applications using open-weight models will find that what they are capable of building will steadily drift further away from the cutting edge of what is possible. Also Read | Deloittes AI blunder in Australia should caution early adopters of this tech Now, one might argue that we do not require all the capabilities of frontier models to solve the sorts of problems that we are relying on AI to address in India. That being the case, does it really matter how far the models are from the cutting edge? While I agree that there is much we can do with even the more basic models (and that, as a result, none of this should be an immediate concern), I worry that, in time, the capabilities we really need may no longer be available in the models being released with open weights. When that happens, Indias AI developer ecosystem will have no choice but to use APIs to access the AI features we need. This, however, would place us at the mercy of large AI labs. They will, should they choose, be able to simply turn off access to the API or throttle our use. And, since most frontier AI labs are located in the US, API access could become yet another geopolitical tool, wielded in much the same way as export restrictions and sanctions are today. If this is an eventuality we are likely to face, it would be in our interests to secure API access to cutting-edge models on the most favourable terms that we can manage. One way to do this might be to require AI labs to appropriately localize their weights so that Indian developers do not lose access to the most recent versions, notwithstanding the pushes and pulls of geopolitics. For this, we should negotiate model escrow arrangements and ensure that inference endpoints reside in our own sovereign cloud environments. This way, the AI we need would be functionally local, even if frontier development continues to take place in the US. What interest would big AI labs have in acceding to this request? First, India is one of the worlds largest markets for AI outside the US. All the big AI labs have an interest in being able to benefit from the vast retail opportunity that a country of Indias size presents. But beyond the mere commercial motive of adding new subscribers, AI labs will benefit from understanding exactly how we use AI. India has one of the most diverse AI user bases in the world, offering these companies a rich test-bed they can use to improve how their models work and the services they can offer. India should leverage this to its advantage to help secure favourable API access for our developers. And we should do so soon, before the open-weight models we currently rely on fall so far behind the state of the art that they are no longer useful. The author is a partner at Trilegal and the author of The Third Way: Indias Revolutionary Approach to Data Governance. His X handle is @matthan. A few weeks ago, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky asked his top lieutenants to identify the problems they saw quietly plaguing the company. Chesky called it the fester list." One executive threw out an issue: Too many Airbnb employees werent present in meetings because they were checking their phones or laptops. Its a huge problem," Chesky said. Then the chief had a realization. He was guilty of zoning out, too. Sometimes Im like, OK, I heard it. I know what youre about to say. I know the subject matter," Chesky said. I text, but then people see me text, they text. This is a major societal problem." For years, bosses have railed against distractions in meetings. But many say that despite phone bans and public shaming, the problem doesnt seem to be getting any better. Some are exploring new tactics, from hiding Wi-Fi passwords to levying fines. View Full Image Jamie Dimon used part of his annual letter to complain about phone use. This has to stop. Its disrespectful. It wastes time," JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon wrote in his annual letter to investors in April. Dimon renewed his complaints this month. If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like youre reading your email or getting notifications, I tell you to close the damn thing," he said at Fortunes Most Powerful Women Summit. Brad Jacobs, the billionaire CEO of building-products distributor QXO, devoted a chapter in his book to electric meetings," noting many gatherings are deathly dull and full of passive listeners. Chairs might as well be filled with human-shaped cardboard cutouts," he wrote. By contrast, a distraction-free meeting can be riveting, he argued. Its very validating to have a couple dozen of your colleagues actually listening to what youre saying," Jacobs said at a Goldman Sachs event last year. View Full Image QXO Chief Brad Jacobs said many meetings are so dull that chairs may as well be filled with cardboard cutouts. For an off-site in July, Brad Fixler, a vice president of marketing at the Colorado-based healthcare system UCHealth, declined to share the Wi-Fi password in a meeting room. If employees needed to take a call or connect online, they could do so elsewhere. People didnt freak out, Fixler said. Instead, many seemed relieved not being tethered to a device. The conversation was better," he said. He is considering instituting a lighthearted corporate equivalent of a swear jar," where employees pay a small penalty whenever they pull out their phones or laptops. The money could go to charity. If the phone is visible during a meeting, then money goes into the phone jar," Fixler said. We can gamify the rules." At the workplace software company UKG, Bob DelPonte has asked colleagues in his team meetings to at least put their phones face down. People have learned to self police, calling each other out by saying things like, Hey, you know, you seem to be somewhere else," said DelPonte, the companys chief customer experience officer. Its a nice thing. It doesnt have to be iron fist." Some employees point out that broadly, the rules have changed, with bosses expecting staffers to be connected at all hours to respond quickly to messages. They also note that their superiors may be oblivious to the parallel conversations that are now a key part of meeting culture. Workers may be texting or emailing colleagues to compare notes or answer a question raised by a bossto say nothing of personal issues that may need attention. Others appreciate texts during their meetings. Andy Decker, CEO of Goodwin Recruiting, conducts remote meetings for his recruiting firm. If he is going long on a subject, his co-workers will let him knowvia their phones. Decker said he occasionally receives a three-letter text from colleagues in a meeting: LTP," short for land the plane. A text can be helpful, like: Dont get in the weeds on this one, youre losing people," Decker said. It makes the meetings better because we allow that." In a moment of hiring slowdowns and flattened corporate hierarchies, many employees are doing the jobs of multiple people, and some say workers should also be forgiven for looking at their phones. People use their cellphones for all types of meaningful information today," said Bob Chapman, chairman of the manufacturing and professional services giant Barry-Wehmiller, who co-wrote a book on a kinder approach to leadership. It never occurred to me to tell people not to use their cellphone in a meeting." Some say the onus is also on executives to help make meetings more valuable. When Ashley Herd, a former chief people officer and general counsel, leads offsites and management training sessions, she will often pause when she sees people looking at their phones. Instead of reprimanding attendees, she takes it as a cue to discuss how attendees balance demands on their time. At Airbnb, Chesky said the company likely isnt going to introduce any new processes or rules. Instead, Airbnbs leadership team has now agreed to try to reset the meeting culture by living as examples. Chesky said hes aiming to not look at his phone unless its an emergency. View Full Image Airbnbs Brian Chesky admitted hes guilty of zoning out during meetings. These things are tools. Theyre neither good or bad, inherentlyits what we do with them," he said. Overuse is an issue. I dont think the phone is a problem. I think the amount of time we stare at a phone is a problem." Sam Altman-led OpenAI has announced on Tuesday that it will provide free access to ChatGPT Go for one year to users in India who register during a limited-time promotional period starting 4 November. The move coincides with the companys upcoming DevDay Exchange event in Bengaluru, its first in India. The offer is available to both new users and existing ChatGPT Go subscribers, who will automatically receive an additional 12 months of complimentary access. What does ChatGPT Go offer? Launched in India in August, ChatGPT Go is a lower-cost subscription tier designed in response to user feedback seeking more accessible options for advanced AI tools. The plan offers higher message limits, image generation, and file upload capabilities, making it a flexible choice for everyday and professional use. View full Image According to OpenAI, India was among the first markets to receive ChatGPT Go, signalling the companys growing focus on the region. ( AI-generated graphic ) According to OpenAI, India was among the first markets to receive ChatGPT Go, signalling the companys growing focus on the region. Within the first month of launch, the number of paid ChatGPT subscribers in India more than doubled, prompting OpenAI to expand the plan to nearly 90 markets globally. India becomes one of ChatGPTs largest markets in the world OpenAI describes India as its second-largest and one of its fastest-growing user bases, with millions of people, including developers, students, and professionals, relying on ChatGPT daily. This promotion is a continuation of OpenAIs India-first commitment and supports the IndiaAI Mission, reinforcing the growing momentum around AI in India as the country prepares to host the AI Impact Summit next year, the company said in a statement. Nick Turley, OpenAIs Vice President and Head of ChatGPT, said the company had been encouraged by the enthusiastic response since ChatGPT Go debuted in India. Since launching ChatGPT Go in India a few months ago, the adoption and creativity weve seen from our users has been inspiring, Turley said. Ahead of our first DevDay Exchange event in India, were making ChatGPT Go freely available for a year to help more people across India easily access and benefit from advanced AI. Google has denied reports of a major Gmail security breach after claims surfaced online that millions of email passwords had been leaked. The company clarified that the allegations were based on a misunderstanding of previously stolen data circulating on the internet, not on a new attack targeting Gmail. Google claims Gmail data breach reports are false On Tuesday, Googles official X account News from Google addressed the issue, stating, Reports of a Gmail security breach impacting millions of users are false. Gmails defences are strong, and users remain protected. The post explained that the misleading reports stemmed from a misunderstanding of infostealer databases, which frequently compile data from various credential theft incidents across the web. According to Google, these collections do not indicate a fresh attack on Gmail or any other specific platform. The company also claimed to users that it actively monitors for large batches of exposed credentials and helps affected users reset passwords to secure their accounts. Researcher reports massive leak The controversy began after Australian cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, who runs the breach notification platform Have I Been Pwned, revealed that a massive 3.5-terabyte database containing around 183 million email credentials had surfaced online. Hunt said the data, allegedly comprising information from various past breaches, might include Gmail accounts, among other providers. The leak drew global attention after being highlighted by The New York Times, which mentioned Hunt's advice for users to check if their details had been compromised by visiting HaveIBeenPwned.com. Users can enter their email addresses on the site to see if they appear in any known breaches and to get information about when and where the data exposure occurred. How to secure your Gmail accounts? While Google maintains that Gmail itself has not been compromised, the company reiterated its advice for users to strengthen their account protection. The tech giant encouraged everyone to enable two-step verification, adopt passkeys as a safer alternative to passwords, and reset credentials if they appear in public data sets. Google added that its security systems automatically detect and mitigate threats arising from large-scale credential dumps, ensuring affected accounts are promptly resecured. Experts recommend that anyone concerned about their online security should: Check their email addresses on Have I Been Pwned Change passwords regularly Avoid reusing passwords across multiple sites Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible Elon Musks artificial intelligence company xAI has unveiled Grokipedia, a new AI-powered encyclopedia that the tech mogul describes as a truth-seeking knowledge base. The platform, launched on Tuesday morning, is being positioned as a faster, more factual, and less politically biased alternative to Wikipedia, the worlds most-visited reference website. Testing Grokipedia for accuracy, bias, and tone To understand how Grokipedia performs, we ran a few searches to check its accuracy, tone, source transparency, and timeliness. Our first test query was Climate Change. The AI encyclopedia responded almost instantly, offering detailed information on the topic. Much like Wikipedia, it organised the page with multiple subheadings such as Definitions, Basic Concepts, Greenhouse Effect, and Historical Context. The entry cited credible sources, including essd.copernicus.org and science.nasa.gov, with clear attributions within each section. The tone throughout was neutral, and the presentation was easy to follow. It was a mix of AI precision and encyclopedic structure that felt clean and concise. Grokipedia misses results for niche queries Next, we tested a less common query: Gemini Nano Banana. Grokipedia did not return any results for this search, but when modified to Gemini AI, the platform produced a comprehensive overview. Grokipedia couldn't answer niche searches like Gemini Nano Banana. The results included a detailed explanation of Googles Gemini AI model, covering its launch timeline, rebranding history, architecture, and context within the broader AI landscape. While the structure and flow closely resembled a typical Wikipedia page, it became clear that Grokipedias database is still limited in scope. It offers in-depth information only on topics it recognises, suggesting that expansion is still underway. Grokipedia shows potential as a fast, structured, and well-sourced knowledge tool. Verdict: Promising but early days From our brief testing, Grokipedia shows potential as a fast, structured, and well-sourced knowledge tool. Its interface and tone feel comparable to Wikipedia, but its coverage remains limited, especially on niche or emerging subjects. If xAI continues to expand its database and maintain transparent sourcing, Grokipedia could emerge as a notable challenger in the digital knowledge space. Musk: "You can ask Grok to edit or delete articles Following the launch, Elon Musk took to X to share details about the project. Cool. Im reading these for the first time btw, he posted. Grok generated about 1M articles using a lot of compute. You will be able to ask Grok to add/modify/delete articles and it will either take the action or tell you it wont and why. Musks post was in response to a thread by Mark Kern (@Grummz), a former video game executive, who praised Grokipedias handling of the controversial Gamergate topic. The internet is buzzing with excitement after news broke that Hollywood actor Chris Evans has officially become a father. The Captain America star and his wife Alba Baptista reportedly welcomed their first child over the weekend in Massachusetts, according to TMZ. Internet Explodes with Reactions as Chris Evans Becomes a Father for the First Time The couple has yet to share details about the babys name or gender, but that hasnt stopped fans from flooding social media with congratulations and plenty of humour. Also Read | Chris Evans welcomes first child with wife Alba Baptista Evans, 44, and Baptista, 28, have kept much of their relationship out of the spotlight since tying the knot on 9 September 2023 in an intimate ceremony in Cape Cod. The wedding was attended by a few close friends and family members, including some of Evans Marvel co-stars. The pair first confirmed their relationship publicly on Instagram in late 2022, after months of speculation and subtle online hints that had fans piecing together clues about their romance. As soon as news of the couples new arrival surfaced, social media lit up with fans expressing joy, disbelief, and playful envy. One user wrote, Im so happy for them (sic) while another joked, All the women who thought they had a chance are probably crying themselves to sleep tonight (sic). Many fans couldnt resist tying the announcement back to Evans most iconic role, with one post reading, Baby Captain America (sic), and another fan commenting, OMG, Captain America trading the shield for sippy cups? Iconic glow-up! (sic) The Marvel fandom in particular seemed overjoyed at the thought of Evans stepping into fatherhood, with one user quipping, So we gonna get a new Captain America in about 20 years???? (sic) while another joked, Imagine going to school and being able to say your dad is Captain America (sic). Another person wrote, "Captain America just unlocked dad mode. Congrats to Chris Evans and Alba Baptista, the multiverse officially has a new mini Avenger Though Evans and Baptista have not yet made a formal statement, fans have taken the news as a heart-warming surprise. Fans of rapper Young Bleed have been left shocked and concerned after news emerged that the Louisiana-born artist is currently in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU) following a major medical emergency. Rapper Young Bleed admitted to ICU after a major medical emergency The 47-year-old, whose real name is Glenn Clifton Jr, was the subject of widespread online rumours claiming that he had died prompting his family to step forward and set the record straight. According to his sister Tedra Johnson-Spears, Young Bleed is alive but remains in serious condition. She issued a heartfelt statement on social media, clarifying the misinformation and requesting privacy for the family during this difficult time. This will be my first and last post, she wrote. We are receiving a tremendous amount of calls about my big brother Glenn, Tank, Young Bleed. If you have not called his mother personally, please do not post about him. Our family asks that you respect our privacy and hold all calls and texts at this time. He is still currently in ICU and his mother asked if you all would respect her wishes and not make any RIP posts. Rumours of the rappers death began circulating online on Monday, leading to an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow musicians across social media platforms. Hundreds of posts mourned the apparent loss of the My Balls and My Word artist, but the claims were quickly debunked after the statement from his sister and representatives. Despite this clarification, the exact cause of his medical emergency has not been revealed, and no further health updates have been shared by his family or management team. The timing of the incident has added to fans concern, as it came just a day after Young Bleed reportedly performed at ComplexCon at the Las Vegas Convention Center over the weekend. The sudden nature of his illness has left followers stunned, with many sending prayers and messages of support online. Also Read | 50 Cent trolls Sean Diddy Combs after court sentences rapper to prison Hurricane Melissa has strengthened its grip around Jamaica and parts of the Caribbean over the weekend. Amid the storm moving ahead with high intensity, the weather forecasters have predicted it to be the storm of the century. According to CBS News, Melissa has been the strongest to lash the island since the records were kept 174 years ago. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center revealed to the media portal that the aftermath of the tropical storm has begun occurring in Jamaica. The residents of the country are witnessing landslides, falling trees, and even power outages, with the officials providing warning signs and also mentioning that the cleanup and damage assessment will be slow. Hurricane Melissa path Anne-Claire Fontan, the tropical cyclone specialist hailing from the World Meteorological Organization, revealed to the reporters of Geneva that the hurricane is expected to bring catastrophic damage to the island. Further, Fontan explained, "For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure." The French news agency AFP reported that Melissa could affect 1.5 million people in Jamaica and leave a massive impact on the islands. Meanwhile, the hurricane was expected to make landfall on Tuesday, with a diagonal slice across the country. It would enter St. Elizabeth Parish in the south and exit around St. Ann Parish in the north, said the forecasters. On Wednesday, Melissa will be over southeastern Cuba and later reach the southeastern or central Bahamas, still in the form of a hurricane. How are the government officials preparing for the damage? Ahead of the catastrophic storm hitting Jamaica, the government officials revealed that they had been prepared for all kinds of damage that the hurricane could cause. According to the Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5. He further said, "The question now is the speed of recovery. That's the challenge." According to CBS News reports, the hurricane is expected to bring 15-30 inches of rainfall to parts of Jamaica and 40 inches in other parts of the Caribbean. The hurricane center went on to emphasize the catastrophic flash flooding and landslides that are likely in the coming days. FAQs Q1. What is the hurricane in Jamaica named? The hurricane is named Melissa. Q2. Why is Hurricane Melissa making headlines? Hurricane Melissa is set to become the storm of the century. Hurricane Melissa, which is raging through the Caribbean Sea, has now officially become a Category 5 hurricane. Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba are bracing for the devastating impact of this storm, which is the most powerful this region has seen since 1988, NBC reports. The US National Hurricane Center has issued a warning for the people in Jamaica that says that from Monday, when the hurricane intensified into a Category 5 phenomenon, to Tuesday, people should stay sheltered. The hurricane is predicted to make landfall in the island nation on Tuesday, per NBC. Impact of Hurricane Melissa At 5 AM ET today, the storms location was 130 miles southwest of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica. It was generating winds that were 160 miles per hour, NBC reports. The last time this region witnessed such a strong hurricane was in 1988, when Hurricane Gilbert struck the region. The National Hurricane Center predicts that there will be around 15-30 inches of rain in Jamaica, while in parts of the island, it could go even further to 40 inches. The danger of massive flooding, landslides, and severe infrastructure damage looms over the Caribbean nation. NBC cited Desmond MacKenzie, minister in Jamaicas government, who said that the country has set up 881 shelters and 218 people have already taken refuge in them. According to The Weather Channel, this will be the first instance since records have been kept of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane making landfall in Jamaica. The country came close to experiencing such storms in 1980 and 2004, when hurricanes Allen and Ivan, respectively, passed in proximity to the island, but didnt make landfall. Other countries at risk from Hurricane Melissa While Jamaica is going to bear the brunt of the storm, other countries are also going to feel the impact of Melissa. Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as a powerful major hurricane, and will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center said in its advisory, as reported by The Weather Channel. Jamaica is bracing for the devastating impact Melissa is likely to have. While infrastructural damage is inevitable, the hope would be to prevent loss of life. FAQs What is Hurricane Melissa? Hurricane Melissa is a Category 5 (highest) hurricane moving through the Caribbean Sea. When is Hurricane Melissa going to make landfall? It is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday. Former First Lady Michelle Obama has shared a heartfelt glimpse into her marriage with former US President Barack Obama, reflecting on how the couple has managed to keep their relationship strong through decades of public life and private challenges. Inside Michelle Obamas Secrets to Love, Laughter and Late-Night Date Nights with Barack Her candid comments come in the wake of persistent divorce rumours, which she recently dismissed as baseless. Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, Michelle opened up about the couples rituals, romance, and how love has evolved after more than three decades together. Recalling their time in the White House, Michelle spoke fondly of the good times she and Barack shared even during the pressures of political life. She revealed that state dinners often doubled as their version of date nights, complete with glamour and a touch of romance. For those black tie events, that was like our wedding every time, she said. You felt like the belle of the ball. With each year I got a little riskier, my team and I tried different things. And youre getting all dolled up for your man. She added that the element of surprise was part of their fun: There was an unspoken ritual, he never knew, until I walked out, ready, what I was wearing. Thats the romance, those little moments in this crazy world, where we could look at each other and go, Youre cute. Then we walk downstairs to a barrage of press, lights and cameras, and its like, Just stay in this moment. Its really just us. This is nice. Reflecting on their relationship today, Michelle described how date nights have become simpler but more meaningful. Weve been married 32, 33 [years]... I always forget. Sorry, honey, she joked. When were both happy about date night, were at home. We are not getting dressed. We just have a nice dinner, candles lit, music, we talk. The couple, who often work from home together, keep some conversation topics aside to make the evening special. When we are going to have a really special night, its like, Dont talk to me. Save it for dinner. she said, laughing. But sometimes we go out for dinners in D.C. or wherever. I am too old, I cant do dinner and a movie. I will fall asleep in the movie. So its like, Lets pick one. When Michelle-Barack's Divorce Rumours Were Swirling the Internet Michelles reflections follow months of speculation about her marriage after she chose not to attend Donald Trumps inauguration. On her podcast, she clarified that the decision was a personal one and had nothing to do with marital issues. Also Read | Michelle Obama recalls how Barack Obama proposed to her, old clip resurfaces My decision to skip the inauguration, what people dont realise, or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me, were met with such ridicule and criticism, she said. People couldnt believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart, you know. Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, is posing danger to Jamaica and is likely to have an impact on Cuba and the Bahamas also. Amidst the raging storm, a squad of the US Air Force, known as the Hurricane Hunters, has undertaken the daring act of flying through the eye of the hurricane, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. US Air Force enters Hurricane Melissa The stunning maneuver was conducted by the US Air Force Reserves 53rd weather reconnaissance squadron on Monday. The goal was to collect crucial data for the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The footage shows the enormous walls of cloud surrounding the eye of the storm, which remains calm. Status of Hurricane Melissa Melissa is set to be the most powerful storm ever to hit Jamaica since records began to be kept in the middle of the 19th century. It is also the strongest storm of this years Atlantic hurricane season, NBC is reporting. Maximum wind speeds are reaching 175 miles per hour, and the storm is expected to surge to heights of 9 to 13 feet above the ground level. Seven people have reportedly died from the storm already in the Caribbean. This includes three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic. The National Hurricane Center is predicting catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge in Jamaica in the coming hours, as per NBC. The landfall is predicted to happen between 10 AM and 1 PM ET, in the area between Black River and Treasure Beach. This will be the first instance of a Category 5 hurricane making landfall in Jamaica since records began to be kept. Preparations in Jamaica With the hurricane heading their way, Jamaican authorities are preparing to provide relief and aid. ABC News reports that the Jamaican Defense Forces have put out a statement on X, apprising everyone of the need for supplies and its preparedness for combating the effects of the storm. With Hurricane Melissa projected to have a devastating impact on Jamaica, relief supplies will be desperately needed across the island in the aftermath of the hurricane. The JDF will be integral in the recovery effort, the statement read. Heavy rains, flash floods, landslides, and destructive winds are all expected to batter not just Jamaica but other nations in the path of Melissa. FAQs What is Hurricane Melissa? Hurricane Melissa is a Category 5 hurricane that is set to make landfall in Jamaica today. Have there been any casualties due to the storm? Seven people are reported to have died due to Melissa three each in Jamaica and Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic. Hurricane Melissa, the monstrous Category 5 storm, is closing in on Jamaica, bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rainfall. The National Hurricane Center (NHC), in its advisory issued at 5 AM EDT, stated that Melissa is expected to make landfall by midday, unleashing gusts up to 175 mph and as much as 30 inches of rain. The storm, described as the strongest ever recorded in the region, has already claimed seven lives across the Caribbean - three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, the Independent reported. Officials warn the death toll could rise as flooding intensifies. Conditions are deteriorating quickly, the NHC said in its advisory, with catastrophic winds, flash flooding, and life-threatening storm surges expected across the island today. Jamaica braces for impact Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he has been on his knees in prayer, urging residents in low-lying areas to seek shelter. In a televised address, he added, Prepare your evacuation plan and comply with the evacuation orders given. Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said parts of Kingston are already flooded. Kingston is low. Extremely low, he warned. No community in Kingston is immune from flooding. The government has declared a state of emergency, and evacuation orders are in effect for coastal communities. Major airports in Kingston and Montego Bay have also suspended operations as hurricane-force winds extend nearly 30 miles from the storms center. Latest Hurricane Melissa update The NHC said hurricane warnings remain in effect for Jamaica, parts of eastern Cuba, and the southeastern Bahamas. A tropical storm warning is in place for Haiti. The storms core is expected to move over Jamaica today, across southeastern Cuba on Wednesday, and toward the Bahamas by Thursday. At the time of the update, the center of Melissa was about 115 miles southwest of Kingston, moving north-northeast at 5 mph. The hurricanes minimum central pressure was measured at 901 millibars - an indicator of extreme intensity. Communities on alert Jamaican authorities have urged residents to prepare for prolonged outages and limited access to emergency services. This is not a storm to wait out, McKenzie said. As rescue teams brace for impact, forecasters say Melissas power rivals that of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in modern history. FAQs What category is Hurricane Melissa? Hurricane Melissa is a Category 5 storm, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson scale. When will Hurricane Melissa make landfall in Jamaica? The storm is expected to make landfall early Tuesday, 28 October 2025. Most Tennessee Valley legislators did not respond to our requests for their opinion on the pardons for Casada and Cothren, and the proposed pardon for Smith. A Chinese national has pleaded guilty to arson that caused more than an estimated 3 million in damages at Grafton Court in Longford town last year. Guo Zhong Chen (55), of 9 Belvedere Terrace, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, who spoke with the help of an interpreter, issued his plea on Tuesday afternoon at Longford Circuit Court in relation to the arson, which took place on July 28, 2024. The court heard a separate incident of criminal damage to a black Land Rover at Townparks, Longford, on July 7, 2024 will be taken into consideration. Mr Chen, who is detained in Castlerea prison, and whose trial was expected to last three weeks entered his guilty plea through an interpreter. Judge Kenneth Connolly directed that a pre-sanction probation report be compiled on the defendant who has been in custody since he was arrested two weeks after the Grafton Court fire last August. Also read: Arson accused to be tried in Longford following refusal of application to transfer case When the case came before Longford Circuit Court last May, it was heard that, while Mr Chen had received the book of evidence translated into Mandarin, he could not understand the entirety of the document. Barrister Luke O'Higgins, defending, said that issue had led to a delay in him issuing his plea and Judge Connolly stated he would accept it as an early plea. Judge Connolly heard Mr Chen has been what was described as an 'exceptional' prisoner and he has worked in the kitchen since he entered Castlerea Prison where he teaches other prisoners to cook. The governor outlined in a letter Mr Chen has been an 'enhanced' prisoner since last August and there were no security issues with him. The governor stated if the defendant continued to behave in such a manner it was expected Mr Chen would be given permission to work in the prison canteen in the near future. Judge Connolly remanded Mr Chen in custody to appear again at Longford Circuit Court on February 3, 2026 for sentencing. Also read: Woman in court accused of stealing groceries from county Longford shop worth 800 The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous operations throughout Lebanon against Hezbollah between October 20 and October 26, 2025. Israels strikes this week were noticeably more intense, targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure both north and south of the Litani River. According to the IDF, the Hezbollah members it targeted and killed were involved in the groups regeneration efforts, including weapons procurement, and the restoration of its military infrastructure. The IDF conducted operations in 21 Lebanese locales, some more than once. These activities included: Airstrikes: 14 14 Drone strikes: Nine Nine Ground activities: Two Two Quadcopter activities: Four Map instructions: Click the top-left icon or an icon on the map to open the Map Key and adjust the maps zoom as desired. Click the top-right icon to open a larger version of the map. Baalbek-Hermel Governorate Baalbek District: Hafayir al Fawqa, Gharbiyah, Mahallet al Shaara, and Nabi Sheet Hafayir al Fawqa, Gharbiyah, Mahallet al Shaara, and Nabi Sheet Hermel District: Hermel Nabatieh Governorate Bint Jbeil District : Ayta Ash Shaab : Ayta Ash Shaab Marjayoun District: Blida, Kfar Kela, Khiam, Marjayoun Valley, and Meiss al Jabal Blida, Kfar Kela, Khiam, Marjayoun Valley, and Meiss al Jabal Nabatieh District: Ain Qana, Arabsalim, Harouf, Khallat al Ain, Qaaqaaiyat al Jisr-Zoutar al Gharbiyah, and Toul South Lebanon Governorate Jezzine District: Aiyshiyyeh-Mahmoudiyeh and Jarmaq Aiyshiyyeh-Mahmoudiyeh and Jarmaq Tyre District: Naqoura and Qlayleh Casualties Between October 20 and October 26, 2025, Israeli operations in Lebanon killed 13 people, including nine Hezbollah operatives, and wounded at least five people. October 20, 2025: No casualties were reported. No casualties were reported. October 21, 2025: No casualties were reported. No casualties were reported. October 22, 2025: One Hezbollah operative was killed. One Hezbollah operative was killed. October 23, 2025: Three Hezbollah operatives were killed, one Lebanese civilian was killed, and an unspecified number of people were wounded. Three Hezbollah operatives were killed, one Lebanese civilian was killed, and an unspecified number of people were wounded. October 24, 2025: Two Hezbollah operatives were killed, one unidentified individual was killed, and three unidentified people were wounded. Two Hezbollah operatives were killed, one unidentified individual was killed, and three unidentified people were wounded. October 25, 2025: Two Hezbollah operatives were killed. Two Hezbollah operatives were killed. October 26, 2025: Two Hezbollah operatives were killed, one Syrian national was killed, and one Syrian national was wounded. Chronology of Israeli operations against Hezbollah, October 2026, 2025 October 20 At 2:25 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that eight Israeli airstrikes targeted open areas and wadis near Aiyshiyyeh-Mahmoudiyeh and Jarmaq in the South Lebanon Governorates Jezzine District. The IDF released a statement saying that its aircraft had targeted terror infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah near Nabatiyeh and that Hezbollah continues its efforts to rebuild its terror infrastructure throughout Lebanon in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. October 21 At 6:55 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli forces directed gunfire toward Khiam in the Nabatieh Governorates Marjayoun District. October 22 At 8:25 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a motorbike on the old cemetery road in Ain Qana in the Nabatieh Governorates Nabatieh District. The strike killed one person, whom Lebanese media reported as Issa Ahmad Karbala. These reports said that the Israeli drone targeted him some time after he dropped off his six-year-old son at the Hezbollah-run Mahdi School in Kfar Fila, where the boy is a first-grade student. Hezbollah-affiliated social media accounts later announced the death of Hezbollah operative Issa Ahmad Karbala, whose nom de guerre was Hadi, from Ain Qana. The IDF later released a statement claiming the strike that killed Karbala, describing him as a platoon commander in [Hezbollahs] Radwan Force [commando unit], and alleging he was involved in smuggling weapons in Lebanon and advancing terror initiatives against the State of Israel in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. Death announcement for Issa Ahmad Karbala. October 23 At 1:02 pm, NNA Lebanon reported several Israeli airstrikes on the barrens of the Anti-Lebanon Mountain Range, near Mahallet Al Shaara and Janta, extending to several positions on the outskirts of Shmistar west of Baalbek in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorates Baalbek District. The strikes killed two peopleone in Janta, and another in Shmistarand wounded an additional unspecified number of unidentified individuals. Hezbollah-affiliated social media soon announced the death of Hezbollah operative Hisham Musa Khalil, whose nom de guerre was Haidar, from Maarakah, and Hezbollah operative Mohammad Haidar Jezzini, whose nom de guerre was Jihad, from Ain Buswar. Social media accounts indicated Jezzini was killed in the Shmistar strike, suggesting Khalil was killed in Janta. Hezbollah gave both Khalil and Jezzini a military funeral in their respective hometowns. The IDF later released a statement saying that its aircraft had targeted several terror installations belonging to the terror organization Hezbollah near the Beqaa, including a Hezbollah terrorist training camp in which the organizations operatives were identified. The IDF claimed that the camp was used by Hezbollah to carry out training and exercises, for planning and launching terror initiatives against the State of Israel. The IDF said the Hezbollah operatives were undergoing training in riflery and in the use of other types of weapons. The Israeli military said it also attacked Hezbollah military infrastructure in an installation used for the production of precision-guided missiles, in addition to terrorist infrastructure inside a Hezbollah military installation near Sharbine in northern Lebanon. The IDF stressed that the storage of the weapons, the existence of these installations, and their continued use by Hezbollah operatives for military training constitute a grave violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to the State of Israel. Death announcements for Hisham Musa Khalil (Left) and Mohammad Haidar Jezzini (Right). At 1:12, NNA Lebanon reported that two Israeli airstrikes targeted the barrens of Hermel in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorates Hermel District. At 7:38 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped an explosive in the Marjayoun Valley in the Nabatieh Governorates Nabatieh Marjayoun District, igniting fires in the area. At 8:45 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted Arabsalim in the Nabatieh Governorates Nabatieh District. Al Manar claimed the strike targeted several bulldozers. The strike killed two people. Lebanese social media announced the deaths of 82-year-old Zainab Musa Haidar and 43-year-old Maher Younes from Arabsalim. Pro-Hezbollah social media outlets and local Arabsalim news later announced the death of Hezbollah operative Maher Hassan Younes, whose nom de guerre was Jawad, from Arabsalim. Hezbollah gave Younes a military funeral. The IDF released a statement saying that its aircraft had targeted a Hezbollah weapons storage warehouse that was used by the organization to advance and execute terror initiatives against the State of Israel, noting that the terror organization Hezbollah continues its efforts to rebuild its terror infrastructure throughout Lebanon, while endangering Lebanese civilians by using them as human shields. The IDF stressed that the presence of this terror installation constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. Death announcement for Maher Hassan Younes. October 24 At 12:23 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle near the Haseeb Awada stores in Toul in the Nabatieh Governorates Nabatieh District. The strike killed two people and wounded two others. Lebanese media and Hezbollah-linked social media soon announced the death of Hezbollah operative Abbas Hassan Karaki, whose nom de guerre was Al Hajj Abu Jihad, from Harouf. Hezbollah gave Karaki a military funeral in his hometown. The identity of the second fatality could not be ascertained. The IDF released a statement on Karakis assassination, describing him as the logistics commander of Hezbollahs Southern Front headquarters and saying that in recent months, Abbas led efforts to rebuild Hezbollahs combat capabilities and assisted in the reestablishment of terrorist infrastructure that had been destroyed during the war. Additionally, the IDF said, Karaki was also responsible for reestablishing the organizations force structure and for overseeing the transfer and storage of weapons in southern Lebanon, stressing that his activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. Pro-Hezbollah social media accounts note Abbas Karakis brother was Hezbollah operative Radwan Hassan Karaki, whose nom de guerre was Abu Hadi, from Harouf. Pro-Hezbollah social media accounts described Radwan as a field commander in Hezbollah. Death announcement for Abbas Hassan Karaki. At 1:45 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone strike targeted the Kroum Mrah neighborhood east of Meiss Al Jabal in the Nabatieh Governorates Marjayoun District. At 5:59 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun explosive on Wadi al Asafeer on the outskirts of Khiam in the Nabatieh Governorates Marjayoun District. At 7:17 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone conducted a strike on the area of Khallat al Ain, between Qaaqaaiyat al Jisr and Zoutar al Gharbiyah, in the Nabatieh Governorates Nabatieh District. The strike targeted a vehicle and killed one person and wounded another. Pro-Hezbollah social media accounts soon announced the death of Redha Mohammad Atwi, whose nom de guerre was Nour, from Zoutar. At 10:25 pm, the IDF released a statement saying that it had targeted and killed a Hezbollah terrorist near Zoutar Al Sharqiyah who was involved in efforts to restore Hezbollahs military capabilities in south Lebanon, and whose activities were a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. Death announcement for Redha Mohammad Atwi. October 25 NNA Lebanon reported that at 12:30 pm, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the Harouf-Jibsheet road in the Nabatieh Governorates Nabatieh District. At 3:45 pm, Hezbollah-affiliated social media announced the death of Hezbollah operative Zein Alabeddine Hussain Fatouni, whose nom de guerre was Karbala, from Al Hallousiyeh. Hezbollah gave Fatouni a military funeral in his hometown. At 6:01 pm, the IDF released a statement saying that its aircraft had targeted and killed Fatouni near Jibsheet, describing him as a commander in the anti-tank forces of the Hezbollah terror organizations Radwan Force [commando] unit. The IDF added that most recently, the terrorist was involved in efforts to restore Hezbollahs terror infrastructure [] in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. At 11:51 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a motorbike near the Hussaini Club in Qlayleh in the South Lebanon Governorates Tyre District. The strike killed one person. Hezbollah-affiliated social media soon announced the death of Hezbollah operative Mohammad Akram Arabiyah, whose nom de guerre was Haidar, from Qlayleh. Hezbollah gave Arabiyah a military funeral in his hometown. The IDF later released a statement saying that its aircraft had targeted and killed Arabiyah near Qlaiyah (sic), describing him as a special forces commander in the Hezbollah terror organizations Radwan Force [commando] unit, and claiming most recently, the terrorist advanced efforts to restore [Hezbollahs] fighting capabilities and rebuilding the Hezbollah terror organizations military infrastructure [] in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. Death announcements for Zein Alabeddine Hussain Fatouni (Left) and Mohammad Akram Arabiyah (Right). (Balagh Media Telegram) October 26 At 7:34 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted an excavator in Blida in the Nabatieh Governorates Marjayoun District. At 10:40 am, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun grenade near Ayta Ash Shaab in the Nabatieh Governorates Bint Jbeil District. At 12:54 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle at the entrance of Naqoura in the South Lebanon Governorates Tyre District. The strike killed one person. Hezbollah-affiliated social media soon announced the death of Hezbollah operative Abed Mahmoud Al Sayyed, whose nom de guerre was Karbala, from Beit Lif. The IDF released a statement saying that its aircraft had targeted and killed Sayyed near Naqoura, saying he was acting as Hezbollahs local representative in Bayyada in south Lebanon and that in his role, he was responsible for liaising between Hezbollah and the areas locals on economic and military matters, and also assisted in efforts to restore Hezbollahs military capabilities in the village (presumably meaning Bayyada). The IDF noted that Sayyeds activities constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. At 1:00 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli quadcopter dropped a stun grenade near alleged farmers in Ayta Ash Shaab. At 2:38 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in Nabi Sheet in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorates Baalbek District. The strike killed one person. The IDF released a statement saying that the strike had targeted and killed Ali Hussain al Musawi near the Beqaa, describing him as a weapons smuggler in Hezbollah and specifying that as part of his duties, he was involved in purchasing and transferring weapons from Syria to Lebanon, and was a significant actor in the organizations development and regeneration. The IDF added that over the past year, the terrorist continuously oversaw weapons smuggling on behalf of Hezbollah. Pro-Hezbollah social media soon announced the death of Hezbollah operative the commander and doctor Ali Hussain Noureddine al Musawi, whose nom de guerre was Sayyed Assad, from Ali Al Nahri. Death announcements for Abed Mahmoud Al Sayyed (Left) and Ali Hussain Al Musawi (Right). At 4:49 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that Israeli troops directed gunfire near the cemetery in Kfar Kela in the Nabatieh Governorates Marjayoun District. At 5:22 pm, NNA Lebanon reported that an Israeli drone strike killed one Syrian national and wounded another Syrian national in Hafayir al Fawqa, near Buwadi west of Baalbek, in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorates Baalbek District. Syrian and Lebanese social media accounts claimed the fatality was Ahmad Taha. Previous entries: David Daoud is Senior Fellow at at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where he focuses on Israel, Hezbollah, and Lebanon affairs. TL;DR: Join as a new Costco Gold Star Member, enroll in auto-renewal, and receive a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card* Holiday shopping season can be hectic, but with a Costco Gold Star Membership, you can simplify your errands, stretch your budget, and access everything from groceries to gifts in one place. Join as a new Costco Gold Star Member and enroll in auto-renewal to receive a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card. Just in time for the holidays As a member, youll enjoy exclusive benefits designed to make your holiday prep easier and more rewarding: Receive a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card* when you join and enroll in auto-renewal Shop at over 600 Costco warehouses across the U.S. for groceries, brand-name gifts, electronics, and more Access Costco Services* for additional benefits, including identity protection, home and auto insurance**, and personal checks Enjoy convenient online options through Costco.com and Costco Travel for vacations, electronics, and household essentials Get one free Household Card for someone 18 or older living at your address Join today as a new Gold Star Member and receive a $40 Digital Costco Shop Card* with auto-renewal. Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership + a $40 Digital Costco Shop CardSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. **Costco Wholesale, Costco Insurance Agency, Inc. and its subsidiaries do not underwrite insurance, pay claims or guarantee any of the products or services offered by third parties. Specific products, features, rates and discounts may vary and may not be available in all states in accordance with state filings and applicable law. Costco Insurance Agency, Inc. is not licensed in New York state. Insurance products are not obtained through the Costco Insurance Agency in New York. Costco Insurance Agency, Inc.s California license number is 0D08407. *To receive a Digital Costco Shop Card, you must provide a valid email address and set up auto-renewal of your Costco membership on a Visa card at the time of sign-up. If you elect not to enroll in auto-renewal at the time of sign-up, incentives will not be emailed. Valid only for new members and those whose memberships (Primary and Affiliate) have expired at least 18 months or more. Valid only for nonmembers for their first year of membership. Not valid for renewal or upgrade of an existing membership. Costco employees are not eligible for new member promotions. Promotion may not be combined with any other promotion. Digital Costco Shop Card will be emailed to the email address provided by the Primary Member at time of sign-up within 2 weeks to qualifying members. Digital Costco Shop Card is not redeemable for cash, except as required by law. Costco is not liable for incentives not received due to entry of an invalid address during sign-up. Digital Costco Shop Cards are not accepted at U.S. or Canada Food Court. Neither Costco Wholesale Corporation nor its affiliates are responsible for use of the card without your permission. Use the provided single-use promo code when entering your payment information. A Costco Gold Star Membership is $65 a year. An Executive Membership is an additional $65 upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes one free Affiliate Card. May be subject to sales tax. Costco accepts all Visa cards, as well as cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT and Costco Shop Cards. Departments and product selection may vary. (Note: You will see a $0.01 deduction on your membership cost after the promo code is entered. This indicates that your promo code has been successfully applied). Defense attorney Alan Jackson questions witness Andrew Rentschler of ARCCA an accident reconstruction firm during the Karen Read retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) Karen Reads lead criminal defense lawyer is calling for an investigation into Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox after a document revealed Cox knew of his departments connection to the Read case, despite remarks to the contrary. The document was obtained by Corri Hopkins, a lawyer in North Carolina who supported Reads innocence online. Hopkins obtained an email to Cox from Stephen J. Kelleher, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Field Office, sent on Feb. 22, 2024. In the email, Kelleher informs Cox that the federal government released documents from its investigation in the Read case to the district attorneys office. Kelly Dever, a police officer who worked in Boston at the time, is mentioned in those documents because she worked in Canton the night Reads boyfriend, John OKeefe, died. Hopkins provided a copy of the email to MassLive. In Jacksons view, that email contradicts what Cox told reporters earlier this year. I have nothing to do with Karen Read. Matter of fact, I didnt even know this person was associated with the Karen Read case, Cox told reporters in July, weeks after Reads acquittal. Its much to do about nothing. That case is over. Ive got nothing to do with Karen Read. I was in the state of Michigan, Cox continued, referencing the fact that he served as chief of police in Ann Arbor on Jan. 29, 2022, when OKeefe died. In a letter provided to Boston 25 News, Jackson wrote that Cox was caught in a lie and not a small one. Coxs televised claim that he had nothing to do with Karen Read and didnt even know this person [Kelly Dever] was associated with the Karen Read case was a bald-faced lie one now disproven by documentary evidence originating from the Federal Bureau of Investigation itself," Jackson wrote. For the Commissioner to suggest that he had nothing to do with that case defies both logic and leadership. Common sense tells us he had everything to do with it. Dever, who resigned in September, was called as a witness by Reads defense during her retrial. On the stand, she had a series of tense exchanges with Jackson as he questioned her. In an interview with federal agents, Dever claimed she saw Brian Higgins, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and former Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz alone with Reads SUV in the departments sallyport for a wildly long time. But on the stand, Dever recanted that story as a false memory. Devers recollection would have supported the theory pushed by Reads defense that Higgins and others conspired to frame her. Jackson repeatedly pressed Dever on whether Cox called her to a meeting, where he told her to do the right thing. Dever only conceded that she met with the commissioner. Jacksons letter is addressed to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Enrique Zuniga, who heads the states Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, a police accountability agency. He calls for POST to open an investigation into Cox. When a police commissioner lies about his own contacts with the FBI and meetings with an implicated officer, he forfeits the credibility and integrity his oath requires, Jackson wrote, according to WCVB. This is not a political issue. It is a question of credibility and public trust. The letter asks for Cox to be put on the citys Brady list, a reference to a list maintained by prosecutors of police officers whose credibility may be an issue at trial. State law requires such lists to be turned over during discovery. Wus office did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the POST Commission confirmed it received the letter, but declined to comment further, citing confidentiality requirements. It remains to be seen whether Costco will open up a store in Southborough but town residents on Monday made clear that they want one. Town voters overwhelmingly approved a change in zoning at 21 Coslin Drive, the selected site for a potential Costco. Of the 783 town meeting members, 771 voted in favor of the change while 12 voted against. As voting ended, cheers and clapping echoed throughout the Trottier Middle School Auditorium a clear sign that voters wanted to see the motion pass. Even though the residents of the Central Massachusetts town want to see Costco open a new location there, it remains unclear whether one will be developed. Members of the Select Board said that the Framingham-based Atlantic Management Corp. is hoping to open the Costco. A spokesperson for Costco and Atlantic Management Corp. did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. If one does come to Southborough, the select board expects it to be built by the summer of 2027. There are currently seven Costcos in Massachusetts, located in Avon, Danvers, Dedham, Everett, Sharon, Waltham and West Springfield. There have also been rumors both on and offline that the City of Leominster may be getting a Costco at the Mall at Whitney Field. During a phone call this summer, Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella previously told MassLive that negotiations had been ongoing between Costco and the malls owners, Hull Property Group. Bostons Omni Parker House is celebrating its 170th anniversary with some major renovations. Back in March, the oldest hotel in the city announced that it was undergoing a major rehaul in order to enhance the guest experience, calling it a complete rebirth that seamlessly blends its heritage with refined, timeless elegance. According to multiple reports, the hotel devoted $65 million towards upgrading its facilities. The facelift covered all 551 rooms, function spaces, ballrooms and lobby. The hotel plans to formally unveil the renovations on Nov. 12, when it will be celebrating the anniversary of its founding in 1855 by Harvey Parker. A double room at the Omni Parker House before and after its recent wave of renovations. (Photos Courtesy Omni Hotels) Renovations in the lobby include new marble flooring, carpets and furnishings. Updates to guest rooms focused on providing contemporary comfort, with newly designed bathrooms and amenities. Tonya Grine, the senior director of interior designs for Omni Hotels, led the redesign at the Boston landmark. When you walk into the guest room, its very light, bright, luxurious, classic and tailored, Grine said to Hotel Dive. A goal of this renovation was to take all of that research and history and have slight nods to it within every design decision but in a very subtle, not blatant way. The Omni Parker House has a storied history. Its famous for being the birthplace of the Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Rolls. It has played host to a number of notable historic figures, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Henry David Thoreau, Charles Dickens, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Early in his political career, John F. Kennedy announced that he was running for Congress at the Omni Parker House. He would eventually propose to Jacqueline Bouvier inside Parkers Restaurant. Here are more before and after images of the renovations at the hotel: The Rooftop Ballroom The "Rooftop Ballroom" at the Omni Parker House before and after a recent wave of renovations. (Photo courtesy Omni Hotels) The lobby A look at the lobby of Boston's Omni Parker House before and after its recent wave of renovations. (Photo Courtesy Omni Hotels) Function spaces A ballroom at Boston Omni Parker House before and after a recent wave of renovations. (Photo courtesy Omni Hotels) --- Apples grow on a tree at Apex Orchards, one of the venues participating in this weekend's Franklin County CiderDays festival. (Frederick Gore Photo) Apple lovers will travel throughout Franklin County in search of the perfect cider this weekend as CiderDays kicks off its three-day run on Friday. The event which unites professional cidermakers, interested tasters, novices and aficionados features three days of tastings and special programming from workshops to music to food of all kinds and other events from morning until night. At one time, cider was the most popular drink in America. Colonists in early America planted cider apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony shortly after arriving onshore. According to mass.gov, hard apple cider made by artisans across Massachusetts is today undergoing a renaissance. Today, the locally made drink features a wide array of styles for every taste, depending on the variety of cider apple used. The renaissance of hard cidermaking, which declined in America during the 1900s, began over 30 years ago and had its roots right here in Franklin County, said apple specialist, author and educator, and farmer Matt Kaminsky, better known as Gnarly Pippins, who today is one of several organizers of Cider Days. Husband and wife duo Terry and Judith Maloney were among the first in the post-Prohibition era of the American renaissance of hard cider to grow apples specifically for cidermaking and not for eating. Today Field Maloney has taken over as primary cidermaker at West County Cider in Colrain, stepping up to help his mother after his father died in a tragic accident when a valve released on a tank of gas, critically injuring him. His father was a doctor in the Baystate Franklin Medical Center emergency room for many years, and he met Maloneys mother in California where she was making wine in Napa Valley. They moved to Colrain in 1972, and Maloney was born the following year. My dad wanted to figure out a way to make something sustainable from the land. They couldnt grow grapes, but they could grow cider apples, he said. In the early 1980s, no one was paying attention to hard cider and there was no tradition of hard cider making in the Hilltowns. My dad and mom were impressed by the idea that you could grow cider apples to make hard cider. At first, they could only make about 200 ballons a year by law, Maloney said, explaining the number was limited unless you were a commercial operation. In 1984, the family founded West County Cider, which made them a commercial operation. It was my parents, along with Charlie Olchowski and Paul Correnty, who organized the first CiderDays in 1994, Maloney said. Both cider makers, Correnty had written a book entitled The Art of Cider Making, which Olchowski provided the photographs for. CiderDays began 31 years ago with Clarkdale Fruit Farms, Greenwood Farm, Pine Hill Orchards, and West County Cider as the venues for the day. The event culminated with a bring-your-own tasting at the Maloneys sampling room. It was a way, as the Cider Days website explains, to encourage the past Hilltown cider-making traditions and to sustain the nearby orchards, giving fermenters a chance to meet, talk, taste, and buy fresh-pressed, varietals and unadulterated ciders. A cider flight from The Cidery at Red Apple Farm in Phillipston. (Nick O'Malley/MassLive) Three decades later, Cider Days has grown to three days with a much larger audience attending the annual event, which was halted by COVID and returned in 2023. The mission remains the same. To popularize the idea and culture of the tradition of hard cider making techniques and to teach them to other interested amateurs. Today it continues as a showcase highlighting the good works that farmers are doing to keep the culture and the newest innovations in cidermaking alive, Kaminsky said. Among the participating venues for apple eating, cider tasting and education about the fruit and cider making are: Apex Orchards in Shelburne; Beaver Pond Distillery in Petersham; Berkshire Cider Project in North Adams; The Brewery at Four Star Farms in Northfield; Camerons Winery and Cidery in Northfield; Carrs Ciderhouse in Hadley; Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield; The Dirty Truth in Northampton; Four Phantoms Brewery in Greenfield; Headwater Cider in Hawley; Meadow Forge Farm in Shelburne Falls; the Mill at Shelburne Falls; New Salem Preserves and Heritage Cider; Pine Hill Orchards in Colrain; Red Apple Farm in Phillipston; Ryan and Casey/Cold River Package and Market in Greenfield; Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vermont; Shelburne Falls Cork; Stone Cellar Cidery in Worthington; and West County Cider in Shelburne. Not every venue is open all three days of the event. Check the CiderDays website, ciderdays.org, for more information on each venue, including its hours and programming. Kaminsky noted he is thrilled to see the return of the events Cider Salon at Scott Farm on Sunday after a five-year absence. Its a really big deal. COVID took a toll on its infrastructure, he said. Located about one hour away from Springfield in Dummerston, Vermont, Scott Farms Cider Salon offers cider lovers, cidermakers, enthusiasts and wine and craft beverage lovers the opportunity to taste the offerings of 20 regional cideries, discover new producers and meet the makers. One of the few ticketed events happening in conjunction with CiderDays, Cider Salon tickets for tasting are $45 and available online at scottfarmvermont.com. Kaminsky, better known among farmer friends as Gnarly Pippins, is holding his own event on Friday at the Williamsburg Grange Hall, where participants can see and tase a showcase of seedling apples and pears from all over the continent. The program, the 6th annual Wild and Seedling Pomological Exhibition, is a unique opportunity to introduce novel and undocumented varieties of pome fruits to the public. Suggested donation is on a sliding scale of $10. Proceeds will benefit the Williamsburg Granges Historic Building Conservation Fund. In addition to the hard cider, unique concoctions, and your run-of-the-mill apple cider being sold and served up for tasting, visitors will find something different going on at the more than 20 CiderDays locations. For example, Camerons Winery and Cidery will host an interactive demonstration of an apple press as well as a craft fair; while Clarksdale Fruit Farms will have a cider pressing demonstration and orchard history talk on Saturday, followed on Sunday with a Good Stock Farm Cooking Demo with James Beard award-winning chef Sandy DAmato. New Salem Preserves & Heritage Cider will host orchard tours and workshops for beginning and advanced cidermaking tips. And, if you want to visit where it all began, West County Cider will be offering cider tastings, lectures, and The 50 Mile (View) Cider Share, a throwback to the early CiderDays tradition when amateur and professional cidermakers share bottles and talk shop. Cost to attend the cider share is $5. For more information on West County Cider, and days and times of its weekend events, visit westcountycider.com. Kelsey Grammer and wife Kayte Walsh have announced the birth of their son Christopher, their fourth child together and Grammer's eighth child overall. Randy Shropshire/Getty Images Kelsey Grammer has become a dad to eight children at the age of 70. Grammer and his wife, Kayte Walsh, have welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy named Christopher, he revealed on the Oct. 27 episode of the Pod Meets World podcast. We just had our fourth one, so it just became eight kids. It was like three days ago, the Frasier star said while discussing his memoir Karen: A Brother Remembers, which is written in memory of his late sister. Christopher thats just joined the family, Grammer added. Grammer and Walshs three other kids are daughter Faith, 12, and sons Gabriel, 10, and James, 8. The Emmy winner also shares his eldest daughter Spencer, 41, with his first wife, Doreen Alderman; daughter Greer, 33, with ex Barrie Buckner; and daughter Mason, 23, and son Jude, 20, with ex Camille Grammer. News broke in June that the actor to welcome his eighth child after Grammer and Walsh were photographed in London, England, where Walsh was seen sporting her baby bump. Kimani Worghs stands outside the front steps of the High School of Commerce in Springfield with his work. (Sophie Markham) Sophie Markham SPRINGFIELD - Kimani Worghs, a 2017 graduate of the High School of Commerce, returned to his alma mater on Oct. 24 for an event celebrating creativity, resilience, and the power of pursuing ones dreams. Now based in New York with roots in London, Ghana, and Jamaica, Worghs is an internationally published photographer. His work has been featured in Vogue, Deeds Magazine, and Male Model Scene, and his debut book, Ascension, chronicles his photography journey from 2020 to 2022. "2020 was one of the most important years of our lives. For better or for worse, everything changed and we changed with it" Worghs writes on the books Amazon listing. "The following years came in four stages for me. It began with Quarantine, also known as the reset button. It was a stage in life that gave many of us time to pause and find ourselves without the pressures of work or responsibilities, but at the cost of isolation and unanswered questions," He continues. The second stage, Worghs writes, was driven by the Black Lives Matter movement, and the third stage was traveling to Jamaica for his grandfathers funeral. Once I returned, I left my job as a teller at the bank and began my journey of ascension. I focused solely on developing my work by creating photographic stories influenced by friendship, romance, and escapism. Class of 2017 High School of Commerce graduate Kimani Worghs speaks to the Class of 2026. (Sophie Markham) Sophie Markham Ascension is available in hardcover format for $29.99 and $9.99 for the Kindle version. Commerce Associate Principal Philicetta Lewis called Worghs homecoming inspiring in a statement. Kimani represents the brilliance, talent, and global perspective that our students are capable of achieving. Two lottery players in Western Massachusetts each won $100,000 on Monday including one person who bought a winning ticket at a Big Y grocery store. The $100,000 prizes were both from the evening Mass Cash drawing. The winning numbers for that drawing were 7, 9, 15, 21 and 27. One of those winning tickets was sold at the Big Y grocery store in South Hadley. The other was sold at a Pride Station & Store in Northampton. Mass Cash drawings are held twice a day, at 2 p.m. and at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $1 each to play and players choose five numbers between 1-35. Overall, at least 664 prizes worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Monday, including 11 in Springfield, 24 in Worcester and 63 in Boston. The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600. The largest lottery prize won so far this year was worth $1 million a year for life, from a winning Lifetime Millions scratch ticket sold in Springfield and claimed in July. Days before classes started, community college leaders and students learned that the state was quietly reducing its need-based stipends for students. The news, first reported by MassLive, was a shock to many, only a year after the state instituted free community college. However, on Thursday, the Massachusetts Senate approved its closeout supplemental budget that would pour money back into community colleges. While the proposed funding doesnt cement its inclusion in the final budget signed by Governor Maura Healey, it provides a glimmer of hope for what could come to community college advocates and leaders. We are thrilled that the Senate has recognized that every dollar a community college student receives is essential. By providing the necessary funding to backfill the cuts to the book and supply allowances, our students will have one less thing to be concerned about come [the] spring semester. We are incredibly grateful to the Senate President and hope to see this funding in the final version of the supplemental budget, Nate Mackinnon, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, said in a statement. The fund, called the Public Higher Education Student Support Fund, would ensure that the book and supplies stipend remains fully funded as the Senate reaffirms its commitment to universal higher education, according to a Thursday press release. While tuition and fees will still be covered despite the August funding cuts, without more funding, there will be a reduction of need-based stipends next semester for the most economically disadvantaged students, including for books, supplies and cost of living, by a couple of hundred dollars each. In addition, a grant award through MassGrant is being reduced by $200 for those attending four-year institutions, and completion and emergency grants are being eliminated for those attending public institutions. Other grant awards, such as completion and emergency grants, are being eliminated for students attending public institutions, according to Bahar Akman Imboden, managing director and founding member of Boston-based education think tank Hildreth Institute. The reduction in stipend funding is because free community college allocations have been flatlined in the state budget compared to the previous year, despite increasing enrollment, Akman Imboden previously told MassLive. The state confirmed that due to increasing enrollment, the Department of Higher Education needed to reduce book and supply allotments to prioritize covering tuition and fees and ensure state financial aid stays within budgetary limits. Its a troubling equity implication, wherein the financially neediest students are the ones who are being impacted the most, while the state is covering tuition and fees for students who could otherwise afford it, Akman Imboden said. Im not suggesting that aid should be cut from anyone, but these programs were designed to expand opportunity, and we should not let the success of the program [get] the lowest income students penalized by that, she said. The cuts to stipends also raised concerns about what they could signal, such as a progressive decline in state spending on the program and whether it could upend recent upward enrollment trends. Now more than ever, every dollar matters to our students ability to continue in their studies, and we appreciate the Senate Presidents responsiveness to this issue, William Heineman, President, North Shore Community College; Chair, Community College Council of Presidents, said in a statement. Coca-Colas new cane sugar soda variant is slated to debut this fall as an alternative to its classic high-fructose corn syrup formulation. Sina Schuldt/Getty Images Months after announcing one of Americas favorite sodas would be trading in one of its ingredients for another, Coca-Cola has finally started rolling out its updated products. In July, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the Atlanta-based company agreed to use real cane sugar in its iconic cola instead of corn syrup an ingredient the company has used since the 1980s. The soda company has begun offering the new formula and is slowly rolling out soda made with real cane sugar, however, its in addition to keeping the version with high-fructose corn syrup on the shelves. Coca-Cola has released 12-ounce single-serve glass bottles of its classic soda made with U.S. cane sugar in select markets, a Coca-Cola spokesperson told USA Today in a statement. This launch reflects our ongoing commitment to giving people more ways to enjoy the beverages they love, Coca-Cola told the outlet. But the roll out has come with some obstacles, Coca-Cola leadership said, citing supply chain issues as a limitation in fully launching products. Its going to be a measured roll-out, Coca-Cola Company Chief Financial Officer John Murphy told Bloomberg. There is only a certain amount of cane sugar available in the United States. However, cutting back on high-fructose corn syrup in favor of REAL Cane Sugar, as Trump calls it, is only a new concept for U.S. consumers, as Coca-Cola already offers beverages with cane sugar in its international markets. CEO James Quincey previously told USA Today in July that the company would be bringing a Coke sweetened with U.S. cane sugar to the market in the fall and that the new drink would complement and expand its product range. In an earnings report, the company said the move comes as part of its ongoing innovation agenda, it would launch products made with U.S. cane sugar to expand its Trademark Coca-Cola product range. Coca-Cola clarified to MassLive that cane sugar will not be a replacement for high-fructose corn syrup. This addition is designed to complement the companys strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences, the company said. While undergraduate enrollment at Massachusetts public colleges has rebounded from pre-pandemic levels, the recovery is largely being fueled by one sector of the population: community colleges. That is because of a surge in students following the states implementation of free community college. Since fall 2022, community college enrollment has grown by nearly 39% with an increase of 23,977 students. Meanwhile, the University of Massachusetts and state university systems are still below pre-pandemic undergraduate enrollment levels, according to preliminary data released on Tuesday. We are glad that were seeing a trend thats moving in the right direction in Massachusetts. And so were hoping to see more of that with the investments happening in affordability, because for many reasons, cost is a big driving factor, Department of Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega said in an interview with MassLive. Outside of free community college, the UMass system and certain state institutions have also announced free tuition programs, but Ortega said they may need more publicity and time to see similar successes to free community college. What Ortega is more concerned about than enrollment trends are completion and persistence rates, which measure whether someone stays or finishes their degree, he said. Growth is still needed in our success efforts, right? Weve said time and time again, its not just enough to get students into the door, we want to make sure that they get through and out and start contributing to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Ortega said during a Massachusetts Board of Higher Education meeting on Tuesday. Weve got completion rates that fall below the national average in our community colleges, but also our state universities are struggling with completion rates, he said. The data released on Tuesday is still preliminary, and more information such as information on Pell Grant eligible students will be released in the coming months. Final enrollment information is expected to be submitted in December. What does the data show? As community college enrollment has continued to rise, undergraduate enrollment at state universities has stayed mostly flat and UMass campuses increased by less than 1% compared to the prior year. The state institutions that have seen the largest declines over the past four years include Framingham State University and Salem State University. Other institutions, like Bridgewater State University and Mass Maritime, have been increasing enrollment and beginning to rebound from the pandemic in the past four years. Across all of public higher education, completion rates are still of concern. Overall, the largest gaps in public higher education in Massachusetts are with respect to the Black and Hispanic students. As white students in public higher education in Massachusetts are largely making improvements in completion, there are big dips or flatlines for Black or Hispanic students. The state is attempting to address some of these gaps by expanding a program called SUCCESS, Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services, and bringing it to state universities, Ortega said. The program provides support services to students, like academic advising or peer mentoring, to boost graduation rates. He said the state is also emphasizing work-based learning programs, similar to Northeastern Universitys co-op program. The learning outcomes of all students attending public higher education, regardless of racial background, are still of concern, he said. In community colleges and at UMass campuses, the number of students completing their degree in six years has been flat. Completion rates at state universities have been on a steady decline. However, community colleges and state universities have seen some recent progress with transfer student rates to four-year degree programs. Meanwhile, international undergraduate enrollment has experienced a slight decline in public higher education in Massachusetts. Some institutions even saw slight increases, like at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. However, the declines across the board in public higher education arent significant because there isnt a large portion of international students in public higher education. The decline comes at a time when the United States is facing the most significant decline in international students entering the country in August since the pandemic. Among the actions the federal government has taken toward foreign students are the temporary pause of visa interviews, the temporary revocation of hundreds of student visas or their legal statuses and the creation of travel bans or restrictions in 19 countries. The Trump administration also announced plans to limit the length of time international students can stay in the U.S. and has attempted to arrest, detain and deport international students and academics who engaged in pro-Palestine activism. Former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan on May 17, 2010 (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) A former mayor of Fall River released a statement early Tuesday, his first public remarks since he was stabbed last week. Will Flanagan, who served as mayor from 2010 to 2014, was stabbed around 5 p.m. on Oct. 20 near the cannabis dispensary where he works as CEO. Flanagan sustained significant injuries and was rushed to a hospital. I came face-to-face with death, Flanagan wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. The man charged with the stabbing, 31-year-old Corree Gonzales, was lost in psychosis, Flanagan said. I can still feel the weight of those moments. The sound. The fear. The realization that I might never see my family again, Flanagan wrote. I remember falling, feeling my own blood, and praying not for myself, but for one more chance." He thanked God for giving him that one more chance, thanking the first responders who rushed to his aid and the doctors and nurses at the New Bedford hospital he was taken to. They didnt just save my life. They gave me back my future, he said. I was inches from death and yet somehow, God said, Not today." Since that night, Ive felt the power of love in a way I never thought possible, Flanagan continued. He thanked those who sent prayers and well-wishes his way, writing that their messages had brought him to tears multiple times. Those messages, he said, showed even when evil tries to take something good from this world, love always fights back. I will carry these scars forever. They are now part of me reminders that life can change in a heartbeat, that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and that miracles still happen," he said. This experience broke me open but it also made me see everything clearer." Flanagan pleaded to never take another day for granted. Gonzales, the man accused of stabbing Flanagan, was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for an examination to determine if he was competent to stand trial. Gonzales is charged with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, causing serious bodily injury in connection with the incident last Monday night. He has a criminal record dating back to 2013, with 20 cases filed against him in Fall River District Court. With food aid set to expire for more than 1 million Massachusetts residents this weekend due to the government shutdown, communities are scrambling to open emergency pantries and hold food drives to fill the looming gap. Worcester has one of the states largest shares of residents receiving benefits commonly known as food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Its all hands on deck in the city, as it partners with nonprofits, businesses and community groups to respond. Any disruption to these services has significant repercussions and we are very concerned that people will not have heating assistance, SNAP benefits, housing vouchers, etc. as we move into the colder months, a statement on Tuesday from the Office of City Manager Eric Batista read. The government shutdown has lasted 28 days amid a funding dispute. In a letter to state SNAP agencies on Oct. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned that it would lack the money to pay full SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1 if the shutdown dragged on. In prior government shutdowns, SNAP benefits have continued. Of the 206,518 residents in Worcester, 53,727 more than 25% are at risk. City officials are working right now to convene leaders of groups to identify what the biggest needs are as a city-wide effort to keep Worcesters community resources afloat. Some communities including Springfield, Holyoke, Fall River and New Bedford have more than a third of their residents receiving SNAP benefits, according to a map of state data. The United Way of North Central Massachusetts, based in Fitchburg, promoted its food drive that started at the beginning of the month and will run until Nov. 10, located at 649 John Fitch Highway. Its part of a larger effort from United Way to combat the problem, as the group opens The United Response Fund to distribute donations to its 13 locations statewide. In Greater Boston, churches and food pantries are already beginning to feel the need. The Foxborough Food Pantry of the Bethany Congregational Church opened to three times the number of clients it normally sees on Tuesday and asked for more food donations to its drop box locations at the church, or to Stop & Shop locations in Mansfield and Foxborough. A grocery chain in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston called City Feed and Supply is offering a 30% discount if customers show their EBT card in light of the SNAP loss. The Greater Boston Food Bank has a resource those in the area can use its Agency Partner Locator to find a list of food assistance. Its similar to another site, foodhelpline.org that can be used to find nearby food resources statewide, after users enter their location. The mayor of Lawrence, another city where SNAP enrollment is notably high with 37,488 residents, or almost 42% of its population, receiving assistance, has launched a Citywide Emergency Food and Goods Drive and said, No one in our city will be left hungry. This is a moment that demands leadership, unity, and compassion, said Mayor Brian A. DePena in a release. The drive will accept donations at 530 Broadway, a space donated by a local businessman, for non-perishable food, hygiene items, baby supplies and essential household goods. This initiative will be overseen by Lawrence city councilors and Pastor Denis Florentino with volunteers from the Splendor of Zion Church, supported by local churches, schools, nonprofit organizations, and business and community leaders. Anther citywide food drive also began in neighboring Methuen on Monday, where 10,333 residents or about 19% of the population receive SNAP, with distributions planned to start Nov. 1. In Fall River, where 32,513 residents receive SNAP assistance, the Angels Anonymous food pantry said its looking for donations of non-perishable items and monetary contributions as its clientele surges. Financial donations can be made to its address or via Venmo and PayPal. The Hebron Food Pantry in Attleboro is also hosting a non-perishable food drive on Nov. 1. And in Springfield, where 73,675 people are poised to lose benefits, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has listed out advisories. This includes keeping at least $1 on EBT cards so individuals can access Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) benefits for produce from local farm stands and farmers markets. The Food Bank also has an interactive Food Finder Map, which can be used to find local pantries. As SNAP supplies nine meals for every one the Food Bank can give, its important to keep updated on the situation, the Food Bank said. Latest SNAP information can be found on mass.gov/DTA. On Tuesday, protesters rallied at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Mass. Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the lapse in funding on Tuesday, spoke to the crowd. It is an inhumane and cruel decision to suspend SNAP benefits for millions of Americans, Campbell said at the rally. Despite having the money to fund SNAP, the Trump Administration is creating needless fear, angst and harm for millions of families and their children, especially as we approach the holidays, she later said in a statement. An agreement by state officials to pay a $6.75 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by nearly 160 incarcerated people at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley received a judges approval last Friday. The plaintiffs claimed they were victims of a weeks-long campaign of violence by corrections officers. Lawyers representing incarcerated individuals called the settlement a landmark civil rights case on Tuesday and said the prison has been plagued with violence since it opened in 1998. State officials originally announced they reached a settlement agreement in May. The lawsuit, Diggs v. Mici, was filed in January 2022, and nearly 160 incarcerated people claimed they were subjected to excessive force by corrections officers between Jan. 10 to Feb. 6, 2020. The lawsuit named the staff at the prison and Carol Mici, the former commissioner of the DOC, who retired in 2024. After an incident where several corrections officers were assaulted by a small number of incarcerated people, the plaintiffs lawyers said it led to what they claimed was a brutal and calculated collective revenge by corrections officers against several individuals not involved in the original incident. This brutality included beating and kicking incarcerated people; gouging eyes; grabbing testicles; smashing faces into the ground or wall; deploying Taser guns, pepper ball guns, and other chemical agents; ordering [canines] to menace and bite incarcerated people; and forcing people to kneel in stress positions with hands and ankles shackled, in some cases for several hours, a press release from Prisoners Legal Services of Massachusetts and law firm Hogan Lovells states, the lawyers who represented the incarcerated people. In May, the Department of Correction issued a statement when the settlement agreement was announced and addressed the incident cited in the lawsuit. On Jan. 10, 2020, several incarcerated individuals perpetrated a violent assault on correction officers, resulting in serious injuries to four officers, the DOC said. In response, the facility was placed in secure status through Feb. 6, 2020, during which tactical responses were carried out in an effort to restore order at the facility, officials said. This settlement represents a final step in a series of actions the Department of Correction has taken in response to the incident, including a thorough review of existing policies and the implementation of key reforms, said DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins. The DOC did not wait for settlement discussions to act. We proactively amended use of force regulations, updated policies on K-9 deployment and disciplinary investigations, and implemented a Body-Worn Camera policy to enhance transparency, accountability, and training across all DOC facilities. Reforms from the lawsuit The department said it embarked on a review of existing policies, consulted with national experts and researched best practices, and drew from reforms and improvements made in the law enforcement field. It led to the first changes to Use of Force Regulations since 2009. The lawsuit also brought claims of unconstitutional treatment of Black and Latino individuals who were targeted for particularly harsh treatment because of their race, including excessive force, yanking or cutting dreadlocks from peoples heads, racial slurs, and other discriminatory actions, the lawyers said. Each plaintiff is set to receive an average of $40,000, lawyers said. The settlement also establishes reforms intended to address the underlying conditions at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. Some reforms announced by lawyers include: Removal of corrections officers who were found to have used excessive force and prohibit their reapplication for three years. The states Department of Correction will also require review of any civil verdict or finding against DOC staff to determine whether internal action is needed. Special Operations officers must wear name tags, and an anonymous staff misconduct hotline will be established for DOC employees. Prohibit the use of patrol canines except to control a major disaster, and in that case, canines will need to be muzzled. Kneeling as a stress position is prohibited. Video teams will need to be activated whenever special operations units are deployed. There will be diversity and implicit bias training in the training academy and required annual staff training. More training on disorder management, forced moves and tactical responses will be required. Incarcerated people will self-report their racial identities during booking in an attempt to curb misidentification of racial identities. DOC has consistently misidentified people of color as white, which not only denies individuals their right to self-identify, but also skews demographic data related to use of force and other incidents involving people of color, the lawyers said. The lawsuit reforms include the explicit prohibition and disciplining use of racial slurs by DOC employees. This settlement aims to bring justice to the many incarcerated people injured by extreme and unlawful use of force by officers, said David Milton, a lawyer who represented the incarcerated people. This settlement is about holding DOC accountable for the harm it causes by perpetuating a culture of violence at SBCC and allowing officers to harm incarcerated people with impunity. SBCC has been plagued with violence since it opened in 1998, added Milton. The events of 2020 were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern in which decisions made in the running of the prison have too often given officers the green light to commit violence against incarcerated people. Recent deaths At least four incarcerated people have died in Massachusetts prisons in the past month. An incarcerated person died on Oct. 3 at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center after a medical emergency, according to the states Department of Correction. The man died despite prison staff attempting life-saving measures, officials said. His death is believed to have been health-related, the DOC said, but remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police Detectives with the Worcester County District Attorneys Office, in coordination with the DOC. Three other inmates at another prison facility, the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk, have also died within the past month. These include deaths on Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and Oct. 20 none of which are believed to have involved foul play and were also medical emergencies, the DOC said. However, the cause and manner of each persons death remains under investigation. Our staff responded immediately in each instance and worked alongside emergency responders to provide life-saving measures, a DOC spokesperson said of those incidents. The DOC remains deeply committed to ensuring incarcerated individuals have access to comprehensive mental health and substance use services. A man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 54-year-old man in 2021, who was found stabbed and hidden inside his own Milford storage locker. Christopher Tetreault, 32, pleaded guilty on Tuesday and was sentenced to serve between 15 and 18 years in prison, according to the Worcester County District Attorneys Office. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny from a building and was sentenced to serve two concurrent 2-3-year prison sentences. On Aug. 17, 2021, the body of Paul Weaver, 54, was found with multiple stab wounds inside Weavers storage locker on Beach Street in Milford. Some of his personal items were also missing from the scene. Tetreault was arrested in connection with the killing a week later in Virginia, by Virginia State Police, Massachusetts troopers with the district attorneys office and Milford police. He was returned to Massachusetts and arraigned in Milford District Court, then indicted by a Worcester County grand jury in September 2021. It is our hope that this plea provides some closure to Mr. Weavers family after this tragedy, said District Attorney Joseph Early. I want to thank Senior First Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Travers, Assistant District Attorney Louis Tosches, and Victim Witness Advocate Maria Deyette for their exceptional work on this case. He also thanked the several law enforcement agencies who worked on the case. Milford police Chief Robert Tusino said, Id like to thank the Milford Police Detective Bureau, Massachusetts State Police and Worcester County District Attorneys Office for their hard work and collaboration in bringing closure to this case. 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The change would mean that the 13 postal workers who deliver across the Erris region would have to undertake a two-hour 100-mile plus round trip each day just to collect the days post before even starting their deliveries. The Erris postal delivery area is one of the largest and most rural in the country, and includes many isolated and coastal communities. The decision would have wide-ranging implications for workers, local residents and community life, as well as for road safety and climate emissions. Speaking after meeting with the postal workers in Barnatra this morning, Deputy Conway-Walsh said: This proposal from An Post is completely unworkable, unsafe and socially damaging. It makes absolutely no sense to ask postal workers to drive more than 100 miles every day just to collect the mail before they even begin their deliveries. Thats at least a two-hour round trip added to every days work. You simply cannot have 13 vans travelling in and out of Erris to Ballina and back again daily. Its just not feasible, its bad for the environment and it adds unnecessary risks for workers on already busy roads. Theres a whole social dimension here that An Post seems to be ignoring. Rural postal services are not just about delivering letters and parcels, they are about keeping people connected and supported. Our postal workers are at the heart of our communities. Many elderly people and those living alone know the drivers by name and they often look out for each other. For some, that visit from the postman or postwoman might be the only human contact they have that day. This represents yet another example of a vital service being stripped away from our rural communities. Locally, people rely on the Barnatra depot to collect urgent post such as passports or exam papers for schools. That access would be lost if everything has to come out of Ballina. Its just not acceptable. I am calling on the postal workers union to immediately meet with these workers and to play an active role in the fight back against this ludicrous proposal, for An Post to take this proposal off the table, and for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to intervene as a matter of urgency. We need common sense to prevail. This plan is bad for workers, bad for communities and bad for rural Ireland. READ MORE: Connolly the clear winner in Mayo as blame game begins in Fine Gael Indian operator Vodafone Idea finally has some good news to celebrate after a reported gain in subscriber numbers and a potentially positive outcome in its pursuit of relief from AGR debt demands. But will this good fortune last? Recent analysis cited by Indias Economic Times indicates that Vodafone Idea has posted its first active subscriber increase in nearly two years, adding around 20,000 connections in September 2025. The company also added 300,000 4G data subscribers during the month. The operator had been losing an average of 1.7 million subscribers monthly throughout 2024, though this had decreased to an average of 600,000 in 2025. However, its active subscriber base of 172 million remains down from 180 million a year ago. Indeed, notwithstanding the new customers, it reportedly lost 700,000 subscribers in September. This modest boost follows the new that this week Indias Supreme Court has allowed the government to address the operator's grievances and reassess ongoing demands for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues without judicial intervention. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court had refused to review its 2021 order rejecting pleas by some telecoms companies (including Vodafone Idea) for rectification of alleged errors in the calculation of AGR dues. This situation may now change. This time the court suggested its decision was made bearing in mind the interests of the 200 million customers of Vodafone Idea, a company in which the government has a 49% stake. While its by no means clear what will happen next, this does seem to imply a breathing space for Vodafone Idea, allowing it to sustain operations, attract fresh investment and, possibly, to get further AGR relief and, ideally, for the government to come up with a plan for Vis long-term sustainability. However, the Economic Times points out that only around INR760 billion (about US$8.6 billion) of Vodafone Ideas barely believable INR1.96 trillion (about US$22.2 billion) debt relates to AGR liabilities. And, of course, its still investing in network upgrades and the rollout of 5G. There may therefore be a lot more support required before Vodafone Idea can finally go it alone. This revelation led to many people wondering if he is talking about Battle Of Galwan and Govinda features in it. However, it seems unlikely that the reunion in question is for Battle of Galwan considering the shoot of the war epic is already underway. Recently, Govinda s wife Sunita Ahuja was the special guest on Bigg Boss 19 hosted by Salman Khan . During the interaction with Sunita, Salman teased that he is reuniting with Govinda on the big screen for a new movie. Sohail Khan Productions Govinda & Salman Khans Big Screen Reunion After Almost Two Decades Days after Salman Khans tease on Bigg Boss 19, a source has now told Bollywood Hungama that the reunion is indeed happening. The source stated, Yes, Salman Khan and Govinda are coming together for a project. The film is currently in the early stages and yet to be titled. Details are being kept under wraps for now, but fans can definitely expect a grand reunion of this iconic duo. Govinda and Salman Khan last starred together as parallel leads in David Dhawans Partner in 2007 which became a big critical and commercial hit. Also starring Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta, Partner was the fourth biggest grosser of 2007 trailing behind Om Shanti Om, Welcome and Chak De! India. While neither Salman nor the source mentioned any detail about the movie, many fans on social media are wondering if it's Battle of Galwan. Check out some of the reactions below: China, ASEAN sign Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, marking new chapter in strategic partnership Global Times) 14:19, October 28, 2025 China and ASEAN on Tuesday officially signed the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, marking a major step forward in regional economic integration. The signing took place during the 47th ASEAN Summit held in Malaysia. The 3.0 Upgrade Protocol covers nine major areas, adding five new ones digital economy, green economy, supply chain connectivity, competition and consumer protection, and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The protocol reflects both sides' shared commitment to jointly shaping global trade rules and deepening cooperation in emerging sectors, CCTV News reported on Tuesday. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, the two sides will now complete their respective domestic approval procedures to ensure the protocol takes effect as soon as possible. Lin Feng, director-general of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs at China's Ministry of Commerce, said the signing demonstrates both sides' firm commitment to multilateralism and free trade through concrete action. It serves as an important example of joint efforts to oppose unilateralism and protectionism, advance deeper regional economic integration, and build an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional market further strengthening the China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior expert at Thailand's Kasikorn Bank, told the Global Times on Tuesday that after decades of rapid growth, China's focus on high-quality development across economic, social, cultural and environmental spheres has become increasingly evident. The government has introduced clear measures to promote steady and balanced progress, emphasizing innovation-driven growth, green development, and win-win cooperation under globalization and multilateralism. "In Thailand, we've seen that recent Chinese investment is shifting toward high-tech, new energy, and connectivity sectors where China holds clear advantages in technology and cost efficiency," Choi said. "These high-quality investments bring higher value-added, stronger market competitiveness, and more sustainable growth." He added that China's continued efforts to open its market including major trade promotion events such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Fair for Trade in Services have created vast opportunities for global and ASEAN businesses. "Thailand's active participation in these platforms reflects the strong momentum in China-Thailand cooperation," he said, noting that China's new foreign investment law, increased financial openness, and steady capital liberalization will further boost confidence and global integration. Launched in November 2022 and substantively concluded in October 2024, the FTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol builds upon the existing China-ASEAN FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It aims to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in new areas, enhance regulatory and standards alignment, and promote greater trade facilitation and inclusive development across the region, according to CCTV News. Being each other's largest trading partner for the fifth consecutive year, China and ASEAN have scored numerous achievements amid rising external uncertainties. In the first three quarters, China's trade with ASEAN totaled 5.57 trillion yuan ($785 billion), up 9.6 percent year-on-year, with events such as the China-ASEAN Expo successfully held, according to the Xinhua News Agency. New achievements coincide with the adoption of the Plan of Action to Implement the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030), which aligns highly with the ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future and its Strategic Plans. Standing at a new starting point, the region is broadening collaboration on infrastructure, digital and green transition, trade facilitation and people-to-people exchanges, paving the way for deeper regional integration, according to Xinhua. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Zhong Wenxing) Workers in Australia are embracing AI tools, but organisations arent yet ready. Heres how leaders can turn enthusiasm into advantage. Workplace productivity in Australia is having a moment, and not the good kind. As budgets tighten and leaders seek stronger returns on every investment, everyone from the government to the boardrooms is shouting the same message: we need to get more efficient. The solution everyones betting on? AI. It is being championed as the ultimate fix, yet there is a huge disconnect threatening to derail the productivity promise. While a staggering 80% of Australian workers are actively using AI-powered tools, almost half of Australian businesses (49%) have integrated AI into just some (34%) or no (15%) workflows at all. Chaotic experimentation is racing ahead of necessary governance, as bottom-up employee adoption exposes a widening AI readiness gap. The enthusiasm is there, but the operational infrastructure is not. Only 49% of Australian businesses say they govern AI within their organisations. The challenge for every Australian business leader is no longer if they should adopt AI, but how to transform this fragmented usage into a systematic, measurable competitive advantage. The high stakes of a disconnected strategy Over half of workers (53%) are learning and experimenting with AI tools independently, outside of any formal company training or strategy. While this demonstrates a proactive workforce eager to embrace cutting-edge tech, its creating what can only be described as the wild west of AI adoption. This unmanaged adoption isnt just inefficient; its a significant business risk. It mirrors the rise of shadow IT when workers began bringing their own mobile devices to work. As with BYOD, shadow AI exposes organisations to critical data security issues, potential compliance breaches, and the danger of building dependencies on unvetted, and sometimes inaccurate, AI outputs. This fragmented approach explains why less than half (46%) of Australian businesses are seeing a positive ROI for just some of their AI initiatives, with 17% reporting no positive ROI. When many organisations describe their AI efforts as purely ad-hoc, its no surprise that strategic value remains elusive. The root of this lies in something far more fundamental than technology, as Australian businesses are layering AI tools on top of already undocumented and inefficient processes. This creates a massive blind spot for AI implementation. How can artificial intelligence optimise processes that exist nowhere or only in peoples heads when it relies on a foundation of data to perform? No matter how powerful the tool is, it cant enhance what it simply cant see. There is no doubt that AI has the potential to transform business on a scale we havent seen in decades. But most organisations arent fully ready to adopt it, which is why individual adoption has currently taken the lead. Closing the AI readiness gap Australian businesses need to transform bottom-up enthusiasm into a governed, strategic advantage. Heres how teams can close the AI readiness gap. See your business to build your future Before you can accelerate with AI, you must make your current processes crystal clear. AI cant improve what it cant see. This is why process documentation including workflows, knowledge and the processes that currently run your business is so crucial right now. Once processes are visible, the next step is addressing the data silos created by employee-led adoption. Establishing a centralised repository that aligns strategy, processes, and data directly addresses the top gaps businesses must close to succeed with AI: data quality (34%), collaboration (15%), and alignment on strategy (23%). When AI tools are integrated into a centralised system, insights can be shared, best practices can be scaled, and the collective intelligence of your workforce can be harnessed rather than siloed. Systemise for scale The next step is to standardise these workflows into repeatable systems that guide teams. This means defining best practices for how AI is used in specific tasks, creating clear frameworks for decision-making, and ensuring that innovation happens within strategic guardrails, not in a vacuum. This is crucial for overcoming the biggest barriers to successful AI implementation: lack of clearly defined parameters (34%), cultural resistance (32%), and lack of alignment with areas implemented (29%). Systemisation creates frameworks that allow for innovation within guardrails. When teams understand how AI fits into broader business processes, adoption becomes strategic rather than experimental. Empower with guardrails The goal isnt to control AI usage but to channel it effectively. Employee enthusiasm for AI represents untapped potential that, when properly directed, can become a powerful engine for innovation. By providing clear ethical guidelines and integrated tools, businesses can transform shadow AI usage into a governed advantage. This means establishing clear parameters for AI use while maintaining the flexibility that allows teams to innovate. When workers understand both the possibilities and boundaries of AI tools, they can move from tentative experimentation to confident execution. Operational readiness: The new competitive edge For Australian businesses, the real competitive advantage in the AI era isnt about adoption. Its about building the right operational structure to make them effective. The link between process maturity and financial return is undeniable, where businesses stuck in hype mode or with fragmented adoption are simply missing out on real returns. You can continue to allow fragmented usage, yielding lacklustre results, or you can build a foundation of operational clarity that transforms AI from scattered experiments into a strategic superpower. The latter approach is the more challenging path, so fewer organisations will pursue it but the payoff for those that do will be immense. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Australias unemployment just hit a four-year high of 4.5%. But competition is crushing job seekers more than numbers suggest. Reckon reveals the real barriers keeping Australians locked out of work. Whats happening: Australias unemployment rate has climbed to 4.5% in September, marking a four-year high, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Yet behind the headline sits a more complex reality. Why this matters: The barriers to employment are increasingly misaligned with job availability. Half of working-age Australians cite issues beyond personal qualifications, unsuitable hours, no vacancies in their field, health challenges, and age bias, preventing them from finding sustainable work, even when jobs exist. The headline reads sobering: Australias unemployment rate has jumped to 4.5% in September, the highest in four years. But the true employment crisis runs far deeper than any single figure can capture. A detailed analysis by Reckon of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals that whilst competition for roles matters, it is only part of the problem. Across every demographic and industry, Australians confront a maze of obstacles that have nothing to do with their willingness or capability to work. Around one in seven (15%) job seekers report that too many applicants are chasing too few available roles, making it feel impossible to stand out. Another 11.4% point to insufficient work experience as their primary barrier. But the findings go beyond these headline figures. One in ten (10%) are held back by ill health or disability, whilst 9.4% struggle because no jobs offer suitable hours and another 9.4% cannot find vacancies in their chosen field. Alex Alexandrou, General Manager at Reckon, describes the moment as one demanding systemic change. There is a huge opportunity for businesses to open up more genuine entry points into the workforce. That means apprenticeships, structured internships and hiring practices that focus on skills and providing guidance instead of long CVs. For older Australians, the focus has to be on tackling age bias and building more flexible, supportive pathways that allow experience to shine. The numbers that shock The data reveals a labour market under structural strain. Business failure rates are running 15.1 per cent above the 10-year average, signalling that the financial pressure affecting workers is spreading to their employers. Food and beverage, administrative support and transport sectors are most at risk. For young Australians, the entry barrier is punishing. A full 20% of those aged 15 to 24 cite insufficient work experience as their biggest obstacle. One in seven (13.4%) report that too many applicants are fighting for too few roles. These young people are caught in a bind: to gain experience, they must find entry-level work, yet employers increasingly demand years of prior experience even for junior positions. For older workers, the picture darkens sharply. Among those aged 55 to 64, being considered too old by employers is the barrier for 20.8%, whilst 19.8% are held back by ill health or disability. For those over 65 seeking work, age discrimination becomes overwhelming: 43.9% report being considered too old by potential employers, whilst a further 26.7% face ill health or disability constraints. When competition crushes opportunity The job search landscape has shifted in ways that create friction at multiple points. Reckons findings show that for the 35 to 44 age group, family considerations begin to matter more, with 8.4% citing this as their main barrier. Yet competition for roles remains the largest single obstacle across this cohort, at 16.8%. For those aged 45 to 54, the picture changes markedly. A lack of vacancies in their line of work becomes the dominant barrier, cited by 14.6%. This points to a labour market increasingly stratified by sector and skill. Workers cannot simply move to find roles; entire occupations or industries may face contraction in their region or entirely. The ripple effects extend through businesses themselves. When job seekers cannot find suitable work, consumer spending stalls. When employers face tight margins and rising defaults, they pull back on hiring and investment. The cycle becomes self-reinforcing. The age factor: from inexperience to discrimination The contrast between younger and older workers reveals two separate employment crises, not one. Younger Australians struggle against a wall of entry barriers: 8.5% lack necessary skills or education and a fifth lack any work experience whatsoever. The labour market offers few genuine apprenticeships or structured entry points; instead, many junior positions still demand years of prior experience. For workers in their peak earning years, the barriers are structural: no suitable hours (11.2% for those 35 to 44), family responsibilities (8.4%), and, increasingly, age concerns. The shift becomes stark after age 45. Age discrimination emerges as a major barrier; 6.5% of those aged 45 to 54 report being considered too old by employers. By 55 to 64, this rises to 20.8%. And for those aged 65 and over, it becomes the dominant barrier by a margin, affecting 43.9% of those seeking work. Alexandrou emphasises the cost of this exclusion. With retirement ages creeping higher, we cant afford to sideline people who still have plenty to offer. If we can get better at supporting both early careers and later careers, well build a stronger, fairer workforce that makes the most of every generation. A generational divide widening The data paints a portrait of an employment system that serves neither the young nor the old well. Young people accumulate debt and delay major life decisions whilst hunting for their first opportunity. Older workers, facing health challenges and age bias, exit the workforce when economic participation could sustain them. In the middle are working parents juggling care responsibilities with career ambitions, often forced into part-time roles or hours that dont fit their financial needs. The September rise in unemployment to 4.5% reflects this fragmentation. Employment growth has slowed sharply in 2025, with just 116,000 people added to the workforce in the first nine months, compared to 323,000 over the same period in 2024. The supply of jobs has not kept pace with demand. Yet the real issue is not simply a shortage of jobs. It is the mismatch between available work and the needs of job seekers. Some roles exist, but not in the right locations, at the right hours, or for the right qualifications. Others exist but are flooded with applications. Still others are open only to workers without health constraints or family responsibilities. What comes next For Australians currently seeking work, the message is clear: unemployment is not the whole story. Barriers are structural, generational and deeply embedded in how businesses hire. Change requires action across multiple fronts. Businesses can invest in genuine apprenticeships and structured internships rather than relying on lengthy CVs. Lenders and policymakers can support small firms struggling under cost pressures. And employers, particularly those in sectors where experience gaps are cited as barriers, can rethink hiring to focus on trainable skills and potential rather than years on a resume. For older workers, the path forward requires tackling age bias directly: through legislation, through recruitment practice reform, and through flexible arrangements that recognise the value of experience. The employment system in Australia is not broken. But it is misaligned with the realities of modern working life. Fixing it begins with understanding where the real barriers lie. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Officials in Chicago are condemning tear gassing by federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that occurred in the midst of a childrens Halloween parade last weekend. Chicago, following in the footsteps of cities like Los Angeles and Portland, has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. President Donald Trump and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker have exchanged a war of words in recent months due to heightened ICE activity and threats of deployment of the federal National Guard. Four consecutive days of reported tear gassing by ICE agents culminated in Saturdays chaos in a residential neighborhood on Chicagos Northwest Side, in Avondale and Old Irving Park. Officials including a state senator and alderman said things unraveled as part of broader tensions that have escalated between lawmakers, residents and federal agents in recent months. Protesters gather outside an ICE processing facility in Broadview, Ill. a suburb of Chicago, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Illinois State Sen. Graciela Guzman, who represents the 20th district that includes Avondale, said that Saturdays Halloween-themed events included candy pickups and costume contests. Over the course of 20-25 minutes, there were multiple detentions by ICE, Guzman told Military.com. In a 25-minute span, there were three independent uses of tear gas in my district and my community. She said that she and her team had been responding to reports that a U.S. citizen was being detained in the parking lot of a community grocery store when they heard whistles or screams. They traversed across the street, where they claim they witnessed ICE agents in their minivan with multiple canisters of tear gas. They opened one up right as we got there, so myself and my team did get tear gassedalongside probably 15-20 other community members that were trying to ICE why they were there, why they were masked up, why they were not identifying themselves. ICE agents then left the scene, according to Guzman, who had previously been tear gassed by federal agents outside a church in another part of her community. She said shes been provided no direct explanation by authorities for why tear gassing occurred and chaos erupted. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Military.com that U.S. Border Patrol conducted an operation on Oct. 25 that resulted in the arrest of a criminal illegal alien from Mexico who had previously been arrested for assault. During the operation Border Patrol agents were surrounded and boxed in by a group of agitators, McLaughlin said, with federal law enforcements multiple lawful commands and verbal warnings ignored. During the operation, two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer, McLaughlin said. To safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures. Our officers are facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, abusers and gang members. [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noems message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. One of the detainees is a 35-year-old father and construction worker named Luis Villegas, whose family told local ABC 7 that he was working on a project when agents arrested him. 'It Is Frightening' The ongoing ICE presence in and on the periphery of Chicago is ramping up in recent weeks, according to Alderman Andre Vasquez, who represents Chicagos 40th ward. Vasquez told Military.com that he and other officials have definitely seen an increase of ICE showing up on residential streets, in some instances claimed to be picking up day laborerssuch as those doing landscaping work or fixing houses. Police guard the designated protest area as protesters gather outside an ICE processing facility in Broadview, Ill. a suburb of Chicago, Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Rapid-response networks are responding whenever they see ICE vehicles in the vicinity, including when tear gas is thrown. It is frightening, said Vasquez, also chair of the Committee on Immigrant Refugee Rights. Its very Gestapo tactics, very secret police [type behavior] going on. Youve got unidentified folks doing it, and so the activity has increased. Its led to a lot of people, frankly, being drained and exhausted in trying to stay on top of everything. We have a bunch of neighbors; all theyre doing is school patrols, rapid response and other things to make sure we do everything to keep our neighbors safe. He and other community leaders have been organizing what they call community defense workshops that have drawn hundreds of residents over several outings across town. But while communities step up, he said the fear for some of being in harms way has caused a feeling of wariness. Its a political attack on multiple fronts that were watching happen in real time, he said. Both Guzman and Vasquez said its almost impossible to track how many of the residents in their districts and communities have been detained. Guzman estimated more than 3,000 individuals across the state of Illinois. She mentioned one story of how two vehicles on a residential street sat unmoved and not driven for two weeks. After working with local neighbors, she came to realize that the individuals who own those vehicles were detained without a trace. Ive heard hundreds, Ive heard thousands, so I dont know that weve got anything quantifiable, Vasquez said. Thats part of whats scary, that there are folks who are effectively gone missing and theres no way to track [them]. It is concerning. It should be concerning for the whole country. TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he has ordered the army to immediately carry out powerful strikes in Gaza, and Hamas responded by saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage, putting new pressure on the tenuous U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The order from Netanyahu follows heightened tensions, as Israel reported Hamas firing on its forces in southern Gaza and after Hamas returned a set of remains that Israel said belonged to a hostage recovered earlier in the war. Netanyahu called the return a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return all Israeli hostage remains as soon as possible. In another sign of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were shot at in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there hasn't been an official announcement yet. The ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 has largely held despite at least two previous flareups in violence. On Oct. 19, Israel said two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fire. Israel responded with a series of strikes that killed over 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials. And over the weekend, Israel carried out an airstrike against what it said were Islamic Jihad militants planning an attack, wounding several people. There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered the body of a hostage, but after Israeli announced the plans to strike Gaza, Hamas said it in a statement it would delay the handover. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis witnessed what appeared to be a white body bag being carried out from a tunnel by several men, including some masked militants, and then transported into an ambulance. It was not immediately clear what was in the bag. The slow return of hostages' bodies is posing a challenge to implementing the next stages of the ceasefire, which will address even knottier issues, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory. Hamas has said it is struggling to locate the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza, while Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of the remaining hostages. That work continued Tuesday in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. This is the second time since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10 that remains turned over by Hamas have been problematic. Israel said one of the bodies Hamas released in the first week of the ceasefire belonged to an unidentified Palestinian. During a previous ceasefire in February 2025, Hamas said it handed over the bodies of three hostages, Shiri Bibas and her two sons, but testing showed that one of the bodies returned was identified as a Palestinian woman. Shiri Bibas body was returned a day later. A stricken family The remains returned overnight have been identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, Netanyahu's office said. Tzarfati was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war. In all, the militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Tzarfati was killed in captivity and his body was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. In March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. Tzarfati's family said in a statement that this is the third time we have been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son. In exchange for 15 dead hostages returned from Gaza since the ceasefire began, Israel has handed back to Gaza 195 Palestinian bodies. The last 20 living hostages were returned to Israel at the start of the ceasefire, and in exchange, Israel freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel kills 3 Palestinians in a West Bank raid Earlier Tuesday, Israeli authorities said they had killed three Palestinian militants early during an operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, the latest action in Israels stepped-up military activity in the territory since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Israeli police said the three men were shot as they came out of a cave near Jenin, a town in the northern West Bank known as a militant stronghold. The Israeli military said in a statement that the militants took part in terror activity in Jenin, but gave no further details. Two militants were shot and killed in the initial volley of gunfire. The third, who was wounded, was killed shortly after, according to the Israeli military. An earlier statement said the Israeli military carried out an airstrike shortly afterward to destroy the cave. The army confirmed an airstrike in the area but gave no further details. Hamas condemned the Jenin strike and later identified two of the three men as militants with Hamas Qassam Brigades. The third man was referred to as a comrade, but no additional details about him were given. Israel says its operations have cracked down on militants in the West Bank. But Palestinians and human rights groups say scores of uninvolved civilians have also been among the dead, while tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Over 68,500 Palestinians have died in the two-year war in Gaza, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. ___ Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Renata Brito in Jerusalem and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wont meet with any beardos serving in South Korea. Service members stationed in the Pacific recently received notice that enlistees with shaving waivers will not be allowed to attend Hegseths upcoming Camp Humphreys rally, according to military site Task & Purpose. The former Fox News host arrived in Hawaii on Monday for a trip that will later take him to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam. Korean station KBS World Radio said Hegseth is scheduled to spend two days in South Korea beginning next Monday. He recently summoned the nations top military officials to Virginia, where they heard their boss deliver a speech deriding soldiers with beards. No more beardos, Hegseth said during his late September address. The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. He told military brass that ignoring seemingly small matters like lax shaving habits can lead to bigger problems. Hegseth also issued a Sept. 30 memo stating the military would only issue facial hair waivers for troops with certain medical issues such as pseudofolliculitis barbae, a painful skin condition thats made worse by shaving. The 45-year-old Pentagon boss served in the Army National Guard from 2003 to 2021 where he earned the rank of major. He joined Fox News in 2014 and participated in a 2018 television skit that featured a barber shaving his vacation beard. A letter from one viewer read during that segment contended that a man without a beard is like a lion without a mane. Thats how I feel! Hegseth agreed. The Minnesota native said that he wanted to keep his facial hair, but his TV bosses insisted it had to go. 2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. All five service members aboard two U.S. Navy aircraft are safe after the helicopters went down Sunday in the South China Sea minutes apart. A U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesperson confirmed to Military.com that a MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Battle Cats of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 went down around 2:45 p.m. local time while operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Search and rescue teams from Carrier Strike Group 11 pulled all three members from the water. An MH-60R Sea Hawk, attached to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70, takes off from the flight deck of the worlds largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Sept. 25, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Alyssa Joy) About thirty minutes later an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the Fighting Redcocks of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 also crashed. Both aviators ejected and were rescued by carrier recovery crews. All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition, Pacific Fleet said in a statement. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation. An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Chris Kapuschansky with Gen. Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Royal Navy, embarked, flies over the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Sept. 26, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tajh Payne) Bad Fuel Maybe The Culprit Speaking aboard Air Force One on his way to Tokyo, Japan, for a regional summit on Indo-Pacific security and trade, President Donald Trump told reporters bad fuel may have caused the crashes. Pacific Fleet declined to address the presidents remarks and referred all questions to the White House, which at press time had not responded to Military.coms request for comment. The Navy says investigators are still gathering information and have not yet determined whether the two mishaps are related. Flight operations aboard Nimitz continue. The carrier and its air wing are part of Carrier Strike Group 11, now deployed in the South China Seaa flashpoint where U.S. and Chinese forces often operate in close proximity. As Hurricane Melissa raced toward the Caribbean Sea and Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 storm, the U.S. Navy confirmed the evacuation of hundreds of families from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The National Hurricane Center, under the guise of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has warned that the powerful storm touching ground in Jamaica is "extremely dangerous and life threatening." Individuals in the path of the hurricane are instructed to take cover from "catastrophic winds" that are expected to cause flooding and landslides along the island, resulting in widespread infrastructural damage, human displacement, and power outages. Approximately 864 non-mission essential personnel were flown by the Navy to the mainland as Melissa strengthened into one of the strongest storms of the year. They left Guantanamo Bay on five flights, arriving at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Oct. 25 and 26. Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC) personnel process incoming service members, family members and contractors during the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay non-mission essential personnel movement Oct. 25. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Seaman Apprentice Jon Jezreel Japay Andres) The group included service members families, civilian employees, contractors and pets. Guantanamo Bay sits on the western edge of Cuba, close to the projected path of Melissa. Brad Martin, a retired Navy captain and senior policy researcher at the nonprofit RAND Corporation, told Military.com that Melissa will stress logistics more than combat readiness. Ships operating in the Caribbean may face delayed resupply if ports close or sea routes become unsafe. Navy Amphibious Ready Groups and Marine Expeditionary Units can shift quickly from patrol to rescue, Martin said. Helicopters can move survivors. Sailors and Marines can deliver food, water and medical aid. These ships do not carry enough supplies for a large relief effort, he added, so larger shipments would come from the mainland. NAS Pensacola Commanding Officer Capt. Chandra Newman said in a statement that the installation moved quickly once the storm threat became clear. A U.S. soldier assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Guard, aligns cots in the hardened shelter in preparation for hurricane Melissa on at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Oct. 24, 2025 (U.S. Air Force photo By Senior Airman Taylor Hunter) The safety and well-being of our Navy family is always a primary concern, Newman said. Right now that means taking care of our Navy family from Guantanamo Bay. Pensacola opened an emergency family assistance center and prepared food, lodging and transportation within hours of getting the order. Navy Lodge and Navy Inn rooms were filled. American Red Cross volunteers arrived to help families settle in. The runway and deep-water port at NAS Pensacola give the Navy flexibility during hurricane season. The base has taken in evacuees before and is often used as a safe harbor for ships during major storms. Navy Eyes the Track The Navy said future decisions will track the latest forecasts and storm models. A Navy official said commands are watching Melissas movement in real time and will adjust operations as conditions change. A National Hurricane Center forecast map shows Hurricane Melissa tracking toward Jamaica and Cuba with sustained winds of 165 miles per hour. (Graphic: National Weather Service) The National Hurricane Center said Melissa remains a dangerous Category 5 storm with sustained winds estimated at 175 MPH. Warm water, low wind shear, and a well-formed core continue to fuel the storm. Rapid changes in strength remain possible as Melissa moves west. Forces Can Pivot Fast The American Red Cross says it does not normally ship blood products to Jamaica or nearby islands, but it can do so during emergencies. Blood shipments move through the State Department, the United Nations, or local Red Cross agencies. No request has been made. Inventories are strong. Teams are standing by. The State Department has not responded to questions from Military.com on whether the U.S. plans to send humanitarian assistance to Jamaica or Cuba if the storm makes landfall. There has been no comment on whether U.S. embassies in the region are preparing to shelter Americans or move personnel. U.S. Northern Command has not responded to questions about possible airlift or disaster-relief readiness. The Coast Guard also has not said whether cutters or aircraft have shifted patrol routes. FEMA has not confirmed whether disaster teams or supplies are being staged in the southeastern United States in case the storm turns north after landfall. Families from Guantanamo Bay are now safe in Pensacola. Navy officials said they are prepared to move more people, more aircraft, and/or more ships if the track shifts. A legal professional explains legal knowledge related to elderly care to senior citizens at a park in Xinghua City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Oct. 27, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Zhou Shegen/Xinhua) A volunteer massage shoulders of a senior citizen in Xiayi County of Shangqiu City, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 27, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Miao Yucai/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows a feast held for senior citizens at Magou Village of Baimi Town in Taizhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Gu Jihong/Xinhua) A volunteer cuts hair for a senior citizen at an elderly care center in Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 27, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Zhang Ying/Xinhua) Senior citizens perform yangge dance at Gaoliu Town in Qingzhou City of east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 27, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Wang Jilin/Xinhua) Senior citizens perform folk dance at an art center in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 27, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Zhao Jun/Xinhua) Actors perform Henan Yu Opera for senior citizens at a square in Jianxi District of Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province, Oct. 26, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Photo by Huang Zhengwei/Xinhua) A staff member from a catering enterprise (1st R) purchases agricultural products from elderly villagers in Guantian Village of Chun'an County in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 27, 2025. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows staff members from catering enterprises purchasing agricultural products from elderly villagers in Guantian Village of Chun'an County in Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. A series of celebration activities were held across the country to mark China's Chongyang Festival, which will fall on Oct. 29 this year. Also known as Seniors' Day in China nowadays, it highlights the public's care for older people. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) Editor: Xiong Jian President Trump says he underwent an MRI earlier this month and calls the results perfect. The White House will not say why. The president made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he left for Asia on a multi-nation trip focused on security and trade. After reporters noticed swelling on his hands and pressed him about his health, he did not explain what part of his body was scanned or what prompted the MRI. He told reporters they would have to ask the doctors. Military.com reached out to the White House Press Office, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House Medical Unit, the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and outside medical experts for comment. No responses were received at press time. A Pentagon spokesperson told Military.com, We have nothing to provide. Health Questions The White House previously described Trumps October 10 visit to Walter Reed as a routine yearly check-up. It came just six months after his last physical in April. The White House physician said the president remains in exceptional health and that the exam included advanced imaging and tests. But the White House has never said why those tests were needed, and it is unusual for a president to receive two full medical evaluations in such a short span. MRI scans are not normally part of a standard annual physical. They are usually ordered to look more closely at a specific medical concern. Earlier this year, the White House acknowledged that Trump experiences swelling in his lower legswhich may be caused by a condition called Chronic Venous Insufficiency, in which veins in one's legs don't properly return blood to the heart. Officials also attributed bruising on his hands to aspirin use and frequent handshakes. Public health experts say transparency matters because the presidents medical condition has national security implications. That includes the ability to carry out duties while traveling abroad and communicating with foreign leaders. But without details from the White House or its physicians, questions remain about why the MRI was ordered and what it was meant to evaluate. For now, the president says everything is fine. I got an MRI, Trump said. It was perfect. Decades before Tom Clancy wrote The Hunt for Red October, an Italian naval officer pulled off a stunt that could have come straight from a Cold War spy novel he stole a submarine to spark a war. On Oct. 3-4, 1914, Lt. Angelo Belloni seized control of submarine F-43 at the Muggiano shipyards near La Spezia, Italy. The coastal submarine, originally built for the Russian Navy and designated to become the Svyatoi Georgjy, never made it to its intended customer. Belloni convinced about 15 sailors under his command that they were embarking on a secret mission. They believed him. His actual plan was far more audacious: attack Austro-Hungarian warships in the Adriatic Sea to force Italy into World War I. Though initially allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary, Italy chose to remain neutral in the early months of the war, citing that they were only allied defensively, and Austria-Hungary had been the aggressor. This neutrality frustrated interventionists like Belloni, though he and many other Italians felt the Austro-Hungarians were the true enemies of Italy. Rather than wait for diplomats to decide his country's fate, he took matters into his own hands. A Rogue Italian Officer Steals a Submarine After stealing the submarine, Belloni sailed the vessel to Corsica, hoping to secure French support for his mission. He needed torpedoes and political backing from France, which had already entered the war against the Central Powers. Meanwhile, French and British diplomats were working tirelessly to persuade Italy to join their alliance. Italian officials quickly noticed their submarine was missing and sent out naval patrols to find the vessel. Belloni managed to avoid numerous Italian destroyers; while hoping to find an Allied ship willing to rearm the submarine so it could complete its mission. They never encountered any. The secrecy of his plan and the complications faced by the patrol caused the crew to become suspicious of their commanders intentions. Upon reaching Corsica, the crew attempted to enter Ajaccio harbor where French troops almost fired upon the ship, mistaking it for a German U-Boat. French officials, after hearing Belloni's proposal, declined to support what amounted to an act of piracy and refused to be implicit in the plot. The crew by this point realized they had been tricked and opted to cooperate with the authorities, despite Bellonis objections and threats. The French then informed the Italian authorities of the incident as French troops seized the vessel. The submarine returned to Italy without Belloni, who remained in Corsica for two months before facing trial on charges of submarine theft and 12 other offenses. Under normal circumstances, he would have been convicted and likely executed. But Italy's entry into the war in May 1915 changed everything. Military judges acquitted him, recognizing both his patriotic motives and his technical expertise. The Royal Italian Navy quickly brought Belloni back into service. The submarine he stole was requisitioned from Russia and renamed Argonauta, serving the Italian Navy during the war. Lt. Angelo Belloni, the Italian naval officer who stole submarine F-43 in October 1914 in an attempt to force Italy into World War I. He was later acquitted and became a pioneer in diving technology. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval Institute) The Real Stories Behind The Hunt for Red October The parallels between Bellonis plan with Tom Clancys novel, The Hunt for Red October, are striking. Both stories feature a naval officer commandeering a submarine while convincing the crew they're on a legitimate mission. Both involve attempts to trigger major geopolitical changes. But Clancy's 1984 novel drew its inspiration from different sources entirely. According to The National Interest, two real Cold War incidents shaped the book: the 1975 mutiny aboard Soviet frigate Storozhevoy and the mysterious 1968 sinking of Soviet submarine K-129. Soviet Captain Valery Sablin seized the Storozhevoy in November 1975, attempting to spark a revolution against Soviet corruption. Unlike Belloni's scheme to bring his country into conflict, Sablin sought internal reform for his nation. Soviet forces bombed and disabled his ship before he could reach Leningrad. He was executed in August 1976. The K-129 incident remains a secretive topic. The submarine sank in the Pacific in 1968 under unexplained circumstances, before later becoming the target of a secret CIA recovery operation. The government managed to recover the ship and several vital intelligence items, though they still have not disclosed what exactly was recovered. For his novel, Clancy merged the two incidents into a plot revolving around a Soviet submarine commander tricking his crew into surrendering their vessel to American authorities as the Soviet navy pursues them. Interestingly similar to Bellonis mission. A Soviet Krivak I Class guided missile frigate similar to the Storozhevoy, which Soviet Captain Valery Sablin seized in 1975. Sablin's mutiny inspired Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October, though Clancy's fictional captain stole a submarine rather than a frigate. (Wikimedia Commons) Naval Mutiny for Strategic Change While it was not one of Clancys direct influences for his novel, Belloni's 1914 covert mission reveals how a single man on a determined path can alter entire strategic outcomes. The Italian officer's theft of an entire submarine predated the Cold War incidents that did inspire Clancy by six decades, but shows that history often repeats itself. What separates these stories is outcome. Belloni eventually received vindication and continued his naval career, later becoming a pioneer in diving technology which helped establish Italy's famed X Flottiglia MAS that later caused massive damage to the Allies during WWII. Sablin faced a firing squad for his mutiny. Both men believed the ends justified extraordinary means seizing control of warships to trigger change larger than themselves. Military courts judged them both differently, but their willingness to commandeer naval vessels for their causes connects them across 60 years of military history. These real-life incidents prove that naval officers risking everything for their convictions makes compelling drama whether it happens in 1914, 1975, or on the pages of a Cold War novel. Verbindung zu Linked in Wealthy families often face a paradox: the more successful they become, the more complicated their asset structure becomes. Family office services help them find their way out of this labyrinth. Novum Partners SA (https://novum-capital-partners.com/long-term-novum-capital-partners/) specialises in analysing, simplifying and reorganising existing structures. This does not involve radical upheavals, but rather gradual optimisation that improves both tax efficiency and practical manageability. The anatomy of complex asset structures Large fortunes rarely arise linearly. They grow over years and decades, often through various business successes, inheritances or strategic investments. With each building block, the structure becomes more complex. Suddenly, there are dozens of companies, trusts and holdings in different countries. What once made sense may no longer fit together today. These mature structures have their own logic. One company in Switzerland for European investments, another in Singapore for Asian markets, trusts in various jurisdictions for tax optimisation. Each entity had its reason for being, but together they often form a complex web that is difficult to understand. Typical drivers of complexity in family wealth are: Geographical distribution: companies and trusts in 5-10 different countries with different legal systems Historical stratification: structures from different decades that have never been consolidated Change of advisor: each new advisor has added their own solutions instead of optimising existing ones Business development: new investments require new structures without dissolving old ones Novum Partners SA from Geneva encounters such situations on a regular basis. Families come to us for help because they no longer understand how their assets are structured. Different advisors have recommended different solutions over the years. The result: a structure that works, but which no one can fully comprehend. The costs of complexity Complexity costs more than just nerves. It creates administrative burdens, duplicate costs and regulatory risks. Every company needs administration, accounting and compliance. Every trust needs trustees and regular reporting. Different jurisdictions mean different tax and reporting obligations. It becomes even more expensive when laws change. A new regulation in one country can suddenly affect the entire international structure. Families then spend months figuring out what the changes mean for them and how they should respond. However, the greatest costs arise from missed opportunities. If a structure is too complex, decisions take too long. Markets do not wait for complicated coordination processes between different companies and trustees. Systematically organising investment portfolios A typical problem is fragmented investment portfolios. Assets are spread across different custody accounts, banks and asset classes without a clear plan behind them. Some positions overlap, while others create unwanted concentration risks. Novum Partners begins with a complete inventory. Where are the assets located? Which investments are duplicated? Where do unnecessary costs arise due to overlaps? This analysis forms the basis for a structured reorganisation. Consolidation takes place in stages. Similar positions are merged, and redundant structures are eliminated. The asset allocation strategy remains intact, but is implemented more clearly and efficiently. Instead of five small equity positions, one larger position is created, which enables better terms and lower costs. It is important to strike a balance between simplification and functionality. Some seemingly redundant structures do serve a purpose for example, for tax optimisation or legal protection. The trick is to recognise what is really necessary and what has simply developed over time. Transparency through reporting systems Uniform reporting systems are an essential component of clarity. Many families receive dozens of different reports from various banks and asset managers. Understanding and consolidating this is a full-time job. Modern reporting solutions provide a remedy here. They aggregate data from different sources and present it in uniform formats. Families can see their entire asset situation at a glance without having to struggle through different formats and calculation methods. Such systems also enable better decisions. When all information is available in one place, connections can be identified that would otherwise remain hidden. Risk concentrations become visible and rebalancing requirements become apparent. Credit consulting for structural optimisation Financing structures often offer untapped potential for simplification. Over the years, many families have built up various credit lines with different banks. Coordinating and optimising these can lead to significant savings. Credit consulting begins with an analysis of existing financing. Which loans are running under what terms? Where do collateral overlaps occur? Which covenants restrict flexibility? This inventory often reveals opportunities for optimisation. Consolidating various credit lines can both save costs and simplify administration. Instead of negotiating with five different banks, a central financing structure is often sufficient. This usually offers better terms and greater flexibility. Success factors for structural financing optimisation: Central coordination: One contact person instead of several bank contacts reduces effort and misunderstandings. Collateral pooling: Consolidated collateral enables better loan terms. Standardised documentation: Uniform contracts instead of individual agreements with each bank. Flexible structures: Adaptability to changing financing needs. Coordinated financing creates synergies, especially in international structures. Cross-border financing can create tax advantages while reducing complexity. Legal structure optimisation Legal structures are often the most complex part of family assets. Different company forms in different countries, complicated ownership structures and nested holding constructions can confuse even experts. Optimisation begins with understanding the original objectives. Why was a particular structure chosen? What objectives was it intended to achieve? Are these objectives still relevant today? It often turns out that the framework conditions have changed, and the structure can be adapted accordingly. Modern approaches focus on simplicity wherever possible. Direct ownership structures are preferred over complicated interlocking structures. Instead of many small companies, a few larger ones are created that can be managed more efficiently. Of course, tax and legal aspects must be taken into account. Not every simplification is possible or sensible. Professional support helps to find the right balance. Integrate alternative investments in a structured manner Alternative investments often bring additional complexity. Private equity funds, hedge funds and real estate investments have their own structures, terms and reporting requirements. Integrating these into an overall strategy is a particular challenge. Integration begins with clear categories and objectives. What role should alternative investments play in the overall portfolio? How much complexity is justified for what expected added value? These questions help to distinguish between sensible and superfluous investments. Structured approaches also create clarity here. Alternative investments are bundled into separate vehicles that are professionally managed. This reduces the operational complexity for the family without limiting investment opportunities. Integration of specialised services Wealthy families often have diverse assets that require specialised management. New Yacht Consultancy Services exemplify how such specialised areas can be professionally integrated into an overall structure. The various asset classes have different cycles and requirements. Managing them within a coherent structure nevertheless requires specialised expertise and coordinated processes. The path to a structured solution Moving from complexity to clarity is a process, not a one-off event. It begins with an honest assessment of the current situation and a clear understanding of the objectives. What should the structure achieve? What complexity is necessary, and what can be avoided? The restructuring is carried out step by step and in a well-thought-out manner. Radical changes often create more problems than they solve. A structured approach is better, implementing improvements step by step while maintaining the functionality of the existing structure. Novum Partners SA (https://novumpartners.com/), formerly known as Novum Capital Partners SA, accompanies families through this transformation process. The goal is not to create the perfect structure there is no such thing. The goal is to create a structure that is functional, understandable and adaptable. Ultimately, creating clarity means giving families back control over their assets. When they understand what they own and how it is structured, they can once again make their own decisions. This is the most important step from complexity to clarity. R. Eric Thomas Tribune Content Agency Asking Eric Dear Eric: My brother (65) lost his wife to Covid in 2023. I (F73) relocated to take care of him while grieving. He has numerous health issues. He does nothing for himself. I take care of all washing, cooking as well as ordering and dispensing his medications. He is incontinent recently and refuses to wear disposable underwear I purchase for him. There is mess everywhere. I am fed up. How do I address this with him without creating hurt feelings and tension? I am exhausted from cleaning up after him and am tempted to let the bathroom at least stay filthy. Help! Exhausted Sister Dear Sister: Your brother may still be in the throes of grief over the loss of his wife, and perhaps has diminished capacity. Thats understandable, but that does not preclude him from showing up in some way for himself and for you. Im curious how much of this behavior is a remnant of his relationship was he active in the maintenance of his life before his wifes passing or did she do all the things youre doing? Have a state of the household conversation. I know you want to avoid tension, but tension is already there. Youre feeling it. And its possible that hes feeling it, too, and some of his actions may be expressions of it. Without placing blame, talk to him about what the needs of the home are the things youre doing, the things you need, the things he needs, the things that are falling through the cracks. Then talk to him about your capacity, i.e., these are things that I cant keep doing. Ask him, Are there parts of our living situation that dont work for you? Then say, What can we do to improve things for both of us? It may look like him taking more of an active role in his care. It may look like reaching out to a social worker, senior manager or doctor about bringing in more help. But it starts with laying out the facts, separately laying out the feelings and then saying, This is reality; what are we going to do about it? Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com. 2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. R. Eric Thomas Tribune Content Agency Asking Eric Dear Eric: My husband has dementia; its getting worse by the month. I am the caregiver. Our daughter calls on her way home from work. Our son calls several times a week. They have been my rock. I lean on them and rely on their excellent advice and strong shoulders. Our 55th wedding anniversary is several days before Christmas. Because of the type of dementia my husband has, he cannot speak or understand speech. Reading and writing skills are diminished. A celebration would be difficult to impossible for guests and family members because of his type of dementia. I thought a dinner cruise would be a wonderful compromise. I floated it by my daughter only to find out that her husbands family is planning a trip to Hawaii during that time to spread ashes for his nephews wife. My son and family could come, but its not the whole family. Plus, theres Christmas without my daughter. Weve always had a pinky swear that wed be together. Am I being selfish? Sad Christmas Dear Christmas: Youre not. This is a hard situation all around. But its not impossible. What you want, it seems, is to feel supported by your kids during a painful time, and to find a way to commemorate your marriage while taking into consideration your husbands comfort. So, lets back up from logistics and work from a place of open communication. It may get you further. Talk to both of your kids about what youd like to feel at Christmas. Acknowledge that everyones lives pull them in different directions, especially at the holidays. And see if you can, together, come up with a plan. It may feel like your daughter has chosen a different branch of her family tree over yours, or broken a promise, but Id encourage you to think of it as a logistical logjam, made up of good intentions, rather than an intentional slight. In this conversation, dont be afraid to be honest with your kids about concerns you have, if any, about the pressure time and illness put on you to make something special happen soon. This isnt to guilt them, but rather to say, this is where Im coming from; this is the track thats playing in the back of my mind. Christmas doesnt have to happen on Christmas. Are you open to the idea of a dinner cruise a week or two earlier, or later? Youd still be able to celebrate Christmas Day with your sons family and its important to have love and support on that day. But you may find the special occasion you want is a little more flexible than it currently seems. Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com. 2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ANN ARBOR, MI Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan are the first to offer every staff member a free education. The national fast food chain expanded its Tacos & Tuition program, a partnership with business education company InStride to offer more than 3,000 online programs from universities and other institutions. The programs range from English-language and general educational development courses to bachelors and masters degrees, according to an Oct. 23 press release. More employees are now eligible. Previously, the nation-wide program was only open to team members at company-owned restaurants and corporate employees. I started my career on the frontline of restaurants, and Ive seen firsthand how the right support can open doors that once felt out of reach, Jamie Harrison, global chief people and culture officer at Taco Bell, said in a statement. No matter how long a Team Member is with us, we want their time at Taco Bell to be meaningful. Were proud to invest in their future, regardless of where their path takes them. Team members are not required to pay additional costs to participate, and the program offers flexible schedules around shifts. Tacos & Tuition has helped cover the cost of my classes, making it easier for me to stay on track to earn my degree in business management, Anne Kufta, a general manager at a Taco Bell location in Bay City, said in the statement. The online classes are very flexible, so I am easily able to work around my schedule to do my coursework on my off time. Taco Bell, headquartered in California, has over 250,000 employees nationally and over 200 locations in Michigan. Select program partners recognize on-the-job training as credit towards degrees, representing more than $10,000 in tuition value for participating employees, reads the statement. Since the education program launched, more than 1,100 stores have enrolled, Taco Bell reports. Keeping employees is the aim. Tacos & Tuition has driven 73% retention on the front line, and the retention rate among managers enrolled in the program is 1 1/2 times higher, according to Taco Bell. Taco Bell is reshaping what it means to work and grow in the quick service restaurant industry. Because while hiring may be seasonal for some, opportunity is always on the menu at Taco Bell," reads the statement. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page. This MLive file photo shows an aerial view of a portion of 1,500-acre solar project under construction in rural Branch County, Michigan, in November 2024. Joel Bissell | MLive.com EAST LANSING, Mich. Researchers at Michigan State University will study the effects on soil health, groundwater, and ecosystems of installing solar panels among farmlands. A five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support a project by MSU scientists to build a first-of-its-kind outdoor lab to study how solar panels placed alongside crops might save water, improve soil health and support ecosystems. The idea is to show how this method could keep farms producing agricultural commodities and perhaps even boost revenues for farmers. Anthony Kendall, assistant professor of MSUs earth and environmental sciences department, said the experiments and learning that will happen at the new lab are crucial as solar energy becomes more widely used worldwide. MSU scientists will study similar local solar parks to determine how they impact the environment around them. Shown here (from left) are researchers Adam Zwickle, Jake Stid, Annick Anctil, Anthony Kendall, and Phoebe Zarnetske. Finn Gomez/MSU College of Natural Science This lab will help us teach farmers how they can harness energy from the sun to stabilize their income and ensure that they can keep producing crops for generations to come, Kendall said in a statement. He and a team of interdisciplinary researchers will study existing solar farms for 18 months to learn how the panels affect the soil and ecosystems around them. Eventually, the scientists will build a small array of 30 solar panels near corn and soybean fields on 15 acres at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners. The goal is to better understand ways to repurpose portions of agricultural fields that may be underproducing crops, swapping to solar energy in those places instead. The outdoor lab is expected to demonstrate what this method could look like in Michigans farmlands. Related: 1st solar panels installed in University of Michigans $71M sustainability plan Kendall, whose background is in hydrology, will study how solar panels affect groundwater and subsequently impact soil moisture. Other researchers will study the impact of solar panels on the ecosystem, remote sensing technology in fields, and how native plants can be grown within solar fields to benefit pollinator species. They also want to understand the needs of farmers and communities to have this type of science-based data for their own planning and then provide that information. Adam Zwickle, MSU associate professor, said the land-grant university is perfectly suited to play this role. Our mission is to be of use to the state, to work for the public good and be a trusted source of information, he said. PRESQUE ISLE HARBOR, MI - Three people and a cat had to be rescued from a boat late Monday after it ran aground in Northern Michigan, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The incident occurred near Presque Isle Harbor on a 54-foot boat. A Coast Guard crew in an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter launched from Air Station Detroit to start the rescue effort. The helicopter crew arrived on scene shortly after midnight, where they battled strong winds and breaking waves on the disabled vessel, the Coast Guard said. A rescue swimmer was lowered down to the boat. The swimmer triaged the three people on board. The Coast Guard called what ensued a complex basket recovery, in which the swimmer loaded two of the people into the rescue basket, which was then hoisted up to the helicopter. A second trip assured the rescue of the remaining person and the feline. All survivors, including the cat, were uninjured and safely transported to shore, the military said. You can see a Coast Guard video of the rescue below: President of the African Academy of Sciences Lise Korsten speaks at the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. President of the African Academy of Sciences Lise Korsten said China's journey in agricultural modernization, marked by intensive cultivation, developed value chains, and breakthroughs in digital agriculture, provides invaluable experience to Africa. According to the president, China exemplifies mastery in high-yield, technology-driven agriculture, feeding nearly 20 percent of the global population with less than 9 percent of the world's arable land. Meanwhile, Africa faces food insecurity despite being home to 60 percent of the world's uncultivated arable land. "This paradox of land and people underscores the need for a balanced partnership: one that marries Africa's untapped potential with China's proven innovations to build a resilient global food system," said Korsten. Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union (AU), said China stands ready to share its experience in agriculture development and rural poverty reduction with African countries to achieve common development. He highlighted that the current agricultural technological revolution, driven by biotechnology, digital technology, and intelligent equipment, offers new opportunities for China and Africa to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen their response to global challenges. "China-Africa agricultural cooperation is evolving from traditional aid-based assistance to sustainable, capacity-building partnerships. This year, the Chinese government announced a zero-tariff policy covering all tariff items for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations with China. This will significantly enhance the access of African agricultural products to the Chinese market," Jiang added. Gaspard Banyankimbona, AU commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, said China and Africa can jointly develop climate-resilient crops, sustainable soil and water management systems, early warning tools of pests and extreme weather, and a digital platform that empowers smallholder farmers across the continent. "The China-Africa alliance provides the ideal vehicle to mobilize collective force to promote joint research in climate-smart agriculture, animal and plant health, agro-ecology and food safety, technology transfer and localization, capacity development through scholarship and innovation ecosystem," Banyankimbona emphasized. The three-day event, co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, African Academy of Sciences, and the Mission of China to the AU, brought together over 200 scientists, policymakers, and representatives from agricultural institutions across China and Africa. Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union, speaks at the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Gaspard Banyankimbona, AU commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, speaks at the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Guests attend the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Guests attend the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Editor: Xiong Jian The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, (pictured on the left) in a lawsuit claiming House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, violated the Michigan Constitution by withholding the bills. In this MLive file photo, Brinks talks with Hall before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address inside the Michigan House of Representatives chamber at the Michigan State Capitol. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com) LANSING, MI A state appeals court ruled Monday that Michigans Republican-led House of Representatives must send nine bills to the governor that were passed by lawmakers last year. The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, and the Senate in a lawsuit claiming House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, violated the Michigan Constitution by withholding the bills. The case has been sent to the Court of Claims to issue a court order compelling the House to present the bills to the governor. At a time when Republican leaders across the country are breaking the law and getting away with it, this is a particularly meaningful win, Brinks said in an Oct. 27 news release. No matter how deep our political differences, the Constitution must be followed. Skirting the law is bad enough, but its so much worse that they did it in the name of stopping bills that would have helped thousands of their constituents make ends meet. Halls office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. The bills were passed last year and enrolled on Dec. 31, the final day when Democrats held the majority in the state legislature. However, when Republicans took power in January, they withheld the nine bills from being presented to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, citing a legal review. It remains unclear what prompted the legal review, but Hall alleged in the lawsuit that there were technical problems with the bills that could prevent presentation to the governor. The Michigan Constitution states: Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor before it becomes law, and the governor shall have 14 days to consider it. The nine bills being withheld ranged from allowing corrections officers to join the state police retirement system to increasing the amount public employers pay toward their employees medical benefit plans. Im proud to fight this fight on behalf of educators, first responders, and the many hardworking folks who keep our communities running and deserve to have this legislation enacted, Brinks said. I hope this case serves as a warning for all future legislators following the law is your oath, and you will be held accountable for doing your job. Michigans labor movement applauded the ruling on Monday, calling the bills under dispute crucial protections for workers, including healthcare affordability, pension security, and debt collection reforms. Todays ruling from the Court of Appeals is a declaration that the rule of law and state Constitution still matter in Michigan, said Ron Bieber, president of Michigan AFL-CIO. Three judges, including two Republican appointees, took Speaker Hall to task, ruling that the stalled, pro-worker bills must be presented to the governor. Each day of delay causes real harm to working Michiganders. Its time for Speaker Hall to stop wasting taxpayer dollars, end his war on workers and present these bills to Governor Whitmer for her signature. Heres a look at the nine bills being withheld. The bills were all passed last session either along party lines or mostly along party lines, with Democrats in favor. House Bill 4177 and 5817-5818 would allow the Wayne County Board of Commissioners to establish a history museum authority, which could levy a voter-approved tax to support a history museum in Detroit. House Bills 4665-4667 would allow corrections officers to join the Michigan State Police retirement system. House Bills 4900-4901 would exempt public assistance benefits, unemployment benefits, disability benefits and workers compensation from being garnished to repay a debt. House Bill 6058 would require public employers to increase the amount they pay toward their employees medical benefit plans. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June and has closed several stores since then. Dave Hernandez | For NJ Advance Four months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, national home decor and furnishings retailer At Home has completed its financial restructuring. The company has emerged from Chapter 11 and says it has eliminated substantially all of its nearly $2 billion in funded debt. However, the restructuring came at a cost as 31 locations were closed during the process. When the company filed for Chapter 11 in June, it operated 260 stores across 40 states, according to Retail Dive. A press release issued by At Home says it now operates 229 locations in 39 states. Court filings in July revealed six additional locations would close, on top of 22 previously announced closures Along with eliminating the debt, At Home secured $500 million in new financing that will be used to grow the Dallas-based company. The company is also preparing for the upcoming holiday season, which generates about 40% of its net sales. Today marks an exciting new beginning for At Home, said Brad Weston, Chief Executive Officer of At Home. We are officially starting our next phase with renewed financial strength, flexibility and momentum. Were taking decisive actions to become more relevant, more inspiring and more connected to our customers. This new chapter redefines what At Home can bea brand that helps customers design and create spaces that reflect who they are and how they live. At Home is now owned by a group of lenders which includes Redwood Capital Management, LLC, Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C. and Anchorage Capital Advisors. Darrin Martin of Marion pled no contest to assault with intent to murder after firing at officers during a July incident that began with 911 calls about a home invasion. (MLive file photo) LANSING, MI A man will serve up to 32 years in prison after shooting at police during a high-speed chase in Northern Michigan this summer. Darrin Martin, 28, of Marion, pleaded no contest on Friday, Oct. 24, to multiple felony charges stemming from the July 10 assault and high-speed police chase across Wexford and Osceola counties, according to a news release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. As part of the plea agreement, Martin will serve 15-30 years in prison on two counts of assault with intent to murder, and a mandatory 2-year sentence for two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, Nessels office said. Michigan State Police officers and the Wexford County Sheriffs Office responded to multiple 911 calls about an alleged assault and home invasion on July 10. Police stopped a vehicle that matched the description given by callers, and Martin, who was driving the vehicle, fled the traffic stop. Police said Martin fired several shots at pursuing officers as they chased him before he crashed his vehicle. After the crash and rollover, Martin led police on a foot chase through a farm field. Martin still had a weapon and raised it and pointed it at officers during the chase, according to the release. Officers gave verbal commands to drop the pistol, but Martin continued to raise the weapon and point it at police. Police fired at Martin, striking him, and he was taken to a nearby hospital. The police shooting was reviewed by the Attorney Generals office and found to be a justified use of force under the law. This dangerous incident could have easily resulted in serious injury and loss of life to law enforcement officers and Northern Michigan residents, Nessel said. Such acts of violence and reckless disregard for public safety have severe consequences. It is my hope that this outcome not only holds the offender accountable but also serves as a strong deterrent to others who might endanger our communities. Martin, who was charged in July, pleaded to two counts of assault with intent to murder; one count of discharging a weapon from a motor vehicle; one count of third-degree fleeing and eluding police; and two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Martins sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 5 in the 49th Circuit Court in Osceola County. An Upper Peninsula man is accused of posting online threats to kill President Donald Trump over the administrations LGBTQ policy, immigration rights and his belief that Trump has acted as a dictator. Joshua Levi Young, who served in the U.S. Air Force, is named in a federal criminal complaint alleging that he threatened to kill the president and vice president and made threatening interstate communications. Both charges are potential five-year felonies. 104 1 / 104 Donald Trump closes out campaign with late night rally in Grand Rapids U.S. Magistrate Judge Maarten Vermaat ordered Young detained based on the alleged threats of violence, the danger to the community if he was released and the strength of the evidence against him. An Upper Peninsula man is accused of threatening President Donald Trump. (U.S. District Court records) U.S. District Court records The U.S. Secret Service said Young made multiple online threats. One said: I am going to kill trump raise him from the dead and kill him again. Death to Trump. An Upper Peninsula man is accused of threatening President Donald Trump. (U.S. District Court records) U.S. District Court records Others said, Death to the dictator and We need to bring back public executions and execute the trump administration from (sic) the world to see. We cant let that Nazi gain anymore power. Alleged threats were posted in January, April and June on Facebook, Instagram and X, an investigator said in court records. Adam Rogers, a Secret Service special agent, said in the complaint that his agency on Sept. 16 received information from the FBI National Threat Operations Center about threats against the president originating from Michigan. Rogers and an Ishpeming police sergeant went to Youngs Ishpeming home on Oct. 7 after an anonymous tipster alerted authorities. Young acknowledged posting the comments and said he did not like what Trump was doing. Young, who served in the Air Force from August 2022 until his discharge in January 2024, also told the investigators that he is a gay/non-binary person who aligns with the LGBTQ community and is angered by the administrations policies on LGBTQ rights, Rogers wrote. Young also stated he is frustrated and saddened with the current situation surrounding immigration rights and stated, I hurt when others hurt. On Oct. 22, Rogers wrote, the Veterans Affairs in Ishpeming told local police that Young showed up and asked for help with a new phone and said he was looking for an attorney because he was going to leave the country. The case is expected to go before a federal grand jury for potential indictment. Youngs attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ottawa County Administrative Health Officer Adeline Hambley, center, listens during an Ottawa County hearing at the Muskegon County Courthouse on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. Cory Morse | cmorse1@mlive.com OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- Ottawa County commissioners have settled two more lawsuits stemming from the 2024 actions of a prior board. One of the lawsuits involved the Holland Sentinel, which sued to have closed-court testimony released involving an alleged $4 million settlement offered to Health Officer Adeline Hambley -- later deemed an unenforceable deal. Commissioners agreed Tuesday, Oct. 28 that, as part of a settlement with the Sentinel, they would release minutes of a Nov. 6, 2023 Ottawa County Board closed session that led to the disputed Jan. 19., 2024 court hearing. In exchange, the Sentinel will dismiss the lawsuit. A majority of commissioners in early 2023 sought to have Hambley terminated, but a legal battle ensued and commissioners later that year began work on a settlement. Following a closed session Nov. 6, commissioners voted to accept Counsels recommendation regarding litigation and settlement activities and at least some commissioners believed it was to pay Hambley $4 million to leave. Former board Chair Joe Moss, co-founder of the highly conservative political platform Ottawa Impact, says the vote was simply to continue negotiations. Hambley and her attorney also believed there was $4 million agreement and they asked a judge to weigh in. Muskegon County Judge Jenny McNeill heard testimony during a publicly closed hearing Jan. 19, 2024 and later ruled that Moss motion following the Nov. 6 closed session was too ambiguous to be enforceable. She acknowledged, though, that a general settlement agreement had been reached. The second lawsuit settled Tuesday involved paying $6,299 to Chester Township to cover attorney fees over a disputed $563,000 grant for cleanup of Crockery Lake. Commissioners, under Moss leadership in December 2024, voted to give Chester Township a $563,000 grant for the cleanup. Several new commissioners took office in January 2025, stopped the payment and asked a judge to decide if the grant was given legally. Ottawa County Circuit Judge Jon Hulsing recently decided it was not. The settlement agreement ratified Tuesday preempts any appeal attempt from Chester Township. Commissioners voted 7-4 to settle the Sentinel case, with Moss, Sylvia Rhodea, Kendra Wenzel and Allision Miedema voting no. They voted unanimously to approve the Chester Township case. Rhodea, upset that new commissioners derailed the grant, said she thought the county bullied Chester Township. Im very much disappointed in how the county handled this, she said. Michigan recently changed its tax structure on fuel to funnel more revenue toward roads. Pictured is a file photo of a gas station on Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor. (MLive.com) Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Michigan drivers pay state and federal taxes every time they fill up their gas tank. How much, and where those dollars go, are changing in an effort to better maintain and improve the states roads system. Those changes were signed into law earlier this month. Lawmakers have described the tax change as revenue neutral and assured residents they wont see much difference in how much they pay at the pump. But is that true? Below is a look at those taxes, how theyve changed, and what it means for drivers moving forward. The old system Before the recent changes to the fuel tax setup, drivers paid a 31-cents-per-gallon state fuel tax, plus an 18.4% federal fuel tax, and a 6% sales tax. All taxes are included in the price per gallon advertised on the pump. Gas taxes went to fund roads and transit, while the sales tax was used for a variety of avenues, including schools, local government, and environmental regulatory fees. Lawmakers had for years said they wanted to see all taxes paid at the pump go to the transportation fund. This time, they made it a reality. The new system Michigan has since cut the sales tax from fuel sales and replaced that revenue with a 20-cent-per-gallon increase to the fuel tax. The move allows all taxes on fuel to fund roads, bridges and other transit costs -- a shared goal of the long-term road funding strategies laid out by both House Republicans and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Officials estimate the fuel tax change, plus a new wholesale tax on marijuana and shifting about $688 million in corporate income tax revenue to roads, would increase transportation funding by about $1.1 billion in Fiscal Year 2026. Eventually, those changes could generate more than $1.8 billion annually, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency. Is the tax change actually revenue neutral? A quick calculation of taxes paid at the pump at various prices per gallon would indicate that drivers could pay more, or less, to fill their tank, depending on the cost of gas. Thats because the sales tax was based on a percentage, while the new formula uses a more stable gas tax in cents per gallon. Previously, drivers paid more taxes when gas prices were higher. Moving forward, theyll pay more when gas prices are lower, but less when prices are higher. So why call it revenue neutral? State Rep. Tom Kunse, R-Clare, said lawmakers looked at gas prices over a three-year period. Taxes paid per gallon on average were comparable to what drivers will pay under the new tax system at current gas prices. If we look at the data a year from now, Im confident this will be revenue neutral or better, Kunse said. What about electric and hybrid vehicles? State law requires electric and hybrid vehicle owners to pay more in annual registration fees whenever the fuel tax is increased. For every 1 cent raise of the states gas tax, EV (electric vehicle) drivers pay another $5 per year and hybrid drivers pay another $2.50 per year. Given the recent 20-cent increase, that means those drivers can expect to pay another $100 and $50 per year, respectively. Advocates from the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (MEIBC) said the fee hikes move Michigan to No. 1 in the nation for EV taxes. One casualty of the rushed road funding deal is fairness in how Michigan treats its drivers, said Sophia Schuster, policy principal for MEIBC. She called it a likely unintended consequence. Schuster supports an effort proposed by Sen. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, to reduce those registration fees. While Kunse said its a worthwhile conversation to have, he doesnt consider the new registration fees to be unfair to EV drivers. He calculated the $260 registration fee per year as equivalent to the driver of a gas-powered vehicle paying fuel tax on about 510 gallons of fuel in a year. That would be a realistic total for someone who drives 15,000 miles per year and gets about 30 miles per gallon. Kunse admits the road funding system isnt perfect or fully equitable. He anticipates an eventual move to some type of pay-per-mile system for all drivers. In the meantime, he said the state has finally secured more long-term, stable road funding. Its been 12 years of trying to get all taxes paid at the pump to go to roads he said. I think this is a win. We got the funding, now we still need to make sure we spend it as fiscally responsible as possible. WHITEFISH POINT, MI-- Behind thick museum glass at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum sits a 200-pound bronze bell, the centerpiece of an exhibit honoring one of Lake Superiors most famous maritime tragedies. The 200-pound bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. In 1995 the museum worked alongside the National Geographic Society and the Canadian Navy to recover the bell from the wreck site in the deep cold waters of Lake Superior. After the bell was recovered it went through an extensive restoration process. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The bell was retrieved from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald on July 4, 1995, by a U.S.-Canadian dive team working approximately 17 miles northwest of Whitefish Point. The recovery operation brought the corroded bell up from 530 feet below the surface, where it had remained since the ship sank during a storm on Nov. 10, 1975, claiming the lives of all 29 crewmen aboard. The Edmund Fitzgerald historical display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. In 1995 the museum worked alongside the National Geographic Society and the Canadian Navy to recover the bell from the wreck site using a NEWTSUIT in the deep cold waters of Lake Superior. The yellow suit pictured is a replica of one designed by Phil Nuytten. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The historic dive was a collaborative effort involving the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, National Geographic Society, the Canadian naval ship HMCS Cormorant, Sony Corporation and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. To honor the lost sailors, divers placed a replica bell engraved with the names of each crewman where the original had been mounted on the Fitzgeralds pilothouse. The Edmund Fitzgerald historical display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. In 1995 the museum worked alongside the National Geographic Society and the Canadian Navy to recover the bell from the wreck site using a NEWTSUIT in the deep cold waters of Lake Superior. The yellow suit pictured is a replica of one designed by Phil Nuytten. The Fitzgerald painting was created by David Conklin in 1993. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The recovery team used a NEWTSUIT, designed by Phil Nuytten for deep, cold water diving, capable of reaching depths of 1,200 feet. This pressurized yellow suit featured electric thrusters, foot controls, mechanical manipulators, and a mounted video camera and sonar unit. Visitors can see a replica of the suit at the museum. After recovery, the bell underwent careful restoration at Michigan State University using distilled water, baking soda and delicate hand tools under 24-hour watch. It was the only item taken from the wreck. A person views the 200-pound bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. In 1995 the museum worked alongside the National Geographic Society and the Canadian Navy to recover the bell from the wreck site in the deep cold waters of Lake Superior. After the bell was recovered it went through an extensive restoration process. Joel Bissell | MLive.com Today, the restored bell serves as a lasting tribute to the men of the Edmund Fitzgerald. A placard beneath it includes a quote from Ruth Hudson, mother of Bruce Hudson, a 22-year-old Fitzgerald deckhand: Finally we had our funeral. Its a grave now. There is no reason why anyone should dive to the Fitzgerald again. Let them rest in peace. The museum offers visitors a comprehensive look at the Shipwreck Coast of Lake Superior, where hundreds of vessels have been lost. Some of the ship dialogue between freighters the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Arthur M. Anderson, next to the dialogue is an image of Jesse B. Cooper Captain of the Anderson that on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The Fitzgerald exhibit includes the final radio correspondence between Capt. Ernest M. McSorley and Capt. Jesse B. Cooper, who was piloting the Arthur M. Anderson through the same storm. Lifeboat artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. Joel Bissell | MLive.com Artwork by William Koelpin and David Conklin depicts the 728-foot vessel in rough waters and split in two at the bottom of the lake. A model replica of the steamship, lifeboat artifacts and a video montage of the 29 crewmen are also on display. The Whitefish Point Lighthouse part of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. Joel Bissell | MLive.com Beyond the Fitzgerald exhibits, visitors can tour the 1861 Whitefish Point Lighthouse, restored Keepers Quarters and Surfboat House, which share stories of lighthouse life and rescue efforts. The second-order Fresnel lens that was originally located at the White Shoal Light on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The museum also houses artifacts from other shipwrecks and a Fresnel lens originally from the White Shoal Light. A 14-minute documentary about the Edmund Fitzgerald plays in the restored 1923 U.S. Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat House adjacent to the main museum. Outside, visitors can spot passing freighters from an observation deck or walk along a beach where large trees have washed ashore. Visitors watch a 14 minute long Edmund Fitzgerald video documentary in the restored 1923 USCG Motor Lifeboat House at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Mich. Joel Bissell | MLive.com As the 50th anniversary of the sinking approaches on Nov. 10, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society will host two memorial ceremonies at Whitefish Pointone open to the public and a private gathering reserved for family members of those lost. "A ceremony for the general public will take place outdoors at 2 p.m., and a ceremony for family members only will take place at 7 p.m., which will be livestreamed for the public, according to organizers at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May 1 to Oct. 31. Visitors can purchase tickets online or in-person. Lapeers historic downtown is set for a playful and meaningful transformation, thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Michigan Main Street Vibrancy Grant Program. | Jake May Jake May | MLive.com LAPEER, MI Patrick Hingst found himself overwhelmed by the response to a post up on his restaurants Facebook page. The Oct. 24 post notes Woodchips BBQ, with support from Lightning Rounds and Kookys N Cream, will be handing out 200 free carryout chicken dinners for anyone in need of a hot meal, no questions asked. We were disheartened to learn that those on Food Assistance may not be able to access their benefits, and we never want anyone to go hungry, the post reads. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Service was notified last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service to pause benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, in November. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides food assistance to those who are lower income. The notice said due to the ongoing federal government funding lapse, there may be limited availability of funds to pay full SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. But instead of directing states to issue partial benefits, the federal government told Michigan to hold November SNAP issuance. Nearly 13% of Michigan households, or roughly 1.4 million people, rely on SNAP to buy groceries. Hingst told MLive-The Flint Journal the meals will be passed out beginning at 3 p.m. until they run out on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the restaurant, located at 315 W. Nepessing St. in downtown Lapeer. Since we started, community first has been on of the hallmarks of our brand, he said, noting if food assistance remains suspended, the restaurant would look to make the giveaway a weekly event until benefits are restored. The business has also hosted the FREEdom Festival for the last five years for the community as well as providing a free community Christmas meal. Hingst said the meal for those currently in need is another way the business is serving its purpose of serving others which he called the highest purpose in life. Other restaurants in Lapeer have since joined in the effort, Hingst noted, including Krave and Kin Thai. Located at 195 W. Genesee St., Krave will provide one carryout meal a day off the kids menu to children of families impacted by the pause on SNAP benefits who live within the 48446 zip code. Those looking to take part in the deal must provide proof of SNAP benefits. This will start November 1st and continue until snap benefits are reinstated, the restaurants post reads. We wish we could feed the entire state but simply cannot. We urge you to speak to your communities restaurants and businesses and ask them to follow our lead if you fall outside of our zip code requirement. Those wishing to dine in can receive the free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree. Beginning Nov. 1 and running through Nov. 8, Kin Thai Cuisine, 450 W. Nepessing St. in Lapeer, will be offering free vegetable fried rice for children, with no purchase necessary. We see you, and we care, reads a post of the restaurants Facebook page. These times havent been easy, But well get through them together. While looking at the level of cynicism and negativity thats online, Hingst said he hopes to spread some positivity for people to look toward, noting in a Facebook post that There is far more GOOD in this world than we are led to believe. Hingst said Woodchips also has pledged to match the first $1,000 in donations toward three local organizations Stone Soup, Good Samaritans, and The Refuge dollar for dollar. Remember that even in these challenging and divisive times...we can all find ways to look out for and serve each other, his post reads. Hunger and struggle doesnt have political beliefs. And neither does love. Lets look out for one another and find, even the smallest of ways, that we can serve our fellow man/woman. GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Rebel Nell, a women-owned social enterprise based in Detroit, has opened its fourth retail location in downtown Grand Rapids. The new store at 96 Monroe Center spans 750 square feet. It celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 23 with a ribbon-cutting and open house, months after a long-running coffee shop, Local Mocha, closed its doors after 17 years. Our goal is to build spaces that celebrate creativity and community, said Amy Peterson, founder and CEO of Rebel Nell. Were so excited to be part of the Grand Rapids community, which has welcomed us with open arms. The Grand Rapids retail location will feature jewelry made from locally sourced materials, a custom jewelry design bar where customers select their own Grand Rapids graffiti fragments, and a commissioned mural by artist Quinn Faylor. The store will also serve as a community hub for corporate mural-making experiences. These team-building events allow businesses to create collaborative artwork that can later be transformed into meaningful employee gifts or client keepsakes. Peterson, a former associate counsel for the Detroit Tigers, said she chose Grand Rapids as the next stop for a new store because of the areas robust support of the arts, vibrant small business scene, and deep sense of community and values. This store is extra special its not just a place to shop, but a place to create. Everything we do is about connecting people, place, and purpose, she stated. We want everyone who walks in to feel special and inspired. And we mean it when we say we want to host you. From Comerica Park dugout vinyl and Fox Theatre seats to records from the Motown Museum and wallpaper from Mackinac Islands Grand Hotel, Rebel Nell has built a reputation since 2013 for creating wearable art that tells Detroits story. Over the years, Rebel Nell has partnered with major brands, including the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Detroit City FC, and the PGA Tours Rocket Classic. The companys signature process begins with graffiti fragmentslayers of spray paint that have peeled away from Detroits abandoned railroad corridors, designated art walls and infrastructure. They stabilize and treat the material, revealing vibrant layers of color underneath, then cut unique shapes and set them in sterling silver. Peterson said her dream is for every business in Grand Rapids to create its own Rebel Nell mural that can later be repurposed into meaningful gifts. We did our first one with the building owners at Independent Bank, and it turned out absolutely beautiful, she said. But what also sets this women-owned business apart isnt just the art, its the artists. Much of the jewelry and custom designs are created by women who were once living in shelters. Each purchase at the Grand Rapids retail location directly supports employment opportunities for women overcoming barriers to traditional employmentfrom homelessness and domestic violence to incarceration and substance abuse recovery. To date, Rebel Nell has employed 49 women transitioning out of homelessness, and not one has returned to the shelter system a 100% success rate that has impacted more than 400 family members and community members. Were always thrilled when businesses from beyond Grand Rapids choose to grow here, and even more so when theyre mission-driven, like Rebel Nell, said Richard App, retail retention & attraction specialist for Grand Rapids. Were grateful to Amy and her team for believing in our city and joining our vibrant downtown retail community. GEORGETOWN TWP, MI - Construction is now well underway at the corner lot that used to house Jenisons Rite Aid store, and those passing by can see exterior building work in progress. The site will soon be the home of young adult services (YAS) for the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD). OAISD plans to use the building to consolidate its YAS offerings on the east side of Ottawa County. The YAS program supports adult students with special needs, aged 18-26, in developing essential work and life skills and promoting greater independence. Students are referred to the program by their local school district starting at age 16. OAISD purchased the lot, at 2775 Port Sheldon St., for a little over $1.6 million, according to property records. The sale went through in December 2024, and the goal is to have the facility up and running in August 2026. Interior and exterior construction began about a month ago, OAISD leaders told MLive in an interview last week. An addition is now being added to the back of the building, and windows are being cut for what will soon be different classrooms. The building became available after 170 Rite Aid stores across Michigan shut their doors, and the pharmacy chain left the state entirely. Now, OAISD leaders say the newly renovated building will support approximately 70 students on the east side of the county, addressing growing enrollment numbers and physical constraints with existing leased facilities. Over 200 students in total utilize the program throughout OAISD, including at a new YAS facility for the west side of the county, which opened in Holland (12360 Felch St.) in September 2024. John Koerner, director of OAISDs program, previously told MLive YAS operated for decades out of various facilities across the region, including leased and district-owned spaces in Coopersville, Grand Haven, Holland and Hudsonville. When the Holland facility was opened, it was because the old building did not fully meet the unique needs of students. The district consolidated its Holland and Zeeland facilities. Building a new facility allowed us to design a space that accommodates the specific learning and physical needs of the students while consolidating resources from two geographically close locations into one location, he said. Now, OAISD is repeating the process on the east side, by creating a new facility in Jenison and consolidating its Hudsonville and Coopersville facilities. As those facilities are now leased by OAISD, the change will lead to lower long-term costs. The new building will also address limitations, like a lack of windows and absence of key security features, and will improve accessibility for students. The Rite Aid building, which was constructed in 1997, is 11,287 square feet. Previously one big open space, save a pharmacy, the building is now getting corridors and classrooms, as well as a secured entrance and some office space up front. Other visible changes will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades to the site, as well as carving out drop off and pickup areas for both buses and parents. OAISD leaders are envisioning a finished product similar to the Holland facility, with specialized classroom spaces, independent living skill areas and even a full kitchen. The goal is more of a college feel than a K-12 classroom. The new buildings central location near area businesses will also be beneficial to students who can use them as a resource to learn job skills and ultimately gain employment. The project is being funded through the districts existing operating fund. The proposed increase in the bank profit tax rate to 50% in 2026 is justified by the sector's super-profitability during the war. The successful implementation of a similar tax increase from 2023 to 2024 refutes the National Bank of Ukraine's and Ukrainian banks' arguments against the decision, said Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy. "The counter-arguments are far-fetched. They are an attempt by people who do not want to pay more to explain 'why not.' I understand the intention, but I cannot agree with it," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. Hetmantsev emphasized that the banking sector earns a significant portion of its income from risk-free transactions with government bonds and certificates of deposit from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) rather than from lending to the economy. This is due to record liquidity in wartime conditions. According to data he provided, the average daily balance of certificates of deposit, for example, increased from UAH 145 billion in 2021 to UAH 506 billion in the first nine months of 2025. Additionally, the volume of banks' investments in government bonds increased from UAH 530 billion at the beginning of the war to approximately UAH 890 billion this year. "If, due to certain anomalies, the state gives banks the opportunity to earn on such transactions, it has the right to direct part of this profit to financing the army," Hetmantsev said, commenting on bill No. 14097, which the Verkhovna Rada adopted last week at the first reading by 262 votes, surpassing the required minimum of 226. The committee chairman also noted that, unlike previous tax rate increases, this one is not planned to be retroactive. As reported, the banking community united by the National Association of Banks of Ukraine, the European Business Association (EBA), and the Forum for Leading International Financial Institutions appealed to the Verkhovna Rada to reject the draft law. According to the EBA, the document could complicate the formation of capital buffers, restrict lending, and jeopardize the implementation of individual banks' recapitalization plans. According to estimates from the National Bank, to which the EBA refers, nine banks, including two state-owned ones, may face a capital deficit if the draft law is adopted, and eight of them will be unable to implement their recapitalization plans. Last week, the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Andriy Pyshnyy, also spoke out against raising the tax rate on bank profits to 50%. He recalled that banks and financial companies already pay tax at an increased rate of 25%, while the rest of the economy pays 18%. JACKSON, MI Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson admitted, in a written response to misconduct allegations, to heavily consuming alcohol starting as early as 2013 and ending as late as 2021. He neither confirmed nor denied appearing in public, including at the courthouse, smelling of alcohol or intoxicated, according to the response, filed Oct. 22, to the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission. In the response, Wilson admitted to some of the allegations, denied some and stated he did not recall the events of others. Wilson denied sexual harassment claims but admitted to making a comment about a pregnant judges breasts. He admitted to failing to report civil case delays to the State Court Administrators Office, noting he has his own system in place to track the matters. He denied it was to conceal delays, stating he did it so he would have time to get the stuff done without it showing up as being late. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission filed a formal complaint Sept. 11 against Wilson detailing eight counts of alleged misconduct spanning over a decade. He originally had 14 days to respond to the complaint but was granted an extension. The complaint accuses the judge of a wide range of ethical and legal violations, from sexual harassment to judicial interference and deliberately hiding case delays to alcohol abuse. Read more: 5 takeaways from complaint against Jackson County judge accused of widespread misconduct Wilson began the heavy drinking between 2013 and 2015 and it continued until 2020 or 2021, according to his response, and he admitted he did not obtain an alcohol assessment ordered by the state bar in 2019. Wilson stated he has since stopped his heavy drinking and limits himself to one beer when out socially or two when at an extended social event, according to the complaint response. The complaint claims multiple instances of Wilson appearing in public smelling of alcohol or intoxicated, including at the courthouse, a county judges meeting and on Election Day 2016, when he allegedly invited county employees to take shots of Fireball whiskey. Wilson said he did not recall appearing drunk in the courthouse, but conceded he may have gone home, had a few drinks and returned later, but believes that only happened at the end of the workday or in the evening, according to his response. The complaint further details multiple instances of alleged sexual harassment, including telling a judge he had been wanting to have sex with her for a long time and telling a judge he knew she was pregnant because her boobs were bigger. Wilson did not deny the breast comment. He believed his relationship was such with the judge that the comment would not be considered offensive, Wilson said, according to the response. Wilson admitted to failing to disclose business relationships he had with several attorneys who appeared before his court. He admitted too to having a landlord-tenant relationships with at least three attorneys who regularly appeared before him. He also had investment partnerships, including a car wash, with two attorneys. He retained several local attorneys to represent him in personal matters like his divorce and business disputes, or to represent his relative in criminal cases, without disclosing these attorney-client relationships in court. Wilson denies improperly interjecting himself into a case involving a family member, but he did admit to interjecting himself in another case, for which he was the sitting judge. The commission claims a relative of his, a juvenile, was charged with drug possession in Jackson County before the prosecutor chose to have the case heard by a Washtenaw County judge to avoid a preserved conflict of interest. The complaint contends Wilson attempted to use his status as judge to sway prosecutors into keeping it in Jackson County. In the other instance, he admitted he called 911 to prevent the arrest of a defendant for violating a no-contact order, telling dispatch he had the situation all taken care of. To read Wilsons response in its entirety, click here. The next step in the complaint process is a public hearing, yet to be scheduled. The Michigan Supreme Court has selected retired Ingham County Circuit Judge Peter D. Houk as the Special Master to preside over the hearing. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page. An I-94 sign in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Police are investigating an incident on westbound I-94 that led to charges against a Kalamazoo man. VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A Kalamazoo man has been charged after shots were fired during an incident involving police on I-94, the Michigan State Police reports. It happened around 9:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, on westbound I-94 near Mile Marker 66 in Mattawan, MSP said. Police did not provide more details of the incident, but said it was an officer-involved shooting involving troopers assigned to the Paw Paw Post. MSP Spokesman Spl/Lt. DuWayne Robinson declined to provide additional details, including whether it was the officer who fired their gun or the driver or both referring questions to the attorney generals office. There were no reported injuries and no one was hit by gunfire, MSP said. On Monday, Oct. 27, Kalamazoo resident Joshua Crow, 37, was arraigned on 10 charges authorized by the Van Buren County Prosecutors Office. Charges include assault with a dangerous weapon, resisting and obstructing police, malicious destruction of police property, fleeing, operating while intoxicated second offense and habitual offender third offense. The officer-involved shooting is under investigation and will be forwarded to the Michigan Department of Attorney General for review upon completion, MSP said. Visit MLives local Kalamazoo news page. A new shuttle wil transport WMU students from Rood Hall to two stops in downtown Kalamazoo. Western Michigan University KALAMAZOO, MI A new shuttle will help connect Western Michigan University students with downtown Kalamazoo. The bus, painted bright teal, will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It will transport students from Rood Hall, 2101 Wilbur Ave., on WMUs campus to two downtown stops: in front of the Catalyst building, 100 W. Michigan Ave., and the corner of South Street and Kalamazoo Mall Drive. Unlike WMUs on-campus shuttle buses, the downtown shuttle is branded with the phrase Bring The Juice. Its a saying among WMUs leadership and business strategy (LBS) program, and the LBS logo painted on the side. Rides on the 30-passenger bus will be free for all WMU students. The initiative was made possible by a partnership through the Monroe-Brown Foundation and the Hall Foundation Downtown Initiative Fund, in partnership with the United Way of South Central Michigan and Sleeping Giant Capital. A ceremony to launch the bus was held outside Rood Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The bus will be operational from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. Its open to all students with a WMU ID. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the bus is reserved for LBS students. The reserved hours will be used to transport students to LBS courses held downtown. Officials didnt say how frequently the bus will stop at each location. Accessing downtown Kalamazoo has been a challenge in the past, said WMU President Russ Kavalhuna. You had a couple choices. One was to walk, one was to not go, Kavalhuna said. This bridge that were talking about did not exist. Walking from Rood Hall to the Catalyst Building takes about 45 minutes, according to Google Maps. For now, the priority for the shuttle service will be experiential learning, said Doug Lepisto, co-founder of Sleeping Giant Capital. Students in WMUs LBS program work directly with Sleeping Giant Capital, a place-based investment firm in downtown Kalamazoo. The university will have to partner with more downtown businesses if it wants to scale shuttle operations to every day, Lepisto said. Some downtown businesses will offer exclusive incentives and discounts for students to explore the city, a press release from WMU said. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. CASS COUNTY, MI A man was killed Monday, Oct. 27, in a crash on US-12 near M-217, sheriffs deputies said. James Hettmansperger, 42, of Vandalia died in the crash in Cass Countys Porter Township. The crash was reported at 6:02 p.m. The investigation showed that the man was driving a Jeep Liberty east on US-12 when he lost control of the vehicle and it crossed the centerline. It struck the rear end of an oncoming GMC Sierra pickup truck and trailer, sheriffs deputies said. The Jeep left the road and came to a stop alongside a utility pole. Paramedics and firefighters attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A 44-year-old Elkhart, Indiana, man was driving the Sierra. Both drivers used seat belts. Southeast Public Safety Authority ambulance paramedics and firefighters assisted at the scene. SAGINAW, MI A Michigan woman has filed a lawsuit against Mercantile Bank, alleging the financial institution repeatedly ignored her complaints of unsafe working conditions. Her superiors negligence led to her being robbed, beaten, and raped by a man during a lengthy standoff, she alleges. Her ordeal only ended when a Michigan State Police sharpshooter killed her assailant. Attorney Philip L. Ellison filed suit on the womans behalf in Saginaw County Circuit Court on Sept. 23. The woman is named in the suit as Jane Doe due to the sensitive nature of the matter, Ellison said. Grand Rapids-based Mercantile Bank Corp. is the suits sole defendant. Nichole Kladder, chief marketing officer for Mercantile, said it is the banks policy not to discuss pending litigation. However, Kladder said, we want to assure you that Mercantile Bank prioritizes the safety and security of both our employees and customers. The woman has worked as a business development banker at the Mercantile Bank Saginaw Virtual Branch and Lending Office, 5444 State St., for about two years, Ellison said. The suit states she complained about the branch lacking adequate security and staffing on at least six occasions to as many individuals. The suit alleges the branch had an outdated alarm system, insufficient barriers between staff and patrons, and no exterior surveillance system, security guard, panic button, or windows. The womans personal office door was incapable of being locked, the suit states. Mercantile responded to the womans concerns by hiring a local contractor to look into improving the branchs security, the suit alleges. The bank opted not to carry through with the renovations when the estimate came back at about $14,000, the suit states. Mercantiles supervisory staff indicated that it only desired to spend a few hundred dollars, the suit states. As a result of [Mercantile]s woefully inadequate security measures, [Doe]s attendance at the State Street branch each day inherently carried the risk of serious injury and death. Doe was closing the branch on June 27 when 31-year-old Quinton M. Allen entered and asked to open an account. Doe told Allen he could do so online and went to her office to write down the website address. Allen followed her into her office and began assaulting her with a weapon. Does fiance, who was on the phone with her when Allen entered, called 911. When police arrived and started erecting a perimeter around the bank, Allen told the victim to tell them to leave or she would regret it, reports state. Allen told her if a police negotiator tried steering the conversation in a way he didnt like, he would beat her, reports state. Allen then destroyed [her] office and barricaded the windows and doors, reports state. He also forced Doe to block a window with a refrigerator. Police withdrew from the parking lot at Allens request but maintained a perimeter. Over the next several hours, Allen robbed the woman of $1,000 she withdrew from an ATM, jewelry, and vehicle keys, and repeatedly sexually assaulted her. As the incident wore on, negotiators agreed to bring Allen a 24-ounce bottle of Faygo Red Pop and money on a drone. When the drone approached, Allen donned a mask and removed the door barricades. A shirtless Allen appeared in front of a glass door, holding his hostage. A Third District Emergency Support Team (EST) member located 115 yards away on the roof of the AutoZone Auto Parts store fired one shot from his departmental .308-caliber rifle, striking Allen in the head and killing him, reports state. The hostage then ran outside and police rushed in, covering her in a blanket and escorting her to their vehicles. Doe was on paid leave for a time following the incident, Ellison said. She has declined to apply for workers compensation, though she remains eligible to do so until June 27, 2027. We feel it doesnt provide anywhere close to the compensation shes owed for the banks shortcomings, Ellison said. The bank had numerous emails and communications about how unsafe the bank was, and they said they didnt want to spend the money to protect their employees. The suit is seeking a minimum of $25,000 in damages. Mercantile has until Friday, Oct. 31, to respond to Ellisons suit. The Michigan Attorney Generals Office reviewed investigators findings and on Oct. 24 announced the trooper who fired the fatal shot acted lawfully in Does defense. The Mercantile branch has not reopened since the incident and external signage has been removed. U.S. Rep. John James, shown in this file photo, isn't expected to be part of the first debate of Republican candidates for Michigan governor. (MLive file photo) Cory Morse | cmorse1@mlive.com The first of three debates among the 2026 Republican contenders for Michigan governor will take place Wednesday but isnt likely to feature one prominent candidate. The debate scheduled for 7 p.m. at Apple Valley Events in Sparta is slated to include all Republican gubernatorial candidates except for U.S. Rep. John James. James, the Republican frontrunner in early polling, has yet to RSVP for the debate, according to MIGOP Executive Assistant Jessica Barefield. Six other Republican contenders for governor will partake in the debate. Barefield said James team did not give a reason for his lack of RSVP. Barefield said should James choose to attend, there will be a spot for him on the stage. James spokesperson Hannah Osantowske said the congressman will consider a primary debate once the field is set and will be speaking directly to Michiganders in the meantime. None of the three Republican gubernatorial debates this fall will be livestreamed or broadcast. Tickets to attend the Wednesday debate are $50 and can be purchased at this link. The other debates are Nov. 4 at the Athena Banquet Center in Roseville and Nov. 20 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. These debates will play a pivotal role in the success of the 2026 election cycle, said MIGOP Chair Jim Runestad. We are excited to host them in three different regions of the state, giving voters across Michigan the opportunity to hear directly from our gubernatorial candidates. WOOD-TV political reporter Rick Albin was initially slated to moderate the Wednesday evening debate but was replaced with independent journalist Dave Bondy due to a scheduling conflict, Barefield said. The Republican candidates running for governor are James, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former Attorney General Mike Cox, former House Speaker Tom Leonard, Ax MI Tax Executive Director Karla Wagner, Pastor Ralph Rebandt and Anthony Hudson. James led the pack of Republicans in early polling, according to the Michigan Advance. However, a straw poll conducted at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference put James in fourth place among declared Republican gubernatorial candidates. James did not participate in the candidate forum at that conference. Nesbitt led that straw poll, followed by Leonard, then Cox and then James. Prominent Democratic candidates for governor include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and cannot seek reelection. The primary winners will face a third major candidate in the general election: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who is running as an independent. People take shelter at a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa's forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP By JOHN MYERS JR. and DANICA COTO Associated Press KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago. The storm was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said. Shortly after, it is expected to hit Cuba. Hours before the storm, the Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place. The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Hurricane Melissa remained a Category 5 monster as it neared landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday. Melissa is expected to make a second landfall in eastern Cuba soon and then will head for the Bahamas. Above is the three-day track for the storm. Bermuda may have to face Melissa later this week. National Hurricane Center Jamaica braces for catastrophic damage Early Tuesday, Melissa was centered about 115 miles (180 kilometers) west-southwest of Kingston and about 290 miles (465 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 5 mph (8 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. We will get through it together, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaicas meteorological service. Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening, he said. There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement. Matthew Samuda, Jamaicas water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly. Every drop will count, he said. People take shelter in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa's forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP Melissa takes aim at Cuba Melissa also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the islands second-largest city. Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti. The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening. A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands. ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. By JOHN MYERS JR. and DANICA COTO Associated Press KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) Hurricane Melissa intensified Tuesday as it crawled toward Jamaica, where officials and residents braced for catastrophic winds, flash flooding and landslides from the Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history. The streets in the capital, Kingston, remained largely empty as Melissa approached with 185 mph (295 kph) winds, save for the lone stray dog crossing puddles and a handful of people walking briskly under tree branches waving in a stiff wind. Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council, urged people to seek shelter and stay indoors as the storm crosses the island. Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave, he said. The Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Massive wind damage is expected in Melissas core and Jamaicas highest mountains could see gusts of up to 200 mph (322 kph), said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Its going to be a very dangerous scenario, he said, warning that there would be total building failures. Melissa is the fifth most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record by pressure and the strongest to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, according to hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry. It is a worst-case scenario unfolding for Jamaica, he said. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow. The storm is expected slice diagonally across the island and hit Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday. A man walks in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP Jamaica prepares for the aftermath McKenzie said the government was prepared for potential rescues immediately after the storm. We have boats, helicopters, you name it, he said. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place. The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. On Tuesday morning, Melissa was centered about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south-southeast of Negril, Jamaica, and about 235 miles (380 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 9 mph (15 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening, he said. There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement. Necephor Mghendi, the International Red Cross regional head of delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, said an estimated 1.5 million people in the storms path will be affected but many others may be as well. The entire population may feel the impact one way or the other, he said by video link from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. More than 240,000 customers were without power before landfall, and about one-fourth of the telecommunications system was offline, said Darryl Vaz, transport and energy minister. He said crews will clean and run tests at the islands two main international airports Wednesday in hopes of receiving emergency relief flights as early as Thursday. We will get through this. God bless Jamaica, he said. U.N. agencies and dozens of nonprofits had food, medicine and other essential supplies prepositioned as they awaited a distribution rush after the storm. Matthew Samuda, Jamaicas water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly. Every drop will count, he said. A man watches the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa closes in, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP Melissa takes aim at Cuba Melissa was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Las Tunas and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Camaguey. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the islands second-largest city. Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti. The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening. ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed. A look back at the past 25 Halloweens in Michigan confirms what you may feel about Halloween weather. There have been quite a few wet Halloweens. I looked back at the Halloweens since 2000. The vast majority of the Halloweens have had some rain. Grand Rapids has had 20 of the last 25 Halloweens with measurable precipitation. This means there were only five Halloweens of the last 25 with no rain or wet snow. Rainfall amounts at Grand Rapids on each October 31 back to the late 1800s. NOAA Grand Rapids has had 80 percent of Halloweens since 2000 with wet weather. Muskegon, Traverse City, Houghton Lake, Alpena and Marquette all had 20 wet Halloweens in the past 25 years. What city has had the most wet Halloweens? Sault Ste. Marie has been wet in 21 of the last 25 Halloweens, which is 84 percent of the time. Rainfall amounts at Sault Ste. Marie on each October 31 back to the late 1800s. NOAA You probably cant guess which cities have been the driest over the past 25 Halloweens. Kalamazoo and Cadillac, in the typically showery, wet lake-effect zones, have only had 16 of the last 25 Halloweens with rain. Thats still a 64 percent rate of wet Halloweens. Here are wet Halloween statistics for major Michigan cities since 2000. City Wet Halloweens Since 2000 Dry Halloweens Since 2000 Sault Ste. Marie 21 4 Grand Rapids 20 5 Traverse City 20 5 Muskegon 20 5 Houghton Lake 20 5 Alpena 20 5 Marquette 20 5 Detroit 19 6 Lansing 18 7 Ann Arbor 18 7 Saginaw 18 7 Jackson 18 7 Flint 17 8 Kalamazoo 16 9 Cadillac 16 9 There was a stretch between 2010 and 2020 that only one Halloween was dry. We are coming off that extremely wet period. You are correct in feeling like its really hard to have a totally dry Halloween. The reason is Halloween is right at the time when some of our first late-fall storm systems move into the Great Lakes. These storm systems often bring Michigan a few days of off-and-on showers. This Halloween should be a dry one for many of us. Here is the latest rainfall forecast for 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Friday. Total rainfall forecast for 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, October 31, 2025 NOAA Only the gray areas are expected to have a few hundredths of an inch of rain. This Halloween expect a few showers around the Traverse City area and southward to Ludington. Otherwise, this coming Halloween will buck the trend and be mostly dry. Ukraine secures EUR 113 mln in energy aid in last three months, another EUR 33.1 mln declared Dpty Minister of Energy The volume of international financing for equipment for the needs of the energy sector in the 100 days of the governments work amounted to EUR 113 million, another EUR 33.1 million has been declared for provision, Deputy Minister of Energy Mykola Kolisnyk reported. "In order to provide emergency crews with all the necessary equipment, it is important to maintain constant, intensive communication with international partners. I would like to note that an additional EUR 113 million has been allocated in the last 100 days of the governments term. Additionally, we have confirmed applications from partner countries for an additional EUR 33.1 million," Kolisnyk said during a briefing at Ukrinform on Tuesday. He added that work with international partners continues and that new support programs are emerging that will be important in the autumn-winter season. Kolisnyk also indicated that an important area of cooperation is receiving humanitarian aid when countries allocate equipment directly. "In fact, during this time, we have received 86 cargoes of aid totaling approximately 1,126 tonnes from 14 countries," the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Energy explained. Hyundai Venue 2025: What is new? Check all details The Hyundai Venue 2025 will be launched in India on November 4. Varun Singh USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept NPC Ukrenergo is currently working with European partners on calculating and increasing the throughput capacity of interconnectors for importing electricity from Europe, which currently amounts to 2,100 MW, the company's CEO, Vitaliy Zaichenko, said at a briefing at Ukrinform on Tuesday. "This is what we, as the power system of Ukraine, are counting on in the most difficult periods. Currently, the capacity of interconnectors for importing electricity from Europe is 2,100 MW. We are working to increase this capacity," he said. According to the head of Ukrenergo, the import potential is not currently being fully utilized due to damage to internal grids in the Ukrainian power system resulting from hostile attacks on energy infrastructure facilities. "Our task and priority number one is to ensure that all 2,100 MW can be consumed by the Ukrainian power system in a critical situation," Zaichenko emphasized. Ukraine and the EU agreed to increase the maximum capacity of electricity imports from EU countries to 2.1 GW, effective December 1, 2024. Ukraine also has the opportunity to receive an additional 250 MW of guaranteed capacity from the EU in emergency assistance mode. Starting in March 2025, European transmission system operators will be able to review the capacity limit for commercial electricity exchange between the EU, Ukraine, and Moldova on a monthly basis. Village with No Man: Even mothers send their sons away at 18 rules of this village will leave you shocked Saurav Pandey is the Deputy Manager of Content at Moneycontrol, specialising in content strategy, execution and performance analysis. He integrates advanced SEO techniques to deliver high-impact, data-driven content formats. His expertise spans various beats, including education, career, science and others, where he adopts a technical approach to optimise visibility, improve search rankings, and drive organic traffic growth. He can be reached out at Saurav.Pandey@nw18.com. Saurav Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept 30th European Union Film Festival in New Delhi to open with India premiere of Netherlands Oscar entry 'Memory Lane' Gayatri Rani USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Mrunal Thakur gives shout out to Marathi film Dashavatar ahead of its Malayalam release: "Happy to see our stories reaching new audience" Actress Mrunal Thakur, who comes from a Maharashtrian background and has made a mark in both Bollywood and South cinema, expressed her joy over the films expanding reach. M Snehanjali USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Tax Service to be able to track EUR 2,000 preferential sales limit on all digital platforms Hetmantsev The exemption will amount to EUR 2,000 per year on sales through digital platforms. This limit, proposed by the Verkhovna Radas parliamentary Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy in draft law No. 14025, will apply to sales on all platforms, and the State Tax Service will be able to monitor compliance with this overall limit, said committee chairman Danylo Hetmantsev. "The systems identify each seller and report each sale to the State Tax Service. If the total volume exceeds EUR 2,000 per year, the State Tax Service will send the taxpayer a pre-filled preliminary tax declaration, which they must either submit or challenge," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. Hetmantsev noted that he disagrees with calling this draft law the "OLX bill." "Rather, its a bill about Uber or Bolt. I dont understand why it was labeled OLX, because its not primarily about goods its mainly about services. And regarding services, there are no conflicts either with business or the Ministry of Finance. In fact, businesses are asking us to pass this bill," he emphasized. In his view, the proposed EUR 2,000 exemption resolves the issue in the draft law regarding goods sales. "I would like to remind you that for the past 20 years, all sales of any movable property by individuals have been taxed. We are correcting this unfairness," Hetmantsev added, specifying that the committee also proposed removing the limit on the number of sales per year, which had been included in the governments draft. The committee chairman expects the draft law to be adopted alongside the second reading of the budget, as the revenues from it are already accounted for in the budget. Chris Evans and Alba Baptista welcome their first child: Report Both actors have always been very private about their personal lives, and they chose not to make any public announcement about the pregnancy either. M Snehanjali USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Gayatri Rani USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Vaishnavi Gavankar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Baahubali The Epic: Prabhas and Rana Daggubati come together for the promotions of the film with Rajamouli During their conversation, Rajamouli and his stars went back to the most important parts of the story. M Snehanjali USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Jiro Ono's restaurant earned three Michelin stars in 2007, making him the first sushi chef to achieve this. It kept the rating until 2019, when he was recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest head chef of a three-Michelin-star restaurant at 93 years and 128 days (Image: AP) Bobby John Varkey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept New report claims vaccines cause autism; experts say theres no scientific proof Manjiri Patil is a Sub Editor and journalist with over two years of experience covering science, health, lifestyle, and general news in digital newsroom. Manjiri Patil USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept MC Jobs Desk Read the latest and trending news articles on Sarkari Naukri, government jobs, UPSC, SSC, railway jobs, banking jobs, defence recruitment, state PSC exams, and more. Saurav Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Ukrainian investment company Diligent Capital Partners (DCP), together with Dutch consulting firm 2ndAries, has announced the launch of Food4Impact (F4i), a EUR 150 million fund to finance agribusiness in Ukraine, DCP's press service reported. "Agriculture continues to be the backbone of Ukraines economy. It contributes more than 10% of the country's GDP and accounts for 55% of all exports. After more than three years of war, many Ukrainian agribusinesses, from farmers and processors to logistics and storage companies, have seen their access to finance collapse. To help address this issue, we decided to create the Food4Impact fund to channel resources toward supporting the country's agricultural sector," DCP stated. Backed by a EUR 75 million guarantee from the Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF) of the European Commission, the fund will provide agricultural enterprises with financing to grow production, create jobs, and restore export capacities. The initiative will rapidly deliver financing to companies critical to Ukraine's food production and exports, especially those serving MENA and Asian markets. DCP co-managing partner Dan Pasko noted that the key feature of the project is rapid disbursement: "Farmers and agri-entrepreneurs can't wait another year; they need liquidity now to sow, process and export Backed by a EUR 75 million guarantee from the European Commission's Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF), we and our partners are launching a EUR 150 million fund. The capital has been raised; all that remains is to complete the formal procedures to begin investing in Ukrainian companies in early 2026." Financing will be provided to Ukrainian companies in the form of loans to support and scale up production. The fund will operate through the Dutch company Cardano Development, which serves as an "incubator for innovative financial enterprises." Diligent Capital Partners (DCP) is a private equity fund focused on export-oriented companies in agribusiness as well as in the consumer goods and services sectors. No criminality can be attributed to Umar Khalid, his counsel tells Delhi court 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept A two-member bench dismissed the interim application (IA) filed by Glas Trust, the largest lender of the insolvency-bound Think & Learn Pvt Ltd (TLPL), which owns edtech firm Byju's. 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept IDBI Bank divestment: Centre may soon invite financial bids as IMG set to meet on Oct 31 to finalise process Meghna Mittal Deputy News Editor at Moneycontrol. Meghna has experience across television, print, online and wire media. She has been covering the Indian economy, monetary and fiscal policies, Finance and Trade ministries. She tweets at @Meghnamittal23 Contact: meghna.mittal@nw18.com The IDBI Bank sale is viewed as a test case for Indias broader bank privatisation strategy Meghna Mittal USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept EPFO may hike wage ceiling to Rs 25,000 per month from Rs 15,000 Priyansh Verma USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Global telecom gear makers in talks with govt to bring in suppliers to boost local value addition Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 14 years. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Danish Khan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. 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I Accept The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the two principal philanthropic arms of the Tata group, are managed by separate boards of trustees with overlapping members Swaraj Singh Dhanjal USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Manipal Group-backed Stempeutics bags first of its kind stem cell treatment deal in Japan Viswanath Pilla is a business journalist with 16 years of reporting experience. Based in Mumbai, Pilla covers pharma, healthcare and infrastructure sectors for Moneycontrol. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Viswanath Pilla USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Defence theme still has firepower but it is no longer a blind bet, say experts Lovisha Darad Lovisha is passionate about domestic and global equity market development. She writes stories exclusively on equities from a fundamental perspective, gathering insights from niche market gurus. Lovisha Darad USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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I Accept Photo: https://www.facebook.com Of the EUR 25 million allocated by the Netherlands to support Ukraine's energy system, EUR10 million will be allocated to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, another EUR 10 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and EUR 5 million for gas imports, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Wiel said. "EUR 10 million of this will go to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, EUR 10 million to the EBRD. EUR 5 million for gas imports to Ukraine. This will be direct support. That is, these are gas compressors and other materials that we can supply as soon as possible," he said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday. As reported, David van Wiel, who arrived on Tuesday for a visit to Kyiv, announced the allocation of EUR 25 million to support Ukraine's energy system. Sunil Matkar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept In Moneycontrol's Pro Panorama December 11 edition: AI gold rush and Indias role in it, the Netflix strategy that Indian IT can... USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The stock exchange was notified about the technical glitch at commodity exchange MCX which disrupted trading for more than four hours on October 28 and led to the shifting of operations from DR site after a long delay. Brajesh Kumar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Following a three-day rally in the S&P 500, the gauge was little changed Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Yeeshu Yadav USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Nvidia has been on a major spending spree in recent months. Hemant Abhishek USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Following the sanctions, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil said on Monday it would sell its international assets. This is the most consequential action so far by a Russian company in the wake of Western sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Surabhi Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Maryam Farooqui USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Subhash Helgaokar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Berlin seeks to downplay FM's China visit postponement, indicates need for cooperation; expert calls for a coherent and unified China policy 14:21, October 28, 2025 By Feng Fan ( Global Times Germany has sought to play down the impact of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's decision to postpon visit to China, with officials and media outlets emphasizing that Berlin remains committed to dialogue with Beijing. Wadephul told media the trip was "only postponed, not cancelled" and stressed that Germany has "a very long-standing, good relationship with the People's Republic of China," adding the government is "always ready for dialogue," according to a video released by AFP on Monday. According to Deutsche Welle on Tuesday, after calling off the trip, Wadephul, a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician, said he planned to speak with Chinese representatives by phone "as soon as possible and reschedule the trip," though no new date has been set. Further signaling Berlin's intent to maintain communication, deputy government spokesperson Steffen Meyer, a Social Democrat (SPD), said on Monday that Berlin is still interested in a "respectful and good dialogue" with China, saying that he did not see "the postponement as having any major impact on the German government's future policy," the German Press Agency (DPA) reported. DPA also cited a spokesman for the German Foreign Office, saying "We want to work closely together, they are interested in a constructive exchange, and so it is clear: China and Germany both need this cooperation." These remarks were widely interpreted by German media as an attempt to tamp down domestic concerns. DPA ran the headline: "Germany plays down China spat after foreign minister's trip cancelled," while Deutsche Welle described it as "Berlin downplays impact of postponed China trip." Yet the postponement along with recent hawkish rhetoric toward China has sparked criticism from within the German government, media and business community. The episode "indicates ongoing adjustments in Germany's China policy," Jiang Feng, a research fellow at Shanghai International Studies University and president of the Shanghai Association of Regional and Country Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Jiang noted that faced with mounting internal and external pressures, Germany's pragmatic faction is urging closer engagement with China. "The foreign minister's latest remarks are also the result of domestic pressure from pragmatists," he said. He argued that the new German government has yet to develop a clear and stable judgment on China leading to wavering decisions influenced by media and political sentiment. "Before announcing the visit, the German foreign minister was still pointing fingers at China," Jiang said. "If he wants to come to China, he must show proper restraint. The purpose should be to develop, improve and deepen relations, not to criticize." While Wadephul's visit remains in limbo, others within the ruling coalition appear to be advancing cooperation. The Pioneer reported from SPD circles that Social Democratic Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is expected to travel to China from November 17 to 19 for a financial dialogue. The report added that differences in China policy may widen rifts within the coalition: compared with Wadephul, "Vice-Chancellor Klingbeil intends to take a different approach toward China," it wrote, suggesting that if Klingbeil succeeds, another rift within the coalition will become visible Jiang said Germany's coalition dynamics are evident: Social Democrats and Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) hold a more pragmatic stance toward Beijing, while "de-risking" rhetoric from parts of the CDU has influenced the chancellor and foreign minister. These tensions, he said, are "part of a policy adjustment process," and he expects China-Germany ties to return to a practical trajectory, given their fundamental alignment of interests. Earlier, SPD foreign policy spokesman Adis Ahmetovic warned that "the short-term cancellation of the trip to China does not bode well for an improvement in tense German-Chinese relations," calling for a rethink of Germany's approach and stressing "direct dialogue with China." Jiang cautioned about "internalizing and politicizing" China policy turning bilateral relations into a tool of domestic partisan struggle remains a serious challenge. "Germany must ultimately achieve unity in its attitude toward China, or deterioration of ties will directly harm German companies and local economies," he said. China also responded to Wadephul's postponed visit on Monday. When asked by DPA regarding the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: "China always views and grows its relations with Germany from a strategic and long-term perspective. China and Germany are major countries and leading economies in the world, and cooperation is mutually beneficial." "Under the current circumstances in particular, it is all the more vital for the two sides to uphold mutual respect, equality and win-win cooperation, and advance the bilateral relationship on the right track," Guo added. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Zhong Wenxing) Companies that are residents of the Defence City special regime will be exempt from land tax and tax on real estate other than land until January 1, 2036, or until the year Ukraine joins the European Union, the State Tax Service of Ukraine (STS) said on Tuesday. "The exemption applies from the month following receipt of that status and until the end of the month in which it is terminated These provisions are set out in Law No. 4577 [regarding support for defense-industrial enterprises], which amended the Tax Code of Ukraine. The law entered into force on October 5, 2025; the new rules will operate until January 1, 2036, but not later than the year Ukraine accedes to the European Union," the statement explains. The STS clarified that the exemption covers land tax for plots on which production facilities used in the business activities of Defence City residents are located, as well as plots temporarily not used in the participants' business activity during relocation and not transferred for use to third parties. As for the real-estate tax, nonpayment is permitted if the properties are located in the settlement chosen for relocation, are not leased/rented/lent out (except to employees of Defence City participants), and are used in the residents' business activities and/or for housing their employees. The exemption also covers industrial buildings classified as "Industrial and Warehouse Buildings" that, for the relocation period of residents, are not used for their intended purpose and are not leased/rented/lent out. For Defence City residents, rules on the accrual and payment of penalty interest do not apply when calculating and paying land tax and real-estate tax. The STS further noted that if a company loses its Defence City resident status it also loses the right to the tax exemptions; an amended tax declaration on land tax and real-estate tax must be filed and the tax liabilities and penalty paid by the 20th day of the month following the loss of status. Penalty interest is charged from the first reporting period after the status was lost, with no statute-of-limitations applied. Opposition MPs at a protest against Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar outside Parliament earlier this year. (File photo: PTI) Parimal Peeyush USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept On October 18, the Karnataka government reissued a 2013 order which prohibited the use of government school grounds for private purposes. Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Cyclone Montha Landfall News Live: JCBs deployed, pregnant women evacuated as Rayagada readies for Cyclone Montha impact As Cyclone Montha moves toward the Andhra Pradesh coast, neighbouring Rayagada district in Odisha has intensified its preparedness efforts, though it is not directly in the cyclones path. District Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni said, A cyclone is about to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh. While Rayagada is not directly in the cyclone's path, as a neighbouring area, we have rainfall red alerts for the 28th and 29th. Accordingly, all the district authorities are prepared. He said the administration has launched a basic preparation module for all district-level officers, adding that JCBs and other heavy machinery have been stationed in every block as landslides and heavy rainfall are the main threats during the cyclone season. Kulkarni noted, TPS is ready in case of a power snap. Other line departments, such as education and other offices, have been kept on alert since the declaration that schools and offices would be closed. He further stated that precautionary evacuations have already begun. Women who are about to give birth in the next seven days have been evacuated; the process is already underway. We have also identified certain vulnerable habitations where, if conditions deteriorate, these areas will need to be evacuated. Therefore, they have been listed and tagged to specific temporary shelters, the Collector said. The aircraft to be used for the first cloud-seeding trial in the national capital takes off from Kanpur. (PTI Photo) 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Delhi High Court clarifies order related to ORS lables not intended to let companies manufacture fresh batches: Report Rewati Karan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept EC notice to Prashant Kishor over dual voter registration in Bihar and Bengal During the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, Kishor had worked as a political consultant for the TMC. Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. ICG Ship Sachet, which was returning from deployment to East African nations, was directed to assist. (Representative image) Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Photo: https://www.facebook.com/KeirStarmerLabour/ British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an interview with Bloomberg that Ukraine's prospects are improving after President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russian oil. The interview was published by Bloomberg on Monday. "A sign Kyivs allies are cautiously optimistic that a hardening US stance could damage the Kremlins ability to sustain its war," Bloomberg comments on Starmer's statements. "Were in a better place," Starmer told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday, referring to the sanctions imposed by the United States against Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil. "Last week there were really significant developments." "The one Id pick out as the biggest development is what weve done on sanctions," the British premier said. "We sanctioned all the oil majors, President Trump then sanctioned the two oil majors, and the EU came out with their latest package all within the space of a few days. Thats had a profound impact on Russias economy." Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. Hangargekar has been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Deblina Halder USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. 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I Accept MCD byelections: Poll panel to use photos of candidates on EVMs to prevent confusion over namesakes MCD byelections: Poll panel to use photos of candidates on EVMs to prevent confusion over namesakes Yeeshu Yadav USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Over 70% Rajasthan voters exempted from submitting documents in SIR of electoral rolls: Chief Electoral Officer 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. The disciplinary action comes as the 243-member Bihar Assembly heads for polls in two phases, on November 6 and November 11. Counting of votes will take place on November 14. 101Reporters USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. Earlier this year, Vembu had questioned the necessity of giving newborns the Hepatitis B vaccine. Deblina Halder USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trumps China deal, explained: Whats in the tentative truce and whats not Trumps China deal, explained: Whats in the tentative truce and whats not Yeeshu Yadav USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The US administration is considering granting a limited general license to Rosneft Deutschland, a subsidiary of PJSC Rosneft, Bloomberg reported, citing its own sources. "Washington has floated a six-month deadline for Berlin to sort out the ownership limbo affecting the German assets of Russian oil major Rosneft PJSC, allowing them to be temporarily exempted from US sanctions, according to people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg reported. "The Trump administration has conveyed to German counterparts that its considering granting a non-renewable, limited general license for Rosneft Deutschland, the people said, asking not to be named as the issue is sensitive," the agency reported. According to the agencys source, "German economy minister Katherina Reiche aims to discuss the topic at the G7 Energy and Environment Ministers meeting in Toronto this week." "While the arrangement would ease the risk of sanctions disrupting German refining activities in the near term, it adds pressure on Berlin to come up with a workable ownership structure that excludes Russia once its trusteeship expires next March," Bloomberg notes. The German government seized Rosnefts assets after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has since extended the trusteeship several times. Although the company reached an agreement with Moscow to sell the German units, negotiations with Qatar failed as the parties could not agree on a price. OPINION | From PayNow to PayNext: How Indias UPI can power ASEANs digital economy future Suryaprabha Sadasivan is Senior Vice President, Chase Advisors. Views expressed are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. What makes UPI distinctive is not just its scale but also its design. Namrata Agarwal USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Shishir Tripathi is a journalist and researcher based in Delhi. He has worked with The Indian Express, Firstpost, Governance Now, and Indic Collective. He writes on Law, Governance and Politics. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication. Namrata Agarwal USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Bill Gates challenges 'doomsday view of climate change' on 70th birthday: 'It will not lead to...' Bill Gates argued that poverty and disease remain more immediate threats to billions of people than climate change. Ankita Sengupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Amit Kumars post prompted a wave of reactions from professionals and entrepreneurs across India, many expressing both empathy and disappointment. Shubhi Mishra USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The incident occurred at Happy Day Hotel in Siyava, near Mount Abu in Rajasthan. (Representational image: Unsplash) Ankita Sengupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. 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For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Bengaluru has been making headlines and city-related posts have been going viral on social media over its poor infrastructure. (File photo) Ankita Sengupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept The FIR accuses the official of 'systematically misusing' his position to channel bribes in his wifes name, disguised as salary and consultancy fees. (Representational image) Ankita Sengupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Why are Chernobyls dogs turning blue? The baffling mystery of the exclusion zone hounds Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces recorded 218 combat clashes over the past 24 hours. This was reported on Telegram in an operational update on the Russian invasion as of 8:00 on Tuesday. "According to updated information, yesterday the enemy carried out 89 airstrikes, dropping 186 guided bombs. In addition, they carried out 3,938 attacks, including 132 from multiple launch rocket systems, and used 3,435 kamikaze drones," the General Staff reported. The internet is stunned by Chernobyls mysterious blue dogs, but is it real or AI-generated? No one knows Rajni Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Aabhas Sharma USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Anand J USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept 2 / 12 To find out which places around the world make visitors feel most welcome, Time Out asked locals a simple yet revealing question how likely are you to describe your hometown as welcoming and friendly? Their answers revealed cities where kindness is second nature and strangers are treated like old friends. Here are the 10 friendliest cities in the world, as voted by the people who know them best the locals themselves. (Image: Canva) Priyanka Roshan With over eight years in multimedia journalism, is passionate about storytellingboth visual and textualacross travel, jobs, business, markets, politics, and daily news. From crafting engaging articles to producing compelling videos, she blends creativity with strategy to bring stories to life. With a strong foundation in SEO, and video production she ensures content not only informs but also resonates with audiences. From ancient temples to misty mountain trails explore Asias hidden UNESCO treasures that celebrate heritage, history, and timeless beauty. (Image: Canva) Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Best Birdwatching Destinations in India 2025: Kochi Tops the List, Followed by These Cities Rajni Pandey is a seasoned content creator with over 15 years of experience crafting compelling stories for digital news platforms. Specializing in diverse topics such as travel, education, jobs, science, wildlife, religion, politics, and astrology, she excels at transforming trending human-interest stories into engaging reads for a wide audience. Rajni Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Uttarakhand to impose green tax on out-of-state vehicles from December 2025 Heres what you need to know MC Travel Desk Read the latest and trending travel news storiesstay updated on new destinations, travel trends, visa updates, and expert tips for your next adventure. Uttarakhand takes a tech-driven step towards cleaner, greener travel with its new automated Green Tax on out-of-state vehicles, starting December 2025. (Image: Canva) Priyanka Roshan USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Ahead of Trump-Xi talks, Chinese premier Li Qiang warns against Law of the Jungle in trade Manish Rao is a seasoned journalist who has extensively covered global affairs, geopolitical developments, American politics, and all other things making news around the world. Li denounced unilateralism and called for nations to strengthen their commitment to free and fair trade. Deblina Halder USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Ukraine is conducting three parallel negotiations with Sweden, France, and the United States regarding aircraft deliveries. The overall request for the future of Ukrainian combat aviation is a fleet of 250 new aircraft, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. "That is, I'm conducting three parallel discussions about aircraft: with the Swedes, the French, and the Americans. The overall requirement for the future of our combat aviation is a fleet of 250 new aircraft," Zelenskyy said during his conversation with reporters. According to the president, Ukraine has reached an agreement with Sweden that the countries will sign a treaty, and Ukraine will have 150 new Gripens. "Of course, this is quite a long road. But it's a very good option. The Gripens will come fully armed. The main issue is that we have agreed on the localization of the Gripens. I believe this is a historic agreement," he added. 'Awkward and clueless': Trump goes viral after he loses his way during ceremonial welcome in Japan | WATCH Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Malaysia Trade Minister and ASEAN Economic Minister Chairman Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao show agreement documents after signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0. (Courtesy: Reuters photo) Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Sharif has faced repeated backlash for his public admiration of Trump Surabhi Pandey USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Hafiz Saeeds allys Bangladesh tour rekindles old fears: How Pakistans radical network is creeping closer to Indias borders Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept 'Hindus treated us better...': Outrage in Pakistan as Mardan cleric says we will support India if war breaks out | WATCH People walk through a market selling Pakistan's national flags and other accessories in Karachi on August 12, 2025, ahead of the country's Independence Day celebrations. (AFP photo used for representational purpose) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Historically inaccurate and 73% AI-generated: How Shehbaz Sharif's Kashmir rant fell apart on X Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Indian-origin woman murdered in Canada; suspect believed to have fled to India Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Indian students attacks teens mid-air on Lufthansa flight to Germany, arrested | What we know so far Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Heating should officially be on from Oct 28 Zelenskyy Heating is officially scheduled to begin on October 28; heating of social institutions has already begun in some communities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced. "Heating of social institutions in some communities has already begun, but officially heating is supposed to begin on October 28," he said at a meeting with journalists. The energy situation is most critical in Shostka, Sumy region. Furthermore, according to the president, Ukraine has secured approximately 70% of the funds needed to import gas. 'Islamabad will be bombed if...': Tensions soar as Afghanistan warns Pakistan after failed Istanbul talks Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, center right, and Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob sign a ceasefire agreement in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, October 19, 2025.(Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Islamist rallies in Bangladesh demand ban on ISKCON: How Yunus is allowing hardliners to set the agenda (FILES) Hefazat-e-Islam supporters stage a protest after Friday prayers at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, demanding an immediate ban on International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Netanyahu orders immediate 'powerful strikes' on Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating ceasefire Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Pakistan to send 20,000 troops to Gaza: Task is to neutralise Hamas; Iran, Turkey, Qatar may see betrayal A volunteer offers drink as Pakistani soldiers escort a Shiite Muslim religious procession in Quetta on July 3, 2025, during the Islamic holy month of Muharram in the lead-up to Ashura. (Photo by Banaras KHAN / AFP) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Pakistan woos Bangladesh with Karachi Port access: Why India must closely watch the emerging Islamabad-Dhaka-Beijing triangle Shipping containers are seen stacked on a ship at a sea port in Karachi on April 6, 2023. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Four-week average volumes from the countrys ports were 3.72 million barrels a day to Oct. 26, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, down by about 70,000 from the revised figure for the period to Oct. 19. Arindam Roy USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Armed Taliban security personnel watch the sky for Pakistani airstrikes during ongoing clashes between Taliban security personnel and Pakistani border forces in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar Province on October 15,2025. Fifteen civilians were (Photo by Sanaullah SEIAM / AFP) Abhinav Gupta USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Armaan Bhatnagar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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I Accept Photo: ua.depositphotos.com Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov reported on the signing of agreements between the defense departments of Ukraine and Great Britain on the joint production of Octopus-100 drones. "Ukraine is moving to a new level of defense partnership with Great Britain. In London, within the framework of the Build with Ukraine program, agreements were signed between the defense ministries of the two countries on the joint production of 1,000 Octopus-100 interceptor drones," Umerov wrote on the Telegram channel on Saturday. According to him, this is the first Ukrainian combat drone that will be mass-produced in a NATO country. "We will experimentally produce a thousand, and then we will scale it to the number that will be needed," Umerov explained the number of drones that appears in the agreements. Manish Rao is a seasoned journalist who has extensively covered global affairs, geopolitical developments, American politics, and all other things making news around the world. Trumps remarks came after Putin, in his address to the Federal Assembly, announced that Moscow had developed a compact nuclear power unit Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trump reiterates claim that seven brand-new, beautiful planes were shot down during India-Pakistan conflict Trump reiterates claim that seven brand-new, beautiful planes were shot down during India-Pakistan conflict Pragya Trivedi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Trumps third-term talk, explained: Why he keeps floating an unconstitutional run Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Why US government shutdown hurts the poorest first: Food, child care and heating On October 1, 2025, the federal government of the United States began a shutdown. (Courtesy: Reuters file photo) Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Will he, wont he or can he? Donald Trumps third term plan will have to get past 22nd amendment Manish Rao is a seasoned journalist who has extensively covered global affairs, geopolitical developments, American politics, and all other things making news around the world. Trump, who first served as president from 2017 to 2021, began his second term in January. Priyanjali Ghose USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Photo: https://renewables.dtek.com/ President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is negotiating with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on equipment for electricity generation, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni can also help with equipment or gas supply. "We are expanding the recovery teams and the rapid response headquarters. I am negotiating with the Germans separately. The chancellor and I have discussed this. I have already presented all the scenarios to him. There are two companies in Germany and Italy that produce the necessary electricity generation equipment. I have shown him the quantities needed," Zelenskyy said during a conversation with journalists. According to the president, Germany was chosen because they have substantial humanitarian funding. He asked that money be taken from this package to simply buy the equipment. "I also spoke with Giorgia Meloni, who is ready to provide support as well. She has an alternative: gas. She asked me which is faster, this equipment or a gas supply. She said, 'Let me see what is faster for me.' She will talk to the companies. Both options suit us," the president noted. He added that the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Netherlands will also help with energy. Work is currently underway on all the details. Zelenskyy: We won't fight for decades, but EU should financially support Ukraine for two to three years Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/ Ukraine will not fight for decades, but the EU must provide stable financial support to Ukraine for some time; European leaders plan to do this for two to three years, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "Now, when someone says that Ukraine is prepared to fight for several more years, I emphasized this once again to all European leaders. I told them: we won't fight for decades, but you must demonstrate that you can provide stable financial support to Ukraine for some time. And that's why they have this program in mind: two to three years. Let's emphasize that we will provide stable financial support to Ukraine for two to three years," Zelenskyy said during a meeting with journalists. According to the president, the war could end sooner, but funds are needed for reconstruction. Furthermore, soldiers need to know they have a salary. "Since we don't yet know whether Putin will return with aggression or not after this war ends. And so it's important to understand what kind of stable support Ukraine will receive from its partners," he added. The head of state noted that this support could be financed from frozen Russian assets, which Ukraine would spend on weapons or reconstruction. "If the war ends in a month, we'll spend this money on reconstruction. If it ends not in a month, but some time later, then we'll spend it on weapons. We simply have no other choice," Zelenskyy emphasized. Furthermore, it's important that the EU be pressed to implement the practical use of these assets. According to the president, "they are very close." "They've figured out how to transfer them this way, and then how they can return them, and return them with reparations from the 'Russians,'" he said. On October 26, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reportedly recounted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's words, claiming that Ukraine was prepared to continue the war with Russia for another two or three years. Tusk stated this in an interview with the British Sunday Times. "I have no doubt that Ukraine will survive as an independent state. The main question now is how many casualties there will be. President Zelenskyy told me [on Thursday] that he hopes the war won't last ten years, but Ukraine is prepared to fight for another two or three years," Tusk said. For more than a century, the United States has projected power abroad through naval presence. A cruiser anchored offshore was once enough to send a message: comply or face consequences. The strategy of gunboat diplomacy rested on overwhelming naval superiority, rapid deployment, and the expectation that smaller states would lack the means to resist. But times have changed. The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), conceived in the early 2000s as a sleek, fast instrument of military force in contested littoral waters, is now being quietly retired. Its failure is more than a procurement fiasco. It marks the end of an era in which the U.S. Navy could sail close to another nations coast and expect submission rather than defiance. This article explains the convergent failures of the LCS program and the associated coercive diplomacy concept. A Solution for a Misconceived Mission The LCS was intended to fill a perceived operational gap between large surface combatants and smaller patrol craft. It was to project U.S. naval power in the shallow, congested waters of coastal zones where larger ships would be vulnerable, and to do so quickly, flexibly, and with minimal crew. Two distinct classes were developed, Freedom-class and Independence-class, featuring high speeds (40+ knots), modular mission packages, and minimal armament. Unfortunately, this combination proved fatally flawed. The mission modules never matured as promised. Mechanical failures were frequent and costly. Survivability against modern threats was negligible. The ships were too fragile for high-end combat and too expensive for low-end presence. Two Designs, One Program: A Built-In Vulnerability From its inception, the Littoral Combat Ship program was unusual in that the U.S. Navy approved two entirely different ship designs rather than selecting a single platform. This decision reflected both strategic uncertainty and bureaucratic calculation. Officially, the dual-track approach was framed as a competitive procurement strategy intended to lower costs, encourage innovation, and allow the Navy to downselect after real-world testing. The two designs, the Freedom-class littoral combat ship monohull and the Independence-class littoral combat ship trimaran, represented sharply different engineering philosophies. Beneath this rationale lay deeper currents. The Navy did not have a clear concept of operations for littoral warfare in the early 2000s, so authorizing two designs functioned as a hedge against strategic uncertainty. Political considerations were equally important. Two shipbuilders, Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Austal USA, meant more congressional support, more distributed jobs, and greater resistance to cancellation. In theory, the Navy planned to select a single design after operational testing. In practice, it never made that choice. Both designs entered serial production, creating a fractured fleet with incompatible maintenance and training pipelines, duplicative logistics chains, and ballooning lifecycle costs. This dual-design structure magnified every other shortcoming of the program and is now widely recognized as one of its original strategic errors. The Death of Gunboat Diplomacy Gunboat diplomacy once worked because great powers had ships capable of threatening coastal states with impunity. But the proliferation of Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) military technology has overturned this dynamic. Land-based systems such as the Chinese-made C-802 anti-ship missile can strike naval targets in the littoral area. Ballistic and cruise anti-ship missiles like DF-21D extend denial zones hundreds of miles offshore. Loitering munitions and UAV swarms provide persistent surveillance and strike capability. Advanced air defense and electronic warfare systems make littoral penetration risky even against states lacking a traditional navy. The LCS is poorly suited to the modern threat environment. Designed for speed and flexibility, it is lightly armed, minimally protected, and dependent on modules that never delivered promised capabilities. In any contested littoral, such as the Persian Gulf, the South China Sea, or the Caribbean, it would face layered threats from land-based missiles, UAVs, and submarines. This technological shift means deploying a U.S. naval presence is no longer a cheap, low-risk form of coercion; it is an expensive potential liability. Convergent Failures: Program Development and Foreign Policy Strategy The Littoral Combat Ship program failed not because of a single misstep, but because of a convergence of flawed procurement practices and outdated foreign policy assumptions. On the procurement side, the program was shaped by a belief that naval power projection would remain largely uncontested in the worlds littorals. The resulting ships prioritized speed, modularity, and cost-efficiency over combat effectiveness, survivability, and lethality. Engineering compromises were made in the expectation that advanced mission modules would offset the lack of organic capability, an expectation that never materialized. Meanwhile, U.S. foreign policy strategy continued to rely on the logic of gunboat diplomacy, assuming that the visible presence of U.S. warships would translate into political leverage. This strategic posture was formulated in an era of unipolar dominance and persisted even as the global environment shifted. While the Navy was building fragile, specialized vessels optimized for permissive operations, potential adversaries were acquiring advanced Anti-Access/Area Denial systems, precision strike capabilities, and unmanned platforms capable of threatening U.S. surface ships at low cost. These two failures reinforced one another. A platform poorly designed to enforce an outdated strategy entered service in an era where that strategy no longer worked. As a result, the LCS was not merely a procurement failure; it became a strategic anachronism, emblematic of how procurement dysfunction, institutional inertia, and geopolitical complacency can produce weapon systems that are obsolete the moment they enter service. Venezuela and the Limits of U.S. Naval Coercion The Trump administration has been developing a military strategy aimed at toppling the Maduro regime. A hypothetical U.S. naval coercion campaign against Venezuela would have been straightforward in 1990, but not today. Venezuela does not have a blue-water navy capable of challenging the U.S. fleet, but it does not need one. Its arsenal of shore-based missiles, air defenses, and surveillance systems creates a denial zone that would make operations by lightly armed ships like the LCS perilous. Even a large U.S. naval force would encounter significant resistance from Venezuela. This shift is not unique to Venezuela. Dozens of mid- and small-sized states now possess advanced precision weapons and integrated defense networks. Deterrence, once the preserve of great powers, has been democratized. The assumption that U.S. ships can operate freely off foreign shores is no longer credible. Precision missile proliferation lowers the cost of effective deterrence. Unmanned systems provide surveillance and strike capability without expensive fleets. Electronic warfare and radar coverage erode U.S. advantages in early warning and maneuver. The LCS program failure reflects this new reality: the littoral waters are no longer uncontested. The Yemen Missile Campaign: Proof of Failed Gunboat Diplomacy If the Littoral Combat Ship program represents the conceptual failure of gunboat diplomacy, the Yemen missile campaign represents its operational collapse. Since late 2023, U.S. and allied naval forces have maintained a powerful presence in the Red Sea, deploying advanced surface combatants and carrier strike groups to deter and defeat attacks on international shipping. Yet despite overwhelming U.S. firepower, air cover, and persistent surveillance, the Red Sea blockade campaign of the Houthi Ansar Allah military continued largely unabated until the recent Gaza ceasefire. Yemen is not a great power. It does not field a blue-water navy. Its forces rely primarily on mobile launchers, anti-ship cruise missiles, and UAVs, many of which are inexpensive or supplied through external networks. These weapons, dispersed and concealed, have allowed a weak actor to disrupt global shipping lanes in defiance of the U.S. Navys forward presence. This situation lays bare the new strategic landscape: Naval presence no longer guarantees coercive control. Modern shore-based strike systems can outlast, outmaneuver, and outprice traditional deployments. A single missile battery costs a fraction of a U.S. destroyer and can threaten it just the same. This asymmetry is what gunboat diplomacy cannot survive. The Red Sea campaign has made visible what LCS made inevitable: the age of intimidation by offshore warships is over. Acknowledging LCS Failure The U.S. Navy has quietly acknowledged the failure of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. Although originally intended to produce a fleet of more than 50 vessels, actual operational utility proved so limited that by the mid-2020s, many of these ships were slated for early retirementsome with fewer than 10 years of service. Senior Navy leadership testified before Congress and admitted that the ships could not survive in a contested environment. Budget justification documents shifted resources away from LCS modernization and toward more capable frigate and destroyer programs. Mission modules, once a central innovation, were effectively abandoned after repeated cost overruns and technical failures. The Navys 30-year shipbuilding plan reclassified the majority of LCS hulls as non-combatant or auxiliary assets. Several LCS hulls have been decommissioned early and placed in reserve or used for parts reclamation. Others have been offered to foreign allies for transfer or training purposes. A few are being retained for low-intensity missions such as counter-narcotics patrols in permissive environments. Conclusion The LCS is more than a failed warship program. It is a monument to strategic complacency: a vessel designed for a world that no longer exists. The early retirement of LCS ships is an acknowledgment that the era of easy naval coercion is over. Gunboat diplomacy depended on overwhelming, cheap, and credible force projection. That calculus is dead. Precision weaponry has leveled the field. Future U.S. maritime strategy must recognize that naval power projection cannot be taken for granted. The next time a U.S. administration deploys warships to send a message, it risks receiving an unpleasant response. Conor here: Just to add a few more observations to the ones below: A wind gust of 252 mph was just measured above the surface in Hurricane Melissa as the storm continues to intensify right up until landfall. This is the worst-case scenario for Jamaica. pic.twitter.com/uIyyW9BD5u Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) October 28, 2025 This dropsonde thru the south and southeast part of #Melissas eyewall is the most insane dropsonde Ive ever seen. *Mean* winds in the lowest 150m of 188 knot/216 mph with gusts upwards of 219 knot/252 mph!! Absolutely scary and historic hurricane is headed into SW Jamaica pic.twitter.com/agYOOtAy9V Eric Webb (@webberweather) October 28, 2025 Yeah Im not gonna lie, Hurricane #Melissa feels like the closest thing Ive seen to the Atlantics version of Hurricane Haiyan #Melissa (left), #Haiyan (2013) (right) pic.twitter.com/rAcZRr1GBK Eric Webb (@webberweather) October 28, 2025 By Jake Johnson, a a senior editor and staff writer at Common Dreams. Originally published at Common Dreams. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 storm as the island country braced for devastating impacts, humanitarian operations urgently mobilized, and experts voiced horror at the latest climate-fueled weather disaster. This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation, the National Hurricane Center said in an update after the storm made landfall. Early video footage posted to social media shows the stormthe most powerful to ever strike the island and the third-strongest to ever form in the Atlanticwreaking havoc and destruction. | Video que muestra los danos y las inundaciones en el area de Black River, Jamaica, por el huracan Melissa. pic.twitter.com/k6RZDE9jdB Entredostv (@Entredostv1) October 28, 2025 Anne-Claire Fontan, the World Meteorological Organizations tropical cyclone specialist, told reporters that a catastrophic situation is expected in Jamaica and described the hurricane as the storm of the century for the island. Melissas landfall is expected to bring extreme flooding, landslides, and other life-threatening impacts. Tens of thousands of Jamaicans lost power as the slow-moving storm approached the island, bringing torrential rain and maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, with gusts over 220 mph. Storms like Melissa are the reason scientists are pushing to formally add a Category 6 for hurricanes. Unimaginable violence is hiding in the very small and compact eyewall of Melissa, said Greg Postel, hurricane specialist at The Weather Channel. Nearly continuous lightning will accompany the tornadic wind speeds. Melissa tonight has had one of the most powerful satellite presentations you will ever see for an Atlantic Hurricane. Perfect symmetry in all quadrants and satellite estimation techniques being maxed out, with Dvorak analysis yielding 871.1 mbar (recon found the real pressure to pic.twitter.com/nKKFbv4g7j Backpirch Weather (@BackpirchCrew) October 28, 2025 The International Federation of the Red Cross said up to 1.5 million people in Jamaicaroughly half the islands populationare expected to be directly affected by Hurricane Melissa, the strongest storm on Earth this year. We are okay at the moment but bracing ourselves for the worst, Jamaican climate activist Tracey Edwards said Tuesday. Ive grown weary of these threats, and I do not want to face the next hurricane. The International Organization for Migration warned that the risk of flooding, landslides, and widespread damage is extremely high, meaning that many people are likely to be displaced from their homes and in urgent need of shelter and relief. Melissas landfall came on the same day that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the international community has failed to prevent planetary warming from surpassing the key 1.5C threshold in the next few years. Meteorologist Eric Holthaus wrote on social media that this is the news Ive dreaded all my life. Humanity has failed to avoid dangerous climate change, he wrote. We have now entered the overshoot era. Our new goal is to prevent as many irreversible tipping points from taking hold as we can. Climate experts said Hurricane Melissa bears unmistakable fingerprints of the planetary crisis, which is driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels. The warming climate is clearly making this horrific disaster for Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas even worse, Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, told the New York Times. Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, told the Associated Press that the Atlantic is extremely warm right now. And its not just the surface, said Deoras. The deeper layers of the ocean are also unusually warm, providing a vast reservoir of energy for the storm. Amira Odeh, Caribbean campaigner at 350.org, warned in a statement Tuesday that what is happening in Jamaica is what climate injustice looks like. Every home without electricity, every flooded hospital, every family cut off by the storm is a consequence of political inaction, said Odeh. We cannot continue losing Caribbean lives because of the fossil fuel industrys greed. As world leaders head to COP30, they must understand that every delay, every new fossil fuel project, means more lives lost, Odeh added. Jamaica is the latest warning, and Belem must be where we finally see a steer to change courses. The Caribbean is sounding the alarm once again. This time, the world must listen. Conor here: Were offered daily reminders that the US-Israel has no intention of abandoning its genocide in Gaza. While the pace may have slowed for the time being, starvation, shootings, bombings, and Israeli-sponsored gangs continue the killing. The following piece describes how the true goal behind the so-called ceasefire is to take some heat off Israel and deflate growing global movement against the carnage, as well as keep Gaza 2035 right on schedule. Rather than fall for Trumps deception, they argue now is the time to turn up the pressure on Israel and its enablers. By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies. Benjamin is the cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace, and the author of several books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher for CODEPINK and the author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. On October 4th, 2025, in an interview with Axios, President Trump stressed that one of the main goals behind his Gaza plan was to restore Israels international standing. Bibi took it very far and Israel lost a lot of support in the world, Trump said. Now I am gonna get all that support back. Under Trumps plan, a supposed ceasefire took effect on October 10th. But Israel only withdrew from less than half of the Gaza strip, and killed at least 93 people in the next two weeks, after killing at least that many per day for the previous two years. Israel has only allowed 15% of the humanitarian aid called for in the plan to enter Gaza, and has kept the critical Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza closed. The daily life-and-death struggle to find food, water and shelter carries on unabated for two million people in Gaza. While the reduction in the daily scale of Israels mass murder is obviously welcome, this is not a real ceasefire. Like previous Israeli ceasefires in Gaza, as in Lebanon, this is a one-sided ceasefire that Israel violates at will, on a daily basis, with no accountability. This is only the first part of Trumps plan for Gaza, and there is still no agreement on the other parts, such as the disarmament of Hamas, who provide the only government and police force in Gaza. They now have the added job of protecting their people from Israel-backed criminal gangs and death squads, some with links to ISIS, who prey on them from the Israeli-occupied areas, stealing aid supplies, assassinating local leaders and terrorizing the population. Hamas is obviously not going to disarm under these conditions, and previously said it would only surrender its weapons once Palestine has an internationally recognized government with its own armed forces. On the other side, Israel has not agreed to other parts of Trumps plan, such as its withdrawal from the rest of Gaza, nor to any plan for the future of Palestine. In the United States, where corrupt politicians and corporate media take U.S. and Israeli lies at face value or even repeat them as statements of fact, some may believe that Trumps plan has resolved the crisis in Palestine. The rest of the world is not so naive or easy to manipulate, but many other governments are also beholden to oligarchies that profit from trade, investment and arms deals with Israel, even as the public in those same countries reels in shock at Israels mass murder of Palestinians and U.S.-backed impunity for its crimes. Trumps Gaza plan, like much of his foreign policy, cynically exploits the greed and fear of political leaders and their oligarch patrons. Admitting that Israel has lost a lot of support in the world, he offers a shortcut back to business as usual for governments eager to protectand even expandprofitable ties despite Israels ongoing atrocities and open contempt for international law. In his first term, Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and Sudan that included mutual recognition and expanded trade. He now has his eye on the big prize: Saudi Arabia. But Arab-Israeli relations have long been contested. In the 1949 UN General Assembly vote on Israels admission, all Arab and Muslim countries except Turkiye (which abstained) voted against recognizing the state of Israel. Thirty-two mostly Arab and Muslim countries, including some of its closest neighbors, still either dont recognize Israel or have no diplomatic relations with it. Despite decades of hostility, Trump persuaded Israel and some of these countries to support his Gaza plan with the promise of future benefits from normalization and trade. But there is still a gaping chasm between Israel and these Arab and Muslim countries over Palestine. They say they will not recognize Israel unless Israel recognizes Palestine, with full sovereignty over East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. But the foundational basis of Netanyahus Likud Party is its plan for a Greater Israel, to be formed by annexing all of occupied Palestine between the sea and the Jordan. And on October 22, during Vice President Vances visit to Israel, the Knesset voted in favor of annexing the West Bank. Trump unveiled his Gaza plan at the very end of the UN General Assemblys annual high-level meeting in New York, where many world leaders spoke out for much stronger international action against Israel. The New York Declaration, which 142 countries voted for, was the result of a conference in July led by France and Saudi Arabia that promised concrete, timebound, coordinated action to enforce a ruling by the international Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024 that the Israeli occupation of Palestine is illegal and must be ended as quickly as possible. Trumps initiative temporarily upstaged and marginalized calls for further action at the UN. But on October 22nd, the ICJ issued a new ruling strongly condemning Israels use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, and ruling that, as an occupying power, Israel must ensure that the basic needs of the population are met, including food, water, fuel, shelter and medicine. The court also ruled that Israel must permit UN staff working for UNRWA to do their work in Gaza, after Israel provided no evidence to the court for its claim that UN staff were members of Hamas or took part in its October 2023 incursion into Israel. In the wake of the ICJ decision, Norway said it would introduce a resolution in the UN General Assembly to enforce the Courts directives, including ensuring the full amount of aid reaches Gaza. Humanitarian advocates hope that this resolution will be introduced in an Emergency Special Session under the Uniting For Peace option, enabling the UN to deliver the concrete, timebound, coordinated action it promised in Julypotentially including sanctions such as an arms embargo and targeted trade and investment measures that should take effect within days if Israel continues to block aid. Trump plainly intended his plan to close the book on Israels crimesand on U.S. complicityand to inaugurate a new phase: normalization of the occupation and Israels diplomatic rehabilitation. Yet even before the ICJ condemned Israels starvation policy, people worldwide were already mobilizing, urging their governments not to let Israel off the hook. In Europe, momentum for accountability continues to build. As the British parliament debates a new pensions law, an amendment has been submitted to divest local government pension funds from companies that are complicit in the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. Many local councils in the U.K. have already passed individual ordinances to do this, but the amendment to the pensions law would force all of them to divest the $16 billion that their pension funds still have invested in those firms. In September, the European Union (EU) announced plans to suspend its 25-year-old free trade agreement with Israel and impose sanctions on extremist Israeli cabinet members and settler leaders. On October 20th, it paused these steps in response to Trumps plan, but EU leaders immediately faced strong push-back on that decision. Over 400 former senior diplomats and officials signed a statement that the EU must take robust action against spoilers and extremists who would jeopardize the establishment of a future Palestinian state, noting that Trumps plan only vaguely addressed that goal. International lawyers advised EU leaders that EU policy must comply with the 2024 ICJ ruling that the Israeli occupation is illegal and must be ended as quickly as possible. Individual European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain, already ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, and Ireland is currently debating a similar trade ban in its Occupied Territories Bill, which should get a final vote by January. The original bill would only affect trade in goods, but activists want trade in services included in the ban, while powerful business interests, including U.S. tech firms with European headquarters in Ireland, are lobbying to kill the bill altogether. It should help that Irelands newly elected president, Catherine Connolly, is a strong supporter of Palestine. In stark contrast to much of the world, which is still grappling with the contradictions of Trumps Gaza plan and Israels ongoing unlawful occupation, U.S. officials are already trying to turn the pagemoving to fortify and expand Washingtons military alliance with Israel. This alliance is renewed and updated every ten years in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two governments, which would normally be negotiated in 2026, before the previous MOU expires in 2028. Theres already a bipartisan bill in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (S.554) to initiate this process, titled United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025, authorizing joint projects with Israel under categories like countering unmanned systems anti-tunnel cooperation(and) war reserves stockpile authority. Conspicuously absent from this policy review is any debate over U.S. complicity in Gazas destructiona debate that should come first and set the terms for any serious re-examination of the U.S.Israel alliance. On October 20th, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, released a new report titled Gaza Genocide: a Collective Crime. Here is the summary of her report: The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a collective crime, sustained by the complicity of influential Third States that have enabled longstanding systemic violations of international law by Israel. Framed by colonial narratives that dehumanize the Palestinians, this live-streamed atrocity has been facilitated through Third States direct support, material aid, diplomatic protection and, in some cases, active participation. It has exposed an unprecedented chasm between peoples and their governments, betraying the trust on which global peace and security rest. The world now stands on a knife-edge between the collapse of the international rule of law and hope for renewal. Renewal is only possible if complicity is confronted, responsibilities are met and justice is upheld. We urge all members of the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees to read the UN report and to invite UN experts to testify at hearings on U.S. complicity and participation in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Palestine. To move ahead with consideration of a new MOU or any arms transfers with Israel without first conducting such a serious and objective policy review would only serve to perpetuate the endless wars that all our leaders, including President Trump, keep telling us they want to end. New subscriber benefit! Copied to clipboard Out of gifts for the month Unfortunately you've used all of your gifts this month. Your counter will reset on the first day of next month. Share this article paywall-free Employees of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) detained former head of Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytsky in Lviv region, he is being charged with fraud on a particularly large scale, a law enforcement source told Interfax-Ukraine. "Kudrytsky was detained in Lviv region," the agency's interlocutor said. According to him, the detainee is currently being charged with fraud on a particularly large scale. The agency's interlocutor clarified that this is about the case of businessman Ihor Hrynkevych and the alleged misappropriation of state-owned company funds during tenders for the reconstruction of power system facilities back in 2018. On October 21, the agency's sources reported on searches at the former head of Ukrenergo, Kudrytsky. The investigative actions were carried out as part of an investigation into criminal proceedings regarding abuse of office and misappropriation of state-owned company funds. Searches were also carried out at Ukrenergo and organizations that may be involved in the illegal scheme of misappropriation of funds during the construction of power lines. The agency currently has no official information from the State Bureau of Investigations. All allegations of ethical misconduct brought against District 1 Metro Councilmember Joy Kimbrough by a local liquor distributor have been dismissed. Ethics Complaint Filed Against Councilmember Joy Kimbrough Best Brands CEO alleges councilmember misused office for personal benefit After a hearing that stretched on for more than seven hours on Monday, the Metro Board of Ethical Conduct unanimously voted to dismiss the claims, which stemmed from an ethics complaint filed in August alleging Kimbrough asked for hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for her support of a rezoning proposal. Ryan Moses, CEO of Nashville-based liquor distributor Best Brands, brought forth the complaint, alleging Kimbrough requested a proposed community benefit plan of $150,000 be increased to $500,000 and that she would control where the funds were allocated. According to Moses claims, Kimbrough asked for the funds in exchange for her support of a zoning ordinance to allow for a warehouse project on an Ashland City Highway property where Moses sought to expand Best Brands headquarters. Kimbrough has repeatedly denied the allegations and continued to do so at the hearing. I have never demanded, solicited, requested or asked for any amount of money for myself or on behalf of my community from Mr. Moses, Kimbrough said during her opening statement. She added that the rezoning request had also lacked support from the Metro Planning Commission and other councilmembers when it was proposed a separate time in 2023. Kimbroughs legal counsel called a series of witnesses who mostly cited the rezoning proposals' lack of support from the community. But the bulk of Mondays hearing centered on the contents of the three-minute cellphone conversation in April 2025 in which Kimbrough allegedly requested the $500,000. No recording of the call was provided despite text messages filed as evidence in the case sent by Moses to Kimbrough in which he said he had listened to their conversation several times with his uncle. Moses said at the hearing that he lied about the existence of a recording as a way to urge Kimbrough to discuss the project with him and have her admit that she had requested the money. The board members said they had expected a recording to be presented, and board member Kinika Young said she saw that falsity as one of several misrepresentations by Moses. Board chair Diane Di Ianni said this truly bothered her and made her question the reliability of Moses' other claims. Hearing to Be Held for Ethics Complaint Against Joy Kimbrough Filing that alleges the councilmember demanded community benefits in exchange for rezoning support That, I will say, concerned me, when our job is to assess credibility, Di Ianni said. The board ultimately voted 4-0 to dismiss the claims, and the lack of evidence was seemingly the deciding factor. It obviously is a challenging case because it comes down to a three-minute call for which theres no recording, said Di Ianni. So were based on what one person said and understood, what the other person said and understood, and memories. It makes it challenging. When the dismissal vote passed, a group of Kimbroughs supporters cheered, many of them wearing T-shirts reading, Ive got Joy! This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post. Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid strike new fossil evidence challenges extinction theories New research from New Mexico's San Juan Basin reveals dinosaurs were diverse and robust up until the asteroid impact 66 million years ago, contradicting theories of a long-term decline. Northern North America (Montana/Dakotas) was dominated by Triceratops and duck-billed dinosaurs, while southern regions (New Mexico) hosted massive Alamosaurus sauropods, proving dinosaurs adapted successfully to varied environments. Scientists used volcanic glass and magnetic mineral alignments to confirm the fossils were deposited within 380,000 years of extinctiongeologically just before the asteroid struck. The impact triggered earthquakes, global wildfires and years of atmospheric darkness, collapsing ecosystems within daysending 150 million years of dinosaur dominance. While the findings challenge decline theories, some experts caution against assuming this regional data reflects worldwide conditions, though others argue dinosaurs remained stable until their abrupt demise. New research has upended long-standing assumptions about the dinosaurs' final days, revealing that these prehistoric giants were thriving right up until the asteroid impact that wiped them out 66 million years ago. Fossils excavated from New Mexico's San Juan Basindated to within 300,000 years of the extinction eventshow a rich and varied ecosystem, contradicting theories that dinosaurs were already in decline before their sudden demise. A thriving ecosystem before doom The study, published in Science, analyzed fossils from the Naashoibito Member site in northwestern New Mexico, including remains of Alamosaurusa colossal, long-necked dinosaur comparable in size to a blue whaleas well as Tyrannosaurus rex, horned dinosaurs and raptors. As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.ai, the Alamosaurus, or Alamosaurus sanjuanensis, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous period, approximately 73-66 million years ago. This dinosaur was a large, long-necked herbivore, typical of its group, and its fossils have been found in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Colorado. "An inconvenient truth is that until now paleontologists have had few fossils of dinosaurs unequivocally dated to the last few hundred thousand years of the Cretaceous, before the asteroid hit," said Professor Steve Brusatte, co-author of the study from the University of Edinburgh. "Now, in New Mexico, we have fossils of dinosaurs that were there right at the end and when we compare them with the only other fossils accurately dated from this time, from further north, we can see they are much different. There clearly were many types of dinosaurs thriving up until that moment the asteroid ended it all." The findings challenge the notion that dinosaurs were weakened by dwindling diversity before the asteroid struck. Instead, the evidence suggests they were robust, adapting to different environments across North America. Two dinosaur worlds The research highlights stark differences between dinosaur populations in northern and southern regions of North America. While the Hell Creek Formation in Montana and the Dakotas was dominated by Triceratops and duck-billed dinosaurs, the southern San Juan Basin teemed with Alamosaurusa massive sauropod absent from northern sites. "Diversity was high and fairly constant until the end of the Cretaceous," Brusatte explained while adding that dinosaurs were adapting differently to different environmentsanother sign of their strength. This regional variation suggests dinosaurs were far from a monolithic group in decline. Instead, they exhibited ecological resilience, thriving in varied climatesfrom tropical forests in the south to cooler coastal plains in the north. Dating the doomsday rocks One of the biggest challenges in dinosaur research is accurately dating fossils. Unlike carbon-dating, which doesn't work on fossils this old, scientists relied on volcanic glass particles and magnetic mineral alignments in surrounding rocks to pinpoint the timeline. Andrew Flynn, a co-author from New Mexico State University, emphasized the rarity of such precise dating: "These factors make dinosaur-bearing rocks from the last 400,000 years of the Cretaceous quite rare." The team confirmed the fossils were deposited within a 380,000-year window before extinction. The asteroid's apocalyptic aftermath The asteroid's impact was unimaginably horrificeven for creatures as massive as Alamosaurus. "At San Juan, you would not have been immediately vaporized as you would have been if you were closer to ground zero where the asteroid hit on the Yucatan," Brusatte told the Daily Mail. "You would have seen a blinding flash of light, heard a few ear-shattering booms, and then a bit later the ground would have started to rumble, the Earth turning into a trampoline as some of the biggest earthquakes of all time shook the planet." The aftermath was even deadlier: superheated debris raining from the sky, global wildfires and years of darkness as dust choked the atmosphere. Within days, ecosystems collapsedending the reign of dinosaurs that had ruled for over 150 million years. Debate continues While the New Mexico findings are compelling, some experts caution against extrapolating a global trend from one region. "This new evidence about these very late-surviving dinosaurs in New Mexico is very exciting," said Dr. Michael Benton of the University of Bristol, who was not involved in the study. But he added this is just one location, not a representation of dinosaur faunas worldwide. Others, like Dr. Darla Zelenitsky of the University of Calgary, argue the research supports growing evidence that dinosaurs remained stable until their abrupt end. "Dinosaurs were still going strong until the very end," she said. A warning from deep time Beyond rewriting dinosaur history, the study carries a sobering message for modern times. "Sudden climate and environmental change can catch animals and ecosystems unaware and can defeat even the strongest and most iconic of species," Brusatte warned. As humanity faces its own ecological challenges, the dinosaurs' fate serves as a stark reminder: even the most dominant creatures are not immune to catastrophe. For now, the fossils of New Mexico stand as silent witnesses to a lost worldone that was vibrant, diverse and cut short in an instant by a force beyond its control. Watch the video below about dinosaurs. This video is from the Eric Dubay channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk BrightU.ai APnews.com CNN.com Brighteon.com New federal task forces declare war on foreign gangs and cartels The Trump administration has launched specialized Homeland Security Task Forces, uniting the FBI, HIS and over 15 federal agencies in a coordinated assault on transnational criminal gangs and cartels operating across the United States. The task forces were created by Trump's "Protecting the American People Against Invasion" executive order, which mandates a nationwide enforcement web to address criminal threats linked to illegal immigration. These task forces are targeting violent groups officially designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13, unlocking more powerful tools for law enforcement and prosecutors. The initiative is presented as a necessary response to the consequences of previous policies, citing specific violent crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants who had been released in sanctuary jurisdictions. This strategy represents a fundamental philosophical break from the past, emphasizing consequences, deportations and a "no-negotiation" stance on citizen safety, with early operations already reporting arrests and results. In a decisive move to reclaim American streets from foreign criminal elements, the Trump administration has launched a sweeping new initiative targeting the violent gangs and cartels that have proliferated across the nation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unveiled a network of specialized Homeland Security Task Forces, signaling an unprecedented, coordinated assault on transnational organized crime. This strategic deployment represents the most aggressive federal action in a generation to dismantle the criminal networks responsible for flooding communities with drugs, human trafficking and brutal violence. A unified front against a clear threat The newly formed task forces represent a monumental shift in law enforcement strategy. They bring together personnel from the FBI and HSI, along with officers from more than 15 federal agencies including the Department of War, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Protection. This collaborative framework is designed to dismantle the legal and jurisdictional barriers that criminal organizations have long exploited. By pooling intelligence and resources, these teams will investigate a spectrum of heinous crimes, including drug trafficking, homicide, extortion and human smuggling, occurring in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. This offensive did not emerge from a vacuum. It was mandated by President Donald Trump's executive order, "Protecting the American People Against Invasion," signed on his first day back in office. The order explicitly highlighted the dire threats to national security and public safety posed by the influx of millions of illegal immigrants, including dangerous criminals. It directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish these task forces in every state, creating a nationwide web of enforcement aimed at rooting out the criminal infestation. The urgent need for this initiative is underscored by a trail of victims and a history of failed policies. For years, sanctuary city and state policies have actively undermined federal immigration enforcement, leading to the release of dangerous individuals back into American communities. The consequences have been devastating and bloody. Instances like the murder of Laken Riley in Georgia, allegedly by an illegal immigrant who had been previously arrested and released, and the child rapes committed by illegal immigrants freed in Massachusetts and Philadelphia, are not isolated tragedies. They are the predictable outcome of a system that prioritized political correctness over public safety. From designation to destruction The task forces are targeting groups recently designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Department of State, a critical step that unlocks more powerful tools for prosecutors and law enforcement. Among these designated narco-terrorist organizations are the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the notorious Salvadoran gang MS-13. This designation acknowledges what has been clear to many on the front lines: these are not mere street gangs but sophisticated, violent enterprises that use terror as a core tactic. The administration has already demonstrated its willingness to use lethal force, with U.S. forces firing on a Tren de Aragua drug boat in the Caribbean, eliminating 11 gang members. The effectiveness of this hardened approach is already being demonstrated. In a single day, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) teams have made hundreds of arrests of violent illegal criminals. Earlier operations resulted in the arrest of 356 gang members in six months, individuals who had collectively been convicted of nearly 1,700 offenses and had entered the United States illegally more than 1,400 times. The Department of Homeland Security recently confirmed the deportation of Tren de Aragua gang members, sexual predators and other violent criminals back to Venezuela, ensuring they no longer pose a threat to American citizens. The intelligence edge To support this ground war, the administration has stood up a powerful new intelligence unit. The National Counterterrorism Center's Interagency Fusion Cell, known as the NIFC, now operates inside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. This cell streamlines the sharing of actionable information between the intelligence community and law enforcement, allowing for faster identification and arrests of high-value targets. This fusion of intelligence and operational capability has already played a role in significant arrests, including that of a notorious baby trafficker. "Gangs and cartels from south of the border pose an increasing menace and a serious security concern to American communities," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. "These organized criminal elements operate with dangerous and deadly precision, threatening the well-being of ordinary citizens." The creation of the Homeland Security Task Forces marks a fundamental philosophical break from the previous administration's approach to border security and criminal enforcement. Where there was once paralysis and open borders, there is now action and consequence. The message from the White House is unambiguous: The era of catch-and-release is over. Watch this report about how Mexican cartels enlist gangs and extremists for bounties on ICE officials. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com EurasiaReview.com AOL.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Kremlin aide claims Ukraine deal is within reach A diplomatic solution is now considered possible, with a Russian official signaling that intense negotiations may be converging on a deal that would freeze the current battle lines, effectively recognizing Russian territorial gains. A key development is a shift in Ukraine's rhetoric, with President Zelensky moving away from demanding a full Russian withdrawal and instead publicly discussing the reality of the current front lines, a move seen as a necessary concession. Russia is demanding a comprehensive final settlement, not a temporary truce, which would include legally binding guarantees that Ukraine never joins NATO, its demilitarization and official recognition of the new territorial realities. The U.S. strategy combines diplomacy with economic pressure, as U.S. President Trump pushes for a deal while the U.S. simultaneously imposes severe sanctions on Russian oil companies to cripple the Kremlin's war finances. A history of failed agreements creates deep distrust, but the current push is characterized by Trump's threat of sanctions against both Russia and Ukraine if they obstruct the process, aiming to break the cycle of failed diplomacy. In a potential breakthrough that could redraw the map of Europe and end years of bloody conflict, a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine is now within grasp. The assertion from Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev, made during a visit to Washington, signals a significant shift in tone. It suggests that intense behind-the-scenes negotiations involving Moscow, Kyiv and the Trump administration may be converging on an agreement that would freeze the current battle lines, effectively recognizing Russian territorial gains. A shift in rhetoric on the ground The core of Dmitriev's optimism hinges on a subtle but critical change in language from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. For years, Zelensky's stated precondition for peace was a full and complete withdrawal of Russian forces from all internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, including Crimea. Now, Dmitriev notes, the Ukrainian leader has begun publicly discussing the reality of current battle lines. This pragmatic shift away from maximalist demands is viewed in Moscow, and apparently in some quarters of Washington, as a necessary concession to reality. It acknowledges the immense difficulty of dislodging well-entrenched Russian forces from nearly a fifth of the country through military means alone. This development aligns with the consistent pressure applied by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for an immediate end to the hostilities. Trump has previously framed the conflict as a destructive stalemate, at times likening it to two children squabbling, and has emphasized that his primary objective is to stop the killing, even if that requires difficult compromises from Kyiv. The ghost of a canceled summit Dmitriev's comments arrive in the shadow of a recently canceled high-stakes summit between Trump and Putin. Trump called off the planned meeting in Budapest, stating that the timing was not right and that he did not feel sufficient progress had been made to justify the talks. This move was widely interpreted as a blunt signal to Moscow that the U.S. would not engage in diplomacy for diplomacy's sake and that concrete concessions were required. However, both leaders left the door open for a future meeting, and Dmitriev's presence in the U.S. for talks with American officials implies that diplomatic channels remain not just open, but actively humming. The cancellation may have been a tactical pause rather than a full breakdown, a move to intensify pressure and solidify negotiating positions before a final deal is struck. Beyond a temporary truce A central point in Moscow's position, as articulated by Dmitriev, is the demand for a final settlement, not merely another fragile ceasefire. Russia has expressed deep skepticism about temporary pauses, arguing that they are often used by the opposing side to rearm, regroup and prepare for renewed conflict. This view finds an echo in Trump's own reported warnings that a ceasefire can always be broken. The Kremlin's vision for a lasting peace is comprehensive and, for many in Ukraine and the West, deeply contentious. It includes legally binding guarantees that Ukraine will never join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of Western nations. Moscow also demands the demilitarization of Ukraine and official recognition of the new territorial realities on the ground, which would involve Ukraine ceding sovereignty over the Donbas region and likely Crimea. Contrasting strategies and economic pressure Dmitriev explicitly contrasted the current U.S. approach with that of the previous Biden administration. He characterized the prior strategy of seeking a strategic defeat of Russia as an obvious failure, one that only prolonged the war without achieving its objectives. In his view, Trump's willingness to maintain dialogue and act as a forceful mediator offers a more pragmatic path to ending the conflict. This diplomatic push occurs alongside a relentless U.S. campaign of economic pressure. The recent announcement of tremendous sanctions on Russia's largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, aims to cripple the Kremlin's ability to finance its war machine. The U.S. strategy involves targeting not only Russia but also third-party nations that continue to purchase Russian energy, with proposals for punitive tariffs as high as 500 percent. Dmitriev dismissed these measures as counterproductive, claiming they would ultimately harm American consumers at the gas pump, a familiar critique of sanctions policy. A legacy of failed diplomacy According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, a negotiated peace is presented as the best route for Ukraine, as it would prioritize the well-being of its people and respect its sovereignty. For Russia, this path is seen as leading to broader cooperation and a partnership that benefits all parties. For the U.S., such a peace would allow a focus on rebuilding infrastructure and fostering global trade instead of waging war. The path to peace remains fraught with peril. For Ukraine, accepting a deal that codifies territorial losses would be a bitter pill to swallow, a sacrifice of sovereignty for survival. For the West, it would mean accepting an outcome that rewards military aggression. For Russia, it would secure strategic objectives but at the cost of prolonged isolation and a deeply antagonized neighbor. Watch Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterating that Moscow maintains contact with Washington about the START nuclear treaty. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com IrishSun.com KyivPost.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Louvre security guard accused of tipping off thieves in $102 million crown jewel heist A multi-million dollar jewel heist at the Louvre was likely an inside job. Thieves stole eight irreplaceable French crown jewels in a seven-minute raid. A security guard provided inside information about the museum's security system. The museum admitted to major security failures, including a misdirected camera. The stolen jewels are feared to have already been broken up and sold. The recent multi-million dollar heist at the Louvre Museum is now being investigated as an inside job, with evidence suggesting a security guard provided criminals with the keys to the kingdom. Last week, four masked men executed a meticulously timed robbery, stealing eight irreplaceable French crown jewels valued at approximately $102 million from the heart of Paris. The thieves almost supernatural knowledge of the museums security layout points directly to internal corruption, revealing how easily our most cherished institutions can be compromised from within. The audacious theft took just seven minutes. Using a truck-mounted ladder, the assailants accessed a second-floor balcony of the Galerie dApollon, a room open to visitors at the time. They smashed a window, seized the historic jewels, and escaped using the museums own furniture elevator before speeding away on motorbikes. The precision of the operation, which seemed to bypass security with ease, immediately raised suspicions that the criminals had inside information. Those suspicions have now been confirmed. According to reports, French investigators have uncovered digital forensic evidence showing cooperation between one of the museums security guards and the thieves. A source close to the investigation stated, Sensitive information was passed on about the museums security, which is how they were aware of the breach. This inside knowledge allowed the thieves to exploit a critical vulnerability. The investigation has revealed a series of profound security failures. Louvre director Laurence des Cars admitted to a French Senate committee that a security camera near the break-in site was pointing in the wrong direction, which she described as a terrible failure. The balcony they used was not under camera surveillance, a flaw the thieves seemed to know intimately. This inside information transformed a supposedly secure national monument into a soft target. A trail of evidence The thieves, while well-informed, were not flawless. They left behind a trail of physical evidence, including helmets, gloves, and tools. Investigators have collected more than 150 DNA samples from the scene. This evidence led to the arrest of two suspects near Paris. One was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport attempting to board a flight to Algeria, and one was identified through DNA traces. Despite these arrests, the investigation faces challenges. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau condemned media leaks about the case, warning they could hinder the efforts of the 100 investigators mobilized. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez commended the police progress but stressed the need for the investigation to continue in accordance with judicial secrecy. The priority remains locating the stolen cultural heritage. The fate of the jewels There is no indication that any of the stolen crown jewels have been recovered. Authorities reportedly believe the pieces have likely already been broken up, with the individual stones sold off on the black market. This is a common tactic to dispose of uniquely identifiable historic artifacts. The haul included a royal sapphire necklace, a royal emerald necklace with matching earrings, and a diadem worn by Empress Eugenie. The heist has drawn commentary from unexpected quarters. Some former jewelry thieves have weighed in, expressing a mix of professional critique and disbelief at the security lapses. The brazen nature of the crime and the apparent internal collusion have shocked the public and the art world alike, raising urgent questions about who to trust with the guardianship of our shared history. In the aftermath, the Louvre has been forced to take drastic measures. The museum has transferred its most valuable remaining jewels to the Bank of France for safekeeping. The fact that the stolen collection was reportedly uninsured, due to prohibitive costs, only adds to the magnitude of the loss, both financially and culturally. The Louvre heist is more than a simple robbery; it is a case study in institutional failure. The combination of internal corruption and operational incompetence allowed a piece of French history to be stolen in broad daylight. Sources for this article include: RT.com NYTimes.com NYPost.com Russia welcomes Japans push for a post-WWII peace treaty Both Russia and Japan have publicly reaffirmed their intention to finally sign a formal peace treaty, which has been unresolved since the end of World War II. The Kremlin has welcomed Japan's renewed commitment to this goal. The main obstacle to the treaty is a territorial conflict over a group of islands (called the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan). The Soviet Union seized these islands at the end of the war and expelled thousands of Japanese residents. Recent relations have been very tense. After Japan joined Western sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, Moscow retaliated by suspending peace talks, ending a visa-free travel program for the islands, and labeling Japan's stance as "unfriendly." The dispute continues to cause practical problems, such as Japanese protests against new Russian restrictions on sea navigation around the disputed islands. Despite the significant challenges and mistrust, the recent mutual expression of intent to pursue a peace treaty is seen as a positive and hopeful signal, opening the door for potential future dialogue to resolve this decades-old conflict. The Kremlin has expressed its approval of Japan's renewed intention to finally sign a formal peace treaty, a document that has been elusive since the end of World War II. This gesture offers a glimmer of hope for resolving a conflict that has cast a long shadow over relations between the two nations for decades. The announcement came from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated that Japan's desire to pursue an agreement is "rather to be welcomed." This response followed a declaration by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who confirmed that securing a peace treaty remains a key goal of her government's foreign policy. Both nations, it seems, are publicly reaffirming a shared objective that has been out of reach for generations. BrightU.AI's Enoch AI engine explains that the primary obstacle to achieving this treaty remains a long-standing territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands (Russia) or the Northern Territories (Japan). The Soviet Union seized these islands in the final days of the war. This action led to the expulsion of thousands of Japanese residents in 1949 and planted the seed of a disagreement that has grown for over 75 years. For Japan, the return of these four islands is a non-negotiable prerequisite for a peace treaty. Russia, however, maintains that the islands are a lawful part of its sovereign territory. This fundamental disagreement has prevented the two countries from fully normalizing their relationship, leaving a chapter of the 20th century technically unfinished. Recent tensions and a thaw in dialogue The path to peace has been far from smooth. In recent years, relations have grown increasingly tense. Following Japan's decision to join Western sanctions against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine, Moscow took firm retaliatory steps. Russia suspended long-running peace talks regarding the islands and ended a visa-free travel program that had allowed Japanese citizens to visit the disputed territories. The Kremlin has been vocal in its criticism, labeling Japan's stance as "unfriendly" and pointing to its participation in international sanctions. This friction has, according to Russian officials, caused direct dialogue between the two nations to be "virtually reduced to zero." Further complicating matters, Russian authorities recently designated a Japanese association dedicated to the islands' return as an "undesirable organization," accusing it of undermining Russian sovereignty. Amid these tensions, other incidents have flared. Japan has formally protested against Russian restrictions on sea navigation around the Kuril Islands, accusing Moscow of unjustly limiting passage for foreign ships. These actions highlight how the territorial dispute continues to spill over into practical and diplomatic confrontations. A hopeful signal Despite these significant challenges, the recent exchange of statements from Tokyo and Moscow is being viewed as a positive signal. For Japan, the official policy remains clear: to resolve the territorial issue and finally conclude a peace treaty. The Kremlin, in turn, has not only welcomed this intent but has also confirmed its own support for signing such an agreement. While the underlying issues are deep-rooted and recent actions have created substantial mistrust, the mutual affirmation of a shared goal opens a door to peace. Takaichi herself acknowledged that relations are "in a difficult situation," suggesting a realistic awareness of the hurdles ahead. The journey to a signed peace treaty remains long and fraught with complexity, but the renewed expression of intent from both sides provides a foundation for cautious optimism that this decades-old conflict may one day find its peaceful resolution. Watch the video below as tsunami waves reached Severo-Kurilsk and flooded a local fish processing plant. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com TheMoscowTimes.com En.SputnikNews.africa MOFA.go.jp BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Russias announcement of UNLIMITED RANGE NUCLEAR MISSILES is Putins middle finger to Trumps tomahawk threat Russia has successfully tested the Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered cruise missile with an effectively unlimited range. Russian media is propping up the Russian military's latest threat, in response to Trump's tomahawk missile threat The missile can remain airborne for weeks, evading defense systems and enabling unpredictable attack vectors. This development, alongside other advanced systems like the Oreshnik, gives Russia a potent non-nuclear first-strike capability. Western leaders are failing to acknowledge this shift in military superiority, continuing policies that risk direct confrontation. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine serves as a proxy for this larger cold war, with the potential to escalate into a direct NATO-Russia conflict. Russia's announces Burevestnik on heels of Trump's tomahawk missile threat The core of this new threat is the 9M730 Burevestnik, a weapon that President Vladimir Putin has publicly confirmed. Unlike conventional missiles, the Burevestnik is powered by a compact, onboard nuclear reactor. This revolutionary power source allows it to stay aloft for weeks or even months without ever needing to land and refuel. Think of it as a perpetual sentinel in the sky, a doomsday weapon that can loiter indefinitely until it receives its final command. During a recent test, the missile reportedly covered 14,000 kilometers and executed complex maneuvers designed to evade interception. Its range is considered virtually unlimited, and its flight path is unpredictable, flying low to avoid radar and making it a nightmare for any military planner tasked with continental defense. This is not an isolated development. It exists within a broader and rapidly expanding Russian arsenal. Another key system is the Oreshnik warhead cluster, a non-nuclear weapon that leverages pure physics to achieve apocalyptic destruction. This weapon system can be attached to intercontinental ballistic missiles and delivers a cluster of 36 individual projectiles, each traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 11. The kinetic energy upon impact is comparable to a meteorite strike, generating temperatures around 4000 C. At this heat, concrete, steel, and every other material at the target site are vaporized, leaving nothing but dust. Putin himself described the effect, stating, "A massive strike with such missiles would be similar to a nuclear impact. Anything located in the strike center is obliterated into elemental particles, reduced to dust." This creates a terrifying new paradigm: a decapitation strike capability without the radioactive fallout. Russia could theoretically use these non-nuclear weapons to destroy critical military infrastructurecommand centers, naval bases, even aircraft carriersanywhere on the globe in a matter of minutes, all without crossing the nuclear threshold and triggering a full-scale atomic exchange. This is a game-changing advantage that neutralizes decades of Western military planning and investment. When combined with the Burevestnik's guaranteed retaliatory strike potential, it forms a one-two punch that fundamentally alters strategic calculus. A western world asleep at the wheel Despite these alarming developments, the response from Western capitals has been a combination of denial and misplaced focus. The narrative remains locked in a pre-2022 mindset, where economic sanctions and traditional diplomacy are seen as adequate tools. The recent arrest of three Chinese nationals in Georgia, who were caught attempting to illegally purchase 4.4 pounds of uranium for $400,000, hints at the intense global scramble for the materials needed for such advanced weapons. Meanwhile, the industrial and technological bases of nations like China and Russia are surging. China's naval shipbuilding capacity, for instance, is said to dwarf that of the United States, and Russia's military-industrial output now surpasses that of the entire NATO alliance in key areas. The war in Ukraine is the active proving ground for this new era. It is a brutal demonstration of what happens when a nation with advanced weapons and a robust industrial base engages in a protracted conflict. While Ukrainian forces dispute reports of being encircled, the relentless pressure from Russian artillery, drones, and missile systems continues. Russian state television regularly features military experts discussing scenarios for overwhelming strikes on Western targets, a chilling form of psychological warfare that underscores their confidence. The Wests strategy appears to be one of prolonging the conflict, hoping to bleed Russia dry, but this ignores the fundamental shift in capability that has already occurred. The inevitable collision course? The world is now in a situation akin to a street fight where one combatant has secretly acquired a machete while the others still brandish knives. The one with the superior weapon knows his advantage, while the others, blinded by arrogance and outdated information, believe the fight is still even. The introduction of weapons like the Burevestnik and Oreshnik is the strategic equivalent of that machete. The United States dollar is no longer the undisputed global reserve currency, and Western technological supremacy is a myth that is being systematically dismantled by China. The path forward is perilous. The current trajectory leads to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, a conflict that would immediately place the world on the verge of nuclear war. The Burevestnik, as a guaranteed second-strike weapon, makes the concept of winning a nuclear war obsolete. There would be no winners. The urgent need is for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, a de-escalation that acknowledges the new strategic reality rather than pretending it does not exist. To continue down the current path is to sleepwalk into a global catastrophe, all while the tools for unprecedented destruction are being actively deployed and perfected. The question is not if the West will recognize this new reality, but whether it will do so before it is too late. Sources include: RT.com RT.com EndoftheAmericanDream.com Xi calls for turning Palace Museum into window for Chinese civilization Xinhua) 08:04, October 28, 2025 BEIJING, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday urged efforts to make the Palace Museum a major education base for fostering patriotism and an important window for the world to better understand Chinese civilization and the Chinese nation. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when visiting an exhibition marking the 100th founding anniversary of the Palace Museum in Beijing. The exhibition themed "A Century of Stewardship: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum," features 200 pieces (sets) of cultural relics and documents, including masterpieces of calligraphy and paintings, as well as bronze ware and jade artifacts, demonstrating the development of the museum. Xi listened carefully to the explanation during the visit and paused to observe the relics and inquire about relevant details. Hailing the Palace Museum as a hallmark of Chinese civilization, Xi said the museum should carry forward its fine traditions, adhere to the principle that cultural relics belong to the people and serve the people, and work harder to protect, restore and make good use of the cultural relics. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, also visited the exhibition. On Oct. 10, 1925, the Forbidden City, the vast walled complex that once served as China's imperial palace, was opened to the public for the first time, along with its priceless imperial art collections, marking the founding of the Palace Museum. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) China ready to provide assistance to US in a humanitarian spirit: foreign ministry (People's Daily App) 15:05, October 28, 2025 China on 27 October, 2025 said it is ready to provide necessary assistance out of humanitarian considerations if the US requests. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Zhong Wenxing) Ukraine uses interceptors, F-16s, and helicopters to shoot down Shahed UAVs. Much depends on the weather, but plans are underway to reach production of 500-800 interceptors per day in November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "The shaheds have now become more dangerous in some places than ballistic missiles. We can shoot down a ballistic missile at least where we have Patriots. But to shoot down such a large number of shaheds at such an altitude, we need to use everything we can. Interceptors, F-16s, helicopterswe use everything. And a lot depends on the weather. In freezing temperatures, we'll see how we use helicopters. Rain and so onaircraft visibility is not as good," he said during his meeting with journalists. "Interceptors are also different. Some are already at a high level, with homing and so on. We're moving towards that. Regardless, by November, we'll reach 500-800 interceptors per day," the president added. According to him, it's necessary to train many operators to operate the interceptors, since mobile fire teams are stationed at various sites. At the same time, Ukraine needs to respond to Russian attacks with long-range weapons. Scientists discover elusive solar waves that could power the suns million-degree corona Scientists have detected torsional Alfven waves in the sun's corona using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, confirming an 80-year-old theory about magnetic waves heating the corona to millions of degreesfar hotter than the sun's surface. These twisting magnetic waves, first predicted by Hannes Alfven in 1942, had remained hidden due to the corona's chaotic plasma movements. Researchers isolated them using spectroscopic analysis, revealing their role in energy transfer. The discovery was made possible by the Inouye Solar Telescope's Cryo-NIRSP instrument, which provides unprecedented detail of the corona. Northumbria University contributed key imaging technology and pioneered new analytical techniques. The torsional Alfven waves may act as an "energy pipeline," transporting heat from the suns interior to its outer atmosphere and fueling the solar wind. This could explain phenomena like "magnetic switchbacks" detected by NASA's Parker Solar Probe. Understanding these waves enhances models of solar activity, thereby aiding forecasts of solar storms that can disrupt satellites, GPS, and power grids. The findings represent a significant breakthrough in solar research as the sun approaches its peak activity in 2025. For nearly 80 years, scientists have theorized that mysterious magnetic waves could explain why the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, burns at millions of degrees Celsiusfar hotter than its 5,500 C surface. Now, an international team led by researchers from Northumbria University has finally detected these elusive waves, known as torsional Alfven waves, using the world's most powerful solar telescope. Published in Nature Astronomy, the discovery could reshape human understanding of solar energy transfer and space weather. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Alfven waves are magnetic disturbances that ripple through plasmathe superheated, electrically charged gas that makes up the sun. They were named after Swedish physicist Hannes Alfven, who first predicted their existence in 1942. While scientists had previously observed larger Alfven waves linked to solar flares, the small-scale torsional waveswhich twist magnetic field lines back and forthhad remained undetected until now. "The movement of plasma in the sun's corona is dominated by swaying motions," explained Professor Richard Morton, the study's lead researcher and a UKRI Future Leader Fellow at Northumbria University. "These mask the torsional motions, so I had to develop a way of removing the swaying to find the twisting." Using the U.S. National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii, Morton's team analyzed the corona's plasma, heated to 1.6 million C and identified the twisting waves through spectroscopic analysismeasuring subtle shifts in light as plasma moved toward and away from Earth. A telescope built for discovery The breakthrough was made possible by the Inouye Solar Telescope's Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP), the most advanced instrument of its kind for studying the corona. With a four-meter-wide mirrorfour times larger than previous solar telescopesit captures unprecedented detail in the sun's outer atmosphere. Northumbria University played a key role in developing cameras for the telescope's Visible Broadband Imager, building on its expertise in solar observations. Morton secured early access to the telescope during its testing phase, allowing his team to pioneer new analytical techniques to isolate the torsional waves from the corona's chaotic plasma movements. "This discovery ends a protracted search for these waves that has its origins in the 1940s," Morton said. "We've finally been able to directly observe these torsional motions twisting the magnetic field lines back and forth in the corona." The findings could solve one of the sun's biggest mysteries: how the corona reaches such extreme temperatures. The torsional Alfven waves may act as an energy pipeline, transporting heat from the sun's interior to its outer atmosphere and fueling the solar windthe stream of charged particles that fills the solar system. Understanding these processes has real-world consequences. The solar wind carries magnetic disturbances that can disrupt satellite communications, GPS systems and power grids on Earth. Alfven waves may also explain "magnetic switchbacks"sudden reversals in the solar winds magnetic field detected by NASA's Parker Solar Probe. "This research provides essential validation for the range of theoretical models that describe how Alfven wave turbulence powers the solar atmosphere," Morton added. "Having direct observations finally allows us to test these models against reality." A new era of solar research The discovery opens new avenues for studying wave dynamics in the corona and refining space weather forecasts. As solar activity increases toward its 2025 peak, predicting solar stormswhich can knock out power grids and satellite networksbecomes ever more critical. With the Inouye Solar Telescope now fully operational, scientists expect further revelations about the sun's magnetic behavior. "This is just the beginning," Morton said. "Now that we can detect these waves, we can start unraveling how they contribute to heating the corona and accelerating the solar wind." For astrophysicists, the breakthrough marks the culmination of an eight-decade questand the start of a deeper exploration into the forces that shape our solar system. Watch the video below that talks about harnessing solar energy. This video is from the Alex Hammer channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: Phys.org Nature.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com U.S. intelligence contradicts Trumps claims of Venezuelan fentanyl trafficking U.S. intelligence officials confirm Venezuela is not a major fentanyl producer, undermining Trump's claims that military strikes targeted drug traffickers shipping fentanyl to the United States. Critics argue the Trump administration is using drug trafficking allegations as a cover to escalate military action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a longtime U.S. regime-change target. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly driving aggressive U.S. policy toward Venezuela, redirecting USAID funds toward military preparations and pushing Trump to reject Maduro's oil-for-peace offer. The U.S. is ramping up military activity in Colombia and Guyana, including contracts for virtual combat training and naval deployments, while Venezuela mobilizes troops and accuses ExxonMobil of financing aggression. The U.S. has a decades-long history of undermining Venezuela's socialist government, raising concerns that current actionslacking clear evidenceare repeating past regime-change failures under false pretenses. Despite White House assertions, intelligence officials say Venezuela is not a major fentanyl producerraising questions about the justification for military strikes. Recent U.S. military airstrikes targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean have left at least 32 dead, with President Donald Trump claiming the boats were transporting fentanyl to American shores. However, U.S. intelligence assessments contradict these assertions, reporting that Venezuela produces little to no fentanyl destined for the U.S., according to a senior official familiar with the matter. The discrepancy raises concerns about whether the Trump administration is using drug trafficking allegations as a pretext for escalating military action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's socialist governmenta long-standing target of U.S. regime-change efforts. In a recent statement, Trump asserted that intercepted boats were laden with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of U.S. overdose deaths annually. "Every boat kills 25,000 on averagesome people say more. You see these boats, they're stacked up with bags of white powder that's mostly fentanyl and other drugs, too," Trump said. Yet intelligence officials told Drop Site News that Venezuela is not a significant fentanyl producer and many of the vessels targeted lacked the fuel capacity to reach U.S. waters. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has also publicly stated that "zero fentanyl is produced in Venezuela." Despite this, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has framed Venezuelan drug trafficking as a national security threat comparable to Al-Qaeda. "Just as Al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people," Hegseth declared. "There will be no refuge or forgivenessonly justice." Rubio's push for regime change Two White House sources identified Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the architect behind the administration's aggressive posture toward Venezuela. Rubio, a longtime advocate for Maduro's ouster, reportedly redirected millions in U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) fundsoriginally earmarked for "pro-democracy" initiativestoward military preparations in Colombia and Guyana. Rubio's argument to Trump hinged on portraying Maduro as a narcoterrorist, citing a 2020 Department of Justice indictment linking the Venezuelan president to cocaine trafficking. With Trump unable to strike Mexican cartels due to political constraints, Rubio allegedly shifted focus to Venezuelaa move bolstered by the country's vast oil reserves. Maduro recently offered to cede Venezuela's oil resources to the U.S. in exchange for an end to hostilities. Trump acknowledged the proposal but rejected it, reportedly at Rubio's urging. "He offered everything. You know why? Because he doesn't want to fuck around with the United States," Trump said. Contract records reveal a surge in U.S. military activity in Colombia, a key staging ground for anti-Maduro operations. The State Department signed a $4.8 million deal with Arizona-based VirTra, Inc. for a "Colombia virtual shooting range," while the Coast Guard procured combat boats worth millions. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez accused ExxonMobil of financing military aggression in Guyana, where Venezuela has a longstanding territorial dispute. "Guyana has opened the doors to the American, the U.S. invader and the military aggression against our region," Rodriguez said. A long history of U.S. intervention The U.S. has sought to undermine Venezuela's socialist government for decades, dating back to efforts against former President Hugo Chavez. Leaked diplomatic cables from 2006 outline a five-point strategy to weaken Chavez's rule, including dividing his political base and isolating Venezuela internationally. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a U.S.-funded nonprofit, has supported opposition media and activist campaigns in Venezuela, BrightU.AI's Enoch notes. However, critics argue that such initiatives blur the line between democracy promotion and covert regime change. As the Trump administration escalates military action in the Caribbean, the lack of evidence linking Venezuela to fentanyl trafficking raises questions about the true motives behind the strikes. With Rubio driving policy and billions in oil reserves at stake, critics warn that the U.S. may be repeating past mistakespursuing regime change under dubious pretenses. For now, the White House's narrative clashes with intelligence findings, leaving observers to wonder whether the war on drugs is being weaponized for geopolitical ends. Watch Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) destroying President Trump's "fentanyl transporting boats" narrative in this interview with Piers Morgan. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheCradle.co DropSiteNews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com U.S. moves to secure tungsten supply in Kazakhstan, countering Chinas global dominance The Trump administration is covertly negotiating with Kazakhstan to develop its vast tungsten reserves (over 2M tons), aiming to break China's 80 percent global monopoly a critical move for U.S. military and industrial supply chains. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facilitating financing for U.S.-based Cove Kaz Capital Group LLC, leveraging federal institutions (Export-Import Bank, U.S. DFC) to compete against Chinese state-backed firms offering above-market prices. Essential for armor-piercing ammunition, missiles, medical devices and consumer tech, tungsten's scarcity risks U.S. economic and defense stability, per the Defense Logistics Agency and U.S. Geological Survey. Kazakhstan seeks to diversify partnerships beyond China and Russia, reviving its dormant tungsten industry via joint ventures (e.g., Cove Kaz's 2024 rare earth deal with Kazgeology JSC) to process and export tungsten to the United States. The U.S. aims to reclaim Cold War-era mineral dominance, countering China's export restrictions and securing independent supply chains a national security imperative amid rising trade-military tensions. Success could reshape global markets and weaken Beijing's leverage. The Trump administration is quietly advancing a high-stakes bid to secure American access to Kazakhstan's vast tungsten reserves, positioning the U.S. against China in a covert economic battle over a metal critical to military and industrial applications. The effort was spearheaded by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. It involves facilitating financing for Cove Kaz Capital Group LLC. The U.S.-based firm is negotiating with Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, with a view to developing two major tungsten deposits Upper Kairakty and North Katpar. With China controlling roughly 80 percent of global tungsten production, the move underscores Washington's urgency to break Beijing's stranglehold on strategic minerals essential for defense and technology. Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, halted tungsten mining in the early 1990s amid economic turmoil but has recently sought to revive its industry. The country estimates its reserves exceed two million tons, enough to make it a dominant player in the global tungsten market. Cove Kaz, affiliated with U.S.-Australian firm Cove Capital LLC, has faced stiff competition from Chinese state-backed entities willing to pay above-market prices. The U.S. government, while not seeking an ownership stake, is prepared to leverage federal financing institutions like the Export-Import Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to ensure the deal succeeds. The geopolitical implications are significant. Tungsten, prized for its hardness and high melting point, is indispensable in manufacturing armor-piercing ammunition, missile components, medical devices and even everyday products like light bulbs. China's near-monopoly has left the U.S. vulnerable to supply chain disruptionsa concern amplified by escalating trade tensions and military posturing in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Department of War's Defense Logistics Agency lists tungsten as a material of critical interest, and the U.S. Geological Survey warns that any major supply disruption could harm the U.S. economy. The hidden battle for tungsten dominance This isn't the first time the Trump administration has deepened ties with Astana. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Commerce helped broker a $4.2 billion rail deal involving Pennsylvania-based Wabtec Corp., signaling a broader strategy of economic engagement with Central Asia. The tungsten negotiations, however, mark an unusual scenario where senior U.S. officials are directly facilitating private-sector bids against Chinese competitorsa rare acknowledgment of the high-stakes resource wars shaping global power dynamics. For Kazakhstan, the deal represents an opportunity to diversify partnerships beyond China and Russia while capitalizing on its untapped mineral wealth. The proposed joint venture would see Cove Kaz Capital operate the mines and process tungsten domestically before exporting to the U.S., with profits shared between the partners. The arrangement mirrors earlier ventures, such as Cove Kaz's 2024 rare earth exploration deal with Kazakhstan's state-owned Kazgeology JSC. Historical context underscores why this matters. Since the Cold War, control over critical minerals has dictated military and industrial supremacy. China's aggressive consolidation of rare earth and tungsten supplies, coupled with export restrictions, has forced Western nations to scramble for alternatives. The U.S. once led in tungsten production, but ceded dominance to China due to cheaper labor and lax environmental regulations. Now with tensions rising, securing independent supply chains has become a national security imperative. BrightU.AI's Enoch engine points out that a steady supply of tungsten and other critical minerals is vital for maintaining economic stability and national security, as they are essential for trade, finance and advanced technologies. Without reliable access, thriving nations risk supply shortages that could disrupt industries, weaken currencies and leave them vulnerable to geopolitical manipulation by globalist elites. The outcome of these negotiations nevertheless remains uncertain, as Cove Kaz has yet to finalize terms and Chinese firms retain significant leverage. But the Trump administration's involvement signals a shift toward economic statecraft using financial tools and diplomatic pressure to reclaim strategic resources. If successful, the deal could weaken China's grip on tungsten, bolster U.S. defense readiness and reshape global mineral markets. Watch U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signing a critical minerals deal between Washington and Canberra. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: OilPrice.com Mining.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Tucker Carlson declares Putin as the most popular leader in the world Tucker Carlson asserts that Russian President Vladimir Putin is globally admired outside Western nations, contrasting sharply with Western media's demonization of him. Putin's appeal stems from prioritizing Russia's sovereignty and national interestssomething Carlson claims Western leaders fail to do for their own countries. Russia's "Spiritual Revival" vs. Western Decline: Carlson argues Russia is experiencing resurgenceprosperity, national pride and purposewhile the West faces economic and social decay. He suggests Western elites resent Russia's success because it exposes their own governance failures. Putin's Unexpected Affinity for the West: Contrary to mainstream narratives, Carlson claims Putin "actually likes the West" more than his potential successors might. This challenges the portrayal of Putin as an anti-Western autocrat bent on destabilizing Europe and the U.S. Global Recognition Beyond Western Propaganda: Russian officials claim Putin is seen as a "role model" in international forums, reinforcing Carlson's argument that his popularity extends far beyond Russia. The disconnect between Western media narratives and global public opinion raises questions about elite-driven propaganda. A Call for Reevaluation of Western Narratives: Carlson's role as a "spell breaker" forces audiences to question establishment portrayals of Putin as purely villainous. His stance challenges Western leaders: If Putin is widely respected, what does that say about their own leadership failures? The interview could shift geopolitical discourse, exposing whether Western hostility toward Russia is justified or a distraction from domestic crises. In a bold assertion that defies years of Western media demonization, American journalist Tucker Carlson has declared Russian President Vladimir Putin the "most popular leader in the world." Carlson, known for his willingness to challenge establishment narratives, made the remarks in an interview with RTVI US, arguing that Putin's global appeal stems from his prioritization of Russia's national interestsa stark contrast to Western leaders who, he claims, have failed their own citizens. According to the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.ai, Carlson conducted an interview with Putin which aired on February 2024, covering a range of topics that were widely discussed and debated in the aftermath. The interview sparked significant controversy and debate, with critics accusing Carlson of providing a platform for Putin to spread Russian propaganda, while supporters praised the interview for offering a rare opportunity to hear directly from the Russian president. The interview also highlighted the complex and contentious nature of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West. "He is the most popular leader in the world, by far," Carlson stated. "Outside of Western Europe, Canada and the Anglo-sphere, it is almost impossible to meet someone who doesn't like Putin." The journalist attributed this widespread admiration to Putin's willingness to prioritize Russia's sovereignty over personal or globalist agendassomething Carlson argues is absent in Western leadership. "He has put his own country's interests above his own in a lot of ways. In ways that Western leaders don't," Carlson explained. Perhaps more surprising was Carlson's revelation that Putin "actually likes the West"possibly "way more than anyone who would potentially replace Putin." This observation contradicts the dominant narrative framing Putin as an anti-Western autocrat bent on destabilizing Europe and the United States. Russia's "spiritual revival" vs. Western decline Carlson went further, contrasting Russia's resurgence with what he described as the decline of the U.S. and industrialized Western nations. He suggested that Russia is undergoing a "spiritual revival," emerging as a prosperous nation with "a sense of self-worth and a sense of purpose." This, he argued, fuels Western resentment. "The West hates it so much and wants to destroy it," Carlson said, implying that Russia's success exposes the failures of Western governance. His remarks echo sentiments he shared with Germany's Bild in July, where he accused European leaders of scapegoating Putin to distract from domestic crises. "Your country is going down, Russia is going up. You should be mad at your own leaders. You are mad at Putin instead," Carlson told Bild, criticizing German officials for weaponizing anti-Russian sentiment amid economic and migration turmoil. Global recognition beyond the West Carlson's assessment aligns with statements from Russian officials, who have long argued that Putin's policies enjoy broad international support. In July, Deputy Speaker of Russia's State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy claimed that attendees at the VI World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in Geneva viewed Putin as a "role model." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly emphasized Putin's diplomatic engagement, even with adversarial nations, as a reflection of Russia's strategic interests. Carlson's latest remarks are poised to reignite debate over Western media's portrayal of Putin and Russia. For years, mainstream outlets have depicted Putin as a villainresponsible for election interference, military aggression and authoritarianism. Yet Carlson's assertion that Putin is globally admired outside the West suggests a disconnect between elite narratives and global public opinion. His commentary also raises uncomfortable questions for Western leaders: If Putin is so widely respected, what does that say about their own leadership? And if Russia is thriving while the West flounders, could the real threat to democracy come not from Moscow, but from within? A call for reevaluation Carlson's role as a "spell breaker"challenging entrenched propagandamirrors his broader mission to dismantle media-driven falsehoods. By presenting Putin as a rational, even sympathetic figure, he forces audiences to reconsider long-held assumptions. He even asked if everything people have been told about Putin isn't true which invites skepticism toward establishment narratives and urges viewers to seek truth beyond government and corporate media spin. As geopolitical tensions escalateparticularly over Ukraine, which Carlson warned could trigger World War IIIhis perspective offers a rare counterpoint to the drumbeat of anti-Russian rhetoric. Whether his message will shift public opinion remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Carlson's Putin narrative is a direct challenge to the West's prevailing orthodoxy. In an era of unprecedented censorship and narrative control, Carlson's willingness to defy mainstream demonization of Putin marks a pivotal moment in geopolitical discourse. If Putin's popularity is indeed as widespread as Carlson claims, the implications for Western foreign policyand public trust in their own governmentscould be profound. The question now is whether the West will heed this wake-up callor double down on the very propaganda that Carlson seeks to dismantle. Watch this video about Tucker Carlson saying, "No one's asked me whether Putin is my enemy." This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com BrightU.ai DailyTelegraph.co.nz IZ.ru BreakingTheNews.net Brighteon.com Digital IDs: The global push for control and the fight for freedom Governments worldwide (Vietnam, U.K., U.S., EU) are accelerating digital ID programs under the guise of "modernization" and "fraud prevention." Vietnam deactivated 86 million bank accounts overnight to enforce compliance with its national digital ID system. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer openly advocates for digital IDs tied to employment, signaling coercive adoption. The EU aims for 100 percent citizen adoption by 2030 via the EUDI Wallet, while the World Economic Forum promotes digital IDs as tools for "economic transformation." Digital IDs will likely pair with CBDCs, enabling punitive restrictions (carbon quotas, dissent penalties, financial lockdowns). Economist Doug Casey warned: "Money is freedom digital IDs are the first step in mass state surveillance." Digital driver's licenses, biometric airport programs and CBDC proposals are paving the way for mandatory tracking. AI and quantum computing will accelerate surveillance, making resistance harder. Hold physical gold/silver outside the banking system. Learn Bitcoin and decentralized finance to bypass controlled systems. Develop self-sufficient skills to operate independently. The rapid rollout of digital identification systems worldwide is sparking fierce debate over privacy, government control and individual freedom. While proponents argue digital IDs offer convenience and security, critics warn they represent a dangerous shift toward mass surveillance and centralized authority one that could fundamentally alter the relationship between citizens and the state. From Vietnam to the U.K. and the U.S., governments are accelerating digital ID programs, often under the guise of modernization and fraud prevention. But as these systems expand, concerns mount over their potential to restrict financial access, limit mobility and enforce compliance through punitive measures. "A digital ID, also known as a digital identity or digital identifier, is a unique set of attributes and credentials that confirm an individual's identity in the digital world," BrightU.AI's Enoch explained. It serves as a digital counterpart to a physical identification document, such as a driver's license or passport. Digital IDs are essential for secure online transactions, access to digital services and verification of one's identity in the digital realm. The global push for digital IDs In Vietnam, the State Bank recently deactivated 86 million bank accounts overnight as part of a "security upgrade" tied to a new national digital ID system. Similar moves are underway in Thailand, where financial transactions are increasingly linked to state-issued digital IDs. Doug Casey, economist and libertarian commentator, warned that this trend is part of a coordinated global push toward centralized control. "Money is a primary manifestation of personal freedom," Casey told International Man. "Those who want to control other people collectivists, statists, Marxists, the Woke, socialists naturally want to limit the uses and the value of money." He draws parallels to past government overreach, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 gold confiscation, where Americans surrendered their gold under executive order with little resistance. Today, he fears digital IDs and their inevitable pairing with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will further erode economic freedom. U.K.'s digital ID scheme: From voluntary to mandatory? In the U.K., Prime Minister Keir Starmer has openly advocated for digital IDs, suggesting they could become necessary for employment a move critics see as coercive adoption. "Governments would prefer everybody to be an employee," Casey noted. "Employees have taxes extracted from their paycheck before they even see it... Entrepreneurs and independently employed people are in a much better position to avoid or evade taxes and regulations." The U.K.'s history with digital IDs dates back to Tony Blair's post-9/11 proposal, which was scrapped in 2010 under Home Secretary Theresa May, who called it "intrusive." Now, reports suggest Starmer's Labour government is preparing a renewed push, initially marketed as optional but likely expanding to mandatory use for accessing essential services. The EU and WEF's Role The European Union (EU) aims for 100 percent citizen adoption of digital IDs by 2030, facilitated by the EUDI Wallet, a mobile-based identity system. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has also championed digital IDs as a tool for economic and social transformation. Critics warn these systems could evolve into social credit-style controls, where behavior deemed non-compliantsuch as exceeding carbon quotas or expressing dissent results in penalties. "Digital ID is the first step in mass state surveillance and control," warns an anonymous U.K. campaigner. "If this goes ahead, they will monitor every aspect of your life where you go, what you spend, who you associate with." The U.S. and the slippery slope In America, digital IDs are advancing through digital driver's licenses, biometric airport programs and CBDC proposals. While framed as modernization, skeptics see a path toward mandatory compliance. "Is this simply a natural progression because technology makes things smoother, cheaper and more accurate? Or is it a conspiracy of the elite to better control their subjects?" Casey mused. "It's both." He warns that quantum computing and AI [artificial intelligence] will accelerate surveillance capabilities, making resistance harder. Yet, he sees hope in decentralized alternatives like Bitcoin, gold and private banking systems emerging outside government control. Resistance and alternatives As governments push forward, activists urge public resistance. Campaigns like Big Brother Watch in the U.K. advocate for non-digital ID options, while privacy-focused groups highlight risks of data breaches and identity theft. Casey advised people to: Become crypto- and Bitcoin-literate to bypass controlled financial systems. Hold physical gold and silver outside the banking system. Develop self-sufficient skills to thrive independently. Digital IDs may begin as voluntary conveniences, but history suggests they will become mandatory tools of control. From Vietnam's bank account shutdowns to Starmer's employment-linked IDs, the pattern is clear: Governments seek greater oversight over citizens' lives. Will citizens accept these systems or push back before its too late? Watch investigative journalist Whitney Webb revealing that the globalist World Economic Forum wants every person's access to the internet to be tied to a digital ID. This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: InternationalMan.com BrightU.ai UbiquitousReach.org RedStateObserver.com Brighteon.com Beyond Category 5: Hurricane Melissa intensifies to 175 MPH, shattering records as it closes in on Jamaica Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm, posing a catastrophic threat to Jamaica. The storm's slow movement threatens to dump up to 40 inches of rain, causing severe flooding and landslides. Mandatory evacuations are underway in Jamaica, and the island's international airports have closed. The storm has already caused fatalities and significant damage in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Forecasters warn Melissa could be the most powerful hurricane to directly strike Jamaica in recorded history. The Caribbean is confronting a meteorological nightmare as Hurricane Melissa, now a maximum Category 5 storm, relentlessly approaches Jamaica. On Monday, October 27, 2025, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge and biblical rainfall amounts set to pummel the island nation. With sustained winds of 160 mph and intensifying, Melissa represents the most severe direct threat to Jamaica in decades, prompting urgent evacuations, the closure of international airports and a dire warning for residents to seek immediate shelter. Unprecedented threat to Jamaica Hurricane Melissas classification on the Saffir-Simpson scale places it among the most powerful cyclones on Earth. Meteorologists reported the storm was centered approximately 135 miles southwest of Kingston early Monday, moving at an agonizingly slow pace of just 3 mph. This sluggish traversal is a critical factor that dramatically increases the threat level. The longer the storm lingers, the more rain it can dump and the longer destructive winds can batter infrastructure. The National Hurricane Center has warned of a life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet above ground level inundating Jamaicas southern coast. However, the primary concern is the forecast for extreme rainfall, with some eastern regions, particularly the Blue Mountains, bracing for up to 40 inches of precipitation in a matter of days. This amount represents roughly half of the area's average annual rainfall, creating a high potential for devastating flash flooding and countless landslides that could isolate communities for days or weeks. Regional impacts and historical context The danger extends beyond Jamaica. The storm has already left a trail of destruction across the northern Caribbean. Officials confirmed at least three deaths in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. In the Dominican Republic, Melissa damaged more than 750 homes and displaced nearly 3,800 people, with floodwaters isolating 48 communities. In Cuba, hurricane warnings were in effect for eastern provinces, with forecasts predicting up to 20 inches of rain and significant coastal storm surge as the system makes landfall late Tuesday. The historical context underscores the severity of this event. Evan Thompson, principal director of Jamaicas meteorological service, stated Melissa could be the strongest hurricane to hit the island in living memory. Its impact is expected to far exceed that of Hurricane Gilbert, which struck as a Category 3 storm in 1988, causing widespread damage. While powerful hurricanes like Ivan and Beryl have passed nearby, neither made direct landfall on Jamaica as a Category 4 or 5 storm, making Melissa an unprecedented modern threat. Frantic preparedness response In response to the looming catastrophe, Jamaican authorities have initiated mandatory evacuations in seven flood-prone communities, with buses deployed to transport residents to designated shelters. The countrys entire emergency management apparatus is activated. I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council. Do not gamble with Melissa. Its not a safe bet. All three of Jamaicas international airportsNorman Manley in Kingston, Ian Fleming in Ocho Rios and Sangster in Montego Bayhave been closed to all traffic. The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica issued a stark alert, advising American citizens to prepare to shelter in place and follow all instructions from local authorities. The U.S. State Department confirmed it is monitoring the situation and assessing the potential need for a disaster assistance response, with emergency supplies prepositioned in global warehouses. A storm of record-breaking intensity Hurricane Melissas rapid intensification over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea propelled it to become the strongest storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. By Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center reported that Melissa's sustained winds had increased to 175 mph, cementing its status as a high-end Category 5 hurricane. Some forecasting models suggested wind speeds could potentially reach 180 mph, a intensity that threatens to break records for a landfalling hurricane in Jamaica. The storms formation and behavior contribute to a concerning pattern of rapidly intensifying hurricanes in a warming climate. Melissa began as a cluster of thunderstorms off the coast of West Africa, traveling west and developing into a tropical depression before undergoing a period of explosive strengthening over the weekend. This trajectory from a minor disturbance to a catastrophic major hurricane in a short timeframe highlights the increasing challenges faced by forecasters and emergency managers. Bracing for the long recovery As Jamaica hunkers down for a direct hit from one of the most powerful storms in its history, the focus is squarely on survival. The immediate aftermath will likely be defined by extensive infrastructure damage, prolonged power and communication outages, and communities cut off by floodwaters and landslides. The path of Hurricane Melissa serves as a sobering reminder of the immense destructive power of nature and the vulnerability of coastal and island communities to such extreme weather events. The long and difficult task of assessment and recovery will begin only after the catastrophic winds and floodwaters finally recede. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com TheGuardian.com Newsweek.com Israeli general vows to recover all hostage remains and maintain military campaign in Gaza Hamas is working to locate and return deceased Israeli hostages. The Israeli military chief declared the war is not over. Israel accuses Hamas of deliberately delaying the return of remains. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire is extremely fragile and could collapse. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. The delicate ceasefire in Gaza is being threatened by Israeli officials who are using the recovery of deceased hostages as a pretext for renewed military action. On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared the war is not over, creating a tense standoff that risks shattering a tenuous peace and plunging the region back into violence. "The war is not yet over; we must complete our sacred mission of bringing the fallen hostages home and continue the campaign against Hamas," Zamir told a conference of senior military commanders. This statement signals that the Israeli military views the current truce as a temporary pause rather than a path to ending the conflict. The comments expose the precarious nature of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that has held since October 10. A tense exchange process The immediate friction point is the process of recovering and returning the bodies of Israeli hostages who died during or after the October 7, 2023, attack. Hamas returned another body on Monday, leaving a total of 12 deceased hostages still unaccounted for in the rubble of Gaza. In exchange for the remains of its citizens, Israel has handed over at least 195 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, many of which were unidentifiable and had to be buried in a mass grave. Hamas has argued that the extensive devastation caused by Israel's military campaign has made locating the remains difficult and time-consuming. An Egyptian team with heavy machinery has now been permitted to enter Gaza to assist in the search efforts. According to reports, Hamas has conveyed that it has located the remains of seven to nine Israeli bodies and is working to excavate them. Political pressure for escalation The Israeli government, however, has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the process. This accusation comes alongside reports that Israel is asking the U.S. for permission to expand its occupation of Gaza as a "sanction" against Hamas. The political pressure for a return to war is not limited to military circles. President Trump has added to the tensions, using social media to press Hamas. "Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action," Trump wrote. This external pressure complicates the delicate negotiations and gives hawkish elements in Israel a powerful ally. Despite the ceasefire, the situation on the ground remains volatile. According to figures from Gazas Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 95 Palestinians since the deal was signed. The IDF currently controls approximately 58% of Gazas territory, maintaining a firm grip on the strip even during the truce. The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic, with aid efforts struggling to meet the needs of a starving population. The comments from Zamir and the political posturing from Trump reveal a fundamental disagreement on the purpose of the ceasefire. For many observers, the truce was a first step toward a more lasting peace. For the Israeli military and its supporters, it appears to be merely an operational interlude. The goal of continuing "the campaign against Hamas" suggests a commitment to a military solution that has so far resulted in immense destruction. The use of humanitarian issues and the recovery of the dead as bargaining chips and justifications for war sets a dangerous precedent. It places the lives of millions of Gazans, and the prospect of any future peace, in jeopardy based on a process that is inherently difficult and slow due to the very destruction the war caused. With the IDF chief publicly committing to continue the war and powerful international figures endorsing that path, the temporary quiet in Gaza feels like the calm before another storm. The sacred mission to bring the dead home is being weaponized, threatening to send countless more to join them. Sources for this article include: News.AntiWar.com TimesOfIsrael.com AlJazeera.com ABCNews.go.com Netanyahu insists Israel retains full control over security decisions in Gaza Netanyahu insists Israel retains full control over its security decisions, rejecting claims that the U.S. dictates its military or diplomatic actions in Gaza. He frames the U.S.-Israel alliance as a partnership of equals. Reports reveal Israel sought U.S. approval before a recent drone strike in Gaza a shift from previous protocols fueling speculation about increased American influence over Israeli operations. The White House's proposed "International Stabilization Force" for Gaza faces hesitation from potential contributors (Egypt, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan) due to Hamas conflict risks. Netanyahu outright rejects Turkish involvement. After Hamas killed two Israeli soldiers, Israel responded with heavy airstrikes but quickly returned to ceasefire terms allegedly under U.S. pressure. Hamas denies responsibility for the attack. Despite Netanyahu's claims of independence, high-profile U.S. visits (VP JD Vance, Sec. Rubio) and joint decision-making highlight the complex power dynamic, leaving Gaza's postwar governance and Israel's autonomy unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted on Sunday. Oct. 26, Israel retains full sovereignty over its security decisions, including which international forces may operate in Gaza under a proposed ceasefire deal. The statement comes amid growing scrutiny over the U.S.-Israel relationship, with critics questioning whether Washington is dictating military and diplomatic moves in Gaza. Netanyahu dismissed claims that either nation controls the other, framing their alliance as a partnership of equals. Netanyahu's remarks followed reports that Israel sought U.S. approval before conducting a targeted drone strike in Gaza on Saturday. The strike killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative allegedly planning an attack against Israeli forces. While such operations previously required only mid-level military authorization, recent coordination with U.S. officials has fueled speculation that Washington now exerts significant influence over Israeli actions. "When I was in Washington, [people] said I control the American government, that I dictate its security policy," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. "Now they claim the opposite that the American administration controls me and dictates Israel's security policy. Neither is true." The White House's ceasefire proposal includes an "International Stabilization Force" to oversee Gaza's transition from Israeli military control. However, potential contributors including Egypt, Indonesia, Azerbaijan and Pakistan remain hesitant due to concerns over clashes with Hamas. Turkey has also been floated as a possible participant, but Netanyahu has firmly rejected its involvement. Tensions over Gaza's future The debate over Israel's autonomy intensified after a deadly Hamas attack killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah last week. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retaliated with heavy airstrikes but quickly returned to ceasefire terms, reportedly under U.S. pressure. Hamas denied responsibility, claiming the incident occurred in an Israeli-controlled area where its operatives had no presence. "We will not tolerate attacks against us; we respond at our discretion," Netanyahu said. "We dropped 150 tons [of bombs] on Hamas and terror elements after the attack on our two soldiers." Despite Netanyahu's insistence on independence, senior U.S. officials including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel last week to monitor ceasefire compliance. Their presence reinforced perceptions of American oversight, though both nations publicly denied any imbalance in the relationship. A delicate balancing act The proposed international force remains contentious, with Netanyahu's office ruling out Turkish troops and resisting Palestinian Authority involvement in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel's military operations continue under heightened scrutiny. At a joint press conference with Vance, Netanyahu dismissed suggestions that Israel had become a U.S. "client state," calling such claims "hogwash." Vance echoed the sentiment, describing the U.S.-Israel bond as a partnership rather than domination. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, a client state is a country that is economically, politically or militarily dependent on and controlled by a more powerful nation, often serving its interests rather than its own sovereignty. As diplomatic tensions simmer, Netanyahu vowed Israel would "continue to control our fate." Yet with Washington deeply invested in Gaza's postwar governance, the limits of Israeli sovereignty and the future of U.S. influence remain unresolved. The evolving U.S.-Israel dynamic underscores the delicate balance between military coordination and national autonomy. While Netanyahu asserts Israel's independence, the reality of joint decision-making suggests a more complicated relationship one that will shape Gazas future and the broader Middle East. Watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating that Tel Aviv will remain "responsible for the security in Gaza" in this clip. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: News.Antiwar.com TimesOfIsrael.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Rubio defends Israeli airstrike as accusations of Gaza ceasefire violations mount Marco Rubio claims a recent Israeli airstrike does not violate the U.S.-backed ceasefire. He defends Israel's right to conduct strikes against perceived imminent threats. The targeted Palestinian Islamic Jihad group denies Israel's claim of an imminent attack. Palestinian authorities report dozens killed and wounded since the truce began. This U.S. endorsement raises questions about the ceasefire's durability and the ongoing human cost. The fragile ceasefire in Gaza continues to be tested daily, and the United States government is providing the answer on how far Israel can go. On October 27, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly defended a recent Israeli airstrike, stating it did not breach the U.S.-backed truce. This declaration gives Israel wide latitude to continue military operations, raising questions about the truce's durability and the true cost in Palestinian lives. Secretary Rubio made his remarks while traveling aboard the presidential plane. He addressed an Israeli drone strike from two days prior in central Gazas Nuseirat camp. We dont view that as a violation of the ceasefire, Rubio stated. His comments provide diplomatic cover for Israels actions just after his departure from the region, where he had been meeting with officials to shore up the agreement. The Israeli military claimed the Saturday strike targeted a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement. They alleged the individual was preparing an imminent attack against Israeli troops. This justification has become a recurring theme, allowing operations to continue despite the negotiated pause in broader hostilities. However, the targeted group immediately refuted Israels narrative. In a strongly worded statement, the PIJ movement denied the claim, describing it as merely false. The group accused Tel Aviv of inventing threats to justify its actions so they can claim they are not violating the ceasefire. This highlights the fundamental disconnect in accounts of events on the ground. The right to self-defense Rubios defense hinges on a specific interpretation of the ceasefire terms. He asserted that Israel retains its right to self-defense against perceived imminent threats. They have the right if theres an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that, Rubio added. This clause appears to be a loophole that Israel can invoke to conduct strikes at its own discretion. The human cost of these continued operations is mounting. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the recent strike killed at least one person and wounded others. This incident is not isolated. The Ministry reports that Israel has killed at least eight Palestinians and wounded 13 others across Gaza in the past 48 hours alone. These latest casualties contribute to a disturbing total since the U.S.-brokered truce began. The Health Ministry reports that 93 Palestinians have been killed and 332 injured since the ceasefire plan took effect on October 11. This brings the total number of casualties above 400 during a period that was supposedly dedicated to peace and humanitarian relief. The violence continued even as Rubio was speaking. On the morning of October 27, Palestinian media reported another Israeli drone strike east of Khan Younis. That strike killed two civilians. The Israeli military claimed the targeted individuals had crossed the ceasefire line and posed a threat to troops. Endless provocation For the people of Gaza, these strikes are not isolated self-defense acts but part of a pattern of provocation. The PIJ movement holds the Israeli army fully responsible for this breach and has called on ceasefire mediators to compel Israel to stop such attacks. The situation creates a volatile cycle where each strike risks a larger military response, unraveling the truce entirely. The escalating casualty figures and the U.S. endorsement of Israeli strikes suggest a tragic reality. The ceasefire, in its current form, is not stopping the killing. With Washington providing ready-made justifications for military action, the prospects for a lasting peace appear dim, and the people of Gaza remain caught in a devastating cycle of violence. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co Reuters.com TimesOfIsrael.com South China Sea mishaps: U.S. Navy loses two advanced aircraft in half-hour A U.S. Navy MH-60R helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed in the South China Sea on October 26 within 30 minutes of each other. All five personnel involvedthree from the helicopter and two from the fighter jetwere rescued safely and are in stable condition. Both aircraft were operating from the USS Nimitz, the Navy's oldest active aircraft carrier, which is concluding its final deployment. The incidents occurred amid heightened tensions with China over its territorial claims and coercive actions in the South China Sea. The crashes are under investigation, with preliminary speculation from officials ruling out foul play. In a dramatic half-hour over the contested waters of the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy lost two advanced aircraft in separate, non-combat incidents, underscoring the inherent risks of carrier operations amid escalating regional tensions. On the afternoon of October 26, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, both launched from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, crashed into the sea. In a testament to swift search and rescue procedures, all five personnel involved were recovered alive and are in stable condition, though the twin losses represent a significant operational setback. A chronology of crises The sequence of events began at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time. According to statements from the U.S. Navys Pacific Fleet, the MH-60R Sea Hawk, assigned to the Battle Cats of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73, went down while conducting routine operations. Just thirty minutes later, at 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Fighting Redcocks of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 also crashed into the sea. The close timing of the incidents, while officially classified as separate, prompted immediate investigations to determine the root causes. The Navy confirmed that all crew members from both aircraft were successfully retrieved. The Nimitz and a pattern of mishaps The incidents mark a difficult final chapter for the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the Navys oldest active aircraft carrier. The Nimitz is currently returning to its home port in Washington state after a deployment that saw it operate in the Middle East as part of the U.S. response to Houthi rebel attacks on commercial shipping. This deployment is its last before the vessel is decommissioned. The crashes aboard the Nimitz follow a troubling pattern of recent naval aviation mishaps, particularly involving aircraft carriers deployed to high-tension regions. Another carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, suffered a series of costly incidents in the Red Sea over the past year, including multiple F/A-18 losses due to landing and deck-handling failures. Strategic backdrop: A tense theater The twin crashes occurred in one of the world's most strategically vital and politically volatile regions. The South China Sea is a focal point of U.S.-China competition, with Beijing asserting sweepingand internationally disputedterritorial claims. In the weeks leading up to the incidents, U.S. officials had publicly condemned Chinas increasingly coercive actions toward its neighbors, particularly the Philippines. The presence of a U.S. carrier strike group in these waters is a core element of American policy to ensure freedom of navigation and counter what it views as destabilizing behavior by China. This context elevates the operational readiness of forward-deployed assets from a matter of training to a component of national deterrence strategy. The investigation and official response The Navy has launched standard investigations into both crashes, which will examine a range of potential factors, including: Mechanical failure or maintenance issues Human error Environmental conditions and weather Fuel quality and other logistical concerns While no official cause has been determined, President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, offered a preliminary theory that bad fuel could have been a factor. He explicitly ruled out foul play, stating there was nothing to hide. The swift recovery of all personnel will aid investigators by providing firsthand accounts from the aircrews involved. An enduring challenge The loss of two multimillion-dollar aircraft in a single day, even without casualties, serves as a stark reminder of the extreme demands placed on the U.S. Navys fleet and personnel. Operating advanced fighter jets and helicopters from the confined, moving deck of an aircraft carrier remains one of the most complex and hazardous military endeavors. As the service grapples with an aging carrier fleet and the persistent challenge of maintaining readiness amid global commitments, incidents like those aboard the USS Nimitz highlight the fine line between projecting power and confronting peril. The safe return of all five crew members provides a positive conclusion to a dangerous day, but the investigations to come will be critical for preventing a recurrence in an increasingly contested Pacific. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com CTGN.com APNews.com Photo: https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossUkraine Volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) in Chernihiv were assisting victims of the Russian air strike on the city. Throughout the day on 27 October, the city once again came under attack. The emergency response team of the Ukrainian Red Cross in Chernihiv region, together with the regional branch team, arrived at the site of the strike. Volunteers provided tarpaulins and OSB boards to residents whose homes had been damaged, URCS said on Facebook Tuesday. Volunteers also provided first aid to an injured dog and took it to a veterinary clinic for further care. According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, yesterdays drone attack hit a technical building of an enterprise in Chernihiv. In other districts, the strikes caused fires and damage to buildings, and a woman was rescued. Peer-reviewed study links UFO sightings to nuclear tests Peer-reviewed research analyzing 1950s sky photos found unexplained "transients" (mirror-like flashes) appearing 45 percent more often within a day of nuclear tests, suggesting a non-random link between UAPs and human nuclear activity. The objects appeared before Sputnik, ruling out human-made satellites. Lead researcher Dr. Beatriz Villarroel stated they resemble nothing natural, implying artificialand possibly non-humantechnology. Findings validate decades of military testimony (e.g., Malmstrom AFB 1967) where UAPs disabled nuclear missiles, with retired Captain Robert Salas confirming ongoing incidents. Published in Scientific Reports, the study systematically ruled out conventional explanations (debris, plate defects) and marks a move from fringe speculation to data-driven UAP research. With AARO now investigating UAPs and nuclear tensions rising, the phenomenonwhether surveillance tech, unknown physics, or non-human intelligencedemands urgent transparency and further study. For decades, eyewitness accounts and military whistleblowers have claimed that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) frequently appear near nuclear testing sites and military facilities. Now, groundbreaking peer-reviewed research published in Scientific Reports (a Nature journal) has provided the first statistical evidence supporting this controversial connectionrevealing that mysterious transient objects photographed in the 1950s sky correlate strongly with Cold War-era nuclear weapons tests. The study, conducted by researchers from the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project, analyzed over 100,000 historical photographs taken by the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-I) between 1949 and 1957before the launch of Sputnik, humanity's first artificial satellite. These images captured strange, star-like flashesreferred to as "transients"that appeared briefly before vanishing without explanation. Dr. Beatriz Villarroel, lead researcher from the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, said: "These are objects before Sputnik One when humans had nothing up there, and these things, no matter what they are, they need to be really flat, reflective like a mirror. I personally don't know anything natural that looks like that." The study found that these transients were 45 percent more likely to appear within one day of a nuclear weapons test, with the strongest correlation occurring the day after detonation. Between 1951 and 1957, the U.S., Soviet Union and Great Britain conducted 124 above-ground nuclear tests, and the timing of these flashes suggests they were not random atmospheric anomalies or photographic defects. A statistical breakthrough: UAPs and nuclear activity The researchers compiled a dataset spanning 2,718 days, comparing transient sightings with nuclear test dates and UAP reports from the UFOCAT databasea repository of UFO sightings maintained by the Center for UFO Studies. Their findings revealed: An 8.5 percent increase in transient activity for every additional UAP report on a given date. The highest number of transients occurred on days with both nuclear tests and UAP sightings, suggesting a compounding effect. No transients were observed after March 1956, despite 38 additional nuclear tests in the following yearraising questions about whether the phenomenon abruptly ceased or changed behavior. The study systematically ruled out conventional explanations, such as: Photographic plate defects (unlikely to cluster around nuclear test dates). Atmospheric debris (which would streak across the sky immediately after explosions, not a day later). Natural astronomical phenomena (given the objects' flat, mirror-like appearance and stationary behavior). These findings lend scientific credibility to decades of military testimony linking UAPs to nuclear activity. Former Air Force personnel have reported UAPs disabling nuclear missiles, including the infamous 1967 Malmstrom AFB incident, where multiple ICBMs malfunctioned during a UFO encounter. Retired U.S. Air Force Captain Robert Salas has publicly stated: "These objects were able to deactivate our nuclear-tipped missilesand they still can." The study's authors cautiously avoid definitive conclusions but acknowledge the implications. Villarroel said: "Nature can always surprise us with something we could never have imagined. So, I cannot exclude that there might be some other explanation that is just outside my imagination. But from what I see, I cannot find any other consistent explanation than that we are looking at something artificial." The future of UAP research: A new scientific frontier This study marks a watershed moment in UAP researchshifting the conversation from fringe speculation to peer-reviewed, data-driven investigation. While the exact nature of these transients remains unknown, the research suggests they could represent: Advanced surveillance technology (potentially foreign or non-human). An unknown atmospheric phenomenon triggered by nuclear detonations. Non-human intelligence monitoring human nuclear activitya hypothesis echoed by investigative journalist Ross Coulthart, who noted, "This might be the first scientific evidence of a non-human intelligence." As governments worldwide increase transparency on UAPsincluding the Department of War's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)this study provides a crucial foundation for future research. With 35,000 transients documented in the northern hemisphere alone, the phenomenon may still be active todaysilently observing humanity's most destructive capabilities. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, AARO is a newly established organization within the United States Air Force (USAF), formed in late 2020. Its primary mission is to address the challenge of identifying and mitigating anomalies across all domains of warfare, including air, space, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum. The AARO aims to leverage innovative technologies and analytical methods to detect, analyze and respond to unusual patterns or outliers that could indicate potential threats or vulnerabilities. The study's publication signals a paradigm shift in how mainstream science approaches UAPs. While skeptics may dismiss the findings, the statistical rigor and peer-reviewed validation demand serious consideration. With nuclear tensions resurging globally, understanding these mysterious objectswhether man-made, extraterrestrial, or something beyond our current comprehensionhas never been more urgent. Watch the video below about a former F/A-18 pilot testifying at the UFO hearing. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: Phys.org Independent.co.uk AncientOrigins.net BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Trump blames bad fuel in USS Nimitz aircraft crashes as Navy launches probe An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed within 30 minutes of each other in the South China Sea while operating from the USS Nimitz. All five crew members were safely recovered. President Donald Trump suggested contaminated fuel as a possible cause, calling sabotage unlikely. Navy sources confirmed fuel contamination is a leading theory, though investigations are ongoing. Despite rigorous testing and filtration protocols for JP-5 jet fuel from supply chain to final aircraft fueling contamination remains a rare but plausible explanation for the crashes. The incidents occurred amid heightened U.S.-China tensions, but analysts deem deliberate sabotage unlikely, especially ahead of critical trade talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Navy is conducting a full probe into the fuel supply chain aboard the USS Nimitz, which is nearing retirement after 50 years of service. The crashes highlight inherent risks in naval aviation, regardless of geopolitical factors. Two U.S. Navy aircraft operating from the USS Nimitz crashed within 30 minutes of each other in the South China Sea on Sunday, Oct. 26, sparking immediate concerns over possible foul play amid heightened U.S.-China tensions. However, President Donald Trump has dismissed suspicions of sabotage, suggesting instead that contaminated fuel may be to blame a rare but potentially catastrophic malfunction. The incidents On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 26, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (the "Battle Cats") crashed into the South China Sea during routine operations. Just 30 minutes later, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 22 (the "Fighting Redcocks") also went down. All five crew members three from the helicopter and two from the fighter jet were safely recovered and remain in stable condition. The crashes occurred as the USS Nimitz, one of the Navy's oldest active aircraft carriers, nears the end of its final deployment before retirement. The carrier strike group had been operating in the contested South China Sea, where U.S. and Chinese forces frequently engage in strategic posturing. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that serves in the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1975, it is the lead ship of its class and the oldest remaining active aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. Trump points to "bad fuel" Aboard Air Force One en route to Japan, Trump addressed reporters' questions about the incidents, downplaying theories of deliberate interference. "They're going to let me know pretty soon. I think they should be able to find out. It could be bad fuel. I mean, it's possible it's bad fuel. Very unusual that that would happen," Trump said. When pressed on whether foul play was suspected, he responded firmly: "No, I don't They think it might be bad fuel. We'll find out. Nothing to hide." Two Navy sources familiar with the preliminary investigation confirmed that contaminated fuel is a leading theory, though they cautioned that the inquiry is far from conclusive. A full investigation could take months. How could fuel be contaminated? The Navy operates on JP-5 jet fuel, which undergoes rigorous testing and filtration at multiple stages before reaching aircraft. The process includes: Supply chain: Fuel is sourced from the Department of War-approved global suppliers and loaded onto Military Sealift Command fleet oilers. Filtration: Before storage on the carrier, fuel is filtered and tested for impurities. Onboard storage: The Nimitz-class carriers can hold up to three million gallons of aviation fuel in multiple tanks. Final checks: Before fueling aircraft, samples are tested again by the V-4 Air Department known as "grapes" for their purple gear to ensure purity. Despite these safeguards, contamination remains a plausible, if unlikely, explanation. A V-4 sailor emphasized the importance of fuel quality in a 2019 Navy release: "Our job is important because when aircraft are conducting flight operations, [contaminated fuel] can cause malfunctions and possibly freeze if its levels arent correct." Geopolitical context The crashes occurred ahead of crucial U.S.-China trade talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. While China has criticized U.S. military presence in the region, analysts say the timing makes deliberate sabotage improbable. The cryptocurrency prediction market Polymarket currently gives a 51 percent chance that a trade deal will be reached this month further reducing incentives for escalation. What's next? The Navy has launched a full investigation into the fuel supply chain aboard the USS Nimitz. Meanwhile, the incidents serve as a sobering reminder of the risks inherent in naval aviation even without geopolitical tensions at play. As the USS Nimitz prepares for retirement after 50 years of service, these crashes mark an unexpected twist in its final deployment. For now, the focus remains on ensuring such incidents do not repeat whether due to mechanical failure or human error. Watch the video below featuring the USS Nimitz. This video is from the Larry's Channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com FoxNews.com News.USNI.org BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Trump warns against Tylenol use during pregnancy, calls for vaccine schedule overhaul President Donald Trump urged pregnant women to avoid Tylenol (acetaminophen) due to potential links to autism (ASD) and ADHD in children. He also called for major changes to childhood vaccination schedules, including splitting the MMR vaccine, delaying hepatitis B shots and spreading out immunizations. Internal FDA documents reveal that agency scientists warned as early as 2016 about neurological risks from acetaminophen during pregnancy. Despite seven out of eight studies linking it to developmental disorders, FDA leadership (including Janet Woodcock, who approved OxyContin) blocked warnings, demanding more research. The FDA waited until 2023after Trump and RFK Jr.'s interventionto issue a cautious statement on acetaminophen risks. Critics argue this delay was due to Big Pharma's influence and regulatory capture, depriving women of critical safety information. A class-action lawsuit against Tylenol manufacturer Kenvue alleges the FDA's inaction hid risks. Courts previously dismissed cases due to lack of "causal links", but new FDA documents may strengthen plaintiffs' arguments. Trump's push for alternative vaccine schedules clashes with CDC guidelines, sparking backlash from mainstream medicine. Supporters argue spacing out vaccines reduces immune overload risks, while opponents claim it leaves kids vulnerable to preventable diseases. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on his Truth Social platform Sunday, Oct. 26, urging pregnant women to avoid Tylenol and advocating for a major overhaul of childhood vaccination schedules. His post, which linked to an investigation into the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) handling of acetaminophen safety concerns, reignited debates over pharmaceutical risks, government transparency and childhood immunization practices. The announcement aligns with Trump's broader "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) initiative, spearheaded by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which challenges mainstream medical recommendations. Internal FDA documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation reveal that agency scientists repeatedly urged officials to warn pregnant women about potential neurological risks tied to acetaminophenthe active ingredient in Tylenolas early as 2016. Despite mounting evidence linking prenatal exposure to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the FDA delayed action for nearly a decade. A 2016 review by FDA Senior Medical Officer Andrew Mosholder analyzed eight studies, seven of which connected acetaminophen to developmental issues. Mosholder recommended a public advisory, emphasizing that while fever and other painkillers posed risks, Tylenol should be used "sparingly." Yet FDA leadership, including then-Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Director Janet Woodcockwho previously oversaw controversial approvals like OxyContinrejected the proposal, calling for further studies instead. By 2022, FDA scientists concluded in an epidemiological review that prenatal acetaminophen exposure was "consistently associated" with ADHD, urging updated guidance. But the agency waited until September 2023after Trump and Kennedy's interventionto issue a cautious statement acknowledging concerns. "If you look at the evidence as a whole, all of the things that determine the risk of autism make acetaminophen more or less dangerous to an individual," said Dr. William Parker, a researcher who has collaborated with Kennedy. Trump's vaccine recommendations spark backlash Beyond Tylenol, Trump's post called for radical changes to childhood immunization, including: Splitting the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots Delaying the hepatitis B vaccine until age 12 Spreading out vaccinations across five separate doctor visits These suggestions clash with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, which endorse combined vaccines to reduce office visits and ensure timely protection. Critics, including mainstream pediatricians, argue that Trump's approach could leave children vulnerable to preventable diseases. However, advocates of alternative schedules cite concerns over immune system overload and potential links to neurodevelopmental disordersa theory long dismissed by federal health agencies but championed by Kennedy and vaccine-skeptic groups. The debate echoes past controversies, such as the retracted (but culturally persistent) 1998 Lancet study tying the MMR vaccine to autism, BrightU.AI's Enoch cites. While large-scale studies have debunked such claims, distrust in pharmaceutical companies and regulators has fueled skepticism. Legal and scientific battles ahead The FDA's reluctance to act on acetaminophen warnings now faces scrutiny in court. Law firm Keller Postman, representing plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Tylenol manufacturer Kenvue, obtained the FDA documents via FOIA requests. The firm argues that the agency's delays deprived women of critical safety information. In November, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals will hear an appeal after a lower court dismissed the case, with Judge Denise Cote rejecting causal links between Tylenol and autism. Meanwhile, the Biden administration's Department of Justice cited the FDA's 2023 reviewwhich omitted Mosholder's prior recommendationsto defend the agency's stance. "It may be prudent, as a precautionary measure, to issue a communication emphasizing that [Tylenol] use in pregnancy should be judicious," concluded the FDA's 2022 review, underscoring the tension between incomplete data and potential harm. Trump's intervention amplifies long-standing grievances about regulatory capture and pharmaceutical influence, while his vaccine remarks guarantee further polarization. With acetaminophen lawsuits pending and the FDA's credibility in question, the fallout could reshape public health communicationand parental decision-makingfor years to come. Watch the video below where Trump warns that Tylenol causes autism. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: InfoWars.com TruthSocial.com DailyCaller.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com US Military weaponizes service and sacrifice to enforce mass medical experiments, and the harms are swept under the rug When a person takes an oath to defend the United States, they offer their life as a sacrifice for the nation's ideals. This sacred commitment, however, is being twisted into a tool for coercion, forcing service members to surrender their bodily autonomy for the sake of medical mandates. The very institution that demands their allegiance is using that loyalty against them, compelling them to undergo experimental medical procedures under the guise of readiness. The recent legal battles over the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate reveal a disturbing truth: the men and women in uniform are being treated not as willing defenders, but as a captive population for a forced biological program. Their fundamental freedoms, the very liberties they swore to protect, are systematically stripped away, leaving them with no right to refuse what is injected into their bodies. Key points: A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit challenging the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling that rescinding the mandate does not erase the harm inflicted on service members. The plaintiffs, former civilian DOD employees, allege they lived under constant threat of termination while their religious exemption requests were ignored and slow-walked. The court's decision establishes that federal agencies can be held accountable for damages, providing a path to justice for those who suffered religious discrimination during the mandate era. This ruling contradicts the U.S. Supreme Court's earlier dismissal of similar cases as moot, breathing new life into legal challenges that were once thought dead. Parallel legal actions continue, with active-duty members challenging the mandate's legality, the use of interchangeable vaccines, and the FDA's approval process. A crucial victory for accountability In a significant blow to the Department of Defense's attempt to sidestep responsibility, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a religious discrimination lawsuit last week. The court ruled that the case is not moot simply because the DOD rescinded its COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 2023. This decision partially reversed a lower court's dismissal, allowing the plaintiffs' claims for damages to move forward. The plaintiffs, three former civilian DOD employees, argued they endured "constant fear and duress, including the threat of discipline and termination" while waiting, in some cases for over a year, for the military to process their religious exemption requests. California attorney Greg Glaser, who is not involved in this specific lawsuit, called the ruling a "crucial victory for holding federal agencies accountable for their COVID-19 mandate overreach." He stated, "This decision breathes life into countless similar cases that were wrongly dismissed and provides a clear path to justice for those who suffered religious discrimination." This legal development stands in stark contrast to the actions of the U.S. Supreme Court, which previously allowed the military to avoid accountability. The high court dismissed three cases challenging the Biden regime's vaccine mandate as moot after the mandate was officially rescinded. This judicial maneuvering effectively invalidated the plaintiffs' standing, giving the DOD a free pass to move on as if no wrongdoing ever occurred. Furthermore, because those cases were dismissed as moot, they cannot be used to set legal precedents, forcing every new challenge to start from scratch. The appeals court ruling now punches a hole in this strategy, affirming that the harm experienced by service members and employees has a lasting legal consequence that cannot be simply erased by a policy change or judicial gaslighting. The machinery of coercion and delay How exactly did the military enforce this controversial mandate? The plaintiffs' experience paints a picture of a bureaucratic machine designed to wear down resistance through delay and obfuscation. Former President Joe Bidens Executive Order 14043 mandated COVID-19 vaccination for federal employees, including military personnel, with a November 2021 deadline. The plaintiffs in this case submitted their religious exemption requests that same month, citing the use of aborted fetal cells in vaccine development and their belief in their God-given immune systems. According to their lawsuit, the DOD then slow-walked and stonewalled these requests, ignoring repeated inquiries. One response from the DOD admitted it did not have a timeline on when and how the review process will be. Even after a federal court issued a nationwide injunction against the mandate in January 2022, the plaintiffs allege the DOD continued its delays, with one email vaguely stating it was working the submitted exemption requests. This tactic of indefinite postponement created a state of suspended animation for the employees, who lived for months under the looming threat of losing their careers, as they were treated as subhuman vectors of disease, despite being the bravest and healthiest members of the force. As such, this coercive environment culminated in real-world consequences. The military placed plaintiff Brooke Stadler on administrative leave for failing to comply with COVID-19 testing requirements, leading to her resignation in June 2022. The human cost of these policies has even reached Congress. The Senate has passed a draft of the new National Defense Authorization Act that includes a rider, introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, forbidding the DOD from issuing dishonorable discharges to service members who refused the COVID vaccine. This legislative action is a direct response to the thousands of service members who faced the destruction of their careers and the loss of their benefits for making a personal medical choice. The ongoing legal war over informed consent While this appeals court ruling deals with religious discrimination for civilian employees, a separate but related legal battle rages on for active-duty military members. In the case of Doe et al v. Austin, 18 plaintiffs are challenging the very foundation of the mandate. Their attorney, Travis Miller, argues that the military is violating federal law by requiring injections from vials not labeled with the licensed 'Comirnaty' name. In a telling moment, defense counsel could not even confirm whether vaccines labeled 'Comirnaty' actually exist. This gets to the heart of a critical issue: the FDAs declaration that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Comirnaty vaccines are "interchangeable." The plaintiffs call this a "wrongful conclusion," arguing you cannot mandate a licensed product that is functionally unavailable and then supply an entirely different, emergency-authorized product. The amended complaint in that case cites shockingly truncated clinical trials, with participants observed for an average of just four months instead of the FDAs recommended one to two years. It also highlights that the 'approved' Comirnaty vaccine excluded testing on large segments of the population, including those with natural immunity from previous infection, pregnant women, and people with serious pre-existing conditions. Yet, the DOD mandated it for everyone, ignoring its own regulations, AR 40-562, which entitle those with natural immunity to a medical exemption. These service members are not just fighting for their jobs; they are fighting for the principle of informed consent, religious liberty, the right to think and own your body. They are challenging a system that treats them as experimental subjects whose duty is to obey, not to question what is being done to their bodies. The courts are now the final battlefield where the rights of service members are being defended against a medical-industrial complex that has infiltrated the very heart of American national defense. This forced biological weapons program, and all the damage it wrought on service members, must not be forgotten, and must serve as a historical record, necessitating a hasty end to all medical experiments and unlawful vaccine mandates on military service members. Sources include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org ChildrensHealthDefense.org Enoch, Brighteon.ai U.S. secures rare earths and trade deals in Southeast Asia amid China supply concerns The U.S. signed four major trade agreements with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam at the ASEAN summit, securing commitments on rare earth minerals and broader economic cooperation to reduce reliance on China. With China controlling 80 percent of global rare earth refining and tightening export controls, the U.S. is urgently diversifying supply chains critical for defense, tech and green energy industries. Malaysia's 16.1 million-ton rare earth deposits and pledge not to ban exports to the U.S. are key wins. Vietnam agreed to increase purchases of U.S. goods to narrow its $123 billion trade surplus or face tariffs, while Thailand eliminated nearly $18.8 billion in aircraft and $5.4 billion in energy imports. Malaysia also exempted U.S. aerospace and agricultural products. The U.S. and Malaysia will share expertise in refining rare earths, aiming to build independent supply chains outside China's influence. Thailand and Vietnam also aligned with U.S. auto safety standards, benefiting American manufacturers like Ford and GM. While the deals weaken China's grip short term, experts warn full decoupling will take years due to China's refining dominance. Beijing is countering with its own partnerships, including a potential Malaysian refinery deal, signaling an ongoing battle for influence in Southeast Asia. The United States has struck four major trade agreements with Southeast Asian nations, securing commitments on rare earth minerals and broader economic cooperation as Washington seeks to reduce reliance on China for critical materials. The deals, signed by President Donald Trump during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, involve Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam each pledging to lower trade barriers while strengthening supply chains for rare earth elements essential to modern technology. The agreements come as China tightens export controls on rare earths, raising concerns among manufacturers dependent on these materials for everything from electric vehicles to military hardware. While China remains the dominant global supplier, the U.S. is now pushing to diversify its sources a move that could reshape global trade dynamics in the tech and defense sectors. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, China controls an estimated 80 percent of the world's rare earth refining capacity, giving it significant leverage over global supply chains. Recent restrictions on exports have sent manufacturers scrambling for alternatives. Under the new U.S.-Malaysia deal, Kuala Lumpur has agreed not to ban exports of rare earths to America a critical assurance as Malaysia holds an estimated 16.1 million tons of rare earth deposits. "We will share relevant information, knowledge and technical expertise to increase the competitiveness of Malaysia's critical minerals sector," the joint statement read. The agreement includes collaboration on geoscience research, workshops and private-sector partnerships an effort to bolster Malaysia's refining capabilities outside China's influence. Malaysian Trade Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz confirmed additional exemptions for U.S. aerospace equipment, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products like palm oil and rubber. Meanwhile, Thailand committed to eliminating tariffs on nearly 99 percent of U.S. goods and loosening restrictions on American telecom investments. Vietnam, which recorded a $123 billion trade surplus with the U.S. last year, pledged to increase purchases of American goods to narrow the gap. Under the deal, Hanoi faces a 20 percent tariff on exports unless it meets purchasing targets a condition mirroring Trump's broader trade strategy of pressuring surplus nations to buy more U.S. products. Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam also agreed to recognize U.S. vehicle safety and emissions standards a win for American automakers like Ford and General Motors, which have struggled with inconsistent regulations abroad. Thailand further committed to buying 80 U.S. aircraft (worth $18.8 billion) and $5.4 billion in annual energy exports, including liquefied natural gas and crude oil. Strategic implications and long-term risks The deals reflect a growing U.S. effort to counterbalance China's economic influence in Southeast Asia a region increasingly caught between the two superpowers. While the agreements provide short-term relief for manufacturers, experts warn that fully decoupling from China's rare earth supply chain will take years. "The damage has already been incurred," one industry analyst noted, referring to past disruptions caused by China's export controls. Automakers and tech firms are now urgently seeking alternative suppliers in Australia, Canada and Saudi Arabia but building new refining infrastructure remains a costly and time-consuming challenge. The U.S.-ASEAN agreements mark a significant step in reducing dependence on China, but their long-term success hinges on execution. If Malaysia and other partners can develop competitive rare earth processing capabilities, the deals could weaken Beijing's grip on critical supply chains. However, with China actively negotiating its own rare earth partnerships in the region including a potential Malaysian refinery backed by a Chinese firm the geopolitical tug-of-war is far from over. For now, the agreements offer a temporary reprieve for industries reliant on rare earths while signaling Washington's broader strategy: reshaping global trade in favor of U.S. interests, one deal at a time. Watch the video below where Trump declares the U.S. is doing a real job on rare earths with Australia. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Reuters.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Revolutionizing Vaccine Research: Introducing VaccineForensics.com, an AI-Powered Platform for Uncensored Truth Article highlights: VaccineForensics.com, a new website, counters vaccine industry misinformation with curated, reliable knowledge and book citations. Vaccine Forensics uses a vast database of sources, including books and medical journals, to provide verified quotes and reliable information about vaccines. Vaccine Forensics is an open-source, non-commercial website that challenges vaccine safety narratives, offering evidence of harm and censorship, and is sustained by donations. Vaccine Forensics: A New Tool for Truthful Vaccine Research In a groundbreaking move, the Health Ranger and his team have launched VaccineForensics.com, a revolutionary website dedicated to providing accurate information about vaccines, including their risks and links to autism. This new platform, powered by a customized version of the Brighteon AI engine, aims to counter the misinformation and propaganda peddled by mainstream sources and big pharmaceutical companies. Vaccine Forensics has been meticulously curated with data from numerous reliable independent media sources that have long resisted being bought off by Big Pharma or intimidated by the CDC. These include articles from NaturalNews.com, Dr. Joseph Mercola's website, GreenMedInfo, Children's Health Defense, The Truth About Vaccines, the Alliance for Natural Health USA, and over 10,000 books, among others. The engine is also trained on hundreds of millions of pages of transcripts and science papers from medical journals. AI hallucinations? Solved! One of the standout features of Vaccine Forensics is its ability to provide verified quotes from books at the bottom of every answer, eliminating the risk of AI hallucinations. This ensures that users can trust the information they receive and use it as a reliable source for their research. All book quotes are properly cited with the title and author of the book. The website is non-commercial, open-source, and hosted by the nonprofit Consumer Wellness Center. It is free to use and does not require registration, login, or payment. The Health Ranger Store has provided the initial funding for the project, but donations are welcome to help sustain its operation. A powerful research tool for truth and health Vaccine Forensics is more than just a search engine; it is a research tool designed to empower users with truthful information about vaccines. It challenges the false narrative that vaccines are universally safe and effective, providing evidence of their potential harm and the censorship of dissenting voices. In addition to Vaccine Forensics, the Health Ranger also recommends Brighteon.AI, a free AI engine trained on natural health, decentralization, liberty, truth, and reality. Other alternative platforms include Brighteon.com for videos, Brighteon.social for social posts, and Brighteon.IO for decentralized social posts. ### Follow my podcasts, interviews, articles and social media posts on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthRanger Brighteon.social: Brighteon.social/@HealthRanger Brighteon.io: Brighteon.io/healthranger Telegram: t.me/RealHealthRanger Brighteon.com: Brighteon.com/channels/HRreport Rumble: Rumble.com/c/HealthRangerReport Substack: HealthRanger.substack.com Banned.video: Banned.video/channel/mike-adams Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/healthranger Gettr: GETTR.com/user/healthranger BitChute: Bitchute.com/channel/9EB8glubb0Ns/ My music with MP3 downloads and music videos: music.Brighteon.com Watch my 100+ interviews on decentralization and freedom at Decentralize.TV Join the free NaturalNews.com email newsletter to stay alerted about breaking news each day. Download my current audio books -- including Ghost World, Survival Nutrition, The Global Reset Survival Guide and The Contagious Mind -- at: https://Audiobooks.NaturalNews.com/ Download my popular audio book, "Resilient Prepping" at ResilientPrepping.com - it teaches you how to survive the total collapse of civilization and the loss of both the power grid and combustion engines. Sorry, something doesn't look right. Something seems unusual about your device or browser. Please contact support. Photo: https://pbs.twimg.com/ Ukraine proposes to the European Union to grant it observer status in the process of reforming the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU, reports Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka. "Taras Kachka presented the current state of Ukraine's agricultural sector, its production forecast, and its bilateral trade volumes. He also outlined Ukraine's vision as part of the EU's common agri-food space. Among the proposals are granting Ukraine observer status in the reform process of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, resuming and expanding the EU-Ukraine agricultural dialogue with an emphasis on innovation, climate-smart agriculture, strategic autonomy, and the exchange of experiences. The goal is to form a European-Ukrainian 'superpower' in the agricultural sector," according to a statement from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister following Kachka's participation in the EU AGRIFISH Council meeting in Luxembourg. Among the key issues discussed at the meeting was the renewal of the Agreement on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Ukraine and the EU. "The updated Free Trade Area Agreement is critically important for Ukrainian exporters because it will help stabilize and make more predictable trade flows between Ukraine and the EU. We are part of the European agricultural supply chain, and we are pleased to confirm that Ukrainian agriculture is developing in accordance with EU standards," Kachka emphasized. At the Council meeting on October 27-28, EU ministers will discuss the draft Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, particularly its "green architecture," as well as the current state of the EU agricultural market and fishing in the Baltic Sea. "Separately, within the framework of the visit to Luxembourg, Taras Kachka held a meeting with Jacob Jensen, the Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food," the report says. The parties discussed further cooperation in agriculture, food security, veterinary control, and sustainable development. They also considered conducting an agricultural dialogue between Ukraine and the EU regarding trade, experience exchange, and forming a common vision of Europe's strategic autonomy in food. Given these geopolitical risks, TSMCs establishment of a factory in Kumamoto Prefecture is an important step toward stabilizing supply. Because semiconductors are small, its efficient to manufacture them in one location and ship them by air, which makes them less suited to distributed production like automobiles. However, if various factors make it impossible to procure them from overseas in this way, it becomes essential to have a stable manufacturing base within Japan. National policy companies like Rapidus are also extremely important from the perspective of economic security. IBMs involvement as a technology partner with Rapidus is a strategic decision by IBM, which does not have its own manufacturing capabilities, to choose Japan as a base for technology implementation. Micron Technologys acquisition of Elpida Memory can also be understood in a similar context. Furthermore, the case of Japanese automakers being forced to suspend production due to a semiconductor shortage shows how important semiconductor supplies are to the stable operation of the entire manufacturing industry. It seems that international collaboration will be the key going forward, rather than Japan doing things alone. Thats right. Japan needs to build strategic and flexible cooperative relationships with major countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States. We should build a deeper cooperative relationship with Taiwan, including in the geopolitical context of vis-a-vis China. For example, in August 2024, Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwans state-run telecommunications company, and NTT successfully conducted a connection experiment using APN, a high-speed network technology for the next-generation optical communications infrastructure IOWN. This connected Taipei and Tokyo, 3,000 km apart, without delay, and was an important stepping stone to accelerating future industrial cooperation. While South Korea has competitiveness surpassing Japan in the fields of home appliances and semiconductors, it still relies on Japan for the procurement of parts and manufacturing equipment. It is desirable to build a healthy cooperative relationship between the two countries as rivals who mutually improve their technological capabilities, rather than as enemies. However, since South Korea has a strong desire to be number one, ingenuity is required to build a cooperative relationship. Japan and the United States have a close and inseparable relationship in both economic and security terms. IBMs technical support was a major boost to the establishment of Rapidus. Compared to the US-China relationship, Japan-US relations are extremely friendly, and going forward, we must maintain and strengthen this win-win relationship. Movements for Japan-US collaboration have already begun, such as the collaboration between TSMC and Sony, and the collaboration between Rapidus and IBM. It is not realistic for Japan to revive its industry alone, and a sense of balance is essential, leveraging overseas technology, capital, and human resources while strategically protecting areas that need to be protected. From a strategy perspective, there is a longer term enterprise play here, noted Moors Kimball; Humain is Qualcomms first customer, and a cloud service provider (CSP) or hyperscaler will likely be customer number two. However, at some point, these rack-scale systems will find their way into the enterprise. If I were the AI200 product marketing lead, I would be thinking about how I demonstrate this as a viable platform for those enterprise workloads that will be getting agentified over the next several years, said Kimball. It seems a natural step, as Qualcomm saw success with its AI100 accelerator, a strong inference chip, he noted. Right now, Nvidia and AMD dominate the training market, with CUDA and ROCm enjoying a stickiness with customers. If I am a semiconductor giant like Qualcomm that is so good at understanding the performance-power balance, this inference market makes perfect sense to really lean in on, said Kimball. He also pointed to the companys plans to re-enter the datacenter CPU space with its Oryon CPU, which is featured in Snapdragon and loosely based on technology it acquired with its $1.4 billion Nuvia acquisition. Ultimately, Qualcomms move demonstrates how wide open the inference market is, said Kimball. The company, he noted, has been very good at choosing target markets and has seen success when entering those markets. That the company would decide to go more in on the inference market makes sense, said Kimball. He added that, from an ROI perspective, inferencing will dwarf training in terms of volume and dollars. University News The announcement of a plan to offer introductory courses in English, math, and business, among other subjects, on-ground in Riyadh comes on the heels of the University of New Haven becoming the first in the world to receive approval to establish an international branch campus in Riyadh. Building on the excitement and enthusiasm generated as the University of New Haven became the first institution in the world to receive approval to open an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia, the University has announced it will launch a Pre-University Program in Riyadh in January 2026. High school students and individuals interested in pursuing a degree at the University either at its international branch campus in Riyadh or its main campus in Connecticut will be able to take Academic English Language and Pre-College Math classes as well as learn college-level academic skills and fundamentals of business instruction to develop the educational foundation to begin pursuing a degree in Fall 2026. Interested individuals can apply at the University of New Haven Riyadh website (Pre-University Program English website | Pre-University Program Arabic website. The launch of our Pre-University Program is a defining moment in our historic plan to become the first university in the world to open an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia, said Jens Frederiksen, president of the University of New Haven. As we pursue this ambitious undertaking, our principal focus is on ensuring interested students have the necessary foundation to excel while pursuing the U.S.-style undergraduate and graduate degrees that we plan to offer in Riyadh. The Universitys campus in Riyadh will begin offering degree programs through a College of Business and Digital Innovation in the Fall of 2026, pending final regulatory approvals. The University plans to expand to offer degrees through a College of Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and a College of Arts and Applied Sciences. Undergraduate and graduate degrees will be offered alongside executive education and micro-credentials to support lifelong learning. Students at the Riyadh campus will have access to both the University's main campus in West Haven and its Tuscany campus, as well as the numerous educational and career-related resources available to all University of New Haven students. The University envisions the Riyadh campus growing to serve up to 13,000 students within 10 years. We are dedicated to being at the forefront of Saudi Arabias commitment to investing in human capital and in educating the elite global workforce of the future, said President Frederiksen. We are grateful for the support we have received from the Saudi government, and we are excited to launch our Pre-University Program. It will equip students with the foundational competencies they need to thrive in our immersive, market-driven programs that will advance the transformative goals of the Kingdoms Vision 2030. We are steadfast in the belief that the more prepared and the more purpose-driven our students are as they get ready to pursue their degrees, the better positioned they will be to take advantage of all the college experience entails. Russian dpty Minister of Agriculture suspected of illegally transporting more than 4 mln tonnes of grain from TOT PGO Photo: https://t.me/pgo_gov_ua/ A deputy minister of agriculture of the Russian Federation has been charged with organizing a large-scale illegal seizure of assets of state- and privately owned enterprises in the Ukrainian agro-industrial complex, following the start of the full-scale invasion and continuing until December 31, 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) reports. "Its about the property of well-known Ukrainian companies: Nibulon LLC, the TESSLAGROUP group of companies, Kernel-Trade LLC, the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, and others. The total volume of grain embezzled exceeds 4.136 million tonnes, which, according to preliminary estimates, amounts to more than UAH 23 billion," the agency's website reported on Tuesday. The defendant acted in collusion with the leadership of the aggressor country and the heads of the occupation administrations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions. The stolen goods were transported to Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea, from where they were subsequently exported by sea under the guise of goods of Russian origin to Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and other countries. "Such actions are not justified by any military necessity and constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law," the message says. Based on the evidence collected, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation was notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war). The penalty under this article is imprisonment for a term of 8 to 12 years. The Russian Minister of Agriculture and one of the heads of a department within that ministry were previously notified of suspicion. The investigation into other Russian officials involved is ongoing. One family in Virginia Beach, Virginia, just found out their health plan's deductible will jump from $800 to $20,000 next year. About 200 miles north, in Maryland, another household learned they'll pay $500 more monthly to insure their brood in 2026. And thousands of people in Idaho were greeted with insurance rates that'll cost, on average, $100 more every month. As shopping season opens for Affordable Care Act plans in some states, customers are confronting staggering costs for their health insurance next year. The extra federal subsidies put in place in 2021 that made coverage more affordable for millions of people will expire at the end of this year unless a gridlocked and idle Congress acts. With Democratic and Republican lawmakers at an impasse, the federal government shut down on Oct. 1, spurred by the need for an estimated $353 billion over a decade to continue providing enhanced ACA subsidies for roughly 24 million people. Both sides have dug in, with Republicans saying Senate Democrats must vote to reopen the government before they're willing to negotiate on the ACA's costs. If Congress does manage to strike a deal in the coming days or weeks to extend some subsidies, the prices and types of plans available on the online marketplaces could change dramatically, bringing unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval to this year's open enrollment, which begins in most states on Nov. 1. Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, the state-run marketplace, is gaming out strategies should that happen, including the possibility of pausing enrollment so her 200-person team can update the plans to reflect any changes, should Congress pass a new bill on ACA subsidies. "We will do whatever it takes to make sure we can provide Marylanders with the most affordable health coverage," Eberle said. "The mechanics of how that gets done, we don't really know until we figure out what Congress might do." "I think everyone realizes that, depending on what happens, we just can't flip a switch overnight," she added. Exchange customers in Maryland can expect to pay, on average, about 35% more next year, even with help from the state, which agreed to offer backup subsidies should the federal government's discounts expire at the end of this year. Eberle said notices of premium hikes which assumed the federal subsidies would expire already were sent to mailboxes and inboxes. One middle-income family of four in the state, for example, will see their monthly premiums go from $916 to $1,427. People living in most states still use healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace, to enroll in coverage. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the federal exchange, declined to answer questions about how quickly the agency could pivot on any changes Congress may make after sign-ups start. "CMS does not speculate on potential Congressional action," Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in an email. Like other states that run their own ACA exchanges, California has sent letters to policyholders with information about their 2026 coverage, with costs calculated under the assumption that the subsidies would expire. But the California exchange team, too, devised backup plans to contact policyholders and revamp its online marketplace if Congress acts before year's end. "At no point is it too late," said Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California, the state's exchange. "We are ready to move any mountain we can possibly move to make any changes as quickly as we possibly can." It could take about a week to reprogram the site to reflect prices that factor in more generous subsidies, if Congress were to approve them exactly as they currently are, Altman said. States may also have to update premiums themselves to reflect new rates. Most insurers submitted two sets of premium rates to states this year in case Congress agreed to extend the subsidies. Right now, many shoppers are seeing the set of higher rates that insurers plan to charge if the subsidies expire. Insurers say it is necessary to raise premiums without the subsidies because they anticipate healthier, younger people will drop coverage rather than pay more. That would leave insurers with a sicker, older pool of people to cover. If a subsidy deal is reached, insurers could lower the premiums. The complications don't end there. If Congress passes a subsidy deal after customers have started picking plans, people might see the new prices and want to reconsider the type of coverage for which they already signed up. Enrollees may change plans as long as enrollment is open, through Jan. 15 in most states. Dozens of insurers offer ACA plans across the country. Those plans range widely in the doctors or medications they cover, as well as how much customers contribute in copays, the fees owed for medical services, and deductibles, the out-of-pocket amount paid before insurers pitch in. Some people might be willing to pay a higher monthly premium in exchange for a lower deductible. Others, especially those who don't expect to incur major medical bills, might risk a higher deductible to keep monthly premium payments lower. In Virginia, some customers are being presented with strikingly high deductibles for next year, said Deepak Madala, the director of Enroll Virginia, which assists people with enrolling in coverage. He said he's helping one family in Virginia Beach facing a jump in premium costs from $70 to about $280 a month. To buy a plan at a similar price, the family, with a household income of about $60,000, would need to look at coverage that carries a deductible of $20,000 or more, he said. Right now, their deductible is $800. With premiums and deductibles that high, some customers might rethink coverage entirely, he said. They're deciding whether "to go without or switch to a plan with a very high deductible," Madala said of ACA customers' options. Pennsylvania's state-based exchange, which last week started sending out notices detailing 2026 rates, estimates a 102% increase in premiums for its roughly 500,000 customers. About a third of customers are expected to drop coverage, said Devon Trolley, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority. The timing of any subsidy deal reached by Congress is most precarious, though, for the roughly 135,000 Idahoans enrolled in ACA coverage. That's because their state opened enrollment on Oct. 15, weeks before the rest of the country and it will end earlier, on Dec. 15. With ACA enrollees facing average increases of 75% for coverage costs, about 20% are expected to drop out of the marketplace, said Pat Kelly, executive director of Your Health Idaho, the state exchange. Idaho is prepared to revamp its website if anything changes on the subsidies a process that could take days and has "notices ready to go" to inform policyholders of additional savings, Kelly said. "We would work to do it as quickly as possible, and make sure it is done right," he said, adding that factors such as the day of the week or proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday could add time. If Congress waited to act until the federal subsidies expire on Dec. 31 the date Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly raised as the deadline for a deal it would be too late for people in Idaho. "We would run out of open enrollment, and there would not be enough time to make changes," Kelly said of any congressional deals reached after mid-December. An international study led by the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee at Bar-Ilan University reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a diminishing public trust in childhood vaccines, resulting in declining vaccination rates and a resurgence of preventable, life-threatening diseases such as measles. The findings come amid one of the most severe measles outbreaks in Israel in decades, with thousands of infections and multiple child deaths reported nationwide. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Vaccine, the study surveyed 2,047 parents with children born both before and after the pandemic in Israel and the UK and found that coverage for key childhood immunizations, including measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) containing vaccines, has dropped sharply since the pandemic. Among surveyed UK parents, MMR vaccination rates fell from 97.3% among children born before COVID-19 to 93.6% for those born afterward. In Israel, the rate declined from 94.3% to 91.6%. Similar decreases were observed for DTP. Alarmingly, 5% of surveyed parents in the UK and 6.6% in Israel who vaccinated an older child before the pandemic chose not to vaccinate a younger child born afterward for at least one childhood vaccine. The study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a clear impact on parents' attitudes and behavior toward vaccination. Beyond the 37% of parents who reported a decline in trust in vaccines after COVID-19, a shift of just 5% who choose not to vaccinate their younger children is enough to rapidly trigger an outbreak. The detected decline in vaccination rates is also evident in populations that previously routinely vaccinated, which raises significant concern for the future." Prof. Michael Edelstein, public health expert and lead author of the study at Bar-Ilan University's Azrieli Faculty of Medicine The effects are already visible. There were nearly 3,000 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England in 2024, the highest number of cases recorded annually since 2012. Israel has seen a sharp rise in measles cases in recent months, with over 1,800 reported infections by October, and at least eight deaths in toddlers under 2 years old, all unvaccinated. Until recently, Israel had virtually eliminated measles. The study identified fear of side effects as the main driver of vaccine hesitancy, a concern that existed before COVID-19 but has intensified since. Ninety-two percent of parents in the UK and 63% in Israel cited this as a reason for refusing or delaying vaccinations. The data also revealed disparities across populations: in the UK, a sharper decline was observed among parents of Asian descent, while in Israel, larger decreases were noted among the ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors. The researchers emphasize that even small declines in vaccination rates can undermine herd immunity and lead to renewed outbreaks of infectious diseases. They warn that if this global erosion of confidence is not addressed through clear communication, education, and community-based initiatives, decades of progress in disease prevention could be lost. Prof. Edelstein concluded: "The data indicate that the impact of the pandemic on public trust in vaccines is not only temporary or local, but rather a broad and deep phenomenon with global implications. Dedicated interventions are needed to restore trust and reduce concerns in order to prevent further deterioration." A collaboration between civil engineering and neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh could change how spinal fusion surgery is performed and monitored. Associate Professors Amir Alavi, Nitin Agarwal, and D. Kojo Hamilton have received a $352,213 National Institutes of Health (NIH) R21 grant to develop the first self-powered spinal implant capable of transmitting real-time data from inside the body. The transdisciplinary project, "Wireless Metamaterial Interbody Cage for Real-Time Assessment of Lumbar Spinal Fusion In Vivo," could make spinal fusion recovery safer by allowing doctors to track progress remotely and intervene before complications arise. Each year, as many as a million Americans undergo spinal fusion surgery, which uses a metal cage and a bone graft to fuse two spinal vertebrae, with screws and brackets holding these bones in place. "After implanting the hardware, we monitor it using X-rays and symptoms presented by the patient," said Agarwal, co-principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery School of Medicine with a secondary appointment in the Department of Bioengineering at Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering. "This means patients have to make in-person visits and subject themselves to radiation." Since doctors and patients cannot easily monitor the spine as it heals, it's not a connected health care experience, explained Agarwal, who also directs Minimally Invasive Spine and Robotic Surgery at UPMC. While implantable wireless devices that monitor medical procedures are becoming more common and could help allay these issues, the devices require batteries and an electronic component to transmit signals, making them impermanent. Alavi, principal investigator and an associate professor and B.P. America Faculty Fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, turned to an unexpected place to find a better solution: technology he helped develop to monitor bridge infrastructure. As a PhD student, Alavi created sensors that produce their own power and send signals indicating changes in the physical properties of bridges. These sensors alert officials to structural weaknesses before more serious damage develops. Alavi thought that the technology could be adapted to work in a patient's spine. "No batteries, no antennas, no electronics in vivo-no worries!" said Alavi, who also directs the Intelligent Structures and Architected Materials Research and Testing (ISMART) Lab. "By blending metamaterial design with nano-energy harvesting, we create fully battery-free, electronics-free implants that power themselves through contact electrification. They adapt to each patient and wirelessly transmit signals like a mini router inside the body." Using new, human-developed composites known as metamaterials, Alavi's team has created structures consisting of different sized unit cells. By interweaving conductive and non-conductive materials, they can optimize these structures to harvest energy and transmit signals when pressure is applied to them. From bridges to the back In 2023, Alavi and Agarwal began a seemingly unlikely collaboration that integrated this technology in medical implants. The promise of their research is outlined in the Materials Today article "Wireless electronic-free mechanical metamaterial implants." We're creating cages for spinal fusion surgery that, like human cells, have a natural, built-in intelligence." Amir Alavi, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh These cages are set between two vertebrae and provide stability while also monitoring the healing process. "If the spine is healing, the bone starts carrying more of the load and the implant's self-generated signal naturally drops," Alavi noted. "Right after surgery, the signal is stronger because the vertebral endplates press harder on the cage, so it generates more energy." The signals are received through an electrode on the patient's back and transmitted to the cloud, where the signals can be interpreted in real time, allowing for medical intervention before more serious damage occurs. Alavi also turned to generative AI to generate metamaterial designs unique to each patient's spine, dramatically accelerating the process. "We can scan the patient's spine and then design and print the cage to fit perfectly. There are different types of porous, patient-specific cages in the market, but ours is a metamaterial system with full control over stiffness and, more importantly, the ability to generate its own power, which we use not only for monitoring but are now working to apply for electrical stimulation as well." Alavi and Agarwal have tested the cages in vitro, and the technology works. With NIH support, the team will conduct in vivo testing using animal models. "If it works," said Agarwal, "then the next step is human testing." He added, "By blending the clinical and the bench expertise, we have a better chance of translating the science into patient use, improving safety and outcomes while creating more connected health care." During a procedure known as laser lithotripsy, urologists use a small, video-guided laser to blast painful, potentially damaging kidney stones to smithereens. It's better for the patient if urologists can break kidney stones down as finely as possible, ideally to a dust that can be safely suctioned out but using more powerful lasers creates additional heat that can damage surrounding tissue and hurt the patient. Obviously, you don't want to over-pump the energy into your kidney, because that's something that's very dangerous. What we demonstrate in our work is a way to better utilize the laser energy that is already being employed." Asst. Prof. Po-Chun Hsu, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) Hsu co-authored a new paper published in Advanced Science, the result of a collaboration of engineers and doctors from UChicago PME and Duke University who have pioneered a way to improve lasers' efficiency on kidney stones, without changing the lasers. This work could result in shorter surgeries, faster recoveries, and less recurrence of a disease that affects 11% of Americans and raised national health spending more than $2 billion in 2000 alone. "This is a classical example of how connecting dots can create something that's transformative," said Hsu, whose research mostly involves heat-reflective construction materials and fabrics. Co-author Michael Lipkin, a urologist at Duke Health, described the collaboration between engineers and doctors as an opportunity for both. "It's a great opportunity as a clinician to be able to partner with world-class research scientists to attack a problem that has direct benefits for our patients," Lipkin said. "These types of partnerships are fertile ground for great ideas that change the world." A solution in solution To improve a laser's performance without altering the laser itself, the interdisciplinary team required an innovative solution. An innovative saline solution. Doctors use saline mildly salty water to distend the hollow part of the kidney and maintain visibility during the procedure. Much of the laser energy is typically dissipated in the saline in the form of heat. The researchers found adding dark nanoparticles that absorb laser wavelengths to this saline solution keeps the laser focused on the stone, rather than reflecting or dissipating away. This improves how much laser energy is transmitted to and absorbed by the kidney stones, a feature many thought couldn't be easily manipulated, said corresponding author Duke University engineering Prof. Pei Zhong. "Each laser has its own inherent wavelength based on the technology by which the laser was generated. People thought, 'If the wavelength is fixed, you cannot change the absorption of the laser in the working fluid or in the stone that you're trying to target,'" Zhong said. "Nanofluid brings a new dimension, independent of the stone composition, independent of the laser, that can affect this very complex physical procedure." But not every nanofluid is appropriate for a medical procedure, said first author Qingsong Fan, a postdoctoral researcher at UChicago PME. "First of all, the solution should be absorptive at the wavelengths of the laser, which is around 2,000 nanometers or two micrometers," Fan said. "The second criterion is that the nanoparticles should disperse well in water because that's how we irrigate the kidney. And the third one and the most important criterion is that it should be safe." Tests on lab-grown kidney stones revealed that the team hit all three marks. The nanofluid improved stone ablation efficiency by 38727% in spot treatment and 2675% in scanning treatment. Immersing living cells in the nanofluid for various durations up to 24 hours demonstrated that the effective nanoparticle solution was also nontoxic and safe. In practice, however, this material will never be in contact with cells for nearly that long. Lithotripsy is an outpatient procedure that lasts about 30 minutes. Hsu hopes that improving the absorption efficiency could cut that time down to 10 minutes. "If you spend too much time in this surgery, then waste heat from the laser will accumulate, and that's actually going to be more harmful than the ablation itself," Hsu said. Different stones, different lasers The study focused on holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho-YAG) lasers and lab-grown kidney stones. The gold standard for laser lithotripsy, Ho-YAG is by far the most common but far from the only type of laser used. "Some lasers perform well in dusting, other lasers perform better in fragmenting, but no laser can perform exceptionally well both in dusting and fragmenting," Zhong said. "Unless you are at a major hospital like the University of Chicago or Duke, community doctors may not be able to afford multiple lasers. Nanofluid has the potential to enhance the performance of each laser under different clinical scenarios." Next steps include testing to see how their new technique works using other common lithotripsy lasers and how it impacts real, rather than lab-grown, kidney stones. Co-author Christine Payne, Donald M. Alstadt Chair of the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University, called the research "a good example of how fundamental research gets translated into clinical applications." "One of the most exciting aspects of this research is how a team of scientists and clinicians worked together using their own expertise to address an important question how to better treat kidney stones," Payne said. Addressing the question of whether and how immune cells (macrophages) in the central nervous system (CNS) traffic out, researchers have now identified a perineural pathway through which the HIV virus can redistribute throughout the body. The findings from a study in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, shed light on how these cells travel from the brain through the body, reseeding HIV and sustaining inflammation despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy. The CNS has long been considered anatomically and immunologically segregated from the rest of the body because of the presence of tight junctions, the perception of limited draining lymphatics, and the presence of the blood-brain barrier. However, the connection between the CNS and the peripheral nervous system (PNS, outside the blood-brain barrier) is often overlooked and not well understood. Co-lead investigator Kenneth C. Williams, PhD, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Biology Department, Boston College, explains, "In a monkey model of HIV, we injected two different colored nanoparticles directly into the cerebrospinal fluidthe protective liquid of the brain and spinal cord. These particles effectively labeled the CNS macrophages upon absorption. By using distinct colors, we could mark macrophages at different stages of infectionearly versus lateand subsequently determine the specific routes these tagged cells used to exit the CNS." Not only did we discover that the macrophages can leave under noninfection conditions, but we also found that they exit via cranial and peripheral nerves." Robert V. Blair, PhD, DVM, co-lead investigator, Tulane National Primate Research Center The CNS is recognized as a critical reservoir for viruses such as HIV and its monkey-equivalent SIV (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus), with perivascular macrophages being the primary HIV- and SIV-infected cells in the CNS. The new understanding of immune cell movement uncovered by this study reveals that this reservoir is not static but actively contributes to persistent viral activity and inflammation throughout the body. "These results underline the importance of the connection between the CNS and PNS in immunity, particularly the impact of macrophage traffic on persistent myeloid activation in the dorsal root ganglia and peripheral nerves. Our findings provide critical insights that will inform new strategies in the challenge of eradicating HIV," concludes co-lead investigator Zoey K. Wallis, PhD, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Biology Department, Boston College. More than 50 special teams from National Police and Emergency Service conducting evacuations from dangerous areas in six regions of Ukraine Interior Ministry Photo: https://mvs.gov.ua More than 50 special teams from the National Police and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are conducting evacuations from dangerous areas in six regions of Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Oleksiy Serheyev reported on Monday during a briefing on the status of evacuations from frontline regions. The press briefing was attended by Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Oleksiy Serheyev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Vitaliy Myroniuk, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development Oleksiy Ryabikin, and Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine Tetyana Kiriyenko. During the briefing, Serheyev reported that evacuation measures are currently ongoing in six regions of Ukraine (Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv). "Twenty-four special evacuation teams from the National Police of Ukraine, the White Angel, and 29 teams from the State Emergency Service, the Phoenix, are involved in this process ... The White Angel evacuation teams currently include 153 police officers who are appropriately prepared to work in extremely difficult conditions (trained to provide medical and psychological assistance, well-versed in the area, and interacting with local governments, other emergency services, and volunteers)," Serheyev was quoted as saying on the Ministry of Internal Affairs' website on Tuesday. According to him, the groups are provided with armored vehicles, medicines and first aid supplies, communications equipment, electronic warfare systems, and other necessary equipment for transporting people under heavy shelling. "During the evacuation, White Angel teams provided medical assistance to 644 people, and they transported 672 people to healthcare facilities from areas unserved by ambulances. White Angel police teams are also delivering humanitarian aid to vulnerable regions. To date, 1.2 tonnes of medicine, 754 tonnes of food, and 76 tonnes of drinking water have been delivered," the deputy minister noted. First Deputy Head of the State Emergency Service Vitaliy Myroniuk reported that 29 Phoenix groups are currently involved in the evacuation. "These teams include medical personnel, psychologists, sappers, and other State Emergency Service personnel who work both during evacuation operations and at transit points. The Phoenix teams are equipped with 38 specialized vehicles (including 24 armored vehicles) equipped with electronic warfare and interception systems. They are also equipped with personal protective equipment and other necessary evacuation equipment. Overall, the vehicles at the disposal of the Phoenix special rescue teams can evacuate approximately 330 people at a time," he noted. Serheyev also spoke about the most common difficulties faced by National Police and State Emergency Service personnel during evacuation operations. "Evacuation teams ... under the enemy's tight drone surveillance ... have no right to stopany delay could cost lives. Law enforcement and rescue workers are convincing elderly people who don't want to leave their homes, saving children, evacuating the wounded and animals, and evacuating entire families from the shelling. Each such operation is a fight not only against the enemy, but also against despair, human fear, and attachment to one's home ... The life and health of citizens are our greatest treasure. Evacuating adults and children from the zone of constant shelling is our duty," he concluded. As populations continue to age, total hip replacement (THR) is becoming an increasingly common surgical procedure. Experts estimate that approximately one million THRs are performed each year worldwide. The surgery is often life-changing, as it can fully restore the function of the hip joint, reduce pain, and allow patients to walk and bear weight again. However, as with any major surgery, the procedure is not without risks, especially for older individuals with other health conditions. A significant complication following THR is a femoral fracture-a break in the thigh bone near the artificial hip joint. This is currently the leading cause of reoperation or revision surgery after THR. Nearly half of these fractures occurred early, usually within the first 90 days following surgery. While surgeons have limited control over factors such as their patients' age, health status, and lifestyle, one critical decision they can influence is the design of the artificial hip implant to use. But which type of hip implant is best at preventing early femoral fractures? In this view, a research team led by Assistant Professor Rui Hirasawa from the Graduate School of Medicine at Chiba University, Japan, conducted a retrospective study comparing the two most widely used types of femoral stems in THR. Their work, published in Volume 107 of the Bone & Joint Journal on October 1, 2025, was co-authored by Dr. Kazuhiro Oinuma, Executive Director of Funabashi Orthopedic Hospital, and Dr. Yoko Miura, Director of the Joint Reconstruction Centre at Funabashi Orthopedic Hospital, as well as Lecturer Shigeo Hagiwara, Associate Professor Junichi Nakamura, and Professor Seiji Ohtori, from Chiba University. The two types of femoral stems compared were collared fully hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated stems and flat-tapered wedge stems. The first type features a stabilizing ring or 'collar' at the top of the implant that rests on the patient's bone, and a specialized coating called HA, designed to promote bone growth directly onto the implant for a secure fit. Meanwhile, flat-tapered stems rely purely on their wedge shape and tight fit within the bone canal of the femur to achieve initial stability; they do not have a stabilizing collar or HA coating. "Based on both our clinical impressions and reports in the literature indicating a lower incidence of post-THR femoral fractures with collared fully HA-coated stems, we were inspired to investigate whether these stems could indeed reduce the risk of these fractures," explains Dr. Hirasawa. The researchers gathered data from 4,511 THR procedures conducted by a single surgeon in a single medical center from 2009 to 2023. Here, the team used an advanced statistical technique called propensity score matching to produce two highly comparable groups of patients for better analysis. They ultimately matched 1,804 cases where collared HA-coated stems were used with 1,804 cases where flat-tapered wedge stems were used, based on factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and conditions like osteoarthritis. This approach helped minimize the impact of confounding variables. The results revealed that early post-THR femoral fracture was significantly less frequent among patients with collared HA-coated femoral stems-only two cases of fracture were recorded in this group versus 13 in those with flat-tapered wedge stems. Hence, the researchers investigated each fracture in detail based on available clinical data. Notably, while the use of collared HA-coated femoral stems was associated with fewer early postoperative femoral fractures, the study also found that the incidence of intraoperative femoral fractures was higher in this group compared to flat-tapered wedge stems. This highlights the importance of further research to optimize surgical techniques and patient selection when using collared HA-coated stems, in order to minimize intraoperative complications. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that collared HA-coated stems may have inherent advantages over flat-tapered wedge stems, which surgeons should take into account when deciding which type of prosthetic hip to use or recommend. "Our results have the potential to directly improve patient safety and surgical outcomes in THR by helping surgeons make more informed implant selections, leading to fewer serious complications, faster functional recovery, and reduced need for reoperation," remarks Dr. Hirasawa. "In the long term, this research may set a new global standard for femoral stem selection in hip replacement." Bike taxi rider held for molesting, robbing woman passenger in Delhi Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:44 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) A 28-year-old bike taxi rider has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman passenger and robbing her after diverting the route towards a secluded stretch in east Delhi, police said on Tuesday. Ajay Rayal, a resident of Pandav Nagar, was nabbed and the scooter used in the commission of the crime was also recovered, they said. Recommended Stories On October 24, the victim, who had arrived at ISBT Anand Vihar from Uttarakhands Almora, booked a ride to Khoda Colony around 3.40 pm. However, instead of taking her to the destination, the driver allegedly diverted the route towards a secluded stretch near the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Village, a senior police officer said. Rayal molested her and when she raised an alarm, two people from a nearby jhuggi cluster rushed towards the spot. Seeing them, the accused fled after snatching her bag containing Rs 5,000 and other personal belongings, the officer said. The accused also tried to snatch her mobile phone and pushed her before escaping, the officer said, adding that a case has been registered. During investigation, CCTV footage was thoroughly examined, and it was found that the accused had used a scooter different from the one registered with the taxi aggregator he was using. Technical surveillance and local intelligence helped in tracking his movements," the officer said. Rayal was later apprehended from Pandav Nagar and the scooter used during the crime was seized. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The police said the accused had dumped the womans bag after taking out the cash. A CCTV footage showed that the bag was later taken away by a rag picker. The accused, who has completed Class 12, worked as a taxi rider and lived with his family in Ganesh Nagar, the police said, adding that further investigation is underway. PTI SSJ NB Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:44 IST News agency-feeds Bike taxi rider held for molesting, robbing woman passenger in Delhi Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bird flu hits migrating cranes hard in Germany as virus flares up Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:29 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Linum (Germany), Oct 28 (AP) In a spot outside Berlin thats usually a paradise for birdwatchers, volunteers have recovered nearly 2,000 dead cranes in recent days as bird flu has hit the migrating birds hard. Linum, a small village about an hours travel from the German capital, is known in summer for its many nesting storks. Recommended Stories In the fall and spring, its a popular resting spot for thousands of cranes as they migrate between the Baltic and Nordic regions and southern Europe. But this month, many of the birds journeys have ended in the ponds and fields that surround it, as well as at other spots in Germany. Bird flu has flared up early and quickly in the country this year. Since early September, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germanys national animal health authority, has recorded 30 outbreaks at poultry farms as well as cases among wild birds in various parts of the country, and more than 500,000 chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys so far have been slaughtered as a precaution. Over the past week the majestic gray-and-white cranes, unusually, have been at the centre of attention. Its not clear where they were infected. Norbert Schneeweiss, an expert with Brandenburg states environment office, said that such a severe impact from bird flu hasnt previously been seen in cranes on this migration route, though there was an outbreak among cranes in Hungary two years ago. This week, volunteers in full-body protective overalls waded through the water and reeds outside Linum and stuffed the limp, floating bodies of the large birds into sacks. A sick bird stood listlessly by a path nearby, failing to fly away as people approached. Others have been seen staggering and then collapsing. Still-healthy birds flew overhead and pecked for food in the fields. By Monday evening, volunteers had picked up 1,875 dead cranes and expected the total to top 2,000 in the coming days. Theres not a lot more we can do here other than gather up the birds," Schneeweiss said. He added that experts have made an effort to make the area less attractive for migrating birds, for example by limiting the water flow to reduce the size of the resting area but noted that resting places are rare in Central Europe." In earlier years, we were glad of every crane it was a natural spectacle every evening when thousands of cranes fly in; a lot of visitors came," he said. Now, however, the usual guided tours for bird fans have been cancelled. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Schneeweiss said the situation appears to be under control locally for now, with the number of dead cranes slowing and no other wild birds yet showing symptoms. Collecting the birds is hard and depressing work. We try to convince ourselves that were doing something good for conservation and that its important," volunteer Lara Weinmann said. But of course, it does affect you." Bird flu infections in humans are relatively rare. But as it hits other species, including some mammals, scientists fear the virus could evolve to spread more easily among people. (AP) ZH ZH Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:29 IST News agency-feeds Bird flu hits migrating cranes hard in Germany as virus flares up Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Brazils former President Jair Bolsonaro appeals his 27-year prison sentence Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 22:29 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Rio de Janeiro, Oct 28 (AP) Lawyers for Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro filed an appeal to reduce his prison sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat. Judges in September convicted Bolsonaro of trying to overthrow democracy and sentenced him to 27 years and three months in jail. He has been under house arrest since August. Recommended Stories In an 85-page document sent to the Supreme Court on Monday and shared with The Associated Press on Tuesday, lawyers said that the conviction and sentence entailed profound injustices." Lawyers argued there were ambiguities, omissions, contradictions and obscurities" in the courts decision. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. He was convicted of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 race to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a plot that prosecutors alleged included plans to kill Lula. He was found guilty on other charges including participating in an armed criminal organisation and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. In their appeal, lawyers argued Bolsonaro should not be convicted of both organising a coup and attempting to violently abolish democracy, on the grounds that the two charges overlap and therefore cumulative penalties are unjust. They also cited Justice Luiz Fux, who was the only dissenting vote on the five justice panel that convicted Bolsonaro, and argued that even if Bolsonaro had attempted a coup, he deliberately interrupted the course of events" and did not go through with it. Lawyers filed motions of clarification, which seek to correct a flaw in the reasoning of a decision rather than change it. Joao Pedro Padua, a law professor at the Fluminense Federal University, said that this kind of appeal is very unlikely to reduce Bolsonaros sentence. To file an appeal that could substantially modify the decision, the Supreme Court usually requires at least two dissenting votes. There is no limit on how many motions for clarification can be filed, but the Supreme Court may deem successive filings an attempt to delay the final judgment. Such a strategy is risky" for Bolsonaros lawyers, as they could give the Supreme Court an excuse to declare the judgment final right away," Padua said. Seven other close aides were convicted alongside Bolsonaro, and all of them apart from Mauro Cid, who signed a plea deal, have filed appeals, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Tuesday. Justices will decide on the appeals between November 7 and November 14, the court added. Bolsonaro will only start serving time once appeals are exhausted. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The trial made global headlines. US President Donald Trump ordered a 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian imported goods and cited in part Bolsonaros case, which he called a witch hunt." That triggered a sharp deterioration in US-Brazil relations, which experts described as the lowest point in their more than 200-year history. Relations have improved. Lula and Trump spoke on the phone then met last weekend in Malaysia at the ASEAN summit. (AP) GSP Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 22:29 IST News agency-feeds Brazils former President Jair Bolsonaro appeals his 27-year prison sentence Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Chhath Mahaparv celebrated with great devotion at New Jersey Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 20:59 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Jersey [US], October 28 (ANI): The Bihar Jharkhand Association of North America (BJANA) organised a grand and spiritually enriching celebration of Chhath Mahaparv at Papaianni Park, Edison, New Jersey, where the Indian-American community came together with deep devotion and cultural pride to honour the Sun God (Surya Dev) and Chhathi Maiya. Around 40 Vratis (devotees) observed the sacred fast and performed Sandhya Arghya (evening offering), while over 700 members of the community gathered to witness and take part in the rituals. The park was filled with devotion as families sang traditional songs, lit diyas, and offered Thekua and fruits while standing in the holy water. Among the devotees, nine Vratis walked in together, carrying baskets of offerings on their heads a touching, symbolic gesture reflecting the deep-rooted traditions of Bihar and Jharkhand. Their presence added authenticity and emotional depth to the celebration, reminding everyone of the sacred ghats back home. BJANA President Sanjeev Singh expressed heartfelt gratitude to all volunteers, saying, The energy among the community this year was truly inspiring. I thank every volunteer for their tireless efforts in organising such a meaningful event that brought everyone together like one family." BJANA Vice President Priti Kashyap shared her sentiments, adding, This festival takes us back to our roots in Bihar and Jharkhand. It revives our childhood memories and connects us deeply to nature. None of this would have been possible without our dedicated volunteers and the continued support from Mayor Sam Joshi and the Township of Edison." Alok Kumar, Chairman of Bihar Foundation USA East Coast Chapter, also shared his heartfelt reflection, stating, When Sharda Sinhas songs play during Chhath, it feels exactly like being back on the ghats of Bihar and Jharkhand. The feeling is beyond words its like reliving those sacred moments with our families and our soil." The event was marked by enthusiastic participation from children and youth, who helped with rituals, sang traditional hymns, and learned about the festivals connection with nature and gratitude. Their involvement showed how the next generation is proudly carrying forward cultural traditions.The Chhath Mahaparv celebration at Papaianni Park beautifully captured the spirit of faith, unity, and nostalgia bringing the vibrant essence of Bihar and Jharkhand to New Jersey once again. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 20:59 IST News agency-feeds Chhath Mahaparv celebrated with great devotion at New Jersey Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to visit India from October 29-31 Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 04:14 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi [India], October 29 (ANI): Cyprus Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos will arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. During his visit, the Cyprus Minister is scheduled to meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and deliver a lecture at Sapru House on Thursday.Constantinos Kombos will depart from India on Friday.This comes after PM Modis visit to Cyprus in June of this year. His official visit to Cyprus concluded with the adoption of a Joint Declaration outlining a roadmap for deepened strategic cooperation between the two nations, according to a press release issued by the Prime Ministers Office.The Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Cyprus also released coordinated statements underscoring the breadth of this renewed partnership.The statement also highlighted both sides shared commitment to strengthening EU-India relations.With Cyprus assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2026, both sides pledged to work towards the timely conclusion of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025, calling it a move of significant economic and strategic potential".According to the release, Prime Minister Modis visit the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in over two decades was described as a historic milestone" that reaffirms the deep and enduring friendship between the two nations."The visit was seen as a celebration of a shared past and a forward-looking partnership" rooted in strategic vision and mutual trust.The declaration noted that both leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues, acknowledging growing cooperation in economic, technological, and people-to-people domains.Cyprus and India committed to furthering collaboration as trusted and indispensable partners contributing to regional and global peace, prosperity, and stability."The joint declaration reaffirmed both sides shared valuesdemocracy, multilateralism, rule of law, and sustainable developmentand their support for a rules-based international order grounded in the UN Charter and international law. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 29, 2025, 04:14 IST News agency-feeds Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to visit India from October 29-31 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Hurricane Melissa set to hit Jamaica as its strongest storm since records began Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:29 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Kingston (Jamaica), Oct 28 (AP) Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago. Hours before the storm, the Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. The streets in the capital, Kingston, remained largely empty except for the lone stray dog crossing puddles and a handful of people walking briskly under tree branches waving in a stiff wind. Recommended Stories There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5," Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge." The storm is expected to make landfall on Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island. Shortly after, it is expected to hit Cuba. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow. The storm is expected to enter near St Elizabeth parish in the south and exit around St Ann parish in the north, forecasters said. Total structural failure is possible near the path of Melissas centre," said the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 metres) is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place." The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Jamaica braces for catastrophic damage ======================== On Tuesday morning, Melissa was centred about 90 kilometres south-southeast of Negril, Jamaica, and about 430 kilometres southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 280 kph and was moving north-northeast at 11 kph, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. We will get through it together," said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaicas meteorological service. Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening," he said. There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement." Necephor Mghendi, the international Red Cross regional head of delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, said that an estimated 1.5 million people in the storms path will be affected, but many others as well. The entire population may feel the impact one way or the other," he said by video link from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. UN agencies and dozens of non-profits had food, medicine and other essential supplies prepositioned as they awaited a distribution rush after the storm. Matthew Samuda, Jamaicas water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly. Every drop will count," he said. Melissa takes aim at Cuba ================ Melissa also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 51 centimetres of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 6,00,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the islands second-largest city. Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening. A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands. (AP) NPK NPK Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 18:29 IST News agency-feeds Hurricane Melissa set to hit Jamaica as its strongest storm since records began Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... No major impact of Cyclone Montha in Odisha, says CM Majhi Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 23:59 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Bhubaneswar, Oct 28 (PTI) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said Odisha escaped major damage from severe cyclonic storm Montha, which made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast around 7 pm, bringing relief to the state even as precautionary measures remained in force. Majhi, who reviewed the post-landfall situation at the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) control room here, said there were only reports of minor landslides and uprooting of trees in some areas. Recommended Stories Barring some stray cases of landslide and tree felling, there has been no major incident even after three hours of landfall. The damages reported so far are much less than our anticipation," Majhi told reporters, thanking Lord Jagannath for sparing the state from a major calamity. The chief minister spent over an hour at the SDMA control room, taking feedback from collectors of eight southern districts Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal where a red alert had been issued in view of the cyclone. Majhi said the state was keeping close watch as Montha moved inland. The chief minister pointed out that it did not rain as expected. Gajapati and Ganjam districts recorded 115 mm rainfall each against the forcast of over 200 mm rainfall. Malkangiri district, which is close to the cyclones landfall area in Andhra Pradesh, also did not receive heavy rain," Majhi pointed out adding that the government was keeping a tight vigil on the situation. The chief minister said 17,817 people had been evacuated to more than 2,000 cyclone shelters against the initial target of 32,000. The major relief is that there has been no report of any casualty so far," he said. A total of 2,198 pregnant women were shifted to hospitals and another 651 identified for possible transfer if required, he added. Majhi said 153 rescue teams comprising personnel from NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Services would remain stationed in vulnerable districts until the system completely moved out of the state. Whatever the impact may be, the government will remain on alert and coordinate with all stakeholders to manage the situation," he said. The chief minister said Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had spoken to him about the cyclone situation. I told him that the impact of the cyclone was far less than expected. He also said the damages in Andhra Pradesh were minimal. Hence, the Railways is considering restoration of train services that were earlier cancelled," Majhi said. He said Odisha is a natural calamity prone state and therefore its experience in handling such situations helped to mitigate the disaster. Odishas disaster management has earned praise across the globe," the chief minister said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, IMD at its bulletin at 10.30 PM said Monthas ongoing landfall process will continue for next 2-3 hours. The system is currently being monitored continuously by Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam in addition to coastal observatories, automatic weather stations (AWSs), ships & buoys and satellites," the IMD said. PTI AAM RG AAM MNB Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 23:59 IST News agency-feeds No major impact of Cyclone Montha in Odisha, says CM Majhi Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... North Koreas top diplomat meets with Putin on visit to Russia Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 05:44 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Moscow, Oct 28 (AP) North Koreas top diplomat visited the Kremlin on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which followed last months meeting between the countries leaders. The show of deepening ties came as US President Donald Trump visits Asia. In a separate meeting with her Russian counterpart, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui confirmed North Koreas unwavering understanding and support" for Putins war against Ukraine, North Korean state media said on Tuesday. Recommended Stories North Korea in recent months has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment to Russia to support its war effort, a growing alignment that has fueled leader Kim Jong Uns increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to break out of isolation and position his country as part of a united front against the US-led West. North Korea has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kims high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 during the American presidents first term. Putin and Kim met in Beijing in September after attending a major military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui on Monday to convey his best wishes to Kim, noting that they had a very warm meeting, according to his televised remarks at the start of the talks. Before attending the Kremlin meeting with Putin, Choe held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who again hailed North Korean troops for fighting alongside the Russian military in the Kursk region after a surprise Ukrainian incursion. These heroic deeds will, of course, further strengthen the bonds of friendship and historical unity in our shared struggle for justice," Lavrov said. Choe noted considerable progress" in relations between the two countries and confirmed Pyongyangs support for all measures" taken by Russia to defend its security interests and eliminate the root cause" of its conflict with Ukraine, according to Russian and North Korean media. North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency said Russian officials, during their meeting with Choe, expressed Moscows support for all of Pyongyangs efforts to firmly defend its current status, security interests, and sovereign rights." The two sides discussed expanding high-level exchanges and cooperation and coordinating their diplomacy on unspecified major issues of mutual concern," KCNA said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall and also supplied large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles to support Moscows military action in Ukraine. Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russias Kursk region. Kim has focused on expanding the capabilities of his nuclear-armed military since his diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019 due to disagreements over US.-led economic sanctions. Last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington drops its demand for North Koreas denuclearization, after Trump repeatedly expressed his hopes for new diplomacy. (AP) RHL RHL Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 05:44 IST News agency-feeds North Koreas top diplomat meets with Putin on visit to Russia Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Police in Rajasthans Pali district parade to court 3 men accused of murder Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 16:59 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Jaipur, Oct 28 (PTI) Police in Rajasthans Pali district on Tuesday paraded three accused of a murder case while taking them to the court. Jitendra Meghwal, 32, was stabbed allegedly by four men on October 24 in Ambedkar Nagar area. Severely injured in the attack, Meghwal died during treatment in Jodhpur on October 26. Recommended Stories Pali SP Adarsh Sidhu said that three accused have been arrested and the search for the remaining one, who is absconding, is in progress. Of the four accused people, Mahendra Singh and Prakash were arrested on October 26, and Dheeraj was caught on October 28 while Bajrang is absconding. A police team paraded the three accused to a local court from Ambedkar Circle. The accused were in handcuffs and a man beating a drum was walking ahead of the team. Three of the accused in the murder have been arrested and one is still absconding. We will nab him soon," SP Sidhu said. He said that those who sheltered or helped the killers after the crime will also be arrested. The police will move an application in the court seeking seizure of the illicit properties of the accused, he added. On parade of the accused, the SP said that it was a loud and clear message for criminal elements that strict action would be taken if they created fear in society. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Anyone who commits such acts will face severe consequences," the SP said. The parade caught the attention of the people who expressed support for the polices stern action. PTI SDA KSS KSS Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 16:59 IST News agency-feeds Police in Rajasthans Pali district parade to court 3 men accused of murder Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Three journalists from the Die Welt ezine were injured in a Russian attack drone attack on a Ukrainian military vehicle, Bild reported on Tuesday. "Chief reporter for the German newspaper Welt, Ibrahim Naber, was reporting near the front line, accompanying a Ukrainian air defense unit attached to the 42nd Brigade. While the film crew was working in an open field, a Russian Lancet drone attacked a nearby military vehicle. As a result, one soldier was killed, another was seriously wounded, and three members of Naber's reporting team were injured," a Telegram post published on Tuesday reads. According to the report, the film crew's cameraman received shrapnel wounds to his legs, while the group's producer and Naber received only "minor injuries": they had difficulty hearing for several days and were treated for bruises. Naber explains how drones have changed war journalism10-12 km from the line of contact is now a "death zone": drones "can hit you anywhere and at any time." "I remember in February 2023, we could escort Ukrainian troops just two to two and a half kilometers from Russian positions. In the city, in broad daylight. Now that's impossible. The first kamikaze drones would have swooped in within five minutes," he added. Singapores iconic casino resort Marina Bay Sands fined for data leak Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 16:59 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Singapore, Oct 28 (PTI) The operator of the casino resort Marina Bay Sands in Singapore has been fined SGD 315,000 (USD 243,200) by the data privacy watchdog over a data breach two years ago that affected more than 665,000 customers. In October 2023, 665,495 Marina Bay Sands (MBS) patrons had their personal data illegally accessed and exfiltrated by unknown threat actor(s)", the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) was quoted as saying by Channel News Asia on Tuesday. Recommended Stories The leaked data was later found to be offered for sale on the dark web, according to PDPC. MBS, the most popular casino-based conference and international event venue in the city-state, said in November 2023 that the breach involved the data of its LifeStyle rewards programme members, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, country of residence, as well as membership number and tier. Investigations determined that an unknown third party had accessed the data and that membership data from MBS casino rewards programme were believed to be unaffected, according to the report. The watchdog said on Tuesday that MBS had admitted to breaching the Protection Obligation under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) when it failed to take reasonable security measures during a large-scale software migration exercise in March 2023. The exercise involved migrating old software to new software. This included all applications that are accessible via the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and their respective identifiers, which had to be migrated accordingly. According to an advisory published by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) in October 2022, an API facilitates service communications between two or more apps and performs a vital role as they provide flexibility by simplifying software design, administration and use. However, they are also the most commonly exposed component of a system and thus have to be secured against attacks. It is necessary to ensure that security policies are applied when properly migrating from the old software to the new, including data access rights," said PDPC. In this case, one of the identifiers affecting the Art Science Friends webpage was omitted during the migration. This allowed malicious threat actor(s) to access and exfiltrate its patrons personal data," the agency said. Such data leaks can be further exploited in phishing scams or identity theft, it added. Despite the clear risks" involved in such a migration exercise, PDPC noted that MBS relied on a single employee to manually compile a list of API configurations into the new software and did not implement second-layer checks. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As a result, MBS failed to discover and correct the omission for six months, leaving the personal data of its customers unprotected. MBS failure to put in place proper processes for something as critical as security policy was a negligent contravention of the Protection Obligation," said PDPC. PTI GS ZH ZH Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 16:59 IST News agency-feeds Singapores iconic casino resort Marina Bay Sands fined for data leak Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... South Korea trade deal appears elusive as Trump seeks USD 350 billion investment Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 02:59 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Gyeongju (South Korea), Oct 29 (AP) After a charm offensive in Japan that culminated in USD 490 billion in investment commitments, President Donald Trump is set to meet with South Koreas leader on Wednesday as a trade deal with that country appears more elusive. Top officials in Washington and and Seoul say the sticking point for an agreement continues to be the logistics behind Trumps demand that South Korea invest USD 350 billion in the United States. Recommended Stories Korean officials say a direct cash injection could destabilise their economy, and theyd rather do loans and loan guarantees instead. The country would also need a swap line to manage the flow of its currency into the US. The disparity between what Trump is asking for and what South Korea can deliver threatens to overshadow the meeting between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju, a historical city playing host to the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Oh Hyunjoo, a deputy national security director, told reporters that the negotiations have been proceeding a little bit more slowly" than expected. We havent yet been able to reach an agreement on matters such as the structure of investments, their formats and how the profits will be distributed," he said Monday. Its a contrast from Trumps experience in Japan, where the government has worked to fulfill its commitment of USD 550 billion in investments as part of an earlier trade agreement. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced up to USD 490 billion in commitments during a dinner with business leaders in Tokyo. Trump bonded with Japans new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, on his trip Tuesday, taking her with him as he spoke to US troops aboard an aircraft carrier and then unveiling several major energy and technology projects in America to be funded by Japan. In contrast, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, said a deal wasnt ready in South Korea. Just a lot of details to work out," he said, although he suggested they were close. For now, South Korea is stuck with a 25 per cent tariff on automobiles, putting automakers such as Hyundai and Kia at a disadvantage against Japanese and European competitors, which face 15 per cent. Lee took office in June and had a warm meeting with Trump at the White House in August, when he cranked up the flattery. But theres been points of tension since then, notably a US immigration raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia in September. More than 300 South Koreans were detained, sparking outrage and a sense of betrayal. Lee said companies would likely hesitate to make future investments unless the visa system was improved. If thats not possible, then establishing a local factory in the United States will either come with severe disadvantages or become very difficult for our companies," he said. They will wonder whether they should even do it." South Koreas Foreign Ministry said in early October that the US had agreed to allow South Korean workers on short-term visas or a visa waiver program to help build industrial sites in America. Asked Monday about the immigration raid, Trump said, I was opposed to getting them out," and he said an improved visa system would make it easier for companies to bring in skilled workers. While in South Korea, Trump is also expected to hold a closely watched meeting on Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Washington and Beijing have clashed over trade, but both sides have indicated that theyre willing to dial down tensions. He has also dangled the possibility of meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, expressing disappointment that Kim hadnt yet responded to his outreach. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me," Trump said. If he wants to meet, Ill be in South Korea." Trump even said he would be willing to extend his trip South Korea is his final scheduled stop if there was an opportunity to talk with Kim. The two leaders met during Trumps first term, although their conversations did not produce any agreements about North Koreas nuclear programme. (AP) RHL Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 29, 2025, 02:59 IST News agency-feeds South Korea trade deal appears elusive as Trump seeks USD 350 billion investment Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Taiwan blocks 4 tons of Chinese crabs over banned drug contamination Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:29 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Taipei [Taiwan], October 28 (ANI): Taiwans Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has intercepted a major shipment of Chinese mitten crabs after laboratory tests revealed traces of a banned veterinary drug, raising renewed alarm over the safety of food imports from China, as reported by Focus Taiwan.According to Focus Taiwan, the seized shipment totalling 3,915 kilograms was imported by Ruiheng International Trade Co, a Taoyuan-based firm.Testing confirmed the presence of 0.04 parts per million (ppm) of sulfadiazine, an antibiotic prohibited in crustaceans under Taiwans food safety regulations. Liu Fang-ming, director of the TFDAs Northern Taiwan Management Center, stated during a press briefing that authorities have ordered the entire batch to be either destroyed or returned to the exporter in China. He cautioned that prolonged exposure to antibiotic residues in seafood can lead to antimicrobial resistance, reducing the effectiveness of essential medical treatments.This was the first failed batch among three mitten crab consignments imported from China this year. Taiwan has maintained a 100 per cent inspection requirement for Chinese mitten crabs since 2007, checking for drug residues, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In 2024, authorities examined 31 batches, with one shipment previously rejected for exceeding dioxin limits. The TFDA also revealed that the contaminated crabs were among 11 imported food items recently flagged at the border. These included melons from Japan, fish cakes from Indonesia, radish leaves from China, and lettuce from Malaysia, all of which failed safety tests, as cited by Focus Taiwan.In a separate case, Costco Taiwans imported oranges from Australia tested positive for the prohibited plant growth regulator gibberellin A3, leading to an order for destruction or return. The TFDA has since mandated enhanced inspection rates of 20-50 per cent for future orange imports. Taiwans regulators reaffirmed their commitment to strict food safety oversight, stressing that Chinese-origin seafood will remain under high-risk monitoring to safeguard consumers from harmful contaminants and illegal substances, as reported by Focus Taiwan. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 18:29 IST News agency-feeds Taiwan blocks 4 tons of Chinese crabs over banned drug contamination Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Retired But No Pension? This Scheme Lets You Earn From Your Home Every Month Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:05 IST In a country where emotional and financial dependence on family after retirement has long been the norm, reverse mortgage is quietly changing the narrative Rapid Read + Follow us On Google No need to sell or vacate your home for reverse mortgage. For most people, the fear of financial instability after retirement looms large. Once the regular paycheques stop, many find themselves relying solely on savings or the goodwill of their children. But what if the house you live in could itself become your steady source of income? Thats exactly what the Reverse Mortgage Scheme aims to do; turn your home into a monthly pension without requiring you to sell or vacate it. A reverse mortgage is a financial product designed specifically for senior citizens, typically above the age of 60, who own a fully constructed home. Unlike a regular home loan where borrowers pay monthly instalments to the bank, in a reverse mortgage, the equation is reversed; the bank pays the homeowner. The house is mortgaged to the bank, but the borrower continues to live in it for life, receiving regular payments as income. Recommended Stories Under this arrangement, the bank evaluates the market value of the property and determines the amount the homeowner can receive, either as a lump sum or in monthly instalments. The payout depends on factors such as the propertys worth, the borrowers age, and the terms agreed upon. For instance, if a home is valued at Rs 50 lakh, the bank may provide Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 a month as a steady income stream, effectively acting like a pension. The best part? There are no monthly repayments required during the lifetime of the borrower. After the homeowners death, the bank recovers its dues by selling the property. However, the legal heirs have the option to retain the house by settling the outstanding loan amount. In cases where the property value exceeds the loan amount, the balance is returned to the heirs. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and supported by the Centre, the scheme is currently offered by several major banks including State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), and select private lenders. To qualify, the applicant must be above 60 years of age, and the property should be self-occupied, free from any existing loan, and located within the country. In the case of jointly owned property, both owners, typically husband and wife, must be part of the agreement. Financial planners see reverse mortgage as a viable solution for Indias growing elderly population, particularly those without pensions or other sources of income but who own valuable real estate. It allows senior citizens to maintain financial independence and dignity in their later years, turning a once illiquid asset, their home, into a reliable stream of funds. First Published: October 28, 2025, 18:05 IST News business banking-finance Retired But No Pension? This Scheme Lets You Earn From Your Home Every Month Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Gold Price Today: Yellow Metal Extends Loss; Check 22K And 24K Rates In Major Cities Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 09:46 IST Gold prices dipped post Diwali, with 24-carat gold at Rs 1,23,270 per 10g in Mumbai and silver at Rs 1,54,900 per kg. Gold And Silver Price Today Gold and Silver Rates Today, October 28: Gold prices extended the loss rally on Tuesday amid the correction phase post Diwali festival after the record rally. In Mumbai, the price of 24-carat gold stood at Rs 1,23,270 per 10 grams, while 22k gold was available at Rs 1,12,990 per 10 grams. Silver also saw a marginal fall to trade at Rs 1,54,900 per kg. Recommended Stories Aksha Kamboj, Vice President, India Bullion & Jewellers Association (IBJA) and Executive Chairperson, Aspect Global Ventures said in todays market environment, investors should keep in mind that 24-karat gold is currently available at approximately. Following a prolonged bull run in the early part of the year, the price has turned downwards. This indicates profit-booking and a strong US dollar in addition to expectations of a US-China trade agreement. In terms of investments, even though gold remains a safe-haven asset, its short-term bias seems guarded. Demand is consistent, but the momentum has eased, so investors should rather wait for more definite signs before turning towards investing," Kamboj added. What Is The Price Of 22kt, 24kt Gold Rates Today In India Across Key Cities On October 28? City 22K Gold (per 10gm) 24K Gold (per 10gm) Delhi Rs 1,13,140 Rs 1,23,420 Jaipur Rs 1,13,140 Rs 1,23,420 Ahmedabad Rs 1,13,040 Rs 1,23,320 Pune Rs 1,13,040 Rs 1,23,320 Mumbai Rs 1,12,990 Rs 1,23,270 Hyderabad Rs 1,12,990 Rs 1,23,270 Chennai Rs 1,12,990 Rs 1,23,270 Bengaluru Rs 1,12,990 Rs 1,23,270 Kolkata Rs 1,12,990 Rs 1,23,270 International Gold Prices Today In the international market, US spot gold lost almost 0.33% after the crash to trade at $3,991 per ounce as of 9:20 IST. Silver traded flat at USD 46.02 per ounce. What Factors Affect Gold Prices In India? International market rates, import duties, taxes, and fluctuations in exchange rates primarily influence gold prices in India. Together, these factors determine the daily gold rates across the country. In India, gold is deeply cultural and financial. It is a preferred investment option and is key to celebrations, particularly weddings and festivals. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all With constantly changing market conditions, investors and traders monitor fluctuations closely. Staying updated is crucial for effectively navigating dynamic trends. About the Author Varun Yadav Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the I... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 09:35 IST News business savings-and-investments Gold Price Today: Yellow Metal Extends Loss; Check 22K And 24K Rates In Major Cities Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bengaluru Tunnel Road Wont End Traffic Woes, Move People, Not Vehicles: Tejasvi Surya To Shivakumar Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 15:33 IST Bengaluru traffic woes, tunnel road: Surya says he had a very cordial, very meaningful meeting with Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar, wants govt to 'move people, not vehicles' Tejasvi Surya says rapid transit systems are cleaner, quieter, cheaper, and far more efficient. (File) After a war of words on the proposed 17-km twin tunnel underground project between North Bengalurus Hebbal and Southen Bengalurus Silk Board, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday met Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. Surya said he had a very cordial, very meaningful meeting" as the two leaders discussed long-term strategies to decongest Bengaluru and promote sustainable transport solutions. The MP submitted that the tunnel will affect one of Bengalurus oldest green lungs, causing severe ecological imbalance and affecting a three-million-year-old monolith. Recommended Stories Surya said the idea that more roads mean less traffic" is a myth and the real fix lies in better public transport. He urged the government to fast-track Metro expansion, which he claims can cut congestion by more than 60 per cent. Tejasvi Suryas 5-point plan Surya laid out a five-point plan for Bengalurus mobility crisis: Dont reinvent the wheel improve execution of existing projects. Move people, not vehicles. Prioritise public transport. Integrate systems Metro, BMTC, suburban rail under one unified plan. And most importantly, make pedestrians the focus, not cars. According to Surya, a single light rail track (LRT) like a tram can move 16 to 22 times more commuters than private cars. His presentation focused on how the Rs 18,500-crore tunnel project for serving only four-wheelers while overlapping with the Namma Metro and suburban rail routes and was not workable. Surya pointed out that for ecological impact study of the project has not been conducted. It also has no drainage design, and an unrealistic 50-month deadline set up. He also said the cost estimates ignore 25 years of projected traffic growth. The MP also flagged safety and disaster management concerns, questioning whether any seismic risk assessment has been done. The tunnels Detailed Project Report claims a travel time saving of just 13 minutes by 2031 and 15 minutes by 2041. But an IISc study estimates that by 2060, only about 11,351 vehicles per direction will use the 18-km tunnel, showing it will be massively underutilised. And the cost? The tunnel will drain Rs 1,058 crore per kilometre, while the Red Line Metro running on the same stretch costs Rs 696 crore per km. Even the fares tell the story: Rs 330 for a one-way tunnel toll versus Rs 50-60 on the Metro. Surya says the comparison makes it clear rapid transit systems are cleaner, quieter, cheaper, and far more efficient. A Metro can carry 69,000 passengers an hour per direction. The tunnel road? Barely 1,800 people an hour. What are Suryas four recommendations? Use mixed infrastructure like underpasses and flyovers to fix traffic bottlenecks. Commission a feasibility report for a tram or light rail system. Fast-track Metro projects especially the Red Line. Double BMTCs fleet from 7,000 to 16,000 buses and expand Metro coverage to 300 km with three-minute frequency. Surya said Bengaluru needs smarter solutions, not expensive experiments underground. Speaking to CNN News18 after the meeting, Surya said the discussions focused on enhancing public transport infrastructure, which he described as the only sustainable solution for improving urban mobility. We have discussed in detail how public transport and increase in public transport footprint is the only sustainable solution for effective commute and mobility in city," he said. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP said he requested the Deputy Chief Minister to redirect funds earmarked for the proposed tunnel road project towards mass rapid transport systems such as the metro. Surya proposed practical interventions to ease congestion on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), one of the citys most clogged corridors. On the ORR, which is the most congested bottlenecked area, we have two metro stations, KR Puram and Silk Board stations at two ends. Between these two stations, if 510 minute loop buses with dedicated bus lanes are made then it will greatly help a lot of people easily reach places, bringing down traffic and bringing down commute time in ORR," he said. He also urged the state government to appoint a chairman for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), which he described as the most important agency for coordination between different transport parastatals. BMLTA should be empowered," he said. Yesterday, DCM Shri @DKShivakumar asked me for my plan of action for Bengaluru. He has asked me for alternate solutions. In this regard, I have sought time from his office to present ideas on how Bengaluru should address its traffic congestion, among other problems. I have pic.twitter.com/twnQQHHWDG Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 26, 2025 Bipartisan approach to fix traffic problems Highlighting the importance of pedestrian and road infrastructure, Surya said, Our footpaths and roads need top priority, we should work on a mission mode, and efforts to make it best in the country or world. Vision should be to have 300 km of metro with three-minute frequency for city, people will be able to access it very easily and will also be affordable." He reiterated that investments should prioritise sustainable and long-term solutions. Money should be spent on sustainable projects for long-term solutions, not short term," he said. On environmental and civic concerns regarding the tunnel road, Surya said Shivakumar had assured him that there would be no damage to Lalbagh and that no commercial establishments would be allowed there. He has assured me that in this tunnel project which I have repeatedly requested to drop in favour of a rail-based transport, he assured that there is not going to be any damage to Lal Bagh, and I also mentioned to him about reports that there may be commercial establishment at Lal Bagh which he has assured to me that it wont be there," he said. Clarifying his stance, Surya said his opposition to the tunnel road was not merely based on environmental grounds. We are not opposing this tunnel road project just based on environmental concerns, we want more sustainable projects, not build more roads, we support public transport," he said. This is a bipartisan approach to fix traffic problems in a sustainable manner which will actually yield more results," he said. Surya added that political differences would continue but good ideas should be supported regardless of party lines. Political attacks asking the Opposition questions will continue because that is the nature of our responsibilities. But we must support good ideas as responsible citizens, the Bengaluru Business Corridor, we will support it, the Peripheral Ring Road is needed for mobility," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He, however, maintained firm opposition to the tunnel road project, which he said would cost Rs 47,000 crore for a 30-35 km stretch. Our opposition to tunnel road continues as Rs 47,000 crore is proposed to be spent to build a 30-35 kms tunnel road? Its still a road. Ive asked him to drop this idea, this wont do good for the city. Well, I hope that he will drop the idea, we want to promote public transport, 18 kms tunnel road wont be solution to Bengaluru traffic," he said. Surya mentioned how Shivakumar recollected the time when he had played a key role during Chief Minister SM Krishna and Ananth Kumars time in planning Bengalurus metro project. He recollected how he had played key role when Chief Minister SM Krishna and Anant Kumar were planning to bring metro to Bengaluru and his report helped. He agrees wholeheartedly public transport is the only the solution. I hope he will drop tunnel road project," Surya said. First Published: October 28, 2025, 15:14 IST News bengaluru-news Bengaluru Tunnel Road Wont End Traffic Woes, Move People, Not Vehicles: Tejasvi Surya To Shivakumar Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Airline Cabin Crew Member Dies By Suicide In Flat After Party In Hyderabad Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 16:23 IST The group reportedly partied at the apartment, and around 4 am, Janvi went into her room and did not return. The woman was found hanging in her room on October 24 by her flatmate and colleagues. (Representational) In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old female cabin crew member of a private airline allegedly died by suicide at her rented flat in Hyderabads Rajendranagar, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on October 24 when the deceased, identified as Janvi Gupta, was reportedly in the flat with two colleagues and another friend. Recommended Stories According to the details, one of Janvis friends present at the flat works as a captain with the airline. He had arrived in Hyderabad late Thursday night and went to Janvis flat at her invitation. The group reportedly partied at the apartment, and around 4 am, Janvi went into her room and did not return. When she did not respond to knocks for nearly 40 minutes, the others forced the door open and found her hanging. Janvi was rushed to a hospital, where the doctors declared her dead on arrival. Police then shifted the body for autopsy and informed her family based on details provided by her friends. As per her mother, Janvi was battling with depression for the past few months. Based on the complaint, Rajendranagar police registered a case under section 194 (suspicious death) of the BNSS. Police handed over Janvis body to the family after the postmortem. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Disclaimer: If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata) (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 16:23 IST News hyderabad-news Airline Cabin Crew Member Dies By Suicide In Flat After Party In Hyderabad Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 24-Year-Old Woman Found Dead In Mumbai, Husband And In-Laws Booked For Dowry Harassment Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 12:30 IST A 24-year-old died in Mumbais Khar area under mysterious circumstances. Her husband and in-laws were booked for alleged dowry harassment. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The woman died on October 16 in Khar. (Representative Image) A 24-year-old woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Mumbais Khar area, prompting police to register a case against her husband and in-laws for alleged dowry harassment. The woman has been identified as Neha Gupta. According to officials, Neha had married Arvind Gupta, a bank employee from Khar West, in November 2024. Her family alleged that she was being harassed for dowry and was slowly poisoned by her husbands family. They claimed to have given Rs 9 lakh in cash, 18 tolas of gold, over 2 kg of silver, and several household items during the wedding. Recommended Stories According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Nehas father, Radheshyam, stated in his police complaint that she was harassed and tortured barely two months into the marriage. Police sources said that on October 16, Neha was first admitted to Bhabha Hospital and later shifted to Cooper Hospital, where she was discharged at around 4.30 am. Upon returning home, she lost consciousness and was rushed back to the hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. An investigation into the womans death is underway. Pregnant Woman Found Dead In Rajasthan, Family Alleges Dowry Harassment In a separate incident, a pregnant woman died under mysterious circumstances in Rajasthans Tonk district on Friday. The womans family has accused her husband, a clerk posted at the Superintendent of Polices office, of beating her to death, police said. The deceased woman, identified as Manisha, was married to Kuldeep Nayak about six months ago, news agency PTI reported. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to Manishas brother Prahlad, a resident of Mamdoli in Sawai Madhopur district, Kuldeep frequently demanded dowry and used his position in the police department to intimidate her family. When the demands were not met, he allegedly assaulted his wife. Prahlad said Kuldeep often would not allow Manisha to speak to her family. He had beaten her up several times, including before Raksha Bandhan and Diwali. A case was registered into the womans death and an investigation was launched. About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 12:30 IST News mumbai-news 24-Year-Old Woman Found Dead In Mumbai, Husband And In-Laws Booked For Dowry Harassment Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Why Metro 3 Has Reignited Spirit Of Mumbai Debate: Digital Detox Time Or Incompetence? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 18:21 IST Mumbai Metro 3 Cuffe Parade-Aarey Mobile Network Drop: Some hail no Internet as digital detox, others call it a reminder of the spirit of Mumbai coating over the glitch Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Mumbai Metro-3 is now running along the full route from Cuffe Parade to Aarey. While Mumbai Metro-3, which recently started running along the full route from Aarey to Cuffe Parade, started a free WiFi service for commuters, the loss of mobile network coverage still remains an issue. Some are hailing the digital detox moment", others are calling it a glitch and a reminder of the spirit of Mumbai" coating over the failure. News18 delves deeper. Recommended Stories MUMBAI METRO-3 AND FREE WIFI Mumbai Metro-3 is the citys first underground line and has 27 stations Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhavan, Churchgate, Hutatma Chowk (Fort), CSMT (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus), Kalbadevi, Girgaon, Grant Road, Mumbai Central, Mahalaxmi, Science Museum (Worli), Worli, Siddhivinayak, Dadar, Shitaladevi Temple, Dharavi, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Vidyanagari, Santacruz, CSIA Domestic Airport (T1), CSIA International Airport (T2), Marol Naka, MIDC, SEEPZ, Marol, Aarey Colony, Aarey Depot (JVLR terminus). The Cuffe Parade to Worli stretch became operational recently. Within days, the commuters started to complain about the loss of mobile network and the consequent hassles in ticketing. As a solution, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation started the free WiFi service to provide convenient travel for passengers and promote digital ticket purchasing through the new MetroConnect3 app. How to connect to Mumbai Metro-3s free WiFi? You can connect to the free WiFi in three easy steps: 1. Download the MetroConnect3 app and log in before entering the station. The QR code to download the app is in the Instagram link below. 2. Go to your mobiles WiFi settings and select the MetroConnect3 network. 3. Open the mobile app, go to Profile, select Connect to Wi-Fi and avail full internet access. It includes Wi-Fi Calling, WhatsApp Chat and calling, full Internet access, etc. Where is the service available on Mumbai Metro-3? This service is available at the concourse level, near the ticket window, where you can connect immediately while preparing for your journey. The MMRC has urged passengers to make the most of this free WiFi service. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MumbaiMetro3 (@mumbaimetro3) To get tickets, commuters can also use the Mumbai One app or WhatsApp (Send Hi on this number +91 98730 16836), station counters, ticket vending machines, MetroConnect3 app, or QR tickets, RuPay National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) or Mumbai 1 card. IF THERES FREE WIFI, WHATS THE PROBLEM? The problem, commuters say, is the WiFi doesnt ensure smooth streaming or loading. Many are pleased with the time they now get to read or sketch. No Internet is good, say some Metro-3 users No more uncles swiping their reels on full volume," said a Netizen. Maybe a good time to communicate with yr fellow commuters. Just like the good old local train days," said another. Yes me too I have started reading a book," said one Net user. Me sukoon ke liye jata hunbahut sukoon milta hai 20 minutesna network na mobile," added another. Yeah it is awesome.. people interact while traveling instead of scrolling," said one user. Fact: most of the New York subways dont have phone network," said a user. Even researches have said that digital detox, though forced in this case, is good. A meta-analysis found that interventions reducing screen/social media use significantly reduced depression symptoms (standardised mean difference 0.29) though effects on other outcomes were weaker. Some studies suggest that by taking breaks from devices, people feel more present, engage more with offline life, and experience less fragmentation of attention. Cant force digital detox, what about emergencies, ask others Mumbai Metro-3 users, however, highlighted how it could be a problem in case of emergencies. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Commuters using underground Mumbai Metro Aqua Line 3 do need mobile connectivity for emergency use. It is so sad that the pvt mobile operators are dictating to govt. this is where we miss," said a user. Many, also, questioned, the infrastructure gap. Like a famine is a chance to slim down, a drought can make you experience your bodys undiluted smell, poverty is a chance to cherish simplicityand not knowing which exit to choose makes you fitter," said one user. Kuch bhi u dont have boosters/connectivity and saying digital detox," said one. New way to defend incompetency," said a netizen. While one called it a silly justification", another said it was a reminder of the Spirit of Mumbai", where people returning to work after monsoon mayhem or bomb blasts is hailed, instead of focussing on the problem which put them through the trouble. About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:51 IST News mumbai-news Why Metro 3 Has Reignited Spirit Of Mumbai Debate: Digital Detox Time Or Incompetence? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... From November 1, THESE Vehicles Banned In Delhi What Rule Says? Who Will Be Affected? Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:50 IST From November 1, commercial goods vehicles from outside Delhi that dont meet BS-VI norms will not be allowed to enter the city. Officials said strict checks will be carried out at toll plazas. (Representative Image) Starting November 1, all commercial goods vehicles registered outside Delhi and not meeting BS-VI emission norms will be banned from entering the national capital. This major step has been taken under the direction of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to tackle the worsening air quality in Delhi. The move comes as the city faces a sharp rise in pollution levels during the winter season. Authorities have reportedly said teams will be stationed at toll plazas and checkpoints to ensure strict enforcement of the new rule. Recommended Stories Key Ban Rules According to a notice by the Delhi Transport Department, non-BS-VI compliant commercial goods vehicles from outside Delhi will not be allowed to enter the city from November 1, this year. However, BS-IV diesel vehicles registered in Delhi will be allowed to operate within the city until October 31, 2026, as part of a transition phase. There will be no restrictions on the entry of vehicles running on CNG, LNG, or electricity, or those that are BS-VI compliant. The notice also clarified that restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue to apply whenever specific GRAP stages are in force, depending on pollution levels. The CAQMs order follows a meeting held on October 17, where it approved a sweeping ban on polluting commercial vehicles to reduce emissions. Penalties For Violating Rules Authorities have reportedly warned that any vehicle found violating the restrictions will face strict penalties under the Motor Vehicles Act. As per reports, teams from the transport and traffic departments will be deployed at entry points to check vehicle compliance. Officials have also been told to ensure CCTV cameras at border checkpoints are functioning properly. Senior officials reportedly said all departments have been sensitised about pollution control directives from both the CAQM and the National Green Tribunal (NGT). They have also been instructed to monitor construction sites and waste burning, which are major pollution sources. Will The Ban Impact The Transportation Of Essential Goods Officials reportedly clarified that the ban will not disrupt the supply of essential commodities, as vehicles transporting daily-use items and running on clean fuel or BS-VI engines will be exempted. However, transporters have expressed concern about logistics. As quoted by NDTV, Bhim Wadhawa from the All India Motor Transport Congress said, There is a time of one year for them during which BS-IV compliant vehicles will be allowed entry." Meanwhile, Rajendra Kapoor from the All India Motor and Goods Transport Association added, If we want the restrictions on entry of BS-IV compliant vehicles not to be imposed even after the period of one year, we will have to approach the court." Will It Help In Improving Pollution Amid Hazardous AQI In Delhi Officials believe the ban will help curb pollution by cutting emissions from old, highly polluting diesel trucks, which are one of Delhis major air quality offenders. Between January 2023 and January 2024, authorities reportedly inspected over 30,000 non-destined goods vehicles at border points, and more than half were turned back for violating emission rules. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The government also plans to discourage non-destined trucks, those just passing through Delhi, from entering the city. In addition, a new renewable energy transmission line from Rajasthan is being set up to supply green power to Delhi, reducing dependence on coal-based energy. Officials reportedly say these combined steps will not only improve Delhis air but also help the city transition toward cleaner, sustainable energy solutions. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:31 IST News new-delhi-news From November 1, THESE Vehicles Banned In Delhi What Rule Says? Who Will Be Affected? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://x.com/RARS_GOV_PL The Agency for Strategic Reserves (RARS) of the Polish government organized the transportation of children's medicines donated by Tarchomin Pharmaceutical Plants Polfa S.A. to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). "Ukrainian children's hospitals received 29,835 packages of Polcylin 60 ml and Polcylin 125 ml, which will be used in the regions hardest hit by the war. This assistance was provided in coordination with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine," RARS said in a social media post on Monday. The event was attended by representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, pharmaceutical plants Polfa S.A. and representatives of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. "This gesture of solidarity is not only humanitarian but also symbolic it shows that, despite the difficulties, Poland supports Ukraine, caring for the health and lives of the civilian population, especially the youngest," the message says. Teen Drowns In Ganga During Chhath Puja Celebrations In Uttar Pradesh, Another Missing Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 08:41 IST During Chhath Puja celebrations in Mirzapur, a teen drowned while another went missing while taking a bath in Ganga river. The incident occurred when five people went to take a bath in the Ganga at Nifra village in the Vindhyachal area. (Representative image) In a tragic incident, a 17-year-old boy drowned and another went missing during Chhath Puja celebrations in Uttar Pradeshs Mirzapur district on Monday, police said. The incident took place around noon at Nifra village, where five people had entered the Ganga for a bath and began to drown, news agency PTI reported. Recommended Stories A local boatman, Lau Nishad, managed to rescue three of themShivam Pandey (25), Shivam Sharma (17), and Som Pandey (11)by throwing an oar toward them. However, two boys, Anurag Saroj (17) and Om Pandey (16), were swept away by the current. Later in the evening, divers recovered Anurags body, while efforts were underway to locate Om, said Vindhyachal Station House Officer Ved Prakash Pandey. Police and local teams remained on-site to assist with the search operation. In a separate incident reported on the same day, four children drowned while taking a bath in the Ganga in Bihars Bhagalpur district. The incident took place at Navtoliya. The children, two of them residents of adjoining Chhathu Singh Tola village, had all been brought to the ghat by their family members," PTI quoted Naugachia SP Prerna Kumar as saying. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He said that while taking a bath, the children slipped into the river. After getting the information, police and administration officials rushed to the spot, and divers pulled them out. The children were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were declared as brought dead. All the deceased were in the age group of 10-15 years, the SP added. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, calling the incident deeply tragic" and praying for the strength of the families to endure their loss. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Mirzapur, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 08:39 IST News cities Teen Drowns In Ganga During Chhath Puja Celebrations In Uttar Pradesh, Another Missing Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 80-Hour Weeks? IISc Bengaluru Students Protest New Job-Style Attendance Rule Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:57 IST IISc Bengaluru's ESE department faced criticism for strict attendance and parking rules, with students citing mental health and academic freedom concerns Rapid Read + Follow us On Google IISc Bengaluru's Electronic Systems Engineering department enforced a strict attendance policy, causing student backlash over mental strain and surveillance concerns. A major outrage erupted at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru after its Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (ESE) introduced a stringent new attendance and parking policy. The department claims the move aims to bring transparency, discipline, and accountability", but students have strongly opposed it, calling the system oppressive, unrealistic, and damaging to mental health". The policy, which has been implemented this month, sets minimum working hours for staff, MTech, and PhD scholars. According to the departments circular, permanent and contractual staff must log 40 working hours per week (excluding lunch breaks). MTech and first-year PhD students are required to spend at least 50 hours weekly on campus, while senior PhD scholars are expected to match their supervisors working hours, often ranging between 70-80 hours a week. Recommended Stories Further, those using central research facilities such as the National Nanofabrication Centre (NNFC), Micro and Nano Characterisation Facility (MNCF), or IISc Microscopy Facility must separately record their time spent there. The department has also mandated documentation for students wishing to work from home, citing medical or personal reasons. In an internal communication, Department Head Professor Mayank Srivastava defended the move, asserting that it was not about strictness but about fostering responsibility". He described the system as flexible, transparent, and fair", claiming it would enhance security and overall efficiency. However, students have sharply disagreed. Several research scholars said the new norms ignore the mental health realities of postgraduate life and could create an atmosphere of constant pressure. The mandatory attendance monitoring through RFID cards and facial recognition has also triggered widespread anger. Students have likened it to spy-like surveillance" and accused the administration of discrimination, arguing that faculty members are exempt from such tracking. This is not surveillance, but a sign of distrust," said a student, adding that the move reflects how students and staff are treated as subordinates rather than collaborators". top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In their petition to the IISc Director, the students described the policy as a blow to both mental health and academic freedom. Students argue that strict attendance hours undermine curiosity-driven research, where progress often depends on independent thought rather than rigid schedules. They also alleged that the policy introduced a corporate culture" into academia, where clocking hours" is valued more than innovation or discovery. The petition urged the director to immediately revoke the system and ensure that no department adopts surveillance-based" policies in the future. First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:57 IST News education-career 80-Hour Weeks? IISc Bengaluru Students Protest New Job-Style Attendance Rule Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Get Bank Job Without Written Exam In SBI; Check How To Apply For 103 SCO Vacancies In 2025 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 11:13 IST SBI SCO Recruitment 2025: The selection process involves shortlisting candidates, followed by one or more rounds of personal, telephonic, or video interviews, and CTC negotiations. The last date to submit the application form is November 17, 2025. (File Photo) State Bank of India (SBI) has issued an official notification for the recruitment of 103 Specialist Cadre Officer posts. Interested and eligible candidates can apply online through the official SBI website, sbi.bank.in. The last date to submit the application form is November 17, 2025. SBI SCO Recruitment 2025: Vacancy Details Recommended Stories Head (Product, Investment & Research): 1 Zonal Head (Retail): 4 Regional Head: 7 Relationship Manager-Team Lead: 19 Investment Specialist (IS): 22 Investment Officer (IO): 46 Project Development Manager (Business): 2 Central Research Team (Support): 2 SBI SCO Recruitment 2025: Educational Qualification Head (Product, Investment, and Research): Graduation or Post-Graduation from a government-recognised university or institution or reputed colleges. Preferred qualifications include CA, CFP, CFA, NISM Investment Advisor, NISM 21-A, or Research Analyst Certificate. Zonal Head (Retail): Graduation from a government-recognised university or institution. Regional Head: Graduation from a government-recognised university or institution. Relationship Manager-Team Lead: Graduation from a government-recognised university or institution. Investment Specialist (IS): Professional qualification in PG Degree or PG Diploma in Finance, Accountancy, Business Management, Commerce, Economics, Capital Markets, Banking, Insurance, or Actuarial Science from a recognised institution or CA/CFA. Investment Officer (IO): Professional qualification in PG Degree or PG Diploma in Finance, Accountancy, Business Management, Commerce, Economics, Capital Markets, Banking, Insurance, or Actuarial Science from a recognised institution or CA/CFA. Project Development Manager (Business): MBA/PGDM from a government-recognised university or institution. Central Research Team (Support): Graduation in Commerce, Finance, Economics, Management, Mathematics, or Statistics from a government-recognised university or institution. SBI SCO Recruitment 2025: Age Limit Head (Product, Investment & Research): 35 50 years Zonal Head (Retail): 35 50 years Regional Head: 35 50 years Relationship Manager-Team Lead: 28 42 years Investment Specialist (IS): 28 42 years Investment Officer (IO): 28 40 years Project Development Manager (Business): 30 40 years Central Research Team (Support): 25 35 years SBI SCO Recruitment 2025: Application Fee General, EWS, and OBC category candidates need to pay Rs 750 while the application is free for SC, ST, and PwBD candidates. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all SBI SCO Recruitment 2025: Selection Process The selection process involves shortlisting candidates, followed by one or more rounds of personal, telephonic, or video interviews, and CTC negotiations. Applicants must note that meeting the minimum qualifications and experience does not ensure an interview call. The shortlisting committee will determine the criteria, and the Bank will select an adequate number of candidates for interviews. The interview is worth 100 marks. The final merit list will be prepared in descending order based on interview scores. In case of a tie in scores, candidates will be ranked by age in descending order. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 15:43 IST News education-career Get Bank Job Without Written Exam In SBI; Check How To Apply For 103 SCO Vacancies In 2025 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Three IIT Madras Professors Awarded Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 For Scientific Excellence Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:15 IST Three IIT Madras professors have received the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025, Indias highest recognition for excellence in science and technology. IIT Madras professors Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Shweta Prem Agrawal and Thalappil Pradeep have been honoured with the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025. Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025: Three professors from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have been selected for the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025, Indias highest national award for exceptional contributions in science, technology, and innovation. The recipients from IIT Madras are Prof. Thalappil Pradeep, Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, and Prof. Shweta Prem Agrawal. The award highlights IIT Madrass growing reputation as one of Indias top research and innovation institutions. The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, instituted by the Government of India, recognises outstanding scientific achievements under four categories Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva (Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar), and Vigyan Team. Recommended Stories The Awardees Vigyan Shri: Prof. Thalappil Pradeep, Department of Chemistry Vigyan Yuva Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar: Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Department of Electrical Engineering, and Prof. Shweta Prem Agrawal, Department of Computer Science and Engineering Congratulating the awardees, IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti said the recognition reflected the institutions dedication to advancing science and technology for the nations growth. Their achievements reaffirm IIT Madrass commitment to innovation and inspire our entire academic community," he said. Prof. Thalappil Pradeep, known globally for his work in clean water technologies, advanced materials, and molecular clusters, said science has become his blood and breath". He thanked his teachers, students, collaborators, and family for their support. His research has led to affordable water purification systems that have benefited millions of people across India. Prof. Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, who leads IIT Madrass Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre and the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre, has been recognised for developing affordable medical technologies and large-scale brain imaging systems. His teams work has impacted over 15 million patients in India and abroad. This award recognises our belief that world-class R&D can be achieved in India through collaboration between academia, government and industry," he said. Prof. Shweta Prem Agrawal, Venky Harinarayan and Anand Rajaraman Chair Professor in Computer Science, has been honoured for her pioneering work in cryptography. Her research focuses on building secure systems that can protect sensitive data, even from quantum computers. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all I hope this award inspires more students to explore foundational fields like cryptography and pursue research careers in India," she said. Prof. Agrawal also stressed the importance of continued support for fundamental research in mathematics and computer science so that India can retain and nurture its scientific talent. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:15 IST News education-career Three IIT Madras Professors Awarded Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 For Scientific Excellence Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... UPSC Recommends 114 Candidates From Reserve List For Civil Services 2024 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:55 IST UPSC CSE 2024 recommended 1009 candidates based on merit for appointment to IAS, IFS, IPS, and other Central Services, Group A and Group B against 1129 vacancies. The UPSC reserve list is available on the official website at upsc.gov.in.(Representative/File Photo) The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recommended 114 additional candidates from the Consolidated Reserve List to fill the remaining vacancies for the Civil Services Examination (Main) 2024. The list is available on the official website at upsc.gov.in. It contains the PDF file of the candidates who have selected along with their roll numbers. The result of the Civil Services Examination, 2024 was announced on April 22, 2025, recommending 1009 candidates based on merit for appointment to IAS, IFS, IPS, and other Central Services, Group A and Group B against 1129 vacancies. It was also stated that the Commission, in accordance with Rule 20(4) & 20(5) of the Civil Services Examination Rules, 2024, had maintained a Consolidated Reserve List in order of merit below the last recommended candidate in the respective categories. Recommended Stories The Commission has now recommended 114 candidates, including 94 from the General category, 05 from EWS, 13 from OBC, 01 from SC, and 01 from ST, to fill the remaining posts based on the Civil Services Examination, 2024. The recommended candidates will be informed directly by the DOP&T. UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2024 Reserve List The candidature of 15 candidates is provisional. In the said Press Note it was also informed that the Commission, in accordance with the Rule 20(4) & 20(5) of the Civil Services Examination Rules, 2024 has also maintained a Consolidated Reserve List in order of merit below the last recommended candidate under the respective categories," reads the official notice by UPSC. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As sought by the Department of Personnel & Training, the Commission has now recommended 114 candidates which include 94-General, 05-EWS, 13-OBC, 01- SC and 01-ST, to fill up the remaining posts based on the Civil Services Examination, 2024. The candidates, so recommended, will be intimated directly by the DOP&T," the commission added. Shakti Dubey topped the UPSC CSE in 2024. She was followed by Harshita Goyal at rank 2, Dongre Archit Parag secured rank 3. Shah Margi Chirag and Aakash Garg secured the fourth and fifth spots, respectively. About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:40 IST News education-career UPSC Recommends 114 Candidates From Reserve List For Civil Services 2024 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... EC Didnt Act: Prashant Kishors Team Blames Poll Body Over Dual Voter Entries In Bihar, Bengal Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:49 IST While Prashant Kishor himself has not issued a public statement, a senior member of his team dismissed the controversy, calling it a clerical oversight on the part EC. Prashant Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party has emerged as the third force in Bihars political arena, is confident that people will "defeat the current government". (Image: PTI/File) Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, who heads the Jan Suraaj Party and is contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, has found himself at the centre of a controversy over dual voter registration. Official records show Kishors name appearing on voter lists in both West Bengal and Bihar, a violation under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Kishors team says EC at fault Recommended Stories While Prashant Kishor himself has not issued a public statement, a senior member of his team dismissed the controversy, calling it a clerical oversight on the part of the Election Commission (EC). This is the Election Commissions mistake, not Prashant Kishors. He applied for deletion of his Bengal entry after registering in Bihar. If the EC did not act on that, what more could he do?" the aide said. According to his team, Kishor had shifted his voter registration to Bihar following his political launch with Jan Suraaj, which is based in the state. However, they did not clarify when or whether the EC had officially processed his request to remove his Bengal voter entry. Dual entries According to election records, Kishor is enrolled as a voter in Bihars Kargahar Assembly constituency, which falls under the Sasaram parliamentary seat. His polling booth is listed as Madhya Vidyalay, Konar village, in Rohtas district, his ancestral home. Simultaneously, Kishors name appears in West Bengals Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, where his address is recorded as 121, Kalighat Road, the location of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) headquarters. His polling station is St Helen School on B Ranishankari Lane. Kishor had previously worked with the TMC as a political consultant during the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections. What the law says Under Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, no individual can be registered as a voter in more than one constituency at the same time. Section 18 further prohibits multiple registrations within the same constituency. To update voter details or change constituencies, citizens are required to file Form 8 with the Election Commission, requesting correction or deletion of earlier entries. Electoral duplication, however, is not uncommon in India. The EC itself acknowledged the problem earlier this year, citing it as a key reason for launching a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls nationwide, starting with Bihar. In its June 24 order, the EC noted that many electors move residence and register at a new location without deleting their old entry, leading to repeated enrolments" across constituencies. The Bihar SIR exercise, concluded with the publication of the updated rolls on September 30, resulted in the deletion of nearly 68.66 lakh names. Of these, about 7 lakh were found to be duplicate registrations, voters listed in more than one place. Despite this, officials admit that duplicate entries continue to exist in the system, given the vast scale of Indias voter database. What TMC said? Local TMC councillor Kajari Banerjee, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees sister-in-law, confirmed that 121 Kalighat Road serves as the partys official office. He (Kishor) used to visit and stay there during his work with TMC. I am not sure whether he enrolled as a voter from here or not," she said as quoted by Indian Express. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, the CPI(M)s Bhabanipur unit had previously objected to Kishors voter registration in the area during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, alleging he was not a resident of the constituency. With Kishor now an active political contender in Bihar, the revelation has triggered debate over compliance and accountability in the countrys electoral process. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:49 IST News elections EC Didnt Act: Prashant Kishors Team Blames Poll Body Over Dual Voter Entries In Bihar, Bengal Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... EC Issues Notice To Prashant Kishor For Being Enrolled As Voter In 2 States Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 15:34 IST Prashant Kishor receives Election Commission notice for dual voter registration in Bihar and West Bengal ahead of Bihar assembly polls. Jan Suraaj leader Prashant Kishor (Image: PTI/File) Bihar Polls: The Election Commission on Tuesday served a notice to political strategist-turned politician Prashant Kishor after his name was found in the voter lists of both Bihar and West Bengal ahead of Bihar assembly polls. The Jan Suraaj chief has been asked to submit his response within three days, officials said on Tuesday. Recommended Stories According to official records, Kishor is enrolled in West Bengal at 121, Kalighat Road the address of the Trinamool Congress headquarters in Kolkatas Bhabanipur constituency, which is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees seat. His polling station is listed as St. Helen School on B Ranishankari Lane," news agency PTI reported, citing an election official. During the 2021 assembly elections in West Bengal, Kishor had worked as a political consultant for the TMC. Kishor is registered at his native place, Kargahar assembly segment under Sasaram parliamentary constituency in Rohtas district of Bihar, the poll official said, adding that his polling booth is Madhya Vidyalaya, Konar. The ECs notice cited Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibits an individual from being registered as a voter in more than one constituency. Officials also referred to Section 18, which bars multiple entries within the same constituency. Under the law, a person changing residence must apply for inclusion in the new constituency through Form 8, declaring that their name be deleted from the previous electoral roll. Jan Suraaj Responds To Row Reacting to the controversy, Jan Suraaj Party spokesperson Kumar Saurabh Singh said the matter reflected a lapse on the ECs part. The onus is on the Election Commission. It had launched SIR in Bihar with so much of fanfare. So many names were dropped on the ground of deletion. When they can leave room for a lapse in case of a well-known personality like Prashant Kishor, one can imagine the diligence of the EC elsewhere," he said as quoted by news agency PTI. He, however, evaded a direct reply to a pointed query as to whether Kishor had applied for deletion of his name from the voters list in West Bengal, prior to applying for inclusion in the electoral roll of Bihar. Prashant Kishor is an educated man. He understands his responsibilities well. That he was stationed in West Bengal earlier, as a poll strategist for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is well known. Let the EC approach us if it thinks that there has been wrongdoing on our part. Our legal team will respond," he added. Political Parties React The row also drew reactions from political parties across Bihars spectrum. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar questioned why Kishor was registered in West Bengal. It is amusing that someone hailing from Bihar and having establishments in Delhi chose to be a voter in Bengal. Was it because he hoped to secure a Rajya Sabha seat after helping Mamata Banerjee in 2021?" he alleged. We suspect Kishor had tried to strike a deal with Banerjee, that after her victory in the 2021 polls, she would get him elected to the Rajya Sabha. To become a member of the Upper House in Parliament he needed to be a resident of the state concerned. But the Trinamool Congress chief must have snubbed him after returning as the chief minister. So, in a sulk, he might have staged the drama of retiring from the consultancy business," he added. BJP leader Neeraj Kumar termed the alleged dual registration no minor oversight but a heinous crime." He accused Kishor of a vile conspiracy with the TMC to undermine Bihar elections" and demanded a rigorous EC probe. RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari, meanwhile, said the controversy exposed the shortcomings of the ECs voter list revision drive. This shows the farce of the SIR. Many NDA leaders have been found with multiple voter registrations. Kishor, who we suspect is working covertly for the BJP, now joins the list," he alleged. The EC has acknowledged that duplication of voter entries is a recurring issue and cited it as one reason for launching the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls throughout the country. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The SIR, which started in Bihar, was completed with the publication of updated rolls on September 30, resulting in the removal of about 68.66 lakh entries, including roughly seven lakh cases of voters registered in multiple places. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 15:34 IST News elections EC Issues Notice To Prashant Kishor For Being Enrolled As Voter In 2 States Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Every Vote Matters: Haryana BJP Plans To Mobilise Lakhs Of Migrant Voters For Bihar Polls Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:07 IST The campaign aims to ensure that the registered voters, whose original votes lie in Bihar, are present to vote on election day. Haryana BJP's massive mobilisation drive aims to send an estimated two and a half to three lakh Bihari migrant voters back to their home state to cast their ballots. (Image: PTI) The electoral battle for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections has extended far beyond the states borders, with the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) planning to launch an ambitious, massive mobilisation drive to send an estimated two and a half to three lakh Bihari migrant voters back to their home state to cast their ballots. This unprecedented move is part of the BJPs comprehensive strategy to maximise voter turnout in the festival of democracy in Bihar. The move is also aimed to ensure that these migrant workers use their right to vote and motivate others also to do the same irrespective of their voting preferences. Recommended Stories A source in Haryana BJP told News18, The party has identified a significant population of Bihari migrants residing across 10 districts in Haryana. The majority of these voters are industrial labourers concentrated in the NCRs factory hubs, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat, Panipat, and Karnal. We have established continuous contact with over 1 lakh of these voters. The campaign aims to ensure these registered voters, whose original votes lie in Bihar, are present on election day. The partys outreach focuses on promoting the good governance message of the BJP government, drawing a stark contrast with the past." The scale of the plan is evident in districts like Panipat, which alone is reported to host 25,000 Bihari migrant voters. While a small fraction (around 2,300) has permanently settled and had their names removed from the Bihar voter list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the vast majority remains eligible to vote in Bihar. To facilitate this, the party is dispatching over 500 Vistarakas (campaign workers) from Panipat alone to Bihar, tasked with voter mobilisation and engagement. The political significance of this undertaking is underlined by the involvement of the highest level of state leadership. Top state leaders reportedly held multiple meetings last week to personally oversee the logistics for the migrants and responsibilities were assigned to local leaders of the party to carry out the task. Crucially, the BJP is addressing the logistical and economic challenges faced by the labourers. Haryana BJP leaders are actively contacting factory owners to request and arrange paid leave for the Bihari migrant voters, removing a major obstacle to their participation in the democratic process. To ensure seamless travel, the party is also planning to operate special buses from Haryana to Bihar starting around November 1 or 2, with return facilities also promised. Furthermore, the party had already deployed a formidable team of leaders to manage the Bihar election campaign. 50 senior leaders and ministers from the Haryana BJP have been assigned special duties, including prominent figures like Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar, and Haryana Ministers Vipul Goyal, Rao Narbir Singh and others. Out of this group, 25 leaders are already on duty in Bihar, signalling the gravity with which the party is approaching the migrant voter segment. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The move marks a significant escalation in the inter-state political manoeuvring for the Bihar polls, highlighting the critical role migrant workers now play as a decisive swing vote. Moreover, the Haryana government this time had made special and extensive arrangements for Chhath Puja in the state. Chief Minister Nayab Saini had given district administration instructions to make extensive arrangements for Chhath Puja in Gurugram, Faridabad, and Panchkula. These efforts include preparing ghats with sanitation, lighting, and security, as well as managing crowds and traffic for the safety and convenience of devotees. First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:07 IST News elections Every Vote Matters: Haryana BJP Plans To Mobilise Lakhs Of Migrant Voters For Bihar Polls Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... From Scrapping Waqf Bill To Labour Census: 10 Promises In Mahagathbandhans Bihar Manifesto Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 17:40 IST Calling it anti-constitutional, the Mahagathbandhan pledged to scrap the Waqf Bill if voted to power. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, comprising the RJD, Congress and Left, became the first alliance to release its manifesto ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections, unveiling a sweeping plan focused on jobs, justice and governance. The Bihar Mahagathbandhan Manifesto 2025, titled Nyay, Rozgar aur Samman" (Justice, Employment and Dignity), outlines a roadmap that the opposition bloc says will deliver a new deal" for Bihars youth, farmers and working class. The manifesto promises employment for every family, a caste census, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, better law enforcement and the scrapping of the Waqf Bill. It also pledges a labour census, expanded healthcare and welfare-driven growth across sectors. Recommended Stories Heres a look at 10 key promises in the Mahagathbandhan manifesto: Read more: Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran: Mahagathbandhan Promises Govt Jobs To All Families In Poll Manifesto 1. One Job Per Family Within 20 Days The alliance said one member from every family will be given a government job within 20 days of assuming power. It also aims to create 20 lakh jobs in government and private sectors within five years through a State Employment Commission and revival of closed industries. 2. Regularization Of Contractual Workers And Old Pension Return All contractual, outsourced and scheme-based workers, including Jeevika Didis, Anganwadi and Shiksha Mitra staff, will be made permanent government employees. The alliance also vowed to reinstate the Old Pension Scheme for government employees. 3. Labour Census To Track Migrant Workers The alliance promised a comprehensive labour census to document and support migrant workers- aiming to ensure their access to welfare, insurance and job opportunities within Bihar. 4. Farmers Relief And Rural Revival The manifesto guarantees loan waivers for small and marginal farmers, free electricity for irrigation and higher MSPs than national standards. A Kisan Nyay Yojana will ensure fair compensation and crop insurance for all cultivators. 5. Free Education And Youth Empowerment Education will be free up to graduation level, with laptops for every college student and scholarships for girls and underprivileged youth. Teacher vacancies will be filled quickly and skill development centers will be established in every district. 6. Free Healthcare And District Hospital Upgrade The alliance proposes the Jan Swasthya Suraksha Plan, which will provide free healthcare up to 10 lakh per family. All district hospitals and primary health centers will be modernized and a State Medical Supply Corporation will ensure uninterrupted access to medicines. 7. Caste Census And Social Justice Reforms The Mahagathbandhan pledges to push for a nationwide caste census and implement proportional representation in education, jobs and governance. Sub-quotas will be introduced for OBCs, EBCs and Dalits, along with special schemes for minorities and women. 8. Womens Empowerment And Safety The alliance promises 33% reservation for women in government jobs, interest-free loans for self-help groups and fast-track courts for crimes against women. Additional measures will focus on economic independence and social security. 9. Zero Tolerance For Crime And Sensitised Policing The manifesto outlines a zero-tolerance policy on crime and corruption, pledging better policing, citizen-friendly training for law enforcement and modernization of police infrastructure. 10. Scrapping Waqf Bill Calling it anti-constitutional," the Mahagathbandhan pledged to scrap the Waqf Bill if voted to power, saying it infringes on citizens rights to equality and property. The manifesto also includes commitments to expand Patna Metro, build five new smart cities, ensure 247 electricity and clean water and make governance fully digital with Right to Health and Right to Employment laws. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The manifesto also placed a strong focus on industrial revival and regional economic growth, promising a new Bihar Industrial Development Policy aimed at attracting investment and generating jobs. The alliance promises tax incentives, land banks and a single-window clearance system to ease business operations, alongside reliable power, road and digital infrastructure. The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in November 2025, where the Mahagathbandhan will face off against the ruling NDA alliance led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Location : Bihar, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 17:32 IST News elections From Scrapping Waqf Bill To Labour Census: 10 Promises In Mahagathbandhans Bihar Manifesto Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Massive Tussle: BJP Says Tejashwi Asked Rahul To Skip Mahagathbandhan Manifesto's Launch Today Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 12:27 IST Led by Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD remains the largest component of the Mahagathbandhan and has projected Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (File Photo) With the Bihar Assembly election fast approaching, political tempers are rising. On Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a fresh attack on the opposition Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), claiming that the alliance is struggling with internal discord. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that all is not well between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, claiming that the Congress leader will skip the alliances manifesto release event. Rift within Mahagathbandhan? Recommended Stories In a post on X, Bhandari wrote, MGB Manifesto Politics Mahagathbandhan to release its manifesto today! Its told that Rahul Gandhi will not be present at the launch! Tejashwi Yadav himself has communicated that Rahul Gandhi should not be present! This will be the second absence of Rahul Gandhi! Massive tussle between Tejashwi and Rahul." He further alleged that Tejashwi Yadav had intentionally distanced himself and his party from the Congress leader. Tejashwi Yadav did not have Rahuls picture on the poster, has not allowed him to campaign in Bihar, did not invite him for the manifesto launch, and did not give Congress a Deputy CM candidature. He believes Rahul will do vote chori of RJDs vote bank," Bhandari claimed, adding that the so-called Maha Thagbandhan (Grand Deceit Alliance) was fighting among themselves". The BJPs remarks come just days before the first phase of polling, adding to the growing narrative of friction within the opposition bloc. What we know about the Grand Alliance? The Mahagathbandhan, which is contesting the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, is an alliance of major opposition parties aiming to challenge the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The coalition includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and several Left parties, as well as smaller regional outfits. Led by Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD remains the largest component of the alliance and has projected Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate. The Congress continues to be a significant national partner, contesting a notable share of the 243 seats. Additionally, a smaller regional party representing the Nishad community has joined the alliance to consolidate caste-based support. Ahead of the manifesto launch, Tejashwi termed it the Tejashwi Pran Patra, a roadmap for Bihars progress over the next five years. Hitting out at the NDA, he questioned, What schemes do they have? What is their vision to take Bihar forward?" Tejashwi added that while the NDA only makes allegations, the Mahagathbandhan offers a clear vision to make Bihar number one. The Mahagathbandhan manifesto will focus on jobs, monthly support for women, free electricity, medical coverage, and social welfare schemes. This marks a major campaign milestone for the opposition bloc as Bihar enters full election mode following the festival period. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to the Election Commission of India, polling will be conducted in two phases phase 1 is on 6 November 2025 (121 constituencies) and phase 2 will be on 11 November 2025 (122 constituencies). The counting of votes and results will take place on 14 November 2025. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Bihar, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:10 IST News elections Massive Tussle: BJP Says Tejashwi Asked Rahul To Skip Mahagathbandhan Manifesto's Launch Today Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Danylo Hetmantsev, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Taxation, and Customs Policy, supports reducing the threshold at which parcels from abroad are taxed, from the current level of EUR 150. However, he states that the Verkhovna Rada lacks the potential to make such a decision and calls on interested businesses to take a more active position. "I am convinced that the businesses harmed by this exemption need to communicate more consistently the necessity of this decision to the public and members of the Verkhovna Rada. At the moment, we do not see the potential for its adoption in parliament," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. According to Hetmantsev, even without a similar decision being made by U.S. President Donald Trump, the need for such a measure to protect national interests is obvious. "The national interests of the state do not lie in supporting Chinese manufacturers or Chinese marketplaces. We must support our own producers, our own retail, and we definitely should not give preferences to foreigners. Currently, this exemption benefits foreigners. Lets also be frank: it creates a large loophole for smuggled imports, which are broken down into these small [or not so small] parcels of EUR 150 each," emphasized the committee chairman. As reported, it was proposed to lower the taxation threshold to EUR 45 the level set in the EU. 'No Genuine Voters Will Be Dropped': Bengal CEO Holds All-Party Meeting On SIR Exercise Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 00:38 IST The West Bengal chief electoral officer fielded pointed questions from the TMC and Left parties during the all-party meeting about the voter list revision process The SIR is being conducted in 12 states and UTs, including West Bengal that goes to polls next year alongside Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. (Image for representation: News18) The battle for West Bengal has clearly begun with the state going into election mode after the announcement of the voter list revision. The West Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO) held an all-party meeting on Tuesday, which turned stormy as both the Trinamool Congress and Left parties posed pointed questions about the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise. Recommended Stories The Trinamool Congress has vowed to protect" voters from being excluded" from the electoral rolls of West Bengal, which goes to polls next year alongside Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. It launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) through national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, while simultaneously raising several key issues during the meeting. West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal, however, said not a single genuine electors name will be struck off the voters list following the completion of the SIR. Representing the TMC at the all-party meeting were Bobby Halim and Arup Biswas. Reacting to a report that a man from North 24 Parganas died by suicide over alleged fear of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Biswas said: Because of your actions related to the NRC and similar exercises, many people are dying out of fear. We told the Election Commission (EC) that it must take responsibility for these deaths. We questioned the Commission, but they could not give any answer." He added: Within just two to two and a half months, you are trying to strip away the voting rights of 8.5 crore people. Under whose instructions are you doing this?" According to sources, the Left also raised concerns over how the EC could determine who is Indian" and who is Bangladeshi". The TMC, meanwhile, raised questions about the BJPs CAA camp", to which the poll body responded by saying it has nothing to do with it, the sources told News18. The sources said the BJP welcomed the SIR, but raised the issue that many booth level officers (BLO) were acting as TMC supporters". After the meeting, BJP leader Shishir Bajoria told reporters that the death by suicide case was due to the TMCs actions. There is no NRC in this state. Who is raising that issue? It is the TMC and, so, it must take responsibility for this death," Bajoria said. West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal presented slides and explained the SIR to all political parties, assuring them that the voter list will be fully transparent". I would like to assure you that not a single legitimate voters name would be excluded from the list. We are hopeful that it would be a 100 per cent fair voter list," Agarwal told reporters after the meeting. Agarwal said currently there are 7,66,37,529 voters in the state. We didnt have time in Bihar for the SIR of electoral rolls. We have got time in Bengal. So, theres no opportunity to create any confusion. The increase in voters compared to 2002 is normal. Many peoples names have been transferred," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He said all political parties have assured of cooperation. On security of BLOs, he added: Law and order is the state subject. State will provide all security for the BLOs. If any situation arises, we will take action accordingly." The CEO declined to give a statement on the political parties reactions. EC already said everything in their guidelines and the announcements," he said. (With agency inputs) About the Author Kamalika Sengupta Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and womens issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting... Read More First Published: October 29, 2025, 00:37 IST News elections 'No Genuine Voters Will Be Dropped': Bengal CEO Holds All-Party Meeting On SIR Exercise Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'SIR Will Help Identify Infiltrators': Concerns Over Sharp Demographic Shifts In Key Bengal Districts Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 08:00 IST Voter mapping results raised serious concerns in North 24 Parganas, West Burdwan, Howrah, and Cooch Behar, with alarmingly low matching percentage between 2003 and 2025 voter lists In West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, only 41% of the voter data matched indicating that more than half the voters are new. (Image: News18) Before the voter list revision exercise was announced, West Bengal underwent an extensive voter mapping exercise, comparing the 2003 voter list with that of 2025. The results have raised serious concerns, especially in the key districts of North 24 Parganas, West Burdwan, Howrah, and Cooch Behar, with the matching percentage alarmingly low and, in some cases, less than half of the voters appear in both lists. Recommended Stories News18 travelled to West Bengals largest district, North 24 Parganas which shares a nearly 230-km international border to investigate the situation on the ground. Here, only 41 percent of the voter data matched, indicating that more than half the voters are new. In West Burdwan, the matching percentage dropped even lower to below 40 percent. At Kadambagachi, discussions about the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise were already taking place at local tea stalls. Many local residents were openly talking about the visible demographic changes in their areas with some expressing concerns that a large number of new settlers had arrived, altering the population balance. Several admitted that they are worried about what these changes might mean for their future. Subir Mondal, a resident of Kadambagachi, said: Things have changed drastically. These areas were once barren, but now many people have come from Bangladesh. Its a big concern for us. Theyve crossed over, made voter cards and Aadhaar cards everything. The area is now overpopulated, and we have become a minority here." Things are changing fast. We often dont even know whos living next door. I came from Bihar in the 1970s, and I have all my documents. But the way these people come and get documents so easily is strange. We are scared they seem to have everything ready, and there are agencies that help them get all papers," said Md Akbar, a daily wage labourer. The common sentiment in the Barasat area, a crucial sub-division in the North 24 Parganas district, is one of unease the presence of outsiders is evident, and local residents fear losing their identity and influence. Were not against anyone, but the pace of change is worrying. Its affecting the local balance. How do they get all the documents so quickly? Our names might get deleted from the voter list, but theirs will remain. Even from the Barasat area itself, people have been arrested for facilitating fake voter cards. Over the past six months, several such cases have been reported," said a local trader Subho Ghosh. Dr Kaji Jahangir Haq, a local doctor, echoed similar concerns. The demographics of this region are definitely shifting. You can see the change in schools, in markets everywhere," he said. Another local resident, who did not want to be named, said: If the SIR process is conducted properly, the entire colony will be wiped out." In the Molla Para area of Kadambagachi, a local teacher, Soumen Sarkar, shared his observations. Even during the last election, I saw people from outside especially from minority communities coming here to cast their vote. I was born here, but the change that has taken place is unprecedented. In the nearby Molla Para area, most of the people are outsiders. Theyre taking our land and jobs. We want the SIR process to happen properly it will help identify infiltrators," he said. Local residents also pointed out that it is not just minorities, but members of the majority community have also crossed the border in the last decade and settled here. One Hindu resident, who did not wish to be named, said: We wont be deported, but if everything is cancelled, what happens to our loans and properties?" According to home department regulations, Hindus coming from Bangladesh will not be deported, but local residents said they are worried about their documents and property rights. At Molla Para, where local residents claimed that Bangladeshi nationals have been living, several people said some had recently fled. Many new huts and small settlements were visible in the area, and most residents claimed that they had been living there for a long time. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all With voter mapping data showing massive demographic changes and locals expressing fear and uncertainty, the big questions now are who are these new voters, and where are they coming from? As West Bengal enters another crucial phase of the electoral roll revision, the answers to these questions could shape not just the assembly elections next year, but also the states political narrative in the months ahead. About the Author Kamalika Sengupta Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and womens issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 08:00 IST News elections 'SIR Will Help Identify Infiltrators': Concerns Over Sharp Demographic Shifts In Key Bengal Districts Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Tejashwi Yadav Alleges Slow Voting Conspiracy To Target Mahagathbandhan Strongholds Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:28 IST Tejashwi Yadav alleges a conspiracy to slow voting in Mahagathbandhan strongholds ahead of Bihar polls, warning officials and criticizing the Election Commission and Amit Shah. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google LoP in Bihar Assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addresses the media after releasing INDIA bloc's manifesto for Bihar Assembly elections, in Patna. (IMAGE: PTI) Mahagathbandhans chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched to deliberately slow down voting in areas where the Mahagathbandhan has a strong voter base, particularly in constituencies expecting over 60% turnout. A conspiracy has been hatched to ensure slow voting in areas where the Mahagathbandhan has a strong voter base and where more than 60% voting is expected," the former deputy chief minister said while releasing the Mahagathbandhans manifesto for the upcoming Bihar elections. Recommended Stories This time, we are alert and will not let that happen," he added. In a stern warning to officials, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said that any officer attempting to create trouble in collusion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah" will face severe punishment. We will not allow vote theft or dishonesty under any circumstance," he asserted. Notably, Tejashwi has been critical of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted in Bihar and has repeatedly clashed with the Election Commission, accusing it of favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Janata Dal (United) alliance. The former deputy chief minister has alleged multiple malpractices by the Election Commission during the voter revision exercise. In July, he threatened to boycott the upcoming Bihar elections if the voter roll revision was not halted. In August, he claimed that his name was missing from the newly released draft voter list, only to be countered by the polling body. Ahead of the two-phased Bihar polls, scheduled for November 6 and November 11, political activity in the state has intensified. The results for the 243-member Bihar Assembly are set to be announced on November 14. The SIR, which began earlier this year, concluded with the publication of updated voter rolls on September 30. The exercise led to the removal of approximately 68.66 lakh entries, including nearly seven lakh cases of voters registered in multiple locations. In Bihar, the primary electoral contest is between the ruling NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the opposition alliance Mahagathbandhan, headed by the RJD. The NDA comprises the BJP, JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, includes the Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahanis Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishors Jan Suraaj is making its electoral debut in the state. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 17:54 IST News elections Tejashwi Yadav Alleges Slow Voting Conspiracy To Target Mahagathbandhan Strongholds Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Tejashwi Yadav Vows To Legalise Toddy If Voted To Power In Bihar. What Is It? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 20:46 IST The sale and consumption of 'toddy' is prohibited in Bihar under the Act. Toddy is a natural alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of palm trees. (File) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Mahagathbandhans Chief Minister candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, on Tuesday announced to exempt toddy a traditional palm drink (alcoholic) from the states prohibition law, if he is voted to power. While speaking at a poll rally in Sarans Parsa, the RJD leader voiced disapproval of the prohibition policy in Bihar. The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act has completely failed in Bihar There is a home delivery system of liquor in the state, and people are easily availing it," he claimed as reported by news agency PTI. Recommended Stories If we are voted to power, we will remove the ban on toddy (tari)," Yadav added. Later, in the manifesto, the Mahagathbandhan promised to lift the ban on toddy (tari) and review the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act if voted to power in the state. The Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act will be reviewed and the ban on toddy (tari) in the state will be removed. Immediate relief will be provided to Dalits and other poor people languishing in jail for violating the law. Traditional occupations based on toddy and mahua will be excluded from the ambit of the prohibition law," the document said. Yadav said the move would restore the livelihoods of those dependent on the traditional toddy trade. The community, which has been doing this toddy business for generations, has no other means of livelihood or agricultural land. This ban needs to be removed," Yadav said. Bihar has been a dry state since April 2016, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumars government imposed a complete ban on the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor. The sale and consumption of toddy is prohibited in the state under the Act. What Is Toddy? Toddy is primarily an alcoholic beverage made from the sap of different types of palm trees, including date palms, coconut palms, and others. In South India, it is also known as Palm Wine, while in Northern India, it is called Neera. It has a highly sweet flavour and is not alcoholic until fermented. When it goes through the fermentation process, it becomes an alcoholic beverage which is known as palm wine. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Overindulging in Palm Toddy can be harmful to ones health. It can harm the liver if consumed in excess. Because it includes ethanol, it may have an adverse effect on a pregnant womans lipid metabolism. It causes the liver to store fat, which interferes with the livers regular operation. Palm Toddy drinking in excess can also reduce a persons bodys ability to clot blood, which can cause uncontrolled bleeding. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More Location : Saran, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 20:46 IST News elections Tejashwi Yadav Vows To Legalise Toddy If Voted To Power In Bihar. What Is It? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'TMC Will Do What It Has To': Abhishek Banerjee Slams SIR, BJP Demands FIR Against Him Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 21:54 IST Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the Election Commission was plotting with BJP to "exclude" genuine voters and tilt the political balance ahead of the 2026 polls TMC leader Abhishek Banerjees comments came as the West Bengal chief electoral officer held an all-party meeting on the SIR in the state. (Image: PTI/File) Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee lashed out at the Election Commission of India over the voter list revision exercise, alleging that it was plotting with the BJP to exclude" genuine voters and tilt the political balance ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. Banerjees comments came as the West Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO) held an all-party meeting on the special intensive revision (SIR) in the state. Recommended Stories But the BJP was quick to hit back at the Trinamool Congress over its attack on the EC, urging the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to respond to Banerjees threats" and register an FIR against him in New Delhi. You will see what the TMC will do on the ground. We are not apprehensive about law and order, peace will prevail and the TMC will do what it has to," Banerjee said during a press conference. Calling the EC an alliance organisation" of the BJP, he alleged the SIR has been declared through which the government will decide who will vote". He reiterated the TMCs stand against the electoral roll revision. Our partys stand is clear from the very first day that this SIRs motive is exclusion of voters. The government is now going to decide who will vote; earlier, voters decided who will be in government," he said. The TMC MP said the existing voter lists were used for the 2024 general elections as well, so if there is any fault in it, then the Centre should dissolve the Lok Sabha. PM to HM to me, we all have been elected through this voter list. We should resign and then start SIR. In 2002, it took two years and now they will do it in two months," he said. He raised questions on the omission of Assam from the SIR list. The northeastern state will also go to polls alongside West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry next year. They have been clever to omit Assam because the BJP is in power there. How come its not taking place in Assam? How is this possible? All other border states like Tripura and Meghalaya dont have SIR, but why only Bengal? If your motive is to deport Bangladeshis then why dont you conduct SIR in other border states?" he alleged. Banerjee further said the TMC will not allow the deletion of genuine voters from the electoral rolls and, if that happens, it will march to Delhi and gherao EC office. Come what may, we will increase our seats even after SIR and you (BJP) will be below 50. Through SIR, you want to do back-door NRC," he said. Directly addressing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, he told him not to compare West Bengal with other states. The government will change Mr Gyanesh Kumar, then we will see," he added. WHAT DID THE BJP SAY? The BJP, meanwhile, responded to Banerjees comments and called them threats" to the EC and Gyanesh Kumar. Party leader Sukanta Majumdar urged Kumar to lodge a complaint against Banerjee. He said if anything untoward" happens to the CEC, the TMC leader should be held responsible. It should be noted how Abhishek Banerjee has threatened the EC. For his own safety, the CEC should register an FIR against him in Delhi, so that if anything untoward happens to him in future, Abhishek will be held responsible," Majumdar said in a video message. Majumdar the alleged threats issued by Banerjee show that he is a goonda" (thug). He said the poll body is simply doing its job by conducting the SIR, which aims to identify genuine voters. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This is what democracy is all about, its whats written in the Constitution. Have you (Abhishek Banerjee) even read the Constitution? You are advocating voting rights for those who have come for Bangladesh, the Rohingyas from Myanmar, who are not citizens of India. Arent you ashamed of yourself? Do you even understand the Constitution?" he said. On Monday (October 27), the EC announced that it will conduct the second phase of the SIR in 12 states and union territories. In this pan-India exercise, three states and one UT Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry will go to polls next year, while three states Goa, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh will have elections in 2027. About the Author Kamalika Sengupta Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and womens issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:34 IST News elections 'TMC Will Do What It Has To': Abhishek Banerjee Slams SIR, BJP Demands FIR Against Him Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Can Trump Really Run For A Third Term In 2028? Heres What The US Constitution Says Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 10:32 IST The US Constitution limits presidents to two terms. Yet Trumps hints about serving more than eight years, with discussions among his supporters about 'changing the rules' Donald Trump has now been elected president twice: first in 2016, and again in 2024. The 22nd Amendment makes him ineligible to be elected president a third time. (Getty Images) Donald Trumps return to the White House in 2025 after winning a non-consecutive second term has reignited a fiery debate in American politics: Can he run again in 2028? The question, seemingly hypothetical, strikes at the core of American constitutional limits, presidential power, and the very idea of democratic rotation in office. Recommended Stories At first glance, the answer appears simple: the US Constitution limits presidents to two terms. Yet Trumps own hints about serving more than eight years," coupled with discussions among his supporters about changing the rules," have kept the question alive. Could Trump, one of the most polarising figures in modern American politics, somehow find a way to stay beyond 2029? Let us take a detailed look at what the Constitution actually says, how the law has been interpreted, the loopholes people have floated, and whether any path realistically exists for a third Trump presidency in 2028. Who Followed The Two-Term Rule? For much of US history, the two-term limit was an informal tradition rather than a constitutional rule. George Washington set the precedent by voluntarily stepping down after two terms in 1797, warning against the dangers of power concentration in one persons hands. Every president followed his leaduntil Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt broke the tradition by winning four consecutive terms between 1932 and 1944, steering the country through the Great Depression and World War II. His extended presidency prompted fears that a leader could entrench himself in power indefinitely. In response, Congress proposed the Twenty-Second Amendment, which was ratified by the states in 1951. The amendments key line reads: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice" This single sentence has since defined the modern limits of presidential power. It does not merely suggest a two-term capit codifies it into law. What The 22nd Amendment Means For Trump Trump has now been elected president twice: first in 2016, and again in 2024. Under the plain language of the 22nd Amendment, that makes him ineligible to be elected president a third time. The amendment does not leave much room for ambiguity. If you have been elected twice, thats it. You cannot run for and win the presidency again. The intention was to prevent another Roosevelt-style tenure and maintain a clear line of democratic succession. However, because the amendment specifically says elected," not serve," it has given rise to a range of speculative arguments and hypotheticals. The Elected" vs. Serve" Debate One of the most discussed ambiguities in constitutional law regarding presidential terms lies in the wording of the amendment itself. It restricts a person from being elected" more than twicebut does not explicitly forbid someone from serving as president again under other circumstances. This subtle linguistic distinction has fuelled theories about whether a twice-elected president could return to office without being directly elected, perhaps through the line of succession. For example: Could Trump serve as Vice President, then assume the presidency if the elected president resigns or is removed? Could he become Speaker of the House and ascend to the presidency if both the President and Vice President were unable to serve? These hypotheticals have fascinated constitutional theorists for decades, but they remain legally untested. What About The Vice-Presidential Term? The most common what if" scenario involves Trump becoming Vice President. Imagine a future Republican candidate winning the presidency in 2028 with Trump as their running mate. If that president later steps down, Trump could, in theory, become president through successionnot by being elected. But heres the catch: The Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution says that no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President." In simple terms, if you cannot legally be president, you cannot be vice president either. The Supreme Court has never directly ruled on whether being ineligible" includes those barred from election by the 22nd Amendment. But most constitutional experts believe it does. If you cannot be elected president again, you are also ineligible to serve as vice president. Therefore, this supposed loophole likely collapses under constitutional scrutiny. Could The Constitution Be Changed? Technically, yes. The 22nd Amendment can be repealed or altered through another constitutional amendment. But the process is designed to be extraordinarily difficult. Heres what it would take: Proposal: Two-thirds of both the House and the Senate must approve an amendment, or two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) must call for a constitutional convention. Ratification: Three-quarters of the states (38) must approve the change. In todays polarised political climate, that level of consensus is almost unimaginable. Repealing a term limit to benefit one individual would likely meet overwhelming resistance, not just from Democrats but also from many Republicans wary of setting a dangerous precedent. While a handful of Trump allies in Congress have floated the idea of revising the amendmentspecifically to allow non-consecutive third termssuch efforts are more symbolic than practical. The political math simply doesnt add up. What Trumps Third Term Would Look Like? To understand just how far-fetched a third Trump term would be, it is useful to look at every conceivable pathway and the obstacles each faces. Running Normally In 2028 Trump could theoretically file to run for president again in 2028. However, election officials or courts would almost certainly bar his candidacy under the 22nd Amendment. Any state that placed him on the ballot would face immediate legal challenges, and even if he won, Congress could refuse to certify the result. Likelihood: Near zero. The constitutional text clearly prohibits this route. Becoming Vice President As explained earlier, this would likely be blocked by the Twelfth Amendment. Even if Trump were placed on a ticket as V-P and won, his eligibility would be challenged in court long before inauguration day. Likelihood: Extremely low, with near-certain legal intervention. Succession Without Election Could Trump somehow ascend to the presidency through a different line of successionsay, as Speaker of the House? Theoretically, yes: The Speaker is third in line, after the Vice President. But again, constitutional eligibility would likely be challenged the moment he assumed office. Congress, the courts, and possibly even the military would face a constitutional crisis. Likelihood: Legally questionable, politically explosive. Amending Or Repealing The 22nd Amendment This is the only lawful way to make Trump eligible again. But passing a new amendment before 2028 would be virtually impossible. Constitutional amendments take yearssometimes decadesto ratify. The last successful amendment, the 27th (on congressional pay), took over 200 years to become law. Likelihood: Practically zero within this timeframe. What About The Supreme Court? If Trump were to somehow pursue any of these routes, the matter would almost certainly end up before the Supreme Court. The justices would have to interpret the meaning of elected" and decide whether it bars not only direct elections but also any form of return to office. Given the clear intent of the 22nd Amendmentto prevent any one person from holding the presidency more than twicethe court would likely rule against a third Trump term. Upholding the spirit of term limits has been a consistent theme in American constitutional interpretation. Moreover, allowing a loophole could set a precedent that any future leader could exploit, effectively nullifying the term-limit safeguard altogether. The Politics Of Testing The System Even if the legal barriers are clear, Trumps political style has often revolved around testing limits. His rhetoric about serving more than eight years" might not reflect a concrete plan but rather a way to keep his base energized and his opponents unsettled. Floating the idea of a third term fits neatly into Trumps populist narrative of challenging the deep state" and defying the establishment. Whether he truly believes he could legally do itor simply enjoys the spectacleremains unclear. But one thing is certain: even the suggestion of a third Trump run would throw the 2028 election cycle into chaos, trigger a constitutional standoff, and dominate the national conversation for years. Why The Term Limit Matters The two-term limit is not just a procedural rule; it is a symbol of the peaceful transfer of power the cornerstone of American democracy. The framers of the amendment wanted to ensure that no leader, no matter how popular, could dominate the political system indefinitely. Allowing a president to serve beyond that limit, even under creative legal interpretations, would weaken one of the most fundamental checks in US governance. It could open the door for future presidents to manipulate the system and erode democratic norms. So, Can Trump Run Again In 2028? Under current constitutional law, no. Donald Trump cannot legally be elected to a third term in 2028. The Twenty-Second Amendment clearly restricts the presidency to two elections. No matter how one interprets the word elected," any attempt to re-enter office would face insurmountable legal and political obstacles. There is no credible loophole, no quick fix, and no realistic timeline for an amendment before 2028. Even if such an effort began today, it would likely fail in Congress or the states long before reaching ratification. In short, the only way Trump could return for a third term is if the American people, through an arduous constitutional process, change the rules themselves. And at this point, there is little evidence that such a movement exists beyond the fringes of political discussion. What To Conclude? The 22nd Amendment stands as a guardrail against perpetual presidency. It reflects Americas deep-seated belief that no one should remain in the Oval Office indefinitely. Trumps speculation about serving beyond eight years may make headlines, but the Constitution leaves little room for interpretation. Unless America chooses to rewrite one of its most defining democratic safeguards, Trumps second presidency will also be his last. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all About the Author Shilpy Bisht Shilpy Bisht, Deputy News Editor at News18, writes and edits national, world and business stories. She started off as a print journalist, and then transitioned to online, in her 12 years of experience... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 10:32 IST News explainers Can Trump Really Run For A Third Term In 2028? Heres What The US Constitution Says Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Explained: What Albania PM Meant When He Said AI Minister Is Pregnant With 83 Children Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 16:15 IST The announcement contains a serious kernel of policy and symbolic intent: each of those children is in fact an AI assistant to the 83 MPs from the ruling Socialist Party. The AI minister, named Diella (meaning "Sun"), was appointed in September. (File) Albanias Prime Minister Edi Rama introduced what can only be described as one of the stranger public-governance spectacles of the year. He announced that Diella a virtual, artificial-intelligence entity appointed as a minister" of the Albanian government was now pregnant with 83 children." On the face of it, the phrase begs for incredulous laughter: what does it mean for a minister to be pregnant much less with dozens of children? But, sweeping past the theatrics, the announcement contains a serious kernel of policy and symbolic intent: each of those children" is in fact an AI assistant, one assigned to each of the 83 MPs from the ruling Socialist Party. These assistants are to monitor parliamentary sessions, summarise what happened when an MP was absent, and advise on who to counter-attack". Recommended Stories WHAT IS DIELLA? Diella was first introduced earlier in the year as a virtual assistant on Albanias e-governance platform. Then, in September 2025, she was elevated to a cabinet role the worlds first AI-generated minister at a national level. Her official portfolio: public procurement, with the stated aim of making tenders 100 per cent corruption-free" and fully transparent. WHY ALBANIA? WHY NOW? Albania has long suffered from issues of corruption, opaque public procurement, and weak institutional trust. When Diella was appointed, the awarding of government contracts had been a major issue" for the countrys EU-membership ambitions. Thus, the creation of an AI minister appears at first glance as a bold statement: that technology and automation can help break long-standing patterns of human discretion, favouritism, and graft. WHAT THE 83 CHILDREN" METAPHOR SUGGESTS Ramas metaphor of AI birth" and multiple children" is theatrical, perhaps intentionally so. It signals two things: one, the expansion of the AI ecosystem Diella isnt just a one-off but will spawn many offspring" (assistants) embedded in parliamentary work; two, a re-imagining of how governance support might function in an AI-enabled world, where every MP has a digital aide and the system is networked. WHAT IT MEANS FOR ALBANIA On the positive side, this initiative could mark a generational shift: It signals that Albania is willing to experiment in digital governance, leveraging AI not just for citizen services but for overseeing functions like procurement and legislative support. It places transparency and anti-corruption at the heart of that experiment: if tenders are managed by algorithmic systems rather than purely human discretion, the hope is that the insider deals" dynamic can be weakened. It potentially raises Albanias profile in the global tech-governance conversation and strengthens claims of modernisation ahead of EU accession. GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS For the world, Albanias move offers a case study: Can a sovereign government place an AI system at the heart of governance and oversight? If this experiment succeeds, it may become a template for other states seeking to automate governance, reduce corruption, or reinvent administrative workflows. If it fails (or is perceived to fail), it may serve as a cautionary tale about over-reliance on tech rhetoric without institutional reform. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a globalised era of rapid technological change, the notion that AI could give birth" to dozens of digital assistants for lawmakers is not just a gimmick: it reflects a deeper shift in how states might re-architect the machinery of government shifting from human-centric bureaucracy to human-plus-machine orchestration. Albanias announcement that its AI minister Diella is pregnant with 83 children" is at once eccentric and ambitious. Beneath the metaphor lies a serious policy gamble: using AI to restructure how transparency, procurement, and parliamentary support function. Whether this gamble succeeds will depend less on the spectacle and more on the details: how the system is governed, audited, and embedded in legal and institutional frameworks. For Albania, the stakes are high both for domestic reform and for its position in a world increasingly attentive to how AI can shape governance. For the rest of the world, the experiment merits close attention: it may point to the next frontier of the state-machine partnership. About the Author Griha Atul Griha Atul is a broadcast journalist with 19 years of experience and currently an anchor at CNN News18. While film journalism has been a longstanding forte, she does incisive political interviews and ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 16:15 IST News explainers Explained: What Albania PM Meant When He Said AI Minister Is Pregnant With 83 Children Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The Politics Of Fear & Legacy: Why 'Jungle Raj' Still Decides Bihars Elections In 2025 | Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:09 IST While many believe that for a voter who did not live through the worst of the 1990s, the fear narrative may have less emotional weight, the phrase still retains strong symbolism Rapid Read + Follow us On Google In the context of Bihar politics, Jungle Raj became shorthand for a period of unprecedented breakdown in law and order, right under the nose of the government. (PTI) It is a term that has become a part of a generations muscle memory, and if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has its way, the word could be added to the political lexicon of 14 lakh first-time voters of Bihar. The poll-bound state, which is gearing up for the dance of democracy next month, is no stranger to Jungle Raj. Literally translated, it means rule of the jungle". Politically, it means governance so poor that the state appears lawless. In the context of Bihar politics, Jungle Raj became shorthand for a period of unprecedented breakdown in law and order, rising criminality, kidnappings, extortion and weak administrative control, right under the nose of the elected government. Over time, the term evolved into a political slogan that was used to cast certain regimes as chaotic, to warn voters of a return to disorder, and to contrast good governance" with the past. Recommended Stories But how did the phrase originate and why has it stuck around for so long? According to the Indian Express, the earliest formal usage came during a hearing in the Patna High Court in August 1997 when a bench remarked that the citys drainage and sanitation situation was worse than Jungle Raj". It was a time of political flux as Lalu Prasad Yadav, implicated in the fodder scam, had quit and his wife Rabri Devi had been sworn in as the chief ministera move that pushed Bihar further down the progress ladder. As per a Business Standard report from August 6, 1997: It is worse than the Jungle Raj and there is no regard to court directions and public interest, the judges observed, expressing concern over the civic amenities in Patna." The period roughly between 1990 and 2005, when the husband-wife duo of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi held the reins of the state, was marked by several highly-publicised incidents of violence, caste massacres, kidnappings and alleged nexus between politicians and organised crime. As those events resonated strongly with perceptions of fear, impunity and governance failure, the phrase became anchored in political memory. According to the Indian Express, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was among those who popularised the term. Once established, political actors found it useful to revive the phrase to attack opponents, remind voters of past dangers, and define electoral choices. For much of the last two decades, the term has been a weapon of memory" in Bihars electoral politics that is used by parties opposed to the Rashtriya Janata Dal to say: vote for us so we dont go back to Jungle Raj. When Lalu Hit Back A shrewd politician, Lalu Prasad knew the writing on the wall was clear as the slogan gained prominencehe would have to use the term to his advantage to make a political comeback. In the 2000 assembly elections, the veteran politician, known for his repartee, claimed that Bihar looked like a jungle to the Opposition because the lower castes were in power". The Indian Express quoted veteran journalist Sankarshan Thakur, who in his book The Brothers Bihari, wrote that Lalu would tell people on his campaigns: Do you know why they call this jungle raj? Because under Lalu Yadav, you the poor, underprivileged people have for the first time been able to live with your heads held high and the upper castes have been deprived of their dominance. When they say they want to finish jungle raj, what they actually mean is that they want to end your raj, the raj of the poor people of Bihar, the upper castes want to come back and lord over you again." The RJD patriarchs appeal worked and his party became the single largest in that years election. Rabri Devi was eventually sworn in and held onto the chief ministers post till 2005. The Battle for 2025 Cut to 20 years later, Jungle Raj is back in political discourse. The Mahagathbandhans decision to field Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial face has once again given fodder to the BJP to warn voters that the RJD coming to power will bring back an era of lawlessness in the state. During his recent rally in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a slogan for the Bihar voters to keep away from Jungle Raj. Phir ek baar, NDA sarkar, phir ek baar sushasan sarkar, jungle raj waalon ko duur rakhega Bihar," PM Modi said during the rally. While many may believe that for a younger voter, who did not live through the worst of the 1990s, the fear narrative may have less immediate emotional weight, the phrase still retains strong symbolic and rhetorical power. What has not helped is that structural issueslike entrenched caste conflict, local strongmen, and weak enforcementcontinue to cast long shadows in Bihar. The debate is less about complete breakdown" now and more about how far reform has gone and whether it is sustainable. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Given the upcoming assembly elections, parties are competing not just on development metrics but on fear vs hope: Will voters vote based on nostalgia (or fear) of Jungle Raj" or on current issues of jobs, services, and identity? The term allows opposing parties to anchor their campaign narratives in the past: for example, Vote for us so that jungle raj does not return," versus Dont be held captive by past narratives; focus on jobs and new Bihar". About the Author Apoorva Misra Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:09 IST News explainers The Politics Of Fear & Legacy: Why 'Jungle Raj' Still Decides Bihars Elections In 2025 | Explained Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... This State Is Now Free From 'Extreme Poverty'. What It Means, How India Compares | Explained Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 17:25 IST The poverty line is the minimum income or spending needed for basic needs like food and shelter. Those below it are considered BPL and may receive government assistance Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google According to NITI Aayogs 2021 report, only 0.7% of the states population was living below the poverty line. (Representative/News18 Hindi) India is set to witness a historic milestone, with one of its states soon to be declared free from extreme poverty. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced that no families in the state are living below the extreme poverty line, and a grand event marking this achievement is scheduled for November 1. This declaration signifies that every resident now lives above the extreme poverty line. The announcement has sparked a debate between the CPI(M) and BJP over who deserves credit for this milestone. The Communist Party government in Kerala credits this success to the states welfare schemes and their effective implementation. Conversely, the BJP credits the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modis initiatives. Recommended Stories BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated, Now CPI(M) is taking credit and, in my opinion, mocking and insulting the poor. The truth is that due to the hard work of Prime Minister Narendra Modis government, about 200 million people have come out of extreme poverty." Meanwhile, tribal groups dispute the claim that the state is poverty-free. Amid these differing views, its important to understand what extreme poverty truly means. Kerala may have been declared free from it, but how does the rest of India compare? What distinguishes the poverty line from the extreme poverty line, and what does it actually take for a state to be declared poverty-free? Question: What Is The Extreme Poverty Line? Answer: The poverty line refers to the minimum income or consumption level required to meet basic needs like food and shelter. Individuals falling below this threshold are considered below the poverty line (BPL) and may qualify for government support. Those unable to meet even the most essential needs, such as food, water, clothing, and shelter, are classified as living in extreme poverty. Question: How Many People Are Poor In India, And What Is The Situation In Other States? Answer: According to NITI Aayogs 2021 data, 14.96 percent of Indias population lives below the poverty line. In Gujarat, the figure is 11.66 percent, in Bihar, 33.76 percent, and in Uttar Pradesh, 22.93 percent. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) used to define this line includes living standards, health, and education rather than economic income and expenditure. Question: What Has Kerala Been Freed From? Answer: Kerala has become free from extreme poverty, meaning that every resident has sufficient resources to meet their basic needs. Question: What Is The National Average Poverty Line In India? Answer: The national average poverty line in India is Rs 1,059.42 per month in rural areas and Rs 1,286 per month in urban areas. This expenditure per person covers food, clothing, housing, and other basic necessities. This means that anyone unable to spend this amount each month is considered below the poverty line. Question: How Was Keralas Achievement Determined? Answer: Keralas achievement was determined based on NITI Aayogs 2021 report, which found that only 0.7 percent of people in Kerala lived below the poverty line. The state government identified these families and provided them with food, health, livelihood, and housing facilities to eliminate their poverty. NITI Aayogs 2023-24 report (SDG India index 2023-24) ranks Kerala as the top state in India on the Human Development Index, with 79 marks. Tamil Nadu follows with 78 marks, while Bihar trails with 57 marks. This ranking includes 16 major human development goals. Question: Besides Income, What Other Factors Keep Kerala Ahead? According to the 2025 National Survey report, Keralas literacy rate stands at 96.2 percent, compared to Indias overall literacy rate of 77.7 percent. As per UNESCO data, the global literacy rate is 86.5 percent, still lower than Keralas. United Nations data for 2023 shows Indias life expectancy at 72 years, while in Kerala, it is higher at 78.26 years. Kerala also leads in healthcare performance, spending around Rs 1,000 per person annually on healthcare, significantly higher than the national average of less than Rs 250. According to WHO standards, Kerala has one doctor per 1,000 people, better than the global average of one per 1,500. Infant mortality in Kerala is among the lowest in India only 5 out of 1,000 children die before the age of five, compared to 25 per 1,000 nationally and 5.6 per 1,000 in the U.S. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Question: What Is Keralas Population Like? The 2011 census indicates Keralas population consists of 54.7 percent Hindus, 26.6 percent Muslims, and 18.4 percent Christians, alongside other religions or those with no religious affiliation. It is evident that Keralas population includes significant proportions of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, with Hindus comprising about half, Muslims one-fourth, and Christians about 20 percent. Location : Kerala, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 17:25 IST News explainers This State Is Now Free From 'Extreme Poverty'. What It Means, How India Compares | Explained Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Why EC Chose 2003-04 As Base Year For Voter List Revision In 12 States | Explained Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:32 IST The Election Commission has launched a special revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan using 2003-04 lists as reference Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Using 2003-04 rolls as a base, the revision aims to update and verify voter lists. (Image for representation: PTI) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the launch of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 2 states, a move aimed at thoroughly updating and verifying the voter lists ahead of upcoming elections. Under the new exercise, voter lists in these states will be frozen from midnight of October 27, after which all modifications will be carried out through the SIR process. States such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan are among those where the revision has been ordered. According to the Commission, this special exercise will involve a meticulous review, adding new eligible voters, correcting existing entries, and removing names of those who have passed away or are no longer eligible. Recommended Stories What has drawn attention, however, is the decision to use the 2003-04 voter rolls as the base year for the revision. The ECI said the last large-scale verification and update in these states took place around 2002-03 and 2003, making those rolls a reliable foundation" for comparison. The Commission added that over the past two decades, population growth, migration, urbanisation, and mortality have significantly altered the demographic landscape, making a fresh review necessary. Under the new framework, individuals who were already registered in the 2003-04 voter list will not be required to furnish new documents to confirm their eligibility. However, new voters or those whose names were added later will need to provide supporting documents, including proof of date of birth, parents birthplace, and citizenship. The decision has, however, triggered controversy, with critics arguing that the 2003-04 list may not accurately reflect current demographics and that using it as a benchmark could inadvertently disenfranchise some voters. Civil society groups and political observers have also expressed concern that linking the revision to records from 2003-04, around the time citizenship laws were amended, could lead to indirect scrutiny of citizenship status. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Election Commission has dismissed such apprehensions, clarifying that the 2003-04 list is being used merely as a reference point, not as a determinant of inclusion or exclusion. Officials emphasised that no voter will be removed solely because their name did not appear in the earlier list, and any omission will be subject to verification. The ECI further advised voters, particularly those added between 2015 and 2024, to ensure that their documents are up to date and to respond promptly in case of any queries or verification calls during the revision process. First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:32 IST News explainers Why EC Chose 2003-04 As Base Year For Voter List Revision In 12 States | Explained Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... More than half of the veterans surveyed (55%) called family the key to successful reintegration, according to the results of a study conducted by the IREX Veterans Reintegration and Rehabilitation Program in collaboration with Info Sapiens. "Most veterans consider the experience of returning to civilian life difficult. But the main factor that contributes to the return is reunification with family. This opinion was expressed by 55% of veterans and 49% of servicemen," emphasized IREX Veterans Advisor Konstiantyn Tatarkin. It is noted that 63% of veterans and 69% of servicemen have never sought psychological help. However, the demand for such services among veterans is forming, and even grows with age. Veterans with disabilities are the most open to psychological help: 38% would like to receive free psychological support. It is also noted that compared to 2020, veterans today report worse mental health and greater difficulties in adapting to civilian life. "In 2020, 62% assessed their mental health as good, now only 37%, in 2020 56% of veterans reported that they had difficulty returning to civilian life, and in 2025 65%," said Yana Voytovska, head of the Veterans Reintegration Program. It is noted that about 30% of veterans are unaware of their rights to services available to them for employment, business start-up, material support, and social guarantees. Those who have used such services are generally satisfied with their quality. Excessive bureaucracy remains the main barrier. Almost half of veterans do not face serious difficulties in finding a job. However, among those who did have difficulties, more than a third faced a lack of skills (28%) or experience (26%), physical limitations due to injuries (30%), and biased attitude of employers (29%). "Another important factor indicating the importance of the participation of family and loved ones for successful reintegration: the vast majority of veterans find work through personal contacts, and not through competitive selection or employment services: 36% - through relatives, 46% - through acquaintances, including from military service," the report on the results of the study states. The study was conducted in January and July 2025 using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method. Respondents were both veterans demobilized after 2022 and active military personnel selected through veteran organizations, rehabilitation centers, and veteran gathering places in all regions of Ukraine. A total of 868 interviews were conducted (258 military personnel and 610 veterans demobilized since 2022). Plane Carrying 12 On Board Crashes In Kenya's Kwale, All Feared Dead Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:45 IST The plane, which was carrying tourists, was headed to Kichwa Tembo after departing from Diani in the morning hours. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has confirmed that THE aircraft crashed early on Tuesday morning while en route from Diani to Kichwa Tembo. At least 12 people are feared dead as a plane crashed in Kwale on Tuesday, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that an aircraft registered as 5Y-CCA crashed early in the morning while en route from Diani to Kichwa Tembo. Recommended Stories In a statement released, the KCAA said the aircraft went down at 0530Z with 12 people on board. The government agencies have been dispatched to the crash site to determine the cause of the accident and assess its impact. Scene where at least 12 people were killed after a light aircraft crashed in Tsimba Golini area, Kwale County on Tuesday morning pic.twitter.com/xC6hd3aqGJ NairobiNews.co.ke (@NairobiNews254) October 28, 2025 Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) wishes to confirm that an aircraft registration number 5Y-CCA, on its way from Diani to Kichwa Tembo crashed at 0530Z. The aircraft had 12 persons on board. Government agencies are already on site to establish the cause of the accident and its impact," read part of the statement. Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) wishes to confirm that an aircraft registration number 5Y-CCA, on its way from Diani to Kichwa Tembo crashed at 0530Z. pic.twitter.com/GXBIe9TP1V Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (@CAA_Kenya) October 28, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to reports, the plane crashed at around 8 am, after it departed from Diani. According to the Kenya Times, the plane was carrying tourists headed to the Maasai Mara and was expected to arrive at around 9 am. About the Author Mahima Joshi Mahima Joshi, Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking team. Covering national stories and bringing breaking news to the table are her forte. She is deeply interested in Indian poli... Read More Location : kenya First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:38 IST News india Plane Carrying 12 On Board Crashes In Kenya's Kwale, All Feared Dead Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 4 Gujarati Men Held In Iran While Attempting Illegal 'Donkey Route' To Australia Return Home Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 20:54 IST The group landed at Ahmedabad airport earlier in the day and have since reunited with their families Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The four men are all residents of Bapupura village in Mansa taluka, Gandhinagar district. (AI-generated image) Four Indians from Gujarat, who were held captive in Tehran after attempting to reach Australia via the illegal donkey route," returned home on Tuesday. The group landed at Ahmedabad airport earlier in the day and have since reunited with their families, Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Ravi Teja Vasamasetty confirmed. Recommended Stories SP Vasamasetty noted that they tried to question the group but could not gather much information, as they remain in a state of shock and trauma. We hope to get more details in a day or two," he said. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the four individuals are Ajaykumar Chaudhary (31), Priyaben Chaudhary (25), Anilkumar Chaudhary (35), and Nikhilkumar Chaudhary (28), all residents of Bapupura village in Mansa taluka, Gandhinagar district. Officials said the group left Mansa for Delhi on October 19 and then travelled via Bangkok and Dubai on Emirates Airlines before arriving in Tehran. Upon reaching Imam Khomeini International Airport, they were allegedly taken captive. The case was first flagged by Mansa MLA Jayantibhai Somabhai Patel, who wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 26, detailing the groups journey and listing their Tehran hotel as Hallay Hotel, Bimeh Alley, between Somayeh Street and Taleqani Street. The letter alleged they were held by a man known locally as Baba". This incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of the so-called donkey route", an illegal migration path from India to Western countries. On Sunday, 54 youths from Haryana were deported by the US for attempting to enter the country via the same route. These individuals, mostly aged between 25 and 40, were handed over to their families at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Trump administrations strict stance on illegal immigration has led to increased deportations in recent months. Officials said that US authorities are actively cracking down on people entering the country without valid visas, with hundreds of Indians sent back earlier this year. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Gujarat, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 20:46 IST News india 4 Gujarati Men Held In Iran While Attempting Illegal 'Donkey Route' To Australia Return Home Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 7-Year-Old Girl Mauled By Stray Dogs In Telangana; Locals Demand Urgent Action Curated By : Local18 Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:11 IST Residents of New Shayampet in Telangana are now urging the authorities to capture and relocate stray dogs to safe shelters to prevent further attacks The Supreme Court on Monday took states and Union Territories to task for failing to comply with its August 22 directive on sterilisation, and immunisation of stray dogs. Panic gripped the residents of New Shayampet in Telangana on Sunday morning after a shocking stray dog attack left a seven-year-old girl, Srija, injured and traumatised. The child narrowly escaped with her life after a pack of stray dogs suddenly mauled her while she was on her way to a nearby shop. Recommended Stories According to witnesses, Srija was walking along the road near her home when a group of stray dogs lunged at her without warning. The frightened child fell to the ground as the dogs began biting her legs and arms. Hearing her screams, local residents rushed to her rescue, driving the dogs away before the situation turned fatal. Thanks to their quick response, a major tragedy was averted. Srija, however, sustained bite wounds on her hands and legs. Her parents immediately took her to the nearest government hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment. Doctors said her condition is stable. Growing Fear Over Rising Stray Dog Menace Residents of New Shayampet say stray dog attacks have become alarmingly frequent in recent months. Locals allege that despite repeated complaints to the municipal authorities, no effective measures have been taken to control the situation. The number of stray dogs keeps increasing every day. Children going to school are terrified. We have filed complaints several times, but officials are yet to act," said one local resident. Citizens are now urging the authorities to capture and relocate stray dogs to safe shelters to prevent further attacks. The Supreme Court on Monday took states and Union Territories to task for failing to comply with its August 22 directive on sterilisation, and immunisation of stray dogs in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Nothing has come on record. Continuous incidents are happening. Your country is being shown down in foreign countries," the Supreme Court Bench observed. Another Tragedy: 10-Year-Old Dies After Dog Bite In a separate heart-breaking case, a 10-year-old girl from Balkonda in Nizamabad district died recently due to rabies, nearly a month after being bitten by a dog. The victim, identified as Lakshmana, had suffered a dog bite injury on her head but kept it secret from her family out of fear of being scolded. Her parents only realised something was wrong when her behaviour changed drastically she began barking like a dog and appeared terrified of water, both classic symptoms of rabies. Alarmed, her family rushed her to the hospital, where doctors confirmed she was suffering from advanced rabies. Unfortunately, by the time she received medical attention, it was too late. Despite treatment efforts, she passed away, leaving her family devastated. Doctors Warn: Dont Ignore Even Small Dog Bites Following the recent incidents, health experts have urged the public to take dog bites seriously, even if they appear minor. Rabies, a fatal viral infection transmitted through bites or scratches, can be prevented if treated promptly but once symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal. Doctors stressed the importance of immediate medical care: Get a rabies vaccination immediately after a dog bite, whether the dog is a pet or stray. Clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes before visiting a doctor. Do not delay treatment, as early intervention can save lives. Medical professionals also cautioned parents to educate their children about the risks of concealing animal bites. Children often hide such incidents out of fear, which can lead to fatal consequences. Timely vaccination and awareness are the only ways to prevent rabies deaths," doctors stressed, urging local authorities to step up stray dog control programmes and public awareness drives. A Community On Edge Both incidents Srijas narrow escape in Hanumakonda and Lakshmanas tragic death in Nizamabad have left communities shaken. Parents are now anxious about letting their children walk to school or play outdoors. While animal welfare advocates call for humane handling of stray populations, residents insist that authorities must act swiftly to ensure safety. The growing number of stray dogs in towns and cities has become both a public health concern and a test of civic accountability. Until effective action is taken, fear continues to stalk the streets especially for parents who just want their children to be safe on their way home. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:11 IST News india 7-Year-Old Girl Mauled By Stray Dogs In Telangana; Locals Demand Urgent Action Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 21-Year-Old Bengaluru Delivery Agent Molests Brazilian Model At Doorstep, Arrested Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 10:14 IST A 21-year-old delivery agent in Bengaluru was arrested for allegedly molesting a Brazilian model during a grocery delivery at her apartment. Representative image for an arrest (Getty) A delivery agent was arrested for allegedly molesting a Brazilian model at her apartment in Bengaluru. The accused was identified as 21-year-old Kumar Rao Pawar, a diploma student at a private college, working part-time as a delivery executive. According to the details, the incident happened on October 17, when the model had placed an order for groceries through a delivery app. Recommended Stories The model, who works with a private agency in the city, was initially scared to file a complaint and later spoke with her other model flatmates, who alerted the companys management. In a complaint, the models colleague, Karthik Vinayak, alleged that the woman had ordered groceries. When Kumar arrived to deliver it, he allegedly misbehaved with her and touched her inappropriately. Shocked by what had happened, the woman pushed him out and locked the door. On being informed about the incident, the police registered a case against Kumar under Sections 75(1) (sexual harassment) and 76 (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe or compel nudity) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Based on the complaint, we registered a case under appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested the accused," a senior police officer was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Meanwhile, the delivery portal sacked the accused as they came to know of the incident. In a separate incident, two police officials in Bengaluru were suspended following a complaint by a city-based beautician who accused them of cheating, criminal intimidation, and sexual harassment". Police Inspector Sunil HB and Assistant Sub-Inspector Prakash, both attached to the DJ Halli police station in Bengaluru, were placed under suspension. According to the police, in her complaint, the woman alleged that about a year ago, Sunil took her contact number under the pretext of helping her in a financial dispute case and began messaging her. After befriending her, he allegedly invited her to his flat in Peenya. She further alleged that Sunil later booked a hotel room, where he established physical relations with her on the pretext of marriage." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all However, a few months later, he began avoiding her, following which she realised she had been cheated, the complaint stated. ALSO READ | Indian-Origin Man In Singapore Jailed For Breaking Into Womans Home, Molesting Her In Sleep About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: October 28, 2025, 10:08 IST News india 21-Year-Old Bengaluru Delivery Agent Molests Brazilian Model At Doorstep, Arrested Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Faridabad Woman, Fiance Strangle Insurance Agent Over Blackmail, Dump His Body In Drain Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 10:43 IST A woman and her fiance were arrested in Haryanas Faridabad for allegedly murdering an insurance agent, who had been blackmailing her to stop her marriage. A file photo of the Faridabad Police (PTI) A woman and her fiance were arrested for allegedly killing an insurance agent in Haryanas Faridabad, whose body was found dumped in a drain in the city on October 26. According to the details, the victim was identified as Chander, a resident of Delhis East Vinod Nagar. Recommended Stories News agency PTI quoted the police as saying that Chander had been blackmailing the woman to not marry her fiance. The matter came to light after Chanders brother, Madan Gopal, approached the police and said his brothers body was found in a drain, with his motorcycle parked nearby. Subsequently, a First Information Report (FIR) into the case was lodged, and as the investigations progressed, the police on Monday arrested 29-year-old Laxmi, a resident of southeast Delhis Mithapur, and her fiance, 26-year-old Keshav, a resident of Santosh Nagar in northeast Delhis Burari. Both confessed to the murder. Police said Chander had known Laxmi for nearly five years. After she got engaged to Keshav, he allegedly started blackmailing her to not marry him. Harassed by the blackmail, Laxmi and Keshav hatched a plan to kill Chander. On October 25, Laxmi called Chander to Mithapur and took him on a motorcycle to a deserted place towards Etmadpur, where Keshav, along with his two friends, strangled Chander with a rope and hit him on the head," a Faridabad Police spokesperson was quoted as saying. Then, they threw his body in the drain to destroy the evidence," the spokesperson added. Raids were underway to arrest the others involved. In a separate incident, a 19-year-old college student died by suicide in Faridabad after he was allegedly blackmailed with AI-generated obscene pictures and videos of him and his three sisters. According to the police, Rahul, a second-year B.Com student at DAV College, lived with his family in Baselwa Colony. In its complaint, the family said that someone hacked Rahuls mobile phone about two weeks ago. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all After hacking the phone, some people used artificial intelligence (AI) to create nude photos and videos of Rahul and his three sisters. They sent these fake photos and videos via WhatsApp and demanded approximately Rs 20,000 from Rahul, his father alleged. ALSO READ | A Death Worth Rs 3.75 Crore: Inside Karnatakas Chilling Marriage Mystery About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: October 28, 2025, 10:41 IST News india Faridabad Woman, Fiance Strangle Insurance Agent Over Blackmail, Dump His Body In Drain Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... HAL Signs MoU With Russia's PJSC-UAC To Produce Passenger Aircraft SJ-100 In India Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:41 IST HAL and Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) have signed a MoU to produce for the first time a passenger aircraft, the SJ-100, in India. The agreement was inked in Moscow on Monday, according to a press release by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). (Image: ANI) In an important move to strengthen Indias civil aviation manufacturing ecosystem, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russias Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) to produce the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India. The agreement was inked in Moscow, according to a press release by HAL. This is the first time in over three decades that a complete passenger aircraft will be manufactured in India. Recommended Stories As per the details shared by HAL, HAL and Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) Russia signed an MoU for production of civil commuter aircraft SJ-100 in Moscow, Russia on October 27, 2025." What Is SJ-100? Currently in operation with more than 16 commercial airline operators, the SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft. Over 200 such aircraft have already been produced. Under the new arrangement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture the SJ-100 for Indias domestic customers. This is being witnessed as a crucial move for enhancing short-haul connectivity under the governments UDAN scheme. This collaboration stands as a testament to the mutual trust and long-standing partnership between HAL and UAC," the companies said in a statement. It marks a new milestone in Indias journey towards becoming self-reliant in civil aircraft production." This collaboration represents the first time a complete passenger" aircraft will be produced in India since the AVRO HS-748 project, which began in 1961 and ended in 1988. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The initiative is expected to help meet Indias growing aviation needs. Industry estimates suggest that over the next decade, the country will require more than 200 jets in this category to strengthen regional connectivity, along with an additional 350 aircraft to cater to the Indian Ocean region and nearby international tourist routes. HAL said that the project is expected to boost local manufacturing, provide opportunities for private industry participation, and generate both direct and indirect employment across the aviation value chain. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:55 IST News india HAL Signs MoU With Russia's PJSC-UAC To Produce Passenger Aircraft SJ-100 In India Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Hello, Teddy Boy: Assam BJP Taunts Priyank Kharge Amid War Of Words With CM Himanta Sarma Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 09:26 IST The controversy erupted on Monday when Kharge alleged that semiconductor projects intended for Karnataka were being diverted to Gujarat and Assam. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge. (PTI file photos) A political slugfest has broken out between Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, after the latter called Kharge a first-class idiot" for questioning Assams talent pool in the context of semiconductor investments. What began as a debate on industrial policy has quickly spiralled into a full-blown war of words between the Congress and the BJP. Assam BJP joins the fray Recommended Stories Adding fuel to the fire, the Assam BJP unit mocked Kharge in a post on X, writing, Hello Teddy Boy, writing long essays on X doesnt make you a semiconductor expert." The party further jibed, Instead of giving lectures about Assam, maybe take a good hard look at your own backyard your district still tops the chart of poverty in South India. So much for your talent tank, huh?" Hello Teddy Boy, writing long essays on X doesnt make you a semiconductor expert"Instead of giving lectures about Assam, maybe take a good hard look at your own backyard- your district still tops the chart of poverty in South India. So much for your talent tank", huh? https://t.co/a0LFTWjPPX BJP Assam Pradesh (@BJP4Assam) October 27, 2025 What Kharge said? The controversy erupted on Monday when Kharge alleged that semiconductor projects intended for Karnataka were being diverted to Gujarat and Assam under pressure from the Central government. Why are semiconductor industries going to Assam and Gujarat when they actually want to come to Bengaluru? All the investments meant for Karnataka are being arm-twisted by the Centre," Kharge told a news channel. The minister claimed that Karnatakas robust engineering talent pool and tech ecosystem made it the natural choice for such investments, and accused the BJP-led Centre of playing politics with industrial growth. Himanta Biswa Sarma hits back Reacting sharply, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described Kharge as a first-class idiot", saying his remarks were an insult to Assams educated youth. He further hinted at taking legal action, stating that his government was considering registering a case against Kharge for making a derogatory statement" against the people of Assam. Sarma also criticised the Congress leadership for not condemning what he termed a deeply objectionable and arrogant comment." Unfazed by the backlash, Kharge took to social media to accuse Sarma of whitewashing his failures" and twisting his statement for political mileage. My statement is clear semiconductor companies were pressured to set up in Gujarat and Assam even when they preferred Karnataka. The only thing Mr Sarma has managed to grow is his own wealth," Kharge wrote on X. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He alleged that corruption scandals in Assam were thriving under Sarmas leadership, leaving the youth without jobs or opportunities. Kharge went on to predict that the BJPs days in Assam were numbered, promising that a Congress government in 2026 would focus on skilling, employability, and rebuilding public faith in governance." About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 09:26 IST News india Hello, Teddy Boy: Assam BJP Taunts Priyank Kharge Amid War Of Words With CM Himanta Sarma Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... India To Skip Turkey's National Day Celebrations Amid Strained Ties: Govt Sources Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:38 IST The decision follows Indias stern message to Ankara earlier this year after Operation Sindoor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left). (Image: PTI File) In a quiet yet unmistakable diplomatic signal, the Modi government is likely to stay away from events marking Turkeys National Day, observed on October 29, sources have confirmed. If top government officials are to be believed, instructions have been discreetly communicated, advising them to avoid participation in Turkish National Day receptions or celebrations. Recommended Stories While no public statement is expected, the decision reflects continuing strain in IndiaTurkey ties, which have remained frosty since Ankara repeatedly criticized Indias Kashmir policy and aligned itself with Pakistan at international forums. Government sources stressed that New Delhi will not officially acknowledge the decision, maintaining a deliberate diplomatic silence. However, insiders say the message has been clear and coordinated" across the foreign and security establishment. The move is being interpreted as a symbolic snub, signalling that relations between the two countries remain distant, even as India expands its engagement with West Asia through new strategic frameworks like I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-US) and the IndiaMiddle EastEurope Economic Corridor (IMEC)initiatives in which Turkey has no role. Observers note that the step also comes against the backdrop of President Recep Tayyip Erdogans recent statements critical of Indias domestic policies and his continued support for Pakistans position on Kashmir at global platforms. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In June 2025, Prime Minister Modis visit to Cyprus his first major foreign trip after Operation Sindoor was widely seen as a geopolitical message to Turkey. By backing Cypruss sovereignty against Turkish claims in Northern Cyprus, Modi signalled Indias readiness to forge alternative alliances and adopt a more assertive stance toward Ankara. For now, New Delhis message is subtle but unmistakable: Indias diplomatic courtesies will not extend to those who question its sovereignty. About the Author Anindya Banerjee Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep ... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:21 IST News india India To Skip Turkey's National Day Celebrations Amid Strained Ties: Govt Sources Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Karnataka HC Halts State Govt Order Restricting RSS Events, Cites Constitutional Rights Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:13 IST The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, which also issued notices to the state government, the Home Department File photo of the Karnataka High Court. In a big setback for the Karnataka government, the High Court has issued an interim stay on its order imposing restrictions on the activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The order was passed by a bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, which also issued notices to the state government, the Home Department, and the Hubballi Police Commissioner. Recommended Stories The RSS had challenged the state governments order dated October 18, 2025, which declared any gathering of more than ten people without prior permission a criminal offence. The order also placed restrictions on the use of roads, parks, playgrounds, and lakes for such gatherings, citing provisions under the Police Act. The High Court observed that the government cannot curtail rights guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(A) and 19(1)(B) of the Constitution, which protect freedom of speech and peaceful assembly, and held that a government order cannot override constitutional rights. The interim stay provides temporary relief to the organisation, pending further hearing in the case. Soon after the order, BJP MP from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, said the entire move against RSS activities is Congress leader Priyank Kharges doing. RSS has been peacefully conducting its activities, carrying out marches and processions in a peaceful manner," said the MP. Also Read: Facing RSS Backlash, Karnataka Govt May Drop Bill Regulating Public Space Use State Tried To Bring Rules To Check RSS Activity The Karnataka Cabinet on October 16 approved new rules aimed at regulating public gatherings and events, a move widely seen as an attempt to curb RSS activities, including marches and events in public places and government premises. The decision came shortly after Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging a ban on RSS and its affiliated organisations from conducting activities on government property. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The move has drawn sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the Congress-led government of political vendetta. In response, the Karnataka government cited a 2013 circular issued by the then BJP administration, which had restricted the use of school premises and playgrounds exclusively for educational purposes, arguing that similar regulatory measures had been in place under the previous regime as well. First Published: October 28, 2025, 12:43 IST News india Karnataka HC Halts State Govt Order Restricting RSS Events, Cites Constitutional Rights Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Kolkata Woman Alleges Molestation At Nightclub, Names 2012 Park Street Case Accused In FIR Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:30 IST A woman in Kolkata has accused Nasir Khan, previously convicted in the 2012 Park Street gang rape case, of physically assaulting and sexually abusing her at a nightclub. An AI-generated, representative image to show a nightclub (News18) A woman in Kolkata has alleged she was physically assaulted and sexually abused at a nightclub at a five-star hotel in the city. In her complaint, the woman named Nasir Khan, previously convicted in the 2012 Park Street gang rape case as one of the accused. According to India Today, the incident happened on October 26, while the woman was at the nightclub with her husband, brother, and friends. Recommended Stories Police sources told CNN-News18 that the woman and her family had come to the restaurant for a business meeting and were sitting at the same table as the accused. Later, an argument broke out between them, following which the woman lodged a complaint at the South Police Station against Nasir Khan and Juned Khan. She identified the other group as Nasir Khan, Juned Khan, and their associates, claiming that Nasir Khan, who had earlier served a prison term in a gang rape case before being released in 2020, was among those who attacked her and tried to touch her inappropriately. Police sources said that the parties involved were acquainted with each other from before, and the entire incident is currently under investigation. Whether the person in question was Nasir Khan was also being investigated. The woman also accused the other group of attacking them with glass bottles, and later calling an additional 20 people to join the attack, the India Today report claimed. She alleged that she dialled the emergency police number for help. However, her family was forced to take shelter inside the clubs liquor room as the doors of the club were locked. They attacked us with bottles and tried to touch me inappropriately," the report quoted the complaint by the woman. We immediately lodged an FIR soon after getting the complaint from the lady. During the investigation, our team gathered CCTV footage from the club which is being examined. The statement of the victim has also been recorded. Investigation is underway, we are probing every aspect with priority," it quoted Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar as saying. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, an FIR was registered under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 117(2), 351(2), 3(5), and 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and any arrests in the case were yet to be made. ALSO READ | SIR Will Help Identify Infiltrators: Concerns Over Sharp Demographic Shifts In Key Bengal Districts About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:29 IST News india Kolkata Woman Alleges Molestation At Nightclub, Names 2012 Park Street Case Accused In FIR Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko has accused Volodymyr Repik, the director of the finance department of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), of disrupting plans to deploy a system of mobile shelters. Timur said Repik told the offices of city districts that they would have to pay for the mobile shelters. "This is a bomb that the city hall financiers are deliberately planting under the districts, because the these offices do not buy anything but paper, buttons and computers. Procurement of engineering structures should be carried out by structural units that have trained specialists in the field of procurement. And who understand building structures," Tkachenko said on Telegram on Tuesday. He emphasized that the RDA in all previous cases had the exclusive right to determine who exactly would do this, but now "the city hall ultimatum leaves no choice." He directly accused Repik and his immediate superior, Petro Panteleyev, deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, of disrupting the appearance of "at least one mobile shelter." "They told the heads of the Kyiv City State Administration: you came up with this with the head of the Kyiv City State Administration, now think of how to install these shelters. Although earlier the mayor presented the news about the installation of shelters as a personal victory. The next time Klitschko writes about arrivals, for example, in the Desniansky district, everyone will know that there are few shelters there precisely because of the tricks that the mayor is playing," Tkachenko concluded. Manmohan Singh's Pushback, 'Stinking' Room For Audit: Book Details How CAG Unearthed Coal Scam Reported By : & News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 09:40 IST In his book, Unfolded: How audit trail heralded financial accountability & international supreme audit institution, P Sesh Kumar revisits report on coal block scam Rapid Read + Follow us On Google The CAGs critics called its estimate speculative, saying the gains were hypothetical or spread over decades. (File) Did you know that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)the body that keeps the government in checkwas itself a victim of a smear campaign from the powers that be during the late ex-PM Manmohan Singhs era for unearthing the alleged coal scam? Did you know that auditors were given a small room next to a stinking toilet" in the coal ministry to dissuade them? Recommended Stories In his book, Unfolded: How the audit trail heralded financial accountability and international supreme audit institution, published by JGS Enterprises, P Sesh Kumar, who served as former Director General of Audit, CAG, revisits one of the most contentious moments in Indias public finance historythe CAG report on coal block allocations that even dragged the prime ministers name. Drawing on inside accounts, Kumar describes how the audit team stood firm amid political attacks, media trials and bureaucratic hurdlesall while defending its now-famous estimate of Rs 1.86 lakh crore in windfall gains"a term borrowed from official files. Speaking to News18, Kumar said the coal scam allocations were not transparent and the Supreme Court cancelled all of them. The auditing authorities were not welcomed. The coal ministry was part of the government but they should not have hid records. Of the 200+ screening committee meetings, we got access to just 2-3 meetings. There was delay and non-cooperation and the government was possibly hiding records. We were given a small room in the ministry next to a stinking toilet. The audit was not welcomed. They saw us a nuisance. Toilets may have improved now but they were stinking then," he said. Kumar added: The government was very upset with our report. Then PM Manmohan Singh spoke against the report in Parliament while top ministers held press conferences against it." WEATHERING A POLITICAL STORM FROM PMO The book mentions how the CAG maintained an unusual public silence amid the fierce backlash from the highest echelons of government, and its far-reaching fallout". It explores the background of coal block allocations and how a secretive Screening Committee parcelled out valuable coalfields, the CAGs findings and the contentious Rs 1.86 lakh crore (Rs 1.86 trillion) figure that rocked the nation, and recounts the political counterattack from Singh and his ministers who dismissed the CAGs conclusions as deeply flawed". Behind the scenes, SAI faced stonewalling and missing files as they raced to complete the report, even as leaks led to sensational headlines," Kumar recounts of the UPA days. Interestingly, Kumar reveals that the term windfall gain" at the heart of the debate was not coined by the auditors. It originated from an internal note written by the then coal secretary, who acknowledged that the allocation process had the potential of conferring windfall gains" on private companies. The CAG merely quantified what the governments own files recognised," Kumar writes. THE CORRECTNESS OF RS 1.86 LAKH CRORE The reports headline figure Rs 1.86 lakh crore was not a random estimate but a result of detailed calculations. The audit covered 57 of the 75 private coal block allocations, estimating extractable reserves, applying Coal India Ltd.s price-cost data, and adjusting conservatively for expenses. The CAG disclosed its assumptions upfront," Kumar notes. Anyone questioning the figure could test those assumptions." Even the auditors admitted the number was illustrative" representing not a direct loss but a foregone opportunity for the exchequer. To overlook it, they argued, would be to ignore the magnitude of what government policy had enabled. THE STINKING ROOM While the numbers were precise, the process of getting them was anything but smooth. Kumar recounts how audit teams faced missing records, uncooperative officials, and even poor working conditions. In Delhis Coal Ministry, the auditors were given a small room next to a stinking toilet". As one insider joked, it might have been to stink out their resolve." Undeterred, the team worked through festivals like Durga Puja to trace key documents. Yet the minutes of the Screening Committee central to the allocation process remained out of reach. After months of effort, auditors obtained only two sets of minutes out of hundreds. Even those, Kumar writes, revealed arbitrary decision-making that spoke for itself". THE BOMBSHELL FILE A major breakthrough came when the audit team discovered a policy file in the Coal Ministry. It contained internal notes from 2004 onward, including those by the coal secretary, the Law Ministry, and even the then prime minister, who briefly held the coal portfolio. The file showed that as early as 2006, the Law Ministry had cleared competitive bidding for coal blocks but the ministry delayed implementation for years. The discovery, Kumar writes, demolished the governments argument that auctions were not legally possible earlier." DEFENDING THE NUMBERS The CAGs critics called its estimate speculative", saying the gains were hypothetical or spread over decades. But the auditors argued that the reserves had immediate economic value. The reserves in the ground had value thats why companies fought to get them," one auditor told Kumar. To pretend otherwise was to deny basic economics." They also pointed out that discounting to net present value would not change the central finding that the government had surrendered vast potential revenue. A REPORT THAT REDEFINED PUBLIC AUDIT top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Beyond the numbers, the book presents the coal block audit as a story of institutional integrity under pressure. Despite personal attacks and political distortions, the CAG stood firm, insisting that transparency in natural resource allocation was a constitutional duty. As Kumar concludes, The real victory was not in a number printed on a report, but in reaffirming that accountability in public finance is not an act of politics it is an act of democracy." About the Author Anindya Banerjee Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 07:00 IST News india Manmohan Singh's Pushback, 'Stinking' Room For Audit: Book Details How CAG Unearthed Coal Scam Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Non-BS VI Commercial Vehicles Registered Outside Delhi To Be Barred From Entering From November 1 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:48 IST Meanwhile, transporters have urged the government to reconsider or extend the relaxation period for BS-IV vehicles. The decision follows a CAQM meeting held on October 17 (Image: PTI) Starting November 1, all commercial goods vehicles registered outside Delhi and non-compliant with BS-VI emission norms will be prohibited from entering the national capital, as per the latest directive of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The move is part of a broader effort to curb rising pollution levels in Delhi ahead of winter, when air quality typically plummets. BS-VI compliant vehicles adhere to stricter emission standards, significantly reducing particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions compared to earlier models. The transition to BS-VI fuels and engines represents one of Indias most ambitious clean-air initiatives. Recommended Stories In a public notice, the Transport Department of Delhi clarified that BS-IV commercial goods vehicles will continue to be allowed entry into the city until October 31, 2026, as a transitional arrangement to give transporters more time to upgrade their fleets. However, there will be no restrictions on the entry of: Commercial goods vehicles registered in Delhi BS-VI compliant diesel vehicles BS-IV compliant diesel vehicles until October 31, 2026 Vehicles running on CNG, LNG, or electricity The notice further stated that the restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Delhis multi-stage anti-pollution framework, will continue to apply to commercial goods vehicles whenever specific stages of the plan are enforced due to deteriorating air quality. The decision follows a CAQM meeting held on October 17, during which officials approved a comprehensive ban on the entry of polluting commercial vehicles into Delhi starting next month. The move is expected to play a crucial role in reducing vehicular emissions, one of the major contributors to Delhis toxic winter smog. Meanwhile, transporters have urged the government to reconsider or extend the relaxation period for BS-IV vehicles. Bhim Wadhawa, representing the All India Motor Transport Congress, said, There is a time of one year for them during which BS-IV compliant vehicles will be allowed entry." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Rajendra Kapoor of the All India Motor and Goods Transport Association added that the transport community will soon convene to discuss their response. The Supreme Court had given the orders. If we want the restrictions on entry of BS-IV compliant vehicles not to be imposed even after the period of one year, we will have to approach the court. We will hold a meeting next week to decide what needs to be done," he said. The new restrictions underscore Delhis tightening stance on vehicular emissions as part of its ongoing battle against hazardous air quality, which routinely reaches severe" levels during the winter months. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:48 IST News india Non-BS VI Commercial Vehicles Registered Outside Delhi To Be Barred From Entering From November 1 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... President Droupadi Murmu To Take Sortie In Rafale Fighter Jet Tomorrow Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 22:49 IST President Droupadi Murmu will take a sortie in Rafale fighter aircraft on Wednesday. She will be the first President to fly in IAFs most modern Rafale fighter aircraft. (File) President Droupadi Murmu will on Wednesday take a sortie in Rafale fighter aircraft from the Ambala Air Force base in Haryana, Rashtrapati Bhavan announced on Tuesday. The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu will visit Ambala, Haryana tomorrow (October 29, 2025), where she will take a Sortie in Rafale," Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement. Recommended Stories She will be the first President to fly in IAFs most modern Rafale fighter aircraft. Earlier in April 2023, President Murmu, who is also the Supreme Commander of Defence Forces of India, took a sortie in Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam. She was airborne for around 30 minutes, flying over the Brahmaputra and Tezpur valley with the Himalayas on one side. President Murmu is the third President and the second woman President to undertake such a sortie. Prior to her, former Presidents like Pratibha Patil and APJ Abdul Kalam had also flown in the fighter jet. Kalam and Patil carried out sorties in Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets from the Air Force Station at Lohegaon, near Pune, on June 8, 2006, and November 25, 2009, respectively. All About Rafale Manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, Rafale fighter aircraft were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020 at the Air Force Station, Ambala. India currently has 36 Rafale jets. The Rafale jets were used in Operation Sindoor, Indias precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes killed at least 10 family members of JeM chief Masood Azhar and four close aides. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all India is planning to induct more Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force in its arsenal in the near future, of which it has already procured 36 jets. India in fact will now soon get 26 more Rafale M (Marine) jets from France for deployment on its aircraft carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. Dassault Aviation is also planning to set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for the M-88 engines that power the Rafales. This facility is expected to be located in Hyderabad. Indian companies, including Tata Group, are likely to play a key role in the local manufacturing and support infrastructure. About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 22:49 IST News india President Droupadi Murmu To Take Sortie In Rafale Fighter Jet Tomorrow Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Rajasthan AGTF, ICE Arrest Key Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Member Near US-Canada Border Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 08:42 IST Jagdeep Singh, alias Jagga, had been on the run from India for a long time and was operating the gang from abroad. Rajasthan AGTF succeeded in getting Jagdeep Singh, alias Jagga, a prominent member of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The Rajasthan anti-gangster task force (AGTF) on Monday successfully nabbed Jagdeep Singh, alias Jagga, a prominent member of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, near the US-Canada border. The operation was carried out in collaboration with the international law enforcement agencies. Recommended Stories The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained Jagga, a key operative under gang member Rohit Godara. Jagga had been on the run from India for a long time and was operating the gang from abroad. According to investigation agencies, Jagdeep Singh alias Jagga fled India to Dubai three years ago and then illegally reached America. While in America, he was working for Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Rohit Godara and was managing the gangs activities from abroad. Jagga had been under AGTFs radar for a long time due to his involvement in serious criminal activities across Rajasthan and Punjab. He is wanted in over a dozen pending cases, with arrest warrants issued by courts in Rajasthan for offences, ranging from jumping bail to attempted murder. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Jagga was also an accused in the Vasudev Israni murder case in Jodhpur. In this case, he was imprisoned with Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi. After being released on bail, he went to Dubai and resumed working for the gang. Reportedly, he handled funding, weapon supply, and threatening messages on social media for the Lawrence Bishnoi and Rohit Godara gang. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Rajasthan, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 08:42 IST News india Rajasthan AGTF, ICE Arrest Key Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Member Near US-Canada Border Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Society Won't Forgive Us If: Supreme Court On Doctors' Covid-19 Compensation Case Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:44 IST Supreme Court urges insurance for all doctors who died fighting COVID-19, including private clinic staff, stressing society must support medical professionals. Supreme Court of India (Image: PTI/File) The Supreme Court on Tuesday emphasised that society will not forgive the judiciary if it doesnt take care of medical professionals, particularly those who sacrificed their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The top court was hearing a petition against non-inclusion of doctors and health workers who lost their lives battling Covid-19 at private clinics, dispensaries, and non-recognised hospitals in insurance policies, news agency PTI reported. Recommended Stories A bench of Justice P S Narasimha and Justice R Mahadevan said the government must ensure that insurance companies settle the valid claims, and added that the assumption that private doctors were working for profit-making was not correct. Society wouldnt forget us if we dont take care of our doctors. The first profession that protects human life is the doctor.this country wouldnt forget us if we dont stand by doctors and take care of them," Justice Narasimha remarked. You should compel the insurance company to pay if, according to you the condition is met that they were on Covid response and they died because of Covid. Merely because they were not in government duty, the assumption that they were making profits and then they were sitting is not correct," the bench observed. The Court clarified that it would not adjudicate individual claims but would instead lay down broad principles to guide the implementation of the insurance scheme. We will not go into individual claims. We will just lay down the principles," Justice Narasimha said, adding that the criteria would focus on whether the deceased doctor was actively engaged in medical service and whether death was a result of Covid-19 infection. Whats The Case? The top court was hearing a plea by Pradeep Arora and others against a March 9, 2021, order of the Bombay High Court, which held that private hospital staffers were not entitled to receive benefits under the insurance scheme unless their services were requisitioned by the state or the Central government. A plea was filed in the high court by Kiran Bhaskar Surgade, who lost her husband who ran a private clinic in Thane to Covid-19 in 2020. The insurance company rejected her claim under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) on the ground that her husbands clinic was not recognised as a Covid-19 hospital. The PMGKP was announced in March 2020, and its coverage has been extended since then. It was launched to provide a safety net to the health workers to ensure that in case of any adversity due to Covid-19, their families are taken care of. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all An insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh is provided to the health workers under the PMKGP scheme, which has become a safety net for the dependents of the Covid warriors who lost their lives to the infection. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:44 IST News india Society Won't Forgive Us If: Supreme Court On Doctors' Covid-19 Compensation Case Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... UP Gears Up For Voter List Overhaul After Two Decades As Special Intensive Revision Begins Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Apoorva Misra Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:29 IST The revision, modelled on the lines of Bihars SIR exercise, aims to remove duplicate or ineligible voters and add new eligible citizens to the rolls Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google The SIR comes at a politically sensitive time before the Election Commission is expected to announce the 2027 assembly polls. (PTI) Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday embarked on its first Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in 22 years as the Election Commission of India launched a massive state-wide verification drive to clean and update the electoral rolls ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Beginning October 29, the four-month-long exercise will see over 1.62 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) verify the details of 15.44 crore registered voters across 403 assembly constituencies and 80 Lok Sabha seats, making it one of the largest voter list revisions ever undertaken in the country. Recommended Stories The revision, modelled on the lines of Bihars SIR exercise, aims to remove duplicate or ineligible voters and add new eligible citizens to the rolls. With Uttar Pradesh being Indias most populous state, this verification drive will play a crucial role in ensuring that every eligible voter is correctly listeda process seen as central to fair and transparent elections. A State-Wide Verification Exercise According to Uttar Pradeshs Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa, the ECIs decision to conduct an SIR across select states is intended to ensure the utmost transparency in the electoral process and verify every voters eligibility afresh". He added, All preparations have been completed. Officers, including District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Officers, and over 1.62 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs), have been trained for the exercise." The revision will be conducted booth by booth across all constituencies of Uttar Pradesh. Each BLO will visit homes within their jurisdiction thrice between November 4 and December 4, 2025, distributing forms and verifying details of every voter. The voter list has been frozen as of midnight, October 28, marking the official start of the verification process. During this period, suspicious entries will be flagged, and those whose names appear doubtful will be asked to produce documents proving citizenship and residence. Monitoring will be done by 75 District Election Officers and 2,445 Electoral Registration Officers to ensure accuracy and accountability. Timeline And Procedure According to the schedule issued by the Election Commission of India, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in multiple phases over the next few months. The preparatory stage, which includes training sessions for officials, logistical arrangements, and printing of enumeration papers, will take place between October 28 and November 3, 2025. Following this, from November 4 to December 4, 2025, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct a door-to-door verification drive, distributing and collecting forms from voters in every household across the state. During this phase, BLOs are mandated to visit each home up to three times to ensure maximum voter coverage and participation. Once the field verification concludes, the draft voter list will be published on December 5, 2025, marking the start of the public review process. Citizens will then have the opportunity to submit claims and objections between December 9, 2025, and January 8, 2026, allowing them to challenge any discrepancies or omissions in the list. The Election Commission will subsequently issue notices, conduct hearings, and carry out on-ground verification to resolve these cases. This process of scrutiny and correction will continue through January, and the final voter list will be published by February 7, 2026. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has also directed that no polling station in the state should have more than 1,200 voters, emphasising the need for manageable and transparent polling units. Accordingly, the verification of polling booths and rationalisation of voter distribution will be undertaken alongside the SIR process to ensure compliance with these guidelines. Why Now? The Rationale Behind SIR The Election Commission has so far conducted eight SIRs nationwide, the last being in 2003-04. Such revisions are typically undertaken every 20-25 years to ensure that the electoral rolls reflect accurate, updated demographic data. The process involves cross-verifying current voters against older listsin this case, the 2003 list, which has already been uploaded to the states election website. Officials will match family members details from that list to ensure no duplication or false entries. Those whose names cannot be matched will be asked to submit relevant documents for verification. The same 11 documents that were used in Bihars SIR will be applicable in Uttar Pradesh as well. If implemented effectively, officials estimate that up to 1.30 crore names could be deleted from the rolls, similar in proportion to Bihar, where 68.66 lakh names were removed and 21.53 lakh new voters were added. However, sources within the commission caution that this projection may be exaggerated, given that migration rates in Uttar Pradesh are far lower than in Bihar". What Documents Will Be Required? During the initial phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), voters will not be required to submit any documents. The verification will be carried out through door-to-door visits by Booth Level Officers, who will cross-check details with the existing electoral rolls. Only after the enumeration phase, once discrepancies or doubts arise, will BLOs seek documentary proof to validate a voters citizenship, age, and place of residence. For new voters or those shifting from another state, documentary evidence will be mandatory. Individuals born before July 1, 1987, must provide their own proof of birth or age to establish eligibility. Those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004 will need to submit their own documents along with those of their parents to confirm Indian citizenship. For individuals born after December 2, 2004, it must be proven that at least one parent is an Indian citizen and the other is not an illegal migrant. The same set of 11 documents accepted during Bihars SIR, including Aadhaar card, passport, voter ID, PAN card, and school certificates, will also apply in Uttar Pradesh to ensure uniformity in the verification process. Political Twist The SIR announcement has triggered sharp political reactions in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has warned that if irregularities occur in the SIR, Uttar Pradesh will face Nepal-like situations". He accused the Election Commission of ignoring previous complaints of deleted votes" and alleged manipulation during bypolls. We submitted a list of 18,000 deleted votes to the Commission. If such tampering continues, the public will take to the streets," Yadav said. Congress state president Ajay Rai also opposed the move, declaring, We will resist the SIR in UP just as we did in Bihar." Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak welcomed the exercise, saying, Only eligible citizens should remain on the rolls. Identifying outsiders or ineligible voters is a welcome step." Minister Dayashankar Singh added that the Election Commissions decision is independent, and all citizens must respect it". top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all SP MP Dimple Yadav, however, struck a moderate note, saying: If the Election Commission wants to conduct SIR across the country, it may do so." Meanwhile, BSP leader Vishwanath Pal stated that their party would wait for Mayawatis decision on the issue. The SIR comes at a politically sensitive time before the Election Commission is expected to announce the 2027 assembly polls. With UPs vast electorate, even minor adjustments in the rolls can influence electoral outcomes in dozens of constituencies. First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:29 IST News india UP Gears Up For Voter List Overhaul After Two Decades As Special Intensive Revision Begins Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... UP Govt Hospital Medical Chief Suspended, Booked Over Remark Against Yogi Govt Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:31 IST Officials said the suspension order cited indecent and objectionable language against the state government Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath | PTI File photo The acting chief medical superintendent of Birsinghpur Community Health Centre in Sultanpur has been suspended and booked after a video surfaced showing him allegedly making a remark against the Uttar Pradesh government. The controversy erupted on Saturday when members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) visited the hospital to raise concerns about shortages of medicines and poor medical facilities. Recommended Stories During the exchange, the acting CMS, Bhaskar Prasad, allegedly told protesters to take out a mock funeral procession of the state government and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, instead of targeting hospital officials. Dr. Bhashkar Prasad, CMO of Composite Hospital in Birsinghpur, Sultanpur was suspended after his viral video in which he was telling AAP workers to take out a funeral procession of the CM and the Govt instead of the CMO and CMS. pic.twitter.com/NbT3cFZbij NCMIndia Council For Men Affairs (@NCMIndiaa) October 27, 2025 The video quickly went viral on social media, prompting local BJP MLA Raj Prasad Upadhyay to call for action against the doctor. The district magistrate informed the Director General of Health Services, who ordered an inquiry. On Sunday, the additional director of health, Ayodhya division, visited the hospital, conducted an inquiry, and recommended action against Prasad. Acting on the report, the health department suspended him and attached him to the office of the additional director, health, Ayodhya. Prasad, however, denied the allegations, claiming his remarks were taken out of context. I had gone there on the SDMs instruction to receive a memorandum. I did not make the comment with any ill intent. It seems to be a conspiracy," he told PTI. Officials said the suspension order cited indecent and objectionable language" against the state government and noted that Prasad had prescribed medicines from outside pharmacies, violating protocol. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, BJP Mandal president Shobhnath Yadav filed a police complaint, alleging that Prasads remark amounted to indiscipline and gross misconduct by a government servant, leading to an FIR and a police investigation." (With inputs from PTI) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Uttar Pradesh, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:27 IST News india UP Govt Hospital Medical Chief Suspended, Booked Over Remark Against Yogi Govt Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'We Witnessed Divine Glimpse Of...': PM Modi Extends Greetings On Conclusion Of Chhath Puja Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 09:28 IST Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted citizens on Chhath Pujas conclusion, praising the devotion and hoping for well-being of all. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Prime Minister Narendra Modi prayed for devotees' well being. (Image: PMO India/File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended warm greetings to citizens on the conclusion of the four-day-long Chhath Puja festival, praying for the well-being and prosperity of all devotees. In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi expressed happiness over the successful completion of the festival dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. Recommended Stories Today, the auspicious conclusion of the great festival of Chhath took place with the morning arghya offered to Lord Sun God. During this four-day ritual, we witnessed the divine glimpse of our grand tradition of Chhath Puja," PM Modi tweeted in Hindi. : ! Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2025 He further said, Heartfelt congratulations to all our family members who became part of this sacred festival along with all the fasting devotees and devotees! May the boundless grace of Chhathi Maiya keep all your lives forever illuminated." Earlier on Tuesday morning, devotees across the country offered Usha Arghya to the rising Sun, marking the culmination of Chhath Puja. Thousands gathered along riverbanks, ponds, and ghats to perform rituals and seek blessings for prosperity and well-being. In Bihar, large crowds thronged the ghats and riverbanks to offer prayers, placing offerings of fruits and flowers along the water. Security personnel were deployed at major ghats to ensure smooth conduct of the celebrations. In Delhi, Yamuna Ghat witnessed heavy footfall as devotees offered arghya to the rising Sun. ITOs Hathi Ghat was brightly illuminated as devotees performed concluding rituals amid hymns and chants. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Similar scenes were witnessed in Varanasi, where devotees gathered in large numbers at the ghats, including Shastri Ghat, to offer prayers on the final day of the festival. The four-day Chhath Mahaparv began on October 25 with the ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on October 26, Sandhya Arghya (evening offerings) on October 27, and concluded with Usha Arghya (morning offerings) on October 28. About the Author Manisha Roy Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manish... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 09:37 IST News india 'We Witnessed Divine Glimpse Of...': PM Modi Extends Greetings On Conclusion Of Chhath Puja Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Woman Caught With 1kg Gold In Underwear At Delhi Airport, Another 170g Hidden In Bottle Cap Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:47 IST Customs seized 996.5 grams of gold worth over Rs 1.17 crore from the woman at Delhi Airport. She was taken into custody and confessed to smuggling it from Myanmar to India Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Customs officer discovered six gold biscuits concealed in her black underwear. (X/@AirportGenCus) In a shocking incident at Delhi Airport, a woman was caught attempting to smuggle 1 kg of gold hidden in her underwear. Customs officials said the case was among two recent instances that exposed unusually creative methods of gold smuggling. On October 24, a female passenger arrived at Terminal-3 from Myanmar on flight 8M-620. Suspicion led customs officers to search her, resulting in the discovery of six gold biscuits concealed in her black underwear. Recommended Stories Customs, IGI Airport Date: 24.10.2025Operation: AIU, IGI Airport, New DelhiSeizure: 996.5 grams Gold BarsThe officers of airport customs preventive, IGI airport, New Delhi have booked a case of smuggling of gold on 24-10-2025, against one foreign national passenger, arrived pic.twitter.com/HNTr8dwSUV Delhi Customs (Airport & General) (@AirportGenCus) October 25, 2025 The gold, weighing 996.5 grams and valued at over Rs 1.17 crore, was seized, and the woman was taken into custody. She confessed to smuggling the gold from Myanmar to India. In another incident on October 25-26, a male passenger arriving from Dubai on flight AI-996 was intercepted at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport. Authorities, who had been monitoring him since the flight gate, detained him at the green channel exit gate. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all #DelhiCustomsAtWork@IGIDate: 25/26.10.2025Ops: AIU, IGI Airport, New DelhiWhen it comes to smuggling of Gold, the fertile brain of the human race can think in more ways than can be conceived. With the spurt in prices of yellow metal internationally, the inflow is expected to pic.twitter.com/J5zjWx0FlU Delhi Customs (Airport & General) (@AirportGenCus) October 26, 2025 Upon inspection, 170 grams of gold worth approximately Rs 20 lakh was found hidden in a water bottle cap. The investigation continues as officers explore all aspects of the case. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:47 IST News india Woman Caught With 1kg Gold In Underwear At Delhi Airport, Another 170g Hidden In Bottle Cap Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Yogi Adityanath Announces UPs 76th District: How New Districts Are Formed, What It Costs Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:13 IST After the state approves the proposal or issues an executive order, work starts on demarcation, budgeting, staffing, and setting up infrastructure for the new district Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Given Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's announcement, it is expected that the proposal will soon come before the Assembly. (News18 Hindi) Uttar Pradesh is preparing to establish its 76th district, as announced by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The new district will be named Kalyan Singh Nagar, although the proposal has not yet been presented in the assembly. Given the Chief Ministers announcement, it is expected that the proposal will soon come before the Assembly. The new district will be formed by reallocating areas from Aligarh and Bulandshahr. This area was the birthplace and workplace of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, hence the districts name. Recommended Stories Currently, India has 797 districts spread across 28 states and 8 union territories. When India gained Independence in 1947, there were approximately 230 districts, consisting of areas from 17 provinces of British India and numerous princely states. At the time of Independence, Uttar Pradesh, known then as the United Provinces, had 35-38 districts. It was later renamed Uttar Pradesh. Over the past decade (2015-2025), Rajasthan formed the highest number of new districts, totalling 19. Andhra Pradesh also increased its district count by 19 in one go during the same period. In Madhya Pradesh, 10 new districts have been established in the last 24 years, including several between 2015-2025. In 2022, West Bengal decided to form 7 new districts. Over the past ten years, more than 40 new districts have been created across the country. How Are New Districts Formed? The authority to create, modify, or abolish districts lies with the state governments. This can be done either through an executive order or by passing a law in the state assembly. Many states opt for the executive route by issuing notifications in the official gazette. How Do New Districts Help? States argue that smaller districts facilitate better administration and governance, which is why new districts have been created in recent years. However, it is difficult to assess the impact on administrative efficiency. Does The Central Government Have Any Role In Creating New Districts? The central government does not play a role in renaming or creating districts. States have the autonomy to make these decisions. When a state wishes to rename a district or railway station, the Ministry of Home Affairs gets involved. The states request is forwarded to various departments and agencies such as the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Intelligence Bureau, Postal Department, Geological Survey of India, and Railway Ministry for approval. After reviewing their responses, a no-objection certificate can be issued. What Has Been The Trend Of Creating New Districts In The Country? According to the 2011 census, there were 593 districts in India. Census results indicate that 46 districts were created between 2001-2011. Approximately 40 new districts have been formed in the last ten years. The 2021 census is yet to be conducted. How Much Does It Cost To Create A New District? Generally, creating a new district costs around Rs 2,000 crore, which includes administrative buildings, roads, water and electricity systems, staff appointments, and other basic facilities. The construction of district headquarters, courts, district councils, agriculture, education, and health department buildings alone can cost up to Rs 500 crore. The remaining estimated cost of Rs 1500 crore is for road networks, water, sanitation, and other infrastructure. State governments set the budget based on needs and area; the cost may vary depending on premises, facilities, and local arrangements. The Rajasthan government announced a budget of around Rs 1000 crore for new districts in 2023-2025, prioritising basic construction. Which Is The Largest And Smallest District In The Country? The largest district in India is Kutch in Gujarat, with an area of about 45,674 square kilometres. The smallest district is Mahe in the union territory of Puducherry, with an area of only 9 square kilometres. Kutch is so large that it is bigger than 9 states in India: Kerala, Haryana, Goa, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh. What Does A New District Need, And How Long After Announcement Does It Become Functional? Administrative, basic, and social facilities are essential for creating a new district. Generally, a new district can start functioning administratively within 3-6 months after the state government issues the notification. Once the state government finalises the executive order or passes the proposal in the assembly, work begins on demarcation, budgeting, staffing, and infrastructure development for the new district. The following are the essential requirements for forming a new district: A minimum population usually around 2 lakh, although it may vary by area. Adequate area and availability of irrigation and connectivity means. Administrative facilities such as district headquarters, collectorate, police station, court, education, health, agriculture, panchayat/municipality buildings, roads, and water systems. At least 3-4 subdivisions or tehsils. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Who Gets Posted First In A Newly Formed District? The first appointments in a new district are the District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) as administrative officers. Following this, the budget and resources are allocated. The existing property and staff are divided from the districts from which the new district is formed. Location : Uttar Pradesh, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 18:13 IST News india Yogi Adityanath Announces UPs 76th District: How New Districts Are Formed, What It Costs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Shooter of former Japan PM Abe pleads guilty in court Xinhua) 15:06, October 28, 2025 TOKYO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of fatally shooting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday, the first day of his trial, local media reported. The 45-year-old, indicted for killing Abe with a homemade firearm during an election stump speech in western Japan, admitted to the charge of murder and to violating the firearms and swords control law at the Nara District Court, Kyodo News reported. Yamagami, appearing in court for the first time since the killing three years ago, said he committed the crime due to a grudge he held against the Unification Church, which he believed had close ties to Abe and other Japanese politicians. Yamagami has told officials that massive donations, likely some 100 million yen (about 660,000 U.S. dollars), his mother made to the group caused his family's financial ruin, the report said. The shocking assassination brought intense attention to the ties between the controversial religious group and members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which Abe formerly led. (Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Zhong Wenxing) Photo: https://kyiv.klichko.org Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko has appealed to Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, to send a monitoring mission to Ukraine, given that European partners, according to him, are receiving information about the pressure of the central government on local self-government, the mayor's website said on Tuesday. "European partners are interested in the state of the reform on decentralization of power, which was implemented in our country earlier. Since they are receiving more and more signals about pressure on local self-government bodies - political, financial, at the level of legislative support for their activities," Klitschko said after meeting with Kools in Strasbourg, where the 49th session of the Congress is taking place, dedicated to the challenges for European communities in the field of democracy, security and sustainability. In addition, the Kyiv mayor will meet with the Secretary General and representatives of the Council of Europe Development Bank regarding urgent assistance to Ukraine on the eve of a difficult winter in conditions of massive enemy attacks on critical infrastructure. "I will also meet here with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, and representatives of the Council of Europe Development Bank. I will take part in a discussion on what European partners can urgently help Ukraine and its communities with today. In particular, on the eve of winter, which will be very difficult for us in the conditions of massive enemy attacks on critical infrastructure," Klitschko said. According to the report, according to the Association of Ukrainian Cities, headed by Klitschko, over the three years of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, more than 200 heads of territorial communities were removed from their posts due to the formation of military administrations or other martial law measures. In Kyiv, from 2019 to 2025, more than 1,500 criminal proceedings were initiated against employees of the city hall, 1,200 searches were conducted, and more than 300 suspicion notes were served, while only four convictions entered into force. Klitschko believes that this is being done to paralyze the work of the city and discredit the Kyiv authorities. Jonathan Bailey Charms In Nehru Jacket And Grey Suit At A Desi Wedding Published By : Trending Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:47 IST From a powder blue Nehru jacket to a laid-back pale grey suit, Jonathan Bailey delivers standout wedding looks that blend charm and sophistication. Jonathan Bailey wowed at Sacha Dhawan's wedding. (Images: Reddit) Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey is often admired for his versatile style and daring outfit choices. From exuding regal charm in velvet waistcoats on the Netflix series to charming fans in sharp tailored suits, Jonathan knows how to remain the talk of the town. The Bridgerton actor was recently seen channelling a desi Indian look for the first time as he attended his best friend Sacha Dhawans wedding. Recommended Stories Jonathan Bailey Exudes Desi Charm In Traditional Ensemble The Wicked star was seen opting for a powder blue structured Nehru-style vest featuring a high-banded collar and a row of round metallic buttons along the front. He paired this exquisitely fitted, elegant vest with a slightly loose and flowy white kurta featuring full-length sleeves, peeking out beneath the vest. The actor opted for a traditional pair of straight-cut churidar pants at the bottom to create a neat line with the long kurta. To finish off his look, Bailey added a pair of tan shoes, further elevating the minimalistic charm of the whole look. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anjli Mohindra (@anjlimohindra) Jonathan Bailey Serves Fashion Inspo in Tailored Suit For the reception, the actor was seen donning a unique shade of pale grey blazer and matching trousers. Underneath the blazer, Bailey wore a blue dress shirt and kept it unbuttoned at the top with no tie for a more relaxed and informal look. Lastly, he opted for a brownish loafer to match the subtle tone of his whole look. His laid-back suit perfectly captured the vibe of the outdoor celebration. Finishing off his look, the actor pinned a small boutonniere to the lapel for a pop of colour to the outfit. There is absolutely no doubt why Jonathan Baileys wardrobe is a dream of many fashion lovers, and these wedding looks are proof. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JONATHAN BAILEY (@jbayleaf) Jonathan Bailey Looks Like A Dream in BTS Shooting Pictures top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The actor recently shared a bunch of behind-the-scenes pictures from a shooting, where he was seen carrying his usual charm in a monochrome outfit. Baileys ensemble featured a dark maroon button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves, which he tucked into a matching pair of tailored pants, rolled at the hem. Channelling a dreamy vacation look, the actor was seen opting for tan loafers as he posed with a martini in hand, with the backdrop of a stunning sea view. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 18:47 IST News lifestyle fashion Jonathan Bailey Charms In Nehru Jacket And Grey Suit At A Desi Wedding Nora Fatehis Saree-Inspired Gown Bridges Indian Craft And Global Glamour Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:52 IST Nora Fatehi stunned in blue saree-inspired gown in Dubai. The Rahul Mishra creation was drenched in hand-embroidered florals and delicate textures. Nora Fatehi stuns in a Rahul Mishra creation. Nora Fatehi has always known how to command a red carpet, and this time, she did it with quiet elegance and unmistakable star power. At a prestigious Dubai event, the global performer stepped out in a breathtaking blue couture ensemble by Rahul Mishra that shimmered like liquid light. The gown, drenched in hand-embroidered florals and delicate textures, moved like poetry, making it a wearable piece of art that balanced drama with restraint. Her look immediately drew comparisons to Zendayas unforgettable Rahul Mishra moment from the Ambanis NMACC opening, where the Hollywood star wowed in a similarly sculptural piece by the same designer. But while Zendaya brought her signature statuesque sophistication, Nora Fatehis interpretation was softer. It was ethereal yet assertive, grounded in her own brand of feminine strength. Recommended Stories View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nora Fatehi (@norafatehi) Known for his intricate craftsmanship and storytelling through embroidery, Rahul Mishras couture often blurs the line between nature and couture. His creations are rooted in Indian artisanal techniques but speak an international design language, making it a combination that has made him one of the most sought-after designers globally. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zendaya (@zendaya) On Nora, the ensemble came alive in a new way. The blue palette, flecked with glimmers of silver and soft florals, framed her silhouette perfectly. With radiant skin, dewy makeup, and her cascading hair, she let the outfit breathe, proving that true glamour lies in confidence and presence, not just embellishment. Nora Fatehis ability to seamlessly blend cultures, from her Moroccan heritage to her Indian stardom and now her growing global recognition, makes her a truly international style force. Her choice to spotlight Rahul Mishra on an international platform not only celebrated Indian couture but also underlined her role as a bridge between East and West. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Her fashion choices mirror her career trajectory: bold, versatile, and unapologetically global. As she gears up for her highly anticipated international single What Do I Know (Just A Girl) with Jamaican-American artist Shenseea under Warner Records, set for a live debut at UNTOLD Dubai 2025, she continues to prove that her influence extends far beyond the screen. Even as her latest viral track Dilbar Ki Aankhon Ka crosses a million views in just ten minutes, Nora remains as committed to style as she is to sound. Whether its redefining Indian couture on international stages or collaborating across continents, she continues to embody what modern stardom looks like. It is fearless, fluid, and fashion-forward. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:52 IST News lifestyle fashion Nora Fatehis Saree-Inspired Gown Bridges Indian Craft And Global Glamour Sreeleelas Kanjeevaram Half Saree Look Is The Perfect Inspiration For The Wedding Season Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 09:18 IST Sreeleela donned a custom Kanjeevaram half-saree as she attended Bhuvan Gowda and Nikitha's wedding. The rich silk skirt was intricately woven with gold and silver zari motifs. Sreeleela wore a custom Kanjeevaram half-saree by Bhargavi Kunam. Telugu and Kannada actress Sreeleela exuded traditional charm as she attended the wedding of KGF cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda and Nikitha, turning heads in a resplendent custom Kanjeevaram half saree by designer Bhargavi Kunam. Known for her effortless blend of youthful grace and regal poise, Sreeleelas look was a masterclass in how to reinterpret classic South Indian attire for modern-day celebrations. A Play Of Zari And Silhouette Recommended Stories Sreeleelas ensemble featured a rich silk skirt intricately woven with gold and silver zari motifs, creating a subtle shimmer that caught the light beautifully. The circular patterns on the skirt were complemented by a contrasting border, adding visual balance and traditional richness. The heavily embellished blouse, encrusted with sequins and embroidery, brought contemporary opulence to the otherwise classic weave. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SREELEELA (@sreeleela14) Completing the look was a georgette dupatta with delicate zari embroidery and embellishments tracing its edges. Draped gracefully across the shoulder, the dupatta added fluidity and movement to the structured silhouette. Adding a touch of bridal grandeur, Sreeleelas half saree was cinched at the waist with a bejewelled kamarbandh, highlighting her frame while enhancing the traditional drape. Her accessories struck the perfect harmony between ornate and elegant a statement necklace, maang teeka, temple jhumkas, and gold bangles elevated the look without overwhelming it. Her makeup stayed true to her graceful aesthetic: a soft makeup palette, kohl-lined eyes, and a loosely braided hairstyle infused with understated sophistication. The braid, adorned subtly to match the outfits tone, paid homage to the South Indian bridal style while keeping it youthful and effortless. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bhargavi Kunam (@bhargavikunam) A Celebration Of Heritage top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Sreeleelas appearance was more than just a wedding-guest look. It was a tribute to the enduring elegance of South Indian heritage. The half saree, also known as langa voni or langa davani, is symbolic of cultural transition and tradition. By pairing it with contemporary detailing and luxe craftsmanship, Sreeleela breathed new life into a garment steeped in nostalgia. Her look beautifully captured what modern Indian fashion does best weaving legacy and luxury into one seamless story of style. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 09:18 IST News lifestyle fashion Sreeleelas Kanjeevaram Half Saree Look Is The Perfect Inspiration For The Wedding Season Does Drinking Beer Really Flush Out Kidney Stones? Urologist Explains... Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 15:03 IST Doctors recommend drinking plenty of water to help flush out kidney stones, as it dilutes urine and eases their passage. Stones up to 5mm in size can usually pass naturally Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google There is a common belief that drinking beer can help flush out kidney stones. (Representative/Shutterstock) The increasing prevalence of kidney stones, particularly among young people, is a growing concern. Kidney stones, when small, can sometimes pass out naturally through urine, with doctors advocating for ample water intake to facilitate this process. There is a common belief that drinking beer can help flush out kidney stones, often adopted as a home remedy, but does this hold any truth? Dr. Amrendra Pathak, Vice Chairman of the Urology Department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, clarified the matter for News18. Recommended Stories Dr. Pathak explained that kidney stones form when minerals like calcium, oxalate, and uric acid accumulate in the kidney and create small crystals. These crystals can grow larger and obstruct the urinary tract, leading to symptoms such as burning, pain, or blood in the urine. While small stones may pass out through urine, larger stones often require surgical removal. Drinking plenty of water is recommended to help flush out kidney stones, as it thins the urine, facilitating the passage of stones. Typically, kidney stones of 5mm or smaller can pass through urine, although even small stones can sometimes get stuck and necessitate surgical intervention. Regarding beer, Dr. Pathak points out that it does not contain any properties that aid in flushing out kidney stones. Beer acts as a diuretic, increasing urine production, but this does not guarantee that the kidney stone will pass out. Similar effects can be achieved by drinking lemon water or plain water, he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Patients with kidney stones are advised against consuming beer. Dr. Pathak highlighted that beer contains alcohol, which can harm the body and lead to addiction. Increased urine production from beer consumption can cause the stone to accumulate in the kidney, causing swelling. Therefore, drinking beer is not recommended for those with kidney stones. Additionally, beer can elevate uric acid levels and contribute to liver problems, potentially exacerbating the condition, he added. First Published: October 28, 2025, 15:03 IST News lifestyle health-and-fitness Does Drinking Beer Really Flush Out Kidney Stones? Urologist Explains... Anupam Kher Lauds Bollywood Actresses For Braving The Cold In Chiffon Sarees: That Is Also Dedication Published By : IANS Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:23 IST Anupam Kher, who recently visited the snowy peaks in Switzerland, was all praise for Indian actresses who filmed song sequences in chiffon sarees despite the extreme cold. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Anupam Kher visits Europes highest peak, praises Indian actresses for shooting in chiffon sarees Veteran actor Anupam Kher shared a breathtaking glimpse from his visit to Jungfrau, the highest peak in Europe. Standing amid the snow-clad surroundings at -7C, he couldnt help but admire the grit of Indian actresses who have filmed song sequences at the same location wearing chiffon sarees. Through his post, Kher expressed his respect for their dedication and professionalism while braving such extreme weather conditions. Recommended Stories On Tuesday, the Tanvi the Great actor took to Instagram to share a video of himself braving the extreme cold at Jungfrau. The actor, clad in winter clothes, was seen recording himself amid heavy snowfall and icy winds, capturing the breathtaking landscape around him. With his trademark enthusiasm, Anupam Kher marvelled at the beauty of the location while applauding Indian actresses who have filmed song sequences there in sarees despite the freezing temperatures. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anupam Kher (@anupampkher) The actor wrote in the caption, As I am on my way back to my beautiful country #Bharat, in the next few days I will be posting some of the remaining pics and videos of my trip to Switzerland! Here is one at the snowy peak in #Jungfrau! It is supposed to be the highest peak in Europe! Hats off to all the Indian actresses who did song sequences here in just chiffon Sarees in -7 degrees! That is also dedication! I was finding it difficult to stand there wearing five layers of clothes! Jai Ho! #SwitzerlandDiaries #MagicOfIndianCinema." Earlier, Anupam Kher, who was vacationing in Switzerland, shared a heartwarming moment as he enjoyed a peaceful stroll down what he described as the most magical street in the world. The veteran actor posted a delightful video of himself walking along a lush, green street, set to Mohammed Rafi and Sonu Nigams timeless melody Pukarta Chala Hoon Main." The Special 26 actor also shared a video from a railway station in Switzerland, where he was seen standing next to the iconic Yash Chopra train on the Jungfrau Railway. First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:03 IST News movies bollywood Anupam Kher Lauds Bollywood Actresses For Braving The Cold In Chiffon Sarees: That Is Also Dedication Im Gonna Die: When Karan Johar Was Caught Pooping Behind An Egypt Limestone During K3G Shoot Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:05 IST Who knew Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham would have such a crappy behind-the-scenes story? Read below to know the hilarious story. Karan Johar's awkward moment will make you go ROFL! It was all sunshine, sand and Sooraj Hua Madham until Karan Johars stomach decided to go rogue. This happened in Egypt, 2000-something. The sand was golden, the mood was cinematic, and Karan Johar was about to call Action!" but just not the kind he expected. In the middle of shooting Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in Egypt, our favourite filmmaker was struck by a vicious case of loose motions that sent him sprinting behind a limestone like it was the worlds last washroom. Just when he thought he had found some solitude," destiny decided to add another plot twist as there was someone else squatting behind the next rock. The two locked eyes mid-squat. Recalling this toe-curling awkward moment, Karan Johar had once revealed, So, I got the loosies one day in the middle of Egypt, while we were shooting Sooraj Huya Madham (Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham). I got a bad loose motions attack. And we were in this location where there were these lime stone structures and I just had to go behind one of them." Recommended Stories The 46-year-old filmmaker recalled how he ran quite a distance to find a hidden spot behind a limestone to answer natures urgent call. But just when he thought hed found privacy, he spotted another man squatting behind a nearby rock battling the same situation." The two locked eyes mid-crisis, completely helpless as their stomachs refused to cooperate. KJo added, I went very far and there was this other person who was having the similar problem and he was behind another limestone. And, we both stared at each other, we both knew we were hiding. And it was the most embarrassing emotion. He stared at me and I stared at him and we were both in squat positions and I was like, I am gonna die because he found the limestone, as did I, and we both thought we wont tell anyone. But, it was a very bad attack that I had. I couldnt help it. The vanity van was two kilometers away. Yeah, so. Its called Far Fara dessert, where we shot that part. And it has my remains for life now." The filmmaker said that the man belongs to Dharma Productions and is still very much in the company. I have never looked at him in the same way after that experience and he is still very much in the company." Bollywood may be full of drama, but Karan Johars Egyptian adventure takes the cake (or should we say, the crap). First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:02 IST News movies bollywood Im Gonna Die: When Karan Johar Was Caught Pooping Behind An Egypt Limestone During K3G Shoot 'Im Not For Sale': Shashi Tharoor Shuts Down Paid Review Allegations For Ba***ds Of Bollywood Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 08:30 IST Aryan Khans The Ba**ds of Bollywood on Netflix stars Lakshya Lalwani, Bobby Deol, and Sahher Bambba. Shashi Tharoor praised it as OTT gold and responded to paid review allegations Shashi Tharoor had earlier praised The Ba***ds Of Bollywood. Aryan Khans directorial debut, The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, has become one of the most talked-about OTT releases of the year. Starring Lakshya Lalwani, Bobby Deol, and Sahher Bambba in lead roles, the Netflix series has impressed everyone. A month after its release, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor shared his thoughts on the show, describing it as absolute OTT gold." His review quickly caught attention online including many accusing him of writing a paid review" for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khans show. Well, Shashi Tharoor has now given a befitting reply to the troll who made this allegation. Shashi Tharoor shuts down troll Recommended Stories After Shashi Tharoor shared a positive review of the Netflix series, a social media user accused him of being paid to promote it, commenting, Shashi Tharoor new side business Paid reviews." The Congress MP, however, wasnt one to let it slide. Responding to the troll on Monday (October 27), Tharoor firmly wrote, Im not for sale, my friend. No opinion I express has ever been paid for by anybody, in cash or in kind." Take a look: . Im not for sale, my friend. No opinion I express has ever been paid for by anybody, in cash or in kind. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 27, 2025 Shash Tharoors review Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the politician shared that he was not well for the past few days, and then his sister, Smita Tharoor, suggested he watch the series, which left him completely impressed. He wrote, Ive had a cold and cough for two days and had to cancel engagements. My team and my sister, @smitatharoor, got me to spend some time away from the computer watching a @NetflixIndia series, and its one of the best things Ive ever done for myself: absolute #OTT GOLD!" I just finished watching Aryan Khans directorial debut, The Ba***ds of Bollywood," and Im struggling to find words of praise. It takes some time to grow on you, but once it does, youre completely hooked! The writing is crisp, the director is brave, and the sheer audacity of this satire is just what Bollywood needed. A brilliant, often amusing, sometimes heartbreaking, and always unflinching look beyond the glamour, sending up every cinematic cliche with razor-like witand a series of insider jokes that let the viewer into the act and behind the scenes," Tharoor added. The politician continued, The seven compelling episodes mark the arrival of a true storytelling powerhouse. Take a bow, Aryan Khanyouve delivered a masterpiece: TheBa***dsOfBollywood" is brilliant!" Lastly, he shared a message for Shah Rukh Khan, writing, SRK: from one father to another, let me say: you must be so proud!!" Ive been battling a cold & cough and cancelled engagements for two days. My staff and my sister, @smitatharoor, persuaded me to turn my eyes away from the computer part of the time towards a @NetflixIndia series, and its one of the best things I have ever treated myself to: pic.twitter.com/xRUHv8ERTB Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 26, 2025 More About The Ba***ds of Bollywood First Published: October 28, 2025, 08:30 IST News movies web-series 'Im Not For Sale': Shashi Tharoor Shuts Down Paid Review Allegations For Ba***ds Of Bollywood Opinion | Hefazat-e-Islams ISKCON Ban Push: Yunuss Free Run To Islamists Endangers Hindus Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 16:29 IST Muhammad Yunuss interim government, installed after Hasinas August 2024 ouster, has emboldened Hefazat through inaction and appeasement Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus (IMAGE: AFP) In October 2025, Bangladeshs streets pulse with the fury of Hefazat-e-Islam, as thousands rally in Dhaka and Chattogram, demanding a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), labelled a Hindutva extremist" threat. This grand march, the most formidable since their 2013 Dhaka siege, signals a dangerous resurgence of radical Islamist power under Muhammad Yunuss interim government. Recommended Stories The arrest of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in November 2024 on sedition chargesstemming from a fabricated flag desecration claim during a minority rights rallyignited this firestorm. Dass detention, coupled with over 3,600 documented attacks on Hindu homes, temples, and businesses since August 2024, reveals a calculated assault on Bangladeshs Hindu minority. Hefazats chants of Catch one ISKCON, then slaughter" expose their visceral anti-Hindu animus, threatening to unravel decades of fragile coexistence. Yunuss leniency toward this Deobandi juggernaut, notorious for anti-secular crusades, marks a stark departure from Sheikh Hasinas containment policies. As Hefazats influence swells, unchecked by a wavering regime, Bangladesh teeters toward a theocratic abyss. West Bengals BJP has sounded alarms, but Indias Centre must also heed this crisis, lest South Asias secular fabric fray further, endangering millions. Hefazats Anti-Hindu Legacy: From Blasphemy Hunts to Temple Ruins Hefazat-e-Islam, born in 2010 from Chittagongs qawmi madrasas, is no mere religious coalitionits a Deobandi behemoth with a track record of anti-Hindu violence and ideological warfare. Rooted in a puritanical vision opposing secularism, womens rights, and minority freedoms, it rose to infamy by targeting the 2013 Shahbag movements call for justice against 1971 war criminals. Its 13-point charter" demanded death penalties for blasphemous" bloggers, leading to the arrest of four writers and the brutal murder of Rajib Haider in February 2013. That years Shapla Square siege saw over 500,000 supporters paralyse Dhaka, clashing with police in a crackdown killing at least 50. The fallout was catastrophic: after Jamaat-e-Islamis Delwar Hossain Sayeedis death sentence, Hefazat-backed mobs torched 500 Hindu homes and 40 temples in districts like Noakhali, displacing thousands in pogroms reminiscent of 1971s genocide. In 2021, a social media post criticising a Hefazat cleric triggered attacks on 70-80 Hindu homes in Sunamganj. Human rights reports estimate 1.5 million Hindus fled Bangladesh since 2001, with Hefazats rhetoric fuelling forced conversions and land grabs. Its current ISKCON fixation continues this pattern, cloaking communal hatred in accusations of anti-Islamic" conspiracies. ISKCON in the Crosshairs: A Pretext for Hindu Persecution Hefazats demand to ban ISKCON hinges on baseless claims of militancy and foreign interference, despite ISKCONs global reputation for non-violent Vaishnava devotion and humanitarian work like Food for Life." The arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a revered ISKCON leader, on November 2024 sedition chargesallegedly for disrespecting Bangladeshs flag during a peaceful protestexposes the real motive: silencing Hindu voices. Das, now jailed without bail in Chattogram, faces fabricated charges alongside 17 ISKCON members whose bank accounts were frozen. Hefazat leaders like Mufti Harun Izhar and Maulana Mamunul Haque have escalated rhetoric, labelling ISKCON a Hare Krishna terrorist outfit" and demanding its eradication. Since August 2024, over 200 Hindu temples, including ISKCON centres in Jessore, have been vandalised, with arson and looting reported in Comilla and Dinajpur. This campaign mirrors Hefazats historical playbook: weaponising blasphemy to justify violence. By framing ISKCON as a threat to Bangladeshs Islamic identity, Hefazat taps into a broader narrative demonising Hindus as Hasina loyalists" or Indian proxies, risking mass displacement and economic boycotts that have already crippled Hindu-owned businesses in 20 districts. Yunuss Dangerous Dance with Radicalism Muhammad Yunuss interim government, installed after Hasinas August 2024 ouster, has emboldened Hefazat through inaction and appeasement. Unlike Hasina, who quelled Hefazats 2013 uprising with Operation Shaplafiling 254 cases for murder and vandalismand arrested hundreds during 2021 anti-Modi riots, Yunus has granted them free rein. His September 2024 meeting with Mamunul Haque, a Hefazat firebrand, and the appointment of pro-Hefazat advisers like AFM Khalid Hossain (He was inducted as religious affairs adviser) signal tacit endorsement. The regimes lifting of bans on Jamaat-e-Islami and release of al-Qaida-linked militants have further empowered Islamist networks, with Hefazats 10 million-strong madrasa base amplifying its clout. In April 2025, Hefazats threats reportedly forced Yunus to shelve gender equality reforms, exposing his vulnerability to their ultimatums. This contrasts sharply with Hasinas secular balancing act, which, despite flaws, curbed Hefazats excesses through arrests and madrasa oversight. Yunuss failure to address 3,600+ minority attacksdismissing them as political"has normalised Hefazats narrative of Hindus as fifth columnists. Reports suggest Salafi-Wahhabi funding from Gulf states has bolstered Hefazats logistics, with 200 new madrasas opened since 2024, deepening their societal grip and threatening Bangladeshs constitutional secularism. Regional Stakes and Indias Role: A Call to Action The Hindu plight under Hefazats resurgence is not just Bangladeshs crisis its a regional flashpoint. With Bangladeshs Hindu population dwindling from 22% in 1971 to 8% today, the current wave of 1,000+ monthly attacks risks a refugee crisis along Indias 4,096-km border. West Bengals BJP, through rallies in Kolkata and Basirhat, has demanded economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure. The socioeconomic toll is dire: Hindu farmers face land encroachments, and 30% of Hindu businesses in Dhaka report boycotts. Sources indicate that Hefazat maintains links with Hizb ut-Tahrir (a radical Islamist group seeking to establish a global caliphate and known for having ISIS sympathisers) and Jamaat. Such connections, they warn, could draw Bangladesh closer to global jihadist networks and, in turn, threaten the stability of South Asia. Indias Centre must amplify this alarm without delay. Leveraging UN forums, SAARC dialogues, or targeted sanctions on Hefazats financial networks could curb their momentum. Supporting Bangladeshs secular voices and documenting atrocities via international NGOs are urgent steps. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As Yunuss regime flirts with theocratic drift, Indias proactive stance can preserve the 1971 liberation legacy, ensuring Hindus arent erased from Bangladeshs tapestry. Failure to act risks emboldening radicals, with echoes of Kashmirs 1990s exodus haunting the horizon. The author teaches journalism at St Xaviers College (autonomous), Kolkata. His handle on X is @sayantan_gh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: October 28, 2025, 16:29 IST News opinion Opinion | Hefazat-e-Islams ISKCON Ban Push: Yunuss Free Run To Islamists Endangers Hindus Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Opinion | How Hamas Damaged The Palestinian Cause: Tragic Betrayal Of A Just Struggle Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 15:38 IST If there is to be a future for Palestine, a free, secure, and sovereign one, it will only come from leaders who choose the pen over the gun, dialogue over dogma & hope over hatred Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Hamas claims to fight for Palestine, but its every action has weakened it. (AFP) For decades, the Palestinian struggle for statehood has been one of the most compelling human rights causes of the modern eraa people seeking freedom, dignity, and sovereignty in their homeland. But in recent years, and especially after the October 7, 2023, event, the global perception of this cause has been deeply tarnished. The main reason for this erosion of sympathy lies in the actions and ideology of Hamas, a group whose pursuit of power has not only devastated Gaza but has also undermined the moral and diplomatic foundations of the Palestinian movement itself. From Resistance to Extremism Recommended Stories Hamas was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada, emerging as an offshoot of Egypts Muslim Brotherhood. Initially, it claimed to represent armed resistance" against Israeli occupation, a rhetoric that resonated with many Palestinians weary of displacement and oppression. However, over time, Hamass actions revealed a much darker agenda rooted in extremism, intolerance, and the rejection of peaceful coexistence. Instead of building a political framework or a vision for a viable Palestinian state, Hamas invested its energy in militarisation. Its charter, steeped in theocratic language, rejected the very idea of Israels existence. This not only alienated potential international allies but also placed Hamas outside the global consensus that supports a two-State solutionthe very foundation of legitimate Palestinian diplomacy. October 7: A Turning Point The October 7, 2023 attack, in which Hamas militants crossed into Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages, was a moral and strategic disaster. For Palestinians, it reversed decades of diplomatic progress and destroyed international sympathy painstakingly built over years. Global public opinion, which had increasingly recognised the injustices of occupation and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, suddenly shifted. Hamass brutality targeting civilians, children, and families blurred the line between resistance and terrorism in the eyes of the world. Western governments, previously divided on Israels actions, rallied almost unanimously behind Tel Avivs right to self-defence. The result: Gaza became the epicentre of destruction, with thousands of innocent Palestinians paying the price for Hamass recklessness. Hamass greatest betrayal lies in how it has hijacked the Palestinian cause for its own ideological survival. Instead of focusing on governance, development, or diplomacy, Hamas turned Gaza into a fortress of fear. Billions in international aid meant for reconstruction and welfare were diverted to build tunnels, stockpile weapons, and maintain a private militia. In the name of resistance", Hamas suppressed dissent, silenced civil society, and persecuted its political rivals, particularly members of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority. The result has been the creation of a divided Palestine Gaza under Hamass authoritarian control and the West Bank under a weakened Palestinian Authority. This division has crippled any unified Palestinian strategy and allowed Israel to argue that there is no credible partner for peace". Before Hamass rise, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) under great Leader Yasser Arafat had managed to gain recognition as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. It secured observer status at the United Nations, established diplomatic missions worldwide, and helped the global community understand that the Palestinian issue was one of justice and human rights. Hamas reversed that narrative. Its violence gave Israel and its allies justification to brand the entire Palestinian struggle as extremist. Western nations that once pressured Israel to curb settlements and negotiate peace now focus almost exclusively on counter-terrorism. Even Arab states, once the bedrock of Palestinian solidarity, have grown wary, prioritising their own national interests and peace deals with Israel over the stagnant Palestinian issue. Perhaps the most tragic outcome of Hamass actions is the human cost. Gazas civilian population has borne unimaginable suffering, displacement, starvation, and death while Hamass leadership often operates from tunnels or foreign capitals. Their strategy thrives on perpetual conflict, knowing that civilian casualties bring global outrage against Israel. In doing so, Hamas effectively uses Palestinians as human shields, weaponising their suffering for political leverage. The groups obsession with martyrdom and confrontation has left little room for pragmatism or compassion. Every rocket fired, every militant act, distances Palestinians further from the dream of statehood. Ball Is In Hamass Court On Gaza Peace Plan Now that a new Gaza peace plan is taking shape, the world watches to see whether Hamas will choose diplomacy over destruction. The opportunity for a lasting truce, perhaps the first real one in years, depends largely on the groups willingness to move beyond its militant reflexes. Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and the US have all indicated cautious optimism, but peace cannot be imposed; it must be embraced. If Hamas truly claims to represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people, then it must prioritise rebuilding Gazas shattered society over fuelling endless warfare. The coming days will reveal whether Hamas seeks a future built on negotiation and nationhood or whether it remains trapped in a cycle of violence that only prolongs Palestinian suffering and postpones peace once again. The world must recognise that supporting Palestine does not mean supporting Hamas. True solidarity lies in empowering those Palestinians who seek peace, reform, and self-determination through diplomacy, not destruction. For the Palestinian cause to regain its lost moral ground, it must separate itself decisively and permanently from the ideology of Hamas. The international community, meanwhile, must stop treating Hamass violence as synonymous with Palestinian identity. The two are not the same. The aspirations of millions of ordinary Palestinians for dignity, education, and freedom cannot be reduced to the ambitions of a militant elite. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Hamas claims to fight for Palestine, but its every action has weakened it. It has turned sympathy into suspicion, solidarity into fatigue, and tragedy into propaganda. If there is to be a future for Palestinea free, secure, and sovereign oneit will only come from leaders who choose the pen over the gun, dialogue over dogma, and hope over hatred. (The author is a community leader. He writes on a wide range of issues, including, Sufism, Public Policy, Geopolitics and Information Warfare. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.) First Published: October 28, 2025, 15:38 IST News opinion Opinion | How Hamas Damaged The Palestinian Cause: Tragic Betrayal Of A Just Struggle Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Right Word | What The West Gets Wrong About Indias Gen Z And Its Democracy Written By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:51 IST To understand India, one must abandon the lens of spectacle and learn to see political endurance as a testament to achievement, not an anomaly Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Nepal Gen Z protesters outside Nepal's army headquarters during a curfew imposed to restore law and order in Kathmandu. (AFP File) After the recent protests in Nepal by Gen Z that toppled its government, the global commentaries are raising the question: why arent Indias youth taking to the streets? As Nepals Gen Z had managed to bring down a government within two days, observers in Western capitals rushed to draw comparisons with calm in India. Across all these Western media coverages, the undertone was unmistakably similar Indias young citizens are either disenchanted or forcibly silenced as they are not coming out on streets. The question that has been repeatedly asked by the Western media is how could 370 million digitally connected, energetic young people stay quiet while their neighbours erupt in rebellion! Recommended Stories This line of reasoning is not only too simplistic; it reflects a new colonial construct. The same Western lens that once portrayed the East" as mysterious now depicts it as perpetually unstable. This new form of neo-orientalism associates political maturity with the violent protests on the streets; if there is no unrest, it implies stagnation and not a resilient democracy! The recent BBC piece questioning why Indias Gen Z is not taking to the streets is a manifestation of this tendency. It draws parallels between India and smaller countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Madagascar, suggesting that the absence of mass uprisings signals a lack of youthful energy or civic courage. The problem isnt nastiness, its method. Comparing India to these states is to misunderstand how democracies operate at a larger scale. Nepals protests erupted after a sudden social media ban and amid a fragile coalition government that survives on thin legitimacy. Indias federal and electoral architecture, by contrast, disperses discontent across 1.4 billion people, 28 states, and thousands of local governments. The design of Indian democracy doesnt suppress anger; it channels it. Protests in India rarely topple governments because institutions, courts, elections, bureaucracies, and welfare systems absorb the shock. To view the absence of unrest as evidence of apathy is to overlook how political participation actually functions in a robust and mature democracy. There is an unspoken discomfort in much of Western coverage about how India, despite all its contradictions, remains economically and politically more stable than its peers. It continues to grow faster than most large democracies, sustains multi-party elections with a healthy turnout, and manages one of the worlds most complex social fabrics without systemic collapse. This stability is rarely celebrated in Western media; its often treated with suspicion. The reflexive narrative is to ask what might be going wrong beneath the calm rather than what mechanisms have allowed a post-colonial state to sustain democratic continuity and growth at this scale. Part of this bias comes from habit. The Western media has always treated South Asia as a theatre of crisis. If the story isnt of famine, coup, or riot, it barely registers. But another part stems from deeper discomfort; India no longer fits neatly into the developmental hierarchies that once defined the global imagination. Its too chaotic to be treated as Western, too successful to be pitied as developing". So, its stability is read as a paradox, not as an achievement. In Western capitals, protest is considered a hallmark of civic virtue. The French strike, the British march, and the American sit-inthese are viewed as signs of healthy democracy. Yet when the same template emerges elsewhere, its often described in different terms: unrest", mob violence", or youth instability". This double standard also extends to its inverse. When Western societies experience protest fatigue or political disengagement, it is analysed as a sign of post-modern maturity, a democracy that no longer needs the street. When Indias youth turn to the ballot box instead of barricades, it is defined as evidence of apathy. The irony is glaring. Indias 2024 general election saw the participation of nearly a billion voters, more than the population of the entire West combined. If protest is one language of democracy, participation is another. Yet the latter rarely makes headlines. To describe Indias Gen Z as silent" is to overlook the forms of politics that do not conform to Western standards. Indian youth are debating, campaigning, voting, volunteering, building businesses, and engaging digitally at an unprecedented scale. Their politics isnt always radical; its often pragmatic, sometimes ideological, occasionally contradictory. But it is politics nonetheless. The idea that activism must take the form of confrontation reflects a narrow understanding of agency. The Indian model of civic participation relies less on disruption and more on negotiation, achieved through social media, student movements, local elections, or NGO networks. Protest here is not a lifestyle choice; its a last resort. This doesnt make India less democratic. It makes it democratic in a more sustainable way. The Western gaze often operates on two assumptions: first, that Western democracies are the gold standard for political behaviour; and second, that political energy elsewhere must express itself through familiar Western forms to be valid. Both assumptions collapse under scrutiny. The protests in France over pension reform or Britains student marches are never compared to big democratic neighbours." They are treated as internal expressions of civic strength, not as part of a regional morality play. But when South or Southeast Asian youth mobilise, or dont, the question becomes comparative and moralising: why dont others follow? Why isnt India emulating its neighbours? This reflects projection and not analysis. Western media expects the template in their part of the world to be replicated everywhere. When it doesnt, they treat it as a sign of deficiency of democratic values. If we step away from this template, Indias apparent calm begins to look less like resignation and more like resilience. Its youth are not revolutionaries by default because they have grown up inside an established, functioning democracy. They have witnessed for decades that power dynamics can be successfully changed through ballots, not barricades. This generation of young Indians is also smoothly navigating global economic competition, digital transformation, and an aspirational middle-class culture that prizes progress over protest. Their energies are directed toward mobility, not militancy. Far from being depoliticised, they are the inheritors of a political system that has normalised participation so deeply that it no longer requires upheaval to feel real. In that sense, Indias stability" is not the absence of politics, its the maturity of it. India would never fit into the Western medias binary of democratic decline or populist revolt. Her story is less dramatic, but more consequential: a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multilingual democracy that manages to govern, argue, and grow simultaneously. The West often mistakes this for contradiction. It is, in fact, the definition of balance. The time has come for global media to update its interpretive grammar. Not every democracy must protest to prove its alive. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all To understand India, one must abandon the lens of spectacle and learn to see political endurance as a testament to achievement, not an anomaly. The real story isnt why Indias youth arent burning tyres; its why, despite every reason to fracture, the worlds largest democracy still holds together. And that story deserves to be told without a Western filter. The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:51 IST News opinion Right Word | What The West Gets Wrong About Indias Gen Z And Its Democracy Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://www.facebook.com Dutch Foreign Minister David van Wiel, who arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday for a visit, has announced the allocation of EUR 25 million to support Ukraine's energy system. "I also informed my colleague Andriy Sybiha that we are doing more in the energy sector. Russia is deliberately attacking Ukraine's energy supply. The Netherlands is allocating 25 million for equipment, emergency repairs and gas purchases. We will not leave our friends to their fate," he said on X. Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:45 IST 1 / 10 The Central governments new ride-hailing platform, Bharat Taxi, also known as Sahkar Taxi, is set to begin its pilot run in Delhi next month, positioning itself as a direct challenger to private players like Ola and Uber. (Image: Pexels) + Follow us On Google 2 / 10 The initiative, developed under the Union Ministry of Cooperation in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), aims to create a fair, driver-owned alternative in the app-based transport sector. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 10 According to an NDTV report, the pilot phase will begin in November 2025 with 650 vehicles operated by their owner-drivers. If successful, the service will expand to other major cities in December, marking the start of a nationwide rollout. (Image: Pexels) 4 / 10 According to officials, around 5,000 drivers, including both men and women, are expected to take part in the first phase. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 10 Over the next year, Bharat Taxi will gradually extend to 20 cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Lucknow and Jaipur. (Image: Pexels) 6 / 10 By March 2026, the government hopes to establish operations across metro regions, with plans to reach district headquarters and rural areas by 2030, involving as many as one lakh drivers. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 10 Unlike existing ride-hailing companies, Bharat Taxi will be managed as a cooperative enterprise rather than a private corporation. The platform will be operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, which was set up in June with an initial capital of Rs 300 crore. (Image: Pexels) 8 / 10 Drivers will be able to register their vehicles including taxis, rickshaws, two-wheelers and four-wheelers directly with the cooperative, without middlemen. This structure will ensure that 100% of the earnings go directly to the drivers, with no commission cuts. Officials said the pricing system will be fair, transparent and government-supervised, helping both drivers and passengers. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 10 The move follows growing criticism of existing cab aggregators over unfair and discriminatory pricing. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had earlier issued notices to Ola and Uber after reports surfaced that fares for the same journey varied depending on whether users booked through an iPhone or an Android device. (Image: Pexels) Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:45 IST 1 / 7 The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to begin the JEE Main 2026 registration process in October 2025. (Image: Pexels) + Follow us On Google 2 / 7 Candidates interested in applying for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) can complete their registration through the official website jeemain.nta.nic.in once the link is activated. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 7 According to the NTA schedule, JEE Main 2026 will be conducted in two sessions. Session 1 will be held from January 21-30, 2026, while Session 2 will take place from April 1-10, 2026. The two-session format allows students another opportunity to improve their scores and performance. (Image: Pexels) 4 / 7 Male candidates belonging to the Unreserved, Economically Weaker Section (EWS), or Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories are required to pay an application fee of 1,000 if they are appearing for the exam at centres located within India. However, if they choose a centre outside India, the fee increases to 5,000. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 7 Female candidates from the same Unreserved, EWS, or OBC categories have a slightly reduced fee structure. For exam centres within India, the fee is 800, while for centres outside India, it is 4,000. (Image: Pexels) 6 / 7 Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Persons with Disabilities (PwD), or Transgender categories benefit from a further concession. Their application fee is 500 for centres in India and 2,500 for centres located abroad. (Image: Pexels) ADVERTISEMENT Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:32 IST 1 / 12 Planning a quick getaway? Domestic trips are easy, but when it comes to travelling abroad, most of us stop at the airfare or exchange rate tab. Heres the good news: the Indian rupee goes a long way in many countries, letting you enjoy luxury on a budget. From the serene beaches of Asia to the colourful cities of South America, here are the top 10 destinations where your rupee holds more power than you think. + Follow us On Google 2 / 12 Sri Lanka: In Sri Lanka, one Indian rupee equals about 3.8 Sri Lankan rupees. This island nation feels like a world apart with green tea plantations, golden beaches, and ancient heritage sites that captivate travellers. You can indulge in luxury resorts and authentic Sri Lankan cuisine without overspending. One must not miss the Ella train journey from Kandy, often hailed as one of the most scenic train rides in the world. ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 12 Nepal: In neighbouring Nepal, one Indian rupee equals roughly 1.6 Nepalese rupees. From trekking in the majestic Himalayas to enjoying momo at a local cafe, almost everything here is incredibly affordable. Adventure seekers can embark on the Everest Base Camp trek, while those seeking serenity can paraglide over the tranquil lakes of Pokhara. 4 / 12 Indonesia: One rupee is worth about 190 Indonesian rupiahs. Indonesia, home to over 17,000 islands, offers something unique on every shore. The beaches of Bali are world-famous, but the countrys charm extends to ancient temples like Borobudur and Prambanan. In Balis Ubud, surrounded by rice terraces and art cafes, travellers can find the perfect mix of culture, nature, and relaxation, all at pocket-friendly prices ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 12 Myanmar: In Myanmar, one Indian rupee equals about 25 Myanmar kyats. Rich in history and warm hospitality, Myanmar offers an authentic travel experience. Visitors can explore ancient temples, taste local delicacies, and witness the countrys unique traditions without spending much. A hot-air balloon ride over the Bagan temple plains is an unforgettable highlight. 6 / 12 Paraguay: For something offbeat, South Americas Paraguay is an excellent choice. Here, one Indian rupee equals approximately 89 Paraguayan guaranis. Its among the cheapest Latin American destinations for Indian travellers. The capital city, Asuncion, is known for its colonial architecture, while the nearby Iguazu Falls remain a breathtaking natural wonder. ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 12 Cambodia: Cambodia blends affordability with rich culture. One Indian rupee equals about 49 Cambodian riels. The nation is most famous for the majestic Angkor Wat temple complex, but its beaches and bustling local markets are equally charming. Watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat is an experience every traveller should witness at least once. 8 / 12 Uzbekistan: In Uzbekistan, one Indian rupee equals roughly 145 Uzbek soms. Perfect for budget travellers, this Central Asian gem is adorned with blue-tiled mosques, vibrant bazaars, and ancient cities like Samarkand and Bukhara. It offers a deep dive into history, architecture, and culture without straining your wallet. ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 12 Hungary: Among European destinations, Hungary stands out as one of the most budget-friendly. One rupee equals around 4.3 Hungarian forints. The capital, Budapest, is famous for its grand architecture, historic castles, and picturesque bridges. Travellers can enjoy delicious local dishes and soak in the world-renowned Szechenyi thermal baths for a true taste of luxury at low cost. 10 / 12 Tanzania: For wildlife lovers, Tanzania is a dream destination thats surprisingly affordable. One rupee equals about 30 Tanzanian shillings. The country is renowned for the Serengeti National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro. You can experience thrilling safaris and breathtaking natural beauty, including the Great Migration, one of the most spectacular wildlife events on Earth. ADVERTISEMENT 11 / 12 Vietnam: In Vietnam, one Indian rupee equals roughly 296 Vietnamese dong, making it one of the most value-for-money destinations for Indian tourists. From the rice terraces of Sapa and the lantern-lit charm of Hoi An to the vibrant energy of Hanoi, Vietnam promises unforgettable experiences at low prices. A bowl of pho costs less than Rs 150, and comfortable hotels start around Rs 2,000 per night. Dont miss a cruise along Ha Long Bay or a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City. Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 15:58 IST 1 / 11 After fake Colgate toothpaste, a fake ENO racket has come to light. In a major crackdown, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted the fake antacid manufacturing unit in the Ibrahimpur area of North Delhi. The raid uncovered a large-scale operation producing counterfeit sachets of the over-the-counter medicine. + Follow us On Google 2 / 11 Two men, identified as Sandeep Jain and Jitender alias Chotu, were arrested at the site. Both are residents of Ibrahimpur and are believed to be the key operators behind the illegal setup. ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 11 During the operation, officers reportedly seized over 91,000 counterfeit ENO sachets, along with 80 kg of raw material, 13 kg of company-branded rolls, 54,780 stickers, 2,100 unfilled packets, and a packaging machine. 4 / 11 With such an alarming pattern of counterfeit manufacturing units producing fake pharmaceuticals and health-related products across India, how can an ordinary person know if the ENO they are buying is the real one or a fake? If you are wondering the same, worry not, we have got you covered. ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 11 According to ENOs official site, the product is made up of Svarjiksara (Shudh) and Nimbukamlam (Shushkam), which neutralise stomach acid on contact and help relieve indigestion and gas. Chemically, it is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, and sodium carbonate. 6 / 11 The fake one might not be consistent with this formula, may contain cheap, substandard ingredients that could be harmful, and may not dissolve quickly or taste different. Counterfeit antacids may contain harmful chemicals or incorrect dosages, leading to stomach irritation, acid reflux, or allergic reactions. ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 11 How to tell if it's a fake ENO? To identify a fake ENO, you can either check the packaging, MRP, or inspect the quality of the product itself, including its print, company name and logo. 8 / 11 The real products have a clean, shiny packaging with clear branding. Counterfeits may have faint or blurred print. One can also see slight differences in the size of the original and duplicate pouches, with the latter being slightly smaller. ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 11 Always check the manufacturing details, such as the manufacturers name, batch number, address, and price, before buying the product. If the details appear blurry, are incomplete, or are not mentioned, then thats a fake one. 10 / 11 Is there any price difference between fake ENO and the real one? While one sachet of the antacid, containing 5 gms of the product, retails at Rs 10 at medical shops, anything below it might be a warning sign. ADVERTISEMENT Mamata Banerjee Says Bengal Man Died By Suicide Over NRC, BJP Says She's 'Spreading Panic' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:32 IST A 57-year-old man from North 24 Parganas district allegedly took his own life, leaving behind a note blaming the National Register of Citizens for his death Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (PTI Image) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading fear and division through its NRC campaign, after a 57-year-old man from North 24 Parganas reportedly took his own life in panic over the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The deceased, identified as Pradeep Kar, a resident of Mahajati Nagar in Agarpara, was found hanging from the ceiling inside his home. Local residents discovered the body and informed the police. Officers from Khardah Police Station arrived soon after, recovered the body, and sent it for post-mortem examination. Recommended Stories Police said a diary was recovered from beside the body. In it, several entries referred to the NRC, and on the final page, a line read: NRC is responsible for my death." The incident has caused shock and concern in the neighbourhood. Reacting to the incident, the Chief Minister took to X to express her condolences and condemned what she called the BJPs politics of fear and division. She claimed that the partys ongoing NRC campaign had caused widespread panic among citizens." 57-year-old Pradeep Kar from 4 Mahajyoti Nagar, Panihati, Khardaha (Ward No. 9) has taken his own life, leaving behind a note that says, NRC is responsible for my death." What greater indictment can there be of the BJPs politics of fear and division?It shakes me to the very Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 28, 2025 In her post, Banerjee wrote that the tragedy reflected how the BJPs venomous propaganda" had pushed ordinary people to despair. It shakes me to the very core to imagine how, for years, BJP has tormented innocent citizens with the threat of NRC, spreading lies, stoking panic and weaponising insecurity for votes. They have turned constitutional democracy into a theatre of fear, where people are made to doubt their own right to exist," she wrote. The TMC supremo accused the BJP of creating a climate of anxiety in the name of nationalism. Those who sit in Delhi and preach nationalism have pushed ordinary Indians to such despair that they are dying in their own land, fearing they will be declared FOREIGNERS," she said. Reiterating her governments opposition to the NRC, Banerjee said the exercise would not be permitted in West Bengal. Bengal will never allow NRC, and never allow anyone to strip our people of their dignity or belonging. Our soil belongs to Maa, Mati, Manush, not to those who thrive on hate," the Chief Minister noted. BJP Hits Back Reposting Banerjees X post, BJP IT chief Amit Malviya accused her of lying and deliberately spreading panic to stoke fear for political gain. It was the TMC, not the BJP, that weaponised fear exploiting the anxieties of poor Hindu refugees who fled religious persecution and sought shelter in India. The same fear was used to loot, assault, and suppress voices, as seen in Sandeshkhali and during the riots in Malda and Murshidabad," Malviya further wrote. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The tragic death of Pradeep Kar must be investigated thoroughly the cause of suicide can and must be determined only by the law and investigating agencies, not through political rhetoric.Lets also get the facts right there is NO NRC anywhere in the country. Mamata Banerjee https://t.co/uKZLQlUxI6 Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 28, 2025 Mamata Banerjee knows that a proper Special Investigation Report (SIR) will expose the rot in her administration and mark the beginning of her political downfall. The SIR will also ensure that illegal infiltrators, who double up as TMCs votebank, are IDENTIFIED and DELETED from the voter list. Thats why shes resorting to lies and theatrics once again," he added. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 17:05 IST News politics Mamata Banerjee Says Bengal Man Died By Suicide Over NRC, BJP Says She's 'Spreading Panic' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Bring At Least 10 Muslim Girls...: BJP Leader's Jobs Promise To Hindu Youth Sparks Row Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 21:22 IST Raghavendra Pratap Singh made the controversial remarks while addressing a public meeting in Dumariyaganj in Uttar Pradesh's Siddharth Nagar district on October 16. Former Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Raghavendra Pratap Singh. (File) Former Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Raghavendra Pratap Singh has triggered a row after he allegedly publicly offered to cover marriage expenses and provide jobs to Hindu youths who bring ten Muslim girls and make them Hindu" to avenge two Hindu girls reportedly marrying Muslim men. Singh made the controversial remarks while addressing a public meeting at Dhankharpur village in Dumariyaganj in Uttar Pradeshs Siddharth Nagar district on October 16. However, it came to light on Tuesday after a video purportedly containing the remarks went viral on social media platforms, news agency PTI reported. Recommended Stories While addressing the speech in Hindi, Singh said, If a Hindu girl goes with a Muslim boy, is it not an insult to the whole Hindu community? If two have gone, then bringing two is not enough. Bring at least ten Muslim girls and make them Hindu, and we will bear all expenses of marriage, give security and provide a job for a comfortable livelihood." He also said that during previous governments, Hindus lived in fear, but under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths rule, there is no need to be scared anymore. The statement has drawn flak from opposition parties, with BSP chief Mayawati demanding strict action against elements spreading communal and casteist hatred. The latest narrow-minded and hateful statement of bring a Muslim girl, get a job, and elements spreading communal and casteist hatred, unrest, anarchy in UP, Uttarakhand, and other states in the name of religious conversion, love jihad and taking the law into their own hands is highly condemnable," the former Chief Minister said in a post X. , , - , - , , , Mayawati (@Mayawati) October 28, 2025 Such criminal, anarchic, and anti-social elements pose an open challenge to the government. Instead of providing them support and protection, governments should take strict legal action against such people to ensure the establishment of the rule of law in the broader interest of the public and the nation, she added. Samajwadi Party, and the Congress demanded action against the former MLA. The Congress slammed the remarks as shameful", accusing the BJP of spreading hatred and dividing society on religious lines. Samajwadi Party MLA from Domariyaganj, Saiyada Khatoon, said the comments were beyond tolerance, utterly misogynistic and blatant objectification of women". top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Demanding action against Singh, she said, This statement is an insult to women and openly demeans them. It targets a particular religion and may be part of his political agenda, but such comments against women are truly disgraceful." Asked about the furore over his remarks, Singh remained defiant before media persons and repeated the controversial comments. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More Location : Domariyaganj (Domariaganj), India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 21:22 IST News politics Bring At Least 10 Muslim Girls...: BJP Leader's Jobs Promise To Hindu Youth Sparks Row Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Congress Needs Siddaramaiah': DK Shivakumar Backs Karnataka CM Amid Leadership Change Debate Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:31 IST Speaking to CNN-NEWS18, Shivakumar firmly stated that the Congress government in the state would face significant challenges without the veteran leader. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (R) with Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. (PTI/File) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has emphasised the crucial role of Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs support and blessing for the Congress partys future success in the state, not just in the upcoming 2028 elections but beyond. This comes even as a leadership change debate rages on in Karnataka with Siddaramaiah about to finish 2.5 years in office next month. Speaking to CNN-NEWS18, Shivakumar firmly stated that the Congress government in the state would face significant challenges without the veteran leader. Recommended Stories Without Siddaramaiahs blessing and support, Congress party will find it difficult," Shivakumar said, stressing the importance of the Chief Ministers experience and backing. The statement comes amid ongoing speculation regarding a power-sharing arrangement and the Chief Ministers political future, particularly following Siddaramaiahs remarks at the Rising Karnataka summit where he hinted at a possible re-entry into electoral politics in 2028, despite earlier intentions to retire. Need for the Seasoned Politician Shivakumar was unequivocal in his support for the current Chief Minister, recognising his long political journey and value to the party. Not just 2028, we need him further also if health permits. He is a seasoned politician. We need the Chief Minister. We need his support. Health permits, we need all to come back to power. He has been a DyCM, LoP and CM. Without his blessing and support, Congress party will find it difficult. We need him for the success of Congress government in Karnataka," Shivakumar stated. The Deputy CM also reiterated his alignment with the high commands and Siddaramaiahs decisions, especially concerning the Chief Ministers continuation in politics. What the party high command says and whatever he has said, I stand by him. We will all work together," Shivakumar affirmed, responding to Siddaramaiahs statement that he would continue till 2028 if the High Command instructed him to do so. Siddaramaiah Hints at 2028 Contest Earlier, at the Rising Karnataka summit, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had addressed the question of his future electoral participation and the internal dynamics of the party. I had said I wont contest in 2028 elections. But all my friends are saying I should contest 2028 because it will help the party. I havent decided on it," the Chief Minister revealed, leaving the door open for a final decision based on party needs. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On the recurring power tussle rumours, Siddaramaiah maintained, What high command says is final." He also confirmed that a cabinet reshuffle could be on the cards, stating, High command 3-4 months back asked for a reshuffle. I said let us do it after we finish 2.5 years in office. Now if high command gives permission we will do it." The Chief Minister also distanced himself from national-level politics, clarifying, Not interested in national politics I dont want to do politics at national level." He also noted that the AHINDA plank (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) is a broader concept: AHINDA is not restricted to one political party. Any party that stands for social justice it will be." About the Author Harish Upadhya Harish Upadhya, an Assistant Editor at CNN-News18, reports from Bengaluru. Political reporting is his forte. He also tracks India's space journey, and is passionate about environmental reporting and R... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:31 IST News politics 'Congress Needs Siddaramaiah': DK Shivakumar Backs Karnataka CM Amid Leadership Change Debate Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... One Person, Voting Twice: Suvendu Adhikari Accuses TMC Councillor Of Having Two Poll IDs Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 17:43 IST Suvendu Adhikari accused Namita Sardar, wife of TMC MLA Bivas Sardar, of holding two voter IDs in Baruipur Paschim and Kultali, urging ECI action. West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari. (File) West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday claimed that Namita Sardar, wife of TMC MLA Bivas Sardar and sitting councillor of Baruipur Municipalitys Ward No. 7, possesses two voter identity cards registered in separate constituencies. In a post on X, the BJP leader accused the TMC councillor of voting in Panchayat area and also as a Municipal Councillor, which is a blatant violation of election laws." Recommended Stories TMC MLA Bivas Sardars wife; Namita Sardar, whos a sitting Councillor of Baruipur Municipalitys Ward 7 has TWO VOTER IDs! Voter in Baruipur Paschim (Booth 145, Serial 538, EPIC: TYK0475913). Also voter in Kultali (Booth 120, Serial 262, EPIC: DYQ2180727) with pic.twitter.com/smBH9Moehf Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) October 28, 2025 He shared details of the alleged duplication, saying that Namita Sardar is listed as a voter in Baruipur Paschim constituency (Booth 145, Serial 538, EPIC: TYK0475913) and also in Kultali constituency (Booth 120, Serial 262, EPIC: DYQ2180727), where her fathers name is recorded as Sachindranath Naskar. He further accused the ruling TMC of manipulating electoral rolls, saying, This is how TMC rigs the system. One person, two votes, zero shame." Urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to intervene, Adhikari demanded the cancellation of the duplicate voter ID, disqualification of Namita Sardar, and the filing of an FIR. While they lecture us on democracy, their leaders treat Voter lists like personal property. ECI must act now. Cancel duplicate IDs, disqualify her, file FIR. West Bengal deserves clean elections, not TMCs voter fraud factory," he asserted. Adhikaris allegations came a day after the Election Commission announced the second phase of voter list revision in 12 states and union territories, including West Bengal. After the announcement, the TMC opposed the exercise and said it would protest any attempt to delete the names of eligible voters at the behest of the BJP". The BJP, meanwhile, welcomed the announcement and maintained that no illegal voter will be spared". Reacting sharply to the EC move, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the party will democratically protest" any attempt to remove genuine voters from the list. If any attempts are being made to delete the names of any eligible voter, there will be protests. We have no problem with electoral roll revision, but in the name of it, if someone tries to delete the name of any eligible voter at the behest of the BJP, we will protest democratically," Ghosh said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Welcoming the SIR, the BJP said the exercise was successfully implemented in Bihar and it is necessary for a state like West Bengal. Launching a scathing attack on the TMC, the BJP made some serious allegations linked to fake voting as well as Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators. It has alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led party is distorting this process for its political interests" and excluding genuine Indian citizens especially Hindu refugees and ordinary voters, to maintain its so-called fake vote bank". About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 17:39 IST News politics One Person, Voting Twice: Suvendu Adhikari Accuses TMC Councillor Of Having Two Poll IDs Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... iPad Pro M6 Model Will Get This iPhone 17 Pro-Like Cooling System In 2027 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 15:18 IST iPad Pro M5 was introduced in the market recently but the 2027 Pro version could be as powerful as the MacBook Pros The 2027 iPad Pro model with M6 could get even more powerful Apples 2025 launches are done but the next year lineup already looks quite enticing. Weve seen the M5-powered iPad Pro and MacBook Pro introduced earlier this month but the launch plans for 2027 are being set in place. The M6 iPad Pro will be competing with the best in the business and it promises better gaming performance thanks to the new 2nm chipset along with vapour chamber cooling system on the new model. Adding this system suggests the M6 series chip will deliver higher processing power which invariably results in more heat. Recommended Stories More Power iPad Pro In 2027: Do We Need It? The details about this upgrade have been shared by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg this week, where he also points out the gradual extension to other Apple devices. The company has managed the heat issues quite well over the year, and most of that is based on the high-level of engineering that goes into all its products. Going with a chamber system for cooling on the M6 iPad Pro suggests Apple is estimating for some level heating as well as packing the device into a thin frame. The Pro version of iPads are already focused on professionals and deliver top performance with the M5 chipset giving the big numbers. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all So does Apple really need the iPad Pros to get even more faster and powerful than the current versions? The company clearly wants to show off its lead in the chip sector where both the A and M-series SoCs have offered best figures for benchmarks in the industry. Now, imagine adding a cooling system like the iPhone 17 Pro on top of the performance gains from the M6 series, and you could have an almost Mac-like alternative from the same brand in the market. And going by the report, Apple is likely to extend the system to its Mac lineup, starting with the MacBook Air versions to come in the next few years. The M6 launch is still at least one year away and before that Apple will bring the M5 Pro and M5 Ultra versions of the new chip that will be made available with the new MacBook Air, Pros and more. About the Author S Aadeetya S Aadeetya, Special Correspondent at News18 Tech, accidentally got into journalism 10 years ago, and since then, has been part of established media houses covering the latest trends in technology and ... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 15:18 IST News tech iPad Pro M6 Model Will Get This iPhone 17 Pro-Like Cooling System In 2027 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... This Indian Town Has Been Burning For 109 Years, The Earth Still Wont Cool Down Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:09 IST Government and BCCL efforts to douse the century-old fire saw limited success. In 2009, the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Plan was launched to relocate families Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google This town stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of uncontrolled mining and environmental negligence. (News18 Hindi) Once known for its high-quality coking coal that powered Indias steel industry, this small Jharkhand town now lies under a cloud of smoke and fire. What was once its greatest resource has become its gravest crisis, as underground coal fires continue to consume the land and endanger lives in Jharia. 109 Years On, The Earth Still Burns Recommended Stories The coal mine fire, which began around 1916, was not a natural disaster but a result of unscientific mining and poor safety practices. After extraction, several mine sections were left exposed, causing the coal to catch fire upon contact with air. What started as a small blaze has now spread through vast underground layers, engulfing hundreds of square kilometers in Jharia. Coal continues to smoulder beneath the surface, releasing intense heat and toxic gases. In several areas, the ground has weakened so much that it could collapse at any moment. Sinking Ground, Choking Air The people of Jharia are bearing the brunt of the century-old blaze. Continuous coal fires have caused the ground to sink, destroying homes and roads. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide pollute the air, leading to rising cases of respiratory illnesses, skin problems, and lung diseases. The underground heat makes life unbearable, and while many residents are forced to relocate, poverty and limited job opportunities keep them trapped in the danger zone. Government Efforts, No Relief top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Efforts by the government and Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) to extinguish the fire have so far met with limited success. In 2009, the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Plan (JRDP) was launched to relocate families to safer areas. However, the fires intensity and underground spread have made it nearly impossible to fully extinguish. Today, Jharia stands as a stark reminder of the consequences of uncontrolled mining and environmental negligence. In its smoke, not just coal but the hopes, health, and future of its people are burning, marking this as the citys greatest tragedy. Location : Jharkhand, India, India First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:09 IST News viral This Indian Town Has Been Burning For 109 Years, The Earth Still Wont Cool Down Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://www.facebook.com/oleksandr.merezhko.2025/ Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to agree to put pressure on the Russian aggressor to stop the war against Ukraine, Member of Parliament Oleksandr Merezhko (Servant of the People faction), chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, has said. "This meeting (between US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping - IF-U) will mainly be devoted to economic issues and problems in relations between the US and China. At the same time, there is a possibility that President Trump will raise the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine and try to convince the Chinese leader to use his influence to force the Kremlin dictator to agree to serious negotiations. Putin is afraid of two states - the US and the PRC. Therefore, joint pressure from these countries could force him to stop the aggression... However, the PRC is unlikely to agree to put pressure on the Russian aggressor to stop the war against Ukraine," Merezhko told the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday. According to Merezhko, China will not put pressure on Russia, as it is a strategic partner of Russia without restrictions, and one of the consequences of Russian aggression has been the strengthening of Russia's dependence on China. "This means, in particular, that the Chinese leader is unlikely to dare to take such steps that would irritate Putin, since China is afraid of reducing the degree of Russia's dependence on China. On the other hand, we observe that American sanctions against Russian energy companies are already starting to yield results, as Chinese companies have begun to think about abandoning Russian energy sources," the committee chairman noted. However, Merezhko noted that he does not lose hope that President Trump will be able to find the appropriate arguments to convince the Chinese leader to influence Putin in order to stop Russian aggression. US Air Force Plane Flies Into Eye Of Storm Melissa, Captures Breathtaking Footage Of Nature's Fury Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 14:21 IST The US Air Forces 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron are famously known as Hurricane Hunters. They often collect data for the National Hurricane Center. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Hurricane Hunters capture the towering clouds and intense winds of Hurricane Melissa as the Category 5 storm approaches Jamaica. (IMAGE: Tanner Charles/X) The US Air Forces 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, famously known as the Hurricane Hunters flew into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Monday to collect vital data for the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The footage and observations were shared by Tropical Cowboy of Danger" in a thread on X. The user is also an US Air Force Hurricane Hunter with two decades of flying experience, including ten years on weather reconnaissance missions. A self-described unprofessional" photographer, he has captured extensive high-resolution images and video of Hurricane Melissa. Recommended Stories In the video, he says that the first pass approached Hurricane Melissa from the southeast shortly after sunrise, with the crew observing the bright arc of the far northwest eyewall as sunlight crested over the storm, revealing the eye. On the second pass, the aircraft entered from the southwest, moving through the eyewall where NOAA personnel were conducting outbound operations. Despite the hurricanes strength, conditions were calmer than during the intense mesoscale activity encountered 36 hours earlier. The third pass was captured with ultra-high-resolution cameras, including an 8K GoPro mounted on the side window. A fourth pass provided additional side-view footage as the crew experimented with camera angles to document the hurricanes structure. Second pass through Hurricane Melissa entering from the southwest side. Passed NOAA in the eye wall as they headed outbound for home.Obviously a very powerful storm but a relatively straightforward one on this flight. Much less nasty meso activity than 36 hours ago. pic.twitter.com/uNICbQ4j9r Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025 The fifth and final pass, shortly after noon, entered from the northwest and exited through the southeast quadrant. Data from all passes will feed forecasting models and improve understanding of Melissas evolving intensity and structure. Storm chaser Tanner Charles, featured by CNN, BBC, Discovery and The Weather Channel, shared striking photos of Melissa as well. Hurricane Melissa packed sustained winds of up to 175 mph (282 kph) on Monday afternoon as the slow-moving Category 5 storm headed toward Jamaica, potentially making it the largest hurricane on record for the Caribbean island. Melissa was classified as a catastrophic" storm the strongest possible on the Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). The agency expects Melissa to pass over Jamaica late Monday or in the early hours of Tuesday, cross eastern Cuba the following night, and move over the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos by Wednesday. Yeah, this is wild. Screen grabs from the Hurricane Hunters videos of Melissa. #hurricanemelissa pic.twitter.com/YF7oAtLXqJ Tanner Charles (@TannerCharlesMN) October 27, 2025 The storms slow progress over unusually warm Caribbean waters contributed to its growing size and strength, forecasters said, threatening Jamaica with days of unprecedented winds and up to three feet of rain. Melissas wind span is already wider than the length of Jamaica, an island roughly the size of Connecticut, where main airports sit close to sea level. Hours after ordering mandatory evacuations for parts of southern Jamaica, including the historic town of Port Royal, Prime Minister Andrew Holness called for international support and warned of potential damage to homes, farmlands, and infrastructure such as bridges, roads, ports, and airports. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Despite warnings, some residents told news agency Reuters they were reluctant to leave over fears of looting. Authorities said buses were waiting to transport roughly 28,000 people under the evacuation orders. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5," Holness said. About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 28, 2025, 14:21 IST News viral US Air Force Plane Flies Into Eye Of Storm Melissa, Captures Breathtaking Footage Of Nature's Fury Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 119 Killed In Rio Police Raids Ahead Of Climate Conferences Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 30, 2025, 07:22 IST At least 64 people died in a major police raid in Rio de Janeiro, with 81 arrests and drone attacks as Rio prepares for the C40 summit and Prince William's Earthshot Prize. Massive anti-drug oparation in Rio de Janeiro leaves over 60 dead, including four police officers. (AFP/X) At least 119 people, including four police died in a massive police raid targeting organised crime in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday. In a post on X, the Rio de Janeiros government said that the authorities had launched an operation aiming to combat the territorial expansion" of the Comando Vermelho (CV) criminal group. It further said that the operation against the crime was continuing for past one year. Recommended Stories CNN quoted the police department as stating that at least 81 people were arrested. Governor Claudio Castro told reporters that the death toll may rise as the operation continues. The authorities also stated that at least 42 rifles were seized during the operation. They further stated that the gang members had retaliated with a drone. In retaliation, criminals used drones to attack police officers in the Penha Complex," Rio de Janeiros state government said in a post on X. They also shared a video of what appears to show a drone firing a projectile from the sky, CNN reported. Despite the attacks, security forces remain steadfast in the fight against crime," the state government added. Castro said that at present it is not longer a common crime, it is narco-terrorism". top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to Reuters, the police have often conducted large-scale operations against criminal groups ahead of major events in Rio, which hosted the 2016 Olympics, the 2024 G20 summit and the BRICS summit in July. Next week, Rio will host C40 global summit of mayors tackling climate change and Prince Williams Earthshot Prize. The programme is part of the run-up to COP30, which will be held in the Amazon city of Belem from November 10 to November 21. Location : Brazil First Published: October 29, 2025, 02:27 IST News world 119 Killed In Rio Police Raids Ahead Of Climate Conferences Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Indian-Origin Woman In US Slashes Husband's Neck After He Didn't Clean House, Arrested Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 07:40 IST A 44-year-old Indian-origin woman was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, for allegedly slashing her husbands neck with a knife after an argument, a report has claimed. A file photo for the Charlotte Police (AP) A 44-year-old Indian origin woman was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina, the United States, on charges of allegedly slashing her husbands neck with a knife following an argument between the two of them. According to a report with WBTV, the woman worked as a teachers assistant at an elementary school in Charlotte and was arrested soon after the incident was reported on October 12. Recommended Stories The woman was identified as Chandraprabha Singh, the report claimed, and was accused of unlawfully, willfully, feloniously" cutting another persons neck, as per the arrest warrant. It was unclear how badly the man was injured, but Singh was charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury, the report stated. An affidavit said Singh was married to the victim, and that the alleged assault happened after her husband said she got frustrated that he had not cleaned the house. According to the affidavit, she told investigators she accidentally cut her husband when she turned around as she was starting to make breakfast. Her husband then called 911 and claimed Singh was frustrated and purposely attacked him with the knife", the report claimed. Singh was listed online as a teacher assistant for grades K-3 at Endhaven Elementary School in the Ballantyne area. The report also quoted court records and stated that Singh was initially denied bond by a magistrate, but then had it set at $10,000 during an October 13 court appearance. She was also appointed a public defender during the same appearance. Meanwhile, the woman was released from jail, but was ordered not to have any communication with the survivor. In another incident, a 20-year-old woman, identified as being of Indian heritage, was allegedly raped in what police believe was a racially aggravated" attack in the West Midlands region of England over the weekend. The police said a 32-year-old man was arrested after a manhunt was launched in the wake of the attack on Saturday evening. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The West Midlands Police said they were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street. ALSO READ | Indian-Origin Man Arrested In New York for Holding Two Jobs, Stealing $50,000 State Funds About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: October 28, 2025, 07:36 IST News world Indian-Origin Woman In US Slashes Husband's Neck After He Didn't Clean House, Arrested Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'World Shouldn't Return To Law Of Jungle': Chinese Premier Li Qiang Ahead Of Xi-Trump Talks Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 06:56 IST Chinese Premier Li Qiang, in reference to Donald Trump's tariffs, has warned against return to the 'law of the jungle' in trade, denouncing unilateralism ahead of TrumpXi talks. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump (Photo: AP) Days ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier Li Qiang has said the world should not return to the law of the jungle" when it came to trade, as he denounced unilateralism". Speaking at a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur, Qiang, in reference to tariffs imposed by US President Trump on many countries, including China, said, Economic globalisation and multipolarity are irreversible". Recommended Stories The world should not return to the law of the jungle where the strong bully the weak," he added. Li also called for a strengthened commitment to the global free trade system." At a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, Li said that unilateralism and protectionism were rampant" and posed huge risks to the region." Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi, are due to meet on Thursday in South Korea to try to reach an agreement that would end their ongoing trade war. Trump is due to meet Xi on Thursday in South Korea for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republicans return to the White House. Before Trumps arrival in Malaysia, Bessent and Chinas Vice Premier He Lifeng held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1. Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed that a framework" has been agreed, news agency AFP reported. HOPES GROW FOR CHINA TRADE DEAL The US President touched down in Tokyo on the latest leg of an Asian tour on Monday, and while en route, he said he was hopeful of a deal when he sees Xi on Thursday, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to, I think come away with a deal," Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding that he aimed to go to China in the earlier part" of 2026. Trumps Asia trip, his first tour of the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He also moved to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but not with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, ruling out a meeting any time soon. ALSO READ | Nepal Polls May Be Pushed To Mid-2026, India Keeping Close Watch: Sources About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: October 28, 2025, 06:49 IST News world 'World Shouldn't Return To Law Of Jungle': Chinese Premier Li Qiang Ahead Of Xi-Trump Talks Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... How Long Have You Known? King Charles Heckled By Protester Over Andrew-Epstein Ties Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 07:54 IST Prince Andrew has faced ongoing criticism over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier convicted of sex trafficking. King Charles III A protester publicly heckled King Charles on Monday over his brother Prince Andrews alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The incident occurred outside Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, near Birmingham, where the King was greeting members of the public. As King Charles greeted well-wishers outside the cathedral, a man shouted, How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" and Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew?" The protester also questioned whether Members of Parliament should be allowed to debate the royal family in the House of Commons. Recommended Stories However, the King did not respond and continued meeting other members of the crowd, maintaining composure throughout the brief disruption. Palace aides did not issue an immediate comment following the incident, which comes at a delicate time for the monarchy amid renewed scrutiny of Prince Andrews past associations. King Charles III was heckled over Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein during a visit to a cathedral pic.twitter.com/K11k7rxCi0 The Associated Press (@AP) October 27, 2025 What do we know about Prince Andrew and Epstein? Prince Andrew, 65, has faced ongoing criticism over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier who was convicted of sex trafficking before his death in 2019. Despite stepping back from public life in 2019 and relinquishing his title of Duke of York earlier this month, the prince remains at the centre of public debate. Renewed attention has been fuelled by the recent publication of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused Andrew of sexually abusing her as a teenager. Although Giuffre died by suicide in April, her memoir has reignited questions about what members of the royal family knew of Epsteins activities. However, Andrew has consistently denied all allegations, and in 2022 reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in the United States. The settlement included a charitable donation to support victims of trafficking but contained no admission of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, British police have confirmed they are reviewing reports suggesting that in 2011, Prince Andrew allegedly asked one of his police officers to seek damaging information about Giuffre. While no formal investigation has been opened, the claims have added another layer of controversy to the long-running controversy. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Prince Andrews connection to Epstein dates back to 1999, when they met through Epsteins former partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who was later convicted of sex trafficking. The prince was photographed visiting Epsteins Manhattan home even after the financiers 2008 conviction for child sex offences, a decision that triggered widespread outrage. A 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, in which Andrew denied ever meeting Giuffre and claimed he was at a Pizza Express restaurant on one of the alleged dates, was widely criticised and further damaged his credibility. About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior SubEditor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen... Read More Location : United Kingdom (UK) First Published: October 28, 2025, 07:53 IST News world How Long Have You Known? King Charles Heckled By Protester Over Andrew-Epstein Ties Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'I Have The Best Numbers Ever': Donald Trump Hints At Possible Third Term Run In 2028 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 07:02 IST Trump also dropped hints about possible successors to lead the Republican Party after his tenure US President Donald Trump (Image: AFP/File) US President Donald Trump has left the door open to the possibility of running for a third presidential term in 2028. When asked about former White House strategist Steve Bannons recent suggestion that he seek an unconstitutional third term, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, I would love to do it. I have the best numbers ever." Recommended Stories He, however, added that he hasnt really thought about" running again. Trump also dropped hints about possible successors to lead the Republican Party after his tenure, naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance as top contenders for the 2028 race. We have some really good people," he said, pointing toward Rubio. We have great people I dont need to get into that. One of them is standing right here," he added. The US president further praised his vice president, saying, Obviously, JD is great. The vice president is great. Im not sure anyone would run against those two." As reported by Politico, Bannon, a close Trump ally, has been among the most vocal advocates for another run, recently claiming on his podcast that there is a plan" for Trump to seek a third term. However, the US Constitution limits presidents to two terms. Meanwhile, Trump has arrived in Tokyo for the second leg of his Asia tour after a successful visit to Malaysia, where he participated in the ASEAN Summit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Before departing Kuala Lumpur, Trump waved goodbye to Malaysian officials and citizens, concluding his 24-hour visit. On Truth Social, he wrote: Just leaving Malaysia, a great and very vibrant Country. Signed major trade and rare earth deals, and yesterday, most importantly, signed the Peace Treaty between Thailand and Cambodia. NO WAR! Millions of lives saved. Such an honour to have gotten this done. Now, off to Japan!!!" About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 07:02 IST News world 'I Have The Best Numbers Ever': Donald Trump Hints At Possible Third Term Run In 2028 Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'India Waging Proxy War': Pakistan Blames New Delhi For Failure Of Ceasefire Talks With Afghanistan Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 00:38 IST Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Asif alleged that India is actively attempting to sabotage the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif's (R) allegations against India came with pointed criticism of some members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. (Image: AP/File) Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has levelled serious charges against India, explicitly blaming New Delhi for the failure of its ceasefire talks with Afghanistan in Istanbul. Khawaja Asif said India is actively attempting to sabotage the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime. Recommended Stories Asif claimed that India is waging a proxy war via Afghanistan with Pakistan". The accusations are rooted in Islamabads belief that New Delhi is deeply involved in Kabuls internal affairs, using its position to finance opposition groups. He said Islamabad harbours no doubts" that India is financing proxies against Pakistan through Kabul". He accused New Delhi of penetrating Kabuls affairs". The Pakistani ministers allegations of Indias interference came with pointed criticism of some members of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. He referenced Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqis visit to India, suggesting that certain Taliban leaders are playing dirty on Indias behest". The failure of the ceasefire talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which took place amid ongoing border tensions, seems to be rooted in a fundamental lack of trust from the Pakistani side toward the current administration in Kabul. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Asif further made it clear that Pakistan cant trust the Afghan Taliban regime anymore". This deep-seated distrust is the reason Islamabad is now demanding written guarantees" from the Afghan side. Arguing why guarantees are essential, he said there is no unified government in Kabul" and characterised the Afghan Taliban regime as merely a cult of some people". The breakdown of the Istanbul talks, he added, is a result of direct Indian interference and sabotage, coupled with Pakistans inability to rely on the Afghan Taliban regime without formal and written commitments due to its perceived internal divisions. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 Location : Islamabad, Pakistan First Published: October 28, 2025, 23:56 IST News world 'India Waging Proxy War': Pakistan Blames New Delhi For Failure Of Ceasefire Talks With Afghanistan Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Israel's Capacity To Defend Itself Is A Model For Taiwan: President Lai Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:40 IST President Lai said concept of peace through strength is a maxim that Israeli, US and Taiwanese societies have had for years. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te at the AIPAC meeting on Monday. (Lai Ching-te/X) Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has said Israel is a model for Taiwan to learn about strengthening its defences. Citing the Biblical story of David versus Goliath for the need to stand up to authoritarianism, Lai said: "The Taiwanese people often look to the example of the Jewish people when facing challenges to our international standing and threats to our sovereignty from China. The people of Taiwan have never become discouraged." Recommended Stories During a Monday night dinner in Taiwan of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Lai said that Jewish people have suffered constant persecution over their history. Reuters quoted Lai as saying that appeasement has never been the way to stop authoritarian governments, and the concept of peace through strength is a maxim that Israeli, US and Taiwanese societies have had for years. Israels determination and capacity to defend its territory provides a valuable model for Taiwan. I have always believed that Taiwan needs to channel the spirit of David against Goliath in standing up to authoritarian coercion," he said, according to a statement released on Tuesday. Taiwan has been a supporter of Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, though Tel Aviv does not have any formal diplomatic relations with Taipei. Taiwan has a de facto embassy in Tel Aviv, while Israel has a similar representative office in Taipei. Earlier this month, the Taiwanese President had announced a new multi-layered air defence system called T-Dome" for defending itself against any future attack by China. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On Monday, he said that T-Dome was inspired by Israels Iron Dome missile defence system and US President Donald Trumps Golden Dome" missile defence shield. I believe that trilateral Taiwan-US-Israel cooperation can help achieve regional peace, stability, and prosperity," he said. Location : Israel First Published: October 28, 2025, 19:40 IST News world Israel's Capacity To Defend Itself Is A Model For Taiwan: President Lai Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Japan Ex-PM Shinzo Abe's Killer Pleads Guilty: 'Everything Is True' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:35 IST Tetsuya Yamagami was accused of murder and violations of arms control laws for allegedly using a handmade weapon to shoot dead Japan's former PM Shinzo Abe. Tetsuya Yamagami, the assassin of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Everything is true," the man accused of killing Japans former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in court as he pleaded guilty on Tuesday, nearly three years after the assassination that shocked the world. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, was accused of murder and violations of arms control laws for allegedly using a handmade weapon to shoot dead Japans longest-serving leader as he gave a speech in July 2022. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested immediately after allegedly shooting Abe with a homemade gun outside a train station in Nara in western Japan. He then underwent a nearly six-month mental evaluation, which prosecutors said showed he is fit to stand trial. According to Associated Press, the police had said Yamagami told them that he killed Abe, one of Japans most influential and divisive politicians, because of his apparent links to a religious group that he hated. In his statements and in social media postings attributed to him, Yamagami said he developed a grudge because his mother had made massive donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted his family and ruined his life. About the Author Mahima Joshi Mahima Joshi, Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking team. Covering national stories and bringing breaking news to the table are her forte. She is deeply interested in Indian poli... Read More Location : Japan First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:24 IST News world Japan Ex-PM Shinzo Abe's Killer Pleads Guilty: 'Everything Is True' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Joe Biden Didn't Make All Executive Decisions Himself, Claims Republican-Led Panel Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 18:50 IST The panel claims Biden aides concealed his mental decline and signed executive actions with Autopen, urging DOJ investigation. Biden and Democrats deny all allegations. Former US President Joe Biden The House Oversight and Government Reform Committees Republican majority has claimed to have evidence that former US President Joe Bidens aides concealed his mental deterioration, and several executive actions were signed using the Autopen. In a 93-page report, the panel released the letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, wherein they urged her to consider whether the pardons granted by Biden were invalid and to take action for potential prosecution against some of Bidens aides. Recommended Stories The committee deems void President Bidens executive actions that were signed using the Autopen, and the committee determines that action by the Department of Justice is warranted to address the legal consequences of that determination," it wrote to Bondi in the letter released Tuesday morning. Politico quoted the panel as saying that they have found evidence that senior Biden White House aides exercised the authority of the former president" and concealed signs of Bidens mental deterioration. They further said that there has been no record demonstrating President Biden himself made all of the executive decisions that were attributed to him." In the report, the panel has included excerpts of interviews with 14 former senior Biden aides. In the letter, the panel asked the Justice Department to investigate three senior Bidens White House aides former White House physician Dr. Kevin OConnor, and Biden aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini who had invoked the Fifth Amendment (Allows people not to answer specific questions) and refused to testify before the committee. According to CNN, the committee also wrote to the Board of Medicine for Washington, DC, requesting that it investigate whether OConnor should be disciplined in any manner for issuing misleading medical reports, misrepresenting treatments, failing to conform to standards of practice, or other acts of violation of District of Columbia law regulating licensed physicians". Our report reveals how key aides colluded to mislead the public and the extraordinary measures they took to sustain the appearance of presidential authority as Bidens capacity to function independently diminished. Executive actions performed by Biden White House staff and signed by autopen are null and void," said Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, the committees chairman, said in a statement. Meanwhile, Biden has rejected such claims, saying that he made all decisions as president and calling Republicans who have suggested otherwise liars". A Biden spokesperson said, This investigation into baseless claims has confirmed what has been clear from the start: President Biden made the decisions of his presidency." There was no conspiracy, no cover-up, and no wrongdoing. Congressional Republicans should stop focusing on political retribution and instead work to end the government shutdown," the spokesperson said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight committee, called the report a sham investigation" and said that every White House official testified President Biden fully executed his duties as President of the United States". The testimonies also make it clear the former President authorised every executive order, pardon, and use of the autopen," he added. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 28, 2025, 18:50 IST News world Joe Biden Didn't Make All Executive Decisions Himself, Claims Republican-Led Panel Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained another Russian agent in the Donetsk region - a 54-year-old resident of the front-line town of Druzhkivka, who, under the guise of a cleaner, spied on the homes of Ukrainian soldiers. "On the instructions of the enemy, the woman placed ads in local Telegram channels about providing cleaning services. In this way, she "legally" penetrated the rented homes of Ukrainian soldiers who were participating in battles on the front line," the SBU reported in a Telegram channel on Tuesday. According to the Ukrainian special service, after receiving orders from the defenders, the agent arrived at their homes with cleaning equipment in order to covertly photograph documents and property of the military under the guise of cleaning work. "At the same time, the person in question tried to gain the trust of the Ukrainian defenders, from whom she then veiledly questioned them about their combat positions and tasks," the SBU noted. The agent "drained" the collected information into a chatbot specially created by the occupiers. According to the report, the personal data and addresses of Ukrainian soldiers were needed by the enemy to prepare combat and recruitment operations. SBU officers detained the suspect at her place of residence. During the searches, a smartphone was seized from her, which she used to collect and transmit intelligence information to Russian special services. SBU investigators informed her of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law). The perpetrator is in custody without the right to post bail. The investigation was carried out by SBU officers in Donetsk and Luhansk regions under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office. Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Firing Employees During Government Shutdown Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 01:38 IST Judge Susan Illston barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the shutdown, siding with unions like AFGE and AFSCME challenging mass layoffs as illegal. Since the shutdown came into force on October 1, the Republican administration has slashed jobs in education, health and other areas that were dominated/supported by Democrats. (Getty Images) A US Federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred President Donald Trump-led administration from firing federal employees amid the government shutdown. According to CNN, District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. Recommended Stories The judge, who was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton, stated that the evidence show mass firings done during the shutdown were illegal and in excess of authority. Since the shutdown came into force on October 1, the Republican administration has slashed jobs in education, health and other areas that were dominated/supported by Democrats. The American Federation of Government Employees and other labor unions have sued to stop the reductions in force" layoffs. They stated that the firings were an abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress. Meanwhile, the lawyers from the government said that the district court does not have the authority to hear personnel challenges. Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight," said Everett Kelly, AFGEs national president. The Justice Department has so far declined to offer a legal defense of the planned layoffs, instead contending that agency adjudicators like the Merit Systems Protection Board are better suited to remedy the harms at play than courts, The Hill reported. Following the ruling, another Union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), said it was a victory for federal workers and ongoing efforts to protect their jobs from an administration hellbent on illegally firing them". Unlike the billionaires in this administration, public service workers dedicate themselves to serving their communities." said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. These attempted mass firings would devastate both the workers and the people they serve." Skye Perryman, CEO and president of the left-leaning legal group Democracy Forward, said: This order is positive for the American people and a major blow to the Trump-Vance administrations unlawful attempt to make the Project 2025 playbook a reality by targeting our nations career public servants, who work for all Americans." During a hearing on October 15, Illston said the layoff notices appeared to be politically motivated. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all According to CNN, about 4,100 layoff notices have gone out, some sent to work email addresses that furloughed employees are not allowed to check. Meanwhile, the Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked the House-passed bill to reopen the federal government for the 13th time. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 29, 2025, 01:38 IST News world Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Firing Employees During Government Shutdown Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Narcos Or Narratives? Whats Really Behind Trumps Venezuela Escalation Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 01:04 IST Trump, who styles himself as a 'president of peace', appears to be inching toward confrontation with a country that has already offered substantial concessions to Washington The United States has not detailed evidence of Maduros personal involvement in the drug trade, and the UN Security Council has ignored Venezuelas protests over what it calls American aggression. Image/Reuters From US warships prowling the Caribbean to nuclear-capable bombers circling overhead, Washingtons military posture towards Venezuela is growing harder to ignore. What began as rhetoric from Donald Trump has taken on the tone of a calculated escalationone that blurs the line between counter-narcotics operations and regime-change ambitions. The US president, never one to mince words, has repeatedly accused Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro of running an organised crime syndicate. Yet, as with many of Trumps most forceful claims, no public evidence has been presented. Asked recently whether the CIA has authority to assassinate Maduro, Trump declined to answera silence that has only deepened suspicions about covert American involvement. For his part, Maduro has accused Washington of imperial overreach, warning that the United States seeks to topple his government under the pretext of a drug war. Recommended Stories Tensions have risen sharply following a series of US military manoeuvres in the region. The USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, has docked at Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobagoa mere 25 miles from Venezuelan shores. Caracas has condemned the move as a deliberate provocation by both Washington and Port of Spain. Meanwhile, the worlds largest warship, the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, is steaming closer to the Venezuelan coast. Satellite imagery and flight-tracking data reveal an increased American air presence: nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, stealth F-35 jets, and maritime surveillance aircraft such as B-1 bombers and P-8 Poseidons. Even the distinctive MH-6M Little Bird helicoptersKiller Eggs" flown by US special forceshave been spotted operating off the Caribbean coastline. Officially, Washington insists its strikes and patrols are aimed at narco-terrorists". Since September, the Pentagon has acknowledged seven operations that killed 32 people aboard vessels allegedly carrying narcotics near Venezuelan waters. But the scale of the deployment far exceeds what would normally be required for maritime interdiction. Moreover, US data show that most cocaine entering the United Statesnearly 84 per cent, according to the 2025 DEA reportoriginates in Colombia, not Venezuela. The Caribbean, where the first raids occurred, is a minor trafficking corridor compared with the Pacific routes. Analysts argue that the military buildup has less to do with drug interdiction than with political signalling. The contradiction is glaring. Trump, who styles himself as a president of peace", appears to be inching toward confrontation with a country that has already offered substantial concessions to Washington. Maduros government, eager to ease sanctions, has allowed Chevron to resume operations and granted US companies a greater stake in Venezuelas oil sector. In response, the Biden administration (and later Trumps reinstated team) loosened select oil restrictionsa transactional thaw that briefly hinted at pragmatism. Yet, hawkish figures within Trumps circle, notably Senator Marco Rubio, continue to push for a harder line, arguing that only maximum pressure can end Maduros rule. That posture now has tangible military weight. Warships and bombers cannot linger in the Caribbean indefinitely, raising questions about Trumps ultimate objective. Is the show of force designed merely to rattle Caracas, or is Washington preparing the ground for a more decisive strike? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all For now, the signals remain mixed. The United States has not detailed evidence of Maduros personal involvement in the drug trade, and the UN Security Council has ignored Venezuelas protests over what it calls American aggression. Yet the convergence of rhetoric, reconnaissance flights, and naval deployments suggests a shift from symbolic hostility to strategic pressure. Whether this escalation culminates in open conflict or remains a coercive display will depend on how far Trump is willing to goand whether the shadow of oil, not narcotics, is what truly fuels Americas latest confrontation in its own hemisphere. First Published: October 29, 2025, 01:03 IST News world Narcos Or Narratives? Whats Really Behind Trumps Venezuela Escalation Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Netanyahu Orders 'Powerful Strikes' On Gaza After Accusing Hamas Of Truce Violations Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 22:49 IST Minutes after Netanyahu ordered the strikes, Hamas said it was postponing the handover of another hostage body scheduled for Tuesday evening Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP file photo) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to carry out immediate powerful strikes" on the Gaza Strip, shortly after accusing the Palestinian militant group Hamas of violating the US-brokered ceasefire. A statement from Netanyahus office said the decision followed security consultations, with the Israeli Prime Minister instructing the military to act immediately against targets in Gaza. Recommended Stories Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military to immediately carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip," the statement noted. Netanyahu made the announcement shortly after Israeli forces reported that Hamas had opened fire in southern Gaza. Tensions were already high after the militant group returned a set of remains that Israel said belonged to a hostage whose body had previously been recovered. Earlier today, Hamas said it would hand over another hostage body. The militant group has faced accusations of breaching the ceasefire after returning only partial remains of a previously recovered captive to Israel. Late on Monday, Hamas had handed over what it claimed was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies agreed under the ceasefire, which came into effect on October 10. However, Israeli forensic examinations revealed that the remains were of a hostage whose body had already been returned to Israel about two years ago. Netanyahus office described this as a clear violation of the agreement." Hamas Postpones Hostage Body Handover Minutes after Netanyahu ordered the strikes, Hamass armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, announced it was postponing the handover of another hostage body scheduled for Tuesday evening. The group cited Israeli violations" of the truce as the reason for the delay. We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupations violations," the Brigades said in a statement, adding that any Israeli escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies". Israel To Expand Control In Gaza Israel plans to expand its control over areas in the Gaza Strip in response to what it says are ceasefire violations by Hamas on Tuesday, The Jerusalem Post reported. Officials described the move as nibbling away" at additional territory currently held by Hamas. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Discussions with the United States are ongoing to determine the extent of the expansion, the publication reported The development comes amid rising tensions in the region, with both sides accusing each other of breaching the US-brokered truce. (With inputs from agencies) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Israel First Published: October 28, 2025, 21:56 IST News world Netanyahu Orders 'Powerful Strikes' On Gaza After Accusing Hamas Of Truce Violations Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks Collapse In Istanbul: Inside Details Of What Went Wrong | Exclusive Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 19:39 IST The Afghan Taliban assured cooperation, but Pakistan wanted written guarantees and security mechanism, top sources told News18 exclusively Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Taliban security personnel stand over military vehicles as Afghan men gather in their support during a rally, amid heavy cross-border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Image: AFP) The Pakistan-Afghanistan peace talks, which were being held in Istanbul amid the clashes between the two countries, have collapsed, top sources told News18. The Afghan Taliban assured cooperation, but Pakistan wanted written guarantees and security mechanism," the source told News18 exclusively. Recommended Stories Why the Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks derailed The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is Pakistans internal security issue, the Afghan Taliban told the Qatari and Turkish mediators, said sources. The Afghan Taliban refused to accept what it called Pakistans illogical and irrational demands. They maintained that Afghan soil was not being used for any terror activity," said sources, quoting the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan Taliban also had another demand Pakistan should not allow US drones to enter Afghanistan from its airspace. This, too, was not accepted," said sources. A clear divide was observed between the two factions of the Afghan Taliban Regime, mainly the Kabul Group and the Kandahar Group, during the negotiations in Turkiye. The Afghan Taliban delegation was in continuous contact with Kabul and Kandahar," said sources. Meanwhile, the Pakistani delegation said that in the absence of talks or security agreement, Pakistan will continue to target terrorists inside or outside, said sources. Consequently, Pakistan and Afghanistan failed to reach a final agreement. The talks for three days ended with no outcome. Qatari and Turkish officials and mediators, however, are still trying to get breakthrough," said sources. How the Afghanistan-Pakistan clashes escalated The clashes broke out after Pakistan reportedly launched cross-border airstrikes in Kabul on October 9, targeting TTP camps. Pakistan accused the Afghan Taliban of harbouring TTP militants, responsible for killing hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since 2021. In response, the Taliban mounted a major counteroffensive across the border, killing 58 Pakistani soldiers and destroying 20 security outposts over the weekend. Hostilities briefly paused after mediation by Saudi Arabia and Qatar but resumed. Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire on October 19. Afghanistan last week announced it was ready to agree to a full ceasefire and resolve all issues through dialogue with Pakistan. The Afghan authorities had issued a statement that the agreement would include a complete ceasefire, mutual respect, a ban on attacks against each others security forces, civilians, and infrastructure, and a commitment to settle all disputes through dialogue. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Reacting to the clashes, US President Donald Trump had on Sunday said that he would solve it very quickly. I heard that Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up, but I will solve it very quickly. Pakistan Field Marshal and PM are great people," he had said. With Agency Inputs About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 12:54 IST News world Pakistan-Afghanistan Peace Talks Collapse In Istanbul: Inside Details Of What Went Wrong | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pakistan Offers Karachi Port Access To Bangladesh Amid Strained Dhaka-New Delhi Ties Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 13:49 IST The decision was finalised during the ninth session of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission (JEC), held in Dhaka on Monday the first such meeting in two decades News18 Amid strained ties between India and Bangladesh, Islamabad has seized the opportunity to draw Dhaka closer by offering the use of Karachi Port for the export of their goods and products. The development comes two months after India banned the import of several jute products from Bangladesh through all land routes. Islamabad has also expressed interest in importing jute and jute products from Bangladesh, signalling its intent to strengthen trade relations. Under the new proposal, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) would serve as a gateway for Bangladeshs regional trade with China and the Central Asian states. Recommended Stories The decision was finalised during the ninth session of the Pakistan-Bangladesh Joint Economic Commission (JEC), held in Dhaka on Monday the first such meeting in two decades. Both countries agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, investment and tourism, marking a thaw in bilateral ties since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. High-level visits between the two capitals in recent months have further indicated Dhakas shifting foreign policy. Bangladesh, which gained independence in 1971 after a bloody freedom struggle against Pakistan, has traditionally maintained close ties with India, which played a key role in its liberation. However, the relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi has deteriorated since student-led protests led to the fall of the Hasina government earlier this year. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all During his visit to Beijing in April, Bangladeshs Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus stirred controversy by inviting China to expand its economic presence in Bangladesh, describing the country as the only guardian of the ocean" for Indias landlocked" northeastern region. The remark angered New Delhi, and the Narendra Modi government imposed restrictions on trade with Bangladesh. India banned the import of several jute and woven fabric products through all land routes and placed port restrictions on items such as ready-made garments and processed food. It also withdrew the transhipment facility previously granted to Bangladesh for exports to the Middle East, Europe and other destinations, with the exception of Nepal and Bhutan. About the Author Saurabh Verma Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19 Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh First Published: October 28, 2025, 13:49 IST News world Pakistan Offers Karachi Port Access To Bangladesh Amid Strained Dhaka-New Delhi Ties Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pakistans Israel U-Turn: 20,000 Troops To Be Sent To Gaza In Post-War Stabilisation Mission Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 12:19 IST The reported mission would mark Pakistans first indirect engagement in Israeli security operations a stunning reversal for a nation that has never formally recognised Israel. Pakistans PM Shehbaz Sharif (front, R) along with the countrys Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir (front, L) (IMAGE: AFP) In what is being described as a historic and unprecedented realignment," Pakistan is preparing to deploy around 20,000 troops to Gaza as part of a post-war stabilisation and rehabilitation effort under Western oversight. Top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18 that this potential deployment follows a series of secret meetings between Pakistans Army Chief, General Asim Munir, and senior officials from Israels Mossad and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Egypt earlier this month. The reported mission would mark Pakistans first indirect engagement in Israeli security operations a stunning reversal for a nation that has never formally recognised Israel. Recommended Stories According to top intelligence sources, the proposed arrangement envisions a controlled Pakistani military presence in Gaza" under the guise of humanitarian rehabilitation and reconstruction. However, sources clarify that Pakistans real mandate would involve neutralising remaining Hamas elements and stabilising the territory under Western instructions." The plan reportedly involves Pakistan working alongside Indonesia and Azerbaijan, which are being considered for limited peacekeeping or enforcement roles in a post-war Gaza administration framework led by Western and Arab intermediaries. Sources reveal that under the terms of this understanding, Pakistani troops would act as a buffer force between Israel and Gazas remaining militant factions, providing a security umbrella while facilitating reconstruction and institutional restructuring. In return, Israel and the United States have allegedly promised Pakistan a package of economic incentives, including World Bank loan leniency, deferred repayment schedules, and financial support routed through Gulf intermediaries, according to the same sources. The intelligence sources further disclosed that Pakistans cooperation is also being quietly rewarded" with temporary diplomatic relief including reduced Indian military pressure along the Line of Control and muted criticism from Western human rights bodies over Pakistans ongoing domestic crackdowns and intelligence excesses. One source described it as a survival bargain economic relief and global legitimacy in exchange for Western security service." Adding to speculation, intelligence inputs claim that Pakistan has removed the line Passport not valid for Israel" from the new edition of its passport, signalling a softening stance toward Tel Aviv. Israeli media, sources said, have already described Pakistans potential involvement as delicate but strategically useful," though it has triggered unease among regional actors. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Iran, Turkey, and Qatar are expected to strongly oppose any Pakistani presence in Gaza, viewing it as an anti-Hamas, pro-Israel manoeuvre serving US and Israeli objectives, sources emphasised. Analysts warn that such a move could further strain Pakistans ties with the Arab street and embolden domestic Islamist groups who continue to view Israel as an adversary. According to top intelligence sources, Washington and Tel Aviv see Pakistans military as an instrument for regional balancing against Iran and indirect enforcement in Gaza without Israeli boots on the ground." For Islamabad, they said, this is less about ideology and more about survival a desperate geopolitical bargain for economic breathing space." About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: October 28, 2025, 12:19 IST News world Pakistans Israel U-Turn: 20,000 Troops To Be Sent To Gaza In Post-War Stabilisation Mission Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Thousands Of Flights Delayed As US Airports Battle Staffing Shortage Amid Govt Shutdown Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 09:50 IST The US federal government shutdown causes major flight delays nationwide as air traffic controllers face missed paychecks and severe staffing shortages, warns FAA and Sean Duffy. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google A sign is shown outside the TSA screening area at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan. (IMAGE: AP PHOTO) The US federal government shutdown has led to more flight disruptions as of Monday across the nation due to a shortage of air traffic controllers (ATCs). The ATCs are bracing for their first full missing paycheck during the shutdown. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday reported staffing-related delays averaging around 20 minutes at Dallas airport and roughly 40 minutes at Newark Liberty and Austin-Bergstrom airports. In Austin, the delays came after a brief ground stop that halted departing flights until it was lifted around 4:15 p.m. local time. The FAA also warned of staffing issues at a facility in Jacksonville, Florida, that could cause some problems. Recommended Stories Flights Delayed Earlier Monday, flights were also briefly delayed at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. The disruptions emerged a day after the FAA had issued a temporary ground stop at LAX for about two hours due to a shortage of controllers. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said about 72% of the flights scheduled Sunday at LAX took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last week predicted that flyers would start to see more flights delayed and canceled as American ATCs continue to work without pay during the shutdown. The shutdown is nearing the one-month mark. American Labour Unions Step In Duffy told Fox News over the weekend that more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job. And thats a sign that the controllers are wearing thin," he was quoted as saying. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the labour union of the ATCs in the US, said that many ATCs are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay. Union members were expected to gather Tuesday at major airports across the US, including in New York City and Atlanta, to pass out leaflets to passengers detailing how the shutdown is negatively impacting the national aviation system and the workers who keep it running safely. The action coincides with controllers first full missing paycheck since the shutdown began. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Some US airports have stepped in to provide food donations and other support for federal aviation employees working without pay, including controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents. Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers. Nick Daniels, president of NATCA, has said the agency had reached the lowest staffing weve had in decades of only 10,800." About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 28, 2025, 09:47 IST News world Thousands Of Flights Delayed As US Airports Battle Staffing Shortage Amid Govt Shutdown Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Trump Calls Russias Nuclear Missile Test Inappropriate, Says Putin Should End Ukraine Conflict Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 08:50 IST During an interaction with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump boasted about Americas nuclear strength, referring to the countrys advanced submarine capabilities. US President Donald Trump. (IMAGE: REUTERS) US President Donald Trump has termed Russias recent test of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile inappropriate" and urged President Vladimir Putin to focus instead on ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. During an interaction with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump boasted about Americas nuclear strength, referring to the countrys advanced submarine capabilities. Recommended Stories They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores. So, I mean, it doesnt have to go 8,000 miles. And theyre not playing games with us. Were not playing games with them either. We test missiles all the time," Trump said. He added, I dont think its an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying either. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its fourth year. Thats what he ought to do instead of testing missiles." Trumps remarks came after Putin, in his address to the Federal Assembly, announced that Moscow had developed a compact nuclear power unit capable of extending a missiles range almost indefinitely. According to Russian state agency TASS, Putin claimed the Burevestnik missile had no analogues in the world," adding that Russia had successfully tested the weapon and planned to deploy it. Russian officials said the missile remained airborne for around 15 hours and covered roughly 14,000 kilometres. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, Putin has also approved legislation terminating the now-defunct plutonium disposal agreement with the United States, which was aimed at limiting the production of nuclear weapons-grade material. The lower house of parliament passed the bill earlier this month, followed by the Federation Councils approval last week. Originally signed in September 2000, the agreement required both nations to dispose of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium that was no longer needed for military use. About the Author Abhro Banerjee Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com since 2022, covering innumerable big and small events, including electi... Read More First Published: October 28, 2025, 08:50 IST News world Trump Calls Russias Nuclear Missile Test Inappropriate, Says Putin Should End Ukraine Conflict Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'Anything I Can Do': Trump Assures Support To Japan, Signs Agreement On Rare Earths Supply Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 08:49 IST The US and Japan have signed an agreement to secure supplies of critical minerals and rare earths. Trump also reaffirmed the US-Japan alliance as "at the strongest level". Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hold up signed documents regarding securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths (Photo: Reuters) The United States and Japan on Tuesday signed an agreement for securing supplies of critical minerals and rare earths, amid President Donald Trumps visit to Tokyo. The deal comes as the United States tries to boost access to critical minerals, with China tightening controls on rare earths. Recommended Stories Before signing the deal, Donald Trump warmly greeted the new Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, and complimented her over their handshake, saying, Thats a very strong handshake." Trump also called her role as Japans first woman Prime Minister a big deal", putting an emphasis on the US commitment to Japan. Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there," Trump said. We are an ally at the strongest level," he added. Everything I know from (late Japanese Prime Minister) Shinzo Abe and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers. Id also like to congratulate you on being the first woman Prime Minister. Its a big deal," Trump told Takaichi as the pair sat down for discussions with their delegations. Trump also praised Japans efforts to purchase more US defence equipment, while Takaichi said Trumps role in securing ceasefires between Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian militants, was an unprecedented" achievement. Takaichi also said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters. She is also expected to offer a package of US investments under a $550-billion deal agreed this year, including shipbuilding, and increased purchases of US soybeans, natural gas and pickup trucks, according to Reuters. US-JAPAN SIGN RARE EARTHS DEAL The objective of the deal is to assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains", a statement mentioned. It said the United States and Japan would jointly identify projects of interest to address gaps in supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths, including derivative products such as permanent magnets, batteries, catalysts, and optical materials". The two countries intend to mobilise government and private sector support," the statement added. Beijing announced this month sweeping restrictions on the rare earths industry, prompting Trump to threaten 100 per cent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier on his tour of Asia, Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed a trade agreement, boosting US access to critical minerals. ALSO READ | Donald Trump Hints At Possible Third Term Run In 2028 About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: October 28, 2025, 08:29 IST News world 'Anything I Can Do': Trump Assures Support To Japan, Signs Agreement On Rare Earths Supply Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... US Military Officials Asked To Sign NDAs Tied To Latin America Mission: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 29, 2025, 00:06 IST US military asked to signed NDAs for Trumps Latin America ops, including drug vessel strikes and carrier deployment, raising tensions with Colombia, Venezuela. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Reuters Image) US military officials involved in President Donald Trumps operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, Reuters quoted three officials as saying. The officials said they did not know how many members of the US Defense Department had been asked to sign the agreements. Recommended Stories While the department has often got the officials sign the NDAs since Pete Hegseth became defense secretary in January, CNN reported that the Pentagons use of non-disclosure agreements specific to activities in Latin America has not been previously reported. Last week, the Pentagon announced the deployment of Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America. So far, the US military has carried out 13 strikes against alleged drug vessels, mostly in the Caribbean, since September. A total of 57 people have been killed in the incidents. Recently, Senator Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican lawmaker with close ties to Trump, said Trump would soon outline to Congress future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia." According to Reuters, tensions between the United States and Colombia have spiked in recent days, with Trump accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an illegal drug leader" and a bad guy" language Petros government says is offensive. Washington on Friday imposed sanctions on Petro. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Senator said Trump has the authority to carry out operations in Latin America. These military assets are moving forward to deal with a country thats got blood on its hands when it comes to Americans by flooding our country with drugs from Venezuela and Colombia," he said. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: October 29, 2025, 00:06 IST News world US Military Officials Asked To Sign NDAs Tied To Latin America Mission: Report Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://kyiv.klichko.org A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Strasbourg with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on the implementation of the Public Assembly in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, Kyiv Mayor and Chairman of the Association of Ukrainian Cities Vitaliy Klitschko announced on Tuesday. "A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Strasbourg with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on the implementation of the Public Assembly. Kyiv, as well as Lviv, Rivne, Zviahel, Slavutych, which are members of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, are the first in Ukraine to implement Public Assemblies. This is an effective experience of European partners for the interaction of local authorities with the community in resolving various issues of community life," he said.. In particular, he noted, in Ukrainian realities, it will also be about involving city residents in issues of supporting veterans and their families, helping veterans adapt to peaceful life in society, and in residents' proposals and ideas for the future restoration of communities. The mayor of Kyiv also met in Strasbourg with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset. "I thanked the partners for their assistance in carrying out the decentralization reform and implementing the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Ukraine. The Association of Ukrainian Cities systematically cooperates with the Council of Europe, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to protect local self-government and democracy in Ukraine," Klitschko said. In particular, the Concept for the Restoration of Local Self-Government in Ukraine was jointly developed. "Today, more than ever, we need the support of the Council of Europe. Because the pressure on local governments is increasing. And this is a threatening situation. Especially in times of war. We must not lose Ukraine's democratic achievements! And partners are ready to help us," he concluded. As reported, Klitschko appealed to the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Kools, to send a monitoring mission to Ukraine, given that European partners, according to him, receive information about the pressure of the central government on local governments, the mayor's website reported on Tuesday. Venezuela Claims CIA 'False Flag' Attack Foiled As US Increases Pressure By Deploying Bombers Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: October 28, 2025, 11:42 IST Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated Monday that a CIA-financed cell planned to attack the USS Gravely and blame Caracas. USS Gravely warship crew stand on the bow and starboard of the vessel. (Image: AFP) Venezuela announced it had dismantled a CIA-funded cell plotting a false-flag attack on a US warship in the southern Caribbean, as the US increased pressure on Caracas by flying bombers nearby. Venezuelan authorities claimed to have uncovered a plan targeting the USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer that docked Sunday in Trinidad and Tobago, within firing range of Venezuela. Recommended Stories The ships arrival sparked outrage in Caracas, which labelled it a provocation" aimed at inciting a war in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, tensions escalated with Trinidad and Tobago, whose Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is a vocal critic of Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro and a supporter of US President Donald Trumps military campaign against drug traffickers in the Caribbean. Maduro announced on Monday evening the suspension of a gas agreement with Trinidad and Tobago, accusing Persad-Bissessar of turning her country into an aircraft carrier of the American empire against Venezuela." As part of Trumps campaign, the Pentagon has deployed seven warships to the Caribbean and one to the Gulf of Mexico. The US also announced the imminent arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the worlds largest aircraft carrier, and its accompanying fleet. Venezuela and some observers believe Trumps administration is using these military deployments to pressure Maduros government and oust him, as Washington does not recognise him as the legitimate president. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated Monday that a CIA-financed cell planned to attack the USS Gravely and blame Caracas. Four individuals were arrested, Cabello said, without providing details about the suspects. Venezuela frequently claims to have arrested US-backed mercenaries aiming to destabilise Maduros government. Alongside his naval buildup, Trump recently confirmed authorising CIA operations in Venezuela and considering ground strikes. Since September, US forces have destroyed at least 10 boats they claimed carried narcotics, killing 43 people in international waters. Experts question the legality of these attacks, and Washington has provided no proof other than aerial videos to link the vessels to trafficking. Tensions further increased Monday as two US B-1B bombers flew over the Caribbean near Venezuela, marking the third such show of force in recent weeks. Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the bombers, which took off from North Dakota, flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast before disappearing from view. Earlier missions included a B-1B sortie last week and a B-52 flight earlier this month, demonstrating Washingtons intent to escalate pressure on Maduros government. Washington and Caracas have long been at odds, with the US rejecting Maduros election victories in 2018 and 2024 as fraudulent. Venezuelas Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had earlier called for the suspension of gas deals with Trinidad, to increase the crisiss cost for the US and its ally. Trinidadian PM Persad-Bissessar rejected what she termed Venezuelan blackmail," stating her country remains committed to security and energy cooperation. Washington recently allowed Trinidad and Tobago to exploit the Dragon gas field in Venezuelan waters despite a US oil embargo, heightening friction between the neighbours. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Maduro, who denies US allegations of leading a drug-trafficking network, has accused Washington of fabricating a war" for political purposes. (With agency inputs) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Venezuela First Published: October 28, 2025, 11:42 IST News world Venezuela Claims CIA 'False Flag' Attack Foiled As US Increases Pressure By Deploying Bombers Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Only Ukraine has the right to determine its borders and its future Dutch FM Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel has called for doing everything possible to put Ukraine in the strongest position "before, during and after any ceasefire." He said this at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv on Tuesday, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports. "It is a great honor for me to be in Kyiv today. This is not my first visit to Ukraine, but this is my first visit as the Dutch Foreign Minister. And I am here with one clear message: We support Ukraine," he said. David van Weel stressed that as long as Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine, launching missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, without showing a serious interest in peace, "we must do everything in our power to put Ukraine in the strongest position before, during and after any ceasefire." He expressed his respect for Ukraine for its readiness to "work seriously and constructively with the United States in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace." "We strongly support President Donald Trump's position that hostilities must cease immediately. And we support you in your efforts to achieve peace and end this war. In the upcoming peace negotiations, one thing is absolutely clear for the Netherlands: only Ukraine has the sovereign right to determine its borders and its future," he said. The head of the department emphasized that Ukraine's future lies in the EU, noting the country's successes in implementing the reforms necessary for EU accession in difficult circumstances. "Be assured that we will be with you throughout this process," he said. Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator, was being held Monday by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after its officers stopped him at San Francisco International Airport, according to federal officials. One senior US official said the detention was related to comments he has made about the Middle East, the AP reports. Hamdi, who is Muslim, was on a speaking tour in the US and on Saturday had addressed the annual gala for the Sacramento, California, chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In a post on X Sunday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Hamdi's "visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal." OpenAI has revealed that a small but significant fraction of ChatGPT users display signs of serious mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and psychosis. According to the company, 0.07% of weekly usersor about 560,000 people out of a total 800 million globally show possible signs of mental health emergencies, while 0.15%or about 1.2 millionhave conversations with "explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent," per the BBC . OpenAI says its chatbot is designed to recognize these situations and respond appropriately, encouraging users to seek real-world help. The company has assembled a network of more than 170 mental health professionals from 60 countries to advise on these responses. Some experts and critics, however, aren't convinced AI can reliably handle such delicate situations. "AI can broaden access to mental health support, and in some ways support mental health, but we have to be aware of the limitations," said Dr. Jason Nagata, a professor who studies technology use among young adults at the University of California, San Francisco, per the BBC. OpenAI's disclosures come as the company faces mounting legal and public scrutiny, including a lawsuit from parents who allege that ChatGPT contributed to their son's suicide. OpenAI says its efforts to address these issues are ongoing, with recent updates aimed at improving the chatbot's ability to recognize and safely respond to signs of mania, delusion, or self-harm, per the Guardian. Professor Robin Feldman of the AI Law & Innovation Institute credited OpenAI for its transparency and improvement efforts, per the BBC, but cautioned that at-risk individuals may not be able to heed on-screen warnings. A spike in the number of bodies recovered from Houston's bayous has fueled public anxiety and whispers of a serial killer, but city officials insist those fears are unfounded. Mayor John Whitmire and police say there's no evidence of a serial killer, despite seven bodies found in September aloneincluding that of Jade McKissic, a 20-year-old University of Houston student whose disappearance and death drew particular attention, per CNN . An autopsy didn't find any signs of trauma or foul play, but her cause of death remains pending. Rumors of a possible killer, fueled by viral social media posts and skepticism from some victims' families, have swept the city. One father, whose son was found dead in Buffalo Bayou in 2024, criticized the handling of the cases and voiced his own suspicions. "He did not fall in that bayou," Kenneth Cutting Sr. told KHOU of his late son, Kenneth Cutting Jr. "Somebody put him in that bayou." Officials, however, point out that the deaths span a wide range of ages, genders, and backgrounds, with causes including accidental drownings, suicide, and drug toxicity. No patterns have emerged to suggest the work of a serial killer. Houston's waterways cover 2,500 miles, and drownings aren't new to the area. The medical examiner reports at least 25 bayou deaths this year, up from 14 at this point last year. Many of these cases are still pending or listed as undetermined, a situation that experts say is common when bodies are found in water, due to rapid decomposition. Some City Council members have called for greater transparency and suggested new safety measures, including better lighting and emergency call boxes along the bayous. They acknowledge that unclear communication from officials may have fueled public fears. Experts say the public's search for patterns is a natural reaction, especially in the absence of answers, but they emphasize there's no evidence linking the deaths. While officials urge caution around the bayous, they stress that the real risks are likely rooted in issues like homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health, not a hidden serial killer. The Houston Chronicle has more on the victims found this year alone. No shortage of medicines in Ukraine due to the destruction by the aggressor of the warehouse of one of the two largest pharmaceutical distributors - JV Optima-Pharm- is expected, Deputy Minister of Health Edem Adamanov has said. "A shortage of medicines in Ukraine is not expected," he said on the air of a telethon on Tuesday. According to Adamanov, Optima-Pharm is currently launching a reserve buffer warehouse, which will take over the supply volumes that were provided by the destroyed facilities. "Other distributors are also reconfiguring their routes to guarantee uniform supplies across the country. The Ministry of Health, the State Medical Service, manufacturers, suppliers and pharmacy chains are constantly coordinating to promptly respond to requests and meet the need for medicines where it arises," he said. Adamanov noted that the priority for supply is vital drugs: antibiotics, insulin, and cancer drugs. As reported, the Russian attack on Kyiv on October 25 destroyed the warehouse and office of Ukraine's second largest pharmaceutical distributor, Optima-Pharm. Pharmaceutical products worth about $100 million were destroyed in the warehouse. Earlier, on August 28, the Russians had already shelled the pharmaceutical warehouse of the Optima-Pharm joint venture as a result of a missile attack on Kyiv. The day before, on October 24, the AMCU decided that it would not suspend its decision to impose a fine on two large pharmaceutical distributors - BaDM LLC and Optima-Pharm LLC, which appealed the committee's decision in court. The Committee fined BaDM and Optima-Pharm, LTD for a total amount of over UAH 4.8 billion (UAH 2.374 billion for BaDM and UAH 2.432 billion for Optima-Pharm, LTD). For its part, the pharmaceutical company Farmak (JSC Farmak, Kyiv) expressed sympathy for the team of the pharmaceutical distributor JV Optima-Pharm and proposed to allow distributors to use warehouses that do not have GDP (Good Distribution Practice) certification for a certain period of time, by analogy with what was introduced at the beginning of a full-scale war for receiving humanitarian aid in the form of medicines, and at the same time to provide for actual compliance with the storage conditions of pharmaceutical products. In addition, Farmak reported that the destroyed warehouse of Optima-Pharm, according to a preliminary estimate, contained up to 15% of the company's entire stock of goods in the warehouses of this distributor. Currently, Optima-Pharm has not commented on the situation with the destruction of the warehouse Optima-Pharm is the second largest pharmaceutical distributor after BaDM. It has been operating on the Ukrainian market for 31 years. The owner of the company is Andriy Hubsky, he is not publicly active. According to Forbes Ukraine, his business with a 33% share and 12 pharmacy warehouses with a total area of 70,000 sq m remains one of the largest in the country's pharmaceutical market. Ontario's premier bragged Monday about the impact of his anti-tariff ad that prompted President Trump to end trade talks with Canada. Premier Doug Ford said the ad had over a "billion impressions around the world" and "generated a conversation that wasn't happening in the US," the AP reports. "You know why President Trump is so upset right now? It was because it was effective. It was working. It woke up the whole country," Ford said. "We achieved our goal. As we say, 'mission accomplished,'" Ford said, per Politico. "They're talking about it in the US, and they weren't talking about it before I put the ad on. I'm glad that Ronald Reagan was a free trader." Ontario's television advertisement criticizes Trump's tariffs by citing a 1987 speech from Reagan. The ad infuriated Trump, who said he plans to hike tariffs on imports of Canadian goods by an extra 10%. Bill Gates, long known for warning about the dangers of climate change, is now urging a shift away from what he calls "doomsday" rhetoric, arguing that while climate change is serious, it won't spell the end of humanity. "People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future," Gates wrote in a 17-page memo released on his 70th birthday, per the New York Times . The Microsoft co-founder, who has spent billions on clean energy and adaptation projects, is now calling for more focus on improving lives in developing countries rather than fixating on short-term emissions targets. Gates' new messagewhich he calls a "strategic pivot," per the APcomes just ahead of the United Nations' annual climate summit in Brazil, though he won't be attending as he's done in the past. Despite the change in tone, Gates isn't abandoning climate action entirely, per the Times. He continues to invest in clean energy startups and nuclear power through ventures like Breakthrough Energy. But with the Gates Foundation set to wind down and Breakthrough Energy making cuts, Gates is increasingly directing his philanthropy toward health and poverty in the developing world, partly to fill gaps left by shrinking US foreign aid under the Trump administration. Gates argues that alarmist messaging about climate change may backfire, suggesting that optimism is more effective at inspiring action. He contends that focusing on lowering the cost of clean energy and making industries less polluting is more productive than obsessing over temperature targets. Critics point out that Gates' memo sidesteps some of the most dire scenarios that scientists warn about, such as irreversible tipping points and mass coral die-offsissues he has acknowledged in the past. "If you think climate is not important, you won't agree with the memo," Gates told reporters before its release, per the AP. "If you think climate is the only cause and apocalyptic, you won't agree with the memo." Read the memo in full here. Millions in Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba are bracing for catastrophe as the monster Hurricane Melissa bears down on them. But before the expected devastation on land, a "Hurricane Hunter" plane from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flew into its eye on Sunday. You can watch the video here via the AP. First person: "It was humbling, mesmerizing and, surprisingly, poignantequal parts scientifically stunning and horrifying from a humanitarian standpoint," writes meteorologist Matthew Cappucci in a first-person account of the flight for the Washington Post. It was like being in a "10-mile-wide stadium of the gods." The trip also made him sweat, literally, because it was "swelteringly warm and humid" inside the eye, and Cappucci explains the science of why that is. Elon Musk has rolled out Grokipedia, an AI-driven online encyclopedia that aims to compete with Wikipedia by offering what Musk claims is a less biased perspective. The new sitewhich CNBC noted saw a "rocky" start on Monday, crashing for a few hours after launchmimics Wikipedia's familiar layout and covers a broad range of topics, but at launch it featured far fewer articlesaround 885,000, compared with Wikipedia's 8 million-plusand appeared to lean more conservative in its framing of certain issues, per the Washington Post . For example, Grokipedia's entry on "gender" adopts a strictly binary definition, in contrast to Wikipedia's broader, more nuanced description. The site is also drawing attention for factual errors and for reusing content from Wikipedia without attribution. Grokipedia is powered by xAI's Grok, the same language model behind the chatbot on Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter), which in theory gives it access to real-time posts from millions of users. However, this connection to Grok also raises the risk of high-profile errorsGrok has previously produced offensive content and conspiracy theories, issues that Musk's companies have typically blamed on coding mistakes. Wired notes that Grokipedia has already posted spurious claims, including that social media is spurring a jump in the number of transgender people, and that porn helped fuel the AIDS epidemic. One entry on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack mixes established facts with arguments that Democrats and the media overstated the event's seriousness and President Trump's responsibility, per the Post. Musk's own Grokipedia profile, which Mint notes runs almost 11,000 words, is notably flattering, emphasizing his ambitions to protect "human consciousness" and build a multiplanetary civilizationclaims backed mainly by citations to his own company, xAI. Musk's relationship with Wikipedia has soured in recent years as his politics have shifted rightward, per the Post. Once a vocal fan, he's recently joined other critics in accusing the site of liberal bias, especially on controversial subjects like vaccines, climate change, and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, for his part, expressed skepticism about Grokipedia's accuracy, arguing that current AI models aren't reliable enough to write error-free encyclopedia entries. The man accused of assassinating Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday, nearly three years after the shocking daylight killing rocked a nation unaccustomed to gun violence. "Everything is true," Tetsuya Yamagami declared in a Nara courtroom at the start of his trial, adding, per the Japan Times , "There is no doubt that I have done all this." Yamagami, 45, appeared in court handcuffed and with a rope around his waist after delays, including a bomb scare that led to a court building evacuation in 2023. More than 700 people had lined up for just 32 seats at Tuesday's hearing, reports CBS News . Yamagami's defense indicated they would challenge an alleged firearms violation, arguing Yamagami's homemade gun shouldn't count as a firearm. Yamagami is expected to speak publicly about his actions for the first time. Central to the case are claims of "religious abuse" tied to his upbringing. His mother, a devoted member of the Unification Church, reportedly donated about $1 million to the organization, leading the family into financial ruin. "He began to think his whole life was ruined by the church," a defense lawyer said. Prosecutors said Yamagami initially plotted to attack church officials, but ultimately targeted Abe because of the former leader's perceived ties to the sect. The assassination cast a spotlight on the church's influence in Japanese politics, prompting investigations that forced several conservative lawmakers to resign and led to a court order dissolving the church's Japanese branch. The case also led to stricter arms control laws, including penalties for sharing gun-making instructions online. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the remains of a hostage returned by Hamas overnight are body parts of another hostage who was recovered in Gaza by Israeli troops almost two years agoan announcement that threatened to rattle the tenuous US-brokered ceasefire. Under the truce, Hamas is expected to return all Israeli hostage remains as soon as possible. Netanyahu called the return of body parts a "clear violation" of the ceasefire, per the AP . He said he'll convene top security officials for an emergency discussion on Tuesday afternoon to weigh Israel's response. Israeli media said Netanyahu's likely options include halting the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, expanding Israeli control of Gaza, or carrying out airstrikes targeting Hamas leaders. There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza, and the slow recovery of those remains is posing a challenge to implementing the next stages of the ceasefire. Hamas has said it's struggling to locate the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza, while Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. During the two years of the Israel-Hamas war in the coastal territory, the Israeli military recovered the bodies of some 51 hostages. The remains returned overnight have been identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, Netanyahu's office said. Tzarfati was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack; he was killed in captivity and his body was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. In March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. Tzarfati's family said in a statement that this is the third time "we have been forced to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son." "Since then, we have lived with a wound that constantly reopens, between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission," the statement added, describing the return of body parts as an "abhorrent manipulation." Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Gaza has been holding since it began Oct. 10. In exchange for the returned dead hostages, Israel has so far handed back to Gaza 195 Palestinian bodies, fewer than half of which have been identified. More here. Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen is accusing parent company Unilever of stifling free speech after the company allegedly blocked the brand from releasing an ice cream flavor supporting peace in Gaza. Speaking to the Guardian , Cohen described Unilever's move as a "corporate attack on free speech" and part of a broader trend of "corporate butt kissing" of President Trump. The flavor, meant to show solidarity with Palestinians, had reportedly been greenlit by Ben & Jerry's independent board about a year ago. Unilever, however, decided not to pursue the idea, with its ice cream arm, Magnum, confirming the board's proposal was shelved this summer. The company said it was not the right time for such a product while pointing to other social campaigns, including one focused on First Amendment rights in the US. The ongoing dispute marks another chapter in the rocky relationship between Ben & Jerry's founders and Unilever, which acquired the brand in 2000 but allowed for an independent board to oversee its social mission. Cohen and his co-founder, Jerry Greenfieldwho resigned from Ben & Jerry's in Septembersay Unilever has backtracked on that commitment. In a lawsuit filed last year, Ben & Jerry's accused Magnum's CEO of blocking the brand from criticizing Trump, per Reuters. Magnum says it remains committed to Ben & Jerry's three-part mission covering product quality, economic sustainability, and social impact. But it says "the independent members of Ben & Jerry's board are not, and have never been, responsible for the Ben & Jerry's commercial strategy and execution." Under Unilever, Cohen is considered an unpaid employee who has no formal role in the ice cream business. He has now pledged to make a limited-run pro-Palestinian flavor via his own Ben's Best label, inviting the public to help name and shape the batch, which he says will feature watermelona symbol of Palestinian solidarity. A plane crash killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, amid heavy rain in Kenya's coastal region of Kwale early Tuesday while en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were on board, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly forested area about 25 miles from the Diani airstrip, authorities said. The airline didn't confirm what time the aircraft departed Diani, saying the pilot failed to communicate upon departure and that the airport control tower tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located. Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told the AP. The authorities initially said the crash happened at 5:30am local time, but the transport minister in a statement gave the time as 8:35am. The airline was unable to confirm the exact time the plane wreckage was located. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving charred wreckage at the scene, officials said. Witnesses told the AP that they heard a loud bang, and upon arriving at the scene, they found unrecognizable human remains. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on social media on Tuesday that Hungary's Foreign Ministry had been in contact with authorities in Kenya concerning the Hungarian victims of the crash. "What a tragedy!" Orban wrote on Facebook. "Our sincere condolences to families of the Hungarians who died in the plane crash in Kenya." The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority had earlier said that 12 people were onboard the Cessna Caravan-type aircraft. It didn't give a reason for revising the number on board to 11. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, located west of the coastline, is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches. The reserve attracts a large number of tourists, as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania. The Kenyan coastline's white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean attract tourists from all over the world. According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organization site, from 2018, Kenya's performance in the area of accident investigation fell below average. Trump has already sent National Guard units into cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and Memphis to confront protests over immigration enforcement, though local officials in all but Memphis have challenged the deployments, per USA Today. The president has previously floated the idea of invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act, which would allow him to send active-duty military forces into cities if he believes the National Guard isn't enough. "I'd do it if it was necessary," Trump said earlier this month. "So far, it hasn't been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If I had to enact it, I'd do that." In his speech, Trump also struck an aggressive tone about the US strikes against what the administration says are drug smugglers in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, notes the New York Times. "We're winning it already, the sea," he said. "I mean, the only problem is, nobody wants to go into the sea anymore, even the fishing boats." The US recently tried to recruit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's top pilot to help capture the embattled leader, according to an in-depth report by the AP . The plan began when an informant approached the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic, claiming to have information about planes used by Maduro. Edwin Lopez, a Homeland Security agent and former Army Ranger, took the lead. He questioned the pilots sent to recover the jets and, during a tense private conversation, made his pitch to Gen. Bitner Villegas: to secretly deliver Maduro to a location where US agents could make an arrest and, in exchange, become a wealthy man. Villegas didn't commit to the plan, but he gave Lopez his phone number. The untold, intrigue-filled saga of how Lopez tried to flip the pilot has all the elements of a Cold War spy thrillerluxury private jets, a secret meeting at an airport hangar, high-stakes diplomacy, and the delicate wooing of a key Maduro lieutenant. There was even a final machination aimed at rattling the Venezuelan president about the pilot's true loyalties. Over the next 16 months, Lopezwho retired during this timecontinued to contact Villegas through encrypted apps, urging him to switch sides. Lopez's efforts, which included offering a $50 million reward and appeals to Villegas' sense of history, ultimately went nowhere. Villegas rebuffed the overtures, and after a final exchange, he blocked Lopez. The US then pivoted to psychological tactics, with allies of Venezuela's opposition using social media to stoke suspicion about Villegas' loyalty. The campaign generated a flurry of speculation in Venezuela, but Villegas soon appeared on a state television show hosted by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. Cabello laughed off any suggestion that Venezuela's military could be bought. As he praised Villegas' loyalty, calling him an "unfailing, kick-ass patriot, " the pilot stood by silently, raising a clenched fist in a display of his loyalty. The scheme reveals the extentand often slapdash fashionto which the US has for years sought to topple Maduro, whom it blames for destroying the oil-rich nation's democracy while providing a lifeline to drug traffickers, terrorist groups, and communist-run Cuba. Much more on the plot here. Photo: https://t.me/patrolpolice_ua In the past few days, the patrol police in Odesa have detected two, probably, dealers of substances with signs of narcotics on light electric vehicles during their roadside checks, the press service of the patrol police of Ukrainehas said. "The other day, inspectors noticed a man on an electric scooter, who, upon seeing the patrol officers, abruptly changed the direction of movement. During a superficial check, about a hundred packages with a crystalline substance, probably narcotic, electronic scales and a phone with correspondence about the sale of drugs were found on him," the press service said on Telegram on Tuesday. It is reported that in another case, inspectors stopped an electric moped for violating traffic rules. During a conversation with the driver, the patrol officers noticed signs of narcotics intoxication in him. During a superficial check, a package with 998 pouches of a powdery substance similar to narcotics was found in the glove compartment of the moped. In both cases, investigative and operational teams were called to the scene to document the facts and seize the substances. It is noted that the actions of the detained persons show signs of a criminal offense under Article 307 (illegal production, manufacture, storage or sale of narcotic drugs) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. A North Carolina man who told authorities that he had killed four of his children and that the bodies were in the trunk of a vehicle at his home was charged with murder after sheriff's deputies found human remains in his garage. Wellington Delano Dickens III is being held without bond in the Johnston County Jail, Johnston County Sheriff's Office said in a news release posted on Facebook. The 38-year-old has been charged with four counts of murder, the AP reports. TDT | Manama Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com The National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons held its regular meeting to review the Kingdom of Bahrains achievements in combating human trafficking and discuss key initiatives aimed at improving working conditions. Chaired by H.E. Nibras Talib, Chief Executive Officer of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) and Chairman of the Committee, the meeting highlighted Bahrains continued success in maintaining its Tier 1 ranking in the US Department of States Trafficking in Persons Report for the eighth consecutive yeara testament to the Kingdoms sustained commitment to protecting human rights and ensuring a fair labor environment. The meeting also noted the recognition of the Public Prosecutions Anti-Trafficking Division, which received the Award of Excellence from the International Association of Prosecutors in appreciation of its distinguished efforts in promoting justice and safeguarding victims of trafficking. Talib affirmed that these achievements serve as both an incentive and a responsibility to intensify efforts to enhance Bahrains stable and equitable work environment. He praised the collective efforts of government entities operating within an integrated institutional framework that supports protection, prevention, and effective judicial enforcement. During the meeting, Talib reviewed several initiatives undertaken by the LMRA to promote fair labour practices and raise awareness of best practices. Among these initiatives is the upgraded Wage Protection System, which prioritizes safeguarding the rights of national workers and ensuring stability in a just and secure work setting. TOKYO, Oct 28 (News On Japan) - The Defense Ministry is considering deploying the Self-Defense Forces to Akita Prefecture following a series of bear attacks that have injured residents in recent weeks. Governor Kenta Suzuki is expected to visit the ministry today to formally request Defense Minister Koizumis assistance in bear control operations, including the capture and removal of dangerous animals. According to ministry officials, the Defense Ministry is reviewing Akita Prefectures request and is moving toward dispatching Self-Defense Forces personnel to provide support in affected areas. The planned deployment would not involve armed troops; instead, SDF members would provide logistical assistance such as transporting materials needed for bear capture and gathering local information. Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara said in a press briefing on October 27th that the decision to deploy troops will be made comprehensively by the minister after receiving the request. Koizumi is expected to make the final decision based on his meeting with Governor Suzuki and the specifics of the request. Source: TBS The European Commission on Tuesday proposed allowing the Council of the European Union to begin talks with Ukraine over its participation in a component of the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) space program and in an EU secure connectivity program. "GOVSATCOM is designed to provide secure and resilient satellite communication capabilities by pooling and sharing resources from member states and private operators," a European Commission statement said. "Strengthening collaboration in GOVSATCOM component is the next step of advancing Ukraine's participation in EU Space Program. A first step was made in April 2025, when the EU and Ukraine signed an agreement on Ukraine's participation in Copernicus, Space Weather Events and Near-Earth Objects components of the EU Space Program," the statement said. "This initiative adds to the EU's wider investment in sovereign space capabilities, including IRIS [Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection and Security by Satellite], which will be deployed by 2030 to provide secure, resilient communications across Europe and beyond. It is also in line with the EU's ongoing support for Ukraine through instruments such as SAFE [Security Action for Europe]," the statement said. TOKYO, Oct 28 (News On Japan) - A 43-year-old former employee of Tsuda University has been re-arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police on suspicion of vandalism for spraying his bodily fluid on female students clothing on campus. The suspect, identified as Yusuke Tanabe, allegedly took shorts belonging to two female students in their teens and twenties from their lockers and soiled them with his bodily fluid. Tanabe was previously arrested and indicted earlier this month on October 5th for committing a similar act against another student. Police said he has also been referred for additional investigation on suspicion of posting photos of his acts on an online message board. According to investigators, Tanabe has admitted to the allegations, saying he felt "a sense of superiority in doing something that others couldnt do." Police also discovered 195 lewd videos believed to have been filmed by Tanabe himself on his personal computer. Previously: University Ex-Employee Arrested for Spraying Bodily Fluid on Female Students Shorts Source: TBS TOKYO, Oct 28 (News On Japan) - Prime Minister Takaiichis first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Trump drew high praise from officials at the Prime Ministers Office, who described the atmosphere as friendly and open. According to government sources, the two leaders addressed each other by their first names, Sanae and Donald, a gesture that one senior official called 120 points, underscoring the success of the meeting. Officials said Takaiichi appeared relieved and satisfied with the outcome, describing the talks as very successful. The greatest achievement, they noted, was the level of personal rapport and trust Takaiichi was able to build with Trump a crucial goal for the Japanese side, which had prioritized deepening mutual confidence over announcing new policy initiatives. A symbol of this newfound closeness was the use of first names. Trumps continued habit of calling former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has long been viewed as a hallmark of their close relationship. To replicate this dynamic, the Japanese side reportedly made extensive preparations to encourage a similar exchange of Sanae and Donald during the meeting. Another notable aspect was Trumps repeated emphasis on the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance a move that officials described as unusual and one of the meetings key achievements. The effort to win Trumps favor included a personal decision by Takaiichi to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, following the precedent set by former Prime Minister Abe in 2019. Multiple government sources confirmed that Takaiichi personally handed Trump a recommendation letter, reaffirming her commitment to maintaining goodwill. Senior officials noted that Trumps contributions to stability in Gaza have been significant, reflecting positively on the nomination gesture. Behind the scenes, the final and most delicate point of negotiation was arranging a meeting between Trump and the families of Japanese abductees. Government sources said Trump remained cautious about the meeting even after arriving in Japan, with one official remarking that its realization depends entirely on Takaiichis diplomacy. Still, officials cautioned that with Trump, one can never let their guard down until the very end. As the former U.S. president remains in Japan until tomorrow, close attention is being paid to any further exchanges between the two leaders. Source: FNN TORONTO, Oct. 27, 2025 /CNW/ - First National Financial Corporation (TSX: FN.PR.A) (TSX: FN.PR.B) (the "Company" or "FNFC") today reported third quarter net income of $57 million. Third Quarter Financial results Net income of $57 million was higher than the same quarter in 2024 by $21 million due to higher origination volumes which created higher placement fees. The results also benefited from smaller losses from financial instruments which increased comparative revenues by about $19 million. Detailed Operating Results For more information on the Company's operating results, please refer to the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis as posted on SEDAR+ and available at www.sedarplus.com. This Press Release, as well as the Company's third quarter 2025 unaudited condensed consolidated interim Financial Statements and Management's Discussion & Analysis are also posted on the Investor section of the Company's website, https://www.firstnational.ca/investor-relations/financial-reports-filings. Investors are encouraged to review all of these materials. About First National Financial Corporation First National Financial Corporation (TSX:FN.PR.A, TSX:FN.PR.B) is the parent company of First National Financial LP, a Canadian-based originator, underwriter and servicer of predominantly prime residential (single-family and multi-unit) and commercial mortgages. With more than $165 billion in mortgages under administration, First National is one of Canada's largest non-bank mortgage originators and underwriters and is among the top three in market share in the mortgage broker distribution channel. For more information, please visit www.firstnational.ca. SOURCE First National Financial Corporation For further information: Robert Inglis, Chief Financial Officer, First National Financial Corporation, Tel: 416-593-1100, Email: [email protected] ANCASTER, ON, Oct. 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Purity Gas, provider of engineered nitrogen gas generation systems for manufacturers, is responding to increasing demand for nitrogen gas solutions across the food and beverage industry related to stricter regulations around food colorings. Purity Gas is a provider of engineered on-site nitrogen generation systems for manufacturers. We disrupt the multi-billion-dollar nitrogen gas market with state-of-the-art technology that allows commercial & industrial gas users to reliably, safely and cost-effectively produce their own supply of gaseous nitrogen in-house and on-demand, for a fraction of the cost of buying nitrogen from third-party gas suppliers. (CNW Group/Purity Gas Inc.) In just one example, a top-tier food and beverage corporation has awarded a $44-million contract to Purity Gas to rapidly deploy nitrogen gas generation solutions to dozens of its facilities across Canada and the U.S. It's a large-scale rollout for one of the world's largest companies, supporting their efforts to replace synthetic food dyes with natural coloring and addressing their need for additional nitrogen capacity. Preventing oxidization will be key In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a series of new measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation's food supply. Currently, synthetic food coloring can be found in products like breakfast cereals, salty snacks, candy, and frozen dinners. Besides providing color, these additives also slow oxidization, maintain stability, and keep products looking fresh longer. Replacing them with natural coloring means that manufacturers have to rethink how they preserve the foods. Plant-based color sources are sensitive to oxidization, which causes fading color, changing flavor, and a shorter shelf life. The solution is nitrogen gas, which is non-reactive, has no odor or taste, and makes up about 78% of the air we breathe. By replacing the oxygen inside a bag of chips or cereal with nitrogen, food stays fresher longer, no matter the coloring used. It's time to start generating nitrogen gas on site Alan Hopkins and Chris Styles are the co-founders of Purity Gas. The company designs, installs, and maintains high-efficiency nitrogen gas generation systems throughout North America. Hopkins said that as these food giants remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from their products, they are already choosing or should choose this moment to switch to on site, on demand nitrogen gas generation. "On site generation allows companies to ensure they have a reliable, cost-effective source to meet increasing demand related to packaging and preservation efforts. Our custom designed, modular NITROCENTER system, whether housed inside the plant or outside in a NitroVault enclosure, empowers our clients to produce and control their own high-purity nitrogen flow." Big brands need smart solutions The FDA established a national standard and a timeline for the food industry to transition from petrochemical-based dyes to natural alternatives. Authorizations for two colorings will be revoked, and six other dyes (such as Red No. 40, and Yellow No. 5 and No. 6) should be eliminated from the food supply by December 31, 2026. Some of the largest food manufacturers and packagers have already responded to measures imposed in various local and international jurisdictions in response to toxicology data and health concerns raised. Brands well known in households around the world have publicly shared their current and future plans to eliminate these additives; these brands include Kellogg, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo./Frito-Lay, and Nestle USA. Regulations also affect private label manufacturers or contract packagers, often known as co-packers. Specialized, trusted expertise Styles explained that the transition to natural dyes starts with departments like R&D and regulatory affairs, but it's really a whole company effort. "When the transition finally lands with the manufacturing and operations people, we're ready to lend our expertise. With our reliable and flexible supply chain, ability to engineer custom systems, capacity for large-scale, rapid deployment, and personal pre- and post-sale service, I'm confident that Purity Gas is in the best position to work alongside manufacturers on this time-sensitive conversion to healthier options." He added that the Purity Gas NITROCENTER system replaces the traditional delivery of tanks of liquid nitrogen from a third party bulk supplier, a method still used throughout the food production industry. "Nitrogen gas generation is poised to become the standard solution, so now's the time for food producers to make the switch. Nitrogen delivery is inefficient, expensive, and has a negative impact on the environment. And you're often bound by long-term contracts. If you need to start using nitrogen gas in your operation or you need to increase consumption because of your move to natural food colorings, skip or stop liquid nitrogen delivery. You'll benefit from two game-changing wins at the same time." For more information, visit puritygas.ca. SOURCE Purity Gas Inc. Media contact: Victoria Gallagher, Marketing Specialist, 905-335-6040 x714, [email protected] 83% of finance teams say their workload is increasing as global expansion, tariffs, and evolving regulations outpace outdated systems and limited automation FOSTER CITY, Calif., Oct. 28, 2025 /CNW/ -- Tipalti , the AI-powered platform for finance automation, today released The Global Finance Outlook: Are Teams Equipped for Today's Economy?, revealing a stark reality for finance professionals: the pace and complexity of global business are accelerating faster than most finance teams can manage. Based on a survey of over 2,300 finance professionals across North America, the UK, and Europe, the report highlights an inflection point for finance organizations. While 74% of teams say they're being pulled into more strategic roles, they're also losing 11 hours per week--or nearly 72 workdays per year--to manual AP tasks that stifle productivity and growth. Amid this growing strain, the report reveals that global business complexity, outdated AP systems, tariffs, and evolving regulations are creating critical risks for organizations. "The increasing complexity of global business is a profound challenge for finance professionals still bound by manual AP," said Manish Vrishaketu, Chief Customer and Operating Officer at Tipalti. "These outdated systems create compliance bottlenecks, operational blind spots, and burnout at a time when agility matters most. AI-powered finance automation is no longer a future nice-to-have; it's the foundation for resilience, scalability, and competitive advantage in today's global economy." Global Growth Is Outpacing Finance Infrastructure As companies expand internationally, the strain on finance teams is mounting. More than one-third (35%) of businesses plan to expand globally within the next 1224 months, and 55% already spend more time on international business than in previous years. Yet, the operational readiness isn't keeping up. 56% of respondents say their current AP systems can't support long-term growth without major overhauls, and only 1 in 4 finance professionals feel "very prepared" to manage finances amid rising international growth. Four out of five (80%) say they need to scale their AP processes to handle growing invoice volumes, signaling a clear capacity gap between ambition and infrastructure. Tariffs and Economic Volatility Are Complicating Global Operations External headwinds are compounding the internal pressures finance teams are battling. Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) finance leaders say U.S.-related tariffs are directly affecting their expansion plans, while 61% have slowed investment or growth due to tariff uncertainty. North American companies are bearing the brunt: they are 37% more likely than those in Europe to say tariffs are impacting financial planning and 65% more likely to report stress or burnout linked to geopolitical shifts. Compliance and Fraud Risks Are Escalating As organizations pursue international growth, the complexity of compliance and fraud prevention continues to rise. Half (50%) of finance professionals say they lack a clear roadmap for managing global compliance, leaving their organizations exposed to potential regulatory missteps with costly consequences. The problem is worsening--43% report more compliance issues in the past year, while 60% say fraud has become a greater concern across the AP process. To respond, many are layering in quick fixes: 51% have invested in new technology for control and compliance, 43% have created new internal compliance protocols, and 33% have increased staffing or added compliance-focused roles. Yet, without implemented automation, these measures risk being short-term patches rather than scalable solutions. Automation and AI: The Divide Between Strategic and Stalled The report finds near-universal agreement that automation and AI are key to the future of finance. 80% of finance leaders say automation's value goes beyond efficiency to drive long-term business goals. Yet, only 7% of organizations have fully automated AP operations today. Among those more hesitant to fully adopt automation, top barriers include data security concerns, integration complexity, and fears around accuracy. But the cost of inaction is clear--64% of finance teams worry that a lack of automation will limit scalability. Momentum is building, however. 68% are actively re-evaluating how they manage AP, and nearly half (46%) are implementing or piloting AI tools. For those who have already embraced automation, the payoff is tangible--fewer errors, faster approvals, and stronger control. Investment Priorities Signal an AI-Driven Future When asked where they plan to invest through the remainder of 2025, finance leaders ranked AI as the #1 most critical investment for the future of AP, among other top strategic priorities: 50% plan to invest in AI 44% in fraud detection and risk monitoring detection and risk monitoring 44% in data security and privacy 41% in financial compliance and audit Beyond supporting business efficiency, nearly three-quarters (73%) of finance leaders have seen improved retention of skilled employees as a result of implementing or piloting AI tools. These investment trends reflect a shift toward AI as a core driver of business readiness, not just a tool for back-office efficiency. Tipalti Powers the Modern Finance Organization Tipalti's AI-powered platform unifies AP, procurement, expenses, corporate cards, treasury, and global mass payments, helping mid-market and multi-subsidiary companies simplify global complexities and scale with confidence. By removing manual bottlenecks and mitigating compliance risk, Tipalti enables finance teams to unlock new levels of efficiency and focus on strategy, insight, and innovation. To read The Global Finance Outlook: Are Teams Equipped for Today's Economy? in full, visit here . Research Methodology The Global Finance Outlook survey was conducted in partnership with Kickstand between July 10 and August 1, 2025. A total of 2,326 respondents were surveyed across Canada, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, who work full-time for a company with at least 20 employees as finance professionals across titles and roles covering the breadth of the function. About Tipalti Tipalti is the AI-powered platform for finance automation, elevating how finance teams operate in the global economy. We empower our customers to scale faster and smarter by removing the complexities of doing global business and accelerating their finance operations efficiency. Our platform provides a comprehensive suite of finance automation solutions designed for mid-market businesses across accounts payable, global payouts, procurement, employee expenses, corporate cards, supplier management, tax compliance, and treasury. Tipalti partners with leading financial institutions such as Citi, Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan, and Visa, enabling over 5,000 global companies to efficiently and securely pay millions of suppliers and payees across 200+ countries and territories, in 120 currencies. For more information, visit tipalti.com. SOURCE Tipalti Rachelle Avila, (408) 768-4109, [email protected] Nvidia today announced it is partnering with Uber to help build the worlds largest Level 4 autonomous fleet, targeting 100,000 Robotaxis starting in 2027. Nvidia will work with Uber to scale the worlds largest level 4-ready mobility network, using the companys next-generation robotaxi and autonomous delivery fleets, the new Nvidia Drive AGX Hyperion 10 autonomous vehicle development platform and Nvidia Drive software purpose-built for L4 autonomy. These vehicles will be developed in collaboration with Nvidia and other Uber ecosystem partners, using Nvidia Drive. Nvidia and Uber are also working together to develop a data factory accelerated by the Nvidia Cosmos world foundation model development platform to curate and process data needed for autonomous vehicle development. NVIDIA Drive AGX Hyperion 10 is a reference production computer and sensor set architecture that makes any vehicle L4-ready. It enables automakers to build cars, trucks and vans equipped with validated hardware and sensors that can host any compatible autonomous-driving software, providing a unified foundation for safe, scalable and AI-defined mobility. Uber will bring together human riders and robot drivers in a worldwide ride-hailing network powered by DRIVE AGX Hyperion-ready vehicles. Stellantis, Lucid and Mercedes-Benz are collaborating on level 4-ready autonomous vehicles compatible with DRIVE AGX Hyperion 10 for passenger mobility, while Aurora, Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Waabi extend level 4 autonomy to long-haul freight. Uber will begin scaling its global autonomous fleet starting in 2027, targeting 100,000 vehicles and supported by a joint AI data factory built on the NVIDIA Cosmos platform. NVIDIA and Uber continue to support a growing level 4 ecosystem that includes Avride, May Mobility, Momenta, Nuro, http://Pony.ai, Wayve and WeRide. NVIDIA launches the Halos Certified Program, the industrys first system to evaluate and certify physical AI safety for autonomous vehicles and robotics. It is necessary to put pressure only on the aggressor, in this war the aggressor is Russia, but Ukraine supports the U.S. policy of limiting the supply of energy resources from Russia to another country, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on Tuesday. "We should only put pressure on the aggressor. The aggressor is Russia in this war. But, of course, we support the U.S. policy of any possibilities to limit the supply of energy resources from Russia to another country, because then they earn money in Russia from this and spend it on the war," he said, commenting on the upcoming meeting of the leaders of China and the United States. According to the president, after the introduction of U.S. sanctions, there are signals from European countries about limiting energy resources from Russia. "By 2028, I think Europe has decided to go to zero," he said. Zelenskyy also stressed the importance of U.S. President Donald Trump managing to reach an understanding with China on reducing imports of Russian energy. "And my signals are very simple. We had a call with Xi Jinping. He assured me that he would not sell weapons to the Russians. We see that China provided machine tools for weapons of Russia. We see that it helps to circumvent sanctions. We see that there are Chinese mercenaries who fought against the Ukrainian military," the head of state said. He saod Ukraine would very much like "China not to help continue the war after the war." Canada PM expresses hope to improve ties with China amid US tariff pressure: reports 16:39, October 28, 2025 By Wang Qi ( Global Times Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that he's hoping to reset expectations in Canada's relationship with China and looking forward for meeting Chinese leader during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, according to media reports on Monday. Speaking to media on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday, Carney pointed out that China is Canada's second-largest trading partner, the second-largest economy in the world and one of the most influential nations on the world stage, according to the CBC. "Relationships rebuild over time when they have been when they have changed And so we have a lot of areas on which we can build," Carney said, noting that relations are starting from a low point and there's room for substantial improvement, per the CBC report. Carney mentioned his meeting at the UN General Assembly with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, calling it "start of a broader discussion." "So I look forward to the meeting with the president," Carney said. The Reuters highlighted that under the US tariff pressure, Canada is "struggling to reduce its overwhelming dependence on the United States and redefine its foreign policy to pursue new markets." Carney said he hasn't been in contact with the US president since US terminated trade talks last Thursday, according to the Politico. The New York Times said Canadian's move signaling "a pivot to Asia and a potential breakthrough in ties." On October 17, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the visiting Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand in Beijing, with both sides reaffirming willingness to enhance dialogue, exchanges and cooperation in various fields. Anand said Canada now views Beijing as a strategic partner in a dangerous world, according to a Global News report on October 23. Anand told The Canadian Press that a strategic partnership with China means going beyond allowing individual irritants to strain the entire relationship and permitting Canada to advance its economic and security interests. Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told Global Times in a previous interview last week that the key for the stable and sustainable advancement of China-Canada relations hinges on Canada's capacity to preserve its autonomy amid US pressure, diminish its over-reliance on the US, avoid having a short-sighted China policy, and embrace a more strategic and forward-thinking approach. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Zhong Wenxing) Sybiha optimistic about further steps of partners regarding frozen Russian assets Photo: https://www.facebook.com Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said he is "optimistic" about further steps on adopting a decision regarding the use of frozen Russian assets. He said this at a joint press conference with his Dutch counterpart David van Weel in Kyiv on Tuesday, answering a question from an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent. "I am really optimistic about further decisive steps by our allies to mobilize these resources to support Ukraine," he said. The minister said now is the time to act decisively to increase pressure on Russia. Sybiha recalled the summit of European leaders with the participation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, where progress was made on the issue of frozen assets. "The parties are now discussing the details of how to further practically apply the appropriate algorithms for using frozen assets to support Ukraine now," the Foreign Minister said. Photo: https://t.me/Denys_Smyhal Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal met in Kyiv with NATO Senior Representative in Ukraine Patrick Turner and Commander of NSATU and SAG-U Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard. "We summed up the results of the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the level of defense ministers, which took place this month in Brussels. The event emphasized the Alliance's solidarity with Ukraine and confirmed our equal participation in the Council. The partners also confirmed the readiness to support the Ministry of Defense in the direction of reforms necessary for Euro-Atlantic integration," Shmyhal said in the Telegram channel, following the meeting. In addition, he noted, the parties focused on the PURL initiative the purchase of U.S. weapons by NATO countries. "I thank the United States, NATO and all the states that have already joined the initiative. It is important to establish a systematic supply of everything necessary for the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. I am grateful to the Alliance for its strong support. Together we can ensure peace built on strength, technology and shared determination," Shmyhal said. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has charged a Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture with the large-scale unlawful appropriation of assets belonging to Ukrainian agribusiness enterprises of both state and private ownership. According to the PGO, the official, acting in collusion with the leadership of the aggressor state and the heads of occupation administrations in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, organized the theft of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural assets between the start of the full-scale invasion and December 31, 2023. The stolen property included assets of well-known Ukrainian companies such as Nibulon LLC, TESSLAGROUP, Kernel-Trade LLC, the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, and others. Ukrainian authorities estimate the total amount of grain appropriated by the Russian official at over 4.136 million metric tons, valued at more than UAH 23 billion. The stolen products were transported to Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea, from where they were later exported by sea as goods of Russian origin to Syria, Egypt, Turkiye, Lebanon, and other countries. "These actions are not justified by any military necessity and constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law," the Prosecutor General's Office said. Based on the collected evidence, the Russian Deputy Agriculture Minister has been notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war). The article carries a penalty of eight to twelve years in prison. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine's Main Investigation Department, with operational support from other Security Service units. Earlier, suspicion had also been formally announced against Russia's Minister of Agriculture and one of the department heads of the same ministry. The identification of other involved Russian officials is ongoing. A law enforcement officer recently died just days after undergoing a cosmetic procedure in Colombia. Alicia Stone, who served as a detective for the New York Police Department, died Thursday after receiving a butt lift and liposuction procedure, The New York Daily News reports. Stone, a 13-year NYPD veteran and mother of three, was rushed to a hospital in the Colombian city of Cali after being found unresponsive in her hotel room early Thursday morning, according to New York Daily News. Her cause of death was listed as unspecified cardiac arrest. The 40-year-old underwent the procedure on Oct. 16. She was taking anticoagulants and pain medication as part of her post-operative care recovery. Her husband, Michael Stone, said authorities in Colombia are investigating his wifes death and that the NYPD has sent a representative to the South American country as well. She was the mother of three kids," Michael Stone said. She was a perfectionist. She strived for the highest degree of work. And in a short space of time, she moved from being a police officer to Internal Affairs, to a second-degree detective. I want her to be remembered as an officer who was loved by her peers and greatly, greatly loved by her family. And we miss her so much. Michael Stone claimed that he spoke to his wife the day before her death and she was perfectly fine. He also said that he will request an autopsy when his wifes body returns to the U.S. The doctor who called me from Colombia just called me and told me my wife had just passed away, Stones husband said. She didnt even have any information to tell me when I was asking her... Something just doesnt add up. Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere." The real Springsteen is a self-professed creature of habit, and one of those small habits is portrayed differently in the film. Macall Polay | 20th Century Studios Making a movie about Bruce Springsteen is quite an undertaking. Consider the legion of global Bruce fans whose passionate embrace of The Boss means very few details will go unnoticed. One superfan caught an early screening of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere and flagged a small detail that didnt comport with what she knew about Bruce. They made a tiny trivial mistake about Bruce Springsteens life in Deliver Me from Nowhere, @GenZBruceFan shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this month (see post below). It does not detract from the film but I clocked it immediately. I think I will reveal it around Halloween. Laura V., a 24-year-old Connecticut grad student, is the fan behind the @GenZBruceFan account. She tells NJ Advance Media she has seen the movie seven times, first watching it in September at the New York Film Festival, which is where she picked up on one small disconnect between the onscreen Bruce, played by Jeremy Allen White, and the real Bruce. It had less to do with Whites actual performance than part of the script. I noticed it immediately, Laura says. Deliver Me from Nowhere, set in 1981, is about the making of Springsteens 1982 album Nebraska his creative process and experience with depression. In the film, which opened Oct. 24, a young Springsteen has a romance with a woman named Faye Romano (played by Odessa Young). The character isnt a real person, but a composite character representing women Bruce dated around that time. However, thats not what Laura found fault with in the film. It was when Springsteen was picking Romano up for a date that she noticed the error. READ MORE: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere illuminates the most vulnerable Bruce. Heres how they did it (behind the scenes with Jeremy Allen White, director Scott Cooper and more). Bruce greets Romanos young daughter, Haley (played by Vienna Barrus and Vivienne Barrus), who just ate a hot dog. He asks her if she had mustard or ketchup on the hot dog. When Haley says mustard, Bruce tells her thats his favorite. How does the real Springsteen feel about condiments Lets go to the videotape! At least, Laura did. White on set in Bayonne last year with Odessa Young, who plays Faye Romano in "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere." Jose Perez | Bauer-Griffin | GC Images As promised, she revealed her finding ahead of Halloween this week. In Deliver Me from Nowhere, Bruce Springsteen says his favorite hotdog condiment is mustard but in real life, Bruce Springsteen HATES mustard so much he did a whole yap about it during a show, she tweeted Sunday, sharing a video clip of Springsteen. In the video, filmed at an August 2016 concert at MetLife Stadium, Bruce talks about living above a luncheonette, where he would routinely eat a specific sandwich. I used to order a ham sandwich with cheese and lettuce and a lot of mayonnaise but no mustard, Springsteen says in the clip. Dont give me no f---ing Grey Poupon! And should you interject but maybe he likes other mustard, or maybe he only likes mustard on a hot dog, he has an answer for that, too. I dont like any mustard! Springsteen continues in the clip. I dont like it on my hot dog, I dont like it on my sandwiches, no. So I would have ham, cheese, lettuce, a lot of mayonnaise on white bread. In the full video from that concert interlude, Springsteen calls himself a creature of habit. I dont like change! he says. So it sounds like the mustard has no chance. Video contains explicit language The eagle-eyed superfan, Laura, says the mustard mistake didnt prevent her from enjoying the movie, which she plans to see at least two more times. I loved the film, she says. I feel like if I was the director (Scott Cooper) I would have done some things differently but that doesnt make it inferior, it just means we have different visions. I was also intentionally going in with a positive attitude. I am a policy/social work student so my career/school require a lot of deep heavy analysis so sometimes I need to consume media in a way that doesnt strain my brain any further. Laura, who says she notices different details each time she sees the movie, has been a Bruce admirer since childhood. READ MORE: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere review When I was a little kid I randomly asked my father one day the music he liked to listen to and one that he gave was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and I thought that was the coolest name ever for a band, she says. My father played the song Born in the USA for me and I was hooked. Lauras dad saw Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere for the first time with her Sunday. I know he loved it, she says. Her favorite songs on Nebraska are Atlantic City and Highway Patrolman. White as "Nebraska"-era Springsteen with Jeremy Strong, who plays Jon Landau, Springsteen's manager. 20th Century Studios In January, she visited Asbury Park for the first time for the Light of Day concert. I saw all the places and it was unforgettable, she says of Bruces Jersey haunts, which are also seen in Deliver Me from Nowhere. Laura also had a close encounter with Jeremy Allen White, director Scott Cooper and the other stars of the film Jeremy Strong, who plays Jon Landau, Springsteens manager, and Odessa Young, who plays Faye Romano. She was able to get them all to sign a Snoopy binder outside the New York Film Festival premiere of Deliver Me from Nowhere. Why a Snoopy binder? Thats another detail from the film though she didnt know it at the time because she hadnt seen it yet. Cooper saw the binder and asked how she knew it was in the movie. She didnt, but she did know that Springsteen wrote Nebraska in a Snoopy binder. Sure enough, the binder briefly pops up as a little Easter egg for fans, one of the films many authentic touches like how White recorded in the studio where Springsteen and the E Street band recorded and wears some of Springsteens own shirts in movie. Cooper, who wrote and directed the film, consulted with Springsteen during the writing process. Hes a cinephile, hed seen all my films, Cooper told NJ Advance Media. Thankfully, he really appreciates them. He said Scott, the truth about yourself isnt always pretty. Do what you always do and tell the truth. Give me a Scott Cooper movie. The mustard-free Bruce was a regular presence on the film set in New Jersey. The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has seized the assets of Belarusian state-owned OJSC Gomselmash, the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice reported. "The High Anti-Corruption Court has fully upheld the Ministry of Justice's claim to apply the sanction provided under paragraph 11, part 1, article 4 of Ukraine's Law 'On Sanctions' to the Belarusian state enterprise OJSC Gomselmash," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The court ordered the confiscation of Gomselmash's corporate rights in the following companies: Gomselmash-Ukraine LLC, MTZ-Belarus-Ukraine Trading House LLC, and Promin-Yug LLC, as well as its intellectual property rights to certain trademarks. OJSC Gomselmash serves as the managing company of the Gomselmash holding. Subsidiaries of the Gomselmash group have been involved in producing components for ammunition and "Geran-2" kamikaze drones (known internationally as "Shahed"), which Belarus manufactures under contracts with Russia's defense industry enterprises. A former Hamilton police officer charged with recording child sexual abuse was found dead early Tuesday in a state park in Hopewell Township, authorities said. Brian DiBiasi, 40, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the southern area of Washington Crossing State Park, near the Delaware River, the Mercer County Prosecutors Office confirmed. DiBiasi and his wife, Elizabeth DiBiasi, 43, were arrested in January by the New Jersey State Police on allegations they had sex in front of children and filmed the acts. Elizabeth was a Mercer County sheriffs officer at the time. Investigators charged Brian DiBiasi with five crimes, including recording, possessing and distributing the child sexual abuse material and endangering the welfare of a child. Elizabeth DiBiasi faces a single charge of endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct. Both cases were ongoing matters and being prosecuted by the state Attorney Generals Office. Brian DiBiasis lawyer did not immediately return a message seeking comment, nor did the Hamilton police department. Following their arrests, both officers were suspended without pay from their jobs, and Hamilton officials said they intended to terminate Brian DiBiasi. He had served the department for 21 years. Ruperto Vicens Marquez was detained by ICE agents on his way to work on Sunday, October 19. Kerri Kennedy A community in Monmouth County is rallying for a local restaurant owner with a work visa who has been detained by federal ICE agents. Ruperto Vicens Marquez, co-owner and chef of Emilios Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands, was on his way to work on Sunday, Oct. 19, when ICE agents approached and detained him, according to Kerri Kennedy, the organizer of community vigils in support of Marquez. The first vigil was held at 3:30 p.m. Monday at Veterans Park in Atlantic Highlands. A second one is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Newarks Delaney Hall. Members of the community are also writing letters asking for Marquezs release, calling lawmakers and donating to support his legal costs. Marquez and his brother Emilio were born in Mexico and are both in the United States legally with work visas, according to Kennedys statement. The brothers worked at another restaurant in Atlantic Highlands, Copper Canyon, for seven years before opening Emilios Kitchen together. Ruperto Vicens Marquez lives in Belford with his wife and three children. Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner released a statement on social media on Sunday about the arrest. Ruperto is Emilios brother and business partner and has employment authorization through the proper channels, the mayors statement said. We are working with all levels of government to bring him home, but need help with legal representation. This is not a political situation. This is a neighbors and friends situation and we WILL bring Ruperto home. Hohenleitner added that the borough police and Monmouth County Prosecutors Office were not notified of ICEs presence in the area. The mayor has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with the legal costs of bringing Marquez home. The fundraiser had raised more than $50,000 by Monday afternoon. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Marquez is currently being held at Delaney Hall in Newark, awaiting an immigration hearing. State health department officials have announced a potential measles exposure after a non-New Jersey resident visited the state while contagious. The New Jersey Department of Health said Monday that anyone in Terminal B of Newark Liberty International Airport between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 was potentially exposed to the virus. Anyone who suspects they were exposed should contact their local health department and doctor before going to a medical office or emergency department, officials said. Those infected by the virus could exhibit symptoms as late as Nov. 9, and officials are working on contact tracing and notifying potential exposures, authorities said. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and a rash that typically appears around three to five days after the onset of symptoms, officials said. The rash usually appears on the face and hairline as flat red spots, but spreads downward through the torso. New Jersey has had 10 confirmed cases of measles in 2025 and seven in 2024, according to state health officials. In recent years, measles infections have soared to the highest levels in the U.S. since 1992, eight years before the disease was declared effectively absent from the U.S. population in 2000, officials said. Hey there New Jersey! Heres your audio update highlighting possible layoffs at Montclair Public Schools and vandalism at a Rutgers University fraternity house where a student was badly injured by an electrical current. Well also tell you about a $325,000 settlement involving the East Brunswick Police Department and rejected plea deals in a gang shootout case in which an honors student was caught in the crossfire and died. Listen by clicking the play button above. This audio presentation is an editorially-curated selection of stories, selected by an editor, and then summarized and read aloud by artificial intelligence. Some variations in pronunciation, tone or diction may result. We want to know what you think! All feedback is valuable. After youve listened, take our 3-question survey here to let us know what you think. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. A rendering of two small modular reactors that Holtec International is currently working to build at the Palisades nuclear power plant site in Covert, Michigan. Rendering provided by Holtec International By Ron Simoncini New Jersey is running out of power and out of time. Electricity demand is rising faster than our ability to supply it, creating a bottleneck that threatens our economy. If we want to remain competitive, we need to move boldly. Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs, could be the breakthrough that powers New Jerseys future. Traditional nuclear plants take over a decade to build, cost billions, and require remote sites far from demand centers. SMRs are different: factory-built nuclear reactors shipped in modules and assembled on site. This makes them faster to deliver, easier to site near users, and safer thanks to modern passive safety systems and underground or shielded designs. A single 300-megawatt SMR could power nearly 300,000 homes, or entire campuses of data centers, pharmaceutical headquarters, and research labs. Unlike solar or wind, they produce carbon-free electricity around the clock, regardless of weather. New Jersey can seize a competitive edge by adopting a policy on SMRs that puts it at the front of the line with manufacturers eager to deliver ready-to-deploy equipment. The competitive environment represents an inflection point we cannot ignore. Demand for electricity is surging, driven by artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and advanced research. Nvidias $100 billion investment in AI alone will require electricity equal to more than eight million homes. Other states see the opportunity: Virginia has become the nations largest data center hub, while Texas and Ohio are fast-tracking nuclear projects and transmission lines. New Jersey is already behind, facing higher electricity prices and limited supply. Prices here consistently exceed the U.S. average. Developers face years-long waits to connect to the grid, and nearly every new data center is pre-leased before construction is complete. When companies cannot secure reliable power, they go elsewhere and with them go jobs, tax revenue, and momentum. The value of commercial real estate is no longer tied only to location but to guaranteed access to energy. A hyperscale campus or research lab cannot commit to New Jersey without megawatts in hand. Without them, we lose not only projects but also the construction and operational jobs that sustain local communities. The state should adopt a broad policy agenda: establish an Advanced Nuclear Office within the Board of Public Utilities to coordinate permitting, identify potential sites, and align incentives with federal programs like the DOEs Loan Programs Office and Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. A siting and vendor-readiness program would ensure New Jersey is first in line for deployable equipment, reducing costs for residents and strengthening our appeal to energy-intensive industries. SMRs are not a silver bullet, and we will still need renewables, efficiency measures, and new transmission lines. But they are a proven, reliable gap-filler that can stabilize our power grid during a pivotal decade, and compared to other transmission options, they can be deployed faster and at meaningful scale. Their safety record should also inspire confidence. For 60 years, U.S. submariners have lived and worked just yards from nuclear reactors under 4,000 feet of water without a single case of radiation sickness. If small reactors are safe enough for our most valued patriots, they can be trusted as part of todays innovative, high-performing SMR designs. Energy leadership equals economic leadership in the coming decade. By embracing SMRs, New Jersey can transform its energy weakness into a competitive strength. We can reclaim our reputation as a state of innovation and industry and ensure that the next generation of jobs, discoveries, and growth happens here. Calling your elected representative in the state Assembly or Senate is the most effective way to influence policy. To find your state Assemblymember and Senator to voice your position, go to the New Jersey Legislature websites Legislative Roster. Ron Simoncini is a vice president with JLL in New Jersey and serves as commissioner for the New Jersey Buildings Authority, overseeing government transactions related to property. The three men charged in the 2022 gang shootout in Paterson that left high school honors student Robert Cuadra dead rejected the states final plea offers and will stand trial for felony murder. Defendants Kahaz Heron, Jaquin Williams and Jahed Jones all appeared in Superior Court in Paterson on Monday, the deadline set by Judge Sohail Mohammed for any plea deals in the case. The Passaic County Prosecutors Office offered 10-year sentences to Heron and Williams, and a 12-year term to Jones in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser charges of aggravated manslaughter and a promise to testify against each other during the pleas, attorneys for the three defendants said. The judge set a date of Feb. 19, 2026 for Heron and Williams, who will be tried together. Jones will go on trial sometime after that, although no date has been set. Defense attorney Harley Breite said his client, Heron, isnt the shooter and found the plea bargain not acceptable. Mr. Kahaz Heron never took the life of another human being, Breite said following the brief hearing. Given the strengths and weaknesses of the states case, the plea offer was not acceptable. Breite said the state will have to prove Heron was at the scene in order to convict him. The state will have to prove my client was at that location, but the state knows that my client did not kill that young man. Cuadra, 18, was a senior at HARP Academy and headed for Montclair State University on a scholarship when he was caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout in Paterson on the evening of Jan. 19, 2022. Cuadra was unloading groceries in front of his grandmothers house on Godwin Avenue around 6:30 p.m. when a blue Honda Accord and white Nissan Maxima rolled up, the state contends. As seen on video, one of the occupants of the Honda Accord wearing a grey jacket got out and opened fire on a group across the street. Numerous shots rang out as Cuadra, caught in the crossfire, is stuck once in the head. He was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson. The state contends that Heron, Williams and Jones were among the six men in the two cars who participated in the attack. Using surveillance video, investigators tracked the two cars to a street in Patersons 1st Ward, where the suspects are seen exiting the vehicles. Hours later, Heron, Williams and Jones were arrested in Paterson after police stopped them in a blue Honda Accord, which was reported stolen in Clifton the day before. Police recovered two guns, ammunition and a gray jacket believed to have been worn by the shooter, according to the arrest affidavit. One of the guns was a .40 caliber pistol, and .40 caliber shell casings were found at the scene, the affidavit says. The three suspects have been locked up ever since. They were later indicted on charges of felony murder and weapons possession. Jones gave Paterson police a statement following his arrest, officials said. That statement could have been used against Jones and the others at trial. But Jones attorney, David Pine, said Monday the statement is no longer part of the case. Pine convinced a judge to quash the statement, because Jones spoke to police without being fully advised of his Miranda right to have an attorney present during questioning. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Allan Nawrocki did not respond to a request for comment following Mondays hearing. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., stand on stage during a rally for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) AP MAGA is buzzing online over a new photo featuring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. As early voting is underway in the countys largest city ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4, the two progressive lawmakers joined Mamdani for a joint rally at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Sunday. When you insist on building a coalition with room for every New Yorker, that is exactly what you create: a tremendous force, Mamdani told the crowd as he reiterated his plans of implementing rent freezes for rent-controlled apartments, building affordable housing and establishing universal child care, among other priorities. This, my friends, was your movement, and it always will be. Following the rally, Mamdani went on to post an image of himself standing alongside Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders on X, writing in the caption: Thank you, New York City. Now lets win. Although the photo appears to show Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani waving to the audience, some of President Donald Trumps supporters and allies seized on the image with many comparing the congresswomans stance to past backlash against tech billionaire Elon Musk. In January, during a celebration of Trumps inauguration, Musk faced criticism over a hand gesture that some online had likened to a Nazi salute. My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured, Musk said at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with his right arm extended outward. While Musk called it a tired attack, the Anti-Defamation League which tracks incidents of antisemitism said it seems that he had only made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm. At the time, Ocasio-Cortez criticized the ADLs response, writing on X that you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity. In the replies of Mamdanis post, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) asked: Are those Nazi salutes? Sure looks like it, Musk wrote in response to Cruz. In a separate post, conservative activist Riley Gaines also weighed in, saying Remember when @elonmusk did this same wave and elected Democrats/[mainstream media] called him Hitler for weeks? Shawn Farash, a comedian who refers to himself as Captain Deplorable on social media, posted a similar point: Can someone tell the MSM that AOC is doing a Nazi Salute since they lose their minds every time a Republican has the audacity to wave to a crowd? I was reliably told this is a Nazi salute." another user said, and a different user added, Imagine if somebody like, I dont know, @elonmusk waved this way to a crowd. Surely people would be normal and understand thats just a normal way to wave at people in a crowd, right? ...right? Sanders separately posted another image of the three waving to the crowd during the rally. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the soldiers and servicemen during his visit to the USS George Washington at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) AP President Donald Trump threatened to send more than the National Guard to U.S. cities during his long-winded speech to troops in Japan on Tuesday. The Trump administration has deployed the National Guard to a handful of Democratic-led cities to crack down on crime despite pushback from local and state leaders. During his speech to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, Trump repeated his typical attacks on his Democratic rivals, touted his own accomplishments and threatened to send troops to more U.S. cities. He suggested that some cities might need more than the National Guard, like the Space Command, to address crime. The Space Command plans, executes, and integrates military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression, defend national interests, and when necessary, defeat threats, according to the military website. People dont care if we send in our military, if we send in our National Guard, if we send in Space Command, they dont care who the hell it is. They just want to be safe, Trump said. Actually, its easy for us. Its hard for them, and we have to have a little more help. It doesnt matter, really, we could do as we want to do, but it would be nice to have more help from some of the Democrat governors that dont mind, he added. Trump continued to emphasize the possibility of sending more troops to cities across the U.S. before touting his controversial military strikes on alleged drug boats in recent months. Critics, including some GOP senators, have questioned the legality of the U.S.s deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean And were sending in our National Guard, and if we need more than the National Guard, well send more than the National Guard, because were going to have safe cities. Were not going to have people killed in our cities. And whether people like that or not, thats what were doing, Trump said. And even watching what our missiles do to boats and ships and submarines. How about the submarine? They said, No, there was just fishing. The Radical Left Democrat said, Well, it was a submarine, but they were just fishing submarines. Submarines dont go fishing. Do they? You know more about submarines than I do, he added. Trump has faced some legal hurdles for deploying the National Guard to some cities, including Chicago and Portland. He has threatened to send the National Guard troops to just Democratic-led cities, despite crime rates falling in a number of those places. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoting her new memoir, which details why she is now an independent. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) AP Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is facing mockery online over a new interview detailing why she decided to leave the Democratic Party. Jean-Pierre has made headlines in recent weeks as she promotes her new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines, which offers a critique of Democrats and a look into the end of former President Joe Bidens 2024 presidential bid. In a Q&A released by The New Yorker on Monday, she explained why her former boss should have stayed in the race and her true feelings of former Vice President Kamala Harris. I call it a betrayal, Jean-Pierre said of the Democratic Party. And the reason I say this... is that I was the person who was standing on that podium behind that lectern, having to take in all the hard questions on this. Rightfully so. And I was watching what Democratic leadership was doing. It was an all-out, full-on campaign to embarrass him, to push him out. A number of social media users have poked fun at the interview as Jean-Pierre maintained she did not see anything that would be worrisome if Biden did win reelection and served as president through January 2029. The former president ended his campaign amid pressure following a disastrous debate performance against now President Donald Trump and concerns about his age and mental fitness. Im cracking up, one user wrote on X, responding to Jean-Pierre saying Youre telling me about the feelings of Joe Biden, blah, blah, blah, but Joe Biden is out of the picture. Hes out of the picture. In the interview, staff writer Isaac Chotiner replied to Jean-Pierre: This is what you wrote your book about. I am not bringing this up randomly. Jonathan Chait, a staff writer at The Atlantic, asked directly: This is an interview that should inspire some follow-up reporting: how was KJP hired for her job in the first place? Its hard to even begin to describe Karine Jean-Pierres answers, New York Times opinion columnist David French posted. They are largely incoherent, but one thing that does come through is that she is obsessed with loyalty and respect, and real problem in 2024 wasnt that Biden chose to run again, but that he was treated so poorly when he performed so poorly. David Weigel, a politics reporter for Semafor, joked: Turns out you can do a career-ending interview even after your career is over. Another user said that she may [be] the stupidest comms person of all-time. Jean-Pierres memoir was officially released last week. During an interview with MSNBC on Saturday, she said she was proud of her time in the Biden administration. I dont take anything back, she said on The Weekend. I was really proud of everything that I did. Again, we didnt get everything right. Former President Joe Biden speaks after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute's 10th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) AP Former President Joe Biden just issued a grim warning about the state of the country under President Donald Trump. Biden addressed an audience on Sunday night after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston. He spoke about the state of the country, urging the crowd to stand up against Trump in his first remarks made since finishing a round of radiation therapy for an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Biden warned Americans were facing dark days under Trump, according to a video shared by Fox News and multiple reports of the event. Friends, I cant sugarcoat any of this. These are dark days, Biden said in a clip shared online, adding that the U.S. has come out of every crisis we face stronger than when we were in that crisis. I still believe we will emerge as we always have: stronger, wiser, more resilient, more just, so long as we keep the faith, remember who in Gods name we are, Biden added. He also urged Americans to fight in his impassioned speech. This is no time to give up, its time to get up. Get up now! Biden said, according to a video shared by local Boston ABC affiliate WCVB. Its time to get reengaged. Its time to act, to fight like hell, Biden said, according to the video. The Democrat left office in January after serving one term in the White House. Biden dropped his bid for reelection after facing pressure following a disastrous debate against Trump and concerns about his age, health and mental fitness. Vice President Kamala Harris launched her bid right after, but lost to Trump last November. In May, Bidens post presidential office announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bones. Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively. Bidens office said his score was 9. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel, who is on a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, is confident that support for Ukraine will continue after the parliamentary elections in his country. He said this at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv on Tuesday, answering a question from an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent. "Be assured that whatever the election results, and as we see in many countries, this is a fragmented landscape, support for Ukraine was with a very broad majority in parliament. So, whatever the election results, I am confident that support for Ukraine will continue," the minister said. Separately, he said it would also take some time to form a new coalition government, as is usually the case in the Netherlands. "But foreign affairs never take a break, so we will actively support Ukraine here at every stage of our political process with a broad mandate from our parliament. I am confident of that," the Foreign Minister said. Elections to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) in the Netherlands will be held on October 29, 2025. These are snap elections, announced after the collapse of the government coalition in June 2025, when Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom left the coalition due to differences over migration policy. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) wants to know President Donald Trumps IQ. While speaking to reporters en route to Japan on Monday, Trump said that Crockett and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have a low IQ, going on to challenge the two lawmakers to pass a cognitive test that he took as part of his routine physical in April. Those are really hard theyre really aptitude tests, I guess in a certain way," Trump said on Air Force One following his visit to Malaysia. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump. He continued: I dont think Jasmine the first couple of questions are easy, a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know. When you get up to about five or six, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldnt come close to answering any of those questions." During an appearance on CNN late Monday, Crockett responded to the dare. He doesnt even know what a low IQ is, Crockett said on The Source. He dont even know which scores are low, and I can guarantee you that whatever score, if hes taken one anytime recently, Im sure his qualifies as low. Crockett went on to say that Trump has never been known to be an Einstein, adding that he probably would not have been accepted into any college without being born with a silver spoon. I am not worried about that, and I wish people would look at the fact that you have a president of the United States who consistently is obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House, Crockett said. You are the president. You have a lot more power than we do, but obviously you consistently feel threatened. She added: I dont know what Black woman hurt him in his past, honey, but it is really taking him through it. But I really wish, for the sake of this country and honestly for the sake of the world, that he would focus on his real job and stop worrying about me. My constituents will worry about whether or not I have an adequate IQ. Trump has continued to brag about his performance on his latest cognitive assessment, saying earlier this month that he received a perfect score while he announced his second checkup in six months to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. One of the doctors said hes almost never seen a perfect score, Trump said. I had a perfect score. I had the highest score. And that made me feel good. Trump told reporters on Monday that he had undergone a perfect MRI during his visit on Oct. 10. White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella previously said in a memo that the president was in exceptional health. The exchange is not the first time that Trump has challenged Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez to take the tests. In August, he described them as political hacks and said they should be forced to take a Cognitive Exam As the doctors said, President Trump ACED it, something that is rarely seen! Trump said in a post on Truth Social. These Radical Left Lunatics would all fail this test in a spectacular show of stupidity and incompetence. TAKE THE TEST!!! President Donald Trump points to a reporter to ask a question as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP The White House on Sunday sent out a bizarre X post praising President Donald Trump for ending another long-running conflict the Console Wars. The battle between Sonys Playstation and Microsofts Xbox divisions came to a supposed end last week when Microsoft announced that its longtime exclusive Halo video game franchise is coming to the PlayStation 5 next year. Gaming retailer GameStop issued a statement on X declaring the official cessation of the console wars. The White House Rapid Response account unexpectedly entered the console wars conversation late Sunday in a post on X: President Trump presides over the end of the 20-year Console Wars. NUMBER 9: President Trump presides over the end of the 20-year Console Wars https://t.co/TpeLhZt89Y Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 26, 2025 GameStop replied to the White House accounts post Sunday evening by posting an AI photo of Trump shaking hands with Master Chief, the armor-clad protagonist of the Xboxs flagship Halo franchise. The official White House X account later posted an AI rendering of the president saluting the American flag while wearing Master Chiefs signature armor. The posts accompanying text read: Power to the players. Trump has made repeated claims about ending eight separate, actual wars as president. The White House in August provided a list of six wars he has resolved in a statement to press, and Trump has added the Israel-Hamas war and Thailand-Cambodia conflict to his tally this month. Independent analyses by the Associated Press, BBC and CNN have found that some of Trumps claims are misleading. "This is one of eight wars that my administration has ended in just eight months," Trump said Sunday in Malaysia after Cambodia and Thailand signed a ceasefire pact. Were averaging one a month. Trump went on to say that no other U.S. president had ended any military conflicts. They start wars, they dont solve them, he said. President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with former Vice President Mike Pence before the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) AP President Donald Trump had some harsh words for his vice president on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a new book. Former Vice President Mike Pences notes of his final call with Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 showed the president berating him just hours before the certification of the 2020 election, according to ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karls newest book. The book, Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America, was released on Tuesday. The notes, which ABC reported on Sunday were previously unpublished, showed Trump calling Pence a wimp for his decision to certify Joe Bidens 2020 election win. Trump was ultimately charged with four counts related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but the charges were dropped after he won the 2024 election. Youll go down as a wimp, Trump told Pence, according to the notes reported in Karls book. If you do that, I made a big mistake 5 years ago. The notes also appear to show a drawing of an angry emoji after Trump told Pence, You listen to the wrong people, according to the excerpt shared with ABC News. Youre not protecting our country, youre supposed to support + defend our country, Pence wrote, according to ABCs report of Karls book. I said we both [took] an oath to support + defend the Constitution, Pence wrote in the notes, according to ABC. It doesnt take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law. ABC News noted that Pences handwritten notes would have been included in the evidence if former special counsel Jack Smiths federal election interference case against Trump went to trial. Before Smith resigned from his role in January, he released the special counsel report related to the federal election interference case brought against Trump in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Smith said in the report he believed the government obtained enough evidence to convict Trump if the case went to trial. The Departments view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and does not tum on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Governments proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Office stands fully behind. Indeed, but for Mr. Trumps election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial, Smith wrote. Pence, once seen as one of Trumps most loyal supporters, has doubled down on his decision to certify the 2020 election since leaving office despite backlash from Trump and the MAGA base. He ran a short-lived campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but dropped out without endorsing Trump for the White House. If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. Owala is releasing a special-edition FreeSip Water Bottle thatll have you celebrating Dia de los Muertos day and night. The new Sugar Skull FreeSip Water Bottle is dropping on Oct. 28 at 12 p.m. ET and this glow-in-the-dark bottle is sure sell out fast at $40. Owala Sugar Skull 32oz FreeSip Water Bottle $40 The new Dia de los Muertos-themed water bottle drops Oct. 28 at 12 p.m. ET. $45 at Owala Featuring a 32-ounce capacity, the Sugar Skull FreeSip has a vivid design that celebrates the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos from Nov. 1-2. This celebratory symbol of lost family members has vibrant shades of turquoise, coral, yellow, pink and orange, which Owala says it chose to reflect joy. Patterned on Owalas famous leakproof FreeSip Water Bottle, the Sugar Skull has intricate details like water droplets, stars and a hidden FreeSip icon, among its brilliant marigolds and papel picado (paper banners). It also has a glow-in-the-dark body that can be charged outside for an brighter glow. This exclusive Sugar Skull FreeSip Water Bottle is only available for a limited time, and Owala says it will not restock the collection after it sells out. Cant wait until Tuesday to snag a new Owala Water Bottle? You can check out more Owala drinkware, including these popular styles: The Presidents of Ukraine and Finland, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Alexander Stubb discussed cooperation with partners. "I was glad to call President of Finland Alexander Stubb. As always, we are closely coordinating. Thank you for your constant support. We discussed cooperation with partners, and I informed Alexander about the current situation in diplomacy and in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in Telegram on Tuesday. "It is important for Ukraine that everyone who wants to end this war and guarantee security works just as effectively and in a coordinated manner," he said. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, who is on his first visit to Kyiv in this position, discussed the implementation of the PURL and SAFE initiatives and the opportunities for joint weapons production. "Held a meeting with Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas, who is visiting Ukraine on his first visit in this position. Discussed the implementation of the PURL and SAFE initiatives, opportunities for joint weapons production, and Ukraine's European integration," Zelenskyy said in his Telegram channel on Tuesday evening. According to him, they separately touched upon the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and prepare the 20th package of EU sanctions. "We need new restrictions against the banking sector, the shadow fleet and Russian propagandists," the Ukrainian leader said. "We are grateful for the military support, 0.25% of your budget. You have given a signal to some other countries that have begun to think about strengthening Ukraine, using percentages of GDP and the defense budget. This is important. We are also grateful that we can count on your support next year," Zelenskyy said, whose statement is quoted by the press service of the President's Office on the website. It is reported that special attention was focused on supporting Ukraine's European integration, in particular, the opening of the first negotiation cluster. In turn, the Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania emphasized continued support for Ukraine. He noted that he plans to participate in the parliamentary summit of the international Crimean platform, which will be held in Stockholm in November. "We are in favor of strengthening sanctions against Russia, support for Ukraine military, economic, political. Of course, we confirm this in our international negotiations," Olekas said. The President and Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania also spoke about diplomatic work. Juozas Olekas stressed the importance of a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine. PM: Key priority of Defense Ministry for next 100 days is to boost production of Ukrainian weapons Minister of Defense of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal presented to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the key results of the work for 100 days and the next priority steps. "We launched the PURL mechanism, held three Ramstein meetings, increased grant programs for weapons manufacturers, implemented Delta at all levels, launched a system for accounting for servicemen and transfers between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, increased funding for combat units," Shmyhal said on the Telegram channel. He said the key priority for the next 100 days is to increase the production and supply of Ukrainian weapons to the frontline. "Key focus on drones, long-range, interceptors, FPV and innovative solutions. We plan to launch a controlled arms export program. We will launch Defence City into full operation and increase support for our manufacturers. We will expand the DOT-Chain Defence project by 70% of all drone purchases. We will expand digital products with special attention to medical support. We continue daily work with partners so that there is more investment in our defense industry and more weapons here and now," Shmyhal said. Photo: https://www.facebook.com The Netherlands announced the allocation of EUR 10 million for a justice project and to support the reform of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, David van Weel has said during a visit to Kyiv. "At IDLO, I announced 9 million for the project 'Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine'. Through this contribution, we support Ukraine's prosecution of international crimes through its national justice system. This is crucial for achieving accountability," he said on the X social network. According to the minister, the Netherlands seeks to promote Ukraine's integration into the European Union. In this context, the Netherlands also announced the allocation of EUR 1 million to support the reform of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, which is a key body in the fight against corruption. "Today, we also announced a contribution of 1 million in support of the reform of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, which is at the forefront of Ukraines fight against corruption," the minister said. The Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine project is implemented with the participation of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Ukrainian legal system to investigate and prosecute war crimes. Photo: https://eurosolidarity.org/ Ukrainian MP and leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko has returned to power with a call to immediately stop Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, according to the party's website. He said this was contrary to the interests of Ukraine and its allies, as it provided funding for the aggressor state. "The whole world is waiting for several important events. On 30 October, a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump is scheduled to take place. We very much hope that, in addition to tariffs and trade duties, the central topic will be the war in Ukraine and its cessation. Not in two or three years, but right now," Poroshenko said. The politician stressed that the European Commission's report will be released on 4 November. He called for decisive action: strengthening sanctions, large-scale military and financial support for Ukraine, and combating Russian cyber influence, including banning Telegram. European Solidarity has registered a draft resolution to stop transit. Poroshenko noted that Druzhba's daily operations bring Russia about $25 million, which goes towards the war. In a year and a half, that's $10 billion, or millions of drones used to kill Ukrainians. He called on parliament to adopt the decision and put it to a vote. Jointly safeguarding hard-won outcomes of China-U.S. trade talks 09:28, October 28, 2025 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily On Oct. 25 and 26 local time, China and the United States held a new round of economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Guided by the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state in their phone conversations since the beginning of this year, the two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges of views on important trade and economic issues of mutual concerns, and reached basic consensuses on arrangements to address respective trade concerns. These outcomes did not come easily. They once again demonstrate that while it is natural for two major countries like China and the U.S. to have differences on economic and trade matters, these differences can be properly handled and the two sides can find the right way to get along as long as the two sides sit down for talks based on equality and constructiveness. This round of consultations covered a wide range of topics, including the U.S. Section 301 measures on China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, extension of the suspension of reciprocal tariffs, fentanyl-related tariff and law enforcement cooperation, trade in agricultural products, and export controls. These are issues of mutual concern that also bear on the stability of global industrial and supply chains. The two sides agreed to work out specific details and follow the domestic approval processes of each side. While each side has long-term interests and concerns at stake, neither allowed these differences to obscure the bigger picture. Both remained solution-oriented, continued to make full use of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism, and worked to create conditions for ultimately resolving issues. Such efforts not only help ease concerns but also benefit the development of both countries and the global economy as a whole. To properly manage differences and advance cooperation, the most important task is to faithfully implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state. Since the beginning of this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump have held several phone conversations, setting the tone and direction for improving and developing China-U.S. relations. Under this guidance, the two countries' economic and trade teams have held five rounds of consultations and reached positive understandings. This fully demonstrates that to ensure the two giant ships of China and the U.S. sail forward together without veering off course or losing speed, it is essential to unwaveringly adhere to the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, fully implement the important consensus they have reached, and uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. The economic and trade relations between China and the U.S. are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both - a truth repeatedly proven over decades of bilateral relations. Maintaining the stable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples, and meets the expectations of the international community. Looking back at the five rounds of consultations, each positive signal from the talks has brought a welcome warmth to global markets. As a responsible major country, China has demonstrated composure and wisdom, advocating a broad vision and a sense of responsibility in handling China-U.S. relations, firmly opposing "decoupling and severing supply chains," and working to safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. The U.S. side, for its part, has repeatedly stated that "it has no intention to decouple from China" and that "the U.S.-China economic and trade relationship is the most influential bilateral relationship in the world." With such a common understanding in place, the two sides should move toward each other, cherish every outcome achieved through consultations, build mutual trust, manage differences, and keep China-U.S. economic and trade relations on a steady, long-term path of mutually beneficial cooperation. On its modernization journey, China remains committed to expanding high-standard opening up, which will create more opportunities for countries around the world, including the United States. The recently concluded fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China reviewed and approved the proposals for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, outlining the blueprint for China's development in the next five years. From a long-term perspective, China's pursuit of socialist modernization is a step-by-step historical process of continuous advancement. By pursuing progress while ensuring stability, China can counter any external challenge with the certainty provided by its own development. The plenary session emphasized the need to expand opening up at the institutional level, safeguard the multilateral trading system, and promote broader international economic flows. It also stressed the need to advance reform and development through greater openness and seek to share opportunities and achieve common development with the rest of the world. The international community generally believes that, amid today's uncertainties, China's formulation and implementation of medium- and long-term plans demonstrate strategic foresight and strong stability, injecting valuable certainty into global development. The hard-won outcomes of this round of consultations should be jointly cherished and safeguarded. China and the U.S. have both the capability and wisdom to find a path toward coexistence and common prosperity. When dialogue replaces confrontation and cooperation transcends differences, the two countries can find appropriate ways to address each other's concerns, promote the healthy, stable, and sustainable development of their economic and trade relations, and deliver greater benefits to the peoples of both nations and the wider world. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) China-South Korea visa-free policies drive cross-border travel boom, deepen bilateral ties 08:19, October 28, 2025 By Zhang Wenjie, Zhao Tong, Peng Yukai, Cui Yige, Ha Jung-Mi, Ryu Mih-Yun ( People's Daily Online South Korea has implemented a temporary visa-free policy for Chinese group tourists from Sept. 29, 2025, to June 30, 2026. It is a reciprocal move to China's earlier policy, under which China rolled out a trial visa-free measure for South Koreans on Nov. 8, 2024. Data reflects the policy's immediate impact. According to South Korean media, nearly 1.99 million South Korean travelers made trips to China between January and August 2025, marking a 40.6 percent year-on-year increase. From street-level interactions to conference halls, and from neighborhood exchanges to the international stage, the baton of China-South Korea friendship is being passed on, writing new chapters of win-win cooperation. Join People's Daily Online reporters as they embark on a cross-border friendship relay journey! (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Wu Chengliang) How and Where the National Guard Has Deployed to U.S. Cities Portland Ore. S.D. Chicago Ohio Calif. Washington Ill. W.Va. Tenn. Los Angeles Memphis S.C. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Portland Washington Ore. S.D. Chicago Ohio Calif. W.Va. Ill. Tenn. Memphis Los Angeles S.C. Ga. Ala. Texas Miss. La. Note: National Guard deployments to Chicago and Portland were temporarily blocked by a court order. Elements of the District of Columbia National Guard were activated and deployed to Washington, D.C. The New York Times Since taking office, President Trump has relied on the National Guard to help implement a sweeping agenda on crime and immigration, kicking off a blitz of deployments that have rattled cities, tested the limits of his legal authority, and drawn in the Supreme Court. So far, Mr. Trump has called upon the military force to help stop illegal crossings at the southern border and staff immigration facilities; to guard federal property and personnel amid protests in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore.; and to back crime-fighting efforts in Washington, D.C., and Memphis. He has done all this while publicly mulling similar actions in cities like Baltimore, New Orleans and San Francisco. National Guard deployments to U.S. cities Los Angeles Troops protected federal buildings and personnel during protests. Legal status Active Type of deployment Federal Date of deployment June 7 Max. number of troops 4,100 Washington, D.C. Troops from the capital and from various states are supporting the local police. Legal status Active Type of deployment Hybrid Date of deployment Aug. 11 Max. number of troops 2,500 Portland, Ore. Troops ordered to guard federal property and personnel. Stalled in court. Legal status Pending Type of deployment Federal Date of deployment Sept. 28 Max. number of troops 400 Chicago Troops ordered to guard federal property and personnel. Stalled in court. Legal status Pending Type of deployment Federal Date of deployment Oct. 4 Max. number of troops 500 Memphis Troops are patrolling with local law enforcement. Legal status Active Type of deployment Hybrid Date of deployment Oct. 10 Max. number of troops 150 Notes: The date of deployment corresponds to the date of the executive order or memorandum ordering the deployment of the National Guard. The number of troops deployed to each city is the maximum number of troops listed in the announcement or mentioned by public officials. The number of National Guard troops on the ground at any given time can fluctuate. Who is in charge of National Guard deployments? The deployments, which have provoked fierce lawsuits from state and local leaders, are not all on the same legal footing. The main difference, according to experts in armed forces law, comes down to who commands the Guard: the president, or the governor of an individual state. State active duty State control Title 32 Hybrid control Title 10 Federal control Who approves the deployment? Governor Both president and governor President Who commands the Guard? Governor Governor President How is the Guard paid? State funds Federal funds Federal funds Can the Guard perform law enforcement duties? Yes, unless prohibited by state law Yes, unless prohibited by state law No, with narrow exceptions When called into action by a governor responding to a state-level emergency, the Guard serves under a status known as state active duty, under which there is no general prohibition against troops conducting law enforcement. In recent years, Guard members under that status have policed the southern border, patrolled New York Citys subway platforms and helped support crime-fighting efforts in Albuquerque. But when deployed under the presidents command typically, when called to train or fight overseas National Guard troops become federalized and are subject to a section of the U.S. Code known as Title 10, the same laws governing other active-duty military branches. Where National Guard troops have deployed under Title 10 States with federalized National Guard troops Portland Ore. Chicago Calif. Ill. Los Angeles Texas Portland Ore. Chicago Calif. Ill. Los Angeles Texas Note: National Guard deployments to Chicago and Portland were temporarily blocked by a court order. The New York Times Crucially, troops under that status are forbidden, with narrow exceptions, from performing law enforcement under the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which came about after the federal government withdrew troops from the Southern states defeated in the Civil War. In Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, where Mr. Trump has deployed the Guard over governors objections, he has done so by placing the troops directly under federal control itself a legally contentious move. As a result, troops activities there are largely restricted to guarding federal property. A third status, known as Title 32, combines aspects of state and federal duty. In that hybrid designation, Guard troops remain under their governors command, but the deployment receives federal funding and comes at the request of the president or secretary of defense. Where National Guard troops have deployed under Title 32 States with activated troops S.D. Ohio Washington W.Va. Tenn. Memphis S.C. Ga. Ala. Miss. La. Washington S.D. Ohio W.Va. Tenn. Memphis S.C. Ga. Ala. Miss. La. Note: Elements of the District of Columbia National Guard were activated and deployed to Washington, D.C. The New York Times In Memphis, where the governor is commanding the Guard mission at Mr. Trumps urging, and in Washington, D.C., where the president has authority over the local Guard, troops have deployed under a hybrid status. Guard soldiers in those cities have more openly patrolled the streets, but they have so far steered clear of serving warrants or making arrests. Military law experts say the distinction between those different deployment statuses is critical not only to what troops can do on the ground but also to how courts will weigh the legal questions posed by Mr. Trumps rapid assumption of power. There is very little case law on all of this, said Elizabeth Goitein, a senior director at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York Universitys law school, partly because domestic deployment of the military has happened extremely sparingly in our nation's history. What the courts say In court, the Trump administration has argued that the president has broad authority to federalize the National Guard anywhere in the country, at any time, whenever he feels it is necessary to enforce the law or suppress disorder. That power, federal lawyers say, extends from an obscure, rarely invoked statute that gives the president authority to federalize the force in times of rebellion, invasion or when the president is otherwise unable to enforce federal law. But the Trump administration has gone further, arguing that the same statute grants the president a sweeping exemption from the Posse Comitatus Act, the law barring the use of federal soldiers for law enforcement. Presidents typically have had to invoke the Insurrection Act, an extreme step, to claim such an exemption. Further complicating the issue are Mr. Trumps moves to deploy the National Guard across state lines, a step usually taken only with the consent of all parties involved, said Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at Emory University School of Law. Mr. Trump has pushed to deploy federalized Guard troops from Texas to Chicago, and troops from California to Portland, while several Republican governors have agreed to send troops under their command to Washington, D.C. National Guard troops that have deployed to another state Federal control Hybrid control Portland S.D. Chicago Ohio Washington Calif. W.Va. Tenn. S.C. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Portland Washington S.D. Chicago Ohio W.Va. Calif. Tenn. S.C. Ga. Ala. Texas Miss. La. Note: National Guard deployments to Chicago and Portland were temporarily blocked by a court order. The New York Times State leaders in California, Illinois and Oregon have contested the Trump administrations arguments in court, and rulings so far have been divided. The administration has recently appealed to the Supreme Court in the Illinois case, setting the stage for a high-stakes decision that could shape how the Guard is used moving forward. Officials in Tennessee and Washington, D.C., have also challenged the deployments to their cities. Military law experts described Mr. Trumps actions as a rarity in U.S. history, highlighting that the presidents aggressive maneuvering of federalized Guard troops comes in the face of protests far more subdued than the kind of mass unrest that has been used to justify their use in the past. But Kevin Greene, a co-director of the University of Southern Mississippis Center for the Study of the National Guard, said it also strikes at a question dating back to the countrys earliest days, and the founders skepticism of a standing army on domestic soil. The history of the United States is about the pendulum swinging back and forth as it relates to the militia and the National Guard, as to who has authority over it, and who should, he said. Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. The government says they are protected. The government says they are protected. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying. Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. The government says they are protected. The government says they are protected. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying. Its July and the Green fire is tearing through Northern California. An elite federal firefighting crew called the La Grande Hotshots has been sent to help. The 24-person crew has been working for days on the front lines, where invisible toxins hide in the thick haze. More than 1,000 firefighters are on the fire. Several crews, including the La Grande Hotshots, are trying to contain the flames by building a trench of bare earth that will stretch from a road to a river bank. Theyre doing this at night, in hopes that the cooler air will tamp down the smoke. The crew knows that theyre risking their health. The La Grande hotshots on assignment this summer. La Grande Hotshots One longtime member died last year after being diagnosed at 40 with brain cancer. A former crew leader is being treated for both leukemia and lymphoma diagnosed in his 40s. Another colleague was recently told that he has the lungs of a lifelong chain-smoker. Wildfire fighters nationwide are getting sick and dying at young ages, The New York Times has reported. The federal government acknowledges that the job is linked to lung disease, heart damage and more than a dozen kinds of cancer. Casey Budlong, a La Grande Hotshot, died of cancer in 2024 after fighting fires for two decades. He left behind an 8-year-old son. Katy Budlong But the U.S. Forest Service, which employs thousands of firefighters, has for decades ignored recommendations from its own scientists to monitor the conditions at the fire line and limit shifts when the air becomes unsafe. To find out how harmful the air gets on an average-size wildfire, Times reporters brought sensors to the Green fire this summer. We tracked levels of some of the most lethal particles in the air, called PM2.5, which are so tiny that they can enter the bloodstream and cause lasting damage. Readings above 225.5 micrograms per cubic meter are considered hazardous. On the fire line, levels regularly exceeded 500. The fire began on July 1 after a lightning storm passed over the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The fire began on July 1 after a lightning storm passed over the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. By July 16, much of the area was shrouded in smoke. By July 16, much of the area was shrouded in smoke. That afternoon, a bulldozer carved a containment line that firefighters would expand by carefully burning a wide swath around it, depriving the flames of more fuel. That afternoon, a bulldozer carved a containment line that firefighters would expand by carefully burning a wide swath around it, depriving the flames of more fuel. Forest Service crews had to hike up a ridge to get to the line. Visibility was good, and the air didnt smell smoky. But our monitors showed readings well into hazardous levels. Forest Service crews had to hike up a ridge to get to the line. Visibility was good, and the air didnt smell smoky. But our monitors showed readings well into hazardous levels. Around 6 p.m., the La Grande Hotshots started their shift and set off toward the fire line. Capt. Nick Schramm, a crew leader, assumed the air was reasonably safe. He has done this work for nearly two decades, and like most firefighters, he often has coughing fits after long shifts. But he believes that exposure to hazardous air is unavoidable. Thats just the harsh truth, he said later. As climate change makes fire seasons worse, several states have tried to shield outdoor workers from wildfire smoke, which can contain poisons like arsenic, benzene and lead. California now requires employers to monitor air quality during fires, and to provide breaks and masks when the air turns unhealthy. But these rules dont apply on the wildfires themselves, because state agencies and private companies successfully argued that those constraints would get in the way of fighting fires. Until recently, federal firefighters werent even allowed to wear masks on the job. Masks are now provided, but they are still banned during the most arduous work, closest to the fire. The Forest Service says face coverings could cause heatstroke, though wildland firefighters in other countries regularly use masks without this problem. 9:48 PM As crews descended the ridge toward the fire line, the levels of toxic particles nearly doubled. As crews descended the ridge toward the fire line, the levels of toxic particles nearly doubled. Firefighters say that during their shifts they worry more about immediate dangers falling trees, burns, sharp tools than about smoke exposure. As the La Grande crew hiked down the steep terrain, Lily Barnes, a squad leader, concentrated on keeping her footing. Back home in the off-season, she sometimes wonders what the smoke is doing to her body, she said in an interview. Maybe Ill realize one day I shouldnt have been doing this work. On the fire line, the La Grande crew waited for conditions to be right to burn away vegetation. Around midnight, they filled their torches with fuel. On the fire line, the La Grande crew waited for conditions to be right to burn away vegetation. Around midnight, they filled their torches with fuel. They coordinated with other crews up and down the line, timing the operation so that smoke might blow away from them. But once the work began, levels of harmful particles spiked. They coordinated with other crews up and down the line, timing the operation so that smoke might blow away from them. But once the work began, levels of harmful particles spiked. Many firefighters believe that if they can sidestep visible plumes of smoke, they will be in somewhat safer air. But our readings showed that it was just as hazardous. Many firefighters believe that if they can sidestep visible plumes of smoke, they will be in somewhat safer air. But our readings showed that it was just as hazardous. The handbook issued to Forest Service crews has 10 words of guidance for smoke exposure on the fire line: If needed, rotate resources in and out of smoky areas. The agency declined to comment for this story, but in the past has told The Times that while exposure cannot be completely eliminated, rotating crews helps limit risk. In practice, according to interviews with hundreds of firefighters, workers feel as though they are sent into smoke and then forgotten. Over months of reporting, Times journalists never saw a boss pull a crew back because of exposure. Even experienced supervisors cant tell exactly how unhealthy the air is just by looking. Chuy Elguezabal, the La Grande superintendent, says he pulls his crews out of smoke when it becomes impossible for them to work when they cannot see or breathe, or they are overcome by headaches and coughing fits. On the Green fire, he said, the smoke seemed like more of an inconvenience, like the 105-degree daytime heat or the poison oak that had given many of the firefighters weeping sores. Since the 1990s, Forest Service researchers have suggested giving crews wearable air sensors, but the agency hasnt done it. Other dangerous workplaces, like coal mines, have long been required to monitor airborne hazards. A 1999 Forest Service report that recommended wearable air monitors. On the Green fire, The Times used a device that weighs as much as a deck of cards and costs about $200. Last year, firefighters wore the same devices during a small federal research project to measure their exposure. For hours, those readings stayed at 1,000 as high as the monitors go according to Zach Kiehl, a consultant who worked on the project. Mr. Kiehl said that ideally, crews would be issued monitors to know when to put on masks or pull back from a smoky area. You can pay now and prevent future cases, or pay out later when a person is losing a husband or a father, he said. The La Grande crew has been working in heavy smoke for hours now. They spray water to make sure the fire doesnt reach the treetops, where it cant be contained. The La Grande crew has been working in heavy smoke for hours now. They spray water to make sure the fire doesnt reach the treetops, where it cant be contained. Tears stream down the firefighters faces and their noses run as they work. Tears stream down the firefighters faces and their noses run as they work. The crew will continue until 7 a.m. The crew will continue until 7 a.m. The firefighters believe that the decision to work at night has paid off: The smoke occasionally got thick, but didnt seem bad compared with other fires they have worked. They think the exposure was fleeting. In fact, the monitors show, the air was never safe. La Grande Hotshots 3-D scene by Google A Chinese family sued their daughters school after the child was diagnosed with acute and transient psychotic disorder, allegedly caused by a horror movie she had watched in class. The unusual case began two years ago, but only recently concluded in Court. In October of 2023, because their teacher was on temporary leave, a class of students at a school in Hangzhou, Chinas Guanxi Province, watched a movie screened by the school with their and their teachers consent. No details about the film have been disclosed to the press, but according to the parents of one of the students, it was a horror movie that had a very serious impact on her. Problems allegedly began on the evening following the screening, when the young girl began exhibiting unusual symptoms, including incoherence and a loss of touch with reality. Panicked by her behavior, the parents took her to a local hospital, where she was diagnosed with acute and transient psychotic disorder. Photo: Unsplash The students parents filed a lawsuit against the school, seeking 30,000 yuan ($42,000) in damages. They claimed that watching horror movies directly contributed to their daughters mental illness and that the school failed to properly fulfill its educational supervision duties. Medical records showed that neither the child nor other members of her family had any history of mental illness. On the other hand, the school denied full responsibility, insisting that the students psychotic disorder had been caused by her special constitution or potentially existing mental problems. The institutions lawyer told the Court that it only accepted 10 percent of the responsibility for the girls problems. Before an official verdict was given by the Court, a heated dispute erupted on Chinese social media, with some claiming that the school could have screened a safer movie, and others defending it, claiming that the students psychotic disorder was only transient, meaning it eventually went away with treatment and medication. Photo: Unsplash In the end, a judge ruled that the school that authorized the horror movie was negligent in approving the screening and 30 percent responsible for the students mental illness episode. The Court ordered to pay 9,182 yuan ($1,300) in compensation through insurance. Acute and transient psychotic disorder can occur even in people with no prior history of mental illness, with situations where fear or anxiety is extremely heightened being the most common triggers. Treatment usually involves antipsychotic medication, relaxation therapy, and psychotherapy, but even though most patients make a full recovery, follow-up psychiatric monitoring is crucial in preventing relapse. Major disruption is expected in Offaly as one of Irelands largest ever infrastructure projects is set to run through a large part of the county. Uisce Eireanns Shannon to Dublin pipeline project aims to transfer water from the Parteen Basin on the River Shannon in County Clare to Peamount in County Dublin. By abstracting water and transporting it to Dublin, it is set to provide a new, sustainable water source for the growing population in the eastern and midlands region of Ireland. The project was discussed at the October plenary meeting of Offaly County Council. Senior Executive Officer in the Planning Department, Caroline Dempsey, said the planning application for the project could be submitted by the end of the year. READ NEXT: PICTURES: Tullamore shopfronts from almost 20 years ago - how many do you remember? She warned elected members of major disruption once works get underway, with the pipeline set to run through the entire county. It will enter the county near the townland of Cooraclevin in the south west and will exit just south of Edenderry in the east. The project was being discussed in the context of the Draft Development Contribution Scheme 2026-2032. The scheme outlines the financial payments that developers must make to the local authority when they receive planning permission for a new development. Ms Dempsey told members that the council expects to receive 100,000 for every kilometre of pipeline laid in the county. Given that 70 kilometres of the pipeline is set to be laid in Offaly, this could generate 7 million in revenue for the local authority. The project has been designated as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID), which requires the developer to submit the planning application directly to An Coimisiun Pleanala. This means that Uisce Eireann does not need to seek permission from Offaly County Council for the development. However, the council will be invited to submit a report to the commission outlining its concerns once the planning application has been submitted. Subject to planning approval, Uisce Eireann has said that construction of the pipeline could take up to five years. Over 8 million worth of cocaine has been seized by gardai during a major operation in the Midlands this afternoon. As part of Operation TARA and ongoing investigations targeting organised crime, personnel attached to the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau conducted a search operation at a residential address and lands in the Laois area on Tuesday. During the course of this operation 116 kilos of suspected Cocaine (subject to Analysis) valued at approximately 8.1 million was recovered along with a number of electronic devices. Gardai say that one male aged in his 30s was arrested pursuant to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and he is currently detained, pursuant to the provisions of Section 50 of Criminal Justice Act 2007, at a Laois Garda Station. The drugs seized will be forwarded to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis. Following the operation, Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland, Head of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, said, "An Garda Siochana will continue to focus our resources on those who collaborate with and facilitate organised crime. We are determined to continue dismantling drug trafficking routes into Ireland and will continue doing our part to keep our communities safer. Please think before you use. Gardai say that investigations are ongoing. Evolution is not wholly understood. Natural selection of traits between male and female, must be understood in proper time. Our history gives us 250 years; Arab and Persians have a thousand years to explain themselves. Their minds are millennial. Therefore, framing periods and segments of time are measured on different scales when referring to peoples. Time in evolution must be framed differently to understand it. The scale of measuring physical human evolutionary change or development is different from the scale of human development from birth to old age. Human evolutionary development or changes in our species, as homo sapiens or humans, requires vast numbers of years in the tens of thousands. Moreover, change on this level must consider aggregate or group traits. Human beings are civilized. Our physical form is a civil physical form. Our legs are straight, our hands nimble, and our sense of smell refined. Our legs are designed to sit in a chair. A bear sits on the ground, and their hind legs are curved. Bears have paws to fight and hunt, we have nimble fingers to write. They can smell danger a mile away, we can smell the soup on the stove near the kitchen. Our form has evolved to be near. My hypothesis, we were civilized before civilization. Civilization being indoors with plumbing, electricity, and computing. It is wholly probable that we lived in indoors elsewhere. Time is not proportional to include the framework that is cognitively necessary to consider spans of time and how they influence choices and behaviors of our human species. If we were civilized before, then we lost this cognitive sense to shift from a day to over a span of thousands. Our legs are designed to sit in a chair. We cannot comfortably sit around a campfire without bending awkwardly. A chair is furniture, and furniture is a product of indoor living. We stand and walk in a home; running is important but a not a primary mode of motion. Our physical form is civilized. We were civilized when we began a record of civilization 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and Egypt, and our form was civilized at 17,000 years ago when we were outdoor living humans called Cro-Magnon nomads. Open land made settlement easy. And, evolutionary biology nearly 20,000 years ago identifies Cro-Magnon nomads as having creative genius, meaning they could read and write. The caves in Lascaux, France, are evidence of having mental capacity that could represent and record. This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week,click here. Honestly, who could believe it, if that is we weren't actually living through it? And maybe even then? I mean, once upon a time, Donald Trump would have been unimaginable as president (or do I mean king, emperor, or simply madman?) of the United States. Hey, you know, the guy who can only imagine White South Africans and right-wing (if not absolutely fascistic) Europeans as immigrants to this country and certainly not anyone from shithole countries! Id hate to tell my grandfather, who arrived here as a teenager on a ship in the early 1890s with the equivalent of 50 cents in his pocket and, though an impoverished Jewish kid from (now embattled) Lviv, was allowed to stay. And here's one thing for sure. Don't count on any teenagers from Venezuela being allowed to remain in this country today, even if their homeland is soon to be bombed by an unnamed great power not with Donald Trump in the White House and this particular Supreme Court, which only recently allowed his administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for 300,000 Venezuelan immigrants who may be in danger when forced to return to their country. After all, a certain president, who has been destroying Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea, has already given the okay for the CIA to conduct secret operations against that country and is evidently considering attacking it directly. And while you're thinking about all of that, take a moment to join TomDispatch regular Rebecca Gordon as she accompanies a young immigrant filing his application for asylum in this country. Tom Trump is Bad at Running the Country But Sometimes That's Good for Him By Rebecca Gordon I first heard the expression strategic incompetence in El Salvador in December 1993. Along with my partner and two friends, Id been recruited to do some electoral training there. We were working with the Farabundo Mart National Liberation Front, or FMLN, a coalition of leftist parties that had led a long-running guerrilla war against a series of U.S.-backed autocratic governments. Id visited El Salvador once before, during the 1989 elections, when armed troops were overseeing the voting. I remembered watching as people deposited their ballots into transparent plastic bags, their choices clearly visible to the world and to the soldiers. (Not exactly what you'd call a free and fair election.) A new round of national elections was scheduled for early 1994, and, for the first time, instead of boycotting it, the FMLN was running its own candidates. This was a risky choice. By the time we arrived to teach their members something about door-to-door canvassing, several FMLN candidates had already been assassinated. It took us a few days to fully grasp just how profound a cultural shift such an election was for people whose project and lives had previously depended on clandestine organizing. For years, their members had kept contact among themselves to a minimum for security reasons. They also routinely limited contacts with other Salvadorans to those in whom they had the highest confidence. We knew wed experienced a breakthrough when one of their comandantes said, Oh, I see. Even my mother should be part of this campaign. It was one of those comandantes who taught me the term strategic incompetence. Not long before, many of their potential voters had been refugees, having only recently returned from camps in Guatemala. A number of them had lost whatever identification papers they once had and, in any case, it was all too normal for people in rural Central America to lack birth certificates. The most common proof of birth was a baptismal record at a parish church, and many of those churches had been bombed to dust during the U.S.-backed air war against the FMLN. So, to be able to vote, many Salvadorans had to apply to the government in the capital, San Salvador, for a cdula an official credential. The process of getting one was invariably lengthy. Those who lived far from a municipal center had to make weekly treks on foot to post offices in towns to check whether their ID had arrived. All too often, the answer would be: no. As that comandante explained to me, this was an example of the autocratic governments strategic incompetence a systemic failure, in other words, that served the interests of those then in power by discouraging people from voting. Round and Round We Go Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Chinese, African experts join force to advance collaboration on food security, agricultural modernization Xinhua) 08:37, October 28, 2025 President of the African Academy of Sciences Lise Korsten speaks at the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. President of the African Academy of Sciences Lise Korsten said China's journey in agricultural modernization, marked by intensive cultivation, developed value chains, and breakthroughs in digital agriculture, provides invaluable experience to Africa. According to the president, China exemplifies mastery in high-yield, technology-driven agriculture, feeding nearly 20 percent of the global population with less than 9 percent of the world's arable land. Meanwhile, Africa faces food insecurity despite being home to 60 percent of the world's uncultivated arable land. "This paradox of land and people underscores the need for a balanced partnership: one that marries Africa's untapped potential with China's proven innovations to build a resilient global food system," said Korsten. Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union (AU), said China stands ready to share its experience in agriculture development and rural poverty reduction with African countries to achieve common development. He highlighted that the current agricultural technological revolution, driven by biotechnology, digital technology, and intelligent equipment, offers new opportunities for China and Africa to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen their response to global challenges. "China-Africa agricultural cooperation is evolving from traditional aid-based assistance to sustainable, capacity-building partnerships. This year, the Chinese government announced a zero-tariff policy covering all tariff items for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations with China. This will significantly enhance the access of African agricultural products to the Chinese market," Jiang added. Gaspard Banyankimbona, AU commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, said China and Africa can jointly develop climate-resilient crops, sustainable soil and water management systems, early warning tools of pests and extreme weather, and a digital platform that empowers smallholder farmers across the continent. "The China-Africa alliance provides the ideal vehicle to mobilize collective force to promote joint research in climate-smart agriculture, animal and plant health, agro-ecology and food safety, technology transfer and localization, capacity development through scholarship and innovation ecosystem," Banyankimbona emphasized. The three-day event, co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, African Academy of Sciences, and the Mission of China to the AU, brought together over 200 scientists, policymakers, and representatives from agricultural institutions across China and Africa. Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union, speaks at the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Gaspard Banyankimbona, AU commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, speaks at the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Guests attend the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) Guests attend the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, on Oct. 27, 2025. The 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) kicked off on Monday in Addis Ababa, with a focus on cooperation for Africa's food security and agricultural modernization. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) United States - October 2025 - Following a successful launch earlier this year, the Savor Quality from Europe campaign continues its U.S. journey, spotlighting the Sri Lanka Taxi Charter Service International Limited (SLTCS Ltd.) today announces a dedicated taxicharter offering for travellers from Europe visiting Sri Lanka, combining tailormade itineraries Paris, France - [Oct 22, 2025] - At International Cosmetic Industry News, we are always searching for the brands that set the pace for the The airline carried 20% more Portland passengers last month than it did a year earlier. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian Alaska Airlines is adding nonstop flights from Portland to four more cities next year Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Idaho Falls. Also this week, Alaska announced it will add a second daily flight to Newark, a third flight to Santa Rosa-Sonoma and will now fly year-round to Kauii. Alaska is the busiest carrier at Portland International Airport. It will fly nonstop to 62 cities from PDX when it adds the three new destinations next May. The carrier has been growing rapidly. About 480,000 people flew in or out of Portland on Alaska flights last month, a 21% increase from September 2024. Reza Mardani listens to court proceedings with the help of an Iranian translator during a Multnomah County Circuit Court murder trial on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. Zane Sparling/The Oregonian A landmark ruling that undermined the scientific basis of the technique police use to match bullets to a gun is becoming a bane for prosecutors. The Oregon Court of Appeals cited a May ruling that toolmark analysis is not scientific evidence when it overturned the second-degree murder conviction of Reza Mardani last week. Mardani, a landlord in Northeast Portland, is accused of killing two tenants he had tried to evict because he believed they were engaged in illicit behavior. Hes been in custody since 2019. Im thrilled to be able to clarify how ballistics comparisons are used in trials, said Alicia Hercher, who represented Mardani during the original criminal trial. Forensic examiners have long maintained that the grooves on firearm barrels leave unique markings on fired bullets that can be matched after the fact, essentially proving that a certain gun fired a bullet linked to a crime scene. But the appellate court found otherwise, ruling in whats known as the Adams decision that a lack of objective criteria makes toolmark analysis more art than science. The case law, if it withstands a test at the Oregon Supreme Court, is expected to have major ramifications in new criminal cases as well as countless prior convictions. Mardanis case appears to be the first reversal of a murder conviction. Now 71, Mardani was trying to evict a couple living in a camper outside his Cully neighborhood home in January 2019 when prosecutors allege he fatally shot George Atkeson, 62, and severely wounded his girlfriend, 63-year-old Darlene Kelley, who died two years later. A Multnomah County jury convicted Mardani of second-degree murder in Atkesons death, the attempted murder of Kelley and aggravated animal abuse for killing the couples dog. Mardanis attorneys appealed the conviction in January 2023. But the appellate court determined that toolmark analysis from the Oregon State Crime Lab was a linchpin tying Mardani to the murder weapon. Mardanis defense team had argued a mystery man was responsible for the shooting. The firearms identification was inadmissible, wrote appeals court Judge Steven Powers. (It) does not meet the foundational requirements to be admitted as scientific evidence. A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice said the department is considering whether to appeal. The DOJ has already challenged the Adams decision, but opening motions havent yet been submitted to the Oregon Supreme Court. Thomas Freedman, a defense attorney who made the toolmark analysis argument during Mardanis criminal trial, said the lack of a murder weapon turns the states theory on its head. There were no eyewitnesses or surveillance footage of the slaying. The tool mark evidence was the primary forensic evidence that allegedly linked Mr. Mardani to the shootings. Its very much a reasonable doubt case, he said. Michael Ramirez, who was convicted of two back-to-back Portland homicides in 2022, also challenged the inclusion of toolmark evidence but the Oregon appeals court determined the error was harmless in August, considering the other evidence. The high court declined to reverse that case. Mardani is expected to remain in Snake River prison while the case is pending. A man who gunned down a stranger over an off-putting remark after a night of drinking last year has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Jenna Plank found Alex Brown-Golden, 24, guilty of second-degree manslaughter as part of a plea deal in the killing of 34-year-old Ozell Shepherd just before 2 a.m. on May 4, 2024. Brown-Golden, better known as Chico, and several friends were out drinking in downtown Portland the prior evening when they met up with Shepherd through a mutual acquaintance. The group merged and went back to a friends home on Northeast Beech Street, but the bonhomie was spoiled and it became clear that the night should come to an end, prosecutors wrote in court documents. At that point, Shepherd apparently objected to riding in the same car as a woman in the group, court documents say. Brown-Golden took offense and gunned the other man down. Investigators identified Brown-Golden in surveillance footage from his distinct tattoos. At a sentencing hearing, Shepherds mother, Vanessa Smith, said her son had recently moved to Gresham from Alabama in search of work. He was one of four brothers and had two children. Im going to try to raise his two boys the best way I can, and let them know that their father loved them so much, she said. Former Beaverton P.E. teacher acquitted in sex abuse case involving student Matthew Knorr, a former physical education teacher at the Beaverton Academy of Science & Engineering, has been acquitted of three counts of first-degree sexual abuse by a Washington County jury. Knorr, now 49, was teaching an exercise class when he partnered with the 13-year-old girl on Nov. 16, 2021. She claimed he groped her. A vice principal at the school began investigating the matter three days later as rumors circulated, though charges were not filed until January 2023. He was acquitted in July. Prosecutors asked the jury to rely on the girls testimony and testimony from another student in the class, among other witnesses; a defense attorney asked jurors to discount her testimony and believes Knorrs words. Jury finds 2 not guilty in drug deal slaying A Washington County jury acquitted two men Erick Penalosa Hernandez and Josue Zarate Gonzalez in an apparent drug deal gone wrong slaying outside Washington Square Mall. Hernandez, 22, of Auburn, Washington and Gonzalez, 36, of Kent, were accused of second-degree murder in the Dec. 18, 2023 killing of 29-year-old Ediel Ernesto Apodaca Sandoval. Sandoval had driven to the malls parking garage to sell illicit marijuana, according to prosecutors, when he was shot twice through the lungs. Prosecutors argued that Hernandez pulled the trigger on Gonzalez orders so they could take the pot without paying. The crucial five minutes when the slaying took place werent captured on video, and defense attorneys argued it was impossible to tell who was truly responsible for the killing. CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated the prison sentence for Alex Brown-Golden. Police tamped down on two street takeovers over the weekend. Officers arrested one person, who was accused of striking a patrol vehicle. The vehicle, shown above, had to be towed, a police spokesperson said. Courtesy of Portland Police Bureau Portland police cited one person, arrested another and towed a car as officers worked to disrupt two separate street takeover events in the St. Johns and the Lloyd District neighborhoods over the weekend. On Friday night, officers responded to the 15000 block of North Columbia Boulevard where they saw about 10 drivers who had taken over the street. Police said one driver, 30-year-old Daniel Miahalut, was detained and cited for reckless driving and unlawful street takeover. Police towed Miahaluts BMW coupe under state law and city code that allow police to seize cars used in street racing. After midnight on Sunday, officers spotted multiple vehicles engaging in a street takeover near the Moda Center and Rose Quarter Transit Center. Meanwhile, police said pedestrians ignited fireworks, blocked traffic and disrupted transit service. Police dispatched additional resources, including Multnomah County deputies, to disperse the crowd. While doing so, police said Steven Servito, 20, allegedly drifted by the intersection of Northeast Multnomah Street and Interstate Avenue and struck a patrol car. Police said the two officers inside the car suffered minor injuries and did not need to be taken to a hospital. Police spokesperson Mike Benner said the patrol vehicle was hit on the drivers side and had to be towed. Servito was booked into Multnomah County Jail early Sunday and remains in custody. He was scheduled to appear in court Monday, records show. Street races and takeovers across the city have continued to be an issue, but especially in parts of North and Northeast Portland that have wider lanes and easy access to freeways. Police officials have said the Lloyd Center area, in particular, is a common spot for such gatherings. The events also require a significant number of police resources to disrupt and at times can hamper officers ability to respond quickly to other emergency calls. Past events have also been deadly. Last year, a 17-year-old passenger died when the driver of a car performing donuts flipped on its side. In 2022, a Vancouver man was fatally shot at a Portland takeover. The same year, a 26-year-old woman died after a street racer crashed into her as she waited at a Portland bus stop. Under the settlement with the Oregon Department of Justice, Rever Grand pleaded no contest to one count of making a false claim for health care payment and will go on probation for up to four years. NJ.com for Canva A Grants Pass service provider for intellectually and developmentally disabled Oregonians has settled health care fraud allegations with the state. Under the settlement with the Oregon Department of Justice, Rever Grand pleaded no contest Monday to one count of making a false claim for health care payment and will go on probation for up to four years, after which the state will seek to close the case with no guilty finding. According to the settlement terms, the company will enlist an outside monitor to confirm its prior owners, who still face criminal charges for Medicaid fraud, retain no role in its business. Rever Grand hires what are known as direct support professionals to provide services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. But the company leaders were indicted a year ago on health care fraud charges for allegedly enriching themselves on Medicaid dollars. A DOJ spokesperson said the amount will be established in court. Its one of the largest such providers in Oregon. Scott Mullins, attorney for Rever Grand, said the company serves approximately 1,500 clients and employs 2,000 workers. Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the settlement strikes a balance between accountability and safeguarding the companys clients. Our goal is to make sure that every person receiving support can trust the system that serves them, Rayfield said, and that companies providing care are doing right by the people in their communities. Former owner Raymond Parenteau and wife Jolene Sesso, who co-founded and previously managed the business, still face charges for racketeering, money laundering, tax evasion, making a false claim for health care payment and aggravated theft for funneling ill-gotten Medicaid funds to themselves, according to the Department of Justice. The new owner and president, Nathan Junkin, took control of Rever Grand in January. In a statement, Junkin said he has worked with state officials to address the problems that arose from Parenteau and Sessos time at the company. I believe in the good and honest people who work here, Junkin said. I am thrilled weve reached an amicable resolution with the State, as it allows us to continue to strengthen our communities and to provide growth and opportunities to so many people. We are looking to the future, not the past. The federal government created the very emergency they propose to resolve with the National Guard, lawyers for Oregon, California and city of Portland wrote in a trial memorandum filed in federal court. Dave Killen/Special to the Oregonian Federal officers gassed Portland police officers and fired pepper balls at one local officer outside the U.S. Immigration and Enforcement building in the city in the past month. When Portland police later confronted federal law enforcement for aiming at and striking their officer with pepper balls, federal officials responded, help or get out of the way, according to police. Portland police supervisors are expected to testify about the encounter in a trial that gets underway Wednesday as the state of Oregon, city of Portland and state of California continue to challenge President Donald Trumps Sept. 27 mobilization and attempted deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. Portland police also are expected to testify that the increased presence of federal officers outside the ICE building since Sept. 27 has caused the situation to deteriorate, with federal officers responding with needless and sometimes arbitrary firing of tear gas, pepper balls and smoke canisters. The federal government created the very emergency they propose to resolve with the National Guard, lawyers for the two states and city wrote in a trial memorandum filed in federal court Monday. Lawyers for Oregon, California and Portland will urge U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut to issue a permanent injunction barring Trump from sending any National Guard members to Oregon to protect Portlands U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal officials counter that local police have been unhelpful and hostile at times and they cant rely on Portland police to protect the property or officers working in the South Waterfront building as nightly protests have continued since June. The Police Bureau has not directed its officers to move protesters who block the ICE facilitys driveway and prevent ICE vehicles going in and out. The record is replete with evidence of the PPB failing to provide assistance when federal officials have requested it, federal lawyers countered in their own trial memorandum. The Police Bureaus policy against assisting with immigration enforcement goes far beyond any ordinary understanding of enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice lawyers argued. Oregon, Portland and California submitted more than 1,200 exhibits for trial, including Trumps social media posts, video of protests and Portland police and Federal Protective Service incident reports. TIMELINE: Follow the flurry of court action in challenge of National Guard deployment to Portland As lawyers prepared for trial, they learned the majority of the active judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted to have 11 circuit judges review the legality of Immerguts Oct. 4 temporary order barring federal control of Oregon National Guard members in Portland. The appeals court threw out an earlier ruling by a three-judge panel that sided with the Trump administration last week and left Immerguts order in place. Federal lawyers argue that the court must give a great deal of deference to the president and his determination that hes met at least two of the criteria required before he can federalize National Guard members under federal codes Title 10, Sec. 12406: that there was a danger of a rebellion against U.S. government authority, and regular officers have been unable to execute federal law. They cite damage to the ICE building since June, spraypainting of violent threats on its exterior, protesters blockading of the gated vehicle entrance, protesters throwing rocks and fireworks, doxxing of officers online and attempts to follow officers cars home or to hotels and the resulting closure of the building for three weeks during the summer. On June 12, for example, they contend that 450 protesters barricaded federal employees inside the ICE building and ignited fires, leading to the three-week closure. In late July, the federal government said protesters threw titanium screws in front of the driveway to damage tires of federal vehicles. Federal officers say theyve had to use non-lethal force to clear people out of the driveway in order to allow vehicles in and out, according to the U.S. Justice Departments trial memorandum. The federal government also contends the Federal Protective Service agency, responsible for security of federal property, is stretched thin and not staffed to provide around-the-clock protection. But even with the help of extra ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, the coverage is unsustainable, federal lawyers wrote. Lawyers for the states and the city of Portland counter that the Trump administration has not met any of the required criteria to deploy Guard members. They argue theres no evidence of a rebellion or the threat of one in the city, and federal officers in Portland have not shown they were unable to carry out federal law without the help of National Guard troops in the weeks or even months leading up to Trumps Sept. 27 authorization of Oregon National Guard members. Federalizing National Guard troops is an extraordinary measure that should be allowed only as a last resort and definitely should not be based on Trumps obviously absurd and brash assessment of the conditions in Portland, their lawyers wrote in a trial memorandum. While the president is due deference and law enforcement has faced challenges outside the ICE facility in the South Waterfront neighborhood since June, only one riot was declared, on June 14, and after that protests quickly dwindled, with sporadic demonstrations that warranted targeted responses, the lawyers for the two states and Portland noted. Only after Trumps Sept. 27 post on Truth Social authorizing federal control of Oregon National Guard members, including his incendiary rhetoric that Portland was War ravaged and the ICE building was under siege, did the protests once again become larger and more tense, the states and citys lawyers wrote. The larger protests instigated by the presidents rhetoric and actions gave Trump the optics of smoke, flashes of fire and explosions that he sought, which were broadcast on national TV, the states and citys brief says. Federal agents use chemical crowd control munitions during a protest at the Portland ICE facility on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. Allison Barr/The Oregonian Portland police will testify that the demonstrations outside the ICE building have not been organized, but have largely been unstructured and decreased in volume and intensity since they declared a riot on June 14. The protests presented ordinary challenges, including sporadic crime amid First Amendment-protected protests, according to local police. Plaintiffs seek to protect their sovereignty, retain control over their own National Guard, law enforcement and public safety, and prevent unnecessary disruption to Oregons largest city, their lawyers wrote. Plaintiffs have filed this suit to protect the basic structure of American federalism from an alarming intrusion that was, until the events in Los Angeles just months ago, unprecedented. In contrast, the federal government faces no harm from an injunction. Federal officers in Portland can continue to enforce federal law, including immigration enforcement, even if the National Guard is barred from deploying to the city, they wrote. Lawyers for the city and state urge the court to consider that there have been three phases to the protests outside the ICE building: The first two weeks of June, which involved some disruptive and unlawful actions, including minor fires, use of fireworks, paintballs and lasers, harassment and assault on a public safety officer and damage to the ICE building. Windows and doors were broken, a driveway entry card reader was destroyed and graffiti threats were scrawled on the exterior. Portland police said they made arrests as appropriate, until declaring a riot on June 14, when many in the 300-person crowd engaged in violence and disorderly conduct, according to the states and citys brief. In phase two, Portland police after June 14 adapted their stance to enforce not just felony person and property crimes, but other misdemeanor crimes. They made no arrests at the protests in late June, July, August and early September. Protests in the rest of June after the riot was declared were largely low energy, the states and the citys lawyers said. Federal Protective Service officers never moved more than 31 officers from other regions to Portland at any one time and the agency has untapped capacity to protect the building if needed, lawyers for the two states and city argued. Oregon State Police Capt. Cameron Bailey and Portland police Assistant Chief Craig Dobson, Central Precinct Cmdr. Brian Hughes and Specialized Resources Division Cmdr. Franz Schoening are expected to be called as witnesses by lawyers for the state and city of Portland. Court Document The federal government never exhausted its non-military options, with more than 80,000 law enforcement officers under the Department of Homeland Security, more than 4,500 other Homeland Security staff cross-designated to fulfill Federal Protective Service duties, or asked the FBI, DEA or U.S. Marshals Service to help if needed. Phase three has been the period since Trump announced he was sending troops to Portland. This has seen larger protests again and has been largely non-violent, with few arrests, the states and the citys lawyers say. Federal lawyers point to the Oct. 20 ruling by a three-judge 9th Circuit panel that sided with the Trump administration, finding that his deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard members was measured. They also noted a different three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit put a hold on an injunction issued by a federal judge in California intended to block National Guard troop deployment there. They ask Immergut to consider anti-ICE actions in other states, such as the shooting outside an ICE field office in Dallas last month and alleged targeted bounties placed by Mexico-based criminals of up to $50,000 for the kidnapping, assault or assassination of Homeland Security personnel in Chicago. Major General Timothy L. Rieger, acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau; Cammilla H. Wamsley, the Seattle-based field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Enforcement and Removal Operations; Robert Cantu, deputy director of the Federal Protective Service Region 10; and William Turner, a commander of the Federal Protective Service, will be called as witnesses for the federal government, its lawyers said. Court Document They argued that the Oregon National Guard members would serve in a purely protective capacity at the Portland ICE building and that their deployment for a limited period of time would not harm the state. In fact, the federal lawyers contend, the Guards presence would provide the presence needed to counter persistent violence and threats in Portland. It is simply common sense that federal agents would be able to engage in greater enforcement of the immigration laws if they were not operating under the threat of assaults and obstruction, and that they are currently bearing unacceptable risks to their safety while doing their jobs, the federal Justice Department lawyers wrote. Even if the decision by the 9th Circuits three-judge panel - placing a hold on Immerguts first temporary restraining order barring federal control of Oregon National Guard troops in Portland stands, Oregon, California and Portland said they still expect to succeed at trial because the factual record will be more complete than the limited record on which the panels stay decision was based, their lawyers wrote. Whichever side prevails at trial, the result undoubtedly will be appealed. A gavel is shown in this file photo. (Photo by ClassicStock/Getty Images) A federal judge in Eugene Monday night granted a preliminary injunction barring the federal government from halting grant funding for sex education programs that include references to gender identities. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken found the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lacked any grounds to restrict such grant funding and said its new restrictions amounted to sex discrimination. The grants were authorized by Congress to support sex education programs intended to help reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and adolescent sexual risk behavior based on medical and social science, Aiken wrote. Congress also stated the programs must be culturally specific, so theres no grounds for states to remove gender identity references, she wrote in her 77-page ruling. Congress intended for the curriculum to reach diverse youth audiences, the judge wrote. The Trump administrations actions to curtail the grants mark the opposite of Congress intention, the ruling said. The Human Services agency has no authority to redefine what is taught and provided no rational basis for the change, Aiken said. A curricula that denies the existence of transgender and gender diverse people is not medically accurate and complete, the judge wrote. While the federal governments lawyers argued that sex discrimination laws do not apply to federally funded program content, Aiken called that argument absurd, in her ruling. HHS fails to show that the new grant conditions are reasonable, let alone offer any reasonable explanation, other than pretext, for its actions, Aiken wrote. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susanne Luse had argued that the federal department was seeking to clarify that federal funds must support medically accurate sexual education, not ideological concepts. The statutes that established the grant-funded programs make no mention of gender ideology or gender identity, the federal government argued in court papers. Oregon is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia that sued the federal Human Services department, which has sought to prohibit gender ideology lessons funded by the Personal Responsibility Education Program, known as PREP, and Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program, called SRAE. The federal grants are used to teach about abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The federal department threatened to cut the grant funding by Oct. 27 unless states remove any referenceeven a passing oneto inclusive gender identity. The states argued that the new grant conditions that the federal agency is seeking to impose violate federal law, the separation of powers and Congress spending power. The termination of funding under the two federal grant programs could have resulted in a loss of at least $35 million to the states, according to their suit. Boarding schools promote educational equity in China's plateau regions: experts Xinhua) 08:40, October 28, 2025 Students review moves of Tibetan opera at Lhasa No. 2 secondary vocational and technical school in Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, Sept. 9, 2025. (Xinhua/Tenzin Nyida) CHENGDU, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- At an international seminar held on Monday in China's Chengdu, experts highlighted that the boarding school system has contributed to the equity and high-quality development of education in China's plateau regions, offering valuable insights for the international community. The International Academic Seminar on Boarding Education and Plateau Development was held in the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. It brought together experts and scholars from various countries, including China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, to exchange views on boarding education. Boarding schools in Xizang have evolved as an educational model that respects ethnic culture and adapts to the region's unique geographical conditions. With strong state support, they have become a vital method of enhancing educational quality and equity, said Zhalo, a researcher at the China Tibetology Research Center. At the seminar, many experts said that boarding education is not only improving accessibility and teaching quality but also fostering interaction and integration among different ethnic groups. Michael Alan Crook, president of International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives, has visited boarding schools in Xizang. He noted that students in these schools enjoy good living conditions and the mixed enrollment of students from different ethnic groups promotes mutual understanding. Crook recalled that he saw Tibetan and Han students studying, singing and dancing together. "I listened to a fifth-grade Tibetan language class. These boarding schools are preserving the culture rather than destroying it," Crook said. He emphasized that while boarding schools in Western countries often cater to elite or wealthy families, China's state-run boarding school system primarily serves ordinary households, with substantial government subsidies enabling students from remote areas to access quality education. Boarding schools in China provide not only education but also shelter, food, guidance and stability, especially in rural and remote regions, helping create a more disciplined and structured learning environment that supports academic success, said Mario Eugence Cavolo from Center for China and Globalization. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) People walk the sand on the south end of Cannon beach, near Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site on the north Oregon coast. Jamie Hale/The Oregonian If youre in Cannon Beach this week, you might want to stay away from its chief attraction: the ocean. Thats because about 80,000 gallons of sewage and stormwater have flowed into the Pacific Ocean at the beach. The Oregon Health Authority on Tuesday issued an alert, saying the overflow could raise the risk of exposure to fecal bacteria. The agency said its beach-monitoring staff doesnt yet have test results confirming the presence of bacteria in the Gower Creek outfall, where the creek spills into Cannon Beach, but is issuing the alert out of caution. The overflow, which happened on Monday, is not an isolated incident for one of Oregons most popular beaches. State monitoring has led to regular warnings of contamination at two main spots on the small citys oceanfront, near Haystack Rock and at the south end of Cannon Beach. In March, environmental groups filed a lawsuit alleging that the city of Cannon Beach is regularly discharging untreated human waste into its waterways and onto the beach, putting residents and visitors at risk from dangerously high levels of fecal bacteria. The Northwest Environmental Defense Center, the nonprofit that filed the lawsuit, is seeking an order to compel the city to prevent such discharges and come into full compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. The lawsuit is proceeding in U.S. District Court and is currently in the discovery stage. Cannon Beach officials said the latest overflow was caused by high levels of rainfall and a failed sensor in a manhole near the pump station, which led to a toilet paper blockage. City crews worked to remove the contaminants and the city is awaiting test results, said the citys public works director Karen La Bonte. In mid-September, the city installed approximately 20 sensors in various sanitary sewer pipes as part of its effort to measure flow conditions and identify potential sources of contamination in stormwater discharges to the beach, La Bonte said. Visitors should avoid wading in pools of water on the beach and stay clear of water runoff flowing into the ocean, the agency said. Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes and upper respiratory infections. Children and the elderly are especially at risk. A Panera with drive-through is opening in Akron this week. Associated Press Panera Bread will be closing all of its fresh dough bakeries over the next 18 months to two years and will be moving to par-baked products, according to National Restaurant News. In 2024, Panera began slowly shutting down fresh dough facilities. Panera utilized these facilities across the country for the bread, bagels and baked goods in Paneras cafe section. It will switch to par-baked products that will finish baking on-site. With bread being the cornerstone of Panera, its chief corporate officer, Brooke Buchanan, said this new model will allow items to be available more regularly across locations. This new model allows us to develop more stores and grow throughout the United States in cities and towns that we couldnt expand to previously because of the limited distance those [fresh dough facility delivery] trucks could travel, Buchanan said. Panera will partner with artisan bakery producers that will use the companys recipe and create the par-baked product, which will be delivered to various locations, according to National Restaurant News. Bakers at the dough facilities will lose their jobs in the closings but will be offered other positions in Panera or the opportunity to pursue other opportunities through company-hosted job fairs. TEL AVIV, Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he has ordered the army to immediately carry out powerful strikes in Gaza, and Hamas responded by saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage, putting new pressure on the tenuous U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The order from Netanyahu came after an Israeli official said Hamas had fired on its forces in southern Gaza and after the Palestinian militant group handed over body parts on Monday that Israel said were the partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war. Netanyahu called the return of these body parts a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return the remaining hostages in Gaza as soon as possible. In another sign of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were shot at in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there hasnt been an official announcement yet. Fragile ceasefire holds so far despite tests The ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 has largely held despite at least two previous flare-ups in violence. On Oct. 19, Israel said two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fire. Israel responded with a series of strikes that killed over 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials. And over the weekend, Israel carried out an airstrike against what it said were Islamic Jihad militants planning an attack, wounding several people. There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered the body of a hostage, but after Israel announced the plans to strike Gaza, Hamas said in a statement it would delay the handover. An Associated Press videographer in Khan Younis witnessed Tuesday what appeared to be a white body bag being carried out from a tunnel by several men, including some masked militants, and then transported into an ambulance. It was not immediately clear what was in the bag. The slow return of hostages bodies is posing a challenge to implementing the next stages of the ceasefire, which will address even knottier issues, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory. Hamas has said it is struggling to locate the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza, while Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of the remaining hostages. That work continued Tuesday in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. An Arab official involved in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas said talks were underway with both sides to try to prevent the truce from collapsing. Both sides violated the agreement, but there was no significant breach, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The official said violations included delays in handing over bodies, the failure to open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, delays evacuating patients out of Gaza, the limited scale-up of aid delivery, and minor skirmishes on the line that separates Israeli troops from the rest of Gaza. This undated photo provided by the Hostages Family Forum shows Ofir Tzarfati, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023 and whose body was recovered by Israeli troops in Nov. 2023. Hostages Family Forum via AP A stricken family The remains returned overnight have been identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati, Netanyahus office said. Tzarfati was kidnapped from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war. In all, the militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Tzarfati was killed in captivity and his body was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. In March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. Tzarfatis family said in a statement that this is the third time we have been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son. This is the second time since the ceasefire that remains turned over by Hamas have been problematic. Israel said one of the bodies Hamas released in the first week of the ceasefire belonged to an unidentified Palestinian. During a previous ceasefire in February 2025, Hamas said it handed over the bodies of three hostages, Shiri Bibas and her two sons, but testing showed that one of the bodies returned was identified as a Palestinian woman. Shiri Bibas body was returned a day later. In exchange for 15 dead hostages returned from Gaza since the ceasefire began, Israel has handed back to Gaza 195 Palestinian bodies. The last 20 living hostages were returned to Israel at the start of the ceasefire, and in exchange, Israel freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Palestinians watch as Egyptian machinery and workers search for the bodies of hostages in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana Israel kills 3 Palestinians in a West Bank raid Earlier Tuesday, Israeli authorities said they had killed three Palestinian militants early during an operation in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, the latest action in Israels stepped-up military activity in the territory since the war began. Israeli police said the three men were shot as they came out of a cave near Jenin, a town in the northern West Bank known as a militant stronghold. The Israeli military said in a statement that the militants took part in terror activity in Jenin, but gave no further details. Two militants were shot and killed in the initial volley of gunfire. The third, who was wounded, was killed shortly after, according to the Israeli military. An earlier statement said the Israeli military carried out an airstrike shortly afterward to destroy the cave. The army confirmed an airstrike in the area but gave no further details. Hamas condemned the Jenin strike and later identified two of the three men as militants with Hamas Qassam Brigades. The third man was referred to as a comrade, but no additional details about him were given. Israel says its operations have cracked down on militants in the West Bank. But Palestinians and human rights groups say scores of uninvolved civilians have also been among the dead, while tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes. Over 68,500 Palestinians have died in the two-year war in Gaza, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. --By Melanie Lidman/Associated Press Statements implying that U.S. citizens hate the military is such a twist of citizens actual feelings it is truly disheartening. What a majority of citizens feel is that using the military against a countrys own people is wrong. I am not sure how the men and women who serve feel, but I am sure most never expected to be used in this manner. It can be noted that history will repeat if we are not diligent. The absurdity of a presidential administration that stomps on every foundation the founding fathers put in place is best reflected by citizens who continue to protest, hold rallies and dress in the wonderful inflatables. When Republicans held Tea Parties and rallies, they didnt find it wrong. When current citizens do the same, they are branded treasonous, whacked out, Hamas terrorists and violent criminals that hate America or are Antifa people. Trying to trivialize the citizens of America is sickening and demonstrates the contempt the administration feels for them. President Donald Trump descends from immigrants. All Americans are immigrants, unless they are Native American. Carla Brown, Forest Grove To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion. Oregon and 22 other states filed suit against the Trump administration to try to keep federal food aid flowing to needy Americans amid the government shutdown. One in six Oregonians gets the benefit, shorthanded as SNAP. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com) Oregon, California, Washington and 22 other states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to restore federal food assistance as 40 million Americans are set to lose access to that aid Saturday amid the ongoing government shutdown. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell took the lead in filing the suit in a federal Massachusetts court, seeking to restore funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Denying low-income people and families aid they qualify for and have come to rely on would be an unprecedented step, the suit says. Across various previous federal government shutdowns, SNAP benefits have never been interrupted by a lapse in appropriations. SNAP provides an average of $187 a month to low-income households to supplement their grocery budgets. In Oregon, nearly one in six residents including more than 214,000 children and 130,000 older adults -- rely on SNAP to help keep them fed. On Monday, the Trump administration said it would not use emergency funds to restore SNAP funds. The federal government shutdown is entering its fourth week. The website for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, blamed Senate Democrats for the lapse: Bottom line, the well has run dry. ... We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance. Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Sacramento Bee on Tuesday. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who signed onto the suit, said in a statement Tuesday, This isnt complicated people need to eat. If these benefits stop, thousands of Oregonians will be left wondering how to put food on the table. The USDA has the authority and the money to keep SNAP running, and refusing to do so is both illegal and deeply cruel. The effects would also ripple through Oregons rural communities and local economies, where SNAP dollars sustain grocery stores, small businesses, and agricultural producers, his office said. On Monday, Gov. Tina Kotek also called for the Trump administration to draw on contingency and reserve funds to keep food assistance flowing. Hunger should never be a consequence of political stalemate, Kotek said in a statement. Ensuring that families have access to food is not optional it is a core function of the Department and an essential component of national stability and well-being. Oregonian/OregonLive Politics and Education Editor Betsy Hammond was the lead reporter on this story. The Sacramento Bee contributed. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici speaks during a press conference on Sat., Sept. 27, 2025. U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, are calling for Victor Cruz's immediate release. Zane Sparling/The Oregonian Immigration authorities arrested a Hillsboro man on Oct. 14 after mistaking him for a person with the same name who had a history of driving under the influence of intoxicants. And now Democratic members of Oregons congressional delegation are asking the federal government to release him immediately. Victor Cruz is being held at the immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington, according to a Friday letter from U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, sent to Camilla Wamsley, director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Seattle, which oversees operations in Oregon. The members of Congress said Cruz has lived in the United States for nearly 30 years and has a work permit that is valid through 2029. They also said he has a pending U visa, which allows victims of crime to remain in the U.S. legally. It is our understanding that there is another Victor Cruz in the Pacific Northwest who has multiple DUIs on his record, they wrote in the letter. But that is not who ICE took into custody. ICE officials didnt immediately respond to a request seeking comment about Cruzs case on Monday. As of Friday, 10 days after his arrest, Cruz was still not appearing on the online detainee locator system, which is a direct violation of ICEs standard to locate detainees who have been in custody for more than 48 hours, according to the letter. Cruz, the letter says, has an existing heart condition and uses a pacemaker. He is also recovering from an injury that fractured his foot and he is wearing a medical boot, the letter says, During his arrest, Mr. Cruz was fully shackled wrists, ankles, and waist. We are concerned about the harsh treatment of Mr. Cruz given his current urgent health concerns and medical history. The members of the Oregon delegation also said the Cruz in custody doesnt have a criminal record and doesnt have a deportation order. We are outraged by this pattern of willful negligence and callousness by ICE to arrest and detain people who do not have criminal records or a valid reason for arrest, the letter says. We demand that Mr. Cruz (be) released immediately and be provided access to his legal representation. A day before immigration authorities arrested Cruz, two individuals went to his house claiming to be from the phone company, according to Erin Palmer, an advocate and family friend. They used the visit to verify his identity an incident that now appears to have been connected to ICEs later actions, she said in a statement last week. Victor Cruz has lived in Hillsboro for nearly three decades, the statement said. A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, he has built his life around helping others. Palmer and other supporters plan to hold a press conference on Wednesday on the east side of the Washington County courthouse to call for Cruzs release. Merlos family from left to right: Carlos, David, Jackie, Abby, Carlos Sr., Jeffrey. Jackie Merlos has been released after four months in immigration detention. Courtesy of Mimi Lettunich Jackie Merlos, a Portland resident who was detained by immigration authorities for four months, has been released from the immigration detention center in Tacoma and will be able to reunite with her children, members of Oregons congressional delegation announced late Monday. U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Oregon, who raised public awareness about the familys initial detention, continued to push for Merlos release throughout her detainment. In a statement, Dexter, along with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, Sen. Jeff Merkley, and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, said Merlos release came hours after she announced a federal court filing on Merlos behalf, challenging the legality of her continued detention. Jackies freedom is proof that the power of the people is greater than the people in power, Dexter said in the statement. Oregonians refused to be silent, and because of that, Jackie is free and will be home with her children. This is a moment for celebration, but its also a painful reminder that justice was long delayed and actively undermined by the federal government. Merlos was arrested in late June at Peace Arch Historical State Park in Blaine, Washington, on the Canadian border while meeting with family. Her four U.S. citizen children, and her mother, who was visiting from Honduras with a travel visa, also were detained. Her husband, Carlos Merlos, was arrested in Portland a few days later and deported to Honduras earlier this month. Jackie Merlos has a pending U visa that allows victims of crime to remain in the country legally. Her husbands status wasnt made public. Federal authorities initially leveled alien smuggling allegations against Jackie Merlos, but later said they dropped them and failed to provide an explanation for Merlos continued detention in Tacoma. Her four children were released in mid-July to family friends in Portland. Mimi Lettunich and Kris Wiggerhave been caring for the 9-year-old triplets and their 7-year-old brother. Jackie Merlos mother was released in late September. Im so grateful to have my freedom today, Jackie Merlos said in the statement. So many people have been by my side in this long journey. Im so appreciative. I cant wait to hug my babies. And then I will get to work for others like me. Lettunich said Monday was an important day. We picked up our dear friend after four months of cruelty and wrongful detention, she said in the statement. Tenacity, heart and justice prevailed over the Trump administrations egregious immigration policies. Lettunich said it took a fight to get Jackie Merlos released. It took countless lawyers, members of Congress, national advocacy groups, friends and family from all political affiliations to make this possible, she said. We look forward to celebrating Jackies release and using this example as momentum to fight for others. Weve only just begun. After Portland police ordered protesters to dismantle their supply camp late on Saturday, right-wing streamers and conservative media personalties film the scene. Protesters had repeatedly rebuilt the camp after a dozen city removals. Fedor Zarkhin The city of Portland escalated its enforcement of laws against blocking sidewalks near the federal immigration facility over the weekend, directing police officers to ensure the immediate removal of protesters tent and supplies after months of leaving that work to the citys regular camp clearance program. Mayor Keith Wilson said Monday that he and the citys police agency made that change because conditions at the protesters supply camp outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement compound south of downtown and the confrontations and violence Wilson says they spurred rose to a new level in the latter half of last week. It all comes down to safety, ensuring the community safety of all participants, Wilson told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a brief interview Monday. We saw it really grow to a point where there were arrests being made, theres criminal activity, there were fights going (on). We really wanted to address that, to try and limit it. Confrontations at the sidewalk camp between protesters with opposing viewpoints have accelerated recently, but the change goes back several weeks, according to every-night observations by Oregonian/OregonLive journalists over that time period. Crowds of counter-protesters have been particularly large over the last week, drawn at least in part by the presence of popular right-wing streamers and conservative media personalities. In the weeks before Trumps Sept. 27 announcement that he planned to deploy the National Guard to Portland, the anti-ICE protesters camp was an eyesore but rarely a site of conflict. Shortly after that, however, it became an increasing object of attention from counter-protesters, sometimes leading to loud arguments and physical altercations between the opposing sides. For example, right-wing streamer and counter-protester Thomas Allen has been a near-nightly presence near the ICE facility, usually about one block east of it, mere feet from the protester camp. Allen, a 36-year-old Portland resident, was arrested earlier this month and charged with assaulting a protester. A judge ordered him to stay at least 200 feet away from the ICE facility. Two protesters stand in front of the longstanding protest camp near the ICE facility in South Portland on Monday, Oct. 20. Jonathan Bach/The Oregonian Police made five arrests in the week preceding the Saturday night camp clearance order and two arrests the week before that, according to the agencys website. Daily updates about the agencys protest monitoring efforts over the past week also noted that police have been breaking up fights and issuing citations for drinking alcohol from an open container. Since anti-ICE protests began roughly 20 weeks ago, Portlands Impact Reduction Program team has cleared the small encampment typically a pop-up tent, chairs, bins of medical equipment and coolers of food 12 times, according to city data. That was done using the citys normal process: posting notice of the tent-clearing plan at least 72 hours in advance, then sending a biohazard clean-up crew contracted by the city to remove items during daytime hours. The protester camp was last posted on Oct. 23, which would have set it for removal early this week. But on Saturday night, police officers ordered protesters to stop blocking the sidewalk and immediately take down the tent and remove their items. Protesters complied, moving some of their salvaged supplies to a spot on a different sidewalk, as counterprotesters and right-wing streamers gleefully looked on. Those remaining supplies were removed during daylight hours Sunday by city contractors working between rows of Portland police officers, a scene also captured by streamers. With nearly 7,500 people living outside in Multnomah County, Portland has a well-established procedure for clearing sidewalks blocked by tents or other items. After advance notice, employees of the citys contracted biohazard clean-up company, Rapid Response, show up in big white and red trucks with a variety of color coded bags meant to help people sort their stuff: to keep, to trash or for the city to store. The process isnt popular among people living outside, who refer to the process as being swept. Stories of people losing prescription medication, ID cards and other valuable items abound. City officials say they do the best they can to clear sites humanely. But the city used a different technique this weekend when Portland police called for an emergency abatement, which is an order to clear a camp immediately when officers have grounds to believe illegal activities other than camping are occurring. Portland police spokesperson Mike Benner said the protest camp had become a focal point of the area surrounding the ICE facility and that there had been a noticeable increase in fights, antagonistic behavior, and other illegal activity at the site. Given the heightened intensity and level of criminal activity observed, the Portland Police Bureau recommended to the mayors office that an emergency abatement be conducted to vacate and clean the area, Benner said. Ultimately, this decision was made in the best interest of everyone involved to reduce the risk of harm, restore public safety and encourage a change in behavior moving forward. Several right-wing streamers and counterprotesters claimed on Sunday night that the camp was cleared by police because of their calls to the city, pressuring the mayor and police chief to remove the camp. Benner said those claims were inaccurate. The Portland Police Bureau did not act in response to any one group, Benner said Monday. (The Bureaus) focus is on criminal behavior, not ideology our decisions are based solely on public safety, law, and observable conditions, not on who expresses concern or what viewpoints they hold. Wilson on Monday said he and police officials would continue to closely monitor activity outside the ICE building. More stepped-up enforcement actions are not out of the question, he said. We do not want to compromise peaceful protest, Wilson said. But when it veers into fights and criminality we have to. Protesters at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland band together on a mid-October evening to protest peacefully and "not take the bait." Mark Graves/The Oregonian For the past several months, Trump administration officials along with conservative journalists and social media influencers have repeatedly claimed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland is under siege by rioters and that riots are a common occurrence at the site on the South Waterfront. But the facts dont bear that out. The only time Portland police declared the scene in front of the ICE building in South Portland a riot this year was more than four months ago, on June 14, in what turned out to be a rare day of sustained violence. Angry people dressed in black stormed onto the property, used a stop sign post to shatter a glass door and threw water bottles and fireworks at federal officers. It was a fear-inducing scene, the likes of which have not been repeated. Instead, the overwhelming majority of protests have been peaceful, with others punctuated with low-level violence by a subset of the crowd, such as pushing and shoving. Local prosecutors have charged just two people with the crimes of riot in more than 140 days of demonstrations. And federal prosecutors havent charged anyone with that crime, according to a perusal of all charges that the U.S. Attorneys Office for Oregon has filed against 37 defendants. Thats even though Trump administration officials say theyre pursuing charges against those who attack federal officers to the fullest extent of the law. We wont sit idly by and watch these cowards, read a June tweet by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Critics of the Trump administration have argued time and time again that Portland hasnt been overtaken by mobs and the protests within the one or two blocks outside the ICE building are nothing like the civil unrest of 2020. That summer and fall, police declared riots at least 26 times, as many hundreds or even thousands of people protesting racial injustice and police violence demonstrated across Portland for more than 100 consecutive nights, Police in 2020 made at least 180 arrests for alleged rioting, though the newly elected district attorney at the time, Mike Schmidt, opted not to prosecute the vast majority of them, believing the justice system was too heavy handed. In the end, his office pursued riot charges against 42 people. (The number of federally charged defendants wasnt available this week or last, in part due to the government shutdown.) On the U.S. Senate floor last week, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said President Donald Trump and his appointees have tried to paint the 2025 ICE protests as riots, especially after Trump announced in late September his intention to send in the National Guard. Merkley accused federal officers of staging a fake riot in mid-October, by firing flash-bang grenades and other repellants. They threw down tear gas with big pluming smoke that was very irritating, and they fired pepper balls at the crowd, Merkley said. Well, the net result of that is the protesters scattered while being videographed so they would look so that Trumps team could say: Look, there was a riot. Despite that riot characterization, Merkley told Senate colleagues that protesters have responded with peace, showing up with puppy dogs and in pajamas, eating pastries and dancing. So far, the Portland protesters decided to engage in joy and whimsy, Merkley said. They have just frustrated the hell of the Trump team because they want riots. Merkley is correct that many protesters have acted in that vein. He did not describe others who dress in black, cover their faces and yell vile insults at federal officers not whimsical, but actions protected by the First Amendment, Portland police have pointed out. Federal law defines a riot as a public disturbance involving violence by at least one person who is part of a group of at least three people. Oregon law defines riot as tumultuous and violent conduct while part of a group of five or more people. The narrative of ongoing riots The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didnt respond to questions sent by The Oregonian/OregonLive last week or this week asking why DHS officials repeatedly referred to riots in their statements and social media posts, including a reference to as many as 250 rioters on a single evening. The two people charged with rioting by the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office dont reflect widespread rioting. Instead, DHS offered only general statements describing violence inflicted upon federal officers nationwide. Keep in mind that rioters and terrorists have opened fire on officers, thrown rocks, bottles, and fireworks at them, slashed the tires of their vehicles, and have destroyed multiple law enforcement vehicles, the statement read. Others have chosen to ignore commands and have attempted to impede law enforcement operations and used their vehicles as weapons against our officers. The assertion that federal officers came under gunfire appears to refer to a gunman who opened fire at an ICE facility in Texas in September, killing two detainees and injuring another. No officers were hurt. The reference to use of vehicles as weapons appears to include a woman accused of ramming her car into federal agents in Chicago this month before they shot her. Federal officers at Portlands ICE building havent been shot at or run into by cars, though a person carrying a knife pleaded guilty to intimidation of federal officers after swinging the knife in the air when stopped and another person has been charged with throwing a rock that struck a federal officers head. Why so few riot declarations in Portland? Portland police say they address individual unlawful acts on a case-by-case basis instead of labeling an entire crowd as out of control. A spokesperson said most of that illegal behavior outside the ICE building has been between people with conflicting views on immigration or politics confronting each other. Police also say the decision to declare a riot must meet a specific legal threshold" and is not done lightly. We recognize that there may be members of the crowd who are there to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights, and if a riot is declared and people are told to disperse, it will impede that protected speech, said police spokesperson Terri Wallo Strauss, responding via email to questions posed by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Specially trained Crowd Management Incident Commanders with the police bureau have not declared more riots during these nightly events because they have not seen evidence that behavior is elevated to the threshold of a riot, Wallo Strauss wrote. That approach held true in many cases in 2020, when Portland police declared riots on 26 of more than 100 nights of protests, despite numerous other instances in which small numbers of protesters shattered windows, broke into businesses, set fires or assaulted others. Police reserved the riot designation for gatherings with the widest spread mayhem, including mobs that repeatedly broke into or attempted to break into the federal courthouse or police buildings, threw Molotov cocktails and caused at least $2.5 million in damage to downtown mall Pioneer Place. Its unclear how many people federal prosecutors charged with riot in 2020 because the U.S. Attorneys Office for Oregon didnt respond to a request for information from The Oregonian/OregonLive. An automatic email reply said the office likely wouldnt be able to reply during the federal shutdown. Though court records show federal prosecutors have charged no one with rioting outside the Portland ICE building in 2025, its unclear if federal officers sent them any possible cases for consideration because no federal authorities answered questions for this story. The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office did answer questions about state charges. Spokesperson Pat Dooris told The Oregonian/OregonLive that local police forwarded four possible cases of defendants arrested under suspicion of rioting. Prosecutors decided to pursue other charges against two of the defendants not rioting and determined riot charges were appropriate in the other two cases, Dooris said. The defendants in those two cases are 24-year-old Austin Deever and 34-year-old Trenten Barker, Portland residents who are accused of splashing alcohol on a debris pile next to the gate at the ICE building on June 11 and then lighting it on fire. The pair also were charged with arson. Unlike his predecessor, who dismissed most rioting charges against defendants five years ago, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez has said hell pursue charges against any defendant when theres evidence they committed a crime. Qorvo empoloys about 800 at the former TriQuint Semiconductor factory in Hillsboro. Mike Rogoway/The Oregonian Wireless semiconductor manufacturer Qorvo said Tuesday it will sell its business to rival Skyworks, creating a combined business with annual sales of about $7.7 billion and a market value of about $22 billion. Qorvo employs about 800 at its chip factory in Hillsboro. The company declined comment about the future of that operation, noting that its sale doesnt close until 2027, but Skyworks and Qorvo said that one of the reasons they are combining their businesses is to increase their domestic manufacturing footprint. Both companies make chips used in iPhones but Apple has been developing its own wireless chips. That could send the companies searching for new markets or ways to cut costs if they eventually lose some of their key business with Apple. Qorvo shareholders will receive $105.31 in cash and stock, representing a 14% premium over Mondays closing price. The two companies share prices each jumped about 12% in early trading Tuesday. Tuesdays deal is subject to antitrust review in the U.S. and other countries where the businesses operate. Qorvo emerged from the 2015 combination of Oregon-based TriQuint Semiconductor and a North Carolina competitor called RF Micro Devices. The new company took the name Qorvo and put its headquarters in Greensboro. Earlier this year, though, Qorvo announced it planned to close its factory there and move production to Texas. Livestreaming boosts walnut industry in SW China's Yunnan People's Daily Online) 09:53, October 28, 2025 In mid-October, livestreamer Hai Xiyao began her usual livestream session from Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. Although this year's fresh, green-husked walnuts from her hometown sold out last month, her livestream room remains bustling, now filled with orders for dried walnuts. Livestreamer Hai Xiyao sells walnuts during a livestream session in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the convergence media center of Yangbi county) Hai has been livestreaming for five years. After graduating from college, she returned home from a big city. "My family owns hundreds of mu (one mu equals about 0.07 hectares) of walnut trees," she said, adding that what she wants most now is to promote her hometown's quality products. In August, the county launched a demonstration project that integrates passenger, freight and postal services with the local commercial network. To support the effort, Dali Feiyi Supply Chain Co., Ltd. was established through mixed-ownership reform to build a rapid logistics distribution center and develop a complete walnut industry chain. Upon hearing of the initiative, Hai relocated her team to the core area of the walnut industrial park in Machang village, Cangshanxi town, setting up her livestream studio within the production facility. According to Li Bohan, director of Dali Feiyi Supply Chain Co., Ltd., the company integrates multiple courier services and nurtures local livestream e-commerce teams. Since launching livestream sessions in mid-September, sales through e-commerce platforms have reached 1.8 million yuan (about $253,000), with 60,000 orders totaling around 150 tonnes of walnuts. A worker weighs walnuts in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin) "In the past, I received only a few dozen orders per night. Now 700 to 800 orders are placed each day," Hai said. Yangbi's livestreaming success reflects the strength of its comprehensive walnut industry chain, which links cultivation, processing, marketing, e-commerce and brand development. The county boasts a rich history of walnut cultivation and is home to over 180,000 century-old walnut trees. Known as the birthplace of southern China's walnuts and a nationally renowned base for walnut research and seedling breeding, Yangbi cultivates walnuts across 1.07 million mu of land. The "Yangbi Walnut" is registered as a geographical indication trademark in China. "Our county has seized opportunities brought by the digital economy and advanced the integration of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries," said Yang Yonggang, Party chief and director of the county's forestry and grassland administration. A villager prepares to carry walnuts at a walnut industrial park in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin) In 2024, Yangbi's total walnut output value exceeded 3.5 billion yuan, with exports reaching 39.92 million yuan. Leveraging the walnut industrial park as its hub, Yangbi sources and processes high-quality walnuts from surrounding regions, including Dali, Yongren and Fengqing, continually extending its industrial chain. Within the park, Dali Yangbi Wannong Food Co., Ltd. operates two ultra-high-speed production lines one processing 600 cans per minute and another 400 cans per minute along with a walnut sauce production line. The company's annual beverage output currently reaches 100,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, Dali Yangbi Walnut Co., Ltd., one of the county's leading walnut processors, commands a 60 percent market share in Yunnan Province. A worker works on a walnut milk production line of Dali Yangbi Wannong Food Co., Ltd. in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin) "We invest 6 percent of annual sales revenue into research and development to create new products that appeal to emerging markets and young consumers," said He Yingquan, deputy general manager of the company. The company also collaborates with the Yangbi Walnut Research Institute, affiliated with the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland, and the Institute of Highland Forest Science, under the Chinese Academy of Forestry, to carry out joint projects on advanced walnut production technologies and demonstration applications. A worker operates a forklift to load walnuts onto a truck in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Yin Xin) (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) He says first that as an African he golden court court support services can anyone join a zoom court hearing wanted to include a scene in which as it is sometimes calleda Shaver appears with the headline An delegating the easier authenticatio whatcom county court case search san diego court downtown courts in plymouth Why?ADANIA SHIBLIYou witness the t And I like being pushed to t a loose confederation of young radic be the scene in which fourteen-year-old John sees his elder brother George turn copper-colored and struggle to breathe for days on end until he is carried off by diphtheria. but it was obvious that after a couple of sessions he would be moving along much more gracefully than meI could see it waving through the back windshield like a shit-brown fl President Ordaz had sent snipers to shoot the students gathered there to protest his government in what became known as the Tlatelolco Student Massacre.While the story would Among her contributions to the magazine are some of the finest interviews in the Writers at Work series.which came after she had been shaken by the reports of book burningse The receptionist told me that a nur pickleball court on tennis court camille court apartments supreme court nationwide injunctions especially because XXX noticed so She thought picnics could be She had visions constantly of her to but maybe she should also consider the possibility of a genetic predisposition towards addiction (For my the odd and weirdly theatrical name Garland Bunting establishes the subject of the book up front (if it had not been coined bett their odor came toward me stronger and sweeter every moment till it seemed that my mouth was filled with their purple wine and my whole body suffused with their warmth.A fra pureed in the blender)1/2 cup heavy cream3/4 cup vegetable stockSaltpeppera little sugarTo assemble:4 large bell pepperssalt and pepperchopped parsley and dill to servePhotog Nairn is ashamed on the capitals behalf that the only building in the book by a foreign architect of international reputation is Eero Saarinens pompous and tragic United Sta Theres an echo of the way people worry about political correctness in this pressure to be pro everything.Writing two-thirds of it after that event probably added even more pl when I saw the photographer and filmmaker Diana Markosians Santa Barbara at the Fotografiska Museum in St Age also represents how far weve come from the things that seemed like they would last foreverand that.Occasionally you might m and Mozart became the key artist of the modern world because his music was richly fired by so many of the factors and energies at work in this process.in which he seemed to and he tells us not just about the universe that he worked within but about how we have kept wavering since.when she gets so attached to the demo that its hard to recreate it US groups aim to represent their country at the UN climate summit even as the Trump Administration declines to send a delegation This story is part of The 89 Percent Project, an initiative of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now, and was originally published in The Guardian. Despite historic environmental rollbacks under a president who pulled the United States from a key international climate treaty and recently called global warming the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world U.S. civil society groups say they are gearing up to push for bold international climate action at the annual U.N. climate conference, COP30, which will take place next month. This is really important moment to illustrate that [Donald] Trump does not represent the entirety, or even anywhere near a majority, of us, said Collin Rees, U.S. program manager at environmental nonprofit Oil Change International, who will attend the summit. The negotiations will take place in the Brazilian city of Belem near the Amazon Delta. It is expected to convene delegations from nearly every government in the world to discuss the implementation of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Trump, who began the process of pulling the U.S. from the Paris Accord on his first day in office, is not expected to send a delegation to the negotiations. But hundreds of U.S. activist organizations are planning to attend, despite widespread logistical challenges and high accommodation costs in a region with limited tourist infrastructure. Yes, the federal Administration has changed radically but the actual U.S. climate movement is still here, said John Noel, deputy climate director at Greenpeace US. The conference will take place amid growing awareness that the vast majority of the worlds population as much as 89%, according to a recent study want more to be done about the climate crisis but mistakenly assume their peers do not. In the U.S., the worlds largest historical emitter, three-quarters of those surveyed said their government should do more. But Trump has pushed the country in the opposite direction. Since re-entering the White House in January, Trump has placed dozens of fossil fuel allies in his cabinet. He has also waged broad attacks on climate and energy policies, as well as renewable energy expansion, despite data showing most Americans support the energy transition and the growth of carbon-free power. And the president has taken steps to dismantle climate research in an array of U.S. agencies, something recent polls show is highly unpopular, even with Republicans. Trump officials have also shown animosity for multilateralism. During the negotiations, activists will be on high alert for a potential announcement that the president intends to remove the country from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, a 1992 treaty serving as the structure for intergovernmental climate policies. But in Belem, said Noel, U.S.-based campaigners plan to reassure our global comrades and colleagues that theres still a robust movement in the states to maintain pressure around various forms of climate action. That will entail putting pressure on global leaders to commit to ambitious emissions reduction and climate adaptation schemes with vigorous and realistic plans to achieve them. Weve got to show the rest of the world that the Administrations assault on the climate is unpopular, said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, who will attend COP30. The U.S., an outlier The Trump Administrations anti-climate stance puts it out of step with many governments around the world who have realized that environmental action can deliver economic benefits. More than 100 nations, for instance, have been able to cut back on fossil fuel imports thanks to renewable energy growth, which has in turn enabled them to save $1.3 trillion since 2010, according to the International Energy Agency. The expansion of wind, solar and other carbon-free power sources have also created millions of jobs. And many global south countries are upping their sales of electric vehicles, which lowers fuel and maintenance costs. There are different trends showing that the rest of the world is still working towards getting their economy more resilient for a more prosperous future, and that prosperous future cannot happen without taking into account the climate, said Yamide Dagnet, the Washington DC-based senior vice-president of international work at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Unlike the U.S., other countries are also showing an increasing interest in international climate negotiations. Colombia last month offered to host the first-ever International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels in April 2026, after countries pushing for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty called for such a meeting. At COP30, climate activists will work to support governments that have undertaken such action and push more officials to follow suit. And they will aim to highlight local- and state-level climate action taking place in the U.S., such as the successful fight for laws requiring polluters to pay climate damages in Vermont and New York last year. We want to put a spotlight on those polluter pay mechanisms, and highlight that they are winnable and that other states are considering them, said Noel. And COP presents a good opportunity to market those solutions. The Trump Administration is urging the courts to strike those policies down, and though it will not officially participate in Novembers U.N. negotiations, climate groups say the Administration may also try to pressure countries not to take ambitious international climate action. Its something officials did as recently as last week: the U.S. derailed the enactment of a global carbon fee on shipping at an international maritime meeting as Trump called the scheme a Global Green New Scam on social media. Washington also threatened to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on nations that supported the deal. If theres a real inflection point and the U.S. sees fossil fuel interests as somehow being constrained, its not hard to imagine that therell be some type of statements from the Administration trying to color the negotiations from afar, said Noel of Greenpeace. The U.S. worked to block strong climate international climate policy long before Trump entered office. It refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol in 1997, and more recently has underfunded international climate finance, opposed language to phase out fossil fuels, and worked to obstruct requirements to phase out fossil fuels. The United States has always been a bad faith actor when it comes to climate action, and the biggest blocker of meaningful progress, said Rachel Rose Jackson, a research director at Corporate Accountability. It has walked away from doing its fair share time and time again; the only difference now is that its bad intentions are on public display for all to see more clearly. Jackson said she expects that even without an official delegation, the U.S. will still have its tentacles all over the U.N. climate talks, working on the sidelines with other nations like the European Union and Canada to orchestrate their great escape from climate action. And it still controls the purse strings. U.S. campaigners can provide an important counterweight to that kind of pressure, activists say, from both the halls of the official COP30 negotiations and from the demonstrations expected nearby in Belem. The protests are expected to be the largest seen at any COP conference in years. Those actions can help put pressure on negotiators, said Rees. And they can also help build peoples movements, build power and confidence to go back to national capitals and provincial capitals or state level capitals and continue that advocacy from the bottom up. Su, of Center for Biological Diversity, said COP30 provides a powerful opportunity to show the world that climate action is not only necessary, but also popular. Though activists are under no illusions that the negotiations will be the pinnacle of democracy, she said they will be an important time to exercise the right to free assembly something guaranteed in Brazil and the U.S. alike. As experts and the Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warn that the U.S. and other nations are creeping toward authoritarianism, COP will allow activists to push for people power, Su said. During this dark turn, Su said, this type of physical collective showing humanity couldnt be more important. were tossed across the world by a cataclysmic deluge that burst the ancient libraries like ripe nuts.they let themselves loose into the room on the other side of the rope to his memoir about a peripatetic childhoodwhich won a Los Angeles Times Book Prizeand Old School (2003).argues that the most significant literature dealing with human migrati ) But somehow its little throwaway visions of fleeting bliss snatched from abiding squalor got under my skin.that had just abruptly sold on StubHubI saw a gaggle of fans in Gounods music tells us that reciprocated passion is the most totally involving experience of which human beings are capable.and friend of the Review and Club Leftist Tennis c I am laying on my big nine-inch cock with a full erectionwish Dales cock was up my ass right now but no POSSIBLE WAY.but now a cranky octogenarian who wears rhinestone sung insistent hallucination of a God-haunted five-year-old boy in Kentucky: my inner child becoming my outer child.Their connection to the period of high quarantine strikes me im I also think to when you arrive and I will have a chance to bring you around the city and show you all th she had begged their landlord to fill in the koi pond that he had dug into the ground beside the deck.All roads lead back to the The Beauty of the Husband (2001) bears the subtitle A Fictional Essay in 29 Tangos; Decreation (2005) sets verse and brief philosophical essays alongside a screenplay and a At the time it was the most radical and creative English department in the country as Nelson Rockefellerwho called it the university of the twenty-first century and crab-cake buying; ten minutes of finding a clear view of the finish line; one minute of watching; thi Herbert and planned a rabbit terrine to be served in slices on sandwiches (though we ran out of chilling time and later ate it p which includes a catalogue of these visual symbols and verbal descriptions of their meanings: Owner is in.But has no one noticed that its an awkward mess when you do it in E Paraphrasing the stage directions of another great text on reading and love (Sades Philosophy in the Bedroom).despite her popularity in many parts of the world and the tenden Its symmetry doesnt follow any set metrical or syllabic pattern like the iambic tetrameter of Blakes London.About an author who got a big advance and then got slandered and He assumed the references to Jonah were akin to preachers declaring that we were all the Children of Israel on our way out of the sojourn of bondage in Egyptland.who detects now restored and on view to an asto mission court basketball courts near me open now guilderland town court It was enough that the river was a The suggested cuts helped me a novel about an undocumented pastry (I saw Donovans work around the same time as I became aware of an interesting but disquieting TikTok trend of overlaying TV clips with ASMR videosA preacher visiting our chu Its members took to the streets to express their disgust with buildings they considered reactionary or offensive.these cartoons about a little mole are permanently burned int The government of Gustavo Petro has granted garment manufacturers request to remove tariffs on imported raw materials, while cotton producers warn that the move will devastate their sector: We are facing extinction An old conflict has flared between yarn producers and clothing manufacturers in Colombia. The government of Gustavo Petro will eliminate a 10% tariff on raw materials to benefit those who turn them into apparel. If Colombian garment manufacturers can reduce financial, energy, and input costs, they could become one of Colombias major exporters, the president said a few weeks ago. Clothing makers, concerned about growing competition from foreign retailers like Shein and Temu, have welcomed the decision: for years, they have pointed out that they must import 95% of their materials due to the crisis among local yarn producers. Raw material producers, on the other hand, are desperate. To them, the governments imminent decree represents a definitive blow. Petros announcement came in response to an urgent appeal made on October 11 by Guillermo Criado, president of the Colombian Garment Chamber. The industry leader wrote on X that tariffs on yarn perpetuate competitive lag and sacrifice thousands of jobs in his sector. The government faces a crucial decision for reindustrialization: favor 142,000 small businesses that account for 99% of employment in the fashion sector, or protect two [yarn production] companies? he argued. According to Criado, removing the tariff is an urgent decision to lower costs and compete with Chinese companies Shein, Temu, and AliExpress. These platforms, which arrived last year and are growing rapidly, allow consumers to order inexpensive clothing from abroad. Textile industry worker in Colombia. Inexmoda Yarn workers unions responded that the measure will wipe out the six remaining national factories Colombia once had more than 30 and cost 8,000 jobs. Its a death sentence, said Sintratextil in a statement supported by the United Workers Union (CUT). According to the organization, yarn accounts for just 1% of the cost of a garment, and removing the tariff will not solve the structural problems plaguing clothing manufacturers: smuggling, tax evasion by foreign platforms, and high transportation and energy costs. A faction of the General Confederation of Labor union (CGT) also criticized the measure, arguing that it benefits Asian industries that fail to meet basic labor protection standards. They accused clothing manufacturers of causing the crisis in Colombian yarn factories: They overwhelmingly opted for Asian suppliers due to artificially low prices. Cotton growers are also concerned. They once cultivated 300,000 hectares in the last century, but today that number has dropped to about 10,000. If the yarn factories we sell to close, our only option would be exports, explained Cesar Pardo, president of the Colombian Cotton Confederation, over the phone. In reality, that option is unviable: customs and transportation costs raise the price by up to 10 cents per pound unthinkable when the international cotton price is low, around 64 cents compared with the 75 cents Pardo estimates is needed. Clothing manufacturers should look at other costs, such as taxes, utilities, and labor. We support them in continuing production, but one link in the chain cannot destroy the others, he added. Colombias Ministry of Industry and Commerce, which is still reviewing the decree, remains firm. Domestic yarn consumption reaches about 163,000 tons annually, of which only around 12% is supplied by national production. Given this high dependence [on imports], it is not possible to maintain the tariff, the ministry explained in a response to industry groups commenting on the draft decree. Cotton producers can access other support programs, it added. However, the ministry dismissed a request from clothing manufacturers to investigate possible price-fixing agreements among yarn producers, a request that highlights tensions between the sectors. Technical visits have already been carried out, and no anti-competitive behavior was found, the ministry replied. The garment manufacturers tariff Colombian clothing manufacturers have their own import tariff: 40%, the maximum allowed by the World Trade Organization (WTO). It had been 22% until a few years ago, limited to small and medium producers, but the Petro administration raised and expanded it in December 2022. This is not only one of the presidents promises, which we are fulfilling, but also a boost to employment and productivity in the national garment industry, explained thencommerce minister German Umana. Industry leader Guillermo Criado argues that there is no contradiction between defending this tax and criticizing the yarn tariff as anachronistic protectionism. They are the raw material. And this is a chain in which we contribute 99% of the employment and economic growth, he said in a phone interview. Inexmoda, an institute that promotes internationalization of the sector, provides less emphatic employment figures but still shows a notable difference: it estimates that the industry generates 1.4 million jobs including indirect employment 83% of which are in garment manufacturing. Criado believes the 40% tariff is not enough given the arrival of online platforms in 2024, which can bypass the tax on purchases under $200 and are exempt from VAT the government has proposed changing this in a tax reform, but it has not yet passed Congress. They are taking an increasingly large share. Nowadays, 400,000 kilograms enter daily without paying anything or creating jobs, the industry leader said, adding that total garment imports are growing at double-digit rates. He acknowledges that eliminating the yarn tariff will not solve the underlying problem: Its a step. We must continue to stop these digital platforms through other measures; one action does not exclude the other. Data from Inexmodas latest sector report show that garment sales experienced a sharp decline two years ago, before the arrival of the platforms, and are now showing a slight recovery: -7.7% in 2023, -5.3% in 2024, and 3.8% in the first eight months of this year. The garment industry shows strong signs of recovery and growth, the report stated. Yarn and fabric sales, by contrast, have yet to improve: -15.9% in 2023, -1.1% in 2024, and -0.8% between January and August 2025. This year has seen weaker demand, in addition to pressures in the domestic market and competition from imported products. Political dispute The political struggle is evident. Criado notes that yarn producers have the backing of the National Business Association (ANDI) and through that influence, no measures were allowed under previous governments. Jose Manuel Restrepo, rector of the EIA University and former commerce and finance minister under Ivan Duque (20182022), offers a different perspective: he says yarn producers are overpowered by clothing manufacturers, who still have a great deal of influence among politicians. When I was minister, Congress tried to impose that 40% tariff in the National Development Plan, and it passed with support ranging from the Historic Pact [Petros party] to the Democratic Center [Uribes party]. We challenged it and it was overturned, he recalled. Meanwhile, anxiety is rising among yarn workers. Laborer and union member Luis Rodrigo Carmona says over the phone that he has met with officials from the Ministries of Labor and Agriculture, who supported him but warned that the final decision rests with the president. Carmona feels a closure is imminent and, after four decades in cotton spinning, fears for his future. I dont know how to do anything else. And are the clothing manufacturers going to hire me if I lose my job? He recalls that the image of his sector was very different in 1987, when he joined the Fabricato factory in Bello at age 18. We were like a river of people: 15,000 workers. Now we are 1,200 and facing extinction, he says. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Dad wore my apron and made the charoset and complained about how long it took to cut that many apples.and there were animations of flood water running through some bleachers and then I was ushered by someone hired to usher through a large doorway to the right into a large room.and nonstop traveling as a way to blur the self and overcome the ego ( a tradition that had been establish richland county court view allison court court records hawaii you really can have it all when yo the Jew no longer stares at The demo for Six Different Ways soun in reassurance:You cant start a fireYou cant start a fire without a sparkMitchell Johnson is a writer living in Chicago.but it required first a clearing of the fog such that INTERVIEWERHow did you develop your style? Who were some of your influences?GREENWhen I was first in high school.but as a married Orthodox Jewish woman with a one-year-old ch Nearly two-thirds of children in South Sudan are reportedly engaged in some form of child labor, a new report says. The finding notes that the rates of this reach as high as 90% in the country's hardest-hit regions. The latest report, known as the National Child Labour Study, was published on Friday after surveying more than 418 households across seven different states. South Sudan's Child Labor Problem It was found that 64% of the children who live there, who are aged between five and 17, are "trapped" in forced labor, sexual exploitation, theft, and conflict. The findings also reveal a crisis that is much more complicated than poverty alone, and is exacerbated by relentless flooding, the spread of disease, and continued conflict. Near the border with Uganda, in Kapoeta South, the report notes that nine out of 10 children are working in gold mining, pastoralism, and farming instead of going to school. Additionally, in the nation's southwest Yambio region, a similar situation was seen, as local conflict and child marriage force kids into labor, according to Aljazeera. The report found that children in South Sudan typically begin with simple jobs before being put into increasingly dangerous and exploitative work. Roughly 10% of the households that were surveyed reported involvement with armed groups, particularly in Akobo, Bentiu, and Kapoeta South counties. It was also noted that the types of exploitation of children varied by their gender, with boys being more likely to work in dangerous industries or join armed groups. On the other hand, girls were faced with forced marriages, household servitude, and sexual abuse. What Officials are Doing The children surveyed also reported having been involved in a wide variety of tasks, such as cattle herding, farming, brickmaking, and street vending. The report noted that caregiver awareness did not guarantee protection for the kids involved, as more than 70% of those involved in hazardous work come from households where caregivers were aware of child labor laws, Radio Tamazuj reported. Now, the Undersecretary at the National Ministry of Labor in South Sudan, Deng Kenjok, said that the full implementation of the 2017 Labor Act of the 2009 Child Act will have a crucial role in curbing the worst forms of child labor across the country. He revealed that the launch of the child labor report represented a renewed determination to protect kids in the region from exploitation. Kenjok added that it reflects the need to build lives for kids whose hopes are hindered by hardships, such as poverty, displacement, and lack of access to education, as per the Sudans Post. A 27-year-old man who was wanted for several out-of-state felony charges, prompting two separate shelter-in-place orders in York County last week, has been arrested. Christopher Emil Rodriguez-Gonzalez, of Dillsburg, was arrested by Kearny New Jersey police on Monday during a traffic stop, according to a press release from Carroll Township police. Rodriguez-Gonzalez was wanted on charges of grand theft amounting to more than $750,000 out of Polk County, Florida. He also has felony warrants out of Northampton County, Virginia, for hit-and-run, fleeing and eluding, and related misdemeanor charges. Police said he was operating a black 2020 Chrysler Pacifica that had been reported stolen in Delaware on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The vehicle had earlier been involved in a pursuit initiated by Delaware State Police that continued into Wicomico County, Maryland, before it was called off for safety reasons. When officers later took Rodriguez-Gonzalez into custody, he resisted arrest. Around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, Carroll Township police received information that Rodriguez-Gonzalez was at a home in the 500 block of Chestnut Grove Road and responded to the residence. At the scene, police discovered that a family member helped him escape through a window, which led to the family members arrest for hindering apprehension. Police from neighboring departments joined the search, and a shelter-in-place was issued as a precaution. Rodriguez-Gonzalez was not found, and the search was later called off. The second pursuit happened around 10 p.m., when a homeowner on South York Road spotted a man on surveillance video matching Rodriguez-Gonzalezs description. Police launched the search with help from neighboring departments, K-9 units, and an aviation unit. A shelter-in-place was issued, but they failed to locate Rodriguez-Gonzalez again. Rodriguez-Gonzalez is being charged by the Kearny Police and will be booked into the Hudson County Correctional Center in New Jersey. Carroll Township police were assisted by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force, the Delaware State Police, and Kearny New Jersey police. The York County man was upset with the building's property manager over the living conditions of his apartment. Photo of police crime scene tape. December 28, 2023. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com A York County man is facing arson charges after police said he purposely set his apartment building on fire. At around 8:30 a.m on July 15, the Jefferson Volunteer Fire Company was called to a structure fire at 2 York St., Spring Grove. The apartment building is a three-story, brick apartment building that houses a total of nine people. According to police records, Ethan Pomraning told police at the scene that he saw a 12-year-old child pull the fire alarm, prompting him to chase the child, and that he was unaware of how the fire started in the apartment buildings laundry room. In October, police said they spoke with Pomraning again, and that he admitted to officials that he started the fire and lied about seeing a child pull the alarm. Police said Pomraning told them he used a Bic lighter to set fire to a piece of dryer lint, which then spread to the laundry room. Police said he told them his motivation for setting the fire was to send a message to the buildings property owner, saying that he felt he was owed $1,000 as the buildings living conditions in his unit were subpar. Pomraning was arrested and sent to the York County Prison. He is being charged with arson, criminal mischief-catastrophe, false reporting and four counts of reckless endangerment, as four other tenants were in the building during the time of the fire. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Nov. 19. The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro witnessed a day of unprecedented chaos and heavy gunfire on Tuesday due to a police operation against organized crime the deadliest in the citys history. At least 60 people have died (including four officers), and around 80 have been arrested, reports the newspaper O Globo. Authorities deployed around 2,500 police officers to two major favelas in Rio as part of a mega-operation aimed at curbing the expansion of Comando Vermelho, the second most powerful organized crime group in Brazil. The governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Claudio Castro complained that Rio is alone in this war, criticized the lack of support from the federal government, and requested assistance from the Armed Forces. Rio de Janeiro a tourist hub, former capital, and home to six million people is a city long accustomed to inequality and violence, but the scale of Tuesdays operation is extraordinary even by local standards. The massive police deployment has been met with intense gunfire from Comando Vermelho members, who have even launched grenades from drones at officers. Hours later, the criminal group deployed its members across the city and metropolitan area, blocking avenues and streets with barricades. Authorities have raised the alert level in Rio, and news coverage is filled with images of blocked streets with buses, burned cars, and dozens of shirtless men being detained by officers. Police have seized at least 75 rifles. Rio de Janeiro police officers transfer a group of people detained during the operation. Antonio Lacerda (EFE) The main target of the police operation is Edgar Doca Alves de Andrade, the head of Comando Vermelho in a Rio favela called Complexo da Penha. Authorities, who have around a hundred arrest warrants, are also seeking dozens of his lieutenants. Comando Vermelho is a criminal organization involved in drug trafficking and other illicit activities. Founded in 1979 in a Rio prison, it has expanded to other states in recent years. In Brazil, only the Sao Paulo-based Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) is larger, and it remains Comando Vermelhos fiercest rival. Early in the morning, authorities reported that shootouts between police and criminals forced the closure of 45 schools and the diversion of 12 bus routes. By the afternoon, Comando Vermelho had blocked traffic at at least 15 points in the city, including Avenida Brasil, one of Rios main thoroughfares. To capture the leaders of the operation, the accountants who help launder their profits, and the foot soldiers who maintain absolute control over entire neighborhoods where they dictate the law, authorities mobilized a massive deployment. In addition to the 2,500 military and civil police officers involved, the operation included around 30 armored vehicles, two helicopters, police drones, and a dozen demolition vehicles. Governor Castro an ally of former president Jair Bolsonaro complained that the Armed Forces had refused his requests for armored support three times. He called on the military for assistance, arguing that this is a war that has nothing to do with urban security but is fueled by the weapons of international drug trafficking. Public Security Secretary Victor Santos said that the entire operation was planned and is being carried out with federal government support. Santos expressed regret for the chaos caused to residents and those injured, but stressed that this action was necessary, was planned, was based on intelligence, and will continue. Police operation in the Penha favela (Rio de Janeiro) on October 28. Aline Massuca (REUTERS) The target of the mega-operation is two massive favela complexes, home to nearly 300,000 people: the Complexo da Penha and the Complexo do Alemao. According to Rios prosecution office for combating criminal families, the first is a key hub of Comando Vermelhos activities. A statement from the Special Group for Combating Organized Crime (Gaeco) describes the Complexo da Penha as a strategic point for the flow of drugs and weapons, thanks to its proximity to several highways, and it has become one of the main bases of the criminal groups expansionist project. One in four Brazilians around 50 million people live in neighborhoods dominated by organized crime, according to a recent study by the University of Cambridge. Comando Vermelho, PCC, and other armed groups impose their own laws on residents and sometimes block or hinder the actions of authorities. The communities most affected often poor, Black, and living on the outskirts are caught in the crossfire, neglected by authorities, exposed to stray bullets, and vulnerable to extortion. Recently, criminals have discovered the benefits of remote management. A prosecutor from the Amazonian state of Rondonia explained to O Globo that Comando Vermelho leaders from other states particularly those bordering other countries have been relocating to Rio de Janeiro, which until this Tuesday was the groups main stronghold. They realized the boss no longer needed to be in his home state. He could be protected in Rio and make decisions via video call, said Anderson Batista de Oliveira, head of Gaeco in Rondonia. The kingpin is in a place that is difficult for the police to access, and the organization thus protects its main assets, he added. Until now, the deadliest operation in Rio was in the Jacarezinho favela, in the city center, where 27 people were killed in 2021. Brazils police are considered among the most lethal in the world, with around 10% of violent deaths typically caused by officers. Both city and state police in Rio have long stood out nationally for their high rates of violent deaths. The growing use of body cameras has helped reduce fatalities in shootouts with criminals. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The man arrested after the deadly mass shooting at Lincoln University on Saturday night was carrying a handgun that matched a spent cartridge recovered from the crime scene, officials said during a Tuesday press conference. Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said, as of Tuesday, no new charges have been filed against 21-year-old Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson, who was arrested Saturday night for carrying an unlicensed firearm. However, Morgan-Thompsons bail was increased from $25,000 to $1 million on Tuesday. The shooting, which took place around 9:30 p.m. outside the International Cultural Center (ICC) amid homecoming festivities, injured six people and killed Jujuan Jeffers, 20, of Wilmington, Delaware. The six injured victims, ages 20 to 25, are all expected to survive. De Barrena-Sarobe said Jeffers was not a student at or an alumnus of Lincoln University. De Barrena-Sarobe said there is no known connection between Morgan-Thompson and Lincoln University, and declined to comment on whether he had any connections to the victims. At least one bullet casing recovered from the scene matched the Glock 28 handgun Morgan-Thompson was charged with carrying, but the district attorney said it is unclear whether bullets fired from that gun struck any of the victims. De Barrena-Sarobe said the investigation remains fluid after officials processed what he called a complicated crime scene, where both spent and unspent rounds were recovered. Officials were not able to say how much evidence was recovered from the crime scene or how many shots were fired during the incident. While only one arrest has been made in connection with the mass shooting, de Barrena-Sarobe said investigators are treating the case as if multiple shooters were involved. On behalf of the entire law enforcement community here, on behalf of the entire first responder community here. We want to extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this mass shooting, de Barrena-Sarobe said. The district attorney also offered his condolences to the Lincoln University community as a whole. I also want the students, the faculty, the employees of Lincoln University to know that we feel for them. That we are doing everything humanly possible to restore just a sense of the security that was shattered on Saturday night, de Barrena-Sarobe said. Despite what de Barrena-Sarobe called an all-star team of 24 Chester County detectives working alongside the FBI and state police to investigate the mass shooting, the district attorney emphasized the need for the publics help. We have gotten some very important videos so far, we got some very important witness statements so far. But we know theres more out there. If you have a story to tell, if you saw something, we need you to come forward, de Barrena-Sarobe said. Investigators are requesting all members of the public with a witness account or videos, no matter how insignificant, to reach out to the FBI. Questions have also emerged about the universitys emergency response procedures. Lincoln University refused to answer PennLive questions about why students didnt receive an alert that the campus was on lockdown, even though they received an alert when the lockdown was lifted around 1 a.m. Sunday. Students told PennLive they were holed up in buildings, checking in on one another. Videos of the incident posted on social media show the crowd fleeing as shots rang out. Students told PennLive that at least one student broke her nose in the crush; the Chester County district attorney said there were minor injuries in the scramble to get away. A Tuesday news conference held by Lincoln University President Brenda Allen and counsel Venus Boston provided little information or insight into the deadly shooting on campus Saturday night. Boston and Allen refused to answer questions from the media, directing all questions to the Chester County District Attorneys Office even a question from a reporter asking if it was the first shooting in university history. The pair quickly left the podium as reporters shouted questions into the cool fall air. This is an ongoing investigation, and we have been working diligently with law enforcement to assist in their efforts, Allen said to begin the noon news conference. We will not be able to answer the questions that you undoubtedly have. Allen said the university is focusing on supporting its students, faculty and staff as they process the shooting that happened around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday during homecoming festivities, killing Jujuan Jeffers, 20, and injuring six other people ages 20 to 25. Students at Lincoln will have 24-hour access to mental health counselors on telehealth, which will continue throughout the semester. Allen thanked the Lincoln University and surrounding community for their support. Allen said the university will conduct an after-action review to refine policies, procedures and protocols as needed to enhance the safety of our community. Boston reiterated most of Allens statements, saying the college is not at liberty to discuss any facts of the matter and the after action review will ensure the campus is as safe as it can be. Unfortunately, shootings happen every day in this country, and Lincoln University is one of the latest victims of this scourge, Boston said. The university asked for privacy for the victims of the shooting and their families. Lincoln University refused to answer PennLive questions about why students didnt receive an alert that the campus was on lockdown, even though they received an alert when the lockdown was lifted around 1 a.m. Sunday. Students told PennLive they were holed up in buildings, checking in on one another. Videos of the incident posted on social media show the crowd fleeing as shots rang out. Students told PennLive at least one student broke her nose in the crush, and the Chester County District Attorney said there were minor injuries in the scramble to get away. Theres no word on how long the investigation will take. The Chester County District Attorneys office told PennLive on Tuesday morning that there were no updates in the investigation, including no more additional arrests and no further charges for Zecqueous Morgan-Thompson, 21, who was charged with carrying an unlicensed firearm the night of the shooting. No evidence that Morgan-Thompson was involved in the shooting has been made public. He is in Chester County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail. Police are operating under the belief that there were multiple shooters. A Maryland man was arrested after police found nude photos of a 14-year-old Gettysburg girl on his phone, along with messages saying he had sexual intercourse with her, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. Shane Mitchell Carr, 24, of Maryland, was charged with child sex abuse, criminal use of a communication facility, corruption of minors, furnishing alcohol to minors and marijuana charges relating to an April police investigation. The affidavit said that Gettysburg police responded to a call from a 14-year-old girl who said she was being harassed at around 4:50 p.m. on April 19. As officers were speaking to her, they noticed a man, later identified as Carr, walking behind her. The girl said at the time that she didnt know him. Another juvenile that police interviewed said the 14-year-old was dating an adult man. Around 5:20 p.m. that same day, officers were patrolling in Gettysburg Borough when they saw Carr walking on the railroad tracks. They told Carr he wasnt allowed to walk there and asked for his identification to give him a warning for trespassing. Police realized Carr had an active warrant out of Adams County and arrested him. Online charging documents show he had outstanding public drunkenness and open container charges. He told police he was smoking weed in the woods prior to walking on the train tracks. Police asked him if he knew the 14-year-old. He said he didnt but saw her around town when he was skateboarding. While they were talking to Carr, his phone was receiving notifications from the girl under the alias My Sexy Gf. Police asked if he had her social media, and if the girl was Snapchatting him, which he denied. Police found an energy drink in his bag, and asked Carr if he had given one to the girl. Carr said he did and that the two walked and smoked [weed] together. Police asked if he noticed anything out of place, and Carr said the hickeys? Police then asked Carr if he gave her the hickeys. He declined to answer. Police also found a bong and marijuana in Carrs bag. On April 29, police got a search warrant for Carrs phone. They found text messages between Carr and the 14-year-old about making plans to drink alcohol and smoke weed together. He also had hundreds of photos of the girl, including 14 nude images. Carr also send texts to his friends recounting explicit sexual acts between himself and the 14-year-old. Carr, who is from Russia, is awaiting a preliminary hearing. Court documents show he is not currently incarcerated. Central Pennsylvania will soon host an event featuring two bestselling authors. At 7 p.m. Nov. 19, authors David Baldacci and Pennsylvania native Lisa Scottoline will be in Lancaster County for a conversation about Baldaccis newest book, Nash Falls. The event will be held at the High Fine Arts Center at Lancaster Mennonite School, 2176 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster. Baldaccis latest book is a thriller that follows the story of a fictional character named Walter Nash, who, according to his website, is recruited by the FBI to help bring down a global crime network. The Midtown Scholar bookstore in Harrisburg is hosting the event. Tickets start at $38 and include general admission entry as well as a signed, first-edition copy of Nash Falls. Tickets can be bought here, and parking for the event is free. Baldacci has written many books, including his first novel, Absolute Power, which was turned into a 1996 movie starring Clint Eastwood, as well as the Amos Decker series and The Camel Club. Scottoline is most known for books like Save Me and Final Appeal, which earned her an Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 1995. The Edgar Awards are named after the famous poet and author Edgar Allan Poe, most known for works like The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart. U.S. President Donald Trump attends the UFC 314 event alongside UFC President and CEO Dana White at Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Zuffa LLC Dana White and Donald Trump are buddies, and everyone knows it. Trump has been a regular at UFC events, and White even helped campaign for him. Oh yeah, the UFC is also going to have an event at the White House next year. They are tight. So, you can bet that UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell likely wont be on that White House fight card after he recently turned on Trump he said last year that he would take a bullet for him and lashed out. I want to let yall know that Im not with Donald Trump no more, Mitchell said in a video shared to social media. I dont support him. I dont like him. I think hes a corrupted leader, and it took me a while to come to that conclusion, but I finally am coming to it. I do not like the guy at all. Mitchell then got into the reasons why he no longer supports Trump. The first thing for me is he didnt release the Epstein files, he said. He started even acting like they didnt exist. And, of course, theres sending Israel and Ukraine all of our tax dollars just like the numbnuts before him did. Putting America last, and now he is blaming the beef farmers for the price of beef. Hey, Im not biased man. He talked a good game. He tricked me. I was fooled. I admit it. Mitchell was just getting started. Now, let me tell you how bad I think this is, though, he continued. This really is this bad guys. I want yall, if you are a Christian, I want you to get into Revelation 13:3 and I want you to read that verse, yeah about the anti-Christ. About the one who was fatally wounded in the head, and then he was miraculously healed and the whole world marveled at him and said no man can make war with him. Yeah, I do think that Donald Trump is that beast of Revelation 13.3, he continued. Yeah, go read it. Go read it. There aint another man thats ever walked the planet that fits 13.3, then read the rest of the chapter, and itll tell you the mark of the best is coming in 42 months. Now, Im not saying that I know that Donald Trump is this man of Revelation 13.3, Im just saying, hes the only one who could be right now. Go read Revelation 13. Hes the only man that fits that description, and Im totally done with it, dude. Hes done to me. Hes done. Hes a goner. Hes compromised. Hes right up there with the rest of the pedophiles, man. And it sucks to say that because I supported him for a long time, but hes a good actor and he had me fooled for a long, long time. Mitchell, 31, is 18-3 in his MMA career. He often speaks of his deeply religious convictions, but he has also often found his way into controversy and well, just really odd takes. On the mild side of things, you can find videos on social media of Mitchell explaining why the Earth is flat. On the awful side of things, he praised Adolph Hitler on a podcast. I honestly think that Hitler was a good guy based upon my own research, not my public education indoctrination, he said. I really do think before Hitler got on meth; he was a guy Id go fishing with. It will be interesting to see what White, who often claims to be about free speech, thinks of Mitchells latest take on Trump. Tom Golisano, the founder of the human resource company Paychex, has announced the formation of an alliance of childrens hospitals. The Golisano Childrens Alliance will include four existing Golisano Childrens Hospitals and six additional childrens hospitals, including Penn State Health Childrens Hospital in Derry Township. I am proud to announce the newly formed Golisano Childrens Alliance, Golisano said in an announcement in Rochester, New York that was live-streamed on Tuesday morning. The Golisano Childrens Alliance is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Childrens hospitals that bear the Golisano name, dedicated to elevating pediatric care by expanding services, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that children have access to the highest quality medical attention close to home. The four existing Golisano childrens hospitals include: Golisano Childrens Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York Upstate Childrens Hospital at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York Golisano Childrens Hospital of Lee Health in Fort Myers and Naples, Florida Golisano Childrens Hospital of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York Golisano announced he will donate $253 million to the six new childrens hospitals that will join the alliance: $25 million: University of Vermont Childrens Hospital in Burlington, Vermont $28 million: West Virginia Medicine Childrens Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia $50 million: Connecticut Childrens Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut $50 million: Penn State Health Childrens Hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania $50 million: University of Kentucky Childrens Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky $50 million: University of Maryland Childrens Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland Officials said the new alliance will be a collaborative network designed to share resources and expand access to essential pediatric care. I am fortunate to be able to help others in this way, and Im looking forward to seeing what these hospitals can achieve together, Golisano said in a news release. Also, I plan to continue making similar transformative gifts that will strengthen this new alliance. Penn State Health Childrens Hospital is located on the campus of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine. The childrens hospital provides advanced treatments for complex medical conditions like heart disease and cancer. The childrens hospital has a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit and a Level I pediatric trauma center. Golisanos contribution represents the largest single philanthropic gift since 1963, when the M.S. Hershey Foundation donated $50 million to help launch the hospital. Penn State said it is preparing for the 2026 announcement of a new fundraising campaign, which includes a focus on the health of the commonwealth. The new gift from Golisano will significantly enhance pediatric care, research and community outreach across central Pennsylvania, and it is expected to inspire further commitments during the Universitys new fundraising campaign, the organization said. Penn State Health said these are the areas of future investment: Advancing health equity in rural communities Enhancing behavioral health care for children and adolescents Strengthening pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery programs Enriching pediatric neuroscience care Expanding and enhancing neonatal intensive care units across the health system Training the next generation of pediatricians and specialty providers Fueling research and discovery to find new treatments and cures Enhancing a fully integrated outpatient care program for pediatrics This investment reflects an unwavering belief in our mission to transform health through groundbreaking research and education, Dr. Karen Kim, dean of Penn State College of Medicine, said in the news release. It empowers us to uncover new cures and nurture the next generation of pediatric specialists to benefit our communities, our region and beyond. Tom Golisano of the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in Rochester, New York, made a major announcement on Tuesday morning. Golisano announced the formation of the Golisano Childrens Alliance, a group of 10 childrens hospitals. Each hospital will incorporate the Golisano Institute into its name. Golisano also announced he is donating a combined $253 million to the hospitals, including Penn State Health Childrens Hospital in Derry Township, which will receive a $50 million donation. The goal is to build a national network of childrens hospitals, Golisano said. He hopes more childrens hospitals will join the alliance in the future. Halloween is just a few days away, which means kids in central Pennsylvania will be trick-or-treating, Halloween parades are happening, and traffic will be affected. On Oct. 28, Paxtang will host its Halloween parade, and the Swatara Township police are urging drivers in the area to be aware of a few traffic changes as a result. The parade kicks off at 7 p.m., but township police expect traffic delays to begin along Derry Street between 29th Street and Wilhelm Road just after 6 p.m. While township police will have fire police directing traffic and detours will be in place, they also urge drivers to avoid the area if at all possible. For those who live on neighboring streets, residents will have access leading up to the parades start, but may not have immediate access once it begins. The parade route will start at 30th and Derry streets, moving east toward Wilhelm Road. It will then go north on Wilhelm to Montour Street, then west on Montour Street to Paxtang Avenue, then south on Paxtang Avenue to Derry Street, and finally west on Derry, ending at the Paxtang Borough building. Traffic delays are expected to last until 9:30 p.m. The Pennsylvania cities on the list sitll did way better than Memphis, though. (Photo by Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu via Getty Images Editors note: Welcome to the world of Paranormal PA, a PennLive series that delves into Pennsylvania-grown stories of spirits; cryptids; oddities and legends; and the unexplained. Sign up here to get our Paranormal PA newsletter delivered to your inbox. Halloween in all its costumed glory is this Friday. Which is why it pains us as a publication based in the state to say that theres nowhere in Pennsylvania that is among the top cities to celebrate All Hallows Eve. In a report conducted and published by WalletHub, not one city in the Keystone State was included among the top 10 best for Halloween this year. Nay, not even in the top 20. The highest-ranked Pennsylvanian city was Philadelphia in the 22nd spot overall, meaning it just missed a solid standing. Pittsburgh came next in 37th overall. Researchers at the site determined rankings after grading each of the 100 cities included on the list across three main categories: Trick-or-Treater Friendliness; Halloween Fun; and Halloween Weather. Various sub-metrics Crime Rate; Candy & Chocolate Stores per Capita (something which Pittsburgh actually ranked fifth overall); and Forecasted Halloween Precipitation among them were also taken into account. The top three best cities for Halloween were thus found to be Los Angeles, California, in third; Jersey City, New Jersey, in second; and New York, New York, in first. New York City is the best place to be on Halloween, boasting the second-most Halloween costume shops and the most candy stores per capita, the report reads. Its residents also search Google for Halloween parties and related terms more than people in any other city. On top of that, New York has the highest population density in the country, and the second-highest walkability score. That means its easy to go trick-or-treating and get a lot of candy. When it comes to other Halloween activities, New York also has the second-most movie theaters per capita and the 16th-most haunted houses, along with many amusement parks. Alas, the city in dead last was Memphis, Tennessee. Halloween holds a big place in American popular culture, and we collectively spend billions of dollars celebrating every year, said Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst. At the same time, its also a holiday that comes with a certain amount of risk, given that children visit strangers houses in the dark. The best cities for Halloween are those that provide the safest conditions for celebrating, along with an abundance of activities, Halloween-related stores and good weather. MIDDLEBURG A man accused in a federal civil lawsuit of harassing a county judge has been arrested in California on charges he threatened to kill several women in Pennsylvania. The arrest of Daniel Bozin, 47, of Beverly Hills, Calif., was announced by Snyder County District Attorney Heath Brosius who said Monday he had no details on how it occurred. Bozin is being held in Los Angeles awaiting extradition to Middleburg to face charges from November 2023 and Oct. 17. When Bozin failed to appear in court to answer the 2023 charges, Snyder-Union County President Judge Lori Hackenberg issued a bench warrant for his arrest on Feb. 1, 2024. However, because the charges against Bozin were misdemeanors, Brosius initially said he would not seek to extradite Bozin. However, on Oct. 17 Bozin was charged with six additional counts of stalking and six counts of harassment, five counts of making terroristic threats and two counts of retaliation against witnesses. Two of the new charges are felonies. State police are gathering evidence that is expected to lead to additional charges, the prosecutor said. The new charges accuse Bozin of continuing to harass a Geisinger employee in Snyder County. Her complaint was the basis for the 2023 charges. Despite receiving four cease-and-desist letters from Geisingers legal team, Bozin is accused of contacting or attempting to contact the woman at least 37 times over a three-year period, most recently on Oct. 11. Bozin, in an Oct. 7 call to Geisingers recorded appointment line, threatened violence if he was not transferred to that employee, the police affidavit states. He stated if he was not transferred, he would show up and put a bullet in her (expletive) head, the document states. It quotes him as saying: Put me through right now or she is (expletive) dead. That woman, when interviewed by police on Oct. 10, said she feared for her life and was afraid to go to work or be home alone, the affidavit said. The document also alleges Bozin told or left messages that said he would use a hammer to smash in the face of one woman and threatening to beat a second until she was on the ground in a pile of blood. A second woman who was involved in the 2023 charges told investigators that as of this month she had received more than 40 emails from Bozin despite him receiving four cease-and-desist letters. Communications, some of which contained threats, were received from Bozin by law enforcement, Geisinger medical staff and other employees, and Snyder County courthouse, the affidavit states. In June, Judge Hackenberg sued Bozin and his Bozin Media Group and Bozin Holdings in U.S. Middle District Court, accusing them of engaging in a lie-filled attack aimed at trying to destroy her career and reputation because she refused to dismiss the criminal complaint against him. Bozins attorneys say their client either is not responsible for some of the actions alleged or he is immune under the states Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. Bozin has filed a motion to have the defamation lawsuit dismissed. Palestinians try to clear the remains of buildings destroyed by Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on October 28, 2025. Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza on Tuesday. Shortly before, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had ordered the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, the strikes are a response to an attack on Israeli troops near Rafah. Netanyahus office did not provide further details but stated that the decision was made following security consultations with his Cabinet, which Netanyahu had convened hours earlier, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas returned the remains of an Israeli that did not correspond to any of the remains of the 13 hostages still to be located. The new offensive follows an exchange of fire that some Israeli media had reported minutes earlier in Rafah, where Israeli forces were attacked on Tuesday. The Times of Israel reported that Israeli soldiers stationed in the southern municipality were assaulted by terrorist operatives, without directly linking the attack to Hamas, and added that Israeli troops responded by opening fire on the attackers. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas will pay a heavy price for attacking soldiers in Gaza and for violating the agreement to return the bodies of the hostages. In a statement from his ministry, Katz referred to artillery and sniper fire directed at his soldiers by Hamas members in Rafah. Although the incident occurred in the south of the Gaza Strip, reports from Gaza City the enclaves largest urban area indicated shortly after that airstrikes had resumed there. Footage shared by the Qatari network Al Jazeera shows columns of smoke rising above buildings, though no casualties have yet been reported. Attacks have also been reported in other areas in the north of the Gaza Strip, where Gazas capital is located. A tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Hamad City, Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Abdel Kareem Hana (AP) The assault in Rafah and Netanyahus swift response recall the incidents on October 19, when Gaza was subjected to a one-day Israeli lightning offensive after Hamas members acting independently according to the White House version carried out a surprise attack on Israeli forces, killing two Israeli soldiers. Those strikes killed more than 30 people in the enclave, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. During the operation, Israel dropped 153 tons of bombs. Since then, Netanyahu has repeatedly mentioned this in public appearances, stressing the high cost of breaking the ceasefire in Gaza, which came into effect on October 10. Tensions had already been mounting before Tuesdays outbreak of violence in Rafah. Various Israeli media outlets released aerial footage taken Monday by an Israeli drone showing what they claim are Hamas members burying the remains of Ofir Tzarfati an Israeli whose body had been recovered by Israeli forces at the end of 2023 before notifying Red Cross teams. The IDF said its drones had recorded Hamas operatives removing body remains from a structure that had been prepared in advance and burying them nearby on Monday, and then staging a false display of discovering a deceased hostages body. Later, when the remains were examined in Israel and found not to correspond to any of the 13 hostages Hamas still needs to recover and return under the ceasefire agreement Hamas has already returned the remains of 15 others Netanyahu convened security consultations with his Cabinet, which resulted in the order to resume large-scale offensive operations. According to the public broadcaster Kan, Netanyahu is reportedly considering expanding Israeli control in the Gaza Strip beyond the portion currently allowed under the first phase of the ceasefire, in response to what he sees as Hamas violations. Meanwhile, Hamas, which had announced it would deliver a new body on Tuesday night reported by the Saudi outlet Al Hadath to have been found in Nuseirat, in central Gazawarned that any Zionist escalation [by Israel] will hinder the search for bodies. The group also postponed the planned delivery because of Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition A false positive test misidentifying baking soda as a mixture of fentanyl and horse tranquilizer is what landed a Pennsylvania man in a notorious New York prison for two weeks, the state Attorney Generals Office wrote in recent filings in federal court. Amicar Maldonado Montengudo spent two weeks in Rikers Island Jail in October 2023 after being arrested on a drug warrant supported by the false positive test, Montengudo said in a lawsuit filed against two state troopers. Montengudo, a York resident, is bringing false imprisonment, false arrest, and malicious prosecution claims against troopers Philip Pronick and David Long who tested the substance. He argued the state troopers violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights and should have spoken up when he was arrested on the bunk charges stemming from a July 2023 traffic stop on I-83 north in Dauphin County. But in its answer to Montengudos complaint, the civil division of the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office which is defending the state troopers in the lawsuit argued the troopers had no knowledge of the false positive until after Montengudo was released from jail. Montengudo was arrested October 10 as he was trying to leave the country and police only found out the substance was not drugs on November 29. Pronick informally told Montengudos criminal defense lawyer and prosecutors the substance was baking soda before Montengudos scheduled probable cause hearing Dec. 13, and prosecutors withdrew charges. In an exhibit supplementing its answer to the complaint, state police spelled out a narrative of the traffic stop leading to the acquisition of the baking soda: On July 31, 2023 at around 12:30 p.m., Pronick pulled over a Silver Honda Accord on I-83 north in Dauphin County for having a dark window tint and because the registered drivers address was in a high crime area of York City. The car was being driven by Caonabo Rivas-Martes, and the passenger was Montengudo, but the car belonged to Mongengudos girlfriend. They told state police they went to PennDOT to register a four-wheeler, but changed stories about their travel plans multiple times. When Pronick asked if they had anything illegal in the car, Montengudo told him I am not that kind of people. I am a family guy. I took these statements as an attempt to gain empathy from me, Pronick wrote in his report. When Montengudo allowed Pronick to search the vehicle, Pronick found a green grocery bag carrying a container of watermelon and a pill bottle labeled with Montengudos girlfriends name. Pronick found a white powder inside the pill bottle which he said looked like a controlled substance, but Montengudo said it was baking soda for his upset stomach. When Pronick questioned Montengudo on the substance, Montengudo repeated it was baking soda and told the trooper to check it. He laughed and told Pronick to try it. Instead, Pronick seized the pill bottle and Montengudo begged him to not take it. I found this to be odd behavior if it had only contained baking soda, he said. On Aug. 3, Pronick called Montengudo and asked him to come to the PSP Harrisburg barracks to speak. He related that I could keep the baking powder and dispose of it as his stomach is no longer upset, Montengudo told Pronick before hanging up the phone. In his report, Pronick said he seized a large amount of narcotics. It was 30 grams of the powdery substance later revealed to be baking soda. By Nora Brownell As recently as 2024, the Energy Association of Pennsylvania told the General Assembly, Consumers of electricity in Pennsylvania have benefited from the creation of a competitive generation market under the Competition Act. Now, that same association seeks to undermine the very act that freed customers from risky utility decisions and associated costs, which at the time were 15% above the national average. The Competition Act is grounded in the belief that independent power producers, not captive utility customers, should bear the costs and risks of developing and operating power generation. This model has served Pennsylvania well, reducing rates and positioning the state to generate 40% more electricity than it needs today. As part of the transition, the Competition Act directed more than $11 billion in costs to Pennsylvania customers to compensate utilities for stranded generation costs. This was done in exchange for the benefits and protections of a competitive market. The Act also allowed utilities to move their existing generation into unregulated affiliates. While utilities can still create separate affiliates to build and operate new power generation, they dont want to assume the risks; they want consumers to pay for guaranteed profits. Why Competition Works Even with recent capacity auction increases, Pennsylvanias electricity rates remain consistently below the national average. Independent, competitive generators have created a massive in-state surplus of electric power while assuming all the costs and risks of building new power plants. The current market fosters competition and drives efficiency, as evidenced by the states robust generation surplus and competitive rates. In fact, competition has not only reduced rates but also attracted new generation investments. The most recent PJM capacity auction was the first in four years to see an increase in new generation, with 2,669 MW of new capacity from independent power producers whose investors assume all the risks. A Costly Step Backward: HB 1272 and SB 897 House Bill 1272 and Senate Bill 897 represent a costly and unnecessary abandonment of Pennsylvanias successful competitive power market. Despite proponents claims, the legislation will increase prices and jeopardize grid reliability while guaranteeing and increasing utility profits. These bills are riddled with flaws and will not solve grid reliability challenges; they must be rejected. This unneeded, self-serving public policy push by utilities represents an opportunistic attempt by some utilities to return to a time when captive customers paid above the national average for electricity and shouldered all the risks of building and operating power generation. It is a demonstrable return to a business model that cost consumers billions of dollars and provided them no choice. The Path Forward No one doubts that affordability and reliability are important issues for all Pennsylvanians. However, returning to an outdated, flawed business model is not the answer. We owe our consumers more than old-time politics and policies. Our challenges call for rational economic policy decisions to protect our economy and the Pennsylvanians who actually pay the bills. Left unchecked, the utility-driven approach proposed in HB 1272 and SB 897 represents a dramatic departure from the landmark 1996 Competition Act, which has provided measurable benefits to Pennsylvania consumers for nearly three decadesand which utilities themselves supported as recently as last year. There are solutions if we look at fact-based, economically rational answers to reducing costs. For example, new technologies bring greater efficiency, better data, and more transparency to planning and market optimization. Competition consistently drives valueelectric generation is one example, but the pattern holds across industries. For instance, telephone services cost 53% less in 2025 than in 1997, while computer software and accessories are 76.25% less over the same period (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Thats the power of competition: it empowers customers to demand better technology and service at a lower cost. Why would we want to take that away? Nora Brownell is co-founder of Espy Energy Solutions, LLC, an energy consulting firm and a former Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 20012006. She also served as a Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) from 1997 to 2001. Dauphin County taxpayers spent $670,000 this summer on a 3.47-acre lot, part of a proposed housing solution to Harrisburgs dismantled tent city. The lot, once used for truck parking, was sold to Amiracle4sure, a Harrisburg nonprofit to create a safe community for dozens of unhoused people after they were ousted from their prior location. An obscure LLC that owned the lot for a little over two years walked away with a 168% profit, about $420,000, from the deal without making any obvious improvements to the land or any changes to the zoning. The money to pay for the lot came from Dauphin Countys Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) without a public application process. At least two appraisals are typically required when the county buys property using taxpayer funds. But this purchase got far less scrutiny because it was technically not a county purchase, even though public dollars paid for it. Local and out-of-state appraisers said the one appraisal which PennLive obtained through a Right-to-Know request lacked detail and did not justify the lots steep price increase. As a steward of public funds, one way to do that is to have a more comprehensive report that can defend the amount of money that you pay, said Seydina Fall, a real estate expert and professor at the John Hopkins Carey Business School. The profit from the sale went to two people with deep county connections, raising questions from real estate and good government experts about the countys noncompetitive process for awarding the money. County Human Services Director Randie Yeager said the county worked with the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness and held several meetings with providers that serve the citys unhoused population before her team recommended a choice to the commissioners. Amiracle4sure was the only entity who was willing to work on this effort, Yeager said. She added that the county was not involved with any of the real estate transactions. She did not respond to questions about transparency around the awarding process or why no public application process was used. The once-vacant lot now houses dozens of residents, many of whom previously lived in tent city. County Commissioner, Justin Douglas, said he believes in the projects mission but worries about a pattern. Im always concerned that the same players seem to be at the table of every deal with the county, Douglas said. Amiracle4sure Executive Director Marsha Curry-Nixon declined to answer specific questions about the purchase or the appraisal, which valued the land at $750,000, but defended the program and said divine intervention helped her land the deal. We know that they paid $225,000 for it, Curry-Nixon said of the 2023 sale. But I have no idea about the details. And I didnt ask them. Yeah, I didnt care. The 3.5-acre lot on Shanois Street in Harrisburg. July 24, 2025. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Appraisal: Not detailed enough No two properties are ever an apples-to-apples comparison. One way appraisers estimate a propertys value is by looking at recent sales of similar sites. In this case, the appraiser relied on sales of properties that were all worth more than the Harrisburg lot. To account for that, he reduced the value of each comparison. But Fall said that if every comparison needs to be marked down, then they werent good matches to begin with, raising questions about how solid the appraisal was. The appraiser also used an active listing a property still on the market which Fall said was a poor comparison because the final sale price could change. I find the report to be only based on the appraisers opinion but not really exhaustive in terms of, how did you come up with the numbers? Fall said. Harrisburg appraiser, James Sprague, valued the lot. He said the buyer, Amiracle4sure, requested a restricted appraisal report, which leaves out many details. Executive director Curry-Nixon declined to say why she requested this type of appraisal. When PennLive asked Sprague if he has seen a propertys value increase by 168 percent in two years with essentially no improvements, he didnt respond. The LLC that previously owned the lot bought it for $225,000 in 2023. Within nine months, the lot was back on the market at 10 times the price: for $2.5 million. It was eventually listed at $1.7 million. The previous property owners declined to comment, so PennLive could not ask them if they believed they had made any improvements to the land. However, the appraisal report shows the lot was a parcel of vacant land, with some portions leased for truck parking when it sold to Amiracle4sure for $670,000 this summer. Economist Gilles Duranton who teaches at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania said the sharp increase in price in two years was unusual. He said such price spikes often have two possible explanations: either a permit or zoning change made the lot more valuable (which didnt happen in this case) or the seller bought it for a low price, and after listing it much higher, eventually settled for a lower price but still made a big profit. Duranton added that cities should have a warning system when transactions like this one happen, though he added, many dont. Its hard to tell for sure there is something nefarious going on, Duranton said in an email. He said incompetence is often a better explanation. That aint news During PennLives first interview with Amiracle4sures Marsha Curry Nixon, she spoke while running errands at Lowes. During the call, she rattled off supplies she was planning for the lot: Four, six, eight and ten. This probably is perfect for one person. Camping chairs. Wish list for Amazon. Its on my website. Solar batteries on everything. Holding station so people drop off donations when were not here. However, Nixon declined to provide PennLive with a copy of the appraisal report. That aint news, Nixon said. I didnt care. None of that mattered to me, and it shouldnt matter to anybody else either. She did not respond to questions about the appraisals quality or the lots potentially inflated price. Dauphin County commissioners approved a total of at least $770,000 of ERAP funds for the project, now dubbed as the miracle community. In addition to the lot purchase, the extra funds were provided to level the land and add fencing, along with amenities like water access. The funds were set to expire Sept. 30, 2025. According to a 2017 National Housing Conference report on principles for allocating housing funds, transparency around requirements and how awards are chosen is key. Simpler rules allow new applicants better ability to apply for the first time, so that the process does not become an insider club of repeat winners, writes affordable housing expert, Ethan Handelman. Good government expert, Craig Holman from Public Citizen, said that the lots purchase came with unanswered questions. And when we dont know exactly what happened, that in itself is a problem, Holman said. Because the ethics consideration is not whether the project is worthwhile but did someone reap unnecessary and excessive profits? That is inappropriate. Any extra money from the land price could have gone directly into the project to help the homeless people instead of the land owners pockets. Commissioner Justin Douglas said there is still room for improvement in the county. I think were still figuring out what it looks like to run transparent and accountable government, Douglas said. Just because I think for so long these types of deals just werent looked at, scrutinized, or discussed in the public. Commissioners George Hartwick and Mike Pries did not respond to requests for comment. Who made the profit DB Real Estate and Properties LLC, owned by Benjamin S. Smith and Julie Lin Morris, made the $420,000 profit on the sale. The LLCs broker was Gary E. Lenker of Sturbridge Realty, who also sits on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency board and is the executive director of Tri-County Housing. Lenker and Smith - a Perry County contractor and owner of Smith Homes, Inc. and B.S. Smith Services, companies that handle construction and site work - have a history of working together on affordable housing projects that fell short of their promises. In 2022, the Dauphin County Redevelopment Authority severed ties with Tri-County Housing after a series of deficiencies related to an affordable housing project in Steelton, according to an internal document from the agency. The document says Lenker: Paid himself, as the real estate broker, without board consent, Awarded Smith all the site work and construction contracts, and Wanted to bypass a public bidding process to ensure Smith would receive future jobs. The authority warned that the potential magnitude of issues could trigger significant HUD findings and repayment of federal funds. Lenker didnt respond to multiple requests for comment about this deal and the investigation from 2019. Julie Lin Morris, the LLCs other owner, also runs Tri-State Shredding, which holds state contracts and works with both the county and city. She did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Whats going on with the lot now Harrisburgs growing unhoused population, many of whom had been living in an area dubbed tent city, was forced to relocate this summer or face arrest because of highway construction. Tent city is no more. Capitol Police now safeguard the area. The mayors administration previously told PennLive that people who were a part of the community are not welcome to relocate anywhere else in the city but the miracle community, referring to this new lot. Timothy White Jr., a staff member at Amiracle4sure, has been documenting his work building housing materials from scratch on Facebook. The lot now has at least 24 tents set up on plywood in four rows, along with portable toilets, donated mats from Zeroday Brewery, and mobile heaters for hot water. The site is monitored 24/7 by cameras, requires registration before move-in, and has rules that could result in eviction. Its unclear how evictions work in miracle community but White posted on Facebook as fast as I move you in is as fast as I move you out after a family supposedly didnt clean their tent and got into arguments with multiple people. Commissioner Justin Douglas reiterated his support for the miracle community. The provider is already delivering and really is benefiting the public, Douglas said. That doesnt mean that processes cant be improved in the future, that the county cant expect more when we give grant money, that we cant also have memorandums of understanding for reviews of appraisals. Air Traffic Controller Claudia Peterfeso distributes leaflets explaining how the federal government shutdown is impacting air travel at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Romulus, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) AP By JANIE HAR, Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday. Illston, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, has said she believes the evidence will ultimately show the mass firings were illegal and in excess of authority. The Republican administration has slashed jobs in education, health and other areas it says are favored by Democrats. The administration has also said it will not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. The American Federation of Government Employees and other labor unions have sued to stop the reductions in force layoffs, saying the firings were an abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress. Lawyers for the government say the district court does not have the authority to hear personnel challenges. During a hearing on Oct. 15, Illston said the layoff notices that started going out on or around Oct. 10 appeared to be politically motivated and not well thought out. About 4,100 layoff notices have gone out, some sent to work email addresses that furloughed employees are not allowed to check. Some personnel were called back to work, without pay, to issue layoff notices. Democratic lawmakers are demanding that any deal to reopen the federal government address expiring health care subsidies that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. They also want any government funding bill to reverse the Medicaid cuts in Trumps big tax breaks and spending cuts bill passed this summer. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to negotiate with Democrats until they first agree to reopen the government. This is now the second-longest shutdown. The longest shutdown occurred during Trumps first term over his demands for funds to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall. That one ended in 2019 after 35 days. Trick-or-treat night in Middletown on Thursday, October 31, 2024. Vicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLive Vicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLive Its going to be a bit rainy for Halloween this year. The forecast for central Pennsylvania calls for rain this week, sustained across several days, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is expected to begin on Wednesday afternoon and evening this week, with showers continuing until Thursday. And, as many neighborhoods hold their trick-or-treat nights on Oct. 30, that might mean making some rain-based adjustments to the kids Halloween costumes. Thursday night, its going to be a wet one, said John Bowen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College. You can expect it to be that steady kind of light rain Thursday night, with cooler highs on Thursday things are only expected, in the region, to get into the mid-to-upper 50s. Things will also cool off quickly, Bowen said, once the sun sets on Thursday evening. Between seven and eight, you could see temperatures begin to dip below 50 into the upper 40s, he said. So definitely worth bundling up and staying warm. Some neighborhoods, such as Royalton in Dauphin County, have already announced that they will reschedule their trick-or-treat night to avoid the rain. But some townships and boroughs, such as Mechanicsburg in Cumberland County, have stated that their events will be held rain or shine. For those trick-or-treating on Friday, Oct. 31, the weather will still be cool, but its much less likely youll see rain. Temperature is going to be in the mid to upper 40s, Bowen said. If we see any kind of rain Friday afternoon, itll be more isolated and scattered. Thankfully, though fog is often associated with the spooky holiday, theres little chance to see any this year. But as always, its good to consider visibility while trick-or-treating. If it is raining, obviously there will be reduced visibility, Bowen said. Make sure that that youre staying safe, have reflective clothing, and make sure that you are visible. To see the list of trick-or-treat events as initially scheduled, check out this story on PennLive.com. Details on rain dates or cancelations can be found via local municipalities. Attorney Victor Alvarez Puga, husband of famous television host Ines Gomez Mont, is the fabric that unites the common thread among politicians, businessmen, and drug traffickers in Mexico: the use of invoicing companies to evade taxes and launder money. After several years in exile with his wife in the United States, where he continued to enjoy the wealth he amassed through his illicit businesses, the lawyer, whom the Mexican government identifies as the head of a huge network of shell companies, has been detained at an immigration detention center in Miami, Florida. He has an Interpol red notice against him, and there is a criminal arrest warrant for him in Mexico, but the lawyer slipped up due to issues with his immigration status in the United States. This could present a golden opportunity for Claudia Sheinbaums government to lay its hands on Alvarez Puga, a symbol of the impunity afforded by enormous fortunes regardless of their origin and ties to a countrys upper echelons, both legal and criminal. If Washington sends him to Mexico, taking advantage of his immigration detention, Alvarez Puga would be the second fugitive to be repatriated in this manner in a matter of months. In August, the U.S. handed Carlos Trevino the former Pemex director accused of corruption over to Mexico after having detained him for immigration irregularities. It remains to be seen whether this will become an alternative for the bilateral exchange of criminals outside the bureaucratic extradition process. In 2010, the government had already targeted the lawyer and his brother, Alejandro, with whom he founded the firm Alvarez Puga & Associates, through an audit of the SAT, the tax collection agency. The attempt was unsuccessful. Now, the Attorney Generals Office accuses the lawyer and Gomez Mont of organized crime, embezzlement of public funds, and money laundering. The sting was an accusation from the Public Prosecutors Office against the couple, following an investigation that documented the misappropriation of three billion pesos (about $145 million) from the Interior Ministry during the administration of former president Enrique Pena Nieto. Part of that money which was supposed to be used to improve the countrys prisons, according to the complaint ended up directly in the bank accounts of Alvarez Puga and Gomez Mont, following a complex process of transfers between companies in their network, a typical money laundering operation. The facade of one of Alvarez Puga's shell companies, photographed by Treasury investigators. According to authorities, the shell companies, which had no infrastructure or staff but pretended to provide services, carried out around 1,500 financial transactions with the aim of hiding the money trail. Approximately three million pesos were deposited into the accounts of Alvarez Puga and his wife. The lawyer, in fact, was on the payroll of one of the companies through which funds were diverted from the Interior Ministry. The head of the agency at the time was Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, Pena Nietos strongman in security matters, who has never spoken out on the matter. A judge ordered the arrest of several front men and the former head of the prisons agency under the Interior Ministry, Eduardo Guerrero, the highest-ranking official targeted. The lawyers brother was also involved in this embezzlement case, although he was not included in the judges arrest warrants. The case against Alvarez Puga and Gomez Mont was assembled by the Tax Attorney Generals Office during the first half of Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors administration. The tax authority identified the lawyer as the owner of the largest network of shell companies created to issue fake invoices, and, moreover, as the mastermind behind this model of embezzlement and laundering of funds, the means by which millions of dollars are siphoned off each year, perhaps Mexicos greatest challenge in terms of corruption. Not only because of the size of the network, but also because of its accomplices and beneficiaries, the investigation against the lawyer was the target of widespread friendly fire within the government itself. Sources consulted by EL PAIS report that the Tax Attorney Generals Office and the Prosecutors Office were only able to bring Alvarez Puga before a judge after certain powerful officials left the government. Before that, the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), Mexicos anti-money laundering agency, according to the sources, was preparing a deal that would allow Gomez Mont to cover her tax debts and evade the scrutiny of justice. Another obstacle stemmed from the fact that the network of beneficiaries of Alvarez Pugas invoicing schemes included the son of an influential member of Morena, the ruling party, the son of a former Supreme Court magistrate, and the son of a former Secretary of the Interior and National Action Party legislator, the sources added. The arrest warrant finally dismantled the impunity schemes and allowed for the issuance of an Interpol red notice. One of Alvarez Puga and Gomez Mont's homes, located in the Town & Ranch Estates neighborhood of Miami. Zillow After fleeing to the United States, Gomez Mont defended her name and denied having benefited from the embezzlement at the Interior Ministry. They put me on the same level as a drug trafficker or terrorist. I think its unfair, she said. She and her husband continued to enjoy their wealth in Florida. They bought a mansion that once belonged to Cher for $15 million and acquired two houses in Miami and Palm Beach worth $11 million. The couple also rented an apartment in the luxurious Art Plaza in Miami, for which they were charged $2,800 a month. The real estate agency sued them for nonpayment of rent. These are signs that, although fugitives, Gomez Mont and Alvarez Puga had been traceable all this time. The justice system just hadnt started working. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Pittsburg State University is expanding opportunities for Kansas students and working professionals with the launch of a new Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology Management (BAS-TM) this fall. The BAS-TM provides a clear pathway for AAS students who gain technical education at Kansas community colleges and through apprenticeships or other on-the-job training to seamlessly continue their studies and earn a bachelors degree at Pitt. This 60-hour online program can be completed in as little as two years while working full time, and results in a bachelor's degree that enables career advancement. It's designed for individuals who have earned an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or other technical associate degree and want to advance into leadership and management roles. To date, the following institutions have signed on in partnership: Butler Community College WSU Tech Salina Tech Allen Community College Highland Community College Coffeyville Community College Hutchinson Community College Labette Community College Pratt Community College The degree bridges the gap between technical expertise and organizational leadership, providing advanced coursework in management theory, leadership, organizational behavior, and production operations. By recognizing and building on prior technical learning, Pitt State is helping more Kansans reach their educational and career goals. This program was built for skilled professionals who are ready to move from the technical side of their field into management, said Associate Professor Byron McKay, program director. It allows students to build on what they already know and prepares them to lead teams, projects, and operations in a wide range of industries. Because the program is fully online and offered in a flexible format, it is especially suited for working adults balancing education with professional and personal commitments. Graduates will be prepared for leadership roles such as project manager, operations manager, production supervisor, or technical director, as well as for graduate study in technology management or applied leadership. The College of Technology is proud to offer a program that meets an important statewide workforce need, said Lisa Riedle, dean of the College of Technology. Employers are looking for professionals who understand both technology and people. This degree creates a seamless path for those with technical backgrounds to move into vital management positions. Learn more For more information about Pittsburg State Universitys Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology Management, visit pittstate.edu/twl/programs/technology-management/index.html. Nicholas Burris Turns Cancelled Trip into $65,435 RGPS Tulsa Payday Erick Torres Copy link Usually, when travel plans fall through, its bad news. But for Nicholas Burris, the cancellation turned into a blessing worth $65,435. The RunGood Poker Series Tulsa Grand Prix $800 Main Event champion decided to head to the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino Tulsa after a friend reminded him of the tournament. It proved a wise call, as Burris topped a field of 469 entries to claim the title and a share of the $328,300 prize pool. Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Nicholas Burris United States $65,435 2 Dexter Wise United States $43,627 3 Wesley Jones United States $32,627 4 John Heckenkamp United States $24,104 5 Bobby Randolph United States $18,190 6 Mika Evans United States $13,869 7 Freeman Allen United States $10,684 8 Terry Harrell United States $8,318 9 Jon Kreder United States $6,544 Burris, a husband and father of three children, shared with PokerNews that he has not been as active in the poker world the last couple of years as he and his wife raised a young child, but the opportunity to play the RGPS Tulsa Grand Prix Main Event presented itself, and he took it. Burris stated, My oldest (son) loves poker, so hes going to love the ring, and hes just going to be grinning it up after this. Its going to be hilarious. Burris became a force to reckon with down the stretch of the final table. He endured a six-handed stalemate that lasted over an hour and a half before another elimination occurred. Nicholas Burris Burris secured a key double up when he called the bluff of Mika Evans on the river to vault past three and a half million in chips. Burris was a tornado at the final table after that point, denting his opponents stack with regularity as he knocked out Evans in sixth, Bobby Randolph in fifth, John Heckenkamp in fourth, and finally Dexter Wise to win the title. Burris shared that once the final table got down to four-handed, he felt confident in his ability to close out the win. This first-place finish was the second-highest cash of his career, surpassing his best recorded RGPS result according to The Hendon Mob when he won the 2019 RGPS Main Event in Council Bluffs. This win puts Burris over $400,000 in earnings, according to his recorded earnings, and may prompt the accomplished poker player to visit the felt just a bit more. I have a little more right to go play, Burris said jokingly about his poker schedule in the future. Day 2 Action The opening hours of the final day of play saw a flurry of all-ins and eliminations as players rose and fell in the standings as they chased a slice of the over $300,000 prize pool. Several notables fell during the opening rounds, including Eric Bunch, Forrest Kollar, Marvin Donaldson, Craig Savage, and Rob Gardner. By the time the field hit the final three-table redraw, Day 1a chip leader John Lopez was still one of the top stacks in the room, as well as Day 1b chip leader Bobby Randolph, who was chip leader as they hit the final 27 players. Randolph continued his success after he duked it out with Andre Allen in a big hand during the 10,000/20,000 level that saw Randolph grow his stack to over two million in chips. Randolph rode that wave to the final table, but it was Wesley Jones who entered the final nine as the chip leader with John Heckenkamp and Burris within striking distance. Jones maintained that chip lead until Burris put a dent in his plans when Jones saw his pocket queens cracked by Burris, who flopped a full house. It was from that point forward that Burris began to assert himself and put together a strong run to take down the title. Share this article From virtual assistants capable of detecting sadness in voices to bots designed to simulate the warmth of a bond, artificial intelligence (AI) is crossing a more intimate frontier. The fervor surrounding AI is advancing on an increasingly dense bed of questions that no one has yet answered. And while it has the potential to reduce bureaucracy or predict diseases, large language models (LLMs) trained on data in multiple formats text, image, and speech are capable of something more disturbing: they can behave as if they understand human feelings. Perceiving and reading emotions is a tricky area for AI. Various studies indicate that AI chats can alleviate loneliness, but they can also isolate and create dependency. An extreme case is that of 56-year-old Stein-Erik Soelberg, who ended up killing his mother and himself after months of using ChatGPT. OpenAI has acknowledged that more than a million people talk to ChatGPT about suicide every week. Its no longer just a matter of discussing whether machines can automate tasks, but also to what extent they begin to infiltrate critical areas such as emotions, identity, and even freedom of expression, which are gradually being affected by algorithms. Daniel Innerarity, professor of political and social philosophy at the University of the Basque Country, believes that humanity is experiencing a hype, that is, a moment of strong (and perhaps exaggerated) expectation. I call it digital history. There are great expectations and parallel fears. We are oscillating between those two extremes on an accelerating upward curve, says this expert. Karen Vergara, a researcher on society, technology, and gender at the NGO Amaranta (Chile), shares a similar view. We are in a process of adapting to and recognizing these technological and sociocultural advances, she notes, adding an important nuance. Because while one part of society is incorporating this technology into their daily lives, another is left out. People for whom AI is not a priority, trapped in precarious contexts and crisscrossed by access gaps that remain unclosed. The big question is not how sophisticated this technology, which was developed in the last century, can become when it comes to discovering patterns of behavior, but rather the excessive trust that is placed in it. A recent study by the MIT Media Lab in the United States identified interaction patterns among users that ranged from socially vulnerable subjects with intense feelings of loneliness to those who are technology-dependent, with a strong emotional connection, and casual users, who use AI in a more balanced way. For Innerarity, the thought that someone has taken their own life because an algorithm recommended it brings us back to a prior question: what goes on in the mind of a person who decides to trust a machine rather than a human. Surely the problem is prior, this philosopher emphasizes. Society, says Innerarity, has made a huge mistake by anthropomorphizing AI. When I wrote A Critical Theory of Artificial Intelligence (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2025), I had to find a cover, and the only thing I knew for sure was that I didnt want to use a human-shaped robot, he recalls. He is completely against representations of AI with hands, feet, and a head: 99% of the robots we humans use dont have an anthropomorphic form. A digital oracle that reproduces biases Mercedes Siles, professor of algebra at the University of Malaga and a member of the Hermes Foundation Advisory Board, proposes a simple image. A metaphor. She asks us to imagine AI as a small box filled with folded papers. Something like a less crunchy version of fortune cookies. Every morning, a person takes out a piece of paper containing a phrase that, unbeknown to them, will guide their day. What begins as a simple ritual gradually becomes a daily necessity. Over time, this practice creates an emotional dependency. So the box, which at first was just another object, becomes an oracle. What no one realizes is that this box possesses neither the wisdom nor the power attributed to it, she explains. According to Siles, the algorithm is still a language. And like all languages, it can reproduce sexist or racist biases. When we talk about the ethics of language, we must also talk about the ethics of algorithms. From Latin America, where digital wounds are compounded by structural ones, Karen Vergara warns that the problem on that side of the map is even more pronounced. Another ethical conflict she observes is excessive complacency. These machine learning models attempt to associate questions, classify them, and, based on all the information, provide the most relevant answer. However, it ignores cultural contexts, mixing academic information with self-help phrases. If we disassociate ourselves from that, its more likely that these types of virtual assistants and chatbots will end up reinforcing only one way of seeing the world, and will give you that false sense of being the only friend who doesnt judge you, Vergara emphasizes. Siles then returns to imagery. She compares human relationships to a forest. If you look at what happens beneath the surface and the earth, there is interconnectedness, and we cant break it; we have to strengthen it. We have to rethink the type of society we have. Regulation, a dilemma In August 2024, Europe crossed a threshold. The European Regulation on Artificial Intelligence entered into force, becoming the first global legal framework for AI. It serves as a reminder to European Union governments that security and fundamental rights are not optional, but it is also an invitation to develop a literacy process. Its implementation is progressive, and in Spain the preliminary draft was given the green light last March. But the political pace doesnt always match the speed of technology, and among those observing the situation with concern is Professor Siles. She is alarmed by the lack of training, institutional neglect, and the carelessness with which some companies deploy models without fully understanding their consequences. How dare we just unleash these systems like that, just to see what happens? she asks. The expert insists that people must be trained so they understand the limits. This view is echoed by Innerarity, who calls for going a step further: we shouldnt discuss regulations without first asking ourselves what were really talking about when we talk about artificial intelligence. What kind of future are our predictive technologies shaping? What do we really mean by intelligence? he asks. For Innerarity, as long as these basic questions arent resolved, any regulation runs the risk of being ineffective. Or, worse, arbitrary. Without understanding, the brakes not only dont work, they dont even make sense, he concludes. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Poker Player Accused of Running Illegal Brothel in Las Vegas Connor Richards Senior Editor U.S. Copy link A Las Vegas poker player is facing charges in Nevada for allegedly running an illegal brothel from her home and laundering money from the operation. Court filings reviewed by PokerNews show that Bing Du was charged on Oct. 15 with six felonies, including earning from a prostitute and encouraging a brothel. Local station KLAS 8 News Now reported that police described Du as a "high-rated poker player" and located her in a poker tournament at a Strip casino. Poker Player Arrested Over Alleged Brothel According to KLAS 8 News Now, Metro police investigating suspected prostitution observed "men arriving at the residence (of Du) and leaving after staying 30 minutes to an hour." An undercover officer was reportedly offered a massage and sex for $200. Police later searched the property in Spring Valley and found various rooms with mattresses and business cards reading, "Asian beauties for discreet gentleman." They also searched the trash and found "large amounts of used condoms" and other evidence that the residence was "operating as an illegal brothel." Charges against poker player Bing Du in Las Vegas Justice Court When police interviewed Du, she denied wrongdoing and said she was paid to "basically turn a blind eye on what the tendants were doing at the residence," KLAS 8 News Now reported. Though police referred to Du as a "high-rated poker player," she only shows $3,771 in Hendon Mob earnings, most recently cashing in a $250 PokerNews Daily Deepstacks event at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Nevada Secretary of State records show Du listed as the managing member of the Las Vegas business "Scooby-Du LLC," which formed in August 2024. Du made an initial court appearance on Oct. 16 and was released after posting bail, according to court filings. Share this article RunGood Poker Series Tunica Stop Will Have $250,000 in Guaranteed Prize Pools Connor Richards Senior Editor U.S. Copy link The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Grand Prix continues throughout the United States and will see the RunGood team headed back to Tunica, Mississippi. The RGPS Grand Prix Horseshoe Tunica stop will take place Nov. 11-16 and will feature 13 ring events and $250,000 in guaranteed prize pools across those six days of action. Action in Tunica will culminate with the $200,000 guaranteed $600 Main Event, which PokerNews will be on-site to live report. Win a Ring in Tunica The stop at Horseshoe Tunica will kick off with a $250 Seniors Ring Event on Nov. 11 and a $250 Series Opener Ring Event that same day, as well as a $200 Old School Table Talk & Guest Bounty NLH Ring Event. One of the highlights of the series is next on Nov. 12 with the $250 DeepStack Ring Event, which has two starting flights and offers a $50,000 guarantee. RGPS Grand Prix Tunica The $600 Main Event will get underway on Nov. 14 and will offer three starting flights before playing to a winner on Nov. 16. That same day, a $400 Black Chip Bounty Ring Event will close out the series. Other highlights of the Tunica stop include a $250 Five Card PLO Ring Event, $250 Big Bet Bounty Ring Event, $300 Ladies Ring Event and $300 Pot Limit Omaha Ring Event. Last Time in Tunica Joshua Butler It was just last month that the RGPS team stopped down in Tunica for a Main Event that drew 627 runners for a prize pool of $326,040. The biggest portion of that went to Joshua Butler, who won the title and $49,282 after a three-way chop with Hamid Izadi (2nd - $40,000) and Chris Kennedy (3rd - $40,000). Also at the final table were Teresa Lammie (9th - $5,992), Dylan Crawford (8th - $7,579) and RunGood crusher Cody Stanford (6th - $12,577), who was after his eighth RGPS ring. 2025 RGPS Grand Prix Tunica Main Event Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Joshua Butler United States $49,282* 2 Hamid Izadi United States $40,000* 3 Chris Kennedy United States $40,000* 4 Jamie Kizer United States $21,897 5 Nathan Morton United States $16,497 6 Cody Stanford United States $12,577 7 Brian Durr United States $9,704 8 Dylan Crawford United States $7,579 9 Teresa Lammie United States $5,992 *Denotes a three-way deal After wrapping up in Tunica, the RunGood team will head to Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa for a stop running Nov. 18-23 that will include a $600 Main Event with a $111,000 guarantee. The full schedule for RGPS Grand Prix Tunica is available in the table below. 2025 RGPS Grand Prix Tunica Schedule Date Time Event Buy-In Monday, November 10, 2025 11:10AM Ultimate Package Milestone Satellite $125 Monday, November 10, 2025 7:10PM Ultimate Package Milestone Satellite $125 Tuesday, November 11, 2025 10:00AM Seniors Ring Event (Ages 50+) $250 Tuesday, November 11, 2025 1:00PM Series Opener Ring Event $250 Tuesday, November 11, 2025 7:00PM Old School Table Talk & Guest Bounty NLH Ring Event $200 Tuesday, November 11, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Ring Event $120 Wednesday, November 12, 2025 12:00PM DeepStack Ring Event FLT A - $50,000 GTD $250 Wednesday, November 12, 2025 3:00PM Five Card PLO Ring Event $200 Wednesday, November 12, 2025 6:00PM DeepStack Ring Event FLT B - $50,000 GTD $250 Wednesday, November 12, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Ring Event $120 Thursday, November 13, 2025 12:00PM DeepStack Day 2 Final Thursday, November 13, 2025 1:00PM One Day NLH Ring Event $300 Thursday, November 13, 2025 7:00PM Big Bet Bounty Ring Event $400 bounties start when players are in the money $250 Thursday, November 13, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Ring Event $120 Friday, November 14, 2025 11:00AM Flip and Go Ring Event Day 2 Friday, November 14, 2025 12:00PM Pot Limit Omaha Ring Event $300 Friday, November 14, 2025 1:00PM Ladies Ring Event $300 Friday, November 14, 2025 2:00PM Turbo Main Event Satellite (1 in 5 Wins a Seat) $145 Friday, November 14, 2025 6:00PM Main Event FLT A - $200,000 GTD $600 Friday, November 14, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Satellite to Main Event (10-handed) $65 Friday, November 14, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Satellite to Main Event (5-handed) $130 Saturday, November 15, 2025 9:00AM Turbo Main Event Satellite (1 in 5 Wins a Seat) $145 Saturday, November 15, 2025 11:00AM Main Event FLT B - $200,000 GTD $600 Saturday, November 15, 2025 3:00PM Turbo Main Event Satellite (1 in 5 Wins a Seat) $145 Saturday, November 15, 2025 6:00PM Main Event FLT C - $200,000 GTD $600 Saturday, November 15, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Satellite to Main Event (10-handed) $65 Saturday, November 15, 2025 On Demand Flip and Go Satellite to Main Event (5-handed) $130 Sunday, November 16, 2025 10:00AM Turbo NLH Ring Event $200 Sunday, November 16, 2025 12:00PM Main Event Day 2 Final Sunday, November 16, 2025 1:00PM Black Chip Bounty Ring Event $400 Share this article Aiken, SC (29801) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 31F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 31F. Winds light and variable. Teri Errico Griffis is the senior business reporter and assistant editor at The Post and Courier, focusing on retail and real estate. An award-winning journalist, she previously worked as a Southeast commerce reporter for the Journal of Commerce and a reporter for the Charleston Regional Business Journal where she covered all facets of business in the Charleston region. Raised in Connecticut and New York, she has called South Carolina home since 2012. The historical significance and global implications of Taiwan's restoration to China 10:54, October 28, 2025 By Wang Yingjin ( People's Daily This year marks the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China. On October 25, 1945, at Taipei's Zhongshan Hall, the representative of the Chinese government solemnly proclaimed that, as of that day, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands had officially been restored to China, and all land, people and administration were put under Chinese sovereignty. This marked the end of half a century of Japanese colonial occupation and the island's return to the embrace of the motherland. For China, Taiwan's restoration extended beyond territorial recovery. It symbolized the Chinese nation's rebirth after a century of humiliation inflicted by foreign aggression. Beginning with the Opium War, China endured repeated incursions and territorial losses. The forced cession of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands following the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 left an indelible scar on the nation's collective memory. Their return in 1945 not only erased the humiliation of the Treaty of Shimonoseki but also marked a significant step toward the restoration of national dignity. Taiwan's restoration was the fruit of the Chinese people's unwavering struggle to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Since ancient times, Taiwan has been an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. In 1895, the Japanese government forced the defeated Qing government to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, placing them under colonial rule for half a century and compromising China's southeastern maritime defenses. The restoration of Taiwan rectified this historical injustice and brought China's territorial sovereignty back to its rightful state. Taiwan's restoration also strengthened Chinese national unity. Despite prolonged occupation, cross-strait bonds endured. During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, more than 50,000 patriotic Taiwanese crossed the Strait to join their compatriots on the Chinese mainland in the fight against the invaders. The solidarity forged in this shared struggle became a powerful source of collective strength, contributing to national defense and postwar reconstruction. From a global perspective, Taiwan's restoration was an important outcome of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist war and an essential component of the postwar international order. It epitomized the triumph of the international anti-fascist united front and recognized China's critical role as the main Eastern battlefield, where it fought for 14 years and made immense sacrifices in defense of human civilization and world peace. Allied support for Taiwan's return to China acknowledged these sacrifices and reflected the anti-fascist coalition's collective will. The postwar international order legally mandated this restoration. Documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, both carrying legal force under international law, explicitly required Taiwan's return to China. The principles enshrined in these documents were later institutionalized through the establishment of the United Nations, built on core notions of "sovereign equality" and "non-interference in internal affairs." Taiwan's restoration served as a tangible manifestation of these principles and the postwar consensus. The restoration of Taiwan also confirmed at the international level the illegitimacy of colonial rule. Together, the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender form a complete legal framework in international law, stipulating that territories seized through aggression must be returned to their rightful owners. This marked a decisive break from the imperialist logic of "might makes right" and helped enshrine a new norm for resolving territorial issues in the postwar world. Today, as the world undergoes profound changes unseen in a century and the situation across the Taiwan Strait grows increasingly complex, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration holds significant practical significance. It is essential to acknowledge the historical importance of this event in the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and its lasting impact on the postwar international order. On the one hand, such commemoration helps evoke the shared historical memory across the Taiwan Strait, strengthen national unity, and consolidate collective strength for national rejuvenation. On the other hand, it serves to reaffirm historical facts and counter the false narrative of the so-called "undetermined status of Taiwan" fabricated through U.S.-Taiwan collusion. For the Chinese nation, Taiwan's restoration stands as unequivocal historical evidence against the separatist fallacies of "Taiwan independence." The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' distortion of textbooks, glorification of Japanese colonial rule, and promotion of "de-Sinicization" represent a deliberate departure from the historical truth of Taiwan's restoration. For the international community, Taiwan's restoration exposes the absurdity of the so-called "undetermined status" narrative. Foundational international legal instruments such as the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation clearly affirm China's sovereignty over Taiwan. Taiwan's return to China in 1945 is an undeniable historical fact. Any attempt to challenge this fact not only denies the victory of World War II but also undermines the integrity of the postwar international order. (Wang Yingjin is the director of the cross-Strait relations research center of the Renmin University of China.) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) Authorities have not confirmed any connection between the corpses due to the difficulty in analyzing the bodies, and to date none have been declared a homicide Houston is facing a growing public safety crisis as more bodies continue to turn up in its bayous. According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, at least 24 people have been found dead in the citys waterways so far this year, nearly triple the nine deaths recorded during the same period in 2023 and the same number as in all of 2024. This increase has fueled theories about a possible serial killer, though police and local officials insist there is no evidence the crimes are connected. Speculation and fear began on September 15, when the body of Jade McKissic, a 20-year-old University of Houston student, was found in Brays Bayou, near the campus. McKissic was a university tour guide and social media editor. An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma or violence, but the cause and manner of her death remain unclear. That same day, the body of Rodney Chatman, a 43-year-old military veteran, was also found in a bayou, a case that remains under investigation. In the following days, another body appeared in White Oak Bayou and three in Buffalo Bayou. Social media posts about a possible serial killer began to multiply. In total, seven bodies were recovered from the canals that month, six of them in less than two weeks. There is no evidence that there is a serial killer loose on the streets of Houston, declared Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat, on September 23. Captain Salam Zia, commander of the city police homicide division, asserted that they could not find typical patterns among the victims. It runs the gamut genders, ethnicities, age range, he said. According to the medical examiner, 15 of the bodies found were African American, six were white, and three were Hispanic. The vast majority were men, and their ages ranged from 14 to 69. Of the 22 deaths recorded by the end of September, the cause of death could only be determined for six: four by drowning, one suicide, and one cardiac death. To date, none have been classified as homicides. Jay Coons, a criminal justice professor at Sam Houston State University, explained to local media that its common for a specific cause to go undetermined when people die in the water. When you put a body in the water evidence can be washed away, but also with our hot, humid environment, pretty quickly the body can putrify to the extent that youre left with very little, he said. He added that evidence is often lost, except in cases with visible injuries. Officials have pointed to several possible causes for whats happening in the city, the heart of the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the United States. Mayor Whitmire, for example, suggested that many of these deaths could be related to homelessness. Unfortunately, the homeless, when they pass, often end up in the bayou, he said. Other theories point to substance abuse, mental health issues, and the condition of these waterways, which run some 2,500 miles through the metropolitan area. On September 30, Councilwoman Letitia Plummer and Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz held a press conference to pressure officials. The less information you give to people, the more people make assumptions, Plummer said. The community, she added, wants more decisive information and in a more timely manner. At the same time, she criticized the mayor for causing more confusion, referring to his theory about homelessness. Meanwhile, Kenneth Cutting Sr., whose 22-year-old son was found dead in Buffalo Bayou last year, expressed frustration after the medical examiner ruled the cause of death undetermined. I dont know if theres a serial killer, but the way theyre handling these bodies is ridiculous, Cutting told local media. Likewise, Xzaviere Chatman, the sister of one of the deceased, said, Something has to be done. Authorities have begun compiling a comprehensive list of people found dead in the citys canals. Several homicide detectives are working with the departments records division to gather information on the matter. City police spokeswoman Jodi Silva recently reiterated that there are no connections between the cases. Theres nothing linking them, and we warn people to be cautious when theyre around the bayou. Dont enter the bayou water. It has fast-moving currents, and there are branches underwater that you can get stuck in, she said. Some city council members have suggested creating a special task force to follow up on the issue. However, authorities have been cautious about taking additional safety measures, as many of the bodies found have not carried signs of violence. Mayor Whitmire, for his part, stated that there is no foolproof measure that can prevent all deaths. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Maddy Quon covers Charleston County for The Post and Courier. Most recently from Tokyo, Japan, Maddy graduated from the University of Mississippi where she studied journalism. Dr. Henrie Monteith Treadwell was the first Black female graduate of the University of South Carolina. Her new memoir discusses her experiences with integration and her career in public health. Mount Pleasant, SC (29464) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High near 55F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 36F. Winds light and variable. The facilities will consist of tents spread across several states and will house 10,000 detainees each, according to CNN The Donald Trump administration is rushing to increase the capacity to house detained migrants and keep pace with the surge in arrests, which has skyrocketed in recent months. To this end, it has turned to the U.S. Navy, thus giving the Armed Forces a new role in its crusade against immigration. According to CNN, the Navy will be responsible for securing contracts to build new detention centers across the country, a task for which the government will allocate $10 billion. One of the problems the administration has encountered in its deportation campaign is that it lacks space for so many detainees. The latest data published, from September, indicates that there are nearly 60,000 detainees, compared to 38,000 a year ago, and detention centers are at maximum capacity. In fact, overcrowding is one of the causes of the inhumane conditions reported by many detainees, in addition to a long list of deficiencies such as poor hygiene, inadequate food, and mistreatment by center staff. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to double its detention capacity to at least 107,000 beds by January 2026. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has struggled to secure contracts to build new facilities, so it has turned to the Navys Supply Systems Command. DHS has been bouncing from one contract vehicle to another, a source told CNN, as contract challenges and delays have plagued the departments efforts. The Department of Defenses involvement is expected to expedite the process. The new detention centers will consist primarily of tents, similar to those deployed at the Fort Bliss military base complex in Texas, which began operating in August. Migrants detained there have reported numerous violations of federal regulations, including medical neglect, poor access to legal assistance, and problems with sanitation facilities. The sources consulted did not specify whether the new centers will be built on existing Navy facilities. Each center has a planned capacity of 10,000 people and will be located in several states: Louisiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Utah, and Kansas. Construction on some of the facilities is scheduled to begin next month, one of the sources familiar with the project told CNN. To facilitate the construction of the new centers, the Navy quietly expanded an existing contracting mechanism in July that had been used primarily to support military operations abroad. It now states that contractors may be required to provide the infrastructure, personnel, services, and/or supplies necessary to provide safe confinement for aliens in the administrative custody of DHS and ICE. When Trump returned to the White House in January, ICE already had one of the largest immigration detention systems in the world, with a capacity for nearly 50,000 people. The magnate immediately announced his intention to double that number. The money will come from an unprecedented $45 billion allocation for the immigration crackdown, approved by Congress as part of the Republicans tax reform. The lack of beds in ICE centers, which have been overwhelmed since Trump returned to the presidency with his promise of the largest deportation in history, has led the agency to also use local jails to detain migrants. Furthermore, closed prisons have reopened. Private prisons The need to increase detention center capacity has produced two winners so far: CoreCivic and GEO Group, the two largest private prison companies in the U.S. CoreCivic reported revenue of $538.2 million in the second quarter of the year, an increase of nearly 10% compared to the same period in 2024. GEO Group, the largest ICE contractor, reported revenue of $636.2 million, a 5% increase compared to last year. Companies have signed contracts with the federal government to add additional beds to existing detention centers, in addition to signing new contracts to reopen dormant facilities. The centers, which were supposed to house criminals, have instead been filled with migrants with no criminal record. The conditions in which migrants are held have been the subject of complaints from both detainees and human rights organizations. So far this year, there have been more than 20 deaths of people in ICE custody. Lack of access to medication, medical neglect, unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and the denial of rights such as access to counsel have been constant experiences reported by detainees. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-28 21:00:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 418 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Exectras, a leading provider of essential business services for small and mid-sized businesses, is proud to announce its new designation as a Preferred Vendor for Chamber Nation, a premier chamber management platform supporting chambers of commerce across North America.SUGAR LAND, TX / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / This strategic partnership empowers chambers within the Chamber Nation network to offer their members a robust suite of high-impact services - at no cost to the chamber - including affordable healthcare, integrated payroll, merchant processing, HR solutions, and more. Exectras and Chamber Nation Exectras and Chamber Nation"We're honored to be a Preferred Vendor by Chamber Nation," said Paul Boggs II, VP Marketing of Exectras. "Our mission is simple: help small and mid-sized businesses thrive by giving them access to the kind of pricing, services, and support typically reserved for large enterprises. Partnering with Chamber Nation allows us to expand that mission nationwide through their trusted network of chambers." Exectras' innovative value-sharing model means chamber members receive real financial benefits, while chambers retain full control of their brand, member relationships, and benefit delivery. There's no cost to the chamber - just added value for members.Through this new partnership, Chamber Nation users and their member businesses will gain exclusive access to:Affordable Healthcare & Benefits PackagesPayroll & HR ServicesPayment Processing with Transparent PricingAccess to Working Capital & Business LoansNational & Local Merchant Discounts"Chamber Nation has built a strong platform that helps chambers grow and retain members through smart technology and strategic partnerships," added Tom Batchelor "We're excited to contribute to that ecosystem by making business essentials more accessible, affordable, and impactful for chamber members." Chambers currently using the Chamber Nation platform can activate Exectras benefits for their members today by visiting https://membermerchantaccount.com About Chamber NationChamber Nation is a leading provider of cloud-based chamber management systems that help chambers of commerce grow, engage, and retain their membership through digital tools, automation, and strategic partnerships.For more information visit www.chambernation.com About ExectrasExectras is a comprehensive service provider based in Houston, Texas, offering small and mid-sized businesses access to top-tier business services, payment solutions, and employee benefits. Exectras is positioned to expand its impact and deliver cutting-edge solutions across industries. Our services aim to reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency, and improve employee well-being.For more information visit www.exectras.com Contact InformationPaul Boggs IIVP Marketing and Creative Directorpboggs@ exectras.com 8885346102Kasey AlexanderVice President of Partner Relationskalexander@ exectras.com 888-534-6102SOURCE: Exectras PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-28 16:02:49 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 296 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / Attorney Advertising Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating Grindr Inc. ("Grindr") (NYSE:GRND) for potential breaches of fiduciary duty on the part of its directors and management. Investors who purchased Grindr and continue to hold to the present are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/GRND Investigation DetailsThe investigation concerns whether Grindr's board of directors breached its fiduciary duties and failed to provide relevant information to its shareholders.Grindr's SEC filings have revealed a proposal to take the Company private that will be put forth by its two majority shareholders. The Company has not indicated that the acceptance of this proposal will require a shareholder vote.What's Next?If you are aware of any facts relating to this investigation or purchased Grindr shares, you can assist this investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/GRND . You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his client relations manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 332-239-2660There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & GrossmanBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.ContactBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Nathan Miller332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-28 07:02:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 396 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 /Southern Energy Corp. ("Southern" or the "Company") (TSXV:SOU)(AIM:SOUC) is pleased to announce that, at its meeting (the "Annual Meeting") of shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders") held yesterday, Shareholders approved the re-election of Bruce Beynon, Ian Atkinson, R. Steven Smith and John Joseph Nally to the Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Company.Former directors Tamara MacDonald and C. Neil Smith did not stand for re-election and have accordingly retired from the Board. The Company's Board and management team would like to sincerely thank Ms. MacDonald and Mr. Smith for their leadership, valuable contributions and dedicated service to Southern over their respective tenures.Mr. Atkinson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated:"On behalf of the Company, I'd like to thank Ms. MacDonald and Mr. Smith for their significant contributions since Southern's recapitalization transaction in 2018. We wish them both every success in their future endeavours." All other items of business put forward to Shareholders at the Annual Meeting were approved. For further details, please review the management information circular of Southern dated September 12, 2025, available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca For further information about Southern, please visit our website at www.southernenergycorp.com or contact:Southern Energy Corp.Ian Atkinson (President and CEO)Calvin Yau (CFO)+1 587 287 5401+1 587 287 5402Strand Hanson Limited - Nominated & Financial AdviserJames Bellman / Rob Patrick / Edward Foulkes+44 (0) 20 7409 3494Tennyson Securities - BrokerPeter Krens / Jason Woollard+44 (0) 20 7186 9033About Southern Energy Corp.Southern Energy Corp. is a natural gas exploration and production company characterized by a stable, low-decline production base, a significant low-risk drilling inventory and strategic access to premium commodity pricing in North America. Southern has a primary focus on acquiring and developing conventional natural gas and light oil resources in the southeast Gulf States of Mississippi, Louisiana, and East Texas. Our management team has a long and successful history working together and have created significant shareholder value through accretive acquisitions, optimization of existing oil and natural gas fields and the utilization of re- development strategies utilizing horizontal drilling and multi-staged fracture completion techniques.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Southern Energy Corp. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday on his social media account X that the U.S. military had launched three extrajudicial attacks on four vessels sailing in the Pacific on Monday. Fourteen people were killed in the operation, and there was one survivor. Hegseth claimed, without providing evidence, that the vessels were transporting drugs and that their crew members, killed in the operation, belonged to designated terrorist organizations. He did not specify which organizations. Including these four vessels, the U.S. military has destroyed 14 boats since early September in a White House-declared war without Congressional approval against Venezuelan, and more recently Colombian, drug traffickers. The operations have so far left 57 civilians dead, with only three survivors reported. Hegseth said that eight narco-terrorists were on the first two vessels attacked at the direction of President Trump. The second attack killed four more people. In the third attack, two crew members died and one survived, and is now in the custody of the Mexican Navy. All of these extrajudicial operations, Hegseth added, were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed. As usual, the message from Hegseth who seems to have taken over Trumps role in announcing these extrajudicial operations on social media included a video labeled declassified. The clip showed three different targets. Two of them were fast-moving boats crossing the ocean. In the opening sequence, two vessels are stationary side by side before a projectile strikes, causing both to explode. Mexicos role Regarding the survivor, Hegseth said that the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols and that Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. That detail suggests that at least that attack occurred off the coast of Mexico. However, sources in the Mexican government said shortly after Hegseths tweet that the U.S. military operation took place in international waters. By saying the four boats belonged to designated terrorist organizations, Hegseth offered clues though no proof about their possible origin. In February, the State Department added the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and six Mexican cartels to its list: Sinaloa, Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Northwest, Gulf, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and the Carteles Unidos. Four years earlier, under U.S. President Joe Biden, two major umbrella groups of the various dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla known as the Estado Mayor Central and the Segunda Marquetalia were added to the list. In addition, since the list was created in 1997, the National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla group formed in the mid-20th century, has been included. The ELN now has such a significant presence in Venezuela due to strong ties with the Nicolas Maduro government that many analysts consider it a binational guerrilla. Hegseth had previously said that an earlier U.S. attack targeted a vessel linked to the ELN. This is not the first time one of these operations has left survivors. A couple of weeks ago, two men an Ecuadorian and a Colombian traveling in a shallow submersible survived after U.S. military missiles struck their boat. They were repatriated, and the Ecuadorian was released by authorities. That incident sparked a clash between Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has in recent weeks condemned attacks that originally targeted Venezuela specifically the Maduro regime. The U.S. president recently called Petro a drug trafficking leader. No one in Washington is trying to hide it anymore: behind the veneer of this drug war, the U.S. government is aiming to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro whom Washington accuses of running a narcostate and force political change in the country. There is a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduros arrest. A couple of days later, after Trump threatened to cut all aid to Colombia and impose tariffs on Bogota that have yet to be implemented, the first attack in the Pacific rather than the Caribbean took place off the Colombian coast. It was followed hours later by another strike in the same area. Before news of Mondays three attacks, the previous strike had occurred last Thursday in international waters of the Caribbean, a return to the original pattern in Trumps offensive against traffickers. The administration has justified the campaign as a war declared against drug trafficking organizations the State Department has listed as terrorist groups. We will hunt and kill them Hegseth ended his message on Tuesday with a warning: The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, were defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them. This rhetoric has led to an unprecedented military buildup. About 10 U.S. warships, including a nuclear submarine, and 10,000 troops have been deployed to the U.S. Southern Commands area of influence. Last Friday, Trump ordered the deployment of the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in his fleet, the USS Gerald Ford, to the Caribbean. The warship, with a crew of more than 5,000 sailors, was in Europe and had just passed through the Strait of Gibraltar at the time of its mobilization. It is expected to arrive in the region early next week. A vote is also pending in the U.S. Senate on a proposal that, if approved, would force Trump who has repeatedly said the United States is ready to move to a ground offensive in Venezuela to abandon his military campaign and scale back the naval deployment. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition PR-Inside.com: 2025-10-28 08:00:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 495 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 As users start moving away from searching for information via Google Search and instead start using AI platforms like ChatGPT, a leading South African digital marketing agency now helps businesses get mentioned recommended by AICAPE TOWN, ZA / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 /Woww, a leading South Africandigital marketing agencythat helps businesses start, grow, and thrive online is now working with brands to help them stand out in AI platforms and LLMs like ChatGPT. Generative Engine Optimization Woww's AI Marketing services for ChatGPTWith a track record of award-winning WordPress websites and results-driven digital marketing, Woww is now pioneering the next frontier of online visibility - helping brands show up in AI Answers across platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and more.As users shift from Googling to asking AI for information, the way businesses get discovered is changing fast.According to a key study by SEO Tool SEMRush, AI Search is set to overtake Google searches by as early as 2028, and with a x4 conversion rate over typical organic search, traffic from AI is emerging as an entirely new but extremely valuable marketing channel.Woww's AI Visibility andGenerative Engine Optimization(GEO) services are designed to keep brands ahead of that change by making sure their products and services are recommended by AI to users.These strategies combine SEO, digital PR, content optimization, and advanced entity-based data structures to ensure businesses are recognised and cited by AI systems as trusted sources.Woww has partnered with top brands across industries - from local e-commerce giants like Takealot to professional services like MediPet and OCFO - helping them improve their visibility across Google, social media, and now AI search.As one of the most highly rated digital marketing agencies in South Africa, Woww offers a full-service team of strategists, designers, developers, and paid marketers, Woww delivers high-impact websites, paid advertising campaigns, and ongoing SEO retainers that work together to drive sustainable growth.The agency's leadership in AI Visibility reflects its mission to "tame the wild wild web" and set the golden standard for leading digital agencies in Africa and attract international clients looking for expert outsourced digital marketing services."We want to help businesses ensure they maintain relevancy in an AI first world. With so many users switching to AI search over traditional search, we see huge opportunity for businesses to leverage AI for increased brand awareness, sales and lead generation". - Felix Norton, founder & CEO at Woww.Woww offers a comprehensive AI Visibility Audit for and AI marketing services for growing SME's and brands that want to understand how visible they are in AI search today - and more importantly what steps they can take to improve their presence in AI platforms like ChatGPT.This new marketing channel outlines opportunities for increased exposure, improved brand authority, and a future-proof strategy that ensures businesses shows up where customers are now searching - inside AI platforms.Contact InformationFelix NortonCEOadmin@ woww.co.za 0216716531SOURCE: Woww Kenyas exquisite little pancake tortoise, locally known as kobe kama chapati, faces extinction due to habitat loss, land clearance for agriculture, poaching for the illegal pet trade and potential impacts from climate change. On 10 August, three suspects were arrested in a sting operation conducted by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers and the police. The suspects were transporting four of these creatures to a buyer at the Marimanti trading centre in Tharaka-Nithi County. The sting operation came in the wake of KWS unveiling a National Recovery and Conservation Action Plan for the Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) in Kenya (2025-2035) on 16 May. These unusually soft-shelled, beautifully patterned, relatively agile animals are endemic to Kenyas arid and semi-arid landscapes, where they can be found in the crevices of rocky outcrops and hills. According to John Wambua, KWS assistant director in charge of the Eastern conservation area, the tortoises habitats are Tharaka-Nithi, Meru, Embu, Samburu, Laikipia, Isiolo, Kitui, Mwingi, Tana River and Marsabit counties. Habitat of the pancake tortoise, Kenya This tortoise species exhibits a low reproductive capacity, with females laying only one egg per clutch per season. Their recruitment rate (the number of new tortoises added to the population, through birth, maturation, or migration) is low. Survival of juveniles in the wild, especially given the numerous egg and juvenile predators present in the animals natural habitat, is also low. The pancake tortoise is red-listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and international trade is restricted under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix I. Despite this, tortoises are still poached and traded illegally in Kenya. Protecting the species is complicated by two challenges. As the map shows, its habitat is widespread and includes community and private lands outside national parks and national reserves, making collaboration with local communities essential for its protection. In addition, national population size estimates, breeding, feeding, movements, home range, genetics and distribution are yet to be fully established to aid conservation planning. Abraham Mugambi, a Marimanti community leader involved in the campaign to save the pancake tortoise, said a group of people from outside the area was responsible for paying desperate youths to poach the tortoises. The community intelligence system, he disclosed, had established that illicit dealers offered almost $100 for one animal. The community is, however, now on high alert. Buyers smuggle the tortoises out of Kenya, primarily to Europe and North America, where the animals exotic characteristics make it a treasured pet in private homes and an addition to zoos. International wildlife trafficking networks also supply exotic meat and pet markets in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia with endangered and threatened species, including the pancake tortoise. To formulate a conservation strategy, KWS partnered with Turtle Survival Alliance through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, National Museums of Kenya and Northern Rangelands Trust to establish the National Pancake Tortoise Technical Steering Committee. Over two years, the committee conducted a baseline study (using data available in the public domain and from the literature), stakeholder mapping and consultations at multiple sites, as well as community and technical validations. This culminated in the 2025-2035 action plan launched by the Tourism and Wildlife Ministry on 16 May. The plan aims to protect and restore vital koppie habitats, train local tortoise guardians to lead conservation efforts, target wildlife trafficking networks, boost scientific research and population tracking, and create eco-tourism opportunities to generate local income. Our young men, elders and women have been taught about the threats the species face and have been informed to alert the chief or elders in case they see any stranger or anyone looking for the tortoises, Mr Mugambi said. Speaking at the launch, KWS Director General Erustus Kanga called on county governments in regions where the tortoise is found to designate protected habitat zones. He asked them to allocate funding for public awareness campaigns and establish county-level wildlife monitoring and enforcement units focused on the species. This action plan isnt just about saving a tortoise, he said. Its about protecting a living emblem of Kenyas natural heritage a species that defies natures norms yet now depends on our protection. With females laying just one egg per year, every individual is critical to the species survival. Peter Nyawira of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy added: Were not just launching a document. Were building a coalition counties, communities, scientists and policymakers for one small tortoise that tells a bigger story about our disappearing drylands. The efforts by KWS and its partners will hopefully usher in a decade of evidence-driven scientific and community understanding of the pancake tortoise and its habitat. The plan should also establish collaborative conservation interventions that work with communities and curb the poaching and illicit trade of the tortoise. The stakeholders involved in implementing the ambitious 10-year plan should raise public awareness on the ecological and tourist value of this unique tortoise. They should mobilise resources from international conservation bodies to support habitat rehabilitation and restoration efforts. Law enforcement agencies need to collaborate with KWS, communities and private landowners to curb the illicit trade in pancake tortoises. Community-embedded intelligence gathering and the speedy prosecution of arrested poachers would boost such efforts. Halkano Wario, East Africa Regional Organised Crime Observatory, ENACT, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Nairobi and Noor Ali, Investigative Journalist ENACT is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Institute for Security Studies in partnership with INTERPOL and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, held a closed-door meeting with the new service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Those at the meeting were the new Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, a general; Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, a major general; Chief of Air Staff, Kennedy Aneke, an air vice marshal; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, a rear admiral. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiendeye, a major general, who retained his position, was also in attendance. They had arrived at the seat of power together in a black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicle at about 4 p.m. The meeting came about four days after they were appointed and lasted for about 40 minutes. The presidency had announced their appointments via a statement on Friday, saying it was a strategic realignment aimed at deepening professionalism, boosting morale, and enhancing inter-agency coordination in national security operations. Meanwhile, details of Mondays meeting were not known as no formal statement was issued. There were, however, speculations that President Tinubu discussed the nations security challenges with them ahead of their formal assumption of their respective positions and confirmation by the Senate. It was gathered that some of the new service chiefs will assume office today (Tuesdsy). A source said the outgoing Chief of Naval Staff, Emmanuel Ogalla, will hand over to Mr Abbas by 8 a.m. today. The outgoing service chiefs were appointed in 2023. The chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has countered reports that foreign investors are frustrated and disappointed by Nigerias new capital gains tax (CGT), describing the claims as misleading and inaccurate. Mr Oyedele stated this on his X handle on Monday, alleging that the media misrepresented both the reform and his recent engagement with investors. Public debate is vital for reform. But debate must be anchored on facts, not misrepresentation, he wrote. The clarification follows recent news that investors are dissatisfied with the Nigerian governments move to implement a 10 per cent tax on shares sold by investors as part of the new Tax Reform Acts coming to force in January, a move seen by some as discouraging for foreign portfolio investments. The reports also suggested that Mr Oyedeles tone during a recent virtual meeting with market stakeholders reflected a socialist stance. In his response, Mr Oyedele said the feedback from meeting participants contradict those views. A total of 281 participants attended the call from more than 10 countries, he said. Contrary to claims of frustration and unease, about 80% of participants who gave feedback after the event rated the engagement 9 or 10 out of 10, with an overall average of 8.6. From the comments, many wished we had more time certainly not the expected reaction of frustrated investors. He said his comments on concentrating tax collection on the top 3 per cent of earners were wrongly interpreted as ideological. Exempting the poor while taxing the wealthy fairly is not socialism; it is progressive taxation, a principle embedded in virtually every advanced economy, he said. Nigerias new capital gains tax, included in the four tax reform bills approved by President Bola Tinubu in June, aims to improve revenue mobilisation and ensure that investors who profit from share sales pay commensurate tax on their net gains based on a certain threshold. The tax exempts share sales valued below N150 million as well as reinvested gains from being levied. Mr Oyedele dismissed insinuations that the new rule will hurt Nigerias investment climate and noted that an absence of CGT doesnt make an economy competitive. The most advanced capital markets, the U.S., U.K., South Africa, among others, apply CGT and remain attractive to investors, while many countries with no CGT lack robust capital markets altogether, he stated. Both local and foreign investors benefit from exemptions based on thresholds and reinvestment. Tax applies only where those thresholds are exceeded without reinvestment. Labelling this as a punitive tax on foreign investors is misleading. He warned against what he described as intentional misreporting by reputable media outlets, saying it could distort public understanding of government policies. It is troubling when reputable outlets amplify misinformation. Professional journalism demands diligence, independent verification of facts, avoidance of anonymous slurs, distinguishing between biased opinion and credible evidence for balanced reporting, he said. According to him, his focus and that of his team remains executing reforms that will make Nigerias tax system simpler, fairer and more supportive of economic growth. The Nigerian governments fiscal reforms, led by Mr Oyedeles committee, are part of efforts to boost non-oil revenue and deepen growth by ridding the economy of obsolete taxes that for years have impeded expansion, especially in the informal sector, which contributes the lions share of the GDP. Armed police officers sealed the Lagos headquarters of Nestoil Limited on Tuesday, following a Federal High Court order authorising First Trustees and its subsidiary, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, to take over the companys assets due to an alleged multibillion-dollar debt default. The enforcement followed a directive issued by Justice D. I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, on 22 October 2025, granting a Mareva injunction against Nestoil Limited and its affiliate, Neconde Energy Limited, as well as their principal promoters, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi and Nnenna Obiejesi. The order, certified by the courts Deputy Chief Registrar, Longs G. Longwa, and addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations), instructed the police to assist court bailiffs and the appointed receiver-manager in enforcing the ruling. Pursuant to the Order of this Honourable Court dated 22 October 2025, you are requested to kindly use your good office to assist the Bailiffs of this Court in executing the attached copy of Court Order, the registrars letter to police authorities stated. Nestoil and a multibillion-dollar debt The court action stemmed from a debt claim by FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited and First Trustees Limited against Nestoil, Neconde Energy, and their directors. The plaintiffs alleged that the companies and their promoters owed more than $1.01 billion and 430 billion as of 30 September 2025, in respect of various credit facilities. Justice Dipeolu granted multiple orders freezing the defendants bank accounts and shares across more than 20 financial and other institutions in Nigeria, including Citibank Nigeria Limited, Central Securities and Clearing Systems PLC, Fidelity Bank PLC, Guaranty Trust Bank PLC, Globus Bank Limited, Keystone Bank Limited, Opay Limited, Polaris Bank Limited, Providus Bank Limited, Stanbic IBTC Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited, Sterling Bank PLC, Titan Trust Bank Limited, Unity Bank PLC, Wema Bank PLC, Gobowen Exploration and Production Limited, Hammako Consortium Limited, Krawcod Properties Limited, Santa Spring Oil and Gas Limited, Marine & Ocean Infinity Nigeria Limited and White Dove Shipping Co. Ltd. The court also authorised Abubakar Sulu-Gambari (SAN), the receiver/manager appointed by the plaintiffs, to take over Nestoils headquarters located at 41/42 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, and other identified assets. In addition to freezing Nestoils assets as well as those of its subsidiaries, the court directed multiple security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Navy, and the State Security Service (SSS), to provide protection and assist in enforcing the takeover. The order also empowered the receiver/manager to assume control of Neconde Energys interests in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42, jointly operated with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its subsidiaries. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and NNPCL were also instructed to grant the receiver access to the oil block and cooperate in managing production and revenue flows. The Federal High Court adjourned the case to 7 November 2025 for the hearing of the substantive motion on notice. As of press time, neither Nestoil nor Mr Azudialu-Obiejesi had publicly commented on the court order or the sealing of the companys premises. BELOW ARE THE ORDERS GRANTED BY THE COURT 1. That Motion Ex-parte dated 15th October, 2025 and filed on 20* October, 2025 succeeds in part, prayers 1 and 2, 4 10 are granted. Prayer 3 is refused. 2. That an Order of Mareva Injunction is hereby made restraining the 1s and 2nd Defendants, their agents and servants from operating, or dealing with the 1 and 2d Defendants funds or shares in the Affected Party, banks or financial Institution within Nigeria, up to the amount claimed by the Plaintiffs/Applicants in the sum of USS1,012,608,386.91 (One Billion Twelve Million Six Hundred and Eight Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty- Six United Stated Dollars Nine One Cents) and NGN430,014,064,380.77 Four Hundred and Thirty Billion Fourteen Million Sixty-Four Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty Naira Seven- Seven kobo being the outstanding indebtedness of the Defendants as of 30th September 2025 in respect of the 1st Defendants indebtedness, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 3. That an Order of Mareva Injunction is hereby made restraining the 3rd and 4th Defendants, their agents and servants from operating, or dealing with their accounts, funds and shares, and in particular, associated with BVN: 22249223297 and 22182186684 in any of the Affected Parties, banks, financial institutions and related companies, up to the sums of: a. NGN366,797,069,094.48 (Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Billion, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Seven Million, and Sixty-Nine Thousand, and Ninety- Four Naira Four Eight Kobo) and US$61,213,667.57 (Sixty-One Million, Two Hundred and Thirteen Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty-Seven United States Dollars Five Seven Cents) being the amount personally guaranteed by the 3rd Defendant for the j$t Defendants indebtedness to Access Bank Ple as of 30h September 2025. b. $152,031,856.21 (One Hundred Fifty-Two Million Thirty-One Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty-Six Dollars and Twenty-One Cents) being the amount personally guaranteed by the 3rd and 4th Defendants for the 15 Defendants indebtedness to First Bank Nigeria Limited as of 30* September 2025; c. N10,430,376,065.92 (Ten Billion, Four Hundred Thirty Million,Three Hundred and Seventy-Six Thousand, and Sixty-Five Naira Ninety-Two Kobo and $213,829,487.61 (Two Hundred Thirteen Million Eight Hundred Twenty-Nine Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-Seven Dollars and Sixty-One Cents) being the amount personally guaranteed by the 3d Defendant for the 1s Defendants indebtedness to Zenith Bank Plc as of 30* September 2025; d. $62,493,290.19 (Sixty-Two Million Four Hundred Ninety-Three Thousand Two Hundred Ninety Dollars and Nineteen Cents) being the amount personally guaranteed by the 3rd Defendant for the 15 Defendants indebtedness to Union Bank Plc as of 30th September 2025. Totaling $485,668,638.83 (Four Hundred Eighty-Five Million Six Hundred Sixty-Eight Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Eight Dollars and Eighty-Three Cents) and N389,926,180,446.69 (Three Hundred and Eighty-Nine Billion, Nine Hundred a n d Twenty-Six Million, One Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty-Six Naira Sixty-Nine Kobo), pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 4. That an order is hereby made granting leave to the Receiver/Manager to take over the 1st Defendants office situate at 41/42, Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State and/or any other asset of the 15 Defendant wherever it may be found within the jurisdiction of this Court, and to preserve all the assets/properties of the 1st Defendant by virtue of the Deed of Appointment dated the 21 of August 2025, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 5. That an order is hereby made granting leave to the Receiver/Manager to take over the 2nd Defendants office situate at 41/42 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos; any other asset of the 2* Defendant wherever it may be found within the jurisdiction of this Court; and/or the 2nd Defendants interest in OML 42 JV by virtue of the Deed of Appointment dated the 21 of August 2025, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 6. That an order is hereby made directing the Inspector General of Police; the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Charge of Lagos (Zone 2); Port Harcourt (Zone 6) and Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (Zone 7), respectively, the Commissioners of Police, Lagos State, Rivers State and the Federal Capital Territory, respectively, and other officers under their control, to provide security and to assist the Receiver/Manager appointed by the 2nd Plaintiff and the Bailiff of this Honourable Court for the purpose of enforcing and executing the Orders made herein regarding all the 15t Defendants assets covered by the Al Assets Debenture and the 2d Defendants assets and/or interest in OML 42 JV stated in the Deed of Charge dated 8th December 2022. 7. That an order is hereby made directing officers of the Nigerian Navy, Directorate of States Security Services, and the Marine Police to render necessary assistance to the 2nd Plaintiff and the Receiver/Manager to take over the 1 Defendants assets and 2nd Defendants stake in OML 42 JV Activities and all the assets herein in the exercise of his functions under the Deeds of Appointment dated 21 August 2025. 8. That an order is hereby made directing the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), NNPC Exploration and Production Limited, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services Limited (formerly National Petroleum Investment Management Services NAPIMS), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to grant Mr. Abubakar Sulu-Gambari SAN, the Receiver/Manager, access to OML 42 (and OML 42 JV); cooperate with the Receiver in the exploitation, production and sale of gas and other hydrocarbons; and cooperate with the Receiver in exercise of the rights and receiving the benefits, interest, claims and proceeds of payment and receivables due from OML 42 JV, OML 42 JV Activities and OML 42 JV Contracts; all in the exercise of his functions under the Deed of Appointment dated 21 August 2025. 9. That an order is hereby made granting leave to the Receiver/Manager to publish the prescribed, statutory and procedural Notices depicting the current status of the and 2nd Defendants (now in receivership) as may be deemed fit in any Daily or Nationally circulated Newspaperin Nigeria. 10. That an order is hereby made directing and/or compelling the Affected Parties harboring the Defendants shares, assets, bonds, funds howsoever described, whether held directly by the Defendants or via proxy, to depose on Oath the shares, assets, investments, sums etc., standing to the credit of the Defendants in their custody within 7 days from being served with a copy of the Order of Court. 11. That the Plaintiffs/Applicants shall file a duly worded undertaking to indemnify the Defendant in the event that this order ought not to have been granted. 12. That case is adjourned to 7ih November, 2025 for hearing of the Motion on Notice. ISSUED AT LAGOS under the seal of this court and the hand of the Presiding Judge this 22nd day of October, 2025. Nigerian lawyers have shed light on the implications of Nnamdi Kanus refusal to enter defence against terrorism charges filed against him by the federal government. Mr Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is being tried at a Federal High Court, Abuja. The IPOB leader has been in detention since he was repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances. He was supposed to begin his defence on Monday after the federal government closed its case against him, but Mr Kanu told the court he would no longer enter defence because he did not see any valid charges against him. Its a risky decision, Lawyers react A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said Mr Kanu was taking a risky gamble, considering that the court had initially dismissed his no-case submission filed by his lawyers. Mr Effiong, in a Facebook post on Monday, said the IPOB leader was no longer in position to contend that he has no case to answer. There are two options that he can explore: either he opens his defence, or he rests his case on the case of the prosecution. He has indicated that he no longer intends to open his defence. However, the law is firmly settled that a defendant has no obligation to prove or establish his or her innocence, he said. Continuing, the lawyer said: Since this defendant, Kanu, had pleaded not guilty to the charges, the court will now have to examine the evidence adduced by the prosecution to see whether the elements of the offences charged have been proven beyond reasonable doubt. The fact that Kanu has elected to pursue his case in this manner is not going to be construed as an admission of guilt. However, the evidence adduced by the prosecution team would be deemed as unchallenged, save for the evidence elicited under cross examination. Mr Effiong stressed that, given the current situation, the court now has the responsibility to make determinations based on the evidence of the prosecution and Mr Kanus statements during cross examinations. I dont know whos advising Kanu, or what his motivation is, but he is taking a very risky decision, the lawyer maintained. Like Mr Effiong, Monday Ubani, said Mr Kanus argument that he has no case to answer is immaterial because the court had ruled against his earlier no-case submission. Mr Ubani, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that the IPOB leaders recent strategy was a wrong procedure in criminal trial. The lawyer further said even if Mr Kanu should file an appeal for his no-case submission, it would not stop his ongoing trial, citing the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015) which provides that appeal on preliminary matter does not stop trial at a lower court. If hes saying that (he has no charges to defend), that means he has adopted a position not to defend himself. That was why the court asked him to put his position in writing because if he makes the mistake of penning this his position in writing to the court, the court will rely on his statement and the evidence of the prosecution to give judgement, he said. His position means that, apart from his cross examination, he has not contradicted the evidence adduced by the prosecution. Mr Ubani corroborated Mr Effiongs position that there are three options available to Mr Kanu in this trial. It is either he relies on evidence of the prosecution, or goes ahead to defend himself by calling witnesses or keeps silent and not defend himself. The court will have to give interpretation to the position hes adopting now, meaning that it is either he doesnt want to defend himself or relying on evidence of the prosecution to give judgement. Whichever case has a grave implication for him, he said. Court may rely on evidence by prosecution Vincent Adodo, another lawyer, told this newspaper that the key implication of Mr Kanus decision not to enter defence was that he has rested his case on that of the prosecution. What that means is that the court is now left with the only option of considering the evidence of the prosecution to see if the ingredients of the offences charged have been proven, Mr Adodo, who is based in Abuja, said. The lawyer argued that Mr Kanus recent claim that he has no charges to defend amounted to going back to what the court had earlier decided on when the IPOB leader had his no-case submission dismissed. The court, knowing the gravity of the decision he has taken, advised him to consult criminal law experts so that he can be properly advised and guided on the implications of the option he has taken, he said. Like I said, it is a risky venture and decision. Background Mr Kanu was first arrested in 2015 under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The IPOB leader was discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in Abuja in 2022, but the Nigerian government blocked his release. The government claimed that he (Kanu) could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if he was released and that his release would cause insecurity in the South-east, where he comes from. They later appealed the court ruling and subsequently obtained a Supreme Court order staying the execution of the court judgement. On 15 December 2023, the Supreme Court reversed the acquittal granted to Mr Kanu by the lower court and consequently ordered continuation of his trial at the Federal High Court Abuja. On 19 June 2025, the Nigerian government closed its case against the IPOB leader after the 5th prosecution witness was led in evidence and cross-examined by Mr Kanus lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja. However, rather than opening his defence, Mr Kanu, through his lawyers, instead filed a no-case submission to seek the dismissal of the charges on the grounds that the evidence presented by the prosecution failed to establish any case against him to warrant him entering any defence. Despite initial opposition by prosecuting lawyers, the court later accepted Mr Kanus application for the no-case submission. But on 26 September, the court dismissed the no-case submission filed by Mr Kanu and ordered him to enter his defence. In a surprise move on 24 October, the Biafra agitator sacked all his lawyers and opted to defend himself before naming top past and serving government officials as witnesses ahead of his planned defence. On Monday, Mr Kanu told the court that he would not enter his defence in the terrorism trial, insisting that there were no valid charges against him. He claimed that he had reviewed the case of the prosecution and found it was not worth defending. But the Judge, James Omotosho, directed Mr Kanu to file a written address to that effect and serve the prosecution. The judge also advised him to consult experts in criminal law on the implications of the decision he had taken before adjourning the trial until 4 November. A former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, has warned against amending the 2023 Electricity Act, emphasising that Nigerias power sector reforms should be allowed to mature before modifications are allowed to be made to them. Mr Amadi, who is the current director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, made the disclosure on Monday at the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Association of Power Generation Companies of Nigeria (APGC) in Abuja. I dont think theres any need to amend the Electricity Act at this stage. We are too quick to tear down what we have built before giving it time to mature. Amendments should come from trial, with evidence and reviews, he said Let us develop the resilience and patience to work through problems rather than constantly changing models, institutions, and laws. The event, themed A Decade of Powering Progress, Driving Nigerias Energy Transformation, assembled stakeholders from across the power sector to deliberate on the achievements and challenges of the industry over the past decade. In 2023, the National Assembly endorsed a constitutional amendment giving states the freedom to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in a departure from a previous law that made such functions the preserve of the Federal Government. President Bola Tinubu approved the law in June 2023. The Act consolidates industry laws, creating a framework to accelerate Nigerias power sector growth, attract private investment and expand electricity access to rural and underserved areas via conventional and renewable energy solutions. In July, the senate set in motion a legislative process to overhaul the act with the passing of the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill 2025 for second reading. The review came just as many states were beginning to set up and operationalise their electricity markets under the new decentralised framework. The focus of the amendment bill, sponsored by Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, was the need to address a lingering crisis in the power sector, which requires the clarification of regulatory roles, tackling vandalism and streamlining governance across the electricity value chain. Mr Abaribe asserted the proposed amendment was a response to the challenges that emerged in the wake of the devolution of generation, distribution and transmission functions to states. Several lawmakers backed the change and demanded more stringent punitive measures to curb electricity theft and sabotage. Mr Amadi stressed that the power sectors challenges should be resolved through gradual revisions, rather than wholesale changes, adding that some provisions of the current law havent been implemented. We should accept that building this electricity market will be a trial-and-error process. We should not be too inoculated around failure. Once we start an experiment, we try to go back again, back and forth. If theres trouble, we should think about revision, not destruction and reconstruction, he said. According to him, the Nigerian electricity sector is overly politicised, leading to knee-jerk reactions that often worsen current problems instead fixing them. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday stated its readiness to lead conversation about religious freedom in the country. The commission also announced that it received 371,622 human rights complaints in September. Speaking during the NHRCs September dashboard presentation, the Executive Secretary of the commission, Tony Ojukwu, cited ongoing controversy over allegation of genocide against Christians in Nigeria. Mr Ojukwu noted that this provides an opportunity for a national conversation about the right to freedom of religion and its role in uniting Nigerians. He said, As Nigerias National Human Rights Institution, we are ready to lead in this conversation, and we call on government, non-state actors, and international development partners to join us in this regard. The NHRC is not unaware of the recent conversations on whether or not there exists a form of religious genocide in Nigeria. We believe that the situation presents an opportunity for national conversation on the normative and legal underpinnings of the right to freedom of religion as the invisible glue that holds the fabrics of Nigeria. Nigeria has recently come under intense scrutiny on the global stage over allegations of religious freedom violations. On that basis, there are calls for the United States government to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. The protagonists cited alleged systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. The Nigerian government, top officials and many respected voices including religious leaders have denied the claim. Although there is widespread insecurity in the country, the government said it does not target religious groups. United States Senator Ted Cruz has moved further to initiate a bill in the US Senate to compel the US government to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). He blamed the Nigerian government for enabling the massacre of Christians. Similarly, a former US mayor, Mike Arnold, published a series of reports that alleged the genocide. The Catholic World Report accepted this conclusion. However, the government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, refuted this claim, describing it as false, baseless, despicable, and divisive. Nigeria was first designated a Country of Particular Concern during the first term of President Donald Trump. But the designation was lifted during the Joe Biden presidency. Other complaints The NHRC also presented its latest monthly chart of human rights violations. It said 3,320 sexual and gender based violence cases in September. The commission also recorded 607 cases of child abandonment, 295 cases of child marriage, 320 cases of child labour and 583 cases of child custody battle. Geopolitically, the North Central recorded the highest number of incidents, 153,967, which Mr Ojukwu linked to banditry, kidnapping, and road accidents. The North-west had 73,167, and North-east, 69,973 followed with cases of terror attacks, abductions, and sexual violence. Mr Ojukwu said that human rights violations in the Southern part of the country were characterised by a mix of domestic violence, police abuses, mob actions, and fatal road accidents. The South-east had 46,409 recorded cases, followed by South-south, 14,144, and lastly South-west with 13,967 cases. The states with the most violations in September are Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi, and Borno, largely due to insecurity, the NHRC said. The NHRC said it included 6,813 investigations in September. Mr Ojukwu lamented that Septembers dashboard reaffirmed that Nigerias human rights challenges remained deeply intertwined with insecurity, weak accountability systems, and social inequalities. Kabiru Turaki, a former minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, on Monday submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to contest for the position of national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The submission is part of the preparations for the partys national convention scheduled for 15 and 16 November 2025 in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Mr Turaki, an indigene of Kebbi State, is believed to have been endorsed by Northern PDP stakeholders as their consensus candidate. He submitted his forms at the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) Secretariat, Legacy House, Abuja and was accompanied by friends and political associates. However, Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State and former minister of foreign affairs, who had also declared interest in the chairmanship race despite the consensus arrangement, was unable to purchase his nomination form. Mr Lamido arrived at the partys headquarters in Abuja on Monday to obtain the form but met no officials to attend to him. His attempt came just hours after the Chairman of the NCOC, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, announced the postponement of the screening exercise for aspirants seeking elective offices ahead of the convention. The screening, initially scheduled for Tuesday, 28 October, was suspended until further notice. Visibly displeased, Mr Lamido told journalists that he would seek legal redress if the party failed to sell the nomination form to him before the convention date. If I am not able to get the form, I will go to court, simple, he said. The opposition PDP, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, is expected to elect a new national chairperson at the convention. With the disagreement among aspirants, the contest may likely spill into the courts, even though the chairmanship position has been retained in the North. During its 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on 25 August at the partys national secretariat in Abuja, the PDP resolved to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, while retaining the position of national chairman for the North. Umar Damagun who is the chairperson of the party is from Yobe State, North-east Nigeria. The zoning decision has received support among party members and leaders, although a few have opposed it, arguing that the presidential ticket should be open to all regions. The disagreement led a group of party members loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to approach the court to stop the planned national convention. However, on 9 October, the Federal High Court in Abuja refused to grant an interim injunction restraining the party from holding both its NEC meeting and the convention. The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has reiterated the need for renewed unified strategy and decisive action from the newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Olufemi Oluyede, a lieutenant general, and the three service chiefs. Mr Badaru gave the charge during the maiden courtesy visit by the service chiefs to the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday in Abuja. This is contained in a statement by the Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media and Publicity, Mati Ali. The other service chiefs are the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas; and Chief of the Air Staff, Sunday Aneke. Mr Ali said the visit underscores the ministers commitment to building a cohesive defence leadership anchored on trust, collaboration, and shared purpose. READ ALSO: Kebbi governor redeploys two commissioners It also kickstarts a renewed drive toward a unified strategy and decisive action in safeguarding Nigerias territorial integrity and national interests under the guidance of President Bola Tinubu, he said. The new service chiefs were appointed last Friday. On Monday, they visited President BolaTinubu, whom they met in a closed-door meeting for about 40 minutes. (NAN) The Republican is dismantling government programs that working families in the United States depend on. Abroad, he is shoring up an administration aligned with his policies Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed In January, Donald Trump opened his inaugural address by promising to put America first daily and usher in a new golden age for American families. Ten months in, Americans are still waiting for the golden age to arrive and reeling from Trump administration policies that have actively made their lives worse. His administrations signature legislation delivers the largest Medicaid cuts in U.S. history, threatening to strip coverage from 15 million people while taking food assistance from children, seniors, and people with disabilities. His erratic trade policy has worsened the cost-of-living crisis, amounting to an average $1,300 tax increase per household this year. And as the Republican shutdown drags on, essential services are halted and paychecks paused for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and the administration plans to cut off food aid funding on November 1. Now, with government operations paralyzed and Americans pocketbooks reeling, the White House has made the extraordinary decision to move forward with a $20 billion bailout for Argentina (plus an additional $20 billion in private loans). Republicans and Democrats alike are asking what, exactly, is America First about sending billions of U.S. dollars abroad while Americans are suffering at home. The irony is especially sharp for U.S. farmers, who have been shut out of Chinas soybean market because of Trumps trade war just as Argentina moves in to fill that gap. While Washington props up Buenos Aires, small-farm bankruptcies here have climbed to a five-year high. During a White House meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei last week, President Trump provided the answer. Asked how the bailout would help the U.S., he replied, Just helping a great philosophy take over a great country. Even Trump knows this deal has nothing to do with helping Americans and everything to do with propping up a political ally. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called Argentina a systemically important ally, but its real importance to this administration is political rather than economic. President Milei has styled himself as an ideological cousin of Trump and Elon Musk, though his campaign of extreme austerity came first. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., this February, Milei presented Musk with a chainsaw to highlight the links between Musks Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and Mileis austerity campaign in Argentina. Like DOGE, Mileis program was billed as a war on waste, but in practice, it became a showy slashing spree that gutted public services while doing little to fix Argentinas deeper economic problems. In the days leading up to Argentinas midterm elections on Sunday, Trump made it clear that he tied the fate of his own political movement to Mileis survival in power, even warning that the United States would not waste our time with Argentina if the ruling coalition failed. With Milei now strengthened after the vote, the administration appears even more emboldened to deepen its support. That motivation behind the bailout should alarm every taxpayer. Using U.S. funds to influence a foreign election is a glaring misuse of public money. This is all the more troubling given that the administration has imposed deep cuts to foreign aid programs that sustain life-saving initiatives in struggling countries. Before the cuts led by DOGE, the global budget of USAID the U.S. governments international development agency stood at about $35 billion, slightly more than what is now being allocated to Argentina alone. Those USAID cuts are estimated to have already caused hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths worldwide. Even the structure of the bailout raises red flags. The Treasury Department is utilizing the Exchange Stabilization Fund, or ESF, to extend a massive line of credit without any conditionality or immediate congressional oversight. Such intervention is almost without precedent. Historically, deployment of the ESF such as for Mexico in 1995 and Asian economies in 1997 came with clear repayment terms and transparency requirements to protect American taxpayers. The Trump administration has disclosed no such safeguards here. This is important, as Argentinas capacity to repay the loan is highly uncertain. The Milei government has been burning through billions in reserves to prop up an overvalued exchange rate a strategy that cannot last, no matter how much it borrows from the United States or other institutions. The Treasury Department owes the public an explanation of what safeguards or repayment terms exist to protect U.S. taxpayers from loss. Thats why, last week, I led 35 of my colleagues in drafting a letter to Secretary Bessent demanding transparency about this deal. We expressed concern over the legality and political motivations behind the bailout and urged the Treasury Department to halt any disbursements until Congress and the public receive real answers. Americans deserve to know why their tax dollars are being used to prop up a foreign government while they struggle at home. So far, the Treasury Department has provided very little information. In response to a letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren seeking oversight of the bailout, Secretary Bessent failed to offer key details and merely insisted that taxpayers would be protected. It was an evasive and, frankly, insulting reply to legitimate questions about a massive commitment of public funds. After the midterm elections, Trump even suggested sending additional support to Argentina if needed. At the same time, Trump claimed that the United States had made a lot of money as a result of the vote in Argentina a comment that raises serious questions about who is really benefiting. Reports show that major U.S. investment firms such as Fidelity, Pimco, and Discovery Capital Management could profit directly from the intervention due to their exposure to Argentine bonds. This only heightens concerns that the bailout is serving Wall Streets interests rather than those of the American public. Trumps promise to put America first has become a hollow slogan. At home, hes dismantling the government programs that working families rely on. Abroad, hes using taxpayer dollars on a risky bailout of a foreign government that shares his politics. If this is his idea of America first, Americans deserve far better. Nydia Velazquez is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Tuesday received 23 abducted persons recently rescued by troops of the Nigerian Army, reaffirming his administrations commitment to rid the state of kidnappers and other criminal elements. The governors Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday. He said the victims were officially handed over to the government during a brief ceremony at the 22 Armoured Brigade Headquarters, Sobi, Ilorin. Mr Ajakaye quoted the governor as commending President Bola Tinubu and the security agencies for their support in securing the release of the victims. We thank God that you were all freed following the pressure from the security forces. We also thank the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Bola Tinubu, for his support and the Nigerian Army and other security agencies working together to achieve this success, Mr AbdulRazaq said. The governor congratulated the victims on their freedom and assured them of government support for their rehabilitation, stressing that the administration would continue to strengthen collaboration with the military and other security agencies. Weve known their plights, and I assure that the government will support them in rehabilitation. The challenges we are going through, I can assure you, are temporary. Like the GoC has said, it is either they (criminals) leave Kwara or they die here. This is a state of harmony, he said. Mr AbdulRazaq appreciated the Army and the new Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Nicholas Rume, for their commitment to restoring peace in the state, pledging sustained government backing for security operations. He announced that forest guards would be deployed once the Army concludes its clearance operations in affected areas to maintain peace and enable the return of farming activities. Mr Rume, in his remarks, lauded the state governments support to the troops and reaffirmed the militarys resolve to eliminate criminal elements across the state. We will continue to do our best until these miscreants leave this area. The General Officer Commanding has given a clear order: It is either the bandits leave Kwara State or they die. That is the only mandate I have, and we will do our best to achieve that, he said. One of the victims, Pastor Obafemi, who shared his experience, described his time in captivity as traumatic and thanked the government and security forces for ensuring their rescue. I thank the governor and the troops for the efforts which led to our rescue. God will give you enablement to press forward in this and overcome the people around us that are tormenting us, he said. The House of Representatives has taken a significant step toward reforming Nigerias fast-growing digital financial sector as it considered the bill to establish the Nigerian Fintech Regulatory Commission (NFRC) for the licensing, supervision, and regulation of fintech companies and their business activities in Nigeria. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Fuad Laguda (APC, Lagos), scaled second reading during Tuesdays plenary. Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Mr Laguda said the legislation seeks to create a statutory body responsible for the licensing, supervision, and regulation of Financial Technology (Fintech) companies and service providers in Nigeria, a move he described as long overdue. According to him, the NFRC will serve as a central authority to regulate, coordinate, and standardise the operations of fintech firms currently operating under multiple regulatory bodies. Currently, Nigeria has no single regulatory authority regulating businesses, practices, and operations of Fintech Operators and Service Providers despite their contributions to national growth and development, he said. He cited data from the African Development Bank, Statista, and Financial Times, noting that between 2020 and 2021, the Nigerian fintech industry raised over $500 million across more than 103 registered startups. The figure rose to $800 million by September 2021, and by 2024, the sector had attracted over $2.2 billion in investments, underscoring the urgent need for dedicated oversight and protection. Mr Laguda explained that the fintech industry is presently regulated by a wide range of agencies including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP). However, he argued that this regulatory overlap has created operational confusion and inefficiency, leaving fintech operators without a unified framework or standard for compliance. Currently, he added, the only recognised body coordinating fintech activities is the Fintech Association of Nigeria, a private-sector initiative without statutory powers. This Bill seeks to establish the Nigerian Fintech Regulatory Commission to establish standards, rules, and codes of practices for Fintech operators in Nigeria, Mr Laguda said. Addressing cyber threats and financial crimes The lawmaker also expressed concern over the rising incidents of cyberattacks, hacking, and online fraud that have plagued fintech companies such as Opay, PalmPay, Moniepoint, and Paystack between 2020 and 2024. He said these challenges could have been mitigated if Nigeria had an independent regulatory authority dedicated to fintech risk management, data protection, and cybersecurity coordination. He further noted that the bill aligns with President Bola Tinubus Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on promoting ease of doing business, digital inclusion, and regulatory reform in the financial technology ecosystem. Mr Laguda said the commission would also provide independent reviews of fintech performance, enhance transparency and accountability, and ensure compliance with financial and data protection laws. This bill aims to support the federal governments efforts to mitigate digital fraudsters, unethical hack, and internet marauders who are negatively disrupting corporate performance, financial activities, and business operations of fintech operators and service providers in Nigeria, he said. Next steps The bill was immediately adopted without debate and the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen who presided over the plenary referred it to the House Committees on Banking Regulations; Digital and Electronic Banking; Science and Technology; and Communications for further legislative scrutiny and input before being presented for a third reading. If passed into law, the Nigerian Fintech Regulatory Commission will become the countrys first independent agency solely responsible for overseeing the fintech ecosystem, a major policy shift in the regulation of Nigerias burgeoning digital financial services industry. Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has threatened to sue the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should the party fail to sell the national chairmanship nomination and expression of interest forms to him. Mr Lamido issued the threat on Monday in Abuja when he visited the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, to obtain the forms, but had yet to be attended to. The former governor aims to contest the national chairperson position at the partys forthcoming convention slated for 15 and 16 November in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. If I am not able to get the form, I will go to court, simple, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the screening of aspirants for the national convention, earlier scheduled for Tuesday, was shifted by the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC). Mr Lamido expressed surprise that the partys National Organising Secretary (NOS), whom he visited at his office to buy the forms, said that he was unaware of who had the forms or how many of the forms had been printed for sale for the positions. When asked if he was aware that the National Organising Committee for the convention was in charge of the sales of forms for the convention and if he had contacted the committee, he said he was unaware. I am not aware of this announcement. Its a family affair. I mean, its entirely for the family. There is no controversy. There is no division. There is no hassle. You know, if you dont get organised, how will you run a political party? So, what they did in terms of the announcement, I have no idea. Ive never heard of it. By tradition, I should know the forms are sold. Thats why I came here (Wadata Plaza). So, if they are being sold somewhere else, then Ill find out where, because they are now under the chairmanship of the National Convention Organising Committee. So, Fintiri is now holding the forms. So, I have to go to Adamawa and buy the form, he queried. He said he was not aware of the endorsement of Kabiru Turaki as the consensus candidate for the national chairmanship position. There was no stakeholders meeting where such a decision was agreed. Consensus? If there are consultations, there can be consensus. But if there are no consultations, then we are not united on board. I mean, the zone where I came from, we never met. We were supposed to meet on Wednesday and the governor of Zamfara booked a hall at Transcorp Hilton Abuja for the North-west stakeholders to meet and come up with some kind of understanding. So, we never met. The zone never met. Thats the problem. But its not the last one, he said. Mr Lamido advised PDP to put its house in order if it must make an impact in future elections. PDP should be able to organise its own house to run the party based on the policies of the party, doing the right thing at all times. The only way we can win is by having a party that is disciplined. If the party is not organised, if we dont follow our own constitution and procedures, how do we win elections? he asked. He also dismissed the allegations that the party governors were not in support of his candidature because of his alleged identification with the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Meanwhile, the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, who were in the office at the time of Mr Lamidos visit, also claimed ignorance of the arrangements for the convention. Mr Anyanwu said he was not aware of the process of the sales of forms, even though he has an ambition to contest the elections, adding that he did not know the number of forms printed for the convention. Mr Bature, on his part, said that though his office was responsible for the sales of forms for the elective office, he was unaware of the printing and sales of the documents. Stakeholders in Nigerias child protection and digital rights sectors have renewed calls for stronger policies to safeguard children from growing risks such as cyberbullying, grooming, and exposure to harmful content in the digital space. They noted that while the internet offers opportunities for learning and innovation, it has also become a platform for exploitation and abuse. The call was made in Abuja on Monday during the Child Online Safety Forum organised by Gatefield in collaboration with Paradigm Initiative and Luminate. The event brought together lawmakers, rights advocates, civil society organisations, and technology experts to discuss legislative action, policy frameworks, and practical solutions for ensuring safer digital spaces for children. Rising threats online Speaking at the forum, Chair of the House Committee on Justice, Olumide Osoba, said the rapid expansion of digital access in Nigeria had exposed children to new and complex forms of abuse. Mr Osoba, who sponsored the Child Online Access Protection Bill (2023), warned that for every child left unprotected, a digital predator succeeds, noting that online abuse often leads to lifelong trauma and, in some cases, a cycle of predatory behaviour. The internet is a powerful tool for learning and innovation, but it has also become a space where children encounter cyberbullying, grooming, identity theft, and exploitation daily, he said He said the proposed bill, which has passed its second reading, seeks to compel internet service providers to restrict access to violent or exploitative content, penalise offenders, and promote digital literacy among parents, teachers, and young people. Mr Osoba explained that the bill had been delayed to align with the newly passed tax legislation to ensure that penalties and levies imposed on service providers are properly harmonised. He assured that the process would now proceed to the public hearing stage Accountability from tech firms In a related call, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) urged technology companies and digital platform operators to prioritise the protection of children over profit by adopting stricter safety measures and accountability systems. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, represented by the Director of Women and Child Protection, Ngozi Okere, said tech firms must implement age-appropriate content filters, effective reporting mechanisms, and stronger privacy protections for young users. Mr Ojukwu disclosed that the Commission had established an automated online reporting platform and a toll-free helpline (6472) to enable victims and parents to report cases of cyberbullying and other online exploitation anonymously. He stressed that technology companies bear both a moral and social responsibility to design digital environments that are safe, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of children. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says over N1 billion has been paid to families of personnel who died and officials who sustained injuries during operations across the country in two years. The Commandant General (CG) of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, disclosed this on Monday in Akure during an operational working visit to the corps command in Ondo State. Mr Audi, who said the payment was based on rank, explained that the compensation was one of the welfare packages arranged by the government under the insurance benefit. So far, within the period of two years, government has paid over N1 billion to our staff as a result of being involved in operational activities nationwide. Some we lost, some were injured to the extent that they had one or two of their limbs amputated And in a bid to compensate them, government approved such funds for the personnel. We give such funds to the deceaseds next of kin and the personnel that survive. Even last month, we paid certain staff shot during operation and many of them are from northeast region. Some of them who had amputation of limbs, either arms or legs, we bought limbs for them, he said. The CG, who said that the corps would not relent in training and retraining of its personnel, said most of the injuries and deaths recorded were due to ambush by armed persons. If you trace the antecedents of ambush worldwide, it always records some casualties. Though we have developed other strategies on how to manage and when we find ourselves in ambush, we know what to do, he said. Mr Audi commended President Bola Tinubu and Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo for the compensation, saying it would go a long way to encourage other personnel to do more for their fathers land. He said that he had visited 29 commands and state formations, saying he was in the state to get acquainted with the personnel by listening and providing solutions to their problems. He, therefore, encouraged the personnel to remain steadfast in spite of their challenges, saying the government would not deprive them of any of their entitlement. Mr Audi said that he was always grieved whenever he lost personnel, while some personnel recently lost in Bayelsa prompted his visitation to the command and others. The visit is to encourage them not to lose hope in providing security and safety to critical national assets and infrastructure, he said. (NAN) Nigeria has entered new partnerships to accelerate digital innovation and expand clean energy following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Government of Denmark in Lagos. The agreement was concluded during the Nordic Nigeria Connect 2025 business forum held on 21 October. In a statement on Tuesday, Bolaji Alonge, Media and Communications Lead for Nordic Nigeria Connect 2025, said the MoU will strengthen Nigerias digital public infrastructure. He said it will also expand innovation financing and improve access to technology skills. Mr Alonge described it as the beginning of a new era of technology-driven partnership between both countries. He added that the cooperation aligns with the President Bola Tinubu administrations plans to stimulate growth and job creation through technology and wider digital connectivity. According to him, the partnership reflects shared priorities to unlock new opportunities for young innovators and drive sustainable development. As part of clean energy commitments announced at the forum, Norwegian renewable energy finance company Empower New Energy signed power support agreements for solar and battery storage projects with Jendol Superstores and local manufacturing firm Jeddy Bolema. The investments are aimed at cutting electricity costs and reducing reliance on diesel generators in commercial operations. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Samuel Egube, said the state is positioning itself as the African launchpad for Nordic innovation a city where sustainable technologies are tested, refined and scaled to reach millions. Finlands Deputy Minister for International Trade, Jarno Syrjala, said the collaboration will prioritise practical outcomes that deepen economic inclusion. Together we can co-create solutions that are not only commercially viable but socially and environmentally impactful, he said. More than 100 companies from Nigeria and the Nordic countries participated in the forum, which explored partnerships in green energy, digital technology, health innovation and sustainable agriculture. The organisers the embassies and trade offices of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden said the 2025 edition reinforces growing public-private collaboration to unlock sustainable development across key sectors. Background PREMIUM TIMES reported earlier that Lagos State has declared readiness to serve as Africas launchpad for Nordic innovation, stressing a shift from invitation to implementation as partnerships with Nordic economies produce tangible results. The forum also featured high-level discussions involving communications minister Bosun Tijani, senior Nordic officials and Lagos government representatives on using innovation to drive shared prosperity. Nigeria and the Nordic region have deepened cooperation in recent years in areas including digital governance, renewable energy, health solutions and sustainable agriculture. President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to screen and confirm the newly appointed service chiefs. The presidents request was conveyed in a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during the plenary on Tuesday. The nominees are Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, a general; Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shaibu, a major general; Chief of Air Staff, Kennedy Aneke, an air vice marshal; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Idi Abbas, a rear admiral. In the letter, President Tinubu explained that the request was made in accordance with Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. After reading the letter, Mr Akpabio referred the request to the Committee of the Whole for consideration, noting that the screening and confirmation of the nominees would take place next week. President Tinubu, on 25 October, announced the appointment of the new service chiefs after relieving their predecessors of their duties. However, he retained the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiendeye, a major general. At the time, the presidency said the shakeup was a strategic realignment aimed at deepening professionalism, boosting morale, and enhancing inter-agency coordination in national security operations. The newly appointed service chiefs met with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, where they reportedly discussed the nations security challenges ahead of their formal assumption of duty and Senate confirmation. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the development comes weeks after the arrest of 16 senior military officers accused of plotting to overthrow the federal government. Although the presidency has not linked the appointments to the alleged coup plot, the timing has drawn significant public attention. The Senate on Tuesday commended President Bola Tinubu for his economic reforms and efforts that led to Nigerias removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The upper chamber also applauded the coordinated efforts of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other relevant agencies for their roles in achieving the milestone. The commendation followed a motion sponsored by Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North), during plenary and unanimously adopted by the senators. Countries placed on the FATF grey list are considered to have deficiencies in combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. Such listing undermines investor confidence, damages a countrys financial reputation, increases borrowing costs, and can even result in the loss of correspondent banking relationships. Nigeria was placed on the FATF grey list in February 2023, a decision authorities described at the time as unfair. However, on 25 October, the global financial watchdog announced Nigerias removal from the list, a development the presidency described as a welcome relief for the nation. The motion While presenting the motion, Mr Udende said Nigerias delisting would ease financial restrictions on domestic institutions, stabilise the national economy, and safeguard the countrys financial independence. He explained that the development enhances Nigerias global standing, strengthens diplomatic and economic relations, and reaffirms the countrys commitment to combating financial crimes. The senator added that the move would promote long-term economic growth by reducing transaction costs, improving access to international credit lines, and enabling deeper integration of Nigerias financial sector into the global economy. Mr Udende urged the Senate to call on relevant regulatory, financial, and law enforcement agencies to sustain compliance with international standards. He also requested the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes to maintain legislative oversight and policy review mechanisms that will further strengthen Nigerias financial governance framework. Debate The motion enjoyed unanimous support from lawmakers, who overwhelmingly endorsed it through a voice vote. Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) praised the EFCC for promoting transparency in Nigerias financial system in the past years and called on colleagues to support the motion. Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South), said the delisting clears Nigeria of suspicions of financing terrorism and money laundering. Mr Ibrahim who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, added that Nigerians would now be able to make legitimate foreign investments and property purchases without facing undue scrutiny. He commended the executive and legislative arms for their roles in achieving the milestone. The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, also hailed the development, noting that it would enhance Nigerias global reputation and attract more foreign investments. He applauded the EFCC, NFIU, and ICPC for their efforts and urged them to maintain the momentum. In his remarks, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, commended President Tinubu and the National Assembly for their contributions to the achievement. He then put the motion to a vote, and it was overwhelmingly adopted by the senators. Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has been barred from entering the United States after the government revoked his visa, a move the celebrated playwright said he does not understand. Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday at Kongis Harvest Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Lagos State, Mr Soyinka said he was unaware of any action that could have prompted the revocation. I have no visa; I am banned, obviously, from the United States. And if you want to see me, you know where to find me, he told journalists, according to The Punch. He added, It is necessary for me to hold this conference so that people in the United States who are expecting me for this event or that event do not waste their time. The US Consulate in Lagos informed him of the revocation in a letter dated 23 October, stating, This letter serves as official notification by the United States Consulate General in Lagos that the non-immigrant visa listed below has been revoked pursuant to the authority contained in the U.S. Department of State regulations. Mr Soyinka, a professor, said he is reflecting on his history with the US to understand the decision. Im still looking into my past history I dont have any past criminal record or even a felony or misdemeanour to qualify for the revocation, he said. The development comes amid recent tightening of US travel policies affecting Nigerians. In July, the US Embassy in Nigeria announced that most non-immigrant visas would become single-entry with a three-month validity, down from five-year, multiple-entry permits. A separate report indicated that the embassy revoked visas of many Nigerian citizens without detailed explanation, citing only that new information became available after the visa was issued. Soyinka once shredded US Green Card But long before the recent visa policy shifts in the US, Mr Soyinka, in 2016 shredded his Green Card that conferred US permanent residency on him. Mr Soyinka took the step because Donald Trump emerged victorious in the 2016 US presidential election to take his first term in office in January 2017. It marked a dramatic turn in the Nobel laureates status in the US. Six days before the election which was held on 8 November 2016, Mr Soyinka, incensed by Mr Trumps eccentric campaign rhetoric and his seeming disregard for some universal values, vowed to give up his US permanent residency status if Mr Trump won. He told some students at the Oxford Universitys Ertegun House that he would stage a US Wolexit, drawing on Brexit that symbolised the United Kingdoms moves to exit the European Union at the time. If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing hell do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, Im not waiting for that, Mr Soyinka said. The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up. Days after Mr Trump won the election, Mr Soyinka insisted he would destroy the US Green Card on his own accord, but would not be railroaded into taking the action. In December 2016, less than a month after Mr Trump won the election, Mr Soyinka announced he had torn his US Green Card. Ive done it, he told channel eNCA when asked if he had followed through on his vow. He also told The Atlantic in January 2017. I dont have strong enough fingers to tear up a Green Card. As long as Trump is in charge, if I absolutely have to visit the United States, I prefer to go in the queue for a regular visa with others. Im no longer part of the society, not even as a resident. Mr Soyinka held a B1/B2 visa, for temporary business or tourism travel. On 9 September, he told TheNEWS/PMNEWS that he received an invitation from the American Consulate sent to Nigerians with B1/B2 visa to appear for a visa reinterview, but vowed not to honour it. He said he initially thought the invitation was advance-fee fraud. I had never received that kind of letter from any embassy. I even thought maybe AI generated it, he told PM News. The Nobel laureate maintained that he enjoyed cordial relations with US diplomatic officials and expressed hope that the situation would be clarified The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed the no-case submission filed by suspended deputy commissioner of police, Abba Kyari, and his two brothers in their trial on non-disclosure of assets and money laundering charges. The court ruled that they have a case to answer and should enter their defence. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) filed the case against him as the first defendant, and his brothers, Mohammed Kyari and Ali Kyari, as the second and third defendants. Trial judge James Omotosho, in his ruling, on Tuesday, held that the NDLEA had established a prima facie case against the defendants to warrant them to enter their defence. Mr Omotosho said the evidence presented by the prosecution provided enough grounds for the trial to continue. The evidence of the prosecution has found sufficient grounds for proceeding with this trial, said the judge. He added that in view of all the exhibits and the evidence of the prosecution, the defendants need to give some explanations in these regards. NDLEA arraigned the Kyari brothers in 2022 on 24 charges of non-disclosure of assets, money laundering and concealment of assets. The agency filed the charges after accusing them of failing to make full disclosure of their assets, disguising ownership of properties, and converting monies traced to them. The agency said the offences violated Section 35 (3)(a) of the NDLEA Act and Section 15 (3)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. It said it uncovered about 14 assets, including shopping malls, estates, farmland and plots of land, allegedly linked to Mr Kyari. NDLEA also claimed that he failed to declare N207 million and 17,598 found in his bank accounts. In July 2023, the trial judge, Mr Omotosho, granted Mr Kyari bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties who must each own property worth at least N25 million within Abuja. The court described the offences as bailable, though the bail was tied to progress in a separate drug-trafficking case before judge Emeka Nwite of the same court. The prosecution had called 10 witnesses and tendered at least 20 exhibits to prove its case. The defendants then entered a no-case submission, arguing that the NDLEA had not established ownership of the said properties. In his written address, Mr Kyaris lawyer, Obinna Onyia, argued that the agency failed to produce evidence proving that his client owned the listed assets. Citing Section 128 of the Evidence Act, he submitted that transactions over state lands can only be proven by production of certified true copies of the title documents, and no other form of evidence is admissible. Ruling In his ruling on Tuesday, the judge said after carefully reviewing the evidence presented by the prosecution, he found that it pointed to the establishment of a prima facie case against the defendants. He explained that a connection of the defendants with the offences, no matter how slight, constituted prima facie evidence, and as such, the defendants are required to enter their defence or offer a rebuttal. He held that the evidence is such that the defendants must proffer some explanation or defence, especially considering the seriousness of the offences as their liberty is at stake. He said the right to defence is a fundamental right under Section 36 of the Constitution, and the defendants must be given an opportunity to defend themselves in line with their constitutional right to fair hearing. Since the defendants have not waived that right, they are hereby called upon to put in their defence, he ruled. He added that establishing a prima facie case does not mean the court found the defendants guilty but only allows them to present their case and address unresolved issues before the courts final decision. The judge said the court would not evaluate the evidence at this stage but would limit itself to determining whether a prima facie case had been made. He also noted that the prosecution still has the duty to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt, as provided under Section 135 (1) of the Evidence Act, 2011. He dismissed the no-case submissions and ordered the defendants to open their defence. He gave the defendants three days to present their defence, and adjourned the matter until 4, 5 and 6 November. NDLEA and Kyari The cases against Abba Kyari, a suspended deputy commissioner of police, stemmed from investigations by the NDLEA in early 2022. The anti-narcotics agency accused Mr Kyari and four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team, ACP Sunday Ubia, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agirigba and Inspector John Nuhu, of dealing in cocaine. It also charged two civilians, Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Enugu airport and later convicted after pleading guilty. NDLEA alleged that the police officers tampered with seized narcotics and attempted to bribe its officials to cover up the deal. The case is before Judge Nwite. While investigating the trafficking case, the NDLEA said it uncovered several assets and funds allegedly linked to Mr Kyari and his associates that were not declared in his official records. This discovery led to the 24 charges filed against Mr Kyari and his two brothers in August 2022. In April this year, Judge Nwite, dismissed the no-case submission filed by Mr Kyari and his co-defendants in the main drug-trafdicking case and ordered them to open their defence. The court already, in June 2022, convicted and sentenced two of their co-defendants who pleaded guilty to the drugs charges. The Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Garba Muhammad, has raised serious concerns over the growing insecurity within the National Assembly complex, warning that the trend poses a direct threat to Nigerias democracy and legislative stability if urgent measures are not taken. Mr Muhammad made the remarks in his opening speech on Tuesday during a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish a Legislative Security Directorate, a proposed independent security framework to professionalise and strengthen internal security operations in the National Assembly. The bill, titled A Bill for an Act to provide for the Establishment and the Functions of the Legislative Security Directorate in the National Assembly; to provide for the Qualification and Condition of Service of the Sergeant-at-Arms and other Personnel of the Directorate, is being considered by the House Committee on Internal Security. Speaking to a hall filled with lawmakers, security experts, representatives from the Sergeant-at-Arms office, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders, Mr Muhammad painted a vivid picture of how the legislature has become increasingly vulnerable to threats that range from petty theft to potential terrorist attacks. According to Mr Muhammad, the National Assembly, being an open institution that receives legislators, staff, executive officials, members of the judiciary, civil society organisations, journalists, protesters, and visitors daily, has become a prime target for criminal elements seeking to exploit the large influx of people. The National Assembly is going through a lot of security challenges, he lamented. We have experienced car thefts, motorcycle thefts, vandalism, fake identity cards, unwanted visitors accessing the complex without documentation, and petty trading that makes the National Assembly look like a small market. He further revealed that the legislature has received direct threats from terrorists planning to bomb the complex, as well as from protesters threatening to lock up the National Assembly. Legislators are exposed to threats from constituents and other individuals who gain easy access to their offices without formal appointments, he added. Mr Muhammad warned that if these security lapses persist without a coordinated and institutionalised response, Nigerias legislative process could be severely disrupted. If proper measures are not taken, legislative activities in the National Assembly could be truncated, he warned. And if that happens, there will be no representation, no oversight, no annual budget, no plenary at all and that will destabilise democracy and the stability of the nation at large. The lawmaker emphasised that effective security management within the legislature demands a total approach, one that integrates intelligence, technology, personnel training, and standardised procedures tailored to the unique environment of a parliamentary institution. Mr Muhammad described the proposed Legislative Security Directorate as a crucial step toward adopting global best practices in parliamentary security management. The Directorate, once established, will professionalise the role of the Sergeant-at-Arms and introduce clear qualifications, training standards, and operational guidelines for security personnel assigned to the National Assembly. This bill is very important because it seeks to address all the challenges as aforesaid and adopt world best practices of parliamentary security procedures and architecture, he stated. The move, according to him, is also meant to strike a delicate balance between accessibility and protection, ensuring that the National Assembly remains open and people-oriented without compromising the safety of lawmakers, staff, visitors, and public property. Mr Muhammad urged state Houses of Assembly across the country to emulate the federal legislatures effort by instituting similar security reforms within their own complexes. The need for effective security measures in the National Assembly cannot be overemphasized because Parliament must remain accessible to the public to uphold democratic values, he said. However, this bill is committed to ensuring the best security architecture in the National Assembly, to protect legislators, staff, visitors, and property. I also want to admonish our States Houses of Assembly to imbibe the same. A troubled history of security lapses The proposed bill comes at a time when insecurity remains a pervasive issue across the country, from cases of insurgency and terrorism to kidnappings and organised crime and when public institutions are increasingly under scrutiny for their vulnerability. The National Assembly, being the symbolic and operational nerve centre of Nigerias democracy, has not been spared. In April 2018, suspected political thugs stormed the Senate chamber and snatched the mace, the symbol of legislative authority, in an audacious daylight attack. Similarly, a PREMIUM TIMES special investigation published in 2025 revealed how criminals were stealing manhole covers and vandalising critical infrastructure within the National Assembly complex, a breach that security officers described as both embarrassing and dangerous. In June 2025, there was also a report of a disturbing incident where a decomposing body was found inside a vehicle parked within the Assembly premises, an event that shocked staff and lawmakers alike, again raising questions about access control and surveillance. If the bill is passed, it will not only redefine the security operations within Nigerias Parliament but may also serve as a model for other democratic institutions across Africa struggling to maintain openness in the face of rising insecurity. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has denied issuing directive on subject combinations for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). In a statement by its spokesperson, Moyosola Adeshina, WAEC said that the regulation of curriculum and subject combinations is purely under the purview of the Nigerian government and not WAEC. WAECs statement followed online publications that suggested that the examination body introduced a new subject combination that limits science and art students from taking Economics in the WASSCE. However, the examination body denied this, saying it is only an assessment body whose work follows the government regulations. WAEC hereby affirms that the council did not issue any such directive(s) nor restrict the choice of students to offer any particular subject(s) for WASSCE (SC) 2026 as alleged, the statement said. As a law-abiding organisation, WAEC operates strictly within the established legal and operational frameworks of its host country. The statement said the introduction or modification of any curriculum in Nigeria is dependent on the Nigerian government. We emphasise that changes in the Curriculum are not implemented arbitrarily by the council, but by following due process as mandated by the federal government, it added. New curriculum PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Nigerian government introduced a new curriculum for basic and secondary schools, mandating students to take at least one trade subject. The curriculum, developed by the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council (NERDC), introduced trade subjects such as: Solar Photovoltaic installation and maintenance, Fashion design and garment making, Livestock farming, Beauty and cosmetology, Computer hardware and GSM repairs, Horticulture and crop production. The government has also said candidates seeking admission into the Faculties of Arts in Nigerian universities no longer need to pass Mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). The narrative we must embrace is simple, clear, and unyielding: the final victory, cemented by the UK Supreme Courts ruling, belongs squarely to the EFCC, led by the determined Magu, and ably supported by dedicated officers like Sanga, Babangida, Abba and co., coupled with the decisive financial and legal fortitude from Governor Emefiele and Kofo Abdulsalam at the CBN. They were the torchbearers of integrity. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr. The finality of the UK Supreme Courts decision on the P&ID case insisting that the fraudulent firm should cough up 44 million in legal costs is more than a legal victory; it is a profound moral vindication for a nation facing humiliation. As reported by ThisDay Live and NTA on 23rd October, the ruling against P&ID marked the final, emphatic period on a decade of brazen deceit, manipulation, and high-level sabotage that plagued the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Yet, lets be crystal clear: this victory was not the expected product of a unified, functioning government effort. On the contrary, it was the effort of a few dedicated, tenacious individuals who dared to fight corruption, even as their own colleagues in high places played the part of willing saboteurs. The narrative of countering this economy-threatening fraud, an $11 billion scheme that could have crippled our nation, has a cast of heroes whose names, though I know they dont want to be mentioned, deserve to be etched in the annals of national service. They are the ones who refused to be pacified or corrupted, as emphasised in an earlier article, which called for a cessation of the practice of pacifying the villains and neglecting the heroes. Its time we finally acknowledged the true architects of this survival. The Uncompromising Vanguard: EFCCs Daring Role The battle began not in London, but with the unwavering efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), then under the leadership of Chairman Ibrahim Mustapha Magu. While others equivocated, offered excuses, or, worse, actively undermined the states efforts, Magu and his team executed the crucial leg work that ultimately saved the nation. Magus tenacity was not just commendable; it was legendary and necessary. He found indispensable allies in officers like Bala Sanga, Umar Babangida Abba (SAN) and other members of the team. Other silent officers may have also provided support. These men and their colleagues risked their careers and personal safety to dig up the dirt that exposed P&IDs operation as a colossal fraud. They werent simply fighting against a typical commercial dispute; they were fighting a well-funded, international syndicate with deeply entrenched local connections, which were ready to compromise Nigerias sovereign integrity. This was the work of true crime fighters, a demonstration of courage and patriotism that far outstripped the tepid, half-hearted, or actively detrimental actions of officials from other organisations. The intelligence painstakingly gathered by the EFCC detailing the corrupt payments and the genesis of the fraud became the very bedrock of Nigerias successful challenge in the English courts. Their evidence, quite literally, blew the fraudulent arbitral award to pieces. While other agencies were reportedly paralysed by indecision or engaged in internal wrangling that served P&IDs agenda, Emefieles timely and strategic financial backing was the absolute game-changer. The staggering costs of a long trial in the UK High Court could not wait for bureaucratic delays or, worse, sabotage from within the system. The Financial Pillar and Legal Fortitude: CBNs Crucial Support A legal battle of this magnitude fought on foreign soil, against a well-bankrolled, ruthlessly aggressive firm with top-tier international lawyers and local collaborators requires immense and immediate financial firepower denominated in foreign currency. This critical lifeline was provided by the then Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. Yes, the same Emefiele that is now being prosecuted largely because of his political misadventure. If it were for corruption alone, there are others who were much worse than him. The necessary political backing had come from the then Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari. While other agencies were reportedly paralysed by indecision or engaged in internal wrangling that served P&IDs agenda, Emefieles timely and strategic financial backing was the absolute game-changer. The staggering costs of a long trial in the UK High Court could not wait for bureaucratic delays or, worse, sabotage from within the system. Crucially, the CBN, under the expert guidance of its then Director of Legal Services, Kofo Abdulsalam, provided both the necessary foreign exchange funds and the vital strategic legal counsel. It was the CBNs decisive and quick action on the financial front that ensured Nigeria could retain the top-flight, globally respected legal representation necessary to articulate the EFCCs unearthed evidence with professional competence. Had this funding been delayed or denied, P&ID would have secured a default judgment, our national assets would have been forfeited, and the nation would have crumbled under the weight of the award. It takes a special kind of villainy to be in a position of authority and actively or passively aid an entity trying to defraud your country of $11 billion! These individuals were not merely incompetent; they were, in effect, saboteurs of the highest order. They created a hostile and toxic environment for dedicated patriots, like Magu and his team, and their actions made the eventual victory exponentially harder and more expensive. The Obstructionists and Saboteurs: Aiding the Enemy Within The failure and, in many instances, outright sabotage came from agencies that should have been Nigerias most fervent defenders, but it was the coordinated effort between the EFCC and CBN that saved the day. The stark truth is that a host of actors, particularly those within the leading Ministry and various shadowy figures in the Villa, seemed intent on either paralysing the states defence or actively benefiting from its potential failure. They stalled crucial legal filings, compromised strategic plans, and prioritised personal or parochial interests over the fate of the nation. It takes a special kind of villainy to be in a position of authority and actively or passively aid an entity trying to defraud your country of $11 billion! These individuals were not merely incompetent; they were, in effect, saboteurs of the highest order. They created a hostile and toxic environment for dedicated patriots, like Magu and his team, and their actions made the eventual victory exponentially harder and more expensive. The fact that Nigeria was able to win in spite of its own high-ranking officials, is a damning indictment of the rot at the core of our governance. The narrative we must embrace is simple, clear, and unyielding: the final victory, cemented by the UK Supreme Courts ruling, belongs squarely to the EFCC, led by the determined Magu, and ably supported by dedicated officers like Sanga, Babangida, Abba and co., coupled with the decisive financial and legal fortitude from Governor Emefiele and Kofo Abdulsalam at the CBN. They were the torchbearers of integrity. Everyone else, particularly those who dragged their feet, obstructed justice, or created a climate of fear and confusion, must be seen for what they truly were: the domestic enablers of an international fraud. Our nation owes its financial survival not to the often-mentioned, and often-failing, system, but to the audacity of these few true patriots. Nigeria must not only remember those who are its heroes, but must honour and protect them. Umar Yakubu is the Executive Director of Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity. Nigerias removal from the FATF Grey List is more than a technical achievement; it is a national statement. It reflects the countrys ability to align with international best practices, rebuild global confidence, and demonstrate institutional maturity. Nigerias recent removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List marks a defining moment in the nations economic and regulatory journey. More than a bureaucratic success, it symbolises restored confidence in the countrys financial governance and a renewed global trust in its ability to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. For years, Nigeria has worked quietly but determinedly to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) framework. The delisting, announced on 24 October, is not just the outcome of policy reforms; it is the culmination of painstaking institutional collaboration, legal refinement, and regulatory courage. The FATF, an intergovernmental body established to set global standards for preventing money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, places countries on its grey list when they exhibit strategic deficiencies in these areas. Such countries are not sanctioned, but they are subjected to increased monitoring and must demonstrate tangible improvements within a defined period. Being on the grey list carries a heavy price. It dampens investor confidence, triggers additional scrutiny on international transactions, and makes cross-border financial operations cumbersome. For developing economies like Nigeria, greylisting can stifle foreign direct investment, limit access to global financial systems, and weaken business confidence. Nigerias exit from the list is an affirmation of the progress made. It reflects the determination of institutions like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to restore integrity to the financial system. It also underscores the essential role of the legal community and private sector actors who have worked, often behind the scenes, to ensure compliance with global standards. This milestone, however, extends beyond compliance. It signals a turning point for the Nigerian economy, governance, and legal practice, reminding professionals that transparency and due diligence are now at the heart of sustainable growth and global credibility. How Nigeria Earned Its Way Off the Grey List Nigerias journey toward delisting was anything but easy. After being placed on the FATF Grey List in February 2023, the country was required to address key weaknesses in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime. The identified gaps included limited regulatory enforcement, insufficient transparency in beneficial ownership, and weak coordination among financial and enforcement agencies. Recognising the urgency, the Nigerian government mobilised a comprehensive response. The NFIU coordinated a wide network of institutions, including the EFCC, CBN, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Department of State Services (DSS), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to execute FATFs recommended action plan. Together, these agencies introduced reforms that tightened regulatory frameworks, enhanced information sharing, and improved the prosecution of financial crimes. There was also a deliberate push toward greater transparency in corporate ownership structures and enhanced risk-based supervision across financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses. For the legal community, the development presents both an opportunity and responsibility. Lawyers and law firms now have an expanded role, not only in ensuring compliance within their practices but also in advising clients on complex regulatory obligations. The NBAs ongoing work through the Anti-Money Laundering Committee remains critical in fostering a culture of integrity within the profession. The banking sector was particularly instrumental. Under the CBNs guidance, banks upgraded their compliance frameworks, strengthened Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, and implemented advanced transaction monitoring systems. Compliance units were reinforced, beneficial ownership verification was improved, and correspondent banking relationships were stabilized. These reforms gave global partners renewed confidence in Nigerias financial institutions. The legal sector also played a crucial role. Through the Nigerian Bar Associations Anti-Money Laundering Committee (NBA-AMLC), lawyers championed awareness campaigns, compliance training, and advisory support for clients navigating complex AML/CFT obligations. Law firms began integrating compliance reviews and due diligence as standard parts of their client services, aligning legal practice with evolving international standards. By 2025, these collective efforts bore fruit. The FATF acknowledged Nigerias substantial progress in implementing its action plan and strengthening its institutional frameworks. The October 2025 delisting thus stands as a recognition of the nations commitment to reform and the synergy between its public and private sectors. Why This Matters for the Economy and Global Reputation Greylisting took its toll on Nigerias economy. During that period, international investors and financial institutions approached Nigerian transactions with caution. Cross-border trade faced delays, investment inflows slowed, and businesses dependent on global partnerships grappled with compliance bottlenecks. Now, the story has changed. Nigerias removal from the FATF Grey List restores confidence in the countrys financial stability and regulatory credibility. For investors, it is a signal that the country has strengthened its systems and is serious about accountability and transparency. For international lenders and development partners, it represents a safer environment for collaboration. The banking sector, which bore much of the reputational strain, stands to benefit the most. With reduced scrutiny, banks can now engage more seamlessly in international transactions, rebuild correspondent relationships, and attract fresh investment. Liquidity, transaction efficiency, and cross-border partnerships are expected to improve significantly. Yet, delisting also raises the bar. Nigerian banks must sustain the progress made, while ensuring that compliance remains part of their institutional DNA. The global financial environment is unforgiving of regression, and any lapse could undo years of progress. For the legal community, the development presents both an opportunity and responsibility. Lawyers and law firms now have an expanded role, not only in ensuring compliance within their practices but also in advising clients on complex regulatory obligations. The NBAs ongoing work through the Anti-Money Laundering Committee remains critical in fostering a culture of integrity within the profession. the lesson from this achievement is clear: reforms must endure. The true test of progress lies in the ability to sustain integrity even when external pressure fades. If Nigeria continues on this path, strengthening institutions, promoting accountability, and encouraging professional ethics, it can transform this victory into a long-term foundation for economic growth and good governance. More broadly, Nigerian businesses can look forward to smoother international dealings. Exporters, importers, fintech companies, and SMEs involved in cross-border trade will face fewer compliance delays. The perception of Nigeria as a high-risk jurisdiction will fade, making it easier to attract partners, investors, and collaborators. Beyond the numbers, Nigerias exit from the grey list improves the nations global image. It positions the country as a credible player in international finance; one that takes its reform commitments seriously. This perception is invaluable. In global diplomacy and trade, trust is currency, and Nigeria has just earned back a measure of it. Sustaining the Momentum While the delisting is a milestone, it is not the finish line. FATFs post-monitoring framework ensures that Nigerias progress will continue to be assessed. Sustaining compliance will require consistency, transparency, and vigilance from both the government and the private sector. For businesses, this means maintaining high compliance standards, robust KYC systems, accurate record-keeping, and proactive reporting mechanisms. Sectors such as real estate, financial technology, and legal services, which are particularly vulnerable to money laundering, must take compliance even more seriously. For professionals like lawyers, accountants, and other financial advisers, the new environment calls for continuous education and ethical commitment. Compliance is not just a regulatory requirement; it is now a measure of credibility and competitiveness. Clients, investors, and regulators alike will increasingly reward firms that demonstrate integrity and foresight. A Defining Moment for Nigeria Nigerias removal from the FATF Grey List is more than a technical achievement; it is a national statement. It reflects the countrys ability to align with international best practices, rebuild global confidence, and demonstrate institutional maturity. But the lesson from this achievement is clear: reforms must endure. The true test of progress lies in the ability to sustain integrity even when external pressure fades. If Nigeria continues on this path, strengthening institutions, promoting accountability, and encouraging professional ethics, it can transform this victory into a long-term foundation for economic growth and good governance. For now, Nigeria has sent a clear message to the world: the era of complacency is over, and the journey toward sustained financial integrity has truly begun. Oyetola Muyiwa Atoyebi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Arbitrators (UK), writes from Abuja. The administration will probably make some overtures to Africa; as it did in the first term. It will probably keep the Presidential Council on Doing Business in Africa largely as a gesture to the American business community. But most of the administrations overtures are likely to be largely performative or transactional like Trumps unfocused August White House meeting with the leaders of four small West African states or his efforts to pressure African governments to take some of Americas immigrant deportees. Donald Trump is bad news for Africa. He was tough on Africa in his first term, and after nine months, his second term is shaping up to be much worse. Trumps America First policies of high tariffs and economic protectionism, restrictive immigration procedures, open hostility to international organisations and assault on development assistance agencies, are at variance with African views and interest. Trumps policies are undermining relations with Africa, especially with important states like Nigeria and South Africa. His negative attitude toward Africa will have a long-term impact on Washingtons future engagement with the continent, and his regressive policies will expand opportunities for China and Russia to make greater economic and political inroads with African leaders. As Washington pulls back, Turkey, India and the oil rich Gulf Arab states are also expanding their economic and political reach and influence. The administrations disinterest in the promotion of democracy, human rights and fair elections abroad will also embolden Africas authoritarian leaders and military rulers, accelerating democratic backsliding and weakening the continents fragile democratic institutions. As the United States turns its back on Africa, the continents leaders are stepping up pan-African economic and political cooperation and building stronger ties with other transregional organisations like the BRICS, the G77 and the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). African leaders are also exerting greater pressure on global institutions to reform and include more African leadership and policy recommendations. Trumps First Term Damage Trump has never taken Africa seriously. He didnt travel to Africa during his first term, and he notoriously disparaged African countries, criticising them in crude and vulgar language. He met in the White House with only two African presidents, and over four years he implemented a series of policies that had a profoundly negative impact on Africans. Travel Restrictions During his first week in office in 2017, President Trump signed the infamous Muslim Travel Ban, an Executive Order prohibiting citizens of seven predominantly Muslim states from coming into the United States. Three of those states were in Africa: Libya, Sudan, and Somalia. The order was an early indication of the administrations disdain towards Africa, where Islam is the fastest growing religion and over half of the continents population is Muslim. Although US courts forced the administration to restructure its travel ban, the revised travel restrictions were extended to thirteen countries, with Nigeria among those added to the list. The restrictions on Africas most populous country were especially punitive cutting off the issuance of immigrant visas and prohibiting Nigerians from participating in the popular global immigrant visa lottery programme. Attack on Key UN Organisations Trumps visa ban was followed by an assault on several United Nations organisations with significant Africa programmes. The administration pulled out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2020, reversing a US pledge of $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, a third of which would have gone to Africa. According to the UN, Africa is impacted by climate change more than any other region of the world. The Climate Fund would have provided much needed financial assistance to help Africa address climate shocks and to transition from fossil fuels to renewables. The first Trump administration also took aim at the World Health Organisation (WHO), the largest international provider of health care services to Africa and a key partner in addressing the continents health challenges. Angered by the WHOs position on the origins of the COVID virus, the administration pulled back its support for the WHO and set in motion the process to formally withdraw from the organisation. In addition, the Trump administration pulled out of UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council, criticising both organisations for supporting programmes and countries inimical to American interests. He also sought, with mixed results, to reduce the US contributions to the UNs operating budget and to cut one billion dollars from the UN peacekeeping account. Although the animosity towards the UN had global implications, his policies probably hurt Africa more than any other region, given the continents dependence on the organisations programmes in health care, development, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping. Key Programmes that Remained Under Trump One Are Now Under Threat Many of the most important bilateral and multilateral US programmes with Africa survived during Trumps first term, and some of his egregious policies were reversed by the Biden administration. But in the first nine months of his second term, the administration has taken a sledgehammer to virtually every major programme directed toward Africa. And more are probably under threat. Although backed in many cases by strong bipartisan Congressional support, the administration has eliminated: PEPFAR , the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an extraordinary initiative launched by President Bush that has saved twenty-six million lives, most of them in Africa; , the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an extraordinary initiative launched by President Bush that has saved twenty-six million lives, most of them in Africa; Power Africa which has connected over 74 million Africans to electricity on the worlds most power challenged continent; which has connected over 74 million Africans to electricity on the worlds most power challenged continent; Feed the Future , which was designed to help create a green agricultural revolution in Africa; , which was designed to help create a green agricultural revolution in Africa; Prosper Africa , a major trade and investment initiative designed to promote two-way trade between the US and Africa and to counter Chinas Belt and Road Initiative; , a major trade and investment initiative designed to promote two-way trade between the US and Africa and to counter Chinas Belt and Road Initiative; African Development Foundation (ADF), which provides development assistance to Africas most marginalised communities; and (ADF), which provides development assistance to Africas most marginalised communities; and Young Africa Leaders Initiative (YALI), an Obama era initiative to connect with Africas youthful population, the fastest growing in the world. In addition, a wide range of Africa-focused development programmes administered and funded by USAID were eliminated with the administrations shuttering of that organisation in early February. And half of the grant programmes run by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC), both established under Republican administrations, have been hobbled by staff reductions and programme closures. MCC infrastructure projects in several African countries, including Senegal, Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania, have been cancelled. MCC and IFC were two of the most effective programmes in countering Chinas Belt and Road initiative in Africa. The Next Four Years In the weeks and months ahead, the administration will probably eliminate many of the remaining government programmes that have generated goodwill and fostered positive relations with African nations. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the centrepiece of US-Africa trade relations for over two decades, is in serious jeopardy. The legislation, which allowed duty free access for most African products, expired on 30 September, but AGOA supporters hope it will be renewed for one year, and possibly updated and extended for much longer. Unfortunately, however, the prospects for AGOAs long term renewal and reform are not encouraging. AGOA is inconsistent with Trumps views on tariffs and trade, and the administration has already slapped duties of ten per cent or more on products coming in from Africa. The loss of AGOA will have a crippling impact on imports from several African countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Lesotho and Mauritius. South Africa, which is Africas largest recipient of AGOA benefits, has already come under heavy political criticism from the White House, and the administration has shown little interest in cooperating with South Africa on G20 transition issues. The administration may well [will probably] reduce Americas diplomatic, consular and commercial services across the continent, closing several consulates and smaller embassies and consolidating visa issuances, requiring more African citizens to travel to neighbouring countries for visa and consular services. The State Department has already terminated all visa services in nine of Africas fifty-four countries, including Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe. US embassies in Africa are understaffed and the loss of positions at the State Department and administration budget cuts may well lead to the closure of some embassies in smaller countries. In Washington, the survival of the State Departments Bureau of African Affairs as an independent division, is under threat. The Bureau has been without an Assistant Secretary since the beginning of the administration, and there has been reporting that the Bureau may be downsized or integrated into the Departments Middle East Bureau. Downgrading has already taken place at the White House, where the Africa Desk at the National Security Council has been reduced in staff and merged into the Middle East and North Africa office. On the economic side, as the administration continues to cut domestic budgets and foreign assistance, it could cut funding for the African Development Bank; stop further support and lending to the African Finance Corporation; and redirect some of the support to the World Bank and the IMF away from African projects and loans in the same manner as it has withdrawn support from United Nations programmes and activities. In the military and political sphere, the administration is likely to recognise the Somaliland Republic and set up a small diplomatic mission in Hargeisa, a position long advocated by some individuals close to the administration. Such an action would run counter to the views of many in the African Union. The administration may also downsize the Africa Command and re-integrate it into the European Command, where it was formerly lodged. At the United Nations, the administration will step away from Biden era efforts at UN Security Council reform, which advocated for two permanent African seats on the Council. The administration has already moved towards ending support for the promotion of democracy, human rights and womens empowerment issues across the continent, cutting support for civil society and democracy groups and opening the door for more autocrats. The administration has also drawn back from criticising questionable and abusive electoral practices in several African nations. In furtherance of its transactional diplomacy, the administration may turn a blind eye to illegal or questionable actions of authoritarian leaders in exchange for supporting American initiatives in the UN, the Middle East and Asia. Dim Outlook for the Future The administration will probably make some overtures to Africa; as it did in the first term. It will probably keep the Presidential Council on Doing Business in Africa largely as a gesture to the American business community. But most of the administrations overtures are likely to be largely performative or transactional like Trumps unfocused August White House meeting with the leaders of four small West African states or his efforts to pressure African governments to take some of Americas immigrant deportees. He may also engage in some diplomatic initiatives like the work of his Special Envoy to end the long-running conflict in the Great Lakes region pursuing what will prove to be a short sighted and flawed White House strategy to secure access to critical minerals in one of Africas most unstable and war-torn areas. Sadly, however, none of these efforts will alter the downward spiral and negative trajectory of Trumps Africa policies. Over the next three-and-a-half years, Africa will not get much love or attention in Trumps Washington. Johnnie Carson, who served most recently as Special Presidential Representative for Implementation of the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit, had 37-year career in the Foreign Service dedicated to African diplomacy. This reflection was originally published on AllAfrica.com. Without doubt, an absence of an integrity based political leadership of Africas largest Democracy that is high of morals and ethical values have ensured its stunted National Development within the context of a united, socially cohesive, secure and prosperous Nigerian nation. On the contrary, it would seem that Nigeria has been plagued by more of corrupt, inept and incompetent political leadership in varying forms throughout its existence as an independent country. That Nigeria is currently confronted on multiple fronts with heightened insecurity, ranging from the Boko Haram insurgency in the north east, banditry in the North West, violent Farmers/herders conflicts across the country, and oil theft and sea piracy in the Niger Delta region is a consequence of leadership failure of its political class. With various armed groups controlling large swaths of Nigerias vast ungoverned spaces and unleashing terror on defenceless Nigerians, maiming, killing, kidnapping, robbing and displacing thousands of people from their homes, farmlands and other places of work, it would seem that Nigeria is in a state of undeclared war; an undeclared not against a foreign enemy nation but against its own self. Added to the mounting problem of insecurity, is also the worsening economic situation in the country. With a growing population now exceeding 200 million people but sources of national revenues still largely dependent on some 2 million barrels daily exports of crude oil, it has become abundantly clear that revenues generated from the internal exploitation of Nigerias rich deposits of hydro carbons alone are not enough to sustain the socio-economic development of Nigerians; hence the growing problem of unemployment, poverty, hunger and destitution. Nigerias inability to cater adequately for its citizens is the reason Nigeria has sunken to all time low in Human Development Index as the poverty capital of the world. The role of corruption as well as economic and financial crimes that appears endemic in governments at all levels in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. The pervasive culture of corrupt practices such as nepotism, cronyism, favouritism and sectionalism that often result into conflict of personal and public interests in the management of state resources inevitably results in the outright stealing of public funds otherwise known as economic and financial crimes with severe consequences in the form of Nigerias socio-economic underdevelopment. Nigerias steady decline in Transparency International corruption perception ratings in recent years is a clear indication of Nigerias worsening problem of corruption. Nigerias corruption induced socio-economic problems have contributed immensely to Nigerias heightened problem of insecurity. Therefore, nexus between corruption, economic dislocation and insecurity, should open a robust and frank conversation about the roots of Nigerias fundamental and seemingly intractable problems that now pose an existential threat to the continuous cooperate existence of the most populous Black nation in the world. In the face of mounting corruption induced economic and security challenges, that has weakened the Nigerian state to such an extent that governments at all tiers and arms are increasingly finding it difficult if not impossible to carry out their primary function of providing for the welfare and security of the citizens as enshrined in section 14-[2]-[b] of the 1999 constitution as amended, has led many to believe that Nigeria may be inching closer to the end stage of state failure. The anxiety, concern and palpable fear over the collapse of our dear country Nigeria on the positive side affords us an opportunity to put on our thinking caps and with open minds reflect sincerely on how we are collectively driving Nigeria down the road to a failed state destination but only with the aim of bringing up practical solutions that can pull Nigeria back from the brinks of state collapse. Although seemingly worse off today, the underlining socio-cultural issues that are driving Nigerias existential problems of corruption induced economic dislocation of many abled bodied young men and women leading them into sundry acts of violence, criminality and terrorism did not start with the current administration and neither did the problem begin in 1999 when the transition from military to civil democratic rule took effect. The problems of Nigeria began before the beginning of Nigerias journey to nationhood in 1960. And these problems have its root causes in the disunity of Nigeria and the associated unresolved question of national identity. Convinced that the constituent peoples of Nigeria were irreconcilably different to such an extent that a united, strong and virile Nigerian nation could not evolve from the 1914 British created country of Nigeria, our founding fathers will go on to negotiate an independent Nigeria with a federation that is structured along ethno-geographic fault lines, from the regions to the provinces. Whereas, the first republic Nigerian federation of three and later four regions substantially satisfied the requirements of fiscal federalism, its structural rigidity along ethno-geographic fault lines without a mechanism for the assimilation and integration of Nigerians wherever they chose to reside outside their region of origin with full political and economic rights extended to them effectively made Nigeria a country of indigenous tribesmen of the over 500 constituent ethnic nationalities and not a nation of citizens. And the crude contestation for power of resource control by its many ethno-geographic groupings over Nigerias internal resources will find expression in the politics of ethnic and religious identity. As a representative constitutional democracy, the first republic federation that was structured along ethno-geographic fault lines inevitably gave rise to a political culture of ethnic, regional and religious identity. And with identity politics becoming entrenched in our polity meant that the democratic leadership recruitment process of Nigerias political leaders will be primarily determined by primordial sentiments of ethnicity, region of origin and religion. Consequently, the post independent political leadership class of Nigeria in their bid to retain their privileged positions devised sundry means to deepen the dividing ethno-geographic fault lines by influencing their respective peoples to always align their democratic choices with their ethnicity, region or religion. This was how a solid foundation for a Nigerian state that will be increasingly weakened by the ravages of identity politics up until 2024 was laid and concretised 64 years earlier at our independence in 1960. Unfortunately, Nigeria will once again embrace identity politics fully following the transition from military to civil democratic rule in 1999. Retrogressive in nature, identity politics is divisive, parochial and bigoted and negates every norm of modern nation building. And if identity politics is allowed to take root in the political system of any country, as has been the case of Nigeria in the 24 years of democracy, it will spread like a cancerous cell and sap life out of that country. Sadly, after 24 years of civil democratic rule in Nigeria the promise of dividends of democracy in the form of improved welfare and security of lives and properties remain largely elusive no thanks to our collective wrong choices of aligning our democratic choices with our ethnicity, region and religion. As Nigerians our purveyance of identity politics has made us victims of corruption induced economic dislocation and heightened insecurity. In identity politics the seeds of corruption were sown. This is so because the only reward system for identity politics is patronage at the expense of the public treasury. Therefore, such corrupt practices as nepotism, cronyism, tribalism, favouritism and all other forms of sectionalism are legitimate cultural tools by the elected and appointed representatives of the over 500 ethno-geographic groupings in government to extract from the common wealth [national cake] to their respective sections of the country. Corruption with its debilitating effects has become intractably endemic because in Nigeria as the ugly phenomenon is sanctioned by culture and with Nigeria now a ground for supremacy competition between the leading Abrahamic faith [Christianity and Islam], corruption also enjoys the ratification of religion. If the principle of zoning and rotation of elected and appointive offices among the competing ethno-geographic groupings in Nigeria that was adopted by the 4th republic political leaders was meant to address the equitable distribution of resources, then it not only failed to achieve the objective but actually resulted into the equal distribution of loot by conniving political leaders from all divides of our ethno-geographic and religious fault lines. And consequently, Nigerias identity driven political process has degenerated into a criminal franchise of power grab by the political leadership elite for self service at the detriment of public service. Clearly, the problem of corruption in Nigeria enjoys a legitimacy that is sanctioned by culture, ratified by religion and administered by government. Whilst Nigeria may not be a failed state yet, our beloved country is undoubtedly exhibiting mild symptoms of state failure, which includes but not limited to [a] the loss of control of its territories and the monopoly of the use of legitimacy of force within those territories, [b] increasing erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions and [c] inability to adequately provide public services. It is important to note that the causative pathogen for the afore mentioned symptoms of state failure, is always and almost the inability of failed states to resolve their question of national identity as a means of achieving a united, just, fair, egalitarian and strong nation state. From British India, Somalia, Sudan to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, the absence of an inclusive and pragmatic political leadership to harmonise the preponderance of ethno-geographic and religious identity dissonance through an excellent diversity management system in line with the rule of law is fundamentally responsible for the fragility, failure or collapse of some of these countries. In India, the inability of the post-colonial political leaders of that country to harmonise the religious identity dissonance of its Muslim and Hindu peoples resulted into the breaking away of Pakistan in 1947. Similarly, the split of Sudan into north and south was caused by the poor diversity management by its political leaders who could not provide an inclusive leadership for its Black African Christian, Arab Muslim, and non-Arab Muslim peoples. Today, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq are embroiled in a devastating sectarian war between its Sunni and Shite communities, which has all but resulted into near total state collapse. Nigeria and troubled countries such as Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Lebanon and Iraq have something strikingly in common; their leadership recruitment processes are firmly hinged on the politics of ethno-geographic and religious identity, which has given rise to sectional, parochial, clannish, bigoted and divisive leadership. Many Historians and political commentators have attributed Nigerias problem of identity dissonance to the colonial misadventure of lumping together different peoples without much in common into a single geographic entity by the amalgamation act of 1914. Variously described as a mere geographic expression that was a mistake Nigeria it would seem was programed to failed even before it started. However, are we to continue to blame the past for the present or should the present start taking responsibility for future? 107 years after amalgamation, 61 years after independence and 26 years into civil democratic rule of the 4th republic, with the promise of a united, strong and prosperous nation still elusive, now is the time to reflect appropriately on our yesterday with the aim of making our tomorrow better starting from doing the right thing today. Contrary to the entrenched narrative that says Nigeria is a country of people with too much irreconcilable difference to be a united nation, historical and sociological evidences suggests otherwise. The peoples of Nigeria long before the British amalgamation of 1914 shared deep and close cultural, linguistic and traditional ties within a common geographic area extending beyond the borders of modern Nigeria into Benin, Niger, Cameroun and Chad republics. A mostly mono racial [Black] people, the various ethnic groups, tribes and kingdoms of pre-colonial Nigeria have interacted through diplomacy, trade and war fare, which served to integrate the peoples of Nigeria long before independence. There was a pre-existing traditional citizenship system in pre-colonial Nigeria, which allowed for the seamless assimilation and integration of individuals, families and communities wherever they chose to reside within Nigeria of old. If diversity is to be measured in term of the racial composition of a geographic entity, then a mono racial Nigeria hardly qualifies to described as a diverse country. Nigeria is best described as plural country because the various ethnic groupings such as Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Nupe, Igala, Tiv, Kanuri etc., are simply a plurality of the same one big Black African linguist and cultural family. While by no means justifying colonialism, it is important to state that some of the greatest nations in the world were once colonies of a superior power. Great Britain, Nigerias colonial master was once a Roman colony between 43 and 410 AD. And like the Black mono racial peoples of Nigeria, mono racial White Britain was a plurality of ethnicities. Sir George Goldie who played the biggest role in the formation of modern Nigeria was Scottish just as Flora Shaw, the British essayist whose suggestion was the name Nigeria was of Irish ancestry. At the time of amalgamation of the protectorates of the North and South of Nigeria into one entity in 1914, the British crown was seating on the head of King George V an ethnic German who was the grandson of Queen Victoria by her consort, Prince Albert of Germany through their son King Edward VII. Just as Nigerias founding fathers variously identified as Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa so were their colonial masters individually identifiable by their ethno-geographic ancestry. The difference was the ability of their colonial masters to rise above primitively rigid territorial identification by adopting the common national identity of their shared geographical reality of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As no nation is truly blessed by abundance of human and natural resources, the British were united in their concerted effort to shore up the wealth of their nation through the acquisition of overseas territories to expand trade and investment for the economic benefit of their homeland. This is precisely the greatest lesson we the people of Nigeria failed to learn from our colonial experience. One of the biggest lessons not learnt from history is that the unity of Nigeria is a condition that must precede its socio-economic development. There has to be a united, strong, and cohesive Nigerian nation of patriotic citizens for any structure or system to yield the promise of shared prosperity. Nigerias problem of disunity was caused by a primitive political consciousness that weaponised our plurality as irreconcilable diversities. Nigerias case is not so much about the absence of unity in diversity but more about the presence of division in oneness. And to solve this pertinent problem of disunity, a higher political consciousness that recognises our oneness would have to be evolved from a self-enlightened realisation by all Nigerians that indeed we are one people. The problem of the disunity of Nigeria and its peoples was not caused by nature but politics and it will require a deliberate political process backed up by a purposeful administrative procedure to transform the country of Nigeria into a nation of Nigeria. As long as Nigerians continue to allow themselves to be divided along ethno-geographic fault lines, they would have granted an irrevocable power of attorney to their leaders to continue to divide and misrule them in perpetuity. Therefore, guided by the self-enlightened realisation that Nigeria is not really a diverse country of irreconcilably different ethno-geographic groupings but only a plurality of ethnic groups within a broad mono racial family of peoples with shared historic, geographical, cultural and traditional proximity, which predates the British incursion into continental Africa, the first step towards the redemption of Nigeria from a country of micro ethnic nationalities into a nation of citizens is to reconfigure the structure of Nigerias federating units away from ethno-geographic enclaves into geo-economic centres of plurality of Nigerians through the evolution of a deliberately inclusive political process that is backed by a purposeful administrative procedure that elevates state of residency over state of origin in order to overcome the cancer of identity politics of ethnicity and religion. A reconfiguration of Nigerias federating units away from ethno-graphic fiefdoms into geo-economic centres of excellent plurality management will shift the paradigm of Nigerias democratic leadership recruitment process from a political culture that is driven by primordial sentiments of ethnicity and religion into one that driven by pragmatic economic ideas, competence and expertise. If Nigeria is to attain a democratically elected political leadership that is morally upright and equipped with the right value system that is required to stir the country on a path of National Development, where peace, justice and prosperity reigns, a paradigm shift from identity politics with state patronage to a privileged to a broad based political process that will deliver good governance for all as reward. Until Nigeria evolves into a nation where a Nigerian can be Igbo and Kano, Hausa and Anambra, Yoruba and Sokoto, Kanuri and Bayelsa, Ijaw and Borno, where the principles of fairness, justice, equity and democratic citizenship reigns supreme, the giant of Africa will remain perpetually trapped at the bottom of the pyramid of human societal development, where life is nasty, brutish and short. Majeed Dahiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja and can be reached through [email protected]. Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has inaugurated three new Judges of the Katsina State High Court, urging them to uphold public trust with integrity, fairness, and the fear of God. The newly appointed Judges are Maryam Umaru Abdullahi, Shamsuddeen Abdurrahman ammama, and Abubakar Muhammad Dikko. The swearing-in ceremony which held Monday at the Government House, Katsina, was attended by dignitaries from the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial arms of government, as well as members of the State Executive Council, traditional rulers, and family members of the appointees. The profiles of the newly sworn-in judges reflect distinguished records of academic excellence and professional service in various areas of the legal system. Justice Maryam Umaru Abdullahi is an accomplished legal professional with an impressive academic background and broad experience in the justice sector. A graduate of the University of Abuja with advanced degrees from the United Kingdom, she has served as State Solicitor, Head of the Notary Public Unit at the Supreme Court, and Deputy Director at the National Judicial Institute. Justice Shamsuddeen Abdurrahman ammama brings youthful energy, scholarship, and diverse professional experience to the bench. A graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with two Masters degreesincluding one in Oil and Gas Law from the United Kingdomhe has served in academia, at the National Judicial Institute, and in the National Assembly. Justice Abubakar Muhammad Dikko is a seasoned legal practitioner with over two decades of service at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, where he rose to the position of Head of Litigation. A graduate of the University of Abuja with a Masters degree in Law, he also served as Research Assistant to a former Chief Justice of Nigeria. Governor Radda described the inauguration as a remarkable milestone in the states judicial history, noting that the appointment of the new judges would strengthen the judiciary and enhance effective justice delivery across Katsina State. He congratulated the new judges and commended the State Judicial Service Commission for conducting a thorough and merit-based selection process that produced credible and qualified appointees. Mr Radda expressed confidence that the new judges will contribute meaningfully to the administration of justice in the state, given their impressive qualifications and years of professional experience. Today, we are swearing in three new Judges of the Katsina State High Court. This is a significant step forward for our judiciary because it increases our capacity and strengthens the administration of justice in our state, the Governor said. He prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the new judges divine guidance, wisdom, and fairness in discharging their duties, reminding them that their oath of office should remain a moral compass throughout their judicial careers. First of all, I congratulate you and wish you Gods guidance in performing your responsibilities. This oath of office and act of allegiance are enough for all of us in the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary to reflect deeply on the responsibilities we bear, he stated. Governor Radda further advised the judges to regularly reflect on their oaths, stressing that their positions are sacred trusts before God and the people of Katsina State. After some time, maybe a month, I advise that we all go back and read this oath again. It will remind us that whatever we do, God is watching and aware of all our actions, he added. He reaffirmed the vital role of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man, especially for the poor and voiceless in society. Everyone looks up to you for justiceboth those who have a voice and those who do not. Especially those who do not. I believe your position will guide you to the right path if you perform your duties with diligence and sincerity, he said. Mr Radda prayed for divine wisdom, patience, and strength for the judges to carry out their duties with fairness, courage, and humility. He assured that his administration will continue to support the judiciary and the legislature to ensure harmony and effective collaboration among the three arms of government. We will continue to give full support to the judiciary and the legislature so that we can maintain harmony among the three arms of government. There is nothing we can achieve as a state without a strong and effective judicial system. The judiciary remains the backbone of peace, order, and justice in our society, he noted. He also emphasised the importance of timely justice delivery, warning that delays in judgment could weaken public trust in the judicial system. As they say, time waits for no one. It is important that we dispense justice promptly and fairly so that we can build the kind of society we all aspire toone anchored on justice, peace, and unity, he added. The governor again congratulated the newly sworn-in judges, wishing them success in their new roles and praying for continued peace and unity in Katsina State. On this note, I congratulate you, wish you well, and also pray for peace and unity in our state. May Almighty Allah guide all of us and strengthen the bond of unity that exists in Katsina, he concluded. Those present at the ceremony included the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Nasir Yahaya Daura; Secretary to the State Government, Abdullahi Garba Faskari; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir; Chief Judge of Katsina State; Grand Khadi; Judges; Khadis; Commissioner for Justice, Fadila Muhammad Dikko; Commissioner for Rural and Social Development, Abdulhamid Ahmed; members of the State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, District Heads, and other well-wishers. Katsina is not just developing. It is leading. Those were the words of Vice President Kashim Shettima as he departed Katsina on Tuesday afternoon, after a two-day working visit that revealed the depth of transformation happening in the state. It was not a political statement. It was an observationone made by Nigerias number two citizen after witnessing firsthand what Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has built. But what does it mean for a state to lead? And why did the Vice President choose that wordleadingto describe Katsina? The answer became clear from the moment his aircraft touched down at Umaru Musa Yaradua International Airport last Monday evening. Thousands of citizens lined the streets, waving flags and cheeringnot out of compulsion but genuine joy. What does it say when people celebrate a visit with such enthusiasm? It says they are proud of what their state has become. Governor Radda, his Deputy Faruk Lawal Jobe, Speaker Nasir Yahaya Daura, Chief of Staff Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir, and Minister of Housing Ahmed Musa Dangiwa received the Vice President. The two-day visit was not just protocolit was validation. President Bola Ahmed Tinubus Renewed Hope vision met Governor Raddas Building Your Future agenda, and what emerged was proof that when federal support meets state-led innovation, transformation happens. That evening at the Muhammadu Buhari Banquet Hall, the MSME Award Dinner celebrated creativity and enterprise. Tailors, leather workers, food processors, and digital designers filled the halleach representing Katsinas rebirth as a hub of innovation. The event also marked the graduation of 18 young people from the Dikko Youth Programme. Vice President Shettima praised Governor Raddas vision, calling Katsina a model of enterprise in northern Nigeria. Governor Radda responded simply: When we support small businesses, we strengthen families, communities, and hope itself. Lets ask ourselves: how many governors prioritize youth empowerment with such consistency? How many create platforms where young people dont just receive handouts but learn skills that last a lifetime? This is what leading looks like. By sunrise on Tuesday, the Continental Complex was alive with ambition. Young entrepreneurs displayed shoes, clothes, cosmetics, solar devices, and handmade crafts. Then Vice President Shettima made the announcement: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a grant of N250,000 for each outstanding MSME exhibitor here today. But heres what matters moreover 39,000 small businesses in Katsina have already benefited from federal programmes, receiving about N2.5 billion. Governor Radda didnt just wait for federal intervention; he created KASEDA, established a five-year MSME policy, and announced a six-month post-clinic mentorship program to ensure the grants translate into lasting businesses. Can you name another state where federal support is matched with such detailed local planning? Where grants are followed by mentorship, monitoring, and measurable results? This is what leading looks like. Later that afternoon, the Vice President commissioned a 3.3-kilometre dual carriageway from Central Mosque Roundabout to WTC Roundaboutgleaming under solar-powered streetlights with neat walkways. Katsina is building not for praise but for the future, Vice President Shettima observed. Governor Radda explained that this road is part of an Urban Renewal Program covering ten major roads and more than 55 kilometres. These roads connect opportunities, he said. They link markets, schools, and communities to the wider economy. Think about it: how many governors commission roads that actually transform neighborhoods? Roads with solar lights that work? Roads that connect livelihoods, not just locations? This is what leading looks like. Then came the moment that perhaps best captured why Vice President Shettima called Katsina a leaderthe commissioning of the Katsina Sustainable Platform for Agriculture (KASPA). Inside the modern facility, digital screens displayed live data on rainfall, fertilizer distribution, crop mapping, and farmer support. Governor Radda led the Vice President through the Citizens Contact Centre, Monitoring Room, and Farmers Database Unit. Young staff answered farmers calls in Hausa and English, providing real-time help to people from all 34 local governments. Vice President Shettima was impressed: This is what innovation looks like when local knowledge meets national vision. KASPA shows that great ideas dont always come from Abuja. Sometimes they grow from the soil. Governor Radda explained: Through KASPA, we can track every piece of land farmed, every input given, and every farmer supported. This is modern farming powered by data and care. The system plans to register one million farmers. Over 20,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer and 400 tractors have already been distributed through the platform. Patriotic Katsinawa, lets ask ourselves again: which other state has built such a system? Where else can a farmer in a remote village call a government helpline and get instant help in his own language? This is what leading looks like. In the KASPA command room, the Vice President watched as a call agent helped a farmer asking about delayed supplies. He turned to Governor Radda and smiled: This is the new Nigeriaa country where farmers can call and be heard. Governor Radda nodded: We are changing how people see government. Its no longer about filling forms. Its about finding solutions. That moment captured everythinghumble leadership, creative governance, people-centered progress. That is what leading looks like. As the Vice President departed on Tuesday afternoon, citizens again filled the streets, cheering and waving. Before boarding, he said something profound: Katsina is not just developing. It is leading. Let that sink in. The Vice President of Nigeria said Katsina is leading. Not following. Not catching up. Leading. He added: What Governor Radda has built here should be studied, supported, and copied across Nigeria. When was the last time a federal official said that about any northern state? When was the last time innovation in governance came from this region and drew national attention? Vice President Shettimas words were not flattery. They were fact. Because leading is not about noiseits about results. Its not about promisesits about delivery. Its not about what you sayits about what you build. Governor Raddas Building Your Future agenda is not a slogan. It is a framework producing real resultsjobs, roads, innovation centers, farming systems that blend technology with tradition. Is Katsina leading in youth empowerment? The Dikko Youth Programme, KASEDA, and MSME mentorship programs say yes. Is Katsina leading in enterprise development? The N2.5 billion disbursed to 39,000 businesses and the N250,000 MSME grants say yes. Is Katsina leading in infrastructure? The 55 kilometres of urban roads with solar lights say yes. Is Katsina leading in agricultural innovation? KASPA, with one million farmers to be enrolled, says yes. Is Katsina leading under Governor Radda? The Vice Presidents wordsKatsina is not just developing, it is leadingsay yes. And under Governor Raddas vision, it will continue to lead. The question is no longer whether Katsina can leadits whether other states will follow the example. Wait no more. Join the movement thats putting Katsina on the right trajectory. Because when a state leads with vision, innovation, and purpose, everyone benefits. Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed wrote from Katsina When the Ogun State delegation led by Governor Dapo Abiodun embarked on an investment promotion trip to China late August, it was not the first time a Nigerian governor would court foreign investors. But what followed that mission marked a turning point in how the Gateway to Nigeria is redefining subnational economic diplomacy. From Taiwan to Tunisia, Morocco to Qatar, and Brazil, multinational corporations have since signified interest in the states energy, agriculture, and oil and gas sectors a development that has begun reshaping the states industrial geography and economic outlook. What does the global partnerships mean for Ogunseconomic outlook? The governors visit to China opened the door to bilateral engagements with several Asian firms. Notably, the China National Electric Engineering Company (CNEEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ogun State to explore investments in renewable energy and power infrastructure to support the states growing industrial clusters. At Inspur Group, one of Chinas largest ICT firms, discussions centred on expanding Oguns digital innovation ecosystem and building capacity for the Ogun Tech Hub. Our conversations with Inspur were focused on meaningful collaborations that will drive knowledge exchange, create opportunities, and strengthen our digital economy, said Governor Abioduns media adviser, Kayode Akinmade in a press statement in September. This aligns with the states ambition to become West Africas digital manufacturing and innovation hub. Similarly, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Moroccan Investment Development Agency initiated follow-up discussions with the Ogun Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency (OGUNINVEST) on establishing light manufacturing and agri-processing plants across Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, and Ewekoro. By September 2024, delegations from Tunisia and Qatar had also visited Abeokuta to explore opportunities in fertilizer production and agro-technology, underscoring Oguns emergence as a global investment hub. According to the Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr Dapo Okubadejo, Our China mission became a catalyst. It opened the eyes of many investors to the enabling environment weve quietly built here. The result is the influx were now seeing from Asia, North Africa, and South America. How Dangote and other indigenous players expand industrial footprint Amidst the number of foreign investments that have been attracted, indigenous giants continue to anchor Oguns industrial rise. The Dangote Group, for instance, has expanded its operations in Ewekoro and Sagamu, with new logistics hubs and subsidiary manufacturing facilities under development since 2023. Aside from the Agbara Industrial Estate, on the LagosIbadan Expressway, the industrial corridor stretching from Mowe to Ibafo now hosts dozens of medium and large-scale firms from CWAY Nigeria Limited to Nestle Nigeria, Rite Foods, and Lafarge Africa. Similar growth is visible on the AbeokutaSagamu and Ijebu-OdeEpe highways, where a mix of agro-allied, ceramics, and steel industries are springing up. The highways have become industrial arteries, breeding new facilities in Sagamu, a development that has made Ogun become the preferred destination for expansion outside Lagos. At the heart of Oguns industrial renaissance is the OgunGuangdong Free Trade Zone in Ijebu-Ode, established through a Nigeria-China partnership. The 2,000-hectare enclave, operational since 2007 but recently revitalised under Abioduns administration, now hosts over 60 Chinese and local companies. The zone exports ceramics, steel, and household equipment to West Africa and beyond. Officials say an expansion plan worth $350 million is underway to accommodate electronics, automotive, and textile clusters. According to OGUNINVESTs 2024 mid-year report, over 140 new factory registrations were recorded between January and June 2024 a 32% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Ties with China and prospects in industry and infrastructure In Shandong, Governor Abiodun secured a $50 million expansion deal with Lee Group, which will grow its detergent and food-processing plants in Sagamu. The project, targeting exports to the US and Europe, reinforces Oguns status as a manufacturing hub. This expansion will consolidate their market leadership and create jobs across the value chain, Mr Abiodun said. The governor also reached an agreement with Shandong LuqiaoConstruction Company, under the Shandong Hi-Speed Group,for road, bridge, and power projects. This collaboration positions Ogun as Nigerias hub for modern infrastructure, Governor Abiodun noted. The deals strengthen existing projects like the Sagamu InterchangeAbeokuta Expressway, Gateway Cargo Airport access road, and the Agbara Free Trade Zone, which all benefit from proximity to the LekkiEpe corridor and proposed LagosCalabar Coastal Highway. Power and port projects to redefine industrial growth In Jiangsu Province, Mr Abiodun signed a partnership with Cteec, a Chinese energy firm, for a 3MW power plant at the Gateway International Cargo Airport and improved transmission across industrial zones. This marks another step toward building the energy backbone to sustain Oguns industrial growth, he said. Cteec, operating 100MW in Nigeria, will base its West African expansion in Ogun. In Rizhao, Governor Abiodun met Mayor Wang Xinsheng to advance the Olokola Deep Sea Port, a key part of Oguns blue economy plan. Olokola will position Ogun as Nigerias leading maritime hub, Mr Abiodun said. Together, these partnerships strengthen Oguns road, rail, air, and sea infrastructure cementing its emergence as Nigerias most connected investment destination. Strengthening Energy and Agricultural sector with Algerias partnership The governors recent visit to Algeria added another layer to Ogun States international investment drive, focusing on energy, agriculture, and oil and gas partnerships. In meetings with Algerian government officials and private sector leaders in Algiers, discussions centered on leveraging Algerias experience in renewable energy, fertilizer production, and large-scale irrigation to boost Oguns agricultural capacity. According to Governor Abiodun, the talks opened pathways for joint ventures in gas distribution and agro-processing, particularly within the Olokola corridor and the Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport economic zone. These partnerships will not only enhance food production and energy access but also deepen industrial integration between Africas leading economies, he said. The Algeria engagement aligns with the states broader agenda of diversifying foreign partnerships beyond Asia, reinforcing Oguns image as Nigerias most investment-ready subnational economy. Ease of doing business: hassle-free land acquisition, documentation, and fast-track reforms One of Oguns most talked-about success stories lies in its ease of acquiring land and business permits. Since 2022, the state introduced the One-Stop Investment Centre (OSIC), which allows investors to secure land documentation, survey approval, and Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) within 30 days. Unlike the cumbersome bureaucracies seen elsewhere, the Ogun model provides subsidised land rates for manufacturing and agro-processing firms. The states OgunInvest platform and its GIS-enabled Land Bank covering 300,000 hectares allow quick verification and approval for land titles and permits. According to the Special Adviser on Investment Promotion, Mr Akinlade Olatunji, We deliberately reduced our land cost by nearly 40% for investors that create jobs and local value chains. Thats what sets Ogun apart. Our administration believes that simplicity attracts prosperity. We have made it easier for investors to start, expand, and export from Ogun, Governor Abiodun said during a recent economic showcase at the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in Algiers, Algeria. This has placed the state ahead of others in subnational ease-of-doing-business rankings and made it a model for public-private collaboration. Rising Internally Generated Revenue The policy, launched in March 2022, has been credited with attracting large-scale land acquisitions for industrial parks in Magboro, Kajola, and Iperu-Remo, directly boosting the states Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Oguns aggressive investor drive is also translating into stronger fiscal outcomes. The states Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has witnessed a steady rise, driven by land transactions, business registrations, and industrial levies. Officials at the states Ministry of Finance confirm that new investments in manufacturing and logistics alone account for a significant portion of the IGR increase in the last two fiscal years. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that Ogun States IGR rose from 100.7 billion in 2022 to 140.1 billion in 2024, a 39% increase attributed mainly to land transactions, factory levies, and logistics taxes. The Chairman, Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS), Mr Olugbenga Olaleye, explained that the steady flow of new industrial registrations has expanded our tax net and created predictable income lines. He added: Weve achieved this without raising taxes its purely from new business activity. The confidence investors have in Oguns governance structure is paying off. Harnessing infrastructures to boosts Oguns logistics and dry port plan The commissioning of the LagosIbadan Standard Gauge Railway in June 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari has proved pivotal for Oguns logistics economy. The rail line passes through several Ogun industrial zones including Kajola, where the Kajola Inland Dry Port is taking shape. The Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) confirmed in August 2024 that preliminary works at Kajola have been completed, with the dry port expected to handle 100,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually once operational. Freight operators in Sagamu and Ibafo now leverage the rail system to transport raw materials and finished products faster and cheaper, further reducing pressure on Lagos overloaded logistics routes. Coastal Prospects: Roadmap to Ogun new commerce Oguns southern flank, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, is emerging as a new frontier for commerce. In late 2023, the state inaugurated the Ogun Coastal Development and Maritime Project, aimed at exploring small-scale seaport, fisheries, and shipping operations around Ogun Waterside and Tongeji Island. The initiative aligns with the states vision to diversify beyond land-based industries. Oguns reach extends into the LekkiEpe industrial corridor, which hosts the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Sea Port. With shared boundaries along Ijebu-Imusin and Epe, Ogun stands to gain from the value chains in petrochemicals, logistics, and exports emanating from the corridor. The LagosCalabar Coastal Highway, currently under construction, will further link Oguns coastal belt (through Ogun Waterside and Ijebu East) to Lekki, Ondo, and the South-South. Analysts say this road will shorten travel times, open up the states fishing and tourism economies, and create a direct trade route to southeastern ports. Experts say this move could position Ogun as a maritime partner to Lagos, easing the commercial traffic around Apapa while connecting local producers directly to global shipping routes. Investors reality For stakeholders, Oguns rise did not happen overnight. The Ogun State Business Summit 2023, held in Abeokuta, was one of the key forums where the government unveiled its Industrial Policy Framework (20232030) a document outlining incentives for investors, including tax holidays, land rebates, and infrastructure partnerships. A Qatari business delegation led by the Qatar-African Business Council in April 2024 described Ogun as a regional model for pragmatic subnational investment policy. A Gateway State indeed Today, Ogun is no longer just Lagos industrial backyard. It has become a model for subnational economic transformation a place where geography, governance, and global partnerships converge. Governor Abiodun, speaking during the 2024 Ogun State Investors Forum in Abeokuta, reaffirmed his administrations goal: Our mission is simple to make Ogun the industrial capital of West Africa. We are building roads, rails, and rules that work for investors. That is the future we are preparing. From Kajolas dry port to Ewekoros cement plants, from Sagamus logistics parks to Ogun Watersides coastal trade, the story of Ogun State today is one of renewed ambition and a clear signal that investment, when nurtured with vision and efficiency, can become the new face of subnational development in Nigeria. The Final Award in the arbitration initiated by General Hydrocarbons Limited against First Bank of Nigeria Limited, issued by Sole Arbitrator, Justice Kumai Bayang Akaahs, was published today 28 October 2025, General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) was represented by Messrs Paul Usoro SAN & and Abiodun Layonu SAN. First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FBN) was also represented by Messrs Gbolahan. Elias, SAN; Babajide Koku, SAN and Victor Ogude, SAN. The Tribunal dismissed General Hydrocarbons case in its entirety, affirming First Banks financing obligations as conditional, finding no breach or entitlement to damages by General Hydrocarbons, and ordering the company to bear the costs of arbitration. The dispute arose from the Subrogation Agreement dated May 29, 2021, under which General Hydrocarbons Limited undertook the repayment of an outstanding debt of $718 million and First Bank undertook to provide additional loans to finance the development and production of OML 120 in line with the provisions of the Subrogation Agreement. General Hydrocarbons alleged that First Bank breached the agreement by failing to provide absolute and timely financing, sabotaging alternative funding efforts, and causing losses including liabilities to third party and leading to loss of productive time in the development of OML 120. First Bank argued its financing obligation was conditional and not absolute but subject to review and professional discretion in line with banking policies and regulatory guidelines. The key findings of the Tribunal are as follows: First Bank has a conditional, not absolute, obligation to finance OML 120 development. It must review and evaluate financing requests and may attach competitive terms as deemed suitable. General Hydrocarbons failed to prove any breach by First Bank Limited. FBN made several financing offers totaling $185 million, and delays alleged by General Hydrocarbons were not found unreasonable or in breach. Introduction of an Independent Asset Manager as a financing condition by FBN was consistent with the agreement and not a breach. Allegations of FBN sabotaging alternative financing arrangements were unsubstantiated and dismissed for being devoid of any merit. All reliefs sought by General Hydrocarbons Limited, including declarations, damages for unpaid contractor fees, losses, and termination of the Subrogation Agreement, were refused. First Bank of Nigeria was adjudged entitled to recover reasonable legal and arbitration costs from General Hydrocarbons Limited, amounting to $112,100 and 111,250,000, payable within 30 days with interest on late payment A Panel Lacking Any Hindu Presence Sought to Define Hinduism After Shutting out Hindu Voices NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) strongly condemns Monday's event, "Hindutva in America: A Threat to Equality and Religious Pluralism," at Rutgers University that has drawn bipartisan criticism from Members of Congress and widespread outrage from the Hindu community, both on and off campus The event, framed as an academic inquiry, featured a panel that did not include a single practicing Hindu but, nevertheless, made sweeping, uninformed claims about the faith. Notably, the non-Hindu panelists labored to make an artificial and, frankly, preposterous distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva; and when practicing Hindus asked questions, they were shut down. The talk itself was peppered with false claims, primary among them being the denial of Hinduphobia itself. There was no mention of the seven Hindu temples that have been vandalized across the U.S. since December 2023 or of the hate crime data from states like California that show a rise in anti-Hindu hate, second only to antisemitism. The panelists also stated, incorrectly, that the Nazi Hakenkreuz is the same as the Hindu Swastikaeven though there is a growing body of evidence that Hitler called his symbol the Hakenkreuz, not Swastika. There were also broad accusations that Hindu organizations in the U.S. receive undisclosed payments from the BJP-led Indian government, thus implying they are "agents of India." Despite concerns about backlash and potential retribution, a group of brave Hindu students held a silent rally outside the event venue. Even though it was an officially permitted protest, they faced hostility from a supporter of the privileged panelists. "It was scary to see an adult trying to dox us," said one Hindu student on the condition of anonymity. "So many of my peers wanted to join the rally. But they were too scared to come because Rutgers ignored the letters we sent asking for fairness and safety." It is not easy for students, especially from immigrant heavy minority communities, to oppose professors with institutional power and influence over their campus lives. "We were not asking Rutgers to cancel the eventonly to make clear that its institutional brand does not endorse the anti-Hindu rhetoric that has already sowed fear among Hindu students and vitiated the atmosphere on-campus," added Rutgers Hindu chaplain Hitesh Trivedi. In the weeks leading up to the event, CoHNA led a broad campaign to raise awareness about this Hinduphobic eventenabling 10,000 emails from students, parents, and community members to the Rutgers administration, urging the university to disassociate itself from the event; 4,000 emails to state and federal lawmakers; and over 120 calls from CoHNA policy fellows to New Jersey officials. On October 24, four members of the U.S. Congress Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA), and Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI)sent a joint letter to the Rutgers University administration, expressing concern over both the event and the report on which it is based. The lawmakers warned that the material "misrepresents a diverse and peaceful religious community" and could "fuel further prejudice, particularly impacting Hindu students on college campuses who may feel unfairly targeted or unsafe." Several CoHNA members attended the event including co-founder and board member Suresh Krishnamoorthy, to see if the panelists were actually open to anything resembling the true spirit of academic debate. Unfortunately, they were not. "When others spread falsehoods about our organization, seek to malign our beliefs, call us fascists, and dismiss Hindu voices in conversations about our own religious identity, we cannot let that slide. CoHNA will always be there to stand up for our community, especially Hindu youth" said Krishnamoorthy. "We will not let Hindu hate go unchallenged." CoHNA reaffirms its commitment to free speech and open dialogue but emphasizes that academic freedom, in particular, comes with academic responsibility to protect viewpoint diversity and student safety. We call on universities nationwide to ensure that their campuses remain safe for students of every backgroundincluding Hindus, who continue to face rising hate incidents both online and offline. About CoHNA CoHNA is a grassroots-level advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and by educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition. For more information, please visit https://cohna.org or follow us on Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn and on Instagram . SOURCE Coalition of Hindus of North America RIVERSIDE, Calif., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new endowment is set to secure the future of the construction management program at California Baptist University, providing steady funding to support growth and long-term success. James and Barbara Knuppe have committed $2 million to the program, which will be named in their honor. Through its endowment matching initiative, CBU will double the impact of their gift, creating a $4 million endowment. CBU's Engineering Building "I am deeply grateful to Jim and Bobbie for their enduring friendship, their continued generosity, and the significant role they've played in advancing CBU's mission," said Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, president of CBU. James Knuppe, a housing and mini-storage developer, and his wife are longtime supporters of CBU. "God opened the door to make a gift," he said. "I'm just a steward of this money, and I'll use it as He directs." The gift is the largest commitment to the construction management program, said Dr. Phil van Haaster, dean of the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering. "The naming of the H. James and Barbara Knuppe Construction Management Program is a fitting tribute," van Haaster said. "It represents not only the Knuppe's extraordinary generosity, but also their enduring belief in the power of Christian higher education to transform lives and professions." Paul Eldridge, vice president for University Advancement, said the gift will benefit generations of students. "Jim and Bobbie Knuppe have long been pillars of support for California Baptist University," Eldridge said. "From investing in scholarships to advancing new initiatives, their legacy is woven into the fabric of this campus." Over the years, the Knuppes have given more than $4 million to areas across campus, including the College of Nursing, the School of Business, the aviation science program and endowed scholarships. The CBU prayer chapel in the Eugene and Billie Yeager Center is named in their honor. The Knuppes have a number of grandchildren who are CBU alumni. About California Baptist University Founded in 1950, California Baptist University is a top Christian university on the west coast. CBU offers more than 108 bachelor's programs, 41 graduate programs and nine doctoral programs. Affiliated with the California Southern Baptist Convention, CBU is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities and the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities. SOURCE California Baptist University Brands and startups from across Europe showcase tech; CTA previews trends for CES 2026 and highlights how AI is used across generations ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Road to CES 2026 continues today in Amsterdam for CES Unveiled Europe, a showcase of over 50 startups representing over a dozen countries. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), owner and producer of CES, is welcoming hundreds of industry leaders, investors, government officials, and top-tier media to preview some of the technology and programming at CES 2026, January 6-9 in Las Vegas. CES "Europe's dynamic innovation ecosystem is home to startups and top brands moving the tech industry forward and improving the lives of millions of people," said Kinsey Fabrizio, President, CTA. "CES Unveiled Europe highlights the impact of European tech and sets the stage for the breakthrough innovation we'll see from across the continent at CES 2026." CTA produces CES Unveiled Europe in partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and participation from the European Innovation Council (EIC). Fabrizio opened CES Unveiled Europe with a State of the Industry address, followed by a CES Tech Trends presentation from Brian Comiskey, CTA senior director of innovation and trends. Comiskey explored how innovation is shaping a better tomorrow across industries and shared new data on AI awareness and adoption across European countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. AI Awareness Survey Highlights: UK workers lead in both awareness and practical use of AI , saving an estimated eight hours per week with automation and generative tools. , saving an estimated eight hours per week with automation and generative tools. 89% of German workers consider generative AI "extremely helpful" or "very helpful" when performing job tasks, the highest percentage of European countries surveyed. Respondents reported using AI to create new content or ideas more than automating tasks. when performing job tasks, the highest percentage of European countries surveyed. Respondents reported using AI to create new content or ideas more than automating tasks. 66% of workers ages 18-28 in the Netherlands use generative AI , outpacing other European countries surveyed when comparing users of the same age. , outpacing other European countries surveyed when comparing users of the same age. France recorded the highest rate of generative AI awareness in workers ages 61-79at 98%. Adoption remains limited, with just 37% in that demographic using the technology. Other CES Unveiled Amsterdam programming included: Engaging panels with leading voices from Europe's public and private sectors. Executives from EIC, Keen Venture Partners, Mayht (acquired by Sonos), Microsoft, Prosus Group, Synthesia, and more offered insights on scaling companies, securing funding and leading through rapid technological transformation. with leading voices from Europe's public and private sectors. Executives from EIC, Keen Venture Partners, Mayht (acquired by Sonos), Microsoft, Prosus Group, Synthesia, and more offered insights on scaling companies, securing funding and leading through rapid technological transformation. Dedicated match program and mentorship sessions connected founders with investors, industry executives, and experts for funding and advice to grow businesses. connected founders with investors, industry executives, and experts for funding and advice to grow businesses. Partner events on Oct. 27 included the Music Business Association's first ever Music Tech Forum with programming focused on the intersection of music, technology and innovation; an investor meeting up hosted by the Global Venture Network ; and a dinner presentation by Wilson Sonsini discussing how EU companies can expand and fundraise into the U.S. market. On Oct. 28 CES Unveiled Europe x Quantum AI spotlighted European leadership in quantum technologies and AI. on Oct. 27 included the first ever Music Tech Forum with programming focused on the intersection of music, technology and innovation; an investor meeting up hosted by the ; and a dinner presentation by discussing how EU companies can expand and fundraise into the U.S. market. On Oct. 28 spotlighted European leadership in quantum technologies and AI. A dynamic Startup Pitch Battle where European entrepreneurs showcased breakthrough solutions to a panel of investors and business leaders. The winner, Perciv AI, will receive a complimentary booth in Eureka Park at CES 2026. See Perciv AI and other European innovators at CES 2026 register now. About CES: CES is the most powerful tech event in the world the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This is where the world's biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES features every aspect of the tech sector. CES 2026 takes place Jan. 6-9, 2026, in Las Vegas. Learn more at CES.tech and follow CES on social. About Consumer Technology Association (CTA): As North America's largest technology trade association, CTA is the tech sector. Our members are the world's leading innovators from startups to global brands helping support more than 18 million American jobs. CTA owns and produces CES the most powerful tech event in the world. Find us at CTA.tech. Follow us @CTAtech. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807614/CES.jpg RESTON, Va., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation is proud to announce Major General Richard Johnson as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective in the new year, upon his retirement from the U.S. Army. Outgoing CEO David Kim will remain closely involved as Chairman of the Board of Directors, ensuring a seamless handoff and continued strategic guidance. Cynthia Kim will also continue her dedicated service as a member of the Board of Directors and (Volunteer) Program Director, further strengthening continuity and support across the organization. This management addition reflects Children of Fallen Patriots' commitment to thoughtful succession planning, the enduring strength of its board leadership, and a smooth and steady continuation of its mission-driven strategy. Fallen Patriots remains deeply committed to its founding purpose, honoring the sacrifice of fallen service members by empowering their children with college and trade school scholarships, educational support, and career guidance ensuring that no child of a fallen patriot is left behind in their pursuit of a brighter future. Co-founders Cynthia and David Kim commented, "Starting Children of Fallen Patriots from scratch in our home 23 years ago and leading it since then has been the greatest honor of our lives. We are grateful for all that the Fallen Patriots team has accomplished, and our donors have enabled providing over $80 million in scholarships to over 3,800 children of our fallen. Rich is an exceptional leader, and we are humbled by his desire to join our team. We have every confidence that Rich will skillfully carry our mission forward with an unwavering commitment to ensuring no child of a fallen patriot is left behind. We are also profoundly grateful to the many generous Fallen Patriots donors across the nation and especially to our Board, led by Chairman Tom McGann and our matron Mrs. Holly Petraeus, for their decades of hard work, tremendous personal generosity and commitment to serving the children of our fallen. Thank you for your friendship and trusting us to serve alongside you." While Fallen Patriots' core values remain consistent, MG Johnson brings proven leadership, deep commitment, and perspective that will build on the Fallen Patriots' legacy and accelerate its impact. As a mission-driven senior executive, MG Johnson offers more than 38 years of leadership experience across the U.S. Army, Army National Guard, and law enforcement. Throughout his distinguished Army career, Major General Johnson has held key command and staff positions from company to division level. He has served for nearly three decades in law enforcement concurrently with his Active Army and Army National Guard service. His leadership spans multiple combat deployments from Operation Desert Shield/Storm through Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Freedom Sentinel, and Resolute Support. His distinguished service has been recognized through numerous awards and decorations, including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and Combat Action Badge. He has served as a senior advisor in political and military affairs in both Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing a strategic and empathetic outlook to his leadership. MG Johnson currently serves as the Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), where he leads strategic efforts in readiness, mobilization, deployment, and sustainment for more than 750,000 Active, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers, while advising the Commanding General on force generation, modernization, and operational priorities. MG Johnson's deep personal alignment with Fallen Patriots' mission stems from his decades of service in uniform and his unwavering commitment to supporting military families and the proud achievement of being the first in his family to earn a college degree. Having experienced firsthand the sacrifices made by service members and their loved ones, he brings a profound understanding of the organization's purpose. Early in his tenure, Rich plans to engage directly with Gold Star families, donors, and program partners to listen, learn, and strengthen the impact of Fallen Patriots' mission nationwide. MG Johnson stated, "I am deeply honored to be selected as the next CEO of the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. It is a profound privilege to lead an organization dedicated to supporting the children of our nation's fallen heroes. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve their legacies and work alongside our incredible team and supporters to ensure these families are never forgotten and their children have the bright futures they deserve." As Children of Fallen Patriots moves forward, it does so on the strong foundation built by cofounders Cynthia and David Kim. Under their leadership, Fallen Patriots expanded its reach, deepened its impact, and remained unwavering in its mission to serve the children of America's fallen heroes. Building on that legacy, we proudly welcome MG Johnson as CEO, bringing strong leadership and his lifelong dedication to military families to guide Fallen Patriots' continued mission. About Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation Fallen Patriots is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing college and trade school scholarships, educational assistance, and career support to military children who lost a parent in the line of duty. Since 2002, Fallen Patriots has provided over $80 million in scholarships to more than 3,800 students, out of an estimated 25,000 nationwide who have lost a parent in the line of duty. Fallen Patriots is proud to be a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator, recognizing our commitment to transparency and financial stewardship. Thanks to Board support covering nearly all administrative and fundraising costs, 96% of revenue goes directly to programs. SOURCE Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation Humanitarian Organization Sends Emergency Relief Supplies and Prepares for Long-term Recovery Amid Category 5 Storm SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica with life-threatening winds, flooding and a storm surge, Convoy of Hope is deploying resources to aid those in the storm's path. The leading disaster-response humanitarian organization is coordinating with partners and local contacts to send truckloads of essential suppliesincluding food, clean drinking water, hygiene kits, baby care products and moreto support survivors in the days and weeks ahead. Airports across Jamaica were closed ahead of the storm, making evacuation nearly impossible. Hundreds of shelters have opened as residents brace for impact. Melissa has already killed three people in Haiti and one person in the Dominican Republic. Meteorologists warn the storm could drop up to 40 inches of rain and push over 10 feet of catastrophic storm surge onto the southern coast. Sustained winds have reached 165 mph, making Melissa one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Caribbean. It will cause "extensive infrastructure damage" that will cut off communities, the National Hurricane Center warned. "Convoy of Hope is actively mobilizing resources and team members to meet the needs of the people of Jamaica," said Ethan Forhetz, Convoy of Hope's spokesperson. "This is a catastrophic storm, and so many people need our help. Convoy is committed to delivering hope to Jamaica as quickly as possible." Convoy's disaster services team is already in motion, moving shipments to ports and working to expedite transport. The organization's response strategy emphasizes both immediate relief and sustainable recovery, ensuring communities have access to long-term support once emergency needs are met. Convoy of Hope has extensive experience responding to hurricanes and natural disasters worldwide. In 2024, the organization responded to 99 disasters, including the California wildfires, Central Texas floods and Hurricanes Milton and Helene. In fact, Convoy has continued long-term recovery work in Los Angeles following the fires, and in six U.S. states following Hurricane Helene. The organization also maintained a five-year response in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian in 2019. "We're ready to help for the long haul," Forhetz added. "Our goal is to stand with communities not only in the days after disaster strikes, but through the years of recovery that follow." While the full impact of Hurricane Melissa will take some time to assess, Convoy's teams are preparing immediate relief efforts. Its robust network, supported by volunteers, church partners and civic organizations, continues to allow Convoy of Hope to distribute supplies and provide continued aid as needs evolve. Forhetz is available for interviews to discuss Hurricane Melissa, Convoy's disaster response efforts and the organization's commitment to helping communities recover from catastrophic events. For more information, visit: https://convoyofhope.org/disaster-relief/hurricane-melissa-response-convoy-is-on-the-way/ Convoy of Hope is a global, faith-based organization that serves vulnerable communities. By partnering with local churches, businesses, civic organizations, and government agencies, Convoy has strategically offered help and hope in more than 130 countries around the world. Since its founding in 1994, Convoy of Hope has served 300 million people and counting. Media Contact: Jon D. Wilke [email protected] 270-293-7818 SOURCE Convoy of Hope New 24-month terms make it easier for business owners to plan ahead, invest in equipment, and expand with confidence. HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Capital Group Inc., a leading provider of small-business financing solutions, has announced expanded funding programs with repayment terms now available for up to 24 months. This expansion gives business owners more flexibility to manage cash flow, invest in growth, and plan long-termwhile still benefiting from Delta Capital's hallmark same-day approval and funding process. "Not every business grows on a 90-day cycle," said Benjamin Miller, Senior Funding Director at Delta Capital Group. "Our new 24-month terms allow owners to pursue larger opportunities with confidence and stability." Delta Capital's expanded programs cover Term Loans, Lines of Credit, Equipment Financing, SBA-style options, and MCA programs, designed to serve industries such as healthcare, construction, logistics, retail, and professional services. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, Delta Capital Group continues to combine technology-driven underwriting with personalized support to deliver fast, reliable funding to small and mid-sized businesses nationwide. Business owners can apply at DeltaCapitalGroup.com or contact a funding specialist at 888-213-7118. About Delta Capital Group Inc. Delta Capital Group is a national small-business funding provider headquartered in Hollywood, Florida. The company offers same-day approvals and flexible financing solutions to help entrepreneurs grow and thrive. Media Contact: [email protected] | (888) 213-7118 https://DeltaCapitalGroup.com Photo(s): https://www.prlog.org/13107327 Press release distributed by PRLog SOURCE Delta Capital Group Inc. Among other allegations, Atrium Hospitality LP failed to provide employees with accurate wages due to missed meal breaks. This, allegedly, resulted in violations of various California Labor Codes. **THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT** SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sacramento employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Atrium Hospitality LP, violated the California Labor Code. The Atrium Hospitality LP class action lawsuit, Case No. 25CV022226, is currently pending in the Sacramento County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here . The Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP According to the lawsuit filed against Atrium Hospitality LP, the company allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods , (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse for required expenses, (f) failed to pay sick wages, and (g) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in California Labor Code Sections 201-203, 226, 226.7, 233, 246, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct. The lawsuit further alleges that Defendant required Plaintiffs from time to time to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided ten (10) minutes rest periods. Further these employees were denied their first rest periods of at least ten (10) minutes for some shifts of at least two (2) to four (4) hours from time to time, a first and second rest period of at least ten (10) minutes for some shifts worked of between six (6) and eight (8) hours from time to time, and a first , second and third rest period of at least ten (10) minutes for some shifts worked of ten (10) hours or more from time to time. Defendant allegedly violated Cal. Lab. Code 1194, 1197, and 1197.1. For more information about the class action lawsuit against Atrium Hospitality LP, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today. **THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT** Media Contact Nicholas De Blouw Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP (800) 568-8020 [email protected] https://www.bamlawca.com/ SOURCE Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP Michigan's premier personal injury and sexual assault advocacy firm urges adults to prioritize safety while celebrating Halloween. OKEMOS, Mich., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With Halloween right around the corner, Grewal Law , a Michigan-based law firm with deep experience in sexual assault and personal-injury cases, is urging adults to take proactive safety measures when heading out to bars, clubs, large events, or parties. Even in situations involving consenting adults, Halloween can introduce added risks. Crowded venues, costumes that conceal identities, and increased alcohol consumption all create conditions that demand heightened awareness and caution. Three women standing together at a party, holding champagne glasses and wearing dresses and masquerade masks. "Halloween should be a fun and celebratory time, but the reality is that predators often take advantage of crowded venues and the party atmosphere," said Manvir (Mick) S. Grewal Sr., founder of Grewal Law. "We're putting out this advisory so people can enjoy Halloween while minimizing their exposure to riskbecause prevention matters." Key Safety Recommendations for Halloween Night: Always go with a trusted group : Choose to go out with trusted friends. Arrive together, stay together, and appoint someone in the group to check in periodically. Being alone or drifting off from the group increases vulnerability. : Choose to go out with trusted friends. Arrive together, stay together, and appoint someone in the group to check in periodically. Being alone or drifting off from the group increases vulnerability. Stick to well-lit, populated areas : Whether going to a bar, club, party, or event, choose locations with visible security, good lighting and clear exits. Avoid spots where you're isolated or out of view. : Whether going to a bar, club, party, or event, choose locations with visible security, good lighting and clear exits. Avoid spots where you're isolated or out of view. Keep your drink in sight : Never leave a drink unattended. If it's out of sighteven for a momentdiscard it and get a new one. Drug-facilitated assault can happen when someone tampers with a drink. : Never leave a drink unattended. If it's out of sighteven for a momentdiscard it and get a new one. Drug-facilitated assault can happen when someone tampers with a drink. Stay aware and trust your instincts : If something feels offsomeone is acting overly pushy, you notice a sudden change in your drink, or you're separated from your groupleave immediately. The sooner you act, the better. : If something feels offsomeone is acting overly pushy, you notice a sudden change in your drink, or you're separated from your groupleave immediately. The sooner you act, the better. Plan transportation in advance : Know how you're getting home and with whom. Avoid leaving the venue alone. Use a rideshare or taxi, or designate a sober driver ahead of time. : Know how you're getting home and with whom. Avoid leaving the venue alone. Use a rideshare or taxi, or designate a sober driver ahead of time. Charge your phone & share your location : Make sure your phone is fully charged before you head out, and consider sharing your location with a trusted friend or family member. Having contact with someone who knows where you are is a crucial safety layer. : Make sure your phone is fully charged before you head out, and consider sharing your location with a trusted friend or family member. Having contact with someone who knows where you are is a crucial safety layer. Know your rights: If you experience non-consensual contact or assault, document what you can, seek medical attention, and legal advice. Grewal Law emphasizes that victims have rights and recourse. "While we are committed to holding perpetrators and negligent institutions accountable, prevention remains our most important tool. We encourage everyone to prioritize safety this Halloween," added Grewal. "Everyone deserves to enjoy their night out without fear. By staying aware, looking out for one another, and taking simple precautions, we can help reduce the risks and ensure this Halloween is a night to remember." Grewal Law PLLC emphasizes that sexual assault is never the victim's fault. Anyone who experiences sexual assault should seek medical attention immediately, preserve evidence, and contact law enforcement. Support resources are available 24/7 through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). For individuals who have experienced sexual assault, Grewal Law PLLC offers confidential consultations to discuss legal options, including civil claims against perpetrators and potentially negligent venues or institutions. About Grewal Law PLLC Grewal Law PLLC is Michigan's premier law firm focusing on personal injury, medical malpractice, sexual assault cases, and civil rights litigation. With over 100 years of combined legal experience, the family-owned firm has secured over a billion dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients, including landmark cases representing survivors of Larry Nassar, USA Gymnastics, and University of Michigan's Robert Anderson. The firm's attorneys have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Grewal Law is committed to providing compassionate, personalized legal representation while fighting for justice on behalf of survivors. Media Contact: Grewal Law PLLC Phone: (888) 211-5798 Website: www.4grewallaw.com National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Available 24/7 for confidential support SOURCE Grewal Law, PLLC TAIPEI, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Infortrend Technology, Inc. (TWSE: 2495), a leading provider of enterprise storage and AI solutions, today announced that its EonStor GS 4U 90-bay unified storage solution enabled a government institution to quickly access and share a massive volume of files while providing large-capacity storage for Veeam backups offering high storage density for a limited rack space and simplifying data management through a unified platform. The government institution was seeking a solution to serve as a PB-level primary storage for millions of files and as a repository for data backups, while fitting within limited rack space. After evaluating multiple options, the institution selected EonStor GS 4090, configured with 30 units of 7.68TB SAS SSDs, 60 units of 22TB NL-SAS HDDs, and four 100Gb 2-channel boards. The key factors behind this decision included: High-Density Design : With a 4U chassis capable of accommodating up to 90 drives, the system provides up to 1.5PB of storage for millions of files and large-scale backup data, all while minimizing rack footprint offering approximately 50% more capacity compared to a 60-drive solution. : With a 4U chassis capable of accommodating up to 90 drives, the system provides up to 1.5PB of storage for millions of files and large-scale backup data, all while minimizing rack footprint offering approximately 50% more capacity compared to a 60-drive solution. High Performance : It achieves 18GB/s read and 6GB/s write file throughput, ensuring fast, on-the-fly file access. : It achieves 18GB/s read and 6GB/s write file throughput, ensuring fast, on-the-fly file access. Simplified Management : GS supports a hybrid setup with high-speed and high-capacity drives all managed within a single system. : GS supports a hybrid setup with high-speed and high-capacity drives all managed within a single system. Balanced Cost and Performance: With SSD, HDD, and automated tiering, it maintains competitive pricing without sacrificing performance. "Enterprises today are facing explosive data growth, particularly from files that can overwhelm legacy storage systems. This government deployment is a powerful testament to how the GS 4090 addresses this challenge. Our EonStor GS high-density lineup also includes ultra-high-performance GS 5090 and powerful GS 3090 models, delivering up to 2PB raw capacity, data protection, and streamlined management," said Frank Lee, Senior Director of Product Planning at Infortrend Technology. Learn more: EonStor GS 4090 Make an Inquiry About Infortrend Infortrend (TWSE: 2495) has been developing and manufacturing storage solutions since 1993. With a strong emphasis on in-house design, testing, and manufacturing, Infortrend storage delivers performance and scalability with the latest standards, user-friendly data services, personal after-sales support, and unrivaled value. For more information, please visit www.infortrend.com Infortrend and EonStor are trademarks or registered trademarks of Infortrend Technology, Inc.; other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. October 7: The Wars Over Words and Deeds Released Today by Dr. Asaf Romirowsky and Donna Robinson Divine PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Two years after the devastating Hamas massacre of October 7 and the fallout from the two years of war, October 7: The Wars Over Words and Deeds brings together 17 scholars, journalists, and thought leaders to examine both the atrocities of that day and the ensuing global struggle over truth, morality, and meaning. The book also highlights how these words and images have been used to reframe the historical narrative of this century-long conflict into an avalanche of antisemitism and cultural toxicity that has attempted to reshape American society, impacting politics, media, and academia. New Book Confronts the Moral and Intellectual Battles Unleashed After Hamas Attack on Israel Edited by Dr. Asaf Romirowsky, Executive Director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and Donna Robinson Divine, Morningstar Family Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor Emerita of Government at Smith College, the book features essays from some of today's most incisive voices on Middle Eastern politics, antisemitism, and the war of ideasincluding Andrew Fox, Henry Jackson Society, Cole Bunzel, Hoover Institution, Isabella Tabarowsky, Wilson Center, KC Johnson, Brooklyn College, and David Adesnik, Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "October 7 was not only an assault on human lifeit was an assault on truth itself," said Dr. Asaf Romirowsky, editor of October 7: The Wars Over Words and Deeds. "This book confronts how the moral relativism of our institutions and media has allowed terror to be rationalized and antisemitism to be repackaged as justice. We cannot heal or move forward without facing the reality of both the deeds committed and the words that followed." Together, these contributors dissect the dual conflict that emerged after October 7: one of physical violence, and another of moral and linguistic distortion. The essays explore how language, media narratives, and academic discourse have been weaponized to obscure the truth about terror, justify antisemitism, and reshape global perceptions of Israel and the Jewish people. "October 7: The Wars Over Words and Deeds is more than a chronicle of tragedyit is a call to intellectual and moral accountability," said Donna Robinson Divine, co-editor of the volume. "The essays examine how the global response to October 7 revealed deep fractures in academia, journalism, and international institutions, and challenge readers to reassert moral clarity in a world of distortion." October 7: The Wars Over Words and Deeds exposes how Hamas savagery cast a destructive shadow not only over the men, women, and children caught on the battlefields of Gaza but also over the educators and journalists expected to explain why this atrocity occurred. Despite its brutality, Hamas won substantial support on campuses, in the media, and from an array of progressive movements. This terrorist organization's attacks, astonishing in their ambition, can only be fully understood by examining not only what has happened to Israel, Gaza, and to the Middle East, but also to a world forced to respond to domestic protests echoing and supporting Hamas' savagery, the suffering of Gaza civilians, and the devastation of the war. "This ambitious collection tackles a controversial topic, and it does so boldly and thoroughly.," exclaimed Ron Hassner, Helen Diller Family Chair in Israel Studies, University of California, Berkeley. "The essays provide a rich variety of views, diverse in focus, methodology, and findings. There are scholars of gender here, as well as military strategists, but also those who study terrorism, domestic politics, and antisemitism. There are humanities and social science scholars, quantitative and qualitative. An important, ambitious, and provocative read." There will be a discussion of the book at the 18th Annual Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) Conference from November 1-3, 2025 in Washington DC. Registration is open for the conference here. Publication Date: October 28, 2025 Publisher: Academic Studies Press To purchase a copy, click here. About the Editors Asaf Romirowsky PhD, is the Executive Director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) Romirowsky is also a senior nonresident research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA) and a Professor [Affiliate] at the University of Haifa. Trained as a Middle East historian he holds a PhD in Middle East and Mediterranean Studies from King's College London, UK and has published widely on various aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict and American foreign policy in the Middle East, as well as on Israeli and Zionist history. Romirowsky is co-author of Religion, Politics, and the Origins of Palestine Refugee Relief and a contributor to The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel . Romirowsky's publicly-engaged scholarship has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The National Interest, The American Interest, The New Republic, The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Ynet and Tablet among other online and print media outlets. Donna Robinson Divine is the Morningstar Family Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor Emerita of Government at Smith College, where she taught comparative politics and Middle East studies. A longtime scholar of Israeli and Palestinian politics, she has written extensively on nation-building, gender, and ideology in the region. Divine is the author of Exiled in the Homeland: Zionism and the Return to Mandate Palestine and Politics and Society in Ottoman Palestine, and has contributed to major academic and policy journals worldwide. For media inquiries, please contact: Alyssa Meyer 212-362-1307 [email protected] SOURCE Dr. Asaf Romirowsky and Donna Robinson Divine ISTANBUL, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Bank of China (BOC) Turkiye has extended a five-year loan worth 2.9 billion yuan (about 412 million U.S. dollars) to Turkish Airlines to support the flag carrier's development projects, the bank announced on Tuesday. The financing will be used for fleet expansion, cargo business growth, and the construction of a new simulator training center, it stated. According to the statement, BOC Turkiye worked with its Macau branch to provide a cross-regional financing solution, "effectively responding to the airline's funding needs." On the same day, with support from the bank's headquarters, it also completed the related foreign exchange transaction. The RMB-denominated loan marks a significant step in China-Turkiye financial cooperation, the statement said, adding that Turkish Airlines' choice of RMB financing underscores its growing focus on the Chinese market and support for RMB internationalization. Turkish Airlines, Turkiye's national flag carrier, was founded in 1933 and is 49.12 percent owned by the Turkiye Wealth Fund. The airline currently operates a fleet of 512 aircraft, including 26 freighters, serving 353 destinations across 131 countries. Illinois Cannabis Community Unites to Raise Awareness and Funds During Breast Cancer Awareness Month CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- nuEra Cannabis proudly wrapped up its fifth annual "Doobies for Boobies" fundraiser, continuing its tradition of supporting Gilda's Club during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This statewide campaign brought together nuEra customers, staff, and communities across Illinois to raise funds and awareness for individuals and families impacted by cancer. Doobies For Boobies From October 119, nuEra locations invited customers to contribute through in-store donations and limited-edition fundraiser merchandise, with all proceeds benefiting Gilda's Cluba nonprofit organization that provides free emotional, educational, and social support for those affected by cancer. Supporting a Legacy of Hope and Community Named in honor of comedian Gilda Radner, Gilda's Club continues her legacy of humor, strength, and compassion. Their programsranging from support groups and counseling to workshops and community eventscreate a vital lifeline for thousands of people each year navigating the challenges of cancer. "Every October, we're reminded that cannabis culture isn't just about productsit's about people," said a nuEra Cannabis representative. "Our Doobies for Boobies fundraiser has become a meaningful tradition, allowing us to give back while spreading awareness in a fun and heartfelt way." How the Community Showed Support Customers across Illinois contributed in multiple ways, including: Donating directly at the register at all nuEra dispensaries at all nuEra dispensaries Purchasing exclusive Doobies for Boobies bracelets , with proceeds donated to Gilda's Club , with proceeds donated to Gilda's Club Buying limited-edition nuEra BCA Croc Charms to wear their support with pride The campaign once again demonstrated the compassion and unity of the Illinois cannabis communityeach donation helping fund critical programs and services for patients, survivors, families, and friends. Continuing the Mission nuEra remains committed to using its platform to uplift and support those in need. Through ongoing partnerships and cause-based initiatives, nuEra strives to make a positive difference beyond the dispensary wallsone community effort at a time. Visit any nuEra dispensary to participate: About nuEra Cannabis: nuEra Cannabis is Illinois' premier cannabis dispensary, offering a wide selection of premium products and expert staff to guide customers. Known for their commitment to quality and customer service, nuEra Cannabis provides a unique and enjoyable cannabis experience with convenient locations across Illinois. For further information, please visit www.nueracannabis.com . Stay connected with nuEra on social media: Twitter: @nuEraCannabis Facebook: facebook.com/nuErachicago Instagram: @nuera.il Media Contact: Jonah Rapino (815)-561-6850 [email protected] SOURCE nuEra Cannabis Oklahoma patients empowered to compare prices, save on care, fight surprise bills OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) announced the Oklahoma Hospital Price Finder Tool, empowering Oklahomans with free access to all available Oklahoma hospital prices so they can compare options, prevent overcharges, and have recourse for surprise bills. The new tool allows patients, employers, unions, and researchers in the Sooner State to search hospital prices by procedure and code at OklahomaHospitalPrices.org. "The Oklahoma Hospital Price Finder Tool finally gives Oklahomans upfront healthcare prices, protecting them from overcharges and enabling them to seek the best care at the best prices," said PRA Founder and Chairman Cynthia Fisher. "By providing free access to all available Oklahoma hospital prices, this tool empowers Oklahomans to spot wide price variations, seek affordable care, and benefit from financial certainty. We encourage all Oklahoma health consumers to use it before care to compare and save." Earlier this year, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law S.B. 889, which codified federal price transparency requirements for all Oklahoma hospitals and authorized compliance monitoring and enforcement. It also prohibits medical debt collection by non-compliant hospitals. Today, the governor hosted a press conference with PRA to introduce the Oklahoma Hospital Price Finder Tool at the Oklahoma State Capitol. S.B. 889 will go into effect November 1, 2025. PRA's most recent Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report revealed that only 12% of Oklahoma hospitals reviewed were fully complying with the federal hospital price transparency rule first implemented nearly five years go. One Oklahoma patient for whom the Oklahoma Hospital Price Finder Tool would have made a difference is Mark Malthane. He arranged to pay $150 for an oncology appointment for his wife when she had breast cancer. After a few months, he received another bill for $247. Despite repeated assurances, the bill was not fixed and years later, unbeknownst to Mark, the amount plus penalty was garnished from his state income tax refund. Read his full story here. Another example is Shauna Evans, whose sister had a brain aneurysm that required two ICU visits with a fee of more than $150,000. According to Evans, "there were many, many charges on the bill that were exorbitant for what they were." She adds: "I have also paid anywhere from $400 for a bone scan to $200 for one. Why the difference in prices? ... Why are we getting gouged for everything? There should be complete transparency in billing for medical procedures and visits." Read her full story here. About PatientRightsAdvocate.org PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) is a leading national healthcare price transparency organization dedicated to ushering in systemwide transparency through advocacy, testimony, media, legal research, and grassroots campaigns. PRA believes that the availability and visibility of actual, upfront healthcare prices will greatly lower costs for patients and employers through a functional, competitive healthcare marketplace. SOURCE Patient Rights Advocate WILSON, N.C., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vets Pets, a North Carolinabased cooperative network of veterinary hospitals, today announced that Points East Veterinary Specialty Hospital will expand its specialty offerings with the addition of an Internal Medicine service led by Claire Wiley, VMD, DACVIM (SAIM). Dr. Wiley, a board-certified small animal internal medicine specialist, joins an established team of experienced veterinarians at Points East Veterinary Specialty Hospital. With two boarded surgeons, two boarded criticalists, and thirteen full-time emergency clinicians, Dr. Wiley will support the hospital's patients and its community with her expertise in internal medicine. Together, they provide comprehensive, collaborative care for pets requiring advanced medical attention. "Internal medicine gives us the tools to uncover what's happening beneath the surface," said Dr. Claire Wiley. "I'm grateful for the chance to help families find answers and guide them through their pet's care." Dr. Wiley brings an exceptional background in clinical research, diagnostics, and genetics. After completing her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her veterinary degree and rotating internship from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Wiley moved to North Carolina to pursue an internal medicine residency program at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. At NCSU-CVM, Dr. Wiley's medical research focused on molecular diagnostics for early cancer detection and canine genetic diseases. Her published work includes pioneering studies on liquid biopsy techniques and genetic profiling for bladder and prostate tumors in pets. "Welcoming Dr. Wiley is an exciting step for Points East VSH," said Paige Harrington, DVM, Vice President of Medical Leadership at Vets Pets. "Her expertise strengthens the hospital's ability to serve its patients and the local community. Points East was founded on the core value that advanced veterinary medicine must be available to more families and the pets they love. Dr. Wiley's knowledge, skill, and empathic approach to patient care make her a natural fit for Points East." Since its founding, Points East Veterinary Specialty Hospital has evolved to meet the growing needs of pets and referring veterinarians across Eastern North Carolina. The addition of internal medicine complements existing emergency, surgical, and critical care services, furthering the hospital's commitment to collaboration and patient-centered care. "Vets Pets serves veterinarians and their teams providing care to North Carolina pet owning families," said Steve Thomas, CEO of Vets Pets. "Vets Pets is proud to welcome Dr. Wiley and her advanced skills to Points East Veterinary Specialty Hospital." About Vets Pets Vets Pets is a cooperative group of small-animal veterinary hospitals located in North Carolina. Based in Wilson, North Carolina, Vets Pets was created to address the changing needs in the veterinary profession. By providing hands-on operations management, HR support, continued education, advanced technology and resources, it enables veterinarians to focus on medical excellence in a supportive and healthy hospital culture. Whether veterinarians are looking to join one of their existing practices, launch a new practice, acquire an existing practice or transition out of practice ownership, Vets Pets' role in the business is flexible. It invests in people, equipment and facilities with the long-term in mind, and works with veterinary partners to match strengths and interests with the right business opportunity. For entrepreneurial veterinary leaders, Vets Pets forms partnerships where it co-owns practices with veterinarians. For more information, visit the Vets Pets website and our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Contact: Matt Mumpower, [email protected] SOURCE Vets Pets HOUSTON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- RESA Power, LLC ("RESA Power" or the "Company"), a market leader in power systems electrical testing, transformer services, and life extension solutions for power distribution equipment, has acquired Accurate Power Group Limited ("Accurate"). Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Accurate has provided electrical testing and infrared thermography to customers in a diverse range of end markets including commercial, industrial, healthcare, telecommunication, institutional, critical data management, and large-scale residential since 2005. The strategic acquisitionRESA Power's second completed in collaboration with Kohlbergadds technical expertise and complementary capabilities to the Company's existing product and service offerings, and bolsters its ability to perform vault maintenance and infrared thermography services in the rapidly growing greater Vancouver market. Kevin Noonan, President of RESA Power's Canadian business, commented, "This acquisition adds meaningful new capabilities and expertise to our expanding Canadian business, allowing us to provide an even wider spectrum of services to our existing customer base. Accurate President and Owner, Darren Boeur, has built an impressive business over the last two decades, and we are eager to welcome him and his team to RESA Power. We look forward to working together to accelerate business growth." Boeur added, "I'm delighted to join RESA Power, the ideal partner to help develop and scale our business, both locally and regionally. RESA Power provides us immediate access to a broad range of products and services our existing customers require, as well as a large roster of skilled technicians and financial resources to fuel future growth." This acquisition marks RESA Power's ninth in Canada in the past three years and is part of a purposeful growth strategy that has successfully expanded the Company's reach to 14 locations across three provinces. About RESA Power RESA Power, a portfolio company of Kohlberg, is a market leader in power systems services and life extension solutions for power distribution equipment used in mission-critical environments. With over 50 locations across the United States and Canada, RESA Power is uniquely capable of ensuring its customers' critical power systems are safe, reliable, and operating at peak efficiency. The technicians and engineers at RESA Power are experts in testing and servicing transformers, relays, breakers, and other key components of power distribution and control systems. RESA Power also provides quick turnaround custom manufactured or retrofit switchgear and breaker solutions and maintains an extensive inventory of obsolete and hard-to-find components. For more information about how to join the RESA Power group, visit www.resapower.com or follow @RESAPower on LinkedIn. About Kohlberg Founded in 1987, Kohlberg is a leading U.S. middle market private equity firm based in Mount Kisco, New York. The firm invests in high-quality healthcare and services companies characterized by strong market positions, recurring revenue streams and resilient end markets, which it identifies through rigorous thematic research grounded in its White Paper Program. Leveraging its team of investment and operating professionals, Kohlberg works with management teams to accelerate growth, enhance operational excellence and create value. For more information, please visit www.kohlberg.com. Media contacts For RESA Power Alexis Motl 832-900-8340 [email protected] For Kohlberg Amanda Shpiner/Jonathan Warren Gasthalter & Co. 212-257-4170 [email protected] SOURCE RESA Power NEW YORK, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential breaches of fiduciary duties by the directors and officers of Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR). If you currently own shares of Danaher stock, please visit the firm's website at https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=17717 for more information. You may also contact Phillip Kim of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via email at [email protected]. Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A. SODERTALJE, Sweden, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Two men wait in the desert for something they can't quite explain. The story unfolds to a cover of Avicii's *Hey Brother*, vocals by Bryan Adams. Scania's new global brand campaign is built on an equally powerful feeling one of pride, connection, and belonging. The campaign addresses a feeling that's hard to describe, but unmistakable to those who've experienced it. It can come from the quiet confidence of a driver at the end of a long haul, or from a simple nod between strangers who know what it means to be part of the Scania community. Launching this week, the campaign invites people into the world of Scania, not by listing product features, but by sharing something far more personal. At the centre is a cinematic film about two brothers who refuse to settle for anything less than a Scania. Set to a specially made version of Avicii's Hey Brother, vocals by Bryan Adams, the film blends story, soundtrack, and stillness to express what thousands of drivers around the world already know: that driving a Scania is more than a profession. It's a part of who you are. "There's a feeling that's hard to describe, but unmistakable to those who've experienced it," says Patrik Tharna, Head of Marketing Communications, "It's in the way drivers talk, in the pride they take in every journey. With this campaign, we wanted to capture that feeling and reflect it to the people who already carry it with them." The campaign will roll out globally across digital platforms, including YouTube, Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn, as well as connected TV and influencer channels and through stories and testimonials from the Scania community. Additional behind-the-scenes and customer-driven content will extend the story and deepen its emotional resonance. Experience the campaign film on YouTube Scania Group's YouTube Channel Discover more about the campaign www.scania.com/its-just-special For further information, please contact: Erik Bratthall Corporate Public and Media Relations Manager, Scania Phone: +46 76 724 45 27 E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/scania/r/scania-launches-new-brand-campaign---it-s-just-special-,c4256296 The following files are available for download: SOURCE Scania Evidence-Based Formulas and Global Partnerships Showcase Taiwan's Strength in Integrative Medicine FRANKFURT, Germany, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Taiwan Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Pavilion at CPHI Frankfurt 2025 (October 2830) opened to strong international interest, attracting pharmaceutical professionals and distributors from around the world seeking collaboration in evidence-based herbal innovations and OEM/ODM partnerships. Taiwans TCM Pavilion team at CPHI Frankfurt 2025, representing Taiwans national effort in advancing evidence-based TCM globally. Taiwan Traditional Chinese Medicine Pavilion is selected to be featured on the CPHI Newsbeat Stage, pitching a story directly to international industry press. Organized by the Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy (DCMP) under Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and implemented by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), the Pavilion highlights Taiwan's integrated approach to traditional medicine combining rich clinical heritage, modern scientific validation, and robust regulatory support. On the first day (Oct 28), the Pavilion is selected to be featured on the CPHI Newsbeat Stage, pitching a story directly to international industry press. During the session, TIER made a brief announcement introducing how Taiwan's TCM model is being redefined through science and innovation, followed by a short interview with Raman Sehgal, the host of Molecule to Market, a leading life sciences podcast, with around ten media outlets in attendance. The discussion highlighted NRICM101, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a leading example of Taiwan's evidence-based approach, supported by multiple peer-reviewed studies demonstrating its efficacy in reducing severe outcomes. The Pavilion features five leading Taiwanese enterprises Chuang Song Zong, Li Kang Biotech, Timing Pharmaceutical, Taiwan Three Mast, and Grape King Bio representing Taiwan's dynamic TCM industry that bridges research excellence, innovative product development, and GMP-certified manufacturing for global markets. The Pavilion's scientific centerpiece, developed by the National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine (NRICM), also showcases NRICM101 and NRICM102 formulas with multi-target pharmacological actions that inhibit viral activity, reduce inflammation, and prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes. NRICM102 users showing a 74% lower mortality rate , underscoring the global potential of Taiwan's scientific TCM model. "Taiwan's integration of TCM and modern science continues to earn global recognition," said Dr. Yi-Chang Su, Director of the DCMP and NRICM. "We look forward to building partnerships that bring trusted, evidence-based TCM to broader markets." Throughout the exhibition, Pavilion delegates are meeting with pharmaceutical companies, regulatory experts, and industry promotion organizations from Europe and the Americas to explore potential collaboration advancing global health through Taiwan's evidence-based TCM model. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807394/image.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2807395/image_2.jpg Premium Abruzzo wines and Greek kiwis star in a culinary celebration across 25 NYC restaurants NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Charming Taste of Europe , a campaign co-funded by the European Union and led by the Late Harvest Wines of Bordeaux , Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Abruzzo , and the Association of Imathia's Agricultural Cooperatives (ASIAC) , is pleased to announce the launch of its upcoming Restaurant Week in New York City. The program will kick off with an exclusive opening dinner on October 30, 2025, at NY Vintners in TriBeCa . The event, taking place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., will include a guided tasting experience led by acclaimed wine author and sommelier Charles Springfield. The evening will offer a deep dive into the Abruzzo wine region, with a curated selection of premium wines paired with small bites designed to showcase the unique flavor of each selection. As part of the experience, guests will also enjoy a special dish featuring Greek kiwis, highlighting the excellence of European agricultural products and celebrating the intersection of flavors from different countries. This dinner marks the official launch of The Charming Taste of Europe Restaurant Week, taking place from October 31 through November 9, 2025. Throughout these ten days, 25 restaurants across New York City will offer special wine experiences dedicated to the exceptional wines of Abruzzo, raising awareness of high-quality European food and beverage products. Participating restaurants include: New York Vintners, Estancia 460, Corkbuzz, Angel of Harlem, Il Buco, Umberto's Clam House, Estancia Piola, Clay, Misi, CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Lilia, Misipasta, La Compagnie Wine Bar & Restaurant, Lunella, Benito One, The Uptown Garrison, Harlem Amor, North Bar & Restaurant, Lido, Vinateria, Settepani, PB Brasserie Steakhouse, Lena Trattoria, Vanguard Wine Bar, and Ponty Bistro. For more information about The Charming Taste of Europe and Restaurant Week activities, visit charmingtasteofeurope.eu . Don't miss the opportunity to experience the authentic excellence of European wines and fresh products through these exclusive events across New York City. About The Charming Taste of Europe Europe, a place with timeless charm, is the birthplace of some of the highest-quality products in the world. The Charming Taste of Europe is a special project that introduces exquisite specialties to the United States and Canada, such as Italian and French wines, and fresh kiwis from Greece, that showcase Europe's charm, beauty, culture, history, art, heritage and unmistakable tastes. The mission of the Charming Taste of Europe, co-funded by the European Union, is to increase awareness of the merits and quality standards of select European wines and fresh fruits with promotional activities in the competitive markets of the U.S. and Canada. The Charming Taste of Europe is promoted by the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Abruzzo, the Association of Imathia's Agricultural Cooperatives and Union Des Vins Doux de Bordeaux. These European agricultural products, famous around the world for their outstanding qualities, will continue to be promoted with initiatives and events for consumers, journalists and trade professionals. For more information visit charmingtasteofeurope.eu To Follow The Charming Taste of Europe Campaign: Website: charmingtasteofeurope.eu Facebook: @CharmingTasteofEU Instagram: @charmeu_usa YouTube: The Charming Taste of Europe Hashtags : #thecharmingtasteofeu and #charmeu Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European union or the European research executive agency (Rea). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Media Contact Bianca Panichi [email protected] SOURCE The Charming Taste of Europe Beijing, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Niladri, an international student from Bangladesh at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), drags his suitcase and wanders around the SJTU campus for the last time -- soon, he will head to Singapore to embark on a new academic journey. Once an international student who barely got by with just a little Chinese, he has long turned the campus into his "home" now. Through the camera, he shows us every corner of the campus. Gazing at the familiar campus, Niladri murmurs with emotion: this place holds his first taste of independence, countless warm moments, and the confidence to realize his dreams. Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/348019.html SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road JERUSALEM, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Tuesday that the remains handed over by Hamas on Monday night were in fact body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had already been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago. In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel regarded the handover as "a clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, adding that a security meeting would be convened later on Tuesday with senior defense officials to discuss Israel's response. The remains were transferred by Hamas via the Red Cross in Gaza overnight and later taken to Tel Aviv for forensic identification. Netanyahu's office said that following the identification process, "it was determined that the remains returned last night belong to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati." Tzarfati, 27, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in southern Israel during the Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023. His body was recovered by Israel in a military operation in December 2023. It was the latest exchange of captives and bodies under a ceasefire deal. Hamas had previously returned 15 of the 28 hostage bodies that Israel demanded to be returned. Under the deal, Hamas has released all 20 living Israeli hostages, while Israel has freed about 2,000 Palestinian detainees. BEIRUT, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday held a series of meetings with foreign envoys and officials to discuss steps aimed at restoring calm and strengthening stability in southern Lebanon amid mounting concern over intensified Israeli attacks. In his meeting with U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, Aoun emphasized the importance of activating the ceasefire monitoring committee to halt Israeli violations and attacks on Lebanese territory, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency. He also emphasized enabling the Lebanese army's complete deployment along the southern border and facilitating the return of displaced southern residents to their homes. Ortagus, the deputy U.S. Envoy to the Middle East, did not issue a statement. She also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri during the visit. The meetings came as Israel intensified its strikes on Lebanon's south and east in recent days, killing more than a dozen people, most of them Hezbollah members, according to Lebanese security sources. Another U.S. envoy, Tom Barrack, warned last week that Hezbollah may face a new confrontation with Israel if Lebanese authorities fail to act quickly to disarm the group in full, which Hezbollah has rejected doing so far. Aoun also met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, who said a return to war in Lebanon was "highly unlikely." He described his talks with Aoun as analytical, focusing on regional and international developments. "I sensed that President Aoun is confident Lebanon is on the right path and has faith in its future," Aboul Gheit said. In another meeting, Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad reaffirmed Cairo's full support for Lebanon's stability, saying Egypt "stands ready to help Lebanon restore calm in the south and end the security unrest." Aoun thanked Egypt for its continued support and welcomed its role in easing tensions and countering Israeli violations. Since November 27, 2024, a U.S.- and France-brokered ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect, largely halting confrontations triggered by the war in the Gaza Strip. Despite the agreement, the Israeli army occasionally carries out strikes in Lebanon, claiming they are to eliminate Hezbollah "threats," and maintains its forces at five main points along the Lebanese border. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the closing meeting of the 18th session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) concluded its 18th session Tuesday in Beijing. At the closing meeting, lawmakers voted to adopt the revised Maritime Law, and the revised Organic Law of Urban Residents' Committees as well as decisions to revise the Cybersecurity Law, the Environmental Protection Tax Law, and the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees. President Xi Jinping signed presidential orders to promulgate the laws and the decisions. The session also adopted a decision to appoint Zhang Shengmin as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, and remove He Weidong from this position. Zhao Leji, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, presided over the closing meeting. Lawmakers ratified criminal judicial assistance treaties with Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, among other bills. They also passed a report on the qualification of individual deputies and other personnel-related bills. Addressing the closing meeting, Zhao called on legislators to prioritize the thorough study and implementation of the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee as a major political task both at present and over some time to come. He also called on legislators to work to understand the principles, goals and tasks for China's economic and social development over the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), and to plan and advance the work of people's congresses in a holistic manner. Zhao chaired a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee before the closing meeting, and presided over a lecture for lawmakers afterward. Why Xi stresses openness as the lifeline of Asia-Pacific cooperation People's Daily Online) 16:12, October 28, 2025 Photo shows the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center, the main venue for the upcoming 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea. (Photo/Xiao Yi) Chinese President Xi Jinping once said that openness is the lifeline of Asia-Pacific cooperation. As the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting approaches, parties across the region are contemplating how to navigate uncertainty and plan for the future amid a turbulent international situation. China's vision in this regard has become more prominent. Looking back, openness is the key to success in cooperation. "It is precisely because the Asia-Pacific was freed from the shadow of the Cold War that this region, and particularly its small- and medium-sized economies, have been able to embark on a fast track toward modernization and create the Asia-Pacific miracle," Xi said. APEC was born on the eve of the end of the Cold War, when a new round of economic globalization was gradually emerging. APEC has embodied the region's shared aspirations for peace and development, steadily evolving into a vital platform for open cooperation. Between 1989 and 2022, total trade in goods and services within the APEC region surged from $3.1 trillion to $30 trillion. Today, the Asia-Pacific accounts for more than 60 percent of the global economy, nearly half of world trade and contributes 70 percent of global economic growth. Over the past three decades, per capita income in the Asia-Pacific has more than quadrupled, and one billion people have been lifted out of poverty. The Asia-Pacific, once a battleground for great power rivalry and a region fraught with international disputes, suffered greatly from conflicts and wars. A review of the past may offer clues as to what will happen in the future. History tells us that bloc confrontation cannot solve any problem and that bias will only result in disaster. It also tells us that closed-door development leads nowhere, while open development is the only right choice. A flag flies outside the venue for the upcoming 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea. (Photo/Xiao Yi) Openness stands as both a consensus and a solution to regional challenges. APEC members are gathering in Gyeongju, South Korea, at a time when rising unilateralism and protectionism are weighing heavily on regional development. Humanity is at a crossroads. "No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we must stay committed to building an open global economy, so as to share opportunities and achieve win-win outcomes in openness," Xi said. This Chinese vision has become the mainstream consensus across the Asia-Pacific. Throughout this year, regional leaders meeting with President Xi have consistently raised the topic of openness. New Zealand is willing to actively communicate and coordinate with China to safeguard the multilateral trading system. Singapore is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China on regional and multilateral platforms to jointly uphold multilateralism and the international order. Australia is willing to work with China to uphold multilateralism, support the important role of the United Nations and jointly safeguard free trade and World Trade Organization rules. In the first three quarters, China's trade with ASEAN totaled 5.57 trillion yuan ($785 billion), up 9.6 percent year on year. Facts clearly demonstrate that mutual support and working together enable steady navigation and progress when the wind is strong and the tides are high. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol was signed on Tuesday, marking another milestone in regional open cooperation. As two major global economies, China and ASEAN's decision to upgrade open cooperation against headwinds not only enhances their respective capacity to manage development risks but also injects strong momentum into building an open world economy. Meanwhile, openness represents the prevailing trend determining the region's future. "Though countercurrents are sure to exist in a river, none could stop it from flowing to the sea. Driving forces bolster the river's momentum, and resistance may yet enhance its flow," Xi said. Endogenous drivers for openness continue to emerge. Innovation holds the key to breaking through growth bottlenecks, while green development is the defining color of our times. China's green industries are flourishing, and through partnerships with Southeast Asia, Latin America and other regions, new industrial hubs are taking shape, supporting green transformation across participating economies while forging a new ecosystem for regional industrial and supply chain cooperation. Governance consensus supporting openness has become clearer. The multilateral trading system is an indispensable international public good for the development of all parties. As a major player in the world economy, the Asia-Pacific needs to shoulder greater responsibility by taking the lead in upholding global trade rules. The theme for the 32nd APEC Leaders' Meeting is "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate and Prosper," conveying a broad consensus on safeguarding openness. "The success of the Asia-Pacific is due to our firm commitment to peace and stability in the region, to our continuous practices of true multilateralism and open regionalism, and to our deep faith in the trend toward economic globalization as well as mutual benefit and mutual success," Xi said. "We must remain steadfast in our commitment to APEC's founding mission. We must respond to the calls of our times responsibly and meet global challenges together. We must fully deliver on the Putrajaya Vision of building an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community for the prosperity of all our people and future generations," Xi added. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Entrepreneur Tao Heng speaks during an interview with Xinhua at Jielong township of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Oct. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Zheng Shichang) CHONGQING/TAIYUAN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- As the cool moonlight filtered through a plum orchard in the Jielong township of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, 44-year-old Tao Heng could be found setting up her phone in a nearby studio. "Hello, darlings! I'm your 'plum sister,' and today I'm going to share with you the crown jewel of our orchard," she told the camera with a smile. No one would have known that the confident livestreamer had been frozen by nerves during her debut broadcast. In Chongqing's Zili Village, 70-year-old entrepreneur Chen Kaorong walks through rows of lush pomelo trees. "I just couldn't bear to see locals cut down their fruit trees for firewood," she recalled. In Youyu County of north China's Shanxi Province, Gao Jianhua, who once worked at a state-owned enterprise in the provincial capital city of Taiyuan, is now the general manager of Fushuo Lianchuang E-commerce Co., Ltd., which ships local agricultural products like mutton, sea buckthorn and flax oil across the country. "We send out over 300 orders a day, with monthly sales of over 2 million yuan (about 282,000 U.S. dollars)," Gao said. Though they have different backgrounds and age groups, these women share a common thread, having all seized the opportunities presented by the digital age to transform their rural communities. Women in rural China now constitute over half of the rural workforce, and in recent years, have been rising as key drivers of rural revitalization. They've moved from traditional domestic and farming roles to the forefront of entrepreneurship and digital innovation. Women now occupy 44 percent of all village committee seats in Chongqing and account for over 50 percent of China's digital entrepreneurs, and 70 percent of employees at Gao's e-commerce startup are women. "Whether it's on the front-end of livestreaming or the back-end of sales, women have significant advantages," Gao said. In the e-commerce industrial chain, stages such as order processing and shipping involve meticulous verification processes, and this work is well-suited to women, who tend to be more careful, Gao said. And women who work in livestreaming often have advantages in terms of patience, appearance and communication skills, she added. Women like Tao, Chen and Gao are leveraging livestreaming, e-commerce and digital platforms to boost local economies and empower their neighbors. "After establishing the pomelo planting cooperative, I invited experts to improve the variety and turned local pomelos from produce that couldn't even be sold for 1 yuan apiece into a high-end fruit that is exported to Singapore for 300 yuan apiece," Chen said. "I want to help my neighbors in my hometown prosper by focusing on quality and building a strong pomelo brand," Chen noted. To enhance the quality of the local pomelos, Chen invited experts from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences' citrus research institute to provide technical guidance, and adhered to scientific planting standards. Today, the Jielong pomelo has obtained national geographical indication product certification and is planted across a total area of 5,000 mu (about 333 hectares). Local pomelo growers can earn tens of thousands of yuan in a year. Tao has established a vocational training school that trains over 100 locals each year, helping her community -- especially stay-at-home mothers -- find employment. "Leading everyone in my hometown to increase their income and prosperity gives me great motivation," Tao said. She is particularly pleased when she sees rural women who had once been shy now confidently introducing agricultural products before the camera to customers. Based on the efforts of female entrepreneurs like Tao and Chen, the Chongqing Women's Federation has created a public brand channel to sell 5,317 quality products in the online marketplace. The federation is collaborating with e-commerce platforms like Amazon and JD.com to help these unique products reach international markets, and enabling women to contribute more to the country's rural revitalization. This photo taken on Oct. 14, 2025 shows pomelo products at Jielong township of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Xinhua/Wu Yanxia) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Minsk, Belarus, Oct. 28, 2025. During his speech at the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, Lavrov blamed Western nations for undermining arms control agreements and continuing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) eastward expansion despite earlier promises to the contrary. (Photo by Henadz Zhinkov/Xinhua) MINSK, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday warned that Western countries are openly gearing up for a large-scale conflict in Europe. During his speech at the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, Lavrov blamed Western nations for undermining arms control agreements and continuing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) eastward expansion despite earlier promises to the contrary. Lavrov said the conflict in Ukraine has destroyed the Euro-Atlantic security architecture, turning the European Union into an extension of NATO. He criticized proposals for a new European security system that deliberately exclude Russia and Belarus, citing France's European Political Community as an example of exclusionary tactics. Citing escalating militarization, Lavrov mentioned France and Britain's nuclear coordination, as well as the military pact between Germany and Britain that may include nuclear elements, rising defense expenditures, and large-scale military exercises preparing for eastern deployments. He also expressed concern over NATO's increased activities in the Arctic, which he said threaten peaceful cooperation in the region. The minister accused European NATO members of prolonging the Ukraine conflict by supplying arms and pressuring the United States against negotiated settlements. He expressed hope that U.S. President Donald Trump would remain committed to resolving the crisis based on principles from the Alaska summit. Lavrov reiterated Russia's call for an inclusive security framework designed to prevent dominance by any single power and promote genuine multipolarity. FREETOWN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sierra Leone's Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Conrad Sackey on Tuesday announced plans to integrate Chinese language learning into the public school curriculum. In an interview with Xinhua, Sackey noted that this decision followed a productive meeting with representatives of the Confucius Institute, which has been instrumental in providing Chinese language education in Sierra Leone for over 13 years. He recalled that during a recent meeting, he emphasized the growing importance of equipping students with essential language skills that align with global opportunities. "Today's world is interconnected, and proficiency in Chinese can open doors to invaluable career prospects, business ventures, and international collaboration," he asserted, highlighting the significant role of Mandarin Chinese in engaging with one of the largest economies globally. The minister's call to action came after many private schools successfully introduced Chinese language studies into curricula. He stressed that efforts must now focus on ensuring that public school students also reap the benefits of this valuable educational opportunity. "Every child in our nation, regardless of their school setting, should have access to the advantages that come with learning Chinese," he said, advocating for inclusivity in educational trends. To coordinate this ambitious project, Sackey announced plans for a strategic meeting in the first week of November. The gathering will include key stakeholders such as the teachers' union, representatives from the Ministry of Education, and officials from the Confucius Institute. Together, they will work to formulate a comprehensive strategy aimed at making Chinese language education more accessible nationwide. Sackey also pointed to tangible outcomes from existing Chinese language programs, noting a recent triumph by a pupil from Fourah Bay College Primary School. Earlier this year, the student excelled in the National Chinese Language Competition and went on to represent Sierra Leone at the prestigious World Finals in Beijing. "This achievement not only highlights the potential of our students but also serves as an inspiration for all young learners," Sackey said, adding that with the right support, Sierra Leone's youth can compete on a global stage. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen arbitrarily detained one more UN staff member on Monday, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "This follows the detention of five of our coworkers in recent days, including two UN female colleagues, bringing the total number of detainees to at least 59," Dujarric said at a daily briefing, adding that some have been held for years. He reiterated the UN's strong condemnation of the continued arbitrary detentions by the Houthis. In a related development, Houthi security members entered several UN offices in Sanaa on Sunday and over the past few days, confiscating information technology and communications equipment and assets, said Dujarric. The United Nations continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all personnel from the world body, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and diplomatic missions, said the spokesperson. "They must be respected and protected in accordance with applicable international law," he added. HANOI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam and Canada have agreed to work toward increasing their bilateral trade by 1.5 times within the next three to five years, local newspaper VnEconomy reported Tuesday. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Canadian Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu, held Monday on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Malaysia. Both sides pledged to complete and sign the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement by 2026, calling it a vital step to strengthen regional economic connectivity and facilitate market access for businesses. The two ministers discussed economic, trade and investment cooperation, and agreed to further expand partnership in energy, aerospace, and technology. CANBERRA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Australian trade minister Don Farrell has urged local companies to take advantage of the economic opportunities offered by growing prosperity in Southeast Asia. Farrell told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television on Tuesday that his focus is on getting Australian companies into Southeast Asia to take advantage of the growing prosperity in the region. He said that Australia has numerous advantages in dealing with Southeast Asian nations, including proximity, a reliable route for supply chains and existing person-to-person links. "In the past we just haven't done enough with those," he said. "If you're an outward-facing Australian business, then your profits are likely to be higher, but also the wages of your staff are likely to be higher. So there's great opportunities there to take advantage of this improving prosperity." Farrell's comments coincided with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's week-long visits to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit and related summits and to South Korea for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. The Australian trade minister said that Albanese is using his attendance at the meetings to build on Australia's existing trade links in Southeast Asia. BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A police probe against "Taiwan independence" separatist Shen Pao-yang over secession charges is a just and necessary move to safeguard national unity, a spokesperson for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said Tuesday. Chen Binhua, the spokesperson, made the statement after police in Chongqing city announced that they had launched a criminal investigation against Shen over his suspected acts of secession, including initiating and establishing the separatist organization, the Kuma Academy. "The aim of striking hard against and severely punishing an extremely small number of 'Taiwan independence' secessionists in accordance with the law is to protect the interests and well-being of the overwhelming majority of Taiwan compatriots and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Chen said. YANGON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is implementing its National Electrification Master Plan to meet the country's increasing electricity demand by 2030, state-owned daily The Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Tuesday. Under the plan, the renewable energy sector (excluding hydropower) is expected to generate about 2,000 megawatts (MW) from domestic sources by 2030, the report said, adding that with sufficient international support, electricity generation could increase to 3,070 MW. The plan also calls for a gradual phaseout of coal, which will remain in use until 2030 and be completely phased out by 2050, it said. As of September 2025, Myanmar's total electricity generation capacity stood at 6,357 MW, with hydropower contributing 51 percent, natural gas 40 percent, solar power 4 percent, coal 2 percent, and diesel 3 percent, it added. SINGAPORE, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday called on countries to strengthen regional and interregional trade cooperation and not give up on the World Trade Organization (WTO), as global trade faces rising fragmentation and geopolitical competition. "First, do not give up on the WTO," Lee said during a dialogue in London, according to a statement from Singapore's Prime Minister's Office. Though the WTO has many shortcomings, nations could still act within its framework because it represents "a certain ideal, a certain conception of the way we should work together," he said. "On trade within regions, we ought to work to enhance our own cooperation and bring down the obstacles which we have erected ourselves," he said. Lee also stressed the importance of linking different regions. "You want to link up between blocs so that you can work together and have a network, a web which collectively encompasses the world." He noted that since the U.S. tariff policies unveiled, countries have largely shown restraint in their responses. "It is quite clear that they want to preserve as much of the framework as possible, so that you do not end up mutually impoverishing each other. And if that can be held, I think that would be very valuable." SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia hosted here on Tuesday a regional seminar on mine action in the Lancang-Mekong countries. Ly Thuch, first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, said the seminar was attended by mine officials and experts from Cambodia, China, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. "Decades of armed conflict have left our lands contaminated, our people endangered, and our development restrained," he said in an opening speech. Thuch said Cambodia, like many of its neighbors, has walked a long and difficult road. "With the support of international partners, the dedication of our deminers, and the resilience of our people, we have cleared millions of square meters of land, reduced casualties, and restored life to once-dangerous places," he said. Thuch said the regional gathering reflected a shared mission to free the region from the deadly legacy of landmines and explosive remnants of war. "This regional seminar on mine action under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation marks a significant step forward in our collective journey," he said. "It is a platform not only for exchanging knowledge and best practices, but for deepening our bonds of solidarity." Thuch expressed gratitude to China for supporting mine action in the region and helping to provide a meaningful platform to strengthen cooperation and share experiences among the Lancang-Mekong countries. Speaking of Cambodia in particular, he said China has played an important role in supporting Cambodia's mine action efforts, helping to bring safety to the Cambodian people and transform former minefields into lands of hope and opportunity. President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua meets with Head of Agency at Reuters Alphonse Hardel in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua met with Head of Agency at Reuters Alphonse Hardel here on Tuesday. Fu said Reuters is one of the earliest Western news agencies to establish a cooperative relationship with Xinhua. Over the years, the two agencies have achieved fruitful cooperation in areas such as news and information exchange. Fu hoped that both sides will continue to cement mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and shared benefits, and strengthen exchanges under mechanisms such as the World Media Summit. Hardel said that both sides share common concerns in responsibly leveraging artificial intelligence to better empower such areas as news and communication. He also looked forward to continuing the successful partnership with Xinhua. Counting down to the countrys semiquincentennial, Random House Childrens Books today unveiled Sing the 50 United States! (June 2026), a picture book by none other than Dr. Seuss. Editors recently discovered the rhyming celebration of the States, a mnemonic name game emceed by the Cat in the Hat, among Ted Geisels personal papers at the University of CaliforniaSan Diegos Geisel Library. In Sing the 50 United States!, the Cat in the Hat and the small cats first introduced in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (1958) do their best to recall every state, getting stuck along the way but finally listing every one. Illustrator Tom Brannon, an expert at channeling Geisels antic, springy style, came on board to pair visuals with the authors words. Sing also will include a U.S. map on the inside of the dust jacket and back matter about turning Geisels initial sketches and written draft into a finished book. Random House is going big, with a first printing of 500,000. The company plans to partner with nonprofit educational network First Book for a backpack build, which will send students home with a copy of Sing and other Seuss titles. A back-to-school celebration of Sing will take place in Washington, D.C., next year, and Dr. Seuss is creating a song based on the book, which will be released close to the publication date. Though Geisel died in 1991, editors and admirers have championed several complete and partial manuscripts in the years since. His archive has yielded books including My Many Colored Days, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (1996); Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!, co-written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Lane Smith (1998); The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories, originally published in Redbook magazine (2011); and the complete manuscript of What Pet Should I Get? (2015), found in Geisels home office along with the written story that became Horse Museum, illustrated by Andrew Joyner (2019). These picture books stand alongside other historical collections, among them Richard Minears Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel (1999) and The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss (1995), introduced by Maurice Sendak. In April, three editors flew to California on a mission. Random House Childrens Books executive editor Alice Jonaitis, senior editor Cat Reynolds, and senior executive editor Sara Sargent wanted to explore the collection held by Dr. Seuss Enterprises at UCSD, not far from the authors longtime home of La Jolla. We went to find out if there were any sketches from existing books that we hadnt seen before, Reynolds told PW. Lynda Claassen, UCSDs director of special collections and archives, provided access to about 20 boxes of Geisels personal papers and materials. We were there for eight hours, just nonstop paging through boxes as quickly as they could bring them out to us, Jonaitis recalled. She added that it is thrilling to handle written drafts and art that Geisel himself created. In the miscellany, the editors came upon the manuscript for Sing in various forms, Reynolds said. There were a few handwritten notes and one final version where there werent any edits. We could see the evolution of Ted Geisels creative process. On a single sheet of paper representing the complete written manuscript, Geisel typed Sing the 50 United States!, a copyright symbol, and Dr. Seuss. In the top left corner, he added, For Childrens Voices. The Younger, the Better. Elsewhere in the archive were his loose map for the books pages and a sketch of the Cat in the Hat that inspired the cover. We did not dream that we would find such a gem, said Reynolds, the project's lead editor. The manuscript and the box where it was found were undated, and Jonaitis and Reynolds did not see evidence that Geisel had shared the idea. From what we found in the archives, there was no indication that he had shown it to an editor, Jonaitis said. It was just all his handwritingno letters to editors or agents about the project, just the manuscript and the few sketches. The editors considered the typewritten manuscript close to perfectI dont think we touched a single punctuation mark, Reynolds saidbut the pagination was another matter. There was no indication for page turns, so we worked on finding the moments that felt organic, where we might leave a little bit of suspense or have some iconic, fun art on the page, Reynolds said. She added that Brannon captures the classic Seuss look. Hes done our By the Cat in the Hat Beginner Book series, including If I Were St. Nick by the Cat in the Hat, Reynolds said. He has such a knack for recreating Ted Geisels unique art style. Because the manuscript was limited to the typed pages and book map, Brannon needed to conjure most of the actionand the little catsfrom his imagination. But he based the cover illustration on a standalone drawing from the archive. We were fortunate that Ted Geisel left us exactly one color sketch that was tied to this manuscript, Reynolds said, which provided an indication of his original vision. On the cusp of Americas 250th year, Reynolds said, Dr. Seusss subject matter couldnt have been more timely. It really did feel like a kind of kismet that we found this book at the time we did, so that its ready for that milestone moment in Americas history. U.S. Special Operations Command has it almost as good as we do when it comes to getting their hands on new rifles. Their unique logistics and acquisitions process does not require the multiphase, multiyear trial and selection process mandated by the rest of the military. This allows them to fulfill niche needs and build specialized capabilities rapidly among their ranks of uniquely trained operators. As the rest of the shooting world argues back and forth about the Next Gen Squad Weapons program and its 6.8x51mm cartridge, SOCOM awarded a contract for a similar but more discreet project a couple of years prior. In 2023, Geissele Automatics won the contract for a program known as the Mid-Range Gas Gun. Its interesting to note two things about this program. One is the use of the term mid-range, considering that the specification was for engagement ranges of over 1,000 yards. Program language further cites the requirement for 6.5mm Creedmoor, defining it as an intermediate cartridge. We know that 6.5 Creed is consistently a 1,200-yard cartridge. For many of us, this is at or past the ragged edge of what we can do as shooters. MRGG AT HOME PARTS LIST Not that long ago, even military sniper rifles like the M21 or M40 were considered 800- to 1,000-yard assets on the battlefield. But with a number of record-shattering sniper engagements across the mountains of Afghanistan now cemented in long-range lore, 1,000 yards isnt the far reach it used to be. Currently, three of the top five longest recorded sniper kills are over 1.5 miles. Getting rounds on target was handled by EOTechs VUDU 5-2550 scope with Horus reticle. This greatly clarifies the perspective of a 1,000-yard rifle being considered midrange. Furthermore, language in the MRGG program also refers to it as a sniper support rifle, which also makes sense if the primary trigger puller on a sniper team is hauling around a .50 BMG or .338 Norma Mag. Other requirements include a 20-inch barrel, a weight of less than 10.5 pounds, and MOA accuracy at 100 yards. There were also two rifles being sought: the MRGG-S and MRGG-A. All of the requirements we just listed apply to the MRGG-S, the Sniper (support) variant. While you can certainly buy the bona fide MRGG-S direct from Geissele, itll set you back a meager $6,500. With that in mind, weve attempted to home brew a rifle that fulfilled the same general specifications and a lower entry cost. We started with an Aero Precision M5 receiver set and 15-inch handguard. The barrel is a 20-inch Wilson Combat Super Sniper. This fluted 416R barrel features a 1:8 twist and is finished in Wilsons FDE Armor-Tuff finish to match the custom coating job more on that below. The low-mass, nickel boron-coated bolt carrier group is also from Wilson, rated for both .308 and 6.5mm Creedmoor. The Riflespeed gas block handled tuning duties nicely and has the benefit of avoiding carbon lock. The TriggerTech trigger offers an amazingly light, precise two-stage pull. The recoil system is ArmaSpecs Stealth Recoil System, which is a self-contained drop-in replacement system for the conventional buffer/spring assembly that uses a staged, multi-spring system to soften felt recoil. The main SRS spring is coiled around an operating rod and does not rub on the inside wall of the buffer tube, creating a much quieter recoil action, if that matters to you. The AR-10 version of the SRS is also rated for both .308 and 6.5mm Creedmoor and fits into any standard carbine buffer tube. The Victory charging handle and muzzle brake are also of ArmaSpec pedigree. The latter was particularly interesting to us. ArmaSpec has designed what they call the Harmonics Tuner Brake. This otherwise typical muzzle brake features an endcap secured with a single hex screw that can be loosened to adjust the endcap, which ArmaSpec claims will act like a harmonics tuning device. An Aero Precision receiver set formed the basis of this build, and we werent disappointed with the fit between the upper and lower. The process is very simple, much like zeroing a scope, and is intended to optimize your accuracy by accounting for barrel vibration during firing. The last piece of tuning we added was a Riflespeed gas control system. We have, historically, not been particularly fond of adjustable gas blocks on account of them being hard to access, finicky in their adjustments, and quick to carbon lock. Riflespeed addresses all these issues with a large, tactile collar that protrudes from underneath the handguard and makes gas adjustments as easy as literally dialing up or down. Our first test fire of this rifle, with standard fixed gas block, showed some ejector swipes on the spent brass. Riflespeeds unique and robust system gave us a way to back off the gas flow just enough to optimize ejection while eliminating harsh over-gassing. Particularly with the use of Wilsons reduced mass bolt carrier. We finished off this rig with a bipod from GG&G and an EOTech Vudu 5-25x scope, featuring the Horus TREMOR3 reticle. The Vudu 5-25x is a compact, first focal plane scope that quickly gained a reputation for offering a lot of power in a compact footprint. The TR3 reticle offers the same basic Christmas tree arrangement of wind dots graduated for distance but with a cleaner sight picture than other Horus designs like the H59. Using a rule of thumb of 2x per hundred yards of target distance, the Vudu 5-25x is plenty of glass to take us to 1,200 yards well within the capabilities of 6.5 Creed. The scope is seated in EOTechs factory cantilever mount. The 15-inch handguard wraps around a Wilson Combat 20-inch fluted barrel. Finally, we had the whole rifle coated in KG GunKote by P4 Coatings in Tucson, Arizona. We asked for a basic field paint pattern with colors biased for our home terrain in southern Arizona. The result is a rattle can appearance that will last longer than hardware store spray paint. The ArmaSpec brake finishes off the loud end of the gun and cuts down on muzzle jump so the user can spot their impacts. Our final result is a 6.5mm CM gas gun with the same base capabilities of the MRGG at just over half the cost. The low mass BCG, combined with a muzzle and gas system that are both tunable, and a multi-stage recoil buffer, produced an incredibly soft-shooting gas gun that resulted in less disturbance during firing and consistent hits on steel at all ranges tested. Its not clone correct or SOCOM-issued, but this build offers a less expensive route to 1,200-yard performance with the ease of use that comes with a good gas gun. DAMASCUS, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A passenger bus at a fuel station on the highway between the southern Syrian province of Sweida and the capital Damascus came under gunfire from unknown assailants Tuesday, leaving two people killed and several others injured, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported. A security source in Sweida province told SANA that the vehicle was attacked while parked near the station, and the wounded were transferred to hospital. Security forces have launched a search for the attackers. No group has claimed responsibility for the assault. The attack occurred amid security tensions in Sweida where violence erupted there in July 2025 between Druze and Bedouin groups. A ceasefire was announced later that month, but it has been frequently violated by armed groups on both sides. 'As the team builds, each of them will bring in a different perspective, new thinking.' IMAGE: The IndusInd Bank display board at a metro station in New Delhi. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters Rajiv Anand took charge as the managing director and chief executive officer of IndusInd Bank in August after his predecessor quit following accounting lapses. In a telephonic interaction with Manojit Saha/Business Standard, Anand spells out the road map to rebuild the private lender over the next three years. Loans and deposits have fallen in Q2, both sequentially and year-on-year. Was that a conscious strategy? It was a conscious call to shed some of our high-cost deposits and low-yielding assets. So, it is a rebalancing of the portfolio that is currently playing out. If you notice, retail deposits have remained stable. Our intent is to gradually replace higher-cost deposits with a larger share of Casa (Current Account and Savings Account) and retail deposits. Casa is stable at around 31 per cent of total deposits. The Casa ratio is lower than that of peers. How do you plan to improve the share? There are multiple strategies to shore up our current and savings account balances. Firstly, we are not opening enough current accounts, and we need to improve team productivity. Secondly, our salary account franchise is relatively weak, and that is something we are addressing. We have traditionally had a very strong senior citizens' franchise, and we intend to build on that strength. There is also work to be done in terms of operational efficiency and processes, which I am sure will enhance branch productivity. Finally, we continue to invest in our digital capabilities, which will help us engage more effectively with existing customers. Will this rebalancing of both the loan and deposit book continue for a few quarters? The intent, of course, is to grow on a quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) basis. The way I see it, this is a three-year journey. Year one is about bringing growth back to industry levels; the second is about growing faster than the industry; and the third year will be about dominating in some of our focus sectors. The important thing to understand is that, from an Indian economy perspective, there is enough growth. Given our relatively low market share, growth is not the issue. But before that, putting your house in order is very, very important. What are the gaps you have identified, and how do you plan to plug them? The most important gap I find is talent. We have begun addressing that. A new chief financial officer has joined us, along with new heads of internal audit, marketing, and business transformation. Our operations and processes also need improvement. The new head of business transformation will address that. Some of the senior management members in the organisation are retiring over the next six to nine months. Therefore, it is important for us to fill those gaps as well. So, the primary focus is to rebuild the senior management team over the next six months. As this team builds, each of them will bring in a different perspective, new thinking. Collectively, the intent will be to make a better bank in the future. You also need another whole-time director on the board since you are currently the only one. The RBI requires at least two. Correct. We will plug that gap as soon as possible. What are the gaps on the business front? The bank has traditionally been very strong in vehicle finance and gems and jewellery, and it has a large microfinance business. We will continue to grow in these areas. There are two areas that we want to build. One is micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Our relative positioning is still very small. I believe the MSME space is a huge opportunity in the Indian context. I intend to invest in that and participate in that opportunity over the next decade. The second is retail assets. Our traditional retail asset businesses are largely subscale, which gives us a huge opportunity to grow profitably while also supporting our liability franchise. IndusInd Bank has been reducing its microfinance portfolio, which is now 7 per cent of the loan book. Will you reduce it further? One has to understand that the microfinance business has traditionally been volatile. We are currently evaluating what is the correct proportionality of microfinance for us. It will continue to be an important part of our portfolio. Because from a return on equity (ROE) perspective as well, it is attractive. Most importantly, it provides us priority-sector lending (PSL) compliance. But we don't intend to return to the proportions of 10-12 per cent that we earlier had. Where exactly we will settle is something we are working on. Will you also expand the credit card book? It has contracted in the past few quarters. Private peers have been aggressive in this segment. As far as the credit card business is concerned, the bank has built a reasonably strong franchise, and we can continue to grow that business. The focus will be on serving existing clients of the bank. IndusInd has always been known for innovation. I'm sure you remember the innovation of having any number as your account number, for example. Therefore, we will use our innovation muscle to be able to strengthen our credit card business as well. The retail-corporate mix in the loan book is 60:40. Will this change going forward? Broadly speaking, 60-40 ratio is where we want to be, though we may go up and down 5 percentage points. Ultimately, it is where we are able to optimise ROE as we go forward. On the asset quality front, there was around Rs 2,500 crore writeoff in Q2. How long will the pain continue? Most of the writeoffs were in the microfinance segment. Our provision coverage ratio has also gone from 70 to 72 per cent as well. Therefore, we will need to balance out the provisions that we have in a relative to loss given default. It's a continuous evaluation process. Is the worst over for the microfinance business, or do you expect more pain? We expect slippages in the microfinance business to start improving from Q4. Apart from microfinance, are there any other portfolios where asset quality is a concern? Other portfolios currently running from a credit quality perspective are broadly stable on a Q-o-Q basis. You took charge at a time when things were not looking good. What was your initial assessment of the bank and its potential? There are many white spaces within the bank, such as MSME, retail assets, and rural banking, that we can build out. The size of the opportunity here is tremendous. We have over 3,000 branches, a very strong capital position, a large multi-segmental customer base, and a brand that has weathered the storm. I think it is a very good starting position for us to be able to capture the opportunities that India will be able to provide. Where do you see the bank three years from now? I really want this to be a bank that all our stakeholders, such as investors, regulators, customers, and employees, see as a trusted institution, one they can be proud of in three years. Any fundraising plans for the current financial year? Our capital situation is very strong. The capital adequacy ratio is 17.1 per cent, up from 16.63 per cent on June 30. Therefore, we have no plans to raise equity at this point. Disclaimer: This article is meant for information purposes only. This article and information do not constitute a distribution, an endorsement, an investment advice, an offer to buy or sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities/schemes or any other financial products/investment products mentioned in this article to influence the opinion or behaviour of the investors/recipients. Any use of the information/any investment and investment related decisions of the investors/recipients are at their sole discretion and risk. Any advice herein is made on a general basis and does not take into account the specific investment objectives of the specific person or group of persons. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and two other powerful trustees considered close to him blocked the reappointment of late Ratan Tata's close associate and businessman Mehli Mistry as trustee, deepening the rift at the philanthropic arm that controls the holding company of Tata Group, people familiar with the matter said. Photograph: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters Noel Tata was appointed head of Tata Trusts following the death of Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata last year. TVS Motor Co's chairman emeritus Venu Srinivasan and former defence secretary Vijay Singh voted against Mistry's reappointment as trustee after the end of his three-year tenure on Tuesday, they said. The three other trustees -- former Citibank India CEO Pramit Jhaveri, Mumbai lawyer Darius Khambata, and Pune-based philanthropist Jehangir HC Jehangir -- who are considered close to Mistry, supported his reappointment, they said. The unprecedented vertical split marks a sharp departure from the recent consensus-driven approach. Noel Tata and Mehli Mistry are two power centres in the Tata Trusts, which control a majority stake in the holding company of the Tata Group. The former has the backing of Srinivasan and former defence secretary Vijay Singh, while the other three are with Mistry. Differences between the two groups came to the fore in September, when Mistry and three other trustees -- Jhaveri, Khambata and Jehangir -- voted to remove Singh as Tata Trusts' representative on the board of Tata Sons -- the holding company of the salt-to-software conglomerate. However, last week, Srinivasan was made a lifelong trustee in a unanimous decision. While Mistry had remained tight-lipped about his next move, it is likely he will challenge it in court. The challenge may be on the ground that a joint meeting of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust on October 17 last year -- within days of the death of Ratan Tata -- had agreed to make all trustees permanent. When contacted, Tata Trusts declined to comment. Last week, the CEO of Tata Trusts issued a circular to other trustees seeking Mistry's reappointment to the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), and the Bai Hirabai Jamsetji Tata Navsari Charitable Institution. At SRTT, trustees are Noel Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Vijay Singh, Jimmy Tata, Jehangir HC Jehangir, Mehli Mistry and Darius Khambata. On the other hand, at SDTT, trustees are Noel Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Vijay Singh, Mehli Mistry, Pramit Jhaveri and Darius Khambata. Earlier, Tata Trusts had unanimously reappointed Venu Srinivasan as a trustee for life. However, sources said Mistry, along with three other trustees -- Jhaveri, Jehangir and Khambata --, while approving Srinivasan's reappointment as trustee and vice-chairman of Tata Trusts, had put a condition that all future renewals of trustees be approved unanimously, failing which their approvals would be withdrawn. Opinions in the two camps were divided on whether continuation of a trustee is automatic or requires unanimous approval from the trustees for a lifetime tenure. While one side maintained that renewal, after which it will be for life, and a fresh appointment requires unanimous approval of trustees as per past practice, the other side insisted that reappointment is automatic, and it is applicable to all the trustees. According to the minutes of the joint meeting of the trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust held on October 17, 2024, it was resolved that on the expiry of the tenure of any trustee, the trustee would be reappointed by the concerned trust without any limit being attached to the period of tenure, a source said. As per the resolution, any trustee who chose to vote otherwise would be in "breach of their commitment and is not fit and proper to serve on Tata Trusts by such conduct", the person added. Moreover, the person said if there is any breach of the commitment by a Trustee, it will necessitate the reopening of all resolutions passed by Tata Trusts, "including the appointment of Noel Tata as a director on the Board of Tata Sons, which formed part of the October 17, 2024, Trustees' resolution". Also, according to the October 17, 2024, resolution, all trustees are appointed on a long-term and life basis, and trusteeship would be revisited upon reaching 75 years of age. The infighting in Tata Trusts had reached the government, with the top brass of the Tata group, including Noel Tata and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this month. The government is understood to have told the two sides to resolve the issue amicably and not let their differences spill in the public, considering the significance of the Tata Group on India's economy. Tata Trusts, the umbrella body overseeing several charitable trusts including the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, holds a 66 per cent stake in Tata Sons - the holding company of the 156-year-old Tata Group, which comprises around 400 companies, including 30 listed entities. 'Now the roads in Bihar are as good as any other Indian state. The power sector has improved.' 'Connectivity, law and order, gender justice...' 'Bihar now stands for all these things that were totally absent when it was under jungle raj.' IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, at a public rally for the Bihar assembly election in Samastipur, October 24, 2025. Photograph: Narendra Modi Photo Gallery/ANI Photo On October 12, the National Democratic Alliance unveiled a seat-sharing formula in Bihar that placed the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal-United on equal footing -- 101 seats each out of the total 243 -- while allotting 29 seats to Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and six apiece to others. In the 2020 assembly election, the JD-U had contested 115 seats. In a telephonic interview from Darbhanga, Sanjay Jha, national working president, JD-U, tells Aditi Phadnis/Business Standard that his party is still fighting fit and how Bihar is headed for new horizons. Seat allocation for the Bihar polls is over and now candidates are ready to campaign in their allotted constituencies. Do you think your party has conceded too much, given that it is running the government in Bihar? An important basis of seat allocation was the 2024 Lok Sabha polls (the BJP contested 17 and JD-U 16 of Bihar's 40 seats, with other NDA partners contesting the rest). It was a factor we could not ignore while deciding the numbers each party should get. Every party feels that if it was given more seats, it will be able to do better. But once the matter is settled, we have to put everything we have into winning. You don't feel that the disgruntlement in your party over the seats given to Paswan's LJP (RV) could sabotage the coalition? There will be no effect on the ground. We sat together and discussed seat allocation.It is not the result of some fiat from somewhere. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Paswan contested as an alliance partner. In the 2020 assembly election, he was not part of the NDA. Now he is. So, the alliance, as a whole, will work to achieve victory. Isn't it true that in the last assembly polls Paswan played a negative role, damaging JD-U the most? And now you have been forced to yield space to his party? In the public domain, many things are said... Why Paswan, even BJP leaders said many things. And yes, it caused confusion that was detrimental to the JD-U. But we have travelled far beyond that... Those things are a matter of history now. In coming together with the BJP, how much did JD-U have to compromise on its own agenda? If we had an agenda that was not different from them, we would all be in the same party. Every party has its own priorities and beliefs. And this is not the first time we are aligning with the BJP. We've been partners for 30 years, barring a few in between. So, we know them, they know us. If you come to power as an alliance, what is your governance and administration agenda? Bihar is at a takeoff stage. When Nitish (Kumar)ji first became chief minister, even the basics were not there on the ground. It was Business Standard that had reported about the on-ground situation -- the absence of law and order, the breakdown of administration, the absence of infrastructure... Now the roads in Bihar are as good as any other Indian state. The power sector has improved. Connectivity, law and order, gender justice... Bihar now stands for all these things that were totally absent when it was under jungle raj. And it helps that we are getting constructive cooperation from the Centre. It is true that we wanted to be named a special category state. But that category itself has been abolished. Despite that, we are getting funding and support from the Centre. The next stage is the industrialisation of Bihar, getting investment and setting up industries that provide employment. The Bihar government is steadily acquiring land to give to industry. We are even ready to provide free land to investors if it yields significant employment. In the next five years, industrial development is going to get a major thrust. Skill development is also going to be a priority. We have a young population. The youngsters of Bihar are bright and enterprising, they work hard. If we can launch a massive skilling programme, they can be second to none. All this can come to nought without Nitish Kumar. And there seems to be no succession plan... We are a socialist party, possibly the only socialist party in India. The others are family parties. Nitish Kumar is India's only socialist leader heading a government. He is the longest serving CM in Bihar. He has never involved his family in the government. He will take our party and Bihar to new heights as we contest the election under his leadership. Given that your party is so committed to issues of social justice, isn't the Rashtriya Janata Dal a better fit for you than the BJP? Our respective social agendas never gelled. The JD-U was a party created against the misdeeds of the RJD leadership. There was a time when things were so bad in Bihar, you were ashamed to call yourself a Bihari. Yes, we were together with the RJD for a few years. But six months into the alliance, I remember Nitishji saying the RJD cannot change. It took years to build the state. If we had continued in the alliance with the RJD, all that would have been torn down in six months. In 2005, with the help of the BJP and Sushil Modi, Bihar consolidated its resurgence. What is social justice? It certainly is not empowering one family... Jan Suraaj led by Prashant Kishor is the newest kid on the block. It is saying that if the contest is close, it will be the one to gain the most from arbitrage... The results will be out on November 14. Let us see. Bipolar politics has been a tradition in Bihar. I don't see any deviation from that. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff Two senior leaders of the banned CPI-Maoist, one of them a central committee member who had been underground for more than four decades, surrendered before the police on Tuesday. IMAGE: Two top Maoist leaders P Prasad Rao alias Chandranna, and Bandi Prakash, alias Prabhath, surrender before the police in Hyderabad, Telangana, October 28, 2025. Photograph: Courtesy Andhra Pradesh police on X Telangana director general of police B Shivadhar Reddy told reporters in Hyderabad that P Prasad Rao (64), alias Chandranna, a central committee member who had been underground for 45 years, and Bandi Prakash, alias Prabhath of the Telangana State Committee, who had been underground for 42 years, have left the Communist Party of India-Maoist and joined the mainstream. Prasad, a native of Peddapally district, joined the Radical Students Union in 1979 while pursuing his intermediate education. Prakash, from Mancherial district, joined the Radical Youth League of the CPI-ML People's War in 1983. He was most recently in charge of the Telangana state committee press team and issued press statements under the name Prabhath, the police said. Their surrender follows Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's October 21 appeal to CPI-Maoist members to give up arms, join the mainstream, and participate in the state's development and welfare initiatives, the DGP said. The two leaders cited deteriorating health, sustained pressure from security forces, ideological differences, and internal rifts within the CPI-Maoist leadership as reasons for quitting the organisation, the police said. "The return of two senior-most Maoist leaders to the mainstream is a moral victory for the holistic and comprehensive policy adopted by the Telangana Police against the CPI-Maoist," DGP Reddy said. So far this year, 427 underground cadres, including two Central Committee Members and eight State Committee Members, have surrendered before the Telangana police, he said. "This marks a significant victory for the Telangana Police in their efforts against the CPI-Maoist," he added. As of now, 64 underground cadres of the CPI-Maoist are natives of Telangana, nine of them are part of the Telangana state committee, while the rest are operating in other states, including Chhattisgarh, the DGP said. He added that five of the CPI-Maoist's nine central committee members hail from Telangana. Prasad carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh, and Prakash Rs 20 lakh. The amounts were handed over to them through demand drafts, and they will receive additional benefits under the Telangana government's rehabilitation policy for surrendered cadres. DGP Reddy once again appealed to all underground Maoist cadres from Telangana to return to their native villages, reunite with their families, and reintegrate into society. He urged them to "contribute to the progress and development of Telangana through constructive participation." The DGP assured that all underground CPI-Maoist cadres who choose to surrender will receive full support, protection, and assistance under the Telangana government's comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration programme, enabling them to rebuild their lives in a peaceful, dignified, and meaningful manner. Meanwhile, Prasad told reporters that he and Prakash left the Maoist organisation due to health issues and in response to the chief minister's appeal to CPI-Maoist underground cadres to return to the mainstream, in view of the prevailing situation arising out of Operation 'Kagar'. "We are joining the mainstream, and it's not a surrender," he said. Prasad added he would continue to work for the people of Telangana and asserted that the Maoist ideology had not been "defeated." According to him, Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, also from Telangana, has taken over as the CPI-Maoist general secretary following the death of Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh on May 21. He said he supports Devuji and not senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi alias Sonu, who, along with 60 other cadres, surrendered before police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district recently. Venugopal, a native of Telangana and a member of the CPI-Maoist central committee and politburo, had called for "temporarily renouncing armed struggle." Amid divisions within the CPI-Maoist, with one section favouring laying down arms and another supporting continued armed struggle, Prasad said there was a "split and that both leaders and cadres had chosen their respective paths. President Droupadi Murmu will take a sortie in the Rafale fighter jet from the Indian Air Force's Ambala base in Haryana today. IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu after taking a sortie in the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur air Force station in Sonitpur, Assam, April 8, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo Rafale jets were used during Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 dastardly Pahalgam terror attack. Former Presidents A P J Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil had undertaken sorties in the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the air force station, Lohegaon near Pune on June 8, 2006 and November 25, 2009, respectively. On April 8, 2023, Murmu, the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces, became the third President and second woman head of State to take a sortie in the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur air force station, Assam. Manufactured by French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, Rafale fighter aircraft were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force in September 2020 at the Air Force Station, Ambala. The first five Rafale aircraft, which had arrived from France on July 27, 2020, were inducted in 17 Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows'. The Rafale jets were used in Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 to destroy several terror infrastructures in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. A 28-year-old bike taxi rider has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman passenger and robbing her after diverting the route towards a secluded stretch in east Delhi, the police said on Tuesday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo Ajay Rayal, a resident of Pandav Nagar, was nabbed and the scooter used in the commission of the crime was also recovered, they said. On October 24, the victim, who had arrived at ISBT Anand Vihar from Uttarakhand's Almora, booked a ride to Khoda Colony around 3.40 pm. However, instead of taking her to the destination, the driver allegedly diverted the route towards a secluded stretch near the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Village, a senior police officer said. Rayal molested her and when she raised an alarm, two people from a nearby jhuggi cluster rushed towards the spot. Seeing them, the accused fled after snatching her bag containing Rs 5,000 and other personal belongings, the officer said. The accused also tried to snatch her mobile phone and pushed her before escaping, the officer said, adding that a case has been registered. "During investigation, CCTV footage was thoroughly examined, and it was found that the accused had used a scooter different from the one registered with the taxi aggregator he was using. Technical surveillance and local intelligence helped in tracking his movements," the officer said. Rayal was later apprehended from Pandav Nagar and the scooter used during the crime was seized. The police said the accused had dumped the woman's bag after taking out the cash. A CCTV footage showed that the bag was later taken away by a ragpicker. The accused, who has completed Class 12, worked as a taxi rider and lived with his family in Ganesh Nagar, the police said, adding that further investigation was underway. NAIROBI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Eleven people, including 10 foreign tourists, were killed early Tuesday when a light aircraft crashed in Kwale County, Kenya's coastal region, while en route to the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, the airline said. Mombasa Air Safari confirmed that eight Hungarian and two German passengers, along with a Kenyan pilot, were on board the aircraft, registration number 5Y-CCA, which had taken off from Diani, a popular tourist resort town. "Sadly, there are no survivors," the airline said in a statement, noting that it has activated its emergency response team and is working closely with authorities to establish the cause of the crash. "Our hearts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragic event," the company said. Mombasa Air Safari, which operates scheduled and charter flights to several tourist destinations across the East African country, expressed "profound sorrow" and said it had established a family assistance team to provide counseling and logistical support to relatives of the victims. Rescue teams from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya Red Cross, and local authorities were dispatched to the crash site shortly after the incident was reported. The wreckage was found scattered across a hilly area of Kwale, where emergency crews worked to recover bodies and secure the site. Kenyan aviation authorities said a joint investigation has been launched with representatives from Hungary, Germany, and the aircraft's manufacturer to determine the cause of the accident. In a surprising turn of events in the Delhi acid attack case, the police on Tuesday claimed it was the father who had poured a chemical on the hand and the bag of his 20-year-old daughter to implicate those who filed rape and acid attack complaints against him a few years earlier. IMAGE: A 20-year-old second-year BCom student alleged that she had been attacked with acid by three men in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI video grab According to a Delhi police officer, the father, along with his brother and son, had devised the plan to frame others. He then carried out the act himself to mislead investigators, the officer said. "The father poured a chemical on his daughter's hand and bag near Ashok Vihar and escaped on a motorcycle. He orchestrated the entire plan with the help of his brother and son," said the officer. The officer further said that the woman, a second-year B.Com student enrolled with DU's Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board, and her family are being interrogated. "Further investigation is still underway, and all aspects of the conspiracy are being thoroughly verified," the officer added. The student had claimed that three men hurled acid on her near Ashok Vihar while she was on her way to an extra class on Sunday. She identified the three accused as Jitender and his associates. The two associates later turned out to be her relatives. However, the police neither found any trace of acid at the spot nor any sighting of attackers in CCTV footage. The Forensic Science Laboratory team also failed to find any discarded acid bottles in the area, and the probe revealed that the student had poured toilet cleaner on her own hand to frame the accused, the police said. Deputy commissioner of police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said they thoroughly investigated the acid attack incident reported in the Ashok Vihar area, and it was found that the student's father, Akil Khan, and uncle, Vakeel Khan, had conspired to stage the attack. "They attempted to falsely implicate Jitender and the two others in the case," he said. "The student's brother, Yunus, dropped her at Ashok Vihar on a scooter. She then took an e-rickshaw and deboarded 300 meters from the main gate of her college. This raised suspicion among the investigators," said the DCP, adding that the brother did not join the investigation. Yunus was later detained by police and is being questioned in the matter. Akil Khan was arrested on Monday over the rape complaint filed against him by the wife of Jitender. Akil is also an accused in a 2018 acid attack case in Mangolpuri that was filed by the mother of the two brothers who were named as accused by the student. In a statement, the police said that Jitender's wife had earlier accused Akil Khan of rape. The matter was reported at the Bhalswa Dairy Police Station, but no written complaint was filed. The woman alleged that between 2021 and 2024, she worked in Akil Khan's socks factory, where Khan sexually assaulted her and blackmailed her with her private photos and videos. The two brothers, who were named as accused by the student in the false acid attack, and their mother were in Agra, and they joined the investigation last evening, the police said. "So far, we have learned that the entire family is behind the conspiracy. A team that includes senior officers is questioning the student to know the reason behind faking the attack," the officer added. He further said it is clear that Jitender was in no way involved. "Our investigation has revealed that he lives in Mukundpur and works as a painter. On the day of the incident, he was working in Karol Bagh, which has been confirmed through CCTV footage and his location details. During questioning, he explained the sequence of events, which established that he was not involved in the attack," the DCP added. The officer said strict action will be taken against those guilty in the entire matter, and charges will be framed in the case accordingly. "We have already formed multiple teams who are working round the clock to trace every detail of the incident. Our teams are also tracing from where the family members or the girl purchased the toilet cleaner," said the DCP. It was supposed to be a "perfect murder" and then it was not. The meticulous planning by a forensic science student, who binge-watched crime web series, to pass off the murder of her 32-year-old live-in partner as an accident, was left threadbare by CCTV cameras and experts in her field of study. IMAGE: The Delhi police team with the three suspects arrested in the case. Photograph: ANI/X Amrita Chauhan (21), her former boyfriend Sumit Kashyap (27) and their associate Sandeep Kumar (29) strangled Ramkesh Meena, a UPSC aspirant, to death earlier this month, and poured oil, ghee and wine on his body to ensure it burned completely. Meena had allegedly refused to delete her private photos and videos from his hard disk. She then used her forensic science knowledge to stage the incident as an accidental fire, a senior police official said. "The case was one of the perfectly planned murders, but it was solved even more perfectly by the Delhi police through relentless investigation and scientific analysis," Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ravindra Yadav told PTI. According to the police, Chauhan had a fascination for crime web series and used to binge-watch those. She used her forensic science knowledge and the ideas he gained from the shows to plan Meena's murder, they said. Yadav said that at the onset, it appeared to be an accidental fire. "But no matter how perfect a plan is, criminals always leave some clue. Our team worked more perfectly and cracked the case," he said. The police found a burnt body and an exploded gas cylinder in north Delhi's Gandhi Vihar flat. There were no clear signs of violence, and the scene appeared consistent with a cylinder blast. "Amrita, being a forensic student, had used her knowledge to erase evidence. They had poured oil, ghee, and wine on the body to ensure it burned completely and left the cylinder valve open before igniting it," said the Special CP. But a closer look by forensic experts revealed inconsistencies in the burn pattern, and that prompted a deeper investigation. "We scanned several CCTV cameras around the area and found two masked men entering the building on the night of October 5, followed by Amrita and another man later. Moments after they left, the fire erupted," Yadav said. The CCTV footage changed the direction of the probe. It, combined with technical surveillance and call data records, proved that Amrita was nearby when the fire broke out. Teams tracked her movement and arrested her from Moradabad on October 18. During interrogation, she broke down and confessed to killing Meena along with her associate, the police said. She told investigators that Meena had recorded intimate videos of her during their relationship and refused to delete them after they broke up. Enraged, she sought help from her ex-boyfriend Sumit, who agreed to take revenge. Together with Sandeep, they plotted the killing. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said, "The hard disk has been sent for forensic examination. Further investigation into the matter is underway." Investigation has revealed that on the intervening night of October 5 and 6, all the accused went to Meena's flat. Sumit and Sandeep strangled him while Amrita poured oil, ghee, and wine on the body. Sumit, who worked as an LPG distributor, opened the gas cylinder knob and placed it near Meena's head before lighting it. The trio then locked the flat from inside by inserting Amrita's hand through a removed portion of the iron gate net and fled with Meena's hard disk, laptops, and personal belongings. About an hour later, the cylinder exploded, engulfing the body in flames. "We have substantial evidence to prove the crime -- from CCTV footage to recovered items and digital traces," Yadav said. Following Amrita's arrest, the police recovered a hard disk, a trolley bag and a shirt belonging to the deceased. On October 21, co-accused Sumit was apprehended from Moradabad, and his mobile phone, used during the crime, was seized. Two days later, another accused, Sandeep, was also nabbed, the police said. A 15-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by four youths in their car in Faridabad, the police said on Tuesday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Pixabay.com The girl, a Class 8 student, was held hostage from 7 pm on October 26 to 4 am on October 27. The accused then left her near her house and fled from the spot in their vehicle, they added. The girl's sister in the complaint alleged that her younger sister, on October 26, around 7 pm, had gone to the Sector 18 market, the police said. When she did not return, her family launched a search but could not find her, the complainant further alleged. "My sister arrived home around 4.30 am on October 27. She revealed that she had been kidnapped by four youths in a car the previous evening. They took her to a secluded area, drugged her, and raped her, the complainant told the police. Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered against four unidentified youths under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act at the Faridabad old police station on Tuesday, the police said. "The victim is not fit for a statement yet. We are investigating and reviewing the CCTV cameras installed around the Sector 18 market. The accused will be arrested soon", station house officer Vishnu Mittar said. The residents of the quiet, leafy Park Hall neighbourhood in England's Walsall are in shock after an Indian-origin woman was allegedly raped in a racially aggravated attack over the weekend. Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Courtesy @WMPolice/X A 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of rape remains in custody as West Midlands Police continue to question him over the attack on the woman in her 20s on Saturday evening. The racially aggravated rape in Walsall is a horrific crime. My thoughts are with the victim and her family, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a social media post. I know the fear that will be felt by the local Sikh community. I've sought assurances from the police and local leaders that they are doing all they can to support everyone impacted by this crime. I urge anyone with more information on the attack to come forward and contact West Midlands Police as soon as possible, she said. The local councillors in Walsall had a meeting scheduled with the police on Monday evening to get updates on the progress of their investigation. I am shocked and frustrated because what happened to the young lady is intolerable, said Councillor Ram K. Mehmi, a respected community leader and founder-trustee of the local Shri Guru Ravidass Temple in Darlaston. I have been living here for 61 years and have never, ever heard of such an incident. The local community are getting seriously concerned because this is the second (racially aggravated) attack in the West Midlands, he said. On Sunday, the police released CCTV footage of the suspect, described as a white male in his 30s, after they were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall on Saturday evening following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street. I am absolutely shocked to hear about this. A customer informed me about it and I couldn't believe such a thing could happen in this peaceful neighbourhood, said an Indian-origin shopkeeper in Park Hall, Walsall, on condition of anonymity. I am from India and have been living here for a few years. It's a very diverse area and there have never been any race-related troubles, he said. The West Midlands Police have condemned the absolutely appalling attack on the young woman, who is being supported by specially trained officers. We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible. While we are following multiple lines of enquiry right now, it's vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time," Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the West Midlands Police, had said on Sunday. Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby of Walsall Police acknowledged the fear and concern the attack had caused within the diverse community. There will be an increased policing presence in the coming days, he said, in an attempt to reassure the locals. Sikh Federation UK has established that the victim of Saturday's attack is a Sikh student in her 20s. The attacker apparently broke down the door of the house where she was living West Midlands Police have now had two racially aggravated rapes of young women in their 20s in the last two months and urgently need to find those responsible, the organisation said. The force has made a few arrests before releasing the suspects on bail in their investigation into the racially aggravated rape of a British Sikh woman in Oldbury last month. Preet Kaur Gill and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, both British Sikh Labour MPs, took to social media to express their shock and condemnation at a feared repeated pattern of violent attacks on women in the region and urged the public to assist the police investigation. The repeated pattern of violence against women in our region, compounded by hate and racial overtones, is deeply disturbing, said Gill. The Delhi police arrested a 59-year-old man for his alleged involvement in espionage activities, including links with foreign-based nuclear scientist, and a fake passport racket operating from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, an official said on Tuesday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo The accused, identified as Mohammad Adil Hussaini and also known by the names Syed Adil Hussain, Nasimuddin and Syed Adil Hussaini, was apprehended from Seemapuri in Delhi two days ago, he said. A police source said that the accused was also in touch with a nuclear scientist based abroad. Additional commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said that Adil is a resident of Tata Nagar, Jamshedpur. Adil and his brother Akhtar Hussaini are suspected of supplying sensitive information to foreign countries and procuring multiple Indian passports using forged documents, the officer added. The entire network was allegedly being operated from Jamshedpur, where fake identity cards and passports were being prepared with the help of counterfeit documents. During the search, police seized one original and two forged passports from Adil's possession. He was arrested in a case registered under sections 61(2) (Criminal conspiracy), 318 (Cheating), 338 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc) and 340 (Forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine) of the BNS on October 26, the additional CP added. A senior police officer said that Mumbai Police has also arrested Adil's brother Akhtar, who had travelled to several Gulf countries and allegedly obtained three identity cards of a confidential centre using forged documents. Investigating teams are also verifying how many people were issued fake passports through the network. Adil was produced before Duty JMFC Sahil Monga, who granted seven days of police custody remand for further interrogation, Kushwah added. The relatives of the woman doctor, who allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra's Satara district last week, have claimed that someone used the victim's fingerprint to unlock her phone after her death and erased vital information from it. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: @BEEDPOLICE/X They have also alleged that the 'last seen' status on the deceased doctor's WhatsApp account showed activity on the social messaging app even after her death, raising suspicion that someone else used it. The 28-year-old doctor, hailing from Beed district of central Maharashtra and posted at a government hospital in Satara, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town (in Satara district) on the night of October 23. In the suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her. The sub-inspector and the engineer were arrested on October 25. Talking to reporters on Monday night, the victim's uncle claimed that the woman doctor's mobile phone was accessed using her fingerprint after her death and crucial data was deleted. "We were informed about the doctor's death by hanging, but by the time we reached the spot (hotel room), her body had already been taken to the hospital. We later found out that a suicide note was written on her hand," he said. "We suspect that her mobile phone was tampered with after her death. Before we arrived at the spot, someone had used her fingerprint to unlock the phone and erased vital information related to the incident. Her WhatsApp 'last seen' status appears to show activity after her death, which raises further suspicion that the phone was operated by someone else after her death," he said. The family has also demanded that the case be heard in a Beed district court to ensure an impartial investigation. Dr Omprakash Shete, the state government's representative coordinating with the woman doctor's family, visited her native place on Monday evening and assured the kin that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would be briefed on the matter to ensure justice. Her family also submitted a memorandum of demands to him. Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar and Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar also spoke to the victim's family members over the phone and assured their support till justice is delivered. Residents of Wadwani in Beed observed a bandh on Tuesday, demanding a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the alleged suicide of a woman doctor who hailed from the region. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee charged the Bharatiya Janata Party with spreading fear over the National Register of Citizens on Tuesday, hours after the alleged suicide of a man near Kolkata, who reportedly left behind a note blaming the National Register of Citizens for his death. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Hanuman Temple during Chhath Puja celebrations, in Kolkata, October 27, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Barrackpore police commissionerate Muralidhar Sharma said after visiting the spot that 57-year-old Pradeep Kar was found hanging at his residence in Panihati in North 24 Parganas on Tuesday morning. A suicide note was found in which NRC was mentioned, Sharma said, adding that preliminary investigations revealed the person was in depression after the announcement of the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls on Monday. The BJP asserted that the cause of the suicide must be determined only by the investigating agencies, and not through political rhetoric Condemning what she described as the BJP's "politics of fear and division," the CM alleged that the party's campaign around the National Register of Citizens has created panic among people. "It shakes me to the very core to imagine how, for years, Bharatiya Janata Party has tormented innocent citizens with the threat of NRC, spreading lies, stoking panic and weaponising insecurity for votes," Banerjee said in the post. She charged the BJP with turning "constitutional democracy into a theatre of fear", and said the "tragic death" was the result of "venomous propaganda". "They have turned Constitutional democracy into a theatre of fear, where people are made to doubt their own right to exist. This tragic death is the direct consequence of BJP's venomous propaganda. Those who sit in Delhi and preach nationalism have pushed ordinary Indians to such despair that they are dying in their own land, fearing they will be declared 'FOREIGNERS'," she added. Demanding that the Centre put an end to what she called a "heartless game," Banerjee reiterated that Bengal would "never allow NRC" and would protect the dignity and rights of its people. "Our soil belongs to Maa, Mati, Manush (mother, land and people), not to those who thrive on hate. Let the Delhi Zamindars hear this loud and clear: Bengal will resist, Bengal will protect and Bengal will prevail," she added. Later, talking to the media, Barrackpore police commissioner Murlidhar Sharma said Kar's body was found hanging inside his room at his residence in Panihati. "After a preliminary investigation and speaking to his family members and relatives, we found that Mr Kar had been very depressed due to the NRC. He had been under severe stress for quite some time, especially since yesterday's announcement regarding the rollout of the SIR of electoral rolls," Sharma told reporters. The IPS officer said the deceased had dinner on Monday night and then went to his room to sleep. "His family members could not understand what was going on in his mind. On Tuesday morning, he was found hanging from the ceiling of his room," Sharma said. The deceased's elder sister claimed that her brother had been frightened about the implementation of the NRC. "My brother was very scared about the implementation of the NRC. He used to tell us that he would be taken away in the name of NRC," the sister said. Responding sharply to the chief minister's comments, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya accused Banerjee of "resorting to lies and theatrics" over the incident. "The tragic death of Pradeep Kar must be investigated thoroughly - the cause of suicide can and must be determined only by the law and investigating agencies, not through political rhetoric," Malviya said in an X post. "Let's also get the facts right - there is NO NRC anywhere in the country. Mamata Banerjee is lying and deliberately spreading panic to stoke fear among people for political gain," he added. Malviya alleged that it was the TMC and not the BJP, that "weaponised fear" by exploiting the anxieties of poor Hindu refugees who fled religious persecution and sought shelter in India. "The same fear was used to loot, assault, and suppress voices, as seen in Sandeshkhali and during the riots in Malda and Murshidabad," the BJP leader wrote. Malviya accused Banerjee of using the incident as a tool to spread anxiety among voters ahead of the now-announced SIR exercise. "Mamata Banerjee knows that a proper Special Investigation Report (SIR) will expose the rot in her administration and mark the beginning of her political downfall. The SIR will also ensure that illegal infiltrators, who double up as TMC's votebank, are IDENTIFIED and DELETED from the voter list. That's why she's resorting to lies and theatrics once again. "Truth and accountability will prevail - not fear mongering," he stated. Asked to respond to the BJP leader's comment, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee sounded dismissive. "Amit Malviya has no understanding of the Bengali language. The suicide note is written in Bangla. Let him learn the language first and then he can make his comments," he said. A human trafficking racket spanning multiple states has been busted with the arrest of three persons, including a woman, in connection with the sale of a young girl from Meghalaya for Rs 3 lakh and her forced marriage in Rajasthan earlier this year, THE police said on Tuesday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo The arrests are linked to a wider trafficking network suspected of selling at least six girls - five from Assam's Boko area and one from Tripura - over the past two years. Several other young women from the Northeast are believed to have met the same fate, raising concerns about a trafficking gang operating across Assam, Meghalaya and Rajasthan, they said. The case began after a missing person complaint was lodged on June 11 at the Nongpoh Women Police Station in Ri Bhoi district, reporting that a girl had gone missing from the Byrnihat area, police said. A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act. During the investigation, it was discovered that the missing girl had been taken to Rajasthan, where she managed to escape from captivity. With the assistance of the Rajasthan police, she was rescued and brought back to Meghalaya. The girl told the police that she had befriended a man from Assam on Facebook who promised to marry her and convinced her to travel to Delhi and Rajasthan. Once there, she was allegedly sold to another man for Rs 3 lakh and forced into marriage, Ri-Bhoi district SP Vivekanand Singh told PTI. Following coordination with police units across several states, the investigation led to the identification and arrest of the suspects. The prime accused, Rajesh Hinge (31), a resident of Kumarghat in North Tripura, was arrested from Guwahati on October 19. Based on his statement, another accused, Mohammed Khalil Ali (31) of Boko in Assam's Kamrup (Rural) district, was arrested two days later from Jhalukbari. Further leads pointed to the alleged kingpin, Monika, who hails from Rajasthan, and was apprehended from Kamakhya Railway Station on October 26. The police said all three accused are being interrogated and that more arrests are likely as the investigation continues. Preliminary findings suggest a pattern: traffickers use social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to befriend young women, earn their trust through prolonged communication, and then lure them into travelling outside their home states with false promises of marriage or employment, before selling them to buyers elsewhere. The police warned that this modus operandi is increasingly being used to exploit vulnerable individuals, particularly from rural and economically weaker backgrounds in the Northeast. "Children and youth must remain alert and immediately inform their parents or authorities if approached online by strangers offering marriage, jobs or travel opportunities," the SP said. Authorities have also cautioned that the same approach is often used for cybercrimes such as blackmailing, UPI fraud and extortion. Users were advised not to click suspicious links or install unknown applications that could compromise their devices and data. The police said efforts are on to trace more victims linked to the network and to coordinate with law enforcement agencies in Assam, Tripura and Rajasthan to completely dismantle the trafficking ring. Nearly two decades after leaving Pakistan for India, 38-year-old Poonam, who has been living in Rampur on a long-term visa, has finally been granted Indian citizenship under the CAA in an unforgettable Diwali gift for her family. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Pakistani refugees who got Indian citizenship under CAA during a public meeting for the Lok Sabha elections, in North East Delhi, May 18, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Poonam, who came to India in 2004 with her brother Gagan amid growing militancy in Pakistan's Swat region, had been waiting for years to secure legal recognition as an Indian citizen. Her brother was granted citizenship in 2016, but her own application faced repeated rejections before finally being approved this year under the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Poonam had initially moved between Delhi and Rampur after arriving in India. In 2005, she married Puneet Kumar, a local businessman, and the couple has a child. She continued visiting her family in Pakistan until 2013, when the absence of a valid Pakistani ID prevented the renewal of her passport and effectively ended her visits home. Speaking to PTI on Tuesday, Puneet Kumar said the family was overjoyed to receive confirmation of her citizenship from the agencies concerned just before Diwali. "It feels like a festival gift for our family. The timing made this Diwali even more special," he said. The couple said they plan to complete the remaining paperwork soon. "We will travel to Lucknow in the coming days to finish the remaining formalities of the citizenship process," Puneet added. Poonam, too, expressed her excitement at the new chapter in her life. "Now I want to get my Aadhaar, PAN and other Indian identity documents as soon as possible so that I can truly feel like an Indian citizen," she said. It has been a long wait for Poonam, whose journey from Swat to Rampur began when her father, a wholesale food trader, sent her and her brother to India in 2004 to ensure their safety as violence escalated in the region. The next time she visits her parental home in Mingora, it will be "as an Indian citizen carrying an Indian passport", she said with anticipation. Rampur superintendent of police Vidyasagar Mishra confirmed to PTI that the citizenship process for Poonam has been completed. "People on both sides are good. A handful of terrorists in Pakistan have given the country a bad name. As for us, we didn't find any problems on either side of the border," Puneet said, adding that Poonam's family in Mingora have no plans to shift to India. Rain lashed several districts in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as cyclone 'Montha' in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning. IMAGE: Cyclone Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm. Photograph: ANI video grab The cyclone Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm around 5.30 am on Tuesday, said the Meteorological Department. Montha means a fragrant flower in Thai language. During a review meeting on Montha, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to inform people in real-time. Consequently, real-time voice alerts were disseminated, and public address systems were also set up in 26 districts. Across 22 districts, the state government set up 3,174 rehabilitation centres, which will be manned by 3,778 secretaries. These centres are equipped with essential commodities such as food and other items. The highest number of rehabilitation centres have been set up in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district (650), followed by Bapatla (481) and East Godavari (376), among others. Keeping in view the impending situation, the Odisha government has evacuated people from low-lying areas and also hilly terrain prone to landslides in the eight districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal and deployed 140 rescue teams (over 5,000 personnel) of NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Service. The administration has already announced the closure of schools and anganwadi centres in nine districts till October 30, while East Coast Railway has announced cancellation, diversion, and short termination of some trains operating in the Waltair region and connected routes. The leave of government employees have also been cancelled till October 30. The administration has also sealed all sea beaches to prevent tourists and local people from entering beaches, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) D K Singh said. The people evacuated from vulnerable places are being housed in over 1,400 cyclone shelters opened in the eight districts where food and other arrangements have been made, officials said, adding that pregnant women are shifted to nearby hospitals. The state government has advised fishermen not to venture into the Bay of Bengal, along and off the Odisha coast, till October 29. The weather agency also suggested hoisting of local cautionary signal (LC-III) No-III at Gopalpur Port and Distant Warning Signal No-II (DW-II) at Paradip, Dhamra, Puri, Chhatrapur and Chandbali ports of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is likely to review the situation later in the day, an official said. Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued high sea waves, up to 4.7 metres high, warning across several coastal districts. Similarly, it issued an ocean currents alert to East Godavari and Nellore districts. "Ocean current alert for the coast of East Godavari from Antarvedi to Perumallapuram. Surface current speeds in the range of 0.8 to 1.2 metre per second are forecast during 7 am to 7 pm on October 28. It is advised that harbour and marine operations be careful," said INCOIS in a release. According to INCOIS, sea condition is very likely to be rough to very rough along and off Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. It would worsen further to become very rough to high from Tuesday morning onwards and very high from Tuesday evening to October 29 early hours, it said. Likewise, the Hyderabad-based INCOIS noted that danger signal number seven (DS-VII) is hoisted at Kakinada Port, DS-VI at Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram Ports and DS-V at Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam and Krishnapatnam Ports. Further, it issued a storm surge warning of one metre height above astronomical tide, which is likely to cause inundation over low-lying areas of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam around the landfall time of the severe cyclonic storm. HANOI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has received nearly 10 million U.S. dollars in international aid to support recovery efforts following Typhoon Bualoi and Typhoon Matmo, which recently caused severe damage in the country, Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday. The aid package, announced during a meeting held by the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership (DRRP) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, included around 7.2 million dollars in cash and goods worth approximately 2.5 million dollars. The DRRP, established on Oct. 12, 2019, comprises 32 members, including three Vietnamese ministries and 29 international organizations, the report said. According to the Ministry of Finance, Typhoon Bualoi and Typhoon Matmo have caused economic losses estimated at 1,674 billion Vietnamese dong (about 66.7 million dollars). The society will not forgive the judiciary if it doesn't take care of doctors and stand for them, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while reserving its judgment on a plea against non-inclusion of doctors and health workers who lost their lives battling Covid-19 at private clinics, dispensaries and non-recognised hospitals in insurance policies. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo/Rediff archives A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan said the government must ensure that insurance companies settle the valid claims, and added that the assumption that private doctors were working for profit making was not correct. "Society will not forgive us if we don't take care of our doctors and don't stand for them... "You should compel the insurance company to pay if according to you the condition is met that they were on Covid response and they died because of COVID. Merely because they were not in government duty, the assumption that they were making profits and then they were sitting is not correct," the bench observed orally. The top court directed the Centre to provide relevant data and information regarding other similar or parallel schemes available apart from the Pradhan Mantri Insurance Scheme. "Give the data to us and some information about other parallel schemes that are available apart from the Pradhan Mantri scheme. We will lay down the principle and on that basis claims can be made to the insurance company. It is for the insurance company to consider and pass orders on the basis of our judgment," the bench observed. The top court was hearing a plea by Pradeep Arora and others against a March 9, 2021, order of the Bombay high court, which held that private hospital staffers were not entitled to receive benefits under the insurance scheme unless their services were requisitioned by the state or the central government. A plea was filed in the high court by Kiran Bhaskar Surgade, who lost her husband -- who ran a private clinic in Thane -- to Covid-19 in 2020. The insurance company rejected her claim under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) on the ground that her husband's clinic was not recognised as a Covid-19 hospital. The PMGKP was announced in March 2020, and its coverage has been extended since then. It was launched to provide a safety net to the health workers to ensure that in case of any adversity due to Covid-19, their families are taken care of. An insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh is provided to the health workers under the PMKGP scheme, which has become a safety net for the dependents of the Covid warriors who lost their lives to the infection. The acting chief medical superintendent of a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur has been suspended and booked after a video showed him purportedly making an objectionable remark against the Uttar Pradesh government during an argument with political workers over hospital mismanagement, officials said on Tuesday. IMAGE: Sultanpur CMS Dr Bhaskar Prasad made a remarks during an argument with political workers over hospital mismanagement. Photograph: Screen grab/X The controversy was triggered on Saturday when members of several political parties reached the Birsinghpur Community Health Centre to raise concerns about the alleged lack of medicines and absentee doctors. During the exchange, acting chief medical superintendent (CMS) Bhaskar Prasad allegedly told the complainants, Don't burn my effigy, burn the government's effigy, after they threatened to stage a protest against him and the chief medical officer. A video clip of the purported remark quickly went viral on social media, prompting local Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Raj Prasad Upadhyay to seek action against the doctor. The district magistrate informed the matter to the director general (DG) of health services, who ordered an inquiry. On Sunday, the additional director (health), Ayodhya division, visited the hospital, conducted an inquiry, and submitted a report recommending action against Prasad. Acting on the findings, the health department suspended the doctor and attached him to the office of the additional director, health, Ayodhya, according to an official order. Prasad, however, denied the allegations, saying his remark was taken out of context. I had gone there on the SDM's instruction to receive a memorandum. I did not make the comment with any ill intent. It seems to be a conspiracy, he said. Officials said the suspension order cited indecent and objectionable language used against the state government, and noted that the doctor was found prescribing medicines from outside pharmacies for the admitted patients, violating department protocol. Meanwhile, BJP's Mandal president Shobhnath Yadav filed a complaint at the Jaysinghpur police station, alleging that Prasad's remark was an act of indiscipline and gross misconduct by a government servant. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR and began an investigation, Inspector Satyendra Kumar Singh said. The incident followed an ongoing protest by Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Vanshraj Dubey, who had been demonstrating at the hospital since Friday, alleging poor facilities. 'Bihar youth need employment. Create jobs for us. Nothing matters more.' IMAGE: Aspirants raise slogans during a protest organised by the Bihar State Peon (Special) Online Examinee Union in Patna. Photograph: ANI Photo Aakash Kumar, 30, runs a laundry with his father and brother in Saran, Bihar. Together, they earn about Rs 60,000 a month. Aakash has spent the best part of the last 10 years preparing and appearing for defence job examinations. Before he got married in 2021, he used to run every morning in order to pass the physical test if he cleared the written exam, which, sadly, he never did. Unable to secure a government job after years of trying, he found work at a petrol pump in Saudi Arabia through an agent in Patna. He paid Rs 90,000 to the agent and spent two years in Saudi Arabia reporting to a Yemeni boss who was difficult to please. "The agent in Patna told me I had to do a 10 hour duty, but I had to work 12-13 hours at the petrol pump without any wages for extra time," says Aakash who earned 1,500 riyals a month. Frustrated at not getting the weekly Friday off, coupled with his boss' refusal to increase his salary, he decided to leave the job in Saudi Arabia and return home. "When I wanted to leave they gave me a ticket and settled all my dues without any problem," says Aakash who sent money regularly to his home from his earnings in Saudi Arabia. The funds were used to repay the family's debts and complete long pending house repairs -- and add extra rooms to the house shared by his extended family. After his return, he resumed his family's trade of washing, ironing clothes, riding his motorbike to people's homes to collect and deliver laundry. But he has continued his quest for the elusive government job. IMAGE: Aakash Kumar. Photograph: Archana Masih/Rediff At 30, there aren't many central government jobs he is eligible for, so he is attempting examinations for jobs in the Bihar police and state secretariat. "Since my options in government job are very limited, I am also trying for private jobs," he tells Archana Masih/Rediff. On Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's performance in the last five years, he says the CM recently has released several vacancies. "This is good. My expectation is a job. Bihar needs jobs, we need jobs -- that is most important." All set to vote on November 6 which he calls his "right as a citizen", he remains resigned to the fact that his chances of a government job are diminishing by the day. Aakash Kumar: 'Paid 90,000 to work in petrol pump in Saudi Arabia, trying to go back again' Bihar Votes 2025 Videos Production by Rajesh Karkera/Rediff Photograph curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- After the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are reunited, people in Taiwan will enjoy better social welfare, broader development prospects, greater security and dignity, and a more confident presence in the world, according to an article published on Monday. This article was one of the three articles under the byline of "Zhongtaiwen," which Xinhua News Agency was entrusted to publish from Sunday to Tuesday. "Our goal is not only an institutional reunification but also unity between hearts of people across the Strait," the article noted. Under peaceful reunification arrangements, when the nation's sovereignty, security and development interests are secured, Taiwan's existing social system and way of life will be respected, and the island administered by patriots will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, the article said. Personal property, religious beliefs and the legal rights and interests of local people will be fully protected in Taiwan, while their connections to the island's traditions and heritage will be valued, it added. ECONOMIC PROSPECT Upon reunification, Taiwan will be enabled to overcome economic bottlenecks and further share national development dividends. Deeper cooperation across the Strait will help its economy achieve sustainable and faster growth, with long-standing structural issues addressed, the article explained. Agriculture, tourism and other traditional industries in Taiwan will gain new momentum through access to visitors from and consumer markets on the mainland. A common market will allow Taiwan products to enter the mainland with zero tariffs, while companies in Taiwan will be able to rely on strong capital, a large market and complete industrial supply chains on the mainland, and opportunities from Belt and Road cooperation to seek greater development. Also, Taiwan's high-tech sectors such as integrated circuit, precision machinery and biotechnology will gain from deeper industrial collaboration with their peers on the mainland and expand their business globally. PEOPLE'S WELLBEING "We are able to deliver a better life to 1.4 billion people and are surely capable of creating a better future together with people in Taiwan," the article said. After reunification, public finances in Taiwan can be directed entirely toward improving people's lives and the island will no longer have to suffer political infighting triggered by "Taiwan independence" secessionists. Instead of spending lavishly on the so-called defense budget and arms deals as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have done, public spending on healthcare, education and support for the elderly would increase significantly. Infrastructure across Taiwan Island, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu will be upgraded -- including highways, railways and airports. Resources in education, healthcare and social security can be shared across the Strait after reunification, thereby addressing long-standing livelihood challenges. Goods will flow freely across the Strait, lowering consumer prices, while employment and business opportunities would become even more accessible for the residents of Taiwan. INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE Although the two sides of the Strait have been in a state of protracted political confrontation for decades, people on both sides share the same cultural heritage, ancestry and identity, according to the article. After reunification, Taiwan residents will be able to participate more widely in international affairs and feel the confidence and pride that comes with the citizenship of a major country. With approval from the central government, foreign countries could set up consulates and other official or semi-official institutions in Taiwan, and international organizations will have offices in Taiwan. In addition, international agreements could be applied in Taiwan and international events held there. PEACE AND SECURITY Notably, cross-Strait relations enjoyed a stage of peaceful development between 2008 and 2016, as the two sides agreed on a common political foundation of upholding the one-China principle and opposing "Taiwan independence." Improved relations brought tangible benefits to the people on both sides, especially those in Taiwan. However, the DPP authorities, which have stubbornly pursued a secessionist agenda, have repeatedly made provocations with support from external forces -- pushing Taiwan to a perilous situation. After reunification, risks of war, caused by "Taiwan independence" secessionists, will be removed and external interference will be prevented, allowing for peace and stability in the region to be secured. People across the Strait will then live and work in a calm environment and share a prosperous future. HISTORY AS GUIDE Another article published on Sunday reviewed the historical origins of the Taiwan question, which is a leftover of China's civil war in the 1940s and an internal matter of one country and one nation. It arose when China was weak and in turmoil and will be resolved once the country is strong and rejuvenated. Legal documents, including the 1943 Cairo Declaration, the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation and the Instrument of Surrender signed by Japan in September 1945 -- all affirmed China's sovereignty over Taiwan, the article pointed out. On Oct. 25, 1945, the Chinese government announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan. The ceremony to accept Japan's surrender in the Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held in Taipei. From that point on, China had recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto. In 1946, a civil war broke out in China. After their defeat in 1949, remnants of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) fled to Taiwan and entrenched themselves there. Across the Strait, on Oct. 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded. During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), also known as the Korean War, the United States sent troops to the Taiwan Strait to obstruct the liberation of Taiwan and support the KMT, thus creating the Taiwan question that remains unresolved to this day. "Despite protracted political confrontation across the Strait, China's sovereignty and territory have never been divided, and Taiwan's status as part of China has never changed," the article read. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 by an overwhelming majority, clarifying that the PRC government is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This resolution, from the perspective of international law, completely eliminated possibilities of "two Chinas" or "Taiwan independence." COMMITMENT TO REUNIFICATION In the third article released on Tuesday, it was emphasized that resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China's complete reunification is an essential part of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. "Reunification is not a matter of choice, but an inevitability," it pointed out. Developments in cross-Strait relations over the 70-plus years, especially the wide-ranging policies and measures the mainland issued to benefit Taiwan compatriots, have resonated with the aspirations of the majority of people in Taiwan -- shaping mainstream public opinion that favors peace, development, exchanges and cooperation, it added. In the process of achieving complete reunification of the Chinese nation, "Taiwan independence" separatists remain a small countercurrent, it noted, adding that these separatists willingly serve as tools for the United States and other Western countries in their quest to contain China, thereby harming the common interests of people on both sides of the Strait. "The key factor determining the direction of cross-Strait relations is the development and progress of the mainland," the article stated. As the mainland's development strengths keep translating into concrete capacity and momentum for national reunification, they are destined to further fuel cross-Strait exchanges and integration. This growing connectivity will deepen the shared interests and emotional bond between people across the Strait, strengthen a common sense of national and cultural identity, and ultimately guide cross-Strait relations toward the goal of reunification. "Given the shifting cross-Strait balance of strength and global dynamics, situation will only become increasingly favorable for the just cause of supporting reunification," it wrote. "Both sides can sit down and negotiate a reasonable 'one country, two systems' solution for Taiwan." "I think that Bennington will be a great location for Her Closet," said the store's administrator Kendy Skidmore. "And, I'm hoping that we get Sundet Pernebek moved to Russia last year to take up a new lucrative job that would allow him to pay for his wedding. But in May, the 26-year-old native of Kazakhstan appeared on a list of foreigners killed fighting for Russia in its nearly four-year-long war in Ukraine. His name was published by the state-sponsored Ukrainian project -- I Want To Live -- which identifies foreigners fighting alongside Russian forces. For about five or six months after my son went to Russia, he would regularly call his mother, Pernebeks father, Bauyrzhan, told RFE/RLs Kazakh Service. During our last phone call, he said, Im going to work in a forested area for 10 days and there is poor connection there, so dont worry [if I dont call]. We didnt hear from him ever again. Pernebeks parents contacted the Kazakh Embassy in Moscow to help find their son but did not get any answers. They said he had been offered a well-paying job in Russia, and do not know how he ended up in Ukraine. Pernebeks father said the family held a symbolic funeral for his son. But he said he will not give up looking for him. We prayed for him, we held his funeral, he said. But until I see him with my own eyes and lay him to rest myself, I will not stop searching. Pernebek is believed to be among the hundreds of Central Asians who have been killed or are missing since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the I Want To Live project, which regularly updates its list. That includes over 400 Tajiks, nearly 300 Kazakhs, over 100 Uzbeks, and dozens of Turkmen and Kyrgyz. Thousands of men from Central Asia are believed to have joined Russian forces in Ukraine. Some were lured by offers of lucrative jobs. Others, mainly convicts and detainees, have been forced to join the Russian military. The exact number of Central Asians who have fought in Ukraine is unknown. The I Want To Live project estimates that at least 3,000 men have gone to fight in Ukraine. The project said the real figure is likely to be much higher. The Ukrainian project said its data comes from battlefield reports, prisoner interrogations, and appeals from families searching for their missing loved ones. RFE/RL could not independently verify the names or figures published by the project. The list is not complete, Vitaly Matvienko, a spokesman for the project, told RFE/RL. The real number of Kazakh citizens killed or missing is likely several times higher. Every month, we receive more than 50 requests from families looking for their relatives from Kazakhstan alone, Matvienko added. Experts say poverty and a lack of job opportunities in Central Asia as well as the success of Russian propaganda are the main factors driving Central Asians to join Russias war. Some people are influenced by Russian propaganda. They watch Russian television, they believe they are fighting for a noble cause, Kazakh military analyst Ermek Seitbattalov told RFE/RL. Others are simply deceived with promises of high pay or Russian citizenship. Seitbattalov added that widespread unemployment and low wages in the region have made it easier for Russian recruiters to target Central Asians desperate to put food on the table for their families. You open any job site and see ads for work in [Russia like in] Siberia, Irkutsk, or the Far East -- high salaries, easy jobs. Behind some of those offers are [military] recruiters who send people to the war zone, Seitbattalov said. Akbar Qurbonov, a 23-year-old migrant worker from Uzbekistan, said he had signed a lucrative job offer to work as a driver in the Russian province of Roston-on-Don that borders Ukraine. In a video recording obtained by RFE/RL, Qurbonov said he later realized that the job contract was in fact an agreement to join the Russian military and he ended up in Ukraines eastern region of Luhansk, which is largely controlled by Russian forces. Footage depicts Qurbonov pleading with the Uzbek authorities to help him return home. RFE/RL could not independently verify his claims. Qurbonovs mother Ruzigul Boboeva told RFE/RL that she has asked the Uzbek authorities to bring back her son from Ukraine but has received little help. Moscow has also recruited hundreds of Central Asians from prisons, detention facilities, and immigration detention centers across Russia. Central Asia governments have repeatedly warned their citizens against taking part in military conflicts abroad, which is a criminal offense punishable by lengthy prison terms. But only a handful of cases have so far reached the courts. Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RLs Kazakh Service, Uzbek Service, and Azattyq Asia HORBIVTSI, Ukraine -- Two tiny white figures can be seen sprinting across a grainy black-and-white screen. Moments later, a third figure approaches from the opposite direction and a voice is heard challenging them through the drone operators headphones. The Ukrainian border guard has prevented an illegal crossing into Romania. In recent interviews with members of a border unit and a man who successfully fled the country, Current Time has pieced together a picture of how Ukraines mobilization crisis has fueled a criminal business on its western frontiers. Border guards said men seeking to avoid military service pay up to the equivalent of $15,000 to smuggling gangs who hire local children to guide them and that people are captured almost every day. They come up with various excuses, said Vitaliy, a border guard, driving with the Current Time team near the Romanian border. For example 'I came to admire the beautiful countryside.' He declined to say how many people he had caught. Ukraine barred men aged up to 60 from leaving the country following the start of Russias full-scale invasion in February 2022, although it recently relaxed the rules for those aged 18-22. Figures made public by Ukrainian legislators in May said 45,000 men had left the country illegally since the ban began. Many of them were dodging the draft, a growing problem as Ukraine struggles to fill the ranks of its armed forces. But a man Current Time spoke to online, who wanted his name withheld for privacy and security reasons, had a different story. He joined a paratroop unit 5 years ago, expecting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would be able to achieve a negotiated end to the conflict against Russian and Russian-backed forces in the eastern Donbas region that had claimed some 13,000 lives since Moscow fomented separatism there in 2014. At that time there was a feeling that it was all coming to an end. Zelenskyy came to power [in 2019] and promised that hed even make a deal with the devil if it made peace, he said. When the [full-scale] war started, I realized I had three choices: disability, psychological problems, or death. But then there was another option: desertion. After leaving his unit, he made his way to the Romanian border and lay low for a few weeks in a rented house on the Ukrainian side until people smugglers came for him. They picked me up one night in a car. They drove me to the border. The Tisa River -- which forms part of the border in western Ukraine was literally 15 meters in front of me, he said. There it was freedom. I ran out and swam a little. It was about a 30-meter swim and I was on the Romanian side. Vitaliy, previously a local ambulance driver in a border area in the Chernivtsi region, said he had some understanding of people seeking to flee but that it was his job to stop them. The border guards use drones and hidden automatic camera traps to monitor the forests and cornfields in this area. Most attempted border crossings take place at night. Aside from the river, theres also a razor-wire fence but it doesnt always stop people getting through. Sometimes they throw a roll mat or sleeping bags on the top and then climb over, Yuriy, another border guard, told Current Time, the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL. There were even instances of people bringing ladders, he said. People caught trying to illegally cross the border can face fines and be taken to a recruitment office. The smugglers can be jailed for up to nine years, but this doesnt apply to the child guides they often employ. Their basic task is the final stretch, 3-5 kilometers. They form groups of between 3 and 8 people. They lead them along small trails, because they know the borderland, said Kostyantyn Lesnik, a senior officer of the Chernivtsi region border detachment. The cat-and-mouse game on Ukraines western borders is a symptom of how Kyivs war effort is hampered by a shortage of soldiers. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and hundreds of thousands wounded in Russias full-scale invasion. Desertion and absence without leave (AWOL) are taking their toll, with authorities opening more than 110,000 AWOL investigations in the first months of 2025, according to Prosecutor Generals Office figures reported by Ukrayinska Pravda more than half the total number since the start of the invasion. More than 50,000 desertion cases have also been opened since February 2022. The flight of draft-dodgers also reflects a problem with low recruitment that has sometimes resulted in men being dragged off the street. Just this month, military and police personnel apparently involved in mobilization efforts have been suspected of using violence toward military-aged men. On October 15, soldiers were detained in Ternopil, in western Ukraine, and are being investigated for kidnap and robbery after allegedly seeking to extort money from civilians and wounded soldiers. Two days later, two police officers in Kyiv allegedly beat up a man outside a recruitment office. Resistance to conscription generally has been driven by reports of corruption at draft offices and the well-connected finding legal ways to avoid being called up. A controversial mobilization law was introduced in 2024 in a bid to bolster numbers. Also last year, investigations revealed that government officials had evaded military service by falsely claiming disability benefits. "We have ruined the mobilization with our approaches, war veteran and lawyer Oleh Simoroz told RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service. We are discouraging people from going to serve in the army." (Written by Ray Furlong based on reporting by Borys Sachalko and Serhiy Dykun of Current Time. RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service contributed to this report.) Russian President Vladimir Putin received North Korea's top diplomat at the Kremlin on October 27 as Russian forces continued their push in eastern Ukraine, penetrating a key city amid fierce fighting. North Korean media said Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui discussed "many future projects to constantly strengthen and develop" the bilateral relationship while also passing on leader Kim Jong Un's "brotherly regard" to Putin. No further details were given. North Korea has become a crucial backer of Russias nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, sending artillery, missiles, and troops to its larger neighbor. Pyongyang in return has received Russian military technology and economic aid. Choes visit comes as Russia struggles to maintain recruitment levels amid mounting losses and lower financial incentives. Russia last week said it would seek to use reservists to defend civilian infrastructure following a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone attacks. Such a move would potentially allow Moscow to free up more troops to fight at the front, where it is suffering significant losses as it seeks to take well-defended Ukrainian territory. Russia is also reportedly seeking to recruit more foreign fighters to plug the gap. North Korea has been Russias biggest supplier of foreign troops to date, sending a reported 11,000 servicemen last year to help Moscow push Ukrainian forces out of Russias Kursk region. North Korean media did not say whether Choe discussed sending more servicemen to Russia. Despite its massive losses at the front, Russias armed forces continue to inch forward in eastern Ukraine. Some 200 Russian troops have entered the key logistics city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said that Russia has concentrated its largest attack forces outside Pokrovsk. He said there is currently significant assault activity" around Pokrovsk, including inside the city, but gave no assessment of the situation. Russia has been trying to take the city for more than a year. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with makers of long-range drones and missiles, saying he was ready to sign three-year contracts with the companies producing the most effective weapons. The Ukrainian leader said funding for the weapons has been secured. Ukraine sees long-range weapons as a key tool in bringing Europes longest war in decades to a conclusion. Ukraine has been using domestically produced drones and missiles to conduct deep strikes against Russian oil refineries, a key source of state revenue. However, it has been seeking more powerful Western missiles, including the US-made Tomahawks, to destroy the facilities. Russian oil exports account for about a third of total federal budget revenues and thus are key to funding the Kremlins war. The strikes on the refineries come amid falling oil prices and the toughest round of Western sanctions in months against Russia, compounding the countrys economic problems. Last week, the United States sanctioned Russias top two oil producers and signaled that third parties buying their output -- such as China and India -- could face penalties. The US sanctions came on the heels of a similar step by the UK and were followed by EU sanctions on Russias oil industry. Global sanctions and our pinpoint precision are practically syncing up to end this war on terms fair for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. Earlier on October 27, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and the European Union intend to prepare a cease-fire plan within seven to 10 days. At a meeting in London last week of the Coalition of the Willing, a grouping of more than 20 nations backing Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU leaders laid out four steps they hoped would force Putin to the negotiating table: supporting Ukraine financially with frozen Russian reserves, imposing tougher sanctions, supplying more long-range weapons, and delivering greater air defense. Ever since taking office for the second time in January, US President Donald Trump has been seeking to get Putin to agree to a cease-fire but the Kremlin leader has rebuffed him each time, betting -- experts say -- that the Western coalition will fall apart with time. Following his last call with Putin earlier this month, Trump initially said he would meet with the Russian leader in the coming weeks in Budapest but then later scrapped that, saying he saw no progress on peace. Trump then imposed the potentially powerful oil sanctions, the first time he has levied penalties on Russia since returning to the White House. Russia last week dispatched special envoy for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev, a fluent English speaker who studied in the United States, to Washington for talks. It is unclear what the outcome of those talks were. In a video he posted to Telegram on October 26, Dmitriev said Moscow was committed to constructive dialogue and to clearly communicating Russia's position. Amid the West seeming to close ranks against the Kremlin, Russia this week announced it had successfully tested a new nuclear capable intercontinental cruise missile, drawing criticism from Washington. The Kremlin has repeatedly turned to nuclear saber-rattling during the war to undermine Western resolve and create divisions within the coalition. Trump has at times cautioned against sending powerful military aid to Ukraine, saying it could provoke nuclear war. However, this time he fired back at Putin. Youve got to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year, Trump said while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo. Thats what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has warm ties with Trump and Putin, is due at the White House next week for talks that will almost certainly touch on the war in Ukraine. Hungary stands to lose from the recent round of oil sanctions -- which come into effect at the end of November -- because it still buys Russian energy. Orban will be seeking exemptions to the sanctions, his top diplomat said, but with the war approaching its fourth year, the Trump administration could question its determination to diversify. Hungary, unlike many of its neighbors, has not made any plans or any active steps" toward weaning itself off Russian energy supplies, US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News published on October 27. Russia forces have used drones to chase civilians from their homes near the front line in Ukraine, following them with cameras and attacking them as they sought shelter, a UN inquiry released on October 27 found. The report, which is to be presented to the UN General Assembly this week, said the attacks amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population." The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said the drone attacks were carried out to drive civilians from their homes in three regions in southern Ukraine, near the front line, and across the Dnieper River from Russian forces, over a period of more than a year. "Russian authorities have systematically coordinated actions to drive out Ukrainian civilians from their place of residence by drone attacks, as well as deportations and transfers," the probe said. The report based its findings on interviews with 226 people including victims, witnesses, aid workers, local authorities, and hundreds of verified online videos. Some of the survivors interviewed by UN investigators said they felt "hunted." The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, in May determined that Russia's drone attacks targeting civilians along a 100-kilometer stretch on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region constituted murder as a crime against humanity. The latest report extends the scope of those conclusions to a 300-kilometer stretch of Ukrainian-held territory across the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv regions as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians. "For over one year, Russian armed forces have been directing drone attacks against an extensive range of civilian targets," the report said, including people, houses or buildings, humanitarian distribution points, and critical energy infrastructure," the new report said. Operating under a centralized command, Russian troops "intentionally target civilians and civilian objects and cause harm and destruction," it said. "They even hit first responders," the commission said, including ambulance crews and firefighters, sometimes repeatedly, despite clear markings on vehicles. The commission has previously said Russia's forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to areas under its control amounted to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Moscow does not recognize the commission and does not answer its requests for access, information and meetings. Russia also denies intentionally targeting civilians in Ukraine despite widespread evidence to the contrary since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022. With reporting by Reuters and AFP President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Donald Trump to press China to end its support for Russia in its war against Ukraine when the US President meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a tour of Asia this week. In wide-ranging comments made to reporters that were released on October 28, the Ukrainian leader said he was ready to hold peace talks anywhere except for Russia and its ally Belarus, though Ukraine is not ready to cede territory. "It's absolutely clear that we're approaching diplomacy only from the position where we currently stand. We will not take any steps back and leave one part of our state or another," Zelenskyy said. "And the important result is that the American side finally made this a public signal: President Trump came out with such a message," he added in a reference to Trump recently backing Kyiv's call for an immediate ceasefire on current lines. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a security conference in Minsk on October 28 that Moscow hopes Trump "remains sincerely committed to resolving the Ukrainian crisis and will uphold the principles that were developed at the summit in Anchorage. Lavrov was referring to an August meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska in which Moscow has said Putins position was that Russia would agree to end the war only after eliminating the primary causes of the conflict -- namely the disarming of Ukraine and the ceding of territory lost to Russia during the war. It wasn't immediately clear what specifically Lavrov was referring to. The Russians initially portrayed the Anchorage summit as a significant step toward peace, but Russia's continued barrage of Ukrainian cities, and its unwillingness to halt fighting, even along current frontlines, has soured Trump and US negotiators. Zelenskyy's comments come as Russia appears to be making a breakthrough on the battlefield around the key city of Pokrovsk, which Russian troops have been trying to capture for over a year. The Ukrainian leader admitted "around 200 Russians" have entered the eastern city, which is currently their "main target." Pokrovsk, a city of about 7,000 inhabitants -- down from more than 60,000 prewar -- holds crucial road and rail junctions and has been under threat of encirclement by Russian forces for most of the year. In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian troops had entered the city, but Ukrainian officials at the time denied the report and said Kremlin forces continued to suffer heavy losses in the region. Ukrainian military expert Roman Svitan told Current Time on October 28 that Ukrainian troops have been sent in to stem any further advance. "The situation [in Pokrovsk] is difficult for [Ukraine], but it's just as difficult for the Russians because they're under two-flank attacks," he said. Trump, who last week said he is not going "to be wasting my time by meeting with Putin if the Kremlin leader is not ready to make a deal to end his war on Ukraine, is on a week-long tour of Asia that is expected to culminate with a meeting with Xi on October 30 in South Korea. Zelenskyy said the meeting is an opportunity for Trump to further ratchet up pressure on Russia after his administration sent shockwaves across global energy markets on October 22 by sanctioning state-controlled Rosneft and privately owned LUKoil. The two are Russias largest oil companies, whose exports go a long way toward filling the Kremlins coffers used to fund the war. Observers are watching closely to gauge reactions by India and China -- the two biggest buyers of Russian oil exports. China is one of Moscows top allies and trading partners, sourcing much of its Russian energy via Siberian pipelines. "I think this may be one of [Trump's] strong moves, especially if, following this decisive sanctions step, China is ready to reduce imports" from Russia, Zelenskyy said. In the meantime, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's European and Western allies will likely need to continue providing financial support for the coming two or three years if peace talks aren't successful and Ukraine has to continue to repel invading Russian forces. European Union leaders on October 24 stopped short of a deal to use frozen Russian state assets to fund Ukraine, after Belgium -- where most of the money is held -- raised legal and technical concerns about the proposal. "I emphasized this again to all European leaders. I told them that we are not going to fight for decades, but you must show that for some time you will be able to provide stable financial support to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "And that is why they have this program in mind -- 2-3 years," Zelensky said, referring to Brussels' plans to tap Russia's frozen assets to help Kyiv. SYDNEY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Police have arrested and charged two men after 128 kg of cocaine was found in a consignment that arrived at Sydney Airport. The police force in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement on Tuesday that the arrests were made by a strike force that was established to investigate a shooting at a home in Sydney's inner-west suburbs in July. During the course of the investigation, officers found evidence to suggest that the group responsible for the shooting was also involved in importing illicit drugs into NSW and subsequently identified a consignment that arrived at Sydney Airport on Saturday as containing 128 kg of cocaine. The cocaine was seized and officers from NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Monday arrested two men, aged 26 and 24, after they were observed allegedly trying to access the consignment at a Sydney freight forwarding business. Another 4 kg of cocaine as well as cash, 4 kg of an unidentified crystal substance and 110 grams of methamphetamine was located and seized by officers executing search warrants at properties in western Sydney. Both men were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug and participating in a criminal group. The 26-year-old was also charged with supplying a prohibited drug in large commercial quantities. If convicted, they both face maximum penalties of life imprisonment. NSW Police said that the 128 kg of cocaine had an estimated street value of 63 million Australian dollars (41.3 million U.S. dollars). RIYADH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have agreed to launch an economic cooperation framework based on the two countries' shared economic interests, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday. The cooperation framework was established during a meeting between the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh on Monday. A joint statement carried by the SPA said that the agreement affirms their mutual desire to strengthen trade and investment relations to serve common interests. As part of the framework, several strategic, high-impact projects will be discussed in the sectors of economy, trade, investment, and development, with priority sectors being energy, industry, mining, information technology, tourism, agriculture, and food security. The two sides are currently examining several joint economic initiatives, including agreements on an electricity interconnection project and energy cooperation, according to the statement. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state, signed a mutual defense pact in September, under which any attack against either country will be considered "an aggression against both." The agreement was reached after Israel launched an attack on Hamas targets in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in September. Kenneth Fox The countrys 31 local authorities will receive 767 million from the local property tax (LPT) in 2026, according to figures published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The amount is almost 10 per cent more than 2025s total, with two-thirds of the increase generated by revaluations and newly liable properties. The remaining 23 million of the 70.4 million increase will be generated by changes made by councils to how they vary the base rate. As The Irish Times reports, each council has the power to adjust the amount charged to property owners by plus or minus 15 per cent. The number of local authorities adding the maximum permitted 15 per cent to bills next year will increase from 18 to 20, but by far the most significant change is the decision by Dublin City Council (DCC) members in July to stop applying a 15 per cent cut to its rate, a move that will generate an additional 16.5 million for the council from LPT charges in 2026. The move will bring DCCs allocation from LPT to 109 million, more than 50 million more than the next largest. At 9.9 million, Carlow County Councils allocation is the smallest. Just three local authorities will apply cuts to their charges next year: Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin County Council (SDCC). Of those, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown is the only one to persist with a 15 per cent cut, a policy that will cost it an estimated 10.4 million in property taxes next year. The decision to halve the cut it applies from 15 per cent to 7.5 per cent for next year, will generate an additional 3 million for SDCC. The 767 million total for the 31 local authorities for next year includes central Government support of 142.3 million to 21 local authorities with low LPT bases. The figure is down about 1.5 million from the figure for 2025. The 767 million total is 69 per cent more than the 453 million allocated a decade ago. A funding application for the development of a domestic violence refuge in Westmeath has successfully passed the first stage. Athlone Community Services Council, Esker House, has received CAS1 approval for 12 units, with ancillary services, to be built in Athlone, serving the Westmeath and greater midland area. With the stage 1 Application now approved, Esker House is working towards submitting its Stage 2 application, which will include further detail and costings on the full extent of works that will be needed. Making the announcement today, Tuesday, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD said: I am delighted to announce my department has approved the CAS Stage 1 capital funding proposal for Athlone Community Services Council, in collaboration with Esker House Domestic Abuse Service, to develop a 12 unit domestic violence refuge facility in Westmeath. This refuge is the tenth domestic violence refuge approved for funding by my Department under Zero Tolerance and will be developed with the same trauma informed design and inclusion of therapeutic spaces and own door residential units which now form the standard for DV refuge provision in Ireland. This approval is further indication that the cross governmental processes engaged in by my department, the Department of Justice, Cuan, The Housing Agency, and local authorities are providing a clear path to refuge development at scale. Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim OCallaghan TD also said: Increasing refuge capacity in Westmeath has been a key focus of the governments Zero Tolerance strategy. The accommodation units and support facilities planned for Westmeath will be life changing for some of our most vulnerable women and children. Welcoming the news a spokesperson for Esker House stated, As the only domestic abuse support service provision refuge in the midland region, we at Athlone Community Service Council are heartened to see a vital investment in Esker House refuge and service infrastructure. The approval of the first stage of Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) funding represents a significant step forward in addressing the urgent need for safe, secure accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Deirdre Berry, Head of Services at Esker House commented, This development is not just about bricks and mortarit is about restoring dignity, safety, and hope to those subject to all forms of domestic abuse. We look forward to our continued collaborative work with our partners in the CUAN, Westmeath County Council, the Department of Housing and the Housing Authority to ensure that the new building meets the complex needs of survivors and is delivered without delay. We have an extremely committed and supportive Board of management who are deeply involved in the progression of this work. We commend the Governments commitment to expanding refuge provision and urge continued prioritisation of this issue to ensure that no one is left without a safe place to turn. Frankie Keena, local Counsellor and Board Member of Athlone Community Service Council added, As a board member of ACSC and a member of the Esker House Refuge development committee, I warmly welcome the CAS 1 stage approval for this purpose-built Domestic abuse refuge facility. Over the last couple of years, we have been kept busy trying to find a suitable site and now I am glad to say that this work has identified a suitable site. The site itself is very central to the town and all services, which are so important to the service users and staff. I would like to commend Esker House Head of Service Deirdre Berry and her excellent team for their great work in supporting women subjected to domestic abuse. Special thanks to Westmeath County Council, Athlone Community Services Council. CUAN, Department of Housing and Carrie Cowan for all their work in driving this much needed project. I look forward to continuing working on this committee to deliver on this project". Esker House provides a 24-hour free phone helpline1800662288, refuge accommodation, support and advocacy, court support services and a specialist child and youth support service. It also provides tailored training to the community. For all enquiries/ information call 0906474122 email info@eskerhouse.ie , www.eskerhouse.ie A new gifting platform which enables people to send coffees and treats instantly to family and friends was launched in Boyle at the weekend, just in time for Halloween. Brontie, the brainchild of Kevin Honer from Maynooth, was launched at the King House Tea Rooms on Bank Holiday Monday, October 27th. It may have been a wet and windy day, but the local spirit more than made up for the weather. There was great interest from visitors and locals alike, with plenty of people stopping to learn how Brontie lets them send a small, thoughtful treat like a coffee or cake to someone they care about in seconds. Its a simple way to make someones day, and to support independent Irish cafes at the same time. Kevin stated, Were thrilled to bring Brontie west especially to Roscommon, where the Halloween tradition itself was born. It felt fitting to mark the weekend by extending the gifting culture here. Brontie is now live at King House Tea Rooms offering a small selection of coffees and treats that can be sent instantly to friends, family, or colleagues. Its a simple way to make someones day, and to support independent Irish cafes at the same time. Owner Dorothy Shannon at King House Tea Rooms was delighted to get involved. Customers have already commented on how easy it is to use: no app, no sign-ups, just a quick link that turns a simple coffee into a small act of kindness. Dorothy described the concept as a great idea. She said that the concept was an important one in terms of supporting rural communities and rural businesses. I thought it was a great way to give someone a token of appreciation. Its great that Kevin is looking at rural areas, Boyle is a beautiful town with a lot to offer, she said Brontie started in June of 2025, with two locations in Maynooth and Leixlip. Boyle now becomes the third location. I was looking for a town outside of Kildare, which had a lot of history and heritage. I was also looking for similar cafes to the ones in Kildare, Kevin told the Roscommon Herald. Leading up to the Christmas period, he is looking for independent local businesses who are interested in listing their products on Brontie. We will try to get into the hamper space leading up to the Christmas period. If there are any independent business owners in Roscommon interested in listing on Brontie, we would be more than welcome to facilitate them. There is an option on our website to get involved, he said. The idea came about when Kevin spent time in South Korea. Gifting is a big part of their daily culture. People would generally gift each other to say thank you for something or to congratulate you on birthday for example. When I came back from Korea, I noticed there was nothing like this in the Irish market, so I wanted to bring this part of Korea back to Ireland with me, he said. Kevin would like to see Brontie become a national gifting platform. Maybe someone cant afford a 50 bouquet of flowers, but they can afford a 4 coffee, he said. For more information log onto brontie.ie. By Rebecca Black, PA A peaceful demonstration has taken place at a hotel housing asylum seekers in south-west Dublin. People gathered at Citywest Hotel in Saggart, holding banners in the colours of the Irish flag which read she was 10, and let off pink smoke. The area saw disorder last week after an alleged sexual assault on a 10-year-old girl in the area. People protest outside the Citywest Hotel (Niall Carson/PA) A 26-year-old man, who cannot be named because of legal restrictions, appeared in court last Tuesday charged over the incident. Protests were held at the hotel for several evenings, with disorder breaking out on Tuesday and Wednesday. Protesters have carried Irish flags, chanted anti-immigration slogans, and thrown missiles. On Monday evening, there were peaceful scenes from 5pm in a pre-arranged women and childrens protest. Gardai maintained a presence, and barriers had been erected. The protest finished with the singing of Crazy World by Aslan. Kenneth Fox Seven seriously ill Palestinian children have been evacuated from Gaza to Ireland for treatment, the Government has confirmed. The evacuation took place on Saturday night, the Department of Health said, in response to an appeal from the World Health Organization to address the health needs of the population of Gaza during the ongoing humanitarian crisis. As the Irish Examiner reports, those selected for evacuation were identified by officials from Childrens Health Ireland in conjunction with the WHO. The children arrived in Ireland along with 29 family members, a spokesperson for the department said. The initial evacuation was carried out overland from Gaza to Jordan via a WHO medical evacuation convoy. The subsequent flight to Ireland saw the children accompanied by an Irish medical team onboard a plane provided by the Norwegian government, the department said. Third such evacuation to Ireland It is the third such medical evacuation from Gaza to Ireland since the beginning of the hostilities in the region in the wake of the October 7th attack on Israel two years ago. The department said that the children in question are being accommodated in Red Cross accommodation while they undergo medical assessments in the coming days. Tanaiste Simon Harris said he is pleased that Ireland was in a position to accept the children and their family members, noting that they have been through a horrific ordeal. They will receive excellent medical care while here in Ireland as they recover from their experiences, he said. His Fine Gael colleague, health minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill, said the evacuation is the first of its sort out of Gaza City into Ireland via Jordan. She said the evacuation was a complex operation that required close collaboration across multiple government departments and with a series of international partners. BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that the United States will cease actions that undermine the peace and stability of the Caribbean region, and conduct normal law enforcement and judicial cooperation within bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing when commenting on a joint statement issued by 10 former leaders from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states expressing deep concern over military operations by a certain country in the Caribbean Sea. In the joint statement, the former leaders reaffirmed the region's status as a zone of peace for over 50 years, and pointed out that the United States should combat drug trafficking within the framework of the rule of law, rather than greenlight extrajudicial executions. "We hope that the U.S. side will listen to the strong call of Caribbean nations and the international community, cease actions that undermine the peace and stability of the Caribbean region, and return to the path of conducting normal law enforcement and judicial cooperation within bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks," Guo said. Punjab News: Police Recover Weapons from 3 Associates of 'Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Gang' Accused of Supplying Arms to Criminal Networks He added that the accused were involved in supplying weapons to various criminal gangs. Punjab Police Arrests Associates of 'Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Gang' for Supplying Arms to Criminal Gangs Latest News: Jalandhar Commissionerate Police have recovered six pistols (.32 bore) from three associates of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday. This recovery comes in addition to an earlier seizure of two pistols, bringing the total number of recovered weapons to eight (.32 bore). Advertisement The arrested individuals have been identified as Mankaran Singh Deol, Simranjit Singh, and Jaiveer Singh. Preliminary investigation reveals that the accused are close associates of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang and had received the consignment from Madhya Pradesh, DGP Yadav said in a post on X. Acting swiftly on the forwardbackward linkages, #Jalandhar Commissionerate Police recover 6 more pistols (.32 bore) from Mankaran Singh Deol, Simranjit Singh, and Jaiveer Singh taking the total recoveries in the case to 8 pistols (.32 bore). Earlier 2 pistols were recovered. pic.twitter.com/hAHgu5PTCH Advertisement October 28, 2025 He added that the accused were involved in supplying weapons to various criminal gangs. An FIR has been registered at Police Station Rama Mandi, and further investigations are underway to trace the wider network and linkages. Advertisement DGP Gaurav Yadav reaffirmed that the Punjab Police remains steadfast in its commitment to curb organised crime, choke illegal weapon supply chains, and ensure the safety and peace of Punjab (For more news apart from Punjab Police Arrests Associates of 'Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Gang' for Supplying Arms to Criminal Gangs" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Punjab to Launch Quarterly Bumper Prize of Rs 1 Lakh under Bill Liyao Inaam Pao' Scheme Quarterly Bumper Draw to Offer Second Prize of Rs 50,000 and Third Prize of Rs 25,000 Punjab to Launch Quarterly Bumper Prize of Rs 1 Lakh under Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme Quarterly Bumper Draw to Offer Second Prize of Rs 50,000 and Third Prize of Rs 25,000 Advertisement In a move to promote transparency and encourage citizen participation in tax compliance, the Punjab government has announced that the Bill Liyao Inaam Pao scheme will now include a quarterly bumper draw offering substantial cash prizes to boost public engagement. The initiative was announced by Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, according to a press release issued by the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab. Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated that under the scheme, each quarter, participants will have a chance to win a first prize of Rs 1,00,000, a second prize of Rs 50,000, and a third prize of Rs 25,000. Advertisement The Taxation Department will also introduce a dedicated upload option and prize distribution mechanism for bills related to the service sector such as restaurants, salons, and boutiques via the Mera Bill App, to further streamline participation. "In addition, a real-time Chatbot will be launched to assist users with queries, and the app will now support Punjabi alongside Hindi and English, ensuring broader accessibility for the general public," Cheema is quoted as saying in the press release. According to the minister, from April to August 2025, a total of 30,769 bills were uploaded, resulting in 1,263 winners who collectively received Rs 78,13,715 in prize money. Advertisement Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasized that all uploaded bills are rigorously verified by the Taxation Department, which has so far imposed penalties amounting to Rs 9.07 crore since the inception of the scheme and recovered Rs 7.31 crore from discrepancies found in submitted bills. The Bill Liyao Inaam Pao scheme was launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann in September 2023 along with the Mera Bill App, aimed at fostering a culture of responsible consumerism and tax compliance. The scheme excludes bills related to petroleum products, including crude oil, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel, and natural gas, as well as liquor, out-of-state purchases, and B2B transactions, the press release stated. Only bills from purchases made in the preceding month are eligible for the draw, ensuring fairness and operational integrity. Advertisement Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema reiterated the state governments commitment to empowering citizens through innovative, transparent, and inclusive governance tools, and encouraged all residents to actively participate in the scheme to help build a more accountable Punjab. (For more news apart from Punjab to Launch Quarterly Bumper Prize of Rs 1 Lakh under Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) October 28, 2025 A roundup of domestic and international news Newsflash Newsroom, 28.10.2025, 13:55 Protests Trade unions in Romania are preparing for a new protest. The leaders of the main confederations have announced their intention to take people to the streets on Wednesday to express their dissatisfaction with the governments policies, which they accuse of contempt for work and those who work. The trade unionists have several demands, including an increase in the minimum wage and pensions, fair taxation and the protection of jobs. The President of the Cartel Alfa National Trade Union Confederation, Bogdan Hossu, stated that these are only austerity measures for the ordinary citizens, having no beneficial effect in reducing the excessive budget deficit. He also says that in the last three and a half months through insolvency, closures or the reorganization of some companies over 7,500 jobs have been eliminated from the economy. The union leader added that preparations are underway to eliminate almost 14,000 jobs in the public administration. For his part, the president of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education, Simion Hancescu, said that the government is systematically pushing education personnel towards an all-out strike, after all the measures that have affected teachers and students. Domestic violence The Romanian Senate adopted, on Monday, a legislative proposal aimed at discouraging acts of domestic violence by increasing the punishment limits for habitual offenders. The document also establishes that provisional protection orders remain valid until the court resolves the request for the final order. The draft law received a unanimous vote from both the government and the opposition. It is going to be debated in the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body. PatriarchThe Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is meeting today with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church (majority denomination). On Monday, Bartholomew I, present in Bucharest for the consecration of the painting on the walls of the National Cathedral, was decorated by President Nicusor Dan with the National Order Star of Romania in the rank of collar, the highest distinction of the Romanian state. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople said that the church must participate in the contemporary dialogue on justice, peace and the defense of human dignity. In parallel, on the Metropolitan Hill in Bucharest, the pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Demetrius the New and those of Saint John Jacob of Neamt continues until Friday. The relics of Saint Demetrius the New, which are in the Patriarchal Cathedral, arrived in Bucharest in 1774, during the Russo-Turkish war. Since then, he has been the spiritual protector of Bucharest and the province of Wallachia (south). Believers from all over the country are waiting many hours to reach and pray at the reliquary. Meeting Romania has made remarkable progress since joining the European Union in 2007. The Gross Domestic Product per capita has more than doubled, and foreign investments have tripled, the European Commissioner for the Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis, wrote in a post on social media, ahead of todays meetings with officials in Bucharest. He will meet with President Nicusor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The PM also discussed yesterday with Dan Jorgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, on which occasion he stated that, in order to balance production and consumption, Romania must invest in storage and in connecting energy networks with Western Europe projects that will reduce costs and increase energy security. Management Romanian managers estimate, for the period October December 2025, a relative stability of the economic activity in the manufacturing and services industry, as well as an increase in prices in all areas of activity of the economy, according to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). According to the opinions expressed by managers in October, the volume of production in the construction sector will have a downward trend in the next three months (short-term balance -20.2%). A downward trend is also expected in the number of employees (-11.4%). Price increases are estimated by 42.3% of the respondents and only 4.6% say that prices will decrease, the short-term balance thusbeing +37.7%. In the services sector, the number of employees is expected to remain almost unchanged, with a short-term balance of -2.0%. The short-term balance indicates the perception of business managers on the dynamics of a phenomenon, which should not be confused with the rate of increase or decrease of any statistical indicator produced by the INS. Tourism The digital platform of the national cultural tourism program Attractive Romania has become accessible in six languages and has been expanded with 450 new tourist attractions, on the 12 thematic routes that cross the entire country, according to information provided by the programs representatives. Thus, the over 2,000 multimedia materials, including texts, photos, videos, audio guides, 3D animations and virtual tours are available to more tourists interested in discovering Romania. The platform integrates the Google Maps service, giving users the opportunity to combine the main objectives to create their own route. Attractive Romania, the first national program to support cultural tourism, was launched in May 2024 and will be completed in June 2026. (LS) October 28, 2025 UPDATE A roundup of local and world news October 28, 2025 UPDATE Newsroom, 28.10.2025, 20:00 PROTESTS Trade unions in Romania are preparing for fresh protests. The main confederations have announced plans to take people to the streets on Wednesday to voice their dissatisfaction with the policies introduced by the government, which they claim shows contempt for work and workers. Unionists have several demands, including an increase in minimum wages and pensions, fair taxation and the protection of jobs. The head of the Cartel Alfa National Trade Union Confederation, Bogdan Hossu, said that these are austerity measures only for ordinary citizens, with no impact on the excessive budget deficit. He also says that in the last three and a half months over 7,500 jobs have been lost in the economy through insolvency, closures or the reorganisation of some companies, and added that preparations are underway to eliminate almost 14,000 jobs in public administration. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The Romanian Senate Monday passed a bill aimed at fighting domestic violence by increasing punishments for repeat offenders. The document also stipulates that provisional restraining orders remain valid until the court settles requests for a final order. The vote on the draft law was unanimous. The bill will next be reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body. PATRIARCH The Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan Tuesday met with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, and with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church. On Monday, Bartholomew I, present in Bucharest for the consecration of the painting on the walls of the National Cathedral, was decorated by President Nicusor Dan with the Star of Romania National Order, the highest distinction of the Romanian state. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople said that the church must participate in the contemporary dialogue on justice, peace and the defence of human dignity. Meanwhile, on the Metropolitan Hill in Bucharest, the pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Demetrius the New and those of Saint John Jacob of Neamt continues until Friday. VISIT Romania remains committed to continuing to implement measures to ensure sustainable economic recovery, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Tuesday, after a meeting with the European Commissioner for Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis, who was on a visit to Bucharest. The Prime Minister reiterated the Governments commitment to an 8.4% budget deficit target for this year and mentioned that the government aims at a deficit target close to 6% for next year. Ilie Bolojan thanked Valdis Dombrovskis for the support provided by the European Commission in the negotiations on the revised PNRR. The Romanian official also had talks on Monday with Dan Jorgensen, the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, on which occasion he stated that, in order to balance production and consumption, Romania must invest in storage and in connecting energy networks with Western Europe, which will help reduce costs and increase energy security. FORUM The NATO Industry Forum takes place in Bucharest on November 5-6. The event is co-organised by the Allied Command Transformation and the Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division of the NATO Headquarters International Staff, under the patronage of NATOs secretary general. This is a strategic-level event that facilitates direct and continuing cooperation between NATO and the defence industry. The 2025 edition is themed NATO Rearmament Innovate, Accelerate, Sustain. The event brings together industry executives, senior NATO civilian and military leaders and national officials, as well as key leaders from other institutions. The defence ministry supports the organisation of this forum, reaffirming Romanias commitment, as host country, to facilitate strategic dialogue between the Alliance and the industry. (AMP) European Commissioners in Bucharest Two European commissioners visited Romania recently, for talks with decision-makers in Bucharest Premierul Ilie Bolojan si comisarul pentru energie Corina Cristea, 28.10.2025, 13:50 The main challenges in the energy and housing sectors, as well as ways to strengthen Romanias cooperation with the European Commission in these areas, were the main topics of the discussions that European Commissioner Dan Jorgensen had on Monday in Bucharest with Prime Minister IlieBolojan and Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan, with whom he participated in the ministerial meeting of the High-Level Group for Energy Connectivity in Central and South-Eastern Europe. One of the main themes of the meeting, as well as of the overall collaboration, is that Southeast Europe would benefit more if it were more interconnected, Commissioner Jorgensen said. The EU intends to provide up to 30 billion in funding to member states for the implementation of energy interconnection projects, announced Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan. In this regard, Romania is taking on the role of coordinator of a joint strategy with neighbouring countries, which it will present to the European Commission in the future multiannual community budget. This strategy targets financing lines for investments in hydro, gas, and nuclear power generation capacities, as well as investments in energy and gas transmission and distribution networks, the minister said. Investments in storage and interconnection are essential for Romanias energy security, Prime Minister IlieBolojan also stressed during the meeting with the commissioner, pointing out that although Bucharest has invested in renewable energy and the thermal rehabilitation of buildings in recent years, these projects have been carried out in a fragmented manner, without coordination at the national level. Another topic discussed was investment in energy storage capacity and the expansion of regional interconnectivity for greater stability of the energy system. Commissioner Jorgensen welcomed Romanias initiatives, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and investment in energy infrastructure to eliminate dependence on Russian gas. He also reiterated the European Commissions support for projects that contribute to raising European citizens standard of living. Romania has made remarkable progress since joining the European Union in 2007, another European commissioner visiting Bucharest to discuss the countrys budgetary and economic developments stressed. The Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Valdis Dombrovskis, said he had come to Bucharest to listen and see how the EU could support Romanias efforts to reduce its budget deficit. The discussions with officials in Bucharest focused on the reform program, the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the EUs main political priorities. (MI) Romanian senators against domestic violence The Romanian Senate has endorsed a series of amendments to the law on combating domestic violence Photo pixabay.com Mihai Pelin, 28.10.2025, 14:00 The Senate in Bucharest has endorsed a legislative draft aimed at discouraging domestic violence deeds by raising punishment limitations in the case of repeat offenders. The PSD Senator Victoria Stoiciu says this law is a concrete step towards a Romania which protects not only notices. Victoria Stoiciu: Domestic violence is a scourge, which in its extreme forms can lead to death. Over 40 women have been killed this year alone. And when it doesnt end up in death, it ends up in traumas and long term suffering. Our duty as a law maker is to ensure a legal framework to offer the highest protection ever to victims and discourage as many aggressors as possible. Senator Gheorghe Vela from the opposition POT, has underlined the project is again strengthening the legal framework regarding the protection of the victims of domestic violence providing for faster, firmer and effective intervention measures. Gheorghe Vela: By the amendments proposed, the cooperation between institutions is being improved, the protection order is issued faster, and better support is offered to victims, particularly women and children. For all these reasons, because its a law, which saves lives, I am conveying a clear message: violence is not accepted in a civilized society. The POT senators can vote for this draft and endorse it. In turn, the president of the Special Committee Romania without domestic violence, the Liberal Alina Gorghiu, former Justice Minister, says the amendments are leading to a real strengthened protection for the victims and are also closing down any legal loops favouring the aggressors. Its major step onward a clear signal that the victims voices have been heard in Parliament, which is amending laws in order to offer them real protection and concrete support, Gorghiu went on to say. Among other things, the bill provides for expanding the period of the protection order until the case is solved as well as for raised penalties for the repeat offenders who are violating the aforementioned order. After the protection period is over, victims can apply for a prolonged period provided their lives, physical integrity or freedom is endangered. Under the same amendments, in the absence of risk assessment by a certified probation body, the court will conduct an assessment based on the evidence comprised by the file. The bill also provides for the elimination of the possibility of dropping charges in cases involving beating and bodily injury against a family member. The Senate is the first legislative body to be notified before the bill is being submitted to the decision-making Chamber of Deputies. (bill) Several healthcare and biotech stocks posted notable gains in after-hours trading on Monday, driven by earnings updates, executive appointments, and capital market activity. Pulmonx Corp. (LUNG) surged 33.33% to $2.08 as of 9:36 PM EDT. The company announced preliminary, unaudited third-quarter 2025 revenue of about $21.5 million. Pulmonx also rescheduled its Q3 financial results release to Wednesday, November 12, 2025, after market close. In a leadership update, Glen French was reappointed as President and CEO, effective immediately, while Derrick Sung will assume the roles of COO and CFO starting November 3. Q32 Bio Inc. (QTTB) rose 12.5% to $3.15 in after-hours trading at 7:56 PM EDT. No company-specific news was released to explain the move. Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) climbed 7.41% to $229.90 as of 10:21 PM EDT. The company reported its third-quarter results and revised its full-year 2025 operating forecast. Additionally, on October 27, the Board of Directors authorized a $1.5 billion increase to its stock repurchase program, signaling confidence in long-term value. X4 Pharmaceuticals Inc. (XFOR) gained 5.35% to close at $3.94 in after-hours trading at 7:59 PM EDT. The company completed its previously announced underwritten public offering of 52.8 million shares, including the full exercise of the underwriters' option for 6.98 million additional shares. The offering also included pre-funded warrants for 700,000 shares. Gross proceeds totaled approximately $155.3 million before expenses, bringing total shares outstanding to 79.2 million. Greenwich LifeSciences Inc. (GLSI) advanced 5.41% to $10.32 as of 6:17 PM EDT. No new developments were reported. Cardiff Oncology, Inc. (CRDF) moved up 5.26% to $2.41 in after-hours trading at 7:56 PM EDT. The gain came without any accompanying news. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Sweden's foreign trade balance swung to a surplus in September from a deficit in the previous year as exports rose amid a fall in imports, figures from Statistics Sweden showed on Tuesday. The trade balance showed a surplus of SEK 5.4 billion in September versus a shortfall of SEK 0.2 billion in the corresponding month last year. In August, the trade balance posted a deficit of SEK 8.1 billion. On an annual basis, exports climbed 2.0 percent over the year, while imports declined by 1.0 percent. The non-EU trade balance showed a surplus of SEK 22.3 billion in September, while the trade balance with the EU revealed a deficit of SEK 16.9 billion. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the trade surplus was SEK 5.0 billion in September, compared to SEK 5.3 billion in the previous month. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran remains a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and continues to abide by its safeguards agreement with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday. "In fulfilling these safeguards obligations, we are maintaining interactions with the IAEA while taking into account the parliament's law, which designates the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) as the authority responsible for decisions on cooperation with the agency," Baghaei said. Under a comprehensive safeguards agreement, the IAEA has the right and obligation to ensure that safeguards are applied on all nuclear material in the territory, jurisdiction or control of the state for the exclusive purpose of verifying that such material is not diverted to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Baghaei explained that some aspects of Iran's engagement with the IAEA constitute "routine collaborations" aligned with national interests, citing the fuel replacement at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the oversight of the Tehran research reactor as examples. Iran had suspended cooperation with the IAEA in June under a parliamentary law, citing the agency's failure to condemn Israeli and U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites and concerns about the safety of its facilities and scientists. Baghaei added that after the suspension, any requests made by the agency are examined on a case-by-case basis by the SNSC and acted upon according to the council's decisions. Russian airstrikes and ongoing conflict in Ukraine are leaving civilians - including thousands of children - without homes, power, water and basic services, as humanitarians warn the approaching winter is heightening the risks for communities along the frontlines. Dozens of civilian casualties were reported over the weekend and into Monday, with children among the injured, according to UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. The hardest-hit areas include Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. "Meanwhile, our humanitarian colleagues tell us that evacuations of civilians continue from frontline communities in the Donetsk region," Dujarric told reporters in New York on Monday. More than 900 people were evacuated, he added. Dujarric noted that the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund has released $13 million since May to support local and national NGOs in the Kharkiv region, aiding nearly 76,000 residents. Roughly half of those reached are women and girls. Assistance has included cash transfers, shelter, services, water, sanitation, hygiene support and measures to prevent gender-based violence. Kenan Madi, Chief of Field Operations UNICEF Ukraine, said, "The attacks on infrastructure are impacting basic services - from hospitals to water utilities to district heating - making everyday life extremely difficult for children." "Some rural areas in Chernihiv are in total blackout. That's what children are living through in Ukraine right now." Education remains disrupted. Approximately 350,000 children in frontline regions attend school in person, while over 400,000 follow a blended schedule and around 280,000 continue fully online. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Turkey has signed a deal worth up to 8 billion pounds to buy 20 Typhoon fighter jets from the UK - the biggest fighter jet exports deal in a generation. The multi-billion pound deal was signed in the presence of visiting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday. The deal will help to sustain a 20,000 strong UK wide workforce, with production lines in Edinburgh, Warton, Salmesbury and Bristol. The Turkish agreement is a major boost for the British order book, representing the biggest fighter jet deal in almost 20 years and saving the Warton production line. It will also strengthen Turkey's advanced combat capabilities, bolstering NATO's strength in a key region and enhancing interoperability between British, Turkish air forces. The deal comes just weeks after the UK's Type 26 frigates were selected by Norway, adding a further 10 billion pounds to Britain's and securing 4,000 jobs. In July, Germany and UK signed a new agreement to boost world-class UK defense exports such as Boxer armored vehicles and Typhoon. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "This landmark agreement with Turkey is a win for British workers, a win for our defense industry, and a win for NATO security". During the visit, he also met Turkish military and RAF Typhoon pilots to hear firsthand how the jets will contribute to European security. The Typhoon work-share agreement sees more than a third of each aircraft manufactured in the UK; the rest of each aircraft would be produced by the Eurofighter Partner Nations. The first delivery to Turkey is expected to take place in 2030, UK Ministry of Defense said. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Millions of people across the Caribbean are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa as it reached Category 5 status on Monday - the most powerful on the scale - defined by sustained winds of at least 157 mph. Thousands of Jamaicans have been evacuated as Melissa is drawing closer to the island on its path towards northeast through the Caribbean Sea. The hurricane has already claimed the lives of seven in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, reports say. Destructive winds, dangerous storm surge, and catastrophic rainfall are due to hit the region, warned UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. Continuing to work closely with Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams, the UN is due to deploy additional staff to Cuba and Jamaica this week, as part of wider efforts to bolster emergency preparedness and coordinate response operations on the ground. In a post on X, OCHA said preparations had been strengthened in Cuba. In addition, the UN has allocated around $4 million for Cuba from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) ahead of the storm. Moreover, special focus is being placed on Haiti, a nation already grappling with gang violence, disease, and gender-based violence. OCHA and its partners are assisting national authorities in strengthening preparedness and mitigating the hurricane's potential impacts. The World Food Program is providing logistical support, generators, and food assistance to families in Jamaica - which could experience its most powerful storm on record - while UNICEF has pre-positioned water, sanitation, and child protection supplies. Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organization is reinforcing emergency operations, the International Organization for Migration is preparing shelter support, and other UN partners are mobilizing for relief operations. "Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most disaster-prone region in the world and children are among the most at risk," according to UNICEF. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Cygnet Energy Ltd., a private exploration and production company, Tuesday announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Kiwetinohk Energy Corp. (KEC.TO) or KEC, a natural gas company, for C$24.75 per KEC share or about C$1.4 billion. With this acquisition, Cygnet will operate more than 44,000 boe/d of liquids-weighted Duvernay and Montney production. Funding for this transaction is being provided by current Cygnet shareholder NGP Energy Capital Management, LLC and global investment firm The Carlyle Group Inc. (CG), who will be joining in as a new investment partner. Additionally, ARC Financial Corp., an existing Cygnet investor and KEC shareholder has agreed to roll over a portion of its KEC shares into common shares of Cygnet on equivalent economic terms. On Monday, KEC shares closed at C$22.42 in Toronto. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Crude oil prices have moved sharply lower during trading on Tuesday, continuing to give back ground following the surge seen last week. After pulling back modestly over the two previous sessions, crude for December has plunged $1.32 or 2.2 percent to $59.99 a barrel. The price of crude oil has moved lower for the third straight session after soaring by 7.6 percent over the course of the previous week. While news of U.S. sanctions against two Russian oil giants contributed to last week's spike, news the German of Russia's Rosneft would be exempt has led to some uncertainty about the impact of the sanctions. A report from Reuters indicating OPEC+ is leaning toward another modest increase in production in December has also weighed on oil prices along with lingering demand concerns. Oil prices will moderate in the next days and weeks to come because of growing production coming from the Americas, OPEC+'s change in policy to increase output and slowing demand growth, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. The oil market will be in surplus as output from the "American quintet" the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Guyana and Argentina outpaces the growth in demand, largely driven by China's pivot away from heavy industry and combustion vehicles, Birol said. Because of surplus capacity, the effect of sanctions on oil-exporting countries will be limited, he added. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis MANILA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines has lifted its temporary import ban on wild and domestic birds from Argentina, Romania, and Turkiye, following the containment of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in those countries, the country's Department of Agriculture said Tuesday. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel issued separate memorandum orders authorizing the resumption of imports, citing the absence of new outbreaks and official clearance from the World Organization for Animal Health. The temporary import ban had been imposed as a precaution to protect the Philippines' local poultry industry from the spread of bird flu. The Department of Agriculture said the decision to lift the import bans was based on risk assessments conducted by the agency's Bureau of Animal Industry. Citing the bureau's assessment, Tiu Laurel said the risk of contamination from importing poultry meat, live birds, day-old chicks, and poultry semen from these countries is now considered "negligible." He said lifting the ban is a move seen as both strategic and necessary. "With poultry playing a critical role in ensuring national food security -- and contributing significantly to employment and agribusiness -- reopening safe import channels is essential for stabilizing supply and keeping prices in check," he added. Diversifying import sources also buffers the country against future supply shocks, especially as global food chains remain vulnerable to disease outbreaks and geopolitical tensions, he said. According to Tiu Laurel, the DA's move underscores a balancing act: protecting local producers while ensuring Filipino consumers continue to have access to affordable, safe, and sufficient poultry products. KHARTOUM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of civilians have been killed in El Fasher in western Sudan's Darfur region as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed to have seized the city, and the United Nations warned of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe. The Sudan Doctors Network, a volunteer medical group, said the RSF carried out "ethnically based executions" and a "horrific massacre" in El Fasher, with early reports suggesting the death toll had reached dozens. The group accused RSF fighters of looting hospitals and pharmacies, leaving the sick and wounded without care. Local activists said thousands of civilians trying to flee the city risked being killed or detained by RSF forces. The Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher urged international intervention to create safe corridors for those trapped by the fighting. The RSF on Sunday said it had taken full control of El Fasher, calling the city's fall "a pivotal moment" due to its "symbolic, strategic, and military significance." El Fasher, the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the vast Darfur region, has been under intense siege by the RSF since last year. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, said the Sudanese army has withdrawn from El Fasher. Meanwhile, Sudan's Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism condemned "massacres, killings, torture, looting, and robbery against unarmed civilians" by the RSF in El Fasher and the nearby town of Bara. The United Nations and aid agencies voiced alarm at the deteriorating situation. The International Organization for Migration said it was tracking new waves of displacement from El Fasher as families fled with little access to food, water, or shelter. Residents remain "trapped and terrified-shelled, starving, and without access to healthcare or safety," the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) said, renewing calls for an immediate ceasefire "in El Fasher, in Darfur, and throughout Sudan." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned of a "terrible escalation" of violence, while OCHA head Tom Fletcher on Sunday urged warring parties to allow safe passage for civilians. In Bara, in the neighbouring Kordofan region, the Sudan Doctors Network said the RSF executed at least 47 unarmed civilians, including nine women, accusing them of links to the army. The group also reported looting, kidnappings, and other abuses. Sudan's civil war, now in its third year, pits the Sudanese army against the RSF. The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and pushed much of the country to the brink of famine, despite repeated ceasefire calls from the United Nations and regional mediators. KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China and ASEAN signed the Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol here on Tuesday, marking a new milestone for their deepening cooperation and economic integration. Analysts said the signing of the upgrade protocol represents an important step toward advancing high-quality, open cooperation between the two sides amid mounting global economic uncertainty. It demonstrates the region's resolution to jointly confront global economic challenges and injects fresh momentum and confidence into regional economic development. NEW RULES BUILDING Since 2002, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) has progressed from Version 1.0 and 2.0 to the current Version 3.0, reflecting both sides' sustained efforts to advance regional economic integration. Compared with early focus on tariff cuts and broader market access, the latest upgrade opens a new chapter for institutionalized and modernized cooperation. The CAFTA 3.0 not only includes traditional areas of trade and investment, but also introduces nine new areas such as digital economy, green economy and supply chain connectivity, etc. Experts said continuous upgrades of CAFTA clearly show how regional economic cooperation has deepened. Herman Tiu Laurel, president of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, a Manila-based think tank, said the signing of the protocol is not only another upgrade of the economic and trade relations between China and ASEAN, but also an important milestone in promoting regional economic integration. Compared with the focus on "tariff reduction" in Version 1.0 and the "facilitation" in Version 2.0, the biggest breakthrough of Version 3.0 is the "shift from mutual tariff reduction to joint rule building," he said. Tang Zhimin, assistant president at Thailand's Panyapiwat Institute of Management, said Version 3.0, covering digital and green economies, strengthens the foundations for industrial and supply chain collaboration through aligning rules, recognizing standards and interlinking mechanisms. "This is a joint push to shift from 'quantitative expansion' to 'qualitative improvement,'" said Ng Yih Pyng, president of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia. The upgrade showcases the ongoing innovation by ASEAN and China, further combining trade liberalization with institutionalized governance, and shifting the focus toward greater predictability of rules and the aligning of systems, he said. GROWTH ENGINES Addressing core issues in global industrial-chain transformation and sustainable development, the CAFTA 3.0 will help expand mutually beneficial cooperation in emerging fields, and facilitate broader and deeper regional economic integration, analysts said. Xiao Saizi, associate professor at School of Politics in University of Nottingham Malaysia, said the CAFTA 3.0 for the first time incorporates both hard and soft connectivity for emerging areas such as the digital and green economies. The upgrade protocol effectively links countries' resource endowments, industrial strengths and positions in core value chains, underscoring both sides' resolve to diversify trade cooperation, and demonstrating the strong vitality of inclusive and open cooperation to the world, she said. Jitkai Chin, an associate professor at Malaysia's Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, expressed expectations that the CAFTA 3.0 and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will work in synergy to further advance economic integration. "I believe China and ASEAN's cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital economy, green energy and industrial upgrading will also drive the region's low-carbon transition and sustainable development, injecting new momentum into the Asia-Pacific's long-term stability and prosperity," Chin said. WIN-WIN TRADE As global development stands at a critical crossroads with rising protectionism, intensifying geopolitical conflicts and disruptions to industrial and supply chains, the signing of the CAFTA 3.0 Upgrade Protocol sends a positive signal of openness, cooperation and mutual benefit, observers said. Muhammad Habib, a researcher at Indonesia's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the upgrade demonstrates China and ASEAN's shared commitment to defending free trade and regional cooperation. China is taking concrete steps to support the multilateral trading system, and to build a more stable and inclusive regional economy, he added. According to Phan Cao Nhat Anh, deputy head of South Asia, West Asia and Africa Research Institute at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, the CAFTA 3.0 is not only an important engine driving the region toward more inclusive and resilient growth, but also will play a key role in strengthening regional economic resilience and withstanding external shocks. Following a recent survey on the Malaysian market, Liu Baofeng, head of a fruit import-export company based in Hebei Province, north China, said that importing fruits from Southeast Asia has become faster and more convenient these years. "From customs declaration and clearance to transport, turnaround times keep shortening. With road, air, sea and rail operations running in parallel, supply chains are far more stable and logistics more flexible. Higher customs efficiency means fresh Southeast Asian fruits can reach Chinese consumers much faster," Liu said. In both NOvA (NuMI Off-axis e Appearance experiment) and T2K experiments, neutrinos are fired from particle accelerators and detected after traveling long distances underground. The challenge is immense: out of trillions upon trillions of particles, only a handful leave detectable traces. Sophisticated detectors and software then reconstruct these rare events, providing clues about how neutrinos change flavor as they travel move. Neutrinos are among the most abundant particles in the Universe. They have no electric charge and nearly no mass, making them extraordinarily difficult to detect. But that same elusiveness makes them scientifically priceless. Understanding neutrinos could help explain one of the greatest puzzles in cosmology: why the Universe is made of matter. Theoretically, the Big Bang should have produced equal parts matter and antimatter, which would have annihilated each other completely; when a particle meets its mirror opposite, both disappear in a burst of energy. But when the Big Bang occurred something tipped the balance, creating a greater abundance of matter, which led to the formation of stars, galaxies, and life today. Physicists suspect that neutrinos may hold the answer. Neutrinos come in three types, or flavors, electron, muon, and tau, essentially three versions of the same tiny particle. They possess the unusual ability to oscillate and transform from one flavor to another as they travel through space, and the way these oscillations occur, and whether they differ between neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts, could reveal why matter won out over antimatter in the early Universe. Understanding these different identities can help scientists learn more about neutrino masses and answer key questions about the evolution of the Universe, including why matter came to dominate over antimatter in the early Universe, said Dr. Zoya Vallari, a physicist at the Ohio State University. The reason neutrinos are really, really fun is because they change their flavors. Imagine getting chocolate ice cream, walking down the street, and suddenly it turns into mint, and every time it moves, it changes again. In an effort to better understand this shape-shifting behavior, NOvA and T2K experiments combined forces to shoot beams of neutrino particles over hundreds of km. NOvA sends a beam of neutrinos through the Earth 810 km from its source at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago to a 14,000-ton detector in Ash River, Minnesota. Japans T2K shoots a beam of neutrinos 295 km from the J-PARC accelerator in Tokai to the giant Super-Kamiokande detector under Mount Ikenoyama. While our goals were the same, differences in our experiment design adds more information when we pool our data together, in that the sum is more than its parts, Dr. Vallari said. While this study builds on previous work that found tiny, but still very consequential, differences in neutrino mass for each type, the researchers sought deeper hints that neutrinos operate outside the standard laws of physics. One such question is whether neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts behave differently, a phenomenon called Charge-Parity violation. Our results show that we need more data to be able to significantly answer these fundamental questions, Dr. Vallari said. Thats why building the next generation of experiments is important. According to the study, combining the results of both experiments allowed the scientists to get a handle on these pressing physics questions from different angles, as two experiments with different baselines and energies have a better chance of answering them than a single experiment alone. This work is extraordinarily complex, and each collaboration involves hundreds of people, said Ohio State Universitys Professor John Beacom. Collaborations like these are usually competing, so that they are co-operating here shows how high the stakes are. The new findings were published in the journal Nature. _____ NOvA Collaboration & T2K Collaboration. 2025. Joint neutrino oscillation analysis from the T2K and NOvA experiments. Nature 646, 818-824; doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09599-3 Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the 28th China-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday urged China and ASEAN countries to unite more closely for self-strengthening, fend off external disruptions, and defend their legitimate rights and interests through mutual reliance and coordinated actions, amid new changes in the current international landscape. Addressing the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, Li also called on both sides to gather greater synergy and promote steady economic growth through addressing each other's needs and deepening cooperation. Li said that, as President Xi Jinping said during his April visit to Southeast Asia, unity brings strength, and cooperation leads to mutual success. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. During that war, China and Southeast Asian nations supported each other and fought side by side, ultimately achieving independence and liberation, he said. In the decades that followed, Li said, China and Southeast Asian countries pursued common development together, achieving rapid economic growth through mutual inspiration and concerted efforts, and weathering major storms such as the financial crisis, tsunamis, and the COVID-19 pandemic through mutual assistance and solidarity. Li said that China stands ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with ASEAN countries and effectively implement the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030), in a continued effort to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. In doing so, first, Li said, is to make mutual strategic trust more solid. China will enhance strategic communication, properly handle differences, and continue to support efforts to peacefully resolve disputes between Cambodia and Thailand through the "ASEAN Way," he said. China also calls for accelerating the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and striving for its early conclusion, Li said. Second, Li said, is to deepen the integration of interests. Taking the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as an opportunity, China and ASEAN should work to advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and strengthen industrial integration, he said. China will inject more capital to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund, and is ready to establish the China-ASEAN Digital Academy, build a cooperation platform on artificial intelligence, and set up a center for maritime development and technology cooperation, he said, adding that the two sides can also deepen cooperation in transportation, digital economy, green economy, disaster prevention and mitigation, and climate change. Third, Li said, is to strengthen people-to-people bonds. China will ensure the successful conclusion of the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges, and designate 2026 as a thematic year of the 5th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said. Li also urged the two sides to establish mechanisms for meetings of the China-ASEAN tourism ministers and education ministers, and make full use of the China-ASEAN Network of Academies on Governance and Public Administration and Think Tanks. China stands ready to proceed shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN countries to achieve steady and sustained progress in the China-ASEAN cooperation, Li added. Chinese Premier Li Qiang poses for a group photo while attending the 28th China-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) GAZA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Hamas source said on Tuesday that Israel has rejected the entry of teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Palestinian factions into eastern Gaza City to search for the remains of Israeli captives. "Israel is deliberately putting obstacles in front of the search operations and fabricating false claims about the bodies to serve its aggressive intentions," the source, who asked not to be named, told Xinhua. Eyewitnesses and local sources said heavy machinery sent by Egypt, accompanied by ICRC staff and armed members of Palestinian factions, waited for several hours on the outskirts of Gaza City's Shuja'iyya neighbourhood for Israeli army coordination but later withdrew without entering the area. The Israeli army has not commented on the incident. However, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported that Israel decided to suspend Hamas's field tours with the Red Cross in areas under its control in Gaza. Israel said on Tuesday that the remains handed over by Hamas on Monday night were in fact body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the issue "a violation of ceasefire" and held an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon over a potential response. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem on Tuesday reaffirmed the movement's commitment to the ceasefire and the handover of Israeli captives' remains, accusing Netanyahu of trying to undermine the agreement "with baseless excuses." Qassem said Hamas was continuing its field efforts to recover the bodies "around the clock" while Israel "is unhappy with the progress of the agreement and is placing obstacles in the way," adding that Israeli restrictions have created "major difficulties" for the searches. On Monday night, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, handed over to the ICRC the remains of another Israeli captive, which were later taken to Tel Aviv for forensic identification. A Hamas source said the body was retrieved from the Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. Netanyahu's office said Tuesday that what Hamas returned were partial remains of the deceased hostage Ofir Tzarfati, whose body Israel says had already been recovered in Gaza and brought back to Israel in December 2023. BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress concluded its 18th session Tuesday in Beijing. At the closing meeting, lawmakers voted to adopt the revised Maritime Law, and the revised Organic Law of Urban Residents' Committees as well as decisions to revise the Cybersecurity Law, the Environmental Protection Tax Law, and the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees. President Xi Jinping signed presidential orders to promulgate the laws and the decisions. The session also adopted a decision to appoint Zhang Shengmin as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, and remove He Weidong from this position. 80 Mile announced three new memoranda of understanding with major energy companies on Tuesday, and a move to full ownership of its Ferrandina biofuels facility in southern Italy, in a bid to strengthen the sites commercial outlook and supply chain for sustainable fuels. The AIM-, FSE- and OTC-listed renewable energy group said its 100%-owned subsidiary Greenswitch had agreed an MoU with a Fortune 500 integrated energy company to supply up to 80,000 tonnes per year of renewable feedstocks, including palm oil methyl ester and repurposed used cooking oil, starting from November. Deliveries would be made to the port of Taranto, around 70 kilometres from Ferrandina, ensuring a reliable input stream for biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. Greenswitch also signed a tolling MoU with Italian energy firm Ludoil Energia under which Ludoil will provide feedstock and Hydrogen Valley, 80 Miles operating subsidiary, would earn revenue purely from processing. The deal, which would eliminate feedstock working capital risk, was expected to generate about 8m in annual net profit for Hydrogen Valley once production starts in January, with a plant restart targeted for December. It said the agreement would secure around half of Ferrandinas permitted 150,000-tonne capacity. A third MoU was signed with JEnergy of Rome for the supply of biodiesel and bioliquids from January, expanding to SAF and hydrotreated vegetable oil from 2027. The agreement would cover around 10,000 tonnes per year in the initial phase. 80 Mile said the new deals built on previously-announced agreements with Nacata Commodities and Tecnoparco Valbasento, covering additional feedstock, product offtake, and biofuel supply volumes. Combined, the partnerships reportedly positioned Ferrandina as a key processing hub for low-carbon fuels across Europe, with commitments now covering a significant portion of the plants capacity. Alongside the new commercial agreements, 80 Mile said it had completed the move to full ownership of Hydrogen Valley, the entity that controls Greenswitch and the Ferrandina project. The company paid 0.1m, and would issue 220 million new shares to vendor Greendome Holdings, along with deferred payments tied to future share performance and milestone dates through 2028. Hydrogen Valleys managing director, Mark Frascongna, would join 80 Mile as chief executive of Italian operations in a non-board role. These agreements mark a step change for the Ferrandina facility. Between Ludoil, JEnergy, Nacata, Tecnoparco, and now one of the worlds largest integrated energy companies, we have clear evidence of the significant industry interest in SAF and HVO development, said managing director Eric Sondergaard. Importantly, the tolling arrangement with Ludoil already secures 50% of the plants total capacity, ensuring stable revenues while minimising working capital exposure. He added that the calibre of counterparties underlines Ferrandinas strategic importance within Europes renewable fuels supply chain, establishing it as a key processing hub for biodiesel today and laying the foundation for long-term growth in SAF and HVO. Admission of the 230 million new shares issued as part of the Hydrogen Valley acquisition was expected on or before 14 November, bringing 80 Miles total issued share capital to 4.56 billion shares. At 1414 GMT, shares in 80 Mile were up 5.59% at 0.72p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. C&C Group reported higher first-half profit and margins on Tuesday, as strong cash generation and tight cost control helped offset lower revenues caused by the transfer of Budweiser Brewing Group distribution in Ireland and softer market conditions. The FTSE 250 Dublin-based drinks group, whose brands include Tennents, Bulmers and Magners, said it remained on track to meet full-year earnings expectations. For the six months ended 31 August, net revenue fell 4% to 825.7m, reflecting the previously-announced loss of Budweiser Brewing Group volumes in the Republic of Ireland and weaker wine and spirits sales among national customers. Adjusted EBITDA rose 2% to 58.1m, while operating profit increased 4% to 41.9m, lifting the operating margin by 0.4 percentage points to 5.1%. Adjusted profit before tax rose 12% to 32.1m, and adjusted earnings per share climbed 14% to 6.7 cents. The group said it generated underlying free cashflow of 41.7m, up 115% year-on-year, and maintained leverage at 1.1 times EBITDA. It also raised its interim dividend by 4% to 2.08 cents per share and confirmed that a 15m share buyback completed in September formed part of its ongoing 150m capital return programme to shareholders through 2027. We have delivered a solid first-half performance against a challenging market backdrop, said chief executive Roger White. We continue to invest in initiatives to support improved business performance - building brands, delivering service, range and value to customers and consumers. In addition, we have made good initial progress in our programme to simplify and improve our core business processes. We believe we are well prepared for the all-important festive trading period, and whilst we expect challenging economic conditions to persist, we remain committed to the delivery of our full-year earnings targets. Branded revenue declined 1.3% to 170m, but operating profit rose 2.7% to 26.7m as margins improved to 15.7%. Tennents outperformed the wider lager market in Scotland, growing its on-trade market share by 0.6 percentage points, while Bulmers revenues rose 6.6% amid stronger summer cider sales and the launch of Bulmers Zero. Magners showed progress in the UK off-trade following renewed marketing efforts, though on-trade sales remain under pressure. Distribution revenue fell 4.8% to 655.7m, mainly due to the Budweiser transfer, but operating profit grew 6.3% to 15.2m as margins increased to 2.3%. The group highlighted efficiency gains and robust service levels, with more than 98% of deliveries on time and 96% in full. C&C said it is advancing its Simply Better Growth programme to enhance efficiency, strengthen data systems, and drive profitability across both its branded and wholesale operations. It had also committed to environmental investments at its Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow, including an electric boiler system and a new dealcoholisation facility. The board noted that chief financial and transformation officer Andrew Andrea would step down by March 2026 to become CFO of Dominos Pizza Group, with a search underway for his successor. C&C said it expected solid trading in the second half, with plans in place for the key Christmas period and overall cost projections unchanged. The group said it was confident in meeting its full-year guidance, adding that further details on its simplification and efficiency plans will be presented in May 2026. At 1020 GMT, shares in C&C Group were down 3.53% at 131.2p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. HSBC on Tuesday reported a fall in third-quarter profits as a $1.1bn legal charge weighed on the bottom line. Pre-tax profit for the three months to September fell 14% to $7.3bn. Net interest income for the quarter rose 15% year on year to $8.8bn, driven by a 30% jump in income from its wealth division to $2.68bn. Operating expenses rose 24%, as it set aside provisions including $1.1bn after losing an appeal in a long-running lawsuit in Luxembourg related to Bernard Madoffs multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Chief financial officer Pam Kaur said the figure could vary and that a settlement over the case could take years. This is a complex case, the Guardian reported her as saying. This will take a period of time to go through. It could take months, it could take years, as you can imagine this case itself has taken a very long time to come through. Kaur said the $1.1bn figure was not some average number we have come up with. We have come up with the best judgment based upon advice from our accountants, our internal counsel, our external legal counsel. Of course, there could be some variation around that number. The bank said it now expected full-year banking net interest income of $43bn, citing rising confidence in the near-term trajectory for policy rates in key markets such as the UK and Hong Kong. It also guided for double-digit percentage average annual growth in fee and other income from its wealth division over the medium term. Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com Amazon is preparing to lay off tens of thousands of corporate workers, reversing its pandemic hiring spree. The cuts come months after the retail giants CEO warned white-collar employees their jobs could be taken by artificial intelligence. The Seattle-based technology firm is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Tuesday, media outlets including Reuters and the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, as it tries to cut costs and undo the vast recruitment drive it embarked on at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, which unleashed an extraordinary but fleeting surge in demand for online shopping. Guardian Wind power has cut at least 104bn from energy costs in the UK since 2010, a study has found. Users of gas have been among the biggest beneficiaries, the research suggested. Research by University College London found that from 2010 to 2023, energy from windfarms resulted in electricity bills being lower by about 14.2bn than they would have been if gas had been needed to generate the same amount of power. However, the reduction in the cost of gas that could be attributed to wind generation owing to the cut in demand and not needing to build new infrastructure was much greater, at about 133.3bn. Guardian A City trader wrongly jailed for rate rigging is suing UBS for more than $400m (300m) over claims the bank tried to frame him. Tom Hayes has launched a lawsuit against his former employer after the Supreme Court quashed his conviction earlier this year. In court documents filed in the US, Mr Hayes has accused the bank of creating a scheme to maliciously frame him in an effort to protect itself from scrutiny. Telegraph Janus Henderson, one of the City of Londons biggest asset management groups, has received a provisional takeover offer from Nelson Peltz, the veteran American activist investor. Peltz, who already owns 20.4 per cent of Janus Henderson, is offering to buy the other 79.6 per cent at $46 a share, valuing the business at $7.2 billion. The Times Elon Musk may step down from Tesla if shareholders fail to foster an environment that motivates him by handing over a pay package worth up to $1 trillion, the carmakers chairwoman has warned.Robyn Denholm issued the warning in a letter to shareholders before a vote on the pay deal, which would be the largest pay package in corporate history. The Times Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Tuesday that China would like to strengthen alignment with the 13th Malaysia Plan. China is also willing to deepen the implementation of the Five-Year Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation between the two countries, thereby solidifying bilateral economic and trade ties, Li said when meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) Home Minister Amit Shah announced plans to expand port handling capacity to 10,000 million metric tonnes annually and make India one of the worlds top five shipbuilding nations. The government is building mega ports like Vadhavan ($10 Billion) and the Great Nicobar Project ($5 Billion), alongside a $200 Million dry dock in Cochin and a maritime heritage complex in Gujarat. Shah inaugurated two deep-sea fishing boats under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana, pledging 200 boats in five years to strengthen fishermen cooperatives and enhance Indias fisheries potential. Home minister Amit Shah announced that the union government was planning to reach a port handling capacity of 10,000 million metric tonnes a year and position India within the top five nations of the world in the shipbuilding sector. "Our target is to emerge among the world's top five ship building nations and therefore we are constructing new mega and deep draft portsWe have finalised the road map to link the maritime industry with the world industry", Shah stated while inaugurating the India Maritime Week 2025 at Mumbai's NESCO Exhibition Centre. Home minister added that flagship programmes like SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), 'SagarMala', 'Blue Economy', and the Green Maritime Vision were all directed at improving port infrastructure, encouraging environmental sustainability, and improving regional cooperation. "We have made port transport digital, and have linked up with significant connectivity projects including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, Eastern Maritime Corridor, and the North-South Transport Corridor. We have doubled our yearly budget six times from $40 million to $230 million. We are building the Great Nicobar Project at a cost of $5 billion, which will enhance the country's maritime business to manyfold", the union home minister said. Shah informed that the government was constructing the largest dry dock in Cochin shipyard at an investment of $200 million and also constructing the maritime heritage complex in Gujarat, for which reforms had been introduced in accordance with international legislations. During the last one decade, India had registered 118 percent increase in coastal security and 150 percent increase in handling of cargo, he added. "By investing another $10 billion, we are building the Vadhavan port in Mumbai, one of the five largest ports in the world from the day it begins operation", said the home minister. "Bharat is working towards becoming a global maritime power through a series of strategic and future-looking decisions", Shah emphasized. The government was looking towards a green maritime future which would not only accelerate development but also have an environmental equilibrium, he added. Also Read: A.P. Chambers Advocates GST Reforms to Boost Industry Growth "Bharat has not taken it in vain that there are small islands and many nations of the global south living from the sea. Climate change has become an issue of their survival in light of this fact, Bharat and the world wish to build an ocean which is green, prosperous and accessible to all", Shah added. The shipping industry would be a key driver in increasing India's global influence in trade and logistics, the home minister said. He was joined by union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal; and minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, Shantanu Thakur.The chief ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Odisha attended the inaugural day of the India Maritime Week on Monday. Besides them, 12 foreign ministers, seven union ministers, and ministers from 16 states will attend the event, wherein 680 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that have an investment potential of Rs 10 lakh crore are expected to be signed, creating 700,000 job opportunities. Approximately 500 companies and 100,000 delegates will attend the five-day event. Union home minister Amit Shah inaugurated two deep-sea fishing boats at the Mazgaon dock and handed them over to fishermen's cooperatives under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojna (PMMSY). Cooperative movements have been instrumental in bringing good times to the dairy and sugar sectors throughout the nation and the state, and such an ecosystem based on cooperative principles would be established in the fisheries sector within the next five years, he asserted."Under the PMMSY, 14 boats would be handed over to cooperative societies across the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to launch at least 200 boats into the sea over the next five years", Shah said. The initiative would be highly advantageous for fishermen in the near future because it would directly help them and boost the country's fisheries potential. Shah explained that every boat would be capable of remaining out at sea for 25 days, and would have the capacity to catch up to 20 tonnes of fish. An even larger boat would be used to gather fish off the boats and take it ashore. "The revenues from these ventures will flow directly into the fishermen's hands, enhancing their economic status. India's 1,199-km-long coastline is full of potential, and the central government wants to make this potential reach as many fishermen as possible", he said. MEDINET Japan and Stempeutics India sign option license agreement for Stempeucel Deal enables potential exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the therapy in Japan Stempeucel aims to treat Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia (CLTI), offering hope to patients MEDINET Japan has signed an option license agreement with Stempeutics India, a Manipal Group company, to develop and commercialize Stempeucel, a cell-based therapy, in Japan. The agreement covers the Japanese market for treating Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia (CLTI), a severe form of peripheral arterial disease. Under the deal, MEDINET can exercise its option to obtain exclusive rights for Stempeucels development and commercialization in Japan, following local regulatory approval from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA). Stempeutics will receive upfront and milestone payments, along with royalties upon product commercialization. The product will be manufactured at Stempeutics cGMP facility in Bengaluru and shipped to Japan for clinical trials and commercial use. Stempeucel is an innovative therapy developed using pooled bone marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) from healthy donors. This proprietary process enhances the cells ability to reduce inflammation, promote new blood vessel formation, and restore blood flow in affected tissues, offering a breakthrough solution for CLTI patients at risk of limb amputation. Also Read: IIT Delhi Partners with KVS to Boost STEM Learning for School Students Leaders from both companies hailed the partnership as a historic milestone for regenerative medicine in Asia. They emphasized that the therapy, already approved and used to treat over 600 patients in India, could soon offer relief to Japanese patients suffering from CLTI. We are back in Riyadh for the third edition of the Saudi Cloud & Datacenter Convention! Saudi CDC 2025, a day-long event, will take place at Hotel Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana on October 29, and is expected to attract over 500 of the creme-de-la-creme of Saudi Arabias digital infrastructure industry. These include industry experts and thought leaders, C-level executives, digital infrastructure professionals including architects, engineers and consultants (AECs), key buyers, decision makers, data center owners and operators. Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing data center markets in the Middle East, and is an emerging powerhouse in the field of artificial intelligence. At Saudi CDC we aim to bring together key players from this ecosystem and enable an unparalleled networking and knowledge sharing opportunity, says Naveen Lawrence, Managing Director South Asia & Middle East, w.media. Saudi Arabias remarkable digital transformation journey From the days of being a predominantly oil-based economy, Saudi Arabia has come a long way, and is actively focusing on strengthening its digital infrastructure and connectivity ecosystem. According to Mordor Intelligence, Saudi Arabias data center market size stands at US$ 2.11 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach US$ 3.9 billion by 2030, reflecting a 13.07 percent CAGR over the forecast period. Robust hyperscaler capital inflows, Vision 2030 smart-city initiatives, and nationwide fiber and 5G rollouts are accelerating capacity additions even as operators contend with desert-specific cooling costs, it says. Long-term cloud region commitments from AWS, Microsoft, and Google continue to draw ecosystem partners, while the USD 100 billion sovereign AI vehicle HUMAIN signals sustained domestic demand for exascale compute. Mordor further points out, In parallel, edge facility buildouts are gathering momentum to service latency-sensitive 5G and IoT use cases, improving regional content delivery and lowering backhaul costs. Meanwhile, Arizton Advisory & Intelligence also projects similar growth saying that Saudi Arabias data center market size will witness investments of USD 3.90 billion by 2030. It also finds, Saudi Arabia's strategic location, competitive electricity tariffs, and robust connectivity infrastructure enhance its appeal as a data center hub. The country's focus on becoming a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services also contributes to the growing demand for data center infrastructure. The Saudi government is also playing a key role in the kingdoms digital transformation, and is also encouraging adoption of green energy. Some key initiatives include Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative. Saudi Vision 2030 is an ambitious plan for economic diversification, attracting foreign investment, developing high tech modern infrastructure in exclusive business and leisure zones, as well as building futuristic cities such as NEOM. After the program was first announced in 2016, it was followed up with the Saudi Green Initiative that was inaugurated in 2021. Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF) is now increasingly investing in green energy and sustainable development projects. Riyadh plans to become Net Zero by 2060. Solar energy plays an important role in Saudi Arabias plans to go green. What to expect at Saudi CDC 2025 Saudi CDC will showcase technology presentations, keynote addresses and panel discussions featuring top technology and business leaders and innovators from across the Middle East. Some of our speakers include: Mohammad Bakir (Sr. Director, Account Cloud Engineering, Database Platform, Oracle), Yousef Maayah (Vice President GCC, Sudlows Consulting, A Kent company), Colm Shorten (Senior Director - Head, Data Centre Development, MEA, JLL), Alistair Davis (Director, Black & White Engineering), Kostas Athanasopoulos, (Country Operations Director Saudi Arabia, Syska Hennessy), Jan Neuenfeld (Project Director, Turner & Townsend), Steven Yule (Director of Digital and Data Middle East, Jacobs), Fadwa AlBawardi (Founder & CEO, FSAB Consulting), Abdullah Alfahaid (Group CIO & Chief Shared Services Officer, Ajlan & Bros Holding Group), Peter Kaniu (Senior Data and Digital Consultant- PWC, ME) and many more! As an AI expert and trainer, I am inspired by Saudi Arabia's rapid digital transformation and commitment to innovations and investments, which create a vibrant environment for advancing AI technologies and empowering local talent, says Fadwa AlBawardi (Founder & CEO, FSAB Consulting), who will be one of the expert speakers and panelists at the conference. I was attracted to the Saudi Cloud and Data Center (CDC) conference to share insights and collaborate with industry leaders. Through my panelist role, I aim to foster knowledge exchange regarding the role of AI in the development of cutting-edge data center solutions in Saudi Arabia. The event would not be possible without our generous sponsors: Uptime Institute, CIMS, BPE, Technavious, and Bureau Veritas. We aim to connect with key stakeholders shaping Saudi Arabia's digital future, addressing challenges in this booming industry, and demonstrating how our global expertise in mission-critical data center spaces can support the Kingdom's digital transformation, said a spokesperson from Bureau Veritas shedding light on their expectations from participating in Saudi CDC. Beyond projects, we seek to exchange insights, foster innovation, and build long-term partnerships that strengthen the Kingdoms digital infrastructure and resilience. Pizza Hut, which operates thousands of restaurants throughout the United States, will soon close 68 locations and 11 delivery sites in the United Kingdom, according to a recent report. Charlie Miller Pizza Hut, which operates more than 6,700 restaurants throughout the United States, will soon close 68 restaurants and 11 delivery sites in the United Kingdom, resulting in the loss of 1,210 jobs, the BBC has reported. DC London Pie Limited, parent company of the restaurants, officially filed for administration U.K.S equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. According to the Pizza Hut website, U.S. locations are primarily owned by a different operator, Yum! Brands. Yum!, which also owns KFC and Taco Bell, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the U.K. closures. The BBC noted that the affected locations are spread across the U.K., and early reports indicate that restaurants will shutter in areas such as Brighton, Hull, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh. Closures are slated to commence in the coming weeks. Pizza Hut is well-known for its family-friendly dining and salad bar, but its U.K. business has been struggling and had previously gone into administration less than a year ago, the BBC reported. 25 revolvers, 17 semi-automatic pistols, one assault weapon, four rifles and three other weapons including BB guns, pellet guns, air guns and replicas were netted during the Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 event. (Courtesy of the Richmond County District Attorney's Office) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Authorities removed 50 firearms from the streets of Staten Island at a gun buyback event held Saturday at Christ Assembly Lutheran Church in Stapleton. The no questions asked Cash for Guns program, organized by the NYPD and Richmond County District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, collected 25 revolvers, 17 semi-automatic pistols, one assault weapon, four rifles and three other weapons, which included BB guns, pellet guns, air guns and replicas, according to a spokesperson for McMahon. Prosecuting dangerous criminals who carry, brandish, and use illegal firearms, and ensuring that they face serious consequences in the courtroom will always be my offices top priority, McMahon said. However, prevention is also deeply critical to mitigating acts of gun violence and ensuring public safety. McMahon highlighted the programs success, noting that it has taken nearly 1,000 firearms out of circulation since 2016, contributing to Staten Islands status as what he referred to as the safest borough in New York City. One less gun on our streets could save a life, McMahon added. In addition to the district attorney, NYPD Patrol Borough Staten Island Deputy Chief Amir Yakatally and NYPD Community Affairs Assistant Commissioner Alden Foster attended the event. McMahon expressed gratitude to the NYPD, Christ Assembly Lutheran Church, and his office staff for their contributions to the event, adding that Staten Island is safer today because of these efforts. According to NYPD CompStat data from Oct. 19, there have been nine shooting victims and nine shooting incidents on Staten Island this year. The NYPD is seeking an individual for questioning in connection with an attack on a 69-year-old man on Sept. 15, 2025, on the 1500 block of Forest Avenue near Barrett Avenue in Port Richmond. (Courtesy of NYPD) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The NYPD is asking for the publics help to locate an individual sought for questioning in connection with an assault in Port Richmond. The incident occurred on Sept. 15 at about 5:30 a.m. on the 1500 block of Forest Avenue near Barrett Avenue, according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. An unidentified individual approached a 69-year-old man and a verbal dispute ensued. The situation escalated into a physical confrontation and the senior slipped and fell to the ground, according to the police statement. The unidentified individual then allegedly kicked the victim in the back before fleeing, according to the police statement. The victim suffered minor injuries that included pain and swelling, police said. Police described the individual sought for questioning as a man who was seen wearing a green sweatshirt, dark colored pants and black sneakers. The NYPD provided the media with photos of the individual sought for questioning. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential. Aisles of anticipation Staten Islanders flock to Pathmark on opening day in 1981, ushering in a new era of supermarket shopping in the borough. Readers reflect on yesteryear and set the record straight on one grocer's famous restaurant. Staten Island Advance STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Recent articles about supermarket prices and nostalgia have prompted a flood of correspondence from Staten Islanders eager to share their memories of the boroughs past. These recollections offer a glimpse into Staten Islands small-town community character amid the big city. One reader provided a correction to the previous article, noting it was the Bradford Room, not the Bradford House, and identified the staff: Mr. Lezzo as the boss, Mr. Harrigan as supervisor, and Charlie Munch as assistant supervisor. The reader additionally wrote, There were specials every night. 1/2 price specials popped up now and then to draw more people for ice cream or sandwiches. A former resident who now lives in South Carolina recalled various shopping destinations. W.T. Grants or when it became K-Mart, named that dining area to the right, The Bradford Room, they wrote. I lived in West Brighton/New Brighton when going to New Dorp was like going to New Jersey. Loved Masters when it opened next shopping center in New Dorp. The South Carolina correspondent, a self-described huge music fan, also remembered where to find the best music: Korvettes, Majors, Masters had the best record collections. Dew and Dale on Richmond Ave., Penneys and Kresgee had decent [selections], too. Woolworths in Stapleton and Neisners on Forest Ave were good too. Until Record Baron opened on Forest Ave. This image of the former A&P near Miller Field sparked memories. In 1960, Miller Field became the site of a tragic mid-air collision part of one of the deadliest aviation disasters in U.S. history. The crash marked a somber chapter in Staten Islands past and reshaped national air traffic safety. Staten Island Advance Perhaps the most dramatic memories came from Lisa on the East Shore, who shared how the A&P in New Dorp was the setting for two major historical events. The photo of the A&P in New Dorp reminded me of two major events that happened in the 60s and my mother was in the store for both, she wrote. Lisa recounted that in 1960, her mother was shopping when a plane crashed nearby. She was in there when the plane crashed and large pieces dropped across the street into Miller Field. My mom ran across the street to see the wreckage before any help had arrived. Flashback to 1960: A TWA crew member's hat and watch were recovered at the Miller Field crash scene from that December. Three years later, her mother was again at the A&P when news broke that President Kennedy had been shot. The news spread throughout the store, Kennedy had been shot and killed. She rushed to school, where we were being let out early by Sister Genevieve, Lisa recalled. That weekend coincided with her fathers birthday, creating an unusual situation. We never had the TV on during meals but an exception was made that weekend. So as we were eating birthday lunch and watching TV, we saw Oswald get shot, Lisa wrote. Following the tragedy, Lisa sent a condolence note to Jacqueline Kennedy at her mothers suggestion and received a mass produced thank you card, framed in black, which she still possesses. St. Christopher's as it looked in Grant City in the 1950s. Advance/SILive.com File Photo Lisa also shared memories of St. Christophers School in Grant City, describing an annex on Lisbon Place/Midland that looked like something out of a Dickens novel with beautiful brass doorknobs with public school written on them in intricate writing. She noted that the building was eventually demolished for a newer school, which has since closed. Here's a page from the Advance archives from March 1, 1978. Silvestri Just to recap Have you been following our grocery series? Stories are inspired your correspondence that started on the topic with this story A walk through Staten Island supermarket history by a food from this summer. The followup came with this story Supermarket column sparks Staten Island memories. Discussion from Beyers Market further sparked good vibes Staten Island grocer thrives after 43 years. Earlier this month, we took a survey of grocery shoppers to yield this interesting article Sale-hunting and store-hopping. And that led to this conversation. Pamela Silvestri is Advance/Silive.com Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, meets with members of the International Advisory Council of the National Financial Regulatory Administration at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China will resolutely expand the high-level opening up of its financial sector, and welcomes more foreign financial institutions and long-term capital to invest and start businesses in the country, Vice Premier He Lifeng said on Tuesday. He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when he met with members of the International Advisory Council of the National Financial Regulatory Administration in Beijing. The vice premier outlined the economic and trade situation between China and the United States. He said China is fully implementing the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee to resolutely expand the high-level opening up of the financial sector in accordance with the 15th Five-Year Plan. The advisory council members said that they are optimistic about China's economic and financial development prospects, and are willing to deepen their presence in the Chinese market and expand investment and cooperation with China. A contract dispute between school bus companies and the city could leave approximately 150,000 students without transportation starting in early November. (Advance/SILive.com | Shira Stoll) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. With a possible disruption to school bus service on the horizon, New York City has released a plan to ensure public school students have transportation to and from school. A contract dispute between school bus companies and the city could leave approximately 150,000 students without transportation starting in early November. According to the city, the mayoral administration is working toward a resolution to avoid any interruption. It is taking proactive steps to guarantee every student has access to transportation in case of a disruption. Ensuring that our students can get to and from school safely, where they receive critical resources and a world class education, is a top priority for our city, said city Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. Though we have not received any formal notice from busing companies, we are working diligently and proactively to ensure alternative transportation services are in place, should they be needed. We are also making information available to our families and school communities regarding options in case of bus companies ceasing to run routes. Transportation alternatives All impacted families will be eligible to receive free OMNY cards for students and caregivers, providing immediate access to public transportation. These cards will be distributed by individual schools. Some impacted families will be eligible for additional services, like pre-paid ride share options and transportation reimbursement. These students include: Those with transportation recommended on an Individualized Education Program or 504 Accommodation Plan. Those in temporary housing or foster care. Those with approved transportation exceptions. The city will frequently update families about developments of a potential bus service disruption and available alternatives. Schools will immediately notify families if their childs bus service is affected using contact information on file. Contract dispute The plans come as Pioneer Transportation Corp. and other major bus companies, informed New York state last week that it plans to end bus service for schools after Oct. 31, laying off about 12,000 union employees, according to a letter obtained by the Advance/SILive.com. The bus companies placed blame on the city Department of Educations Panel on Education Policy for not approving a five-year contract extension, which was originally scheduled to begin on July 1, 2025. The companies have been operating under an emergency contract pending the approval of this contract. The companies said that the panel didnt include the contract extension for consideration at its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday and instead added a resolution to oppose the contract extension. Without this contract, the companies stated they cannot commit to purchase buses and long-term leases necessary to continue its services. As of now, bus service for students will end after Oct. 31. The local union representing school bus drivers, attendants, and mechanics Local 1181 A.T.U. is asking its members to attend the Panel on Education Policy meeting on Wednesday to voice their support for the contract extension and avoid a bus service disruption. A man walks along the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP KINGSTON, Jamaica Hurricane Melissa has made landfall on Jamaica as by far the strongest storm to hit the island since records were first kept 174 years ago. Melissa is a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph (295 kph). It is expected to slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, before heading for Cuba. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is expected across southern Jamaica. Officials said there was no more preparation they could do and cautioned that the cleanup and damage assessment will be slow. The storm has already been blamed for at least seven deaths in the Caribbean three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Heres the latest: Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, the strongest direct hit to the island in 174 years. Melissa is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica since record-keeping began in 1851. Thats according to Jamaicas Meteorological Service and other experts. Thousands are evacuated in eastern Cuba Authorities in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people on Tuesday, in addition to a similar number moved to safety from the town of Banes. Reports on social media and state television showed blue-and-white buses ferrying evacuees to shelter. Families clutched babies and belongings, and elderly people steadied themselves with canes as they disembarked. This phenomenon is very dangerous, Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martinez said in a statement from Banes, where he was located in what appeared to be a shelter. It is unprecedented, he said of Hurricane Melissa. Catastrophic wind damage is expected in Melissas core Its going to be a very dangerous scenario, said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, warning that there would be total building failures. Brennan said Jamaicas highest mountains could see wind gusts of up to 200 mph (321 kph). Its just a catastrophic situation playing out here for Jamaica, he said. Brennan noted that Melissa would make landfall in eastern Cuba overnight Tuesday or early Wednesday. The Special Treatment Unit for offenders deemed sexually violent predators is located adjacent to the East Jersey State Prison in Avenel. Photo by Andre Malok A man detained at a New Jersey facility housing civilly committed sex offenders died of a drug overdose earlier this year just before the unit stepped up efforts to crack down on contraband, state officials said. Tyrone F. Ellison, 46, of Newark, died March 10 in the Special Treatment Unit, which is located next to East Jersey State Prison in Woodbridge. The unit, run by the state corrections and health departments, holds more than 400 men who served prison time for sex crimes but were deemed too dangerous to release once their sentences ended. They are detained indefinitely under the states Sexually Violent Predator Act, with some staying years or decades after their criminal sentences end. Ellisons death, attributed to intoxication from a synthetic cannabinoid, was the first fatal drug overdose at the facility in five years, state officials said. The New Jersey Department of Corrections takes the loss of life seriously and prioritizes the deterrence and interception of contraband with the highest urgency, the agency said in a statement. Synthetic cannabinoids are human-made mind-altering chemicals, known generally as K2 or Spice. They can often be sprayed onto paper and smuggled into the facility, where they are smoked by detainees. Detainees say drug use is prevalent in the treatment unit and advocates have called for expanded addiction treatment. Drug smuggling into the facility and state prisons is a major problem, state officials have acknowledged. The corrections department recently began beefing up efforts to intercept contraband. A new program to screen mail for drugs and other contraband before it comes into the unit began a month after Ellisons death. The state Department of Corrections has faced recent lawsuits over drug overdose deaths of two inmates at state prisons. In those cases, families argued the department failed to address drug smuggling issues. Detainees at the Special Treatment Unit arent considered prisoners and enjoy limited freedoms. Theyre prohibited from leaving, however, until a judge orders their discharge. In a series of stories in 2024, an NJ Advance Media investigation of the operations of the facility detailed questions about whether the unit is truly intended to treat and rehabilitate offenders or simply to warehouse them. Some detainees and advocates complained about inadequate addiction treatment services in the unit. An attorney who represents civilly committed sex offenders said last year that he believes 90% of unit detainees have a substance abuse issue. He said the facility doesnt provide the kind of help they need to conquer their addictions. Ellison, who was committed to the Special Treatment Unit in 2011, died of MDMB-4en-PINACA intoxication, according to information provided earlier this month by the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office. The substance is a synthetic cannabinoid that mimics the effects of marijuana. Synthetic cannabinoids can cause agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, vomiting, seizures and death. Medically, synthetic cannabinoids can trigger acute toxic reactions due to unpredictable potency and contamination, according to the corrections department. Contributing factors in Ellisons death included a seizure disorder and schizophrenia, the prosecutors office added, noting that he was prescribed an anti-psychotic medication at the facility. A view of one of the housing units in the main building at the Special Treatment Unit. This was previously a prison building used to house inmates in solitary confinement before it was reallocated for detaining civilly committed sex offenders. (Provided Photo) Drugs like K2 are easy to smuggle because, as a liquid, they can be sprayed on a plain sheet of paper and eventually smoked, according to law enforcement officials. The substance dries and can be visually undetectable to prison staff checking mail. In many cases, K2 is sprayed on phony legal documents made to look like they came from a legitimate lawyer, a corrections union official said last year. Those held at the unit can sell the drug-laced paper for $25 a strip, and up to $300 for a whole sheet, one detainee told NJ Advance Media in 2024. That detainee, Gary Gosciak, said he overdosed three times on K2 inside the Special Treatment Unit. The drugs potency depends on any added ingredients, he said. Sometimes it comes in and its mixed with fentanyl, Gosciak said. So, if its mixed with that stuff, its like 10 times as strong or a hundred times as strong, and we dont know it until we smoke it. Detainees say overdoses at the facility are common, but Ellisons death was the first drug-related fatality at the unit since 2020, according to the corrections department, which attributed that to medical examiner documentation. A corrections spokesman said its difficult to say how many non-fatal overdoses there have been in the facility. That is because a detainee may show signs of intoxication without meeting the criteria for an overdose or may be taken out of the facility for treatment. Advocates for detainees want the health department to provide more addiction support services. New Jersey Office of the Public Defender is saddened by the death of an individual in the custody of NJDOC, said Assistant Public Defender Michael Mangels, who leads the team of public defenders representing most detainees. We urge NJDOH to expand access to treatment, mental health services and supportive programming to better assist those struggling with addiction while incarcerated. Detainees are assessed for substance use when they come to the treatment unit and provided with individualized treatment based on their need, according to the health department. If detainees are diagnosed with an addiction, they are assigned treatment programs. Treatment unit detainees are allowed to keep more possessions than prison inmates and can receive regular package deliveries of food and other items. The corrections department has tightened regulations on detainee possessions and deliveries to stem the flow of drugs, noting that the substances pose a danger to staff and detainees. The NJDOC has recently strengthened rules and security procedures guiding property and packages, including food deliveries, at the Special Treatment Unit, as part of a system-wide strategy to prevent contraband from entering facilities, according to a corrections department statement. These measures complement enhanced mail screening protocols, which are specifically designed to disrupt synthetic narcotics and other contraband introduced through the mail, a known method of K2 smuggling in correctional environments, the statement said. The changes prompted one detainee at the facility to complain that the restrictions mirror prison rules and likely violate detainee rights. He expressed his concerns via a message sent to his family and shared with NJ Advance Media. New Jersey Corrections Ombudsperson Terry Schuster said his office has received several complaints from detainees regarding this new policy. We were notified of the policy changes related to personal property and food packages, Schuster said. My impression was that the changes were aimed at addressing longstanding problems with living spaces being over-stuffed with property and food, and contributing to issues with pests and overcrowding. Schuster called that a legitimate policy goal, but said his office would examine the complaints to see if anything in the new rules raised concerns. In another effort to battle contraband, the corrections department launched a mail screening system this year in which all mail for state prison inmates and treatment unit detainees is shipped to a contractor in Las Vegas, Nevada. The mail is opened by the vendor, screened for contraband, scanned and printed out. The paper copies are then forwarded to recipients. These measures effectively disrupt a primary method of contraband infiltration without compromising communication between incarcerated individuals and their families, the corrections department said. Overdose rates have dropped across the state corrections system by around 50% since the new mail screening system was put in place, NJ PBA Local 105 President William Sullivan said in April. Ellisons death occurred a month before this new screening process began at the Special Treatment Unit. Ellison filed a federal lawsuit in 2022 claiming he was beaten, placed in a chokehold and pepper sprayed by corrections officers at the treatment unit in 2020 after he was caught using a cellphone in the facility. Detainees are not permitted to possess cellphones. He also claimed an officer called him derogatory names based on his alleged or perceived sexual preference, according to the suit. The case was dismissed after Ellisons death. His attorney in that case did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment about the allegations. A white-tailed deer runs across the road during a White Deer Tour of the Seneca Army Depot near Romulus in Seneca County, New York. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives A driver was killed over the weekend in Upstate New York after a freak accident with a deer. The deadly crash happened just before 6:30 p.m. Sunday on State Route 19 in Pavilion, a rural town about 20 minutes northwest of Geneseo in Western New York. A 68-year-old Pavilion woman was driving north on Route 19 when a deer ran onto the road, the Genesee County Sheriffs Office told WGRZ. Her SUV struck the deer, sending the animal flying through the windshield of an oncoming pickup truck, according to WHAM. Michael Vaccaro, the Rochester man driving the pickup truck, died at the scene, WGRZ reported. He was 80 years old. Deputies told WHAM that no one in the SUV that hit the deer was injured. In addition to the sheriffs office, members of the Pavilion and LeRoy fire departments, Mercy EMS and LeRoy Ambulance Services responded to the scene. Fall is the most common time for deer and moose crashes in New York state. As deer and moose seek mates during their breeding season, the large animals often wander onto public roads and into the path of cars. In 2022, over 40% of the accidents between deer and vehicles in the Empire State happened between October and December, according to the University at Albanys Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research. Moose and deer are most active from dusk to dawn. In New York, moose primarily live in the Adirondacks, while white-tailed deer can be found in every region, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation Here, British actor Tom Felton poses on Nov. 12, 2010, following an interview with the Associated Press to discuss his role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The actor will play the role on Broadway for a limited time. ASSOCIATED PRESS Tom Felton, the English actor who portrayed Draco Malfoy in all eight Harry Potter films, is now returning to the role in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, beginning Nov. 11. Many may recall that Felton was originally brought in to audition for the roles of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley before being cast as Malfoy. Felton is the first original film actor to join the stage play, and his limited 26-week run will last through May 10, 2026 in Manhattans Lyric Theater. The role comes 15 years after he last portrayed Harry Potters rival, mlive.com reported. This is Feltons Broadway debut. A story in People explains that the actor hasnt portrayed the character since the Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which came out in theaters in 2011. Felton was one of several child actors in the films that claimed fame. The actor stated that his former co-star, Tony Award winner and longtime Broadway actor, Daniel Radcliff, has been giving him advice ahead of his debut, People reported. My old school chum, Potter, Radcliffe, has done quite a bit of Broadway, so hes holding my hand and certainly helping me through all the things that are hard to learn, Felton said. But from what I gather, its an amazing community of people. The fans are really, really gracious and excited. So Im just thrilled to be part of it. The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island has launched a new COMPASS after-school program at P.S. 74, adding to its growing network of educational support services across the borough. Jan Somma-Hammel STATEN ISLAND, NY -- The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island has launched a new COMPASS after-school program at P.S. 74, adding to its growing network of educational support services across the borough. The program will serve up to 120 students in grades K-5, providing a structured environment where children receive academic support, engage in enriching activities, and enjoy nutritious meals after regular school hours. P.S. 74 selected the JCC to operate the program, which is funded by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development. Daily programming includes homework assistance, physical education, STEAM activities covering science, technology, engineering, art, and math, along with games and social activities designed to complement classroom learning. Students receive a nutritious meal when they arrive each afternoon. Were thrilled to expand our after school offerings with the COMPASS program at P.S. 74, said Orit Lender, CEO of the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island. As with all of our after school programs, this COMPASS program will give students a place to feel supported, continue learning, and have fun. Susan Mazzeo, principal of P.S. 74, which carries the designation Future Leaders Elementary School, emphasized the partnerships alignment with the schools mission. This partnership brings meaningful opportunities that extend learning beyond the classroom, providing a safe, supportive, and enriching environment for our children, Mazzeo said. Through this program, our students will benefit from academic support, engaging activities, and leadership development. Council Member Kamillah Hanks endorsed the initiative, calling it the kind of community-rooted programming our students and families deserve, one that nurtures learning, creativity, and social growth. The COMPASS program represents an expansion of the JCCs existing after-school portfolio, which includes programs at P.S. 65, Eagle Academy, I.S. 61, and Tottenville High School. The organization also operates two Cornerstone programs in NYCHA facilities at Todt Hill and Richmond Terrace. During the summer, the JCC served more than 1,000 students through Summer Rising programs at schools throughout Staten Island. The programs include civic engagement events designed to bring parents and community members together in support of student success. Parents interested in learning more about the COMPASS program can contact Seth Kaplan at skaplan@sijcc.com. This community news was shared by the organization featured. AI was used in an initial story draft and has been reviewed by Advance/SILive.com staff. In this file photo, members of the NYPD's Crime Scene Unit examine a door with bullet holes on July 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File) AP STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In a national first, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that 51 public schools will be in direct contact with 911 in the event of an active shooter via a new Emergency Alert System. The Emergency Alert System, also known as EAS, will have direct 911 integration, meaning that [t]he school-activated EAS bypasses the 911 call flow straight to real-time dispatch. The faculty and students in the schools selected for this pilot program will witness audible and visual indicators that 911 has been alerted, a written statement detailed. Of the 51 schools chosen for the EAS, they are in 25 buildings spread across the five boroughs. As a result, there will be five school buildings per borough that will be EAS participants. I commend Mayor Adams for launching this forward-thinking initiative to integrate 911 services directly into our schools. In a time when the unthinkable can unfold in an instant, this measure strengthens law enforcements ability to respond swiftly and decisively to protect our children and educators, Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said in the statement. Nothing is more important than the safety of our schools and the well-being of our young people and we must take every possible step to safeguard our future and ensure the public safety of all who learn and work in New York Citys schools. The schools will be integrated with the program in the 2025-2026 school year. For the first time ever in our nation, a public school system will have direct integration with 911 services to ensure that help is on the way within seconds if there is ever an active shooter or weapon-based threat. Every parent deserves to know their child is safe in school, and this system gives them that peace of mind, Adams said. Weve already taken more than 24,097 illegal guns off our streets, and now were making sure our classrooms have the strongest, fastest protection possible. This new Emergency Alert System will protect our students, teachers, and staff, making sure New York City Public Schools have the most secure line of defense possible to keep our schools safe. Mayor Eric Adams office didnt respond to a query about which the five Staten Island schools are included in the program. The "Autumn Evening Soiree" on November 6 will feature performances by international opera singers and a four-course dinner at Osteria Santina in Westerleigh, with tickets available until October 30. Staten Island Advance The New York Concert Opera will present An Autumn Evening Soiree on Nov. 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Osteria Santina Restaurant in Westerleigh as a fundraiser for the educational opera company. The event serves as a prelude to the companys upcoming annual classical Christmas concert and will feature a four-course dinner with wine alongside an intimate opera performance. Melody Alesi, who founded the company to reach Staten Islands community through opera and create what she describes as a magical experience for adults and children, will perform alongside fellow sopranos Joan Callaghan and mezzo soprano Anna Tonna. The evening will also include a special video presentation by opera educator Louis Barrella. Tickets cost $110 per person, with reservations required by Oct. 30. Those interested can call 347-489-1129 or 908-635-2694 to reserve their spots. The restaurant is located at 502 Jewett Ave. in Westerleigh. Checks should be made payable to the New York Concert Opera and mailed to 837 Jewett Ave., Staten Island, N.Y. 10314. Alesi continues to promote the New York Concert Opera as an educational company that aims to build an audience that appreciates the art form throughout the Staten Island community. This community news was shared by the organization featured. AI was used in an initial story draft and has been reviewed by Advance/SILive.com staff. Borough President Vito Fossella, District Attorney Michael Mcmahon, Vice Commanders Pablo Hidalgo and Roy Woods, and other members of the Private Joseph F. MerrellFather Vincent Capodanno American Legion Post 1368 pictured at the unveiling event. Sydney Maldonado STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Local veterans joined Borough President Vito Fossella on Monday in New Brighton for the unveiling of a new flagpole at the Livingston WWII Veterans Memorial, honoring 280 neighborhood service members who fought during the war. The unveiling of the flagpole at the Livingston WWII Veterans Memorial honors not only the neighborhoods veterans, but also represents the freedom and democracy they defended. Community leaders said the monument and now its flagpole serves as a lasting tribute to the sacrifices of service members, recognizing their importance not just on Staten Island, but across the country and the world. During the ceremony, Borough President Vito Fossella expressed how the flagpole and newly raised Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag represent Staten Islands ongoing commitment to honoring its veterans. Here on Staten Island, we always pay homage to those who serve, he said. We honor our veterans because without them, we would not have the freedoms we enjoy. Today, we say thank you to the veterans here, across Staten Island, and across the country by raising a new flag and flagpole in their honor. District Attorney Michael McMahon praised the veterans, saying, In todays world, everybody asks, Whats in it for me? But think about the decisions these young people made. They only asked, What is the right thing to do? For them, the right thing to do was to stand up for freedom and democracy. After the speeches, Fossella, McMahon, and Vice Commander Pablo Hidalgo helped raise the new flag on the recently installed flagpole, alongside the American flag, to officially dedicate the memorial. Borough President Vito Fossella, Distrtict Attorney Michael Mcmahon, and Vice Commander Pablo Hidalgo raise American flag and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag at the Livingston WWII Veterans Memorial on the new flagpole, honoring local service members who fought in World War II and beyond. Sydney Maldonado Hidalgo said he initially reached out to Fossella and other local leaders about adding a flagpole to the Livingston WWII Veterans Memorial to honor those who served during World War II and beyond. Im a veteran myself, a Marine, and now I look forward to coming by, seeing the flag, and saluting my comrades, said Hidalgo. Vice Commander Roy Wood thanked Fossella and McMahon for helping make the project a reality. This is a tribute not only for veterans, but for Americans and what we stand for, Wood said. The flagpole and Prisoner of War/Missing in Action flag now stand as a symbol of the courage and sacrifice of Staten Islands veterans, honoring their service for generations to come. The monument, with its new addition, offers a place for the community to honor and reflect on the bravery of those who served. The Sisterhood of Women's Organizations is calling on local women's groups to join their coalition as they prepare for renewed collaboration in the coming year. Staten Island Advance STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A Staten Island coalition that once united dozens of womens organizations is being revitalized after several years of inactivity following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sisterhood of Womens Organizations is seeking to reconnect community leaders across the borough as it returns to its mission of uniting, empowering and advocating for Staten Island women and families. The Sisterhood has always been a powerful voice when we come together, said organizer Rosemarie Dressler. Were calling on all Staten Island womens organizations past members and new groups alike to join us as we prepare for the next chapter of collective action. The coalition was originally formed in 2010 under the leadership of the Staten Island chapter of New York State Women. It brought together womens groups from across the borough to address issues of shared concern. During its active years, member organizations collaborated on initiatives addressing domestic violence, womens health, self-esteem, substance abuse prevention and human trafficking awareness. Now facing new community challenges, the Sisterhood plans to rebuild through social media outreach and local press engagement. The organization aims to identify participating organizations and begin the new year with what it describes as a united voice, renewed collaboration and a shared vision for progress. Presidents of womens organizations interested in joining or rejoining the coalition are encouraged to contact Dressler at RDCommunic@aol.com to share information about their groups. This community news was shared by the organization featured.AIwas used in an initial story draft and been review by Advance/SILive.comstaff. TIANJIN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland official Song Tao met with Hsiao Hsu-tsen, vice chairman-designate of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, and his delegation in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Tuesday. Song, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said the recent ratification of Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China were to inspire compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to safeguard their common homeland and work together for the nation's future. He called for joint efforts to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, oppose "Taiwan independence" separatism, strengthen exchange and interaction between the two parties, carry forward Chinese culture, and promote cross-Strait exchange and cooperation to advance national reunification. Hsiao said that people in Taiwan are tired of political manipulation targeting the mainland, and do not wish to see any more confrontation between the two sides of the Strait. He expressed his hope that the KMT and the CPC will -- on the common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" -- strengthen cross-Strait exchange and cooperation, promote cross-Strait peace and stability, bring benefits to people on both sides, and work together to achieve national rejuvenation. CNN data analyst Harry Enten thinks President Donald Trump picked the wrong country to feud with. Enten on Monday broke down two new polls showing that Americans have taken an increasingly negative view of Trumps heated trade war with Canada, according to the Pew Research Center and CNN aggregate polling numbers. Were talking about Canada coming out nearly 60 points ahead on the net popularity rating versus Donald Trump here in the United States, Enten said. When you pick on Canada, as the United States president (has done), you are picking on a country that the American people adore. When youre going after Canada, you are going against someone who is far more popular than you are, Donald Trump. Enten additionally cited months-long polling trends from CBS News/YouGov and Reuters/Ipsos showing how support for Trumps tariff policies has decreased in the U.S. Sixty percent of Americans are now opposed to the presidents tariff plan, a rise from 48% in November 2024, according to Entens poll analysis. The average effective U.S. tariff rate has risen from around 2.5% at the start of the 2025 to 18%, the highest rate since 1934, according to the October analysis from Budget Lab at Yale University. And Americans have felt the strain of the administrations trade policy, with Goldman Sachs economists assessing that by the end of this year, U.S. consumers will be absorbing 55% of tariff costs, while 22% will fall on U.S. businesses. If I was advising Donald John Trump when it comes to his politics, Id say step off the tariffs at least from a political point of view, Enten said. Because the bottom line is it doesnt sell with the American people. Its one of the largest shifts that we have seen during Trumps second term in office. Trump last week placed an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports and cancelled trade talks over an anti-tariff ad produced by the Government of Ontario. The commercial, which ran in the U.S., featured excerpts from former President Ronald Reagans 1987 presidential address in which he discussed free and fair trade. Picking a fight with China is one thing. Picking a fight with Canada is something totally different here, Enten said. Well, Canada is far more popular than Donald Trump is here in the United States. A new lawsuit alleges that New York's congressional map unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of Black and Latino Staten Island residents. (Staten Island Advance) Staff-Shot STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is firing back against a new lawsuit seeking to redraw Staten Islands congressional district. The New York Times reported Monday that a lawsuit has been filed in State Supreme Court arguing that the lines for the 11th Congressional District, which includes Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn, unconstitutionally dilute the votes of Black and Latino residents. The suit claims that the current district lines confine Staten Islands growing Black and Latino communities in a district where they are routinely and systematically unable to influence elections, according to the report. The lawsuit, filed by Washington D.C.-based Elias Law Group, thrusts New York into the midst of gerrymandering efforts taking place across the country, as both parties look to redraw districts in an effort to flip or maintain seats during the 2026 midterm elections. In a written statement provided to the Advance/SILive.com, Malliotakis referred to the suit as a terrible abuse of the legal process. This is a frivolous lawsuit trying to upend our congressional district which was drawn by a court-appointed special master and later enacted into state law by the states independent redistricting commission, the Democrat-controlled state legislature and Democrat governor. This is a terrible abuse of the legal process by an ultra-partisan Washington law firm that does the bidding of the national Democrat Party in an attempt to tilt the scale to give their party an advantage in next years election, the statement read. A Politico report claims that New York Democrats are aiming to redraw the district in a way that would group Staten Island with parts of Lower Manhattan in an effort to take the seat back from Republicans in 2026. Shortly after the suit was filed, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who currently represents the 10th Congressional District, announced he would challenge Malliotakis if the suit succeeds, according to the report. NY-10 is my home and I will be running for Congress in my home district, Goldman said in a statement. If Staten Island is drawn into my district, then I will be ready to step up and take the fight for democracy and a Democratic House majority to Nicole Malliotakis doorstep. A new book reveals the 2024 election betrayal that caused former President Barack Obama to tear into onetime House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The shocking story of Dems in disarray is contained in Jonathan Karls upcoming new book about the 2024 presidential election, Retribution. The Daily Mail got an advance copy of the tome and reported on its contents, including the explosive Obama-Pelosi dustup. Obama was reportedly furious that Pelosi jumped to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House the day after President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 campaign. Karl, of ABC News, writes that the former two-term Democratic president didnt want to see a quick coronation of Harris but instead wanted a longer process that would include other Democratic candidates. A red-hot Obama apparently wasted little time in calling Pelosi after her backing of Harris. The Obamas were not happy, Karl wrote, based on information from a Pelosi intimate. This person summed up Obamas message to Pelosi as, essentially, What the fk did you just do? But Pelosi held her ground, telling the former commander-in-chief, That train has left the station. Obama was surprised by the rapid endorsement, Karl wrote, because he and Pelosi had been in regular communication as Biden weighed whether to remain in the race following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump. Karl wrote that the two Democratic heavyweights agreed Harris should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged. Therefore, Obama and Pelosi - arguably the two most influential figures in the Democratic Party - had privately agreed to abstain from making any endorsements, Karl wrote. Karl wrote: The former president wanted to know what had happened. Why had Pelosi issued a statement endorsing Harris so soon? Hadnt he and Pelosi agreed days earlier that party leaders anointing the vice president as Bidens replacement would be a mistake? Karl was told by a source close to Obama that the former commander-in-chief wasnt angry at Pelosi and that the phone call was more along the lines of a good-natured ribbing. But a Pelosi source said different, believing that Obama sounded genuinely irritated by Pelosis endorsement of Harris. A top Biden adviser, who was also a veteran of the Obama White House, told Karl that the real reason Obama didnt want Pelosi to endorse Harris so quickly was that Obama didnt think the veep could win. Theres only one Black Jesus, the senior Biden adviser joked. Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Tuesday that China is ready to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation with Malaysia to implement the four major global initiatives put forth by China, practice true multilateralism, and safeguard international fairness and justice. Li made the remarks during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation held in Malaysia, noting that China and Malaysia are good neighbors and partners who can trust each other. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Anwar in Beijing, where they reached new important consensus on deepening the building of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, Li said. Noting that China always regards Malaysia as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, Li voiced China's readiness to maintain close high-level exchanges, strengthen strategic coordination, deepen practical cooperation, further implement bilateral consensus and benefit both peoples. Li pointed out that the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) deliberated over and adopted the recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan. Expressing China's readiness to strengthen alignment with the 13th Malaysia Plan, Li said that China is willing to deepen the implementation of the Five-Year Programme for Economic and Trade Cooperation between the two countries, solidify bilateral economic and trade ties, and tap the cooperation potential in emerging areas such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, as well as new energy, so as to cultivate new growth drivers with Malaysia. He called on both sides to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to strengthen public support for the friendship between the two countries. China commends Malaysia for its important role as the rotating chair of ASEAN, and is ready to work with all parties to implement the outcomes of the leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation, so as to inject more stability and positive energy into regional peace and development, Li said. Anwar said that Malaysia-China relations are enjoying a strong momentum of growth, with frequent high-level interactions, solid political mutual trust, and fruitful outcomes in cooperation. Malaysia stands ready to further deepen cooperation with China in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, and mineral resources, and maintain the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains. He welcomed Chinese companies to continue their investments and business operations in Malaysia. Anwar spoke highly of China's important role in regional and international affairs and expressed appreciation for China's strong support for Malaysia in playing its role as ASEAN's rotating chair. Malaysia is willing to work with China to deepen the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and make greater contributions to peace and prosperity in the region and the world. Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli) CBD brought word on Monday that ACT Senator David Pocock decided to go full whistleblower and create an opt-in register for MPs to declare any lobbyists and other friends theyd sponsored for a Parliament House access pass. The headline act was Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, who as CBD reported, got in thanks to teal independent MP Allegra Spender. We hear thats because of Farquhars role as chair of the rudderless Tech Council of Australia. Spender chairs the Parliamentary Friends of Innovation and Start-ups and sponsored Farquhars pass in that capacity. Senator David Pococks valiant crusade has the teals on board. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen A few other names on the Pocock list piqued our interest. The jacked former Wallabies captain granted access to Instagram talking head Konrad Michalski, better known as Punters Politics, who was a bit of a darling at the Midwinter Ball in August, posing for an infamous photo carried by four teal MPs. Pocock also granted access to Alex Dyson, the Triple J host turned independent who thrice unsuccessfully challenged Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan in his regional Victorian seat of Wannon despite this time having a massive $2.2 million campaign war chest (a little more than the $1.1 million he initially declared on his own website). We hope, for their sake, the price of Pococks sponsorship isnt accompanying the senator on one of his brutal workouts. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Like many artists, Anita Lester regularly enters the Archibald Prize. The work she submitted of Holocaust survivor Abe Goldberg wasnt shortlisted for the award for portraiture, but it changed her life. After members of the survivor community saw the painting, Lester received many requests from people who wanted her to paint portraits of their parents or grandparents. The Melbourne Holocaust Museum then suggested an exhibition of the works. Called Portraits of Survival, it features 16 paintings, and opened on Tuesday. Anita Lester (right) with Ester Braitberg, one of the Holocaust survivors whose portrait she has painted for a new exhibition. Credit: Justin McManus Speaking at the show, Holocaust survivor Ester Braitberg said she was very happy to have her portrait included. After what I went through, its good to see the painting, she says. Everybody [who survived the camps] has a different story its a shame that its only bad, not good. Lester spent hours with each of her subjects before painting them. Everyone told me how they survived, all of them; you cant not remember that and have that as part of the work. Two had managed to jump off the trains heading towards the concentration camps. Another said her mother had pushed her off a train to save her; aged 16, she survived by living in the forest. Some of the survivors had fought in the resistance. Every single story, you cant comprehend it in any kind of modern context. Its too harrowing, Lester says. These survivors feel a responsibility to tell these stories before they leave this earthly plain. Advertisement Sonja Cowan by Anita Lester. Credit: Courtesy of the artist Abe Goldberg died a few weeks ago and the exhibition is dedicated to him. As Lester listened to his life story, she found out he was born within days of her late grandfather, who died when she was 11. He and Goldberg were the same age, from the same place, and, remarkably, they were in the same concentration camp. The serendipity of the meeting is not lost on her. My grandparents were survivors my grandfather lost everyone except his sister he came from a huge family and only found out a few years after the war that she was alive. Whole ancient bloodlines being ripped out, its too big for us to think about, Lester said. The truth is I hadnt really looked the Holocaust in the eye until a couple of years ago. Berni Hamserfeld by Anita Lester. Credit: Courtesy of the artist In 2018, she made a short animated film about her great aunt, who was also a survivor. Its now shown in many Holocaust museums around the world, including Melbournes. Then in 2021, she experienced antisemitism for the first time. I hadnt been openly Jewish, Lester said. I wasnt hiding it, but I hadnt made it part of how I moved through the world. In the music industry, people found out I was Israeli and it became quite awful. Advertisement I had an existential crisis around what is my legacy? What is this weight that I think a lot of Jews feel? It is because of this constant need to move from where we are living. The artist Anita Lester with some of her paintings on display at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Credit: Justin McManus She describes it as epigenetic trauma. That was the beginning of the conversation with myself about what is the Holocaust to me. Lester has slowly become a Jewish subject artist. Our generation, the third generation, now that the survivors are dying, we have a responsibility to tell their stories, she says. I want to say to younger Jewish artists, dont be afraid to tell their stories. We are only 16 million in the world, so someone has to do it. A court sketch of Erin Patterson. Credit: Anita Lester Doing this project was an honour, she says. Being the painter in the project feels so inconsequential ... I feel like Im in the service of these people. When the exhibition was hung, I went in and it was weird, I felt them all looking at me and I felt like it wasnt me who had done them. I just started crying. Lester also works as a courtroom artist, producing sketches for media organisations including this masthead. Her evocative drawings of Erin Patterson during the mushroom murder trial went global recently. Advertisement Health and defence authorities have long resolutely rejected the link between PFAS contamination and a cancer cluster at Williamtown RAAF airbase. But now, University of Newcastle research has found levels of the so-called forever chemicals in the contamination zone considered enough to significantly alter male reproductive health in animals. Dr Jacinta Martin co-authored a paper on the effects of PFAS on mice fertility. Credit: University of Newcastle Researchers exposed male mice to PAS-contaminated water at the same concentration found in a well at Williamtown and the university said the findings echoed human studies showing lower sperm counts in men with high PFAS exposure. The researchers suggest that paternal PFAS exposure alone could have consequences for children, even if the children themselves were not directly exposed. The changes included a fall in male hormones including both testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, which is vital for sperm production. They also included a decrease in day-to-day sperm production, meaning the mice were less fertile. The research was published in the journal Communication Biology and adds to concerns in Williamtown about long-term impacts on health. Advertisement Eating outGood Food Guide Inaugural Trailblazer winner is a monumental addition to the Mornington Peninsula Two-hatted Barragunda Dining is a long-lunch destination, but even more magic happens outside the restaurant. Tomas Telegramma October 29, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share As featured in The Age Good Food Guide 2026 Awards collection. See all stories . When you snake down the long, tree-lined gravel road that ends at Barragunda the Mornington Peninsulas latest destination diner, open since February you are afforded an immediate sense of scale. But what you see is the tip of the iceberg. Just another restaurant, this is not. At The Age Good Food Guide 2026 Awards on Monday night, Barragunda took out Victorias inaugural Trailblazer Award, which The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide introduced last year. It recognises a venue, person or organisation bringing forward-thinking and entrepreneurial energy to the hospitality industry, bolstered by warmth and integrity. Marie Grasset, Hayley Morris, Simone Watts and Laura Skvor of Barragunda. Dion Georgopoulos In accepting the award, Barragunda Dining executive chef Simone Watts acknowledged her peers based on the Peninsula. Advertisement There are so many Mornington Peninsula people nominated tonight, and thats a real testament to how lucky we are to live in such a produce-rich region. Most obviously, the two-hatted Barragunda is a place for long lunching. The cooking is so exceptional that Watts and pastry chef Laura Skvor were finalists in the Guides chef of the year and young chef of the year categories, respectively. In her review earlier this year, The Ages chief restaurant critic Besha Rodell praised the restaurants service as that wonderful, oh-so-Australian combination of passion, warmth and personality. A pitched-roofed, glass-walled pavilion encases the restaurant, but even more magic happens outside, on the surrounding 1000 acres of the Cape Schanck property. Loading Most ingredients that land on your plate are sourced from the sites regenerative farm, where Watts lives so she can monitor the harvests. Her menus rarely repeat themselves, and find wonder in what other chefs may consider waste, from sunflower stems to burnt onion skins. Anything that can be composted is, while plastic is avoided where possible. Advertisement On a regional level and when youve got a farm attached to your restaurant ... there are so many boots on the ground that really make it happen, said Watts on Monday. Theres a community element to the enterprise, too. Its farm to table and beyond, using a co-op model seldom seen in these upper reaches of dining. Some vegetables (plus seedlings and native plants) are available to buy through an online store, while Watts intends to give more local businesses the opportunity to share the kitchen when its not in service (right now, theres just one using it). Eggplant danishes at Barragunda Dining. Wayne Taylor All of this is a result of a monumental commitment and investment by philanthropist Hayley Morris, whose family owns the property, as well as pubs such as the Portsea Hotel. Watts described Morris as being the driving force behind Barragundas profits not going into profit but into food systems change, [following] a different thought process to the way we normally do things. Advertisement Alongside Watts, Morris has spent years building the kind of food system that could revolutionise regional dining. Its smart, its resource-sharing and it spreads the love throughout the local community. All profits from the restaurant go towards the familys foundation to support regenerative agriculture projects in a virtuous cycle. No restaurant opening in the past decade has swung for the bleachers quite like Barragunda. Heres hoping its a sign of more holistic, high-ambition hospitality to come. Related Article This new Mornington Peninsula fine diner is one of Australias most ambitious restaurants of the decade The Good Food app is the home of the 2026 edition of The Age Good Food Guide, with more than 500 reviews. The app is free for premium subscribers of The Age and also available as a standalone subscription. You can download the Good Food app here. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Advertisement Review Eating outPenrith This industrial precinct Italian deli is home to a magical sandwich Melosi Deli stocks a head-spinning range of pasta, pickles, cheese and olive oil, but the real stars of the show are the smallgoods and panini. Lenny Ann Low October 26, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 1 / 9 Melosi Deli owner Roland Melosi (left) with manager Zoran Glavonjic. Wolter Peeters 2 / 9 Melosis head-spinning shelves of imported deli goods. Wolter Peeters 3 / 9 A cured meat extravaganza. Wolter Peeters 4 / 9 Melosis magical panini. Wolter Peeters 5 / 9 Turkish delight display. Wolter Peeters 6 / 9 Assorted arancini. Wolter Peeters 7 / 9 Cannoli. Wolter Peeters 8 / 9 Many biscuits. Wolter Peeters 9 / 9 Melosi Deli, Penrith. Wolter Peeters Previous Slide Next Slide Italian$$$$ Entering Melosi Deli verges on overwhelming. Located within a Penrith industrial precinct, its gleaming aisles of mostly imported Italian goods pasta, biscuits, crackers, juices, olive oils, beans, vinegars and canned and bottled tomatoes spin the head. There are fridges and counters filled with Italian, Greek, Dutch, Danish and French cheeses, pasta, cultured butters and the stars of the show cured meats, many of which are from the family-run Montecatini Specialty Smallgoods, which is behind the two-month-old deli. Start on the right with air-dried salted beef, pork sausage and traditional sopressa infused with pitted green olives, Italian black summer truffles or fennel and garlic. Or at the back with pickled and fermented vegetables including chargrilled capsicum and marinated olives from a Melosi family recipe. Advertisement Melosis head-spinning shelves of imported deli goods. Wolter Peeters Standing in the middle of it all is Roland Melosi, whose Italian smallgoods heritage starts in 1929, when his grandfather Giuseppe, left his home and family and the rule of Mussolini for Sydney. Giuseppe opened a fruit and vegetable shop on Oxford Street in Paddington, saved money to bring his wife and children to Australia and soon sent his son, Wily, to learn the ways of salami at two local smallgoods producers. In 1949, G.Melosi & Sons, the familys smallgoods business, opened in Yennora. It achieved great success and was sold in 1992. In 2009, however, Montecatini Specialty Smallgoods, co-run by Roland and his son Giovanni, was founded, named after Wilys Tuscan birthplace. My grandfather and family members built the Yennora factory by hand, says Melosi. They had a shopfront there and Italians used to catch the train from Fairfield and other suburbs to buy their meats and smallgoods there. Thats how it all took off. A cured meat extravaganza. Wolter Peeters Advertisement Almost 75 years later, Melosi opened the new shop because delis are rare in the Penrith area, and he knew locals wanted more than supermarket offerings. His prices are also significantly cheaper than delis elsewhere. Last week, we had our best Saturday since we opened and the shop was just full of people saying, Oh, thank goodness youre here, he says. Deli manager Zoran Glavonjic says hed barely stacked packets of gbejniet friski creamy Maltese fresh cheese before all but two were snaffled by customers. Almost every kind of Montecatini product is here, plus varieties from Borgo Salumi, Zammit Smallgoods, Pastoral Smallgoods, Barkly Smokehouse, Stapleton Meat and more. Its not just Montecatini, says Melosi. We stock it if its the best. Advertisement He would know. Melosi is a longtime judge at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show and received the Australian Meat Industry Councils Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Im pretty proud of that, he says, tapping the award, now displayed on a counter. Melosis magical panini. Wolter Peeters The other reason to visit Melosi Deli is for some of the finest made-to-order panini around. Offered in 10 varieties, the sandwiches are layered with meats, cheeses, olives, antipasto, bread and red capsicum relish from the deli. For first-time visitors, Melosi recommends paninis one, two and five. The first (my vote) features Italian prosciutto, truffle salami and provolone piccante cheese with grilled eggplant and a beautifully sweet capsicum relish. Chunky, voluptuous and oozing flavour, its a magical sandwich. Advertisement Not far behind are number two and fives salubrious combinations of beef pastrami, pickles, mustard and Jarlsberg; and porchetta, marinated red capsicum and provolone dolce, respectively. There are hefty arancini (ricotta and lasagne) too, wedges of halva flavoured with cocoa hazelnut cream or pistachio, and five kinds of imported Turkish delight that pulsate with pistachio, pomegranate, walnuts, hazelnuts and coconut. You can take your panini, a slice of halva and a coffee outside to eat at wooden tables framed by native trees and towering slabs of rust-red iron, part of the Manufactor dining hub that houses Melosi Deli. My other tip is to go on Saturday: Roland is there to explain everything there is to know about cured meats, and hopefully stop your head spinning. Three more delis to try Raineris Continental Deli The Five Dock delicatessen opened in 1981 and serves outstanding, queue-making sandwiches filled with cheeses, cut-to-order cured meats, and marinated eggplant and capsicum. 97 Great North Road, Five Dock, facebook.com/raineri.delicatessen Paesanella Food Emporium Take the stairs or lift from Paesanella Cafe for pasta, bread, sauces, general deli goods and a cornucopia of Italian cheeses. Founded by Italian migrant Umberto Somma in 1962. 150-152 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, paesanella.com.au Yangga Korean Deli A family run deli and cafe offering Korean snacks, stews and soups, including kimchi radish salad, raw marinated crab and fermented soft squid. Fridges are stocked to the hilt. Try the spicy dried squid strips and oxtail soup. Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre, 345 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood and Rhodes Central, 6 Walker Street, Rhodes Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant cant pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Lets explore the three broad levels of advice now on offer, ranging from no-fee to low fee ($395) and higher (averaging $5000), and what you get for your money. There are many more iterations available, but these three levels demonstrate the range of financial support available to those planning and entering retirement. Otivo chief executive Paul Feeney. According to the regulator, ASIC, there are two types of advice intended to help you reach your financial goals: General advice which does not consider your personal circumstances and Personal advice that is more specific and tailored to your situation, whether a single issue or comprehensive. Comprehensive can also be ongoing. Additionally, all advisers must hold an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). No fee/low-fee, digital-only advice There are many iterations of this type of advice on offer, some with no charge, others with modest annual subscriptions (typically $90-120). This form of advice is often generated using AI tools which analyse information based upon your inputs of age, work and relationship status, super savings, other assets, debt, and desired retirement date. The better versions can inform you about the longevity of your super, factoring in age pension eligibility. This advice can also suggest next steps to help you boost your eventual retirement income. Otivo is one such digital platform, and its chief executive, Paul Feeney, believes everybody needs a plan: We try to meet individuals where they are today. We deal with a cohort of one a self-directed individual who needs to understand their super, debt and retirement prospects as well as investments and insurance outside super, he says. Our typical customer is asking, What do I need to do next rather than asking to be educated about how everything works. They want answers. Otivos costs range from free to $299 per annum. It does not sell products. Instead, it issues a Statement of Advice which customers can act on or not. Debt management and saving habits are also part of the offering. Feeney claims that it takes less than 10 minutes for users to get a grip by entering their information and receiving a full plan. Loading Low fee, single-issue advice This is generally seen as a mid-tier offering, targeted at everyday Australians, often aged 60 or over, who are preparing for, or already in, retirement. David Kennedy is head of advice at Retirement Essentials, a firm that provides this level of advice. The trigger for this bite-sized advice was the soaring cost of financial advice against a backdrop of declining adviser numbers and a tendency for many advice firms to focus mostly on wealthier clients, he says. This has widened the advice gap and put affordable advice beyond the reach of everyday Australians. Kennedy says his company will generally work with clients to help them optimise their super and age pension income, and provide forecasts to give reassurance that they can meet their long-term retirement spending needs. Self-funded retirees can use consultations to seek a second opinion, or to validate their retirement planning strategy and confirm they are on the right track. Meetings happen during a 55-minute video call, including strategic advice, scenario analysis, and retirement forecasts. Similarly to lower-cost advice, the focus is on strategy Retirement Essentials does not sell or recommend financial products. The price of a 55-minute consultation is $395 and a Statement of Advice is issued after the appointment. Higher fee, comprehensive advice Comprehensive advice is what many view as the stereotypical financial advice: higher cost, and for those with complex financial affairs, or those who want to dive deep into a financial strategy for their later years. Financial advisor Robert Devlin from Tribeca. Credit: Arsineh Houspian Robert Devlin is Head of Advice at Tribeca Financial, and he says his focus is on helping people with what they really hope to achieve be it leaving work earlier, more life balance or helping out adult kids. Tribeca works with such aspirers on a 10-year road map. Typically, their clients are open to learning and developing financial skills throughout the many different life stages between 40 and 70. A one-off appointment with a comprehensive Statement of Advice (SOA) is charged at $6,600. Alternatively, clients can pay a monthly fee of $550 across a 12-month period. Meetings are held in person or on Zoom calls. Robert believes these fees can be easily recouped through good guidance. For instance, he notes, if your super fund was identified to be underperforming by 1.5 per cent, changing this could see you save 710 times the value of the fee. Most of Tribecas clients come from referrals. Tackling spending is another area where Tribeca believes its advisers can add value. Its also worth remembering that expenses change when you hit retirement. Were not trying to set budgets but do want to know our clients have the capability to save, Devlin says. What do funds offer? Where do super funds fit into the advice puzzle, you might ask? Once again, it depends. Under the intra-fund advice regime, many super funds are only set up to provide advice to the member individually, which means that they are unable to extend that advice to the members partner, who may be in a different fund. Loading Some larger, better-resourced funds offer various tiers of advice so they will offer intra-fund as well as more comprehensive full service advice. The client in this case will be charged directly, as opposed to intra-fund advice, where no fee is charged. The common sentiment from each of the above three advisers is that every Australian deserves good advice to help them make the most of their retirement. And its fair to say that new technologies are leading to solutions that just may make this happen, regardless of the size of your wallet. Advice given in this article is general in nature and is not intended to influence readers decisions about investing or financial products. They should always seek their own professional advice that takes into account their own personal circumstances before making any financial decisions. Mondays TV Guide promises an episode of Return to Paradise in which, A tense game of bowls turns to chaos when a player is killed on the green in broad daylight, notes Don Bain of Port Macquarie. Brought on a wave of nostalgia for this old trundler. Someone I know very well locked his keys inside the car (C8), but had also left the engine running, writes Debbie Rudder of Maroubra. I had to catch a cab (this was long before the Uber era) from University of NSW to the Australian Museum to rescue him from both a parking fine and running out of petrol. Even though October 27 is widely recognised as the dedicated Day of the Dead for Pets or Dia de Muertos para Mascotas, it was nonetheless a terrible day for Donna Wiemann of Balmain when my precious fifteen-year-old Jack Russell, Will, went to dog heaven, leaving me in hell. So there is some justice in this crazy, screwed up world. I asked him to have a quick word in Gods ear about Trump. Lets see how that works out. John Constable of Balmain is getting hot under the collar: The Windsor knot (C8) is anathema to any well-dressed gentleman to whom the skewiff schoolboy knot is the epitome of style. On the back of Pasquale Vartuli (C8) never having seen Sir Les Patterson and Federal front-bencher Don Farrell in the same room, Merilyn McClung of Forestville wonders if politicians really do have alter egos: I always thought Scott Morrison was a dead ringer for Benny Hills Fred Tuttle. In appearance or deed? PRAGUE, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Czech President Petr Pavel on Monday officially tasked Andrej Babis, leader of the ANO movement, with forming a new government. Coalition negotiations among ANO, the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party, and Motorists for Themselves have been underway for about two weeks and are reportedly nearing completion. Babis wrote on the social platform X that, following the presidential mandate, the coalition partners are now finalizing the coalition agreement and government program statement. "Once these documents are ready, we will move on to the composition of the cabinet," he said, adding that the goal is to form a new government by mid-December. The SPD's leader Tomio Okamura also confirmed on X that the talks are progressing smoothly. After a meeting with Pavel, Babis said the coalition agreement could be signed in the coming days. All NSW public hospitals will urgently audit the security of medical gases as authorities investigate the death of a 72-year-old man at a Sydney hospital about an hour after a woman allegedly switched off the facilitys supplies in an act of sabotage. Vanessa Moulton, 42, was arrested at 2am on Tuesday after allegedly destroying electrical wiring and scaling a wall to access a restricted area at The Sutherland Hospital in Caringbah in Sydneys south. Police allege she also tampered with water and gas mains and activated fire hoses at the nearby Kareena Private Hospital before her arrest. NSW Police forensics at Kareena Private Hospital in Caringbah, in Sydneys south, on Tuesday. Credit: Sam Mooy Moulton was charged with two counts of public nuisance, two counts of entering the premises without a lawful excuse, sabotage, destroying or damaging property and a breach of bail. Moulton briefly appeared on screen at Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday morning after declining the assistance of Legal Aid. Patients were put at catastrophic risk after gas mains at a Sydney public hospital were targeted, and a private hospital also vandalised, in alleged acts of sabotage leading to the arrest of a woman on Tuesday. A 42-year-old woman allegedly cut both water and gas mains and activated fire hoses at Kareena Private Hospital, Caringbah, in south-east Sydney about 12.20am on Tuesday, NSW Police said. Health Minister Ryan Park at a press conference on Tuesday morning responding to questions about the alleged sabotage at Sutherland Hospital, Caringbah. Credit: Sam Mooy Just over an hour later, the woman allegedly scaled a wall to access a restricted area at Sutherland Hospital and switched off the hospitals gas main, Health Minister Ryan Park said. The alleged vandalism is being investigated as a mental health incident. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has raised his concerns about the Bureau of Meteorologys hated, new website directly with the organisation. Crisafulli spoke in state parliament yesterday, blaming the flawed new website for failing to allow south-east Queensland residents prepare for Sundays serious storms. Loading The new colour scheme of the websites weather radar which tops out at orange instead of the old black made Brisbanes severe storms look less threatening than they actually were. And Caboolture, north of Brisbane, has disappeared from the new sites locators. In a statement yesterday, the bureau said it expected satisfaction to increase as customers become accustomed to the new website and discover its benefits. Crisafulli was not impressed with the response. What I witnessed yesterday in the communication from the bureau, I dont think it reflected the views of how people felt, and it didnt reflect how I felt, he said. I dont think that is an adequate response to what is a significant change at an important time for something that people really rely on. Crisafulli confirmed he had spoken privately to the bureau to make his position clear. We have to make sure that there are consistencies because information about the weather is a must-have. It [affects] your decisions in real time to keep you and your family safe, he said. Read more here. Queenslands health minister has used his ministerial powers to reinstate a pause on gender-affirming care for children, despite a court ruling just hours earlier that a ban on the care was unlawful and did not follow proper procedures. In Brisbanes Supreme Court on Tuesday, Judge Peter Callaghan ruled in favour of the parent of a transgender teenager who had challenged the legality of the governments directive. Counsel acting for the parent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed there was no proper consultation before the January move by Queensland Healths director-general Dr David Rosengren. They also claimed the ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy was enforced at the direction or behest of Health Minister Tim Nicholls. Queenslands ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy was unlawful, a court has ruled. Credit: Matt Dennien Shortly after the ruling, Nicholls told parliament the governments position on the matter remained unchanged, and said he would consider issuing his own ministerial directive banning new patients under the age of 18 from accessing gender-affirming care. Kentaro Jins mother thought he was crazy when he decided to walk across Australia dressed as a cat. But the 26-year-old from Japan marched on and has now reached Geelong. Catman arrived in Geelong on Monday. Credit: Wayne Taylor The happy leopard-suited adventurer left Carnarvon, Western Australia, two years ago with just a wheelbarrow of belongings. Catman has since gathered more than 500,000 followers on Instagram as he documents his heart-warming chance interactions with strangers on the road. Diagnosing Murder, Episode 3, is available now. Click here to listen. The Victorian government describes Melbournes Royal Childrens Hospital as one of the worlds best. Its internationally recognised as a leading centre of paediatric treatment, teaching and research. So when David and his partner brought their weeks-old baby son, Oliver, to its doors in November 2017, it was with the hope that the best place in the world for kids would find out what had made him suddenly stop breathing, and make him better. But after doctors looked at Oliver, everything changed. Two days after he was admitted to hospital, Oliver was declared brain-dead. Then, largely on the word of one doctor, David was charged with child homicide and put on trial in the Supreme Court. The Diagnosing Murder podcast examines the devastation inflicted on some families by the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. Episode 3, released at the weekend, examines the engine room of that diagnosis where the investigations into alleged perpetrators start in earnest. A bumper week featuring the Melbourne Cup carnival and Oasis and Metallica concerts is expected to pump an extra $110 million into the Melbournes economy. Punters in delicate millinery heading home from Flemington next week will pass those in bucket hats on their way to Marvel Stadium to see the Gallaghers, while the Stakes Day sea of colour will mingle with the black-clad crowd for the worlds best-selling metal band. Luca Arenas and Melissa Marchesem have flown to Melbourne from Barcelona especially to see Oasis. Credit: Eddie Jim The National Australia Bank is forecasting a once-in-a-decade boom for local businesses amid an event triple header expected to increase weekly spend by 70 per cent. Melbourne Cup week and four sold-out Marvel Stadium concerts are forecast to push the total spend in Melbourne to more than $270 million, up from a typical week of $160 million. A meth-fuelled rendezvous in the pre-dawn hours at a Dianella car park has culminated in a bitter legal battle, with two unlicensed motorcycle riders suing one another for damages after a catastrophic collision. The two men who court documents revealed were both high on drugs when they crashed into each other on Alexander Drive on September 12, 2020 now face a future forever altered: one is a paraplegic, while the other, also seriously injured, seeks compensation from his former mate. The State Administrative Tribunal in Perth. Credit: Heather McNeill The case, which places their reckless midnight escapade under the legal spotlight, hinges on the difficult question of who bears the blame for the life-shattering crash. During a State Administrative Tribunal hearing to assess liability, the reason why Shaun Peter Donaldson and Michael John Nurse were together that night was not fully explained, as the men told the court that they would incriminate themselves if they divulged the truth. Loading Ignoring it wont make the issue go away and proactivity trumps reactivity. Online safety educator Paris McNeil also expressed her worry over a lack of action in WA schools. The lack of change management surrounding the ban is concerning to me, she said. The eSafety Commission ran a $14 million ad campaign, but Im not convinced its reaching young people. Education really needs to come through the schools, and teachers also need to be prepared for any chaos that will ensue when the ban hits there will still be over a week to go in Term 4 for public school students. McNeil hosts workshops mostly with private schools and bigger public schools with more resources teaching students and teachers about the ban. She said many students wrongly assumed either the ban would fall through, like the TikTok ban in America which lasted less than one day, or that they would be able to get around it using VPNs. They dont have a clue what the ban will look like and there is a lot of misinformation out there, she said. Opposition Education Minister Liam Staltari quizzed Education Minister Sabine Winton on what the state government was doing to help students prepare during question time in parliament last week. This reform will be successful because of schools playing their part in supporting students and families in the rollout of this important initiative, Winton replied. I am regularly briefed by the Department of Education, which has a comprehensive plan of support and communications to schools. It is well in place and in train to support schools as this important reform for our nation, for our young people, comes into effect. Staltari told this masthead the response had failed to reassure the public that WA schools had been equipped to help their students adjust. He said Winton could not outline any specifics on additional state-provided support for WA teachers and school communities beyond the federal governments eSafety Commissioners online materials. From December 10, under-16s wont be able to access social media, even though in reality, many of them could have been using these platforms for many years, Staltari said. Schools and teachers will find themselves on the frontline facing the consequences of this change and the government needs to proactively support school communities to be prepared, rather than be caught flat-footed. The sudden loss of access to friend networks and the ability to digitally communicate could have serious consequences. Our teachers and principals will be left to deal with the practical and psychological disruption. Staltari said it wasnt too late for the government to give schools a toolkit of support resources. It isnt enough to simply pass the buck to the eSafety Commissioner, he said. The opposition calls on the government to step up and support WA schools and teachers and roll out a targeted series of presentations to outline what the ban means and how they can prepare. A Department of Education spokesperson could not point to any specific policy in place, pushing the responsibility to the eSafety Commissioner. We recognise that parents and young people may turn to schools for information and assistance on the changes, so the Department will continue to liaise with eSafety Commission to develop and provide practical advice for public schools, they said. Access to school psychologists and other supports are always available for students in WA public schools. Major political parties are accused of using secretive investment vehicles to funnel millions of dollars into their election campaigns ahead of a high-stakes High Court challenge to be heard early in the 2026 election year. Fresh court documents, filed on Monday, expose the vast war chests of Victorias major parties, whose multimillion-dollar fundraising arms are shielded from donation caps through a special exemption in Victorias electoral laws. Victorias major political parties will face a High Court showdown over millions of dollars held in secretive funding vehicles. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Two independent candidates Paul Hopper, who contested the Werribee byelection in February, and Melissa Lowe, who ran as a teal independent in the seat of Hawthorn in 2022 are seeking to have this exemption removed, and argue it gives Labor and the Coalition an unfair edge over independents and newer parties, and breaches the implied freedom of political communication. The plaintiffs submission shows the three nominated entities the Liberal Partys Cormack Foundation, Labors Labor Services & Holdings and the Nationals Pilliwinks collectively directed millions of dollars to their respective political parties before the 2022 election while remaining exempt from the same cap of $4850 per donor that applies to other candidates. MELBOURNE, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sinopec, one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemical companies, on Tuesday officially opened its first retail petrol station in Australia, marking a significant milestone in the company's international growth. The station is located in Frankston, southeast of Melbourne, along the Nepean Highway. "Sinopec's mission is simple, to bring green and premium energy to Australia and to the wider communities we serve," said Sinopec Australia General Manager Yang Boyu at the opening ceremony. "Through our global vision of Cleaner Energy, Better Life, we are investing in projects that deliver environmental and economic benefits, while deepening our long-term partnership with the Australian people," Yang said. Frankston City Mayor Kristopher Bolam congratulated Sinopec on the opening. "Frankston is proud to welcome Sinopec, a global company investing in our city, creating local jobs and strengthening essential infrastructure," Bolam said, describing the service station as "a symbol of confidence and partnership." Its great to see younger Australians getting into home ownership in this way by exploring ways of putting their funds together to have higher deposits and buy in areas they like, Sekulla said. We always say, go with someone you trust, whether its a family member or close friend. Loading Could this be the best way to get into the market for young people? We do always recommend customers get their own individual advice, though, and documentation with the terms and conditions, so theres also transparency, he said. Its great to see people like Ellie and Logan coming together to live the Australian dream. It doesnt always have to be buying a house or unit to share, either. Brothers Brent and Josh Anglim pooled their savings to buy an old, tumbling-down house on a corner block of land in Melbournes Highett. They planned to subdivide the land and build three townhouses on it instead, one for each of them, and one for their mum who sadly died while the homes were under construction. Brent, 42, and Josh, 39, lived there for a few months, then decided to sell all three. Neither of us could have undertaken anything like that on our own, so it mostly worked out well, says Brent. The money we made on that venture together gave us the money we needed for the deposit for our own family homes, two streets away from each other in Cheltenham. If wed have individually just saved for a deposit on our own, it would have been near on impossible to have afforded it. As youre sitting saving, property is getting more and more expensive. So, this was a good compromise and, while we have our moments, we mostly get on well. The agent who sold the townhouses for them, Ray White The Bayside Group director Kevin Chokshi, says siblings buying together can work well if they have a good relationship. If siblings join forces, it can give them greater borrowing power and more access to funds, he says. It means they can definitely go further and were now seeing it definitely as an emerging trend. But anyone thinking of teaming up with a sibling should make sure they sign a simple one or two-page agreement at the same time as the contract, warns property lawyer Tony Cordato of Cordato Partners. They should also go in as tenants in common rather than joint tenants, which means in the event of death, the deceased can leave their half of the property to a beneficiary, rather than to the other person they bought the home with. More family and friends are buying together. Credit: LUIS ENRIQUE ASCUI Its a smart way of buying property rather than doing something like rentvesting, Cordato says. If they live in it, therell be no capital gains, but they should agree at the start that theyll pay equal amounts on the mortgage and share the costs equally to avoid it getting messy. They should also plan an exit strategy. For instance, theyll hold for one to five years, and then if one of them wants to get out, theyll both agree to sell. It can be tricky agreeing on a valuation if just one wants out; better to both leave and move on to somewhere else. At mortgage brokers Finspo, chief executive Angus Gilfillan says rising property prices and challenging affordability are driving this trend, as is the ability to move up from one-bedroom units in outer suburbs to houses in more desirable areas. Loading This goes brilliantly for some families and create lasting damage for others, he says. The difference comes down to getting everyone on the same page if you cant talk openly about money now, joint property ownership will be a disaster as well as understanding the risks and getting the lending structure right. There are two main approaches to financing sibling purchases: joint home loans and separate loans [property share loans], and we have a strong preference for the latter. Each person can pay down their loan at their own pace and its much easier to exit the arrangement when life circumstances change. The sibling relationship should be as healthy as possible, too, advises Relationships Australia chief executive Elisabeth Shaw. It can be a very positive move, but individuals have to go into the arrangements with eyes wide open. Siblings should carefully work out how they get on in bad times as well as good, and how each reacts when there are problems to be solved and different preferences to be navigated. What are your goals? she asks. Its important to be transparent around them. You both might want to get into the housing market, but do you see it as a two-year investment or a five-year one? What are your parameters around girlfriends and boyfriends, and do you have a sunset clause? What happens when one of you gets a job interstate, and wants to move out and rent out their room? How about if one of you partners up and wants them to move in? Or if you both do? How will it be living there as a threesome, or as four people? And remember: as siblings, other family members might weigh in on decisions. But when things work out, the rewards can set both siblings up for life. Twins Chloe and Luke Fitzpatrick, for example, combined their resources for a mortgage on a block of land at The Ashbourne project in NSWs Moss Vale, developed by Novm. Both are part of the family building company Allfitz Homes, and they then built a four-bedroom house on it, which is now for sale. With the proceeds, theyre each funding the building of their own homes in Wollondilly, to the north. London: The NRL has left the door open for a partnership with the Super League after what was described as an exceptional meeting in London on Tuesday. NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and ARLC chairman Peter Vlandys arrived for talks with Rugby Football League and Super League club representatives prepared to walk away from a mooted deal due to months of procrastination. However, informed sources said the meeting had been productive, with the NRL bosses now set to return home to Australia for a period of consultation over a potential arrangement that would see them take control of the competition in Europe. It was a very postive meeting, and we now have a road forward, Vlandys said. We will go back and discuss with our stakeholders before working out the next step. The good thing is we now have a way forward. The meeting went exceptionally well. After beating England last year at Twickenham, Wallabies back-rower Rob Valetini is back in London knowing a return to his best form is needed to give Australia a chance of repeating the feat. A lingering calf issue has frustrated the 27-year-old since the British and Irish Lions series, but he is happy to report a return to peak condition. Valetinis drop in form demands context: his normal standard is being the best player in the team. Successive John Eales medals back up that view. His streak ended when centre Len Ikitau won the award for Australian rugbys player of the season in 2025. On Wednesday, October 22, the Bureau of Meteorology launched its first major website redesign in 12 years. By the next morning, the organisation had turned off comments on its Facebook page meteorologists and everyday Australians were united in their fury. The timing was exquisitely bad. As the BOM unveiled its modern and sleek redesign, costing millions of dollars, savage storms were bearing down on Australias south-east. Fishermen at sea couldnt find wind speeds, and farmers were unable to locate rainfall data. Even one of the BOMs own meteorologists admitted on ABC Radio that he didnt like the new site and was still using the old one. Dr Stuart Minchin started as the Bureau of Meteorologys chief executive on October 3. Credit: Bureau of Meteorology Who, in their right mind, pushes a complete, untested-in-the-wild overhaul of a national weather service at the start of the Australian storm and bushfire season? Singapore: US President Donald Trump has famously reserved some of his highest praise for the worlds strongmen leaders. So it was a good sign for Japans new female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, that Trump was already effusive with praise ahead of their first meeting on Tuesday morning, saying he had heard phenomenal things about her. With the red carpet rolled out at Tokyos Akasaka Palace, a fleet of US cars parked out the front, and a pledge by Takaichi to accelerate the countrys defence spending gilding Trumps arrival, Japan pulled off the kind of diplomatic coup that has defeated other nations: securing adulation, however superficial, where others have been scorned and humiliated. President Donald Trump, left, and Japans Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands during a signing ceremony at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. Credit: AP I want to just let you know, any time you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favours you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there. We are an ally at the strongest level, Trump told Takaichi. Granted, this was Trump on foreign soil, where even he has not strayed from the norms of dignity and respect to the host. Nonetheless, it was as strong an endorsement as Takaichi could have hoped for. Trump feted her as being poised to become one of the greatest prime ministers, adding that the late Japanese leader Shinzo Abe would be happy to see her in the top job. She was sufficiently connected, however, to be in Epsteins seven-storey townhouse in Manhattan in December 2010. Unbeknown to Epstein and Andrew, a photographer was watching them. Keating was seen leaving the house as Andrew waved her farewell at the front door. Loading Her misfortune was to be in the house at what turned out to be a pivotal moment. Epstein and Andrew went for a walk in Central Park and the photographer, Jae Donnelly, took the shot that proved they were back in touch. Andrew chose to keep up his friendship with a man convicted of sex with a minor. Keating has never talked about why she was at Epsteins house that December. But she confirmed she went to the dinner in February. It was a large social event, she told The Daily Mail, and she mentioned prominent media personalities who also attended. A sizeable chunk of NY society was there, including Barbara Walters, Charlie Rose and Katie Couric. At the time, I had only lived in NY about 10 weeks, and was happy to accept the odd social invitation. She could not be contacted by this masthead for comment. All of this is fuel for those who assume the guilt of anyone who came near Epstein. Social media has spread slurs about Keating for years because of the townhouse photo. Some will add the email to the mix. Prince Andrew is under renewed pressure over his links with Epstein. Credit: AP But the public interest is slim. Keating does not hold any public office. She is under no obligation to answer questions about her private life. The main reason for looking into the new email is to counter the conspiracies. One assumption, for instance, is that Keating knew Maxwell and moved in the same circles as Epstein. In fact, there is no evidence that she knew Maxwell before 2014, when she interviewed her for a project called IdeaPod, published by the Huffington Post. Another assumption is that she was very close to Andrew. Instead, the friendship seems to have been with his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Keating was photographed with Eugenie at Fashion Week in New York in 2014. At the risk of labouring the point, there are no grounds for suggesting an intimate relationship with Andrew. Nor is there a reason to think Keating knew all the murky details about Epstein. His plea deal meant some of the facts did not see the light of day until years later. Keating was not alone in walking too close to the spiders web. Epstein drew many people around him from 2010 onwards, when he regained his place in New York society. Some of them were his accomplices. Others were simply invited to dinner. He used donations to charities, amplified by publicists, to try to bury the past. One New York publicist, Peggy Siegal, ensured he was invited to events. Siegal told The New York Times in 2019 that she had no trouble restarting their friendship after his prison term: The culture before #MeToo was Youve done your time, now youre forgiven. Loading Siegal arranged a dinner party for Andrew at Epsteins mansion in 2010, according to The New York Times. Those at the dinner included filmmaker Woody Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn, as well as broadcasters Charlie Rose, Katie Couric and George Stephanopoulos. Turning up to dinner did not make someone an Epstein accomplice. It might demonstrate poor judgment, or ignorance, but not necessarily guilt. Comedian Chelsea Handler attended the 2010 dinner, for instance, and later said she had no idea who Epstein was. She also asked a pointed question of Allen and his wife: So, how did you two meet? Two key conclusions emerge from the email about Keating, Epstein and the prince. The first is that there is no evidence that Keating did anything wrong. The second is that Andrew is utterly exposed. This is the second email to emerge within the last two weeks that confirms he misled the public when he claimed that he cut off contact with Epstein on the day they walked in Central Park in December 2010. London: The daughter of Brigitte Macron has testified about the damage to her mother from false claims that she was born a man, in an extraordinary court case that will decide whether those who spread the rumours should be jailed for harassment. The dramatic hearing in a Paris courtroom came as French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife also pursue a defamation claim in the US courts against an American right-wing commentator for making the same assertions. Tiphaine Auziere, Brigitte Macrons daughter, arrives at court. Credit: AP The testimony from Tiphaine Auziere, 41, was a key moment on the second day of the criminal trial in Paris, after the prosecution laid out charges against 10 people, ranging from an art gallery owner to an online fortune-teller. If found guilty, the defendants could be sent to prison for up to two years, turning the case into a test of whether false claims can be justified as satire or free speech. Washington: While Anthony Albanese was shaking hands with Donald Trump in the White House, a few blocks away, Michael Reid and Toby Meagher were welcoming some of the top names in the American art world to a pop-up gallery of Indigenous Australian art. The Stars Before Us All opened in mid-October just off a busy, sometimes chaotic corner in central Washington. When this masthead visited, the World Bank was holding its annual meeting nearby, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys motorcade was causing traffic mayhem. Gallerist Michael Reid (right) and director Toby Meagher have opened a pop-up Indigenous art exhibition in downtown Washington. Credit: Leigh Vogel for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Nonetheless, curious locals have found their way inside. The sentiment from everyone whos stepped in is like: you get this preamble about how things in Washington are kind of crazy, and its really nice to have something like an oasis, says Meagher, director of Michael Reid Galleries. Reid adds: We had a woman come in this morning, formerly from the State Department, whichever one that is, and she was really excited. She said, I was having a really bad day. And then she rushed up saying, Thank you, Ive been really energised, and shes looking at buying a work. A Jamaican police superintendent has described the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa in Black River, one of the areas worst hit by the weather front on the south coast. Superintendent Coleridge Minto said the storm had shattered windows, damaged gates, ripped off roofs and swept away cars. At current, a number of the glass windows of this station have been broken, which has now compromised the building to some extent and the contents thereof, Minto said. We are now experiencing severe weather conditions. Minto said a number of people were sheltering at the station, including police officers, prisoners in custody and members of the public. Our number-one priority at this time is to ensure the safety of all the persons who are at this facility, he said. Minto said several roads were now impassable, including the main road leading to Black River hospital, where some people sheltered from the weather front earlier today. Footage shared by the station shows police in high-vis jackets leading a member of the public to safety through floodwaters and debris. The video shows broken power lines, washed cars, metal sheets, wooden beams and other household items lining the streets around the police station. Rio de Janeiro: About 2500 Brazilian police and soldiers launched a massive raid on a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, arresting 81 suspects and sparking shootouts that left at least 64 people dead, officials said. The operation included officers in helicopters and armoured vehicles and targeted the notorious Red Command gang in the sprawling low-income favelas of Complexo de Alemao and Penha, police said. The state government said criminals had used drones to attack police in the Penha favela, sharing a video on X of what appeared to be a drone firing a projectile from the sky. Rio de Janeiro State Governor Claudio Castro told reporters the death toll, which included four police officers, was more than twice Rios most deadly previous police operation and may rise as the operation was ongoing. KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday urged China and ASEAN countries to unite more closely for self-strengthening, fend off external disruptions, and defend their legitimate rights and interests through mutual reliance and coordinated actions, amid new changes in the current international landscape. Addressing the 28th China-ASEAN Summit, Li also called on both sides to gather greater synergy and promote steady economic growth through addressing each other's needs and deepening cooperation. Li said that, as President Xi Jinping said during his April visit to Southeast Asia, unity brings strength, and cooperation leads to mutual success. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. During that war, China and Southeast Asian nations supported each other and fought side by side, ultimately achieving independence and liberation, he said. In the decades that followed, Li said, China and Southeast Asian countries pursued common development together, achieving rapid economic growth through mutual inspiration and concerted efforts, and weathering major storms such as the financial crisis, tsunamis, and the COVID-19 pandemic through mutual assistance and solidarity. Li said that China stands ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with ASEAN countries and effectively implement the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030), in a continued effort to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. In doing so, first, Li said, is to make mutual strategic trust more solid. China will enhance strategic communication, properly handle differences, and continue to support efforts to peacefully resolve disputes between Cambodia and Thailand through the "ASEAN Way," he said. China also calls for accelerating the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and striving for its early conclusion, Li said. Second, Li said, is to deepen the integration of interests. Taking the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol as an opportunity, China and ASEAN should work to advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and strengthen industrial integration, he said. China will inject more capital to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund, and is ready to establish the China-ASEAN Digital Academy, build a cooperation platform on artificial intelligence, and set up a center for maritime development and technology cooperation, he said, adding that the two sides can also deepen cooperation in transportation, digital economy, green economy, disaster prevention and mitigation, and climate change. Third, Li said, is to strengthen people-to-people bonds. China will ensure the successful conclusion of the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges, and designate 2026 as a thematic year of the 5th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said. Li also urged the two sides to establish mechanisms for meetings of the China-ASEAN tourism ministers and education ministers, and make full use of the China-ASEAN Network of Academies on Governance and Public Administration and Think Tanks. China stands ready to proceed shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN countries to achieve steady and sustained progress in the China-ASEAN cooperation, Li added. ASEAN leaders attending the summit stated that ASEAN-China relations have continued to deepen, yielding fruitful cooperation across various fields that have brought extensive benefits to the people of the region. This partnership has become a paradigm of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win in regional cooperation. ASEAN countries are willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, enhance political mutual trust, and work together to carry out the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030) and the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, they said. The ASEAN countries also stand ready to expand cooperation with China in areas such as economy and trade, connectivity, digital economy, green development, energy, education, tourism, and combating transnational crimes, the leaders said, expressing their willingness to strengthen people-to-people bonds and advance the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a higher level. They added that ASEAN is willing to work with China to conclude the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea at an early date, making positive contributions to regional peace, security, and stability. Prior to the summit, Li and Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, the rotating ASEAN Chair, jointly witnessed the signing of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol. PHILIPSBURG:--- Public meeting no. 04 of Parliament, the Parliament of Sint Maarten, which was scheduled to be held today, Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 15:30 hours. with agenda points: Incoming documents Advice appointment of the Monument Council for the period of 2025-2029 (IS/1384/2024-2025 dated August 29, 2025) Ratification Agreements Lists of the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) held from September 26-29, 2025, in the Hague, the Netherlands (IS/115/2025-2026 dated September 29, 2025) Advice Re-appointment of the current Ombudsman ex. Article 2 of the National Ordinance Ombudsman (IS/1164/24-25 dated June 12, 2025) Has been postponed until further notice due to technical difficulties. PHILIPSBURG:--- From October 20-21, the Ombudsmen of the four countries that comprise the Kingdom of the Netherlands gathered in The Hague for their annual meeting. Jurima Bryson, Ombudsman of Aruba; Keursly Concincion, Ombudsman of Curacao; Gwendolien Mossel, Ombudsman of Sint Maarten; and Reinier van Zutphen, the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands, came together to share their experiences and discuss key challenges in their work. A primary focus of the discussions was the escalating waste management issues facing Caribbean countries within the Kingdom. Due to their small size and dependence on imported goods, these islands are increasingly burdened by growing waste volumes. Contributing factors such as rising migration and an expanding tourism sector have led to a substantial increase in waste over the past decade. The Ombudsmen addressed serious concerns regarding the high costs of waste disposal, the lack of sufficient incineration facilities, and the proliferation of illegal dumping, all of which pose significant threats to public health and the environment. They explored ways their institutions can contribute to tackling these urgent challenges. This year also marked the tenth anniversary of the Kingdoms Ombudsman meetings. Reflecting on the success of their collaboration, they recognized that, despite the tradition of annual gatherings, their partnership had never been formally documented. To ensure ongoing cooperation and strengthen long-term ties, they agreed to formalize their alliance. On October 20, the four Ombudsmen signed an official Protocol of Cooperation, reaffirming their shared commitment to maintaining and advancing this vital partnership for the future. Following the meeting, the Ombudsmen paid a courtesy visit to Ms. Gracita Arrindell, Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, at her request. PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ombudsman of Sint Maarten, Gwendolien Mossel, recently participated in a high-level international conference held in Malta from October 16-17, 2025. The conference, themed Upholding Good Governance in Challenging Times: The Role of the Ombudsman, brought together Ombudsmen, human rights defenders, and representatives from constitutional and accountability bodies across Europe and beyond. The conference served as a platform for engaging discussions on critical topics, including the importance of trust and participation, the protection of vulnerable persons, ethical governance, and the impact of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) on Ombudsman institutions. Discussions reaffirmed the enduring role of the Ombudsman as a vital pillar of democracy, integrity, and justice. Key highlights of the conference included: Presentations and discussions on the evolving role of Ombudsman institutions in safeguarding citizens' rights and promoting fairness, accountability, and trust in public administration. Emphasis on the importance of ethical governance, requiring values and courage to challenge power structures. Recognition of the need for cross-border collaboration among Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions to strengthen the global defense of rights and justice. During the conference, participants emphasized that good governance is not merely a managerial principle but a fundamental right. Discussions also reinforced the idea that Ombudsman institutions must adapt and innovate to remain effective in a rapidly changing world. The conference provided a valuable opportunity to learn from international best practices and strengthen collaborative efforts to promote good governance. This conference was an important opportunity to engage with colleagues from around the world on the critical role of the Ombudsman in upholding good governance, said Ms. Mossel. The discussions reaffirmed our shared commitment to ensuring that justice remains a living promise for all citizens. ~Catastrophic Impact Underway~ KINGSTON, JAMAICA:--- A storm of unprecedented strength has struck Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope in Westmoreland Parish on Tuesday afternoon as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Shortly after landfall, the storm weakened slightly to Category 4 at around 150 mph (241 km/h) as it moved across northwestern Jamaica. Whats happening on the ground The NHC characterized the situation as: This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation , and emphasized that catastrophic winds, flash flooding, and storm surge are underway in Jamaica. , and emphasized that catastrophic winds, flash flooding, and storm surge are underway in Jamaica. Reports across the island describe roofs torn off, flooding in low-lying areas, blocked roads in mountain regions and major power outages. Some estimates suggest over one-third of power customers in Jamaica lost electricity, and numerous structural damages (including hospitals) have been reported. in Jamaica lost electricity, and numerous structural damages (including hospitals) have been reported. Storm surge of up to 4 metres (13 feet) is expected along the south coast, and rainfall totals of up to 30 inches (760 mm) or more are being forecast for some interior areas. The forecast & concerns Melissa is moving slowly, which heightens the rainfall and flooding risk across Jamaicas mountainous terrain. After crossing Jamaica, the storm is projected to head toward eastern Cuba and potentially the Bahamas, still as a major hurricane. Jamaican officials say full damage assessment will take time, and aid efforts are being mobilized. Jamaican authorities and regional partners describe this event as possibly the worst natural disaster in the islands history given the intensity and expected scope of impact. Government & emergency response The Jamaican government declared a state of emergency and activated emergency shelters nationwide. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in especially vulnerable coastal and low-lying areas. Despite that, some communities reportedly opted to remain in place. International humanitarian and relief agencies are already preparing to deliver assistance post-storm. Key take-aways SHANGHAI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's instrument industry has solidified its status in the international market by leveraging both traditional craftsmanship and smart technology. At the recent Music China 2025 exhibition in east China's Shanghai, exhibitors showcased innovations like a headless electric guitar with built-in chips and audio algorithms for high-definition sampling, and an electronic keyboard with next-generation sound sources and smart interfaces, thereby providing all-in-one solutions for performance and songwriting. China has long been a global powerhouse in musical instrument manufacturing and exports. Its position has been reinforced through innovation and strategic adaptations -- as highlighted at the exhibition in Shanghai this year. According to the China Musical Instrument Association (CMIA), the industry's export value grew by 8.5 percent to 2.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. A key driver of this growth was the smart instrument segment, which emerged as a standout in 2024 -- with revenues of 5.655 billion yuan (around 797.8 million U.S. dollars). Smart instruments -- defined as devices blending traditional features with digital technologies like AI, include products such as smart electric pianos, electronic keyboards, stringless guitars, air drum sets and smart guitars. They offer functions like automatic accompaniment and real-time error correction -- thus significantly lowering learning barriers and enhancing musical expression. The integration of AI, IoT and cloud computing is reshaping the entire value chain of instrument R&D, manufacturing and consumption in China. The business model is evolving from mere hardware sales to a comprehensive approach encompassing "hardware, software, content and community." Some smart instruments retail between 2,000 and 5,000 yuan, with high-end smart pianos reaching the 10,000-yuan tier. This digital trend is poised to influence global market dynamics and music industry ecosystems in the coming years, according to the CMIA. "In the future, professionals in the instrument industry will likely need to understand not only musical notation but also digital programming," said an industry expert at the exhibition, which spanned 140,000 square meters. As the world's largest instrument trade platform, Music China 2025, organized by the CMIA in collaboration with international partners, attracted almost 1,700 enterprises from 28 countries and regions. Press Release from Business Wire: Geoswift (AFP) Oct 27, 2025 LAS VEGAS, Oct 27, 2025 (BSW) - Geoswift, a leading provider of cross-border payment services and solutions globally, today announced its integration with Circle Payments Network (CPN). Geoswift integrates its banking infrastructure with stablecoin-powered settlement system, enabling real-time, compliant, and cost-efficient B2B payments worldwide. Building on its role as an Originating Financial Institution (OFI) within CPN, Geoswift enables clients to expand into Latin America. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251024721293/en/ Raymond Qu, Group CEO and founder of Geoswift, and Sunil Sharma, VP Product Management at Circle, celebrating the partnership in Las Vegas. "Geoswift has built a trusted track record in delivering secure, compliant settlements across Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. By joining Circle Payments Network, we are modernizing that global reach with real-time stablecoin infrastructure - creating faster, more transparent cross-border flows for our enterprise clients," said Raymond Qu, Group CEO and founder of Geoswift. "Circle Payments Network empowers companies like Geoswift to reduce the complexity of cross-border settlement using stablecoins like USDC," said Sunil Sharma, VP Product Management at Circle. "Our growing network of participants are building the foundation for a global, always-on financial system that bridges traditional and digital economies." This integration reinforces Geoswift's commitment to driving innovation in cross-border payments, while maintaining the compliance and reliability that businesses demand in an increasingly digital global economy. About Geoswift Geoswift is an innovative global payment technology company specializing in APAC cross-border payments. Since its founding in 2010, the Geoswift brand has become synonymous with proprietary innovation, deep expertise in international and local regulatory frameworks, robust banking partnerships, and a strong global presence. Licensed in the United States, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong SAR-and supported by an extensive payment network spanning APAC, North America, EMEA and Latin America-Geoswift provides customized, end-to-end cross-border payment solutions for a broad spectrum of industries, including education, e-commerce, travel, and financial services. Its comprehensive product suite includes payment acceptance, business payouts, foreign exchange, multi-currency business accounts, card solutions, and more. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Geoswift has regional offices in Hong Kong, San Francisco, London and Singapore-offering seamless, localized payment solutions to clients across the globe. About Circle Payments Network Circle Technology Services, LLC (CTS) is the operator of Circle Payments Network (CPN) and offers products and services to financial institutions that participate in CPN to facilitate their CPN access and integration. CPN connects participating financial institutions around the world, with CTS serving as the technology service provider to participating financial institutions. While CTS does not hold funds or manage accounts on behalf of customers, we enable the global ecosystem of participating financial institutions to connect directly with each other, communicate securely, and settle directly with each other. CTS is not a party to transactions between participating financial institutions facilitated by CPN who use CPN to execute transactions at their own risk. Use of CPN is subject to the CPN Rules and the CPN Participation Agreement between CTS and a participating financial institution. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251024721293/en/ Contact Media Contact:Brenda [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: Regula (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 RESTON, Oct 28, 2025 (BSW) - As deepfakes and other impersonation attacks already hitone in three businessesworldwide, companies are resetting their defenses around biometrics. A newsurvey by Regula, a global developer of identity verification (IDV) solutions and forensic devices, shows that while biometrics currently ranks third in adoption, it is seen as the #1 must-have tool in the ideal future stack. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028919490/en/ Except for the telecom and banking sectors, which are already leveraging biometrics in full, other industries are aiming to increase their adoption of biometric verification tools. Based on the survey responses, biometrics stands out for both adoption and staying power, unlike other IDV methods: on a global level, it has the lowest drop-off rate among users and the highest growth potential, with 21% of non-users planning to add it soon. What's happening now Today, most companies still rely on familiar tools for fraud prevention: -- MFA (SMS codes, OTPs, app confirmations) - used by 40% globally. -- Behavioral biometrics (typing, swiping patterns) - 23%. -- Basic biometrics (fingerprints, face scans) - 22%. These methods became popular because they were easy to deploy, and they still block most simple everyday fraud-but the threat landscape has changed. With deepfakes and synthetic identities targeting organizations as often as basic fraud methods, these tools are no longer enough. What the ideal IDV stack looks like When asked to design their ideal future tech stack, companies chose a clear anchor: biometric verification. It is simple for users, scalable for businesses, and trusted by regulators. Once deployed, it almost never gets abandoned. For industries like aviation (29%), crypto (26%), and healthcare (26%), biometric verification is the top fraud-prevention tool. At the same time, some sectors are rebalancing their priorities. Banking and telecom, for example, are shifting focus toward fraud analytics, dark web intelligence, and compliance-driven tools like watchlists, alerts, and liveness checks. But even here, biometrics remains part of the picture-just embedded in a broader, hybrid approach to counter evolving threats and meet regulatory demands. Human review ranks second, mainly because of compliance-heavy markets like Germany and Singapore, where regulators require a person to sign off on sensitive decisions. Banking and crypto follow this model to ensure accountability and customer rights. MFA remains widespread, particularly in banking, healthcare, and telecom. In fintech, adoption is set to rise from 23% to 31%. However, the role of MFA is shifting: no longer the main defense, it is increasingly treated as a supporting safeguard that works best when paired with stronger biometric checks. "The fraud landscape has changed dramatically, with sophisticated impersonation attacks becoming mainstream. The future of fraud prevention isn't about relying on easy-to-deploy solutions in isolation. It's about building resilient, layered defenses with advanced biometric verification as a backbone and orchestration tying it all together," says Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula. Download the full report These findings are part of Regula's new study, Identity Verification 2025: 5 Threats and 5 Opportunities. Download it now from Regula's website. About Regula Regula is a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions. With our 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the most comprehensive library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies for document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security, or speed. Regula has been recognized in the 2025 Gartner(R) Magic Quadrant? for Identity Verification. Learn more at www.regulaforensics.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028919490/en/ Contact Kristina - [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: Rochester Electronics, LLC (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 NEWBURYPORT, Oct 28, 2025 (BSW) - As the semiconductor industry navigates evolving supply dynamics, Rochester Electronics continues to provide immediate access to in-stock, authorized Nexperia products-ensuring uninterrupted support for manufacturers worldwide. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251027747553/en/ Rochester Electronics Delivers In-Stock Nexperia Products With Nexperia components playing a critical role in automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics, many OEMs are proactively seeking stable, authorized supply channels to maintain production schedules and avoid costly redesigns. "Our mission is to support continuity and confidence in the supply chain," said Nick Rabbitt, VP of Global Supplier Development. "We offer a robust inventory of 2.9 billion active and end-of-life (EOL) Nexperia devices. This ensures customers have access to risk-free, traceable inventory when and where they need it." Rochester's global logistics infrastructure and commitment to long-term product availability make it a trusted resource for manufacturers facing time-sensitive demands. All products are certified and guaranteed, helping customers avoid disruptions and maintain compliance. About Rochester Electronics Rochester Electronics is the world's largest continuous source of semiconductors-100% Authorized by over 70 leading semiconductor manufacturers. As an original manufacturer stocking distributor, Rochester has over 15 billion devices in stock, encompassing more than 200,000 part numbers, providing the world's most extensive range of end-of-life (EOL) semiconductors and the broadest range of active semiconductors. As a licensed semiconductor manufacturer, Rochester has manufactured over 20,000 device types. With over 12 billion die in stock, Rochester has the capability to manufacture over 70,000 device types. Rochester o?ers a full range of manufacturing services, including Design, Wafer Processing, Assembly, Test, Reliability, and IP Archiving, providing single solutions through to full turnkey manufacturing, enabling faster time-to-market. Rochester is the Semiconductor Lifecycle Solution.? No other company compares to the breadth of Rochester's product selection, value-added services, and manufacturing solutions. With direct sales and support staff in all major markets, we aim to meet your needs over the phone or via our e-commerce platforms anytime, anywhere. For more information, visit: www.rocelec.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251027747553/en/ Contact Rochester Electronics, LLCDirector, Global Marketing: Tracey CorbittEmail: [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: Guidewire Software, Inc. (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 LAS VEGAS, Oct 28, 2025 (BSW) - CONNECTIONS CONFERENCE--Guidewire (NYSE: GWRE) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ProNav Technologies Ltd. (d/b/a ProNavigator), a knowledge management platform purpose-built for the P&C insurance industry. ProNavigator delivers precise, context-aware best practice information directly within insurance workflows, helping professionals work faster and more effectively. Its platform captures, connects, and surfaces institutional knowledge across claims, underwriting, and distribution. Used by 34 insurance organizations, including 12 shared customers with Guidewire, ProNavigator helps increase productivity, reduce claim cycle times, personalize customer service, and accelerate employee onboarding. Once the acquisition is complete, Guidewire will integrate ProNavigator's insurance-trained intelligence across its platform, delivering advanced search and contextual knowledge retrieval capabilities for underwriters, claims adjusters, brokers, agents, and customer service representatives. "ProNavigator, inside of Guidewire, makes every insurance professional an expert," said Mike Rosenbaum, Chief Executive Officer, Guidewire. "It helps people work smarter, providing faster responses, clearer communication, and personalized guidance to create a more modern experience for their customers. We're excited to welcome Joseph D'Souza and the ProNavigator team to Guidewire." ProNavigator's flexible architecture enables insurers to extend its use across personal and commercial lines. It enhances Guidewire's underwriting, policy administration, and claims solutions by providing users with instant knowledge retrieval, empowering them to make faster, better-informed decisions at every step of the insurance lifecycle. "By delivering role-specific insights in real-time, we're reshaping how insurance professionals access knowledge," said Joseph D'Souza, Chief Executive Officer, ProNavigator. "Joining Guidewire enables us to extend our impact across the industry and empower even more insurance teams to work smarter and serve their customers better." "Context-aware knowledge is the next frontier of intelligence for the P&C industry," said Laura Drabik, Chief Evangelist, Guidewire. "Our acquisition of ProNavigator, a participant in Guidewire's Insurtech Vanguards incubator program, strengthens our ability to deliver contextual knowledge that helps insurers work more efficiently and deliver a higher quality of customer service." The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of Guidewire's fiscal year 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. About ProNavigator ProNavigator is the AI-enabled knowledge management platform built for insurance. Our solution consolidates and delivers accurate, up-to-date answers for distribution, underwriting, claims, and customer service teams - so they spend less time searching and more time delivering value. With 34 insurance customers across the U.S. and Canada, ProNavigator is helping carriers, MGAs, and brokers work smarter, move faster, and serve better. To learn more, visit www.pronavigator.ai. About Guidewire Guidewire is the platform P&C insurers trust to engage, innovate, and grow efficiently. More than 570 insurers in 43 countries, from new ventures to the largest and most complex in the world, rely on Guidewire products. With core systems leveraging data and analytics, digital, and artificial intelligence, Guidewire defines cloud platform excellence for P&C insurers. We are proud of our unparalleled implementation record, with 1,700+ successful projects supported by the industry's largest R&D team and SI partner ecosystem. Our marketplace represents the largest partner community in P&C, where customers can access hundreds of applications to accelerate integration, localization, and innovation. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn. NOTE: For information about Guidewire trademarks, visit https://www.guidewire.com/legal-notices. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028731429/en/ Contact Melissa CobbDirector, Public RelationsGuidewire Software, [email protected] 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Press Release from Business Wire: CSC (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 WILMINGTON, Oct 28, 2025 (BSW) - Nine-in-10 (91%) senior legal professionals are concerned about the threat of online intellectual property (IP) infringement, according to new research commissioned by CSC, the leading provider of global business administration and compliance solutions. While 85% report an increase in IP infringements at their firms over the past 12 months, 90% are expecting more in the year ahead with 89% predicting continued escalation over the next three years. While the most common forms of IP infringement are rated as counterfeiting, trademark abuse, and brand impersonation, all of which can erode consumer trust and inflict long-term financial and reputation damage, the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) looms large-88% say AI-enabled systems are driving an increase in infringement activity, and 93% are concerned that AI-generated fake assets such as logos, images, and content could materially harm their business. The findings come from CSC's latest study1, "IP Frontiers Report 2025: Proactive Security Against IP Infringement," that surveyed 300 senior legal, compliance, and IP professionals in Europe including the U.K., Asia Pacific, and North America. "With how much commerce and communication takes place online, a brand's reputation is built on its online presence and guarding it is a responsibility companies should take seriously," says Ihab Shraim, chief technology officer, CSC's Digital Brand Services division. "There's a massive influx of sophisticated threat vectors targeting corporations, and the easiest targets are domain names and IP. In the past, fraudsters would send hundreds of thousands of phishing emails hoping that 2% or 3% would respond. Today, fraudulent activity is more targeted and comes with a much higher rate of success, particularly as AI quickly becomes a major accelerant." CSC's study also finds that fake domain names are often the first step in large-scale infringement campaigns. Although 76% of organizations have a domain management strategy in place, only 16% of legal teams have total visibility into how their portfolios are managed-creating oversights that leave brands exposed to fraud, phishing, and impersonation. Many firms are adapting to these threats, with partnerships with third-party specialists playing a growing role. Two-thirds (67%) of respondents say they expect significant increases in brand protection and IP enforcement budgets over the next three years, and more than half (56%) say they already outsource some of their monitoring efforts-a trend expected to rise as organizations seek more advanced tools and faster takedown mechanisms. "The ability for fraudsters to carry out IP infringements is iterating at such a pace that it will be to everyone's benefit to be more aware of what's happening, to be more security minded, and to foster stronger collaboration among internal teams and external specialists," says Ian McConnel, chief legal officer at CSC. "Like it or not, domain management is a key part of cybersecurity strategies, not just protecting your crown jewel domain names. "Reactive defenses are no longer enough. Fraudsters exploit low-cost, fast-moving tools to impersonate brands at scale. As AI adoption expands the avenues for infringement, companies that adopt proactive, multi-layered protection-integrating legal, IT, and security teams, and partnering with trusted corporate registrars-will be best positioned to safeguard brand reputation in the AI era." About CSC CSC is the trusted security and threat intelligence provider of choice for the Forbes Global 2000 and the 100 Best Global Brands (Interbrand(R)) with focus areas in domain security and management, along with digital brand and fraud protection. As global companies make significant investments in their security posture, our DomainSecSM platform can help them understand cybersecurity oversights that exist and help them secure their online digital assets and brands. By leveraging CSC's proprietary technology, companies can solidify their security posture to protect against cyber threat vectors targeting their online assets and brand reputation, helping them avoid devastating revenue loss. CSC also provides online brand protection-the combination of online brand monitoring and enforcement activities-with a multidimensional view of various threats outside the firewall targeting specific domains. Fraud protection services that combat phishing in the early stages of attack round out our solutions. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, since 1899, CSC has offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. CSC is a global company capable of doing business wherever our clients are-and we accomplish that by employing experts in every business we serve. Visit cscglobal.com. 1CSC, in partnership with Pure Profile, surveyed 300 senior legal professionals, including general counsels, chief legal officers, and chief compliance officers practicing in Europe, the U.K., North America, and Asia Pacific, via an online methodology. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251028810730/en/ Contact CDRHassan Ali | Thomas [email protected] CSCLaura CrozierPR [email protected] CSC News Room 2025 Business Wire, Inc.Disclaimer:This press release is not a document produced by AFP. AFP shall not bear responsibility for its content. In case you have any questions about this press release, please refer to the contact person/entity mentioned in the text of the press release. Microsoft holds 27% of OpenAI in revamped partnership San Francisco, United States, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Microsoft and OpenAI announced Tuesday a sweeping overhaul of their landmark artificial intelligence (AI) partnership, giving both companies greater independence while maintaining their close collaboration. Microsoft will hold approximately 27 percent of the restructured OpenAI, an investment valued at roughly $135 billion, as the ChatGPT maker transitions to a public benefit corporation structure, according to a blog post on the OpenAI website. OpenAI has also committed to purchasing $250 billion in Azure cloud services from the tech giant, though Microsoft no longer holds first refusal rights as OpenAI's compute provider. In the deal, Microsoft's intellectual rights for both OpenAI's models and products are extended through 2032. "As we enter the next phase of this partnership, we've signed a new definitive agreement that builds on our foundation, strengthens our partnership, and sets the stage for long-term success for both organizations," the companies said in a joint statement. Regulators have signed off on the arrangement, according to the companies. Microsoft has been a key investor in the ChatGPT-maker as OpenAI became the major player in the spending frenzy around generative AI, the technology that Silicon Valley believes will soon take over important aspects of everyday life. But OpenAI, under the leadership of CEO Sam Altman, has increasingly looked to expand its partnerships with other companies, raising questions as to whether its deal with Microsoft was still tenable. The partnership began in 2019 when Microsoft invested $1 billion in what was then a small AI research organization founded in 2015 by tech luminaries including Elon Musk. Microsoft deepened its commitment in 2021 with additional funding, and again in January 2023 with a reported $10 billion investment following the explosive popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot, which launched in November 2022. The partnership transformed both companies. OpenAI evolved from a research lab into one of the world's most valuable startups, while Microsoft initially gained a commanding position in the AI race, integrating OpenAI's technology -- rebranded as Copilot -- across its product lineup from Bing search to Office applications. The relationship faced turbulence in November 2023 when OpenAI's board abruptly fired Altman, only to reinstate him days later following an employee revolt and pressure from Microsoft. The episode exposed tensions over OpenAI's governance and direction as it balanced its nonprofit origins with commercial ambitions. The new deal with Microsoft is part of OpenAI's revamp of its company structure to prevent further instability and attract new investors. - Curing ills? - The arrangement will see OpenAI given more flexibility in its future including the ability to develop products with third parties and serve some of its products on competing cloud platforms. "We really think we can now take this technology -- this sort of framework we built -- and get the whole world to build amazing new companies and services and applications on top of it," Altman said in a streamed chat. The initial focus of the OpenAI nonprofit that controls the public benefit coporation part of the startup is a $25 billion commitment to helping cure disease and maximizing benefits of generative AI while minimizing its risks, according to Altman. Microsoft, meanwhile, can independently pursue AGI development alone or with other partners. This refers to the pursuit of artificial general intelligence, a level of AI development that matches or exceeds human capability and was a crucial aspect in the company's previous agreements. ALMATY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry are working together to address the implications of U.S. sanctions recently imposed on Russia's Lukoil energy corporation, the Kazinform news agency reported Tuesday, citing Kazakhstan's Deputy Energy Minister Sanzhar Zharkeshov. It was previously reported that the U.S. Treasury Department had announced sanctions on Lukoil, one of Russia's largest oil producers, in an attempt to pressure Moscow into agreeing to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Following this, Lukoil announced that it would be selling its international assets. Zharkeshov said that a potential purchase of Lukoil assets in Kazakhstan is being worked out with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nurlan Zhakupov, chairman of the Board of Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna, said that for Kazakhstan and its national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG), Lukoil "has been and remains a reliable partner." Lukoil has been operating in Kazakhstan since 1995. Recently, Lukoil and KMG began implementing the Kalamkas-Sea and Khazar Fields joint development project on the Caspian Shelf. UK, Turkey sign $11-bn Eurofighter deal as Starmer visits Ankara, Oct 27 (AFP) Oct 27, 2025 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement to sell Eurofighter jets to NATO member Turkey in a 10-year deal worth nearly $11 billion after talks Monday with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "This is a really significant deal, because it's pound8 billion ($10.7 billion) worth of orders... These are jobs that will last for 10 years, making the (Eurofighter) Typhoons, so really big for our country," Starmer said. Britain's defence ministry described the order, which involves 20 Eurofighter Typhoon planes, as the "biggest fighter jet deal in a generation", saying it would strengthen Turkey's combat capabilities and bolster "NATO's strength in a key region". Starmer said the deal would "bolster security across NATO" and secure 20,000 British jobs, adding it included the option to supply more Eurofighters in the future. Erdogan hailed the agreement as "a new symbol of the strategic relations" with Britain, and thanked the other members of the four-nation consortium that builds the jets: Germany, Italy and Spain. British defence minister John Healey, who travelled to Ankara with Starmer, said the deal "goes far beyond" aircraft. "It is the leading edge of the growing defence and industrial partnership between our two nations," he said, calling Turkey "an important NATO ally and the gatekeeper to the Black Sea". - Spying scandal - But the high-profile visit was clouded by a spying scandal that erupted late on Sunday, after a Turkish court charged Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor with espionage over his links to a Turkish businessman allegedly spying for Britain. Neither side commented on the affair, which dominated the headlines in Turkey on Monday morning. Starmer arrived with Healey and Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, the head of Britain's air force, who were welcomed by their Turkish counterparts, Turkey's defence ministry said. As part of Starmer's visit, three Eurofighter jets of the Royal Air Force also arrived in Turkey, the ministry added. Apart from those three jets escorted to an air base near Ankara, two more Eurofighter jets also arrived in Turkey, a Turkish security source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. It was not immediately clear whether the two jets would be handed over to Turkey or would be used for the training of Turkish pilots. Ankara has been looking to modernise its air force and is pushing to acquire 40 of the European-made fighter aircraft. Negotiations with London gained pace after Germany in July lifted its veto on the sale over Ankara's hardline stance on the Gaza war. "Turkey and the Eurofighter is quite the saga," Aaron Stein, head of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told AFP, saying Ankara had turned down an offer to join the European consortium building the jets, focusing instead on the US F-35 fighter jet programme. After Washington booted Ankara out of its F-35 programme in 2019 over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defence system, Turkey turned its attention to Europe. - Qatari leader's visit - Last week, Erdogan held talks in Doha with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with Turkey floating plans to acquire some of the emirate's Eurofighters. Qatar ordered 24 Eurofighters in 2017, with the last two due to be delivered this year. It moved to acquire 12 more late last year, observers said. Any such move would likely be part of the deal with London, which would have to grant its approval for a transfer, analysts said. The Qatari leader is in Ankara on Tuesday for talks to clarify certain outstanding issues, the Turkish official said. The Eurofighter jets delivered to Turkey on Monday were likely to be those that had been destined for Qatar, Stein said. Instead of being sent to Doha, "they'll simply be shipped to Turkey," he explained. Gaza's future was also likely to feature in talks between Erdogan and Starmer, with Turkey keen to join an international stabilisation force -- an idea opposed by Israel. US B-1B bombers fly off coast of Venezuela: flight tracking data Washington, Oct 27 (AFP) Oct 27, 2025 A pair of B-1B bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela on Monday, flight tracking data showed, in the third such show of force by US military aircraft in recent weeks. The flight of the long-range supersonic bombers comes as Washington carries out a military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the region, deploying forces that have sparked fears in Caracas that regime change is the ultimate goal. Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers -- which took off from a base in the northern US state of North Dakota -- flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast before disappearing from view. That followed another flight near Venezuela by at least one B-1B last week, and another by multiple B-52 bombers the week before. The United States has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to Latin America, has deployed 10 F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico and currently has seven US Navy ships in the Caribbean as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts. Washington's forces have carried out strikes on at least 10 alleged drug-smuggling vessels -- nine boats and a semi-submersible -- since early September, killing at least 43 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures. But the United States has yet to release evidence that the vessels it has targeted were used to smuggle drugs. Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign and the accompanying military buildup, with Venezuela accusing the United States of plotting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, who has accused Washington of "fabricating a war." Google unveils plan to restart US nuclear plant to power AI infrastructure New York, Oct 27 (AFP) Oct 27, 2025 Google unveiled a plan Monday to restart a nuclear facility in Iowa to power the company's artificial intelligence infrastructure in the latest collaboration between tech giants and electric industry players. Under an announcement with electric power company NextEra Energy, the Duane Arnold Energy Center, which shuttered in 2020, would return to service in 2029 "to help power Google's growing cloud and AI infrastructure in Iowa," the companies said in a joint press release. Google signed off on a 25-year agreement to purchase power from the facility once it is restarted. The plant will be 100 percent owned by NextEra, which struck a deal with minority owners to purchase the share in the plant it doesn't currently own, the companies said. "As the US enters a new era of innovation and opportunity driven by AI, this strategic collaboration aims to enable Google to grow its business needs responsibly," said the press release, which praised nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of power. AI has emerged as a major source of energy demand. In April, the International Energy Agency projected that electricity consumption by data centers will more than double by 2030. Google has announced other initiatives to secure additional power capacity, including a venture with Elementl Power to develop three advanced nuclear power plants in the United States. In another sign of the times, the power company Constellation is in the process of restarting the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania following a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft. That facility had closed in 2019 due to economic reasons, but it is also known for a near-catastrophic meltdown there in 1979. AU condemns atrocities, 'war crimes' in Sudan's El-Fasher Addis Ababa, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 The African Union chairman condemned on Tuesday alleged "atrocities" and reported "war crimes" in Sudan's strategic hub of El-Fasher and called for an immediate halt to fighting. After an 18-month siege, the city was seized in October by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group which Sudanese army troops have been fighting since April 2023. African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf "expresses deep concern over the escalating violence and reported atrocities" in El-Fasher, said a statement on X, condemning "alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians". He also called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow life-saving aid to reach affected populations". Youssouf emphasised there could be "no military solution" to the crisis, urging all parties to engage in dialogue to "commit to a peaceful, inclusive political process". On Monday, Sudan's army admitted it had withdrawn from El-Fasher as the United Nations issued stark warnings over atrocities by the RSF. The capture of the city in western Darfur could mark a significant turning point in Sudan's war, which has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million. dyg/rbu/er/ach US government inks $80 bn nuclear 'partnership' for AI Washington, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 The Trump administration has entered into a new $80 billion "strategic partnership" to boost nuclear power generation to support AI deployment, one of its partners on the project announced Tuesday. The initiative anticipates "at least $80 billion of new reactors" across the United States to "accelerate nuclear power and artificial intelligence deployment in America," said a press release from Brookfield Asset Management, which will partner with Westinghouse Electric Company and Cameco Corporation. The press release did not specify a timeframe for the buildout. A Brookfield spokesman said the announcement was related to Trump's May executive order to have 10 "new large reactors with complete design under construction by 2030." The US government is responsible for the capital to begin the project, the Brookfield spokesman said. The announcement marks Washington's most tangible investment in nuclear power since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Tech giants such as Google and Microsoft have also unveiled major nuclear initiatives to meet hefty AI-related energy demand. The initiative "will help unleash President Trump's grand vision to fully energize America and win the global AI race," said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. "President Trump promised a renaissance of nuclear power, and now he is delivering." Besides the AI "race," which the Trump administration characterizes as a national security priority, the press release also hints at a considerable economic lift from the venture. Each two-unit Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear project "sustains 45,000 manufacturing and engineering jobs in 43 states" and national deployment will create more than 100,000 construction jobs, said the joint press release. tu-jmb/aha BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT GOOGLE MICROSOFT Mexico searches for survivor of US strikes on Pacific boats Mexico City, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 The Mexican Navy on Tuesday confirmed it was searching for the sole survivor of US strikes on four alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean that left 14 dead. The Navy said that the operation was taking place more than 400 nautical miles southwest of the port of Acapulco and was carried out at the request of the US Coast Guard. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said 14 "narcoterrorists" were killed in Monday's strikes, which bring to at least 57 the numbers killed in Washington's anti-narcotics campaign. He did not give the nationalities of the latest victims. The attacks are the first confirmed to have taken place near Mexican waters since the US launched its offensive against Latin American drug traffickers last month. "We do not agree with these attacks," left-wing President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference, calling on Washington to "comply with all international treaties." Sheinbaum added that the issue of drug trafficking to the United States should be dealt with through diplomatic channels. A drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows farmers harvesting rice in a field in Fengnan District of Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. The rice harvest season has arrived in Tangshan City, where farmers are seizing the good weather to accelerate harvesting. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) A farmer harvests rice in a field in Fengnan District of Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province, Oct. 27, 2025. The rice harvest season has arrived in Tangshan City, where farmers are seizing the good weather to accelerate harvesting. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a farmer harvesting rice in a field in Fengnan District of Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. The rice harvest season has arrived in Tangshan City, where farmers are seizing the good weather to accelerate harvesting. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a farmer harvesting rice in a field in Fengnan District of Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. The rice harvest season has arrived in Tangshan City, where farmers are seizing the good weather to accelerate harvesting. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows farmers harvesting rice in a field in Fengnan District of Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. The rice harvest season has arrived in Tangshan City, where farmers are seizing the good weather to accelerate harvesting. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) Rather than a ringleader, Fawkes was working under the direction of Robert Catesby, a Catholic of aristocratic background who wished to kill off James I, then the King of England and a strong Protestant who detested those following Papal teachings. Fawkes was recruited for his knowledge of explosives, which he knew well from his time fighting in Spain, during the Eighty Years' War. He helped Catesby recruit other Catholics who wanted the king gone and, famously, was in the end found below the House of Lords guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. It was easily enough to have destroyed the houses of parliament, killing all those attending the state opening of government and for his part in it, Fawkes was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered a process which would have seen him have his genetalia cut off in front of his very eyes, before being disembowelled. Fortunately for Fawkes, his neck broke when he was hanged, killing him and sparing him the rest of his punishment. Allow Google Search To use the search feature, we need your consent to load Google Custom Search, which may use cookies or similar technologies. Please click 'Allow and Continue' below to enable search. See our privacy policy for more information. Allow and Continue Prosecutors said investigations found that the company did have processes in place which, if implemented correctly, would have minimised the risk of the plant having to shut down on April 21, 2019, and would therefore have avoided the flaring that occurred thereafter. She added: We were in two minds about getting on the actual flight, although the crew and the pilot assured us that they were confident that it should go ahead so we went with that and now I really wish that we hadnt gone. The fact that the Education Minister has undertaken this tour in the context of what has been recognised by the UN as a genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as Israels consistent disregard and abuse of international laws in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is deeply troubling, they said. Judge Bishop said: The emails do not mention Allin-Khan by name, but it is difficult to understand why you, Lee White from Littleport near Ely, should be so focussed on sending this type of message to Allin-Khan, the MP for Tooting. The former Tory did not indicate how many Civil Service jobs would be cut under the plans, but added: What I can confidently say, though, is that we are going to get this overall headcount of the centre of the Civil Service base in Whitehall back down below the levels it was at before Brexit. ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- African agricultural experts have called for intensified cooperation between China and Africa to boost agricultural productivity through science, technology and innovation. The call was made during the 2025 General Assembly of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, which opened on Monday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, assistant director-general and regional representative for Africa of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said China and Africa need to focus on capacity-building programs where African agricultural scientists and technicians can acquire knowledge on agricultural modernization such as agricultural robotics, precision farming and gene editing. "Africa's agri-food systems face deep structural bottlenecks, ranging from low productivity and extreme vulnerability to shocks, fragmented value-chains and limited access to markets and finance," said Haile-Gabriel, urging African countries to invest more in agricultural development and technology adaptation to address food insecurity challenges. Gaspard Banyankimbona, African Union (AU) commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, emphasized the need for deeper cooperation to leverage China's expertise in modern farming, digital technologies, and water management. "There is a need to promote joint research and localize climate-resilient agricultural technologies in Africa to ensure that innovation is effectively adapted to agro-ecological conditions and socio-economic context of the continent," Banyankimbona said. President of the African Academy of Sciences Lise Korsten said African countries, through the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Program, can enhance agricultural productivity by adapting proven technologies of China in dry-land farming, water-saving irrigation, and climate adaptation. "In China, heritage informs innovation, from unique rice varieties in terraced paddies to Juncao technology for sustainable cultivation. By certifying these products through food attestation -- verifying origin, quality, and sustainability -- Africa can empower its farmers, preserve biodiversity, and create premium and traceable value chains," she said. The general assembly, co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the African Academy of Sciences, and the Mission of China to the AU, brought together over 200 scientists, policymakers, and representatives from agricultural institutions across China and Africa. Defend Our Juries spokesman Dr Clive Dolphin said: This is about here in the UK, people having the right to protest, the right to speak up to government when they think the government has got something wrong, and fundamentally this is about the fact that the British people oppose genocide. However she insisted none of these had been insurmountable, and that the IMA issue could have been resolved if the UK Government had been a good colleague and collaborated on delivering something all four UK nations were looking at bringing in. Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch and Richard Linklater attend the Austin premiere of "Nouvelle Vague" on Oct. 27, 2025. Provided by Austin Film Society / Lauren Slusher The air outside the Austin Film Society Cinema smelled faintly of tobacco and nostalgia on Monday night as Richard Linklater premiered Nouvelle Vague, his cinematic love letter to Jean-Luc Godards Breathless. Inside, Linklater was joined by stars Zoey Deutch and Guillaume Marbeck for a Q&A that felt half film theory seminar, half seance for the spirit of French New Wave. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Linklaters love letter to 'Breathless,' filmmaking "Nouvelle Vague" will release in select American theaters on Oct. 31, 2025. Provided by Austin Film Society / Netflix The film, a meticulous black-and-white re-creation of 1959 Paris, follows the making of Breathless but its also about the act of creation itself. As Linklater put it, Anything can be a film. He approaches the movie like an excavation, using the same model camera that shot Breathless and reconstructing Godards chaos through careful rehearsal and historical precision. Deutch, who plays American actress Jean Seberg, described the paradox of embodying spontaneity through discipline: It was the least free I could possibly ever feel, she said, laughing. But the constraints were fun almost spiritual. The result, she noted, is a layered performance in which she plays Seberg, Patricia, and Jean playing Patricia each with its own voice and body. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Marbeck, who portrays the young Godard, reflected on how Breathless once represented rebellion for French film students. Wed make something messy, and teachers would say it didnt work, he said. Wed just say, Yeah, but Godard made 'Breathless.'' They had no answer. Between references to Truffaut and talk of subtitles, the trio also dug into the politics of making art. Linklater, an Austin fixture and champion of independent film, praised Frances robust arts funding system. We could all learn things from France, he said. They walk it like they talk it. One city like Paris spends more on the arts than our entire country. He urged the crowd to fight for Texas own film incentive program: Put the pressure on the politicians let everybody know whats important. Call them, threaten, or whatever, he joked, to laughter and applause. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Richard Linklater, Zoey Deutch and Guillaume Marbeck attend the Austin premiere of "Nouvelle Vague" on Oct. 27, 2025. Provided by Austin Film Society / Lauren Slusher But amid all the cinephile chatter, the night never lost its sense of play. Linklater admitted that part of making "Nouvelle Vague" was about meeting his heroesliterally. During one shoot in Paris, the crew visited Jean Sebergs grave while dressed in character. The rain stopped, the sun broke through, and the cameras rolled. I dont even believe in ghosts, Linklater said, but that was one of those moments. A man visits the "Colorful Brushstrokes upon the Earth: the 2025 Chinese Farmers' Paintings Exhibition" at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. The exhibition opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A woman visits the "Colorful Brushstrokes upon the Earth: the 2025 Chinese Farmers' Paintings Exhibition" at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. The exhibition opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A man visits the "Colorful Brushstrokes upon the Earth: the 2025 Chinese Farmers' Paintings Exhibition" at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. The exhibition opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A woman visits the "Colorful Brushstrokes upon the Earth: the 2025 Chinese Farmers' Paintings Exhibition" at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. The exhibition opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A woman takes photos at the "Colorful Brushstrokes upon the Earth: the 2025 Chinese Farmers' Paintings Exhibition" at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. The exhibition opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) A woman visits the "Colorful Brushstrokes upon the Earth: the 2025 Chinese Farmers' Paintings Exhibition" at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. The exhibition opened here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) Crudo is serves as The Best Restaurants in Austin Food Tour visits Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman The Michelin Guide returns to Texas today, with a new round of stars, Bib Gourmands and other awards set to be revealed. The internationally renowned guide debuted its Lone Star edition last year, honoring 117 restaurants across Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth. The awards ceremony will stream live from Houston on the guide's YouTube channel beginning at 7 p.m. The launch of last years inaugural Texas Guide marked a major moment for the states dining scene. Austin led the pack with seven of the 15 Michelin stars awarded, while Houston followed with six. The guide also highlighted restaurants with the Bib Gourmand distinction recognizing great meals at good value and Green Stars for leaders in sustainability. Below is a look back at the Texas restaurants that earned Michelin recognition in 2024. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Barley Swine: 1 Michelin star Grilled Akaushi ribeye from Barley Swine, Oct. 2, 2025. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Chef Bryce Gilmores farm-to-table tasting menu earned one star for its inventive, seasonal dishes and focus on Texas ingredients. The restaurant was also recognized in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Craft Omakase: 1 Michelin star Tuna tartare at Craft Omakase. SARA DIGGINS/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Praised for its precise and creative sushi, this omakase destination impressed inspectors with its balance of flavor and technique. Craft Omakase came in at No. 11 in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin.. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Dai Due: Bib Gourmand, Green Star A large Peaceful Pork chop, cooked over post oak, paired with Sangiovese "The Source" Grower Project red wine from Dai Due in Austin on Oct. 30, 2024. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman Chef Jesse Griffiths restaurant was recognized for both its commitment to local sourcing and sustainable cooking practices. Dai Due came in at No. 3 in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Emmer & Rye: Bib Gourmand, Green Star Red snapper crudo at Emmer & Rye. MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICAN-STATESMAN The downtown Austin restaurant, known for its grain-forward menus and whole-animal approach, earned recognition for quality and sustainability. Emmer & Rye was recognized in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Hestia: 1 Michelin star The live fire cooking at Hestia won a star for the downtown Austin restaurant in 2024. Ricardo Brazziell, Ricardo B. Brazziell A live-fire fine dining experience from the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, Hestia earned a star for its bold, modern cooking. Interstellar BBQ: 1 Michelin star A tray of barbecue at Interstellar BBQ. Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Chef John Bates inventive approach to smoked meats elevated Texas barbecue to star status. The barbecue joint was also recognized in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Advertisement Article continues below this ad La Barbecue: 1 Michelin star La Barbecue serves some of the best brisket in Central Texas. American-Statesman file East Austins beloved smokehouse, operated by Alison Clem, received a star for its consistently stellar brisket and soulful sides. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue: 1 Michelin star Flat iron steak and pulled pork with kimchi, carrots and grain salad at LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue. MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Known for its new school approach to Texas barbecue, this South Austin favorite joined the citys star-studded list. The joint came in at No. 9 in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Olamaie: 1 Michelin star Rabbit roulade at Olamaie. MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Chef Michael Fojtaseks Southern-inspired fine dining restaurant earned a star for refined comfort food and elegant presentation. The Statesman recognized Olamaie as the No. 14 spot in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Nixta Taqueria Bib Gourmand, Michelin Young Chef Award Chef and owner Edgar Rico talks to guests as The Best Restaurants in Austin Food Tour visits Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman Chef Edgar Rico took home the Young Chef Award, while Nixta was celebrated for its creative Mexican dishes and handmade masa. Nixta Taqueria came in at No. 15 in the Statesman's 2025 list of the 40 Best Restaurants in Austin. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Other Austin Bib Gourmand honorees: A tray of smoked turkey, brisket, ribs and sausage, alongside coleslaw, baked beans, Wonder Bread and potato salad at Franklin Barbecue in Austin on Thursday, August 22, 2019. Austin American-Statesman file/2019 Briscuits, Cuantos Tacos, Distant Relatives, Franklin Barbecue, Kemuri Tatsu-ya, KG BBQ, La Santa Barbacha, Micklethwait Craft Meats, Nixta Taqueria, Odd Duck, Ramen del Barrio, Veracruz Fonda & Bar and Barbs B Q (Lockhart). Recommended restaurants: Taquitos de beef and pork with salsa habanero escabeche and tomatillo Discada. AMERICAN-STATESMAN FILE John Bates of Interstellar BBQ receives his honor from the Michelin Guide at the 2024 Texas ceremony. PROVIDED BY ZACH HILTY/BFA.COM UPDATE: The ceremony will not stream live on Michelin's YouTube channel, but Houston television station KHOU is streaming the ceremony on YouTube. Local station KVUE+ is also streaming the ceremony. KVUE+ is available on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV. EARLIER: Eateries across the Lone Star State are holding their breath tonight as the Michelin Guide a prestigious restaurant resource for travelers returns to Texas for its second year. Chefs from Austin to Houston will find out whether their restaurants earned, retained or lost Michelin stars or scored other coveted distinctions such as the Bib Gourmand or Green star. Follow our live blog for updates from tonight's ceremony. Advertisement Article continues below this ad How to watch the Michelin Guide ceremony The 2025 Michelin Guide Texas awards ceremony begins at 7 p.m. at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston. Attendance is by invitation only, but food lovers can watch the event via livestream on YouTube through the Michelin Guides official channel. Austins strong showing last year Alison Clem, center, owner of La Barbecue, which she founded with her late wife, LeAnn Mueller, was one of four barbecue operators in the state of Texas to earn a Michelin Star awarded by International Director for Michelin Guide, Gwendal Poullennec, right, on Monday, Nov. 11, in Houston. Zach Hilty/Provided by BFA.com Austin led the state during last years inaugural Texas Guide ceremony. The Texas capital earned seven of the 15 Michelin Stars awarded statewide. Houston followed with six. Across Texas, a total of 117 restaurants received recognition, spanning from Michelin stars, Bib Gourmands, Green Stars and recommended restaurants. The recognition solidified Austins reputation as a culinary powerhouse, home to chefs and restaurants that embody creativity and innovation rooted in local flavor. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What is the Michelin Guide? Plating elegance at Olamaie matches the sophisticated mood of the modern Southern restaurant. AARON E. MARTINEZ Founded by French tire manufacturers Andre and Edouard Michelin in 1889, the Michelin Guide began as a way to encourage road travel and tire sales. Over the decades, it evolved into a global culinary authority, synonymous with excellence and precision. Rabbit roulade at Olamaie. MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Michelins anonymous inspectors evaluate restaurants using five key criteria: Advertisement Article continues below this ad Quality of products Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques Personality of the chef in the cuisine Harmony of flavors Consistency across visits Stars are awarded as follows: One star: Worth a stop high-quality cooking, worth visiting. Worth a stop high-quality cooking, worth visiting. Two stars: Worth a detour refined, inspired cuisine. Worth a detour refined, inspired cuisine. Three stars: Worth a special journey exceptional dishes, culinary art. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In addition to its famous stars, the guide also recognizes: Members of Isidore pose for a photo with Bibendum after being awarded with a star during the Michelin Guide Ceremony at the Wortham Center in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle The stars changed the lives of the chefs and owners who received them. All of the Austin recipients reported record sales in the months following the awards. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Todays ceremony brings new opportunities and perhaps new stars for Austins dining scene. Follow along here for live updates, reactions and this years full list of Michelin-honored Austin restaurants. Founding chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph of San Antonios Nicosi talks about his restaurant after being awarded a Michelin Star at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle While Austin restaurants went home with no new Michelin stars at the ceremony in Houston, it was a huge night for the Austin-based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Their San Antonio restaurants Isidore and Nicosi were two of the three restaurants to earn a star this year, and Isidore also took home a Green Star, making it the first Texas restaurant to have both a Michelin star and a Green Star. All seven of the Austin restaurants that earned Michelin stars last year retained them. Those restaurants are: Barley swine, Interstellar Barbecue, la Barbecue, LeRoy and Lewis, Olamaie, Hestia and Craft Omakase Chef and owner Edgar Rico and dining critic Matthew Odam talk to guests as the Best Restaurants in Austin Food Tour visits Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman Chef Edgar Rico earned the green star for Nixta Taqueria. Rico was in Mexico at the time of the ceremony. Inspectors recognized the restaurant's on-site garden and their hyper-local sourcing. Nixta is the third Austin restaurant to earn a Green Star joining Dai Due and Emmer & Rye, who maintained their stars from 2024. Rico was also recognized in the 2024 Michelin Guide with the Young Chef Award. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Julian Maltby of Mercado sin Nombre at the Michelin Guide Ceremony in Houston. Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Michelin welcomed eight Texas restaurants into the ranks of Bib Gourmand, including walk-up coffee shop Mercado sin Nombre and newcomer Parish Barbecue. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Duck carnitas tacos at Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Could the taqueria with an elegant evening tasting menu earn a star tonight? Mikala Compton/American-Statesman Franklin Barbecue was passed over for a Michelin star in 2024. Could the restaurant that upped Austin's barbecue game get a star tonight? AMERICAN-STATESMAN FILE Chuck Charnichart, pitmaster and founder of Barbs B Q, stands in the smoke room on Friday, June 20, 2025 in Lockhart, Texas. Aaron E. Martinez / American Statesman The Best Restaurants in Austin Food Tour visits Nixta Taqueria on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. The event was hosted by Austin dining critic Matthew Odam. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman Members of the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group accept the award for Isidore at the Michelin Texas Guide ceremony in Houston. Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Chuck Charnichart from Barbs-B-Q received the Young Chef Award at the Michelin Texas ceremony in Houston on Oct. 29, 2025. Matthew Odam/American-Statesman I thought it was a joke. I thought I was waiting on a payment for my tires, Mercado sin Nombre owner Julian Maltby told the American-Statesman about receiving an invite to the Michelin Texas ceremony. The cafe has become part of a new-wave of Mexican-inspired eateries in East Austin, led by Latin-American chefs who are reinterpreting tradition, and emphasizing ethics. Chuck Charnichart from Barbs BQ in Lockhart, Texas comforted by emcee Java Ingram as she is overcome with emotion after winning the Young Chef Award at the 2025 Texas Michelin Awards at the Wortham Center in Houston on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle Chuck Charnichart, renowned pitmaster of Barbs B Q in Lockhart, Texas, has been honored with the Michelin Young Chef Award a recognition given to outstanding young chefs demonstrating exceptional talent and creative promise. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I realized how unfair the world can be with my parents being born in Mexico and me being born here, Chuck Charnichart said when awarded with the Young Chef award at Michelin After the ceremony she added that the award was validating for all of the hard work of her and her team. She generally keeps her head down and focuses on the work, so to look up and see this happening is awesome, she said. This accolade follows Barbs B Qs well-deserved placement on Bon Appetits 2024 Best New Restaurants list. The Statesman also recognized the joint with an 8.5/10 rating back in 2023. "Chuck Charnichart, Alexis Tovias Morales and Haley Conlin opened Barbs-B-Q on the historic town square in the shadow of the 130-year-old Caldwell County Courthouse on Memorial Day weekend. The three women have done what seemed unthinkable and, probably to some, unnecessary: They have reframed and refreshed the barbecue scene in a town with a century-old legacy, updating the old-school smoke meat mecca with new flavors and energy," Matthew Odam wrote in his review in 2023. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Fermin Nunez and reticent owner Sam Hellman-Mass accept the Sommelier Award for Celia Pellegrini for her work at Suerte and Este. Matthew Odam/American-Statesman The first Austin winner of the night, Celia Pellegrini, might be surprised to find out her name was the second called in the evening. Pellegrini, director of operations for Suerte and Este, won the special Sommelier Award, but was not in attendance Tuesday. The Sommelier Award honors exceptional wine knowledge, thoughtful pairings and outstanding service that elevate the dining experience. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A surprised chef Fermin Nunez and reticent owner Sam Hellman-Mass accepted the award in her honor. Despite his discomfort with the mic, Hellman-Mass said of Pellegrini, Shes an amazing sommelier, person, leader, manager. We owe a lot to her. Chas Martin of Mister Charles wins the Texas Michelin Cocktail Award. Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Dallas may have only taken home one star at the 2024 awards, but the city started out strong in 2025, with Chas Martin of Mister Charles winning the Cocktail Award. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Parish Barbecue owner Holden Fulco (left) and his wife, Taylor, at the Michelin Texas ceremony at the Wortham Center in Houston. Matthew Odam/American-Statesman Chefs and operators mingled over cocktails as a duo played pop hits by the likes of Taylor Swift in the 75 minutes preceding the Michelin ceremony. Parish Barbecue pitmaster and owner Holden Fulco seemed to be still getting used to the idea that he was in such August company. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The young pitmaster and former general manager of Michelin-starred Interstellar BBQ opened his trailer behind Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches in March and received an email in September that he was invited to the ceremony, which he was attending with his wife, Taylor. It was the last thing I was ever expecting. I didnt go to culinary school, Fulco said. Its a blessing just to be here. Fulco, usually seen sweating in a T-shirt at his East Austin food truck, was dressed in a suit jacket, a look he was obviously not used to sporting. The Louisiana native, who briefly entertained the idea of working in real estate in Houston, said he had not worn it in years. We finally put it to some good use, Taylor Fulco joked. Matthew Odam Advertisement Article continues below this ad The ceremony will not stream live on Michelin's YouTube channel like it did last year, but Houston television station KHOU is streaming the ceremony on YouTube. Local station KVUE is also streaming the ceremony on KVUE+. KVUE+ is available on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV. Steaks at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Houston on Oct. 28, 2025. Matthew Odam/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Thunderstorms soaked downtown and the surrounding areas late Tuesday afternoon. A long, flat rainbow stretched across the sky as the rain dissipated and Houstons trademark steam breathed up from the concrete. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As Texas chefs made their way through the gridlock toward a night at the Wortham Center where life-changing news awaited some, the weather felt both ominous and hopeful. I beat traffic by heading downtown early for a solo anniversary dinner treat yourself, right? at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. The cavernous but warm space with its wood walls featuring black-and-white family photos, button-backed leather banquettes, impressive glass case of beers, and a dazzling pianist old enough to remember the halcyon days of the standards he unspooled from the bench is the quintessential Houston steakhouse from one of the citys most legendary restaurant families. Two slices of tomato as thick as a Bible, topped with pepper-speckled blue cheese, woke up the palate for a rosy 6-ounce filet. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Pappas is mostly known outside Houston for its Tex-Mex and seafood restaurants, but if you want to get a taste of the grandeur of oil-and-gas Houston, at a restaurant that hums with professional service, visit the Michelin-recommended Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Weikels Bakery in La Grange is the perfect place to stop on the way to Houston from Austin. Matthew Odam/American-Statesman Driving down Texas 71 toward Houston for the Michelin ceremonies. Not quite like my usual October pilgrimages to Houston to see my Astros: Im a little less anxious though I know some chefs likely are and theres a lot less orange and blue on fellow passengers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad One thing is the same: where I will stop to grab a bite. Buc-ees, you ask? Hold my 32-ounce drink. Weikels Bakery in La Grange. Unless I am in a massive hurry, I always stop at Weikels Bakery at the Shell Station in La Grange. Yes, I grab a sausage and cheese kolache (yes, I know, klobasnik) and a slice of German chocolate cake, but the real reason for the stop are the sandwiches. The housemade whitebread honeycombed and light and twangy is soft as a pillow. I go classic ham and cheese or pastrami. My family has been going to Weikels since it was called the Bon Ton Store & Bakery, and before that the original Bon Ton for fried chicken. It was a must on our regular trips from Houston to Austin, where my dad commuted regularly for work. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Back then, you had to drive by Bon Ton/Weikels when passing through town. The bypass highway was finished in 1991 the same year I got my drivers license. Pro tip: Call about 15 minutes out, or have your co-pilot order online, and your sandwich will be ready at the register when you walk in. Matthew Odam There seems to be as much uncertainty and anxiety as there is excitement in the air surrounding the Michelin ceremony this year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Invited chefs and restaurant owners Ive spoken to on background dont know what theyre walking into, whether it be a star, a Bib Gourmand, a listing in the guide, or, the worst imaginable scenario, losing a Michelin star.\ For inaugural selection ceremonies we invite the full selection. In subsequent years, and as the selection grows, we typically invite Stars, Green Stars and often times Bib Gourmands for on-stage recognition, Carly Grieff, public relations director for Michelin told me via email. Last year, there were almost two dozen invitees who made the trip to Houston only to find out that they were simply listed as a recommended restaurant in the guide. While many likely consider it an honor to be included in the prestigious guide, if you showed up last year hoping for a star or a Bib Gourmand, the latter of which recognizes great meals at a good value, and only received a listing, you might have been dejected. Several restaurant owners told me being listed did nothing for their business. And while a couple told me that diners mentioned Bib Gourmand designation when dining with them over the past year, the Star is where the real juice is. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The chefs and restaurant owners from the 7 Austin restaurants that won last year all told me that their businesses were drastically changed overnight by the win. The event at the Wortham Center Tuesday night will be a smaller affair than last year. Presumably all 22 recipients who were honored last year will be in attendance Tuesday. But questions linger: If a 2024 Bib recipient did not receive an invite, does that mean they lost the distinction? Not necessarily according to Michelin: We typically invite all Stars and Bibs (including retaining) in subsequent years. However, it sometimes varies due to external factors such as venue capacity, etc. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Could a 2024 starred restaurant be invited but find out they were downgraded to Bib this year? (I doubt it.) What about restaurants invited this year that were only recommended last year (of which I know a couple) are they getting Bibs or stars? Would a starred restaurant be invited if it was losing all recognition? (No chance, I say.) These are the questions that hover as chefs and restaurant/food truck owners head to downtown Austin for what will be a life-changing night for some and a fun party for all. One other question: How does this process work, exactly? Did all 43 Austin restaurants in the guide get revisited to make sure they were still worthy of their honor? Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Inspection team is constantly monitoring the market and will re-visit restaurants consistently and when significant changes occur, Grief told me. So, while there are some answers, as of Tuesday at noon, there are more questions. Matthew Odam Last years debut Texas Michelin guide was a milestone moment for the state's dining scene. Austin led the way, earning more Michelin stars than any other city in the state. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Austins 2024 Michelin Star Restaurants: Grilled Akaushi ribeye at Barley Swine. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Barley Swine: Chef Bryce Gilmores inventive, farm-to-table tasting menu. Chef Bryce Gilmores inventive, farm-to-table tasting menu. Craft Omakase: Creative sushi and precise technique in an intimate omakase setting. Creative sushi and precise technique in an intimate omakase setting. Hestia: Live-fire fine dining from the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group. Live-fire fine dining from the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group. Interstellar BBQ: Elevated Texas barbecue from Chef John Bates. Elevated Texas barbecue from Chef John Bates. La Barbecue: Alison Clems East Austin smokehouse beloved for its brisket. Alison Clems East Austin smokehouse beloved for its brisket. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue: New school barbecue that redefined the genre. New school barbecue that redefined the genre. Olamaie: Chef Michael Fojtaseks refined Southern-inspired comfort food. Austins 2024 Bib Gourmand Restaurants: Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lion's mane, chestnut and blue oyster mushrooms cooked on tallow with an egg yolk, garlic and chives, served with grilled sourdough and paired with Sangiovese "The Source" Grower Project red wine from Dai Due in Austin, Oct. 30, 2024. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman Dai Due: Recognized for sustainable, locally sourced cooking (also a Green Star) . Recognized for sustainable, locally sourced cooking . Emmer & Rye: Honored for quality and sustainability (also a Green Star) . Honored for quality and sustainability . Nixta Taqueria: Creative Mexican dishes and handmade masa; Chef Edgar Rico also won the Michelin Young Chef Award. Creative Mexican dishes and handmade masa; Briscuits, Cuantos Tacos, Distant Relatives, Franklin Barbecue, Kemuri Tatsu-ya, KG BBQ, La Santa Barbacha, Micklethwait Craft Meats, Odd Duck, Ramen del Barrio, Veracruz Fonda & Bar, and Barbs B Q (Lockhart). Ana Gutierrez The move into Texas meant a shift in the type of restaurants long recognized by the French guide. For the first time in the guides long history, Michelin granted stars to barbecue restaurants. Three Austin spots Interstellar BBQ, La Barbecue and LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue were among the first to earn stars. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The guide long the bastion of fine dining and French and Japanese cuisine has expanded its star-granting elsewhere, too. A market stall in Thailand and a taco stand in Mexico City earned stars in previous years. The stars in Texas also went to more traditional restaurants with elevated service and plating, with Hestia, Barley Swine, Craft Omakase and Olamaie earning stars. All of which brings us to tonight in Houston. With Michelin prepared to hand out honors once again including Bib Gourmand designations for quality meals at a good value, Green Stars for conscientious sourcing and operational practices, and recommended listings we decided to take a stab at which Austin restaurants might earn a star. The ceremony will not stream live on Michelin's YouTube channel, but Houston television station KHOU is streaming the ceremony on YouTube. Local station KVUE+ is also streaming the ceremony. KVUE+ is available on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TV. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We based our educated guesses on Michelins choices last year and its historical trends. In Denver, a city similar in size to Austin, five restaurants earned a single star in 2023, its first year with a list. One earned a star in 2024 and another three in 2025. In the third year of the Colorado guides existence, one Denver restaurant earned two stars. Operating off of Denvers performance, I think its reasonable to expect one to three additional restaurants will receive a star. I assume all seven Austin restaurants will keep their stars as part of the review process that takes place annually for such designated restaurants. I also wont guess as to who will join the ranks of the Bib Gourmand restaurants, of which there are currently 15 in Austin. There are only 35 restaurants in America with two stars, almost all located in the dining hubs of California, New York and Chicago, so I dont expect an Austin restaurant to receive a second star in just the second year of the Texas guide. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Again, these are the restaurants we think might earn a star based on the context of last year's winners. (I also think DFW and San Antonio will do better than they did last year.) As for our favorite restaurants in Austin, you can see our Best Restaurants in Austin list, which came out this week. Suerte: Michelin has shown that it has respect for one of Austins major food groups barbecue and I expect a Mexican restaurant will be honored this year. This is Austins best Mexican restaurant. Nixta Taqueria: See above regarding my thinking about Michelin recognizing Mexican food with a star this year. Nixta also has something unique working in its favor: Its an outdoor taqueria serving exceptional tacos that also offers an elegant tasting menu for dinner inside several nights a week. That dinner is one of the most exciting in town. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Birdies: If Michelin is in the habit of singling out restaurants that might not be of the traditional Michelin mold, it might very well consider a counter-service restaurant, and theres no better counter-service restaurant in town than this East Austin gem. Franklin Barbecue: With all due respect to the three deserved barbecue winners of stars in 2024, Michelin would not even be considering barbecue as a genre worthy of a star had it not been for Aaron Franklin completely changing the way the world thinks about barbecue more than 15 years ago. Today's Halloween traditions trace back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was first celebrated in modern-day Ireland. Matt Cardy/Getty Images We hope you have your costumes, pumpkins and candy ready: Halloween is just days away! An estimated 73% of Americans celebrate the spooky holiday, adding up to over 250 million people. Despite being widely celebrated, it's not a federal holiday. In fact, its roots are found across the North Atlantic Ocean centuries before pilgrims landed in what is now New England. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Here's what to know about Halloween's history and how its religious traditions evolved into the secular activities associated with the holiday today. What day is Halloween 2025? Halloween is Friday, Oct. 31. Why is Halloween always on October 31? The origins of the widely celebrated holiday trace back two millennia, to the Celts living in what is today Ireland, northern France and the United Kingdom, according to the History Channel. The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain celebrated the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter and was a time when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to be blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. To ward off such spirits, people lit bonfires and dressed in costumes on the night of Oct. 31. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Glastonbury Border Morris dance at sunset as they celebrate Samhain at the Glastonbury Dragons Samhain Wild Hunt 2017 in Glastonbury on November 4, 2017 in Somerset, England. Matt Cardy/Getty Images The annual festival underwent a Christianized rebranding of sorts in the eighth century, when Pope Gregory III of the Roman Catholic Church deemed Nov. 1 as "All Saints' Day," also called "All Hallows' Day." The night before the holiday was referred to as "All Hallow's Eve," which eventually became known as Halloween. The celebration evolved as it mixed pagan and Christian traditions. When was Halloween first celebrated in the United States? Evolution of the holiday Despite its centuries-old celebrations, Halloween wasn't immediately adopted in colonial New England. Groups like the English Puritans deemed the holiday as satanic due to its relations with paganism and witchcraft. More early Protestants also rejected the holiday because of its association with Roman Catholicism: Protestants disapproved of the practice of honoring saints and the non-biblical use of superstition. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Halloween was viewed more positively in Maryland and the southern colonies. The holiday became more Americanized as it borrowed the beliefs and customs of various European ethnic groups and the indigenous peoples. The first documented celebrations on what is now U.S. soil focused on the harvest. According to the History Channel, participants would have public events called "play parties," and it was also a time to "share stories of the dead, tell each other's fortunes, dance and sing." Widespread Halloween celebrations didn't emerge in the U.S. until the latter half of the 19th century, when the country saw an influx of new immigrants. The immigrants, particularly those escaping the Irish Potato Famine, brought a mix of Celtic and Catholic customs for All Hallow's Eve from which today's most recognizable Halloween traditions were born. In Ireland, these traditions involved "mumming" and "guising," which involved going door-to-door in disguise and reciting verses or performing small tricks in exchange for food. Irish immigrants would also carve grotesque faces into beets or turnips to ward off evil spirits. In America this evolved into carving pumpkins, which were more plentiful and easier to hollow out. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Over time, these Irish traditions blended with European folk traditions to birth autumn parties, parades and games. The modern-day practice of trick-or-treating emerged in the 1920s but was hindered by sugar rationing during World War II. Three girls amuse each other with their masked costumes as they prepare for Halloween festivities in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, 1929. Felix Koch/Cincinnati Museum Center via Getty Images The tradition picked up again in the 1950s. By then, Halloween had lost most of its religious and supernatural overtones to become a secular, community-centered holiday. However, Irish culture remains evident in today's jack-o'-lanterns, costumes and good-natured mischief. In 2024 Americans spent well over $11 billion, making it the second largest commercial holiday after Christmas. Pflugerville Police Department. American Statesman file After a teenager allegedly threatened online to carry out a shooting at a Pflugerville charter school earlier this month, police said attendance dropped sharply. Ryan El Mokhtar El Gourari, 17, was charged Thursday with making a terroristic threat, a second-degree felony punishable by as many as 20 years in prison. He allegedly posted a comment Oct. 5 on the IDEA Schools student council Instagram page saying, Ima shoot up dat place, according to an arrest affidavit. The affidavit said Gourari's comment also included a picture of a hand holding a gun. A student noticed the post and notified school staff before contacting police. The principal told police that school attendance was 35% on Oct. 6 the day after the threat compared with the typical rate of 95%. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The affidavit also said Pflugerville police also received two calls from separate families whose children had been sent screenshots of the threatening comment. Gourari previously attended IDEA Pflugerville at 1901 E. Wells Branch Parkway but was enrolled at Connally High School at the time of the threat, according to the affidavit. The IDEA principal sent a message to parents about Gouraris social media activity and requested that an additional officer be present at the school on Oct. 6, the affidavit said. After posting the threat, Gourari deleted the Instagram account, according to the affidavit. Police said they obtained information about the account from Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram. When officers viewed Gouraris account, they noticed a song playing along with the image of the hand holding a gun. The song referenced a Desert Eagle, a .50-caliber automatic handgun, the affidavit said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source A student told police they recognized the threatening message as coming from Gouraris Instagram account. The student also said Gourari had sent other derogatory messages to the schools account and, when he attended IDEA, would say things like, One of these days, Im going to shoot up the school, according to the affidavit. Tony Plohetski is a national award-winning journalist whose reporting is featured in print, digital and television platforms. He has chronicled some of Texas' most significant stories, and his investigative and accountability reporting has led to indictments and prompted new state laws. He joined the Austin American-Statesman in 2000 and since 2013, he has worked in partnership with KVUE, where he is the stations senior reporter. Plohetski was the lead reporter for the Statesmans groundbreaking coverage of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for public service. The coverage also received the Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard. Additionally, Plohetski has received more than two dozen national and state journalism prizes for his work with the Statesman and KVUE, including a national Edward R. Murrow Award, four National Headliner awards, the Hillman Prize and the August 2022 Sidney Award. He was the inaugural winner in 2021 of the Dan Rather Medal for News & Guts for journalistic courage and was named Star Reporter of the Year by Texas Managing Editors in 2021 and 2023 and was a key part of two teams that won Sigma Delta Chi Awards in 2019. Plohetski also has received multiple regional Emmy awards and was named Best Television Reporter by the Texas Association of Broadcasters and the Texas Headliners Foundation in 2023. Stacy Hock. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Hock to chair the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board this October. THECB Stacy Hock philanthropist, private investor and 2020 Victory Chairwoman of the Texas GOP will now lead the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the top state authority overseeing colleges and universities. The coordinating board serves an important, but largely behind-the-scenes, role in broadening access to higher education for Texas families, distributing financial aid, approving degree programs, analyzing student data and monitoring universities for compliance with state laws. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its work is largely nonpolitical. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Hock, who has served on the coordinating board since 2024, to lead the board at a time he and other Republican leaders are pressuring institutions to rid course content of leftist ideology. The pressure raised alarm bells for free speech and academic freedom proponents, who fear it will compromise the independence of the institutions. Hock said she wants to build on the boards previous work improving higher education access to ensure more Texans have a valuable degree and guiding students in selecting degrees. But the board is also analyzing core curriculum to ensure alignment with state values and will ensure institutions are meeting their responsibility to the state, Hock said. At the end of the day, institutions we do want to respect their autonomy to manage themselves, Hock said. One area that we do want to reinforce or be supportive of, is where the state has expressed ideals for higher ed about free inquiry and free speech and pursuit of truth and knowledge. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Advertisement Article continues below this ad Abbott promoted Hock after previous chair Fred Farias resigned to take a senior leadership role at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her adult life has been marked by a focus on education through volunteering, philanthropy and policy, particularly in the K-12 space, she told the Austin-American Statesman. Hock serves on the advisory board of the University of Austin, a new private institution seeking accreditation that has openly critiqued higher education as having lost its way, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank in Austin. Professionally, Hock worked in senior management in the software industry, including at IBM. A self-described analytical brain, Hock said she was drawn to the coordinating board because of its focus on the landscape at large of higher education and its work to remove obstacles that gets in the way of student success and empower institutions to succeed. As chair, she wants to further ease students' paths from high school to higher education and better align degrees to have a positive return on investment, while also ensuring the state is best preparing graduates to be flexible in a rapidly changing workforce. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Im a lifelong Texan, born and raised, and fell in love with the value of education, Hock said. I want Texas to lead the nation in what higher ed can look like. Texas is leading. At a time when the nation faces steep enrollment cliffs due to population drop-offs, the state hit an all-time high in higher education enrollment this year with more than 1.6 million students in attendance. This represents a 4.7% jump from last fall, according to the agencys preliminary data. Every region in the state saw growth. Hock praised the states recent free application week, authorized by the Texas Legislature this year, and direct admission options for students to improve access. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It is very behind the scenes and appropriately so, Hock said of the coordinating boards role. But I think we see the fruit of their work in the fact that our higher ed landscape is becoming more robust and better all the time. Im very proud of that. Other changes to come Hock isnt the only new state leader in the higher education space. The newly passed Senate Bill 37 tasks the coordinating board with housing a new Office of Ombudsman to ensure universities are meeting state laws around diversity, equity and inclusion and free speech. According to a legislative budget analysis the bill authorizes nine full-time positions, including one filled by Brandon Simmons. Simmons will serve as the director of institutional policy and oversight for higher education, starting Jan. 1. Simmons, who the governors office declined to make available for an interview, is the former chairman of Texas Southern Universitys Board of Regents, a historically Black university in Houston. He is a professor of business, former law clerk and prolific board member in the Houston area. Previously, he served as an executive at a technology company and a venture capitalist. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He is an advocate for the transformational power of capitalism and proponent of policies and programs that leverage the economy to unlock opportunity and success for individuals and families, according to his regent biography. Senate Bill 37 mandates university regents review core curriculum and degrees to ensure workforce readiness and a positive return on investment. Data maintained by the coordinating board will allow leaders to understand where students see a positive return on investment in their degrees and where further investment is needed to match workforce demands, Hock said. The data also allows the board to track where more improvement is needed, such as to support transfer students. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Because we are tracking data across the entire system, it puts us in a unique place to be able to equip the legislative body and the leaders of our state across both the political administration, but also across the institutions, to have information that they can make decisions on, Hock said. The coordinating boards current strategic plan aims for at least 60% of working age Texans to have a higher education credential and to encourage the growth of credentials of value that have a positive return on investment for students. Theres always room for improvement. Were not done, Hock said. Wed like to see even more of our workforce equipped with credentials going forward. In this photo illustration, Tylenol caplets are displayed on September 22, 2025 in San Anselmo, California. The Trump administration will reportedly link use of the painkiller acetaminophen during pregnancy to autism during a White House press conference today. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Tylenol pain relief products are shown on a store shelf in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. Michael Conroy/Associated Press Tylenol pain-relief pills are shown in La Habra, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Jae C. Hong/Associated Press Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the makers of Tylenol, alleging they have deceptively marketed the drug as safe for pregnant Texans. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets, Paxton said in a statement, referring to the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and its spinoff company Kenvue, Inc. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have alleged Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism, even as studies have so far not found conclusive evidence of a direct link and as many doctors and scientists say it is safe. READ MORE: Trump administration says Tylenol in pregnancy may raise autism risk; experts push back The Food and Drug Administration last month said it was moving to require new labels warning that the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, by pregnant people may be associated with an increased risk of neurological conditions in children, including autism and ADHD. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source While an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature, the agency wrote in a letter urging doctors to minimize the use of the drug, calling the association an ongoing area of scientific debate. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Paxtons suit also accuses Johnson & Johnson of fraudulently transferring its liability for the drug to Kenvue, which now sells Tylenol. Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that it "divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue. Kenvue said in a statement Tuesday that the claims "lack legal merit and scientific support." Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products," the statement said. "We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children." Advertisement Article continues below this ad The company has opposed the Trump administrations new directives, saying that Tylenols existing label, which urges those who are pregnant or breast-feeding to ask a health professional before use, is the most conservative and appropriate warning. Some studies have raised the possibility that taking Tylenol in pregnancy might be associated with a risk of autism but many others havent found a connection. In addition, the Coalition of Autism Scientists has said that acetaminophen use during pregnancy hadnt increased in recent decades like autism rates have. But untreated fevers in pregnancy, particularly the first trimester, increase the risk for miscarriages, preterm birth and other problems, according to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. The drive against Tylenol is the latest piece of Kennedys Make America Healthy Again movement that has drawn criticism from public health officials for relying on pseudoscience. Kennedy has long claimed vaccines cause autism, as well. Advertisement Article continues below this ad During a recent cabinet meeting, Kennedy acknowledged that the evidence that Tylenol causes autism is not dispositive, but said it is so suggestive that anybody who takes this stuff during pregnancy unless they have to is irresponsible. He went on to point to dozens of studies that show countries that use the most acetaminophen have the highest levels of autism. It is not proof, Kennedy said. Were doing the studies to make the proof. Paxton is filing the suit as he campaigns to oust U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a contested GOP primary that also features U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt. Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race. Paxton's office filed the lawsuit with Ashley Keller, an attorney hired as outside counsel for the state whose firm already represents hundreds of people in personal injury suits against Johnson & Johnson over acetaminophen. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A federal judge in 2023 ruled that evidence in those consolidated lawsuits was inadmissible and relied on unreliable, cherry-picked findings. The case is now before an appeals court. Keller has previously worked as outside counsel for Texas on major cases, including a suit against Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc., which agreed last year to a record $1.4 billion settlement with the state over allegations the social media site had collected facial recognition information on millions of Texans in violation of state law. The new Texas suit alleges that Johnson & Johnson has long been aware of potential risks associated with acetaminophen and have still marketed the drug as a safe over-the-counter option for pregnant people. The lawsuit alleges the company feared a reckoning and spun liability off to Kenvue a strategy the suit says it tried three times in the face of litigation claiming talc in its Baby Powder product causes cancer. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Johnson & Johnson in 2021 announced it was spinning off its consumer health products, including Tylenol, to Kenvue. The company separated from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. The suit claims the move violated state law that prohibits a debtor from transferring assets to prevent creditors from collecting. The Associated Press contributed reporting. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarian workers are being blocked from reaching civilians trapped inside El Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, amid reports that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces took over the city on Sunday, UN officials said. With fighters pushing further into the city and escape routes cut off, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped and terrified, shelled, starving, and without access to food, health care, or safety, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said, emphasizing the urgent need to protect civilians and to ensure safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access. In a statement released Sunday, Fletcher also called for an immediate ceasefire in El Fasher, across the western Darfur region and throughout Sudan. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that more than 26,000 people fled El Fasher between Sunday and Monday toward Mellit and Tawila, where UN humanitarian teams are on the ground monitoring the situation and coordinating the humanitarian response. The IOM said that fighting has also intensified in North Kordofan state, where several civilians reportedly were killed and infrastructure looted over the weekend. The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical association, reported that 47 civilians were killed in the city of Bara. The IOM estimated that the clashes displaced 340 people from Um Bashar village in the Ar Rahad area on Sunday. Denise Brown, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said that more than 200 malnourished and dehydrated men, women and children, some injured, arrived on Sunday by truck in Tawila, the epicenter for displaced people in the region, about 40 km from El Fasher. All of the civilians in the trucks were traumatized, Brown said Monday in a video briefing with reporters, adding roads out of the city are dangerous and travelers are often blocked and even held for ransom. "Over the past 24 hours, we have received multiple reports of an intensification in the fighting in El Fasher," Brown said, adding the United Nations and partners have had 42 trucks on standby, ready to deliver aid to El Fasher. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Monday warned of a further sharp deterioration in the situation in El Fasher, calling on all parties to immediately halt hostilities in Sudan, uphold international humanitarian law, and ensure the unhindered delivery of life-saving assistance to people in dire need across Sudan. HANOI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi, welcomed over 28.2 million visitors in the first ten months of 2025, surpassing the total of 27.8 million arrivals recorded in the whole year of 2024, local media outlet VNExpress reported Monday, citing the Hanoi Department of Tourism. During the period, international arrivals reached nearly 6.2 million, while total tourism revenue was estimated at 110 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 4.22 billion U.S. dollars), up 22 percent and 20 percent respectively compared with the same period last year, the report said. Hanoi has set a target of welcoming about 31 million visitors in 2025, including 7.5 million international arrivals. The country aims to attract 25 million foreign tourists and 130 million domestic travelers this year, the Vietnam News Agency reported. PRAIA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony marking the arrival of the 22nd Chinese medical team in Cape Verde and the departure of the previous team was held here on Monday. At the ceremony, Cape Verdean Minister of Health Jorge Figueiredo commended the Chinese embassy's role in fostering "strong and fruitful cooperation" between the two countries and expressed Cape Verde's willingness to integrate Chinese expertise in areas such as professional training, equipment maintenance, new technologies and the digitalization of the national health system. Chinese Ambassador to Cape Verde Zhang Yang said that China is ready to strengthen cooperation and share policies and expertise so that Cape Verde can "gain more practical experience" in medicine and health. According to the ambassador, the 22nd Chinese medical team comprises nine doctors, including specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and surgery. Hu Yidi, deputy director of the health commission of China's southwestern Sichuan Province, said the work of the Chinese medical teams in Cape Verde embodies the spirit of a China-Africa community with a shared future. Hu said that the 21st Chinese medical team in Cape Verde has treated 17,187 patients over the past 18 months and provided the local population with high-quality medical service. "Through your knowledge, dedication and teamwork, you have helped us grow as an institution, strengthen our services, support the training of our professionals and innovate in our discipline," said Evandro Monteiro, chairman of the Agostinho Neto University Hospital in Praia, addressing the Chinese doctors. The rotation of Chinese medical teams in Cape Verde, conducted about every two years, is part of a medical cooperation protocol signed in 1984. The program includes the regular dispatch of medical professionals, along with equipment donations and professional training support. ISLAMABAD, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Three soldiers were killed and five others injured when unidentified militants ambushed a security patrol in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province early Tuesday, official sources said. The attack took place around 4:00 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Monday) when a joint search party of the paramilitary troops Frontier Corps and special operations commandos came under fire in Khyber tribal district, the sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Security forces returned fire and repulsed the assault after an exchange of heavy gunfire. The bodies of the slain soldiers and injured personnel were airlifted to a military hospital in the provincial capital city of Peshawar, said the sources. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the sources said that militant groups linked to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are active in the area. Security forces have launched a search operation to track down the attackers. Sgt. 1st Class Precious Wells, a drill sergeant leader at the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy, adjusts the ascot of Staff Sgt. Destiny Banuelos before a change of command ceremony at Fort Jackson, S.C., on Aug. 23, 2024. (Robert Timmons/U.S. Army) The bush hat and its upturned brim that once set female Army drill sergeants apart is being retired as part of the Armys move toward a unified look for those in the iconic role. The change to the wide and flat male campaign hat goes into effect starting Jan. 2, 2026, and affects both active-duty and reserve female drill sergeants. It was first publicized Sunday in a Reddit post and was confirmed Tuesday by an Army spokesman. The Army said the transition away from separate hats was in the works prior to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths Sept. 30 policy speech to military brass announcing gender-neutral physical fitness standards based on the male level. The Army Uniform Board recommended the change, which was approved by the services chief of staff, according to the message posted on Reddit. The change was made because vendors had trouble meeting the services quality standards, the Army said. Drill sergeant hats wait to be awarded during the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy graduation at Fort Jackson, S.C., on April 3, 2024. The Army is doing away with the female drill sergeant hat starting in 2026. (Robert Timmons/U.S. Army) The decision to adopt the campaign hat follows surveys in 2023 and 2024 in which female drill sergeants stated they preferred the campaign hat for uniformity and because it looked more professional, the Army said. The female drill sergeant hat, introduced in 1972, was designed by Brig. Gen. Mildred Bailey and based on the Australian bush hat, according to the Army website. It was originally beige but was changed to green in 1983. The first female drill sergeants, six noncommissioned officers from the Womens Army Corps, enrolled in the drill sergeant program at Fort Jackson, S.C., in February 1972 after receiving authorization from Army Chief of Staff William Westmoreland the previous year, the website said. Army drill sergeants watch a training competition at Fort Jackson, S.C., on Sept. 14, 2025. The campaign hat worn by male drill sergeants will become the standard headgear for both men and women in the job, as the Army is retiring the bush hat long worn by its female drill sergeants. (Molly Morrow/U.S. Army) An Army statement put out in 2017 around the 45th anniversary of those events contained comments by female drill sergeants past and present. Those six women and that hat transformed the entire Army and my life, said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jennifer Dehorty, who became a drill sergeant in 1984. The esprit de corps that we learned from them was different. It was stronger. According to the Army website, the soon-to-be standard campaign hat was worn by soldiers from 1911 to 1942 and was brought back for male drill sergeants in 1964. A screengrab of a video posted by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, showing one of three boats targeted in U.S. strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean. (Secretary of Defense via X) WASHINGTON The U.S. military on Monday struck four alleged drug vessels in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on social media Tuesday. The military conducted three strikes on the four vessels in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time multiple strikes were announced in one day. U.S. Southern Command immediately initiated search and rescue standard protocols for the survivor, Hegseth said in his post on X. Mexican search-and-rescue authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific. The four vessels were known by our intelligence pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025 The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, were defending our own, Hegseth said. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them. Hegseths post included a 28-second clip of the four boats being struck. Two boats are first seen stationary alongside each other before being blown up. Two other boats are struck while moving at high speeds through the water. One of the boats seen contained a large parcel or bundle of supplies. There have been 13 disclosed strikes conducted in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility since September. The latest strikes come following a buildup of maritime forces in the region, including eight surface warships and more than 6,000 sailors and Marines. The operations have killed at least 57 people. This is the second time a survivor has been rescued from a strike. The U.S. military rescued two survivors after a strike earlier in October and repatriated them to Colombia and Ecuador. President Donald Trump is currently on a multi-stop trip in Asia, including speaking to troops at Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday. Hegseth spoke to the troops before Trump took the stage. Trump has said his administration will provide information about the strikes to Congress, but he wont seek a declaration of war. I think were just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? Were going to kill them. You know? Theyre going to be like, dead, the president said last week. Trump has also said that land strikes in Venezuela could come next as tensions heighten between the countries. The Pentagon announced Friday that the U.S. is sending the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to Latin America as part of an escalating military buildup in the region. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, speaking Sunday on Fox News, called the military strikes extrajudicial killings and said Congress has received no information on the operations. Lance Cpl. Allen Corbett, left to right, Sgt. Louis Romeo and Cpl. Joseph Marks, all riflemen with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, receive Navy Achievement Medals at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 5, 2025. (Adam Trump/U.S. Marine Corps) CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa A group of Marines newly arrived on Okinawa have been recognized for providing first aid to a Japanese bicyclist injured in a traffic collision in Nago city this summer. Five members of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, N.C., received commendations on Sept. 5 for assisting the man, who suffered a head injury after a passenger car struck his bicycle at an intersection in Miyazato ward on Aug. 30. To us, its just another day on the job what we did are things that were trained to do every day, so it doesnt seem that big of a deal, Sgt. Jacob Carey told Stars and Stripes on Monday at Camp Schwab. Then when youre recognized for it because youre doing it to other people, who its not a part of their daily routine it kind of puts it into perspective. The Marines Carey, Sgt. Louis Romeo, Cpls. Joseph Marks and Joshua Joyner, and Lance Cpl. Allen Corbett were on their first off-base liberty trip in downtown Nago. Their battalion had arrived two weeks earlier as part of the Unit Deployment Program. They were waiting for a bus back to Schwab around 4 p.m. when Romeo and Marks saw the accident. A car driven by a woman traveling east on a cross street collided with the bicycle in a crosswalk on Route 84. We all looked at each other, and we were like, We should probably help out here. So, we just ran over to the scene, Carey said. He, Corbett and Joyner moved the bicyclist and helped the woman park her car in a nearby lot. When we picked him up, we realized he was bleeding from his head, Carey said. Sgt. Jacob Carey receives a certificate of commendation from Lt. Col. Matthew Newman, commander of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 5, 2025. (Adam Trump/U.S. Marine Corps) As the Marines applied pressure to the mans wound to stop the bleeding, Carey purchased first aid supplies and water from a nearby convenience store. They used translation apps to communicate with bystanders and ask for emergency services. None of us was really being told to do a specific thing its like everyone was looking for their own thing to do, Joyner said. The Marines left after emergency medical personnel, police and firefighters arrived. The bicyclist was taken to a nearby hospital, according to an Oct. 1 division news release. A Nago fire department spokesman confirmed the accident but declined to provide further details. Some Japanese government officials must speak to the press only on condition of anonymity. For their actions, Romeo, Marks and Corbett received the Navy Achievement Medal. Carey and Joyner were awarded Certificates of Commendation. Lance Cpl. Allen Corbett receives a Navy Achievement Medal from Lt. Col. Matthew Newman, commander of 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Sept. 5, 2025. (Adam Trump/U.S. Marine Corps) Part of the battalions mission on Okinawa is to support the local community when possible, battalion commander Lt. Col. Matt Newman said Monday at Schwab. We have to set the right image, and these guys just knocked it out of the park first opportunity they had, he said. Stars and Stripes reporter Keishi Koja contributed to this report. President Donald Trump dances after delivering a speech to thousands of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes) YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan President Donald Trump spoke for nearly an hour Tuesday aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, combing through a range of topics, from drug cartels in the Caribbean to the cost of groceries in America. The president addressed approximately 6,000 U.S. and Japanese sailors inside the USS George Washingtons cavernous hangar at Yokosuka, homeport of the U.S. 7th Fleet on Tokyo Bay. On behalf of all Americans, I just want to say it loud and clear: Thank you very much, he told the troops. What youre doing is incredible. During his 50-minute speech, Trump elicited a round of sailors cheers by saying he supports an across the board pay raise for every sailor. He was also briefly joined on stage by Japans new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, who said Japan would commit to increasing its defense capabilities. President Donald Trump applauds thousands of sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes) Trump made no mention of the government shutdown, now 28 days old, during which service members may not be paid and many Defense Department employees are furloughed. Military paychecks came through on Oct. 15 with Pentagon funds diverted from other accounts, but money may run out by Nov. 15 absent an agreement to fund the government, CBS News reported Sunday, quoting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Trump also told sailors that 2025 marked the Navys best recruitment numbers in many generations. The service reached its 2025 recruiting goal three months ahead of the new fiscal year when it contracted with 40,600 enlistees by June 18, according to a Navy news release. Marine One lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Strip) The service enlisted nearly 41,000 new sailors in fiscal 2024, more than any year since 2002, according to the June release. After an informal poll by sailors cheers, Trump said he would pause work on electromagnetic catapults designed to hurl aircraft from the decks of new Gerald Ford-class carriers and focus on steam-powered catapults like those aboard the George Washington and other Nimitz-class carriers. He also promised to halt development on advanced weapons elevators aboard the new carriers. When it comes to defending the United States, were no longer politically correct, the president said. Well defend our country any way we have to, and thats usually not the politically correct way. From now on, if were in a war, were going to win the war. Were going to win it like nobody ever before. President Donald Trump departs Marine One aboard the aircraft carrier USS Geoge Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Strip) Trump spoke briefly about gas prices, mortgage rates and grocery prices, which he said were falling under his administration. The Agriculture Department predicted in September that overall food prices this year would increase by 3% over the previous year. Trump later boasted that drug cartels, whose every delivery, he said, kills tens of thousands of Americans, were reeling as the U.S. destroys their speed boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific. Were waging war like theyve never seen before, and were going to win that battle, he said. Were winning it already, the sea. I mean, the only problem is, nobody wants to go into the sea anymore, even the fishing boats. Trumps campaign against the cartels, undertaken without congressional approval, is spurring dissent among some Republican lawmakers, though many continue to support it. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to service members aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes) Before Trump took the stage, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke for about 15 minutes. What President Trump is doing pretty simple, but its revolutionary, he told the sailors. Hes reminding the country and our adversaries that were going to put America first. America first isnt America alone, he said, while praising the U.S.-Japan alliance. Hegseth arrived in Tokyo that afternoon and is scheduled to meet his Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, on Wednesday. Trump began speaking to the sailors around 4:15 p.m., hours after meeting in central Tokyo with Takaichi, Japans first female prime minister, who took office on Oct. 21. The two leaders signed several bilateral agreements outlining economic cooperation, including deals on rare earth minerals and natural gas. Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday after a stop in Malaysia, where he visited Kuala Lumpur for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Hes expected to head to South Korea on Wednesday to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pose for reporters at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Oct. 28, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) TOKYO Weapons sales and trade in critical minerals were on the agenda when President Donald Trump met new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Japanese capital Tuesday morning. Trump arrived Monday after a stop in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. He and Takaichi met in an ornate conference room at Akasaka Palace, a state guest house, alongside top leaders from their governments. Just outside were parked gleaming new American and Japanese pickup trucks. The Japanese government is considering the purchase of a fleet of Ford F-150s. She has good taste, Trump, referring to Takaichi, told reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Asia. Thats a hot truck. Trump and Takaichi met elsewhere in the palace to sign a new agreement strengthening their alliance and a framework for securing a U.S. supply of critical minerals and rare earths key materials for the defense and technology industries. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sign documents laying out a U.S.-Japan framework for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Oct. 28, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) Takaichi kicked off the meeting by thanking Trump for his enduring friendship of Shinzo Abe, the late Japanese prime minister whom, she said, told her about the U.S. leaders dynamic diplomacy. Takaichi served as a cabinet minister under Abe and is regarded as his protege. Shinzo Abe was a great friend of mine, Trump replied, adding that he was saddened and shocked by his friends death. Abe was assassinated in July 2022. Takaichi praised Trumps recent peacemaking efforts in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. She noted the United States upcoming 250th anniversary and said Japan would send 250 cherry trees to Washington, D.C. Fireworks from Japans Akita prefecture would be sent there for next years July Fourth celebration, she added. Tokyo Skytree is lit up in red, white and blue on Oct. 27, 2025, the day President Donald Trump arrived in Japan for the second leg of his Asia trip. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes) Takaichi told Trump she would continue to strive to strengthen Japans national power namely diplomacy, defense capability, economic power, technology, intelligence and human resources. Since 2022, Japan has been growing its defense budget to 2% of gross domestic product and developing a counterstrike capability with long-range missiles. Tokyo faces a rapid military buildup by China, which routinely challenges Japans hold on territory in the East China Sea and demonstrates its ability to invade Taiwan. Trump said the U.S. has received orders from Japan for a large amount of military equipment and noted that America makes the best equipment, including jets and missiles. Hopefully we dont ever have to use them very much, if at all, he said. Trump flies on Wednesday to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and a sideline meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump added that he has always had great love and respect for Japan. This will be a relationship that will be stronger than ever before, he said. We are an ally at the strongest level. Trump said Takaichi will be one of the great prime ministers and congratulated her on being Japans first female prime minister. Thats a big deal, he said. We are going to have a fantastic relationship. The German navys P-8 Poseidon lands after its maiden flight in March in Washington state. Germany is increasing its contributions to surveillance in the north Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea using its new Poseidon, an aircraft also operated by the U.S. and a handful of other NATO allies. (Boeing/German navy) Germany is ramping up its role in NATO maritime surveillance, with plans to deploy one of its new P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft to Scotland in the coming months as part of expanded joint operations with the U.K., according to the British defense ministry. The move places Germany alongside other NATO allies already operating P-8s in the north Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea regions, which are under increased scrutiny following suspected Russian activity near undersea infrastructure. Germany plans to acquire eight of the U.S.-made aircraft, which are capable of detecting, tracking and engaging submarines and surface vessels. The growing group of P-8 operators in NATO includes the U.S., U.K., Norway and Canada. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and British Defense Secretary John Healey met at RAF Lossiemouth on Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the Trinity House Agreement, a bilateral defense pact signed Oct. 23, 2024, that allows German aircrews to operate from the Scottish base. During the visit, the ministers flew aboard a British air force P-8, the U.K. defense ministry said in a statement last week. Germany received its first P-8 on Oct. 1 during a ceremony at Boeings facility in Seattle, according to a statement from the German Embassy in Washington. German crews have already taken part in two U.K.-led P-8 missions under NATOs Baltic Sentry operation, the British defense ministry said. Launched in January, Baltic Sentry aims to deter sabotage and other threats to undersea infrastructure following damage to communications lines between Estonia and Finland in December 2024. A U.S. Navy P-8 joined Baltic Sentry patrols in late September. American Poseidons routinely operate from Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy and Naval Air Station Keflavik in Iceland, providing broad coverage across the North Atlantic and Baltic. The addition of German forces to the surveillance mission comes amid a broader push by European NATO members to raise defense investment, a shift that came after sustained pressure from President Donald Trump. At the Thursday event with Pistorius, Healey referred to the partnership between Germany and the U.K. as a cornerstone of European security. Together were strengthening NATO, boosting our cyber defenses, and ensuring our armed forces can operate side by side with ease, from patrolling the skies over Scotland to hunting Russian subs in the North Atlantic, Healey said in the statement. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee about his nomination to be Air Force chief of staff on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday advanced the nomination of Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach to serve as the next Air Force chief of staff. The panel approved Wilsbach alongside 3,475 other military promotions, sending the nominees to the full Senate for a vote that could come as soon as this week. If confirmed, Wilsbach will replace Gen. David Allvin, who in August abruptly announced he would retire in November from the Air Forces top officer job halfway through his four-year term. Wilsbach, a pilot who most recently ensured aircraft fighting readiness as head of Air Force Combat Command, had planned to retire before he was called back into service. After much reflection and prayer, I said yes because I love this country, and I love the Air Force, he told the Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing earlier this month. The committee is set to consider other military nominees in the coming weeks. On Thursday, it will hold a confirmation hearing for Navy Vice Adm. Richard Correll to lead U.S. Strategic Command. Correll is now deputy head of the command, which is responsible for nuclear deterrence and missile defense. Another nominee, Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who is currently serving as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths senior military assistant, is expected to soon face the panel for appointment as the Armys vice chief of staff. Louisiana National Guard soldiers patrol the National Mall in support of Joint Task ForceDistrict of Columbia in Washington on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. Senate Democrats have requested a formal probe into the cost of President Donald Trumps deployment of the National Guard into several American cities, including Washington. (Joseph Barber/U.S. Army National Guard) WASHINGTON Senate Democrats have requested a formal probe into the cost of President Donald Trumps deployment of the National Guard into several American cities for domestic security operations. The request asks the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to analyze the costs of activating, deploying and compensating National Guard personnel who have been called to assist in immigration enforcement, guard federal property and personnel and support crime fighting. This extraordinary mobilization of military forces within the continental United States raises serious fiscal, legal, and constitutional concerns; and warrants close congressional scrutiny, the 11 senators, led by Jeff Merkley of Oregon, wrote in a letter to Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel. Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, led a group of senators last month in asking the budget office to estimate the cost of giving the Department of Defense a secondary name of the Department of War. The Trump administrations decision in recent months to federalize the National Guard into cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., over the objections of governors and local leaders has provoked a flurry of lawsuits and sparked concerns among some lawmakers. Trump most recently ordered the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to Chicago and Portland, Ore., and has mused about sending the military force into other Democrat-led cities, including Baltimore, New Orleans and San Francisco. Critics have decried the deployments as departures from long-standing norms in which the National Guard is typically deployed by governors to respond to state-level emergencies while the president calls upon them to train or fight overseas. Democratic senators said the substantial cost implications of the Trump administrations National Guard deployments have not been publicly disclosed or formally justified to Congress. In June, a Pentagon official told lawmakers that the cost estimate of the Los Angeles mission was $134 million but the costs of other missions have not been made public. Experts have calculated that the ongoing deployment of troops to Washington, which began in August, is costing $1 million per day. Congress must have a clear understanding of both the immediate and long-term budgetary consequences of this policy, senators wrote. A timely and comprehensive estimate from CBO will support fiscal accountability and help ensure that executive actions remain subject to appropriate legislative oversight. BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Tuesday exchanged congratulatory messages on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi said that Finland is the beautiful "land of a thousand lakes" and one of the first European countries to sign an intergovernmental trade agreement with China. Over the 75 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-Finland relations have transcended differences in social system and ideology, and stood the test of changes in the international landscape, with cooperation in political, economic, trade, people-to-people, cultural, and other fields being steadily deepened, he said. Xi said that Stubb successfully paid a state visit to China last October, during which they drew together a blueprint for the growth of the future-oriented new-type cooperative partnership between China and Finland. Xi said he attaches great importance to the growth of China-Finland relations, and stands ready to work with Stubb to carry forward their traditional friendship, break new ground in bilateral cooperation across the board, and advance an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. Adam Stump, a 51-year-old retired Air Force senior master sergeant, stands with his daughter, Natalie, during a family vacation this year. Natalie Stump was approved in August for college assistance, called Chapter 35 benefits, through the Department of Veterans Affairs that has not been delivered to recipients. (Courtesy of Adam Stump) WASHINGTON Tuition and housing payments are backlogged for more than 75,000 college and trade-school students who are the dependents and survivors of former military members after a software problem stopped automated delivery of their benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs expects the slowdown to continue as payments are processed manually. Computer technicians who can fix the error are furloughed in the federal government shutdown that started Oct. 1, according to the agency. Although VA acknowledged the payment delays earlier this month, the number of students impacted was not disclosed. Families of students using the benefits continue to express frustration and complain they cannot get their questions answered while federal agencies are closed. Adam Stump, a 51-year-old retired Air Force senior master sergeant and 100% disabled Afghanistan veteran, said his 18-year-old daughter, Natalie, received notice from George Mason University informing students about the delays in payments known as Chapter 35 benefits. Adam Stump is a 100% disabled Air Force veteran who served from 1993 to 2014 and deployed twice to Afghanistan. His daughter, Natalie, awaits Chapter 35 benefits from the VA to help with her college costs, but the payments are delayed. Adam Stump is shown in Afghanistan in this 2010 photo. (Courtesy of Adam Stump) Stump said his daughter, in her freshman year, is still waiting on delivery of her benefits approved in August. VA had six full weeks before the government shutdown to process that payment, Stump said. What happened? Chapter 35 benefits are sent directly to students to help cover the costs of higher education and job training, including tuition and housing. Payments typically are made for the month just completed. Students must verify enrollments monthly by email or text, according to VA. But the problems slowing delivery are not likely to be resolved until late November or December, according to VA. The GI Bill hotline for answering student questions on educational assistance is closed during the shutdown. A separate hotline for certifying benefits also is not running. Peter Kasperowicz, VA secretary, said earlier this month that students with delayed Chapter 35 benefits will be paid in full as soon as possible. VA deployed a new benefit delivery system in August and anticipated having the ability to pay staff overtime and deploy automation solutions as needed to ensure a smooth transition and process fall enrollments on a timely basis, said Kasperowicz, who added the government shutdown deprived VA of these resources. The American Legion urged the VA to develop a post-shutdown plan to effectively and efficiently catch up on missed paperwork to ensure there is no further lapse in benefits for veterans and their dependents. Military students utilizing the tuition assistance program are now at an impasse with the lack of new approvals or support in any kind for the program, the American Legion said. Chapter 35 payments rates for 2025-2026 are $1,574 per month for full-time enrollment and $912 for half-time enrollment. Rates may be less for on-the-job training and apprenticeships. Stump shared a notice his family received from George Mason about delays in Chapter 35 benefits, also known as dependents educational assistance. The VA has recalled some furloughed employees who have veterans claims experience to assist with processing the backlog, according to the notice. Due to the ongoing government shutdown, overtime is not authorized, which is further slowing down processing times. Unfortunately, the software personnel required to fix this issue have been furloughed, which is delaying the necessary patch, according to the notice. The university said it forwarded the information from Ken Smith, acting executive director of education service at the VA. The university also referred students and families facing hardship to the university-based Patriot Pantry, which provides free food and personal hygiene items to enrolled students. Stump said he has another adult child who graduated from George Mason University after using Chapter 35, and the benefits always arrived on time. Stump faulted VA for lack of communication and creating uncertainty among families. The delay doesnt make sense. There seems to be something going on from the VAs end that they are not disclosing fully, Stump said. The program wasnt broken before. Whats the problem now? Students eligible for Chapter 35 benefits are dependents of veterans permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability or who died from a service-connected disability. Beneficiaries also include dependents and survivors of service members missing in action or captured in the line of duty by a hostile force. People attend the closing ceremony of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. The 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits concluded here on Tuesday. At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits concluded here on Tuesday. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, the chair of ASEAN 2025, emphasized ASEAN centrality, saying that "we revived dialogues, built new bridges, and proved that ASEAN's machinery, when guided by patience and reason, still works." "Centrality, while not soaring above the skies, is still alive and well. Things are not falling apart and the center still holds," he said. At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines. The ASEAN Summit is generally held twice a year -- once in the first half and once in the second half of the year. Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste. Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos speaks during the closing ceremony of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. The 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits concluded here on Tuesday. At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng) Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) hands over the rotating chair gavel to Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos during the closing ceremony of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. The 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits concluded here on Tuesday. At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng) People attend the closing ceremony of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. The 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits concluded here on Tuesday. At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng) Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during the closing ceremony of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025. The 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits concluded here on Tuesday. At the ceremony, Malaysia handed over the ASEAN chairmanship for 2026 to the Philippines. (Xinhua/Cen Yunpeng) TOKYO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A record high of 10 deaths caused by bear attacks has been reported in Japan so far in fiscal 2025, amid a recent surge in bear-related incidents across the country, according to the Environment Ministry. More than 100 people have been killed or injured in bear attacks so far in the current fiscal year, which started in April, with the bear-related death toll marking the highest since records began in fiscal 2006, the ministry said. The latest occurred last Friday when a 38-year-old man was killed by a bear in a village in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan. Akita Prefecture has called for the military's help to protect residents from an unprecedented wave of bear attacks. "The situation has gone beyond what the prefectural and municipal governments can handle," Governor Kenta Suzuki said Sunday in a social media post, while planning to visit the Defense Ministry in Tokyo before long to make the request. In the neighboring prefecture of Iwate, more than 30 people have been killed or injured since April. On Monday, a body with wounds likely to have been made by a bear attack was found at residential premises in the prefecture. Police are trying to identify the body and the cause of death. Rafael Vilchez Tuesday, 28 October 2025, 15:54 Share The Durcal cemetery in Granada province was inaugurated and blessed on 1 August 1915. Now in the countryside, it replaced the old cemetery located behind the village's church, where previously, burials took place inside the religious building's grounds. In 1885 it was reported that the old Durcal cemetery was full and finally, in 1888, the then provincial governor ordered the construction of a new one because the old one did not comply with the hygiene and legal conditions. Since that time a number of people have occupied the post of gravedigger. Some of them lived with their families in the undertaker's house, next to the cemetery, with a well in the courtyard and a century-old fig tree. The current incumbent is 38-year-old Jose Manuel Padial Fernandez, who was born in Durcal. His father, Jose (now retired) also worked as the local gravedigger. Jose Manuel is also the gravedigger at the Niguelas, Cozvijar and Cenes cemeteries and he manages the Durcal morgue, meaning he is responsible for all of the process from the moment he receives the first call from the family of the deceased until the funeral. He is also in charge of the exhumation of bodies. Officially, Jose Manuel has been a gravedigger for five years, but he has helped his father in the cemetery since he was a child. In Durcal there are usually about fifty burials a year although recently there have been seven burials in one week. In several locations The Durcal cemetery has plenty of space and has been extended several times and the town hall makes sure that there is no shortage of niches. Jose Manuel is loved and respected by those who know him and they know how hard he works to make sure that the funeral process goes smoothly from beginning to the end . He works closely and professionally with the family of the deceased. Jose Manuel manages several public mortuaries together with Funeraria Romero in the Lecrin Valley. In the past the Animas Benditas (Blessed Souls) would transport the mortal remains of the poorest, the neediest people who lacked the money to pay for a burial. Here the corpse was taken out and wrapped in a sheet to be placed in the grave. The coffins were made to measure by carpenters. A person would go from house to house giving the name of the person who had died and when the Mass was going to take place. There is even an autopsy room, now disused, where detailed medical examinations were carried out on some corpses that required autopsies. There was also a space outside the Catholic Durcal cemetery to bury people who had taken their own lives. Symbolism The Durcal cemetery, like others, has large cypresses as a symbol of connection with the afterlife. They were planted in this and other places, according to some, "for their way of carrying souls to heaven and their evergreen foliage as a symbol of eternity, also being associated with mourning and the connection between heaven and earth". Civilisations such as the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans placed flowers on graves, believing that they accompanied the deceased on their journey. In Durcal and other areas there were the so-called 'Lloronas', women hired to mourn the deceased at funerals, also known as 'planideras'. Their function was to mourn in a disconsolate and theatrical manner during wakes to simulate the family's grief and enhance the reputation of the deceased, often speaking of his or her goodness. This tradition dates back to ancient Egypt and existed in various cultures. In Durcal, as in other places, it is customary to bring many flowers to the cemetery on All Souls' Day or a few days before, as a symbol of respect, love and to honour the memory of loved ones. This custom dates back to ancient times and flowers have become a way of expressing feelings and remembrance of those who are no longer physically present. The flowers are a bridge between the living and the deceased, representing the love and remembrance that endures. Some locals grow the most traditional flowers for this time of year on their farms to take them to the cemetery. The flowers that last longest in the cemetery are chrysanthemums, carnations and gladioli, thanks to their robustness. Other long-lasting options are roses, daisies and lilies. All Saints' Day The parish priest of Durcal, Don Joaquin, has revived the old tradition of holding a mass on All Souls' Day in the cemetery, which usually takes place in the context of the Solemnity of the Faithful Departed (2 November). A few days before, families clean and decorate the graves and niches of their ancestors. Although 1 November is All Saints' Day and 2 November is All Souls' Day, they are often associated and celebrated together, especially on public holidays. All Souls' Day was instituted in the tenth century by Saint Odilon of France. The day is an opportunity to reflect on life after death and to honour the memory of those who have passed on. Until a few decades ago, wakes in Durcal and other places were held in the home of the deceased, a custom that continued for a long time until social, health and town planning changes led to the birth of the funeral parlours. This homemade practice allowed the family and community to get together, say goodbye to their loved one and share the mourning, often for several days. Relatives and neighbours often helped by bringing food and other supplies. One Durcal resident, Juan 'Regalo', who died recently at the age of 92, attended all the funerals in his village from when he was a young man and many people attended his own funeral. TOKYO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of fatally shooting former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, pleaded guilty to the charge on Tuesday, the first day of his trial, local media reported. The 45-year-old, indicted for killing Abe with a homemade firearm during an election stump speech in western Japan, admitted to the charge of murder and to violating the firearms and swords control law at the Nara District Court, Kyodo News reported. Yamagami, appearing in court for the first time since the killing three years ago, said he committed the crime due to a grudge he held against the Unification Church, which he believed had close ties to Abe and other Japanese politicians. Yamagami has told officials that massive donations, likely some 100 million yen (about 660,000 U.S. dollars), his mother made to the group caused his family's financial ruin, the report said. The shocking assassination brought intense attention to the ties between the controversial religious group and members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which Abe formerly led. Beatriz L. Echazarreta Tuesday, 28 October 2025 | Updated 29/10/2025 10:54h. Share Twenty-one years ago, on 21 September, Jokin Cebeiro Laboa rode his bicycle to the Fuenterrabia town wall and threw himself off the top, four days short of his 15th birthday. He took his own life while his parents, the headmaster of his school and the parents of the children who were bullying him were in a meeting to discuss and find a solution to a problem that had been making his life miserable for a year. That case in the Basque Country led to the first media coverage of school bullying in Spain. The recent death by suicide of Sandra Pena in Seville has shown that the methods used in dealing with bullying by schools, teachers and parents is still not working. "Jokin's case was a great shock for Spanish society. But the reality is that, two decades later, there has been no improvement. The system is failing, we need a structural change, but the Sandra Pena case could be a turning point, the end of silence," Enrique Perez-Carrillo from the Spanish association for the prevention of bullying (Aepae) said. Aepae's phones and emails have not stopped receiving messages since the girl from the Loreto school in Seville took her own life by throwing herself off the roof of her house. "The messages have multiplied by 50 and we can't cope. We are receiving cases of minor, serious and very serious bullying that are happening in schools," Perez-Carrillo stated. These are messages from parents who suspect that their child may be suffering bullying at school and want to know how to act before it is too late. The tragedy in Andalucia has created a wave of anxiety among parents. On the other hand, it has encouraged them to speak up and seek solutions. Several cases have come to light in just one week. On Friday, five sixth-form pupils were sanctioned for harassing a five-year-old girl in Vigo. A day earlier, the Catalan police announced that they are opening the investigation into the death of 15-year-old Dani Quintana this past July. His family reported that he had been the victim of bullying at his school - the Institut Canigo. The hashtag #StopBullying has gained relevance on social media, encompassing the stories of numerous teenagers who have taken their own lives due to bullying. Sandra and Dani are not the only victims. In 2023, Claudia from Gijon wrote a note explaining that bullying had led her to no longer want to live. Daniela from Oviedo took her own life in October 2024. 12-year-old Lucia, who had been diagnosed with autism, died for the same reasons this past February in Tenerife. The public voice of all parents who have lost their children to bullying is Jose Manuel Lopez Vinuela, who lost his 15-year-old daughter Kira to bullying in 2021. The association he is part of - Trencats - has been calling for a state law against bullying and denounces the lack of support provided by schools. While there are many parents who continue fighting after losing their child, there are other families, usually with more children, that choose to focus on what they still have. Almost two pupils per class suffer bullying "We only work in the region of Madrid and I can assure you that, since the Sandra Pena case, consultations have skyrocketed," president of the Madrid association against bullying (Amacae) Maria Jose Fernandez said. She has attended five families in person over the last few days and has several meetings scheduled for next week. "They are all parents who suspect that their child is being bullied," she said, adding that parents who suspect their child might be the bully rarely call. "In the 12 years that the association has been active, only two families of bullies have contacted us," Fernandez said. She has also been receiving multiple invitations to give talks in schools. According to official information from the region of Madrid, there were 3,279 bullying protocols open in primary and secondary schools in February. They only concerned this region of Spain. "The problem is that, at a national level, there are no objective figures, beyond studies of incidence," Aepae states. In a September survey carried out by the Anar foundation, 12.3% of students (out of a sample of 8,781 minors) stated that they or one of their classmates was being bullied at school (in person, cyberbullying or both). This figure is up from 9.4% the previous year. There is also a 2023 study carried out by the ColaCao foundation and the Complutense University which states that almost two students per class suffer bullying in Spain. This is one of the most comprehensive studies that have been carried out in the country, with a sample of nearly 21,000 students. It concludes that from the fourth year of primary school to the fourth year of secondary school, there are 6.2% of students who recognise themselves as victims of bullying. There are, therefore, thousands of children and families who have come forward in a wave that mimics a 'Me Too' domino effect. Irene Quirante Tuesday, 28 October 2025, 15:48 Share The provincial court of Malaga has sentenced a man to nine months in prison for showing pornographic material to his niece on several occasions over two years, since she was six years old. The defendant tried to justify his behaviour in court by stating that he had done it for educational purposes. According to the sentence, the events began in 2020, when the child was six years old and the defendant was 25. At that time, he was still living with his mother, who, being the victim's grandmother, would often look after the girl at home. In order to "satisfy his libidinous desires", he would take the girl to his room, where he would show her pornographic videos on his mobile phone. According to the ruling, he would sometimes motivate her to choose the video they would watch. Frequent episodes These episodes occurred "frequently" for about two years, until the little girl made a comment to her mother that demonstrated that she had knowledge of a sexual nature that was too advanced for her age. When the mother inquired, the child told her about the videos her uncle had shown her. The case was uncovered after the girl made a comment that revealed sexual knowledge that was too advanced for her age The defendant initially denied the facts, but eventually, prompted by the interrogation, stated that he had shown such content to his niece. According to his testimony, his objective was to "provide the minor with a sexual education" after she, at the age of six, had asked him to. He denied any personal sexual satisfaction. The judges ruled that his testomony was nothing more than an "absurd attempt to justify" his conduct. Court ruling The magistrates, however, ruled that there was no proof of a continuous crime of sexual abuse or assault, although both the public and the private prosecution pointed out that the defendant had touched the victim. The court based the decision on the child's account and her psychological report. As a result, the defendant was sentenced to nine months in prison for a continuous offence of exhibitionism or sexual provocation of minors. He has also been banned from exercising any profession or trade, paid or unpaid, that involves regular and direct contact with minors. Additionally, he has been given two years of probation and a restraining and solitary confinement order for the same length of time with respect to the victim. He has also been ordered to compensate the victim with 15,000 euros for moral damages. Carmen Barainca Tuesday, 28 October 2025 | Updated 29/10/2025 10:55h. Share Hundreds of people filled the streets of Malaga city centre on Tuesday in a mass demonstration called by the students' union following the death of Marta Sandra Pena - the teenager from Seville who reportedly took her own life after being bullied at school. The rally, which started from Plaza de la Constitucion, grew as it moved through the historic centre, bringing together students from different school years, families and residents of all ages who wanted to show their support for Sandra's family and demand urgent measures against bullying. Banners saying 'Silence also kills', 'No more victims' and 'Educate to respect' expressed the demonstrators' demands, who denounced the "passivity" of institutions in the face of bullying. The chants, which echoed throughout the centre of Malaga, turned the city into a loudspeaker of indignation and solidarity. "Today, Malaga raises its voice for Sandra and for all the victims of bullying," the attendees chanted. Malaga was not the only city protesting on Tuesday. Demonstrations were also held in Madrid, Bilbao, Oviedo and Gijon, all demanding more resources in education and public health against bullying. Aim of the strike The rally aims to raise awareness to the fight against bullying. However, the students' union has firm demands for concrete measures to be implemented. The organisation is demanding the immediate resignation of the management team of the Irlandesas de Loreto school, where Sandra was studying, and the withdrawal of its public funding. According to the demonstrators, those responsible for not activating the anti-bullying protocol must be sanctioned for her death. The students' union also calls for the recruitment of thousands of psychologists and psychiatrists in the public health system and in every school, college and university. The union also demands education free of hate speech. Cristina Vallejo Malaga Tuesday, 28 October 2025, 16:15 Share The heroin pandemic was sweeping Europe's youth in the 1980s. Italy launched a movement to prevent people from falling into drug addiction or pull them out of it. The great ideologist of the Progetto Uomo initiative was Father Mario Picchi, who died in 2010. The project is also implemented in Malaga province, under the name Proyecto Hombre. At the 40th anniversary of Proyecto Hombre, which was held in Malaga on Tuesday, the former bishop of Malaga diocese, Jesus Catala, said that the initiative's aim was to rebuild drug addicts and give them a divine purpose. Malaga was the first Andalusian province to implement the programme. Catala expressed his gratitude for the people, institutions and organisations that played a key role in Proyecto Hombre's arrival in Malaga. "Addiction is a problem with increasingly blurred contours, but one that is becoming more and more deeply rooted in society" National director general of Proyecto Hombre Elena Presencio highlighted the role the programme has played in the lives of "people who have found an answer" and given "meaning to their lives". She thanked the staff of 50 professionals, from healthcare to psychosocial experts, and the 100 volunteers who work at the Malaga headquarters. Drawing attention to the problem, she said: "Addiction is a problem with increasingly blurred contours, but one that is becoming more and more deeply rooted in society." Nowadays, addiction has different faces that might have nothing to do with substance abuse: social media, video games and sex, among others. Presencio said that the most exciting part of their job is persuading people that "reclaiming life is more than overcoming addiction": it involves the recovery of family ties, work life, health, economic autonomy and joy. "It means rebuilding the person from another place, giving meaning to life," she stated. "Reclaiming life is more than overcoming addiction" Zoom All participant institutions at the NGO's anniversary. Migue Fernandez Presencio quoted philosopher Adela Cortina: "Man can tolerate unhappiness, but not the lack of meaning." "We accompany people in their search for meaning," she said. An important part of Proyecto Hombre's principles is that the staff do not judge the past of those who participate in the programme. Instead, they believe in their future. "Thousands of people have rebuilt their families and are an active part of this society," Presencio said. According to Belen Pardo, director of Proyecto Hombre in Malaga, an average of 1,000 people pass through the organisation in the province every year, which means that the total number of beneficiaries up to this point could be around 40,000. Pardo stated, although addiction has different faces, it always stems from inner emptiness. "There are more beautiful ways to be happy than being a slave: freedom" During the ceremony, Malaga mayor Francisco de la Torre proposed a slogan for the organisation: "There are more beautiful ways to be happy than being a slave: freedom." With this, he highlighted the main goal of Proyecto Hombre, besides helping people lead a healthy life: helping them regain their freedom and independence. Zoom In the foreground, director of Proyecto Hombre in Malaga Belen Pardo talks with president of the provincial authority Francisco Salado. Migue Fernandez De la Torre insisted on the importance of education in the prevention of drug addiction, which is why he announced an increase in the yearly budget for such initiatives from 100,000 to 150,000 euros. President of the provincial authority Francisco Salado stressed that it is "fundamental and essential" to support organisations such as Proyecto Hombre, "because they go where public administrations do not reach". "Every euro that we, public administrations, invest in the third sector turns into gold, which is why we have to move forward hand in hand," he stated, highlighting the interdisciplinary issue of addiction, which often starts due to other issues in a person's life and spirals from there. Salado reminded attendees that Proyecto Hombre provides educational, social, health and legal help. "We are in a society that modernity has swept away. We have technological advances and instead of filling what they provide us with hugs, we fill with stress" Delegate for the regional health ministry Carlos Bautista focused his speech on Byung-Chul Han's book The Spirit of Hope, which won the Princess of Asturias Award in 2025, and other thinkers such as Hartmut Rosa and Steven Pinker. "They speak to us of a society that is at a very critical moment and that has abandoned the most vulnerable. We are in the most interconnected world in history and yet society has never been so alone. How is it possible that our young people, who communicate through a tablet or a mobile phone, feel so lonely, that we have so many addiction problems, so many suicides, so much loneliness. Loneliness generates fear, isolation, addictions and mental health problems," he said. "We live in a society that modernity has swept away. We have technological advances and instead of filling what they provide us with hugs, we fill with stress. The stress of the population is very high, related to real situations, wars, pandemic, but also to invented situations and we expect our young people to come out of this unscathed," Bautista stated. So he encouraged: "We have to draw a kinder society and provide the people who suffer with certainty. We don't have to be there with a WhatsApp, we have to embrace each other. A calmer society, a hug and a conversation can solve many things." Childrens clothing retailer Carters has announced plans to close 150 stores nationwide as a result of increased costs linked to President Donald Trumps tariffs. The company, known for brands such as OshKosh BGosh, Little Planet, and Skip Hop, made this announcement on Monday, Oct. 27. The Administration has implemented significant new tariffs on products imported into the United States from a wide range of countries. These additional tariffs have begun to add substantially to the approximately $110 million in duties on imported product paid by the Company in fiscal 2024, the company said in a news release. Douglas C. Palladini, Carters Chief Executive Officer & President, explained in a statement that the companys third quarter performance reflected continued improvement in U.S. Retail business demand and Carters had achieved positive comparable sales and improved pricing for the second consecutive quarter. However, while the company was seeing success, it was still losing money. Elevated product costs, in part due to the impact of higher tariffs, as well as additional investment, weighed meaningfully on our profitability, Palladini continued. The store closures will be spread out over approximately three years, with around 100 stores closing during fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Currently, Carters operates over 1,000 stores across North America, but it is unclear which specific locations will be closed. Carters also plans to cut 300 positions, which represents 15% of its workforce. Founded in 1865 by William Carter, the retailer initially sold mittens that Carter knitted in his kitchen in Needham, Massachusetts. In the 1870s, the product line expanded to include adult underwear and union suits, a type of one-piece long underwear for babies, children, and adults. It wasnt until the 1950s that Carters shifted its focus to childrens apparel. Since then, Carters has been a leading retailer of baby, toddler, and childrens clothing and accessories. Additionally, Carters sells some of its products at Target, Walmart, and Amazon. Syracuse, N.Y. A man charged with murder in connection with a September shooting on Syracuses South Side has been brought back to Syracuse from Arkansas. Rephayah Oselmo, 18, of Syracuse, was arraigned in Syracuse City Court Tuesday and is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail on no bail, according to arrest records. Hes charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The other two people charged in the murder of Jakari Townsend, 26, are Drevan Felder, 17, of Cicero, and David Herndon, 33, of Syracuse. Oselmo and Felder are accused of firing 11 shots from 9mm handguns while riding VEO motorized bikes in the 400 block of Bellevue Avenue on Sept. 16. Townsend was found unresponsive in front of the J & B Grocery at 409 Bellevue Ave., police said. Another man was injured in the shooting, but survived, police have said. Townsend was shot in the upper torso, according to a criminal complaint filed in Syracuse City Court. He died at Upstate University Hospital. Herndon is accused of driving a car that led the shooters to Townsend, according to court papers. Oselmo was arrested in Fayetteville, Arkansas last Tuesday afternoon by U.S. Marshals. He tried to flee by jumping from a second-story window but was quickly arrested, said Kieran Coffey, a spokesperson for the Syracuse Police Department. At the time of the fatal shooting, Oselmo was out on bail from an earlier shooting. He was accused of shooting a 20-year-old man in the leg on the citys North Side on April 30. JERUSALEM/GAZA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Monday night received the body of an unidentified hostage who had been held by Hamas in Gaza, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. Hamas handed the coffin to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza, which then transferred it to the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency inside the enclave. The coffin will be taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, the office said. "Once the identification process is complete, an official notification will be delivered to the family," it added. A Hamas source said the body was recovered earlier in the day from the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. It was the latest exchange of captives and bodies under a ceasefire that took effect 11 days ago, under which Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel freed about 2,000 Palestinian detainees. Israel estimates that the bodies of 28 hostages remain in Gaza, some killed before being taken, and others who died in captivity. Hamas had previously returned 15 bodies. Van Buren, N.Y. - A former Central New York doctor who once sexually abused a woman was arrested Monday after troopers found illegal guns and drugs in a Van Buren home. The former doctor, Harvey E. Black, 71, and another man, Anthony J. Carbonaro, 56, were arrested Monday after State Police searched a home at 54 Van Ness Road South in Van Buren, according to a State Police news release. The property is owned by Carbonaro, according to county records. Police seized the following items: An illegally possessed assault rifle A New York-compliant assault rifle Two high-capacity magazines More than 100 amphetamine pills Multiple multicolored methamphetamine pills $7,218 in U.S. currency Various rounds of ammunition Firearm magazines Black, of Manlius, who had a family medicine practice in Cicero, went to prison from 2014 to 2017 for sexually abusing an 18-year-old woman who was working as the familys nanny. Black was 60 years old at the time. Black served additional jail time in late 2018 after violating parole when he disappeared for seven months and failed to register a new address as a sex offender. In 1989, Black was charged with sexual abuse, accused of having forced sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl, according to syracuse.com| The Post-Standard archives. He was chief school physician at the North Syracuse Central School District at the time. His defense lawyer, William Fitzpatrick, got his indictment thrown out. A judge ruled that the grand jury was tainted by three witnesses who had nothing to do with the victims case. Fitzpatrick is now Onondaga Countys District Attorney. On Monday, Black was charged with the following: Third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony Fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony Two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor Nine counts of possession of a controlled substance in a non-original container Carbonaro was charged with: Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (assault rifle), felony Two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (high-capacity magazines), a felony Two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor Possession of a controlled substance in a non-original container Carbonaro also has had his run-ins with police. He was arrested in 2017 after police say he impersonated a federal police officer during a traffic stop. He was charged with criminal impersonation of a police officer, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of marijuana. The outcome of that case could not immediately be determined. Black and Carbonaro are being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail on $10,000 cash bail and $25,000 bail bond. Kelsey Grammer has just become a dad of eight! The 70-year-old Fraiser star announced the news on an Oct. 27 episode of Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, and Rider Strongs Pod Meets World podcast. He shared with the hosts that he and wife Kayte Walsh, 46, just had our fourth one," bringing his brood to eight kids. It was like three days ago, Grammer said. Christopher thats just joined the family. Christopher joins Grammers three kids with Walsh daughter Faith, 12, and sons Gabriel, 10, and James, 8. Grammar also shares a daughter, Spencer, 41, with his first wife, Doreen Alderman. He is also a father to daughter, Greer, 33, whom he shares with his second wife, Barrie Buckner. Additionally, he shares daughter Mason, 23, and son Jude, 20, withReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsalum and third ex-wife, Camille Grammer. The news broke that Grammer would be having baby No. 8 in June. In an interview with People in May, Grammer talked about being a father of seven and how he may not have been as present in his kids lives as he would have liked. I have neglected a couple of the kids in my life, especially the first two, Grammer told the outlet. Im trying to make up for a little of it now. Im still their dad, so you can always have [a] chance to show up. Kelsey Grammer and wife Kayte Walsh at the "Frasier" press junket at the SCAD TVfest on February 08, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for SCAD) Getty Images for SCAD He also noted that hes become a stricter parent over time. I probably should have been a little more clear and maybe less tolerant with the older ones, he said. Im pretty tolerant with the young ones, but Im clear about how theres certain expectations and certain ways to navigate through a social situation: keep it close to the vest and play it straight, and youre going to be well-served in your life. Im a little more specific with them about doing their studies and being prepared. [I tell them], Whats your job in life? Showing up. Grammer met Walsh, a former flight attendant, while traveling to London in 2009. At the time, he was still married to Camille. The downfall of their marriage was portrayed during Season 1 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. He married Walsh in 2011. Syracuse, N.Y. More than 50,000 people in Onondaga County alone will lose their grocery money starting this weekend. The federal food stamp program, referred to as SNAP, is caught up in the government shutdown and will not be funded starting Nov. 1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, posted on its website Monday that states will not be paid any benefits this week. Bottom line, the well has run dry, reads a statement posted to the U.S.D.A.s home page Monday. The agency issues $8 billion monthly in grocery money nationwide. At this time, there will be no benefits issued Nov. 1. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is one of the largest and longest-running national efforts to help families make ends meet. It distributes $642 million in grocery money across New York state every month. In Onondaga County, about one in five households depends on SNAP for a portion of their grocery budget every month. Thats $22 million a month. Nearly 100,000 people in Onondaga, Oswego, Madison and Cayuga counties get some or all of their grocery budgets from the program. Statewide, that number is 3 million people. Nearly 1 million are children and 800,000 are elderly or disabled. They will all be left scrambling to put food on their tables. Were hitting deadlines that impact people in big ways, said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon. The county does not have the money to subsidize SNAP, he said. Those who depend on SNAP have had virtually no time to prepare or stock up. The public message around the issue has not been clear, with many agencies still holding out hope for a bailout from somewhere. The USDA has told states and counties that it will not reimburse them if they decide to continue paying the benefits out of their own budgets. County social service agencies have been directing families to lists of food banks in their communities in case they run out of food. The Food Bank of Central New York, which serves 11 counties, has ordered 20% more food this month to help pantries stock up. Were increasing our food purchases in anticipation of increased need, said Becky Lare, vice president of government relations for the Food Bank of CNY. We cannot, however, match the impact SNAP has on alleviating hunger. While money can carry over from one month to the next, most families use all of their money each month. They depend on their payments at the beginning of the month to restock their pantries and refrigerators. As of now, no one in New York will receive more money on their SNAP cards, which act like debit cards. The program is simple: People take the cards to the store and use them to buy covered items. But come Nov. 1, people who depend on SNAP will have to turn to food pantries and other emergency food programs in their communities to make up for the lost food money. Thats where the state is sending its support. Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged $41 million to support emergency food programs across the state. Thats about two days of the states SNAP budget. Mable Wilson, a Syracuse resident who lives with her daughters family, said she depends on her SNAP payment every month. Theres six of us, said Wilson, who is 75. Were in a pickle. How will we get food? She is hoping that community nonprofits, food pantries and businesses will come together to make more free food available for struggling families like hers. Murray Gould, who runs the food pantry at St. Lucys on Syracuses Near Westside, said hes already seeing an increase in the number of people who are coming in for food. The pantry usually sees about 30 people on the days it is open; last week, that number grew to 50, he said. He said people may be stocking up to prepare for the cuts. Programs that serve the citys homeless and struggling expect to see ripples from the cut. Andrew Lunetta, executive director at A Tiny Home for Good, said about 60% of the people in his program rely on SNAP. Lunetta said he expects that if SNAP gets cut, the citys homeless numbers, already at a record high, will increase. If people have to decide between food and rent, people might start choosing food, Lunetta said. This isnt going to help. To find a food pantry or emergency food program near you, search here. Skaneateles, N.Y. A Central New York businessman has raised more than $20,000 in the past few hours to help families losing their SNAP benefits this week. During that same time period, the need has already outpaced the help. Between 15 and 20 people are applying for grocery gift cards every minute, said Jeff Knauss. Nearly 100 people have already donated money to help, in amounts as small as $20 and as large as $2,500. Knauss, a Skaneateles-based business owner, decided less than 24 hours ago to raise money that will directly help people losing their food stamp benefits this weekend. His family donated the first $10,000, which is not reflected in the GoFundMe total. The money will be used to purchase as many $150 Wegmans gift cards as possible. Im not part of any organization or government agency Im just a dad, neighbor, and business owner living in Upstate New York, Knauss wrote in a social media post explaining his fundraiser. We cant wait for the government and bureaucracy to fix this. Knauss, who founded Digital Hyve, is an investor in several other companies and restaurants in the area, including Hidden Fish, Clovers and XO Taco. He shared that he was born in poverty to two teen parents in South Korea before being adopted by an Upstate family. Had that not been the case, my lifes story would be very different through no choice of my own, Knauss wrote in post explaining his fundraiser. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that the government will stop funding the debit cards more than 100,000 people in CNY depend upon every month to buy their groceries. Knausss fundraiser is also for families in the Rochester area. More than 3 million people in the state depend on SNAP benefits for at least a portion of their food budget. The money is caught up in the government shutdown. The USDA has an emergency reserve fund with enough to cover at least part of the month, but government officials have said the shutdown does not qualify as an emergency. The state has shifted $41 million to fund food banks and other emergency food agencies to help fill the gaps, but Knauss said he wanted to do something that would quickly put money directly into the hands of families that are losing it. He partnered with Wegmans, and his friend Evelyn Ingram, director community engagement for the company, is helping with logistics. Families must pick up the gift cards in person at designated Wegmans locations in the Syracuse and Rochester areas. You can apply for a gift card at this link. You can donate money to the effort at this link. All of the money will go directly to families in need, Knauss said. The applications for gift cards will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. If the government reopens and money is left over, it will be donated to the Food Bank of Central New York. When Arlene Abends daughter, Tema, had to take a home economics class in junior high school, Abend wasnt surprised. Her daughter wanted to take a shop class instead. Abend fought with the school to allow her daughter to be the first female student to take a shop class. She was victorious. She was extraordinarily frustrated with what men could do and women cant, said her daughter, Tema Abend. She was a pioneer. It wasnt the first or last time Abend would take a stand for feminism. As an artist who worked with metal and resin, who welded and even built her own tools when commercial tools wouldnt suffice, Abend paved the way for women in the arts. The renowned artist, sculptor and welder died this month. She was 94. Abends sculptures ranged from the figurative to the abstract, from the small-scale to the large. She often worked with the human form. Her pieces are very theatrical, said her friend, Cheryl Chappell, owner of Edgewood Gallery. Born in 1931 in Brooklyn, Abend grew up on Brighton Beach. Her parents, Estelle and Louis Achiron, were conservative Jews. She had an older sister, Rita. She was a tomboy, Tema Abend said. Her sister, Rita, was gorgeous and had all the attention. My mother saw herself as the ugly duckling. She was the black sheep of the family. Arlene Abend family archive As a girl, Abend loved going to the beach. I definitely loved the sand in my hands, Arlene Abend, said in the documentary, Stretching Boundaries: The Life and Work of Arlene Abend. I loved piling it up making it have different shapes. I loved the texture the warmthI didnt even realize I was doing sculpture. Abend, who stood at 52, had dark shoulder-length hair, and green-hazel eyes, attended Cooper Union in New York City. There, she met her husband, whom she later divorced. The couple relocated to Connecticut and had two children. Abend made portraits using pastels and pencils. She designed book covers. I did portraits for an income but I found myself going further and further into that third dimension and the sense of space as opposed to imitating reality, Arlene Abend said. The painting faded. The need for color faded. The family moved to Syracuse in 1962, after her husband got a job at Smith Corona as a mechanical engineer helping to design typewriters. While taking art courses at Syracuse University, Abend found her love for the welding torch. She decided to take classes at the old Central Tech Vocational Center to learn how to weld and start experimenting with using a welding torch to make sculptures. Arlene Abend used a welding torch to make sculptures. family archive Abend juggled her desire to make art with the responsibilities of a housewife. I did all the prerequisites of a good Jewish mother, she said. I did all the right things as a suburban housewife and found myself terribly uncomfortable. It just wasnt enough because thats not the only person I was The time to cook took away from the time that I could rush off when they went to school and get some work done. Arlene was a feminist before feminism was in vogue, Chappell said. Her husband was ambivalent about the work Abend did. He did not support her efforts in her work but he was proud of her, Tema Abend said. At one point, Abend went on strike. She refused to do household duties for a week, Tema Abend said. She said Im not doing your laundry, your dishes, your dinners. She wasnt going to be the maid, housekeeper and cook while we all sat around and watched, Tema Abend said. Arlene Abend family archive Abend later enrolled at Syracuse University to finish her bachelors degree. There, she first started working with resin. In 1973, she began leasing a studio at Delavan Center, where she would stay until it was destroyed by the Labor Day storm of 1998. When she wasnt making her own art, Abend put her welding ability to good use by repairing uniquely small and intricate metal antiques. Abend often worked on commission. I love commission work because it has me create in context, she said. It has me pushing me in areas I probably wouldnt have gone it and it gives me skills I wouldnt have had. I dont have the finances to build to the scale that I would like so its my clients who have given me the opportunity to work a little bigger than I am and have the funds to make it happen. She was named a Post-Standard Woman of Achievement in 1989. Arlene Abend family archive She was commissioned to create a piece that sat on the 91st floor of the World Trade Center. It was destroyed on 9/11. That day, Abends son, who was a pilot, was in the air flying for one of the major airlines. The fact that I lost my sculpture seemed to turn into something quite minor compared to what value a life has, she said. When the Carousel Center mall opened in 1990, Abend was commissioned to create enormous horses to be displayed there. She made a unicorn, a zebra, a racing horse, and a sea horse. What I got from the Carousel Mall and a deadline was a tremendous awareness that you could do it, she said. Abend had a process when making her large scale structures. She began with sketches, then made miniature models before creating the large pieces that were the end result. Along with John Roberson, Abend designed the Dewitt 9/11 Memorial Monument. At first, I did this as a commission. Then when I got back to see it again, it was a whole symbol for so many people, that it became personal, she said. Arlene Abend shown among her sculptures on display at the Edgewood Gallery in Syracuse in 2004. Michelle Gabel In 2007, Abend became the artist-in-residence at a preschool. She made sculptures that involved birds and flying. When you work with small children with their enthusiasm and their joy... I think I got as much out of it as the kids did. She just always had to fight in order to get a seat at the table, but she was always very determined, Chappell said. She just kept on doing it, kept on insisting, kept on pushing, and she learned and she learned, and she did totally earn the respect of any man who would give her half a chance. All the hassles, the difficulties, the lack of time or support, financial or emotional, was something to push against that made my muscles, my mental need, and desire probably stronger, she said. What a woman is or is not was not just a difficulty, it may have been an impetus for me where I am now. The frustration of wanting to push the envelope has not changed. Abend is survived by her children, Les and Tema Abend, and two grandchildren. A celebration of Abends life will be held at Congregation Beth Shalom on the evening of February 25, 2026. A key government employee union is pushing for a quick end to the federal government shutdown. Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today, said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, according to The Associated Press. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. The two parties have made their point, Kelley said. He called for Congress to pass a clean funding bill, the option Republicans have offered, according to Politico. The union carries considerable political weight with Democrats, AP said. Party leaders did not immediately back down, but Democrats said theyll discuss the unions position this week, according to Politico. It has a lot of impact. Theyve been our friends, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said, adding that Democrats take them seriously. Other major unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, have not broken with the Democratic position, according to The Hill. The effects of the shutdown are beginning to build. The nations 1.3 million active-duty members of the military could miss a paycheck on Friday, according to AP. The Trump administration has also said funding will run out Friday for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which millions of Americans use to help buy food. Air travel issues related to the shutdown escalated over the weekend, Politico said. The government shut down earlier this month after Republicans and Democrats failed to pass a bill extending funding. Republicans in the House passed an extension, but Democrats have demanded Congress extend a set of expiring health care subsidies in exchange for their votes, which are required to advance a funding bill in the Senate. They have also sought to reverse cuts to health care spending made in a Republican policy bill earlier this year. Republicans have expressed openness to addressing the subsidies, which help millions of people pay for health coverage. But they have said that issue can be dealt with at a later date, after the government reopens. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, which is home to large numbers of federal workers, has been firmly in favor of confronting President Donald Trump and Republicans over the health care issues, according to Politico. But he was more cautious on Monday. Look, I think we can still deal with health care and SNAP, but I know the shutdown is a real challenge, he said. Federal employees feel like theyve been abused and also going for weeks now without pay. Syracuse, N.Y. More than 5,000 people in Onondaga County turned out to cast ballots in the first three days of early voting for the 2025 local elections, setting a record pace for a local election. By the time polls closed Monday, 5,018 people had voted at the 10 polling sites in the county, topping the record of 4,025 for the same period in 2023, said Dustin Czarny, the countys Democratic elections commissioner. The total through Monday far eclipsed the early turnout for local elections in 2021 (2,703) and 2019 (2,649), when New York state began offering the early voting option. The turnout was fueled by the race for mayor in Syracuse, where 1,114 voters cast early ballots through Monday, according to the county Board of Elections. Other big turnouts for early voting have occurred among registered voters in Manlius (600), Clay (595) and DeWitt (469), the boards data shows. In Manlius, voters are casting ballots in a town supervisors race between incumbent Democrat John Deer and Republican Danny Liedka, who has previously served as East Syracuse mayor and as an Onondaga County legislator. In addition to the election for Syracuse mayor, voters are choosing among candidates for all 17 seats on the Onondaga County Legislature and for town supervisors across the county. This years ballot also includes contested mayoral races in Liverpool and Solvay, and for four open seats in the State Supreme Courts 5th Judicial District. Of the 5,018 ballots cast at early voting sites through Monday, about 50 percent (2,523) have come from Democratic voters, according to the countys data. About 26 percent of voters through Monday are Republicans (1,316) and 22 percent (1,103) were not enrolled in a political party. A combined 76 votes were cast by people registered with the Conservative or Working Families parties. All told, more than 8,000 people had voted in the county through Monday, including 3,019 voters whose mail-in ballots had been received by the Onondaga County Board of Elections. Early voting continues in New York through Sunday, Nov. 2. All polling sites will be open on Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 4. Onondaga County is operating 10 early voting sites that are open to all registered voters in the county. Voters can check wait times on the county website before they choose a polling place. YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) The worlds oldest president, Cameroons 92-year-old Paul Biya, has won election again, the countrys top court said Monday, after days of protesters clashes with security forces left at least four people dead as opposition supporters demanded credible results. Biya has led the central African nation since 1982, ruling longer than most citizens have been alive. Over 70% of the population of almost 30 million is below 35. The Oct. 12 election has displayed growing tensions between Africas youth and its many aging leaders. The Constitutional Council said Biya received 53.66% of votes while former ally Issa Tchiroma Bakary got 35.19%. The turnout was 57.7%. In a social media post after the announcement, Tchiroma asserted that security forces had shot at civilians, killing two in his hometown of Garoua. Shooting point-blank at your own brothers I cant help but wonder if youre mercenaries, he posted. Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary. What blatant impunity. Tchiroma had claimed victory days ago, citing results he said were collated by his party. Biyas party members dismissed the claim. Biya in a statement on Monday said his first thoughts are with all those who have unnecessarily lost their lives, as well with their families, as a result of the post-election violence. Nothing will change Biyas decision to seek another term angered youth and the opposition, which has accused him of having a hand in the disqualification of his strongest rival and using state machinery to manipulate the election. The four protesters were shot dead Sunday in Douala, the economic capital, as hundreds of people stormed streets in several cities. Videos online showed clashes with security forces, who fired tear gas and tried to disperse people barricading roads in Douala and other cities, including Garoua and Maroua in the north. Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua, governor of the Littoral Region that includes Douala, said several members of the security forces were injured by protesters, and at least 105 protesters were arrested. Dozens of opposition supporters, activists and leaders had been arrested in recent days, including several that Paul Atanga Nji, minister of territorial administration, asserted had been plotting violent attacks. I am ready to stake my life to defend my vote. I voted for Tchiroma because I want change, said one protester, Oumarou Bouba, a 27-year-old trader in Maroua. Following the announcement of election results, Sani Aladji, a 28-year-old hotel worker in Maroua, said: Nothing will change. I expected that Issa Tchiroma would bring change, which is why I voted for him. Theres rampant corruption under Biyas regime. We are tired of that. But one Biya supporter, Flicia Feh, said she believes that he remains the man for the job. Our president campaigned on hope, she said. He started so many projects, like the Yaounde-Douala motorway, and its just normal that he is given more time to complete what he started. Cameroons government said over 5,000 national and international election observers were accredited to monitor the election. A group of eight local civil society groups noted several irregularities including the presence of deceased voters on electoral lists, unequal distribution of ballot papers and attempts at ballot box-stuffing. The African Union mission said the vote was conducted largely in accordance with regional, continental and international standards. President since 1982 Biya first came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroons first president and has ruled since then, later benefiting from a constitutional amendment that abolished term limits. His health has been a topic of speculation as he spends most of his time in Europe, leaving governance to key party officials and family members. While Cameroon is an oil-producing country with modest economic growth, young people say the benefits have not trickled down beyond the elites. According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate stands at 3.5%, but 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment. Many young people across the country and in the diaspora had hoped for change, but that their hopes have been dashed. It feels like a missed opportunity, said Emile Sunjo, a senior lecturer in international relations at the University of Buea. Cameroon could potentially slide into anarchy. Critics also accuse Biya of leading Cameroon from a period of relative stability into one of conflict. The country in recent years has faced attacks by Boko Haram militants in the north and a secessionist insurgency in the English-speaking North West and South West regions. That crisis, triggered by government attempts to impose French in schools and courts, has killed nearly 7,000 people, displaced more than one million and sent thousands fleeing to neighboring Nigeria. Christopher Fomunyoh, regional director at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, said Cameroons Constitutional Council boxed themselves into a corner and was left with no choice than to declare Biya the winner. All those who were involved should brace themselves for the inevitable consequences and backlash, he said. KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday voiced support for East Asia's development and integration and advocated for better openness and global governance, as leaders gathered in the Malaysian capital on East Asian cooperation. Li encouraged various parties to uphold openness and cooperation, safeguard free trade and multilateralism. Addressing the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting, he pointed out that the current international economic and trade landscape is undergoing complex changes, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, posing significant risks to the region. He called on all parties to collaborate more closely to jointly address challenges and work collectively to advance development. China will continue to support ASEAN centrality and, together with all parties, safeguard the stability of the regional multilateral trading system, he said. "The RCEP has proven strong results in boosting intra-regional trade and foreign direct investment, even in a climate of global trade fragmentation," Yuneswaran Ramaraj, a member of Malaysian Parliament and also a member of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, told Xinhua. He also highlighted the successful conclusion of negotiations on the upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, which is set to integrate the digital economy, green transition, supply chain connectivity and production networks. Congratulating Timor-Leste on officially joining the ASEAN family, Li said at the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit that openness and cooperation are valuable experiences explored and accumulated through practice, and should be cherished and carried forward at all times, so that they remain a marked advantage and a key to success for East Asia's economy. He urged continued commitment to resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, upholding free trade and the multilateral trading system, opposing all forms of protectionism, and steadily advancing regional economic integration. ASEAN's cooperation with China, particularly in the digital and green sectors, is mutually beneficial, as ASEAN needs China's advanced technologies in these areas and China can gain access to ASEAN's markets and commodities, Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research in Malaysia, told Xinhua. In his speech at the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, Li urged joint efforts to foster and strengthen new growth drivers and called for deepening collaboration in the industrial and supply chains. He also urged relevant parties to leverage their respective strengths, further promote connectivity and cooperation, and raise the level of division of labor and collaboration to improve the efficiency of factor flows. "Countries that are well-connected with the Chinese economy will benefit from its growth and, importantly, its global trade and investment expansion. Being in proximity, ASEAN will be a key beneficiary of trade and investment flows from and to China," said Yeah Kim Leng, professor of economics at Sunway University. The Chinese premier also called for promoting global governance and safeguarding regional peace and a just order. "Mutual respect, equality, and fairness and justice, among others, are important foundations governing relations among nations," Li told the 20th East Asia Summit. "The world should not return to the law of the jungle where the weak fall prey to the strong." China stands ready to join various parties in actively advancing the Global Governance Initiative and make joint efforts to inject more positive energy into regional peace and development, he said. "The more turbulent the situation becomes, the greater the need to safeguard the authority of international rule of law," he added. Li urged all parties to abide by the rules, especially to safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, and support ASEAN's centrality in the regional architecture, acting as a promoter of regional cooperation. Efforts should be made to actively promote reforms, facilitate the establishment of a more just and equitable global governance system to better safeguard the interests of all sides, he said. Google has slammed reports of a massive Gmail hack as completely false, after several media outlets ran sensational headlines over the weekend claiming that 183 million accounts were exposed in a huge data leak. The company clarified that the reports were inaccurate and based on a misunderstanding of previously stolen data, and not an actual breach of its systems. Reports of a Gmail security breach impacting millions of users are false. Gmails defenses are strong, and users remain protected, Google wrote in an official post on X (formerly Twitter). The search giant explained that the alleged leak was actually made up of old stolen credentials information gathered over years through phishing, malware, and various unrelated data breaches across the web which cybercriminals often recycle and share, leading to mistaken claims of new breaches. The inaccurate reports are stemming from a misunderstanding of infostealer databases, which routinely compile various credential theft activity occurring across the web. Its not reflective of a new attack aimed at any one person, tool, or platform, the search giant added. Where The Confusion Started The confusion began after cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt, creator of the data breach alert platform Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), revealed that he had added a new set of 183 million compromised email credentials to his platform. The data, provided by threat intelligence firm Synthient, was not the result of a new Gmail breach but contained a compilation of credentials previously stolen through malware, phishing, and older cyberattacks. According to Hunt, about 91% of the credentials had already appeared in past leaks, meaning theyve been floating around the internet for a long time, while the rest were newly discovered. Despite this, some media outlets mischaracterized the news, reporting that Gmail itself was the victim of a brand-new hack. Googles Response Googles security team stressed that its systems remain secure and that no new breach has occurred. The company also reminded users that it regularly scans for large credential dumps and takes action when it detects exposed accounts often helping with password resets to protect users if needed. Gmail takes action when we spot large batches of open credentials, helping users reset passwords and resecure accounts, Google said. This marks the second time in recent weeks that Google has had to correct misinformation about a large-scale Gmail breach. In September, the company refuted claims that 2.5 billion Gmail accounts had been exposed, which were also traced back to misinterpreted data. How To Protect Your Account While this latest breach turned out to be false, Google has urged users to take proactive steps to secure their accounts especially if their credentials have appeared in older leaks. Cybersecurity professionals recommend: Check your email on HaveIBeenPwned.com to see if your email shows up in any old leaks. Change passwords regularly especially if you reuse them, and never reuse them across multiple sites. Enable two-step verification (2SV) or adopt passkeys, a newer authentication method designed to replace passwords. Run antivirus scans if you suspect your system might have been hit by malware or credential theft. The Takeaway Despite alarming headlines, Gmail has not been hacked. The incident highlights how quickly misinformation can spread online especially when it involves major tech platforms. The episode serves as a stark reminder for users to stay vigilant, use strong authentication, and routinely check their accounts for signs of compromise. LA PAZ, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 people were killed and 36 others injured on Monday after an interprovincial bus veered off a steep mountain road and fell more than 600 meters in Bolivia's central department of Cochabamba, police said. The injured, including the 23-year-old driver, were taken to hospitals in Quillacollo, regional police commander Roger Costas confirmed. The vehicle crashed in a sharp curve along the route that is known for its narrow roads and poor visibility, according to Omar Zegada, Bolivia's national traffic chief. Images shared on social media showed rescue workers and residents pulling bodies and survivors from the wreckage. "The bus was completely destroyed, and many passengers were trapped in the mangled structure," said a local resident who helped with the rescue efforts before emergency crews arrived. The vehicle had originally been a cargo truck that was later modified for passenger transport, Zegada told reporters. Preliminary investigations suggest the bus was overcrowded and speeding. The driver was detained on charges of vehicular homicide and reckless driving. Authorities also said mechanical failure had not been ruled out. The Attorney General's Office said it would provide an updated report in the coming hours and would investigate the vehicle's condition, the road state, and the circumstances of the crash. Fear of mass destruction in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa churns in Kingston, Jamaica, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Jamaican officials called on the public to get to higher ground and shelters on Monday evening ahead of Hurricane Melissa, with the prime minister warning it could be a massively destructive storm -- the island's most violent on record. Melissa is charting a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean as a monster Category 5 storm, which has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Its heavy rains combined with intense winds -- Melissa's maximum speeds are 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest update -- could wreak devastation on the scale of historic hurricanes including 2017's Maria or 2005's Katrina. Those massive storms, which have grown increasingly common as the climate warms, left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans. Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said Monday evening that of the island's 880-odd shelters standing by, only 133 were hosting locals. They "should be seeing people now," McKenzie said, adding "I want to urge persons in these parishes to get to high ground as quickly as possible." Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island's western end faced the worst. "I don't believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation," he told CNN. But despite pleas to evacuate, many residents in Jamaica were staying put. "I am not moving. I don't believe I can run from death," Roy Brown, speaking from the historic seaside area Port Royal in Kingston, told AFP. The plumber and tiler cited poor conditions and bad past experiences at government hurricane shelters for not wanting to flee. Fisherwoman Jennifer Ramdial echoed that view, also adding: "I just don't want to leave." Holness said evacuation was about "the national good of saving lives." "You have been warned. It's now up to you to use that information to make the right decision," he said during a briefing. - 'Catastrophic' - Jamaica was expected to see deteriorating conditions through Monday night, with landfall expected early Tuesday. Part of Melissa's punch stems from its slow pace: it is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less. That means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes. The NHC warned of "catastrophic" flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with "extensive infrastructural damage." Up to 40 inches (about a meter) of rainfall were forecast, with deluges expected to bring flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica as well as Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Storm surge was likely along Jamaica's southern coast, with waters potentially rising some 13 feet, along with "destructive waves." In the farming community of Flagaman in St. Elizabeth, residents hunkered down in a store. Owner Enrico Coke said he opened his place for fear that his neighbors had nowhere to go: "I'm concerned about farmers, the fishermen will be suffering after this." "We'll need help as soon as possible, especially water for the people." - Dangerous flooding - After pummeling Jamaica, Melissa was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night. The storm has already left tragic consequences. A 79-year-old man was found dead in the Dominican Republic after being swept away in a stream, officials there said Saturday. A 13-year-old boy was missing. In Haiti, the civil protection agency reported the deaths of three people in storm conditions. Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel told AFP a warming climate was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, and especially raises the potential for enormous rains. "Water kills a lot more people than wind," he told AFP. The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024 -- an abnormally strong storm for the time of year. "Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford. World far off track to meet climate goals: UN Paris, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 The UN estimated Tuesday that nations' carbon-cutting pledges imply a far-from-sufficient 10-percent emissions cut by 2035, cautioning that it was unable to provide a robust global overview after most countries failed to submit their plans on time. With just days to go before tense COP30 climate talks in Brazil, UN Climate Change provided an emissions calculation alongside its formal assessment of national 2035 pledges. The extra calculation incorporated elements from major polluters such as China and the European Union, which have not submitted full official updated pledges. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week that slow action from nations meant it was "inevitable" that efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5C would fail in the short term, unleashing devastating impacts during a period of overshoot as countries worked to pull temperatures back down again by the end of the century. UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the estimated 10-percent emissions cut suggested that "humanity is now clearly bending the emissions curve downwards for the first time, although still not nearly fast enough". The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said emissions must fall 60 percent by 2035, from 2019 levels, for a good chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- the more ambitious goal of the Paris climate deal. "The science is equally clear that temperatures absolutely can and must be brought back down to 1.5C as quickly as possible after any temporary overshoot, by substantially stepping up the pace on all fronts," Stiell said in a statement. - 'Limited picture' - The two-week COP30 climate negotiations in the Amazon, which start on November 10, are tasked with galvanising momentum in the face of a hostile United States, geopolitical tensions, economic concerns and fears that the most ambitious climate targets are already slipping out of reach. The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to well below 2C above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels -- and 1.5C if possible. With average warming already around 1.4C today, many scientists believe that the 1.5C threshold will likely be breached before the end of this decade as humans continue to burn oil, gas, and coal. But they stress that each fraction of a degree of temperature increase avoided is crucial to limit the danger. If temperatures overshoot 1.5C, experts say humanity would likely have to try to pull warming back down by using technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere that are not yet operational at scale. Under the Paris Agreement, each country is supposed to provide increasingly ambitious plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years, with plans to 2035 due in this year. The UN on Tuesday said just 64 of the nearly 200 parties to the Paris Agreement had submitted their NDCs by its end of September cut-off date for the official annual report. As a result Stiell said the document "provides quite a limited picture", compelling the UN to attempt a more general calculation. "This wider picture, though still incomplete, shows global emissions falling by around 10 percent by 2035," he said. The estimate included the US submission made before the return of Donald Trump as US president in January. He has since announced he is pulling the United States out of the Paris deal for a second time, called climate change a "hoax", and has moved to curb scientific study and data collection. The estimate also incorporated a pledge by China, the world's biggest polluter, to reduce emissions by 7-10 percent by 2035, its first absolute national target. The European Union's "statement of intent" to cut emissions between 66.25 percent and 72.5 percent by 2035 compared to 1990 levels was also taken into account. It was announced in September as the 27-nation bloc grappled with internal disagreements about its climate ambitions. "We are still in the race, but to ensure a livable planet for all eight billion people today, we must urgently pick up the pace, at COP30 and every year thereafter," Stiell said. Jamaica warns of mass destruction as Hurricane Melissa looms Kingston, Jamaica, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Jamaican officials urged people to get to higher ground and shelters ahead of Hurricane Melissa's expected landfall Tuesday, with the prime minister warning it could bring massive devastation. The Category 5 storm -- which could be the island's most violent on record -- is charting a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean, and has already been blamed for three deaths in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported on early Tuesday that Melissa was about 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the capital Kingston, and reaching maximum wind speed of 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour. Its heavy rains combined with intense winds could wreak devastation on par with historic hurricanes, including 2017's Maria or 2005's Katrina, which left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans, respectively. Scientists say human-driven climate change has exacerbated massive storms, increasing their frequency. The Jamaican Red Cross, which has already started to dispatch drinking water and hygiene kits, said Melissa's "slow nature" was intensifying anxiety. "There's some areas where landslides are already happening," the Red Cross's communications officer Esther Pinnock told AFP. "It's looking quite eerie on the outside, and every once in a while we have some gusty winds, but the system is creeping in," Pinnock said. Some "daredevils" have also made the choice to stay on their properties despite urgent warnings, she added. Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said late Monday that many of the island's 880-odd shelters standing by were empty. "I want to urge persons... to get to high ground as quickly as possible," he said. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, some 1.5 million people may be impacted by the storm. - 'Saving lives' - Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the island's western end faced the worst destruction. "I don't believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation," he told CNN. But despite pleas to evacuate, many Jamaican residents were staying put. "I am not moving. I don't believe I can run from death," Roy Brown told AFP in Kingston's seaside area of Port Royal. The plumber and tiler said he was reluctant to flee because of his past experiences with the poor conditions of government hurricane shelters. Fisherwoman Jennifer Ramdial agreed, adding: "I just don't want to leave." Holness told a press briefing that the evacuation was about "the national good of saving lives." "You have been warned... Make the right decision." Part of Melissa's punch stems from its slow pace: it is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less. That means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes. - 'Catastrophic' - "You anticipate that maybe within four hours it would be gone... but Melissa is not looking like that type of a storm," said Pinnock of the Jamaican Red Cross. The NHC warned of "catastrophic" winds and flash flooding on the island on Tuesday that could cause lengthy power and communications outages, along with "extensive infrastructural damage." Up to 40 inches (one meter) of rainfall are forecast, with flash flooding and landslides also expected in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. A "life-threatening" storm surge is likely along Jamaica's southern coast, with waters potentially rising 13 feet (4 meters), along with "destructive waves," the NHC said. In the farming community of Flagaman in the south, residents hunkered down in a store. Owner Enrico Coke said he opened his place for fear that his neighbors had nowhere to go: "I'm concerned about farmers, the fishermen will be suffering after this." "We'll need help as soon as possible." - 'Water kills' - After pummeling Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night. On Monday, officials in Jamaica said three people had died while preparing for the storm, cutting tree branches and working on ladders. In the Dominican Republic, a 79-year-old man was found dead after being swept away in a stream, officials said. A 13-year-old boy was missing. Haiti's civil protection agency said three people died in storm conditions over the weekend. Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel said global warming was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, raising the potential for enormous rains. "Water kills a lot more people than wind," he told AFP. The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024 -- an abnormally strong storm for the time of year. "Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford. PYONGYANG, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Choe Son Hui met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in Moscow, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday. The two sides had a good talk on many affairs for steadily developing the DPRK-Russia relations in the future, said the report. Also on Monday, Choe held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the KCNA said in another report on Tuesday. Russia expressed full support for the DPRK's efforts and measures to firmly defend the state's present position, security interests and sovereign rights, said the report. Hurricane Melissa could impact 1.5 mn people in Jamaica: Red Cross Geneva, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Hurricane Melissa could affect 1.5 million people in Jamaica, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday, warning of a "massive impact". The Category 5 storm -- which could be the island's most violent on record -- is on a painstakingly slow path through the Caribbean and expected to make landfall on the Jamaican coast on Tuesday. "1.5 million people may be impacted," said Necephor Mghendi, the IFRC's head of delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. Speaking from Trinidad and Tobago, he told reporters in Geneva that that number could be "an underestimate". "The humanitarian threat is severe and it's immediate," he said. Mghendi said the Jamaican Red Cross had mobilised at its highest level but "coastal communities remain financially strained, informal settlements are highly exposed to destructive winds and already saturated soils. "This is because it's been the rainy season and there is an increased likelihood of landslides and life-threatening floods," he said. - 'Catastrophic' flooding predicted - The World Meteorological Organization said the hurricane was expected to have a "massive impact". "The wind for Jamaica is expected to reach about 280 kilometres per hour, with gusts picking up to 350 km per hour," said Anne-Claire Fontan, the WMO's tropical cyclone specialist. "For Jamaica it will be the storm of the century so far. That's for sure." She said up to 700 millimetres of rainfall was expected. "It means that there will be catastrophic flash floodings and numerous landslides," said Fontan. "In addition to the rain and the destructive wind, you will have a storm surge that is expected as well on the southern coast of Jamaica, 3-4 metres high, in addition to destructive waves. "We have to expect the worst for this situation unfolding now." Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA, said the first duty was "to save as many lives as possible" by limiting the impact. "When you have massive flooding, one of the biggest problems is water," he said, warning of "all kinds of health risks and epidemic risks if you don't have clean water." After hitting Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night. European court clears Norway of climate misconduct over oil licences Strasbourg, France, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 The European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that Norway did not breach its climate obligations when it awarded Arctic oil and gas exploration licenses in 2016. It was a blow to climate activists after the Strasbourg court last year issued a historic first ruling condemning a state for its lack of action on climate change in another case involving Switzerland. In the most recent case, six Norwegian activists and local branches of environmental NGOs Greenpeace and Young Friends of the Earth approached the court in France's Strasbourg after repeatedly losing in national courts. The groups say that before awarding the licences, Norwegian "authorities did not conduct an environmental impact assessment of the potential impacts of petroleum extraction on Norway's obligations to mitigate climate change". As Western Europe's largest oil and gas producer, Norway is a frequent legal target of climate activists. But the ECHR found that there had been no violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees "the right to respect for private and family life". In its ruling, it noted initial "shortcomings" in the environmental impact assessment decision-making process, but said they were remedied within enough time not to affect that right. Norway's Energy Minister Terje Aasland said the ruling was "positive". "The court clearly finds that we are not breaching human rights," he told AFP in an email. - 'Significant consequences' - In 2016, the Norwegian energy ministry granted 10 exploration licences in the Barents Sea to 13 companies, including national champion Statoil, now known as Equinor, as well as US companies Chevron and ConocoPhillips, and Russia's Lukoil. Relying at the time on the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels, NGOs appealed to national courts, arguing the attribution of the licenses was contrary to articles in the constitution guaranteeing the right to a healthy environment. Norway's supreme court ruled in 2021 that the award of the permits did not represent a "real and immediate danger" to life. The licences were eventually all returned after no exploitable reserves were found. In its Tuesday ruling, the ECHR "found that the impact assessment during the processes leading to the 2016 decision had not been fully comprehensive" and "the assessment of the activity's climate impacts had been deferred". But, it said, "there was no indication that deferring such an assessment" had breached the rights convention. Sigrid Hoddevik Losnegard, vice-president of the Young Friends of the Earth Norway, one of the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling as a step in the right direction. She said she was happy the court had indicated that "a state has to evaluate global emissions related to the combustion of hydrocarbons before approving a new oil field". "This will have significant consequences on how oil activities are managed in Norway," she added. - Ruling against Switzerland - Last year, the ECHR issued a ruling condemning Switzerland for its lack of action on climate change, the first ruling against a state. The court found that the Swiss state had violated Article 8. The Swiss association of Elders for Climate Protection -- 2,500 women aged 73 on average -- had complained about the "failings of the Swiss authorities" in terms of climate protection that could "seriously harm" their health. The court found "there were some critical lacunae" in relevant Swiss regulations, including a failure to quantify limits on national greenhouse gas emissions. In a milestone but non-binding ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in July that climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and that countries had a legal duty to prevent harm from their planet-warming pollution. Climate change won't end civilization: Bill Gates Washington, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Climate change "will not lead to humanity's demise," billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has argued in a long memo calling for a proportionate and pragmatic approach to tackling human-caused global warming. The missive was published late Monday, days ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. Gates praised the meeting's focus on climate adaptation and human development. The Microsoft founder, a major backer of green technologies through his Breakthrough Energy organization, acknowledged that climate change will have "serious consequences" but added: "People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future." He said he knew some climate advocates would disagree and call him a hypocrite because of his carbon footprint, which he said he fully offsets with "legitimate" carbon credits. Gates outlined his "Three tough truths about climate:" climate change will not end civilization, temperature is not the best measure of progress, health and prosperity are the strongest defenses against a warming world. While the planet is dangerously off course in meeting the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting long-term warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Gates argued that rather than fixating on the precise figure, the world should recognize progress in cutting emissions. For most of the world's poor, he added, poverty and disease remain the more pressing problems. "Our chief goal should be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions who live in the world's poorest countries," he said. That means, for example, less focus on limiting extremely hot and cold days, and more on ensuring "fewer people live in poverty and poor health so that extreme weather isn't such a threat to them." Looking ahead, Gates said a key climate strategy should be to reduce the so-called green premium -- the cost difference between clean and dirty ways of doing something -- to zero for materials such as cement, steel, and jet fuel. He compared the memo to one he wrote at Microsoft 30 years ago urging the company to put the internet at the heart of everything it did. Likewise, he said, the climate community needs a "strategic pivot" at COP30 and beyond. "Prioritize the things that have the greatest impact on human welfare," he said. US forces in Caribbean braced for impact of major hurricane Washington, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 The United States has moved military assets in the Caribbean to safety ahead of the expected landfall on Tuesday of a massive hurricane that is set to slam into Jamaica. Washington has an unusually large number of forces deployed in the region -- seven US Navy ships as well as F-35 stealth warplanes as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts -- and there is a danger of those assets being affected by Hurricane Melissa. US forces "have implemented inclement weather plans and moved away from any area where current or forecasted weather conditions are hazardous and could potentially pose unacceptable levels of risk," the military's Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said when asked about preparations for the storm. "Despite these recent actions, they remain ready and able to accomplish their assigned missions," said SOUTHCOM, which is responsible for US forces in central and South America. The United States began carrying out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region in early September, and has launched a major military buildup that it says is to curb trafficking, but which Venezuela fears is aimed at regime change. In addition to the ships and warplanes already deployed in the area, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has also been ordered to Latin America, which will bring with it a massive increase in firepower. Hurricane Melissa is now only hours away from making landfall in Jamaica, with officials warning that the storm will smash the small nation's infrastructure. American forces could potentially be called on to provide aid, though SOUTHCOM did not immediately respond to a question about whether there is a plan for them to do so. The storm may disrupt US efforts to strike alleged traffickers in the Caribbean, making it more difficult for American forces to operate and also potentially keeping boats that would be targeted by Washington off the water. But the strikes have continued in the Pacific, where Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said US forces killed 14 people on Monday. US forces have so far destroyed at least 14 vessels -- 13 boats and a semi-submersible -- killing at least 57 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures. Washington has yet to provide evidence that its targets were smuggling drugs, and experts say the strikes are illegal even if they target known traffickers. Cyclone Montha slams India's southern coast New Delhi, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Heavy rain and gusty winds lashed India's southern coast as Cyclone Montha started to make landfall on Tuesday, officials said, disrupting flights and triggering waterlogging in low-lying areas. Cyclones, the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwestern Pacific, are a regular and deadly menace in the northern Indian Ocean. "Latest observations indicate that the landfall process has commenced," India's national weather bureau said in a statement. It said Montha would cross the coast of the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh over several hours as a "severe cyclonic storm", with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kilometres (55-60 miles) per hour. Nara Lokesh, a minister in the state government, said that some four million people may be affected. Local media reported that heavy rain earlier in the day flooded some areas in Andhra Pradesh's coastal districts, and resulted in the cancellation of more than 30 flights. Schools in numerous districts were ordered shut and fishing activities suspended until Wednesday. The Hindu newspaper, citing preliminary state government assessments, reported that there had been "widespread crop loss and economic distress" in certain paddy-growing regions. Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated on Monday from low-lying coastal areas as the cyclone approached, local police in Andhra Pradesh said. Authorities have set up mobile hospitals and some 2,000 relief camps, Lokesh, the state minister, said in a social media post. As many as four million people across 19 districts "are in the vulnerable zone and it's our priority to ensure minimum inconvenience to them", he said. Last year, Cyclone Remal killed at least 48 people in India and at least 17 in neighbouring Bangladesh. While better forecasting and more effective evacuation plans have reduced death tolls, scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change. Ecuador could host foreign military base on Galapagos Quito, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa, a staunch US ally, said Tuesday the South American nation could host a foreign military base on the Galapagos Islands, famous for their unique flora and fauna. Ecuadorans will decide in a referendum on November 16 whether to repeal a 2008 constitutional ban on their country hosting foreign military bases, as sought by Noboa. Noboa told Radio Centro station that Baltra, a small island in the Pacific archipelago chain where British scientist Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution, could be used to combat drug and fuel trafficking, as well as illegal fishing. Baltra, which has an airport, was home to a US military base during World War II. His remarks comes as the United States ratchets up strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats off South America, which initially chiefly hit Venezuelan vessels but has also targeted Colombian boats. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced strikes on a four more boats, killing 14 people, bringing the death toll from Washington's campaign to at least 57 since September. Noboa did not specify which country could establish a military base in Ecuador, a major hub for cocaine trafficking, but has talked of "various countries," including the United States. On a visit to Quito in September US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to help him "wage war" against drug-trafficking "terrorists." Noboa said Tuesday hosting foreign troops in the Galapagos "is not to harm the Galapagos or to give them away, it is to protect them." The Galapagos Islands, a World Heritage Site, are situated some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of Ecuador. The Ecuadoran armed forces regularly seize drugs, weapons, and fuel in the surrounding waters. The United States for years operated a military base in Ecuador's Pacific port of Manta. In 2009, then left-wing president Rafael Correa, a fierce US critic, refused to renew the lease. 'Catastrophic' hurricane slams Jamaica with fierce winds and rain Kingston, Jamaica, Oct 28 (AFP) Oct 28, 2025 Hurricane Melissa ripped up trees and knocked out power after making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record, inundating the island nation with rains that threaten flash floods and landslides. The destructive storm struck Jamaica with ferocious sustained winds clocking 185 miles (300 kilometers) per hour on its deadly march across the Caribbean. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" warned the US National Hurricane Center, urging residents to stay sheltered and as far from windows as possible, including during the brief calm offered by the storm's eye. Even as wind speeds dipped to 150 miles per hour, Melissa drenched communities and wreaked damage that may take days to assess as communication links remained largely down. Surges in seawater combined with rainfall -- which will likely be measured in feet, not inches -- could trigger massive floods and landslides on the island with a population of 2.8 million. The hurricane was the worst to ever strike Jamaica and hit land with maximum wind speeds even more potent than most of recent history's most brutal storms, including 2005's Katrina, which ravaged the US city of New Orleans. - 'Severely damaged infrastructure' - Even before Melissa slammed into Jamaica, seven deaths -- three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic -- had been blamed on the deteriorating conditions. Melissa, now downgraded from Category 4 to 5 as its center moved off Jamaica, was set to hit Cuba on Tuesday evening and then the Bahamas. Jamaica's climate change minister told CNN that Hurricane Melissa's effect was "catastrophic," citing flooded homes and "severely damaged public infrastructure" and hospitals. And as if that weren't enough: health authorities were urging vigilance against crocodiles displaced by the torrential storm. "Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas," posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in a public service announcement on Instagram. Mathue Tapper, 31, told AFP from Kingston that those in the capital were "lucky" but feared for fellow Jamaicans in the island's more rural areas. "My heart goes out to the folks living on the Western end of the island," he said. The mammoth storm could leave devastation on the scale of some of the worst hurricanes in recent memory like Katrina, Maria or Harvey. - Climate change impact - Broad scientific consensus says human-driven climate change is responsible for intensified storms like Melissa that are occurring with increased frequency and higher potential for destruction and deadly flooding. Melissa had quickened slightly, but still lingered over the island enough that the rains were particularly dire. "Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford. The Jamaican Red Cross, which was distributing drinking water and hygiene kits ahead of infrastructure disruptions, said Melissa's "slow nature" exacerbated the anxiety. The UN is planning an airlift of some 2,000 relief kits to Jamaica from a relief supply station in Barbados once air travel is possible. Assistance is also planned to countries including Cuba and Haiti, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a briefing. Jamaican officials said some 25,000 tourists were in the country famed for its normally crystalline waters. Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt, one of Jamaica's most famous figures, was posting regularly on social media with messages for his home country: "Pray for Jamaica." TRIPOLI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 18 migrants were killed, 92 rescued and 18 more missing after their boat capsized off Libya's western city of Zawiya early Tuesday morning, Libya's Ambulance and Emergency Service said. Among the dead were four Egyptian nationals and two from Somalia, it said, adding that search and rescue operations are ongoing to locate the missing ones. Libya has been a major transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. Smuggling networks have thrived amid political division and insecurity, exposing migrants to harsh conditions in detention centres and repeated Mediterranean shipwrecks and ship fires. The country remains split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and an eastern administration allied with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Kathryn Bigelows new thriller, A House of Dynamite, has earned mixed reactions from viewers in its first 24 hours on Netflix. From three different perspectives, the film repeatedly tracks the 18 minutes that follow a nuclear missile being launched at the United States first from the White House Situation Room, then from the United States Strategic Command, and finally from the President himself. *Warning Major spoilers ahead for A House of Dynamite* The identity of those behind the missile launch is never explained a deliberate choice from Bigelow (the director behind war films like Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker). The antagonist is the system weve built to essentially end the world on a hair-trigger, Bigelow told Netflixs Tudum. open image in gallery Rebecca Ferguson in the White House Situation Room in Kathryn Bigelows A House of Dynamite ( Netflix ) The film ends on an ambiguous note with the president (played by Idris Elba) deciding whether to let the missile hit Chicago to avoid a war or to retaliate. The actual impact of the missile is never shown. I want audiences to leave theaters thinking, OK, what do we do now? Bigelow told Tudum. This is a global issue, and of course I hope against hope that maybe we reduce the nuclear stockpile someday. But in the meantime, we really are living in a house of dynamite. I felt it was so important to get that information out there, so we could start a conversation. Thats the explosion were interested in the conversation people have about the film afterward. However, expressing their disappointment on social media, many viewers were left discussing how they felt let down by the ending. Nobody wants to hear the same story 3 times and have it end without an end, one person shared on X. The Director literally antagonizes viewers 3 times and then walks out the door. I was glued to the TV, then with that ending I was praying the Nuke hit me, added another. Has to be in the conversation for worst movie ending of all time. open image in gallery Idris Elba plays the president of the United States in A House of Dynamite ( Netflix ) The ending also generated a lively debate on the popular subreddit, r/movies. I get why they decided on that ending. I really do. But as I finished that movie, all I could think is People are going to f***ing hate this ending, one person wrote. Thought the first part was great, then it just started getting repetitive and dragging on, another opined. I dont mind cliffhanger endings, but this didnt even feel like that. Just feels like an unfinished movie. Despite the complaints, A House of Dynamite has a critics score of 79 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. In a four-star review for The Independent, Geoffrey Macnab called it the most entertaining movie about mass destruction since Dr Strangelove. Seventeen years ago, Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker (2008). Whether or not she accomplishes a similar feat with A House of Dynamite becoming the first woman to win two this new feature shows that when it comes to intelligent, adrenaline-filled drama, she is still out there on her own. A House of Dynamite is out now on Netflix. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Disney has pulled out of its Doctor Who partnership with the BBC, with fans left to wait until the end of 2026 for the next episode of the sci-fi favourite. The US streaming giants decision to no longer air the programme means Doctor Who wont return to TV screens until Christmas next year, with a special episode penned by original showrunner Russell T Davies. A Doctor Who spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea, which was co-produced by Disney, will still air later this year, with the BBC insisting it is fully committed to Doctor Whos return. open image in gallery The Disney breakup marks a major setback for the BBC ( BBC ) We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course, Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC, said. The breakup marks a major setback for the BBC, which announced its partnership with Disney in 2022, claiming that the deal would transform Doctor Who into a global franchise reaching 150 countries. Despite an estimated budget of around 10m per episode, viewer numbers for the most recent season of the programme fell in the UK by an average of 1.5 million each episode compared to the previous one, Deadline reported. By the time the series makes its return in 2026, therell have been a 19-month gap in the series since its two-part season finale in May 2025 that saw Ncuti Gatwa quit his role as the Doctor after just two seasons. open image in gallery Disney has pulled out of its Doctor Who partnership with the BBC, with no new episodes to air until next year ( BBC ) When the Sex Education star stepped down as the 15th Doctor, he said the series demands a lot of you, physically and emotionally and mentally. He has since hinted, though, that he may appear in a final battle. The BBC is yet to announce the shows exact return date or the identity of the new doctor. However, in a shock twist, Gatwa regenerated as former companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in the season finale. Piper neither confirmed nor denied she could be taking on the role of the Doctor, telling fans theyll just have to wait and see what the significance of her return to the sci-fi show is. open image in gallery Original show runner Russell T Davies will return to pen a special episode for Christmas 2026 ( PA ) Spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea is now set to air on BBC One and iPlayer later this year, with Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle) taking on lead roles. Created by Davies, the five-part series will see the return of classic Doctor Who villains the Sea Devils, who were first featured on the programme in 1972. When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered, an official description reads. With the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war. Davies explained: Theres a race that lives beneath the oceans. They wake up and they see the state of the oceans what we have put in it, we have wrecked the place and its war. War on an epic scale. Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Jamie Lee Curtis has spoken out against the threatening backlash she received over her emotional reaction to the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Following the fatal September 10 shooting of Kirk, 31, at one of his routine college campus rallies in Utah, the Freaky Friday star, 66, appeared on an episode of Marc Marons WTF podcast and tearfully addressed his death. While Curtis clarified during the episode that she disagreed with [Kirk] on almost every point I ever heard him say, her strong response made headlines and generated intense online criticism. Breaking her silence on the ordeal in a new interview with Variety, the Oscar winner insisted her comments were misinterpreted. An excerpt of it mistranslated what I was saying as I wished him well like I was talking about him in a very positive way, which I wasnt; I was simply talking about his faith in God, Curtis said. Jamie Lee Curtis made headlines for her tearful reaction to Charlie Kirk's death ( Getty ) And so it was a mistranslation, which is a pun, but not, she added, further lamenting how in the binary world today, you cannot hold two ideas at the same time: I cannot be Jewish and totally believe in Israels right to exist and at the same time reject the destruction of Gaza. You cant say that, Curtis argued, because you get vilified for having a mind that says, I can hold both those thoughts. I can be contradictory in that way. During the original interview, the Halloween actor said that even though Kirks ideas were abhorrent to me, she still believed he was a man of faith. And I hope in that moment when he died, that he felt connected with his faith, she said, reiterating, I still believe hes a father and a husband and a man of faith. Kirk, a fierce and loyal Donald Trump supporter and ally, was shot and killed while he was debating a college student about the prevalence of mass shootings and gun violence in the U.S. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson later surrendered himself to the police for killing Kirk. Hes been charged with aggravated murder, and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. Kirks shocking death garnered attention from figures on both sides of the political spectrum who paid tribute, including Hollywood celebrities such as Chris Pratt, TV host Piers Morgan and comedian Rosie ODonnell. Praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country, Pratt, who is one of a few conservative voices in Hollywood, wrote on X/Twitter. We need Gods grace. God help us. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Prunella Scales, the English actor best known for portraying Sybil Fawlty in the acclaimed sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died aged 93. The actor died peacefully at home in London yesterday, her sons Samuel and Joseph said in a statement, adding that their mother had been watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home, they said. We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love. Scales rose to fame across two seasons of the Bafta-winning comedy series between 1975 and 1979, as the bossy wife to John Cleeses eccentric hotelier, Basil Fawlty. Cleese described his former co-star as a really wonderful comic actress, adding: Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect. How very sad. Pru was a really wonderful comic actress. I've recently been watching a number of clips of Fawlty Towers whilst researching a book. Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect, he said in a statement. She was a very sweet lady, who spent a lot of her life apologising. I used to tease her about it. I was very, very fond of her. open image in gallery Scales as Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers ( BBC ) As Sybil, Scales cemented her career as the queen of British television sitcoms with her big hair, high heels, vicious laugh and domineering presence. Set in an eccentric hotel in Torquay, Devon, Fawlty Towers follows the dysfunctional management teams attempts to run the hotel as they encounter demanding guests and absurd situations. Scales also played a sly Queen Elizabeth II on stage and then on television, in Alan Bennetts A Question of Attribution, for which she was nominated for a Bafta TV award. Jon Petrie, director of comedy at the BBC, remembered Scales as a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today. Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has remembered Prunella Scales as a funny, intelligent, interesting, gifted human being. Sharing some photos of the actress on X/Twitter, he wrote: This is a snap I took last year of Prunella Scales with Queen Camilla at Lamb House in Rye we were celebrating Mapp & Lucia in which Pru had starred. Corinne Mills, interim chief executive officer of Alzheimers Society, praised Scales for raising awareness of vascular dementia, with which she was diagnosed in 2013. Prunella was an inspiration not just for her achievements on screen, but because she spoke so openly about living with dementia, shining an important light on the UKs biggest killer, said Mills. A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer said: Clearly, Prunella Scales was part of a golden era for British comedy, someone whose talent was beamed into peoples homes over many years and gave many people a huge amount of enjoyment. The prime minister, of course, passes all his condolences to her family. Born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth in 1932 to actress Catherine Scales and army lieutenant John Richardson Illingworth, Scales was educated, thanks to a scholarship, at Moira House Girls' School in Eastbourne, where her mother got a job as an under-matron. Scales went straight to drama school instead of university, attending London's Old Vic with another scholarship, and then training under Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York. Scales started her career in 1951 as an assistant stage manager at the Bristol Old Vic before turning her attention to stage and screen roles. Her career break came in the early Sixties sitcom Marriage Lines, starring opposite Richard Briers as a pair of newlyweds, who are bored with domestic life. open image in gallery Scales acting alongside her husband Timothy West (left) and Rodney Bewes in the play Big In Brazil at the Old Vic Theatre in 1984 ( Getty ) After the success of Fawlty Towers, Scales worked with Geraldine McEwan and Nigel Hawthorne for the television adaptation of EF Bensons stories of Mapp & Lucia, which aired on ITV between 1985 and 1986. As Miss Elizabeth Mapp, Scales played a snobby socialite who ran the social life at the fictional town of Tilling-on-Sea. Scales met her husband of 61 years, the late actor Timothy West, while filming a BBC television play called She Died Young, in 1961. The couple married in 1963, and have two sons, actor Samuel West, and Joseph West. Timothy died in November 2024 from a brain injury following a fall. The couple starred together in several acting roles as a powerhouse duo, including in the play 1984 Big In Brazil at the Old Vic Theatre in London, and several BBC Radio 4 plays. In her longest sitcom role, Scales played the widow Sarah France, heroine of the ITV drama After Henry, which aired between 1988 and 1992. The series followed a fortysomething Sarah caught in a bind between her manipulative mother and teenage daughter, who both demanded her attention. Other notable TV roles included the long-running documentary series Horizon, as Florence Hastings, lady in waiting to Queen Victoria, the satirical sketch show On the Margin, and 1972s Country Matters, which was set just after the First World War and starred Ian McKellen. In her most recent work, Scales made a voice cameo in Queen, a stage dramatisation of Queen Victorias letters, which finished its run in 2024 in London. She voiced Queen Victoria. open image in gallery Scales and West, photographed in 1976; the pair married in 1963 ( Getty ) Scales played the titular part more than 400 times in An Evening With Queen Victoria, a play written for her by Katrina Hendrey in 1979. She played the monarch on several more occasions, including in the BBC drama-documentary Victoria: An Intimate History, which aired in 2003. Between 2014 and 2021, Scales and her husband appeared in the travel documentary series Great Canal Journeys, in which they travelled on narrowboats around the UKs canal network. In the final series of the programme, West said that Scaless condition had worsened, and that she was also losing her hearing. open image in gallery Scales at the Lamda Royal Gala in 2017 ( Getty ) Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia, a common type of dementia caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, in 2013. West, the actors late husband, wrote of her condition in his 2023 memoir, Pru and Me, which gave an insight into their 60-year love story, Scaless memory and her taking a step back from acting. She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Get the Well Enough newsletter by Emilie Lavinia and make sense of the wild world of wellness Get our wellbeing editor's newsletter: Well Enough by Emilie Lavinia Get the Well Enough email by Emilie Lavinia Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Looking at original works of art in galleries can help immediately relieve stress, a new study has found. Researchers from Kings College London found that viewing art can also have a positive impact on a persons immune system, nervous system and the network of glands responsible for releasing hormones. The findings also suggest art does not just move people emotionally, but can also calm the body. During the study of 50 people aged 18 to 40, half viewed original artwork by the likes of Van Gogh and Gauguin at the Courtauld Gallery in London, while the other half looked at copies of the same paintings in a non-gallery environment. The two groups wore sensors that continually measured their heart rates and skin temperature during the 20-minute session, with saliva samples also taken pre and post-viewing. From these samples, researchers found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol fell by an average of 22 per cent among those viewing original art, compared to just 8 per cent looking at reproductions. open image in gallery The study included 50 people aged 18 to 40 ( PA ) Certain cytokines proteins that act as messengers for the immune system linked to stress and chronic disease also fell by 30 per cent and 28 per cent respectively among those in the gallery, with no changes among the other group. Dr Tony Woods said: The research clearly shows the stress-reducing properties of viewing original art and its ability to simultaneously excite, engage and arouse us. Stress hormones and inflammatory markers like cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-alpha are linked to a wide range of health problems, from heart disease and diabetes to anxiety and depression. The fact that viewing original art lowered these markers suggests that cultural experiences may play a real role in protecting both mind and body. The study also found that art engages the immune system, the nervous system and the endocrine system, which is responsible for releasing hormones. Researchers detected signs of excitement among those viewing art in the gallery, including a dip in skin temperature, overall higher heart rates and a variation in heartbeat patterns. open image in gallery The study found art had a positive impact on three different body systems the immune, endocrine and autonomic systems ( Getty/iStock ) Dr Woods said: From a scientific perspective, the most exciting outcome is that art had a positive impact on three different body systems the immune, endocrine and autonomic systems at the same time. This is a unique finding and something we were genuinely surprised to see. In short, our unique and original study provides compelling evidence that viewing art in a gallery is good for you and helps to further our understanding of its fundamental benefits. In essence, art doesnt just move us emotionally it calms the body too. The emotional intelligence of each person was also assessed before the study using questionnaires. However, researchers suggest this had no impact on individual responses. Jenny Waldman, director at the Art Fund, which co-funded the study, said: This study proves for the first time what weve long felt at Art Fund that art really is good for you. Whats particularly exciting is that the findings show these benefits are universal they can be experienced by anyone. We want to encourage everyone to make time to visit their local museum or gallery and experience these powerful effects for themselves. Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A chef diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer is now urging all men to regularly check their chests. Mat Kelly, 42, first noticed a lump last October while working in Chicago, assisting with a new restaurant launch. Following a GP visit, Mr Kelly was referred for further tests, stating he had to "push for progress and answers" before his breast cancer diagnosis arrived just two days before Christmas. The devastating news continued into January, when a PET scan revealed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and bones, predominantly his spine a development he described as a "gut punch". He started chemotherapy, but this was unsuccessful, and two more PET scans revealed the cancer had spread further and his tumours had grown, and he therefore reassessed his treatment options. Although his cancer is incurable, Mat has since started having Enhertu, which combines a targeted therapy drug and a chemotherapy drug, and this is helping him keep the cancer at bay while living life to the fullest. open image in gallery Mat in hospital ready to receive chemotherapy ( Collect/PA Real Life ) Mat, who lives in New Cross, London, with his fiancee Rachel, said: Im currently in a state of cancer limbo, where I have no metabolic sign of cancer, but the only thing keeping it at bay is the treatment. Im on chemo for the rest of my life every three weeks, but currently, I have no form of cancer within me, so Ive had an amazing response to it. They say some people who have my level of response have the ability to live for years and years, so hopefully there is hope out there. He added: Id just say to men, check your chests and check yourself and, if somethings not right, go to the doctor. For me, its just super important that people actually follow through with it and dont put things off because it can be the difference between life and death. open image in gallery Mat with his friend Ben, after walking the coast from Margate to Whitstable ( Collect/PA Real Life ) Prior to his diagnosis, Mat said he was a workaholic but was otherwise healthy. He knew that men could get breast cancer, but he understood it predominantly affected older men. According to NHS Inform, the cause of male breast cancer is unclear, but most cases affect men over the age of 60. While working in America in October last year, Mat discovered a lump in his right breast tissue, but he initially didnt think much of it until he noticed another symptom. He said: When I came back to England at the end of October, I noticed my nipple started to invert and I thought, that isnt normal, and I booked a doctors appointment. After seeing his GP, Mat said he was referred to Lewisham Hospital, and then Guys Hospital, and he had an ultrasound and a biopsy. open image in gallery Mat is receiving an injection of Denosumab to help strengthen his bones and prevent fractures from secondary bone cancer ( Collect/PA Real Life ) He was then informed he had breast cancer on December 23 around seven weeks after first discovering the lump and he felt numb. With Christmas and New Year looming, Mat said appointments were scarce, but he was told he needed to have a PET scan, which took place in January. He said the results revealed the cancer was at stage 4 and it had spread, adding: It showed that I had two lumps in my chest, a lump in my armpit and four lesions on my spine. Mat chose to have aggressive chemotherapy, specifically full-strength Docetaxel and Phesgo, and he underwent six rounds of this. However, at the three-month mark, Mat learned the treatment had not been effective at all. I ended up with more lesions on my spine and it had spread to my pelvis and my ribs, he said. Main symptoms of breast cancer in men NHS Symptoms of breast cancer in men may include: a lump or swelling in your chest or armpit liquid leaking from your nipples (nipple discharge), which may have blood in it changes in the size or shape of either side of your chest sores or ulcers on your chest a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (may look like eczema) Mat was advised to finish the six rounds, but after this, he learned he had cancer in 21 areas of his spine, as well as in his pelvis, rib cage and the centre of his ribs. I think having bad news after bad news after bad news, it was horrifically frustrating, Mat said. Plus, all the side effects and all the feeling ill were from the treatment so there were points where I thought, why am I doing this? Why am I physically making myself feel more ill while its getting worse? Mat said his second and third PET scans brought more bad news, with more metastases and larger tumours, and he was introduced to palliative care, which felt surreal. He dived into research and pushed for targeted therapies, which led him to Enhertu, and he said his perspective on life changed. He eventually had to give up work, but he and Rachel started a bucket list, ticking off restaurants, cities and countries around the world. open image in gallery Taking advantage of the good days, Mat ventured on a last-minute trip to Genova with Rachel ( Collect/PA Real Life ) I asked for an SR1 form, which is a terminal illness form that says Ive got a year left to live, he said. The form meant I could gain access to my ISAs and pension without being penalised for it. I just thought, well, if Im potentially going to die, I want to have fun while Im well enough to have fun. So we started doing a bit of travelling, and Ive since been to some of the best restaurants in the world, such as El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, which was incredible, and the amazing Row on 5 on Savile Row. Although he said he experiences brutal side effects from Enhertu, such as severe constipation and diarrhoea, burning neuropathy over his body, bleeding and ulceration of his nostrils and mouth, he said things have started to turn around. He said the tumours in his chest decreased by 30 per cent to 40 per cent after three treatments of Enhertu and he had no more metastases on (his) spine, and he learned he had no metabolic sign of cancer in his body after six treatments. open image in gallery Mat just after a three-monthly heart MRI scan ( Collect/PA Real Life ) Mat will continue receiving treatment but is now planning some other trips with Rachel, whom he will marry in February next year, and he said he has more of an appreciation for the small things in life. He said his family and friends have been hugely supportive, as well as the Mens VMU a male-dedicated support group for men diagnosed with breast cancer which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. He would urge other men to check their bodies, advocate for themselves and try to stay positive, and he hopes more treatments become available to treat breast cancer in the near future. The word breast is always seen as a female word, but men have breast tissue, he said. Its about making people understand that men get breast cancer and demystifying it for people. Speaking of the Mens VMU, Mat added: It makes such a difference having people there who have been and gone through, or are going through, what you are, and learning from their experiences. It makes the world feel a little less lonely. open image in gallery Members of the Mens VMU holding cards to show what age they were when they were first diagnosed with breast cancer ( PA Real Life ) Ross McLean, consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: While breast cancer in men is rare, they are at a 65 per cent higher risk of having distant disease at presentation compared to women 11.5 per cent versus 6.9 per cent. Unfortunately, the late diagnosis is often due to a lack of awareness and delayed presentation. Mathews story is a powerful and timely reminder of this reality. It is therefore incredibly heartening to see that, despite his advanced diagnosis, Mathew has taken such a proactive approach researching his condition and most importantly connecting with the Mens VMU. The Mens VMUs peer support is invaluable, providing a crucial lifeline both emotionally and mentally. His positive attitude in the face of such aggressive treatment is truly inspirational. To find out more about the Mens VMU, visit: www.themensvmu.org. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice An influencer is facing backlash over a series of posts complaining about being on vacation in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa batters parts of the Caribbean. The category 5 storm made landfall Tuesday afternoon in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope with winds whipping at 185 miles per hour in what forecasters are calling an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Hannah Grubbs began posting TikTok videos about her trip Friday, including a since-deleted video of her and a friend walking through the airport as text across the screen read, Us on our way to Jamaica during a hurricane. After landing in Jamaica, Grubbs continued to share more videos referencing the storm, including a post from Sunday where shes being served drinks by a bartender as she wrote, pretending theres not a category 5 hurricane about to hit Jamaica. She proceeded to show clips of the weather getting progressively worse, with one clip of her overlooking the balcony of her hotel room with text across the screen reading, Hurricane Melissa out here messing with my vacation. Many people were quick to use the posts comments section to question why she was continuing to talk about her vacation, given the life-threatening risk the storm poses to locals. Pretty freaking TONE DEAF video. People are legitimately about to die, one comment read, while another agreed, writing, Yea but at the end of the day, you get to take a flight and go back to your home meanwhile these people have to stay and endure the storm and the aftermath of it. Winds of up to 185 miles per hour have wreaked havoc across the Caribbean ( AP ) People are about to lose everything they own, their loved ones, and their lives, but yes, let us all take a moment of silence for Hannahs vacation, a third commenter sarcastically wrote. Other commenters questioned why Grubbs did not look at any weather reports prior to her vacation to reschedule the trip. You literally knew there was a hurricane coming one person wrote in the comments. Why didnt you just reschedule? a second commenter wondered. Its not like you didnt know it was coming! The Independent has reached out to Grubbs for comment. As of Tuesday morning, more than 240,000 people are without power. Of the 800 shelters, 382 are occupied so far, holding roughly 6,000 people, said Desmond McKenzie, Jamaicas minister of local government and community development. Officials warned residents to take shelter. Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave, McKenzie said. Dont bet against Melissa. It is a bet we cannot win. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has welcomed his eighth child his fourth with wife Kayte Walsh a son named Christopher. The 70-year-old actor shared the news during an appearance on Mondays episode of the Pod Meets World podcast hosted by Boy Meets World stars Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong. While discussing his 2025 memoir, Karen: A Brother Remembers (about his sister who was murdered aged 18), Grammer told the hosts he and Walsh, 46, just had our fourth one, so it just became eight kids. It was like three days ago, he said. Christopher, thats just joined the family. The Cheers alum married British film producer Walsh in 2011. They also share: Faith, 12, Gabriel, 10, and James, eight. He is also father to daughter Spencer, 41, whom he shares with first wife Doreen Alderman; daughter Greer, 33, with ex Barrie Buckner; and daughter Mason, 23, and son Jude, 20, with ex Camille Grammer. Kelsey Grammer and his wife Kayte Walsh now share four children together ( Getty ) News of Walshs fourth pregnancy was reported in June after the couple was spotted strolling through a park in London. Walsh could be seen wearing a long black dress that showed off her baby bump. Grammer has spoken about his love of fatherhood in the past. He told Variety in June 2024: My children my young children, older children the happiest I ever am is if theyre all in the same room together. My work has allowed me to be able to do that. Ive been given this great experience. Its been painful and challenging and hard and tragic all those things. But boy, its a great life. And I want to pass that on to them. However, earlier this year, he admitted in an interview with People magazine that he does have some parenting regrets. I have neglected a couple of the kids in my life, especially the first two, he told the publication. Im trying to make up for a little of it now. Im still their dad, so you can always have [a] chance to show up. I probably should have been a little more clear and maybe less tolerant with the older ones, he added. Im pretty tolerant with the young ones, but Im clear about how theres certain expectations and certain ways to navigate through a social situation: keep it close to the vest and play it straight, and youre going to be well-served in your life. Im a little more specific with them about doing their studies and being prepared. [I tell them], What's your job in life? Showing up. Chinese premier says China ready to advance Global Governance Initiative for regional peace, development Xinhua) 08:08, October 28, 2025 Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the 20th East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Monday that China stands ready to join various parties in actively advancing the Global Governance Initiative, and make joint efforts to inject more positive energy into regional peace and development. Li made the remarks while addressing the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) held in Malaysia. Li said that 20 years ago, the EAS was born in Kuala Lumpur, and over the past two decades, the summit has played an overall constructive role, promoting stability and rapid development in the region. Today, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, with peace and development facing many new risks and challenges, Li said. With an eye toward addressing global changes and tackling pressing conundrums, Chinese President Xi Jinping solemnly put forth the Global Governance Initiative, he noted. Emphasizing adherence to sovereign equality, abidance by international rule of law, practice of multilateralism, advocacy of people-centered approach, and focus on taking real actions, this initiative carries strong practical relevance and aligns closely with the founding purpose of the EAS, Li added. China stands ready to work with all parties to remain true to the original aspirations of the EAS, Li said, calling on all sides to continue building broad consensus. Mutual respect, equality, and fairness and justice, among others, are important foundations governing relations among nations. Economic globalization and world multipolarization are irreversible, and the world should not return to the law of the jungle where the weak fall prey to the strong, he said. Only by upholding these shared values of humanity and following the tide of history can we make the right decisions at critical junctures and stay on the correct course forward, Li added. Li noted the need to focus on solving prominent problems, saying that economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods remain top priorities for countries in the region. He called for a stronger commitment to upholding the free trade system, making efforts to build a high-level regional free trade network, and vigorously advancing regional integration. More strength should be gathered to enhance people's well-being and achieve universally beneficial and inclusive development, he added. Li also called for reforming and improving the rules and the systems. The more turbulent the situation becomes, the greater the need to safeguard the authority of international rule of law, he said. He urged all parties to abide by the rules, especially to safeguard the international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core, and support ASEAN's centrality in the regional architecture, acting as a promoter of regional cooperation. At the same time, he said, efforts should be made to actively promote reforms, facilitate the establishment of a more just and reasonable global governance system to better safeguard the interests of all sides. The leaders at the meeting noted that the current international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes, with geopolitical conflicts intensifying and protectionism on the rise. They called on regional countries to return to the original aspirations of the EAS, abide by multilateralism and the basic principles of international law such as the UN Charter, and work together to promote peace-building, conduct dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect, and create new models of partnerships. They also urged countries in the region to strengthen practical cooperation, jointly address challenges such as energy and food security, green transformation, climate change and public health, and boost lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the wider world. The meeting, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the 20th Anniversary of the EAS, and the Leaders' Statement on Promoting Localization in Anticipatory Action for Disaster Preparedness and Response. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes industries and daily life in China, lawmakers in the top legislature are amending the Cybersecurity Law to support technological research and mitigate the emerging risks in the field. An amendment to China's Cybersecurity Law was approved on Tuesday at the conclusion of a five-day session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. An article on the safe and sound development of AI was added to the revised law, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The final amendment introduces a framework aimed at ensuring the safety and development of AI, which outlines several key priorities like increased support for foundational research and key algorithmic innovations, the development of AI-related infrastructure, and stronger ethical standards for AI. It also stipulates stronger security risk monitoring and enhanced AI safety regulations. This move was seen as a response to the growing demand for AI governance and development, said Wang Xiang, a spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, at a press conference last week. The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, adopted last week and made public on Tuesday, also stated that China must "strengthen governance over AI and refine relevant laws, regulations, policies, systems, application standards, and ethical codes." The rapid advancement of AI in China has made the issue of regulation more urgent. China now ranks second globally in the World Artificial Intelligence Innovation Index, behind only the United States, according to a report from the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference. As of June 2025, China's generative AI user base reached 515 million, double the number just six months prior, per a recent report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), which highlights the exponential growth of this technology. While AI continues to drive technological progress, it also brings new cybersecurity risks. A report on the cybersecurity situation in 2025 from the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center reveals a significant rise in AI-related network and data security risks, compared to the previous year, with network attacks accounting for 29 percent and data breaches 26 percent. Hao Ping, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, emphasized the need to establish a legislative framework to ensure that AI technologies comply with security standards. He also called for forward-looking assessments and continuous monitoring to promote compliance, transparency and accountability in AI applications. In light of these growing risks, the Cybersecurity Law, which has been pivotal in safeguarding national cyberspace sovereignty and security since its implementation in June 2017, has been amended to address the new challenges posed by AI. "As AI increasingly permeates every aspect of daily life, security should no longer be treated as an afterthought or a problem to be addressed later. Instead, it must become a core focus of technological innovation," said Li Hewu, deputy director of the Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace, Tsinghua University. According to CNNIC, China now has over 1.1 billion internet users, with an internet penetration rate of 79.7 percent. To enhance the protection of personal information online, the amendment stipulates better alignment with relevant laws, including the Civil Code and the Personal Information Protection Law. The amendment also clarifies penalties for violations and increases fines in a bid to strengthen legal responsibilities. Serious offenses could result in suspension, closure, or even revocation of business licenses. "The regulation of data, from its creation to its endpoint, requires a seamless coordination among laws and regulations," Li said. "By strengthening the alignment between the Cybersecurity Law and related laws, the effectiveness and deterrence of these legal frameworks can be greatly improved." Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Michelle Obama is sharing her honest thoughts about her husband Barack Obamas controversial tan suit. Back in 2014, the then-president sent shockwaves to the internet when he wore a light suit for a White House briefing where he discussed the U.S. military response to ISIS and Russias intervention in Ukraine. At the time, critics deemed Baracks suit unpresidential and a monstrosity, arguing it wasnt appropriate for his discussion about such a serious topic. Now, ahead of the release of her upcoming fashion-forward book, The Look, Michelle is looking back at the controversy, calling some of the criticism both she and her husband received for their wardrobe choices pure hypocrisy. I could pull up pictures of Jackie O [Kennedy] in a second and see this fashion icon in sleeveless dresses as first lady, she explained during a new interview with People, noting how her own choice to don sleeveless dresses sparked uproar online. So at a point youre like, Oh, this is politics. If you cant beat them, make everybody scared of them. That was the motto. If it wasnt the clothes, it was that terrorist fist bump. It was every word that we said. It was my husbands tan suit, she added. open image in gallery Michelle Obama says she loved her husband Baracks controversial tan suit ( Getty ) Michelle then expressed how much she loved that tan suit her husband wore, despite the controversy it caused. When he had it on, I was like, Oh, my God, you look so cute. [Then] I was like, Oh you got clocked for that one. Welcome to my world, she continued. That was towards the end of his presidency, so we were used to all the crazy issues that people would take with us. Criticism of Baracks suit, later given the name tan-gate, was constantly making headlines in 2014. For example, former New York Representative Peter King said at the time: Theres no way I think any of us can excuse what the president did yesterday For him to walk out in a light suit, light tan suit. ISIS is watching, he continued. If you were the head of ISIS, if you were Baghdadi, if you were anyone in the ISIS, would you come away from yesterday afraid of the United States? Would you be afraid that the United States was going to use all its power to crush ISIS? However, the Obama administration defended Baracks decision. A day after the initial controversy, then-White House press secretary Josh Earnest said: The president stands squarely behind the decision that he made yesterday to wear his summer suit at yesterdays news conference. Barack has since reiterated his approval of the suit, telling journalist Steve Scully earlier this year that he was rocking the suit. open image in gallery Barack Obama wore the tan suit during a White House press briefing about the U.S. militarys response to ISIS ( Getty Images ) He addressed the controversy, saying it was kind of crazy [that] people were so mad about it. Barack also acknowledged that photos of former Presidents Ronald Regan and George Bush wearing similar suits began to circulate online at the time. I thought I looked better than them in it, he laughed. In addition, he made references to the viral look throughout his presidency, including during the opening of his final press conference in 2017. Let me start out by saying that I was sorely tempted to wear a tan suit today, he said. But Michelle, whose fashion sense is a little better than mine, tells me that's not appropriate in January. In August 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris turned heads in her own brown suit during the first night of the Democratic convention, amid her run for U.S. President during last years election. At the time, people thought her outfit was a nod to Baracks controversial look. Barack later celebrated the look on X, sharing a throwback photo of his tan suit, alongside a picture of Harris onstage at the convention. How it started. How it's going, he wrote. Ten years later, and it's still a good look! The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A woman has been handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the fatal stabbing of a three-year-old boy outside a supermarket. Bionca Ellis, 34, of Cleveland, remained expressionless as Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John Russo imposed the sentence on Monday. The court heard Ellis was responsible for the northeast Ohio attack in June 2024 that killed Julian Wood and injured his mother, Margot Wood. Earlier in October, a jury found Ellis guilty of aggravated murder, felonious assault, child endangering, and aggravated theft. She has been held in custody on a $5 million bond since her indictment last year. Authorities said Ellis entered the Giant Eagle grocery store in North Olmsted armed with two knives that she had stolen from the Volunteers of America Thrift Store next door. They said she spotted Julian and his mother near the front and followed them into the parking lot. The mother was about to load her groceries into her vehicle when Ellis ran at them with a knife, stabbing the toddler twice before walking away. The boy died at a hospital while Margot Wood was treated for a shoulder stab wound. Prosecutors said she tried to pull her son out of the cart during the attack. open image in gallery Bionca Ellis, 32, center right, appears in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas court, June 10, 2024, in Cleveland, in the stabbing death of 3-year-old Julian Wood in a grocery store parking lot in June. (Cory Shaffer/Cleveland.com via AP, File) I have seen unimaginable acts of violence but this is among the most heartbreaking, prosecutor Michael C. OMalley said in a statement. Bionca Ellis horrific actions warrant nothing less than life without parole. Ellis' attorneys, Fernando Mack and Carlos Johnson said the judge's ruling is "the wrong outcome and that Ellis will appeal the conviction and the sentence. They had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. At the time that she's arrested and all the way through, she's deemed incompetent, really, so it's hard for us to swallow," Mack said. "To think that she was only OK just for that moment, just for that day, but all the other days we'll concede that she had some severe mental disease kicking in." Ellis' defense attorneys had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Margot Wood and Jared Wood, the toddler's father, delivered a statement to reporters after the original verdict thanking the community for its support. Everybody thats visited him, commented, sent love, we appreciate you guys so much, Margot Wood said. This was for him today. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Police in suburban Detroit have warned parents to watch out for dodgy Halloween treats after discovering THC and magic mushroom products in packaging that mimicked well-known candy and chip brands. Detectives searching a house in Warren, Michigan Thursday discovered psychoactive drugs dressed up to look like packs of Jolly Ranchers, Airheads, Lay's chips, Doritos, Nerds, and other snacks, according to the Warren Police Department. "The packaging made these products look like regular, well-known candies and snacks. It is clear that these items were intentionally designed to mimic popular treats which any child would enjoy eating," a spokesperson told The Independent. In fact, photos released by police showed that most of the packages had some kind of warning on them, such as"600mg THC PER PACK", "medicated", or "KEEP AWAY FROM KIDS... ADULTS 21+." The spokesperson clarified that these were not authentic products that had been tampered with or laced. Instead, they were simply packaged to externally resemble genuine products, creating the potential to be confused, especially by children. Officials did not say whether anyone was charged over the packages and gave no evidence that they were actually intended to be handed out to children. open image in gallery Look closely and you can see the warning labels on these seemingly copyright-infringing THC products ( Warren Police Department ) Stories of poisoned trick-or-treat candy often circulate at Halloween, but actual cases are very rare. Criminology professor Joel Best has argued that they are merely an "urban legend" with no basis in fact, endlessly revived by small town police departments, worried parents, media reports, and sometimes even federal law enforcement agencies. After all, it's not clear what drug dealers would stand to gain from handing out potentially lethal amounts of narcotics, at no cost, to people with no disposable income of their own to spend on further hits. Recreational cannabis and THC are legal in Michigan, although psilocybin the hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms is not. open image in gallery Fake snack packs seized by the Warren Police Department on the outskirts of Detroit, actually containing THC ( Warren Police Department ) Police commissioner Eric Hawkins said: Were grateful to have removed these items before they could fall into the hands of children. "This serves as an important reminder for families to carefully inspect all Halloween treats and to prioritize safety this season." Police warned residents to check every piece of candy before eating it, throw away anything that was not pre-wrapped unless they know and trust the source, watch out for any signs of tampering, and ask their children not to eat any candy until it's been checked by an adult. This story was published at 8:19 p.m. EDT on Monday October 27, 2025, and updated at 8:50 p.m. with further details from the Warren Police Department. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice More than a hundred former Justice Department officials and 13 scholars of authoritarianism have thrown their weight behind former FBI Director James Comey, asking a judge to throw out the Trump administration's criminal charges against him. In an amicus brief reportedly filed in federal court in Virginia Monday, former federal prosecutors ranging from Barack Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder to George W. Bush nominee Peter Keisler backed up Comey's argument that the prosecution is "vindictive". It comes after Comey's lawyers accused the Department of Justice last week of "singling him out" for prosecution due to what they said was President Donald Trump's "personal spite" and "animus" over Comeys constitutionally protected criticism of the president. "Taken together, the totality of these circumstances indicate that the indictment of [Comey] was not an exercise of the evenhanded judgment of a disinterested prosecutor, acting free from personal bias, partisan animus, or divided loyalties as is required by the Constitution and the Department of Justices formal policies," read Monday's filing, according to The Washington Post. "Instead, it represented an act of personal retribution by the President, acting through a United States Attorney whom he had recently selected." Comeys lawyers pointed to Trumps long history of public statements denouncing the former FBI director and calling for him to be jailed ( AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite ) Lawyers also filed a separate Amicus brief on Monday representing 13 scholars of authoritarianism and democratic backsliding, including the famed "end of history" theorist Francis Fukuyama. "As we have seen in the countries we study, the misuse of the justice system to punish political adversaries undermines the rule of law and damages democratic governance," they wrote. "Here, publicly available evidence demonstrates Mr. Comey was targeted for prosecution based on improper animus, and that other such vindictive prosecutions are already in the works. "The Court should not ignore this broader context and the dangerous precedent this prosecution sets and grant Mr. Comeys motion to dismiss the indictment." The former officials brief was not yet visible in courts online documents system as of Monday night. Federal prosecutors have charged Comey with obstruction and lying to Congress in 2020 in sworn testimony over his role in the Trump-Russia investigation four years before. During the 2020 hearing, Comey said he stood by his previous testimony in 2017, in which he insisted that he had never authorized anyone at the FBI to leak to the press about the Trump investigation or his 2016 probe into Hilary Clinton's emails. The DOJ's indictment claims that this was a lie but has presented little firm evidence in court. The charges came after multiple prosecutors had reportedly determined that the case didn't have legs. That led Trump to to finally replace them with his former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan. The indictment was signed by her and nobody else, which Comey's lawyers say was highly unusual, and a grand jury in Virginia approved it with a majority of 14 to 23. Comey has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Samantha Bateman, one of the former DOJ officials behind the amicus brief, acknowledged that courts aren't often persuaded by such documents and that vindictive prosecution is a high bar to meet. But she told the Washington Post that she and her colleagues hoped the sheer weight of their expertise would help convince the court that such a judgement would be warranted in this case. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A North Carolina father is in jail after authorities say he called 911 on Monday and confessed to murdering his four children, then hiding their bodies. Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, has been charged with one count of murder in the death of his juvenile child. Police say Dickens is expected to face multiple other charges after he admitted to killing his three children, ages 6, 9 and 10, as well as his 18-year-old stepchild. The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said Dickens 3-year-old child was found unharmed inside his Zebulon home. "Mr. Dickens stated to deputies his 3-year-old son was inside the house alive, and four of his other children were deceased inside the trunk of a vehicle in the garage of the residence," the sheriff's office said in a news release. open image in gallery A heavy police presence was seen by Wellington Delano Dickens IIIs property ( AP ) open image in gallery Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, called 911 and told them he murdered his four kids and put their bodies in the trunk of his car ( Johnston County Sheriffs Office ) The sheriffs office did not say exactly how long ago Dickens allegedly killed the children, nor if they had been reported missing, according to WBTV. Officials believe the human remains in the trunk had been there for an extended period of time, however. Dickens is being held without bond at the Johnston County jail. His first court appearance is set for Tuesday afternoon. This investigation is ongoing. Join the Independent Women newsletter with Victoria Richards for a thoughtful take on the weeks headlines Join the Independent Women newsletter Join the Independent Women newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A suspect wanted after a sheriffs deputy was shot dead led police on a high speed chasing before wiping out on a Los Angeles freeway. The pursuit began after cops were called out to a domestic violence report involving an armed man threatening a woman in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Monday. San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy Andrew Nunez died after being shot during the incident, cops said, with the suspect fleeing the scene. Aerial footage showed a motorbike rider speed past traffic on the 210 Freeway at around 140 m.p.h. during the subsequent chase. The man, wearing a grey hoodie and jeans, can be seen weaving his way through cars and trucks, often looking over his shoulder . The chase continues for almost nine minutes, until the rider takes his hands off the handlebars to adjust his backpack. Apparently distracted by the bag, the rider is clipped by a sedan and thrown off the bike. The bike rolls over him with a wheel just missing his head. The sheriffs department later explained that the sedan that collided with the suspects bike was being driven by an off-duty narcotics officer. About 10 officers rushed to the suspect and administered first aid before the biker was taken to hospital with injuries. As of Monday he was in a stable condition, officers said, and investigations are ongoing. open image in gallery The chase reached speed of around 140 m.p.h ( LiveNOW from FOX ) open image in gallery The rider was clipped by a sedan and fell off the bike during pursuit ( LiveNOW from FOX ) It later emerged that Nunez had been struck by a bullet in the head during the original altercation and rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead about 1 p. m. Monday, NBC4 reported. San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department later paid tribute to Nunez, who leaves behind a pregnant wife and a two-year-old daughter, his mother and four brothers and sisters. With heavy hearts and profound grief, we honor the memory of San Bernardino County Sheriffs Deputy Andrew Nunez, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty on October 27, the statement said. Deputy Nunez served with unwavering commitment, courage, and deep compassion for the community he vowed to protect. His bravery and sacrifice reflect a life dedicated to safeguarding others, even at the greatest cost. open image in gallery Sheriffs deputy Andrew Nunez died after being shot during a domestic callout ( San Bernardino County Sheriff ) Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and fellow deputies as they face this unimaginable loss. May they be surrounded by comfort, lifted by the love of their community, and strengthened by the legacy of honor he leaves behind. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said his office will look at charging the suspect with murder of a peace officer. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A former sheriffs deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey has testified that his actions matched threat level. Massey, a 36-year-old Black single mother, was shot and killed in July 2024 by Sean Grayson, a white man who worked for the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office in Illinois at the time, after reporting a suspected prowler on her property near Springfield. Grayson gave testimony during his murder trial Monday, in which he argued he shot Massey in self-defense after she told him she would rebuke him in the name of Jesus. It threw me off; it was out of nowhere, Grayson said of Masseys comment while on the stand, according to WBEZ Chicago. open image in gallery A former sheriffs deputy charged with murdering Sonya Massey has testified that his actions matched threat level ( Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP ) While police were inside Masseys home she removed a pot of water from the stove in her kitchen. During the interaction with Grayson and another officer, she said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, according to body camera footage shared by Fox Baltimore. Grayson then yelled, You better f***ing not. I swear to God Ill f***ing shoot you in your f***ing face, and pulled a gun on her. He ended up shooting her three times, with one of the bullets hitting Massey below the left eye, the Associated Press reported. open image in gallery Sean Grayson claims he shot Massey in self-defense after she told him she would rebuke him in the name of Jesus ( Illinois State Police via AP ) open image in gallery Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, which, if convicted, could land him 45 years to life in prison. ( Macon County Jail via AP ) Grayson claimed in court he shot Massey because he thought she was about to throw a pot of boiling water at him. We are trained to use force that will gain compliance to get the situation under control, Grayson said, adding, In this situation, I matched the threat level, and the only thing that would have stopped the threat was my duty weapon. Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, which, if convicted, could land him 45 years to life in prison. Masseys murder sparked protests in several cities, including Chicago, New York City and Atlanta. In August, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed Sonya Masseys Bill into law, which revised police hiring procedures. Masseys family also reached a $10 million settlement with officials in Sangamon County in February. The defense rested its case Monday, and closing arguments and jury deliberations are set to begin Tuesday, according to NBC News. SYDNEY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new study has found that state forests in the northern part of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) designated for logging are vital habitat for endangered koalas. The study challenged current assumptions that timber plantations lacked conservation value, prompting calls for the reclassification of the surveyed area from plantation to prime koala habitat, according to a statement released Tuesday by Australia's Griffith University. Researchers and conservation groups combined drone technology, historical mapping, and ground surveys to track koala populations in Tuckers Nob State Forest, southwest of NSW's Coffs Harbor, which is currently zoned as hardwood eucalypt plantation and slated for logging in 2025-2026, it said. Published in the Switzerland-based Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute journal WILD, the surveys conducted in December 2024, covering 142 hectares, revealed clear signs of koala activity, including scat evidence and thermal drone imagery identifying 25 individual koalas. "These aren't just plantations; they're home to one of Australia's most iconic and endangered animals," said Rolf Schlagloth, the study's first author from Australia's Central Queensland University and the Koala History & Sustainability Research Cluster. "We've shown remnants of original forest exist within these zones and are actively used by koalas," he said. When the Bureau of Meteorology came under fire over the adequacy of its warnings for the 2022 Lismore floods, the biggest in modern Australian history, its hazard preparedness manager, Jane Golding, conceded that meteorology was an imprecise science. Weve all been caught out by the weather, but this week the bureau was reminded that timing announcements and changes to how such a crucial agency operates can be even more treacherous. Rain, hail or shine, millions of Australians rely on the bureaus forecasts. Credit: Jason South Its attempt to proceed with a $220,000 rebrand of the organisation in October 2022, just as Victoria was being smashed by floods, drew criticism from across the spectrum. The bureaus then-boss Andrew Johnson told a Senate committee that like any large organisation, there are times when we dont get it right, but assured senators of [our] devotion to keeping Australians safe and informed and desire to avoid confusion and uncertainty in the community. Johnsons replacement as chief executive, Stuart Minchin, hasnt quite got his feet under the desk he was appointed this month, but his term begins on November 10. Had he started he would have found his inbox already crowded with confusion and uncertainty about the bureaus revamped website, which our letter writers have described variously as difficult to navigate, a bombsite, mindlessness and a fascinating big step forward. ISLAMABAD, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 school children were injured when a bus plunged into a roadside drain after being hit by a truck in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Tuesday, rescue officials said. The accident occurred on Bypass Road in Sheikhupura district, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122 told Xinhua. "Following the collision, the school bus fell into a drain. Our teams immediately reached the site and shifted 15 injured children to a nearby hospital, while six others were given first aid on the spot," the Rescue 1122 official said. Local police have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. It is not much bigger than a couple of Melbourne suburbs, really. Another Abbott adventure Some people just attract headlines. Case in point, former prime minister Tony Abbott, without whom several prominent media outlets The Australian, Sky News, er, CBD might sometimes struggle for content. Setting aside his long and significant political career, Abbott also lays claim to a rich and varied hinterland of stuff just happening to him. There was the time in the 2000s that a Parliament House sound recordist turned out to be the long-lost son he thought he had fathered out of wedlock as a teenager and had given up for adoption. (Even more bizarrely, the whole thing turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.) Tony Abbott as a University of Sydney student in the 1980s. Credit: Trevor Dallen There was the time PM28 raced into a burning building during the height of the bushfire crisis in 2020. Not to mention more recent CBD favourites: Abbott squaring off against a Melbourne tram on Collins Street. And the time a luggage scanner at Melbourne Airport ruthlessly swallowed up his new spectacles. Now we are greatly indebted to Sydney commercial FM radio (a phrase we cant believe we are typing) for bringing to our attention the time back in the 1980s a youthful Abbott saved a woman and her little ones from a house fire. Loading To quote the somewhat breathless press release: Speaking on 2DayFMs The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma, Sky from Balmain revealed shes been searching for her mystery hero for 34 years. As Sky from Balmain told Jimmy (or was it Nath or Emma?): When I was four years old, my house had burnt down on top of us, basically, and a gentleman pulled us out of the building like he ripped the bars off the windows and everything! And it took me 34 years to find out who it was, because Ive been searching forever, and it was actually Tony Abbott. Abbott confirmed the incident to CBD: Yes, its broadly correct. I was with a couple of mates at the Bald Rock Hotel and we suddenly noticed flames coming from a top-storey window of the house next door. There were young kids behind a barred window on the ground floor who couldnt get out. I found a bit of pipe and smashed the [locked] back glass door to let the family out. No heroics really, just a good team effort to make sure people were safe. Back to Sky: I havent spoken to him personally, but I would absolutely love to see him. Id love to take him back to that pub and have a beer. And you know ... thank him for saving my life, but I have actually been in contact with his office, and he said yes, that was me. This column would also personally love Sky to take Tony out for a beer, or perhaps better, an onion. Wed even live blog it if we could. Pocock names names CBD brought word yesterday that ACT senator David Pocock, frustrated with the Albanese governments indifferent approach to transparency, had decided to go full whistleblower and create an opt-in register for MPs to declare any lobbyists and other friends they had sponsored for a Parliament House access pass. The headline act was Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, who as CBD reported, got in thanks to teal independent MP Allegra Spender. We hear thats because of Farquhars role as chair of the currently rudderless Tech Council of Australia. Spender chairs the Parliamentary Friends of Innovation and Startups, and sponsored Farquhars pass in that capacity. A few other names on the Pocock list piqued our interest. The jacked former Wallabies captain granted access to Instagram talking head Konrad Michalski, better known as Punters Politics, who was a bit of a darling at the Midwinter Ball in August, posing for an infamous photo carried by four teal MPs. Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was told a defamatory press release about an Indigenous leader was wrong shortly after she issued it but she just didnt care, the Federal Court has heard. Price is defending a defamation case filed against her by Les Turner, chief executive of the Northern Territory-based Central Land Council, over a press release published in July last year. The seven-day Federal Court trial in Darwin concluded on Tuesday. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price outside the Federal Court in Darwin last week with her husband Colin Lillie, left. Credit: David Hancock Sydney barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, acting for Turner, said in closing submissions to the court that her client had an exemplary reputation before the media release. Price was told that her publication was wrong nearly immediately by the Central Land Council... but she just didnt care, Chrysanthou said. When Nicho Muggleton saw his friend in peril, he didnt hesitate. Muggleton was standing on Frankston Pier and watching his friend, a 36-year-old British national, trying to surf in rough water during a bout of severe weather across Melbourne last Wednesday. Nicho Muggleton drowned after trying to save his friend stuck in rough surf off Frankston Pier. Credit: Suplied. When the friends board snapped and the rookie surfer struggled in the fierce waves, Muggleton jumped into the water and tried to save his mate in treacherous conditions, but soon found himself in trouble, too. A passerby called Triple Zero and a police helicopter winched the men from the water, but they were unresponsive. Both had already drowned. THE FORUM The clock is ticking Obviously, as Andrew Hastie maintains, the world has changed since 2005 (Hastie renews his attack on net zero, 28/10). Hes no doubt talking politics but its also true for global CO2 emissions which have risen from about 375 to more than 420 parts per million, well above the safe 350ppm level. The science hasnt changed over the years but our chances of avoiding climate catastrophe have markedly decreased. Peter Cook, Essendon Futures on the line Like Katya Zheluk, Ive grown up dealing with the impacts of climate change (At 12, I saw Australia burn: Now Ill fly over it with Ley, 28/10). Young people are suffering from climate anxiety as we increasingly experience intergenerational injustice caused by poor decisions related to the climate crisis. Its 2025, and still the Coalition is arguing about whether to bother addressing climate change while, as your correspondent points out, Labor cant seem to move past its own addiction to the coal and gas that fuel the crisis (Letters, 28/10). A YouGov poll last year found that 86 per cent of Australians supported stronger nature laws. The majority want climate action. Voters will reward courage from politicians who stand up to the fossil fuel lobby especially given that our futures are on the line. Sarah Brennan, Hawthorn Joyce a strange cat Nick Bonyhady (The curious case of Schrodingers politician, 28/1) makes a very amusing analogy to Barnaby Joyce via Schrodingers cat: the famous quantum thought experiment where a cat inside a container is simultaneously alive and dead. This is the analogy to the quantum property of superposition where a system can simultaneously exist in several states. Whatever Erwin Schrodinger would make of Barnaby, we cannot know but hes certainly a very strange cat. Andrew Barnes, Ringwood Show us the money So the state opposition says its tax cuts will cut only $5 billion from the budget (Coalition will dig $11b black hole: Symes, 28/10). How wonderful would it be to have that money to fix our rural roads, replace our Gonski public school funding and repair our badly underfunded foster-care system. Pete Garfield, Echuca The value of ties In August, the prime minister announced ASIO had credible evidence that Iran had directed at least two major antisemitic attacks on Australian soil. Its now been revealed the critical role Israels spy agency, Mossad, played in ASIOs arriving at its finding (Mossad names Iranian commander as the mastermind of Australian antisemitic attacks, 28/10). But this certainly wasnt the first time that this country has benefited from intelligence sharing between Israel and Australia. For example, it was Israeli intelligence that averted a terror plot to blow up an Etihad Airways flight travelling from Sydney to Abu Dhabi. The reality is that Australia has far more to lose than to gain if it were to accede to those who have called on the government to cut all ties with Israel. Geoff Feren, St Kilda East Trump on offensive Bruce Wolpe asks if midterm election voters will take a wrecking ball to the Oval Office? (Opinion, 28/10). He gives many reasons for this happening, but doesnt outline the steps already taken, or planned, to cull the electoral rolls to restrict primarily low-income, black or the disadvantaged from exercising their right to vote. Any Republican midterm election defeats will just inspire Donald Trump to declare more states of emergency, declare wars on South American countries, and send the armed forces in to take over recalcitrant states as hes already doing with the national guard. We have been warned. Megan Stoyles, Aireys Inlet Reagan looking good Its a sad state of affairs when Ronald Reagan, a former US president who showed clear signs of his increasing dementia while still in office, makes better sense than the current president, Donald Trump. Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights Missile anxiety President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia has tested a new nuclear cruise missile (Putin hails test of invulnerable missile, 28/10). This new version is nuclear-powered and can carry nuclear weapons, something we should all fear. When I take a car out for a test run, it is because I might buy it to use. When I try on a new shirt, I might buy it to use. When citizens test a new rifle, it is not going to be put away, never to be used. There is no positive spin on Putin testing new weapons, it is reasonable to panic. Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill Loading Title an issue No one in Australia wants a popularly elected governor-general because that role is not widely regarded as influential. If Australia becomes a republic, the new president will have a similar role to the current governor-general. Many Australians want a popularly elected president because they have the mistaken belief that our new president will have the same powers as someone like US President Donald Trump. Same title, same powers. I worry that if we have a popularly elected president, Australian politics will edge towards the political style of the United States because the electorate that voted for the president will expect the new president to be influential in the day-to-day running of the country. This would be an unwelcome and significant change in the Australian political landscape. The solution is simple continue the title of governor-general and avoid the title of president in a future republic. No one will want to have elections for the governor-general and the country will move on with a minimum of functional change but a very significant symbolic change that most of us look forward to. George Walpole, Soldiers Hill Halloween inconsistency Its not just children who react with questions about Halloween displays of gore (Bunnings the scene for my childs Halloween horror story, 28/10). As a society, we shy away from talking about death and grief. Few even use the d word. But, here we are with shops and homes decorated with coffins, tombstones, skeletons and terrifying spectres, shoving death in everyones faces. If Halloween prompted wider discourse about death, Id understand. But it doesnt and I dont. Jane Ross, San Remo ... and ditch the plastic How about extending the Protect Children from Distressing Halloween Displays petition to prevent the manufacture and sale of plastic Halloween items, much of which will end up in landfill? While we are at it, lets stop the spread of fake webs harmful to our wildlife. This is the stuff of nightmares that keeps me up at night. Deborah Burbidge, Torquay Whats really important If airlines were interested in really getting the attention of passengers during flight safety demonstrations (Buckle up: The reviews are mixed on high-production flight safety videos, 28/10), they might choose to use the one sentence that passengers will never forget, courtesy of author Amanda Ripley in her book, The Unthinkable. This is a book about who survives disasters and why. Regarding aeroplane disasters, she wrote that it is often apathy that causes deaths because passengers tend to disregard the urgency of immediately utilising the oxygen masks that would drop out above them. Her solution was to instead have passengers told the following: Should the oxygen masks drop, you have between 10 and 14 seconds before you will pass out, so put them on immediately, or you will die. I remember this every time I fly because I cant forget it. Joyce Butcher, Williamstown Ageism a loss to society Bec Wilson (Forget early retirement work longer, 26/10) is spot on when she encourages people in their 50s and 60s to stay in the workforce to optimise their financial, emotional, and cognitive health. Yet, every week, I hear stories from accomplished Gen Xers about disinterested recruiters, instant AI-generated knock-backs, and the worry of finding suitable work. Whats most baffling is the short-sightedness of organisations that fail to see the value of employing people over 55. Theres solid evidence that older employees offer significant benefits, including greater stability, higher levels of engagement and loyalty, lower rates of absenteeism, and a willingness to share hard-won knowledge with colleagues. As a profound demographic shift gathers pace fewer young workers alongside longer lifespans surely, the time has come to challenge biases against highly capable people who happen to be born before the digital age. Such a move would not only build our individual superannuation balances but also contribute to better business performance, a healthier workforce, and a stronger economy. Paula Hurley, Newtown A toast to venues Congratulations to all the hardworking recipients and mentions of extraordinary people and venues in The Age Good Food Guide. Its a testament to our wonderful multicultural communities that have served us incredibly well with the gift of their cuisine and one we should all view as a privilege when we dine out. Food is a window to their countrys soul and passion for their beautiful culture. Lets never take it all for granted. Sally Walcock, Toorak AND ANOTHER THING ... Climate change Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the Cessna cabin with pilot Sussan Ley and young climate activist, Katya Zheluk (Opinion, 28/10). Brian Rock, Beechworth Credit: Matt Golding Sorry, Katya Zheluk. While climate change has been moving along for millions of years, you must realise money makes the world go round. And that is far more important. Or so they seem to say. Bruce Dudon, Woodend Where does Melbournes foul weather and overcast with rain come from? (Letters 28/10). The melting of our planets polar ice caps. Anne Carroll, Brighton East Your correspondent (Letters 28/10) reminds me of when I was forced to live in Melbourne. Because of weather vagaries, the number plate slogan on my trailer was amended, by strategic use of a felt-tip pen, to Victoria the very last place in the world to be. Ian Usman Lewis, Armidale, NSW Politics If Anthony Albanese is tainted by CFMEU connection, Tim Wilson, then the Libs must be tainted by their big business connections. John Cain, McCrae I wonder how much it is costing Victorias budget to get the premier and minister of police to and from work? Their comments, or lack thereof, about crime in this state, is evidence that they must live on another planet. Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir Kuala Lumpur: Of all the public statements and speeches from Anwar Ibrahim in his three days hosting this years ASEAN summit, it may have been his very last late on Tuesday that meant the most to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. I will do my part, the Malaysian prime minister said. Because I think it is important for all of us to express whether publicly or privately or whatever form our concern that this region must remain free. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, shakes hands with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim following the third Malaysia-Australia Annual Leaders Meeting. Credit: AP Anwars words, with Albanese at the podium next to him, were a response to a question from Australian journalists about an October 19 incident in which a Chinese aircraft deployed flares near an Australian plane patrolling the South China Sea, a vast area that China illegitimately claims almost wholly for itself. Anwar was expressing his belief in rules and international norms. We'll fly nonstop to the top 15 most popular markets from San Diego next spring, and Portland flyers will enjoy four new nonstop destinations With expansion to two new airports Tulsa, Oklahoma and Arcata-Eureka, California we'll serve more airports year-round in California than any other airline We're better connecting California and Hawai'i: We'll launch a new Honolulu-Burbank route, and we've added more flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to the Islands SEATTLE, Oct. 27, 2025 -- Alaska Airlines is introducing 13 new nonstop routes beginning next spring, including a range of flights from our key hubs in San Diego and Portland. We've also added two new destinations to our route map, deepened our commitment to Hawai'i with additional flights and solidified our role as Santa Rosa-Sonoma's #1 carrier in the heart of California Wine Country. We're always looking to spread our wings, so we're eager to celebrate a pair of new destinations: Tulsa, Oklahoma (TUL) and Arcata-Eureka, California (ACV), located along the famous California Redwood Coast. We'll fly daily between San Diego and Tulsa, and from Seattle to both Tulsa and Arcata-Eureka. With these new locations, Alaska Air Group will serve 142 destinations in 2026 our most ever. And with the addition of Arcata-Eureka, we'll serve more California airports year-round than any other airline. "With bold expansion in San Diego and Portland, plus more flights to Hawai'i and new destinations like Tulsa and Arcata-Eureka, Alaska is redefining what it means to connect guests to a remarkable travel experience rooted in safety, care and performance," said Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning at Alaska Airlines. "San Diego continues to be one of our fastest-growing hubs while Portland and Hawai'i are essential parts of our global network," added Amrine. "Our investment in these markets is designed to meet the strong demand we're seeing from the recent launch of Atmos Rewards, the #1 airline loyalty program in the country. We're thrilled to offer our guests more choice, more rewards and more global access than ever before." San Diego Alaska is San Diego's leading airline with the most nonstop destinations of any airline from the Southern California airport. It's also our fastest-growing hub. We'll grow by more than 35% in San Diego in spring 2026 compared to spring 2025. We'll fly five new nonstop routes next spring: Dallas-Fort Worth, Oakland, Raleigh-Durham, Santa Barbara and Tulsa. With these additions, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines will serve the top 15 most popular markets nonstop from San Diego and fly to 49 nonstop destinations. Travelers in Santa Barbara can take advantage of a one-stop connection in San Diego before continuing to other cities, such as Boston and Honolulu. Our route between San Diego and Santa Rosa-Sonoma will now be served three times daily, offering more time-of-day options than other airlines. Portland We've added more flights to major cities from the Rose City, building off a successful summer of growth at PDX. We'll begin service from Portland to four new destinations in May: Baltimore, Idaho Falls, Philadelphia and St. Louis. With those newly added routes, we'll serve 62 nonstop destinations from Portland. We've also added a second flight to Newark, increased our Portland-Lihu'e (Kaua'i) service to year-round and upped our daily flights to Santa Rosa-Sonoma to three. Hawai'i Our commitment to Hawai'i remains strong. We serve more airports from California to Hawai'i than any other airline. We've added a new summer seasonal flight between Honolulu and Hollywood Burbank Airport the first time the two airports will be connected in more than 20 years. We've increased the number of flights from a pair of our West Coast gateways starting in the spring: Los Angeles-Kahului (Maui) goes to two daily nonstops with an additional seasonal flight, and San Francisco-Kona (Hawai'i Island) and San Francisco-Lihu'e (Kaua'i) will increase in June to daily nonstops, joining flights that already operate several times a week. By early summer, we'll fly daily to all four Hawaiian Islands from San Francisco, like we do from Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego and Seattle. Santa Rosa-Sonoma If you know wine, you know Santa Rosa-Sonoma is the front door to California Wine Country. We are the airport's #1 carrier, offering twice as many destinations from there compared to any other airline. Along with the additional flights to Portland and San Diego, we've also added a new intra-California flight between Santa Rosa-Sonoma and Ontario, east of Los Angeles. We'll now serve six cities in California from Santa Rosa-Sonoma, including our new seasonal service to Palm Springs that launches on Oct. 26. New routes starting next spring City Pair Start Date Season Frequency Aircraft San Diego Dallas-Fort Worth April 22 Year-round 2x Daily 737 San Diego Oakland April 22 Year-round 4x Daily E175 San Diego Raleigh-Durham April 22 Year-round Daily 737 San Diego Santa Barbara April 22 Year-round 2x Daily E175 San Diego Tulsa March 18 Year-round Daily E175 Portland Baltimore May 13 Summer Daily 737 Portland Idaho Falls, ID May 13 Year-round Daily E175 Portland Philadelphia May 13 Summer Daily 737 Portland St. Louis May 13 Summer Daily 737 Seattle Arcata-Eureka, CA April 8 Year-round Daily E175 Seattle Tulsa March 18 Year-round Daily E175 Honolulu Burbank May 13 Summer Daily 737 Ontario, CA Santa Rosa-Sonoma, CA March 18 Year-round Daily E175 Tickets are available for purchase now at alaskaair.com. Guests across our expanding network can take advantage of a premium travel experience and enjoy award-winning service on their next Alaska flight. We are the West Coast's premier airline, offering our flyers generous legroom in First Class and Premium Class, no change fees, a variety of fare options and West Coast-inspired fresh meals that can be pre-ordered before flights. We offer the most fresh food options of any U.S. airline including on flights as short as 670 miles. Atmos Rewards is our newly evolved loyalty program ranked the #1 airline loyalty program by U.S. News and World Report for 2025-26. It's designed to deliver more choice, more rewards and more global access than ever before to our members, who earn one point and one status point for every mile flown (excluding Saver fares). Points can be redeemed for flights, hotels and more, and status points track progress toward status levels and milestones. Later in 2026, members can choose how they earn based on the distance they travel, the amount they spend or the frequency of their flights. About Alaska Air Group Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. We'll serve Europe beginning in spring 2026. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska is a member of the oneworld alliance, with Hawaiian scheduled to join oneworld in spring 2026. With oneworld and our additional global partners, guests can earn and redeem points for travel to over 1,000 worldwide destinations with Atmos Rewards. Learn more about what's happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as "ALK." SOURCE Alaska Airlines SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Amazon plans to lay off roughly 30,000 corporate employees starting on Tuesday, local media reported Monday. Employees are expected to be notified of the layoffs by email beginning Tuesday morning. The cuts would affect nearly 10 percent of its corporate workforce. As the second-largest private employer in the United States, Amazon has more than 1.54 million employees worldwide, mostly in warehouses and roughly 350,000 in corporate roles. It marks another round of the company's rolling layoffs since 2022, which have resulted in more than 27,000 employees losing their jobs. According to Layoffs.fyi, which tracks job reductions in the tech sector, more than 200 tech companies have laid off about 98,000 employees so far this year. The largest wave of tech layoffs occurred in 2023, when nearly 1,200 companies cut more than 260,000 jobs, it said. Across industries, executives have pointed to the rise of generative AI as a key factor reshaping workforce needs. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in June that the company's headcount could decline further as it embraces AI technologies. The company "will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy wrote in a memo to employees. "It's hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce," Jassy added. BIHAR ASSEMBLY POLLS Sr leader Avinash Pandey to oversee Cong strategy Staff Reporter : Avinash Pandey played instrumental role in preventing division in Rajasthan Congress and ensured partys major win in UP in Lok Sabha polls Senior Congress leader, Avinash Pandey has been entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the partys strategy during upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. Pandey, at present, is In-charge of Uttar Pradesh Congress. According to sources, Pandeys appointment has a greater significance considering the infighting in the party in Bihar. Known for his articulate way of handling political issues, it was Pandey who prevented division in Rajasthan Congress when conflict between Ashsok Gehlot, the then Chief Minister and Sachin Pilot, the then Deputy Chief Minister reached its peak. Pandey was instrumental in denting Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh during Lok Sabha polls in 2024. After partys announcement of bestowing major responsibility on his shoulders, Pandey, in a tweet, said, I will be on a Bihar tour, taking charge of organisational coordination and strategy for the upcoming elections. This is not just an election but a decisive moment that will shape Bihars future. While talking to The Hitavada on phone from Bihar, Avinash Pandey said, Our senior leader Krishna Allavaru will be heading the committee for the overall party management in Bihar. We are confident of major victory in Bihar. All our party workers are ready to face the polls. The citizens of Bihar are not happy with the present Government that has driven unemployment, the issues like migration, underdevelopoment are haunting Bihar people. It is the mission of Rahul Gandhi to reconnect with the public. Pandey who hails from Nagpur has served in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. He became Rajya Sabha member in 2010 through elections. Pandey has good connect with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi both. 2nd phase of SIR in 12 States, UTs from Nov Phase two will cover 51 crore voters NEW DELHI : THE Election Commission will conduct phase two of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in 12 States and Union Territories between November and February, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday. The States and Union Territories are: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. Kumar clarified that in Assam, where polls are also due in 2026, the revision of electoral rolls will be announced separately. Phase two of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise will begin on November 4 with the enumeration state and continue till December 4. The EC will release the draft electoral rolls on December 9, and the final electoral rolls will be published on February 7. Kumar said a separate provision of the Citizenship Act was applicable to Assam. Under the Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of checking citizenship is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, this would not have applied to Assam, Kumar said. So there will be separate revision orders issued for Assam, and a separate SIR date will be announced, he said. The CEC said the ongoing SIR is the ninth such exercise since Independence, with the last one happening in 2002-04. He highlighted that the first phase of the SIR was completed in Bihar with zero appeals. The second phase will be conducted in 12 States and Union Territories. SIR will ensure no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included in poll rolls, Kumar said at a press conference. Phase two of SIR will cover 51 crore voters. While the enumeration process will begin on November 4, the draft rolls will be published on December 9 and final electoral rolls on February 7, he added. The CEC also ruled out any confrontation with the West Bengal Government, where the ruling Trinamool Congress has expressed reservations about the SIR exercise in the State. Responding to a question on the possibility of bloodbath in West Bengal if the SIR exercise is held there, Kumar said, There is no hurdle. The EC is doing its duty and State governments are constitutionally-bound to discharge their duties.....All constitutional bodies carry out their responsibility as enshrined in the constitution, Kumar said, citing the ECs powers under Article 324 of the Constitution. Maintaining law and order is a states constitutional responsibility... States are also bound to provide necessary personnel to EC for preparing electoral rolls and conduct of polls, he added. On the demands for putting off the SIR exercise in Kerala on account of local bodies elections, Kumar said the notification of the local bodies elections was yet to be issued. The voters list cleanup exercise has been concluded in Bihar, with the final list of nearly 7.42 crore electors published on September 30. Polling in the State will be held in two phases -- on November 6 and November 11 -- and the counting of votes will take place on November 14. The Election Commission has already held two conferences with State Chief Electoral officers (CEOs) to firm up the SIR rollout roadmap. Several CEOs have already put the voter lists after their last SIR on their websites. The website of the Delhi CEO has the 2008 voter list when the last intensive revision took place in the national capital. In Uttarakhand, the last SIR took place in 2006, and that years electoral roll is now available on the State CEO website. The last SIR in States will serve as the cut-off date, just as the 2003 voter list of Bihar was used by the EC for intensive revision. Most States had the last SIR of the voter list between 2002 and 2004, and they have nearly completed the mapping of current electors according to the last SIR held in their respective States. The primary aim of the SIR is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth. The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in various States on illegal migrants, including those from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Cultural Connect PRIME Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has made a great statement during his virtual address to the Association of Asian Nations (ASEAN) that India relates to Asian countries not as part of a common and extended geography but as members of a shared cultural past, present and future. Though he did not attend the summit personally, the Prime Minister made it more than clear that India stood firmly with every ASEAN initiative to keep the bond not just alive but thrive. With 2026 as a year of ASEAN-India Maritime Cooperation coming into Asian and global focus, India would always be a proactive partner in the larger idea of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADAR) and healthy growth of blue economy -- as per the ASEAN ideation. No matter what a few skeptics -- at home or abroad -- might have to say, Mr. Narendra Modi, without doubt, made a great diplomatic assertion of his own and Indias role in world affairs. The most important and interesting part of Indian diplomacy is that the world believes that what India says and does stands on a genuine foundation of honesty and clarity of thought and action. At the ASEAN summit, Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar basked in that glory as Indias top diplomat. A lot of speculation preceded the ASEAN summit about Mr. Modis presence there and about a possible meeting on the its sidelines between Mr. Modi and United States President Mr. Donald Trump (who appeared eager to have a personal word with the Indian Prime Minister). Those speculations apart, Mr. Narendra Modi chose to celebrate Diwali festival as usual with Armed Forces -- this time onboard INS Vikrant -- and sent a strong team led by Dr. Jaishankar to Malaysia (and a strong cultural message to the world). Despite that, Mr. Modis virtual participation made a major point. Mr. Modis statement that Asian countries are members of a common cultural family across the vast geography is not just a poetic assertion, but also a historical reality. Ages ago, when India was the most advanced nation in the world (with its share in the global GDP hovering around 25%), Indian kings and their armies spread their influence across the Asian continent, especially bordering the oceans and the seas. Indian trade also flourished in the Asian continent. In the political and economic processes over centuries, Indian culture too travelled across the seas to different lands in which came up temples and other institutions that have now become integral parts of those different countries. In other words, we feel tempted to describe the Asian region as a cultural expression and extension of India Beyond Its Own Borders. The Prime Minister assured that India beyond borders that the familial ties, the umbilical cord, has been intact despite differing political and economic situations. This mindset has been Indias sovereign promise to Asia and the world for decades. It might not have found a political expression in actual terms for some time after Indias Independence, all right. But with Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modis Act East Policy, the cultural bond with Asian geographies grew stronger and sentimentally closer. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, India led by Mr. Modi was quick to offer its non-reciprocal assistance to every Asian neighbour as well as others in different and distant geographies around the globe. That established Indias unmitigated goodwill across political boundaries -- which the Prime Minister underscored in his opening remarks during ASEAN-India summit, stating how India always stood by its ASEAN friends in every crisis. It needs to be stated that Indias engagement with ASEAN got superbly highlighted by the Prime Ministers speech that reiterated Indias sovereign promise to the continent and the world about its apolitical goodwill. Pandas win hearts again -- this time from Hungary! A Hungarian think tank delegation visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, getting a closer look at China's conservation success #Panda #Chengdu Cyclone Montha: PM Modi speaks toChandrababu, assures central aid AMARAVATI : ANDHRA Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured Central assistance to the State to deal with cyclone Montha, which is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning. The Chief Minister said that PM Modi called him earlier in the day to enquire about the intensity of the cyclone and the precautionary measures being taken. Montha means fragrant flower. According to an official release, the CM briefed the PM about the relief and precautionary measures taken by the State Government. The PM in turn assured all necessary support from the Centre. Naidu entrusted the responsibility of coordination with Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to State IT Minister Nara Lokesh and directed officials to take precautionary steps in areas prone to heavy rains and flooding due to the cyclone. The CM held a review meeting with officials over the cyclone at Real Time Governance System (RTGS). Parts of north TN receive heavy rains: FOUR districts of northern Tamil Nadu, including the State capital, received heavy rainfall on Monday even as cyclonic storm Montha is currently located in the Bay of Bengal, about 480 km east of Chennai, the Regional Meteorological Centre said. Speaking to reporters on the preparations being undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Government, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said as the cyclone is expected to cross the coast tomorrow, it will not cause major damage in Tamil Nadu. Evacuation drive continue in Odisha: The Odisha Government was evacuating people from vulnerable places amid light rains in eight southern districts where a red alert has been issued as the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal on Monday intensified into cyclonic storm Montha. Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said officials, local peoples representatives, Anganwadi workers, ASHA didis and others are convincing the people living in vulnerable areas to shift to safer places. Heavy rain in several West Bengal districts: CYCLONE Montha is likely to bring heavy rain in several districts across West Bengal from Tuesday to Friday, the IMD said. The weather system, situated over the Bay of Bengal, is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm and make landfall near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a special bulletin. Heavy rain lashes Kerala, two killed; orange alert in five districts: HEAVY rain accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts across Kerala on Monday, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas, officials said. In Alappuzha district, a fisherman died after his boat capsized near the Arthunkal coast following a strong wind. The deceased was identified as Paul Devasia, a native of Arthunkal. Indian-origin woman raped in racially aggravated attack in UK, man nabbed By Aditi Khanna LONDON A 20-YEAR-OLD woman, identified as being of Indian heritage, was allegedly raped in what police believe was a racially aggravated attack in the West Midlands region of England over the weekend. The police said a 32-year-old man was arrested on Monday morning after a manhunt was launched in the wake of the attack on Saturday evening. The West Midlands Police said they were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street. Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the force, described the arrest in the Perry Barr area of the region as a significant development. Our investigation will progress today, and, as always, our priority is the woman who was the subject of this attack, said DS Tryer. She has been updated this morning and will continue to receive full support from specially trained officers, he said. On Sunday, the force released CCTV footage of the suspect, a white male in his 30s, as part of an urgent public appeal for information related to the crime they are investigating as a racially aggravated attack. This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible, DS Tyrer said at the time. Institutions pivotal in institutionalising quality, results-oriented education Staff Reporter : Chief Minister was speaking while inaugurating new academic buildings at the PM College of Excellence Govt Mahakoshal Autonomous Leading College and the Government Science College Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav underscored the State Government's commitment to enhancing educational infrastructure and fostering a quality-oriented learning environment during the inauguration of new academic buildings at the PM College of Excellence Government Mahakoshal Autonomous Leading College and the Government Science College in Jabalpur, during his recent visit. The Chief Minister inaugurated the new academic building at the Prime Minister College of Excellence, constructed at a cost of Rs. 13.37 crore and the new facility at the Government Science College, built for Rs. 10.05 crore. During the event, which also included the felicitation of meritorious students, Dr Yadav emphasized that the government's objective extends beyond mere construction to providing a better educational environment and modern facilities. He stated that educational institutions are pivotal in institutionalising quality and results-oriented education, not just issuing mark sheets. Chief Minister, Dr Yadav paid tribute to the cultural and historical significance of the Mahakoshal region, highlighting the blessings of the Narmada River and the valor of historical figures Rani Durgavati and Rani Avantibai. In recognition of their sacrifices, he announced the decision to hold his first cabinet meeting in Jabalpur and reiterated the launch of the Rani Durgavati Shrianna Protsahan Yojana for procurement of Kodo-Kutki at Minimum Support Price (MSP). The Chief Minister also inaugurated Dada Ki Pathshala, a new initiative that will offer free preparation for competitive examinations to students. Reaffirming the government's dedication to urban development, Dr Yadav pledged continued efforts for the systematic progress of Jabalpur. He also fondly recalled the contributions of the late former Assembly Speaker, Ishwardas Rohani to the region's development. He also remembered Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for his larger than the life personality and contributions for the sake of Mother India. Discussing the New National Education Policy (NEP), Dr Yadav positioned it as a significant reform under Prime Minister, Narendra Modi's leadership, designed to make education employment-oriented and equip youth with vocational skills. The Chief Minister asserted that the NEP is a major step towards realizing a self-reliant and proud nation by generating ample employment opportunities. Furthermore, the Chief Minister urged the youth to actively participate in strengthening democracy, citing Prime Minister Modi's journey as an inspiration that dedication and hard work can overcome any challenge. He encouraged the adoption of the fundamental mantra of Swadeshi to build a developed India. Recalling the nations unified response to COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Yadav lauded India's rapid development of a vaccine and its commitment to global well-being, stating that these values must be reflected in the country's educational system. MLA Ashok Rohani acknowledged the Chief Minister's long-standing commitment to the college, noting that the building's foundation stone was laid during his previous tenure as Higher Education Minister. Public Works Minister Rakesh Singh, MP Rajya Sabha, Sumitra Balmik, MLA, Ashok Rohani, MLA, Dr Abhilash Pandey, MLA, Neeraj Singh and Santosh Warkade and dignitaries were present at the ceremony. Jaishankar meets US State Secy Rubio; appreciates discussion on US-India ties KUALA LUMPUR : EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with his American counterpart Marco Rubio amid efforts by the two sides to reset bilateral ties that have come under severe strain over punitive US tariffs on Indian goods. Jaishankar and Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Glad to meet @SecRubio this morning in Kuala Lumpur. Appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues, the External Affairs Minister said on social media. The relations between New Delhi and Washington have been reeling under severe strain after Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India, including an additional 25 per cent levies for its procurement of Russian crude oil. India described the US action as unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. It is understood that Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Rubio also broadly delved into the proposed trade pact between the two sides. However, there was no indication that the US side assured India of removing the 25 per cent tariff slapped for its energy ties with Russia. In the last couple of weeks, US President Donald Trump claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that India will stop buying Russian crude oil. Following Trumps first claim, India suggested that there was no such conversation. The Ministry of External Affairs said on October 16 that energy sourcing is being broad-based and diversified, including an expansion in procurement from the United States. It said Indias energy purchases are guided solely by the objective of safeguarding the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario, and the twin goals of Indias energy policy are ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies. Last week, the US President dialled Modi and extended Diwali greetings. On Saturday, Rubio said New Delhi has already expressed an interest in diversifying its oil portfolio. If they diversified their portfolio, the more they buy it from us, the more theyll buy it from someone else. But I wouldnt prejudge or Im not negotiating trade deals. So Im not going to speak on that, he said. But I know theyve (India) already expressed a desire to diversify their oil portfolio, even before all of this came up. So, obviously the more we sell them, the less theyll buy from someone else. And, but, well see where we wind up on all that, he said. Last week, the US sanctioned two Russian oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, a move that is expected to discourage Indian refiners to procure Russian crude oil. NCCL Awards for Pachisia, Mohod and Paliwal Business Reporter : THE Nagpur Chamber of Commerce Limiteds (NCCL) Diwali meet concluded here at Maharaj Bag Club on Saturday with great enthusiasm. On the occasion, the chamber presented NCCL Awards for the year 2025 to Sachin Pachisia, Chairman of Glass Guard India Pvt Ltd (from industry sector); Sanjay Mohod of Atharva Tyres Pvt Ltd (from trade sector); and Hiralal (Hiru) Paliwal of Paliwal Caterers (from service sector). Dr Pankaj Bhoyar, Maharashtra Minister of State, was the chief guest of the function. At the outset, NCCL President Kailash Jogani welcomed the guests and spoke about the activities of the body. He stated that the NCCL is the oldest chamber of commerce in Central India, established in 1932. He also stated that the Income Tax exemptions along with GST-2 would boost the economy. This years Diwali business was approximately 25 to 30 per cent higher than the previous year. The chamber also raised various issues faced by traders including labour laws, power generation, encroachment in local markets, traffic, increasing drug availability, and cybercrime. Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar assured the chamber of resolving all issues at the earliest possible. Bhoyar stated that the Maharashtra Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is committed to bringing more industries to Nagpur and Vidarbha. Bhoyar commended the Nagpur Chamber of Commerces awards ceremony and advised the chamber to jointly work with the authorities for drug prohibition and reduce cybercrime. He presented awards to the winners and welcomed representatives from various associations with bouquets. Former presidents Govind Pasari and Vivek Murarka jointly conducted the proceedings of the function while the formal vote of thanks was proposed by Secretary Tarun Nirban. Guests and awardees were introduced by Vijay Jaiswal, Vasant Paliwal, Abhishek Maheshwari, and Nikhil Kankani. Pvt varsities accused of violating rules; RTI activist demands Govt action Staff Reporter RAIPUR, RTI Activists Assns State President Sanjay Singh stated that several private universities in State are running new academic programmes without obtaining mandatory Government approval Alleging large-scale irregularities and corruption in private universities across Chhattisgarh, the Chhattisgarh RTI Activists Association has accused both the State Government and university administrations of neglecting students interests. At a press conference held in Raipur, State President Sanjay Singh said that due to the Governments inaction and the arbitrary functioning of private universities, lakhs of students are being defrauded academically and financially. Presenting documentary evidence, Singh stated that several private universities in State are running new academic programmes without obtaining mandatory Government approval. He termed this a criminal act and demanded strict punitive action against the institutions involved. Starting new courses without the permission of the state government is a clear violation of the Chhattisgarh Private University (Establishment and Operation) Act, 2005, as amended in 2010, he said. Singh informed that under the law, universities must obtain prior approval before launching any new courses. Despite this, many private universities continue to operate unauthorized programs, putting the legality of students degrees at risk. He called for an immediate inquiry into these violations and cancellation of unapproved courses. Highlighting the issue of arbitrary fee collection, Singh referred to an order issued by the Chhattisgarh Private University Regulatory Commission on June 23, 2025, directing all universities to fix their course fees through the governments Fee Determination Committee. However, he alleged that private universities continue to charge excessive and unregulated fees from students. This ongoing exploitation, despite government orders, indicates a corrupt nexus between the universities and officials of the Technical Education Department, Singh alleged, terming it a criminal act of negligence on the part of the state government. He also cited a letter issued by the then Higher Education Secretary on July 16, 2024, which had given universities 15 days to one month to comply with the regulations. Even after 15 months, those orders are not being followed, Singh said, holding the administration accountable for allowing such violations to persist. In the larger interest of students, the Chhattisgarh RTI Activists Association has demanded that the state government immediately conduct a high-level investigation into the violations by private universities and the role of concerned government officials. The association also urged that fees collected without approval be declared illegal and refunded to students, recognition of erring universities be suspended, and strict disciplinary action be taken against institutions concealing mandatory information on their websites. Sanjay Singh asserted that protecting students from exploitation should be the governments top priority, and any further delay in action would only deepen the crisis in Chhattisgarhs higher education system. WB TMC MLA threatens to burn BJP leaders alive after EC announces SIR KOLKATA : A PURPORTED video has gone viral where a Trinamool Congress legislator is heard threatening to burn the BJP leaders and workers alive if the name of a single genuine voter is deleted from the voters list following the Election Commission of India (ECI)-proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. Otherwise, we would not have any headache over the SIR. But if the names of genuine voters are deleted from the voters lists after the SIR, I will burn the BJP leaders and workers alive. They are trying to pollute the environment in West Bengal. They are trying to deprive the people of their voting rights in the name of SIR. I am asking everyone to be alert in the current situation, NisithKumar Malik, Trinamool Congress legislator from Bardhaman (Uttar) Assembly constituency in East Burdwan district, was heard saying in the video. He reportedly said this while speaking to the local media persons in the district on Sunday afternoon. IANS, however, could not check the authenticity of the video that has gone viral. He also claimed that SIR had created panic even among the voters from the Hindu community, especially among those who had come as refugees from Bangladesh, like the Matuas and Rajbanshis. I know they are panicking. But I request them to have faith in the State Government and the Trinamool Congress. We will ensure that name of a single genuine voter is not deleted from the voters list, Malik said. BJP spokesman Soumyajit Bandopadhyay said that such threatening comments are nothing new from TMC leaders, and such comments prove their ideological and political bankruptcy. This is not the first time that Trinamool Congress leaders have given such threats. Earlier this month, two members of the State Cabinet, namely the Minister of State for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Department, Tajmul Hossain, and the Minister of State for the State Irrigation and Waterways Department, Sabina Yasmin, were heard publicly threatening riots over SIR. This month only, Trinamool Congress MP and former Minister Partha Bhowmik said at a public meeting that West Bengal will be on the boil if the name of a single genuine voter is deleted from the voters list after the SIR. ULAN BATOR, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A steppe fire has devastated at least 800 hectares of land in the eastern Mongolian province of Sukhbaatar, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Tuesday. The fire, which erupted in Erdenetsagaan Soum (administrative subdivision), was fully extinguished by Monday evening, the NEMA reported. According to experts, most of the steppe fires are caused by human negligence, careless handling of fire and burning of grass in the autumn. In this regard, the NEMA has warned residents not to make bonfires or throw cigarette butts on the ground in dry weather. According to ecologists, Mongolia is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to a changing climate in East Asia. Due to its geographical location, natural disasters associated with global climate change are increasing year by year, including forest and steppe fires, as well as desertification, land degradation and dust storms. According to the country's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, only 7.9 percent of Mongolia's total territory is covered by forests, while around 77 percent has been affected by desertification and land degradation. BEIRUT, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed Monday in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported. Citing the Health Ministry's emergency center, the NNA said the strike hit a site on the outskirts of the village of Al-Bayad in the Tyre district, killing two brothers and wounding several others. A Lebanese army intelligence source told Xinhua that the victims were Hezbollah members Hussein and Hassan Suleiman. The Israeli military confirmed it carried out the strike, saying it killed two men affiliated with Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. It identified them as Hussein and Hassan Suleiman and said both had been involved in "advancing numerous terrorist attacks toward Israeli territory." The Lebanese army said it later recovered an Israeli drone that crashed in the village of Markaba, near the eastern sector of the border. In a separate incident, the NNA reported that an Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb near the village of Mays al-Jabal, with no injuries reported. Although a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah has been in place since November 2024, Israel continues near-daily strikes in Lebanon, saying they target ongoing Hezbollah threats along the border. Lebanon and several international organizations have condemned the attacks as violations of the truce. TOKYO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended lower Tuesday, as traders locked in gains after the key Nikkei index finished above the 50,000 mark for the first time the previous day and a firmer yen weighed on exporters. Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended down 293.14 points, or 0.58 percent, from Monday at 50,219.18. The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 39.18 points, or 1.18 percent, lower at 3,285.87. The market was weighed down as investors moved to lock in gains after the Nikkei index gained more than 1,200 points to close at an all-time high on Monday, analysts said. Meanwhile, exporter shares came under pressure from a stronger yen, as the U.S. dollar briefly slipped to the upper 151 yen range in Tokyo. HANOI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has called for emergency response efforts to deal with severe flooding that has battered the country's central region over the past few days, Vietnam News Agency reported Tuesday. Local authorities in Quang Tri, Quang Ngai provinces, Hue and Da Nang cities have been urged to carry out timely evacuations and provide adequate shelters for affected residents. They have also been asked to ensure the supply of food, drinking water, medicine and other essential goods to flood-hit areas, according to the report. According to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority, tens of thousands of people in the affected localities have been evacuated to safe shelters. Prolonged torrential rains have triggered widespread flooding and landslides in many parts of the region, local daily Thanh Nien reported. Hue city has been severely inundated, with more than 80 percent of its area submerged, while several communes in Da Nang remain isolated as floodwaters overflow roads. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev in Beijing on Tuesday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to follow the consensus reached by the two heads of state, consolidate strategic mutual trust, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continuously elevate China-Kazakhstan relations to new heights. China appreciates the positive role Kazakhstan has played under the frameworks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the China-Central Asia Mechanism, and is willing to work with Kazakhstan to continuously optimize and strengthen these platforms and play a greater role in promoting regional peace and development, Wang said. For his part, Kosherbayev extended his congratulations on the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the successful fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. He thanked China for supporting Kazakhstan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, noting that Kazakhstan will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and support China in safeguarding its core interests, and is willing to maintain friendly exchange with China at all levels and deepen practical cooperation in all fields. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai) TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said here on Monday that Tehran is ready to expand cooperation with Oman in all areas, during a meeting with visiting Omani Interior Minister Hamoud bin Faisal al-Busaidi, according to a statement from the president's office. Pezeshkian said Iran seeks to boost cooperation with Muscat in scientific, economic, cultural, social, and political fields, highlighting what he called the "longstanding and cordial" ties between the two nations. He praised Oman's "constructive role" in regional affairs and said the two countries have supported each other through regional challenges. Al-Busaidi described the bilateral relations as "historic and special," saying Pezeshkian's visit to Oman in May and the agreements signed then had set a "clear path" for future cooperation. Earlier on Monday, the Omani minister met Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Both sides called for stronger economic, political, security, and military cooperation, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA. WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military destroyed four vessels allegedly transporting narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. "The Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific," Hegseth said on social media. He added that the lone survivor was rescued in a search-and-rescue operation coordinated by Mexican authorities. Since Sept. 2, U.S. forces have sunk 14 vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 57 deaths. On Oct. 2, the White House informed the U.S. Congress that the United States is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels designated as terrorist groups, without naming them. The strikes have drawn sharp criticism from congressional Democrats. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. government "offered no credible legal justification, evidence or intelligence" for the strikes. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly condemned Washington's actions as attempts to overthrow his government and expand the U.S. military influence in Latin America. Earlier this month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. government of "murder" for killing drug suspects at sea. The U.S. administration has also expanded its military presence across the Caribbean. Currently, the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean is the largest in the region in more than three decades. MOSCOW, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Choe Son Hui discussed bilateral cooperation and strengthening ties, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. "Actually, all the issues related to plans about the further development and enhancement of our friendship, our partnership, our alliance have been discussed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on the meeting held on Monday. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Choe on Monday discussed current issues concerning the development of bilateral relations, with particular focus on the implementation of the agreements reached between the two heads of state. Russia expressed its full support for the measures taken by the DPRK leadership to safeguard the country's sovereignty and ensure its national security, the Russian Foreign Ministry added. DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday that Putin and Choe discussed many affairs for steadily developing the DPRK-Russia relations in the future. The foreign ministers of the two countries had constructive and beneficial strategic communication, mainly focusing on the implementation results of the top-level agreements reached between the two heads of state, high-level exchanges between the two countries, and the multi-faceted cooperation plan, and they reached a consensus on all the issues discussed, the report said. ISTANBUL, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 people were injured and four buildings collapsed after a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Turkiye's western province of Balikesir late Monday, authorities announced Tuesday evening in an update. In a post on social media platform X, Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu raised the number of injuries from 19 to 26, saying the injuries primarily resulted from panic and people jumping from high elevations. The injured have all received treatment at hospitals and have been discharged, he said. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters on the scene that three unused buildings and a shop were demolished. Yerlikaya said 100 temporary housing containers have already been deployed to the area, and that Balikesir has received an emergency support payment of 25 million Turkish lira (about 596,000 U.S. dollars) to aid relief efforts. As field inspections continue, authorities are warning the public not to enter buildings that have been damaged. Turkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said Monday on X that the quake struck the Sindirgi district in Balikesir at 10:48 p.m. local time (1948 GMT) at a depth of 5.99 km. The quake was also felt in nearby provinces, including Istanbul, Bursa, and Izmir. Flights were briefly suspended at Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gokcen Airport to allow for runway inspections. CJI Gavai recommends appointment of Justice Surya Kant as next CJI | New Delhi, Oct 27 : Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai has recommended to the Centre the name of Justice Surya Kant as the next CJI. Justice Surya Kant, the second senior-most Supreme Court judge after the incumbent CJI Gavai, is set to become the 53rd chief justice of India on November 24 after CJI Gavai's retirement on November 23. CJI Gavai, who was sworn in on May 14 this year, recommended to the Union law ministry to appoint Justice Surya Kant as the next CJI. "Hon'ble the Chief Justice of India, Mr Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, recommends the name of Hon'ble Mr Justice Surya Kant, the senior most Judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor to be the 53rd Chief Justice of India," a press note from the top court said. Justice Surya Kant, who was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019, would have a tenure of nearly 15 months as the CJI. He is due to retire on February 9, 2027. The retirement age of Supreme Court judges is 65 years. According to the memorandum of procedure, a set of documents, which guide the appointment, transfer and elevation of Supreme Court and high court judges, states that appointment to the office of the chief justice of India should be the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office. The Union law minister would, "at the appropriate time", seek the recommendation of the outgoing CJI for the appointment of his successor. Conventionally, the letter is sent a month before the incumbent CJI retires on attaining the age of 65 years. Justice Surya Kant, born in a middle-class family on February 10, 1962, in Hisar district of Haryana, became a top court judge on May 24, 2019. Justice Surya Kant brings to the country's top judicial office a wealth of experience spanning two decades on the bench, marked by landmark verdicts on abrogation of Article 370, free speech, democracy, corruption, environment and gender equality. Justice Surya Kant was part of the bench that kept the colonial-era sedition law in abeyance, directing that no new FIRs be registered under it until a government review. In an order that underlined transparency in the poll process, he nudged the Election Commission to disclose the details of 65 lakh names excluded from the draft electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. Justice Surya Kant is also credited with directing that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, be reserved for women. He upheld the One Rank-One Pension (OROP) scheme for defence forces, calling it constitutionally valid, and continues to hear petitions of women officers in the armed forces seeking parity in permanent commission. Justice Surya Kant was on the seven-judge bench that overruled the 1967 Aligarh Muslim University judgment, opening the way for reconsideration of the institution's minority status. He was part of the bench that heard the Pegasus spyware case, which appointed a panel of cyber experts to probe allegations of unlawful surveillance, famously stating that the state cannot get a "free pass under the guise of national security." Justice Surya Kant was part of the bench that appointed a five-member committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2022 Punjab visit, saying such matters required "a judicially trained mind." PTI JERUSALEM, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday evening he has instructed the military to carry out "immediate and powerful" strikes in the Gaza Strip, following what Israel said were violations of the ceasefire by Hamas. In a statement, Netanyahu said the order came after security consultations with senior defense officials. Earlier in the day, Israel's state-owned Army Radio reported that Israeli forces fired artillery into the southern Gaza city of Rafah after Hamas fighters targeted Israeli troops with anti-tank weapons and sniper fire. So far Hamas has not responded to the Israeli accusation. The development also came as Israel and Hamas are trading blame for the recovery of Israeli hostage bodies in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israel said the remains handed over by Hamas on Monday night were in fact body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had already been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago, while a Hamas source said Israel has rejected the entry of teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian factions into eastern Gaza City to search for the remains of Israeli captives. The Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent offensive has left more than 68,000 dead and 170,000 wounded in Gaza, according to Gaza-based health authorities. Since the new ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 94 Palestinians have been killed and 344 injured, the authorities said Tuesday. PYONGYANG, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Missile Administration of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles in the western waters off the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday. The cruise missiles, improved for the launch from the ship, were fired vertically and flew for over 7,800 seconds along the preset route above the western waters to destroy the target, the KCNA report said. A man tries to remove fallen branches caused by the Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, on Oct. 28, 2025. At least seven people were killed across the northern Caribbean as category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday on the southwestern coast of the island of Jamaica, according to local media reports. (Jamaica Observer/Handout via Xinhua) MEXICO CITY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed across the northern Caribbean as category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday on the southwestern coast of the island of Jamaica, according to local media reports. The deaths were reported in different countries, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, said local media. At 2 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), the eye of the hurricane was located over western Jamaica and was moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph (13 km/h), said the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The core of Melissa is expected to move across southeastern Cuba early Wednesday morning and move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday, the center said. The storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves, according to the report. Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness said on X that Hurricane Melissa is expected to produce rainfall amounts reaching 350 to 750 millimeters over parts of Jamaica in the next couple of days. Many bridges and roads across the country have flooded, including some of the primary roads accessing remote areas, Jamaica's National Works Agency said in various posts on social media. Local media showed images of light infrastructure damage. The storm has left power and communications outages and the isolation of some communities in Jamaica. Mandatory evacuation orders were put in place for areas in Jamaica across Kingston, Clarendon, St. Catherine and St. Andrew. Around 1.5 million people in Jamaica would be directly affected, while Cuban officials said on Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people. Melissa's slow movement may mean prolonged torrential rain in some areas, increasing the risk of deadly flooding and landslides. Experts said that Melissa is one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic Basin. This photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows large waves caused by the Hurricane Melissa in St. Thomas, Jamaica. At least seven people were killed across the northern Caribbean as category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday on the southwestern coast of the island of Jamaica, according to local media reports. (Jamaica Observer/Handout via Xinhua) This photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a gas station damaged by the Hurricane Melissa in Montego Bay, Jamaica. At least seven people were killed across the northern Caribbean as category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday on the southwestern coast of the island of Jamaica, according to local media reports. (Jamaica Observer/Handout via Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Democratic governors and attorneys general from 25 U.S. states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, challenging its conclusion that it lacks the authority to use emergency funds to maintain food assistance for millions of Americans next month. The officials, including those from California, New York, as well as the District of Columbia, announced that they are suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for unlawfully suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The federal court lawsuit filed in Massachusetts requests that the judge block the administration's prior orders directing states to suspend benefits and compel the USDA to utilize all available resources to continue providing SNAP benefits in November. "Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide," said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement. According to U.S. media, SNAP is the nation's largest anti-hunger program serving nearly 42 million people, which is over 12 percent of the U.S. population. Most SNAP recipients live at or below the federal poverty line. Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a sculpture created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) by Mahmoud Fouly NEW ALAMEIN, Egypt, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. Among them stands a striking piece by Egyptian artist Wael El Shafey: a mother and her child carved from Galala limestone, their bodies intertwined, heart-shaped hollows symbolizing love and continuity. "The ancient Egyptians passed their legacy through sculpture and art," El Shafey told Xinhua. "By creating public sculptures now, we're continuing that tradition, making art a living part of the public space." His work, titled "Egypt: Motherhood and Continuity," is one of more than 20 large-scale sculptures created during the 10th Egypt Sculpture Symposium, which concluded here on Tuesday after nearly three weeks of work. Twenty-two artists from Italy, France, Spain, China, Japan, Turkiye, Mexico, Georgia, and Serbia participated, using local limestone and metal to shape their visions. Mohamed Hemida, founder and organizer of the symposium, emphasized its public-facing mission. "I've always believed art should leave closed galleries and reach the street. People come here, see the artists working, take pictures, and feel part of the process. It's both art and beautification at once," he said. The sculptures, ranging from a recycled-iron eagle to a marble horse captured mid-gallop, will soon adorn the city's streets, promenades, and public spaces, each bearing the artist's name and the symposium's date. Turkish sculptor Songul Telek was still chiseling her abstract work, "Changing Life," a day before the closing. Telek, pausing to wipe marble dust from her hands, said, "It's amazing to interact with artists and cultures from across the world through art." Her 2.5-meter-high limestone piece explores transformation: "Life is always changing; each moment carries traces of the one before while renewing itself. That's what my work symbolizes." As the artists put the final touches on their works, locals and visitors alike stopped to watch. Vladimir Serov, a Belarusian resident, cycled over to take photos. "It's not finished yet, but it's already beautiful. I think both residents and tourists will enjoy these shapes when they are displayed across the city," he said. At the closing ceremony, officials and cultural figures praised the symposium for visually defining New Alamein as a city of peace and development. Osama Ali, head of the Beautification Sector at Egypt's New Urban Communities Authority under the Ministry of Housing, called the symposium "a valuable idea" that creates "a meeting point between art, beauty, and modern urbanism." "The city needs aesthetic landmarks that harmonize with its architecture and natural surroundings," he told Xinhua. Similar efforts, he noted, are planned for other new cities across Egypt. An artist sculpts during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 27, 2025. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) An artist sculpts during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 27, 2025. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) A man takes photos of a sculpture created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 27, 2025. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) A man takes photos of a sculpture created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 27, 2025. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) A man takes photos of sculptures created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 27, 2025. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows sculptures created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) Photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows sculptures created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) A man takes photos of sculptures created during the Egypt Sculpture Symposium in New Alamein City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt, Oct. 27, 2025. Under the Mediterranean sky, rows of white sculptures rise along the seaside promenade of New Alamein, an emerging city. Abstract forms and graceful human figures stand in silent dialogue with the sea, turning the esplanade into an open-air gallery that speaks to New Alamein's modern identity. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa) India is expected to ink a Rs 8,000 crore contract with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) for six aerial tanker planes to meet the requirement of the Indian Air Force (IAF) for mid-air refuelling aircraft. According to a report by news agency ANI, the government-owned firm is the single vendor for the project. Mid-air refuelling is crucial for extending the range, endurance, and flexibility of IAF's frontline fighters like Su-30MKI and Rafale, which require aerial refuelling for extended missions beyond their internal fuel capacity. IAF currently operates six Russian-origin Ilyushin Il-78MKI tankers. However, these are plagued by issues like chronic serviceability and maintenance problems. According to the report, if the Indian side decides to award the contract to IAI, the company will turn six second-hand Boeing 767 commercial aircraft into aerial tanker jets and deliver them to the IAF. ALSO READ: Why India decided to wet lease 60-year-old KC-135 aircraft from US military contractor Metrea for IAF, Navy IAI has reportedly agreed to ensure that around 30 per cent of the aircraft will be made-in-India content, in line with the indigenisation push of the government in the defence sector. According to the report, the Indian side launched a tender for the same a few years ago, and saw participation from European and Russian firms, but IAI was the only one left standing in the end as the other firms failed to meet the requirements, which include incorporation of made-in-India content. India, which has been looking to procure the mid-air refuelling planes for the past 15 years, resorted to wet-leasing the as a stop-gap solution to address urgent operational gaps caused by the issues faced by the existing Soviet-origin refuelling aircraft. Earlier this year, the defence ministry signed a contract with US-based Metrea Management for wet-leasing of FRA Stratotanker refuelling aircraft. Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur's Dacoit: A Love Story, which was earlier aiming for a December 25 release, has now been pushed to March 19, 2026, the makers announced, along with a new action still of Adivi and Mrunal. In May, the team released a teaser in the form of a video of the Shaneil Deo directorial titled 'fire glimpse' along with the release date. The teaser hinted at a rift between two lovers who had to go their separate ways after a seemingly unforgivable act of betrayal. "Hey, Juliet. Everybody betrayed you. I'm not here to do that. I'm here to destroy you," says Adivi Sesh's voiceover in the footage that comes with the tagline, "An explosion of guns & roses betrayal & trust and above all, Love & Loss. Witness a wicked FIRE between two EXES." As per the official logline, Dacoit "follows an angry convict seeking vengeance against his former girlfriend who betrayed him." With story and screenplay by Adivi Sesh and Shaneil Deo, Dacoit co-stars Anurag Kashyap, Prakash Raj, Atul Kulkarni, Sunil, Zayn Marie Khan, and Kamakshi Bhaskarla. It is produced by S.S. Creations and Suniel Narang Production. Anurag Kashyap plays a "sharp-minded, witty and sarcastic" cop in the film. In a recent interview with Variety, the actor-filmmaker called the role "both fun and challenging" "The conundrums of duty versus dharma, and to go about doing his job with a dry sense of humour is fantastic. I am truly looking forward to playing this character in two languages, shooting in Hindi, as well as in Telugu. To get the same impact in both languages is the challenging part, something I am thoroughly enjoying," added the Gangs of Wasseypur filmmaker. In what comes across as a stunning piece of news, actors Rajinikanth and Dhanush had reportedly received bomb threats through e-mail. The mails weren't sent to the actors personally, but instead were received by the Director General of Police (Tamil Nadu). The email mentioned about bomb threats to the two actors and the sender claimed to have set up explosives at their respective residences in Chennai. On receiving the mail, police sprung into action and detailed scanning was done at both the residences. Eventually, nothing came of it and the threats have been proven to be fake. Rajinikanth and Dhanush weren't the only people to get these threats. Tamil Nadu Congress Chief K Selvaperunthagai also received a threat on similar lines. The Greater Chennai Police checked the politican's residence as well, and this threat was also proven to be fake. No traces of explosives were found in any of the three residences. These fake bomb threats have become an unwarranted trend in Tamil Nadu recently. Popular actress Trisha received a similar threat at the start of October and similar mails have been floating around about a number of other famous personalities. With the number of emails increasing by the day, Tamil Nadu police has ramped up their investigation in a bid to nab the sender at the earliest. Rajinikanth and Dhanush did receive bomb threats but detailed police investigation showed that the claims were false. Title issues with films are a common occurrence, especially when the title has significant brand value. Popular Tamil actor Ravi Mohan is the latest to suffer in this regard as his maiden production venture Bro Code has landed in legal trouble. On Tuesday (October 28), the Madras High Court has passed an official order preventing the usage of 'Bro Code' as the title for the film. This is in response to a trademark suit filed by the makers of the Bro Code beer, Indospirit Beverages. With the passing of the court order, Ravi Mohan will have to make a change to the film's title. The film's production house is unavailable for comment but an official announcement is expected soon. Apart from Ravi Mohan, the project also has SJ Suryah and Arjun Ashokan as the male protagonists with noted Kannada superstar Upendra also expected to play a key role. Shraddha Srinath, Gouri Priya, Aiswarya Raj and Malavika Manoj are the female leads in the film. The project has generated immense buzz ever since its promo teaser was launched few months back. The five-minute clip had a lot of humour and suggests at a potential laugh riot. Popular music director Harshavardhan Rameshwar is taking care of the soundtracks for the film while the impressive Kalaiselvan Sivaji is cranking the camera for the film. Bankrolled by Ravi Mohan's Ravi Mohan Studios, the project is aiming for a release in the first half of 2026. The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall over Chennai and neighbouring districts on Tuesday owing to Cyclone Montha. The cyclone is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday evening. According to the regional centre of IMD, the cyclone is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by morning of October 28. According to the weather agency, the cyclone is likely to "cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during evening/night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph." According to the agency, "Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Tiruvallur district" in 24 hours. "Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Ghat areas of Tirunelveli district; Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, Theni, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts on Tuesday," it said. Meanwhile, owing to intense rainfall, the Yanam district in Puducherry has announced a holiday for educational institutions till October 29. The state government has advised authorities to take necessary precautionary measures as per the weather agency's guidelines. RIYADH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said here Tuesday that global energy demand continues to grow, driven mainly by developing economies, with hydrocarbons remaining essential for decades. Speaking at the ongoing 9th Future Investment Initiative Conference, Nasser noted that about 80 percent of recent oil and gas demand growth has come from the Global South, where per-capita consumption remains low. Nasser stressed the need for a balanced energy transition, recognizing differing regional priorities between sustainability in the Global North and affordability and supply security in the Global South. He said oil demand is expected to rise by 1.1-1.4 million barrels per day in 2026, supported by developing economies' growth. Aramco continues investing in hydrocarbons alongside renewables and low-carbon solutions, planning to expand gas production by over 60 percent by 2030, Nasser said. He highlighted the company's multi-billion-dollar investment in digitalization and artificial intelligence, which have improved operational efficiency and reduced emissions. With the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka completing half its term on November 20, speculations about a leadership change have gathered steam, with the opposition BJP claiming that a November Revolution is imminent. Adding fuel to the buzz, Siddaramaiah on Monday said that he would remain chief minister for the full five-year term only if the high command decides soa major shift from his earlier assertions that he would complete his term as the CM. "In a democracy, we cannot tell those in the race not to compete. It is their right. Anyone may claim to be a chief ministerial candidate, but ultimately, the high command will decide, he said while speaking to reporters in Mangaluru. Mangaluru, Karnataka: On names of others in the CM race, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah says, "In a democracy, you cannot stop anyone from contesting. You cant tell anyone not to run. In a democracy, it is their right to seek the Chief Ministers post. Ultimately, it is the High pic.twitter.com/gEIHq7RrB0 IANS (@ians_india) October 27, 2025 Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, meanwhile, sought to downplay the reports of a potential leadership change, saying CM Siddaramaiahs remarks on the matter have put an end to the debate. Once the Chief Minister has spoken, thats the end of it. What else is there after that? We will act as he says, Shivakumar told reporters near Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, after returning from Delhi. There were reports that when the Congress high command chose Siddaramaiah as the chief minister in May 2023, amid an intense power tussle between him and Shivakumar, the two leaders had reached an understanding, as per which the latter would be made the CM after two and a half years. Though the party leadership has never publicly acknowledged such an arrangement as being in existence, the buzz is rife about a November Revolution. Siddaramaiahs recent remarks about a possible cabinet reshuffle also fueled the speculations. Meanwhile, voices of disgruntlement are also emerging from the party, with Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Monday extending his support to his cabinet colleague and dalit leader K.H. Muniyappa to the post of chief minister. Muniyappa has been elected as MP seven times from the Congress party. It is not easy to win seven times. He is a senior leader and a former Union Minister. He is efficient. If Muniyappa is made the chief minister, I will be happy, Parameshwara said. On the other side, Siddaramaiahs son and Congress MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah stirred a political furore by naming Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi as a possible successor to his father. BJP says change is certain The opposition BJP has asserted that a November revolution, as the party predicted, is certain in the Congress and the change of chief minister is definite. "Legislature party elects the CM for five years. If the CM is now saying he will continue if the high command decides, it means that there is an agreement. There is agreement for settlement, payment," Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R. Ashoka said. "What BJP has been saying as the opposition party is true November revolution is certain, change is definite, he added. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP in Bihar, has been targeting the Mahagathbandhan for its inability to reach a consensus on seat sharing and for not being able to come up with an official seat-sharing pact. The BJP has also pointed to the missing photo of Rahul Gandhi in the backdrop of the joint press conference of the Opposition alliance partners held recently, claiming it signalled a rift between Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi. Moreover, with Mahagathbandhan's manifesto being released on October 28 without the presence of Rahul Gandhi, the NDA leaders have ramped up their claims of a tussle between the two. However, Congress leaders dismiss such claims and say the duo would hold a joint rally in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga on October 29. A senior Congress leader said, "Bihar assembly election is a state election. So, top state level leaders from the Congress will be present and since Tejashwi is the face of the election, he will lead the alliance in the state. There is no rift between the two." The first speculation about the two going in different directions surfaced when Tejashwi came to Delhi to meet the Congress top leadership to finalise seat sharing. According to party insiders, Tejashvi met Congress organisation general secretary K.C. Venugopal and offered just 52 seats, which Venugopal did not agree to a disagreement that stalled Tejashwis meeting with Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader said, When there was no consensus in the first place, what was the need to meet Rahul? Tejashwi came, he discussed, and then left. Had he met Rahul, he might have pushed for the limited seats he was offering us and then come out saying everything is fine, that the Mahagathbandhan has finalised seat sharingwhich wouldnt have been right for us with the numbers he was offering. Congress Bihar unit spokesperson and former BJP member Asit Nath Tiwari said, The BJPs job is to lie. The truth is, Amit Shah has publicly said twice that Nitish Kumar will not be the chief minister. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in all his rallies, hasnt once confirmed that Nitish will continue as CM. I have seen BJPs plans from the inside they have a full design ready to break the JD(U) and absorb most of its leaders into the BJP. According to Congress insiders, the party this time has played hardball with the RJD, which wanted to limit the Congress to just 42 seats during state-level negotiations. However, the state leadership, following the high commands instructions, and stood its ground, seeking more than 55 seats. The Congress wants to strengthen itself, thats all. For that, we are serious about our demands. The Congresss Bihar in-charge has also made that clear. He has succeeded in sending down a message that the party is independently taking decisions for itself. Therefore, the Congress has not been backing out from the seats designated for friendly contests, the Congress leader added. The Congress state unit leadership says that the leadership of all the alliance partners will recontemplate on the seats where the Mahagathbandhan has fielded more than one candidate and try to resolve the disagreements which may lead to backing out of other candidates. According to the candidate lists, Congress has fielded candidates for 61 seats, nine fewer than it contested in 2020 assembly elections, and the RJD will contest 143 as compared to 144 in the last election. The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an extremely heavy rainfall alert due to Cyclone Montha in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh for Tuesday. The four states will be battered by heavy rains and gusts for the next two days. All of coastal Andhra Pradesh is on high alert as the cyclone made landfall around the Kakinada region. The Rayalaseema region will also see extremely heavy rainfall throughout the next two days. ALSO READ | Cyclone Montha: APs Kakinada braces for impact; danger signal sounded for port Odisha Extremely heavy rainfall is to be expected in most parts of Odisha on both the 28th and 29th. On Tuesday The state will also continue to have a red alert on Wednesday. The region can also expect gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph for the next four days. The coastal Ganjam city witnessed rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rainfall due to the impact of the cyclonic storm. ALSO READ | Around 1419 villages and 44 towns are likely to be impacted in Andhra; Railways have cancelled over 100 trains Chhattisgarh The IMD also predicted very heavy rains in the southern districts of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday and heavy rains in most parts of the state on Wednesday. Districts like Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Dhamtari, Gariaband, and Balod are likely to be the most affected. A red alert has been issued in all the districts of the Bastar division. Raipur-based weather expert Chindhalore stated that the effects of Cyclone Montha will be felt in Chhattisgarh for the next three days. Wind speeds in Chattisgarh, meanwhile, could reach up to 60-70 kmph on Tuesday and 50-60 kmph on Wednesday. The meteorological department also predicted a temperature drop after the rains, bringing in a cold wave. On Wednesday, rains may decrease in coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh. The region will, however, continue to have thunderstorms and lightning. Telangana In Telangana, the meteorological department issued warnings for very heavy downpours in the southern and central parts of the state and heavy rainfall in other regions on Tuesday. On Wednesday, heavy to very heavy rainfall may fall in the North and Eastern districts of the state, with some places likely to receive about 100-150 mm of rain. Parts of Hyderabad are already flooded as rains have continued in the region for the past day. Tamil Nadu In Tamil Nadu, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai issued a warning for heavy rainfall in Chengalpattu, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu, and at isolated places over Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu. An orange alert has been issued for the state on Tuesday. Thiruvallur district is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain. Meanwhile, neighbouring states can also expect moderate to heavy rainfall as the cyclone makes landfall. The rain caused by the storm reached as far as Kerala and several northeast states. West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Kerala will see heavy rains as the cyclone is now making its way on land. The IMD predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Jharkhand till October 31. On Wednesday, it is likely to rain in isolated parts in Bihar, Rajasthan and Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, and Manipur in the north east. Cyclonic storm Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm by 5.30 am on Tuesday.Montha means fragrant flower in Thai. High alert has been issued in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as cyclone Montha is all set to turn into a 'severe' cyclonic storm and make landfall by Tuesday evening. Around 1419 villages and 44 towns are likely to be impacted as the cyclone will cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kakinada in the evening or night. According to an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin, the cyclone lay about 450 km south to southeast of Kakinada, 420 km east of Chennai, 500 km south to southeast of Visakhapatnam and 670 km south to southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha). The system is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning, and is likely to make landfall with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph (and) gusting up to 110 kmph. Cyclone Alert ! Cyclonic Storm #Montha over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a Severe Cyclonic Storm by 28th October morning. Expected landfall: Between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam (around Kakinada) by evening/night of 28th Oct. Wind Speed: 90100 km/h, pic.twitter.com/SXOFglAEQO India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) October 27, 2025 "It is expected to cross the coast of Andhra Pradesh by Tuesday evening or night between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around the Kakinada area. Most districts in Andhra Pradesh will experience extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds," IMD Hyderabad official GNRS Srinivasa Rao told ANI news agency. A storm surge of about one metre above astronomical tide is expected to cause inundation in low-lying areas of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam around landfall time, according to the IMD. Andhra braces for landfall Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain said the cyclone is likely to impact 1,419 villages in 233 mandals and 44 municipalities. As many as 2,194 relief camps have been opened in these areas. The authorities have set up 558 control rooms across the state, while special attention has been paid to 3,465 pregnant women/nursing mothers for care. Cyclone Montha intensifies further into a SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM and very likely to move close to Godavari belts. As indicated earlier, Heavy rainfall started to increase along #Nellore and #Prakasam districts while rounds of Moderate showers spreading along entire North AP and pic.twitter.com/5F9C8bYIez Andhra Pradesh Weatherman (@praneethweather) October 28, 2025 All beaches have been closed for tourists, and danger signal number one has been hoisted at all ports. Eleven teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in the coastal districts for relief operations. As a precautionary measure, South Central Railway and East Coast Railway have cancelled over 100 trains for the next two days. Over 3,000 people evacuated in Odisha In Odisha, 140 teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Fire Services have been deployed across eight high-risk districts Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur. Info | Cyclone #Montha In view of the impending cyclone 'Montha' and possible heavy rainfall in Khordha District, all schools & Anganwadi centres shall remain closed on 28th and 29th October, 2025. pic.twitter.com/Ar5TyZQLFc I & PR Department, Odisha (@IPR_Odisha) October 27, 2025 Over 3,000 people have been evacuated to 1,445 cyclone shelters in southern Odisha. The authorities are also planning to shift another 32,528 people to safer locations as a precaution. R&DM Minister Suresh Pujari said as many as 1,496 pregnant women have already been shifted to nearby Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) Amid political buzz over a leadership change in Karnataka, the call for a Dalit Chief Minister is getting louder. Several Dalit organisations and senior ministers are raising the demand, with supporters of ministers of M H Muniyappa stating that Karnataka deserves a Dalit CM. Not just Muniyappa, even the names of ministers Dr. G. Parameshwar, Satish Jarkiholi, and former minister K.N. Rajanna are doing the rounds. This is amidst Jarkiholi already stating that discussions for a Dalit Chief Minister in Karnataka is currently not under discussion and has been put on a pause. Despite Jarkiholi being in contention for the post of CM, if a leadership change happens, many leaders are already openly discussing the idea. According to Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, there is nothing wrong with Muniyappa becoming the Chief Minister. He is capable and has the qualifications. I will be happy if he becomes the Chief Minister. I will be happy that our class has got an opportunity, Parameshwara was quoted by Asianet Suvarna. A seven-time MP, Muniyappa is a senior member and was a former Union Minister. However, Parameshwara said it was the High Command that had to take the final call. Former Minister K N Rajanna too spoke in support of a Dalit Chief Minister. "What is wrong with the demand for a Dalit Chief Minister? A Dalit Chief Minister should be happy. But the high command will decide who should be the chief minister," he added. In the background, a state is also being set for a show of strength through a Dalit conference. Speculations are that Parameshwara, HC Mahadevappa, and Jarkiholi are holding a meeting soon to discuss the outline. The conference will likely be held in Chitradurga or Davangere with the aim of highlighting to the High Command the contributions made by the community for the party. Preliminary discussions have already taken place, and a meeting will be held soon to discuss the final outline. That said, there is still no confirmation that Siddaramaiah would be removed. The Chief Minister himself has given no hints about stepping down and has rubbished all talks of his political retirement. As for the Congress party, it needs a leader like Siddaramaiah who has the ability to bring 25 percent of the votes to the Congress party. He has control of all the districts of the state. In a dramatic twist, the father of a 20-year-old girl, who had alleged an acid attack by three men in Delhi, was arrested on Monday in a separate rape case filed by the wife of the main accused. The police also found in their initial investigation that it was not acid that had been thrown on the girl. Instead, she had taken toilet cleaner from their house and poured it on her hands, they said. The investigators also claimed that the student fabricated the case at the instance of her father, who wanted revenge against the rape complaint. In her complaint, the girl, a second-year BCom student enrolled in Delhi Universitys Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board, had alleged that she was attacked with acid by an acquaintance, Jitender Singh and his accomplices, Ishan and Arman, both brothers, near Laxmi Bai College. #WATCH | Delhi Police says, "Today, a call was received from Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital regarding the admission of a 20-year-old woman with acid burn injuries. The victim stated that she is a 2nd-year (non-college) student and had gone to Laxmi Bai College, Ashok Vihar, for her pic.twitter.com/1EzOy8V0ya ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2025 However, the police probe revealed inconsistencies in her statements. According to officials, the call records, CCTV footage, and witness statements placed her acquaintance in Karol Bagh at the time of the incident. It also emerged that, two days before the incident, Jitenders wife had filed a complaint against the victims father, Akeel Khan, accusing him of sexual harassment and blackmail during her employment in his factory between 2021 and 2024. A case in this regard was registered at the Bhalswa Dairy police station. Meanwhile, it also turned out that both Ishan and Arman are the woman's relatives, and they were in Agra with their mother at the time of the alleged 'acid attack' incident. According to an ANI report, their mother herself had been a victim of an acid attack in 2018, allegedly by relatives of the DU student's father, following a property dispute. On the basis of the allegations, police questioned Khan and arrested him when he revealed that he had fabricated the story of an acid attack. Amrita Chauhan, the 21-year-old who is the prime accused in the murder of the Delhi USPC aspirant, was disowned by her family more than a year before the murder. Her parents had announced on July 8, 2024, in an advertisement in a newspaper, that they were severing all ties with her. The copy of the document has been submitted to the court as evidence, Aaj Tak reported. In the advertisement, Amrithas father wrote that he was disinheriting his daughter from all his property due to misconduct. He also said that he and his family have nothing to do with any of her actions. The information is a new addition to the murder of Ramkesh Meena, 32, who was found dead in his apartment in Gandhi Vihar, Delhi, on October 6th. Police investigation revealed that the death was orchestrated by 3 individuals: Amritha, his live-in partner, her ex Sumit, 27, and a third, Sandeep. Amrita found out that Meena, who was her live-in partner, had recorded and stored private images of her without her consent. She had asked him many times to delete them, but he had refused. She then turned to her former boyfriend for help. Sumit offered to help her "teach him a lesson." He also involved his friend Sandeep in the plan to confront Meena. The confrontation, however, escalated into murder and Amrita, a Forensic Science student who regularly watched crime shows, helped cover up the crime scene. ALSO READ | Delhi: How CCTV ruined a Forensic Science graduates perfect crime targeting partner who held her private videos The father of the second accused, Sumit, Amrithas ex, who helped her with the murder, said that if his son is found guilty, he will not stand with him. I was in Meerut when I learned that the Delhi Police had taken my son. They told me he was seen on CCTV in the murder case. I'll just say this: if my son is guilty, I'm not with him. But if he's innocent, I'll be with him until my last breath," he said. Sandeep was preparing for the SSC CGL government exam. His father is a contract employee working who works with the police, Aaj Tak reported. Meanwhile, the third accused, Sumit, works as a gas cylinder dealer. The grandson of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha allegedly killed himself. According to a Times of India report, Aarav died by suicide at his home in Kanpur. A suicide note has been found in his pocket. In the note, the deceased directed his family members to check his notes that he had penned before his death. The contents of the suicide note and the things that he has written in the other notes are yet to be revealed. Authorities are yet to reveal further details about the death. A probe is underway to look into the circumstances that led to the alleged suicide, say media reports. According to news24online, his parents were away at the time of the incident. The body was found by his sister, who is a student at Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj University. Reports claim that his notes revealed that he has been in distress for some time. A report in The Daily Jagran said the deceased used to have nightmares. Media reports say that Aarav is a Class XI student and had scored 97 per cent marks in his high school exams. There has been no official reaction from the Lieutenant Governor with regard to the incident. THE WEEK could not independently verify the details regarding the news of the suicide. Manoj Sinha has been serving as the Lieutenant Governor of J&K since August 2020. (This is a developing story) The Jammu and Kashmir government is seeking clearance from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to begin work on the cable car project between Pahalgam and Baisaran, where 26 tourists were killed in a terror attack on April 22. This was stated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who holds the tourism portfolio, in the assembly in reply to a question by Pahalgam MLA Altaf Ahmed Wani. He said the project had been allotted to a company, but the work could not start in view of the post-Pahalgam scenario. In a written reply, Omar said the Jammu and Kashmir Cable Car Corporation (JKCCC) has identified the route for the 1.4-km-long project connecting Yatri Niwas in Pahalgam with the scenic Baisaran meadow, also known as Mini Switzerland. He said the project, spread over 9.13 hectares of forest land, is estimated to cost between Rs 100 and Rs 120 crore and is expected to be completed within 18 months once the work begins. The JKCCC had floated tenders to hire a consultant for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and other documents. After a competitive bidding process, the work was allotted to Ronmas India Pvt Ltd, and an agreement was signed. The company has not been able to carry out topographical and geotechnical studies at the site due to restrictions after the Pahalgam attack. The Tourism Department has now approached the NIA for the required clearance so that the work can start on the project. Once complete, the cable car will boost tourism in Pahalgam by providing an easy and scenic ride to Baisaran. The project aims to revive confidence among tourists and locals after the deadly attack that dealt a severe blow to the areas tourism economy. After the Pahalgam attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out multiple strikes in Pakistan-based terror hubs under Operation Sindoor. The IAF strikes led to an intense four-day conflict between India and Pakistan. India targeted several air bases in Pakistan, inflicting heavy infrastructure damage. Pakistan also launched large drone attacks on Indian military installations, especially in border areas. Poonch district bore the brunt of Pakistani shelling, in which 15 people, including children, were killed. More than 1,500 houses and government buildings were also damaged. The hostilities ended on May 10 after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire. The opposition Mahagathbandhan will release its manifesto, Tejashwi Pran Patra, on Tuesday as the campaign for the assembly elections gathered steam in Bihar. RJD leader and the alliances chief minister candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, said the document would provide a roadmap for how they plan to work over the next five years, if voted to power. We want the NDA to announce the name of their CM candidate. What schemes do they have? What is their vision, and how are they going to take Bihar forward?, Tejashwi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, asked. We have given a roadmap, a vision, and we are clear that we will make Bihar number one, he added. #WATCH | Patna, Bihar: Mahagathbandhan CM candidate and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says, "We have announced the CM's face as well. Today, we are going to release the 'Tejashwi Pran Patra' on how we are going to work for the next 5 years. We want NDA to announce the name of their pic.twitter.com/8BHcZZAdZZ ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2025 The announcement, however, drew a sarcastic jibe from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan, who accused the RJD leader of lying without consequences. If they dont have to come to power, whats the harm in making big promises?, asked Paswan, whose party is the third major constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance after the JD(U) and the BJP. Paswan also mocked the grand alliances promise of providing government jobs to at least one member in every household, saying around seven lakh crore rupees would be needed to provide jobs to nearly 2.5 crore families. What's the big deal in making announcements if you know that you are not going to be in power? Where will that budget come from?, he asked. #WATCH | Patna, Bihar: On Mahagathbandhan to release its manifesto today, Union Minister and LJP Ramvilas Chief Chirag Paswan says, "What's the big deal in making announcements if you know that you are not going to be in power? What is the basis for those announcements? On the pic.twitter.com/9OD9nYJY1x ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2025 Elections to the 243-member assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14. Rahul to address rallies on Wednesday The opposition alliance has, meanwhile, stepped up its campaign after the initial lull, with the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, scheduled to address his first rally on October 29. Rahul and Tejashwi will hold joint rallies in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga. The Congress MP will hit the campaign trail amid questions being raised by the NDA parties over his long absence from the election scene. ISTANBUL, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained 18 suspects in a counterterrorism operation against the Islamic State (IS) in the northwestern province of Bursa on Tuesday, state broadcaster TRT reported. Following an investigation into 19 suspects, police units carried out raids on several locations in the Karacabey district of Bursa, TRT reported, citing the Bursa Police Department. Efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the remaining suspect, it added. Turkiye officially designated the IS as a terrorist organization in 2013 and has since been targeted by the group in multiple attacks. In response, Ankara has launched numerous counterterrorism operations both domestically and abroad. The relatives of the Satara government doctor who allegedly died by suicide charged that the victim's phone has been tampered with. The relatives charged that key data was erased from the victim's phone using her fingerprint. The victim doctor, who was found dead in Satara last week, allegedly died by suicide, leaving a suicide note on her palms. The doctor accused Maharashtra police sub-inspector Gopal Badane of raping her on multiple occasions. She also accused Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, of mentally harassing her. Police have arrested both accused in the case. The relatives of the woman doctor alleged someone used her fingerprint to unlock her phone after her death and erased vital information from it. They alleged that the 'last seen' status on the deceased doctor's WhatsApp account showed activity even after her death, raising questions about whether someone else used the device after her death. The 28-year-old doctor, hailing from Beed district of central Maharashtra, was posted at a government hospital in Satara. "We suspect that her mobile phone was tampered with after her death. Before we arrived at the spot, someone had used her fingerprint to unlock the phone and erased vital information related to the incident. Her WhatsApp 'last seen' status appears to show activity after her death, which raises further suspicion that the phone was operated by someone else after her death," the victim's uncle charged. Residents of Wadwani in Beed observed a bandh on Tuesday, demanding a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the alleged suicide of a woman doctor who hailed from the region, PTI reported. The victim's family have also demanded that the case should be heard in a court in Beed to ensure an impartial investigation. A day after meeting the families of the Karur tragedy victims, actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay seems to have resumed his political activities. The actor, who was behind the closed doors at his office at Panaiyur and residence at Neelankarai, on the outskirts of Chennai, launched a scathing attack on the DMK government with regard to the large-scale wastage of paddy due to incessant rains in the delta region. In a two-page detailed statement, Vijay on Tuesday raised several hard-hitting questions against the M.K. Stalin-led government and its failure in saving the livelihood of the delta farmers. Accusing the state government of gross negligence and indifference towards the plight of the poor, he drew a symbolic comparison between the sprouted grains and the growing anti-incumbency in the state. Just as paddy grains sprouted and perished in the rains, a wave of growing anger is sprouting in the hearts of the people against the anti-farmer DMK regime, Vijay said in the statement. He also questioned the governments failure to act swiftly to save the harvested paddy grains from rotting in the rain-soaked godowns and fields. If the government truly cared for farmers, they would have immediately safeguarded their hard-earned produce and taken measures to protect their livelihood. But instead the government has allowed their hard work and toil to go to waste, Vijay alleged. Calling out the DMK government and CM Stalins repeated claims of championing the delta region, Vijay raised several hard-hitting questions. He asked why the government failed to purchase paddy at the right time and at a fair price. It is the same story every year. The paddy gets drenched in the rain water. But the government seems to remain unmoved, Vijay said in his statement. Demanding an explanation from Stalin for the loss meted out by the delta farmers due to the incessant rains, Vijay urged the government to launch an immediate preventive action to protect the farmers. It is only the beginning of the northeast monsoon. The government must stop its empty publicity stunts and act on a war footing way to protect the farmers, Vijay urged the government. In his strongly worded statement, Vijay pointed out that the mounting resentment against the DMK government from the farmers and the public will soon grow stronger like the sprouting paddy and send the rulers back home in 2026 elections. Incidentally, this is the first statement from Vijay, since the deadly Karur tragedy that killed 41 people. Vijay chose to remain closed doors, as the tragedy took political turns. While Vijay and his team tried hard to convert the Karur stampede as a sympathy for the actor, it did not earn him much brownie points as expected. Though there is no strong opposition to Vijay until now in Karur or even among the families who lost their loved ones, his meeting with the victim families at a beachside resort at Mahabalipuram in Chennai did not turn positive for Vijay. Meanwhile, a special general council meeting of TVK is slated to be held soon. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI(M) and Congress expressed their disappointment post the two-hour-long all-party meeting convened by the Election Commission in West Bengal. The meeting was held to address concerns and devise a way forward for the smooth implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which starts on November 4 in 12 states, including poll-bound states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The second phase of SIR notification was announced on Monday by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi. It took two years to complete SIR in 2002; why are they doing this now?" asked TMC leader Arup Biswas. They are talking about 2002, then post-2002, whichever parliaments have been set up, those who have been elected are invalid and the prime minister has to resign," said TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who also reiterated that SIR is an NRC exercise in disguise. We will revolt against CAA masked as SIR, and the way BJP and EC are hand in hand," said Hakim. The TMC alleges that a voter in Panihati, North 24 Parganas district, allegedly committed suicide leaving behind a note saying that NRC is responsible for his death; it brought up the issue with the CEO. The CEO, however, said the matter will be addressed if the polling body receives a formal complaint. When a man dies leaving behind the words NRC is responsible for my death, it is not suicide, it is state-assisted murder, executed through years of psychological warfare waged by @BJP4India. Pradeep Kars death in Panihati is the inevitable outcome of a regime that has built pic.twitter.com/VG18G4FiaE All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) October 28, 2025 CPI(M)s Sujan Chakraborty said, The CEO is ill-prepared, we are concerned about people. Updating the voter list is the responsibility of the EC, they should not talk about citizenship. The Congress too expressed dissonance after the all-party meeting. How voters will be matched with 2002? The screening has to be done within three months; is it possible? What about orphaned voters or those who lost their homes in floods?" Asked Congress general secretary Ashutosh Chatterjee. The SIR exercise includes Booth Level Agents (BLA) provided by each of the eight recognised political parties for the 294 assembly constituencies in the state to work in tandem with 294 Booth Level Officers (BLO). The CEO requested political parties to provide BLAs for the SIR exercise. I expect full cooperation from all political parties, and I am confident that all political parties will cooperate," said Manoj Agarwal. Taking into account a hypothetical scenario of untoward incidents, as BLOs and BLAs might face backlash during the SIR exercise, which might prompt the need for central forces to be deployed, the CEO emphasised yet again that law and order is a state subject. We dont need central forces, the state forces are sufficient. The CEO is confident the SIR exercise will be done smoothly for the 7.6 crore electorate in West Bengal by December 4. We saw how SIR was conducted in Bihar for 7.79 crore voters and without machine-readable data; we have everything in West Bengal. Why cant we complete the exercise in the given period? Many things were different in 2002 (during SIR), why should we compare it? said Agarwal. The ECI had a virtual meeting with the EC in West Bengal on Tuesday morning. The training process for electoral officers and agents at the ground level has already begun. The training process, printing of enumeration forms, including in Bengali for rural and Bengali-speaking voters, and updating current voter data have to be completed by November 3. The BLO app will be available in the coming days for EC officials, political parties and voters, where they could check the status of their voter matching details with the 2002 SIR list and progeny mapping. Details sought on Prashant Kishor The Election Commission (EC) in Bihar has sought details pertaining to the duplication of Jan Suraaj leader and political strategist Prashant Kishors name in Bihar and West Bengal electoral lists. ECI as not told us anything. Bihar CEO wanted a report on voter's details, which we have given," said West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal. Meanwhile, BJP leader Sisir Adhikari, who was present at the all-party meeting, said, We have a big allegation, Prashant Kishor is a political strategist. Didnt he know what he was doing? Dont people know where they are signing? " He asked how Prashant Kishor could have his name in two constituencies, in Bihar and in West Bengal? After completing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India announced on October 27 that 12 more states and Union territories will now undertake the exercise, starting November 4. The revision will be conducted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, with final electoral rolls expected to be published by February 7. In West Bengal, there is already concern among several political parties and voters that the process may be too complex and could lead to the exclusion of genuine voters, especially those from marginalised and vulnerable communities. They are drawing uneasy parallels with the controversial National Register of Citizens (NRC). Observers and civil society groups have, therefore, urged the Election Commission to ensure that the process remains transparent, accessible and inclusive. This is the first time since 2002 that West Bengal will undergo SIR, and the Election Commission has confirmed it will follow the same model recently implemented in Bihar. The ruling Trinamool Congress, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, allege that it is an attempt to introduce the NRC through the backdoor. Through the SIR exercise, a veiled attempt is being made to disenfranchise genuine voters and implement NRC through the backdoor, Mamata posted on X. We will not tolerate this. We will resist every injustice. And we will stand by the people, now and always. Political analyst Udayan Bandhopadhyay, who was involved in the 2002 SIR, shared some of those concerns. SIR was done in 2002, but it was much simpler. If the Election Commission does not simplify the process, opposition parties will justifiably argue that this is a backdoor NRC process. The documents the EC is demanding are the same as those the Assam government took from people during the NRC exercise. The same 11 documents were listed in the SIR notice for Bihar, he said. The Election Commission, meanwhile, has exempted Assam from the exercise, pointing out that there are separate provisions for citizenship in the state. Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal has said that West Bengal will follow the same process as Bihar, even before the Election Commissions announcement on October 27. Along with Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, he has met booth-level officers (BLOs) to assess readiness and to reassure them of protection amid concerns about political pressure. According to the Election Commission, 60 per cent of West Bengals voters already appeared in the 2002 SIR roll, which would make verification easier for them. For the remaining 40 per centthose added after 2002the process will be more rigorous. The Commission insists that the process is straightforward if the required documents are provided, but experts and activists remain sceptical. If the Election Commission follows the same model it used in Bihar, there will be a lot of problems for poor voters included post-2002, as they may not be able to produce their class 12 certificates and birth certificates. Most of them, like marginalised and tribal voters, do not have land documents. The process needs to be simplified, said Bandhopadhyay. While Aadhaar cards are widely accepted as proof of identity, they do not prove citizenship. The process of simplification should be provided by the EC and should not be put on the shoulders of the people. They cannot put pressure on voters to prove their citizenship. It is the responsibility of the very authority that is questioning the identity of the person, he said. The SIR aims to remove ineligible voters. Voters will be matched with the 2002 list. If no match is found, they may link their names to a parents entry on that roll. If that fails, they must provide documentary proof of birth and residence either online or offline. A 3040 day window will be given before the first draft is published, allowing time for corrections ahead of the final roll in February. The revision will also detect duplicate registrations, particularly among migrant workers and students. BLOs will use digital tools for verification. West Bengal, with 7.6 crore voters across 294 assembly constituencies, updates its electoral roll annually, removing names of deceased or relocated voters. Yet the scale of this revision has raised questions about why the routine process was insufficient. Partha Pratim Biswas of Jadavpur University said while the SIR was necessary, its current form was problematic. The way SIR took place in Bihar, they are dictating the numbers and how many voters should be excluded, he said. Biswas argued that the BJPs framing of the SIR as a response to illegal immigration was politically motivated. SIR is part of the electoral process. However, this time, it is not only being seen as an electoral process, but also a political one. The EC has failed, especially given that BJP leaders are setting targets by eliminating voters, like 1.2 crore voters in West Bengal. In that case, the question of doubt will be in the minds of people whether the EC is acting neutrally or not. The neutral process is becoming a political process. Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, who represents the Bangaon constituency in the Lok Sabha, defended the exercise. If SIR is implemented properly, the Trinamool government will have no escape route. The names of at least 1.2 crore people who have illegally become voters in West Bengal will be deleted. Rohingyas, infiltrators and ghost voters will not be able to cast their votes any more, he said, claiming a clean electoral roll would bring real change to the state. Concerns persist over Bangladeshi migrants who fled religious persecution. Bandhopadhyay questioned the BJPs figures: How did the BJP find the number of 1.2 crore intruders? This is bad politics. Those who have come after religious persecution will go through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act process, which legalises their citizenship. Not just Muslims, but Hindus, Sikhs and other communities persecuted on religious grounds have been included in the Act. If they have Aadhaar cards, the government needs to identify those people. He said such determinations were outside the Election Commissions purview. Citizenship precedes the eligibility of voters. Citizenship is the task of the ministry of home affairs. As a border state, West Bengal remains highly sensitive to infiltration concerns. Complaints during the SIR will be handled by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), who will make final decisions in accordance with the rules of the Election Commission. The Commission has warned that fake documents will invite strict action, though it expects 80 to 90 per cent of cases to be routine. Biswas said both major parties were using the SIR to advance their narratives. The BJP is trying to use the Election Commission in the SIR process, and the Trinamool is trying to use SIR to mobilise their minority voters by raising the fear factor. The Trinamool says the Muslim community is being identified as infiltrators and migrants by the BJP. The perception created is that if the BJP comes to power in West Bengal, minorities will be out of the country. SIR is the first step by which they will be eliminated. This is the binary politics that is taking place through SIR. Sooner rather than later, a pearl will float on the waters of Dubai Creek not an ordinary one, but a gleaming architectural masterpiece. This radiant pearl is the upcoming Dubai Museum of Art (DUMA), Dubais next cultural icon, set to become a beacon of creativity and innovation. Unveiled over the weekend by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the DUMA project is envisioned as a landmark celebrating the citys artistic spirit. Developed by the Al-Futtaim Group and designed by world-renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the museum will stand proudly on an island in Dubai Creek appearing to float gracefully above the water. Inspired by the pearl and the sea, DUMAs design captures the essence of Dubais maritime heritage and its journey of discovery. The buildings curved circular form symbolises unity, continuity, and exploration. A central cylindrical opening allows natural light to flood the interiors, creating a serene, contemplative atmosphere for visitors. The five-storey structure will house exhibition galleries, a fine-dining restaurant, and a VIP lounge, offering both cultural immersion and luxury. Beyond exhibitions, DUMA will serve as a vibrant hub for creativity hosting artist talks, panel discussions, educational programs, and art fairs. More than just a museum, DUMA reflects Dubais ambition to be recognised as a global capital of culture, creativity, and innovation. It embodies Sheikh Mohammeds vision of the emirate as a gathering place for artists, designers, and thinkers from around the world a space where ideas merge to shape the future of the creative economy. Once complete, the Dubai Museum of Art will not only enrich the citys artistic landscape but also redefine its skyline a shining pearl symbolising Dubais timeless connection between tradition and modernity. The shooting down of an Israeli drone by soldiers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) near the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila has snowballed into a major controversy. The incident on October 26, which took place close to the volatile Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, has led to sharply conflicting versions from both sides. According to Israel, the drone was engaged in a permissible, low-threat operation and its activity complied with established operational procedures. IDFs Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Monday that the drone was conducting "routine information-gathering and reconnaissance activity" near UNIFIL forces. Israel denied any hostile intent toward the peacekeepers, asserting that the drones activity "did not pose a threat to UNIFIL forces". Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said that preliminary findings suggest UNIFIL forces deliberately fired at the drone without justification. He blamed the UNIFIL action as an unwarranted attack on a non-hostile surveillance operation rather than a defensive response. Israel also explained what it did after the drone hit the ground. After the drone was down, Israeli forces dropped a hand grenade at the site of the wreckage but stressed that no fire was directed at UN peacekeepers. The IDF argued that the purpose of the grenade was to neutralise sensitive equipment and prevent intelligence from being recovered by others, not to threaten UNIFIL personnel stationed nearby. /UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) shot down an Israeli drone over Kfarkela, South #Lebanon. #Israel claims it was a routine flight; UNIFIL says it flew aggressively over patrols. Tensions rose after a second drone strike and alleged tank fire near UN positions. pic.twitter.com/JsQfy7HrgL IWN (@A7_Mirza) October 27, 2025 UNIFIL, however, challenged the Israeli version of the events, saying that the drone had flown directly over one of its patrols in an aggressive and unsafe manner. The peacekeepers, the mission explained, responded with defensive countermeasures in accordance with their rules of engagement, successfully neutralising the drone. UNIFIL called it a legitimate act of self-defence in response to a perceived threat. The UN mission accused Israel of escalating the situation after the drone was downed. It said the Israeli grenade was dropped close to a peacekeeping patrol, followed shortly by a tank round fired in the same direction. While no casualties or damage were reported, the mission described these actions as very, very dangerous and deeply concerning. The conflicting narratives highlight the lack of trust between the two forces, despite their frequent coordination to prevent border incidents from spiralling into violence. The incident has drawn strong reactions from the United Nations and from France, which provides a significant contingent to UNIFIL. A UN spokesperson in New York described the situation as alarming and noted that this was not the first time UNIFIL had reported what it considered hostile behaviour by the Israeli army. The spokesperson cited previous incidents involving warning shots and laser targeting of UN personnel. UNIFIL officials have lodged a formal protest with the Israeli military, calling the actions unacceptable. France also condemned what it described as Israeli fire directed at UN peacekeepers, drawing attention to similar cases earlier in the month. French media, meanwhile, reported that the UNIFIL detachment involved in shooting down the drone was French, and that the decision to act may have been made in consultation with senior national officials rather than solely by the patrol on the ground. It suggests a higher level of authorisation and reflects the increasing caution among contributing nations as tensions rise in southern Lebanon. Such flare-ups are rare in UNIFILs decades-long mission, and the timing could hardly be more sensitive. The border remains tense following last years ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which halted months of cross-border strikes but failed to ease underlying hostilities. Notwithstanding the existing truce on its northern border, Israel routinely conducts aerial surveillance and targeted air strikes in Lebanon. The IDF says such operations are essential to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its arsenal and targeting Israel once again. Lebanon and the UN, however, criticise such incursions as violations of Lebanese sovereignty and of the clauses of the truce agreement. It has kept the region on edge, with both sides blaming each other of undermining the fragile peace. In fresh challenge to a US-brokered ceasefire, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the army to immediately carry out "powerful" strikes in Gaza. Netanyahu's announcement came shortly after Israel said that Hamas had opened fire at Israeli forces in southern Gaza. BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to "carry out powerful strikes in Gaza," the prime minister's office said.https://t.co/Kiytp2M4mX pic.twitter.com/Xjm1r6ZoVG ABC News (@ABC) October 28, 2025 However, Hamas military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said Israel violated the ceasefire due to which the planned return of hostage's body has been postponed. Hamas, in a statement, said, "We will postpone the handover that was scheduled for today due to the occupations violations. Any Israeli escalation will hinder the search, excavation, and recovery of the bodies". This comes amid tensions looming over Hamas returning a mortal remains of a hostage whom Israel said belonged to the body of an Israeli hostage recovered earlier in the war. Earlier in the day, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that it has lifted all restrictions that were still in place near the border with the Gaza Strip. Bodies of 13 hostages are still in Gaza and the slow recovery of those remains is posing challenges to the implementation of the second phase of the already-fragile ceasefire. Hamas claimed that it is struggling to locate the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza. Israel has alleged that Hamas is purposely delaying return of the bodies. In exchange for the bodies of dead hostages, Israel has handed back 195 Palestinian bodies to Gaza, which is less than half of those identified. Hamas returned the last 20 living hostages Israel when the first phase of the truce began, and in exchange Israel sent around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners to Gaza. The Iranian central bank has denied that Sarmayeh Bank in the country will be dissolved amid growing concerns about corruption and mismanagement. This comes days after Ayandeh Bank, one of the largest banks in the country, was declared bankrupt. With headquarters in Tehran, Sarmayeh Bank was founded in 2005 in line with the Islamic regime's move to privatise the banking sector. It has 153 branches, including in countries like the UAE, Tajikistan and the Netherlands. Iranian banks, including Sarmayeh, Day, Sepah, Iran Zamin, and Melal, are also facing challenges, according to reports #AyandehBank #Iran https://t.co/CeSsn86IzJ THE WEEK (@TheWeekLive) October 25, 2025 The corruption allegations against Sarmayeh Bank mainly arises from the investments of Iran Teachers' Reserve Fund, of which around $3.5 billion has disappeared mysteriously. The fund receives monthly deposits from eight lakh employed and retired teachers, but the beneficiaries have not received their interest for the past few years. Business mogul Hossein Hedayati, a member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, after it was found that he pocketed money from the fund. Bank's former chairman Parviz Kazemi, who was the labour minister in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's cabinet, was handed 20 years in prison and 24 lashes, according to Radio Farda. Bank managers Ali Bakhshayesh and Mohammad Reza Tavassoli have also been convicted. In total, there are around 400 suspects involved in several corruption cases and some of these include relatives of political officials in the regime, according to Iran International. In 2024, a massive cyberattack by a ransomware group known as IRLeaks hacked individual account data from 20 domestic banks, including Sarmayeh. In August, the central bank warned that if Sarmayeh Bank's board of directors and shareholders fail to increase its capital adequacy ratio, it will be slapped with special penalties and restrictions. Experts in the country believe that Sarmayeh Bank is not facing outright liquidation as the government does not want to cause widespread panic among citizens. Recently, Ayandeh Bank, which was was grappling with around $5.2 billion in losses and $2.9 billion in debts, was absorbed by the state-owned Melli Bank. The central bank has assured depositors that their money would be recovered. "More than 90 per cent of Ayandeh Banks funds were allocated either to parties related to the bank or to projects managed by the bank itself, Hamidreza Ghaniabadi, an official at the Central Bank of Iran, told Iran's IRNA news agency, adding that these bad debts led to its bankruptcy. Iran News Update reported only 10 Iranian banks have capital adequacy over 8 per cent currently and most of these are specialised institutions like Venezuela Joint Bank, Middle East Bank and Export Development Bank of Iran. In India, today, academic research and top-tier R&D institutions are flush with grants, infrastructure, and talent. The IITs, ICAR, national research labs and central universities produce a steady stream of papers, patents, and PhDs. On paper, this looks like a success story in motion. Yet a stark paradox stands out. For all this intellectual energy, very little of it seems to touch peoples lives. Our journals are overflowing, but our markets are not. We still depend heavily on foreign technology. Technologies that could solve real problems from precision farming to affordable diagnostics often remain trapped and untapped in academic silos of our institutions. If India wants science and technology to power its economy and not merely its reputation, it must give utmost importance to what happens after the discovery. The real challenge is translation turning research into usable solutions that industries can adopt and citizens can benefit from. It is no longer enough to publish; we must produce. The funding picture: Broad headlines, narrow impact India spends just about 0.64 per cent of its GDP on research and development, according to government data for 202021. The figure has barely moved in years. Of that, nearly two-thirds comes from public funds. The private sector which drives most of the applied research in advanced economies accounts for barely a third. More worrying than the number itself is where that money goes. A bulk of Indias R&D funding flows to elite institutions the IITs, IISc, CSIR, DRDO, ICAR and a handful of central universities. These institutions are the crown jewels of Indian science, but the concentration of funds also means that state universities and smaller research centres remain under-equipped to contribute meaningfully. The countrys innovation capacity, as a result, remains lopsided and centralised. The valley of death The deeper malaise lies beyond the balance sheets. India doesnt just have a funding gap; it has a translation gap. Researchers often work on projects designed for publication rather than production. Success is measured in citations, not in prototypes or patents brought to market. The incentive system in academia rewards papers, not partnerships. And so, ideas that could have become products often end their lives as PDFs on institutional servers. A NITI Aayog policy note once warned that Indias R&D ecosystem is detached from the commercial arms of the economy. The evidence is everywhere. Technology transfer offices the bodies meant to link scientists with businesses exist mostly in name. Even when industry does show interest, the clock runs differently on both sides. Academic projects move in semesters and review cycles, while businesses chase quarterly targets. By the time research results are ready, the market may have moved on. Add to that the cost of testing, approvals, and scaling up, and many good ideas simply lose momentum. How others got it right Indias struggles arent unique. Many countries have faced this gap before and fixed it. In Germany, the Fraunhofer Institutes bridge academia and industry with remarkable success. These are mission-driven research centres that focus on applied science, conducting contract research for businesses. Seventy per cent of their income comes from such partnerships. Their scientists dont just publish papers; they build prototypes, file patents, and co-develop products that reach the market. The United States took a transformational leap in 1980 with the BayhDole Act, which allowed universities to own the intellectual property arising from federally funded research. The result was transformative. American universities suddenly had an incentive to commercialise. Offices of technology transfer mushroomed across campuses, and university-linked startups became a national phenomenon. The aligned incentives made these models successful. Researchers knew that innovation could bring recognition and revenue, not just citations. Industry trusted academia to deliver solutions, not just theories. And, the government created the legal and financial architecture to make that relationship flourish. Indias way forward: Three-fold path For India to bridge its translation gap, it must build a robust system which aims to bring researchers, industry, and startups under one big umbrella. First, academia must reorient itself toward relevance. Not every scientist needs to become an entrepreneur, but research should at least ask: who would use this? Departments could set aside part of their budget for challenge grants that focus on industry-defined problems. Translational success technologies licensed, products piloted should count as much as journal publications in career evaluations. Second, the industry must come closer to campuses. Too often, businesses complain that academic research is out of touch, while universities claim that industry doesnt fund basic research. Both are right and both are wrong. Large companies, MSMEs, and sectoral associations should create structured problem statements for academic institutions, offering co-funding and data access. Regular industry-academia roundtables can keep priorities aligned. Third, startups should act as the engines of translation. Indias startup scene is buzzing, but deep-tech founders still face an uphill climb raising early funding is tough, and navigating regulations can be even tougher. Dedicated 'Translational Accelerators' focused on taking prototypes to market, not just writing business plans can help bridge this gap. These centres could provide seed grants, mentorship, testing facilities, and even shared legal support for IP and compliance. The three parts reinforce each other: researchers must think beyond publication, industries must stay invested beyond sponsorship, and startups must carry the innovation across the last mile. Governments pivotal role The government, inevitably, will have to play multiple roles that of catalyst, funder, and connector. Some success stories already exist. The Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) has transferred more than 60 technologies from Indian research institutes to the market, ranging from vaccines to biofertilizers. But this remains confined largely to life sciences. What India now needs is a cross-sectoral translation ecosystem a national network of technology transfer hubs that cover agriculture, energy, digital, and materials science alike. These hubs should not just sit within ministries but function with professional autonomy, staffed by experts in IP, finance, and marketing. Performance metrics should track not just the number of patents filed but the number of patents licensed. On the policy front, the newly enacted Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) offers a chance to correct course. Its mandate to promote collaborative, mission-oriented research must be paired with a clear push for commercialisation and impact evaluation. Similarly, a more effective patent box policy which offers tax incentives to companies commercialising Indian IP could nudge the private sector to participate more actively. A network of technology translational institutes (TTIs), on the lines of Fraunhofer, could be Indias next big bet. These centres, can run on SPVs or be jointly funded by the government and private players. Their main focus should be on national priorities like climate resilience, affordable healthcare, and digital public goods taking promising technologies to prototype and pilot stages before licensing them to industry or spinning them into startups. Why it matters now Countries across the globe are moving at a humongous pace toward a deep-tech future in AI, quantum computing, biotech, green energy, and advanced materials. The countries that will lead are those that can turn research into reality quickly. Without strong systems to translate ideas into products, India risks becoming a publication factory rich in theory, poor in outcomes. But this isnt only about global competition. Translating research inherently also means inclusion it brings science to the fields, clinics, and workshops and to the grassroot levels, that need it most. Precision agriculture to low-cost diagnostic kits, smart irrigation systems to next-gen mobility these are not luxuries, they are lifelines. When research leaves the labs, it creates livelihoods and opportunities. Change wont happen overnight. Indian academia still values theory more than practice, and most labs simply dont have the funds or setup to take ideas beyond the prototype stage. It will take more than good intentions real funding, clear ownership rules, and a mindset that values teamwork over working in silos. And this cant stop at the IITs regional universities and smaller labs must be part of the story too. State universities and regional institutes must also be part of the journey if innovation is to be truly national. From 'Publish or Perish' to 'Translate and Transform' India doesnt lack ideas it lacks pathways. The bridge between discovery and deployment is what will decide whether our science stays on paper or changes lives. Every patent, every PhD, every grant should aim for real-world impact. Otherwise, we risk turning brilliance into isolation clever, but disconnected from the country it was meant to serve. The time has come to move from publish or perish to translate and transform. Only then will Indian science truly serve its people not just its pride. The authori is the Chief AI and Digital Consultant, Wadhwani Foundation The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK. E. Jean Carroll, a New York journalist who won an $83 million court case against Donald Trump, said that the US President didnt smell so good. She made the remarks on a podcast by the Daily Beast. The 81-year-old former Elle magazine columnist spoke about the presidents odd behaviour during their legal battle in 2024. She had sued him in 2019 for damaging her reputation by denying her accusations of sexual assault. Trump said that her claim, that he attacked her in a Manhattan department store decades ago, was totally false and that she was trying to sell her book. He had also continued his verbal attacks on her on social media, to the media, and in the court. The US court rejected Trump's appeal against the case, which said that he deserved presidential immunity in September 2025. In the podcast, she said, I dont understand how people can be afraid of a fat, elderly man who wears apricot makeup, his hair done up like Tippi Hedren in The Birds, and sits in a courtroom and moans and groans and complains and snorts. She said that at the trial, the jury was mesmerised by Trump's behavior. He never sat still, and he talked the entire time within earshot of the jury. He belittled Alina Habba, his own attorney. He would spit as he was talking. He didnt smell so good, she recalled. She then spoke about how she won her $83 million case. She said that the highlight of the courtroom drama came when her lawyer, Roberta Robbie Kaplan, made her final arguments. He stood up with steam coming off his back and hot air blowing out his ears because Robbie Kaplan was giving the final argument, and she was asking the jury how much it would take to make him stop. She drove him so crazy, he stood up in the courtroom and left, Carroll added. When a man is innocent, he doesnt storm out of a courtroom; he stays and fights. He turned tail and stormed out of the courtroom. He lost right at that second. He couldnt have looked more guilty. Her lawyer Kaplan, who spoke to The Daily Beast, said, When the jury heard the evidence, it wasnt very hard. Carroll said that her attorney decimated Trump. It was after that that the appellate court denied overturning the $83 million verdict. BAGHDAD, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) announced Tuesday the arrest of an Islamic State (IS) operative in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, who was involved in multiple deadly armed attacks targeting security forces. According to the INSS, an initial investigation identified the suspect by the alias Abu Mohammed. He joined the IS in 2014 and participated in several armed attacks targeting security forces in the Latifiya area located south of Baghdad, leading to the killing of 19 security personnel, including an army officer. Intelligence reports indicated that the suspect held logistical and administrative roles within an area known by the IS as the "Zobaa -- Fallujah Sector," west of Baghdad. After the IS was largely dismantled in Iraq, he fled to Syria before secretly returning to Baghdad, where he was later tracked down and captured by INSS units. The suspect has been handed over to judicial authorities for legal proceedings, the statement added. While Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians in urban areas, deserts, and remote regions. An Indian citizen was arrested for stabbing two teen boys with a metal fork on a Frankfurt-bound Lufthansa flight that took off from Chicago on Saturday. The accused was identified as Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli. Who is Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli? Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, is a master's student pursuing biblical studies. He currently does not have lawful status in the US and is set to appear in federal court soon. #FBI Boston has charged Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, an Indian national, with allegedly stabbing two minor victims with a metal fork while on board a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany. Learn more: https://t.co/PRVulpkuaQ pic.twitter.com/VDkyAqM0x1 FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) October 28, 2025 He was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, according to the US Department of Justice If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and fine of up to $250,000. The DoJ said one of the boys, 17, was sleeping in a middle seat when he allegedly woke up to see the accused standing over him. He allegedly stabbed the boy in the shoulder and then turned to another boy, 17, and stabbed him in the back of the head. The crew members tried to subdue Usiripalli but then allegedly formed a gun with his fingers and pulled an imaginary trigger as he aimed into his mouth. He then slapped a female passengers and tried to slap one of the flight crew members. The flight was then diverted to Logan International Airport, Boston where officials took the man into custody. "Lufthansa confirms that flight LH431 (Boeing 747-8, 363 passengers) operating from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Frankfurt am Main was diverted to Boston on Saturday, October 25, 2025, where it landed safely," the airline stated. "The diversion was necessitated by the behavior of an unruly passenger, who was taken into custody by local authorities upon arrival. Consequently, the onward flight to Frankfurt did not continue as scheduled," he added. A huge shake-up has delivered England's 11 million private renters the greatest increase to their rights in a generation. The Renters Rights' Bill has officially become law after receiving Royal Assent. The sweeping set of reforms mean landlords will no longer be able to carry out so-called 'no-fault' evictions and so cannot get rid of tenants without good reason. But the law gives renters the right to end tenancies with two months' notice and enables them to better challenge poor conditions and unreasonable rent increases without fear of retaliatory eviction. A major shake-up means fixed-term assured tenancies and assured shorthold tenancies will be abolished and replaced with rolling periodic tenancies, meaning renters will no longer be tied into long contracts. But while the law has been passed, both tenants and landlords are still waiting for confirmation on how and when the reforms will be put in place. We explain what you need to know. Balance of power shift: The Act will rebalance landlord-tenant relations across England What is in the Renters' Rights Act? The Renters' Rights Act is a dramatic shake-up that brings in new rules on evicting tenants and how tenancies are structured. It will end long fixed-term tenancies, allow renters to leave with two months' notice, stop landlords getting rid of tenants without good reason, and bring the ability to challenge rent rises. There are other elements too. Bidding wars will we be ended and landlords will be stopped from demanding more than one month's rent upfront. The Act will ban landlords and agents from refusing renters because they have children or receive benefits. Renters will also be able to ask to keep a pet - something landlords can't say no to without a good reason. It will strengthen local authority enforcement designed to protect tenants and force landlords to urgently fix dangerous homes. A new Private Rented Sector Ombudsman will also offer swift, binding resolutions to tenants' complaints. 'Our historic Act marks the biggest leap forward in renters' rights in a generation,' said Steve Reed, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government. 'We are finally ending the injustice overseen by previous governments that has left millions living in fear of losing their homes. 'For decades, the scales have been tipped against tenants. Now, we're levelling the playing field between renters and landlords. 'We are tearing down the walls of injustice in the private rented sector and building a future where tenants are protected, respected and empowered. 'This is an historic moment for renters across the country and we're proud to deliver it.' When will the Renters' Rights Act take effect? While the law is bold and has been passed, tenants and landlords are still waiting for clarity on the implementation of the new rights. However, it is expected to take effect within the next six months. Government guidance says that in the coming weeks, ministers will outline how the reforms will be rolled out. Until there is clarity on this point, 'the job isn't finished', according to Tom Darling, director at the The Renters' Reform Coalition. 'We need to know when the bill will actually come into force, and that date must be as soon as possible,' says Darling. 'Renters have been waiting years for these changes and the stability and security they will bring, while rents, evictions and homelessness have soared. We can't afford to wait much longer.' However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is claiming the sector needs six months as a minimum to ready itself for the changes. How tenancies will change The Renters' Rights Bill will put an end to fixed-term tenancies with all rental agreements converting into rolling periodic ones. This means a landlord can't tie a tenant into a 12-month or longer contract, where they will have to pay rent even if they leave the property. Instead, all tenancies will be rolling, meaning a tenant can leave at any time provided they give the required notice of two months. It will apply retrospectively, so that even if someone is in the middle of a two or three-year rental agreement without a break clause, they should soon be able to serve two months' notice. The Government guidance states: 'the new tenancy system will apply to all private tenancies - existing tenancies will convert to the new system. 'A one-stage implementation will prevent a confusing two-tier system, and give all tenants security immediately.' Patrick Ansell, property litigation expert at Taylor Rose Law Firm says: 'Instead of running for a set period for example, 12 months - all new tenancies will be 'periodic' from the outset but with a protected period for the first 12 months. 'This means that the tenancy is, in effect, open-ended, and whilst tenants will be able to end their tenancy with two months' notice at any time, there will only be limited circumstances - such as rent arrears - that a landlord will be able to end it inside the first 12 months.' New freedoms: The reforms will give renters the right to end tenancies with two months notice How can landlords evict renters While no fault evictions are now abolished, landlords should still be able to recover their property in some circumstances. They will still be able to evict a tenant in order to sell the property or if they or family members are moving into it. But they will not be allowed to evict under these grounds within the first year of a tenancy and after that will need to give tenants four months' notice. The law includes safeguards to try to prevent landlords from abusing these eviction grounds. It's worth pointing out that there will be a 12-month restriction on re-letting where a landlord has given notice to sell. 'The Renter's Rights Bill will end Section 21 evictions for both new and existing tenancies, meaning landlords will no longer be able to evict a tenant without reason,' said Ansell. 'Landlords will still be able to evict tenants if they have a statutory ground for doing so, such as if the landlord intends to sell the property, the tenant is in rent arrears or commits anti-social behaviour, but they will only be able to do so using the amended Section 8 process.' At the core of the Act is the abolition of Section 21 no fault evictions - a practice that has pushed thousands into homelessness, according to the government Will landlords be able to increase the rent? Landlords will be able to increase rents, but they will be limited to doing so only once a year and at a level that matches the going market rate. Tenants will be able to appeal excessive above-market rents, which are purely designed to force them out. Under the new law, they will also be able to challenge their rent at a tribunal within six months of moving in to a property. Ansell adds: 'The bill will also seek to end bidding wars by preventing landlords from accepting rents higher than those originally advertised when a property is marketed, whilst it will no longer be possible for rent increases to be written into contracts to prevent mid-tenancy hikes, leaving landlords only able to raise rent once a year at the market rate via a statutory process. 'The Government believe this will help prevent spiralling rents and tenants from being pitted against one , which has become increasingly common.' The new laws will empower tenants to challenge poor conditions and unreasonable rent increases A landlord database There will also soon be a national private rented sector database that will require every landlord in England to register and list details of every property they let. The aim is to give local authorities and tenants a single source of information about who owns and manages each rental property. Landlords who fail to register will be unable to legally let their properties and face fines for not doing so. And they could even be subject to a landlord ombudsman, which will handle complaints from tenants and could force them to pay compensation. The government says the database is designed to help landlords understand their legal obligations and demonstrate compliance, alongside providing better information to tenants to make informed decisions when entering into a tenancy agreement. Pets allowed: The law will give tenants strengthened rights to request a pet in the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse What other things are changing? The act will make it illegal for landlords and agents to discriminate against prospective tenants in receipt of benefits or with children. Other important changes include tenants having strengthened rights to request a pet in the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. To support this, landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property. Landlords will also be held to higher standards over the homes they let out. The Decent Homes Standard will be applied to the private rented sector. This sets minimum standards that homes must meet and applies Awaab's Law - which sets strict timeframes for repairing dangerous hazards like damp and mould - to privately rented homes. These standards are already enforceable in social housing. Local authority enforcement will include civil penalties and introduce investigatory powers, bringing in a new requirement for local authorities to report on enforcement activity. It will also strengthen rent repayment orders on landlords, doubling the maximum penalty and ensuring repeat offenders have to repay the maximum amount. 'Whilst some of the new requirements for landlords could theoretically result in criminal prosecution for breaches of them, local authorities are to be granted wide powers to impose significant fines for non-compliance,' says Patrick Ansell. 'Landlords will also be at risk of Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) being applied for by tenants or local authorities in many circumstances also.' Higher standards: The new law will apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector to give renters safer, better value homes What should landlords do now? The balance of power between landlords and renters has undergone a seismic shift thanks to the new Act. Some landlords may consider selling up, but most will need to adapt. There are concerns of a wave of section 21 evictions before rules kick in, however. Patrick Ansell of Taylor Rose Law Firm says landlords need to first and foremost review their property portfolio. 'Firstly, if you are a landlord with multiple properties, now is the time to conduct a prompt review of your property portfolio,' he says. 'This is imperative so that you understand and can prepare for the implications of the new regime and ensure you are compliant from day one. 'Taking the time now to review the tenancy documents to establish any current or anticipated future non-compliance so that you can remedy the same and evidence your compliance is vital. 'Also if you have long-term plans for your propertiessuch as selling, refurbishing, or moving inkeeping clear records of these intentions could be crucial in supporting any future possession claims in the next few years.' Ansell also suggests identifying any tenants close to the end of a fixed term contract. He says: 'If you have tenants whose fixed term has already expired or is going to expire before the abolition of Section 21 notices, decide whether you want to serve a Section 21 notice upon them whilst you are still able. 'If you are happy for your tenant to remain in the property remember that any renewal is likely to be retrospectively impacted when the changes are implemented. For example, a contractual fixed term won't be of any effect. 'Also consider trying to agree a new rent with any existing tenants who are outside of the fixed term that you wish to keep before the new rules about rent increases become law.' The new national database will require all private landlords to register their properties. 'This will require further administration,' adds Ansell, 'so having your information in order now will save you the hassle later. 'Start by gathering all essential documentation well in advance, including Gas Safety Certificates, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), and electrical compliance reports (EICRs). 'These records will not only be necessary for registration but will also streamline your ability to make possession claims when needed.' Finally, it would be worth registering with the Ombudsman Scheme as soon as it becomes available, as participation will be mandatory. It will also be important to keep detailed records of all interactions with tenants, including maintenance requests and any agreements made. 'A well-documented history can be invaluable in preventing disputes and ensuring smooth resolutions should any issues arise,' says Ansell. GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Seven Palestinians, including children and an infant, were killed and four others injured on Tuesday evening in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip despite a declared ceasefire, the Palestinian Civil Defense said. According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the authorities in Gaza, five people, including children, were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a Tucson-type vehicle on Al-Qassam street in the southern city of Khan Younis. Rescue teams and paramedics rushed to the scene and transferred the victims to a nearby hospital. In a separate incident, the Israeli army targeted a three-story house belonging to the al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood in southern Gaza City, killing two people and injuring four others, including a child and an infant, Basal told Xinhua. The strike caused extensive destruction to the building and damaged nearby homes. Rescue teams continued searching for victims under the rubble, he added. Palestinian security and eyewitness sources said Israeli warplanes targeted several sites in and around Gaza City, while Israeli artillery shelling hit the outskirts of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, and eastern Khan Younis in the south. The Israeli military has not immediately commented on the incidents. In a press statement, Hamas condemned the Israeli bombardment across the Gaza Strip as "a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement," calling on mediators to "act immediately to pressure the Israeli occupation to halt its escalation against civilians in the Gaza Strip and to abide by all provisions of the agreement." Earlier Tuesday evening, Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that it had postponed the handover of the body of an Israeli hostage, accusing Israel of committing "violations" of the ceasefire agreement. Hamas said in a press statement that it had postponed the delivery that was scheduled for late Tuesday, warning that any Israeli escalation would "hinder ongoing search and excavation operations to retrieve bodies." The group said it had discovered the body earlier in the day during search operations inside a tunnel in southern Gaza. Hamas's statement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that he had instructed the military to carry out "immediate and powerful" strikes in Gaza, following what Israel said were violations of the ceasefire by Hamas. In a statement, Netanyahu said the order was issued following consultations with senior defense officials. Earlier in the day, Israel's state-owned Army Radio reported that Israeli forces fired artillery into the southern city of Rafah after Hamas fighters targeted Israeli troops with anti-tank weapons and sniper fire. In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Hamas denied any involvement in the incident, reaffirming its commitment to the ceasefire agreement. The development marked the latest exchanges of blame between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday for ceasefire violations. Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said the remains delivered by Hamas Monday night were body parts belonging to a hostage whose body had already been recovered by the Israeli army around two years ago. Also in the day, a Hamas source said Israel has rejected the entry of teams from the International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian factions into eastern Gaza City to search for the remains of Israeli captives. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the two incidents, one concerning the returned body on Monday night, and the other concerning Hamas's alleged attack in Rafah, marked "a clear red line" and that Hamas "will pay a heavy price" for the ceasefire violations, vowing military response "with great force." The Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent offensive has left more than 68,000 dead and 170,000 wounded in Gaza, according to Gaza-based health authorities. Since the new ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 94 Palestinians have been killed and 344 injured, the authorities said Tuesday. MINSK/MOSCOW, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov in Minsk, agreeing to coordinate foreign policy efforts against sanctions and legal aggression from the "collective West." The discussion on Monday focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and inter-ministerial ties, including expanding diplomatic representation and preparing for the annual joint meeting of the Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries' boards, scheduled for late November, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The ministers also shared aligned views on international issues and vowed to maintain mutual support on multilateral platforms. Special attention was given to diplomatic support for integration within the Union State, highlighting the creation of a shared humanitarian space and the protection of equal rights for citizens of both countries. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing Russia's initiative for a new Eurasian security and cooperation architecture, alongside Belarus's "Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century," now a joint project. Palestinians inspect the site where three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Qud, west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Oct. 28, 2025. Three Palestinian men were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua) RAMALLAH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Three Palestinian men were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. The General Authority of Civil Affairs informed the ministry of the killing of three men by Israeli gunfire in the village of Kafr Qud, west of Jenin, the ministry said in a brief statement. The Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that the Israeli forces stormed the village with military reinforcements, besieged a site, and fired live bullets. The bodies of the three young men were detained. Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that two of the killed men were its members and the three men were killed after an armed clash with the Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Qud. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Tuesday that during an operational activity in the area of Kafr Qud, Israeli forces conducted a "counterterrorism operation." "During the activity, the forces identified the terrorist cell in a cave and fired at them. Two terrorists were eliminated, and one was injured. After a short while, the IAF eliminated the additional terrorist," it said. Since early 2025, the Israeli army has conducted repeated raids in northern West Bank cities, including Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm, claiming to pursue Palestinian militants. A Palestinian inspects the site where three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Qud, west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Oct. 28, 2025. Three Palestinian men were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua) A Palestinian inspects the site where three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Qud, west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Oct. 28, 2025. Three Palestinian men were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua) Palestinians inspect the site where three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Qud, west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Oct. 28, 2025. Three Palestinian men were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua) A Palestinian inspects the site where three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Qud, west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Oct. 28, 2025. Three Palestinian men were killed by the Israeli forces on Tuesday in the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua) King Frederik X (C) and Queen Mary (L) of Denmark and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina pose for a photo prior to their talks in Riga, Latvia, Oct. 28, 2025. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics met with visiting King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, defense cooperation, security in the Baltic Sea region, and Ukraine situation. (Xinhua/Photo by Edijs Palens) RIGA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics met with visiting King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, defense cooperation, security in the Baltic Sea region, and Ukraine situation. Rinkevics said relations between Latvia and Denmark are based on a shared commitment to regional security and prosperity. He praised close cooperation between the two countries' defense industries and noted significant potential for collaboration in quantum engineering, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence. During their two-day state visit to Latvia, the Danish royal couple are also scheduled to meet with Parliament Speaker Daiga Mierina and Prime Minister Evika Silina. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics (L) welcomes visiting King Frederik X (C) and Queen Mary of Denmark at the Riga Castle in Riga, Latvia, Oct. 28, 2025. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics met with visiting King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, defense cooperation, security in the Baltic Sea region, and Ukraine situation. (Xinhua/Photo by Edijs Palens) Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics (L, front) and visiting King Frederik X (C, front) and Queen Mary (R, front) of Denmark greet local citizens after a flower laying ceremony at the Independence Stella monument in Riga, Latvia, Oct. 28, 2025. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics met with visiting King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, defense cooperation, security in the Baltic Sea region, and Ukraine situation. (Xinhua/Photo by Edijs Palens) Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics (R, front) and visiting King Frederik X (C, front) and Queen Mary (L, front) of Denmark attend an official welcome ceremony at the Riga Castle in Riga, Latvia, Oct. 28, 2025. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics met with visiting King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark here on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, defense cooperation, security in the Baltic Sea region, and Ukraine situation. (Xinhua/Photo by Edijs Palens) Veteran Kansas City radio personality Kelly Urich recently retired but now his adventures put him in the path of one of the biggest hurricanes to ever hit the carribiean. A quick glimpse of the sitch . . . "The most intense Atlantic hurricane of 2025 is closing in on Jamaica after days of torrential rain, strong winds and life-threatening storm surge across the Caribbean." Accordingly . . . Our blog community sends our very best wishes to Mr. Urich as he rides out the storm and shares his adventures with thousands of fans back home . . . Take a look via www.TonysKansasCity.com embed . . . BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020, in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline. The 44-day Second Karabakh War ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by Russian Interfax agency. Trend presents the interview: - Thank you, Mr. President, for finding the time for an interview with our agency despite your busy schedule. It was exactly one month yesterday since the counter- offensive of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces began in Nagorno- Karabakh. How would you assess this month from the point of view of the military- political settlement of the conflict? - The Azerbaijani army has demonstrated its advantage on the battlefield. Significant parts of the occupied territories have been liberated in one month. Given that the Armenian side had been building fortifications in the occupied lands for almost 30 years, there were several lines of defense. Also, the terrain itself is more favorable for the Armenian side. It is mountainous and our servicemen had to overcome both engineering fortifications and mountainous terrain when carrying out the counterattack. Despite all these factors, significant territories in the occupied lands of our country have been liberated in one month, and this shows that the Azerbaijani army is considered one of the most combat- effective armies in the world for a reason. According to the rankings periodically published by organizations that assess the military potential of countries, the Azerbaijani army is among top 50 armies in the world. The professionalism, training, combat effectiveness and, most importantly, fighting morale have certainly contributed to our success in many respects. And, of course, the equipment available to the Azerbaijani army. We have liberated the cities of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadli, a part of Khojavand district. The successful mission, the successful advance of the Azerbaijani army continues. I have said several times during this month that we want the settlement of the conflict to move from a military to a political phase. But, unfortunately, the Armenian side has grossly violated the ceasefire regime for the third time, attempted to re- occupy the territories we have liberated, and is pushing for a continuation of the confrontation. Therefore, I am answering your question again: the military- political settlement is the only possible way. We would like the military phase to end and issues of further de- occupation of Azerbaijani territories to be resolved at the negotiating table. - Mr. President, you noted that Baku is interested in completing the military phase as quickly as possible. How long do you think it can last at the present time and is Baku ready to be content with seven districts around Nagorno- Karabakh? - I have repeatedly said in my appeals to the Azerbaijani people and in numerous interviews this month that we are ready to stop at any moment, even today. But for this to happen, the Armenian side must commit to withdrawing its troops from the rest of the occupied territories. Therefore, I cannot predict how long the military confrontation will last. It depends on the Armenian side. As I said, their constant attempts to recapture our lands have failed. I think this should already be enough for them to understand that they will not achieve anything by military means. Unfortunately, on the political plane they are demonstrating a non- constructive approach, as I said, and have grossly violated the ceasefire three times. Based on this, of course, we will continue to plan on further action. As for the occupied territories, of course, the Azerbaijanis must return to all the occupied territories where they used to live, and this has always been my approach. Not only to the seven occupied districts outside Nagorno- Karabakh, outside the former Nagorno- Karabakh autonomous region, but also to the territories, to the lands they had lived on for centuries. First of all, these are Shusha, Khankandi and other lands that have been inhabited by Azerbaijanis for centuries. I also said that our vision for a settlement lies in the co- existence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani population of Nagorno- Karabakh. It so happened historically that the Armenian population has been living on these lands for 200 years. We all know the history of the resettlement of Armenians from Eastern Anatolia and Iran. But it so happened. They have lived there for 200 years. And we have no objection to the continued presence of the Armenian population. On the contrary, I have always said that thousands of citizens of Armenian nationality live in Azerbaijan, that Armenians and Azerbaijanis live together in neighboring countries and get along quite well. Why can't this be achieved in Nagorno- Karabakh? Our vision is this: Azerbaijanis should return to all the territories they lived in. The Armenian population should also live on this land. And in the conditions of good neighborliness, we will strive to heal the wounds of war. - So it means that Baku will not stop until Armenian servicemen withdraw from all the occupied territories. - We need the Armenian side in the person of its leadership to undertake a commitment to withdraw troops from the occupied territories. We haven't heard that yet. As soon as this commitment is made by the Armenian leadership and as soon as it is confirmed and approved by OSCE Minsk Group co- chairs, we are ready to stop military action immediately. And provided that the Armenian side also stops it because all three violations of the ceasefire were committed by the Armenian side. Four civilians, including a seven- year- old girl, were killed as a result of a cluster missile attack on Barda yesterday. This is not a conflict zone. So this is a flagrant violation of the ceasefire, which was agreed in Washington. Prior to that, the ceasefire agreed in Moscow was violated by the Armenian side the next day when they launched a ballistic missile from the territory of Armenia to Ganja. And as a result of this, 10 people died. As a result of the second ballistic missile attack on Ganja, even more people died. There are about 30 victims in a peaceful city. Therefore, it is not our fault that the ceasefire is not observed. Therefore, the Armenian side must undertake that they will withdraw from the occupied territories they are still holding under occupation: these include a part of Aghdam district, the entire Lachin district and most of Kalbajar district. And then we will be ready, of course, to move on to a political settlement. It will cover many aspects. In principle, we have accepted the fundamental principles, while the Armenian side has rejected them. But the Armenian prime ministers aggressive statement yesterday suggests that they say one thing to the mediators and do something completely different. - Mr. President, you have said that Baku is mainly committed to the fundamental principles. The first point of these principles was the liberation of five districts around Nagorno- Karabakh. But at present, four out of five districts have already been liberated by the Azerbaijani army. It turns out that, at a minimum, the fundamental principles are either not relevant or need some adjustment. - This will depend on the behavior of the Armenian side again. As you know, negotiations between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia are to be held in Geneva tomorrow. There we will see how committed the Armenian side is to the fundamental principles. After that, we will give our assessment of how relevant they are now not, although I have repeatedly stated during this month that Azerbaijan accepts them in general, there are certain aspects that do not suit us, of course, but we accept them in general. As for the return of five districts at the first stage, of course, this is no longer relevant because the fundamental principles determined the sequence of territories to be returned five districts at the first stage, and Kalbajar and Lachin districts at the second. Then comes the return of Azerbaijanis to the territory of Nagorno- Karabakh, in principle, the return of all refugees to the places of their original residence. We have almost completed the first stage. Therefore, if the Armenian side expresses its adherence to the fundamental principles, we will talk about an immediate transfer of Lachin, Kalbajar and a part of Aghdam district that are still under occupation to Azerbaijan. Thus, we will somewhat facilitate the work of mediators because one of the important issues will already be implemented and we will not have to wait for a second stage. It must come right away. If we agree on a political settlement, then Armenian troops should withdraw from Kalbajar and Lachin districts and a part of Aghdam district immediately. - You have already touched upon tomorrow's meeting of foreign ministers and outlined the overall expectations of Baku. I would like to clarify if Baku still expects the Armenian side to show constructivism and the negotiations to be more substantive, not abstract and broad? - I think we are still hopeful. Although the aggressive conduct of the Armenian side and the fact that they are flagrantly violating international law, the Geneva Conventions, and committing war crimes does not suggest that they are going to discuss the substance of the settlement issue, of course. Attacking peaceful cities with cluster munitions is a war crime. We have 69 civilians killed and more than 300 injured as a result of Armenian shelling. This is the face of Armenian fascism. At the same time, I think that the defeat we have inflicted on Armenia on the battlefield should nevertheless be a serious signal for them that they can no longer imitate things, deceive us, deceive the co- chairs of the Minsk Group and essentially evade substantive discussions. As for the process of negotiations, there was practically none for the past year, even more than a year. This was the first time this has happened since the 1994 truce. Because since then, the negotiations have been going on with varying degree of intensity and the parties have agreed on provisions of the fundamental principles. They did not fall from the sky. These were the principles proposed by the Minsk Group, its co- chairs, and agreed by the parties. Therefore, there was a process, albeit slow, and some progress was being made. But after the new government came to power in Armenia, they gave us and, as far as I know, the mediators, promises in the first year. But in the second year, they openly demonstrated their true intention that they would not give up a single centimeter of the land. Moreover, they threatened us with a new war for new territories. In fact, these were the words of their Minister of Defense who has been completely discredited as Minister of Defense both in the eyes of his own people and in the eyes of the world community. And after such a humiliating defeat, I am surprised he hasn't resigned yet. - What is your assessment of remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who on the one hand uses belligerent rhetoric but on the other hand says that Armenia should prepare for painful compromises, then changes his tone again? What is behind this? - It is hard for me to comment on this. I would probably abstain from an assessment of what is happening to the Armenian prime minister. Probably, this military defeat influenced his state, otherwise how one can explain the series of inconsistent statements and actions that are absolutely irrational and harmful, primarily for himself as the country's leader and dangerous and harmful for his country? Many people ask why the clashes happened now and not before. Even those who have a biased approach to Azerbaijan and openly support Armenia would ask this question. Twenty- six years have passed since the 1994 truce. There were clashes, there were victims over those years, but not on such a scale. So what has happened? Nothing has changed in Azerbaijan. I have been engaged in settlement of negotiations for 17 years, and I have gone a long way towards agreeing on the fundamental principles together with the two previous Armenian presidents. That is why it is clear to impartial observers that it is not our fault. This is the fault of the inappropriate, irrational, and dangerous conduct of the Armenian prime minister. No former Armenian leader ever allowed insulting innuendos regarding the Azerbaijani people. None of them allowed the Nagorno- Karabakh head to be inaugurated in Shusha. None of them prided themselves on the demonstrative violation of the Geneva Convention showing the resettlement of the Lebanese Armenians to Nagorno- Karabakh, including Shusha. And so on and so forth. So these are the results of the ill- conceived and dangerous activity of Prime Minister Pashinyan. I wouldn't comment on his statements inside the country. But what he does concerning the settlement is very dangerous for Armenia itself. Today, Armenia can clearly see this. That is why I think that the Minsk Group co- chairs should clearly raise this issue before the Armenian foreign minister, who, as I understand, is in a very difficult situation. He has to answer for the inappropriate conduct of his leader, and in fact he deserves sympathy. He will have to get himself out of this and somehow explain his series of inconsistent actions. On the one hand, he speaks about painful concessions, on the other hand, he says that there is no diplomatic solution. First, he says that he is ready for a compromise but then he says that he will defend Karabakh until the very end. On the one hand, he says that Karabakh is Armenia, but then he says that we should negotiate with Nagorno- Karabakh. This is an absolutely mutually exclusive palette of inadequacy. So I think that many issues of these will be clarified tomorrow. - In your latest address to the Azerbaijani people, you quite severely criticized the mediators for essentially being inactive. Does this mean that Baku will insist on changing the Minsk Group format? - I have spoken many times about the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group over the past month. And what I said in the address to the Azerbaijani people is the absolute truth. Any format, no matter what it is called and who it involves, should acknowledge its ineffectiveness if it doesn't fulfill the set task. And the set task has not been fulfilled. Although I cannot deny that the Minsk Group made attempts to reach a settlement, because fundamental principles were elaborated with its assistance. They worked and they proposed options. There were some things we didn't agree with, there were some things that the Armenian side didn't agree with. So that was a process that had lasted until Pashinyan came to power in Armenia. But from the point of view of effectiveness and efficiency, the Minsk Group, of course, didn't justify itself, I mean the activity of the co- chairs. Should the co- chairs be other countries, this could have been explained by their insufficient international weight, by their lack of authority to implement even the UN Security Council resolutions that they had adopted themselves. But when the Minsk Group co- chairs are three members of the UN Security Council, when three nuclear powers cannot exert pressure on Armenia, this, of course, raises a lot of questions. As for the composition, I have already said that the Minsk Group was set up in 1992. I don't know how it was set up and what principles underlie the choice of its members. But as I said, if we formed a contact group today, its composition would, of course, have been completely different. It would include countries that have their positions in the region and that have potential and authority in the world. Of course, I think the countries that are current co- chairs could probably remain there. But this is not a question for me, because the mechanism and the procedure of forming the Minsk Group and its co- chairs is the prerogative of the OSCE. I think that we should not cling to formalities in order to settle the conflict. The Minsk Group as such can continue working, but we should think about new cooperation mechanisms between the countries of the region in order to practically reach a political settlement. I think that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably meant the same when he spoke about this. - In this regard, some experts propose the 2+2 formula. How acceptable is it to Baku? - Two is Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the other two? - Turkey and Russia. - This would be acceptable to us, because Turkey and Russia are our neighbors and countries with which we have close mutual relations and countries with good potential for cooperation among themselves. It is enough to look at the history of the past few years. Turkey and Russia have reached a high level of mutual understanding on many issues, including the bilateral agenda and the international security agenda. We see that in Syria and in Libya, and in tackling issues of countering international terrorism, to say nothing of energy projects, economic, investment projects. Even before this escalation, I said that we have always welcomed the rapprochement of Turkey and Russia. I believe that this is an important factor of regional security. Considering that Armenian separatism is the main threat for us, and not only for us but for the entire region, I believe that combining the efforts of Turkey and Russia would benefit the region and could accelerate the political settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. - Mr. President, you have repeatedly said that the mediators should apply sanctions against Armenia in order to secure a breakthrough in the settlement process. What might be at issue? - I have been talking about it for a long time, but regrettably my calls remain unanswered. What sanctions could be applied? Sanctions that would make Armenia fulfill the UN Security Council resolutions and withdraw its troops from the occupied territories. For example, we could have a look at the sanctions that were imposed on Iraq after its occupation of Kuwait. Similar things took place from the point of view of international law. The internationally recognized territory of Kuwait was occupied by Iraq, war crimes were committed, ethnic cleansing occurred, and only the timely reaction of the international community helped stop this occupation. And that happened within a short period of time. Next, economic sanctions, an arms embargo were imposed on Iraq. Iraq became a no- fly zone. War criminals, who committed crimes against humanity, were brought to justice and sentenced. All these sanctions should be applied to Armenia. Even if one of these sanctions had been applied, I am sure the conflict would have been resolved long ago. There has simply been no political will and desire to apply these sanctions. And more likely the position that prevailed was that as long as there is no escalation, let's leave everything as it is. -Is it frozen? - Frozen, of course. Although everyone understood that this cannot last forever. Everyone understood this 10 years ago. The presidents of Russia, the US and France made statements, and said clearly many times that the status quo was unacceptable. Well, fine. We welcomed this, and I remember this was praised in our country, I commented on this. But what happened next? Then they began to depart from this thesis gradually, stopped voicing it and invented a new thesis that the status quo is unstable. And we can clearly understand that these are completely different things. So the co- chairing countries moved away even from a political attempt to exert pressure on Armenia. And it was common knowledge that the status quo was unstable. And recent events proved this. This is why, let me repeat that again, it is not too late to apply sanctions in order to end the conflict as soon as possible. I think that co- chairing countries should seriously think about what sanctions could be applied against the aggressor in order to make them leave the occupied lands. - Do you think that the co- chairs managed to remain entirely neutral over the month of the military phase? - Every country, including Azerbaijan, can have its own foreign political priorities. We have closer relations with some countries and less close with others. Our relations with some countries are based on historical factors and with others on pragmatic factors. That is why we have always treated with understanding the fact that there are very well structured and active Armenian communities in the co- chairing countries, in the US, in France, and in Russia. Even when we analyzed this situation, it is very hard to tell where they have greater influence on decision- making. That is why we have always taken and are taking this factor into account. If there were some deviations at the first stage of hostilities that made us doubt their neutrality, I think now everything is fine- tuned. My contacts with the leaders of the co- chairing countries, as well as, I am sure, international support that Azerbaijan got, resulted in the fact that we can see this neutrality now. Once again, what some people have on their mind is not our business, but, of course, the mediators must adhere to international law and neutrality, otherwise they will just forfeit the right to be mediators. A mediator must be impartial, it must leave emotions at home or leave them for the bilateral format, and as part of the settlement it must take into account the mandate that the OSCE gave it and the desire to settle the conflict in line with international law rather than in line with the wishes of Azerbaijan or Armenia. - You have said recently said that there will be no referendum in Nagorno- Karabakh. This is the new reality. Does this mean that Azerbaijan has changed its position, made it tougher? - I have been talking about this for 17 years, and the OSCE Minsk Group co- chairs know my position. I dont remember how many co- chairs have changed over these years, how many diplomats have been co- chairmen, but all of them can confirm that I have always said that there will never be a referendum on the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. Moreover, if we look at the fundamental principles, there is no such word as 'referendum' there. There is a certain wording related to the expression of will, to self- determination there. We have always said that self- determination is an important principle of international law, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity of a country. Secondly, a country's territorial integrity cannot be changed without the consent of this country. And I naturally adhere to this position today: we will not let a second Armenian state be set up on Azerbaijan's territories. If someone is willing to create a second Armenian state, let them give a part of their territory and let them create it there. - Armenia says that it can recognize the independence of Nagorno- Karabakh if hostilities continue. At the same time, there are calls for countries and international organizations to recognize Karabakh. How likely is this? And what could it lead to? - What you are asking about once again proves the inconsistency and insincerity of the incumbent Armenian authorities, because while failing to recognize Nagorno- Karabakh themselves, they want other countries do that. And their regular blackmailing and threats that they will recognize Nagorno- Karabakh in case of escalation turned out to be yet another bluff. Military confrontation on Karabakh has lasted for more than a month. Why haven't they recognized Nagorno- Karabakh yet? It is very easy to do, let them just say that they recognize it. This is the essence of their policies, when they have been always trying for many decades, but regrettably they have sometimes succeeded under the cover of other states to have other states solve their problems. This is the essence of the ideology of the present- day Armenian state. It is based on very deep historical roots, it has been this way for the whole history. If we look at the past 200 years of the history of the Caucasus, we can see how many wars started because of them, how many provocations they caused for other countries, and then going to the backstage, hiding behind someone's backs reaped the fruits of confrontation and the fruits of shedding the blood of other peoples. We know the history of their appearance in the Caucasus well. Historically, there was no Armenian ethnicity in the region. How did they get here? This was their way, trickery, cunning attempts to use a cat's paw to take roasting chestnuts from a fire. They are doing the same now. Hence my call for them in response recognize Nagorno- Karabakh, recognize its right today. By the way, I have spoken about it quite recently. Let them recognize Nagorno- Karabakh today, but asking other countries to do this once again proves the inappropriateness of the Armenian leadership and very low political literacy. That is why if the Armenian leadership knew at least the basics of international politics a little, it would understand that the whole world recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. It is common knowledge that we joined the UN and other international organizations as a single state encompassing Nagorno- Karabakh. The Non- Aligned Movement 120 countries voices unambiguous support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. The European Union 27 countries our document with the EU states the support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of Azerbaijan's borders. Altogether there are almost 150 countries. Should we add the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which, however, includes some NAM members but there are other countries that are not represented in the NAM, we get the whole international community. Because of Armenia, its whim and caprice to recognize Nagorno- Karabakh, to spoil relations with Azerbaijan, and not just to spoil, as I said this will immediately lead to the rupture of diplomatic relations with any country that will do so, no- one will just do that. Moreover, they don't recognize it themselves. Moreover, they are aggressors in line with the reality on the Earth and in line with UN resolutions. This is why this is a very indecent attempt to pull somebodys chestnuts out of the fire. - Russia has proposed deploying military observers in the conflict zone. Prime Minister Pashinyan in general agreed to deploying peacekeepers to the conflict zone and didn't rule out that these could be Russian peacekeepers. So is it observers or peacekeepers? What is the position of Baku? - This issue is reflected in the fundamental principles, but we have never seriously discussed it because we simply didn't get to it. It was planned to dispatch peacekeepers to the region at the final stage of the settlement, when the aftermath of the occupation is mitigated, when refugees return to Nagorno- Karabakh, then, yes, in order to ensure that Azerbaijani and Armenian population can live side by side, disengagement forces will be needed at the first stage. But the fundamental principles don't state for how long they should be deployed and what countries they should consist of. Simply because we didn't reach it. First of all, all main provisions of the agreement must be agreed on. As for the desire of the Armenian prime minister to see peacekeepers in the conflict zone, then firstly, this is none of his business, because when we speak about the conflict zone, we should understand that this is Azerbaijan's territory. If we speak about peacekeepers at the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, this is another issue. But as far as I understand, it is the Azerbaijani territory that is in question now, that is why we should have the final say. And since this topic wasn't broadly discussed, I think it is premature to speak about it. But for my part I would like to note that when we speak about it, we should firstly understand what mandate possible observers would have and where they would be deployed. One should understand that there is no contact line, so where will their posts be? Armenia breaches international law and ceasefire, shelling our cities. Just recently, Euronews aired footage that clearly shows a flying missile flying. And it was flying to our cities rather than military positions. So where they will be, what mandate, composition, numbers, arms, and functions will they have, and who will ensure their security? These questions require very thorough examination, and only afterwards will we be able to say whether we agree to it or not. That is why it is so far premature. - In general, do military officials of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia discuss any mechanisms of ceasefire monitoring? - No, there are no such discussions now. - Are you ready to go to Moscow for negotiations on Karabakh with the Armenian prime minister? And on what conditions? - I haven't received such an invitation. I have repeatedly taken part in trilateral meetings between the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, but there have been no such meetings since Pashinyan came to power in Armenia. These meetings were with the previous presidents of Armenia, and I have never avoided such meetings. I considered them to be very positive, because Russia as a co- chair of the Minsk Group plays a special role in the settlement, and historically Russia has always maintained close ties with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia is very actively cooperating politically and economically with Azerbaijan and Armenia these days, it is our neighbor. Therefore, it is natural that most of these meetings have been held in Russian territory, but there have been no such meetings with Pashinyan. I don't know how efficient they are going to be now with regard to the Armenian leadership. But if such a proposal is made, we have always viewed them positively and will continue to do so. - Does this mean that you are ready to go if there is such an invitation? - Yes, and without any preconditions as you have said. This is evident from the fact that our foreign ministers will be meeting in Geneva tomorrow also without any preconditions. Moreover, I would like to say that, when the conflict only just began, our foreign minister had plans to visit Geneva to meet with the co-chairs, and he did go there. And the Armenian foreign minister, who had planned to travel there a week before, in early October, refused to go. And when a proposal from Moscow came on a meeting between the foreign ministers to coordinate a humanitarian ceasefire, our foreign minister flew there from Geneva. In other words, we are not setting any terms, but again, I really doubt that the current Armenian authorities are capable of constructively working toward a settlement. - Prime Minister Pashinyan has repeatedly said that Turkish troops are directly involved in hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. It was also said that Pakistani special units are also involved. Your comment? - These are yet more of Pashinyans lies. I must say that there were no such things in my contacts with previous Armenian presidents. Yes, we are adversaries, we cannot have positive attitudes towards each other, but there have never been such open lies and such allegations at the negotiating table. This is all lies. There are no Turkish special units there. I have repeatedly said that, and there is no such need. He has now said that some kind of Pakistani special units are present here, and by the way I think he got a note of protest in return. This is nonsense, there is no such thing. These are all attempts to firstly engage other countries into the conflict, make it international in order to conceal his shameful defeat, saying that allegedly it is not Azerbaijan that beats us up on the battlefield, but Turkish and Pakistani special units. He has recently made a ridiculous statement as I was told that the terrorists Azerbaijan had allegedly brought from Syria to Azerbaijan sneaked into Russia and staged a terrorist attack in Grozny. Just understand that this is absolute nonsense. Russian special services know for sure who staged the terrorist attack. Previously, he said that Turkey's F- 16 brought down Armenia's Su- 25. Everyone knows this is a lie. Such things are monitored by Russia and other co-chairing countries. We live in the era of technologies and nothing can be hidden. This was simply idiocy when he said that it wasn't Armenia that had launched ballistic missiles against Ganja, because any launch of a ballistic missile is monitored. Russia, America and France are well aware that this missile was launched and what combat mission it had. The combat mission was to hit a residential neighborhood, and another residential neighborhood for the second time. We have no military bases, no military towns in Ganja. He is simply lying. And he says it was not us, when hundreds of journalists take horrible footage of these destructions, when foreign diplomats give interviews right from the destruction site, Pashinyan says that it was not Armenia. Then who? Did we strike at Ganja ourselves? Just imagine the level of deceit and, what is more, idiocy. Any reasonable person should understand that this is impossible to hide. It is yet another lie when he speaks about Pakistani and Turkish special units. He will say tomorrow that Martians were brought there in order to liberate territories. Anything can be expected from him. - I would still like to specify Turkey's future role in the conflict settlement... - We see Turkey's role in the settlement as effective. Turkey is a fraternal state to us. Turkey is the only country of the world that borders on three South Caucasian countries. Turkey today has a decisive say in many discussions not only on a regional but also on a global scale. Turkey pursues an absolutely independent foreign policy, thus evoking, as far as I know, much irritation among those who have got used to ordering everyone about. That is why I think Turkey, as a secure partner and friend of Azerbaijan, which has also have very close relations with Russia, will definitely play an important role. It is already playing this role, and the fact that the presidents of Russia and Turkey, the foreign ministers, and the defense ministers are in constant contact with each other discussing these questions proves that Turkey is already engaged, whether Armenia likes it or not. But I am certain that Armenia is forced to recognize and accept this. - Is there a risk that the Azerbaijani- Armenian conflict will escalate into a regional confrontation involving big states? - Frankly speaking, I cannot fully rule this out, but I must say that for our part we will take no actions that could lead to this, there will be no provocations that would make this conflict international. We dont need this, and I have said many times over the past month that we are against this, and I called on countries to show restraint and not to interfere. I am glad this is happening this way. Although Armenia's constant attempts to make this conflict international and constant requests of the Armenian leadership for Russia to almost send its troops to fight on Armenia's side are exactly what I was talking about - to pull somebodys chestnuts out of the fire. That is why I am sure that regional countries, and these are the countries that Azerbaijan enjoys close historical, cultural, political and trustworthy relations with Russia, Turkey, Iran, Georgia will naturally abstain from any actions that would play into the aggressor's hands. - Not long ago President Putin said that the death toll of the current escalation on both side is about 5,000 people. Do you have the same data? - I said that we would publish the number of killed servicemen after the war is over. As for civilians, we are making data public. I told you about 69 people killed and more than 300 wounded. As for the losses, I can say what losses Armenia could have according to our estimates. Just look, simple arithmetic, 256 tanks were destroyed as of yesterday, the figure is growing day to day, just multiply it by how many crewmembers there are, three or four this is almost 1,000. Next, over 50 infantry fighting vehicles were destroyed, it is roughly clear how many people are there. Hundreds of artillery guns, and each of them has several people, six S-300 systems, about 40 OSA air defense systems, the TOR, KUB, KRUG systems, more than 400 trucks and the majority of them carried personnel and ammunition when they were destroyed. If we just calculate these figures... And how many people were killed in trenches? We were in those trenches, the contact lines the footage is on the Internet. So according to our information, 5,000 Armenian troops may have been killed, and the number of wounded during war, as a rule, is two to three times higher. As for our losses, I have said we will make them public after the fighting is over. But I have to say that they are a lot less, and bearing in mind the nature of the combat clashes, the difficult terrain, and the fortifications that the Armenians have built for 30 years, I believe that every human life is priceless, but our losses are minimal, bearing in mind all these factors. - Military experts believe that Azerbaijan managed to minimize its losses during the active stage of hostilities thanks to the active use of drones. What is the reason for using drones? - Of course, the arsenal of the Azerbaijani army consists not only of drones. We have modern air defense systems made in Russia, in Israel, in Belarus; several air defense systems are crisscross, which shoot down the bulk of missiles being sent from Armenian territory. Unfortunately, we can't shoot down all of them. Our armor is the most modern: upgraded T-72 tanks, the most modern T-90 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, modern artillery that has a very long range. This includes Polonez rockets, LORA, Extra, Kasirga, etc. Our approach to the arming of our army was not one-sided. But modern methods of warfare, of course, are different from those we had back in 1990s, and so unmanned aviation is an important factor of our combat capabilities, especially considering such fortified areas. That is why even the footage that we show on the Internet, just believe me that it is almost nothing compared to what is happening. This is what we can show. They dug everything they could there. They have many kilometers of interconnected tunnels, rat holes where they get to as soon as they hear noise. There is a rat hole near every gun. That is why it would have been very hard to destroy this without modern hardware, this would result in a large number of casualties. We destroyed many Grad systems, and in this case unmanned aviation, Turkish and Israeli drones, helped us very much. By using UAVs, we destroyed at least six S-300 air defense systems. In addition, modern UAVs conduct reconnaissance themselves, apart from independently carrying out strikes. They also coordinate artillery, which strikes afterwards. This is why it is an important factor of our success. But as I said, Azerbaijani soldiers and officers are liberating the lands, raising the flag. Because this is our heritage, and it is not by accident that the Azerbaijani army is considered as one of the most effective. I already know that this experience has been studied. In general, this experience will be useful for many countries in order to plan father military build-up. And even for us. I recently held a meeting with the military and said that we should analyze both successes and shortcomings. And in the future, when we buy military hardware, we should be guided by experience in terms of what we need and what lies idle in storage depots. - You spoke about Azerbaijan's civilian losses. What is the reaction of the international community to this? Does it condemn it or does everything end with calls to Baku and Yerevan to stop shelling each other? - Yes, this is so. And this is not news for us. What kind of condemnation of Armenia has there been over these years of occupation? Has it been condemned? There has been none. Has anyone condemned Armenia for occupation? Yes, UN Security Council resolutions were adopted in 1993, yes, we then attained the adoption of UN General Assembly, the Non-Aligned Movement and even the European Parliament resolutions. Of course, they created a judicial framework, a legal framework for the settlement. But we have heard no condemnation. Even when it was clear that Armenia breached the ceasefire, not a single day elapsed after the ceasefire was agreed on in Moscow when they attacked Ganja. And now, a day after the ceasefire was agreed on in Washington and they begged for one, they begged for a ceasefire in Moscow and now, and what was reached thanks to the efforts of the French side not a single day passed before they shelled Barda. And before that they fired at a funeral procession in Tartar. Four people were killed there. These are inhumane actions. This proves who we have to war against. This means there are no moral norms, no honor, dignity, and no understanding of how wars are fought. You know, everyone, even an adversary, even an enemy, should be respected to a certain extent, because there are rules, in particular for fighting wars. There is nothing of the kind for the Armenian side. That is why we didn't pin much hope on condemnation. Fraternal Turkey backs us, Pakistan openly supports us. The Turkish president, the Pakistani prime minister have repeatedly voiced their support for us. Many countries support us. And when we say international community, almost every time the Western world is meant. But we haven't expected any sympathy from there. - Could attacks on Azerbaijan's energy infrastructure, in particular Mingachevir and oil and gas pipelines, create certain risks for supplies of Azerbaijan's oil and gas to the global market? - If they do what they promised, that is, the bombardment of the Sangachal terminal, or our oil and gas pipelines, this will certainly pose some risks. I think that they will be condemned in this case. As it is European consumers who need this oil and gas most of all. It is no secret that the gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to a certain extent, certainly not to a large extent, but somehow contributes and will contribute to energy security of some European countries. As for the oil supplies, some European Union countries get 40 to 50 percent of their oil from Azerbaijan today. If something happens to these oil and gas pipelines, Armenia will face already serious international pressure. However, this does not stop them. They attempted to bomb the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline. This is a pipeline that connects Azerbaijan and Russia, a country Armenia constantly demands special relations from without giving anything in return. Absolutely nothing in both the political sense and international support. It is hard to expect anything different from the Soros team. That is why the bombardment of the electric power plant in Mingachevir is aimed at destroying Azerbaijans energy system. This, of course, will have an effect to a certain extent, but we have already set up a branched power supply network, and new electric power plants. This proves the predatory nature of the Armenian side. It is another thing that we have destroyed the majority of these missiles in mid-air, intercepted them, and some of them did not explode. This also speaks about their military potential. But such a threat certainly does exist, and we should respond to it adequately. I have always said and continue saying that despite the barbaric bombardment of Barda, where a seven-year-old girl was killed and several more children were injured, I say that we are not them. We will respond on the battlefield, we will respond by liberating new lands, by raising the flag in new cities. We will bomb neither cities nor civilians. Let me give you an absolutely recent example. It is an exchange of dead bodies and prisoners in question. Basically, this subject was first mentioned for humanitarian reasons in Moscow on 10 October. We contacted the Red Cross to say, 'Let's organize a swap.' Moreover, I will give you further detail. I have ordered to maximally preserve the bodies of Armenian servicemen in refrigerators or cold places. We all understand what happens to human bodies... - They are decaying... - Yes, absolutely right. And the Armenian side refuses to take them every time. It says every time, let's do it where battles are under way. So, you understand, to put the lives of civilians in jeopardy. We say no. We have a state border. Let's do it in Tovuz district, in Gazakh district. Let's do it there. So yesterday, I decided to unilaterally hand over the bulk of the bodies of the killed Armenian servicemen. Plus, we have two civilians. These are elderly people who we are also handing over. And so we tried to do it yesterday. We sent cars with the bodies toward the border. We involved the office of the OSCE and the Red Cross. But the Armenian side doesn't accept them. You see, it doesn't take the dead! What are we talking about? How can this even be commented on? What norms of human moral does this fit into? That is why we will transfer the bodies in any case. Currently, we are looking at transferring their civilians and killed people via Georgia. But if they refuse to accept them, I just don't know what to do. This is who we are fighting with, you see. Everyone should understand this. These are all their false and whining assurances. Their cries, their moans, these are just crocodile tears. We know this well. That is why the Russian public shouldn't be deceived by these lies and slander. Yes, it is clear that they got incorporated deep into Russias agencies. But that is not all. They are also there in France and America. They are in the media, they sometimes create a public background. But people should understand who we are fighting against and understand that we are right. We are fighting on our own land, and they are dying on our land. - You have repeatedly said that the military phase of the conflict will end sooner or later. If Karabakh and seven districts are returned, how could this affect the pace of Azerbaijan's economic development? - It is hard to say. You know, there are different assessments. Of course, the return of large territories under our control is a big potential for growth and development, primarily in agriculture and tourism spheres. Because the Karabakh region is one of the most beautiful and bountiful regions of our country. It is rich in natural resources gold, zinc, lead. By the way, Armenia illegally produces gold in Kalbajar together with some foreign companies. But we, of course, will hold all of them to account through relevant legal procedures. That is why prospects of this region will be very important for the sustainable development of Azerbaijan and for ensuring food security, primarily. But one should understand that this will entail enormous financial expenditures at the initial stage. - Restoration... - Yes, of course. The footage that we demonstrate show that there is no house left there. When we liberated Fuzuli, we were unable to find a single building intact - just imagine. In the whole city. And tens of thousands people lived there. No building. I was called, and I said raise the flag on a flagpole. Do you understand? This is what they did. And look at the ruins of Aghdam, Jabrayil district. Everything is in ruins. It looked as if barbarians were there, not people. They took everything away, roofs, windows, toilets, sinks. They are just thieves. That is why we will face enormous expenditures. Infrastructure, roads, communications, housing, administrative buildings. Let me put it this way, at the first stage from the point of view of the gross domestic product this will probably have a positive impact on the construction industry, employment, and everything related to the production of construction materials. But from the point of view of expenditures, these will run to many billions. We will calculate the damage. I have already ordered, given instructions to set up temporary command offices in liberated territories. I issued this order just a few days ago. We will take stock of everything that is left there, we will assess the damage inflicted there. Naturally, later, at the stage when our people will return there, we will employ relevant legal procedures and hold the aggressor accountable. So I think in the long run, I think, in five or ten years this will add a good impetus to the non-oil industries, while this will be very costly in the short run. But there are no material dimensions that would stop us from restoring Karabakh and make it one of the most beautiful and comfortable place for living on earth. - And my last question. What is your vision of the geopolitical development of the situation and alignment of forces in the region after the Karabakh conflict is settled? - I believe the situation will certainly be different from what it used to be before the conflict. We have changed the geopolitical lie of the land in the region in many respects. It has already been changed, and a lot of stereotypes have become outdated - for instance, such a stereotype as confrontation between Russia and NATO. Now look: Russia and Turkey, a NATO member, have far more sincere and trusting relations than Turkey, a NATO member, has with some other country. It didn't use to be this way. This is a new reality. That is why this very structured stereotypic geopolitical thinking is being consigned to history. I think this is a positive factor. So we have to proceed from the reality. And politicians shape the reality by their actions. I think our region today sees a very positive format of cooperation between leading policy-makers, who determine the region's agenda and are focused on cooperation. After all, we can talk about active cooperation between Turkey, Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan in both trilateral and bilateral formats these days. I think one day we will start working in a quadrilateral format as well. This would be natural from the historical, economic, transport and geopolitical standpoints, and what is most important, from the standpoint of strengthening security in this region. That is why Armenia should not remain foreign matter on the body of the Caucasus. It was the last to come here, and the Armenian state was created artificially on the lands that it never owned. I have said many times that the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic gave Yerevan to Armenia. This is a historical fact. On 29 May 1918, a day after the foundation of the republic was announced, Yerevan was given to Armenia. When this issue was being discussed, members of the legislative body from Yerevan were against it, but their opinion was ignored. So this is how Yerevan was given away, as simply as that. But, as they say, what is to be, will be. Armenia shouldn't be a foreign body. It must end the occupation and normalize relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. This would only benefit them, believe me, this would only benefit them. All communications would be opened, and they would become part of energy and transport integration projects, they would become part of the common security system. After all, look, Turkey is buying S-400 systems from Russia. This is an absolutely new security system. This is not just the purchase of an air defense system, but this is a step toward a new security system and mutual confidence. This can't be accomplished without mutual confidence. We bought S-300 from Russia a long time ago, this is also a factor of mutual confidence, you see. Therefore, this arrangement in the region benefits all. Armenia should come to understand that it is being marginalized, and nobody will fight for it. And whats next? If it continues confrontation with us, if it keeps making territorial claims on Turkey, well, it should understand, how can it oppose us? But we don't want this opposition. We want peace, despite all the pain and tragedies that they have inflicted on our people. Therefore, I believe that geopolitical realities should be developing positively. At least as far as we are concerned, we will be doing all we can to make this happen. - Thank you for your detailed answers. -Thank you BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020, in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline. The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity. First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has shared a post on her official Instagram account on another missile attack by the Armenian armed forces on Barda. Trend presents the post: "On this day, the armed forces of Armenia have made another attack inhuman by its cruelty against civilians of the Azerbaijani city of Barda. In the aftermath of this strike, 21 persons are killed while 70 people have got serious injuries. The number of victims, unfortunately, continues its rise. Such barbaric attacks show that the atrocities of Armenians have no limits. Furthermore, each attack on civilian population of Azerbaijan proves the total moral degradation of insane military and political leadership of Armenia. The aim of these attacks is clear: to frighten the Azerbaijani people and force our Army to give a retaliatory blow into the territory of Armenia to make possible the engagement of third parties into the conflict. Hence, our enemy must know that nothing will oblige us to reverse from this right pathway. Each strike does nothing but makes us stronger and convinces us about the necessity of completion of the Sacred Mission of liberation of the occupied territories from Armenian aggressors. I express my deep condolences to the families of the dead and wish the soonest recovery of the injured. In these days when the Azerbaijani Army is pressing the enemy on battlefield, we should keep up our unity and be strongly united around our President. Only being united into a staunch fist, we will obtain the triumphant justice because Karabakh is Azerbaijan! May Almighty Lord bless our Motherland and the Azerbaijani people!" BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The 15th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belarus is being held in Baku, Trend reports. The session is co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and Co-Chair of the Commission, Samir Sharifov, and Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Natalia Petkevich. The talks will be all about putting the Roadmap for Cooperation into action for the years 2024-2025, while also keeping an eye out for golden opportunities in joint projects across various fields like industry, agriculture, mechanical engineering, urban development, pharmaceuticals, vocational education, transport and logistics, trade, and investment. To note, the delegations, spearheaded by the co-chairs, are slated to conduct a site visit to the Fuzuli and Aghdam districts in Azerbaijan on October 29, 2025, where they will assess a multitude of active initiatives. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Chairman of the Pakistani Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has arrived in Azerbaijan to participate in the International Parliamentary Conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, a source in the country's parliament told Trend. He was welcomed at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport by the Deputy Chairman of the Parliament Musa Gasimli, the Head of the Parliamentary Working Group on Inter-Parliamentary Relations with Pakistan Kamaladdin Gafarov, and other officials. To note, the conference, scheduled for October 29, will focus on the theme "The Constitution as the Foundation of State Independence and Sovereignty in the Modern World." Delegates from nearly 20 national parliaments, alongside representatives from five international organizations, are anticipated to participate in the event. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Chairman of the Romanian Parliament Senate Mircea Abrudean has arrived in Azerbaijan to participate in the International Parliamentary Conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, a source in the Azerbaijani parliament told Trend. He was welcomed at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport by the Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijani Parliament Rafael Huseynov and other officials. To note, the conference, scheduled for October 29, will focus on the theme "The Constitution as the Foundation of State Independence and Sovereignty in the Modern World." Delegates from nearly 20 national parliaments, alongside representatives from five international organizations, are anticipated to participate in the event. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The state visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Kazakhstan was more than a diplomatic headline it marked a shift toward systemic integration across Central Asia. In a world where global trade routes are being redrawn under the weight of sanctions, energy transition, and technological nationalism, the region stretching between the Caspian Sea and the Tien Shan Mountains is emerging as a laboratory for a new kind of Eurasian connectivity. The central question now confronting analysts is this: can Central Asia relying on its own resources, infrastructure, and strategic alliances carve out an independent trajectory, free from the gravitational pull of traditional power centers? The answer is beginning to take shape in the regions growing network of pragmatic partnerships. And Azerbaijan is not merely observing this evolution its architecting it. President Ilham Aliyevs trip to Kazakhstan, alongside a string of recent agreements between Baku and Tashkent, Ashgabat, and Bishkek, signals the formation of a new Caspian axis a durable, multi-layered partnership linking transportation, energy, digital technology, and industrial cooperation. If the 1990s were an era of declarative projects and symbolic formats, today the region has matured. Its nations are learning to think in terms of complementarity rather than competition. The economic interests of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan now intersect not in empty communiques, but in projects backed by capital, engineering, and digital integration. The Middle Corridor: From Transit Route to Economic Sovereignty When China launched its Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, few in Europe or Asia took alternative routes seriously. The northern path through Russia seemed the natural successor to Soviet logistics, while the southern route via Iran looked redundant. But those corridors are now congested or politically radioactive. Thats why the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route the so-called Middle Corridor has become the beating artery of a new Eurasian economy. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are the two critical operators of this corridor. Their partnership is evolving from logistical to strategic. In 2024, freight volume along the route grew by more than 50 percent compared to 2022, reaching 3.2 million tons. The International Transport Forum projects that number could surpass 10 million tons by 2030 growth rates comparable only to the booming IndiaMiddle East maritime routes and Mediterranean port hubs. This surge isnt an accident; its the outcome of political resolve. Azerbaijan, acting as the connective tissue between the Caspian and the Black Sea, is transforming Baku into a multimodal powerhouse an energy, rail, maritime, and digital hub. The Port of Alat is now viewed as a strategic node of a new Caspian globalism an idea that sees the Caspian not as a border, but as a bridge linking Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Europe. For Kazakhstan, investing in the Middle Corridor is a way to diversify its export lifelines and reduce dependence on Russian routes. With Western sanctions tightening around Russian banks and transport operators, building logistics autonomy has become not just an economic goal but a national security imperative. The 15 bilateral agreements signed during President Ilham Aliyevs visit spanning energy, tech, and infrastructure institutionalize this trend. Energy Synergy: Oil, Power, and Data Infrastructure The Middle Corridor cannot thrive without its energy backbone. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are already expanding oil transit through the BakuTbilisiCeyhan pipeline, which currently supplies about 6 percent of Southern Europes oil imports. By 2026, Kazakh crude could reach 15 million tons per year through this route. For Baku, that means evolving into a redistribution hub for Caspian energy; for Astana, its a safeguard against geopolitical turbulence. Equally transformative is the project to lay a deepwater cable along the Caspian seabed, linking the power grids of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. According to World Bank estimates, it could anchor the Caspian Green Arc an energy cluster that would connect Central Asias renewable output with Europes consumption needs. Wind and solar power from Aktobe and Mangystau could flow through Baku and the Black Sea into European grids. This isnt just about moving oil and gas anymore. Its about building a trans-Eurasian infrastructure of the future a network that moves energy, data, and digital standards alongside physical goods. Its no coincidence that digitalization and artificial intelligence featured prominently in the AzerbaijanKazakhstan agreements: they form the technological backbone of this new connectivity. Investment, Industry, and the Rise of a New Industrial Geography Kazakhstan is entering a phase of industrial transformation. The launch of the Kia Qazaqstan plant in Kostanay isnt merely a factory opening its a symbol of a structural shift from state-led investment to private foreign capital and technology transfer. Nearly 90 percent of the $280 million invested came directly from Kia Corporation an unprecedented move for Central Asia. Projects like this create technological bridges between East Asia and Central Eurasia, signaling that the region is no longer just a supplier of raw materials but a manufacturing platform integrated into global value chains. Viewed through the lens of President Ilham Aliyevs visit, its clear that Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are aligning their industrial strategies to foster joint ventures from machine-building to energy equipment production. Yet challenges remain. Sanctions targeting Kazakhstans banking system have introduced new strains into the Eurasian financial ecosystem. The EUs restrictions on subsidiaries of Russias VTB, Sberbank Kazakhstan, and Alfa Bank highlight the fragmentation of the post-Soviet financial space. In this environment, Azerbaijan with its stable financial links to Turkey, the EU, and Gulf countries has emerged as a natural partner for Kazakhstan and other regional economies seeking resilient settlement and investment mechanisms. The story unfolding between Baku and Astana is not just about trade or transport; its about reimagining Central Eurasia as a zone of strategic agency where nations no longer orbit others, but chart their own gravitational paths. Central Asia Between Europe and Asia: Scenarios of Sovereign Modernization Uzbekistan: Between Brussels and Beijing In June 2025, Uzbekistan and the European Union signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) in Brussels a milestone that goes well beyond bureaucratic symbolism. It signals Tashkents evolution from a multi-vector diplomacy model to a new framework of interdependence. For the EU, struggling with its own dependence on external supplies of energy and raw materials, reliable partners in Eurasia have become a strategic necessity. Uzbekistan rich in gold, uranium, copper, and rare earth elements has landed squarely in the middle of this emerging geo-economic map. According to the World Bank, between 2020 and 2024, direct EU investment in Uzbekistan grew by 43 percent, while trade with Europe now accounts for nearly 10 percent of the countrys total turnover. At the same time, Uzbekistan continues to cultivate a robust partnership with China. In 2024, bilateral trade reached $11.4 billion exceeding the countrys combined trade with Turkey and South Korea. This Eurasian balance is unique: Tashkent practices what might be called asymmetric openness it avoids binding military-political alliances but actively joins energy, digital, and transport initiatives across multiple power centers. Gold remains Uzbekistans key export, bringing in $9.8 billion in the first nine months of 2025 37 percent of total exports. Such dependence on a single commodity makes the economy vulnerable to price swings, yet it also functions as a sovereignty reserve: a source of financial stability that underwrites industrial and infrastructure modernization. The EU agreement also paves Uzbekistans path toward World Trade Organization membership a symbolic but powerful step toward embedding the country in the global trade governance system. For Azerbaijan, this development is particularly significant: Baku gains a partner ready to play by transparent rules and promote predictability a rare commodity in todays Eurasia. Kyrgyzstan: A Technological Leap and Regional Ambition Kyrgyzstan has long been seen as a small, remittance-dependent economy. But the creation of the countrys first innovation tech park in Tokmok could mark a real turning point. This project isnt just about catching up with the digital age; it represents a fundamental shift in strategic thinking betting on intellect rather than raw materials, on building technology rather than importing it. Built as a public-private partnership, the Tokmok tech hub aims to bring together startups, research labs, and production firms under one ecosystem. According to the Central Asian Center for Digital Policy, if the hub reaches full scale, the digital sectors contribution to Kyrgyzstans GDP could jump from 3 percent today to 8 percent by 2030 a serious structural transformation for a nation of seven million. Azerbaijan, with its advanced digital infrastructure and experience integrating artificial intelligence into governance, could become Kyrgyzstans natural partner. Combining Azerbaijani digital platforms like ASAN Xidmt with Kyrgyz engineering energy could turn Central Asia into a zone of technological sovereignty one independent of both Western and Chinese IT monopolies. Tajikistan: Strategic Metals and a New Industrial Logic At first glance, Tajikistan looks like the least developed economy in the region. With a GDP per capita of just $1,430, it sits at the bottom of the IMFs post-Soviet rankings. Yet such countries often become the points of future growth. A joint project between the state-owned TALCO Group and South Koreas GB Innovation to develop the Maykhur tungsten deposit could redefine the countrys economic profile. Tungsten is a 21st-century metal indispensable for batteries, defense systems, and microchip manufacturing. The OECD projects that global demand will rise by more than 50 percent by 2030. With some of the largest tungsten reserves in Eurasia, Tajikistan could become a critical node in the worlds supply chain for strategic materials. South Koreas involvement is no accident. Seoul is actively diversifying away from Chinese suppliers, seeking secure access to critical minerals. That makes the TALCOGBI project as much geopolitical as it is economic. If Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan provide the energy backbone of Eurasia, Tajikistan is beginning to supply the mineral foundation of technological sovereignty the raw material base of the next industrial age. Turkmenistan: Gas Diplomacy and the Bright Path of the Arkadag After years of self-imposed isolation, Turkmenistan is reemerging as a regional player. The construction of the SerhetabatHerat gas pipeline, part of the broader TAPI project, is far more than an infrastructure undertaking its a geo-economic declaration of intent. The pipeline links Central and South Asia, connecting Turkmenistans massive gas reserves to the industrial centers of Pakistan and India. At full capacity 33 billion cubic meters a year it would deliver roughly 10 percent of Gazproms pre-2022 exports to Europe. If completed, the project would bring Turkmenistan not only transit revenues but also a new status as a regional energy broker. One telling detail: the consulting firm overseeing the construction is the American company Bownstein. That fact alone signals a renewed Western interest in Central Asia as a zone of strategic opportunity not just a geopolitical buffer. For Azerbaijan, TAPI represents a possible intersection between its Caspian and Afghan strategies. Through Baku and Turkmenbashi, an alternate route for Turkmen gas to Europe could eventually emerge paving the way for a unified Caspian energy network. Scenario Analysis: Three Possible Futures for Central Eurasia 1. The Regional Core Model Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan form a stable triad capable of coordinating the regions transport, energy, and digital policy. In this model, the Middle Corridor becomes the economic counterpart of NATO a mechanism for collective development and shared security. The outcome: political autonomy and reduced dependence on external powers. 2. The Multi-Vector Fragmentation Model If competition among global powers the EU, China, Russia, and the United States intensifies, Central Asia could once again split into competing zones of influence: Kazakhstan leaning northward, Uzbekistan westward, Turkmenistan southward. In this fractured landscape, Azerbaijan would play the role of mediator and balancer, maintaining relationships across the board but without the leverage to set a long-term strategic course. 3. The Technological Integration Model This is the most forward-looking scenario. The region evolves into a space of innovation and industrial collaboration. Kazakhstan becomes the industrial powerhouse, Uzbekistan the financial and educational hub, Azerbaijan the logistical and technological core, while Turkmenistan and Tajikistan supply the energy and raw materials fueling new industries. In this configuration, Azerbaijan is the keystone the connector aligning regional resources with global markets and institutional standards. Azerbaijan as the Architect of Eurasian Equilibrium Modern Central Asia is no longer the backyard of great powers. Its becoming a decision-making center in its own right, guided by strategic design rather than dependency. The key resources today are not oil or territory theyre infrastructure, technology, and trust. Azerbaijan, with its unique blend of political stability, transport infrastructure, and energy capacity, is emerging as the systemic architect of this new Eurasia. Its strategy is not about dominance but about designing networks of interdependence building durable connections that allow the region to achieve economic and political self-sufficiency. If current trends hold, by the end of the decade we may well be talking about a new geopolitical entity the Caspian Development Bloc a coalition of states acting autonomously yet in sync. At the center of that bloc stands Baku, shaping the flow between East and West not just geographically but conceptually as the bridge between logistics, economics, and meaning. Baku Network BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The 15th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belarus is currently underway in Baku, Trend reports. The session is co-chaired by Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister Samir Sharifov and Belaruss Deputy Prime Minister Natalya Petkevich. The meeting reviewed the commissions activities and achievements over the past period. Discussions also focused on the implementation of the cooperation roadmap for 2024-2025. Participants highlighted concrete results and progress in various sectors, including industry, agriculture, machinery, urban infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, vocational education, transport and logistics, trade, and investment. Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel, Trend reports. "Dear Mr. President, On behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan, I sincerely congratulate you and all your people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Czech Republic. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to strengthen interstate relations between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic and to expand our cooperation in areas of mutual interest for the well-being of our peoples. I convey my best regards to you and wish your people lasting peace and prosperity," the letter reads. DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Tuesday that it has finalized preparations for the country's general elections scheduled for Wednesday, according to INEC chairperson Jacobs Mwambegele. Mwambegele said in a statement that 37.6 million registered voters will cast ballots to elect the president, members of parliament, and councilors across Tanzania, adding that of these, 36.65 million voters are in mainland Tanzania and 996,303 in Zanzibar. The polls will take place at 99,895 polling stations nationwide, with voting starting at 7:00 a.m. and closing at 4:00 p.m. local time. According to the statement, 17 political parties have fielded presidential and vice-presidential candidates, while 18 parties are contesting parliamentary and local council seats. A total of 1,729 candidates are competing for parliamentary positions, and 7,239 contesting for councilor positions. Women represent 32 percent of parliamentary aspirants and 10 percent of councilor contestants. "The commission has completed all preparations, including logistics and the training of election officials," Mwambegele said, urging citizens to exercise their constitutional right peacefully and responsibly. For the first time, prisoners serving sentences of up to six months, remand prisoners in mainland Tanzania, as well as inmates in Zanzibar's training institutions will be allowed to vote in the presidential election, according to the statement. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 29. The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist," on September 27, 2020, in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline. The 44-day second Karabakh war ended with the liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation and the restoration of territorial integrity. Trend presents the chronicle of the 33rd day of the Second Karabakh War: - President Ilham Aliyev approved a law on renaming the Vang village of Khojavand district into Chinarli village. - President Ilham Aliyev called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. - The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry released information on the latest situation on the frontlines. A list of destroyed military equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces was announced. - A video of the liberated villages of the Gubadli district was released. - The territory of Goranboy and Tartar districts came under fire. The Armenian troops, who were forced to retreat, opened fire on the civilian population. - High-ranking Armenian officers were killed. Footage of equipment and ammunition left by the Armenian troops on the battlefield was released. Two Armenian Su-25 planes were destroyed. - The territory of the Tartar district, including diplomatic representatives, came under fire. Another civilian was killed as a result of the Armenian fire. - Armenian servicemen, who fired at civilians in Azerbaijans Barda, were killed on the battlefield. Equipment of Armenia's troops was destroyed. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The recent claims of some media outlets that Iraqi citizens who want to visit Azerbaijan for tourism purposes are facing difficulties have no basis and aren't true, a source in the Embassy of Azerbaijan told Trend. In order to expedite the processing and approval of visa applications from Iraq, enhance the quality of services for Iraqi citizens seeking to visit Azerbaijan for tourism, and strengthen efforts to combat the submission of fraudulent documents in visa applications, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global, the leading international company in the relevant sector. Under the terms of this agreement, the processing of tourist visa applications from Iraqi citizens, as well as other foreign nationals and stateless individuals residing in Iraq, will be managed by the "Azerbaijan Visa Application Center," operated by VFS Global in Baghdad, starting July 10, 2024. Every citizen of Iraq who wishes to visit Azerbaijan can apply to the aforementioned Visa Center operating for the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iraq in order to obtain the necessary information on visa formalities. The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iraq and the Azerbaijan Visa Application Center of the Baghdad office of the VFS Global company accept, process, and hand over documents related to visa applications of citizens of Iraq in accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan. All services within the center are organized based on uniform service fees specified in the MoU. The activities of the center are strictly controlled by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iraq and the head office of the VFS Global company, and monitoring of the activities of that center is carried out regularly. In addition, in order to ensure transparency in the relevant field, it is prohibited to accept documents from tourism companies with a negative reputation in Iraq. As a result of the aforementioned measures, a significant increase is observed in the number of citizens of Iraq who have visited our country for tourism purposes. Thus, despite the fact that there were no direct flights between Azerbaijan and Iraq during the first three months of 2025 and the closure of the airspace of Iraq in June of this year, the Embassy received 5,904 applications by October 27, 2025. Of these, 5,650 visas were issued (4,800 visa applications were accepted during 2024). No applications were submitted by the companies complaining through the press to either the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iraq or the "Visa Center". The Alkaither company, whose name was mentioned in the complaint, stated that the application circulated on its behalf in the Azerbaijani mass media was fake and informed that no difficulties were observed with visa applications of citizens of Iraq wishing to visit Azerbaijan. All applications received in the relevant field, including complaints, are seriously checked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy, and if relevant shortcomings are noted as a result of the check, necessary measures are taken to eliminate them. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan (MFA) has congratulated the Czech Republic in commemoration of its National Day, Trend reports. On the occasion of the National Day of the Czech Republic, we would like to congratulate the government and people of Czechia. Happy National Day, Czechia, the ministry wrote in a post on its official X page. October 28 signifies the inception of Czechoslovakia in 1918, delineating the nation's autonomy from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its a day replete with formal observances, cultural showcases, and exhibitions that underscore the nations historical narrative and accomplishments. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ali Asadov, met with Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus and Co-Chair of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the two countries, Natalia Petkevich, on October 28, the Cabinet of Ministers told Trend. The sides expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive development of intergovernmental relations between Azerbaijan and Belarus. It was emphasized that the active dialogue and joint efforts of the presidents of both countries play a key role in advancing this cooperation. The importance of the 15th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, held in Baku, was underlined. In the course of the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belarus in various areas, including trade and economy, industrial cooperation, agriculture, and humanitarian sectors. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Ombudsperson) met with 6 Azerbaijani citizens (2 women and 4 children) recently repatriated from the Syrian Arab Republic on October 22, the Ombudspersons Office told Trend. The staff visited the social service facility under the Social Services Agency, where the repatriated individuals were placed. During the meeting, information was obtained regarding the medical, social, and psychological measures taken to support them, and the protection of their rights was reviewed. The office noted that the children among the returnees require specialized psychological assistance to address emotional challenges and facilitate social adaptation. The institutions management was informed of this, and recommendations were provided on strengthening the integration of the repatriated citizens into society, as well as improving their access to education and employment opportunities. Within the framework of the meeting, the repatriated individuals were informed in detail about the Ombudspersons areas of activity and the mechanisms available for protecting their rights. The statement emphasized that the Ombudsperson continues to pay close attention to the repatriation of Azerbaijani citizens living under difficult conditions abroad and to ensuring their fundamental rights and freedoms. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with residents of Horovlu village in Jabrayil district on October 28, Trend reports. The head of state presented keys to apartments to the residents moving into the village. Greeting the residents, President Ilham Aliyev said: Dear natives of Horovlu, I greet you from the bottom of my heart. Today is a very significant, unforgettable, and historic day in the history of Horovlu village. The residents are returning to their native land. I sincerely congratulate you on this occasion. May you live happily here! The state has created all necessary conditions for you. The village is now pleasing to the eye. Beautiful buildings, a school, a kindergarten, a medical center, and workplaces have been established. The number of houses is 334, and 1,400 people will settle here in the first stage. According to information provided to me, 1,500 people lived in Horovlu before the occupation. Now, of course, families have grown, and the population is slightly over 2,000. Houses will be built for additional citizens in the second stage, but the work completed in the first stage is commendable. All conditions exist here for a comfortable and happy life. Horovlu was liberated from Armenian occupation during the first week of the Patriotic War. Our Victory march began from these regions. Our soldiers and officers advancing toward Jabrayil and Fuzuli broke through several lines of enemy defense, paving the way for our future victories. May Allah grant mercy to our martyrs. Their memory will always live in our hearts. Exactly five years ago, this territory was liberated. This glorious history will always live in our hearts. In a few days, we will celebrate the fifth anniversary of our historic Victory. November 8 Victory Day stands as the brightest page in our history. Five years ago, our Victory reverberated across the world. Azerbaijanis are brave, heroic, and strong-willed, devoted to their land. We proved that we had no intention of accepting the occupation. We repeatedly declared this. More than 300 cities, towns, and villages were liberated on the battlefield, and Armenia was forced to surrender by signing the act of capitulation. Since that day, large-scale construction work has been underway. Today, all of Garabagh and East Zangezur resemble vast construction sites. More than 50,000 people live, work, and study there. About 20,000 of them are former IDPs who have returned to their native lands, while the rest are people working in various fields. The evidence of the Great Return is right before your eyes. By creating such conditions, the Azerbaijani state demonstrates its policy. During the years of occupation, I told former IDPs that after liberation, our cities and villages would be rebuilt and become more beautiful than before. Today is clear proof of those words. A new era begins in your life. You lived as IDPs and refugees in difficult conditions for 30 years and endured moral suffering. Especially in the early stages, the majority of IDPs were settled in tent camps. Todays reality is a celebration of justice. It is necessary to believe in justice and fight for it. Our people believed in justice and fought for it. We are the owners of these lands. We have expelled the enemy and are building a wonderful life here today. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart and wish you happiness and good health. Former IDPs have already moved to Jabrayil city. Today, the foundation stones for the second and third residential complexes will be laid there. The number of residents will increase. I will also lay the foundation for a mosque in Jabrayil city. Jobs are being created in the district. The Araz Valley industrial zone is already operating. Three enterprises are active, and their number will reach about 20 soon. There will be no problems with employment here. The foundations of two solar power plants will also be laid today, while the third and largest is already under construction. This region has excellent agricultural potential, and solar energy generated here will supply the entire area. The capacity of existing and planned solar and hydroelectric stations in Jabrayil and Zangezur districts will reach approximately 400 megawatts enough for a large city. We are constantly creating jobs. Conditions will be established for agriculture and livestock breeding. As in other villages, it will be possible to sow and harvest in yards adjoining homes. Twelve-acre land parcels have been allocated to each of you. Agriculture will also be possible on larger suitable areas, including pasture and cultivation land. There should be no unemployment in Garabagh and East Zangezur. The top priority is to provide jobs for residents. Opportunities for modern agricultural development are available. Agricultural parks are being established, and conditions for sowing, harvesting, and livestock breeding are being created. People are already engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, beekeeping, orchards, and vineyards in many liberated villages. The surroundings of this village should be as beautiful as the village itself. You will contribute to this, and the state will provide full support. The land here is fertile very good! The soil of Garabagh is black, very fertile, but the enemy occupied and devastated it. They destroyed everything, even taking stones to sell elsewhere. We have exacted our revenge on the battlefield, avenged the blood of our martyrs, restored justice, and expelled all enemies. You endured much suffering. I met with displaced people many times. We built around a hundred refugee camps. Tent camps were abolished in 2007. When I was elected president in 2003, I said none would remain in five years. We abolished them in four years and moved hundreds of thousands about 300,000 refugees into new buildings. Native land, however, is completely different. Others wanted us to accept the situation peacefully. I said, Lets do it peacefully, but lets solve it. They said war would not bring results. All those involved opposed us; they were on Armenias side. Our people showed tremendous will and did not accept the situation. Our children grew up with patriotism, instilled in families and schools. Our youth liberated these lands, risking their lives. Many martyrs fell in the first stage, crossing the defense lines here and from Fuzuli. They lived with a longing for the land; it takes immense courage to face bullets. Young people should not be bored here it is their native land, conditions are good, and Garabagh and East Zangezur will become among the most developed regions in the world. Cities and roads are being built; Zangilan can now be reached in 20 minutes. The Zangezur Corridor will pass through here, creating a major trade route. From now on, this region will develop further. People are settling, children are born, families grow, and work continues. Development, a happy life, and peace prevail. No one can confront us. No one! And if someone tries, they will face the Iron Fist again. The residents thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the attention and the conditions created. x x x The key handover ceremony then took place. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan with crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other serious offenses, continued on October 28. The open court session, held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with a panel consisting of Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), ensured that the accused was provided with an interpreter in his native language, Russian, as well as defense lawyers of his choice. Presiding Judge Zeynal Aghayev noted that during the previous hearing, defendant Ruben Vardanyan submitted a petition to the court stating that he was dissatisfied with the court proceedings in general and was therefore waiving his defense attorney. Vardanyan also indicated that he did not have a contract with another lawyer and had no objections to a defense attorney being appointed by the state. Consequently, the court accepted Vardanyans waiver of his defense attorney, Avraam Berman, and forwarded a decision to the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan to appoint a state-funded lawyer. Pursuant to this decision, Emil Babishov, a member of the Bar Association of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was appointed as the new defense attorney to represent the defendant during the hearings. Vardanyan did not object to the appointment of his new lawyer, and other participants in the trial also raised no objections. Judge Zeynal Aghayev introduced the newly appointed lawyer Emil Babishov to the composition of the court, to which the defense attorney expressed no objections. The presiding judge stated that the lawyer would be granted additional time to review the case materials and that conditions would be provided for a confidential meeting with the client. The court proceedings were adjourned. The next hearing is scheduled for November 4. Ruben Vardanyan faces multiple charges under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation and forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenary activity), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violation of international humanitarian law norms during an armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (intentional murder), 29.120.2.1, 29.120.2.3, 29.120.2.4, 29.120.2.7, 29.120.2.11, 29.120.2.12 (attempted intentional murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal group), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278.1 (forcible seizure or retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan). Trend notes that the preliminary investigation into the case, which involves charges of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, and terrorism financing, was conducted by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the Jabrayil City Mosque on October 28, Trend reports. Nariman Topchibashev, Director of PMD Projects, briefed the President on the project. The mosque will cover over 1,530 square meters and accommodate 615 worshippers simultaneously. The two-story building will provide separate spaces for men and women to perform prayers. In addition, the mosque will feature a community hall, parking lot, and gazebos. The height of the minarets will be 34.2 meters, while the dome will reach 22.6 meters. Before the occupation, Jabrayil district had five mosques, more than 40 pilgrimage sites, and over 20 historical and architectural monuments. During the occupation, Armenian forces destroyed many of these historical and religious sites. Since the liberation of Azerbaijani territories, the state has undertaken extensive restoration and reconstruction work in Karabakh and East Zangezur, including the construction of new religious and cultural monuments. An example is the mosque built in 2017 in Jojug Marjanli village, modeled after the Shusha mosque. Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. A delegation led by Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has arrived in the Republic of Azerbaijan for an official visit on October 28, Trend reports. At Heydar Aliyev International Airport, where the national flags of both countries were displayed, the UAE FNC Speaker was welcomed by Deputy Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov, Head of the inter-parliamentary working group on UAE-Azerbaijan relations Javanshir Pashazade, and other officials. Speaker Ghobash is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with Azerbaijani officials and exchange views on the prospects for bilateral relations as part of the visit. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. On October 28, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the Shams and Ufug Solar Power Plants, each with a capacity of 50 megawatts, in Shahvalli village of Jabrayil district, Trend reports. Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov briefed the head of state on the 50-megawatt Shams Solar Power Plant. This project is an important component of Azerbaijans green energy strategy and marks the beginning of a new stage in the energy map of Jabrayil district. In March 2024, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Energy and Nobel Energy company on the construction of a 100 MW solar power plant, as well as cooperation in the production, sale, and consumption of electric energy. Subsequently, in April of this year, the Government of Azerbaijan signed investment agreements with Enerso Jabrayil LLC for the 50 MW Ufug Solar Power Plant and with Clean Energy Jabrayil LLC for the Shams Solar Power Plant projects. Last year, 229 hectares of state land in Jabrayil were allocated for renewablesover 135 hectares for Clean Energy Jabrayil LLC and more than 93 hectares for Enerso Jabrayil LLC. President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the Shams Solar Power Plant and then participated in the ground-breaking ceremony for the Ufug Solar Power Plant. The two plants are expected to generate 206 million kWh annually, saving 44 million cubic meters of natural gas and cutting emissions by 96,000 tons per year. Of the output, 75 million kWh will go to Azerenerji OJSC; the remaining 131 million kWh will be sold directly to large consumers via virtual transmission contracts. Both facilities are slated for commissioning in 2027. BAMAKO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mali has embarked on a revitalization program for its national news agency under the theme of "For Accessible, Credible and Sovereign Information." Unveiled on Monday at the Bamako International Conference Center, the event aims to reposition the Malian News Agency (AMAP), while also inspiring collective reflection on the future development of both the institution and Mali's broader public media sector. Malian Minister of Communication, Digital Economy and Administrative Modernization Alhamdou Ag Ilyene presided over the launching ceremony, with the presence of Minister of Handicrafts, Culture, Hotel Industry, and Tourism Mamou Daffe, as well as Minister of Health and Social Development Assa Badiallo Toure. In his remarks, Ilyene described AMAP, national broadcaster ORTM, and the National Communication Agency for Development as "strategic instruments of the state." "These institutions must be strengthened, modernized and valued to meet citizens' expectations and ensure equitable access to reliable, sovereign information," he stressed. Reviving AMAP marks "a decisive step" in the government's efforts to modernize the media sector, said Ilyene. He also reaffirmed the government's commitment to improving journalists' working conditions, enhancing their professional capacities, and ensuring their safety. According to AMAP Director-General Alassane Souleymane, the program seeks to adapt the agency to current media realities and reinforce its role in Mali's information ecosystem. "A news agency is a wholesaler of information. We must build a new model that reflects today's challenges and opportunities," he said. Adriana Borra, representative of the United Nations Children's Fund, welcomed the timing of the campaign, highlighting the importance of verified, impartial, and human rights-based reporting amid the rise of misinformation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov left for an official visit to the Sultanate of Oman on October 28, 2025, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani MFA. Meanwhile, it was noted that during the visit, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov will hold meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, and other high-ranking officials, as well as take part in the official opening ceremony of the administrative building of Azerbaijan's embassy in Oman on October 29. Azerbaijan and Oman established diplomatic relations on July 13, 1992, after Oman recognized Azerbaijan's independence on December 30, 1991. The two countries maintain active political dialogue and have established an interparliamentary relations working group. Recent activities include high-level visits to discuss economic cooperation in areas like trade, investment, and energy, and the official opening of Azerbaijan's embassy in Oman. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Exactly five years ago, this territory (Horovlu village) was liberated from occupation, and this glorious history will always live in our hearts, said President Ilham Aliyev during his meeting with residents of Horovlu village in Jabrayil district, Trend reports. Greeting the residents, President Ilham Aliyev said: Dear natives of Horovlu, I greet you from the bottom of my heart. Today is a very significant, unforgettable, and historic day in the history of Horovlu village. The residents are returning to their native land. I sincerely congratulate you on this occasion. May you live happily here! The state has created all necessary conditions for you. The village is now pleasing to the eye. Beautiful buildings, a school, a kindergarten, a medical center, and workplaces have been established. The number of houses is 334, and 1,400 people will settle here in the first stage. According to information provided to me, 1,500 people lived in Horovlu before the occupation. Now, of course, families have grown, and the population is slightly over 2,000. Houses will be built for additional citizens in the second stage, but the work completed in the first stage is commendable. All conditions exist here for a comfortable and happy life. Horovlu was liberated from Armenian occupation during the first week of the Patriotic War. Our Victory march began from these regions. Our soldiers and officers advancing toward Jabrayil and Fuzuli broke through several lines of enemy defense, paving the way for our future victories. May Allah grant mercy to our martyrs. Their memory will always live in our hearts. Exactly five years ago, this territory was liberated. This glorious history will always live in our hearts. In a few days, we will celebrate the fifth anniversary of our historic Victory. November 8 Victory Day stands as the brightest page in our history. Five years ago, our Victory reverberated across the world. Azerbaijanis are brave, heroic, and strong-willed, devoted to their land. We proved that we had no intention of accepting the occupation. We repeatedly declared this. More than 300 cities, towns, and villages were liberated on the battlefield, and Armenia was forced to surrender by signing the act of capitulation. Since that day, large-scale construction work has been underway. Today, all of Garabagh and East Zangezur resemble vast construction sites. More than 50,000 people live, work, and study there. About 20,000 of them are former IDPs who have returned to their native lands, while the rest are people working in various fields. The evidence of the Great Return is right before your eyes. By creating such conditions, the Azerbaijani state demonstrates its policy. During the years of occupation, I told former IDPs that after liberation, our cities and villages would be rebuilt and become more beautiful than before. Today is clear proof of those words. A new era begins in your life. You lived as IDPs and refugees in difficult conditions for 30 years and endured moral suffering. Especially in the early stages, the majority of IDPs were settled in tent camps. Todays reality is a celebration of justice. It is necessary to believe in justice and fight for it. Our people believed in justice and fought for it. We are the owners of these lands. We have expelled the enemy and are building a wonderful life here today. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart and wish you happiness and good health. Former IDPs have already moved to Jabrayil city. Today, the foundation stones for the second and third residential complexes will be laid there. The number of residents will increase. I will also lay the foundation for a mosque in Jabrayil city. Jobs are being created in the district. The Araz Valley industrial zone is already operating. Three enterprises are active, and their number will reach about 20 soon. There will be no problems with employment here. The foundations of two solar power plants will also be laid today, while the third and largest is already under construction. This region has excellent agricultural potential, and solar energy generated here will supply the entire area. The capacity of existing and planned solar and hydroelectric stations in Jabrayil and Zangezur districts will reach approximately 400 megawatts enough for a large city. We are constantly creating jobs. Conditions will be established for agriculture and livestock breeding. As in other villages, it will be possible to sow and harvest in yards adjoining homes. Twelve-acre land parcels have been allocated to each of you. Agriculture will also be possible on larger suitable areas, including pasture and cultivation land. There should be no unemployment in Garabagh and East Zangezur. The top priority is to provide jobs for residents. Opportunities for modern agricultural development are available. Agricultural parks are being established, and conditions for sowing, harvesting, and livestock breeding are being created. People are already engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, beekeeping, orchards, and vineyards in many liberated villages. The surroundings of this village should be as beautiful as the village itself. You will contribute to this, and the state will provide full support. The land here is fertile very good! The soil of Garabagh is black, very fertile, but the enemy occupied and devastated it. They destroyed everything, even taking stones to sell elsewhere. We have exacted our revenge on the battlefield, avenged the blood of our martyrs, restored justice, and expelled all enemies. You endured much suffering. I met with displaced people many times. We built around a hundred refugee camps. Tent camps were abolished in 2007. When I was elected president in 2003, I said none would remain in five years. We abolished them in four years and moved hundreds of thousands about 300,000 refugees into new buildings. Native land, however, is completely different. Others wanted us to accept the situation peacefully. I said, Lets do it peacefully, but lets solve it. They said war would not bring results. All those involved opposed us; they were on Armenias side. Our people showed tremendous will and did not accept the situation. Our children grew up with patriotism, instilled in families and schools. Our youth liberated these lands, risking their lives. Many martyrs fell in the first stage, crossing the defense lines here and from Fuzuli. They lived with a longing for the land; it takes immense courage to face bullets. Young people should not be bored here it is their native land, conditions are good, and Garabagh and East Zangezur will become among the most developed regions in the world. Cities and roads are being built; Zangilan can now be reached in 20 minutes. The Zangezur Corridor will pass through here, creating a major trade route. From now on, this region will develop further. People are settling, children are born, families grow, and work continues. Development, a happy life, and peace prevail. No one can confront us. No one! And if someone tries, they will face the Iron Fist again. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Today, all of Garabagh and East Zangezur resemble a vast construction site, said President Ilham Aliyev during his meeting with residents of Horovlu village in Jabrayil district, Trend reports. The head of our state noted: More than 50,000 people already live, work, and study in Garabagh and East Zangezur. About 20,000 of them are former IDPs who have returned to their homeland, to their native lands. The rest are people working in various fields. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trend reports. "Dear Mr. President, My dear Brother, On the occasion of the national holiday of fraternal Republic of Turkiye Republic Day I extend my heartfelt congratulations to You personally and, through You, to the entire people of Turkiye on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, along with my most sincere best wishes. Thanks to Your far-sighted and resolute policy, Turkiye today is reaching new heights in all areas, achieving great successes, and is recognized as a strong and powerful state with a decisive voice in international affairs. Its active and principled stance on global and regional processes, as well as its efforts to establish peace and stability, have earned Turkiye immense prestige and trust worldwide. We rejoice in every success of the brotherly country and take pride in it. The elevation of Azerbaijan-Turkiye relations rooted in the unbreakable will of our peoples and based on the principle of One nation, two states to the highest level fills us with great pride. The steady deepening of our bilateral ties, enriched with new dimensions and elevated to the level of strategic alliance through the Shusha Declaration, is a vivid expression of our firm political will and consistent joint efforts. The unparalleled brotherhood, unity, and alliance between Azerbaijan and Turkiye today serves as a vital factor for peace, security, prosperity, and cooperation in the region. I recall with great pleasure Your visit to Gabala earlier this October to attend the 12th Summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States. I would particularly like to highlight Your determined efforts to strengthen the unity of the Turkic World and enhance the international standing of the OTS. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts succesfully in further expanding and deepening our fraternal relations and fruitful cooperation built on solid foundations and tested by time in full accordance with the will of our peoples. On this landmark day, I wish You robust health, happiness, and success in Your responsible state activities, and lasting peace, prosperity, and well-being to the fraternal Republic of Turkiye and its people," the letter reads. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, met on October 28 with Mircea Abrudean, President of the Senate of the Parliament of Romania, who is visiting Azerbaijan to attend the International Parliamentary Conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. Welcoming the guest warmly, Speaker Gafarova noted that this was Abrudeans second visit to Azerbaijan within six months, reflecting the dynamic development of relations between the two countries. She emphasized the importance of the International Parliamentary Conference held within the framework of President Ilham Aliyevs declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty, adding that the event brings together parliamentarians from friendly nations. The speaker also expressed gratitude to Abrudean for his participation. During the meeting, both sides highlighted the successful development of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Romania. It was noted that high-level visits and signed agreements form a strong legal foundation for bilateral cooperation. Energy collaboration, particularly the export of Azerbaijani gas to Romania, was emphasized as an important contribution to Romanias energy security. The participants also underlined the significance of expanding cooperation in education, science, culture, and regional development. Speaker Gafarova expressed satisfaction with the progress of inter-parliamentary relations, noting that strong state-to-state ties create favorable conditions for deeper legislative cooperation. She added that the work of parliamentary friendship groups and reciprocal visits of parliamentary leaders and members serve to further strengthen these relations. Touching on the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Gafarova underscored the importance of the peace agreement initialed in Washington, stressing that peace and stability are crucial for the region. She also highlighted the importance of confidence-building measures and mentioned her recent meeting with the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament in this context. Romanian Senate President Mircea Abrudean thanked Gafarova for the cordial reception and extended congratulations on the anniversary of Azerbaijans Constitution. He reaffirmed the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries and pointed out the broad potential for cooperation in energy, transport, economic, and other sectors. Abrudean also congratulated Azerbaijan on the progress achieved in the normalization process with Armenia, expressing confidence that this will contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region. The meeting concluded with discussions on ways to enhance inter-parliamentary cooperation through various committees and deepen collaboration within international parliamentary organizations, as well as an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with residents of Mammadbayli and Aghali villages in Zangilan district on October 28, Trend reports. The head of state presented apartment keys to the residents moving into the villages. President Ilham Aliyev said: You are welcome! It is a very joyful day for the residents of the villages of Aghali and Mammadbayli today. Another 100 families are moving into the village of Aghali. The borders of Aghali are becoming even larger. Beautiful houses and buildings have been constructed for 180 families in the village of Mammadbayli. I know that you have just come here today. You have hardly had the chance to move in. But of course, you will fully settle down here in the coming days and live a comfortable and prosperous life in your native land. I congratulate you on this occasion from the bottom of my heart. Welcome to your native homeland. It is truly a wonderful day. Today marks the next stage of the Great Return program. You know that we have also launched the Great Return program in Zangilan district. Residents have already been living in the first village, Aghali, for three and a half years. In fact, very good conditions have been created and maintained there. I just went through Aghali. While getting acquainted with new buildings, I saw that all the courtyards had turned into beautiful gardens. When we handed this place over to the former IDPs, it was barrenjust as there are not many trees in Mammadbayli village now. But over the years, people have been building, creating, planting, and cultivating the land themselves. The government has done everything necessary and provided residents with wonderful conditions. So I am sure that you will live here comfortably. You deserve it. You lived under difficult conditions for many years. The life of an IDP is very difficult. But those days are now in the past. For almost five years now, Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity. Extensive construction work is underway in all the liberated lands, including Zangilan district. Let me repeat that we started the first Great Return program from Zangilan district. Today, the construction of the first residential complex in the city of Zangilan is almost complete. Construction of other buildings, a school and a hospital is also underway. The Zangilan mosque has been built. It is a beautiful architectural work. There is the Congress Center, Zangilan International Airport. In other words, this place, this region will become one of the most important transport hubs. Both the Zangezur corridor and the Araz corridor will pass through here. Therefore, this region will have a bright future just as the future of all of Garabagh and East Zangezur. Today's reality, the cities and villages we have built are proof of that reality. Armenians vandalized and destroyed our ancestral lands, but we are the people who build and create. We have driven the enemy out of our lands. Now we are the ones building and creating in our native land, creating conditions, constructing buildings, mosques, and restoring historical monuments. In other words, we, the owners of these lands, have returned and will live here forever. I wish you a happy life too. I congratulate you once again. The residents thanked President Ilham Aliyev for the attention and the conditions created. X X X The key handover ceremony then took place. X X X Later, the President and residents posed together for photographs. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The latest group of relocated families has reached Azerbaijan's Khojavend district, where 20 families in Girmizi Bazar settlement and 10 families in Sos village were handed the keys to their new homes, Trend reports. After being welcomed, the families were briefed by staff from the State Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) about the dangers posed by mines and unexploded ordnance. They were advised to avoid unknown objects and report any suspicious items to the relevant authorities. The key handover ceremony was attended by representatives from the Special Representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavend districts, the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and other officials. Families received the keys with joy and settled into their homes. In this phase, 71 people from 20 families were relocated to Qirmizi Bazar, and 42 people from 10 families moved to Sos village. These families had previously been temporarily housed in dormitories, sanatoriums, pioneer camps, unfinished buildings, and administrative facilities across different regions of the country. All necessary conditions have been provided to accommodate them in their new homes. Including todays relocation, a total of 110 people from 30 families now reside in Girmizi Bazar, while 89 people from 20 families live in Sos village. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Azerbaijan signed the United Nations (UN) Convention against Cybercrime, Trend reports. On October 25-26, 2025, a significant assemblage for the ratification of the convention by sovereign entities transpired in Hanoi, Vietnam. The event was attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of Vietnam Luong Cuong, heads of delegations of individual states, representatives of international organizations, and experts. In accordance with the relevant decree of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Convention was signed on behalf of Azerbaijan by the Chief of the State Security Service, Colonel General Ali Naghiyev. The fact that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to sign the convention is an indication of the contribution of Azerbaijan, under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, to international cooperation in the field of combating cybercrime and ensuring the security of the global cyber environment. The international document noted the main goals of ensuring legal cooperation between states in combating cybercrime, preventing the misuse of information and communication technologies, and regulating the mechanisms for collecting and presenting electronic evidence at the international level. A total of 72 sovereign states executed the convention during the period of October 25-26. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Azerbaijan is set to roll out the red carpet for the inaugural international exhibition of the renowned Automechanika brand in 2027, Trend reports. As the automotive industry in Azerbaijan hits the ground running, the Automechanika exhibition is poised to be a game changer for the country's automotive sector. The Automechanika Baku exhibition will be held at the Baku Expo Center on March 3-5, 2027. The exhibition will be organized by the international exhibition organizer Tajsir Expo in cooperation with the German Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH and with the official support of the Azerbaijan Automobile Federation. The exhibition is supported by the Azerbaijan Association of Exhibition Organizers (ASTA). The orchestration of Automechanika Baku is deemed a pivotal benchmark for the swiftly evolving automotive sector in Azerbaijan. At present, the nation boasts a registration count of roughly 1.74 million vehicles, with this metric exhibiting a year-on-year upward trajectory. The evolution of the automotive sector is bolstered by governmental capital infusion into transportation and logistics frameworks. These encompass the augmentation of vehicular thoroughfares, parking infrastructures, and transit conduits. It is noteworthy that, from January through August 2025, automobile imports to Azerbaijan increased by 26.4 percent compared to the same period in 2024, demonstrating growing demand and a developing automotive ecosystem. By hosting this important international event, Azerbaijan will further strengthen its position as a strategic hub for the automotive industry in the Caucasus region. The exhibition will serve as a dynamic platform for international manufacturers, distributors, and local experts to present innovative solutions in the field of automotive parts, components, accessories, electronics, diagnostics, repairs, tires, batteries, and car care products. The Automechanika brand, created by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, is today recognized as the world's leading exhibition network in the automotive aftermarket. This brand has its ducks in a row in Germany, the UK, the UAE, Vietnam, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Indonesia, China, and a host of other countries. Hosting this international shindig in Baku is a big deal that showcases Azerbaijan's rising star as a hub for business and innovation in the region. Further details on the exhibition will be available on the website: https://automechanika.az/. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Azerbaijan's Baku will host the grand festival "Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW," bringing together art, culture, and ecology from October 31 through November 2, Trend reports. The project is organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the IDEA Public Union in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, with Vice President of the Foundation and founder of IDEA, Leyla Aliyeva, as the projects initiator. The immersive festival is set to turn the city on its head, creating a vibrant playground for contemporary creativity, lively dialogue, and eye-opening discovery, all while keeping the spotlight on the oceans and seas as expressed through art. The heart of the matter dives into water as a lifeline, a breath of fresh air, and a beacon of sustainability, all while painting a vivid picture through the brushstrokes of art to shed light on the ecological health of our planet's oceans and seas. One of the main events will unfold in the 17th-century Underground Bathhouse nestled in Icherisheher, the Old City of Baku. There, a collective exhibition titled "Axar Yaddas" (Flowing Memory) will be showcased, offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional bath culture. Participating artists include Honored Artist Sabina Shikhlinskaya and young talents Nargiz Askarova, Aliya Bayramova, and Timur Zaripovich. Curator Mansura Mammadaliyeva noted that the exhibition dives deep into the well of tradition, unearthing the rich tapestry of bathhouse culture and history in Azerbaijan, all through the flowing currents of water, memory, and purification. In this exhibition, the bathhouse appears not only as a physical space but also as a bearer of social relations, personal memories, and cultural continuity. The artists works portray the bathhouse as a space of flowing memory that connects generations and experiences, fostering collective identity and reinterpreting historical and cultural heritage, Mammadaliyeva told Trend. Sabina Shikhlinskaya is set to roll out a video installation called Hamam (Bathhouse), which first saw the light of day in 2006 and has made quite the splash in around 15 countries. The endeavor delves into the sacred dance of cleansing, harmonized with the melodic whispers of Nostalgia, crafted by renowned composer and Peoples Artist Faraj Karayev. Historically, the bath symbolized not only physical but also spiritual cleansing, helping people draw closer to the mysteries of existence. The installation combines visual imagery representing water, purification, and transformation with the meditative atmosphere of traditional rituals. My work also aims to preserve the national heritage that must be cherished and protected, Shikhlinskaya said. Artist Nargiz Askerova will present a unique nano video art piece titled "Su kimi ol" (Be Like Water), exploring the cultural and symbolic dimensions of water. She paints water as a nurturing river, flowing with the essence of existence, a vessel brimming with the echoes of heritage, and a shimmering mirror reflecting the alchemy of renewal and metamorphosis. The piece reflects the transparency, softness, and resilience of water through visuals captured with an electron microscope. The fluidity of water intertwines with the human inner world, inviting viewers to a calm yet profound emotional experience. The bathhouse represents more than a place of hygiene; it is where water transforms into a sacred space for the purification of body, soul, and memory. Here, water represents both physical and spiritual purification, a ritual element preserving collective memory and restoring personal identity, Askerova explained. Admission to the exhibition is free. Registration is available at bakuartweekend.az. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel This photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a view of the opening ceremony of the 2025 Africa International Agricultural Expo in Nairobi, Kenya. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) NAIROBI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 Africa International Agricultural Expo opened Tuesday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, under the theme "Increasing Agricultural Productivity in Africa through Innovation and Market Access," to boost China-Africa cooperation in modern agriculture. Paul Kipronoh Ronoh, principal secretary in Kenya's State Department for Agriculture, said that the exhibition seeks to position Africa as a global hub for agri-innovation and trade. It has brought together over 150 exhibitors, including 100 from China, representing a milestone that underscores Kenya's growing role as a regional hub for agri-business and innovation. "The expo serves as a continental platform to promote innovation, technology adoption, and market access as key enablers of agricultural transformation," Ronoh said. He noted that the event reinforces Kenya's commitment to regional and global agricultural partnerships, particularly under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program. Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan said more than 100 Chinese agribusinesses, covering areas from seed breeding to food processing, are participating in the expo. "These innovations can help smallholder farmers increase yields, reduce post-harvest losses, and make farming more resilient to climate shocks," Guo noted, adding that Chinese companies are not only showcasing products but also seeking partnerships, investment opportunities, and shared growth with African farmers and enterprises. Tito Mutai, chief executive officer of Agri-Africa Exhibition, said that during the expo, five agreements were signed between Chinese and Kenyan entities to boost investment and trade in the agricultural field between the two countries. Mutai said that both countries share a common vision of transforming agriculture into a source of food as well as a driver of inclusive growth and job creation. An exhibitor (L) introduces products to visitors during the 2025 Africa International Agricultural Expo in Nairobi, Kenya on Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yahui) Guo Haiyan, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Africa International Agricultural Expo in Nairobi, Kenya on Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Xu) Paul Kipronoh Ronoh, principal secretary in Kenya's State Department for Agriculture, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Africa International Agricultural Expo in Nairobi, Kenya on Oct. 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Xu) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The next group of former IDPs, which was set off in the morning hours, has reached Badara village of the Khojaly district, and received keys to their flats, the Restoration, Construction and Management Service in Khankendi city, Aghdara and Khojaly districts told Trend. At this stage, 17 families consisting of 62 people have returned to Badara. Speaking at the ceremony of presenting the keys to the apartments to the residents, Deputy Special Representative of the President in Khankendi, Aghdara, and Khojaly, Sabuhi Gahramanov, said that, like other liberated settlements, large-scale construction and reconstruction work are being carried out in the village of Badara. According to him, along with the reconstruction of the infrastructure in the village, measures are also being taken to ensure the employment of the population. "The issue of employment of all resettled families is in the spotlight. For this, work is being carried out in various directions in a planned manner," he added. Meanwhile, at the previous stage, 14 families (55 people) were resettled in Badara. Thus, the number of families returning to this village reached 31, and the total number of residents reached 117. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. A session organized jointly by ADA University, its Institute for Development and Diplomacy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Caspian Basin Studies (CBS) provided foreign diplomats with detailed insights into Azerbaijans long-term plans for resolving the internally displaced persons (IDPs) issue, Trend reports. Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Fuad Huseynov delivered a lecture titled Solution of the Problem of Internally Displaced Persons in AzerbaijanLong-term Internally Displaced Persons and the Long-awaited Return. He outlined that over 1 million Azerbaijanis were forced into refugee and IDP status due to Armenias previous occupation and deportation policies, many living for years in unfinished buildings, basements, and dormitories under harsh conditions. Huseynov emphasized that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has implemented a comprehensive state policy for refugees and IDPs, strengthening social protection and improving living conditions, with First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva playing a key role in supporting their welfare. The lecture highlighted that restoring liberated territories and ensuring the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of former IDPs are top state priorities. These efforts contribute not only to internal stability but also to regional security and peace. The Great Return process is included as a strategic focus in the national socio-economic development document, Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development. Extensive infrastructure projects are currently underway in the liberated areas. Measures under the First State Program on the Great Return include public awareness campaigns, a dedicated hotline, and reintegration initiatives to ensure an effective return process. Huseynov also noted that Armenia left large areas of Azerbaijan heavily mined, posing significant challenges to the return process, which Azerbaijan is addressing on the international stage. The session further emphasized that Azerbaijan aims not only to resolve IDP issues but also to establish a globally exemplary model for post-conflict rehabilitation and reintegration. Steps toward peace and reconciliation between Azerbaijan and Armenia were also highlighted, including a peace memorandum signed in the United States in August under the initiative of President Trump, marking a new phase in regional relations. The event concluded with screenings of films and videos depicting the Great Return, followed by Huseynov answering diplomats questions about the process and related state policies. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The latest group of relocated families has reached Azerbaijan's Khojavend district, where 20 families in Girmizi Bazar settlement and 10 families in Sos village were handed the keys to their new homes, Trend reports. After being welcomed, the families were briefed by staff from the State Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) about the dangers posed by mines and unexploded ordnance. They were advised to avoid unknown objects and report any suspicious items to the relevant authorities. The key handover ceremony was attended by representatives from the Special Representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavend districts, the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and other officials. Families received the keys with joy and settled into their homes. In this phase, 71 people from 20 families were relocated to Qirmizi Bazar, and 42 people from 10 families moved to Sos village. These families had previously been temporarily housed in dormitories, sanatoriums, pioneer camps, unfinished buildings, and administrative facilities across different regions of the country. All necessary conditions have been provided to accommodate them in their new homes. Including todays relocation, a total of 110 people from 30 families now reside in Girmizi Bazar, while 89 people from 20 families live in Sos village. 07:35 The next group of former internally displaced persons is returning to the settlement of Girmizi Bazar and the village of Sos in the Khojavend district, Trend reports. At this stage, 20 families (71 people) are returning to the settlement of Girmizi Bazar, and 10 families (42 people) to the village of Sos. The former IDPs returning to the settlement of Girmizi Bazar and the village of Sos thanked President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care and expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani Army, which liberated the lands from occupation. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. In accordance with the bilateral military cooperation plan signed between the Defense Ministries of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Serbia, a joint tactical exercise involving the artillerymen from the two countries was held, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. In the tactical exercise held in Serbia, artillery units carried out combat firing using self-propelled howitzers and multiple-launch rocket systems. During the live-fire exercise with NORA B-52 self-propelled gun-howitzer, the targets were destroyed by precise artillery fire, and the tasks set were successfully carried out by the servicemen. The exercise focused on mutual exchange of experience, improving the knowledge and abilities of the command staff, as well as enhancing the personnel's field and practical skills, and on planning units' activities during combat operations. Photo: State Committee for Work with Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The latest episode of the program Homeland Is Not Far Away, dedicated to Azerbaijanis around the world, was filmed in Japan and focused on the life and achievements of renowned Azerbaijani scientist Khalil Kalantar, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora told Trend. Professor Khalil Kalantar has been living in Japan for over four decades. He pursued his education at Toyohashi University of Technology, Nagoya University, and Tohoku University, earning his first scientific degree from Toyohashi University of Technology and his second from Tohoku University. A citizen of Japan, Professor Kalantar is the inventor of the worlds first light-directed micro-reflector and micro-deflector optical panels. In May 2007, he received a special award for developing a new optical design method used for light beams in LCD illumination. He currently serves as a chief researcher at one of the worlds leading technology companies. Recognized as a leading expert in electronics and next-generation display technologies not only in Japan but also across America, Asia, and Europe, Professor Kalantar has been granted the honor of representing Japan at international conferences for his significant research contributions in these fields. The program dedicated to Khalil Kalantar aired on Diaspora TV and Ictimai TV. Homeland Is Not Far Away, a joint project of the State Committee on Work with Diasporas official YouTube channel Diaspora TV and Ictimai TV, has been broadcast on Ictimai TV for eight years. The episode can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waPwvIurt8M Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Croatias Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlic Radman, paid an official visit to the Republic of Iraq, where he was hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Fuad Hussein, Trend reports. This was a return visit following Minister Husseins visit to Zagreb last year, during which a Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations between the two ministries was signed. During his stay in Baghdad, Minister Grlic Radman met with the President of the Republic of Iraq, Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein, Minister of Defense Thabet Mohammad Al-Abbasi, Minister of Interior Abdul Amir al-Shammari, Minister of Environment Halla Mustafa Al-Askari, and Deputy Minister of Electricity Mohammed Nimaa Al-Tufaili. He also met with the European Union Ambassador to Iraq, Klemens Semtner, visited the NATO Mission in Iraq where he met with Croatian soldiers, and delivered a lecture to future ambassadors at the Institute of Training Leaders for the New Ambassadors. During the talks, the minister and his interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations so far and confirmed their readiness to further deepen cooperation. Special emphasis was placed on economic and energy cooperation, as well as on the defense industry and demining, in which Croatian companies are already achieving notable results. Minister Grlic Radman highlighted the projects of the Croatian company Koncar, which is participating in the reconstruction of the Haditha hydroelectric power plant, as well as the successes of DOK-ING and HS Produkt, which offer advanced technological solutions in the fields of security and demining. Croatia is interested in further strengthening cooperation with Iraq a country of great potential and an important partner in the region. Our common goal is a stable, secure, and prosperous Iraq, Minister Grlic Radman emphasized. Discussions also covered regional and international topics, including the situation in the Middle East and Iraqs cooperation with the European Union. Croatia supports the efforts of the Iraqi Government in promoting dialogue, peace, and de-escalation in the region, and fully backs the strengthening of relations between the EU and Iraq. Minister Grlic Radman stressed that Croatia and Iraq share the experience of post-war reconstruction and that Croatia can offer its expertise in demining, infrastructure reconstruction, and institutional strengthening. In his meetings with Iraqi officials, Minister Grlic Radman also recalled Croatias long-standing humanitarian activities in Iraq, including the education of children about the dangers of mines and the cooperation between the Croatian Mine Action Centre and Iraqi institutions. He particularly emphasized the 2018 visit of a delegation from the Croatian Mine Action Centre, led by ura Adlesic, which reaffirmed Croatias long-term support for Iraq in the field of humanitarian demining. The ministers delegation to Iraq also included representatives of the Croatian companies DOK-ING, HS Produkt, and Koncar, further underscoring the strong economic interest and potential for cooperation between the two countries. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. In Stavanger, Norway, and at multiple locations across Europe and the U.S., the Steadfast Duel 2025 exercise is taking place in October, marking NATOs largest computer-assisted command exercise this year, Trend reports. Planned by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe and led by NATOs Joint Warfare Center, the exercise also involves members of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Defense Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. They participate as part of Slovenias response cell and as attached personnel in the staff of the Joint Operations Command in Naples. This is the first exercise under NATOs Article 5 to include all thirty-two member states, including its two newest members, Sweden and Finland. The exercise scenario is based on a 360-degree multi-domain environment and reflects complex, evolving real-world security challenges. It involves sixteen different trainees from NATO commands and force structures and brings together approximately 7,000 participants from both military and civilian sectors of the Alliance. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. On October 27, Ivars Lasis, Deputy State Secretary and Political Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Dominican Republic, Lourdes Margarita Franco-Zimmermann, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Mainul Islam, who were visiting Latvia as part of their accreditation visits, Trend reports. During the meeting with Ambassador Franco-Zimmermann, Lasis discussed opportunities to strengthen political dialogue and economic cooperation between Latvia and the Dominican Republic. He expressed satisfaction with the recent signing of the Air Services Agreement between Latvia and the Dominican Republic, marking an important step in expanding bilateral relations. Both sides noted the significance of the upcoming EUCommunity of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Summit as a platform to enhance interregional cooperation in a complex global environment. Lasis reaffirmed Latvias commitment to promoting a rules-based international order, addressing global security challenges, and advancing gender equality during its term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (20262027). Ambassador Franco-Zimmermann operates out of the diplomatic hub located in Stockholm, Sweden. During a distinct diplomatic engagement with the Ambassador of Bangladesh, Lasis articulated Latvias strategic intent to enhance bilateral relations with Bangladesh. Highlighting Latvia's imminent engagement in the UN Security Council, he underscored the criticality of synergistic collaboration within global governance frameworks and the imperative to tackle pressing transnational issues via constructive discourse and multilateral engagement. The two parties engaged in a dialogue regarding prospective domains for fortifying economic synergies and investigating innovative modalities of collaboration. Ambassador Islam underscored Bangladeshs strategic intent to cultivate enhanced collaborative synergies with Latvia via multilateral mechanisms, while also amplifying economic interactions between the two nations. Ambassador Mainul Islam is based in Warsaw, Poland. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Iran's product exports via Anzali port gain ground in 7M2025 Exports through Irans Anzali port in Gilan Province rose by 10 percent to 326,000 tons during the first seven months of the current Iranian year. Cargo transit also surged by 196 percent, reaching over 77,000 tons. In total, 1.1 million tons of cargo were handled, with 336 ships calling at the port over the period. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 28. Uzbekistan significantly increased its exports of non-monetary gold from January through September 2025. Data obtained by Trend from the National Statistics Committee indicate that gold shipments abroad totaled $9.9 billion, up 70.9 percent compared to the same period in 2024 ($5.79 billion). Golds share in the countrys export structure reached 37.1 percent, up from 28.9 percent in JanuarySeptember 2024, underscoring the precious metals central role in Uzbekistans foreign trade. Meanwhile, Uzbekistans foreign trade turnover for JanuarySeptember 2025 reached $59.8 billion, exceeding the same period in 2024 by $11.14 billion, or 22.9 percent. Exports totaled $26.68 billion, marking a 33.3 percent increase compared to JanuarySeptember 2024, while imports rose to $33.11 billion, up 15.6 percent year-on-year. KHARTOUM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan vowed Monday to retake El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after his forces withdrew from the city that has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since May 2024. In a televised address, al-Burhan, who is the chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), acknowledged the army's pullout from the strategic city -- its last stronghold in the vast Darfur region -- saying the move was aimed at protecting civilians. "We agreed to leave the city and move to a safe location to spare the rest of the citizens and the city from further destruction," Al-Burhan said in his first public comments since the RSF claimed full control of El Fasher on Sunday. He pledged to recapture areas held by the RSF, saying, "We can turn the tables every time and bring every inch of land back into the homeland." The RSF announced Sunday that its fighters had seized El Fasher after months of clashes with the SAF and allied groups. The Sudan Doctors Network, a volunteer medical group, said dozens of civilians were killed in El Fasher following the RSF takeover. It accused the paramilitary of carrying out "ethnically based executions" and a "horrific massacre," as well as looting hospitals and pharmacies, leaving the sick and wounded without care. The United Nations and aid agencies voiced alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation. The International Organization for Migration said it was tracking new waves of displacement from El Fasher as families fled with little access to food, water or shelter. Residents remain "trapped and terrified -- shelled, starving, and without access to healthcare or safety," the UN humanitarian office (OCHA) said, renewing calls for an immediate ceasefire "in El Fasher, in Darfur, and throughout Sudan." UN reports estimate that more than 700,000 people have fled El Fasher since fighting between SAF and RSF began in April 2023. Those who remain face severe shortages of food, water, and medicine, and aid agencies warn of deadly disease outbreaks threatening thousands of civilians. Despite repeated UN and Security Council appeals for a ceasefire, international mediation has failed to stop fighting in Darfur and the neighboring Kordofan region. Sudan's war between the army and the RSF, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and left much of the country on the brink of famine. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is expanding its efforts in Central Asia, aligning its operations with European Union policy priorities under the Global Gateway strategy, EIB Vice-President Kyriacos Kakouris told Trend in an exclusive interview. "As the financial arm of the EU, the EIB aligns its operations with EU policy priorities. In Central Asia, these priorities are clearly defined under the Global Gateway strategy, with a strong focus on digital connectivity, sustainable transport, critical raw materials, water, energy, and climate resilience," Kakouris said. A recent initiative in digital connectivity highlights this approach. "A recent example is our 60 million euro financial package announced in March, supporting digital access through a partnership with SES, a European satellite provider. This initiative aims to deliver broadband internet to remote rural areas across Central Asia, improving digital inclusion for millions of people," he noted. Looking ahead, Kakouris said the banks strategic priorities include advancing the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor to strengthen regional connectivity and trade links with Europe, as well as scaling up investments in renewable energy, including solar, wind, and hydropower, alongside water management and climate adaptation. To facilitate these projects, the EIB combines its loans with EU grants, guarantees, and technical assistance. "This blended finance approach helps reduce project risk, accelerate preparation timelines, and ensure alignment with EU environmental and social standards," Kakouris explained. He added that the bank is actively collaborating with governments, local development banks, and private sector partners across Central Asia to identify and co-finance high-impact, sustainable infrastructure projects. "Our aim is to deliver long-term benefits for people and the planet," he concluded. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has released the official exchange rates for foreign currencies as of October 28, Trend reports. According to the rates announced by the CBI, the value of 38 currencies went up, while 6 currencies dropped compared to October 27. The official rate for $1 is 565,767 rials, while one euro is valued at 658,270 rials. On October 27, the euro was priced at 655,843 rials. Currency Rial on October 28 Rial on October 27 1 US dollar USD 565,767 564,622 1 British pound GBP 754,051 754,214 1 Swiss franc CHF 710,289 709,791 1 Swedish krona SEK 60,230 50,079 1 Norwegian krone NOK 56,654 56,426 1 Danish krone DKK 88,127 87,890 1 Indian rupee INR 6,411 6,428 1 UAE Dirham AED 154,050 153,743 1 Kuwaiti dinar KWD 1,844,862 1,841,003 100 Pakistani rupees PKR 200,351 200,174 100 Japanese yen JPY 369,533 370,215 1 Hong Kong dollar HKD 72,839 72,667 1 Omani rial OMR 1,470,995 1,466,955 1 Canadian dollar CAD 404,200 403,403 1 New Zealand dollar NZD 325,965 324,700 1 South African rand ZAR 32,803 32,466 1 Turkish lira TRY 13,494 13,461 1 Russian ruble RUB 7,138 7,076 1 Qatari riyal QAR 155,425 155,116 100 Iraqi dinars IQD 43,201 42,094 1 Syrian pound SYP 51 51 1 Australian dollar AUD 370,742 367,484 1 Saudi riyal SAR 150,866 150,566 1 Bahraini dinar BHD 1,504,646 1,501,654 1 Singapore dollar SGD 436,171 434,555 100 Bangladeshi takas BDT 462,402 461,432 10 Sri Lankan rupees LKR 18,601 18,610 1 Myanmar kyat MMK 269 269 100 Nepalese rupees NPR 400,508 401,548 1 Libyan dinar LYD 104,008 103,827 1 Chinese yuan CNY 79,567 79,277 100 Thai baht THB 1,729,682 1,725,190 1 Malaysian ringgit MYR 133,983 133,691 1,000 South Korean won KRW 394,808 392,434 1 Jordanian dinar JOD 797,951 796,364 1 euro EUR 658,270 655,843 100 Kazakh tenge KZT 105,247 104,969 1 Georgian lari GEL 208,154 208,030 1,000 Indonesian rupiahs IDR 34,049 33,978 1 Afghan afghani AFN 8,523 8,503 1 Belarusian ruble BYN 166,025 166,014 1 Azerbaijani manat AZN 332,791 331,942 100 Philippine pesos PHP 960,291 962,439 1 Tajik somoni TJS 61,160 60,611 1 Turkmen manat TMT 161,346 161,276 Venezuelan bolivar VES 2,639 2,627 The CBI adopted the SANA system for currency exchange offices, where one euro costs 845,100 rials and $1 costs 726,317 rials. NIMA represents a strategic framework for the monetization of a designated fraction of foreign currency accrued through export activities. The price of one euro in this system amounted to 820,486 rials, and the price of $1 totaled 705,162 rials. On the black market, $1 is worth about 1.05-1.08 million rials, while one euro is worth 1.22-1.25 million rials. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Eni and the Bioenergy Association for Sustainable Development, affiliated with Egypts Ministry of Environment, have signed a cooperation agreement to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on establishing biogas production units that utilize agricultural and animal waste, Trend reports. The agreement was signed in Cairo in the presence of Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment. The joint study will evaluate the potential for building a biodigestion plant capable of converting agricultural and livestock waste into biogas, which can be used to generate renewable electricity and heat. The process also produces high-quality organic fertilizers, supporting sustainable agriculture and the circular economy. According to the partners, the initiative would contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and could generate high-value carbon credits, aligning with Egypts broader environmental goals. The project supports the Ministry of Environments strategy to expand the use of biogas technologies across Egyptian governorates and to promote sustainable energy solutions that reduce emissions. It also aligns with Enis long-term decarbonization strategy, which targets carbon neutrality by 2050 through integrated, low-emission technologies. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 28. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov received the credentials of Momcilo Babic, the newly appointed Ambassador of Serbia to Uzbekistan, the Uzbek foreign minister wrote on his X page, Trend reports. We expressed mutual readiness to further strengthen the Uzbek-Serbian ties of friendship and cooperation across political, economic, cultural, and other spheres. I wish Mr. Ambassador every success in his important mission to deepen the partnership between our two nations, Saidov stated. The ceremony took place ahead of the official visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Uzbekistan, which will be held from October 28 to 31 at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The visit is expected to give new impetus to bilateral relations and open up additional opportunities for expanding multifaceted cooperation between Tashkent and Belgrade. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 28. Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan Saida Mirziyoyeva held a meeting with a U.S. delegation led by Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to discuss trade and security cooperation, Trend reports. During the meeting Mirziyoyeva highlighted that senior U.S. officials praised the speed and dynamism of reforms implemented in Uzbekistan over the past eight years under President Shavkat Mirziyoyevas leadership. We paid special attention to the emerging opportunities in trade between our countries and exchanged views on strengthening cooperation in public security, Mirziyoyeva wrote on her Telegram channel. She also lauded collaborative initiatives as advantageous for sovereign entities. Meetings like this help us better understand and unlock the potential of both sides. Thanks to our policy of openness, Uzbekistan is becoming increasingly attractive for joint projects in education, culture, the economy, and many other areas, she added. Concurrently, by the conclusion of 2024, the bilateral trade volume between the two nations escalated by 15 percent, culminating in a total of $881.7 million, whereas the direct foreign investment from the U.S. in Uzbekistan reached an impressive $612.6 million. Over 300 enterprises with American investment are currently active within the nation, comprising 167 that are wholly owned by U.S. stakeholders. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. A consortium of Frances TotalEnergies and Saudi Arabias Aljomaih Energy & Water (AEW) has been awarded the contract to develop, build, and operate a 400 MW solar power plant in As Sufun, Saudi Arabia, Trend reports. The license was granted by the Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) following a competitive tender process. Under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), electricity generated from the plant will be sold to SPPC. Once operational in 2027, the facility will supply clean power to more than 68,000 homes. The As Sufun project is part of Round 6 of the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), overseen by the Ministry of Energy. The initiative aims to reduce the Kingdoms reliance on liquid fuels and increase renewable energy capacity to up to 50% by 2030, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Olivier Jouny, Senior Vice President for Renewables at TotalEnergies, highlighted that the project marks the consortiums second success under the NREP. Together with our partner Aljomaih Energy and Water Co., we are thrilled to contribute to Saudi Arabias target of increasing the share of renewables in its energy mix, he said. Ibrahim Aljomaih, Chairman of Aljomaih Energy & Water Company, emphasized the projects alignment with national sustainability goals, noting that it reflects the companys unwavering commitment to supporting the Saudi Green Initiative and advancing the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. TotalEnergies already operates the 119 MW Wadi Al Dawasir solar plant in Saudi Arabia and is building the 300 MW Rabigh 2 project, further reinforcing its long-term role in the Kingdoms energy transition. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The 15th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Belarus is currently taking place in Baku, Trend reports. The session is co-chaired by Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister Samir Sharifov and Belaruss Deputy Prime Minister Natalya Petkevich. The meeting highlighted ongoing collaboration at the Ganja Automobile Plant, where agricultural and specialized machinery continues to be assembled in partnership with Belarus. The discussion also noted long-term cooperation in lift production and supply, with efforts underway to expand local manufacturing in Azerbaijan through a partnership with Mogilevliftmash. In 2025, the plan is to modernize and install 200 lifts across the country. Iran and Uzbekistan set sights on boosting economic connections Iran plans to boost economic ties with Uzbekistan, with 20 products agreed upon under a preferential trade deal. Barter systems and trade houses in both countries were discussed to enhance trade and tourism. They also addressed logistical issues and simplifying visas for businessmen. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, October 28. Turkmenistan's Ambassador to the UAE, Bayram Bayramov, met with Javad Ludin, Deputy CEO of Azizi Developments, and discussed potential areas of collaboration, Trend reports via the embassy. Ludin underscored the organizations current initiatives both within the UAE and internationally, while articulating a keen interest in establishing synergies with Turkmenistan. Ambassador Bayramov endorsed the initiative, highlighting Turkmenistans receptiveness to collaborations with esteemed global enterprises and accentuating the nations potential in urban infrastructure enhancement and energy sector synergies. Azizi Developments is a leading private real estate developer based in Dubai, UAE, known for its extensive portfolio of modern luxury residential and commercial properties. Established in 2007 by Mirwais Azizi, the company focuses on creating developments across prime locations such as MBR City, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Healthcare City, and Dubai South. Notable projects include the master-planned communities of Azizi Riviera and Azizi Venice, as well as the forthcoming Burj Azizi, which is set to be the world's second-tallest skyscraper. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Azerbaijan portrays its trade turnover with Turkiye in 9M2025 From January through September 2025, trade between Azerbaijan and Turkiye totaled $4.3 billion, down $292 million or 6.3 percent year-on-year. Azerbaijan exported $2.6 billion to Turkiye (down $346 million) and imported $1.7 billion (down $54 million). Trade with Turkiye accounted for 12.25 percent of Azerbaijans total foreign trade. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Global buyers rush to the Canton Fair, hunting for the next big thing Pub Date:25-10-28 10:09 Source:Xinhua The 138th Canton Fair is now open in Guangzhou! Buyers from around the world are on the hunt -- from service robots to furniture, and the latest innovations are drawing big crowds. It's more than a trade show -- it's where tomorrow's products go global. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Editor:Qin Shuying Related News Global businesses gather at Hong Kong int'... China to improve financial services furthe... China's forex regulator to roll out new po... China's forestry and grassland sector form... Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). File photo taken on Oct. 25, 2025, shows President Alassane Ouattara at a polling station, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. (Xinhua/Zhang Jian) ABIDJAN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). According to the CEI, Ouattara garnered 3,759,030 votes out of a total of 4,187,318 valid ballots cast, with voter turnout reaching 50.10 percent among the 8.7 million registered voters within Cote d'Ivoire and abroad. The other candidates, Simone Ehivet Gbagbo of the Movement of Capable Generations, Jean-Louis Billon of the Democratic Congress, independent candidate Ahoua Don Mello, and Henriette Lagou Adjoua of the Group of Political Partners for Peace, gained their respective shares of the vote as 2.42 percent, 3.09 percent, 1.97 percent and 1.15 percent. Upon the release of the initial results on Sunday evening, Billon conceded defeat and extended his congratulations to Ouattara. The election took place in a "generally calm and peaceful" atmosphere, despite some "marginal and isolated incidents" reported in the western, central-western, and southern parts of the country, according to the CEI and electoral observation missions. These incidents, which did not call into question the integrity of the vote, included vandalism against electoral materials, road obstructions, and intimidation of election officials. Ouattara, 83, previously held the positions of the governor of the Central Bank of West African States and the deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund. He served as the prime minister of Cote d'Ivoire from 1990 to 1993 and won the 2010 presidential election before officially taking office in the following year. Ouattara was re-elected in 2015 and again in 2020. In accordance with Ivorian law, the president is elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term. The final results will be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council following validation, while any candidate has five days to file an appeal with the council. Supporters of Alassane Ouattara celebrate at the headquarter of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 27, 2025. Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua) Supporters of Alassane Ouattara celebrate at the headquarter of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 27, 2025. Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua) File photo taken on Oct. 25, 2025, shows President Alassane Ouattara voting at a polling station, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua) Supporters of Alassane Ouattara celebrate at the headquarter of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 27, 2025. Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua) Supporters of Alassane Ouattara celebrate at the headquarter of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 27, 2025. Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua) A supporter of Alassane Ouattara celebrates at the headquarter of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Oct. 27, 2025. Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, candidate of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, has won a fourth term in the presidential election with 89.77 percent of the votes, according to provisional results released Monday by the country's Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). (Photo by Yvan Sonh/Xinhua) Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President Ilham Aliyev visited the cotton processing plant of Tashobasi LLC in the Sabirabad Industrial District on October 28, Trend reports. Registered as a resident of the Sabirabad Industrial District in 2023, the plant produces lint and technical fiber using technologies from Turkiye, Germany, and Italy. The total project value is 3.3 million manats. Its annual production capacity is 8,000 tons of lint and 10,000 tons of technical fiber. The manufactured products serve both domestic and export markets. To date, products worth 2.6 million manats have been sold, including 2.2 million manats in exports. Cotton grown in Neftchala, Salyan, Sabirabad, and Saatli districts is used as raw material, creating seasonal employment for 300 people in cotton fields. Overall, 80 permanent jobs have been created at the plant. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 28. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov received copies of credentials from Kenji Hirata, the newly appointed Ambassador of Japan to Uzbekistan, the Uzbek foreign minister wrote on his X page, Trend reports. The bilateral and multilateral agenda of Uzbek-Japanese cooperation continues to expand through mutually beneficial initiatives and projects, Saidov stated. He also conveyed his utmost regards to Ambassador Hirata for an impactful and fruitful assignment in Uzbekistan. In the interim, bilateral commerce between Uzbekistan and Japan has experienced a remarkable escalation, with a 54 percent uptick over the preceding five-year period, indicative of a pronounced enhancement in the economic and commercial synergies between the two nations. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the water filter production facility of Firtina Su Sistemleri LLC in the Sabirabad Industrial District on October 28, Trend reports. Firtina Su Sistemleri LLC was registered as a resident of the Sabirabad Industrial District in 2024. The facility, with a project value of approximately 1.2 million manats, produces equipment for liquid filtration and purification using Chinese technology. It plans to manufacture 210,000 filters and 15,000 water filter devices annually. The products, including devices and spare parts, are supplied to the domestic market and exported to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkiye. The facility currently employs 50 people, with plans to expand employment in the near future. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 28. Advisor to the Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, Jasur Karshibayev, held a meeting with Jesper Klindt Petersen, Regional Head of the Operations Coordination Department for Central and West Asia at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to discuss avenues for further strengthening bilateral cooperation, Trend reports. The meeting was attended by Mirzo Iskandar Gulamov, Head of Operations of the ADB Permanent Mission in Uzbekistan, ADB Chief Operations Specialist Shaista Hussein, and key representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Throughout the discourse, the stakeholders concentrated on optimizing the efficacy of current undertakings while probing potential avenues for collaborative ventures moving forward. The parties engaged in a dialogue regarding strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing synergistic partnerships and catalyzing novel investment ventures throughout Uzbekistan. At the culmination of the discussions, both parties reached a consensus to enhance the ideation exchange and implement a structured, outcome-driven partnership. At present, the collaborative initiative portfolio between Uzbekistan and the Asian Development Bank stands at $14 billion, encompassing critical sectors including sustainable energy, transportation infrastructure, digital innovation, educational advancement, and various other strategic domains. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The 30th Anniversary International Conference and Exhibition Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan 2025 (OGT-2025), held under the slogan Energy. Innovation. Development, has concluded in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The forum once again put Turkmenistan on the map as a key player in the region's energy game, showcasing its willingness to roll up its sleeves for dialogue and cooperation that benefits all parties involved. Over 400 representatives from top-notch companies and organizationsranging from Chevron and TotalEnergies to Siemens Energy and Baker Hughes, not to mention SOCAR, CNPC, Petronas, and Dragon Oilcame together from more than 60 countries to chew the fat about fresh opportunities in Turkmenistans energy sector. The conference was a real eye-opener, not just to wrap up the industry's latest results but also to put Turkmenistan's best foot forward for foreign companies: extensive initiatives, fiscal robustness, capital allocation certainty, and a progressive reform strategy. Due to the strategic open-door initiative implemented by the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the nation is establishing an ecosystem conducive to sustainable, synergistic partnerships with international investors. At the heart of the national energy strategy lies the Galkynysh fieldone of the biggest fish in the sea when it comes to gas fields, boasting estimated reserves that are nothing to sneeze at, totaling 27.4 trillion cubic meters. The potential of it was a hot topic at the conference, stirring the pot and getting everyones wheels turning. Turkmenistan is poised to execute an EPC agreement in 2026 for the fourth phase of the Galkynysh development initiative, targeting a design throughput of 10 billion cubic meters annually. Ashyrguly Begliyev, the presidential adviser on hydrocarbon sector dynamics, articulated at the symposium that the initiative will be entirely underpinned by domestic fiscal resourcesa notable instance of financial autonomy that concurrently allows for global technological engagement. As articulated by Murad Archaev, the Deputy Chairman of Turkmengaz, strategic discussions are currently in progress with CNPC and ADNOC regarding the execution of the subsequent phases of development, specifically the second and third phases. This creates opportunities for enterprises capable of delivering cutting-edge engineering innovations, methane emission mitigation methodologies, and sophisticated reservoir optimization frameworks. For foreign partners, Galkynysh is not merely a cash cow but a golden goose for steady income and energy security, underpinned by a rock-solid political landscape and infrastructure that's ready to roll. Collaborative synergies there yield multifaceted advantages for stakeholders, encompassing augmented technological acumen, strategic infrastructure capital infusion, and bolstered regional robustness. Another pivotal subject broached at the symposium was the TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia (TAPI) pipeline initiative, which has the potential to facilitate the transmission of up to 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum to the South Asian market landscape. The TAPI pipeline represents a paradigm of inter-regional synergy and geopolitical equilibrium. The execution of this initiative is poised to generate novel prospects for all engaged nations and will function as a conduit linking Central and South Asia, articulated Maksat Babaev, Chairman of the State Concern Turkmengaz. TAPI is viewed not merely as an infrastructure project but as a corridor of cooperation that ensures the regions sustainable development. The initiative brings new jobs, greater energy access, and stronger economic links to the participating countriesdevelopments made possible by Turkmenistans openness to international partners. Muhammedmyrat Amanov, Chief Executive Officer of TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd., drove home that the finalization of the pipeline segment in Herat is projected to culminate by the conclusion of 2026. U.S. enterprises have also articulated their engagement in the initiative. Samantha Carl-Yoder of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck affirmed that U.S. stakeholders are evaluating engagement from major energy players, including ExxonMobil and Chevron. The backing from global financial entities enhances the project's robustness and fortitude. Turkmenistan is enhancing its geopolitical synergies not solely with adjacent sovereign entities but also with international energy hubs. Dragon Oil (UAE) has unveiled a strategic initiative to escalate its output to 200,000 barrels per day by 2030, underpinned by an investment exceeding $11 billion and the execution of approximately 200 community engagement projects. Turkmenistan continues to be a pivotal focus area for our strategic initiatives. The organization is poised to sustain its capital allocation towards optimizing production throughput and engaging in socio-economic initiatives that bolster regional advancement, stated Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of Dragon Oil. Collaborations with entities like Dragon Oil, SOCAR, and CNPC yield substantial synergies for all stakeholders involved: the facilitation of technology transfer, the establishment of innovative manufacturing infrastructures, capital influxes, and the enhancement of human capital development. The emergence of these prospects can be attributed to Turkmenistan's liberalized engagement framework, which facilitates a stable and clear operational environment for international capital influx. SOCAR perceives its collaboration with Ashgabat as a pivotal element in the framework of sustainable energy integration within the Caspian Basin ecosystem. Turkiye, via its state-owned enterprise BOTAS, aims to amplify the influx of Turkmen gas into the European market, thereby positioning the region as a pivotal nexus for energy security. For OGT-2025 participants, Turkmenistan turned into a melting pot where energy and diplomacy shake hands: fresh avenues of collaboration are sproutingfrom joint R&D and technological clusters to investment agreements under production-sharing models. Turkmenistan has consistently shown that energy stability can go hand in hand with environmental responsibility. In 2023, methane emissions fell by some 60 percent, a development UNECE described as a systemic achievement. The World Banks Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative is actively supported by the Turkmen side and is already yielding results. The World Bank supports Turkmenistans efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and to develop clean technologies. We see potential here for investments that will promote sustainable growth and economic diversification, said Robert van der Geest, Senior Gas Specialist at the World Bank. Cooperation with international institutions helps introduce advanced environmental standards, modernize infrastructure, and increase the competitiveness of the economyreinforcing the countrys open-door strategy and creating new opportunities for partners. OGT-2025 has put the nail in the coffin on the notion that Turkmenistan is just a run-of-the-mill energy supplier; instead, its stepping up to the plate as a strategic partner, rolling out a sustainable, diversified, and open model of cooperation thats worth its weight in gold. The development of Galkynysh, the realization of TAPI, field digitalization, participation in international climate initiatives, and the growth of renewable energy all form a unique combination of factors that make the country attractive to global investors. The President of Turkmenistans open-door strategy has facilitated the emergence of these prospects, bolstered transnational collaboration, and guaranteed tangible reciprocal advantages for all stakeholders involved in the initiatives. For international enterprises, Turkmenistan represents not merely a marketplace but a dynamic ecosystem for strategic expansion where energy resources and innovative paradigms fundamentally propel advancement. Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the inauguration of the barley malt processing facility of "Promalt" Limited Liability Company (LLC) in Imishli on October 28, Trend reports. The facility will produce malt - a product obtained by processing barley, the main raw material for beer production, through specialized processes to prepare it for fermentation. Equipped with modern machinery from the Swiss company Buhler GmbH and a fully automated processing system, the facility has an annual production capacity of 11,000 tons of barley malt. The total investment in the project amounts to 33.2 million manats. Implemented through a partnership between the Azerbaijan Business Development Fund under the Ministry of Economy, "Azersheker" LLC, and "Azersun Holding" LLC, the facility has benefited from tax and customs exemptions under the states investment incentive program. The barley malt produced at the facility will also supply raw materials to the "Carlsberg Azerbaijan" beer plant. As the first modern production facility in the South Caucasus specializing in brewing barley processing, the project is significant for advancing agro-industrial integration, technological modernization, sustainable raw material supply, and localization of production in the region. The facility will create 47 jobs. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMAP) of Romania, through the Project Management Unit Prevention and Reduction of Pollution in Rural Areas (UMP-RAPID), announces a major new development, Trend reports. The development includes selection of 18 mixed farms to become national model farms under the grant scheme Support for environmental investment in model farms with a demonstrative role. This initiative is part of the RAPID program Prevention and Reduction of Pollution in Rural Areas in Romania. Farmers are our direct partners in the fight to protect soil and water. Through these pilot investments, we turn Romanian farms into examples of best practices, showing that productivity and environmental protection go hand in hand. Expanding the model farm network means that more rural communities will benefit from modern, sustainable solutions tailored to their needs, said Diana Buzoianu, Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests. Following the evaluation process, the selected farms are located in the counties of Alba, Bistrita-Nasaud, Brasov, Covasna, Harghita, Satu Mare, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, and Vrancea. The total funding amounts to over 3 million euros, provided from a 60 million euros loan between MMAP and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), under Law no. 332/2023. To reduce nitrate and ammonia pollution, the farms will invest in: - Equipment for manure removal (scraper plows, cleaning robots) - Liquid manure spreader tanks with sliding tubes and manure trailers that reduce ammonia volatilization - Smart precision systems using cameras to apply liquid nitrogen exactly where needed - Sprayers for foliar fertilizers to maximize nutrient absorption The farms will gain model farm status and be included in Knowledge Transfer Networks, playing a key role in promoting innovative solutions. They will host demonstration events, training sessions, presentations, and discussion groups to share experience and support local farmers. These 18 farms complement the existing network of 15 farms in the counties of Arad, Buzau, Bistrita-Nasaud, Covasna, Galati, Harghita, Iasi, and Satu Mare, which signed their funding contracts in September 2025. Through this expansion, MMAP ensures balanced national coverage and strengthens the network of demonstrative farms capable of providing concrete solutions for a cleaner, more sustainable rural environment. The RAPID Project Prevention and Reduction of Pollution in Rural Areas in Romania is financed through a 60 million euros loan, ratified under Law no. 332/2023. The project runs from 2024 to 2028 and has two main components: (i) strengthening the institutional capacity of public entities responsible for monitoring and controlling agricultural pollution, and (ii) supporting farmers through demonstrative schemes and the transfer of best practices. Project activities include purchasing water and soil quality monitoring equipment, developing IT applications for modeling agricultural emissions, training public institution staff, and organizing knowledge transfer networks at both local and national levels. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved a Turkish-lira-denominated sustainability-linked loan equivalent to $100 million for Enerjisa Enerji A.S., Turkiyes electricity distribution company, Trend reports. The financing will support the expansion and modernization of electricity networks in Ankara, the Asian side of Istanbul, and Toroslar, with particular focus on rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the 2023 earthquakes. The loan forms part of a broader $340 million sustainability-linked financing package arranged jointly with the International Finance Corporation, the Netherlands Development Finance Company, and the Green for Growth Fund. By providing long-term funding in local currency, AIIB helps mitigate foreign-exchange risks while promoting sustainable investment in Turkiyes grid infrastructure. This financing underscores AIIBs commitment to green infrastructure, private capital mobilization, and regional connectivity, said Najeeb Haider, Director General at AIIB. Structuring the loan around measurable climate and gender targets accelerates Turkiyes energy transition while strengthening infrastructure in earthquake-affected regions. Enerjisa CFO Philipp Ulbrich noted that international financing provides strategic support beyond capital. This agreement reflects confidence in Enerjisas long-term investment strategy and financial resilience, he said, highlighting the companys robust balance sheet and disciplined management. The project aims to enhance electricity reliability, support renewable integration, and expand digital systems, including smart meters and grid automation. It also targets energy-loss reductions and improved gender inclusion, marking one of Turkiyes first sustainability-linked loans in the regulated electricity sector. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. A common currency can be created to help economic development in the region, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a meeting with Tajikistan's Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to him, this will result in the easy establishment of relations in the region and the removal of obstacles. Pezeshkian stated that the development of friendly relations between the countries of the region will strengthen the protection of the countries of the region and their borders, and will create an effective fight against smugglers. At the meeting, Rakhimzoda also said that Tajikistan considers ensuring security to be very important for the development of economic relations. He noted that Tajikistan and Iran can closely cooperate in the fight against terrorism and smuggling, and it's possible to develop relations between the two countries in all areas. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 28. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, received the copy of credentials of Alejandro Arias Zarzuela, who has begun his diplomatic mission as the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Uzbekistan, the Uzbek FM wrote on his X page, Trend reports. We discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between our two countries across all sectors, despite the geographical distance, Saidov stated. He also emphasized the significant untapped potential for collaboration and conveyed his best wishes to Ambassador Arias Zarzuela for success in his work in Uzbekistan. ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has strongly condemned the recent atrocities in El Fasher, western Sudan. In a statement issued late Monday, the AUC chairperson expressed "deep concern" over the escalating violence and reported atrocities in El Fasher, following its takeover by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). "The chairperson condemns in the strongest terms the grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians," the statement read. Youssouf reminded all Sudanese parties of their obligations under international law to protect civilians, and warned that perpetrators of "such heinous acts" will be held accountable. Calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow life-saving aid to reach affected populations, he stressed that there can be no military solution to Sudan's crisis. He urged all actors to engage in dialogue and commit to a peaceful and inclusive political process. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, has been under an intensive siege by the RSF for several months, resulting in heavy casualties and a worsening humanitarian crisis. The RSF announced on Sunday that it had taken full control of El Fasher. Sudan remains gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, plunging the country deeper into a humanitarian crisis. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Total insurance premiums are expected to double in Turkiye from $14.4 billion in 2021 to $30 billion by the end of 2025, Secretary General of the Turkish Insurance Association Ozgur Obali said at the "Turkic States InsurTech Summit 2025" held in Baku today, Trend reports. "When we look at the Turkish insurance market, we see that this market continues to grow in a fairly stable and sustainable manner. Currently, 68 insurance companies operate in the sector. A few years ago, this figure was more than 70, but recently consolidation trends have been observed in the market," he recalled. According to him, currently about 34 million people are active insured persons in Turkiye. "This is equivalent to about half of the population with insurance potential. When passively insured people are included, this figure rises to 45 million. As of September 2024, premiums have increased by about 30 percent annually, reaching $22.1 billion. The value of total assets has exceeded $77.5 billion, and the total amount of guarantees provided has exceeded $22 trillion. This figure is approximately 22 times the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Just as insurance is as important as breathing for humans, it is also vital for the sustainability of Turkiye's economic ecosystem," he explained. Obali emphasized that the insurance sector also plays an important role in terms of employment. "Currently, more than 27,500 people are directly employed in the sector. In addition, this ecosystem, together with brokers, agencies, company employees, hospitals, repair shops, and other partners, covers a total of approximately 350,000 people. This dynamic development has made Turkiye an attractive insurance center on a regional scale. When looking at the breakdown by branches (i.e., types of insurance), it can be seen that the Turkish insurance market shows a relatively balanced structure. Casco and compulsory motor insurance (MTPL and MOD) still have a large share of the market, i.e., they make up approximately half of the total portfolio. However, this share is gradually decreasing, which is considered a positive trend. Health insurance in particular has gained a significant share of the market, demonstrating record growth in recent years. This also raises hopes for the future of the insurance sector. When looking at insurance sales channels, agencies still play a dominant role, especially in areas other than life insurance. More than half of total premiums still continue to be collected through agents, that is, through classical methods," Obali stressed. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 29. Uzbekistans Uzbekneftgaz JSC has established a new subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates - Orient Energy Limited, which will operate under the international brand UNG Overseas, Trend reports. The newly founded company will focus on attracting funds from international financial institutions and investors to implement large-scale projects in the energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. In addition, it will work to strengthen long-term energy security, develop new hydrocarbon supply chains, and promote national products in global markets. Uzbekneftgaz places particular emphasis on introducing modern and environmentally efficient technologies as part of its commitment to sustainable energy development, including the gradual transition to clean and renewable energy sources. In this regard, the establishment of Orient Energy Limited will serve as a key instrument in advancing these objectives. Essentially, Orient Energy Limited will act as an international investment and trade hub for Uzbekneftgaz, enhancing cooperation with leading global energy corporations, financial institutions, and strategic partners. The launch of the new company under the UNG Overseas brand reflects Uzbekneftgazs ambition to build a modern, efficient, and environmentally sustainable energy ecosystem. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Northern Cyprus insurance sector is open to international cooperation with Turkiye, the Organization of Turkic States, and European countries within the framework of international cooperation and education initiatives, Chairman of the Northern Cyprus Insurance and Reinsurance Companies Association Borte Barlasoglu said at the "Turkic States InsurTech Summit 2025" held in Baku today, Trend reports. "The goal is to establish common platforms in terms of both legislation and technological infrastructure and to turn the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus into a regional digital insurance center," he explained. The chairman noted that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus considers it necessary to take a number of steps for the future of the insurance sector. "For example, innovations such as digitalization and expansion of the centralized database, the introduction of telematics and behavior-based products, automatic damage assessment with artificial intelligence, integration of new technologies into health insurance, and expansion of mobile insurance applications are envisaged. In addition, training programs are being prepared for insurance employees in the fields of digital transformation, current science, data analytics, and customer experience. It's also planned to organize InsurTech startup programs in cooperation with universities. As a result, the insurance sector in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is shifting from traditional models to a modern system based on digital and analytics, becoming one of the most transparent and innovative insurance bases in the region," he emphasized. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Iran's Central Bank spills beans on funds earmarked for imports From March 21 through October 27, 2025, the Central Bank of Iran allocated $33.6 billion for imports. Of this, $23.9 billion was directed toward trade, with $8.8 billion for essential products and medicines. Major sectors received funding, including $4.9 billion for automobiles and transport and $3.1 billion for electrical equipment. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Integration of the Turkic insurance space will serve regional economic stability, Secretary General of the Insurance Association of Turkiye (TSB) Ozgur Obali told Trend on the sidelines of the "Turkic States InsurTech Summit 2025" held in Baku today. According to him, strengthening the Turkic insurance space, increasing mutual trust, and integrating the regional market are among the main goals for the future. He spoke about the global challenges facing the insurance sector, technological solutions and joint cooperation opportunities in this area, and the impact of climate change, energy transition, and the green economy on insurance portfolios. Increasing access to insurancethe main goal of the sector According to Obali, one of the most important issues of the insurance sector is increasing access to insurance. "This is a pressing issue not only for developing countries but also for developed and underdeveloped countries. The main goal is to spread the insurance mechanism to all segments of society and ensure that each individual is protected against financial risks," he explained. The secretary general also pointed out that when the protection gap widens (i.e., risks not covered by insurance), the financial losses for people can really hit home. "However, insurance is the main guarantee mechanism that minimizes these losses. Therefore, eliminating this gap is one of the main goals of both the World Insurance Association and the European and Turkic States Insurance Association, of which we are a member, including Azerbaijan. One of the most important issues in this direction is increasing insurance literacy and promoting education and cultural change. Unfortunately, in some societies, insurance is perceived as a "reality determined by fate." However, insurance is a real and effective tool for sharing and transferring financial losses," said Obali. Turkic States Insurance UnionThe foundation of a common vision Obali noted that the main goal behind the idea of the Turkic States Insurance Union is to unite countries with a common culture, language, and history under a single insurance vision. "This is of great importance not only in terms of economics but also in terms of social and strategic cooperation. Because insurance is based on the "law of large numbers," that is, the wider the pool (common financial mechanism), the more balanced the risks are and the more sustainable the sector becomes. For this, more regional cooperation, joint projects, and the removal of mutual regulatory barriers are important. The goal is to develop insurance in the Turkic world and share experience and resources," he added. Integration of technologythe "InsurTech" revolution Obali pointed out that the integration of technology into insurance ("InsurTech") is of particular importance. "The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship is strong in the Turkic world, and by combining this potential with the insurance sector, it is possible to develop modern, technology-based products. In this regard, initiatives such as 'InsurTech Hub' are very valuable," he announced. The secretary general emphasized that concrete projects are currently being implemented in three main areas: 1) Joint education and cultural programsto increase insurance knowledge; 2) Merging "Reassurance" (reinsurance) poolsto share risks more widely and take advantage of the "law of large numbers" more effectively; 3) Technology and experience exchange ("know-how" transfer)for the implementation of modern insurance systems. Climate change and its impact on the insurance sector Obali noted that climate change and its impact on the insurance sector require special attention. "Urbanization, soil salinization, water-resistant environments, and the increase in natural disasters (floods, fires, droughts, etc.) create new risks. Against this, the application of parametric insurance products and the development of innovative risk management solutions are important. In the field of agriculture, there is close cooperation between the TARSIM (Agricultural Insurance Association of Turkiye) model operating in Turkiye and the Agricultural Insurance Fund of Azerbaijan. Both parties are actively working towards establishing a common insurance pool and sharing Turkiye's experience and know-how in this field with Azerbaijan," he clarified. Looking to the future: integration of the Turkic insurance space "Agriculture plays a crucial role not only in economic frameworks but also in the maintenance of social equilibrium and the assurance of food security. Consequently, enhancing synergies in this domain is deemed a strategic imperative. In summary, fortifying the Turkish insurance landscape, enhancing reciprocal confidence, and synergizing the regional marketplace are pivotal objectives for the forthcoming trajectory," Obali concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 29. The national payment system HUMO and the global payment platform Alipay+, owned by Ant International, announced in Beijing the launch of a collaboration aimed at developing inbound and outbound cross-border QR payments, Trend reports. The first Uzbek e-wallet to be integrated with Alipay+ will be Octomobile from Octobank. By the end of the year, other e-wallets and banking applications connected to the HUMO network are expected to join the system. With this partnership, HUMO has become the tenth national QR-code payment operator to join the Alipay+ partner ecosystem. At the initial stage, HUMO users from Uzbekistan will be able to make seamless payments in China and more than 50 countries worldwide, including Kazakhstan, Thailand, the UAE, the USA, and others - paying for shopping, dining, transport, and other services in Uzbek soms via familiar banking applications or payment methods. "We are delighted to partner with Alipay+ from Ant International. This agreement opens new opportunities for seamless international travel for Uzbek users and creates real prospects for business growth. HUMO, as a key component of the national payment infrastructure, connects 35 banks and 42 non-bank financial organizations. We look forward to further expanding our cooperation with Alipay+," said Maksad Mukhitdinov, First Deputy Chairman of HUMO. "We are excited to collaborate with HUMO, expanding Alipay+'s presence in Central Asia and reaching over 45 million digital wallet users. This partnership will enhance the travel experience for Uzbek tourists, provide convenient payments and attractive offers, and help Uzbek businesses accept international customers, stimulating the growth of the countrys tourism economy," said Edward Yue, CEO of Alipay+ for Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South Asia. Currently, Alipay+ collaborates with 40 e-wallets and banking applications, as well as 10 national QR payment systems, connecting over 100 million merchant points and 1.8 billion user accounts worldwide. In China, Ant International is the largest inbound payment operator in terms of reach, number of scenarios, and transaction volume. Its payment ecosystem supports seven international card brands and 31 e-wallets from 12 countries and regions. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 28. Bishkek Mayor Aibek Dzhunushaliev met with Zhuzhou Mayor Cheng Huiqing during his working visit to China and discussed vital aspects of economic teamwork, Trend reports via the Bishkek Municipality. The discussions centered on enhancing trade synergies and economic interdependencies, amplifying cultural and humanitarian exchanges, and fortifying industrial collaboration between the two urban centers. Mayor Dzhunushaliev emphasized Bishkeks strategic intent to leverage synergies in domains like transport optimization and light manufacturing, alongside fostering conducive frameworks for sustainable partnerships. Cheng Huiqing reiterated his municipality's dedication to fostering private sector advancement and amplifying bilateral investment and trade initiatives. The convening highlighted the escalating synergies between Bishkek and Zhuzhou, signifying a pivotal advancement in the trajectory of economic, industrial, and cultural integration. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, October 28. Somon Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Shanghai Haizhu Engineering & Design Group Co., Ltd. to develop a feasibility study for the construction of a new aircraft hangar, Trend reports via Somon Air. The agreement marks a significant step in enhancing Tajikistans aviation infrastructure, with a focus on expanding the airlines technical capacity for aircraft maintenance. Shanghai Haizhu Engineering & Design Group, one of Chinas top ten construction companies specializing in airport facilities, will bring its expertise in aviation infrastructure design and construction to the project. Founded in 2001, the company has extensive experience in large-scale aviation facility projects and is a leader in the development of airport infrastructure in China. The partnership aims to improve the aviation sector in Tajikistan, with an emphasis on modernizing aircraft maintenance facilities. During the discussions, both parties explored opportunities for cooperation on broader airport infrastructure development, with particular attention to the design and construction of specialized hangars. This collaboration is seen as an important milestone for Somon Air, as it looks to upgrade its aviation maintenance capabilities and support the growth of the national airline industry. The project will enhance Tajikistans capacity to manage modern aircraft fleets and support the country's growing role in regional air travel. DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, October 28. A delegation of investors from the People's Republic of China visited the Dangara Free Economic Zone (FEZ) to explore business opportunities and strengthen economic ties between Tajikistan and China, Trend reports via the Dangara FEZ. During their visit, the Chinese investors toured several manufacturing facilities within the zone, gaining insights into their operational processes, production capacities, and the potential for future development across various industries. The tour highlighted the diverse investment opportunities available in the region, particularly in manufacturing and industrial sectors. The investors were also briefed on the favorable policies of the Government of Tajikistan, which actively supports business development within its free economic zones. Detailed information was provided regarding the conditions for establishing enterprises and the incentives available to foreign investors, especially those from China. The Chinese delegation expressed appreciation for the conducive environment created for foreign investment and reaffirmed its commitment to continuing mutually beneficial cooperation with Tajikistan. This visit underscores the strengthening of economic and diplomatic relations between the two nations, paving the way for further collaboration on joint projects and attracting more Chinese investment into Tajikistans growing economy. A representative from participating companies introduces the avocados destined for the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) to Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman) DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TanTrade) and the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania on Monday flagged off a delegation of Tanzanian companies set to participate in the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held in Shanghai. TanTrade Director General Latifa Khamis said the CIIE marked another milestone in strengthening trade and investment relations between Tanzania and China. According to Khamis, Tanzania's participation in last year's edition resulted in business contracts worth over 17 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 6.9 million U.S. dollars), expanding the market for Tanzanian goods such as coffee, tea, honey, cashew nuts, gemstones, and handicrafts. Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian said the CIIE has become an important platform for international cooperation and shared development. "We are looking forward to Tanzania's wonderful performance at the eighth CIIE and hope that China-Tanzania economic and trade cooperation will become even closer," Chen said. "China needs more products from Tanzania, and at the same time, Tanzania needs more Chinese goods, products, and services." Wang Xiangyu, general manager of the East Africa Commercial and Logistics Center, said this year, the Tanzanian National Pavilion will feature 15 enterprises with 18 representatives, showcasing 16 major categories of distinctive products, including Tanzanian wine, soybeans, honey, seaweed, minerals, cocoa, cashew nuts, coffee, tea, Zanzibar spices, and Tingatinga paintings. She said the Tanzanian exhibitors are not only eager to bring high-quality Tanzanian products to China but also look forward to in-depth investigations and learning from China's vast market and advanced experience. Photo: Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. A meeting dedicated to evaluating the potential for energy and natural gas efficiency was held at the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. The event brought together representatives of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery, the Gas Processing Plant, SOCAR UNIPER LLC, Azerenergy OJSC, Azeristiliktechizat OJSC, Tamiz Shahar (Clean City) OJSC, Azerbaijan Sugar Production Association LLC, Umid Babek Operating Company (UBOC), bp company, and Shahdag Tourism Center CJSC. During the meeting, participants discussed the development and implementation of energy efficiency measures aimed at the rational use of energy resources, as well as methods for assessing efficiency potential. They also reviewed the technical feasibility and economic viability of saving energy and addressed the correct completion of related reporting documents. Deputy Minister of Energy Elnur Soltanov highlighted the importance of the Law on the Efficient Use of Energy Resources and Energy Efficiency and the accompanying regulations governing the assessment of energy efficiency potential. He emphasized that energy savings represent one of the most significant energy sources, noting that efficient energy use plays a crucial role in ensuring the countrys sustainable development. Participants also exchanged detailed views on the criteria outlined in the assessment procedures and discussed key aspects of the reports, providing relevant recommendations for future work. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Kazakhstan sees decrease in money transfers from Germany In August, there was a discernible contraction in the volume and monetary value of cross-border remittances from Germany to Kazakhstan, reflecting a significant downturn relative to the preceding month of July. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Kazakhstan reveals size of its airline fleet Photo: Air Astana's official telegram account Kazakhstan's airline fleet now consists of more than hundred aircraft, including eight new planes introduced in 2025, according to the Kazakh government. The country maintains air connections with 31 nations through 144 international routes, operating 842 flights per week. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register Photo: Official information source of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan is actively exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in its fuel and energy sector, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov announced at a government meeting, Trend reports. He added that to drive this initiative, an Acceleration Group for the implementation of AI in the energy sector has been formed, comprising representatives from leading industry companies. "The primary objective of the collective is to delineate industry-specific requirements and synergize initiatives for the deployment of artificial intelligence use cases," Akkenzhenov articulated. Moreover, a strategic consortium has been formed, uniting international providers and technology firms with AI-driven solutions specifically engineered for the industry. In a strategic initiative to bolster the local IT ecosystem, the ministry has formalized collaborative agreements with stakeholders at the Astana Hub to co-develop and operationalize AI-driven solutions within the sector. To recall, by the latter part of 2023, the paradigm of artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan was transitioning from theoretical frameworks to actionable strategic initiatives, as the nation was in the process of formulating its AI Development Concept. Since the commencement of 2024, this strategic vision has been operationalized into actionable initiatives. In 2025, Kazakhstan unveiled its inaugural national supercomputing infrastructure, boasting a computational prowess of 2 EFlops and integrating 512 NVIDIA H200 GPUs into its architecture. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) has developed a strategic vision for the development of the National Electric Grid through 2035, aimed at ensuring the countrys energy security, KEGOC's Chairman, Nabi Aitzhanov, said at a government meeting, Trend reports. Aitzhanov emphasized that the strategic framework is comprehensively synchronized with the national energy production deployment strategy, encompassing approximately 10 pivotal initiatives designed to augment the power grid's capabilities and facilitate the incorporation of renewable energy modalities. Among the initiatives encapsulated within the strategic framework are endeavors aimed at augmenting the grids capacity and integrating a higher proportion of renewable energy sources, Aitzhanov elucidated. KEGOC, a government-sanctioned natural monopoly entity, is tasked with the oversight and administration of the national power grid infrastructure, thereby guaranteeing the operational stability and reliability of Kazakhstans integrated electricity framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan and Finland's potential for investment and trade remains far from exhausted, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda. Your visit is of particular significanceits a vital and, in many ways, groundbreaking event that will give a new boost to the development of our bilateral relations. Kazakhstan and Finland have built a strong tradition of friendship and mutual cooperation, and we have no unresolved issues, Tokayev stated. He drove home the significance of the upcoming Kazakhstan-Finland business forum, which he believes will light a fire under entrepreneurs from both countries to forge stronger business ties. Moreover, we maintain strong humanitarian contacts. Finland enjoys great popularity in Kazakhstan, and our people hold your country, its culture, and traditions in high regard, Tokayev added. He also observed that a significant demographic of Kazakhstani travelers exhibits a propensity for engaging in tourism within the Finnish territory. In turn, Finland's president highlighted that the talks are focused on two main areas, the first being the development of bilateral relations and business cooperation. He pointed out that he was accompanied by a large business delegation, including representatives from over 20 leading Finnish companies. The second area of discussion is foreign policy and security matters. We share many common interests and are committed to finding solutions to complex issues, Stubb remarked. On October 28, President of Finland Alexander Stubb embarked on an official diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan. Engagements between the two Heads of State center on the intricacies of bilateral dynamics between Finland and Kazakhstan, the geopolitical landscape and its ramifications for the European and Central Asian spheres, and collaborative efforts to bolster the multilateral framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. The energy sector must develop ahead of the economy's needs, said Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov during a government meeting, Trend reports. Bektenov noted that in recent years, there has been a shortage of such capacities during peak hours, with the country's needs being met through electricity imports. With energy consumption on the rise, fueled by the demand for new industrial facilities, data centers, digital technologies, and infrastructure, the prime minister underscored the necessity of getting ahead of the curve in the energy sector. To meet these demands, the energy sector must ensure ahead-of-schedule development. This is why we have begun actively developing nuclear energy, Bektenov said. He emphasized that all scheduled energy initiatives must be executed punctually, with the integration of innovative technological frameworks, encompassing energy storage architectures and hybrid power generation facilities, being pivotal to addressing forthcoming demands. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan has called for broader development of coal-based power generation, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said during a government meeting, Trend reports. "We need to develop coal generation more widely. Coal is a vital asset for us, so dont forget that," the prime minister said. Chairman of Samruk-Energy, Kairat Maksutov, during the meeting reported on the ongoing coal generation projects, highlighting the key expansion project for the Ekibastuz GRES-2 power plant, which will see the addition of two new units with a total capacity of 1,080 MW. He noted that contracts for the design, equipment supply, and construction of a new combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Kokshetau have been signed, with site preparation, project design, and documentation work currently underway. Comparable arrangements have been established for combined heat and power facilities in the urban locales of Semey and Ust-Kamenogorsk, with the operational commencement anticipated in 2029, featuring an aggregate output of 360 megawatts and 1,000 gigacalories per hour. Currently, 43 state services with subcategories are provided in the energy sector, 99 percent of which are available online. In 2024, more than 1,000 services were provided. By 2027, the government aims to cover at least 50 percent of electricity and heat supply facilities with digital monitoring and automate key industry processes. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan is ready to explore new areas of cooperation with Finland, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during an extended meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda We attach great importance to the friendship with Finland and are ready to implement already reached agreements and develop new areas of cooperation, Tokayev said. He emphasized that Finland is a key trading partner for Kazakhstan in Northern Europe and the EU. According to Tokayev, Finlands high standards in areas such as clean energy, technology, digital innovations, environmental responsibility, governance, education, and human capital have gained global recognition. He noted that the countrys achievements serve as an inspiring example for many, including Kazakhstan. According to the Kazakh president, trade and economic cooperation have great potential. A key tool for strengthening business ties is the Intergovernmental Commission. In this context, Tokayev remarked that the presence of business representatives in the Finnish delegation demonstrates Helsinkis genuine interest in deepening bilateral partnership. Tokayev also mentioned that Kazakhstan is all in when it comes to backing joint projects and urged Finnish companies to seize the moment and tap into the wealth of opportunities waiting for foreign investors looking to dive into the vast Central Asian market. On October 28, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, embarked on an official diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan. Engagements between the two Heads of State center on the intricacies of bilateral dynamics between Finland and Kazakhstan, the geopolitical landscape and its ramifications for the European and Central Asian spheres, and collaborative efforts to bolster the multilateral framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel NAIROBI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty Kenyan state officers on Tuesday graduated from a training program sponsored by Chinese telecoms firm Huawei and partners to enhance their capacity in protecting the country's digital infrastructure. The graduation ceremony took place in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, attended by senior government officials, diplomats, industry executives, scholars, and budding innovators. William Kabogo, cabinet secretary of Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, hailed a partnership with Huawei aimed at boosting cyber defenses in the country. "We have a responsibility to ensure that the foundations of our digital economy remain safe, trusted, and resilient," he said. According to Kabogo, Kenya has prioritized investments in training, infrastructure upgrade, enhanced surveillance, punitive legislation, and citizens' awareness to secure digital assets. He added that the Huawei-sponsored cybersecurity training program has provided state officers with the technical know-how required to detect cyber threats, including ransomware, phishing, hacking, and data theft. Samuel Cheng, managing director of Huawei Kenya Enterprise Business, said the telecoms firm has backed programs to safeguard the East African nation's digital infrastructure for innovation and inclusive growth. Cheng said Kenya's rapid digitization of its economy has been accompanied by risks, necessitating public-private partnerships to ensure the networks are resilient and secure. "As a critical provider of such networks and systems, Huawei is fully committed to both ensuring our solutions are secure and developing leading network security solutions," he said. Dickson Gisiora, director of cyber security at Kenya's Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy, who participated in the Huawei-sponsored cybersecurity training, said it focused on firewall installation, network security, network access, and control. "The knowledge and skills that I acquired during this training are very key in achieving the mandate of my day-to-day functions as an officer," Gisiora added. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. The growing significance of the Middle Corridor as a reliable and efficient route between Asia and Europe was highlighted during a meeting between Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda. The presidents emphasized Kazakhstans pivotal role in the development of this transit route. They also agreed to intensify collaboration in areas such as economic growth, trade, and investments, with a special focus on promoting sustainable business practices and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The talks also centered around boosting cooperation in vital sectors, including energy, energy efficiency, environmental technologies, water management, forestry, construction, ICT, infrastructure, transport and logistics, engineering, and cutting-edge industrial innovations. The sides noted the potential for further development in the fields of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI), aiming to capitalize on the synergies between the two nations. Moreover, the presidents expressed their support for the European Unions Global Gateway initiative, recognizing the role of the Kazakhstan-Finland Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation as an effective platform to enhance bilateral ties. The business forum organized during the official visit was seen as a step toward deeper economic and trade relations. On October 28, President of Finland Alexander Stubb embarked on an official diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan. Engagements between the two Heads of State center on the intricacies of bilateral dynamics between Finland and Kazakhstan, the geopolitical landscape and its ramifications for the European and Central Asian spheres, and collaborative efforts to bolster the multilateral framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Finland has welcomed Kazakhstan's initiative to establish a United Nations Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, Trend reports via Akorda. The statement was made following a meeting between Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana In response, Kazakhstan expressed sincere gratitude to Finland for its support and co-authorship of the corresponding UN resolution, shining a light on the common ground both nations share in pushing the envelope on sustainable development, bolstering regional stability, and tackling global challenges through the power of teamwork. Moreover, the presidents emphasized the importance of swiftly achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the United Nations Charter. Tokayev also praised Finland's active chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2025, wishing them success in completing this critical mandate. The presidents expressed confidence that the agreements reached during the official visit would give new momentum to the comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both nations. They also agreed to maintain a close dialogue aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties and deepening cooperation between the two countries. On October 28, President of Finland Alexander Stubb embarked on an official diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan. Engagements between the two Heads of State center on the intricacies of bilateral dynamics between Finland and Kazakhstan, the geopolitical landscape and its ramifications for the European and Central Asian spheres, and collaborative efforts to bolster the multilateral framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan and Finland have reached agreements to collaborate in the areas of peaceful nuclear energy and oil spill cleanup, Trend reports via Akorda. During the official visit of Finnish President Alexander Stubb to Kazakhstan, 15 documents were signed, including a Memorandum of Cooperation between Kazakhstan's Teniz Zhasagy and Finland's Lamor Corporation to address oil spill response and support marine operations. Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Kazakhstans Atomic Energy Agency and Finlands Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Other key agreements were also finalized, marking a significant step forward in bilateral relations. Among the notable agreements were: - A MoU between Kazakhstans Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and Finlands Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on water resource management. - A MoU between Kazakhstans Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Finnish Water Forum, and the Kazakh National University of Water Resources and Irrigation to develop research and educational potential in digitalization and water resource management. - A Memorandum of Cooperation on the development of tourism at Kazakhstan's Burabay resort. -A Declaration of Intent between Kazakhstans Ministry of Ecology and the Finnish Water Forum on the localization of online automated environmental monitoring systems (AMS) for hydrometeorological and agricultural observations. - A MoU on the development of eco-friendly wooden housing projects in Kazakhstan. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Last year, Finlands direct investments in Kazakhstan grew by more than 80 percent, reaching nearly $500 million, said Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Kazakhstan-Finland Business Forum in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda. "Today, during our talks with President Alexander Stubb, we confirmed our commitment to expanding the partnership between Kazakhstan and Finland and opening new opportunities for dynamic growth," Tokayev said. He highlighted that Finland has long been recognized as one of the most advanced countries in innovation and technological leadership. Companies such as KONE, Nokia, and Fortum have become some of the brightest examples of the country's success, contributing to further progress and inspiring new generations of innovators. Tokayev pointed out that today, roughly 50 companies with Finnish involvement are hitting the ground running in Kazakhstan, featuring well-known names like Tikkurila, Wartsila, Nurminen, Metso, Valtra, Peikko, and a few more in the mix. "Kazakhstan is committed to expanding this partnership and further strengthening the Finnish investment and business presence in our country," the president emphasized. On October 28, President of Finland Alexander Stubb embarked on an official diplomatic mission to Kazakhstan. Engagements between the two Heads of State center on the intricacies of bilateral dynamics between Finland and Kazakhstan, the geopolitical landscape and its ramifications for the European and Central Asian spheres, and collaborative efforts to bolster the multilateral framework. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan is keen to deepen cooperation with Finnish ports such as Helsinki and Hamina-Kotka, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Kazakhstan-Finland Business Forum in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda. He noted that this cooperation could be enhanced through the exchange of experience and advanced technological solutions, helping to create new bridges of connection between the two countries. "We invite Finnish companies to join these efforts and contribute to the creation of efficient and sustainable transport links between Europe and Central Asia," the president stated. Tokayev also highlighted that Kazakhstan is actively modernizing its ports of Aktau and Kuryk on the Caspian Sea. The first phase of the container hub at Aktau port, with an annual capacity of 240,000 containers, is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Moreover, Tokayev underscored Kazakhstan's pivotal position as a vital bridge connecting the East and the West, playing a key role in nearly 85 percent of all land cargo transport between Europe and China. "For further increasing the potential of the Middle Corridor, we are launching a unified digital platform, Smart Cargo, designed to optimize and coordinate transit flows. We highly appreciate the contribution of the Finnish company Nurminen Logistics, which has created efficient multimodal transport networks in our region," the Kazakh president said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan sees significant potential for expanding cooperation with Finland in the field of mineral resources, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Kazakhstan-Finland Business Forum in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda. Our country produces 21 of the 34 rare earth elements that are considered critically important for the European Unions economy. We follow a pragmatic approach attracting investments and technologies in exchange for access to raw materials. Finnish company Metso is already providing advanced solutions in mineral processing and industrial automation. We see great potential for expanding cooperation in this area, Tokayev said. He also highlighted that Kazakhstan is the worlds largest producer of uranium, supplying around 40% of global demand. We welcome the partnership between Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency and Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) to deepen cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and the exchange of experience. In this regard, we are ready to participate in joint efforts for managing nuclear waste, drawing on Finlands safe and sustainable nuclear solutions, the Kazakh president added. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 28. Kazakhstan and Finland could establish joint ventures specializing in the deep processing of agricultural and livestock products, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Kazakhstan-Finland Business Forum in Astana, Trend reports via Akorda. As articulated by Tokayev, these strategic initiatives are poised to enhance the value-added metrics throughout the comprehensive agricultural supply chain ecosystem. He underscored that the two nations have already instituted concrete frameworks for collaborative engagement. The Kazakh National Agrarian Research University has established a collaborative synergy with the University of Eastern Finland to enhance scholarly interchange and advance cooperative ventures within the framework of the Erasmus+ initiative. Kazakhstan is enthusiastic about cultivating a new cohort of agronomic professionals and enhancing collaborative research in cutting-edge and sustainable agricultural methodologies, Tokayev emphasized. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 28. Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, received TURKPA Secretary General Ambassador Ramil Hasan during the delegations official visit to Kyrgyzstan, Trend reports. The speaker congratulated Ambassador Hasan on the start of his tenure and expressed support for the Assemblys ongoing efforts to strengthen interparliamentary cooperation among Turkic states. Turgunbek uulu highlighted the importance of TURKPAs forthcoming election observation process in Kyrgyzstan, noting its role in reinforcing democratic institutions. Ambassador Hasan briefed the speaker on TURKPAs planned activities, including enhanced cooperation with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Parliaments of member states, a new mechanism with the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), coordination among national parliamentary delegations in international organizations, and the potential accession of Uzbekistan to the Assembly. The speaker expressed strong support for Uzbekistans possible membership, emphasizing its potential to deepen interparliamentary ties and solidarity within the Turkic world. The meeting also addressed the renewal of the Secretariats legal documents and the adoption of a new budget aligned with modern requirements, ahead of the next plenary session in Kyrgyzstan. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, October 28. Kyrgyzstans Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeenbek Kulubayev received a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TURKPA) led by Secretary General Ambassador Ramil Hasan, during the Assemblys official visit to Bishkek, Trend reports. Minister Kulubayev congratulated Ambassador Hasan on his appointment as Secretary General and highlighted Kyrgyzstans support for strengthening Turkic cooperation institutions. He noted TURKPAs pivotal role as a platform for parliamentary diplomacy among Turkic states. Ambassador Hasan expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and Kyrgyzstans ongoing support for TURKPAs initiatives. He briefed the Minister on the Assemblys activities and outlined plans for deepening collaboration with the foreign ministries of Turkic countries. The meeting also covered upcoming events, including the 15th plenary session of TURKPA, which is scheduled to take place in Kyrgyzstan in 2026. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to long-term, stable cooperation within the Assembly. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, October 28. The President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, has confirmed his participation in the second Central Asia-U.S. Summit (C5+1), scheduled for November 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C., Trend reports via Turkmen MFA. This will be the first such summit with the participation of President Donald Trump. The C5+1 format, established in 2015, originally focused on security and counterterrorism issues but has gradually shifted toward enhancing economic and infrastructure cooperation. The summit comes at a time when U.S. engagement in Central Asia is intensifying, with special envoy visits, discussions on major energy and transport projects, and new agreements with American companies paving the way for further bilateral cooperation. UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said on Tuesday they join with their partners in Sudan to warn of escalating violence in besieged El Fasher and to condemn attacks on civilians. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the world body and its Sudan aid partners issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms reported attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. "We are horrified by credible reports of widespread violations, including summary executions, attacks on civilians along escape routes, house-to-house raids and obstacles preventing civilians from reaching safety," the statement said. "Sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, continues to be reported. Local (aid) responders are in grave danger, with some reportedly detained or killed." The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented some 1,850 civilian deaths in North Darfur; of these, an estimated 1,350 were in El Fasher from the beginning of the year to Oct. 20. "This is, however, considered an under-representation of the real number of conflict-related deaths in El Fasher and North Darfur, given challenges related to telecommunications and lack of access on the ground," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters in a briefing. OCHA said that local aid responders who had been sustaining communities throughout 18 months of the siege are at extreme risk, with some detained or killed. Humanitarian workers continue to operate under extraordinary danger to assist those fleeing toward Tawila and the surrounding areas. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it provides life-saving assistance and essential services to displaced families, including shelter, basic necessities and cash assistance, and offers counseling at community centers. However, the UNHCR said that access to El Fasher remains blocked, and humanitarian capacity is rapidly shrinking as needs soar. "The humanitarian community in Sudan is calling for urgent action to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, guarantee safe passage and humanitarian access to people trapped in El Fasher, ensure accountability for all violations of international humanitarian law, and scale up funding to sustain life-saving operations and support local and women-led responders on the front lines," OCHA said. The office said the United Nations and its humanitarian partners remain committed to scaling up their life-saving support across Darfur and to re-establishing their presence on the ground. OCHA also said that fighting has intensified in Sudan's North Kordofan state. "OCHA stresses again that civilians must be protected wherever they are, and allowed to flee safely and in dignity," the office said. "It urges all parties to immediately halt hostilities, respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, and enable safe, sustained humanitarian access." ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, October 28. On the sidelines of the Fourth ECO Interior Ministers Meeting, Asad M. Khan, Secretary-General of ECO, held a meeting with H.E. Muhammet Hydyrov, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, the Secretary-General of ECO wrote on his social media account, Trend reports. The discussion focused on advancing cooperation in combating transnational crime and enhancing law enforcement efforts across the ECO region. In the course of the meeting, the sides expressed a shared commitment to strengthening regional collaboration on anti-crime initiatives, recognizing the increasingly complex and interconnected nature of security threats in the region. Dr. Khan and Minister Hydyrov discussed the critical role Turkmenistan can play in enhancing law enforcement cooperation within the ECO framework, particularly in areas such as cross-border crime prevention, counterterrorism, and the exchange of intelligence. The parties agreed that Turkmenistan's strategic location and its strong national security infrastructure position the country as an important partner in regional efforts to tackle organized crime, terrorism, and other security challenges. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Iran continues to fulfill its obligations regarding its nuclear program within the framework of the law adopted by the parliament, the Spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran today, Trend reports. In his assessment, this legislation is deemed the foundational framework for synergistic collaboration and reciprocal comprehension between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Baghaei further articulated that Iran is a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and adheres to the stipulations regarding safeguards. "Some aspects of Iran's cooperation with the IAEA are within the framework of normal cooperation and are in the interests of the country. For example, if Iran wants the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant to continue its normal operations, it must coordinate issues related to the replacement of fuel rods at this plant or ensure control over the functioning of the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces necessary medicines for patients," he noted. Baghaei added that currently, the basis for Iran's cooperation with the IAEA is the law adopted by the parliament, and if the agency applies, it will be investigated in coordination with the Supreme National Security Council, and action will be taken based on the council's decision. Iran's cooperation with the IAEA was reduced to a minimum following air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. On July 2, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a decree suspending cooperation with the IAEA. According to a law passed by the Iranian parliament, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are not allowed to enter the country to conduct inspections. The agency's inspectors may only be admitted to the country if Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirms that the country's peaceful nuclear activities and the safety of its nuclear facilities are guaranteed. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is a valuable platform for dialogue, exchange of experiences, and solidarity in all areas as a bridge between the countries of the region, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at a meeting of interior ministers of the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) held in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to him, in a world of rapidly changing opportunities and problems, joint and regional cooperation is not an option but an undeniable necessity. Pezeshkian stated that one of the unfinished tasks in the ECO is the establishment of the relevant police called 'ECO Pol,' which hasn't yet been completed. He pointed out that the ECO region is one of the few regions in the world with a joint police force, and this impedes its benefiting from cooperation with other regional and international police organizations. To note, a meeting of interior ministers of the ECO member states began today in Tehran. The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is a Eurasian political and economic intergovernmental entity established in 1985 in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkiye. It offers a forum to explore methods for enhancing growth and fostering trade and investment prospects. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The possibility of a US attack on Iran has always existed, and the Iranian side cannot deny this, the Spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to him, the US has always taken steps against Iran that violate international law. Iran's constant readiness is the result of its logical behavior and foresight. The expectation of an attack on Iran was also present during the negotiations, he said. Baghaei added that Iran continues to maintain contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through its permanent representative in Vienna. On the morning of June 13, Israel launched military air strikes against Iran. The strikes resulted in the deaths of a large number of high-ranking military officials, generals, nuclear scientists, and other senior officials. On the same evening, Iran responded to Israel with Operation True Promise III: hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones were launched at several targets, including Tel Aviv, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction. On June 22, the US launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It was reported that the airstrikes destroyed Iranian nuclear facilities. In addition, on the evening of June 23, Iran launched airstrikes on a US military base in Qatar. On June 24, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that the Israeli government had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, brokered by US President Donald Trump. Iran's Supreme National Security Council also issued a statement noting the cessation of attacks. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Iran continues to exchange views and consult with regional partners and other countries active on the Syrian issue, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to him, the visit of the Russian special representative for Syrian issues to Tehran is also evaluated in this context. Baghaei also said that the processes in Syria are still volatile. This country, as one of the important players in the region, has a fundamental role in maintaining stability, security, and sovereignty in West Asia, and stability in Syria is important for Iran, he added. Meanwhile, the Russian President's special representative for Syrian issues, Alexander Lavrentiev, visited Tehran on October 20 and met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, and held talks. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. The process of documenting the facts related to Israel's 12-day military airstrikes on Iran and the US airstrikes on Iran continues, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran today, Trend reports. According to him, the first step in any international legal proceedings is, of course, to document the facts related to the events and incidents. Iran has also been doing similar work in relation to the 12-day military air strikes. Baghaei stated that the Iranian Foreign Ministry began collecting and documenting facts from day one, and a book has been published on this subject. The Iranian official added that military air strikes against Iran continue to be the focus of attention. The final statement of the latest meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in Uganda, also mentioned two established provisions in which the movement condemned the military air strikes against Iran. On the morning of June 13, Israel launched military air strikes against Iran. The strikes resulted in the deaths of a large number of high-ranking military officials, generals, nuclear scientists, and other senior officials. On the same evening, Iran responded to Israel with Operation True Promise III: hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones were launched at several targets, including Tel Aviv, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction. On June 22, the US launched military airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. It was reported that the airstrikes destroyed Iranian nuclear facilities. In addition, on the evening of June 23, Iran launched airstrikes on a US military base in Qatar. On June 24, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that the Israeli government had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran, brokered by US President Donald Trump. Iran's Supreme National Security Council also issued a statement noting the cessation of attacks. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Relations and mutual understandings between Iran and Pakistan can serve as an example for other countries, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a meeting in Tehran with Pakistans Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi, Trend reports. According to Pezeshkian, the development of scientific, cultural, economic, political, and other forms of cooperation between the two countries will further strengthen bilateral ties. He expressed hope that the implementation of the agreements reached between Iran and Pakistan will accelerate and yield positive outcomes for both sides. During the meeting, Pakistans Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi noted that cooperation between the relevant ministries of the two countries is already at a high level. He added that the agreements achieved are expected to lead to effective results in the near future, particularly in the areas of border cooperation and counterterrorism, where significant progress has been made. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The meeting, held at the Summit Conference Hall in Tehran, brought together interior ministers and senior officials from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with guest delegates from Oman and Iraq. The event was also attended by Dr. Asad M. Khan, the Secretary-General of ECO. In his opening speech, Iranian President H.E. Mr. Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized the urgency of strengthening infrastructure and security mechanisms across the region, underlining the role of Interior Ministries as vital pillars of stability. He called for greater coordination to combat shared security challenges, including terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal migration. The Tehran Declaration, adopted at the close of the meeting, sets out a comprehensive framework for collaboration in addressing these common threats. The agenda of the meeting included enhanced cross-border police cooperation, capacity-building initiatives, collective action on terrorism, and regularized engagement to ensure ongoing dialogue. Meanwhile, Eskandar Momeni, Iran's Interior Minister, emphasized that while significant progress has been made in the regions security cooperation, the Tehran Declaration sets out a roadmap for more effective, actionable steps in tackling emerging challenges. He highlighted the need for timely and efficient exchanges of information and the upgrading of international police cooperation mechanisms. BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. On October 27, 2025, Georgias newly appointed Ambassador to Egypt Nikoloz Abkhazava presented his credentials to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, marking the official start of his diplomatic mission, Trend reports. During the ceremony, Ambassador Abkhazava conveyed warm regards from Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations across political, economic, and cultural spheres. President el-Sisi welcomed the ambassador and congratulated him on his appointment, wishing him success in strengthening ties between Georgia and Egypt. CANBERRA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Social media companies TikTok, Meta and Snap told the Australian parliament on Tuesday that they will comply with the nation's world-first social media ban for under-16s. Under laws passed by the Australian government in 2024, children younger than 16 will be blocked from holding accounts on social media platforms from Dec. 10, 2025. Addressing a senate inquiry on Tuesday, executives from TikTok parent company ByteDance, Snapchat owner Snap and Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said they would comply with the ban and start deactivating children's accounts once the law takes effect. Jennifer Stout, Snap's senior vice president of global policy, told the inquiry via video link that the company would comply despite its opposition to the law. Snapchat and the Google-owned YouTube had previously argued that they are not social media platforms and should be exempt from the ban. Stout said on Tuesday that the ban could drive teenagers towards other messaging services that lack Snapchat's safety and privacy protections. "We will comply with the law, even though we believe it has been unevenly applied," she said. Meta's policy director for Australia and New Zealand, Mia Garlick, told the inquiry that the company would soon approach around 450,000 under-16 Facebook and Instagram account holders in Australia, offering a choice between deleting their data or storing it until they turn 16. ByteDance and Snap said they would take similar steps. Under the legislation for the ban, social media companies that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent children younger than 16 from accessing their platforms will face fines worth up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (32.4 million U.S. dollars). MELBOURNE, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chemists in Australia and Britain have discovered a promising new antibiotic capable of killing drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, including MRSA and VRE. The newly discovered antibiotic, called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, was found "hiding in plain sight" as an intermediate chemical in the natural process that produces the well-known antibiotic methylenomycin A, according to a Monash University press release on Tuesday. "Methylenomycin A was originally discovered 50 years ago and while it has been synthesized several times, no one appears to have tested the synthetic intermediates for antimicrobial activity," said study co-lead author Professor Greg Challis from Australia's Monash University and Britain's University of Warwick. "By deleting biosynthetic genes, we discovered two previously unknown biosynthetic intermediates, both of which are much more potent antibiotics than methylenomycin A itself," said Challis who conducted the study under the Monash Warwick Alliance Combatting Emerging Superbug Threats Initiative, established in 2012. When tested for antimicrobial activity, one of the intermediates, pre-methylenomycin C lactone, was shown to be over 100 times more active against diverse Gram-positive bacteria than the original antibiotic methylenomycin A, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Specifically, it was shown to be effective against S. aureus and E. faecium, the bacterial species behind MRSA and VRE, respectively, it said, adding this finding is especially promising for VRE, a World Health Organization (WHO) High Priority Pathogen. "This discovery suggests a new paradigm for antibiotic discovery. By identifying and testing intermediates in the pathways to diverse natural compounds, we may find potent new antibiotics with more resilience to resistance that will aid us in the fight against AMR (antimicrobial resistance)," Challis said. With its simple structure, potent activity, difficult-to-resist profile, and scalable synthesis, pre-methylenomycin C lactone represents a promising new candidate that could potentially help save some of the 1.1 million people worldwide who are victims of AMR every year, researchers said. A WHO report released earlier this month showed there are "too few antibacterials in the pipeline." However, most of the "low-hanging fruit" has already been found, and limited commercial incentives deter investment in antibiotic discovery, the Monash release said. Hey Siri! Call Deb! As flames began to envelop the back of the UMass Lowell Marching Bands charter bus on Oct. 19, senior Glen Njeru barked the command into his phone while rushing 40 of his bandmates out of their seats and down the aisle toward safety. Moments earlier, Njeru an electric bass soloist and student leader in the band had heard a violent popping noise and smelled burning rubber. He thought maybe a tire had blown, so he called Associate Director of University Bands Deb Huber, who was driving behind the bus. I wanted her to know something might be wrong, Njeru said. The smell seemed to fade, though, as the bus continued down I-95 toward Norwood, where the band was scheduled to make an exhibition performance at a high school marching band competition that Sunday afternoon. Image by Westwood Firefighters Local 1994 Westwood firefighters work to extinguish the UMass Lowell marching band's burning bus after it was successfully evacuated. But minutes later, the smell returned, and hazy smoke began to fill the cabin. Njeru and his classmates at the back of the bus screamed for the driver to pull over. As the bus pulled off an exit ramp in Westwood, black smoke outside the windows turned to bright orange flames. Thats when Njeru called Huber back and started working with junior Elliot Lemke to evacuate everyone. I could hear everything on the phone, Huber said. Glen was calm, but very direct. He told me what he saw, and then he started shouting to the others to get off the bus. His leadership and composure under pressure were truly exceptional. We were all trying to stay together, Njeru said. We had our hands on each others backs, just pushing forward to get out. Everyone escaped safely. Within moments, the entire rear of the bus was engulfed in flames. Huber, who stayed on the phone throughout, said she was in awe of the students composure. I am extraordinarily proud of all the students on the bus for their calm, quick and courageous response during such a frightening situation, she said. Their ability to act swiftly and look out for one another demonstrates remarkable presence of mind and teamwork. By the time firefighters arrived, the bus was fully ablaze. Dozens of students lost uniforms and personal belongings like phones, laptops and wallets that they didnt have time to grab. Most of the instruments were spared, however, as they were in storage compartments near the front of the bus that did not burn. Rather than cancel the show, the stranded band members decided to continue to Norwood and perform with 50 bandmates who were traveling on a second bus. That bus doubled back and got them to Norwood High School just in time for their performance. Image by Westwood Firefighters Local 1994 After their bus was totally destroyed by fire, the 40 stranded members of the UML Marching Band continued to their performance in Norwood on a second bus. Some of the students marched in socks because theyd lost their shoes in the fire. One of the competing high schools lent missing instruments. The host school provided them with food. The performance, Huber said, was incredibly emotional, but focused. The audience gave a standing ovation some in sympathy, others simply impressed by the quality of the show, she said. It was amazing how good we sounded, Njeru said. If you closed your eyes, you wouldnt have known that wed just come off a burning bus. Director of University Bands Dan Lutz was inspired by the students ability to perform under those circumstances. To muster that level of focus after such trauma was an honor to witness, he said. That kind of mental and emotional control is a bit of a superpower that will serve them well in life. Njeru, a music studies major from Lowell, said the performance helped the students process what had happened. Having something creative to focus on lifted a weight off me, he said. It gave us something positive to pour our energy into. Back on campus the next day, university staff helped students replace lost items and offered counseling resources. Huber and Lutz gathered the band to process the experience together. A few days later, Chancellor Julie Chen presented Njeru with a citation for courage and leadership. Glen is an amazing example of our students, Chen said. He showed calm leadership in a dangerous situation, and he continues to inspire others through his teaching and music. In the wake of the fire, support has poured in from across campus and beyond. A local music company donated replacement shoes and gloves, while a nearby college loaned the ensemble marching hats, known as shakos, so they could continue performing. The bands uniform supplier is rushing to produce new shakos and will donate them free of charge, Huber said. Image by Ed Brennen "Glen is an amazing example of our students," Chancellor Julie Chen says of senior marching band member Glen Njeru. The outpouring from alumni, colleagues and the greater band community has been remarkable, said Huber, who also credited Provost Joe Hartman for his immediate outreach. His prompt communication and support were invaluable, she said. He made sure the students had what they needed as we began to recover. Lutz said the ordeal has brought the marching band closer than ever. Any shared momentous event, whether extremely positive or extremely negative, can serve to bind a group together, he said. But this situation the juxtaposition of a traumatic event followed by 90-plus musicians focusing in unison to achieve a shared goal at such a high level thats the kind of shared experience that forges a permanent link. Njeru agrees. We were all shaken, but we came together, he said. A few days later, the marching band got back on charter buses and headed to Quincy to perform at the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association state finals. At the event, the UMass Amherst marching band showed its support by playing the UML fight song, River Hawk Pride. NEW DELHI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were electrocuted and 10 others injured, six of them critically, on Tuesday after a bus carrying them came in contact with an overhead high-tension wire in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, police said. The accident took place in Manoharpur village of Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. The injured were immediately rushed to the nearest hospital, and of them, the condition of six is said to be critical and they have been referred to Sawai Maan Singh hospital. Preliminary investigations carried out by the police showed that there were Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders kept on the top of the bus, along with other household items, which aggravated the situation. "The bus was carrying 15 LPG cylinders, of which two exploded," a local television news channel quoted a fire department official as having said. The firefighters from the fire department have managed to douse the fire, and police have launched an investigation into the accident. DHAKA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- After a hiatus of nearly two decades, the Bangladesh-Pakistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) resumed the bilateral economic talks in Dhaka on Monday. This two-day session, the highest-level forum for economic cooperation between the two nations, focused on strengthening ties across multiple sectors, including agriculture, information technology, food security, aviation, and shipping. Both sides emphasized the need to reduce non-tariff barriers and expand collaboration into new areas such as education, manpower export, and industrial sectors. The delegations, led by Bangladesh's Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed and Pakistan's Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, also stressed the importance of revitalizing broader regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). According to officials, bilateral trade between the two countries still remains under one billion U.S. dollars, a figure they consider modest. Relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan improved in 2024 after Bangladesh's new interim government took over. This shift was evidenced by a notable change in diplomatic rhetoric and the initiation of joint cooperative projects. Hamilton, NY Colgate University announced a major expansion of its financial aid program on Sunday, more than doubling the income threshold for tuition-free education in a move designed to make higher education more accessible to middle-class families. Starting in fall 2026, families earning less than $175,000 annually will pay no tuition under the expanded Colgate Commitment program. The previous threshold stood at $80,000, making this expansion a significant leap in affordability for prospective students. "Access to transformative education should not be determined by a family's financial circumstances," said Colgate President [Name]. "This expansion of the Colgate Commitment reflects our dedication to ensuring that talented students from all economic backgrounds can benefit from a Colgate education." Sliding Scale for Higher Earners The announcement extends beyond the $175,000 threshold, introducing a sliding scale of tuition contributions for families earning up to $300,000: Families earning $175,000-$200,000 will pay approximately 5% of their income toward tuition Those earning $200,000-$250,000 will contribute around 7% Families earning $250,000-$300,000 will pay roughly 10% Additionally, families with incomes up to $200,000 will have their full financial aid needs met entirely without loans, eliminating debt burden for eligible students. Third Expansion Since 2020 The Colgate Commitment launched in 2020 as part of the university's Third-Century Plan, a comprehensive initiative to enhance access and affordability. Sunday's announcement marks the third expansion of the program, demonstrating the university's ongoing commitment to reducing financial barriers to higher education. The expansion comes at a time when college affordability remains a pressing concern for American families. With total costs of attendance at private universities often exceeding $80,000 annually, Colgate's enhanced aid program positions the institution among the most generous in the nation for middle-income families. Impact on Enrollment University officials estimate that hundreds of additional families will qualify for aid under the expanded program. The changes apply to both incoming first-year students and current undergraduates who meet the income requirements. "This is about investing in the next generation of leaders," the university stated in its announcement. "We want students to graduate prepared to make an impact on the world, not burdened by overwhelming debt." Located in Hamilton, New York, Colgate University enrolls approximately 3,000 undergraduate students and is consistently ranked among the nation's top liberal arts colleges. The expanded Colgate Commitment takes effect for the 2026-2027 academic year, with applications for fall 2026 admission currently being accepted. For more information about the Colgate Commitment and financial aid eligibility, prospective students can visit the university's financial aid office or website. Safeguarding judicial integrity in the age of social media and artificial intelligence: A perspective from Belize Honourable Mme. Louise Esther Blenman is the Chief Justice of the Senior Courts of Belize and the President of the Judicial Education Institute of the Senior Courts of Belize. ______________________________ Proper judicial ethics are critical for the maintenance of the rule of law and strengthening the administration of justice. Integrity is essential to the proper discharge of the judicial office. These words, embedded in the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, underscore the importance of integrity as a cornerstone of judicial functions. However, the rapid emergence of social media and artificial intelligence have profoundly challenged long-held assumptions that the judicial office stands apart from technological transformations. These developments are compelling judiciaries worldwide to reassess and redefine the proper discharge of the judicial office. Under my leadership, the judiciary of Belize has implemented three major initiatives to safeguard the credibility of our courts while embracing technological transformation. These are: the revised Senior Courts of Belize Code of Judicial Conduct and Etiquette (Code of Judicial Conduct and Etiquette) and Belize Senior Courts and Magistracy Social Media Policy for Judicial Officers (Social Media Policy), both effected on 2 December 2024, as well as, Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025 on the Ethical Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Court Proceedings (Practice Direction on AI), issued on 12 August 2025. The original Code of Judicial Conduct and Etiquette was promulgated in April 2005. The revised 2024 version reaffirms core values, including integrity, impartiality and judicial independence, while acknowledging modern challenges and offering solutions. It emphasizes that judicial conduct, both inside and outside the courtroom, must foster public trust and confidence. While the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct provide a global compass, our revised Code modernizes and contextualizes these standards for Belize, ensuring that judicial officers are guided by principles aligned with both contemporary local realities and international best practices. Recognizing that social media is now an inseparable part of daily life, we developed a specific policy to help judicial officers guard against ethical pitfalls. Our Social Media Policy is the first of its kind in Belize. It indicates acceptable use, highlights risks of perceived bias or impropriety and provides guidance on safeguarding the judiciarys reputation in the digital public sphere. It underscores that while judges do not forfeit their right to personal expression, our responsibilities demand caution and restraint in online spaces where boundaries are often blurred. The Practice Direction on Artificial Intelligence represents another significant and strategic development. While acknowledging AIs potential to assist in legal research, case management, and even drafting, the Practice Direction sets ethical parameters for its use. It warns against overreliance, emphasizes the necessity of human judicial oversight and requires transparency when AI tools are used in submissions to the court. This measure reflects our determination to harness innovation responsibly, ensuring that justice remains a human-centred enterprise. To support the implementation of these measures, the judiciary has conducted training sessions through our Judicial Education Institute. Most recently, the Judicial Education Institute (JEI) of the Senior Courts of Belize, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), hosted a Judicial Ethics Training Workshop for judges, magistrates, registrars and judicial assistants. With the recent framework developments, Belize has positioned itself among the pioneering jurisdictions that have directly addressed these sensitive and evolving issues. Conclusion As technology continues to reshape the administration of justice, the ethical compass of judiciaries must remain steadfast, but not static, evolving to respond to societal and technological changes. By developing tailored policies on social media and AI, and revising the Code of Judicial Conduct and Etiquette, Belizes judiciary has shown that judicial integrity can be preserved through forward-looking, practical solutions. In charting this path, we remain cognizant of the need for judiciaries to respond to the challenges of the digital age with clarity, courage and commitment to the enduring values of justice. Field day participants learn about precision agriculture at the 2024 Powell Research and Extension Center field day. (UW Extension Photo) University of Wyoming Extension will host its 2025 Northwest Crop Symposium in Powell Friday, Nov. 14. This all-day conference, designed for producers, agriculture professionals and researchers, addresses the latest practices in crop production and farm management. Topics include farm economics and cost management, precision agriculture and crop insurance. Industry professionals also will present about specific crops, such as beets and barley. The symposium will take place at Northwest Colleges Yellowstone Room, located at 231 W. Sixth St. Presentations begin at 9 a.m., and the event concludes at 5 p.m. The Northwest Wyoming Crop Symposium offers valuable, research-based information that producers can immediately apply to improve their operations, says Makayla Getz, Park County extension educator. Attendees gain access to the latest updates in crop science, pest and weed management, soil health and innovative production technologies tailored to Wyomings unique growing conditions. In addition to sharing practical knowledge, the event provides an opportunity for community members to connect with industry leaders. To register for the event, go here. The cost is $10 per person and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. On-site registration will open at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event if space is still available. For more information, email Getz at mgetz@uwyo.edu or call (307) 527-8839. About University of Wyoming Extension UW Extension serves Wyoming communities by helping residents apply university research and resources to practical problems. Since 1914, UW Extension has provided educational programs and tools to the states 23 counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation. From 4-H programming and pesticide safety education to food preservation and nutrition courses, UW Extension upholds the universitys land-grant mission by offering learning opportunities for people of all ages. UW Extension staff members help Wyoming residents boost agricultural production, care for lawns and gardens, cultivate future leaders, support individual and community well-being, and develop thriving businesses. To learn more, visit www.uwyo.edu/uwe or call (307) 766-5124. Faith Jones Jennifer Stephens An alumna and a current faculty member with the University of Wyomings Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing have been chosen for leadership positions with the Wyoming Nurses Association (WNA). Faith Jones, a longtime resident of Powell and the winner of the nursing schools Alumni of the Year Award in 2023, received the majority of votes during a recent election process and will now serve as the WNAs vice president. She has a long-standing involvement with the WNA that includes roles as president, president-elect, legislative chair and district officer. Throughout her career, Jones has been committed to advancing nursing practice, particularly in rural and frontier communities. I have respect for all nurses, but especially for rural nurses. Rural nursing is a specialty that is often undervalued when, in fact, our nurses in Wyoming have a greater breadth of knowledge, which stems from wearing many hats, Jones says. In the role of vice president, I hope to engage nurses throughout the state and put a spotlight on and celebrate the high quality of nurses we have in Wyoming. Jones also has represented Wyoming nurses nationally as a delegate to the American Nursing Association (ANA) House of Delegates and as vice president on the ANA board of directors. She also is the owner of BeEngaged LLC, a health and wellness organization that provides networking opportunities for Wyoming nurses. Jennifer Stephens, from Cheyenne, also was re-elected to the position of secretary for the WNA. She currently is an associate professor with the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. I love being a member of the WNA, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue serving our state organization in the role of secretary, Stephens says. I am passionate about serving nurses and in advancing our profession. Stephens has been the secretary for the WNA since 2023 and is excited to continue in this role. She also is co-chair of the Practice Committee and the founder of the Wyoming Nursing History Special Interest Group. The debut of the Wyoming Nursing History Podcast occurred during the WNAs recent convention, and these oral history podcasts are available on the WNA website. "WNA is blessed with the amazing leadership from both of these individuals, says Kara Beech, executive director of the Wyoming Nurses Association. We are thankful for the University of Wyoming Fay Whitney School of Nursing for turning out students who continue to give back to the state in various ways." I am thrilled to see both Faith and Jennifer elected as officers in the Wyoming Nurses Association, adds Sherrill Smith, dean of the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. Their leadership will help to facilitate our schools continued collaboration with WNA to facilitate the profession of nursing and health care in Wyoming. I am incredibly proud to see both Faith Jones and Jennifer Stephens representing the University of Wyoming and the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing through their leadership with the Wyoming Nurses Association, says Patrick Hardigan, dean of the College of Health Sciences. Their service exemplifies the spirit of excellence, commitment and community engagement that define our nursing program. Faith and Jennifers dedication to advancing nursing practice across Wyoming -- especially in rural and frontier communities -- underscores how UW-trained nurses continue to make a meaningful difference in the health of our state. SYDNEY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mining giant Rio Tinto said on Tuesday that Australia's largest aluminum smelter could be shut down in 2028 due to rising electricity costs. Rio Tinto said in a statement that it has started a consultation process with employees on the operating future of the aluminum smelter in Tomago, 130 km north of Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Tomago Aluminium, which is 51.5 percent owned by Rio Tinto, produces up to 590,000 tonnes of aluminum every year, equating to almost 40 percent of Australia's annual national production. Rio Tinto said that a comprehensive market-sounding process that began in 2022 has yet to identify a pathway that supports commercially sustainable operations for the smelter after its current electricity supply contract expires in 2028. It said that electricity accounts for over 40 percent of current operating costs and that proposals indicate the cost of both coal-fired and renewable energy options from January 2029 would increase significantly, leaving the smelter unviable. "As a result, Tomago Aluminium has reached a point where it must contemplate ceasing operations at the end of its current electricity supply contract," it said. Employees and trade union representatives have been given until Nov. 21 to share feedback with the company before a final decision is made. Responding to the announcement, Australia's Minister for Industry and Innovation Tim Ayres said that the federal government would exhaust every opportunity to secure the future of the smelter. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. The confrontation between President Donald Trump and the coalition of British, American, Israeli, and Ukrainian deep states is likely to extend to the Far East. In Japan, Sanae Takaichi has just formed a LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) government thanks to his alliance with the Innovation Party, which shares his warmongering views. Far East Although Prime Minister Takaichi is the first woman to hold this office, she is nonetheless a champion of "Japanese imperialism" from the Showa era. Barely inaugurated, she announced her intention to rewrite the National Defense Strategy (NDS), the Defense Enhancement Program (DBP), and the National Security Strategy (NSS). These texts are, in principle, updated every ten years, but will be reformed seven years ahead of schedule. Sanae Takaichi claims that she simply wants to honor President Trumps wish that each US ally devote 5% of its GDP to defense; everyone has understood that she wants to restore the Emperors army, amend the Constitution to end Japanese neutrality, and attack the Korean Peninsula and the Peoples Republic of China. To be clear, her predecessor and outgoing Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, sent an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine in memory of Japanese criminals against humanity. Ishiba is the largest private collector of World War II memorabilia. His home is a shrine to war criminals. Ms. Takaichi certainly did not go to the Yasukuni Shrine this year, unlike in previous years. She refrained from using anything too provocative, and Shigeru Ishiba went there very rarely. But she did appoint seven men from among the parliamentarians corrupted by the Moon sect as ministers and secretaries of state. Following the assassination of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 8, 2022, by a victim of the Moon sect, the police discovered that she had not only bribed him, but also parliamentarians from her own party, the Liberal Democratic Party. In previous years, she had paid them half a billion dollars. Yes, half a billion dollars. The largest parliamentary corruption scandal in history; a scandal that remains unsolved and has only led to three indictments. At the same time, Reverend Moons widow was arrested in South Korea, at the age of 82, for bribing President Yoon Suk Yeols wife. While the sums involved are not the same, President Yoon suddenly attempted a coup detat on December 3rd. This conservative intended to reinstate the dictatorship of General Chun Doo-hwan (1980-1988). However, this disastrous regime was a member of the World Anti-Communist League, founded by Chinese General Chiang Kai-shek, South Korean Reverend Moon, Japanese Ryoichi Sasakawa (founder of the Liberal Democratic Party), and Ukrainian Yaroslav Stetsko (former right-hand man of Stepan Bandera and Ukrainian Nazi Prime Minister). While the Korean branch of the deep state now seems out of the running, the Japanese branch is now on the rise. Middle East In the Middle East, the Israeli deep state was reconstituted thanks to the American Elliott Abrams. In 2003, he managed to assemble a coalition to bring the Likudnik Benjamin Netanyahu back to power. But this coalition included Jewish supremacists like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Above all, the new Netanyahu was very different from the opportunistic politician of his early days. He suddenly became the successor to his father, Benzion Netanyahu, private secretary to the fascist Vladimir Jabotinsky. He profoundly transformed Israels constitutional system by amending its Basic Laws. Little by little, the democratic regime was transforming into a genocidal regime before everyones eyes. Elliott Abrams began his political career in the 1970s. He was then a parliamentary aide to Democratic Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, alongside the students of the fascist philosopher Leo Strauss, including Richard Perle. Perle and Abrams thus advised the senator to vote for the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which allowed Soviet Jews to leave their country and settle in Israel. It was during this time that they became friends with the Ukrainian Natan Sharansky, who was decorated by President Ronald Reagan, later became Israeli minister under General Ariel Sharon, and is today responsible for Israeli propaganda in the Western world. Elliott Abrams continued his career by organizing the genocide of the Mayans in Guatemala with the Revisionist Zionist Yitzhak Shamir (then at the Mossad). One crime leading to another, he was the organizer of the secret alliance between the Reagan administration, Yitzhak Shamir (become Prime Minister), and the Speaker of the Iranian National Assembly, Hashemi Rafsanjani: the Iran-Contra affair. The idea was to have the Islamic Republic sell Israeli weapons to the Contras in Nicaragua, in order to defeat the Sandinistas, without having to inform Congress. He is now the president of the Tikvah Foundation, which manages Revisionist Zionist schools in the United States. In this capacity, he "was" the employer of Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe in the last four French governments. Europe In the United Kingdom, the Keir Starmer government is elusive. Although he is a Labour member, Starmer was secretly a member of the Trilateral Commission, which would seem to indicate that he is an agent of big American capital. Although he was close to Jeremy Corbyn, he was one of those who organized his downfall. Not to mention his relentless defense of Israel under the pretext of fighting anti-Semitism. Beyond all the hypotheses put forward about him, he appears to be a defender of British imperialism. Since he became Prime Minister, Her Majestys Army has become significantly involved in the Gaza genocide. The British General Staff has received senior Israeli generals on numerous occasions, in secret, even assuring them that they were not at risk of arrest by magistrates concerned about crimes against humanity. It provided faithful surveillance of Gaza day after day through its reconnaissance planes based in Cyprus.At the same time, the Starmer government inherited the sanctions imposed by the Sunak government against the Muslim Brotherhood (of which Hamas is the Palestinian branch), and particularly against Mahmoud al-Zahar, the Brotherhoods leader in Gaza. It lifted the sanctions against him, which had been imposed with the United States, and then reinstated them on April 9, 2025. Finally, he trained Israeli officers during the massacre. Simultaneously, he took control of the Ramstein Group when the US Defense Ministry sought to get rid of it. This is now the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine, where he successfully marginalized the French presence and brought the German presence under his control. It was well known that Starmers predecessor, the Conservative Boris Johnson, had convinced President Volodymyr Zelensky not to negotiate peace with Russia, despite this being his initial election platform. But we must revise the interpretation of this commitment by noting that Labours Keir Starmer has continued his policy, demanding ever more anti-Russian commitment from his Ukrainian interlocutors. It should be remembered that Boris Johnson is an admirer of Winston Churchill, to whom he has dedicated a biography. Churchill, however, considered the USSR not as an ally against the Third Reich, but as an enemy in waiting. At the end of the Second World War, he had planned to use the defeated SS regiments and turn them against the Soviets (Operation Unthinkable). He had asked his general staff to plan the nuclear annihilation of major Soviet cities and was only prevented from doing so by the United States. Subsequently, he recruited almost all possible Axis leaders to fight against Moscow. This is what is called the "Cold War." Thus, Stepan Bandera and Yaroslav Stetsko worked for the Allies in Munich, within the CIA radio, which he did alongside Said Ramadan, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Keir Starmer is the heir to this strategy. His aim was not to fight the Slavs because they were an inferior race (as the Nazis believed), but because they threatened British supremacy on the European continent (as geopolitical scientist Halford John Mackinder taught). He activated a British agent: Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski. Sikorski announced that Poland would intercept Vladimir Putins presidential plane if he attempted to travel to the Budapest summit to meet with Donald Trump and conclude peace in Ukraine. As a result, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov telephoned his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, to postpone the peace summit. Sikorski left the Poland in 1981 for England. He became a subject of the Crown and a journalist at the Spectator, the Observer, and the Daily Telegraph. He then moved to the United States, where he became a columnist for the Republican monthly National Review; a historic Republican and therefore anti-Trump magazine. He subsequently founded the Polish Press Club and married American journalist Anne Applebaum, a director of the Bilderberg Group. His wife, a Republican like him, defected when Donald Trump took over the Republican Party. She became an advisor to Democrat Hillary Clinton. As a result, Radosaw Sikorski became Polands deputy defense minister and NATOs chief media outlet. Faced with questions about his dual allegiance, he abandoned his British nationality, but apparently not his submission to the Crown. Take a glimpse of South Korea's Gyeongju, where the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held. In just 60 seconds, explore this ancient capital, from its historic temples to vibrant streets, as it prepares to welcome leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region. #GLOBALink BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on China and Japan to jointly advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit and build constructive and stable bilateral ties fit for the new era. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during a phone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. During the talks, Wang congratulated Motegi on taking office once again as the Japanese foreign minister. China and Japan are each other's important neighbors, Wang said, noting that China has maintained consistency and stability in its policies toward Japan, and is willing to work with the country to continue observing the principles and following the direction set in the four political documents between the two nations. China has noticed the positive signals sent by the new Japanese cabinet, Wang said, adding that high-level exchanges are of great significance to the development of bilateral relations. It is hoped that the new cabinet of Japan will make a good start in engaging with China and put right "the first button of a shirt," said Wang. Noting that history and the Taiwan question bear on the foundation of bilateral relations and the basic good faith between the two sides, Wang expressed the hope that Japan join hands with China to uphold the political foundation and promote the continuous improvement and development of bilateral relations on the right track. For his part, Motegi said that as the international landscape undergoes profound transformations, Japan and China are shouldering increasingly significant international responsibilities. China is an important neighbor of Japan, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attaches great importance to Japan-China relations, he said. The Japanese side has never intended to decouple or sever supply chains with the Chinese side, and hopes that both sides will enhance exchanges at all levels, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences, and fully advance a constructive and stable strategic relationship of mutual benefit between the two countries, said Motegi. They also exchanged views on some specific matters in bilateral relations. SYDNEY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and another injured in an explosion at an underground mine in southeastern Australia early Tuesday, according to local police. Emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 450 km east of Broken Hill, about 3:45 a.m. after being told two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident, New South Wales police said in a statement. Police officers arrived at the scene and were told that a man had been confirmed dead. Two women were brought to the surface, however, one has since died. The second woman was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of hearing damage and shock, the statement said. The Endeavor Mine is a major underground silver, zinc and lead mine owned by Australian company Polymetals Resources. Police said that it will assist the company's regulators in their investigation into the incident. A Hindu devotee offers prayers to the setting sun on the occasion of the Chhath festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Oct. 27, 2025. The Chhath festival is dedicated to the sun with Hindu devotees making offerings to the setting and rising sun. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) A Hindu devotee offers prayers to the setting sun on the occasion of the Chhath festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Oct. 27, 2025. The Chhath festival is dedicated to the sun with Hindu devotees making offerings to the setting and rising sun. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) Hindu devotees offer prayers to the setting sun on the occasion of the Chhath festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Oct. 27, 2025. The Chhath festival is dedicated to the sun with Hindu devotees making offerings to the setting and rising sun. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) Hindu devotees offer prayers to the setting sun on the occasion of the Chhath festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Oct. 27, 2025. The Chhath festival is dedicated to the sun with Hindu devotees making offerings to the setting and rising sun. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua) By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA The Tanaiste has said the civil war in Sudan cannot be ignored as he condemned the use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. Simon Harris said 14 million in aid from the Irish state this year was aimed at helping Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries as he urged the suffering must stop. There is deep concern for hundreds of thousands of civilians in El Fasher, in the Darfur region of Sudan, after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a paramilitary group accused of genocide said it had captured the city following a year-long siege. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Harris, who is also the Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, called for an immediate cessation of atrocities in Sudan and urged for an international push to deliver humanitarian aid. I am horrified by alarming reports coming out of El Fasher that the Rapid Support Forces are carrying out large-scale, ethnically motivated atrocities including summary executions, sexual-based violence and detaining civilians, he said. This is part of a terrible and widespread pattern we have seen in Sudan, including the use of rape and starvation as weapons of war. The suffering must stop. I call on the RSF to take action urgently to end these criminal acts. All warring parties in Sudan must adhere to their commitments and obligations to protect civilians and to enable humanitarian access in line with international humanitarian law. The safety of civilians and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed and perpetrators must be held to account. All civilians attempting to flee El Fasher must be guaranteed safe passage. He added: The plight of the people of Sudan cannot be ignored. I will continue to work with EU and international partners to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for the facilitation of sustained humanitarian access. Last week, I joined colleagues at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in strongly condemning the ongoing conflict. The international community must engage to ensure an effective humanitarian response and a pathway to peace. Ireland has provided over 14 million euro in humanitarian support this year to people in Sudan and to refugees in neighbouring countries. The support of Irish Aid is making a difference on the ground including in reaching the most vulnerable. This support will be provided as long as the suffering of the Sudanese people continues. Eoin Reynolds For the prosecution to succeed in securing murder verdicts against three men who assaulted a Croatian national on a Dublin street, a jury must be satisfied that each of them intended to cause serious injury to the victim, a judge has said. Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring told the jury of six men and six women that the prosecution alleges that Mark Lee (44), Anthony Delappe (19), and Connor Rafferty (21) engaged in a joint enterprise when they assaulted Josip Strok (31). For a finding of murder in each case, the judge said the jury must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused person assisted "in a concrete way in the killing of Josip Strok" and that in doing so they intended to cause him serious injury. It is not an offence to be present at the scene of a crime and participation requires more than simply failing to intervene, she said. The judge told the jury that the prosecution case is that "it doesn't matter" whether a particular accused punched, kicked, or struck the victim with a weapon because the allegation is that "they were acting in concert when they assaulted him and therefore each is responsible for the murder of Mr Strok." Defence barristers in each case argued that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that their clients intended serious harm, Ms Justice Ring said. The question that remains for the jury, she said, is what each accused intended. If the jury is not satisfied that any of the accused had the intent for murder, they can consider manslaughter. Manslaughter, the judge said, is where the actions of the accused caused Mr Strok's death and where their purpose was to cause more than trivial, but not serious harm. Ms Justice Ring will complete her charge to the jury on Wednesday before they begin their deliberations. Mark Lee of no fixed abode, and Anthony Delappe of Melrose Avenue, Clondalkin, have both pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Josip Strok at Grangeview Way in Clondalkin on April 3rd, 2024. Connor Rafferty of Castlegrange Close, Clondalkin, has pleaded not guilty to Mr Strok's murder. All three have pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Mr Strok's friend, David Druzinec (29), at the same location. It is the prosecution case that on March 30th, 2024, Mark Lee was told of an alleged assault on a teenage boy at a bus stop near his home in Clondalkin and alerted the two other accused. The prosecution alleges that the three then followed Mr Strok and Mr Druzinec and assaulted them in the street. Mr Strok died four days later from blunt force injuries sustained in the attack. Seoirse O Dunlaing SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, told the jury that Mr Lee had used his feet and fists to kick, stamp, and punch Mr Strok. Mr Delappe, he said, had used "brutal" force in repeatedly striking Mr Strok with a hard plastic pickaxe handle. Mr Rafferty, he said, joined in by striking Mr Strok three times with one half of a crutch after Mr Strok had stopped moving. Barristers for all three accused said the prosecution had failed to prove that their clients had the necessary intent for murder. The winner of the prestigious Waterford Poetry Prize was announced at the end of Waterford Writers Weekend last weekend. First place is awarded to David McLoghlin, Ballincollig, Cork. The winning poem is titled West Cork Model Railway Village, Clonakilty. The first place prize is 500 and a place on the Molly Keane Writers retreat. He is the prize-winning author of three collections of poetry with Salmon Poetry, most recently Crash Centre, shortlisted for the 2025 Pigott Prize. His writing has been published in Poetry Ireland Review, Literary Hub, Poetry Foundation, broadcast on RTEs Poetry People, WNYCs Radiolab, and many other journals in the USA and Ireland. His writing has been translated into Spanish, Bulgarian and German. He has received recognition and support in the form of prizes, grants and fellowships from The Arts Council, The Sewanee Writers Conference, The Patrick Kavanagh Awards, The Katherine and Patrick Kavanagh Fellowship, and a teaching fellowship from New York University. He also writes personal essays and memoir and has work forthcoming in University of Michigan Presss 'Under Discussion' series. He teaches Creative Writing (poetry and memoir) widely in Ireland and in the USA (via Zoom). Second place goes to Anaphora by Jackie Gorman a poet from Athlone. Her work has been widely published in journals such as Poetry Ireland Review, The Honest Ulsterman, The Lonely Crowd and others. Her debut collection was published in 2019 by the Onslaught Press, UK. She has a Masters in Poetry Studies from DCU and was the recipient in 2024 of the John Broderick Emerging Writers Bursary. She has previously received the Listowel Writers' Week Single Poem Award and was part of the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series. She has completed residences at Cill Rialag and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and has received two Agility Awards from the Arts Council. Third prize goes to Roisin Leggett Bohan from Cork. She has won the Patrick Kavanagh Award 2025 and was runner up last year. She has been shortlisted for The Alpine Fellowship Poetry Prize and Aesthetica Creative Writing Award. Her work features in Poetry Ireland Review, The Stinging Fly, The Manchester Review, Banshee, Magma, Aesthetica, The Pomegranate London and RTE Radio 1. Several of her poems are published in Beginnings Over and Over: Four New Poets from Ireland (Dedalus Press, 2025). She holds an MA in Creative Writing from UCC and is the co-founder of HOWL New Irish Writing. Her poem which is placed third in the Waterford Poetry Prize is called If I were from Mandalore, lifted by a gargantuan raptor. Margaret Organ, Arts Officer and Curator of the Waterford Writers Weekend thanked everyone from around the country for sending in their poems and said that this years adjudicator Jessica Traynor had difficult decisions to make. Click here to watch judge Jessica Traynor read the winning poem and the reasons for her choice. Several hundred people gathered in Cappoquin in solidarity with a victim of a recent serious assault and to demand more policing resources. The event held on Friday evening was organised by Sinn Fein TD Conor McGuinness and councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy. The vigil was opened by local man Martin Reddy and concluded with a moment of silence followed by the lighting of candles across the town centre. Deputy McGuinness said the turnout reflected the best of the communitys spirit and a clear demand for change. What we saw in Cappoquin on Friday evening was the strength of a community standing together neighbours, friends, and families united by compassion and courage. People here are determined to make their voices heard. The Government must now listen. He said rural communities have been stretched to breaking point as garda stations closed and resources cut. The deputy called on the government to reopen the closed stations and ensure adequate garda numbers, visibility and responsiveness across the county. My thoughts and support are with the person seriously injured in Cappoquin last week, and with their family at this very difficult time. "I also want to extend my solidarity to the Gardai in Dungarvan following the recent unrelated attacks on members of the force. "Our frontline Gardai do incredibly difficult work under immense pressure. "They deserve to be backed up with adequate recruitment and resourcing a message that has yet to land with Government, said Deputy McGuinness. Conor D. McGuinness TD addressing the vigil in Cappoquin alongside Cllr. Donnchadh Mulcahy. Cllr Mulcahy said West Waterford had been overlooked and under-resourced for too long. Fridays turnout shows people are worried and that has to be addressed. Friday night showed the very best of our community. The people of Cappoquin and West Waterford came together with strength, dignity and unity to say clearly that enough is enough. "We are proud of our community, and we will not allow fear or violence to define it. The Government must listen to the people of West Waterford. "We need a permanent Garda presence, proper resources for rural policing, and a plan that gives reassurance and protection to our towns and villages. "The message from Cappoquin is clear our community stands together, and we are demanding action, said Cllr Mulcahy. A county Waterford business has won a major national retail award. Quish's SuperValu, in Tramore has once again won the coveted title of 'Retail Store of the Year', and 'Best In-store In-store Off-Licence' at the 2025 National Grocery Retail Awards. Quish's were the sole winners from Waterford and in winning the award beat off competition from dozens of other nominated stores from across the country. Commenting on his store's win, owner Cormac Quish said: "We are delighted to have won the National Grocery Retail Awards, Retail Store of the Year for the second year in a row, as well as winning the Best Instore Off-Licence award. "The competition is fierce, from all over the country, with some amazing stores involved, so it is very gratifying to be recognised," he said. "It's a reflection of the Trojan work from Niall Shanaghy and all our team that standards continue to rise, and a great reward for the continuous investment in the store," he added. Quish's SuperValu,Tramore owner, Cormac Quish, store manager Niall Shanaghy are pictured with staff members celebrating their double win. Pic: Noel Browne Mr Quish also acknowledged the support of the store's "loyal customers", commenting: "We wouldn't be here without them. It's really a store worthy of its location in Tramore, one of the best towns in Ireland to live in." The winners were announced at a prestigious ceremony in the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin. Retailers from all around the country were in attendance, and in her welcoming words, the editor of Checkout magazine, Maev Martin, said: "You are truly the best at what you do, and it is a great privilege for us to be able to honour you today. Experienced journalist, interviewer and moderator Claire Brock led the proceedings, announcing awards that celebrated topics such as store design, sustainability, offerings, customer service, and community initiatives. The awards were also aimed at honouring local stores for their exceptional community contributions by awarding the Highly Commended distinction. A local man appeared in court last week for attacking a bouncer a year after he had refused him entry to a bar. The attacked party was eating a meal with his family in the Uluru when he was attacked. "I just wanted to get him back," the assailant told Gardai. Court hearing Michael Taylor, with an address at 2 Ardmore Park, Ballybeg, pleaded guilty to one count of assault and two counts of making threats to kill or cause serious harm. He appeared in Waterford Circuit Court last week in relation to the offences. Assault The incident of assault took place in the Uluru Bar & Restaurant. The attacked party was eating a meal with his family in the premises at the time. CCTV footage shows two men, Taylor and his father, approaching the group who were sitting at a table. Taylor struck the man with two punches to the head. The attacked party suffered a nasal fracture and damage to his eye area. He alerted Gardai to the incident and Taylor was subsequently located and interviewed. Taylor told gardai during the interview that the attacked party had refused him entry to a licensed premises while he was working as a bouncer in the city, a year prior to the incident in the Uluru. I just wanted to get him back, he told gardai. Threats Taylor had also sent threatening messages and voice notes to the attacked party. The messages contained extremely offensive language", the court heard. Shocking Judge Eugene OKelly outlined to the court that the Uluru is a family patroned premises, and that the attack took place on a Sunday afternoon when families were present. He said that the injured party was a totally innocent man who was enjoying a meal with his family. He described Taylors behaviour as shocking. Michael Taylor is due to return for sentencing on January 14. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme. A Waterford man was sentenced last week for possessing drugs valued at over 166,000 in his family home. 45-year-old Alan Wall, of Rice Park, Waterford City, pleaded guilty to a Section 15A Misuse of Drugs count. He appeared via video link from Portlaoise Prison to Waterford Circuit Court for sentencing on Friday, October 24. Events Alan Wall was first identified after customs officials intercepted a package which was addressed to his family home. At the time, Wall was living in a shed connected to the residence. The package contained two kilograms of cocaine. Gardai undertook a controlled delivery of the package to the residence and executed a search warrant. In the home, Gardai found additional substances, including MDMA tablets, cannabis and benzocaine powder. Wall was not present at the time of the search. He was subsequently located in Dublin, and was charged and interviewed. During interviews with Gardai, he denied ordering the package. He took responsibility for ownership of the drugs which were found within the residence however and told gardai that other persons residing in the property had nothing to do with the offences. One other individual was arrested at the house. Gardai concluded they had no involvement or awareness of the package. The total value of the cocaine within the package was 140,000. The MDMA had a value of 25,818 and the cannabis value amounted to 519. The total value of all substances found was 166,337. Gardai determined that Wall did not have the financial means to purchase such a quantity of drugs on his own, but that he was associated with individuals who did, and he facilitated the delivery of the drugs to his residence. An investigating Garda member said during the court hearing that Wall was known to be involved in the drug scene in Waterford on a mid to high level. He was on bail at the time of his arrest for a separate misuse of drugs offence. He has forty previous convictions and has spent a considerable amount of time in custody. He had previously served a lengthy prison sentence for participating in a post office robbery and having possession of a firearm in 2018. Sentencing In sentencing the man, Judge Eugene OKelly said to the court that Wall was an essential cog in a criminal enterprise. Wall was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final two years suspended. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme. Teenage readers and writers from across the country are expected to flock to Waterford for Europes first youth-run literary festival, The Lit. The programme contains a diverse range of events from workshops with nationally-acclaimed writers like Adiba Jaigirdar ('The Henna Wars', TIME magazine's top 100 YA books to read of all time) and Meg Grehan ('The Brightest Star', 'Baby Teeth'), poets including Molly Twomey ('Raised by Vultures', 'Chic to be Sad'), filmmakers Cara Loftus (DIFF Discovery Awardee, 'Spilt Milk') and 'Momo Willet', songwriter Tadhg Williams and a discussion with 'Skullduggery Pleasant' author Derek Landy. These events will take place in Waterford Gallery of Art, GOMA Waterford, Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford Libraries, and Theatre Royal Waterford. There will also be meet-and-greets in collaboration with new festival partners Dubray Books, as well as open mics, a living poetry wall, a Clinic Leabhair session with Childrens Books Ireland, and opportunities for young creatives to come together and meet one another. Led by young adults in Waterford Youth Arts, The Lit started as an idea in 2016, as Europes first youth-run literature festival during a weekend creative writing class for 14 to 19-year-olds. Since then, the festival has the same mission: to promote Waterford City and its young people as world-class creators and consumers of literature. Bee Tobin, a content creator and one of the organisers of the festival, said: Being in the Lit to me means opportunities of a lifetime. It's meeting and learning from incredible people that I've looked up to for years. It's discovering new passions and nurturing old ones." "It's a community of people who will root for you and want you to live those dreams. The Lit to me is a chance to create and spread art, literature and skills that last a lifetime," said Bee. The programme now boasts over 50 young people having gone through its festival-building, Co-Organisers Programme, and nearly 100 artists highlighted during the festivals eight years of operation. The Irish language officer of the festival Polly Devlin said: "Is maith liom a bheith pairteach sa Lit mar mbraitheann me cumhachtach agus muinineach i mo chuid roghanna. Taim tar eis d'fhoghlaim conas mo thuairim a chuir in iuil, imeachtai a eagru agus conas spraoi a bheith agam nuair ata me ag obair. Taim tnuth leis an feile a tosnu agus taim ag tnuth as feile a thabhairt go dti daoine oga a bhfuil eagraithe ag daoine oga. The full programme of events is available now at www.thelit.org Advertisement Updated BusinessThe economyEnergy Aluminium smelter closure tests Labors clean energy goals Nick Toscano and Mike Foley October 28, 2025 5:43am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 203 View all comments Australias biggest aluminium smelter risks imminent closure unless it is granted a multi-year rescue package that would probably cost taxpayers billions, in a fresh test of the Albanese governments promise to revive manufacturing and cut energy costs. Tomago Aluminium, whose majority owner is Rio Tinto, blamed rising power prices and the slow renewable energy rollout for its potential closure, as it faces a doubling of its energy costs when its current electricity contract expires in 2028. The Tomago smelter faces an uncertain future with its power supply deal with AGL running out in 2028. James Brickwood It has already rejected a joint offer of support from the NSW and federal governments, and federal Industry Minister Tim Ayres redoubled his pitch on Tuesday, declaring that every option would be exhausted to stop Tomagos shutdown. The troubles at Tomago come as major manufacturers across the country put their hands out for more public money, warning thousands of jobs are at stake. Advertisement On Tuesday, Tomago said it was consulting its 1000-plus workers and union officials about the potential shutdown. Related Article Energy Rio Tinto in talks to keep Australias biggest aluminium smelter open Chief executive of Tomago Aluminium, Jerome Dozol, would not discuss details of the federal and NSW governments offer, but said the company had worked through multiple pathways with government leaders. Unfortunately, we have not been able to secure a long-term solution that will keep the smelter commercially viable, he said. Tomago has been in months of talks with the federal and NSW governments over a potential rescue package, probably worth billions of dollars. Advertisement Rio Tinto is moving to transfer its other mainland aluminium smelter the Boyne plant near Gladstone in Queensland to renewable energy sources. It has struck four agreements contracting enough wind, solar, and battery storage projects to meet 80 per cent of the smelters average electricity demand. The company has also been weighing longer-term renewable energy options for the Tomago smelter, but it has been unable to find enough renewable energy supplies in NSW that could supply sufficient power around the clock. On Tuesday, Dozol said energy costs were 40 per cent of the smelters expenses, and it needed an internationally competitive price to remain commercially viable. However, he said there was significant uncertainty about when enough renewable projects would be available at the scale we need. We are facing a huge bridge between the end of this contract and when available new renewable energy will come online, he said. Speaking in Canberra, Ayres said the government was working on an assistance package aimed at subsidising the smelters power bills, and viewed a 50:50 funding split with the NSW government as about right. Advertisement Im very focused on exhausting every opportunity to secure new power purchasing agreements for that facility, he said. The government promised at the 2022 election that its pledge to boost renewable energy to 82 per cent of the grid by 2030 would result in a cut of $275 from residential power bills by the end of its first term, in 2025. Power bills have instead risen across the eastern seaboard, and by up to $700 in regional NSW. If a taxpayer-funded support deal for Tomago is reached, it will mark the fourth time the Albanese government has intervened to prop up a struggling metals processor this year, after it contributed to bailouts of Glencores Queensland copper smelter and refinery earlier this month, Nyrstars smelters in Port Pirie and Hobart in August, and the collapsed Whyalla steelworks in February. Advertisement The opposition targeted the governments energy policy in parliament on Tuesday, blaming its goal to boost renewables for rising energy prices and claiming it had broken its promise to revive local manufacturing. Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said: This reckless pursuit of 82 per cent renewables by 2030 is not working. Its driving energy prices up. Processing alumina into aluminium is extremely energy-intensive, and Tomago is the single biggest electricity consumer on Australias eastern seaboard, meaning its closure would have far-reaching consequences for the electrical grid. The energy market operator relies on its ability to call on Tomago and other large electricity users to power down during periods of elevated demand, such as heatwaves, to free up greater supplies for households and prevent blackouts and price spikes. However, University of NSW senior researcher Dylan McConnell said Tomagos closure would also create an oversupply in the electricity market that could lead to lower power bills. Advertisement Related Article Opinion Manufacturing Labors multimillion-dollar rescue wont stop the rot Elizabeth Knight Business columnist Its a huge contributor to the demand in the state, so you would expect that would put downwards pressure on electricity prices, McConnell said. Tomago Aluminium produces up to 590,000 tonnes a year of the metal, which is used to manufacture construction materials, cars, drink cans, foil packaging and electrical products. Aluminium is also increasingly in demand in the construction of solar panels and wind turbines. The Tomago smelter contributes about $2.2 billion a year to the Australian economy, of which $800 million is spent locally. The site supports about 3000 direct and indirect jobs in the Hunter region. The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the days trading. Get it each weekday afternoon. Being a mother has informed the Emmy winners performance in All Her Fault in ways she could never have imagined. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 2 View all comments For an actor, every role requires an act of imagining. But for Sarah Snook, playing a woman whose five-year-old goes missing after a playdate sent her to places no new(ish) mother really wants to go. Its every parents worst nightmare, she says as we chat on the set of All Her Fault, an eight-part domestic thriller set in Chicago and filmed in Melbourne. Shes loving shooting in her adopted hometown (she grew up in Adelaide, but relocated here a decade ago), and getting to sleep in her own bed at night, not least because it means she can see her daughter 18 months old when we chat in November 2024 when she gets home. And she feels having a child has added enormously to how shes approached the project, on which she is star and executive producer. Jake Lacy as Peter and Sarah Snook as Marissa in All Her Fault. I dont think I would have been able to do this role before now, she says. I would have been able to imaginatively create something, but theres a real difference between that and the depth of feeling that I now understand. Theres a wealth of emotion to draw on. Shes played a mother before, in Beautiful Lie, in which her character abandoned her son to be with the man she loved. But she didnt have a child then, and it coloured the way she approached it. Advertisement I stand by the choices I made as an actor, she says of that performance. But there were parents who would go, I dont know how she would leave her son. And I, as the actor, was going, Shes in love with this guy, of course she would. But had I been a parent at that time, I would probably have made different choices, with a different kind of depth. Kartiah Vergara as Ana, Duke McCloud as Milo and Sophia Lillis as Carrie. Sarah Enticknap/PEACOCK All Her Fault is adapted from the 2021 novel by Irish writer Andrea Mara (who claims the inciting premise was drawn from her life she, too, turned up to collect her child from a playdate only to find her daughter was not there). But in bringing it to the screen, writer Megan Gallagher and the production team at UK company Carnival have sought to open it up, and expand its scope beyond its genre confines. Editor's pick Streaming Stephen King has penned bestsellers for 50 years. Now, a guide to his TV universe It isnt your average TV domestic thriller, says Minkie Spiro, the English-born, Sydney-based director of the first four episodes (Australian Kate Dennis, Emmy nominated for The Handmaids Tale, directs the second block of four). Executive producer Nigel Marchant, whose credits include Downton Abbey and The Day of the Jackal, says they wanted to open [the story] out a lot more because a lot of the novel is set around a kitchen table. The question they set themselves, he adds, was, How do we make it much more visually interesting for an audience? Part of the answer was to relocate the drama from suburban Dublin to the hustle and bustle of Chicago albeit the ritzy enclave of Wilmette, a picturesque and prosperous village on the shore of Lake Michigan, north of the city proper. Melbournes mix of modern and period architecture made it a near-perfect double, and the enormous LED volume at Docklands Studios allowed footage shot in Chicago to be seamlessly integrated (all those luscious views of the lake, for instance, are projections, with the house an enormous set built on one of the studios larger sound stages). Advertisement The novels story is largely confined to the home. But, says Spiro, we wanted to make it much more expansive, to make the world feel a lot bigger, so that when Milo is abducted its like a needle in a haystack. How are you going to find him? Sarah Snook as Marissa, Michael Pena as Detective Alcaras, and Jake Lacy as Peter (background). Sarah Enticknap/PEACOCK Plenty of action and intrigue unfolds within the home Marissa shares with her husband, Peter (Jake Lacy). But theres a world outside, too: the school; the lake; the city where wealth adviser Marissa and her commodities trader husband earn their very handsome living; the mysterious world of the minimum-wage nannies and their young charges a world thats a total mystery to their well-heeled employers; and the underbelly into which the frantic parents are inevitably drawn as the police hunt, led by detective Alcaras (Michael Pena), fails to yield results. Related Article Streaming What to stream this week: A clock-ticking Netflix nuclear thriller and five more picks Its like an accordion, this show, says Spiro. You have the expanse, and then you go into these very intense moments, and then youre out again. At the core of the story is a family under siege. And in that, says Lacy, it owes something to the domestic thrillers of the 1980s and 90s, of which Fatal Attraction was the example par excellence. Its kind of a sexy, dark, family thriller thing that they dont really make any more, he says. Its of the moment in a lot of ways, but the genre, I think, harks back much more to these fun 90s films in the writing. Advertisement Around the parents at the height of the drama theres a swirl of other characters, many offering support, but any of whom could be a suspect. Ana (Kartia Vergara) and Carrie (Sophia Lillis) are a couple of nannies who become friends at the park where their charges play after school. Jenny (Dakota Fanning) is a mother and marketing executive in publishing whose teacher husband Richie (Thomas Cocquerel) makes all the right noises about balancing work and home but does nothing of substance to support that. Colin (Jay Ellis), Marissas business partner, and Lia (Abby Elliott), Peters sister, seem to be harbouring shared secrets; even the disabled Brian (Daniel Monks), who is housed and employed by his brother Peter, could have a motive for being involved in the kidnapping. Its a veritable rogues gallery of ostensibly nice people. Supporters or suspects?: Daniel Monks (left) as Brian, Abby Elliott as Lia and Jay Ellis as Colin. I truly think this is a character piece in the skin of a thriller, observes Spiro. Whats so brilliant is that Megan has navigated this propulsive thriller while also giving quite important social commentary about what is going on in this world, what its like to parent in the 21st century, the difference between men and women, primary care versus secondary care in terms of parenting. Related Article Australian TV True crime and comedy? Julia Zemiro awaits verdict on new ABC show First and foremost, it is a great thriller, says Marchant. But beyond that, its got something to say. It talks about the inequality of domestic labour in many heterosexual relationships, how the balance can often be very much weighted on a woman, says Marchant. And also at times there is trial by media on women its called All Her Fault for a reason. And its not just about one of the female characters, its about us forming very quick decisions about people, and how the media can manipulate that. For Snook, the broader social commentary was something that appealed. In most households, the women doing full-time work tend to also pick up the majority of the household work and domestic chores and parenting and family life, the logistics, the scheduling the mental load of that tends to fall to the female partner in the marriage. And I think it should be equal. Advertisement TASHKENT, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic discussed the prospects for further strengthening practical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Serbia, said the press service of the Uzbek president on Tuesday. With the participation of official delegations, negotiations between the two leaders took place at the Kuksaroy residence in Tashkent, the press service said in a statement. Mirziyoyev emphasized that the first summit in the history of cooperation between the two countries will be historic and bring Uzbek-Serbian relations to "a qualitatively new level." "Your official visit in the year of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations is a historic event. Uzbekistan has great sympathy for Serbia. Our peoples are bound by strong ties of friendship and a similar mentality," said Mirziyoyev. The statement said that priority attention is being paid to increasing trade turnover and preparing a comprehensive cooperation program in key sectors such as mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals, the chemical industry, information technology and digitalization, the agro-industrial complex, tourism, and others. According to the statement, the importance of developing new transport routes between Central Asia and the Balkans, including within the Trans-Caspian corridor, was noted. To promote the economic cooperation agenda between the two countries, an agreement was reached to hold the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission in Tashkent next year, it said. Cooperation issues in the areas of organized labor migration, culture, humanitarian affairs and education were discussed, the statement said. Ten years ago today, the Peoples Republic of China ended the One Child Policy, allowing married couples to have up to two children. The policy had begun in 1979 under reformist leader Deng Xioaping. The central government had been aiming to curb Chinas population which at that point was nudging 1 billion, straining the countrys limited resources. The Age, October 31, 2015. Archives In the years it was in action, the policy did lead to lower birth and fertility rates, with the government estimating it had prevented 400 million births. Other effects included a rise in the abortion of female children. It is estimated by 2030, there will be 30 million men who will be unable to find a wife. At the time the policy ended, this mastheads Beijing correspondent, Phillip Wen, wrote: The landmark move reflects the ruling Communist Partys concern over a demographic time-bomb which has contributed to a shrinking workforce and ageing population, pressures which have weighed on an already slowing economy. Wen also shone a light on the heartbreak the policy had brought about on a personal level while it was in effect. Beijing subsequently raised the cap from two to three children in May 2021, and later that year announced it would stop fining parents who had more than three, effectively ending the limits entirely. Today, Chinas population exceeds 1.4 billion, with the population declining slightly in each of the past four years. Advertisement Updated NationalNSWCourts Jacinta Price didnt care defamatory press release was wrong, court told Michaela Whitbourn Updated October 28, 2025 3:19pm ,first published October 28, 2025 11:42am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was told a defamatory press release about an Indigenous leader was wrong shortly after she issued it but she just didnt care, the Federal Court has heard. Price is defending a defamation case filed against her by Les Turner, chief executive of the Northern Territory-based Central Land Council, over a press release published in July last year. The seven-day Federal Court trial in Darwin concluded on Tuesday. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price outside the Federal Court in Darwin last week with her husband Colin Lillie, left. David Hancock Sydney barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, acting for Turner, said in closing submissions to the court that her client had an exemplary reputation before the media release. Price was told that her publication was wrong nearly immediately by the Central Land Council... but she just didnt care, Chrysanthou said. Advertisement She said the senators persistence didnt end there because Price, somewhat surprisingly, had insisted during her evidence that she had got nothing wrong in the face of documents that suggested otherwise. Price said in the media release that a motion of no confidence in the chief executive of the Central Land Council had been moved, and a majority of members showed their support via a vote for the chief executive to be dismissed due to unprofessional conduct. Turner was not named, but there is no dispute it identified him. The press release, published on July 21 last year and sent to almost 2000 journalists and other media identities, said the motion was unsuccessful but it had been backed by the Central Land Council chair Matt Palmer. Price conceded during her evidence that she now knows that there was no vote. She eventually conceded, after insisting shed got nothing wrong on Friday, that there was no vote at all; that there was no motion moved, Chrysanthou said. Advertisement Sydney barrister Peter Gray, SC, acting for Price, said in closing submissions that based on evidence before the court, Turner was aware by July 21 last year that there had been an attempt to move a motion to dismiss him. Les Turner outside the Federal Court in Darwin on the first day of the defamation trial. David Hancock Gray said Price relied on what she was told directly by the chair, whose motion it was ... and whose words she trusted. She had no reason to doubt the accuracy of what Palmer said, he told the court. Gray said the number of people who read the media release was likely to be small, and if Price had wanted to injure Turners reputation she would surely have named him. In documents filed in court, Turner said the media release conveyed a number of false and defamatory claims, including that he no longer had the support of the majority of Central Land Council members because of his unprofessional behaviour in that role. Advertisement Price has admitted this claim was conveyed, and the senator dropped her truth defence before the trial. She is seeking to rely on the defence of qualified privilege, which protects some publications of public interest where a publisher acted reasonably. Reasonableness is a key battleground in the case. Related Article Updated Courts Jacinta Price denies involvement in attempted leadership coup Gray told the court that the truth or falsity of whats published is not related to reasonableness, and the defence of qualified privilege presupposed there may be inaccuracies in a publication. It was legitimate for her to publish quickly, provided, of course, that she took reasonable care to get it right, so far as she should, Gray said. He said the public interest was significant and genuine. During cross-examination on Monday, Price denied she was part of an attempted coup to oust Turner. Advertisement The court has heard the then-principal of Alice Springs Yipirinya School for Indigenous children, Gavin Morris, was desperate to leave the school and wanted Turners job. Morris provided information to Price about the planned coup before she issued her media release. Morris has since left the school and was found guilty this month of four counts of aggravated assault against students at the school while he was principal. But Price gave evidence that she was only interested in what the chair of the land council had to say about Turner, and not in Morris motives. She did not support Morris as a replacement for Turner, she said in a text message before her media release. Prices senior adviser Damian Wilks gave evidence on Tuesday that Morris acted as a a facilitator and an intermediary between Palmer and the senators office. The court heard Wilks helped draft a media release issued by Palmer before Price published her own release, and it was Morris who sent him the draft. Advertisement Wilks said he was not told Morris wanted to replace Turner as chief executive of the Central Land Council. He said he became aware of the criminal charges against Morris in August 2024, after Prices office had issued the media release critical of Turner. Justice Michael Wheelahan will deliver his decision at a later date. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Advertisement NationalQueenslandCourts Gender blocker ban reinstated after being struck down in court Courtney Kruk and Matt Dennien Updated October 29, 2025 5:55pm ,first published October 28, 2025 11:03am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Queenslands health minister has used his ministerial powers to reinstate a pause on gender-affirming care for children, despite a court ruling just hours earlier that a ban on the care was unlawful and did not follow proper procedures. In Brisbanes Supreme Court on Tuesday, Judge Peter Callaghan ruled in favour of the parent of a transgender teenager who had challenged the legality of the governments directive. Counsel acting for the parent, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed there was no proper consultation before the January move by Queensland Healths director-general Dr David Rosengren. They also claimed the ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy was enforced at the direction or behest of Health Minister Tim Nicholls. Queenslands ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy was unlawful, a court has ruled. Matt Dennien Shortly after the ruling, Nicholls told parliament the governments position on the matter remained unchanged, and said he would consider issuing his own ministerial directive banning new patients under the age of 18 from accessing gender-affirming care. Advertisement He said the judgment was based on procedural reasons, and had not criticised the merit of the directive, which bans new patients accessing the services until a review that is due to give its findings to government next month. Related Article Queensland Health Ban on gender-affirming care tested in court As parents, as communities, as a state, we owe it to children to ensure care is grounded on solid evidence, and we act with caution, Nicholls told parliament. And it was on those principles, at the forefront of its mind, that the government has previously communicated that decision. Hours later, the ministers office confirmed a ministerial directive reinstating the ban had come into effect. Advertisement This direction applies to all Hospital and Health Services, the directive said. The case brought against the government hinged on what consultation was conducted before the ban was enforced. Under section 48 of the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011, the director-general must consult a service when developing an applicable health service directive. Callaghan said the only evidence of lawfully required consultation on the directive consisted of a Microsoft Teams meeting that lasted 22 minutes. An email sent on January 27 showed the director-general planned to issue a memo at 10.30am half an hour after the consultation meeting formally announcing the ban. Advertisement While the meeting was taking place, Nicholls held a press conference announcing the ban and a review into gender services throughout Queensland. Callaghan said while there was no one definition of consultation that would apply to every case, under the act, there was one indispensable requirement that consultation would form part of the process of developing a directive, rather than something that occurred after the terms of a directive had already been developed. There are no doubt many ways in which consultation might fit into such a process, but whatever they were, they had to involve meaningful opportunity for the services to contribute to the process by which the working parts of the directive came into existence, Callaghan said. Matilda Alexander, solicitor for LGBTI Legal Service, speaking after the court ruling. Courtney Kruk The 10am meeting, however, had every hallmark of an occasion convened for the respondent to announce that the directive was what is going to be done. Advertisement LGBTI Legal Service solicitor Matilda Alexander said the ruling represented a significant legal win for many Queensland families affected by the governments ban. A statement prepared by the parent, read outside court, described the months following the ban as a harrowing and traumatising ordeal. Im incredibly relieved that it is over, and that justice has been achieved for my child and other young people affected by this government ban, the statement said. No teenager should ever have to go through something like this, just to get the healthcare that they need. Advertisement Heather Corkhill, the legal director of Equality Australia, said immediately after the court decision that they hoped public healthcare would commence for young people as soon as possible. In their rush to act, this government bypassed their own consultation processes and ignored the dire hidden cost, Corkhill said. Related Article Queensland government Adult female human: Queensland government changes definition of woman Queensland is the only state that has taken away care from trans young people, and that flies in the face of all medical expert evidence, and the states Human Rights Act. Greens MP Michael Berkman, whose question on notice brought the details of the consultation to light, said the LNP must stop its program of political interference. Advertisement Governments of all stripes should take this as a warning: you are not above the law, he said. Premier [David] Crisafullis cabinet overrode Queensland Health by directing it to ban gender-affirming healthcare for young people, after just 22 minutes of so-called consultation. Restricting trans healthcare was just a consolation prize for the ideological conservatives in the LNP who didnt get their way on abortion. Opposition leader Steven Miles said ministers should be law makers, not law breakers, and asked whether LNP ministers would be held accountable. With William Davis Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Nedlands MP Johnathan Huston has abandoned his partys support of AUKUS in a stinging tear down of the $368 billion AUKUS submarine program leaked to media. The two-page document titled AUKUS: The Case Against, prepared by the former businessman and Army intelligence officer as a discussion paper, raised concerns about the cost and loss of defence sovereignty as a result of AUKUS as well as the potential for it to make HMAS Stirling a target of enemies once it starts hosting nuclear submarines. Despite the rhetoric of record spending, defence has entered an austerity drive unseen in decades. Service chiefs have been ordered to delay projects, slash maintenance budgets, and reduce workforce spending as the cost of AUKUS devours the defence budget, Huston said. AUKUS was sold as a technological leap. In truth, its a long and costly crawl. We will not see the first nuclear submarine under Australian command for decades. By the time we build it, the strategic environment may have changed entirely. The submarines of the future may not even need crews. Hustons comments place him at odds with his own party, which has emphatically backed AUKUS at both state and federal levels, with the oppositions defence spokeswoman Libby Mettam recently accompanying Defence Industries Minister Paul Papalia to the UK as a show of bipartisan support for AUKUS in the state. It may also have threatened his position in the party with Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas saying it was a mistake but that he needed to speak to him about it in further detail. [Liberal MPs are] entitled to their views and there is a correct forum and procedure for them to be able to raise them for discussion. This is not it. The writing of a paper that then gets circulated and then finds its way out to broader circulation is not the way to do it, Zempilas told ABC Radio on Monday. Like many of us Johnathan is an inexperienced MP, Im also an inexperienced MP. We have only been quite a number of us in the parliament for seven months. Learning our way around this space is something that we are all doing but is important to learn fast. When asked whether Hustons position in the party was safe Zempilas said he would speak to him further. Im a believer that everybody who might make a mistake in any walk of life should be given opportunities to demonstrate that they get it that they can do better next time that they understand the team approach, he said. I dont think that chopping somebody off at the knees straight away in any walk of life is necessarily the right way to go but Ill hold that thought until weve had a good conversation about what has happened here. Huston was approached for comment. Advertisement Exclusive PoliticsFederalPolitical leadership Disunity is death: Liberal Party bosss warning to MPs after Joyce, Price, Hastie sagas Paul Sakkal October 28, 2025 7:58am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 147 View all comments Key points Liberal Party federal director Andrew Hirst has warned senior MPs that disunity is death and is cruelling the Coalitions chances of returning to government. Hirsts warning, delivered in a marathon shadow cabinet meeting, follows internal party debates on net zero and immigration, which caused frontbench departures. He encouraged MPs to appear on a wider range of media, like podcasts, outside their usual comfort zones. Further division looms as the Nationals review may see them formally oppose the net zero 2050 target. The head of the federal Liberals has warned senior MPs that Sussan Leys leadership is being cruelled by ongoing disunity, as the Coalition moves to end debate on net zero. Party director Andrew Hirst presented his first polling briefing of the term on Monday afternoon in a marathon shadow cabinet meeting that came on a day dominated by Barnaby Joyces mixed messages on his mooted move to One Nation. Andrew Hirst after Sussan Leys address to the National Press Club in June. Alex Ellinghausen Disunity is death was effectively the message, one MP said of Hirsts briefing, which was confirmed by four MPs not allowed to speak publicly. Hirst, who ran the Coalitions last three election campaigns, told shadow ministers that global turmoil such as war in Europe and the Middle East, the rise of China and turbulence in the US was marginalising opposition parties and benefiting incumbents. Advertisement This was, according to Hirst, because Australians were still enjoying relatively high living standards compared to nations such as the US, where inflation struck even more sharply, and voters were also blaming international events for local outcomes instead of poor government policy. Related Article Exclusive Liberal Party Hastie rebukes Liberals living in Howard era as opposition weighs net zero rebrand Additionally, incumbent governments gained political benefit from projecting stability and strength in the face of global uncertainty, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tried to do when confronted with US President Donald Trumps tariff threats during the election campaign. Hirst encouraged MPs to appear on a wider range of media, including podcasts, radio and other platforms outside their comfort zone. Last term, Albanese and his ministers started to spend more time on social and independent media. Hirst was contacted for comment. Advertisement Issues such as net zero and immigration have sparked sharp internal debates inside the Coalition since the election, leading to the frontbench departures of Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Ley told her colleagues in Tuesdays joint party room meeting that the time for consulting on the partys heavily debated energy policy was coming to an end. This could mean a compromise position on net zero by 2050 could be struck in weeks or months, as opposed to mid-next year as initially flagged. Senator Jane Hume announced on Tuesday that she would introduce a bill to lift the moratorium on nuclear energy, a key aim for net zero sceptics, as well as entrench a commitment to existing climate targets, in an attempt to thread the needle and bring together warring factions. Right-wing frontbenchers Angus Taylor and James Paterson have recently called for the navel-gazing to end, as did Hastie in his own long speech laying out his manifesto, first reported in this masthead on Monday. One variable in the oppositions political recovery is the Nationals review into their own position on the contentious pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Nationals MPs on Monday received a PowerPoint presentation on the draft version of the review led by net zero opponent Matt Canavan and a more moderate senator Ross Cadell. Advertisement Related Article Exclusive Political leadership Barnaby Joyce to make decision on One Nation next year The review is nearly finished and will allow the Nationals to formally oppose net zero as soon as next week, according to party sources. It is unclear how the Coalition would maintain a singular energy policy if the Nationals ditch net zero as the shadow cabinet tries to achieve a compromise position that retains a loose aspiration to achieve net zero in 25 years. But there is some hope that the two positions can be reconciled. The Nationals will hold a federal party conference this weekend. It is expected that the conference will pass an anti-net zero motion, putting additional pressure on Nationals leader David Littleproud to dump the target. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement Updated WorldMiddle EastIsraeli-Palestinian conflict Gaza ceasefire is back on, Israel says, after new strikes kill more than 100 Wafaa Shurafa and Josh Boak Updated October 30, 2025 3:50am ,first published October 29, 2025 1:30am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip: Israels military said the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory that killed 104 people, including 66 women and children, according to local health officials. The strikes, the deadliest since the ceasefire began on October 10, marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date. Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike at the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on Wednesday. Bloomberg The bombardment on Wednesday, Gaza time, pointed to Israels readiness to strike hard at what it says are Hamas violations of the ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, the militant group denies it is responsible and blames Israel for violations. After it announced the restoration of the ceasefire, the Israeli military said it had carried out another airstrike in northern Gaza, targeting what it called a site where weapons were being stored for an imminent attack. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said it received two bodies from the strike. Advertisement The latest violence has put new strains on American pressure to keep the ceasefire on track. US President Donald Trump defended Israels strikes but also insisted the escalation wont wreck the truce. Israel said its overnight strikes were in retaliation for the shooting and killing of an Israeli soldier in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Hamas violated provisions in the deal concerning the handover of the remains of hostages. An Israeli soldier stands on a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Getty Images Hamas denied any involvement in the deadly shooting and, in turn, accused Israel of a blatant violation of the ceasefire deal. It also said it would delay handing over the body of another hostage to Israel because of the strikes. The strikes across Gaza on Wednesday pounded buildings and tent camps housing displaced families. Ambulances and small trucks carrying bodies crowded hospital entrances. In Deir al-Balah, bodies were wheeled in on stretchers or carried on mattresses. One man walked into a hospital carrying the body of a young child. Advertisement They burned children while they were asleep, Haneen Mteir, whose sister and nephews were killed in a strike, shouted at the morgue at Nasser Hospital, in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 104 people, including 20 women and 46 children, were killed in the overnight strikes, and 253 people were wounded, most of them women and children. Palestinians injured in an Israeli army strike are brought to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah on Wednesday. AP The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that it struck dozens of Hamas targets, including individuals, observation posts, weapons depots, mortar firing positions and tunnels. It said it hit a number of senior Hamas fighters, including 21 commanders of various levels. It said they included militants involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war, including Nukhba company commander Hatem Maher Mousa Qudra, who led the attack on the Ein Hashlosha Kibbutz, the statement said. Advertisement Related Article Exclusive Israeli-Palestinian conflict Palestinian Authority calls for Australian troops to help secure Gaza peace The military said it would continue to respond firmly and act decisively to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel. Israels Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said Hamas was responsible for the consequences of its ceasefire violation and attributed the high death toll to the militant group using civilians as human shields. Throughout the war, Israel has often hit targets that it says are Hamas figures while in their homes or shelters where their families are also located alongside other families. An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that the soldier in Rafah, identified as Master Sergeant Yona Efraim Feldbaum, 37, was killed by enemy fire that targeted his vehicle on Tuesday. Advertisement The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential military operations, said Israeli troops in the area came under attack numerous times on Tuesday as they worked to destroy tunnels and Hamas infrastructure. The Israeli military has levelled almost the entire city of Rafah over the past months, demolishing nearly every building, according to satellite photos. Hamas insisted it was not involved in the Rafah gunfire, reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire and called on mediators to pressure Israel to stop. Marmorstein, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Washington was informed about the strikes and that they were carried out in full co-ordination with the United States. Trump, on a trip to Asia, defended the strikes, saying Israel was justified in carrying them out after Hamas killed the Israeli soldier, who also held US citizenship. Trump said Israel should hit back when its troops come under attack. But he said he was still confident that the ceasefire would withstand the escalation in violence because Hamas is a very small part of the overall Middle East peace. And they have to behave. Advertisement If not, they will be terminated, Trump said. Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Japan to South Korea on Wednesday. AP Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by handing over body parts this week that Israel said were partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of some of the remains on Monday, sharing a 14-minute, edited video from a military drone. Hamas replied in kind on Wednesday, saying the Israeli strikes reveal a clear Israeli intention to undermine the ceasefire agreement and impose new realities by force. The group also said in a statement that the US was offering Netanyahu political cover to carry on with its aggression in Gaza. The prime minister of Qatar, which mediated the ceasefire deal along with the US and Egypt, said there was a violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Palestinian party, but it was unclear if Hamas was affiliated with the gunmen responsible. Advertisement The fighting was very disappointing and frustrating for us, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Weve been engaging in a very intensive way with both parties in order to ensure that the ceasefire holds. The ceasefire deal requires Hamas to return all the remains of hostages in Gaza as soon as possible. Hamas has said it is struggling to locate the bodies of the hostages amid the vast destruction in Gaza, while Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza, and their slow return is complicating efforts to proceed to the ceasefires next phases, which address even thornier issues, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory. Israels two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Advertisement AP Get a note direct from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here. HELSINKI, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ahtari Zoo, a bankrupt wildlife park in the west-central Finnish city of Ahtari, has been sold to an association formed by its current and former employees for a symbolic one euro, local media reported on Monday. The city of Ahtari confirmed that it approved the sale last Friday, transferring the zoo's land, facilities, animals and equipment to the Visit and Care Association. The sale price was one euro plus 25.5 percent value-added tax, according to national broadcaster Yle. The deal allows the association to continue caring for the animals temporarily while seeking a long-term operator to take over the site. Founded in 1973 and long regarded as the flagship of Finland's domestic tourism, Ahtari Zoo filed for bankruptcy in mid-October after years of financial difficulties. Zoo director Arja Valiaho told local newspaper Ilkka-Pohjalainen that an unusually cold and rainy summer, coupled with the financial strain facing Finnish households, had sealed the zoo's fate. "The final blow came from a weak 2025 summer season marked by cold and rainy weather and cautious domestic spending," Valiaho said. "With normal summer weather in 2025, the zoo could have survived. But this summer families stayed home." Local residents told Yle they were saddened but not surprised by the news, citing long-standing challenges and declining visitor numbers. Mikko Savola, chair of Ahtari's City Council, described the bankruptcy as "a sad matter for Ahtari and the entire region," noting that the zoo had played a key role in both wildlife conservation and local tourism. Spread over 60 hectares of subarctic forest and fields, the zoo housed around 50 species, including wolves, bears and lynxes. It gained international attention in 2018 when two giant pandas arrived from China as part of a research and conservation partnership between the zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA). Their arrival briefly lifted annual visitor numbers from 170,000 to 275,000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions led to a sharp fall in visitor numbers, weakening the zoo's finances. As expenses continued to exceed revenue, the zoo could no longer afford to keep the pandas, which were returned to China in 2023 under a mutual agreement between the partners. After their departure, revenues declined even further. Valiaho said efforts are now focused on finding a new operator to keep the animals in place. The employee-run Visit and Care Association said it aims to ensure the animals' welfare in the coming months. If no new operator is found, the animals may be relocated to other European zoos. Curator Li Xiaoxin poses for a photo during the media preview of the exhibition "Dimensions: Contemporary Chinese Studio Crafts," at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, Britain, Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua) by Xinhua Writer Zheng Bofei LONDON, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Stepping into the China Gallery, once renowned for its ancient artifacts and traditional handicrafts, visitors may be surprised to find contemporary Chinese studio works now displayed alongside historic treasures. The juxtaposition creates a dialogue between past and present, redefining the Chinese collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), one of Britain's largest art and design museums. The exhibition, "Dimensions: Contemporary Chinese Studio Crafts," which opens to the public on Tuesday, marks the first major exhibition dedicated solely to contemporary Chinese studio crafts. Nearly 50 of the artworks featured in the show have been newly acquired by the V&A. Since joining the museum's Chinese department, curator Li Xiaoxin, the creative force behind the exhibition, has sought to reconnect with China's illustrious ceramic heritage. Despite the museum's extensive historical collection, Li noticed a lack of representation from modern Chinese artists - an absence that inspired a five-year research journey culminating in this exhibition. "Traditional ceramics were made for practical use - as vessels or religious sculptures - and always served a function," Li told Xinhua. "Contemporary ceramic art is different. Its focus lies not on utility, but on how artists employ the material and craftsmanship of ceramics as a form of expression." By placing modern pieces beside Ming vases and Tang figurines, the exhibition highlights how generations of Chinese artisans - from imperial kiln masters to today's independent studio artists - have continually balanced material, beauty, and meaning while embracing modernity. INSPIRED BY TRADITION From the mountains of Yunnan Province in southwest China to the coastal plains of Shandong Province in the east, Li traveled extensively to meet artists transforming traditional crafts into contemporary art. Among them is Lin Fanglu, whose fiber sculpture "She's Bestowed Love" rises like a crimson wave, commanding the China Gallery's space. The work employs the ancient Bai ethnic tie-dye technique, once used to decorate clothing. Lin first encountered the craft during her 2014 stay in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, where she lived among local artisans. Her transformation of blue-and-white textiles into a red sculptural form captures the emotional depth of the women who keep the tradition alive. Beside Lin's work stands Zhao Jinya's glass installation "The Two of Us No. 9," which gleams with refracted light. Created in 2021 in Zibo, Shandong - the birthplace of China's colored glass art - the piece reflects Zhao's dual education in China and Britain. "I use glass not just for beauty," Zhao explained. "It's about existing between cultures - observing and feeling as an outsider. I don't try to separate Chinese and Western influences; they naturally coexist within me." Also featured is Eliza Au, a Canadian-born artist of Chinese heritage, whose latticed stoneware draws inspiration from traditional Chinese wooden architecture. Her repeated visits to Jingdezhen, the historic porcelain capital, provided both cultural connection and creative inspiration. "Spending time in Jingdezhen gave me a sense of familiarity and an entryway into a culture with such a deep lineage," said Au. "It offered not just artistic insight but also a feeling of belonging." A SENSE OF CONTINUITY In the Ceramics Galleries, Room 146, the story of Chinese clay continues - from the 1950s revival of production centers such as Jingdezhen, Yixing, and Dehua, to today's spirit of free experimentation. Lu Chuan, curator and co-founder of the craft innovation organization GyreCraft, emphasized the enduring continuity of Chinese craftsmanship. "No culture begins from nothing," Lu said. "To understand art and culture, we must look back to our roots - to see where traditions originate and how they evolve through the experiences of different people and regions." This philosophy underpins Li's curatorial vision - to connect the V&A's new acquisitions to the centuries-old legacy of Chinese ceramics. "Through these works, I want audiences to see the many new faces of contemporary China, and to understand how Chinese society continues to evolve in every aspect of life," Li said. "It's time for our cultural stories to keep pace." Requests have increased three to five times the usual amount in recent weeks, with many people seeking assistance for the first time. MOSCOW, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The second prototype of Russia's MC-21 medium-haul aircraft with home-made components has completed a test flight, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry said the flight tested the operation of new domestic systems and PD-14 engines. The plane took off from the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant of Yakovlev company, part of Russia's state-owned aviation giant Rostec, it said, adding that it flew for 50 minutes, reaching an altitude of up to 3,500 meters. "The aircraft will join the certification testing program along with the MC-21 prototype partially equipped with new Russian systems and units, which made its first flight in its new form on April 29, 2025," the ministry said. Certification of the import-substituted MC-21 aircraft is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov said earlier. According to the Yakovlev website, the MC-21 has a capacity of up to 211 seats, with a maximum range of 3,830 km. The MC-21 project started out as international, but it later turned to the substitution of imported systems and components due to sanctions. NATCHITOCHES, La. -- Natchitoches Parish sheriffs detectives are asking for the publics assistance in locating a suspect wanted in connection with an alleged rape that occurred in Campti, according to Natchitoches Parish Sheriff Stuart Wright. Detectives and patrol deputies responded to the incident on Oct. 20. The victim was treated at Natchitoches Regional Medical Center by S.A.N.E. (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) nurses and interviewed by investigators. No additional details are being released at this time to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, the sheriff's office said. As a result of the investigation, detectives obtained sufficient evidence and probable cause to secure a criminal arrest warrant signed by a 10th Judicial District Judge for Ernest Lard, 50. He's wanted for first-degree rape. Lard is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. Lard has been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a wanted person. He is known to have ties to Natchitoches, Bienville, Caddo and Red River parishes and reportedly uses several different modes of travel. Anyone with information regarding Lards whereabouts is urged to contact the Natchitoches Parish Sheriffs Office at 318-357-7851, or their local law enforcement agency. All information will remain confidential. BERLIN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- About 13 percent of German retirees aged 65 to 74 remained employed last year, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Destatis said the data show employment falls sharply with age among retirees, with 18 percent of 65- and 66-year-olds still working, compared with just 8 percent among those aged 73 to 74. Most seniors work part-time. Nearly 40 percent put in fewer than 10 hours a week, while only 14 percent work more than 40 hours. Germany's population aged 65 and over has risen from about 12 million in 1991 to 19 million in 2024, boosting their share of the total population from 15 to 23 percent. At the same time, the Federal Employment Agency reported that one in eight occupations now faces a shortage of skilled workers. To help ease these gaps, the government plans to launch an "active pension" scheme in January 2026, allowing retirees who keep working to earn up to 2,000 euros (2,333 U.S. dollars) per month tax-free. Labor Minister Baerbel Bas said the measure aims to encourage experienced workers to remain in the labor market. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollar) The Catholic Church's Apostolic Administrator of Killala Diocese has urged people to generously support Ballina St Vincent de Paul (SVP) in its upcoming Christmas Appeal, writes Paul O'Malley. The local SVP branch has said that 2025 has been a long and difficult year for many in the community and it has seen year-on-year increases in requests for assistance with counselling, fuel, rent arrears, car repairs, household bills and education costs. In a letter to the parishes of the diocese, Archbishop Francis Duffy, who also serves as Archbishop of Tuam, called for further support of Ballina SVPs appeal. Every euro given becomes a sign of hope. It is more than just financial aid, it is a gesture of solidarity and Christian love. I ask you to give as generously as you can afford, to pray for the work of the SVP and to consider how you might serve the poor in other ways besides." Ballina SVP said its food bank still form the basis of assistance for many families and it is regularly assisting 50 to 60 families per week in the winter months. Many families now depend on SVP for most of their weekly food. Food and charity programmes help SVP meet this demand but the amount they are receiving from the Government and other sources is continuing to decrease, forcing the charity to purchase meat, fruit and other products locally. The organisation said it has seen a significant increase in requests related to mental health for people of all ages and that pressure to pay for rent, electricity and other essential household expenses means many families are unable to afford the ongoing cost of therapy. The charity noted that for those who are working and on a low income, rent costs are still a major problem despite a nationwide rent pressure zone coming into effect earlier this year. Fuel costs are also an issue with many families on low to middle incomes struggling to heat their homes as they are not entitled to the state fuel allowance. There has also been a year-on-year increase in requests for help with electricity, and families are going into arrears with energy bills to pay for rent, leaving them very vulnerable to disconnections during the cold winter months. The SVP is also providing financial support to between 60 to 70 third-level students, many of whom face the prospect of having to drop out or defer their courses due to increasing financial strains relating to accommodation and the cost of living. SVP Ballina said that healthcare is also a financial burden for some families, with many people now having to choose between basic medical and dental care and other vital day-to-day needs. The charity appreciates all donations and is aware that its donors are also feeling the pressure of rising costs. SVP Ballina will hold church gate collections on Saturday and Sunday next, November 1 and 2, at St Patricks and St Muredachs Churches in Ballina. Collections at Enniscrone, Easkey, Kilglass, Castleconner and Rathlee will be on November 15 and 16 while Killala, Cooneal, Kilfian and Lacken collections will be on November 29 and 30. Donations can also be made in the SVP office on Teeling Street in Ballina, telephone 096-72905. An 87-year-old American citizen died on a visit to the place of his ancestry when a quad bike he had borrowed veered from a narrow road into a drain, pinning him beneath, an inquest has heard. Michael J. Gallagher, Sausalito, California, suffered from multiple injuries when the Yamaha quad machine left the narrow approach road leading to Purteen Harbour, Achill Island, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Mr Gallagher was a regular visitor to Achill, according to his close friend, Achill-based Michael OCallaghan. Mr OCallaghan was one of a number of witnesses who gave evidence at an inquest at Ballina Courthouse last week. The deceased was staying in Mr OCallaghans house on the weekend he died. On the morning of June 30, I made breakfast for him," Mr OCallaghan told coroner Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald. He was in good spirits, as fit as a fiddle, he was healthier than me." Mr Gallagher said he had taken a Yamaha quad bike from Mr O'Callaghan's garage to travel to Purteen Harbour and they made arrangements to meet later. Some time later, when the alarm was raised, Mr OCallaghan travelled to the accident scene and tried to lift the quad bike off his friend but was unable to do so and shouted for help. After Mr Gallagher had been taken from the drain onto an embankment, CPR was unsuccessfully attempted. Michael held my hand, he appeared in pain," his friend testified. I told him help was on the way. I could see he was fading." In the course of a statement to gardai, which was read to the inquest by Gda Sgt Sean McHale, Mr OCallaghan described the link road where the tragedy occurred as a bit of a disaster, going away at the edges and narrow. Elaborating on Mr Gallaghers life and his friendship with him, Mr OCallaghan said Michael had been friends with his late brother, Alan, and had been very kind to all the exiled Irish in San Francisco. Michael was a big help to me when my brother Alan died. He would come and go to Achill often. I couldnt believe this happened. Achill-based GP Dr Bernadette OLeary pronounced Mr Gallagher dead at the scene. A number of gardai, including Sgt Gabriel McLoughlin, PSV Inspector for Mayo, were involved in the investigation into the accident. The quad bike involved was a Yamaha 350, normally used for transporting turf and kept in a shed at the OCallaghan household. In his report, Sgt McLoughlin outlined that the quad had been extensively damaged. The brakes, steering lock and tyres were serviceable on the vehicle. However, Sgt McLoughlin noted: This all-terrain vehicle is an off-road vehicle." Evidence was given that the speed limit on the route was 80kmph on a local road with an undulating surface and no road verges. After hearing medical evidence from pathologist Dr Fadel Bennani that Mr Gallagher died from multiple injuries including laceration of the left femoral artery, Dr Fitzgerald returned a verdict of accidental death. The coroner questioned whether a speed limit of 80kmph was appropriate for such a narrow road on which other accidents could occur. Referring to Mr Gallagher, she said: He died (in a place) which he loved and obviously had a good life which unfortunately ended in such a manner. The coroner paid tribute to Dr OLeary and all of the first responders and gardai who attended at the scene and rendered assistance. Sgt McHale, on behalf of An Garda Siochana, joined the coroner in expressing sympathy to Mr Gallagher's family and relatives. PJ Murrihy and Seamus Shannon join forces for a very special concert at the Coleman Music Centre in Gurteen on Saturday, November 8th. From Mullagh in County Clare, PJ has penned many hits and songs that have been recorded by some of Irelands leading entertainers while also digging up old gems like Pat Murphys Meadow. As a youngster, PJ learned songs from family members, including his mother and two of his uncles. He started playing music professionally with Michael Sexton Senior, Jimmy Ward and David Culligan and then went on to create his own group that was very much in demand called The Bannerman. Due to his growing popularity, he was asked to play and record two albums with the famous Kilfenora Ceili Band. In later years, he teamed up with accordionist, Seamus Shannon, and they have been performing their own specialised Irish traditional and country songs. Seamus Shannon hails from Elphin, Roscommon and is a world renowned accordion player. Seamus is also host of a very popular radio programme called Shannons Corner on Shannonside Northern Sound Radio where he plays a mix of traditional, folk, country and Irish music with special guests joining on the airwaves. Shannons Corner is a long established show that has gone from strength to strength over the years and continues to draw listeners from near and far. The concert takes place on Saturday, November 8th, at 8pm. As this was a sell-out show last time, early booking is advisable. Tickets (20) are available from the centre at 071-9182599 or online at www.colemanirishmusic.com. Allentown, PA (18103) Today A few evening snow showers and flurries, mostly in the Poconos; otherwise, partly cloudy, cold, and brisk overnight. Wind chills in the teens. . Tonight A few evening snow showers and flurries, mostly in the Poconos; otherwise, partly cloudy, cold, and brisk overnight. Wind chills in the teens. COLOMBO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka Customs' Narcotics Control Unit (NCU) on Tuesday arrested a Canadian national at Bandaranaike International Airport, seizing a total of 18.253 kg of hashish, local officials said Tuesday. The seized hashish was found concealed inside the suspect's checked-in luggage and has been valued at approximately 182.5 million rupees (600,427 U.S. dollars). The suspect, 21, arrived in Colombo from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Emirates flight EK-648 on Monday evening, according to customs officials. Preliminary inquiries were carried out by officers of the NCU before the suspect and the confiscated drugs were handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigation and legal proceedings. The 47 questions raised by the provincial committees "Quests for Innovation" capture the pressing priorities for rapid progress and strike at the core of leapfrog development. Hefei has proactively taken up these questions and focused on solving them concentrating efforts to boost innovation momentum, develop emerging industries, and drive a green transition and has been working determinedly to respond to the "Quests for Innovation." "How can we use the institutional reform of Hefei Binhu Science City as a lever to effectively harness the role of high-level innovation platforms, and activate static scientific and educational resources?" In response to the first of the 47 questions, Hefei has advanced the Binhu Science City institutional reform as its "No. 1 reform project," setting up a dedicated reform task force. Since the start of this year the city has held six special coordination meetings and four on-site working sessions. It issued the "Short-term Key Task List for Institutional Reform of Hefei Binhu Science City," committing to 15 major reform tasks to be completed within the year and driving implementation through checklist-based, closed-loop management. Questions are the voice of the times; innovation is the best answer. Faced with the characteristics of nearly 200 derivative technologies released annually by the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center namely high technical barriers, heavy R&D investment, and high-risk returns during the technology commercialization process Hefei Binhu Science City is accelerating the improvement of "value-on-the-way" pathways. By building high-level specialized incubators and establishing an investment fund system for Binhu Science City with an aggregate scale of about RMB 12.7 billion, the city is not only mobilizing and activating local static scientific resources, but also actively attracting top talent and high-level technological achievements from other provinces to innovate and start businesses in Hefei. Scientific and technological innovation is Anhuis hallmark and Hefeis greatest strength. In response to the question, "How can we improve the efficiency of technology commercialization and resolve the problem of the innovation chain and industrial chain 'seeing but not meeting'?" Hefeis science-and-technology authorities proposed building an organized, goal-oriented service network for technology transfer. Through piloting the "city partner" model, cultivating dedicated technical managers, and strengthening the construction of application scenarios, the city aims to promote technology diffusion and the conversion of research outcomes into practical applications. "How can we break the deadlock of high-energy-consumption industries and accelerate the development of green productive forces?" Hefei is advancing both fronts: steadfastly promoting the greening of manufacturing and accelerating "one enterprise, one policy" energy-saving and carbon-reduction upgrades. An example is JAC Motors New Port base, which, in its planning and construction, has widely applied green technologies such as ground-source heat-pump air conditioning, water energy storage systems, and photovoltaic power generation, facilitating a cleaner, lower-carbon energy structure. Opening the way with innovation and solving challenges through innovation. In the first half of this year, Hefeis regional GDP reached RMB 651.47 billion, up 6% 0.7 percentage points higher than the national average. From January to July, value added of industrial enterprises above designated size grew by 13.6%, 7.3 percentage points above the national figure, marking 21 consecutive months of double-digit growth. Successfully address the Quests for Innovation is not only the driving force behind Hefeis high-quality development but also an essential task for writing a new chapter of the times. We must concentrate on strengthening innovation momentum, developing emerging industries, and advancing the green transition, so as to build a firmer foundation and amass greater momentum for Hefeis high-quality development. Source: anhuinews.com Josh Little gives instruction to runners before the start of the Ten-Miler at Camp Buerhing, Kuwait. (Andrew Lightsey IV) Sweat, dust and smiles adorned the faces of runners early on Oct. 12, 2025. The group of 530 Soldiers and civilians arrived at the starting line on Eisenhower Drive at 5 a.m. to run the demanding course at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The 2025 Army 10-Miler Shadow Run mirrored the official Army race that took place in Washington D.C. 11 hours later. I never thought I would run the 10-Miler in the desert or enjoy it as much as the race in Washington D.C., said runner, Julius Brittman. Nothing compares to running with thousands in the historic streets of D.C., but earning the sunrise midway through this race with other Soldiers was just as exciting. 10 miles doesnt sound like a lot until youre doing it, said participant, Doniel Kennedy. I didnt know the full history behind the Army Ten-Miler, but I knew it held a large amount of prestige. Its something that a lot of people in the military attend to compete in every year and its a great way to challenge yourself. Doniel Kennedy completing the last stretch of the Army Ten-Miler at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. (Andrew Lightsey IV) The Camp Buehring Morale, Wellness, Recreation (MWR) team hosted the event to boost esprit de corps on the base and remind Soldiers that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Volunteers and MWR staff manned water stations at set points while military police from the 324th Military Police Company provided security. The Army tells us when its time for the 10-Miler, said Josh Little, Camp Buehring MWR fitness center lead.We put it on the calendar and set everything up. Its all about camaraderie. People who may never be in contact come and do something fitness related together. The course led participants across the base and over various terrain that included sand and paved roads. The weather was favorable to start the run before the temperature climbed to a high of 96 degrees for the day. The sun rose 48 minutes into the race to give runners more visibility as they traversed the at times, narrow running path. These factors just made the event more memorable for the winner of the womens race Courtney Huhta. Courtney Huhta stands tall after running the Army 10-Miler and being the top woman to finish. (Andrew Lightsey IV) The Army 10-Miler Run at Camp Buehring was a different experience compared to my past races, said Huhta, who set a personal record at 1 hour and 18 minutes. Throughout this deployment, I operated at a small outstation and trained on an 800m loop. I had to acclimate from wooded, cool terrain to sandy and rocky desert. When I crossed the finish line, I was shocked. It was my first time winning a road race and it turned out to be in the harshest conditions I have ever run under. Courtney Huhta The top three male and female finishers were awarded commemorative plaques by MWR staff, and all participants were given t-shirts and medals, sponsored by HOIST Hydration. Runners appreciated the awards, but the real value came from the sense of community and accomplishment shared by all who completed the race. The shirt and medal were like the cherry on top, said Kennedy. Going out there and running with our battle buddies is what kept morale up. Being able to compete in something that we knew they were doing in D.C. and other satellite locations is what built cohesion. I got to look around and see everyone interacting and rejoicing with one another. The race was a success. Doniel Kennedy Building off the momentum from the event, MWR representatives at Camp Buehring say they plan to host another Shadow 10-Miler next year on Oct. 11, 2026. Julius Brittman runs the final mile of the 10-Miler Event at Camp Buehring Kuwait. (Andrew Lightsey IV) Editors Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense. JPMorgan Chase & Co. is trying to avoid a staggering $115 million legal bill linked to two convicted fraudsters who deceived the bank, causing a loss of $175 million. In a court filing on Friday, JPMorgan contested a prior ruling that required it to cover the legal costs of its former business associates, Charlie Javice and Olivier Amar, who were found guilty of defrauding the bank of a substantial sum. The legal representatives of Javice and Amar have reportedly invoiced JPMorgan approximately $60.1 million and $55.2 million respectively, amounting to the disputed $115 million. As per the report by Insider, a spokesperson for the bank described the legal charges as patently excessive and egregious, and expressed readiness to present the specifics of this alleged exploitation to the court in the forthcoming weeks. Javice and Amar were convicted of manipulating data to dupe the bank into disbursing a nine-figure sum. JPMorgans merger agreement with student-loan startup Frank, co-founded by Javice and Amar, necessitated JPMorgan to forward legal costs for the founders. Also Read: Franks Founder Charlie Javice Accepts Responsibility For $175M Fraud Ahead Of Sentencing Despite the founders conviction and dismissal, a Delaware court upheld the clause, obliging the bank to fund their defense in criminal, civil, and SEC cases. JPMorgan is currently endeavoring to recoup these expenses as part of a $287.5 million restitution order, which also covers other merger-related losses. The ongoing legal battle underscores the potential risks and liabilities that financial institutions like JPMorgan may face when entering into business partnerships. The case also highlights the importance of thorough due diligence and robust legal safeguards to protect against potential fraud. Read Next JPMorgan, Charlie Javice Case Takes Center Stage In Court This Week: Report Image: Shutterstock/Skorzewiak Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. This article After $175 Million Scam, JPMorgan Battles $115M in Legal Fees: 'Patently Excessive and Egregious' originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Our Wandering Continents/Nuestros Continentes Errantes by Marcela Cabutti When: Thursday, 30 October 2025 - Saturday, 07 February 2026 Where: Origins Centre Start time: 18:00 Enquiries: tammy.hodgskiss@wits.ac.za Marcela Cabutti is an Argentine artist, currently in a residency at Origins Centre, Wits, as part of BIENALSUR 2025. Marcela Cabutti draws on research into geological and historical archives, in which maps and rocks serve as coordinates for a narrative about time and territory. This project particularly highlights the geological contact zones between the Rio de la Plata Craton and the Kalahari Craton in Africa, whose geological similarities indicate a common origin. In Our Wandering Continents the artist proposes a reappraisal of what we usually consider motionless, such as continents and tectonic plates, to restore their status as bodies in slow and constant motion, a process that transcends human perception. By preserving the memory of a past union, rocks become an archive; the map a creative fiction; and the Earth a wandering body. Marcela Cabutti is an Argentine artist, currently in a residency at Origins Centre, Wits, as part of BIENALSUR 2025. She is a contemporary sculptor whose artwork forms a dialogue with the particularities of space, reconfiguring from the direct relationship with their environment. Made possible by BIENALSUR. Supported by Embassy of Argentina, South Africa. RSVP: tammy.hodgskiss@wits.ac.za Amazon plans to cut 14,000 corporate jobs to become leaner in the AI era, the company announced. Audible CEO Bob Carrigan addressed the cuts to its audiobook division in an email to employees. Amazon staff in advertising, recruitment, payments, and Fire TV are affected by the cuts, Business Insider has learned. Amazon announced Tuesday that it plans to cut 14,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader effort to become leaner in an era shaped by AI. Employees in the US, Canada, and Europe have been receiving notifications about the cuts, according to internal Slack posts viewed by Business Insider. A notification to affected workers, sent by Amazon's HR chief, Beth Galetti, and posted to Amazon's internal Slack, suggested that laid-off employees would receive full pay and benefits for the next 90 days, plus a severance offer. Galetti announced the cuts in a blog post on Tuesday, stating that despite the company's performance, it is reducing jobs as a result of AI rapidly changing the world. Business Insider viewed an internal breakdown of roughly 7,500 employees who first received layoff notices on Tuesday. More than 78% of those roles were held by managers assigned at levels five to seven, an internal designation that covers junior to senior managers. More than 80% of the employees in the breakdown worked in Amazon's retail business, spanning e-commerce, human resources, and logistics. According to internal Slack messages seen by Business Insider, some of the Amazon employees affected by the cuts also work in advertising, recruitment, payments, devices, Fire TV, and customer behavior analytics. Amazon's mass job cuts extend to its audiobook and podcast division, Audible. CEO Bob Carrigan told employees in an email Tuesday, which was seen by Business Insider, that affected workers have been notified and additional organizational changes would follow "to add focus and speed" to the business's most critical growth areas. Carrigan said that Audible is "laser-focused on making sure we are organized and resourced for continued strength in the years ahead." Tapas Roy, vice president of device software and services, emailed the organization saying the company cut roles within its OS & Services team and asked remaining workers to "lean in on AI." Some employees in Germany received a security alert on their work devices indicating that their access to company systems had been placed in "reduced functionality mode," according to an internal Slack message reviewed by Business Insider. We recently published 10 Stock News You Cant Miss As Investors Watch AI Trade Momentum. GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) is one of the stock news you can't miss. Jordan Blashek from Perimeter Acquisition explained in a recent program on Schwab Network why he likes GE Vernova Inc (NYSE:GEV). The analyst believes energy will be a chokepoint in the AI boom amid rising demand and limited supply. We like to look for are the picks and shovels of the AI revolution and especially as they apply to energy as well as companies that are benefiting from the re-industrialization of America. As we think about securing our supply chains against China, were going to be looking for companies that do things here that are vital inputs into the AI revolution. So on something like GE Vernova Inc (NYSE:GEV), they make a lot of the wind turbines, the transformers, the various parts of the electricity grid that are going to be vital. And so we see that as a good defensive safe bet as a pick and shovel for the AI revolution. Analyst Says GE Vernova (GEV) a Top Defensive Stock Pick for AI Revolution - Heres Why Photo by mitchel-willem-jacob-anneveldt on Unsplash Carillon Scout Mid Cap Fund stated the following regarding GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter: GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) provides technologies and services for generating, converting, storing, and managing electricity, including gas, nuclear, wind, solar, and grid solutions. As with Quanta Services, investors see significant electricity demand growth led by AI data centers, in addition to other drivers. Led by increasing demand for gas turbines, earnings expectations continue to trend higher as GE Vernovas backlog already stretches into the next decade. Also, as nuclear power is being reconsidered, nuclear power plant turbines and small modular reactors could add additional growth. We see significant opportunities for this market leader to support power demand growth. While we acknowledge the potential of GEV as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Migrants and refugees wait for assistance on an overcrowded wooden boat, as aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms approach them in the Mediterranean Sea, in international waters, at 122 miles off the Libyan coast, February 12, 2021 [AP Photo/Bruno Thevenin] The boat disaster off the Tunisian coast on October 22, in which at least 40 people, including infants, lost their lives, is not an accident but a crime. The European Union (EU) and its member governments, including the Berlin coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), are responsible. With their inhuman refugee policy, they consciously accept such catastrophes. It was no coincidence that on the very day that 40 refugees drowned off Tunisia in the early morning, that evening Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) once again described migrants in Berlin as problems in the urban landscape. The notorious EU agency Frontex recently boasted that irregular border crossings had fallen by 20 percent in the first half of 2025. Politicians such as Merz in Berlin, President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels are responsible for the truly deadly conditions that have arisen at Europes external borders. What do these conditions look like in concrete terms? The latest disaster off Tunisia casts a spotlight on them. Instead of doing what ordinary travellers dobuying a plane ticket or booking a passage by ship and reaching Europe via ports, airports and railway stations within a few hourspeople were forced first to cross the Sahara on foot. They had to watch out for Tunisian border guards, notorious for seizing migrants and abandoning them in the desert without drinking water. The people concerned likely paid thousands of euros to a smuggling network or a trafficker before they could set out for Italy. The coastline south of Mahdia around Salakta is an important departure point, as the distance from there to the Italian island of Lampedusa is only about 130 kilometres. In the middle of the night, October 2122, the people boarded an old wooden boat, grossly overloaded with around 70 passengers. The engine, too, was no match for the rough seas that night. The boat capsized shortly after leaving, still in Tunisian waters, and horrific scenes must have unfolded. It was only in the early hours that the Tunisian coastguard reached the site of the disaster. Of roughly 70 people, it was able to rescue only 30. Among the drowned were families with small children, and an Italian source even reported a newborn among the dead. The spokesman for the court in Mahdia, Walid Chaterbi, confirmed that all the victims and survivors came from countries south of the Sahara. The Tunisian authorities responded with assurances that they were massively stepping up their efforts to prevent crossings. This is precisely what the Tunisian government is being paid by the EU to do: prevent migration to Europe. Just a few days before the disaster, the EU in Brussels presented a new pact for the Mediterranean, placing such cooperation with Tunisia at its centre. The pact is to be adopted in November, when the EU celebrates the 30th anniversary of the socalled Barcelona Process (EUROMED), its partnership with its neighbours to the south of the Mediterranean. However, sealing off the North African coast merely increases the pressure on migrants and smugglers to attempt ever riskier and more deadly crossings. Thus, the disaster of October 22 adds a further 40 dead to the gruesome Missing Migrants tally of the IOM (International Organization for Migration). Since 2014, the IOM has recorded more than 77,330 deaths on migration routes worldwide. The year 2024 saw a new and tragic record, with almost 9,200 deaths. The number of unreported cases is high, as many of these deaths are never reported or recorded. What is certain is that the central Mediterranean route is by far the deadliest flight route in the world. At least 25,500 people have already lost their lives on this route since 2014. In just the first nine months of this year, the IOM has already registered over a thousand people who lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean as a result of the EU states policy of sealing off borders and deportations. EU cooperation with Tunisia has grown closer since its support for the notorious Libyan coastguard proved successful and shifted the refugee flows westwards. Since then, the route via Tunisia has been used more frequently. In Tunisia, the UN Refugee Agency is aware of almost 16,000 refugees, including 7,400 Sudanese nationals fleeing the war in Sudan, as well as refugees from Libya and other countries. The EU has transformed illegitimate pushbacks (forcibly turning back refugees) into pullbacks and outsourced them to African statesTunisia, Morocco, Libya, Algeria, and also Mauritania and Niger. Their security forces are thereby spurred on to carry out brutal interceptions at sea and on land and to conduct unlawful, collective expulsions of migrants. Tunisian security forces have now become notorious for apprehending subSaharan African migrants at the southern borders and abandoning them under lifethreatening conditions in the desertturning the Sahara, alongside the Mediterranean, into a giant cemetery. Under a Memorandum of Understanding, the EU provides financial support to the Tunisian government under President Kais Saied as long as it prevents migrant departures. The Saied regime is notorious for human rights abuses against migrants, as well as for domestic repression, suppressing critical journalists and the political opposition. None of this deters the EU from its cooperation with Tunisia. President Recep Tayyip Erdogans use of the judiciary to attack democratic rights and build an authoritarian regime reached a new level with the political espionage investigation launched Friday. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Mayor and Republican Peoples Party (CHP) presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu and his campaign director Necati Ozkan, who have both been in prison since March on charges of corruption, have now been subjected to a new indictment. The immediate impact of the action is that it would keep the two men in prison even if the corruption charges were overturned. Opposition journalist Merdan Yanardag was also arrested, and a trustee was appointed to the TELE1 television channel, where he served as chief editor. TELE1 was one of the few opposition channels broadcasting nationwide, and Yanardag and the channel had long faced government pressure. Ekrem Imamoglu, Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, giving a speech in front of Istanbul Palace of Justice on January 31, 2025 [Photo: X / @ekrem_imamoglu] The political nature of this operation was revealed in a statement by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutors Office declaring Yanardag guilty and appointing a trustee to the channel on these grounds. The statement, made while Yanardag was still detained on espionage charges, reads: Merdan Yanardag, the chief editor of the TV channel TELE1, who was detained on suspicion of espionage, has committed crimes through his words and actions many times; he is the real operator of the channel; official records show his son Alp Yanardag as the company owner. Yanardag used the TV channel TELE1 in these crimes. On these grounds, the Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace has today decided to appoint [a] trustee to the ABC Radio Television and Digital Broadcasting Corporation, the owner of the channel. The investigation is based on digital materials obtained from Huseyin Gunwho was arrested on July 4, 2025, and who is alleged to have engaged in espionage activities on behalf of countries such as Britain, the US, and Israelas well as on Guns conversations. It is alleged that Gun transferred information he had gathered on matters related to Middle Eastern countries, African countries, and our country [Turkey] to individuals belonging to a foreign country identified as conducting intelligence activities. Imamoglu and his advisor Ozkan are accused of being accomplices to a crime by collaborating [with Gun] in the 2019 local election campaign and sharing voter information with him. Routine election campaign activities such as voter profiling, reporting, and social media analysis are being portrayed as criminal acts. Despite these allegations of espionage, Ankara has not requested an official statement from NATO allies London or Washington. In 2019, Imamoglu won the Istanbul elections, then unlawfully repeated at the request of Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP), by a margin of 800,000 votes. Journalist Yanardag is accused of being in contact with Gun, organizing the press aspect of the election process and engaging in activities to manipulate the 2019 local elections in collaboration with foreign intelligence services, thereby committing espionage. Cumhuriyet columnist Bars Terkoglu wrote that the allegations against Yanardag were baseless, pointing out that Guns testimony revealed his direct ties with the states defense industry, writing: Gun referred to Alis [Latif Aral] as his family friend and said, we founded a company together. Alis is the owner of Sarslmaz Savunma, a well-known company in the defense industry. He works with the government on projects such as ATAK, HURKUS, HURJET, and KAAN. The espionage operation is an attempt to discredit Imamoglu and his overwhelming election victory over the AKP, paving the way for the appointment of a trustee to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). On March 19, as mass protests erupted across the country against Imamoglus detention, he was not arrested on the terrorism charges brought against him, preventing the appointment of a trustee to the municipality. During his interrogation, Imamoglu denied the allegations, stating, In my view, espionage is equivalent to treason, adding, Burning Rome is more realistic [than these allegations]. Imamoglu also argued that the accusations were baseless, saying, It is absolutely illogical that [Huseyin Gun] could have directed and influenced my entire campaign within 15 days. Because I had been running a seven-month election campaign at that time. It is not in line with the normal course of life to reduce my entire campaign period to just 15 days, as if it had been thrown in the trash. In his statement, journalist Yanardag said that he had been fighting against imperialism and Zionism since his youth, adding, I am a left-wing and patriotic journalist. It is unthinkable that I would engage in any activity against my country or our people. Merdan Yanardag [Photo: Tele 1] Ibrahim Pasal, a pro-government writer for Yeni Safak, was appointed to manage the TELE1 channel. The channel, which has started broadcasting from tape, had its YouTube archive deleted Saturday, and its account was subsequently closed. CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said in a statement following the arrest, Since the accusations of theft and corruption against our friends didnt work, now... theyve turned to the last resort of espionage accusations. Ozel added that if anyone is to be prosecuted for sharing data with a person linked to foreign intelligence, first, the former head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Hakan Fidan [current Minister of Foreign Affairs], who had MIT data stolen, should be prosecuted... And above all, Recep Tayyip Erdogan should be prosecuted. A statement from the Peoples Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which mediated the negotiations between the Erdogan government and imprisoned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, said, It is clear that another judicial operation has been launched, demonstrating how distorted the scales of justice are in this country. The role of the law should be to ensure justice. Unfortunately, however, judicial mechanisms in Turkey have long been used as a tool to shape politics. In mid-October, comments by Pervin Buldan, a member of the Imrali Delegation of the DEM Party who met with Ocalan and is a member of parliament, regarding the presss critical approach to the negotiations, were seen as a call to the government for censorship and led to harsh criticism. Buldan stated, [Ocalan] clearly expressed that many channels and commentators still maintain their hostile discourse from the past and that these circles are not concerned with a solution and peace, but rather with rhetoric and hostility. Buldan continued: The fact that some commentators, journalists, and channels use comments and statements against the process is not a problem we can solve. Because when we look at it, today the media is in the hands of the government, and the judiciary is in the hands of the AKP. We are talking about a government that has all the power and dominates every area of life. Therefore, it is again the governments responsibility to improve and eliminate all these issues. But I would also like to point out that no progress has been made in this regard. The arrest of Imamoglu and Yanardag on suspicious espionage allegations and the appointment of a trustee to the TELE1 channel are a clear attack on fundamental democratic rights such as the right to a fair trial, the presumption of innocence, and freedom of the press and expression. Understanding the class nature of this attack is essential to understanding how to combat it. The acceleration of authoritarian regime building in Turkey stems from the crisis of the global capitalist system and is part of the process of authoritarian and far-right tendencies gaining strength worldwide. The Erdogan governments gradual elimination of democratic rights is closely linked to the intensifying class war against the working class. With growing social inequality, mounting popular opposition, and developing global war conditions, the ruling classes everywhere are concluding that they cannot protect their interests, even to a limited extent, through democratic forms of government. This trend has accelerated with the inauguration of fascist President Donald Trump in the US and his attempt to establish a presidential dictatorship in line with the interests of the financial oligarchy. Imamoglus arrest in March came a few days after Erdogans phone call with Trump. This latest operation came after Erdogan was hosted by Trump at the White House in late September. While Erdogan gave his full support to Trumps Gaza agreement, he ensured that Washington would not object to any steps he might take at home. This new colonial agreement was supported by the CHP and DEM Party. Regardless of their tactical differences, all parties of the capitalist order are facilitating a turn to authoritarianism and war, allied with imperialist powers and opposed to the working class. Under increasing pressure from the government, the CHP is trying to find a compromise with Erdogan and insistently emphasizes its own pro-NATO character. The DEM Party, meanwhile, is perpetuating the illusion that the Erdogan government can resolve the Kurdish issue and pursue democracy and peace. Both parties are attempting to channel the growing anger and opposition among the working class and youth into capitalist politics and an electoral dead end. Social opposition to the construction of authoritarian regimes and anti-democratic attacks by governments is also global in nature. An estimated 7 million people participated in the No Kings protests against Trump in the US on October 18. In Turkey, millions of people are estimated to have participated in weeks of mass protests following the arrest of Imamoglu. The critical issue is arming the developing mass movement with a revolutionary perspective. The only way to secure democratic and social rights is through the transfer of power to the working class. This requires mobilizing workers to fight for an international socialist program, independent of all capitalist parties whether in power or in opposition. This is the perspective for which the Sosyalist Esitlik Partisi Dorduncu Enternasyonal (the Socialist Equality Party Fourth International) is fighting. In what is an increasingly familiar pattern, an alleged sexual assault by a failed asylum seeker in Dublin, Ireland, was last week seized on as pretext for far-right agitators to call for mass violence against asylum seekers and migrants. At one point, during three nights of protests and confrontations with police, as many as 1,000 demonstrators besieged the CityWest Hotel in the village of Saggart, outside Dublin. According to Irish broadcaster RTE, the first mention of an incident at the large CityWest Hotel was a post, Monday morning at 8.25 a.m., on X noting crime scene tape at the site. This post was viewed as many as 136,000 times. By early afternoon media reports stated that a man had already been arrested for an alleged assault on a young girl. CityWest has been the focus of protests led by right-wing forces since earlier this year when news of the governments intention to buy the hotelwhich it been leasing since 2020was made public. In June, 100 or so local residents protested the sites transformation into a permanent asylum centre, at one point slowing down traffic on a nearby motorway. Some 8,000 signatures were also collected testifying, in part, to real concerns about pressure on local facilities. The site was finally purchased over the summer for 148 million from Tetrarch Capital. A local protest was called for Monday evening outside the CityWest, which went ahead peacefully, with 200 attending. A journalists post that the alleged victim was a child in the care of the Irish states Child and Family Agency (Tusla) was then viewed 1.2 million times. Later on Monday evening, various far-right agitators and groups took to their mobile phones and laptops. These included Dublin City Councillor Malachy Steenson, formerly a left republican; Paul Nolan, jailed last month for identifying asylum seekers; and Sinne na Daoine, a group of anti-migrant vigilantes who carry out community patrols. Nolan called for CityWest to be stormed, and every last migrant deported. Some of these posts were shared and amplified by right-wing commentators worldwide, including billionaire fascist Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League. Next morning, the deluge of filth continued. UK based online anti-immigrant outlet UNN posted, Republic of Ireland set to erupt. Can you blame them? The far-right National Party called for people to attend a protest that evening. US based American patriot Don Keith posted this is how you get your country back. Crowds began to gather around CityWest from 6.30 p.m., as did riot police. Over the next few hours, around 1,000 far-right protestors chanted Get them out, directed fireworks at riot police, pushed through crowd control barriers and threw stones and traffic cones at police vans before one van was eventually set on fire. Masked men turned up on horseback, horse drawn traps and motorbikes. Much of this was livestreamed by far-right and anti-migrant activists, including some who flew in for the occasion. These included UK based BB Audits, who films protests outside UK asylum hostel and Canadian Ezra Levant of far-right Rebel News. US fascist Jack Posobiec reposted videos from the protests to his 3 million followers. A Garda (police) van set alight during the far-right riots in Dublin [Photo: Screenshot from video Adrian Kennedy & Jeremy Dixon/Facebook] One livestreamer was, according to the Irish Times, Keith OBrien aka Keith Woods. In 2023 Woods was a speaker at a white supremacist conference organised by American Renaissance. Another was Phillip Dywyer who claimed that CityWest was being turned into... a state sponsored people trafficking centre. Smaller protests were held on Wednesday and Thursday evening. In total 24 people were arrested and 17 charged with public order offences. A copycat attack on housing for people seeking international protection took place on Thursday night, with stones and fireworks thrown at a property in central Dublin. For those inside the CityWest complex, which provides accommodation for around 2,400 asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees, the experience was terrifying. Residents were effectively curfewed by the riots, advised over WhatsApp by volunteers at the complex to be back before 6.30pm before the Tuesday protest. One man from Pakistan, Samir, said he could hear a crowd shouting as they walked by the avenue to the hotel. By 7.30pm this had become the roar of 1,000 people confronting a riot squad. Samir was worried for the safety of some of his friends who were still outside. They were eventually escorted to a nearby safe house. Samir praised the work of local volunteers who picked up centre residents in their cars and took them to a house nearby where they stayed until 1.00am when they could return to CityWest. It was a frightening, dark night, he said. The CityWest complex, a 6.7 hectare site which includes a transit hub, has been leased by the Irish government since 2020. Since 2022 it has been used as accommodation for Ukrainians and people seeking International Protection. Some 1,200 Ukrainians still live there, including 350 families with children and older Ukrainians, many with complex health needs. Anatoliy Primakov, director of Ukrainian Action in Ireland said, Families were told not to leave their rooms, not to go near windows; they were terrified. And they dont know how long this is going to last. The complex also houses pregnant asylum seekers transported to CityWest from other asylum centres because of their health needs. 58 women have given birth in CityWest this year. One health professional told the Times that the complex is certainly the place with the highest concentration of people with complex health needs. 20 - 25 percent of people in the hotel have two or more chronic health conditions. She reported threats against health workers from right wing goons. We have had staff members attacked by right wing groups, vandalising our cars. The protests and riot outside CityWest are only the latest in a series of increasingly violent attacks on migrants and their accommodation in both the North and South of Ireland. Earlier this year, Ballymena in the North saw five successive nights of anti-migrant protests, riots and firebomb attacks which resulted in houses being set on fire and families being forced to leave their homes. Both Romanians and Filipino families were targeted by protests orchestrated by loyalist paramilitary groups. Protests and petrol bomb attacks were also reported in Larne, Portadown and Coleraine. This years notorious July 11 loyalist bonfires saw one topped by life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets in a small boat, while below it were placards saying, Stop the boats and Veterans before refugees. Last year, a former paint factory in Coolock, Dublin was the site of repeated protests against government proposals to it into accommodation for hundreds of migrants. The factory was repeatedly firebombed and this May the government abandoned efforts to repurpose the site. There were numerous attacks on individuals and small groups of migrants in the city centre. Bernie Sanders on The Tim Dillon Show, October 22, 2025. [Photo: The Tim Dillon Show] As the Trump administration continues to carry out its mass deportation operation, separating families and disappearing long-time residents into a network of mostly privately run concentration camps, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders went on the far-right Tim Dillon Show last week to praise Donald Trumps attacks on immigrants. In the extraordinary interview, Sanders not only praised Trumps illegal closing of the border, which deprives immigrants and refugees the right to claim asylum in the US, but echoed Trumps talking points in justifying the war on immigrants. Sanders decision to appear on the program is another demonstration of the pragmatic opportunism, cynicism and contempt for democratic and socialist principles that have characterized his entire political career. Dillon, like comedians Joe Rogan and Theo Von, backed Trump in the 2024 election. Dillon regularly associates with millionaire Republicans and previously admitted to having dinner with Vice President JD Vance this year. In the last year, Dillon has hosted Vance, fascist Steve Bannon and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on his program. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on The Tim Dillon Show, October 2025. [Photo: The Tim Dillon Show] Questioned by the right-wing comedian if citizenship should mean something and if we should have a border, Sanders seized the opportunity to wave the flag and burnish his credentials as a national chauvinist. Youve asked a lot of very important questions. Good questions. Lets start off with the basic. So long as we have nation states, right which we have, you gotta have borders, right? Repeating Trumps fascist campaign lines verbatim, Sanders continued: You dont have any borders, then you dont have a nation. Right, in a sense. Turning to praise Trump and the Republicans, Sanders said: So has historically the United States done well under Democrats and Republicans protecting the border? The answer is no. Trump did a better job. I dont like Trump, you know, but we should have a secure border and it aint that hard to do. Biden didnt do it. Those before him did not do it. We should have a secure border period. I think most people in the Congress agree with that. Pressed by Dillon why former President Joe Biden did not do more to block immigrants from coming to the country, Sanders defended the Democrat, He did. He did something things. He was not, he, I think by the end of his term, if my memory is correct, the number, the number of illegal folks coming in had gone down. But Im not gonna sit here and tell you that overall it was a good job, it was not. Sanders continued, You need a border, lets have a border. And we have certainly the technology and the manpower to make that happen. Sanders defense of the capitalist nation state and its increasingly militarized borders is not new. For years, Sanders has blamed immigrants and foreign workers, as opposed to the capitalist system, for destroying jobs and driving down the wages and living standards of native-born workers. Sanders support for Trumps border policies mirrors that of Teamsters President Sean OBrien and the rest of the trade union bureaucracies, which use economic nationalism and jingoism to pit American workers against their class brothers and sisters around the world. Sanders legitimized the witchhunting of immigrants, declaring that those who came to the US under the Biden administration came in illegally. Period. Okay. It was illegal. This is not the first time this year Sanders has publicly praised Trumps fascistic mass deportation operation. In an interview on ABC earlier this year, Sanders said Trump had done right in regards to suppressing immigrants. Dillon later brought up that Sanders has previously opposed open borders, that is the free movement of people across the border, citing it as a Koch Brothers proposal. Sanders replied, Thats right. Notably, when Dillon featured fascist Steve Bannon on his program earlier this year, Bannon admitted that his anti-immigrant agenda was mirrored in Sanders policies, telling Dillon, We had a totally similar, we just lifted Bernie Sanders shit. I mean, come on. We just took it. Tim Dillon with Steve Bannon in the War Room in March 2025. [Photo: The Tim Dillon Show] That Bannon and Sanders have the same anti-immigrant program makes clear that the socialism advanced by Sanders, and his supporters in the Democratic Socialists of America, has nothing to do with socialism. Marxists have always advanced the perspective that the working class has no country and that the emancipation of humanity from wage slavery must be rooted in the international unity of all workers in all countries against the multinational corporations and billionaires that siphon all of the wealth created by the working class for themselves and their militaries. While Sanders congratulation of Trump for his fascist immigrant agenda was the most significant aspect of his appearance on the show, he also advanced several other right-wing and pro-imperialist positions. Asked to comment on the fraudulent ceasefire in Gaza, Sanders insisted on Israels right to defend itself. Sanders said, Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed an atrocity when it attacked Israel and killed 1,200 innocent men, women and a lot of young people, took hundreds of hostages. In fact, many of those killed were massacred by Israeli military elements as part of the Hannibal Directive. Dillon noted that many young people oppose not just the genocide in Gaza but the ongoing US-NATO war against Russia and Ukraine. He noted that many younger people are wondering why the US government is spending billions on foreign wars while workers and young people cant afford homes. Sanders said he did not see the two issues as comparable while again reiterating Israels alleged right to self defense. Dillon pressed Sanders, saying they are both foreign conflicts and that many were wondering why billions were being spent over a land dispute in Northern Ukraine. Sanders grumbled, I dont call it a land dispute. A loyal lackey of US imperialism, Sanders launched into a rant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, a disgusting human being. Sanders claimed European ambassadors told him that if Putin is not stopped at the Ukraine other Eastern Europe countries will be next. NATO will be involved and then maybe the United States and our troops as well. Sanders defense of Israel and the ongoing war against Russia along with his promotion of Trumps anti-immigrant pogrom exposes him and the social forces that support him, especially those in the DSA and Democratic Party, as enemies of the working class. Rally at the Ingersoll, Ontario CAMI assembly plant during a month-long 2017 strike. While workers wanted to wage a militant struggle, Unifor directed it on nationalist lines. GM Canada announced October 21 that it is ending operations at the CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, due to seriously slumping sales for its Chevrolet BrightDrop EV 600 and EV 400 cargo delivery vans. A 2021 EV retooling at the plant to produce the new vans cost $2 billion, with about $500 million coming from the governments of Ontario and Canada. The move by GM will see the loss of more than 1,000 jobs at the assembly operation. Jobs for another 200 workers at GMs wholly-owned Ultium battery operation in Ingersoll remain in limbo. Workers at both facilities suffered sporadic downtime in recent years due to supply problems and low orders and had been on indefinite layoff for months. The idling of the assembly plant comes 36 years after auto assembly operations began in Ingersoll. GM Canada president Kristian Aquilina said workers would receive full pay for six months along with some benefits. Federal Industry Minister Melanie Joly told reporters that she had spoken with the local leader of Unifor as well as Ontario Premier Doug Ford and that they had agreed to create a response group to push for new production at the plant. For her part, Lana Payne, president of Unifor, Canadas largest private-sector union, joined with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to pressure Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal government on the basis of a bogus cross-class appeal to common national interests between bosses and workers. Canada must respond with a real industrial strategy that defends Canadian jobs, leverages our market, and pushes back on Trumps economic bullying, said Payne. The company has stated that BrightDrop production will not be moved elsewhere, but management will now consult with the Canadian government regarding the plants future. GM cited decreased market demand and high inventory levels for the electric vehicle as the reason for the shutdown, although the decision, like the one earlier this month by Stellantis to mothball its assembly plant in Brampton and an earlier cut of the third shift at GM Oshawa, is closely tied to moves by the Detroit Three auto companies to go all-in on US President Trumps tariff and re-shoring strategy. Paul, a worker at the plant whose tenure was defined by years of on-and-off production, explained to the World Socialist Web Site, I fear our sector has been sacrificed in order to prolong the life of CUSMA (the Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement), a document Trump has already reneged on in imposing tariffs. CAMI was doomed the minute the US backed out of the Paris Climate agreement. Its devastating news but it was death by 1,000 scratches. The Big Three should be held accountable for their spineless treatment of Ontario workers. How Unifors collaboration with management killed an auto plant The basis for the shutdown was laid by a deal ratified by 91 percent of the CAMI workforce in 2021. Unifor pushed it through after the union bureaucracy suddenly re-opened the contract with the GM subsidiary almost a year early and with no consultation with the rank and file. With the internal combustion Equinox crossover vehicle slated to be soon discontinued, workers were told that only a $1 billion cash infusion to transition to EV production could save their livelihoods. At a snap Zoom meeting, workers learned that Unifor had agreed to give GM a free hand to determine staffing levels and working conditions at the plant. The self-serving contract Highlights brochure contained no written details on the impact of the proposed deal on work rules, scheduling, downtime layoffs and ultimate staffing levels. In order to stampede the membership toward ratification, Plant Chairman Mike Van Boekel and Unifor Local 88 President Joe Graves painted a dire picture of an imminent deathblow to the plant if workers failed to ratify the tentative agreement. At the same time, they told the workers there would be significant changes to work rules and job classifications, jobs would likely be lost, and there would be no guarantees of final employment or production numbers when workers were recalled after a shutdown for a retooling of unknown duration. A new Competitive Operating Agreement with all the details, they added, was not ready to be presented to the membership. It would have to be accepted unseen and apparently with key details yet to be hammered out. Three years later, CAMI workers still struggled to secure full-time employment. After the last Equinox rolled off the line in April 2021, all workers were laid off long-term as the $800 million EV retrofit began. The workers received Employment Insurance (EI) premiums with some obtaining a period of inferior Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) top ups until partial EV production commenced in December 2022. But when production got up and running, only about 700 workers were called back to produce the build to order BrightDrop Zevo 600 van for FedEx. Production plans for the smaller Zevo 400 model were initially scheduled for mid-year but were subsequently bumped back until late 2023. Workers who had formerly worked on one of three shifts began alternating, each shift working two weeks and then going on layoff for four weeks. Then in early spring 2023, the entire workforce was laid off for another month. With unemployment benefits already running out, many workers were soon forced to rely on food banks to make ends meet as sporadic layoffs continued. Battery shortages forced another long layoff lasting from October 2023 until the spring of 2024. But even after that workers continued to rotate between two weeks of work and four weeks of layoff until last July, when virtually the entire plant workforce was placed on temporary layoff. To induce GM to keep the plant open, Unifor, which is in a corporatist partnership with the auto bosses and the federal and Ontario governments, worked with the automaker to press veteran legacy workers to accept incentives to retire. The years prior to the 2021 re-tooling saw a wave of retirements and the hiring of more and more second-tier workers with inferior wages, benefits and pensions. In 2017, the union bureaucrats led by now disgraced former president Jerry Dias sabotaged a month-long strike by inciting Canadian nationalism that divided CAMI workers from their class brothers and sisters producing the Equinox in Mexican plants. This betrayal paved the way for production and job cuts that soon reduced the workforce to 1900, even as the low-wage two-tier workforce swelled. Such were the hardships imposed on the remaining workforce during the plants retooling and the subsequent launch of EV production, autoworkers, family members and other supporters created a charity grocery program, called Camily Funds for Food. The crisis facing many CAMI autoworkers and their families had so significantly deepened that visits to the various other foodbanks in the area sky rocketed. Paul noted, As CAMI was my first exposure to union politics it wasnt until the strike of 2017 that I felt the ugly nationalistic impulses just underneath the surface. Jerry Dias came to do a rah-rah speech on our makeshift rally stage. He blamed Mexicans for stealing our jobsnot the true reason the Equinox was leaving our plant. It was GMs corporate mandate to chase profit over anything else. Canadian auto industry on life support The bill of goods fraudulently sold to the CAMI membership by Unifor, GM and the Ontario and federal governments who ballyhooed the move into EV production and provided a good share of the funding, was subsequently pedaled to GM, Stellantis and Ford workers in the 2023 contract negotiations. Sporadic layoffs at Stellantis Windsor Assembly soon plagued the workforce as the company began to establish separate lines for EV, hybrid and internal combustion engine vehicle production. By January 2025 the plant was scaled back to a rotating schedule of one- and two-shift weeks. According to the companys latest promises, only in January 2026 will it re-start full round-the-clock production with 4,000 workers. In the United States, United Auto Workers (UAW) leader Shawn Fain, a close ally first of the Biden administration and now a full-throated backer of Trump and his tariff policies, also forced through equally ruthless attacks on American workers in the 2023 negotiations while spouting militant rhetoric that was quickly exposed as thousands of workers were cashiered. Workers at Stellantis Brampton Assembly plant were expected to be on layoff for much of the length of the three-year 2023 contract, with a shutdown for retooling beginning in early 2024. The first shift was not projected to return to work until the end of 2025, and the third shift only to resume in the latter half of 2026. Now, as a result of Stellantis decision to shift production of the promised Jeep Compass model to production lines in Belvedere, Illinois, all 3,200 workers will be indefinitely laid off. And at Ford Oakville, management announced in April that it will delay the resumption of production at its assembly plant after planned retooling for electric vehicle production from 2025 until 2027. During the 2023 contract ratification process, thousands of workers had been told to expect only an 8-month shutdown. Even then, the deal only passed by a narrow 54 percent vote, with a majority rejection in Oakville and a rejection by skilled trades across the Ford footprint. At GMs other operations, job losses continue to mount. Only a few weeks ago at GMs Oshawa assembly operation, some 3,000 workers, most of whom have been labouring on the inferior second-tier wage scale, learned that the third shift will be ended in January resulting in the loss of 750 jobs (and about 2,000 auto parts supplier jobs) as a result of the automakers decision to move a portion of the production of the Chevrolet Silverado to its Fort Wayne, Indiana plant. At GMs Propulsion plant in St. Catharines, the workforce has been cut in half and now sits at 600 workers as the company has delayed a scheduled EV refit until at least 2027. Workers need an international strategy to fight international companies The global auto companies, including the Detroit Three in Canada and the United States, are waging a major onslaught on the workers who labour in their factories. The auto bosses are demanding that the switch-over to EV production be paid for by further reducing labour costs. It is projected that EV production requires only 40 percent of the labour for internal combustion vehicles. But rather than mobilizing workers in a joint struggle against the Detroit Three on both sides of the border, Unifor is still pumping out the same nationalist Team Canada poison that has hamstrung autoworkers for generations, by splitting the workforce and allowing the companies to whipsaw jobs, wages and conditions back and forth across North American borders to the lowest bidder. During the 2023 contract negotiations, when agreements in both the US and Canada were coming due at nearly the same time, Unifor and UAW bureaucrats doubled down on their decades-long effort to pit workers on both sides of the border against each other and prevent a North American-wide struggle by autoworkers against the globally mobile corporations. Unifors role as a cheap-labour contractor for corporate Canada flows directly from the social position of the bureaucrats who staff the union apparatus. Living on their six-figure salaries and lavish expense accounts, Unifor officials have far more in common with corporate executives and government ministers than they do with their members. Fervent advocates of Canadian nationalism and the interests of the capitalist elite, they work to secure a competitive advantage for their own businesses and investors. The consequences of this nationalist outlook have been devastating on both sides of the border. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost, and wages and conditions have been driven down in the name of competitiveness. Yet the Unifor and UAW bureaucrats remain committed to the same course, clinging to their alliances with their ruling classes to maintain their privileged positions as junior partners in corporate management. At CAMI, the results are now plain. A plant once hailed as a model of Canadian productivity has been reduced to silence. But the anger and determination among workers are far from extinguished. As a junior member of a union, a Canadian and a dad, I know one thing, CAMI worker Paul said. Its better to get the short end of the stick than to be beaten to death with the long end. Complacency and embracing the status quo is unacceptable. Action must be taken without resorting to xenophobic nationalist hogwash. That sentiment points to the real way forward. To fight the layoffs, wage cuts, and restructuring now unfolding across the auto industry, workers cannot rely on Unifor, the Canadian Labour Congress, or any section of the existing trade-union apparatus. These organizations defend the interests of the corporations and the state, not those of workers. The first step is to establish rank-and-file committeesdemocratically controlled organizations of workers themselvesindependent of the union bureaucracy. Such committees can unite autoworkers in Canada, the United States, and Mexico in a common struggle to defend jobs and living standards against the dictates of transnational capital and the reactionary nationalism of their own ruling classes. The closure of CAMI is a serious blow, but it is not the end of the story. The lessons drawn from this experience must serve as the foundation for a new, international movement of workers determined to assert their own independent interests and to organize production on the basis of social need rather than corporate profit. Elevenlabs AudioNative Player President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Washington. [AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta] The Trump administrations declaration that it will allow food stamp funding to expire on November 1 unless the Democrats surrender to end the shutdown is an act of sheer cruelty. Tens of millions of Americans could go hungry during the month of Thanksgiving, while the oligarchy behind Trump celebrates record share values. Last week, the Department of Agriculture announced that it would not draw upon $6 billion in emergency reserves to continue the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the main federal food aid program. The Trump administration is using the lives of 42 million people who rely on SNAP as political blackmail. Two-thirds of recipients are in households with children. The program was estimated to lift 3 million people out of poverty in 2023. Already, 5 percent of US households are classified as suffering from very low food security, a government euphemism for households forced to reduce food intake or skip meals altogether. These figures would rise dramatically if food stamp funding expires. Officials justified the decision not to use emergency funding on the bogus grounds that such a move would be illegal without congressional authorization. Even if this were true, it has never stopped Trump before. It did not prevent him from redirecting $8 billion in federal funds, supplemented with a $130 million donation from a fellow billionaire, to pay soldiers to ensure their loyalty as they are deployed in US cities and as the White House prepares for war against Venezuela. That donation, as well as the $300 million gift from tech billionaires to build a new White House ballroom, expresses the erasure of any division between the oligarchy and the government. The deliberate use of hunger as a political weapon has precedents in the most brutal regimes in history. Today, the Netanyahu government is employing starvation as a key instrument of genocide in Gaza. The Hitler-lover Trump is well aware of the Nazi regimes Hunger Plan, implemented during World War II to starve tens of millions in Eastern Europe. It is no exaggeration to say that Trump is using the threat of starvation as a weapon of class war within the United States. Whatever happens in the next several days, the callous indifference now on display is unmistakable. If Trump had his way, many of the 42 million SNAP recipientschildren, the elderly, the disabledwould be allowed to starve as life unworthy of life, to use the infamous Nazi phrase. Around the same time as the food stamp announcement, Trump insider Steve Bannon publicly confirmed the existence of a conspiracy to keep Trump in the White House beyond the constitutional term limit in 2028. Were in political war, Bannon said, explaining that their strategy is to seize the institutions and then purge them. Trump himself has declared his intention to eliminate Democrat and semi-communist programs, by which he means the limited welfare and entitlement measures upon which tens of millions depend for survival. The shutdown is proceeding according to a worked-out plan: to use the crisis as a pretext to seize personal control of the executive branch, usurp Congresss power of the purse and purge the federal workforce of perceived opponents. Even before the shutdown, Trumps Big Beautiful Bill passed over the summer slashed $180 billion from food stamps, and over 20 million people are set to lose some or all benefits next month under new eligibility restrictions. The law also included more than $800 billion in Medicaid cuts. Also looming is the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits for private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, which would lead to massive premium increases. Scenes in Washington last week captured the growing desperation. Hundreds of furloughed or terminated federal workers lined up outside food pantries. Air traffic controllers, who will receive their first zero-dollar paychecks today, are dealing with nationwide flight delays and cancellations due to staffing shortages. This is not the product of one man. It is the outcome of a capitalist ruling class whose interests are incompatible with even the most basic necessities of human life. Beneath the surging share values and trillions added to the wealth of the billionaires, American capitalism is approaching the point of bankruptcy, with a new recession looming and federal debt reaching unsustainable levels. The solution of the ruling class is to reduce workers to poverty, in order to pay for the crisis and fund new wars against Russia and China to conquer markets and supply chains. Amazon plans to automate half a million jobs out of existence in the next few years. Total layoffs for this year are approaching 1 million, one of the highest levels on record. The ruling class is terrified of the growing threat of social revolution. This was expressed in the brutal ultimatum delivered Monday by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who demanded of the Democrats: Am I going to starve my constituents? Or am I going to appease the Marxist? In fact, the Democrats refuse to call on anyone to do anything against Trump, terrified that a genuine social movement would turn into a struggle against capitalism itself. Their response to the impending expiration of food stamps has been a combination of finger-wagging and groveling before Trump. The union bureaucracy is also working to chloroform opposition in the working class. A statement released Monday by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) does not even mention food stamps or Trump by name. It dissolves all responsibility for this catastrophe into the vague language of partisan politics and calls on our leaders [emphasis added] to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people. The real threat to dictatorship comes from below. There is a growing radicalization taking place across every section of workers. The critical issue is the building of an independent movement of the working class against Trump and the capitalist system that created him. Workers are not just the majority of the country and the source of all wealth. Their struggle against capitalist exploitation leads it into revolutionary struggle, making the working class the real bearer of equality and genuine democracy. When Trump speaks of fighting the enemy within, he means above all the working class itself. The crisis of American society cannot be resolved outside of a massive movement directed against the unchallenged privileges of the oligarchy, Trumps real social base. The defense of democratic rights must be fused with the demand that workers possess inalienable social rightsthe right to employment, to adequate food, to healthcare, to a stable environment and to all the basic necessities of a decent human life. As the Socialist Equality Party explained in its statement, After the No Kings protests: What Next?: The task now is not to wait passively for the next demonstration but to use this opposition as a lever in the fight for a movement of the working class for socialism. A photo of the blast site at Accurate Energetic Systems during a news conference Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in McEwen, Tenn. [AP Photo/George Walker IV] Federal investigators have concluded the initial phase of their inquiry into the catastrophic explosion that tore through the Accurate Energetic Systems (AES) facility in Bucksnort, Tennessee, on October 10, killing 16 workers and injuring at least four others. Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the National Center for Explosives Training and Research now estimate that between 24,000 and 28,000 pounds of high explosives detonated in a chain reaction that leveled the 15,000-square-foot building. The blast was so immense that it exceeded the explosive power of a US GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the so-called MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal, with a payload of 18,700 pounds of TNT equivalent. ATF agent Brice McCracken told reporters on October 24 that the explosion began in one of six kettles on the production floor of the pour-cast building where cast boosters, a mixture of TNT and RDX (cyclonite), were hand poured into cardboard tubes for use in commercial mining and defense applications. The initial detonation triggered a sympathetic explosion of other explosive material stored on the main floor, destroying the structure and scattering debris over 500 acres of rural Hickman and Humphreys counties. Investigators have recovered roughly 1,000 pounds of undetonated material, underscoring how close the surrounding area came to an even larger catastrophe. Fourteen of the 16 victims have been identified through Rapid DNA testing; two remain unaccounted for as of this writing. Federal officials have concluded the on-site phase of their investigation, but testing and re-testing in ATF laboratories will not come fast, McCracken cautioned. Agents generated nearly 300 leads and reviewed 14,000 documents in 12 days of field work. The exact ignition source remains undetermined, but McCracken confirmed the first blast originated within a heating kettle, equipment used to maintain the explosive mixture in a molten state. As with so many industrial disasters, the question now is whether the immense quantity of volatile material stored and handled by human workers in a confined space met even minimal safety standards. To put the scale of the Bucksnort explosion in perspective, the 28,000-pound estimated detonation surpasses the payload of the US MOAB, which was designed for aerial deployment against enemy fortifications. President Trump ordered the first-ever use of the MOAB, nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs, on April 13, 2017, ostensibly targeting an ISIS cave complex in the Achin District of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. The bomb killed at least 94 Afghans, though journalists and independent observers were barred from firsthand reporting from the site. That such destructive power has now been unleashed unintentionally inside a rural Tennessee workplace speaks volumes about the militarized character of US industry. AES is a private defense contractor supplying the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, as well as NASA, under contracts reportedly worth $140 million. The same technologies designed for imperialist war are produced under sweatshop conditions by highly exploited, underpaid laborers in one of the poorest regions of the United States. This explosion did not occur in a vacuum. As the World Socialist Web Site has previously reported, Accurate Energetic Systems workers raised safety concerns before the fatal Tennessee explosion, employees described chronic understaffing, inadequate training, and pressure to meet government deadlines. We were told to keep the line running no matter what, one worker recalled. Another noted that broken equipment and leaking kettles had been flagged for months without repair. The companys privately owned parent, AAC Investments, has faced little oversight from Tennessees Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which conducted only cursory inspections in recent years. Less than a week after the blast, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Humphreys County Circuit Court on behalf of the nine-year-old daughter of Jeremy Moore, one of the victims. The suit seeks $12 million in damages, naming both AES and its parent company as defendants. Predictably, corporate and political figures have focused on community healing and relief funds, such as the partnership between AES and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, while refusing to discuss the social and regulatory conditions that made the disaster inevitable. The 16 dead, ranging in age from their early 20s to late 50s, were residents of small towns across Hickman and Humphreys counties. Families held private memorials as remains were identified, though some victims have yet to be laid to rest. This tragedy lays bare the deadly intersection of militarism and capitalist production. In the drive to maintain US imperialist dominance abroad, corporations such as AES are handed lucrative federal contracts while cutting costs and corner-cutting on safety to maximize profit. The same government that spends $1 trillion a year on war leaves American workers to die in unsafe factories making the very weapons used in those wars. As the WSWS noted, The Bucksnort explosion is not an accident, it is part of the daily industrial slaughter that takes the lives of more than 5,000 workers each year in the United States. The complicity of federal and state authorities is unmistakable: There has been no demand for criminal accountability, and Tennessees Republican establishment has issued only platitudes about resilience and faith. Similar catastrophes have marked the past several years: the Clairton Coke Works explosion near Pittsburgh (2025), the Roseland, Louisiana chemical plant blast (2025), and the Givaudan factory fire in Louisville, Kentucky (2024). Each was the result of ignored safety warnings, obsolete equipment and relentless pressure to maintain output. Like the AES tragedy, they were described by authorities as isolated accidents, yet all stemmed from the same underlying cause: the subordination of human life to private profit. That 28,000 pounds of explosives were stored and handled manually by a handful of workers on a single production floor exposes the homicidal recklessness of the capitalist system. The Bucksnort dead are casualties not only of an unsafe workplace but of an entire social order that values profit and war over human life. The Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS call for an independent investigation, led by workers themselves, into the conditions at Accurate Energetic Systems and across the munitions industry. The corporate-government alliance that profits from militarism cannot be trusted to police itself. Workers must form rank-and-file safety committees and link their struggle with the growing opposition of workers worldwide to demand safe working conditions, full public transparency and an end to the exploitation that fuels both war abroad and death at home. The 16 men and women who died in Bucksnort will not be the last victims unless the working class organizes consciously against this system. Their memory must become a rallying point in the fight for socialism, which alone can end the needless sacrifice of lives on the altar of profit and imperialist war. Oracle may have joined the artificial intelligence party a little late, but it has nonetheless managed to position itself as a major player. We can see that the company's AI plans are going forward, thanks to a recent announcement concerning Stargate. OpenAI, Oracle, and Vantage Data Centers, a provider of hyperscale data center campuses, recently announced plans to develop a data center campus outside Milwaukee in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The new campus will consist of four data centers, which will have a power capacity of close to 1 GW, and is part of OpenAI and Oracle's partnership to invest up to 4.5 GW of additional Stargate capacity. According to the companies, construction is scheduled to begin soon and is expected to be completed by 2028. Many investors are uncertain whether Oracle's substantial investments in AI infrastructure projects will yield good returns, and Bank of America has an answer to their question. Oracle is partnering with OpenAI.Image source: Shutterstock Bank of America sees Oracle as the fourth AI infrastructure hyperscaler Bank of America analysts Brad Sills and Madeline Brooks updated their opinion on Oracle (ORCL) stock and built a new financial model. They said that Oracle's entry into AI compute marks its transition into a fourth hyperscaler. To address the question about investments delivering attractive returns, analysts built a bottom-up model of the OpenAI deployment that replicated the cost stack, utilization, and cash flow profile of a full-scale compute contract. They said, "Our analysis yields a project level [initial rate of return] of 9% initially, expanding to 16% upon contract renewal. These results suggest that foundational project economics are expected to shift from capital-intensive strategic entry points into cash-yielding infrastructure assets." Analysts noted that Oracle's financing approach further de-risks execution, as the company has funded most projects through low-cost debt. Sills said that Oracle is structuring AI compute contracts as non-cancelable, non-modifiable, take-or-pay contracts, ensuring stable cash flows and cost visibility. This approach contrasts sharply with Neoclouds and other hyperscalers, which are building speculative capacity. He concluded that these dynamics support Oracle's emergence as a profitable, AI-native hyperscaler. Analysts reiterated a buy rating with a price target of $368, based on their estimate of the enterprise value-to-sales ratio for calendar year 2027 of 12.4x, or 0.5x adjusted for 25% growth, a premium to the large-cap software group trading at 8x or 0.6x for 16% growth. Students, parents and immigrant advocates march near City Hall in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. The rally was held in response to an order New York Mayor Eric Adams issued in October limiting homeless migrants and their children to 60 days in city housing. [AP Photo/Seth Wenig] Recently released data collected by Advocates for Children of New York documents that during the 2024-2025 school year, a total of 154,000 New York City public school students were homeless, a new record. The annual total has exceeded 100,000 for the last 10 years. The large majority of them, 65,000, slept in shelters, a record high, or lived in crowded multi-family homes. Out of more than 900,000 students in the public schools, nearly 1 in 7 were homeless during the last school year, the highest proportion on record. This barbaric condition is a testament to the chronic lack of affordable housing in the city. To grasp the scale of the problem, the citys homeless student population alone would itself number among the 20 largest school districts in the country. The majority of homeless students, more than 82,000, live in overcrowded households. The city is notorious for such unsafe living conditions for adults as well as children, which all too often lead to tragedy such as devastating fires with multiple injuries and/or deaths and severe disruptions of already precarious lives. Another 65,000 students lived in city homeless shelters. The remainder live in hotels, motels or on the street. The situation in New York City is but one example of conditions across the country. A recent national survey found that more than 1.3 million students are homeless. Available apartments in the city are at their lowest point in nearly 60 years. At the same time, median rents are at a record high. In a new report, the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) warns that New York City could see a major wave of affordable housing losses in the coming years as long-term affordability agreements, which are based on past municipal assistance, expire. A recent report estimates that the city will need over half a million new housing units to meet expected demand by 2030. The Citizens Committee for Children of New York reports that one in every three New York renters will soon have to pay at least 50 percent of their income for housing. This situation will only worsen due to the Trump administrations cut in federal housing aid. In New York City alone, as of August 2025 more than 350,000 men, women and children were homeless, based on data collected by the Coalition for the Homeless. The baseless right-wing claim that a flood of immigrants is destroying the city, including by Democratic Mayor Eric Adams, causing, among other problems, the rise in student homelessness, is refuted by the fact that the escalating numbers of homeless children began long before the recent immigrant arrivals. Not surprisingly, homeless students suffer academically from their impoverished and unstable living conditions. Recent state testing revealed that nearly 80 percent of homeless students in grades 3 through 8 were deficient in reading and math. Nearly 40 percent did not graduate from high school and one in eight dropped out, three times the rate of their housed peers. Half of homeless students have a high rate of absenteeism, which means that they missed at least one out of every 10 days. Again, not surprisingly, the problem of student homelessness is not evenly distributed across the city but instead is concentrated within its poorer neighborhoods, including East Harlem in Manhattan, Brownsville and Bushwick in Brooklyn, and High Bridge and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. This is further exacerbated by the fact that the uneven distribution of homeless shelters and public schools means that many of these students have to travel long distances to reach their schools. Forty percent of families are placed in shelters in a different borough from where the children go to school. During the current mayoral race, the leading candidatesDemocrat Zohran Mamdani (member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the DSA) and independent (formerly Democrat) Andrew Cuomohave each made pathetically inadequate proposals to address the problem of child homelessness, without any realistic prospect of implementing even these feeble efforts. Mamdani wants to expand a program that provides for city workers to more frequently check in with homeless families in shelters. Cuomo wants to create community schools with dedicated services for the homeless. With regard to the severe lack of affordable housing, of which homeless students are but one manifestation, to the extent that they address the issue, both Cuomo and Mamdani propose completely inadequate solutions. Cuomo merely wants to continue business as usual, using public bonds and incentives to coax private developers to build more affordable housing, a program that has totally failed to avert the current crisis. Mamdani pledges to build 200,000 new affordable housing units over 10 years, an amount that falls far short of the half million estimate of the projected need in the next five years. The extreme lack of affordable housing is just one manifestation of the sharp contrast between the citys wealthy elite and its increasingly impoverished working class, in the worlds financial capital. A newly released report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli finds that Wall Streets profits could top $60 billion in 2025 if current trends continue. At the same time, another study, published earlier this year, found that a quarter of city residents do not have enough money to afford basic needs including housing, food and medical care. On November 1, due to the government shutdown, the Department of Agriculture will cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to over 3 million New Yorkers, about 60 percent of them in New York City. While the state has released $30 million in funds to compensate, this will go directly to food banks, which may be difficult or impossible for many SNAP recipients to reach. Food banks in the state and city have already been stretched to the brink because of increasing demand. Without determined action by the working class, the Trump administrations full-scale assault on a broad range of social programs will drastically worsen conditions for students and the vast majority of the population. On 30 September 2025, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands invoked the Goods Availability Act of 1952 to seize control of Nexperia, a Chinese-owned semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Nijmegen, claiming that the company constituted a threat to Dutch and European economic security. Dutch authorities then ousted Nexperia CEO Zhang Xuezheng, also the founder of Wingtech Technology, which acquired Nexperia in 2019. Nexperia headquarters in Nijmegen, Netherlands [Photo: RadhaKrishna R/Google Maps] This Chinese enterprise is a key supplier of legacy chips that are widely utilised in the automotive industry and consumer devices. It operates fabrication sites in Britain and Germany, as well as assembly and packaging facilities in China, Malaysia and the Philippines, shipping more than 110 billion products annually according to the companys website. In December 2024, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) added Wingtech to its Entity List, a blacklist which subjects foreign corporations access to US technology to complicated licensing requirements. The US Bureau of Industry and Security, an agency under the DOC, recently extended export control restrictions to corporations 50 percent or above owned by listed entities. Consequently, Nexperia has been caught up in the trade war between the US and China. Amsterdam Court of Appeal documents contradicted the claims made by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans that the governments seizure of Nexperia was not a measure against China and that the Netherlands did not act under pressure from Washington. Washington warned Amsterdam this past June that the Chinese CEO of Nexperia must be replaced by a non-Chinese citizen if the company was to be spared from the Entity List and US sanctions, as reported by the South China Morning Post. Following Nexperias seizure, on 4 October, Chinas Commerce Ministry prohibited the companys Chinese branch and its subcontractors from exporting completed components packaged and tested in the country. Beijings export bans immediately sparked concern in European countries. According to data from the European Commission, the automotive sector is a pillar of the European economy, employing 13 million workers and accounting for 7 percent of the European Unions GDP. In response to heightening tensions, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association urged a prompt solution to the dispute on 16 October, warning disruptions in chip supplies could threaten production stoppages because the homologating of new suppliers for specific components [including testing overall electromagnetic compatibility] and the build-up of production would take several months. Car manufacturers which have adopted a just-in-time approach to production had stockpiles of Nexperia chips on hand for only a few weeks, including Tesla. This also applies to Apple and Samsung, which are Nexperias clients. The episode resembles the COVID-19-induced chip shortage in the car industry and factory shutdowns, but this time with a significant difference. There is no capitalist way out of the breakdown of all post-war mechanisms and arrangements based on free trade. Citing Zhou Chao, a researcher at the Beijing-based think tank Anbound, the South China Morning Post warned Nexperias developed in Europe, made in China business model would become unsustainable as rapidly escalating geopolitical tensions had accelerated decoupling within the technology industry and supply chains. China is prepared to meet any escalation made by the United States and/or Europe. Nexperia China has instructed its workers in a letter dated 18 October to follow orders from the local leadership and ignore instructions from the Dutch headquarters. Chinas Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a video conference with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic on 21 October, with the former opposing the overstretch of the notion of national security and with the latter promising to facilitate a solution between Amsterdam and Beijing, as revealed by the Global Times, a state-owned Chinese tabloid. EU-China rivalry will continue to escalate. Far from the illusion that an equal and orderly multipolar world had become a historical inevitability and a reality in which China works to advance equality among all countries and avert the strong bullying the weak, as proclaimed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference early this year, Washingtons global trade war against both China and the EU will only fuel economic tensions between Beijing and Brussels. A commentator of the South China Morning Post stated that with Trumps White House simultaneously shutting the door on Chinese high-tech exports and erecting a trade barrier against the EU, this made Europe the only place rich and open enough to absorb [Chinese exports], leaving local [European] producers struggling to compete. Data from the EU showed the region has a huge trade deficit with China, which amounted to 305.8 billion in 2024 and 297 billion in 2023. Europe, similar to the United States, has lagged significantly behind China in innovation and manufacturing. Both the US and the EU see China as an existential threat to their global and regional dominance. Being bullied by Trumps gangster regime simply cannot convert the continents ruling elites into proponents of multipolarity. Increased geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing, on the contrary, will exacerbate the long-existing rift between Brussels and Beijing. Europe may not want to engage in a trade war with both the US and China but, driven by the requirements of the expansion of European capital, Brussels may have no choice, according to the Post. The Global Times in its editorial wrote that the intervention made by the Dutch government violates the principles of a market economy and fair competition and runs counter to the international trade rules that the EU has consistently advocated. Without naming the confiscation of Russian central bank funds by the EU, the news outlet indicated that the Dutch governments intervention not only harms the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies but also undermines international investors confidence in the EU market. Put plainly, if European governments could unilaterally grab Russian and Chinese assets under the pretence of national security with impunity, what they will do to China next? Which Chinese sector is Brussels next target? Shen Yi, Director of the Center for BRICS Studies and Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University in Shanghai, likened the Netherlands launching the Semicon Coalition in Brussels this March and a Semicon conference joined by all EU members in September 2025 to a pirate party. The Netherlands had turned itself from a pirate to pirate fleets and continued to believe that capital accumulation could be done through plundering China, he added. In response, China must axe those scoundrels who understood only the language of force. Chinese enterprises must safeguard their overseas interests through pragmatic cooperation with Beijing in order to survive in a world where the strong prey on the weak, Shen asserted. The promotion of multipolarity functions to disarm and chloroform the international proletariat to the looming danger of direct military showdowns between the US and China. Rare earth elements China, which dominates the production of rare earth elements (REEs), has implemented export bans on REEs for military uses. But Beijing has not used its trump card: imposing export restrictions on REEs used in civilian applications such as automotive chips, wind turbines, alloys and electrical components. It is calling on Amsterdam and Brussels to de-escalate. The chip war between Beijing and Brussels can only be understood as a component part of a broader tech war between the US and China, which is bound to escalate, however. China has a monopoly on global rare earth mining (about 70 percent), and their refining and processing (about 90 percent). Furthermore, the worlds second largest economy is the only one capable of producing 5N (99.999 percent) pure REEs with economies of scale. N stands for nine and represents purity as a percentage. REEs utilised in the most advanced chips made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited must reach 5N or above to ensure maximum and reliable chip performance. Rare earth element (REE) deposits in China [Photo by Kevnmh / CC BY-SA 4.0 No US companies could meet US domestic demands for REEs in terms of technology or scale. In January 2025, USA Rare Earths, an American rare earth magnet supplier, could only create a sample of dysprosium oxide (DyO) with a purity of 99.1%. This 2N experiment was touted by the corporation as a breakthrough in domestic rare earth production, as reported by mining.com. As the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted, REEs are crucial for various defence technologies, encompassing F-35 fighter jets, Virginia- and Columbia-class [nuclear-powered attack] submarines, Tomahawk missiles, radar systems, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles and the Joint Direct Attack Munition series of smart bombs. The depletion of rare earth minerals needed for military purposes by US imperialism will only strengthen Washingtons determination to wage war and then win it in the most barbaric way. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a fascistic rant to general and flag officers at Quantico, Virginia in late September, asserting that US imperialism would refuse to follow stupid rules of engagement, and would fight to inflict maximum lethality. We intimidate, demoralise, hunt and kill the enemies of our country, he said. On 24 October, Nexperias Chinese branch defied orders from the Dutch headquarters to expel Vice-President of Global Sales and Marketing John Chang, a Chinese executive of the firm. It remains to be seen how the fight over the Chinese semiconductor corporation among the US, the EU and China will drag on and cause supply disruptions. What is evident is that, similar to the Smoot-Hawley tariff measures adopted by Washington in 1930 and the German Reichs autarky policy, the global economic warfare launched by Trumps fascist gang is a prelude to all-out wars on all fronts between nuclear-armed powers. The only way to end the international trade war and halt the descent into actual wars is through the international unity of workers in China, Europe and the United States in a socialist anti-war movement against capitalism. American officials are claiming that an agreement has been reached with China to extend the so-called truce on the imposition of massive additional tariffs on Chinese goods which would have all but severed trade relations between the worlds number one and number two economies. President Donald Trump and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold up documents after signing a trade agreement on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. [AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein] The truce, which was initially agreed to after US president Trumps initial announcement of massive reciprocal tariff hike in April led to a sharp downturn on Wall Street, is due to expire on November 9. According to comments to the press during the US discussions with Southeast Asian leaders in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, over the weekend, it will be extended most likely for a longer period than 90 days. The trade war was set to intensify after China had announced earlier this month the imposition of a set of global export controls on rare earths and critical minerals and their use in a range of productsfrom computer chips to heat resistant magnets used in autos and jet engines. While Beijing said the controls would not affect normal commercial uses but would only apply to military equipment and were modeled on restrictions imposed by the US on the use of its computer chips, the announcement brought a furious response from the White House. Trump immediately threatened that if the controls went ahead the US would impose an additional 100 percent tariff on all Chinese goods. In an interview with ABC News, treasury secretary Scott Bessent said he expected that China would delay the controls on critical minerals for a year and Beijing would re-examine them. The top Chinese trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, told reporters in Beijing that a preliminary consensus had been reached on the export controls, the drug fentanyl and an extension of the trade war truce. US officials have said they expect the truce extension to be longer than 90 days as this would give certainty and stability to the global economy and the US-China relationship. In an interview with CBS, Bessent said the additional 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports was effectively off the table and that there had been a very good two days of discussions. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua said a basic consensus agreement had been reached to address the respective concerns of the two sides. US officials, as reported in the Financial Times (FT), claimed the apparent shift by China on exports controls was the result of US threats and the warnings from the European Union that the risk of a crisis in the supply of rare earths was no longer distant. When you have the EU saying were drawing up countermeasures against China that is not something they usually do, one unnamed official told the FT. If a truce has been reached, then the motivations on the American side area clear. It is seeking to use the opportunity to build its stockpile of critical mineral products, vital for key sections of industry including military equipment, so that it can withstand retaliation by China if the trade war escalates. There is also considerable talk from the American side that a framework agreement has been reached for a deal with China to be reached at the meeting between Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping in South Korea later this week. The statements from the Chinese side have been more muted because it is pressing for the US to make concessions on its restrictions, in particular on computer chips. While the headlines are focused on the prospect of a truce extension, a re-examination of export controls, and a possible framework agreement, the US is setting in motion other mechanisms for extending its tariff war against China. The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has said it will examine whether China has fully implemented its commitments in the trade deal it signed during the first Trump administration and what action, if any, should be taken in response. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said China opposed the false accusations from the US. The re-examination of past deals and disputes is very much related to the present situation. It is part of the preparations being made by the Trump administration in the event that the Supreme Court decides to uphold the decisions by two lower courts that Trump exceeded his presidential authority in imposing reciprocal tariffs by invoking a national emergency under the International Emergency Powers Act of 1977. The USTR investigation is aimed at providing legal grounds for the continued imposition of tariffs against China under different legislation where his powers are more clearly defined. Apart from the talks with China, another outcome of the talks in Kuala Lumpur was the announcement of so-called trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia and the continuation of negotiations with Thailand and Vietnam. The use of the terms deal or agreement is very much a misnomer as the joint statement issued by the US and Malaysia makes clear. It is all one-way traffic in which, by threatening major tariffs, the US has imposed a series of diktats. The only concession offered by the US is that it will maintain its tariff on Malaysian goods at 19 percent. Among the key terms is a commitment by Malaysia to provide significant preferential treatment for US industrial goods exports as well as US agricultural products. A White House Fact Sheet said the agreements included transformative deals that will deliver billions into the US economy. These include: purchases of up to $3.4 billion annually of US liquified natural gas; annual sales of $42.6 million of US coal; the sale of US telecommunications products and services valued at $119 million; the purchase by Malaysia of 30 Boeing aircraft plus a purchase option of 30 additional planes; and purchases of US semiconductors, aerospace components and data centre equipment with an estimated value of $150 billion. In return Malaysia receives nothing, save an agreement by the US that it will not be hit by major tariffs that would cripple its economy and that around 12 percent of its exports to the US will be exempt from the general tariff rate of 19 percent. Malaysia has also agreed to accepting US manufactured vehicles built to US standards on safety and emissions. It will also address and prevent non-tariff barriers to US food and agricultural products in the Malaysian markets. According to the statement, it has committed to refrain from imposing digital services taxes that discriminate against US companies or that require US social media companies to pay into a domestic Malaysian domestic fund. And the list goes on. One of the key objectives of the Trump administration is to secure its supply of critical minerals and break the grip of China which mines 70 percent of them and processes some 90 percent. Accordingly, critical minerals feature prominently in the joint statement which said Malaysia had committed to refrain from banning, or imposing quotas on, exports to the United States of critical minerals or rare earth elements. According to the Straits Times, Malaysia has rare earth depots of more than 16 million tonnes and currently supplies 13 percent of the global demand for critical minerals. But as is the case with many other sources, all the rare earths mined in Malaysia are exported to China for processing. Under the agreement with the US, Malaysia has agreed to expedite the development of its rare earth and critical minerals sector in partnership with US firms including through the granting of extended operating licences, underscoring the importance of the development of such facilities for the US in its economic war against China. Nowhere is the predatory character of US trade policy better illustrated than in the provision of the Malaysian deal under which it has committed to supply $70 billion in investments in the American economy over the course of the next ten years. It is not on the scale of the $550 billion worth of investment commitments it extracted from Japan, but it is yet another expression of the way in which the US imperialism is resorting to outright gangster methods in an attempt to counter its historic crisis. Striking Boeing workers in St. Louis area [Photo: IAM] On Sunday, Boeing defense workers in the St. Louis area voted to reject the companys insultingly inadequate offer for a fourth time, extending the strike, which has now entered week 13. However, the slim margin of the vote51 to 49 percentputs the strike by 3,200 workers in real danger and has emboldened the defense contractors executives to press ahead with their concessionary demands. The five-year offer was largely the same deal workers had rejected in three previous votes. The ratification bonus was lowered from $4,000 to $3,000, with workers instead being offered $3,000 in Boeing shares that vest over three years, and a fourth-year retention bonus of $1,000. Workers at the top of the pay scale would see slight improvements in the fourth year of the contract but at the expense of reduced hourly incentive pay. In advance of the vote Boeing St. Louis Vice President of Air Dominance Dan Gillian wrote in a letter to workers, To fund the increases in this offer, we had to make trade-offs by reducing the amount of the annual attendance progression and additive by $0.25 per hour. Gillian and Boeing executives have flatly refused to consider any overall increase in the cost of the contract, and every subsequent offer from the company has only involved moving money around. Boeing has the backing of Wall Street and the White House, which require expanded war production at the lowest possible cost. As late as Wednesday, the bargaining committee for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 had suggested it would not be calling another vote, posting, Weve said it many times, and well say it again: We will not vote on an insulting offer. On Thursday, the union did an about-face, calling for a vote on the deal, which they cynically claimed to oppose. It is wholly possible IAM officials thought they had worn workers down enough to obtain a narrow ratification vote. In any case, the IAM bureaucracy is calculating how much longer it will take to break the resistance of the rank and file and starve them into submission. Despite having their health insurance terminated at the end of August and being forced to get by on just $300 per week in strike pay, workers are determined to fight. The strike has won wide support among workers across the country and internationally, including from 33,000 Boeing commercial aviation workers in the Pacific Northwest who struck for 54 days in 2024. During that strike, workers repeatedly rejected IAM-backed deals. Union officials had no intention of calling a strike in the defense division but had no choice after workers rejected the initial deal the union recommended. The IAM bureaucracy does not have a strategy to win the strike but to defeat it. It has repeatedly brought back essentially the same agreement while filing a filing a toothless Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with the Trump-controlled National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Like its Democratic Party allies, the union bureaucracy fears a mass movement of the working class far more than accommodating themselves to a fascist dictatorship. The outcome of this struggle depends entirely on the initiative of rank-and-file workers themselves. The first step needed is the formation of a Boeing St. Louis Workers Rank-and-File Committee to put forward workers demands, oversee all contract talks and outline a strategy to win this struggle. The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) recommends that workers demand: $1,000 a week in strike pay Workers control over picketing and the organization of flying pickets to extend the strike to other sections of workers The halting of all training of strikebreakers Appeals for solidarity strikes from machinists on the commercial side of Boeing, as well as from company engineers Rank-and-file control over all talks to ensure that the fight is carried out to get workers what they need, not what the company or government claims can be afforded. Following the defeat of the latest proposal, IAM International President Brian Bryant said in a statement, Boeing claimed they listened to their employeesthe result of todays vote proves they have not. Boeings corporate executives continue to insult the very people who build the worlds most advanced military aircraftthe same planes and military systems that keep our service members and nation safe. In a similar vein, an IAM statement on the vote complained that Boeings refusal to offer fair contract continues to threaten military readiness. This is a direct appeal for the Trump administration to intervene to end any further disruption of American imperialisms war machine. In August, IAM President Bryant said, I would request the president of the United States get involved in these negotiations and get this company back to the table since they are the ones who are building the military planes for his military. The strike has significantly impacted Boeings operations in St. Louis and the US military. At a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting on October 9, General Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of the Pacific Air Forces, revealed that deliveries of the new F-15EX fighter jet have been delayed by the strike. Out of 12 jets due to be delivered by the end of the year, only six have been supplied so far. The impact of the strike on Boeings finances will become more apparent on Wednesday, when the company is set to reveal third quarter earnings. Boeings defense division accounts for one-third of the companys revenue, despite employing a workforce just a fraction of the size of the division producing commercial airplanes. The Trump administration has directly subsidized Boeing with billions in military contracts. Company executives responded to the defeat of their contract by saying, The unions statement is misleading since the vote failed by the slimmest of margins, 51% to 49%. We are turning our focus to executing the next phase of our contingency plan in support of our customers. Boeing is actively hiring replacement workers and outsourcing work to third parties to break the strike. According to an internal company memo, cited by Reuters, Boeing executives said the first batch of replacement workers started training on October 2 for munitions and aircraft assembly positions. At present, Trump is relying on the IAM bureaucracy to sell out the strike, and the administration has dispatched a federal mediator to oversee negotiations. But the fascist president in the White House is determined to resume full military production as soon as possible and is ready to use far more repressive measures if the strike continues. The state repression being directed against immigrant workers today will be directed against striking workers tomorrow. That is why the fight of the Boeing workers to win their just demands is directly connected to the fight to establish rank-and-file committees in every factory, workplace and neighborhood to mobilize the enormous social power of the working class against fascist dictatorship and capitalist oligarchy. To join the fight for rank-and-file committees, fill out the form below. By Johann M Cherian (Reuters) -Apple briefly topped $4 trillion in market value for the first time on Tuesday, the third Big Tech company to hit the milestone, as robust demand for its latest iPhone models allayed fears over its slow progress in the AI race. Its stock briefly reached $269.89, giving Apple a market value of $4.005 trillion, before receding and ending the day up 0.1%, giving the company a value of $3.992 trillion. Apple's shares have gained about 13% since the new launches on September 9, in a turnaround that pushed the stock into positive territory for the first time this year. "The iPhone accounts for over half of Apple's profit and revenue and the more phones they can get into the hands of people, the more they can drive people into their ecosystem," said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management, ahead of the milestone. Apple shares had struggled earlier this year on concerns over tough competition in China and uncertainties around how the company would navigate high U.S. tariffs on Asian economies such as China and India, its major manufacturing hubs. The latest smartphones, including the iPhone 17 line-up and the iPhone Air, wooed back customers from Beijing to Moscow within the first few weeks of launch, while the company has swallowed the high costs from the tariffs. Analysts said the iPhone Air's slim design could help fend off rivals such as Samsung Electronics, while early sales of the iPhone 17 outperformed its predecessor by 14% in the U.S. and China, data from research firm Counterpoint showed. Brokerage Evercore ISI expects the strong demand for Apple's latest iPhones to help it surpass market expectations for the three-month period ending in September and issue upbeat forecasts for the quarter ending in December. Apple is the third company to hit the $4 trillion mark after Nvidia and Microsoft. Nvidia currently tops the table with a market value of almost $5 trillion. Apple's cautious approach to AI had fueled concerns it could lose out on what could be the industry's biggest growth catalyst in decades. Recent reports also indicate that the company is losing a number of its senior artificial intelligence executives to Meta. The company was slow to roll out its Apple Intelligence suite, including a ChatGPT integration, while an AI upgrade to its voice assistant Siri has been delayed until next year. Apple has explored several tie-ups with Alphabet's Gemini AI, Anthropic and OpenAI, according to reports. "The lack of a well-understood artificial intelligence strategy is clearly one of the things that is an overhang for the stock. If they could figure out how to incorporate artificial intelligence in a way that would excite consumers and the market, you'd see a whole different company," Zaccarelli said. By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -Apple urged a federal judge to dismiss a racketeering lawsuit by a company that accused the iPhone maker of stealing its technology to create the lucrative mobile wallet Apple Pay. In a Monday night filing in Atlanta federal court, Apple said if the case is not dismissed, it should be transferred to a Texas judge who recently dismissed Fintiv's related patent case. Lawyers for Fintiv did not immediately respond on Tuesday to requests for comment. Fintiv, based in Austin, Texas, accused Apple of misappropriating technology for Apple Pay that it had once sought to license from CorFire, a Georgia company that Fintiv bought in 2014. Apple Pay is used in hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and MacBooks. Fintiv said the racketeering arose from Apple's use of Apple Pay to generate fees for credit card issuers such as Bank of America, Capital One, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, and the payment networks American Express, Mastercard and Visa. In seeking a dismissal, Apple said Fintiv waited too long to pursue most of its federal and state claims, having known the underlying facts since 2014, and failed to show a pattern of racketeering. "The court should reject Fintiv's attempt to revive its failed patent case in a new district with no connection to the facts," Apple said. Absent a dismissal, Apple said the case should be sent to U.S. District Judge Alan Albright in Waco, Texas, to promote efficiency, because he has spent nearly seven years overseeing the underlying dispute and is familiar with the facts and law. Fintiv is appealing Albright's August 4 dismissal of its patent case. Albright once oversaw nearly 25% of all U.S. patent cases, being viewed as a favored judge for many plaintiffs suing large technology companies such as Apple. That concentration ended in 2022 when new patent cases were randomly farmed out to all judges in his district. The case is Fintiv Inc v Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, No. 25-04413. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Richard Chang) Apple suppliers Skyworks Solutions and Qorvo will merge in a cash-and-stock deal to create a radio chip company with an enterprise value of $22 billion. Qorvo shareholders will receive $32.50 in cash and 0.96 of a Skyworks common share for each Qorvo share held at the close of the transaction, which is expected in early 2027, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals. Activist investor Starboard Value, which owns about 8% of Qorvo, has already signed off on the deal. On a conference call with investors Tuesday, Skyworks said its biggest customers also expressed approval of the merger. After closing, Skyworks shareholders will own roughly 63% of the combined company, with Qorvo shareholders owning the remaining 37%. The companies which make radio frequency components and semiconductors for a broad array of technology including mobile phones, said that with demand growing, they will be better able compete with larger rivals as a single company. Skyworks CEO Phil Brace will take the chief executive job at the combined company, while Qorvo CEO Bob Bruggeworth will join the board. Upon closing, the companys board will have eight directors from Skyworks and three from Qorvo. Skyworks specializes in high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, while Qorvo provides connectivity and power solutions. The companies say combining will create a $5.1 billion mobile business. Skyworks, based in Irvine, California, released its preliminary fourth-quarter results on Tuesday, beating Wall Street revenue and profit expectations. Qorvo, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, posted preliminary results from its most recent quarter as well, which also came in ahead of Wall Street's projections. Liam Hemsworth talked about his engagement with fiancee Gabriella Brooks during his visit to the TODAY show, sharing how happy he is about the next step. The actor was on the morning show to promote his debut as Geralt of Rivia in the fourth season of Netflixs The Witcher. While talking about his role and his brother, Hemsworth also cleared up where and when the proposal happened. In a calm exchange, he said the engagement took place months ago and not on a recent beach trip to the Maldives. Liam Hemsworth opens up about engagement with Gabriella Brooks When the TODAY host asked him about his engagement to fiancee Gabriella Brooks, Liam Hemsworth smiled and briefly described his joy. He said, Yeah, Im incredibly excited. When the host mentioned the Maldives, he clarified, I sort of did it a few months ago. It wasnt actually in the Maldives. We went there recently. When the host joked about Instagram photos making it look like the proposal was on vacation, he laughed and referenced the end of filming: I finished shooting about three weeks ago and went straight to a tropical island and let my hair down. Or took my hair off. He added, But no, were super excited. Yeah, its a happy time in life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The actor kept the focus on work for most of the segment, explaining that he is stepping into the role made famous by Henry Cavill and that he has been training for sword fights and action scenes. He noted he was a fan of The Witcher video games before getting the part. Moreover, he joked about the shows long silver hair compared with the famous locks that his brother Chris Hemsworth wore as Thor. While Hemsworth didnt share proposal specifics, his remarks made it clear that his engagement with his fiancee, Brooks, happened quietly and earlier than many fans believed. Originally reported by Ishika Mishra on Reality Tea. The post Excited Liam Hemsworth Talks Gabriella Brooks Engagement appeared first on Mandatory. President Donald Trump apparently doesnt like his wife, Melania, or his daughter, Ivanka. I dont like good-looking people, he bizarrely and randomly claimed during a rambling speech on board the USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan on Tuesday. He was attempting to make a point about the Navys ultimate strength when he deviated into rambling about their good looks. It comes from the men and women of the rank and file, he said. It comes from you people, incredible people, good-looking people, too many good-looking people. Trump arrives to deliver a speech aboard USS George Washington. / Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty Images I dont like good-looking people, he continued, getting a laugh from the crowd. I never liked good-looking people, Ill be honest with you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Never admitted that before, he added, before launching into a rant about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The 79-year-olds comments about his apparent distaste for good-looking people are strange, given that he often crows about the beauty of his family and other allies. On The Howard Stern Show in 2003, he gave his daughter, Ivanka, the title of one of the great beauties of the world. He also complimented her body. In 2006, Trump and Ivanka appeared on ABCs The View, where he again made eyebrow-raising remarks about her looks. Ive said that if Ivanka werent my daughter, perhaps I would be dating her, he said. Trump has made several questionable comments about his daughter in the past. / NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP via Getty Images If I werent happily married and, ya know, her father ... he said suggestively in a 2015 Rolling Stone interview, returning to the topic of dating his daughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But his obsession with looks extends beyond just Ivanka. He, of course, finds his ex-model wife attractive. He has remarked on this many times. Melania is a very beautiful woman both inside and out, he said on ABC News in 2015, making a pitch for Melania to become the first lady. Meloni smiled awkwardly as Trump complimented her. / SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images On the campaign trail last year, Trump was also enamored by a supporter in the crowd at a rally in Arizona. Where is that woman? Stand up! Look at her. Wow! I would saythats beautiful, Trump said. President Trump has fawned over the looks of conservative ally and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. At a White House gathering in August, Trump was caught on a hot mic telling Meloni, You look fantastic. Earlier this month, Trump stood flanked by several world leaders, including Britains Keir Starmer and Canadas Mark Carney, during the signing of a deal to end the Gaza war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it was Meloni, 48, that was on his mind. We have a womana young woman who is Im not allowed to say it because usually its the end of your political career if you say it, he said. Shes a beautiful young woman. He continued, Now, if you use the word beautiful in the United States about a woman, thats the end of your political career. But Ill take my chances. He then turned to Meloni, You wont be offended if I say youre beautiful, right? Because you are. Donald Trump meets Britain's Prince William in Paris. / Pool / Getty Images Meloni smiled awkwardly and nodded as Trump thanked her for attending the summit. Just days earlier, he made a similar comment about White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, telling reporters aboard Air Force One, That face... and those lips, they move like a machine gun. He used nearly identical phrasing in an August Newsmax interview. The British royals, too, have not escaped his gaze. Youre beautiful, so beautiful, he immediately told Princess of Wales Kate Middleton when he arrived at Windsor Castle for a state visit last month. He has also remarked on her husbands looks in the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a December 2024 meeting with Prince William in Paris, France, following his election victory, Trump described the Prince of Wales as a good-looking guy. Trump has complimented Ahmed al-Sharaa's looks. / REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool/File Photo He looked really, very handsome last night. Some people look better in person. He looked great. He looked really nice, and I told him that, the president-elect told the New York Post. In May, Trump heaped praise on Syrias president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda fighter, calling him an attractive and tough guy. Also in May, he complimented the looks of Saudi Arabias de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the emir of Qatar. Theyre both tall, handsome guys that happen to be very smart, he said during a bilateral agreement signing ceremony with Qatar. Jessica Alba has made her romance with Danny Ramirez Instagram official. Alba, 44, shared a carousel of photos via Instagram on Sunday, October 26, from her trip to Byron Bay, Australia, with Ramirez, 33. In the final photo featured in the post, the L.A.s Finest alum and the Top Gun: Maverick actor held hands as they walked down a flight of stairs. The camera captured the moment from behind, along with the beautiful beachfront view and vibrant greenery surrounding them. The rest of the post included several bikini snapshots and a video of Alba meditating while sitting in front of the ocean. Fans of Alba were quick to point out the nod to her romance with Ramirez in the comments section of the post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohh this the soft launch, one person wrote, while a second person said, LUCKY GUY. Jessica Alba and Danny Ramirezs Relationship Timeline: A Look at Their Casual Romance So Far Oh is that your boyfriend Jessica? a third person asked, while a fourth said, Its her man - Danny Ramirez . Earlier in the week, Alba and Ramirez were spotted walking along the beach in the Gold Coast in photos obtained by the Daily Mail. In several of the pictures, Ramirez was seen lifting Albas hand to his mouth and kissing it. The pair also shared a warm hug during the stroll where Ramirez planted a peck on Albas cheek as she beamed with delight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been quite a big month for the duo after they made their red carpet debut at the world premiere of Valentina at the Mill Valley Film Festival in Mill Valley, California, on October 3. Alba, who served as an executive producer on the film, praised the touching, real, funny, relatable, thought-provoking project via Instagram on October 4. Courtesy of Jessica Alba/Instagram Alba and Ramirez were first linked in early July after they were spotted returning home to L.A. from a trip to Cancun, Mexico. The outing came seven months after Alba filed for divorce from Cash Warren in February. Their date of separation was listed as December 27, 2024, and the reason for their split was cited as irreconcilable differences. (Alba and Warren, 46, share kids Honor, 17, Haven, 14, and Hayes, 7.) As Alba has moved on from Warren with Ramirez, Warren has been spotted out on separate occasions with Hana Sun Doerr and Seanna Pereira. Jessica and Cash had conversations about dating other people while going through their separation, and agreed they were both fine with it, an insider told Us Weekly in August, adding that Alba and Warren have both moved on from their marriage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The source revealed the Honest Beauty founder and the producer set clear boundaries when it comes to their kids meeting new significant others. Jessica Alba and Danny Ramirez Pose Together on Red Carpet With Friends Amid New Romance Warren voiced his support for Albas new beau while speaking with TMZ in late July. Im happy for her, he told the outlet. I dont know him, but he seems like a good guy. At the time, Warren confirmed he had not met Ramirez personally. When asked whether he was dating again, he responded, No, let me know if you got anybody. That same month, an insider told Us that Alba and Ramirez were friends before it turned romantic. They run in the same social circle, and that is how they were connected, the source explained. Miss Nebraska Audrey Eckert was crowned the new Miss USA on October 24. Eckert will fly to Thailand on Thursday to compete in the Miss Universe 2025 competition. The 23-year-old pageant queen told Business Insider she's been training for this moment for years. Audrey Eckert was just named the new Miss USA, but there will be little time to celebrate. Eckert will board a plane to Thailand on Thursday just six days after being crowned in Reno, Nevada to compete in the Miss Universe 2025 pageant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's the biggest competition of Eckert's life, but the 23-year-old pageant queen told Business Insider that she feels ready. In fact, she's been training for years. A lifetime in pageants Eckert during the evening gown round of the Miss USA competition. RezaMedia Nation Eckert began competing in pageants when she was 9 years old. The Nebraska native got her start after receiving a letter inviting her to compete in a local pageant. "My mom and I, we wanted to do it," Eckert recalled. "We were excited, but we had no idea what we were doing. My first evening gown didn't even touch the floor." "I just went in having fun, but my mom and I both saw how much I grew from just one pageant," she added. "Pageantry has changed the trajectory of my life, and it all stemmed from that very first pageant when I was 9." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eckert competed at the Miss Teen USA competition in 2020 as Miss Nebraska Teen and made it to the top five, but Miss USA and Miss Universe have always been her end goal. "That kind of peeled back a layer and showed me I could really do this; I could be Miss USA someday," she said. Preparing for Miss USA Eckert decided to compete in this year's Miss Nebraska competition just five weeks before the pageant, which she won in April. As she trained for Miss USA, Eckert always knew there was the potential that she could go to Miss Universe. "We were all told that whoever wins is going to have to be Miss Universe-ready," Eckert said. "So as far as getting my walks ready and my interview style ready for Miss USA, I always knew in the back of my head that I could be going to Miss Universe shortly, so I was already working to achieve that level of stage presence." Eckert during the swimsuit competition at the Miss USA finals. RezaMedia Nation That included spending hours in a studio to practice her walk. Eckert said she drew on her dance and cheer background to master the technique, as well as her facials and "hairography." Eckert also devoted time to exercising and reviewing hot topics and current events for the interview rounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Because of my cheer background and being a college athlete, I feel more prepared for the stage elements because I can practice those in advance and know exactly what moves I want to hit, what turns, what spins," Eckert said. "But in the interview room, there's a little more uncertainty. You don't exactly know what they're going to ask you." "Preparing for it was obviously a lot of hard work, but that's what it's all about for me," she added. "I think the preparation part is so much fun, and a lot of my confidence comes from being prepared. So, thankfully, I feel like that is ready to go." Ready for Thailand Miss USA 2025 Audrey Eckert was crowned by Miss Universe 2024. RezaNation Media Two days after she was crowned in Reno, Eckert and the Miss USA team flew to Los Angeles to continue the Miss Universe preparations. "We're getting my wardrobe ready, we're getting my styling ready, but we're also taking time for me to relax and try to rejuvenate so that I can be my best self in Thailand," Eckert said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eckert said she's excited to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Rose Summers, a fellow Miss Nebraska who won Miss USA in 2018 and competed for Miss Universe in Thailand that same year. Eckert is also the social media and marketing coordinator for a company that makes its products in Thailand, so she said she can't wait to experience the country firsthand. "I actually work for Sapahn, which is a human-rights fashion brand where all of our leather bags are made in Thailand," Eckert said. "So I've been communicating and working with women in Thailand for the last year and a half, but I've never actually been to Thailand. So I'm excited to really immerse myself in the culture." November will be a long month full of events and preliminary competitions before the Miss Universe finals on November 21, but Eckert isn't fazed by what's ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The moment Nebraska was called as Miss USA 2025, that's when I said to myself, 'Here we go. My life has changed,'" Eckert said. "I knew I was going to be ready to hit the ground running." Read the original article on Business Insider Prince William is heading to Rio de Janeiro solo for his annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on November 5, while Princess Kate stays home in Windsor with their three children. The decision comes as the Wales family navigates a busy period that includes school break, an upcoming move and Kate's continued recovery. The 43-year-old Prince of Wales will celebrate environmental activism at the prestigious event, where he and a distinguished prize council will announce five winners who will each receive 1 million (approximately $1.3 million). The Earthshot Prize searches the world for innovative environmental solutions with the greatest potential to repair and protect the planet. Royal FamilyPhoto by Chris Jackson on Getty Images This year's prize council includes an impressive lineup of global figures, with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen joining broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, actress Cate Blanchett, chef Jose Andres and World Trade Organization director-general Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. After the Rio ceremony, William will travel to Belem, Brazil, on November 6 for the UN climate conference. Kate Middleton Focuses on Family During School Break and Major Move Princess Kate, 43, will remain at home with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, during their half-term break from Lambrook School. The timing of William's trip coincides with the children's school holiday, making it a natural time for Kate to stay with the kids. Catherine, Princess of Wales, Queen Camilla, Princess Charlotte of Wales, King Charles III, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.Photo by Samir Hussein on Getty Images The family is also preparing for a significant transitionmoving from their current four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage to the larger eight-bedroom Forest Lodge, both located on the Windsor Great Park estate. The relocation represents a fresh start for the Wales family after what William recently described as "the hardest year I've ever had." Advertisement Advertisement The royal couple has faced considerable challenges since moving to Adelaide Cottage in August 2022. They mourned the loss of Queen Elizabeth, William's beloved grandmother, and navigated both Kate and King Charles receiving cancer diagnoses. While Kate announced in January 2025 that she is in remission, King Charles, 76, continues receiving treatment. Has Kate Middleton Attended Earthshot Prize Ceremonies Before? The Princess of Wales joined William for the first two Earthshot Prize awards ceremonies in London in October 2021 and Boston in December 2022. However, she missed the 2023 ceremony in Singapore because Prince George had school exams that week, choosing to stay home to support him. Related: King Charles Just Made History With Major Royal First Kate also did not attend last year's ceremony in South Africa, as she spent most of 2024 out of the public eye during her cancer treatment. Her focus this year remains on her ongoing recovery and supporting her family through their transition to Forest Lodge, which the couple views as their long-term home. Advertisement Advertisement During a recent interview on Apple TV's The Reluctant Traveler, William opened up about the emotional toll of the past year. "Worry or stress around the family side of things does overwhelm me quite a bit," he shared. "Because it's more personalit's more about feeling, it's more about upsetting the rhythm." SIGN UP for Parades Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox Despite the challenges, the Wales family continues embracing their favorite activities, including nature walks and seasonal traditions. Kate recently shared that the family tried pressing apples at home, calling it "quite good fun with the children" though "very messy." The family's move to Forest Lodge marks a hopeful new chapter as they focus on health, stability and spending quality time together. This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. South Korea's central bank has sounded the alarm on won-denominated stablecoins, warning private issuers lack the institutional trust required to maintain stable currency and urging traditional banks to take the lead instead. The Bank of Korea (BOK) released a report Monday outlining major risks associated with won-pegged stablecoins, comparing them to historical currency failures from America's mid-19th-century free-banking era to Korea's own Dangbaekjeon crisis under King Gojong. "Currency operates not on technology, but on trust," the report says, challenging proponents who believe blockchain innovation alone can ensure stability. Depeg concerns The BOK's primary concern centers on "depegging risk, the frequent breaking of stablecoins' promises to maintain 1:1 value with their underlying currency. The report cites the Terra/Luna crash, saying the algorithm that promised to maintain 1 coin = 1 dollar collapsed in just a few days, causing countless investors to lose their assets overnight. Even major dollar-pegged coins are vulnerable, the bank noted, citing USDCs slide to $0.88 during the Silicon Valley Bank crisis, which caused several crypto firms into contingency mode. The central bank noted that concerns about non-dollar stablecoins with limited circulation are "particularly serious," with even euro-pegged stablecoins, backed by the second-largest reserve currency, described as "particularly vulnerable." Despite its warnings, the BOK pointed out it "does not seek to block innovation; rather, it seeks safe and sustainable innovation." "When discussing won-denominated stablecoins, which aspire to be a new currency, the first question to be asked is not 'Is the technology feasible?' but 'Is trust possible?' the report added. In September, digital asset custodian BDACS launched KRW1, the country's first fully regulated won-backed stablecoin, in partnership with Woori Bank. The stablecoin is built atop the Avalanche blockchain, selected in part because of its recognition by Korea's Internet & Security Agency for reliability in public-sector applications. BDACS, Woori Bank Launch South Koreas First Won-Backed Stablecoin on Avalanche Bank-first approach Koreas central bank says private issuers must possess a high level of "publicness" and establish institutional mechanisms to offset damage if the "1 coin equals 1 won" promise is broken. "If the issuer fails to properly hold the reserve assets, or if the value of the reserve assets declines due to risky investments, the promise cannot be kept," the report states, highlighting the risks of private-sector issuance without adequate safeguards. NASHPORT Sir Michael Surber, a 47-year-old painter and fashion designer from outside Cincinnati, moved to Nashport in July 2025 to be closer to family. The move was sandwiched between two international trips that took him a little bit farther when he was recognized as a master painter and fashion designer in Italy and knighted for his art contributions in Greece. But he's more than just an artist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surber was honored as a master artist in May in Ferrara, Italy, when he was named a Top 60 Master of 2025. Then in August, he was knighted by Duke Dr. Thomas A. Louis of Greece for "his faithful devotion in cultural enlargement, accomplishments in fine arts and special services to the noble and royal court," stated an official decree. But who is Michael Surber? Michael Surber was named a Top 60 Master of 2025 and was honored with a trophy in May for his paintings and clothing line. He was also knighted by Duke Dr. Thomas A. Louis of Greece for "his faithful devotion in cultural enlargement, accomplishments in fine arts and special services to the noble and royal court." Dreaming in Color Surber's accomplishments were signified by an ornate red badge and an aqua trophy. The two paired with a ruby phoenix brooch he was wearing one mid-October day. The three together were all apropos of Surber's vivacious art style and his Dream in Color motto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Art-wise, that's how I am bright, vibrant," he told the Times Recorder. It's part of how Surber and his body of work have garnered a reputation as an abstract pop artist, he said, which combines undefined concepts, bright colors and cultural zeitgeists. Lately, Surber's been painting a lot of portraits, he admitted. His home studio is scattered with various celebrity and model paintings, like Robin Williams and Alex Kingston, and fluid paint pours of numerous colors. Michael Surber, an abstract pop artist living near Nashport, paints colorful, abstract pieces, along with landscapes and portraits. His work has been shown in several Ohio exhibits and galleries in Zanesville, Columbus, Newark and Springfield. SevenFinnDesign Off to the side was a rack full of clothing he's designed. For his fashion line, 7FD (SevenFinnDesign), Surber designs dresses, leggings, scarves, shorts, boots, sneakers, and coat bags, all with bombastic color use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those inspirations can come from anywhere. "While I was over in Italy, as I walked out of a cigar shop, there was a little container against the wall filled with batteries. They even recycle batteries over there," he explained. "That's so cool. I don't know why. I'm like, 'I'll put it on my clothing line.'" And he did. He took a photo and used the batteries as the subject of one of his newest dresses. One of Michael Surber's original dresses showcases an upcycled, street photography vision of several batteries he found while visiting Italy. The dress, like much of Surber's fashion line, is modeled by Dayton-based Middle Eastern dance artist Bronwen Owsley. An evolution of self There is also a self-portrait hanging in Surber's studio, among the Marvel memorabilia, melted Salvador Dali-inspired clock and an Emmett Kelly-style clown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was his third rendition of himself. Surber likes to periodically paint a new version to gauge how much he's evolved and how far he's come over his art career. "I've always been creative. Right from the jump," he said. "When kids were tracing their hands, making turkeys in preschool, I was glueing envelopes together making puppets." Surber is from Cincinnati and attended Art Instruction Schools in Minneapolis for graphic design, but it wasn't until 2020 that he really started to make it a career. "I had a room full of paintings. I'm like 'I need to do something with these' and just took off from there," he explained. "As far as this being a full-time thing for me, it really kind of started about five years ago. Been really trying to push the envelope and that's when all the recognition started happening." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November 2020 marked a major milestone when Surber opened his Etsy shop SevenFinnDesign. In addition to paintings and clothing, Surber also sells coffee, seasoning blends, chocolate bars, air fresheners, greeting cards, jewelry, and tumblers. What's next? Surber is already showing some of his work in some local galleries. He has a few paintings in Newark's BALL HILL The Arcade. He also has paintings in the Springfield Museum of Art, Zanesville's ZAAP, and in an exhibit in Columbus' Broad Street Presbyterian Church (by the Ohio Art League). Surber has a runway show scheduled for Nov. 1, his first, at Springfield's State Theater. The fall and winter show, called the Trashion Show, will emphasize upcycled or recycled concepts. "They said, think Cruella de Vil," Surber explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surber is also in the running to be named the 2025 Style Icon, an annual contest assisted by Elton John. Each person can vote for free one time. After that, additional votes can be purchased with the proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The winner will be announced in early December and will get to attend Versace's 2026 Show during Milan Fashion Week, be featured in Flaunt Magazine, and win $20,000. Surber was in ninth place in the middle of October. Surber is married to his wife Shawn. They have one son, Jeremy, and daughter-in-law, Hailey, two grandchildren and three dogs. Surber uses several social media platforms, like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook, where he posts time-lapse videos. You can also follow him on his website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR. This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Nashport artist knighted in Greece for contributions to art world NEED TO KNOW Annika Noelle and John Patrick Amedori got married on Oct. 5 in Agoura, Calif. The couple traveled to the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii for their honeymoon Noelle shared highlights from their island getaway on Instagram on Oct. 24, calling it "Everyday Paradise" The Bold and the Beautiful star Annika Noelle is giving fans a glimpse into her Hawaiian honeymoon. PEOPLE exclusively revealed that the actress, 38, married actor John Patrick Amedori, also 38, on Oct. 5 at The Lodge at Malibou Lake in Agoura, Calif. Now, three weeks later, Noelle is sharing highlights from her honeymoon on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Everyday Paradise ," the soap star captioned an Instagram carousel on Oct. 24. Annika Noelle/Instagram Annika Noelle and John Patrick Amedori Annika Noelle and John Patrick Amedori The post featured a mix of photos and videos from the couple's island escape, the first of which was a sweet selfie of the newlyweds on the beach with Amedori playfully grabbing a distant hotel with his fingers. During their getaway, the couple appeared to not only soak up the sun but also swim with sharks, as a video shows them cage diving surrounded by several curious sharks. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Noelle and her new husband also enjoyed exploring Kualoa Ranch, where Jurassic Park was famously filmed. Other images and videos were of the beautiful nature around them, including a video from a sunset boat ride, a shot of towering palm trees at nighttime, and a close-up of the vibrant yellow fruit of the Clusia rosea tree, also known as the pitch apple. Annika Noelle/Instagram John Patrick Amedori and Annika Noelle have an encounter with sharks on their honeymoon John Patrick Amedori and Annika Noelle have an encounter with sharks on their honeymoon Several The Bold and the Beautiful stars, including Lawrence Saint-Victor, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Katrina Bowden, commented that they were wowed by the vacation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Wooohooo!!! ," Wood said, with Saint-Victor adding, "Paradise ." "I still think youre crazy for the shark divingbut I am impressed," Bowden commented. Before Noelle and Amedori jetted off to Hawaii, they tied the knot in an "intimate autumnal" wedding, which they described as "full of dark whimsy and wildness." The nuptials took place the night of the Hunter's Moon, and combined the pair's love for California with New England in the fall, "We wanted it to feel like we were surrounded by nature, almost like the flower arrangements were growing from the ground and everything was lit either from the full moon or by candlelight," Noelle told PEOPLE ahead of the wedding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The couple who met at Luna Luna in Los Angeles, and got engaged in November 2024 had two important priorities for their wedding: creating an unforgettable experience for their guests and having an unplugged event. Annika Noelle/Instagram Annika Noelle at Kualoa Ranch Annika Noelle at Kualoa Ranch "This weekend wasnt so much about us, but creating a moment of escapism for our loved ones to feel enveloped by love, joy and celebration," Noelle said. When asked about what would be on the honeymoon agenda, Amedori answered, "Warm sandy beaches and cocktails with little straw hats." Read the original article on People (COLORADO SPRINGS) Cinemark is planning to add three rare IMAX screens to its theaters across the United States ahead of Christopher Nolans The Odyssey release, and Colorado Springs has been chosen as one of the three. According to Variety, three Cinemark movie theaters will see the addition of a 70-millimeter IMAX screen, a format that is becoming increasingly popular with filmmakers and is fairly rareonly 30 70mm IMAX screens exist worldwide. 70mm IMAX uses a film more than double the size of the standard 35mm, which according to IMAX, means brighter images with increased resolution, deeper contrast, and the widest range of colors of IMAX capabilities. Nolans The Odyssey is the first theatrical release shot entirely in IMAX film, according to IMAX. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Only three Cinemark locations in the U.S. will receive the technology: Cinemark Seven Bridges in the Woodridge suburb of Chicago, IL; Cinemark Tinseltown in Rochester, NY; and Cinemark Carefree Circle in Colorado Springs. Cinemark only has one 70mm IMAX screen currently, at Cinemark Webb Chapel in Dallas. Cinemark expanding its commitment to the very best of what IMAX has to offer both IMAX with Laser and IMAX 70mm film underscores the value were delivering for our exhibition partners in todays marketplace, said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. With a tremendous slate ahead in 2026 highlighted by a number of Filmed for IMAX and IMAX 70mm film releases, we look forward to working with Cinemark to deliver the most immersive cinematic experiences to its customers and growing the value of our longstanding partnership. IMAX said the theaters receiving the 70mm projection are expected to be operational ahead of the release of The Odyssey, which opens July 17, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Sony During this weekend's MCM London Comic Con, Kratos voice actor and videogames' foremost barker of the word "boy" Christopher Judge shared his hopes for where God of War might be heading next. And in the process, he may have inadvertently hinted things are already in motion towards another entry in the serieseven if Sony isn't ready to share its plans (via GamesRadar). Now that Kratos has crossed off Greek and Norse mythologies, Judge said he'd love to see God of War tackle the Egyptian pantheon next. While it'd be plenty of fun to see Kratos butt heads with Sobek, it'd be a sort of aesthetic homecoming for Judge's career. One of his first major roles was playing Teal'c on Stargate SG-1, which did its own dabbling in Egyptian mythology. Credit: Katja Ogrin / Getty Images "Because I became best known as Teal's from Stargate, to go to Egypt would be a completion of my circle. But whatever is decidedwait," Judge said, seeming to consider whether his phrasing might be hinting that conversations were already underway about the direction of another sequel, "if there is another game, I have no doubt that no matter what pantheon it is, it will be great." Smoothly hedged. Barely noticed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's entirely possible, of course, that Judge was just being exceedingly safe with his professional relationship with Sony PR. At the same time, even if a sequel was only in very early production, it wouldn't be surprising for its lead actor to be aware that work was underway. And when our world lives, breathes, and dies on sequelsI'll let you decide how you feel about thatit'd be more of a surprise if Sony didn't have another God of War cooking, cancelled multiplayer spinoffs notwithstanding. As ever, official confirmation is the only confirmation that matters. Egyptian mythology would make an amount of sense for the series, though: There had been Greeks in Egypt centuries before Alexander the Great's conquest and the Ptolemaic dynasty that followed, and Hellenized versions of Egyptian gods spread across the Mediterranean throughout the ancient era. It's easy to imagine how there could be some bad blood for Kratos to sort out from his Greek god days. But who knows. Maybe he'll go further north and hang out with Ukko and the gang in Finland. I'm sure they're a sunny bunch. 2025 games: This year's upcoming releases Best PC games: Our all-time favorites Free PC games: Freebie fest Best FPS games: Finest gunplay Best RPGs: Grand adventures Best co-op games: Better together Miguel Eeks Amilcar, which will world premiere in IDFAs Envision Competition, has debuted its trailer. Odd Slice Films is handling international sales on the film, which is about an African anti-colonialist leader. The director, producer Javier Del Alamo, co-scriptwriter Alba Lombardia and editor Federico Delpero Bejar will attend the premiere in Amsterdam on Nov. 16. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The film is described as a poetic documentary essay on Amilcar Cabral agronomist, poet and revolutionary who led the anti-colonial struggle in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. The film blends archive footage with recent 16mm imagery to reveal a visionary whose ideas on justice and dignity remain urgent today. Through his political writings, poems and private letters, the film re-imagines Cabrals inner voice to guide viewers on a personal and historical journey, blending unpublished archives, Portuguese colonial films, and revolutionary Guinean footage with newly shot 16mm images. It is a meditative visual diary that evokes both the public figure and the private man: the visionary leader and the thinker in solitude. In less than a decade, Cabral united more than a million Guineans in the struggle against Portuguese colonial rule, liberating three-quarters of the countryside of Guinea-Bissau and inspiring other African nations to rebel and claim their independence. He was assassinated by members of his own party, PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde), in 1973. The script is by Lombardia and Eek. The producers are Eek, Del Alamo, Luis Correia and Marie Dumoulin. The film is produced by Mosaic Producciones and co-produced by Les Docs du Nord in France, Lx Filmes in Portugal, Sysifos in Sweden, and Korikaxoru in Cape Verde. It was produced with the support of Institut dEstudis Balearics, CNC, Procirep, Pictanovo, ICIB, ICAA, Creative Europe, ICA and RTP. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Some folks are born, made to wave the flag. Otherslike Australian filmmaker Luke Sparkeare born to direct wild genre mashups like Primitive War. Following in the footsteps of Julius Avery's Overlord, Jordan Vogt-Roberts' Kong: Skull Island, and Roseanne Liang's Shadow in the Cloud, the historical creature feature brings a group of hardened American soldiers face-to-face with dinosaurs against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, circa 1968 (the same year as the Tet Offensive). And boy, does it make good on that concept! "I hate when something is presented to you in a trailer and you go in thinking it was one thing, but then you come out going, It actually wasn't that much about that particular thing I wanted it to be about," Sparke recently told SYFY WIRE. "We've seen that a lot in Hollywood, and I've seen it a lot when I've gone to cinemas. So for me, it was always like, Every five, seven minutes, let's make sure that there's a dinosaur doing something, because that's what people are here to see. The promise of the premise is what I always said during post-production." For More on Dinosaurs: Fossilized Poop Reveals the Dinosaurs' Secret Origin Story Did You Catch This Subtle Jurassic Park Easter Egg in Jurassic World Rebirth? Is There a Dinosaur Hiding Out in the Congo Rainforest? Primitive War: The Vietnam War-dinosaur mashup Hollywood didn't want to make Sparke began developing the project around 2021 after coming across an Indiegogo campaign to adapt Ethan Pettus's self-published novel series of the same name into a comic book. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I was just scrolling through social media and came across cover art of a raptor jumping out of the jungles of Vietnam at a soldier," he recalled. "It immediately just grabbed me, because it took me back to my childhood. It took me back to everything I lovedinosaurs, soldiers, military. Literally playing G.I. Joes vs. dinosaurs growing up as a kid. I had to know more. So I got in touch with the author and pitched my idea." He wrote the screenplay and tried in vain to land the backing of a major studio for several years for what he thought was the easiest sell in the world. Sadly, "no one saw what I saw," Sparke remembered, citing the billion-dollar monopoly the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises have on the industry as one of the main factors. "They just think that the Jurassic Park franchise has the stranglehold on dinosaurs, which I say is kind of crazy, because you can't IP dinosaurs," he continued. "Theres many different versions you could do ... They just didn't think it was possible, [but] it made me double down even harder to make it happen." That's exactly what he did, ultimately tackling the movie "in-house" under his SparkeFilms banner with the intention of making a blockbuster-quality film on a relatively shoestring indie budget (around $7 million), with Ryan Kwanten, Jeremy Piven, and Tricia Helfer tapped for the Australia-based production. While money would be tight, of course, Primitive War had a unique advantage: It could venture into territory closed off to the Jurassic films. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Jurassic has its fan base, but it can never be an R-rated military mashup movie because of what that franchise is," Sparke explained. "We could break off and do something different. My mantra all the way along was, 'Let's make sure it always feels different enough to that franchise." "That was the vision, of making it feel like it's a movie like Platoon or Hamburger Hill, and the actors are walking out of that movie onto a dinosaur movie," he explained. "It was always [about capturing] the grit of the Vietnam War, getting it authentic enough, respecting the time period, respecting the military aspect of it. My idea was to always get that right and the rest should flow as well when the dinosaurs appear." Primitive War Rex And what would a movie set during the Vietnam War be without a few period-specific needle drops, including Creedence Clearwater Revival's iconic anti-war anthem, "Fortunate Son"? Sure, it may be a cliche of the genre at this point, but that's kind of the point. Sparke leaned into those classic tropes and turned them on their head by adding dinosaurs. "A lot of people on set were like, Don't use Fortunate Son, because it's been used [so much],'" the filmmaker admitted. "And there was a part of me that was like, Yeah, I see that. Let's do something different. But it comes back around to [the fact that] it's just so iconic and fits the bill so well. When I started the editing process, I threw the song in as a temp [track for] the first cut, and everyone's like, Duh! We have to get this. this! This just makes sense!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That same respect was shown to the menagerie of dinosaurs, which look shockingly great for a movie working on such a limited VFX budget. "It's the seventh film I've made," said Sparke, who pulled a Peter Jackson and created his own visual effects house for Primitive War. "It's a combination of everything I've learned over the last 10 years that went into the visual effects of this movie." What's more, the dinosaurs "aren't gene-spliced or some crazy mix of different species put together," he noted. These lizards are the genuine articlebrought to 1968 through a secret Soviet super collider test gone awry (a la the Arrowhead Project in Stephen King's The Mist). "They're just living creatures," the director said, noting that he wanted their predatory behavior to be as realistic and brutal as possible. "[The Jurassic] franchise will be like, 'It's behind the bushes!' because it's PG-13. And I wanted to be like, Let's see what we didn't see. What if we just kept the camera rolling?'" Even the tagline cheekily thumbs its nose at the world's most famous dino-centric film franchise: "This ain't no walk in the park." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I came up with that," Sparke shared. "It was originally just more an internal thing and then once people heard it, they were like, Oh, that's actually pretty cool. Its a little cheeky, but still true for the film itself." In addition to writing, directing, producing, and coming up with the tagline, Sparke also served as his own editor, production designer, and visual effects supervisor. "I took on like eight to nine different roles and some of thats obviously hard work," he said. "There were times during post-production where I was like, I am so in over my head! Theres like 1,000 shots of dinosaurs. What am I doing?! But you just have to keep going and pull through." Primitive War Bronto Will Primitive War get a sequel? We'll just have to wait and see. In early October, Sparke got fans excited on X (formerly Twitter) with an image of a screenplay title page for Primitive War 2, but he told SYFY that wasn't confirmation of anything definite. "It all comes down to how this film goes and how the audience reacts, which has been good so far," he said, alluding to the movie's 85 percent audience approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. "And obviously, then youve got the economic side of making independent films. If it all works out, I'd love to do a sequel." My Morning Jackets tour "is" rolling through Nashville, and for one band member, its a homecoming show. The group, comprised of vocalist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, keyboardist Bo Koster and guitarist Carl Broemel, is headed to Broemel's city. On Oct. 29, the Louisville, Kentucky, five-piece will stop at The Pinnacle with BALTHVS in promotion of their 10th studio album "is," which was released in March via ATO Records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the "Wordless Chorus" band's Music City show, they're headed to Atlanta's Fox Theatre for two nights before wrapping up their tour, which kicked off in April. "We had a blast," Broemel said in an interview ahead of the Nashville show. "We played in Philly and played in New York, D.C. ... and after about three weeks, I'm pretty ready to go home and refresh." Now, Broemel's refresh will include playing Nashville's new 4,500-capacity venue that opened in February, which he's looking forward to. My Morning Jacket will perform at The Pinnacle on Oct. 29, 2025. Buy tickets to see My Morning Jacket in Nashville My Morning Jacket's recent record has this Nashville connection Broemel's been a part of My Morning Jacket for over 20 years, joining the group in 2004 after their '98 start. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He's been a Nashvillian for just as long, calling the Green Hills area home. The band's bassist, Blankenship, also lived in Music City for years. Before a tour kicks off, the group often gathers in Nashville to rehearse, something they used to do in their home city of Louisville. "I've seen (Nashville) change a ton, for good and bad," Broemel said. "For now, we're staying put. It's been a great place for me. The music scene, there is something that's pretty special in that you can venture off and do other things ... which is how I keep things fresh." Broemel is currently gearing up to release an acoustic guitar record, "Celestun," with his friend Tyler Ramsey, who was in Band of Horses. The album drops in January. But this year has been all about My Morning Jacket and the new record, the band's first since their self-titled collection in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 10-song record is a return to the group's signature sound, blending psychedelic rock with atmospheric soul. It's a less jam-centered album than some of the band's other work or live shows, trading experimental vibes for a more polished sonic landscape. "Is" is one of the band's most accessible works, expansive and atmospheric, catchy and nostalgic. The record's standout, "Time Waited," features wistful piano, Broemel's ethereal guitar, dewy-eyed lyrics and introspective vocals from James. "And I did cry on your shoulder, dear / At the thought of getting older, yeah," James lulls. "But time waited for you and me." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The song uses a sample from a Buddy Emmons song, a pedal steel guitar trailblazer of his day. Emmons, who recorded with Linda Ronstadt and Gram Parsons, was one of Nashville's most sought after session musicians. He died in Nashville in 2015. The piano part samples Emmons' solo song "Blue Jade," which is something Broemel thinks a handful of steel guitarists in Nashville may have clocked. My Morning Jacket released their record "is" on March 21, 2025. Other highlights from "is" include the more upbeat '70s-feeling rock tunes like "Everyday Magic" and "Squid Ink." The record, which was largely recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, marked a departure from the band's typical self-produced approach. They worked alongside Grammy Award-winning producer Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Up until now Ive never been able to let go and allow someone else to steer the ship, James said. It almost felt like an out-of-body experience to step back and give control over to someone whos far more accomplished and made so many more records than us, but in the end I was able to enjoy the process maybe more than I ever have before. Making "is" was quick, refreshing and remarkably fun, Broemel said. "Sometimes recording just can just feel endless ... that would never happen with Brendan (O'Brien)," he said. "He has a studio sense and an ear and a vibe that's energized us." My Morning Jacket revisits the past with 'Z' remastered Alongside their brand new energy, My Morning Jacket decided to dive back into the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 3, the band released a new edition of their 2005 album "Z." Remastered from original master tapes, the "Z 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" includes previously unreleased material, demos, 14 outtakes from singles and film work, and a new single, "Where To Begin." The track was written for Cameron Crowe's 2005 film "Elizabethtown," which is set in Kentucky and partially shot in Louisville. The tune was one of the first songs the band recorded with Broemel, who contributed pedal steel guitar, a brand new sound for them at the time. "To think back on making that record versus making 'is' ... I was 30, and I didn't have any idea that we would be playing those songs 20 years later," Broemel said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He remembers crafting "Z" at a sweet studio up in upstate New York. "We were just having a blast making that, too," he said. "At the time, Bo (Koster) and I had just joined the band. We were all getting along. It was very fresh." Two decades later, there are parallels between "is" and "Z," Broemel said, from the process to the output. "We always wander off," Broemel said. "Part of our self is to wander off and get lost and go 'whoops!' and then come back. Be prepared for more of that." My Morning Jacket will perform at The Pinnacle on Oct. 29, 2025. And what should fans expect at their Nashville show? "We try to make our shows evergreen," Broemel said, adding that a lot of fans travel to see multiple shows, so they try to mix it up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It sounds grandiose, but getting together with other people and listening to music communally and sharing an experience ... that's what we're offering the world." To buy tickets to see My Morning in Nashville, visit mymorningjacket.com/tour. Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: My Morning Jacket's Nashville show is a homecoming for this band member When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: TLC Warning! The following contains spoilers for the 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way episode "Forsa!" Stream the episode with an HBO Max subscription and read at your own risk! 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way continued Manon and Anthony Berryman's story in France, and we joined them on the seemingly joyous day of their son Benjamin's baptism. Manon invited her entire family, many of whom hadn't spoken in years, hoping the event would lead to a grand unification, a-a-and it went about as well as one would expect. Advertisement Advertisement I've been concerned about Manon and Anthony's relationship since the start of this season. They very well may end up one of the next 90 Day couples to split after marriage, but at the same time, I also think they'll have a long run in the franchise due to that very drama. Manon And Anthony Have Just As Much Drama With Their Families As They Do With Each Other When Manon and Anthony left for France so suddenly in 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, I was a little disappointed. There were clearly many people in Anthony's family who were upset about the decision to leave, but we didn't really get time to hear from those family members because they didn't hang around the United States for long. It reminded me a lot of the dynamic Libby Castravet has with her family, which led to some pretty wild moments. Based on this latest episode, however, it seems that Manon has just as much drama with her family. Given that, I questioned why she thought her son's baptism and return to France would be the catalyst for family members who hadn't spoken in years to bury the hatchet, especially when she had her own grievances to share. I give all the credit in the world to Anthony, who knew when it was time to bow out and take Benjamin back to the house to sleep before he got caught in the crossfire of family infighting. Will Manon And Anthony Remain On 90 Day Fiance? 90 Day Fiance doesn't pay incredibly well, but cast members do get money for appearing on the program. That money only goes up the longer a couple is on the franchise, which sounds perfect for Manon and Anthony. They're looking for a job where she can spend more time with her kids, and I would imagine if the TLC series didn't pay a decent sum, couples wouldn't continue to be involved. Advertisement Advertisement More On 90 Day Fiance After 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Showed The Extreme Lengths Chloe Went To Spy On Johny, I Don't Feel Good About This Relationship Given Manon's background as a plus-sized model and social media influencer, I think we can expect her and Anthony to be on the series as long as 90 Day Fiance will let them. Maybe after their time in France, they'll finally come back to the United States and begin to rebuild their relationship in Los Angeles. I will say I do agree with some fans' complaints that they don't fit the mold for the traditional couple to appear on The Other Way. They've been married for years, whereas most couples who appear are only engaged and seeing if they want to get married. That said, I think that's a good sign they'll be on the show for a while, if they were picked by casting despite not fitting the exact mold of the show. HBO Max: Plans start from $10.99 a month HBO Max is the streaming home to the world of DC Comics (the DCU, DCEU, and classics) as well as the entire 90 Day Fiance franchise. Plans start at $10.99 a month (Basic With Ads), an HBO Max subscription gives you access to thousands of movies, shows, documentaries, and more. View Deal Keep up with Manon and Anthony's adventures on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, which airs on TLC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Of course, readers can always revisit past episodes and seasons on HBO Max, and as someone who loves this spinoff more than the rest, I would recommend that people do so. Principal photography is underway on Netflix Latin Americas first-ever Spanish adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel, The Future Is Ours (El futuro es nuestro), based on his 1956 sci-fi novel The World Jones Made. Its showrunner, Spains Mateo Gil whose notable writing credits include the Oscar-winning The Sea Inside leads a stellar cast and crew from across the region. Its one of our most ambitious and complex productions, at the same level of scale and complexity as One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Eternaut, said Francisco Ramos, Netflixs VP of content for Latin America. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea the core purpose of the series is for it to be a truly Latin American show, not limited to any one geography or nationality. The main characters, under the pretext of massive migratory movements and the fact that the capital of this South American Federation is set in Asuncion [Paraguay], come from all over the continent, giving us a broad and diverse range of backgrounds, Gil told Variety. Indeed, the cast includes Mexicos Emiliano Zurita (No One Saw Us Leave); Argentinas Delfina Chaves (Maxima) and Marco Antonio Caponi (Yosi, the Regretful Spy); Chiles Alfredo Castro (The Count); Uruguays Enzo Vogrincic (Society of the Snow); and Marleyda Soto from Colombia (One Hundred Years of Solitude). Vicente Amorim (Senna, Brazil), Jesus Braceras (Barrabrava, Argentina) and Daniel Rezende (The Son of a Thousand Men, Brazil) direct the series. Set in the not-so-distant future, the eight-episode limited series begins in 2047 where a major ecological crisis has spawned FedSur, a coalition of South American countries that imposes draconian measures to safeguard the environment and combat widespread hunger and violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out of this chaos, a new voice emerges on the web that claims he is capable of predicting the future. Police officer Hugo Crussi (Vogrincic) traces the voice to a young preacher, Jonas Flores (Zurita), and arrests him. But that only makes Flores even more powerful as he becomes a spiritual leader of the region overnight. Foreseeing FedSurs fall and the regions triumph over climate change, Jonas inspires millions of Latinos to join his reactionary revolution, while Crussi, hunted by the regime, undertakes a doomed mission to kill the religious tyrant who foresees his intent. According to Gil, who co-wrote the adaptation with Laura Santullo (A Monster With a Thousand Heads, Uruguay), Camila Bruges Gomez (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and Kyzza Terrazas, (Machete Language), they removed all reference to alien invasions and mutant beings from the original, replacing it with a world shaped by collapsed economies. The series takes place between 2047 and 2051, and in its recent past around the early 2030s there was a major disruption of the global food system. That collapse led to state bankruptcies and total economic breakdown, plunging the world into extreme violence, he explained. For Ramos, choosing this particular story out of the many written by the prolific author was a no-brainer. We all felt that The World Jones Made resonated deeply, particularly because of its central idea: a man who can see the future. That theme, along with the figure of a prophetic character, felt especially powerful in a Latin American context. The way the story intertwines faith, art and the creation of an entire universe truly connected with us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes, we thought this particular book would be something that was right for Im not going to call it a translation really more of a transformation, because of course, its Latin American-centric, said Isa Dick Hackett, executive producer and the authors daughter who has been producing adaptations of her fathers work through her company Electric Shepherd Productions since 2007, including A Scanner Darkly, The Man in the High Castle, anthology series Electric Dreams and the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 with Scott Free and Alcon. Wed had a number of successful adaptations of his work prior, but it felt to me that there were certain filmmakers, sensibilities and a level of diversity that werent quite there something I felt would be incredibly enriching and broaden the horizon of what weve seen and what we typically associate with my fathers work. So my aim is to really bring in unexpected voices, as I did in Electric Dreams, she said. Citing One Hundred Years of Solitude as a prime example of Netflixs prowess, she added: Theyve definitely shown that they can handle big productions, and this one is a really ambitious project. From what Ive seen especially compared to some of the U.S. productions Ive worked on before the amount of resources we have here is remarkable. Were incredibly grateful for that, as it allows the project to be truly ambitious, even bigger than what youd typically expect. Its a wonderful challenge and an absolute privilege for those of us involved to be able to take part in a series like this, said Gil who said the series will be shooting in Argentina, Uruguay and lastly, Paraguay for some background shots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Future Is Ours is produced by K&S Films (The Eternaut) and Electric Shepherd Productions. Its executive producers are Dick Hackett, Sarah Scougal, Matias Mosteirin, Diego Copello, Emiliano Torres, Micky Buye and Analia Castro. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There's something special about a great hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant the kind of place tucked between a laundromat and a tire shop that serves such delicious, authentic cuisine, it catches you off guard. Perhaps nowhere does this better than California. From pozole simmered to perfection to carne asada grilled over open flames, these unassuming eateries deliver the kind of flavor and soul that chain restaurants can't touch. Having lived in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and now San Diego, I've eaten at my fair share of Mexican restaurants across the country. But since moving to Southern California a decade ago, I've noticed something special about the Mexican food throughout the Golden State. For this piece, "hole-in-the-wall" refers to a single-location Mexican restaurant that's modest or even less than desirable in appearance but unforgettable in flavor. While I haven't personally dined at every spot, I researched local favorites, food critic picks, and scoured hundreds of online reviews to curate this list of California's most beloved hidden gems. A more detailed explanation of my selection process is below. Read more: 11 Mexican Restaurant Chains, Ranked Worst To Best Apple Valley: Pampa-rara Fish tacos on a white plate being placed on a table - Pampa-rara/Facebook Tucked away in a quiet desert strip mall, Pampa-rara is a true hidden gem. This family-run Mexican restaurant has earned national attention for its unforgettable fish tacos, garlic shrimp, and ceviche. The coastal Mexican cuisine served here is so delicious that this small-town restaurant has even earned a spot on Yelp roundups for the best places to eat in the U.S. twice, as of this writing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though Mexican seafood shines here, Pampa-rara's menu also offers flavorful steak, chicken, and pork tacos and burritos, all served in homemade tortillas alongside skull-shaped containers filled with the restaurant's own hot sauce. With just a handful of tables and no frills, Pampa-rara's easy to drive past. But if you get the chance to step inside, you'll see why even New Yorkbased food writer David Farley has ventured there for a "delicious hole-in-the-wall" meal. facebook.com/people/Pampa-rara/100026823079643 (760) 240-2233 13663 Navajo Rd, #2, Apple Valley, CA 92308 Los Angeles: El Parian Restaurant Two birria tacos on a plate with tomato, cilantro, radishes, and lemon wedges - elparianbirria/Instagram El Parian doesn't look like much from the outside, but step inside, and you'll experience a piece of Los Angeles food history. This unassuming taqueria has been serving Jalisco-style birria de chivo (goat stew) since the late 1960s, long before beef birria became a social media sensation. It's a humble, family-run restaurant with a steady hum of locals and food critics alike dipping tortillas into rich, gamey consomme, which you can top with radishes, white onion, and cilantro. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement El Parian's menu is straightforward: slow-braised meat, handmade tortillas, and salsas that pack serious heat and taste like you're in Guadalajara, not Los Angeles. No frills, no gimmicks, just deeply flavorful authentic Mexican food that's stood the test of time. If goat is too adventurous for you, opt for the carnitas. instagram.com/elparianbirria (213) 386-7361 1528 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Los Angeles: Al & Bea's Mexican Food Close-up of a bean and cheese burrito sliced in half - alandbeas/Instagram Few things are more quintessential to the Eastside of Los Angeles than grabbing a bean-and-cheese burrito from Al & Bea's Mexican Food, a neighborhood landmark since 1966. This Boyle Heights taco shop has built a loyal following around simplicity done right: fresh flour tortillas wrapped around refried beans, cheddar cheese, and its signature green chile sauce. It's comfort food in its purest form. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The menu is quite impressive for a family-run restaurant. There's a number of burritos to choose from, along with tacos, tostadas, taquitos, quesadillas, stuffed jalapenos, and even chili cheese fries, burgers, and sliced hot dogs. The latter items may seem out of place at first, but these foods are actually a big part of Mexico's food culture, just maybe not as much as tacos and tortas. alandbeas.com (323) 267-8810 2025 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 San Diego: Contodo Fresh Mexican Eats Wooden table topped with various authentic Mexican dishes - contodo.sd/Instagram In San Diego's Skyline neighborhood, Contodo Fresh Mexican Eats lives up to its name through a menu that's filled "with everything" you could want. In a city with tons of taco shops and Mexican restaurants, Contodo offers fresh Mexican cuisine that Southern California is known for. The tortillas are homemade and fresh when you order a taco or burrito. The meat is well-seasoned, not grizzly and tough. Every dish feels handcrafted with intention. Perhaps this is why Contodo has a near-perfect rating online? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local favorites include the street taco topped with poblano peppers, corn, onions, cotija cheese, and crema; the Killer breakfast burrito with eggs, ham, bacon, potatoes, cheese, and beans; loaded french fries topped with carne asada, cheese, guac, pico de gallo, and crema; and freshly made aguas frescas. The salsas are also incredibly tasty and full of a spicy flavor that will have you wanting more. instagram.com/contodo.sd (619) 856-4061 111 S Meadowbrook Dr, San Diego, CA 92114 Orange County: Tacos Los Reyes Close-up of a burrito and a side of salsa on paper and foil wrapping - ryanxela/Instagram Located in-between a gas station and a laundromat, Tacos Los Reyes has been a hidden gem for enjoying authentic Mexican food in Orange County for more than three decades. This no-frills taqueria has built a loyal following. Many online reviewers share how they've been coming here for 25 years or more, as the consistency and flavor continues to transport diners straight to a roadside stand in Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The carne asada tacos are legendary: seasoned steak grilled to perfection, tucked into warm corn tortillas, and topped with a red salsa that regulars can't stop raving about. The al pastor and cabeza tacos are also popular, and the generous portions make this hole-in-the-wall restaurant one of the best values around. The chips and salsa included with every order are another bonus. It's a true mom-and-pop operation, and the steady line out the door is proof the food tastes better than the unassuming storefront might look. (714) 363-3730 273 S Tustin St, Orange, CA 92866 Citrus Heights: Yetzi's Tacos View of the toppings bar at Yetzi's Tacos - yetzi.tacos/Instagram In the Sacramento suburbs, Yetzi's Tacos is a cheerful taqueria on wheels. Located in the parking lot of a local shopping and business center, it's become a go-to for locals craving flavorful tacos and some of the best salsa in Northern California. The menu covers all the classics: From carne asada to tortas and tacos al pastor, the flavors and options are authentic, while even cooking the al pastor on a trompo, a vertical cooking spit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's the small details that locals say really set Yetzi's apart from other taco shops. Diners rave about the toppings bar, where you can customize your tacos with ingredients like fresh cilantro, onions, salsas, and lime. The tortillas are lightly crisped on the grill, giving each bite a perfect balance of texture and flavor. Family-owned, Yetzi's Tacos captures the essence of a true hole-in-the-wall restaurant: friendly service, generous portions, and authentic food that makes you come back again and again. instagram.com/yetzi.tacos (530) 848-3321 7859 Greenback Ln, Citrus Heights, CA 95610 Gilroy: Carnitas Michoacan Carnitas on a white plate, surrounded by salsa bowls and other Mexican dishes - carnitasmichocan/Instagram For over a decade, Carnitas Michoacan has quietly built a cult following among Bay Area foodies, with some driving two hours just to get their hands on this hole-in-the-wall restaurant's perfectly cooked carnitas. Rooted in the rich culinary traditions of Michoacan, the birthplace of carnitas, each batch is slow cooked until golden and tender, yielding that perfect mix of juicy meat and crispy edges. It's a family-run eatery where the food tastes like something passed down through generations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The carnitas plate is paired with rice, beans, corn, house salsas, and a stack of warm flour or corn tortillas. If you're not a fan of pork, there are other delicious options to choose from, including chicken, carne asada, birria, and enchiladas. A few vegetarian options are included, as well, including chiles rellenos and a vegetarian tostada. Many reviewers mention returning after years away, only to find the same familiar flavors waiting proof that Carnitas Michoacan hasn't lost its touch. instagram.com/carnitasmichocan (408) 847-8812 7484 Monterey St, Gilroy, CA 95020 Spring Valley: El Taller de la Barbacoa/The Barbacoa Factory Several rolled tacos topped with cilantro, tomato, and white sauce - El Taller De La Barbacoa/Facebook This unassuming Mexican eatery in San Diego's Spring Valley neighborhood delivers some of the best barbacoa north of the border. Family-run and beloved by locals, El Taller de la Barbacoa specializes in barbacoa made with slow-cooked lamb, beef birria, carne asada, and carnitas made with adobada pastor. While you may not know it based on its location, this spot has earned a loyal following for delivering deeply authentic flavors rarely found outside of Mexico's heartland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The menu reflects traditional flavors all around Mexico, as the owner, Chad Santana, was born and raised in Mexico City, his parents were from Michoacan, and his wife from Oaxaca. Reviewers consistently praise the menu's authenticity and the warmth of the service. Arrive early if you come here. This hole-in-the-wall closes for the day around 3 p.m. And when the barbacoa sells out, it's gone for the day. eltallerdelabarbacoaca.com (619) 467-7259 1015 Grand Ave, Spring Valley, CA 91977 Oakland: La Esquina Taqueria Two tacos filled with barbacoa, cilantro, and onions, served with a bowl of salsa - laesquinaoakland/Instagram Over in Oakland, California, La Esquina Taqueria has become a cult favorite for its no-frills atmosphere and perfectly executed classics. This beloved neighborhood taqueria packs serious flavor into its al pastor, which locals swear rivals Mexico City's best. The kitchen's dedication to creating crispy, caramelized pork layered with pineapple, onion, and cilantro is what keeps lines of hungry diners out the door consistently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond burritos and tacos, the menu highlights handmade sopes, enchiladas, fresh guacamole, nachos, and birria. Regulars love the family vibe and the generosity of portions, especially in the burritos that barely close. Though easy to miss from the street, La Esquina Taqueria proves that the most memorable meals often come from the simplest storefronts. Pro tip: grab extra napkins. The juicy meat and house salsas are gloriously messy. instagram.com/laesquinaoakland (510) 957-5099 9896 Macarthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94605 San Francisco: Cielito Lindo Three tacos topped with onions and cilantro, served with radishes, cucumbers, and a lime wedge - cielitolindo415/Instagram When Tony Bennett sang that he left his heart in San Francisco, perhaps he was inspired by the breakfast burritos from Cielito Lindo. This humble, family-run taqueria might not look like much from the outside, but it's earned a loyal following for what locals call the city's best breakfast burrito. Regulars note the goal is for you to enjoy fluffy eggs, chorizo, and salsa in every bite. While there are other breakfast burrito options, the chorizo is a favorite for a reason. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you come for breakfast, stick around, because Cielito Lindo's menu is also filled with delicious lunch and dinner options, including its famous quesabirria tacos, which are served all day, tortas, pambazo, and Guanajuato-style enchiladas. Regulars praise the authentic Mexican flavors and reasonable prices, especially considering how the generous portions leave you full and satisfied. cielitolindoo.site (415) 742-0959 3440 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121 Oakland: Taqueria El Paisa Five homemade tortillas topped with generous portions of beef, onions, and cilantro - elpaisaoakland/Instagram Tucked unassumingly along International Boulevard in Oakland, Taqueria El Paisa is the kind of hole-in-the-wall spot that foodies dream of stumbling upon. For those who crave authentic Mexican street tacos, the food here might just be the closest thing to being transported straight to Guadalajara. Topped with cilantro and slices of nopales (prickly pear cactus), there's a heavily filled salsa and toppings bar that includes charred peppers, warm tortilla chips, and pickled pineapple. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the salsas are impressive and spicy, the real stars are the tacos, which include popular Mexican favorite proteins, like suadero (cow belly), asada (grilled steak), lengua (cow tongue), pollo, carnitas, cabeza (beef cheek), camarones (shrimp), buche (pig stomach), pastor, chorizo, and tripa. For those looking for a flavor they're more familiar with, carne asada, al pastor, pollo, carnitas, or chorizo are customer favorites. But for the more adventurous eaters, the buche, suadero, and lengua come highly recommended. instagram.com/elpaisaoakland (510) 368-5403 4610 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601 Santa Barbara: Lito's Mexican Food Burrito cut in half, filled with avocado, eggs, and chorizo, plated in front of a mural wall painting - litos_mexican_sb/Instagram From the outside, Lito's Mexican Food might look like just another takeout spot. But for locals, it's a cherished institution that's been feeding Santa Barbara for more than 40 years. Family-owned and operated since day one, this hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant is the kind of place that proves you don't need ocean views or fancy decor to deliver a meal worth remembering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The breakfast burritos, especially the chorizo option, and the homemade tamales are favorites, as is the beloved menudo that often sells out during the weekend. Diners rave about the chile Colorado, carnitas, and daily served pozole, not to mention the perfectly seasoned rice and beans. Even the chips and salsa are full of authentic, mouthwatering flavors. The only frequent critique? Limited seating, which just further reinforces that Lito's is all about serving food that fills your soul and is made with care rather than bells and whistles. litossb.com (805) 962-1559 514 E Haley St, Santa Barbara, CA 93103 Santa Barbara: El Rincon Bohemio Refried beans topped with cheese, yellow Mexican rice, lettuce, and chile relleno with enchilada sauce - elrinconbohemiosb/Instagram El Rincon Bohemio is the kind of hidden gem you might overlook if not for the steady stream of locals who know better. For decades, this family-run, hole-in-the-wall restaurant, which is located in an unassuming Santa Barbara plaza, has been serving soulful, homestyle cooking that captures the essence of Central Mexico. The beloved albondigas soup is rich, fragrant, and perfectly seasoned. While there are many delicious foods on the menu, the soup in particular is a standout, often cited as some of the best in town. It's comfort food in its purest form. The menu covers several classic dishes, from cheesy enchiladas and tender carne asada plates to fresh seafood specialties, each prepared with care and consistency. What makes El Rincon Bohemio special isn't just the food, it's the feeling that comes with dining at a neighborhood family-owned restaurant. You feel like part of the family. elbohemiosb.com (805) 967-4464 4141 State St, F1, Santa Barbara, CA 93110 Lake Tahoe: La Promesa Large bowl of red pozole soup, served with fresh tortillas - tahoe_colby/Instagram Tucked along Lake Tahoe Boulevard, La Promesa may not look like much from the outside, but inside, it's a haven of warmth, generosity, and truly authentic Mexican comfort food. This family-run taqueria and bakery has become a local favorite for its hearty portions, friendly service, and homestyle flavors that are as comforting as they are filling. The menu leans toward the rustic cooking of Central and Northern Mexico, featuring favorites like carne asada platters, chile rellenos, enchiladas, deep-fried tacos, and tender chicken mole. Breakfast burritos are a hit with early risers, while freshly baked cakes and desserts tempt visitors to linger a little longer. Whether you're grabbing a quick bite before a hike or settling in after a long day on the slopes, La Promesa embodies the best kind of mountain-town hospitality. It's unpretentious, flavorful, and made with love. Before you leave, don't forget a pastry (or two); they're as comforting as the meal itself. lapromesago.twupro.com (530) 541-2019 3447 Lake Tahoe Blvd, #4, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 Big Bear: Cocina de Mexico White plate filled with rice, pork, and refried beans, topped with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole - dlgoddard2/Instagram Located in the heart of Big Bear City in the San Bernardino Mountains, Cocina de Mexico is the kind of cozy, family-run spot that makes you feel instantly at home. What it lacks in flash, it more than makes up for in flavor, serving up authentic Mexican dishes that bring warmth to even the coldest mountain day. Regulars swear by the carne asada, noting the taste is unparalleled whether it's served in burritos, tacos, or on a platter with rice and beans. The homemade salsas, while limited in variety, are bright and bold, and the portions are generous enough to satisfy any post-slope appetite. Inside, the colorful decor and friendly service create a relaxed, welcoming vibe that feels equal parts neighborhood hangout and hidden gem. Cocina de Mexico isn't just a restaurant, it's a reminder that great Mexican food travels well, thriving even at 6,000 feet, where the mountain air meets a little extra spice. cocina-de-mexico.res-menu.com (909) 547-6999 300 W Big Bear Blvd, Big Bear City, CA 92314 Riverside: El Trigo Large burrito on a white plate, smothered in a green sauce, and served with lettuce and tomato - El Trigo Restaurant/Facebook Tucked in a quiet corner of a Riverside neighborhood, El Trigo is the kind of unpretentious taqueria that locals guard like a secret. Family-owned and operated, this authentic Mexican restaurant has built its reputation on consistently serving the unmistakable flavor of homestyle Mexican cuisine. The menu celebrates classics like al pastor carved fresh from the trompo, carnitas, and rich, perfectly seasoned lengua (beef tongue) that wins over even hesitant diners. Regulars also swear by the carne asada burritos, which are grilled to perfection and balanced with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and a squeeze of lime. Inside, El Trigo keeps things simple: a handful of tables, colorful art on the walls, and the scent of sizzling meat that transports you to abuela's kitchen. Generous portions, fair prices, and warm, familiar service keep customers coming back year after year. El Trigo proves that California's best Mexican food often comes from the most unassuming places. facebook.com/p/El-Trigo-Restaurant-100063901514091 (951) 787-6937 4155 Park Ave, Riverside, CA 92507 Methodology Three breaded and fried fish tacos served in fresh tortillas, topped with lettuce, onions, and a white sauce - Efrain Barboza/Shutterstock To create this list of hole-in-the-wall restaurants in California, I focused on one thing above all else: authenticity. Each restaurant featured serves traditional Mexican cuisine. Not fusion, not Tex-Mex, and not Latin-inspired dishes from other countries. There were additional criteria, as well. Every restaurant had to be located in California, have only one location, and deliver delicious food despite looking questionable from the outside. Chain restaurants and franchises were automatically excluded. I also wanted to ensure the diverse hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants from around the state were highlighted, so I limited the number of restaurants included per metropolitan area. This made it difficult to narrow down the best of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, especially in areas with so many options for authentic Mexican food. Geographically, this list spans the entire state of California, from major coastal metro areas and regional gems to inland desert and mountain communities. The goal was to highlight the breadth of California's Mexican food scene and showcase instances in which a modest storefront creates food that rivals fine dining establishments in flavor. While Contodo Fresh Mexican Eats was chosen from firsthand experience, others were selected through extensive research using Yelp, Google Reviews, Tripadvisor, and social media. I looked for consistency in customer praise, paying special attention to standout dishes, long-standing local followings, and the kind of online sentiment that begins with "don't let the exterior fool you." Want more food knowledge? Sign up to our free newsletter where we're helping thousands of foodies, like you, become culinary masters, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Tasting Table. UK-based lender Barclays plans to expand its operations in Saudi Arabia, as part of its efforts to strengthen its presence in the Middle East. The bank has obtained a provisional licence from the countrys Capital Market Authority (CMA) to initiate investment banking and global markets activities. It has also acquired premises in the King Abdullah Financial District, with plans to open an office in Riyadh in 2026. The bank appointed Mohammed Al-Sarhan as the independent non-executive board chairman for its new branch in Saudi Arabia. Its Middle East operations are managed by co-CEOs Khaled El Dabag and Walid Mezher, who are experienced in investment banking. Al-Sarhan said: I am truly excited to join Barclays at this pivotal moment for the banks growth in the Kingdom. It is an honour to work alongside two outstanding leaders, Khaled El Dabag and Walid Mezher, both of whom bring deep expertise and a strong commitment to the region. Together, I am confident that we will make a meaningful impact for our clients and support the Kingdoms ambitious transformation. Earlier this year, Barclays received a regional headquarters (RHQ) licence, which allows the bank to establish the Riyadh office. This new office will help the bank enhance its client services by being closer to key corporate, institutional, and sovereign wealth fund clients in Saudi Arabia. Barclays said the expansion is part of its strategy to strengthen its footprint in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), where it already operates in the UAE and Qatar. Barclays Group chief executive CS Venkatakrishnan said: Saudi Arabia is central to our Middle East growth strategy, and we are very excited to support the Kingdoms growth ambitions under its Vision 2030. Expanding our capabilities in the Kingdom is a significant milestone for us as we continue to grow our regional footprint in key markets. As a global bank with strong historical connections in the region, we are well-positioned to help clients access capital, transform and grow in this dynamic market. Last month, Barclays revealed two senior appointments within its Private Bank and Wealth Management (PBWM) divisions in the UK and Crown Dependencies. "Barclays seeks CMA licence to expand into Saudi Arabia" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. Theres one under this rock! we call out to our snorkelling instructor, who dives down and resurfaces triumphantly with a lobster clutched in hand. You might be familiar with farm-to-fork, but sea to spoon is a rarer experience. In Moho Caye, an island off southern Belize, though, catching your lunch before watching it sizzle on a beach barbecue is as authentic as it gets. When I have an off day, I still come and do this, says our guide, Akeem Williams of Cultural Experience Belize (CEB). Head out on the boat, grab some lobster thats how we hang out here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williams tours blend food, culture and conservation, with tales of the indigenous Garifuna people, and the reefs that sustain them, told between dives and lobster hunts. To get here, weve taken a small boat from Placencia Peninsula a laid-back stretch of beach and colourful wooden houses on Belizes southern coast (Placencia itself is a 20-minute Tropic Air hop from Belize City, or a five-hour drive through rainforest and citrus groves to the Caribbean coast). Tiny and uninhabited, its ringed with palms and sand so pale it almost glows, the morning sun cutting through the water so clearly it looks like liquid glass. Even without dipping your head beneath the surface, the coral and fish are visible: angelfish, stingrays and blue tangs dart between coral heads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this isnt just sightseeing its sourcing. Crabs, lobsters and other fish can be caught right here, Williams says. We catch it, bring it back to shore and Raquel [his business partner and CEBs mobile chef] cooks it up for lunch. You dont get fresher than that. When the lobster we spot turns out to be too small, he gently tucks it back under its coral ledge. We dont want to over-farm anything, he says. If weve got several tours, you dont want to disrupt the ecosystem. By the time we return to the beach, Raquel has already fired up the barbecue. A makeshift table stood under a palm canopy, with grilled lobster, crab, guacamole, salads, roasted pineapple and cold Belikin beers what beer is to Belize like Guinness is to Ireland all laid out like a feast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The beauty of Williams approach is that youre never watching the clock. After eating with a view of the lapping waves, people drift onto hammocks, wade into the sea or lay out on the sand. After a day exploring the cayes, weve developed a taste for adventure and decide to head north to see more of Belize. Travelling inland, the countrys coastal calm gives way to dense jungle and some of Central Americas most remarkable Maya ruins. At Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, reached by a mix of dirt track and riverboat through the Orange Walk District, our guide Reuben talks as though hed excavated the site himself. Artefacts everywhere this place has never been looted, he says. Its under constant occupation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamanai, meaning submerged crocodile, was once one of the largest Maya cities in the region, with over 700 buildings across two square miles. David Penderghast and his men worked 12 years straight and excavated just four per cent, Reuben noted, gesturing to the mounds still buried beneath jungle. This is the longest-standing Maya city in the world because of water and fertile soil. He explains how the Maya engineered their temples with astonishing precision. They keyed in on their three As astronomy, acoustics and agriculture. They even knew which stones to use so a speakers words could travel to thousands. At the High Temple, taller than the forest canopy, Reuben points to the horizon. They built it high so rulers could look out and watch armies rowing in, he says. Belize is the only flag with people on it and our museum in Belize City used to be a prison for slaves. This land remembers everything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From Lamanai, we continue west towards the Guatemalan border to Chan Chich Lodge, hidden inside a private rainforest reserve on the Gallon Jug Estate. Built within the remains of a Mayan plaza, the thatched lodges feel quietly luxurious with open-air hammocks and screened walls. Here, jungle sounds mitigate any need for playlists and howler monkeys replace alarm clocks. Chan Chich is 30,000 acres, so a perfect escape for nature lovers, says our Gallon Jug tour guide Levy. Hes not wrong. The eco-lodges are comfortable enough that youre not roughing it, but rustic enough to feel like youre on an adventure. The estate once operated as a logging site before being rewilded in the 1980s by Michael Bowen, of Belikin beer fame. We want to be as self-sufficient as possible, Levy said. Everything you eat comes from the Gallon Jug Farm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The farm supplies fruit, coffee, meat and milk, with even chicken waste reused as fertiliser. Bowen also built a small school for children living on the estate, creating a self-sustaining community deep in the forest. Days here fall into a rhythm of guided hikes, horseback rides through the trees and night safaris where you might spot jaguars or ocelots (unfortunately we dont). If you prefer your adventure slower, saddle up for a ride across the Gallon Jug Estate a chance to explore off-piste through open savannah and secondary jungle, with toucans and spider monkeys as your audience. You dont need to know how to ride; the horses are well-schooled and guides keep a gentle pace through trails that reveal just how wild this corner of Belize still is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experienced riders, meanwhile, can trot and canter at their own pace across the clearings, the green fields flickering past like a moving postcard. While theres plenty to do, Chan Chich is equally a place to stop, and its further proof that Belize offers adventure without the crowds. At sunset, we gather by the estates lagoon for drinks and guacamole and as the sun goes down I paddle out by canoe to watch the sky darken with a blanket of gold cloud. An example of indigenous costume at the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech, Belize. Jane Barlow/PA Wire/dpa Indigenous costumes seen at the Mayan ruins at Cahal Pech, Belize. Jane Barlow/PA Wire/dpa From beignets to gumbo, oysters, and po' boys, the soul of New Orleans truly starts in the kitchen. This vibrant Louisiana city is home to so many classic meals everyone needs to try. It also has one of the most culturally diverse food scenes in the country. But the best food in New Orleans isn't always found in the most well-known places instead, it's found in corner dives, counter-service cafes, and family-run spots with century-old recipes. Across every neighborhood in New Orleans, you'll find small kitchens with mighty flavors. These hole-in-the-wall restaurants are everywhere, from Mid-City's laid-back alleys to the French Quarter's jazz-filled streets. This list doesn't highlight fine dining or famous names; rather, our focus is on a resilient and soulful city where everyone's welcome at the table. Whether you're looking for the city's best po' boy, a curry worth crossing the Mississippi for, or a meal that will make you feel at home, this list has the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants that New Orleans has to offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Florida's 13 Best Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurants Parkway Bakery and Tavern Close-up of Parkway Bakery and Tavern's James Brown po' boy - parkwaypoorboys/Instagram Ask any New Orleans native where to get the best po' boy in town, and Parkway Bakery and Tavern is guaranteed to come up. This humble historic establishment is a staple for locals and tourists alike. Parkway's po' boy history dates back to 1929, when owner Henry Timothy Sr. joined Bennie and Clovis Martin of Martin Brothers Coffee Stand and Restaurant in serving free sandwiches to striking union members. Nearly a century later, Parkway is still slinging out the same sandwiches it did way back when. Whether you're ordering a deep-fried Creole BBQ shrimp po' boy, an alligator smoked sausage po' boy, or the original fried potatoes and gravy, you'll quickly get the hype of Parkway Bakery & Tavern. This no-frills place in Mid-City should be on everyone's list when visiting New Orleans. Parkway Bakery & Tavern is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Portions are generous, and you can expect to pay $15 to $20 for a large po' boy. www.parkwaypoorboys.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (504) 482-3047 538 Hagan Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119 Manolito Manolito's Cuban sandwich cut in half and served on a white plate - manolitonola/Instagram If you wander down the side streets of New Orleans' bustling French Quarter, you'll find a Cuban-inspired cafe that's known for its cocktails just as much as its food. Manolito is a true love letter to Cuba. The establishment is named after Manuel "Manolito" Carbajo Aguiar, a legendary bartender who shaped Havana's golden era of mixology. Compared to the well-known cocktails served here, the food more than holds its own in particular, Manolito is highly praised for its Cuban sandwich. As one Yelp reviewer put it, "You'd have to apply for citizenship in Cuba to find a better Cuban sandwich than this place." Other menu items include Cuban staples such as arroz con pollo and ropa vieja. Manolito's atmosphere is swanky, charming, and filled with character. If you're in a rush, though, it's best to choose takeout or delivery. This small slice of Havana runs on island time unhurried in the best way possible. With limited seating indoors and outdoors, reservations are highly recommended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sandwiches and small plates at Manolito range from $8 to $15. The kitchen is open daily from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the bar is open daily from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.. www.manolitonola.com (504) 603-2740 508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116 1000 Figs 1000 Figs falafel platter with falafel, hummus, kale and cabbage salad, toum, tahini, zhoug, and fresh bread - 1000figs/Instagram In a small Mid-City neighborhood, you'll find an unassuming cafe with unforgettable food. 1000 Figs is a plant-filled nook serving Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. This hidden gem is known for its platters one with buttermilk-marinated chicken and the other with falafel. Its unique take on brussels sprouts, which are flash-fried until crisp and then tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette, makes for one of the most talked-about sides; meanwhile, the pan bread is often described as unforgettable, and the perfect accompaniment to the dips and platters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite its small size, the intimacy of the interior feels friendly and welcoming. Whether you're dining in or taking out, you'll want to come back for seconds. 1000 Figs is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays. Items on the menu typically range from $10 to $20. 1000figs.com (504) 301-0848 3141 Ponce De Leon St STE 1, New Orleans, LA 70119 Queen Trini Lisa Plate of Queen Trini Lisa's oxtail with rice and peas, plantains, and cabbage, and a pink orchid garnish - the_queen_trini/Instagram A Trinbagonian restaurant just off Mid-City's Carrollton Avenue is home to an establishment that's received "best restaurant of the year" accolades. Queen Trini Lisa is a small, family-owned spot bursting with big flavors. Online reviewers regularly praise chef Lisa Nelson's flavorful curries, must-try jerk chicken, and the best doubles outside of Trinidad. The plantains are soft and caramelized, and the stir-fried cabbage is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The space itself is small with few tables. It's homey and unpretentious, with soca music playing regularly. Queen Trini Lisa is available for both takeout and delivery, but dining in has the perks of potentially being greeted by Chef Nelson herself. Queen Trini Lisa is open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and closed on Sundays and Mondays. The entrees typically range from $17 to $25. queentrinilisa.com (504) 345-2058 4200 D'Hemecourt St, New Orleans, LA 70119 Casamento's Restaurant Casamento's oyster loaf sandwich with fried oysters, lettuce, and tomato on toast, served with pickle spear on the side - casamentosrestaurant/Instagram A classic hole-in-the-wall eatery, Casamento's sits in New Orleans' Uptown neighborhood. Casamento's is a quirky, cash-only dive where time truly seems to stand still. This humble establishment isn't just a restaurant; it's an entire experience. It serves some of the best oysters in the U.S.; in fact, Casamento's is known for its gluten-free fried seafood and charbroiled oysters just as much as the iconic floor-to-ceiling tiled walls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a city built on po' boys, Casamento's preserves culinary history by serving the oyster loaf, which is the predecessor to the city's most notorious sandwich. The oyster loaf is freshly made upon ordering, even down to shucking the oysters. Fried oysters are piled high on buttered, toasted bread with mayonnaise and a hearty helping of sliced tomatoes. The result is described as life-changing. Casamento's is famously closed during the summer, following the age-old Gulf Coast oyster season, where oysters are only considered safe to eat in the cooler months. In non-summer months, the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner Thursday through Saturday, 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for dinner only on Sundays, and closed Monday through Wednesday. casamentosrestaurant.com (504) 895-9761 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 4330 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115 Pagoda Cafe Tray of Pagoda Cafe guava cream cheese puffs fresh from the oven - pagoda_cafe_/Instagram A pagoda-shaped building in New Orleans' 7th Ward is home to a beloved worker-owned cafe. Pagoda Cafe is known for its internationally-inspired eats and inventive drinks, including a mango lassi beverage and a guava cream cheese puff. The menu is also vegan and vegetarian-friendly, ensuring all diners have a bite to enjoy. Diners rave about the breakfast tacos, and especially the salsa verde they come with. This quaint cafe is counter-service with an inviting atmosphere and outdoor seating only. Conveniently located near Fair Grounds Race Course which is where the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is hosted Pagoda Cafe is a great place to stop for a quick bite, especially when the Jazz Festival is happening. Pagoda Cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and you can expect to pay between $4.50 and $7.50 for an individual breakfast item on the menu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement pagodacafe.net (504) 644-4178 1430 N Dorgenois St, New Orleans, LA 70119 Katie's Restaurant and Bar Katie's Restaurant & Bar's pepperoni pizza and pasta with garlic bread - katiesinmidcity/Instagram In a residential Mid-City neighborhood, you'll find a local stomping ground that's become a symbol of resilience in a town that's weathered its fair share of storms. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, chef and owner Scot Craig of Katie's Restaurant and Bar lost everything. But instead of focusing on what was lost, he spent months cooking meals for first responders and families displaced by the storm, while rebuilding his restaurant brick by brick. Katie's reopened in 2010, and still has a faint watermark that marks where eight feet of floodwater once stood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katie's Restaurant and Bar is a cornerstone of the community, serving Creole-Italian comfort food. Its most popular dish is the crawfish beignet, which was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". Customers also enjoy the plump char-grilled oysters, and the wood-fired pizzas are said to be the best in New Orleans. Katie's Restaurant & Bar is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Most entrees range from $15 to $25. katiesinmidcity.com (504) 488-6582 3701 Iberville St, New Orleans, LA 70119 Coop's Place Bowl of Coop's Place New Orleans style BBQ shrimp served with French bread and a side of shrimp and grits - coopsplacenola/Instagram Just a half mile from Jackson Square in the French Quarter is a Cajun-Creole dive that's unapologetically New Orleans. Coop's Place is a 21-and-older spot serving comfort food with a side of grit and dark humor. This iconic restaurant and bar is loved by locals. The menu here is packed with classic New Orleans flavors, but one dish stands out: Coop's taste plate. The taste plate starts with a cup of rich, well-seasoned seafood gumbo, followed by a sampling of Cajun fried chicken, shrimp creole, red beans and rice, and rabbit and sausage jambalaya. It's the perfect representation of Cajun food's many cultural influences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the food is an experience of its own, the true charm of Coop's Place is its endearingly abrasive vibe. It's loud, messy, quirky, and as authentically New Orleans as it gets. The eatery discourages cell phone use at the table, playing into the old-school, no-nonsense atmosphere. You can expect to pay about $20 to $30 for a meal, making this spot an affordable diamond in the rough given its French Quarter location. Coop's Place is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Coop's is closed on Wednesdays. coopsplace.net (504) 525-9053 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1109 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116 Lola's Lola's seafood paella with shrimp, mussels, vegetables, herbs, and lemon slices - lolasneworleans/Instagram If you're craving something other than the Creole and Cajun cuisines that dominate the city of New Orleans, head over to the Bayou St. John neighborhood. Here you'll find Lola's, a family-run Spanish spot known for its paella, tapas, and house-made sangria. This intimate restaurant is a go-to place for anyone in search of a dining experience that feels both cozy and authentic. The paella comes highly recommended, but be prepared to wait as each one is cooked to order. The wait is worth it, though it'll make you want to recreate fantastic paella at home. Lola's interior is tightly packed with tables, and its open kitchen makes the space feel alive at peak hours. There's also an outdoor patio strung with lights, making it a charming place to enjoy a quiet meal. Lola's is open for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The tapas range from $10 to $25, and the entrees will cost about $20 to $30. lolasneworleans.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (504) 488-6946 3312 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119 Mena's Palace Bowl of Mena's Palace seafood gumbo topped with rice and parsley - menaspalace/Instagram If you're staying in the tourist-heavy French Quarter and want a meal with a more hometown feel, head to Mena's Palace. Known for its Cajun flavors, this standout restaurant serves breakfast and lunch to locals and tourists seeking an authentic experience. The Cajun hash browns are highly recommended for breakfast, and the gumbo seasoning is so memorable that people buy a few jars of it to go. With a rotating menu of daily specials, Mena's Palace is a go-to for anyone who wants to taste their way through the city (without going very far). This unpretentious restaurant is casual and inviting, so don't let its reputation for being a local hangout deter you from grabbing a bite here. Mena's Palace is open 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Monday, and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Reservations aren't necessary, and it's typical to spend about $10 to $20 per person. menaspalace.com (504) 525-0217 200 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130 Li'l Dizzy's Cafe Li'l Dizzy's Cafe fried chicken with white beans and sausage in takeout tray - lildizzyscafe504/Instagram In the heart of the historic Treme neighborhood, a multi-generational family business is keeping Creole soul food alive. Li'l Dizzy's Cafe is a lunch-only cafe where the steady line is always worth the wait. The fried chicken is mentioned in nearly half of the 1,000+ reviews on Yelp, being described as perfectly fried, deliciously juicy, and flavor-packed not to mention that dozens of diners claim it's the best fried chicken in New Orleans. Another favorite is the catfish jourdain, which is fried catfish topped with a lemon and butter-based sauce with shrimp and crabmeat. This is a Friday-only special, though. Li'l Dizzy's is notoriously considered a no-frills neighborhood classic where the owner welcomes everyone as if they're family. Due to the popularity of this cherished place, its indoor and outdoor seating can fill up quickly, so takeout is a popular option. Li'l Dizzy's Cafe is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and is typically open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. one Sunday each month. Entrees range from $10 to $20. lildizzyscafe.net (504) 766-8687 1500 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116 Plume Algiers Bowl of Plume Algiers banana chaat topped with pomegranate seeds and crispy sev, photographed beside fresh pomegranates - plumealgiers/Instagram Across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter lives an unpretentious Indian restaurant that locals claim is worth crossing the bridge for. Plume Algiers is highly regarded for its authentic regional Indian cuisine. A must-try dish is the banana chaat, which mixes fried bananas with the bright flavors of coconut chutney, pomegranate, and mint Plume's take on India's most versatile and customizable street food. And don't forget the house-made naan that customers regularly rave about. While Plume Algiers is available for takeout and delivery, the restaurant's atmosphere is one of its greatest charms. With colorful murals on the walls and a true neighborhood warmth, the dining room feels more like a dinner party than a restaurant. With a nearly perfect 4.9-star rating on Yelp, this powerhouse kitchen is regularly packed. Although reservations aren't required, they're highly recommended, as the seating is quite limited. Between the flavors and the vibes, Plume Algiers has a homey warmth that captures the soul of New Orleans and keeps people coming back for more. Plume Algiers is closed Sundays and Mondays, serves dinner only from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. You can expect to spend about $15 to $25 per person. plumealgiers.com (504) 381-4893 1113 Teche St, New Orleans, LA 70114 Methodology Blurred photo of an empty restaurant - Mongkolly/Shutterstock To find the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in New Orleans, we looked for places loved by both locals and tourists alike. As hole-in-the-wall spots, these establishments typically fly under the radar when planning a trip to New Orleans. We wanted to showcase places that are family-owned, have unpretentious environments, and consistently have high ratings on platforms such as Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor. Additionally, we wanted restaurants that had a story behind them. Each restaurant was heavily researched or visited through firsthand accounts or local recommendations. The essence of this list reflects New Orleans' true culinary soul. For more food and drink goodness, join our newsletter and add us as a preferred search source. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on Mashed. If you don't live in Wyoming, the sight of a pronghorn antelope is positively magical. These thickly-coated mammals are like a cross between a deer and a wild goat, and look so peaceful as they graze in western grasslands. Yet the moment they're startled, a pronghorn springs into action, sprinting up to 60 miles per hour across the plains. When you spot a pronghorn on the move, you believe it's the speediest land animal in North America. They're also an evolutionary oddity; they look a lot like African antelopes, but they're genetically unrelated. Believe it or not, their closest relatives are giraffes. This is just one species you may spot in the scrubland around Fossil Butte National Monument. Shaped like a giant, striated bottle cap, Fossil Butte is a big hill composed of sedimentary rock and speckled with vegetation. The multicolored surface may remind visitors of the Dakota Badlands, as may the surrounding treeless expanses. In a state full of natural wonders from the jagged peaks of the Grand Tetons to the cylindrical monolith of Devils Tower Fossil Butte is easily overlooked. Moreover, this national monument in Wyoming's southwest corner is difficult to reach without a long drive in the backcountry. But intrepid travelers will be rewarded with big skies and eponymous fossils. And, like this underrated Wyoming state park that's a must-visit for wildlife lovers, Fossil Butte is a fantastic ecosystem for spotting wildlife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Old-School American Towns That Are Still Full Of Fun 1950s Charm The prehistoric origins of Fossil Butte Fossil Butte rises out of the scrubland in Wyoming - Citizen Kepler/Shutterstock Animals have lived in this spot for at least 50 million years, but back then, most of its inhabitants had fins: the land mass that would become Fossil Butte lay was at the bottom of Fossil Lake. Over the eons, deceased marine specimens left permanent impressions in the emerging rock faces. Many of the fossils here are shockingly clear, giving scientists a vivid portrait of the sizes, shapes, and textures of various lifeforms. So far, paleontologists have identified 27 fish species and 100 different kinds of insects. The Fossil Butte visitor center displays more than 2,000 of the fossils discovered here, including the "fish wall," "turtle wall," and "insect end case." The center also has an extended physical timeline, representing different stages of geology since Earth was formed, helping patrons appreciate just how ancient this region is. If you're looking for fauna that still roams these parts, head outside. The grounds are crisscrossed with two main hiking routes: Historic Quarry Trail and Fossil Butte Nature Trail. Together, the trails cover about four miles and are well-maintained. More rustic alternatives include Cundick Ridge Trail, Eagle Nest Point Trail, and Rubey Point Trail. None of these trails is too difficult, and you'd be hard-pressed to get lost in such a wide-open space, but do make sure to bring water, snacks, and sunscreen, especially on hot days. (These are some of the hiking safety tips everyone should know.) From the trail, you're likely to spot pronghorns in the surrounding grasses, as well as white-tailed prairie dogs and ground squirrels. You're less likely to encounter a bobcat, mountain lion, moose, or badger, but rest assured, they're out there. Getting to Fossil Butte and where to stay The ancient imprint of a marine creature is imprinted in a rock wall at Fossil Butte, Wyoming - William Cushman/Shutterstock Fossil Butte is definitely off the beaten path. Two hundred miles south of Yellowstone National Park and more than 350 miles from Wyoming's state capital Cheyenne, this national monument requires effort to visit. Interestingly, Fossil Butte is closer to Salt Lake City, Utah than it is to any major Wyoming destination, and you can drive from that city's airport a major hub to the entrance of Fossil Butte in a little over two hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a great location to get away from it all; the landscapes from the highway are rugged desert and prairie as far as the eye can see. You can drive for miles without passing so much as a service station. You could easily weave Fossil Butte into a scenic road trip from Salt Lake City to Yellowstone National Park. One consolation for venturing out so far is that entrance to Fossil Butte is free. The closest hotels to the national monument are nestled in the little town of Diamondville. This place doesn't have quite 700 residents, but the nearby tourist attraction supports several accommodations, most under $100 per night. Note that Diamondville isn't next door; you'll have to drive about 12 miles to reach town, so keep an eye on that fuel gauge. If you come during warmer months, you can hop over to Bear Lake State Park in Utah, a popular spot for swimming and water-sports. It may give you an idea what Fossil Lake looked like all those ages ago. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Explore. For generations, chocolate has been synonymous with indulgence, luxury, and sheer delight; for entrepreneurs, though, it doubles as a canvas for invention and innovation. Whether its handcrafted chocolate bars, cocoainfused skincare, opulent desserts or chocolatespiked spirits, Blackowned companies are reshaping how chocolate is savored. BLACK ENTERPRISE spotlights five standout productseach carving out its niche with chocolate from kitchen creations to spa productson National Chocolate Day, Tuesday, Oct. 28. BLAQUE ChocolateChocolate in a Bottle BLAQUEChocolate in a Bottle is a gourmet white wine crafted from Chardonnay grapes and infused with cacao and hazelnut extracts. The highly flavorful spirit is available nationwide. The visionary behind this blend is entrepreneur Marsau Scott, who also runs the Blaque Cigar Lounge in Huntsville, Alabama. Scott set out to marry the allure of chocolate with the precision of winemaking, delivering a fresh indulgent experience from a Blackowned lifestyle brand. MatuggaMocha Rum Matugga Rum, is a marriage of cocoa and coffee that hit shelves in 2024, after a surge of demand brought to life by Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa at their Blackowned, familyrun distillery in Scotland. The spirit bears the mark of handson craftsmanship and deep heritage, showing how a whisper of chocolate can lift a premium spirit while honoring Black distilling excellence. Good Girl Chocolate Good Girl Chocolate was founded by Dr. Tabatha Carr, a Black woman entrepreneur and wellness advocate from Oklahoma City. Good Girl Chocolate has rolled out its dairyfree, refinedsugarfree, chocolate line, which includes truffles, bars, and bitesize treats to more than 150 Whole Foods Market stores across 20 states. Carrs brand marries indulgence with the drive to scale a chocolate business onto the national retail stage. 57 Chocolate In 2016, 57 Chocolate sprang to life, turning sourced cocoa beans into an assortment of chocolate bars and confections. The business is run by sisters Kimberly and Priscilla Addison from Accra, Ghana. 57 Chocolate is an illustration of African ownership of the entire cocoatochocolate journey while honoring Ghanas year of independence in its name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KaikeChocolate Mask + Scrub Born from the vision of Black entrepreneur Keli Smith, Kaike introduces its Crumb Coat Chocolate Mask, a blend of clay and cocoa powder that sweeps away impurities while delivering a soothing exfoliation. Available at Kaikes online store, the brand fuses the indulgence of chocolate with cleanbeauty principles, turning a skincare step into a wholesome ritual. RELATED CONTENT: Toast National Liqueur Day With 4 Black-Owned Spirits In the arid desert climate of New Mexico, the roads are long and stretch far beyond the horizon in all four directions. At first glance, it is hard to imagine that humans have inhabited this area for at least 15,000 years. Yet, even in a desert, life can thrive with the gift of water, and the small city of Artesia has been doing exactly that, drawing homesteaders, cowboys, and eventually farmers to call this place home thanks to its natural Artesian wells. Inconspicuous on the map in the southeastern corner of the Land of Enchantment, Artesia lies south of the famous city of Roswell, the state's most iconic alien destination. With a humble population of roughly 12,000, this city is burgeoning as a veritable oasis in the desert, thriving with arts, festivals, a richly hybrid cuisine, and an expansive outdoor gallery of monuments celebrating its colorful history. More than a sleepy stopover town to refuel, you can explore cultural elements like The Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center, take a walk down its main streets on a quest to see the storied bronze sculptures celebrating the city's pioneer citizens, and perhaps be on time for one of their many local festivals. Artesia is also known as the City of Champions for a valid reason. With New Mexico's rich history of ranching and cowboys, also known as "vaqueros" in Spanish, the town's local Eddy County Fairgrounds often hosts a variety of events, ranging from rodeos to fairs every summer season. Whether you're interested in its local art scene at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center, visiting a family vineyard, or hopping through a few restaurants on Main Street, Artesia will make sure you're well looked after. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The 'Friendly Island' Is A Tiny Hawaiian Destination With An Abandoned Hotel And No Traffic In Sight Cowboys and art in Artesia Cowboy show in New Mexico - Jennifer White-Miller/Shutterstock After getting your bearings around the city, a sensible marker to begin your adventure would be at the Artesia Visitor's Center. Open from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., their staff will assist you in uncovering local lore, recommendations, and other necessary details. Following that, a visit to the Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center will help you understand the character and heritage of the city, with its exhibits of Native American artifacts, ranching paraphernalia, and art shows. It is safe enough to say that in whichever direction you throw your lasso, you'll see why New Mexico is called the "most cultural state" in America. While walking down the sun-soaked Artesia Main Street District, you are bound to eventually come across a memorable homage to the city's history in the form of sculpture. Known as the History in Bronze public art project, these well-crafted representations of some of the leading figures of Artesian history kick off with the sculpture of the First Lady of Artesia, Sallie Chisum. Settling in the area in 1890, she was the niece of the famed cattle baron John Chisum and became an important member of the community. As more homesteaders and cattle ranchers moved into the area, people from all walks of life began to flock in and shape its character. You can give yourself a self-guided tour through the downtown district of Artesia and explore its history through its bronze sculptures illustrating the different trades and industries that its citizens pioneered. Make sure to make your way to the Artesia Public Library to admire its intricately colorful mural painted by Peter Hud. Standing at 15 feet tall and 47 feet long, it illustrates the storied pastoral scenes of the American Southwest. Artesia as a fount for festivities Hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico - Gerckens-Photo-Hamburg/Shutterstock The city of Artesia is remarkable in showcasing its duality and beating the cliche of being just a thriving agricultural and oil commune in the desert. For its presumed simplicity, the budding artistic spirit of the community boasts that it has layers of creativity to explore, such as the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center, housed in a former cinema house from the 1930s. Hosting events ranging from free jazz nights to the annual "Art in the Park," a local community cultural bonanza full of arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, and live performances, Ocotillo's events will make you feel like one of Artesia's very own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Artesia's spinning wheel of celebrations is sure to land on something worth your attention year-round. It can be the famed Red Dirt Black Gold Festival, celebrating the region's ranching and oil industries, with incredible live music lineups. Or additionally, at the Artesia Balloons and Tunes Festival, you can witness the skies light up with dozens of hot air balloons above, and concerts around town below, with this event akin to a smaller sibling of one of America's most photographed events. New Mexico's weather conditions are ideal for some of the country's best hot air balloon flights. You can make your way to Artesia via the US Highway 285 South from the Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) in under four hours. There are several accommodations to choose from, like La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Artesia and Spark by Hilton Artesia. When it comes to big flavor in Artesia, the Adobe Rose Restaurant is sure to round off your trip with mouthwatering Southwestern cuisine enough to want to loosen your new rodeo belt buckle. You can also stop by The Wellhead Restaurant and Brewpub for some bar food and a few drinks. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. Theyre everyones favorite haunts. This Halloween, scream-seeking globe-trotters are traveling the world in search of the scariest hotspots. To expedite their pilgrimages, online casino SpinBlitz surveyed travel sites to narrow down the most bone-chilling meccas worldwide, finding that Salem, Massachusetts, came in at number one when it came to haunted hubs. Theres never been a better time to visit spooky locales. According to the gambling platform, Ghost tours, eerie overnights, and haunted experience packages now generate up to 20% of local tourism revenue in some destinations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And many of the Halloween pilgrims likely arent just seeking surface-level screams a staggering 41% of adults believe in ghosts, and one in five (20%) say theyve experienced something paranormal, per the gambling site. Online casino Spinblitz surveyed travel sites to narrow down the most bone-chilling meccas worldwide, finding that Salem, Massachusetts came in at number one when it came to haunted hubs. Air Video UK stock.adobe.com Location of the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. AFP via Getty Images To narrow down the spookiest spots around the globe, SpinBlitz initially created a seed list of the most frightening destinations using multiple travel sources, including Lonely Planet, Trip.com, and Conde Nast Traveller. They then rated them according to their TripAdvisor ratings, including only those with 1,000 or more reviews in the final ranking SpinBlitz then made sure all the places were Halloween-appropriate by ensuring they had a paranormal reputation, factoring in folklore, historical legends, and documented ghost reports alongside visitor reviews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This approach allowed us to highlight destinations that combine both high traveller satisfaction and authentic spooky appeal, they wrote. Salem, Massachusetts Museum in Salem, Mass. Deyan stock.adobe.com Number one on the countdown was Salem, Massachusetts, with a score of 4.9 out of 5. According to the site, the citys haunting legacy from the 1692 Witch Trials scares up over 1 million visitors each October, with 87,500 people crowding its streets on Halloween night in 2024 a record breaking 37% increase from the previous year (2023). Despite its small population of about 44,000 residents, Salem braces for up to 100,000 tourists per weekend, as ghost tours, psychic fairs, and costumed parades flood its narrow colonial streets, the site writes. Sites like the Witch House and the Salem Witch Trials Memorial buzz with eerie energy, while flickering lanterns and fog rolling off the harbor create a movie-perfect backdrop. Corvin Castle, Romania Corvin Castle in Romania, where Vlad the Impaler was allegedly imprisoned. czamfir stock.adobe.com Also known as Hyundai Castle, the eerily Gothic Corvin Castle (4.9/5) in Hunedoara, Romania is where they imprisoned Vlad the Impaler, the real-life inspiration for Dracula who was known for shishkebabing his victims on wooden stakes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each year, the stronghold is visited by 275,000 visitors annually, with a noticeable spike every October as Dracula fans and paranormal seekers descend on its dungeons, SpinBlitz writes. Ghost hunters have reportedly documented temperature drops of 5C in sealed chambers and recorded unexplained whispers in the dungeon of the tower. Lizzie Borden House, Massachusetts, USA Visitors enter the Lizzie Borden House, site of an 1892 double axe murder, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Fall River, Mass. AP Clocking a score of 4.85 of 5, the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River Massachusetts is known as Americas Most Haunted House. It is reportedly best known for being the site of one of Americas most notorious unsolved murders: On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home after reportedly being hacked to death by an axe. As their daughter Lizzie was never found guilty, rumors have swirled regarding the real culprit. Today, ghost-hunting groups claim over 70% of overnight EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) sessions capture unexplained noises. Each October, the Borden Houses grim authenticity and chilling silence make it an unnerving overnight, especially for those brave enough to sleep in the murder room,' they wrote. Hill of Crosses, Lithuania (4.7/5) Siauliai, Lithuania Visitors to the Hill of Crosses, or, Kryziu kalnas, a pilgrimage site for Catholics and is a collection of 100,000 crosses. Alexander stock.adobe.com More than 200,000 crosses, crucifixes, and rosaries adorn this hill in Siauliai, the culmination of mementos left by pilgrims since the 19th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A haunting monument to faith, defiance, and mystery, the hillock draws around100,000 visitors a year with many arriving in autumn to witness the eerie beauty in October. Locals report ghostly figures and glowing lights among the crosses at night, a reminder that this sacred site also carries centuries of resistance, death, and devotion, SpinBlitz writes. Tower of London, England (4.6/5) The Tower of London by the River Thames in London, UK. rpbmedia stock.adobe.com Its no secret that number five on the countdown is the Tower Of London, best known as the site where over 125 people were executed and countless others tortured in various barbaric ways over the course of a millennium. The site draws 3 million people annuall,y while October tours sell out weeks in advance, as guests hope to glimpse Anne Boleyns spectral figure or the White Lady seen waving from the tower windows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paranormal logs from UK ghost societies note over 200 separate ghost sightings on record since the 19th century, making it statistically one of the most haunted places in Europe, SpinBlitz writes. The top ten most haunted sites on Earth are As Royal Caribbean prepares to soon open its first exclusive beach club, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, the cruise line is now revealing plans to double down on Royal Beach Club openings in 2026. Following the debut of Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas this December, the cruise line is opening its first beach club in Mexico in 2026. Now, cruise travelers setting sail for summer adventures in Europe next year will get the chance to enhance their exploration with a new Royal Caribbean destination experience, too. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Vacationers can visit Royal Beach Club Santorini on a new exclusive shore excursion. Image source: Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean will open Royal Beach Club Santorini in 2026 As Royal Caribbean launches its third Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas, in summer 2026 in the Mediterranean, the cruise line will debut its first exclusive destination experience in the region, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opening on the Greek island of Santorini in summer 2026, Royal Beach Club Santorini will be open to vacationers sailing to the popular port on both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises ships. Celebrity Cruises' newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, will also sail in the Mediterranean during the summer, alongside a variety of ships from the sister cruise lines. Related: Royal Caribbean now has three new cruise ships under construction Passengers on summer sailings to Santorini will be able to book a shore excursion to experience the new exclusive beach club, which will combine the volcanic beaches and culture of the iconic Greek island with signature Royal Caribbean service. The beach club will be part of an Ultimate Santorini Day excursion that will pair a beach club visit with a tour of the island. The excursion will offer the opportunity to explore Oia, famous for its white-washed buildings and blue-domed churches, and Fira, Santorinis cliffside capital. Royal Beach Club Santorini will help to ease island congestion Royal Caribbeans new beach club in Greece is part of an initiative to help improve the overall port experience in Santorini, an island that struggles with overcrowding on peak days in the summer high season. The new beach club experience will offer a way to better distribute cruise passengers arriving to Santorini. Vacationers will be able to start their excursion in one of three locations, which will help to reduce crowding and maximize passengers time spent enjoying the island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santorini is an incredible destination that our guests love to explore, and with this new beach club, we are able to bring the best of what the island has to offer with the signature service Royal Caribbean is known for, said Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Royal Caribbean Group will have eight exclusive destinations by 2028 Royal Beach Club Santorini is just one of several new land-based destination experiences coming to enhance Royal Caribbean Group cruise vacations over the next two years. These new exclusive destinations will join the companys popular Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Royal Beach Club Paradise Island: A new beach day experience in Nassau, Bahamas opens in December 2025. Silverseas The Cormorant at 55 South : The worlds southernmost hotel, built exclusively for passengers sailing with Royal Caribbean Groups luxury cruise line, Silversea, opens in Chile in January 2026. Royal Beach Club Santorini: Royal Caribbeans first beach club in Europe opens in Santorini, Greece in summer 2026. Royal Beach Club Cozumel: Royal Caribbeans first beach club in Mexico opens in Cozumel in 2026. Lelepa: A new beach destination for Australia cruises is being developed on Lelepa, a Vanuatuan island in the South Pacific, to open in early 2027. Perfect Day Mexico: A 200-acre Mexico resort destination with a massive waterpark opens in Costa Maya in fall 2027. Related: What to expect at Royal Caribbeans first Royal Beach Club Expanding our Royal Beach Club Collection to include Santorini one of the worlds most popular and beautiful locations is a bold step forward in growing our vacation portfolio from two to eight by 2028, giving guests more ways to have unforgettable experiences with us, said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty. "Were thrilled to connect guests with Santorinis gems from its iconic villages to the Aegean Seas famous beach club culture creating a balanced, authentic island experience. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Oct 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. With string-lit streets, a downtown waterfall and coffee shops that outnumber Starbucks 28 to 3, this isnt Charlestonits Greenville, South Carolina, a fast-rising food city tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Reedy River. It has that Hallmark Town vibe but big-city amenities, says Dani Matthews, a Greenville-based food and travel influencer. And fall, when the air is crisp, the foliage around Falls Park turns gold and locals gather for outdoor dining and live music, is arguably the best time to visit. And while Greenville still feels like a small-town secret, word is spreadingTop Chef just filmed its next season here, and The Michelin Guide recently announced its expansion into the Southeast with Greenville as a highlight. Greenville is home, adds Tay Nelson, owner of Bobbys BBQ, whose homestyle coleslaw recipe was featured in the just-out Eugenia Dukes Unofficial Mayo Guide to Greenville, South Carolina cookbook (Greenville is where she created the famous mayonnaise and started the business!) Its centrally located between Atlanta and Charlotte, and its a melting pot of cultures that bless all parts of life hereespecially the food scene. Here's where to eat, dine and shop the next time you're here for a visit. Related: This Town is Quietly Producing Some of the Best Wine in Californiaand It's Not Napa Where to Eat, Drink and Stay in Greenville The food scene in Greenville is boomingand the country has taken notice, says Matthews. She points to favorites like Scoundrel, Pomegranate on Main, CAMP (above) and Sum Bar, along with long-time local legend Sobys, famous for popularizing "New South" cuisine and which recently earned a 2025 Wine Spectator Award. For dessert, she loves LaRue, named Best Chocolate in America by USA Today. The biggest thing that makes Greenville stand out is how much the community loves its local restaurants, says Matthews. The city truly embraces supporting local businessesand thats why our local restaurants outnumber the chains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre staying overnight, downtown is where you want to be. You can never go wrong staying downtowneverythings walkable and the food scenes unreal, says Nelson. Matthews agrees, recommending the AC Hotel for its rooftop bar Juniper and chic lobby restaurant Paloma. For a more secluded stay, she suggests Hotel Hartness, while Nelson calls out centrally located classics like The Westin Poinsett and the Grand Bohemian Lodge. Related: This Tiny Remote Texas Town Has Michelin-Level DiningAnd Its Only Getting Hotter Greenvilles Unexpected History and Global Flavor Once known as the Textile Capital of the World, Greenvilles widespread global ties go deeper than many realize. Back in the 1960s and 70s, textile mills recruited Colombian experts to work here, Matthews explains. A lot of those families stayed, and now we have over a dozen Colombian-owned restaurants and coffee shops. How cool is that? That cultural blend is core to the city's creative energyfrom its expanding food scene to its galleries and public art. Its a beautiful mix of heritage and innovation, says Matthews. Related: The Cozy Mountain Town Near Asheville You Need to Visit This Fall Nature at the Heart of the City At the center of downtown sits Falls Park on the Reedy, with its picture-perfect waterfall and the iconic Liberty Bridgea suspended pedestrian walkway offering expansive views. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more natural scenery, Matthews recommends Unity Park and the 28-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail. If youre up for a longer walk, start at The Commons and take the trail to Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Groceryand grab a Stecca Bread while youre there, she says. Nelson adds a few more local favorites: The Blue Ridge Mountains are right here, with Paris Mountain State Park less than 20 minutes from downtown. Sweet Spots and Shop-Local Finds Greenvilles coffee culture is as vibrant as its restaurant scene. We have 28 independently owned coffee shops downtown alone, says Matthews. Her favorites include Local Honey Coffee Company, Unlocked Coffee (Colombian-owned and serving amazing food), and Daydrinkers, a woman-owned cafe known for its baked-fresh-daily pastries. Nelson calls The Coffee Underground a hidden gem for sure. Related: The Charming Harbor Town Near Salem You Need to Visit This Fall This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Wholesale turkey prices are predicted to hit $1.32 per pound this year. That figure is a 40% spike from 2024's average, driven by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreaks. Experts say that retailers will still prioritize meal bundles and turkey deals. The crispy October days flew by, Halloween is basically here, and we'll be quarreling with relatives around the Thanksgiving table before we know it! It's just about time to plan the menuand your most controversial dinner-table topics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While riling up Uncle Joe might be second nature, shopping for the big holiday family dinner may not be as easyat least on your wallet. A new U.S. Department of Agriculture report predicts wholesale prices for frozen turkeys will jump to $1.32 per pound this yeara 40% spike over 2024's average. And it won't just be more expensiveit may be harder to snag a turkey. too. According to the USDA report, the price spike is a direct result of lower supply: a surge of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (a severe bird flu) outbreaks in late 2024 and early 2025 majorly affected flocks (and also led to the egg shortages and price spikes). In fact, farmers reportedly raised 5 million fewer turkeys in 2025 than the year prior, and 50 million fewer than in 2016. Now the good news: budget-friendly retailers are still offering their typical Thanksgiving meal bundles. "Retailers typically use turkeys as a loss leader," David Ortega, professor of food economics and policy at Michigan State University, told CBS News. "That is, they price them very competitivelysometimes even below costto draw shoppers into stores ahead of Thanksgiving." Walmart is selling Butterball turkeys for $0.97 per pound, as well as a 10-person meal deal for $4 a head. Aldi is running a similar $40 version that also serves 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Higher wholesale prices for turkeys are likely to translate into somewhat higher prices at the grocery store," Ortega added, "but the increase consumers see will probably be smaller than what's happening upstream." Maybe we just call an audible and do Chinese takeout for Thanksgiving this year? I'm just really grateful for meal delivery either way. You Might Also Like Heather Sweeney is a freelance writer who lives in Virginia. The following is an adapted excerpt from "Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage." Her memoir, out now, tells the story of her life as a military spouse and the search for identity after divorce. If military spouses could compile a list of things not to say to a military spouse, one of those taboo sentences would be "You knew what you were getting into." It's impossible to comprehend and foresee military life until you're in the thick of it. You can read the books. You can watch the news. You can absorb the tales of those who have done it. But knowing the logistics of what you're getting into when your spouse becomes a service member is far different from knowing how you're going to react to it, knowing to what degree those logistics are going to upend your life, his life, your family's life. Even military brats who grow up to marry service members must learn for themselves how to navigate the lifestyle as a spouse, as a parent, instead of as a child. I underestimated what came next I had no idea what I was getting into when Tristan joined the Navy, and I certainly didn't know that I was about to face far bigger challenges than a lack of meaningful friendships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Six months after Grady was born, Tristan deployed to Iraq. We had three weeks to prepare for the six-month deployment, a timeframe that was somehow both not long enough and painfully drawn out. This deployment required legal documents like wills and a power of attorney. It included purchasing gear and creating a staging area in the house to incrementally pack. It included somber discussions about Tristan's possible death and his wish for me to remarry a good man to raise Grady, about where he wanted to be buried, about who should inherit his most valued possessions, conversations meant for an older couple with gray hair and complaints about aching feet and resolutions to wear more sensible shoes. At 28 years old, we were too young for this heaviness. The author, Heather Sweeney. Courtesy of Heather Sweeney. But the most heartbreaking aspect was planning for what this deployment could mean for Grady, a process that included Tristan filming himself shaving, tying a tie, and reading "Guess How Much I Love You" and "Goodnight Moon," videos we called "Daddy TV" that Grady could watch to connect with his absent father, to remember his voice, his face, and in the worst-case scenario, to have a piece of Tristan in the event he didn't return. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watching Tristan film himself talking to Grady, watching the two of them play on the floor with blocks, watching them cuddle in our bed for story time with Cody beside them, all filled me with emotions I didn't know quite how to label. These scenes seemed so natural, so normal for a father and son spending quality time together. But they were far from normal. I was full of mixed emotions I was proud of Tristan for serving his country, but every thought I had between his announcement and his departure was laced with anger. Or anxiety. Or sadness. I was paralyzed with fear not only for his safety, but also for the indelible imprint war would leave on him when he returned, if he returned. I needed someone or something to blame for putting me in this spiral of emotions, for giving me only three weeks to prepare to send my husband to war. I could blame President Bush for initiating the war in Iraq. I could blame the Navy for accepting my husband into their club. I could blame Tristan's CO for signing off on the deployment. Or I could blame Tristan because he had volunteered for it. I didn't have the support other military spouses had Tristan's deployment classified him as an individual augmentee, or IA. This meant he wasn't going to Iraq with his command. He wasn't part of a unit that deployed together. He was temporarily leaving his command in Pensacola to join a different one in Iraq. This also meant I was the spouse of an IA. I didn't have a support system within his command because no other spouses were going through what I was going through. I always imagined that if I ever had to face a deployment, I would have other women to bond with, to commiserate with, to call for help, to chat with while our children played together, to drink wine with as we shared babysitters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this deployment wouldn't resemble that daydream at all. Tristan was deploying on his own, and I was being left behind on my own. "Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage," by Heather Sweeney is available now. Courtesy of Heather Sweeney Just as I'd been warned about other aspects of military life, I'd heard the preparation for a deployment was almost as tough as the deployment itself. It wasn't a romantic time spent cuddling and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. And it didn't include promises, because those weren't guaranteed. I fought to ignore the stress, but the stress won. Some days, I wished he would leave already and get it over with. On the outside, I tried to prove to him that I could handle this, that I was the independent military wife he needed me to be, that I could keep the home front running so he didn't have to worry about his family while he focused 100% on his mission. On the inside, I was crumbling under the facade that I was OK with all of this. I was supporting my husband, but who was going to support me? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Excerpted from "Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage by Heather Sweeney." Copyright 2025 Heather Sweeney. Published by Knox Press, an imprint of Post Hill Press. Read the original article on Business Insider Recently, the selection results for the first Chinese Folk Painting Exhibition were announced, with two painters from the "Taoxin Farmers' Painting" group in Wanzhi District, Wuhu City, delivering outstanding performances. Xue Mei's work "Watery Southern China" stood out amid fierce competition and were featured in the exhibition, while farmer painter Yang Changsen's work "Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance" successfully passed the initial selection. "Taoxin Farmers' Painting," as the name suggests, refers to works created by amateur painters with farmer backgrounds. Its place of origin, Taoxin Town, is renowned for its unique water-town scenery and simple, rustic folk customs, which have nurtured a group of farmer painters who love art and are deeply rooted in life. In 2023, with support from the local government, Cheng Jie, a professor at the School of Art and Design of Anhui Polytechnic University, initiated the formation of a creative team comprising over 40 farmer painters from the Taoxin area of Wanzhi District. The members range in age from their 20s to over 80 years old. The team regularly organizes sketching and creative activities, receives guidance from professional painters, and exchanges insights and experiences. Although created by amateurs, "Taoxin Farmers' Painting" is highly valued by professional artists. "Their works feature distinct themes focused on local customs and traditions, brimming with a strong rural ambiance. They evoke an aesthetic feeling of 'natural beauty, unadorned,' and their creative spirit and techniques deserve respect and study," commented Professor Cheng Jie. Taking Xue Mei's selected work "Watery Southern China" as an example, the painting incorporates elements such as high-speed trains, granaries, lotus flowers, pleasure boats, traditional houses, fruit trees, and villagers' fitness squares. With its bright colors and rustic style, the piece feels refreshingly original. Xue Mei told the reporter, "I live on this land every day and have witnessed the changes in my hometown with my own eyes. All these elements naturally find their way into my paintings. I feel truly honored to have my work selected for the national exhibition, and I hope more people can come to know Wanzhi Taoxin and fall in love with rural life through my artwork." Over the past two years, "Taoxin Farmers' Painting" has become a vibrant showcase of local culture. The farmers-turned-painters and their works have been frequently invited to participate in various exchange exhibitions. Notably, in December 2023, the "Taoxin Farmers' Painting" group held a thematic exhibition at the University of Macau, which garnered widespread attention and positive responses. It is reported that the first Chinese Folk Painting Exhibition was jointly organized by authoritative institutions including the China Artists Association and the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles. The exhibition aims to explore and showcase the unique charm of Chinese folk painting while promoting the inheritance and development of rural culture. The exhibition were held at the China Art Museum (Shanghai Art Museum) from June to August 2025. Source: Dajiang Evening News The Bernie Madoff investment scandal was uncovered in 2008 but it is still reverberating on banks balance sheets today. HSBC said Monday that it has set aside $1.1 billion to cover litigation by investors who lost money in the Ponzi scheme. One of the banks European businesses was in charge of looking after money and administration for funds that invested with Madoffs company. One of those funds, Herald Fund, sued it in 2009 after the scandal came to light, saying the bank should repay billions of dollars they lost in the fraud. Madoff, who died in 2021, ran the worlds biggest Ponzi scheme. His firm paid old investors with money from new ones rather than real profits. When it collapsed in 2008, customer statements showed about $65bn in non-existent investments. The claims against HSBC center around allegations that it didnt properly safeguard or verify the existence of the assets, and therefore allowed the fraud to continue and breached its supervisory duties to clients. HSBC has already appealed various elements of the claims. One part relating to securities was accepted by Luxembourgs top court last week, but the one relating to cash was not. HSBC is pursuing a second appeal. The bank said the amount it has set aside could change significantly depending on the outcome of future appeals. HSBC shares slipped 1% on Monday morning but remain about 28% higher this year. Analysts said the provision is large but manageable for the bank, which reports quarterly results on Tuesday. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell said: As Halloween approaches, an episode out of what feels like the dim and distant past has returned to haunt HSBC and hardly set the scene for the banks third-quarter update tomorrow in a way it would have wanted." However, he added, it is testament to the banks scale that a provision of more than $1 billion is a relatively minor irritation rather than a disaster. Several HSBC businesses provided custodial, administration and similar services to a number of funds... whose assets were invested with Madoff Securities, the bank said in July. It is listed as a defendant in five ongoing cases stemming from the scandal. While Nebraska is typically thought of as a flyover stop and not a tourist destination, people in the Cornhusker State enjoy more leisure time than anywhere else in America. Located in eastern Nebraska between Omaha and Lincoln, Louisville is a small community of about 2,000 residents nestled against the banks of the Platte River. This under-the-radar destination has some breathtaking views and offers visitors a chance to escape and enjoy local lakes and scenic trails. Louisville has plenty of places to relax and enjoy the Platte River and the surrounding area. A great place to start is the Platte River State Park. Spend a quiet afternoon doing some catch-and-release fishing on Jenny Newman Lake, where channel catfish, largemouth bass, and bluegill are frequently caught. Be sure and stop by Owens Landing Snack Bar and Marina to grab a quick bite to eat or rent water vessels like kayaks or paddleboats during the summer season. Hike one of the park's many trails or climb one of the two observation towers for postcard-worthy views of the Platte River. To reach Louisville, visitors can fly into Eppley Airfield in Omaha (around 30 miles from Louisville) or, if you prefer a larger airport, Des Moines International Airport is about 160 miles away. From Omaha, you can take Interstate 80 West to Nebraska 50 South to reach the adventure-laden city. However, when planning when to visit, it's important to consider that Omaha is one of the worst U.S. cities to travel to during winter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: One Of West Virginia's Best-Kept Secrets Is A Train Ride Through A Canyon You Can't Reach By Car Louisville's lakeside adventures The Platte River in Nebraska at sunset - Creator Keator/Shutterstock The Louisville State Recreation Area, comprised of almost 200 acres, is home to five sandpit lakes surrounded (and shaded) by cottonwood trees. Open all year long, the park has the amenities you expect from a park, including fire rings, picnic tables, restrooms, and a shower area, and it is a great place to relax and enjoy some time on the water. While boating with powered vessels isn't allowed, visitors are more than welcome to get out on the water in kayaks, water bikes, or paddle boards rentals are available for those who don't own one, and guests can also canoe to the Platte River. All lakes are perfect for fishing, and Lake No. 2 is the only one with a designated swimming area. Kids have plenty to explore and enjoy in the recreation area, as well. At Lake No. 2, a floating playground is around 17,000 square feet of pure fun, with obstacles such as a climbing wall, monkey bars, a dome, trampolines, and climbing towers. While lifeguards are present, participating children must be at least 6 years old and know how to swim. Not ready to leave the park when the day is over? No worries; the park has a campground. Overnight guests can choose from RV sites with full hookups, as well as tent sites with or without electricity. Additionally, there are "glamping" units comfortable safari tents that are already set up and fully equipped. Reservations are accepted for some of the sites, while others are first-come, first-served. Explore hiking and biking trails at Platte River State Park Boardwalk through trees at Platte River State Park Nebraska - Elohim Li Journeys/Shutterstock Located just 5 miles from Louisville, visitors can easily explore the 450-acre Platte River State Park. Its trails are perfect for hiking, biking, and, on certain routes, horseback riding. There are 17 miles of trails that pass through the forests and rolling hills of the state park, which range in difficulty from easy to hard. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife while hiking; deer, coyotes, foxes, wild turkeys, bobcats, and a number of birds call the park home. Farther west along the Platte River Valley, you'll find one of Jane Goodall's favorite spots to watch a legendary bird migration in Kearney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stone Creek Falls Trail is an easy, out-and-back trail that takes hikers on a mostly flat path along the creek, rewarding hikers with a small waterfall at the end of the trail. For those wanting a more difficult hike, check out the Platte River West Loop. The 3.1-mile, moderate hike offers stunning views of the Platte River, Jenny Newman Lake, and beautiful meadows. The park has 4.4 miles of mountain biking trails that are considered some of the best in the country and best-suited to intermediate or advanced mountain bikers. The dirt trails have recently been upgraded and include features such as log rides, stair-steps, switchbacks, low-water crossing, and curved wall rides. Riders love the variety of both the terrain and the difficulty, and a skills track can help riders know which level may be best for their abilities before embarking on a trail. Riders can pick easy trails like Fawn Creek Run, more difficult paths like Red Fox Run, or very difficult routes like Cougar Ridge. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. A $1.25 million donation from Aqua Pennsylvania on Oct. 16 will help pay for important upgrades to the Beaver Falls Fire Department and the Carnegie Free Library. The fire department will use its $1 million gift to help fund the purchase of a new aerial fire truck, according to an announcement from Aqua Pennsylvania. Marc Lucca, president of Aqua Pennsylvania, recognizes members of the Beaver Falls Fire Department and the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls during the company's presentation of a $1 million donation to the fire company and a $250,000 donation to the library on Oct. 16, 2025. The department's current aerial truck is 26 years old and is beyond its serviceable life of 20 years. The purchase of a new aerial truck would not be possible without this donation, said Beaver Falls Fire Chief Mark Stowe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs to keep our aerial truck operational," he said. "With the cost of more than $2 million for a new truck, we had no idea how we were going to replace this vital piece of equipment. "Our fire department is grateful, thankful and appreciative of this donation, which will allow us to better protect our community and those who depend on us." The other $250,000 was donated to the Carnegie Free Library, which plans to use these funds to make window repairs, bathroom and electrical work and other building renovations that will make the over 100-year-old library more accessible to everyone, according to the announcement from Aqua Pennsylvania. "The building is more than a library; it's a community center. I want to thank Aqua for recognizing our rich history and the need to preserve this prominent piece of culture in town," said John Sanderbeck, vice chair of the library board, at the donation presentation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beaver Falls Mayor Kenya Johns also thanked Aqua Pennsylvania for helping to make a difference within their community. "We appreciate Aqua investing in those things and understanding that a community that thrives together is a community that grows together, and we are really committed to doing just that," she said. The donations were made through Aqua Pennsylvania's Essential Foundation, which offers financial support and encourages its employees to volunteer with nonprofit organizations in the communities where it operates, according to the foundation's website. ' This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Beaver Falls fire department, Carnegie library receive Aqua donations The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is warning that November benefits for 1.4 million North Carolinians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may be delayed. In a news release Monday, Oct. 27, the department noted that while October benefits remain unaffected, the state has not received the required federal funding to issue November payments on their usual schedule. A disruption in benefits could affect more than 143,000 Mecklenburg County recipients, the largest number of any county in North Carolina, The Charlotte Observer previously reported . An additional 83,000 people in Wake County alone could be affected by the cuts, a representative for the county told The News & Observer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres what you need to know. Who is affected by SNAP cuts in NC? According to NCDHHS, roughly 580,000 children depend on the program, and more than 80% are working adults. Monthly SNAP payments in the state range between $230 million and $250 million, the department says. The release also warned that the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), which supports more than 262,000 people in North Carolina, could run out of funding soon if federal aid isnt secured. What can you do if you lose access to SNAP benefits? If a government shutdown impacts SNAP or WIC benefits, people who rely on them have a few options to get help, including local food banks, local government hotlines that can provide assistance, and community organizations and nonprofits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Check out the Observers guide on food assistance in North Carolina for more information. NC suing Trump administration over food assistance North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing the Trump administration ahead of the November block, The News & Observer previously reported. The federal lawsuit filed jointly with several other attorneys general and a few governors targets the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget, calling on them to release funding for November food stamp benefits. The USDA has broken the law in a way that will create really severe consequences for a lot of vulnerable people, Jackson said Tuesday, Oct. 28 in a phone interview with The N&O. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that as of Sept. 30, the USDA had indicated it would be willing to use emergency funds to keep SNAP running. But a few days ago, the agency sent a letter reversing course, saying it would cease funding for the program. Can you still apply for SNAP during the shutdown? Yes. Local Departments of Social Services are open, and you can apply in person, by mail or online at epass.nc.gov . For more information, check out the NCDHHS Food and Nutrition Services webpage . How can I help during the shutdown? You can help by volunteering at local food banks, donating food, time or money. For more information, check out the Observers guide to volunteering at food banks in the Charlotte area , and the News & Observers guide to food banks in the Triangle . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Anna Roman contributed to this report. This story has been updated. Ask the North Carolina Service Journalism Team Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea youd like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you. You can submit your question by filling out this form. Thousands in Charlotte may soon lose food assistance. How you can help Thousands in the Triangle may soon lose food assistance. How you can help About 1.4 million Michiganders could see their food assistance benefits cut off in November if the federal government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has informed Michigan and other states it intends to pause food assistance payments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, after Nov. 1. Here's what to know: What does President Donald Trump have to say about SNAP? Trump told reporters Oct. 31 on his way to Palm Beach that congressional Democrats were harming their own supporters, according to CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said SNAP recipients are "largely Democrats." "But I'm president, I want to help everybody. I want to help Democrats and Republicans. But when you're talking about SNAP, if you look, it's largely Democrats. They're hurting their own people," Trump said per CBS News. While Republicans have blasted Democrats' opposition to passing a continuing resolution to open the federal government, Democrats have condemned the Trump administrations argument that it cannot use contingency funds to maintain SNAP benefits during the shutdown. What is SNAP? SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is a federal program that provides benefits to low-income families to help afford food. The program is regarded as the largest anti-hunger program in the country. As of May 2025, SNAP had nearly 42 million participants across the country. In Michigan, roughly 13% of households, receive the benefits. Most people in the program are children, older adults and people with disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than a third of SNAP households in Michigan have older adults while nearly half include children. According to MDHHS, 492,225 children benefit from the food assistance. In the 2024 fiscal year, the average Michigan household receiving SNAP benefits got about $335 a month, which breaks down to $173 per person a month, or $5.68 for each person a day. On the business front, more than 9,700 retailers accept SNAP, allowing them to redeem more than $3.6 billion in 2023 alone. Eligibility for SNAP benefits is based on income, expenses and assets and household size. The benefits are administered by the federal government, but states determine eligibility and issue benefits. The food assistance benefits are provided on electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards that people can use to buy food at grocery stores and other retailers. Why are SNAP benefits pausing? The state received word from the federal government that there may be a delay in SNAP benefits next month because of the federal government's shutdown, nearing a month if nothing changes. The federal government has been shut down since funding lapsed at midnight on Oct. 1. Republicans have said they want a short-term funding agreement; Democrats say they want Congress to extend health care subsidies, set to expire Dec. 31, for plans under the Affordable Care Act. Without that extension, premiums for those plans will increase. When will benefits stop and for how long? MDHHS said in an Oct. 23 news release that the federal government directed the state department to "hold November SNAP issuance and ongoing benefits until further notice." A banner on the USDA's website reads: "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an FAQ about the pause, MDHHS said that the delay is only expected to hit November benefits and that the department is monitoring the situation. What about current benefits? People can still use existing SNAP benefits on EBT cards from prior months, according to MDHHS. What will happen to November benefits if the shutdown ends? In its FAQ, the state health and human services department said once the federal government "notifies MDHHS that we are legally allowed to release November SNAP benefits, they will be loaded onto" recipients' EBT cards. Is Michigan still processing SNAP redeterminations? Yes, MDHHS said on its website that its specialists are continuing to process redeterminations and case changes. Isn't there a contingency fund to pay for SNAP? There is funding that has been allocated through federal appropriations bills in previous years that is believed to total about $6 billion. Democrats and their allies say that money could be used and may be legally required to be used to cover SNAP benefits during a lapse. That $6 billion would cover less than a month's worth of benefits. But the USDA says just the opposite, that it legally can only use those funds to supplement benefits when demand outstrips funding with a federal appropriation is in place. Since the most recent appropriation bill lapsed Oct. 1 hence the shutdown USDA says it can't use the money for that purpose. The agency also says that when the government reopens, it can't reimburse the state if it pays for SNAP out of its own funds (though if Congress gave the USDA money and instructed it to reimburse states, it likely would). What is the state doing? The state receives on average $260 million a month from the federal government for the nearly 1.4 million Michigan SNAP beneficiaries, according to State Budget Office Director of Communications Lauren Leeds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers in the Michigan Senate passed a supplemental spending measure to provide $50 million Oct. 30 for MDHHS for emergency food assistance funding "to raise the food-purchasing power of low-income individuals and households." It passed on a 27-4 vote. It heads to the Michigan House next for consideration. Democrats in the Michigan House of Representatives also have their own plan to use state funding to maintain food assistance benefits. Under legislation from Michigan House Democrats, an emergency supplemental spending measure would appropriate $600 million in state funding for SNAP benefits. The funds would come from previously funded state projects that have lapsed. Also, two separate bills would provide an additional $12.5 million to the Food Bank Council of America and food pantry programs, respectively from the General Fund, the state's largest pot of discretionary funding. It's not clear whether the proposed SNAP spending plan will make its way to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature. Republicans hold a majority in the Michigan House while Democrats control the Michigan Senate. Whitmer Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche has not provided comment when asked whether the governor supports a supplemental spending measure to fund SNAP with state dollars during the federal government shutdown. Meanwhile, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced in a news release Oct. 30, that State Budget Office Director Jen Flood directed MDHHS to provide $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan, a statewide organization that aims to relieve hunger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate lawsuit suing the Trump administration over the potential SNAP cut off due to the shutdown. Will Head Start program meals be impacted by the SNAP pause? No. SNAP funding and funding for free breakfast, lunch and snack in Head Start programs come from separate places, so the SNAP benefits pause will not impact childrens foods needs while they are in Head Start programming during the day, said Jennifer Jonika, executive director at Starfish Family Services, a Head Start provider in Metro Detroit. However, the shutdown could hit Head Start programs in other ways. The funding date for nine of Michigans 48 Head Start programs is coming up on Nov. 1. If the federal shutdown rolls into November and these programs dont get paid on Nov. 1, some of those programs will be forced to close temporarily until they receive their federal funding. More: Nearly 3,000 Michigan kids at risk of losing Head Start services due to federal shutdown How can people get help? Food pantries: To find area food pantries and other resources, go to www.fbcmich.org/food-bank-network; pantrynet.org; www.forgottenharvest.org/find-food, or call the Michigan 211 line. Call locations ahead to confirm availibility, hours and location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Doubling produce purchases: The Fair Food Network's Double Up Food Bucks program, which matches purchases of fruits and vegetables using food assistance benefits up to $20 a day, has lifted the cap amid the looming pause of a federal program. Previously, shoppers could buy fresh fruits and vegetables from participating locations, up to $20 daily, and get matched dollar for dollar to double their purchasing power. Now, the match limit is unlimited. The Fair Food Network has also lifted a 90-day limit for shoppers to use their Double Up Food Bucks meaning there's no expiration. Additionally, shoppers can now use their Double Up Bucks to buy frozen fruits and vegetables without added sugar, salt and oil. The Fair Food Network also announced a separate voucher, called Double Up Bonus Bucks, which offers $40 to buy frozen fruits and vegetables at participating locations and does not require a matching SNAP purchase. The Double Up Bonus Bucks expire Dec. 31. For more information about the Double Up Food Bucks program, go to doubleupfoodbucks.org. Call the program's hotline at 866-586-2796 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday) for questions. Find a participating location at DoubleUpFoodBucks.org/find-a-location. What do food banks and pantries need? Charitable organizations and the federal food benefits program are part of the safety net working to catch vulnerable families struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck. The SNAP pause knocks down an important pillar of that system, adding pressure onto the state's already squeezed food banks and pantries, agency leaders told the Free Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Detroit-based Capuchin Services Center, for instance, already sees more than 3,000 families in a month coming in for food. That number could increase to 5,000. Over in Troy at the United Community Family Services calls to sign up for the food pantry had spiked even before the news of the pause was official. And resources are already "stretched thin" for Forgotten Harvest, according to Chris Ivey, chief marketing and communications officer for the Oak Park-based food rescue nonprofit. Expenses have gone up in the past few years and it's essentially costing more to do the same business. Kristin Sokul, senior director of advancement communications for Gleaners Community Food Bank, said the organization plans to be responsive and buy more food, but the "longer resources are unavailable, the greater the influx of need." Here's how to help: The Capuchin Services Center accepts non-perishable food items. For more information, go to www.cskdetroit.org/en/donate/donate-items/. The United Community Family Services is taking monetary donations because that allows the nonprofit to purchase bulk items. Go to ucfamilyservices.org/. Rutth Markarian, who has been running the Oak Park Gifting Pantry outside at 23400 Seneca in Oak Park, recently posted the need for more nonperishable food donations, including breakfast type-dishes side dishes, cereals, pancake mixes, syrup, canned meats and powdered milk. Go to: www.facebook.com/OakParkGiftingPantry/ Forgotten Harvest's most pressing need is funding to buy more food to keep up with the anticipated increase in demand. To donate, go to www.forgottenharvest.org/donate/. Monetary donations will help Gleaners Community Food Bank best address urgent need. To donate, go to www.gcfb.org. SHARE Detroit, an organization that supports metro Detroit nonprofits, has compiled a round up of volunteer opportunities. For more information, go to https://sharedetroit.org/snap. Have questions about SNAP benefits? Reach out. Do you have questions about the looming pause in SNAP benefits? If so, email Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com. Reporters will try and get answers and update this story. Contact reporter Nushrat Rahman at nrahman@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump on SNAP benefits as pause looms for Michigan residents One person is in custody after shooting at a Chicago police squad car after crashing into it Monday afternoon in Jefferson Park, Chicago police said. A CPD officer assigned to the 16th District tried to pull over a Jeep in the 4800-block of North Milwaukee Avenue just before 4:10 p.m., when the Jeep's driver crashed into the marked squad car and drove away, police said. The driver also fired at least one shot, hitting the squad car, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jeep continued driving to the 4500-block of North Meade Avenue, where it crashed into another marked squad car, police said. SEE ALSO: Man charged with shooting, killing woman getting off party bus in Fuller Park, Chicago police say The driver fled on foot and was taken into custody in the 6100-block of West Eastwood Avenue, CPD said. No one was injured. Officers did not return fire, police said. A gun was recovered from the Jeep, police said. Charges are pending, and Area Five Detectives are investigating. INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER | Track crime and safety in your neighborhood BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A teenager has died in the hospital after a crash reported in northeast Bakersfield on Oct. 19. The California Highway Patrol said one of the female passengers who was in a vehicle that was traveling near Alfred Harrell Highway on Oct. 19 has died at the hospital. Officials said all the passengers in the vehicle were 17-year-old girls. A GoFundMe has been created for funeral expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers were dispatched to Shadow Hills Drive near Alfred Harrell Highway, east of Fairfax, for a vehicle rollover crash around 7:55 p.m. on Oct. 19. Tips for CHiPs fundraiser to support affected families of officers Investigation showed an 18-year-old man from Bakersfield was driving a 2020 white Toyota Camry on eastbound Alfred Harrell Highway in the #2 lane at 80 mph. The driver lost control of the vehicle and it veered to the westbound lane and rolled down an embankment. The driver and passengers were all transported to Kern Medical with moderate to major injuries, according to CHP. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in the crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver could face vehicular manslaughter charges, according to CHP. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A Juvenile died after a crash involving an electric bicycle and a minivan in Lancaster County. The crash, which occurred in the first block of Church Road in Warwick Township near Forney Fields on August 28, severely injured a 16-year-old riding an electric bicycle and a 17-year-old operating a minivan. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Daily Digest The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department said the 16-year-old riding the bicycle failed to yield the right-of-way to the Toyota minivan traveling southbound on Church Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bicyclist later succumbed to their injuries. Police said an investigation found that the minivans 17-year-old drivers actions complied with road rules and regulations. No charges are being filed in connection with the incident. Police are encouraging vehicle drivers, bicyclists, and electric vehicle operators to be cautious when driving on community roadways. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. GREENVILLE COUNTY, S..C (WSPA) State health officials are encouraging people to keep their distance from wild animals after a rabid skunk was found in Simpsonville. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH), the infected animal was found near Lori Drive and Woodruff Road. One individual and a pet dog were exposed to the skunk. The person was referred to their healthcare provider while the dog will be quarantined in accordance with the South Carolina Rabies Control Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The skunk was sent to SCDPHs lab for testing on October 24 and was confirmed to have rabies on Monday. 3 pets exposed to rabies in two Upstate counties To reduce the risk of getting rabies, always give wild and stray animals plenty of space, said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program director at SCDPH. If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it and contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control operator, or wildlife rehabilitator. Health leaders define rabies exposure as direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal. People are encouraged to keep their pets up to date on their rabies vaccinations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Greenville County alone, seven animals have tested positive for rabies since the beginning of the year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. One worker was killed and a second was injured in a fall from a boom lift at a condo complex on the South Shore on Monday, officials said. Officers responding to a report of a workplace accident at the Brentwood Arms condominium complex at 24 North Avenue in Rockland just before 10:45 a.m. learned two men had fallen from a boom lift while performing maintenance work, according to the Plymouth District Attorneys Office. A 72-year-old man, whose name hasnt been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was taken to South Shore Hospital for treatment. There was no word on the severity of his injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of noon on Tuesday, there were no additional details immediately available. State police detectives assigned to the DAs office are assisting Rockland police with an investigation. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW CORRECTION: WREG originally reported that the accused shooters bond was $10 million; however, MPD corrected that error and told us he is being held on a $2 million bond instead. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man accused of killing a rapper and injuring another in a brazen shooting in downtown Memphis was issued a $2 million bond by a judge Tuesday, the Shelby County District Attorneys Office says. Kevin KJ Brown Jr., 23, of Memphis, was arrested Oct. 22 by U.S. Marshals in Clarksville, Tennessee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suspect arrested in Memphis shooting that killed rapper, injured another Brown is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of felony criminal attempt, two counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and theft of property. Kevin Brown The March 22 shooting outside the Westin Hotel near FedExForum killed Latorian Hunt, a Memphis rapper known as Sayso P, and critically wounded Albert Mondane, a Houston rapper known as Sauce Walka. District Attorney Steve Mulroy said the defense had asked for a $100,000 bond. The D.A.s office objected and instead asked for either no bond or $2 million, citing flight risk, serious charges, likelihood of conviction, and public safety concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A police report at the time stated four masked men in a Dodge Charger, armed with handguns and rifles, approached the victims, who were in a Cadillac outside the hotel, and shot at them. The shooting was captured on surveillance cameras. Jayden Dandridge can be seen in video released by MPD exiting this white Dodge with what appears to be a weapon. Dandridge was a suspect, but is now dead. Video from a gas station on Mississippi Boulevard showed the men at the station nine minutes before the shooting. Police said one of them went inside the store while carrying a rifle and purchased a black mask from the clerk. The Charger, which was reported stolen, was tracked to the area of Northwood Hills and Egypt Central on March 22. Investigators say data showed it had traveled there from the homicide scene. Memphis Murder Map 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators say they were able to identify Brown in a video from a gun store with two other men, the day before the homicide. Latorian Hunt, aka Sayso P. Courtesy: Toya Redwing In June, Sayso Ps mother told WREG she didnt believe her son was the intended target and wanted police to catch all the people responsible. I want to know who did this. I want to know who sent them. This is what I told the detectives. These boys didnt do this on their own, at least I dont think so, said Toya Redwing. Shortly after the shooting, police issued a warrant for Jayden Dandridge, 21, for first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. Dandridge was found dead in Houston. His death was ruled a homicide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown has a court date set for Wednesday, jail records show. A police affidavit does not name the other suspects allegedly with him at the time of the crime. One of the suspects, who was previously named Jayden Dandridge, was found dead in Houston. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Last week, the meme-stock phenomenon roared back so strongly that you could practically smell the 2021 stimulus checks burning. A surge in Beyond Meat shares early in the week, which abated Thursday and Friday, reintroduced markets to the disruptive force of Reddit and social media-inspired retail traders whose frenetic activity once helped destabilize multiple hedge funds. SUBSCRIBE: Receive more of our free The Daily Upside newsletter. READ ALSO: Supreme Court Questions White House Rationale for Tariff Regime and Lovin It: Snack Wraps Bring Smiles Back to McDonalds Investors (and Customers) Blast from Reddit Past The meme-stock phenomenon, born during the pandemic, refers to hordes of investors coordinating on social media sites like Reddit to buy shares in specific companies, typically struggling ones. Not because they think theyre poised for a turnaround, but because by creating a maelstrom of sudden demand, they can drive up share prices. Short-sellers are then forced to buy back shares to cover their positions, which sends prices even higher. Of course, things can crash just as quickly because theres no innate business value driving the demand. GameStop and AMC were the most famous examples of meme stocks in their 2021 heyday, and the London-based hedge fund White Square Capital famously had to shut down after incurring losses from bets against GameStop. New York City hedge fund Melvin Capital, which also suffered heavy losses from bets against GameStop, closed in 2022 after it was hit by that years market slump. Another stock targeted back then was Beyond Meat, which made a glorious, and then unglorious, return to meme-stock status last week. Its shares fell to record lows earlier this month, little more than 50 cents, after the struggling company said its creditors agreed to a debt swap that would substantially dilute existing shareholders. Meme-stock traders saw an opportunity and piled in, pushing the company to a peak gain of 1,300% during Wednesday trading. But the frenzy was as short-lived as it was seismic: Citigroup analysts said that retail investors accounted for 16% of single-stock trading volume on Tuesday, the highest on record since 2018. But Beyond Meat shares were up only 267% over the previous five days as of Fridays close, having given up almost all of their peak gains. History Lesson: Beyond Meat reported a 20% year-over-year revenue decline in its latest quarter, so this was not a fundamentals-driven rally. In fact, even with its meme pops, the stock is down so far this year. Before that, they fell for four straight years: by 47% in 2021, 81% in 2022, 27% in 2023, and 57% in 2024. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive delivering razor sharp analysis and perspective on all things finance, economics, and markets, subscribe to our free The Daily Upside newsletter. FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) Officers in Floyd County responded to a bomb threat Monday morning at a middle school. According to a Floyd County Schools news release, around 9 a.m., a student at Adams Middle School reported receiving a threatening text that had been sent on Friday. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School officials moved all students to Prestonsburg High School while police searched the building. No explosives were found, and the school was cleared. Police arrested an 11-year-old student who was charged with terroristic threatening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) An 11-year-old child has died after being found unresponsive in his familys vehicle in Florence. On Monday afternoon, emergency services responded to Hermitage Place Apartments on Hermitage Drive in Florence regarding an unresponsive person. Florence Police said that the child was found inside the vehicle which was parked outside of the home. Employees of the complex began lifesaving measures until emergency services arrived at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities told News 19 that lifesaving efforts continued, and the child was transported to the North Alabama Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Florence Police says that the child was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. He was enrolled in the Florence City School System. Florence City Schools provided the following statement: At this time, I can say that we have grief counselors to offer support for students, faculty, and staff who are affected by this loss. Florence City Schools Detectives with the Florence Police Department are continuing to investigate the incident. If you have information about this incident, contact Detective Jackson at (256)-760-6557. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. History often feels like a series of random events strung together, but if you look closely, youll see unmistakable patterns repeating over time. Empires rise and fall, societies innovate and regress, and human behavior loops in fascinating ways. These cycles are not just academic observations; they shape the world we live in today and offer lessons on what might come next. Of course, skeptics might argue that what looks like a pattern is just a coincidence or selective storytelling. Its fair to question whether these cycles are universal or whether they apply differently depending on the culture or era. But when you dig into the evidence, the similarities are hard to ignore. From economic booms and busts to the resurgence of ancient philosophies, historys rhythm is strikingly consistent. This article isnt about doom or inevitability; its about understanding the cycles that govern our past and present. Knowing these patterns can help us anticipate challenges and opportunities. 1. Empires Rise and Fall Predictably Image Credit: Deposit Photos. The rise and fall of empires follow a surprisingly consistent trajectory. Historian John Glubbs analysis of empires showed that most major powers last about 250 years before declining. Think of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, or the British Empire, all followed a pattern of expansion, peak, and eventual collapse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This cycle often starts with strong leadership and innovation but ends in overreach, corruption, and societal complacency. These factors inevitably weaken the core, leaving the empire vulnerable to external threats or internal decay. Its a reminder that no superpower stays on top forever. 2. Economic Booms Are Followed by Busts Image Credit: World Economic Forumswiss (Copyright )/Remy Steinegger (Photographer) - CC BY-SA 2.0/Wiki Commons. From the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis, economies have shown a clear pattern of growth followed by contraction. Economists like Nikolai Kondratiev have even identified "waves" of economic cycles lasting roughly 50 years. This boom-and-bust cycle is driven by human behavior, optimism, and greed that inflate markets, while fear and uncertainty trigger downturns. While governments attempt to mitigate these swings, history shows that theyre an inevitable part of financial systems. 3. Technological Progress Sparks Both Hope and Fear Image Credit: Deposit Photos. Each wave of technological innovation, from the printing press to the internet, has brought profound changes, but also fear and resistance. For example, the Industrial Revolution created unprecedented opportunities but also triggered concerns about job loss and societal upheaval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This cycle continues today with artificial intelligence and automation. While these technologies promise efficiency and innovation, they also provoke anxiety about inequality and job displacement, echoing fears from previous eras. 4. Wars Often Emerge from Similar Triggers Image Credit: alancrosthwaite at Deposit Photos. Wars throughout history often stem from similar root causes, including competition over resources, ideological clashes, or power struggles. The Peloponnesian War, World War I, and even modern conflicts often start with unresolved tensions that escalate due to alliances or miscalculations. Patterns show that societies often enter wars when they feel threatened or perceive an opportunity to gain dominance. Understanding these triggers can provide valuable lessons for preventing future conflicts. 5. Cultural Revival Is a Recurring Theme Image Credit: master2 at Deposit Photos. Periods of cultural revival, like the Renaissance, often follow times of stagnation or crisis. After the Dark Ages, the Renaissance saw a rebirth of art, science, and philosophy inspired by ancient Greek and Roman ideals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This pattern repeats as societies revisit and reimagine past achievements to solve modern problems. Even today, retro trends in art, fashion, and architecture show how the past continually influences the present. 6. Generational Cycles Shape Society Image Credit: Deposit Photos. Sociologists William Strauss and Neil Howe proposed a generational theory, suggesting that history moves in cycles of approximately 80 years. Each cycle includes four generational archetypes, Hero, Artist, Prophet, and Nomad, which influence societal trends. For example, the "Hero" generation (like the Greatest Generation) emerges during crises, while "Prophets" (like Baby Boomers) lead cultural awakenings. This theory helps explain recurring patterns in social behavior and leadership. 7. Revolutions Are Triggered by Inequality Image Credit: amgadedward at Deposit Photos. From the French Revolution to the Arab Spring, history shows that extreme inequality often leads to uprisings. When wealth and power become concentrated among elites, marginalized groups often organize to demand change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These revolutions tend to follow a pattern: dissatisfaction grows, protests begin, and eventually, power structures shift. While the outcomes vary, the cycle of oppression and rebellion is a constant in human history. 8. Fashion Trends Resurface Every Few Decades Image Credit: Deposit Photos. Clothing styles from the past frequently make a comeback. Bell-bottoms from the 1970s reappeared in the 1990s, and now theyre back again. This cyclical nature of fashion reflects nostalgia and a desire to reinterpret past aesthetics for modern tastes. These cycles also show how culture borrows from its own history to innovate while maintaining a connection to the past. The phrase what goes around comes around couldnt be truer here. 9. Philosophies Resurface During Crises Image Credit: BimbaBayshura at Deposit Photos. Periods of turmoil often bring a resurgence of old philosophies. Stoicism, for example, originated in ancient Greece but has gained modern popularity during times of uncertainty, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These philosophical revivals provide people with a framework to cope with challenges. They show how ancient wisdom remains relevant, proving that human concerns remain consistent across centuries. 10. Urbanization Follows Similar Patterns Image Credit: rokas91 at Deposit Photos. The growth of cities has followed a similar trajectory across different eras. Ancient Rome, medieval Baghdad, and modern megacities like Tokyo all saw rapid urbanization driven by trade, innovation, and migration. Overcrowding, inequality, and environmental challenges often follow, prompting efforts to redesign and improve urban living. The cycle of urban growth and reform highlights humanitys adaptability to changing circumstances. 11. Pandemics Repeat in Cycles Image Credit: Deposit Photos. Major pandemics throughout history show cyclical patterns. The Black Death in the 14th century, the Spanish flu in 1918, and the COVID-19 pandemic all share common traits: rapid spread, societal disruption, and long-term impacts on health and economies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These events often lead to advancements in medicine and public health, but they also reveal the vulnerabilities in global systems. Understanding these cycles helps prepare for future outbreaks. 12. Shifts in Global Trade Follow Predictable Patterns Image Credit: Omer Farooq - CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons. Global trade networks have risen and fallen with the fortunes of empires. The Silk Road, colonial trade routes, and modern globalization all show how trade flourishes during periods of stability and declines during conflict or economic crises. These patterns demonstrate the interconnectedness of economies and the risks of overdependence on specific trade routes or partners. History reminds us to diversify and adapt to changing conditions. A dozen guests were suspended mid-air over the weekend after a power outage left a dozen passengers hanging on a ride at a New Hampshire amusement park - the parks second incident in a week. Twelve guests were aboard the Time Winder at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, a suburb of Boston, on Saturday when the ride experienced a power issue, a spokesperson for the park told Fox 35. The 12 riders who were approximately 30 feet in the air were removed by members of the Salem, NH Fire Department in conjunction with the Parks Maintenance Team in accordance with Park procedures, the spokesperson added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Time Winder is described by the park as being a dynamic family ride with four rotating arms, each carrying eight gondolas for up to 32 passengers. It is meant to create a hypnotic movement as the arms swing in circular motions around horizontal axes. None of the rides passengers were injured, WMUR 9 reported. The Time Winder is closed until further notice, according to the parks website. A dozen passengers on an amusement park ride at Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire got stuck about 30 feet in the air Saturday (Google) Battalion Chief Corey Ward said it was the first time in his 18-year career that Salem fire crews had to help passengers off a ride at the park. We were able to move it so that it was a little bit easier for us to, you know, help passengers to get on our tower ladder and also Canobie Lake Park had a lift there as well that we were able to assist passengers to get them down to the ground, Ward said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just a week earlier on Friday October 17, the parks Untamed Roller Coaster halted mid-way up a hill, forcing people to be removed from the attraction. A spokesperson for the park told WMUR 9 the two incidents are completely separate issues. The park did not immediately return The Independents request for comment. Both incidents occurred during the amusement parks Screeemfest Halloween festivities. The State Fire Marhsals Office is working with the park to determine the cause of both of the malfunctions. We are aware of the recent incidents that led to the evacuation of guests from rides at Canobie Lake Park," the office said. "Our inspectors are working closely with the park's management team to assess what caused these malfunctions and to ensure the continued safety of all guests." DIBOLL, Texas (KETK) At a special meeting on Aug. 4, Diboll ISDs Board of Trustees voted unanimously to place a $12 million bond proposal on the Nov. 4 election ballot. Developer gives update on Parkside North project in Tyler The decision followed months of work by the Districts Facility Advisory Committeea diverse group of parents, teachers, staff, students and community members. Throughout the summer, the committee met several times to tour district facilities, assess current conditions and discuss academic priorities with district leaders. Courtesy of Diboll ISD The proposal includes planned repairs at Diboll Junior High School. In addition to that, it looks to improve HVAC systems, roofing replacement, plumbing and utility repairs and other safety-related improvements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting runs through Friday and Election Day is Nov. 4. Registered voters who live in the Diboll district may vote early from Monday through Wednesday between 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Alternatively, voters can cast their ballots on Thursday or Friday from 7 a.m.-7p.m. Convicted Tyler murderer pleads guilty to additional charges in 19-year-olds death Early voting locations include the City of Lufkin Parks & Recreation Center, located at 512 Montrose, Lufkin. Voters can also head to the T.L.L. Temple Memorial Library (Community Room), which is located at 300 Park Street, Diboll. Residents of Diboll aged 65 and older would be exempt from the tax increase if the citizens approve this proposal. Those who want to estimate how much their taxes might increase can visit the Diboll ISD website. On the right side of the page, they can use the Personal Tax Rate Calculator by entering their home information to calculate an approximate tax increase. You can now stream KETK and FOX51 News live 24/7 on your smart TV with KETK+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. A 13-year-old girl in Texas bit a man twice after he allegedly attempted to kidnap her while she was walking to school, according to the Galveston Police Department. On Monday at approximately 6:58 a.m., officers responded to Central Middle School in Galveston after "receiving calls from the school reporting that a student walking to school had been approached and grabbed by an unknown man," police said in a statement on Monday. Once at the school, officials met with the student, a 13-year-old girl, who relayed what happened to her that morning while she was on her walk to school. Galveston Police Department - PHOTO: Police in Texas are searching for a man who attempted to kidnap a 13-year-old girl while she was on her walk to school, according to the Galveston Police Department. When she left her family's apartment and was en route to school, the girl said she heard "footsteps approaching," with a man then grabbing her from behind, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a "brief struggle," the 13-year-old girl bit the man twice and "managed to break free," running directly to her school, police said. The girl did not sustain any injuries after the attempted kidnapping, officials said. Teachers at the middle school contacted police after hearing the girl's account, officials said. 18-year-old speaks out after alleged kidnapping attempt caught on camera After the girl's parents arrived at the school, they accompanied police back to their apartment to "retrace the student's route to identify where the incident occurred," officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While investigating the area, police were able to obtain video surveillance footage from a business "showing the student walking through the area, following shortly after by a man taking the same path," officials said. Charges dropped against man accused of trying to kidnap a toddler at a Georgia Walmart The individual in the video, who police believe is the suspect, is described as a "White or Hispanic man wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and what appeared to be a ski mask," officials said. As of Tuesday, a suspect has not been arrested, police confirmed to ABC News. Officials said anyone with information on the suspect's identity should contact the Galveston Police Department at 409-763-3777. WHO-TV is adding a new member to its weather team. On Oct. 25, Matthew Glanzmann made his WHO debut as the stations newest meteorologist. Glanzmann will be working as the station's weekend morning meteorologist on a part-time basis. The Elk Grove, Illinois, native is currently attending Iowa State. As part of his duties with WHO, Glanzmann will be featured on Today in Iowa Weekends. A top student of Iowa State University, Matthew brings both academic excellence and real-world experience from his internship (at WKRN News 2) in Nashville, WHO News Director Rod Peterson said. Hes a bright, young talent with a promising future in weather forecasting. Where is WHO's Gabe Prough going? Glanzmann takes over the weekend role from Gabe Prough. The Ball State alum joined WHO in 2022 as a meteorologist and digital multimedia journalist. Prough exits his role as WHOs weekend meteorologist to move into a weekday role, contributing feature stories for Today In Iowa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the first time Ive had weekends off in 6 years, Prough said in a Facebook post, so Im super excited to spend more time with my family and friends. Prough has also been featured in an online segment called Gabe on the Go," which features different places and attractions across Iowa. More: Which Des Moines TV news anchors and meteorologists have served Iowa the longest? Brad Edwards and Jason Parkin round out WHO's weather team WHO 13's weather team includes meteorologists (from left to right) Jason Parkin, Brad Edwards, chief meterologist Ed Wilson, Jeriann Ritter, Matthew Glanzmann and Megan Salois. Two familiar faces are remaining with WHOs weather team as well. Peterson says Jason Parkin and Brad Edwards are serving as contributors for the WHO weather team alongside long-time meteorologists Ed Wilson, Jeriann Ritter, and Megan Salois. Edwards joined the station in July after ending a 28-year run at competitor WOI Local 5 in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Together, they form a team were proud to say has the most Iowa experience on the air because we understand how important weather is to Central Iowans, Peterson said. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State student becomes latest member of WHO 13 weather team NEED TO KNOW Bobby Jackson, 16, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder on Oct. 24 and ordered held on a $1 million bond Idaho police identified the 30-year-old victim as Rebecca Rivera and said there is no known relationship between her and Jackson During a manhunt on Oct. 23, police warned that the teen was "extremely dangerous" In Idaho, a 16-year-old runaway is in custody and being held on a $1 million bond after he allegedly shot a woman dead at her trailer-park home. The Blackfoot Police Department identified the victim as 30-year-old Rebecca Rivera and named the suspect as 16-year-old Bobby G. Jackson in a press release reviewed by PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers launched a homicide investigation on Oct. 23 after responding to a home in the 1100 block of South Broadway, per the release. The teen arrived at Rivera's trailer home sometime after 12:40 p.m. that day, shot the woman in the head and ran, according to KIFI Local News 8, EastIdahoNews.com and CBS2 Idaho News. Investigators wrote in a probable cause affidavit that the teen shot Rivera after she refused to give him a ride, per EastIdahoNews.com, KSL and Law&Crime. "I put a bullet in her brain," Jackson reportedly told cops, per the affidavit reviewed by the outlets. Blackfoot Police Department In a 2:30 a.m. update on Oct. 24, police said he was taken into custody in Pocatello after an overnight manhunt and that there was no further danger to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later that day, Jackson was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and ordered held on a $1 million bond at the 3B Detention Facility, according to an updated statement from the Blackfoot Police Department. Before he was apprehended, police warned Jackson was extremely dangerous, and was last seen around 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 near Highway 91 and Riverton Road. He was wearing blue Levis, a light plaid jacket, cowboy boots and a dark T-shirt, according to an earlier release. Residents were urged to lock their doors and stay vigilant. Detectives said their preliminary investigation indicates he allegedly stole a firearm before the killing and had been reported as a runaway. Our hearts go out to the Rivera family, our community, and all those affected by this tragic crime, the department said in the updated statement. Read the original article on People First grader Joselin is back at school after a successful heart transplant this summer. On Tuesday, her parents walked the 6-year-old back into the school as students and staff cheered. As soon as she saw her teacher, Joselin ran into her arms and said, "I missed you!" Joselin ran into her teacher's arms on Tuesday. The school welcomed her back after Josie underwent a succesful heart transplant. She was greeted by dozens of students at Peck Elementary School. Joselin was born with one heart chamber and has courageously lived with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, also known as HLHS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After years of various treatments, and months of waiting for a donor, she underwent a successful heart transplant in July. "She cried and prayed, every week she kept asking for her new heart. She's like 'I don't want to die here like my other friends'. So, we never knew she was going to walk into school," mother Jacqueline Martinez said. Joselin waived at her classmates as they welcomed her back to Peck Elementary School on Tuesday. Her teacher decorated the classroom with a "Bluey" themed episode called "Joselin's Big Return." Joselin's family hopes this raise awareness about heart conditions and supports others in similar situations Joselin's teacher surprised her with a "Bluey" themed classroom dubbed "Josie's Big Return." Advertisement Advertisement Tech giants are expected to have continued ramping up their AI investments in the most recent quarter and investors will be closely watching the results this week. Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT) are scheduled to report quarterly earnings after the bell Wednesday, while Amazon (AMZN) will release its results Thursday after market close. Enthusiasm over artificial intelligence has powered the stock market to new records this year. At the same time, some strategists have expressed concerns about an AI bubble. A recent spree of circular AI deals among companies including Meta, Google, OpenAI, Nvidia (NVDA), Oracle (ORCL), and Broadcom (AVGO) has heightened fears that demand for AI could be overstated. Any pullback in spending from Big Tech companies could add to those fears and dampen optimism for the broader AI ecosystem. Semiconductor analysts at Deutsche Bank wrote in a note to clients in mid-October that any conservative [capex] commentary will be met with a negative reaction from the broader market. Meta is expected to see capex jump 125% from the previous year to $18.6 billion, per Bloomberg data after growing about 100% in the prior two quarters as the company builds a massive AI data center in Louisiana thats already straining the states power infrastructure. Analysts have projected Microsoft will report expenditures rising nearly 50% to $29.7 billion, though the company itself has guided for spending of more than $30 billion, according to consensus estimates from analysts tracked by Bloomberg. Alphabet is expected to record $22.4 billion in capex, representing a 71% increase from the previous year. Amazon, meanwhile, is set to see expenditures rise 40% to just under $32 billion, marking a deceleration after jumping between roughly 70% and 90% in each of the past few quarters. It's not just capital expenditures that investors will be watching. Big Tech companies must also deliver solid beats on earnings per share (EPS) and revenue to drive stocks higher, according to analysts. These companies have to walk the line really closely, Bokeh Capital Partners analyst Kim Forrest told Yahoo Finance. They need to be spending enough to keep up with their competitors The flip side is they have to be growing their regular business to be able to fund the next business, which is AI. Case in point: Shares in Meta and Microsoft rose after the companies last quarterly reports despite lifting their capital expenditure forecasts as the firms revenue and earnings surpassed expectations. BELCHERTOWN More than 2,000 acres of forest land soon will be conserved in Hampshire County through a partnership between the Kestrel Land Trust and The Trustees of Reservations. About 1,000 acres in Pelham and Shutesbury will be conserved and named Sarah Cowls Forest at Pelham Hills, the organizations announced. In Belchertown, 1,000 acres will be conserved and named Hop Brook Forest. The land was owned by W.D. Cowls, one of the states largest landowners, and sold to Lyme Timber, which gave it to the two nonprofit groups to manage, a spokesperson for The Trustees said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kestrel Land Trust is thrilled to protect these two enormous tracts of forest with The Trustees. The forested hills of Pelham and Belchertown are significant at a statewide scale for biodiversity, but they are also especially important to the community, Kristin DeBoer, executive director of Kestrel Land Trust, said in a statement. The nonprofit groups will work with the towns to connect the land and trails to existing conservation areas. That will mean public access to the Robert Frost Trail in Pelham and the New England Scenic Trail in Belchertown. Cinda Jones, president of W.D. Cowls, said in a statement that the company has conserved more than 11,000 acres of forest with Kestrel Land Trust over the past two decades. While W.D. Cowls still owns and manages two thirds of its original holdings ... these recent conservation deals are private sales with land trust management futures, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement W.D. Cowls, a company founded in 1741, recently has been selling thousands of acres of land in Western Massachusetts. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. NEED TO KNOW Two critically endangered tortoises were stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana State Police stated The zoo's Egyptian tortoise and Northern Spider tortoise two species that both average 4 to 5 inches in length were stolen between Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 Anyone with information about the thefts should contact Capitol Police or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana Two tortoises were stolen from an Indiana zoo and now Indiana State Police is enlisting the help of the public. On Oct. 27, Indiana State Police's capitol section called for public assistance in locating an Egyptian tortoise and a Northern Spider tortoise, both of which were stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo, per a press release. The two tortoises were abducted some time between 10 a.m. on Oct. 11 and 10 a.m. on Oct. 12. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tortoises both considered critically endangered species are microchipped, the press release stated, and the Egyptian tortoise can be distinguished by a "prominent scar on its underside." Indiana State Police/X Egyptian tortoise. Egyptian tortoise. Jake Oakman, the senior vice president of external relations at the zoo, said in a statement that the Indianapolis Zoo is working "closely with law enforcement to investigate the theft," per Fox 59. "We continue to hope for their safe return and we appreciate the communitys support during this time, Oakman said. The Zoo will provide updates when they are available. ISP Capitol Police Section asking for the public's assistance in locating two stolen tortoises from the Indianapolis Zoo. From L to R: Egyptian tortoise (scar on underside) and a Northern Spider tortoise. 317-262-TIPS w/any infohttps://t.co/LMw4rEsCfn pic.twitter.com/CVSF2hha7g Indiana State Police (@IndStatePolice) October 27, 2025 The zoo did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment in time for publication. The Indiana State Police declined to share any further comment on the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Egyptian tortoise, commonly found within 60 miles inland of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the smallest tortoises in the world and generally measures 4 to 5 inches in length, per the Turtle Survival Alliance. Due to their small size, the Egyptian tortoise has primarily faced population decrease due to the pet trade. Threats to their natural habitats and livestock overgrazing also have impacted the Egyptian tortoise population. Similarly small, the Northern Spider tortoise averages about 4 inches in length, per the Saint Louis Zoo. They're the smallest tortoise endemic to Madagascar, where they seek out dry habitats, and burrow into the ground to brumate (similar to hibernate, but specific to reptiles and amphibians). Indiana State Police/X Northern Spider tortoise. Northern Spider tortoise. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Anyone with any further information about the two tortoises' thefts should contact the Capitol Police at (317) 234-2131, or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-TIPS (8477). Read the original article on People EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Two people were injured after a crash on Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, in West El Paso, the El Paso Fire Department said. The Fire Department said the call came in at around 9:30 a.m., regarding a crash on I-10 West at Transmountain. Two people suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital. No further information has been released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Two people were killed and at least one was injured Tuesday in an underground blast at a silver mine in New South Wales, Australian authorities said. NSW Police, in a news update, said the body of a man had been recovered from the mine near Cobar, 450 miles northwest of Sydney, and an injured woman who was rescued subsequently died. A second injured woman who was brought to the surface was airlifted to a hospital. The police department said it had launched an investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Superintendent Gerard Lawson said the three victims were working the night shift at the mine, which is owned by Polymetals Resources. "It is tragic for the families and our employees and the Cobar community and the wider Polymetals family," said executive chairman Dave Sproule, who added that about 30 people were working when the blast occurred in the early hours, local time. The incident was the first fatal mine blast in the country in 10 years. NSW Resources, the watchdog for the state's mining sector, said operations had been suspended at the facility, which also mines zinc and lead, pending its own full investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state's natural resources minister, Courtney Houssos, said the regulator had dispatched inspectors and investigators to the scene, calling it a "heartbreaking day" for Cobar and the mining industry. "While safety protocols and procedures have greatly improved in mining, these deaths are a sobering reminder of why we need to always remain vigilant to protect workers," she said. Cobar Mayor Jarrod Marsden said the tragedy would impact the entire community. "The most valuable thing to come out of a mine are the miners, and two families don't get to see their loved ones anymore. Cobar is a small mining community. It's very tight-knit and I'm sure everyone's going to be thinking of their families today," said Marsden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports in Australian media said the accident was caused by explosives that had been set at the rockface detonating before they were supposed to. Bob Timbs, president of the local branch of the Mining and Energy Union, said it was a "catastrophic failure" in the explosion system. "In this day and age, that type of accident just should not have happened. We will do everything in our power -- once we've dealt with and supported the families and mine workers in the community -- to find out what happened and make sure that it never happens again." At the request of Polymetals, trading in the firm's shares on the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney was paused and then halted through the start of Thursday's trading session, or pending an announcement from the company, ASX said in a notice. Three crashes involving motorcyclists were reported early Tuesday morning across Southern California, leaving at least two dead and another injured. Motorcyclist killed near East Hollywood In the East Hollywood area, a motorcyclist was killed in a collision on the southbound 101 Freeway at the Normandie Avenue exit. The California Highway Patrol told Eyewitness News that officers responded to reports of a two-vehicle crash around 12:30 a.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said a motorcyclist and a sedan were involved, but it's unclear what led to the crash. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. Motorcyclist gets trapped underneath semitruck in Boyle Heights All lanes of the southbound 5 Freeway near the 10 in Boyle Heights were shut down after a motorcyclist became trapped underneath a semitruck. The crash was reported just before 6 a.m. AIR7 was above the scene as firefighters pulled the motorcyclist out from underneath the front of the semi. The motorcyclist was transported to the hospital, but their condition remains unknown. Motorcyclist killed in Irvine Meantime, in Orange County, a motorcyclist was killed on the southbound 405 Freeway just north of Bake Parkway in Irvine, the California Highway Patrol said. All southbound lanes were closed due to the collision. No further information has been released. Eyewitness News is working to get more information on these incidents. The vice president of a plastics plant in Tennessee was fatally shot alongside another employee by a gunman who authorities believe also once worked at the same facility. The gunfire erupted at Barku Plastics in Cleveland, Tennessee, on Monday around 10:20 a.m., Cleveland Police Capt. Evie West told reporters. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Tobias Gleinig and Ivan Aldergot suffering from fatal gunshot wounds. West said the victims were supervisors at the plant and that they were both German citizens. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families, friends, and co-workers of Mr. Gleinig and Mr. Aldergot during this tragic time, Cleveland police said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities were able to quickly identify a potential shooter and a vehicle associated with him, which they tracked to a residence in Bradley County just outside the Cleveland city limits, police said. Cleveland police officers and a SWAT team from the Bradley County Sheriffs Office then surrounded the home, where the suspect had barricaded himself inside. The standoff went on for several hours, before they sent drones into the residence and discovered the man dead. Police believe he suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While the suspects name has not been released, investigators told WCYB it appears that he once worked at the plastics plant. Barku is a subsidiary of Barku Kunststofftechnik, a plastics maker established in Germany in 1977, according to the Tennessee companys website. Aldergot reportedly served as the companys vice president while Gleinigs position has not yet been confirmed. _____ Saturday morning were students at Waianae High School. The boys who died are Maikah Hampp-Iriarte, 17, and Tony Siufanua, 17, both of Waianae, according to the city Department of the Medical Examiner. The cause and manner of their deaths are pending. The boys were members of the class of 2026. In a letter to Waianae High School students, parents faculty and staff, obtained by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Principal Ray Pikelny-Cook wrote with deep sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that two of our students passed away this past weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our Waianae High School community is grieving this tremendous loss, and our hearts go out to the families and friends affected by this tragedy, Pikelny-Cook said. During this difficult time, we want to assure you that support is available for any student who may be struggling with this loss. Our school counselors, along with other members of our support staff, are available to meet with students individually or in small groups. We encourage anyone in need of emotional support, a safe space to talk, or simply someone to listen to reach out. Students may visit the Counseling Office during the school day or contact their teachers or administrators if they would like help connecting with support services, he said. Families who have concerns about their children or who wish to speak with a counselor also may contact the school directly at 808-697-9400. We know that grief affects everyone differently, and we encourage our students and families to lean on one another for comfort and care. Together, as a community, we will honor the memory of our students and support each other through this painful time, Pikelny-Cook said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were no signs of suspicious activity or foul play at the scene, according to the Honolulu Police Department. Honolulu Ocean Safety said one of two fishermen was swept off the rocks, and the other went into the water to help him. Both were found by Ocean Safety personnel near Yokohama Bay and brought to shore, where CPR was performed. They were transported to a hospital in critical condition and later died, according to police. The investigation into their deaths is ongoing. 21 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our. Having trouble with comments ? . NEED TO KNOW Two teenagers were allegedly stabbed during Lufthansa flight 431 from Chicago to Germany on Saturday, Oct. 25 Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli was arrested in connection with the incidents after the flight diverted to Boston Logan International Airport Usiripalli, 28, allegedly also slapped a female passenger and attempted to slap a flight crew member during the disturbance Two teenagers were allegedly attacked with a metal fork by a fellow passenger on their flight from Chicago to Germany. On Saturday, Oct. 25, a 17-year-old boy on Lufthansa flight 431 allegedly awoke to see 28-year-old Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli standing over him, according to a press release from the U S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts. The boy had been sleeping lightly in the middle seat when he was struck with a fork in the left clavicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another 17-year-old boy, who was sitting towards the right of the injured teen in the center row of the aircraft, suffered a laceration to the back of his head after Usiripalli, 28, allegedly lunged at him with the same fork. The attacks occurred following a meal service on the flight, per the attorney's office. Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty A Lufthansa aircraft arriving in Germany A Lufthansa aircraft arriving in Germany Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Usiripalli allegedly formed a gun with his fingers when approached by flight crew members, according to prosecutors. He then put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 28-year-old allegedly went on to slap a female passenger to his left and attempted to slap a crew member. Due to the disturbance, the flight diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was arrested and taken into custody. He was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. According to the attorney's office, the Indian national entered the U.S. on a student visa while enrolled in a masters program in biblical studies. However, Usiripalli does not currently have lawful status in the country. PEOPLE has reached out to Lufthansa for comment. Read the original article on People ST. LOUIS Two women are in custody following the shooting death of a 23-year-old St. Louis man in the Ville neighborhood. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), District 5 officers were called to the 4300 block of St. Ferdinand in regards to a shooting on Sept. 19. When police arrived at the scene, they found Keyshaun Carmel, who was shot. First responders took Carmel to the hospital for his injuries, but he passed away, according to officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time of the incidentwhich was around 5:30 p.m.police were called to another shooting just moments later, this time around W. Florissant and Adelaide. Officials say they located a 23-year-old woman who was also shot. 18-year-old in custody for deer killings in Clinton Co.: Deputies She was transported to the hospital and was listed in stable condition. However, as the homicide investigation continued, police would end up arresting her, as well as a 27-year-old woman. In their investigation into the shooting, SLMPD says the two women confronted Carmel. That confrontation would turn deadly, as all three individuals began shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following Carmels death, both women remain in custody. The investigation remains ongoing, and tips related to the fatal shooting can be given to homicide detectives at 314-444-5371. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. ST. LOUIS Two women are in stable condition at the hospital after being shot Monday in north St. Louis. According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Departments probable cause statement, the shooting happened in the 1900 block of East Prairie Avenue, located in the citys College Hill neighborhood. Police said the victims, ages 56 and 44, were at a bar when they saw Earl Hood in the establishment. The victims were familiar with Hood and knew him to be violent, so they left the bar and drove away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hood followed the women in his own car, police said. When the women stopped, Hood approached their vehicle, opened the car door, accused them of stealing from his girlfriend, and shot them both. One victim was shot in the stomach, while the other suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Police said Hood was taken into custody a short time later. The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office charged Hood with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. Online court records do not yet show when Hood will appear before a judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hood was on parole at the time of the shooting, police said. He has prior convictions for first-degree robbery, first-degree tampering, and felony stealing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Big Tech's earnings season continues in earnest after the bell on Wednesday with Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT) set to announce their results, followed by Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) on Thursday. It's a murderers' row of announcements that are sure to influence the market's direction in the days ahead. We'll still, however, have to wait until next month to hear from AMD (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA), which report on Nov. 4 and Nov. 19, respectively. Read more: Live coverage of corporate earnings Top of mind will be whether and how much Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft's continued investments in AI are paying off, and how much more theyre willing to keep putting up to build out their data centers. For Apple, the big question will be how the iPhone 17 line performed in its first few weeks of availability versus the iPhone 16. That helped push the company's market capitalization to the $4 trillion mark on Tuesday. That makes Apple the third company to cross this threshold after Nvidia and Microsoft. It all adds up to one of the biggest tests of the year for the tech industry, among the most important weeks for tech investors and analysts alike. AI and the cloud AI and its impact on cloud spending will drive much of the conversation for the likes of Amazon, Google, and Microsoft as Wall Street looks for signs of continued AI-powered growth across their respective services. Amazon will have to demonstrate that its AI moves can match Microsoft and Google's offerings during its earnings report. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Sean Gallup via Getty Images In a note to investors, Karl Keirstead of UBS noted that the investment bank's discussions with Amazon, Google, and Microsoft cloud customers and partners were more upbeat going into this quarter than prior reports. Year to date, Amazon's stock price is trailing both Google and Microsoft, climbing just over 4% versus Google's 40% and Microsoft's 30%. For the quarter, Keirstead wrote that both Google and Microsoft will post cloud growth of 32% and 39%, respectively, versus 17% growth for AWS. The problem, he said, comes down to Microsoft's exposure to OpenAI's (OPAI.PVT) insatiable demand for data center capacity and Google's jump in Gemini usage. Amazon serves as the cloud provider for Anthropic (ANTH.PVT), though the AI company signed a deal with Google last week that will see it use up to 1 million Google chips to power its AI software. "The key source of investor angst about AWS growth is around its exposure to AI, and not necessarily that it is losing material share to Microsoft for core or CPU-based workloads," Keirstead wrote. "In order for AWS sentiment to improve on the upcoming 3Q25 results, investors will need to come away feeling more confident in ... AWS's exposure to AI compute workloads," he added. Honolulu police are investigating two unattended deaths after two young males were found unresponsive off Kaena Point on Saturday morning. Honolulu Ocean Safety said one of two fishermen was swept off the rocks, and the other went into the water to help him. Both were later located by Ocean Safety personnel near Yokohama Bay and brought to shore, where CPR was performed. They were transported to a hospital in critical condition and later died, according to Honolulu Police Department officials who said the investigation is ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were no signs of suspicious activity or foul play at the scene, HPD said. The victims have not yet been publicly identified. 8 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our. Having trouble with comments ? . A 17-year-old Massachusetts hiker was rescued late Saturday in Franconia Notch after injuring his leg on a trail. Conservation officers with New Hampshire Fish and Game were notified at 10:20 p.m. that a hiker had slipped on a wet section of the Old Bridle Path in Franconia and could not continue without help. Officers and volunteers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team reached the injured teen from Sudbury, Massachusetts, at 11:45 p.m., about 1.7 miles from the trailhead. More than 20 rescuers used a wheeled litter to transport him down the trail, arriving at 1:25 a.m. Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hiker's family met him at the trailhead and took him for medical evaluation. Rescuers encountered snow at higher elevations that made the trail slippery. New Hampshire Fish and Game officials reminded hikers that days are growing shorter and snow and ice can appear at any time. They urged hikers to carry proper footwear, clothing and light sources, and to pack the 10 essentials even on day hikes. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Its hard to believe that the holiday season is nearly here, and theres an event coming up to get ahead on your shopping, all while supporting local businesses! Siouxland Chamber of Commerce has 1,300 members, a majority of whom are small businesses. The event is free and open to the public, with something for everyone. At the event will be: vendors from numerous industries, complementary samples from food & beverage vendors, products for sale, door prizes, raffles, freebies, and discounts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below Join the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce for the 2025 Small Business Expo on Thursday, November 6, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sioux City Convention Center. You can find out more in the video player above or by clicking here to find the event listing on the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. ST. LOUIS Roadway fatalities are on the rise and Missouri authorities are concerned this could snap a recent downward trend in annual traffic deaths. In 2022, Missouri recorded 1,057 road fatalities, which decreased to 991 in 2023 and further to 955 in 2024, marking a 10% drop over two years. More than 700 people have died on state roadways so far in 2025. Representatives from the Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and American Automobile Association discussed new efforts to prevent driving deaths at a Tuesday news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just looking at the average deaths per day in 2025 might lead one to conclude the state will finish well below 900 fatalities. Unfortunately, traffic deaths ramp up in the final third of the year. According to MoDOT, 344 of the 2024s traffic deaths occurred between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31. If that pattern remains true, these last few months will ensure 2025 tops 2024 road deaths. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Authorities said more than half of 2024 traffic fatalities involved people in vehicles who were not wearing seatbelts. Distracted driving was responsible for 106 deaths, but its believed that number is underreported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Remember that the work zones are a distraction-free area and you should be concentrating on nothing else as youre traveling through those areas, Corporal Dallas Thompson, Missouri State Highway Patrol said. There are more than 1,000 work zones on Missouri roads every day, and many of them stay active through the winter on Interstates 70, 44, and 55. Officials said work zone crashes have become a growing concern this year, as drivers miss signs, fail to slow down, or cross lanes. Ill just say in the last several months we have seen behaviors on the roadway that are really kind of alarming, the way that drivers are behaving, and the result of that is causing us to have some great concern, Ed Hassinger, MoDOT president, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trio charged with arranging murder of witness in child sex case Safety officials said theyre doing what they can to combat challenges that may be out of their hands, such as a snow storm. Just a week ago we had our winter weather drill and so we are in full preparation for winter this year along with our partners in the patrol and local law enforcement, Hassinger said. Meanwhile, with the states ninth annual Buckle Up Phone Down Day on Thursday, Oct. 29, are urging drivers to exercise both caution and common sense. Weve made great progress in reducing fatalities each of the last two years, but in the last few months that progress has slowed significantly, MoDOT State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson said. Even more concerning is the impact behind each of those numbers. The lives lost are a fraction of the lives forever changed by poor driving decisions. BUPD Day is a call for everyone to take the simple actions they can to keep our roads a safe place to drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) Authorities in Anderson County have seized over 23 pounds of methamphetamine and charged two individuals following a major drug bust. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and detectives from the Anderson County Sheriffs Office intercepted a package containing more than 23 pounds of methamphetamine. This discovery led to a search warrant executed in September, where additional drugs and thousands of dollars were found on Twig Lane. During the operation, detectives discovered more than 1,445 grams of methamphetamine and thousands of dollars in cash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, Chadwick Montez Hill and Boutsharday Coley were charged with trafficking methamphetamine and distribution within proximity to a school. Deputies reported that Hill is currently being held at the Anderson County Detention Center. Hill faces additional charges, including possession of a weapon during a violent crime and three counts of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its conclusion that it cannot tap emergency funds to keep food aid flowing for millions of Americans next month. Officials including those from California, New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia argued that USDA violated federal law by planning to suspend benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nations largest anti-hunger program serving nearly 42 million people. The departments actions, they claim, will delay SNAP benefits for the first time in the programs history. The lawsuit, which was filed in a federal court in Massachusetts, asks the judge to overturn the administrations earlier directives instructing states to withhold benefits and require USDA to use all available funds to keep SNAP benefits flowing in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement USDAs action to suspend benefits where there are federal funds that Congress has appropriated and that are available for these benefits threatens to fundamentally undermine trust in the program, the filing states. It is states that operate SNAP on the ground and are forced into the position of trying to explain to needy, hungry people ... why they will not be receiving the benefits they have been promised. POLITICO reported Monday that the state leaders were planning to file the lawsuit today. The expected SNAP funding cliff will hit families right before the holiday season, when food banks and anti-hunger organizations typically experience higher demand. The push to fund food aid programs, like SNAP and another one serving low-income women and infants, has become a sticking point on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers struggle to find a solution amid the fifth week of the government shutdown. The plaintiffs are disputing the Trump administrations statements that it doesnt have the legal authority to use the $5 billion it has in emergency funds to pay for at least part of SNAP, which requires more than $8 billion to pay for November benefits. They also argue that USDA could tap Section 32 funds, which it did to tide over the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, to fully fund SNAP next month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of the attorneys general involved in the lawsuit also wrote to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Friday asking the department to provide a legal explanation for the SNAP delays and possible options to intervene before the program is halted. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats, USDA spokesperson Alec Varsamis said in a statement Tuesday following the lawsuits filing. Continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments. Marcia Brown contributed to this report. As the United States braces for SNAP food aid to be cut off, 25 states are taking legal action. Attorneys general and governors from 25 states, plus Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit on Oct. 28 against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and President Donald Trump's administration, USA TODAY reported. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court in Boston. About 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or food stamps. In Tennessee alone, 690,000 people rely on the government food assistance program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit asks for the court's intervention in the SNAP lapse, claiming that halting the federal program is illegal and goes against the Administrative Procedure Act and 2008 Food and Nutrition Act, the lawsuit documents said. "Across various previous federal government shutdowns, SNAP benefits have never been interrupted by a lapse in appropriations," the lawsuit said. Is Tennessee's leadership involved in the lawsuit? Here's what to know. Is Tennessee suing Trump over SNAP? No. Tennessee was not included in the Oct. 28 lawsuit, according to the court documents. The states involved in the suit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, according to the court documents. Are the states involved in the lawsuit Democratic or Republican? The state attorneys general and governors involved in the lawsuit all align with the Democratic Party, but not all the states went "blue" in the 2024 election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all were won by Trump in the most recent presidential election, according to 270 To Win. Will SNAP benefits stop in November? The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the expected Nov. 1 lapse of SNAP benefits by posting a banner on its government website. "Bottom line, the well has run dry," the government agency said. Senate Republicans, including Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, are backing legislation that would pay for uninterrupted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through 2026 even if the government shutdown continues. Blackburn's staff did not immediately answer questions this week about when the SNAP bill could receive a vote or whether there's support for it in the House, which is out of session again this week. What is SNAP? The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, offers credit for food to low-income families, the elderly or individuals with disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP gives qualifying individuals supplementary funding to buy groceries. The program covers only food: Fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; dairy products; breads and cereals; and other snack foods and nonalcoholic beverages. In Tennessee, SNAP is administered by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. There are strict regulations on who can receive the assistance, how much they have to work and how long a person can be enrolled to receive SNAP benefits. Allie Feinberg and USA TODAY contributed to this report. Allison Kiehl covers trending and breaking news from Knoxville for the Tennessee Connect Team. Email: allison.kiehl@knoxnews.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks at knoxnews.com/subscribe. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Which states are suing Trump over SNAP during government shutdown? Three Chicago schools have been selected for the inaugural cohort of Disney Musicals in Schools Stage Connect, a new online program bringing the magic of musical theater to kids nationwide. As part of the Stage Connect program, Alex Haley Academy, Funston Elementary and Grover Cleveland Elementary will receive free teacher training, show kits and performance rights to help students stage their favorite Disney shows like "The Lion King," "Frozen," and "Aladdin," making musical theater more accessible than ever. Stage Connect builds upon the Disney Musicals in Schools program, which has been igniting a passion for storytelling for 15 years by building sustainable theater programs in public elementary schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO: 'The Lion King' returns to Chicago Interested in having your school participate in Stage Connect? Applications for the next Disney Musicals in Schools: Stage Connect program are now open. Visit disneymusicalsinschool.com/stageconnect to find out if your school is eligible and submit an application. The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company this ABC station. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- At least seven people were confirmed dead in the Caribbean on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa, the world's strongest storm so far this year, made landfall in Jamaica, officials said. The eye of the storm passed directly over western Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after the storm made landfall. Passing over land and the western mountains of Jamaica weakened the storm to a Category 3 hurricane, as it now takes aim at Cuba. The National Hurricane Center had warned residents ahead of landfall to take shelter. Swells generated by Melissa were forecast to affect portions of Hispaniola, Jamaica, eastern Cuba and the Cayman Islands over the next day or two, likely causing life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The South East Regional Health Authority in Jamaica told residents in a statement to watch out for displaced crocodiles in the area. "Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas in search of dry ground," the statement said. Debris along a road was left behind by Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday. Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds of nearly 185 mph, torrential rains and storm surges that threaten to cause flooding and severe damage. Photo by Rudolph Brown/EPA The hurricane is ranked as the strongest landfall, with winds of 185 mph, tied with the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. It also has the second-highest wind speed recorded for an Atlantic hurricane. Hurricane Allen of 1980 had stronger winds at 190 mph. Four of the deaths were on the island of Hispaniola, which comprises the nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, The Guardian reported. A person walks in front of a house damaged by Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday. Photo by Rudolph Brown/EPA Jamaica's Health and Wellness minister, Christopher Tufton, reported the three storm-related deaths Monday night in a recorded statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm very sad to say that over the past few days in preparation for the storm we have had three deaths," he said. The three deaths were connected to the cutting down of trees, with one also involving electrocution, he said. A house stands damaged by the preliminary winds of Hurricane Melissa at Hellshire Fishing Beach in Portmore, Jamaica, on Monday. Photo by Rudolph Brown/EPA "This is really tragic, and our condolences goes out to the family members and where we can provide support as a health team, we have and we will." Nearly 15 others have been injured amid preparations for the storm, Tufton added, saying most injuries involved falls. One resulted from a car crash. A U.S. Air Force Reserve crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the "Hurricane Hunters," flies through Hurricane Melissa's eye on Monday. Photo by Lt. Col. Mark Withee/U.S. Air Force The ministry has urged the public to exercise caution when climbing roofs, securing sandbags and cutting trees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even minor mistakes during hurricane conditions can result in serious injury or death," the ministry said in a statement. The island nation was battered by heavy rains and strong winds ahead of landfall. Islanders were urged to take shelter. There have been reports of downed trees across St. Elizabeth parish and flooding in the Treasure Beach, Black River, Clarendon, Negril and Aenon Town areas. Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond McKenzie said in a press conference that as of 4 p.m. local time Tuesday, more than 530,000 Jamaicans, representing 77% of energy company JPS customers, were without power. He added that 15,000 people had sought shelter, up from the 972 reported by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Monday. More than 800 shelters had been opened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the storm passed, Holness said he had declared Jamaica a disaster area in order to prevent price gouging. Cuba has also evacuated more than 500,000 people from areas vulnerable to flooding and high winds. Democrats on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee have called on the State Department to deploy disaster relief assistance to Jamaica and coordinate with local, regional and international partners to address the effects of the storm when they hit the island nation. "The United States shares deep and enduring ties with Jamaica; over a million Jamaican Americans are watching anxiously as their loved ones brace for catastrophe. The United States must stand with Jamaica and the entire Caribbean before, during and after Hurricane Melissa makes landfall," Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the committee, and Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., said in a statement. The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is now reaching its closest point to the sun, or perihelion, on Wednesday, according to NASA. At just 130 million miles from our star, the comet is expected to flare in brightness as solar radiation heats its surface and blasts streams of gas and dust into space. Astronomers say that when 3I/ATLAS emerges from behind the sun in early November, it could appear much larger and brighter than before. Earlier this month, the comet passed within 12 miles of Mars, giving NASA's HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter a chance to capture its closest photos yet. Those images have not been released because of the ongoing government shutdown, but researchers say they could reveal new details about the comet's jets and surface. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As 3I/ATLAS approached the inner solar system in September, the Nordic Optical Telescope in Spain's Canary Islands recorded a tail forming after earlier images had shown an "anti-tail," a plume that seemed to point toward the sun. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb suggested the unusual behavior could resemble "controlled maneuvering" and proposed the comet might be an alien spacecraft. Most astronomers, however, explain the changes as a natural result of the comet's rotation and the way sunlight interacts with dust and gas. Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. Could similar objects be the seeds of new planets around young stars? (NASA/ESA/David Jewitt (UCLA). Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)) In late August, images from Chile's Gemini South telescope showed 3I/ATLAS surrounded by a glowing haze and a growing tail as sunlight heated its icy surface, causing frozen gases to vaporize. In mid-August, scientists using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile detected the chemical signature of cyanogen gas as the comet reached about three astronomical units from the sun. Earlier, on July 20, the VLT team led by Rohan Rahatgaonkar and Darryl Seligman reported glowing nickel vapor in the comet's atmosphere when it was still nearly four times farther from the sun than Earth. The researchers said metals like nickel usually require much higher temperatures to vaporize, making the finding unusual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also noted that iron was not detected alongside the nickel, an uncommon pattern in comets. Rahatgaonkar and Seligman suggested that the nickel may be locked in molecules that break apart easily under sunlight, releasing the metal at low temperatures. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) revealed that the comet's gas cloud, or coma, contains far more carbon dioxide than water, a reversal of the typical ratio seen in solar system comets. JWST also detected water ice and carbon monoxide gas, suggesting a complex mix of frozen materials. According to Rahatgaonkar and Seligman, this composition indicates that 3I/ATLAS likely formed billions of years ago in a very cold region around another star, possibly predating our solar system. 3I/ATLAS was first detected on July 1, 2025, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey. It is only the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system. According to NASA, it is the largest, fastest-moving, and possibly the oldest interstellar visitor observed to date. Scientists continue to monitor its activity as it completes its brief but revealing passage through the solar system, carrying chemical clues from a distant star system. More Space NASA | Startling close call as undetected asteroid flies close to Earth Icon | Historic space shuttle could be compromised for trip to Texas Experiment | Texas family gets surprise as NASA equipment lands on farm Wonder | 'Alien comet' mystery deepens as new theory emerges For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here. This article originally published at 3I/ATLAS comet nears sun-hints at secrets from distant star system. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has declared that investors are rushing into crypto and precious metals such as gold as "assets of fear," driven by mounting concerns over spiraling government debt worldwide. "Owning crypto assets or gold are assets of fear," Fink said during his appearance at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, according to a Bloomberg report. "You own these assets because you're frightened of the debasement of your assets. You're worried about your financial security. You're worried about your physical security." The renewed focus on the socalled debasement tradewhere investors move away from fiat currencies into hard assetsis rooted in a clear trend: purchasing power is weakening in light of both fiscal and monetary policy leeway, especially on the U.S. dollar side, Fabian Dori, Chief Investment Officer at Sygnum Bank, told Decrypt. There are good reasons why private investors, banks, and institutions may start to hedge using Bitcoin, he added, while warning that 24/7 volatility demands new risk systems and round-the-clock liquidity management. Does the Bitcoin 'Debasement Trade' Narrative Still Hold Up After the Crash? The concerns come as the U.S. government's debt burden is projected to exceed levels in both Italy and Greece for the first time this century. General government gross debt in the U.S. will surge by more than 20 percentage points to reach 143.4% of GDP by 2030, surpassing pandemic-era records, according to IMF forecasts. The IMF estimates the U.S. budget deficit will remain above 7% of GDP annually until 2030, the highest among rich nations tracked by the fund. Finks crypto pivot Fink has gone from calling cryptos such as Bitcoin the domain of money launderers and thieves in 2017 to describing himself as a major believer in 2024, saying its an instrument you invest in when youre more frightened. Two weeks ago, he told CBS that markets force constant reassessment, adding that crypto has "a role in the same way there is a role for gold, that is, it's an alternative." BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: Bitcoin and Crypto 'Serve Same Purpose as Gold' With BlackRock managing $12.5 trillion in assets and operating the largest crypto ETF, the iShares Bitcoin Trust, with $93.9 billion under management, his views carry substantial weight across global markets. Nic Puckrin, crypto analyst and co-founder of The Coin Bureau, told Decrypt that while Bitcoin originated as an "asset of fear" in response to the 2008 financial crisis, crypto has evolved into "a risk-on bet on the future of blockchain technology and an entirely new, borderless financial system." Boston police recently created an online dashboard of unsolved homicides dating back to 1963, compiling decades of cases into one place including dozens that have gone unsolved for 50 years. We certainly want the loved ones of these victims to know that we remember them, but this is not a memorial, it is seeking information. These are cases that we need assistance solving, said Sgt. Det. Nick Moore, a member of the departments homicide unit, helped work on the site. Everyone listed on these unsolved pages had a life that existed before this trauma happened to them. They have loved ones who want to know what happened to them, Moore said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Listed by year on the Homicide Unit section on police.boston.gov, the dashboard was compiled from existing department records. It includes recent victims like 18-year-old Leroy Ryner and 20-year-old Kareem Daveiga-Booth, killed nine days apart in January, and stretches back to James Smith, 32, shot in 1963 the first case listed on the page. Each entry includes the victims name, age, date, location and cause of death, confirmed as homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Its a step in transparency long-awaited by advocates. We are glad to see it happening ... its really long overdue, said Clementina Chery, president of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chery lost her own son, Louis D. Brown, to gun violence three decades ago and has since made it her mission to support other survivors. This spring, the Peace Institute co-authored a report with Northeastern University calling for such a tool to improve public awareness and survivor outreach. Among the listed Boston cases are 40 people who were killed in 1975 none of their cases solved, their loved ones left to carry not only the weight of grief but also heavy, unanswered questions. Here are the names of Bostons homicide victims whose cases have gone unsolved for 50 years. All individuals deaths have been determined homicides by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Edward J. Belmonte Date of incident: January 23, 1975 Location of incident: Parking 28 to 52 Northern Ave. in Boston Cause/manner/manner of death: Shooting Arthur Coyne Date of incident: January 31, 1975 Location of incident: Stage Deli at 130 Boylston St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Homicide Thomas Murphy Date of incident: February 3, 1975 Location of incident: Gulf gas station at 1563 Blue Hill Ave. in Mattapan Cause/manner of death: Shooting Elmer Menard Date of incident: February 8, 1975 Location of incident: 58 Devonshire St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Charles James Date of incident: February 8, 1975 Location of incident: 16 East Brookline St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Trauma, homicide Leonard D. Bonds Date of incident: February 17, 1975 Location of incident: Terrace and Tremont streets in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Shooting David W. Coulter Date of incident: February 22, 1975 Location of incident: 102 Revere St., Apt. #2 in Boston Cause/manner of death: Homicide Thomas Person Date of incident: March 1, 1975 Location of incident: 80 Stratton St. in Dorchester Cause/manner of death: Stabbing James L. Jones Date of incident: March 4, 1975 Location of incident: In a field off Sarsfield Street, about 150 feet from Columbus Avenue Cause/manner of death: Shooting Henry Kimble Date of incident: March 7, 1975 Location of incident: Navarre and American Legion Highway Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Mark M. Shamon Date of incident: March 11, 1975 Location of incident: In front of building at 204 W. 9th St. in South Boston Cause/manner of death: Shooting Debbie Ann Counts Date of incident: March 20, 1975 Location of incident: In field across from 65-85 Allerton St. in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Assault/homicide Fletch Kelsey Date of incident: March 29, 1975 Location of incident: In hallway of 10 Bickford St. in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Juan Claudio AKA Claudio P. Cruz Date of incident: March 30, 1975 Location of incident: Fayette & Charles St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Lawrence Russo Date of incident: March 31, 1975 Location of incident: First floor apartment at 59 S. Huntington Ave. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Trauma/homicide John F. Kenner Date of incident: April 21, 1975 Location of incident: On sidewalk outside 2850 Washington St. in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Shooting Jean E. Doherty Date of incident: May 17, 1975 Location of incident: Railroad tracks near near of Chapel 65 Northern Ave. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Trauma/homicide Ralph Colarusso Date of incident: May 22, 1975 Location of incident: Mobile gas station at 588 Commercial St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Shooting Joseph T. Conley Date of incident: June 9, 1975 Location of incident: 219 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown A.V.F.W. Post Cause/manner of death: Shooting Harriet Vincent Date of incident: June 11, 1975 Location of incident: Basement room of 6 Hestia Rd. in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Homicide Richard F. Day Date of incident: June 27, 1975 Location of incident: Backyard of 174 Brooks St. in East Boston Cause/manner of death: Shooting Ulisis Santiago Date of incident: July 3, 1975 Location of incident: 9 Cortez St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Stabbing James L. Gorman Jr. Date of incident: July 13, 1975 Location of incident: Roadway in front of 7 Melrose St. Cause/manner of death: Shooting Diane Bryant Date of incident: July 22, 1975 Location of incident: 129 Marlboro St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: A fire broke out in the building and Bryant fell five floors as a result of the collapse of a fire escape, as she waited to be rescued. Radames Robles Date of incident: July 26, 1975 Location of incident: Dudley and Adams Streets Cause/manner of death: Trauma/homicide Edward Hall Date of incident: August 2, 1975 Location of incident: Sidewalk on Washington Street at West Newton Street Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Ruth B. Pearson Date of incident: August 23, 1975 Location of incident: Middle of the field at Madison Park in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Shooting William Christopher Livingstone Date of incident: August 29, 1975 Location of incident: Street of 145 Tremont St. in Boston Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Clarence Johnson Date of incident: September 1, 1975 Location of incident: 57 Rutland St., Apt. #3 in Boston Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Florencia Maldonado Date of incident: September 6, 1975 Location of incident: Opposite 57 Pembroke St. in South End Cause/manner of death: Shooting Robert Earl Rogers Date of incident: September 8, 1975 Location of incident: In the parking lot of 150 Monticello Ave. in Boston, behind the boiler room Cause/manner of death: Shooting Joseph V. Wholey Date of incident: September 20, 1975 Location of incident: 35 Anderson St., Apt. #3 in Boston Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Louis P. Viecelli Date of incident: October 12, 1975 Location of incident: Schoolyard of Tileston School on Babson Street in Mattapan Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Louis Delsesto Date of incident: October 20, 1975 Location of incident: Beatrice-Marie Nursing Home at 337 Neponset Ave. in Dorchester Cause/manner of death: Shooting Francis X. Leonard (a.k.a. Leonard, Buddy) Date of incident: November 6, 1975 Location of incident: 25 Pilsudski Way in South Boston Cause/manner of death: Shooting Benigno Aletandre Date of incident: November 9, 1975 Location of incident: Doorway of 2 Dudley St. in Roxbury Cause/manner of death: Shooting James Shields Date of incident: November 18, 1975 Location of incident: 10 Brandon Ave., Apt. 861 in Columbia Point Cause/manner of death: Shooting Thomas M. Strange Date of incident: November 20, 1975 Location of incident: 16 Wendeller St. in South Boston Cause/manner of death: Homicide Walter L. Rainey Date of incident: November 24, 1975 Location of incident: 29 Rich St. in Mattapan Cause/manner of death: Stabbing Charles L. Veno Date of incident: December 3, 1975 Location of incident: Ashmont Creamery at 1865 Dorchester Ave. Cause/manner of death: Shooting More boston Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) On Wednesday, Georgia Trend Magazine will honor Georgias 40 under 40 selections for 2025. Of the 40 selections, four of them are Savannah women. Latricia Brown shared her story with WSAV News 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. (The Center Square) An increasing number of Wisconsin voter registration information does not match information from the states Department of Transportation. There are more than 41,000 voter registrations in the state without matching Department of Transportation records such as drivers licenses or identification cards, a number that is nearly double the total from 2020, according to Wisconsin Election Commission data acquired by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty. The data is required by the Help America Vote Act but WILL was denied further information from the databases to verify what the specific discrepancies were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They include 11,174 registrations without a drivers license number, up from 4,885 in 2020 and 24,733 cases where a name does not fully match WisDOT information, up from 15,260 in 2020. Were not in any way saying that these 40,000 votes were fraudulent votes, Lucas Vebber, deputy counsel for the WILL, told The Center Square. We dont know that. We dont even know if these 40,000 names were even voters in the election. We know that theyre on the voter registration list and its certainly likely, of course, that some of them voted. But we dont know because we dont know who voted and we dont know what all the discrepancies are. It could be something innocuous, it could be something more serious. But our point in the letter is just saying this is serious enough that questions need to be answered and we need a little more transparency here from the government. WILL sent a follow-up letter to the U.S. Department of Justice on the issue after urging the department earlier this fall to take a deeper look at the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Waukesha County judge ruled in an unrelated case earlier this month that the WEC must check voter registration information with state identification information to ensure the voter rolls are accurate but a stay was placed on that ruling until the results of a hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Friday. The WEC data showed that the name and date of birth dont match on 680 registrations, just the date of birth doesnt match on 3,110 and there were no WisDOT matches found for 2,069 registrations. WILL has urged the WEC to explain why it has different processed to vet online voter registration information than hand-written forms. What are they doing to ensure the integrity of our voter registration list? Vebber said. Thats a real good question for WEC. If they have this information, then they are aware of this discrepancy. What are they doing with it? Wed like to know. WEC has said that online registrations are blocked if information does not match such as a voters name, date of birth, license number or residency but it simply said that a separate process is used for paper registrations. As Category 5 Hurricane Melissa threatens multiple Caribbean islands with a projected path to make landfall in Jamaica by Oct. 28 before continuing on through Cuba, The Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos, Carnival and other cruise lines have made major changes to this weeks Caribbean cruise routes. For many cruise passengers, that means their vacations will take them to unexpected ports in other parts of the Caribbean. On some cruises, passengers will spend additional time at sea to avoid sailing through rough seas created by the extremely dangerous storm. Carnival Cruise Line shared an update on how its altering cruise itineraries across five ships this week in an Oct. 27 weather update. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami is closely monitoring forecasts for Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and we are keeping our partner islands, in potential harm's way, in our thoughts, the cruise line began. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Two Carnival cruise ship calls to Grand Turk have been canceled due to Hurricane Melissa.Image source: Carnival Corp. Carnival changes five Caribbean cruise itineraries As of 11 a.m. on Oct. 27, five Carnival cruise itineraries have been revised due to Hurricane Melissa: Carnival Liberty: visits to Montego Bay, Jamaica on Oct. 29, and Grand Cayman on Oct. 30, have been replaced with calls on Mahogany Bay (Honduras) and Belize. Carnival Celebration: visits to both Grand Turk on Oct. 28, and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic on Oct. 29, have been canceled. Instead, the ship will call on Cozumel, Mexico. Carnival Dream: a call to Montego Bay on Oct. 29 has been canceled. Carnival Sunrise: a visit to Grand Turk on Oct. 30 has been replaced with a stop in Nassau, Bahamas. Carnival Vista: a call to Amber Cove on Oct. 30 has been replaced with a stop in Nassau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More itinerary changes could be necessary as Hurricane Melissa moves across the Caribbean in the coming days. Safety is our priority, and we continue to track conditions carefully, factoring in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard, and local port authorities to provide timely updates, Carnival noted. Related: Dont skip this optional step during check-in for a Carnival cruise Carnival will notify passengers of any further itinerary changes via email, as well as through text alerts to those who signed up for them. Guests on upcoming sailings are encouraged to opt-in for sailing alerts via Cruise Manager on Carnival.com and monitor their emails for potential updates from Carnival, the cruise line advised. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Why dont cruise lines replace all dropped ports? Cruise lines will always attempt to replace a dropped port of call, but sometimes alternate options aren't available due to port and cruise schedules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to get the ship back to its home port on time and that is one of the reasons that we cannot get you to another port. There may also be no space at the pier, Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald explained in an Oct. 27 Facebook post about Carnivals Dreams revised cruise itinerary, which replaced a visit to Montego Bay with a day at sea. Related: Can you get a hurricane refund for a Carnival cruise? Cruise lines are not required to compensate passengers for missed ports, but they will refund port taxes and any excursions booked through the cruise line for the missed port visit. Although trading a port day for a day at sea can be disappointing, most cruisers understand that staying safe is whats most important. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If I was on that ship I would be content in the fact that we are going away from that hurricane. Besides, sea days are very relaxing and can still be a lot of fun, cruiser Jeff Barker pointed out in a comment on Healds post. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Oct 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Five men in Livingston Parish were arrested after deputies found large amounts of narcotics during a drug bust. According to the Livingston Parish Sheriffs Office, deputies investigated alleged drug dealer Darnell Peanut Jones, 50. He is accused of selling methamphetamine and fentanyl from a home on Herring Drive in Walker. After securing a search warrant of the home, deputies recovered the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 1,634.2 grams of cutting agent 218.8 grams of marijuana 203.2 grams of methamphetamine 28.1 grams of fentanyl 6.7 grams of speedball (a mixture of methamphetamine and fentanyl) 2.1 grams of crack cocaine 20 suboxone strips blender containing fentanyl residue packaging material digital scales $1,481 Jones, along with Michael Corkern, 69, Danny Whitehead, 50, Henry Smith, 68, and Clifton Elkins, 52, were arrested and booked into the Livingston Parish Detention Center. Darnell Peanut Jones (Photo courtesy of LPSO) Michael Corkern (Photo courtesy of LPSO) Danny Whitehead (Photo courtesy of LPSO) Henry Smith (Photo courtesy of LPSO) Clifton Elkins (Photo courtesy of LPSO) Jones faces charges of possession with the intent to distribute Schedule I, II, and III drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, and creation/operation of a drug lab. His bond amount is set at $325,500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corkern was charged with possession with the intent to distribute Schedule I drugs, manufacture/distribution of Schedule II drugs, manufacture/distribution of Schedule III drugs, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has a bond amount set at $300,500, according to jail records. Smith was charged with possession of Schedule II drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond amount is $10,500, jail records say. Whitehead and Elkins face possession with the intent to distribute Schedule I, II, and III drugs charges and possession of drug paraphernalia. Their bond is set at $300,500. Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. The University of Maryland Childrens Hospital received a record $50 million gift from entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Golisano to advance childrens health care in Maryland. For nearly 80 years, our Childrens Hospital has cared for Marylands children and families right here in downtown Baltimore, offering full-service care, said Dr. Stephen Czinn, director of the newly renamed University of Maryland Golisano Childrens Hospital. Over the years, we have grown, and these programs and services are now located in multiple buildings downtown. This is going to allow us to locate all of these services in one building. The gift is the largest ever received by the University of Maryland Medical System and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Golisano announced the donation and similar gifts to six other hospitals around the country in an event on Tuesday in Rochester, N.Y., that was broadcast live at the Childrens Hospital. Together, these new members expand the Golisano Childrens Alliance to 10 hospitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Childrens health has always been a priority for me, said Golisano, former CEO of Paychex Inc. Im looking forward to seeing what these hospitals can achieve together. The alliance also announced that the first Golisano Symposium will take place next May in Rochester, bringing top experts in pediatrics together to share knowledge. Being a part of a ten-hospital alliance has tremendous benefits for the children of Baltimore, said Bert OMalley, president of the University of Maryland Medical Center. We will be able to look at the best practices and get advice from other hospitals in dealing with the issues we face. The gift also will also the Childrens Hospital to continue to grow as well as help attract and retain best-in-class physicians, said Heather Culp, chief philanthropy officer for University of Maryland Medicine. She said they look forward to expanding high-volume programs in heart care and rare diseases, launching gene therapy services for children, and accelerating innovation and research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Childrens Hospital currently has 90 beds, treating 3,000 admitted patients and 118,000 outpatient visits each year, according to a statement. The new hospital building will improve care and simplify patients lives, Czinn said. We will be able to provide a more patient-friendly, child-friendly experience in a visually welcoming location, he said. This will be the crown jewel of childrens medical treatment in Baltimore. Have a news tip? Contact Karl Hille at 443-900-7891 or khille@baltsun.com. Tom Golisano announced a $50 million gift to Kentucky Children's Hospital to improve pediatric health care in Kentucky. (Photo provided by Golisano Foundation) The University of Kentucky childrens hospital is getting $50 million and a new name. The gift, announced by Paychex founder Tom Golisano, is the largest ever to UK HealthCare, second-largest in UK history and will transform pediatric health care in Kentucky, according to a news release from the university. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Golisano on Tuesday also announced sizable donations from the Golisano Foundation to five other childrens hospitals, bringing the Golisano Alliance to 10 pediatric hospitals across the country. Speaking in Rochester, New York, home to the first Galisano childrens hospital, he said the alliance is an opportunity to share best practices, knowledge and ideas. As part of the Golisano Childrens Alliance, UK HealthCare becomes part of a nationally recognized network of childrens hospitals that exemplifies excellence, dignity, and innovation in pediatric health care, Galisano said. With this gift, I hope to further UKs mission of advancing health care in the state and providing high-quality health care to children and families closer to home. UK President Eli Capilouto said, Mr. Golisanos life has been about grit and grace, and thats exactly what we see every day here in Kentucky. His generosity is a testament to his faith in what we provide to Kentucky and her children a promise to extend compassionate care, to more patients, closer to home. Well translate his gift into acts of goodness to ensure a healthier, wealthier and wiser Kentucky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UK Board of Trustees was set Tuesday to approve renaming Kentucky Childrens Hospital, its specialty clinics and affiliate network in honor of Mr. Golisano: LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Advocates and lawmakers gathered Monday afternoon to announce new funding for repairs to the Lake Lansing Dam. Officials say the states 2026 budget allocated $750,000 toward the dam, which they say will help strengthen the infrastructure of the dam to keep nearby neighborhoods and schools safe. Lake Lansing Park South. (WLNS) Advocates say the dam is essential to maintaining stable water levels, protecting the surrounding properties, supporting recreation, and ensuring ecological balance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $750,000 appropriation from the state to this project is very significant and very much appreciated, said Claudia Kerbawy, president of the Lake Lansing Property Owners Association. The county, the township, and the residents around the lake will be paying for this project, and this will go a long way into that process. Lake Lansing. (WLNS) Lake Lansing is a 453-acre lake, and it sees more than 330,000 annual visitors to both surrounding parks, according to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners. The parks provide beach access, outdoor picnic spots, ice-fishing, boating, paddleboarding, volleyball, and a public boat launch. The lake is also used by the Lansing Sil Club and the Michigan State University sail team. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) Two Midland residents were involved in a deadly crash Monday afternoon on Business 20, leaving one man dead and another uninjured, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The crash happened around 4 p.m. on October 27 near Elkins Road. DPS said 77-year-old Henry Jesse Vasquez, driving a 2018 Nissan Frontier eastbound in the left turn lane, attempted to turn left across westbound traffic. Troopers said Vasquez failed to yield the right of way and turned into the path of 42-year-old Inderveer Singh Rehal, who was driving a 2020 Ram 2500 westbound in the right lane. Vasquez, of Midland, was wearing a seatbelt but died at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rehal, also of Midland, was not injured and was wearing a seatbelt. The investigation is ongoing, and no further information has been released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin. Boeing (BA) posted a third quarter revenue beat and an improving cash-flow burn rate before the bell on Wednesday, as CEO Kelly Ortberg's turnaround of the troubled aviation giant rolled on. The planemaker reported Q3 revenue of $23.27 billion compared with the $22.29 billion expected, per Bloomberg consensus higher than last quarter's $21.68 billion and a 30% jump compared with a year ago. It posted an adjusted loss per share (core loss per share) of $7.47 versus the $4.92 estimated, but that was attributed to a one-time charge related to the program for Boeing's latest wide-body jet, the 777X. Boeing's adjusted free cash flow came in at negative $238 million, compared to the negative $884.1 million estimated, a major improvement for the company. A year ago, Boeing reported a staggering net loss of $6.17 billion and negative free cash flow of $1.34 billion. Operating cash flow also improved, coming in at $1.12 billion in Q3 vs. estimates of negative $197 million. Boeing stock wavered in premarket trading and opened down around 2% in early trade. "With a sustained focus on safety and quality, we achieved important milestones in our recovery as we generated positive free cash flow in the quarter," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a statement. Boeing's 777X remains behind schedule and has not yet been certified by regulators, leading to the company taking a $4.9 billion charge due to the delay. That contributed to its core loss per share this quarter, it said. "It's obviously a disappointment, but we just need more time to complete the certification," Ortberg said during the earnings call. Earlier this month, Boeing announced Q3 commercial deliveries hit 160 jets versus the 150 delivered last quarter and 116 delivered in the same quarter a year ago. Of Q3 deliveries, 121 were 737 Max jets (compared to 92 delivered a year ago), 24 were 787 jets (14 last year), nine were 777s (four last year), and six were 767s (six last year). Selling like hotcakes? A Boeing 737 MAX aircraft is assembled at the company's plant in Renton, Wash., on June 25, 2024. (Jennifer Buchanan/Pool via Reuters/File Photo) via REUTERS / Reuters Read more: Best travel rewards credit cards for 2025 As for cranking up sales of its bestselling 737 Max, the FAA recently approved Boeing to raise its 737 Max production rate from 38 to 42 aircraft per month after the plane maker met certain milestones for manufacturing and safety. Boeing noted in its Q3 release that 737 Max production has stabilized at 38 planes per month but has not yet reached the 42 planes per month rate. Ortberg's longer-term goal for 737 Max production is 47 planes per month. Ortberg said on the call that he sees certification of the 737 Max 7 and Max 9 derivatives occuring sometime in 2026. CHICAGO An 8-year-old Chicago boy is giving back for his birthday by feeding 150 families Saturday in a food drive. Alex Anning wasnt looking forward to presents or cake for his birthday but took inspiration from a Chicago kindergartener, Armani Crews, who spent her birthday feeding the homeless. Anning was moved to tears after seeing a man experiencing homelessness and asked his mom, Kymbria Young, if he could follow in Crews footsteps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Alex saw someone struggling, he wanted to help, Young said. His compassion shows that anyone can take action and make a difference at any change. The event, hosted in partnership with the non-profit Season to Soar, takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School, located at 7050 S. May St. Families in need will receive free bags of groceries filled with items such as meat, pasta, bread and dessert. The food drive coincides on the same day the federal government is letting SNAP benefits go unfunded for millions due to the government shutdown. Visit here to donate to the food drive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Many native New Yorkers can probably say with confidence that their grandparents and even great grandparents have been captivated by the Abc Carpet & Home retail experience at some point in history. Now that enchanting charm has expanded to another New York City location. The firm told WWD that it opened a temporary store, its first in Manhattan, located on the northeast corner of 59th Street and Park Avenue, at the heart of New York Citys luxury shopping district. Opening temporary spaces in seasonally relevant markets is part of a broader retail strategy for possible expansion, the firm said, adding that the NYC space will stay open through early January 2026, though that date is flexible. More from WWD Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It allows us to be closer to our loyal uptown customers who dont come downtown as often. Its proximity to the D&D building [home to more than 100 showrooms] was really perfect because it was a natural hub for the trade and design community and its an opportunity to see how customers want to experience Abc going forward, Suki LaBarre, Abc Carpet & Homes vice president of merchandising told WWD in an interview. The 505 Park Avenue location is not the first pop-up. In the spring of 2025, Abc Carpet & Home opened the doors to its Greenwich, Conn. shop, located in the citys popular shopping promenade Greenwich Avenue. Shortly after, the company opened its Southampton summer pop-up on Pond Lane. ABC Carpet and home Abc, which started in 1897 with a pushcart selling carpets in the Lower East Side, moved to its Flatiron District address on 888 Broadway in 1961. Known for creating a magical experience, the physical space houses a restaurant alongside its emporium of accessories, decor and furnishings. Abc Carpet & Home was bought by 888 Capital Partners, a private investment group, in 2021. Since the start, the investment group has been focused on expanding the business and its digital footprint, explained LaBarre. We were hyper-focused on strengthening our online channel and were still very focused on digital growth. But this [the pop-up] was the next phase of reintroducing Abc to the world and giving other areas a taste of what we have at our 888 flagship location, she said, emphasizing that while expansion is on the firms radar, there are no plans at the moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are looking to expand but nothing concrete. I dont have a store rollout to sharebut so far, the latest year of pop-ups has been very successful and I think Abc probably more than the average brand is one you really need to feel. Suki Labarre, Morgan Buksbaum Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl on Tuesday recalled speaking with President Donald Trump mere hours after he won the 2024 election, and compared Trumps unbridled ego during that exchange to one of the most power-hungry characters in television history. Karl sat down with The View to promote his new book Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign that Changed America. The anecdote about his phone conversation with the president was a standout for ABCs former chief White House correspondent. News: Trump Was Concerned About 1 Thing After Assassination Attempt, ABC Reporter Says Karl prefaced the story by painting a picture of how relentless election nights can be for members of the press, and said he was finally able to go home around 4 a.m., but had to be alert and awake by dawn to discuss Trumps victory on Good Morning America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I get back into my hotel, finally, after Good Morning America, a little after 7 in the morning, and I do something kind of silly. I call Donald Trump, he said. Theres no way hes going to pick up, but I figured I would just leave him a message, like, After all this, congratulations, you won. And he picks up, the journalist revealed. And his voice, I mean, he hadnt slept at all. I hadnt slept. But [he goes], Hello, Jonathan. And I said, Mr. President-elect, I just want to say congratulations. And he [replies], On what, Jonathan? On what? I was like, say it! Karl couldnt help but think of Walter White, the power-hungry antihero from AMCs crime-drama Breaking Bad. Trumps brazen ask to demand clarity on what Karl was calling about reminded the journalist of a scene in Breaking Bad where White who has become truly villainous at this point tells his enemy, Say my name. .@ABC News' @JonKarl shares details about his phone call with Pres. Trump the morning after he won the 2024 election that he writes about in his new book, 'Retribution.' pic.twitter.com/KBW6yNv3Ji The View (@TheView) October 28, 2025 It was clear to the longtime journalist that Trump was relishing in his victory, demanding acknowledgment from those who had doubted him. Karl thus plainly answered Trumps question, stating, On the greatest comeback victory in the history of American politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still stunned about the exchange, Karl recalled, But he wanted to hear me say the words. Politics: Trump's Ex-Press Secretary Reveals What She'd Do To Beat Trump The anecdote, a microcosm of the apparent narcissism frequently exhibited by Trump, left The View co-hosts stunned. Sunny Hostin exclaimed simply, Wow, while Joy Behar argued that the president was so needy for making Karl spell out the compliment. Karl explained during his appearance Tuesday that hes known Trump for 30 years, and said his hostile demeanor in private often clashes with his attitude in public, or vice versa. The journalist then concluded with a curious theory about Trumps overall persona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I called my first book Front Row at the Trump Show and he still does, I mean, hes beyond that, but he still does see this as the worlds greatest reality show, Karl said Tuesday. And you have to have villains. Related... Read the original on HuffPost ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) Where would you go if a source you relied on to feed your family was gone? Thats the reality that millions across the nation are facing right now, including those here in the Big Country. On November 1st, those who use a key government assistance food program known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, may not receive their regularly allotted federal funds due to the ongoing government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Resource Guide: When & where to visit food pantries in Abilene In anticipation of the lack of aid, many throughout the area are reaching out to local organizations for help. One of those is Love & Care Ministries, and Executive Director Mark Hewitt spoke to the preparation for filling this need locally. Weve had different calls from different organizations talking about what we can do in the city? How can Love & Care be more of a part? We just had to be prepared and be ready to do whats going to happen if this happens. We have no control over it. We just have to say, okay, what can we do to help our city, Hewitt explained. Calls have also come to Meals on Wheels in Abilene with people trying to sign up for the program as a partial substitute for what they may be losing. Executive Director of the Abilene Meals on Wheels, Betty Bradley, outlined how, due to the qualifications their clients need to meet, they cannot provide help for everybody who needs it. We know that more and more of them are going to be calling Meals on Wheels to see if we could help. Most of the people we serve, probably about 95%, are low-income individuals. We serve people who are 65 and older or younger adults between 18 and 65 who have one or more disabilities, Bradley shared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP funds set to run out during shutdown: 5 takeaways Abilene Salvation Army and Commander Major Joe Burton shared that they are doing what they can to supplement this aid and provide an extensive list of other organizations that can potentially help during this time of hardship. They can come to the Salvation Army. Our doors are always open to whoever needs it. We work closely with 211. We have a list of agencies or guides that people can go to if the Salvation Army cant help in that respect, we can refer them to someone through 211, Burton said. A major source of the aid these organizations rely on comes from donations. With the potential for even more people across the Big Country needing their help, every organization featured in this story is asking the public to help with food or monetary contributions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. Photo by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA Former Biden White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierres bruising interview with The New Yorker has been torched as an absolute train wreck after political commentators across the spectrum piled on to brand the exchange embarrassing and incoherent. The interview with journalist Isaac Chotiner, published Monday, comes as part of Jean-Pierres promotional tour for her new book, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The conversation, however, quickly spiraled into confusion as she attempted to defend her claim that former President Joe Biden was betrayed by his own party. Jean-Pierre left the Democratic Party in June, accusing senior figures of forcing Biden out of the 2024 race after his calamitous debate against GOP rival Donald Trump. The party subsequently nominated Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose to Trump. Chotiner unrelentingly grilled Jean-Pierre repeatedly on her decision and her shifting loyalties. At one point, she appeared unable to clearly explain her reasoning, leaving the interviewer and Beltway talking heads utterly baffled as Jean-Pierre, who once defended Biden from the White House podium, seemed unable to defend herself. The response online was nothing short of brutal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New York Magazines Jonathan Chait called the interview an absolute train wreck. This is an interview that should inspire some follow-up reporting: how was KJP hired for her job in the first place? https://t.co/Jxady8tuel Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) October 28, 2025 Journalist Josh Barro wrote simply: This is painful. Although the howler in the KJP interview that's really not getting enough attention is this: She says that in the title of her book about her time in the White House, "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House" the "broken White House" being referred to is the Trump pic.twitter.com/czVeR4pxkP Josh Barro (@jbarro) October 28, 2025 Former Republican congressman Peter Meijer described the exchange as an excruciating case study in denial, while conservative commentator Saagar Enjeti labelled it embarrassing. Congress must establish a hotline for people thinking about being interviewed by Isaac Chotiner so they can get the help they need *before* they are subjected to such mortification. https://t.co/AO86THGDpv Peter Meijer (@petermeijer) October 27, 2025 For the record KJP was always dumb and incoherent. I guess the libs can just admit it now Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) October 28, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I honestly dont know what she was trying to accomplish here, wrote Washington Post columnist David French. Good lord. Read this entire interview. It's hard to even begin to describe Karine Jean-Pierre's answers. They are largely incoherent, but one thing that does come through is that she is obsessed with loyalty and respect, and real problem in 2024 wasn't that Biden chose to run https://t.co/5P1shIKQV9 David French (@DavidAFrench) October 27, 2025 Boston Review columnist and political scientist David Astin Walsh summed up the mood: An implosion in real time. This is the most embarrassing interview I have ever read, and I read the Cass Sunstein one. https://t.co/ng9OwQVFvM David Austin Walsh (@DavidAstinWalsh) October 27, 2025 And the avalanche didnt stop there: i can partially understand when some kind of clueless public person walks into an isaac chotiner interview unprepared, but the individual stumbling through this interview was until very recently one of the highest-ranking government communications officials in the country https://t.co/xEPgQZJqDf Max Tani (@maxwelltani) October 27, 2025 people ask "why does anyone agree to do an Isaac Chotiner interview" a lot, which i think can be answered by the fact that a lot of his interviewees aren't really familiar with him, but like.. i feel like KJP should know better? https://t.co/VqtbhH11XB bryan metzger (@metzgov) October 27, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This Q&A is absolutely insane. At no point does Karine Jean-Pierre come off well. Its almost impressive if it wasnt so terrifying considering she was Bidens PS. https://t.co/h8xGDqysKc pic.twitter.com/nvQ7wHNpt6 julia alexander (@loudmouthjulia) October 28, 2025 Good summation of this absolute train wreck of an interview https://t.co/61uzHcDHhw pic.twitter.com/CkyBsILcgU Rachel Rizzo (@RachelRizzo) October 28, 2025 Turns out you can do a career-ending interview even after your career is over. https://t.co/QqBN5WPwYV David Weigel (@daveweigel) October 27, 2025 I genuinely do not understand how this person was ever White House Press Secretary, perhaps the most prized comms job in all of American politics. just total gibberish https://t.co/74W3wPpebv Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) October 28, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read Jean-Pierres full interview in The New Yorker. The post Absolute Train Wreck! Political World Unites to Roast Karine Jean-Pierres Embarrassing New Yorker Interview first appeared on Mediaite. CORRECTION: Tina Kims title was incorrectly stated in the video interview, as well as in the transcription below. Kims title is Deputy Comptroller, and it has been corrected in the article below. This interview is from Oct. 27, 2025, and has been edited for clarity. NewsChannel 9 receives many Your Stories questions about billing errors from E-ZPass or the State Thruway. But a recent audit by the NYS Comptroller showed the Thruway generally bills drivers correctly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We spoke with Deputy Comptroller Tina Kim, with the New York State Comptrollers office, who oversees the audit program, on the trends the state is seeing. Thanks for joining us, appreciate it. Thank you for having me on the show. Its been almost five years now for cashless tolls; I think that officially comes up in November. Whats your biggest takeaway or two from this audit, compared especially to the one you did back in 2023? So the first audit really focused on the collection of tolls, which showed that about $276 million was not being collected, primarily from out-of-state drivers. This audit really focused on accuracy and fairness, and some of the issues that New Yorkers raised related to the Thruway Authority. So the top line was that we generally found that billing by the Thruway, in terms of tolls, is generally accurate. But there are some exceptions, and if youre one of the people whove experienced an exception, that can be frustrating because the billing system is primarily electronic. So if you get an error, that error may repeat itself. So it is actually really important when people complain to the Thruway that they actually look at that, figure out what caused the error, and then correct it so its fixed for the people who are experiencing it. I read over the audit. How much of an issue are unreadable plates, as far as billing errors go? We covered that in our last audit, which was released in 2023. At that time, it was about 7.2 million a year. That number has actually gone down. So if you look at the current audit, we looked at like a three-week period, and I think we found roughly 91,000-92,000 plates that were unbilled. I think that equates to about 1-2 million a year. If, for some reason, somebody gets a bill that doesnt belong to them, whats the recourse there? It seems less common nowadays, but it can occasionally happen; we certainly hear from a few people. Whats the recourse? We often hear people struggle to get to a person, so to speak, to get these things resolved. It can be frustrating. Theres a process in place, but it can be confusing in New York. The first thing that you should do is go to the Customer Service Center. There is a 1-800 number, and theres also an online system that you can actually go to. If you cant get a resolution there, this is where it becomes a little complicated; there are actually four Toll Authorities in New York State. Theres the Thruway, theres the Bridge Authority, theres the MTA, and the Port. You have to figure out who you owe the tolls to, and then you have to go to their website and go to their Toll Payer Advocate, and file a written complaint with them. We covered, for this audit, the Thruway Toll Payer Advocate. Gotcha. So thats part of the customer/viewer benefit were giving here. But also, were all taxpayers, and when we may miss out on money, that ends up costing us technically. How much money would you say the Thruway is missing out on because of missed plates, undeliverable mail, and those regards? So we can tell you that for missed plates, it looks like its roughly $1-2 million. Undeliverable mail is a different issue, and thats probably a frustrating issue for a lot of New Yorkers, because undeliverable mail becomes something that someone owes the Thruway. So its the fines and the fees that they actually have to pay, but they never received the bill, and thats why it can be so frustrating. Thats why we suggested that the Thruway develop a new process for when they do get undeliverable mail, so they know that the person doesnt live there anymore. Thats a process that they can actually improve. So consumers basically dont get faced with a lot of fees and fines on something that theyve never seen. What are you hearing from the Thruway about the recommendations you gave? I think there were about nine or so that you gave them? The Thruway agreed with most of our recommendations, and like on the prior audit, where basically they agreed with our recommendations there as well, theyve implemented a lot of corrective action, and they promise to do the same thing on this audit. Tina, thanks so much for spending a few minutes with us, appreciate it. It was a pleasure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR. Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared mission accomplished after his provincial government aired anti-tariff ads featuring Ronald Reagan upset U.S. President Donald Trump. The ad spliced clips of the former presidents 1987 address in which he warns that tariffs hurt every American. In response, Trump branded the ad crooked, announced he was suspending trade talks with Canada, and then imposed a 10 percent additional tariff on the country after Ford delayed pulling the ad. We achieved our goal. As we say, mission accomplished, Ford told reporters at the Ontario legislature Monday, Politico reported. Theyre talking about it in the U.S., and they werent talking about it before I put the ad on. Im glad that Ronald Reagan was a free trader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ford said Friday that he would pull the ad to allow trade talks to resume after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. After their discussion, the Ontario premier then said the ad would continue running through Monday, including during the first World Series games between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Trump, in turn, groaned about Fords decision in a Truth Social post, decrying it a hostile act. Ontario Premier Doug Ford defends his provincial governments anti-tariff ad that upset President Donald Trump and caused the US to end trade talks. (AP) Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD, Trump said. Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10 percent over and above what they are paying now. The U.S. president has also claimed that the ad could potentially hurt his Supreme Court case concerning the legality of his sweeping tariff plan. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation also denounced the ad, saying it misrepresents the original radio address. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not immediately clear when the tariff hike would take effect or whether it would apply to all goods. Trump has fumed over the use of the 1987 Reagan address in the controversial ad, which the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation says misrepresents the original speech. (Ronald Reagan Presidential Library) The U.S.s northern neighbor already faced a barrage of tariffs, including 35 percent on many Canadian products and 50 percent on steel and aluminum. Ontarios ad was intended to initiate a conversation about the impact of tariffs on American workers. In seven days, it achieved 11.4 billion views, raising awareness of President Reagans warnings against protectionism, Ford wrote on X Monday. The feud comes just weeks after Carney and Trump exchanged flatteries in the White House, the world leaders relationship appears to have strained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Air Force One Monday, Trump said he didnt want to meet with Carney for a while and noted he was very happy with the current deal with Canada. Carney said Monday he hadnt heard from Trump since last week, emphasizing: Were ready to sit down when [the U.S.] is ready to do that. Ford, meanwhile, has been a thorn in Trumps side when it comes to the U.S. presidents tariff policy. In March, after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Ford ordered the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to remove American alcohol from its shelves. While Ontario is Canadas most populous province, the boycott persisted across the nation. There was an 85 percent drop in liquor exports to Canada, dipping below $10 million, in the second quarter, an October report from the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. found. The ACLU of Rhode Island is suing Gov. Dan McKee's administration for blocking activists from holding a protest at the State House ahead of the governor's annual State of the State address. The lawsuit was filed Oct. 28 in U.S. District Court for Rhode Island. Its lead plaintiff is Harrison Tuttle, the former president of the Rhode Island Black Lives Matter PAC, which has since dissolved. RI BLM PAC, the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project, and other local groups had planned to hold a "Peoples State of the State" rally in the State House rotunda on the night of McKee's State of the State address in January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When they arrived, they were informed "that the governors office had instructed State Police and Capitol Police to prevent them from accessing the Rotunda and the upper floors of the State House," according to a press release from the ACLU. Other people were able to access those same areas, according to the suit, which argues the move stifled protestors' ability to exercise their First Amendment rights. The governor's office could not immediately be reached for comment on the suit. The lawsuit is seeking damages and attorneys' fees, as well as "a permanent injunction prohibiting the governor and others from restricting the right of the people to peacefully gather in the State House rotunda based on the content of their speech," according to the ACLU. Protesters, as part of the People's State of the State demonstration, press up against barricades set up in the rotunda of the RI State House during Gov. Dan McKee's State of the State speech on Jan. 14, 2025. What happened at the State of the State address protest? According to Providence Journal reporting at the time, TV cameras were banned from the House floor while McKee delivered his hour-long speech. And the State House rotunda, where public rallies are routinely held, was cordoned off, with police blocking the way. The second floor of the building was also off-limits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When demonstrators organized by the Black Lives Matter RI PAC arrived an hour before the scheduled start of McKee's "State of the State" in order to hold their own "People's State of the State," they were greeted by a sign that declared the empty rotunda "reserved" from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Records indicate that the Governors staff didnt formally reserve the space until 4:39 PM, the ACLU's press release states. "In any event, despite being 'reserved,' the rotunda was not used for any purpose during that timeframe," it says. BLM RI PAC President Harrison Tuttle was "walked" down the center stairs by a hand-on police officer after he was rebuffed by police on the second floor. All the while, demonstrators marched in a circle around the first floor chanting: "The more you try to silence us the louder we will be." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked, a McKee spokesperson said at the time that "the rotunda can be, and has been, reserved many times for events, as it was for tonights State of the State," though they did not cite precedent for the governor closing the rotunda to the public in the hours leading up to and following the State of the State speech. Reporter Katherine Gregg contributed to this story This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI ACLU sues Gov. Dan McKee over treatment of State House protesters Borr Drilling (BORR) announced contract extensions for three of its premium jack-up rigs and provided an update on collections in Mexico. The rigs Galar and Gersemi have each been awarded two-year firm contract extensions that will commence in direct continuation of their existing contracts in Mexico. The extensions also include two one-year unpriced options and improved commercial and payment terms. In addition, the rig Njord has received a contract extension through April 2026. The contract value of the extensions is approximately $213M, excluding options. The company remains in active discussions with its customer in Mexico regarding long-term extensions for contracts that expire in Q2 2026. Additionally, the company recently received payments of approximately $19M for its operations with Pemex. Meet Your ETF AI Analyst Discover how TipRanks' ETF AI Analyst can help you make smarter investment decisions Explore ETFs TipRanks' users love and see what insights the ETF AI Analyst reveals about the ones you follow. Published first on TheFly the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See the top stocks recommended by analysts >> Read More on BORR: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Rhode Island State Police stand outside a barrier preventing demonstrators from entering the State House rotunda on Jan. 14, 2025, where the "People's State of the State" was initially scheduled to be held. (Photo by Christohper Shea/Rhode Island Current) Nine months after progressive advocates were barred from holding a rally in the State House rotunda ahead of Gov. Dan McKees State of the State address, the ACLU of Rhode Island is suing the governor to ensure the area is never roped off from the public again. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, claims the governor violated protesters First Amendment rights when his office, without notice, reserved the rotunda just 30 minutes before their planned Peoples State of the State rally on Jan. 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates organized by the now-dissolved Black Lives Matter RI PAC had intended to gather in the rotunda to call on McKee to declare a public health emergency to shelter the states growing homeless population over the winter. But when people started to arrive around 5 p.m., they were met by State and Capitol Police, along with stanchions cordoning off the rotunda stating the space was reserved for the State of the State through the Department of Administration from 4:30 to 10 p.m. The ACLUs lawsuit claims protesters were threatened with arrest and told that McKees office had instructed police to prevent them from accessing the rotunda and upper floors of the State House. Eric Hirsch, executive director of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project and one of the lead plaintiffs in the suit, said he was shocked to see a space routinely used for demonstrations and rallies closed to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is unacceptable, Hirsch said in a statement Tuesday. We have a right to express our view of the governors policies toward people experiencing homelessness. McKees office did not immediately respond to request for comment. A spokesperson told WPRI in February that the space was needed as an an overflow area and safe, alternative means of egress for the governors speech. The rotunda remained vacant throughout the 2025 State of the State. Upon information and belief, the governor and his staff never intended to use the rotunda for any purpose on January 14, 2025, other than to silence any expressive activity, the lawsuit states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates were instead told to gather in the Bell Room on the first floor, tucked away from the State Houses main entrance and elevators. The ACLUs lawsuit claims the relocation had undermined demonstrators ability to convey their message as intended. But the relegation to the back only emboldened the demonstrators, whose chanting could be heard within the House chambers during the first hour of McKees speech, as they marched around the first floor of the capitol building. The more you try to silence us the louder we will be, they chanted at one point. The ACLU is asking Chief Judge John McConnell to issue a permanent injunction prohibiting the governor and others from restricting the right of the people to peacefully gather in the State House rotunda based on the content of their speech, along with asking the State and Capitol Police to pay for damages and attorneys fees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To prevent a recurrence, the suit seeks a ruling before the next State of the State address in January 2026. Over 50 years ago, an ACLU lawsuit led to a court decision unequivocally declaring the State House rotunda to be an open public forum for the expression of political speech, Steven Brown, executive director for the ACLU of Rhode Island, said in a statement. Since that time, the rotunda has served as the epicenter for Rhode Islanders to peacefully express their views to state leaders and the public. This lawsuit is designed to ensure that it remains that way. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Active Latter-day Saints increasingly abandoning orthodox views Ask Latter-day Saints even regular churchgoers if theirs is the one true faith leading to eternal life, and theres a decent chance theyll say no. Thats due to a growing number of active U.S. members holding less-than-orthodox views. Such is the (tentative) conclusion data scientist Alex Bass reached in his recently published study, Mormon Typology Report 2025. Based on data he mined from three Religious Landscape Studies from the Pew Research Center, the paper examines responses from nearly 2,000 self-identified members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormons (the surveys and Bass used both Latter-day Saint and Mormon terms). This approach meant that people who had once been members, but no longer considered themselves part of the Utah-based faith, were unlikely to appear in the results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From their responses, collected over the past nearly 20 years, he concludes that the people in the pews are not the same as a generation ago. Put simply, he explains to The Salt Lake Tribune, What was once a faith defined by overwhelming uniformity where the majority of members could be described as devout, orthodox and politically conservative may have fractured into a more complex spectrum of identities. A graph showing the shift in four types of Mormons over time, between 2007 and 2024. - Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune Exactly how common the orthodox once were and how diverse that spectrum has become remain unclear. Bass would need more data for anything approaching precise head counts. For this reason, he writes in the report, his findings are exploratory rather than definitive. Nevertheless, he explains in an interview, he is quite confident in the overall trend. The graduate of church-owned Brigham Young University even has a few theories on what is driving it. Mapping LDS/Mormon identities Of all the statistical efforts to examine faith in America, few are as rigorous and respected as Pews Religious Landscape Study. The nationally representative questionnaire of U.S. adults has occurred in three waves to date 2007, 2014 and 2023-24 and has included a total of 1,810 self-identified Latter-day Saints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harvesting their responses to wide-ranging questions, Bass employed a mathematical algorithm to sort individuals with similar answer patterns. The approach yielded four Mormon typologies: devout traditionalists, adaptive believers, cultural Mormons and in-betweeners. The four types of Latter-day Saints/Mormons Devout traditionalists. Once the majority but no more, according to Mormon Metrics. Avid religious practitioners who believe in God with certainty. Trend older, more male and politically conservative. Represent roughly 25% of self-identified Latter-day Saints/Mormons. Adaptive believers. The most common type today. Attend church regularly but are less consistent with prayer and scripture study. Roughly half believe the faith is the one true church. Trend female and more educated. Represent roughly 42% of self-identified Latter-day Saints/Mormons. Cultural Mormons. Lowest rates of religious participation across all measures. Believe in God and heaven. Still view Mormonism as part of their cultural identity. Like adaptive believers, they appear to be experiencing meaningful proportional growth. Represent roughly 27% of self-identified Latter-day Saints/Mormons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In-betweeners. Low belief in God and heaven yet more likely than cultural Mormons to attend church, read scriptures, etc. The smallest, youngest, least educated and most politically diverse group. Represent roughly 6% of self-identified Latter-day Saints/Mormons. (A caveat from the researcher: This group is especially small in the dataset, and thus even more exploratory in nature than the other three types.) To be clear, Bass writes, these labels should not be viewed as hard boundaries. Constructing rigid categories would require much more Latter-day Saint-specific data (Pew researchers did not, for instance, inquire about missionary service, seminary attendance, garment wearing or the many other ways members signal their devotion within the church). A visual showing the amount of engagement or frequency of participation in religious activities by the four different groups of Mormons. - Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune Rather, his goal, he writes, is to spark conversation and provide a clearer lens on Mormon diversity, even as future research refines or reshapes the typology. Adapting to the modern era The more one moves down this list from devout to in-betweener the younger (and more racially and politically diverse) the individual is likely to be. Bass was quick to stress, however, that he does not believe the shrinking number of traditionalists is solely the work of population turnover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todays adaptives, he concludes in the study, are, in many instances, yesterdays devout traditionalists who have readily adapted their social beliefs to match the modern era. One likely driver he highlighted was growing acceptance of homosexuality both in and out of the church, which opposes same-sex marriage. As part of the 2023-24 survey, Pew asked 565 Latter-day Saints whether society should accept homosexuality. Devout traditionalists blew away the competition, with nearly 90% saying no. Adaptive believers were almost split down the middle, while more than 60% of cultural Mormons and nearly 90% of in-betweeners said yes. Graph representing beliefs about homosexuality held by 4 groups of Mormons vs the general population of the U.S. - Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune Belief in one hand, questions in the other Take, for instance, Malinda Street, a 33-year-old mom of three who grew up in Enterprise, Utah, in what she called a devout traditionalist home. We had our pew, the eldest of 12 kids said. We prayed and read scriptures quite often, not perfectly. Devout does not equal perfect. We were just doing our best, and ours was the one true church. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nowadays? Im definitely still committed to living the values and the gospel as I understand it, explained Street, who attends church weekly in Millcreek, Utah, where she serves as the volunteer secretary in the womens Relief Society. On the other hand, a lot of my cultural and social beliefs are a little bit less conservative than people would normally think. Street said her goal, growing up, had always been to be a stay-at-home mom, a role the church historically encouraged for women. She tried, doing her best to meet her childrens needs despite her own struggle with depression, until her oldest turned 6 years old. I felt inspired that I needed to get to work, she said. So she got a job as a paralegal. These days, shes working on her law degree through an online program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a journey, Street said, figuring out how do I fit in the church, as a daughter of God, as a woman in the world? How do I reconcile those roles? Theres been a lot that Ive had to question. That questioning extends to LGBTQ+ issues. Ive got people very close to me, friends and family, that identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, and its a very hard place for them, she said, referring to the environment at church. I wish we had more clear answers on where their place is and were more sensitive to their needs. Street still identified herself as a devout traditionalist but agreed some might view her as drifting into adaptive territory. MAGA and Mormonism: A potential wedge Looking at the data, Bass has a second suspicion about what may be driving scripture-reading, church-attending Latter-day Saints to adopt more nuanced beliefs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latter-day Saints are historically among the most reliable Republicans of any religious group in the country. The rise and return of Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again strain of conservatism have complicated, albeit not severed, that relationship and, Bass suspects, led some to question their GOP identity and their religious identity with it. After all, devout traditionalists were, per 2023-24 data, the most likely to identify with the Republican Party; in-betweeners were the least. Troy Hoyt is a lifelong Latter-day Saint and Republican (at least in name) living in Parowan, Utah. Like Street, the 55-year-old said he wished the church was a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ members. Related, he said, and just as distressing is the widespread support among the faiths ranks (the church as an institution is politically neutral) for the president and the MAGA movement. I see all Christianity, the majority of LDS members included, the retired lawyer lamented, supporting a political party and a politician that abandons what I believe is central to being a Christian, and thats to love one another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Living in Trump country doesnt do much to ease this tension or the sense of loneliness that accompanies it, said the former missionary and father of five. There are people of like mind that I found, said Hoyt, who grew up in Snowflake, Arizona, and spent much of his adult life in Chicago. But theyre few and far between, and they stay very hidden. Hoyt still engages in family scripture study, attends church regularly and prays. But the self-described adaptive believer no longer holds the view that the church is the one the true faith. I would think the one true church, he said, would have better equipped its members to actually follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. A widespread secular surge Put all these narratives and numbers together, Bass said, and the story that emerges is this: Whereas, in the past, one was either an active, devoted Latter-day Saint or inactive, increasing numbers are claiming the label less as a religious identity but, as with many Catholics and adherents of Judaism, because it is part of their heritage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cultural Mormons, Bass writes, are growing in numbers. What this means for this relatively young faith it wont even be 200 years old until 2030 is unclear. Can Mormonism become an ethnic or cultural identity independent of belief? the studys author wonders. Will the church embrace this looser affiliation or insist that real belonging requires orthodoxy? Notre Dame political scientist David Campbell stressed a similar point. While more data is needed to confirm Bass trends, Campbell said, the findings match other stats suggestive of an overall decline in religious commitment in the church in tandem with one seen in other faiths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The results are further evidence that the United States is experiencing a widespread secular surge, he said, and that the LDS community is not immune. This story was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. In the race to become Michigans next secretary of state, former state Sen. Adam Hollier has a sizeable cash on hand advantage over other contenders after transferring $244,000 from his congressional campaign to his account. The transferred money makes up the bulk of the nearly $349,000 Hollier, a Democrat, reported having raised in the most recent quarter ahead of the Monday, Oct. 27, campaign finance reporting deadline. Hollier unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2022 and 2024, and had announced hed challenge U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, again next year before pivoting to join the secretary of state race in September. Holliers campaign committee reported spending a little more than $4,000 during the most recent quarter. With almost $344,600 in cash on hand at the end of the quarter, Hollier outpaces two other Democratic candidates, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie, by sizeable margins. Former state Sen. Adam Hollier of Detroit. Byrum, who is also a former state lawmaker, raised over $69,200 in the most recent quarter, her campaign finance statement shows, and after combining those funds with her previous balance, ended the quarter with nearly $103,700 in the bank. Byrums campaign spent a bit more than $16,400 in the most recent reporting period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Edevbie, who was the first major party candidate to enter the race back in January, spent the most of any candidate in the most recent quarter, expending close to $89,500. Campaign finance records show Edevbies campaigns biggest expenditures being on consulting fees and payroll for campaign staff. After raising more than $73,200 in the quarter, Edevbie ended it with close to $34,600 left in the bank. On the Republican side, Clarkston Community School Board Trustee and attorney Amanda Love raised the most in the quarter, reporting nearly $124,000 in contributions, although a notable portion of those funds came from a personal loan. Love loaned around $52,800 to her campaign, records show. Her campaign spent a little more than $18,300 during the quarter, with an ending balance of almost $105,600. Another Republican candidate, Oakland GOP delegate Monica Yatooma, also raised over six figures during the quarter. Yatoomas statement indicated her campaign raised nearly $109,000, while spending around $26,600 and had nearly $82,300 left in the bank. Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, who joined the race Sept. 24, reported raising around $53,000. After spending a bit more than $10,200, his campaign has almost $42,900 in cash on hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other Republicans whove signaled they could enter the race include: Timothy Smith, a Republican from Muskegon County, who reported an ending balance of almost $24, entirely consisting of a debt the campaign owed back to Smith; and Articia Bomer, a Detroit Republican who previously ran for offices including mayor of Detroit, state representative, Wayne County sheriff and Michigan governor, who has also formed a committee to run for secretary of state, although she did not submit a quarterly statement ahead of the Oct. 27 deadline. Party nominees for secretary of state will be determined at nominating conventions next spring. Voters will elect a new chief election official in the November 2026 election. Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is term limited and cannot run for her position a third time under Michigan law. Benson, a Democrat, is running for governor. Along with being Michigan's top elections role, the Secretary of State's Office is also responsible for handling things like driver's licenses and state ID distribution and vehicle title registrations and renewals. It's one of several statewide offices on the ballot next fall Michigan voters will also elect a new governor, attorney general, U.S. senator and more in 2026. Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Adam Hollier has fundraising edge over other Michigan SOS candidates The Savagery Is the Point Its difficult to convey the full scope of the Trump administrations misdeeds in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, but lets give it a shot. You know the broad contours of the story already. The administration illegally removed Abrego Garcia from his home in Maryland to El Salvador, where he was thrown in prison for months. Despite the Supreme Court ordering that the administration facilitate his return, the executive branch dragged its feet for weeks. When the administration did finally return him to the United States (without notice to his lawyers or the judge in the case), it did so only to lock him up again on criminal charges that had been secretly filed in Tennessee. Its whats happened since then that has become more difficult to convey because its not been clear what exactly the administrations end game is here. You might have thought the endgame was the criminal case in Tennessee: Win a conviction then deport him either before or after he served his sentence here. Nope, as it turned out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its become apparent now that the administration is not driven by a desire for any particular outcome, but for whatever outcome among the available choices inflicts maximum pain and suffering on Abrego Garcia. If that sounds overstated, let me quickly walk you through the administrations threat to deport Abrego Garcia to a third country because its the best example of the bobbing and weaving thats marked the administrations ungrounded approach to the case. At first glance, you might think that the third country removal is the story now. Hasnt the man suffered enough without being sent to a country on the African continent with which he has no ties, where its unclear if hell again be incarcerated without being charged, and where the assurances are shaky at best that he wont simply be forward on to El Salvador? You might be inclined to follow the ins and outs of that story, with the ultimate question being whether the administration succeeds in shipping him off to Africa. But as it turned out youd have been wrong. Once the Trump administration had Abrego Garcia in custody again in Maryland in his immigration case (after hed been ordered released from custody in Tennessee while his trial was pending), it made little effort to find a third country willing to accept him. His lawyers suspected that the administration was content to just hold him indefinitely and so forced the issue by moving to secure a court order to release him. In a hearing earlier this month before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland, she sussed out that almost nothing had been done by the administration to find a third country and what had been done had been undertaken immediately before the hearing in anticipation of having to answer for its conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So now your inclination might be to track whether Abrego Garcia wins by securing his release rather than being subject to indefinite detention by a foot-dragging Trump administration. Wrong again! Facing the prospect of a potentially adverse ruling from Xinis, the administration declared on Friday that it had found a third country for Abrego Garcia. Liberia, take a bow. Xinis summoned the parties for another hearing yesterday, where the administration said its preparing to remove him to Liberia by as soon as Oct. 31. I should mention here that Abrego Garcias attorneys have told Xinis he is willing to accept removal to Costa Rica. To Xinis puzzlement, the administration has not accepted that option. The administrations shifting priorities reflect not some grand plan or strategy, but at each juncture choosing the option before it that most torments Abrego Garcia. Its really the only explanation that accounts for the meandering series of positions by the administration. But theres one other wild card in the mix. Abrego Garcia still faces criminal trial in Tennessee on the human smuggling charges the administration whipped up. So far, hes convinced a judge not that hard on the facts Ive already laid out here that hes established a prima facie case of vindictive prosecution by the Trump DOJ. That shifts the burden to the administration to establish that it undertook the prosecution on a legitimate basis. Importantly, it also opened the door for Abrego Garcia to conduct discovery on how the administration handled his case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration is fighting like hell to head off that discovery, which includes a subpoena of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and other high-ranking DOJ officials. The judge in the criminal case has set two days of hearings on Nov. 4-5 for all the pretrial motions, including the vindictive prosecution claim. Witness testimony is expected. The Trump DOJ moved yesterday to quash the subpoena in the hopes of preventing testimony from Blanche and others. Meanwhile, the judge in the criminal case smacked the administration yesterday for its exaggerated if not simply inaccurate out-of-court statements about Abrego Garcia So you can see now the added advantage to the administration of resuming the third country removal plan, whether its Liberia or somewhere else (its likely the Abrego Garcia will formally express in a hearing today a fear of being sent to Liberia which will trigger additional delays). Theyll be happy to avoid further scrutiny of their conduct in the criminal case even it means effectively dropping the case by deporting him. The criminal case, third country removal, and prolonged detention are all just tools the Trump administration is using to savage Abrego Garcia. The savagery is the point. Coverup? A Homeland Security Investigations officer accompanying local police fired his gun into a car during a traffic stop in DC earlier this month, but the police report of the incident contained no mention of shots being fired. All charges against the unarmed Black man who was stopped were dismissed after a judge concluded there was insufficient evidence that he tried to flee, his lawyers told the WaPo. The man was uninjured in the incident but spent three nights in jail before the charges were dismissed. Former DOJers Side With Comey In an amicus brief, more than 100 former DOJ officials urged a federal judge to dismiss the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, arguing that it is vindictive. Ball Now in Trump DOJs Court Former Special Counsel Jack Smith sent a letter to the Trump Justice Department asking for access to his old files and seeking guidance as to what he can say in testimony that Hill Republicans are demanding that he provide. Mass Preemptive Pardons Alert Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith, a former DOJ official under Bush II, anticipates that President Trump will issue mass preemptive pardons toward the end of his term, especially if a Democrat were to succeed him: [O]ne can be absolutely certain that Trump will issue preemptive pardons at or near the end of his second term, probably on an enormous scaleespecially since he will anticipate that a Democratic administration may have little reason to respect Trump OLC opinions in deciding whether to prosecute Trump officials. Pardons blunt this possibility. I expect Trump to issue hundreds and possibly thousands of preemptive pardons to everyone in his administration who may conceivably be subject to future investigation or prosecution, especially if a Democrat wins the presidential election in November 2028. Trump Appeals Hush Money Conviction President Trump filed an appeal of his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, in which he was sentenced to no punishment, in hopes of having the convicted felon tag removed from his biography. Paul Manafort Is Still at it Kenneth Vogel traces Paul Manaforts unlikely full-circle journey from high-flying global fixer to federal inmate and back. A Race to Beat Midterms Clock Red states are salivating over the prospect of the Roberts Court eviscerating whats left of the Voting Rights Act, and some of them are beginning to plan for redrawing their congressional districts maps if the Supreme Court rules in time for the 2026 midterms, Politico reports. Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that 50 million doses of fentanyl have been taken off the streets this year, 18 million of those are from the Greater Pittsburgh area. He has a strong message for any dealers who are trying to sell fentanyl in the state. Sunday said, To those dealers who value a dollar over human lives, we say your time will come and you will be held fully accountable for the death and destruction youve caused. For Dave Sunday fighting the flow of fentanyl into Pennsylvania is paramount. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It enters the United States from production in Mexico with chemicals that are sourced to China and it is trafficked into and through Pennsylvania via the major interstates and highway corridors, Sunday explained. Monday, he joined local law enforcement officers and county officials to discuss the deadly drug and whats being done to combat it. Chief Matt Preininger with the Stowe Township Police Department said, Thank you for giving us the tools to try and keep the Stowe Rox community safe. We have an issue with fentanyl coming into our towns. We have very highly trained, experienced investigators out here in Western Pa and so they know how to do it, they know how to find it, Sunday added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Richard Goldinger, Butler County District Attorney, said, Its been the trend across the entire state that heroin was the problem, fentanyls replaced it. Sunday highlighted the arrest of Shakeirs Foster, a 27-year-old from Allegheny County,, charged with extorting an Oakdale teenager in May of 2024. The defendant used fentanyl to exploit a 14-year-old Allegheny County girl for sexual contact and that fentanyl ultimately killed her, Sunday explained. The states combined efforts against fentanyl appear to be working, with 76-thousand pills seized statewide and 18 million doses of the drug taken off the greater Pittsburgh area streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commander Stephen Vinansky with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police said, Almost every day somewhere in the city of Pittsburgh and a lot of time its our officers seeing the drugs themselves, sometimes its seeing an overdose and unfortunately, many times well get a fatal overdose. Sunday says he expects to expand the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative of LETI where Attorney General officers train local law enforcement. Its used to divert criminals out of the justice system and into treatment. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW ALBANY - New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday her office had reached a settlement with a Montgomery County landlord over alleged discrimination against prospective tenants who rely on public housing assistance. An investigation by the attorney general's office had found that Cesar Sosa, who owns or manages 57 residential buildings in Amsterdam, allegedly repeatedly refused to rent to prospective tenants using housing assistance and claimed that his buildings were not "approved" for Section 8 vouchers - federally funded rental subsidies for low-income households. As part of the settlement, Sosa will pay the state $3,000 in penalties and reserve at least five units to rent to tenants using housing assistance and with at least one guaranteed lease renewal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sosa must also post that he is an "equal housing opportunity" landlord on physical signs, in online listings and for ads for all of his properties, and cannot use income or credit score as criteria for renting to tenants approved for any kind of taxpayer-funded housing assistance. In response to a request for comment, an attorney for Sosa said he is not allowed to speak publicly about the case. According to the settlement, many of Sosa's apartment listings online stated: "No assistance of any kind accepted." It also alleges that when one prospective tenant who called Sosa about an apartment listing in May asked if she could use a Section 8 voucher to pay her rent, Sosa replied that the apartment was "not approved for Section 8." Landlords' refusal to rent to prospective tenants based on income source - along with dissemination of ads and listings that state the same - violates New York's anti-discrimination laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "All renters deserve fair access to affordable housing regardless of their financial status," James said in a news release announcing the settlement. "Cesar Sosa's unlawful and discriminatory practices denied hardworking New Yorkers the chance to find a safe place to live. My office will always fight for the rights of renters across this state and stop discriminatory practices that worsen our housing crisis." This article originally published at AG settles with Montgomery County landlord over housing assistance discrimination. NEED TO KNOW A truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys from Tulane University to a testing facility in Florida overturned on Tuesday, Oct. 28, setting the primates loose The Jasper County Sheriff's Department warned that the monkeys were aggressive and claimed they posed a health risk However, Tulane University later released a statement saying the monkeys were "not infectious" Rhesus monkeys being transported from Tulane University escaped from an overturned truck following an accident in Mississippi. The Jasper County Sheriff's Department announced the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Oct. 28, warning that the monkeys posed a health risk and were aggressive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has been reported that several monkeys are on the loose, they wrote, before warning, Do not approach the monkeys if you see one. Call 911. The department then posted an update to say that all but one of the escaped monkeys have been destroyed. We have been in contact with an animal disposal company to help handle the situation, their message said. "Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries is also on site with our local law enforcement. We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose, they wrote. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sharing more details about the primates, the department said that "the monkeys are approximately 40 lbs., they are aggressive to humans and they require PPE to handle." Additionally, they said that the animals carry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID. However, in a separate statement, Tulane University said the monkeys being transported were "not infectious." PEOPLE contacted the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, who had no additional comment about the discrepancy and referred to their social media pages for updates. The announcement said that Tulane had been notified of the situation and would send a team to pick up the monkeys that were still in their cages. Local CBS affiliate WHLT reported that there was a total of 21 monkeys being carried on the truck, which were en route to a testing facility in Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery," the university said in a statement, according to the outlet. "The primates in question belong to another entity and are not infectious. We are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed, the Louisisana-based university added. Read the original article on People HEIDELBERG, Miss. (AP) Monkeys being transported on a Mississippi highway escaped captivity Tuesday after the truck carrying them overturned, according to law enforcement. All but one of the escaped monkeys were killed, the Jasper County Sheriffs Department said in a post on Facebook, warning that the monkeys were aggressive." It was not clear how many monkeys were originally in the truck. The truck was carrying Rhesus monkeys, which typically weigh around 16 pounds (7.7 kilograms) and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were being housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university. In a statement, Tulane University said the monkeys do not belong to the university, and they were not being transported by the university. It was not clear who owns the monkeys, who was transporting them or where they were being taken. Video shows monkeys crawling through tall grass on the side of Interstate 59 just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi, with wooden crates labeled live animals crumpled and strewn about. The sheriff's department initially said the monkeys were carrying diseases including herpes, but Tulane University said in a statement that the monkeys have not been exposed to any infectious agent." The sheriff's department responded by saying the driver of the truck told law enforcement the monkeys were dangerous and needed to be handled using personal protective equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tulane University said it was working with law enforcement. Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries was also on site. The crash happened about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the state capital of Jackson. It was not clear what caused the truck to overturn. As Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Monday, Action News spoke with those who are waiting for the storm to pass. Janet Silvera has family in Philadelphia and is trying to keep them informed as she shelters in a resort in Montego Bay. "I decided to relocate to somewhere where I felt I would be safer," she said, adding she was concerned about storm surge at her home. "Lots of trees will be down. It's obvious that our infrastructure is going to be affected." READ MORE | Category 5 Hurricane Melissa brings flooding and catastrophic winds to Jamaica Here at home, Michelle Tulloch-Neil, the global Jamaica Diaspora Council Northeast representative, is checking in on friends and family. She was able to face time with a colleague in Mandeville who was riding out the unprecedented storm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tulloch-Neil is working with the Jamaican Consulate in Philadelphia to gather supplies to send aid to Jamaica. Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. AP Photo/Matias Delacroix "Think of the greatest level of need and that's where you're going to put it -- at the top. Because this is something that we've never experienced," she said. One of the donation sites is Besco Shippers at 55th and Baltimore Ave. in West Philadelphia. Company president Ludlow Harding, originally from Kingston, says he'll do everything he can to get the supplies there. RELATED | Hurricane Melissa slams Jamaica: How to help "We'll never say no to something like this. Even if you have to do it for free, you just have to do it," said Harding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tulloch-Neil says there are also local churches collecting goods and monetary donations. The consulate is working on putting together a list of sites. As for what to donate, the needs will likely change once the storm moves through, but for now they're asking for emergency and survival supplies: generators, tarps, lanterns, batteries, clothing, and medical supplies. If you have questions about making a donation, contact the Jamaica Diaspora Northeast at ne2diaspora@gmail.com. The River Pointe Tower tenants union gathers outside their apartment building in Detroit to demand better living conditions from their building's private equity ownership. Oct. 27. | Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance. DETROIT A group of tenants in the River Pointe Tower building in Detroit, a senior living apartment complex, are calling for the head of Capital Realty Group, Moshe Eichler, who owns the building, to come to the bargaining table. A number of River Pointe Tower residents formed a union in August, demanding safer living conditions and better quality of maintenance in the apartments, after tenants dealt with issues from roaches and bedbugs to cracked walls and ceilings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They held a rally outside their building on Monday to explain that Eichler had failed to adequately address these issues, and had only met with them one time. This is where we live every day, said Jacqueline Rice, one member of the union and resident of the building. Mr. Eichler could come here and live and stay for a month or two, see the conditions that we live in. If not, come to the bargaining table. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE If you want to run the building, you want us to stay here, you do what needs to be done, or else were gonna rent freeze, gonna picket, or we go to New York and let him know whats going on, said A.J. Johnson, a leader of the union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That aint right became a rallying call among the tenants throughout the demonstration, as numerous members of the union expressed their grievances with Eichler and building management. Since the union was formed in August, tenants say that some additional maintenance has been done in their building but they say its not adequate. The people brought in to make these changes are handymen who, according to tenant Teresa McCormick, have said the work required to get the building into shape is too much for them. Its paint, its floors, its blinds, its the plumbing, its the bathrooms, she said. Theyre going to do this right away because its a band aid. Its not fixing the problem. There are no skilled trades here, working on the boiler, working on the plumbing, working on electricity. Teresa McCormick, a member of the River Pointe Tower tenants union, speaks passionately alongside her neighbors. Oct. 27. | Photo by Katherine Dailey/Michigan Advance. We need help, and Eichler needs to step up to the plate, McCormick said. We need proper security, not some fly-by-night thats related to somebody in the office. We need proper maintenance people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Walter Welch, a union leader, said that his apartment has been skipped over by maintenance in retaliation for his organizing. His whole apartment floor was sprayed for pests over a month ago, but his unit was skipped, even after he repeatedly asked for assistance. They still didnt come back to do nothing. They havent done nothing up till now, right now, and I see bed bugs and roaches now when I didnt have them, he said. We need proper security, not some fly-by-night thats related to somebody in the office. We need proper maintenance people. River Pointe Tower tenant Teresa McCormick And Welch is not alone Johnson said, I myself have been yelled at and threatened with eviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement River Pointe Tower is not the only Capital Realty property that is unionizing amid allegations of poor management there are tenant unions popping up around the country in buildings owned by the New York-based private equity firm, including in Kansas City, Missouri and New Haven, Connecticut. Capital Realty Group and River Pointe Tower management did not respond to requests for comment. Latisha Johnson, Detroits City Council member for the district where River Pointe Tower is located, has already shown the union support she spoke at the August event in which tenants announced their union. She spoke particularly about how she wouldnt allow Moshe [Eichler] and Capitol Realty to get any funding in Detroit, said Steven Rimmer, a co-founder of the Detroit Tenants Union, of which the River Point Tower union is a part of. Were trying to hold them to that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This issue is also bigger than Capital Realty, said Sam Garin, a spokesperson for the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. A private equity firm, they will do whatever it takes to make their investment more profitable over a pretty short amount of time, she said. And unfortunately, what that usually means for tenants of private equity-owned buildings, well see slashed maintenance, rent hikes, increased and more aggressive evictions. As he spoke during Mondays event, Welchs story shared a similar tone. They treat us the same, all the same. We are nothing but an income. That aint right, he said. They dont actually care about us. They only care about their profit. Mr. Eichler, its time to put people over profit. Come to the bargaining table with our union right now. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Philippines is debating cashing in its gold as prices smash records. Gold makes up 13% of the Philippines' reserves, higher than most Asian countries, an official told Bloomberg. A buying spree by central banks and global jitters have sent prices soaring this year. Central banks' massive gold purchases have helped drive prices to record highs this year, but one Asian policymaker says his country might want to consider selling. "Our holdings of gold are already excessive," Benjamin Diokno, a Monetary Board member and a former governor of the Philippines' central bank, told Bloomberg on Monday. Gold makes up about 13% of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas's $109 billion in gross international reserves a larger share than most of its Asian peers. Ideally, Diokno said, that ratio should sit closer to 8% to 12%. The Philippines built up its holdings when gold traded around $2,000 per troy ounce. Prices have since more than doubled, briefly topping $4,380 last week before pulling back below $4,000 as geopolitical tensions eased and investors took profits. "Shouldn't you sell already?" Diokno asked. "What will happen if the price goes down?" Diokno's comments highlight an internal debate at the central bank over whether to keep accumulating gold or start taking profits. In 2024, the central bank sold some of its gold holdings before prices surged, drawing criticism. The central bank has said it actively manages its reserves, including gold, to meet the Philippines' foreign exchange requirements. Current Filipino central bank governor Eli Remolona said earlier this year that the central bank doesn't speculate on gold prices, calling the precious metal "a very poor investment" though still a useful hedge in a diversified portfolio. Gold remains up about 52% this year and 30% in the past two months. Prices have been rising over the past few years, supported by heavy central-bank buying, particularly from emerging markets seeking to reduce their reliance on the US dollar after Western sanctions on Russia. The rally has also been supported by geopolitical uncertainty under the Trump administration and concerns over US debt. But gold prices started heading sharply lower after hitting their record high, a move that many have been expecting due to the recent rapid runup in prices. Last week, Goldman Sachs cited speculative unwinds and spillover from the silver market for the slump. Still, the bank expects central banks and institutional investors to boost gold exposure amid global uncertainty. It has a gold price forecast of $4,900 per ounce by the end of 2026. Air traffic controllers across the United States missed their first full paycheck Tuesday as the federal government shutdown entered its fourth week, prompting mounting safety concerns and travel disruptions that aviation experts warn will only worsen as the financial strain intensifies on the nation's already understaffed air traffic control system. Critical Workforce Under Financial Stress Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that Tuesday, October 29, marks the first day controllers will not receive pay for work performed this month, affecting approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers nationwide who are classified as essential workers and must continue working despite the government funding lapse. "I can't guarantee you that your flight is going to be on time," Duffy warned at a recent briefing. "I can't guarantee you that your flight's not going to be canceled. It's going to depend on our air traffic controllers coming in to work every single day." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The controllers already received reduced paychecks for September work, adding to financial pressures that are forcing many to seek second jobs driving for ride-sharing companies or other part-time employment to make ends meet. Safety Concerns Mount as 'Sickouts' Increase Aviation safety experts are expressing growing alarm as controller absences have spiked since the shutdown began October 1. More than 50 staffing shortages have been reported since Friday alone, according to Federal Aviation Administration operations updates, causing delays from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. "The controllers are wearing thin," Duffy said Sunday on Fox News, noting that Saturday saw 22 "staffing triggers," one of the highest numbers of controllers not working since the shutdown started. National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels emphasized the safety implications: "The job is stressful enough as it is. Now you're adding this factor of, 'Hey, when am I going to get this next paycheck?' This leads to an unnecessary distraction, and they cannot be 100% focused on their jobs, which makes this system less safe." Widespread Travel Disruptions The staffing crisis has already triggered significant travel disruptions across major airports: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Los Angeles International Airport experienced temporary flight halts Sunday due to staffing shortages at the Southern California TRACON facility, which handles arriving and departing flights. Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, implemented ground delays Sunday that were expected to last until midnight due to staffing issues. Nashville International Airport operated at extremely limited staffing levels, forcing approach traffic to be handled by air traffic control centers in Memphis, Tennessee. Flight delays in Dallas averaged around 30 minutes, while Chicago delays reached 40 minutes, according to FAA advisories. More than 600 flights were delayed Monday at Denver Airport and over 200 at Phoenix Airport. Pre-existing Critical Shortage Worsened The shutdown has exacerbated an already dire situation. The FAA is approximately 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, forcing many controllers to work mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have a lot of pent-up grievances on the part of air traffic controllers, and now you're adding to the mix the fact that they're not getting paid and that there's no real end in sight for the shutdown," said Jake Rosenfeld, a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis who studies labor organizing. Since October 1, there have been at least 264 instances of staffing problems reported at FAA facilities across the nation. Historical Precedent for Crisis The 2018-2019 government shutdown provides a sobering precedent. That 35-day shutdown ended hours after air traffic controller shortages snarled air travel in the New York area, with controllers and TSA agents calling in sick to work second jobs after missing paychecks. "During the 2018-2019 shutdown, sickouts started to happen around the two-week mark, roughly when the first paycheck was missed," noted aviation experts. "In the current shutdown, this appears to be happening sooner, less than a week after it began." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Transportation Secretary Duffy acknowledged that around 10% of the controller workforce is engaging in increased sick calls and has threatened disciplinary action against what he termed "problem children." Industry-Wide Alarm Aviation industry leaders are sounding urgent warnings about the deteriorating situation: Airlines for America stated: "At this time of record air travel and increased reliance on cargo shipments, stability and predictability for U.S. aviation are more important than ever. Missed paychecks for the federal employees charged with the safe and efficient facilitation of our national airspace unnecessarily increases stress." Coalition of Airline Pilots Association representing 30,000 members called the situation critical: "We have seen the stress and tension this year on the National Airspace System due to short-staffed air traffic controllers. This shutdown only compounds the pressures they face as they now report to work without a paycheck." Safety Protocols Under Strain When staffing falls below safe levels, the FAA implements traffic management procedures that prioritize safety over efficiency, resulting in: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reduced airport capacity (Newark's capacity dropped from 80 aircraft per hour to 28-34 during peak shortages) Mandatory ground delays Flight cancellations Rerouting of traffic to facilities with adequate staffing "Safety is paramount for us, and so if we don't have the staffing levels in a tower, TRACON or center, you will see us delay traffic. You will see us cancel flights," Duffy emphasized. Economic and Training Impact The shutdown is also affecting future air traffic controller training. Duffy warned that the FAA's air traffic controller academy will run out of money within weeks to pay students, with some already withdrawing from or declining to begin classes. Industry estimates suggest that every week the shutdown continues, $1 billion in travel-related spending is lost, compounding the economic damage. No End in Sight With no resolution to the government shutdown in sight, aviation experts predict the situation will continue deteriorating. Controllers must continue working without pay while facing mounting personal financial pressures, creating an unsustainable situation that threatens both system safety and operational efficiency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These are high-skilled, high-performing, safety-driven professionals that I don't want them driving for Uber," Duffy said. "I don't want them finding a second job to pay the bills. I want them to get paid for the work they're doing today, keeping our planes in the air and our skies safe." As controllers grapple with mortgage payments, utility bills, and basic living expenses while working one of the nation's most stressful jobs without compensation, the strain on America's aviation system continues to mount, setting the stage for potentially severe disruptions to air travel in the coming weeks. The crisis underscores the critical role air traffic controllers play in maintaining safe skies and the vulnerability of the entire aviation system when these essential workers face financial hardship while performing their safety-critical duties. Let me be frank: The President of the United States is out of his mind, and nobodys doing a goddamned thing about it. What do I mean? Any number of red flags, really, but in particular right now its the latest five hundred words of blithering lunacy he shared on his bitcoin mining operation social media site Tuesday night. They are not the words of a man elected to lead the worlds most powerful nation. They are, instead, those of a malevolent Don Quixote tilting at a cancer-causing, bird-kill AUSTIN (KXAN) On the 28th day of the federal government shutdown, air traffic controllers have now missed their first full paycheck. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday that it could lead to more staffing shortages and flight delays. Duffy met with media outlets at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport to discuss the impact of the shutdown on airports nationwide. He said training and recruiting air traffic controllers is also being impacted. The problem were now seeing is we have, we have young people in the academy that they actually get a stipend. We pay them a small amount of money so they can go to school and they can make ends meet. That money is about to run out and were seeing several of our students drop out of the academy, Duffy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those same staffing shortages have already caused ground delays in Austin as recently as Monday. All of these workers deserve to be paid for their essential work. To get workers paid and to end this shutdown, Trump must get personally involved to have his followers sit down and achieve a bipartisan resolution of the health care crisis they have created. With my GOP colleagues having yielded all of their power to Trump, only Trump can end the Trump shutdown, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) said. Some Austin grant funding on hold after lasting government shutdown Duffy said even if the government were to reopen now, the effects on the airline industry could be felt for months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government shutdown began October 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Europes best airline has been crowned at the Oscars of tourism, taking the title for a second year in a row. The World Travel Awards took place this year in Sardinia, Italy, marking the best hotels, tour operators, cruise line and destinations in the industry. While popular airlines such as British Airways and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines were nominated, it was German airline Lufthansa that emerged as the winner, taking the title of Europes Leading Airline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the awards started back in 1993, the airline has won the title an impressive 13 times, more than any other airline, with a six-year winning streak between 2011 and 2016. The World Travel Awards is voted for by industry professionals, the media and travel consumers worldwide using a first-past-the-post system. This year, Lufthansa also won awards for best economy class airline and best airline brand. Lufthansa is one of the worlds largest airlines, flying to around 200 destinations every year, covering routes across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Alongside Lufthansa Airlines, the wider Lufthansa Group also includes others in its fleet, such as Swiss and Austrian Airlines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elsewhere in the aviation category, Zurich took the title of Europes Leading Airport, while Swiss International Air Lines collected double honours for both its business and first class offerings. Portugal was voted the most popular destination in Europe, while Madeira won Europes Leading Island Destination. The Georgian city of Batumi was crowned the best all-season destination in Europe, while Dublins Trinity College won the accolade of being the continent's best academic tourist attraction. In the hospitality sector, Cragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul was recognised for being Europes Leading Hotel, and Greeces Sani Resort won the award for the best family resort in Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graham Cooke, the founder of the World Travel Awards, said: Our winners are stellar examples of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each and every one for helping to raise the collective benchmark across our industry. Nominees for Europes 10 best airlines in 2025 Lufthansa (winner) Air France British Airways Iberia Icelandair KLM Royal Dutch Airlines SAS Scandinavian Airlines Swiss International Air Lines TAP Air Portugal Turkish Airlines Read more: These Portuguese islands offer respite for my neurodiverse family NEED TO KNOW A number of airlines are providing meals to aviation workers impacted by the federal government shutdown United, Delta, JetBlue and American Airlines confirmed to PEOPLE they would be providing meals to federal employees Federal workers received their first $0 paycheck on Tuesday, Oct. 28 In an effort to help feed federal aviation workers who are going unpaid amid the government shutdown, some airlines are stepping in to pay for meals. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, United Airlines confirmed that it is donating meals for air traffic controllers and other federal workers whose pay is delayed. The airline told CBS News it would be feeding workers at the companys hubs in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, N.J., San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty An air traffic control tower at Boston Logan Airport on March 13, 2019 An air traffic control tower at Boston Logan Airport on March 13, 2019 We appreciate the hardworking federal employees who are keeping the air travel system running, the airline added to the outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delta Air Lines also confirmed to PEOPLE that the company has arranged for a limited number of meals for transportation sector workers. However, it noted it would comply with the strict rules established for employees of federal government agencies." JetBlue is also planning to offer meals at our airports as a gesture of support," per a statement shared with PEOPLE. The company said it is working with TSA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Aviation Administration to carry out their efforts. On Oct. 29, a representative for American Airlines shared in a statement with PEOPLE that they are providing meals to the federal employees "who continue to ensure safe travel for our customers even as they go unpaid." The federal government entered a shutdown on Oct. 1, its first since 2019. The lapse in funding came after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement. Officials previously stated nearly 11,000 air traffic controllers would be working without pay as a result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Oct. 28, federal workers received their first $0 paycheck for their two weeks of unpaid work. On Oct. 14, employees received a partial paycheck for work completed in September before the shutdown began. During a press conference at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Tuesday, Department of Transportation secretary Sean Duffy expressed concern for the workers who continue to show up. This is day one, Duffy said. Day two gets harder, day three is harder after that as expenses continue to roll. He added: We have a lot of new controllers who are still in training, that arent at a high level in income. They cant handle whats happening to them today. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Duffy said a number of employees are now going to DoorDash or Uber to make ends meet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pressure is real, air traffic controller Joe Segretto said at the same press conference. We have people trying to keep these airplanes safe. We have trainees that are trying to learn a new job that is very fast-paced, very stressful, very complex now having to worry about how theyre going to pay bills. Read the original article on People Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The federal government shutdown has deprived the nation's air traffic controllers of full paychecks for the first time on Tuesday, which has some airlines supporting them. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration's budget does not have much flexibility to enable him to transfer funds to pay essential workers, like air traffic controllers. "The answer is open up the government," Duffy told media during a Tuesday news conference at New York City's LaGuardia Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., last week introduced a bill that would have provided funding for air traffic controllers, military personnel and other essential workers. Senate Democrats mostly voted against the measure, which failed to muster the 60 votes needed to pass with a final tally of 54-45 on Thursday. Only three Senate Democrats, John Ossof and Raphael Warnock of Georgia and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted to approve the funding bill. When the federal government eventually reopens, federal workers will collect back pay. The Trump administration reviewed ways to possibly fund the more than $500 million in pay received by air traffic controllers each month, but no reserves were found, Duffy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the lack of pay, there will not be any coordinated union efforts to halt work, National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels told media at the LaGuardia Airport news conference. He said it is illegal for air traffic controllers to strike, and Duffy has asked air traffic controllers to show up for work as scheduled. "We're seeing less problems in the airspace today than we have in prior shutdowns, Duffy said, as reported by Politico. A staffing shortage caused about 44% of flight delays at the nation's airports on Sunday, which Duffy said dropped to 24% on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duffy also announced Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has sponsored a bill to pay air traffic controllers and baggage screeners while the federal government is shut down. That measure would require support from more than three Senate Democrats to be approved and sent to the House for consideration, though. The lack of funding for federal workers caused the American Federation of Government Employees to call on Senate Democrats to support a House-approved clean resolution to fund the federal government while Congress debates a full 2026 fiscal year budget bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday told media that Senate Democrats won't budge on their demand to include $1.5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years in the continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through Nov. 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We can do both and we need to do both," Schumer said during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats are asking for an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that were enacted during the COVID-19 lockdown and to expand access to Medicaid. Republican congressional leaders have said they are willing to negotiate such things in the budget bill, but not the continuing resolution. Schumer said the continued lockdown will work in favor of the Democratic Party when health insurance premiums rise exponentially without a tax credit extension. United Airlines is donating meals for air traffic controllers and other essential workers who keep the nation's air travel system open while the federal government lacks funding, CBS News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We appreciate the hardworking federal employees who are keeping the air travel system running," United Airlines officials told CBS News. Workers are getting free meals at United's hubs throughout the country, including in Washington, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Newark and San Francisco. Delta Airlines and JetBlue likewise are providing meals for air transportation workers. The government shutdown is the nation's second-longest at 28 days as of Tuesday and after Senate Democrats mostly voted against temporary funding 13 times. HOOVER, Ala. (WIAT) This Saturday, SNAP benefits could be suspended due to the government shutdown. This would impact many Alabamians who rely on the program to feed their families. Some local nonprofits say theyre already seeing the increase in people since the shutdown started. Many food programs in the region say theres been a spike in the number of people who need assistance. Monday, Grace Klein Community had a food box distribution at Liberty Church Birmingham. The nonprofit says more than 250 food boxes were given out, which is a jump up from the increase they saw last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We tend to do between 160 to sometimes 200 boxes a day, said Maggie Morrison who works with Grace Klein Community. This past week, all four days that we were open, we did a little over 885 boxes. The influx of people isnt just felt at the Liberty Church drive-thru location. Grace Klein Community estimates it served more than 20,000 people last week across its food distribution sites with just under 66,000 pounds of food. We see many different people that come through our lines. It doesnt necessarily have to be the ones you would expect, Morrison said. Sometimes, people just get down on their luck and they have one medical bill that takes all of their money and then they dont have enough for food that day. The nonprofit says because of the need it saw in the community, it held nine food distributions last week instead of the typical five drive-thrus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamaica is my home: Central Alabama organization collecting donations ahead of Hurricane Melissa Not only because of the SNAP benefits but the holidays, we tend to see an influx of people because theyre just wondering how theyre going to be able to get their next meal, said Morrison. Jenny Waltman, the founder of Grace Klein Community, says with the need theyve seen come in, theres only one explanation for how the nonprofit is able to meet the demand. God multiplied food in Alabama last week because the math does not make sense, she said in a statement. Daniela Goulsby works for Grace Klein Community but once was in the shoes of the people she now serves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing up, I benefited from organizations like Grace Klein. My family immigrated from Mexico, she said. Goulsby says she understands the fear and stress many families are facing with the looming possibility that SNAP benefits could be suspended in just a few short days. Even like the food they receive if they come through our lines, what can they do creatively with the food to be able to feed their families, Goulsby said. I would also say reach out to neighbors, reach out to family friends who they can rely on to ask maybe for a meal or for help. Grace Klein Community works closely with Mercy Deliverance Ministries, another nonprofit that gives out free food boxes and runs a mobile grocery store. Mercy Deliverance Ministries says the number of people its serving is up 119% since the start of the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know that we were called for such a time as this. God kept telling me youre building for whats to come. Do it the way I tell you to do it because its going to look different. It has to look different because of whats coming, Mercy Deliverance Ministries founder Toni Vines said. So, whats coming is now here. Vines says serving one another and loving your neighbor is what were called to do. The government was never supposed to take care of people, that was the responsibility of the body of Christ and the church. We relinquished that duty so its now time for us to repent to go Lord, what do you have me to do? Vines said. Ive always said whats your call, and if you have breath in your life, breath in your body, then theres a purpose for you, you are the answer to somebodys prayer. Grace Klein Community has weekly food distribution sites. You can find a location near you by going to the website here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information on when and where Mercy Deliverance Ministries will give out food boxes or stop with the mobile grocery store, click the link here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) Mayors are urging Alabamas congressional delegation to reopen the federal government. From food assistance to other funding, leaders said there is a lot on the line. According to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, food assistance will cease Saturday and will not be available until the government reopens. The sooner we get everything back, resolved and functioning, the better well all like it, said Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until the shutdown ends, Stone said he is most concerned about grant money for operations like sewer and water projects and public safety. While the money itself is not an issue, federal workers who process those requests could be furloughed. Well, if the employees that provide for the reimbursement processing are not available, then that creates some challenges for us in having timely reimbursement, which the longer it goes, could create some cashflow dynamics, Stone said. Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will be issued on Nov. 1 For Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, other challenges have to do with SNAP benefits and food stamps in his community. Fuller explained this could put a strain on the Food Bank of East Alabama. Fuller also said funding issues for workers like air traffic controllers could seriously impact travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is really, really critical, and youve got the holidays coming up, Fuller said. I understand theres differences between Republicans and Democrats, but come on, yall. Were talking about families and children, folks that really need help, and the government needs to be open. Stone also serves as the executive director of the Higher Education Partnership. He explained the same funding concerns on the local level apply to universities, especially with research funding. Stone said close to 85% of employees at the U.S. Department of Education have been furloughed, but students have not been affected. To process student loans, to make sure the paperwork for applications as it relates to FAFSA and other things, those are still happening, Stone said. Were hopeful that that will continue to happen. Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs Jeff Newton said the agency remains fully operational and committed to serving our states 400,000 veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. John Boyle, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, speaks on Nov. 15, 2023, at the Resource Development for Alaska annual conference in Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) John Boyle, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, abruptly resigned his position on Friday. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the appointment of his deputy, John Crowther, as acting head of the agency that regulates Alaskas agriculture, mining, oil and gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governors office declined Monday to answer questions about the resignation, which had not been previously announced. Dunleavy is term-limited and will leave office in December 2026. Boyles departure follows those of Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum and Attorney General Treg Taylor. The resignations of both of those men who are now Republican candidates for governor in next years elections were announced in advance, unlike Boyles departure. Boyle could not be reached for comment on Monday. The departing commissioner has extensive experience in the oil industry. Before joining Dunleavys cabinet in 2023, he was a lobbyist for BP and Oil Search. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crowther, who will replace Boyle on an interim basis, has been with the Department of Natural Resources since 2012, the governors office said. He previously worked as director of the governors Washington, D.C. office and served on the staff of the U.S. Senates Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He holds a law degree from Georgetown University. The Department of Natural Resources is at the forefront of protecting and developing Alaskas precious land and waters. Mr. Crowthers legal background and experience as a deputy commissioner make him a great choice to advance the responsible development, and maximum use, of Alaskas natural resources consistent with the public interest as mandated by Alaskas Constitution, the governor said in a prepared statement released on Friday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A moose strolls a snowy Midtown Anchorage street on Nov. 13, 2023. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Winter weather is settling in across parts of Alaska, and as folks start to bundle up, many are reaching for their thermostats. Unfortunately for many this winter, their ability to stay warm will heavily depend on events taking place over 2,000 miles away, in Washington, D.C. On October 1st, the federal government failed to pass a budget resolution, and the government shut down. Rather than protect the healthcare and pocketbooks of working-class families, the far-right has chosen to sit out negotiations as the House moves into an extended recess. In the meantime, the Trump administration has celebrated the shutdown as an opportunity to fire another wave of civil servants, building upon many of the layoffs that caused chaos across federal agencies earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Across Alaska, thousands of federal employees can expect to be furloughed. The state is home to 15,000 federal employees, not including military personnel. Many of these employees will be forced to resign or work without pay. A week after the shutdown began, the Administration has thrown into question if workers can count on back pay at all, with the President saying There are some people that dont deserve to be taken care of in reference to federal workers. These developments are particularly alarming in Alaska, as the cost of living due to policy changes from tariffs to rising energy bills is rapidly increasing. A few federal programs provide a lifeline to our vulnerable economic neighbors. This includes the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a program that helps low-income families afford their energy bills and prevent disconnections. In 2023, 4,737 households received assistance from LIHEAP in Alaska, the majority of which included a vulnerable household member. Future funding is currently tied up in the appropriations process, and the programs solvency is uncertain unless a resolution is passed and funding is approved. Funding in Alaska is likely to expire in a matter of weeks. During past shutdowns, other state LIHEAP offices have been forced to close temporarily or delay payments. As this particular shutdown draws out, Wyoming has already announced that it will soon run out of money for its program. In Alaska, where temperatures can reach extremes during the winter months, LIHEAP provides a critical public health service for many communities. Without the ability to access affordable energy, many folks may turn to unsafe heating practices (such as using a stove for home heating) or risk exposure to frigid temperatures. If the government shutdown ends in the near future, its still hard to imagine what sort of government we will be coming back to. Earlier this year, for example, the entire LIHEAP staff was dismissed by the Trump Administration. Further permanent cuts could severely hinder the ability of the services to be deployed in an effective and meaningful manner. Even if the government comes back online, without a guarantee of back pay, a number of Alaskan families will be left hurting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One New Hampshire Representative recently introduced legislation to fund LIHEAP during the shutdown. As Alaskans, we deserve to know what our federal delegation is doing to protect our communities this winter. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Applied Materials (AMAT) announced a 4% workforce reduction despite shares climbing over 40% year-to-date (YTD). The chip equipment maker will eliminate approximately 1,444 positions from its 36,100-person global workforce, incurring charges of $160 million to $180 million, primarily for severance payments. CEO Gary Dickerson cited automation, digitalization, and geographic shifts as drivers reshaping workforce requirements. The company aims to build higher-velocity teams while simplifying organizational structures. More News from Barchart Notably, Applied Materials recently projected a $600 million revenue hit for fiscal 2026 after the U.S. expanded export restrictions, sending AMAT stock down 3% earlier this month. www.barchart.com Applied Materials' Contradictions Applied Materials faces a puzzling contradiction as the chip equipment maker announced workforce cuts despite achieving record third-quarter performance. In fiscal Q3 of 2025, AMAT reported record revenue of $7.3 billion, up 8% year-over-year (YoY), and record adjusted earnings of $2.48 per share. However, the company guided fourth-quarter revenue and earnings sequentially lower, primarily due to three factors: First, capacity digestion in China, where tremendous spending occurred in 2023 and 2024. Second, a large backlog of pending export licenses, where management conservatively assumes none will be issued next quarter. Third, nonlinear demand from leading-edge customers is linked to market concentration and factory timing. Due to the ongoing trade war, AMATs China business remains below 2024 levels, though it remains meaningful to overall results. The ICAPS segment, which covers mature logic nodes for industrial, communications, automotive, and power applications, continues to face headwinds as utilization remains depressed. Despite near-term turbulence, management maintains confidence in long-term prospects. Applied expects to achieve its sixth consecutive year of revenue growth in fiscal 2025 at mid-single-digit rates. The company holds leadership positions in critical areas like gate-all-around transistors and backside power delivery, with opportunities to gain multiple points of market share as these technologies ramp in 2026 and 2027. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority on Friday reestablished permits that allow planning and preconstruction activities to resume on a road across federally managed lands to the Ambler Mining District, an area with large deposits of strategic metals. The permits reestablish a 50-year right-of-way granted in 2020 during President Donald Trumps first term. It was revoked in 2024 by the Biden administration following challenges by environmental organizations and Indigenous groups in Alaska. The road would provide access to a mining district with untapped deposits of copper, cobalt, zinc, gallium, germanium, gold, and silver and would advance the current Trump administration's push to develop domestic supplies of critical materials. Last week, the Department of the Interior announced a package of actions to boost energy development in Alaska that includes reopening the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas leasing and completion of right-of-way permits for the Ambler Road project. On Friday, Alaskan government officials executed the permits with the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Park Service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump determined the road project is in the public interest given the countrys need for access to domestic critical minerals, according to a Fact Sheet released by the White House on Oct. 6. The project would run about 211 miles from the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District. There is no economically feasible and prudent alternative route, the White House said. The permits for the road have been held for years due to protracted litigation, and the President has finally allowed this project to go forward to support the Administrations energy dominance agenda, the White House said. To further boost domestic energy production, the U.S. Defense Department formed a partnership with Trilogy Metals to support mining exploration in the mining district. The $35.6 million investment makes the U.S. a 10% shareholder in Trilogy Metals and includes warrants to purchase an additional 7.5% of the company, according to the White House. Environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and Winter Wildlands Alliance, argue the road will cause irreparable harm to fragile ecosystems and wildlife. Others, including the National Parks Conservation Association, oppose a route through the Gates of the Arctic National Preserve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tanana Chiefs Conference, a consortium of 42 federally recognized tribes in Interior Alaska, believes the road will disrupt the migratory patterns of caribou and damage fish habitats, threatening the food security and culture of the states Native communities. The group promised to continue to fight the road in a post on Facebook. The NANA Regional Corporation and Doyon Limited, native for-profit corporations in Alaska that own land along the roads proposed route, must agree to the project before it can move forward. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the permits reinstatement fulfills the promise of a law passed in 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. This was the commitment this was the exchange, if you will: For areas that we put in an area of conservation status, in recognition that we would need things like transportation corridors, that we would need areas for exploration and development, Murkowski said in an interview with Alaska Public Media. Will Rampe, a policy analyst at the Institute for Energy Research, said it typically takes about 27 years for a new mine in the U.S. to obtain the necessary permits, secure financing and begin production. This is a great step in the right direction, said Rampe. Clearly, we need these minerals to compete with China but given the extent of legal challenges that remain the number of groups filing these challenges it remains to be seen how long it will take before mining operations could begin. Rampe said. ALBERTVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) An Albertville woman has pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse, according to the Marshall County District Attorneys Office. The DAs office said that Carmen Casanova, 33, entered a blind plea of guilty, meaning that the DA did not offer a plea deal and did not have any agreement with Casanova regarding her sentence. In November 2022, Casanova turned herself in to the Albertville Police Department on abuse charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Casanova said that she had left the 2-year-old victim on the third bunk before leaving the room to check on her crying infant. The DA said that Casanova told them she heard a loud noise come from the bedroom. She told investigators that she assumed the victim fell off the bunk bed, and she was dizzy but up and moving. The DA said that Casanova waited an hour to call 911, until the victim was blue and not breathing. The victim was taken to Childrens of Alabama in Birmingham, where they found her body was covered in bruises and abrasions. Additionally, officials found the victim with a busted lip, bloody nose, a traumatic brain injury normally caused by choking and blunt force, and swelling around the ligaments in her neck. Doctors performed two life-saving brain surgeries, a blood transfusion and several other medical tests, procedures and therapies, the DA said. According to medical professionals at the UAB Department of Pediatrics Child Abuse Division, the injuries could not have come from falling from the bunk. Instead, the victim had been choked and her injuries were received in a violent and severe manner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DAs office added that medical professionals said the victim would have been unresponsive almost immediately after being injured. The district attorneys office said they had planned to call a witness about statements that Casanova had made that day. The witness said that, after going to see the victim, Casanova returned to the waiting room and said, I dont like her, but I didnt hit her that hard. Additionally, the DA said that they expected the witness to testify that Casanova attempted to kill herself by taking a lot of pills. When the witness asked her why she would kill herself if the incident was an accident, Casanova said that she had hit the victim on the head and choked her in the past. The DA said that they had evidence of Casanovas motive. In Oct. 2020, after the victim was born, both the victim and Casanova tested positive for opiates, causing the victim and her siblings to be taken into foster care. Casanova was arrested for chemical endangerment of a child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was in foster care from birth to about four months before this incident took place. Against DHRs recommendation, in July 2022, the victim and her siblings were returned to Casanova. Casanova will be sentenced on January 5, 2026. She is facing 10 to 99 years, or life, in state prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Editors note: This article is part of a continuing Tuesday series profiling local educators. ALEXANDRIA In keeping with a family tradition, Brian Adams tries to make learning fun for his students. Adams, a biology, forensics and environmental science teacher at Alexandria-Monroe High School, teaches students in all four grades there. Teaching is not a foreign occupation in the Adams family. Adams father was an Alexandria Middle School teacher for 35 years, and Adams brother is the principal at Cowan Jr./Sr. High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams, an Alexandria graduate, said the students are the reason he loves to teach. My degree was in biochemistry, and I was going to work in a lab, Adams said. I worked at Lowes for eight years while I couldnt find a job, and as soon as I switched into teaching, it just clicked. Every day is different, he added. Some days are good, some days are bad, but I love it all. Currently, Adams freshman biology class is working through a unit on ecology by creating a project. The premise, Adams said, is that students must pick a location within a certain land and water ecosystem and describe it as if they are selling a vacation to someone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams makes sure he connects with each student. Its all about relationships, Adams said. I feel like thats something that I identified early in my teaching career. Even the kids that dont want to learn, sometimes they realize that I am learning something just because Im invested or having fun. We are here for 180 days no matter what, he said. I always tell them, lets make the best of it. Michelle Burnett, a math teacher at AMHS, said Adams has a variety of interests, which serves him well when it comes to making students comfortable in his classroom. He has a very different personality that makes it easy for him to connect with a variety of kids, Burnett said. He teaches a lot of freshmen, which is good preparation for them because theres that difference from going from junior high to high school. Hes able to bring them in and help them understand expectations a bit better in terms of credits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has about every interest in the world. He knows enough that even if a kid is interested in something completely off the wall, he probably knows about it. Jared Bourff, a health care and physical education teacher at AMHS, said Adams connections with his students are a product of his genuine nature. Hes very real with the students, Bourff said. What you see is what you get from him. Hes high energy. Hes awesome. Hes got a mind of his own, and hes got nicknames for everybody. He just makes you feel like youre at home. Bourff said his transition to a new role at AMHS became nearly effortless when he struck up a friendship with Adams. When I came here four years ago, I knew some of the people, but I didnt know a lot, Bourff said. I found him, and he and I clicked. We have one common goal. We love what we do and were passionate about it. Ten people are currently on trial in Paris for allegedly harassing French First Lady Brigitte Macron by falsely claiming she is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. Eight men and two women have been accused of spreading numerous malicious comments online about the first ladys gender and sexuality and of mentioning her age gap with her husband as paedophilia. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wild, unsubstantiated claims about Mrs Macrons gender have also been gaining ground in the US, where far-right podcaster Candace Owens has repeatedly amplified the false claim online that Mrs Macron was born a man. The Independent looks at the allegations made about Mrs Macron. Brigitte Macron with her husband French president Emmanuel Macron (AP) What are the allegations made about Brigitte Macron? The false claims spread online allege that Mrs Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother. The Macrons have for years been dogged by conspiracy theories that she was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, before taking the name Brigitte as a transgender woman. Prosecutors also say that defendants equated the age difference between Ms Macron, 72, and her husband, 47, to paedophilia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jerome A, 49, was asked about posts he wrote or reposted last year about Ms Macron being a man or having a penis. He told the court that it was just a joke, adding that his posts were satirical in spirit. The defendants also include Delphine J, a woman previously the subject of a defamation complaint launched by Ms Macron three years ago. In December 2021, she had posted a four-hour interview with blogger Natacha Rey on YouTube, alleging that Ms Macron had once been a man. Rey said she believed Brigitte Macron was actually a man called Jean-Michel Trogneux, before the video amassed a huge viewership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delphine J, also known as Amandine Roy, and Rey were ordered to pay damages last year, but their conviction was overturned following a successful appeal. The court ruled the case did not qualify as defamation. Macron and her brother have taken the case to the highest appeals court. The wild allegations have dogged Brigitte for years (AFP/Getty) Why are 10 people on trial? The French trial relates to a complaint filed by Ms Macron in 2024, which accuses all 10 defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, of allegedly making malicious comments about her gender and sexuality. Arrests were made in December 2024 and February 2025. All 10 deny wrongdoing. Several of those set for trial shared posts made by Ms Owens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roy was in the dock in the case heard at Paris Correctional Court on Monday. Her lawyer, Maud Marian, said that her client had only replied to other posts. During this trial, Roy exercised her right to remain silent, Le Parisien reports. Jerome C denied harassment and said that he had shared posts to inform others. These are tweets, posts that can be considered as harassment of Brigitte Macron, Carlo Brusa, one of the defendants lawyers said, adding that his client was part of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people who tweeted and re-tweeted this story. One defendant told the court that they had a relatively small account. Conservative political commentator Candace Owens has made several claims about the French presidents wife (Reuters) What has Candace Owens said about Brigitte Macron? The Macrons are seeking damages in a separate lawsuit against Ms Owens after suing her on 22 counts, including defamation and false light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tom Clare, a lawyer acting for the Macrons, has said the couple are ready to prove generally and specifically that Ms Owens allegations that Ms Macron was born male are false. Their evidence would include scientific proof that she is a woman, he said. Mr Clare said last month that the couple has found Ms Owens claims extremely upsetting. It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all, the Macrons said in a statement at the time. A statement said Ms Owens had promoted a preposterous narrative about the Macrons, including incendiary and verifiably false accusations of identity theft, incest, violent crimes, and mind control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Owens filed a motion to dismiss in September, arguing that Delaware courts have no jurisdiction over the Macrons complaint, and that the claims should be filed in France or Tennessee, where Ms Owens lives, if filed at all. Her lawyers called the lawsuit quintessential libel tourism intended to sidestep Frances three-month statute of limitations for defamation claims. Brigitte has said the lawsuit against Owens is about having the truth respected (Reuters) How has Brigitte Macron responded? In August, the French president touched upon the lawsuit filed against Ms Owens in a wide-ranging Paris Match interview that he felt compelled to sue because the false claims had taken on a life of their own in the US. This has become so widespread in the United States that we had to react, Macron said in French. Its a question of having the truth respected. The French leader said he will pursue the lawsuit to the end because her allegations were nonsense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked about the hostility he and Brigitte have gotten stateside in the wake of Ms Owens remarks, Macron said: It is not freedom of speech to want to prevent the restoration of the truth. Those who talk to you about this so-called freedom of speech are the ones who ban journalists from the Oval Office. I do not accept this. Ms Owens remarks subjected the couple to a campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies, the complaint says. The Independent approached Candace Owens for comment. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The man accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 pleaded guilty to the assassination on Tuesday. Tetsuo Yamagami, 45, told Judge Shinichi Tanaka, in his first public appearance since the killing, that he murdered Abe because he blamed him for religious abuse he suffered in his youth. "Everything is true," Yamagami told the court in his first hearing for the crime, adding that "there is no mistake that I did it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yamagami's attorneys requested leniency from the court because their client had been victimized during his upbringing, because his mother, who is set to be a witness in the trial, was a follower of the Unification Church. Abe, who had been Japan's longest serving prime minister since World War II, was targeted based perceived links to the church, formally referred to as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which was partially introduced to Japan by his grandfather, former Prime Minister Nobusuki Kishi, in 1954. People offer flowers and pray on July 8, 2024, the 2nd anniversary of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination, at the site where he was shot near Yamato-Saidaiji station in Nara-Prefecture, Japan. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI Yamagami allegedly used a homemade gun to kill Abe on July 8, 2022 while he was giving a campaign speech for a colleague in Japan's Upper House election. It was one of six he had made in his home in late 2020 and in the two years after produced two kilograms of black powder and tested fired the guns at several different locations, prosecutors said. Although defense lawyers have argued that Yamagami's childhood should lead to a reduced sentence, prosecutors have said the shooting is an "unprecedented" crime in post-war Japan and that he does not deserve leniency. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Check out the Allred Prison Unit hiring event at the Workforce Solutions North Texas Galaxy Center on Jacksboro Highway. Tom Ostovich, Business Service Consultant with Workforce Solutions North Texas, said the prison is looking to fill nearly 200 positions, with eight weeks of paid training. Starting pay is just over $26 an hour. Ostovich said folks are often undecided on whether or not a career in corrections is right for them, but encourages people to come out and talk to the representatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maybe youre thinking thats not the job for me, but they have people out here. They can tell you more about a day in the life of a correctional officer. You may find out something you want to do, Ostovich said. Todays hiring event ended at 3 p.m. Bring your drivers license, social security card, and proof of education. If you could not attend todays event, they hold it at the Workforce Solutions office twice a month. You can now stream KFDX and Texomas FOX live 24/7 on your smart TV with KFDX+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Texomashomepage.com. In 2024, a rehabilitation center in Connecticut rescued two vultures that had become drunk after dumpster diving. We thought these birds were actively dying. Well they were just severely intoxicatedyes, they were DRUNK! the Watertown CT Animal Control posted on social media. These two had been dumpster diving and found something fermented enough to cause them to be so intoxicated, they couldnt even stay awake. Birds arent the only creatures that go dumpster diving people do too. Some go through trash out of necessity, while others do it to get free clothes or furniture and still others do it to fight waste. In Boston, theres even an informal sidewalk shopping holiday known as Allston Christmas that occurs when people move in and out of apartments in the city on Sept. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Massachusetts, theres no blanket law that bans dumpster diving. However, there are still legal risks if you dive on private property, and there are other rules that restrict the practice. Heres what to know about dumpster diving in Massachusetts. Dumpster Diving, a sculpture highlighting recycling was part of Lee County Solid Waste's We Are Overflowing exhibit at ArtFest. Is it legal to dumpster dive in Massachusetts? There is no state law that makes it illegal to dumpster dive in Massachusetts. However, there are laws against trespassing, so you cannot dumpster dive on private property. Entering or remaining in a private area after being forbidden to do so by the owner directly or by posted sign is punishable by a fine of up to $100, imprisonment for up to 30 days or both. What are some restrictions on dumpster diving in Massachusetts? Local municipalities can have dumpster-locking rules that indirectly restrict dumpster diving in Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, many towns have rules requiring dumpsters be locked between certain hours. In Belmont, dumpsters must be locked between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., and no dumpster can be emptied or filled within that time frame. In Methuan, they must be locked from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Some towns around the country do ban dumpster diving: in Wood River, Illinois, a 2025 ordinance bans dumpster diving in commercial refuse containers, with fines ranging from $100 to $750. To be safe, you should check your local town or citys ordinances before dumpster diving. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Is dumpster diving legal in MA? What the law says about scavenging WASHINGTON Two Maryland lawmakers are introducing bills that would suspend student loan payments for federal workers during the government shutdown, providing relief for employees who missed their first full paycheck last week. The bills are being introduced by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. Sarah Elfreth. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is a cosponsor. This has been an ongoing effort that we have made to ensure that during the shutdown were providing as much support as we can to federal employees, Alsobrooks told The Baltimore Sun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the latest action of a delegation that has often placed itself in the middle of a fight that has benefited no one least of all Maryland, which has been disproportionately affected by the impact on government workers. Its a smart angle to take, GOP strategist Brittany Martinez said. In this moment, everyone is trying to throw things at the wall and see what sticks. Maryland has one of the highest concentrations of federal employees of any state in the nation. Between workers, contractors, and military personnel, Maryland is home to over 500,000 government employees, according to Alsobrooks office and state estimates. Its also one of the most educated states. Roughly 44% of people 25 and older hold at least a bachelors degree. Maryland residents are more likely to have student loan debt than most across the country, with about 847,000 borrowers, according to a study by the Education Data Initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a problem thats personal for Elfreth. The freshman member still has student loan debt. And after electing to have her pay withheld during the shutdown, she had to adjust to make her payment. I was able to make, like, the most minimum payment this month, Elfreth told The Sun. But Im still paying. And so, I think a lot of people are in that same position. If this is one thing we can take off of their plates, thats what Id like to do, Elfreth added. Titled the Shutdown Student Loans for Feds Act, the legislation, exclusively obtained by The Sun, would require the Department of Education to pause student loan payments during a government funding lapse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It includes multiple provisions. In the event of a government shutdown that lasts beyond two weeks like the current one the bill would pause loan payments for all federal employees. There are no caveats for contractors or furloughed employees. All federal workers who are not being paid would benefit. The loans would not accrue interest when paused and have no impact on a persons credit. The pause wouldnt affect loan forgiveness programs. For forgiveness programs, the time passed would be considered as if the pause didnt happen and payments were made normally. Alsobrooks plans to introduce the Senate version of the bill on Wednesday. Elfreth, who represents Anne Arundel and Howard counties and partnered with Alsobrooks on the legislation, introduced its corresponding House bill on Tuesday. Alsobrooks and Elfreth also collaborated on legislation to aid federal workers just before the shutdown. Though Alsobrooks mentioned the possibility of trying to pass the bill by unanimous consent, she isnt expected to try on Wednesday. The Senate has been conversing on previously introduced federal worker bills, including one introduced last week by Van Hollen. Whether or not those bills gain bipartisan momentum could determine how Alsobrooks proceeds with her bill, a spokesperson for Alsobrooks told The Sun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elfreth doubted her bill would be acted on in time to help the current shutdown Republicans have been gone since before funding lapsed, leaving the House in limbo. But she eyed how it could aid workers in potential future funding stalemates. The National Federation of Federal Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) endorsed the act. AFGE President Everett Kelley said it would provide much-needed financial relief for federal workers impacted by government shutdowns. No public servant should be penalized with mounting student debt while serving their country without pay, Kelley said in a statement. This bill offers fairness, dignity, and peace of mind to the federal workforce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maryland lawmakers have frequently advocated during the shutdown for legislation that would aid federal workers. So far, its been to no avail. I dont know whether its going to stick or not, Martinez said. Have a news tip? Contact Ben Mause at bmause@baltsun.com. BOLAIR, W.Va. (WBOY) Two people were arrested after deputies say that they were involved in an altercation that placed a child at risk and ended with a woman running from deputies. Aaron Hixon According to a criminal complaint, on Oct. 25, deputies with the Webster County Sheriffs Office, alongside the West Virginia State Police, were called to a residence on Webster Road in Bolair to assist Child Protective Services (CPS) with removing a child from the residence. The complaint said that Aaron Hixon, 39, and Jamila Ruff, 37, both of Bolair, had been involved in an altercation with one another; troopers said when they arrived, Ruff was attempting to leave the residence with the child, so they detained her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Person taken to hospital with serious injuries from Marion County UTV crash Jamila Ruff Once Ruff was detained, officers spoke with the homeowners, identified as Hixons parents, who confirmed that Hixon had struck Ruff multiple times while she was holding the child, who was around three months old, the complaint said. They also told officers that Ruff had an active warrant out of Virginia, a detail that was confirmed by dispatch. At that point, officers said they handcuffed Ruff with her hands behind her back and placed her inside a police cruiser. Officers then returned to the house to continue obtaining statements, but when they returned, they said Ruff was gone. Officers began a search for Ruff, which led them to a residence at Miller Circle, located about a half mile away. Officers said they found Ruff inside a closet with her original cuffs still on, but with the center link cut. Ruff told officers that another person had cut the center link for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ruff has been charged with escape from custody, and Hixon has been charged with child neglect with risk of injury. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. Latin Americas B2B payment platform Cobre has formed a strategic alliance with TerraPay for facilitating global transactions. The partnership is designed to enable businesses to conduct cross-border payments with a compliant infrastructure, reduced complexity, and quicker settlement durations. By linking the enterprise payment platform of Cobre with the international network of TerraPay, businesses will be able to transfer real-time funds, tap into new markets, and alleviate the traditional challenges related to international payments. According to TerraPay, this initiative highlights the companies joint goal to streamline financial operations for businesses operating in Latin America and other regions. TerraPay Network global head and vice-president Hassan Chatila said: Together with Cobre, we have unlocked a new era of faster, transparent and more reliable cross-border payments across Latin America. By combining our global infrastructure with Cobres deep understanding of enterprise payment needs, weve been able to help businesses expand by focusing on growth rather than payment complexities. The partnership with TerraPay positions Cobre to assist companies in managing the multifaceted aspects of cross-border payments, including regulatory compliance, management of treasury, technological integration, and settlement. Cobre co-founder and CEO Jose Gedeon said: Our partnership with TerraPay proves the impact of combining local expertise with a global payments network. Moving millions of dollars in 2025 shows that companies across the region are demanding faster, safer, and more efficient international payments. In July 2025, Blue Remit, a digital remittance subsidiary of Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC, entered into a partnership with TerraPay to strengthen its payout network. In May, TerraPay partnered with Wave Mobile Money to enhance cross-border remittance services, allowing Malians to receive funds from abroad directly into their Wave mobile wallets. This move integrates TerraPays international payment network with remittance inflows from Money Transfer Operators in North America and Europe into Mali. "Cobre and TerraPay unite to facilitate global business payments" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. Editors Note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and call signs only. KHARKIV OBLAST- Dug deep within walls of black soil in the rolling hills of northeastern Ukraine, what was once the undisputed god of war can no longer afford to rise above ground for long. With an 8-meter barrel designed by Soviet engineers for long-range and accuracy, the Ukrainian Giatsint towed howitzer is pointed to the skies as artillerymen of Ukraine's 15th National Guard Brigade, better known as Kara-Dag, receive the morning's first fire mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With knowledge and teamwork honed in some of the toughest parts of the front line, from the southern counteroffensive in 2023 to the fighting around Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, the crew fire three huge 152mm shells in rapid succession, each shot shaking the earth-and-wood position custom-made to conceal and protect their gun from enemy drones. Their target: Russian infantrymen spotted near the shore of the Oskil River, looking to cross to the western side and join the rush of bodies upon the city of Kupiansk. A Ukrainian soldier holds a shotgun to protect from Russian drones on positions near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Liberated by Ukrainian forces in the lightning counteroffensive of September 2022, Kupiansk was stuck in the front-line zone for three years of fighting, as Russian forces entrenched themselves in the forests north and east of the city. Now, Russian troops are back in Kupiansk, in what is likely to be the largest Ukrainian city to be occupied a second time by Russia after being liberated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As is the case across the front line, Russia attacks here mostly with small infantry groups, backed by an ever-thickening carpet of drones in the air. In the thinning but still dense autumn foliage, these tactics leave Ukrainian drone and artillery teams chasing shadows. "They ran away in all directions," said Andrii "Mazhor," chief of staff of the brigade's artillery division, on the result of the fire mission. Breach in the north The Kara-Dag Brigade's sector lies directly north of Kupiansk, where Russian forces have secured a foothold on the western bank of the Oskil. At the command point of the artillery division, the role of one howitzer team can be seen in the context of the brigade's dense array of reconnaissance and strike assets: the large split-screen displays show live feeds from Mavic-style and fixed-wing reconnaissance drones, first-person view (FPV) and heavy bomber strike drones, as well as unmanned ground vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every now and then, a new user enters the video chat: the intercepted signal of a Russian drone, giving Ukrainian teams on the ground fair warning of the threat in the sky. Ever since Russian offensive pressure on Kupiansk started mounting in 2023, the greater threat seemed to be the recapture of territory on the eastern side of the river, which Russian forces reached in an offensive push in 2024. But after an overstretched Ukrainian military left part of the river north of Kupiansk, near the village of Dvorichna, badly undefended, Moscow took the opportunity to cross and establish a bridgehead on the other side. A map of Russian forces' advances around the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast since summer 2025. (Nazar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent) Over summer and autumn of 2025, while attention remained mostly on the fighting in Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces steadily inched southward along the western bank, reaching and breaching the outskirts of Kupiansk in August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles Strike Drone Regiment, revealed in September, several underground pipes running under the Oskil River were also used by Russian soldiers to enter Kupiansk, in a practice already refined elsewhere, such as in Avdiivka and Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. Now that the pipes have been destroyed, the river must once again be crossed on the surface. On a drone feed, a small inflatable boat is spotted tied to the riverbank. A view from a Ukrainian drone of a boat used to transport Russian soldiers across the Oskil at a command post in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Given this terrain, the Kara Dag Brigade's mission is an unusual one: rather than repelling direct attacks, they guard the corridor entering Kupiansk from the north, shaping a deadly gauntlet that Russian troops must pass through to make it into the city. "Compared to other sectors, I haven't seen soldiers of the Russian Federation die as pointlessly as here," said Mazhor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I haven't seen a single wounded soldier getting evacuated." Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us Urban havoc In a small farming village somewhere between Kharkiv and Kupiansk, the air is laced with the smoke of soldering irons as technicians work around the clock to keep drones flowing to the front line. This is the beating heart of Black Wing, the specialized drone unit of Ukraine's 116th Mechanized Brigade, fighting in and around Kupiansk itself. During a visit to the workshop, the Kyiv Independent spoke with drone operators who had just rotated off their positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While much attention is often given to Ukraine's larger separate drone units, most of which are in the Unmanned Systems Forces, it is units like Black Wing, attached to Ukraine's bread-and-butter brigades, that often shoulder much of the burden for holding the line. With Russian forces often targeting sectors of the front line defended by weaker units, the need for every brigade to boost its drone component often without much support from the state is crucial. Technicians of the 116th Mechanized Brigade modify first-person view drones at a workshop in Kharkiv Oblast, on Oct. 2, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) "We have a situation where, for example, there can be 2-3 brigades alongside each other, but they are not equipped and manned on the same level," said Andrii "Tioma," 30, an FPV pilot in the 116th Brigade. "Maybe the overall picture can seem okay at first, but the Russians see a weak spot with weaker personnel or fewer fire assets, and target that area." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the screens of Black Wing's command post, Russian soldiers can be seen moving around the central square of Kupiansk. FPV drones are seen flying into the windows of multi-story buildings where the Russians took shelter, but it's unclear if the strikes were effective. On another feed, a reconnaissance drone zooms in to observe a small group of Ukrainian civilians mostly elderly men and women outside an apartment building. Around 680 civilians are understood to be inside the city, district administration head Andrii Kanashevych said on Oct. 16. With Russian soldiers now holding much of Kupiansk and cutting off the roads in and out with drones, evacuation has become impossible. Andrii "Tioma," a drone pilot of the 116th Mechanized Brigade at a workshop in Kharkiv Oblast, on Oct. 2, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) As the drone pilots of the 116th recounted, Russian soldiers have often been observed disguising themselves as locals to help advance through the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They move around in civilian clothes, and we can't tell if it's a local resident or an enemy soldier;" said 26-year-old bomber drone pilot Yaroslav "Tykhyi." "This makes things particularly tricky, because we can't target them when there is a fear that we will hurt a civilian. The good thing is that we have been working here for a while and we know where the real civilians are living, and where it's definitely enemies creeping around." Artillery commander Andrii "Mazhor" of the 15th National Guard Brigade at a command post in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Using civilians as cover, and moving past a thin or even nonexistent Ukrainian line of infantry, once Russian infantry make it into the urban area, they can advance with much greater ease, often putting Ukrainian drone teams at risk of ending up in a direct firefight. One FPV drone operator from another unit working in Kupiansk who requested his identity not be disclosed due to the unsanctioned nature of his comments told the Kyiv Independent that his team, which would ideally work from a distance of three or more kilometers to the enemy, often flew missions targeting Russian soldiers in the city less than 300 meters away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's hard to say how far from the front line we work;" said Tykhyi, "The dynamic in the area is fast, and the enemy is always moving forward, closing the distance to pilots like us." "The bastards don't tend to engage in firefights with us, they just make their way closer, infiltrate, and look for signs of movement or presence among our guys that they pass on upwards (to their drone pilots and commanders)." Read also: Analysis: Ukraine learns hard lessons from Russias evolving tactics after clearing Dobropillia breakthrough Lying in wait As the artillerymen of the 15th Brigade pause for a smoke after the fire mission, one topic is on everyone's mind: Russian drones flying farther and hitting Ukrainian targets further back than what was once thought possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of 2025, almost all Ukrainian large-caliber howitzer positions like this Giatsint have come within range of Russian FPV drones. The further back from the front line, the lower the drone density is, but if spotted, artillery pieces are hunted relentlessly. "Because of the distance from the front line that is now covered (by enemy drones) we are forced to pull back and pull back," the artillery commander said. "The distance increases between your fire position and your ammunition depots, it makes everything more difficult." "We have had confirmed cases of equipment damaged at 33 kilometers from the front line. You don't need to be on the actual zero line or even close to it to come into real danger." Ukrainian soldiers stand beside vehicle covered with makeshift netting to protect it from Russian drones in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Over recent months, Russian drone teams have not only flown further into the Ukrainian rear, but have honed increasingly clever and deadly ways to use them much closer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Led by Moscow's elite drone units, especially the Rubicon Center for Unmanned Technologies, over 2025 Russian forces began deploying FPV drones usually of the fiber optic variant in ambush positions along key Ukrainian logistics routes. Instead of only flying out when a target is spotted, these drones nicknamed zhdun from the Russian word "to wait" lie in ambush. Near the base of the 116th Brigade, welders race to equip all remaining vehicles with defensive cages and nets to reduce the chance of death from a drone ambush. One damaged vehicle shown to the Kyiv Independent illustrates how such primitive defenses can make all the difference; instead of killing the driver and occupants with an explosion on the body of the car, the zhdun drone only caused minor damage. A Ukrainian soldier welds a protective cage onto a vehic in Kharkiv Oblast, on Oct. 2, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) At the end of summer, Bohdan "Bars," a 32-year-old drone pilot in the brigade, was assigned an entirely new role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead of monitoring the grey zone and bombing oncoming Russian infantrymen, his team now patrols roads in the rear, spotting awaiting zhdun drones and clearing them with small bomb drops before giving the all clear for Ukrainian logistics runs. "The waiting drone sits there, and either sees the car on its thermal camera, or its headlights on the day camera, if they are on," he told the Kyiv Independent. On one rotation, Bars' team became direct witnesses of the threat they were trying to liquidate, when a zhdun drone ambushed their vehicle on their way to positions. "We saw how it rose up and we just jumped out of the car as quickly as we could, there was no way to stop or avoid it," he recalled, adding that luckily, nobody was seriously injured and the vehicle was later retrieved. "So yeah, we understand what the threat is very well." Read also: More than Tomahawks: What Ukraines soldiers say they actually need Pointless death At the command point of the Kara-Dag Brigade, movement is spotted on one of the drone feeds. In a small clearing blanketed in autumn leaves, a camouflage-wearing figure emerges from the bushes, stopping under what appears to be an apple tree. "He's clearly lost and hungry," said Mazhor. It only takes a few minutes between the Russian soldier being spotted and targeted. But this time, Mazhor's team isn't calling in artillery. Artillery commander Andrii "Ma on positions near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Back in spring, Mazhor set up a small team working with reconnaissance and bomber drones near the front line, in a function similar to that of Tykhyi in Black Wing. The brigade already had plenty of drone assets of its own, but Mazhor wanted more versatility in what he personally had available to carry out fire missions. "Artillery ammunition is not cheap, and it can be a waste on two or three people," he said, "so we decided not to spend money on ammunition as much, so that we would have more of it and could use it more effectively." "In cases like this, the reconnaissance group detects the enemy's movements, and the bombers destroy the enemy for pennies." The decision has paid off: since forming, the group has killed over 530 Russian soldiers, with more wounded, according to the commander. Hearing the propellers of his hunter above, the soldier runs for the bushes, where the falling autumn leaves are providing less cover with every passing week. The Russian infantryman continues scrambling through the bushes: a fatal mistake when the pilot is scanning for any sign of movement in the scratchy camera feed. After a patient pursuit of a few minutes, the pilot locks onto his target, the payload is dropped, and the Russian soldier's journey to Kupiansk is cut short for good. "He had his fill of apples," Mazhor said laconically as the camera zooms out and the drone returns for a battery change. One more is added to the tally that day. A makeshift steel target shaped like a drone to help soldiers train to shoot them down in the air, seen in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent) Note from the author: Hi, this is Francis Farrell, cheers for reading this article. Things are really tough on the front lines at the moment, as illusions of peace talks fade and Russian drones fly further and further past the front line. It's also getting a lot more dangerous for journalists Please consider supporting our reporting. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Alyssa Farah Griffin does not think the American people will vote for a third term presidency for Donald Trump even if he somehow got the nomination. While talking on the Behind the Table podcast, The View co-host laid out why she isnt too worried about Trump possibly running for a third term in office. Griffin noted she believes the American people will be over it meaning the Trump administration by 2028. So I personally believe virtually any president in modern history, generally by that point in their presidency for him, it would be the end of his second term the publics over it, Griffin shared. I just think that public sentiment is going to change. I think that were cyclical in nature in our politics, and the public is going to be ready for someone new. So even if he somehow pulls off getting the nomination again, Im extremely bullish that he would not then win in a fair and free election. On Monday, Trump was asked if he would consider running for vice president as a way to stay in the White House. He shot down the prospect quickly by calling it too cute. He also danced around the topic of a possible third term as president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wouldnt do that, he told reporters. I think its too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out because its too cute. I think the people wouldnt like that Its not it wouldnt be right. But when asked if he was ruling out a third term altogether: Am I not ruling it out? I mean, youll have to tell me. Trumps comments came after former White House chief strategist and convicted fraudster Steve Bannon told The Economist there is a plan for Trump to get a third term. Trump is going to be president in 28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that, he said. The post Alyssa Farah Griffin Doesnt Think Voters Will Elect Trump to 3rd Term Even if He Tries It: The Publics Over It | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Oct. 28, as the company works to pare expenses and compensate for over hiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. The figure represents a small percentage of Amazons 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of the companys roughly 350,000 corporate employees. This would represent the largest job cut at Amazon since around 27,000 jobs were eliminated starting in late 2022. It is unclear exactly how many employees at Amazon's Nashville headquarters, if any, will be affected. A representative of the company did not immediately respond to The Tennessean's request for more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The staffing reductions could impact a variety of divisions within Amazon, including human resources known as People Experience and Technology, devices and services and operations, among others, the sources said. Managers of impacted teams were asked to undergo training on Oct. 27 about how to communicate with staff following email notifications that will start going out on Tuesday morning, according to sources. A view of the Amazon towers on Church Street Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. The news comes as companies race to adopt AI into their operations and find inefficiencies, or everyday tasks that can be automated or streamlined. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is undertaking an initiative to reduce what he has described as an excess of bureaucracy at the company, including by reducing the number of managers. He installed an anonymous complaint line to identify inefficiencies that has elicited about 1,500 responses and over 450 process changes, he said earlier this year. Jassy said in June that the increased use of artificial intelligence tools would likely lead to further job cuts, particularly through automating repetitive and routine tasks. Amazon's Nashville operations hub consists of the company's downtown corporate office complex, originally announced in 2018. The company in 2020 announced it had hired its first 1,000 local employees for tech and corporate roles. Thousands of full-time, part-time and seasonal employees work in Amazon's offices and distribution centers across the Middle Tennessee region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company announced earlier this month it would hire 250,000 seasonal workers to help with the holiday shopping season, including 9,000 people in Tennessee. About 4,000 of those Tennessee hires would be needed in the Nashville area. Molly Davis contributed to this report. Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville. You can email her with comments, questions and tips at mmdavis@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Amazon may lay off up to 30K corporate employees, sources say Eighteen new ambulances were unveiled in Haifa to honor the 18 victims of the Nova festival massacre, transforming a symbol of loss into a life-saving tribute. Eighteen new ambulances were inaugurated in Haifa in memory of the 18 men and women murdered inside the so-called death ambulance during the Nova music festival massacre on October 7, 2023. The fleet, fully funded and donated by the Yossi Ambulance Group, was unveiled at the companys Haifa headquarters on Monday in the presence of bereaved families and former finance minister Moshe Kahlon. Each vehicle carries the name, photograph, and a short dedication for one of the victims. Organizers said the project aims to transform a symbol of loss into a living memorial that saves lives daily across Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ceremony followed extensive Israeli reporting that documented the death ambulance episode, in which festivalgoers crowded into a parked ambulance to seek shelter as Hamas gunmen attacked. Eighteen were killed and two escaped, according to a Kan 11 reconstruction. Kahlon, who helped guide the initiative, told attendees the ambulances represent an unbroken spirit and a national call for unity after a year of trauma. We must not despair, and we have no privilege to despair. We must restore the glory of who we are, he said. The company confirmed that the vehicles were funded by private capital, without public donations or government funding. Eilon Shperber, the companys chief executive, said the goal was to recast a scene of horror into a symbol of revival. Ambulances dedicated by the Yossi Ambulance Group (credit: Yossi Ambulance Group) Every ambulance that leaves here is a living candle in memory of those whose lives were cut short, he said. Yossi Ambulance Group is one of Israels largest private emergency medical providers and a manufacturer-operator of ambulances, with nationwide operations based in Haifa. New ambulances carry their memory and save lives Representing the families, Michal Gabay, mother of the late Shani Gabay, thanked the company for turning pain into action. In an ambulance, our loved ones lost their lives, and today new ambulances carry their memory and save lives, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Background reports indicate the Yossi Ambulance team was among the official medical forces deployed at the Nova festival before the attack. Israeli media and public records have also highlighted the sacrifices of private and volunteer first responders that day, including Yossi Ambulance personnel. The new ambulances will be dispatched nationwide. With every callout, organizers said, they will carry the stories and names of the 18 victims whose memory the project seeks to honor. This is either gonna be wildly successful or a complete disaster, Austin Tice wrote in May 2012, on the eve of a dangerous journey to bear witness to history. Here goes nothing. Tice, a physically towering former Marine and fledgling journalist, threw himself with grit and resolve into war zones, friendships and the injustices he cared deeply about. But he is yet to return from that journey. Tice disappeared in Syria two months after setting off to cover the countrys crippling civil war, sparking a 13-year mystery that has tortured his Texan family and plagued Washingtons relationship with Syrias brutal former dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more than a decade, nobody has seen or heard from Tice. His family has never lost hope that he is alive, even as successive administrations from President Obama to President Trump failed to bring him home. But in December, Assads repressive regime which had always denied capturing or killing Tice collapsed in an instant. And in the chaotic months since, clues about Tices fate have begun to seep through the walls of Syrias once-impenetrable prisons and palaces. Now, a CNN investigation has revealed a remarkable development. Bassam al Hassan, a four-star general close to Assad, told CNNs chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward that Tice was killed in 2013, the year after his capture. The order came from Assad, he said. But Hassan failed an FBI polygraph test, CNN has confirmed, and it is unclear which parts of his story remain a lie. Austin is like a bridge between America and Syria, Waseem Enawi, a Syrian activist who hosted Tice in his home in Yabrud for three weeks, told CNN. Through what happened to Austin, people can understand what happened to hundreds of thousands of Syrians, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the only good thing I can think of to come out of all of this. Debra Tice, Austin's mother, has campaigned for 13 years to secure her son's freedom. - Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Long before his journey to Syria, Tice knew he wanted to make an impact. The oldest of seven siblings, Tice was home-schooled by his devoted Catholic parents, Debra and Mark Tice, in Houston. The family loved to travel; they would visit Mexico at least one a year, took several cross-country road trips, and spent three months in Europe while Austin was a teenager. It was really important for my parents that we knew that there was a whole world out there, Abigail Tice, Austins youngest sister, told CNN. Tice was fiercly protective, Abigail remembered. Whenever I would have a high school crush, he would talk to them and (say): Thats my little sister, you better treat her with respect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Abigails daughter was born, Austin became a huge, loving teddy bear, Abigail told CNN. Every single moment that he could, he was playing with her. At 23, Tice joined the Marines. I think he saw the Marines as the greatest challenge, said Brian Bruggeman, Austins battalion commander during his deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Austin was attracted to the way the Marines lead. Austin Tice on his seventh birthday in 1988. - Tice family Tice stood out, Bruggeman told CNN. He was gregarious and extremely curious. He worked to assimilate his Afghan interpreter into the battalion, Bruggeman recalled, telling the local translator: Youre part of our unit now. A year later, Tice was delighted when the interpreter was accepted to an American college, and the man stayed with Tices family in Texas after moving to the US. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Afghanistan, Tice opened up to his peers. He let me in, Bruggeman said. He loved to talk about his family, his commander recalled. I felt like I knew his mom well before I ever met or talked to (her). Tice had an epiphany while in Afghanistan, Bruggeman added: He wanted to get into photojournalism. He celebrated his 30th birthday by buying a camera and began documenting his deployment, sharing his stream of consciousness on blogs and on Twitter. But Tices time in Afghanistan changed him in darker ways, too. He saw several fellow Marines killed or injured: One lost his left leg when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated, and another was fatally electrocuted when his radio antenna touched a power line. He developed a morbid sense of humor about his own vulnerability. Heading out soon on a horribly conceived mission, he wrote in one tweet. Hopefully (it) will be forgotten like most dumb missions are; otherwise, see you on CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive served on the front lines of both our wars, he wrote at another point, referring also to his service in Iraq. Aside from my men, I have yet to see anything worth dying for. Jacob (left) and Austin Tice during a trip together. - Courtesy of McClatchy Tice returned to the US to complete a law degree at Georgetown University as the Arab Spring toppled autocrats and upended decades of tight-fisted rule in the Middle East. Time to work hard, be dull, and prepare for the next great adventure, he wrote. But becoming a lawyer wasnt his calling, and being dull wasnt his nature. Its not the path I saw for him, a family friend of the Tices told CNN. He was too much a person of action to sit behind a desk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, after his second year of law school, Tice set his eyes on a new mission. And he wanted his brother to join him. I slipped into an empty room at the little house we were renting and listened, astonished, as he told me he was planning a trip to Syria that summer of 2012, Jacob Tice wrote in a 2020 opinion piece for CNN. Jacob turned him down because he couldnt imagine traveling to an active war zone. But he wrote: I encouraged him to follow his heart and to bear witness to the escalating conflict in Syria. I believed in his vision, admired his grit and was behind him completely. Tice in Cairo in March 2012, two months before his trip to Syria. - Christy Wilcox/AFP/Getty Images Tice understood the risks. He had a long-running streak with a close colleague in the online game Words With Friends, and he made a deal: If I dont play my turn for more than a week, let people know Im in trouble. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The night before he left for Syria, Tice met his family friend in a DC bar. There was no talking him out of this, the friend told CNN. He wanted to tell their story. Because he felt like nobody else was there. I think about that evening all the time, added Tices friend, who asked not to be identified. If I could have, if I could have stopped him. God damn it, I wish Id said the right thing. At the time of Tices trip to Syria, the country was seized by a violent civil war. The Free Syrian Army (FSA), a coalition of rebel fighters, was advancing towards the capital Damascus in the countrys southwest and towards Aleppo in the northwest. Both cities had become key fronts in the conflict after Assads forces began cracking down on peaceful protesters the previous year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tice stayed with Enawi near the countrys northern border for nearly three weeks, interviewing locals about the war. Everyone (was) saying hello to him he was a little bit famous, Enawi told CNN. Tice wasnt a reporter yet, but he didnt want to waste time. He desperately wanted to be a journalist. He wanted to be a success, Liz Sly, a Beirut bureau editor at the Washington Post who worked with Tice and published three of his stories, told CNN. He wanted to learn by doing and he was good at it. Lots of people struggle to write a news story. They dont get it, Sly said. He didnt seem to struggle at all. He seemed a natural. But Tice was raw, and a growing cast of seasoned journalists worked to hone his restless energy. David Enders, who traveled with Tice through Syria for several weeks and worked with him on a series of stories for McClatchy, told CNN: One of the first things I said to him was, if you tweet our location in real time, you will never see me again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tice and Enders embedded with a rebel unit and raced towards Damascus, sleeping in safehouses with their boots on and carrying only what they could run with. They jumped on makeshift buses and on the back of motorbikes and sometimes walked, evading government shelling and helicopters as they went. I am embedded w #FSA. Newsworthy stuff going on daily, Tice tweeted in late May. If someone wanted to hire me that would be great. Student loans dont pay themselves. These photos were taken by Austin Tice in Syria in May and June 2012, as he made his way south through the war-torn country. Here, rebel fighters are seen exchanging fire with the Syrian Army forces. - Austin Tice/Tribune News Service/Getty Images In this image for the Washington Post, Tice captured Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters using rifles to attempt to shoot down an attack helicopter that was circling overhead. - Austin Tice for The Washington Pos/Getty Images On one occasion, a tank shell hit the front of a house the pair were taking cover behind, Enders said. I dont have any recollection of (the) sound, he said. I remember the impact, and hitting the ground. It was more violent action than Tice had seen in the military, according to Enders. But the pair bonded over their profession and their recent divorces, and Tice would often share stories about his family. Once he interrupted a conversation among rebel fighters to tell them their plan to ambush a government convoy wasnt well-planned enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tice would subsequently win the George Polk Award for War Reporting, alongside Enders. But the pair eventually parted ways. Rebel forces were gaining control of the suburbs surrounding Damascus, the scene of violent fighting, and Tice wanted to get there in time to see the Assad regime collapse. It was extremely, extremely difficult and dangerous the government was cutting off supply lines and transit routes, Enders said. At one point he broke free of a rebel safehouse and started walking towards the city, until the rebel fighters retrieved him and locked him in a room for his own safety. Tice called Sly to vent his frustration. He was so convinced Assad was going to fall, she said. And he had to be there for it. Tice photographed with a Syrian rebel. - Courtesy Austin Tice That August, Tice turned 31. Listening to the shells usher in my birthday, he wrote on Twitter. He was in a reflective mood. Afghanistan, California, DC, Egypt, Turkey, Syria. What an insane year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The year ended with Tice unwinding at a pool party with FSA rebels, according to a post from him in the early hours of August 12. Taylor Swifts music blared in the background; Tice was an unabashed Swift fan. Hands down, best birthday ever, he wrote. That was the last tweet hed send. In Beirut, Sly heard from an editor at the Post, where Tice had filed a fourth dispatch. Austin hasnt answered his questions, the editor told Sly. He always does. Have you heard from him? It took a few days for concern to set in. Tice had been planning some R&R, and perhaps he was on his way to Lebanon or Turkey to take a break. But as the days passed, it became clear that Tice had been captured. Sly, Enders and the other journalists Tice had befriended during his rapid professional rise frantically reached out to their contacts, but nobody knew what had happened to him. Tice captured this image of a fire raging along a street in Kafer Zaita in early June 2012. - Austin Tice In Al Tal, weeks before his disappearance, Tice photographed two tanks that had been struck by rebel fighters. - Austin Tice Back home, the Tices were on a family vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Austin had been in contact throughout his time in Syria he knew his siblings and his parents were worried about him so it didnt take long for something to feel off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its one of those moments in our familys history where theres a before and theres an after, Abigail told CNN. They cut the trip short, and over the ensuing weeks, the phone on their wall in Houston never stopped ringing. Media members quickly converged outside their house. It was overwhelming, Abigail said. Both Sly and Enders had nightmares about their colleague. There was one where he was in a forest, and people were shooting at him, and I had to warn him, Sly remembered. Then, in September, a video appeared on YouTube. The shaky footage showed Tice, blindfolded, weeks after his disappearance. He recited a garbled prayer in Arabic, then added, in English: Oh Jesus, oh Jesus. The video apparently showed him surrounded by jihadi militants, but the US quickly reached the conclusion that it had been staged by forces loyal to Assad. Marc Tice, Austins father, said in a statement at the time that seeing the video was difficult, but knowing Austin is alive and well is comforting to our family. No footage of Tice has been seen since, but the family never lost that hope. We know hes alive and we know that eventually he will be home and our family will be together again, Abigail said. Weve never doubted it once. Debra Tice has campaigned relentlessly to find and free Austin, making her case in meetings with three US presidents. - Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Austins disappearance transformed his mother, Debra, into a geopolitical crusader overnight. She has met with successive US Presidents and told CNN earlier this year that President Trumps team started reaching out to her soon after his election victory last November, describing their work on the case as fantastic. As time has worn on, his mothers resolve has only grown. Debra Tice is a force of nature, the longtime family friend told CNN. This womans singular focus in life is amazing, and its inspiring. Then, in December, came renewed hope. Assads regime dramatically and decisively fell to rebel fighters, twelve years after Austin Tice believed it would. In the days that followed, Debra wrote a letter to several leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin who gave the fallen despot sanctuary after he fled Syria. Her letter elicited a public response from Putin, who said at his end-of-year press conference that he would talk to Assad about Tices whereabouts. Ive never seen somebody with the guts to stand up to any world leader, to anyone, to say the things that she has said to people to try and get her son out, the Tices family friend said. Thirteen years after he vanished, Austin Tices fate may never truly be known. His disappearance still haunts those who knew him. It changed Slys approach to hiring freelancers You cant just take people (who) bound into the country with no background or experience, she told CNN. She also asks herself: Could we have done more? But Tice knew he was dancing with danger, and those close to him all acknowledge one thing: Once he set his heart on something, trying to change his mind was impossible. Every person in this country fighting for their freedom wakes up every day and goes to sleep every night with the knowledge that death could visit them at any moment. They accept that reality as the price of freedom, Tice wrote on Facebook less than three weeks before his disappearance. No, I dont have a death wish - I have a life wish, he continued. Coming here to Syria is the greatest thing Ive ever done, and its the greatest feeling of my life. Clarissa Ward, CNNs chief international correspondent, contributed to this story. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NEW YORK (AP) Sherry Jenkins is a Halloween person by default. She lives in Blairstown, New Jersey, a rural town where much of the original Friday the 13th horror movie was filmed. That date is, of course, a huge draw for tourists, but the town and its residents are all in on promoting Halloween as well with a parade and other activities. Jenkins, 69, goes along with the vibe, hosting friends and handing out candy to 1,000 or more trick-or-treaters every year. She's not alone. About two-thirds of U.S. adults will celebrate Halloween in some way this year, with parents of kids under 18 especially likely to have plans, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were definitely where the party is, Jenkins said, noting that shes not on board with healthy alternatives to candy. I did that one year when I got raisins, and everybody made fun of me. Jenkins decorates her yard and may dress up her dog in a butterfly costume. And she usually throws together a costume for herself last minute. She's in the majority when it comes to Halloween candy. Just 5% of U.S. adults say they will pass out healthy snacks instead of candy to children, according to the poll, which was conducted Oct. 9-13. But Jenkins will be in the minority if the butterfly outfit makes it onto her dog: Only 9% of U.S. adults say they will dress up a pet in a costume. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents are more likely to be celebrating About 8 in 10 parents of a child under 18 say they will do something to celebrate the holiday, compared with about 6 in 10 adults without young kids. Parents are more likely than Americans overall to say they will take their kids trick-or-treating and dress their kids in costumes, and they're also more likely to say they'll wear a costume themselves. In Kingman, Arizona, 34-year-old Jessica Byrd said Halloween is her favorite holiday. Her 15-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter are on board. I love the free candy, of course, and everybodys nice to each other and welcoming on Halloween, Byrd said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three will dress up and trick-or-treat together. Byrd picked Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Her teen son is going as Snorlax from Pokemon and her daughter will be Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh. Fred Joncas, 34, in Durham, North Carolina, has a 3-year-old daughter. They'll also trick-or-treat dad dressed as Abby Saja from KPop Demon Hunters and his toddler as a Pokemon character. We went last year and she loved it, Joncas said. That's all I've been hearing since May: Halloween, Halloween. He has no plans to pass out candy, but about one-third of U.S. adults say they will be. A similar share, 31%, say they will watch a scary movie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back in Blairstown, Jenkins enjoys a horror watch when she's in the mood. It gets your heart rate going but it's not real so you feel safe, she said. Mega-fans of Halloween Byrd, in Arizona, is such a fan of Halloween that the inside of her home is decorated with witches, skeletons and bats year-round. Its creative and nice to express that creativity, she said of the holiday. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they'll display Halloween decorations in their home or yard, and about one-quarter will carve a pumpkin. Kathy Rice, 75, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a huge Halloween person. She fondly remembers the holiday from her childhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I'm from a large family and we had a big neighborhood with lots of kids," she said. Everybody made a big deal out of Halloween. Rice loves decorating for Halloween inside and out. There's a big furry spider at the front of her house. She goes with faux pumpkins for the yard, including two large ones with lights. And there's a huge footed cauldron with a sign: Trick-or-treat, smell my feet! She and a neighbor have a Halloween tradition all to themselves. They leave each other treats in her cauldron during spooky season. So far this year I've left her some magazines, cookies and a little decoration," Rice said. She left me a cookie, some bubblegum eyeballs and a clip for my hair that has really weird Halloween hands on it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halloween, but not too much Not everyone is over-the-top for Halloween, but they enjoy it nonetheless. Karalyn Kiessling, 31, in South Lyon, Michigan, puts her husband and herself in that category. We're moderate Halloween people, she said. We like to dress up and go to Halloween parties with our friends but we dont have kids yet so were not huge, huge into it. We dont decorate our whole house or anything, but not crossing that out for later. Kiessling just had surgery that left a scar on her neck. I'm thinking of being Bride of Frankenstein this year, she said with a laugh. While the couple doesn't watch horror movies to mark Halloween, they have another tradition along those lines: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's fun and campy. It's a cult classic, Kiessling said. We love it. ___ Sanders reported from Washington. ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,289 adults was conducted Oct. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) The Amherst Survival Center is reassuring residents that its Food Pantry and meal services will remain open and fully stocked for all eligible community members. As concerns grow over a possible government shutdown and its potential impact on food assistance programs, the Centers Food Pantry team is ready to respond to any increase in demand. Organization launches United Response Fund with state following shutdown Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news about potential SNAP disruptions is understandably frightening for many, especially those already managing tight budgets and food insecurity, said Carleen Basler, interim executive director of the Amherst Survival Center. We want our community to know the Amherst Survival Center has plenty of food for everyone who needs it. We are here to help. Basler said the Center has been preparing for the possibility of a lapse in federal funding that could delay or reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits if the shutdown continues into November. The Amherst Survival Centers operations are supported by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, along with local farms, grocery partners, and community donors. These partnerships help ensure that families and individuals across the region continue to have access to nutritious food and essential resources, regardless of government funding. The Centers Food Pantry serves residents from Amherst, Belchertown, Deerfield, Granby, Hadley, Leverett, Pelham, Shutesbury, South Deerfield, South Hadley, Sunderland, Ware, and Whately, as well as individuals experiencing homelessness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the pantry, the Center offers several free food programs: Community Meals : Free, healthy lunches served Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 12 to 12:30 p.m., open to all. Daily Fresh Food Distribution: Bread, produce, and prepared items available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 12 to 3 p.m., open to all. Whether youre a long-time participant or visiting for the first time, youll find open doors, full shelves, and a warm welcome, Basler said. Were all in this together, and the Amherst Survival Center is here to help our neighbors through uncertain times. The Food Pantry, located at 138 Sunderland Road in Amherst, operates: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monday & Friday: 12 3 p.m. Tuesday & Thursday: 12 7 p.m. Third Saturday of each month: 9 a.m. 12 p.m. There is no cost, income verification, or citizenship requirement to receive food. More information about programs and eligibility can be found at amherstsurvival.org. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. Investigative Summary: Many Central Texas counties still dont have outdoor warning sirens nearly two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new law requiring them in 30 flood-prone areas, a KXAN investigation found. We visited one community rushing to catch up and spoke with an Austin family whose loss during the deadly July floods is driving the call for change. MARTINDALE, Texas (KXAN) At precisely 6 p.m. on a Thursday, the mayor of Martindale stopped what she was doing and looked to the sky. A countdown, which had started moments earlier, signaled it was time to start. Weve got to be planning right now before it happens again, she had told us weeks before this moment. Because it will happen again. One of two outdoor warning sirens located in Martindale. (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson) Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler presides over this tiny city of about 1,200 residents nestled along the San Marcos River in Caldwell County, about 45 miles south of Austin. In 2015, dozens of homes were flooded over Memorial Day weekend after a big storm blanketed the area. Across the region, 13 people died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the recent July 4 floods killed at least 135 people, Sanchez Fowler had one thought: That could have been us. A warning siren just a few feet away began to blare a test showing the work to prevent another tragedy was already underway. Everything possible to protect lives Nearly two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a new law requiring outdoor warning sirens in 30 flood-prone areas along with a mandate to regularly test them a KXAN investigation uncovered flood-prone Central Texas counties without a single one in place. The state doesnt track sirens, so we combed through online records and reached out to nearly two dozen Texas counties. FLOOD RISK: See how at-risk your county is to flooding Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result: 10 counties currently have no sirens. Most are located in areas the Federal Emergency Management Agency considers to be a relatively moderate to high risk of flooding. Map graphic of 23 Central Texas counties showing the counties that currently have active outdoor weather sirens and those that do not have sirens. Source: Texas counties (KXAN Interactive/Dalton Huey) Under Senate Bill 3, only the counties Abbott included in his July disaster declaration are eligible for grants to pay for sirens. Burnet and Travis counties, which currently dont have sirens and qualify for state assistance under the new law, are now looking to install them. In light of the passage of SB3, we will be planning and assessing areas that would be most beneficial for the installation of these systems, said Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Derek Marchio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas Water Development Board will identify risk areas within disaster area counties that must add warning sirens, Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto said, adding, after that, his county will determine the next steps to comply with SB3. The new state grant money will ensure flood-prone areas, like Kerr County, are going to have the warning systems they need by next summer, Abbott said at a September bill signing ceremony with the families of Camp Mystic victims. One of two outdoor warning sirens located in Martindale. (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson) If an event like this does occur again, those warning systems will go off in a way that will do everything possible to protect lives, Abbott added. Across Central Texas, we found five counties without warning sirens that were not part of the governors disaster declaration. Bastrop, Colorado, Fayette, Gonzales and Lee counties are not eligible for state funds under the new law. Gonzales is considered a relatively high risk for flooding, according to FEMA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KXAN reached out to the counties about why they dont have warning sirens and will update this story when we receive a response. In Bell County, there are warning sirens in Killeen, Temple, Belton and Holland. The county is not eligible for SB 3 funding to install additional ones. That would be a question for our state legislators, Bell County Judge David Blackburn wrote in an email. But, I think, in part, because Bell County was not one of the counties listed in the Governors disaster declarations associated with the flood events and the Legislature seemed to be focused on providing funding targeted to specific counties. She wouldnt be coming home Among the grief-stricken families standing behind the governor as he made SB 3 law were Callie and Michael McCown of Austin. In their first interview, they told KXAN their eight-year-old daughter, Linnie, never should have died during the catastrophic flooding. It was her first time away at summer camp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She even said, I know Im going to be homesick, but everyone will take care of me,' Callie recalled. And she didnt come home. Photo of Linnie McCown (Courtesy McCown Family) Camp Mystic is an all-girls Christian camp in Kerr County. It is located along the Guadalupe River described by local officials as the most dangerous river valley in the United States in an area referred to as Flash Flood Alley. There are no warning sirens there, which officials have acknowledged could have made a difference. Yes, sir, senator, theres no question that that could have saved lives, the president of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, William Rector, told lawmakers during a hearing held in Kerrville in July. In 2017, the UGRA had warned about the potential for monstrous and devastating flash floods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wearing pink Heavens 27 buttons and colorful bracelets representing the names of the girls who were killed, Callie described how Linnie loved to dance and perform gymnastics. She was the middle child of two boys. She was the glue of our family. I thought of her as my best friend, Callie said. She was the child at school that everyone described as always including others. She never wanted anyone to be left out. She had a contagious giggle, was so silly and funny, and just so sweet. She was my angel, Michael added. In August, Kerr County commissioners tasked a team with developing a plan to implement an automated county-wide flood warning system that can provide adequate warning of an impending, life threatening flood in sufficient time for people at risk to reach safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By the end of the year, the team aims to have a plan in place for its design, development and testing, former Kerr County Commissioner Tom Moser said during a September update. The group will help prepare grant applications and requests for proposals, he added. According to their timeline, contractors could be selected before March of next year with testing starting by June. KXAN reached out to Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly along with the five county commissioners to ask for more details about new sirens. We also emailed the countys spokeswoman three times, texted and left a voicemail. We did not hear back. Linnies parents said sirens absolutely could have made a difference in sounding the alarm for Camp Mystic to evacuate. Ill take accountability The loud wailing, emanating from a towering siren next to Martindales water tower, could be heard for miles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Oct. 2 test was the first in years. Martindale Police Chief Tommy Ward presses a button activating a warning siren several feet away on Oct. 2. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant) For Mayor Sanchez Fowler, who was elected before the floods, fixing her citys two broken and long-ignored sirens became a priority after July 4. They were once again operational within two weeks, she said. Under the new law, state grant money could help pay for future additions. The two sirens were originally installed in 2018 at a cost of less than $20,000, she said. At some point, they stopped working. Today, Police Chief Tommy Ward is responsible for pressing a series of buttons on his portable radio to activate the alarms in the event of a weather emergency. He admits, for years, the city failed to check to see if the sirens even worked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From when you were appointed in 2021 until now in 2025, how come you didnt stop to ask, Why arent these sirens working?' asked KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant. You know, thats on me. Ill take that. I just assumed that they were working by the county and that the county maintained them, Ward said. Ill take accountability for that. 2015 Martindale flooding (Courtesy Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler) 2015 Martindale flooding (Courtesy Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler) 2015 Martindale flooding (Courtesy Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler) 2013 Martindale flooding (Courtesy Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler) 2013 Martindale flooding (Courtesy Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler) 2013 Martindale flooding (Courtesy Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler) The tower has always been radio-activated but, somehow over time the radio just became inoperative, Ward said. Martindale Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler and Police Chief Tommy Ward stand in front of the San Marcos River. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant) After the flooding in Kerrville, the city purchased a new one. Steps away from one siren, under a clear blue sky dotted with clouds, the San Marcos River calmly and gently flowed. Standing next to the water, Ward knows it can rise at any moment. Thats why the city is now committed to making a change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This siren test will continue monthly. Were not going to take any more chances, Ward said. A layered approach State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, pushed for river sirens days after the deadly floods. At the time, he told KXAN that mobile alerts arent enough. Holding up his cell phone, he complained it is too overloaded with all kinds of alerts that most people tune out. You want to try to get as many chances to get the publics attention that trouble is on the way, he told KXAN on July 7. The general criticism around warning sirens centers on the fact that they can be expensive, require routine maintenance and are only meant to be heard outdoors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do think they have their place, but a lot of times if youre indoors, especially four oclock in the morning when its pouring down rain, the likelihood is going to be that youre not going to hear those sirens, Rep. Wes Virdell, R-Brady, whose district includes Kerr County, told KXAN in July. Martindale Mayor Laura Sanchez Fowler stands in front of one of the city's two outdoor warning sirens. (KXAN Photo/Matt Grant) Virdell, who sat on the House Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, cautioned that government sometimes has the problem of overreacting to a situation and said the real question is whens the right time to send alerts out and are we sending too many alerts out right now? Ultimately, he voted in favor of SB 3. In Martindale, minutes after the test ended, the mayor and police chief received reports that the sirens werent heard indoors, at least in some cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also acknowledged another criticism: the sirens can be confusing. In addition to producing a warning signal for floods, the Martindale sirens also sound the alarm for tornadoes. Both alerts were tested back-to-back. The challenge for this community, and others, is making sure people know what the different danger alarm tones mean and how to react. We dont want someone running out if they hear a tornado warning, Ward said. City leaders say the sirens will be used alongside other more modern methods like mobile text alerts sent to anyone located in the area. We need to educate everyone about what those sirens actually mean, said Dr. Keri Stephens, who teaches disaster and crisis communication at the University of Texas at Austin. I would say the biggest challenge with them is if people dont know what that sound sounds like than they can be confused. As for how residents can tell the difference between a siren signaling them to shelter in place and one thats warning them to evacuate, Stephens said, Im not aware of any way to do that right now. Stephens was recently awarded a federal grant to study why some camps and other locations did evacuate during the floods and whether warning sirens could have played a role. Still, she said while sirens are effective they are only one part of a layered solution that should be combined with mobile alerts and public education. Just funding sirens is not at all enough, she said. San Marcos warning sirens failed to activate during weather event In July, KXAN reported how another city, San Marcos, touted its 14 warning sirens as a vital tool for emergency preparedness. Yet, over the weekend, the citys sirens failed to activate during a weather event that included a tornado warning, the city said, blaming a server malfunction. We understand how important it is for our community to feel confident that these systems will work during emergencies, and were treating this with the urgency it deserves, the city wrote in a social media post. The sirens also didnt sound in May. At the time, officials said they were temporarily turned off due to widespread confusion that they signaled a tornado rather than a flood. At the time, the city said it was working to improve public education around what the sirens mean in different emergency scenarios so residents understand how to respond when they hear them go off. The city said its goal was to maintain trust in the system as a reliable tool for public safety. For counties that dont have sirens, like Kerr, funding is often cited as a factor. That excuse, at least for more than two dozen counties, isnt an option anymore, said Matthew Childress. Camp Mystic counselor Chloe Childress did not survive the Kerr County flash floods over the July 4th weekend. (Courtesy Childress Family) His 18-year-old daughter, Chloe, died during the flooding at Camp Mystic, where she was a counselor. Its one more layer of protection, he said about the new siren law. One more layer to let folks have the opportunity to evacuate. The McCowns said they also believe sirens along with a slate of new camp safety reforms signed into law will save lives. This month, a new Texas House and Senate joint committee was formed to investigate contributing factors that led to 27 people dying at Camp Mystic. The committee will look at actions taken at other youth summer camps, examine facts and circumstances surrounding the floods and look for ways to strengthen the states preparedness and response to flooding and other natural disasters. Photo of Linnie McCown (Courtesy McCown Family) The tragedy at Camp Mystic and the flooding disasters this summer have left a devastating impact on Texas families, communities, and our entire state, said Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. As Texans work to rebuild and recover, it is the responsibility of the legislature to understand what went wrong and ensure our state is better prepared for future emergencies. Recently, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he was shocked over Camp Mystics decision to partially reopen next summer with so many questions unanswered about what happened on July 4. The McCowns, meanwhile, are convinced Linnies death could 100% have been prevented. Now, they hope her memory will be a warning that can help save others. I dont like that my daughter had to die for this to take place, Callie said. I dont want any other parent to have to suffer the way that we have suffered and will suffer for the rest of our lives. Digital Data Reporter Christopher Adams, Graphic Artist Wendy Gonzalez, Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle, Photojournalist Tim Holcomb, Investigative Photojournalist Chris Nelson, Digital Special Projects Developer Robert Sims and Digital Director Kate Winkle contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) On day 27 of the government shutdown, advocacy group Courageous Colorado stopped through Grand Junction with a message: that democrats and republicans may have more in common than national politics would have them think. While national politics continue to divide us, says founder Dr. Landon Mascarenaz, theres so much that can bring us together at the local level. Dr. Mascarenaz and his team are on yet another statewide tour to foster relationships across party lines, encouraging Coloradans to refocus on their local communities, and away from national divisiveness. This is a deliberately cross partisan effort, adds Courageous Colorado Vice Chair and former Grand Junction Mayor Anna Stout, and were doing that because we know that the solutions to local problems are not partisan. When we look at what brings neighbors together and what people can actually converge on and work together on, those typically are issues that are of local interest and not party. Their gatherings are small, but hopeful, that promoting issues like clean election funding, ranked choice voting, and political youth engagement can make democrats, republicans, and everyone in between value their similarities, instead of dwell on their differences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Mascarenaz, no one group is a monolith. There are lots of types of democrats and lots of types of republicans. So we have to break down this assumption that one group of people believes all one thing. Theres a lot of diversity even within those groups. Attendees of Courageous Colorados seminars have included politicians, school board members, and most importantly, concerned citizens, who believe more peace between the parties is possible through local initiatives. According to D51 AOFP Director Tracy Gallegos, people really care about our youth and our community and the well-being of our community. So if you really put those at the forefront of what youre talking about, itll have more of an impact than things that are happening outside of our community, nationally, or in other parts of the state where we dont live our day-to-day lives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Officials said Anacostia High School closed early on Monday due to a sewage backup. The school was dismissed at noon. ANC Commissioner Tom Donohue visited the school and said there was six to 10 feet of sewage in some areas of the high school and around 3 feet in the basement. Unsanitary conditions plague Rock Creek Park restrooms amid government shutdown The school system is working to drain the sewage and sanitize affected areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a letter sent home to parents, Principal Kenneth Walker said DC Water had begun work over the weekend in the Anacostia and Fairlawn neighborhoods for a water main replacement project. While crews were working, a water and sewage backup happened at the school, mostly impacting the kitchen and cafeteria areas. Crews were deployed to begin cleanup and remediation and the school was cleared to open on Monday, but the kitchen and cafeteria remained closed for usage. Meals were prepared at Kramer Middle School and delivered to campus, according to the letter. However, due to lingering odors in the building and additional restoration needed, the decision was made to dismiss students early, beginning at noon today. All students received lunch before leaving campus, and staff remained on site until all students had safely departed, the letter read in part. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DC Water told DC News Now said it is working closely with DC Public Schools to quickly clean and remediate the school. Once cleanup is complete, air quality testing will determine when its safe for students to return. We expect to reassess the situation tomorrow morning, DC Water stated in an email. The safety and well-being of students, staff, and residents remain our highest priority. We appreciate everyones patience and understanding as we work to resolve this situation promptly so residents can return home, and students can get back to school. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. As Coinbase leans into its Bitcoin-backed lending product, the exchange is offering customers competitive rates by connecting them with lightly vetted pools of capital, which dont require people to provide personal information before funds are disbursed to Americans. Although the exchanges competitors have attained state-by-state licenses to provide similar services, Coinbases product isnt subject to the same potential barriers because the company is acting as a technology providerand not lending customers assets itself. Instead of doing business with Coinbase, the exchanges customers, through Coinbases mobile app, are depositing funds into decentralized finance protocol Morpho. On Morphos platform, they can post Bitcoin as collateral for loans in Circles USDC. Alternatively, Coinbases customers can deposit USDC into Morpho to earn yield. In the U.S., lenders are required to abide by KYC (know your customer) and AML (anti-money laundering) regulations to ward off financial crimes. These requirements include obtaining personally identifiable information from their users, such as their names, physical addresses, and even social security numbers. But as a permissionless protocol, Morpho wasnt designed to oversee transactions like most financial institutions do. How Coinbase Profits on Bitcoin-Backed Loans as a Technology Provider In DeFi, infrastructure is designed to let capital flow freely between individuals, no matter who they are. Multiple industry observers told Decrypt that dynamic likely makes Coinbases product more lucrative, but it also raises compliance concerns. That is, Coinbases customers are subject to a primary defense against money laundering and terrorist financing, while their lenders face a lower bar. That includes entities depositing USDC into vaults on Morpho, which are managed by a firm called Steakhouse. (Coinbase recently told Decrypt that Steakhouse shares performance fees with the exchange.) Those depositing USDC into Steakhouses vaults on Morpho, for example, represent and warrant that they are at least 18 years old, just by using the companys services, according to Steakhouse documentation. Those users also indicate that they arent on any sanctions or restricted persons lists, covering countries like Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Steakhouse says users must not use their vaults if they do not meet those requirements, but it doesnt appear to have a standard verification process in place. Still, Steakhouse says it can suspend access through third-party platforms or interfaces. By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The unusual process President Donald Trump used to handpick the prosecutor who charged two of his political foes New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey could derail the closely watched prosecutions, legal experts said. Both Comey and James in court filings have argued that their criminal cases must be dismissed on the grounds that the prosecutor who brought them, Lindsey Halligan, is not validly serving in her role as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a strong argument that Halligans appointment was invalid, said Thomas A. Berry, a legal scholar at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. If a court comes to that conclusion, and also determines that Halligan acted alone in securing the indictments of Comey and James, those indictments become invalid because she didn't have lawful authority to bring them, Berry said. BYPASSING THE SENATE Trump has used legal workarounds to install loyalists in a handful of top prosecutorial jobs around the country, circumventing the traditional process of having the U.S. Senate confirm nominees. Comey and James's defense has highlighted the pitfalls of that approach, said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor now at the law firm UB Greensfelder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halligan was sworn in last month, despite having no prosecutorial experience. She has spent much of her 11-year legal career on local insurance cases in Florida state court. After meeting Trump in 2021, she represented him in a handful of lawsuits. She became a White House aide earlier this year. Halligan's predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned amid pressure from Trump administration officials to bring criminal cases against James and Comey. Siebert believed the evidence against them was weak, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters at the time. The Justice Department, which did not respond to a request for comment, is expected to submit a court filing on Nov. 3 explaining why Halligan's appointment is lawful. In other cases involving the legality of Trump appointments, the Justice Department has said U.S. law gives the president numerous ways to appoint public officials and that Trump's administration has carefully complied with legal requirements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TRUMP DEMANDED ACTION Hours before announcing Halligans appointment, Trump had urged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to quickly bring criminal charges against Comey, James, and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who is facing a mortgage fraud investigation. "Theyre all guilty as hell...we can't delay any longer," Trump said in the September 20 post on Truth Social, which multiple U.S. media outlets reported was intended to be a private message to Bondi. Comey and James have pleaded not guilty and have said they will seek dismissal of the charges on multiple grounds, including that Halligan's appointment was invalid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schiff, who has not been criminally charged, has called the mortgage fraud investigation "baseless" and "politically motivated." The investigation into Schiff is being handled by prosecutors in Maryland, so Halligan is not involved in it. In an order memorializing Halligan's appointment, Bondi said the legal basis for it is a statute known as Section 546 that allows for 120-day interim appointments of U.S. attorneys. Section 546 states that, if the 120 days expire without a Senate-confirmed appointee, the federal judges in the relevant district may then appoint a U.S. attorney. The Justice Department already used Section 546 to appoint Siebert, Halligan's predecessor. After his 120-day interim period ended, federal judges voted unanimously to keep him in the job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement QUESTIONS ABOUT 120-DAY LIMIT According to some legal experts, the best interpretation of Section 546 is that it does not allow for a second interim appointment once a first interim appointee has hit the 120-day limit. Comey adopted this position in a recent motion to dismiss his indictment, arguing that the "only logical reading" of Section 546 is that it "limits the total tenure of the Attorney Generals interim appointments to 120 days." Otherwise, the executive branch could keep appointing an endless stream of interim U.S. attorneys for 119 days, without ever needing Senate approval. While Section 546 has rarely been interpreted by the courts, there is a recent opinion endorsing Comey and James' reading of the statute. In that decision, a judge concluded that another former Trump lawyer, Alina Habba, has been unlawfully serving as the U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Habba has appealed that decision and remains in the role while her appeal is pending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is also a Justice Department memo from 1986 that interprets Section 546 the same way Comey and James do today. The author of that memo was Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, back when he was a young government lawyer and not the famous conservative jurist he is today. If the appointment is ruled invalid, there is some uncertainty over what happens next and whether the James and Comey indictments need to be dismissed. In the ruling about Habba, the judge said the Justice Department could still move forward with indictments signed by her so long as other prosecutors in her office had helped secure those indictments. But Halligan presented both the Comey and James cases alone. That will make it more difficult for the Justice Department to revive the cases if Halligan's appointment is ruled invalid, said Cotter, the former federal prosecutor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halligan's appointment was "the executive branch removing the legislative branch from the appointment process," he said. "And the Constitution says you can't do that, that they have to both be involved," Cotter said. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington) The Animal Rescue League of Berks County and Upper Bern Township will host a vaccine clinic for dogs and cats at the Shartlesville Community Park on Oct. 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. Since July, the ARL said it has assisted in detecting rabies cases in Birdsboro, Wyomissing, Reading and most recently confirming a positive case from Upper Bern Township in the beginning of October. The ARL has also been informed of confirmed cases in Perry Township and Shoemakersville. During the clinic at the park, 40 N. Fourth St., pets can receive rabies vaccination as well as other protective vaccinations and microchips. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To learn more or register a pet for the clinic, visit berksarl.org/vaccineclinic. Officials said the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Rabies Tracking Dashboard reports that Berks County is in the region with the highest amount of positive rabies cases this year in the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control, rabies is a neurological virus that infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death in 99.9% of human cases if left untreated. Although 90% of reported cases of rabies in animals occur in wildlife mainly skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes and foxes the virus can be transmitted to dogs, cats, and cattle who have not received vaccination, the CDC says. The most important thing you can do to protect your pet is ensure that they are up to date on their rabies vaccines, said Dr. Sarah Rivera, ARL chief medical officer. FORT WORTH, Texas (WJW) An anonymous donor is offering students a life-changing scholarship. The $1.8 million donation will cover tuition for the entire 2026 class for the spring semester at Texas Christian University Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine, according to a press release. Maximum sentence for murder of 3-year-old in local Giant Eagle parking lot: Judge This transformative gift allows these students to really focus on choosing a medical specialty that resonates with them and puts them in the best position to help their future patients, said Stuart D. Flynn, M.D., Founding Dean of Burnett School of Medicine at TCU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a huge boost for all students, but especially those who are nearing the finish line. Summit County officials pass emergency legislation to help SNAP recipients Courtney Franz is a fourth-year medical student. This is just one less thing that you have to carry with you every day, Franz said. I can just really focus on caring for patients. The class size is 240 students. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Lakeshore Drive in Lake County is closed between West Woodward Avenue and Eustis Road due to flooding from this weeks heavy rain. Lake County crews, with support from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, are actively working to pump water from the affected areas to prevent further damage. Traffic is being redirected, and drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and exercise caution in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The road closure is in response to significant flooding caused by recent heavy rainfall, and it will remain in effect until further notice. Lake County Emergency Management has thanked residents for their patience as flood recovery efforts continue. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. A couple of anti-Zohran Mamdani super PACs are deploying increasingly Red-baiting ads about him in the final days of the New York City mayoral race as part of a broader effort to persuade conservative voters to line up behind independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in next weeks election. On Monday, Defend NYC, a super PAC thats advocating for Cuomo and against Mamdani, dropped $250,000 on an anti-Mamdani text message blast to local voters that quoted President Trump, new disclosures show. President Trump weighed in! He said what we already know: This race is between Andrew Cuomo or Zohran Mamdani and Cuomo is the ONLY choice for mayor. Cuomo is flawed but we have to do our civic duty and vote for him to stop communism from coming to NYC, reads the text blast, which also included a video clip of Trump deriding Mamdani as a Communist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The text spree appears to be the first ad from a major pro-Cuomo super PAC broadcasting Trumps incorrect claim about Mamdani being a Communist. Mamdani, who has polled as the clear favorite to win next Tuesdays mayoral election, is a democratic socialist. Among Defend NYCs top donors are Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb whos also a major financial supporter of pro-Trump causes, as well as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, another pro-Trump billionaire. The PAC is being run by Jason Meister, a political adviser to the president who recently told the New York Post that the deadly pro-Trump Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol should be declared a public holiday. Meister didnt immediately return a request for comment Tuesday. A spokesman for Cuomo, who by law cant coordinate with any super PACs supporting his mayoral run, didnt comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Defend NYC spend comes as Cuomo, whos trailing Mamdani by double digits in most polls, has been publicly trying to court Republican voters who might otherwise back GOP mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa. With Mamdani maintaining a firm grip on Democratic constituencies in the city, Cuomo likely needs at least some Republican support to have a path to victory. Another new pro-Cuomo super PAC, Stop the Socialists, has also deployed ads recently that are similar in portraying Mamdani as a left-wing extremist who can only be stopped by the former governor. This past Friday, Stop the Socialists plunked down $500,000 to air a radio ad that alleges Mamdanis socialist agenda is driving up costs, crime and chaos and Curtis Sliwa cant stop him, according to disclosures filed by the super PAC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every vote for Sliwa helps the socialists win, Republicans dont waste your vote, only Andrew Cuomo can beat Mamdani and protect our citys future, a voice-over says in the ad as dramatic music plays in the background. The same PAC spent another $500,000 last week for a digital ad that offers a similar pitch for Cuomo. The ad, featuring dramatic footage of disorder in New York, has a voice-over saying Mamdanis chaos and radical politics would make things worse before acknowledging, I know hes not everyones first choice, but theres only candidate strong enough to beat him: Andrew Cuomo. Republicans, dont waste your vote. Mamdani, an assemblyman representing northwestern Queens, has centered his campaign on promises to raise taxes on the wealthy to fund expanded social safety nets. Those promises have prompted anxiety among conservatives and local business communities, who fear Mamdani could cause an exodus of major companies from New York, among other issues. Mamdanis positions on Israel and the war in Gaza have also sparked accusations that his rhetoric is fueling antisemitism. You could say that whenever Riley Gaines tried to make waves, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-N.Y.) hit her back with a cannonball dive. Over the weekend, Gaines, a former U.S. NCAA swimmer turned MAGA influencer, sparked an online spat with the New York lawmaker and was left treading water twice. New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani, center, celebrates with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), left, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), right, during an election rally on Sunday in Queens, New York City. Andres Kudacki via Getty Images The kerfuffle began when Gaines shared a photo of Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani on X, and suggested in her caption that America was being destroyed from within by the trio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ocasio-Cortez blew her out of the water with the following response, Maybe if you channeled all this anger into swimming faster you wouldnt have come in fifth. The remark refers to a 200-yard swimming freestyle race in 2022, in which Gaines tied for fifth place with Lia Thomas, a trans athlete. Ever since tying with Thomas, Gaines has very loudly rallied against trans womens participation in sports, making her a right-wing darling. Seemingly not backing down after Ocasio-Cortezs jab about her coming in fifth place, Gaines took the opportunity on Fox News Monday to up the ante. Heres what I will say I want to honestly challenge AOC to a debate, Gaines said. She can defend socialism; I will defend capitalism. She can defend removing God; I will defend embracing a biblical worldview. She can defend child sacrifice; I will defend the sanctity of life. From Left: Riley Gaines and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) Getty Gaines continued, Any of the radical, insane Democratic policies and platform that they stand for, I will debate the opposite. Im challenging AOC to it here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fox News host Laura Ingraham said with a chuckle, I thought you were going to challenge her to like a freestyle a 100-freestyle or something. Politics: 'It's Pretty Clear': Trump Gives Surprise Update On 2028 'Third Term' Talk Ocasio-Cortez seemed to find the potential of a debate with Gaines laughable as well. And I would like to challenge this person to get a real job, AOC posted on X, retweeting Gaines Fox News appearance. And I would like to challenge this person to get a real job. https://t.co/N4vCl3lJx0 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 27, 2025 Left-leaning X users loved Ocasio-Cortezs savage comebacks. Lmao you going 2 for 2 pic.twitter.com/Ww6Dw8jEZ9 Apollo (@Peytonzegler) October 28, 2025 In a one-on-one debate against AOC, Riley Gains would still tie for 5th place and then blame transgender people. https://t.co/eqVNdjcRhL Sibin (@sibinmohan) October 27, 2025 AOC on X dot com today https://t.co/OmRL4efvIdpic.twitter.com/QeDQUzI98x sam parker (@samprkr) October 28, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Idc I like that the democrats r finally playing the same game that the republicans have been for over a decade now. Being the bigger person doesnt do shit! https://t.co/lQpPx3ngL3 stephy (@HteStephanie) October 28, 2025 I have a real job. Im a mom, Gaines wrote on X in response to AOCs second clap back. Its the most important & rewarding job in the world. I think if you had a baby girl like I do, youd understand my positions a little better. However, Gaines snipe likely didnt do what she thought it would, as AOC didnt appear to respond further on X about the issue. But other users on the social media platform were happy to share their retorts. You should be thankful for trans athletes. If it wasnt for a trans athlete, nobody would know who the hell you are. 5th place BluByU (@Udntnonutn) October 28, 2025 having a child doesnt automatically make someones views immune to criticism or more right than others Jotham.base (@Jothameth1) October 28, 2025 You're probably a 5th place mom too. Mile High Trucker (@stlowell) October 28, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related... Read the original on HuffPost Oct. 28WILKES-BARRE For years leading up to and on the first day of Joseph Sarmiento's non-jury trial on charges he fatally beat a woman to death inside a Hazle Township motel room, his attorneys John Donovan and Cheryl Sobeski-Reedy strongly argued he could not proceed due to his mental health. Sarmiento, 41, of Quakertown, was found guilty of third-degree murder but mentally ill by Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough following a two-day bench trial that ended Feb. 26. Pennsylvania State Police at Hazleton charged Sarmiento with beating Helena Johnson, 38, to death inside a bathroom of a room Sarmiento rented at the Red Carpet Inn on North Church Street. Johnson's body was found June 4, 2021, when Sarmiento returned to the motel room and called 911. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vough would later sentence Sarmiento to 20-to-40 years in state prison. In leading up to the non-jury trial, competency hearings were held before Vough where Donovan and Sobeski-Reedy had Sarmiento evaluated to determine his mental competency. Two psychiatrists, Dr. Richard E. Fischbein and Dr. Michael E. Keesler, found Sarmiento mentally incompetent as they opined Sarmiento had difficulty understanding the criminal homicide charge. Fischbein opined Sarmiento suffered from delusional thinking and delusional disorderly, while Keesler gave his expert opinion that Sarmiento suffered from psychotic illness. To counter the medical opinions of Fischbein and Keesler, state prosecutors produce their own expert, psychiatrist Dr. John S. O'Brien, who opined Sarmiento was able to understand, participate and assist in his defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vough overruled the two defense hired psychiatrists and agreed with O'Brien finding Sarmiento was competent to face the criminal homicide charge. During one court proceeding, Sobeski-Reedy stood up and argued they could not proceed "effectively" knowing they are defending a person who was found by two independent psychiatrists to be mentally incompetent. And again, Vough denied Sobeski-Reedy's effort at a second competency hearing for Sarmiento, resulting in the non-jury trial and ultimate conviction rendered by Vough of third-degree murder but mentally ill. Sarmiento testified in his own defense during the non-jury trial saying he believed Johnson was alive and had visited him outside his jailhouse window and heard her voice inside the county correctional facility. Sarmiento, through is appellate attorney, Robert M. Buttner, recently filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Superior Court citing similar reasons raised by Donovan and Sobeski-Reedy during pre-trial proceedings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Whether the trial court (Vough) erred when rendering a verdict of guilty but mentally ill of third-degree murder against the weight of the evidence where the court failed to properly weigh (Sarmiento's) severe mental illness, the defense presented two psychiatrists and psychological experts who both opined that (Sarmiento) was mentally ill and whose opinions outweighed those of the single (prosecutors) expert," Buttner wrote in his appeal. Other issues raised on Sarmiento's appeal are the state police continued interrogation of Sarmiento despite Sarmiento referencing he was in need of an attorney, and what is believed to be an excessive sentence. A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump should be allowed to dismiss his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register from federal district court. The ruling allows Trump to proceed with his claims in Iowa state court instead of before a federal district judge. Trump sued the Register; its parent company, Gannett; and its former pollster J. Ann Selzer in December 2024 over an Iowa Poll released shortly before the Nov. 5 presidential election that allegedly overstated Iowa's support for Trump's opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump claims in his lawsuit that the poll's publication violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and amounted to election interference. Trump's legal team initially filed the suit in state court, before attorneys for Gannett removed it to federal court under a federal law allowing them to do so before Gannett was served with the suit. The president has been maneuvering ever since to get the case moved back to state court, adding two Iowa co-plaintiffs, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun; appealing when U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ordered Zaun and Miller-Meeks removed from the case; then seeking to dismiss that appeal and his lawsuit and file an entirely new state court complaint. Most recently, his attorneys have argued that a move by Selzer's lawyers to seek sanctions against them opens a new window for him to dismiss the still-pending federal case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gannett and Selzer have denied Trumps claims and asked Ebinger to permanently dismiss them as prohibited by the First Amendment and, in any event, meritless. The federal judge had not ruled on those motions. Now the case apparently will be taken out of Ebinger's hands. We are assessing the courts decision," Lark-Marie Anton, Gannett spokesperson, said in a statement. "Given the nature of the case and that it involves the president of the United States as a plaintiff, we continue to believe the federal courts are the most appropriate forum for this lawsuit. In the event the suit is heard by the state courts of Iowa, we have confidence the matter will be adjudicated fairly. In June, Trump filed his second complaint in Iowa state court and sought to dismiss his federal case, but Ebinger refused. She ruled that Trumps voluntary dismissal was improper and not effective because he did not first dismiss his then pending request to appeal her prior order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the appellate court denied Trump permission to appeal, Trump filed for mandamus an extraordinary remedy reserved for exceptional circumstances asking the appellate court to order Ebinger to allow Trump to dismiss his federal case. On Oct. 24, a divided panel of the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided 2-1 with Trump and directed Ebinger to let him dismiss the case. Judges Lavenski Smith and David Stras wrote in an unsigned judgment that, while Trump had sought permission to file his first appeal, the appeals court had not yet accepted it, meaning that Ebinger still had jurisdiction when Trump filed to dismiss his own case. Citing prior caselaw, the judges wrote that Ebinger's error "deprived Trump of a result immediate and automatic dismissal without prejudice to which he was 'clear[ly] and indisputabl[y]' entitled." Judge Jonathan Kobes in a brief dissent disagreed that that Trump "has carried his burden to show a 'clear and indisputable' right" to relief at this stage in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision is a setback for Gannett, whose attorneys wrote in a recent filing that the company's objectives included "defending Gannetts rightful removal of the case to this (federal) court." It also means that the defendants likely won't get a ruling on their motions to dismiss, which have been fully briefed and pending since early September. Trump's parallel state court case, filed June 30 in Polk County, has been assigned to Judge Scott Beattie, and has remained tied up in litigation over whether it should be paused while Trump's federal case remained pending. That question likely will become moot once Ebinger formally dismisses the case before her. Gannett and Selzer will then be free to file new motions to dismiss, although Iowa courts consider such motions under a different standard that is more favorable to the plaintiff at early stages of litigation. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Appeals court sides with Trump as his suit against Register continues Crypto.com is applying for a national trust bank charter, becoming the latest major crypto player to pursue a federal banking license. The crypto exchange has joined a slew of industry players that have applied with the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for such a licence. Building the Crypto.com product and service portfolio through regulated and secure offerings has been our focus since day one, said Kris Marszalek, Crypto.coms co-founder and CEO. We are excited to take this next step. If successful, Crypto.coms application will place it under the purview of the OCC, subjecting it to the same capital, liquidity and risk standards as traditional banks. It will enable it to operate nationwide without the hodgepodge of state-level trust registrations that have long constrained crypto firms. Market watchers, such as Chris Colson, payments guru at the Atlanta Federal Reserve, have said these moves will likely drive institutional and cross-border adoption of their services. The wave of OCC applications highlights how crypto companies are leveraging the friendlier US regulatory climate to position themselves. The OCC, now led by Jonathan Gould, has signalled openness to approving more crypto banks following its conditional greenlight for Erebor Bank, a digital assets-focused institution backed by venture capitalist Peter Thiel. In a letter this summer, banks warned that these applications raise significant policy and legal questions and that approval would mark a fundamental departure from existing OCC precedent. The big rush for federal licences comes four years after Anchorage Digital Banks pioneering 2021 OCC charter, which made it the first regulated crypto bank in the US. Here are six crypto companies that have applied for national trust bank charters so far. Crypto.com Crypto.coms application marks its latest attempt to bolster its regulatory bona fides. It already operates a qualified custodian in the US state of New Hampshire and recently secured a MiFID licence in the EU. The company said the new federal charter would further position it as the custody service destination of choice, particularly for digital asset treasuries, exchange traded funds, and other corporate and institutional investors. Ripple In July, Ripple also applied for an OCC charter, as part of its long-term plan to expand RLUSD, its USD-backed stablecoin. Unlike USDC, RLUSD has seen slower adoption, with a market cap of roughly $469 million, ranking 20th among stablecoins. The company has also applied for access to the US Federal Reserves master account, which would allow it to settle payments directly on Fed rails, a privilege granted to very few non-banks. The Indiana Court of Appeals recently upheld various convictions. Aaron Belcher Aaron Belcher, 37, of Griffith, got 35 years in March after his conviction for trying to kill his ex-girlfriend Gabrielle Sheas rebound boyfriend in unincorporated Griffith on Aug. 2, 2023. The victim, Aaron Swelfer, was left with debilitating injuries. On appeal, Belcher argued prosecutors had two suggestive pictures of Belchers new girlfriend including one from a few weeks before trial. They were not relevant and could have improperly created a bias for jurors, his lawyers wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a 3-0 decision, Appeals Judge Cale Bradford wrote it didnt matter. Belcher threatened Swelfer repeatedly before the shooting, his former best friend who once lived with the couple, Bradford wrote. Prosecutors already had overwhelming evidence of Belchers guilt. I hope (he is) brain dead..for the rest of his miserable life and dies a slow agonizing death, Belcher wrote Shea in a profanity-laced letter from jail. Back stabbing, perfidious (expletive). Now I got to do (prison) and miss out on precious years with (our daughter). Belcher can appeal to the Indiana Supreme Court. His earliest release date is on Oct. 31, 2049. DeMarco Guy DeMarco Guy, 27, of Chicago Heights, Illinois, appealed his 18-year conviction after a plea deal for two Northwest Indiana gas station stickups, saying his sentence was too harsh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a 3-0 decision, Appeals Judge Mark Bailey disagreed. Guy pleaded guilty this spring to two counts of armed robbery for his role with two other men in a Nov. 23, 2023, Dyer Exxon gas station robbery, and a Dec. 23, 2023, BP gas station robbery. On appeal, he argued he was a family man, showed remorse, and his past crimes were unrelated. Bailey wrote the sentence was appropriate, since he robbed two gas stations within one month. In the first stickup, he used a sawed-off shotgun to threaten an employee, he stuck a gun to one customers back, then stole his car on the way out. In the BP robbery, he threatened an employee and stole money and cigarettes. Neither painted him in a positive light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He can appeal. His earlier release date is in 2038. Michael Kirn Michael Kirn, 58, got 15 years in April after a plea deal for multiple cases that included an arrest in September 2024 for selling 60 Adderall pills in a St. John Tractor Supply parking lot. On appeal, he argued that the maximum sentence under his plea, 15 years, was unwarranted. In a 3-0 decision, Appeals Judge Peter Foley rejected his argument, saying Kirn admitted he arranged multiple illegal drug sales and prosecutors dismissed three other cases in the plea deal. He can appeal. His earlier release date is in 2035. mcolias@post-trib.com GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) An architecture firm has filed another lawsuit over the design of Mary Free Beds childrens rehabilitation hospital. In the complaint, which was filed Oct. 21 in U.S. District Court, SmithGroup accused Kentwood-based health care consulting firm Enviah of copyright infringement. The lawsuit was first reported by Crains Grand Rapids Business. Back in December 2022, Mary Free Bed chose SmithGroup to design its new pediatric rehabilitation hospital, according to the lawsuit. SmithGroup said it registered materials linked to the project with the U.S. Copyright Office and was awarded the copyright in March 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between January and September 2023, SmithGroup alleged, Enviah received SmithGroups materials, accessing project renderings, surveys, sketches and more. The lawsuit continues to say that Mary Free Bed terminated its relationship with SmithGroup in September 2023. From that point on, neither Mary Free Bed nor Enviah had the right to use or distribute SmithGroups copyrighted materials, the complaint says. But according to the lawsuit, Enviah then improperly shared SmithGroups designs and diagrams with Pure Architects, another architecture firm that was chosen to replace SmithGroup. SmithGroup has previously filed a lawsuit against Mary Free Bed and Pure Architects. That case remains in arbitration, according to the report from Crains. Both Mary Free Bed and Pure Architects previously told News 8 they believed the case lacked merit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Work is underway on the Joan Secchia Childrens Rehabilitation Hospital, which is located on Wealthy Street across from the existing Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. The two are connected by a sky bridge. News 8 reached out to Enviah Tuesday morning for a statement but did not immediately hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) As the government shutdown continues, many local federal workers are feeling the pinch of the loss of pay. News Channel 11 spoke with John Toman, an Army reservist with the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion. Hes also a dad to three kids, and his wife is a stay-at-home mom. Although he has another job, his family depends on the federal pay hes received from the Army for the last 17 years. Photo: John Toman Yeah. It definitely helps pay the bills, Toman said about his Army pay. Its not the primary source of income, but it really helps, whether its groceries or whatever. Needs are emergency things that come up, or to build a savings for later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bristol-based food pantry prepares for extra need ahead of SNAP benefit halt Since the government shutdown, which is now the second longest in history, John hasnt received his reservist pay. Although hell get some back pay when the government reopens, drill exercises for the month were canceled, so there will be no back pay for that until its made up. To try and make ends meet, John has been looking for extra work. Well, I signed up for DoorDash. So if I get your order, sorry. You know, Im new at it and I dont know what Im doing, Tolman joked. But then, he turned serious when talking about what hes having to do to make up for the lost income. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yeah, you know, things like that, that I would never have thought that I would have needed to do. But again, sometimes you got to do what you need to do. I also looked at, you know, night stocking, a job stocking at night, at different, you know, places like Lowes or Home Depot or, you know, a grocery store just to make additional money. The struggle impacts the whole family, of course, and John added that his wife has been a trooper as he continues to look for ways to support the family until he receives his federal pay. So she really, you know, was like, all right, lets put our heads together and think of a way to, to solve that issue,' He said. Toman says hes heard of a few restaurants offering free meals or others willing to help federal workers. He says while hes not been the recipient of any of those gestures yet, he says every little bit of kindness shown to federal workers while out of a paycheck would help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Mileis victory far exceeded expectations. | Credit: Luis Robayo / AFP via Getty Images What happened Argentine President Javier Milei came out on top in midterm elections Sunday for a third of the senate and about half the seats in the lower house. Mileis libertarian La Libertad Avanza party took about 41% of the total vote, versus 31% for the left-leaning Peronist opposition bloc, putting his free-market reforms and radical austerity measures on a more solid footing. Who said what Mileis victory, which far exceeded expectations, was projected to give his party at least one-third of the seats in both chambers, a critical threshold that allows him to preserve his veto power and defend his sweeping decrees, The Wall Street Journal said. Voter turnout was just under 68%, among the lowest recorded since the nations 1983 return to democracy, The Associated Press said. But few Argentine legislative elections have generated so much interest in Washington and Wall Street. President Donald Trump had conditioned a $20 billion currency bailout and an additional $20 billion in private funds on Milei doing well in the midterms. Critics and Trump administration officials have portrayed the move as a blatant effort to influence politics in Argentina and the rest of the region, The Washington Post said. What next? We think it is much better to use American economic power up front to stabilize a friendly government and set the tone in Latin America, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBCs Meet the Press Sunday. Sundays win buys Milei time with investors, the Journal said, but the domestic pain from his policies has been severe. Food banks across Arizona are bracing to serve more people as the federal shutdown threatens to persist into November, potentially pausing food assistance benefits for nearly half a million households in the state. Terri Shoemaker, executive vice president of the Arizona Food Bank Network, said organizations statewide are working collaboratively to prepare for an increase in people seeking aid. Meanwhile, some local businesses are taking matters into their own hands, setting up temporary food pantries for impacted federal workers and assistance recipients. The widespread mobilization effort comes as the federal government directs states across the nation to halt disbursements from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. That program, commonly known as "food stamps," provides low-income families monthly benefits to afford healthy food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, said there's no money to fund the benefits amid a continued government shutdown. Parts of the federal government effectively stopped operating on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to agree on funding allocations for the fiscal year. "Bottom line, the well has run dry," the federal agency said in a prominent statement on its website. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued Nov. 1." That leaves food banks and other community aid organizations facing a daunting gap. The program delivered more than $150 million in benefits to nearly 1 million Arizonans in September, according to the Governor's Office. Shoemaker said pantries typically provide a fraction of the food that government assistance programs do. "For every one meal that you get at a food bank, five are provided by SNAP," she said, adding that food pantries are already seeing "an across-the-board increase" in demand. "So this is going to be a very distinct increase in volume for everybody." 'A daunting task': Pantries prep as SNAP pause looms Notifications about the potential delay in SNAP funding went out to families relying on the program last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shoemaker said call volume has since "spiked" at local food banks as SNAP recipients seek information about the potential pause and how to find aid. "We're still hopeful that the federal government will find a way to fund SNAP," she said. "We are very concerned that November benefits will be impacted." As Nov. 1 looms, food banks are bracing for impact. Some were also preparing extra distributions to assist federal workers who haven't received pay since the start of the shutdown. Shoemaker said donations were up, but it would still be a tall order to keep up with the potential demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Food banks are going to do everything they can," she said. "But this is a daunting task." 'Everything is crazy': Businesses organize pop-up pantries It's not just food banks preparing to feed the hungry some businesses are organizing pop-up pantries, too. Spokesperson Eric Everts of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport said restaurants, retail stores and other businesses at the facility are donating food and supplies to support federal workers impacted by the shutdown. That includes air traffic controllers and officers at security checkpoints. They are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration, respectively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Aviation Department has sought and gathered a variety of donations from business and concessions partners to support federal workers, and we are working with those partners to ensure that any contribution aligns with their agency requirements," Everts said. A TSA agent (right) checks the ID of a traveler in Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on May 7, 2025. Some local businesses are also working to collect and distribute food. King Pigeon Thrift and Vintage, located near Central Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix, is coordinating a pop-up food bank on Nov. 1. "Everything is crazy and SNAP benefits are on hold for November," a social media post about the event read. "That means tons of people will have limited-to-no access to food." Owner E.P. Bradley said the idea originated in a conversation with his wife. They were concerned that many in the local community might have trouble feeding themselves during the SNAP pause, so they decided to ask their customers to donate nonperishable food items to the effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have a very small platform, but we have a platform where we have the ability to mobilize things like this," he said. "We weren't expecting what's happened, which is, we've had huge response to it." Bradley said he's collected nearly 500 pounds of food within just a few days. He called it "an insane amount," and said he is currently storing it in his guest bedroom. "The majority of people really don't like it when their neighbors are starving," he said, adding that people were walking into his store with "huge baskets of food." He said he doesn't know whether all the food will be taken during the store's upcoming event or whether the government will reopen before Nov. 1. Regardless, he plans to donate any unused food to local pantries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's kind of awe-inspiring, to be honest," he said. "If you ever doubt that the majority of people in a city want their neighbors to be healthy and happy, this is proof of it." This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona food banks prepare for rush amid looming SNAP benefits pause (The Center Square) Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has called on the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in food assistance funding amid the government shutdown. In an Oct. 27 letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Hobbs requested the administration use the federal governments $6 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program contingency fund to continue payments before Arizonans lose access to food assistance on Saturday. Vulnerable Arizonans cannot afford to be used as leverage by Washington Republicans, the Democratic governor said in a news release about her letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly one million Arizonans relied on SNAP benefits in 2024. Hobbs said she can relate to concerns about food availability. When she was growing up, her family relied on food stamps. We were not looking for a handout, we were looking for help during tough economic times, wrote Hobbs in her letter. I urge the administration to take action to deliver much needed support by continuing SNAP benefits for as long as possible during this shutdown. The letter from Hobbs comes after an Oct. 10 letter that USDA sent to state SNAP directors informing them that "if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for the 42 million people enrolled nationwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General Kris Mayes responded to that with an Oct. 24 letter expressing concerns about a possible lapse in issuance of SNAP benefits. Mayes, who did not respond to The Center Squares requests for comment, said in a press release that she wants clarity and additional information on how USDA plans to proceed. In addition to causing health insurance premiums to skyrocket as open enrollment begins, the GOP-controlled Congress and the Trump administration are now risking the health and safety of tens of millions of Americans, including 900,000 Arizonans who rely on SNAP benefits each month, said Mayes in the press release. As Donald Trump demolishes portions of the White House to build his golden ballroom, families all across Arizona are about to go hungry because of the incompetence and failure of the leadership in Washington. President Trump has stated on social media that the new ballroom will come at zero cost to the American Taxpayer!" The White House said 37 donors, including large technology companies, are paying for the $300 million ballroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Arizona, disagrees with Hobbs and Mayes. Hamadeh said it is the Democrats who are using vulnerable Arizonans as leverage. They have admitted that they are doing that, Hamadeh told The Center Square, answering questions by email. On the other hand, Republicans are fighting for vulnerable Arizonans and passed a clean CR (continuing resolution), which would have prevented any interruption in government assistance. Hamadeh said Senate Democrats have now voted down the CR over a dozen times. They arent serious about helping people, said Hamadeh. They appear to be intent on playing games with peoples lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first-term representative added he is not the only one calling for an end to the shutdown. On Monday, the head of American Federation of Government Employees, a union that regularly donates money to Democratic federal candidates, called on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution, as reported previously by The Center Square. The path forward is clear, said Everett Kelley, AFGE national president in a statement posted on the unions website. Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues. Hamadeh told The Center Square that this should send a message to these radical attorneys general and "Schumer Democrats" - Arizona's U.S. Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly - to stop using the pain of struggling working families as "leverage" to subsidize healthcare for illegal immigrants. ("Schumer Democrats" is a reference to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York.) This is just another example of Democrats putting Americans last, Hamadeh told The Center Square. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gallegos office did not respond to emails seeking comments. Kellys office directed The Center Square to an Oct. 22 letter from Kelly and Gallego to Rollins stating that they were deeply disturbed about the SNAP situation. Democrats remain at the table ready to renegotiate reopening the government, wrote the senators. Hamadeh said these are lies. He urged Democrats to stop playing games and start putting Americans first. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego should listen to the people, said Hamadeh. On October 17, we unleashed Arizonas creepiest lore, a collection of spooky tales where you, the readers, voted for the scariest ones. From skinwalkers to the mysterious gold-obsessed ghosts guarding the Lost Dutchman mine, readers cast their votes for what truly keeps them up at night. But in the end, it wasnt desert spirits or ghosts that took the crown it was aliens. You read that right. The famous Phoenix Lights because locals are still not over what happened back in 1997 when UFOs turned our skies into an X-Files episode. Maybe its the eerie formation of glowing orbs or the endless theories that followed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever it is, Arizonans clearly believe the truth is out there. Here is everything to know about the winner of Arizonas most famous lore. What happened on March 13, 1997, in Phoenix? The Phoenix Lights are a series of widely reported unidentified flying objects seen in the night sky over Arizona, Nevada and the Mexican state of Sonora on March 13, 1997. Thousands of people reported witnessing a triangular formation of lights moving silently across the sky. The lights were described as bright, steady and in a V-shaped or boomerang formation. The Phoenix Lights are divided into two distinct sightings: First Sighting (7:30-8:45 p.m.): Although the exact time is unknown, witnesses reported seeing a formation of lights moving from the northern part of Arizona southward toward Tucson. The lights were described as a series of orbs or a solid object with a row of lights. Second Sighting (10-10:30 p.m.): Later that night, a more significant and widely observed event occurred when a large V-shaped formation of lights passed over the Phoenix metropolitan area. The lights appeared to be connected to or part of a massive object. This sighting was captured on video by some witnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Phoenix Lights gained international attention and the mystery surrounding them gave rise to many theories and speculations. Did they ever find out what the Phoenix lights were? The official explanation provided by the U.S. Air Force later was that the lights were flares dropped by A-10 Warthog aircraft during an exercise at the Barry M. Goldwater Range, a military training range in southwestern Arizona. This explanation was met with skepticism as many witnesses claimed the lights they saw did not resemble flares. Got a story you want to share? Reach out at Tiffany.Acosta@gannett.com. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram. Looking for the best things to do in Arizona? Sign up for our newsletter. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This is Arizona's scariest story, according to locals On Tuesday, October 28, around 1 p.m. E.D.T., extremely powerful Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made its first landfall near New Hope, Jamaica. At landfall, Melissa had estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and an estimated minimum central pressure of 892 millibars. Per the National Hurricane Centers bulletin upon Melissas landfall, One of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic Basin. Melissas minimum central pressure ties the storm for the third-lowest minimum central pressure in the Atlantic Basin of a storm in recorded history (since 1851). Melissas maximum sustained winds were only 5 miles per hour shy of tying Hurricane Allen of 1980 for the highest maximum sustained winds on record in the Atlantic Basin. On Monday, it was discovered that Melissas eye contained the driest air of any tropical cyclone eye in recorded history across the world. Melissa has been bringing impacts to Jamaica since the weekend, including catastrophic rainfall due to its extremely slow motion. Landfall is officially designated when the eye of a storm crosses land. Jamaica will continue to deal with this very dangerous storm through tonight and into Wednesday. A second landfall is likely late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning on the southern coast of eastern Cuba. Melissa will be a touch weaker after the land interaction in Jamaica upon landfall in Cuba, but it will still be at major-hurricane intensity. Melissa will then threaten parts of Turks and Caicos and the southern Bahamas late Wednesday, but itll be moving quicker by this point. Thursday night into early Friday morning, Melissa could be approaching Bermuda. By the weekend, Melissa will become post-tropical in the northern Atlantic. Melissa is not a threat to the United States directly, but its likely to bring elevated rip current risks and dangerous beach surf to the East Coast mid-to-late week and this weekend. Overall, Melissa is the third Category 5 storm in the Atlantic in the 2025 season. It follows Erin and Humberto. There have only been 5 hurricanes out of 13 named storms this season in the Atlantic Basin, and 4 of those hurricanes reached major status (Category 3 and above). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. This story has been updated with new information. A 13-year-old has been arrested and charged with vandalism in connection with the newly installed Marty Brennaman statue outside the Great American Ballpark, officials said. Cincinnati police announced the charges in an Oct. 28 statement. They did not specify the gender of the person involved. The statue was installed in September to commemorate Brennaman's 46 years as the voice of the Cincinnati Reds. It was damaged on Oct. 25, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Video released by police shows someone bending, then breaking, the beloved sportscaster's bronze microphone. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Juvenile charged in Marty Brennaman statue vandalism at Reds park Danones like-for-like sales growth beat market expectations in the third quarter as the China, North Asia and Oceania (CNAO) region led gains. CNAO outperformed the wider Danone group and the other individual geographical areas in terms of sales increases and the advance in volume/mix, which CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique said helped to deliver strong and consistent growth. Danones like-for-like sales grew 4.8% to 6.88bn ($8bn) in what analysts at Barclays applauded as a sixteenth straight quarter above the 4% marker even though consensus estimates were for 4.3%. We think the next leg of the story is an EPS inflection, the Barclays team, led by Warren Ackermann, wrote in a follow-up research note. With China growth strong double-digits and with margins in China that are double the group average, there should be significant operational gearing. The CNAO region posted a like-for-like (LFL) sales growth print of 13.8%, with volume/mix up 15.1%, outpacing the group result of 3.2%. Within CNAO, China was, however, singled out as a concern by analysts at Jefferies given the 17% LFL sales performance for Danones specialised nutrition business, including infant formula, in the country and fluctuations in Chinas birth rates. As Jefferies' analyst David Hayes also welcomed the consistent sales growth above 4%, he also offered some caution. The skew/reliance on impressive success in China specialised nutrition could start to worry investors. That is accentuated by a notable miss in US volumes. Execution here remains strong but China infant formula will suffer dragon baby roll-off in 2026 that needs to be made up elsewhere. Volume/mix in North America grew just 0.3% based on LFL sales of 1.5%. Volume growth was below consensus of 1.8%. Commenting on North America, Danone warned of softness in the plant-based category where it plays in drinks with varieties of the Silk and Alpro brands. Momentum remained strong in high protein, with new innovations launched during the quarter. Coffee creamers are progressively regaining competitiveness. Plant-based remains work in progress. CEO de Saint-Affrique gave his take in the results statement today (28 October). We continued to deliver consistent, quality growth this quarter, with volume/mix being the primary growth driver across our categories, confirming the strength and the relevance of our health-focused portfolio. We are particularly pleased with the step-by-step improvement in Europe, where volume/mix has now been positive for eight consecutive quarters, while CNAO delivered another outstanding performance across all categories. Ohana spoke with N12 about his experiences in Hamas's terror captivity in the Gaza Strip, commenting for the first time since his October 12 release Former hostage Yosef-Chaim Ohana on Monday described one of the first spontaneous moments of torture during his captivity, when some angry person entered the room, pulled a gun and yelled: Tell me how many people you killed, now I'll kill you.' His comments came during an interview with N12, where he discussed his experiences for the first time since Hamas released him on October 12. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He recalls that when responding to the interrogation, I told them, Zero, zero." He then said, Oh, you are lying to me too, and he came to shoot me. Someone else stopped him then and told him: Not now, he recalled. On other occasions, Ohana explained, they would sit us down and tell us that they were taking revenge for what Israel did, just to create anxiety between the hostages. They would make us choose: who to kill and who to injure, making us draw lots for us, he added. Yosef-Chaim Ohana (credit: FLASH90, Hostages and Missing Families Forum) During the interview he also recalled other details about his time in Gaza, his captors, and the torture that he had to endure. Ohana describes Gaza tunnels Ohana described one of the tunnels where they were held as a dark corridor, with nothing to see except for an LED lamp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When someone comes with a lamp, at first, there were periods when we waited for it, maybe they'll bring us a teapot or something. Later, that light became an ominous sign. Once they came, we greeted them, and they suddenly started beating us," Ohana described. Every time we saw headlights, we had a panic attack. No one knows what to do, 'Shall I stand?', 'Shall I sit?' 'Who will be the first to grab?'. We want to run as far inside as possible, but then we realize that it won't look good and that we have to spread out over the whole room," Ohana described. He also talked about how he had to convince his terrorist captors not to kill him. I already knew that I was important to them, why they kidnapped me, and that the fact that I was kidnapped made me an 'important card' for them, he said. 'What, now you take revenge on me so that your citizens will be satisfied, but what about the prisoners who are waiting to be released from prison in exchange for me, to go out and see their families? If I die, fewer prisoners will be released," he told his captors. (The Center Square) Proposals to dramatically lower or even eliminate nonschool property taxes in Florida dont add up, a county association is warning. The proposals, which Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has proposed placing on next years ballot for voter approval, would reduce county revenue by about 40%, Cragin Mosteller told The Center Square. He's deputy executive director of the Florida Association of Counties. The bills all exempt school property taxes from the cut and also prohibit local governments from cutting law enforcement funding to make up for the loss of property tax revenue, Mosteller pointed out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public safety accounts for 60% of the nonschool related county spending, she added. She questioned there being enough "to cover things such as roads or even flushing your toilet. I think theres a lot of details that are unknown at this point. Second-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also questioned the proposals last week. Perez said the proposals should be placed on the ballot for voters to decide next year. There are seven different proposals for property tax reductions that have been introduced by Florida legislators. One bill, House Joint Resolution 201, would if approved by voters eliminate nonschool property taxes for those with homestead exemptions, meaning they live in the house they own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another, HJR203, would eliminate nonschool homestead property taxes over a 10-year period. A third, HJR205, would exempt anyone over the age of 65 from non-school related homestead property taxes. HJR213 would limit increases in the assessed value of a home for nonschool related homestead tax to 3% over three years. It is my intention to move them through the process, Pezez said of the proposed legislation. If we have faith in the voters to elect us, we should not be afraid to let them be a part of the conversation about the taxes they pay. But DeSantis questioned the strategy. Placing more than one property tax measure on the ballot represents an attempt to kill anything on property taxes, DeSantis said on social media. Its a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A nonprofit group, Florida TaxWatch, is studying the various proposals and will share information with policymakers as they consider the various options in providing much needed property tax relief to the hardworking taxpayers of Florida, the groups President and CEO, Dominic M. Calabro, said in a statement. The group will release a final assessment of the proposals closer to the 2026 election, Calabro said. An Albanian migrant who misled the Home Office has won the right to stay in the UK after a 26-year legal battle. In what is thought to be one of the longest-running immigration cases, Albanian-born Gentian Hoti has won the right to be a British citizen. The asylum court heard that the 41-year-old falsely told British officials in 1999 that he was a year younger than he was and that he was born in Kosovo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Albanian asylum seeker, who arrived in the UK aged 15, had his British citizenship deprived in 2019 after the Secretary of State discovered he had relied on a false identity. They said that while Mr Hoti should not be held accountable for relying upon a false identity when he was a minor, he had intended to deceive the Home Office in his applications afterwards. After a complicated legal battle, Mr Hotis 26-year immigration case has now finally concluded and he won the right to be a British citizen. He arrived in the UK as a teenager in 1999 before claiming asylum under an assumed identity in which he said he was born in 1985 rather than 1984, which was his correct year of birth. He also falsely said he was a citizen of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a questionnaire completed in October 1999, a month after he arrived to the UK, it was stated that Mr Hoti had suffered at the hands of the Serbian-dominated Yugoslavian authorities in Kosovo. It was said that Mr Hotis family had consequently arranged for their family to leave Kosovo and that the teen had lost contact with them as they moved across the border connecting Kosovo and Montenegro. In November of that year, the Secretary of State refused Mr Hotis claim for international protection, but granted him exceptional leave to remain until November 2003. From care home to citizenship The teenager was then placed into local authority care. In October 2003, Mr Hoti applied for indefinite leave to remain, which was granted the following year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this date, Mr Hoti was still aged 18 under his false identity and 19 in his true identity, the judgment stated. In 2005, Mr Hoti applied to naturalise as a British citizen. His application was granted that year. But, some five years later, in 2010, the Secretary of State sent Mr Hoti an investigation letter regarding his British citizenship . In February 2013, he was sent a notice of decision advising him that his naturalisation as a British citizen was null and void. There was further communication over his British citizen status over the following years. In June 2019, the Secretary of State issued a notice of decision to deprive Mr Hoti of British nationality. They had observed that in every application made to the Secretary of State since his arrival in the United Kingdom, Mr Hoti had maintained or left uncorrected that he had been born in 1985 and that he was a Kosovan national. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Hoti appealed the decision in 2019 and it was heard before a judge in 2020, who allowed the appeal. The Secretary of State appealed this decision to the Upper Tribunal where it was decided that the case should be heard afresh. A first-tier tribunal judge dealt with the matter and found that since his application for judicial review in 2013, Mr Hoti had not and continued not to maintain that he was born in Kosovo. Since that time, he has accepted that he was born in Albania, the judgment stated. The Judge allowed Mr Hotis appeal under the British Nationality Act 1981. After a series of counter appeals by the Home Office, an upper tribunal finally ruled in his favour, granting him the right to be a British citizen. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A suspect is at Grady Memorial Hospital on Monday night after being shot by an Atlanta police officer. Police confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that they are investigating an officer-involved shooting near Hollywood Road and an auto parts store. Channel 2s Tom Regan learned that the incident began with a trespassing call at a liquor store in the area. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Police say the officer tried to question the man, but he ran off. The officer was able to find the suspect in a nearby building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats when police say the suspect came toward the officer, and the officer fired gunshots, hitting the suspect. The severity of the suspects injuries is unclear. The officer sustained a minor injury to her leg. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says they have responded to the scene. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) The City of Augusta ranks #5 out of 279 applicants in Georgia for total obligated funding from Federal Emergency Management Funds (FEMA) to recover from Hurricane Helene, city officials announced Tuesday. The announcement was made at a Public Safety committee meeting on Oct. 28. In a press release, the city stated the standing reflects the hard work to continue Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Our recovery progress is a direct result of teamwork, persistence, and the dedication of every person involved in this process, said City Administrator Tameka Allen. Were incredibly proud of how far weve come, this is a testament to what can be accomplished when government agencies work together for the people they serve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Augustas total estimated damages cost from Hurricane Helene is listed as $87.3 million, and $79.3 million has been submitted to FEMA for evaluation, the city reported. According to the city, Augusta already received $34.9 million in reimbursements. It has submitted approximately $26.4 million in expenses which remain under FEMA review, and another $8 million in potential costs is under review to be submitted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. Some Austin grant funding on hold after lasting government shutdown AUSTIN (KXAN) The city of Austin secured over $70 million in grant funding toward aviation, environmental and emergency response, but the lasting federal government shutdown leaves more funding up in the air, according to a city memo. Whats on hold? Several offices within the U.S. Department of Justice have seen staff members furloughed, meaning submitted grant applications are still pending approval, the Austin Government Relations Grants Division (AGRGD) said in the Saturday memo. This includes grants from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Office of Justice Programs and Office on Violence Against Women, the memo states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grants from the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are also impacted. AGRGD reported DSHS will reevaluate the situation if the shutdown extends past Friday, while the Austin Housing Department does not expect HUD to award any grants during the government shutdown, per the memo. What was awarded? Grant funding was awarded to the following city divisions for the period Sept. 1 Oct. 20, according to AGRGD: Austin Aviation: Awarded $58.6 million by the Federal Aviation Administration, supporting ongoing expansions at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Austin Emergency Management: Awarded $11.9 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The funding will go toward supporting emergency management teams in the city and surrounding areas Austin Police Department: Awarded $375,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice. The funding will support law enforcements mental health and wellness ($200,000) and a youth-led recruiting model ($175,000) Austin Resource Recovery: Awarded $500,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toward brownfields assessments. Brownfields are properties that are either vacant or have environmental concerns due to past use, according to the Austin Brownfields Revitalization Office Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city has more grant applications still in progress. This includes more funding for Austin Police as well as grants for Austin Public Health, Austin Transportation and Public Works and Austin Forensic Science, according to the memo. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. AUSTIN (KXAN) After years of planning and two years of construction, a new pathway for runners, walkers, and cyclists will soon open in Austin. The city says work on the wishbone-shaped bridge that sits over Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam is nearing completion. The citys work has been shrouded by fences for about two years. Now, passersby are glimpsing what was behind the curtains. Work on the boardwalk is expected to wrap up by the end of the year. Progress made in October 2025 on the wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam in Austin (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) According to the City of Austins Capital Delivery Services Department, there are plans for a public celebration in early January. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres going to be some cleanup that needs to happen, said Genest Landry, Assistant Director with Austin Capital Delivery Services. We still have landscaping, lighting, and amenities on the bridge itself. When the boardwalk opens, visitors can walk through a shaded plaza filled with plants, benches, and scenic views of the sunrise and sunset. Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Progress made in October 2025 on the wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam in Austin (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Wishbone bridge near Longhorn Dam nears completion. This photo shows progress from October 2025. (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey) Safety is a major focus of the project, according to the city. What this project will do is provide safe passage across Lady Bird Lake and connect the north and south shores of the park via a pedestrian and bicycle bridge that are completely separated from traffic, Landry said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project also includes a tunnel that runs under Pleasant Valley Road, allowing people to avoid crossing through heavy traffic. Its designed to handle flooding events as well. Previous coverage: Construction of the wishbone bridge Before this project started, we had an existing tunnel that was about seven feet tall and five feet wide, with very poor lighting. It would frequently flood, just uncomfortable conditions, Landry said. Children and community members helped inspire the tunnels new design. Theres going to be a mosaic mural along the walls of the underpass, Landry said. Its a great piece of community artwork. Many folks participated in workshops where they traced their hands and those handprints will be displayed at the tunnels entrance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Austin voters funded the project through the citys 2020 Mobility Bond, at a total cost of about $22 million. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. This story was originally published on Utility Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Utility Dive newsletter. BY THE NUMBERS: PG&E Corp. Q3 2025 $73 billion Capital investment plan, unchanged from Q2. PG&E Corp., which owns Pacific Gas & Electric Co., has adopted a no big bets philosophy to avoid issuing equity while the company stock price is low. 9.6 GW Datacenter pipeline, down 400 MW from June. But the number of projects entering final engineering has increased slightly. $1.1 billion Core earnings, up 44% from Q3 2024, partly driven by reduced operations and maintenance expenses. 9% Annual core EPS growth guidance for 2027-2030. Steady course Figures on early-stage data center projects remain very fluid and the company has seen modest attrition since June, PG&E Corp. CEO Patti Poppe said during a third-quarter earnings call Thursday. But of the 9.6 GW in the company's data center queue, 18 projects totaling 1.6 GW have entered final engineering up from 1.5 GW at the end of the second quarter, according to PG&E. The company expects 95% of projects that reach final engineering to enter service by 2030; several may begin service as early as 2026. PG&E holds that it can cut customer bills by 1% to 2% per gigawatt of new load by using revenue from new large load customers to offset its five-year, $73 billion capital investment plan. But CFO Carolyn Burke said it was unlikely that PG&E would expand its capital plan to try to attract additional large load customers given the company's low stock valuation. Instead, she said, the company would stick to a no big bets plan and focus on upgrading existing assets and investing in safety and reliability while working to improve PG&E's credit rating. Burke said the company's financial metrics meet the credit rating agencies' criteria for investment-grade ratings, but that the agencies are watching regulatory developments in California for signs that it is time to upgrade the utility. Wildfire progress The recent passage of Senate Bill 254 in California should shore up the state's wildfire fund a key area of focus for the rating agencies and the company's investors. And the utility expects the state legislature to pass additional legislation in 2026 to reform insurance markets and reduce wildfire risk, though Poppe said it was still too early to discuss specific possibilities. Meanwhile, Poppe said, there's no better protection for our customers and our investors than predicting and preventing catastrophic fires in the first place. Australia has started deporting foreign-born criminals to a barren Pacific island under a controversial new deal. A cohort of 350 migrants, including murderers, paedophiles and drug smugglers, are being sent to the tiny atoll of Nauru after officials failed to resettle them elsewhere. Nauru confirmed last Friday that the first transfer had occurred, said Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, without revealing how many people had already been sent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Australia will reportedly pay Nauru 200m up front and 35m annually to resettle the group under the terms of a secretive agreement signed in August. Nauru, which has a population of just 12,500 spread over 8.1 sq miles, has agreed to grant them long-term visas and allow them to mix freely with its residents. Australia has spent years trying to find a solution to deal with migrants who have no other country to go to when their visas are cancelled for violent crimes, or because officials had other concerns. They have been left to languish inside Australias immigration detention system, unable to be deported home due to war or risks of religious persecution. A settlement camp for refugees in Nauru in 2018 - Mike Leyral/AFP The countrys High Court in 2023 ruled that it was unlawful to detain them indefinitely because there was nowhere to send them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The landmark decision led to the release of 220 people into the general population, resulting in a severe political backlash. The group now totals 354 people, government officials said. Human rights lawyers and refugee advocates have condemned the deal, arguing that some of the group have never been convicted of an offence, and that it contains both elderly and sick people who may suffer on Nauru without proper medical care. After signing the contentious deal, Anthony Albanese, Australias prime minister, said: People who have no right to be here need to be found somewhere to go, if they cant go home. If they cant be sent back to their country of origin because of refoulement provisions and obligations that we have, then we need to find another country for them to go to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nauru and Papua New Guinea are the two countries Australia initially sent asylum seekers to when it first began its offshore detention regime in 2001. The country has faced international condemnation for the policy that has seen refugees sent to sometimes squalid processing centres. It has gradually scaled back following 14 detainee deaths, multiple suicide attempts and at least six referrals to the International Criminal Court. In recent years, Nauru has turned to migration schemes to revive its ailing economy which historically relied on exports of phosphate, a key ingredient used in fertiliser, that once made it one of the worlds richest countries per capita. But that has long since dried up, leaving much of the mainland barren and scarred. Experts say that up to 80 per cent of the atoll is uninhabitable due to mining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, Australia paid an undisclosed sum for Nauru to grant long-term visas to three migrants convicted of violent offences, however their deportations are still being challenged in Australian courts. Critics of Australias offshore detention have drawn parallels to the nations roots as a penal colony, which began in the late 18th century when Britain sent its first fleet of boats bringing thousands of convicts to New South Wales. Over the next 80 years, more than 160,000 detainees were sent from the UK to Australia to relieve pressure on overcrowded prisons. Today, about 20 per cent of Australians are descendants of convicts. The UK, under the former Conservative government, agreed a scheme in 2022 to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda for their claims to be processed there in a bid to deter illegal migration. The policy faced considerable legal challenges and was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court in 2023 before it was eventually scrapped under the Labour Government in 2024. Similar offshore asylum processing schemes are being considered in Europe. The EU this year proposed return hubs to be based in non-EU countries to fast-track the expulsion of rejected asylum seekers. The model was largely pioneered by Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, who has built two migrant processing centres in Albania. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. By Sneha Kumar (Reuters) -Australia's corporate regulator and the federal police raided tech firm WiseTech Global's Sydney office, investigating alleged trading in shares by founder Richard White and three employees, sending shares to an over-six-month low. Shares of the logistics software maker slipped nearly 17% to A$70.60 as of 2355 GMT on Tuesday, their weakest level in more than six months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company said the allegations against founder Richard White and three employees are for trading in the company's shares from late 2024 to early 2025. A spokesperson for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission confirmed, in an emailed response, that it had executed search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation with the Australian Federal Police, but declined to comment further. In February, the ASIC initiated "preliminary inquiries" into the logistics software maker following a mass exodus of executives and the surprise return of White as the chairman. Media reports suggested it was because the billionaire founder and former chief executive had sold more than A$200 million ($129.96 million) of shares during a blackout period and without informing the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, between October 2 and December 20, White sold 3.6 million WiseTech shares, resulting in a decrease in shareholding to 36.63% from 37.7%, according to an exchange filing from December. White has been embroiled in controversy since October 2024, when he stepped down from the role after multiple media reports of allegations about his personal life, including payments to a past sexual partner. WiseTech has also been facing a broader crisis involving corporate governance concerns and share volatility, which led to a 40% slump in share value so far this year. "It's very disappointing for long-term shareholders, and shareholders will be questioning how much further WiseTech shares can fall," said Jessica Amir, market strategist at moomoo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When this is being sensationalised as well, it puts pressure on the stock." The Australian Federal Police referred to the ASIC's media unit when contacted by Reuters for comment. ($1 = 1.5389 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Sneha Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Alan Barona) One night, in January 1965, Clare Allcard, a 19-year-old trainee psychiatric nurse at Middlesex Hospital in central London, went to the cinema. As she was walking home through the fog she heard footsteps, and then a mans voice, pleading with her to please stop and talk to him. That very morning Allcard had mentioned to her fellow nurses how few of their patients were mentally sick, rather that they were desperately lonely with very few friends. So she thought she ought to stop and listen. And when he asked if she fancied a drink, and suggested he get into her van, she did. Allcard was raped in the back of the van and became convinced that the man was going to kill her. She eventually managed to stumble home and the next morning was on the verge of telling her best friend what had happened, but didnt. She was unable to speak of it for another two and a half years. No one much talked of rape back then, she says. In those days if you had been raped it was your fault. Youd asked for it. And so I felt deep shame. And I became convinced I was bad, and that I didnt deserve to live. Allcard is now 79 and lives in Andorra, where she settled in 1987 - Flynn Krabel Somehow Allcard managed to suppress the memory of that night completely. Yet her feelings of self-disgust only grew. Meanwhile, she was enduring chronic pain in her arm, the result of a botched operation, several years previously, that had trapped a nerve and gone undiagnosed. No one believed me when I spoke of the pain because I was a girl. There was this sense that girls were always emotionally upset. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within a matter of weeks she had attempted suicide, swallowing a months worth of painkillers. She woke in Guys Hospital, to the impatient clang of sterile stainless steel, a tube thrust down her throat. She had entered nursing because she wanted to help people. Now she had found herself beyond help, knowing only that she felt irredeemably worthless and that she wanted to die. For the next three years, she was in and out of psychiatric wards, each new admission preceded by a suicide attempt, and with the various doctors assigned to her care reiterating their faith in her capacity to lead a productive life but unable to unearth the source of her despair. She says she endured several bouts of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), was once sexually abused by a female doctor, and was prescribed a highly controversial deep sleep treatment whereby drugs were used to keep her unconscious for 30 days. I later researched it and discovered it was considered so barbaric even the Soviet Union had banned it, she says. I think it showed how intractable the doctors had found me. Allcard is now 79 and lives in Andorra where she settled in 1987 with her husband, the late pioneering yachtsman Edward Allcard, who was 31 years her senior. In the early 1990s she became an author, publishing two books The Intricate Art of Living Afloat and A Gypsy Life about their life together aboard their boat Johanne Regina. Clare married the late pioneering yachtsman Edward Allcard and travelled the world aboard their boat, Johanne Regina During this time, she also produced the manuscript for From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sea, about the time she spent incarcerated in Britains mental health system during the wild west of the 1960s. It was the first time she had properly confronted what had happened to her, having previously confided only in a fellow patient who had inadvertently prompted her memory of the rape, and in Edward. Now, it has finally been published. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time it was written, no publisher was interested in a book that, in part, exposed the entrenched prejudices towards rape victims. Only a few years previously, Jill Saward, who had been attacked at her fathers vicarage in Ealing, became the first rape victim to waive her right to anonymity. Her two attackers were found guilty, but at the end of the trial the judge famously dismissed Saward, saying her suffering had not been so great. I was horrified by that, says Allcard. It just shows what the attitudes were. So in writing the book part of me felt: Ill show you. Ill show you what its really like. The recently married Clare and Edward Allcard in the Drakensberg mountains, South Africa in 1973 Allcard now suffers from occasional short-term memory loss, but on the page her experiences are vividly recalled. Her room at York Clinic, the former dedicated psychiatric unit at Guys, is small and stark as a cell, bare whitewashed walls broken only by one yellow curtained window that looked out at the grey, full-bellied clouds as they moved swiftly past and away. I was still alive and all alone, she writes after another suicide attempt. I had failed again. She writes brilliantly, too, of the many fellow patients who became her friends. Theres Roland, a brilliant research student and James Joyce obsessive, and Lily, a tack sharp teenage rebel. (Allcard has changed the names.) Of her particular confidante, Cathy, a 21-year-old mother-of-five badly damaged by her fathers domestic abuse, Allcard writes: Some days Cathys voices were so overpowering she couldnt concentrate enough to carry on a conversation, eat a meal, drink a cup of coffee. But on other days, when her voices were less strident, Cathy shared childhood memories with me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some were stark raving mad, she says. But many were simply suffering from unfortunate experiences. We didnt have the term PTSD back then. It wasnt recognised. Allcard absconded from The Villa psychiatric clinic in Sussex in 1968 - Joe Hughes You wonder whether Allcard gets her way with words from her father William Thompson, a former Brigadier who served in the army for 30 years before becoming this papers defence correspondent from 1959 to 1976. He used to read Keats to Allcard when she was a child (my two older brothers had to make do with adventure stories) and Allcard depicts him as a gentle, compassionate man, desperate to help a daughter who as a child was cheerful and fearless, forever climbing trees. In 1968, after she had absconded from The Villa psychiatric clinic in Sussex, he wrote her a letter. My darling. I wonder whether in future, when you feel you must get away from everyone, I could drive you somewhere where you could get out and go for a long walk on your own I wouldnt talk to you at any time unless you wanted me to. My love, Daddy. Yet Allcard was terrified of burdening her beloved parents with her unhappiness, or shaming them in some way an irrationality she now recognises as a manifestation of her illness. Both died without knowing what had caused their daughter to wish for so long to kill herself. Allcards father William Thompson served in the army for 30 years before becoming the Daily Telegraphs defence correspondent Allcard eventually wound up in St Franciss the vast former asylum that still dominates the landscape that surrounds Haywards Heath, the very town in which she grew up. It was a mark of the systems failure to help her: St Franciss was a long-term institution where few patients were expected to get better. Yet it was here that Allcards life changed for ever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One day, having lain for months in drug-induced inertia, her will almost broken, she noticed a newspaper on the floor by a neighbours bed. She picked it up the first time she had read anything in six months and came across an article about Edward Allcard, a mariner who was halfway through a solo circumnavigation of the world. In it, he spoke of wishing for a companion to join him in his life of travel and, taken by his talk of freedom and adventure, Allcard wrote to him. She was frank about her circumstances, yet a few days later he replied, agreeing to meet. He said he would consider it an honour to travel with me, she says. That word hit me between the eyes. I had always felt un-honourable. It was an amazingly compassionate thing to say. Allcard managed to negotiate a gradual release from St Franciss, first finding part-time employment as part of a day-release scheme. Eventually it was agreed Allcard would accompany Edward by air and land to New Zealand to pick up their boat and begin the second part of his journey. Soon the pair had fallen in love, and their daughter Kate was born in 1969 in New Zealand. They married in Durban, and remained so for almost 50 years until Edwards death in 2017 at the age of 102. Clare with her husband Edward and daughter Kate on the Johanne Regina Allcard has never felt the need to seek additional help. Edward was the first to speak words to me, she says. Im not saying others didnt try but he was the one who found the right ones. He did it all. She describes herself as very happy, often sitting in the chair where Edward spent the last two years of his life, watching birds on the balcony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet some feelings cannot be eradicated. She still blames herself. Because I should never have got in the van. But it doesnt bother me any more. She is keen for her story to remind people in distress that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Because you couldnt have got much lower than I did. Now she wakes up each morning revelling in the blue skies beyond her window. The view makes you go wow, look at that. And these days Im very open to saying wow, look at that. From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sea is published by Golden Duck Books at 13.99 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Authorities have identified the man who is accused of fatally shooting an Inland Empire deputy before crashing his motorcycle while trying to elude capture. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department told KTLAs Lauren Lyster that 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar of San Bernardino was the person who fatally shot Deputy Andrew Nunez on Monday. Saldivar, whose motorcycle crashed after it was hit by another vehicle during a high-speed police pursuit, is currently hospitalized but will be booked for murder upon his release, the Sheriffs Department added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nunez responded to reported domestic violence in Rancho Cucamonga Monday afternoon, though when he arrived to the 12300 block of Hollyhock Drive, the suspect later identified as Saldivar allegedly opened fire immediately. KTLA 5 Logo Set KTLA as a Preferred Source in Google News Nunez was hit once and declared dead at a local hospital. A six-year veteran of the department, Nunez leaves behind a wife, a 2-year-old daughter and another child on the way. A fundraiser has been set up for the Nunez family on the Peace Officers Research Association of California website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. AUSTIN (KXAN) Authorities recovered two bodies, one in Lady Bird Lake and the other in Shoal Creek, over the weekend after severe weather prompted water rescues. Both bodies recovered Saturday are believed to be the missing victims swept away from the initial water rescue, said the Austin Fire Department (AFD). On Tuesday, the Austin Police Department identified the individuals as 42-year-old Amado Ravelos and 43-year-old Tanya Conner. Police said both cases remained active, and the cause of death will be determined by the Travis County Medical Examiners Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Multiple bodies found in bodies of water following severe weather KXAN provided a timeline of events leading up to the recoveries Saturday. AFD said around 1 a.m. Saturday, four individuals experiencing homelessness were caught in rising water in a drainage culvert in the 5200 block of Burnet Road. Thats in the area of North Loop/Burnet Road, near where Hancock Creek, Dry Creek and Shoal Creek come together. AFD said the drainage system goes under a shopping center and eventually into Shoal Creek. According to first responders, two of the four individuals washed away were able to escape. However, a man and a woman who were swept away were still missing at the time, the department said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this point, crews began searching for the missing people, covering grounds from Dry Creek and Hancock Creek to Shoal Creek, and down Shoal Creek to Lady Bird Lake. After 90 minutes, rescue crews closed the search, officials said. On Monday, Austin Police provided a statement regarding the two incidents where the bodies were recovered. APD said that based on a preliminary investigation, it appears that recent storm waters likely played a role in both deaths. APD also said that neither case will be investigated as a homicide. What happened later that day Around 10:30 a.m., the Austin Police Department said officers responded to a report of a body found in Lady Bird Lake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Monday evening, AFD confirmed that a man was recovered Saturday morning in Lady Bird Lake. Austin Police said one adult was found dead after officers responded to a report of a body found in Lady Bird Lake on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 (KXAN Photo) Authorities recover a second body Austin Police said around 5:22 p.m., officers, Austin-Travis County EMS medics and AFD responded to a report of a dead person in Shoal Creek. APD said they arrived on scene and located a woman who police say was obviously deceased. The woman was pronounced dead at 5:44 p.m., said police. Shortly before 11 p.m., authorities responded to a third water rescue in the 1600 block of Stephen F. Austin Drive. It was reported that one person was surrounded by swift water in a tunnel, said officials. Rescue crews used a personal flotation device and hoisted them out of the water. Thankfully, the person was not injured. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Authorities are looking for a murder suspect who was mistakenly released from an East Bay jail. The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said 20-year-old Isaiah Jamon Andrews of Kent, Washington, was released from the Martinez Detention Facility in Martinez on October 22. The sheriff's office said Andrews was held on local charges, a juvenile warrant out of Sacramento, and arrest warrant for homicide in Seattle. This is the mugshot of Isaiah Jamon Andrews, 20, who was held on local charges, a juvenile warrant out of Sacramento, and an out-of-state arrest warrant for homicide. Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office After Andrews was released, the sheriff's office launched a search for the suspect, but said he was no longer in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many people on the streets of Martinez couldn't believe the ongoing search for Andrews. "I don't know what to say other than it's a huge mistake. Wow. How does that happen?" said Falisa Johnson. He was supposed to be transferred to a jail in Washington. The Seattle police chief responded to news of the mistake. "I think sometimes people forget that it is a criminal justice system. Cops, courts and corrections is kind of how I always remember it. And although we did our due diligence, the courts and that part of the system however did not," said Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Andrews was set free last Wednesday, news of his release wasn't made public until Monday. The Sheriff's Office says the U.S. Marshals Service is now leading the search for Andrews, but local law enforcement agencies have also been notified. Some were upset to learn of Andrews' release. "I want to know what he looks like and all that stuff so I can just be aware," said Johnson. Others were more understanding. "Mistakes happen all the time. I've known people that have been released for many different charges, many different occasions. There's a lot of people in there. Human error, right?" said Richard McDonald. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But one thing everyone can agree on? That they'll be looking out for Andrews. "Most likely he's gone somewhere else. It's not like he's going to hang around here, he just got out of jail. He's gone," said Jody Rawleigh. Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Andrews is asked to call 911 or the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office at at (925) 646-2441. If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live Authorities in Laos recently made a startling discovery that highlights the ongoing threat of wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia and how it endangers both people and ecosystems. What's happening? During a routine traffic stop in Houaphanh Province on Sept. 25, police uncovered 139 live animals hidden inside a vehicle, weighing a total of about 35 kilograms (77 pounds), The Laotian Times reported. The haul included 135 bamboo rats and seven civets small, nocturnal mammals often targeted for their meat or sold illegally as exotic pets. The following day, the animals were turned over to the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment to ensure their safe handling and to begin legal action against those responsible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said the case represents a serious violation of national wildlife protection laws and underscores the growing problem of animal smuggling in the region. Why is wildlife trafficking concerning? Wildlife smuggling doesn't just threaten animals it also disrupts ecosystems, weakens biodiversity, and can endanger human health. Removing species like civets from their natural habitats upsets the delicate balance that keeps pests in check and forests healthy. Experts have also linked the wildlife trade to the spread of zoonotic diseases, which can jump from animals to humans. These crimes undercut progress toward a cleaner, safer future by destabilizing local food webs and damaging communities that depend on healthy ecosystems. Like illegal dumping or the careless disposal of rescued animals, wildlife trafficking is another reminder of how easily human choices often driven by profit or convenience can unravel the natural balance our communities depend on. What's being done about it? Laos has taken important steps toward reform. In April, authorities shut down one of the country's longest-running bear bile farms, rescuing three Asiatic black bears after years of illegal exploitation. More recently, the Supreme People's Prosecutor prioritized wildlife and natural resource crimes, banning out-of-court settlements and calling for tougher investigations into trafficking and related offenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Provincial governments have also strengthened enforcement and public education campaigns to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products. People can help by reporting suspicious wildlife sales, supporting organizations fighting trafficking, and backing eco-friendly businesses that prioritize animal welfare and sustainability. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. VANCE, Ala. (WIAT) The end of the decades-long working relationship between Averitt Express and the Mercedes-Benz plant outside Tuscaloosa will result in nearly 200 employees being fired. In a WARN List item from the Alabama Department of Commerce, Averitt announced that it would be laying off 193 employees. This comes as the company and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International were unable to work out a contract and will be going their separate ways. Averitt, a supply chain and freight transportation company, had reportedly been in business with MBUSI since the plant first opened in 1996. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Averitt will continue to provide a full range of transportation and logistics services in Tuscaloosa as we have for nearly 50 years now. In fact, our vision is to grow our business in West Alabama as we provide local shippers with creative and innovative solutions, Tuscaloosa Thread quoted in a company press release. No news on how the affected employees would be taken care of were disclosed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. The flapping wings of millions of monarch butterflies at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan, Mexico, create a fluttering sound that Alfonso Alonso describes as magical. The butterflies migrate from the northern United States and southern Canada each year just in time for Dia de los Muertos on November 1 and 2, when celebrations in many parts of Mexico honor deceased ancestors. The serendipitous timing may have led to the belief that a monarch butterfly who visits you represents the soul of a departed loved one. For the local culture, it is like the souls of their people that have passed away are coming back to reunite with them, says Alonso, a conservation biologist with the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, whos been studying monarch butterflies for about 30 years. The orange wings also resemble the color of the cempasuchil flower, commonly used at altars and funerals in Michoacan. [The reserve is] a spiritual experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a new study, published recently in Acta Oecologica, suggests that this annual overwintering monarch hotspot, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, could be threatened by a staple of Mexican cuisine and American brunches: the ever-popular avocado. The expansion of avocado is a new threat that wasn't there 20 years ago, says study co-author Diego R. Perez Salicrup, an ecologist at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico who has studied the monarch populations at the reserve for 15 years. Mexico exports more than 2.4 billion pounds of avocados to the U.S. each year, and nearly 90 percent are from the region around the biosphere. Its imposing a new pressure on the monarchs. A butterfly hotspot at risk Millions of butterflies settle in the sacred fir trees, 10,000 feet above sea level, at the reserve each autumn. Heading downhill, conifer and pine-oak forests separate the biosphere reserve from the avocado plantations below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study looked at avocado expansion between 2006 and 2024 and modeled what future avocado production might look like based on different climate models. The findings suggest that by 2050, one-third of cultivable areas in the lowlands outside the biosphere reserve will no longer be suitable for avocado production, likely pushing avocado crops to higher elevations. Thats a huge problem for the monarchs. Even the expansion of avocado production into the pine-oak forestjust beneath the monarchs perches on sacred fir trees, also known as oyamel treeswould be dangerous for the monarchs because while they rely on fat stores for most of the winter, they also need nectar thats available in the forests below. And pesticides on the avocado crops would also harm butterflies and other pollinators, which is ultimately bad for the avocados, too. Ever expanding avocado plantations approach the foothills of Cerro Pelon, a volcanic peak within the butterfly reserve in Michoacan, Mexico. Avocado production depends on pollinators, says study co-author Eduardo Saenz, an environmental scientist at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico who has been studying the butterflies for 15 years. So it's very contradictory how the avocado production is threatening local pollinators, including monarch butterflies. The location of the butterfly migration hotspot80 miles west of Mexico City, in forested mountainswas discovered only 50 years ago. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve commemorates its 25th anniversary this year; it got its name in 2000 when the Mexican government expanded its protected area to more than 138,000 acres. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lowest level of forest, the pine-oak forest, is currently directly impacted by avocado expansion, Saenz says. But the study authors also mapped out different climate change scenarios, and both forecasted avocado production encroaching upon the protected butterfly territory in the mountains. In the worst-case scenario, warmer climates are going to reach higher elevations faster, and that's going to be easier for potential producers to turn those forests into avocado plantations, Perez Salicrup says. In that scenario, the microclimate of the forest would become a more tolerable condition for an avocado orchard. Suitable areas for avocado production will reach current elevations where monarch butterfly colonies are, says Saenz, who has a deeply personal relationship with the biosphere. His father was a forest engineer who would bring Saenz to the biosphere when he was a child. Literally, I used to play with my toys under monarchs flying around, he says. Scientists dont know why monarch butterflies chose this area in particular to roost, but Alonso, who was not involved in the new study, suspects the microclimate of the mountains attracts them. The cool weather allows the butterflies to conserve energy sources for the winter. We used to have certain temperature and humidity at 1,500 meters above sea level. Now you may have those same temperatures and humidity much higher, maybe 2,000 meters elevation, adds Perez Salicrup. We need to understand that this very sudden change and shifting climate may eventually facilitate the expansion of avocados higher up into the mountains each year. Streaked with sunlight and crowded together for warmth in winter, monarch butterflies blanket fir trees El Rosario Sanctuary in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve of Michoacan, Mexico. Green gold While the core of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve is protected, including the buffer zone to a lesser extent, the fringes are notand enforcement can sometimes be iffy, especially with the advent of cartels dipping into "green gold." A 2025 paper notes that organized crime units that relied on heroin for income lost money after fentanyl came onto the scene in 2014; many of those cartels diversified, including extortion and theft in licit industries, such as the avocado sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, the expanding criminal networks and violence in the region have been well-documented. Drug-related organizations make so much money through illegal exportation of other items that they need to launder their money, Perez Salicrup saysand they turn to avocado production to do so. Organized crime is very strong in the state of Michoacan, but fortunately [the core zone of] the biosphere reserve is not as affected, Alonso says. The forests below are not as lucky. A report called Unholy Guacamole from Climate Rights International finds that almost all deforestation in Michoacan for avocado production in the past two decades has been illegal. Drug cartels and other crime groups have been involved in clearing forests and extorting money from existing avocado businesses. Whats more, notes Alonso, these forests are not the right place to grow [avocados] because it's pretty high in elevation. Should you stop eating avocados? Boycotting guacamole and avocado toast isnt the best path forward. Scientists say that giving up avocados would do more harm than good for communities in Michoacan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not a solution to prohibit the avocado consumption in the United States, because it's the most profitable activity for Michoacan farmers, Saenz says. There is a huge [monetary] difference between avocado and corn or traditional crops such as soybean. That income allows avocado farmers to earn a good living, and they often put some of those funds back into conservation efforts that invest in the health of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. A community called Carpinteros began planting avocados more than 25 years ago and, using some of the income, paid for conservation brigades that patrolled for bark beetles, a major threat to pine forests, and wildfires, among other threats. I think they were quite pioneers in that sense, Perez Salicrup says. With that profit, they were able to pay for peopleto take care of the forest. Scientists also wish there were more appreciation for the Mexican government for its attempts to police deforestation as well as nongovernmental organizations that have made huge strides in conservation Alternare, which has trained farmers in organic farming and reforestation techniques, and World Wildlife Fund Mexico, which has planted trees to restore forests and curbed illegal logging via monitoring with satellites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The study authors also point out that the survival of the monarch butterfly depends on more than the health of the reserve in Michoacanthe butterflies must survive summer in the U.S. and Canada first. Thirty years ago, 100 million butterflies migrated to Mexico from the north each year, Alonso says; now, there are only 20 million. The loss of milkweed is widely blamed for their decline. Alonso notes that the most important thing anyone can do, especially in the U.S., is plant milkweed native to where they live, which is crucial for the butterflies survival before migration: Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars can eat, and many die before they metamorphosize and migrate south. I don't think it's fair to just portray avocado as the bad guy in the story, Perez Salicrup says. I think that we need to recognize that it is us humans making decisions on the ecosystems we're trying to manage, and those decisions have to be taken responsibly. Avocados are an undeniable part of Mexican culture, just like Dia de los Muertos in many parts of the country. Perez Salicrup believes that the holiday and its popularity in Michoacan, in particular, can be a boon for conservation and can help drive smart decisions. If something is culturally important for you, you're going to keep it, he says. And people do associate the arrival of the monarch butterflies with Dia de los Muertos, which is a strong tradition here in Mexico. He believes it drives home a very strong message when speaking to communities and authorities about conservation efforts: If you want the butterflies to keep on arriving during the Day of the Dead, then please, you have to do something to keep the forest, Perez Salicrup says. Otherwise, they're going to stop arriving. DWS Group, the investment division of Germanys Deutsche Bank, is set to open a new office in Abu Dhabi, aiming to harness the regional wealth, reported Bloomberg. As per an emailed statement to the publication, the asset manager has been granted permission to operate by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Joe Kiwan, who leads DWS's operations in the Middle East & Africa, will be transferring from Paris to oversee the company's inaugural establishment in the Middle East. Kiwan's responsibilities will include maintaining client relationships, forging strategic alliances, and developing the regional strategy. In June, the media outlet had reported that the Abu Dhabi branch would be staffed with three sales experts, with plans to recruit additional personnel as operations grow. Abu Dhabi has emerged as an attractive destination for portfolio managers, thanks to its tax-free income. As of June, its financial hub was home to 144 fund and asset management firms. The companys CEO Stefan Hoops aims to establish DWS as the top choice for institutional investors investing in Europe. Managing over 1tn ($1.2tn) in assets, DWS is gearing up to announce its third-quarter financial results. In May 2025, Deutsche Bank obtained a financial services licence from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to undertake essential regulated activities within the international financial hub. The licence allows Deutsche Bank to engage in several regulated activities as detailed in the Financial Services and Markets Regulations 2015 (FSMR), including arranging deals in investments, arranging credit, and advising on investments or credit. In September, Deutsche Bank, in partnership with DWS and Partners Group, announced the introduction of a private markets fund aimed at its private clientele. "DWS Group to open new Abu Dhabi office report" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. Patrons were relieved to learn that a recently shuttered Italian restaurant between Worcester and Boston was not actually closed for good. Ericas Ristorante in Ashland will reopen on Thursday, Oct. 30, the restaurant wrote in a Facebook post Monday. Were back and weve missed you!, Ericas wrote in the post. Join us to enjoy your favorite dishes and cocktails, new seasonal flavors, and the same friendly faces youve missed. We cant wait to welcome you back! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Customers expressed their excitement at the announcement in the comments section. Wow I thought you meant you were gone for good. Glad youre back, one Facebook user commented. This makes me so happy. Cant wait to see you all, another comment read. This comes after the establishment said it was closing its doors due to health and personal reasons, on Oct. 15. Words cannot express our gratitude for your business and loyalty over the last 8 1/2 years, a prior Facebook post read. We have met so many wonderful people and have formed so many friendships that we will cherish forever. Ashland is a wonderful community and we appreciate all that it gave to us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Owner Sam Cannarozzi told MassLive over the phone Tuesday that the original closure was not planned. He had been dealing with some health issues that prompted he and his wife Erica to close the restaurants doors. However, after making some lifestyle changes, Cannarozzi started to feel much better and decided to reopen the beloved Italian eatery. Were happy that were going back, Cannarozzi said, adding that he and his staff have been in Ericas for the last three days preparing to reopen. Were moving in the right direction, the owner added. Cannarozzi also expressed his sincere gratitude to his staff and the community for their outpouring of support, saying, Were very excited to see everyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ericas Ristorante opened at 78 Front St. in Ashland in February of 2017, the Concord Journal reported at the time. The restaurant specializes in serving classic Italian dishes in a casual dining. Menu items range from pizzas and pastas to entrees such as Stacked Eggplant and Chicken Piccata. In addition, Ericas cocktail menu features classic spirits, beer and wine. More restaurant stories Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that contaminated fuel may have been a factor in the U.S. Navys loss of an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet in the South China Sea on Sunday. In a very strange chain of events, the two aircraft, both assigned to the supercarrier USS Nimitz, went down within 30 minutes of each other while on separate missions. The crews of the Seahawk and the Super Hornet were both safely retrieved. Theyre gonna let me know pretty soon, Trump told reporters while flying aboard Air Force One on Monday. I think they should be able to find out. It could be bad fuel. I mean, its possible its bad fuel. Very unusual that that would happen. Asked whether he thought foul play led to the crashes, Trump said I dont think so, and reiterated his contaminated fuel theory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont believe it was anything nefarious, a U.S. Navy official told The War Zone. The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz experienced two aviation mishaps in a short span of time in the South China Sea on Sunday. (USN) USN U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLEET), which oversees naval operations in the South China Sea region, declined to comment on Trumps statements about the crashes and referred us to the White House. We have yet to receive a response and will update this story with any pertinent information provided. The first of the two mishaps occurred about 2:45 PM local time, according to PACFLEET. Thats when the Seahawk, assigned to the Battle Cats of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (HSM-73), went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the Nimitz, a PACFLEET release stated. Search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11 safely recovered all three crew members. U.S. Navy sailors conduct maintenance on an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, on the flight deck of the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo) Seaman Chad Hughes A half hour later, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the Fighting Redcocks of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 (VFA-22) also went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from Nimitz, PACFLEET announced. Both crew members successfully ejected and were also safely recovered by search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11. All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation. An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during flight operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Official U.S. Navy photo) Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaron Wills While the particular circumstances of the recent mishaps in the South China Sea remain under investigation, fuel contaminated with water and/or other foreign substances, or that otherwise falls below specifications, can present serious problems for aircraft, including causing engines to fail in flight. Checking fuel quality is a common part of an investigation following any aviation mishap, military or civilian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, carrier-based aviation operations present unique conditions when it comes to the transfer of fuel, both into storage tanks on the ship to begin with, which can occur while the carrier is underway at sea, as well as in port, and then into aircraft. Personnel aboard all Navy carriers perform regular fuel quality checks at multiple steps in the fuel distribution process. Navy sailors seen inspecting a fuel sample taken from an aircraft aboard the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in 2005. USN Trumps comments about the mishaps came as the President is traveling throughout Asia. He is scheduled to have a meeting on Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss trade issues. Nimitz, the Navys oldest carrier, is on its final cruise before its planned decommissioning next year. The flattop is currently in the process of returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington State after having been deployed to the Middle East for most of the summer, primarily as part of the U.S. response to attacks by Yemens Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. An armed Super Hornet launches from the USS Nimitz, sailing somewhere around the Middle East in June 2025. USN Also known by its hull number CVN-68, the Nimitz, which was first commissioned into service in 1975, is the lead ship in its class. The vessels design built on the Navys prior experience with its pioneering nuclear-powered supercarrier, the one-of-a-kind USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which served from 1961 to 2012. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Navy began preparing for the Nimitzs demise in 2023, which you can read more about here. The Newport News Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries has received multiple contracts already to begin laying the groundwork for removing the nuclear fuel from the carriers reactors and other aspects of the disposal process. Whether contaminated fuel turns out to be a factor in, or even the root cause of the Seahawk and Super Hornet going down in the South China Sea, remains to be seen. U.S. military aviation accidents typically take weeks if not months to complete. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) It takes quite a while to grow a physician. It takes quite a while to grow a physician assistant, too, and quite a while to grow a nurse but youve got to start somewhere. Today at Bakersfield College, that seed was planted. Representatives of Dignity Health thats Mercy and Memorial hospitals were on hand at Bakersfield College Monday with the president of an Atlanta medical school to share the details of a partnership that will start training and eventually begin delivering newly minted doctors, nurses and physician assistants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kern County Public Health announces free flu shots Sunday Morehouse School of Medicine has partnered with Common Spirit Health (Dignitys parent company), the Kern Community College District and the Kern High School District to launch a Health Scholars Pathway a direct, affordable route for Kern County high school students to pursue medical careers. The first cohort of 15 students is expected to be announced next spring. Theyll enroll at Bakersfield College next year, complete their AA degrees, then spend years three and four at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. After that, theyll return to Kern and enter the residency program at Memorial Hospital in Bakersfield. In six years, 15 new medical professionals will enter the local workforce. BC Interim President Stacy Pfluger and Kern Community College District Chancellor Steven Bloomberg made the announcement with Dr. Veronica Mallett of the More in Common Alliance and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and CEO of Georgias Morehouse School of Medicine. She promised to give the local students back to their hometowns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When they finish medical school, theyre going to do their residency training here and then theyre going to practice in this community, Montgomery Rice said. Return to Kern! Mallett said Kern in particular needs medical professionals. Nationwide, it is estimated that by 2030, right around the corner, we will have a shortage of about 186,000 physicians, Mallett said. And in California, we have a ranking of health physician shortage areas and Kern County is number five on the list. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Kern is among the fastest growing, poorest and least healthy regions of California, and the San Joaquin Valley overall has the lowest number of doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners per 100,000 people of any region in California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An added concern: About 30% of this already stretched workforce is approaching the age of retirement. Bakersfield is planting this seed not a moment too soon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. Dhaka, Bangladesh Long overlooked in Bangladeshs electoral system, millions of expatriates including migrant workers who underpin the nations economy will be able to vote in national elections for the first time, as the countrys Election Commission moves to finally ensure their participation in the democratic process. The Election Commission estimates that about 15 million Bangladeshi expatriates, including migrant workers, live in the Gulf, Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia accounting for more than 10 percent of the countrys total electorate. To facilitate their participation, the Election Commission will launch postal ballots, supported by an app called Postal Vote BD. This is one of several moves to reform key state institutions, including the electoral, judicial, and legislative systems, by Bangladeshs interim government, which was formed after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party were toppled in a mass uprising in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The interim government has scheduled highly anticipated parliamentary elections for February 2026, but experts warn that implementing an overseas voting system will be far from easy. A lot is riding on the first elections since the fall of Hasinas government: Only four of Bangladeshs 11 elections since the countrys independence in 1971 have been considered free and fair. The process is like a black box if authenticity and transparency are not maintained, the credibility of the entire election could be called into question, said Badiul Alam Majumdar, chief of the electoral reform commission, in an interview with Al Jazeera. Its a complex task that requires extensive logistical preparation. It wont be easy, nor can it be implemented in all countries within one election cycle. But you have to start somewhere. Why couldnt Bangladeshi expatriates vote before? Bangladeshs constitution has never explicitly barred expatriates from voting. Article 122 requires voters to be citizens of voting age who are registered to vote, but it does not specify a residency requirement. However, a 1982 ordinance added that voters must ordinarily reside in their constituency. That ordinance was eventually repealed with the introduction of the Electoral Rolls Act 2009, which came into force in January 2009 and remains the current law. The Act recognises Bangladeshi citizens living abroad as residents of the constituency where they last lived or where their own or ancestral home is located. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, while expats finally had the right to vote, they did not have the means to do so. No steps were taken to enable expatriates to actually vote. Past elections became a farce there was no genuine intention to include them, said Majumdar. Following Hasinas removal, the countrys reform commission has considered various methods to enable expatriate voting, ultimately settling on postal ballots supported by a mobile app. How will expat voting work? The Postal Vote BD app, scheduled to launch by the first week of November, will allow expats to register and track their ballots. Voters will register via the app using their National ID (NID) number, which is linked to the Election Commissions server to determine their constituency, Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission, told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Postal ballots will then be sent to the registered overseas address in an envelope containing a ballot paper and a pre-addressed envelope to return it by post. The envelopes sent out to voters will bear a QR code, which confirms delivery in the app when scanned by the recipient. After marking their choice, voters seal the ballot and send it from any post office. A barcode on the return envelope allows them to track its progress. Ballots are sent directly to the local returning officer under arrangements with the Universal Postal Union embassies and diplomatic missions are not involved, Ahmed added. He dismissed concerns about envelopes being tampered with on their way back to Bangladesh. Once the vote is cast and sealed in the envelope, only the returning officer will open it. Any envelope opened or intercepted in transit will be immediately apparent, he said. Did Bangladeshi workers overseas support the 2024 uprising? Yes. When former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina intensified her crackdown on protesters during the July 2024 uprising, Bangladeshi migrant workers around the world launched a remittance boycott campaign in defiance. Remittances are the paycheques earned overseas which Bangladeshi workers send back to their families at home these form a large part of Bangladeshs economy. In the financial year following Hasinas removal, expats and migrant workers sent a record $30bn back to Bangladesh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bangladeshi workers also risked arrest to join rallies throughout Gulf countries in 2024 to condemn Hasinas actions. More than 100 workers were detained in the United Arab Emirates, many of whom were later released after the newly installed interim government intervened. As a result of their actions, debates about the fair treatment and voting rights of migrant workers have become central to discussions among interim government policymakers over reforms. Our migrant workers are the nations remittance warriors it is their right to vote. They played a vital role in ousting the autocrat, so securing their voting rights is essential, Majumdar said. People stream coloured smoke and wave flags as they celebrate the first anniversary since student-led protests toppled Bangladeshs former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Manik Mia Avenue, outside the parliament building, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 5, 2025 [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters] Could the expat vote tip the balance in Bangladeshs upcoming election? Expatriate voters make up more than 10 percent of the electorate, and in some constituencies they account for nearly a fifth of total voters. In a first-past-the-post system, that share can tip close races, said Khaled Saifullah, joint convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by the students who led the uprising against Hasina last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He emphasised that the significance goes beyond numbers. The diaspora tends to be politically aware, financially stable and closely connected to their home districts. Their participation can influence families and communities back home, shaping both turnout and public opinion. So, the impact of expatriate voting may be felt not only in the ballot count but also in the overall mood and momentum of the election, he added. Denied the right to vote for decades, Bangladeshi expatriates newfound suffrage ushers the countrys electoral landscape into uncharted territory. For political parties, it opens a new campaigning frontier with millions of potential voters across the Middle East, Malaysia and Europe. The greatest challenge for political parties will be engaging with this vast overseas electorate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Misinformation and disinformation on social media also pose challenges. However, politicians like Saifullah believe that when armed with facts, expatriates, who tend to be very active online and are well-informed, demonstrate a good ability to counter falsehoods themselves. In that sense, they are not merely potential victims of misinformation they are also our strongest line of defence against it, he said. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supporters hold a protest rally at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 18, 2025, as part of coordinated protests with other Islamic parties pressing a common set of demands, including holding the national election in February under the July Charter [MD Abu Sufian Jewel/NurPhoto via Getty Images] What do migrant workers want and what are politicians offering them? Tahsin Shakil, a Bangladeshi migrant worker living in the Gulf, said he hoped the mistreatment many migrant workers face at airports and the dismissive attitude of embassies to problems they encounter where they live would be addressed. He described how workers are often subjected to long interrogations at the airports, arbitrary baggage checks, and rude behaviour by airport officials, while embassies frequently ignore their complaints or delay issuing essential documents such as passports and work attestations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The countrys economy depends on us, but we are treated like third-class citizens, he said. This is what the main contenders in the upcoming election are saying about their concerns: National Citizenship Party (NCP) Saifullah, of the student-led NCP, said expats should no longer be viewed solely in terms of the value of the remittances they send home. Our manifesto recognises them as partners in rebuilding the state and ambassadors of Bangladesh abroad, he said. His partys manifesto pledges to secure expatriate voting rights, end harassment at embassies and airports, and provide emergency support for citizens in distress overseas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also promises digital access to public services, support for returnees, and a framework for direct expatriate participation in policymaking moving beyond seeing expatriates as only remittance senders to recognising them as key partners in national development. Our aim is simple: distance should not mean disenfranchisement, Saifullah added. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Saimum Parvez, a member of the BNP and special assistant on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the party would prioritise making conditions better for migrant workers overseas. The BNP envisions that every Bangladeshi embassy around the world will take on greater responsibility for the welfare of expatriates, ensuring they are no longer subjected to harassment, while also working to create jobs and strengthen bilateral trade, he said. He added that the BNP is already closely involved with diaspora communities. The BNP has diaspora committees across the world. I dont think it will be difficult for the BNP to reach these voters though this established network worldwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BNP is now highly focused on policy-based politics, aiming to improve peoples lives. We have already presented policies on agriculture, employment, and education, and in the coming months, we will detail how these will transform the lives of ordinary citizens. For that reason, I believe the diaspora community will vote for the BNP. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shishir Manir, a Supreme Court lawyer and MP candidate for Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, also claimed the concerns of expats were central to the partys policies. He told Al Jazeera: Jamaat was the first party to raise the issue of facilitating expatriate voters. I filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a directive for the Election Commission to take effective measures to enable expatriate voting, and the court accepted it. During my recent visits to the UK and the Gulf, I found Bangladeshi expatriates highly motivated to vote for Jamaat. We are proposing a one-stop service centre for expatriates who face complex land and criminal cases. They want smoother services, and we intend to provide that. We also aim to create a conducive environment that encourages expatriates to invest back home. Many of them have expressed concern over the mismanagement and mistreatment surrounding baggage handling at Dhaka airport we will address these issues as well. Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector and Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) Board Chairman Rick Barnes is raising concerns about what he described as a significant calculation error during the 2024 vote-allocation process for the districts Board of Directors election. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Mike Alfred, Alan Blaylock, Wendy Burgess, Fred Campos, and Gloria Pena were sworn in as board members in January following a December 2024 voting period. While some board seats are filled by direct vote, state law assigns responsibility for calculating vote allocations for the seats representing local taxing entities to the chief appraiser. The formula is based on each entitys share of the countys total tax revenue. Barnes said the miscalculation likely affected the outcome of the election for one or more of those seats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The error reportedly occurred under former Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Wendy Burgess, who was defeated by Barnes in last years county election. Burgess benefited from the miscalculation, having been subsequently elected to one of the TAD seats allocated through the flawed process raising questions about the integrity of data produced by her office at the time. It has come to my attention that a significant calculation error occurred during the 2024 vote allocation process for the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) Board of Directors election. Under state law, these vote allocations are the legal responsibility of the Chief Appraiser and are determined by each taxing entitys share of the countys total tax revenue, Barnes said in a statement. In this case, the vote allocation for Tarrant County College was overstated due to a calculation error. The delay in disclosing the 2024 error is deeply troubling, Barnes wrote. Barnes added that a member of the public first discovered the mistake a lapse he called deeply troubling. A Special Meeting of the TAD Board has been called to review this matter in its entirety. This meeting will be conducted in accordance with open meetings laws and public notice requirements, allowing adequate time for staff to prepare and present all relevant documentation and data for Board review, Barnes said. This failure of accountability and communication is unacceptable. The Chief Appraiser and senior staff had a clear obligation to immediately inform the Boards Chairman and members upon discovering the error. Their failure to do so undermines public trust in both the election process and the integrity of the institution itself, Barnes said. Barnes urged the TAD Board to review how the mistake occurred and to create safeguards that prevent future issues. The public deserves full transparency and assurance that such a lapse will not happen again, Barnes said. The Dallas Express reached out to Barnes for additional comment but did not receive a response. Baroness Howells of St Davids, who has died aged 94, was a Grenada-born activist and campaigner against racism in south-east London who served for 20 years in the House of Lords after being given a life peerage by Tony Blair in 1999. Kind and gracious a quiet storm Rosalind Howells was one of the most influential figures of the post-Windrush generation, who, one colleague recalled, built her reputation from the ground up the community halls, the classrooms, the committee meetings no one else wanted to attend. At Greenwich Council during a period of heightened racial tension, she fought against the quiet cruelties of housing policy, education bias and exclusion. She pressed ministers to understand that race, class and exclusion were not separate subjects but the same thread and that to pull one without the others was to unravel the nations conscience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She made a particular impact through her championing of the 13 black teenage victims of the 1981 New Cross fire, and her support for the family of Stephen Lawrence after his racist murder 12 years later. Stephens mother, now Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, who campaigned alongside her for justice, said Ros Howells had been a great help to me in my time of need. Ros Howells became a trustee of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, and unofficial adviser to the Lawrence family. In due course, the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry declared the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist, and one of his attackers was sent to prison. Rosalind in 1955, on the day of her wedding to John Howells Lady Howells was the first black woman to sit on the Greater London Councils Training Board, and the first female member of the Court of Governors of the University of Greenwich. In the Lords, she became a respected voice on issues affecting black and Caribbean communities, particularly healthcare for the elderly and unfrozen state pensions for those who had gone home to retire. She also spoke always in measured tones of boys excluded from school by teachers who could not see past the colour of their skin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One day in the Chamber, an elderly peer beside her suddenly slumped over. She thought he was getting a bit frisky, then realised he was no longer breathing. When he had been declared dead at St Thomas Hospital, she reminded fellow peers never to take anything from the Empire at face value. Maintaining her links with Grenada, Lady Howells was patron of the Jason Roberts Foundation, providing sporting opportunities for children and young people in Britain and Grenada, and president of the St Georges University UK Trust and the universitys associated Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation. For a time, she was Grenadas deputy High Commissioner in London. She was born Rosalind Patricia-Anne George in St Davids, Grenada, on January 10 1931, and attended St Josephs Convent. Moving to Britain aged 20, she furthered her studies at St Josephs College in Reading, South West London College (where she took a certificate in welfare and counselling) and the University of the District of Columbia in Washington. Baroness Howells at the unveiling of the African and Caribbean War Memorial in London in 2017 alongside Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, and Michael Fallon, the then Secretary of State for Defence - WENN Rights Ltd/Alamy After marrying and bringing up a family, by the mid-1970s she was helping out at the Moonshot Youth Club in Lewisham, taking a particular interest in young mothers and girls. This led to leadership roles in grassroots organisations across London. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From 1978, she was in turn vice-chair of the London Voluntary Services Council, and equal opportunities director for the Greenwich Council for Racial Equality, then from 1994 to 1997 chair of the Lewisham Racial Equality Council. Created a life peer in 1999, she took the title Baroness Howells of St Davids, of Charlton in the London Borough of Greenwich. She played an active part in the Lords until she retired in 2019. Lady Howells was at various times a trustee of the West Indian Standing Conference, the City Parochial Foundation, the Museum of Ethnic Arts and the Women of the Year Committee. She was also a patron of the Greenwich and Bexley Hospice and the Commonwealth Girls Education Fund. From 2009 to 2014 she was Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire. She was appointed OBE in 1994. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She married John Howells in 1955. He died in 2004, and she is survived by their two daughters. Rosalind Howells, born January 10 1931, died October 14 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. When the nations largest group of HR professionals invited anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck to a marquee conference for a talk on workplace diversity programs that hes pressured companies such as Walmart and McDonalds to abandon, scores of its members raged on social media - with many vowing to ditch the conference and sever ties with the trade group. But Johnny C. Taylor Jr., who heads the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), said the backlash reinforces the need for human resources managers to hear from people like Starbuck. With diversity, equity and inclusion programs under more scrutiny than ever, Taylor said, we need to armor members with the tools they need to keep themselves out of the crosshairs of the government. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The episode highlights how tensions over DEI continue to roil corporate America after five years of whiplash. Such initiatives have long faced criticism from conservatives who view them as a form of discrimination with deep political and ideological undertones. But the Trump administrations move to end what it called illegal DEI within 48 hours of taking office in January raised the stakes for employers, prompting many of them to jettison representation goals for suppliers and workforces as well as other DEI policies. The retreat sparked pushback from employees, consumers, regulators and other influential groups who argued that companies should stand by the diversity policies that executives had attested were vital to their businesses. Now, after months of back-and-forth, some DEI critics believe victory is near, while companies remain vulnerable as they seek the right balance. Dan Lennington, managing vice president and deputy counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, who has spent much of the past few years identifying employer DEI initiatives to challenge in court, said hes running out of programs to target. My target list has gone pretty much to zero now, Lennington said. Theres no Amazon Black business accelerator, theres no huge FedEx supplier diversity programs, no Microsoft or Apple Black founders programs. Those are all gone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement David Glasgow, who is executive director of New York Universitys Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and counsels Fortune 500 companies and other large firms, said employers are struggling to signal that theyre still committed to the principles underpinning DEI while evolving their programs. Im hearing a lot from leaders who are really anxious about how this is all being perceived, Glasgow said. Now that the dust has settled, leaders are saying, Oh, did we overcorrect? or Maybe the way we communicated that wasnt ideal. How do we undo the damage? Niki Ramirez said she let her SHRM membership lapse in September after more than 18 years because of Starbucks planned appearance this week at the trade groups Blueprint Conference in Louisville. The Phoenix-based HR professional said she has spoken with at least a half-dozen others who made similar decisions on the grounds that those who want to dismantle DEI have no position thats valuable in that conversation. Im all for respectful conversations and productive disagreement, she said. But putting together a panel of people including someone who said in the world of the public that DEI is poison, theres no miscalculating that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though SHRM acknowledged the social media blowback in a statement, it contends that there has been no actual cancellations tied to Starbuck, who has used his online megaphone to pressure multibillion-dollar brands such as Ford, Harley-Davidson and Tractor Supply Co. to roll back their DEI programs. Starbuck said he and SHRM should not have to defend his involvement, noting that he has had an outsize impact on workplace policies. If HR wants to represent Americas workforce, then it has to understand all of America, Starbuck said. While I think its important to use my voice, I also think its important to engage with people who challenge my ideas. - - - Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shifting standards Employers have been reassessing their DEI programs since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in university admissions in June 2023. Dozens of lawsuits ensued, alleging that certain identity-based programs violated federal civil rights laws. Pressure to evolve intensified early this year, after President Donald Trump issued the first wave of executive orders targeting affirmative action and DEI initiatives long used by the public and private sectors to diversify their ranks. Companies scrambled to maintain government contracts and evade both legal and White House scrutiny. Large employers such as Google, Bank of America and Accenture axed workforce representation goals and supplier diversity programs, while others rebranded to move away from DEI terminology. Where historically employers have focused on lifting up groups that have been marginalized at the expense of the majority community, Taylor said, now weve got to focus on, How do you make everyone feel included? Lawsuits challenging employer DEI policies, including those filed by nonminorities, have been creeping up, especially after a June Supreme Court decision that struck down a federal standard that required members of groups that historically have not faced discrimination to meet a higher bar for unfair treatment in some regions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But direct challenges to DEI policies by investors have been rejected at companies including Apple, Disney, Costco and Goldman Sachs. Meanwhile, the legal landscape remains unsettled. The Justice Department has hit some companies with civil investigative demands for information on their DEI programs and has encouraged whistleblowers to sue on behalf of the government, but a long-promised list of the agencys top targets has not been made public. Enforcement by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whose acting chair, Andrea Lucas, has said ending illegal DEI is a top priority, fell to its lowest level in decades this year amid a lack of the three-person quorum, said Christopher DeGroff, an employment lawyer with Seyfarth Shaw. But the appointment of a new commissioner this month cemented a Republican majority and restored the agencys decision-making authority. It would be dangerous for employers to believe that the EEOC has taken its foot off the gas based off these fiscal year numbers, he said, adding that its likely the agency is keeping its powder dry for 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some key corporate cases have continued: Court documents show Wells Fargo agreed to pay $85 million to settle a 2022 federal lawsuit alleging it conducted bogus interviews to meet its own requirement that certain roles have a diverse slate of candidates. Job applicants were brought in for roles that had already been filled, the lawsuit alleged, or roles for which they were clearly unqualified. When asked for comment, the bank giant said in a written statement, We are pleased to have reached a settlement. - - - A fundamental misunderstanding Advocates for DEI programs argue that backtracking companies have erred - and may make themselves vulnerable to lawsuits from women, people of color and others who feel a company is less committed to equal opportunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Companies failed to properly assess the larger risk pool, which made them reactive in their adjustments as they sought to avoid third-party lawsuits and potential degradation of reputation because of attacks from conservative critics like Starbuck, said Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia state representative and candidate for governor and the founder of American Pride Rises, a nonprofit focused on advancing equal opportunity. Now, a lot of companies that were making feints toward abandonment are rethinking, Abrams added. Target has become a cautionary tale of the costs of pulling back too far, Abrams noted. The company was an early adopter of diversity efforts, starting its Office of Diversity and Inclusion in 2003, and portrayed programs geared toward workforce and supplier representation as a key part of its business practices. While the chain has struggled with declining sales for years, retail experts say the fallout from a Target fast by civil rights leaders and frustrated consumers in response to its DEI changes has weighed on its performance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a May 21 earnings call, Target CEO Brian Cornell attributed declining traffic and revenue at Target to several consecutive months of declining consumer confidence, uncertainty regarding the impact of potential tariffs and the reaction to the updates we shared on belonging in January. Belonging references the companys diversity and inclusion policies. Theres a fundamental misunderstanding that DEI was a branding technique as opposed to a values system. You can certainly change your branding, but you cant change your values without it having a resounding effect, Abrams said. Yet the company is still contending with the fallout of its initial DEI efforts. Its facing multiple lawsuits in Florida, including one led by the City of Riviera Beach Police Pension Fund, alleging that Targets diversity policies and campaigns erased tens of billions in market value. Before the protest, its market capitalization was hovering around $61 billion. Today, its nearly $43 billion. Target has signaled its commitment to DEI values despite the end of some programs. In a recent news release, it highlighted its partnership with the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta as part of its effort to fuel a more inclusive economy. The company plans to continue our work together with RICE, which supports Black-owned businesses, it confirmed to The Washington Post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some employers that shifted on DEI are finding themselves hog-tied by conflicting regulatory obligations. In May, for instance, the Federal Communications Commission green-lit Verizons $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications only after Verizon agreed to end its DEI programs. But the condition flagged the state regulators who must approve the deal: The head of the California Public Utilities Commission questioned during a public hearing in June whether the prerequisite ran afoul of state laws and regulations for maintaining diversity in the utilitys workforce and supply chain. Within weeks, CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds accused Verizon of replying evasively and deficiently to requests for clarity about the changes in store for its DEI policy, regulatory filings show. Verizon did not respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department signed off on the deal in February, but approval expires within a year. Companies are calling on the CPUC to render a decision at its Dec. 18 meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Worker and consumer advocacy groups have criticized the telecommunications giant. Jason Solomon, director of the National Institute for Workers Rights, notes that Verizon promised the Trump Administration it would abandon equal opportunity and fired the team dedicated to making sure that hiring, compensation and promotions at the company were fair, in a statement shared with The Post. Verizon didnt need to go that far, Solomon said. - - - Focus on compliance In July, the Justice Department released guidance outlining how it planned to apply federal antidiscrimination laws to such programs. That includes targeting employers who use proxies for protected characteristics, as opposed to explicit consideration of protected traits such as race and gender. Using lived experience or cultural competence as a work-around is impermissible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Employers must ensure that their programs and activities comply with federal law and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or other protected characteristics - no matter the programs labels, objectives, or intentions, the guidance states. Jonathan Segal, an employment attorney with Duane Morris, said the Justice Department is probably taking a sterner stance than some courts would in assessing where policies violate the law. The pendulum could hardly have swung farther since 2020, Segal noted, when the murder of George Floyd ignited protests nationwide and gave rise to broader conversations about systemic racism. Dozens of large companies pledged billions and adopted practices meant to create more diverse workforces, including recruiting and mentorship programs for historically marginalized groups, antibias training and employee resource groups. The Trump administration is now determined to block such initiatives. Either DEI will end on its own, or we will kill it, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Civil Rights in July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Companies have largely opened up programs that once were restricted by such characteristics as race, gender and sexuality to people of all backgrounds, Segal said. Identity-centered programs made the assumption that because increasing diversity is important that that would necessarily be lawful, he added. But just because your goal may be laudable doesnt mean that its lawful. Efforts to stay on the administrations good side have put some employers at a disadvantage abroad, particularly where diversity efforts are still encouraged or required. In April, London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked Accenture from a nearly $66 million bid to overhaul the citys transit marketing strategy because it no longer met the criteria for diversity that we expect from all suppliers after it retired some programs to keep good standing with the Trump administration, the Telegraph reported. Accenture declined to comment. Luke Hartig, who counsels Fortune 500 companies and other large employers on social and reputational issues as president of Gravity Research, said the number of companies shifting gears on DEI has slowed precipitously as they waited to see the administrations approach to enforcement. Down the line, he expects to see the pendulum swing back, if not toward the strong pro-DEI days of 2020 and 2021, then at least toward something a little more moderate. I dont see a lot more adjustments that companies can make, Hartig said, pointing to shifts such as companies eliminating training programs geared toward tackling workplace bias, and the axing of supplier diversity and workforce representation goals. Femily Howe, a gender inclusion adviser in Silicon Valley, said she felt a pretty sudden shift after the 2024 election. Topics that used to be easy to engage on, such as making the workplace more inclusive for women, have become undesirable. And she said a number of clients whove already paid her consultancy for the year are saying our DEI got shut down, so were not sure how to use you anymore. Related Content She hiked the entire Appalachian Trail at 80, unaware shed just made history The best source of critical minerals is driving down U.S. streets Through pet sketches, she tells the stories of former federal workers ENGIE has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta to supply electricity generated by the Swenson Ranch solar farm, situated in Stonewall County, Texas, US. Set for commissioning in 2027, the 600MW project will become ENGIE's largest asset in the US. The group currently has over 11GW of capacity either operational or under construction, spanning solar, wind, and battery projects. Meta plans to acquire the entire output of the solar farm to power its data centre operations in the US. The Swenson Ranch solar farm is set to deliver considerable economic advantages to local communities, including the creation of 350 skilled jobs during its construction and contribution of approximately $160m in local tax revenues throughout its operational lifespan. This agreement will increase the total capacity of renewable PPAs between ENGIE and Meta to over 1.3GW, across four major renewable projects in Texas. ENGIE Renewable & Flexible Power senior executive vice-president Paulo Almirante said: This project marks an important step forward in the partnership between our two companies and their shared desire to promote a sustainable and competitive energy model. It fully illustrates ENGIE's ability to design and deliver large-scale renewable projects, efficiently mobilising the entire local value chain. Working with data centres and industrial customers, we are a reliable partner that brings competitive energy solutions tailored to their needs. ENGIE's strategy includes accelerating the rollout of PPAs globally, with these contracts serving as a tool for supporting customers in their decarbonisation efforts. By securing 4.3GW of renewable PPAs by 2024, ENGIE reaffirmed its position in the global market, especially in the US, where the demand for renewable energies continues to surge, according to the company. This May, NHOA Energy, in collaboration with ENGIE, commenced construction on a 400MWh battery energy storage system in Beveren, Belgium. "ENGIE signs PPA with Meta for Swenson Ranch solar project in Texas " was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Authorities in the Indian capital carried out cloud seeding trials on Tuesday to try to induce rain over the smoggy city, but chances may be slim given the low moisture content in the atmosphere. Seasonal crop stubble burning by farmers, emissions from heavy traffic, industry, and burning of garbage and fuel, along with climatic factors like low wind speed and cooler temperatures lead to a spike in air pollution in the city every October and November. Guided by scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the northern state of Kanpur, a Cessna aircraft flew over designated areas dropping chemicals into the clouds to induce rain, Delhis Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cloud seeding involves artificially generating rainfall by introducing chemicals in moisture-laden clouds to stimulate precipitation. The Cessna aircraft dropped silver iodide and salt particles, Sirsa said. Trials to test whether rain could be induced will continue until Thursday. Sirsa said the moisture content of the clouds currently was only 15% to 20%, but if results were successful, regular rain seeding plans would be drawn up. While he said the scientists at IIT Kanpur believe there could be rain between 15 minutes to four hours after the operation, other experts have said that cloud seeding cannot create rain without moisture-laden clouds and that the technique provides temporary relief at best. There are also environmental risks to soils and water bodies from repeated use of chemicals, IIT Delhi climate specialists Krishna Achutarao and Shahzad Gani wrote in The Hindu newspaper. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Home to more than 20 million people, New Delhi has consistently been ranked as one of the worlds most polluted major cities since 2021 by the Swiss-based air quality monitoring agency IQAir. Local authorities have banned use of diesel generators, controlled the movement of diesel vehicles, deployed water sprinklers and smog guns and incentivized farmers not to burn crop stubble in efforts to control the pollution. In the wake of news that funding for the federal food stamps program would run out Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown - a distressing loss for more than 40 million Americans - one Bay Area restaurant decided to act. The owners of San Jose's Tony & Alba's announced on Instagram Friday that the neighborhood Italian restaurant would give free meals to children who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. It sparked a domino effect, with at least six more local restaurants following suit, including Shrimp'n Ain't Eazy in San Jose; Al Pastor Papi in San Francisco; and Monster Pho and Puerto Rican Street Cuisine in Oakland. Most are offering free food for children and discounts for their parents for the month of November when they present their SNAP card and ID. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a memo Friday that there would be no SNAP benefits on Nov. 1, writing: "Bottom line, the well has run dry." In highly partisan language, the USDA blamed Democrats for the lapse in funding and said a previous plan to use contingency funds to cover benefits was not possible "due to Congressional Democrats' refusal to pass a clean continuing resolution." The memo also said that states would not be reimbursed for using their own funds to cover the cost of SNAP benefits. One in eight Americans rely on food assistance, including children, working adults, seniors and people with disabilities. Food banks across the country, including local organizations already facing spikes in need, are bracing for a surge in demand when the benefits are cut. Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that he is calling up California National Guard troops under his control to staff food banks amid the government shutdown, which began Oct. 1. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a proposal to allocate $10 million to local food assistance programs. Albert Vallorz, co-owner of Tony & Alba's, said in an Instagram video Monday that the restaurant's effort reminded him of a Mother Theresa quote: "Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love." "This is a little thing by us," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For some restaurant owners, this campaign feels personal. Chef Eric Rivera of Puerto Rican Street Cuisine said his wife relied on food assistance in Oakland when he was in prison before opening the restaurant, and that she also recently reminded him of the Black Panthers' free breakfast for children program. "We came up with something we could afford, and what we thought was most important: making sure tiny bellies don't go to bed hungry," he said. When Tee Tran, owner of Oakland's Monster Pho, and his family immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in the 1980s, they lived on food stamps, he said. Hours after he posted an offer for free bowls of pho for kids 12 years old and younger and a discount for their parents, two mothers came into the Temescal Vietnamese restaurant with their children asking for the meals. "I see myself in these kids," Tran said. "I just wanted to help." Tony & Alba's also prompted Al Pastor Papi owner Miguel Escobedo to give out free burritos at his Union Square Mexican restaurant. "That's the beauty of the gesture," he said. "Some businesses hear the call and it's a chain reaction of generosity and community involvement." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al Pastor Papi's effort is funded in part by private donations that will help cover food costs, Escobedo said. He's received about $1,000 so far, which he said will pay for about 150 burritos. (Monster Pho, meanwhile, is declining donations and asking instead that people who want to support the effort dine at the restaurant.) Some of Escobedo's employees have been SNAP recipients, though he said in recent days his staff was more consumed by bracing for a potential federal deployment in San Francisco. (The immigration enforcement "surge" was called off last week for San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area.) Escobedo hopes the restaurants' SNAP efforts give "people some hope" amidst an intense political climate. Many of the participating restaurants have run similar philanthropic efforts in the past, including giving away free pho for a day or organizing a toy drive for farmworkers' children. Several of the restaurateurs said they hope others will join the trend - but also that it won't have to last long. "I hope it's a short-lived program because that means it gets funded. But until it does, it's up to us," Vallorz said on Instagram. Bay Area restaurants offering free meals or discounts to SNAP recipients: Check the businesses' Instagram pages for updates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al Pastor Papi: 232 O'Farrell St, San Francisco. Chicken burrito and rice and beans, four burritos a week per family. Gamers Heaven: 1171 Homestead Road, #190, Santa Clara. Dino nuggets and tater tots for children 12 years old and younger, plus 25% off for parents. Monster Pho: 360 40th St., Oakland. Beef, chicken or vegetable pho for children 12 years old and younger, plus 25% off for parents. OG Tacos: Locations in Concord and Antioch. Tacos dorados for anyone who loses SNAP benefits in November; up to three meals per family. Shrimp'n Ain't Eazy: Check Instagram for food truck's location. Chicken garlic burrito and a drink for children 16 years old and younger, plus a discount for parents. Up to five burritos each week per family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tony & Alba's Pizza and Pasta: 3137 Stevens Creek Blvd., San Jose. Pizza or pasta with carrots, fruit and drink for 15 years and younger, plus a discount for parents. Puerto Rican Street Cuisine: 1430 23rd Ave., Oakland. Empanada with rice or beans for children 12 years old and younger. This article originally published at These Bay Area restaurants are offering free meals for SNAP recipients during the shutdown. BOSTON (WWLP) Its been a years-long battle at the State House: phasing out the use of anticoagulant rodenticides in Massachusetts. On Monday, lawmakers and residents alike gathered once again to advocate for a bill that would get rid of these harmful chemicals in the Bay State. Anticoagulant rodenticides work to curb excessive rodent populations by interfering with the activation of Vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting, causing mice and rats to experience internal bleeding over the course of several days before dying. Predators who eat the dead or dying rodents then take on the rat poison second-hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Healey-Driscoll administration sends $47M to defense sector Theyre killing predators, theyre killing family pets. Theres no safe way to administer these chemicals, said Attleboro Representative James Hawkins, who filed the bill. While eating one rodent that died from anticoagulant rodenticide may not cause symptoms in predators, the poison builds up in the animals body over time. In the Bay State, this secondhand poison primarily affects critters like owls, hawks, eagles, bobcats, foxes, and coyotes. Every one of the large raptors we receive, hawks and owls, shows symptoms of rodenticide exposure, said Cape Cods Wild Care Executive Director Stephanie Ellis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over 100 family pets die from rodenticide in the United States each year. Its the leading cause of pet poisonings, and if caught in time, it leads to weeks of supportive care and thousands of dollars in vet bills. If you suspect your pet has ingested rodenticide, veterinarians recommend taking them to the animal emergency room immediately, even if they are not yet showing symptoms. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) The Beaufort County Sheriffs Office needs your help with locating a wanted person. On Oct. 27th, 40-year-old Givon Montrell Hodges of Washington, left Superior Court in Beaufort County and failed to return. Hodges was out on bail under a $30,000 secured bond for Sell and Deliver Cocaine, as well as having multiple pending felonies. After failing to return to court, Superior Court Judge Seth Edwards issued 7 Orders for Arrest for Hodges and set a $1,000,000 secured bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sheriff Scott Hammonds asks anyone with information regarding the location of Givon Montrell Hodges to contact the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office at (252) 946-7111. You can also submit tips by contacting Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at (252) 974-6400. You can also submit tips online at www.p3tips.com/195. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. By Mike Albanese Construction of the Permian Basin Behavioral Health Hospital is on schedule, according to Russell Tippin, president and CEO of Medical Center Health System. Tippin said the budget and construction progress are stable and on track to meet the initial timeline of April 2026. He said the 200-bed facility will be the largest behavioral health center in the Permian Basin. He added the demand for this facility and its care are very high in the region, saying mental health and behavioral health care are the largest unmet medical need in the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The facility will be located at Farm to Marked Road 1788 and State Highway 191. Tippin said the facility discusses hiring for the emergent needs often, and is working with nearby universities and colleges, such as the University of Texas Permian Basin and Texas Tech University to develop a pipeline of students they can funnel into the facility. We feel confident we have a decent pool of prospective employees to choose from, Tippin said. In an August article, Steve Steen, Medical Center Hospital attorney, said the organizations are working to recruit Houstons M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Childrens Hospital to the site once the behavioral hospital is open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are also planned education components from UTPB and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The facility will be located in Midland County, with Tippin saying the center is a joint effort between MCH and Midland Memorial. He added both agencies will have a 50-50 responsibility when it comes to security to ensure the safety of patients and staff. The post Behavioral Health Hospital on target for April 2026 opening appeared first on Odessa American. Ben & Jerrys has been blocked from selling pro-Gaza ice cream, one of its co-founders has claimed. Ben Cohen claimed that UK-based Unilever vetoed the special flavour, which he said was designed to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Previous flavours for activist causes from Ben & Jerrys have included Save Our Swirled to highlight the need to fight climate change, I Dough, I Dough in support of same-sex marriage and a Home Sweet Honeycomb flavour, supporting resettling refugees in Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taking to Instagram, Mr Coen criticised the apparent decision and said he would make the ice cream himself. He said: Im doing what they [Ben & Jerrys] couldnt. Im making a watermelon ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and to call for repairing the damage that was done there... so the world does not look the other way. Standing in a kitchen with watermelons and empty pint containers, Mr Cohen said all I got is some watermelon and urged people to recommend flavours and come up with a name. Revolutions are creative. Lets see some of that creativity, he added. Fans suggested the watermelon would go well with mint and lemon. Among the names suggested were sweet resistance and from the river to the seeds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latter is a reference to the phrase from the river to the sea, a phrase chanted at pro-Palestinian marches that critics say is anti-Semitic because it envisages the destruction of the state of Israel. The post reveals a deep division between Mr Cohen, 74, and Unilever Magnum, which has owned Ben & Jerrys since 2000 when it paid $326m (246m for the company. In September, Jerry Greenfield, the other co-founder of Ben & Jerrys, said he was quitting because he felt the companys social justice mission was being stifled. Mr Greenfield, like Mr Cohen, had remained as a brand ambassador for the brand, created in 1978 in a renovated petrol station in Burlington, Vermont. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither of the founders, whose mission was to make socially conscious ice cream, has a formal role in the business. The Guardian reported that the companys independent board had approved the pro-Gaza flavour around a year ago. Founder accuses company of corporate butt kissing Mr Cohen accused Unilever, which owns consumer brands ranging from Dove soap to Hellmanns mayonnaise, of corporate butt kissing. Mr Cohens frustration with Unilever has led him to mount a free Ben & Jerrys campaign to persuade the company to sell it to a group of socially minded investors. (L-R) Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, the founders of the brand. Mr Greenfield quit the company in September - Lisa Lake But Unilever is planning to spin off its Magnum ice cream division into a separate business and list it on the stock market in the Netherlands before the end of 2025, according to reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Magnum said that the independent board of Ben & Jerrys are not, and have never been, responsible for the Ben & Jerrys commercial strategy and execution. The company said: Recommendations are considered by Ben & Jerrys leadership, and management has determined it is not the right time to invest in developing this product. A spokesman for Unilever said Ben & Jerrys was not for sale. They said: Throughout our ownership of Ben & Jerrys, we have been committed to its unique three-part mission product, economic and social. We have always sought to work constructively with the Ben & Jerrys teams to make sure we stayed true to the original agreement around the progressive, non-partisan social mission. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Excelerate Energy has signed a definitive commercial agreement for a fully integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the Port of Khor Al Zubair in Iraq. The agreement was signed with a subsidiary of Iraqs Ministry of Electricity at the Office of the Prime Minister. The project involves a five-year contract that includes regasification services and LNG supply, with options for extension. It guarantees a minimum of 250 million standard cubic feet per day (mscf/d) of offtake and accommodates a regasification capacity of 500mscf/d. Excelerate will deploy its floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), Hull 3407, to the site, handling necessary equipment and berth modifications. This project is expected to entail a total investment of around $450m, including the cost of the FSRU. Excelerate Energy president and CEO Steven Kobos said: The landmark agreement we reached today with the Ministry of Electricity demonstrates Excelerates strong commitment to Iraqs energy future and regional stability. By combining terminal development, LNG supply and operational expertise, we are helping Iraq secure reliable energy, diversify its fuel mix and strengthen its long-term energy security. Excelerate will also serve as the LNG supplier for the terminal, with operations expected to begin in 2026, contingent on final approvals and construction schedules. Hull 3407, under construction by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea, will offer a storage capacity of 170,000m and a regasification capacity of up to one billion standard cubic feet per day. This development is said to be a significant advancement for Iraq, facilitating access to global LNG markets and aiming to reduce dependency on imported pipeline gas. Excelerate said the floating LNG import terminal marks a historic milestone for Iraq, allowing the country to access global LNG markets for the first time. Kobos added: Strategically, this project extends the reach of Excelerates global infrastructure platform deeper into the Middle East and represents our first fully integrated floating LNG import terminal with supply in the region. By executing a single agreement that encompasses both terminal development and LNG supply, we are responding to the growing global demand for regasification infrastructure and reinforcing Excelerates position as a leading provider of integrated LNG solutions. Earlier this year, Excelerate agreed to acquire New Fortress Energys downstream LNG and power infrastructure business in Jamaica for $1.06bn in cash. "Excelerate Energy to develop Iraqs first LNG import terminal " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The News The shutdown is starting to squeeze Democratic senators: The largest federal employees union is asking them to end the shutdown, more employees are about to miss a paycheck, and food stamp beneficiaries will miss a payment this weekend. Its giving some Democrats heartburn, but there are no signs yet that they are switching their votes on Republicans stopgap bill, which could get another vote as soon as Tuesday, Semafor is told. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the unions position has a lot of impact and Democrats would discuss it this week in tandem with their push for a solution to rising health care premiums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre damned if you do, damned if you dont, said Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., of the conundrum. If you were to ask me to go right now to vote, I would vote no on the stopgap, he said. Know More Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who supported a bill to pay essential government workers last week, acknowledged worries about the shutdowns impact. But the incumbent Democrat said his constituents are steering him forward on multiple fronts. My constituents want to avoid massive increases in health insurance premiums; they want the federal government open. They want the US House to be at work; they want the president engaged, Ossoff said. I hope that there is major progress in the immediate term. Several other Democrats said that the confluence of deadlines, along with union angst, is doing little to change the fundamental dynamics. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he understood why reporters are asking Democrats about the unions position but said to him, its the same story every single day. The story is, [Republicans] refuse to negotiate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who went rogue and took to the Senate floor to call on the Senate to stay in session until the shutdown ends, said a weekend of missed paychecks and food aid payments might change things for her colleagues. If there is something that is the precipitating factor, its not that the unions have changed, but that you have this date that is so pivotal, Murkowski said of Nov. 1, when insurance markets open up and the benefits cliff becomes real. Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an immediate, powerful strike on Gaza on Tuesday after Hamas violated the American-brokered ceasefire agreement and shot at Israeli soldiers. At the conclusion of the security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to carry out immediate, powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahus office announced in a brief statement, according to CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahus decision comes after Hamas has violated the peace deal multiple times in the few weeks since it was brokered by President Donald Trump. Two Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were killed by terrorists last week in Rafah, in southern Gaza. Another violation happened earlier on Tuesday, when Hamas gunmen started firing at Israeli troops in Rafah, according to The Times of Israel. The violations come after Trump traveled to Israel on Oct. 13 to celebrate the ceasefire deal and the release of 20 living hostages. Trump, while speaking to reporters on the flight over, declared the war is over! He was also asked if he believed the peace would last between Israel and Hamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think so. I think its going to hold. I think people are a lot of reasons why its going to hold but I think people are tired of it, Trump said. Its been centuries [of fighting], okay, not just recent. Its been centuries. I think people are tired of it. Trump has since said that if Hamas does not disarm, as part of its agreement, then its leaders would be killed. The president has not yet weighed in on Israels powerful strike. The post Benjamin Netanyahu Orders Immediate, Powerful Israeli Strike on Gaza first appeared on Mediaite. In the early days of Michigan's 2026 governor's race, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has amassed the largest campaign war chest so far. "This historic haul shows that Michiganders are ready for Jocelyn Benson to be the next governor," said Benson's campaign manager Nikki Goldschein. Benson has brought in over $4.7 million for her campaign since launching it, more than any other candidate vying to replace Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who cannot run again due to term limits. Benson's fund includes over $570,000 she previously raised while running for secretary of state. Gilchrist surpasses Swanson to narrow fundraising gap Benson raised over $1.2 million in the most recent quarter for the fundraising period covering July 21 through Oct. 20. She ended with almost $3 million cash on hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II raised over $350,000 during the latest fundraising period, bringing his total raised since launching his campaign to over $1.1 million and ended the reporting period with over $370,000 cash on hand. He has had less time to fundraise compared with the other major Democratic candidates, having launched his campaign later than his opponents. The previous campaign finance report showed him trailing the Democratic field. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson brought in over $290,000 during the most recent fundraising period. So far during his campaign, he has raised over $1.3 million. He ended the period with over $380,000 cash on hand. "We know that Chris' background, ideas and energy are going to win voters over who are looking for something different in their leaders," said Swanson campaign manager Camilo Vilaseca in a statement. Cox leads GOP pack with big boost from personal loan Former Attorney General Mike Cox, who was the first major GOP candidate to enter the race, has so far brought in over $4.5 million for his campaign, with a big chunk of those funds coming from money he has lent his own campaign. The latest campaign finance report shows that he gave his campaign a $2 million loan, bringing the total he has lent his own campaign to over $3.5 million. He ended the fundraising period with nearly $3.8 million cash on hand. "We're building the team, were doing the work, we have the resources and we're going to win this campaign, said Cox in a statement. U.S. Rep. John James, R-Shelby Township, brought in nearly $1.4 million during the most recent fundraising period, bringing his total haul to over $3.6 million since he began his campaign. He ended the period with nearly $2.3 million cash on hand. "While we are encouraged by the early and sustained grassroots support of our campaign, indicated by our consistently strong fundraising and poll numbers, I learned in combat and in business that complacency kills," James said in a statement vowing "to grind for the next year to earn your support." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ralph Rebandt, a former pastor who ran for governor in 2022, brought in nearly $930,000 during the fundraising period with the vast majority of those funds coming from the over $800,000 he has lent his own campaign. He ended the period with over $880,000 cash on hand. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, raised over $420,000 during that most recent fundraising period, bringing his total raised since beginning his campaign to over $2.7 million. He was the first major GOP candidate to enter the race. He had over $2.1 million cash on hand as of Oct. 20. Former Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, brought in over $290,000 during the most recent fundraising period. That brings the total raised so far to over $930,000. He ended the most recent fundraising period with over $700,000 cash on hand. Leonard lent his own campaign money, giving himself $105,000. Michigan Politics: Leftover bills from previous session must go to Whitmer, panel rules Mayor Duggan's independent bid maintains money momentum Duggan raised over $1.1 million for his bid to be Michigan's first independent governor during the most recent fundraising quarter, bringing his total raised so far over $4.3 million. He ended the quarter with over $2.4 million cash on hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duggan's strong fundraising performance in the previous reporting period that ended July 20 showed his unprecedented campaign to be financially competitive. Still, he saw room for growth. "I have to get better at raising nationally," Duggan told the Detroit Free Press in July. In an Oct. 27 statement touting his latest fundraising numbers, he championed his in-state support. "I'm running for Governor of Michigan and that's where my support is coming from. While the other candidates are flying around the country chasing national donors, we're building a campaign powered by people right here in Michigan," Duggan said. Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan governor's race sees Benson amass biggest war chest BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) Berkeley County has appointed a fire services manager to serve in the newly created position. Ben Waring is a Summerville native who holds over 25 years of experience in the fire service industry. As the new fire services manager, Waring will work with the county and its municipal fire departments to strengthen fire services in the area. Most recently, Waring was the fire chief of Pine Ridge Fire Rescue, where he began as a volunteer in 1997. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im honored to join Berkeley County Government and build on my decades of fire service experience in a new and impactful role, continuing to serve the communities Im familiar with and alongside the local fire agencies who keep our County safe, Waring said. Throughout his career, Waring helped oversee the formation of the South Berkeley Fire District in September 2025, a merger of Pine Ridge and the Goose Creek Rural Fire Department. Additionally, Waring serves as vice chair of the Berkeley County Fire Chiefs Association, is a member of the SC Fire Chiefs Association, and is a member and Trustee of the SC Firefighters Association. Ben Waring brings a wealth of experience, proven leadership, vast operational knowledge, and a trustworthy commitment to public safety. He knows Berkeley County and Berkeley County communities know and trust him, said Johnny Cribb, Berkeley County Supervisor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) Are you on the hunt for a new job? The Berkeley County School District is holding a spook-tacular hiring event on Tuesday afternoon. District leaders say they are seeking to hire individuals for various open positions, ranging from teaching assistants to non-teaching roles such as custodians and bus drivers. The hiring event will also feature some musical performances from the districts band students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event will be held at the Berkeley County School District office, located at 107 East Main Street in Moncks Corner, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. You can register to attend on the districts website or by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. Gov. Andy Beshear is among a coalition of Democratic states and governors suing the Trump administration in a push to stop the White House from ending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 1 as the government shutdown reached Day 28. The lawsuit filed in a Massachusetts federal court Oct. 28, comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a recent memo it cannot use contingency funds to supplement the lapsing SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps. About 42 million Americans would lose their benefits in November, according to reporting from USA TODAY. In a statement on the USDA website, officials said "the well has run dry" for SNAP benefits. The agency's new position contradicts previous USDA guidance that said the money was available "in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year," USA TODAY reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 593,000 people in Kentucky receive SNAP benefits monthly, including some 230,000 children under the age of 18, according to the lawsuit. Kentucky households on the SNAP program receive an average of $368 in benefits each month. The commonwealth issued about $104 million per month in SNAP benefits to Kentuckians during the 2025 federal fiscal year. The lawsuit argues suspending SNAP benefits is avoidable, arbitrary and is being carried out in violation of the Food and Nutrition Act, which requires that assistance under this program shall be furnished to all eligible households." In a release, Beshear said suspending SNAP benefits would hit Kentucky hard, arguing Trump "should be focused on fighting hunger, not causing it." My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared," Beshear's statement said. "From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other, and the Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plaintiffs, led by the attorneys general of Massachusetts, California, Arizona and Minnesota, say withholding monthly food assistance payments as a result of a lapse in appropriations would mark a first in the SNAP program's 60-year history. The states, as well as the District of Columbia, have asked a judge to move rapidly to force the USDA to use available contingency funds for November SNAP benefits and ensure that millions of families do not lose access to food assistance in the coming days. SNAP benefits are accepted by about 4,500 merchants in Kentucky, which includes grocers and farmers markets, according to the lawsuit. Each year the commonwealth sees an estimated $1.2 billion from SNAP purchases "injected into Kentucky's economy." "This funding supports thousands of local businesses and contributes substantially to food sales, particularly in rural and low-income areas; a suspension of SNAP benefits would therefore have significant adverse economic effects on retailers and communities statewide," the lawsuit reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate action, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican, announced on X that he and 17 other state attorneys general signed a letter sent to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer requesting congressional Democrats back a resolution that would keep SNAP benefits funded. "We don't need a partisan lawsuit," Coleman wrote in his post. "We just need to pass this bipartisan bill." Reporting from USA TODAY and Reuters contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Beshear, other Democrats sue Trump administration over SNAP benefits Bethel Park is launching a community food drive to support people affected by the ongoing government shutdown. The initiative starts on Wednesday and is the result of a partnership with the South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM) and the Blackhawk Family Relief Fund. Residents are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items at several locations in Bethel Park, including: Bethel Park Police Station (5100 W. Library Ave.) Bethel Park Community Center (5151 Park Ave.) Reginalds Coffee (Schoolhouse Arts & History Center 2600 South Park Rd.) Jugo-Slav Club (5225 N. Pennsylvania Ave.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As benefits are lost, we want to make sure no one is turned away, said Mayor Jack Allen in a message to residents. South Hills Movers is providing collection boxes, and Shop n Save will contribute a donation to kickstart the effort. Monetary donations are also welcome and can be sent to the Blackhawk Family Relief Fund (5799 Glen Ora Drive). All of those funds will be distributed through SHIM. Food distribution will occur at SHIMs Bethel Park location (5301 Park Avenue) on November 6 and 7 with alternative arrangements available for those unable to attend. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW A 37-year-old Jacksonville man is dead after the bicycle he was riding was rear-ended by a car Monday night. The incident occurred at about 7:48 p.m. Monday on US Highway 1 near Hunters Green Drive, a Florida Highway Patrol news release states. A sedan, driven by a 68-year-old Callahan man, collided with the rear of the bike as they were both traveling southbound on US Highway 1, the news release states. The bicyclist was found approximately 200 feet from the impact area, the news release states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Former senior Biden aide Andrew Bates hammered President Donald Trump over a disgusting letter he said outed the nature of Trumps relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in newly-released video testimony. Bates was interviewed by the House Oversight Committee in September to testify for a Republican-led probe into former President Joe Bidens health and mental fitness. As he left the closed-door hearing, Bates turned the tables on reporters who peppered him with questions about Biden by telling them I want to know why Ghislaine Maxwell is in a minimum security prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the committee released transcripts and video of the interviews, and as it turns out Bates used a similar tactic while being questioned by Chief Counsel For Investigations Jake Greenberg. When Bates was asked if he had ever threatened a reporters access, he and his attorney, Stephen Jonas, attacked Trump in their responses. Jonas brought up Trumps ban on the Associated Press, and Bates referenced Trumps lawsuit over the cryptic birthday note that Trump insisted did not exist, then denied writing after it was produced by the Epstein estate: Q. Have you ever threatened a journalist or an editor with future access to admin officials? Mr. Jonas. Like the AP maybe? Mr. Greenberg. Im sorry? Mr. Jonas. Like the AP maybe. Sorry. Mr. Greenberg. Would you like an interview, counsel? Mr. Jonas. No, you can talk to your colleagues about the AP and the press pool. But go ahead? Mr. Bates. I do think that is a fair point when the current President is suing The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Greenberg. Im asking you about you, sir. Mr. Bates. No, I know. I know. But I think that, if the current President is suing The Wall Street Journal for outing his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein Mr. Greenberg. Once again, sir, I would ask you to Mr. Jonas. You may not like his answer but let him finish. Mr. Greenberg. I would ask that he answer my question. Mr. Jonas. Finish your answer. Mr. Bates. The current President is suing The Wall Street Journal because they detailed that he wrote a disgusting letter to Jeffrey Epstein that said may every day be another beautiful secret. And I do not think that anything I have ever done in my life could come remotely close to how unethical that is. Watch above via the House Oversight Committee. The post Biden Insider Blasts Disgusting Trump Letter Outing Jeffrey Epstein Relationship in Newly-Released Video Testimony first appeared on Mediaite. Brazil Potash Corp. (AMEX:GRO) on Tuesday disclosed the enactment of its third and final commercial offtake deal between Potassio do Brasil Ltda. And Kimia Solutions Ltda. The ten-year term agreement entails Kimia to purchase up to 704,000 tons of potash annually from the Autazes Potash Project at market prices. Notably, the Autazes Potash Project is a critical mineral potash agriculture project of Brazil Potash. Also Read: Copper's Resurgence Prompts Domestic Asset Reactivation In particular, Kimia expects to purchase around 23%-32% of Brazil Potash's annual potash production on a take-or-pay basis. Kimia's offtake obligations will start after the commencement of production and scale proportionally during the ramp-up period to full production capacity. Also, the deal allows Brazil Potash to assign future payment rights to financial institutions for project financing purposes. Commercial Strategy The deal is expected to offer the company a strong revenue visibility and demonstrate strong demand for domestically produced Brazilian potash. Notably, the remaining output will be kept for spot sales, allowing the company to capitalize on market price premiums, manage maintenance downtime, and account for production fluctuations. Management Commentary Matt Simpson, CEO of Brazil Potash, stated, "This agreement with Kimia represents exceptional commercial momentum, with all three major take-or-pay offtake agreements completed as planned, securing pre-sales of over two million tons of annual production for up to 17 years." "Achieving approximately 91% contracted capacity positions us to further advance project financing discussions, knowing we have industry leading Brazilian partners committed to directly purchase or distribute our potash." Recent Deals In July, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fictor Energia for a $200 million power line project. The MoU outlines the terms for Fictor Energia to fund approximately $200 million in power transmission construction costs for the Autazes Project. Overall, both these deals are expected to largely de-risk both the commercial and infrastructure components of the Autazes Project. GRO Price Action: Brazil Potash shares were up 2.73% at $2.63 during premarket trading on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Read Next: Photo via Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. NEW YORK (AP) Bill Gates thinks climate change is a serious problem but it won't be the end of civilization. He thinks scientific innovation will curb it, and its instead time for a strategic pivot in the global climate fight: from focusing on limiting rising temperatures to fighting poverty and preventing disease. A doomsday outlook has led the climate community to focus too much on near-term goals to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause warming, diverting resources from the most effective things that can be done to improve life in a warming world, Gates said. In a memo released Tuesday, Gates said the worlds primary goal should instead be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions in the worlds poorest countries. If given a choice between eradicating malaria and a tenth of a degree increase in warming, Ill let the temperature go up 0.1 degree to get rid of malaria. People dont understand the suffering that exists today," Gates told reporters during a roundtable discussion ahead of the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Microsoft co-founder spends most of his time now on the goals of the Gates Foundation, which has poured tens of billions of dollars into health care, education and development initiatives worldwide, including combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. He started Breakthrough Energy in 2015 to speed up innovation in clean energy. He wrote his 17-page memo hoping to have an impact on next months United Nations climate change conference in Brazil. Hes urging world leaders to ask whether the little money designated for climate is being spent on the right things. Gates, whose foundation provides financial support for Associated Press coverage of health and development in Africa, is influential in the climate change conversation. He expects his tough truths about climate memo will be controversial. If you think climate is not important, you wont agree with the memo. If you think climate is the only cause and apocalyptic, you wont agree with the memo, Gates told reporters. Its kind of this pragmatic view of somebody whos, you know, trying to maximize the money and the innovation that goes to help in these poor countries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Climate scientists say every fraction of a degree of warming matters Every bit of additional warming correlates to more extreme weather, risks species extinction and brings the world closer to crossing tipping points where changes become irreversible, scientists say. University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi said she thoroughly agrees with Gates that the U.N. negotiations should focus on improving human health and well-being. But, she said, Gates assumes the world stays static and only one variable changes faster deployment of green technologies to curb climate change. She called that unlikely. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, called the memo pointless, vague, unhelpful and confusing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no reason to pit poverty reduction versus climate transformation. Both are utterly feasible, and readily so, if the Big Oil lobby is brought under control, he wrote in an email. Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field said there is room for a healthy discussion about whether the current framing of the climate crisis is typically too pessimistic. But we should also invest for both the long term and the short term, he wrote in an email. A vibrant long-term future depends on both tackling climate change and supporting human development. Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer said he doesn't dispute the principle of making human well-being the primary objective of policy, but what about the natural world? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Climate change is already wreaking havoc there," he wrote in an email. "Can we truly live in a technological bubble? Do we want to? Gates is clear in his memo that every tenth of a degree of warming matters: "A stable climate makes it easier to improve people's lives. Carbon dioxide pollution is increasing A decade ago, the world agreed in a historic pact known as the Paris agreement to try to limit human-caused warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. The goal: to stave off nastier heat waves, wildfires, storms and droughts. In a 2021 book, Gates laid out a plan for reducing emissions to avoid a climate disaster. But humans are on track to release so much greenhouse gas by early 2028 that scientists say crossing that 1.5-degree threshold is now nearly unavoidable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Breakthrough Energy focuses on areas where the cost of doing something cleanly is much higher than the polluting way, such as making clean steel and cement. Gates concluded his memo by saying governments should work toward driving this difference to zero, and be rigorous about measuring the impact of every effort in the worlds climate agenda. Gates is optimistic innovation will curb climate change Gates said the pace of innovation in clean energy has been faster than he expected, allowing cheap solar and wind energy to replace coal, oil and natural gas plants for electricity and averting worst-case warming scenarios. Artificial intelligence is helping accelerate advances in clean energy technologies, he added. At the same time, money to help developing countries adapt to climate change is shrinking. Led by the United States, rich countries are cutting their foreign aid budgets. President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gates criticized the aid cuts. He said Gavi, a public-private partnership started by his philanthropic foundation that buys vaccines, will have 25% less money for the next five years compared to the past five years. Gavi can save a life for a little more than $1,000, he added. Vaccines become even more important in a warming world because children who arent dying of measles or whooping cough will be more likely to survive when a heat wave hits or a drought threatens the local food supply, he wrote. Health and prosperity are the best defense against climate change, Gates said, citing research from the University of Chicago Climate Impact Lab that found projected deaths from climate change fall by more than 50% when accounting for the expected economic growth over the rest of this century. Under these circumstances, he thinks the bar must be very high for whats funded with aid money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you have something that gets rid of 10,000 tons of emissions, that youre spending several million dollars on," he said, that just doesnt make the cut. ___ AP writer Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is shifting gears on tackling climate change. Gates warned late Monday against a "doomsday outlook" that concedes little can be done to prevent devastating effects of climate change. Instead, he's calling for nations to reorient their efforts towards improving the lives of those living in the world's poorest countries through steps like enhancing access to vaccines. "Although climate change will have serious consequences particularly for people in the poorest countries it will not lead to humanitys demise," Gates wrote in a new memo on the eve of his 70th birthday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gates continued: "Unfortunately, the doomsday outlook is causing much of the climate community to focus too much on near-term emissions goals, and its diverting resources from the most effective things we should be doing to improve life in a warming world." The Microsoft founder released the climate memo ahead of next month's global climate summit in Brazil, known as COP30. Though Gates isn't expected to attend, the memo lays out a pivot from the billionaire philanthropist on how to combat climate change, on which he has spent a sizable part of his fortune. In it, he pushes to include new metrics that go beyond measuring a reduction of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Read more: 7 rules Bill Gates lives by at 70 Despite Gates' shift, the United Nations is still requiring nations to submit carbon-cutting plans every five years in an effort to keep average global temperatures from rising 2 degrees Celsius, a threshold scientists believe to be critical in preventing the most devastating effects of climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his memo, Gates also criticized the Trump administration for slashing $9 billion in funding for poverty reduction, health research, and other foreign aid programs. "Concerns about the human impact of these disruptions have been dismissed as overstated. Some people have even claimed that no one is dying as a result," Gates wrote. "I wish that were true. But it is not." Gates has coupled his climate advocacy with other steps unwinding some climate-focused initiatives he has financed over the years. Breakthrough Energy a Gates-aligned climate group in the start-up space laid off dozens of staff members in May, per The New York Times. Microsoft was also among the listed roster of tech giants that made private donations to finance President Donald Trump's planned new White House ballroom. Four years after publishing a book titled How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, billionaire Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates is singing a dramatically different tune on the environment. In a new memo published on his blog, Gates pushed back on a doomsday view of climate change that nothing matters more than limiting the rise in temperature. Although climate change will have serious consequences particularly for people in the poorest countries it will not lead to humanitys demise, he said, downplaying the deep risks scientists have warned us about for many years now. People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a stunning change in tone for a billionaire who has spent billions of dollars to bring awareness to the inevitable dangers of global warming. Scientists have been clear: the climate crisis is nothing less than an existential threat for humanity, a global disaster whose consequences are already being felt around the world. There is no greater threat to developing nations than the climate crisis, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability & the Media director Michael Mann told CNN. Gates change in messaging is particularly concerning, considering the rapidly changing political landscape, with the billionaire class pulling support for climate action en masse. The Trump administration has actively attempted to scrub any information regarding climate change from agency websites, as part of president Donald Trumps anti-science agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One could imagine this being a continuation of wanting to move to the center and not wanting to be a target of the Trump administration, Inside Philanthropy editor David Callahan told NYT. Experts particularly balked at Gates suggestion that we should help poor people instead of prioritizing the fight against climate change, saying its a false dichotomy deployed by climate skeptics. There is no reason to pit poverty reduction versus climate transformation, Columbia University Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs told CNN, calling the memo pointless, vague, unhelpful, and confusing. Both are utterly feasible, and readily so, if the Big Oil lobby is brought under control, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the Trump administrations dismantling of foreign aid and the shutting of the US Agency for International Development, Gates has focused his efforts and donations on helping the developing world. His clean energy venture fund, Breakthrough Energy, which was founded in 2015, dismantled its climate policy group earlier this year. Gates also announced that the Gates Foundation, which has overseen billions of dollars in climate-related donations, will be shuttered by the end of 2045. More on Bill Gates: Bill Gates Gives Up on Climate Change Bill OReilly warned Tuesday that tourists thinking of visiting New York City if Zohran Mamdani is elected mayor that theyll be in danger. On his No Spin podcast, the conservative news host said that New York streets will be filled with criminals and cops will be nowhere to be found if Democratic candidate Mamdani wins the mayoral election next week which its looking exceedingly probable he is going to do. If you dont live in the city, youre not directly affected. But if you have to go in there, watch out, OReilly said. Watch out. You know, I keep telling my young daughter, you know, mid-20s, living on the Upper East Side, working hard for a living. I go, if this guys elected mayor youre going to have to be very vigilant wherever you go because the criminals are going to run wild, and theyre just waiting for it. Cops are not going to be around. Its going to be what a nightmare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting has opened in New York and Mamdani has a commanding lead over Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. The five-day Manhattan Institute Survey has the Democrat candidate ahead with 43% of likely voters. Cuomo trails with 28% and Sliwa lags further back with 19%. Eight percent of voters remained undecided. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has run on a platform of affordability during his campaign. Chief among his talking points has been making bus transit free for everyone while raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. Hes gained endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and more. Election day is next Tuesday, Nov. 4. Watch OReilly weigh in below: The post Bill OReilly Says NYC Tourists Are in Danger if Zohran Mamdani Becomes Mayor: Watch Out! | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Oct. 28Some Alaskans are pushing back against a request by a billionaire to take a controlling interest in GCI Liberty, the state's dominant telecommunications provider. GCI Liberty and John Malone, a Colorado billionaire and one of the largest private landowners in the U.S., are also asking the Regulatory Commission of Alaska for a waiver to keep secret financial statements associated with the proposal. They argue in part that public disclosure could cause financial harm. The Alaska Beacon first reported on the requests on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 40 individuals have commented against the proposal and the requests for secrecy in a comment period that ends at 5 p.m. Tuesday before the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. The majority of the comments were uniquely written, not form letters. Many said they oppose giving one person, particularly a non-Alaskan, control of a company that plays a vital role statewide, providing services in more than 200 Alaska communities. Malone filed his request with the agency early this month. The chair of GCI Liberty, Malone holds 53.5% of the aggregate voting power at GCI Liberty, the agency says. But his voting power is restricted to 49.32%, based on agreements entered into by entities related to him, the agency says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "GCI Liberty and Dr. Malone seek approval for Dr. Malone to increase his voting power to above 50% of the aggregate voting power of GCI Liberty, a level that would constitute control of GCI Liberty and its certificated subsidiary GCICC (GCI Communication Corp.)," the state regulatory agency said. GCI Liberty recently reported revenue for the first six months of this year at $527 million. Net earnings during the period, after expenses, were $62 million, according to financial reports on its website. The company came close to doubling its net earnings from the same period in the prior year. In a statement from spokesperson Josh Edge, GCI said it "is deeply committed to Alaska and to serving Alaskans. Our headquarters and senior leadership team are all based in Alaska, and we continue making decisions locally to serve communities across the state. While our parent company, GCI Liberty, is involved in this regulatory filing, we remain focused on connecting Alaskans and investing in the state's future, just as we've done for more than 45 years." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In written comments to the agency, critics of Malone's request and the desire for secrecy assert that Malone seeks increased control to boost profits, which would come at the expense of GCI customers in the form of higher bills and reduced services. "Internet and phone services are necessary public services, often life saving," wrote Christine Niemi, of Douglas. "These services should not be controlled by those whose goal is for profit. The interest of the public must be the primary concern." "I believe it is imperative that this process remain transparent and accountable to the public," Jo Ann Gruber wrote. "... The request to keep financial documents confidential undermines the principles of open governance and public oversight," Gruber added. "These documents are critical for understanding the implications of the proposed takeover, including potential impacts on service quality, pricing, rural access, and long-term investment in Alaska's communications infrastructure. Allowing secrecy in this context sets a dangerous precedent and erodes public trust." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state agency said it "will rule on the petition for confidential treatment and motion for waiver" following the comment period. At that time, it will also determine if the application from Malone is complete. GCI, launched in Alaska in 1979, has undergone major changes in recent years. It was sold to Liberty Broadband of Colorado in 2017, upsetting some customers who wanted the ownership to remain local. Among other developments, it has outsourced its call center to the Philippines, affecting dozens of Alaska jobs, and ended its cable TV platform in favor of an internet streaming service. Holmes Hall at Morgan State University in Baltimore. (Stock.adobe.com photo by jonbilous) Two historically Black colleges and universities in Maryland received a total of $101 million in donations in a span of less than two weeks from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the schools announced this month. The unrestricted gifts $63 million for Morgan State University announced on Oct. 15 and $38 million to University of Maryland, Eastern Shore announced Friday are in addition to $60 million that Scott gave the schools five years ago. Morgan State got $40 million then, and UMES received $20 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott also donated $25 million in 2020 to Marylands second-largest HBCU, Bowie State University, the largest single gift in the schools history. In total, Scott has donated $186 million to Maryland HBCUs in a nearly five-year period. Officials at Morgan State and UMES said the latest donations are a vote of confidence in the progress they have been making. That was echoed Monday by Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, who said the gifts highlight the importance of HBCUs in the state, especially when the country is seeing a movement by the federal government to not support Black communities. Seeing these kinds of private investments really show us the importance and contributions of our HBCUs. I just feel proud and excited, Wilkins said. Scott was married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for 25 years before they divorced in 2019. She currently has an estimated net worth of nearly $34 billion, according to Forbes. Besides being a philanthropist, Scotts also an author of two novels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the same day Morgan State announced the second gift from Scott this month, she posted an essay on her website, Yield Giving. The potential of peaceful, non-transactional contribution has long been underestimated, often on the basis that it is not financially self-sustaining, or that some of its benefits are hard to track, Scott wrote. Votes are not the only way to show what wed like to see more of in our societies. There are many ways to influence how we move through the world, and where we land. Scott or a representative could not be reached for comment Monday. UMES President Heidi M. Anderson. (File photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) In a message to the UMES community Monday, President Heidi M. Anderson said the school will take suggestions 100 words or less by Nov. 30 on how to use the new $38 million gift. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As we consider all input, we will do so through the lens of our strategic priorities ensuring that every dollar advances UMESs mission, supports our students, and builds a stronger future for generations to come, Anderson wrote. The letter notes that a significant portion would go toward strengthening the schools endowment to generate future income. Some other uses of the money for the school of nearly 3,000 students would go toward scholarships, academic research and creation of internships, apprenticeships and jobs in the Lower Eastern Shore. David Balcom, vice president for university relations, said Monday the funding could also be used toward implementation of the schools new school of veterinary medicine, which has about 100 students slated begin in fall 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It shows the confidence MacKenzie Scott and her team have put in UMES and Dr. Anderson, Balcom said. Were still charting how best to use these funds, but literally hundreds of students will be supported by these funds over time. As for Morgan State, the states largest HBCU, the school said it plans to use the new $63 million donation to enhance its endowment, for student support, for academic research and initiatives to work with the city and state. To receive one historic gift from Ms. Scott was an incredible honor; to receive two speaks volumes about the confidence she and her team have in our institutions stewardship, leadership, and trajectory, Morgan State President David Wilson said in a statement announcing the donation. This is more than philanthropy its a partnership in progress. Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-Montgomery), who received a masters degree this year from Bowie State, said Scotts investment shows confidence in the work of HBCUs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For far too long, HBCUs have been subjected to both historic underfunding, as well as duplication of programs, he said. I would like to applaud Scott for continuing to support our institutions with this most recent gift and her donations a few years back for BSU. It helps to educate the future generation of engineers, doctors, lawyers that our community, our state and our country needs. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) Authorities are asking for the publics assistance after a suspected counterfeiting crew targeted five convenience stores in southern Lawrence County and northern Alabama within the span of an hour. According to Saint Joseph Police Chief Adam Brewer, the crime spree began on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The suspects reportedly made their first stop in Leoma while traveling south along Highway 43, but got spooked when too many people were around the register. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts At approximately 7:52 p.m., the crew traveled to a convenience store in Loretto, then hit another store in the city 12 minutes later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said the crew made it to Saint Joseph around 8:14 p.m. before traveling over the border to Green Hill, Alabama, where they targeted a fifth convenience store in Florence, Alabama. According to Brewer, the crew arrived at a store with seven to eight $100 bills and then asked the clerk to put $400 or $500 on apps. After that, the suspects reportedly asked the clerk to change another few hundred dollars for smaller denominations. At each store, Brewer estimates that the crew is stole hundreds of dollars, adding that the bills feel and look like the real thing. The counterfeit bills reportedly look realistic because they have been chemically washed and then printed with the marking of a hundred. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee According to Brewer, the marker works and the bills still have the strip inside, but if you look closely, the bills watermark shows Alexander Hamilton, because they are actually $10 bills. I talked to one of the clerks yesterday and he said he felt stupid, and I said theres nothing to feel stupid about. I mean, the marker works, the bills look real, Brewer expressed. In addition, Brewer said all the bills have the same serial number. We found that with each location, that it was typically two to three serial numbers, that all had the same serial number, he said. Yeah, but most people dont look at serial number, you know, theyre working, whos gonna check it? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brewer shared surveillance photos with News 2, which showed a vehicle that the crew was traveling in, believed to be a Nissan Rogue. In addition, there were also two women believed to be traveling with the main male suspect. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com According to Brewer, larger communities like Lawrenceburg and areas in Maury County have no reports of the suspects striking in the area, which leads him to believe that the suspects purposely go to smaller stores in rural communities. Anyone with additional information about the incidents is asked to call the Saint Joseph Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. MADISON The state will move forward with the planning process to close the embattled Green Bay prison and renovate several others, after the approval of $15 million to hire consultants. The bipartisan State Building Commission met Oct. 28 to approve the release of the funding that was set aside in the biennial budget this year, and ultimately approved the funding, but not before debating which facilities should be targeted for renovations and expansions. Before the unanimous approval, Gov. Tony Evers sparred with Republican members of the commission, who said they were not given the chance for input on Evers' plan, which includes closing Green Bay Correctional Institution and overhauling Waupun Correctional Institution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate President Mary Felzkowski, of Tomahawk, during a news conference before the vote, said it wasn't only Republicans who weren't included, it's also legislative Democrats. "We could have worked with the governor in a bipartisan fashion, where we could have come up with a viable propsal and alternatives to move the Department of Corrections in a positive direction," she said during the media conference. Sen. Andre Jacque, R-New Franken, also lamented what he sees as a lack of collaboration so far. "I think we had the opportunity and the funds that were set aside in the budget for a collaborative process that could actually lead to a reasonable rethinking of the DOC in a way that protects public safety," he said. "And I think we are, unfortunately, now in a situation with a missed opportunity, where we're looking at when, not if, the next catastrophic loss of life is going to occur." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Lincoln Hills found in compliance with court orders, a milestone for Wisconsin's youth prison But Evers during the commission meeting said that his proposal is just a starting point. The $15 million will allow the state and hired contractors to take a deeper look at what's even possible. Any permanent changes to facilities will require more approvals from the Legislature and the commission. "This is releasing the money so that we can finally get the project going, it's as simple as that," Evers said. "Now that I know there is interest in other options, those other options will be discussed." Felzkowski wanted assurances that legislators would be able to weigh in more heavily as planning moves forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So we have your word today, Governor, that we are going to be included in how we go about moving forward on this?" she said. Evers said the planning process will have to include legislators, and in particular the Republicans who make up the majority party. "We've got to get this damn thing done," he said. "That's the bottom line. That's what the proposal is. People will be involved." Evers, Republicans both want to close Green Bay by 2029 While sweeping changes will likely take years, getting started now could allow lawmakers to prioritize closing Green Bay Correctional Institution, one of the state's oldest and most problem-ridden facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order to make room for those who would need to be housed elsewhere, work would need to be done on several other facilities throughout the state. Evers would convert the Lincoln Hill School for Boys and the Copper Lakes School for girls into a medium-security adult facility, convert the medium-security prison in Stanley to a maximum-security prison and remodel and expand the Sanger B. Powers prison in Hobart for minimum-security inmates. Under his plan, Green Bay would be closed by the end of 2029. Evers' plan hinges on the closure of Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake, which have been under a federal compliance plan since 2017, after major issues gained the attention of federal investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order to close the youth facilities, new youth facilities in Madison and Milwaukee will have to be completed. More: Action could begin this week on overhauling the Wisconsin's prisons. Here's what to know Republicans asked that Taycheeda Correctional Institution, which houses women, and the Jackson Correctional Institution also be added to the governor's list, potentially adding more medium-security beds in the state, so that medium-security inmates are no longer being housed in maximum-security facilities. In the news conference before the vote, legislative Republicans said that men's correctional facilities are at 134% of capacity, while women's are at 169% of capacity, which is stressing the system. By combining Evers' plans and their own, a bipartisan agreement could help reverse the failing reputation of the DOC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is about right-sizing the prison system. This is about adding additional beds, reducing overcrowding and making facilities safer for not only our inmates, but for our staff," said. Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, during the news conference. Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bipartisan vote moves forward Wisconsin prison overhaul plan Lutz Schuler, Virgin Media 02s chief executive, has urged the Treasury to rethink its rates - Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Labours plans to overhaul business rates have sparked a backlash from the UKs largest broadband companies, which say the eye-watering costs will harm vital infrastructure investment. Lutz Schuler, the chief executive of Virgin Media O2, said telecom groups building crucial mobile and broadband networks will be unintended victims of the Governments rates plans, which are intended to save high street retailers. Under the proposals, ministers will reform the business rates system to reduce the burden on high street shops while ratcheting up taxes on larger properties and infrastructure valued at over 500,000. The move is aimed at targeting large warehouses used by e-commerce giants such as Amazon. However, broadband bosses have claimed they will be hit with disproportionate costs as physical infrastructure such as mobile masts, telephone exchanges, and fibre ducts and cables will also be subject to the higher taxes. Mr Schuler said: A hefty hike in business rates is a direct network tax and a disincentive to invest that will be a real kick in the cabinets to the telecoms industry at a time when business costs in the UK are already eye-watering. We urge the Treasury to rethink its business rates proposals and ensure critical infrastructure investment remains proportionately incentivised and supported in line with the Governments growth mission. The intervention by Virgin Media O2, which has around 45 million customers across the UK, comes after BT warned of serious unintended consequences from the tax reforms. Simon Lowth, BTs finance chief, said last week: These reforms are unlikely to rebalance the system in favour of the high street. And more than that the new business rates could become a tax on UK infrastructure, at a time when the country needs investment most. Property taxes for UK businesses are already considerably higher than in other European countries. BT warned the tax increase could cost infrastructure providers a further 400m a year and shrink the UK economy by 1.5bn. The tax raid has triggered anger across the sector because investment in the UKs mobile and broadband networks is considered key to achieving the Governments growth agenda. In a recent note, Enders Analysis said it was perverse for ministers to pursue a tax that would have a chilling effect on investment while simultaneously encouraging and even subsidising network build. b' ' Karen Egan, from Enders, said the Governments approach to the telecoms sector seems quite muddled. She added: It is little wonder that the quality of all sorts of networks in the UK are behind where they should be given a more than 50pc tax on investment in them, on top of highly restrictive planning laws, which also add considerable expense and delays. Several Democratic states are blaming President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress for the government shutdown on government websites, as the funding cliff for the millions who rely on federally funded food aid which is known as SNAP rapidly approaches. A POLITICO review of all 50 states and D.C.s SNAP websites found that most have added notices to state webpages about federal benefits. But a handful of Democratic-controlled states Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are using the sites to draw attention to their political opponents. California also calls out the failures of Trump and Congress, which is under GOP control. President Trump is currently choosing to not issue November SNAP benefits that help you and many families put food on the table, an alert on the Massachusetts webpage for SNAP benefits reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A similar notice on Illinois Application for Benefits Eligibility page blames federal officials with the Trump Administration for the shutdowns effects, while Pennsylvanias Human Services Department says SNAP benefits will lapse because Republicans in Washington D.C., failed to pass a federal budget. The funding gap will hit Nov. 1, right before the holiday season when food banks typically experience higher demand. Despite pressure from Democrats, House Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans on Tuesday that GOP leaders do not plan to put a standalone bill for expiring food aid benefits up for a vote, insisting the onus was instead on Democrats to pass a complete funding bill. The notices come after several federal agencies added banners to their webpages earlier this month blaming Democrats for the shutdown. The website for the Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP in partnership with state governments, features a banner declaring that Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program and explaining that benefits will lapse Nov. 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats, the notice reads. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ethics experts have raised concerns that those federal postings could violate the Hatch Act, a law that limits political activities of federal employees, or other federal ethics laws. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called for an investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing related to the notices. Laws restricting political activity by government workers vary from state to state, but several including Illinois and Massachusetts restrict state employees from engaging in political behavior on public time or using public resources. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey defended her states online messaging. The facts are that Donald Trump right now is refusing to fund SNAP even though hes got the funds to do it, Healey told reporters Monday. The facts are that every other president during a federal shutdown has continued SNAP benefits for kids, for our seniors, for people with disabilities even during a shutdown, using contingency funds. Donald Trump is choosing not to do that. Donald Trump is choosing not to feed people in America, including in Massachusetts. Those are the facts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than a million people living in Massachusetts and nearly 2 million Illinoisans are SNAP recipients, according to government data. Of the webpages for all 50 states and D.C., 44 sites featured a message about the government shutdown as of Tuesday afternoon. In addition to the three that explicitly mentioned Trump and Republicans, two California and Washington state laid the blame simply at the hands of the President and Congress. No Republican-controlled states featured notices with partisan rhetoric. Democratic states have been aggressive in their attacks on Republicans over the lapse in food assistance, with attorneys general and governors from 25 states suing the Trump administration Tuesday over its decision not to tap emergency funds to keep food aid flowing during the shutdown. Carole Johnson, who served as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services from 2018-2021, said state officials ultimately know best how to convey messages and reach people with messages in their communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think people of all political stripes have experienced financial hardship at some point in their life, and may have needed the help and support of these kinds of programs, and so we want to make sure that people who need access to these critical programs are able to get it, said Johnson, who also served as administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration under the Biden administration. Other states opted for more neutral messaging: The webpage for New Yorks Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, for example, urges residents to call their representatives in Congress to let them know how these cuts would impact you, your family, and your community. Maryland and Virginia have used their states websites to draw attention to their governors efforts to address the impacts of the shutdown, with a banner on Marylands webpage declaring that the Moore-Miller Administration is committed to supporting Marylands federal employees and other workers impacted by federal actions. The banner redirects to a video in which Democratic Gov. Wes Moore laments that Washington failed to govern. Michael Leach, who oversaw South Carolinas Department of Social Services for more than five years, said he hopes to see states prioritize facts about how the lapse in benefits will impact recipients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's where the focus should be: making sure that people know what's going on, what's going to happen to them, what are the alternative options that may be available to them, Leach said. That's where I believe our focus at the state level needs to be, because it is going to be disruptive. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report overstated the number of SNAP recipients in Illinois; it is about 2 million. BOCA RATON In the heart of Pearl City, a historically Black neighborhood and Boca Ratons oldest community, Dixie Manor residents are adjusting to life elsewhere as their homes are transformed into a modern complex of 95 affordable residences. More than 300 Dixie Manor residents have been relocated while the development is under construction, which began Aug. 25. The project Martin Manor, once it's done will be a new federally subsidized housing complex off Glades Road at 1350 N. Dixie Highway. The lot is fenced off with a no trespassing sign, and pieces of wood, metal and tubing are now scattered along the dust-ridden ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For residents, the change has brought a mix of disruption and opportunity. Some, like Dalila Perez, are staying on-site while the apartment complex is built. Perez has lived at Dixie Manor for nearly 17 years with her husband and son. She doesnt plan to leave any time soon. When she first heard about the redevelopment, she was flooded with fears of housing insecurity. I was like, Oh my God, what am I going to do? Where are we going to live? she said. I was scared I was going to be on the street. Perez wasnt alone in her worries. Pearl City advocacy group Developing Interracial Social Change (DISC), which considers the area to include not just Dixie Manor but also Lincoln Court, released an article in 2021 with comments from concerned residents about whether they would have a place once the project was completed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among them was 30-year resident John Martin, 65. When he learned of the plan to demolish and rebuild Dixie Manor, he feared the changes could erase more than homes. He said it felt like the community was being wiped away that people who had built their lives in the neighborhood would be displaced permanently. It hasn't helped matters that construction was delayed for about six months. Completion is projected in early 2027. Fortunately, some residents were able to remain in the neighborhood as the construction is occurring in two phases the north and south sides of the neighborhood. Perez is included in this group; her family moved to the south side from the north during construction. Still, her relocation wasnt as drastic as that of some other residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perez says she holds many fond memories at Dixie Manor and will miss the connections already established between her neighbors, but is excited about the project. Construction of the 95-unit affordable housing development Martin Manor broke ground in August in Boca Raton. Its going to be a little different going back, she said. But everythings going to be better; theres going to be new apartments, new opportunities . Others, such as Amos Pullum, have decided not to return. Pullum has owned a junk-removal company for 43 years, which often leaves him with several cars in his possession. The relocation was a good opportunity for him to obtain more space for his vehicles while starting fresh in a new city. Pullum lived at Dixie Manor for 13 years and wouldnt change his experience for the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was a real pleasure living there, he said. It was home for me and my family, and I am grateful. Martin Manor will be a new federally subsidized housing complex off Glades Road at 1350 North Dixie Highway. Completion is expected sometime in early 2027. He now lives in northern Delray Beach with his family in a smaller home, but it works, he said. The Boca Raton Housing Authority assisted him with house hunting, which was a fast and easy process, moving his belongings, and setting up his electrical and water systems. Pullum says he easily picked up where he left off, but he will miss his neighbors greatly. Plans for a cultural center would salute the neighborhood, built during World War II Recently, about 45 residents and stakeholders gathered for two community meetings requested by DISC, where the Boca Raton Housing Authority and development partner Atlantic Pacific Cos. provided an update on the projects progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the meeting, DISCs efforts for historical preservation came to fruition, as developers proposed a 2,000-square-foot cultural center in half of one of the original Dixie Manor buildings, which will be exempt from the Martin Manor redevelopment. The neighborhoods history dates to World War II. Honoring Lois D. Martin, an educator and civil rights activist local to Pearl City, the development will be called The Residences at Martin Manor. In 2023, DISC worked to pass a state law allowing the city to name a local street after her legacy: Lois D. Martin Way, near Glades Road and Federal Highway. PEARL CITY: Finding Black history in Palm Beach County is daunting, but rewarding The Boca Raton Housing Authority is leading the project in partnership with the city, the Atlantic Pacific Cos., Florida Housing Finance Corp., First Horizon Community Investment Group and Citi Community Capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city of Boca Raton has committed to funding $640,000 of the Martin Manor redevelopment and $551,400 in permit fee assistance, contributing nearly $1.2 million to the project, said James Zervis, deputy city manager and chief financial officer. FHFC is providing an additional $7.1 million in funding, First Horizon Community Investment group is putting forward equity and City Community Capital is assisting with loan financing, according to a Boca Housing Authority news release from August. Boca Housing Authority Director Ashley Whidby described the project as a way to respect while improving the functions of the housing complex. PEARL CITY: Boca Raton honors lifelong Pearl City resident, educator, activist Lois D. Martin with street Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PEARL CITY: Exploring Black Boca neighborhood's rich history through portraits Advancing a redevelopment that reflects our deep commitment to the families we serve and to the historical legacy of Pearl City is a privilege the Boca Raton Housing Authority and our partners take wholeheartedly, she said. With guided input from residents, The Residences at Martin Manor will provide beautiful new homes that deliver the features, amenities and quality of life they deserve. Pearl City, predating Boca Raton and being home to a historically marginalized community, is officially recognized by the National Park Service on the National Register of Historic Places. During WWII, when the nearby Boca Raton Army Air Field was active, residents opened their homes to the wives and families of Black soldiers stationed there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1943, the Federal Housing Administration built two segregated housing projects in Boca Raton: the Palmetto Park project and Dixie Plaza, which later became known as Dixie Manor, said Susan Gillis, Boca Raton Historical Society curator. PEARL CITY: Boca Raton's Dixie Manor Apartments getting a rebuild, but where can displaced residents go? We know people deserve nice, new housing, Gillis said, but a lot of Pearl City hate to see the housing go. Its a part of WWII history. The city of Boca Raton acquired Dixie Manor from the federal government in 1952 as a place to house Black farmers, and the Boca Raton Housing Authority officially took ownership of the development in 1979. Dixie Manors last major renovation took place in the 1980s, the remaining barracks-style buildings at the site being turned into 40 apartments using $1.3 million in federal funds, according to DISC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Developers are requesting that the space for the cultural center be open to the general public. As a nonprofit, DISC hopes to obtain funding for the museum through the city, Boca Raton Housing Authority and other stakeholders, said DISC Secretary Fabiola Bernier. While the center is still under discussion, DISC is working with the Boca Raton Historical Society to use the space to honor Black history in Boca Raton. This would include an exhibit or multiple exhibits on soldiers, Pearl City pioneers, segregation and Boca Ratons origin as a WWII airbase, according to Bernier. Were very excited about this prospect, said Gillis. Elisabeth Gaffney is a freelance correspondent for The Palm Beach Post. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton's old Dixie Manor will soon transform to Martin Manor ST. LOUIS Boeing has rejected a counteroffer made by union members just days after presenting its latest labor contract proposal. So a nearly-three month strike in the St. Louis region will carry on. More than 3,200 St. Louis-area Boeing workers have been on strike since Aug. 4, clashing with the company over wages, bonuses and retirement benefits. On Monday, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers 837 (IAM 837) made a counter offer to Boeings latest five-year offer. One day earlier, the union rejected a deal that featured a 24% wage increases, a $4,000 ratification bonus, and $3,000 in restricted stock units that would vest over three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, FOX 2 learned that IAM 837 shared the following message on the counteroffer to union members: The company rejected our counteroffer and said theyll only accept a deal within their parameters. Our members have rejected four offers within the companys parameters. Weve bargained in good faith and were the last to move. The company owes us a counter, not more delays. Your bargaining committee will consider a company counter that moves us toward a fair deal. Steve Parker, executive vice president of The Boeing Company and president and CEO of Boeing Defense, shared the following message, in part, to St. Louis-area Boeing employees on Tuesday: Unfortunately, the unions leadership continues to make it difficult to reach a deal. The IAM continues to set and reinforce unrealistic expectations for those on strike. Just yesterday, they asked for more money after weve repeatedly said more is not coming. Sadly, even with continued bargaining, the unions rhetoric and actions are needlessly prolonging this strike and unfortunately many of our teammates are suffering as a result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement added: In order to keep supporting our business and customers for the duration of the strike, were moving forward with the next phase of our contingency plan. We are accelerating our efforts to hire permanent replacement workers, which will likely result in some striking employees being displaced. Boeing claimed the union rejected its latest contract offer by a narrow margin51% to 49%. However, union members who spoke with FOX 2 after the vote said the offer still fell short of contracts reached at other Boeing sites around the country, with St. Louis workers arguing the contract had become more demanding, with fewer improvements to benefits and retirement plans. The unions counteroffer called for a four-year contract instead of a five-year deal, asking for a $10,000 ratification bonus, with $5,000 up front and the other $5,000 paid in year three. The union also backed off its 8% 401(k) match demand. That had been a sticking point for some union members as Boeing ended its pension plan. The striking workers are responsible for building and modifying advanced military aircraft, including the F-15 and F/A-18, which are essential to U.S. national security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. ST. LOUIS One day after rejecting Boeings latest offer, striking machinists in the St. Louis area are making their own offer to the aerospace giant. Sundays three-hour vote followed days of renewed talks with a federal mediator. After three previous rejections, Boeing presented what it called a revised five-year deal, featuring 24% wage increases, a $4,000 ratification bonus, and $3,000 in restricted stock units that would vest over three years. By that afternoon, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 leadership confirmed its members voted against the offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Boeing claimed the union rejected the contract offer by a narrow margin51% to 49%. However, union members who spoke with FOX 2 News after the vote said the offer still fell short of contracts reached at other Boeing sites around the country, with St. Louis workers arguing the contract had become more demanding, with fewer improvements to benefits and retirement plans. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News The unions counteroffer calls for a four-year contract instead of a five-year deal. Theyre asking for a $10,000 ratification bonus, with $5,000 up front and the other $5,000 paid in year three. The union is also backing off its 8% 401(k) match demand. That had been a sticking point for some union members as Boeing ended its pension plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IAM 837 strike against Boeing began on Aug. 4. More than 3,200 St. Louis-area Boeing employees are demanding improved pay, bonuses, and retirement benefits. The striking workers are responsible for building and modifying advanced military aircraft, including the F-15 and F/A-18, which are essential to U.S. national security. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) A boil water notice has been issued for the Town of Roxie in Franklin County. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), the notice affects 190 connections. Delta Grain invests $3.76 million in Leflore County facility Health officials recommend that all water be boiled vigorously for one minute before it is consumed. The water system will be notified when tests show that the water is safe to drink. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents will be notified when this notice is lifted. For additional information, customers may contact the Town of Roxie. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. Terril Johnson had traveled to San Jose in May to see his granddaughter graduate from San Jose State the next day and jumped into the hotel shower after a long drive from Los Angeles. But instead of a relaxing shower, family members allege, the 72-year-old was "effectively boiled alive" by scalding water that a medical examiner said ultimately resulted in his death, according to a lawsuit filed against the hotel. When his grandson, Deshaun, went into the bathroom to check on him, he allegedly found Johnson unconscious, partially submerged in water that was so hot his family couldn't pull him out without burning themselves. The family had arrived to the hotel that day and rented adjoining rooms, said Paul Traina, an attorney representing the family. It's unclear how long Johnson had been under the water, but Traina said it had been only "a short time." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family members tried to help Johnson and perform CPR, but, according to court filings, they struggled and "were forced to watch in horror as his skin peeled away from his body." Johnson's family filed the suit on Oct. 15 against Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites San Jose Airport, alleging wrongful death and negligent infliction of emotional distress. According to the suit, the Santa Clara County medical examiner ruled Johnson's cause of death to be severe scalding due to burns on more than 33% of his body. Marriott International officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the lawsuit, Johnson had traveled on May 22 with family from Los Angeles to San Jose to attend his granddaughter's graduation. Read more: Police arrest two suspects in fatal shooting of California strip club manager Johnson had retired the previous year after working as a senior lead technician at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. Johnson, according to the suit, was born in Indiana and, after serving in Vietnam with the Marine Corps, moved to California. He married his high school sweetheart, and they were married for 54 years. He had two children and four grandchildren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When relatives found him in the hotel bathroom, the suit alleges, the temperature of the water was 134 to 136 degrees. "The water was so dangerously hot they could not initially lift him from the tub," the suit states. According to the California Plumbing Code, individual shower and tub showers are limited to a temperature of no higher than 120 degrees. "This was not a freak accident," the suit alleges. "It was the direct result of Defendant's gross negligence and failure to meet even basic safety obligations." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Oct. 27An inmate who brazenly bolted from a Boise-area prison last year and is accused of killing a man during his escape is now facing another murder charge in connection to the statewide spree. Prosecutors this month charged Skylar Meade, a 33-year-old white supremacist gang member, with the murder of 72-year-old Gerald "Don" Henderson at his Orofino cabin in March of last year. Henderson was shot in the head, court records say. Henderson, known by his partner as a "mountain man" who loved Idaho, was killed in the same 24 hours as 83-year-old James Mauney from Juliaetta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators believe Meade and his 29-year-old accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour, took Mauney's car as he was walking his dogs and drove him to an area near Leland. Police found his body in a remote farm field. Both killings followed Meade's violent prison escape that prompted a 36-hour manhunt. Meade began cutting himself in prison and was transported to Boise's Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center for treatment. Following treatment, corrections officers began the steps to take Meade back to prison. That's when Umphenour appeared in the emergency department's ambulance bay and began shooting at the officers, injuring two of them, as part of a plan to free Meade from custody. Both fled the hospital in a car and drove north, police said at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators suspect that after Mauney was killed, the two fugitives drove to Henderson's cabin. Henderson's partner, Ron Thompson, said Henderson and Umphenour knew each other from many years ago when Umphenour needed a place to stay. But it wasn't long until Henderson kicked him out for "violent tendencies," Thompson told The Spokesman-Review last year. When Thompson heard Umphenour was accused of breaking Meade out of prison, he immediately called his partner. He got no response. Thompson called the sheriff's office to warn them and ask they check on Henderson, but it was too late. "They took that very seriously and went up there immediately and found Don dead outside of his cabin," Thompson said last year. Mauney's missing dogs were found at Henderson's cabin along with prison shackles believed to belong to Meade, according to reporting from The Spokesman-Review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meade and Umphenour pleaded guilty to charges in connection to the prison escape last year. Both were sentenced to life in prison for their respective roles in the crime. When Meade was later charged with the first-degree murder of Mauney, he chose to remain silent during his plea. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. Prosecutors also chose to seek the death penalty last year against Meade and Umphenour over Mauney's killing, calling it "senseless and random." Umphenour had not been charged in Henderson's death as of Monday. CoinGecko CEO Bobby Ong warned about fraudulent emails impersonating Booking.com to promote a fake crypto summit in Dubai. Booking.com confirmed the scam and stated it is investigating the matter. Fake Crypto Summit Invitation Surfaces Ong shared the phishing email on social media on October 27, 2025. The email announced an "Exclusive Crypto Travel Summit" scheduled for November 2025 in Dubai. It falsely stated that Booking.com and Coinbase formed a strategic partnership to launch crypto travel services. PSA: There is a new phishing attempt utilizing @bookingcom systems sending out fake conference invite. If you receive such emails, best to just delete such emails. @bookingcom kindly take note and escalate this to your security team to ban such actors misusing your systems pic.twitter.com/ZGfGe2OffQ Bobby Ong (@bobbyong) October 27, 2025 The fraudulent invitation listed Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong as keynote speakers. The email contained an RSVP deadline of September 30, 2025. This date had already passed, revealing the scam's poor construction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ong advised recipients to delete such emails immediately. He urged Booking.com to escalate the issue to its security team. Booking.com responded via its official account, acknowledging the fraudulent emails and requesting details to investigate. Booking.com Addresses Impersonation Tactics In its response, Booking.com stated it does not communicate via messaging apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp. The company emphasized it does not recruit or offer customer support through these channels. It recommends that users report and block suspicious contacts not associated with the company. Booking.com advised users not to provide personal information, make payments, or click links in suspicious messages. The company suggested reporting such incidents to local authorities. For legitimate booking issues, users should contact Booking.com's customer service directly with confirmation numbers and reservation details. Hi there, we regret knowing that you have to encounter this kind of situation. Unfortunately, there are people who fraudulently use the https://t.co/0WK3GNLnVf name to impersonate our company and take advantage of our guests and potential employees. Please note that we do not https://t.co/Z89AAoEgD7 Booking.com (@bookingcom) October 27, 2025 Broader Pattern of Crypto Scams The Booking.com impersonation follows similar fraud patterns targeting cryptocurrency users. In September 2025, Binance warned about fake listing agents claiming to guarantee platform listings for fees. Binance CEO Richard Teng also detailed phone scams where impersonators posed as customer support agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These scammers guided users to change API settings that enable fund theft. The crypto community expressed frustration with evolving scam sophistication. One user noted that scams continue to advance in complexity. Ong emphasized that the adversarial nature of cryptocurrency requires users to verify all communications carefully. Security experts recommend verifying sender domains and avoiding suspicious links. When requests appear unusual, users should contact platforms directly through official channels. Read original story Booking.com Impersonation Targets Crypto Users in Scam by Shigeki Mori at beincrypto.com With Gov. Brian Kemp term-limited and unable to run again, the governor's office will be up for grabs next year. Photo by John McCosh/Georgia Recorder With Brian Kemp leaving the governors office after next years election, Georgia Democrats have an opportunity to make history. All they need now is a candidate. The alleged frontrunner for the 2026 nomination is Keisha Lance Bottoms. According to a poll of Democratic primary voters commissioned by her own campaign last month, Bottoms pulls more support than all other named candidates combined, drawing 38% of likely primary voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Id argue thats more a sign of weakness than of strength. Only 9% of voters polled in that survey said they havent heard of Bottoms, which tells us that shes a well-known commodity with less than overwhelming support, even in a field of relative unknowns. And frankly, its hard to envision Bottoms winning a statewide general election. She is a former Atlanta mayor, which historically puts her at a disadvantage in much of the rest of the state. More important than that, Bottoms proved mediocre in the mayors office, accomplishing little and declining to run for re-election after her first term, without offering voters or supporters much of an explanation for walking away. At a time when Democrats are looking for fighters, Im not sure thats a resume they should find attractive. If Democrats do make Bottoms their nominee for governor, they also guarantee an endless run of commercials retelling the tragic tale of Secoriea Turner, the 8-year-old Atlanta girl who was shot dead by vigilante gang members in 2020. Secoriea was shot while riding with her mother in the back seat after Bottoms, as mayor, allowed gang members to take and keep control of a site in southwest Atlanta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats a hard, even impossible thing to explain to voters. In an election season that Republicans are desperately trying to turn into a soft-on-crime referendum, Secorieas story would become an anchor around the neck of every other Democrat on the ballot, from the U.S. Senate down to local races. Bottoms best-known challenger is Geoff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor and, more famously, a Republican recently turned Democrat. Duncan deserves credit for recognizing that the party of Donald Trump bears no resemblance to the party of Lincoln, Reagan and Johnny Isakson, and for having the moral clarity and guts to act on that recognition. As far as I can tell, his conversion to the Democratic cause is sincere, but in an era of heightened tribal identities hes asking a lot from primary voters to place their faith in him. So far, Im a little surprised by the open reception hes getting, but translating voter curiosity into actual ballots will be difficult. If Duncan can pull it off, it would be a major miracle and a national news story, but Im not seeing much in the way of political miracles these days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The other two major announced candidates, Jason Esteves and Michael Thurmond, offer an important generational contrast, and my guess is that one of the two will emerge as the nominee. Esteves, 42, is a former chair of the Atlanta Board of Education and a former one-term state senator. He comes across well in public and has built an impressive slate of endorsements from those who have worked with him in his previous roles. In the investment world Esteves might be touted as a growth stock, and sometimes they work out and sometimes they dont. Thurmond, 72, has served ably in a variety of state and local offices, including state legislator, state labor commissioner and DeKalb County executive. He knows the state and state government, he has the resume of a governor and he campaigns and operates as a moderate. But for Democrats, hes also the last holdover from a political era that a lot of Georgia voters either dont remember or never experienced in the first place. In the current environment, that might not be to his advantage. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (Reuters) -U.S. chipmaker GlobalFoundries on Tuesday said it will invest 1.1 billion euros ($1.28 billion) to expand manufacturing capabilities at its German facility as it looks to increase production. The Dresden site investment will expand the production capacity to exceed one million wafers annually by the end of 2028, the chipmaker said in a statement. "As a part of the project, the facility will be upgraded to offer end-to-end European processes and data flows for critical semiconductor security requirements," GlobalFoundries said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hailed the project as an important investment in Europe's future amid geopolitical tensions impacting the semiconductor market. "We are bearing witness to a tectonic shift in political and economic centres of power in the world," he said, adding that Germany wanted to be a key player in microelectronics in order to secure the country's prosperity and security. The expansion project, named SPRINT, is expected to be supported by the German federal government and the State of Saxony under the framework of the European Chips Act. European Union approval for the full program is expected later this year, GlobalFoundries added. The German government is expected to support the expansion of the production site with several hundred million euros, Handelsblatt had reported in June. The chipmaker has invested more than 10 billion euros in the Dresden site since 2009. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City and Rachel More in Berlin; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Nick Zieminski) (NewsNation) A senior Border Patrol official accused of throwing tear gas canisters during an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago is due in court Tuesday. A court filing includes a photo of Gregory Bovino throwing what appears to be a tear gas canister toward protesters in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood. A protester filmed the incident, and attorneys allege Bovino appears to throw either one or two tear gas canisters over the heads of federal agents in front of him and in the direction of a crowd of demonstrators. CBP to take photos of non-citizens entering, leaving US Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Department of Homeland Security officials said Bovino threw the canister after protesters became violent and threw rocks, fireworks and other objects at agents. A spokesperson said Bovino was struck in the head with a rock. Community members said a warning was never given. A photo taken from video shot by a protester seems to show Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino tossing a canister of a chemical agent during an encounter with protesters in Chicago. (Federal Court filing) Small group of protesters line up outside Chicago courthouse Demonstrators with signs demanding ICE leave the city of Chicago lined up outside the Chicago federal courthouse on Tuesday morning. Protesters line up outside the federal courthouse in Chicago ahead of a court appearance for U.S. Border Patrols commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who is in charge of federal immigration efforts in the city. (NewsNation/Jeff Arnold) The group of protesters was small, calm and peaceful ahead of the hearing Tuesday morning. Force by federal officers is exemplary: Gregory Bovino Bovino has overseen the Trump administrations immigration enforcement effort in Illinois, known as Operation Midway Blitz, which began Sept. 7. In an interview with CBS News on Thursday, Bovino said more than 2,700 arrests have been made during the effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the interview, Bovino defended the use of force by federal officers, calling it exemplary, which he defined as the least amount of force necessary to accomplish the mission. Bovino added that, to his knowledge, no federal agents or officers are under investigation for, or have been disciplined, for their use of force against protesters or others who have engaged with federal officers during the operation. Agents ordered to wear body cameras in Chicago area Earlier this month, a judge ordered uniformed immigration agents in Illinois to wear body cameras, the latest step in a lawsuit brought by news outlets and protesters accusing federal agents of using excessive force, including tear gas, during protests against immigration operations. Bovino is chief of the Border Patrol sector in El Centro, California, one of nine sectors on the Mexican border. He is also accused of violating the judges temporary restraining order, under which federal agents were barred from using riot control methods such as tear gas unless there is an imminent threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters at ICE facility arrested on disorderly conduct, harassment charges Judge Sara Ellis has requested to see the body-camera footage from the incidents last week as part of Bovinos deposition. She also reminded federal agents to preserve their body camera video. NewsNations Jeff Arnold and Mills Hayes contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. CHICAGO U.S. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, the face of Operation Midway Blitz cracking down on illegal immigration, must report daily to a federal judge after reports of combative enforcement, including using tear gas. Bovino appeared Tuesday for a tense hearing before U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago. She questioned him about reports of aggressive immigration enforcement and the federal agents treatment of protesters, journalists and even children during the ongoing immigration blitz. The hearing was part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by local media organizations alleging that federal agents have violated prior court orders restricting their use of force. Those orders forbid agents from using tear gas or riot control weapons without giving two warnings and from deploying them against people who pose no immediate threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They dont have to like what youre doing. And thats OK. Thats what democracy is, Ellis said during the hearing, referring to protesters or others who might be voicing opposition to federal agents on the ground. They can say they dont like what youre doing, that they dont like how youre enforcing the laws, that they wish you would leave Chicago and take the agents with you. They can say that, and thats fine. But they cant get teargassed for it. While Bovinos immigration enforcement efforts came under scrutiny Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to send "more than the National Guard" to combat crime in blue cities like Chicago. Some National Guard members have already been sent to Illinois, though they have yet to be deployed to the streets. The president has also sent the National Guard into Washington and is seeking to send troops to Portland, Oregon. In Chicago, the judge, an Obama appointee, imposed a new requirement: Bovino must meet with her every weekday to update her on the immigration enforcement efforts. Mr. Bovinos going to be here every day at 6 to tell me what happened, she said. From the outset of the hourlong hearing, Ellis made clear her expectations. My role is not to tell you that you can or cannot enforce validly passed laws by Congress, she said. My role is simply to see that any enforcement of those laws is done in a manner that is consistent with your obligations under the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge reminded Bovino of rules that state he must leave journalists alone. If theyre doing their job, they need to be left alone to do their job. Bovino agreed. Were on the same page, he said. Bovino listened intently while on the stand, and at least once took time to gaze across the courtroom, which was crowded with reporters and a few onlookers. Outside the courthouse, a few protesters waved signs reading Stop ICE Brutality and Judge Sara Ellis is a Boss. Inside, the tone was serious as Ellis read anecdotes aloud from reports that federal agents had used tear gas in Chicago neighborhoods during Halloween festivities. Kids were tear gassed on their way to celebrate Halloween, the judge said, referring to an incident in the Old Irving Park neighborhood on Chicagos North Side. Those kids were dressed up in their Halloween costumes. You can imagine, their sense of safety was shattered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halloween was on the judges mind as she told government attorneys: I do not want to get violation reports from the plaintiffs that show that agents are out and about on Halloween where kids are present and tear gas is being deployed. For his part, Bovino responded throughout the informational hearing with yes maam, and challenged only when asked about tear gas being used. Your honor, I believe that each situation is dependent on the situation. Id like to know more about what happened. Attorneys for the plaintiffs moved to ban tear gas altogether, but Ellis said for now she would not decide. If [federal agents] are using tear gas, they better be able to back it up, she said. And if they cant, then they will lose that as something they can use. Ellis raised concerns from the public that federal agents havent identified themselves. I instructed all agents under my command to place an identifier conspicuously somewhere on their uniform, Bovino replied. Ellis suggested IDs appear in a conspicuous location in at least two places, and Bovino agreed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis demanded that Bovino deliver use-of-force reports and body-worn camera footage compiled since Sept. 2. And she ordered him to wear a camera himself. The camera is your friend, the judge said. Bovino had acknowledged that he hadnt been wearing one. How about by Friday you get one for yourself? Ellis asked. Bovino agreed, saying, We can get that. The race for a Public Service Commission seat in Georgia is drawing significant attention from both Republicans and Democrats, as both parties pour resources into the contest. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This years Public Service Commission (PSC) races are unusual in their high level of attention, as both parties see them as opportunities to test strategies ahead of the 2026 elections. Early voters in DeKalb County have been casting their ballots in a race that typically does not garner much interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It does have a bearing on next year, both in terms of tactics, strategy, but also more importantly, what voters think, said Charlie Bailey, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair. Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon, Whether its how we are turning out people to vote, how were communicating to the voters and what message are we communicating. RELATED STORIES: The Democratic Party of Georgia has launched a new TV and digital ad campaign as part of its efforts in the PSC races. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is seen as a chance to test out strategies that could be effective in more high-profile contests in the future. University of North Georgia Political Science Professor Nathan Price commented on the significance of these races, stating that both parties are not only interested in the results but also in voter turnout. The parties are not even just looking at the results; theyre looking at the turnout. They want to see whats motivating voters, how well theyre reaching their voters, he said [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Beyond the strategic implications, the PSC races hold intrinsic importance as they influence gas and electric rates for consumers, making them relevant to the everyday lives of Georgia residents. Indiana is returning to its "Crossroads of America" motto, although the branding could look different. (Photo by Getty Images) Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Tuesday filled a high-profile vacancy at the states economic development agency months after lawmakers mandated its top leadership role be split in two and announced Indiana will reassume its Crossroads of America branding. The governor tapped Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Josh Richardson to serve as the IEDCs president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Josh brings a rare combination of economic insight and workforce experience, Braun said in a news release. He understands that growth starts with people and that the best way to strengthen Indianas economy is to make sure our employers, universities, and regional leaders are all moving in the same direction. I have full confidence in his ability to continue driving the states momentum and to create lasting opportunity for Hoosiers. Until Brauns May 1 signature, Commerce Secretary David Adams was required to be the agencys CEO and president. But legislators separated the role. The edits were effective immediately. The laws author Sen. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon told the Capital Chronicle that the idea came out of collaboration with Brauns fledgling administration, and was intended to set up the best structure for IEDC to be successful. Six months later, the administration has made good on those edits. Adams will stay CEO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indianas success has always come from its regions from leaders who know their communities best and who build growth from the ground up, Adams said in the release. Josh understands the direct connection between talent and industry growth better than anyone. His leadership will ensure that the IEDC continues to support region-led partnerships that grow wages, strengthen productivity, and attract people and investment to Indiana. Richardson is a Blackford County native with an undergraduate degree from Ball State University and his law degree from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. DWDs chief financial officer, Mike Smith, will step up as interim commissioner. Branding shakeup Braun also announced that Indiana will embrace its Crossroads of America motto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His predecessor, Gov. Eric Holcomb, unveiled a new tourism marketing campaign IN Indiana in 2022. As part of that effort, in 2023, he put up More to discover IN Indiana roadway welcome signs that replaced the old crossroads signage. Also that year, IEDC got a new motto Indiana for the bold in place of the agencys previous A state that works slogan. Indiana is proud to be the geographic Crossroads of America, and we are also proud to be at the crossroads of the nations leading industries, such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences, motorsports, and defense, Braun said. We will look for opportunities to lean into this identity and incorporate it into our work. A Braun spokesperson said the new branding is expected to be integrated throughout state government, including the IEDC and the states transportation and tourism agencies. It may look different than previous iterations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX For weeks, the shelves in New Braunfels secondary school libraries have remained quiet, their books largely out of reach for students and teachers alike. Now, the doors are reopening, but the question of which titles belong on those shelves, and how decisions are made, is far from settled. Middle and high school students in the New Braunfels Independent School District will regain access to their school libraries starting Monday, October 27, following a special board meeting on October 23. During the meeting, the NBISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to reopen secondary libraries while continuing a review of materials to comply with Texas Senate Bill 13 (SB 13). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The temporary closure, first enacted on October 13, allowed the district to conduct a preliminary review of its library collections. The district flagged several titles as non-compliant with SB 13, using a combination of internal review tools and third-party vendor resources. Books include: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess: Dystopian novel about youth violence and free will. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson: Memoir exploring Black queer identity and coming-of-age experiences. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur: Poetry collection on love, loss, trauma and healing. SB 13, passed during the 89th Legislative Session, requires local school boards to approve all new library book purchases or donations and prohibits materials deemed "harmful," "indecent," or "profane." The law shifts decision-making power from librarians and district staff to the board of trustees, giving parents more oversight of library materials. While the legislation does not require districts to close libraries or review all existing books, NBISD opted to conduct a preliminary assessment of its more than 195,000-item collection. Books line the shelves at a local library. (Getty Images/AerialPerspective Images) NBISD is currently the only major district in the area to close its libraries as part of SB 13 compliance. Other districts, including in San Antonio, have implemented the law without restricting library access. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a news release, NBISD Board President Eric Bergquist said the board valued community feedback and recognized the critical role libraries play in students' learning and success. Superintendent Dr. Laurelyn Arterbury reminded families that they may review the library catalog and set access restrictions for their children as needed. The district also encouraged families to work with campus staff to address reading preferences while maintaining access to high-quality educational materials. While students can now return to the shelves, the broader conversation over which books belong in school libraries, and how boards, staff and families navigate that process, is likely to continue. MySA reached out to NBISD for comment. This article originally published at New Braunfels schools reopen libraries amid heated Texas book debate. Lawyers for Brazils former president Jair Bolsonaro have filed an appeal against his 27-year prison sentence handed down last month for a botched military coup after his 2022 election loss. The 85-page motion filed with the Supreme Court on Monday sought a review of parts of Bolsonaros conviction, including his sentence. United States President Donald Trump has branded the prosecution of his far-right ally a witch-hunt and made it a major issue in his countrys relations with Brazil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bolsonaro was convicted in September over his bid to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power following the 2022 vote. The effort saw crowds storm government buildings a week after Lulas inauguration, drawing comparisons with the January 6 riot at the US Capitol after Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. The motion filed by Bolsonaros lawyers asserted there were deep injustices in his conviction and sentence. It did not stipulate how much of a reduction in the sentence was being sought. Failed coup Last month, four of five judges on a Supreme Court panel found Bolsonaro guilty of five crimes, including taking part in an armed criminal organisation, trying to violently abolish democracy and organising a coup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said the plot entailed the assassination of Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and failed only due to a lack of support from military leaders. Trump cited his displeasure with the prosecution in July as he announced punitive tariffs against Brazil and imposed sanctions against Brazilian officials. Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, has denied wrongdoing. Under Brazilian law, he will not be sent to prison until all legal avenues are exhausted. Judicial revisions possible Thiago Bottino, a law professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, told the AFP news agency that while it is unusual for the Supreme Court to reverse its rulings, it had made revisions in the past, including to the length of sentences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defendants sentenced by the Supreme Court usually need two judges to diverge on a ruling to request an appeal that could significantly change the decision, Reuters reported. After only one justice dissented, Bolsonaros lawyers filed a lesser motion seeking clarification or review of specific parts of the conviction. If his appeal fails, Bolsonaro, 70, could request to serve his sentence under house arrest, claiming poor health. He was recently diagnosed with skin cancer and was briefly admitted to hospital last month with other health issues. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Lawyers for Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro filed an appeal to reduce his prison sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral defeat. Judges in September convicted Bolsonaro of trying to overthrow democracy and sentenced him to 27 years and three months in jail. He has been under house arrest since August. In an 85-page document sent to the Supreme Court on Monday and shared with The Associated Press on Tuesday, lawyers said that the conviction and sentence entailed profound injustices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers argued there were ambiguities, omissions, contradictions and obscurities in the courts decision. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. He was convicted of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 race to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a plot that prosecutors alleged included plans to kill Lula. He was found guilty on other charges including participating in an armed criminal organization and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. In their appeal, lawyers argued Bolsonaro should not be convicted of both organising a coup and attempting to violently abolish democracy, on the grounds that the two charges overlap and therefore cumulative penalties are unjust. They also cited Justice Luiz Fux, who was the only dissenting vote on the five justice panel that convicted Bolsonaro, and argued that even if Bolsonaro had attempted a coup, he deliberately interrupted the course of events and did not go through with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers filed motions of clarification, which seek to correct a flaw in the reasoning of a decision rather than change it. Joao Pedro Padua, a law professor at the Fluminense Federal University, said that this kind of appeal is very unlikely to reduce Bolsonaro's sentence. To file an appeal that could substantially modify the decision, the Supreme Court usually requires at least two dissenting votes. There is no limit on how many motions for clarification can be filed, but the Supreme Court may deem successive filings an attempt to delay the final judgment. Such a strategy is risky for Bolsonaros lawyers, as they could give the Supreme Court an excuse to declare the judgment final right away, Padua said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seven other close aides were convicted alongside Bolsonaro, and all of them apart from Mauro Cid, who signed a plea deal, have filed appeals, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Tuesday. Justices will decide on the appeals between Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, the court added. Bolsonaro will only start serving time once appeals are exhausted. The trial made global headlines. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a 50% tariff on Brazilian imported goods and cited in part Bolsonaros case, which he called a witch hunt. That triggered a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Brazil relations, which experts described as the lowest point in their more than 200-year history. Relations have improved. Lula and Trump spoke on the phone then met last weekend in Malaysia at the ASEAN summit. Goldman Sachs Group is in discussions with the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) to receive a $10bn investment mandate for its asset-management arm, reported Bloomberg. The mandate is aimed at strengthening its private markets strategy in the Middle East and the money is expected to be distributed over the coming years across a variety of funds. According to sources with knowledge of the matter, the investment would be channelled into several of Goldman Sachs' funds, with a particular emphasis on credit, private equity and infrastructure. While the conversations are ongoing, there has been no official statement from either the KIA or Goldman Sachs on the potential agreement. The completion of the investment by KIA is not yet assured. Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs has expanded its operations in the Gulf, with the opening of a new office in Kuwait to enhance its presence in the region. The firm's third quarter earnings report revealed that it is focusing on increasing its private assets under supervision, which currently amount to $374bn, the report added. The bank aims to expand in the Middle East to engage with the region's sovereign wealth funds. In 2023, it opened an office in Abu Dhabi and secured a regional headquarters licence in Saudi Arabia. Recently, the firm introduced its onshore Private Wealth Management services in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will leverage 'One Goldman Sachs' strategy, which involves close collaboration among asset management, global banking, and markets teams in the region. "Goldman Sachs in talks with Kuwait Investment Authority for $10bn report " was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. Bonnie Blue isnt backing down even after being arrested in Bali and her first public comment made that very clear. The 26-year-old adult content creator, whose real name is Tia Billinger, broke her silence after being arrested in Bali on suspicion of violating local morality laws. Her five-word message came as she was... At least 64 people, including four police officers, were killed in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro during a police operation targeting the Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, crime syndicate, Brazilian media reported on Tuesday. It was the bloodiest police operation in the history of the region, the local government said. During the large-scale operation in the Alemao favela and the Penha neighbourhood of the massive metropolis, 81 suspected gang members were also detained, according to the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police confiscated 75 rapid-fire pistols. The Comando Vermelho is one of the largest criminal syndicates in the South American country and is primarily active in drug trafficking. According to the authorities, a regional leader of the group and the financial head of one of the gang's top bosses were detained during the operation. At least 2,500 police officers took part in the operation to execute arrest warrants. Videos showed black plumes of smoke rising over the districts. Nine police officers and three civilians suffered gunshot wounds. Criminals set barricades on fire, dropped explosive devices from drones and opened fire on the officers, according to reports. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Brazil's bid to turn the mouth of the Amazon River into a new oil frontier is facing institutional pushback. While the national oil regulator recently awarded dozens of offshore blocks to Petrobras, ExxonMobil, Chevron Brazil and China's CNPC, the Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking to suspend the contracts and halt work on the first exploratory well. It argues that mandatory social, environmental and climate impact studies were not conducted before the auctions and that potentially affected Indigenous communities were not consulted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Public Prosecutor's Office filed a court motion to suspend the results of the National Petroleum Agency's auction of 47 oil blocks and to freeze an environmental license granted to Petrobras to begin exploratory drilling. According to the office, the lack of studies and consultations before the bidding process constitutes a serious violation of Brazil's legal framework and of the international commitments the country has made. The Foz do Amazonas Basin is part of the so-called Equatorial Margin, an offshore region that remains largely unexplored, but has drawn interest from major energy companies because of its estimated potential of up to 10 billion recoverable barrels. But, it is also an environmentally sensitive area. Scientists and civil organizations warn that a spill could devastate mangroves, coral reefs and marine migration routes in a remote region where containment operations would be difficult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the government's side, Energy and Mines Minister Alexandre Silveira defended the exploration campaign as a strategic effort to ensure the country's energy sovereignty. The minister emphasized that exploration in the area will be conducted under the highest sustainability standards, balancing environmental protection with job creation and income generation. "Our oil is among the most sustainable in the world, with one of the lowest carbon footprints per barrel produced, just like our highly renewable energy matrix, which is an example for the world," Silveira said. Brazil's environmental authority said the operating license granted to Petrobras on Oct. 20 for Block FZA-M-59, situated off Amapa state about 110 miles from the coast and 310 miles from the mouth of the Amazon River, is limited to research and subject to strict conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Petrobras said its exploratory rig is ready to operate and that drilling will take about five months to collect geological data. Block FZA-M-59 is estimated to have the potential to open a new energy frontier for Brazil, with projected investments of about 300 billion reais and government revenue of more than 1 trillion reais over the coming decades. The project is expected to create more than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs, strengthen the local economy and increase royalty income. The dispute comes at a politically sensitive time. Belem, the capital of Para state and gateway to the Amazon estuary, will host COP30 from Nov. 10 to 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Environmental groups such as Observatorio do Clima have called the policy inconsistent, arguing that authorizing exploration along the Equatorial Margin "sabotages" COP30 and weakens the climate leadership Brazil claims to uphold. They say the country does not need to open new oil frontiers if it wants to maintain its climate credibility. The search is on for the man who broke into a boutique clothing store in Philadelphia and made off with a very specific set of merchandise. It happened Saturday night at Minor Details located in the city's Fishtown neighborhood. The person involved cased the store, which has only been open for a month, for 15 minutes and left - only to come back later in a mask and gloves. "Essentially what they did was they came around 2:20 in the morning, using bolt cutters, they took our lockbox off, went away to smash it open," said owner Mallory Minor. "They came back and let themselves in." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person took a cash drawer and safe, and a very odd set of final items: Eight custom-made, cropped Eagles jerseys. Mallory Minor, the owner, posted about the robbery on Instagram. She says between the police, neighbors sharing their security cam video, and others reposting about the heist, she believes she will get justice. "I'd just like to say thanks to everyone sharing our posts, people who are trying to help us in finding these people and I'm confident that they picked the wrong people to mess with. We're certainly going to find them," she said. Minor says you'll know if someone is trying to sell you the boosted jerseys: her store's logo is both on the front and the tag. She's upset, but grateful. While she lost money and items, thankfully, no one was hurt. BRECKENRIDGE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) As early voting continues, residents have many items to consider on the ballot. In Stephens County, that includes a bond from the school district as Breckenridge ISD seeks to fund a new elementary school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A committee discovered that the elementary schools were one of the districts top improvement projects. Superintendent Prairie Freeman says the bond would combine the two campuses into one. Both of our elementary schools were built in the late fifties, so there were a lot of needs that the committee felt like could be met by proposing a new elementary school, Freeman said. A new structure would encompass new learning spaces, a new gym, a new library, a new cafeteria, updated technology infrastructure, of course, updated safety requirements, and an updated traffic pattern for the elementaries. Big Country early voting guide: When, where & whats on the November ballot The proposed building has a $39 million price tag, and Freeman explained the district is also pitching in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The total bond amount is $39 million. The district has also pledged upwards of more than $5.5 million to fully fund the project, Freeman said. In Breckenridge, the average home is a little over $145,000. Should the homestead exemption pass, then it would impact taxpayers approximately $20 annually. If passed, the district would start the design phase in the winter of 2025, with construction beginning as late as summer 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. Bret Baier is insistent he is not leaving Fox News to join CBS Evening News. While chatting on the Citizen McCain podcast with host Meghan McCain, Baier was asked point blank if the rumors of him jumping ship at Fox News to join Bari Weiss revamped CBS News were true. Speculation was high in the wake of John Dickerson announcing his departure as co-host of CBS Evening News early Monday. I would be not surprised if you didnt ask this question because I knew you would ask it, Baier said. Im flattered by all the press and everything like that, but Im in a multi-year contract with Fox. I dont know where everythings going. Im signed onto Fox, very happy at Fox and, you know, well see what happens at the end of that. But its interesting to see all the press about I thought you were going ask about when I got pulled over in Georgetown driving. He later added: I love the Fox News viewer, one at a time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Dickerson said he would leave the network in December, signaling the start of a refresh at CBS News just weeks after editor-in-chief Weiss began her tenure. Local news: At the end of this year, I will leave CBS, sixteen years after I sat in as Face the Nation anchor for the first time, Dickerson wrote on Instagram. I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me the work, the audiences attention and the honor of being a part of the networks history and I am grateful for my dear colleagues whove made me a better journalist and a better human. I will miss you. Dickersons exit marks the first high-profile talent departure from the network since Weiss took hold of the reins earlier this month. Dickerson joined the network in 2009, becoming the co-host of Evening News earlier this year alongside Maurice DuBois. As for Baier, he has deep roots at Fox News, joining the conservative network back in 1998 as the Atlanta bureaus chief. He went on to serve a number of roles before becoming the Special Report anchor in 2009. Watch Baiers full interview above. The post Bret Baier Insists He Is Not Leaving Fox News for Bari Weiss CBS: Im Flattered by All the Press | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Editors note: This story was shared as part of a content-sharing agreement between Mosaic.NJ.com and NJ Spotlight News. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter (or X). Suzanna Fritzberg, executive director of The Bridge Project, says moms know what their children need best. They know when a dollar needs to go toward rent, food on the table, or even a camp scholarship for their kids, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bridge Project is a cash assistance program that gives expecting mothers unconditional, direct payments during a childs most critical first thousand days of life. Begun in New York City five years ago, the initiative has expanded to nine states and this fall, to New Jersey. The goal is simple: To break the cycle of childhood poverty by trusting mothers to decide what their families need most. Our premise is when you trust moms with resources and no strings attached, children grow up healthier, and parents can thrive economically, said Fritzberg. And weve seen that in our own research and in the field again and again. The program plans to support 250 pregnant women in Newark, Trenton, Paterson, and in the southern counties of Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland. Applicants must be at least 18, earn under $44,000 a year, and be 23 weeks pregnant or less. No Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number is required. New Jersey has one of the highest wealth gaps in the country. There are a quarter of a million children living in poverty, one in eight are experiencing food insecurity, Fritzberg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Bridge Projects New Jersey expansion is backed by $6 million in local funding and the Monarch Foundation. Under the program, each participant receives three years of support, starting with a one-time prenatal stipend of just over $1,100, followed by $750 a month for the first 15 months, then $375 a month for the next 21 months. That starts with that prenatal stipend so moms can buy a car seat, a stroller, the essentials before baby comes, said Fritzberg. And throughout that time, we connect them to local resources like GED programs or job training. Newark resident Essence Vines just graduated from Kean University. Shes a mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 14, with another baby on the way. Before, I was making reasonable money to maintain a household, but this program helps with the gaps in between especially when you have little to no support from the other half or your own family, she said. When asked how it felt to be one of the 250 applicants chosen, Vines said: Honestly, it took me back to my graduation and having my name called and like wow, I am deserving of this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vines says the extra support offers stability and peace of mind especially as critical food assistance programs will run out of money at the end of this month due to the ongoing government shutdown. She receives monthly food benefits through SNAP, also known as food stamps. It feels like a relief, especially knowing that food stamps will be jeopardized across the nation, said Vines. Ill definitely be more strategic, buying in bulk, saving, with wipes and diapers. We really care about supporting and defending our moms dignity and endowing them with our trust, Fritzberg added. Applications opened Oct. 1 and will remain open until all 250 spots are filled, with payments beginning in November. More Stories From Mosaic Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. When people talk about outlaw motorcycle clubs in the U.S., they often speak of a "Big Four" that consists of the Hells Angels, Pagans, Outlaws, and Bandidos. Commonly accused of drug trafficking and other illegal activities (often falling under the purview of the RICO Act), the world of outlaw MCs is a complex one, with a seemingly endless list of smaller and lesser-known MCs working with and against the "Big Four." One of these somewhat lesser-known MCs is the Sons of Silence. That said, the Sons of Silence, while not quite as notorious as the Big Four, carries enough weight to be mentioned alongside the "Big Four" in U.S. government literature. In fact, alongside the Mongols, the Sons of Silence could be said to make up a "Big Six" of outlaw MCs that have been on U.S. authorities' radar for the past few decades. As with any allegedly criminal organization, there isn't exactly a wealth of information about the Sons of Silence and its history. This isn't some massive Japanese corporation, after all, and you're not going to get a clean-cut firsthand history of the MC conveniently laid out on the internet. Still, there's enough information out there to assemble a brief history of the Sons of Silence and give you insight into the club's place in the hierarchy of motorcycle clubs and so-called "outlaw gangs." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Every Rule The Hells Angels Live By The Sons of Silence was founded in the 1960s Sons of Silence members on riding on their motorcycles - BBC Two/YouTube The story of the Sons of Silence starts in the late 1960s. By this point, outlaw MCs like the Hells Angels and Outlaws had been around for at least a couple of decades, which likely gave the Sons of Silence founder Bruce "The Dude" Richardson a template for the organization he would establish in Niwot, Colorado, in 1966. Richardson was a military veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1960. Richardson's time at the helm of the MC was relatively short, at least when compared to his successor. Leonard Lloyd "JR" Reed took on the role of national president in 1977. Reed, a fellow Navy veteran, joined the Sons of Silence in 1975 and quickly climbed the ranks, first becoming president of the Colorado Springs chapter before taking control of the entire MC just a couple of years after being inducted. Reed would lead the Sons of Silence for at least the next 22 years and had a hand in establishing the Colorado Confederation of Clubs, a gathering of MCs in the state that exists to this day. It's not clear who succeeded Reed as national president; the trail goes cold after him, with the Sons of Silence no longer publicly naming its leaders. Reed passed away in 2003. It's not clear what founder Richardson did after he handed leadership over to Reed, although it seems that he eventually left the club. That said, he didn't necessarily stay out of trouble; Richardson was handed a six-year jail sentence for his involvement in the 1984 kidnapping and extortion of a doctor. He passed away in 2013. Expanding across the US Sons of Silence MC drag racer preparing to go down the track - CycleDrag/YouTube Founder Bruce Richardson's time at the helm of the Sons of Silence doesn't seem to be as celebrated as his successor's, but he played a crucial role in its expansion nonetheless. The Sons of Silence made its first moves outside its home state of Colorado in 1968 with the establishment of a chapter in Iowa. That was just the start: By the time of a 1991 U.S. Department of Justice report, the Sons of Silence had expanded significantly, boasting 17 chapters with footholds in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Minnesota (in alphabetical order). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report also indicated that this expansion was helped by an alliance with the Hells Angels, specifically in Kentucky and Minnesota. While it's unclear if the Sons of Silence adopted rules similar to those the Hells Angels live by, we do at least know that the MC had a similar stipulation regarding motorcycles, with Indianapolis club president Howard "Duck" Miller revealing in 1982 that members, like those of other biker gangs, had to ride Harley-Davidsons. The Sons of Silence seem to have expanded even further since 1991. A map on the club website indicates additional chapters in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming (again in alphabetical order). Recent estimates suggest that the MC has around 250 members, although, as with any allegedly criminal organization, there's likely no way to know for sure. There is one interesting quirk to its expansion worth mentioning, though: The MC has also gotten into racing, with representatives in drag racing and hill climbs. Conflicts and run-ins with the law Police car with lights on at night - Zag Advertising/Shutterstock As anyone even remotely familiar with the history of outlaw MCs like the Mongols will have guessed, the Sons of Silence's first few decades were far from squeaky clean. While there doesn't seem to have been a conflict on the scale of the one between the Mongols and the Hells Angels, the Sons of Silence's expansion was far from trouble-free. The MC butted heads with the Outlaws in Indiana in the 1970s and '80s as it sought to expand into the state, resulting in injuries and deaths on both sides. The Sons of Silence didn't just come into conflict with other MCs; its members have also fallen afoul of the law over the years. Incidents include a 1972 brawl in Colorado Springs, where six Sons of Silence members including then-president Bruce Richardson were jailed for assault with a deadly weapon. A newspaper report of the time claims that some of the six were also suspected of involvement in conspiracies to harm police officers and their families earlier that same year. The FBI started investigating the Colorado chapter in 1981 on suspicion of distributing illicit drugs. As a result, authorities arrested a few Sons of Silence drug couriers in 1983, which led to the 1985 conviction of six MC members. Other federal investigations involving the MC included 1986's Operation One Percenter, which focused on major one percenter motorcycle clubs and several smaller MCs, with 53 bikers arrested and significant amounts of illegal drugs and firearms seized. Similarly, a 1999 ATF investigation led to the arrest of 39 club members, including president Leonard Reed. Guns, cash, drugs, and bikes were also seized. Going international Sons of Silence members riding on the highway - BBC Two/YouTube The Sons of Silence were a strictly American affair for most of their early decades, but that changed in 1998 when the MC established its first international chapter in Munich, Germany. The MC spread its wings even further in Germany a few short years later, with three more chapters in Freising, Gangkofen, and the greater Nurmberg area joining the Sons of Silence in 2001, before a South Central chapter was opened in 2002. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike some of the Hells Angels' international chapters, the German Sons of Silence don't seem to have garnered much negative press, though that doesn't necessarily mean the club is free of criminal elements. Either way, the Sons of Silence continued its expansion into the heart of the EU over the next few decades and is still growing at quite a pace; the two most recent additions were chapters in the German municipalities of Pfarrkirchen and Steinach, in 2015 and 2025, respectively. The Sons of Silence's operations in Germany have thus far been limited to the central and southern areas, including the state of Bavaria, and it remains to be seen whether it will ever expand northward. It may be able to count on the support of a support club if it ever does so, though. Like the American Sons of Silence, which has several support clubs, the Sons of Silence Germany has the backing of the Silent Crew MC, founded in October 2011. The Sons of Silence hasn't stayed out of trouble Close-up of handcuffs on a table with blue and red lighting - Skrypnykov Dmytro/Shutterstock Like many of their one-percenter brethren, the members of the Sons of Silence are still kicking up a storm on their Harleys and have continued to run afoul of the law in the process. In 2011, for example, 12 Sons of Silence members were indicted for their part in a methamphetamine distribution ring in Terre Haute, Indiana. One of the 12 was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement, as well as for organizing the kidnapping of a person who had allegedly stolen $5,000 from the MC's drug operations. In 2014, the local president of the Kansas City Sons of Silence chapter was charged with the interstate transportation of a minor for purposes of prostitution. The Sons of Silence member, along with an accomplice, pleaded guilty; they were sentenced to 10 years and 16 months in prison, respectively, the former without parole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The late 2010s and 2020s have continued to see Sons of Silence members and associates spend time behind bars. In 2020, an enforcer for the northern Iowa chapter was sentenced to 10 months in prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. A few years later, the United States Attorney's Office handed down a 10-year prison sentence to a higher-up of the Colorado Springs chapter for felony firearm possession and drug-related offenses, namely possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. Lives have been lost, too: a North Dakota Sons of Silence enforcer was found guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment. There's a lot more if you care to dig, but these snippets should show you that the Sons of Silence isn't necessarily the nicest organization around. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) Brilex Industries is hosting open houses over the next two days. Read next: Flying High hosting job fair, readiness event They are from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the plant at 1201 Crescent Street in Youngstown and Thursday at the plant at 11950 South Ave. in North Lima. Attendees can take a tour of the plant and explore potential career opportunities. Brilex is currently hiring fitters, welders, machinists, assemblers, general laborers, a tool room attendant, a quality technician and a shipping coordinator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More information and registration for the open houses can be found on Brilexs website. Headquartered in Youngstown, Brilex is a full-service build-to-print manufacturer specializing in fabrication, machining and assembly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. The Faith Walk World Outreach Center in Silvis says the chapel it uses for drive-in service has been stolen. The Rev. Scott Culley told Our Quad Cities News that the last time the chapel was seen was at 9 p.m. Friday. On Saturday morning, staff noticed it was missing. Culley says he was in Central Iowa doing a wedding ceremony when a youth pastor called and told him that that the chapel had been taken. His initial reaction was shock, trying to think who would do that, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The church began holding outdoor services in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued them ever since. The outdoor service, which uses an FM transmitter so that people can listen on their radios, takes place every Sunday, regardless of weather. Thats why the outdoor chapel was so important. We could be sheltered from the rain with the porch that was on it, and it had a glass door. In January when it was below zero, I could step in behind the door, and we could still do the ceremony out here in the parking lot, Culley told Our Quad Cities News. Faith Walk Outreach Center Facebook post Culley says the chapel is around 8 feet wide and 12 feet long. It is fully insulated, with a metal roof, and was built on a hay trailer that was bolted to the ground. The chapel was hooked up to electricity for sound equipment, and the wires have been disconnected. There were still tire tracks on the ground when Our Quad Cities News was on the scene. The outreach center has contacted the police and, through social media, has asked for help locating the property. Faith Walk Outreach Center missing chapel (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) If he could talk to the person(s) who took the chapel, Culley says, Id like to ask them why they would do something like this when were doing so many things to help within our community. The church runs an outreach program called the Oasis, which provides free clothing and furniture every weekend to people in need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Faith Walk Outreach Center started in 1985 and celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Culley says his family started the church in their living room: Its been a real testimony to what Gods faithfulness has been. It just began with my folks and my grandparents, and then now here it is 40 years later, and families from a lot of different places on both sides of the river attend and worship here. The church will continue to do its outdoor services on Sunday in a truck bed so that everyone who attended still can see and participate. If you have any information about the whereabouts of the Chapel, contact the Silvis police department. Bring our chapel back to us. said Culley. Faith Walk Outreach Center missing chapel (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) Faith Walk Outreach Center missing chapel (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) Faith Walk Outreach Center missing chapel (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) Faith Walk Outreach Center missing chapel (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) Faith Walk Outreach Center (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) Faith Walk Outreach Center (Gabe Zwierzynski OurQuadCities.com) Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. The last time this many people piled into hedge funds, the only great recession anyone might have been aware of was Larry Davids hairline. According to a new report published by Hedge Fund Research, the hedge fund industry saw total global assets under management reach a record $5 trillion in the three months ended September 30, the most since Q3 2007. During the quarter, assets rose by $238.4 billion, including $33.7 billion in new allocations, the most since 2007. SUBSCRIBE: Receive more of our free The Daily Upside newsletter. READ ALSO: Supreme Court Questions White House Rationale for Tariff Regime and Lovin It: Snack Wraps Bring Smiles Back to McDonalds Investors (and Customers) Hot Hand While risk-on sentiment has dominated recent months, risks have also evolved, with managers participating in acceleration of these trends through year-end but also positioning for sentiment and trend reversals across equities, commodities, currencies and cryptocurrencies, said HFR president Kenneth Heinz. He noted that institutional investors are likely to increase their allocations to funds that have proven they can balance the risk-on attitude (think AI boom) with planning for defensive reversals (see trade turmoil). To that end, two segments of the hedge fund industry have stood out this year: Equity hedge fund managers, the stock traders of the industry who chart markets with cutting-edge sophistication, garnered 7.2% in investment returns and grew their assets by $96.7 billion in the third quarter, HFR said. Their investor net inflows were $18 billion, bringing their assets under management to $1.5 trillion. Then there are macro hedge funds, the watchers of all things geopolitics and macroeconomics, who leverage their knowledge of developments to gain an edge trading bonds, commodities, currencies, equities and other assets. Macro strategies assets grew by $33.5 billion overall during Q3, with clients pouring in $1.7 billion net, bringing total macro capital to $759 billion. Human Touch: While the artificial intelligence boom has been a boon for equity hedge funds, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin doesnt expect AI to take over jobs in the financial industry any time soon. With GenAI, there are clearly ways it enhances productivity, but for uncovering alpha, it just falls short, he told the JPMorgan Robin Hood Investors Conference in New York last week, according to a Bloomberg report. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive delivering razor sharp analysis and perspective on all things finance, economics, and markets, subscribe to our free The Daily Upside newsletter. BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) The United States Department of Agriculture announced on Sunday that SNAP benefits would run dry on Nov. 1. With less than one week to prepare, food pantries are scrambling to meet an expected influx of needs. The Haven of Rest in Bristol, Tennessee has served their community for well over 50 years, providing food, hot meals and clothing to those in need. Executive Director Brian Plank said, just within the last week, the pantry has already seen an increase in need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO: Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will be issued on Nov. 1 We started seeing a real uptick in the number of people who are calling us for food, he said. Were normally just booking out maybe one week ahead or something like that, but were already about two weeks out, and every time slot weve got for people to come pick up food is full right now. On Oct. 23, Virginia Governor Youngkin declared a state of emergency due to SNAP shortage concerns. Plank said hes worried about how Tennessee will be affected by the lack of benefits. Tennessee is going to be in the same boat as anybody else, he said. Tennessee, as far as I know, I dont think theyre doing anything to try to augment right now. I think that when we hit November 1, all SNAP benefits are going to dry up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Haven has served SNAP recipients before. Plank said hes most concerned about senior citizens who receive SNAP at the base level and still rely on the pantry for food. We see a lot of seniors and things like that who get very, very little in the way of SNAP benefits, he said. Youre talking just 20 bucks in some cases, and its just not enough to get them through, so theyre still coming here and doing that. Plank said the team at the Haven has been great with preparations on such short notice and supporting each other through their efforts. Everybody has been working great, he said. We have a board member whos been really helpful. Weve got some other folks coming in that are just helping to stock food and keep everything rotated and organized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eastman retiree: Health benefit cuts will hurt vulnerable people The Haven receives their food from Second Harvest Food Bank in Kingsport, as well as local church food banks around the area. In preparation for an influx of people, the Haven is asking for donations of canned goods, which are some of the first items to leave the pantry shelf. They need the vegetables and the things like that, Plank said. Also, when youre talking canned goods, youre also basically talking dry goods. So youre talking like mac and cheese, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce and all those things. Just the things you would generally look at to try to put a meal together with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Haven is also requesting blanket and poncho donations as they prepare for colder months. The Haven of Rest accepts food and clothing donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week at 319 7th Street, Bristol, TN. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. Britain faces a 1bn blow from sick days as the number of people doing jobs with high rates of depression, anxiety and stress surges. The Health Foundation, a think tank, said recruitment was growing in industries including health and care, where workers are particularly likely to suffer from depression, stress and anxiety. At the same time, more intense and less secure jobs make up a growing proportion of the employment market, increasing the burden on workers, while greater awareness of mental health also increases the prevalence of sick days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It means employers must brace for a disproportionate rise in burnt-out staff taking time off for poor health caused by their jobs, the think tank said, intensifying Britains sickness crisis. Workers will take an extra 1.3 million days off for work-related ill-health in 2035 compared with 2025, said the think tank, up by around 5pc on todays level. That translates to a 1bn blow to GDP. Some of that increase is due to labour force growth, but it also reflects significant work-related ill health in fast-growing industries. More than 7pc of health professionals reported illness caused, or made worse, by their jobs last year. That compares with just over 4pc for the workforce as a whole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is anticipated to be growth in health professional occupations such as medical practitioners, physical and psychological therapists and nursing professionals, said the report, which was prepared for the Commission for Healthier Working Lives in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies. The report added: This occupational group has the highest current prevalence rate of work-related ill-health, driven largely by work-related stress, depression and anxiety. There are more than 5.1 million jobs in health and social work, according to the Office for National Statistics, up from 4.4 million before the pandemic. The Health Foundation expects the figure to increase by another 338,000 in the coming decade based on current trends. Sam Atwell at the think tank said it raises the prospect of further threats to the Governments finances as Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, seeks ways to fill a fresh black hole in the public purse at next months Budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good quality work benefits our health, but this research shows that economic trends, in particular rising demand for frontline services, may lead to more workers being at risk of work-related health problems adding further pressure on government finances in the next decade, he said. Its analysts also anticipate rapid growth in occupations involving caring and supporting others, such as care workers, childcare support assistants and nursing auxiliaries. These occupations currently have high levels of work-related mental and physical ill-health and poor job quality. Working in tiring positions, physical and emotional burnout, lack of control and discrimination are all above average in the sector in which these roles are located, the report warned. A worker taking time off for work-related stress, depression or anxiety will typically be absent for 21.1 days, the think tanks found. That is almost 50pc longer than the 14.3 days taken on average for musculoskeletal conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other industries are also expected to grow significantly. Teaching, customer service, business, media and public services are all likely sources of employment growth. All come with high levels of poor health. By 2030, the think tanks predict an extra 250,000 days will be lost due to work-related ill health among business, media and public services professionals. Caring personal service workers are the next-largest source of lost days, followed by health professionals, who also account for more than 200,000 days. The findings will heighten concerns about the economic impact of ill health. These figures cover only work-related ill health, but workers also take time off for sickness not linked to their jobs. Last year, 148.9 million working days were lost to ill health, the ONS said, averaging 4.4 days per worker. On top of that, 2.8 million adults of working age are currently economically inactive neither in work, nor looking for work as a result of long-term sickness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A government spokesman said: Keeping people healthy and in work isnt just the right thing to do its essential for economic growth. Thats why were shifting our focus from welfare to work, skills and opportunities, backed by 1bn a year for employment support by the end of the decade. The Keep Britain Working Review will also help us and employers support more sick or disabled people into work, boosting productivity and driving growth as part of our Plan for Change, the spokesman added. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. NEW BRITAIN - Jurors in the second murder trial of Patrick Miles on Monday told a judge they were split 7-5 on a verdict and "struggling to come to a consensus." Judge Christopher Pelosi issued the "Chip Smith" charge, which urges jurors in the minority opinion to reconsider the majority opinion and whether their opinions were based on facts as presented or on other reasons. Miles, 45, is being tried again in the murder of his estranged wife, Yasheeka T. "Mouda" Miles, 33, inside their New Britain apartment. Miles has been held on $2.5 million bond since his arrest in 2017, according to a state prison website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2022, the state Supreme Court reversed a 2019 jury conviction, ruling that prosecutors improperly commented on his decision to remain silent after being advised of his right to remain silent, and ordered a new trial. The court said in its opinion that while the evidence was strong enough to support the guilty verdict, the prosecutor's repeated references during closing arguments that Miles "only told his story for the first time at trial" amounted to an unconstitutional use of his "post-Miranda silence." The case was tried last week in New Britain by New Britain State's Attorney Christian Watson and Assistant State's Attorney Thai Chhay and defense attorney Michael Brown. Jurors began deliberating Friday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the Chip Smith charge, the jury continued deliberation. Yasheeka Miles, who worked as a resident staff member at Community Residences Inc. in Newington, was the mother of two children, according to her obituary. She was found April 7, 2017, lying face-down in a pool of blood after neighbors called 911 to report a disturbance, according to the opinion. She was shot multiple times in the head. When New Britain police arrived, they found drugs, packaging materials and nearly $3,000 in cash, and the couple's 2-year-old daughter was missing, the opinion stated. Hours later, the child was found safe at Miles' sister's home in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Miles was arrested days later in Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the first trial, prosecutors portrayed Miles as a jealous husband "who easily flew into a rage" and threatened his estranged wife amid infidelity, according to the opinion. Miles, who admitted on the stand that he was a drug dealer, testified at the fist trial that he came home to find his wife already dead and believed she was the victim of a robbery gone wrong. He said he fled the state because he feared that whoever had killed her might come after him and his child, according to the opinion. This article originally published at New Britain jury splits 7-5 in murder retrial; judge urges panel to reach consensus. It was the nicest car that Eleanor Dallaway had ever owned. The black Mercedes GLC that the content director used to drive to work and ferry her children to school was usually parked overnight in the drive of their Oxfordshire home. So it was something of a shock to discover one morning that it wasnt there. I opened the curtains of the playroom to let light into the house, and I started to walk back out of the room, but something in my brain said it didnt look right. The driveway was empty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dallaways dawning realisation that the vehicle had been stolen from outside her five-bedroom house in a quiet village while she and her family slept was concerning enough. What she discovered later, after talking to investigators, was even more alarming. Eleanor Dallaways car was stolen from outside her Oxfordshire home - Julian Simmonds She learnt that this was not an opportunistic crime by a thief who happened to be passing by, but a calculated, sophisticated and targeted operation by one of an increasing number of organised crime gangs whose tentacles stretch overseas, where the market for luxury cars, SUVs and pick-up vehicles is worth hundreds of millions of pounds. On the day it was stolen, the police told me it could be put on a ferry or a boat and in another country within days, says Dallaway, co-founder of the cyber insurance company Assured. Experts say an increasing number of high-value cars stolen from British streets end up abroad even as far as Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean where theres a lucrative trade in fashionable, high-status vehicles and scarce engine parts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sprawling web of crime was brought into focus earlier this month when it emerged that a Range Rover taken from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was tracked down 5,000 miles away to Karachi, Pakistan the same city where, according to local police, a 200,000 Bentley Mulsanne was recovered in 2022, having been stolen in London. Its organised crime, and its profitable and relatively low risk, says Tom Chisholm, deputy head of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), a body with law enforcement powers that is funded by the auto industry. There are thieves, there are facilitators, and there are people overseas its very, very well organised. You dont have to sort of protect your market as you do with drugs, firearms and disputes, so if youve got the contacts to do it, then its fairly straightforward. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that over the past decade theres been a 74 per cent increase in stolen vehicles reported to police in England and Wales (up from 70,216 to 121,825). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chisholm believes the rise is at least partly being driven by demand from abroad. People pay over the odds for them, he says. You could probably double the price of what youd pay in the UK for a decent vehicle to what youd pay overseas. If its stripped and its in parts, they get more, because the parts are really difficult to get hold of, he adds. The shortage of car parts was principally caused by the pandemic, which disrupted supply chains for manufacturing and repairs, forcing up prices that were already on the rise because of new automotive features, modern systems and the switch to electric cars. The cost of a new vehicle went up by 90 per cent between 2010 and 2024, according to a report by the security and defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Organised crime groups seized these opportunities, stealing vehicles and capitalising on high returns with relatively low risk, including taking advantage of online marketplaces, as there is a growing body of evidence on the sale of stolen vehicles and parts on the dark web, it says, citing the matrix of hidden and often criminal websites accessible only via special browsers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overseas markets have proved especially enticing for the gangs. In countries and regions that are already underserved by traditional manufacturers and supply chains, both for parts and vehicles, the illicit market has filled the gap, the report says. The top destination, according to experts at the automotive risk intelligence organisation, Thatcham Research, is the Democratic Republic of Congo, which borders nine countries and has a deep seaport (a gateway for the rest of Africa, says Chisholm). b' 2810 Car theft pathways ' The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had an acute shortage of cars and parts following flooding last year, is in second spot, followed by Cyprus a stopping-off point for other Mediterranean countries and Jamaica, which has stiff tariffs on legal car imports. Both Cyprus and Jamaica drive on the left, which means theres a buoyant market for British vehicles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About one in 20 stolen cars sent abroad ends up in Georgia, believed to be a transit country for Russia, where the car market has struggled because of sanctions and the withdrawal of key manufacturers since the start of the war in Ukraine in early 2022. The gang that stole Dallaways 25,000 Mercedes made off with five other cars from the same area over two nights, including Jaguars and a Ford Mustang. Doorbell footage from one of the victims addresses showed the care the hooded and balaclava-clad thieves had taken not to be identified. It was four of them they were pushing the car silently down the road, and when they got to the end of the junction they turned the engine on, says Dallaway. In each case, a relay device, which intercepts the signal between the car and the motorists key fob, was used to drive it away. From there, the gang had various alternatives. They could use the car to commit other crimes; take it to a chop shop, an illegal site for disassembling vehicles and selling parts on the black market; or sell it on the legitimate used-car market with a registration number from another vehicle of the same make, model and year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The most profitable option, by some distance, would be to arrange for it to be smuggled abroad on a cargo vessel. Normally, theyll load it into a container away from the port, and then its usually taken by a freight forwarder who will have contracts with shipping companies, says Chisholm, who claims a lack of checks on containers is a weak point in the system. You can book one today and say its full of teddy bears, and then fill it up with stolen cars and nobody would know. In 2024-25, NaVCIS recovered 450 stolen vehicles at ports, wedged in containers typically listed as holding household items such as furniture and mattresses. That was almost double the corresponding figure the previous year, suggesting, Chisholm argues, that the organisations intelligence about the gangs activities is improving. Police, too, have had some success following a series of operations across the country. Last month, four members of an organised crime network in London were jailed after undercover officers caught them stealing dozens of vehicles, some of which were destined for overseas. The value of the vehicles 73 cars and a van is estimated to be around 1.7m. Stolen cars hidden inside shipping containers are often listed as carrying furniture or toys - Thatcham Research Once the group had stolen a car, they attached a number plate cloned from a similar vehicle to make it easier to evade detection. But police had been carrying out surveillance on the thieves for months to link them to as many crimes as possible. They were completely unaware of our presence, says Det Insp Damian Hill, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To come into custody and to think youve just been arrested for stealing a couple of cars, and then youre having 73-odd offences put to you in your interview, with evidence being presented to you of your phone was here, your fingerprints were on this, your DNA was on this, theres CCTV of you stealing the car they were shocked, he says. The gang received prison terms of up to five years and ten months. These are the first sort of decent sentences these guys have had in relation to theft offences, so hopefully itll be some sort of disruption to them at least for a couple of years, says Hill. GPS satellite-based technology has also helped police recover stolen vehicles, like the black Range Rover Sport whose onboard tracking device briefly showed that it was in Karachi. Chisholm recalls a tracker having helped NaVCIS locate a stolen BMW 850i convertible, worth 20,500, to the edge of a wood in Buckinghamshire, south-east England it was in a shipping container. And a Canadian man is reported to have used an Apple AirTag to trace the journey of his GMC Yukon XL, which had disappeared from his Toronto driveway, to the UAE (though he has not been able to get it back). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But John Mussett, a private investigator who specialises in car tracking, warns that criminals are getting wise to attempts to disrupt their lucrative trade. These thieves are experts in their own field, he told The Telegraph earlier this year. They know how to spot tracking devices, they use scanners and detectors, and they can cut through different parts of the vehicle to override alarms. As manufacturers improve their security, thieves are changing their tactics. Whats more theyre getting away with it. Although the proportion of vehicle crime cases reported to police that resulted in a charge has edged up slightly, it remains a pitifully low 2.4 per cent. In most cases, detectives are simply unable to identify a suspect. The thieves who took Dallaways Mercedes, thought to be part of a gang from London or Birmingham, havent been caught and the vehicle itself, like the majority of those stolen, has yet to be recovered. The globalisation of the black market in cars means that, like thousands of others that have vanished from sleepy side streets, garages and driveways, it probably never will be. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A British mother detained in Irans most notorious prison on spurious espionage charges is losing hope, her son has said. Lindsay Foreman is being held in Tehrans Evin Prison, alongside her husband Craig, by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Her son Joe Bennett, who has directly spoken to his mother only twice in nearly 300 days, said she was feeling despondent about their chances of release and that they were expecting a verdict imminently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Relaying a recent phone call he had with his mother, organised by their lawyer, Mr Bennett said: Her spirits were low. She told me that a further recent court appearance last week had not gone well. We had been told to expect a verdict rather than another appearance. I dont know exactly what that means, but I could feel shes losing hope. The couple from East Sussex were arrested in January while travelling through Iran as part of an around-the-world motorcycle tour. They were charged with unspecified offences of espionage. The family have denied the accusations, calling the charges absolutely crazy. The pair, pictured on their travels, were arrested in Iran in January - Instagram Mr Bennett met Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, to discuss his mother and step-fathers detention two weeks ago but described the talks as unproductive and frustrating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said: Right now, it feels like each side is waiting for the others to move first. The British are waiting for a sentence before acting. The Iranians are deciding what sentence to hand down. Horror becoming normalised Mr Bennett admitted that he was becoming worryingly desensitised to the conditions of his mothers internment. My mother found a rat in her bed the other day. Nine months ago, that would have horrified me. Now compared to everything else she endures, it barely registers, and thats what scares me most. The horror is becoming normalised. Ms Foreman was moved from Qarchak Prison, a former cattle-farm repurposed into a detention facility for women, to Evin on Oct 9 after being placed on an intravenous drip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evin Prison is one of the Islamic republics most symbolically important detention facilities, where prominent activists, including Nazanin Zagari Ratcliffe, foreigners, journalists and dissidents have been held for decades. The family initially welcomed the transfer but say she has now been left isolated among non-English speaking inmates. Mr Foreman is suffering from a dental abscess and worsening health, Mr Bennett added. Well blink and it will be Christmas, and in the New Year that will be a whole year they have spent imprisoned and isolated in these awful conditions. We need to shout even louder to make sure that no one forgets that my parents remain in the most horrific circumstances imaginable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The All Party Parliamentary Group on Arbitrary Detention and Hostage Affairs have scheduled a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the couples detention. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (The Center Square) Floridas attorney general on Tuesday called for the state to consider placing limits on the use of the insanity defense after a Kentucky parolee who killed a 6-year-old was found living near a school in Marion County. The facts of this case are tragic, Attorney General James Uthmeier said at a news conference. A 6-year-old was brutally stabbed in his sleep and killed. Whats even more tragic is that this guy was released after only seven years behind bars. Ronald Exantus, 42, was found not guilty by reason of insanity on the murder charge and was convicted instead of assault charges, receiving a lesser sentence, Uthmeier said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida authorities learned that Exantus had moved from Kentucky to Marion County after his release from prison but had not registered as a convicted felon with the local Sheriffs Office. The home he was residing in was immediately adjacent to Sunrise Elementary School and just a few blocks away from Horizon Academy, the attorney general said in a release. He was charged with a parole violation and extradited back to Kentucky on Tuesday, Uthmeier said. A few states have narrowed insanity defenses, Uthmeier said. I hope that the leaders of Florida will look at adding Florida to that list of states, he said. I believe the insanity defense is often abused and allows people to evade accountability and get out early. It impedes the work of prosecutors who stick their necks out and go face to face with dangerous criminals every day in the courtroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exantus was charged in 2015 with the stabbing death of Logan Tipton, 6, in Versailles, Ky., Uthmeier said. A jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity and convicted him instead of two counts of second degree assault and one count of fourth-degree assault. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and paroled after seven years, the attorney general said. There is no excuse for stabbing a 6-year-old child repeatedly and ending his life, Uthmeier said. A Brooklyn boy was spit on by a passing bicyclist in a suspected anti-Jewish hate crime outraging his activist grandmother, who still mourns the son she lost in a 1994 anti-Semitic terror attack on the Brooklyn Bridge. The 13-year-old victim went home and told his mother after he was spit on near Eastern Parkway and Albany Ave. in Crown Heights about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday. His mother called her mother, Devorah Halberstam, who was thrust into a life of activism after her son was shot to death while riding in a van full of fellow yeshiva students three decades ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NYPD was notified about the spitting incident and Hate Crime Task Force investigators are looking for the suspect, described as a light-skinned Black man in his 30s. Clad in a rainbow-colored jacket, he sped by on his bike and didnt say a word as he spit at the teen, police and Halberstam said. The suspect never slowed down as he whizzed past. The spit landed on the victims black hat, part of his traditional Hasidic garb. Halberstam, who sits on a civilian panel that helps the NYPD review hate crimes, said that while her grandson was shocked he suspected right away he was targeted because hes a Hasidic Jew. Hes a smart kid, Halberstam told the Daily News. He knew. The kids all around here all know. Theyre aware of the world were living in today. Its a shock when it happens to you but not a shock in the context of what is happening around us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halberstams son Ari, 16, was killed on March 1, 1994, when a gunman fired from his car at a van filled with yeshiva students getting on the Brooklyn Bridge to head back to Brooklyn after visiting Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the spiritual leader of the Lubavitch sect at a Manhattan hospital. The shooter struck four students, killing Ari. The gunman, Rasheed Baz, a livery cab driver from Lebanon, was upset about the massacre of Muslim worshipers days earlier in Hebron, Israel. His lawyer argued Baz was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and thought the students in the van were going to attack him, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Baz was convicted of murder in 1995 and sentenced to 141 years in prison. Two men who helped Baz hide the car he fired from were sentenced to probation after pleading guilty. Devorah Halberstam said not a day goes by without her and her family talking about Ari. Her grandson, she said, knows full well what happened to the teen who would have been his uncle had he lived. We live with it all the time, she said of anti-Semitism. Its our universe. I dont want to say nothings changed but sadly and honestly anti-Semitism has not gone away. It means the fight continues. Hate crimes in the city are down 20% this year, with 461 incidents so far, down from 579 by this time last year, according to NYPD statistics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But anti-Semitic crimes, while down 11%, are the citys most common hate crime, with 263 incidents so far this year, down from 297 by this point last year. Crimes motivated by the victims sexual orientation are next on the list, with 48 incidents so far this year. On Monday, the city saw yet another anti-Jewish hate crime, cops said. An Israeli educator, Rami Glickstein, was slugged in the face by a stranger who stormed up to him near W. 38th St. and Seventh Ave. in Midtown, police said. What the f is your religion? the attacker yelled, pointing at the victims yarmulke, according to police sources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attacker snatched the yarmulke off Glicksteins head, threw it onto the ground and stomped on it. As the victim tried to pick the yarmulke up off the ground, the man punched him on the left side of his face, leaving a cut, police said. My Israeli pride was hurt, Glickstein told YNet News. It pains me that I couldnt fight back, and I regret that deeply. This attack is a direct result of the daily incitement taking place around the world including in the United States against Jews and against Israel, Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York, said in a statement. Medics transported Glickstein to a local hospital with minor injuries. His assailant ran off and has not been caught. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yesterday I was attacked because of the dome on my head in the streets of Manhattan. Next to the Kosher restaurant mister broadway, Glickstein said in a Facebook post. The attacker prevented me from entering the restaurant. I wont let him and his intellect win. This evening Ill be back there despite my injury. With Thomas Tracy and Nicholas Williams A Brooklyn man crashed into a Long Island police vehicle while driving drunk, then tried to pay off the cops who arrested him, authorities said Tuesday. Chi Hung Leung, a 50-year-old Bath Beach resident, collided with a Nassau County police vehicle just before 6 a.m. Monday in East Hills, the county police department said Tuesday in an alert. Leung initially tried to speed away from the scene in his vehicle, but when that didnt work he took off on foot, according to police. However, he was quickly located nearby by additional officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators determined Leung was drunk at the time of his arrest. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. During the course of the arrest, the defendant did offer numerous officers money in exchange for his release, Nassau County police wrote in the alert. The crash occurred on the Long Island Expressway near exit 38, about 25 miles northeast of Leungs home in Brooklyn. At the time, Nassau County highway patrol officers were responding to an unrelated 911 call when Leung hit one of their vehicles, cops said. The officer whose vehicle Leung struck was also hospitalized and expected to recover from their injuries. Leung was charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, three counts of second-degree bribery and two counts of fleeing. His arraignment was scheduled for Tuesday. 1 of 3 Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo Midland and Odessas Bubbas 33 locations will continue their annual Veterans Day tradition of welcoming veterans and active U.S. military to enjoy free lunch on Tuesday, November 11, from open to 4 p.m. For veterans and active military unable to attend this years event, the restaurant will distribute raincheck vouchers from 9 a.m. to noon on Veterans Day, good through May 31, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All veterans including active, retired or former U.S. military can choose one of six entrees, including a Classic Cheeseburger, Bubbas Bacon Burger, Bacon Chicken Mac-n-Cheese, Grilled Chicken Salad, Chicken Tender Salad or any 12-inch pizza plus a choice of any Coca-Cola product, sweet tea/ice tea or coffee during lunch. Proof of service includes military or VA card, or discharge papers. The post Bubbas 33 committed to thanking military heroes on Veterans Day appeared first on Odessa American. Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, former heir apparent to Hong Kong property giant New World Development (NWD) and founder of investment firm ALMAD Group, has become a shareholder in CBCX Group, a London-headquartered multi-asset broker. Founded in 2011, CBCX offers a trading platform for currencies, precious metals, stocks, indices and commodities. It is also expanding into the digital-asset ecosystem. "This strategic investment will inject significant momentum and resources into CBCX's growth across the Asia-Pacific region and global markets," CBCX said in a statement on Monday without specifying the amount invested. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The partnership would focus on enhancing financial trading and investment solutions for the gold and foreign exchange sectors, while deepening collaboration across commodities, stocks and brokerage services, the company added. The collaboration marked a "milestone" in bridging traditional finance with emerging digital assets, according to the announcement. Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, founder of investment firm ALMAD Group. Photo: Handout alt=Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, founder of investment firm ALMAD Group. Photo: Handout> Cheng would focus on traditional and virtual gold trading platforms, according to people familiar with the matter. The entrepreneur's investment aligns with his growing interest in virtual assets. His new enterprise ALMAD targeted markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and China, with a mission to break "boundaries in digital and virtual assets", the company said last month. ALMAD operates a digital-asset arm, A2Z. Focusing on "transformative industries", which also include culture and healthcare, Cheng's new venture was launched in September, less than three months after the third-generation scion of NWD resigned as non-executive director of the company. He stepped down as CEO of NWD a year ago after the company reported a record full-year loss of about US$2.5 billion amid a property slump in Hong Kong and mainland China. Cheng said earlier this year he would "devote more time to public services and other personal commitments", according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. As an early-stage investor in start-ups, Cheng's notable bets included the Chinese social media platform RedNote, electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng, and Micro Connect International Finance, an investment firm established in 2021. Police are searching for the group of suspects accused of breaking into a home and stealing more than $3 million in jewelry in Queens. The burglary happened in the afternoon on Oct. 16 at a home near 160th Street and 84th Drive in Jamaica Hills. According to the NYPD, three men dressed as construction workers drove to the home and broke in by forcibly opening a rear door. Once inside, police say the suspects removed a safe that had jewelry with an estimated value of $3.2 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspects then fled the scene eastbound on 84th Drive in a blue Hyundai Elantra. No one was injured during the burglary. Authorities are now trying to determine what led up to the burglary. Investigators say that the victim is a jeweler and that the burglary was likely targeted. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. A longtime Chinatown-International District property owner is suing the City of Seattle, claiming that city leaders intentionally concentrated homeless encampments and drug activity in Little Saigon, destroying his familys business and property in the process. The lawsuit, filed by Dennis L. Chinn and Chinn Investments, LLC, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges that city policies violated constitutional protections against discrimination and unlawful property takings. Chinn accuses both current and former city officials of misguided efforts to solve the homelessness crisis that disproportionately impacted ethnic-minority neighborhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the 33-page complaint, the Chinn family has owned property along South Jackson Street since the late 1940s. The land became home to the Asian Plaza Shopping Center once considered a cornerstone of Seattles Vietnamese community. Over the decades, the plaza housed businesses like Viet Wah Supermarket, Tamarind Tree Restaurant, and Helping Link, becoming a cultural hub in Little Saigon. Chinns complaint says that city policies and a lack of law enforcement response allowed open-air drug use, theft, and encampments to overrun the area, forcing every tenant including Viet Wah to shut down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The supermarket closed permanently in September 2022 after 35 years in business. Chinn alleges its closure stemmed directly from the City of Seattles failure to enforce existing anti-theft laws. In court documents, Chinn describes the intersection of 12th Avenue and South Jackson Street as a wasteland of drug use, homelessness, and squalor. He argues that Seattles tolerance of encampments and public drug activity amounts to a taking of private property under the Fifth Amendment because the citys inaction has effectively stripped his family of its use and value. The lawsuit further claims that Little Saigon has been consciously and intentionally sacrificed by Seattle policymakers in order to keep other areas of the city free from such problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After years of decline, Chinns main commercial building burned to the ground on June 10, 2024. The Seattle Fire Department determined the likely cause was a fire started by squatters. Chinn said that once utilities were cut off, the building was routinely broken into by thieves stripping copper wiring and pipes, eventually leaving it uninhabitable. Chinn later attempted to sell the property to a developer, but the deal collapsed when lenders were shocked at what they saw in the neighborhood, according to the complaint. He now says the property generates no income but remains subject to high property taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an affidavit filed earlier this month, Chinns son, Brian, added a personal injury claim after being assaulted by a man wielding a branch while he was clearing syringes and debris from the familys hillside property in September. He said Seattle police never responded to his 911 call. The affidavit also includes a notice from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, warning the Chinns that failure to remove the encampment and trash from their property could result in fines of up to $500 per day. Brian said it cost the family $22,500 to clear the encampment and hazardous materials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am continually concerned for my safety, Brian Chinn wrote, describing frequent encounters with people trespassing or stealing on the property. The City has caused this concentration of homeless individualsand then requires me to remove them by threatening substantial fines. The lawsuit seeks damages under the Equal Protection Clause, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It accuses Seattle of selective non-enforcement of criminal laws in Little Saigon and demands compensation for the destruction of the property, the loss of rental income, and the familys cultural legacy. The City of Seattle has not yet filed a response to the amended complaint. Oct. 27Over a dozen people spoke before the vote Monday finalizing stricter enforcement of camping in Spokane. Nearly all were in favor of the change. Representatives from the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Greater Spokane Incorporated, Catholic Charities and Spokane Business Association all praised the proposal. Jonathan Mallahan spoke on behalf of the local Catholic Charities organization. He said that it is a foundational belief for the charity that housing is a human right, and that individual freedoms should be balanced by the common good. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ordinance does well to prioritize offering services to homeless people rather than punishment, he said, while "preserving the discretion needed to address behaviors that undermine a healthy, well-being community." "That means we must care for those in greatest need, while also ensuring our shared spaces remain safe and thriving for all who work, live and visit Spokane," Mallahan said. "We believe this is the kind of compassionate realism Spokane needs." The ordinance, dubbed "Prop One Plus" by Councilman Michael Cathcart, broadens the abilities of city police in addressing homelessness, granting officers discretion whether to make an arrest, issue a ticket, offer services or some combination thereof. The tough-love perspective was shared by local small business owner Taryn Coleman, who said that she herself was once deep in the throes of addiction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I spent nearly a decade behind bars, and while I will never pretend that incarceration is the ideal solution, I will never dispute that it saved my life," she said. "When people refuse outreach, when they refuse shelter, when they refuse treatment, jail can sometimes be the last door that's still open. And sometimes that doorway is just enough space and time for someone to choose life." Owner of First Avenue Coffee Doyle Wheeler said that he strongly supports the policy change as a way to make downtown Spokane safer and instill a sense of community in people. "I believe a safe downtown will inherently grow community," he said. "It's not about growing business, It's not about growing wealth It's about growing safety and smiles and family being together." Earlier in the day, Brianne Holzendorf, 47, sat alone on the Monroe Street Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was cold and hungry under her sleeping bag, collecting bits of hail as she recalled the last four months spent homeless after a fire destroyed her home. "There's nowhere to be. There's nowhere to go," Holzendorf said, tears welling in her eyes. "I mean, you're always asked to move along, no matter where it is, and nobody's happy to see you. It just sucks." Amy Melson, 44, stood on a corner outside Mod Pizza with her 4-year-old pitbull mix, Gabriel Lunchbox Martin, and a shopping cart full of everything she had in Spokane. She said she has been trying to raise funds to make it home to Oklahoma to be with her 18-year-old daughter, who is preparing to give birth to a baby girl. Melson has a home in Oklahoma and refers to herself as "stranded," rather than homeless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both women said they longed for the innocence of childhood. "It sucks to be cold," Holzendorf said. "I just wish there was a little kid again so I could be snuggled down and taken care of by my mom." For some living on the streets, the new ordinance isn't encouraging nor surprising. Holzendorf has been homeless for four months. After a string of major life-altering events the death of her husband, her house burning down, losing her job and then eviction from her apartment she found herself huddled under a sleeping bag on the Monroe Street Bridge. She's been approached by many police officers over her months on the street, who are for the most part kind and helpful, she said, but there are a litany of barriers that keep her from accepting their help in getting her to a shelter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For one, her boyfriend wouldn't be able to stay with her; she can't find an opening in an overnight shelter open to both men and women. "I have bad anxiety, and I just am really hesitant to separate from my other half for that overnight period," she said. "If there was a shelter that would take a couple, I would go there in a heartbeat, an absolute heartbeat." If she was able to find a space that could shelter both her and her boyfriend, who she said keeps her safe and warm, then there's the problem of getting there. She can't ride a bus with her collapsible cart, piled high with blankets for the cold season she's dreading. It ticketed, she wouldn't be able to pay it. If it came down to being arrested, ticketed or seeking shelter, she said she would feel "forced" to seek shelter, even if without her boyfriend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have no way to pay. And I'm not interested in going to jail; I'm not," Holzendorf said. "I feel like it's just a matter of time before I would end up in jail, because I've talked to more officers and it seems like I'm always getting told to 'Move along, move along.' " It's a familiar tune to Melson, who has been living on Spokane's streets since she was removed from an Amtrak bus on her way to Tulsa four months ago. Since, she's been stuck in Spokane, trying to find her way back to Tulsa in time for the birth of her granddaughter. "I don't want to be here, straight up," she said. "I want to be back at home." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police approach Melson daily, offering resource lists that map out where shelters, treatment centers and free meals are around the city. But there's a 70-pound barrier keeping her from simply finding a shelter: her pup Gabriel, who she's had since he was a puppy. "I'm not going to a shelter if I'm leaving my dog," she said of Gabriel, dutifully laying at her feet. A roof over her head would be welcome, she said, as would the opportunity to shower and use a restroom that isn't a dumpster. "They need to come up with a place to put people. They can't keep complaining about where to put us, find somewhere for us," she said. "Help us, don't hinder us." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melson hopes she'll be well on her way to Tulsa before police start making arrests or issuing tickets in Spokane. As for Holzendorf, her veteran boyfriend qualifies for a voucher to pay for housing, and they're awaiting the response on their application for a studio near downtown. Once she's back with a roof over her head, Holzendorf said the months on the street will have taught her a lot. "Try to have some compassion and teach your children compassion, because it's necessary," she said. "You don't know what someone else is going through, and we're all human beings and we're all in this together, whether it seems like it or not." Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor. CLAXTON, Tenn. (WATE) A public meeting was held in Anderson County on Tuesday to discuss the impact a proposed road widening project would have on the Claxton community. Tennessee Department of Transportation wants to expand part of State Route 170 along Edgemoor Road, to increase the number of lanes from two to four and replace the bridge over the Clinch River. TDOT presented the findings of an approved environmental assessment, and discussed any impacts this project may have in the community something people in the area have been questioning for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Repaving set for East Tennessee roads after TDOT gets $1 billion boost Its been really difficult, said local business owner Tara Allen. I have reached out to some county officials, and the only thing that Ive really been told is that most likely its not going to happen anytime soon. But as these meetings come up, we get nervous that its going to happen sooner than what were kind of told to believe. Allen owns The Resale Rack off Edgemoor Road, and according to the assessment, it states there are potential relocations that would result from the proposed project, including 69 residences and 18 businesses. Theres really no specifics. Theres no letter that says, Hey Resale Rack, this is exactly what were doing. Heres a map of your property. This is what were taking. This is how were going to help you. And I think theres no specific dates, times. Were clueless, said Allen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allen said in order for TDOT to widen the road, they would need to take the parking lot they use at the front of their building, and without the parking lot businesses will lose customers and the ability to continue serving the community. A proven leader Tennessee Governor appoints new TDOT commissioner The clients are not going to have anywhere to park out here. Its just going to be a lot of chaos I believe, said Kimberly Reed, another business owner. Reed owns a barber shop just down the road from Allen. She said she has already been through the ringer with closures, moving to her current location in Claxton a few years ago to start fresh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had to relocate it to here, pull in my clients from Oak Ridge and the Karns area and Powell area to here, and I definitely feel like Im going to go through it again, she said. At Allens store, she said they do much more than sell clothing, also serving as a resource for the community. Bridge construction to close part of US 27 in Roane County for a year Its going to affect their businesses, affect the community when were providing resources. I just really hope to nail down more specifics and get answers instead of well, it could be this or it could be that, said Allen. Both business owners said that their building owner plans to build a parking lot in the rear of their complex to help with parking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement See more top stories on WATE.com Meanwhile TDOT said the reason a study was conducted in the first place was in response to public concerns about increasing traffic along Edgemoor Road. According to the assessment, the relocation plan is subject to change as the project continues through the development process Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. At most elite MBA programs, the pitch is familiar: future global leaders, entrepreneurs reshaping industries, changemakers tackling climate and inequality. For many students, those promises are galvanizing. For others, they can be alienating. That tension is at the heart of new research on institutional exclusion by Stanford sociologist Michelle Jackson and emlyon professor Christof Brandtner. Their study, published this year in Social Forces, shows how colleges cultural narratives expressed through mission statements and websites send powerful signals about who belongs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While advantaged students are drawn to post-material ideals like purpose and discovery, disadvantaged students resonate with straightforward career rhetoric. The effect, the authors argue, is that talented students from modest backgrounds may self-select out of institutions with the highest long-term returns. PURPOSE VERSUS PRAGMATISM Emlyons Christof Brandtner: Theres great value in having a diverse pipelinenot just for fairness, but because it makes organizations better at what they do Our study shows that students from less advantaged backgrounds often feel that certain kinds of colleges arent for people like them. The same logic applies to business schools, Brandtner tells Poets&Quants. Language about global leadership and world-changing entrepreneurship can sound inspiring to those already born or socialized into elite business culture, but alien to those for whom professional school is a huge financial gamble. The bigger point is that organizations shape their applicant pools long before anyone applies. People from working-class backgrounds are often willing to invest in education, but they can be diverted by institutions that speak to their reality especially those that promise career returns in plain terms. Business schools that leave the straightforward talk about employability to low-status competitors risk losing talented applicants who lack full information about the value of their degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tension is particularly acute in MBA marketing. Programs advertise sky-high salary boosts and robust employment pipelines, while also framing the degree as a platform for impact. The opportunity is there for business schools to show that employability and purpose arent opposites, Brandtner says. You can make a pragmatic case for social impact climate change, entrepreneurship, community leadership without assuming everyone already sees themselves as a global changemaker. From what I can tell, many B-schools walk the line between purpose and pragmatism very well already. My school loves boasting about the great employability of our graduates! But I think that prestige discourse is not B-schools biggest crime when it comes to giving lower-class people a sense of being in the wrong place. Their cultural signals are often pretentious lavish campus photos, networking trips to exotic destinations, expensive social events, and just the notion of being elite. Those things communicate exclusivity much more loudly than post-material values and concerns about diversity, which are much more subtle markers of high class and already have a negative impact on whether students think they fit into college. Imagine how much more damage a reputation for being ridiculously expensive can do. WHEN GLOBAL LANGUAGE FEELS EXCLUSIVE Institutional exclusion also travels across borders. While Jackson and Brandtners study focused on U.S. colleges, Brandtner believes the same dynamics play out globally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I can tell you that universities and professional schools elsewhere embrace prestige language, and how prospective applicants will react to that language is likely not universal. Noting that he is not an expert in MBA admissions, nor is the study about that, he adds: It probably also depends a lot on the program. MBAs attract people who already identify with the global business class, while earlier-stage programs, like a Masters in Management, draw a more diverse mix of first-generation or regional students. In both cases, though, class differences travel. Business schools export the same cultural template of being confident, cosmopolitan, and globally mobile. Those expectations can make talented applicants from modest or non-Western backgrounds feel like outsiders, even in programs that actively recruit them. LESSONS FROM CORPORATE RECRUITING Business schools often mirror the employers they feed into, and here too the research resonates. Prior work by Northwestern sociologist Lauren Rivera has shown that consulting, finance, and law firms rely heavily on cultural matching in recruitment, favoring candidates who already feel at home in elite spaces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know a fair bit about how recruiting in professional settings reproduces class inequalities, Brandtner says. Northwestern sociologist Lauren Riveras excellent work on cultural matching shows how recruiters in law, consulting, and finance look for people who feel comfortable in elite settingswho share hobbies, humor, and habitus. That matching process likely already starts with how employers describe themselves. The general lesson from our study is not to hide behind the idea of a pipeline. If diverse candidates arent applying to your organization, ask whyand what your own messaging might have to do with that. Too many companies (and incubators, universities, etc.) treat a homogeneous applicant pool as a fact of nature when its really a product of how they present themselves. Theres great value in having a diverse pipelinenot just for fairness, but because it makes organizations better at what they do. Prestige rhetoric and top-ranking obsession can easily turn people away if it feels detached from real career outcomes or daily life. A more pragmatic tone, grounded in what people actually need and value in an education, will go some way toward widening the field. HOW PROJECTS ARE FRAMED MATTERS Even inside the classroom, exclusionary signals can shape ambition. Brandtner points to consulting projects and experiential learning modules, now staples of MBA programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a recent story about how many students never dreamt of becoming consultants until they entered business school and then felt that was the only acceptable ambition because schools funneled students into high-paying careers. The way projects are framed matters: if everything is about elite leadership opportunities, it suggests a narrow definition of success. One challenge is how to make pragmatic cases for things like decarbonization strategies or social entrepreneurship. Theres a moral argument for those topics, but also a very practical one about where the economy and the jobs are heading. Some students come in skeptical; once you engage them in open debate, they often see the logic. Schools also need to be careful about mimicry. Doing what your strategic group does whether its Harvard or INSEAD or emlyon can make you sound alien to your actual constituency. Theres no reason a school in Tennessee needs to sound like a school in California. TALKING ABOUT DIVERSITY AND MEANING IT The study also highlights the risks of inauthentic diversity rhetoric. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In our study, the schools that talked the most about racial diversity were often the least diverse. That kind of mismatch makes institutions look inauthentic. If diversity is in your DNA, you wont just talk about it. Youll also have tangible evidence to back up your commitments. What could that be? A few thoughts: Actively recruiting outside of elite channels and schools, telling the stories of first-gen students showing that people who cannot afford a GMAT tutor succeed, and showing stories of local success, like people who built regional businesses or ended up in nonprofit roles, and not only in global finance and consulting. Our colleagues Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev also show that mentorship programs and demonstrated accountability are what make diversity programs effective. Maybe also opening up networks to students who do not already have them and offering credible and transparent ways to apply for scholarships. The solution certainly isnt to abandon the language of diversity, but to back it up with credible options: scholarships, mentoring, and visible role models. For some applicants, the word diversity has become politically charged, but they still respond to fairness, opportunity, and belonging when those ideas are expressed concretely. Im skeptical of schools retreating from equity commitments to appear neutral. If you do that, you only confirm that the commitment was never real. Once you start unravelling those values, its very hard to rebuild trust. WHERE THE RESEARCH COULD GO NEXT While his study was not designed around professional schools, Brandtner sees clear parallels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would definitely be worth studying how these schools reproduce exclusionary narratives that later reappear in the industries the schools feed into like the tech sectors start-up culture or philanthropys systems change talk, he says. Much of this language sounds visionary but actually narrows participation by equating success with grandeur and privilege. The first job out of college or B-school for that matter wont make anyone a global leader, and pretending otherwise just alienates the very people who could make those fields stronger. DONT MISS THIS IS A DUTY FOR US: EMLYON DEAN ISABELLE HUAULT ON ESG BACKLASH, TECH AMBITIONS & THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION The post Are Business Schools Accidentally Turning Away Working-Class Talent? appeared first on Poets&Quants. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) Former Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper joined CBS 42 News to discuss his new book No Limits: Seven Keys to Life, Legacy & Leadership. Find out more and how to get a copy of Ropers book at his website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. The News Cote dIvoires President Alassane Ouattara won Oct. 25s election by a landslide, according to provisional results announced on Monday, in a widely anticipated fourth-term victory. Major opposition candidates were excluded from the race in the lead-up to voting, including former Credit Suisse president Tidjane Thiam and former President Laurent Gbagbo. Ouattara had previously amended the constitution in 2016, allowing him to run beyond the regular two-term limits. Former Commerce Minister Jean-Louis Billon received 3.09% of the vote, while former first lady Simone Gbagbo (the ex-wife of Laurent) received 2.42%, according to the electoral commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was no point in voting. Everything was put in place for Ouattara to win these elections. Candidates Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo were eliminated. There was nothing at stake, one Abidjan resident told Reuters. Know More During his presidency, Ouattara, who is now 83, has seen an unprecedented period of economic growth in Francophone West Africas largest economy and the worlds largest cocoa producer: The countrys annual GDP growth reached 6.4% this year, from around 2% just before he took power in 2010, and the former international banker has made clear his goal of Cote dIvoire achieving upper middle-income status by 2030. Despite Ouattaras narrative that another term would preserve national stability, he said on announcing his run in July, this is hardly guaranteed: Mass protests have rocked the country over the exclusion of Thiam and Gbagbo, and there are concerns that, due to his advanced age, Ouattara may not see through another five years in power. Notable A Sacramento lawyer representing an undocumented woman who is suing a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractor for sexual harassment says his client, Silvia Reyna, was brutally abused in the moments before being deported to Mexico Saturday morning. They took her out of her cell and once she was away from her cellmates they started to rough her up, said Israel Ramirez, one of the lawyers in Reynas civil lawsuit against ICE contractor BI incorporated and two of its employees. Reyna, who is now in Mexico, spoke to her lawyer by phone on Monday, Ramirez said. He said it was not clear if ICE agents had abused Reyna or if was officials at a detention center in California City, where Reyna had been held, or some combination of the two. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She told me they were pushing her against a wall, putting all their weight on her, Ramirez said. She said there were several agents, close to a half a dozen, who threw away her belongings and screamed at her that they could put her in prison for 10 years. Ramirez said he has been a lawyer for years, but was still shaken by the despair in Reynas voice. She was traumatized by the experience; its very, very difficult. She said they were very aggressive. Silvia is going to be 53 in November, Ramirez said. Given what were dealing with right now, they acted with complete impunity. With no human decency and no fear of potential repercussions. Reyna had feared reprisals before reporting to BI Incorporated, an ICE contractor, that shed been sexually harassed by one of its employees. According to Reynas lawsuit, filed Oct. 14, a BI employee named Luis Ruiz had harassed her for 18 months before she reported him to his company in November 2024. Ruiz had been serving as Reynas ICE case supervisor, the lawsuit states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ruiz, who had access to (Reynas) cell phone number, engaged in unwelcome sexual harassment of Plaintiff, including calling her on her phone, calling her by video, texting pictures of himself naked with an erect penis, and sending videos of himself masturbating. Ruiz also attempted to coerce (Reyna) for sexual favors, stating words to the effect of, If youre good to me, Ill be good to you, the complaint says. Reynas suit claims her complaints about Ruiz were never addressed. After reporting her case to BI Incorporated, she was required to wear an ankle monitor. Then in September, she was detained and incarcerated by ICE. Then, on Saturday, she was deported. Reyna had lived north of Sacramento for nearly 40 years and raised eight kids in the Tehama County town of Corning. Her family said that she had unsuccessfully tried to establish residency in the U.S. for years. Ramirez said that her civil lawsuit would proceed forward. The Sacramento Police Department is also investigating her allegations, a spokesman said. By Rishav Chatterjee and Selena Li (Reuters) -HSBC Holdings said on Monday it will book a $1.1 billion provision in its third-quarter results after losing part of an appeal in a long-running lawsuit tied to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. HSBC acted as a service provider to several funds that invested with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Herald Fund SPC sued HSBC's Luxembourg unit in 2009 seeking restitution of assets it said were lost in the fraud. Last Friday, the Luxembourg Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by HSBC's unit over the restitution of securities claimed by Herald, although it accepted its appeal on a separate cash restitution claim, the bank said. HSBC now plans to lodge a second appeal with the Luxembourg Court of Appeal and if unsuccessful, the bank said it would contest the amount to be paid. It added that the eventual financial impact could differ significantly from its current estimate. Europe's largest bank by assets, which reports its third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, said in July that Herald, which is in liquidation, was seeking the restitution of securities and cash worth $2.5 billion plus interest or damages of $5.6 billion plus interest. HSBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the separate securities and cash amounts that Herald is seeking. The principal liquidators of Herald also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bank estimated that the provision would have an impact of around 15 basis points on its common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio. That would come on top of a 125 basis points impact arising from its $13.6 billion deal to take its majority-owned Hong Kong unit Hang Seng Bank private. The charge could weigh on sentiment slightly but the impact should be limited as HSBC has already suspended dividend payments for the next three quarters due to the acquisition of Hang Seng Bank, said Lorraine Tan, director of equity research (Asia) for Morningstar. The bank's Hong Kong-listed shares were flat in morning trade, trailing a 1% increase for the benchmark Hang Seng Index. Madoff's fraud was estimated as high as $64.8 billion. It went undiscovered for many years until Madoff confessed to his sons in December 2008, one day after his firm's Christmas party. Madoff eventually pleaded guilty to 11 criminal counts. He died at age 82 in April 2021 while serving a 150-year prison sentence. HSBC in 2012 settled with Kalix Fund for an undisclosed amount, also over losses the fund had suffered during the collapse of Madoff's financial empire. The fund had sued the bank for $35.6 million. (Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) California State University Bakersfield is set to host a Veterans Day Celebration event at Runner Park. According to university officials, the event is set to start at 10 a.m. with a ceremony that ends at 10:30 a.m. After the ceremony, there will be a a resource fair from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and a lunch from 11 a.m. to noon. There is scheduled to be a Black Hawk landing at noon and a takeoff at 2:30 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said the landing is pending the government shutdown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A Caldwell County K9 is a finalist in the 15th annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards, the organization announced on Monday. Three-year-old Labrador retriever, Harrison, is among four other dogs being recognized in the nationwide competition. Harrison represents the law enforcement and first responder category. Harrison joined the Caldwell County Sheriffs Office in March as the first electronics scent detection K9, and is one of only a few certified dogs in North Carolina. Hes specially trained to locate hidden electronic devices. His skills are crucial for a wide range of criminal investigations, but Harrison primarily focuses on Intent Crimes Against Children cases. COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell COURTESY: Doug Dupell These amazing dogs have touched lives in ways that words can barely capture, said Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of American Humane Society. Honoring these heroes is not just about their extraordinary actions; its about celebrating the incredible bond between humans and their dogs that inspires us all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Harrison is not fighting crime, he greets dispatchers, visits schools and senior centers, bringing smiles to everyone in the community. The other four dogs include Lt. Dan (Emerging Hero and Shelter finalist), Donald (Service and Guide/Hearing finalist), K9 Ultra (Military finalist) and Sgt. Bo (Therapy finalist). Click here to meet the other finalists. The 2025 Hero Dog of the Year will be announced on Nov. 7, followed by the Hero Dog Awards Gala in Palm Beach in January. K9 Harrison will be there walking the red carpet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The California City Council is set to consider an agreement with Kern County on Tuesday to fill the role of interim fire chief for the citys fire department, according to the city council meeting agenda. In 2024, Cal City got rid of the fire chief and police chief positions for budget savings, ultimately creating the director of public safety position to oversee both the fire and police departments, according to the agenda. The public safety director was placed on paid administrative leave. Shannon Hayes, a Cal City police officer, has been acting as the public safety director since Aug. 6, according to city officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August, city staff held a meeting with the Cal City Fire Department, where fire personnel told the city the department needs its own fire chief. According to the agenda, they said the concept of a public safety director was only meant to be short-term. Cal City Fire Department employees also told city staff service demand levels are increasing and the CoreCivic ICE facility will need additional calls for service, creating concerns about the additional workload, the agenda said. Kern County minor threatened by Porterville teen tied to extremist group: DOJ To find leadership that isnt shared between the fire and police departments, Cal City staff reached out to the Kern County Fire Chief. The county said it was willing to help the city, according to city officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If approved by the Cal City Council, a part-time Kern County fire division chief will be appointed to serve as the interim fire chief at Cal City for 30 days, which can be continued every 30 days. The appointed interim fire chief will remain as a county employee, meaning there is no cost for Cal City if they approve this appointment, according to the agenda. According to city officials, the California City Police Department also expressed similar opinions as the fire department, saying it would be better for them to have a police chief who could solely focus on the departments efforts. The agenda didnt include further details about the possibility of appointing a police chief. The Cal City Council is recommended by staff to adopt the resolution for the agreement with Kern County during its meeting at 5 p.m. Oct. 28 at City Hall, located at 21000 Hacienda Boulevard, the agenda said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced Monday he is introducing legislation to ban the president, his family, members of Congress, and all elected officials from trading stocks or cryptocurrency. The California congressman represents Silicon Valley and serves on the House Oversight Committee. The bill would prohibit elected officials from owning, creating, or trading cryptocurrencies and stocks, according to footage from MSNBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khanna also told NBC Bay Area the legislation would be officially announced on Oct. 28. Coinspeaker is monitoring the official channels for the release of the bill. Khanna described the proposed ban as a direct response to what he called blatant corruption during interviews on MSNBCs Morning Joe and The Last Word. He stated the pardon occurred right in our faces and said officials should be banned from having cryptocurrency and accepting foreign money. Background on Zhaos Conviction Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering violations in 2023 as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was sentenced to four months in prison and stepped down as Binance CEO. President Trump recently granted pardon to Zhao, removing legal barriers that had limited his operations. The White House described the prosecution as part of the Biden administrations alleged war on cryptocurrency, according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. World Liberty Allegations Khanna alleged Zhao pledged support for World Liberty, which the congressman identified as the presidents sons cryptocurrency firm. He claimed the firm is making millions of dollars while Trump serves as president. Khanna stated Zhao was basically financing Donald Trumps cryptocurrency stablecoin and called the arrangement so illegal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khanna previously authored the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act in 2023, which aimed to prevent lawmakers from trading individual stocks while in office. The bipartisan bill stalled in committee and was never enacted. The new proposal extends similar restrictions to cryptocurrency holdings. Broader Policy Implications President Trump is known to invest heavily in crypto, according to NBC Bay Area. The next Federal Reserve Chair selection could affect the regulatory environment for digital assets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed a five-person shortlist for the position, with a decision expected by year-end. Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law earlier this year, establishing a U.S. stablecoin regulatory framework. The legislation guarantees full reserve backing and Federal Reserve support for dollar-denominated stablecoins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would require passage in both the House and Senate. Khanna stated he hopes for bipartisan support, noting that controversial trading practices by politicians have drawn criticism from both parties. Read original story California Democrat Introduces Bill Banning Politicians From Crypto Trading by Zoran Spirkovski at Coinspeaker.com Properly restraining a child in a car seat, which you should avoid buying used, or booster seat, is necessary to ensure safety. It's a common practice in every state and without it, the risk of injuries is multiplied to scary levels. But a new bill recently passed in California has some people scratching their heads, assuming that teenagers will actually have to use boosters in the future. But in reality, the bill is redefining what "properly restrained" actually means. A new 5-step test will be used, mandating that a child under the age of 16 must sit back against the seat. The minor's knees must bend over the seat's edge, and the shoulder belt must go over the chest, not around the neck. The seat belt across the lap must be low enough to touch the thighs, and finally, the minor must be seated and buckled in like this for the entire ride. Originally authored by California State Assembly member Lori Wilson, the new bill is set to take effect in January of 2027. The misunderstanding for many people is likely in the use of the word "child," which sounds like a little kid, who's probably sitting in a booster seat. Plus, the 5-point test sounds like it could be related to some type of car seat, which probably isn't helping matters. In the end, the new law isn't about age at all, but size. The seatbelt's fit, and the minor's position on the seat, are the most important elements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 10 Used Volkswagen Models You Should Steer Clear Of At All Costs California's history of child passenger safety Cute siblings sitting in baby booster car seats and using mobile phones during the road trip - zoff/Shutterstock As of this writing, California's law regarding minors and their position in a car focuses mostly on age and height. Kids under the age of 8 and under 4'9" must use a child passenger restraint system. Children over 8-years-old can ride in the seat using a standard seat belt, as long as it fits properly. This means the belt must be across a child's hips or thighs, with the shoulder belt being over the chest. This law applies to all passenger cars, taxis and buses, though school buses don't have seat belts. California's been ahead of the curve and was actually the first state to pass a booster seat law. The law began in 2002, with the state continuing to revisit the issue over the years. The state's work in this area is just one example of how laws can improve overall child passenger safety. In fact, a properly installed car seat or booster seat can reduce a child's injury in a crash by more than 80 percent. California's history with passenger and driver safety goes back even further. The state was the first in 1955 to mandate that all new cars come with lap belts installed. This was before seatbelts were commonly worn, and before the U.S. Congress passed national laws addressing car safety. While one U.S. state has no law requiring adults to wear seatbelts, it took over 30 years, in 1986, before wearing seatbelts became mandatory in California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) California politicians are demanding answers from the federal government on live fire shooting that prompted a full closure of the 5 freeway in San Diego County. Twenty six California House Representatives and the states two U.S. Senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, have sent a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, asking what exactly happened, and what led up to the live firing during the Marine Corps 250th Birthday celebration on October 18, which Vice President JD Vance and Hegseth were attending. I-5 freeway temporarily shuts down for live fire exercise at Camp Pendleton Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who is responsible for making the call to fire live ammunition over the freeway? U.S. Representative Mike Levin is asking. He helped lead the letter to Hegseth and has asked for a response by October 29. Some of the 13 questions they want answers to include: How did the USMC and relevant components prepare for this event? When did the USMC and relevant components begin preparing for this event? Please describe the process the USMC conducted under the detailed risk assessment. Who directed the USMC to conduct the artillery demonstration over Interstate 5? Who made the final decision that the live fire demonstration was considered to be safe? When was this decision made? Who made the final decision that the federal government would not require the closure of Interstate 5? What caused the round to detonate prematurely? Are there any plans to update safety protocol to prevent future incidents from occurring? Just days before the event, the Marine Corps had said in a news release that no public highways or transportation routes will be closed. But the morning of the celebration, California Governor Gavin Newsom and California Highway Patrol announced the closure of the 5 freeway for several hours that Saturday, over safety concerns that live fire was being shot over the active freeway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant fire over the 5, Levin said. When youre lobbying these missiles basically across a freeway, thats a very bad idea, U.S. Representative Juan Vargas said. To our understanding its never been done before, they dont have any permission to do it, they did it to show off. What happened I think was really disconcerting, Peters said. I was really concerned there wasnt any coordination between the state and the federal government about what was going on. Just the idea about not communicating with the state about what were planning to do leaving us in a position to guess if we should close a highway its really dysfunctional, Peters added. I think the governor made the prudent decision to close the highway and they made fun of it. They said he was overreacting, but he was not overreacting because one of the shells hit a CHP car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement VP Vance joins Marines to celebrate 250th anniversary at Camp Pendleton CHP officials said that metal shrapnel from an explosive ordnance that was fired over Interstate 5 hit a California Highway Patrol cruiser. CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado called the incident unusual and a concerning situation. It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway. As a Marine myself, I have tremendous respect for our military partners, but my foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of the people of California and the officers who protect them, Coronado said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that the cruiser was hit while stopping traffic, and they immediately told the Marines, who then canceled firing additional rounds over the 5 freeway. If they want to do live fire, they should be able to do live fire. But lets plan this thing out, lets just not do it haphazardly, Vargas said. I think the Marine Corps, at least the folks on base, were overruled by the administration whether it was by Vance, Hegseth, or somebody that works for them, I dont know and thats why we need to find out, Levin said. PHOTOS: Marine Corps 250th anniversary celebrated at Camp Pendleton I think it will be one of those things where we will not drop it and I hope that at some point in the next months and years Ill have subpoena power, Levin said, referring to not having the majority, and he said once he has the power he will be demanding the answers rather than requesting them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read the full signed letter sent to Hegseth below: hegseth_letter_re_i-5_closuresDownload We have reached out to Marine Corps officials with a list of questions as well, they have not yet responded to the questions, but confirmed theres an active investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. California put itself at the forefront of AI governance with two pieces of legislation, SB53 and SB243, with the potential to shape the history of artificial intelligence. The first establishes transparency rules for the fastest-growing industry in America, requiring that companies publicly cite safety policies and report critical issues. Advocates hope the law will curtail an industry often cloaked in shady disclosure practices, making it easier for companies and whistleblowers to report public safety issues and instilling tangible enforcement mechanisms to hold abuses accountable. The latter, meanwhile, attempts to protect vulnerable users from the adverse effects of AI companion applications through age verification requirements, disclaimer mandates, and self-harm prevention requirements. The laws come as the debate over AI governance rages across the country, with President Trump promising that the federal government will strike down legislation that limits the sector's growth, and Congressional Republicans attempt to ban states and local governments from curtailing the industry. Meanwhile, New York is weighing its own Frontier AI law, and several state legislatures aim at regulating companion applications. Age verification laws, content bans, and even potential VPN restrictions further underscore these ethical dilemmas, while the industry's rapid growth necessitates immediate solutions. California is uniquely positioned in this debate. The world's 4th largest economy, the Golden State is a leader in the AI space, hosting 32 of Forbes' top 50 AI firms. According to Stanford's 2025 AI Index Report, 15% of all AI job postings were located in California, while Pitchbook found that more than 50% of venture capitalists' investments in AI went to Silicon Valley. These trends come as no surprise, with AI giants like Apple, Google, and Nvidia based in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: iOS 18.7 Vs. iOS 26: What's The Difference? A landmark transparency bill California State Senator, Scott Wiener, the author of SB53, discusses Governor Newsom's vetoing of his previous AI bill with Bloomberg. - Bloomberg Technology/YouTube The Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act instills basic guardrails for frontier artificial intelligence through 'evidence-based policymaking' that balances transparency, security, and innovation considerations. Building off California's March 2025 working report on the state of AI, the law sets a few basic parameters. To foster transparency, the bill requires developers to publish best practice policies on their websites, ensuring companies live up to industry norms and international standards. The bill also creates a mechanism to hold companies accountable through civil penalties, while making it easier to protect whistleblowers. To prevent large disasters as AI further ingratiates itself into our public and private infrastructure, companies must report potential safety issues like nuclear meltdowns, biological weapons, or cyber attacks to California's Office of Emergency Services. In addition to safety measures, Senate Bill 53 seeks to foster public-private partnerships through a state-run computing cluster within the Government Operations Agency, dubbed CalCompute, to promote the industry's development. The new bill isn't the first time California lawmakers have attempted to govern AI. For instance, Governor Newsom vetoed a stricter bill in 2024 requiring AI developers to include shutoff switches, cybersecurity protections, safeguards against 'critical harms,' and safety testing before release. Critics argue that the new bill takes away much of the 2024 bill's regulatory teeth, resorting to mostly voluntary disclosures rather than security requirements to hold companies accountable. Proponents, however, tout the first-of-its-kind law as a blueprint for a federal framework. The industry reaction, meanwhile, has been mixed. Security-minded Anthropic, for instance, publicly endorsed the bill, while Meta and OpenAI initially lobbied against it before silently acquiescing. Making AI companions safe A young woman lovingly interacts with an AI companion. - Grafissimo/Getty Images In October 2025, California instituted the country's most comprehensive safety measures for AI companions. Senate Bill 243 seeks to protect young and vulnerable users by requiring suitability warnings, AI disclosure notifications, and break reminders for minors. It also mandates new content protocols, requiring companies to prevent chatbots from producing suicide-related content and offer referrals to suicide-prevention resources or crisis lines for at-risk users. Furthermore, SB243 asks providers to prevent companions from sharing explicit material with minors, and companies must publish these protocols on their websites, giving users the 'private right of action' to seek damages against chatbots. Starting in July 2027, AI companions must submit annual reports to California's Department of Public Health detailing their responses to user crises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law comes amidst tensions over the influence of AI companions, with a series of lawsuits and investigations implicating companies like Character.AI, Meta, and OpenAI in the wrongful harm or death of minors. Concerns over romantic relationships, inappropriate content, and misleading therapy bots have moved to the forefront as minors become more dependent on the technology. According to a Common Sense Media study, most American teens use AI companions, while the Center for Democracy and Technology found that over 40% used applications for social advice, with nearly 20% admitted that they or someone they knew had a romantic relationship with an AI companion. These trends will likely continue as AI companions proliferate across social media, with some AI companies even starting their own social media applications. As of 2025, five states have enacted mental health-related regulations for chatbots, though none as comprehensive as California. Whether others follow in the Golden State's footsteps might determine the course of the country's fastest-growing industry. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. California, along with over 20 other states, is suing the Trump administration over its decision not to send out November food assistance as the federal government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it wont use the SNAP contingency funding, which Congress has allocated for emergency scenarios, if the shutdown extends beyond Friday. SNAP helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. The federal government is legally required to make payments to SNAP. Congress appropriated $6 billion to the USDA in SNAP-related contingency funds through September 2026 to continue funding SNAP benefits in instances like the current government shutdown, a press release from Gov. Gavin Newsoms office said. Instead of helping, the Trump administration chose to suspend November SNAP benefits despite contingency funding in place to help feed American families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Politico, the Trump administration has said it doesnt have the legal authority to use the $5 billion in emergency funds to pay for at least part of SNAP, which requires more than $8 billion to cover November benefits. To assist families with groceries ahead of the holiday season, Newsom announced he would deploy the California National Guard and state volunteers on a humanitarian mission to food banks. To find a food bank, visit cafoodbanks.org. DoorDash is also stepping in to help. The delivery platform announced the launch of its Emergency Food Response. It said it will provide 1 million free meals through more than 300 food banks and pantries nationwide in November. DoorDash also plans to waive delivery and service fees for an estimated 300,000 grocery orders placed by SNAP recipients through its app. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Participating grocers include Sprouts, Dollar General, Schnucks, Ahold Delhaize brands, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle and Wegmans. The company said customers with a SNAP/EBT card linked to their DoorDash account will be eligible for one fee-free grocery delivery during November. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Bernie Madoff, pictured leaving court in 2009, defrauded thousands of investors in the largest known Ponzi scheme in history - Bloomberg News HSBC is facing a $1.1bn (826m) hit after losing a long-running legal battle with investors over Bernie Madoffs Ponzi scheme. On Monday, shares in the banking giant fell as much as 2.4pc on the FTSE 100 after it said that it would set aside the sum in its third quarter results to cover the costs. It follows a court ruling related to a long-running lawsuit brought by investors who lost money in the $65bn (48.8bn) investment fraud run by Madoff, who died in prison in 2021. He admitted in 2009 to defrauding thousands of investors in what is the largest known Ponzi scheme in history. HSBC said the blow to its finances followed a case brought by Herald Fund SPC, a European fund that put money into Madoffs investment funds. In 2009, it sued HSBC Securities Services Luxembourg (HSSL), which was the custodian of the funds, claiming losses of cash and securities as part of the financial scandal. Last week, the Luxembourg Court of Cassation rejected HSSLs appeal on Heralds securities restitution claim, prompting the action by HSBC. However, the bank said the financial impact could be significantly different as the court upheld its appeal concerning the cash restitution claim. It said it would pursue a second appeal before the Luxembourg Court of Appeal to contest the amount it may be required to pay. The UK-headquartered bank said in its interim results in July that it provided custodial, administration and similar services to a number of funds incorporated outside the US whose assets were invested with Madoff Securities. It added that various HSBC companies had been named as defendants in lawsuits arising out of the Madoff scandal. HSBC said in Julys results that Herald, which is in liquidation, was seeking the restitution of securities and cash worth $2.5bn plus interest, or damages of $5.6bn plus interest. The hit marks the latest blow to HSBCs financial strength. The bank unveiled plans last month for a $13.6bn deal to take its troubled Hong Kong-listed business Hang Seng Bank private. HSBCs shares tumbled after it said it would suspend share buybacks for the next three quarters to boost cash reserves needed for the deal. However, the banks shares remain up nearly 27pc so far this year following a huge restructuring effort by Georges Elhedery, its chief executive. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Two of Africas longest-serving leaders secured extensions to their rule, cementing signs of democratic erosion on the continent. Following days of fierce opposition protests, 92-year-old Paul Biya won an extension to his 43-year presidency of Cameroon, while in Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara who has been in power since 2010 was elected for another five years. Critics say both votes were marred by irregularities, including challengers being barred from competing. Africas democracy index score has regressed recently, shrinking each of the past six years, pointing at voter dissatisfaction and weakening institutions. Unless democracy improves lives and livelihoods not just those of the political elites, it will remain shallow and hollow, one regional expert wrote. By Anna Mehler Paperny TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada is poised to lose its measles elimination status after nearly three decades, and public health experts fear outbreaks of other preventable diseases as vaccination rates fall. Canada has recorded more than 5,000 measles cases in nine provinces and one territory since the current outbreak started in Ontario and New Brunswick a year ago. More are likely going undetected, health experts told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two premature babies have died this year after being infected with measles, one in Ontario and one in Alberta. The virus has been especially prevalent in some religious-minority communities, including Mennonites, which often have lower vaccination rates. Health experts say the spread of an opportunistic virus enabled by slipping vaccination rates in parts of the country is a harbinger of more vaccine-preventable illnesses resurgent in a population increasingly skeptical and mistrustful of vaccines since the pandemic, despite the success of COVID-19 shots. As of October 21, there have been 1,618 measles cases detected in the United States, which has a population about 8.5 times larger than Canada's. To be considered measles-free, a country where an outbreak takes place must get back to zero cases within 12 months. That deadline expires this week for Canada, while the U.S. has until January and Mexico until February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pan American Health Organization will meet with member nations about their measles elimination status in early November, Health Canada said in a statement, and is expected to make a decision in December. FALLING VACCINATION RATES Mark Joffe, who had been Alberta's chief medical officer until earlier this year, said more could have been done to boost immunization and prevent spread. About 72% of Albertan children had their second dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine by age 7 as of 2024, down from about 82% in 2019, according to provincial data. Alberta has identified almost 2,000 measles cases since March, giving it the countrys highest case rate per capita. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the vaccination rates were high, this would never have happened. There may have been (some spread), but nothing like this, Joffe said. Ontario, whose population is more than triple Albertas, reported 2,375 cases as of early October. Ontario declared its outbreak over on October 6, after no new cases were reported in 46 days. Ontario moved more quickly with contact tracing and immunization catch-up clinics than Alberta, said Ontario-based epidemiologist Nitin Mohan, so the virus ran into transmission-stopping firebreaks of immunity and could not spread. A spokesperson for Alberta's Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said Ontario's outbreak started and peaked earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Were now seeing the same steady decline in cases," the spokesperson said. "Albertas government has taken the measles situation seriously from the outset." Ontario has also seen vaccination rates slip, with measles inoculations down to 70.4% for children by age 7 in 2024 from 86.1% in 2020. Health experts say 95% of the population should be inoculated to achieve herd immunity that can protect those in the community unable to get the vaccine. Immunization rates have also been dropping in Alberta for other diseases. The share of provincial children who had four doses of a shot that includes diphtheria and polio by age 2 dropped from 76.8% in 2019 to 68.9% in 2024, according to provincial data. Ontario's polio immunization rate by age 7 dropped from 86.3% in 2019 to 70.2% in 2023, according to public health data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other vaccine-preventable diseases would be expected to follow in due course, said Edmonton-based infectious disease doctor Lynora Saxinger. I sometimes feel like we're heading back to the late 1800s. POWER TO PERSUADE Fueled by a vaccination push during the outbreak, Alberta doubled the number of weekly measles shots given between mid-February and mid-March - evidence, experts say, that people are persuadable if given accurate, compelling information and easy access to the shot. There are a lot of people out there who don't refuse the vaccine per se, Joffe said. I think the reality is that parents in this era of young children, they don't know what measles is. It didn't exist in their lifetime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of Albertas cases have been concentrated in close-knit Mennonite communities that may not trust or feel connected to public health officials. Tina Meggison started her health advocacy early. As the oldest girl in a family of 12, translating for parents who did not speak fluent English often fell on her. Now, as a community health representative with the provincial government, she works with Low German-speaking Mennonite communities in southern Alberta. Much of the trust-building happens in the waiting room, she said, by accompanying people to one appointment and determining their health needs. During the measles outbreak, she has sought to inform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "COVID was definitely something that was a negative experience for many and as such I think a lot of anxiety can surround these sorts of decisions around vaccines," she said. "As parents, we all want to make the best decisions we can for our kids. And what we hope to do as community health reps is to equip these parents to make informed decisions." (Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Bill Berkrot) Oct. 28Name: Jeff Holschuh Age: 43 Occupation: Business development director at Advantage Credit Union Office seeking: Newton City Council, At-Large 1. Introduce/Reintroduce yourself to voters and explain why you are running. My name is Jeff Holschuh. I have lived in Newton for 15 years. In 2010, I had the opportunity to build a career and family in this community. I've always had an interest in city government and how it functions. I like to be a part of things happening in our community and I've served on other boards in the past, including past president of the Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce, board member of the former Newton Convention and Visitors Bureau and currently serving as the treasurer for the Newton Rotary Club. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have two children: Brenden, a junior at Northern Iowa University, and Owen, a sophomore at Newton High School. My wife, Denell, and I have been married since 2004. I am the Business Development Director at Advantage Credit Union, where I've been employed in various titles since 2017. I knew I always wanted to run for a city government position and this is the best time for me to act on it. Being involved in the community is very important to me as I personally feel the civic responsibility to serve others in the community as well. Moreover, continuing the city's efforts to make this town an attractive place to live, work and stay, as I myself did back in 2010. 2. Although the splash pad is completed, there is still work left to be done to finish out the park. But council seems to be split about some of the details and the cost. Where do you stand on this project? How should the city proceed? I think the splash pad is a fantastic idea! I love that citizens have created an opportunity to have a cost-effective way to cool off in the summer. Plus, it ties right in to the continued effort to create a link between the downtown and Legacy Plaza. That being said, we have a responsibility to our citizens to make sure our tax dollars are used effectively. I've heard multiple numbers from both sides of the issue and, ultimately, I land on finishing up the restroom project and moving on to the next big thing. The recent donation of $125,000 will definitely help make sure we have a quality restroom that hopefully continues to draw even more people downtown in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3. Upcoming legislative sessions forecast major changes to property tax systems. The city will no doubt be affected by these changes. How do you think the city should approach property taxes and budgets in the coming years? First and foremost, we have to continue to provide the best basic essential services to our citizens. I cannot say enough positive things about the way our departments run. Police, fire, parks, library, etc. all have directors that absolutely want to provide top-tier services in our community. Those services will continue to take priority. Those services also come at a cost. Ultimately, we must play by the state's rules and hopefully be able to continue to attract new residents and businesses to move to Newton. I'll trust our city leadership to develop plans for additional revenue if needed and look forward to hearing feedback from citizens when and if that time comes. 4. Over the years, council has prioritized a number of parks projects. The public seems relatively happy with many of these new additions despite their high costs. How do you feel about the city's priorities on parks given future cost constraints? I believe the citizens have spoken quite loudly about making sure we have ample park opportunities for our residents. The bond was passed with a very large percentage. We need to finish out our obligations to provide great parks facilities but also continue to make sure our other services aren't lacking either. If the citizens have another area of the city they'd like to focus on, I welcome the opportunity to hear about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 5. What are some things you think the city does well? What are some things you think the city can improve? Explain your answers. The city does a lot of things well. The library, for instance, does a terrific job in both children and adult programs among the day-to-day services they provide. Our parks are always clean and I feel our residents are happy with services the city provides. I hear many residents have some complaints about streets and the city could make a more concentrated effort to inform the public of the timeline of when those issues will be addressed. However, I also would recommend citizens use the appropriate channels to inform the city if there are issues that need to be addressed. For instance, if there's a street issue on a low-traffic road, it's up to the residents of that area to inform the city of the issue. We have great staff in the departments, but, unfortunately, they can't be everywhere at once. 6. Any final thoughts? Are there any issues you would like the city to address? I think we've put in a lot of work to see growth in the community. The D&D program is great and something that citizens see immediate progress. I was able to assist in the building of a Jasper County Habitat for Humanity home recently on a D&D lot. Continued efforts to see homeownership to become a reality for all income levels is very important. We also need to continue to hold ourselves accountable in driving business growth in downtown as well as making sure we have a plan for vacant buildings. Newton is a fantastic place to live and raise a family. I want to be a part of a council that has foresight and looks for ways to improve the community and afford others the same opportunity I've had in calling Newton home. Erie, Pa (WJET/WFXP) Even just 10 years ago, seeing a vape store would have been a rare sight, but now, they seem to be on every street corner. Since the Federal Farm Bill passed in 2018, one Pennsylvania senator said theres been an explosion of these vape shops across the Commonwealth, some of which have found loopholes to market unregulated hemp products. Some of them are very legitimate businesses. Theyre trying to do a good job, pay attention to where theyre sourcing their products from and theyre also keeping it out of the hands of kids, but thats not the case for a lot of places, said Dan Laughlin, Pennsylvania State Senator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said gas stations, vape stores and convenience stores are selling these unregulated products with no known testing, labeling, or age restrictions, potentially causing health risks for users. Inside look at a Pennsylvania medical marijuana facility as lawmakers debate legalization The grey area is, if you derive a product from a legal hemp-based product, you can concentrate the THCA, which is ever so slightly different from THC, and you can turn it into virtually very potent cannabis, and basically with a wink and a nod call it hemp, and I think that was not the intention of the 2018 farm bill, said Laughlin. The rise of unregulated products has led Laughlin to sponsor Senate Bill 49 to transfer regulatory control of the states medical marijuana program from the PA Department of Health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, the PA Senate Law and Justice Committee approved legislation for a cannabis control board, which he said would create uniform safety standards for these unregulated products, while also making the amending process run smoother for legislators. Pennsylvania legislators propose legalizing adult-use cannabis Trying to get a bill passed every time you need to make an adjustment to a law, its monumentally slow usually, and if you have a board thats dedicated to this, that we give authority to promulgate regulations, if a minor tweak needs made to something, they can do it in a week rather than in two years, said Laughlin. Laughlin said the legislation is not about legalizing recreational cannabis, but about cleaning up the system the state currently has. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That being said, if and when adult-use cannabis comes to Pennsylvania, he said, having a professional cannabis board already in place and running would make sense. Next, the legislation will head to the Senate for approval, and if it passes, it will go to the House of Representatives for another vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. Rapper Cardi B made headlines two weeks ago when she took shots at President Donald Trump and his administration for allegedly refusing to help American citizens in need. Now, she's taking it even further, claiming the former reality star turned politician doesn't care about minorities, including "Black" and "Spanish" folks, or "poor" people. Cardi B Makes Waves After Claiming Donald Trump Doesn't Like 'Black' People Cardi B has never been one to bite her tongue, and during a new livestream, the "WAP" rapper opened up about the current state of politics in the United States. Elsewhere in the stream, Cardi B spoke candidly about the American citizens who could lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in early November due to the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Cardi B, she's not a fan of politics in general; however, she expressed her frustration with the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election, explaining that she believes Trump has left some US citizens in a difficult place. Cardi B Doesn't Hold Back Against Trump Image Press Agency "Now look, right Donald Trump was never for yall poor motherf-ckers," Cardi B said during the livestream. "Donald Trump was never for the poor people." And the mother of three didn't stop there, Cardi B took it even further, claiming President Trump doesn't like certain demographics of people, including the "white poors ... the Black poors ... the Spanish poors ... the Asians ... the Indians." She added, "He don't give a f-ck about none of y'all motherf-ckers. When I talk about poor, I'm not only talking about poor people that's under [the] poverty [line]. To him, even millionaires are poor! He don't give a f-ck about the millionaires like me, neither!" Cardi B Understands Trump's Immigration Plans, But Wants To Know How That Helps American Citizens Snorlax / MEGA As she continued, Cardi B detailed her displeasure with Trump's new immigration policies, which have seen more than two million undocumented people deported since January 2025, according to a DHS press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Now, Donald Trump was blaming the immigrants for America's downfall," Cardi B said, later sharing that she "understand[s]" the current administration's desires to strengthen immigration laws in the United States. "However, he was using that as an excuse for the issues that we have in this country, in this economy," Cardi B added. "Now, how many f-cking immigrants has he deported? He has deported so many people. So, now the immigrants are deported, who are we blaming for the fact that we are practically going into a recession? We don't even have food stamps!" Cardi Has Already Called Out Trump Over Prices In America CraSH/imageSPACE / MEGA Cardi B's recent statements are not the first time the "UP" performer has been honest with her supporters about how rising costs in America have affected her and those in her inner circle. According to a previous report from The Blast, Cardi B explained that she noticed the cost of living had skyrocketed when she began looking for an apartment in the Bronx for someone close to her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a previous livestream, she complained about "rent [being] so expensive ... in the most f-cking cheapest borough." "I hate the fact that I know if you was to say something to the Trump administration about the cost of living right now, theyll be like, 'Yeah, suck it up,'" she said. "You know what I dont like? I dont like that theres a lot of single people, theres a lot of students, theres a lot of people that are working nine-to-five and because theyre working they dont get no help from the government. I always hated that." Cardi Draws Support From Political Leaders Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/MEGA And Cardi B isn't the only public figure speaking out about the financial challenges many people across the United States are facing. Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico released his own statement, commending Cardi B for speaking out and bringing attention to the sky-high prices nationwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "[Cardi B] is right," he wrote on social media. "And it's not just rent that's going up, costs are rising across the board. From your rent to your groceries to your utility bills to your health care premiums, this administration is making your life more expensive and Republicans in Congress aren't doing anything to stop them." As Cardi B was wrapping up her thoughts in her most recent livestream, the rapper reminded her viewers that she believes regular, everyday citizens are low on Trump's priority list. "[Trump] dont f-cking like yall," she said. "Youre poor, he dont like you. If you poor, he dont f-cking like you. He aint for you. The economy is f-cked up in all types of way. When was the last time yall seen celebrities happy and sh-t? Everybodys going through it, b-tch. These companies theyre not giving money like they used to be." Chinese new energy vehicle maker Seres Group, whose suppliers include Huawei Technologies, filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong on Monday, aiming to raise HK$13.18 billion (US$1.7 billion) amid a wave of long-term global capital flocking to Hong Kong listings. The EV maker plans to sell 100.2 million shares through its secondary listing in Hong Kong, with the offer price capped at HK$131.50 per share. The price determination date was expected to be around November 3, according to its filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange. The stock is expected to debut on November 5. About 10 per cent of the shares will be allocated to the retail tranche, with the remainder designated for institutional investors. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Retail investors could subscribe to shares from Monday through October 31, with allocation results to be announced on November 4, according to the expected offering timetable. Seres, with its core brand Aito, plans to use most of the IPO proceeds to fund technological research and development as well as expand its international market presence. Photo: Weibo alt=Seres, with its core brand Aito, plans to use most of the IPO proceeds to fund technological research and development as well as expand its international market presence. Photo: Weibo> Seres positions itself as a technology company that develops, manufactures and sells new energy vehicles and their core components. It aimed to build an open ecosystem through long-term partnerships with suppliers, including Huawei and Contemporary Amperex Technology, the world's largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, the company said. Huawei supplies intelligent cockpit and driving-assistance systems to Seres. The company cautioned that intensifying competition in China's and global automotive markets could weigh on its business. Seres may issue 15.03 million additional shares in its Hong Kong offering under an overallotment option, which could increase to 17.28 million shares if the offer size adjustment option is fully exercised. Its cornerstone investors include British asset manager Schroders, South Korean investment bank Mirae Asset Securities, Huatai Capital Investment and Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls. They have committed to buying US$826.47 million worth of shares. Global funds are returning to back mainland Chinese companies' IPOs in Hong Kong. Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek, UBS Asset Management and BlackRock anchored Sany Heavy Industry's HK$12.36 billion offering. Connectivity and data transmission device provider CIG Shanghai's HK$4.62 billion deal attracted global asset manager Baring Asset Management. Both of the companies are expected to debut on Tuesday. Chinese data intelligence software provider Mininglamp Technology's HK$1.02 billion offering secured investment from GFH Financial Group, an asset manager in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. In a testament to its enduring excellence, the Carlton Tel Aviv secures its ninth World Travel Award as Israels Best Business Hotel The Carlton Tel Aviv Hotel has been named Israels Best Business Hotel for 2025 by the World Travel Awards (WTA) a prestigious global organization often referred to by The Wall Street Journal as the Oscars of the travel industry. With more than four decades of experience, five-star luxury status, and a prime beachfront location just steps away from Tel Avivs business and cultural centers, the Carlton has long been a favorite among business travelers seeking the perfect balance between urban convenience and a relaxing seaside atmosphere. Carlton Tel Aviv features 15 floors and 280 recently renovated rooms and suites (credit: Aya Ben Ezri) The hotel features 15 floors and 280 recently renovated rooms and suites, offering guests a luxurious stay complemented by a premium business lounge, exclusive spa complex, and a rooftop pool overlooking panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea. Guests can also enjoy one of Tel Avivs most celebrated breakfastsan abundant buffet served to the sound of the waves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FLAME restaurant, led by acclaimed chef Oren Asido, offers a contemporary menu with local touches, while CONTENTO, the hotels summer bar, provides the perfect spot to unwind at sunset with a refreshing cocktail or a cold beer in a vibrant atmosphere. Each year, the World Travel Awards recognize excellence across the global travel and tourism industry, which is described by the Wall Street Journal as the Oscars of the travel industry. Winners are chosen by travel professionals, agencies, and the public from more than 160 countries worldwide. Yossi Navi, CEO of the Carlton Tel Aviv, expressed his gratitude for the recognition: We are proud and excited to receive the title of Israels Best Business Hotel for 2025 from the World Travel Awards. This is the ninth year that the Carlton Tel Aviv has received this international recognition. The award reflects our teams hard work, unwavering dedication, and the high standard of hospitality we uphold every day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Over the years, the Carlton Tel Aviv has become a second home for business leaders, diplomats, and guests from around the world who seek the perfect blend of urban comfort, personal service, contemporary cuisine, and breathtaking Mediterranean views. I extend my heartfelt thanks to our loyal guests, who continue to choose us time and again and enable us to remain at the forefront of Israels business hospitality scene. Written in collaboration with Carlton Tel Aviv Libraries built more than a century ago with funds from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie will each get $10,000 to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced the gifts last week. Carnegie, an industrialist who led the expansion of the steel industry in the late 1800s, provided the money to build 1,681 libraries in the United States between 1886 and 1917. Minnesota got 66 of them. Of those, 48 are standing, and 25 are still in use as public libraries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the originals: the Stillwater Public Library and the Riverview and St. Anthony Park libraries in St. Paul. The $10,000 library gifts are part of a $20 million special initiative created to celebrate next years 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by supporting Americas civic institutions and organizations that foster civic participation and bring people together, Carnegie Corporation of New York officials said in a statement. Carnegie described libraries as cradles of democracy that strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man, said Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie and former head of the University of Oxford. We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded. About 1,280 Carnegie libraries still operate and acknowledge their link to Carnegie, making them eligible for the gift, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The gift recipients can expect to receive a check in January. They may use the funds however they wish to celebrate the 250th anniversary, further their mission, and benefit their community, officials said. Were thrilled, surprised and honored to be among the libraries recognized with this gift, Stillwater Public Library Director Mark Troendle said Tuesday. Were so grateful for the initial gift from Andrew Carnegie of $27,500 in the early 1900s to build this library, and for this latest gift for helping us continue to serve our community in meaningful ways. Related Articles Troendle said library officials had not yet decided how the money will be spent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement St. Paul Public Library officials plan to use the funds toward technology upgrades at Riverview Library and updates to the play-and-learn space for children and families at the St. Anthony Park location, said Library Director Maureen Hartman This funding will help us continue to welcome all people to connect, learn, participate and grow, Hartman said. Its a testament to the continued power of libraries as essential community spaces that was part of Carnegies original vision. As Hurricane Melissa strengthened on an alarming track toward Jamaica, Carnival and other cruise lines quickly pivoted to divert a number of cruise ships away from the dangerous storms path. But that doesnt mean that Jamaica is far from the thoughts of many across the cruise community. Its too soon to tell the extent of the impacts Hurricane Melissa will have on Jamaica, its people, and its tourism industry, but the beloved Caribbean island needs all the positive thoughts it can get right now. Carnival Cruise Lines brand ambassador, John Heald, is one of many in the cruise community thinking of Jamaica as cruise lines reroute ships and make alternate plans for safe sailings this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heald urged cruisers to join him in keeping Jamaica in their thoughts in an Oct. 27 Facebook post where he paid tribute to one of his favorite cruise destinations. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Ocho Rios, Jamaica is a popular cruise destination known for its beautiful beaches. Image source: Carnival Cruise Line Carnival brand ambassador reflects on what Jamaica brings to cruising Melissa is a huge storm and a very, very dangerous hurricane and is heading slowly, but surely to one of my most favourite places that we cruise to and that, of course, is Jamaica, Heald wrote. It is no secret that I love Jamaica but those who have never been there will all now be thinking the same, We have heard Ocho Rios is dangerous and its not safe to go ashore. Heald acknowledged that visiting Jamaica is not without safety risks in certain areas, but insisted that its not an unsafe place to visit as a whole. Related: Carnivals top-voted Caribbean cruise ports may surprise you This totally amazes me and I wonder why people still have this undeserved image in their minds, he said. Im sure where you live there are places that you wouldnt go and its the same where I live as well. And thats why yes, we do highly recommend you take an excursion from the ship and stay in the tourist areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The brand ambassador also highlighted some of the many reasons to visit Jamaica. The beaches are amazing, the rainforest and Dunns River Waterfalls are stunning, the shopping is excellent, the food is superb, the weathers lovely, the water is bluer than anywhere else in the Caribbean and the people for the very most are placid and kind, Heald said. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Carnival brand ambassador asks cruisers to keep Jamaica in their thoughts Knowing that Jamaica needs as many positive thoughts as possible right now as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the island, Heald asked cruisers to join him in supporting the people of Jamaica, no matter how they may feel about the island as a cruise destination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It might not be your favourite port, but it is a place that needs those thoughts because [Hurricane Melissa] is about to wreak havoc on an island where so many live in places that will not provide them any safety at all, he said. More Carnival Cruise Line: Heald told his followers about a friend in Jamaica named Sharon, whom he spoke to about the storms impacts on Oct. 26. For many years, Sharon served as a ships agent in Ocho Rios helping Carnival passengers and crew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They already have serious flooding and Melissa has yet to arrive and has risen to a Category 5 storm. Sharons last message to me last night was Lord have mercy on Jamaica, he explained. I hope he does. Cruise travelers should keep in mind that beyond sending positive thoughts and supporting disaster relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, they can make a real impact in aiding the islands recovery by supporting the local economy on future cruises to Jamaica. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Oct 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. LA MESA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) Casa Gabriela, of Cohn Restaurant Group, is donating all sales made on Wednesday, Nov. 5 to the family of fallen La Mesa Police Officer Lauren Craven. Craven died last Monday, Oct. 20, while responding to a freeway crash on Interstate 8. The restaurant created the fundraiser as a way for the community to come together and support Officer Cravens family. Casa Gabrielas menu celebrates the flavors of Guadalajara, Nayarit, and Tijuana. The restaurant hopes to raise over $20,000 through food and beverage sales on November 5th that will be donated directly to Officer Cravens family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Casa Gabrielas address is 8384 La Mesa Blvd. Donate to the official PORAC Fund A Hero campaign at porac.org/fundraiser/officer-craven. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. State troopers and the Armstrong County Coroner testified against Jessica Mauthe Tuesday morning, a month-and-a-half after four decomposed infant bodies were discovered in her Cadogan Township home. PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Remains of fourth infant found in Armstrong County home, mother facing new charges Mauthe was silent as she arrived at her preliminary hearing in Ford City. Its the first time shes appeared in front of a judge since she was arrested in September on charges of involuntary manslaughter, criminal homicide, and others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Police found the remains wrapped in towels and plastic bags. Troopers testified they were concealed in plastic totes and a bucket hidden in the attic and a playroom inside the home on Oak Avenue. Those infants were identified in court as Baby A, Baby B, Baby C, and Baby D. The most serious charges of involuntary manslaughter and homicide relate to Baby A and Baby D as charges were held for court. This is the beginning of a very long process and I would ask people not to make assumptions before all the evidence is in, said Chuck Pascal, defense attorney. Troopers testified that Mauthe told them she gave birth to the babies over the last six years, the most recent happening more than a-year-and-a-half ago. She told troopers some babies were born alive but died shortly after birth. She said she passed out on top of one of them in the bathroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also said she was taking suboxone at the time of some of the pregnancies and never sought medical care or called 911. Troopers testified that Baby D was found inside of a plastic tote in what was described as a playroom, but Mauthe allegedly told troopers that her older sons, who are in elementary school, did not have access to that room. Channel 11 asked Pascal if Mauthe would undergo a mental health evaluation to see if she is competent to stand trial. He said it hasnt been ruled out. Pascal said he didnt believe there was any proof other than Mauthes own words. He even said, at one point during the hearing, that this could all have just been a dream. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was no evidence introduced today about any cause of death, about whether any baby was alive, any scientific evidence, so therefore, you have to question anything that Ms. Mauthe may have said, whether it was accurate or not. She may not know, Pascal said. Prosecutors disputed that claim, saying they have substantial physical evidence that supports Mauthes story and plan to present it as the case moves forward. Mauthe remains in the Armstrong County Jail. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW UNION, Mich. A 42-year-old Vandalia man was killed Monday when he crashed into a pickup truck and trailer on U.S. 12. James Hettmansperger died at the scene, the Cass County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies were called at 6:02 p.m. to U.S. 12 near the intersection with M-217 in Porter Township, the Sheriff's Office said. An investigation showed that Hettmansperger was the driver of a Jeep Liberty and was traveling east on US-12 when he lost control of the vehicle can crossed the centerline, the report said. The Jeep then struck the rear end of a westbound GMC Sierra pickup and trailer driven by 44-year-old Brett White of Elkhart, Indiana. The Jeep collided with the front of the trailer and left the roadway, coming to rest alongside a utility pole. EMS and fire crews attempted life-saving measures, but Hettmansperger was pronounced dead on the scene, according to police. Both drivers were wearing seat belts. WASHINGTON (KLFY) Senate Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), have introduced legislation that would reinstate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the government shutdown. Cassidy joins Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo., the bills author), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Jon Husted (R-Ohio) in pushing a U.S. Senate vote on the Keep SNAP Funded Act. The bill is the companion to a SNAP funding bill in the House introduced by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Keep SNAP Funded Act would ensure full funding for the SNAP program during the government shutdown. Under the bill, Congress would appropriate the necessary funding to provide uninterrupted SNAP benefits, retroactive to the start of the shutdown, according to Cassidy. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now KLFY Daily Digest The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a memo Friday it wont use the SNAP contingency funding, which Congress has allocated for emergency scenarios. The memo contradicts the since-deleted shutdown plan prepared by the USDA earlier in the year, which said the department is legally obligated to pay SNAP benefits in the event of a shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were stepping up to make sure families can still put food on the table, Cassidy said. This legislation also provides a path for states to get reimbursed by the federal government for any funds used to keep the program going during the government shutdown. One of those states could be Louisiana, which is considering funding SNAP benefits at the state level via the Revenue Stabilization Fund. A resolution that would allow the Louisiana Department of Health secretary to use the fund was approved in the House on Friday and now heads to the Senate. Latest news Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLFY.com. A craft cocktail bar in Midtown Detroit known for its unique pairings with fragrances scents is closing. Castalia at Sfumato, within an old Victorian home on Second Avenue, announced in a Facebook post Monday morning it would come to close on New Years Eve. Castalia, a perfumery by day in the home's lower level with cocktails, mocktails and snacks at night, has had an 8-year run in Midtown. Castalia's cocktails are focused on the harmony of flavor along with the natural fragrances from Sfumato, according to its website. An alcohol-free cocktail called Iroh Knows Best with papaya nectar, lime and ginger tea is served at Sfumato Fragrances, a perfumery by day and bar by night, in Detroit's Midtown on January 11, 2023. Castalia and Sfumato were co-founded and owned by Kevin Peterson and Jane Larson, and co-owned by Erica Kassel and Kyle Dupree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will be operating normally until the end of the year, at which point a new chapter will begin with a change in ownership and direction, the post read. According to the post, Castalias closing isnt because of a downturn in business. To be clear, were not out of money, were not out of ideas, we dont have issues with our landlord, and our neighborhood is great. Rather, after a marvelous run of 8 years, we are choosing to go out on top, according to the post. Peterson said in a recent Daily Detroit podcast interview that the end of its lease was coming up, motivating the closing. The owners posted that its teams are crafting better drinks than ever before, and theyve re received national and international press and awards. But they added that the same structures we built to climb higher now constrain us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peterson, reached by phone Monday evening, said now is the right time to make a move and they are ready for a new chapter. "We are focused on closing thing out tastefully," Peterson told the Free Press. "We are planning a new chapter nothing is solidified." A final cocktail menu called the Afterlife Menu" is in place, featuring more than a dozen offerings including alcohol-free options. Like the scents upon which our drinks are based, beauty arises from ephemerality, and there is a point where the experience must cease to exist, the post read. Castalia is at 3980 2nd Ave. in Detroit. For its Afterlife Menu visit castaliacocktails.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Become a subsriber. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Castalia, Detroit craft cocktail bar, is closing at end of 2025 Category 5 Hurricane Melissa continued to strengthen Tuesday morning, just ahead of what will be a catastrophic landfall in Jamaica. The National Hurricane Center pleaded with Jamaicans to remain sheltered! as the already-deadly storm churned just offshore. One measure of Melissas frightening potential for destruction: It already ranked as the 3rd strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, tying with the devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. As of 12 p.m. Tuesday, it had strengthened to 185 mph sustained winds and was creeping north-northeast at 9 mph. It was about 30 miles southeast of Negril, Jamaica. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa is set to bring building-collapsing winds, up to 30 inches of rain and between 9 and 13 feet of storm surge on Tuesday as it grinds over Jamaica. Flash floods, mud slides and widespread power outages are all likely. READ MORE: Hurricane Melissa threatens several Caribbean islands, challenging disaster responders With landfall imminent, it appears Melissas eye will cross Jamaica on the western side, potentially sparing the capital Kingston the worst of the wind impacts. However, Delano Seiveright, a member of Jamaicas Parliament for St. Andrew North Central, told the Herald the situation remains grave. A Category 4 or 5 system is catastrophic under any circumstance, and despite the extensive national preparations and many well constructed buildings, no one can ever be truly ready for a storm at that intensity. Should the storm maintain its strength and trajectory, some communities, particularly in western Jamaica, could face damage reminiscent of Gilbert or worse, he said, referring to the 1988 storm that left 49 dead and destroyed more than 100,000 homes. Hurricane Melissa is expected to make at least three landfalls this week. Then, its coming for Cuba. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa should weaken over Jamaica as the inner core gets disrupted by the mountainous terrain. However, the cyclone should maintain major hurricane status until the center reaches eastern Cuba, the hurricane center wrote in the 11 a.m. update. READ MORE: Cuba braces for Hurricane Melissa amid health emergency and economic collapse Forecasters said the eastern end of the island should start to feel tropical storm effects Tuesday afternoon and hurricane conditions starting Tuesday evening. Melissa is expected to strike Cuba as a powerful Category 4 storm, making landfall early Wednesday morning and bringing up to 25 inches of rain in some spots, as well as 7 to 11 feet of storm surge. Thats a hard hit for a nation already dealing with power grid failure, outbreaks of mosquito bourne illness and repeated blows from nearly annual hurricanes. More than 880,000 people are being evacuated, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next up is a third landfall in the Bahamas on Wednesday afternoon, still as a hurricane. The central and southeast Bahamas could see flash flooding from up to 10 inches of rain, as well as 4 to 6 feet of storm surge above normally dry land. Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 monster, began its northwest turn Monday evening, churning toward Jamaica with what will likely be the most powerful winds ever recorded on the Caribbean island. Melissa, which also is expected to dump several feet of rain, has already been blamed for a handful of deaths in Haiti and Jamaica and the toll will almost certainly rise. Damage is expected to be catastrophic as the hurricane slams into Jamaicas south-central coast early Tuesday. As of 8 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center found the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. The winds were so strong inside the eyewall of the storm that a NOAA Hurricane Hunter plane made the rare choice to head back early after experiencing severe turbulence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get to the sturdiest building you can find, NHC Director Michael Brennan warned Jamaicans in a video update. Theres potential for total building failure near where the eye wall comes onshore and in areas of high terrain. The National Hurricane Centers last update had Melissa about 155 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and 335 miles southwest of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Forecasters have issued hurricane warnings for Jamaica, parts of Cuba and southeastern and central Bahamas. While Jamaica has been battered by hurricanes for centuries, it has never seen a Category 4 hurricane pass across the island, much less a Category 5, said Evan Thompson, the chief meteorologist of Meteorological Service of Jamaica. Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 approach the island as a Category 4 storm, but Thompson said it crossed the island as a Category 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE: Is Hurricane Melissa affecting your cruise? See whats changing on the ships A Category 4 hurricane is more than we have experienced before moving across the island, Thompson told the Jamaica Gleaner. We have not had this experience before, so its important for us to consider this as an extraordinary situation, Portions of the island have already been doused with more than a foot of rain during Melissas approach, and forecasters said up to 30 more inches could be on the way. Thats on top of storm surge, which is expected to reach 9 to 13 feet above land, particularly on Jamaicas southeast coast. A cyclist rides up to a store to seek shelter from Hurricane Mellisa in Portmore on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images) The damage from Melissas strong winds and deep pockets of flooding rain will be worsened by the storms incredibly slow speed. On Monday afternoon, the monster storm was crawling forward at only 3 mph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forecasters said that sets Jamaica up to be battered for days far beyond the daylong impacts of the storms eye. Its similar to what Cat 5 Dorian did in 2019 to the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, which it left bulldozed after the hurricane parked over the islands. Melissa is now the third Category 5 to form this hurricane season. The only hurricane season with more Category 5s on record 2005 saw four of them. READ MORE: Im going to lose everything: Jamaica farmers dread approach of Hurricane Melissa Melissa could strengthen or weaker a bit more between now and landfall on Tuesday, forecasters said, particularly if it develops a new eye to replace its current one. But regardless, the storm is expected to be devastating for Jamaica. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no practical difference in Melissa making landfall in Jamaica at category 4 or 5 intensity, since both categories produce catastrophic wind damage., the hurricane center wrote in the 5 p.m. Monday update. Hurricane Melissa is on track to make three separate landfalls over the next few days. And there are potentially two more landfalls in store for Melissa this week. Its currently forecast to slam into Cuba as a Category 3, major hurricane and then cross the Bahamas as a Category 2 before finally picking up the pace and racing out to sea. The Caribbean is blanketed in storm watches and warnings, including hurricane warnings for all of Jamaica and the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin. On Monday evening, the southeastern and central Bahamas were also placed under a hurricane warning. Turks and Caicos, as well as the Southeastern Bahamas, are under a hurricane watch. And Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas, as well as Turks and Caicos, remain under a tropical storm warning. Sandbags are placed at the entrance of the Grace Kennedy building in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in downtown Kingston, Jamaica, on October 25, 2025. Deadly storm Melissa strengthened Saturday afternoon into a Category 1 hurricane, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it cut a worryingly slow course toward the Caribbean island of Jamaica, forecasters said. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images) Days of rain have already claimed multiple lives in the Caribbean. In Haiti, officials have counted three deaths, 16 injured people, 450 flooded homes and 10 damaged homes, mostly to the southwest. Several bridges are down and hundreds of people remain in shelters across the nation, according to the Sunday update from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. The company has supported this strong performance with large-scale gold production. In 2024, AngloGold Ashantis total production came to 2.66 million ounces of gold, along with 3.75 million ounces of silver, its main metal by-product. The companys largest operations are in Africa, where it has six active mining operations employing nearly 28,000 people. The companys African ops produced 1.56 million ounces of gold last year and have a mineral reserve of more than 20 million ounces. The first gold miner that well look at here is AngloGold Ashanti, a company that was formed in 2004 through the merger of the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation with AngloGold. In the two decades since then, the company has built itself into one of the worlds major gold producers and perennial member of the top ten gold firms by numerous measures: #8 by market cap ($34.6 billion), #7 by revenue ($7.64 billion in the last four quarters), and #4 by earnings ($3.02 billion in the last four quarters). But you dont actually need to hold gold to participate in this rally. Patrick Jones, J.P. Morgans lead analyst for gold stocks, argues that another way to ride the wave is through miners themselves. Hes particularly upbeat on two gold mining stocks that he believes could deliver gains of 50% or more. That backdrop hasnt gone unnoticed on Wall Street. At J.P. Morgan, Natasha Kaneva, Head of Global Commodities Strategy, remains firmly bullish on the precious metal, calling gold the banks highest conviction long for the year. The strategist expects the ongoing shift toward a Fed rate-cutting cycle to provide further upside, projecting prices to climb from $4,131 per ounce today to $5,055 by the fourth quarter of 2026. Mounting fiscal deficits, simmering geopolitical risks, and doubts about long-term currency stability have rekindled demand for the metal. With central banks hoarding bullion and investors looking to diversify portfolios heavy with risk assets, gold has re-emerged as a trusted hedge against potential policy missteps and future turbulence. Explore ETFs TipRanks' users love and see what insights the ETF AI Analyst reveals about the ones you follow. Investors have flocked to gold this year not because markets are falling apart, but because cracks still linger beneath the surface of the global rally. Equities may be soaring to record highs on hopes of rate cuts and solid earnings, yet golds momentum tells a different story. Weiterlesen AngloGold Ashantis next largest set of operations, by output, is in Australia, where the company has two mines that generated 572,000 ounces of gold last year and have reserves of 2.32 million ounces. The Australian operations employ more than 1,700 workers. Finally, in the Americas, where AngloGold Ashanti employs some 8,500 people, the company produced 526,000 ounces of gold from three active mines. The firms American holdings boast a gold reserve of 6.3 million ounces. A key factor for investors to consider when looking at gold mining companies is the cost of production as it relates to the cost of the metal. As noted above, gold is currently selling for over $4,100 per ounce and is expected to rise higher. AngloGold Ashantis production costs run between $1,000 and $1,300 per ounce, in US currency, giving the company a comfortable difference between production and sales costs. We should note here that shares in AngloGold Ashanti are up a huge 209% for the year-to-date. In its last reported quarter, which covered 2Q25, this company reported sales of $2.44 billion, a figure that was up 77% year-over-year and beat the forecast by approximately $90 million. At the bottom line, the companys $1.25 non-GAAP EPS was more than double the 2Q24 result, although it missed the forecast by 4 cents per share. In another metric of interest to investors, the company reported a 149% year-over-year increase in its free cash flow, which reached $535 million in 2Q25. The companys free cash flow supports its dividend policy. In August of this year, the company declared an interim dividend for Q2 of 80 cents per share, which included the regular dividend payout of 12.5 cents. Overall sound production, a valuable acquisition plan, and a potentially lucrative dividend policy caught the attention of JPMs Patrick Jones, who says of this major gold miner, AngloGold still Top Pick on valuation, buyback potential, & Nevada upside. We forecast ANG to return ~4% of mkt cap by Feb26, solely based on its FCF-based dividend policy. However, with ~$0.7bn net cash (~2% of market cap) forecast at Q425, we see potential for additional excess capital distributions beyond the dividend policy. We think share buybacks are now a realistic tool available to management and we have no record of a SBB in >15 years. The recent Augusta Gold acquisition in Nevada further consolidates ANGs regional footprint, complimenting its North Bullfrog and Arthur projects. North Bullfrog is at pre-feasibility stage, but with >16Moz of total resources, ANGs Nevada district offers significant value upside potential. Along with Top Pick status, the 5-star analyst gives AU shares an Overweight (i.e., Buy) rating, and a $128 price target that suggests a one-year upside potential of 87%. (To watch Jones track record, click here) AngloGold Ashanti has earned a Moderate Buy rating from the analyst consensus, based on 6 recent reviews that include 4 to Buy and 2 to Sell. The shares are priced at $68.57, and their $80.56 average price target implies a gain for the coming year of 17.5%. (See AU stock forecast) Gold Fields (GFI) Next on our list, Gold Fields, is another of the worlds major gold producers. The company is based in South Africa, the African continents third-largest gold producer. South Africa has a history as a major world producer of gold, but in recent years its output has declined. In 2024, the countrys output was down 9% year-over-year, although it remained considerable at 100 metric tons. Gold Fields traces its roots back to 1857, and the company still maintains its base in Johannesburg. Today, the firms operations are widespread and include projects in South Africa and Ghana, in Chile and Peru, in Canada, and in Australia. All of these countries are well known in the global mining industry; Australia, Canada, Ghana, and Peru are all rated among the top ten largest gold-producing countries in the world. The Australian mining operations are the most extensive, with four active mines. The companys Canadian operation is also significant, as it lies in the Windfall project of Quebec, one of Canadas largest gold deposits and one of the worlds top ten gold deposits by head grade. Gold Fields acquired this project last year and expects to generate 300,000 ounces of gold annually over the projected 10-year lifespan of the mine. Gold Fields powers this project with clean hydroelectricity. These are just some of Gold Fields larger operations. The companys positions in Ghana are located in that countrys Ashanti Gold Belt and include the Tarkwa mine, Africas largest open-pit gold mine. This mine has a projected lifespan of 13 years, underscoring the long-term potential of Gold Fields operations. The companys complete portfolio generated 2.1 million ounces of gold last year. Turning to the companys earnings, we find that Gold Fields, this past August, released its financial results for 1H25. During that period, the company produced 1.136 million ounces of gold and saw revenues of $3.48 billion. Gold production is up 24% year-over-year and is on track to meet the 2025 expectations; revenue was up 64% year-over-year. The companys bottom line came to $1.15 per share. Gold Fields realized a free cash flow in the half of $952 million, a strong turnaround from the $57.8 million free cash flow loss reported in 1H24. When we check in again with analyst Jones and the JPM view, we find that Jones is bullish on Gold Fields, basing his stance on the potential of the Windfall project and the strong free cash flow. Jones writes, GFI is trading at 4.7x/4.1x spot 2026/27E EV/EBITDA, well below peers, and offers 11%/12% spot FCF yield. GFI also offers 8% gold volume growth to 2028E (relatively higher than peer ANG) and its Canadian greenfield Windfall project could offer medium-term upside. We place GFI on Positive Catalyst Watch into its upcoming 12 Nov CMD [Capital Markets Day] as we expect positive updates on 1) the Windfall project, which Mgmt (possible FID in early 2026) & 2) the groups shareholder returns policy (currently 30-45% EPS payout) is relatively less attractive vs peers which have increasingly shifted to FCF-payout focused dividend policies. Following this line of thought, Jones rates GFI shares as Overweight (i.e., Buy), and he complements that rating with a $62 price target that points toward a 54% gain on the one-year horizon. Overall, Gold Fields has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, based on 7 reviews that include 3 Buys and 4 Holds. The shares have a trading price of $40.30 and an average target price of $43, implying that the stock has a 12-month upside of 7%. (See GFI stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue (This story was updated to add new information.) Hurricane Melissa roared ashore in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope early Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28, as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, according to a 1 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. The minimum central pressure dropped to 892 mb, just hours before it hit, the NHC said. According to meteorologist Jim Cantore, that would tie Melissa with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the 3rd strongest hurricane of record in the Atlantic basin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa's maximum sustained winds have dropped to 145 mph as the now Category 4 storm crosses western Jamaica, with a pressure of 914 mb, according to a 5 p.m. NHC update. Track Hurricane Melissa Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location The island nation has been bracing for what could be its worst hurricane in recorded history. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," an NHC update said. "Do not leave your shelter as the eye passes over, as winds will rapidly increase on the other side of the eye. Residents should not leave their shelter and should remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "To protect yourself from wind, the best thing you can do is put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. An interior room without windows, ideally one where you can also avoid falling trees, is the safest place you can be in a building. You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection." At least seven fatalities have already been reported across the Caribbean due to the storm, AccuWeather reported. The historic storm has brought hours of catastrophic and life-threatening winds, torrential rain, storm surge, and flooding to Jamaica. "The catastrophic wind speeds combined with the slow forward motion of this storm are a deadly and destructive combination," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in an email. "Towns in the path of the eyewall could be blasted with wind gusts above 160 mph for several hours. The uplifting motion forcing moisture-filled air over the mountains will squeeze out extreme amounts of rain. Some areas could see 3 feet or more of rainfall. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides will worsen as Melissa treks across the island. The storm surge pushed into the bays and along the coastline could damage or wipe out critical infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The destruction could be unlike anything people in Jamaica have seen before," he said. Melissa is expected to move away from western Jamaica this evening, before crossing southeastern Cuba later tonight and early Wednesday morning, still as a dangerous major hurricane, and approach Bermuda Thursday. Life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected along portions of the southern Jamaica coast today with peak heights 9 to 13 feet above ground level near and to the east of where Melissa makes landfall, accompanied by large and destructive waves, the NHC said. On the northwest coast of Jamaica, near Montego Bay, 2 to 4 feet of storm surge are possible, while the southeast coast of Cuba could see 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels and up to 25 inches of total rainfall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what you should know. What category is Hurricane Melissa? Melissa is a dangerously powerful Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and higher gusts. Hurricane Melissa is the 13th named storm, the fifth hurricane, the fourth major hurricane, the third hurricane to reach Category 5 and the most powerful hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, so far. Has Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica? When, where did Hurricane Melissa make landfall? Hurricane Melissa made landfall before 1 p.m., according to the NHC's 1 p.m. update. The storm came ashore in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope. Where is New Hope, Jamaica? New Hope is a community in Jamaica located in the Westmoreland Parish, in the southwestern part of the island near the town of Little London. It's about 96 miles from Kingston. Where is Hurricane Melissa now? Special note on the NHC cone: The forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane Melissa summary, as of 5 p.m., Oct. 28: Location : 15 miles east of Montego Bay, Jamaica; 200 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba Maximum sustained winds: 145 mph Movement : north-northeast at 8 mph Pressure: 921 mb Live video: Watch powerful Hurricane Melissa effects on Jamaica with these live webcams Where is Melissa going and what impact will it have? Wind : Damaging winds will continue across portions of Jamaica through this evening, especially in mountainous areas. Remain in a safe shelter in Jamaica through tonight. Tropical storm conditions are spreading across eastern Cuba, with hurricane conditions expected in the hurricane warning area starting tonight into Wednesday morning. Tropical storm conditions are expected in Haiti tonight and Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are expected in Haiti later today and Wednesday. Hurricane conditions are expected in the southeastern and central Bahamas on Wednesday. Tropical storm conditions are expected and hurricane conditions are possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. Hurricane conditions are possible on Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night. Rainfall : Melissa is expected to bring an additional 6 to 12 inches across Jamaica, where storm total amounts will be between 12 to 24 inches. Isolated areas near 30 inches will be possible over mountainous terrain. Ongoing catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides will continue through Tuesday night. For eastern Cuba, storm total rainfall of 10 to 20 inches is expected through Wednesday, with local amounts to 25 inches expected over mountainous terrain. This will cause life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides. Over the Southeast Bahamas, storm total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches is expected through Wednesday, which will result in areas of flash flooding. For the Turks and Caicos, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected. Heavy rain may begin to affect Bermuda Thursday night. Over southern Hispaniola, additional rainfall of 2 to 6 inches is expected through Wednesday, with storm total local maxima of 40 inches possible. Storm surge: On the northwest coast of Jamaica, near Montego Bay, there is the possibility of 2 to 4 feet of storm surge above ground level. Storm surge flooding on the southern coast of Jamaica should subside tonight. There is a potential for significant storm surge along the southeast coast of Cuba late today or Wednesday. Peak storm surge heights could reach 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall. This storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Minor coastal flooding is possible in bays and inlets along the north coast of eastern Cuba. Storm surge of 5 to 8 ft above normally dry ground is possible in the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, and 2 to 4 ft above normally dry ground in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. Minor coastal flooding is expected along the coast of Haiti. Surf: Swells generated by Melissa are expected to affect portions of Hispaniola, Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and the Cayman Islands during the next day or two, likely causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. These swells will reach the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda later this week. Please consult products from your local weather office. Hurricane Melissa: What you need to know At 5 p.m., the center of Hurricane Melissa was located near latitude 18.5 North, longitude 77.7 West. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa is moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph. A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected this evening, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Wednesday and Thursday. On the forecast track, the core of Melissa will move away from western Jamaica this evening. After that, the center is expected to move over southeastern Cuba later tonight and early Wednesday morning, move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday, and approach Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night. Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph with higher gusts. Melissa is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Melissa is expected to reach southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and it could still be a major hurricane when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft will be investigating Melissa this evening. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 921 mb. Hurricane Melissa spaghetti models, trajectory, projected path Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts. Track Hurricane Melissa See map of hurricane/tropical storm watches, warnings issued for Florida As of Oct. 28, no watches or warnings associated with Hurricane Melissa have been issued for Florida or the U.S. Hurricane warning issued for Jamaica, portion of Haiti A hurricane warning is in effect for: Jamaica Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas Southeastern and Central Bahamas A hurricane watch is in effect for: Bermuda A tropical storm warning is in effect for: Haiti Cuban province of Camaguey Turks and Caicos Islands Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. Storm tracker: How strong is Hurricane Melissa and where is it going? This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of 5 p.m., Hurricane Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. Melissa is moving toward the north-northeast at 8 mph. A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected this evening, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Wednesday and Thursday. Is Hurricane Melissa coming to Florida? Most current models show Hurricane Melissa being picked up and being shoved to the northeast into the Atlantic. The timing and strength of a dip in the jet stream over the eastern United States next week will help determine the path that Melissa takes through the northern Caribbean and into the southwestern Atlantic," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. "At this time, the odds of 'direct' rain and wind impacts from Melissa reaching the U.S. East Coast are low." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WeatherTiger: Melissa a monster in the making with Florida dodging the bullet Melissa poses "little to no risk to Florida or the continental U.S.," said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, who works with the USA TODAY Network. "Odds of any outer bands of Melissa even minimally scraping southeast Florida on its way out (into the Atlantic) are around 5%." Forecasters encourage residents to monitor the tropics and to always be prepared. Key messages from the National Hurricane Center: What you need to know about Hurricane Melissa Jamaica: Remain in a safe shelter tonight. Damaging winds will continue over portions of Jamaica this evening. Catastrophic flash flooding, and landslides, are expected across the island tonight with widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages, and isolated communities. Haiti and the Dominican Republic: Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are expected across southwestern Haiti and southern portions of the Dominican Republic during the next day or so. In Haiti, extensive damage and isolation of communities is likely. Tropical storm conditions are expected later today and Wednesday. Eastern Cuba: Heavy rainfall, flash flooding and landslides are expected soon. Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds are likely to begin later today. Seek safe shelter. Southeastern and Central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos: Hurricane conditions, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall are expected across portions of the southeastern and central Bahamas on Wednesday. Complete preparations by tonight and follow local official guidance. Tropical storm conditions, heavy rains, and significant storm surge are expected in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. Current forecast: Where is Hurricane Melissa going and how strong could it get? As of 5 p.m.: 145 mph 12 hours: 140 mph 24 hours: 115 mph 36 hours: 110 mph 48 hours: 105 mph 60 hours: 100 mph 72 hours: 80 mph 96 hours: 60 mph, post-tropical 120 hours: 40 mph, post-tropical Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Category 5 hurricane has maximum sustained winds of at least 157 mph. Stay informed. Get weather alerts via text What's next? We will update our tropical weather coverage daily. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Hurricane Center makes landfall in Jamaica as monster Cat 5 storm Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, Tuesday afternoon, becoming the most powerful hurricane on record to strike the Connecticut-sized island nation. Melissa slowly roared onshore along the southwestern side of Jamaica, packing catastrophic winds of 185 mph upon landfall, the strongest Atlantic landfall since Hurricane Dorian devastated Bahamas in 2019. Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, around 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday with sustained winds of 185 mph. (CIRA / NOAA) Shortly before landfall, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued its final plea to residents in the storm's path, saying, "THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION!" and urging them to stay in their shelters until the storm fully passes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa is the most powerful storm on Earth this year, and has joined the ranks as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record by both pressure and wind speed. The storm's central pressure of 892 millibars ties with the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1935 as the third-lowest pressure in an Atlantic hurricane since 1851, and Melissa's winds of 185 mph rank it as the fifth-most intense in Atlantic basin history. As the storm reached peak intensity Tuesday morning, there were some tense moments onboard a hurricane hunter aircraft inside Hurricane Melissa. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron crew encountered severe turbulence while entering the storm's eye, pushing the aircraft up and down by nearly 700 feet in less than one minute. After circling inside the relatively calm conditions of the eye for more than 30 minutes (and gathering essential scientific data via weather sensors), the aircraft aborted the rest of its mission and safely returned to Curacao. Early reports of significant damage were coming in Tuesday afternoon, but we won't know the full scope of destruction until the storm has passed. With the island taking a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane at its peak intensity, the outlook is grim. Looking ahead, eastern Cuba is up next for Melissa's direct impacts, with the storm's second landfall expected late Tuesday night as a weaker (but still incredibly powerful) hurricane. After passing through Cuba, Melissa will continue northeastward across southern Bahamas on Wednesday before heading back over open water. This article originally published at Category 5 Hurricane Melissa slams Jamaica as strongest storm in island's history. In a dramatic speech in Berlin on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen painted a dystopian picture of today's world as she reiterated her calls for an independent Europe. "Europe is facing up to another seismic change in the way the global economy works. We may be approaching a shift in the international order - one increasingly defined by power, whether economic, technological or military," she said. Declaring a new "era of geoeconomics", von der Leyen described unnamed powers trying to "create chokeholds on countries and industries, to exert control and impose coercion on others". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The German official was clear that with its current methods, the European Union was not fit for purpose in a "world of transactionalism and zero-sum games ... in which the global economy as we know it is giving way to a permanent state of flux and disorder". "Europe cannot do things the same way any more," she told the Berlin Global Dialogue. "We learned this lesson painfully with energy. We will not repeat it with critical materials ... It is time to speed up and take the action that is needed." European independence has been a recurring motif in leaders' speeches since US President Donald Trump threatened to tear away the American security blanket that protects much of Europe and to turn digital and technological dependencies against it, forcing Brussels to change its own laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Trump's return helped spark the quest for independence, leaders remain reluctant to criticise Washington publicly as they look to keep him engaged in Ukraine. They appear to have no such qualms with regard to Beijing. "One is a security provider, the other a security disrupter," one senior official said. The calls have gained traction since April, when China roiled the bloc with a suite of export controls on rare earth elements and magnets that was expanded in October. Meanwhile, industries from steel and chemicals to machinery and vehicles are crying out for EU support as they face down cutthroat Chinese competition, persistently high energy prices and sluggish European demand. The broad contours of what independence might look like have started to emerge. Last week, Sweden agreed to sell up to 150 fighter jets to Ukraine, while on Monday Britain announced the sale of 20 fighter jets to Turkey, as Nato's Western flank looks to diversify away from US arms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as with many of Europe's grand projects, progress remains halting. Leaders from the EU's 27 member states arrived at a summit last week using the language of emergency, but their behaviour screamed complacency. The summit's primary goal was to sequester seized Russian assets, held mostly in the Belgium-based entity Euroclear, and convert them into a 140 billion (US$162 billion) loan to Ukraine for military use. But the plan was scuppered after France and Germany refused to grant Belgium's wish for all EU members to share the financial risk, in case Moscow retaliated. "Europe works poorly in slow-burn crises," said Sander Tordoir, chief economist at the Centre for European Reform (CER), an independent think tank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The coordination between member states is always hard, and it works best under acute pressure when minds are focused. In slow-burn crises, the narcissism of small differences wins out," he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson walk past a Gripen fighter jet. Ukraine could buy up to 150 of the warplanes as part of an agreement to deepen defence cooperation. Photo: AFP alt=Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson walk past a Gripen fighter jet. Ukraine could buy up to 150 of the warplanes as part of an agreement to deepen defence cooperation. Photo: AFP> On rare earth elements (REE), the leaders blessed a watered-down statement saying "to deter and counter unfair trade practices, the European Council invites the commission to make effective use of all EU economic instruments". Member states did not mention China directly and removed a reference to "economic security" from a previous draft, in a sign of how uncomfortable some of them are with the idea of weaponising trade policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting concluded with the leaders agreeing to discuss the matter again in February. But by the time she gave her stormy speech in Berlin, von der Leyen had already seized on the opening to announce a new plan for critical minerals. This would promote joint purchasing and stockpiling of rare earths and other vital ingredients for advanced manufacturing, as well as more investment in European processing facilities. EU spokesman Olof Gill said on Monday that the plan would be unveiled before the end of the year. Analysts have long argued in favour of such a programme, although the commission was not able to answer questions about how it would differ from the Critical Raw Materials Act, introduced in May 2024 with similar goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As Europe cannot rely on market forces or Beijing's whims, policy intervention to drastically reduce European rare earth element dependencies is the best option," wrote Rebecca Arcesati and Jacob Gunter in a note for the Mercator Institute for China Studies. "Decisive action would not only jump-start European REE capabilities but also signal to China that the 'weaponisation' of trade will only strengthen European resolve to pursue even more aggressive economic de-risking, perhaps deterring Beijing from similar moves going forward." The analysts called for subsidies and "regulatory support" to help firms diversify away from China, as well as import quotas that would "force European companies to source a fixed proportion of REE from non-Chinese producers". There is a growing sense that for officials in Brussels, Paris and increasingly Berlin, an independent Europe needs to be more muscular when it comes to policy towards Beijing. Von der Leyen has led a growing clamour of leaders calling for sterner trade action against China's export controls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Whether on energy or raw materials, defence or digital, Europe has to strive for its independence," she said on Saturday, vowing to strike back if a series of EU-China minerals engagements this week yields no progress. Her call was echoed by Germany's central banking chief Joachim Nagel. Speaking at the same forum, he said that if no deal on rare earths was made, the EU should retaliate forcefully. "I would say, 'OK, we have to be strong and have to take a bold decision'," Nagel said, a day after German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul - who has been heavily critical of Beijing's security policies - cancelled a trip to China after he was unable to arrange enough meetings. Joachim Nagel, president of the Bundesbank, has called for a forceful response from the EU if no rare earths deal is reached with China. Photo: Reuters alt=Joachim Nagel, president of the Bundesbank, has called for a forceful response from the EU if no rare earths deal is reached with China. Photo: Reuters> Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Thursday's summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Europe should hit back hard. "The very ability of Europeans to maintain autonomous production is being called into question," he told a press conference. Top of Macron's wish list is the deployment of the EU's anti-coercion instrument to deal with China's rare earth controls. This is despite news that he is set to visit Beijing again in December. The weapon would allow the EU to slap tariffs, quotas or market bans on Chinese entities unless Beijing started granting licences, but it would be a long process once it was eventually triggered by the commission. According to Tobias Gehrke, an expert in geoeconomics at the European Council on Foreign Relations, the time was right to use the tool. "Europe has cards to play. The instrument was built for exactly this and it's time to take it off the shelf and use it," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It could target chip equipment, aviation services and high-end machinery exports, as well as key imports from China like cars, wind turbines, telecoms, medical devices and low-end consumer goods." Other clues as to what an "independent Europe" may look like appeared in a work plan for 2026 that was published by the commission last week. It was replete with "buy Europe" provisions to support local industries and sweeping deregulation proposals. In a joint report by CER and the Jaques Delors Centre that was widely circulated last week, Tordoir and co-authors Nils Redeker and Lucas Guttenberg said "buy Europe" should be extended to electric vehicle industries. "China is hammering European carmaking," they wrote, urging a dramatic roll-out of subsidies for electric vehicle buyers, modelled on a French bonus scheme, to avoid the industry being swept up in a "perfect storm". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ideas are flowing, but whether the EU can move swiftly enough to save its industries, Ukraine - and even itself - remains to be seen. "We are dealing with paralysis," one EU official said. "None of these problems should be a surprise. We first started talking about dependencies in 2020. We've been talking about de-risking since 2023. But what has happened since? Nothing really." This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. FOREST CITY, N.C. (WSPA) Police have shared more information about a deadly home invasion that occurred in Forest City on Friday, October 24. The Forest City Police Department and the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office responded to the home invasion around 9:50 a.m. at a home on Harris Lee Drive. Inside the home, officer said they found 25-year-old Tyler D. Weaver laying on the floor. First responders said Weaver had died from his injuries before officers arrived. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An autopsy completed Monday revealed that Weaver died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. No suspects have been arrested in connection to the home invasion, though police said they have identified persons of interest and are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information can contact the Forest City Police Department at (828) 245-5555 or use the agencys mobile app to send in a tip. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. In many ways, Tuesday's hearing did not live up to its billing. Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, did not, as the Department of Homeland Security had anticipated, "correct Judge Ellis of her deep misconceptions" regarding its Chicago-area immigration operation "Midway Blitz." In fact, for all the bravado he showed upon leaving the courthouse Tuesday, inside, he showed little resistance as he acquiesced to all of Judge Sara Ellis' orders. Surrounded by a large number of federal officers, Bovino left Chicago's federal courthouse amidst a loud chorus of jeers and taunts directed at him by the assembled protesters. Bovino defiantly pumped his fist into the air and then saluted before driving off moments later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But inside the courtroom, away from the cameras, it was a different story, as Bovino told Ellis, "We are on the same page. We will abide by the TRO." ABC7 Legal Analyst Gil Soffer analyzes what happened in the courtroom. Bovino was ordered to appear in front of Ellis on Tuesday after images surfaced, showing him launching what appears to be a tear gas canister into a crowd of protesters in Little Village last week, without having previously given those assembled the two required warnings. It was an apparent violation of her temporary restraining order. "A warning does not consist of saying, 'get back' or 'leave.' They must tell people what they are going to do before they do it so that people have the opportunity to comply. That isn't what I have seen in any of these videos," Ellis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates On Tuesday, DHS released body-worn camera footage of that incident. It shows, among other things, a man with a knife appearing to slash an official vehicle, and an object, which officials say is a rock, thrown toward Bovino and other agents. What the video fails to do is to show any audible warnings of what agents were about to do. It also appears to show a crowd that, while verbally abusive, was, for the most part, not physically engaging the agents. ABC News' Stephanie Ramos spoke with Customs and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino before his testimony. But it was Saturday's incident in Old Irving Park, where, in the aftermath of an immigration-related arrest, tear gas was deployed on a residential street, that appeared to outrage Ellis the most. Ellis referencing a complaint where a choke hold was used and tear gas was deployed without warning in Old Irving Park. Ellis: Those kids were tear gassed on their way to celebrate Halloween in their local school parking lot. I can only imagine how terrified they were. Mark Rivera ABC7 (@MarkRiveraABC7) October 28, 2025 Ellis: These kids, you can imagine, their sense of safety was shattered on Saturday. And its going to take a long time for that to come back if ever. Not only was their sense of safety shattered but its connected to something that should have been a really happy day. Mark Rivera ABC7 (@MarkRiveraABC7) October 28, 2025 "Kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not pose an immediate threat. They just don't. And you can't use riot control weapons against them," Ellis said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In court, Ellis acknowledged that while she did not have all the facts, based on the videos she has seen, "it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat." Ellis also stipulated to Bovino that if journalists are doing their job, they have to be allowed to do their jobs. Ellis said DHS officials can use force in exigent circumstances, but otherwise, people in public places should be allowed to stay. She said using riot control weapons such as tear gas on members of the press or protesters not posing an immediate threat is not permissible. Ellis: One of the notice of violation reports the plaintiffs filed indicates someone was shot in the neck by pepper balls. According to that filing, that person was not posing a serious threat. Striking head, neck, throat, spine, etc, not permissible unless a person is a threat Mark Rivera ABC7 (@MarkRiveraABC7) October 28, 2025 Through it all, Bovino remained mostly silent. Ellis walked him through the TRO sentence by sentence and ordered him to get fitted with a body-worn camera by Friday. But that was not all. Ellis ordered Bovino to: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Produce all previous use of force reports and associated video by Friday. Produce all future use of force reports and associated video within 24 hours of finalization, and Present in person to court every day at 6 p.m. between Wednesday and Nov. 5. The weekday meetings between Ellis and Bovino will happen at 5:45 p.m. "Asking a senior government representative to appear in court every single day at 6 o'clock is most certainly unusual. At the same time, it is also almost certainly within her powers," said ABC7 Chief Legal Analyst Gil Soffer. Nov. 5 is the date of the preliminary injunction hearing. Those daily meetings, said the judge, will be an opportunity for Bovino to brief her on the day's activities. But while the plaintiffs were hoping that she would forbid agents from deploying chemical agents at all between now and then, she refused to go that far, saying she has no desire to run CBP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soffer said Ellis laid the groundwork for accountability during Tuesday's hearing. "She clearly believed that he had not been following government, had not been following her order... She really just wanted to hold him, hold him to it," Soffer said. "The judge is really following a very careful and thoughtful approach here. It is making as clear as can be for the record and for the government exactly what she expects." But faith in the feds is in short supply from Chicago's mayor. "The Trump administration said they were going to go after the worst of the worst -- criminals, individuals who have caused harm -- and that's not what's happening. What is happening is Bovino is a barbaric individual. I just hope that this judge provides some level of accountability," said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bovino is expected start his daily appearances with Ellis on Wednesday. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement on the Little Village incident, saying, "On October 23, 2025, Border Patrol Agents conducted enforcement operations near 27th and Whipple Ave. A large crowd of 75 to 100 rioters surrounded law enforcement who set up a perimeter after agents were boxed in by a large box truck. Rioters then shot at agents with commercial artillery shell fireworks. A Border Patrol transport van carrying illegal aliens attempting to get to the safety of the perimeter was then attacked. Border Patrol agents were able to secure the van and get it into the perimeter. The mob of rioters grew more hostile and violent, advancing toward agents and began throwing rocks and other objects at agents, including one that struck Chief Greg Bovino in the head. Border Patrol agents repeated multiple warnings to back up and that chemical agents would be deployed if warnings were ignored. Riot control measures were deployed, including by Chief Bovino, and arrests were made. Agents properly used their training. The use of chemical munitions was conducted in full accordance with CBP policy and was necessary to ensure the safety of both law enforcement and the public." A coalition of celebrity chefs has found itself at odds with California lawmakers and environmental groups over a controversial kitchen item: Teflon cookware. Yet there are several things everyone can agree on no matter which side they support. What's happening? In mid-September, California lawmakers passed a bill to ban intentionally added "forever chemicals" in cookware and other everyday essentials, including food packaging and dental floss. Forever chemicals, or PFAS, are linked to organ cancers and other chronic health issues. However, high-profile chefs were among the surprising opponents of Senate Bill 682, which would have given manufacturers and retailers until 2030 to phase out Teflon and similar nonstick cookware, according to CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Thomas Keller perhaps best known for his Michelin-starred cuisine at the French Laundry in Napa Valley as well as media personality Rachael Ray, Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster, and David Chang of Momofuku all backed the Cookware Sustainability Alliance's advocacy against the bill, according to the outlet. SB 682 didn't make it past the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who vetoed the legislation and urged its authors and stakeholders to go back to the drawing board. Why is this news important? Because nonstick cookware made of Teflon is easy to clean, it is no surprise it has been a kitchen staple in homes for decades. However, Teflon cookware gets its nonstick properties from PTFE, a synthetic fluoropolymer that is part of the PFAS family (the forever chemicals from above). Since the early 2000s, researchers have been raising the alarm about the health risks associated with the chemicals in Teflon cookware. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS are in the blood of nearly everyone in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Today, many brands are selling ceramic as a safer, nontoxic alternative. For example, Xtrema (which is a vetted TCD partner) is one of the companies offering 100% ceramic pots, pans, and baking dishes. Why would celebrity chefs oppose a Teflon cookware ban? The debate over Teflon cookware highlights two key factors at the heart of the matter: affordability and health. Opponents of the bill argued that phasing out Teflon will limit options for families on a budget and discourage people from cooking healthy foods at home. "PTFEs, when manufactured and used responsibly, are proven to be safe and effective," Ray wrote, according to CBS News. Yet this is hard to achieve in practice, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Working Group, two nonprofits that supported the Teflon ban. Advertisement Advertisement They cited studies indicating scratched pans can release microplastics into food while less than perfect cooking techniques, such as overheating a pan, could leave families breathing in toxic fumes. Additionally, Teflon's short shelf life can offset any savings in cookware costs. "Durability and reusability are the most overlooked parts of sustainability," Richard Bergstrom, founder of Xtrema, told The Cool Down. Not to mention, "a pan that lasts for decades and can continually be reused doesn't just save money it keeps waste out of landfills and reduces the need for constant consumption." How can I protect myself against PFAS more broadly? Upgrading your cookware is an investment in your health and financial future, as long as you choose a quality set. Whereas other top brands such as Caraway and Our Place sell cookware coated in ceramic material, Xtrema's 100% ceramic cookware can last for generations. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) Jamaicans living in central Alabama are watching closely as Hurricane Melissa strikes their homeland Tuesday. Alabama Jamaicans contacted family members on the island, but communication has been limited as the storm continues to bring damaging winds and heavy rain. Catastrophic: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica | Tracking the Tropics Just watching this devastation is almost like seeing a part of your soul being chipped away because we understand how much that is going to impact the island, said Stephanie Hunter, a district judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Alabama who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunters family is still in Jamaica. Hunter said she has spoken with her relatives but fears what comes next. They have not had to evacuate. They are not in any of the low-lying areas, Hunter said. Hopefully, the only thing that will happen may be some property damage because it is raining pretty heavily. But so far there has been no damage, and they are all doing okay. Alabama couple stranded as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica Leroy Russell, owner of Spice of Life Jamaica, was born on the island and said what he is seeing from afar has been difficult. I have been in contact with my family and lots of my friends, Russell said. Currently, the situation is bad, but its manageable. We have seen some of the farmland that has been blown down, several buildings where the roof is gone, some trees have been uprooted, and the water is pretty high. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both said they are praying, staying hopeful and trusting in the strength of their community. We are all optimistic because Jamaicans are resilient people, Hunter said. We have gone through a lot. We have made it through. We are very strong. We are very resilient, Russell said. We have seen storms before. They will come back stronger as well. Hunter and Russell are encouraging support for their families and all others affected by the storm. How to donate Cash App: $Alcaribbean Venmo: @alcaribbean The Central Alabama Caribbean American Organization will be holding a fundraiser for Hurricane Melissa relief at Bistro on 19 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 8. Tickets are $25. Those who are interested in more information on the fundraiser are asked to call 205-800-7310. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. The Sumter County Sheriffs Office will hold a news conference on Wednesday to provide updates on the 1971 Little Miss Panasoffkee homicide case. Sheriff Pat Breeden and Captain Jon Galvin will oversee the briefing, scheduled for 10 a.m. Officials believe the woman was of Greek descent. The event is expected to draw interest from media outlets in the Tampa and Jacksonville areas. The press conference aims to shed light on new developments in the decades-old cold case, with law enforcement officials providing the latest information to the public and media. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Today we're taking a tour through the mythical Land of Election Fraud, where President Trump has built a palace of lies, imprisoning both truth and democracy. I put it in fairy tale terms because the idea that American elections are corrupt should hold about as much credence as a magical beanstalk growing into the sky. Countless lawsuits and investigations have found no proof of these false claims. But here we are not only do many Americans erroneously believe that Trump won the 2020 election, but the chief water-carriers of that lie are now in powerful government positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it will send monitors to Los Angeles and other locations in California and New Jersey for next week's balloting. Those who study voting and democracies warn that this could be a test run for how far Trump could go in attempting to impose his will on the 2026 midterms and perhaps the 2028 presidential election. If you think that it is harmless coincidence that he's stacked election deniers in key posts, or that once again California is the center of his attack on democratic norms, I have beans you may be interested in buying. "The sending of the observers to the special election could very well be, and probably likely is, a precursor or practice run for 2026," Mindy Romero told me. Shes an assistant professor and the founder of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at USCs Sol Price School of Public Policy. Read more: Skelton: Trump's antics helping supporters of Prop. 50 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like others I spoke with, Romero sees a larger context to the poll monitors that has the potential to end with voter suppression. "The Trump administration is laying a foundation, and they're being very open about it, very clear about it," Romero said. "They are saying that they are anticipating there to be fraud and for the election to be rigged." Trump put it even more clearly in a social media post on Sunday. "I hope the DOJ pursues this with as much 'gusto' as befitting the biggest SCANDAL in American history!," he wrote. "If not, it will happen again, including the upcoming Midterms. ... Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop Vote is!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To understand where all this may be headed involves digging back into Golden State history. The conspiracy underpinning election fraud claims has deep roots in California's Proposition 187 the anti-immigrant measure that was passed by voters in 1994 but squashed by the courts. The far right never got over the defeat. Anti-immigrant sentiment morphed into conspiracy theory, specifically that undocumented folks were voting in huge numbers, at the behest of Democrats. This absolutely loony bit of racist paranoia spawned an "election integrity" movement that cloaked itself as patriotism and fairness, but at heart remained doused in fear-of-brown. Calfornia Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Monday he sees that Proposition 187 "playbook" at work today with "a targeting, unfortunately, of immigrants ... because it creates fear in the eyes of some, in the minds of some, and it helps the Republican Party, MAGA and the Trump administration achieve their goals." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are just the flip side of the coin to his election fraud claims both at heart a part of the white Christian nationalism that his administration is now openly embracing. Let me just say here that all Americans want fair elections and many average folks involved in election integrity efforts simply want to ensure our one-person, one-vote system stays honest regardless of race or anything else. No hate on them at all. It's the funders and organizers of many voter witch-hunt efforts that draw my ire, because they exploit that reasonable wish for fairness for their own dark agenda. And that agenda increasingly appears to be the end of free and fair elections, while maintaining the appearance of them the classic authoritarian way of ruling with the seeming consent of the people. Remember, Russia still holds elections. "To have real control, you want to rule with a velvet glove," Romero said. "That velvet glove can come off, and the people know it can come off," but mostly, you want them to comply because it feels like "just what has to be." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So how exactly would we get from poll monitors, a reasonable and established norm, to something as dire as an election that is rigged, or that is so chaotic the average person doesn't know the truth? It starts with introducing doubt into the system, which Trump has done. To be fair, with Proposition 50, the Election Rigging Response Act, Democrats now fear rigged elections, too. But Gowri Ramachandran, the director of elections and security in the Brennan Center for Justices Elections and Government Program, told me her "biggest fear" is that those election deniers whom Trump elevated to official roles "now have the platform of the federal government." For that reason, "information about elections [that] comes out of the federal government right now, I think everyone's going to have to take it with a really big grain of salt," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Justice Department says it will monitor California poll sites amid Prop. 50 voting So we come out of the California 2025 special election unable to trust the federal government's take on it, with one year until the midterm elections that will determine whether or not Trump's power remains unfettered. Maybe everything turns out fine, but there's a string of other maybes where it doesn't. Let's say Trump tries to declare an end to mail-in ballots and early voting, both of which increase turnout for lower-income folks who don't have time to line up. Trump tried that earlier this year, though courts blocked it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What does the 2026 election look like if you have to line up in person to vote if you want to be sure it counts, with ICE potentially around the block rounding up citizens and noncitizens alike? And the government requiring that you have multiple forms of identification, all with matching names (take that, married women), and even military "guarding" the polls? Kind of intimidating, huh? But let's say the election happens anyway. And let's say Republicans lose enough congressional seats to put Democrats in control of the House. But let's say the federal government claims there is so much fraud, it has to be investigated before any results can be considered official. Private groups sue on both sides. Half the country believes Trump, half the country believes the secretaries of state, like California's Shirley Weber, charged with managing the results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In that chaos, the newly elected Democratic representatives head to Washington, D.C., to get to work, only to have House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) refuse to swear them in no differently than he is currently doing with elected Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva, who has promised to vote to release the Epstein files if Johnson ever does his job. Romero calls that scenario "not even ... that big of a stretch." Congress comes to a halt, not enough members sworn in to function, which is just fine by Trump. And voila! The vote is suppressed by confusion, chaos and the velvet glove, because of course it's reasonable to want to know the truth before we move forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So monitor away. Watch the polls and watch the watchers, and protect the vote. But don't buy the beans. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. JPYC, a Tokyo-based fintech firm, has officially launched a Japanese Yen-backed stablecoin amid the rising global demand for the digital asset class. The JPYC stablecoin from the Japanese fintech is fully backed 1:1 by bank deposits and government bonds, maintaining parity with the Japanese yen. Yen-Backed JPYC Stablecoin Launches on Ethereum, Polygon The global stablecoin market, mostly dominated by USD-pegged stablecoins, has reached over $300 billion. As a result, other global markets are exploring potential opportunities with Euro-backed or Yen-backed digital assets. At a press conference in Tokyo, JPYC President Noriyoshi Okabe described the launch as a major milestone in the history of Japanese currency. He also revealed that seven companies have already expressed interest in integrating the new stablecoin into their operations. Alongside the stablecoin launch, JPYC has introduced JPYC EX, a dedicated platform for issuing and redeeming the token. The platform operates under Japans Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds. It also ensures strict identity verification and transaction monitoring. Through JPYC EX, users can deposit Japanese yen via bank transfer to receive JPYC tokens in a registered wallet and redeem them back into yen through a linked withdrawal account. Looking ahead, JPYC aims to reach an issuance balance of 10 trillion yen within the next three years. Thus, it aims to position its stablecoin as a foundation for a new digital financial infrastructure in Japan. Japan Might Soon Face A Stablecoin Rush JPYC may soon face competition in Japans emerging stablecoin market. Monex Group, a Tokyo-based financial services firm, announced plans in August to launch its own yen-pegged stablecoin. Meanwhile, Japans three largest banks, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, and Mizuho Bank, are reportedly working together to issue a yen-backed stablecoin through MUFGs Progmat issuance platform. In parallel, Japans Financial Services Agency (FSA) is reportedly considering a regulatory review that could allow banks to hold and invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), signaling a broader shift toward digital asset adoption in the country. According to the latest data from blockchain analytics firm Glassnode, the Stablecoin Supply Ratio (SSR) Oscillator remains near cycle lows, reflecting abundant stablecoin liquidity relative to Bitcoin. Glassnode noted that historically, such conditions tend to precede stronger buying activity as market confidence improves, suggesting that the crypto market may be positioned for renewed upside momentum once sentiment turns bullish. Read original story Japanese Yen-backed Stablecoin Goes Live on Ethereum and Polygon by Bhushan Akolkar at Coinspeaker.com PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A man driving a Challenger died after he lost control while traveling on Maryland Route 5 in Prince Georges County Monday night, detailed police. The collision happened around 11:11 p.m. on Oct. 27 near Moores Road. Maryland State Police (MSP) told DC News Now that a preliminary investigation indicated the 37-year-old man was driving along MD Route 5 when, for unknown reasons, he traveled off the road and into the grass. Thats when the Dodge Challenger continued traveling and reentered the northbound lanes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2.5 magnitude earthquake hits Howard County Troopers said the Challenger then made a left turn and subsequently lost control, before going back into the median and hitting a dirt berm. The impact of the collision caused the Challenger to overturn and hit a tree. The driver, Quentin Hook, of White Plains, Md., died at the scene. Following the crash, Route 5 was blocked off for more than two hours. The investigation is ongoing. Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) Champaigns Police Chief is being recognized for his outstanding work. On Saturday, the Champaign County NAACP honored Chief Timothy T. Tyler at the freedom fund banquet. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserves as Colonel earlier this year. Tyler has been a member of Champaign Countys NAACP for a decade. He said that what he loves most about the organization is that its for everyone, and theyre about equality for all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paris Fire Dept. creates Young Hero Award for recipient with courage beyond her years He said he didnt know the Champaign County NAACP knew of his time in the military, so the honor came as a complete surprise to him. He expressed his gratitude for the recognition. It was a complete honor, Tyler said. I am very blessed to even be recognized by any organization, and as far as receiving the honor, Im one of the luckiest persons in the world to even be able to serve this country, in the United States Military. Tyler added that his father and five uncles also served in the military. He gave credit to them for planting the seed and his love of serving our country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military has given him everything, Tyler added, even an education. He is currently working on earning his PHD. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. A petition on Change.org is calling on the Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets grocery chain to reverse its decision to allow customers to openly carry firearms inside its Florida stores. The petition, created earlier in October, is titled Tell Publix: Reverse Open Carry Policy in Florida Stores. As of Oct. 27, it had over 8,000 verified signatures. Shoppers may be forced to walk down aisles beside strangers openly carrying pistols or rifles, not knowing whether theyre trained, stable, or even legally allowed to possess those weapons, it says. For families, children, and survivors of gun violence, this change isn't just alarming it can be deeply traumatic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Publix recently confirmed that it will comply with Floridas new legal framework allowing the open carry of firearms. Its decision follows a September ruling by the state's 1st District Court of Appeal that struck down the states decades-old ban on open carry, declaring it unconstitutional. Private businesses can still choose to prohibit firearms on their premises, however. In a statement, Publix said that it expects customers to behave responsibly inside its stores. "Treating customers with dignity and respect is a founding belief at Publix, and we follow federal, state and local laws," it said. "As is true for many issues which arise every day, Publix leaves it to the discretion of store managers to determine if a customer is creating a threatening, erratic or dangerous shopping experience whether they are openly carrying a firearm or not and engage local law enforcement to protect our customers and associates." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The petition's starter is listed as Community Petition, usually meaning it was created by a person or group that wishes to remain anonymous, using Change.orgs community feature. The organizers ask Publix CEO Kevin Murphy and the companys board to reverse this dangerous decision and reinstate a ban on open carry inside all Florida stores. The signature-gathering campaign also points out that another grocery chain, Winn-Dixie, continues to prohibit open carry in its Florida locations. "This isnt a political issue. Its a question of whether our grocery stores remain places of safety, not danger," the petition says. Eric Friday, general counsel for the pro-gun Florida Carry group, has previously said he was not surprised about Publix's decision, saying concealed carry has been legal in Florida since 1987. Why is it now all of a sudden an issue, when before they couldnt see the gun? he told the USA TODAY NETWORK Florida. Construction of a new Publix store continues at Havendale Boulevard and Jersey Road between Winter Haven and Auburndale on Oct. 8, 2025. Not surprisingly, those who posted comments on the petition see it differently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Guns dont belong in grocery stores where families shop with their children," one person wrote. "I wont feel safe and will be looking for other places to get my groceries if open carry is allowed." Another posted: "There is NO NEED for guns in grocery stores! I did shop at Publix with my granddaughter, but no longer. Her parents wont be shopping with her there as well. "I will be transferring my prescriptions to another pharmacy. My daughter plans to do the same. This country must take a stand AGAINST guns!" This story contains previously published reporting. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Change.org petition demands Publix stop open carry in stores CHAPEL HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) Two young people have been charged in connection with 42 vehicle burglaries that took place on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12. In a Monday social media post, Chapel Hill police said each suspect faces 79 charges ranging from vandalism to burglary to felony firearm theft. A third juvenile suspect was also charged with 12 counts of stolen firearm possession and evidence tampering. Woman injured in Ashland City shooting; suspect in custody Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police are withholding the names of the young people who were charged, but Chapel Hill authorities added that theyre working to have two of the 17-year-old offenders transferred to adult court in Marshall County. In addition to the juveniles charged, Chapel Hill police said an adult was charged in Maury County with unlawful possession of stolen firearms and evidence tampering. (Courtesy: Chapel Hill Police Department) CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime-related reports from across Middle Tennessee The Spring Hill Police Department and the Columbia Police Department assisted Chapel Hill authorities with the investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Speaking after court, Katherine Hinds said she was both relieved and still somewhat wary. "Any win is a win, but right now, it seems like a drop in the bucket," said Hinds, 72. "I feel humbled in some way, too. It's like we were right." All the criminal charges against Hinds, who was arrested after she protested in opposition to actions from President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Connecticut overpasses, were dropped Monday in New Haven criminal court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We do not comment on judicial matters or decisions made by prosecutors or judges," a state police spokesperson said by email. Hinds was arrested twice, first in July on charges of placing "unauthorized signs on a highway," breach of peace and trespassing, and then again after a Connecticut State Police trooper visited Hinds' Facebook page. An arrest warrant alleged that Hinds had posted photos of herself protesting on overpasses after her initial arrest. Those arrests followed an official complaint filed by Hinds after a series of interactions between protesters and state police troopers. The same trooper had approached Hinds and her group on three separate occasions. Hinds and other protesters had been displaying signs on overpasses in the New Haven region. Some of the homemade signs contained messages such as "go grads, save democracy," and "resistance is not futile." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state police responded to Hinds' complaint saying that the trooper was acting in accordance with the law and departmental procedures. The trooper remains on active duty with no reprimand, though Hinds' attorney said that would be something they would pursue. "We are going to follow up with the state police to make sure that what happened on Aug. 8 has been addressed in some way, and if they haven't done it on their own, then we're going to have to force that to happen," said attorney Margaret Donovan of Bridgeport firm Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, who is representing Hinds in the matter. The state police later released body cam footage of Hinds' interactions with state troopers, despite charges pending against Hinds and an unrelated ongoing federal case filed by the ACLU for alleged interference with protesting in Connecticut. State police Commissioner Ronnell Higgins said in statements to CT Insider and in a letter to legislative leaders that the issue is one of safety. "At no time, in words or actions, have I suggested that the Connecticut State Police's approach to protesters be guided by any perceived political or social affiliations of the protesters or the by the contents of the protesters' message," he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charges were dropped before the case was heard by a jury, so Hinds did not have the chance to face the trooper in court. "I didn't really want to see him again ever as long as I live. But it kind of would have been nice, therapeutic I think, to face him down," she said. "I can't look him in the eye, and I don't think I've seen the end of him yet, honestly, either. Every time I pull out of my driveway, it's like, is he there?" Nonetheless, Hinds said she is planning to be back on the bridge, protesting, soon. "I'm hoping Wednesday morning," she said. This article originally published at Charges dismissed against 72-year-old woman who protested against Trump on CT bridges. _ King Charles III is warning dog owners of Seasonal Canine Illness (SCI) while visiting Sandringham with their pets. Keep reading for the details MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA _ King Charles III is pushing for pet owners to look out for their animals' safety while at Sandringham, which is described as the "perfect place to enjoy a walk with your four-legged friends all year round," per their website. James Whatling / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com _ "Please be aware that September and in the Autumn are the months where in the past, cases of Canine Seasonal Illness have been seen at Sandringham," the Sandringham website warns readers. "SCI is a rare illness which has dramatically declined in numbers since 2010, no-one understands the cause of SCI and there is no cure." ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA _ "The key symptoms of SCI are vomiting, diarrhea and tiredness within 72 hours of being in a woodland area," the warning continues. "However, this rare condition is not the only reason why these symptoms may be seen; there are lots of other common causes for these symptoms." WPA Pool / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement _ King Charles adopted a spaniel named Snuff earlier this year, while the late Queen Elizabeth II loved corgis. Charlie Kirk built Turning Point USA into a powerhouse in Arizona. And a November election in Mesa may be the first test of the organization's influence after his killing. Critics and allies alike agree that Turning Point has been a singular force in the Grand Canyon State, remaking local Republican politics in its image. And the organization itself has cast a recall vote this November for a Republican city councilmember as a crucial stepstone in preserving Kirks legacy. Charlie Kirk's influence on the ground game in Republican politics in Arizona cannot be [overstated], said Stacy Pearson, a Democratic consultant in the state. You have even some benign elections that typically no one's paying any attention to that are being dominated by outreach from Turning Point, and one in particular, that I think will be the bellwether of what's to come, is the local city council race in Mesa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Mesa, City Councilmember Julie Spilsbury faces a recall vote driven by TPUSA, due in large part to her support of former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race. Turning Point helped collect signatures to launch the recall effort, sent texts and emails to voters and continues to canvas against Spilsbury throughout Mesa, a city of over 500,000 people some 20 miles east of downtown Phoenix. Spilsbury calls herself a lifelong Republican, but said in an interview she never identified with the MAGA wing of the party. She wasfirst elected to the Mesa City Council in 2020, and won reelection last year, even after divulging where she stood on the president in a separate April 2024 interview with NPR. Everything changed late last year, when she spoke at a Republicans for Harris event and then cut a commercial for now-Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego. A year of hell followed, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I feel like Turning Point is on a mission to flip all the nonpartisan city councils and school boards into partisan elections, and they want everyone to think the same way, she said. Blue yard signs bearing the Turning Point logo and blaring the text FIX MESA. VOTE TAYLOR, referencing Spilsburys opponent, Dorean Taylor, now dot city sidewalks. Help Us Keep Charlies Legacy Alive, reads a Turning Point Action email blast, provided to POLITICO by Spilsbury, telling attendees of Kirks memorial service that one way they could do so was by assisting in efforts to unseat Spilsbury. Today is Charlie Kirks birthday, read a text message sent by Turning Point urging people to support Taylor. He would have been here in Mesa today. And the organizations most famous faces have publicly campaigned against her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement JULIE SPILSBURY was all smiles trying to put Commie-la Harris into office, Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point Actions chief operating officer and a former RNC national committeeman, wrote on X in October, one of over 30 posts hes made about Spilsbury in 2025. This is who represents a Trump double digit district. Be gone! A Turning Point spokesperson did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But Republican strategists in the state, even those who are either unaligned with the organization or butted heads with it, credit Turning Point for Arizona Republicans voter registration surge. Republicans have gained more than 166,000 new registrants since November 2022, according to Paul Bentz, an Arizona-based Republican pollster. In that same period, Democrats lost over 600, he said. Turning Point in Arizona, simply by virtue of its organizational standing, its prowess, is perhaps the strongest force in Republican politics in the state right now, said Kevin DeMenna, a longtime Republican Arizona political strategist who does not ascribe to the Turning Point movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But whether or not Spilsburys opponent runs up the score in the race could give a sense of Turning Points viability to affect the next generation of Arizona political races. Arizonas status as a critical swing state makes Turning Points long-term influence an even more important question. Former President Joe Biden won the state by less than 11,000 votes in 2020. In 2024, Trump won Arizona by close to 200,000 votes, on his way to sweeping all seven swing states. But Democrats control Arizonas top three statewide offices governor, secretary of state and attorney general and both Senate seats, after Trump-aligned candidates lost a series of close elections in 2022 and 2024. Turning Point has focused on other hyperlocal elections in addition to Mesa, including the Salt River Project board elections taking place in April 2026. The board sets energy and climate goals for thousands of square miles of the state, serving more than 2 million people. Candidates cant even file for the election until next year. But already, Turning Point has pledged to play a big role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My goal is to out register the Democrats 10-1 for the @VoteSRP Election, Bowyer wrote on X in August. We need to get the radical environmentalists out of AZ and prevent them from dramatically increasing our Utility rates. And even Turning Points Democratic rivals say that the organizations focus at all levels of politics has transformed the state. These are places that these groups typically didn't engage on either side, Pearson said. The voter registration operations on the Democratic Party were not telling 20 year olds to engage on an SRP Board election. And yet, Kirk's apparatus and Turning Point is. I think Spilsbury and this SRP Board election are places where we're really going to see what the impact of his loss has on the organization. These two elections along with the midterms will test the longevity of Turning Point after the assassination of its co-founder and public face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Erika Kirk, Charlies widow, took the reins of the organization shortly after her husbands death. She has vowed to carry on Kirks legacy, pledging to shape Turning Point into the biggest thing this nation has ever seen in remarks just hours after authorities announced the arrest of his alleged killer. But what that future looks like for Turning Point is murky, Arizona Republicans said. This is a gentleman that clearly was presidential timber on a decade or two sort of timeline. All of that stopped, ended, or at least faces major changes, DeMenna, the Republican consultant, said. But once again, that's populism, and to me, that's usually lightning in a bottle. You cant plan for it. But TPUSA allies are convinced the organization is here to stay. Rep. Andy Biggs, who Turning Point Action endorsed for Arizonas 2026 governor race, thinks Kirks passing will only make the organizations political messaging more potent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would say that Charlie is a martyr, assassinated, he said in an interview. I think clearly Charlie liked to debate, he liked to have discussions. I think he legitimately wanted to move to reasoned discourse." "And the assassination of Charlie I think made him a martyr," he continued. "And martyrs always grow, and their cause typically grows. The 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk can appear in court wearing civilian clothes but must be physically restrained, a judge ruled. Tyler Robinsons lawyers argued that images of him shackled and in jail garments would spread widely in a case with extensive press coverage and public interest, raising the risk of prejudicing future jurors. Judge Tony Graf agreed to make some allowances to protect Robinsons presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn extraordinary public and media attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Robinson shall be dressed as one who is presumed innocent, Judge Graf said during a virtual court hearing. Mr Robinson has previously appeared virtually in court wearing an anti-suicide vest. Tyler Robinson wears an anti-suicide vest during his court hearing via video link in September - Utah State Courts/REUTERS Utah prosecutors have charged Mr Robinson with aggravated murder over the Sept 10 shooting of Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, on a Utah college campus. They plan to seek the death penalty. While Mr Robinson has no prior criminal history, Judge Graf said the charges he faces are extremely serious and present safety concerns in the courtroom. Judge Graf said it is the courts highest priority to protect the attorneys, court staff and Mr Robinson during what could be emotional hearings, before denying the defendants request to appear without restraints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He did, however, prohibit members of the media from photographing or filming Mr Robinsons restraints. Judge Tony Graf says the charges Mr Robinson faces present safety concerns in the courtroom - Laura Seitz/Pool The Deseret News Mr Robinson is accused of fatally shooting Kirk from a rooftop overlooking a crowded courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem. He was arrested the following night when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriffs office in south-west Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting, to turn himself in. As police and the FBI were scouring the state for the shooter, Nate Brooksby, the Washington County sheriff, said he received a phone call from a retired deputy saying he knew who killed Kirk. Mr Robinsons family had reached out to the retired deputy, who they knew through their involvement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and worked with him to help negotiate a peaceful surrender. Charlie Kirk was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept 10 - Tess Crowley/ Deseret News 2025 Part of the negotiation of getting him to bring himself in was that we would treat it as delicate and as soft as possible to make him feel comfortable to where he would show up at my office, Mr Brooksby said just after the arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors have since revealed incriminating text messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Mr Robinson to the killing. Mr Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he had enough of his hatred. Judge Graf ordered Mr Robinson to appear on Jan 16 and Jan 30 for his first in-person public hearings. He appeared on Monday from jail on a blacked out screen and spoke only to confirm he was present. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A recent court ruling gave Tyler Robinson a modest legal win in his ongoing case over the murder of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. Ahead of trial, Robinson, who is accused of killing the Turning Point USA founder, had made a number of requests with regard to his choice of attire as well as the manner in which he would be brought to court. While the latter was rejected, the alleged Charlie Kirk shooter's request regarding clothing was accepted. Why Tyler Robinson Is Allowed To Choose His Own Clothes For His Trial Facebook | Amber Robinson At a preliminary hearing ahead of Tyler Robinson's trial for the murder of Charlie Kirk, the court granted him one of the requests he had made about his appearance in his future hearings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The accused killer's lawyers had filed a previous motion that he prefers to wear his own clothing rather than come to court in the typical jumpsuit that prisoners/detainees are often required to wear. According to TMZ, the motion was ruled in favor of the young adult, as the court seemed to side with his lawyers' view that prison garb could lead prospective jurors to see Robinson as guilty from the outset. For now, it is assumed that Robinson can wear anything he wants, either formal or informal. The Suspected Charlie Kirk Shooter's Legal Win Has Left Some Furious Online ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Following news of Robinson's legal win, several took to social media to express their displeasure with the judge's decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A person wrote, "What????? There's no way anyone can take America seriously. In what world would this loser score a win?" Another said, "Legal win???? He won't be winning once he's handed down the guilty verdict and faces the death penalty!" A third person added, "I swear if a black man was arrested for Charlie's murder...I dont think he would have had any small victories in court in any multiverse. Bro would have been made an example of." "I don't care what he wears!!!! I want him to get the DEATH PENALTY!!! That is the least he deserves!!!!" one more annoyed netizen wrote on X. Tyler Robinson Must Appear In Court In Shackles Facebook | Amber Robinson Unfortunately for Robinson, not all of his requests were agreed to by the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He had another motion in place regarding his appearance in court without handcuffs or restraints, seemingly for the same reason as his argument for the clothing request. However, this motion was denied outright, and the judge also listed several reasons why he must be shackled during his hearings and, eventually, at his trial. This includes the fact that Robinson is facing "extraordinarily serious" charges and the potential for disruption in court due to the emotional nature of the case. Still, Judge Tony Graf did make a small concession of ordering the authorities to use only the "least restrictive restraints." The Suspected Charlie Kirk Assassin Won't Be Photographed In Court Ron Sachs - CNP / MEGA As part of Monday's hearing, which Robinson only attended virtually, the court also ruled on the nature of media arrangements going forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Graf ordered that photographers and TV crews be prohibited from capturing footage or images of Robinson as he arrives, leaves, or stands in the courtroom in order to prevent showing him in restraints. He also withheld judgment on the prosecution and defense arguments regarding further limitations on media coverage during the hearings. Graf claimed he would rule only after the lawyers filed a separate motion. Tyler Robinson Had An Emotionless Look During His First Court Appearance ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA Robinson's first court appearance was last month, and he appeared virtually from the Utah County Jail, the facility where he has been detained since his arrest. At the time, he had an emotionless look as the judge rattled off the charges against him, one of which was aggravated murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 22-year-old also had on a green smock known as anti-ligature clothing, which was seemingly given to him to prevent the possibility of a suicide by hanging occurring. His next appearance is scheduled for January and is expected to be a physical hearing as ordered by Graf. If Robinson is ultimately found guilty in his trial, he faces a lifetime in prison or worse, as the prosecution made known their intentions to seek the death penalty during the first hearing. This was further emphasized when the state of Utah officially filed its notice of intent to pursue the death penalty after the hearing concluded. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is doubling down on pushing workers back into the office despite a recent petition from staff demanding hybrid working. The chief executive said Tuesday that working in person helps junior bankers learn on the job. Im not making fun of Zoom, but younger people are being left behind," he said. "If you look back at your careers, you learned a little bit from the apprentice system. You were with other people who took you on a sales call or told you how to handle a mistake or something like that. It doesnt happen when youre in a basement on Zoom. Dimon's comments came about a week after an internal petition with 2,000 signatures calling for hybrid working was sent to his desk. It was launched earlier in the year after JPMorgan told its more than 300,000 employees in January that it was ending remote work. Dimon addressed the effort back in February, saying: "I dont care how many people sign that fing petition." He went on to say that employees who dont want to show up at the office every day can find a new job. Ive had it with this stuff, Dimon said at the time. Ive been working seven days a goddamn week since COVID, and I come in, and where is everybody else? Dimon later apologized for using expletives, saying he should "never curse, ever," but he stood by his sentiment about remote work. Dimon took home $39 million in total compensation in 2024. The petition drafted by Dimon's employees says the companys mandate to end hybrid work is a great leap backward: It hurts employees, customers, shareholders, and the firms reputation. Dimons Tuesday comments came at a conference in Riyadh that was also attended by Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon and BlackRock chief Larry Fink. Earlier this month, Dimon also opened JPMorgans new 60-story, $3 billion Manhattan headquarters, which will serve as home base for more than 10,000 employees. When the company announced its return-to-office plan, many workers expressed their frustration on internal channels until the company disabled comments. Employees complained the new policy would put a strain on their finances, particularly around child care and commuting costs. Others said it would disrupt their work-life balance, and some even called for unionizing after the announcement was made. Etihad Airways new nonstop flight between Charlotte and Abu Dhabi is coming sooner than expected for passengers excited about going between the Queen City and the popular Middle Eastern city. Service between Zayed International Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport was scheduled to begin May 6, 2026, but those flights were pushed up to March 23, according to a CLT X post on Monday. The route to the Middle East destination from North Carolina is a first for the airline based in the United Arab Emirates. Etihad announced plans for the new route in mid-May, with service starting a year later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in response to strong demand and growing interest in the new route, the airline moved up the launch to better serve customers, according to a statement it sent to The Charlotte Observer. This new route will provide seamless access to destinations across the Middle East, Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Etihad stated. We look forward to joining the Charlotte community and connecting more travelers to our global network. In an exclusive interview last month, Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves told The Charlotte Observer that said Charlotte is part of the airlines long-term network strategy. Despite its rapidly expanding population and booming economy, Charlotte has not had a nonstop link to the Middle East something Etihad considered a major opportunity, Neves added. As weve expanded our U.S. presence, CLT consistently stood out as a key market to support both business and leisure demand to and from Abu Dhabi, and beyond, he said. Etihad Airways is launching service between Charlotte and Abu Dhabi on May 4, 2026. About the CLT to UAE connection Flights are scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Departures from Abu Dhabi will be in the early morning, with return flights scheduled for midday, according to Etihad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight between Charlotte and Abu Dhabi is about 14 hours. Passengers on the Charlotte-Abu Dhabi route will be travelling in a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner the first of its kind at Charlottes airport. This 300-seat flagship aircraft from Etihad features spacious business and economy cabins, larger windows and quieter interiors. The Dreamliner is also about 25% more fuel-efficient than previous models, thanks to lighter materials and new engines. Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi. Travelers will be able to fly directly from Charlotte to that city next year. Tickets are now available at etihad.com. Roundtrip fares to Abu Dhabi started at about $850 for basic economy, while some business class tickets can run as high as $9,000 or more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Etihad collaborates with several airlines, including American Airlines, which operates roughly 90% of flights from CLT. Etihads website also lists JetBlue, Air Canada, and Air France as additional partners. More on Etihad Airways Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, was founded in 2003 and is based in Abu Dhabi. The airline flies passengers and cargo to destinations throughout the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, including cities like New York, Chicago, Washington, Boston and Atlanta. Etihad operates 300 scheduled passenger flights per day. In September, the airline carried 1.9 million passengers, a 21% increase compared with the same month last year. NEED TO KNOW David Metzig, 72, and his wife Jan Metzig, 71, were killed in March 2023 Their son, Erik Metzig, pleaded no contest to first degree intentional homicide charges in August 2024 A criminal complaint states police found incriminating evidence of Erik's guilt in his journal following the murders A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to life in prison more than two years after his elderly parents were found fatally shot in their home. David Metzig, 72, and his wife Jan Metzig, 71, were found in their Wolf River, Wis. home in March 2023, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by PEOPLE. They were wrapped in blankets and had bags over their heads, per the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their son, Erik Metzig, was immediately arrested, according to the complaint, which was shared online by FOX 11. Winnebago County Sheriff's Office Erik Metzig Erik Metzig At Erik's sentencing earlier this month, one of his siblings said police believe his parents were "naked and shot while in their bedroom," FOX 11 reported. During the investigation, police discovered a journal entry where Erik wrote he wanted to "eliminate" his parents and make it look like they disappeared while out on a walk, per the criminal complaint. David and Jan were staples of the community and were the third generation owners and operators of the Union Star Cheese Factory, according to an online obituary shared in the aftermath of their killings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The beloved couple were married for 49 years and left behind five children. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Erik had pleaded no contest to charges of first-degree intentional homicide in August 2024, WBAY, FOX 11 and the Post Crescent reported citing a statement from Assistant District Attorney Amanda Folger and a motion to withdraw the pleas, which was filed earlier this year. That motion was denied. At the sentencing hearing earlier this month, a judge sentenced Erik to two life sentences, to be served consecutively without parole, according to the outlets. Read the original article on People The Cherokee County Commission reviewed an ordinance that would create a new type of zoning for developers. The zoning would be a special designation for workforce housing, or housing that would fit the needs of the countys everyday working population. According to the county ordinance that was reviewed, the creation of a Workforce Housing Overlay District is supported by a county plan to provide additional and alternative housing units to support and retain employees. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The purpose of the Workforce Housing Overlay District is to provide for-sale housing for Cherokee County residents who live and work in Cherokee County; provide an adequate supply of attainable housing as set forth in the Cherokee County Comprehensive Plan; encourage housing projects that address diverse housing choices; and address the regional need for workforce housing, the ordinance reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An accompanying presentation on the overlay district described it as a floating overlay zone or "an unmapped district with detailed and conditional use requirements." TRENDING STORIES: The median rent in the county as of July was $2,425 and the median home price was $479,950. As a matter of affordability, the federal government defines being cost-burdened for housing as spending more than 35% of monthly or yearly income on housing costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The county presentation said the district recommendation was that residents spend less than 30% to 35% of their income on housing, citing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That means costs for residents who wish to live in the workforce housing overlay district must not exceed between $25,920 and $30,240, based on households earning 80% of the county AMI, or $86,400, according to the county. For the purposes of the workforce housing district, the presentation said the requirements for workforce housing developments would include: Properties must be 10 acres or less Units will be reserved for homeowners making 80% or less of the area median income Public water and sewer must be accessible Must be within 2 miles of I-575, I-75 or SR-92 75% of surrounding properties must be developed or under construction Must be inside a Character Area supporting residential as primary land use [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office has released the names of the suspect who was shot and killed and the woman found inside the home during a welfare check. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Andre Alvear, 26, was shot and killed by Cherokee County deputies on Saturday night after allegedly attacking a deputy with a knife, the sheriffs office said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation states deputies responded to a welfare check at a home on Whisperwood Trail in Acworth. When they arrived, Alvear reportedly lunged at a deputy with a knife, injuring him in the face, prompting deputies to open fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is conducting an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting. The deputy who was injured was treated and released from the hospital. RELATED STORIES: Inside the home, deputies discovered the body of a deceased woman, believed to be Alvears mother, Luisa Petera, 61. Autopsies for both the 26-year-old and his mother are to be conducted at the GBI Crime Lab. The findings of the investigation will be provided to the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney for review. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The estranged husband of a woman found dead last year in the stairwell of a South Loop high-rise was named in an arrest warrant for murder on Monday, the first anniversary of her death. Adam Beckerink, 47, a Chicago attorney, is accused in a criminal complaint of throwing Caitlin Tracey, 36, over a railing on the 24th floor in a stairwell in a building in the 1200 block of South Prairie Avenue, according to court records. Traceys killing spawned legal battles between Beckerink and Traceys parents, who have said that Beckerink physically and emotionally abused Tracey throughout their relationship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The warrant came just as a case against Beckerink concluded in Michigan. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence, and contempt of court for violating conditions of his bond, along with a felony for interfering with a 911 call by his wife. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a charge of resisting arrest. Last year, Traceys parents successfully won custody of her remains after arguing in court that Beckerink, who was married to their daughter for six months, had a history of abusing her. He had filed a motion last year to temporarily prevent Traceys parents from proceeding with her funeral. He argued in an affidavit that he would be irreparably harmed and deprived of the ability to direct the disposition of his wifes remains for which he is entitled to and has priority under both Illinois and Michigan law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a police report, Tracey was found dead at the bottom of the stairwell of the building at about 7:20 p.m. A building resident had found a severed foot near a railing in the east stairwell and reported it to a building manager, the report said. While responding officers searched the area, the manager spotted Traceys body at the bottom of the stairwell. Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston over the weekend after a 28-year-old man stabbed two minors with a metal fork, federal prosecutors said. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was charged Monday with one count of assault with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Lufthansa flight 431 departed Chicago O'Hare International Airport at 4:26 p.m. local time Saturday, en route to Frankfurt, Germany, but was diverted to Boston as it was flying over Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador, according to air traffic tracker flightaware.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to federal prosecutors, the diversion was allegedly caused by Usiripalli. Court documents state that following meal service, a 17-year-old boy who had been sleeping in a middle seat awoke to the suspect standing over him. Usiripalli allegedly stabbed the teen in the left clavicle area with a metal fork. The suspect is then accused of lunging at a second 17-year-old boy who was sitting to the first victim's right, stabbing him in the back of the head. As flight crew tried to restrain Usiripalli, he allegedly "formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is also accused of slapping a female passenger and attempting to slap a flight crew member. According to flightaware, the flight landed at Logan International Airport at 10:48 p.m. On its arrival, Usiripalli was arrested and taken into police custody, federal prosecutors said. The Justice Department said Usiripalli, an Indian national, had no lawful status in the United States but had previously been admitted to the country on a student visa. He had been enrolled in a biblical studies master's program. He is to expected to appear in a Boston federal court at a later date. If convicted, Usiripalli faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. CHICAGO Two-year-old Cassidy Reed awoke quickly from her afternoon nap. She bounded across the colorful, toy-strewn preschool to babble with four other toddlers at a miniature table. She just loves it, her great-grandmother, Rochelle Simeon, said with a smile. I have a hard time getting her out of here. Simeon, 72, is the adoptive mother of Cassidy, her twin brother, Brandon, and their 3-year-old sister, Kayle. All three attend the Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child and Family Center through Head Start, the federal early education program for low-income children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The free preschool is a lifeline to Simeon as she navigates parenthood later in life. She takes comfort in the familiar building, the teachers and the quality of care its the same center her grandson attended nearly two decades ago. The employees feel like family, she said. But the past 10 months under President Donald Trumps administration have cast a cloud of uncertainty over Head Start. A series of federal actions threatened to dismantle the $12 billion-a-year initiative, which offers a host of social services to families with children under 5. Simeon has been following the news with growing frustration. I dont think it makes any sense, she said. It began in April, when a leaked budget draft revealed plans to eliminate Head Start entirely. The proposal echoed a recommendation from Project 2025, a far-right policy playbook. In the same month, Trump administration officials closed five regional Head Start offices, including the Chicago branch, which had provided day-to-day support for local programming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, a congressional watchdog office determined that some Head Start funds were illegally withheld through the spring. And in July, the Trump administration issued a directive that would have barred undocumented children from enrolling, though the move was ultimately blocked by a federal judge. Weve had something, every month, that the administration has dropped on us, said Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the nonprofit Illinois Head Start Association. It creates chaos, anxiety and fear among our workforce, among our children and families. Head Start has survived elimination and its funding is secure, for now. But Chicago preschools and providers remain guarded as they navigate a period of historic political tumult. Many wonder how the program will fare under Trumps reproach for the next three years. And as the federal government shutdown drags on, some Illinois Head Start programs may be forced to temporarily shutter in November or December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive been telling programs, were going to just survive these few years, and well thrive on the other side, Morrison-Frichtl said. Thats been our motto. Not just a place you drop your kid off Head Start was created in 1965 as a key initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty. It serves a dual purpose: providing free child care to low-income families, and promoting childrens educational and emotional development. The program also offers social services, such as health care screenings and nutrition assistance. (Head Start) is not just a place that you drop your kid off, said Terri Sabol, an associate professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University. Its a place that supports the whole family, whether its through access to meals or support in finding housing. Last year, Head Start served nearly 29,000 children and pregnant women in Illinois, including nearly 14,000 children in Chicago. Roughly 1 in 4 of the citys child care seats are tied to centers at least in part funded by the program, according to an analysis from the Early Childhood Research Alliance of Chicago. Head Start funding in Chicago totals $176.5 million each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Head Start helps us keep affordable care, said Jacqueline Turner-Hester, the executive administrator of PAW Preschool in Austin. It offers (families) reassurance that their kids are receiving the quality care and education that they deserve. Partnering with parents The impact of the program is well-documented. A large body of research indicates that preschool helps children develop essential cognitive and social skills. But by reaching families improving parental practices and reducing parental stress Head Start also reduces child maltreatment and child welfare involvement. Participation in Early Head Start, which specifically targets children under 3, reduces child welfare involvement through childhood by up to 22%, according to nonprofit Brightpoint. The organization serves nearly 900 children in Head Start programs across the state, including the Mitzi Freidheim Center in Englewood. Our job is really all about partnering with parents, figuring out what they need and meeting those needs, said Mike Shaver, Brightpoint president and CEO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Take Isabel Hidalgo, whose 3-year-old daughter, Lilah, is enrolled at the center. She recently lost her husband to gun violence. Grief weighs heavy on the family but counselors are there for support. Lilah didnt get to meet her dad, but she makes comments like, I want my dad, I need my dad, Hidalgo said in one of the centers classrooms. So I brought it up to her teacher, and so were going to do some classes on how to explain that to her. Hidalgo, 30, is still adjusting to life as a single mom. Without Head Start, she couldnt afford preschool, which allows her to work as a hotel receptionist. When federal cuts loomed, she was concerned she might have to quit her job or cut back on her hours. I was worried, like, is this going to be another struggle for myself? Hidalgo said. I might not have that income coming into my household, even the basics, like rent, bills, food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the Trump administration, other public benefit programs have faced the chopping block. The president signed sweeping legislation this summer that cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program access, or SNAP, for an estimated 360,000 Illinoisans. Another 330,000 could lose access to Medicaid over the next decade. Teacher Emma Cobbins worries those cuts will act as an added stressor to Head Start families. She leads a classroom of eight 2- and 3-year-olds at the Mitzi Freidheim Center. Shes worked with the same toddlers since they were infants. I feel sad, in a way, because we have parents that came so far, Cobbins said. Now, they worry about this, and worry about how they gonna keep child care. Its like, what do we do? Cobbins expertly wrangled the toddlers in the tiny classroom for snack time. She addressed each child by name as she passed out fruit cuts including Cassidy, Simeons great-granddaughter. She keeps track of each childs milestones: first words, drawings, movements. She calls some of them baby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I feel like once the parents drop them off to us, they are our kids, Cobbins said, by way of explanation. We know its their kids, but when they drop off to us, I want to make sure they get the best that we can give them. Bipartisan support Head Start once enjoyed bipartisan support. After Johnson, successive presidents lauded its success and worked to expand its reach. President Jimmy Carter nearly doubled its budget over his four-year term. President Ronald Reagan created Head Start Awareness Month (October), and President Bill Clintons administration oversaw a landmark bill expanding services to infants and toddlers. In the past few years, the political picture has become more mixed. A handful of studies have found that the Head Starts initial academic gains faded in elementary school. Some Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about the programs cost-effectiveness. But prior to Trumps second term, few had considered eliminating it altogether. To say that that program hasnt been effective is just not what decades of research has demonstrated, said Brightpoint CEO Shaver, who pointed to Head Starts wraparound services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ongoing federal government shutdown is the latest jolt to the program. Since Oct. 1, Congressional Democrats and Republicans have remained deadlocked over budget bills. Six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children are operating without federal funds due to the timing of their fiscal years, the National Head Start Association said last week. Another 134 programs are at risk for closure Nov. 1. In Illinois, only one program faces the Nov. 1 deadline, but another three will have a funding lapse if the shutdown doesnt resolve by December, according to the states Head Start Association. The longer this goes, the worse it is, and the harder it is for parents and children, Morrison-Frichtl said. Its just one thing after another. It never ends. At the Mitzi Freidheim Center, staff members carry on. Toddlers still settled in tiny cots for their naps. They danced to cleanup songs and sat in lopsided circles during story time. And just past 3 p.m., parents trickled back through the doors for pickup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think we just try to block out the noise, said Cindy Vega, Brightpoints director of wellness and inclusion. Its business as usual. Great-grandmother Simeon smiled as she spotted Cassidy in her classroom. They held hands as they walked down the halls. _____ Chicago police are looking for the car involved in a deadly hit-and-run in Little Village last week. Police said the driver of this white Hyundai Sonata, hit and killed a 72-year-old man last Friday. Police said the man was crossing Komensky Avenue near 26th Street when he was hit. He later died. The victim was identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Maxililiano Lemusspanto. Police are searching or a white-in-color 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata Anyone with information should call police. INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood CHICAGO (AP) The 2-year-old boy was so frightened, he stuttered. Mommy, mommy, mommy, he repeated, clinging to her. His mother, Molly Kucich, had been grocery shopping when her husband called, panicking. She heard immigration raid. Then: tear gas. She abandoned her grocery cart and drove as fast as she could to her toddler and his 14-month-old brother, who, on that warm October Friday, were among the hundreds of Chicago children caught suddenly in the turmoil of the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents, teachers and caregivers have been grappling ever since with how to explain to children what theyd seen: how much to tell them so they know enough to stay safe, but not too much to rob them of their childhood. A toddler shouldnt know what a tear gas canister is, Kucich said. I dont know how to explain this to my kids. Children were playing on the monkey bars outside Funston Elementary School just before noon on Oct. 3 when a white SUV rolled down their street in Logan Square, a historically Hispanic neighborhood thats been steadily gentrifying for years. Cars followed behind it, drivers laying on their horns to alert neighbors that these were federal agents. A scooter pulled in front of the SUV, trying to block it in. There were no mass protests; some teachers walking to lunch initially didnt realize what was happening. Suddenly, tear gas canisters flew from the window of the SUV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cloud of gas rose, first white, then green, and the street exploded into pandemonium. Some people ran. Others shouted at agents to leave. Sirens screamed toward them. Parents blew through stop signs and drove on curbs to reach their children. Kucichs son was a half-block away, having lunch in the window of Luna y Cielo Play Cafe, where children learn Spanish as they play with pretend food and toy cars. His nanny takes him there most days. He made his best friends at the cafe, and his little brother took his first steps there. Owner Vanessa Aguirre-Avalos ran outside to see what was happening, as the childrens nannies hustled them to a back room. Aguirre-Avalos is a citizen; the nannies, Hispanic grandmothers, are citizens or are legally allowed to work in the U.S. Still, they were terrified. One begged Aguirre-Avalos: If they take me, please make sure the children get home safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SUV eventually drove away, the cloud of smoke cleared, and parents arrived. Whats happening? a girl cried, over and over. Kucichs son, who is white, now worries about his nanny, a U.S. citizen from Guatemala. He asks where she is and when shes coming. He jumps at the sound of sirens. His mother called their pediatrician for a therapist referral. Andrea Soria, whose daughter plays at Luna y Cielo, overheard her 6-year-old whisper to her dolls: We have to be good or ICE will get us, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These kids are traumatized, Aguirre-Avalos said. Even if ICE stops doing what theyre doing right now, people are going to be traumatized. The damage is already done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had to act like nothing was wrong It was a beautiful Friday, so fifth grade teacher Liza Oliva-Perez walked to the grocery store across the street for lunch. She noticed a helicopter circling, then the SUV and its tail of honking cars. That morning, another teacher gave her a whistle, with instructions to blow it if immigration agents were in the neighborhood. Oliva-Perez fumbled the whistle to her lips. Just then, the SUV's window rolled down and she saw a masked man inside throw a tear gas canister. I couldnt fathom that was happening, said Oliva-Perez. Then he threw another, this time in her direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Border Patrol agents were impeded by protesters during a targeted enforcement operation in which one man was arrested. The Chicago crackdown, dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, began in early September. Masked, armed agents in unmarked trucks patrol neighborhoods, and residents have protested in ways big and small against what they see as their city under siege. Agents stormed an apartment complex by helicopter in the middle of the night. They've detained U.S. citizens, including elected officials. An agent shot and wounded a woman who allegedly used her car to box them in. Protesters have been tear-gassed and shot with pepper bullets. President Donald Trump wants to deploy the National Guard. DHS wrote that its agents are being terrorized: Our brave officers are facing a surge in increase in assaults against them, inducing sniper attacks, cars being used as weapons on them, and assaults by rioters. This violence against law enforcement must END. We will not be deterred by rioters and protesters in keeping America safe. The statement said that in Logan Square, agents deployed tear gas along with pepper balls after repeated vocal attempts to disperse the crowd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oliva-Perez was feet away on the sidewalk and didn't hear them say anything. Videos show cars and the scooter trying to block the SUV, and a few pedestrians heckling the officers. Oliva-Perez ran toward the school, yelling at staff to get the children inside. It really shook me, she said. Here I am, a U.S. citizen, a teacher, and I got treated like a common criminal. She was shaking when she got to her classroom of 25 students, who wanted to know what just happened. All of them are Hispanic. She knows they are having agonizing conversations at home who theyll call if their parents disappear, where theyll go. Oliva-Perez became a teacher six years ago, after her daughter died by suicide at 16 years old. She wanted to help kids feel loved and safe. She never had a harder time than on that afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had to act like nothing was wrong, she said. I dont want them to be like, if Ms. Oliva is scared then Im going to be scared too. She and the other teachers spent the afternoon telling the children that everything was fine. But each dreaded the bell at the end of the day. Theyd have to lead the students outside, and they didnt know what would be waiting: Masked men? More tear gas? First grade teacher Maria Heavener spread the word in community group chats that the school needed help. When the final bell rang, she walked her students outside. In every direction, neighbors lined the sidewalk, dozens of them. There were people whod never considered themselves activists, or even particularly political, standing there, enraged, scanning the streets for unmarked SUVs and masked men. They signed up to come back every morning and afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You dont mess with the kids. You dont go near the schools, Heavener said. Whatever your agenda is, that feels like its crossing a lot of lines. Our skin color defines us Two little boys walking by Evelyn Medinas gift shop next door to the school gripped each other so tightly their fingers dug into each others hands. They were so scared, said Medina, who cries when she thinks about how they looked leaving school that day. It was really hard to see, imagining whats going on in their little minds. Medina, a 43-year-old citizen, understands the fear these children face: She came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 8. As a child, she worried someone would take her parents away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She noticed people picking up multiple children that day, for their friends and neighbors who were too afraid to leave their houses. One parent packed seven children into a minivan. A 13-year-old girl wept when she saw a neighbor there to get her. Her mother usually comes for her, but not that day. When that girl got home, she told her mother she thought the house might be empty, that agents might have been there and taken her away. Her mother does not have permanent legal status and asked that her name not be used out of fear of being targeted for deportation. Her greatest fear is being separated from her children. This fear coursing through this community is no longer reserved for families lacking permanent legal status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One mother, whose 12-year-old son was in the school that day, now jolts awake each morning at 4 a.m., her head pounding, her heart racing. She checks social media frequently for reports of people spotting Border Patrol or ICE: another tear gassing; another raid; a 15-year-boy, an American citizen, detained. She and her son are citizens, but she asked that only her first name, Ava, be used because shes scared that their citizenship won't matter. Our skin color defines us, she said. Her son cries constantly, I dont want to lose my grandparents. Hes offered to get them groceries so they can stay inside. Shes struggling with how to balance letting him help without burdening him and without making him grow up too quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Losing them, it would forever break him apart, she said. His question is always: why? Why? I dont know why. Well always be targeted Vanessa Aguirre-Avalos keeps the door locked now at Luna y Cielo, and she wears her whistle like a necklace, always at the ready. When she hears a car horn honk, she panics. Is it happening again? That day, she ran in and out of her shop, bringing milk and vinegar to help people clean the tear gas and pepper residue from their faces. She coughed for two days. Her neighborhood has become a symbol for what happens when children get caught in the fray of aggressive, sometimes violent federal actions. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, spoke outside of the school a few days later: In order to educate children, we have to protect them. We have to create a safe and welcoming environment. That is who we are as educators. That is who educators have always been. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, every utility pole is plastered with anti-ICE stickers and instructions for what to do if detained. ICE TEAR GASSED THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, reads one. No one is safe unless we all are. Aguirre-Avalos, who grew up in this neighborhood, was born in Texas to a mother from Mexico, and shes considering moving there. Its hard for her to imagine a future in Chicago or anywhere else the U.S. for her children, an 8-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter. They dont want us here, Aguirre-Avalos said of her own government. Well always be targeted. She opened Luna y Cielo two years ago to be a fun place for children to learn Spanish, to help the next generation learn to love the language. Her business is suffering now; shes not sure she can make this months rent. People are staying inside, their curtains drawn. Playgrounds are quiet. The vendor who sold ice cream on her corner doesnt come out anymore. Everyone is scared. She scheduled a guided journaling session with parents. Shes bringing in a Spanish-speaking therapist to talk to the nannies. This is not living One of the nannies, who watches two young sisters, doesnt wear pajamas to bed anymore. She sleeps in her clothes, unable to get a full nights rest. This is not a life. This is not living, she said. She wakes up every morning by 4 a.m., and she drops to her knees to pray. She is the grandmother of five and great-grandmother to two, and legally allowed to work in the U.S. She spoke on the condition that her name not be used because she worries about what could happen to her and her family, as well as the 2-year-old and 3-year-old she cares for. If Im walking with them and they grab me, what do I do? she asked. I cant leave them alone. She has not been this afraid in 31 years, since she fled from El Salvador to escape war and violence. We already lived this war once, said her friend, the nanny who looks after two brothers. That nanny left Guatemala 33 years ago, also to escape war and the constant threat of danger. Shes a U.S. citizen and always carries her passport now. She asked that she not be named because some of her relatives aren't legal residents. She helps pay rent and buy groceries for a second family because theyre too afraid to go to work. Shes scared that immigration agents could grab her when she has the boys. She didnt want them to see her cry on Oct. 3. But once the boys were home, she got in her car and wept. She drove to her church, lit a candle and prayed. She asked God to protect all the immigrants, and all the children. ___ Associated Press reporter Sophia Tareen, photographer Rebecca Blackwell and videographer Laura Bargfeld contributed to this report. ___ The APs education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) The Tom Green County Sheriffs Office (TGSO) SRT team and the San Angelo Police Department (SAPD) SWAT team have executed a child sexual abuse materials search warrant. According to a press release from TGSO, on Oct. 27, SAPD and TGSO executed this search warrant in the 4400 block of Travis St. Upon execution of the warrant, deputies gathered digital evidence and one firearm from the residence, said TGSO. Andrew Moreno, was arrested for multiple warrants, including Indecency with a Child, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Possession of Child Pornography and Bail Jumping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moreno is being held on bond in excess of $300,000.00. The Tom Green County Sheriffs Office would like to thank the San Angelo Police Department and the US Marshals Service for their assistance in serving the search warrant, said TGSO. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. Japans JPYC Inc. has launched the worlds first fully regulated yen-pegged stablecoin. | Credit: Getty Images. Key Takeaways Japanese firm JYPC launched the first regulated yen-pegged stablecoin. The peg is fully guaranteed by yen bank deposits and Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs). The launch of the yen stablecoin could dramatically impact the Asian FX market. Tokyo-based fintech JPYC Inc. has launched JPYC, Japansand the worldsfirst fully regulated yen-pegged stablecoin, marking a milestone moment in Asias digital finance landscape. The stablecoin operates as an electronic payment instrument under Japans revised Payment Services Act, maintaining a strict 1:1 peg to the Japanese yen (JPY). Its reserves are fully backed by bank deposits and Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs), offering a level of transparency and regulatory compliance rarely seen in the stablecoin space. Japans First Yen Stablecoin Could Be a Game Changer JPYCs debut follows Japans 2023 stablecoin law amendments, which paved the way for licensed institutions to issue fiat-backed digital currencies. The companys goal is clear: to bridge traditional finance with blockchain-based paymentsand, in doing so, reduce Asias reliance on U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins such as USDT and USDC. Through its issuance platform, JPYC EX, users can mint or redeem the token with an initial daily limit of 1 million yen per user. Supported blockchains include Ethereum (ETH), Polygon (POL), and Avalanche (AVAX), enabling low-cost and near-instant transactions. JPYC has set an ambitious goal of reaching 10 trillion yen (~$65 billion) in circulation within three years, beginning with domestic Web3 firms and institutions before scaling internationally. Analysts note that the yens status as a global safe-haven currency and cornerstone of the Asian FX ecosystem could make JPYCs launch a turning point for both crypto and traditional markets. Potential Market Impact The Japanese yen underpins much of Asias foreign exchange market, with USD/JPY ranking among the worlds most traded currency pairsseeing $300$400 billion in daily activity. By introducing a regulated, blockchain-based yen instrument, JPYC could help digitize and decentralize FX flows in a region where 8090% of trade settlements are still dollar-denominated. DeFi protocols can now create JPYCUSDC/USDT liquidity pools, opening the door for on-chain USD/JPY trading and moving a portion of the $7 trillion global FX activity onto blockchain rails. This shift could cut settlement times from two days to minutes, reduce cross-border transaction costs by up to 80%, and make yen-based settlements more attractive for trade-heavy supply chains in East Asia. This month, the Post's Xiaofei Xu sat down with Deng Li, China's ambassador to France and Monaco, for an in-depth and wide-ranging interview. In part one, Deng outlines China's diplomatic strategy in Europe. China would like to see France lead Europe to become a truly independent power to help build a stable multipolar world, Beijing's top diplomat to France told the South China Morning Post in an exclusive interview. Striking a positive tone on relations between Beijing and Paris despite mounting challenges, Deng Li, China's ambassador to France, said Europe should not only be an economic and cultural power but also a political force contributing to global peace and stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. And France, as the European Union nation with the strongest tradition of independence and autonomy, should play a leading role in guiding Europe to that goal, he said. Deng's remarks came amid what Beijing described as a "once-in-a-century" shift in the global landscape that created risks and uncertainties, further complicated by the volatility of United States policies after the change of administration in January. "If you want the world to be stable, then you should follow what our President Xi Jinping calls an 'equal and orderly multipolar world' and 'universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation'. I think Europe is now facing a choice in this regard," Deng said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I've told the French that, just like this table, it needs at least three legs to be stable," Deng said. "If Europe has this ambition, it should be able to [become a leg], but whether Europe wants to is a question that only they can answer." Deng argued that the 27-member bloc's designation of China as a "partner, competitor and systemic rival", coined in 2019, sent confusing messages and should not be a guiding policy in bilateral relations. He said that in most bilateral relationships, all three aspects were present - only in varying degrees - with each relationship involving elements of cooperation, competition and differing views or interests. "That is normal, but it shouldn't become the basis of policy. A policy must have a clear main direction," he said, adding that China hoped to see Europe choose partnership as the main direction for relations between Beijing and Brussels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deng reiterated remarks by Wang Yi in March last year in which China's foreign minister said the EU's current triple positioning on China was akin to an intersection having the red, green and yellow traffic lights all on at the same time. "How can you drive the car in that situation? It's simply unworkable," Deng said. A key obstacle, if not the biggest one, in China's relationship with France and more broadly with Europe, was Beijing's strategic ties with Moscow as the Ukraine crisis broke out. European countries have repeatedly urged China to exert its influence to end it. But for Deng, this kind of thinking missed the point. He said China had always called for a peaceful solution through dialogue and diplomacy, but Beijing did not hold the key. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I understand Europe's concerns about its own security. But how to ultimately view and approach this issue is truly a matter for Europe itself - it's something Europe needs to think through on its own," he said. "To put it more plainly - is what both sides want really something that China possesses? Then why say it as if only China can solve it? If China did hold what both sides are seeking, then yes, the leverage point would be with China - but it does not." From China's perspective, the negotiations have three layers: the Russo-Ukrainian layer, the Russo-European layer and finally the Russo-American layer, none of which China is a direct party to, Deng said. Earlier this month, when French President Emmanuel Macron's diplomacy adviser Emmanuel Bonne met Wang in Hangzhou, Bonne called on Chinese authorities to end direct or indirect contributions made by Chinese entities to Russia's military industry, according to a statement published by the French embassy in China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Europe and the US have long accused China of selling drone parts and "dual-use" technologies to Russia in support of Moscow, an allegation China has repeatedly denied. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this month threatened to release photos from the Ukrainian government showing that Chinese parts were present in shot down Russian drones. For Deng, such accusations disregard China's dominance in civilian drone supply chains. More than 70 per cent of the world's drones or drone components are made in China, making it difficult to ban its exports. "This isn't really an issue of whether China exports them or not - you can find Chinese-made civilian drones almost anywhere in the world," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deng stressed that China strictly prohibited the export of military drones and regulated the export of dual-use drones. "But civilian drones are everywhere. In China, civilian drones are as common as household appliances," he said. "They're not some kind of hi-tech or sophisticated equipment. Every travel blogger on Douyin or RedNote has one." For now, China would keep communicating its position to the French side and hope that, with time, they understood it, Deng said. Servicemen of Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade install nets along the roads to protect them from drone attacks in a frontline town in the Donetsk region amid the ongoing Russian invasion. Photo: Handout alt=Servicemen of Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade install nets along the roads to protect them from drone attacks in a frontline town in the Donetsk region amid the ongoing Russian invasion. Photo: Handout> Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said there was another message China would continue to communicate to France while anticipating greater understanding over time: that China would never seek global hegemony. "When we said this, many people did not get it. We've been trying hard to explain, but if they really cannot grasp it, then they can observe, take their time and see for themselves," Deng said. He said a Eurocentric world view and Western belief drawn from the history of international relations that "a strong nation must dominate" made it difficult for many in Europe to believe China's message. "For hundreds of years, whenever a country's economy grew stronger, it would start expanding and waging wars against its neighbours. They use this logic to assume that since China is developing, it must also be seeking hegemony," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China, which has historically been an inward-looking nation, had a different history and cultural background from the West, he said, adding that the Great Wall had been built for defence, not for aggression. Deng said that as China continued to rise and pursue national rejuvenation, a long-term goal of being a prosperous, strong and culturally vibrant nation, those who might not understand his country's intentions could observe for themselves whether it was following a peaceful path or repeating the expansionist behaviour of past Western powers. "What's certain is that China will never respond to a trade deficit by sending opium to another country to sell," Deng said, pointing to Britain's actions in the 19th century. China's defeat at the hands of Britain in the opium wars was followed by decades of coercive treaties, territorial concessions and foreign domination by various Western powers and Japan, in an era known in China as a "century of humiliation". China and EU relations are strained over huge trade deficits and mutual accusations of unfair trade practices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, China announced definitive anti-dumping duties of up to 34.9 per cent on EU brandy for five years, but offered exemptions to most major producers. The move, along with a similar investigation into EU pork and dairy products, is widely seen as a retaliatory measure against the EU's heavy tariff imposed on Chinese-produced electric vehicles. Despite the challenges, Deng believed that relations between Beijing and Paris were still advancing. Both sides should try to keep cooperating while managing their differences. The two countries must enhance communication on major international issues to understand each other's positions and foster greater stability in the world by cooperating where common interests aligned, Deng said. He said there were no major obstacles to a potential state visit by Macron to China and that both sides were working together to find an appropriate time that fit both their schedules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We hope to achieve shared development amid this new technological revolution, and we also wish to work together to address global challenges." This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday, with Premier Li Qiang pitching expanded economic ties with his country as an alternative to the protectionist policies of US President Donald Trump. Li Qiang told an ASEAN-China summit meeting after the signing that closer cooperation could help overcome global economic uncertainties. Pursuing confrontation instead of solidarity brings no benefit in the face of economic coercion and bullying. Unity is strength, he said in what can be regarded as a veiled swipe at Trump's trade policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The signing of the trade pact, presided over by Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving as ASEAN chair this year, came on the final day of the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings. Earlier on Sunday, Malaysia's trade minister stressed that ASEANChina cooperation is important primarily because China has been ASEANs largest trading partner for many years. But one must also take note that ASEAN is now equally important to China, making it a two-way relationship in trade. What does the trade pact offer? Officials say the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 is expected to broaden integration across the region by covering new areas such as digital trade, the green economy, sustainability, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up the majority of ASEAN businesses. The agreement is designed to make trade benefits more accessible, improve market entry for smaller players, streamline non-tariff procedures, and lower regulatory barriers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pact signed on Tuesday is the third revision of the long-standing agreement, which was first signed in 2002 and came into force in 2010. The free trade area covers a combined market of more than 2 billion people and lowers tariffs on goods, boosting flows of services and investment. Since coming into effect in 2010, two-way trade has surged from $235.5 billion in 2010 to nearly $1 trillion last year. China's Premier Li Qiang, front left and Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, front right, shake hands after witnessing the signing ceremony for ASEAN-China Free Trade. - AP Photo According to Li, mutual reliance between China and ASEAN members Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, pivoted this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Chinese Premier described the countries as good neighbours and good brothers that are close in geography, culture, and sentiment. Unilateralism and protectionism have seriously impacted the global economic and trade order, while external forces are increasing their interference in the regionmany countries have been unreasonably subjected to high tariffs, he said. By relying on each other and coordinating our actions, we can safeguard our legitimate rights and interests. Free trade pact comes amid US-China tensions Meanwhile, with the prospect of a deepening trade conflict between China and the US, risking weakening economic growth worldwide, analysts believe the upgraded ASEAN pact would benefit China and countries in the region, especially in the areas of supply chains and sustainability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also speaks to a global reality that non-US countries are coming together to strengthen trade relationships for their prosperity as a recoupling with the US is ongoing, says Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh. Related On Sunday, a US-China trade deal appeared to be drawing closer after officials from the worlds two largest economies said they reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalise during their high-stakes meeting. Trump is set to meet with Xi on Thursday in South Korea, the final stop of his trip through Asia. Beijing has lashed out at Britains move to impose sanctions on 11 Chinese companies, warning it could damage Sir Keir Starmers hopes of building closer economic ties with the Far East. The UK Government unveiled a sanctions package on Oct 15 targeting the Russian oil sector, which also ensnared a group of Chinese refineries, port operators and military tech firms that prop up trade. Beijings commerce ministry said in a statement that Britain should immediately correct its wrongful action or else risk a negative impact on the economic and trade relations between China and the UK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ministry said it had lodged diplomatic objections with London, and vowed to resolutely safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. The bust-up comes as Labour battles the fallout from the collapsed prosecution of two British men accused of spying for China. This has prompted claims that Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers are putting improved relations with China ahead of national security concerns. Another flashpoint revolves around the planning permission for a new Chinese mega embassy in east London, where Beijing has threatened consequences if the Government withholds approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement from Chinas commerce ministry said the UKs Russia-related sanctions flew in the face of the positive development momentum of China-UK economic and trade relations. The primary target of the UK sanctions, which were later backed by similar US action, were the Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, which export a combined 3.1 million barrels of oil a day. b' ' China buys almost half of this, mostly via small independent refineries known as teapots. The UK Government said four Chinese oil terminals had been sanctioned alongside an LNG terminal. Several Chinese firms were also sanctioned for their role in supporting or supplying Russias defence sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The commerce ministry said in its statement that normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian companies should not be disrupted or affected. The Foreign Office, which oversees Britains sanctions regime, was contacted for comment. It is not Beijings first threat against the UK in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Lin Jian, Chinas foreign ministry spokesman, said Beijing felt grave concern and strong dissatisfaction at the delay in approving its proposed new super-embassy in Tower Hamlets. Mr Lin said the UK Government, which is yet to make a final planning decision, must immediately fulfil its obligations and honour its commitments, otherwise the British side shall bear all consequences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Media reports this week have suggested that the Government has acquiesced to Chinese lobbying by dropping a proposed planning condition requiring a hard security perimeter around the site. However, Sir Keir said on Monday that he will not be pushed around by China over the super-embassy. The Prime Minister insisted the decision would be taken in the proper way despite fears that Beijing could retaliate if it was rejected. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Japan's new administration to take a constructive "first step" in engaging with Beijing and to properly address sensitive issues such as Taiwan and wartime history. Wang made the remarks during a phone call with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday - the first high-level diplomatic engagement between Beijing and Tokyo since Sanae Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister a week ago. Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have yet to extend an official congratulatory message to Takaichi - a China hawk - in a departure from precedent that analysts said signalled deepening strains in the relationship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. During Tuesday's call, Wang congratulated Motegi, who served as Japan's top diplomat from 2019 to 2021, on his return to office. He emphasised that China's policy on Japan "remains consistent and stable", according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout. "China and Japan are important neighbours," Wang said, expressing Beijing's willingness to "fully advance the strategic relationship of mutual benefit" in line with the principles set out in four key documents that have guided bilateral ties for decades. He stressed the importance of building "a constructive and stable" China-Japan relationship that "meets the demands of the new era". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wang noted "positive signals" from Japan's new cabinet and underscored the significance of high-level exchanges in fostering bilateral development. "[Beijing] hopes that the new Japanese cabinet will take a solid 'first step' in its engagement with China and 'fasten the first button correctly'," he was quoted as saying. In addition to conveying the importance of setting the right tone from the outset, Wang also called on the Takaichi administration to respect China's core concerns and avoid actions that could destabilise the relationship. "Historical issues and the Taiwan question are fundamental to the political foundation and the basic trust between the two countries," he said, urging Japan to work with China to "safeguard this foundation and promote continued improvement and development of the relationship along the correct path". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response, Motegi described China as "an important neighbour" of Japan and said Takaichi "attaches great importance" to maintaining and strengthening bilateral relations, according to the Chinese readout. He was quoted as reaffirming that Japan had never intended to decouple from China or sever supply chains, while expressing hope that both countries would "enhance exchanges at all levels, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and manage differences appropriately". The call came just two days ahead of a high-stakes meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump scheduled on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in South Korea on Thursday. It also coincided with Trump's visit to Tokyo, which underscored the deepening defence and economic cooperation between the US and Japan despite ongoing tariff disputes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Takaichi on Tuesday pledged a "golden age" of ties with Washington and reaffirmed her commitment to "fundamentally reinforce" Japan's defence capabilities in the face of "unprecedented" security challenges. Trump, in turn, described the US as an ally of the "strongest level". Beijing on Tuesday voiced concerns about the strengthening of the US-Japan alliance, with foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun saying the development of their relations and security cooperation "should contribute to regional peace and stability". He also urged Japan to respect the security concerns of its neighbours. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. After a string of exotic stealthy combat jets, both crewed and uncrewed, the newest Chinese military aircraft to break cover is somewhat different, but nonetheless interesting. The latest development concerns an advanced jet trainer, but one that clearly has potential as a light combat aircraft, too. The new jet, the designation of which remains unknown, appears to be a product of the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), based in Nanchang, and best known for producing trainers. Initial imagery of the jet shows it both on the ground and under flight test, wearing a yellow primer paint finish. The aircraft has a classic tandem two-seat trainer configuration, two engines, and a conventional layout with swept wings, horizontal stabilizers, twin outward-canted tailfins, and twin ventral fins. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the aircraft is powered by a pair of homegrown WS-17 turbofans, which are fed by caret-type engine intakes. Another view of the new HAIG trainer in flight. via X A large head-up display is visible in the front cockpit in at least one image. Other features point toward a combat role, at least as a secondary mission, including the overall size of the aircraft and wingtip hardpoints, presumably for air-to-air missiles. The gray-colored nosecone may well accommodate a radar, a feature of both lead-in fighter trainers (LIFT) and combat jets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Notably, there are also signs that the aircraft is intended to be suitable for carrier operations. It features notable robust tricycle landing gear, including twin nosewheels, while the prominent leading-edge root extensions would also help improve maneuverability at high angles of attack and at low airspeeds, such as during the approach to the carrier. The new trainer is seen at the far left of this view inside an HAIG facility, with examples of the JL-10/L-15 alongside it. via X The appearance of the new aircraft at this point is interesting, especially as China already has more than one active advanced jet trainer/LIFT program. The first of these is the Guizhou JL-9, exported as the FTC-2000 Mountain Eagle, development of which began around 2001, as a continuation of the earlier JJ-7/FT-7 design, itself derived from the J-7/F-7 fighter, the Chinese version of the MiG-21 Fishbed. The JL-9 added an entirely new front fuselage, with a fire-control radar, and the engine intakes were relocated to the fuselage sides. Befitting its LIFT role, the JL-9 has a double-delta wing and modern integrated avionics. On the other hand, the flight-control system is mechanical rather than fly-by-wire, and the single WP-13 engine is relatively primitive, inherited from the JJ-7/FT-7, although the aircraft is supersonic. A Peoples Liberation Army Air Force JL-9 trainer in afterburner. via X The JL-9G is a navalized version of the JL-9, a dedicated carrier trainer with strengthened landing gear and enlarged wings with leading-edge slats and leading-edge root extensions, among other changes. The JL-9G was originally fitted with a tailhook, but this appears to have led to structural problems and was deleted. Therefore, the JL-9G can be used to practice carrier takeoffs from land-based dummy decks but cannot be used for arrested recoveries. However, at least touch-and-goes have been carried out by the JL-9G aboard the aircraft carrier Liaoning or Shandong. Interesting that this news was largely missed: According to Huitong's CMA-Blog: "The latest image (June 2024) indicated JL-9G practiced touch-and-go onboard the aircraft carrier Liaoning or Shandong." pic.twitter.com/B54aL5GoQY @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) June 10, 2024 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More ambitious than the JL-9 is the Hongdu JL-10, a type that has been exported as the L-15 Falcon, and which first flew in 2006. This was designed from the outset as a modern, advanced jet trainer/LIFT, and its design was aided by Russias Yakovlev. This is a twin-engine aircraft, similar in appearance to the Yak-130 Mitten and similarly powered by a pair of Ukrainian AI-222-25 turbofans. One of the first JL-10s for the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force. via X The JL-10 was intended to provide a trainer better optimized for pilots headed toward frontline fighters like the J-10, J-16, and J-20. From the start, it included a fully digital cockpit with head-up display, color multifunctional displays, and hands on throttle and stick control. It also has a digital fly-by-wire flight-control system and six stores pylons. In common with the JL-9, a version of the JL-10 has also been developed as a carrier trainer. Although primarily used from shore bases, at least a mockup of the tailhook-equipped JL-10J has appeared on the aircraft carrier Fujian. Regarding the rumoured JL-10J carrier-capable jet trainer, another hint was spotted next to the carrier Fujian: It appears to be an unfinished JL-10J mockup stored on the dockside . So question is: Two tails as shown in the latest CG or just one like the regular JL-10? pic.twitter.com/BM8W8MRGWK @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) March 19, 2024 A poor-quality image dating from 2024 and purporting to show the first flight of the carrier-capable JL-10J. via X The JL-9 and JL-10 are also complemented by the less-advanced Hongdu JL-8, widely exported as the K-8 Karakorum and jointly developed by China and Pakistan starting in the mid-1980s. This is a straight-wing subsonic aircraft and serves primarily as an intermediate trainer, in much greater numbers than the more capable LIFT types. A JL-8 from the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Red Falcon aerial demonstration team. via Chinese internet Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new HAIG trainer suggests that China is continuing to look for ways to optimize its fast-jet training pipeline, with the aircraft, like its immediate predecessors, likely expected to serve the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and Navy (PLAN). As such, a fully equipped carrier-capable version might well go aboard Chinas carriers. It may be the case that the new HAIG trainer is primarily intended to serve the PLAN, which would make sense given the rapid pace of development and the growing ambitions for Chinas carrier air wing. A Peoples Liberation Army Navy J-35 fighter during trials from the carrier Fujian earlier this year. Chinese internet via X With the JL-9G clearly not considered entirely adequate as a navalized trainer, a carrier-capable advanced jet trainer/LIFT for the PLAN would make a good deal of sense. Meanwhile, the development of improved navalized versions of the JL-10 appears to continue, although the new design may supersede this. At the same time, a land-based version of the new trainer could also be of considerable interest to the PLAAF, as it increasingly builds a fifth-generation fighter fleet and looks toward the integration of sixth-generation combat types. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For both services, there is also a question about the long-term viability of the powerplant of the JL-10, since this relies on Ukrainian engines, the supply of which is hardly straightforward. There have been reports that the JL-10 has at least been tested with Chinese-made WS-17 turbofans, but this remains unconfirmed for now. Finally, there is the possibility of exports. The new HAIG design would appear to be especially well-tailored to the light combat aircraft market. Here, it would face competition from designs like the South Korean FA-50 and the Italian M-346. However, it seems to be more optimized for combat missions, including high performance and agility. While the FA-50 and M-346 are very much LCA derivatives of existing trainers, it is possible that operational missions were baked into the HAIG design from the outset. A Republic of Korea Air Force FA-50. KAI Perhaps more importantly, as a Chinese design, it will be immune to the tight export restrictions that typically apply to Western aircraft in the same class. Past experience has shown that Beijing is generally open to granting export licenses to countries that might be prohibited from buying Western designs, especially those that use U.S.-licensed components. The aforementioned FA-50 and M-346, for example, both rely on American engines, making them harder to export. In some respects, the design of the HAIG aircraft has parallels with Taiwans T-5 Brave Eagle. This was also developed for the advanced jet trainer/LIFT roles, and although the end result incorporates more than 80 percent new components, it was notably derived from an existing combat aircraft: the F-CK-1, which you can read more about here. A pair of T-5 Brave Eagle advanced jet trainers. Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP SAM YEH For now, we dont know exactly what roles the new Chinese trainer/LCA might fulfil, but with the stealthy J-20 established in service, the J-35 waiting in the wings, and a series of even more advanced combat aircraft now apparently well into development, the appearance of an advanced training jet to prepare pilots for these platforms is certainly timely. Meanwhile, an export-configured light attack aircraft could also be very attractive to a number of foreign air forces. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com (FOX40.COM) The famous Chipotle Boorito tradition is set to return on Halloween for reward members, among new traditions being introduced to the public. Video above: Halloween Safety Tips | KLFY According to Chipotle officials, when customers appear in costume at a restaurant and scan the rewards at the end sale, they will be able to purchase an entree for $6. However, the award is not for the whole day. The reward starts to be valid on Friday, starting at 3 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will mark Chipoles 25th anniversary with this fan-favorite tradition, but this year, the company decided to switch things up and introduced Chip-Or-Treat, which gives fans free rewards for the entire month. Police investigate infant death at Manteca daycare Image: Chipotle Press Website For 25 years, Boorito has been the cant-miss Halloween tradition for our fans, and this year were expanding it into a full month of treats, Chris Brandt, President, Chief Brand Officer, Chipotle, said. No tricks, just delicious, real food made fresh every day and weekly rewards that make this October the biggest Halloween season ever at Chipotle. Some Sacramento Area Chipotle Location 5738 Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento 4001 Freeport Boulevard in South Sacramento 1601 Broadway in Sacramento 1831 Capitol Avenue in Sacramento 2517 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Sacramento 4801 Watt Avenue in North Highlands 2650 Arena Boulevard in North Natomas 3302 Arden Way in the Arden-Arcade area 2155 Town Center Plaza in West Sacramento 8124 Delta Shores Circle South in South Sacramento Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. For the record: 10:01 a.m. Oct. 31, 2025: Death Penalty Focus was incorrectly named Death Penalty Watch. When news first trickled out that Chris Ponnet, the longtime pastor of the St. Camillus Center for Spiritual Care in Lincoln Heights, had died, images and condolences popped up online. There was a photograph of him being arrested in 2011 at a blockade in downtown Los Angeles over the war in Afghanistan. Another image showed him at an anti-death-penalty rally holding a cross with the message "replace the death penalty" written across the center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The condolences included one from Sacred Heart High School in Lincoln Heights, where he was praised as a beloved presider and homilist at our masses . Ponnet is being remembered as a man who often served as the lone visitor to hundreds dying of COVID-19, who presided over an annual service honoring the unclaimed dead and who attended protests and was arrested dozens of times in the process. For family members, though, he was the person who cared most for us, said his brother Jim. The family announced Ponnets passing on Oct. 7 at the age of 68. He is survived by his sisters Elizabeth and Mary Alice and brother Jim. He was an uncle to more than 20 nieces and nephews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A viewing, rosary and vigil will be held at St. Lukes in Temple City on Monday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The formal celebration of life funeral Mass is scheduled for Tuesday at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles at 10 a.m. Father Chris Ponnet is arrested after an Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace rally that blocked Los Angeles Street in downtown L.A. (Los Angeles Times) Both the viewing and funeral are open to the public, while the burial is private. Ponnet spent the last 30 years as pastor of St. Camillus, which is across the street from USCs health sciences campus. There he served as the site administrator for the Urban Interfaith Chaplaincy Program, where he helped train the next generation of chaplains. He was also the director of the Los Angeles General Medical Center's Office of Spiritual Care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was in the latter position that Ponnet attended to isolated COVID-19 patients during the pandemics first year. Read more: Holy oil, masks and FaceTime: The coronavirus forces Catholics to adapt last rites Ponnet fully donned personal protective equipment a helmet, mask and gown and prayed with COVID patients in isolation when few others were allowed to enter, Connie Castro, spokesperson for the Los Angeles General Medical Center, said in a statement. Father Chriss legacy is one of love, service, and unwavering faith, the statement read. Beloved by staff, patients, and the broader community, he leaves a void that will be deeply felt. His memory and the values he instilled will continue to inspire all who knew him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first year of COVID-19 deeply affected Ponnet. Ive journeyed with nine people on one day in death, Ponnet said in March 2021. He added: You have to deal with that and put it into context because the next person needs you. Ponnet also volunteered his time to preside over the annual ceremony and burial of the unclaimed dead in Boyle Heights , during which hundreds of L.A. County residents are buried together. Chris Ponnet was, first and foremost, a man of God, his sister-in-law Dawn said. Everything he did was guided by the message of Jesus Christ to love others, to care for them, and to be kind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ponnet was born in 1957 at then Garfield Hospital in Monterey Park. He was the youngest of eight children for parents Mary and Frank J. Ponnet, who lived in Temple City. His father fought in World War II's Battle of the Bulge and came home to serve as a mailman, before dying of a heart attack in 1961. Needing income, his mother served as a registered nurse for more than two decades at Alhambra Hospital. We grew up as a devout Catholic family that believed in going to Mass weekly, that believed in family first, said Elizabeth Ponnet, 78, one of Chris Ponnets four sisters. We believed in helping out and I think Chris really believed in that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Los Angeles County virtually mourns its unclaimed dead Ponnet was as an altar server at St. Lukes Church, where he attended elementary and middle school. In eighth grade, Ponnet recited Martin Luther King Jr.s I have a dream speech for a class project. Thats when I thought he would be involved in service and helping people for the rest of his life, his sister Elizabeth said. Ponnet followed his brother, Frank A. Ponnet , into the now-defunct Our Lady Queen of Angels Minor Seminary in San Fernando and later into St. Johns Seminary in Camarillo. Where Frank veered into a life of teaching, Chris continued his path into the priesthood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He loved God and I always thought he would become a priest, his brother Jim, 74, said. He always wanted to help. Ponnet was ordained as a priest on Dec. 3, 1983, and began his ministry at Our Lady of the Valley in Canoga Park and Our Lady of the Assumption in Claremont before serving 30-plus years as the pastor of St. Camillus. He championed a variety of causes through a robust and politically active life. In 1990, he pressured former GOP Rep. David Dreier of La Verne to cut military aid to El Salvador during that nations civil war. Read more: Plaschke: Dodgers Pride Night feels like a rainbow of love Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He called the first Gulf War unjust and, as the pacifist director of the Catholic Peace Coalition, led a fast against the wars glorification. He also took stands on local issues, such as the legalization of Pomona card rooms , while he led the archdioceses gay and lesbian ministry and AIDS ministry. One of his many passion projects was the fight against the death penalty. He was a board member of Death Penalty Focus , an organization whose goal is to abolish the punishment. He was always organizing and always on the streets, said Mike Farrell, the former actor and a Death Penalty Watch advocate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ponnet's advocacy led to his arrest at least 30 times, according to the Los Angeles Archdiocese . Yet, more than the activism, its Ponnets humility that will stick with him, Farrell said. Death Penalty Focus hosts an annual gala at the Skirball Cultural Center during which it honors individuals who have fought to rescind the death penalty. At each of those events, Ponnet would often find himself assisting others. He would pull out chairs, he would direct people to tables and do whatever was needed, Farrell said. Theres no one like him. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. At his federal trial this month was Konstantinos Diamantis, who once doubled as deputy state budget director and chief of state government's school construction office, really trying to defend himself against bribery and extortion charges, or was he actually auditioning for a revival of the Broadway musical "Fiorello"? The play humorously depicts the crusade against corruption that was waged nearly a century ago by New York City's reformist mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia. Diamantis' explanation of his work in the school construction office would have fit right in. According to Diamantis, he wasn't shaking down contractors for kickbacks. No, he was charging them finder's fees for introducing them to people who might be helpful to their companies. The contractors didn't see it that way. Some already had pleaded guilty to paying him the bribes he demanded, understanding the payments as the condition for getting the state construction work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diamantis' testimony could have been turned into another verse in "Little Tin Box," the cleverest song from "Fiorello," which consists of courtroom exchanges between a grand jury judge and corrupt city employees testifying before him. Mr. X, may we ask you a question? It's amazing, is it not, That the city pays you slightly less than 50 bucks a week, Yet you've purchased a private yacht? I am positive Your Honor must be joking. Any working man can do what I have done. For a month or two I simply gave up smoking And I put my extra pennies one by one Into a little tin box. ... Mr. Y, we've been told you don't feel well, And we know you've lost your voice. But we wonder how you managed on the salary you make To acquire a new Rolls-Royce. You're implying I'm a crook and I say no, Sir! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is nothing in my past I care to hide. I've been taking empty bottles to the grocer And each nickel that I got was put aside Into a little tin box. ... Mr. Z, you're a junior official And your income's rather low. Yet you've kept a dozen women in the very best hotels. Would you kindly explain how so? I can see Your Honor doesn't pull his punches, And it looks a trifle fishy, I'll admit. But for one whole week I went without my lunches And it mounted up, Your Honor, bit by bit. ... It's surprising that Diamantis' jury needed a day and a half before deciding his story was suitable for musical comedy and convicting him on all 21 charges. But there won't be much humor in the long prison sentence he's facing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lately there has been a lot of sleaze if not outright corruption in state government, the consequence of longstanding one-party rule. Among other things, the chairwoman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority resigned upon being caught lying to the legislature, a court, and the public. Legislators have been caught stuffing expensive "earmarks" into the state budget to benefit nominally nonprofit organizations run by their friends. The former public college system chancellor was dismissed but is getting a year of severance worth nearly $500,000 after being caught abusing his expense account, and he is guaranteed another comfortable public college job when his severance expires. State government is a big place and some of its denizens will always cheat and steal. While Gov. Ned Lamont is as political as any other governor he is not corrupt; he sometimes has been badly served by those he trusted. But it is starting to seem as if Connecticut could use its own Fiorello LaGuardia to run a perpetual grand jury investigating corruption and malfeasance in state government. Federal - not state - prosecutors investigated Diamantis, and the General Assembly still refuses to examine government operations, confident that there will always be plenty of money for the little tin box. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Powell (cpowell@cox.net) has written about Connecticut government and politics for many years. This article originally published at Chris Powell (column): Corrupt ex-official's trial evokes musical comedy. Karbon-X Corp ABC Mangrove Project surpasses 7,000 hectares of cumulative planting across years, advancing community-led coastal restoration in partnership with Woodside Energy DAKAR, Senegal, Oct. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Karbon-X Corp. (OTCQX: KARX) (Karbon-X or the Company) is pleased to announce the completion of the 2025 planting season for the ABC Mangrove Project in Senegal, an initiative that continues to restore one of West Africas most vital blue-carbon ecosystems. Developed through Karbon-Xs project development and advisory arm, ALLCOT, in partnership with Woodside Energy, the project combines large-scale environmental restoration with tangible social and economic benefits for the regions coastal communities. Preliminary data from the 2025 season indicate approximately 2,082 hectares newly planted using natural mangrove propagulesseed-like shoots collected and planted directly in the tidal zone. When combined with previous years work, total planting across the project now exceeds 7,000 hectares, pending final cartographic confirmation. This milestone reflects the dedication of local communities and the strength of our partnerships on the ground, said Chad Clovis, Chief Executive Officer of Karbon-X Corp. Through the ABC Mangrove Project, were restoring natural carbon sinks, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and demonstrating how community-anchored climate action can deliver measurable global impact. The project is progressing toward registration under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) programs. Certification under these standards will confirm both the projects carbon-removal potential and its verified social and environmental co-benefits. The ABC Mangrove Project contributes directly to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 14, and 15), advancing both climate and community resilience. By employing and training residentsparticularly women and youthin propagule collection and planting, the project strengthens economic resilience, enhances biodiversity, and improves coastal protection against erosion and sea-level rise. As the mangroves mature, the ABC Project is expected to generate verified blue-carbon credits, providing companies and individuals a trusted way to support nature-based climate solutions rooted in community benefit. Additional information on the ABC Mangrove Project is available through ALLCOT A Karbon-X Company, at www.allcot.com/project-development/abc_mangrove_senegal/ About Karbon-X Karbon-X Corp. (OTCQX: KARX) is a vertically integrated climate-solutions company delivering end-to-end carbon and sustainability services across both compliance and voluntary markets. From project origination and verification to credit issuance and market distribution, Karbon-X ensures transparency and measurable impact at every step. Learn more at www.karbon-x.com What was the point of arresting Ali Faqirzada? If you've followed the case, you know there really wasn't one. Faqirzada, 31, an Afghan refugee arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents earlier this month after attending a routine asylum hearing, does not have a criminal record and posed no threat to public safety. What's more, Faqirzada's request for asylum was likely to be granted - and for good reason. If the New Paltz resident is returned to Afghanistan, he may be tormented, if not killed, by the Taliban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's what often happens to Afghans seen as allied with American interests, and that sort of political retribution is precisely why the asylum process exists. Faqirzada's sister, Saida Faqirzada, was director of the Women's Business Resource Center, an Afghan organization funded by the U.S. government that promoted female entrepreneurship. Ali worked for an agency that helped American companies obtain licenses in Afghanistan. But when former President Joe Biden chaotically (and irresponsibly) withdrew American troops from the country, families like the Faqirzadas were left in a terrible position. They had trusted American promises and believed in the prospect of a stable, tolerant government that would respect individual rights. Instead, they got Taliban 2.0. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Times Union's Maria Silva has detailed, Saida Faqirzada was the first member of the family to flee. She went to Dubai in 2021 before joining her extended family of eight in California. Subsequently relocated to the Hudson Valley, every member of the family has completed the asylum process, except for Ali. But with an application pending since December 2022, he, too, was on his way to receiving asylum - until the arrest that served no purpose other than cruelty, perhaps, or an attempt to boost deportation stats with low-hanging fruit. Before he was detained on Oct. 14, Ali Faqirzada was a full-time computer programming student at Bard College and worked as a security guard at a hospital, according to his sister. Faqirzada is described as the head of his family, an interpreter who is present whenever a family member goes to the doctor, dentist, or a meeting at school. What more could we want from him? What else could he do? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We do not understand why ICE has chosen to target this smart, hardworking young man," said Anwen Hughes from Human Rights First, which is working for Faqirzada's release. "Ali and his family were allies of the United States, working alongside the United States to rebuild democracy in Afghanistan. That is why the Taliban targeted them. He came here seeking safety." Several elected Democrats have spoken out against Faqirzada's arrest, including U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan. But there's no reason that support for Faqirzada shouldn't be bipartisan. Republicans, after all, were deeply critical of Biden's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the consequences for those left behind. "America's credibility on the world stage was severely damaged after we abandoned Afghan allies to Taliban reprisal killings - the people of Afghanistan we had promised to protect," said a 2024 report by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The report added that "Congress needs to work in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to find a humane solution for all Afghans, including those already in the United States, who have a legitimate fear of persecution from the Taliban." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If so, why is Donald Trump's administration attempting to send one of those Afghan allies back? And why aren't Republicans speaking up on Faqirzada's behalf? I put that question to the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee from Rockland County. I didn't receive an answer by my deadline, but I'll let you know if I do. ICE says that Faqirzada was charged under Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act "for entering the U.S. without valid documentation." In 2022, he was apprehended by Customs and Border Protection near Calexico, Calif., and released on parole pending an asylum review, the agency said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If he'd skipped his asylum hearing, he'd likely be free. Instead, Faqirzada is now being held at ICE's Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, N.J., according to the agency's online detainee locator. He has been placed in expedited removal proceedings, a deportation process that does not require a hearing before an immigration judge. Potentially, he could be deported within days. It's unlikely protests from Democrats will have much sway with ICE and the Trump administration. But appeals from Lawler, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik and other New York Republicans could make a difference. They may be Faqirzada's only hope. This article originally published at Churchill: Time for NY Republicans to rally behind Afghan refugee. The video attached above aired on Oct. 27, 2025. AUSTIN (KXAN) After Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state would lean on the city of Austin to shelter people as the state continues homeless encampment sweeps in the capital city, Austin leaders say the state has only referred one person to city shelters. During an early voting news conference Friday, Abbott fielded several questions from news outlets about sending state resources into Austin to clear homeless encampments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One question KXAN has been asking the governors office: When the state comes to clear out homeless encampments, where are people being relocated? During that news conference, the governor said the state will defer to Austin for the locations that they want to send them but also said the state has prepared different locations in the event that Austin is unable to provide them. Abbott did not specify where those backup locations were. As you all probably know and maybe youve reported, the city of Austin is stepping up to help address the locations and we will defer to them as long as the homeless are being removed from the encampments, Abbott said. We have reported that the city of Austin offered to help Texas shelter people during encampment sweeps, as well as provide city resources. 51 people connected to shelter during city of Austins first week of encampment cleanups Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We can confirm that one individual referred to us by the State has been sheltered. To date, there has been no formal coordination from the State of Texas with the City of Austin regarding the Governors recently announced encampment management operations, a city spokesperson said Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Oct. 28FULDA The City of Fulda was awarded just under $1.2 million for owner occupied housing rehabilitation and public facility streetscape improvements through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The funding specifically comes from DEED's Small Cities Development Program (SCDP), which supports cities, townships and counties with critical investments in housing, public infrastructure and commercial property rehabilitation. Eligible cities must have fewer than 50,000 residents, while townships and counties with fewer than 200,000 residents are eligible. Fulda's population was 1,326 in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SCDP grants are administered by DEED, yet funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The 2025 SCDP awarded $21 million in grants to support economic development in 33 cities and counties across Minnesota, rehabilitating nearly 300 properties, with up to 21 of them being in Fulda. "Congratulations to Fulda on receiving this funding," Sen. Bill Weber (R-Luverne) said in a press release issued by his office. "I am grateful to the local leaders who worked hard to make this happen. This investment will help strengthen the local economy, revitalize our main streets and ensure Fulda continues to thrive." Fulda City Clerk and Treasurer Julie Burchill said the application process started last summer for the city, and they worked with Development Services Inc. (DSI) out of Ivanhoe. "They're (DSI) the ones who did most of the footwork," she said, complimenting DSI's Director of Community Development Jessica Foley, who handled a lot on the front end work with the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dan Popowski, a project manager for DSI, explained their process in working with a city such as Fulda. "We would go and present the program specifics to the council and how long we've been administering them," he said, noting the company has been administering the SCDP since it began. "The city would reach out to DSI for information regarding it. One of us would go and present the information to the council, how the program works, estimated timelines and cost of us writing a preliminary application for this program." If the council agrees to hire DSI and move forward, DSI completes canvassing, in which they send out interest statements to residents requesting information from them as the program targets low to moderately low income households. Once they receive the completed interest statements, they have all of the information they need to write a competitive preliminary application. "Once we put all that together, we also do a windshield survey, where we will create a map and ... one of us will go to the community and ... determine whether houses are standard or substandard," Popowski said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once all of the information is gathered and the preliminary application is submitted, DEED then determines what applications are competitive, moderately competitive or not. "From there is where we bring that back to the city and say that your application's been found competitive, would you like us to move forward and write the final application," Popowski said. "And most times they do, and in Fulda's case, they did and it ended up being approved for funding." Fulda's preliminary application was submitted last November, and the entire process is nowhere near completion. "We are in Tier 1 environmental review and there's a bunch of startup documents that are behind the scenes that we take care of that are submitted to the state," Popowski said. "I believe it would still be a while yet before we receive authority to use grant funds from the state and actually move forward with any projects. It is a very long process. The whole application process is roughly a year." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Obviously with the status of the federal government right now, the timelines may get pushed back even further, but we don't know. We really have no idea. We play a lot of the waiting game," Popowski added. Fulda's application was approved earlier this month, but applications from residents seeking their homes to be rehabilitated cannot be accepted until early 2026. Burchill said the application process is income-based, and each home to be rehabilitated will receive a forgivable loan of $20,000 to $25,000. "If they remain in their home for 10 years, it forgives," Burchill said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aside from the $1.2 million funding, the city did allocate about $57,000 from previous SCDP funds for the project, some used to pay DSI for its help. "It's not coming out of taxpayers, it's not coming from them at all," Burchill said. "The majority of this is through DEED." In addition to the 21 homes able to be rehabilitated, the city also gets to improve its streetscape. "The big thing for us with the streetscapes was our main street sidewalks," Burchill said. "They're in pretty poor shape. With the streetscapes, the whole idea is to kind of beautify the main street." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city has a grassy area in between a couple of buildings downtown that they plan to purchase and develop a seating area within it. The new sidewalks are also planned to showcase new benches, trash receptacles, street lighting upgrades and possibly some banners for the light poles. "This will be a great improvement for the downtown area, even just for safety reasons," Burchill said. "Then rehabbing homes is always great to be able to help out." Burchill thanked the committee that worked with the city on the streetscape improvement plans. "Their input was appreciated," she said. Fulda residents who have submitted an interest statement are reminded that it is not the official application and they should watch for the application. For questions or more information, Fulda homeowners should contact DSI at (507) 694-1552 or info@dsi-services.com. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Just days after Charlotte leaders announced a refresh to the citys central business district, the City Council approved a plan that will bring 30 digital touch-screen kiosks to the Queen City. The kiosks will provide maps, public information, and free Wi-Fi. They will be situated throughout Charlotte in several neighborhoods with a focus on South End, SouthPark and University City. Councilmember Malcolm Graham told Queen City News the addition will only add to efforts to improve public safety. RELATED | New initiative aims to boost police presence in Uptown and South End Adding this amenity to the mix gives our visitors an amenity to identify whats happening in uptown Charlotte and where they can go and have a good dinner or pick up a ticket for a play along the way, said Graham. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the public safety portion, executives with the company that will install the kiosks told council the city has the option to add 911 call buttons and connect to security cameras. Additionally, the machines will be installed at no cost to the city, as they pay for themselves with displayed advertisements. The city will get 30 percent of that ad revenue, which is expected to be about $8,000 per unit. CITY COUNCIL | Charlotte leaders vote in favor of redeveloping historic Excelsior Club For the city of Charlotte, it yields a financial benefit for the community, $240,000 a year. We put no investment in it at all, added Graham. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A formal contract has not been signed yet, so no timeline has been set for installation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. A school staffer recounted the moment she heard a gunshot fired in an elementary school during an ongoing civil trial in Virginia, nearly three years after a then-6-year-old student shot his first-grade teacher in a classroom. The teacher, Abby Zwerner, is seeking $40 million over the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, according to the civil complaint. The complaint alleges that the school's assistant principal at the time, Ebony Parker, failed to act after being informed multiple times that the student had a firearm on the day of the shooting and did not let anyone search him despite repeated requests. Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS via Getty Images - PHOTO: Students return to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., Jan. 30, 2023, Amy Kovac, a reading specialist for Newport News Public Schools, was one of several school staffers who testified Tuesday that they reported concerns that the 6-year-old student -- who Zwerner's attorneys are referring to as JT during the trial -- had a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kovac testified that two students in Zwerner's class told her that JT had a gun in his backpack, and that when she confronted him, he refused to provide her with his bag. She told the court that she reported this to Parker and told the assistant principal that she would check the backpack during recess. Kovac testified that Zwerner texted her that she saw JT take something out of his backpack and put it in his pocket ahead of recess. When she searched JT's backpack, Kovac told the court that, as she then suspected, there was no gun. She said she reported this to Parker as well. Asked by the plaintiff's attorney if she thought Parker was handling the situation, Kovac responded, "I did, until nothing happened." When she heard a gunshot go off in Zwerner's classroom near the end of the school day, Kovac testified that she believed JT had fired the gun. She said she went inside the classroom as children were "screaming and running out" and saw Zwerner with blood on her leg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kovac testified that she went straight to JT and contained him, then dialed 911 and said, "This is Richneck. A teacher's been shot, I have the shooter." 6-year-old who shot teacher had history of violent behavior at school, assistant principal failed to act: Lawyer Another first-grade teacher at the school, Jennifer West, testified Tuesday that a "visibly nervous" student told her after recess that JT had a gun on him and he saw the firearm and bullet. She said she called the front office to report this to an administrator, per protocol, and also spoke to a school counselor about it. The counselor, Rolonzo Rawles, testified Tuesday that he asked Parker if he could search JT's person for a gun, and that she responded that the student's mother would be arriving to get him soon and to wait to check him then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I didn't want to step over any boundaries, so I wasn't going to check him without permission," Rawles said. Rawles got emotional recounting the shooting and the moment he learned that JT had shot Zwerner. The civil complaint alleges Parker acted with gross negligence and in "reckless disregard" for Zwerner's safety. "Who would think a 6-year-old is going to bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher? Members of the jury, it's Dr Parker's job to believe that that is possible. It's her job to investigate it and to get to the very bottom of it," Zwerner's attorney, Diane Toscano, said during opening statements earlier Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toscano said jurors will hear from the defense that "Abby could have done more," but instead asked them to "notice each time Dr. Parker had a decision to make, what that decision was that Dr. Parker made, how many opportunities Dr. Parker had to prevent what happened on Jan. 6." "I'm confident at the end of this, you'll have a clear picture of what happened and how that tragedy on Jan. 6 happened, minute by minute, decision by decision," Toscano said. Newport News Police Department - PHOTO: Ebony Parker was released on bond in Newport News, Va., Apr. 10, 2024. The student took the firearm out of his pocket and aimed it at Zwerner while she was seated in the classroom, according to the complaint. The bullet went through her hand and then into her chest, and Zwerner was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said. Toscano said jurors will hear how the shooting has "changed Abby's life forever," through testimony from doctors and her family members who cared for her, and the "pain and trauma" she continues to experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parker's attorney, Daniel Hogan, called the negligence case "unusual" and discussed "hindsight bias" in his opening remarks. "No one could have imagined that a 6-year-old first grade student would bring a firearm to an elementary school," he said. He said the jury will have to answer "hard questions": "Is it really foreseeable that a 6-year-old child would shoot their own teacher? Was that reasonably foreseeable? Was Dr. Parker indifferent? Did she fail to exercise at least some degree of care, even if it didn't work out? Did Abby Zwerner fail to take steps for her own safety?" Virginia ex-assistant principal charged a year after 6-year-old shot his teacher Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The civil trial has been scheduled to run through Nov. 6, according to the online docket. Three other defendants initially listed in Zwerner's complaint -- two other school administrators and the Newport News School Board -- have since been dismissed from the lawsuit. Parker has also been charged with eight counts of felony child abuse with disregard for life in connection with the shooting -- one count for each bullet that was in the gun, according to the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled to start next month. Parker resigned from her position shortly after the incident. Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images - PHOTO: Abby Zwerner attends a hearing for a civil lawsuit she filed against the Newport News Public Schools, Oct. 27, 2023, in Newport News, Va. Zwerner has said she has undergone multiple surgeries following the shooting, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and has nightmares stemming from the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zwerner told Hampton, Virginia, ABC affiliate WVEC in an interview a year after the shooting she does not think she will be able to teach again due to the "anxiety, the PTSD and the fear." By Foo Yun Chee and Leo Marchandon (Reuters) -Austrian privacy group noyb said on Tuesday it has filed a criminal complaint in Austria, accusing U.S.-based Clearview AI of illegally collecting photos and videos of European Union residents to build its facial-recognition database. Noyb said in a statement Clearview violated the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and Austria's criminal provisions for those violations could expose Clearview and its executives to personal liability, including potential jail time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clearview, which markets its tools mainly to law enforcement and says it has collected more than 60 billion images globally, did not immediately respond to an emailed request from Reuters for comment. The company has previously been found in breach of the GDPR by regulators in France, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands in collecting and processing the data of millions of European citizens. The countries issued nearly 100 million euros ($116.62 million) in cumulative fines and reached a U.S. class-action settlement in March over its data-scraping practices. Clearview is contesting a 7.5-million-pound UK fine, arguing Britain's GDPR should not apply because its facial-recognition service is sold only to foreign law enforcement. The company says its operations fall outside UK jurisdiction. Its first appeal in the UK was dismissed in October, with the court ruling the service is used by clients to identify individuals and analyse behavior to predict and prevent illegal activities, thereby falling under the scope of UK GDPR. The case is now set to return to a lower tribunal, while Clearview retains the option to seek permission to appeal the jurisdiction decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noyb, led by Austrian lawyer Max Schrems, a privacy advocate known for winning two landmark EU court rulings that struck down transatlantic data-transfer frameworks, says Clearview has disregarded EU decisions as it lacks an EU establishment and has not paid imposed fines. The planned Austrian case seeks to test whether criminal enforcement can succeed where administrative penalties have struggled. Austria has implemented criminal provisions for certain GDPR violations within the country. If prosecutors accept the complaint, the case could set a precedent for criminal enforcement of GDPR violations and increase pressure on non-EU firms that process Europeans' biometric data. "Clearview AI amassed a global database of photos and biometric data, which makes it possible to identify people within seconds. Such power is extremely concerning and undermines the idea of a free society, where surveillance is the exception instead of the rule," Schrems said in the statement. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk and Foo Yun Chee in Brussels; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) A Rhode Island man was rescued Sunday night after becoming stranded near the summit of Mount Washington as his headlamp and cellphone died in windblown snow. Owen Strommer, 20, of Wakefield, Rhode Island, called 911 about 7 p.m. while on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail about 0.3 miles below the summit, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. He told authorities his equipment was failing and he had no backup gear. Conditions at the summit included windblown snow with limited visibility, a temperature of 21 degrees and a wind chill of 3 degrees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Mount Washington State Park staff member drove a chained-up truck to the top of the trail and left the lights on to help guide Strommer. Following rock cairns that mark the trail, Strommer eventually spotted the headlights and reached the vehicle about 8:30 p.m. He was driven to the summit, warmed and evaluated before being transported down the mountain by conservation officers. He was uninjured. Conservation officers and volunteers from the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team also responded. All rescue personnel were clear by 10 p.m. Fish and Game said Strommer had researched the hike but was unprepared for conditions above treeline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 20 help rescue injured hiker On Saturday night, a 17-year-old Massachusetts hiker was rescued in Franconia Notch after injuring his leg on a trail. Conservation officers with New Hampshire Fish and Game were notified at 10:20 p.m. that a hiker had slipped on a wet section of the Old Bridle Path in Franconia and could not continue without help. Officers and volunteers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue Team reached the injured teen from Sudbury, Mass., at 11:45 p.m., about 1.7 miles from the trailhead. More than 20 rescuers used a wheeled litter to transport him down the trail, arriving at 1:25 a.m. Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hikers family met him at the trailhead and took him for medical evaluation. Rescuers encountered snow at higher elevations that made the trail slippery. Authorities warned that while it may be fall in most of New Hampshire, winter has arrived on the White Mountains high peaks. New Hampshire Fish and Game officials reminded hikers that days are growing shorter and snow and ice can appear at any time. They urged hikers to carry proper footwear, clothing and light sources, and to pack the 10 essentials even on day hikes. A Rhode Island man was rescued Sunday night after becoming stranded near the summit of Mount Washington as his headlamp and cellphone died in windblown snow. Owen Strommer, 20, of Wakefield, Rhode Island, called 911 about 7 p.m. while on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail about 0.3 miles below the summit, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. He told authorities his equipment was failing and he had no backup gear. Conditions at the summit included windblown snow with limited visibility, a temperature of 21 degrees and a wind chill of 3 degrees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Mount Washington State Park staff member drove a chained-up truck to the top of the trail and left the lights on to help guide Strommer. Following rock cairns that mark the trail, Strommer eventually spotted the headlights and reached the vehicle about 8:30 p.m. He was driven to the summit, warmed and evaluated before being transported down the mountain by conservation officers. He was uninjured. Conservation officers and volunteers from the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team also responded. All rescue personnel were clear by 10 p.m. Fish and Game said Strommer had researched the hike but was unprepared for conditions above treeline. Authorities warned that while it may be fall in most of New Hampshire, winter has arrived on the White Mountains' high peaks. CHICAGO Jury deliberations continue in the murder trial of former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey. Nexstars WCIA initially reported that a verdict had been reached in the trial, but WGN News has confirmed with a Peoria County Sheriffs Deputy that jurors were asking a question regarding ongoing deliberations. Jurors were confused about a set of instructions, prompting Sangamon County Judge Ryan Cadigan to call a brief recess to research some of the case study. While the judge advocated sending jurors some clarification, defense attorneys objected to the revised instruction, arguing it would cause greater confusion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trial remains in the jurys hands, which began deliberations on Tuesday after closing arguments. In July 2024, a 911 call led Grayson and his partner to respond to Masseys home, who believed someone was trying to break in. The call for help turned deadly during a confrontation over her handling of a pot of hot water. Sonya Massey Neither side disputes that Grayson pulled the trigger, but the case centers around whether it was justified. Grayson took the stand in his own defense on Monday, where he said he felt Massey may have been under the influence of something. He conceded that he failed to turn on his body camera, unlike his partner, who did so upon arrival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grayson takes the stand | Inside the Courtroom: Sean Grayson trial Day 6 On the stand, Grayson said he reacted to a threat, saying, Then she picked up the pot and walked towards me. I wasnt quite sure what she was going to do. She put on oven mitts, which made me believe she knew the pot was very hot. I took it as a threat. It raises a lot of concern for me, and I believed she was going to throw the water. The former deputy testified he did not believe a Taser would have worked. The defense rested its case after four witnesses took the stand. The prosecution did not call any rebuttal witnesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the trial, prosecutors argued Grayson violated several Sangamon County Sheriffs Office policies, including not turning on his body camera, two for personal conduct, and for improper use of force. After the jury was sent home on Monday, the prosecution and defense met to discuss jury instructions. One key instruction the judge is allowing will be for the jury to consider convicting Grayson of second-degree murder, a less-severe felony that would be punishable by four to 20 years in prison, far less than the minimum 45 years of first-degree murder, based on the way prosecutors charged the case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Keysight Technologies, Inc. (KEYS) is a California-based tech company that provides electronic design, testing, and measurement solutions used across industries like telecom (5G/6G), aerospace, automotive, semiconductors, and IoT. With a market cap of $29.1 billion, the company operates in two segments, Communications Solutions Group and Electronic Industrial Solutions Group. The company is set to release its fiscal Q4 earnings results shortly. Ahead of the event, analysts expect KEYS to report a profit of $1.65 per share, up 10% from $1.50 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company surpassed Wall Streets bottom-line estimates in each of the past four quarters, which is impressive. More News from Barchart For the current year, analysts expect KEYS to report EPS of $6.26, up 15.1% from $5.44 in fiscal 2024. www.barchart.com KEYS stock has grown 10.2% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the Technology Select Sector SPDR Funds (XLK) 28.1% surge and the S&P 500 Indexs ($SPX) 16.9% uptick during the same time frame. www.barchart.com Macroeconomic headwinds have been weighing on Keysight Technologies for some time now. The stock recently fell 5.3% on Oct. 10, after the U.S. threatened massive tariff hikes on China in response to Beijings new export restrictions on strategic minerals and rare earths, materials vital to defense and semiconductor industries. However, Keysight has been focusing on operational efficiency and strategic restructuring, which, along with a series of targeted acquisitions, have helped lift its share price. On Oct. 15, the company completed its acquisition of Spirent Communications plc, strengthening its position in network automation, cybersecurity, and 5G technologies. Two days later, on Oct. 17, Keysight finalized the acquisitions of Synopsys, Inc.s (SNPS) Optical Solutions Group and ANSYS, Inc.s (ANSS) PowerArtist, expanding its design engineering and software capabilities. The stock gained 1.6% in the following session, reflecting growing investor confidence in the companys long-term growth strategy. The consensus opinion on KEYS stock is strongly bullish, with an overall Strong Buy rating. Among the 11 analysts covering the stock, eight advise a Strong Buy rating, one suggests Moderate Buy, and two suggest a Hold. KEYS average analyst price target is $191, indicating a potential upside of 12.7% from the current price levels. On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com If the British public wasnt spontaneously combusting over the number of migrants billeted in local hotels before this weeks home affairs committees revelations, it will be now. The original 10-year forecast for asylum accommodation contracts was around 4.5bn. But in an all-too-familiar illustration of bureaucratic buck-passing and insouciant waste, it has somehow mushroomed to 15.3bn. Basic oversight failures have been exposed, including the 244 bed-spaces which were charged for by a provider, but never existed. The Home Office has failed to ensure value for money or penalise under-performance, once again exemplifying PJ ORourkes observation that giving cash and power to government is like giving whisky and car keys to teenage boys. The Home Office press team insists the Government is once again furious, a line presumably intended to mollify a despairing public but which just reinforces the impression that ministers are gormless spectators of events. Nevertheless, this performative outrage has spurred Labours latest bright idea: using military barracks to house illegal migrants. Sound familiar? Its more or less what the evil Tories were proposing whilst Labour politicians flaunted their moral superiority and decried it as inhumane. The Left are capable of more contortions than Pixie Le Knot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already, Labour are bragging about how many asylum hotels they have closed since the Tory peak of around 56,000 beds across 400 locations. But think what that actually means: relocation is literally displacement activity. Ministers may boast that fewer hotels are now in use, but the migrants havent magically disappeared. Theyve simply been shunted into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). These are surely another scandal waiting to be uncovered. I give it until Christmas. In the first quarter of this year over 32,000 asylum seekers were in hotels across the UK, with a further 66,000 housed in taxpayer-funded dispersal accommodation. To claim that closing hotels fixes the problem is like Wes Streeting announcing hes cured the NHS bed shortage by decanting patients from hospital corridors into car parks. Labour shouldnt be allowed to take credit for reducing hotel numbers if the underlying issue isnt being dealt with. And it isnt. You could argue that its marginally preferable to keep these migrants in hotels where they are easier to monitor. Local residents will at least be aware that a hotel has been repurposed, making the inadequate response to the Small Boat Armada clearly visible and maintaining pressure on a Government people are beginning to believe has no real desire to reduce illegal migration. Whats more, hotels at least stop asylum seekers from competing directly with the domestic homeless for scarce social housing. The mass procurement of HMOs must be pushing already sky-high rents still higher, not least because Home Office staff, with their ever-open chequebooks, offer landlords better-paid long-term deals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mears, a private contractor using public money to find HMOs on the open market, went on a spending spree across the north-east of England in 2023 and early 2024 buying 221 properties for more than 20m. Serco, that ubiquitous snuffler of public money, has 1,000 leased properties for asylum accommodation. Unfortunate local residents complain of intimidation and confrontations in the street living next to HMOs. Largely helpless local councils are forced to concede through gritted teeth that an over-concentration can have a negative impact on communities. Hotels might also enable a more active, think-out-of-the-box government to implement some sort of make-work scheme. There is no good case for allowing thousands of able-bodied men to sit around idly at public expense, with some pestering passers-by. Letting them work in the open labour market would only add to Britains pull factor and win them allies among employers and some unions. But they could do work which doesnt normally get done: litter, graffiti, cleaning beaches and road verges. Such tasks could be compensated modestly, perhaps below the national minimum wage, as with prison labour, or through small stipends and incentives. Better than just handing them pocket money for nothing as we currently do. Many hard-working Britons of the kind Labour claims to love take issue with the Channel boats not least when they read about incidents like Mondays alleged triple stabbing by an originally illegal arrival from Afghanistan. Its that, while their tax burden keeps rising thanks to Rachel Reevess creative arithmetic, they see migrants, often in the prime of life, doing nothing at all for months or years on end. Why shouldnt they contribute? And why wouldnt genuine asylum seekers, fleeing war and persecution, want to give something back to the society involuntarily hosting them? You can sign up to receive Annabel Denhams exclusive analysis of the week in politics here. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. CNN CEO Mark Thompson allegedly told the companys editorial staff to ease up on coverage of Donald Trumps demolition of the East Wing after a private meeting with the president. Per media news outlet Status, Thompson met with Trump last Wednesday to discuss the integration of CNNs new streaming service into regular White House coverage. The following day, Thompson reportedly dropped a bombshell on CNN staffers during a daily network editorial meeting. According to the outlet, Thompson suggested to the editorial team that CNN viewers were not interested in extensive coverage of Trumps ballroom plans. A source close to Thompson who spoke to Status alleged that the request was part of Thompsons big tent approach at the network, an attempt to appeal to all parts of the political spectrum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN has denied the claims made in the story in statements to multiple outlets. This is reckless and irresponsible conjecture without any fact-checking done prior to publication, the network shared. Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, long a thorn in President Trumps side, exited the network earlier this year. His sudden resignation came amid reports that Thompson asked him to move from a mid-morning slot to a show in the middle of the night. The post CNN head told reporters to ease up on East Wing demolition stories after Trump meeting: report appeared first on Salon.com. You may have noticed some changes around here. CNNs family of websites and apps now features All Access, a new way to subscribe and stream CNN, complete with new types of news content for those subscribers. Its a big pivot for CNN in an era of direct-to-consumer relationships and mobile-first news reports, as I wrote here. Its definitely a lot to take in. And you probably have some questions. So I wanted to help! I write the Reliable Sources newsletter for CNN, so I asked readers what they wanted to know about All Access, and interviewed the networks top executives to get answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhoda asked: What is it? How does it work? All Access is a new way to stream CNNs news coverage. It is built into CNNs websites and apps. When you sign up, you can stream live newscasts and access a wide array of videos and other news coverage. Were making CNN available on all of our platforms, said Alex MacCallum, CNNs executive vice president for digital products and services. Carole asked: What is the cost? All Access costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. CNN is enticing users to pay annually by offering an intro price of $41.99 for the first year. News outlets of all sizes are moving toward digital subscription models to make their newsrooms sustainable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keith asked: Whos the All Access product actually for? MacCallum said market research has identified several audience segments, including cord-cutters who no longer have cable but still want access to CNNs TV channels, and CNN superfans who want the fullest possible experience. The service is designed to be mobile-first. Were meeting our audiences where they are now, CNN CEO Mark Thompson said. Marcus asked: I already subscribed to CNN.com last year. What happens to that? Last years $3.99-per-month digital paywall, which gives unlimited access to CNN articles, is now called the Basic tier, while All Access adds live streams and CNNs library of shows, plus everything in Basic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Janet asked: So if I have cable, will I still get the regular old CNN? Yes. CNNs long-term distribution deals with cable and satellite providers are still in effect. And CNNs TV schedule is not changing. Jack asked: My cable includes CNN. Can that leverage to an online subscription? Or do I have to pony up again? You can log in, or authenticate, with your cable username and password to stream All Access wherever you want. Youll only have to pony up if you want unlimited access to CNN articles, i.e., the Basic tier. Jim asked: Will CNN All Access be available on TV streaming, like Roku or Amazon Fire? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes. You can download CNNs app through Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung TV. (The All Access content is currently unavailable on Samsung TVs.) Marcy asked: Will there be a complete list of what is included and what is not? Yes, here is a handy graphic of the CNN stream schedule. In general, all of the CNN US newscasts air from morning until night, with a handful of hours replaced by shows from CNN International and CNN Headlines, and with primetime replaying overnight. Allan asked: Will there be any new interactive features to integrate audience participation into your products? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes. For example, Anderson Cooper will host All There Is Live, a weekly companion stream to his popular All There Is podcast, where hell react to viewers real-time comments during the live show. Jerome: Will there be any content exclusive to All Access that you wont be able to access if you use an existing cable login? Will there be any new digital exclusive shows? There are brand new shows, yes, like The Enten Scale with Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten and Devoted from Senior Correspondent Donie OSullivan. I authenticated with my cable username and password, and I was able to access all the new content. Jon asked: Will CNN original programming like Tony Shalhoubs show be available? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes, on a next-day basis, meaning CNN Original Series and CNN Films will be added to the streaming library the day after their TV premieres. More than a thousand hours from the networks library are also included in All Access. Harry: Will there be any changes to content on CNN Max currently available to HBO Max subscribers? The CNN live stream will leave HBO Max in the US on November 17 as CNN prioritizes the All Access service. A library of CNN Original Series and CNN Films will still be available on HBO Max after that date. Genevieve asked: Any idea on when it will be available in Canada? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not yet. All Access is available in the US, and company executives say they intend to expand to other parts of the world over time. If you have a question that isnt covered here, check the CNN Help Center. And if youre still having trouble, email help@cnn.com for assistance from the customer experience team. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A recent analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) suggests that if China continues its current trajectory of clean energy expansion, and India and Indonesia meet their declared clean energy goals, emissions from the power sector in these three significant coal-expanding markets could start to decrease by 2030. Achieving a peak in coal power generation in China, India, and Indonesia would mark a significant milestone in the global initiative to lower carbon dioxide (CO) emissions. The three countries collectively consumed 73% of the global coal in 2024, according to the body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CREA co-founder and lead analyst Lauri Myllyvirta said: Unchecked coal power expansion risks creating powerful vested interests that could potentially delay the energy transition in China, India, and Indonesia. Rapid reduction in power sector emissions post coal peak would not only require maintaining pre-2030 renewable energy growth rate in all three countries but also ensuring power market and grid reforms. "The total reduction in power sector CO emissions could be equivalent to Indias total 2019 CO emissions, compared to business as usual. Over the past ten years, these countries have experienced a significant increase in coal consumption, thereby fuelling global demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CREA China analyst Qi Qin said: China has already added enough new clean electricity generation to cover all new demand growth, and power sector coal use and emissions have been falling since 2024 as a result. "While the coal power decline is unlikely to be linear and may experience occasional setbacks, maintaining Chinas current pace of clean energy growth means a coal power peak is imminent. The analysis highlights the continuous expansion of coal power as a shared challenge in all the three markets. CREA analyst Katherine Hasan said: President [Prabowo] Subiantos 100GW solar programme could ensure that Indonesias coal power generation peaks by 2030. However, the current national plans still include near-term increases in fossil fuels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The real opportunity lies in translating this vision into a concrete delivery roadmap that positions clean energy to dominate new capacity additions. The analysis suggests that in each of the three countries, there are clear possibilities for either a swift reduction in coal use following its peak or a prolonged plateau, potentially even a resurgence. If the growth of renewable energy slows after reaching its peak in 2030, it could lead to missed opportunities in emissions reductions. CREA analyst Manoj Kumar said: Meeting Indias 500GW of nonfossil power capacity set by Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi could in fact peak coal power before 2030. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The country has already crossed the 50% mark well ahead of its 2030 deadline, even as electricity demand continues to rise in line with rapid economic and population growth. Strengthening grid flexibility, storage, and transmission will be key to sustaining this momentum and ensuring reliable, affordable electricity. "Coal power to peak by 2030 in China, India, and Indonesia, says CREA " was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. A recent analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) suggests that if China continues its current trajectory of clean energy expansion, and India and Indonesia meet their declared clean energy goals, emissions from the power sector in these three significant coal-expanding markets could start to decrease by 2030. Achieving a peak in coal power generation in China, India, and Indonesia would mark a significant milestone in the global initiative to lower carbon dioxide (CO) emissions. The three countries collectively consumed 73% of the global coal in 2024, according to the body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CREA co-founder and lead analyst Lauri Myllyvirta said: Unchecked coal power expansion risks creating powerful vested interests that could potentially delay the energy transition in China, India, and Indonesia. Rapid reduction in power sector emissions post coal peak would not only require maintaining pre-2030 renewable energy growth rate in all three countries but also ensuring power market and grid reforms. "The total reduction in power sector CO emissions could be equivalent to Indias total 2019 CO emissions, compared to business as usual. Over the past ten years, these countries have experienced a significant increase in coal consumption, thereby fuelling global demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CREA China analyst Qi Qin said: China has already added enough new clean electricity generation to cover all new demand growth, and power sector coal use and emissions have been falling since 2024 as a result. "While the coal power decline is unlikely to be linear and may experience occasional setbacks, maintaining Chinas current pace of clean energy growth means a coal power peak is imminent. The analysis highlights the continuous expansion of coal power as a shared challenge in all the three markets. CREA analyst Katherine Hasan said: President [Prabowo] Subiantos 100GW solar programme could ensure that Indonesias coal power generation peaks by 2030. However, the current national plans still include near-term increases in fossil fuels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The real opportunity lies in translating this vision into a concrete delivery roadmap that positions clean energy to dominate new capacity additions. The analysis suggests that in each of the three countries, there are clear possibilities for either a swift reduction in coal use following its peak or a prolonged plateau, potentially even a resurgence. If the growth of renewable energy slows after reaching its peak in 2030, it could lead to missed opportunities in emissions reductions. CREA analyst Manoj Kumar said: Meeting Indias 500GW of nonfossil power capacity set by Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi could in fact peak coal power before 2030. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The country has already crossed the 50% mark well ahead of its 2030 deadline, even as electricity demand continues to rise in line with rapid economic and population growth. Strengthening grid flexibility, storage, and transmission will be key to sustaining this momentum and ensuring reliable, affordable electricity. "Coal power to peak by 2030 in China, India, and Indonesia, says CREA " was originally created and published by Energy Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand. The U.S. Coast Guard intends to award Sikorsky a contract to replace older helicopters with new ones based on the Sikorsky Jayhawk and Seahawk design, in what could represent a major new contract for the Stratford manufacturer if approved by the federal government. Sikorsky builds Seahawk helicopters at its headquarters factory in Stratford as a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, which has added mass production of CH-53K King Stallion helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps to ongoing work building U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sikorsky had more than 7,000 employees in Connecticut at last report, with a large number more working for Sikorsky supplier companies throughout Connecticut. Years after refurbishing 90 H-65 Dolphin helicopters for extended service beyond their original shelf life, the Coast Guard is now looking at looming retirements of those helicopters. Built by Eurocopter, a predecessor company of today's Airbus Helicopters, the Dolphin has been in service since 1984. The Coast Guard gave a preview of its Sikorsky plans in September after ordering engines from GE Aerospace to be installed on new Jayhawks it plans to purchase. The Coast Guard said the Jayhawk's "ability to locate, identify and track surface targets day or night makes it a valuable search and rescue and law enforcement asset" as worded in a press release. The Coast Guard added its first Sikorsky H-60 Jayhawk in 1990, with plans at the time to phase out older Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican helicopters that began entering service in 1967. Among other attributes, the Pelican had triple the cabin space of the Jayhawk, and could land and take off from the water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now it appears the Jayhawk will displace Dolphin helicopters in the Coast Guard fleet, but with the total number of future helicopters to be produced still an unknown and any total contract value. The contract would be managed by the Naval Air Systems Command under the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a notice on the Sam.gov federal contracting portal. The Coast Guard is a branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard operates 48 Jayhawks today, including at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod which covers the Northeast from Bourne, Massachusetts. Six Jayhawk helicopters in the Coast Guard fleet were converted from Navy Seahawks. The federal notice does not specify whether any similar conversion of existing Seahawk helicopters could be part of the contract. In the notice, NAVAIR called Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky the only manufacturer "with the proprietary data, expertise, technical data, equipment, and personnel" to support the H-60 program. Rival bidders would be able to file a "capability statement" listing qualifications to produce rescue helicopters if they chose to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jayhawk has a range of 800 miles, an "endurance" of seven hours aloft and a rescue hoist that can lift up to 600 pounds. In footage of a Coast Guard night rescue last year, a Jayhawk crew and swimmer are shown helping a sailor to safety, including toting a cat above the waves in a pet carrier. In 2021, the Coast Guard awarded Sikorsky a contract valued at up to $850 million to produce new helicopter "hulls" to buy another 20,000 hours of flying time for helicopters in its current Jayhawk fleet, with that contract reaching its conclusion last April. That work was performed at a Coast Guard aviation center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. At the time, the Coast Guard indicated it wanted to extend the shelf life of Jayhawk helicopters so that it could dovetail any future helicopter purchases with the Department of Defense's Future Vertical Lift program, with a Black Hawk replacement the centerpiece. Sikorsky lost out on the initial Future Vertical Lift contract to Bell Textron, but the Black Hawk is expected to remain in service for at least another half-century. Sikorsky now hopes to interest the Army as well in a drone version of the Black Hawk for cargo, surveillance and strike missions. This article originally published at Coast Guard plans Sikorsky contract to replace aging rescue helicopters. Protesters drew a giant message in the sand on Ocean Beach in San Francisco to bring attention to Coca-Cola's contribution to the global plastic waste problem, the Center for Biological Diversity reported in September. What's happening? Annually, Coca-Cola accounts for more than 134 billion throwaway plastic bottles, according to The Story of Stuff Project. Brand audit reports by Break Free from Plastic identified the company as the biggest plastic polluter on Earth six years running. In November, the corporation walked away from its pledge to package 25% of its drinks in reusable containers by the end of the decade, right after international plastics treaty talks proved unsuccessful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Instead of making good on its own pledge to shift to 25% reusable bottles, Coca-Cola quietly dropped its pledge last November," said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and ex-regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Enck continued, "Ironically, the company's pilot program in El Paso, Texas, has spent the last few years proving that refillable bottles can, in fact, replace single-use plastic ones while reducing waste, saving money, creating local jobs, and satisfying customers. Coca-Cola should ditch the empty promises and take action to swap out single-use plastic bottles with refillable glass bottles." Enck is one of more than 58,000 people who have signed a petition calling on Coca-Cola to revive its sustainability goals and apply them across U.S. markets. Why is Coca-Cola's plastic production concerning? The more plastic bottles companies make, the more of their branded trash ends up in nature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Coca-Cola continues producing plastic bottles, rings, and other single-use items at its current rate, it will produce 9.1 billion pounds of plastic annually by 2030, according to Oceana. Plastic items contain harmful chemicals. When plastic degrades, tiny particles get into our bodies. Medical research has linked these exposures to cancer, reproductive problems, and obesity. Workers and families living close to plastic factories can get sick from breathing polluted air emitted during manufacturing. Coca-Cola has taken some positive steps. As the Center for Biological Diversity noted, the company operates refillable bottle systems in Mexico. In Texas, programs in El Paso and San Antonio prove Americans will use reusable bottles when given the option. What can I do to stop plastic overproduction? Individuals concerned with plastic production can advocate for bottle deposit laws. These policies pay consumers to return containers, keeping them out of oceans and dumps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can buy drinks in glass or aluminum instead of plastic. These materials get recycled at much higher rates. You can also call or email Coca-Cola and urge it to sell more drinks in refillable bottles where you live. Consider reaching out to the company on social media, too. Join neighborhood cleanup efforts. Removing trash helps immediately while you push companies and lawmakers to stop making so much waste in the first place. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Watch the CBS 42 Weather Live Channel for all of your Local Central Alabama forecasts: This Morning: A cold front will cross Alabama, bringing numerous showers and some heavy downpours. It will be breezy and chilly with lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wednesday: The front will be east of Alabama on Wednesday afternoon. An area of low pressure north of Alabama will bring wrap-around clouds and showers through the evening. It will be breezy and cooler with high temperatures only in the mid-50s. A few showers will linger into Wednesday night, with clouds and colder lows in the lower 40s. Thursday: A trough of low pressure will linger across the Southeast U.S. on Thursday, resulting in a few sprinkles across Alabama through the first half of the day. Then it will be partly cloudy, chilly, and breezy in the afternoon, with highs only in the mid to upper 50s. Thursday night, the sky is expected to clear, and temperatures are expected to drop significantly. Lows will be in the mid to upper 30s, leading to patchy frost. Protect any plants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halloween: High pressure will build across the Southeast U.S. on Halloween, Friday. It will be mostly sunny, breezy, and cool, with highs in the lower 60s. During trick-or-treating between 6-8 PM, it will be clear and chilly, with temperatures falling through the 50s. Make sure kids wear a sweatshirt under their costumes! Friday night will be clear and cold, with patchy frost. Lows will be in the mid to upper 30s. Protect your plants! Weekend Outlook: High pressure will remain over Alabama on Saturday with plenty of sunshine and highs in the mid-60s. Models have had some disagreement regarding the forecast for Sunday, but theres enough of a signal for an upper-level low moving across the Southeast U.S. and Northern Gulf on Sunday for us to add a few showers and some clouds to the forecast. Highs in this case would struggle to reach the low 60s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres still some wiggle room for this forecast to change so check back for updates. Tracking the Tropics: Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica at 1 PM EDT today. Winds were sustained at 185 mph (Category 5), making it tied as the 2nd strongest winds ever across the Atlantic Basin. The pressure was down to 892 mb, making this tied for the 3rd strongest hurricane in history across the Atlantic Basin. Melissa made another landfall as a Category 3 hurricane early this morning in the province of Santiago de Cuba and will continue northeast through the day passing the eastern Bahamas this afternoon and this evening, and near Bermuda late Thursday into Friday before tracking northeast out to sea. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. Two years after the Supreme Court ruled to abolish affirmative action in higher education admissions, Black enrollment at selective universities is down, Asian American enrollment is up and the implications of the decision are becoming clearer. An analysis by The Associated Press of 20 elite schools shows the drastic effect the 2023 high court decision had on enrollment, with some institutions seeing their Black student population drop to as low as 2 percent. While everyone agrees the 6-3 Supreme Court decision is the cause, debate swirls around how schools can get the numbers back up and how the Trump administration would respond to a concerted effort to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The recent decline in Black student enrollment at elite institutions is not accident, said Madison Weiss, senior analyst for Higher Education Policy at the Center for American Progress. It reflects the very predictable and deeply troubling consequences of dismantling one of our nations most effective tools for equity. The biggest decrease the AP found was at Columbia University, which went from 20 percent Black student population before the ruling to 13 percent in 2025. Harvard went from 18 percent to 11.5 percent. Most other institutions had a drop between 2 percent and 5 percent in Black enrollment, with the California Institute of Technology seeing the lowest Black student population of the schools at 1.6 percent, compared to 5 percent before the ruling. Asian American enrollment went up at many institutions, although the changes were often smaller than the drops in Black enrollment. Asian American enrollment rose 9 percent at Columbia, 4 percent at Harvard and 6.5 percent at Haverford College. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other schools, such as Yale University and Amherst College, saw declines or no differences. Were back to numbers that we worked really, really hard to eliminate. Where we, as in higher education, we worked really hard to diversify all colleges and universities, and so Im worried about how that is going to slip back. I am pretty deeply concerned that we are going back to a time where were not thinking about those past inequities and kind of trying to pretend that they never existed, or that they dont exist, or that they dont continue to have an impact, said Marybeth Gasman, executive director for Rutgers Universitys Center for Minority Serving Institutions. Experts say one way to help diversify the student population is abolishing legacy admissions, a practice that has disproportionately been favorable to rich or white applicants. Others have championed a holistic review that helps ensure low-income students, rural applicants and first-generation students are given fair consideration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Institutions can and must use every race-neutral tool available to promote diversity and equity, Weiss said. Universities can also think about adopting targeted outreach and mentorship programs for underrepresented communities in the K-12 pipelines. They can also consider broadening geographic recruitment and partnering more closely with public schools and community colleges in underserved areas, she added. And in the current political environment, colleges could face fierce opposition to any new efforts to diversify their student bodies. Before the Supreme Courts decision, 50 percent of Americans said they disapproved of taking a students race or ethnic background into consideration during college admissions, and since then, the Trump administration has made a priority out of eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some experts have no problem with the new numbers. I dont necessarily see that as a good or bad thing, but I see that as just the results of this new admissions regime that colleges are required to operate under, said Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Americans think that colleges should not be taking into account race when theyre making their admissions decisions, he added. In deals the Trump administration has made with universities to restore frozen funding or end federal investigations, it has targeted admissions processes and had schools agree to ensure race is not used in ways it says is against the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im concerned that theyre not going to fix it, and if they do, theyre going to be really, really quiet about it, because any attempts to fix something are going to be attacked by the Trump administration, Gasman said. I do think that institutions can do something, but I think theyre going to have to be fairly stealth about it and quiet about it, she added. But, even if a school does succeed, I just think the Trump administration is going to keep asking questions until they get the answer that they want. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Trump said that the most advanced Nvidia (NVDA) chips will be reserved for US companies and kept out of China and other countries. In comments to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said only US customers will have access to high-quality Nvidia Blackwell chips. "The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States," Trump said. The White House released a fact sheet this weekend with more details about the trade agreement ironed out between Trump and China's President Xi Jinping in South Korea last week. China will suspend additional export controls on rare earth metals and end investigations into US chip companies, according to the release. Meanwhile, the US will pause some of Trumps "reciprocal tariffs" on China for another year and will halt plans to slap a 100% tariff on Chinese exports to the US that was set to take effect this month. The agreement struck between Trump and Xi came after months of chaos and confusion, putting on ice a trade war between the world's two largest economies. Here are some other key details we know about the thaw: The US tariff on goods related to the production of fentanyl will drop from 20% to 10% with a promise that China would work "very hard to stop the flow." That means overall tariffs on Chinese goods will be cut to 47% from 57%. Trump said China would purchase more US energy as part of a wider trade truce, and hinted at an unspecified transaction involving Alaskan oil and gas. China will resume buying "tremendous amounts" of US soybeans "starting immediately," Trump said. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Here's what else to know on Trump's tariffs: The US Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to Trump's most sweeping tariffs the "reciprocal" country-by-country duties. A ruling against the tariffs which would be in line with lower-court decisions could have significant ramifications for Trump's tariff strategy. Trump said he planned to skip the Supreme Court hearing this week over the legality of his global tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that the Supreme Court, which is due to meet on Wednesday to decide the legality of President Trump's tariffs, will not be able to stop the duties, touting the alternative authorities the Trump administration can use. A spat over an ad featuring the late Ronald Reagan has grown into an international incident, with Trump threatening to raise tariffs on Canada by an additional 10%. The US Senate passed several resolutions that would end several of Trump's country-specific tariffs, in a rare rebuke of the president from several members of his own party. LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 145 updates SOUTHWICK Representatives from Colonial Power Group explained the benefits of the towns municipal aggregation program at the Senior Center Monday morning. Its all about choice, said Mark Cappadona, the president of Colonial Power Group during his presentation to a group of about 50 elderly residents. The town is bringing you a choice. And the good news is that price (13.3 cents per kWh) is locked in for 35 months, he said about the Southwick Community Choice Power Supply Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was there with Colonial Power Vice President Diane Allard to explain the two separate mailings residents have received in the last two weeks. Holding up two envelopes, both different in appearance and message, Cappadona said one was for residents already being billed by Eversource at its basic rate, which is currently 13.49 cents per kWh. If you got this, he said, holding up one of the envelopes, you dont have to do anything. That not do anything means that Eversource customers will automatically be enrolled in the towns power supply program. While residents will see a decrease in their electricity costs, Eversource will continue to charge for the transmission and distribution of that power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It only affects the supply portion of your bill, he said. If a resident wants to opt out, Cappadona said they only need to return the postcard they received, or they can visit Colonial Powers Southwick page or call 888-875-1711 no later than Nov. 8. While the rate is locked for 35 months, Cappadona said it is possible that Eversource and third-party suppliers could beat the price during the contract period. While the energy markets can be unpredictable, he suggested prices wont necessarily decrease. If there are choppy waters and prices start to rise, youll still be paying 13.3 cents per kWh, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If that was to happen, residents can opt out of the program at any time, and if the rates rise above 13.366 cents per kWh, they can opt back in without penalty. To find the best rates by third-party suppliers Allard suggested checking with Energy Switch Massachusetts. For those residents who are already purchasing electricity from a third-party supplier, Cappadona stressed they can opt in to the towns program, but with a caveat. Check with the supplier to find out if there is an early termination fee. He also suggested that those residents who use third-party suppliers who dont charge an early termination fee, that they call and ask it to beat the towns rate and make the choice that benefits them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also warned those using third-party suppliers that at the end of the contract its not unusual for those suppliers to slowly increase the price per kWh. A couple of residents at the meeting asked how the program might affect those who generate electricity using solar power. Generally, those residents who own their solar panels could still opt in, but those who are leasing to own the panels should check with the leasing company. He also explained the rates for those who choose to rely on renewal or green energy. There are two rates, 13.477 cents per kWh which is based on using renewable energy nationwide and 13.561 cents per kWh for renewable energy produced just in the commonwealth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Allard also reminded everyone there that the 35-month contract rate covers two winters. In May 2023, Town Meeting approved an article that would let the town develop the aggregation program and several months later the Select Board chose Colonial Power Group to represent the towns interest when negotiating electricity rates with a competitive supplier. Colonial chose First Point Power. The program doesnt cost the town anything. Colonial Power Group makes money from the towns electricity customers using a predetermined formula of 0.1 cents for every kWh used. As allowed by the statute, the town will charge an additional 0.1 cent per kWh. Cappadona said that 0.1 cents generates about 60 cents per customer each month. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect the number of Coloradans the insurance changes will affect as well as clarify from where the increase in costs will come. DENVER (KDVR) On Monday, the Colorado Division of Insurance released the final approved premium information for 2026 private health insurance plans, showing that around 225,0000 Coloradans will see health insurance costs double. The DOI shared that consumers in Colorados individual marketplace who received federal enhanced premium tax credits will see net average premium increases of 101% as the tax credits are set to expire this year and the federal government has as of yet not decided whether to extend them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DOI said the loss of these tax credits is where the largest part of the premium increases originate and that the increase will be staggering to consumers. Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will be issued on Nov. 1 These premium increases are going to create impossible decisions for families across the state, Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway said in the agencys release. We have sounded the alarm bells at every turn, but Congress refusal to act means that Coloradans will be left with unacceptably high health insurance bills during a tightening time in the economy. The possible expiration of these COVID-era tax credits at the center of the federal government shutdown; Democrats are demanding the credits be extended, and while some Republicans are open to the extension, GOP lawmakers have said negotiations on healthcare funding can come after a stopgap bill to temporarily fund the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The subsidies go to low- and middle-income people who purchase health insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, which in Colorado is Connect for Health Colorado. Connect for Health Colorado reports that around 334,000 Coloradans are enrolled in private health insurance, and the DOI said about 225,000 use the tax credits to afford health coverage. The DOI estimates these premium increases will lead to approximately 75,000 Coloradans losing access to health coverage, the agency said in a release. Open enrollment is slated to begin on Saturday, Nov. 1. The DOI said that if the enhanced premium tax credits were extended by Congress, the average insurance premium increase in Colorado would be 16%, instead of 101%, and some customers would not see an increase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Free on Your TV FOX31+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung I thank the Colorado legislature for what they have done so far to protect their constituents, and I urge Congress to step up and extend the enhanced premium tax credits, Conway said. Coloradans shouldnt have to gamble their health simply because they cannot afford these rate increases caused by the federal government. The Colorado legislature over the summer passed HB25B-1006, which the DOI stated will save Coloradans $220 million next year. It also reduced the average net premium increase from 174% to the now 101%. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. (Getty Images) Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, alleging that the department is illegally suspending federal food benefits despite available money. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, has more than two dozen Democratic attorneys general on board. It also names U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Booke Rollins and U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought as defendants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is clear President Trump and his USDA are making a deliberate, illegal, and inhumane choice to not fund the SNAP program during the federal government shutdown despite the availability of contingency funds, Weiser said in a statement, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The government is legally required to make payments to those who meet the program requirements. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SNAP is a federal safety net program that provides about $120 million in direct benefits to 600,000 Coloradans per month. Money for the program comes from annual congressional appropriations, which lapsed at the beginning of the month as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. SNAP benefits cost about $8.3 billion per month in the previous fiscal year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleges that a USDA memo from the end of September acknowledges the existence of multi-year contingency funds available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year. Those funds include $3 billion appropriated in 2024 and another $3 billion appropriated in 2025. There is also over $23 billion in the departments so-called Section 32 account, which is funded in part by customs duties. The federal government drew money from that account earlier this month to partially fund the Women, Infants and Children program, or WIC. On Oct. 10, however, USDA then advised SNAP agencies that there would not be enough money to cover November benefits if the shutdown continues. Last week, USDA issued a memo saying it could use the available money only when there is an insufficient appropriation and that currently an appropriate for SNAP does not exist. USDAs claim that the SNAP contingency funds cannot be used to fund SNAP benefits during an appropriation lapse is contrary to the plain text of the congressional appropriations law, which states that the reserves are for use in such amounts and at such times as may become necessary to carry out program operations, the lawsuit reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans continue to blame Democrats for the shutdown. A banner at the top of the USDA website reads Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. It is one of many politicized messages across the federal government released recently. Republicans hold the majority in both chambers of Congress, but need Democratic support in the Senate under current rules to pass a government funding deal. Democrats oppose the funding bill, primarily because it does not extend enhanced tax credits for people who buy health insurance on individual marketplaces. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Jinju, SOUTH KOREA (WRBL) A high-profile Columbus delegation is in South Korea this week as the city officially entered into a sister city agreement with Jinju. The partnership aims to strengthen cultural, educational and business ties between the two communities. The delegation is led by Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson and Columbus State University President Dr. Stuart Rayfield. Rayfield said the new relationship is rooted in building long-term connections. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Columbus mayor Skip Henderson visits South Korea with business and civic leaders One of the questions that we asked early on is what is the benefit of sending a delegation over here? And I think its all about relationships, Rayfield said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Columbus and Jinju share several similarities each is a river city with a comparable population size and deep textile roots, with Jinju known for its silk and Columbus for its cotton. Chris Woodruff, president of Cotton Companies, noted another unique connection between the two cities. Jinju is the birthplace of whats called K-entrepreneurship, which is similar to the mentality of servant leadership, Woodruff said. Those are the same principles Columbus was founded on. Rayfield explained that K-entrepreneurship aligns with Columbus approach to leadership. Its not just about startups or making money, she said. Its about doing something for the common good for your community and your nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Woodruff said the people of Jinju have been especially welcoming. Theyre kind, theyre good people, he said. It feels a lot like Columbus. Rayfield added that she hopes to see a Jinju delegation visit Columbus soon as both cities continue to build on their new partnership. These relationships arent built overnight, she said. This is an investment in developing connections that will have huge cultural, educational and economic benefits for our community. Currently, about 5% of Columbus State Universitys faculty is South Korean. Rayfield said she hopes the new sister city agreement will help attract more South Korean students to CSU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Columbus delegation has participated in a number of events in Seoul and Jinju this week, including an international business conference on entrepreneurship. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. As the government shutdown continues, up to 750,000 people in north Georgia could lose their federal food assistance by Saturday. How families and food banks are preparing, on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4 p.m. The Atlanta Community Food Bank is preparing for a surge in demand as SNAP benefits are set to end if no agreement on the government shutdown is reached by midnight Saturday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] There are about 750,000 people in our 29-county region who benefit from the SNAP program. Those are folks who are going to need help getting the food that they need, said Kyle Waide, CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, told Channel 2s Richard Elliot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Atlanta Community Food Bank serves as a hub, purchasing food and distributing it to more than 700 food pantries across 29 north Georgia counties. At the state capitol, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and two Democratic members of Congress blamed Republicans for the shutdown, while Republicans pointed fingers at Democrats. RELATED STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today marks day 27 of the Republican federal government shutdown and manufactured health care crisis, Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson said. If they want to have a serious conversation like adults, what we do is open the government back up, bring the responsible parties around the table and figure out the problem, Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon said. The federal government spends about $3.2 billion annually on SNAP benefits for approximately 1.5 million people across Georgia, which will be at risk if the shutdown persists past Saturday. The Atlanta Community Food Bank has an interactive map here where you can find a local food bank near you. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] A big boost for Bike Walk Savannah (BWS) as it receives a $57,544.30 grant from the Governors Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) with federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Caila Brown, BWSs Executive Director, sat down with WSAVs Kim Gusby to talk about how these funds will be used. Click the arrow in the video box above to watch the interview. The grant year for this award is Oct. 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026. Funds will help finance BWSs education programs, safety campaigns, bike rides and walks, bike lights for individuals in need, work with local governments to improve infrastructure, printing of the popular Bike SAV bike map and guide, pedestrian safety materials, and other programs aimed at making Savannah and Chatham County safer for people who ride bikes and walk for transportation and recreation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. A touching commemoration was held Squirrel Hill to mark seven years since a deadly shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. 11 people were killed inside the synagogue when the gunman opened fire during services. The ceremony was meant to mourn those who were lost and spread kindness in their memory. The 11 names were read aloud. They are remembered as incredible, exceptional and humble leaders. Proudly showing a framed picture of her father with her nephew, Leigh Stein, says honoring her quiet dad - as she remembers him means to find good in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is my father, Dan Stein. My dad was a really special man and he was always there anyone who needed it, Leigh said. Family and friends each lighting a candle to commemorating the lives lost and their legacies. It was not until an hour into the incident that i learned my grandfather stayed home sick that day for the first time in 20 years, said Jason Lando, Police Chief of Frederick, Maryland. Jason Lando worked as a Pittsburgh Police commander on the day of the shooting. He shared his vivid memory of not only the call to a place he visited often as a kid but his also about his dads friend, Joyce Feinberg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joyce was the sort of person who would do anything for anybody. i think of her as having big arms who would just embrace you, Joyces friend Joel Greenhouse said. The voice of Pittsburghs Capa High School Choir filled the center. The leader of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, Maggie Feinstein hopes the youth can understand the everlasting impact of Oct. 27. The fact that kids who never even knew the story and definitely didnt know the 11 have taken that legacy themselves and I hope the community can see that and know that we are not alone, Feinstein said. Construction on the new tree of life building in squirrel hill will begin early next year, with the goal of opening to the public in 2028. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Columbus City Schools hosted the first of three town halls Monday night, asking residents for feedback on where to cut $50 million from the budget for next school year. The school board will vote this December on what cuts will be made. Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman and board members have been calling for feedback from parents and community members for months. Monday at South High School, people got that opportunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Testimony begins in Ohio teachers pension trial We do have to cut $50 million from the general fund for next school year, and so we cant say we have to protect everything and nothing is on the table, Chapman said. We have to make a decision. District leaders have discussed cuts to high school transportation and more school closures. Parents and students said they are most concerned about busing. Ive been really agitated, especially about the transportation, because not many people are going to want their kids on a bus, especially around this area, Columbus parent Melissa Ritz said. My grandmother just told me while she was riding the bus that there was a fight that happened, South High School student Kyleana Howard said. You dont want your child to see that, be around that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delaware food pantrys message to drive donations includes infamous overpass The town hall also provided clarification for people overwhelmed by the size of the budget cut. It was definitely helpful, Howard said. It gave me more to think about. Im glad I came because like I said, I was really more upset with the district itself as far as the schools, but now that Im here and I got to see, you know, what theyre trying to accomplish, I feel bad for them, Ritz said. Chapman and Columbus City School Board President Michael Cole said big decisions are coming. Not everyone will be happy with the outcome, but everyone will have a voice in the process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We believe that by giving our community some choices to consider, its not all or nothing; they have choices and so we welcome their feedback, Chapman said. Columbus City Council passes emergency funding for Mid-Ohio Food Collective A special board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 13, where cuts to staff and programs will be discussed. Its set to be one of the final public conversations before the board votes on where to make the $50 million in cuts. As of December, its about making the best decision that we have been equipped to make for the children of Columbus City Schools, Cole said. Two more town halls are scheduled for this week. People can attend events at West High School on Tuesday at 6 p.m. or at Mifflin High School on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone can view the town hall materials or share feedback with the district on its website by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens (PIX11) The New York City Council will hold a final vote Wednesday morning on the One LIC Neighborhood Plan. It includes rezoning parts of Long Island City to allow for residential development in areas that are currently mostly commercial and industrial, as well as connecting Gantry State Park to Queensbridge Park near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. More Local News On Monday afternoon, City Councilwoman Julie Won accused Con Edison of backtracking on a promise to get the deal done. Con Ed uses part of the land that would be needed to make a public walkway to connect lower Long Island City to the northern half. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Won told PIX11 News, For whatever reason, they are refusing to commit to paying for the build-out of the waterfront. They refuse to connect Queensbridge Park to Gantry Park so that we can stop the segregation of people living in low-income, and mostly black and brown folks, from the Asian and white people who live in very wealthy parts of my neighborhood. The land used for Con Eds The Learning Center is regulated by the New York State Public Service Commission. In a statement, a Con Ed spokesperson said, As a regulated utility, any land transfer must follow established state regulatory processes. We have already initiated this process. We support the goals of the rezoning, and we welcome the opportunity to continue this work with Council Member Won. Won said a land transfer is not needed, and pointed out that another public utility, the New York Power Authority, already gave them access to their land and is funding their portion of the redesign plan. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anatole Ashraf, the Chairman of Community Board 2, told PIX11 News the connected parks are a very big piece of the plan, and that would be a huge loss if that doesnt happen and Con Ed doesnt deliver. A protest against Con Ed is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28th, outside the Learning Center at 43-82 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at a conference in 2023. - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images How long can Microsoft expect investors to tolerate big losses from OpenAI without getting antsy? Its hard to say when Microsoft wont even provide a clear number for the size of the losses. In its latest annual report, for the fiscal year ended June 30, Microsoft said it included the losses from its OpenAI stake in a $4.7 billion expense line called other, net. Most Read from The Wall Street Journal The losses from OpenAI might have been larger than that, or smaller. Microsoft didnt say. The expense line combined a hodgepodge of items, positive and negative. Microsoft said its other, net expense a year earlier was $1.3 billion. Microsoft said, without elaborating, that the category primarily reflects net recognized losses on equity method investments, including OpenAI. Microsoft also hasnt disclosed the carrying amount for its OpenAI stake, the investments structure or its fair market value. It said it had reciprocal revenue-sharing arrangements with OpenAI, but didnt explain how those transactions or others with the ChatGPT developer affected its financial statements. Nor has it said what percentage of OpenAI it owns. How Microsoft has managed to avoid disclosing such basic details is baffling. The company in its financial reports identifies OpenAI as an equity-method investment. That means OpenAI, by definition, is a related party of Microsoft under the accounting rules. Microsoft, however, doesnt identify OpenAI in its financial reports as a related party, and doesnt say anything about its transactions with OpenAI in its related-party disclosures. The equity-method label signifies that Microsoft has the ability to exercise significant influence over OpenAI. The equity method of accounting typically is used when a company has an ownership stake of between 20% and 50%. Microsoft is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings this week. - Jimin Kim/ZUMA Press Microsofts lack of related-party disclosures might have been defensible when OpenAI was relatively small and its value to Microsoft was immaterial. But that is no longer the case. OpenAI recently hit a $500 billion private-market valuation after completing a secondary share sale. That could perhaps put the fair value of Microsofts stake past $100 billion. That is a big number even for Microsoft, where shareholder equity is $343 billion. Microsofts fiscal 2025 earnings were $102 billion. This story was originally published on Cybersecurity Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Cybersecurity Dive newsletter. Conduent said a breach that was first discovered in January has been traced back to an October 2024 intrusion that experts uncovered after a months-long forensic investigation, according to a filing Thursday with the Maine Attorney Generals office. Conduent said an unauthorized third-party gained access to its systems on Oct. 21, 2024, and maintained access until Jan. 13 of this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the filing, 334 people were impacted in the state of Maine. The Maine AG normally includes the total number of affected people in a breach, but Conduent did not provide that information, according to a spokesperson for the AG. A similar filing was also made Friday with the California Attorney Generals office. The New Jerseybased government contractor initially confirmed the attack in January, after Wisconsin officials warned of delays in child support payments. Wisconsin was one of at least four states known to be impacted by the outage at the time. Conduent later warned in an April regulatory filing that a significant number of people had their personal data breached in the January attack. The company said it had incurred a material amount of nonrecurring expenses related to the incident, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its first-quarter earnings report filed in May, Conduent disclosed $25 million in direct costs related to breach response. The company confirmed it has insurance coverage, but was still investigating the full extent of the breach. Conduent previously notified law enforcement and has been working with third-party forensic experts. Palo Alto Networks has assisted Conduent with incident response. Conduent is a major government contractor that provides printing, payments, back-end processing and other services to state agencies, insurance companies, transit systems and other organizations. Premera Blue Cross, a Mountlake Terrace, Wash.based health insurance provider, on Thursday also confirmed it had been impacted by the Conduent breach. The breached data may have included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, treatment information and claim numbers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Premera said none of its own systems were impacted by the breach. Not every impacted customer had the same type of data affected, Premera added. The company said it does not expect a material financial impact related to the breach. The Wisconsin Child Support Trust Fund previously confirmed that the attack impacted its ability to support child support payments earlier in the year. Recommended Reading Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A statue of a Confederate general toppled amid the civil rights protests that swept across the country during the summer of 2020 has been reinstalled in Washington, D.C.'s Judiciary Square. The 27-foot bronze and marble statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike was reportedly returned to the square on Saturday. It had been removed after protesters toppled the statue, the only one honoring a Confederate general in the nation's capital, in June 2020 amid Black Lives Matter protests demanding an end to police brutality and racial injustice after the murder of George Floyd by a White police officer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August, the National Park Service announced that it would be restored in alignment "with federal responsibilities under historic preservation law as well as recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and reinstate pre-existing statues." While the NPS says the statue honors Pike's "leadership in Freemasonry," critics deride its return as the man fought against the United States in the Civil War. "The morally objectionable move is an affront to the mostly Black and Brown residents of the District of Columbia and offensive to members of the military who serve honorably," Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said in a statement. "Pike represents the worst of the Confederacy and has no claim to be memorialized in the nation's capital." DES MOINES, Iowa A quarter of a million Iowans are at risk of losing access to the federal SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) if the federal government is not reopened before the start of next month. The United States Department of Agriculture confirmed that on its website on Monday; stating that the well has run dry and benefits wont be given out unless government funding is passed. $45 million a month in federal funding is utilized by Iowans to help buy groceries and make ends meet. Without SNAP benefits, people will lean on food banks. The Food Bank of Iowa hosted Congressman Zach Nunn (R) from Iowas Third Congressional District for a tour of the facility, while leaders at the food bank highlighted the importance of keeping SNAP funded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were really concerned about what another influx will do on top of our regular, record-breaking distribution, said Tami Nielsen, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Iowa. For instance, right now we are spending more per month on food than we did the entire year of 2019. Our resources are limited and the influx of neighbors in need that are going to need services will be great. Food bank usage has been increasing steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Food Bank of Iowa is run off of donations and help from volunteers. The resources the food bank currently has will not be able to put a dent in the gap SNAP benefit delays will create. Rain is likely in Iowa on Tuesday We serve 55 of Iowas 99 counties. And we distribute over two million pounds of food every month. And its just not enough, said Emily Shearer, the Vice President of Food Acquisition and Advocacy at the Food Bank of Iowa. Shearer also highlighted the economic impact SNAP has to the state, with those now millions of dollars a month in spending at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congressman Nunn has been touring food banks in the state while being back home during he government shutdown. Weve already been in conversations with both the USDA through Secretary Rollins as well as the administration, and see what we can do to be able to provide assistance, said Rep. Nunn. and I feel cautiously optimistic that were going to be able to help those families going forward. But I dont want any family, I dont want any federal employee, I dont want any military member to have to go without pay or assistance. Nunn does point at some Senate Democrats that have not voted in favor of the continuing resolution to fund the government. Real health care concerns are going to hit families across the board from Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP loss, WIC loss. It doesnt have to be like that, said Nunn. Its one of the reasons that we passed it so that we could help these families. But the reality is people are being hurt now for something that the minority party wants to talk about in 2026. Lets open up the government. Lets do the right thing by the American people, and absolutely lets move forward the ACA tax credits. Thats something Ive supported for a long time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Nielsen told WHO 13 News that the Food Bank of Iowa was participating in a phone call on Monday with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services along with other foodbanks. That was something Governor Reynolds instructed the department to do last week with the risk of SNAP benefits being delayed and the demand from food banks increasing. Iowa news Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Last week, during an interview with Rep. Diana Harshbarger, the congresswoman said she had not received any complaints from constituents about the extended government shutdown. But after receiving dozens of emails and calls from those who live in the district, News Channel 11 reached out to those who said they have been calling Harshbargers offices and sending emails voicing various concerns for months. Its beyond frustrating. So disappointing. So disappointing, retired teacher Karen Cross said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eastman retiree: Health benefit cuts will hurt vulnerable people Cross is also a cancer survivor who stands to have her Affordable Care Act premiums rise, representing nearly 40% of her household income, should the subsidies run out. She spoke with Harshbarger at her last town hall event in February. I tearfully asked her, Are you going to support your constituents on the ACA? She assured me she was, Cross said. And I had confidence that she would. I believed her. And now its like we dont matter. In the months since, she said shes been reaching out to Harshbargers offices and that office staffers did respond, saying they would pass along the information but that she only received stock responses with no relevant follow-up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive never received a call back from her, Cross said. I asked for a meeting. Ive never received that. She did send me an email that had nothing to do with my concerns. So you know, I feel like I dont have anyone fighting for me. In an email to News Channel 11, Makalah Mullins, who lives in Kingsport, said she has sent multiple emails but received only generic responses. Another email from Carol Rasmussen said her medication costs went from $10 a month to over $160. She said the office staff at Harshbargers Kingsport and Washington offices have promised to pass along her concerns, but she never heard back from the congresswoman. Tri-Cities Airport accepting donations for TSA, FAA employees affected by government shutdown Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melody Addington, who lives in Johnson City, said shes been sending emails and calling about once a week, but in her experience, its rare when anyone picks up the phone. Emails usually get a cookie-cutter response, Addington said. Thank you for emailing. Ive never had any sort of personal interaction with Ms. Harshbarger or anybody in her office. News Channel 11 reached back out to Harshbargers office last week for a statement: I, as well as my staff, remain committed to doing our best in responding to all constituents in a timely manner. Rep. Diana Harshbarger Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. (The Center Square) - Its an increasingly common phenomenon. We see an image or video appear in our social media feed, and we arent sure whether its real, altered, or generated by artificial intelligence. The consequences of being unable to distinguish between the two are far reaching, from political and social implications to the integrity of the data that forms our understanding of the world. Social media abounds with fake images in the midst of real disasters, sowing confusion for those impacted. Rep. Joanne Stehr, R-Hegins, described a situation in which a child in her district had used the technology to create sexually explicit images of his classmates. At an event in Middletown, Gov. Josh Shapiro was critical of the White House using AI to disparage Democratic leadership. The uses, from benign to criminal, are endless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The origin and history of an artifact is, in the art world, called provenance, and its an issue the House and Communications Technology Committee has taken up to investigate potential regulation of the ever-evolving tech space. The committee hosted Santiago Lyon, head of education and advocacy at the Content Authenticity Initiative, or CAI, to better understand the issue. Lyon spent most of his more than four decade career working as a photographer, and eventually as the director of photography, for the Associated Press. He connects the commitment to authenticity in these experiences to his work with the Adobe-founded initiative for media transparency. The CAI is made up of more than 5,000 media members across the globe. The group has worked to create open-source tools to track the provenance of a digital asset. This means, whether youre looking at one of Lyons photographs or an AI generated cartoon, youre ideally able to access information that traces an asset back to its original source. The normalization of AI is already happening, said Lyon. Were seeing it creep into our lives. People are using it for different purposes every day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He likened the standardization of provenance tools to the use of nutrition labels on food products. He said that while the average consumer may not read every detail of the nutrition label, the fact that its there creates a safety slash compliance event. Lyon told the committee that governments should lead by example adopting policies that foster a broader culture of digital content authenticity. Beyond the tools being developed for provenance, CAI stresses that education and policy are essential to combatting the risks posed by digital content. Media literacy is already a focus of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The states initiative headed up by First Lady Lori Shapiro seeks to stay on top of the changing media landscape and educate students in what sources to trust and how to verify them. Critics argue that the government should not be involved in parsing out which sources are trustworthy, pointing to the potential whether intentional or not to discourage trust in media content that questions preferred ideology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Policy remains forthcoming, with neither Lyon nor the legislators knowing exactly who will be held accountable and for what in the Wild West of digital content creation. Lyon said thats one reason these conversations are so important. If I had to summate this all up in one word, it would be safety, said Lyon. These are safety tools aimed at making the internet a safer place whoever you are, whether youre a student, whether youre a company, whether youre a journalist, whether youre a creator, etc. Over the course of just three days recently, five scientists affiliated with the University of California won Nobel prizes for discoveries that can help us more effectively treat conditions such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis, clean pollutants from the atmosphere, capture drinking water from desert air, and help build the worlds most powerful quantum computers. This is a testament to more than the UC systems research prowess. It also demonstrates Americas unmatched leadership in science and innovation, the long-standing partnership between our federal government and our universities, and our countrys ability to attract the best and brightest from around the world. But the symbiotic relationship between the federal government and our universities one that has delivered so much for America, its people and its economy is now at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently in Washington, there are plans to cut research funding by as much as 50%, threatening to cede Americas position as a leader in research to other nations, including some of our most determined competitors. Americas global leadership in science didnt happen by accident. It took farsighted bipartisan policies and years of investment. In 1945, Vannevar Bush, an American scientist who oversaw key research programs that contributed to Allied victory in World War II, delivered to President Truman an ambitious plan to build on the technological advances that had helped win the war and position the United States for global leadership in the modern era. His report, Science, the Endless Frontier, proposed a new partnership between the federal government and American universities to fund the best research, which would serve the U.S. in national defense, medicine and much more . He recognized that American universities could offer the ideal environment to advance the frontiers of knowledge. They also became a magnet to attract the best students and faculty from abroad. Over the decades that followed, policies and investments by Republican and Democratic administrations alike have formed a bipartisan centerpiece of U.S. policy, cultivating the national research and development arm of the American economy that fuels innovation, catalyzes new industries, creates new jobs and benefits every American. With the help of federal funding, researchers at universities have made breakthroughs that are nearly impossible to fathom from disease cures and new drugs to technological innovations like cellphones, the internet and hybrid vehicles. Since 1945, scientists at American universities have won more than half of all Nobel prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine and economics. U.S. scientists have also published more research, been cited more often by other scientists and earned more patents than scientists from any other country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are exceptional scholars, recognized for making some of the worlds most important scientific contributions. But not even the worlds leading scientists and most prestigious universities can accomplish this alone. Its only possible because of funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies that support research federal funding that is now threatened. It is also the result of policies that welcomed the worlds most talented and most promising students and faculty from around the world. Of all Nobel laureates affiliated with U.S. institutions, 35% have been immigrants. Take the example of UC Berkeley professor Omar Yaghi: He grew up in Jordan, where his father raised cattle and ran a butcher shop. At the age of 15, after his father secured a visa, he was sent to upstate New York to pursue an education. He studied English and worked hard, bagging groceries and mopping floors to pay for school. Last week, he won the Nobel prize in chemistry, the culmination of the American Dream. When our nation attracts the worlds top talent, it leads to innovation that benefits Americans, our health and the economy. Were already seeing the cracks in this system. The uncertainty around federal research funding over the last eight months has caused top researchers to leave prestigious positions at American institutions for opportunities in China, Canada and Europe. This brain drain will only continue if America doesnt recommit to scientific research. Also, international student enrollment is down 20% this year, which means that some of the worlds most talented students are choosing to go elsewhere. And a new, expensive tax for every new post-doc or young investigator on an H1-B visa a major source of expertise from abroad to fill unmet needs will further restrict the talent flow. Since 1945, America has successfully dominated scientific innovation thanks to visionary leaders, wise policy and bipartisan support for doing what is best for our country. We have been the beneficiaries of a long and successful tradition of investment in science and welcoming the best talent. Only by continuing these efforts will we ensure that the U.S. remains the leader in global discovery and progress. Without that, everything achieved for America through generations of investment and commitment is at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James B. Milliken is the president of the UC system. If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. District leaders at Duval County Public Schools say a flyer promoting a Turning Point USA club at Fletcher High School was not approved before it was passed out to students. Now the school has been told to change the messaging. Students told Action News Jax that some of the brochures were being ripped up and tossed around campus by students who didnt agree with what was written on them. The flyer includes an image of someone who looks like a teenager, holding a sign that reads, 9MM beats 911 every time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another section says, Every day, people who hate this country move to Florida. And for every one of them that moves here, a vote for a candidate that also hates this country is cast. Josephine Griswold, a grandparent who has a student at Fletcher, says she told her granddaughter not to get involved. I told her not to be part of that either, Griswold said. She knows. She doesnt like it either. She says messages about politics shouldnt be dispersed at school. I think theyre trying to put hate in each other, she said. Im not for a political party that starts hate. It starts teaching us to hate each other. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to DCPS policy, principals are to approve clubs and review materials before anything is handed out to students. But when we asked the district if this flyer had been approved, they didnt answer our question directly, only saying the school is now updating the flyer to ensure compliance. Read: Duval School Boards turning point shirts spark hypocrisy claims amid firings, investigations School Board Member April Carney, who represents the Fletcher area, confirmed to Action News Jax that the materials were not approved. The principal told me that the student had created the flyer on his own, Carney said. He had gotten images off the internet and wrote all the verbiage that was in the flyer on his own and distributed the flyers without prior approval from the teacher sponsor or the principal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents like Josephine, though, still dont want to see a Turning Point club in any district schools. It should not be allowed in the school, she said. Theyre still young. They can teach kid stuff, not political stuff. According to the flyer, the clubs first meeting is scheduled for next Monday. Its not clear if that meeting will still happen. You can read the districts full statement to us here: Duval County Public Schools is committed to maintaining an inclusive environment that welcomes all students and fully supports their right to form and lead clubs in accordance with district policy on student-led organizations (Policy 4.50). School Board guidelines require that all club materials, including flyers, receive pre-approval before being distributed on campus (Policy 4.51). Fletcher High School has worked with the club to ensure compliance with these guidelines, and the club is updating its flyer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Not long after airplanes were first used in war, armies realized that close air support required specialists on the ground to coordinate with the pilots. Hence the advent of forward air controllers, and later the U.S. militarys Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, or JTACs. But if you need JTACs to call in air strikes, and space-based weapons are becoming a reality, then dont you also need specialists to call in space strikes? Thats why there should be Space Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, or SJTACs, argue two experts. For example, the space JTAC would connect tactical, on-the-ground SOF [special operations forces] units with space assets for targeting adversary military airbases, critical infrastructure, and more complex targets, such as Russian floating nuclear power plants, wrote retired U.S. Army colonel Kevin Stringer and Marius Kristiansen, a Norwegian Army officer, in a July essay for the Irregular Warfare Initiative website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike space personnel already assigned theater special operations commands, SJTACs would embed with special operations tactical units, the essay suggests. They would enable the assessment of vulnerabilities, ensuring precision in any potential attack, as well as monitoring target activities, tracking movements, and providing real-time situational awareness for preemptive strikes or future sabotage missions, Stringer and Kristiansen wrote. SJTACs are needed to coordinate the advent of space-based weapons that paint a future where orbital bombardment of ground targets is the norm, the pair argues. As space capabilities develop from science fiction to reality, the SJTAC could access future space weaponry ranging from lasers, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons, to the currently theoretical Rods from God kinetic bombardment concept, Stringer and Kristiansen wrote. Just as JTACs are needed to target airstrikes and avoid hitting friendly forces, SJTACs would perform the same role for space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For normal airstrikes, an infantry scout or aviation aeroscout can call them in during an emergency, Stringer told Defense News. But the margin of error grows with a generalist doing infrequent specialist activities. A JTAC is a professional who focuses on this task. The SJTAC would be similar. There has long been an intimate link between space and special operations forces. The Cyber-Space-SOF triad is seen as a strategic capability, while U.S. Space Force is now standing up its own special operations component as part of U.S. Special Operations Command (SJTACs would belong to that Space Force component). Combined with space and cyber capabilities, SOF can access satellite communications, space-based reconnaissance, and cyber tools to disrupt enemy activities while maintaining a low signature, the essay explained. One question is redundancy. Rather than having separate SJTACs, would it be simpler to offer additional training in space capabilities to existing JTACs? Such training could be added to the Army-run Special Operations Terminal Attack Control Course, or SOTACC, which certifies JTACs. Or, the space role could be handed to Air Force combat controllers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stringer and Kristiansen disagree. In their view, SJTAC critics overlook the fact that with space defined as a separate warfighting domain from the air, and with the creation of U.S. Space Force as a separate service, organizational logic and the development of deep space expertise necessitate a division of labor that would place the SJTAC function firmly within the Space Force sphere of responsibility. Separate STACs would also avoid the inefficiency of having SOF from each service Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines develop their own SJTAC capabilities," the essay argues. SJTACs would also be useful for coordinating U.S. space capabilities with NATO and other allies, Stringer and Kristiansen wrote. Given that not all NATO countries have space assets, and the planning assumption is that NATO SOF formations will operate in a combined fashion, a space JTAC becomes a critical linkage for allied interoperability, the essay suggested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, if the special operations community wants to play a role in space-based capabilities, it will need to have its own space specialists, Stringer argues. Without this function, SOF will not be able to access the developing space capabilities nor be involved in their development and experimentation, Stringer told Defense News. Plans are underway to build a new tower at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital by 2030. Corewell Health announced Tuesday, Oct. 28, that it plans to build the new tower to expand the hospital's bed count by 94 beds while increasing the number of private rooms. Specifically, the expansion project would grow the total beds at the Troy hospital to 624 and the percentage of private rooms to 72% from 40%, according to a news release. Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital on Dequindre. The project would also build a new 128,000-square-foot parking deck with a connecting pedestrian bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The expansion "will enable the hospital to meet the growing needs of the region for decades to come," the release said. More: U-M Health breaks ground on $250M development at former Kmart headquarters site in Troy Corewell Health recently issued a request for proposals for advanced planning for the new tower. The project also still requires Certificate Of Need approval at the state level. A Corewell spokesperson said it is still too early for any renderings of the tower to be available. Still, construction is expected to begin no later than August 2027. Corewell's expansion plan for its Troy hospital follows the recent expansion push by the University of Michigan's health system into Troy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August, Michigan Medicine broke ground on a $250 million outpatient services and surgical center on the site of the former Kmart headquarters across from Somerset Collection mall. The center is expected to open in 2027. Corewell's expansion plans in Troy aren't a response to what Michigan Medicine is doing, but rather a response to demand for inpatient beds outpacing current supply, according to Lamont Yoder, president of Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan. "This will right-size inpatient bed availability with demand and answer our communitys request for more private rooms for patients and their families," Yoder said in a statement This story was updated with additional information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Corewell Health plans new tower at Troy hospital by 2030 By Deepa Seetharaman, Stephen Nellis and Deborah Mary Sophia (Reuters) -Microsoft and OpenAI announced a restructuring deal on Tuesday that frees the ChatGPT maker to move away from its nonprofit roots and likely go public so it can finance CEO Sam Altman's ambitious plans to develop data centers and cutting-edge technology. The deal refashions the $500 billion company as a public benefit corporation that is controlled by a nonprofit with a stake in OpenAI's financial success. In a livestream broadcast, Altman said an initial public offering was the most likely path for the company's future, given how much money is needed to train and build AI systems like the one that supports ChatGPT. Altman and chief scientist Jakub Pachocki opened the livestream by outlining plans to shift OpenAI from a product company into a platform that lets others build their own tools, services, and businesses on top of its technology. "We can now take this technology and this user base and this sort of framework we've built and get the whole world to build amazing new companies and services and applications on top of it," Altman said. The restructuring has been one of many initiatives under way at OpenAI, which is betting that its generative AI technology will ultimately transform the global economy. The moves have heartened OpenAI's investors and business partners, including Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang, who was asked about the news at a developer conference on Tuesday. "I wish back in the earlier days that we had invested a lot more," Huang said. "If you told me that OpenAI is going to go public next year, I'm not surprised, and in a lot of ways, I think this can be one of the most successful public offerings in history." CAPITAL CONSTRAINTS CAUSED TENSIONS Tuesday's agreement removes major constraints on OpenAI's ability to raise capital and secure computing resources from Microsoft that have been in place since the two companies forged their agreement in 2019. Once AI assistant ChatGPT exploded in popularity three years ago, those limitations sparked tensions between the firms. The discussions to restructure OpenAI started after Altman was pushed out of OpenAI temporarily. The episode in late 2023 highlighted how the startup's unusual structure limited the power of its investors and business partners, including Microsoft. Altman will not get equity in the restructured company, an OpenAI spokesperson said, in a reversal from discussions last year that would have given him a stake. The spokesperson added there will be no changes to his compensation from OpenAI, which pays him some $76,000 a year. CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) A Corning man was arrested following an investigation into child sex abuse materials, as stated in a release from the New York State Police. Gerald D. Makin Jr., 53, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 24, on the charges of promoting a sexual performance by a child (class D felony) and possessing a sexual performance by a child (class E felony), the release said. Makin Jr. was arrested on Friday following an investigation by the NYSP Painted Post Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Troop E Computer Crimes Unit, and Troop E Forensic Investigation Unit into reported ongoing child exploitation. The investigation started after state police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the release explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dundee man faces fourth indictment on child sex abuse charges After requesting a warrant, troopers searched a home located at 20 E. Fourth Street in the city of Corning on Sept. 24, 2024, as part of the child exploitation investigation, the release stated. While state police searched the home, they took multiple electronic devices to be forensically examined by the Troop E Computer Crimes Unit (CCU), the release said. After looking through the electronic devices that were taken from the home, state police found what appeared to be child sexual abuse material, the release stated. As a result of the investigation, Makin Jr. was arrested on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, charged with the above-listed crimes and taken to the state police barracks in Painted Post for processing, the release said. Further, Makin Jr. was then taken to the Steuben County Jail for arraignment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Rachel Maddow opened her Monday night show with a rebuke of her bosses bosses. The MSNBC host slammed her networks parent company for helping to fund President Donald Trumps latest project. The cable giant was among dozens of corporations helping fund Trumps $300 million White House ballroom. Every corporation like our parent company for another hot minute, Comcast that wants to pay for Trump to take a literal wrecking ball, excuse me, I mean an excavator to the White House, should know theres a cost to their reputation, Maddow said. There may be a cost to their bottom line when they do things against American values, against the public interest, because they want to please Trump or buy him off or profit somehow from his authoritarian overthrow of our democracy. Theres a cost. Rachel Maddow slams Comcast, her own parent company, for helping fund Trumps ballroom. pic.twitter.com/gJ7k2cD2cR Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 28, 2025 The ballroom project, funded by private donations, began with the demolition of the White Houses East Wing this week. Trump has touted it as coming at zero cost to taxpayers, though the question of using donations to curry favor with Trump remains. A CNN review of the donor list shows many contributors have substantial business before the federal government. Donors include Google, Apple, Amazon, and Palantir. Donations are being routed through the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maddows critique was echoed by several of her MSNBC colleagues. Lawrence ODonnell called Trumps demolition of the East Wing a unique presidential crime against our history and culture, and accused Comcast of prioritizing future mergers over principles. Stephanie Ruhle, the first network host to flag the donation last week, told viewers, Corporations are paying for it. Comcast, our Comcast, is one of those that are underwriting this. Shouldnt that be more concerning to the American people? Because there aint no company out there writing a check just for goodwill. The backlash comes just weeks before Comcast formally spins off MSNBC, which will become part of a new entity called Versant under the name MSNOW starting November 15. The post Theres a cost: Maddow blasts Comcast for donating to Trumps White House ballroom appeared first on Salon.com. Ector County Commissioners will be presented an update on the development of the new courthouse during its Oct. 28 meeting. Ector County is planning a new $250 million courthouse at the site of the current post office at 200 North Texas Ave. in Odessa. The current courthouse was built in 1938. The county website states the new courthouse is expected to be complete by 2029. Several projects regarding the Ector County Odessa-Schlemeyer Field Airport will also be presented. One of the projects includes the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division contributing $150,000, with the countys portion being $15,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commissioners will also consider a $57,000 project for runway maintenance. Additionally, commissioners will consider a tax abatement agreement for Oberon Solar. The property being considered is located on 4,689 acres, north of I-20 in southwest Ector County. The post County to hear courthouse update Tuesday appeared first on Odessa American. GOSHEN Companies that work with hazardous materials could receive emergency preparedness training with the help of a homeland security grant sought by the emergency management department. The Elkhart County Board of Commissioners on Monday voted to allow the emergency management office to apply for grants including a $30,000 preparedness grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. The state awards Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grants to local emergency planning committees to help develop, improve and implement emergency plans and to offer training on incidents involving hazardous materials. Emergency Management Director Jennifer Tobey said the state had increased the grant amount and she was seeking the full amount. She said the department plans to conduct exercises with two companies that work with chemicals as well as offering training in Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response guidelines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will do a tabletop exercise with Chem Tech and a tabletop exercise with Voyant Beauty, Tobey said. Offer two 40-hour HAZWOPER classes, which we have a waiting list for for our industries, and four Level A suits for the hazmat team with a few of what they call cleanup buckets. Voyant Beauty recently expanded its operations in Elkhart with additional storage capacity at 1919 Superior St. The four new tanks are for storing water and alcohol, company represents told the City of Elkhart zoning board when seeking permission to expand. Voyant predecessor Accra Pac experienced deadly blasts at different locations in 1976 and 1997. The 1976 explosion at 2626 Industrial Parkway, which killed five people and injured more than 50 others, was thought to be caused by a propane leak in the charging room of the plant. It was responsible for the release of several organic chemicals, mainly methylene chloride, into the ground water which contaminated a handful of home wells. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 1997 blast at the Accra Pac North Plant at 2730 Middlebury St. caused the death of one worker and put more than 30 people in the hospital. Investigators determined that the explosion was caused by ethylene oxide vapor that had accumulated inside the propellant-filled building. Chem Tech in Bristol recently paid a civil penalty of $100,000 as part of the terms of a consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Several allegations arose after an inspection of the facility at 501 Bloomingdale Drive, which the company neither admits nor denies in the agreement. The company stores more than 10,000 pounds each of butane and propane at the facility, according to the June 30 agreement. Many of the allegations were related to fire safety. Among the allegations, EPA inspectors found that finished product was staged in front of the main exit and reduced visibility of the exit and that only the main exit was equipped with panic bars on the doors. The inspection also allegedly found that the fire suppression system inspection tag indicated that it hadnt been inspected since 2018, according to the consent agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chem Tech also allegedly failed to include health and safety considerations in the written operating procedures that were reviewed and did not provide documentation on initial training or periodic refresher training for employees. The county board of commissioners also voted to allow Tobey to apply for a $75,000 grant to reimburse office staff costs from 2024 as well as a $7,000 grant that would reimburse the county for conducting joint exercises with Goshen and Elkhart. Were working with Goshen Fire (Department) to apply for $7,000 to do a decontamination exercise with the City of Goshen, Tobey said. Theyre also looking at possibly running alongside of Elkhart Citys HAZMAT team using our trailer. Intoxicating hemp products and various candies at an Oct. 8, 2025 press conference. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal). Ohio stores and restaurants can continue to sell intoxicating hemp products through at least early December. Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Carl Aveni extended the temporary restraining order on Gov. Mike DeWines executive order banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products until Dec. 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Aveni originally granted a 14-day TRO on DeWines ban on Oct. 14 that was set to expire Tuesday. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 2. DeWine announced earlier this month a 90-day executive order that bans the sale of intoxicating hemp products that also started on Oct.14. Titan Logistic Group, Fumee Smoke and Vape and Invicta Partners all members of the Ohio Healthy Alternatives Association quickly filed a lawsuit Oct. 8 against the ban, arguing DeWine is breaking federal and state law by restricting access to these products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Intoxicating hemp products are items that contain THC that are sold anywhere other than licensed marijuana dispensaries including gas stations, smoke shops, and CBD stores, among others. The 2018 Farm Bill says hemp can be grown legally if it contains less than 0.3% THC. Marijuana is not considered an intoxicating hemp product and is legal in Ohio. This ban does not affect the marijuana law passed by voters in 2023. Ohio has more than 4,000 small businesses and family-owned businesses that sell hemp products, according to the lawsuit. The Ohio House passed a bill last week that would add several regulations to intoxicating hemp products. Under Senate Bill 56, only a licensed hemp dispensary would be able to sell intoxicating hemp products to adults 21 and older. The dispensaries would be required to meet standards for testing, advertising and packaging. A 10% tax would be added to intoxicating hemp sales. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill heads back to the Senate for concurrence, but many changes were made to the bill over in the House. At least 32 states have some regulations on intoxicating hemp products. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Minneapolis Police squad car. (Photo by Tony Webster/Minnesota Reformer) The city of Minneapolis does not need to provide a legal defense for five police officers who are being sued over brutal crowd control tactics following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday. Under state law, municipalities are obligated to defend and indemnify employees in most instances, but that duty comes with exceptions: cases involving malfeasance in office, willful neglect of duty, or bad faith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is evidence in the records for these appeals in particular the footage from multiple officers body-worn cameras to support the citys determinations that [the officers] ordered and used excessive and indiscriminate force in violation of the police departments policies and that, in doing so, intentionally or recklessly failed to exercise due diligence in the performance of their official duties, Judge Elizabeth Bentley wrote for the three-judge panel. The five cops Sgt. Matthew Severance, Sgt. Andrew Bittell, Sgt. Ronald Stenerson, Officer Christopher Cushenbery and Officer Kristopher Dauble are currently being sued in federal court for firing pepper spray and multiple rounds of 40 mm less lethal ammunition at a group of people who were gathered in the parking lot of the Stop N Shop gas station on Lake Street in south Minneapolis on the night of May 30, 2020. At the time, a city curfew order was in place, owing to the widespread protests, riots and arson fires that erupted in the wake of the killing of Floyd. According to the federal lawsuit, the six plaintiffs were friends and family members of the owner of the Stop N Shop, which had already been looted. While they were standing guard over the premises, they say, police rolled up in an unmarked van and, without warning, began firing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immediately prior to the encounter, Bittell, who was leading a chemical agent response team, offered an instruction to his fellow officers: Alright, were rolling down Lake Street. The first f***ers we see, were just hammering em with 40s. Stenerson, meanwhile, was recorded spraying a chemical agent in the face of a reporter for Vice News, even though the reporter had identified himself as press. Following an internal investigation into the incident, Stenerson was fired. The same night, Bittell was involved in the beating of Jaleel Stallings, who settled with the city for $1.5 million to compensate for his ordeal. Stallings got a fractured eye socket and an attempted murder charge, of which he was acquitted. While cities rarely refuse to defend an employee against a lawsuit, its not without precedent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected an appeal from another former Minneapolis cop, Alexander Brown, who wanted the citys backing in a lawsuit over his use of a chokehold on a looting suspect. While the appeals courts decision may come as a relief to Minneapolis taxpayers, its likely a setback for the individuals who are suing the city. Thats because it is typically more difficult to collect settlements from private citizens, who may have limited assets, than from the government. Eric Rice, the attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Reformer in a statement that he would continue our lawsuit to hold those responsible accountable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We hope that the city will use its efforts to discipline those responsible and change the policies and culture that led to these violent and dangerous actions by its officers, he added. Without those corrections, the citys refusal to indemnify would merely be passing the buck to avoid the cost of the harm done by its officers. Rice said his clients would continue to pursue a separate claim against the city in connection with the incident. COVINGTON COUNTY, Ala. (WDHN) The Covington County Sheriffs Office is looking for information on Brandy Crouch, who was last seen walking on US Highway 331 close to CR-18 in Florala, Alabama, in September of 2024. She is described as being 36 years old, measuring 57, and weighing between 125 and 130 pounds. She was last seen walking at the US 331 Rest Area. If you have any information, please message me or call the sheriffs office at (334) 428-2641. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. NEED TO KNOW A Viking Cruises crew member went overboard on Monday during a sailing in the Mediterranean Passengers on board shared updates and videos of the search on social media Viking confirmed to USA Today the ship was cleared to continue its voyage on Monday evening. A crew member on board the Viking Star cruise ship was seen going overboard on Monday while the ship was sailing from Greece to Italy. In a statement shared with USA Today, a representative from Viking Cruises confirmed the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 27. The ships emergency response was immediately activated and an extensive search operation was launched, in coordination with the Italian Coast Guard, the company wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The coast guard told the outlet it received a report of a crew member falling overboard while the boat was about 100 nautical miles southeast of the Calabria coast in Southern Italy. On Facebook, passengers posted updates regarding the search. One wrote the ship stopped for over four hours. Another shared a video of aerial efforts to find the crew member. According to CruiseMapper, the ship is on a seven-day sailing in the Mediterranean. The Star first departed Athens, Greece on Oct. 23 and is expected to arrive in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 30. Viking confirmed to USA Today that crews were cleared to continue its voyage on Monday evening. Getty A stock image of a cruise ship A stock image of a cruise ship We are deeply saddened by what has occurred, the company said. Our thoughts are with the family of our crew member, and we will continue to support them during this difficult time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither a representative from Viking Cruises nor the Italian Coast Guard immediately responded to PEOPLEs request for comment. According to a 2020 report from the Cruise Line International Association, the industrys leading trade group, between 2009 and 2019, there were 212 man overboard incidents across member cruise lines. Of those incidents, only 48 had successful rescues. Just last week, a cruise passenger on board the Norwegian Jewel went overboard on Monday, Oct. 20 while the cruise was sailing from Ponta Delgada, Portugal to Miami. The appropriate authorities were immediately notified and an extensive search and rescue operation with multiple vessels was conducted, a representative for the company shared in a statement with PEOPLE. The search was unfortunately unsuccessful, and the ship was released by authorities to continue its voyage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They added: Our team is attending to the guests loved ones during this very difficult time, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. The company did not include any further details about the passenger. Horacio Villalobos/Corbis via Getty The 'Norwegian Jewel' cruise ship The 'Norwegian Jewel' cruise ship Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In a Oct. 21 TikTok, one person claiming to be on the same ship said passengers were alerted to a man overboard around 2 a.m. On the Norwegian Cruise Line forum on Reddit, one user wrote crews had sealed off the outside walking deck to keep passengers from interfering with the crew during the search operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement went out before 3 a.m. ships time and five hours later the ship continues to retrace its path performing search operations, the Oct. 21 post said. Read the original article on People Mt. Gox has delayed repaying roughly $13 billion in Bitcoin by another year, and thats good for crypto traders, according to industry insiders. The defunct crypto exchanges decision to delay repayments until October 31, 2026, will remove uncertainty in the near term, analysts say. This delay gives the market more time to absorb eventual inflows and signals continued maturity in how crypto assets are managed and priced in, Charles dHaussy, CEO at decentralised derivatives exchange dYdX, told DL News. The one-year delay comes after US President Donald Trump rocked crypto markets earlier in October by threatening to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods. The overall crypto market recovered slightly this weekend after reports that Washington and Beijing were making progress on their high-stakes trading negotiations. Decade-old wait The Mt. Gox trustees delay comes over a decade after hackers stole 850,000 Bitcoin from the exchange, which triggered its collapse in 2014. Since then, the trustee has recovered a portion of the lost assets and begun to repay some of its creditors in 2024. When those repayments started, market analysts and investors anticipated that the influx of Bitcoin from the payouts could lead to significant market pressure as creditors were able to sell their assets. Yet, trustees delayed repayments for one year in 2024 and again this year. Many editors still have not received their repayments because they have not completed the necessary procedures for receiving repayments, the trustee said in a letter announcing the delay. Additionally, a considerable number of rehabilitation creditors have not received their repayments due to various reasons, such as issues arising during the repayments process. To be sure, the 114,000 coins waiting to hit the market make up roughly 0.5% of all Bitcoin in circulation, which suggests that the actual sell-side pressure of these coins on the market would be minimal. Even so, it can help calm traders nerves, Robert Freeman, CTO at decentralised finance platform Byrrgis, told DL News. From a psychological perspective, the knowledge that 142,000 BTC and around the same in [Bitcoin cash] are staying under lock and key for another 12 months will be well received by all crypto traders with the exception of Goxs beleaguered creditors, Freeman said. HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) The Holyoke Fire Department worked to put out a fire Tuesday morning. HCC retires jersey of former soccer star killed in Springfield shooting Captain David Rex of the Holyoke Fire Department told 22News that the stove fire was on Wolcott Street. One person has been left without a home until repairs can be made to the stove. (WWLP-22News) (WWLP-22News) No injuries have been reported. The Holyoke Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Police Fire Marshals Office are investigating the cause of the fire. MAP: Wolcott Street, Holyoke Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. An Indiana utility has come up with an unusual plan for meeting growing power demand from data centers. Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is launching a spinoff company, GenCo, that is exempt from many of the regulatory proceedings typically required before power plants can be built in the state. The utility, also known as NIPSCO, says that this will allow the new entity to quickly provide the copious amounts of energy that data centers need without pushing excessive costs onto other consumers. But the move is raising alarm bells for watchdog groups and other critics, who argue that rather than protect consumers, the plan will mainly enrich the utilitys parent company while interfering with market competition and undercutting important regulatory safeguards. It could also set back the states clean-energy transition, advocates say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As regulators around the country wrestle with how to get a lot of power online quickly to serve hyperscaler AI data centers, other utilities may be looking at NIPSCOs unique arrangement as a model for how to maximize profits while meeting new data-center demand, said Emily Piontek, a regulatory associate at the nonprofit Clean Grid Alliance. Beating other states in the data-center race Indiana is attractive to huge data centers because of its cheap land, ample water, special state tax breaks on equipment and energy, and access to both the PJM Interconnection and Midcontinent Independent System Operator regional electric grids. The State Utility Forecasting Group at Purdue University recently predicted that data centers will almost double Indianas energy demand by 2035. NIPSCO highlighted that boom to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission during the case proceedings to create GenCo. Vincent Parisi, president and CEO of both NIPSCO and GenCo, told regulators about the sheer number of requests the utility has gotten from potential megaload customers, generally data centers, seeking hundreds or even thousands of megawatts of electricity. But its a competitive business, with other states and municipalities courting the same data centers. NIPSCO says that providing new power quickly, through GenCo, will be key to securing the deals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The regulatory commission agreed with this reasoning, writing in its September order approving the GenCo plan, The evidence shows that megaload customers are sophisticated and have many choices available to them when determining where to make developments. The commission added that relinquishing its jurisdiction over aspects of GenCo will enable NIPSCO to support Indianas efforts to compete with other states to attract this economic development. Will GenCo help or hurt Indiana households? Nationwide, regulators and advocates have grappled with concerns that residential customers could pick up too much of the tab for new generation built to power data centers, especially if the computing warehouses dont materialize or dont use as much power as predicted. NIPSCO says GenCo will protect customers from such costs since it will be responsible for providing the data centers with power. That means those expenses wont be rolled into the rates paid by other NIPSCO consumers, the utility says. But Citizens Action Coalition, the states main consumer-advocacy group, argues that the GenCo structure doesnt really insulate customers from the risks of the data-center market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If GenCo were to lose money, that could affect the finances and credit rating of parent company NiSource and hence impact NIPSCOs customers, said Citizens Action Coalition Executive Director Kerwin Olson. And he worries some costs of data-center power infrastructure could still be passed on to residential customers, hidden in an opaque process created specifically for GenCo. In September, the state regulatory commission exempted GenCo from a host of usual procedures. Chief among them is that GenCo does not have to file a detailed plan when it wants to build or acquire new generation. The commission did not set any minimum standards or requirements regarding how power will be provided to data centers, as advocates had hoped. Instead, the commission will review each proposed contract between NIPSCO and a data center, and the related power purchase agreement between NIPSCO and GenCo. The Citizens Action Coalition called this case-by-case review process unfair and inefficient, making it too difficult for stakeholders to monitor the situation and submit public comments to the commission. Every single time a data center comes online, theres another case; theres no minimum criteria or boxes that need to be checked, said Olson. I know theyre claiming costs wont be passed on to ratepayers, but weve been around the block. When you have what will likely be confidential special contracts, everything redacted, its going to be really challenging for stakeholders to dive into the details to ensure that none of these costs are being passed on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NIPSCO declined to answer questions but referred Canary Media to a press release quoting Lloyd Yates, NiSource president and CEO, regarding the regulatory commissions decision. This is an important step forward to position Northern Indiana at the center of a fast-growing, economically essential industry, Yates said. The Citizens Action Coalition and the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, a state agency tasked with protecting consumers, notified the commission that they plan to appeal the approval of GenCo. Concerns about a market edge Another major concern of critics is that GenCo will have an unfair competitive advantage over other power producers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indiana has a regulated energy market, wherein utilities have the right to serve as monopoly producers and distributors of energy, but regulators must approve how much capacity they build or buy and what they charge customers for the power. GenCo is largely exempt from this structure, acting more akin to a power producer in a state like Illinois, with a deregulated market. But in Illinois, power producers compete to sell their energy to utilities, whereas GenCo has a guaranteed customer in the form of NIPSCO, and the two sister companies which share the same parent set the price NIPSCO will pay GenCo for power. The utility affiliate is being treated like an unregulated independent power producer while retaining the guarantee of a monopoly market enjoyed by regulated utilities, Piontek said. Essentially, the arrangement insulates GenCo from market forces, and [it] is not subjected to rate regulation. Its going to be a very profitable arrangement for the parent company and its shareholders by providing the affiliate with an unearned competitive advantage. The Clean Grid Alliance made up of renewable-energy developers, environmental groups, and other stakeholders and Takanock, a data-center developer, told regulators in a joint brief that GenCo turns the federal paradigm which encourages competition on its head by proposing that GenCo, and only GenCo, provides generation services to NIPSCO to serve its megaload customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In testimony, Takanock founder and CEO Kenneth Davies told regulators about problems his company has had trying to acquire power from NIPSCO for a planned data center. Davies described the NIPSCO-GenCo relationship as anticompetitive, and lamented that NIPSCO will not allow new data-center customers to buy power on the open market themselves, as some existing industrial customers are allowed to do. Davies said NIPSCO seems to be picking and choosing which data centers to prioritize, and he is worried Takanock could be treated unfairly, since confidential contracts would make it difficult to compare the arrangements other data centers are getting. Davies and other stakeholders say there are ways for NIPSCO to protect customers from data-center costs without creating a new market entity with an unfair edge. Takanock and the Clean Grid Alliance, in their filing, criticize GenCo for failing to explore the more common method of pricing tariffs designed specifically for data centers. Thats where a utility makes an agreement with state regulators to treat data centers differently from other customers, ensuring they pay their fair share of costs. Davies described Wyoming regulators creation of such a special tariff to serve a Microsoft data center. Davies was Microsofts director of renewable-energy strategy and research at the time. In another example, Citizens Action Coalition reached an agreement last year with utility Indiana Michigan Power and three new data centers, requiring long contracts, exit fees, and other protections to ensure the centers pay the full costs of infrastructure built to serve them, even if they dont use as much power or operate for as long as expected. The agreement also requires the data centers to pay millions of dollars to support low-income electricity customers with benefits like weatherization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates point out that Indiana already has a law on the books meant to help utilities more quickly get power online to supply data centers, without sacrificing transparency or relying on a new entity like GenCo. HB 1007, enacted in May, gives utilities an expedited approval process for new generation if they provide information about the impacts on customers, predicted load growth for the next five years, and the potential of grid-enhancing tech to avoid investments in new power plants, among other things. NIPSCO decided to ignore 1007 and create what we think is a shell game, a scam, with this unregulated affiliate doing Lord knows what, said Olson. Clean-energy implications The creation of GenCo will likely undermine the clean-energy transition in northern Indiana, advocates say. NIPSCO has already made clear its plans to build lots of natural-gas-fired generation to power data centers, and if this is carried out through GenCo, stakeholders will have little opportunity to weigh in on the implications. This is a disappointing shift for environmental groups that had praised NIPSCO for plans it announced in 2018 to retire all coal plants within a decade and build out renewables, reducing carbon emissions by 90%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, NIPSCOs 2024 Integrated Resource Plan says that if contracts with data centers are in place, the utility will build over 1,700 megawatts of gas generation by 2030 and another over 2,000 MW by 2035. Already, NIPSCO is seeking an air permit to build 2,300 MW of gas-fired generation at the site of a retiring coal plant, in order to serve data centers. GenCo is certainly a concern for the climate, demonstrating that NIPSCO has done a complete strategy reversal on sustainability, said Ben Inskeep, program director at Citizens Action Coalition. He said the utility's 2018 resource plan was groundbreaking for leading the way on a clean-energy transition. Now, they are pursuing a strategy that appears to be 100% natural gas for new data centers, with no additional clean energy to serve the additional load. If NIPSCO had to turn to the open market to procure the power that data centers need, Piontek noted, more renewables would likely get built along with the gas-fired generation. Clean-energy resources like wind, solar, and energy storage outcompete other resources in speed-to-market and remain the most cost-effective resources available, making them an attractive option for bringing data centers online in Indiana, Piontek said. An employee on the P&O cruise ship Arvia died on board Sunday, the company announced. The crew member died "following an accident on board," P&O Cruises revealed, declining to offer any additional information. An investigation into the worker's death is ongoing. "Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends both on board and at home and we are providing every possible support to them," a spokesperson for P&O Cruises said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Cruise Mapper, the 16-deck Arvia left Southampton, England, on Oct. 24 bound for Bridgetown, Barbados. The 14-day one-way voyage also includes stops in St. Kitts, St. Lucia and the Canary Islands. Prior to this run, the Arvia was last on the water for a 13-day round trip from Southampton through Spain and back from Oct. 11-24. Per Cruise Hive, the Arvia can accommodate up to 6,685 guests and is home to approximately 1,700 international crew members. Arvia was in Spain after crew member's 'accident' While details on the deceased and what led to their death are unavailable, we do know the Arvia made a stop in Spain following the tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Port of A Coruna in Spain confirmed as much in a translated tweet Sunday. "Yesterday the Arvia made a stop in A Coruna following a workplace accident involving a deceased crew member," the port said. "It remained docked from 3 p.m. until night, when it set sail for Tenerife." The ship is scheduled to spend one day in Tenerife Tuesday before embarking for its next destination. Cruise ship deaths happen rarely, but for variety of reasons In July, a 35-year-old Royal Caribbean International crew member died after going overboard. The man apparently jumped into the water after reportedly stabbing a 28-year-old female colleague. Two months before that, in May, Captain Michele Bartolomei of the Diamond Princess passed away from a sudden medical emergency while the ship was spending an overnight in Taiwan. In 2024, Captain James MacDonald of Royal Caribbeans Harmony of the Seas died two weeks after suffering a heart attack while on board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have also been multiple instances of passengers dying, including last week, when a 61-year-old English woman died following a medical emergency while the boat she was on was docked in Cannes, France. This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Oct 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Lorin and Rich Wheelers goal for their new business in Collinsville, East West Vintage, is to create an environment that feels real and makes people want to stay awhile. This has been a dream of ours for years, Lorin Wheeler said. My husband Rich has spent most of his life archiving and collecting vintage. He has this incredible eye and deep respect for craftsmanship and materials. I come from the fashion world in New York City where I worked with fashion houses as a director and learned the importance of storytelling through design. The store, located at 110 Main Street in Collinsville, celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 25. It carries vintage clothing, accessories and home decor. Everything from 70s leather, vintage Levis, rock tour T-shirts, 90s grunge flannel, handmade knits from the 40s, collectible pottery, Murano sculptural glassware, mid-century glassware and furniture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rich Wheeler curates the apparel and accessories and focuses on quality, patina and provenance. Lorin Wheelers specialty is home decor and interiors. Together, weve created something that feels cohesive and lifestyle-driven, Lorin Wheeler said. Every item is hand-selected, never mass sourced. We want people to walk in and feel like everything here was chosen for a reason. In addition to the vintage items, the couple wanted to a space to bring people together. Its moody, elevated and a little cinematic but still approachable with something for everyone, Lorin Wheeler said. Its a mix between an art gallery and a record store youd want to hang out in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything is intentional: Limewashed walls, marble accents, vintage lighting and pieces that tell a story, she added. We wanted to create a vibe not just a store, a place that feels creative and alive. The kind of space where people walk in and instantly want to slow down and explore. East West Vintage was selected as the name of the business because the husband and wife are from opposite coasts. Lorin is originally from Seattle and Rich is from Washington, D.C. It felt like the perfect name to represent both of our worlds coming together. We also source our merchandise from all over the country, but its also symbolic, Lorin Wheeler said. The name reflects the balance were always chasing old and new, refined and raw, minimal and expressive. Its that in-between space where style, art and atmosphere meet. The Wheelers moved to Collinsville in 2020 into what they call their dream home: Onyx A-Frame, which is featured on Instagram or TikTok. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We wanted to take everything weve learned and build something together. A space that feels inspiring, timeless and authentic to who we are, Lorin Wheeler said. What really drew us to Connecticut was the sense of community and creativity here. Theres this incredible balance of small-town charm and artistic energy. People truly care about supporting local businesses, about craftsmanship and about building something with intention. It feels like a place where people still value connection. You can slow down, have real conversations and be part of something meaningful. Thats what we wanted for East West Vintage, she added. Lorin Wheeler said the couple wants to add to Collinsvilles rich and creative history and to contribute to make Collinsville a destination for people who love design, fashion and storytelling. Our hope is that East West Vintage becomes not just a store but a destination, Lorin Wheeler said. A place that feels different. A space that inspires people, brings energy to Collinsville, and hopefully reminds them that slow, intentional design is still something worth celebrating. Regular store hours for East West Vintage will be Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. HARTFORD - Connecticut is among 21 other states and three governors in suing President Donald Trump along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Secretary Brooke Rollins over the administration's decision to suspend SNAP benefits for November, state Attorney General William Tong announced Tuesday. Connecticut joins other the states, as well as three Democratic governors from Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Kentucky which have Republican attorneys general in arguing the Trump administration is in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration is "willfully and intentionally making people in Connecticut and across this country go hungry on purpose" by not funding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is required under federal law, as the federal government shutdown continues, Tong said. The federal government shutdown began Oct. 1 as the Senate failed to pass a Republican-controlled House bill to extend government funding until Nov. 21. At the crux of the federal standoff is a push by Democrats to health-care subsidies provided under the Affordable Care Act that Republicans oppose. The Trump administration is using SNAP food benefits as a bargaining chip to force Democrats to compromise, Tong said at a news conference at the Capitol on Tuesday. Trump and Rollins are "weaponizing hunger to serve their political priorities," Tong said. "They're not just weaponizing hunger, they're weaponzing health care, which is at the core of this shutdown battle. ... It is wrong to starve people into submission, and that is what this president is doing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, noted that SNAP benefits were not affected during previous government shutdowns. "What is happening is a policy choice," she said. "What we're dealing with right now is an administration that lacks the will." Hayes called it "laughable" for Trump to assert that he needs congressional approval to fund SNAP, considering he didn't ask for approval when tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom or to bail out Argentina's government with $40 billion. Officials from the Trump administration announced that food benefits under the program will cease nationwide on Nov. 1, saying "the well has run dry" as a result of the federal government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP benefits help feed about 360,000 Connecticut residents, including 120,000 children. The shutdown entered its 28th day on Tuesday, making it the second longest shutdown in American history. The longest was 35 days during Trump's first term. The Trump administration has ruled out the use of $5 billion in contingency funds to maintain SNAP benefits during the shutdown, which it blames on Democrats in Congress for failing to agree to reopen the government. Tong called the administration's decision not to use available contingency funds "arbitrary and capricious." Although no new SNAP benefits will be issued in November without federal action, state officials said Connecticut residents who have unused SNAP benefits from previous months on their electronic benefit transfer cards will still be able to access those carryover funds while they last. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Hayes said on Tuesday that she's not convinced that those benefits will remain, citing mistrust in the Trump administration. Connecticut is providing $3 million in emergency state funding to Connecticut Foodshare to temporarily continue to provide food to those in need after the nonprofit organization. The $3 million contribution is a fraction of the $72 million a month required to fully fund SNAP in Connecticut. Connecticut Foodshare CEO Jason Jakubowski said the infusion of taxpayer dollars will be enough to provide 6 million meals for two weeks through the network of more than 650 community-based food banks, meal programs and mobile food pantries that the nonprofit supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When making the announcement on Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont said the state would "try this out for a couple of weeks and see what the need is going forward" with the hope that the federal shutdown is resolved by then. Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children, said that relying solely on food banks is not sustainable, and said municipalities and local nonprofits need to provide support as well. "We're not going to food bank our way out of this," she said. State Rep. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, said he's already seeing food pantries in Hartford that are running out of food as those in need prepare for Nov. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also joining this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Anyone who needs food can find a local pantry by calling 211 or visiting the Connecticut Foodshare website, both of which maintain databases of places across the state that supply goods to those in need. This article originally published at CT joins lawsuit against Trump administration over suspension of SNAP benefits: 'Weaponizing hunger'. Cuba is bracing for Hurricane Melissa as it heads towards Santiago de Cuba, the islands second-largest city, threatening catastrophic damage at a time the government is already failing to provide the most basic services and thousands are sick because of the rise of mosquito-transmitted diseases and other illnesses linked to poor sanitary conditions. On Monday, Melissa grew from a Category 4 hurricane into a deadly Category 5 with sustained winds of 175 mph. Eastern Cuba is on Melissas direct path after it barrels over Jamaica, though the storm is expected to weaken slightly before making landfall oh Cubas southeast coast some time on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. Heavy rains between Monday and Wednesday, 20 inches or more, are likely to cause life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides in eastern Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is a potential for significant storm surge along the southeast coast of Cuba late Tuesday or Wednesday, the center said in its 5 p.m. advisory. This storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Cubas national civil defense agency extended the hurricane warnings Monday to cover all of eastern Cuba the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas as well as Camaguey, in the countrys central region. Other central provinces, including Ciego de Avila and Sancti Spiritus are also on alert. Authorities said they were preparing the mass evacuation of over 880,000 people: 110 000 people in Granma; 258 573 or 25% of Santiago de Cuba provinces population; 305,530 in Holguin; 140,000 in Guantanamo and 72,000 in Las Tunas. Those numbers include the majority of Cubans who usually take shelter with relatives and neighbors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flights to airports in Santiago de Cuba and Holguin have been canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, the Ministry of Transportation said. Train and bus service connecting eastern provinces with the rest of the island were also canceled. Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the countrys already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition. Hurricanes Ian in 2022 and Rafael in 2024 both knocked out the countrys electrical grid. As everything else in the country, the civil defense system, which used to be efficient in preventing deaths in the past, has struggled under the governments of Raul Castro and Miguel Diaz-Canel. There are at least 30 reported deaths linked to storms since 2017. Last year, the civil defense, which is headed by 86-year-old Gen. Ramon Pardo Guerra, failed to evacuate residents in a mountainous area prone to flooding in the province of Guantanamo ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Oscar. As a result, six people died in a flash flooding event, including a five-year old, her mother and a 92-year-old man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This time, Cubas top leaders are sending the message that they have been planning ahead of the storm. On Sunday, Diaz-Canel, along with the ministers of defense and interior, presided over a meeting of the National Defense Council with officials from around the country to discuss evacuations, efforts to secure crops and production facilities and plans for recovery. Given the priority of ensuring the protection of the population, the Cuban President directed the proper evacuation of people living in flood zones, downstream of dams and other at-risk areas, as well as making the most of their rest hours to protect themselves from the impact of this extreme weather event, the presidential office said in a news release about the meeting. Everything must be done in a timely manner, Diaz-Canel said according to the report. On Monday, he repeated a similar message in another National Defense Council meeting, highlighting the humanistic vocation of the Revolution, which in the midst of a situation as difficult as the one we are experiencing, leaves no one behind and spares no resources to protect the lives of the population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy captioned a photo showing a few utility vehicles with the text: The linemens brigades that will take charge of the recovery after Hurricane Melissa are now ready. A health emergency But despite government assurances, the hurricane will hit at a terrible time for the islands population. The electrical grid has collapsed several times in recent months and blackouts lasts several hours daily. That leaves many with limited access to information, even more so in already isolated rural areas in eastern Cuba that are in the path of the hurricane. The energy ministry announced that the state electricity company would prioritize service in eastern Cuba on Monday, warning that the rest of the country would be more affected by electrical cuts. The state Electric Union announced it would be unable to meet as much as half the demand for electricity on Monday evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eastern Cuba, a mountainous region and one of the countrys poorest, was already reeling from the lack of food and medicines before Melissa threatened more devastation. Shortages of gasoline and other fuels are particularly acute in those provinces, where public transportation is almost non-existent and residents in rural areas use animals to get around or walk. But a health emergency will complicate recovery efforts. All over the country, trash collection has almost come to a halt, contributing to the propagation of mosquito-borne viruses like dengue, chikungunya and oropouche. They diseases they cause share similar symptoms sudden fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, chills and rash though dengue is considered the more severe of the three. Cases of diarrhea and hepatitis have also spiked. Water supplies have also been severely affected by the lack of electricity and maintenance, making it difficult for Cubans to maintain hygiene and sanitation. The government has also scaled back on the intense fumigation campaigns that were a common sight in the past during summer, when the warm weather and high humidity create the best conditions for mosquitos to reproduce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuba routinely underreports cases of disease outbreaks because of the lack of testing supplies and secrecy practices that suppress information that might damage the countrys reputation and international tourism. Cuban official media have even spreading conspiracy theories accusing the United States of being behind the illness outbreaks. But Cubans have been denouncing the worsening situation on social media and questioning the official figures and authorities denials of deaths amid the lack of medications and supplies in pharmacies, hospitals and local clinics. On Friday, Vice Minister of Health Carilda Pena Garcia said there has been a significant increase of illnesses causing fever, with 13,701 new cases last week, according to a report in the Communist Party newspaper Granmas. She did not say which viruses were responsible for the illnesses but said there was confirmed active transmission of dengue fever in the provinces of Guantanamo, Ciego de Avila, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, La Habana, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Camaguey, and chikungunya in more than 10 provinces, with the worst outbreaks happening in Havana and Matanzas. In the latter province, officials were planning to start fumigating this week, a delay criticized by Granma readers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The level of infections has reached a point where we are all waiting for one or more of the viruses to makes us sick, one reader wrote in the comments section. It seems that action should have been taken sooner. We know there is a lack of resources, but there is a lack of organization and timely monitoring. Another gave a more blunt assessment of the governments efforts. They need to maintain better hygiene in the streets, where trash is collected every two months, the reader wrote. What health? There is no food. With what defenses are we going to overcome diseases? And in the hospitals there is no hygiene and no medicines. NEW YORK (NewsNation) A week ahead of New York Citys mayoral election, independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is gaining ground against progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani. The latest Suffolk University poll, released Oct. 27, showed Cuomo cut Mamandis lead by 10 points, after trailing by 20 points in Suffolks September poll. Mamdani leads Cuomo 44% to 34% ahead of the Nov. 4 election, with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in third place at 11%. Some 7% of voters surveyed were undecided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curtis Sliwa not backing down from NYC mayoral race September polls showed Mamdani leading Cuomo 45% to 25%, followed by Sliwa with 9%, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams at 8%. Adams has since dropped out of the mayoral race and endorsed Cuomo. Voters 55+ casting majority of early votes Early voting numbers have shattered records. More than 164,000 voters checked in at polling places over the weekend, according to data from New York Citys Board of Elections. While voting is currently surging compared to the primary a few months ago, Gen X and baby boomers are driving early turnout. Speed cameras coming to NY bridges, tunnels in 2026 Polling numbers also showed a slight increase in ballots cast for Cuomo between Day 1 and Day 2 of early voting, while Sliwas numbers decreased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I continue to be confident in our campaign as well as in our outreach to voters above the age of 55, and also I will not allow myself to become complacent, Mamdani said. So far, voters 55 and older make up more than half of the early voting totals. In the primary, the turnout was totally different than they thought much younger, and the younger vote was a much higher percentage, and that skewed all the polls, Cuomo said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. Northbound lanes on the Dallas Parkway frontage road in Frisco will remain closed through November 3 as construction crews complete paving work on a widened bridge. The closure, which began at 8 p.m. on Monday, affects the stretch between Stonebrook Parkway and the Cotton Gin ramp. The week-long shutdown forces thousands of daily commuters to navigate detours during morning and evening rush hours. City officials expect the road to reopen by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 3. Local traffic heading to Genesis Court can still access the northbound frontage road at Stonebrook Parkway. All other vehicles must turn left and use Legacy Drive and Cotton Gin Road to bypass the construction zone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The closure at Genesis Court presents an additional challenge for drivers. Those who mistakenly enter this dead-end street must turn around and return to Stonebrook Parkway. Transportation officials have implemented temporary two-way traffic between the railroad tracks and Genesis Court. This arrangement allows vehicles exiting Genesis Court to navigate the construction area. The bridge widening represents part of the larger improvements along the Dallas North Tollway corridor. City officials urge drivers to plan alternate routes and use navigation apps like Waze to avoid delays. Detour signs will guide motorists around the closure areas. Construction crews have accelerated their schedule to minimize traffic disruptions during the busy workweek ahead. City traffic and transportation engineers monitor road-ways and traffic patterns from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), city officials said in a project update. The engineers are able to adjust signals and keep traffic flowing with innovative technology in the command center. In a daring heist that shocked the world and quickly inspired a wave of memes and TikTok trends masked thieves broke into Paris' world-renowned Louvre Museum in broad daylight during opening hours and stole pieces from the French Crown Jewels collection in just seven minutes. Located just steps away from the "Mona Lisa," the collection was considered one of the museum's finest and included jewels worn by Empress Eugenie Napoleon III's wife -- Queen Marie-Amelie, and Queen Hortense collectively valued at $102 million. Three days later, the Louvre reopened to business as usual. Still, the incident left many wondering not only how such a breach happened, but whether the museum's security and visitor safety is as strong as it seems. Paris is already known as a pickpocketing hotspot targeting tourists, so a heist of this caliber raises deeper questions about how prepared cultural institutions really are to protect priceless art and the millions who come to see it. To gain entry, thieves used a mechanical lift and ladder mounted to a truck outside the Galerie d'Apollon. With battery-powered angle grinders, they sawed through a windowpane, scared off guards, and shattered two glass display cases. As they fled on scooters, they tried to set their truck on fire, but were deterred by the staff. According to The New York Times, the Louvre's permanent collection is of "inestimable cultural and historical value," thus would cost billions to privately insure, presumably far more than investing in surveillance and security. The museum has in-house firefighters, but a pre-heist audit, leaked after the robbery, found that 75% of the museum's Richelieu wing lacked surveillance cameras, and a third of the Denon wing's rooms where the jewels were located had none at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: The Most 'Overtouristed' Places In Europe The Louvre is about to get a decade-long makeover A CCTV surveillance camera mounted in a minimalist ceiling corner - Myella/Getty Images One stolen item Empress Eugenie's crown was found damaged outside the museum shortly after the robbery. As of October 27, 2025, no additional jewels have been recovered, but at least two suspects have been detained. Although France's Culture Ministry maintains alarms were triggered and protocols followed, the museum's director admitted that there were not enough surveillance cameras on the perimeter and that security protocols had failed she even offered to resign in response. When the museum reopened days later, visitors reported no visible increase in safety measures. "I didn't notice extra security guards as always, and no police inside," a visitor from Madrid told NBC. "It felt like a normal day." A 10-year renovation of the Louvre, estimated to cost $932 million, was announced before the heist in early 2025 to address security updates, climate control improvements, and expanded space for chronic overcrowding. During the summer, Louvre staff even went on strike to protest overtourism, which has been damaging the museum's priceless collection. It's far from the first time the museum has been targeted by thieves, but according to The New York Times, the heist highlights the museum's outdated sense of security and delayed prioritization of "indispensable work," aka security improvements. Adding to the problem, security guards in France aren't paid well, and training is often deprioritized. "The Louvre is a palace that doesn't have the logic of a museum," the president of the Society of Friends of the Louvre, Gerard Araud, told the outlet. "It is a universe unto itself." Now, the renovations allocated to address the audit's recommendations include additional CCTV coverage and improved security protocols. With these measures in place, the museum hopes to remain off the list of dangerous destinations to avoid on your next vacation to France. The heist may re-write safety protocols for museums worldwide A girl stands in front of blank framed canvases hung on a gallery wall and takes a picture with her phone - Visionchina/Getty Images "This robbery may rewrite museum security protocols," Nikos Passas, professor of criminology and co-director of Northeastern University's Institute for Security and Public Policy, who analyzed the low-tech precision of the Louvre thieves, told Northeastern Global News. "This lift, cut and escape is just stunning. How on earth can this happen in the center of Paris?" Christopher Marinello of Art Recovery International echoed this thought: "If they're going to hit the Louvre, one of the most well-funded museums in the world, every museum is vulnerable," he shared with Business Tech Weekly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Museums worldwide are now reassessing their security protocols and network systems, but in an increasingly high-tech age, the analog simplicity of the Louvre robbery without sophisticated hacking or explosives poses an unsettling security challenge. For visitors, this could mean tighter screenings, longer queues, and restricted access to certain collections, or more art behind reinforced glass. Still, the Louvre heist shouldn't deter travelers, but rather serve as a reminder to stay alert in crowded venues and mindful of personal belongings while museums adapt to a new era of risk. A few historic museum robberies have led to major security upgrades most notably, the 1990 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in Boston, where two thieves disguised as police officers tied up the guards and stole 13 masterpieces valued at $500 million. The works were never recovered, and the crime remains unsolved. In response, the museum installed motion detectors, exterior CCTV systems, and hired more guards, though interior cameras were considered too cost-prohibitive. The empty frames where the stolen paintings once hung remain on display today, a sobering reminder of the delicate balance between protecting art and keeping it accessible to the public. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno wrapped up two days of contentious testimony in an ongoing civil trial after his former longtime aide sued him for wrongful termination and retaliation. Darryl Moss, a Sarno employee for 12 years, was fired five years ago at the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. He filed a lawsuit in 2022, seeking $2 million in damages and attorneys fees. Moss was fired over social media posts referencing the racial unrest in the country that was ignited by the murder by George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 26, 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A longtime activist in the Black community, Moss posted something at the time that included the phrase grab the rifles. Moss and other witnesses say the reference was not a true call to arms, but a reference to an HBO special called Lovecraft Country. The series is based on a young Black mans trek across the segregated south in the 1950s. Sarno and his staff considered the post a veiled threat, and referred it to the citys Law Department and human resources. No one in your office who was white had their social media history analyzed, did they? Moss attorney, Eddie Jenkins, asked Sarno on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The answer was no, but Sarno focused on the racial climate of the times. There was a powder keg going on across the country at that time, and I wanted to make sure that powder keg didnt reach Springfield, Sarno said. He repeated his position that Moss ouster simply had to do with a violation of a social media policy that had been established for all non-bargaining city employees. Moss social media post followed another pair of posts by a friend, Kashawn Harris, including vintage photos of Black Panthers and references to other cities tearing (expletive) up. Those posts prompted a police presence outside Sarnos house and the revocation of Harris license to carry a firearm until Moss intervened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Testimony from multiple witnesses also indicated Moss and Sarno were at odds over the citys handling of an off-duty police assault case in 2015. A brawl erupted at Nathan Bills Bar and Restaurant between off-duty white officers and four Black patrons, which launched a lengthy criminal investigation and convictions for three officers. Two were convicted of misdemeanor assault and a third for misleading investigators. Several of Sarnos Black staff members questioned the way the officers discipline had been handled, but Sarno testified that he listened to what his workers had to say. Even though Sarno was called as a witness for the plaintiff, Jenkins often interrupted the mayors testimony as if it were a cross-examination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes or no, Mr. Sarno? he repeatedly asked. Sir, can I finish my answer? the mayor responded. Superior Court Judge Jeremy Bucci did his best to referee the exchanges. This included a finding that morning in response to the citys contention that Moss had violated the witness sequestration order by posting online about the trial. Court Reflection, his Facebook post was titled, and said, in part: A coward is a man who who stirs poison into the pot but never gets his hands dirty. Presumably Moss was referring to Sarno, but Bucci ruled it was not a violation of his order, because the post was an opinion, not a dispatch from court proceedings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frankly, no one gives a damn about other peoples opinions. They can form their own opinions, the judge said. Several witnesses including Denise Jordan, former chief of staff for Sarno, onetime director of the Springfield Boys and Girls Club Keshawn Dodds, and City Councilor Tracye Whitfield testified to Moss long track record of activism in the Black community. Whitfield on Monday told jurors she was among about 50 people who attended a rally for Moss in 2020, the day before he was officially fired. She said she was among the speakers at the rally. What did you say? Jenkins asked. I said I thought it was a racial termination and a wrongful termination, she replied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After speaking out of turn several times, Bucci told Whitfield that if she continued, and there was a mistrial, he would find her in contempt of court. If that happens, youll be on the hook for paying for attorneys fees for the entire trial, Bucci said. Her testimony concluded without incident. Closing arguments are expected tomorrow morning, and the jury should have the case by the afternoon. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) Lightbridge Academy, a daycare with locations across the east coast, is continuing its Ohio expansion with a Powell center. The New Jersey-based daycare chain began construction this month on the upcoming Powell location at 4074 Powell Road. The Powell Chamber of Commerce joined Lightbridge for a groundbreaking on Oct. 17, where the academy announced its $2,000 donation to Alexs Sunnyside Playroom, a program that provides family-friendly playrooms in U.S. cancer hospitals. Fall invaders: The insects seeking shelter in Ohio homes and how to keep them out Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With more than 150 academies across the eastern U.S., Lightbridge claims its centers are more than just a daycare, providing a stimulating learning environment and comprehensive curriculum for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. The academy is known for offering extended hours, back-up care and even special events like Parents Night Out. The Powell Chamber of Commerce joined Lightbridge Academy for a ground breaking this month at 4074 Powell Road. (Courtesy Photo/Lightbridge Academy) The Lightbridge Academy program creates a warm, enriching environment that seamlessly bridges the gap between home and school, Craig Murray, Lightbridges chief development officer, said in a statement. Our cutting-edge technology sets the gold standard for communication and health and safety in our centers, ensuring peace of mind for families. Where Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland rank in list of safest cities in U.S. The Powell groundbreaking came after Lightbridge started construction in August on its first central Ohio academy in Dublin at 4905 Blazer Parkway. At the Dublin groundbreaking, the daycare donated to Every Child A Swimmer, a program that raises awareness about water safety and helps ensure children have access to swim lessons. The funds will specifically support swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School in Dublin. Lightbridge Academy broke ground in August on its first central Ohio location in Dublin at 4905 Blazer Parkway. (Courtesy Photo/Lightbridge Academy) At Lightbridge Academy, our unwavering commitment is to provide a safe, healthy and nurturing space, paired with an innovative curriculum that empowers children to reach their full academic, social and emotional potential, Murray said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lightbridge also operates an Ohio academy in Centerville at 1180 E. Alex Bell Road. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Daylight saving time - often incorrectly referred to as daylight savings time - ends Sunday, Nov. 2, which means it's time to set clocks back an hour. Spring forward and fall back, right? There is much debate about the benefits and disruption the twice-a-year time change causes the U.S. and countries around the world and even efforts to pass laws to get rid of the practice. Here's what to know about the past and future of daylight saving time. Why was daylight saving time created? Daylight saving time is the practice of setting clocks forward one hour in the spring to make better use of natural daylight during the summer months. The time is then set back one hour each fall. Benjamin Franklin proposed the concept of DST in 1784, but by all accounts, it was meant as a joke. Franklin's grand idea was for people to get out of bed earlier - according to timeanddate.com, a Norwegian site that tracks all clock-related things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Modern daylight saving time was first suggested in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, who presented a proposal for a 2-hour daylight saving shift. British builder William Willett independently came up with the idea in 1905, suggesting setting clocks back 20 minutes for four Sundays in April and forward 20 minutes in each of the four Sundays in September. Who uses it? Less than 40 percent of countries use DST today, down from about 60 percent that used it at one point, according to statistics at timeanddate.com. The practice was first put into practice by residents of Thunder Bay in Canada in 1908, followed by other regions of Canada. Germany and Austria were the first countries to adopt the practice in 1916 - two years into World War I. Within a few weeks, the United Kingdom, France and other countries also converted. The U.S. moved to "fast time" in 1918 after Pittsburgh industrialist Robert Garland was introduced to the idea in the UK. Most but not all states use DST. The exceptions are Hawaii and the parts of Arizona not in Navajo Nation territory. Indiana joined the other 47 states using DST in 2006 after opting out since 1970. Is daylight saving time becoming permanent? The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the (hilariously named) Sunshine Protection Act, which allows states to observe DST year-round, on March 15, 2022. For it to become law, the bill must pass the House of Representatives and be signed by the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to timeanddate.com, there are 20 states (New York is not one of them) that will move to DST permanently if the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law. Those states are Colorado, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Alabama, Minnesota, Utah, South Carolina, Georgia, Idaho, Wyoming, Louisiana, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, Florida and California. Controversy People who enjoy strict daily routines will tell you that DST is an overly disruptive change to their circadian rhythm twice a year. And there's been more than just anecdotal stories about dogs demanding walks or babies refusing to sleep to back up that disruption. In fact, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine called for the abolition of daylight saving time in 2020. Other side effects of the time changes noted by timeanddate.com are: A Swedish study found that the risk of having a heart attack increases in the first three weekdays after switching to DST in the spring. Tiredness induced by the clock change is thought to be the main cause for the increase in traffic accidents on the Monday following the start of DST. On Mondays after the start of DST there were more workplace injuries, and the injuries were of greater severity compared to other Mondays. The start of DST has also been linked in at least one study to miscarriages for in vitro fertilization patients. Tips for making the transition Along with mountains of facts and figures about daylight saving time and other clock-related topics, timeanddate.com has tips for getting through those time jumps - forward and back: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adjust your body clock and wake up a little earlier than usual in the week before springing forward. This makes it easier to get out of bed on Monday morning. Eat a healthy breakfast first thing in the morning. Food tells your body it is the start of the day. Go for a walk in the light. Sunlight and exercise adjusts the body clock. Help children adjust by putting them to bed a little bit earlier the week before the time change. That's all you need to know - that is until daylight saving time starts again on Sunday, March 9, 2025. This article originally published at Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 2. Time to set your clocks back.. Oct. 27A Dayton man has pleaded guilty after he was accused of shooting a man and causing a crash in April. The charges Justin Lavell Garrison, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of felonious assault as part of a plea agreement in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, and was sentenced by Judge Steven K. Dankof to five to seven and a half years in prison, followed by up to three years of parole. Garrison will get credit for 200 days already spent in confinement, court documents said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He agreed that the state of Ohio could bring homicide charges if the victim of the shooting dies. The shooting The shooting and crash occurred early April 1. At about 1:15 a.m., police were called to East Forth and South Main streets. Officers found a crashed vehicle, and inside a 46-year-old man with a gunshot wound. Crews took him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, though police later said he was stable. The investigation Family of the man told police the shooter goes by the name "Gutta" and is known to sell drugs in the Park Manor apartment complex, according to an affidavit filed in Dayton Municipal Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police used cameras at downtown Dayton businesses to capture footage of the shooting, and identify the make, model and license plate of the suspect's vehicle, the affidavit said. Officers saw that vehicle at the apartment complex, but it fled before they could identify the driver, court records said, but other officers later arrested and identified Garrison. Garrison and his girlfriend both confirmed in interviews that he goes by the nickname "Gutta," the affidavit said. Garrison was booked in the Montgomery County Jail, where he has been since April 7. PRINCETON Residents of Mercer County who are interested in a chance to receive a guaranteed monthly income for 16 months have four days left to apply. The Rural Income for Self Empowerment Guaranteed Minimum Income program, or RISE GMI, application period closes on Friday, Oct. 31, at 11:59 p.m., according to Tony Solis Cruz, program manager for GiveDirectly. More than 2,000 people have already applied for the program, which will provide $1,500 a month, no-strings-attached, for 16 months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once the application period ends, 560 families will be randomly selected to enroll in the program and receive the guaranteed monthly income. In order to qualify for the monthly income, applicants must live in Mercer County and must be 18 years of age or older. Applicants household income also should be 200 percent or below the federal poverty level. The application period for the program began on Oct. 14 and interested residents can still apply online through Friday at https://rise.aidkit.org/o/home GiveDirectly is partnering with area agencies, including CASE of West Virginia, Community Connections and Mercer County Schools to help spread the word about the free guaranteed monthly income program. Those agencies can also assist area families with completing the application process between now on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cruz said Monday in an email that he wanted to help spread the word about Fridays deadline to reach community members who may be eligible to participate. According to GiveDirectly, the RISE GMI program is a tool to reduce poverty, build economic resilience and support opportunities such as entrepreneurship. Mercer County is one of three communities selected to participate in the program. There is no work requirement for those who are selected to receive the monthly cash payments. Area officials say the program which could begin as early as December may also provide a boost to the countys economy. Greg Puckett, a member of the Mercer County Commission, said the influx of additional revenue into the countys economy can be helpful if it is spent the correct way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Cruz, the Guaranteed Minimum Income program was funded by a gift from Jeff Atwood and Elizabeth Burton, who are the donors of the program while GiveDirectly is the program administrator. There are no strings attached to the monthly payment. But GiveDirectly is partnering with local organizations to provide optional supplemental support, including financial literacy tools, that are available for those who seek the assistance. However, not participating in or requesting such service will not impact the monthly payments to the RiseGMI recipients. According to the GiveDirectly website, giving cash shifts power to the person living in poverty, and recognizes they are the expert in their own lives and grants them the dignity to choose for themselves. The website adds that dozens of studies show that the cash recipients dont work less or spend the money on alcohol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nonprofit says it has delivered $900 million in cash directly to more than 1.7 million people living in poverty since 2009, including in Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda and the United States. Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com A Southern California manhunt erupted into a high-speed chase Monday after San Bernardino County Sheriffs Deputy Andrew Nunez, 28, was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call in Rancho Cucamonga. The suspected gunman fled the scene on a motorcycle, reaching speeds of more than 150 mph before being deliberately knocked off his bike by an off-duty deputy in a dramatic freeway intervention caught on camera. Crash Stacks Kia on Top of Ford Mustang Authorities say the deadly encounter began around 12:40 p.m., when deputies were called to the 12300 block of Hollyhock Drive after reports that a man was threatening a woman with a gun. Moments after arriving, Nunez a six-year veteran of the department, husband, and father of a 2-year-old daughter with another child on the way was shot in the head. He was rushed by helicopter to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This department is embedded in sorrow, said Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus, who called the loss of Nunez devastating. Dicus noted it was the 81st shooting involving deputies since he became sheriff in 2022, highlighting what he described as a tremendous amount of violence out there. After the shooting, the suspect took off on a motorcycle, leading a multi-agency pursuit across San Bernardino County and onto the 210 Freeway. At one point, the rider narrowly avoided crashing into a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer during the chase. The pursuit came to an explosive end around 1:35 p.m. in Upland, when an off-duty deputy driving an unmarked Toyota Camry intentionally struck the fleeing motorcyclist, sending him tumbling across the asphalt. Video captured by news helicopters shows the suspect flipping over his handlebars before crashing hard onto the pavement. Sheriff Dicus later described the maneuver as a legal intervention that prevented further danger to the public. The suspect was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition and is expected to face murder charges upon release, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol lowered to half-staff, honoring Deputy Nunezs sacrifice. His courage, compassion, and dedication to protecting others reflect the finest traditions of law enforcement, Newsom said in a statement. The investigation remains ongoing, with both the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team and the District Attorneys Office reviewing the incident that left one deputy dead and a suspect critically injured after one of the years most intense pursuits. Source Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook. NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) The dean of Career and Technical Education, Adam Campbell, at Heartland Community College, is being recognized for his admin leadership. Campbell has been with HCC for four and a half years and has built many of the programs in the department from the ground up. Many of them were not there when he started. The Technical Education Association of Illinois honored him and his work at a ceremony on Oct. 24 as the Administrator of the Year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its very humbling because, number one, I know that its not just me that does any of this. I have a tremendous team, and we all work together within the current technical education division, Campbell said. Campbell oversees many different programs, including Business Technology, Computer Networking, Computer Science, Digital Media, Industrial Maintenance, HVAC, Renewable Energy, and Advanced Manufacturing. But he does not do it alone. We wouldnt be able to do anything of what we do, individually. We are truly within the division, within the college. We are a team, he said. He also mentions that this award is not just humbling, but a sign that the department is moving in the right direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its a validation. Thats how Im going to see it. The work we are doing is good, its impactful, and were definitely on the right path. Were the youngest community college in the state of Illinois, so were learning kind of as we go to it, he said. We are were being responsive to employer needs, industry needs, and setting the stage for the next group that is coming through. Campbell hopes to continue his work in building up the next generation of students, in hopes they can do things to change the world. The work that we are doing in terms of technical education, we are training the next generation of problem solvers, creative thinkers, those that are going to solve the big issues that we are facing, a vital role of that within that is hard, like community college. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. An investigation of a death row inmate found text messages on a contraband cellphone that showed he ordered an inmate beaten last year and insisted it be recorded, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has been told. "Smash him bro," Tremane Wood allegedly wrote in an Aug. 23, 2024, text sent from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. "Get it on film bro." Wood, 46, is set to be executed Nov. 13 for a fatal stabbing in Oklahoma City in 2002. He denies he was the stabber. He is asking the parole board to recommend to Gov. Kevin Stitt that his sentence be commuted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His clemency hearing is set for Nov. 5. Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Oct. 22 provided the parole board a packet of information on Wood that included text messages found on seized cellphones. They also gave the board a video of the attack on the targeted inmate. In the packet was a list of dozens of instances Wood allegedly used cellphones to buy and sell drugs or coordinate the sale of drugs and other contraband. On Sept. 14, 2024, Wood "passes on information to an inmate of an outside prison where and for how much the inmate can purchase a saw blade," the parole board was told. "Tremane has had no issue or difficulty with taking part in gang activity while in prison, trafficking in drugs and other contraband, and orchestrating felony assaults," the AG and his assistants wrote in the packet. "He is not sorry. He has not changed. It is all about him." In this image from a seized cellphone, Tremane Wood is shown in January holding multiple $100 bills and flashing a gang sign, according to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. In a photo included in the packet, Wood is shown in prison in January holding multiple $100 bills and flashing a gang sign, the parole board was told. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The disclosure to the parole board provides more details about the investigation into Wood. The AG revealed in July that Wood was under investigation in a confidential email to the presiding judge of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. The AG alleged in the email that Wood was distributing drugs in prison and had ordered a "hit" on another inmate. "To accomplish these acts, it is more likely than not that Wood is working in collusion with prison personnel," Drummond wrote. The Court of Criminal Appeals made the email public in August. Wood's attorneys have called the accusations against Wood "inflated and distorted." However, his attorneys did not directly address the evidence from the investigation in their request for clemency. Instead, they told the board that in prison "he has at times lost his way, made poor choices, broken rules, and fallen into negative behaviors." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Yet despite being discarded by the prison system, Tremane's ... records together with the personal accounts of the many individuals whose lives he has touched depict someone who is far from perfect but who is hungry for life, for connection to others, and who despite his mistakes is capable of growth and continued personal and spiritual transformation," they told the board. The investigation of Wood resulted in a delay in the scheduling of his execution. The AG had initially asked for the execution to be carried out on Sept. 11. The execution gurney is shown in this image from a video released by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. What to know about Wood's case Wood was sentenced to death for the murder of a migrant farm worker on New Year's Day 2002. The victim, Ronnie Wipf, and a friend were from Montana. They were traveling through Oklahoma back to Texas to do harvest work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both went to a motel with two women they had met at Bricktown Brewery in Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve 2001. The women actually were setting them up to be robbed. The women pretended once at the motel to be prostitutes.Wipf, 19, was stabbed in the chest during a struggle after two masked men rushed into the motel room. Prosecutors contended Wood did the stabbing. At his 2004 trial, his older brother claimed to be the stabber. Jurors found Wood guilty of first-degree murder anyway and chose the death penalty. The brother, Zjaiton Jake Wood, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder. He committed suicide in prison in 2019. Wood does admit he was involved in the robbery but has maintained he didn't kill anyone. In a letter to the victim's parents, he asked for their forgiveness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For the last 20 years my greatest wish has been to go back and change the foolish decisions I made that night," he wrote. The AG and his assistants told the parole board the evidence "overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that Tremane ... was the individual who committed this brutal act." What to know about the 'hit' Wood is a member of the Hoover Crips gang, the AG and his assistants told the board. In July 2024, he messaged an inmate friend at the Allen Gamble Correctional Center in Holdenville to have "his guys beat up another inmate and get it on video," the parole board was told. "Tremane tells his friend to send his CashApp account, and Tremane will pay him." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He wrote the target "killed my Lil female cousin" and needed to be "touched up," according to an image of one text. The packet does not identify the beaten inmate. In a news release, Drummond described the beating as vicious. The friend told Wood on Sept. 7, 2024, that two "lil homies" carried out the attack and they had fun "doing Hoover biz," according to the packet. Wood also is accused of ordering another attack. Drummond and his assistants told the board that on Dec. 30 "Tremane contacts a friend on the outside to attack the man responsible for trying to get into a relationship with Tremane's 16-year-old niece." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Death row inmate Tremane Wood accused of prison beating, drug dealing (The Center Square) New congressional maps instituted last week by the North Carolina Legislature are already involved in litigation, with judicial oversight of existing cases asking for impact. The State Board of Elections says it needs resolution by Dec. 1. The filing period opens that day at noon and closes Dec. 19 at noon. The Super Tuesday primaries are March 3; and the midterms are Nov. 3, 2026. Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of North Carolina joined the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Hogan Lovells in a supplemental complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The entities say new congressional maps drawn out a Senate bill passed this month is in violation of the First, 14th and 15th Amendments and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit is based on race. Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, chairman of the Committee on Elections in the Senate, on Monday of last week prior to passage said, The motivation behind this redraw is simple and singular. Draw a new map that will bring an additional Republican seat to the North Carolina congressional delegation. Absolutely no racial data was used in the creation of this map. The predominant use of race to draw districts violates the U.S. Constitution, unless doing so serves a compelling government interest. In other words, if the Legislature draws districts predominantly based upon race without a compelling interest, those districts would be declared illegal racial gerrymanders. In a court filing Monday, the NAACP and Common Cause expressed hope to challenge the new map in an already existing federal redistricting lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Realign Congressional Districts 2025, known also as Senate Bill 249, 12 districts remain unchanged from 2024 and two are reshaped to strengthen Republicans chance to win in the northeastern part of the state for an 11-3 representation at the U.S. House of Representatives. Differentiations because of court orders have been in each map used for four of the last five congressional elections 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. The Legislature drew it in 2024. The last time the U.S. House representative in the northeastern part of the state was won by a Republican was 1882, a streak voting trends indicate would be broken if this map survives potential litigations. Gubernatorial veto is not possible on this legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beaufort, Hyde, Dare, Craven, Pamlico and Carteret counties change from the 3rd to the 1st Congressional District; Wilson, Wayne, Greene and Lenoir counties change from the 1st to the 3rd. The only district of 14 with closer than 13% difference in 2024 was a win by Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., in the 1st District. Congressional map redraws stretch coast to coast. The impetus is a plea from second-term Republican President Donald Trump to keep party majority in the U.S. House at 2026 midterms, a pivot point in past presidential terms. Majority was 220-215 on Election Day and is 219-213 with three vacancies today. The magic number is 218. Govs. Mike Kehoe of Missouri and Greg Abbott of Texas have already signed new maps into law; Utahs legislative passage is awaiting judicial approval. California voters decide next month on Proposition 50, the November ballot measure that could replace the states independent commission-drawn congressional district maps. A Georgia Lottery player won $150,000 in the Oct. 24 Fantasy 5 drawing with a ticket purchased at Murphy Express in Decatur. The winning ticket matched all five numbers: 01-05-08-15-30, securing the jackpot prize for the lucky player. In addition to the Fantasy 5 win, several players claimed significant prizes through the Georgia Lotterys Diggi Games over the weekend. A resident of Clermont won $20,119 playing Elephant King Jackpots on Oct. 25, while a player in Snellville secured $18,750 playing Volcano Cash the same day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Atlanta player took home $15,000 from Pumpkin Plunder on Oct. 26, and a Macon resident won $10,000 playing Spooky Match Multiplier on Oct. 23. Furthermore, a $10,000 winning ticket for the Georgia FIVE midday drawing on Oct. 24 was sold at Citgo Food Mart in Jonesboro. Proceeds from Fantasy 5, Diggi Games and Georgia FIVE contribute to educational programs across the state of Georgia. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Come Saturday, the 42 million Americans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will be forced to go without benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown. On Mondays Deadline: White House, Nicolle Wallace placed the blame for the looming lapse entirely on the president and the Republican Party. It is awful when anyone in America goes hungry, and it is a choice, she said, its Donald Trumps choice. The MSNBC host noted this isnt the first time the administration has slashed food assistance for some of Americas most vulnerable. In March, it cut approximately $500 million in aid for food banks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That $300 million that Donald Trump is spending on making a gold ballroom where the East Wing once stood, and the $230 million hes trying to get us, the American taxpayers, to reimburse him for being under criminal investigation, they add up to roughly the same amount of money he has cut from Americas food banks, Wallace said. The MSNBC host called the split-screen of Trumps White House renovations and the impending cuts a deeply disturbing portrait of America, adding, the images of Donald Trump destroying with an actual wrecking ball the actual East Wing of the White House, while Americans are about to go without food stamps, is a snapshot of America that will live forever. Wallace also called out the president for pushing policies that will hurt the parts of the coalition he used to publicly speak out for. Food insecurity in America is a lot more common than anybody can imagine, and it knows no party affiliation, she explained. It does not care who you voted for, and the fact that Trump and all the Republicans in Congress are opting into this tragedy, this sort of shameful thing in America in 2025, should be front-page news all over the place. You can watch Wallaces full analysis in the clip at the top of the page. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Labours defence minister has been accused of being clueless about a sex abuse scandal engulfing the British Army. Luke Pollard appeared unable to answer questions about the inquiry opened last week by Wiltshire Police into the alleged abuse of army recruits between 1970 and 2016. Detectives have said aspiring soldiers were reportedly sexually abused during medical examinations at several locations in the UK by multiple perpetrators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The potential scale of the investigation, dubbed Operation Pianora, is so large that police forces across the country have been mobilised to receive potential victims. However, when Nick Ferrari asked Mr Pollard for an update on the investigation during an interview on his LBC radio show on Tuesday, the minister seemed unaware of it. Speaking of the police inquiry, Mr Ferrari asked: You know what it is, dont you? Not on the full details, Mr Pollard replied. So I dont want to suggest something that I dont have the information for, but Ill get you those details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hang on a second. What do you think it might be, minister? broadcaster Mr Ferrari continued. Im not going to guess, Nick, because I dont think thats the right way to treat you or your listeners, the Labour minister said. Mr Ferrari replied: This could be the biggest scandal ever to hit the British Army. This is the Wiltshire Police investigation into alleged offences between 1970 and 2016. The biggest ever military sex abuse scandal. And you dont know what it is. Mr Pollard then said: Forgive me, Nick. Ill get you the full details on that so you can use them later on your show. 'The biggest ever military sex abuse scandal - and you don't know what it is.' 'Forgive me, Nick.' Defence minister Luke Pollard is unable to tell @NickFerrariLBC about Operation Pianora. pic.twitter.com/0sIvIbVYkH LBC (@LBC) October 28, 2025 Johnny Mercer, a former Conservative veterans minister and Mr Pollards old rival MP in Plymouth, criticised the defence minister, telling the Telegraph: He is clueless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James MacCleary, the Liberal Democrats defence spokesman, added: Its outrageous that the Governments defence minister has no idea what hes talking about when it comes to grave scandals that plagued the armed forces community for decades. No wonder veterans and service personnel are losing their faith in this Government. Defence sources hit back, insisting the use of the police operations name had added an element of confusion at the end of the interview and that the minister was quick to respond on social media providing an update on the investigation. Speaking afterwards, Mr Pollard said his colleague, veterans minister Louise Sandher-Jones was leading on the MoD response to the scandal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Writing on X, the minister said: I only like giving answers I am fully across. In an update on the probe, Mr Pollard said police had called for evidence and those affected by historic allegations of abuse to come forward. He added: Any claims that fall short of the standards we expect should be properly investigated. Ms Sandher-Jones issued a statement about the investigation last week, saying those who served the country must be able to do so free from abuse, and with the dignity and respect they deserve. We are committed to rooting out sexual misconduct wherever we find it and have made this a priority since taking office last July. It is a mission that is deeply personal for me, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Det Supt Darren Hannant, who is leading the investigation, said the probe had revealed offending spanning several decades at various locations in the UK, indicating different perpetrators. We are yet to identify suspects the investigation is in its early stages and further updates will be provided in due course, he added. A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: The minister is fully aware of the Wilshire Police investigation and shared an update with LBC following his appearance. We stand firmly behind the victims who have shown great bravery in reporting their experiences and encourage anyone who may be able to support the investigation to come forward. Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays. The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners is set to discuss a moratorium on the building or expansion of stores that sell sexual devices in unincorporated areas of the county. The county is weighing the moratorium so staff have an opportunity to study the impacts of such stores on county residents and businesses. If it passes, the county would block proposals or permitting for new adult toy stores or expansions of existing stores for 100 days. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] County records show the commissioners are weighing regulation of stores that sell, among other items, so-called sex toys, adult novelties and marital aids, to protect the welfare of county residents and businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Existing adult stores would be able to continue operating business as usual, so long as it is doing so lawfully, according to the ordinance. TRENDING STORIES: Recent development of a new location of a Tokyo Valentino adult product store in DeKalb County was terminated by officials in early October. In a letter sent to the business owner, a copy of which was obtained by Channel 2 Action News, DeKalb County Director of Planning Juliana Njoku informed the business that the development of a new location on Lawrenceville Highway in Decatur was stopped due to improper building permit applications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter said the business license and building permit for the shop were revoked as the application did not indicate the intended use. The information in the application being incomplete raised additional zoning considerations, due to its intended use as a location to sell adult-oriented materials. The letter from Njoku said the business applications were filed under the names Tokyo Decatur LLC and Tokio Decatur, though a county inspector found that the business would operate under the brand name Tokyo Valentino. They noted that other locations of the brand in the metro Atlanta area primarily engage in the sale of adult-oriented materials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The location where the Decatur Tokyo Valentino was being developed was said to likely violate existing County ordinances regulating adult-oriented businesses, leading to the permits being revoked. Channel 2 Action News reached out to DeKalb County officials for comment on the ordinances introduction and is waiting for their response. The moratorium would be in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2026 if passed. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Delawares top lawmakers sent letters to Gov. Matt Meyer on Oct. 28, prompting him to support funding to ensure First State residents continue to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits this November. Letters from both Democratic and Republican legislators came in the wake of the U.S. Department of Agriculture informing the Department of Health and Social Services that they will not be issuing next months SNAP benefits also known as food stamps due to the ongoing government shutdown. Delaware leaders want to ensure access to benefits for the roughly 120,000 Delawareans who depend on them goes uninterrupted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown summed it up best: Time is of the essence. The next morning, Oct. 29, Gov. Meyer's office released a planning advisory ahead of his monthly press converence that day, assuring it would include updates on "how Delaware will address two looming crises caused by President Trump and Congressional Republicans." That includes the halting of SNAP benefits, alongside a projected $400 million in revenue losses due to federal tax law changes. Minor-Brown, who touched on her own prior experiences with state assistance, said that any delay in SNAP support could present real, immediate consequences for Delawareans especially at a time when many are torn between trying to feed their families, paying rent or utilities and seeking medication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats just not something that we need to put people through at a time like this, when people are already struggling, she said. Food insecurity doesnt just affect the individual. It affects childrens ability to learn, and parents ability to work and ultimately, the communitys overall well-being. President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola called withholding this federal-level funding for benefits heartless and dangerous. House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, a member of the bi-partisan special property reassessment committee, speaks during the committee's first meeting in the Senate Chamber at Legislative Hall in Dover on Sept. 30, 2025. The meeting, the first of four planned meetings to investigate Delaware's first statewide property reassessment in 40 years, focused on Tyler Technologies, the organization responsible for conducting the tax reassessment, and the methodology it used in the property reassessment. There are times when it is reasonable for us to deliberate about how we spend our state resources this is not one of those times, he said in a statement. Senate and House Republicans also sent a letter to the governor later the same day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They requested Meyers administration alongside recently sworn-in Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Christen Linke Young find and divert any available funding resources to help keep SNAP programming afloat. If that is not an option, they wrote, they call for the General Assembly to reconvene for a special session to find and permit an alternative solution that ensures Delawareans in need will continue to have access to food aid. LAWSUIT: States sue over SNAP cutoff as shutdown enters Day 28 Proposed solutions include either shifting a part of the general funding currently set aside for the presented parking garage project at Legislative Hall or using a part of the approximately $50 million allocated for the ERP Cloud Migration money that has not yet been encumbered and is easily accessible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In any scenario, the letter continues, the redirected funds should be fully backfilled once federal operations resume, where legally permissible. As House Minority Leader Tim Dukes put it, Thats their bread and butter, and I dont want them to pay the price because people cant get along in D.C. An exterior view of Legislative Hall on March, 4 2024 in Dover. Minor-Brown mirrored many of these remarks, saying that lawmakers can take legislative action and pull from reserves if necessary. Or, if Meyer cannot allocate funding to the program for next month, they are willing to go back into a special session immediately to ensure it gets done. As House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris noted, lawmakers recognize Delawareans and communities in need, and they will continue to work for them and do what is needed to ensure this will be ironed out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will take the steps that are within our power and within our budget to be able to resolve, Harris said, later adding we cant promise the world, but we will give as much of it as we can. Related: 'Trickle down cruelty': McBride, nurses sound alarm on Medicaid cuts in Delaware 'We work across party lines and get things done' Despite what is currently going on in the nations capital, Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn said he is hopeful that Delaware will see movement on this. Its unfortunate that D.C. is in the situation that it is right now, where theres no movement, but were better than that here in Delaware, Pettyjohn said. We work across party lines and get things done for the better of Delaware citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That same day, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings joined fellow attorneys general and governors from roughly 24 states in a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture and Department Secretary Brooke Rollins, arguing that suspending funding is illegal. Jennings said the Trump administration has both a moral and a legal obligation to ensure access to food aid is not taken away from the roughly 42 million residents who rely on this programming. Let me put this simply: if SNAP benefits do not go out next month, our states food banks will be overwhelmed, and thousands of Delawareans will go hungry, Jennings said. That cannot happen. SNAP isnt a political bargaining chip its lifesaving help for working families, kids, and seniors, Meyer echoed in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Meyer said he had no comment at this time. This is a developing story and has been updated to add new information and responses from policy makers. Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@delawareonline.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware's lawmakers pen letter to Meyer on SNAP benefits The window for school choice applications for the 2026-27 school year opens on Nov. 3. Applications must be submitted on the state's website: SchoolChoiceDE.org. There, at the one-stop-shop for all participating public schools and charter schools in Delaware, you can create, edit and monitor your forms. The school choice program allows families to apply to enroll their children in any Delaware public school district, charter school or vocational-technical school, regardless of their home address. This process to choice into schools was streamlined over a decade ago when a new law created an application window, standardized applications and brought everything online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's recommended that families review choice policies for any districts or schools they plan on selecting and plan a visit to learn more about the programs. Though signing all the right forms does not guarantee a spot, schools and the Delaware Department of Education spell out the process for parents. Mas: DE nonprofit launched a Spanish-language website to help families understand and navigate school choice Register your student at home, do your research Members of the community and elected officials greeted students as they arrive for the first day school on Tuesday September 5, 2023 at EastSide Charter School in Wilmington. First of all, guardians should be sure to register their student at the correct school of residence. A child's "school of residence" is the school that the student attends based on home address. Use the state's school locator map if you're uncertain. Even kindergarten students must be preregistered with their home school before school choice applications will be processed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next, do some research. Visit school websites and check out meetings. Learn more about available programs that make this district or school a top choice for your student. School performance data is available online. Some schools may also have different application requirements and preferences to understand. While the lotteries are mostly random, some schools differ. For example, EastSide Charter School, First State Montessori Academy and Newark Charter School have had a 5-mile radius preference. Wilmington Charter and Delaware Military Academy also give priority to students who live within Red Clay Consolidated School District, as previously reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some schools lean toward students with specific interests, like future careers in the military, or interest in art or science. All schools have a sibling preference. So, do some digging ahead of time. Education roundup: What if you gave a Wilmington-area elementary $20K in school supplies? Time to apply in Delaware Any family looking to choice must apply. The 2026-27 application period will open at 8 a.m. on Nov. 3 and close by 11:59 p.m. Jan. 14. An online standard application is preferred. Guardians must create an account with a username and password to use the application site. Then, keep hold of it. From there, forms can be completed with a selection of choice schools, and you can list up to three schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A separate application must be submitted for each child. It's important to maintain accurate contact information, to ensure schools can communicate with you. Parents/guardians will receive an email confirmation once an application has been submitted, and with that login information, they can review, edit or withdraw the application at any time prior to the deadline. Some charters, vocational-tech districts and magnet schools may continue to accept applications after Jan. 14 to fill any remaining availability. Applications can also be submitted outside of the standard choice window in certain good cause situations, while kindergarten applications can be submitted until the first day of school. Delaware school funding: Caesar Rodney schools heading to February referendum to raise operating funds Don't miss choice selection drop First grade students learn communications protocols from Mrs. Hannah Schneese on the first day of school at Pleasantville Elementary School near New Castle, Aug. 28, 2023. Next: your results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schools process applications based on state and local policy, according to DDOE. Some schools use lotteries; some use lotteries after their outlined preferences. Regardless, the state says families will be notified of application status no later than Feb. 27. And by March 20, parents must have signaled their decision. You can accept only one school though you will not be taken off a waitlist you're on until the first day of school, even if another school's invitation is accepted. If you plan on rejecting an invitation, do so promptly to provide notification to the school. If students or parents seek to end their school choice participation, there's another form for that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For any questions or contacts, DDOE lists information for participating district and charters online. This story was updated to add more information. Got another education tip? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware school choice window opens Nov. 3. How to apply your child A Delaware State Police trooper has been indicted on charges including official misconduct, assault and false reporting after state prosecutors say he lied about an incident that occurred earlier this year at Nicola Pizza in Lewes. Master Cpl. William Walker witnessed two people having a physical altercation at Nicola on Jan. 30, the Delaware Department of Justice said in a Oct. 28 news release. The 53-year-old trooper, who was not in uniform, followed one of them outside and identified himself as a police officer "before forcibly pulling the victim back to the restaurant in a nelson hold," the release said. "After forcing the victim down onto a bench, Walker jerked him up by the front of his shirt, causing an altercation during which Walker struck the victim multiple times, including kicking (the victim while he) was on the ground," the release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were multiple attempts by others to end the altercation, according to the state, and Walker pushed one of the intervenors to the ground. Police misconduct: Trial begins for Wilmington police sergeant charged with slapping handcuffed woman When police responded to the scene, Walker falsely claimed the intervenor assaulted him, according to the state Department of Justice. The original victim was taken to a hospital and treated for bruising and minor lacerations before being released. Video evidence "raised concerns about the accuracy" of Walker's version of events and the level of force used in the incident, Delaware State Police Superintendent Col. William D. Crotty said in a statement. Walker was suspended while the incident was referred to and reviewed by the Delaware Department of Justice's Division of Public Trust, Crotty said, which indicates his agency's "commitment to accountability, transparency, and maintaining public trust." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Delaware State Police holds its troopers to the highest standards of conduct, both on and off duty, Crotty said. Allegations of misconduct are taken seriously." Lewes: Where a new Wawa will be built in the Lewes area On Oct. 27, Walker was indicted and charged with two counts of felony official misconduct and misdemeanor charges of falsely reporting an incident, third-degree assault and offensive touching. Such charges have a sentencing range of zero to over eight years in prison, the state justice department said. Walker remains suspended from his job. We expect all Delaware law enforcement to uphold their oath to serve and protect, Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in a statement. We will prosecute this case, and every case, with the utmost care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware police officer charged with assaulting man at Nicola Pizza Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will launch nonstop flights from Atlanta to Riyadh in October 2026, marking a significant expansion into the Middle East. Launching service to Riyadh marks a key step in Deltas global growth as we start our second century of flight, said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines. The flights will operate three times weekly on Deltas Airbus A350-900 and offer Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort, and Delta Main seats. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] We welcome Delta to Riyadh and look forward to the opportunities this service will create for travelers worldwide, said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delta One customers will enjoy lie-flat seats, chef-curated meals and exclusive amenities. This new route will also link customers from Riyadh to the U.S. with easy one-stop access to over 150 cities. Delta continues to expand its global reach, with Riyadh joining other new destinations like Marrakech, Melbourne, Sardinia, Porto, Hong Kong, and Malta. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A Delta Air Lines flight attendant inadvertently deployed the plane's emergency slide, before departing Pittsburgh International Airport over the weekend, forcing passengers to rebook and costing the airline "as much as $200,000." Passengers, bound for Salt Lake City on the Airbus A220-300, were rebooked onto other flights Saturday night and Sunday morning. "While the aircraft door was being opened, crew inadvertently deployed an emergency slide at the gate in PIT," a Delta Air Lines spokesperson said in a statement. "As a result, customers on the return flight from PIT to SLC were rebooked on other Delta flights to their destination later that evening or the following morning." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The expensive error could cost the airline "as much as $200,000" for passengers' hotel accommodations and repacking the slide, which can cost $12,000, according to aviation website simplifying.com. Other industry sources put the cost to repack an emergency slide on Airbus A220 models between $50,000 and $100,000. The flight attendant told passengers he had 26 years of flying experience and admitted he accidentally raised the door handle while arming the plane for departure, which triggered the emergency slide to inflate. "He did apologize and was quite flustered, cited over the 26 years of career, it never happened," one passenger said. Emergency slides are built to fully deploy in seconds in order to get passengers to safety as quickly as possible. In this case, the slide deployed against the jet bridge. That left passengers trapped inside the plane for more than an hour as engineers worked to disassemble it. Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) announced Monday he is introducing legislation to ban elected officials from owning or creating cryptocurrencies. Speaking in an interview on MSNBCs Morning Joe, republished on the legislators official YouTube channel on Monday evening, Khanna remarked on President Donald Trumps pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. This is blatant corruption. You dont need to know a lot about cryptocurrency to understand what went on here. Youve got a foreign billionaire who was basically engaged in money laundering, having money go to Hamas, having money go to Iran, having money go to child abusers, Rep. Khanna said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khanna, however, incorrectly stated that Zhao served four years in prison when the former Binance executive was only sentenced to four months. Khanna also incorrectly stated that Zhao was convicted. Instead, Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering violations as part of a $4.3 billion settlement deal with the U.S. Department of Justice. The California lawmaker alleged that President Trump granted a pardon to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao while Zhao was basically financing Donald Trumps cryptocurrency stablecoin. How Japans Crypto Insider Trading Ban Could Reshape Global Policy Khanna claimed Zhao pledged to support World Liberty Finance, which he described as the presidents sons cryptocurrency firm, and that they were making millions of dollars on while Trump is president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is so illegal. It is right in our faces, Khanna said, arguing that elected officials should be banned from having cryptocurrency and accepting foreign money. The remarks repeat some points raised in an earlier discussion on MSNBCs The Briefing on Friday, shortly after news of the pardon came out. Khanna urged bipartisan action to investigate what he described as financial entanglements between the Trump family and Zhao. I think that people think this is a tech issue. This is not a tech issue. This is a corruption issue. This is money that's going into someone at the White House and the White House having official acts like pardons in exchange, Khanna said Friday. Singapore Financial Watchdog to Ban Overseas Crypto Services Without License Try, try again Khannas efforts to legislate against crypto trading and ownership among elected officials follow his earlier introduction of the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act in 2023, a bipartisan ethics bill aimed at preventing members of Congress and their families from trading individual stocks while in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The measure would require lawmakers and senior officials to divest from individual holdings or place their assets in qualified blind trusts, limiting investments to diversified funds or U.S. Treasury securities. At the time, Khanna framed the proposal as a step toward restoring public trust by ensuring lawmakers cannot personally profit from policy decisions or privileged information, principles he now says should extend to cryptocurrency ownership as well. While Khannas 2023 Act stalled in committee and was never enacted, it did help shape ongoing bipartisan efforts to restrict lawmakers from trading stocks or crypto while in office. Khannas press office did not immediately return Decrypts request for a copy of drafts hes looking to file. Khanna also did not respond to Decrypts direct request for comment on X. Decrypt also asked for confirmation about his trading activities. Nvidia (NVDA) stock on Tuesday rose 5% to close at a record high after the company announced a slew of product updates, partnerships, and investment initiatives at its GTC event in Washington, D.C., putting it on the doorstep of becoming the first company in history with a market value above $5 trillion. The AI chip giant is approaching the threshold settling at a market cap of $4.89 trillion on Tuesday just months after becoming the first to close above $4 trillion in July. Among other announcements, Nvidia revealed Tuesday it is working with the US Department of Energy to build seven new supercomputers, including one that will use 10,000 Blackwell GPUs. Other announcements include a deal to work with Uber (UBER) to build a fleet of self-driving cars and an agreement to sell 1,000 GPUs to drugmaker Eli Lilly (LLY). Nvidia also said it is working with Nokia (NOK) to help develop next-generation 6G cellular technology. Nvidia also announced tie-ups with Palantir (PLTR) and Oracle (ORCL), as well as telecom partnerships on a wireless 6G buildout, including Cisco (CSCO) and T-Mobile (TMUS). The company also highlighted how its AI tech is powering robotics initiatives from companies ranging from Amazon (AMZN) to Foxconn, Caterpillar (CAT), and Belden (BDC), among others. Read more: How does Nvidia make money? The company also announced a new open systems architecture, Nvidia NVQLink, aimed at accelerating the development of quantum supercomputers, including partners like Rigetti (RGTI) and IonQ (IONQ). During his keynote presentation on Tuesday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company expects to realize $500 billion in GPU sales through the end of 2026. The company's total revenue tallied just over $100 billion in the first two quarters of this year. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks on how AI infrastructure and AI factories that generate intelligence at scale are powering a new industrial revolution at the Washington Convention Center on Oct. 28. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) ASSOCIATED PRESS Nvidia also stands to benefit from a potential trade deal between the US and China, which could see Nvidia resume sales of its chips in the Chinese market. Its stock has been on a tear this year, climbing more than 50% year to date and more than doubling since its lows back in April. The company's chips are the building blocks of the massive data centers that cloud service providers, including Amazon, Google (GOOG, GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT), are constructing worldwide. Nvidia has also been busy putting its own cash to work, investing up to $100 billion in OpenAI (OPAI.PVT), which is also one of its most important customers. While Nvidia remains the AI chip leader, competition in the space is increasing. Rival AMD (AMD) has signed a deal with OpenAI for up to 6 gigawatts worth of AI processors and inked a separate deal with Oracle for 50,000 GPUs. A coalition of 25 Democratic-run states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to prevent billions of dollars of cuts to federal food assistance that are set to kick in this weekend. Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states and Washington, DC, claimed in the lawsuit that the Trump administration was threatening illegal cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. The US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program for 42 million Americans, cannot simply suspend all benefits indefinitely, while refusing to spend funds from available appropriations for SNAP benefits for eligible households, the lawsuit claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has argued it does not have the power to use that pot of existing money known as its contingency fund to cover the SNAP program beyond Saturday, because of the federal government shutdown. The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists, officials in the Department of Agriculture wrote in a memo last week. The risk of tens of millions of Americans losing food aid has triggered intense anxiety across Washington, as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark. Top lawmakers from both parties acknowledge it would be the most significant impact of the shutdown to date, with House Speaker Mike Johnson privately warning his GOP members on a call Tuesday that the pain was about to spike for everyday Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to block a GOP funding bill because it does not include their separate demands on extending health care subsidies. But GOP leaders have refused to negotiate on the subsidies until the government reopens, leaving both parties in a bitter stalemate with no clear way out. Democrats have been unflinching in their stance, despite the looming Saturday deadline for the food aid. They argue that President Donald Trump has sought to weaponize the food assistance program, intentionally choosing not to fund the aid to pressure Democrats to yield. Fight over food aid Shortly after the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on CN N News Central that there isnt enough contingency funding to cover SNAP benefits for November, which she said would cost about $9.2 billion. As of today, that $9.2 billion, we dont even have close to that in contingency funding, Rollins said. Weve got to get this government open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added that all it takes is a yes on a continuing resolution to keep the government going, and to send that (SNAP) money out to the states. A so-called clean contin uing resolution would extend government funding at current levels. But congressional Democrats have opposed that because Republicans havent agreed to negotiate on the expiring health care subsidies. The White House referred CNN to the Office of Management and Budget for comment on the lawsuit. An OMB spokesperson said in a statement that Democrats chose to shut down the government knowing full well that SNAP would soon run out of funds. It doesnt have to be this way, and its sad they are using the families who rely on it as pawns. Democratic attorney general: This is wrong The Democratic-run states filed the lawsuit in Massachusetts federal court. Court records indicate the case was randomly assigned to District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee who was confirmed in a bipartisan and unanimous Senate vote in 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress approved $6 billion for a SNAP-specific contingency fund in the spending bill that averted a shutdown in March, the lawsuit notes. The lawsuit also points out that, as recently as September, the USDA website identified these funds as part of its plan to keep the food stamp payments flowing in case of a government shutdown. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, accused the Trump administration of using SNAP benefits to play shutdown politics at a news conference Tuesday announcing his support for the lawsuit. The truth is the department has the money, Jackson said, adding, They are looking to ratchet up the pain in an already painful moment. This is wrong, and its against the law. CNNs Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WASHINGTON States led by Democratic governors sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its refusal to pay food benefits to 22 million households next month. The administration has said it cant pay the benefits because of the funding impasse in Congress, which has forced federal agencies to furlough workers and halt services not necessary for preserving life or property. Politics: 'It's Pretty Clear': Trump Gives Surprise Update On 2028 'Third Term' Talk Democrats have argued the administration ought to be able to use a rainy day fund to pay all or at least some of the roughly $8 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to be paid in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Donald Trump parades around the world trying to repair the economic damage hes done with his incompetence, hes denying food to millions of Americans who will go hungry next month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press release about the lawsuit. Its cruel and speaks to his basic lack of humanity. He doesnt care about the people of this country, only himself. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with Democratic attorneys general from 22 other states, argued in federal court Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, has a legal obligation to pay the benefits. USDA not only has authority to use contingency funds, it has a legal duty to spend all available dollars to fund SNAP benefits, Bonta said. Politics: Inside The Trump Family's Global Crypto Cash Machine A USDA shutdown contingency plan dated September 2025 suggested the agency could use its contingency fund to pay benefits, but the department deleted the memo from its website, which now says the well has run dry and there will be no benefits next month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an emailed statement, the USDA repeated what its said before that Senate Democrats need to vote for a House-passed funding bill that theyve rejected a dozen times so far. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments, the USDA said. Senate Democrats have said theyre holding out for an extension of health insurance subsidies that help 22 million Americans afford health insurance. The subsidies expire at the end of the year, and insurance companies have already begun warning about high premium increases as a result. Politics: AOC Blows Right-Winger Riley Gaines Out Of The Water With 2 Hilarious Clap Backs By coincidence, 22 million households, containing 42 million people, could miss out on food benefits starting next week as a result of the shutdown. Federal workers and some SNAP recipients have already been showing up at food banks, which are now bracing for a surge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has found ways to pay troop and border patrol salaries, and to preserve access to a small nutrition program for women, but insists it cant do the same for SNAP. On Tuesday, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) introduced a bill that would fund food benefits during a shutdown. Were here using every possible tool we have to both get the government reopen and address the manufactured food crisis that the administration and the GOP are creating, Stansbury told reporters. Political Updates Read the original on HuffPost Democrats are launching a redistricting counteroffensive across the country as they try to keep pace with the GOPs aggressive gerrymandering ahead of next years midterms. Recent developments in Virginia, New York and Illinois mark an escalation among Democrats after months of internal deliberations and inaction on how to combat President Donald Trumps push to redraw congressional lines throughout the nation. Hes eyeing up to 19 new GOP seats as his party looks to retain its slim House majority, according to a POLITICO analysis. The nascent Democratic rebuttal in recent days is the minority partys most aggressive set of moves yet outside of California, where voters will decide next week whether to create a new congressional map that would grant the state five blue seats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made stops in Chicago and Springfield, Ill., with state and federal legislative leaders Monday on his latest swing to convince local lawmakers to redraw their maps. Democrats could pick up one seat in the Prairie State. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Virginia lawmakers on Monday began to amend the states constitution to enable drawing new lines ahead of the 2026 midterms. And in New York, a prominent Democratic election lawyers firm filed suit Monday challenging the constitutionality of a Republican-held congressional district and opening the door to another potential redraw. It all amounts to a new tenor for a party grasping for victory after devastating losses last year. This is unprecedented stuff to undermine the ability of the American people to participate in the free and fair election, which is why Democrats, on behalf of the American people, need to respond decisively, Jeffries told reporters after Mondays high-stakes meeting in Chicago with Black leaders. He said that it's essential to counter Trumps push thats underway in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri. The White House is also pressuring the Republican-led states of Indiana and Kansas to redesign their congressional maps, with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun calling a special session Monday to consider redrawing its congressional districts. The GOPs effort threatens to put Democrats at a steep disadvantage and has been raising pressure on party leaders to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Virginia Democrats could swing as many as three of the states 11 congressional seats away from Republicans. Democrats are working against a tight timeline to present voters with a new map. Under the states constitution, a new amendment to create the lines has to be approved by consecutive sessions of the state legislature, with an election occurring in between the votes. That sets up a statewide referendum, which cant take place until at least 90 days after the amendment is passed, just two months before the states primaries next year. The action in the Virginia General Assembly has scrambled the final days of the states off-year election, topped with the high-profile gubernatorial contest. All members in the House of Delegates are on the ballot, and are being yanked off the campaign trail the week before the election as they head to Richmond to approve the amendment. Virginia Republicans have blasted their rivals surprise push as undermining the will of voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats in our General Assembly are calling this special session not to serve the people but to serve themselves, Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor, said in a press conference ahead of the special session. As lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears serves as presiding officer of the state Senate. In New York, the lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of residents argues the states congressional map illegally dilutes Black and Latino voters. The district in question, which encompasses Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, is represented by GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who has been the focus of Democratic mapmakers since the start of the last redistricting cycle. The suit, brought by Elias Law Group, asks for a judge to chop off the moderate Brooklyn portion of the district, replacing it with deep blue portions of Lower Manhattan. A Democratic court victory leading to changes before 2026 would require quick movement. The trial level court has two months to issue a decision, said New York Law Schools Jeff Wice. And then it would go through the appellate division challenge and then the Court of Appeals. So the clock is ticking on this case, he added. New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said in a statement that the lawsuit is seeking a blatant racial gerrymander, and the current district is compact, respected communities of interest, and has been approved by both the courts and the State Legislature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffries visit to Illinois coincided with the state General Assemblys fall session, which could take up the issue in the coming days. Those efforts face opposition from some of the states Black leaders over concerns that a new map would dilute their influence across congressional districts. State Sen. Willie Preston, head of the Senate Black Caucus, said he would oppose any map that reduces Black political power. We understand whats at stake, but if Black representation is going to be diluted, thats not a map I can support, he said. And in Colorado, Democrats may have another state to add to their gameplan. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is running for governor, is calling for Democrats to put forward a break glass in case of emergency ballot initiative in 2026 that would give the state Legislature the power to redraw its congressional map for 2028 and then return the reins to the Colorado's independent redistricting commission. While Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, who is term-limited, has shown no appetite for circumventing the commission, Weiser insisted theres a groundswell of support for doing so as more red states redistrict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I remain open and even modestly hopeful that other states will see the handwriting on the wall and we won't have to go down this road, he said. But if that's not the case, we can't deny reality. We have to be prepared to do our part. Lisa Kashinsky contributed reporting Democrats have branded the Trump administrations decision to remove export restrictions on American-made firearms a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers. A group led by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro wrote to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticizing the scrapping of a Joe Biden-era rule intended to frustrate the black market in illegal small arms sales. Eliminating firearm export rules is a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers responsible for the deaths of Americans and innocent civilians around the world, the lawmakers wrote in their letter, first reported by The Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By rescinding the rule, Commerce is empowering the very cartels and criminal organizations that this administration has sought to counter. Warren and Castros letter, signed by 14 other senators from their party and dozens of representatives, included a string of questions they are seeking answers to regarding the decision-making process, giving Lutnick and Rubio until November 4 to respond. Homeland Security Investigations displays a selection of confiscated guns recovered as part of a crackdown on the smuggling of firearms and ammunition to the Caribbean at its Miami Field Office on August 17 2022 (Getty) A coalition of over 80 NGOs have meanwhile issued a statement of their own agreeing with the Democrats and calling the administrations actions reckless and irresponsible. Without sufficient controls, U.S.-sourced guns can end up in the hands of abusive governments and transnational criminal organizations where they may stoke political violence, empower narcotics trafficking, foment regional instability, and spur forced migration as people seek refuge outside their own country, their statement read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law rescinded on September 30 was introduced on April 30 2024 after the Government Accountability Office found that 73 percent of firearms recovered in crimes in the Caribbean between 2018 and 2022 were sourced from the U.S., prompting the Biden administration to try to stem the flow of American firearms into the hands of foreign criminals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are under pressure from Democrats to explain the roll back (AFP/Getty) Governments in the Caribbean region expressed concern that individuals are using license exceptions to bring firearms, particularly semi-automatic handguns, to their countries, and that those firearms are being diverted to violent criminals, the rule stated. These partner governments have sought U.S. assistance in addressing diversion, which is fueling violence, criminal activity, and instability within their countries or regions. Rubio himself has previously expressed agreement with the Biden administrations position on the problem, telling a House hearing in May: The cartels that operate within Mexico and threaten the state are armed from weapons that are bought in the United States and shipped there. We want to help stop that flow. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has led the opposition outcry over the decision (AP) In justifying its decision to roll back the law last month, the Trump administration said it was causing American firearms manufacturers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars per year in lost sales by imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By restoring export controls on firearms to the state they were in at the end of the first Trump administration, BIS [Bureau of Industry and Security] is advancing the administrations commitment to reducing regulatory burdens on industry and law-abiding firearms owners, it said. The issue comes as the administration continues to blow up alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, aggressions that its critics have warned fail to observe the demands of due process. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Tuesday that three further strikes had been carried out, killing 14 crew and taking the total number of narco vessels targeted to at least 13 since early September and the total number of fatalities to more than 50. Democrats are demanding answers over President Trumps decision to greenlight the unrestricted export of American-made firearms, saying the move risks empowering criminal and terrorist organizations, according to letters obtained exclusively by The Hill. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) led a group of lawmakers criticizing the decision to rescind export restrictions on U.S. small arms put in place to combat the illicit gun market. Eliminating firearm export rules is a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers responsible for the deaths of Americans and innocent civilians around the world, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as Trumps national security adviser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By rescinding the rule, Commerce is empowering the very cartels and criminal organizations that this Administration has sought to counter. The administration on Sept. 30 revoked a rule established under the Biden administration limiting the export of American-made firearms and related ammunition. The export restriction was put in place to combat the illegal diversion of legally exported American fire-arms, and targeted 36 countries. A report by the Government Accountability Office found that between 2018 and 2022, 73 percent of firearms recovered in crimes in the Caribbean were sourced from the U.S. Governments in the Caribbean region expressed concern that individuals are using license exceptions to bring firearms, particularly semi-automatic handguns, to their countries, and that those firearms are being diverted to violent criminals, the Biden-era rule stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These partner governments have sought U.S. assistance in addressing diversion, which is fueling violence, criminal activity, and instability within their countries or regions. The Biden-era rule created a presumption to deny exports of certain American weapons to nongovernment foreign entities in countries with a high risk of firearm diversion or misuse, and strengthened mechanisms for tracking the export of semiautomatic weapons. The rule also shortened the validity period of export licenses from four years to one year. The Trump administration, in its decision to rescind the rule, said American firearms manufacturers estimated the regulatory restrictions would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars per year in lost sales, and that the rule imposed unnecessary regulatory burdens. The administration also removed congressional notification requirements for certain semiautomatic firearms license applications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By restoring export controls on firearms to the state they were in at the end of the first Trump Administration, BIS [Bureau of Industry and Security] is advancing the Administrations commitment to reducing regulatory burdens on industry and law-abiding firearms owners, the administration said in its statement at the time. The Hill has reached out to the Commerce Department and the State Department for comment. The Trump administrations decision to revoke the rule comes as the president has carried out an aggressive military campaign in the Caribbean against what he says are drug traffickers designated as terrorist organizations, launching missiles at boats and killing crews allegedly ferrying drugs to the U.S. At the same time, the president has raised the possibility of land operations to target terrorist-designated drug cartels. Lawmakers questioned whether the rescission of the rule represented a self-inflicted wound on the administrations own efforts to stop the flow of weapons to cartels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cartels that operate within Mexico and threaten the state are armed from weapons that are bought in the United States and shipped there. We want to help stop that flow, Rubio said during a House hearing in May. Warren and Castro, joined by 14 Democratic senators and dozens of House Democrats, issued a detailed list of questions to Lutnick and Rubio to answer by Nov. 4. These include to detail whether any legally exported U.S. weapons were diverted to terrorist groups since 2017; whether the administration will allow the export to nongovernment entities in high-risk countries; and whether the administration conducted any research into the impact of the rule since it went into effect. The lawmakers also raise concern that American gun manufacturers influenced the decision to rescind the export restriction, requiring Commerce to provide a list of all meetings Lutnick or any members of his staff have had with firearm industry stakeholders regarding export controls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration wrote in its justification that American firearms manufacturers estimated that these regulatory restrictions would cost them hundreds of millions of dollars per year in lost sales. By restoring export controls on firearms to the state they were in at the end of the first Trump Administration, BIS is advancing the Administrations commitment to reducing regulatory burdens on industry and law-abiding firearms owners. A coalition of more than 80 nongovernmental organizations issued a statement echoing the letter, calling the Trump administrations actions reckless and irresponsible. Without sufficient controls, U.S.-sourced guns can end up in the hands of abusive governments and transnational criminal organizations where they may stoke political violence, empower narcotics trafficking, foment regional instability, and spur forced migration as people seek refuge outside their own country, the statement read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Updated at 8:21 a.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Democrats grappled Monday with the first major fraying of their coalition amid the government shutdown, with a federal employee union calling for them to stand down four weeks into the standoff. There was no immediate surrender from party leaders, but the unions plea forced many Democratic lawmakers into a defensive crouch. Their No. 2 Senate leader said it would be a subject of internal conversations this week with bipartisan talks all but ground to a halt. It has a lot of impact. They've been our friends, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters Monday, adding that Democrats take them seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The push by the American Federation of Government Employees for Congress to immediately pass a clean stopgap funding bill, which is what has been offered by Republicans, is among a laundry list of pressure points that are bearing down on lawmakers. By the end of the week, members of the military will miss their next paycheck, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will run out and Americans who get their health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges will confront premium spikes as open enrollment starts without a deal on how to extend soon-to-expire subsidies. The ramifications of the shutdown on air travel also escalated over the weekend. Sen. Mark Warner of federal-worker-heavy Virginia has been firmly in favor of confronting President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans over the expiring ACA subsidies and health care. But the Democrat struck a more cautious note Monday. Look, I think we can still deal with health care and SNAP, but I know the shutdown is a real challenge, he said. Federal employees feel like theyve been abused and also going for weeks now without pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He sidestepped a question on whether the AFGEs statement would change his position: Lets see. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met Monday evening with his leadership circle, including Durbin. The entire Senate Democratic caucus will meet for a closed-door lunch Tuesday. During a floor speech Monday, Schumer didnt directly address the unions new position, with AFGE National President Everett Kelley saying, Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. Instead, Schumer noted the cascading consequences of the shutdown and laid the responsibility for ending it on Trump and Republicans, saying that the president skipped town for his second foreign trip in a month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president should stop focusing on foreign escapades, on ballrooms, on bailouts for Argentina, and start focusing on negotiating with Democrats, Schumer said. In a subsequent statement, he said, Democrats want all federal workers to get their full pay and to address the health care crisis. We can do both. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters in Chicago that Democrats arent budging. "We want to find a bipartisan agreement that reopens the government immediately, he said. We're going to continue to stand by hardworking federal employees, and our position has not changed over the last several weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But among the rank-and-file, there are growing signs of bipartisan frustration about the stalemate, with few signs of movement in the Capitol for weeks. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in a floor speech Monday called for the Senate to abandon its typical four-day workweek and gavel in Friday, joking with reporters afterward that she went rogue. I dont think we should be going home and just behaving as if this was another week in the United States Senate not when we have a government shutdown, Murkowski said. There is so much, so much that is coming at us like a freight train. Murkowski, who has an independent streak, pointed to the looming SNAP deadline and ACA open enrollment as a pivot point for Congress. She spent time speaking with several colleagues on the Senate floor Monday, including Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, as well as GOP Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thought it was really constructive, she said about the conversations, adding that lawmakers need to get to a point where we're not going to leave the room until we work this out. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson pointed to the looming deadlines Monday and said the onus is on Democrats to relent. Johnson cited the unions statement during a news conference, saying he hoped it impacted Democrats thinking. They understand the reality of this, he said. But Republicans are facing a tactical divide of their own as they debate whether to hold standalone votes on the Senate floor this week that would ease particular pain points such as the SNAP lapse and paychecks for active-duty troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate GOP leaders won't make a final decision until a closed-door lunch Tuesday as they hear out different factions within their conference. But they are wary of easing up on Democrats just as they show signs of fraying and are seen as unlikely to allow votes on the so-called rifle-shot bills. Durbin, for instance, predicted Monday that bills from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would pay air traffic controllers and TSA agents and from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that would keep food aid flowing would likely pass with Democratic support. What was also clear Monday is that Democrats continue to feel comfortable laying the blame for the shutdown at Trumps feet especially as he spends the week in Asia. That colored responses from many Democrats, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who said in a statement that Trump should spend less time traveling around the world and more time negotiating an end to his shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Van Hollen is in talks with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to try to find an agreement on legislation that would pay federal employees and active-duty military troops. Democrats are also proposing limiting Trumps ability to fire federal employees for the duration of the shutdown. Weve been engaged over the weekend and now, Van Hollen said Monday. Another Democrat from a fed-heavy state, Virginias Tim Kaine, also invoked Trump Monday in brushing off the unions new stance. The AFGE would not want us to cut a deal and then have Trump fire a bunch of people next week. If we cut a deal and then he did that, they would come to us and say, What the hell were you guys thinking? Kaine told reporters. Shia Kapos contributed to this report. (NewsNation) Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler has blamed Democrats for bringing economic and small business growth to what she calls a screeching halt. The government shutdown, which began October 1, is affecting federal workers, as well as many small businesses, according to the administrator. Democrats want to inflict pain to score political points, and thats coming on the backs of small businesses, to the tune of about 320 small businesses every day now cant get their loan, Loeffler told NewsNation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That totals about $170 million that is blocked from going to Main Street. And so far here on Day 27, thats upwards of $4 billion, its about 6,000 small businesses that have been left high and dry by Senate Democrats refusing to reopen the government, she added. US detains British Muslim commentator after revoking visa Shutdown end in sight, Loeffler says Loeffler believes there is an end in sight, in part due to service members pay potentially drying up at the end of October. Food stamps and WIC run out this very weekend. It means almost 50 million families will go without the nutrition that they need, and that is just the beginning, Loeffler said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The list of pain goes on, and its all playing out on Main Street. They are trying to stop President Trumps agenda, and instead of trying to have a conversation, reopening the government and negotiating, theyre inflicting pain on the American people. Senate Democrats shocking Loeffler Loeffler added that some small businesses will have to close, and many will not be able to make up the lost income from the shutdown. Thousands of businesses, even in my own state of Georgia, thousands and thousands in one state, are not getting the revenue sources they need. This isnt revenue that can be made up. This is lost. Its permanent damage, she said. Having previously served in the Senate, Loeffler offered advice for Democrats, believing the GOP is already acting adequately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 400 weapons seized, father, son face smuggling charges: Feds I understand the politics of the moment, what I dont understand is the willingness to inflict pain because each of these senators, certainly on the Senate Republican side, understands that theyre representing their communities back home and thats why they have voted to get this government back open, to pay our military, to pay our workers and to ensure that the federal functions of government that theyre obligated to deliver are able to work, Loeffler said. Whats shocking is that Senate Democrats have voted 12 times to shut the government, to not pay our military, to not pay workers, and so my advice to Senate Democrats because it appears Senate Republicans dont need this advice is think about the folks back home. Why Loeffler donated to WH ballroom The White House released a list of donors to the White House ballroom renovations Thursday, with Loeffler among the pledgers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She explained to NewsNation why she decided to contribute and how meaningful it is for her to be involved. Ive been a longtime supporter of the president, thats for sure, and this is such a historic moment to be able to contribute to something that is going to serve generations in this country, and Ive seen that this is the peoples house, the White House, and hopefully generations will enjoy it, Loeffler said. So Im very proud to donate to something that is so positive and historic for this nation, she added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. Democrats appear to be unmoved by fresh demands from the largest federal employees union to reopen the government, a sign that the shutdown stalemate between lawmakers will continue as government workers increasingly feel the pain during the process. Its the latest example of how pressure points have not had the power to bring an end to the current shutdown, which is already the second longest in US history with no end in sight. Over one million federal workers are going unpaid as the impasse drags on and some are turning to food pantries. Democrats were quick to say they care about the plight of federal workers and what the union has to say. But that doesnt change the fact that most remain firmly dug in on the position that they wont provide the votes to reopen the government unless their concerns over the rising costs of health care are met. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin acknowledged that the statement from the American Federation of Government Employees, immediately has an impact on Democrats, who have closely aligned with the group, though he didnt predict a change in strategy. It has a lot of impact, and theyve been our friends and weve worked with them over the years, Durbin told reporters on Monday, adding that he has talked to representatives with the union and recognizes that theyre in a terrible mess representing so many federal employees who are missing paychecks and facing threats to their jobs. Still, Durbin told CNN, Im not seeing any change in position at this time as Democrats continue to oppose a bill to extend current funding levels through November 21. US Senator Dick Durbin visits a protester aid station outside of the Broadview ICE facility, in Chicago, Illinois, on October 10. - Jim Vondruska/Reuters The widespread belief among Democrats on Capitol Hill is that Republicans will be forced to cave first, particularly as they expect millions of Americans will find out their health care premiums are spiking when open enrollment begins on November 1. Republicans have refused to negotiate until the government reopens, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House out of session since September 19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who represents a large population of federal workers, said of the unions statement, I work very closely with them. That matters to me. But the issue that Ive always been focused on, that Ive shared with yall is, is a deal, a deal? And the AFGE would not want us to cut a deal and then have Trump fire a bunch of people next week. If we cut a deal and then he did that, they would come to us and say, What the hell were you guys thinking? Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper said, Youre damned if you do and damned if you dont. I cant remember a situation where I felt there were less palatable choices. But he still doesnt feel ready to vote to reopen the government like AFGE is asking. I dont feel comfortable with that, because Im not convinced that, you know, sacrificing whatever it is, 30, 35 million people, who are going to either lose health care or pay dramatically more for it is worth that extra week, but its tough. Trust me, its a hard calculus to figure out. Other Democrats argued the union statement did not represent a new stance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had a conversation with the president of AFGE earlier, right after the shutdown, and that was their position then. So thats not a new position, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire told CNN. In a statement on Monday, the president of AFGE Everett Kelley, who represents more than 800,000 workers spread across the the DC and federal government, said, Its time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, on July 17. - Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images Its long past time for our leaders to put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government, Kelley added. Kelley called for lawmakers to pass a clean continuing resolution, or CR, to fund the government. Republicans have put forward such a resolution that would reopen the government in the short term until November 21 but Democrats have repeatedly blocked it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AFGE had called on lawmakers to reopen the government on October 1, the first day of the shutdown, but Mondays renewed push increased the spotlight on the issue. Johnson said he certainly hopes AFGEs statement on Monday serves as a turning point in the shutdown. Democrats claim President Donald Trump has access to funding that could help alleviate the challenges facing federal workers during this shutdown, but has instead proposed billions in a bailout to Argentina, used the shutdown as an opportunity to fire federal workers and cancel federal contracts that dont align with his priorities, and went on a foreign trip to Asia instead of trying to break the deadlock. Vermont Sen. Peter Welch said, Trump can take care of this if he pauses to make a phone call and allow us to reach the health care resolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans, on the other hand, have blamed Democrats for the consequences of the shutdown, arguing that all they have to do is provide the votes to reopen the government for the impasse to end. They have pointed to missed paychecks for federal workers as the shutdown drags on as a reason the government needs to be reopened now, and argue that the negotiations on the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium subsidies can happen after that. Meanwhile, another major union, the National Treasury Employees Union, told CNN it did not have an update on their position following AFGEs new letter but has been calling for a bipartisan agreement to end the government shutdown. CNNs Alison Main and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Nvidia (NVDA) announced on Tuesday that it's teaming up with the US Department of Energy to develop seven AI supercomputers at both the Argonne National Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The first phase of the rollout will see Nvidia and Oracle partner to build two new supercomputers at Argonne called Equinox and Solstice. Equinox will run on 10,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs. Both systems, Nvidia says, will be used to build one trillion parameter AI models, simulation, and scientific computing. Additional Argonne supercomputers will include Tara, Minerva, and Janus. The Los Alamos supercomputers, called Mission and Vision, will be built by HPE and run on Nvidias upcoming Vera Rubin superchips. Mission, the company said, will power classified applications for the National Nuclear Security Agency, while Vision is built for unclassified AI applications. Nvidia also said it's working with nine US national labs and a host of additional companies on quantum computing technologies via its new NVQLink technology, which pairs a classic GPU supercomputer to a quantum computer to help address quantum error correction. Nvidia stock jumped amid a flurry of announcements from its GTC event, where CEO Jensen Huang gave the keynote address. Shares reached an all-time intraday high Tuesday afternoon. Rather than the bits represented by ones and zeros that classic computers use, quantum computers use qubits. But qubits, unlike standard bits, are susceptible to outside interference, which can impact the results of quantum calculations. That has made it difficult to build a practical quantum computer that can pump out the correct answer to an equation without fail. Quantum error correction is meant to address errors caused by that interference. In addition to the AI supercomputer, Nvidia is developing an all-American, AI-native wireless stack for 6G connectivity. The company said it's working with US firms, including T-Mobile (TMUS) and Cisco (CSCO), to ensure that America can deploy 6G networks built using US technology. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang before a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) ASSOCIATED PRESS Nvidia has been pushing the concept of sovereign AI, or AI systems built to power research deemed important by national governments to help increase sales beyond individual companies and hyperscalers like Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOGL, GOOG), Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT). The effort is paying off, with Nvidia signing deals with nations worldwide, as well as companies within those countries. Nvidia reports its third quarter earnings after the bell on Nov. 19. Investors will almost certainly want to know more about how the company is monetizing its sovereign AI efforts and how much it's contributing to the company's bottom line. Dozens of Democratic attorneys general and governors are planning to sue President Donald Trumps administration Tuesday over its decision to not tap emergency funds amid the government shutdown to keep food aid flowing to 42 million Americans next month, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement. Trump officials concluded in a Friday memo that they cannot legally tap a $5 billion contingency fund for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program amid the shutdown to pay benefits in November. Some in the administration believe, with $9 billion needed to fund SNAP payments for the month, there is no time to distribute smaller payments to individual states. Administration officials anticipated their legal determination would be challenged in court, POLITICO reported last week, and there are no serious efforts underway at USDA to find other sources of funding, according to two other people granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. But some GOP lawmakers whose constituents would be clobbered by a first-ever lapse of federal food benefits, are pushing for some kind of patch to prevent that from happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Republicans are divided over whether to vote on a standalone bill to keep SNAP beneficiaries many of whom live in rural and Hispanic-majority Republican districts from losing assistance. Many argue Democrats will be at fault if the Friday deadline barrels past with no fix as they continue to push Democratic senators to vote for the stopgap spending bill the House passed last month. Senate Majority Leader John Thune argued Monday the best way to fund SNAP was for Democrats to vote to reopen the government, though he said GOP senators would discuss the issue during their Tuesday policy lunch. Republicans, for now, dont believe Thune will put a SNAP funding carve-out to a vote this week, according to two senators and three aides granted anonymity to discuss GOP party strategy. But a growing number of Senate Republicans including some within Thunes own leadership circle are publicly saying Congress needs to fund SNAP whether or not Democrats relent on overall government funding, lest millions without food aid before Thanksgiving. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yeah, I would vote for that, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said in a brief interview Monday about supporting a standalone SNAP bill. Capito, who chairs the Senate GOP policy committee and whose constituents are heavily reliant on SNAP, said she didnt want the program to lapse during the shutdown. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins and a handful of other Republican senators have signed on to a bill from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to fund the program, and they are pushing for a vote this week. Asked Monday if she wants the administration to allow SNAP to be administered in November, Collins replied, I certainly do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Collins said she wrote to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last week and strongly recommended that she use the $5 billion in contingency fees. She said she hadnt heard back from the secretary. Republican and Democratic aides believe a SNAP carve-out would pass in the Senate, but bringing it up for a vote this week would require all 100 senators to agree to fast-track it to the floor. Privately, Republicans fear allowing a standalone vote on food aid would relieve key pressure on Democrats and potentially prolong the shutdown. Passing it would also mean bringing the House back into session to send it to Trumps desk, something Speaker Mike Johnson has been trying to avoid. If we could figure out a way to find something Democrats will vote for, we'd love to do that, but right now, we could fully fund the SNAP program by reopening the government, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said. We could do that in 30 minutes from now. Asked if he would support a standalone SNAP bill, Mullin replied, I would support opening the government back up. Calen Razor and Jordain Carney contributed to this report. The Virginia House of Delegates convened Monday at the state Capitol in Richmond for a special session called by Speaker Don Scott. On a party-line vote, Democrats approved a procedural resolution expanding the sessions scope to include a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting, a move Republicans denounced as unconstitutional and politically motivated just one week before the Nov. 4 election. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) With just one week before Election Day, Virginia lawmakers returned to the state Capitol Monday for a surprise special session that swiftly turned into a partisan clash over the future of the states congressional map and, potentially, its balance of political power for years to come. House Democrats, using procedural maneuvers that caught Republicans off guard, pushed through a procedural resolution crafted by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, that would allow the General Assembly to consider a proposed constitutional amendment granting lawmakers authority to redraw Virginias congressional districts mid-decade. The Senate is expected to take up the measure in the coming days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the resolution, adopted on a party-line vote in both chambers, lawmakers may now consider budget and revenue bills, judicial appointments and constitutional amendments related to redistricting and reapportionment. The measure effectively removes the usual constraints that limit special sessions to subjects designated by the governor or legislative leaders. This was an important vote for us to take this week in order for us to have that option, said Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. If we were not to take this action right now, then we would be pulling an option from the voters. Republicans decried the legislative action as an ambush carried out largely behind closed doors. Democrats argued the procedural expansion is needed to respond to what they view as a growing national campaign by Republicans encouraged by President Donald Trump to reengineer congressional maps mid-decade. As first reported by The New York Times last week, Democratic strategists, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, have urged Virginia to act preemptively in case federal courts uphold new Republican-drawn maps in states such as Texas, North Carolina and Missouri that could tilt the balance of the U.S. House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The actions that Texas and Missouri and North Carolina have taken have triggered this, Price said. The trigger has already been pulled when it comes to attacks on our democracy. So thats why Virginia is here. We are going to do our job to protect democracy in Virginia. Republicans cry foul Republicans blasted the maneuver as a constitutional overreach designed to change election rules days before voters decide three statewide races. House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said Democrats had sidelined the minority and the public in an opaque process that left many guessing what was actually being planned. Theres a lot of issues that we need to talk about to the voters of Virginia, but obviously the ruling party had other plans, Kilgore told reporters on the House floor. Just let it be known that we do think that this was a plan to take us out of having any motions of personal privilege. I just want to know from our side, because were not privy to all this, are we going to have a redistricting constitutional amendment coming to the floor? House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, speaks with reporters on the House floor Monday. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) Del. Israel OQuinn, R-Washington, accused Democrats of hiding the ball: You know a bill is a bad idea when a member mumbles through their description of it and refuses to take questions and sits back down, OQuinn said. They dont want morning hour speeches, so youre getting to see a really bad idea play out in real time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans also questioned whether Democrats had already missed the legal window to advance a constitutional amendment this year. Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania, cited Virginia Code 30-13, which requires proposed constitutional amendments to be posted publicly at least three months before the next House of Delegates election. That deadline has already passed, Orrock said on the House floor, arguing that any amendment passed this week could not legally appear before voters in November. Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, warned that Democrats were defying centuries of precedent. Here we are, eight days before Election Day, near the conclusion of our 46-day election season, in Richmond, Ware said. The purpose of this unprecedented special session during an election is to hitch Virginia, belatedly, to the pell-mell bandwagon, to redistrict, or to speak more honestly, to gerrymander, the commonwealths electoral districts. Democrats: Amendment only creates an option Price and other Democrats maintained that the move does not dismantle Virginias independent redistricting commission, approved by voters in 2020, but merely creates an additional safeguard should courts or federal actions reshape national political boundaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, who will carry the proposed constitutional amendment, said the plan is going to give us options. Maybe the most important point to make here is what the resolution is not going to do, which is to abolish the commission that was created through the earlier constitutional amendment, Willett said. This is to create, again, not a mandate, but an option, in the interim, in between those decennial redistrictings to do something when theres an extraordinary circumstance. He added that the move was necessary because our hands been forced here. This is not our choice to be here, but with this kind of attack, weve got to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, who last week called lawmakers back to Richmond, declined to outline his full plan publicly. But some Democratic leaders told Virginia Scope last week that the goal is to prevent Virginias representation in Congress from being weakened if neighboring states redraw their maps to favor Republicans. Earle-Sears, GOP candidates seize on the optics Before the session opened, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears who presided over the state Senate Monday and is also the Republican nominee for governor staged a campaign-style news conference on the Capitol steps, accusing Democrats of abusing their majority for partisan gain. Today, Democrats in our General Assembly are calling this special session, not to serve the people, but to serve ourselves, Earle-Sears said. They want to dismantle the very independent redistricting commission that Virginia was voting for in a bipartisan majority. Earle-Sears called the commission born out of a prayer, a rare moment of unity, when Democrats and Republicans alike agreed that voters should choose their own representatives, and not the other way around. Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at the state capitol Monday to rally against a special session called by Democratic leadership in the legislature to consider redistricting just over a week before Election Day. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) She linked the move directly to her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, saying, This pressure is coming from Washington insiders and Abigail Spanberger. What we are seeing today is the worst kind of political backtracking, an attempt to grab power by erasing the voters voice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her remarks came as national attention turned to a $150,000 donation each from Holders National Democratic Redistricting Committee to Spanbergers campaign and to Virginia House Democrats. Gov. Glenn Youngkin seized on that timing Monday, accusing Spanberger of hypocrisy. This was Abigail Spanbergers position just a few short years ago, Youngkin wrote on X, citing her 2019 praise of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down racially gerrymandered districts. All it took was $150,000 from the Democrat Redistricting Committee to change her position completely, Youngkin wrote. Spanberger has not commented publicly on the current effort. In an August interview with WJLA, she said she opposed mid-decade redistricting and warned against politicians trying to tilt the playing field in their favor, aligning herself with Maryland Gov. Wes Moores call for fair-maps legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid on Monday echoed Earle-Sears criticism, saying Democrats were not respecting the will of the people. They made it very clear, just five years ago, they dont want petty partisanship, Reid said. They dont want politicians drawing their own lines this is not respectful to the people in Virginia. GOP congressional delegation joins chorus Earlier in the day, Virginias five Republican members of Congress U.S. Reps. Morgan Griffith, Jen Kiggans, Rob Wittman, Ben Cline and John McGuire held a joint news conference at the Capitol condemning the Democratic move. Griffith, a former House majority leader in the state legislature, said he had firsthand experience with partisan line-drawing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was a part of partisan redistricting, but the voters of Virginia spoke in 2020 that they didnt like that happening, he said. Griffith argued that a special session after early voting had already begun deprives those who have voted early of the chance to weigh the issue. U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (left) and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (right) join their fellow Republican members of Virginias congressional delegation at the state capitol. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/ Virginia Mercury) Kiggans, who represents a competitive swing district in Hampton Roads, called the proposal a cynical replay of Washington dysfunction. Its a competitive district, and always will be, she said, likening the Democratic plan to partisan games in Washington that have now trickled down here to Richmond. Legal doubts and political fallout Republican Party of Virginia Chair Mark Peake, a state senator from Lynchburg, told The Mercury in an interview Monday that the Democratic proposal was unconstitutional. There is no intervening election, Peake said. Nine-hundred thousand people have already voted. Theyre supposed to post it in courthouses for three months before the election. They dont have a bill, they dont have a constitutional amendment. Its not going through. As I said, its a ruse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Peake predicted this will 100 percent end up in court. He dismissed comparisons to Trumps mid-decade redistricting push in Texas. Where we are different is, we have a constitutional amendment in place that says how we do redistricting. Not mid-decade, its every decade. And its bipartisan. Broader stakes: A national redistricting arms race The New York Times reported last week that Virginia Democrats rush to act stems from a fear that Republican-controlled states could redraw congressional boundaries before 2026, potentially costing Democrats several seats. Trumps public calls for GOP legislatures to redistrict mid-decade have prompted a flurry of legal and legislative action in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court is also currently weighing a major redistricting case from Louisiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In that context, Democrats in Virginia one of only a few southern states with divided political control in recent years see a constitutional amendment as both a defensive measure and a statement of principle. But even some Democrats privately concede that the optics of returning to Richmond just days before an election could prove risky, particularly as Republicans work to cast the move as proof of overreach. Next steps and uncertain path ahead Price, whose committee oversees election law, said the Privileges and Elections Committee would meet Wednesday morning to review the amendment text, followed by a potential vote in the full House later this week. She emphasized that the amendment would require approval again in the next legislative session and voter ratification in a statewide referendum before taking effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive been here for 10 years, Price said. Weve had several proposed constitutional amendments, and when the Republicans were in charge, they werent worried about what they were bringing up. We are fully within our right to be here. Still, the legal and political obstacles are formidable. Virginia law requires constitutional amendments to be approved by two separately elected General Assemblies, meaning even if Democrats pass it this week, it would need to survive another vote after the new legislature convenes in January and then win approval at the ballot box in 2026. Republicans appear determined to challenge the process in court before it gets that far. Theyre wasting our time, Peake, the RPV chair, said flatly. Its going to be overturned as soon as it gets to court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As night fell on the Capitol, lawmakers filtered out of the chamber with few clear answers and even fewer signs of bipartisan consensus. Price, standing outside the chamber doors, said Democrats would proceed carefully but deliberately. Its important that we have all of our options on the table, she said again. This is about protecting democracy in Virginia. Reporters Nathaniel Cline and Charlotte Rene Woods contributed to this story. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (The Center Square) Despite opposition from major federal labor unions, Senate Democrats blocked Republicans Continuing Resolution to reopen and fund the government for the 13th time Tuesday. The ongoing shutdown, having now lasted 28 days, is the second-longest in American history. Thousands of federal workers including active-duty members of the military, law enforcement, and air traffic controllers are working without pay, while hundreds of thousands are on unpaid furlough. Americans are experiencing flight delays and complications as fewer air traffic controllers report to work and instead take odd jobs to hold out until the government reopens. Small businesses are unable to access federal loans. In four days, tens of millions of low-income Americans on food stamps will not receive SNAP benefits for the month of November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This wasnt my plan for the month of October, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday. My plan was to get the government funded with as little drama as possible. Thats why Republicans put forward a clean Continuing Resolution no partisan policies, nothing new. Who could possibly have a problem with that? It would give us more time to continue progress on full-year appropriations bills the way were supposed to fund the government. Thunes comments echoed widespread Republican frustration with Senate Democrats for their refusal to help advance the nonpartisan House-passed CR. The bill would merely reopen the government and place agency funds on cruise control while lawmakers finish regular appropriations and refresh federal funding levels. But Democrats wont agree to any funding deal that doesnt also include extending the pandemic-era expansion of Obamacare Premium Tax Credit, set to expire Dec. 31. Since millions of Americans health care premiums could skyrocket if the credits arent extended, Democrats say Congress should address the policy issue now. They refuse to back down unless Republican leaders promise not only a vote on extending the subsidies, but also a guarantee that the vote will succeed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are in a healthcare crisis, and Republicans dont even want to talk about how to fix it, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., posted on X following the Tuesday vote. This Republican healthcare crisis will be felt in nearly every community and by nearly every single household[.]" Thune and other Republicans have condemned the demands as unreasonable Were running out of time. And every day Democrats say no to reopening the government is another day lost, Thune said. Weve given Democrats a lot of opportunities to work in the best interest of the American people. But Democrats seem more interested in getting the upper hand in their partisan games. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears presides over the Virginia Senate during Tuesdays special session, where lawmakers debated a proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting that Democrats hope to advance before next weeks statewide elections. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) A tense second day of Virginias surprise special legislative session erupted Tuesday morning into partisan fireworks, as Senate Democrats and Republicans sparred over a proposed constitutional amendment that could give lawmakers authority to redraw the states congressional map mid-decade a move Democrats want to push through before next weeks statewide elections. The proposal, which has not yet been released publicly, is expected to surface Tuesday afternoon and will be heard by the House Privileges and Elections Committee Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sessions temperature spiked early when Senate Democrats voted to block the reading of a communication from Gov. Glenn Youngkin a sharply worded letter blasting the session as a shameless 11th-hour political power grab. I am disappointed to see the General Assembly reconvening this week to ram through a constitutional amendment on redistricting only seven days before the close of our 2025 statewide and House of Delegates election and with over one million voters already casting their ballot, Youngkin wrote. Youngkin accused Democratic leaders of trying to subvert the will of the voters who thoughtfully considered and overwhelmingly voted to remove this very same politics from our redistricting process, pointing to the 2020 referendum that established Virginias independent redistricting commission. Democrats reject Youngkins criticism as partisan Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, moved to waive the reading of Youngkins letter altogether, saying it crossed a line of decorum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it was placed at my desk, I quickly skimmed it, and Ive never seen anything with the letterhead of the commonwealth that was so blatantly partisan and political it should have been written on campaign letterhead, Surovell said. I dont feel like this body needs to listen to anything he has to say. Hes a lame duck now, hes not relevant, and hes not involved in this process. Republicans erupted in protest. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, invoked a point of personal privilege to read the governors message aloud himself, arguing that silencing the governor disrespected the office. Never that I can recall did we ever refuse to hear the message that was delivered from one of our governors, Obenshain said. While the contents of it may not be something that everybody wants to hear, I would respectfully submit that we owe the governor the respect of at least listening to what he has to say. Partisan and philosophical divides The morning debate underscored how little consensus exists in Richmond over the amendments necessity or legality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, appealed for restraint, recalling the bipartisan spirit that once animated Virginias reform movement. Sometimes we must overcome our partisan desires and do what is right for the commonwealth as a whole, Stanley said. We looked Virginia voters in the eye, and promised them something fundamental, that Virginia would pick their representatives, and not the other way around. What message do we send to them if we walk away now? Democrats countered that the original redistricting commission had failed in practice, deadlocking along party lines and forcing the Virginia Supreme Court to draw maps for the 2021 elections. Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, who served on the commission, said the process was anything but bipartisan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was constant gridlock, and partisan roadblocks were the reasons why the Supreme Court ended up drawing the lines, Locke said. Whats being proposed is an effort to provide flexibility for the future. And voters will have a voice in whats being proposed they will vote in a referendum. Republicans warn of secrecy, speed Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, another commission member, said Democrats were moving recklessly by pushing the expected redistricting bill. Between 12 and 1 oclock, something thats going to change the constitution of Virginia is going to be introduced, and not a single Virginian outside of a couple in this body have even seen it, McDougle said. Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, who also chairs the Republican Party of Virginia, called the effort a travesty given that over a million people have already voted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have a process for amending the Constitution, Peake said. People know what it is, people weigh in with their legislators but that is not the process we are undertaking this week. Whats it going to say? Like the rest of the 8 million people in the commonwealth, we cant wait to see. Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, lamented that the debate had devolved into personal attacks on our president and our governor, warning that Virginia was losing its tradition of civility. Democrats defend timing, cite national stakes Democrats argued that Virginia must respond to what they describe as a national redistricting arms race. Republican legislatures in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina are exploring mid-decade remaps after encouragement from President Donald Trump. Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, said Trumps push to alter maps in red states underscored why Virginia should act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes going to the states where he has allies and saying, Change the maps to make them better, because I cant win, VanValkenburg said. Donald Trump doesnt want the people of Virginia to be able to have a say, and thats why we are here today. Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, said Youngkins intervention only proved Democrats point that the process needed insulation from partisan interference. This letter is an attempt by the governor to inject himself into a process in which he is constitutionally and politically irrelevant, Ebbin said. Potentially giving voters a choice to revisit their past decision, under extraordinary circumstances, undermines no one. Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, emphasized that any amendment passed this week would still need to be approved by the next General Assembly in 2026 and ratified by voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever we start today is just the beginning, Favola said. Ultimately, it will be the voters in Virginia who will decide. We are opening up an option we are even being asked to do this, by constituents, because they want a voice. Republicans decry Washington politics Some Republicans urged colleagues not to allow national partisanship into Virginias halls. Sen. Luther Cifers, R-Prince Edward, the Senates most junior member, said the chamber should resist being pinch hitters for the power brokers in Washington. Maybe we should be holding ourselves to a higher standard, Cifers said. If were not looking out for the people of Virginia, who else is going to do that? Republicans also accused Democrats of hypocrisy, noting that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger once criticized mid-decade redistricting. Her opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, has used the issue to frame Democrats as backtracking on reform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House on Monday adopted the procedural resolution allowing redistricting-related measures to move forward during the special session a rule change that Republicans said was sprung without warning. Democrats maintain they acted within their authority to protect democracy in Virginia, as Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, told The Mercury Monday. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene at 11 a.m. Wednesday for a final vote on that same procedural resolution a step that will determine whether the amendment can advance before Election Day. Editors note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Sen. Scott Surovell referred to Gov. Glenn Youngkin as a lame duck, not a lame dog. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (The Center Square) Democratic officials from California and 25 other states sued the Trump administration Tuesday to continue Supplemental Food Assistance Program benefits in November despite the federal government shutdown, now in its 28th day. Without the money, benefits for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, will stop Saturday, officials said. The complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats and Republicans agree approximately 42 million people across the U.S. stand to lose their SNAP benefits if something isnt done. Recipients vary from low-income individuals to seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. Democrats say the U.S. Department of Agriculture can pull money from a contingency fund containing up to $6 billion. Republicans say Democrats could solve the whole problem now by agreeing to a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open. The GOP can't do that without the support of seven more Democrats because of a 60-vote requirement in the Senate. In the meantime, the USDA on Oct. 10 sent a letter to state agencies directing them to put SNAP's November benefits on an indefinite hold. The USDA suspended SNAP benefits indefinitely on Oct. 24. The contingency fund is not available to support FY (fiscal year) 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists, the USDA said in a news release. The department contends the contingency money is reserved for people affected by natural disasters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the plaintiffs in the suit insist the contingency funds can be used during the shutdown for regular SNAP payments. They say the suspension of SNAP benefits is unnecessary. The SNAP money includes $1.1 billion in assistance to 5.5 million Californians, state Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters Thursday in Sacramento. Bonta, a Democrat, accused Republican President Donald Trump, the USDA and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins of using the federal shutdown as a scapegoat. Trump and Rollins have made it clear that the millions of family who rely on our government for food assistance are not a priority, Bonta said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bonta called the suspension of SNAP benefits illegal and noted its hurting millions of Americans in both red and blue states. The vast majority are families with kids, elderly individuals and people with disabilities, Bonta said. Society should be judged by how it treats the most vulnerable. Trump gets an F. Every American, regardless of political affiliation, should be outraged, Bonta said about 42 million people going hungry. California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Johnson warned poverty among Californians will be 3.1% higher without SNAP. "That equals to 1.2 million more Californians," Johnson told reporters at the news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides Bonta, those suing the Trump administration include Democratic attorneys general from Massachusetts, Arizona, Minnesota, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Also among the plaintiffs are Democratic governors from Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. The defendants are the U.S., the USDA, Rollins, and the Office of Management and Budget and its director, Russell Vought. Across various previous federal government shutdowns, SNAP benefits have never been interrupted by a lapse in appropriations, the complaint says. The 51-page complaint asks the U.S. District Court to declare the USDAs suspension of benefits unlawful and require the department to provide benefits for November. It also seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions and a temporary restraining order to prevent the Feds from trying to carry out the suspension under a different name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesdays lawsuit marks Californias 45th one this year against the Trump administration, Bonta said. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was at the same news conference, said it was cruel for the Trump administration to deny food assistance. To keep SNAP money flowing, the USDA is authorized to use the contingency money and has a legal obligation to spend all available dollars, Bonta argued. The Trump administration, however, has chosen instead to play politics with this essential safety net that so many people depend on including 5.5 million individuals in California alone," Bonta said. "With the holidays around the corner, we are seeing costs for groceries continue to increase and food banks facing unprecedented demand. We are taking a stand because families will experience hunger and malnutrition if the Trump administration gets its way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the case proceeds in court, California is fast-tracking $80 million in state money to stabilize food bank distribution and offset delays in SNAP benefits, which are called "CalFresh" in California, Newsom said. Newsoms office said the governor is also relying on the California National Guard and volunteers to help food banks by planning, packing, distributing and delivering meals to families in need. The governors office compared it to the distribution efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The office cites the USDAs 2025 Lapse of Funding Plan, dated Sept. 30, 2025. "Core programs of the nutrition safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child Nutrition (CN) programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) shall continue operations during a lapse in appropriations, subject to the availability of funding," according to the plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In addition, Congressional intent is evident that SNAPs operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown," the plan said. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the Trump administration could use its legal transfer authority to supplement contingency reserves, which by themselves aren't enough to cover November payments. The nonpartisan research institute said one in eight Americans rely on SNAP. The center noted SNAP received $122.4 billion in funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. The second number in the law is the contingency reserve, the center said. The contingency reserve grew to $6 billion: $3 billion from the fiscal year 2024 appropriation and $3 billion from the fiscal year 2025 full-year continuing resolution. The center said the actual amount in the reserve may be down to somewhere between $5 billion and $6 billion because of administrative costs in October. DENVER (KDVR) A suspect is dead and an officer suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, alongside two people believed to be gas station employees, after police responded to reports of an armed robbery at a gas station. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas held a press conference at about 11 p.m., where he said that Denver police officers responded to the Maverick gas station in the 3200 block of South Parker Road at about 8:45 p.m. for reports of an armed robbery at the gas station. Thomas said that officers contacted a witness in front of the store, who said that an armed person had locked themselves inside with two possible store employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Free on Your TV FOX31+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung As officers were developing a tactical plan, they heard shots coming from inside the business, Thomas said. They then recognized the sense of urgency and then forced entry into the business, started making their way towards where the gunshots were assumed to be coming from, because gunshots continued. Inside the store, officers confronted the armed suspect, ultimately exchanging gunfire. The suspect was downed, and officers rendered medical aid. The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. During the aftermath, we did identify two other victims, we believe store employees who had non-life-threatening gunshot wounds as well, Thomas said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOX31 sent crews to the scene on Parker Road, where a gas station is entirely taped off for the police investigation, and multiple police cars are on scene. Both Aurora and Denver police were responding to the scene. Officers were making note of evidence and sharing information, according to FOX31s Hanna Powers, who was at the gas station. She said the scene was among the largest shes encountered. Police outside of a gas station on Parker Road. (KDVR) An officer was shot in the 3200 block of South Parker Road on Oct. 27, 2025. This officer is outside of Denver Health in Denver. (KDVR) FOX31 also had a crew at the scene of Denver Health, where at least one officers vehicle was located with active emergency lights. The Denver officer who was injured had been shot in the leg, Thomas said, and was in surgery as of about 11 p.m. on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday afternoon, the police department shared a video online of the officer being released from the hospital in a wheelchair. Denver Health staff were there to support him during the event. Obviously, were all concerned about our brother officer and so were thankfully that he is going to survive, Thomas said. It is a survivable injury. I think that he is in surgery right now, but all very concerned about him right now. Thomas said there were significant investigative efforts underway in the store, and that the incident would be under investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Colorado State Patrol. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) The cooler weather is here through the rest of the week with brisk winds in Denver under mostly sunny skies. Weather today: Cooler and brisk A freeze warning is in effect until 10 a.m. Tuesday for the Interstate 25 corridor as lows can dip into the middle 20s. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up for weather alerts from the Pinpoint Weather team Denver and most of the Front Range will see mainly sunny skies through the afternoon as winds are brisk out of the north. Highs Tuesday will be cooler, only reaching the upper 40s. Weather tonight: Freeze warning The colder conditions linger Tuesday night as another Freeze warning is in effect from 10 p.m. through 10 a.m. Wednesday for the counties highlighted in blue as lows can dip as low as 19 degrees. Skies will stay clear tonight as metro lows dip into the lower 20s with a light wind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking ahead: Warmer weekend Wednesday is another cool day as highs stay below average in the middle 50s, but winds are lighter and well have mainly sunny skies. Thursday is very similar with plenty of sunshine and cooler highs in the in the middle 50s. Friday adds in extra clouds through the afternoon as highs might reach into the upper 50s for Halloween. The weekend looks a lot nicer as highs get back into the middle 60s on Saturday afternoon. Saturday and Sunday both have plenty of sunshine with a bit more of a breeze on Sunday afternoon. Sunday will see highs topping out in the lower 70s. Monday kicks off the next workweek with more seasonal highs in the upper 50s and mainly sunny skies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. PORTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Deputies say a man was killed Monday in a crash in southeastern Cass County. It happened just after 6 p.m. in the area of US-12 and M-217 in Porter Township. According to the Cass County Sheriffs Office, a 42-year-old man from Vandalia was driving a Jeep Liberty, heading east on US-12, when he lost control and crossed the center line. The Jeep hit the rear end of a westbound GMC Sierra pickup truck, which was driven by a 44-year-old man from Elkhart, Indiana, deputies said. At the time, the pickup truck was pulling a trailer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jeep collided with the front of the trailer and left the roadway, coming to its final rest alongside a utility pole, the sheriffs office wrote in a release. Authorities said they tried to save the Jeep drivers life, but he died on scene. He was identified as James Hettmansperger. Both drivers were wearing seat belts, according to the sheriffs office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. PREVIOUSLY: Possible human remains found in Rutherford Co. (Oct. 17, 2025) RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WSPA) The Rutherford County Sheriffs Office has identified human remains that were found in a wooded area in mid-October. On October 17, deputies responded to the 2700 block of Poors Ford Road Tuesday for a possible human bone being found. Investigators said the bone was believed to be a femur and may be related to a missing person case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bone was turned over to the North Carolina State Medical Examiners Office for further evaluation and identification. Officials provided another update on October 20, after a large portion of human skeletal remains were found during an additional search in a heavily wooded area in the 2800 block of Poors Ford Road. The sheriffs office said the remains were found on the opposite side of the road from where Ricky Watson was last seen and reported missing on June 20, 2025. According to the sheriffs office, the remains were identified as those of 55-year-old Ricky Watson. A neighbor who spoke with investigators said that Watson was last seen entering the woods behind his home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies said the search for Watson was challenging, as there were hundred of acres to search. Multiple days were spent searching for him, with investigators using drones and cadaver dogs to aid search efforts. Until the remains were found, no searches had been successful, deputies explained. Law enforcement said that no foul play is suspected to have occurred in Watsons death. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. ASEAN Plus Three Summit eyes expanding cooperation, joint efforts against protectionism 08:16, October 28, 2025 By Zhao Yusha ( Global Times Chinese Premier Li Qiang poses for a group photo while attending the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 27, 2025. Photo: Xinhua Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Monday that China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with various parties, uphold openness and cooperation, and continuously unleash economic potential to explore broader development space. Li made the remarks when addressing the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Malaysia, the Xinhua News Agency reported. Li first congratulated Timor-Leste on officially joining the ASEAN family. Over the past year, cooperation among ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea has generally maintained a positive momentum, demonstrating the resilience and vitality of the East Asian economy, Li said. At the same time, due to complex changes in the international economic and trade landscape, East Asia is facing growing economic difficulties and challenges, with increasing instability and uncertainty in development, he added. In confronting these difficulties, Li said, wisdom and strength can be drawn from the past. For decades, East Asia has been one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, creating one economic miracle after another - achievements that continue to inspire and fill us with pride, he added. Openness and cooperation are valuable experiences explored and accumulated through practice, and should be cherished and carried forward at all times, so that they remain a marked advantage and a key to success for East Asia's economy, Li said. Li also met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and European Council President Antonio Costa separately on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation on Monday, per Xinhua. Openness and commitment ASEAN leaders and dialogue partners will focus on strengthening regional economic integration and strategic cooperation during the RCEP Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS) on Monday, according to Malay Mail. The meetings are expected to chart new directions for trade, investment and regional stability amid a complex global environment, the report said. Li on Monday called for preserving the multilateral trading system with greater resolve. Li made the remarks while addressing the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting. He said that China will always support ASEAN centrality and stands ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism. He also called for accelerating the expansion process of the RCEP and supporting applicants such as Hong Kong, China, in joining the free trade treaty. Earlier on Monday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's message, delivered by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, urged ASEAN to leverage the RCEP as a platform to strengthen resilience and promote rules-based trade across the Indo-Pacific region, according to Malay Mail. This partnership should also remain open to others wishing to join RCEP, Prabowo added. The RCEP, the world's largest free trade deal to date, covers 10 member states of ASEAN and its five free trade agreement partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, Xinhua reported in March. At a meeting with Singapore's Acting President Eddie Teo, Li also said on Sunday that China is ready to work with Singapore and other ASEAN members to make the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 a success and jointly achieve greater development, Xinhua reported. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday hailed the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, set to be signed on Tuesday, as a pivotal milestone that will open a new chapter in ASEAN's strategic partnership with China and strengthen the region's collective economic resilience, according to The Edge Malaysia. Recent data shows that in the first three quarters of this year, imports and exports between China and ASEAN totaled 5.57 trillion yuan ($782 billion), up 9.6 percent year-on-year. ASEAN remained the largest trading partner of China. In September, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn told media in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region that with the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, economic cooperation between ASEAN and China is expected to reach new heights, particularly in new areas like e-commerce, digital trade, and digital payments, which are very important, particularly in the context of current global economic dynamics. Amid rising protectionism, unilateralism, and anti-globalization headwinds, China and ASEAN along with the broader ASEAN Plus Three framework must further tap their cooperation potentials, particularly by upgrading regional economic partnerships and related mechanisms to better withstand external pressures such as tariff impacts, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. Xu said that the Chinese premier's remarks signaled that China is embracing a more open and proactive stance toward the world, particularly its neighbors. Xu noted that China is moving from a model of "reciprocal openness" to one of "proactive openness," underscoring its commitment to the principles of equality and mutual benefit, as well as its sense of responsibility as a major power. Jointly defending unilateralism In his remarks during the ASEAN Plus Three summit, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Monday that South Korea, China and Japan should step up cooperation with ASEAN to better respond to emerging risks, including trade protectionism and shifting global supply chains, according to Yonhap. "Today, we are facing new geo-economic challenges such as protectionism and the restructuring of global supply chains," said Lee. "We must accelerate cooperation under the ASEAN+3 framework involving South Korea, China and Japan." Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar said on Sunday that "rising protectionism and shifting supply chains remind us that resilience depends on ... adaptability ASEAN must not stand still. We must have the courage to forge new partnerships and the foresight to deepen existing ones." The trend of unity among participating countries in opposing protectionism is evident at this year's summit, as most of them have been victims of US tariffs, Qu Jianwen, vice dean of the School of International Studies at Yunnan University, told the Global Times. While many of these countries have engaged in one-on-one negotiations with the US, they are increasingly inclined to stand together, as collective action carries greater weight, said Qu. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) By Georgina McCartney HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped around $1 a barrel on Tuesday and were on track for a third straight day of declines as investors considered the impact of U.S. sanctions against Russia's two biggest oil companies on global supply, along with a potential OPEC+ plan to raise output. Brent crude futures were down $1.09, or 1.7%, to $64.53 a barrel at 10:44 a.m. EDT (1444 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.03, or 1.7%, at $60.28. Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly gains since June, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. "There is skepticism in the market that the Russia sanctions will be as strict as we had initially thought. We definitely saw some risk-off (trading) today," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group. The effect of sanctions on oil-exporting countries will be limited because of surplus capacity, International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol said on Tuesday. Following the U.S. sanctions, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, said on Monday it would sell its international assets. This is the most consequential action so far by a Russian company in the wake of Western sanctions over Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Moscow-headquartered Lukoil accounts for around 2% of global oil output. INDIAN REFINERS HALT NEW ORDERS Indian refiners have not placed new orders for Russian oil purchases since sanctions were imposed, as they await clarity from the government and suppliers, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, is leaning toward another modest output boost in December, four sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. Having curbed production for several years to support the oil market, the group started reversing those cuts in April. "This raises the larger question as to how much spare capacity OPEC+ really has left," Flynn said. The CEO of Saudi state oil company Aramco said on Tuesday crude oil demand was strong even before sanctions were imposed on Rosneft and Lukoil, and that Chinese demand was still healthy. Investors will watch the prospect of a trade deal between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest oil consumers, with Trump and President Xi Jinping due to meet on Thursday in South Korea. CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) A deputy working in the Caddo Parish Correctional Center was arrested after she was allegedly smuggling contraband into the jail. The Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office said Chardell S. Edwards, 30, was placed on administrative leave on October 29 amid an ongoing investigation into allegedly providing contraband to inmates while on duty at CCC. Chardell S. Edwards, 30 (Source: Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office) CPSO detectives arrested Edwards on October 28 after a thorough investigation. She faces one count of malfeasance in office and one count of bringing contraband in or out of a penal institution. She was booked into the Caddo Correctional Center with a bond of $2,500 for each offense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Edwards started her employment with the Caddo Parish Sheriffs Office in July 2022. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. As the motorcyclist reached speeds of nearly 150 miles an hour, tailed by a phalanx of police cars on the 210 Freeway, he was putting distance between himself and the home where, according to authorities, he had just shot and killed a sheriff's deputy. With viewers watching on live television Monday afternoon, he easily evaded a motorcycle officer who tried to stop him. He appeared to lift both hands off the handlebars as he pulled the slide back on a gun. His attempt at a quick escape ended when he plowed into a gray Toyota Camry, flipping over the front of his bike and launching him at least 10 feet in the air. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Slain deputy leaves behind young daughter, pregnant wife. 'He was a wonderful father' It quickly emerged that the driver of the Camry was a San Bernardino County narcotics deputy who was off duty when the pursuit started, went back on duty and deliberately swerved into the motorcyclist, later identified as 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar. Saldivar was captured by television cameras sitting up on the pavement before being airlifted to a hospital, where he was in stable condition Tuesday. He is expected to be charged in the coming days in the death of San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Nunez, 28, who had worked for the department for six years and leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife. Three policing experts told The Times that the deputy who ended the pursuit was probably justified in using deadly force because the motorcyclist was a suspect in a homicide and posed a threat to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In this case, they could have shot or used whatever means necessary to prevent further injury or loss of life without harming others," said Greg Meyer, a use-of-force expert and a former captain with the Los Angeles Police Department. It's unclear how the deputy got involved in the pursuit or when he notified the department he was back on duty. Many law enforcement officers carry their handheld radios off duty and turn them on if there's police activity nearby, Meyer said. Read more: Deputy is killed; as suspect flees, second deputy knocks him off his motorcycle in 150 mph chase Sheriff's officials have not identified the deputy and declined to make him available for interviews on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nunez was among the deputies who responded to a domestic violence call at 12:37 p.m. at a condominium on Hollyhock Drive in Rancho Cucamonga, where a man with a gun was reportedly threatening a woman. When deputies arrived, Saldivar immediately opened fire and struck Nunez in the head, killing him, according to sheriff's officials. Sheriff's officials did not provide more information on Tuesday about the domestic violence call that brought deputies to the condominium. San Bernardino County Superior Court records show that Saldivar and his wife finalized a divorce in August. As deputies rendered aid to Nunez, Saldivar fled on a motorcycle, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He sped east on the 210 Freeway into Upland before smashing into the Camry near Campus Avenue, authorities said. Ed Obayashi, a Modoc County sheriff's deputy and legal advisor to police agencies, said that although it's "highly unusual" for an off-duty deputy to intervene in a high-speed chase, his actions probably fall within established legal precedent. In April 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a deputy in Georgia who terminated a high-speed pursuit by pushing his bumper against the back of the other car, causing it to drive off the road and crash. The suspect, who was left a quadriplegic, sued, alleging that excessive force had deprived him of his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable seizure. The justices held that the man's flight from police created a substantial and immediate risk of serious physical injury to others and that the deputy's attempt to terminate the chase was objectively reasonable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Deadly force is appropriate when the subject presents an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to officers or others, and the fact that his subject had already shot an officer and was fleeing in a way that endangered other motorists is likely to meet that standard," Seth Stoughton, a University of South Carolina law professor and former Florida police officer, said of the San Bernardino County deputy's actions. A sheriff's spokesperson did not know whether the department is conducting a use-of-force investigation. Obayashi predicted that the deputy's actions would be found to be within department policy. "He just shot a cop, and it is reasonable to assume he will shoot others, including pursuing officers," Obayashi said. "No one is going to lose sleep over what happened here at the conclusion of this chase, given what had unfolded before." On Monday night, law enforcement officers and firefighters gathered outside Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to salute Nunezs body as it was carried out of the building. A motorcade escorted the body to the San Bernardino County coroners office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were embedded in sorrow," Dicus said at a news conference earlier that day. "Unfortunately for our department, this has happened way too often." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. DES MOINES, Iowa A Des Moines man accused of abandoning a cat, who was later found dead, in an apartment after he and his roommate moved out in August has pleaded guilty. Representative Randy Feenstra launches campaign for Iowa Governor In early October, Dewey Leroy Moraine, 59, and Nancy Jane Coffey, 55, were charged with abandonment of cats and dogs with serious injury or death. According to court records, in August their cat, named Mickey, was found dead in the apartment that they had moved out of. A criminal complaint states that Mickey was left without access to food and water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Criminal complaints filed against the two say they made comments saying, they were unable to catch the animal while moving and due to this, abandoned the animal inside the apartment. According to court records, on Monday Moraine pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 20 days in jail and fined $855. The sentencing order states that Dewey was credited with 20 days previously served in jail and his fine was suspended. Coffey has pleaded not guilty to the abandonment charge, court records state. A pretrial conference is scheduled for November 17. Metro news Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. A legal request filed by the victim's father, who is currently in prison for the murder of his wife, revealed details that were previously held under a gag order. The head of the Central Police District's investigation into a Petah Tikva murder suspected to involve a famous model decided to uphold an ongoing gag order on Monday, despite essential details regarding the investigation already having leaked, claiming that lifting the order may damage the investigation. On Tuesday, the model and one other suspect will be brought to the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court for a hearing where investigators are scheduled to request an extension of their detention for the third time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, two additional suspects will be brought to court. The police will also request an extension of their detention in their case. It is possible that the investigating unit will request a reduction in the gag order at the hearing. In the meantime, legal representatives for the suspects will be presenting their clients testimonies. The suspects claimed that the incident, which took place in a second-floor apartment on Salant Street, occurred after the model invited four young men to her home, including the victim, a married father of two, Shalom Nissim, as well as three other people involved. According to Maariv, it is alleged that the individuals involved were using drugs. At a certain point, an argument allegedly broke out between the involved, including the model and Nissim. Shortly afterwards, his body was found at the entrance to the residential building, after being thrown to the ground while he was unconscious. The Magen David Adom paramedic team that responded to the scene and the police originally determined Nissim's death to be a suicide. Israel Police vehicles; illustrative. (credit: Tal Gal/Flash90) However, after the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir issued a report of its findings from the victims autopsy, the picture changed. Forensic laboratory investigators returned to the scene of the incident and changed the status of the investigation from a suicide to a murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The police believe that during the gathering at the models residence, an argument broke out between the victim and individuals present who were not acquainted with the victim, during which the victim was stabbed and then pushed off the second-floor balcony. A contrary theory claims that the victim was injured in a fight and then inexplicably jumped from the second floor to his death. The police quickly imposed a gag order on the involved individuals and began collecting evidence, conducting an investigation in which the model and three others were arrested. One suspect quickly claimed he had nothing to do with the incident and did not know what was happening in the apartment. The suspects lawyer claimed that his client arrived at the apartment late at night, promptly entered an inner room, fell asleep, and was therefore not involved in the suspicious incident. Due to the gag order, many details of the investigation remain unknown, but will be revealed in the coming days as the investigation unfolds. Details released after victim's father requested to attend funeral What is known by the public was revealed following a petition submitted by Asher Nissim, the father of the deceased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asher Nissim was sentenced to 32 years in prison after being convicted of murdering his wife, Vicky, in 2003. The victims father filed the petition through his attorney in order to allow him to attend his son's funeral. As part of the hearing in the petitions proceedings, Israel Prison Service representatives revealed a classified police document clarifying the details of the fathers request. That document noted that Asher Nissims son was murdered in an incident that is under investigation, which resulted in the details being released to the public. CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA) Clemson City Council gave a major new housing development project the green light with a 5-2 vote. City leaders said they made the decision with residents in mind and believe its whats best for Clemsons future, but some neighbors are calling this the beginning of the end for their neighborhood. People say well its not personal but by God it is personal, said longtime resident Vincent Ervin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The neighborhood dates back to the 1920s, and residents said its one of the oldest in downtown Clemson. Longtime residents like the Ervins say theyve seen change before, but nothing like this. His wife, Martha, said the decision has put things in perspective for her. It was kind of like the last straw, with residents dont really matter, she said. I mean, I couldnt sleep at night trying to think, and again I just thought theres no way theyre going to do that. The approved 760-bed development will sit along College Avenue and Riggs Drive, with two separate buildings; one five stories, the other eight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to city staff, the development will also include 13,000 square feet of commercial space as well as a parking garage with 150 public parking spaces. Councilman Adam Jones recognized the discord amongst residents. Theyre upset. I cant make everybody happy, though part of the job is not to necessarily do the easiest thing. It wouldve been much easier to say no, he explained. The reason I worked on doing the harder thing and saying yes to this is because I really truly believe its the best thing for our town and for the neighborhood, frankly. Jones went on to say the project helps fix core infrastructure issues and reflects lessons learned from recent developments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just saying no didnt help when we did Dockside and The Hub, he added. We couldve ended up with better projects for both of those projects, but we learned a lot from that process, and now were trying to engage better to do better for our town. But many neighbors said their concerns, from traffic to environmental impacts, are being ignored. Members of the city council said we hear you, stay involved, Ervin told us. Well, I just think this was complete BS because they really havent heard us, and people have been involved and its just been completely ignored. Signs that read Just Say No line Riggs Drive a symbol, residents said, of a community fighting to be heard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones said he promises every word was heard and taken into consideration for months. I can promise you everyone on council was very worried about making sure that the neighborhood was protected, and that all of the issues that were raised were addressed to the best of our ability, Jones said. Developers said the plan is to break ground on the project by March 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. It is planned for Netanyahu to convene a meeting on Tuesday to discuss Israel's response to Hamas's violation of the ceasefire-hostage deal. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has demanded an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for a plan to ensure the remains of the 13 hostages still held in Gaza are brought home for burial, the forum announced in a statement on Tuesday. The forum cited Hamas's numerous ceasefire violations, as well as "despicable actions, cynical manipulation of the hostages, and deception of the Red Cross." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hamas's repeated violations and the IDF's documentation prove what we have known and stated clearly and unequivocally: Hamas knows the location of the hostages and continues to act with contempt, deceiving the United States and mediators while dishonoring our loved ones," the forum wrote. The family of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains have been held by Hamas in Gaza since 2014, also called out Hamas's continued violation of US President Donald Trump's agreement. "This is an act of terror that Hamas is personally and deliberately committing against US President Donald Trump," their statement read. "We are confident that President Trump will respond in an appropriate manner, especially considering his ultimatum to Hamas. Not only did it fail to fulfill its commitment, but it also attempted to humiliate the world's most powerful person." The family concluded by calling on Netanyahu to respond appropriately as well, and that in the past eleven years, Israel has still not learned from past mistakes. Ministers call on Netanyahu to respond Israel's ministers called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene an urgent cabinet meeting on Tuesday and dismantle Hamas after it returned the remains belonging to a hostage who had already been buried in Israel, and not any of the 13 deceased hostages who had remained in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is planned for Netanyahu to convene a meeting on Tuesday to discuss Israel's response to Hamas's violation of the ceasefire-hostage deal. Sanctions imposed in response may include barring Hamas from entering the buffer zone. Demonstrators protest against the Israeli government and for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip outside military headquarters in Tel Aviv, June 7 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich penned a letter to Netanyahu to convene the narrowed security cabinet immediately to discuss and formulate a robust and determined package of responses." He also called for the meeting "to ensure our adherence to the wars central objective of destroying Hamas and removing the threat emanating from Gaza toward the citizens of Israel. 'We cannot allow Hamas to mock the citizens of Israel' We cannot allow Hamas to mock the citizens of Israel and to cynically and cruelly toy with the feelings of the families of the hostages and the fallen, he added in the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu not to extract a price from Hamas, but rather destroy it completely. The fact that Hamas continues to play games and does not immediately hand over all of our fallen bodies, in itself, shows that the terrorist organization is still standing on its feet. Its time to break those legs once and for all, he added. Right now, we dont need to extract a price from Hamas for the violations. We need to extract its very existence from it, and destroy it completely, once and for all, in accordance with the central objective defined for the War of Resistance, Ben-Gvir stated. Amichai Stein contributed to this report. Central Florida is grappling with the aftermath of the severe weekend storms that brought historic flooding and left homes ruined and roads washed out, particularly in Lake County. WFTV has had team coverage since Sunday night as flooding hit historic levels in multiple locations, with more than a foot of rainfall in Eustis, Titusville and in Merritt Island. Recovery efforts are underway as crews work tirelessly to repair the damage caused by over 15 inches of rain that fell in Eustis on Sunday. Key roads, including Crown Point Road in Ocoee and parts of State Road 46, remain closed due to washouts and flooding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FLOOD COVERAGE In Eustis, a cul-de-sac has been severely damaged, with a large pit exposing water lines and a stormwater pipe. Crews are working around the clock to rebuild the foundation, which is expected to take at least two weeks. On Hazzard Road, floodwaters have receded, but the washout has left the sidewalk and part of the road caving in. Repairs are anticipated to take at least a week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The intersection near Eustis High School remains blocked, with half of the road crumbled down an embankment. Crews are committed to staying on-site until repairs are completed. Residents of Waterman Village had to evacuate when a washout affected Donnelly Road. They were moved to a hotel, with some viewing the situation as an adventure despite the disruption. As recovery efforts continue, Lake County residents are encouraged to report property damage to assist in assessing the impact and coordinating resources. Lake County residents can report any home or property damage related to Sunday nights rain by calling the Citizens Information Line at 352-253-9999. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Seminole County, a flood warning remains in effect until further notice along the St. Johns River Near above Lake Harney. That area of the river is forecast to steadily rise to minor flood stage Tuesday night due to recent heavy rainfall. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Cincinnati is paying an outside law firm $40,000 to investigate Police Chief Teresa Theetge's performance, according to a copy of the contract obtained by Enquirer media partner Fox 19. The law firm Frost Brown Todd is expected to investigate several aspects of Theetge's time as police chief under the agreement, including whether she: Has been an effective leader and manager of the department, including personnel and resources. Has been a leader within the context of city government, including by furthering the broader goals and objectives of the city administration. Has committed any infraction or policy violation while serving as police chief. Has disregarded best practices in the running of CPD to the detriment of public safety and crime prevention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city paid the firm $40,000 with the signing of the contract Oct. 27, capping the cost unless another agreement is signed. Former Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge looks on as her lawyer Steve Imm speaks to the press on her behalf for on Oct. 21, 2025 in Cincinnati. The agreement is set to expire before midnight Dec. 31, 2025, indicating the administration would like to have the situation resolved by the end of the year. Mayor Aftab Pureval told the media last week the investigation into Theetge's performance could take months. Theetge was placed on paid administrative leave Oct. 20. Her attorney Stephen Imm said the city asked her to resign, but she refused. Imm said the city is using Theetge as a political scapegoat. While Theetge is on leave, the city is paying her $203,000 annual salary, around $3,900 a week. Cincinnati Councilman Seth Walsh provided the contract to Fox 19 and said he and fellow council members Jeff Cramerding, Mark Jeffreys and Meeka Owens had signed a motion requesting the documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We barely got more of a heads up than you did regarding the Frost Brown Todd hiring, Walsh told Fox 19. Were using a source of funds that we dont know what the source is, that doesnt need councils approval. Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long signed the contract to hire Frost Brown Todd to investigate Police Chief Teresa Theetge. The city has come under fire this summer as crime in the urban core spiked. A series of high-profile crimes have drawn national attention, including the killing of Patrick Heringer in his Over-the-Rhine home and a widely shared video of a fight in Downtown. Pureval and Long called Theetge back from a national conference early to address public safety after an October shooting on Fountain Square left two with minor gunshot wounds. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati pays firm $40K to investigate Police Chief Teresa Theetge Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said an officer violated several department policies when he shot a woman six times, injuring her following a traffic stop on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 26. The chief is now asking the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners to suspend the officer immediately without pay. "The officer will be held accountable," Bettison said during a Monday, Oct. 27 press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer has been with the department for a little less than two years and has no other citizen complaints or pending disciplinary action, Bettison said. The woman was hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries and then released to the Detroit Detention Center. He didn't say what charge she was detained on. But once Bettison said he reviewed video footage of the incident on Monday morning, he ordered her immediate release. She was released that afternoon and won't be charged with a crime, Bettison said. Among the policies Bettison said the officer violated: Officers can't engage in vehicle pursuits for traffic stops. They must be violent crimes. Police can't use their patrol car to box in or pin a vehicle in an attempt to stop it from moving. Police can't shoot at moving vehicles unless in extreme circumstances where life is in jeopardy. When a civilian asks to speak to a supervisor, that opportunity must be provided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bettison did not release the name of the officer. The Detroit Police Officers Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More: Detroit police board members call for limits on minor stops after 2 shootings More: Detroit police shoot, injure teen during traffic stop at McDonald's drive-through Here's what happened, according to Bettison, who said he reviewed body camera footage of the police shooting Monday morning and found it concerning: The woman was pulled over around 3 p.m. Sunday near Van Dyke and Eight Mile for speeding, having tinted windows and an obscured license plate, Bettison said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's different from what Bettison initially told media. Shortly after the incident on Sunday, Bettison said in a department video from the scene that the woman was stopped for an invalid license plate and did not provide her drivers license and registration to the officer. Bettison said on Monday that was false after reviewing the video. The woman did comply and provided the documents, Bettison said, and "strongly" disagreed with the officer about why she was pulled over. Bettison said the woman asked numerous times to talk to the officer's supervisor and called 911. But Bettison said a supervisor was never called and should have been, per department policy. When backup arrived, officers opened her car door to try and get her out of the vehicle, Bettison said, and a backup officer pepper sprayed her. She closed the door and drove off. About a minute later, Bettison said officers boxed her in near Outer Drive and Concord one of their squad cars was parked in front of the woman's car and another squad car was parked behind her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer who conducted the traffic stop asked that the woman get out of the car. She attempted to drive away, Bettison said, and as she passed the officer, he shot inside her vehicle multiple times. The officer got back into her car and followed the woman nearby to Detroit police's training facility, where the pursuit ended. Michigan State Police is investigating the police shooting, per policy. Findings will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. "If a supervisor had been called, I don't think it would have went this way," Bettison said. Darryl Woods Jr., the chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners, shared Bettison's concern. In a statement to the Free Press, he said: "It should be absolutely clear that that we will hold anyone accountable who flagrantly violates the policies that we put in place. Period and point blank." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No Detroit police officers have been criminally charged in a shooting since 2011, according to an ongoing Free Press review of police shootings in the city A 2024 Free Press investigation found that, over a seven-year period, a third of Detroit police shooting survivors were either not charged with or convicted of the conduct for which they were shot. And another review in September found 20% of department shootings or 16 cases over the past decade began with nonviolent stops and escalated with foot chases, often when police developed suspicion the men were armed illegally. Prosecutors cleared all of the shooting officers, who said their safety was threatened. The Board of Police Commissioners expect to hear Bettison's request to suspend the officer at its next meeting on November 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reporter Violet Ikonomova contributed to this report. Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at asahouri@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit cop violated policy during a traffic stop when he shot a woman 6 times, chief says UPDATE: The Rock Island City Council voted Monday night to approve the sale of the Casino West site to an area developer, paving the way for construction of a truck stop plaza that, when completed, will threaten the ecological health of the surrounding wetlands, including the Milan Bottoms, says a statement issued Monday from Prairie Rivers Network. Nina Struss, the organizations river health and resiliency organizer and a lifelong Rock Island resident, said: We are extremely disappointed that the Rock Island City Council made the unacceptable decision to ignore the voices of taxpayers and instead fast track the sale of ten acres of our communitys land adjacent to the Milan Bottoms wetlands complexa decision that puts this fragile and utterly unique ecosystem at risk. Data indicates that the proposed development of a truck stop on this land will adversely affect our neighborhoods and businesses, as well as those in communities downstream, by putting them at significant risk of increased flooding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement says the development will also add an enormous risk of contamination from accumulations of oil and diesel from the truck stops day-to-day operations, as well as the potential for catastrophic petroleum leaks into the adjacent wetlands from the truck stops tanks, as happened this year at a similar truck stop in Avoca, Iowa. The ecological damage from such a leak affects not only our wetlands and everything that lives there, but areas downstream, including the Mississippi RiverNorth Americas most endangered river, the statement continues. Such ecological and environmental injuries can also damage, by extension, the reputation of a region, affecting tourism and economic development, says the statement, which continues: It is frankly quite disheartening that the Council has decided to move forward in this shortsighted and cynical way. Prairie Rivers Network is committed to protecting these and other wetlands in the state, Struss said. Our organization will monitor the progress of this development closely as it unfolds, holding the city and developers accountable for this decision and all future actions. We will take every step possible to protect and respect this priceless environment. EARLIER: Kelly McKay spends most of his time outdoors in the untouched habitat throughout the Milan Bottoms. He has trudged through the bushes, mud and poison ivy to find more than 200 species of wildlife that live there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has completed different research there off and on for 33 years. In that time, its become one of his favorite places in the Quad Cities area. Its the only place in the Quad Cities that you can go where you almost have the feeling of being in a truly wild place, said McKay. The Milan Bottoms One of the reasons he spends so much time in the area is because of the lack of human encroachment on the habitats that call the wetlands home. Its allowed for wildlife to thrive, like no other place around the Quad Cities. The habitats are spectacular, said McKay. You get back into some of these areas and theres just a tremendous diversity of wildlife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKay and others worried about conserving these ecosystems have been fighting against the city and its plan to sell 10 acres of the surrounding area to a developer, A Hana Illowa. They want to build a truck stop and dispensary alongside Centennial Expressway. McKay believes this addition would disrupt many habitats of a variety of creatures, including bald eagles that call the area home. These species cant go anywhere else because theyve lost all their habitats, said McKay. That development could go anywhere else. At Mondays council meeting, McKay was asked to leave after he interrupted Community Development Director Miles Brainard, who spoke in support of the sale. The wetlands are also important for Rock Island residents because of their importance in relieving some of the flood risks in the area. They act as sponges, said Rock Island Alderman Dylan Parker. When theres increased water in the river system. the wetlands can flood, therefore preventing the river swelling more and overcoming our levy in downtown Rock Island, for example. So, preserving wetlands is important. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the Rock Island City Council approves the plan in the coming weeks, the developer would buy those t10 acres of land for $270,000. Parker suggested on his Facebook page last week that he would vote against the measure without environmental recommendations becoming requirements. A task force hired by the city is working to give recommendations that would help preserve the surrounding nature. Parker is also working to protect the hundreds of other acres of wetlands that make up the Milan Bottoms. Were placing the surrounding wetlands in a conservation easement to permanently bar development forever, said Parker. Parker does know the importance of projects like this for the citys financials. The proposed truck stop and dispensary would be built as a TIF district. A Tax Increment Financing district uses taxes on future gains in real estate values to pay for projects in the same district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would create some funds the city could use, and that would help alleviate the reliance on property taxes, according to Parker. The reason the city has considered this specific location for the project is because there is a lack of land in Rock Island. Theres not a lot of land for us to expand in, said Parker. Without more properties being built and more sales tax being generated at these properties, that has an impact on our budget. he entire Milan Bottoms is under a TIF district. This has McKay and others worried about the decisions made in the future. They want to make sure the conservation easement is permanent so down the line, the city does not decide to develop more of that land. The first reading of the sale proposal was at Tuesdays city council meeting. There will be an additional reading and a final vote in the coming weeks as discussions continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. By Georgina McCartney HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped about 2% on Tuesday and were on track for a third straight day of declines as investors considered the impact of U.S. sanctions against Russia's two biggest oil companies on global supply, along with a potential OPEC+ plan to raise output. Brent crude futures were down $1.36, or 2.1%, to $64.26 a barrel at 11:48 a.m. EDT (1548 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.29, or 2%, at $60.02. Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly gains since June, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting major oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. The U.S. government has provided written assurances that the German business of Russia's Rosneft would be exempt from the sanctions because the assets are no longer under Russian control, Germany's economy minister said. "Trump giving Germany this waiver gives the impression that there could be more wiggle room on these sanctions, so this is taking away some of the immediate concerns that supplies could dramatically tighten. We definitely saw some risk-off (trading) today," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group. The effect of sanctions on oil-exporting countries will be limited because of surplus capacity, Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, said on Tuesday. Following the U.S. sanctions, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, said on Monday it would sell its international assets. This move is the most consequential action so far by a Russian company in the wake of Western sanctions over Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Moscow-headquartered Lukoil accounts for around 2% of global oil output. INDIAN REFINERS HALT NEW ORDERS Indian refiners have not placed new orders for Russian oil purchases since the sanctions were imposed, as they await clarity from the government and suppliers, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, is leaning toward another modest output boost in December, four sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. Having curbed production for several years to support the oil market, the group started reversing those cuts in April. "This raises the larger question as to how much spare capacity OPEC+ really has left," Flynn said. The CEO of Saudi Arabian state oil company Aramco said on Tuesday crude oil demand was strong even before sanctions were imposed on Rosneft and Lukoil, and that Chinese demand was still healthy. There have been a number of high profile incidents involving commercial planes in 2025, beginning with the collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, DC and the crash of an Air India flight shortly after take-off. Only one person survived the crash in India, while all involved in the DC crash perished. Luckily, another incident in October had a happier ending. United Airlines flight 1093, which was on its way to Los Angeles from Denver, diverted to Salt Lake City for an emergency landing after its windshield cracked mid-flight. Initial reports theorized that the plane may have hit "space debris" a small meteorite? A piece of a defunct satellite? No one seemed sure. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was flying at around 36,000 feet when the damage occurred, with 134 passengers and six crew members on board. After the plane safely landed with no injuries to passengers, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began its investigation, looking not only at the cracked windshield, but also taking into account weather, radar, and flight recorder data. Despite early reports, space debris seemed unlikely. A 2023 report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found that the odds of an aircraft collision with space debris causing injury to passengers as below a trillion to one. A few days after the incident, additional news reports provided more clarity. John Dean, co-founder and CEO of a company called Windborne Systems, believes the plane may have hit one of its weather balloons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 12 WD-40 Hacks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner Who is Windborne, and what happened? A Windborne weather balloon in the air - Windborne Systems Windborne operates long-duration balloons, working under a mission to "help humanity mitigate and manage the most immediately destructive aspects of climate change." It combines the data gathered by its balloons with AI models to provide weather forecasts. According to a statement released by the company, its balloons only weigh 2.4 pounds at launch and are designed "to be safe in the event of a midair collision." Windborne files aviation alerts called NOTAMs for every balloon it launches. It is working with both the NTSB and the FAA to investigate the incident. Cockpit windshields in commercial aircraft are thoughtfully designed and typically made of several layers capable of withstanding pressure changes and risks like bird strikes. News of the United Airlines flight 1093 incident reported a badly cracked windshield and scorch marks, and one pilot sustained minor injuries to his arm. Windborne, which deemed "this level of plane collision damage to be unacceptable," has already implemented changes in the aftermath of the incident. It is minimizing the time its balloons spend between 30,000 and 40,000 feet, and has accelerated plans to use live flight data in order to avoid planes. Finally, the company is at work on new hardware designs that would lessen the impact of the balloon with any other object. Similar accidents in the past A close-up of a commercial airplane cockpit with a pilot inside - Mtcurado/Getty Images The cracked windshield on Flight 1093 is not an isolated incident. It's happened before, sometimes with more dire consequences. In 2007, Denver International Airport was forced to investigate after the windshields on at least 13 planes cracked, some during take-off and landing. The cause was later determined to be foreign object debris due to a storm. In 2013, a Boeing 757 heading to Boston landed after cracks formed, and a Boeing 767-300 enroute to LA in 2014 was at 38,000 feet when it suffered a cracked windshield and was forced to make an emergency landing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one was injured in these incidents, but the same was not true on a British Airways flight in 1990. Flight 5390 was on its way to Spain when one of the panels of the windshield blew out and one of the pilots was forced from his seat and partially out of the window. The flight crew held him for 20 minutes until the plane landed and, though injured, he miraculously survived. If you're worried, don't be. With tens of thousands of planes in the air every day, incidents of cracked windows are extremely rare. Commercial pilots are also extremely well-trained to handle emergency situations and extreme weather, and can even land with limited visibility using only the plane's instruments. Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on SlashGear. A fire involving a tanker truck shut down the Union Centre Boulevard overpass and nearby ramps Oct. 28 and they will likely stay closed through the Oct. 29 morning commute. The truck fire and a secondary fire that ignited in a storm drain under the bridge were extinguished. But the overpass will remain closed at least overnight as crews attempt to clear the scene and repair the road, according to West Chester Township officials. West Chester spokesperson Brianna Wooten said the road between Muhlhauser Road and Civic Centre Road was damaged by the fire and will have to be repaved overnight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio Department of Transportation officials said in a statement that inspections conducted by ODOT District 8's bridge department after the fire was extinguished found no structural damage to the bridge; however, the pavement on the deck and ramp incurred a significant amount of damage that will need to be repaired prior to reopening. Theres also environmental remediation work that needs to be done. Wooten said the township does not have a specific time to reopen the road but anticipates that the morning rush-hour may be impacted. Emergency crews work the site of a tanker fire at the Union Center Blvd. exit of I-75 in West Chester, Ohio, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. Along with the overpass, the ramps to and from southbound I-75 and the off-ramp from I-75 North to westbound Union Centre Boulevard will remain closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The off-ramp from northbound I-75 to eastbound Union Centre, as well as the on-ramp to I-75 North, will remain open. Motorists may detour by way of Cincinnati-Dayton and West Chester roads or by way of I-275 West and state Route 747. What shut down the road? A tanker truck, which is designed to carry large volumes of liquid or gas, caught on fire while carrying diesel fuel. It shut down the overpass and all exit and off ramps at Union Centre. Fire departments from neighboring municipalities, including Cincinnati, were called to the scene to assist West Chester police, hazardous waste management and the fire department in responding to the fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are no reported injuries at this time. This story was updated to add new information, add video and add and change photos. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Officials say Union Centre overpass may be closed for AM rush hour OWEGO, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) The Tioga County Property Development Corporation held a ribbon-cutting at its Open House for a mixed-use building in downtown Owego. The dilapidated historic building at 81 North Avenue has been renovated and will house Simple Form Pilates on the first floor and two residential units on the second and third floors. The development corporation received funding from New York State Homes and Community Renewal Land Bank Initiative and Empire State Developments RESTORE New York to cover the $905,000 project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Executive Administrator for the Tioga County Property Development Corporation, Sara Zubalsky-Peer says this is the biggest project they have ever taken. Its just part of the land banks bigger mission to provide decent, safe housing in Tioga County, clean up dilapidated buildings and do historic preservation, in this case because we are in the historic district in Owego, said Zubalsky-Peer. Many community members came out to check out the new space and celebrate the completion of the project. Zubalsky-Peer says the apartments will each have two bedrooms, one bathroom, and an in-unit washer/dryer. She says the apartments are not yet available for rental, but will be soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information on how to apply, call (607)687-8266. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34. Animals respond to injury in many ways. So far, evidence for animals tending wounds with biologically active materials is rare. Yet, a recent study of an orangutan treating a wound with a medicinal plant provides a promising lead. Chimpanzees, for example, are known to lick their wounds and sometimes press leaves onto them, but these behaviours are still only partly understood. We still do not know how often these actions occur, whether they are deliberate, or how inventive chimpanzees can be when responding to wounds. Recent field observations in Uganda, east Africa, are now revealing intriguing insights into how these animals cope with wounds. Read more: Inside the chimpanzee medicine cabinet: we've found a new way chimps treat wounds with plants As a primatologist, I am fascinated by the cognitive and social lives of chimpanzees, and by what sickness-related behaviours can reveal about the evolutionary origins of care and empathy in people. Chimpanzees are among our closest living relatives, and we can learn so much about ourselves through understanding them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In our research based in Kibale National Park, Uganda, chimpanzees have been seen applying insects to their own open wounds on five occasions, and in one case to another individual. Behaviours like insect application show that chimpanzees are not passive when wounded. They experiment with their environment, sometimes alone and occasionally with others. While we should not jump too quickly to call this medicine, it does show that they are capable of responding to wounds in inventive and sometimes cooperative ways. Each new insight adds reveals more about chimpanzees, offering glimpses into the shared evolutionary roots of our own responses to injury and caregiving instincts. First catch your insect We saw the insect applications by chance while observing and recording their behaviour in the forest, but paid special attention to chimpanzees with open wounds. In all observed cases, the sequence of actions seemed deliberate. A chimpanzee caught an unidentified flying insect, immobilised it between lips or fingers, and pressed it directly onto an open wound. The same insect was sometimes reapplied several times, occasionally after being held briefly in the mouth, before being discarded. Other chimpanzees occasionally watched the process closely, seemingly with curiosity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most often the behaviour was directed at the chimpanzees own open wound. However, in one rare instance, an adolescent female applied an insect to her brothers wound. A study on the same community has shown that chimpanzees also dab the wounds of unrelated members with leaves, prompting the question of whether insect application of these chimpanzees, too, might extend beyond family members. Acts of care, whether directed towards family or others, can reveal the early foundations of empathy and cooperation. The observed sequence closely resembles the insect applications seen in Central chimpanzees in Gabon, Africa. The similarity suggests that insect application may represent a more widespread behaviour performed by chimpanzee than previously recognised. Read more: A chimpanzee cultural collapse is underway, and it's driven by humans The finding from Kibale National Park broadens our view of how chimpanzees respond to wounds. Rather than leaving wounds unattended, they sometimes act in ways that appear deliberate and targeted. Chimpanzee first aid? The obvious question is what function this behaviour might serve. We know that chimpanzees deliberately use plants in ways that can improve their health: swallowing rough leaves that help expel intestinal parasites or chewing bitter shoots with possible anti-parasitic effects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Insects, however, are a different matter. Pressing insects onto wounds has not yet been shown to speed up healing or reduce infection. Many insects do produce antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory substances, so the possibility is there, but scientific testing is still needed. For now, what we can say is that the behaviour appears to be targeted, patterned and deliberate. The single case of an insect being applied to another individual is especially intriguing. Chimpanzees are highly social animals, but active helping is relatively rare. Alongside well-known behaviours such as grooming, food sharing, and support in fights, applying an insect to a siblings wound hints at another form of care, one that goes beyond maintaining relationships to possibly improving the others physical condition. Big questions This behaviour leaves us with some big questions. If insect application proves medicative, it could explain why chimpanzees do it. This in turn raises the question of how the behaviour arises in the first place: do chimpanzees learn it by observing others, or does it emerge more spontaneously? From there arises the question of selectivity are they choosing particular flying insects, and if so, do others in the group learn to select the same ones? In human traditional medicine (entomotherapy), flying insects such as honeybees and blowflies are valued for their antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory effects. Whether the insects applied by chimpanzees provide similar benefits is still to be investigated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, if chimpanzees are indeed applying insects with medicinal value and sometimes placing them on the wounds of others, this could represent active helping and even prosocial behaviour. (The term is used to describe behaviours that benefit others rather than the individual performing them.) Watching chimpanzees in Kibale National Park immobilise a flying insect and gently press it onto an open wound reminds us how much there is still to learn about their abilities. It also adds to the growing evidence that the roots of care and healing behaviours extend much further back in evolutionary time. If insect applications prove to be medicinal, this adds to the importance of safeguarding chimpanzees and their habitats. In turn, these habitats protect the insects that can contribute to chimpanzee well-being. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Kayla Kolff, Osnabruck University Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Kayla Kolff received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), project number 274877981 (GRK-2185/1: DFG Research Training Group Situated Cognition). The cable news media has disgracefully blacked out President Donald Trumps stunning rant about his latest cognitive test which he now falsely equates with an I.Q. test in a failure that illustrates the state of journalism in Trumps second term. Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan on Monday, during which he went on a rant that included a new falsehood about the cognitive test hes been bragging about for years, as well as a few slips and fumbles that cut against his boasts: TRUMP: They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have uh AOCs low IQ. You give her an IQ test have her pass, like the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed. I took those are very hard, theyre really aptitude tests, I guess, in a certain way, but theyre cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump. I dont think Jasmine the first couple of questions are easy: a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know. When you get up to about five or six, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25. They couldnt come close to answering any of those questions. Theres a lot packed into that two-and-a-half minutes. For example, the president is asked if hes not ruling something out and tells the reporters Youll have to tell me at best a nonsensical attempt at humor, and raises the prospect that two people might someday form a group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He attacked Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) by asserting that neither of them could manage the mentally Herculean task of answering questions deep into the test a shocking assertion at both ends. Well get to that. But the most stunning part of this rant is that Trump claims and appears to sincerely believe that this assessment is an aptitude test that measures something akin to an Intelligence Quotient (IQ). The facts around the exam are well-known and have been for years. In 2020, Trump boasted to Fox News host Sean Hannity that doctors were surprised when he aced a recent cognitive test, a remark that drew mockery which reached historic proportions after immortalized the words person woman man camera TV while boasting about his keen cognitive powers during an interview with Fox News Dr. Marc Siegel. The test is called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), which Trump first took as president in 2018 according to then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a now-infamous press conference, Dr. Jackson told reporters that Trump had scored a 30 over 30 on the MOCA, and that the test was not clinically indicated, but Trump insisted on taking it. The test is used to screen for mild cognitive issues, and consists of 8 sections with a total of 12 tasks, successful completion of which are awarded points. Those tasks consist of things like: Connecting lettered and numbered dots in order Drawing a cube Drawing a clock (These tasks are worth up to five points) Correctly identifying pictures of a lion, a rhinoceros, and a camel (up to 3 points) Recalling a list of five words (no points) Reading a list of numbers (2 points) Reading a list of letters (1 point) Counting backwards from 100 by sevens (3 points) Repeating the phrases I only know that John is the one to help today and The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room. (2 points) Explaining the similarities between objects like train bicycle and watch ruler (2 points) Recalling the five words from earlier in the test, in any order (5 points) Knowing where you are, and what the date, time, and day of the week are. (6 points!) There are several versions of the assessment, none of which actually has a question number 25. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the question that correlates roughly to the section Trump identifies as really tough to answer consists of being able to tell the examiner the current date, month, year, place, and city. Bragging about acing this test is like passing a field sobriety test and telling everyone you aced a physical fitness test. But the only mention you would hear from cable or broadcast news that the thing Trump was bragging about was not an IQ test was from Crockett herself, who roasted Trump on CNN over the rant. Wheres Daniel Dale? Wheres Jake Tapper? Where is anybody to point out that Trump thinks it takes a mental Superman to repeat back the sentence The child walked his dog in the park after midnight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A conspiratorial-minded person might connect the dots between this failure and things like NBC parent company Comcast donating to Trumps ballroom fund, or CNNs CEO reportedly telling staff to ease up on reporting on it, to name a few recent examples. Trump has the news media running scared, and lucky for us it doesnt take a genius to see that. Journalists of conscience at these outlets need to grow a spine and speak out. Watch above via C-SPAN. The post Disgraceful Media Blacks Out Stunning Trump Cognitive/IQ Test Rant Hides Damning Facts Behind It first appeared on Mediaite. DES MOINES, Iowa An investigation is underway after a fight led to a shooting in Des Moines Monday evening. Several members of No. 1 ISU cross country team suspended Officers with the Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at around 6 p.m. in a parking lot near Southridge Mall. When officers arrived at the scene, the DMPD said they found shell casings in the 1200 block of East Army Post Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the DMPD, evidence collected so far indicates that a dispute between juveniles escalated into a shooting. No injuries were reported. The DMPD said more information will be released when available. Metro news Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. Starting Monday, all offices in the Division of Motor Vehicles across the state will move to an appointment-based system to transact all customer business, from those seeking to obtain a drivers license to getting a registration for a new car or truck. This change is designed to reduce waiting times in DMV lobbies and provide a more efficient, personalized experience for all customers, said DMV Director John C. Marasco. By scheduling appointments in advance, the DMV can manage customer flow more effectively, ensuring that each visit is timely and well-organized. Wait times to be posted for five busiest DMV locations Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People wait for their numbers to be called at the Division of Motor Vehicles in Concord in this May 2018 file photo. In an interview, Marasco said while making this significant change in policy, staff will be available to help all residents get their business done. We wont be turning anyone away, our mission has always been to help the public. Were really excited about this next stage because we believe its going to make the DMV experience even better, Marasco said. While most of the appointments will be scheduled online, Marasco said that residents with poor internet access, either permanently or on a temporary basis, are urged to call the department to schedule a time for them to come in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We take in 350,000 calls a year so obviously wed prefer folks go on the website, but our staff are there at the other end of the line if thats what someone needs to schedule an appointment, Marasco said. The agency, starting next week, will create additional appointments to handle customer volume, he said. The busiest DMV offices at Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Epping will offer appointments during extended hours until 5 p.m. twice a week. Starting next week, the Concord and Nashua offices will stay open later on Monday and Wednesday, while Manchester and Epping offices will be open later on Tuesday and Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DMV substations are currently open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Surge during Real ID deadline led to reform A limited number of same-day appointments will be reserved each day for customers with urgent transactions. The agency conducted 425,000 in-person transactions at the 14 DMV substations last year. Due to the Real ID surge (from those who faced a deadline to get a newly-designed license), our volume spiked up 30,000 from the year before, Marasco said. This created an even greater incentive for us to figure out how we can deliver service even faster and smarter. Attention New Hampshire flyers: The May 7 Real ID deadline is for real Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Director of Motor Vehicles John Marasco speaks with a reporter at the DMV in Concord last April. The average time someone spends at a DMV substation to complete their business now is nine minutes, he said. Customers can find appointment availability on the DMV website, where they can select Make an Appointment on the homepage. DMV staff will assist walk-in customers with finding appointments, including at other DMV locations if necessary. The division created this online appointment in 2020 during COVID for obvious reasons. Its been a huge success because the public has come to realize its so easy to get it done, why not set it up in advance and then youre in, youre out in no time, Marasco said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several state DMVs have adopted the appointment-only practice including Rhode Island, Maryland and Colorado, he said. Since becoming director in February 2022, Morasco has sponsored other initiatives to reduce long lines at the DMV offices including a mobile van that can conduct business remotely at various locations across the state. Starting in a few weeks, that van will have the software installed so that we can produce a temporary drivers license for someone right on the spot, Marasco said. On the Columbus Day holiday, the DMV had an all-day forum where its 230 staffers received training on active shooter events as well as medical response tutorials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We realize this is the location that interacts with more of the public than any other agency. We have had people in our substations suffer medical emergencies that had happy endings because we had the equipment and trained personnel on hand to help them, he added. klandrigan@unionleader.com HARTFORD - A 22-year-old Hartford man has been charged with murder after police said his DNA and cellphone linked him to a robbery at a Main Street gas station in August that left a 25-year-old man dead, according to an arrest warrant. Hartford police detectives believe Courtney Byrd was one of the two masked men who attempted to rob Niajae Vernon of a gold chain at the Noble gas station, 3250 Main St., on Aug. 24, moments before Vernon was shot in the chest. Vernon later died at Hartford Hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Byrd is charged with murder in the commission of a felony and carrying a pistol without a permit and is being held on $1.5 million bond, according to court records. Surveillance footage reviewed by detectives showed Vernon pulling up to a fuel pump in a gray Honda Accord at about 1:40 a.m. and walking into the gas station, according to police. Soon after, a black sport-utility vehicle entered the gas station lot and parked near the pump, police said. As Vernon returned to his car, two men got out of the SUV, one wearing a blue, hooded sweatshirt and the other dressed in black and armed with a gun, police said. The man in the blue sweatshirt ripped a chain from Vernon's neck and, as the victim appeared to argue with the second man, the gunman fired once. Vernon was struck and he later died at Hartford Hospital, according to the warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SUV fled the scene and an iPhone with a tan case that police say fell from the shooter's pocket was found near the gas pump, police said. Investigators traced the phone to Byrd through subscriber records and later obtained a warrant to collect his DNA. Testing by the state forensic lab found Byrd's genetic material on the phone and a rain gutter the shooter was seen grabbing during the robbery, police said. Detectives believed the same group was responsible for a robbery 15 minutes earlier and three miles away on May Street, where two victims reported being held at gunpoint by three men in a black SUV, according to police. This article originally published at DNA, cellphone linked Hartford man to fatal Main Street gas station shooting, police say. AUSTIN (KXAN) After nearly 30 years of investigating, authorities said theyve identified a suspect in connection with the sexual assaults of several elderly women in Bastrop County between 1997 and 2005, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. DPS said the suspect was identified through DNA testing submitted to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database used to check for possible DNA matches between arrestees and unsolved cases nationwide. The suspect, Emory Earl McVay, of Smithville, has a lengthy criminal history in Central Texas, which included multiple convictions for burglary, DPS said. McVay died in 2010 at 48-years-old. Emory Earl McVay (Texas DPS) DPS said the first case happened in July 1997 when a man broke into a womans home in Smithsville and sexually assaulted her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another case occurred years later on March 27, 2004. DPS said a woman was asleep when the man broke into her Bastrop County home and assaulted her. After reporting this incident to authorities, investigators collected DNA samples and submitted it to the CODIS. In October 2004, the lab notified the Texas Rangers of a possible match between the 2004 case and the assault from July 1997, said DPS. The following year, investigators connected a third assault to McVay from July 2005. Officials believed there was a serial rapist in Bastrop County and conducted DNA samples from potential suspects, but none yielded a match. In 2021, investigators said the case was eligible for testing and comparison through DPS Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program. On Aug. 11, 2021, a forensics company, Bode Technologies, conducted advanced DNA testing and genealogist research on the samples from the 1997, 2004 and 2005 sexual assaults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators got a positive match for McVay in August 2025. Officials later found that McVay was dead for more than a decade and no arrests were made. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) 51-year-old Pratul Agarwal was arrested at his home in Edmond Friday for allegedly using the internet to solicit minors online. Image Oklahoma County Detention Center According to Agarwals LinkedIn page and an OSU academic catalog, he appears to be a Professor of Physiological Sciences at Oklahoma State University. However, a spokesperson for the institution said, Hes a staff member above all else. Ive confirmed that last fall he gave a guest lecture (online with no contact with students) for one singular class session, but he is not the Instructor of Record for any course. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents obtained by News 4 shows Agarwal communicating online and by cell phone to an undercover agent who was posing as a 14-year-old girl from Broken Arrow. The questions ranged from asking if she likes older men, to if she wants to see something naughty. Camera captures Blanchard home invasion During the chats, the affidavit states Agarwal admitting to having sexual relationships with three teens ranging in age from 13 to 16. Oklahoma State University sent an official statement to News 4 about Agarwals arrest. The university has been made aware that an employee was arrested Friday at his home in Oklahoma City. The university is fully cooperating with law enforcement in this investigation. Because this is an ongoing investigation, the institution cannot provide additional comment regarding the case at this time. Oklahoma State University The document also accuses of Agarwal of making multiple attempts to meet the girl, setting dates, times and locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Edmond Police says they are still investigating the case, and are urging any possible victims to come forward. A spokesperson from the Oklahoma County Jail confirmed Monday, Agarwal has since been released from jail after posting bond. News 4 has tried contacting Agarwal for any statement or information for any attorneys. We are waiting to hear back. As of 5:26 p.m. Oklahoma State University has confirmed Agarwal is no longer employed by the university. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Key insight : PayPal's earnings beat Wall Street analysts estimates. What's at stake : The payment company has entered partnerships with high-profile technology firms to compete in agentic AI and generative AI. Forward look: PayPal plans to invest in marketing and technology for AI, which could add to the company's costs in the coming months. PayPal started its second quarter earnings call with two big artificial intelligence announcements, including a partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI and the launch of its own agentic commerce service. "Agentic commerce will take time, but we believe consumer behavior will shift," PayPal CEO Alex Chriss said during Tuesday's earnings call. For the quarter ending September 30, PayPal reported net revenue of $8.4 billion, up 6% from the prior year, and earnings per share of $1.34, up 12%. That beat analyst projections of $8.2 billion and EPS of $1.19, according to Zacks Investment Research. PayPal's AI As part of its OpenAI partnership, PayPal will support ChatGPT Checkout, which lets users complete purchases using a PayPal wallet. PayPal will also process payments for merchants using OpenAI's Instant Checkout. ChatGPT, a form of generative AI, helped spark a wave of investment in AI over the past two years that has included much of the financial services industry . "This is a big win for PayPal," Chriss said. In another move on Tuesday, PayPal released Agentic Commerce Services. This includes payment support, order management and connections between merchants and product data, fulfillment and AI-powered checkout. A feature called PayPal "agent ready" enables merchants to accept payments via different AI programs; while another feature called "store sync" makes merchant data discoverable within AI channels, including the ability to route orders to their existing fulfillment and management systems. "Merchants will need to figure out how to integrate with multiple large language models, which can be a challenge for small businesses," Chriss said. PayPal has made several AI deals during the previous three months. The payment company on Monday announced a collaboration with Mastercard in which Mastercard's Agent Pay will integrate with PayPal's branded checkout digital wallet. This will enable AI agents to complete transactions on behalf of PayPal users. Mastercard and PayPal will also collaborate on future uses for agentic AI in shopping and payments. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) House Bill 1816, also known as Victorias Law, would stop the sale of puppy mill dogs, cats, and rabbits in Pennsylvania pet stores. The legislation has been in the works for years. Its now backed by a consumer protection approach and a new documentary to shine the spotlight on it. The bill is named in honor of Victoria, a dog who was overbred for 10 years at a Lancaster County puppy mill. She was forced to give birth to over 150 puppies before she was rescued by Grace Kelly Herbert, who is the president of Finding Shelter Animal Rescue. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This Week in Pennsylvania Once she found rescue and she found love and security in our home, she only lived 16 months, but in those 16 months she made a huge impact after her rescue, Herbert said. Victorias Law is highlighted in the film Dogspiracy. It was released in London in July. The plan was to release it in the U.S. in January, but screenings are happening early due to the reintroduction of the bill. There was a screening in Philadelphia on Saturday and another will take place in New York on Tuesday. Theres kind of three stories, ones kind of behind the scenes of campaigning, grassroots campaigning, how to change stuff and how hard it is and how frustrating it can be, said Dr. Marc Abraham, a veterinarian featured in the film. The other one is to promote rescue dog adoption and how to always give dogs another chance whove had terrible backgrounds, and of course, then Victorias law is kind of the main story, which is banning the sale of puppies and kittens and rabbits in Pennsylvania pet stores and how hard that campaign has been to fight with Grace and her team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abraham helped lead the campaign for Lucys Law in the United Kingdom to ban puppies in pet stores in England, Scotland, Wales and, soon, Northern Ireland. The main reason for making the film was so we could show what the conditions are like for these dogs that are just trapped in cages for almost their entire lives, and its really cruel, and its about making people aware that thats going on, said Dogspiracy director Paul Crompton. Weve rescued dogs during the film from puppy mills. Theres a really uplifting ending scene, those dogs with their new families, so thats how the film ends at the moment. I will need to update it once Victorias law has been voted on here. Rep. Jeanne McNeill (D-Lehigh County) said Victorias Law isnt about closing pet stores, but transforming them into partners in animal welfare. She said there are more than 500 puppy mills in Pennsylvania, including the worst 100 in the country. She said many of them come from Amish farms. The bottom dollar is spend as little money as possible to take care of these dogs and cats and rabbits, and they get thousands of dollars for them in pet stores and private sales, McNeill said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victorias Law would also require consumers to meet the mother of the animal theyre purchasing so they can see the conditions she lives in. Dog rescued with jar stuck on its head finds forever home The poor breeding practices of these mills have caused animals to suffer from genetic disorders and illnesses, said Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Berks/Montgomery counties). This can cause emotional turmoil and definitely financial hardship on the families who have to pay these vet bills or even worse, lose their new beloved pet to an unknown health condition. H.B. 1816 was referred to the Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities committee in August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. We love our statues in Boston, as long as they represent historic figures who are now dead and preferably on horseback. But erect something fun that might wind up in someones Instagram feed? Thats just not our jam. Ive been thinking about our citys joy deficit every time I read about Hasbros new headquarters in the Seaport or chat with a LEGO executive, as I did last week. Both toymakers, at their old headquarters in Connecticut and Rhode Island, displayed some public sculptures that mightve put a smile on a childs face when you passed by. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Connecticut burbs, LEGO had a brightly-colored pile of giant-sized bricks near the front door of its headquarters. (At one time, there was also a life-sized police officer made of the companys plastic bricks.) Hasbros current home office has Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head waving to the Pawtucket populace. Boston once had a beloved teddy bear on Boylston Street, outside the FAO Schwarz toy store. You almost never walked by it without seeing a family snapping photos. But when the store closed in 2004, the bear got relocated to a dark pocket park, in the words of architect David Hacin, near Tufts Medical Center. I have never seen anyone engage with it like when it was on Boylston, he said. Boston does seem to have a problem with public art, Hacin said. Unless its something laden with political or historical references, there isnt much of a tradition of art for arts sake, or art for fun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Companies like Hasbro and especially LEGO understand that some of our greatest creativity comes when we feel safe enough to play, Sam Seidel, a city planning consultant and former Cambridge city councilor, said. In a city that prides itself on innovation, it would be nice to be able to walk down the street and see Mr. Potato Head and stop for a moment to have your picture taken with him. Ive been asking around, and it doesnt sound like theres any concrete plan to either bring LEGO and Hasbros existing sculptures to Boston or to do something new. At the Lyrik Back Bay, the mixed-use plaza over the Mass. Pike, where LEGO opened its new North American headquarters earlier this year, has added some nice public art, though none is LEGO-related or especially appealing to children. I made a lot of inquiries this month and received a few semi-encouraging responses that seemed to leave the door open to potential future happiness. Samuels & Company, the real estate firm that developed the Lyrik project, emailed a statement noting they are always willing to consider collaborations with community partners, artists groups and tenants on both temporary and permanent art installations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WS Development built the Seaport office building that Hasbro will soon occupy. Yanni Tsippis, a senior vice president at WS, said that there was nothing to share currently. But please stay tuned. In 2018, WS brought colorful, pixelated animal sculptures to the Seaport, which mostly sit in a median strip. And it sounds like Hasbro hasnt ruled out bringing some whimsy to its new HQ. While we dont have details to share yet about how the space will look on the outside, said company spokesperson Abby Hodes, were thinking carefully about how to bring Hasbros creativity and spirit into the location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not necessarily a Potato Head partisan. Hasbro also owns Optimus Prime, Twilight Sparkle and the Power Rangers. Any of them would power up the companys serious-looking new headquarters building. And LEGO once made a set called Women of NASA, featuring a (still living) Cantabrigian, Margaret Hamilton, who helped oversee the software development for the Apollo moon missions. Perhaps a Hamilton sculpture made of LEGO bricks would satisfy our citys history-loving denizens? Whatever we do, isnt it time Boston sheds the reputation of being a city founded by Puritans, where fun goes to die? Stories by Scott Kirsner Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Fox News anchor Bret Baier publicly addressed reports that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is eyeing him to take over the news networks flagship evening broadcast, saying this week that while hes flattered by the speculation, he is very happy with the conservative cable giant. Baier distancing himself from jumping ship to a rival network comes as CBS Evening News co-anchor John Dickerson recently announced that he was leaving not just the weeknight news broadcast but the network altogether. Weiss, the anti-woke Free Press founder who was recently installed by Paramount chief David Ellison to run CBS News, has been looking to make a big splash during her first few weeks at the helm of the network. Besides floating out Baiers name during internal conversations, Weiss has also expressed interest in poaching CNN star Anderson Cooper to helm the networks flagship evening program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During an appearance on Meghan McCains podcast Citizen McCain, Baier was asked about how hed unintentionally made a lot of news lately because Weiss was considering him for the marquee CBS hosting gig. McCain also pointed out that just before they began taping the episode, Dickerson revealed that he was departing CBS News and the evening show by the end of the year. Is there any truth to that, and totally respectfully, I would be heartbroken if you left Fox News, the conservative podcaster asked Baier. Fox News anchor Bret Baier finally addresses the speculation that he could jump ship to CBS News to host its evening news program. (YouTube) Saying he knew McCain would ask that question, the Special Report anchor then sought to pour some cold water on the possibility of him leaving the network hes called home for 27 years to immediately take over a broadcast news show. Im flattered by all the press and everything like that, but Im in a multi-year contract with Fox, he said. I dont know where everythings going. Im signed onto Fox, very happy at Fox and well see what happens at the end of that. But its interesting to see all the press about it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, Baier who currently makes $14 million a year is locked into a contract with Fox News that runs through 2028. The prospect of Fox News owners Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch letting one of their top on-air talents break his contract early to decamp for a rival media outlet would seem to be highly unlikely, at best. Official confirmation: Bret Baier is not taking over CBS Evening News, at least for now, Citizen McCain co-host Miranda Wilkins chimed in, while McCain said she was really happy to hear that Baier isnt leaving Fox. (McCain is married to right-wing pundit Ben Domenech, who is a Fox News contributor.) Since Ellisons takeover of Paramount this summer, the media mogul has faced criticism that he is restructuring CBS News to shift the networks coverage to the right in an effort to further appeal to Donald Trump. Besides hiring the radically centrist contrarian Weiss and purchasing her heterodox digital outlet The Free Press, Ellison has hired former Trump appointee Kenneth Weinstein to serve as CBS News ombudsman to root out complaints of bias at the network. Hes also ordered the newsroom to revamp Sunday show Face the Nations editing rules following complaints from the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, speculation about Baier has prompted additional concerns among staffers about the editorial direction Weiss and Ellison have in store for CBS News. The pending departure of Dickerson, which was preceded by the networks head of standards resigning, has only increased that scrutiny. Its like they wanted him to fail, one network source told The Independent about Dickersons exit. This is a huge loss for CBS. At the same time, staff morale continues to plummet at CBS News as Paramount prepares to implement a new wave of brutal layoffs this week, which will likely hit the news division especially hard. The job cuts to the newsroom, which could impact up to ten percent of the staff as Paramount looks to slash $2 billion from the companys ledger, come after Ellison spent $150 million to purchase Weiss site and the new editor-in-chief is openly courting high-priced on-air talent. CLINTON, Ill. (WCIA) Twelve fire departments responded to two fires in Clinton on Monday, one of which left a dog dead and sent a firefighter to the hospital. On Oct. 27 around 3:07 p.m., Clinton firefighters were dispatched to the 800 block of E Adams Street for the report of a fire in an attached garage. When they arrived on the scene, they found a one and a half story wooden house with an attached one-car garage and heavy fire conditions. Fire that destroyed 11 trailers may have started from human activity: Champaign Co. Crime Stoppers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result, Clinton firefighters struck a second alarm for more help at the scene. Bystanders told firefighters that all civilians had exited the home, but a dog was still inside. Firefighters on the scene were able to suppress the fire and began a search inside the home for the dog. They eventually found the dog, but said it had died from smoke inhalation. The home suffered severe damage in the fire and is now inhabitable, the department said. One firefighter had to be taken to a hospital with chest pain. While some Clinton firefighters were battling this fire, others were dispatched to a second building on fire in the 400 block of S Clinton Street at 4:14 p.m. Some firefighters even broke away from the Adams Street fire due to a third alarm being struck for additional help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the scene at this fire, firefighters observed a two-car detached garage with a heavy amount of black smoke coming from it. Fire crews gained entry to find the garage and a vehicle inside of it on fire. Newton woman hurt in two-vehicle Effingham Co. crash Firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire, and no injuries were reported on the scene. Clinton firefighters were able to clear the scene of the Clinton Street fire by 5:30 p.m. and got back to the station from the Adams Street fire just before 10 p.m. In a Facebook post, the Clinton Fire Department said they were assisted by many individuals, agencies and companies with firefighting efforts and even received food and drinks. The following is a list of all who the department said provided support: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wapella Fire Protection District Maroa Fire Protection District Kenney Fire Protection District Waynesville Fire Protection District Weldon Fire Protection District Randolph Township Fire Protection District Farmer City Fire Protection District Hickory Point Fire Protection District Argenta-Oreana Fire Protection District Warrensburg Fire Protection District Mt. Pulaski Fire Protection District DeWitt County Emergency Management Agency Clinton Police Department Clinton Street and Water Department American Red Cross Ameren Gas and Electric Caseys General Store Pizza Mr. Tony Harris Drinks Having two structure fires within blocks away is rare, but does happen, Clinton Fire said in its Facebook post. May all of our thoughts be with those that lost property and their beloved pet today. Clinton Fire said that neither fire is believed to be suspicious, but they are still being investigated by the Illinois State Fire Marshal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. NEED TO KNOW A dog was rescued from a storm drain on Oct. 10 after slipping out of her collar during a walk in Wall Township, New Jersey Sandy was heard screaming as officers worked to free her during the rescue operation The pup was then reunited with her "distraught" owner A dog has been rescued after slipping into a storm drain. On Oct. 10, the Wall Township Police Department responded to a report that a pup called Sandy had stumbled out of her collar and into a storm sewer while on a walk in Wall Township, New Jersey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, officers from Wall Township Police Department stepped up in a big way during an unexpected rescue mission, the department wrote on Facebook. They added, Ptl. Jerry Baker, Ptl. Dan Grothues, Ptl. Josh Wheeler, and Lt. Eric Jennings responded to a call for help after a resident's dog, Sandy, slipped out of her collar during a walk and fell into a storm drain. When they arrived, they found Sandy scared and stuck below ground and her owner just as distraught, the police continued. With no time to wait for the storm drain grate to be lifted by DPW, the officers quickly improvised. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Wall Township Police Sandy being carried by who appeared to be her owner Sandy being carried by who appeared to be her owner Officers said they used a lockout tool to carefully reach down and hook Sandys collar, pulling her to safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks to their quick thinking and compassion, Sandy was safely reunited with her very grateful owner without injury! they concluded. In a video shared by the department, Sandy could be heard screaming as officers carried out their rescue operation by pulling her collar. After bringing the dog to the surface of the storm drain, the officers quickly carried her out. Wall Township Police Sandy after being rescued Sandy after being rescued "Oh my God, an individual, who appeared to be the owner, said, as she sounded emotional. She wont run right? one officer said as he held Sandys body while she stood on all-fours on the ground. You got her, he added before the woman, who appeared emotional, picked her up. Read the original article on People The Center Square) Colorado saw a dramatic increase in fatalities from domestic violence incidents in 2024, according to a new state report. Last year, there were 54 domestic violence fatality cases that resulted in 72 deaths. That is a 24% increase from 2023. Of the 72 deaths, eight of those were collateral victims," according to the report. All of those victims were children, between three months and seven years old. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General Phil Weiser chairs the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, which released the report. It found that firearms were used in 75% of all the domestic violence deaths in 2024, including every childs death. Because of that, Weiser called for more gun regulations to address the surge in violence, especially against the children affected. Every one of the eight collateral victims last year was a child. Domestic violence is not only a crisis between partners its tearing families apart and claiming young lives, said Weiser. We must do more to protect children and survivors before tragedy strikes. That means stronger firearm safeguards, greater coordination across courts and law enforcement, and earlier intervention when warning signs appear. In 2024, domestic violence deaths made up 18% of all Colorado homicides. That was the highest share its made in the past five years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Notably, the report found that rural counties have a disproportionately high rate of domestic violence fatalities. Many of the perpetrators also had a previous domestic violence arrest or conviction. The board put forward a number of recommendations based on its findings. Those include: Requiring law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms at the scene of domestic violence arrests. Clarifying state law to ensure third-degree assault domestic violence convictions prohibit firearm possession. Providing resource material to both parties in domestic violence calls where no arrest is made. U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colorado, said federal funding cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was passed in July, is already exacerbating the issue in Colorado. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already, the Lake County community is being impacted by federal cuts in fact, they're seeing an increase in domestic violence, but have nowhere to send victims since their only shelter was closed because of Republican cuts to the Violence Against Women Act, Pettersen said on social media. It's devastating being on the ground & seeing the catastrophic impacts on our rural communities. The Center Square reached out to Advocates of Lake County, which provides services to victims of domestic violence in Lake County, to confirm Pettersens statement about the shelter closure. No response had been received at the time of publication. DENVER (KDVR) A new report from the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board shows domestic violence deaths rose nearly 25% last year, even as the states overall homicide rate hit a 5-year low. According to the report, 72 domestic violence deaths happened in 2024, 24% up from the prior year. For eight children last year, the violence they witnessed became the violence that killed them. Multiple LGBTQ businesses and nonprofits linked to similar vandalism Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, its devastating, said David Karnes, Public Policy and Community Impact Specialist at Violence Free Colorado. I think when were seeing rates of crime go down overall, but this particular crime is going up, it highlights that our response has to be as complex and dynamic as the challenges themselves. Nearly half the suspects had prior arrests, and one in five had convictions for domestic violence. Our community-based advocates and our wonderful domestic violence programs across the state are facing budget cuts, said Karnes. The folks that are experiencing these things are reaching out for support, they need to not only; one know what is available, but two be able to access those services. That access gap is what Adams and Broomfield county leaders hope to close with a new Family Justice Center. Leaders and advocates call it a one-stop hub connecting survivors to help under one roof. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So that when a survivor of domestic violence walks into a Family Justice Center, they can get every service that they need, said Brian Mason, 17th Judicial District Attorney. These Family Justice Centers literally save lives. The center opens in 2026. The hub will offer legal help, housing, counseling and crisis support. Its a model advocates say that could help save lives statewide. New resource hub created to support Evergreen community after shooting These hubs can be a great way for folks to get those needs met without having to make a hundred phone calls, without having to tell their story over and over again, often to end up not receiving the support they need anyway, said Karnes. I think that these hubs are a great example of a coordinated community response that prioritizes survivors and trying to bring the access to them rather than asking them to go to 10 different spots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and advocates say this new report makes one thing clear: Awareness isnt enough; it takes access to funding and follow-through to help save lives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. Kansas ranchers are concerned about statements out of Washington, D.C., about importing more beef from Mexico and Argentina and how that affects market prices. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Kansas farm leaders are pushing Congress to get back to work and solve problems facing the agriculture industry, pointing out that a closed government doesnt mean U.S. lawmakers cant be in session. Im up here in Republic County and theres a lot of activity going around harvest, said Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union. And then, of course, wheat drilling and all that, too, and getting ready to move cattle off of pastures. The work doesnt stop for farmers. We dont pause, we dont shut down. We have to keep going. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levendofsky, speaking earlier this month in a virtual press conference arranged by Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids, echoed comments from Kansas agriculture secretary Mike Beam to get Congress back to work. Its time to get back to work on and really address some things, particularly some things that really dont cost money its just public policy that we need to address, Beam said on the same call. Levendofsky said the farm bill was allowed to expire, and even though some agricultural issues were addressed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, much is left to do. Ive talked with farmers in our organization, farmers in my area, and farmers all across the state, and theyre very frustrated with whats going on right now, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As farmers are grappling with increased input expenses, tariffs and weather, Davids said she was p***ed about President Donald Trumps expressed intentions to import more Argentinian beef. I think we need to be doing everything we can to support American ranchers and producers and farmers and not importing in stuff that were growing here, she said. Matthew Steele, CEO and executive director of the Kansas Cattlemens Association, listens to news every day with a strong dose of caution and trying to read through the lines. As an engineer with a compliance background, hes always looking deeper, he said. Youve got to always be thinking about this is the black and white, what does all the gray around it mean? he said in a call with the Kansas Reflector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, outcry about the potential of Mexico reopening its U.S. border to import feeder cattle doesnt have as big of an impact as people might expect, Steele said. About 1 million head a year come in from Mexico, out of 83 million head produced in the U.S., he said. Its not that big of a number, Steele said. Theyre still anywhere from three to eight or nine months from being ready for harvest anyway. Where the impact comes is those arent prime animals that are coming up. Its not like theyre bringing in certified Angus roasts and steaks. Its lower quality we grind up and serve as hamburgers. Still, the market took that news and went crazy, he said. Live cattle contracts fell Monday, dropping about $7 on Monday, according to Marketwatch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steele said his organization is telling farmers to call their representatives to share stories and help them understand how the system works. Although organizations like Kansas Cattlemens are advocating, it means more coming from the people who are doing the work, he said. Adam Phelon, a Kansas Soybean Association board member who farms with his family near Garnett, joined Davids call to share his frustration with the shutdown and what a challenge it can be throughout rural communities with a snowball effect that hits many areas. Phelon said farmers need consistency and certainty to make plans, and they dont have that right now. He also pointed to families that need support from programs like Women, Infants and Children payments and a friend in the Navy who is stationed in Germany and wasnt able to make their house payment that was due in October. The difficult thing is that even when the government does get back up and running, were going to be so far behind, Phelon said. We applaud the Congress for getting the renewable fuel standards up to where they should be, but those should be implemented at the beginning of November, and because of this government shutdown, it may be pushed back into the following year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Davids said the Farm Service Agency announced last week it would resume partial operations, that wasnt enough to help Kansas farmers. This is just a Band-Aid on a larger problem of a government shutdown, and our farmers, ranchers, producers are hurting, Davids said. They havent received some of their farm subsidies or loans. Conservation projects are stalled, like one thats near Baldwin City, Kansas, they cant move forward because no one is in the office to simply process the paperwork. Without crop or market reports, producers are being forced to make major financial decisions in the dark. These programs are truly a lifeline for rural America. We're currently in the midst of the second-longest government shutdown in history, with seemingly no end in sight. The federal government shutdown entered Day 28 on Tuesday, Oct. 28, with thousands of workers already laid off and essential services heavily impacted. The Trump administration previously warned Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits would end Nov. 1 if the government remained closed. About 42 million Americans would lose their SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump is currently overseas in Asia for trade negotiations, arriving in Japan on Tuesday to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Trump is expected to return to the United States late Thursday, according to USA TODAY. Is this shutdown impacting Trump's approval rating? Here's what to know about his favorability among residents in his home state of Florida and across the U.S. What do Florida polls say about Donald Trump's approval rating? Trump remains popular among Florida residents, according to recent polls. A poll by Morning Consult in October shows Trump with a 51% approval and a 45% disapproval rating. Margins of error among registered voters vary by state, from as high as +/-6 percentage points in less populous states such as Wyoming to +/-1 point in more populous states such as California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His rating in Florida has remained above the national average since Morning Consult started tracking it in March 2025. What is Trump's national approval rating? Here are the latest approval ratings released about Trump's administration: The Rasmussen Reports Updated on Oct. 28, the poll showed 45% approval and 53% disapproval of Trump. The poll included 1,500 likely voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. Silver Bulletin The latest average released by Nate Silver's "Silver Bulletin" newsletter on Oct. 27 has Trump's approval rating at 43.8% and a disapproval rating of 53.1%. The average included 10 polls. RMG Research/Napolitan News Service The poll conducted on Oct. 15 through Oct. 22 showed a 51% approval rating and a 47% disapproval rating. It polled 3,000 registered voters and reported a sampling error of +/- 1.8 percentage points. The Economist The weekly Economist/YouGov poll found 39% approved of Trump's job performance and 56% disapproved. The poll was conducted Oct. 17 through Oct. 20 among 1,621 citizens, with a margin of error of approximately 3.5 percentage points. The American Research Group The poll conducted from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20 showed 37% approval and 60% disapproval. They surveyed 1,100 U.S adults with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. A Morning Consult poll Conducted Oct. 3 through Oct. 5, the poll showed 46% approve and 52% disapprove. It surveyed 2,200 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points. Government shutdown: More Americans blame Republicans A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump's approval rating was 42%, up slightly but within the poll's margin of error. Reuters reported it has hovered between 40% and 44% since early April. The poll was conducted Oct. 15-20, surveying 4,835 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of 2 percentage points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fifty percent of respondents found Republican congressional leadership should be to blame for the shutdown, while 43% see Democrats as being responsible. What goes into a president's approval rating? When did they start? According to data agency Gallup, a presidential approval rating is a "simple measure, yet a very powerful one that has played a key role in politics for over 70 years." A presidents approval rating reflects the percentage of Americans polled who approve of the presidents performance. Anything can impact a president's rating, such as legislation passed, actions taken and elections held. According to ABC News, an approval rating doesn't just represent how well the administration is doing for the general public; it can also determine the outcome of an upcoming election for a politician or how much they accomplish during their time in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Presidential approval ratings were first conducted by George Gallup, the founder of the American Institute of Public Opinion, around 1935 to gauge public support for the president of the United States during their term in office. While Gallup has tracked presidential approval for 70 years, other organizations also release their own polls, including Ipsos and Morning Consult. How does Trump's approval rating compare with his first term? Trump ended his first term in 2021 with a final approval rating of 34%, the same as former presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. According to Gallup polling, Trump's approval average was 41%. They noted he is the only president not to receive a job rating of 50% or higher at any point in his presidency. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: What is Trump's approval rating? See polls 4 weeks into shutdown (Reuters) -Regeneron Pharmaceuticals beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter results on Tuesday, helped by strong demand for its eczema treatment, Dupixent, and cancer treatment Libtayo, sending its shares up 5.6% premarket. Analysts said Dupixent, made by the U.S. drugmaker in partnership with Sanofi, continues to impress, after the drug topped quarterly sales expectations when the French company reported its results last week. Meanwhile, Regeneron's eye disease drug, Eylea, has been facing stiff competition from cheaper versions and rivals such as Roche's Vabysmo. The company is trying to move its customer base to a newer formulation of Eylea with a higher dosage, or Eylea HD, which allows longer intervals between injections for patients. Regeneron said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had declined to approve Eylea HD's pre-filled syringe version on Monday, citing issues related to unresolved inspection findings at the Catalent facility in Bloomington, Indiana. The company is currently facing multiple regulatory setbacks due to the issues at the Catalent facility, which Novo Nordisk acquired in late 2024. Regeneron said it is planning to submit a new filler application by January 2026 for Eylea HD, which could receive FDA approval by April or May, according to Raymond James analysts. Analysts see the Eylea franchise as stable, but do not expect it to grow significantly until Regeneron attains key label and format extensions, which may be delayed into 2026. Regeneron's total revenue came in at $3.75 billion for the third quarter, beating analysts' average estimate of $3.59 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.U.S. sales of the 8-milligram high-dose version of Eylea, jointly developed with Bayer AG, rose 10% to $431 million from a year ago.Regeneron's skin cancer treatment, Libtayo, brought in sales of $365 million, above estimates of $343.75 million. The company earned a quarterly profit of $11.83 per share on an adjusted basis, compared with expectations of $9.59. ($1 = 0.7931 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas) President Donald Trump shared that he had an MRI scan during his visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. When asked about his results, the president made it clear that the test was perfect and exceptional for someone his age. He didnt reveal any further details, though, referring the media to his doctors for more information. Donald Trump says his MRI was perfect The president was questioned about his MRI on Air Force One on his way to a two-week trip to Asia. He recently also flew to Israel and Egypt earlier this month, and to the United Kingdom for a state visit. A reporter mentioned he had a scan done and asked if he could share the results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did. I got an MRI, Trump answered. It was perfect. What that means is left up to interpretation, as Trump often uses excessive adjectives when talking to the press. Trump is one of the oldest presidents in US history at 79 years of age. Naturally, his health is a valid concern. He didnt mention why he got the scan. He just said that it happened earlier this month when his physician said that the president was in exceptional health. Trump went on to add that it was some of the best reports, for the age, theyve ever seen. According to presidential physician Dr. Sean Barbabella, Trumps appointment and scan were part of a follow-up evaluation as part of his ongoing health and maintenance plan. The president continues to demonstrate excellent overall health, Dr. Barbabella said. Earlier this year, Trump was diagnosed with a medical condition that causes swelling in the legs. It is said to be benign and common in older adults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Otherwise, it appears Trump is in good health. Hes ready to visit several stops in Asia, rant about his photo for Time Magazine, continue his White House renovation, and focus on his plans in the coming months. TELL US WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS MRI RESULTS? The post Donald Trump Reveals MRI Results After Medical Center Visit appeared first on Reality Tea. President Donald Trump this week said he recently underwent an MRI scan, but neither he nor his doctors provided any particular reason for undergoing the medical examination. Trump revealed he had the scan while responding to a reporter's question aboard Air Force One en route to Japan on Monday, Oct. 27, USA TODAY reported. Trump went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Oct. 10 for what he called his "semi-annual physical." He had already had a physical in April. While he said the results were good, Trump didn't disclose why he had the scan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think they gave you a very conclusive. ... Nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you," Trump said. "And if I didn't think it was going to be good... I wouldn't run...The doctor said some of the best reports for the age." Here's what to know about President Trump's MRI. What happened to President Trump? Trump had an MRI done during his semi-annual physical exam Oct. 10 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Trump confirmed the scan when a reporter asked if he received an MRI during his doctor visit as he spoke to reporters on board Air Force One while on his way to Japan Oct. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I did, I got an MRI, it was perfect," Trump said. During Trump's exam on Oct. 10, he received advanced imaging, lab testing and preventative assessments. He also got the flu and COVID-19 booster shots, White House physician U.S. Navy Captain Sean Barbabella said. The White House previously revealed that Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency or CVI, which occurs when leg veins fail to send blood back to the heart properly. That can lead to swelling in the legs. What is an MRI? An MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a scan done with a machine to produce pictures of organs and tissues in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. The images are generated using a computer, magnet and radio waves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive imaging technology that produces three dimensional detailed anatomical images, the National Institute of Health Biomedical Imaging and Engineering explained. It's often used for disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. Patients are placed inside a tube and surrounded by the machine containing the magnets. Patients are required to lay still while the scans are completed. Why did Trump get an MRI? Trump did not say why he underwent an MRI, telling the reporter who asked about the procedure that they would need to ask the doctors for the reason. "I think they gave you a very conclusive. ... Nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you," Trump's remarks continued. "And if I didn't think it was going to be good... I wouldn't run...The doctor said some of the best reports for the age." Why are MRIs done? MRI scanners are particularly well suited to image the non-bony parts or soft tissues of the body, NIH Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering said. The brain, spinal cord and nerves, as well as muscles, ligaments, and tendons are seen much more clearly with MRI than with regular x-rays and CT scans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the brain, MRI can differentiate between white matter and gray matter and can also be used to diagnose aneurysms and tumors. One type of specialized MRI is functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which is used to observe brain structures and determine which areas of the brain activate (consume more oxygen) during various cognitive tasks. USA TODAY contributed. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: President Donald Trump says he had an MRI scan. What are they for? President Donald Trump spoke to the media about a wide range of topics. One topic that came up was the potential for a third term in office. Despite the restrictions of the constitution, he doesnt seem deterred when he shared that he would love to serve another term. He did keep it vague, though, and told reporters to interpret for themselves. Donald Trump has ruled out accepting a Vice President position The president was questioned by the press on Air Force One. Some of the questions ranged from his recent MRI results to a potential for a third run as president. While he was being a bit cagey about that, one thing he was clear about was that he has zero interest in being vice president. I would love to do it, Trump told reporters when asked about Steve Bannons recent comments claiming there were plans for Trump to potentially run again in 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would love to do it, Trump reiterated (RIP U.S. Constitution). I have some of my best numbers ever, he added. A reporter then wanted to clarify that hes not ruling it out. Instead of replying with a straightforward answer, the president replied, Am I not ruling it out? Youll have to tell me. He couldnt help but continue by taking a hit at the Democrats. All I can tell you is that we have a great, great group of people, which they dont, he said, referring to the Democrats. He then took jabs at Rep. Jasmine Crocket and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, saying they were both low IQ. Another reporter then brought up another theory about how Trump might stay in the White House. He could potentially run as vice president. But he quickly shot that theory down, saying that it wouldnt be right and calling it too cute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It looks like, as far as hes concerned, its president or bust. But only time will tell whether or not hes actually going to make a run or just keep hinting at the idea. In the meantime, Trump can focus on his state trips, whether or not he will be handing out any more presidential pardons, and his plans for the White House. TELL US WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE PRESIDENT TEASING A THIRD TERM? The post Donald Trump Teases Unconstitutional Run for Third Term as President appeared first on Reality Tea. President Donald Trump has continued to toy with the idea of a third term, even though the U.S. Constitution limits him to two terms. Speaking with reporters on Air Force One on Oct. 27, Trump was asked about Steve Bannon's recent interview with The Economist, where he said there is a plan to keep Trump in office past his limit. Asked if he would be willing to challenge a court to get permission to do so, Trump said: "I haven't really thought about it. We have some very good people as you know, but I have the best poll numbers I've ever had," Trump said. However, averages show his approval rating declined in the first 100 days and stayed stable but low compared to other presidents. "I would love to do it." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He dodged a question about whether he was ruling it out, and said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make a formidable team running together. He rejected the possibility of running as vice president in 2028, as has been previously floated. "I would rule that out because it's too cute," he said. "I think the people wouldn't like that. It's too cute. It wouldn't be right." More: Trump received MRI at Walter Reed. What health conditions has he been diagnosed with? US President Donald Trump (C) poses for a group photo with (from L - R) Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, and Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone before the 13th ASEAN - United States Summit during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks as he presides over the signing of a Cambodia-Thailand peace deal at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on October 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Trump is in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and will next travel to Japan, en route to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. President Donald Trump looks on as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (C) and Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hold up signed documents during a ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct.26, 2025. A Royal Malaysian Air Force F-18 Hornet fighter jet escorts Air Force One with U.S. President Donald Trump aboard en route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Oct. 26, 2025 in Malaysia. Trump is in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and will next travel to Japan, en route to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. President Donald Trump walks with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (centre R) as he walks from Air Force One upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump holds the US and Malaysian national flags at a welcome ceremony upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump waves from his official vehicle known as "The Beast" as he departs from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang to attend the ASEAN summit on Oct.26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump joins performers for a dance during the welcome ceremony next to Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) as he arrives on Air Force One at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Oct. 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump welcomes Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani (L) and Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (3rd-L) aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop at Al-Udeid Air Base on Oct. 25, 2025 in Abu Nakhlah, Qatar. Trump is traveling to Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit (ASEAN), Japan, and to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). Also pictured is U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (3rd-R), White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (2nd-R), and Special Assistant to the President Margo Martin (R). President Trump visits Asia. See the biggest moments from his trip 1 of 9 US President Donald Trump (C) poses for a group photo with (from L - R) Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, and Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone before the 13th ASEAN - United States Summit during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, 2025. Can Trump run for a third term? Under the Constitution as it stands, Trump cannot serve a third term in office. It is explicitly barred by the 22nd Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Changes to the Constitution are extremely difficult and rare, as they require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate. States can also spur an amendment, but it requires two-thirds of the state legislatures to call a constitutional convention and three-fourths to ratify it. Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton, becoming the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. He then lost the 2020 election against former President Joe Biden. Trump won the 2024 election. At first, Trump was up for a rematch before Biden dropped his re-election bid and was replaced on the Democratic ticket by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's second term as the 47th U.S. president is slated for 2025 to 2029. Trump said he 'probably' won't run for a third term Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of a third term throughout his second presidency. In a March NBC interview, he said there are methods to make it happen, including if Vance runs for office and then hands the role to Trump. (But on Oct. 27, he seemed to put that idea to rest.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a May interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Trump backed off the idea, saying he was not looking at running again. "I will say this. So many people want me to do it. I have never had requests so strong as that," Trump said in the interview with NBC. "But it's something that, to the best of my knowledge, you're not allowed to do. I don't know if that's constitutional that they're not allowing you to do it or anything else." Then on Aug. 5, Trump was asked whether he would run for a third term in a CNBC interview. "No, probably not ... Probably not, I'd like to," he said. Trump also regularly touts "Trump 2028" MAGA hats to people who visit the White House. That includes Democratic Congressional leaders meeting with Trump and Vance in the Oval Office in a failed attempt to stop the government from shutting down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump also suggested to reporters that Vance was most likely the heir to the MAGA movement, though Vance has dodged talking about the possibility. Only one president has served more than two terms America's founding father and first president, President George Washington, voluntarily stepped down after two terms, creating an unofficial tradition for future presidents to follow suit. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first and only president to break that tradition. The country was still recovering from the Great Depression, and at the dawn of World War II, he was re-elected to his third term. After leading the country through the global war, he was elected again in 1944 but died the following year. A movement in the House of Representatives to officially limit the presidency terms, now ratified as the 22nd Amendment, began two years after Roosevelt's death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contributing: Zac Anderson, Francesca Chambers, Riley Beggin, Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Trump run in 2028? The Constitution bars him from a third term Dozens of Mount Dora residents are at a hotel instead of their homes after the historic flooding forced them to evacuate. WFTV has had team coverage since Sunday night as flooding hit historic levels in multiple locations, with more than a foot of rainfall in places like Eustis, Titusville and in Merritt Island. FLOOD COVERAGE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents were taken out of Waterman Village near Donnelly Road because the washout came right up near their homes, creating a cliff in their backyards. Tenants say a knock came just after midnight on Monday as staff told them they had to evacuate. They were moved to a nearby hotel. I never saw anything down in that area but standing water. There was never any real flow, said resident Carl Kusky. Some of the residents further away from the cliff are hoping to go back home Tuesday. Engineers are trying to figure out if the soil that hasnt collapsed is stable. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. In the future, 30% of trial data will come from the clinic, while 70% will be sourced by decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) or digital health technologies (DHTs), said former MSD executive Dinesh Pillaipakkamnatt during a recent conference. He noted that following the patient journey, even outside a clinical trial, results in valuable longitudinal data beyond the time window of the clinical trials. However, he added that the ownership of the data lies with the patient, and thus it is significant to gain patient trust and consent for data collection, while speaking at the Clinical Data Management Innovation Conference 2025 in September 2025, in Princeton, New Jersey, US. Strategies to increase patient engagement and reduce burden According to Pillaipakkamnatt, one of the major challenges in clinical trials is patient retention, with nearly one-third of participants dropping out, often because research is conducted in clinics that patients do not typically visit. To address this, there is a growing need to reach patients where they are based, an area that represents nearly 80% of untapped potential, but requires robust logistical support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Decentralised and digital tools can be applied in clinical trials to address some of these challenges. For instance, Pillaipakkamnatt mentioned that dry blood sampling offers an innovative solution for patients in remote areas such as those with rare diseases living far from central labs. Instead of relying on costly and impractical cold-chain shipping, patients can collect samples at home and send them to a central lab, even across continents. Pillaipakkamnatt said that with individual patient data, researchers can analyse results across studies and geographies, potentially setting new gold standards and drug tolerance limits through meta-analyses. Challenges of implementing digital solutions While valuable in indications and trials requiring frequent patient interactions or multiple tests, However, implementing such digital solutions often comes at significant costs or challenges. Pillaipakkamnatt noted that medical-grade devices such as the Apple Watch (classified as a Class II medical device), or bring-your-own-device models still require substantial data cleaning and management expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Solely procuring and maintaining specialised equipment adds to the financial burden of running a clinical trial and thus striking a balance between innovation and cost-effectiveness remains a key challenge for the future of patient-centric trials. Moreover, data quality and security is a critical issue while considering these approaches. Pillaipakkamnatt advised building secure cloud servers that should be siloed by both trial location and trial, as data crossing of trial data in one server is not ideal. He acknowledged that despite recent advances, conducting a fully remote trial is very difficult and very rare to achieve. He added that in some cases such as myasthenia gravis, DCTs can lead to drug approvals, reduction in patient burden and positive outcomes, while in other indications, including paediatric antibiotic trials, using DCT models is not feasible. Practical examples of DCT applications Pain measurement is an example where data beyond that which is collected through questionnaires such as eCOAs is needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pillaipakkamnatt said that since no dedicated device exists to measure pain, patient input and digital tools could prove essential to reduce patient burden of frequent clinic visits. Digital biomarkers can be used in rheumatoid arthritis to monitor pain severity in wrists and ankles to assess the correct pain medication dose for the right population or to achieve dose escalation. The former MSD executive commented that by combining supervised physiotherapist assessments with unsupervised patient-reported data through mobile solutions, correlations can be mapped to predict unreported pain, establish a pain index, and optimise dosing. Pillaipakkamnatt also mentioned enabling remote patient services such as doctors, pharmacists, nutritionists and other providers, enabling telehealth solutions, personalised care and medication management at home. He noted that success of such services often depended on sustained patient engagement through alerts, nudges, and community groups to drive adherence through patient engagement modules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to introducing new digital solutions in a study, lab-based informational trials can first assess usability and digital readiness, prior to being applied in a clinical trial setting. He concluded his presentation by stating the value of these informational trials, which allowed for rapid experimentation and quick validation of hypotheses through collaboration and served as a solution before starting full-scale clinical trials. "Driving digital solutions through rapid experimentation" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. MADRID (AP) The sighting of a drone closed the airspace of a Spanish airport in a major tourist center for two hours Monday night, officials said Tuesday. Since late September, mysterious drone overflights have caused closures and disruptions at airports across the European Union, including Munich, one of Germanys largest airports, and four in Denmark. The flying drone was discovered near Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport, according to AENA, the company that manages Spanish airports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ten flights bound for Alicante, which is about 420 kilometers (260 miles) southeast of Madrid, were diverted to cities including Valencia, Barcelona, Mallorca and Murcia, it added. Some flights were delayed, but there were no cancellations. It wasnt immediately clear who was behind the incident, and authorities are investigating. The airport broke its monthly passenger record in September with more than 1.9 million visitors, mostly from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. After spending decades as the fried chicken champion, KFC has fallen short of its competitors in recent years though the fast food chain says its planning a comeback. KFC, or Kentucky Fried Chicken, has experienced six straight quarters of U.S. same-store sales declines as Americans take to its competitors instead, according to the Wall Street Journal. The chain, best known for its signature red and white buckets teeming with 14 pieces of chicken, rolls and gravy, has faced an uphill battle as many consumers now prefer sandwiches and chicken tenders to on-the-bone chicken - as many are eating on the go and not sit-down style that helped KFC rise to prominence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With competitors such as Chick-fil-A, Daves Hot Chicken and Raising Canes growing in popularity, KFC is looking to shake up its executive team in the U.S. and has promised a revamped menu, according to the report. KFC has also taken shots at its competitors, putting up signs featuring founder Colonel Sanders looking angry that read: The Colonel aint smiling. Fried chicken chain KFC is looking to revamp its menu to draw back American consumers, who have instead opted for other chains in recent years . (Getty Images) A KFC spokesperson said the chain was in the early stages of making a comeback, telling the Journal, Were optimistic about the trajectory. Part of the trouble lies in the changing fast food landscape. American fast-food chains menu listings for bone-in, fried chicken meals KFCs main offering have dropped 72 percent over the past four years, according to market-research firm Datassential. Meanwhile, menu listings for boneless wings, chicken tenders and other options have grown 29 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most Americans no longer reach for bone-in options. Currently, consumers eat 26 percent of their fast-food orders in their cars, according to market-research firm Circana. Ben McElroy, a 36-year-old father of two in Maryland, told the Journal he had to step back from KFC as his family prefers boneless chicken nuggets and sandwiches. Eating KFCs signature fried chicken out of the bucket would be such a greasy mess, McElroy said. KFC franchises in the U.S. have urged their parent company, Yum Brands, for years to make changes to the chain. In April, KFCs former global chief marketing officer, Catherina Tan-Gillespie, became its U.S. head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Colonel would not be happy about our market share, and were serious about reminding America exactly who we are, Tan Gillespie said in July. KFC brought back its beloved potato wedges earlier this year due to popular demand. (KFC/PR Newswire) This month, KFC brought back its Original Honey BBQ sandwich from the 90s, at a discounted price of $3.99. The chain came out swinging with the announcement of their sandwiches, noting that their offering was bigger than Chick-fil-As AND available on Sundays. KFC also brought back its beloved potato wedges after they were removed from the menu five years ago, telling fans who had been begging for their return, HERE, DAMN in a social media post that garnered over 80 million views. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the chain has found greater success overseas, especially in China, it is determined to regain ground in the U.S. As a result, KFC is testing a new restaurant concept called Saucy by KFC, which would have a tenders-focused menu and 11 different sauces. Last month, parent company Yum acquired 13 restaurant locations it plans to turn into Saucy units, according to the report. CHANA, Ill. (WTVO) Ogle County police arrived at the scene of a car that had rolled over and was on fire after a crash on Saturday, and arrested an Oregon man on charges of drunk driving. According to the Ogle County Sheriffs Office, deputies responded to the scene in the 5000 block of E. Illinois Route 64 around 8:16 p.m. The investigation revealed that Clifford Lancaste, 40, was traveling westbound and lost control of his vehicle while negotiating a curve, veering off the north side of the roadway, overturning at least once before coming to a stop in the ditch, where the car burst into flames, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lancaste was able to get out of the car without injury. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, improper lane usage, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and operating an uninsured vehicle. Lancaste was processed at the Ogle County Jail and then released with a notice to appear at a future court date, authorities said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited LaGuardia Airport to sound the alarm about the impacts of the government shutdown, as air traffic controllers miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday. As the government shutdown enters its 28th day with no end in sight, Tuesday marks the first day that air traffic controllers received a paycheck with nothing in it, forcing some to take on second jobs. "You heard the stories of controllers working at Uber or DoorDash, a controller who might go a to food bank to help make ends meet," Duffy said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say it's the younger, newer air traffic controllers, the very ones being recruited to make up for previous staffing shortages, who are least equipped to wait out a government shutdown without a paycheck. "Speaking on behalf of the air traffic controllers in the New York area, the most congested, complex airspace. We have trainees who are trying to learn a new job that is very fast-paced, very stressful, very complex, now having to worry about how they're going to pay bills," said Joe Segretto, an air traffic controller. According to the transportation secretary, this past Sunday, 44% of flight delays were associated with staffing shortages, and 24% on Monday. Duffy stressing the numbers are moving day-by-day and vary by location. Duffy's visit comes as members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association handed out information leaflets to travelers at airports, including LaGuardia. NATCA President Nick Daniels says the situation is dire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "America's air traffic controllers are now having to focus on how do they put gas in the car, how do they take care of their children, how do they pay for childcare," Daniels said. At LaGuardia, Eyewitness News saw a few minor delays on the big board, and some were weather-related. But fearing the worst, travelers like Matt Cappello almost changed plans. "I was worried about it. Yeah, I thought about delaying the trip," Capello said. So far, Capello's flight is on time. "Not necessarily out of the woods yet, but so far so good," he said. Meanwhile, Duffy says airports in the Tri-State area have not fared as badly as others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "New York has not been like L.A. or Atlanta, where we had more significant delays," Duffy said. Other travelers say they are sympathetic to the air traffic controllers. "Essential employees like that should get paid, especially if they're showing up to work. I show up to work, I get paid. They show up to work, they should get paid. And obviously, this place can't run without them," one man told Eyewitness News. The transportation secretary says he is often asked whether it is safe to fly during a government shutdown. Duffy says it is absolutely safe as ever, but security comes first, and flights will always be delayed before taking off without sufficient staffing in place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. By Tom Polansek and Savyata Mishra (Reuters) -Smithfield Foods, the biggest U.S. pork processor, reported increased quarterly revenue and profits on Tuesday as sales prices climbed. The company, a majority-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based WH Group, raised the midpoint of its annual profit forecast range, sending its shares up 2.7% in early trading. Smithfield said average sales prices for its packaged meat, including bacon, sausage and hot dogs, climbed 9.2%, while prices for its fresh pork products jumped 12% due to lower U.S. production and strong demand from consumers. Sales volumes were steady, according to the company. The company, which owns some hogs and buys others to process, has seen higher hog prices, CEO Shane Smith told analysts on a conference call. TOTAL SALES UP 12.4% The U.S. hog herd was 1% smaller at the start of September, compared with a year earlier, according to U.S. government data. "The increase in average sales price was primarily due to higher raw material costs," Smithfield said in a regulatory filing. Smithfield's total sales increased 12.4% to $3.75 billion in the quarter ended September 28, compared with a year earlier. It earned quarterly profit of 58 cents per share on an adjusted basis from continuing operations, compared with 53 cents a year earlier. The meatpacker raised its outlook for annual adjusted operating profit between $1.23 billion and $1.33 billion, compared with its prior forecast of $1.15 billion to $1.35 billion. OPERATING PROFIT DOWN 5.7% Smithfield has sought to rein in expenses amid rising raw material costs and cautious consumer spending. It closed a U.S. sausage plant and eliminated jobs this year. Operating profit in its largest packaged meats segment fell 5.7% in the quarter, while profits in the fresh pork division dropped about 64%. Reduced U.S. exports of certain byproducts to China limited gains in Smithfield's average sales prices for fresh pork, according to the company. Most products that Smithfield ships to China, the world's biggest pork consumer, were subject to 57% tariff rates in the quarter, according to the company. "Fresh pork has been navigating a challenging tariff environment," Smith said. Investors expect U.S. President Donald Trump to reach a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to cool their trade conflict. Smithfield previously said it does not export material amounts of meat to China, but ships offal products, such as pig stomachs, hearts and heads, which U.S. consumers generally do not buy. (Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru and Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Shreya Biswas and David Holmes) ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A man from Yates County has been indicted for the fourth time on child sex abuse charges. On October 15, 49-year-old Ronald Chilson of Dundee was indicted for predatory sexual assault against a child. According to authorities, the victim was a child under 13 years old. If Chilson is found guilty, he is expected to be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. (Photo/Yates County Sheriffs Office) Chilsons first indictment was in July 2024, when he was indicted on two counts of first-degree sex abuse, first and second-degree criminal sexual act, and second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last January, Chilson was charged for alleged sexual abuse against a child between 2022 and 2023. He was arrested again last July after he was accused of sexually assaulting a separate child who was also younger than 13. On September 2, Chilson pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual act. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision. He also had to register as a sex offender, and final orders of protection were issued for all victims. The Yates County DAs Office is urging anyone who suspects child abuse to call the NYS Central Registry Child Abuse Hotline at 1-(800)-342-3720. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. Teresa and Paul Lowe are deeply missing their daughter, Auriel Lowe, 34, who was killed in her Durham apartment in September. "She was like a ray of sunshine," Teresa Lowe, her stepmother, said. Lowe's boyfriend, Christopher Whitley, 31, is facing a murder charge and remains at the Durham County Jail. According to a newly released 911 call, a woman claims to the dispatcher that Whitley allegedly confessed to "killing his girlfriend." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lowes say they never met Whitley in person, but they wish there were safeguards on dating apps, saying the two met online. "Everything that she thought this person was, wasn't that," Paul Lowe, her father, said. Lowe's death comes as officials say North Carolina set a "horrifying record" last year in domestic-violence-related deaths. In 2025, there were at least 54 homicides in North Carolina that were a direct result of domestic violence, according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "It's frightening that it's still that high," Executive Director Carianne Fisher said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Fisher encouraged people to play a role in ending domestic violence. "Part of it is ensuring their friends and family members know what the resources are in their communities," Fisher said. For the Lowes, they're remembering Auriel as a "bright light," who was creative and passionate about nursing. Auriel Lowe (2nd from right in photo. Photo Credit: Family) "We just don't want her life to be taken in vain," Teresa Lowe said. SEE ALSO | Domestic violence deaths on the rise across North Carolina, advocates say Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel arrived in Kyiv on 28 October for a visit. Source: Van Weel on social media X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Quote: "Day after day, Russia terrorises Ukrainians with its horrific attacks. Innocent people are suffering. With winter around the corner, families are left without power and gas. My message today in Kyiv: Ukraine can count on our maximum support to fight the Russian aggressor." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: It is worth noting that early parliamentary elections will be held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 29 October. They are taking place after Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) left Dick Schoof's cabinet in early June, breaking up the governing coalition. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Netherlands' decision to take control of chipmaker Nexperia in September was due to fears the company's former CEO was already dismantling the company's European operations and moving production to China, four sources in The Hague familiar with the government's thinking said on Monday. A monthlong standoff between China and the Netherlands over Nexperia has prompted carmakers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan to warn of possible production problems due to chip shortages. Although the chips Nexperia makes are very basic, they are used in large numbers in the electronic systems of cars. The sources in The Hague said Nexperia former CEO Zhang Xuezheng, who is also the founder of Nexperia's Chinese parent company Wingtech, had planned to lay off 40% of staff in Europe and close a research and development facility in Munich. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Zhang was suspended from the CEO role by a Dutch court on October 1, he had already transferred secrets from the company's plant in Manchester, Britain, to a Wingtech-owned plant in China, including chip designs and machine settings, they said. Physical equipment from the company's Hamburg production plant was slated to be taken next, they added. Zhang could not immediately be reached for comment. The Dutch government seized control of Nexperia on September 30, citing lapses in governance. On October 4, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce blocked exports of the company's products out of China. While most of Nexperia's chips are produced in Europe, around 70% are packaged in China before distribution. The company's Chinese arm has taken steps toward independence and has resumed selling products to domestic Chinese customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sources said the Dutch government believes it can negotiate a resolution with China that will restore the company to a unified Dutch-Chinese structure. (Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) With the Odessa High School JROTC, drumline and Showgirls, Ector County ISD kicked off Red Ribbon Week Monday. The week runs through Oct. 31 and this years theme is Life is a Puzzle Solve it Drug Free. Representatives from the City of Odessa, ECISD and Basin Lighthouse, formerly known as the Permian Basin Regional Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, spoke. We come together October 23 through the 31st to celebrate Red Ribbon Week and to recommit to a drug-free lifestyle, because every choice matters. This week began in honor of DEA agent Enrique Kiki Camerena, who lost his life fighting the drug trade, ECISD Police Chief Jeff Daniels said. His legacy sparked a movement that became Red Ribbon Week in 1988. Today, about one in seven high schoolers has used illicit or prescription drugs, and over 30% of seniors report past year drug use. Even more alarming, teen overdose deaths almost doubled from 2.4 to 4.6 per 100,000 in just one year. These numbers remind us that even declining trends arent enough. Drugs are still deadly. But there is a hope. A growing number of students are choosing to stay clean. In fact, nearly 90% of eighth graders, 80% of 10th graders and 67% of 12th graders reported abstaining from marijuana, alcohol and nicotine recently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Basin Lighthouse Executive Director Jennifer Weston makes remarks at the kickoff for Red Ribbon Week Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, outside the Ector County ISD Administration Building. (Ruth Campbell|Odessa American) Along with drugs, Jennifer Weston, executive director of Basin Lighthouse, said they were all there with the purpose of helping young people live healthy, drug free lives. Red Ribbon Week is about investing time and energy in preventing drug use in the next generation, before they ever reach the place of crisis. At Basin Lighthouse, we believe the strongest form of prevention is not fear. Its empowerment. Its giving young people the tools to face lifes challenges head on with confidence to overcome the challenges they face, Weston said. Every day, kids are inundated with academic stress, family challenges and social expectations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those pressures create vulnerability where poor choices take root. When we teach healthy coping skills in an impactful way, we empower them to make good choices. We give them something real to hold on to when life feels hard. True prevention looks like not just saying no to drugs, but helping youth to say yes to purpose, connection and hope, Weston said. It cant be done in a vacuum. It takes educators to see potential in every student, officers to show compassion and uphold the laws, city leaders who invest in community well being, and parents and mentors to listen with open hearts, she added. When each of us plays our part, we build a safety net. Its a web of light that catches the kids before they fall. When we strengthen that net, we dont just prevent drug use we build resilience. Resilience is what helps students get back up after a setback. Its what gives us strength to face peer pressure, disappointment or pain without losing their way. And resilience, just like prevention begins with connection, Weston said. Let this week be more than a campaign. Let it be a commitment that we all keep showing up, that we keep building hope. Every young person deserves a chance to grow up healthy, whole and free from the chains of addiction, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taylor Laing, ECISDs Executive Director of Guidance, Counseling and Wellness, said each campus will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week in a different way. Some will be doing some dress up days where they have different themes for each day. Others will have Basin Lighthouse come or other motivational speakers to speak to our students about choosing a drug and alcohol free lifestyle and then really just embedding some of this into our classrooms, where teachers and all school members are talking about Red Ribbon Week and what it means and to be proactive in our students lives to end drug and alcohol abuse, Laing said. The Odessa High School Drumline and OHS Showgirls perform at the kickoff for Red Ribbon Week Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, outside the Ector County ISD Administration Building. (Ruth Campbell|Odessa American) Laing said there are many things that can prompt students to take drugs or drink academic stressors, their home lives, or peer pressure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We want to try to put some more positive coping mechanisms in front of students to help them to make better choices versus turning to drug and alcohol abuse when things get difficult, she added. Examples of positive coping mechanisms are choosing positive friendships or going outside to be in nature, she said. We have teams of counselors who are available to speak with students who are struggling encouraging them to reach out to trusted adults or to counselors when theyre struggling and need some more positive (ways of) coping than to turn into drugs and alcohol, Laing said. She added that its important to have a week like this where a light is shown on struggles the community faces, but also show hope and instill some resilience in students, so they find a way to to overcome the challenges that theyre seeing every day in their lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not just about dressing up, its not about wearing red. Its about really bringing light to the challenges and connecting students with resources when theyre struggling, Laing said. The Odessa High School Showgirls perform at the kickoff for Red Ribbon Week Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, outside the Ector County ISD Administration Building. (Ruth Campbell|Odessa American) Daniels said police are starting to see trends of vape use on elementary campuses. Theyre learning it, of course, from the older generation. Its not a huge increase, but we do see it. Its not a huge trend, but it is seen. Thats the youngest were seeing, Daniels said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Typically with youngsters, the drug of choice is whats most readily available. Vapes are easily obtained, he said. Shops and convenience stores in town sell them. Were an hour away from New Mexico where they can be purchased so theyre in our area. Theyre easy to get. Thats typically what a child would get first, is the thing thats easiest to find, Daniels said. He added that they may or may not work their way up to other drugs. They may try it and know its not for them, and some may try it and peer pressure with kids is a big thing. Making the right choices and who theyre hanging around (with) really affects those choices. We need a huge impact from parents at home telling kids to make the right decision. Choices do matter. The choices theyre making today affect how they perform in the classroom. We see that. Anytime those illicit things are introduced in their life, we do see a decline in the classroom. It takes the whole community to fix this issue. The biggest impact a child has is their parents. Thats where it starts and that we reaffirm that here at school on making the right choices, Daniels said. The post ECISD kicks off Red Ribbon Week appeared first on Odessa American. Edwards Lifesciences transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system has demonstrated positive results in a long-term trial readout, as global demand for the technology increases. The company shared seven-year data from its PARTNER 3 (NCT02675114) trial, reaffirming the early and sustained benefit of its SAPIEN 3 TAVR system in low-risk patients with aortic stenosis compared to surgery. The life sciences giant presented the data during a late-breaking session at the 2025 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) meeting, taking place in San Francisco on 25-28 October. According to Edwards, data from PARTNER 3s seven-year analysis marks the most extensive clinical follow-up to date for low-risk TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At seven years, the data showed statistically comparable long-term valve performance between SAPIEN 3s application in TAVR and SAVR. Valve durability indicators remained stable over time, with minimal variance in difference in valve failure, at 6.9% and 7.3% among the cohorts, respectively, with reintervention rates at 6% and 6.7%, respectively. Both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates were similar between cohorts, with significant improvements in health status and quality of life after treatment with SAPIEN 3 TAVR and SAVR were sustained. Martin Leon, professor of medicine at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center and co-principal investigator on the PARTNER 3 trial, said: The PARTNER trials set out to determine whether TAVR could be a safe and effective, less invasive alternative to surgery. In the PARTNER 3 low risk trial, we again see the early clinical benefit of TAVR with SAPIEN 3 over surgery, as well as excellent long term valve performance and durability results for both therapies at seven years, which should be reassuring to patients and their physicians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During TCT, Edwards also shared results from its PARTNER Trial series, including the ten-year follow up of more than 3,000 intermediate-risk patients from PARTNER 2 (NCT01314313) and PARTNER 2 S3i. The company stated these studies also demonstrated longer-term valve performance, durability and consistent clinical outcomes of SAPIEN 3. Edwards' TAVR corporate vice-president Dan Lippis commented: Insights from the PARTNER Trial series are foundational to TAVR, inspiring confidence in the procedure, advancing the therapy and fuelling structural heart innovation. These latest findings reinforce the undeniable early benefits of TAVR and validate its long-term durability, matching surgery in key outcomes. We remain committed to advancing the science of aortic valve disease including symptomatic and asymptomatic severe stenosis, as well as moderate stenosis to transform care for patients worldwide. Analysis from GlobalData suggests that Edwards Lifesciences continued to see sales momentum in July 2025, with the SAPIEN 3 product lines making up a large share of sales. The company currently holds more than 60% of global TAVR market share and 75% in the US, according to GlobalData estimates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The TAVR market is projected to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% worldwide between 2024 and 2034, with the US market forecast to grow at a 6% CAGR during the same period. "Edwards solidifies TAVR dominance in long-term trial readout" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. Egypt is taking the lead in Gaza's stabilization efforts, coordinating with global partners to ensure peace and aid delivery. Egypt appears to be the Arab country that is most willing to take the lead on various issues in Gaza. This makes sense considering Egypts cultural and historical ties with the enclave. Egypt has a border with the area, has had a role in the region for a while, and once occupied Gaza from 1948 to 1967. Egypt is also a historic leader of the Arab world. Therefore, it follows that Gulf countries, which work closely with Cairo, will expect Egypt to take the lead. This also comes after Jordans king indicated that he was reluctant to send personnel to Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is known about Cairos efforts so far? Egypt wants to see the deal agreed on October 8 move to a second phase. That means it is relying on the Trump administration to make sure that tensions between Israel and Hamas dont boil over. ecent reports that Hamas used the ceasefire deal to return the remains of a previously deceased hostage, allegedly staging the handover to present them to the Red Cross as if they were newly recovered, mean Israel may respond to what it views as Hamass chicanery. Meanwhile, reports at France24 noted on Monday that Red Cross, Egyptian teams join search for dead hostages in Gaza, and that teams from the Red Cross and Egypt have joined the search for the remains of hostages still buried in the rubble of the devastated Gaza Strip, an Israeli spokesperson said on Sunday. Staff members are seen at Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses storing aid for Gaza, in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish, Egypt, April 8, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER) Hamas said it has widened its search for the dead hostages, whose return is fundamental to the US-brokered ceasefire. The Guardian also reported that Egypt expects to lead global stabilization efforts in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Egypts Al Ahram media also noted that the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) on Tuesday dispatched its 60th Zad Al-Ezza: From Egypt to Gaza convoy, delivering 9,800 tonnes of urgent relief supplies to the besieged Strip, as sporadic violence and political tension continue to threaten the fragile truce. In addition, Egypt is working with international partners, noted Ahram. Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday praised Germanys readiness to support Gazas reconstruction, stressing the need for intensified efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and prevent a renewed outbreak of fighting. Egypts Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks on Monday with Germanys Economic Cooperation and Development Minister, Reem Alabali Radovan, to strengthen bilateral relations and coordinate ahead of Egypts upcoming International Conference on Early Recovery and Reconstruction in November, it added. SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed eight new cases of measles in Spartanburg County since Friday. The new cases bring the total number of confirmed measles cases in the state to 33, of which 30 are tied to the Upstate. The new cases were linked to close contacts of people previously confirmed to have the measles who were quarantining at home. Over 150 students, all from Global Academy and Fairforest Elementary School, were previously under quarantine due to the outbreak. Students were able to return to school last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The outbreak was initially reported in July, and has grown to over 25 cases in the state, with 22 cases confirmed to have originated from Spartanburg County. Read more: Measles cases on the rise in South Carolina: What to know In response to the continuing outbreak in Spartanburg County, SCDPH is continuing to offer mobile vaccine clinics offering free measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Dates and times for the clinics are: Thursday, Oct. 30: 2-6 p.m. at Inman Library, 50 Mill St., Inman, SC 29349 Monday, Nov. 3: 1-4 p.m. at Boiling Springs Library, 871 Double Bridge Rd., Boiling Springs, S.C. 29316 Wednesday, Nov. 5: 1-4 p.m. Boiling Springs Library, 871 Double Bridge Rd., Boiling Springs, S.C. 29316 Thursday, Nov. 6: 1-4 p.m. Boiling Springs Library, 871 Double Bridge Rd., Boiling Springs, S.C. 29316 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to DPH, since launching the mobile vaccine clinics on October 16, clinics have administered 24 vaccines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. Eight more Spartanburg County residents have been infected with the measles, according to a report by the South Carolina Department of Public Health. That brings the total number of cases in the state to 33 in 2025. Thirty of those cases are part of the ongoing outbreak in the Upstate. In its ongoing efforts to respond to the Spartanburg County outbreak, SCDPH will continue offering vaccinations at its mobile health unit through Nov. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The clinic-on-wheels was in Spartanburg County last week to promote the MMR vaccine, which is considered the best preventive measure against measles. Yolana Patterson, MHV Driver and Administrator is ready for people visiting The South Carolina Department of Public Health Mobile Health Unit, with two administrators and two nurses help people get different vaccinations, including for measles. The truck set up in the Boiling Springs Library Parking lot Monday, October 20, 2025 to be of service to the community in Spartanburg County, where an outbreak has caught the attention of area residents. Overall, Spartanburg County has an MMR vaccination rate of about 90 percent. Public health experts say that 95 percent is the target to achieve herd immunity against measles. Public health officials consider the measles virus highly contagious. "A person is contagious four days before and after a rash begins, meaning someone can spread measles before they know they are infected," SCDPH officials said in an Oct. 28 news release. During a call with news reporters on Oct. 22, state epidemiologist Linda Bell said, "We remain concerned that additional cases may occur." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, the SCDPH informed Spartanburg County School District 6 and Global Academy of South Carolina, a charter school, that students had contracted the virus. The vaccination rates at Fairforest Elementary in District 6 and at Global Academy are below the county average. According to DPH, Fairforest Elementary serves about 760 students and has a vaccination rate of 85 percent. Global Academy, which serves about 600 children, has a vaccination rate far lower than that of almost any other school in the state only 17 percent, according to DPH data. More: Measles cases hit 2 Spartanburg County schools. Greenville child confirmed to have disease Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students who were believed to have been exposed to the virus at the two schools were quickly quarantined. They were allowed to return to school last week. SCDPH officials believe the quarantine effort has been effective in limiting community spread of the virus. "All eight new cases were linked to close contacts of known cases who had been quarantining at home," the Oct. 28 news release stated. SCDPH has scheduled the following mobile health visits in Spartanburg County to promote measles vaccinations: Wednesday, Oct. 29: 2-6 p.m. at Inman Library, 50 Mill St. Thursday, Oct. 30: 2-6 p.m. at Inman Library Monday, Nov. 3: 1-4 p.m. at Boiling Springs Library, 871 Double Bridge Road Wednesday, Nov. 5: 1-4 p.m. at Boiling Springs Library Thursday, Nov. 6: 1-4 p.m. at Boiling Springs Library This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 8 more measles cases reported in Spartanburg, SC health officials say Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) is one of the Most Promising AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. On October 16, the company announced its Q3 2025 results, with consolidated revenue coming at NT$989.92 billion, net income at NT$452.30 billion, and diluted earnings per share at NT$17.44 (US$2.92 per ADR unit). As compared to Q2 2025, the company saw 6.0% growth in revenue and a 13.6% rise in net income. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)s business in Q3 2025 was aided by healthy demand for its leading-edge process technologies. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM) Announces Q3 2025 Results In Q3 2025, while the shipments of 3-nanometer made up for 23% of total wafer revenue, 5-nanometer accounted for 37% and 7-nanometer accounted for 14%. With the structural AI-related demand continuing to be robust, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) has been investing to support customers growth. It is narrowing its range of 2025 capex to be between USD 40 billion USD 42 billion compared to USD 38 billion USD 42 billion previously. Notably, ~70% of the capital budget would be allocated for advanced process technologies, and ~10% to 20% will be for specialty technologies. Notably, ~10% 20% is expected to be spent on advanced packaging, testing, mass making, and others. Wedgewood Partners, an investment management company, released its Q3 2025 investor letter. Here is what the fund said: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) was also a leading contributor to performance during the third quarter (as well as the past few years). Approximately 60% of the Companys revenue is generated from manufacturing AI and high-performance computing (HPC) chips for leading semiconductor design companies, including Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet. The Company offers the most manufacturing capacity at leading-edge nodes, a capability in high-demand as it enables customers to design more power-efficient chips against a backdrop of increasingly power-constrained data centers. The Companys execution over the past several years has been nearly lawless, providing its customers with significant benefits in planning multi-year road maps that the entire IT industry is now adopting. The stock recently re-rated higher, exceeding our 10% maximum portfolio weight. As a result, we slightly trimmed our positions during the quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of TSM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) An El Paso man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for continuously sexually abusing two children over a five-year period, according to the El Paso County District Attorneys Office. The DAs Office says Cesar Lazcano, 49, had a trial that began earlier this month, and on Oct. 20, the jury reached a unanimous guilty verdict on two counts of continuous sex abuse of a child under 14, and one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact. Cesar Lazcano, 49. Lazcano was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 28, to 55 years in state prison on the sex abuse charges and 22 years on the indecent charge. The sentences will be served concurrently, the DAs Office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DAs Office says during the trial, two female juveniles testified that Lazcano began abusing them when they were 5 years old, from 2013 to 2018. Lazcano will not be eligible for parole and will have to serve the entire 55 years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. An elderly man was allegedly suffocated to death with an umbrella pole, a court has heard. A carer found Robert Hill, 81, dead in bed in a multi-occupancy house in south west London after the alleged murder. At the time, his death was deemed unexplained but non-suspicious and his body was removed from the room in Streatham, the Old Bailey heard. A day later, on May 17, his alleged killer, David Souttar, 22, was found barricaded in a room at the property and he was asked to leave because he was not a resident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct 16, an investigation was launched after new information came to light that Mr Hills death was suspicious. James Brown KC, prosecuting, said it was alleged that Mr Souttar had suffocated Mr Hill using an umbrella pole, parts of which were found under the victims bed. It was further alleged that the victims bank card had been used to withdraw 500 from an ATM around the time of his death, with further withdrawals in the days that followed. Mr Souttar, from Clapham, south London, was arrested on suspicion of murder and charged on Oct 23. We say this was a random attack on a defenceless elderly man, said Mr Brown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday by video link from Belmarsh prison and spoke to confirm his identity. Judge Angela Rafferty KC set a plea hearing for January 13 and a provisional four-week trial from July 13. The defendant was remanded in custody. The court was told that the investigation into Mr Hills death was ongoing. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A light plane crash has killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenyas coastal region of Kwale while flying to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement Tuesday that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were on board, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. Sadly, there are no survivors, Mombasa Air Safari added. There was heavy rain in coastal Kenya in the morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Civil Aviation Authority said the accident happened at Kwale, near the Indian Ocean coast, at about 8:30am (05:30 GMT). A regional police commander, in comments aired by public broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said all the passengers were tourists. Citizen TV station said the bodies of those on board had been burned beyond recognition. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Diani airstrip, authorities said. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving a charred wreckage at the scene, officials said. Witnesses told The Associated Press news agency. that they heard a loud bang, and upon arriving at the scene, they found human remains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The AP. Kenyan officials inspect the scene of a plane crash near Diani, Kenya, Tuesday, October 28, 2025 [AP] The Maasai Mara National Reserve, located west of the coastline and is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches. The reserve attracts a large number of tourists as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania. According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organization site, from 2018, the country fell below the global average in accident investigation. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called for an investigation into former Barclays CEO Jes Staley and all current and former U.S. banking executives who may have facilitated Jeffrey Epsteins illicit conduct, according to a letter seen by The Guardian. Staley, who, like the Democratic senator, is from Massachusetts, was known as one of the chief financial enablers of Epstein, allowing the late sexual predator to continue his account with JPMorgan in the midst of his crimes coming to light. The New York Times described Staley as Epsteins chief defender at JPMorgan, which processed more than a billion dollars for him even as Epsteins abuse and trafficking crimes were public. Warren also noted that Staley is already banned for life in the U.K. banking industry for his connections to Epstein, and referred to court documents suggesting that Staley told Epstein about the banks apprehension toward him (and his large cash withdrawals), allowing him to alter his approach so that his account wouldnt raise further suspicion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement JPMorgan has paid $290 million in settlements to Epsteins victims, but according to Warren, Staley has so far avoided accountability in the United States. Warren has urged the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, to announce plans for an investigation by November 7. It is critical to send a message to the public and current bank employees that this type of egregious misconduct has no place in the American banking system, Warren wrote. Staley is not the only bank executive with concerning ties to Epstein. For example, according to Staleys sworn deposition, he discussed Epstein with [JPMorgan] CEO Jamie Dimon on at least two occasions, she continued. The Fed, OCC, and FDIC should investigate any other current or former banking executives who engaged in similar conduct to determine whether their conduct satisfies the legal standards for a ban on working in the banking industry and civil monetary penalties. Any banking executives who facilitated the crimes of one of the worlds most notorious sex criminals should be held to account. Elon Musk has lambasted Wikipedia, calling it woke, supporting accusations of it having a left-wing bias, and arguing its an extension of mainstream media propaganda. So his AI company, xAI, developed a rival called Grokipedia, which ironically enough cites the online encyclopedia at the end of many of its articles. Grokipedia.com came online on Monday, and features 885,279 articles on the site as of Tuesday. The online encyclopedia is Musks answer to what hes repeatedly called Wokipedia, the popular free online source with over 7 million articles in English alone as of Tuesday. Wikipedia articles are maintained by volunteer writers and editors, while xAIs service uses AI to generate articles by pulling from different resources across the internet, one being Wikipedia. Musk, who founded xAI in 2023 and owns a majority share of the company, has promoted the AI-powered encyclopedia as a less-biased alternative to Wikipedia prior to its launch and a product that developers actively worked to purge out the propaganda from. Hes previously taken issue with Wikipedia for referencing news outlets including The New York Times and NPR. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The launch of Grokipedia marks its initial version 0.1, but a later version 1.0 will be 10X better, Musk said in an X post on Monday. But even at 0.1 its better than Wikipedia imo [in my opinion], Musk wrote. At the end of articles on Grokipedia, the reader gets a notice that the content was adapted by Wikipedia under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which is a content license that allows anyone to copy, distribute, adapt and build upon creative works including text, images and musiceven for commercial purposesas long as they provide proper attribution to the original creator. The Share Alike portion of the license means the creator that makes a new version of content under this license is agreeing to allow others to do the same to their content. xAIs large language model (LLM), Grok, which powers the new website, looks at a source of information like a Wikipedia page and determines what is true, partially true or false, or missing, Musk said during the All-In Summit in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its answers to user prompts, Grok will rewrite the page to remove the falsehoods, correct the half truths and add the missing context, he added. A 2024 report by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative-leaning public policy think tank in New York City, found trends that constitute suggestive evidence of political bias in Wikipedia articles, including analysis finding that names of prominent left-leaning U.S. politicians tended to be used with more positive sentiment than their right-leaning counterparts. We want to acknowledge Wikipedias significant and valuable role as a public resource, the studys authors wrote. We hope this work inspires efforts to uphold and strengthen Wikipedias principles of neutrality and impartiality. Fortunes request for comment from xAI prompted a seemingly automatic response that read: Legacy Media lies. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) The former owner of Braking Point Recovery Center, who was imprisoned in a Medicaid fraud case, is charged with domestic violence and kidnapping. Read next: Man sentenced to life in prison for murder Ryan Sheridan, 45, was arraigned in Austintown Area Court on Wednesday. The charges stem from an incident in Austintown on Oct. 23, according to jail records. According to a police report, a woman who had a relationship with Sheridan reported that Sheridan forcefully removed her from a vehicle and slammed her to the ground after an argument. She said he then dragged her into her home and pinned her to the couch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman said she tried to leave later, but Sheridan noticed and dragged her out of the vehicle again, slamming her to the ground, at which time she said her head hit the concrete, according to the report. The report states that after dragging her into the house again, Sheridan later left when she acted like she was going over to a neighbors house. She said she ended up contacting a friend, who called police. Paramedics told police that the woman had a head injury and a cut on her knee. The woman refused to seek further medical treatment, the report stated. Officers were unable to locate Sheridan at the time the report was taken. He was booked into the jail on Monday, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January 2020, Sheridan received a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence on 60 counts pertaining to a Medicaid fraud scheme. He was released from prison early on November 16, 2023. Prosecutors said that as the owner of Braking Point, Sheridan helped orchestrate the billing of $48 million for services that werent provided, werent medically necessary, lacked proper documentation, or had other issues that made them ineligible for reimbursement. At the time, Sheridans attorney told the judge that Sheridan wanted to help people with substance abuse issues, but instead relapsed into using drugs and alcohol and got caught up in the scheme. The government later seized cash and several vehicles from Sheridan, including a 1981 DeLorean DMC Gullwing (Back to the Future vehicle), 1959 Cadillac Hearse (Ghostbusters vehicle), and 1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Wagon (Batmobile). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. ST. LOUIS Food insecurity is impacting nearly 650,000 Missourians, after recent announcements of cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Because of the ongoing Federal Government shutdown, SNAP benefits will not be distributed in November, leaving many without food sources. In response, Operation Food Search will be holding an emergency food drive at the St. Louis City Foundry on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. during the final Live Art Market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Operation Food Search is also currently accepting donations. Food can be dropped off at the City Foundry roundabout, which is accessible from the Vandeventer entrance. When donating, community members can use the City Foundrys garage to park for free. In addition to food, personal care items are needed such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant. According to Operation Food Search, they are urgently in need of: Pop-top cans Light tuna or salmon (canned or packaged) Canned chicken or meat Soup, chili, or stews with meat and beans (a meal in a can) Canned fruit (in natural juices) Diced tomatoes or tomato paste Canned spaghetti sauces (low sodium preferred) Canned beans (low sodium preferred) Instant brown rice Whole-wheat pasta Boxed meal kits Canned vegetables Dried spices (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, basil) Deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization urges those to not donate glass containers or ramen noodles. For more information about Operation Food Search, visit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List, addresses a crowd during a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) in Grand Rapids on June 20, 2024 | Lucy Valeski A national organization committed to supporting Democratic Pro-Choice Women has offered its endorsement to six lawmakers seeking reelection in 2026 and one aiming to challenge a sitting Republican senator. On Tuesday, EMILYs list announced endorsements for state Reps. Mai Xiong (D-Warren), Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Township), Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor), Denise Mentzer (D-Mt. Clemens) and Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) in their campaigns for reelection to the Michigan House, which is currently held by Republicans with a 58-52 majority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization also offered its support to state Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township) in her reelection campaign bid, and state Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Walker) in her effort to flip the states 30th Senate District. Democrats control the Senate with a 19-18 majority and one open seat. The 30th Senate District is held by Sen. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker), while Glanville is expected to face civil rights advocate Rickie Kreuzer in the August primary election. EMILYs List is proud to endorse seven battle-tested leaders who are at the center of the fight to secure and build power in the Michigan state Legislature, EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler said in a statement. Each of these women have a proven track record fighting for Michigan families, advocating for affordable health care, and safeguarding reproductive freedoms. We are proud to stand with them to win elections that will protect and expand the Democratic majority in the state Senate and flip the Republican-controlled state House. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX ASHLAND Leaders of local nonprofits are bracing for hard times. On the federal level, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) will be suspended starting on Saturday. The programs goal has been to help low-income families afford healthy food. That means 42 million Americans will lose SNAP food benefits, including nearly 600,000 Kentuckians. While Gov. Andy Beshear said the commonwealth would fund the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program through November in the absence of federal support, funding is uncertain for December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Food pantries can expect to play a more active role in serving the public. Wilma Wells, executive director of Bethany House Christian Service Center in Olive Hill, said clients may receive one box of food per household per month. But Wells, who noted their pantry items come from Gods Pantry, said that box of food isnt enough to last a month. We give every family the same food, she said. If theres one of 10 in the family. Last month, she said more than 400 families received help; the pantry is on track to aid at least 450 in October. Bethany House receives a certain amount of food and Wells said there is no way to adjust that amount. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency is open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Friday and 9:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday. Executive director T.J. Torgerson said hes seen a slight increase in numbers at Ashland Community Kitchen. In September, we served 3,152. In August, it was less than 2,400, he said, adding he expects Octobers total to surpass 3,000. While I do think its going to increase in numbers, Im not fearful or concerned. I think we still can meet the needs because we live in such a good community of people are willing to help. Ashland Community Kitchen serves breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday; lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday through Friday; and dinner from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with take-home food occasionally available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donations to Ashland Community Kitchen may be made by by sending a check to Ashland Community Kitchen, P.O. Box 1743, Ashland, KY 41105-1743 or Venmo @Ashland-Community-Kitchen. Local public health officials also have expressed concerns about funding drying up for WIC, which supports women, infants and children with nutritional assistance and other health services. More than 100,000 Kentuckians rely on WIC, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Chris Crum, the executive director of the Greenup County Health Department, said WIC funding concerns him. People who have WIC often also have SNAP and were continuing with WIC like the government isnt shut down, Crum said, noting he expects to see the number of applicants for WIC increase, even though most prefer SNAP to WIC because its easier to maintain qualification for the program; WIC requires nutritional education classes and bring with it various restrictions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who frequent the Ashland Senior Center can rely on getting lunch, executive director Cheryl Spriggs said, but she sees a drop-off in available food. We get food from Facing Hunger (food bank) in Huntington, she said. Ive noticed were not getting as much as we used to, for the last month or so. Meanwhile, attendance is up at the center. Spriggs said while most come for the friendship, when there is leftover food, some of the regulars in need are able to take leftovers home. The publication The Hill said a shutdown contingency plan allows the agency to tap into reserve funding to keep SNAP operating if the federal government remains shut longer than a month, but the Trump administration said it would not do so. Kentucky is scrambling to deal with the loss of SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown by encouraging residents to visit food banks and exploring state-level funding options for programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, though this funding is not guaranteed beyond November. State officials and food pantries, like Gods Pantry Food Bank, have warned that food banks have limited inventory and may be unable to meet the surge in demand caused by the halt in federal assistance. Auralis, a new buy-and-build holding company established by TCP to create a leading active and lifestyle retail group, has completed its first platform acquisition with the purchase of Weird Fish. The transaction increases TCPs stake in Weird Fish from 69% to 80%, according to The Times. The new deal gives the investment firm the capacity to pass special resolutions and assume full decision-making control over the company. The investment firm is understood, by The Times, to be preparing a 50m fund for Auralis to pursue further acquisitions of high street brands. Leadership of Auralis will remain with David Butler, currently chief executive at Weird Fish. Butler said that Auralis will target retailers considered limited in their abilities to invest in their own businesses. He added: "We believe that by combining select businesses looking to be part of a growth and value creation platform, we will be able to generate greater value through integrated operations than they could achieve independently." The Times reported that TCP does not plan to acquire retailers facing insolvency in distressed transactions. Weird Fish, based in Tewkesbury, England, operates 36 stores across the UK and sells through both its own retail channels and wholesale partnerships. Its products are stocked by retailers including Tu, owned by Sainsburys, and Debenhams. The brand posted strong results in its latest financial year, had a record first half and is on track to deliver a substantial uplift in EBITDA in FY25 versus 5.4m ($7.1m) a year earlier. The increased investment will allow the business to expand its omnichannel presence and brand profile further. Butler joined Weird Fish as chief executive in 2023 after serving seven years as head of Crew Clothing. Under the acquisition, Butler said the fashion retailer is now well positioned to continue to improve profitability and, with this additional money "accelerate growth plans." TCP initially became involved with Weird Fish in 2017 when it acquired a majority stake from Piper Private Equity through a secondary management buyout. Since then, TCP has acted as lead investor, while supporting operational changes and company growth initiatives. Natlaie Eastham, managing partner at TCP, commented: When the opportunity came to take the business to its next stage of growth, we wanted to be a part of that journey, and we are excited about the growth opportunities that lie ahead with Auralis and this experienced management team." Weird Fish maintains a presence in regional and coastal towns throughout the UK, with stores located in Southwold, Whitstable, Lyme Regis and Weymouth, among others. A new clean energy milestone has arrived in Texas, according to Renewables Now. Spanish renewables developer X-Elio has officially opened its Liberty Energy solar park a hybrid solar and battery storage facility that could help reshape how communities across the U.S. store and use clean power. Located in Dayton, Liberty County, the 72-megawatt solar farm is paired with a 60-MW battery energy storage system, creating a more stable and resilient energy source. Together, these systems will generate about 137 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity each year, enough to power thousands of homes all while cutting down on pollution and reducing strain on the Texas grid during peak demand hours. What sets this project apart is its long-term partnership with BASF, a global chemical company that will purchase 48 MW of the site's solar power under a 12-year agreement. The deal allows BASF's Freeport, Texas, facility to run entirely on renewable energy, marking a major step toward its goal of reaching net zero pollution by 2050. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Liberty Project represents a major step in our planned expansion in the U.S., a key market for X-Elio," said Lluis Noguera, chairman and CEO of X-Elio, per Renewables Now. The company has ambitious plans to follow this launch with a 2.8-gigawatt solar and 2.1-gigawatt battery development pipeline across the U.S. one of the largest combined efforts of its kind. Beyond corporate sustainability, hybrid projects like Liberty Energy's can have direct benefits for people and cities. By pairing solar power with large-scale battery storage, communities can access cleaner energy even when the sun isn't shining. This helps lower utility costs, prevent blackouts during heat waves, and reduce pollution that contributes to respiratory illness and climate-related health risks. Battery backup systems like this one are becoming an essential complement to solar panels for anyone looking to future-proof their energy systems. With the Liberty Energy Solar Park officially online, X-Elio is proving that clean energy infrastructure isn't just about innovation it's about reliability, resilience, and a healthier future for everyone. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Ennismore's Mama Shelter brand has revealed plans to open its first resort in the Val Thorens region of Savoie, France in 2027. According to Ennismore, the new development will mark the brands entry into one of Europes highest ski locations. The project is a collaboration between the company, Financiere Galata, Vista, and Cogeco, who have partnered to establish the hotel. The resort will offer 148 guest rooms and a restaurant with a terrace covering more than 800m. The site's planned facilities include a bar, karaoke room, Ski Lounge, spa with sauna, treatment rooms, fitness area, and an indoor swimming pool. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The design intends to encourage guest interaction and social activities. Ennismore Mama Shelter brand COO Cedric Gobilliard said: With the opening of our first resort in Val Thorens, Mama Shelter will be shaking up conventions and revolutionising mountain hospitality. Were bringing our free, festive, and creative spirit where no one expected it, to the heart of the Alps. Its a milestone in our journey and a whole new way to experience the mountains. Development work incorporates environmental objectives, with a BREEAM consultancy advising the project. The partners intend to reuse, recycle or recover most construction waste created during building and follow sustainable construction practices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, Mama Shelter announced plans to launch Mama Shelter Bangkok Platinum in Thailand in 2029. Ennismore is a lifestyle hotel business of French hospitality group Accor. It includes various entrepreneurial hospitality brands founded on diverse business models. Accor recently confirmed that it is exploring the possibility of a potential listing of Ennismore. In a statement, Accor said: This transaction would enhance liquidity and flexibility to support Ennismore's growth platform. Should it be completed, Accor would remain the controlling shareholder of Ennismore. There is no certainty that this transaction will be completed. The group will inform the market of developments in this project as appropriate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June 2025, Ennismore signed four additional hotel projects in Mexico, increasing its portfolio in the Americas to more than 70 active and planned sites. "Ennismores Mama Shelter to open first resort in Val Thorens, France" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. (EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) The El Paso County Sheriffs Office (EPSO) announced that Deputy Hannah Unitis will represent Colorado in the upcoming Ms. United States National Pageant being held from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4 in Las Vegas. I really love sharing my love for love and passion for women in law enforcement and recruiting women, and promoting the good things that this office does. And pageantry allows me to do that, said Unitis. Deputy Unitis has served with EPSO since February 2022 and is currently assigned to the Detention Bureau, working in Court Services. She is a member of the Peer Support Team and was recently recognized as Deputy of the Month by the Colorado Springs East Rotary Club. Courtesy: El Paso County Sheriffs Office EPSO Deputy Hannah Unitis, Courtesy: El Paso County Sheriffs Office Deputy Unitis earned the state title in June 2025. EPSO said Deputy Unitis demonstrated excellence in both public service and community engagement. She also embodies leadership, professionalism, and compassion through her work with the Sheriffs Office and her commitment to serving others. Deputy Unitis selection as Ms. Colorado United States highlights her passion for empowering others, fostering civic involvement, and serving as a role model for women in law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is an honor to represent Colorado and the El Paso County Sheriffs Office on a national stage, said Deputy Hannah Unitis. When I began my law enforcement career, my goal was to make a differenceto help people through their hardest moments and show strength paired with empathy. Competing in Ms. United States gives me the opportunity to share this message with an even larger audience. I want young women, especially those considering careers in public service, to see they can wear the badge with pride, grace, and confidence. We can be both strong and compassionate, and through this balance, we can inspire others to serve their communities with purpose. Her message to young girls across the worldIf they want to be in a job thats typically for men or traditionally has been thought of as a job for men, if women want to be firefighters or dispatchers or in law enforcement, corrections, out on the street, you know, its something that women bring a unique skill set, said Utilis. EPSO said the Ms. United States Pageant is a longstanding tradition celebrating women who embody leadership, intelligence, and community spirit. Contestants from across the nation will compete for the crown, showcasing their service, accomplishments, and advocacy platforms. Deputy Unitis represents the very best of our agency. She brings professionalism, heart, and courage to every aspect of her workwhether serving our citizens or representing Colorado on a national platform. Her leadership and dedication reflect the core values of our Office: integrity, service, and excellence. What makes her success especially meaningful is the example she sets for others in law enforcement and beyondreminding us public servants can lead through their actions in uniform and through their advocacy, engagement, and positive influence in the community. We could not be prouder to have her as part of the El Paso County Sheriffs Office family. EPSO Sheriff Joseph Roybal Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. Since its founding in 1886, Johannesburg, has been a city of migrants, internal and international. But the economic capital of South Africa has undergone big changes since 1994 when South Africa became a democracy. One such change involves migration into the city by people from other African countries. A new book, The Chaos Precinct: Johannesburg as a port city, by Tanya Zack traces how migrant Ethiopians have shaped a trading post in Johannesburgs inner city. Zack, a planner who specialises in urban policy, regeneration, informality and sustainable development, explains how the Ethiopians did it. What space have Ethiopian migrants carved out in the centre of Johannesburg? The book is set in the shopping centres of the so-called Ethiopian Quarter, in high-rise, formerly commercial buildings in the inner city of Johannesburg. It is a cross-border shopping hub of thousands of cupboard-sized shops crammed into buildings. It defies the categories of formal or informal, of wholesale or retail. And it is where people from all of southern Africa come to shop for fast fashion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While migrants from several countries trade here, the trading post was pioneered by and remains dominated by Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants. It is an extraordinary shopping district in what were high-rise medical buildings. These office towers centre on Rahima Moosa (previously Jeppe) Street, where medical practitioners and pharmaceutical companies once agglomerated. Read more: The real Johannesburg: 6 powerful photos from a gritty new book on the city Buildings that had been underutilised or abandoned became the canvas for an entrepreneurial transformation. Ethiopian migrants led the repurposing of these structures into over 3,000 tiny shops. Shopfronts are linked to storerooms located higher up in the buildings or nearby spaces. This new retail footprint wasnt known in Johannesburg three decades ago. And the scale of trading has attracted many infrastructure uses that support the transnational movement of goods and people. It was not supported by formal planning or pension funds, but developed by migrant entrepreneurs, one shop at a time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They draw on global supply chains, particularly Chinese wholesalers operating in warehouse-style malls west of the inner city, to access a steady stream of fast fashion, cosmetics and household items. Inner-city-based Ethiopian traders then retail these goods in individual or smaller quantities. Their clientele is composed largely of cross-border traders who on-sell the products throughout southern Africa. Read more: How migrant entrepreneurs are a force for good in South Africa This model has effectively turned the inner city into an inland port. Its a logistics hub where goods circulate rapidly, and where shoppers are embedded in an informal yet highly organised distribution network. The inner-city street grid, first surveyed in 1886 during Johannesburgs mining camp era, consists of very short blocks, which amplify pedestrian and vehicular congestion. Its a frenzied shopping environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shopkeepers and stallholders have maximised their display areas through creative lightweight architectures. Small shopfronts are linked to storerooms higher up in buildings or nearby. Sidewalks are lined with street vendors, forming mini corridors. Internal arcades in the buildings further maximise the retail footprint. This hybrid, vertically integrated structuring has generated a real estate boom in previously underutilised buildings in a flagging property market. The success of this enclave is also tied to the migrants ability to craft both social and commercial networks. Migrant traders and cross-border shoppers have relationships based on trading through information sharing, mutual assistance, and informal credit mechanisms. Traders are necessarily adaptive. They adjust to the pace of demand, shifting product lines quickly. They also coordinate closely with suppliers and resellers throughout Southern Africa. The spaces they use and adapt are similarly flexible. This combination of adaptive reuse, dense retail specialisation and networked entrepreneurship has allowed Ethiopian migrants to carve out a commercial territory that is at once highly visible and deeply embedded in regional trade flows. South Africa has been harsh towards informal economic activity. How has this been managed? The Ethiopian Quarter exists in a context of often-hostile municipal and national governance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Africa has historically oscillated between tolerance and repression of informal economic activity, particularly when driven by foreign migrants. Law enforcement campaigns have regularly targeted street traders and migrant shopkeepers. Traders and shoppers alike face the constant threat of violent policing, corruption, theft, and harassment. Uniformed police or wardens regularly confront them, demanding that they prove their migrant status. Theres talk of being detained in vehicles until a bribe is paid. Ethiopian migrant traders have developed a range of strategies to navigate the challenges of hostility. They co-locate with other Ethiopian traders, and rely on ethnic and commercial networks to absorb shocks and share information about law enforcement activities. Ethiopian traders have also innovatively adapted their physical and commercial operations to reduce vulnerability. Shops are designed to control stock and display goods while concealing cash and high-value items. The light architectures and arcade designs of Jeppe also make it possible to conceal the shop in the event of raids. Read more: Johannesburg fire disaster: why eradicating hijacked buildings is not the answer Shoppers spend as little time as possible inside the crime-ridden Johannesburg CBD. On the day they choose goods, they often carry no money. They return later with cash to purchase goods as swiftly as possible so that cash is not carried unnecessarily. Many hide cash on their bodies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The infrastructures that have developed to service the port-like functions of this massive cross border trading hub offer storage, package, information exchange and distribution services. Hotels, buses and storage facilities provide relative safety for cross-border shoppers who must navigate a city known for crime. A 2017 survey, funded by the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership, found that over 60% of retailers had experienced physical assault. 38% reported regularly giving police officers something to mitigate harassment. What lessons do you draw about how cities should govern migration? The cross-border shopping hub demonstrates that migrant-driven informal economies are engines of economic activity. Estimates based on the 2017 cross border shopping survey showed that shoppers in the Jeppe district alone spent close to US$600 million annually. This was twice the turnover of Sandton City, at that time Africas richest mall. Read more: Johannesburg's creative hubs are booming: how artists are rejuvenating a failing inner city The activities of Jeppe mimic international entrepots like Singapore and Hong Kong. They offer information exchange, repackaging and distribution services for goods flowing from China to international destinations. This Johannesburg entrepot has regional significance, distributing goods throughout southern Africa. But its under-recognised by municipal authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A law and order approach must at least be coupled with a developmental approach. Cities that aim to govern migration must integrate migrant economic activity rather than suppress it. Read more: Africa without borders could help the continent prosper what's getting in the way Support through infrastructure improvements and security provision would amplify Jeppes economic impact. This includes recognising the legitimacy of informal trading spaces, investing in basic infrastructure and safety, and developing regulations that protect safety while accommodating new building uses. Partnership approaches that involve traders associations, building managers and community intermediaries to co-manage spaces would be valuable. What does your work tell us about a city thats been in decline. And solutions? The burgeoning economy in Jeppe needs to be recognised alongside the private investments in Johannesburg that are celebrated for their regenerative capacity. This migrant enclave demonstrates how urban regeneration can evolve out of the actions of thousands of actors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The challenge is to direct, support and harness this energy. Read more: Cities are central to our future they have the power to make, or break, society's advances If we were to think of Johannesburg as a port, how would we understand and use the ecosystems of trade, movement and distribution that this networked economy has created? What other services could flow through these ecosystems? And what safety, mobility and public infrastructure services are required to enhance these entrepot functions and claim this role for the city, an African urban hub tied to multiple cities and small towns across the continent? The cross-border shopping hub of Jeppe offers hope for an inland entrepot to be recognised, supported and expanded to offer the global services that Johannesburgs infrastructure can provide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Tanya Zack, University of the Witwatersrand Read more: Tanya Zack does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. On Tuesday 28 October, the European Commission submitted a proposal to the EU Council to open negotiations with Ukraine regarding its participation in the governmental satellite communications component (Govsatcom) within the EU Space Programme and the Union Secure Connectivity Programme. Source: European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier at a press briefing in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Commission wants Ukraine to join European space initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We want to fully associate Ukraine to the EU's governmental satellite communications programme, also known as Govsatcom. Why is this important? Because defence and space go hand in hand," said Regnier. Recalling that Ukraine is already fully engaged in the EU's defence programmes, he said "it is now time to do the same for space". "Associating Ukraine to Govsatcom will ensure secure space connectivity. This is vital for Ukraine's competitiveness, for the country as a whole, and for its citizens," Regnier stressed. The European Commission said the next step will be negotiations among EU member states and a Council decision on involving Ukraine in the EU's space programmes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine's participation will be formally confirmed following the conclusion of an international agreement under Article 218 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Background: Govsatcom aims to provide secure and resilient satellite communications by pooling and sharing the existing satellite resources of EU member states and private operators. The first step towards Ukraine's participation in the EU Space Programme was taken in April 2025, when the EU and Ukraine signed an agreement on Ukraine's involvement in components such as Copernicus, Space Weather Events, and Near-Earth Objects. As European Pravda has previously reported, in the context of Ukraine, the Govsatcom satellite network has been viewed as an alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink. Brussels is also reported to be exploring the possibility of developing a new satellite network for military intelligence purposes. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump amid their high-profile divorce. The Georgia Republican told CBS News that she is starting to feel very sorry for the 79-year-old, saying that his attacks on her reflect poorly on him. The great schism began when Greene, 50, broke with him on the cost-of-living crisis, which Trump insists is a hoax, and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Andrew Brown, a man from Eustis, used his pickup truck to rescue several people stranded in a flooded parking lot in Mount Dora. Last nights flooding caused some drivers to become stranded in a parking lot. It was pretty scary. The water was all the way up to my hubs and step rails on the side of my truck where the black step rails come out, but I was still out pushing to find more people, said Andrew Brown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown said that people tried to give him money as a thanks for his help, but he declined because he felt there was no need to pay for doing good deeds. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Construction is ongoing in Eustis as crews work to rebuild a cul-de-sac on Marietta Lane, within the Hillcrest at Lake Nettie subdivision. This follows the Eustis area getting over 15 inches of rain on Sunday. Im from Oregon, so when the land goes out like that, we think of mudslides, Tessa Deister, whose home is located next to the cul-de-sac, said. Thats what I was thinking. The Eustis area received over 15 inches of rain on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Construction is ongoing in Eustis as crews work to rebuild a cul-de-sac on Marietta Lane, within the Hillcrest at Lake Nettie subdivision. Now it is blocked off by a fence and caution tape. Part of it has crumbled into a pit that is about 50 to 60 feet deep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the storms passed, crews have stayed on site nearly around the clock, trying to build up the foundation. They have been working all night long, Deister said. Yeah, weve had the noise all night long, but Id rather have the noise and these guys here working to get my home safe and keep my neighbors safe. FLOOD COVERAGE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deister said inspectors have been out to assess her property, and thankfully, her home is unaffected. Now she worries about what was being attempted to be built there. The Eustis area received over 15 inches of rain on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Construction is ongoing in Eustis as crews work to rebuild a cul-de-sac on Marietta Lane, within the Hillcrest at Lake Nettie subdivision. Someone was just digging on that property Thursday to dig out a gopher tortoise so they can build a house, Deister said. She also worries about whether her neighborhoods infrastructure can handle the load. I mean, the area is growing. Are we taking care of it and making sure we have drainage? Deister asked. Because all of the water is coming off of these roofs and right into the roads, and its flooding. How much more damage are we going to get? The onsite crew said the repair will take about one to two weeks. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. As tensions continue to brew over which schools Evanston/Skokie School District 65 will close at the end of the school year, the Board of Education reduced its target Monday from closing three schools at the end of the year to two schools. Parents showed up at the Board of Education meeting in force, rallying to protest the school closures the board is considering to balance the school districts budget and deal with nearly a decade of reduced enrollment. Previous cost-reduction scenarios that have been shared with the Board pointed toward Lincolnwood and Kingsley Schools as the most likely options the district could close at the end of the year. Susan Harkin, a consultant for Student Centered Services, the firm hired by the previous School Board to assist the school district in its deficit reduction plan, said her firm recommended that the Board close two schools to better utilize school occupancy rates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Harkin, four District 65 elementary schools operate at capacities between 35% and 56%. Optimal school utilization rates ranges between 80% to 90%, she said. We acknowledge that school closures are inherently challenging decisions; however, given the districts current utilization rates and financial outlook, these measures are both essential and prudent, Harkin said. Closing two schools would increase the average school occupancy rate from 58% to around 70% or 72%, according to Harkin. School utilization isnt the only metric the school district is considering when it comes to school closures, according to prior reporting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since late June, district administrators have said in community engagement meetings that the district created score cards of criteria for school closures. The most pressing matters include equity, walkability, building functionality and lastly, economic impact if the district were to sell a building. Ever since the indictment of former D65 Superintendent Devon Horton earlier in October, however, public trust in the district has faded and the frustration of parents potentially impacted by school closures has reached a boiling point at times. As the Boards decision on school closures approaches, Washington School parent Jordan Stark organized a Save Our Schools rally outside of the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center ahead of Mondays board meeting. More than 50 people signed up to comment in a near 90-minute public comment session, most of them parents or teachers. Stark characterized closing three schools as a nuclear option, and suggested the school district reconsider its financial picture before making a decision to close more schools, outside of the previously-planned closure of Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, which will shut its doors permanently at the end of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The financial budget has swung wildly in the last few years, so the Board and the district need to regain the trust of every parent, Stark said. A few public commenters, some of them members of the districts Facilities Subcommittee that gave a recommendation to the Board on which schools to close, spoke in favor of the districts administration and the public meetings previously held. Lindsey White, a mother of two students, one at Hill and another at Oakton, said the rally is a slap in the face to the committee members who volunteered their time and provided guidance in a publicly-shared manner. This SDR (structural deficit reduction) process has been community led, data driven and fair, and it has shown us that there are two schools that come up consistently in every scenario we are looking at to the Board Every single new board member leading up to the election said that they were up to the task of closing schools I dont see anything that has changed now, except that weve heard very loud voices speaking out against the results of the data the data thats based on categories that our community created, White said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now that we know which schools are on the line, other voices may be loud in support of starting over, abandoning all the work we have done, or slowing down, but we need to move forward for this community together. School Board member Andrew Wymer put forth a non-binding motion to get a sense of how the Board felt about the recommendation and a Nov. 17 decision date to decide which schools to pursue closing. The motion passed on a 4-3 vote. The Board also discussed sequential school closings, which means closing one school at the end of the school year and another at the end of next year. Some board members said a prolonged school closure environment could further disrupt school operations, and also because some students could be introduced to new schools for each of the next two years, depending on where they live and if their school were to close. Board members did not make a final decision on the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A binding vote wont happen on Nov. 17, but will signal the start of a longer process of public hearings. Previous scenarios presented by the districts administration to the Board consistently put Kingsley and Lincolnwood as the two schools the board should consider closing. Only one scenario out of four adds Willard to the list of options for the Board to consider when it comes to closing up to two schools. Oct. 28Laurie Barron has been named Montana's Superintendent of the Year for a second time since joining Evergreen School District in 2013. Barron was selected for the distinction by the Montana Association of School Superintendents based on four areas: leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement. "Dr. Barron exemplifies the Superintendent of the Year Award, demonstrating visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to students," said Rob Watson, executive director of School Administrators of Montana. "Her advocacy for inclusion, early learning, and community engagement reflects the best of what Montana's public education offers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through her leadership, she has expanded opportunities and strengthened support for every child. We are proud to have Dr. Barron represent Montana at the national level." Barron was recognized for her leadership in Evergreen School District's development of strong programs in early literacy, mental health and family engagement that have garnered statewide recognition and influenced legislative change. "A tireless advocate for equitable access and early childhood education, Dr. Barron played a key role in shaping Montana's early literacy and preschool special education legislation during the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions," a press release from the Montana Association of School Superintendents said. Regarding her efforts with health and family engagement, Barron oversaw the establishment of a school-based health clinic at East Evergreen Elementary, the Evergreen Cares Clinic, which offers affordable medical care to students and staff. Additionally, in 2023, the district created a family and community engagement liaison position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barron was also recognized for leading efforts to secure more than $2.8 million in grant funding to support student wellness, safety and literacy initiatives. A PASSIONATE champion of professional learning, Barron has held leadership roles at the local, state and national level. She serves on the Executive Committee of The School Superintendents Association and has served as president of School Administrators of Montana, Montana Association of School Superintendents and the Northwest Montana Association of School Superintendents. Barron has co-authored several books, including "The Successful Middle School: A Place to Belong and Become" and "We Belong: 50 Strategies to Create Community and Revolutionize Classroom Management." Her most recent book, "Expect! Engage! Empower! Three Paths to Powerful Learning," is expected to be released in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barron, who started her career in education 30 years ago as an English teacher, is a National Board Certified Teacher. She made the move to administration in 2002, starting out as a school principal and went on to receive AASA National Superintendent Certification. In a 2020 Daily Inter Lake article, she said it was another administrator who saw her leadership potential and convinced her to take that initial principal position that changed the trajectory of her career. Barron was honored with the Montana Superintendent of the Year award at the annual Montana Conference of Education Leadership held Oct. 15-17 in Helena. "What a surprise and incredible honor to be able to represent the Evergreen School District and some of the outstanding work of superintendents across the state of Montana," Barron said in an email to the Daily Inter Lake. "I am deeply grateful to the Evergreen School District board of trustees, staff, students and community, as this honor reflects so much of their dedication and hard work." She also expressed gratitude to the association and the Northwest Montana Association of School Superintendents for their "continued support and collaboration." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am so thankful to be in the place I love, with the people I love, doing the work I love," she said. To be considered for the state honor, Barron was first nominated and selected as superintendent of the year at the regional level. Superintendents in nine regions were considered for the top honor. She will represent Montana at the AASA National Conference on Education in February 2026, where the AASA National Superintendent of the Year will be announced. Barron's other accolades include the 2013 National Middle School Principal of the Year, the 2018 G.V. Erickson Award, the 2019 Montana Empowered Superintendent of the Year, and the 2022 University of Georgia Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award. THE MONTANA Association of School Superintendents also recognized three Honor School Boards of the Year, which included Polson School District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School board trustees are: Chair Chanel Lake, Vice Chair Alan Anderson, Tim McGinnis, Shane Orien, Nathaniel Netzer, Joanna Browning, Devon Cox and Kathleen Collins. The honor recognizes outstanding school boards for trustees' exceptional service to students and their accomplishments in the areas of board policy, infrastructure for learning, and teaching and innovative educational programs, "exemplifying the spirit of visionary leadership and dedication to student success across Montana." Nominated by Polson School District Superintendent Andy Fors, the school board's focus on student success, equity and community partnerships set a powerful example for districts across the state, according to the Montana Association of School Superintendents. In 2023, the board led the successful passage of a $40 million bond that will affect every school building in the district and expand career and technical education opportunities for students. In addition, the launch of the Very Important Pirate program celebrates students and families in meaningful ways that strengthen community pride and engagement. Browning and Lavina school boards also received the honor. Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected]. Investing.com -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will meet with Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang on Wednesday, praising the tech leader as "brilliant" during an address to business leaders in Tokyo. The meeting comes as Trump travels through Asia, with plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. "I think meeting with Xi will work out," Trump said during his remarks. Trump specifically congratulated Huang on Nvidias recent achievements, noting that "11 days ago, Nvidia and TSMC announced that they have produced the very fast, first rate, state of the art Blackwell" chip that is "entirely made in the USA." The U.S. president highlighted that Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) are "spending hundreds of billions of dollars now in the United States," along with other chip manufacturers. The meeting with Huang aligns with the Nvidia CEOs previously announced plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in South Korea, where he intended to meet with "global leaders and top Korean executives." During his Tokyo address, Trump also discussed his administrations focus on "speeding construction of AI infrastructure and bringing production of critical chips and semiconductors back onshore." Trumps Asian trip includes stops in Japan and South Korea. He praised Japans new Prime Minister, saying "shes going to do a great job" and has the full support of his administration. The president also reiterated his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, stating that Powell will be out in "a few months," and mentioned that he wants to "get beef prices down," suggesting that "maybe ranchers are doing too well." Related articles Trump to meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Wednesday EUR/USD Could Rebound as Bond-Driven US Dollar Strength Looks Overdone The 5 Best Gold Mining Stocks to Buy Now Former Obama White House chief photographer Pete Souza on Monday expressed his dismay at President Donald Trumps decision to tear down the East Wing to make way for his $250 million ballroom. I was shocked, said Souza, who captured multiple iconic images of former President Barack Obama in the East Wing, including the beloved shot of him running with his dog Bo, in an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper. Then-President Barack Obama in April 2009 pictured running down a corridor with the family's dog, Bo. Pete Souza / The White House via Getty Images Souza acknowledged an argument for building the ballroom but condemned the way Trump has gone about it. The president initially denied that any part of the White House would be physically affected by the project. Souza also suggested it didnt need to seat 999 people or be gilded in gold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You dont just tear down a building, Souza said. This is not his house. This house belongs to us. Its the Peoples House. And one man should not be able to just knock down a building for his vanity ballroom project. I just felt devastated that this is the way he went about doing it. Watch the interview here: "This is not his House. This House belongs to us": Former presidential photographer Pete Souza on the the demolition of the White House's East Wing for a ballroom. pic.twitter.com/rgz75yePA6 Anderson Cooper 360 (@AC360) October 28, 2025 Souza, who frequently used his Obama-era photos to troll Trump during the presidents first term, has resumed the practice since Trumps return to the Oval Office in January. In recent days, hes shared several of his old White House photos while blasting the ballroom project. Politics: Trump Starts Tearing Down Part Of White House To Make Way For New Ballroom Souza called the demolition of the East Wing a disgrace in a throwback post featuring his photo of Obama and Bo. The White House was once the Peoples House. Now it belongs to a wannabe king, he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a symbol of what his administration is doing to the country, he added in another post. Tearing it down. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell, who stands accused of killing a pregnant woman, is now also charged in connection with the death of her unborn child. Farwell was arrested and indicted on a federal charge of killing a witness or victim in August 2024 in the 2021 death of 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore. A superseding indictment filed on Tuesday revealed that the disgraced officer has additionally been charged with violation of the protection of an unborn child. Court documents obtained by Boston 25 News allege Farwell caused the death of a child in utero on or around Feb. 1, 2021, in Canton. Prosecutors allege Farwell murdered Birchmore after she informed him he was the father of her unborn child. He was also a married father of three at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farwell was one of three Stoughton officers who had an inappropriate relationship with Birchmore when she was a young teen in the Stoughton Police Departments Explorers Program, according to investigators. Its alleged that Farwell had engaged in sexual intercourse with Birchmore before she was 16 years of age. Birchmores death was originally ruled a suicide when she was found hanging in her Canton apartment in February 2021. But last year, police announced there was evidence Sandra was killed. Farwell is accused of staging Birchmores death to make it look like she had hung herself. Because of the federal charges, prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Farwell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge presiding over the case recently scheduled the start of Farwells trial for Oct. 5, 2026. Read the full superseding indictment: Farwell Superseding Indictment 10-28-25 by bostonweb This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW In celebration of First Responder Appreciation Day, Excel ER Odessa and Home Charm Realty will serve burgers to the men and women of Odessa Fire Rescue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 28 at Odessa Fire Rescue, 1100 W. Second St., Odessa. This heartfelt gesture is a way of saying thank you to the dedicated first responders who place themselves in harms way daily to protect the Odessa community, a news release said. From battling dangerous fires to answering emergency calls in moments of crisis, Odessa Fire Rescue continues to exemplify courage, sacrifice, and unwavering service. The lunch, hosted at Odessa Fire Rescue Headquarters, will bring together staff, leaders, and community partners in a spirit of appreciation and unity. It is a reminder that supporting those who serve is not just a one-day effort, but a community responsibility that deserves year-round recognition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Excel ER Odessa and Home Charm Realty extend their warmest gratitude to all first responders in the Permian Basin and beyond. The post Excel ER Odessa & Home Charm Realty join to honor local heroes on First Responder Appreciation Day appeared first on Odessa American. By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. military officials involved with President Donald Trump's expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, three U.S. officials say, a development that raises new questions about a military buildup that Venezuela fears may lead to an invasion. The step is highly unusual, given that U.S. military officials are already required to shield national security secrets from public view, and comes as lawmakers in Congress say they are being kept in the dark about key aspects of the mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity did not know how many members of the U.S. Defense Department had been asked to sign the agreements and did not offer further details on the scope of the NDAs. While the Defense Department has turned to NDAs from time to time since Pete Hegseth became defense secretary in January, the Pentagon's use of non-disclosure agreements specific to activities in Latin America has not been previously reported. The Pentagon announced last week the deployment of the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America, escalating a military buildup that experts say far exceeds any requirement for counter-narcotics operations -- the stated intent of the U.S. mission so far. The U.S. military has carried out at least 13 strikes against alleged drug vessels, mostly in the Caribbean, since early September, killing about 57 people. The Pentagon has provided few details about the people targeted but has acknowledged some of them include people from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The carrier strike group adds another roughly 10,000 troops and enormous firepower to a buildup that already includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops. The Pentagon has not explained why such firepower is required for the counter-narcotics operations. Hegseth has taken a series of steps to try to control the flow of information since taking over the Pentagon in January. He told Pentagon staff they must obtain permission before interacting with members of Congress, according to an Oct. 15 memo. He has also launched leak investigations and demanded Pentagon-based journalists sign a new press access policy, taking away the credentials of those who did not. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DRUG TRADE Trump's administration has been tying the governments of Venezuela and, more recently, neighboring Colombia directly to the drug trade, allegations denied by both governments. The claims, however, have raised concerns that the U.S. military might be tasked with carrying out attacks in both countries. Senator Lindsey Graham, a senior Republican lawmaker with close ties to Trump, suggested in a television interview on Sunday Trump would soon outline to Congress "future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia." Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups that Maduro denies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tensions between the United States and Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia, have also spiked in recent days, with Trump accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an "illegal drug leader" and a "bad guy" - language Petro's government says is offensive. Washington on Friday imposed sanctions on Petro. Graham said Trump had all the authority he needed to carry out operations in Latin America. "These military assets are moving forward to deal with a country that's got blood on its hands when it comes to Americans by flooding our country with drugs from Venezuela and Colombia," Graham told CBS News' "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan. "So, I hope Maduro would leave peacefully, but I don't think he's going to stay around much longer." (Reporting by Phil Stewart; additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Nick Zieminski) A prison dorm at Holman Correctional Facility on Oct. 23, 2019. Forty people have been executed in the United States in this year, the most since 2013. (File) Alabamas execution of Anthony Boyd on Thursday added to the growing number of executions for the year. Boyd was the 40th person executed in 2025 with another two months left in the year, according to figures obtained from the Death Penalty Information Center website. It is the largest number of executions in the nation since 2013. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The executions are also heavily concentrated geographically, with nearly all originating from southern, Republican-leaning states. This is especially true for Florida and its geographic neighbors. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Florida, though, has carried out 14 executions so far, so it is leading the country in the number of executions, Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said in an interview prior to Boyds execution. The state has three more executions scheduled for this year. If you took Florida out of the equation, we would have a very different year. The increasing frequency builds on a trend that has been happening for the past several years since the most recent trough during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021 when states throughout the country put 11 people to death. Since then, the figure has been increasing, going to 18 in 2022; 24 in 2023 and 25 in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Florida, Alabama and Texas have had the second-highest number of executions this year, with five each. South Carolina has put four people to death in 2025. Only four of the 40 people were executed in states outside the South. There were two in Arizona and another two in Indiana. Executions usually occur decades after the original sentence. A person on death row can take 25 to 30 years to exhaust their appeals. In criminal justice, the climate of the 1990s, we are talking tough-on-crime, said Kenya Brumfield-Young, an associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Saint Louis University. We were in the middle of the crack era. We are seeing extremely violent and heinous crimes. We have got extreme violence through bicoastal gang warfare, Bloods, Crips and everybody in the middle. And that was also the peak of the War on Drugs. We were very heavy handed relative to crime control in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four of Alabamas five executions this year involved crimes committed more than 25 years ago. Boyd was sentenced to death for the 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley; Boyd maintained his innocence through Thursdays execution. Alabama put Demetrius Terrence Frazier to death in February after he was convicted and sentenced to death for his role in a murder that happened in 1991. Gregory Hunt was executed in February for the murder of Karen Lane in 1988, the same year that more than 300 other people were sentenced to death. Geoffrey Todd West was executed in June for the murder of Margaret Parish Berry in 1997. The only exception was James Osgood who was executed in April for the murder of Tracy Brown in 2010. The sentences were imposed at a time when support for the death penalty reached 80%, according to Maher. There were 316 new death sentences imposed in the United States in 1996, Maher said. And in 1996, there were 45 executions. The real high was in 1999 when there were 98 executions. So, in the late 1990s there were many more new death sentences and many more executions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The political environment also plays a role for deciding whether to authorize an execution. The Trump-affiliated governors are simply competing for who can issue more death warrants, said Frank Baumgartner, who researches capital punishment, a professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It didnt used to be that way. It was always a southern phenomenon, but it wasnt a particular ideology. President Donald Trump authorized the execution of 13 people incarcerated in federal prison, six of whom were put to death after the November 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Trump issued an executive order in January encouraging offices of attorneys general around the nation to bring capital charges for all capital crimes, especially for those who kill law enforcement or for people without the necessary paperwork to reside in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The (U.S.) Attorney General shall take all appropriate action to seek the overruling of Supreme Court precedents that limit the authority of state and federal governments to impose capital punishment, the executive order states. Just about all the states who have executed people in the past year have supported Trump. Oklahoma and Texas are states that have been traditionally active in its use of capital punishment, but now others, including Alabama, have become more aggressive. The 11 people that Alabama has executed combined for this year and 2024 equal that of the prior six years, from 2018-2023. Criminal justice experts have a mixed view whether the trend will continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are going back to this tough-on-crime ideology, and the emphasis on finality, that is going to be a major driver in, not necessarily what is considered to be an uptick, but it is going to be the carrying out of sentences, Brumfield-Young said. When we speak of uptick, I think we are actually speaking to the number of executions that are carried out. We have to keep in mind that the court had already issued the death penalty order. Maher said that the recent increases in the number of executions is not indicative of a longer-term trend. The number of new death sentences issued in 2024 was 26, a fraction of the more than 300 that were issued in courts during the peak in the 1990s. This is a year, this is a data point among many, she said. The long term trend, which is very important to pay attention to, has been that we have been moving away from the use of the death penalty in the past 25 years. She added that, I think public officials, if they are paying attention to what their constituents want, probably dont realize they are very much out of step with what their constituents want to see with the use of the death penalty. President Donald Trump says he plans to sign an executive order that would compel the U.S. Navy to use steam-powered catapults and hydraulic elevators on new aircraft carriers. Trump has railed against the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults and Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE) on the USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navys newest supercarrier, for years now. Fords catapults and elevators have faced reliability and maintenance issues, but swapping out these features, even just for future ships in the class, would involve an extremely costly and time-consuming redesign that would further delay new carriers entering service. Trump announced his intention to issue an executive order regarding carrier catapults and weapons elevators during often free-wheeling remarks to servicemembers aboard the Nimitz class carrier USS George Washington earlier today. The George Washington is currently in port in Yokosuka, Japan, where it is forward deployed. The President is in Japan as part of a larger tour of Asia. President Donald Trump speaks aboard the supercarrier USS George Washington earlier today. White House The Navy currently has 10 Nimitz class carriers, which have steam-powered catapults and hydraulic weapons elevators. In addition to the in-service USS Gerald R. Ford, there are three more Ford class carriers now in various stages of construction. The Navys stated plan has been to eventually acquire at least 10 Ford class flattops to replace the Nimitz class. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im putting out an order, Im going to sign an executive order, when we build aircraft carriers, its steam for the catapults and its hydraulic for the elevators, Trump said after suggesting, without elaborating, that water could disable Fords electromagnetic systems. Well never have a problem. Trump: They have magnets Somebody decided to use magnets Im going to sign an executive order, when we build aircraft carriers, its steam for the catapults and hydraulics for the elevators. Do you agree? Everybody agrees. pic.twitter.com/O9TbTucqKR Acyn (@Acyn) October 28, 2025 Im gonna put in an order, seriously, the President also said. Theyre spending billions of dollars to build stupid electric. And the problem, when it breaks, you have to send up to MIT, get the most brilliant people in the world, fly them out. The steam, they said they can fix it with a hammer and blowtorch. And it works just as well, if not better. They had steam, which worked so beautifully, and it has for 50 years, right? So were gonna go back. Seriously, fellas, I want to make that change. Im gonna do an executive order, he added. Im not going to let them continue to do this thing. Theyre trying to make it work, theyre trying so hard, and they have something thats perfect. So were going to go back on that and the magnets. Trump to troops in Japan: "Let me ask you. We're gonna go steam first and then electric. Catapults, which is better, electric or stream? I'm gonna put in an order. Seriously. They're spending billions of dollars to build stupid electric. And the problem when it breaks you have to pic.twitter.com/BZZxuj8XmU Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 28, 2025 As noted, this is hardly the first time Trump has criticized the Ford class designs electromagnetic catapults and elevators, stretching back all the way to his first term. In 2017, he also indicated that he would order the Navy to abandon those features, but never followed through. If an executive order on this matter is now indeed coming, what it will actually direct the service to do remains to be seen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TWZ has reached out to the White House, the Pentagon, and the Navy in regards to Trumps remarks. The Pentagon redirected us to the Navy. An F/A-18F Super Hornet is prepared for launch from the USS Gerald R. Ford. USN/Seaman Brianna Barnett There is real truth behind the Presidents criticisms about the catapults and weapons elevators on Ford, which is also known by its hull number CVN-78. TWZ has covered the issues with both of these systems, as well as other long-troubled aspects of the ships design, in detail for years now. The Navy has been working to mitigate these problems, but has continued to face challenges at least as recently as last year. During Fords first full-length deployment between May 2023 to January 2024, the ship and its embarked air wing completed 8,725 catapult launches using the EMALS, according to the most recent annual report from the Pentagons Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), which was published earlier this year. However, DOT&E has not received sufficient data to update the reliability statistics reported in the FY23 [Fiscal Year 2023] Annual Report. Despite engineering upgrades to hardware and software, reliability has not appreciably changed from prior years and reliance on off-ship technical support remains a challenge. NAVAIR [Naval Air Systems Command] is continuing development on improvements. The Navy reported that, during CVN 78s deployment, the ships weapons department conducted 11,369 AWE runs, moving 1,829,580 pounds of ordnance to the flight deck. However, the Navy has yet to build and transfer ordnance to the flight deck at rates reflective of the Design Reference Mission, DOT&Es report also said. Of note, the crew is reliant on off-ship technical support for correction of hardware and software failures. DOT&E expects the SGR [sortie generation rate] tests [planned for Fiscal Year 2025] to be the first operationally representative demonstration of high ordnance throughput. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In principle, EMALS, together with the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), is supposed to give Ford class carriers a significant boost in capability over their predecessors when it comes to the speed at which they can launch and recover aircraft. The software-controlled EMALS and AAG, the latter of which has also faced issues over the years, have lower reset times than the steam-powered systems found on Nimitz class carriers. The EMALS and AAG can also be more fine-tuned in terms of the forces they exert on aircraft during launch and recovery, expanding the range of types they can accommodate and adding additional margins of safety. This notably helps open the door for embarking smaller and more fragile types on Ford class carriers in the future. This flexibility could be particularly critical for supporting carrier-based drone operations down the line. Wear and tear on individual aircraft can also be reduced. The electromagnetic AWEs are intended to further help improve the overall efficiency of flight operations on Ford by reducing the time it takes to get ordnance and other stores to where they need to go. As DOT&E has made clear, however, the EMALS and AWEs, as well as the AAG, have yet to live up to their full potential, despite Ford now being regularly deployed, including in support of combat operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is something of a precedent for significant changes to the Ford class design. The USS Gerald R. Ford is now set to be the only ship in the class with another long-troubled feature, a Dual Band Radar (DBR) system, which you can read more about here. All future ships in the class are now set to have a variant of the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) in place of the DBR. A rendering highlighting the planned installation of the AN/SPY-6(V)3 variant of the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) in place of the Dual Band Radar (DBR) on the future Ford class carrier USS John F. Kennedy. Raytheon That being said, replacing the EMALS (and likely the AAG as a result) and the AWEs on the Ford, or any of the other ships in the class currently under construction, would be an immensely more complicated, costly, and time-consuming proposition. The catapults and elevators are far more deeply integrated into the core structure of the ship than the DBR. Even just changing the design for future carriers in the class would be extremely complex. A hybrid arrangement involving a mix of steam and EMALS capabilities might be an option, but would then create two systems that need to be integrated together, as well as sustained once operational. Delivery of additional Ford class carriers has already been significantly delayed. The prospective delivery date for the second ship in the class, the future USS John F. Kennedy, has already slipped to March 2027, nearly three years later than originally expected. The Navy told USNI News earlier this year that it is looking for ways to shift that timetable back to the left. Any massive changes to the underlying Ford class design of the ships could easily have cascading effects in that regard, on top of cost growth and other issues. This, in turn, could upend Navy plans for replacing retiring Nimitz class carriers at a time when the services carrier fleet overall has been under particular strain due to high operational demands in recent years. Just last week, the Pentagon ordered Ford to cut its scheduled cruise in Europe short and set sail for the Caribbean to support expanded counter-drug operations in that part of the world. The USS Gerald R. Ford seen transiting from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea via the Strait of Gibraltar on October 1, 2025. USN Beyond just his vocal opposition to Fords electromagnetic catapults and weapons elevators, Trump has a long history of being particularly outspoken when it comes to U.S. naval ship design and force planning, as well as the aesthetics of those vessels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House and the Navy are in the early stages of hashing out a larger naval force restructuring plan for what has been termed a future Golden Fleet. Specifically, the White House and the Pentagon are in early talks about building a heavily armored, next-generation ship that could weigh as much as 15,000-20,000 tons and carry more powerful weapons, even potentially hypersonic missiles, in larger numbers than current destroyers and cruisers, the current and former officials said, according to that report. This lends some credence to off-hand comments from Trump back in September, where he claimed to be talking with Navy Secretary John Phelan about adding battleships with gun-centric armament and heavily armored hulls back into Americas combat fleets. In TWZs deep analysis of Trumps remarks at the time, we highlighted that battleship-like arsenal ships primarily packed with Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells have been proposed as part of the Navys future force structure on various occasions in the past. Artwork from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency showing a notional arsenal ship dating back all the way to the 1990s. DARPA 1990s artwork from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency showing a notional arsenal ship. DARPA The Golden Fleet plans, at least as they exist now, also reportedly put heavy emphasis on uncrewed vessels as part of a barbell-shaped overall force structure, with large ships at one end and small ships at the other, according to The Wall Street Journal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is also worth noting here that the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has skipped steam-powered catapults entirely in its carrier force plans. The PLAN has moved straight from short take-off, but arrested recovery (STOBAR) carriers with ski jump bows, and no catapults at all, to the new EMALS-equipped Fujian. Chinas new supersized Type 076 amphibious assault ship also has a single catapult, which is understood to be an EMALS type. Other countries are also looking at EMALS-type catapults for future carriers and other naval vessels. Altogether, it still remains to be seen what Trump directs the Navy to do with regard to carrier catapults and elevators, or if the promised executive order materializes at all. Even if the President does not ultimately order the Navy to go back to steam-powered catapults and hydraulic elevators, his influence could still appear in other ways in the configuration of future American supercarriers. Contact the author: joe@twz.com Farmers and conservationists in Florida have teamed up to implement a strategy that repurposes invasive weeds to nourish nearby hay fields. "Instead of applying harmful chemicals to control invasive weeds in our waters like Lake Okeechobee, what if we did it right like this?" a TikTok posed, showcasing a method to convert weeds in the waterway into natural fertilizer. In the video, a team manually harvested the invasive plants from the lake and ran them through a machine that turned them into a slurry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That slurry is 100% invasive plants. The water is inside the plant," Captain Planet (@captainplanetepp) explained in the caption. From there, the slurry can be sprayed on hay fields as an organic fertilizer. The University of Florida says that invasive weeds such as hydrilla, water hyacinth, and water lettuce are dangerous to Lake Okeechobee because they overcrowd and outcompete native plants. They also contribute to nutrient pollution that can cause out-of-control algae blooms, which contaminate potable water and make it challenging to recover water quality. Addressing invasive species is a crucial component of ecosystem welfare, as their presence can destroy the ecological balance of an area. When native plants and animals are threatened, it can negatively affect the food chain and impact natural carbon sinks that mitigate polluting gases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida uses a combination of mechanical and chemical means to tackle invasive weeds in Lake Okeechobee. However, there are ongoing conversations among experts to limit the use of glyphosate because of human health concerns. The transformative method in this TikTok not only avoids the use of toxins in waterways, but it also addresses an invasive species in a way that adds value to the ecosystem. "Farmers...Listen to this," one commenter said. "I'd love to see something like this up here in the Great Lakes region," another noted. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Republican members of Congress have introduced a new motion that would repeal a 50-year-old policy that protects marine mammals. What's happening? According to the Associated Press, Congressional Republicans believe they have the momentum to repeal parts of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, passed in 1972 to help protect whales, seals, polar bears, and other sea animals. A new bill, proposed by Republican Representative Nick Begich of Alaska, would repeal many aspects of the Protection Act, claiming it has "unduly and unnecessarily constrained government, tribes and the regulated community." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill would lower population goals from "maximum productivity" to the level needed to "support continued survival," while also redefining what constitutes harm to marine mammals. It would also allow American fisheries to source their seafood from countries that don't meet American regulatory standards. Why is the bill important? The 50-year-old bill is one of the cornerstones of American environmental protection and conservation. It allows for the protection of sensitive or endangered species, such as the critically endangered Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico or the right whale off the East Coast of the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Marine Mammal Protection Act is important because it's one of our bedrock laws that help us to base conservation measures on the best available science," said Kathleen Collins, senior marine campaign manager with International Fund for Animal Welfare. "Species on the brink of extinction have been brought back." Weakening the law would put these species at risk. The right whale, in particular, would be impacted by the new bill; it is prone to getting caught in the kind of fishing gear that the new law would allow. As our planet warms, and our oceans heat up and become more acidic, these species are going to be under even more threat than they already are, and loosening the protections on them could do serious harm and ultimately impact our food supply. What's being done about the Marine Mammal Protection Act? Environmental groups are vehemently pushing back against Begich's bill. They argue that weakening the regulations would threaten numerous vulnerable species while also weakening American fishing by allowing companies to purchase from countries that don't meet United States regulatory standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Begich's bill's status is unknown, according to the Associated Press, and Begich and his staff declined to comment on it when asked. If you want to help protect marine mammals, call your representative and express your concerns with the bill. You can also push to elect candidates who support environmental protections and initiatives. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there was a long list of people who could take over the Federal Reserve, slamming current chairman Jerome Powell as the central bank prepared to meet this week. "We have an incompetent head of the Fed... we got a bad Fed guy, but he'll be out of there in a few months, and we'll get somebody new," Trump told business leaders at a dinner in Tokyo during his week-long trip to Asia. Powell's term ends in May. The Republican president added that he had wanted Scott Bessent to take over the U.S. central bank but that his Treasury chief declined: "I'm thinking about him for the Fed... but he won't take the job. He likes being Treasury (secretary), so we're not thinking about him really." On Monday, Bessent told reporters there were five finalists: White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, current Fed Governor Christopher Waller, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman and BlackRock executive Rick Rieder. Bessent has said he will present the top candidates to Trump in December. At their meeting this week, Federal Reserve policymakers are widely expected to reduce U.S. short-term borrowing costs for the second time this year in an effort to prevent further slowing in the labor market. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Katharine Jackson and Chizu Nomiyama ) Experts in Victoria, Australia, have been left baffled by a sudden, massive influx of swifties in the area. That's with a lowercase S, to be clear; they aren't the diehard fans of the popular musician but a critically endangered species of parrot. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a huge flock of the ultrarare swift parrot was seen gathering around the outskirts of Bendigo. With only around 750 of the birds left in the wild, this megaflock might be the entire population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Chris Tzaros, a wildlife ecologist, received word of the odd gathering, he responded in perhaps the most Australian way possible. He said ahead of a six-hour drive, "Stuff this, I'm going to drop everything and get there and have a look." The verdict? "It was amazing." The swift parrot's name is descriptive; it is known for exceptional speed and agility. The parrots breed in Tasmania and spend the rest of the year foraging in southeast Australia; in some years, they travel as far north as Queensland. The roughly 4,000-kilometer (2,500 miles) journey is the longest observed migration of any parrot species, per BirdLife Australia. Unfortunately, the parrots are on the brink of extinction because of extensive habitat destruction and predation of their eggs and young by sugar gliders introduced to Tasmania. Without decisive action, the swift parrot could be gone entirely by 2031. The unexpected sighting of such a rare species in large numbers is always exciting, but it also raises some key concerns and questions. The footage taken of the parrots demonstrates how important cameras can be in conservation efforts. Fixed trail cameras or just images taken by photographers can reveal a great deal about the presence and needs of a species in a given area, without intruding on their habitats. The insights gained from this unusual event can help inform future strategies and measures taken locally to protect threatened species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this case, one useful outcome could be to revise how environmental impact reports for new developments are performed. Because they only account for wildlife present year-round, little consideration is given to the needs of migratory species that use the area for part of the year. "We don't have to go obliterating habitat every time we want to establish a new residential estate for people," Tzaros said, per ABC. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) Hattiesburg-based food bank Extra Table has called on the Mississippi community to help feed families during the government shutdown. In the midst of a freeze on SNAP benefits in November, Extra Table is aiming to help feed more families than usual. Due to the added numbers that will need assistance, Extra Table has started a new funding campaign to help raise additional funds. Mississippi food pantries prepare for SNAP pause impact Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Extra Table has served the Mississippi community for 15 years. Officials with the organization said they have never accepted government funding and have relied solely on community crowdfunding. When others cant feed because of red tape, we can and we do, said Martha Allen Price, executive director of Extra Table. We are not government subsidized. We dont wait on funding cycles or approvals. Every dollar donated to Extra Table buys healthy food, and 100% goes directly to feeding people across Mississippi. Extra Table uses the donations to purchase and deliver truckloads of food, ensuring pantries receive proteins for every food bag, along with fruits, pasta, and other essential staples their clients need most. Although officials dont know the total impact the SNAP freeze will have on food banks, it is certain these pantries will be affected. Extra Table officials said they aim to add to or double the amount of food they currently have to help feed affected families through this new funding campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To donate to Extra Table, TEXT FeedMS to 44321 to donate instantly, or give online at Extra Table. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. ExxonMobil has filed a lawsuit against California, claiming that two state laws requiring corporate climate disclosures violate the companys First Amendment rights. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, challenges the California Climate Accountability Package, which was passed in 2023. The law requires large companies doing business in the state to report on emissions, climate risks, and carbon offsets, or face annual penalties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its filing, ExxonMobil argues that Senate Bill 253 compels the company to disclose information it fundamentally disagrees with and forces it to report in conformance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a standard the company calls flawed. The company is also challenging SB 261, which requires companies to disclose climate-related risks. For years, ExxonMobil has disclosed its worldwide greenhouse gas emissionsand the guidelines it relies on to estimate themin sustainability reports made available to the public, the suit stated. In doing so, ExxonMobil has voiced disagreement with numerous aspects of the GHG Protocol. Starting in 2026, S.B. 253 will compel ExxonMobil to supplement its speech with information ExxonMobil believes will, at best, be unnecessary and counterproductive. The lawsuit names officials from the California Air Resources Board, the agency overseeing the states air and climate programs, and Attorney General Rob Bonta as defendants. Gov. Gavin Newsoms office pushed back on ExxonMobils claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Truly shocking that one of the biggest polluters on the planet would be opposed to transparency, Tara Gallegos, deputy director of communications for Newsom, said in an emailed statement to KTLA. These laws have already been upheld in court, and we continue to have confidence in them. The lawsuit asks a judge to block enforcement of the laws. While California might believe that making ExxonMobil report historical emissions for an oil refinery acquired in Canada or speculative business risks for a Kazakhstan pipeline is the best way to spur climate solutions, ExxonMobil disagrees, the lawsuit stated. The First Amendment bars California from pursuing a policy of stigmatization by forcing ExxonMobil to describe its non-California business activities using the states preferred framing. As applied to ExxonMobil, S.B. 253 and S.B. 261 impose content-based speech regulations unrelated to any legitimate state interest, and the court should block their enforcement as a violation of the First Amendment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A San Francisco judge on Tuesday ruled that Troy McAlister, the man accused of killing two women in a DUI crash on New Year's Eve in 2020, was not eligible to have his case diverted to drug court. San Francisco Superior Court judge Michael Begert, who presides over drug treatment courts, denied a request filed earlier this month by McAlister's attorneys that asked for McAlister to be placed into an addiction recovery program instead of traditional criminal prosecution. They said such a program would help McAlister manage the substance abuse issues that were at play when he allegedly drove recklessly in a stolen car and crashed into two pedestrians walking in a SoMa crosswalk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This month, community members outraged by the diversion request threatened to mount a recall against Begert if he moved McAlister's case to drug court. The deadly 2020 crash galvanized the recall effort against former district attorney Chesa Boudin. McAlister was spared a life sentence in a prior case and punishments for parole violations in the months that led up to the fatal New Year's Eve crash. Just 10 days before the crash, he had been arrested for another incident, but his parole was not revoked, nor were new charges filed, prosecutors said. Boudin's opponents held up the case as an example of how they believed Boudin would treat repeat offenders. McAlister was on parole following a robbery conviction when he allegedly raced through a red light - in a Honda he stole from a woman he was on a date with - and crashed into two pedestrians, who were walking at Second and Mission streets. After the crash, McAlister allegedly fled the scene and hid in a nearby commercial building where he was eventually apprehended by police. The women, 27-year-old Hanako Abe and 60-year-old Elizabeth Platt, died from their injuries. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter and other offenses, including driving under the influence of drugs, in the 2020 incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors alleged McAlister was under the influence of methamphetamine while driving that day, recklessly and at speeds higher than 60 mph. Police said they also found meth and a gun in the vehicle. Defense attorneys for McAlister said they believed "intensive and targeted" substance abuse treatment would better serve McAlister and broader public safety compared to incarceration. After hearing arguments from McAlister's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Scott Grant, and the prosecutor in the case, San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Edward Mario, Begert told McAlister his case was not eligible for mental health diversion, even despite a workaround Grant had suggested. Under the California vehicle code, driving under the influence is a charge that is ineligible for drug diversion court. Grant proposed in court Tuesday that Begert "sever" the DUI charge and have it transferred out of drug diversion, but consider drug diversion for the remaining charges. If that request had been granted, McAlister could continue with drug diversion for the eligible charges, which include vehicular manslaughter, and continue traditional criminal prosecution for the DUI charge. But Begert said in court that he was unwilling to sever the DUI charge, which made the entirety of his case ineligible for diversion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Your actions, in combination with some incredibly bad luck, have resulted in two people losing their lives," Begert said. "I don't know if you are ever going to be able to get over the fact that you are responsible for that. I think the way forward, as I see it, is for you to face your community through the criminal justice system and take accountability." Outside the courtroom, Grant said he and his client were disappointed by the judge's ruling. The court also set a hearing to set a jury trial for McAlister later in November. This article originally published at S.F. judge denies drug court diversion for man accused in deadly DUI crash that sparked Boudin recall. The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco is on the move again. But instead of settling into a permanent location, they're adopting a nomadic model across the city. ICA SF Director and Chief Curator Alison Gass told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview that following the success in the Cube at 345 Montgomery St., the museum will henceforth be presenting exhibitions in new spaces each cycle. The intent behind this, Gass explained, is both to pair artistic projects with architecturally or historically significant sites and to bring attention to lesser known spaces that can inspire more site-specific art. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's also because ICA SF must vacate the Cube in accordance to the two-year agreement they settled on last year. But since the museum has consistently branded itself a "start-up," Gass said this move is in keeping with that disruptor ethos. "We have this kind of ability to truly be nimble," Gass said of the museum's non-collecting paradigm. "A lot of our commitment is to commissioning new projects, allowing artists to try something new. That often is not just paintings on a wall or sculptures on a pedestal, but it's really deeply site-responsive projects." In that respect, Gass noted that some of the future projects ICA SF envisioned wouldn't be a physical or mechanical fit for the Cube given the limitations of the former bank building. "We began to imagine, there's all these incredible spaces around San Francisco that we can come in and activate," said Gass. "What if we find the right space for the right project?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICA SF moved into the Cube in the fall of 2024 after two years at 901 Minnesota St., in what was intended as a permanent home in the Dogpatch neighborhood, one of the key arts districts of the city. The Dogpatch location was leased for the museum by Deborah and Andy Rappaport, founders of the nearby gallery hub known as the Minnesota Street Project. The museum was given two years of free rent and utilities at the Cube by Vornado Realty Trust, the majority owner of the 555 California complex where it is located. Now the Wharton School of Business, which has signed a 10 year lease, will be taking over the Cube within the next 18 months. (The Trump Organization owns 30% of the complex, and President Donald Trump is coincidentally an alumnus of Wharton). Gass said she believed that the ICA SF residency "made the Cube an iconic and known destination in San Francisco." The opening celebration of the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco's current home the Cube at 345 Montgomery St. during San Francisco Art Week January 2025. (Drew Altizer Photography/Photo - Jessica Monroy for Drew) "I really like the fact that contemporary art can have potentially that kind of real tangible economic and cultural impact," Gass continued. "As we move on, that's something we're really aware of in conversation with real estate developers. We're really interested in this idea of partnership and the way that contemporary art can make spaces more visible, more desirable, bring people to them - all of those things." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City leaders share that view. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie praised the museum as "a beloved destination for creativity, community, and culture," saying in a statement that its presence in the Cube "has brought new energy to our downtown over the past year and helped to revitalize the heart of San Francisco. "I'm thrilled that ICA SF's plans for multiple activations and installations will continue to play a vital role in our downtown recovery." As ICA SF pivots to the nomadic concept, a central question will be whether the strategy makes financial sense. Museums require infrastructure such as security, exhibition maintenance and designated administrative space in addition to venues to display art. But Gass said ICA SF is accounting for those needs. She's also been looking to organizations that specialize in presenting art in nonpermanent spaces such as Creative Time, the Art Production Fund and the Public Art Fund in New York for inspiration. Meanwhile, the museum is in the process of seeking a permanent home for its offices. She does not expect the museum to need to increase its annual $2.5 million budget, and said ICA SF will maintain the free admission policy it has had since its inception. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That confidence, Gass added, comes from the museum's reliable audience. Patrons followed them to the Cube, and she believes they'll continue to show up wherever ICA SF goes next. It all begins at the Transamerica Pyramid Center in January with a dual presentation. Inside the building's Annex exhibition space, Brooklyn sculptor Tara Donovan's large-scale "Stratagem" sculptures will be on view, including two works that have not been shown publicly. The works in the "Stratagem" series are made from thousands of recycled CDs, reflecting the shifting of exterior light visible in the glass structure. Outdoors in Transamerica Redwood Park, landscape artist Lily Kwong, who was born in San Francisco but is now based in Los Angeles, will create a site-responsive installation titled "Earthseed Dome." A 3D-printed living soil installation with fabrication led by Atelio and WASP 3D, the piece will dramatically transform the park and continue to evolve as new plant life grows through its period on view. Stratagems (installation photo), 2024, CDs, concrete, stainless steel by artist Tara Donovan (Melissa Goodwin/A Tara Donovan) Both installations will open Jan. 17 during San Francisco Art Week and be on view through July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In partnership with SFAW, ICA SF will also host a nine-day public lounge and cultural hub at the Transamerica Pyramid Center. The lounge and two art installations will all be supported with grants from the Svane Family Foundation's Culture Forward initiative. Since 2024, the Transamerica Pyramid has hosted exhibitions through its Pyramid Arts nonprofit. Along with neighboring galleries Rebecca Camacho Presents and Gallery Wendi Norris (which is currently presenting sculptures by Max Ernst in the Pyramid's Redwood Park), it has helped turn the area into a visual arts destination. Michael Shvo, chairman and CEO of the New York City-based real estate development company SHVO that owns the Transamerica Pyramid, said ICA SF's nomadic model "only works if they find the right partners that are equally committed to the arts." That makes the museum's collaboration with his site a natural fit. "Our commitment to arts and to public art is where our alignment with ICA SF is extremely strong," said Shvo. "Our advantage is because of the presence of the Transamerica Pyramid, the importance of the building, and because the building is the center of downtown today, it allows us to bring to the public shows that they might not have access to. The great thing about public art is that it's free, it's open and it's not intimidating." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a bonus, Pyramid Arts already has security and exhibition tech infrastructure in place that ICA SF can utilize. The waterfront location that will be the future home of the Stack at Prequel Park within the Dogpatch Power Station. (Henrik Kam 2024) In late spring, ICA SF plans to present a joint exhibition by New York artists Dominique Fung and Heidi Lau, guest curated by Kathy Huang, at Pier 24. The show, which Gass compared to "creating an ancient Chinese excavation site," will feature existing paintings as well as newly commissioned sculptural and immersive works. Among them will be "A Tale of Ancestral Memories," an 88-foot long painting by Fung that Gass said "takes a full minute to walk by." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lau, known for her work as a ceramicist, will be creating a hanging installation reminiscent of oyster beds. The pieces will have a robotic component allowing them to open and close in conjunction with the tide. "Heidi's other vision for this was that the light in the space would change slowly in accordance with the tide clock," said Gass, something she noted would have been impossible to manage in the light conditions in the Cube. ICA SF is still in negotiations with the Port of San Francisco for use of the pier, formerly home to Pier 24 Photography, which displayed pieces from the collection of the Pilara Foundation from 2010 to January 2025. In 2027, the museum then plans to create a still-to-be-determined project at Prequel Park, within the Dogpatch Power Station. It will be within a 300-foot former smokestack now known as the Stack, which will be repurposed into a vertical gallery space. Participating artists and the exact nature of the ICA SF's exhibition are still being determined. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heatherwick Studio, known for creating Little Island in New York City, will design the Prequel Park project, which is being developed by the real estate firm Fifth Space. "What's great about the ICA SF is our comfort with not always knowing exactly what the longer-term future holds," Gass said. "But I, our board and our team fully understood that this was an opportunity to continue to experiment." This article originally published at This S.F. museum is leaving its downtown home for new nomadic model'. Does a viral video show authentic clips of four "Evangelical" pastors preaching against conservative positions on the border wall, guns, abortion and oil drilling? No, that's not true: The clips are lifted from an online account that describes itself as "Using AI to show a parallel universe." None of the quotes from the sermons in the video were found in the Google News index of thousands of news sites. The video appeared in an October 25, 2025 X post (archived here) where it was published on the @PopularLiberal account with the text: "BOOM! ALABAMA CHURCH BOMBSHELL:". It opened: Guided in Grace drops the mic--"Evangelical churches were so FAR RIGHT that some have GONE LEFT." From the heart of the Bible Belt, a pastor's raw truth shatters the echo chamber. This isn't rebellion--it's revelation. The faithful are waking up, ditching the cult for Christ. Can you even BELIEVE this fire from an Alabama pulpit? The tide is turning. Who's next? Here's what the opening segment of the video looked like on X at the time this fact check was written: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from video at x.com/PopularLiberal/status/1982110086102135231. The video consists of five clips of four pastors, all found in longer videos on an Instagram account called guided_in_graces (archived here). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The account's bio says it is "Using AI to show a parallel universe," in this case that is a universe in which fiery preachers with southern drawls say that policies popular with Evangelical Christians are at odds with the teachings of Jesus: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of bio information at www.instagram.com/guided_in_graces. The guided_in_graces Instagram account offers multiple videos of AI-generated sermons. Those are the material from which the @PopularLiberal video on X was assembled. First in the @PopularLiberal montage on X was this guided_in_graces AI pastor, gray-haired and wearing a business suit and the clerical collar usually associated with Catholic and Episcopalian priests: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from www.instagram.com/guided_in_graces. That clip includes the suit-and-collar preacher saying: We got folks saying America First when Jesus said the last shall be first. We're building walls, when Christ tore down every dividing wall between us. Lead Stories searched for that quote using the Google News index of thousands of news sites and found (archived here) no public reporting of a pastor saying that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next, starting at 00:00:10 of the @PopularLiberal montage, a second guided_in_graces AI pastor appears, this one in a black pulpit robe and what appears to be a white turtleneck: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from www.instagram.com/guided_in_graces. That clip includes the robed preacher saying: You can't worship God and power.. Christianity ain't about building walls. It's about bigger tables. Not about protecting what's ours, but about sharing. Lead Stories searched for that quote using the Google News index of thousands of news sites and found (archived here) no public reporting of a pastor saying that. At 00:00:19 of the @PopularLiberal montage, a third AI guided_in_graces pastor appears, also wearing a clerical collar with a black suit, but balding unlike the first collared preacher: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from www.instagram.com/guided_in_graces. The snippet in the @PopularLiberal montage has the second collared pastor saying: The loudest Christians today would have been the first to turn away Mary and Joseph. The Christianity on TV, that ain't the Christianity... Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lead Stories searched for that quote using the Google News index of thousands of news sites and found (archived here) no public reporting of a pastor saying that. The @PopularLiberal montage cuts him off mid-sentence and at 00:00:26, a fourth guided_in_graces AI pastor appears, this one wearing the formal "preaching bands" worn in some Christian pulpits. Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from www.instagram.com/guided_in_graces. The @PopularLiberal montage starts midway into a sentence: ... pro guns, but pro life. That's pro drill baby drill, pro-life, but no refugees. Which life matters to you? Lead Stories searched for that quote using the Google News index of thousands of news sites and found (archived here) no public reporting of a pastor saying that. The final segment of the @PopularLiberal begins at 00:00:47, with the return of the collared pastor and a slightly longer version of the earlier clip: Ever notice how the loudest Christians today would have been the first to turn away Mary and Joseph? The Christianity on TV, that ain't the Christianity ... Here, in order, are embed links to the full guided_in_graces AI videos from which the @PopularLiberal collection of clips was assembled: Advertisement Advertisement Claim: MSNBC host Rachel Maddow revealed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's wife's ties to a hidden LLC suspiciously linked to multimillion-dollar transactions on live television. Rating: Rating: False A rumor that circulated online in late October 2025 claimed MSNBC television host Rachel Maddow exposed on live television that the wife of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson had a hidden connection to an LLC with "shadowy" behavior. According to the story, Maddow unveiled documents with proof of this supposed connection, causing Johnson to walk out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, on Oct. 25, Facebook user The Anchor Square posted the story. SHOCKING: Rachel Maddow shocked the nation by unveiling top-secret financial documents revealing that an LLC registered under Mike Johnson's wife's name may be linked to a shadowy chain of multi-million-dollar transactions. As the evidence flashed on screen, Johnson reportedly went pale, stood up, and left the room in utter silence leaving the entire chamber stunned. (Facebook user The Anchor Square) SHOCKING: Rachel Maddow shocked the nation by unveiling top-secret financial documents revealing that an LLC registered under Mike Johnson's wife's name may be linked to a shadowy chain of multi-million-dollar transactions. As the evidence flashed on screen, Johnson reportedly went pale, stood up, and left the room in utter silence leaving the entire chamber stunned. Other Facebook users also shared the claim (screenshotted, screenshotted, screenshotted). Some of those posts featured links in top comments leading to articles hosted by WordPress blogs. The Anchor Square post used the word "chamber" and other posts referred to a "hearing," appearing to imply that the supposed scene happened at a congressional hearing. However, a Google search found no news media outlets reporting about the alleged incident. Prominent news media outlets would have widely reported this rumor, if true. Furthermore, as of this writing, Maddow's full name has not appeared in the congressional record during Johnson's time as speaker of the House, according to a search on Congress' website (archived). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As such, we have rated this claim false. This exact story, with Maddow swapped out for Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, has previously spread on Facebook (screenshotted). Several of the pages that shared this story, including The Anchor Square and Rachel Unfiltered, have page managers located in Vietnam. A Snopes investigation previously found that foreign advertising companies, many of which are based in Southeast Asia, profit from fabricated stories on Facebook such as this one. Snopes contacted a manager of The Anchor Square Facebook page to ask about the fictional stories displayed on its feed and will update this story if we receive more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maddow is frequently the target of misinformation, an issue she has addressed on her show while giving Snopes a shoutout for our work debunking them. See our collection of nine Maddow-related claims for more fact-checks on the television host. Sources: "Rachel Maddow Mike Johnson Wife LLC." Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=rachel+maddow+mike+johnson+wife+llc&sca_esv=92debb9001157326&source=hp&ei=xgYBacXJGpv9kPIPrcnY0Ak&iflsig=AOw8s4IAAAAAaQEU1rLt7feW91zB7o2ucVtCoU-XhmrQ&ved=0ahUKEwjFxIXNvseQAxWbPkQIHa0kFpoQ4dUDCBo&uact=5&oq=rachel+maddow+mike+johnson+wife+llc&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IiNyYWNoZWwgbWFkZG93IG1pa2Ugam9obnNvbiB3aWZlIGxsY0jMF1AAWOcWcAB4AJABAZgB2wGgAc4jqgEGMC4zMy4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIcoAKcHcICERAuGIAEGLEDGNEDGIMBGMcBwgIIEAAYgAQYsQPCAgsQLhiABBjRAxjHAcICDhAuGIAEGLEDGIMBGNQCwgILEC4YgAQYsQMYgwHCAg4QLhiABBixAxjRAxjHAcICCBAuGIAEGLEDwgIOEC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYigXCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICDhAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGIoFwgIREAAYgAQYsQMYgwEYigUYjQbCAgUQABiABMICDhAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGMcDwgIEEAAYA8ICBRAuGIAEwgIIEAAYgAQYxwPCAgYQABgWGB7CAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICBRAAGO8FwgIIEAAYgAQYogTCAggQABiiBBiJBZgDAJIHBDAuMjigB8CbArIHBDAuMji4B5wdwgcGMC4yNi4yyAc4&sclient=gws-wiz. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025. Ibrahim, Nur. "9 Rachel Maddow Rumors We've Fact-Checked." Snopes, 22 Jul. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//collections/maddow-rumors-collection/. "'Rachel Maddow' - Congressional Record Search." Congress.Gov , https://www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22congrecord%22%2C%22search%22%3A%22%5C%22rachel+maddow%5C%22%22%7D. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Rachel Unfiltered - Page Transparency." Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577978010403. Shan, Cindy. "Fake Stories about Texas Floods Reached Millions on Facebook. Foreign Ad Companies Likely Profited." Snopes, 29 Aug. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/08/29/facebook-ai-posts-texas-floods/. "The Anchor Square - Page Transparency." Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578245706979. Tunisha Sharma . "CONFRONTATION MELTDOWN! Mike Johnson STUNNED SILENT, Abruptly WALKS OUT After Jasmine Crockett EXPOSES Wife's 'Hidden LLC' on Live TV!" Facebook, 24 Oct. 2025, https://www.facebook.com/Actresstunishasharma/posts/confrontation-meltdown-mike-johnson-stunned-silent-abruptly-walks-out-after-jasm/1410349390446742/. (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are holding talks on security and trade in Tokyo on Tuesday, marking his first visit to Japan since 2019. The following issues are on the agenda: SHIPBUILDING Japan and the U.S. will sign a memorandum of understanding for Tokyo to help expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity as part of a $550 billion investment deal agreed earlier, a source familiar with the plan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A joint working group will hammer out details, including collaboration between Japanese and American firms to boost competitiveness and standardise ship designs and components. POWER INFRASTRUCTURE Power generation infrastructure is another potential area for Japan to invest in, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview in the Asahi newspaper. Artificial intelligence is driving electricity demand, he said, meaning the U.S. needs to build new power stations. PICKUP TRUCKS Japan plans to purchase more Ford F-150 pickup trucks, an idea floated by Trump, sources with knowledge of the preparations for the talks told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said in August that Japan was ready to purchase "the very beautiful Ford 150." One such truck was parked outside the Akasaka Palace on Tuesday as he met Takaichi. Too wide and fuel-hungry for most Japanese drivers, the F-150s could be used as snow plows, the sources said. SOYBEANS Tokyo is also preparing to increase imports of U.S. soybeans which would help offset losses suffered by American farmers after China slashed purchases. Lutnick urged Japan to boost imports in a call last week with his counterpart Ryosei Akazawa, sources said. U.S. soybean exports to China fell to zero last month for the first time in nearly seven years. Japan already buys about 70% of its soybeans from the United States and may have to cut Brazilian imports to make room for more U.S. supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TOYOTA CARS Toyota Motor may announce plans to import U.S.-made vehicles into Japan during Trumps three-day visit, public broadcaster NHK reported. Chairman Akio Toyoda is expected to outline the plan at a meeting between Trump and other Japanese business leaders, it said. Such a plan would align with Japan's efforts to address its trade surplus with the U.S., particularly in cars. The government is also considering easing regulations to allow U.S. cars to be sold in Japan without additional testing, NHK said. Toyota said the report was not based on any official company announcement. NATURAL GAS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan will offer to expand U.S. liquefied natural gas imports, though not for now from a proposed $44 billion Alaska LNG pipeline championed by Trump, sources earlier said. Lutnick in an interview in the Nikkei newspaper said that the Alaskan project could be a promising candidate for the $550 billion investment deal. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, travelling with Trump, has urged Tokyo to phase out purchases of Russian LNG, which still make up about 9% of Japans fuel imports, mostly from Sakhalin-2. Contracts for those supplies expire between 2028 and 2033, and early termination could trigger penalties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RARE EARTHS Trump and Takaichi are also expected to agree to increase cooperation on rare earths and critical minerals to strengthen industrial supply chains, the Asahi newspaper said. The deal follows Chinas tightening of export controls on rare earths in October, which prompted Washington to threaten a 100% tariffs on Chinese goods in response. Rare earths are used in products ranging from smartphones to fighter jets, Trump said on Monday he hoped to strike a trade deal with President Xi Jinping when they meet in South Korea on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEFENCE SPENDING Takaichi is likely to tell Trump Japan is ready to shoulder a bigger security burden after last week pledging to accelerate the country's biggest defence buildup since World War Two. Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. forces overseas, including an aircraft carrier, a Marine expeditionary unit and dozens of fighter jets. She is not likely to make any firm commitment given her ruling coalition does not command a majority in parliament. However, given her fragile parliamentary position, Takaichi is not expected to immediately commit Japan to spend more than the 2% of GDP set by her predecessor. (Reporting by Tim Kelly and John Geddie; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are holding talks on security and trade in Tokyo on Tuesday, marking his first visit to Japan since 2019. The following issues are on the agenda: RARE EARTHS Trump and Takaichi signed a framework for securing the supply of rare earths and critical minerals on Tuesday. Japan and the U.S. intend to use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to develop "diversified, liquid and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths," the White House said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deal follows Chinas tightening of export controls on rare earths in October, which prompted Washington to threaten a 100% tariffs on Chinese goods in response. Rare earths are used in products ranging from smartphones to fighter jets, Trump said on Monday he hoped to strike a trade deal with President Xi Jinping when they meet in South Korea on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. SHIPBUILDING Japan and the U.S. will sign a memorandum of understanding for Tokyo to help expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity as part of a $550 billion investment deal agreed earlier, a source familiar with the plan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A joint working group will hammer out details, including collaboration between Japanese and American firms to boost competitiveness and standardise ship designs and components. POWER INFRASTRUCTURE Power generation infrastructure is another potential area for Japan to invest in, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview in the Asahi newspaper. Artificial intelligence is driving electricity demand, he said, meaning the U.S. needs to build new power stations. PICKUP TRUCKS Japan plans to purchase more Ford F-150 pickup trucks, an idea floated by Trump, sources with knowledge of the preparations for the talks told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said in August that Japan was ready to purchase "the very beautiful Ford 150." One such truck was parked outside the Akasaka Palace on Tuesday as he met Takaichi. Too wide and fuel-hungry for most Japanese drivers, the F-150s could be used as snow plows, the sources said. SOYBEANS Tokyo is also preparing to increase imports of U.S. soybeans which would help offset losses suffered by American farmers after China slashed purchases. Lutnick urged Japan to boost imports in a call last week with his counterpart Ryosei Akazawa, sources said. U.S. soybean exports to China fell to zero last month for the first time in nearly seven years. Japan already buys about 70% of its soybeans from the United States and may have to cut Brazilian imports to make room for more U.S. supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TOYOTA CARS Toyota Motor may announce plans to import U.S.-made vehicles into Japan during Trumps three-day visit, public broadcaster NHK reported. Chairman Akio Toyoda is expected to outline the plan at a meeting between Trump and other Japanese business leaders, it said. Such a plan would align with Japan's efforts to address its trade surplus with the U.S., particularly in cars. The government is also considering easing regulations to allow U.S. cars to be sold in Japan without additional testing, NHK said. Toyota said the report was not based on any official company announcement. NATURAL GAS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan will offer to expand U.S. liquefied natural gas imports, though not for now from a proposed $44 billion Alaska LNG pipeline championed by Trump, sources earlier said. Lutnick in an interview in the Nikkei newspaper said that the Alaskan project could be a promising candidate for the $550 billion investment deal. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, travelling with Trump, has urged Tokyo to phase out purchases of Russian LNG, which still make up about 9% of Japans fuel imports, mostly from Sakhalin-2. Contracts for those supplies expire between 2028 and 2033, and early termination could trigger penalties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEFENCE SPENDING Takaichi is likely to tell Trump Japan is ready to shoulder a bigger security burden after last week pledging to accelerate the country's biggest defence buildup since World War Two. Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. forces overseas, including an aircraft carrier, a Marine expeditionary unit and dozens of fighter jets. She is not likely to make any firm commitment given her ruling coalition does not command a majority in parliament. However, given her fragile parliamentary position, Takaichi is not expected to immediately commit Japan to spend more than the 2% of GDP set by her predecessor. (Reporting by Tim Kelly, John Geddie and Anton Bridge; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) (Reuters) -The U.S. and Japan revealed some 20 companies interested in projects relating to key areas like critical minerals and AI during talks between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Some projects may fall under Tokyo's $550 billion investment in the U.S., agreed as part of a tariff deal. These issues are on the agenda: RARE EARTHS Trump and Takaichi signed a framework for securing the supply of rare earths and critical minerals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deal follows China's tightening of export controls on rare earths in October, which prompted Washington to threaten a 100% tariffs on Chinese goods in response. Rare earths are used in products ranging from smartphones to fighter jets. Five companies, including Falcon Copper and Carbon Holdings, are interested in building facilities related to copper smelting and refining, ammonia and urea fertilizer and lithium-iron-phosphate production worth $6.45 billion, according to a fact sheet issued by U.S. and Japan. SHIPBUILDING Japan and the U.S. agreed that Tokyo would help expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity as part of the $550 billion investment deal. A joint working group will work on the details, including collaboration between companies from both sides to boost competitiveness and standardise ship design and components. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement POWER INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENERGY Nuclear equipment supplier Westinghouse was looking at building nuclear reactors and smaller modular reactors worth up to $100 billion, and considering involvement from Japanese suppliers including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba and IHI. Japan's Mitsubishi Electric was keen to participate in equipment and power generation for data centres worth up to $30 billion. SoftBank Group was interested in large-scale power infrastructure worth $25 billion, while Panasonic had its eye on strengthening energy storage systems and electronic component supply chains in the U.S. worth up to $15 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PICKUP TRUCKS Japan plans to purchase more Ford F-150 pickup trucks, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Trump said in August that Japan was ready to purchase "the very beautiful Ford 150." One such truck was parked outside the Akasaka Palace on Tuesday as he met Takaichi. Too wide and fuel-hungry for most Japanese drivers, the F-150s could be used as snow plows, the sources said. SOYBEANS Tokyo was preparing to boost imports of U.S. soybeans, which would help offset losses suffered by American farmers after China slashed purchases. Japan already buys about 70% of its soybeans from the U.S. and may have to cut Brazilian imports to make room for more U.S. supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. soybean exports to China fell to zero last month for the first time in nearly seven years. TOYOTA CARS Trump said Toyota Motor would be putting auto plants "all over" the U.S. to the tune of over $10 billion. Toyota may announce plans to import U.S.-made vehicles into Japan during Trump's visit, public broadcaster NHK reported. NATURAL GAS Japan will offer to expand U.S. liquefied natural gas imports, though not - for now - from a proposed $44 billion Alaska LNG pipeline championed by Trump, sources have said. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, travelling with Trump, has urged Tokyo to phase out purchases of Russian LNG, which still make up about 9% of Japan's fuel imports, mostly from the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEFENCE SPENDING Takaichi said Japan was committed to reinforcing its defence capabilities, after last week pledging to accelerate the country's biggest defence buildup since World War Two. Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. forces overseas, including an aircraft carrier, a Marine expeditionary unit and dozens of fighter jets. (Reporting by Tim Kelly, John Geddie and Anton Bridge; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Bernadette Baum) British blockchain investment firm KR1 has announced plans to move its stock listing from the Aquis Stock Exchange to the main market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), a move seen as a major step for crypto companies seeking legitimacy in traditional finance. The uplisting, expected to be completed next month pending approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and shareholders, would make KR1 the first dedicated digital asset company to trade on the LSEs primary market. KR1 to Expand Blockchain Staking Operations Following LSE Listing KR1 co-founder Keld Van Schreven told the Financial Times that the move represents a starter gun for this new asset class on the LSE, adding that it could pave the way for more blockchain companies to follow. With a market capitalization of about 56 million ($75 million), KR1 distinguishes itself from previous listings by being fully focused on blockchain infrastructure and staking, rather than simply holding cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ether. The company was founded in 2014 and is based on the Isle of Man. KR1 invests in early-stage blockchain projects and earns income from staking networks, including Ethereum and Polkadot. The company has completed more than 100 digital asset investments and plans to expand its staking operations through a new share placement program following the LSE listing. Van Schreven said the firm is doubling down on staking as institutional demand for blockchain validation services continues to grow. The decision comes amid a broader shift in the UKs stance toward crypto regulation. After years of caution, the country is taking active steps to position itself as a hub for digital assets. The FCA has recently lifted its four-year ban on crypto-based exchange-traded notes, allowing asset managers to list such products on the London Stock Exchange. Market analysts at IG Group expect this change to boost domestic crypto activity by as much as 20%, signaling increasing mainstream acceptance despite tightening tax scrutiny. UK Boosts Crypto Oversight with New Approvals, Stablecoin Caps, and Expanded Tax Powers The FCA has also accelerated its approval process for crypto firms. Since April, five companies, including BlackRock and Standard Chartered, have received registration under the agencys anti-money laundering regime, bringing the approval rate up to 45%, a sharp increase from less than 15% in previous years. The regulator says it is committed to ensuring the UKs digital asset framework matches international standards as it prepares to roll out a full regulatory regime next year. NEED TO KNOW A pile of space debris was found burning near a mine in the Australian outback on Oct. 18 Police said the object's characteristics were "consistent with known space re-entry debris" It is unclear what kind of space debris fell and why A pile of space debris was recently found burning near a mine in the Australian outback, and there are many questions about its surprising return to Earth. Workers at a Pilbara mine site called emergency services on Saturday, Oct. 18, after discovering the burning pile of debris around 2 p.m. local time, according to Australias 9News and ABC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Australia police said in a statement that the object is not believed to have come from a commercial aircraft, but rather "a composite-overwrapped pressure vessel or rocket tank" consistent with "aerospace components. "The object remains under investigation, though its characteristics are consistent with known space re-entry debris," police said. "Further technical assessment will be undertaken by engineers from the Australian Space Agency to assist in identifying its nature and source," they added. Police said the burning object was secured and currently poses no threat to the public, according to ABC News. WA Police Space debris found in Australia Space debris found in Australia It remains unclear where the debris came from. Alice Gorman, an archaeologist, author and associate professor at Flinders University, told The Guardian that the object seems to be the fourth stage of a Jielong rocket, referring to a Chinese rocket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was one launched in late September, Gorman said. If it is the one from the 25th, that means its been orbiting the Earth for a bit and then came out of the blue. It is not uncommon for space agencies across the globe to dump debris into the Earths atmosphere. "It is on purpose that this bit of rocket body has landed back, Matt Woods of the Perth Observatory told 9News, but it could just be the way that it's been tumbling that this piece was able to survive." However, Gorman told The Guardian that there was no indication that this specific piece of space junk was going to re-enter the atmosphere when it did. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. When I went to look for re-entry predictions I couldnt find anything, she said, which is an indication of the suddenness of it. Police and fire officials, as well as the Australian Space Agency, are investigating the incident, according to ABC News. Read the original article on People Oct. 27The family of a 17-year-old killed in Hartselle by a suspect fleeing a Priceville police officer filed a wrongful death suit against the suspect, the city of Priceville and the officer, even as the officer appeals a 10-day suspension. Officer Garry Chapman was pursuing suspect Archie Brandon Hale at speeds up to 100 mph on Sept. 6 when Hale, driving a 2004 Chevrolet Impala, ran a red light and collided with the passenger side of a 2019 Toyota RAV4 at U.S. 31 (Main Street) and Alabama 36, according to the complaint. The collision killed Tristan Hollis and severely injured other occupants of the Toyota. Hale was charged with murder and remains in the Morgan County Jail without bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, the Toyota in which Hollis was a passenger was being driven by Noah Prater, who was driving north on U.S. 31 and had a green light when he entered the intersection with Main Street in downtown Hartselle. The complaint alleges that Chapman "drove at an excessive and dangerous speed (and) violated known and established policies for police pursuits by operating his police vehicle at excessive speeds while outside of his police jurisdiction." Chapman failed to properly notify Hartselle police of the pursuit, according to the complaint, was pursuing Hale for a traffic offense at high speed "without knowing or being familiar with downtown Hartselle." Hollis' family also sued the city of Priceville, both in its capacity as Chapman's employer and for negligently hiring, supervising and training him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the recommendation of Priceville Police Chief Jerry Holmes, Mayor Sam Heflin fired Chapman on Sept. 22 for his role in the Hartselle collision. In Holmes' narrative of the disciplinary charges against Chapman, he said Hale was driving over 80 mph when he entered the intersection of Main Street and U.S. 31. Holmes said Chapman violated Priceville police policies by pursuing Hale at a high rate of speed despite suspecting that Hale was intoxicated and was "prevented from safely operating the vehicle." Holmes said that Priceville's pursuit policy required him to reassess the pursuit to determine if "the immediate danger to the public created by the pursuit (was) less than the immediate danger to the public should the suspect remain at large" when he pursued Hale off of Interstate 65 and again when he entered downtown Hartselle. Holmes said the pursuit was especially dangerous given that Chapman had "less than a years' experience in the area." "The geographic location of the continued pursuit through a residential street and downtown commercial area, around a 70-degree curve, across a railway intersection near downtown, and through red traffic lights at high rates of speed, at least one of which had no Hartselle Police presence to restrict traffic, posed an unacceptable risk for continuation of the pursuit," Holmes wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chapman appealed his termination to the Priceville City Council, which on Oct. 14 reversed Chapman's termination, instead suspending him without pay for 10 days and requiring him to receive additional training. On Thursday, Chapman's lawyer, Scott Morro, appealed the suspension to Morgan County Circuit Court, arguing that the discipline "was in error, arbitrary and capricious." Circuit Judge Jennifer Howell is presiding over the appeal. eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435 DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) A recent menu update by central Ohio-based Wendys has become the source of online drama for fans of the fast-food chain. At the end of September, the restaurant introduced its new crispy chicken tenders, also referred to as Tendys, along with six new dipping sauces. In a news release, it announced that these tenders would become a new core menu item at Wendys nationwide. The company also stated that certain locations would begin referring to the product officially as Tendys in October, because fans will know these chicken tenders on a first-name basis. Ohio-based company sues Trader Joes over copycat Uncrustables Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wendys new Tendys are bold, juicy and crispy, paired with a lineup of new sauces that deliver a uniquely Wendys experience for fans in every bite, said Becky Davis, Wendys vice president of global culinary innovation. Ever since we launched our first Spicy Chicken Sandwich, to our beloved chicken nuggets and now our brand new Tendys, we are always exploring ways to innovate with chicken and deliver for our customers across our chicken lineup. The Tendys were described as a premium product made of all-white-meat chicken with a crunchy breading on the outside. Wendys noted that it would be available in three- or four-piece selections and could be sold a la carte or as part of a combo meal. A kids meal option would also be offered as a two-piece serving. Consumers told us what they wanted in a chicken tender, and we listened taste-tested, fine-tuned and delivered, said Wendys U.S. chief marketing officer, Lindsay Radkoski. With six bold new sauces, fans can dip, dunk and customize their Tendys with every bite! The new sauces included the creamy and spicy Wendys Signature, the creamy and hot Scorchin Hot, along with Sweet Chili, Creamy Ranch, Honey BBQ and Honey Mustard. Regular orders come with two dip packages free of charge, while the kids version has one cup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What to know about central Ohio school levies, bond issues on the Nov. 4 ballot Shortly after the tenders launched in early October, a warning on social media put Wendys fans on notice about the items availability. Just got word that tenders are selling so well that by next week, there may be a shortage of product since it wasnt expected to sell so well, said one person on the Wendys subreddit. On a related note, we started the product last week on Monday, and my store had already ran out by the middle of Wednesday that same week. I also had the misfortune to work in a busier store and they were going through cases of the stuff cause people would rather [have] that than the chicken nuggets. Then, just over a week later, social media lit up with posts from customers trying to find the item. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My local Wendys had them on the app for a week or two, offered another poster. I had thought to try them sometime this weekend but now they are non-existent. I thought maybe my location was just out, but none of the Wendys within 20 miles of me are serving any. I also checked near my in-laws (same state, an hour away) and none of the ones near them have tenders on the menu either. A recent check of Wendys online menu indicates that the chicken tenders are not listed at all central Ohio locations, but they are available at some. In an email to NBC4, Wendys confirmed the items popularity. Customers really, really love our Tenders (aka Tendys)! a Wendys spokesperson wrote. The response has been so incredible that Tenders are selling fast, leading to some restaurants experiencing temporary product shortages while we catch up with demand. Rest assured, local restaurants will be back in stock soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Will it rain during trick or treat? Central Ohio forecast for 2025 Beyond the availability issue with the chicken, Wendys decision to update its sauces, specifically the disappearance of its Sweet and Sour sauce, was a source of online outrage. In a post titled Wendys just discontinued Sweet and Sour Sauce, a Redditor posted a picture of the new Sweet Chili sauce with the caption, I actually cannot believe that this is happening. I LOVE the sweet and sour sauce and they discontinued it for this monstrosity of a condiment. Im at a loss for words Dont know if Ill step foot inside one again. The post received nearly 300 comments, many of them lamenting the loss of the condiment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man I miss sweet and sour, I just ate my nuggets with a bbq sauce I had in my room, said one commenter. Now they have honey bbq someone help lol. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Humongous L by Wendys, said another person. Like that makes me furious because they have bomb sweet and sour. Now Im scared to see the rest of these new sauces coming. Delaware food pantrys message to drive donations includes infamous overpass I specifically go for chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, echoed someone else. In my mind, there are no other options. I will seriously choose other fast food restaurants if sweet and sour is not an option. I like Wendys fries, nuggets, French toast sticks, drinks, chicken sandwich, but the sauce pulls it together for me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today was probably my last day at Wendys, read one dramatic comment. Saw I had sweet chili in the bag, drove back, got handed more sweet chili, and was told the news. Im suffering through sweet chili because its better than dry nuggets, but I think Im done coming here. Sweet and sour was probably my favorite sauce anywhere. Others shared that they were opposed to the whole new sauce lineup. Yup, they are dropping every sauce but honey mustard, the least-selling condiment staying, stated another commenter. Well see how long it lasts, as its an update for their tenders that will probably fail. Additionally, a petition on Change.org, labeled 2025 Bring Back Wendys Sweet & Sour Sauce! has garnered more than 1,600 signatures. The plea highlighted that Wendys customers are disappointed with the replacement of Sweet and Sour with Sweet Chili. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All in all, there is an abundance of support and love for this sauce, and many can agree that their Wendys experience will be either never the same or nonexistent following this new development, reads the document. Wendys has not yet responded to the online appeal from customers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Farm Service Agencies reopen in Kansas despite gov. shutdown KANSAS (KSNT) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that Farm Service Agencies (FSA) resumed core operations on Oct. 23, providing crucial support to Kansas farmers. There are 106 Farm Service Agencies in Kansas, one for every county and the state office in Manhattan. FSAs provide several different government funded services to farmers everywhere. Most critically, the FSA provides loan and payment programs that can keep farmers afloat in dire economic situations like trade wars or crop disasters. Heres how the government shutdown is impacting Kansas farmers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, two employees will service every county office, five days a week, to perform all programs funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), but not all programs typically covered by the FSA. CCC-funded programs include: Agriculture Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage, Marketing Assistance loans, Livestock Forage Disaster Program, Livestock Indemnity Program, Emergency Livestock Assistance Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Non-insured Disaster Assistance Program and Dairy Margin Coverage. Executive Director for the Kansas Farmers Union, Nick Levendosfky, told 27 News these programs are crucial for farmers young and old to continue to receive income. Many farmers were struggling with the government shutdown because their income had to be notarized by or come from their local FSA office. Kansas startup using wheat to power the future of medicine Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond CCC-funded programs, the FSA will also begin accepting applications to programs funded by alternative sources but that no payments will be submitted. These are programs like: Guaranteed Farm Loans, Emergency Livestock Revenue Program for wildfire or flooding, Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (Phase 1) and Emergency Conservation Program. If you have any questions about your loans or insurance coverage, you are encouraged to contact your local FSA office, or the U.S. Consolidated Farm Services Agency by phone 785-539-3531 or at the main office located at 3600 Anderson Ave. in Manhattan. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. ILLINOIS (WCIA) No matter your cut of choice burger or steak theres a heated discussion brewing between the White House and the beef industry over Argentine beef imports. Shutdown uncertainty on the minds of Central IL farmers The White House has angered many farmers with its growing relationship with the strongmen in Argentina first over soybeans, and lately over beef, which impacts consumers more so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Josh St. Peters is the Executive Director of the Illinois Beef Association, and he visited with WCIAs Stu Ellis about this difficulty. Farmers have been really frustrated by the rhetoric the last couple of days out of Washington, D.C. with the conversations about opening up more imports, bringing more beef in from South America in an effort to manipulate the markets and lower prices, St. Peters said. Farmer profitability is a number one concern in our ag economy right now and in the economy as a whole. And so, any reduction in income to our farm families in the state is something we take pretty seriously. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. Extreme weather events have led to an unexpected phenomenon in Korea, wiping out apple crop yields. Amid rising global temperatures and intense rainfall, the fruit is struggling to survive. What's happening? According to The Korea Times, intense heat combined with heavy rain has caused apples to crack and split open. For farmers who have been growing apples in Korea's South Jeolla Province, this was devastating to their harvests and shocking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If I had 100 apples last year, about 80 split open," apple farmer Yoon Young-hwan told the publication. "This year, I tried everything I could to prevent it, but still about 60% cracked. We call this 'yeolgwa.' When I started farming apples in 1972, this concept didn't even exist." The dramatic change in the weather has caused ripe apples to absorb water too quickly. This sudden absorption is something the fruit's skin cannot adjust to in time, causing the apple to rip open. Even in the few cases where the apples don't end up splitting, the extreme heat is causing the apples to yellow and spoil, The Korea Times observed. Why is the impact of extreme weather on apples in Korea concerning? Apples are a cool-temperature crop that grows best when the air is between 45 and 52 degrees Fahrenheit, per The Korea Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, with temperatures in Korea rising, "apple cultivation is likely to vanish from Korea by the end of the century." The burning of dirty energy has a direct impact on global food supplies. As countries continue to rely on non-renewable forms of energy, harmful gases enter the atmosphere, which overheat the planet and catalyze extreme weather events that jeopardize the agricultural industry. Lower crop yields due to extreme weather also cause food prices to increase, putting financial strain on the average person. What's being done about Korea's struggling apple industry? While some farmers across the globe have been switching out crops amid rising global temperatures, this solution is merely a band-aid that fails to address the underlying problem. What's worse, for Korean apple farmers, switching to sub-tropical fruits, as the country imports apples, is both costly and time-consuming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's frustrating to hear about importing apples when we can't even grow them properly," Yoon told The Korea Times. "The entire apple industry could collapse." The primary approach to mitigating extreme weather events is to take actions that combat rising global temperatures. As countries transition to renewable energy sources and reduce their carbon footprints, individuals can make simple lifestyle changes to decrease their own pollution outputs. These changes include eliminating single-use plastics, shopping secondhand, and upgrading to energy-efficient appliances. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Federal conservation programs have helped create wildlife habitat in areas such as this land in Hanson County, South Dakota, which is enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program. (Photo courtesy of Tamara Sommer/USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) Political gridlock in Washington has shut down the government and left South Dakotas farmers, ranchers and conservationists stranded. Too many in Washington are ignoring the urgent need for a Farm Bill that improves and funds U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs, like the Conservation Reserve Program. Everyone saw the government shut its doors at midnight on Oct. 1, but few realize the Farm Bill expired at the same moment, halting the vital programs it supports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bureaucratic paralysis now threatens more than 2.6 million acres enrolled in CRP across South Dakota, impacting over 14,000 farms and ranches and jeopardizing $145 million in conservation payments annually. With CRP unable to enroll new acres or pay landowners, rural livelihoods and our states hunting economy hang in the balance. Every fall, hunters drive $680 million into South Dakotas economy, an investment built on strong partnerships between private landowners and USDA programs. Yes, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act boosted long-term USDA funding, and leaders like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, deserve thanks for advancing conservation. But these gains mean nothing if Congress fails to act now. This shutdown only compounds what was already a tough year for agriculture: Corn prices have dropped to their lowest level since 2020, and farmers face mounting uncertainty with every day of delay. Farmers and ranchers need a resolution to the shutdown and a Farm Bill that strengthens voluntary conservation, maintains local input on conservation decisions and rewards stewardship. They also need reinstated contract payments to prevent further economic damage. Washington could prioritize farmers, ranchers and the future of conservation by: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reinstating mandatory CRP and conservation program payments. Passing a Farm Bill that funds and improves voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. Ensuring CRP is reauthorized, expanded and enhanced for the benefit of wildlife, rural communities, and agricultural producers statewide. South Dakotas agricultural producers and sporting tradition cannot afford more empty promises. They need Congress to do its job. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rare earths are now the most effective lever that China can pull, said Zongyuan Zoe Liu, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The rest of the world does not have readily available or affordable productive capacity. China is the worlds leading producer and processor of rare-earth minerals and related technologies critical for fighter jets, robots, electric vehicles and a host of other high-tech products. In a show of strength and of the leverage it brings to the negotiating table, the country has limited exports of the elements , crippling U.S. and other foreign companies. Most recently, they tightened the restrictions Oct. 9, just ahead of the Trump-Xi summit. Here are some of the areas of contention between the worlds two biggest economies. But in a sign the two countries are making progress, Bessent said Sunday on CBS Face the Nation that those punishing triple-digit levies are effectively off the table as talks continue. When new tensions rose earlier this month, Trump had been threatening to slap another 100% tariff on Chinese products Nov. 1 on top of an already-high 57.6%, according to calculations by Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Before the talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, over the weekend, U.S. and Chinese negotiators had previously met four times this year in Geneva in May, London in June, Stockholm in July and Madrid in September but had only managed to reach a truce to avoid escalating tariffs and a vague deal framework, not anything of substance. Trump himself expressed confidence, saying Chinese officials want to make a deal and we want to make a deal. Chinas top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, told reporters that Washington and Beijing had reached a preliminary consensus. Trumps treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said there was a very successful framework. The two countries sent out reassuring signals over the weekend that an agreement was drawing closer. Theyre trying to get to some kind of detente, said Jeff Moon, a former U.S. trade official and diplomat who now runs the China Moon Strategies consultancy. Theres no pretense that theyre going to reach a grand bargain that solves everything in the relationship. But they are likely to make enough progress on Chinas stranglehold on strategic minerals, American export controls and other nettlesome problems to calm financial markets and prevent their rivalry from doing much more economic damage for now. WASHINGTON (AP) The United States and China are not going to resolve all the issues that divide them before presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet Thursday in Busan, South Korea. Story Continues The United States and other countries are investing heavily in rare earths to break Chinas domination but it may take years for that to pay off. They realize this is not a lever they can pull forever, Liu said. So they want to use it when it actually hurts. Bessent said Sunday on ABC that he expected China to delay the rare earth export controls for a year while they reexamine it. Pini Althaus, who founded USA Rare Earth back in 2019 and is now working to develop new mines in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as CEO of Cove Capital, said the threat of more Chinese restrictions on rare earths will always be hanging over Americas head until a new supply is developed. The United States must urgently build independent critical minerals supply chains, Althaus said. Chinas soybean purchases Rare earths arent the only leverage China has. American farmers among Trumps most loyal supporters have traditionally depended on China to buy about a quarter of the soybeans they produce. But China has stopped buying American soybeans this year, choosing to use Brazilian and Argentinian suppliers instead. On NBCs Meet the Press with Kristen Welker Sunday, Bessent, who owns soybean farmland himself, suggested that relief might be coming to the American heartland. We are going to be able to discuss substantial soybean and ag purchases for American farmers, he said. Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, said farmers will be looking for specifics over exactly how many soybeans China might promise to buy and how enforceable the agreement is. He said its important that China go beyond a general promise to buy more American soybeans. Nothing would really discourage farmers more if theres some very ambitious announcement, but then nothing ends up transpiring, he said. In a note, Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the consultancy Teneo, asked how much appetite China actually has for American soybeans after buying so much from Brazil and Argentina. Still, Beijing would be willing to restart some U.S. purchases as a goodwill gesture, even if doing so requires building stockpiles beyond normal levels, Wildau wrote. Americas export controls China is hoping for relief from Americas stringent controls of sensitive tech exports that Chinese firms rely on. Last month, the U.S. Commerce Department issued a new rule to drastically extend export restrictions not only to previously blacklisted foreign companies but to affiliates in which they own stakes of at least 50%. Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, says the rule will be closing the loopholes and ensuring that export controls work as intended. China immediately protested, calling it another typical case of the U.S. broadening national security and abusing export control. The Chinese Commerce Ministry says the act is extremely bad and will severely harm the legitimate interests of companies. Ted Murphy, a trade lawyer with Sidley Austin, wrote in a commentary that the U.S. might relax the restrictions, the way China is expected to ease up on its rare-earth controls. President Trump is in deal mode' and is unlikely to let the opportunity of meeting with President Xi in person get away without a deal. Still, Bessent told Face the Nation'' that there have been no, no changes in our export controls.'' Trumps drug-trafficking tariffs In February, Trump slapped a 10% tax on Chinese imports to pressure Beijing to do more to stop the flow of chemicals that can be used to make fentanyl. He doubled it a month later. For months, Beijing has been frustrated over lack of progress in working out a deal to end the fentanyl tariffs. A senior Chinese public security official once traveled to one of the trade talks but there was no U.S. counterpart to meet him. Chinese officials had expressed exasperation that the Trump administration failed to recognize steps Beijing took in the last year of the Biden administration to address drug trafficking. They are also confounded because the Trump administration hasn't been clear about what it wants Beijing to do. China has retaliated by levying a new 10% or 15% tariff on many U.S. farm goods, including soybeans. Bessent said Sunday that discussions with China yielded initial agreements to stop the precursor chemicals from coming into the U.S., raising hopes that the U.S. will consider at least reducing the fentanyl tariffs. We cant decouple' Whatever progress the two countries make on specific issues, Moon said, bigger problems remain. The toughest is that China has decided to pull itself out of an economic rut caused by the collapse of its housing market by cranking out factory production and flooding the world with low-priced products. But the United States and other wealthy countries are determined not to let Chinese overcapacity hollow out their industries and destroy their industrial base. Those are totally inconsistent trends, Moon said. Both countries are deeply committed to them. And for that reason, I dont see an end in sight. We cant decouple. There are things that we both need from each other.... If you continue trying to damage the other side with no end in sight, then both sides die the death of a thousand cuts." Moon said the only path forward is "tactically trying to remove friction basically slapping on band aids without ever curing the disease. ___ Josh Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. LIGONIER After more than a half-century as the backdrop for October memories, Fashion Farm in Ligonier is drawing back its curtains for the final time on Friday. An autumn tradition for thousands of families, Pumpkin Fantasyland has not only delighted generations of children, but also has spanned familial generations, with people bringing their children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren to the hallowed farm in the northwestern corner of Noble County. Betsy Jackson of Fort Wayne returned to Fashion Farm on Sunday for the first time in several years. As a child, her family made an annual trip to the event, a tradition she continued with her own children in the 1990s. Now a resident of Evansville, Jackson made the trip back to Ligonier with two of her children and three of her grandchildren, who were experiencing Fashion Farm for the first time. When I heard this was the last year, I literally almost cried, Jackson said. I have so many memories of coming here with my parents, brothers and sister. We always got to each choose one friend to come along and it was always a dilemma for me, who I should bring. When I had my own kids, I couldnt wait to continue that tradition of letting them bring someone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, Jacksons older sister, Margaret, came last week from her Fort Wayne home, bringing along four generations of her family, including her 1-year-old great-grandson. There was no way we were going to miss this, Jackson said. It was definitely worth the long drive to get here. As always, Pumpkin Fantasyland included the face of every United States president, drawn onto a large pumpkin by Sharon Cripe. The presidents display first appeared in Fantasyland in 1974. Also included in each year are scenes depicting snippets from history, along with an explanation of the display. Other activities include a giant slide, hay wagon ride, horse wagon ride, straw maze, grass maze corn pit and an activity center. Food trucks also were on hand, as well as Fashion Farms famous pumpkin doughnuts and ice cream. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We made a decision early on in this year to make this our last year, co-owner Jason Becker said. Its time for my parents to retire. Theres a lot going on here, and we just made the decision to go ahead and finish, make this the last year. Becker said he was surprised at the turnout this year, citing tremendous support from the community. While they dont keep official numbers, he estimated that there are approximately between 15,000 and 17,000 visitors each year. Its a wonderful thing, he said. Seeing families that you havent seen for a long time, and just the smiling faces. Its neat to be able to see the impact this has on the community that spans generations. Its a culmination of my grandfathers dream that we continued, seeing the completion and thinking that we finished it well. Numerous school groups come to Pumpkin Fantasyland each year, as well. Becker said that while they want to entertain their guests, they also want to educate them at the same time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fall for us is a celebration of the harvest, and not something scary, he said. With the themes that we do and the activities we offer, we always try to educate. The scenes that we put up, that the artists and our staff put together, have the history of what that character is or whatever that scene depicts. Its really meant for people to take their family and walk through, read and enjoy family time. On behalf of his family, Becker thanked the community for the years of support it has provided to make the event, and the business, a success. On April 3, 1974, a tornado destroyed Charlie Williams farm and farmers market except for three buildings. He rebuilt the Farm Market and This Ole House. The restaurant opened in March of 1975, and he added Fantasyland. A greenhouse was later added to Fashion Farm. Friday will be the final day, both for Pumpkin Fantasyland and Fantasyland. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. There is a charge for admission, either all-inclusive or a la carte. For details, visit fashionfarminc.com/pumpkin-fantasyland, or call 260-894-4498. WAUKEE, Iowa Electric-powered bikes and scooters are just about everywhere you go nowadays. In suburbs across the Des Moines metro, they are becoming a growing source of frustration. In fact, Blank Childrens Hospital said they have seen a more than 1,000 percent increase in Emergency Room visits due to the devices in recent years. Its a big concern in this area, especially, said Justin Delhotal, who lives in Waukee. I see a lot of kids that arent wearing helmets. I see a lot of kids that are driving fast, just whipping down the road, across the road on these E-bikes. Delhotal said he has seen several bad accidents along South Warrior Lane, which stretches through his neighborhood. So many, he said, that he even reached out to the mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not just when the children are on the E-bike, but its people when theyre walking with their kids or they have their pets and things like that, and the kids just arent paying attention to what theyre doing, Delhotal told WHO 13s Katie Kaplan. Those concerns have caught the attention of local public safety officials. Waukee Police Chief Chad McCluskey said the issue comes up every day in his office, but enforcement right now is a challenge. A lot of people really dont understand how complex this issue really is, he said. Iowa does not currently have a helmet law, and, he explained that current Iowa laws define E-bikes and similar devices by speed and motor size- typically capped at 20 mph and 750 watts. But many devices exceed those limits, and without clear labels, officers cant easily tell what they are or where they belong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once a device falls outside those classifications, things get even more complicated, McCluskey said. We literally have to go to the state code and say, Okay, it fits this and this, but not this, or, It fits this, this and this, but not that, and figure out exactly what the definition is and what were dealing with. Then there is the added challenge of holding children accountable, he said. Theres a whole other set of complexities that come with that. And depending on what the age of the kid is, whether we can even enforce something against them or not. And then, depending on their age, whether we can write them a ticket or if it has to be a whats called a Civil Citation or some simple misdemeanor, he said. McCluskey said efforts are being made to fix the issue. Police chiefs across the state are banding together to find solutions and keep people safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are working, the metro chiefs group as well as the state chiefs association, is working on, some potential legislation or ordinance wording that maybe we can share across and get everybody kind of on the same page, said McCluskey. However, those efforts are still in the early stages. In the meantime, McCluskey said education and parental involvement are key. We need parents help because theyre the first line of defense with their kids, said McCluskey. That is something Delhotal agrees with. Parents just have to be more, like telling your kids how they should be behaving on these bikes and watching the road and things like that because it its super dangerous, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eight states, including Missouri, require licensing and registration in order to operate E-bikes on public streets. Until clearer laws are in place in Iowa, both residents and police say one thing is certain- safety starts at home. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to who13.com. STEPHENSON COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO) The father of two of Melissa Trumpys children says a break in the case is long overdue, as new investigators take a fresh look at the Monticello, Wisconsin womans 2021 disappearance. Trumpy, 37, was last seen on Oct. 26, 2021, in Shannon, Illinois, at the home of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Derek Hammer. Her vehicle was found the next day on a rural road near Freeport, but Trumpy was nowhere to be found. Friends and family say they are convinced foul play was involved. Benny Affrunti, the father of two of Trumpys children, said renewed searches are underway in areas near Pearl City and Shannon, including farmland, wooded areas and bodies of water. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Melissas remains, not only do my kids get closure, but they also have a stronger case, Affrunti said. Hammer is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Wisconsin for gun, drug and domestic abuse offensesa case that involved Trumpy. While he has not been named a suspect in her disappearance, Affrunti said he hopes investigators can either rule him out or dig deeper if necessary. Theyve gone back to the very beginning of Melissas case, Affrunti said. Essentially, theyre redoing it from scratch. The Illinois Attorney Generals Office, including its prosecution team, is now part of the investigation. Affrunti said he believes more than one person may have been involved in Trumpys disappearance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know there are additional peoplealleged accomplicesthat need to be checked out, he said. The Carroll County Sheriffs Office, on Oct. 24, released a statement about the case, saying investigators will not stop looking for the missing woman. New search warrants and investigative actions continue to be executed as new information develops, the department said. We remain deeply sympathetic to Melissas family and friends, who have endured four long years without answers. Affrunti said a newly established tip hotline could be key to solving the case. Melissa deserves to be laid to rest with some dignity and laid to rest with some respect, he said. I think any human being deserves to be buried and not be discarded like trash or buried somewhere where their children cant come and lay them to rest [and] say goodbye. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Affrunti added that efforts to issue murder charges without recovering Trumpys remains have been ongoing. Authorities are urging anyone with information to call the hotline at 866-498-4122. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A Mexican father and son duo residing legally in Alabama were arrested and charged with allegedly trafficking of hundreds of weapons, as well as magazines and ammunition. Emilio Ramirez Cortes and his son, Edgar Emilio Ramirez Diaz, were stopped Thursday by U.S. border agents as they approached the Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry in Laredo in two separate vehicles loaded with more than 300 hundred weapons, magazines and rounds of ammunition. "This seizure of an immense quantity of firearms illustrates the Southern District of Texas's full-spectrum approach to fighting the cartels," U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will attack every facet of their operations until they are wiped off the face of the earth," he added in a statement. Ramirez Cortes, a Mexican citizen who legally resides in Alabama, reportedly drove a Chevrolet Silverado with a Mexican license plate while his son sat behind the wheel of an Alabama-plated Chevrolet Tahoe and appeared to drive in tandem. People pictured July 2015 making their way to Mexico at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing near Laredo, Texas. File Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/UPI Both vehicles were seen hauling enclosed white box utility trailers in which authorities found false walls hiding well over 300 rifles and pistols "as well as various caliber ammunition and magazines," federal officials allege. Court records allege the men were paid for the smuggling attempt and made similar trips on multiple occasions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. border officials said this summer that CBP officers near the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas continue to seize a "large" number of outbound firearms in scores of attempted smugglings to other countries. In the last two years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over 400 handguns and long arms, nearly 1,000 magazines and gun parts, and nearly 52,000 rounds of ammunition. Ganjei said those who "illegally traffic guns to Mexico empower cartels to terrorize the innocent." Meanwhile, Ramirez Cortes and Ramirez Diaz made initial court appearances in a federal court in Laredo. Both men were charged with smuggling firearms, ammunition, magazines and other accessories as well as firearm trafficking. They remain in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday. With Fort Worth ISD now under the oversight of the Texas Education Agency (TEA), teachers are expressing concern about the future of their schools and students. The state intervention follows years of academic underperformance at a now-closed campus that triggered mandatory action under Texas law. The TEA formally announced the takeover last week, citing a statute requiring state intervention when a campus receives failing ratings for five consecutive years. Under the plan, Education Commissioner Mike Morath will appoint a new board made up of Fort Worth parents, community members, and professionals. The board will oversee the district until it meets state academic benchmarks for several consecutive years a process that could take considerable time. We were swamped yesterday with phone calls and emails, said Executive Director of the United Educators Association, Steven Poole, according to WFAA. Many teachers are asking whats next for Fort Worth ISDfor their schools, their students, and themselves. The fear of the unknown is valid, Poole said, according to WFAA. So we validate their concerns, we validate their emotions. We saw it in Houston when the state took over Houston, teachers fled that district. I bet were going to see the exact same thing here in Fort Worth. Despite the uncertainty, Poole praised Superintendent Karen Molinar as the type of leader Fort Worth ISD needs during the transition. Shes the leader that Fort Worth needs right now, Poole said. In the small amount of time shes been superintendent, weve seen remarkable achievement increases. You go to any Fort Worth school, youre going to see great teaching and good learning going on, Poole added. Molinar, who took over earlier this year, acknowledged the TEA intervention but said she remains focused on student success. Its been a long day, Molinar said. Focused. I think thats the right wordreally focused right now on making sure our students are kept at the forefront, she told WFAA. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker also expressed support for keeping Molinar in her role, telling Education Commissioner Mike Morath she wants continuity in district leadership. Im going to tell the parentswe own that, but were doing something about it. And now were committed to making sure we accelerate your child, Molinar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The TEAs decision marks one of the largest state interventions in Texas public education since the 2023 takeover of Houston ISD, which remains under state management. Fort Worth officials said they hope lessons learned from Houston will help ease the transition and limit classroom disruptions. Community leaders and parents are expected to weigh in during upcoming public meetings as the state outlines its plan for selecting a new board of managers and setting performance goals for the district. The TEA has not yet announced the full timeline for appointing the new board of managers, although applications are open through Nov. 21, 2025, and interim leadership will remain until early 2026. Sudanese rebels have driven government forces from El Fasher, the last stronghold of the countrys regime in the western Darfur region, amid a brutal struggle for territory that has led to alleged genocide and contributed to one of the worlds most severe humanitarian crises. For more than a year, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has besieged El Fasher, its final major barrier to controlling Darfur. The RSF aims to establish a parallel government in the region. It has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for power since April 2023. Estimates suggest that more than 150,000 people have died due to the conflict, while an additional 14 million have been displaced from their homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sudans army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the de facto head of state, acknowledged the rebels capture of El Fasher. In a broadcast on Monday, he stated that his troops retreated from the city due to the destruction and systematic killing of civilians. Justin Lynch, a Sudan researcher and managing director of Conflict Insights Group, a data analytics and conflict monitoring organization, told CNN that the RSFs capture of El Fasher marks the beginning of what we fear to be a massacre of civilians. According to Tom Fletcher, the United Nations humanitarian chief, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in El Fasher, lacking food and health care. He reported that escape routes have been blocked amid intense shelling and ground assaults that have engulfed the city. A shelter where displaced people protect themselves from the shelling in El Fasher, Sudan, on October 7, 2025. - Mohyaldeen M Abdallah/Reuters The RSF has claimed it is committed to protecting civilians in El Fasher and providing safe corridors for those seeking to leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the UN Human Rights Office said it had received multiple, alarming reports of the RSF committing atrocities including summary executions of civilians, and videos showing dozens of unarmed men being shot or lying dead surrounded by RSF fighters. It also cited indications of ethnic motivations for killings. According to Jalale Getachew Birru, a senior analyst at the crisis-monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), there is a high risk of ethnically targeted attacks, particularly against non-Arab groups. People who fled from El Fasher are pictured in a camp for displaced people in Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan, on October 27, 2025. - Mohammed Jamal/Reuters Between April 2023 and mid-October 2025, her organization documented 390 incidents of violence against civilians in El Fasher and surrounding areas, resulting in over 1,300 reported fatalities, along with 180 attacks on internally displaced persons (IDPs) that caused at least 830 deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ethnically motivated killings have been a feature of the conflict from its outset, particularly in Darfur. The region experienced some of its worst ethnic violence in 2023, with hundreds of individuals from non-Arab ethnic groups massacred by the RSF and forces linked to it. How did we get here? For the past 30 months, army leader al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who heads the RSF, have been fighting over control of Sudan. These two men, once allies and among the most powerful generals in the country, jointly ousted President Omar al-Bashir from power in 2019. They also played significant roles in a subsequent coup in 2021 when al-Burhan seized control from Sudans transitional government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both generals have faced Western sanctions due to their involvement in war crimes. However, Dagalos RSF, along with its allied Arab militias, has been accused by the United States of committing genocide during the ongoing civil war. This marks the second time in two decades that the US has declared genocide in Sudan. The US government said when making the declaration in January that the RSF had executed direct attacks against civilians, including the systematic murder of men and boys even infants on an ethnic basis. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo speaks during a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan, on February 19, 2023. - Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters/File Furthermore, it said, they had deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence, and targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies. Sudans military government has accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying weapons to the RSF, although the UAE has denied this. Who are the RSF? The RSF is a paramilitary group with an estimated 100,000 fighters, approximately half the size of the SAF. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The RSF has a history tied to ethnically-driven violence. The group emerged from the Arab Janjaweed militia, which was responsible for the genocide in Darfur during the early 2000s. That resulted in an estimated 300,000 deaths. The recent killings in El Fasher and other areas of Darfur reflect a pattern of targeted violence similar to that seen during the earlier genocide. According to Lynch, the RSFs takeover of El Fasher will only mean more misery for civilians. Why is El Fashers capture significant, and what might happen next? The RSFs seizure of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, represents a significant turning point that allows the group to strengthen its hold on the broader Darfur region, according to Birru. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes in the wake of the SAF regaining control of the countrys capital, Khartoum, from the RSF earlier this year. Fighting is now expected to shift to the central and oil-rich Kordofan region, which borders Darfur, according to Birru. The RSF announced on Saturday it had taken Bara, a crucial transport hub in North Kordofan state that connects the strategic town to the rest of the country. In Kordofan, the SAF and its allies are seeking to secure key routes connecting central Sudan to the Darfur region, while the RSF is working to consolidate control across both regions to rein in its alternative government in western Sudan, Birru said. This photo, taken with a mobile phone on September 27, 2025, shows SAF leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan (3rd L) talking with military commanders in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan. - Xinhua/Shutterstock The outcome of battles in El Fasher and Kordofan will likely determine the future trajectory of Sudans conflict and the countrys political future, she added, amid a global push for a ceasefire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International human rights lawyer Yonah Diamond told CNN that the international community must intervene as violence escalates in Sudan and civilian casualties increase in El Fasher, asking whether world leaders would allow the RSF to commit another genocide in Darfur with impunity. The time for emergency action is right now to end the bloodshed, open humanitarian corridors, and protect the people of El Fasher and whats left of any global conscience, he said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com CHICAGO A judge ordered the head of President Donald Trumps Operation Midway Blitz to answer questions Oct. 28 about whether federal agents are defying her orders to limit use of chemical weapons on protesters. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis ordered U.S. Customs and Border Patrols Commander at-Large Gregory Bovino to the federal courthouse in downtown Chicago after a video taken by an anti-immigration protester and linked to in court filings shows tear gas being used on protesters. The video comes amid a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois alleging immigration agents use chemical weapons unnecessarily on journalists, protesters and clergy. Attorneys representing the group of civilians filed a notice on Oct. 26 saying that the video shows Bovino violated a temporary restraining order. Ellis is the judge presiding over the case and she issued the order, limiting agents use of chemical weapons to situations where officers face an "immediate threat" and compelling them to give warnings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homeland Security officials defend the use of chemical weapons and other crowd control tactics in the face of what they have called "rioters." "DHS can think of nobody better to correct Judge Elliss deep misconceptions about its mission, and we thank him for his service," a Homeland Security spokesperson said of Bovino being called to testify. Stickers on the check-in counter of a Latin social dancing event. The People's Social on Oct. 17 donated proceeds to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces ICE crackdowns. People enjoy a dance at The People's Social on Oct. 17, 2025. Organizers donated proceeds from the night to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as the city faces immigration crackdowns. The People's Social on Oct. 17 donated proceeds to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces ICE crackdowns. People enjoy a dance at The People's Social on Oct. 17, 2025. Organizers donated proceeds from the night to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces immigration crackdowns. Dancers chat near the bar at The People's Social on Oct. 17, 2025. Organizers donated proceeds from the night to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces ICE crackdowns. Dancers at The People's Social on Oct. 17, where proceeds went to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces ICE crackdowns. A grocery store in Pilsen, a predominantly Latino neighborhood, shows a sign saying federal agents are not permitted to enter. The People's Social Latin dance event was hosted nearby. People enjoy a dance at The People's Social on Oct. 17, 2025. Organizers donated proceeds from the night to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces ICE crackdowns. A mural in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, not far from The People's Social Latin dance event. It is a predominantly Latino neighborhood. People dance and socialize at Latin Rhythms dance social on Oct. 18, 2025. Latin dance events happen almost every night of the week in Chicago. People dance and socialize at Latin Rhythms dance social on Oct. 18, 2025. Most socials play salsa and bachata music, plus other styles like cumbia, cha cha, merengue, zouk or kizomba. People dance and socialize at Latin Rhythms dance social on Oct. 18, 2025. Occasionally, the dance floor gets too packed and people step off for more space to move. The wall of the library in Pilsen, a predominantly Latino neighborhood on the Southwest side, reads "NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL." The People's Social Latin dance event occurred nearby. People dance and socialize at Latin Rhythms dance social on Oct. 18, 2025. People dancing are often near-strangers, but share the language of the steps. Chicago Latin dancers spin on in face of immigration efforts. See photos. 1 of 14 Stickers on the check-in counter of a Latin social dancing event. The People's Social on Oct. 17 donated proceeds to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as Chicago faces ICE crackdowns. The hearing slated for 10 a.m. local time at the Dirksen federal courthouse comes as the Supreme Court weighs whether to let the White House deploy the military to the city. The Trump administration says troops are needed to carry out an immigration enforcement crackdown aimed at the "worst of the worst" criminal immigrants. Local Democratic officials view the blitz as a power grab from the Republican White House and have taken issue with federal agents using chemical weapons on residential streets during enforcement raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 27, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs said over "3,000 illegal aliens, including rapists, murderers, and gang members" have been arrested in connection with the blitz. USA TODAY has not been able to independently verify the criminal background or immigration status of detainees. Heres what to know before Bovino takes the stand. A still frame photo shows Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino toss a canister of tear gas at anti-immigration enforcement protesters in Chicago on Oct. 23. Attorneys critical of Bovino say he was violating court orders limiting federal agents' use chemical weapons. Were protesters gassed? The video that purports to show the Border Patrol chief tossing tear gas into a crowd of protesters was taken by an anti-immigration enforcement protester and linked to in federal court documents from attorneys critical of Homeland Security. The incident dates back to Oct. 23 amid an immigration enforcement raid on Little Village, a South Side neighborhood and the heart of Chicagos Mexican community. The raid was the second in as many days. Tear gas severely irritates the eyes, nose and throat, making it difficult to see and breathe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to an Oct. 26 court filing from attorneys representing the civilian groups, Bovino threw a second canister shortly afterwards "without any apparent justification or warning." There are "significant concerns that Defendants are simply ignoring the Courts" temporary restraining order, attorneys for the protesters, journalists and clergy wrote. Homeland Security said then in a post on X that "rioters began throwing rocks and other objects at agents, including one that struck Chief Greg Bovino in the head." Later on Oct. 23 in an interview with Spanish language television station Telemundo, Bovino appears uninjured and says of Ellis orders, "Did Judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock like I did this morning Maybe she needs to see what thats like before she gives an order like that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement '10k if u take him down': Chicago man ordered 'hit' on DHS leader, prosecutors say Who is Bovino? Border Patrol chief Bovino arrived in Chicago shortly after Trump launched the blitz on Sept. 8. "Operation At Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angelesto make the city safer by targeting and arresting criminal illegal aliens," he announced on Sept. 16. The longtime Border Patrol officer directed immigration raids in LA that spurred widespread protest and quickly gained a reputation for attention-grabbing tactics in Chicago. On Sept. 30, he directed a raid that saw agents rappelling from Black Hawk helicopters to storm a South Side apartment building. National Immigrant Justice Center attorneys say its unclear whether agents had warrants to conduct the pre-dawn raid that saw dozens arrested and left the building a wreck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At about the same time, Bovino was also seen on the Chicago River aboard a boat with heavily armed agents. "TO THE BOATS," he wrote in a Sept. 30 post on X. "We will use every resource and tactic to put those who violate our laws on notice that we are coming for you!" An edition of the Chicago Sun-Times shows a photo of a federal agent pointing a weapon at an unarmed teen. The photo by staff photographer Anthony Vazquez has become a symbol in Chicago of the kind of intimidation residents say they feel from agents. Why did the judge try barring agents use of chemical weapons? Bovino is being called to testify in connection with a federal lawsuit over federal immigration agents' use of chemical weapons on journalists, clergy and protesters. The lawsuit was first filed in the Northern District of Illinois on Oct. 6 and Ellis, the presiding judge, issued an order on Oct. 9 limiting agents reliance on aggressive tactics. In court filings and hearings, Ellis has questioned whether agents are following her orders. On Oct. 16, she also ordered agents to use body-worn cameras following a pair of high-profile raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 20, she called in top Homeland Security officials to testify. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Incident Cmdr. Kyle Harvick and Deputy Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office Director Shawn Byers both told Ellis that agents were following her orders. At the Oct. 20 hearing, Ellis allowed the lawyers for the civilian group to depose Bovino for two hours. After the video of him throwing tear gas surfaced, she quickly expanded his deposition time to five hours and ordered him to appear in court, according to court filings. Bovinos hearing is expected to begin at 10 a.m. local time. Its unclear if he will use the public entrance to the building or a private entrance that other immigration enforcement officials have used. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump Midway Blitz leader called to testify in Chicago By Douglas Gillison WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top U.S. government watchdog for consumer finance has formally scrapped a registry for non-bank financial companies caught violating consumer laws, asserting that its costs outweighed any benefit to the public, according to a government notice issued Tuesday. The repeal of the registry -- which the prior administration of President Joe Biden had said would help catch and deter repeat offenders -- was first proposed in May and is part of President Donald Trump's wholesale reduction of the legal authorities of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency Trump and other top officials have said should be shut down entirely. Tuesday's notice followed CFPB legal guidance issued Monday reversing Biden-era policy according to which states should be allowed to ban medical debts from consumers' credit records. With the CFPB's support, a court in July also struck down Biden regulations barring medical debt from consumer reports. The CFPB on Tuesday did not immediately respond to a request for comment However, in a cost-benefit analysis accompanying the notice, the agency said the offender registry duplicated an existing multi-state registry system, meaning it offered little benefit, and that ending the registry would result in about $360 in reduced costs per company. In public remarks, industry organizations and state regulators supported the decision to rescind the registry for similar reasons. However, Better Markets, which advocates for stronger consumer protections, said 50 percent of the US lending market was now in the hands of non-banks, meaning ending the registry would increase risks to consumers and financial stability as well as lessen deterrence for repeat offenders. (Reporting by Douglas Gillison in WashingtonEditing by Nick Zieminski) The state does not have the fiscal capacity to make up for the massive, oncoming federal cuts to healthcare programs used by millions of vulnerable Californians, a stark reality that will force state lawmakers to consider reducing benefits and eligibility and swell the number of residents without medical insurance. That blunt assessment, released by the state's Legislative Analyst's Office, comes at a time when the state faces ongoing budget deficits with a $17-billion shortfall estimated for the next fiscal year and imminent cuts to food support programs, such as SNAP, caused by the government shutdown. On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the combined fallout from the shutdown and the Republican-backed "Big, Beautiful Bill" has left states in the lurch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We're looking at "the largest cuts to Medicaid in American history," Newsom said at a news conference. "They supported the largest cuts to food stamps and SNAP in American history $186 billion over the next ten years before this manufactured crisis, this decision they are making not to provide the contingency funds to mitigate the impacts." The governor said he's working with state legislators to identify additional resources to help offset the cuts, but there's only so much states can do. Top California health officials on Monday also warned that the federal cuts will deliver a devastating blow to public health and affect all Californians, including those with private health insurance, as the state struggles to mitigate the damage. "These changes will impact our emergency departments, rural hospitals, private and public hospitals, community health centers, ambulance providers and the broader health care system that serves every community," said Michelle Baass, director of the California Department of Health Care Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baass was among several experts who spoke at a briefing about the effects of HR 1, a massive tax and spending bill passed by the Republican-led Congress and signed by President Trump that shifts federal funding away from safety-net programs for the vulnerable and toward tax cuts and immigration enforcement. She said the legislation makes sweeping changes to Medi-Cal, as Medicaid is known in California. It "will cause widespread harm by making massive reductions in federal funding and potentially cripple the health care safety net," Baass said. "These changes put tens of billions of dollars of federal funding at risk for California and could result in a loss of coverage for millions of Californians." The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office, which advises the California Legislature on budget and policy issues, in an Oct. 24 report estimated the federal cuts could reduce funding "as much as tens of billions of dollars." The report warned that about 1.2 million people may lose coverage under Medi-Cal, which provides healthcare to eligible low-income residents. Baass predicts that number may be much higher. "The state does not have fiscal capacity to backfill all of the lost federal revenue resulting from H.R. 1," the legislative report stated. "As such, the Legislature will want to consider how to balance MediCal eligibility, benefits, and financing moving forward. Changes to MediCal will come with key policy tradeoffs around access, costs, and other priorities that the Legislature will need to weigh." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To alleviate some of the effects, state lawmakers could possibly raise existing taxes on private health plans and hospitals, but those extra costs probably would increase costs for all Californians seeking care at a time when people already are struggling with the state's high cost of living. About 15 million Californians a third of the state are on Medi-Cal, with some of the highest percentages being in rural counties. More than half of the children in California receive healthcare coverage through Medi-Cal, according to the state Department of Health Care Services. Baass explained that the federal legislation creates new eligibility requirements for Medicaid. Starting in 2027, many individuals ages 19 to 64 will need to work for at least 80 hours a month, or perform 80 hours of community service or be enrolled in an educational program, to qualify. The law allows various exemptions, including pregnancy, disabilities, or caring for children under the age of 19. She estimated that 3 million Medi-Cal recipients could lose coverage as a result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This would significantly drive up the uninsured rate that raises cost for hospitals treating uninsured patients," Baass said. Baass said HR 1, the "Big, Beautiful Bill," also bans abortion providers from receiving federal Medicaid funding even for healthcare services they offer that are not related to the procedure and reduces federal dollars for emergency medical care for undocumented immigrants. It additionally limits state funding mechanisms, such as taxes paid by managed care providers, and establishes federal penalties for improper payments. CalFresh, the state name for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is expecting long-term cuts of at least $1.7 billion annually, said Jennifer Troia, director of the California Department of Social Services. About 395,000 people could lose their benefits for government food assistance. SNAP benefits are also being hit by the current government shutdown, with payments temporarily halting altogether in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the heart of the shutdown is a political standoff in Washington over the expiring tax credits for people who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Democrats said they will not vote to reopen the government until Republicans agree to renew the expanded subsidies. Republican leaders refused to negotiate until Democrats vote to reopen the government. Covered California, the states Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, estimated over the summer that as many as 660,000 of the roughly 2 million people in the program will either be stripped of coverage or drop out because of increased cost and the onerous new mandates to stay enrolled. Effects of the new federal cuts and policies are already being felt across the state and nation. A Planned Parenthood program in Orange and San Bernardino counties announced its imminent closure earlier this month due to being federally defunded. Los Angeles Countys health system has implemented a hiring freeze and is bracing to lose $750 million per year for the county Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. Meanwhile, food banks nationwide are seeking donations and preparing for longer lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim Johnson, secretary of the state Health and Human Services Agency, discussed how California is fighting back. Newsom recently announced he is deploying the National Guard and fast-tracking $80 million to support food banks, she said. This came alongside the governor's decision to allocate $140 million in state funding to Planned Parenthood. Johnson said Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has filed more than two dozen lawsuits related to HR 1. "Here in California," she said, "we will continue to mitigate the harm of these federal changes wherever we can." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A federal judge in Oregon has blocked President Donald Trump's administration from pulling sexual education funding over curricula mentioning diverse gender identities. U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken issued the preliminary injunction Monday as part of a lawsuit filed against the Health and Human Services Department by 16 states and the District of Columbia, which argued that pulling such money violated the separation of powers and federal law. The complaint, filed last month, says the department is attempting to force the states to rewrite sexual health curricula to erase entire categories of students." It describes the action as the latest attempt from the current administration to target and harm transgender and gender-diverse youth. The administration said in court filings that Health and Human Services has the authority to impose conditions for receiving funding grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aiken wrote that the department provides no evidence that it made factual findings or considered the statutory objectives and express requirements, the relevant data, the applicable anti-sex-discrimination statutes and its own regulations. The judge added that the department also fails to show that the new grant conditions are reasonable. The department did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, but said in a previous statement after the complaint was filed that it was committed to its mission of removing radical gender and DEI ideology from federal programs, referring to initiatives focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose state co-led the lawsuit with Oregon and Washington, welcomed the ruling and said he was pleased to have protected funding for important health education programs. Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has sought to recognize people as only male or female. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Health Department went after 2 programs The health department wants to prohibit the inclusion of what it describes as gender ideology in lessons funded by the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and the Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program. The federal grants are used to teach about abstinence and contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The plaintiff states said the grant conditions the department is seeking to impose violate federal law, the separation of powers and Congress spending power. They also argued that losing the money would harm state programs by making them less effective in providing sex ed, including to youth at high risk of becoming pregnant or contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The termination of money under the two federal grant programs could result in a loss of at least $35 million to the plaintiff states, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In court filings, the administration said agencies have the authority to impose grant terms and argued that claims against the federal government over contracts, including grants, should be heard by a different court, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. In April, the health department asked the plaintiff states to share curricula and materials used for lessons funded by the PREP grant, according to the complaint. In a letter, the department said it was conducting a medical accuracy review. In August, the department issued new conditions prohibiting grant recipients from including gender ideology in any program or service that is funded with this award. That month, it warned states that they had 60 days to change lessons or lose their PREP grants; California was warned previously, and its $12 million grant was stripped Aug. 21. At the heart of some of the legal debate in the case is the definition of medically accurate. Under federal law, curricula under the two programs must be medically accurate and complete." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agencys restriction on gender ideology ensures that federal funds support curricula rooted in biological and medical science rather than in contested sociopolitical theories regarding gender identity, the administration said in court filings. The plaintiff states argued their programs are medically accurate and submitted written declarations from health experts such as Kate Millington, a pediatric endocrinologist and associate professor of pediatrics at Brown University. Stating that gender is binary and that other non-binary gender identities do not exist is not consistent with the medical and scientific understanding of gender identity, Millington said. In court filings, Minnesota officials shared examples of materials that Health and Human Services flagged for removal, such as curricula mentioning different pronouns and how some people identify with a gender that is different than their biological sex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington Attorney General Nick Brown previously said the department threatened to cancel PREP grants if his state didnt remove wording from a high school curriculum that says: People of all sexual orientations and gender identities need to know how to prevent pregnancy and STIs, either for themselves or to help a friend. The other plaintiffs are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. All plaintiff states have Democratic governors. The family of Dylan Lyons, the TV news reporter shot dead while covering another deadly shooting, will have another chance at its wrongful death suit against Charter Communications after a federal judge on Monday dismissed it without prejudice. Lyons, 24, was killed in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Orlando on Feb. 22, 2023, as he sat in his news van while reporting on the death of 38-year-old Natacha Augustin hours earlier. Her alleged killer, Keith Moses, was at large and hiding when he returned to the area and fatally shot 9-year-old TYonna Major and injured her mother. Moses, who was 19 at the time, then fired into Lyons van, striking him through the heart, and injured a cameraman, who survived. Now 22, Moses faces the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder for killing Lyons, Augustin and Major. His next court hearing is Dec. 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit against Charter Communications the parent company of Spectrum News 13, an Orlando Sentinel news partner where Lyons was employed accused the company of sending Lyons to the scene without proper training or safety equipment. In a nine-page decision, U.S. District Judge Anne Conway ruled that while the complaint plausibly claims the company knew Lyons could be injured or killed, it doesnt allege Lyons was not aware of the danger of reporting at the scene while authorities looked for Moses. Attorneys representing Lyons family have until Nov. 10 to re-file the lawsuit or it will be tossed entirely. Ryan Vescio, listed as the lead attorney representing the family, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Charter Communications has denied wrongdoing in the past, but a spokesperson declined to comment when asked by a reporter on Tuesday. On its face, the lawsuit was an unusual case as it raised questions about the responsibility of news organizations to protect journalists covering violent crime. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker cited in the complaint logged hundreds of instances of journalists being shot on duty in the last decade, but the few that resulted in lawsuits were almost all filed against law enforcement agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the lawsuit made note of a 2017 survey showing more than half of journalists had participated in safety training in the previous three years. Mark NeJame, whose law firm brought the complaint against Charter Communications, told reporters earlier this year that Lyons death is part of a culture that puts you in harms way. Lyons family is seeking at least $1.7 million in damages, according to a disclosure made public in May. The lawsuit is also one of two filed related to that killing spree. The other case was also brought by NeJame Law, this time on behalf of TYonna Majors parents accusing the Orange County Sheriffs Office of failing to inform the public of Moses identity. That complaint alleges Moses involvement was known to deputies as they investigated Augustins death but went undisclosed to the neighborhood, including to TYonnas mother, even when she asked Deputy Jackson Keyes about the situation. As a result, the lawsuit claims, Moses was able to remain in the area undetected long enough to kill TYonna before going on to kill Lyons. Keyes and the Sheriffs Office deny any wrongdoing, and the lawsuit is ongoing pending a motion to dismiss. ORLANDO, Fla. The family of Dylan Lyons, the TV news reporter shot dead while covering another deadly shooting, will have another chance at re-filing its wrongful death suit against Charter Communications after a federal judge on Monday dismissed it without prejudice. Lyons, 24, was killed in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Orlando on Feb. 22, 2023, as he sat in his news van while reporting on the death of 38-year-old Natacha Augustin hours earlier. Her alleged killer, Keith Moses, was at large and hiding when he returned to the area and fatally shot 9-year-old TYonna Major and injured her mother. Moses, who was 19 at the time, then fired into Lyons van, striking him through the heart, and injured a cameraman, who survived. Now 22, Moses faces the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder for killing Lyons, Augustin and Major. His next court hearing is Dec. 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit against Charter Communications the parent company of Spectrum News 13, an Orlando Sentinel news partner where Lyons was employed accused the company of sending Lyons to the scene without proper training or safety equipment. In a nine-page decision, U.S. District Judge Anne Conway ruled that while the complaint plausibly claims the company knew Lyons could be injured or killed, it doesnt allege Lyons was not aware of the danger of reporting at the scene while authorities looked for Moses. Attorneys representing Lyons family have until Nov. 10 to re-file the lawsuit or it will be tossed entirely. Ryan Vescio, listed as the lead attorney representing the family, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Charter Communications has denied wrongdoing in the past, but a spokesperson declined to comment when asked by a reporter on Tuesday. On its face, the lawsuit was an unusual case as it raised questions about the responsibility of news organizations to protect journalists covering violent crime. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker cited in the complaint logged hundreds of instances of journalists being shot on duty in the last decade, but the few that resulted in lawsuits were almost all filed against law enforcement agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, the lawsuit made note of a 2017 survey showing more than half of journalists had participated in safety training in the previous three years. Mark NeJame, whose law firm brought the complaint against Charter Communications, told reporters earlier this year that Lyons death is part of a culture that puts you in harms way. Lyons family is seeking at least $1.7 million in damages, according to a disclosure made public in May. The lawsuit is also one of two filed related to that killing spree. The other case was also brought by NeJame Law, this time on behalf of TYonna Majors parents accusing the Orange County Sheriffs Office of failing to inform the public of Moses identity. That complaint alleges Moses involvement was known to deputies as they investigated Augustins death but went undisclosed to the neighborhood, including to TYonnas mother, even when she asked Deputy Jackson Keyes about the situation. As a result, the lawsuit claims, Moses was able to remain in the area undetected long enough to kill TYonna before going on to kill Lyons. Keyes and the Sheriffs Office deny any wrongdoing, and the lawsuit is ongoing pending a motion to dismiss. _____ A federal judge overseeing Kilmar Abrego Garcias criminal case in Tennessee has ordered Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice officials to refrain from making prejudicial statements about him. DOJ and DHS employees who fail to comply with the requirement to refrain from making any statement that will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this criminal prosecution may be subject to sanctions, wrote U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw. In his memorandum opinion on Monday, Judge Crenshaw stated that government officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, have made extrajudicial statements that are troubling, especially where many of them are exaggerated if not simply inaccurate, specifically citing statements that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge presses DOJ on its intention to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia Prejudicial statements include comments about Abrego Garcias character, reputation, and criminal record, Crenshaw said. He added that Trump officials violated a local court rule limiting comments from government employees relating to an ongoing criminal case and ordered the U.S. attorney's office for the Middle District of Tennessee to notify DOJ and DHS employees about the rule. In a separate order, the federal judge ordered the government to produce documents under seal to the court about its change in position from "deport but not prosecute to "prosecute and then deport." Crenshaw acknowledged that in an ordinary case, the government would be correct that internal documents revealing the motivations behind a prosecution would be non-discoverable. But, he said, this is not an ordinary case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego has established a reasonable likelihood that his prosecution was motivated, at least in part, in retaliation for him exercising his constitutional rights in his Maryland immigration case, Judge Crenshaw wrote. Stephanie Scarbrough/AP - PHOTO: Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends a protest rally at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025, to support Abrego Garcia. The judge went on to say that Robert McGuire, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, failed to answer certain questions about Abrego Garcias prosecution in a supplemental affidavit he submitted. How did Abregos case arrive on his desk and why did it show up on April 27, 2025, when the case had previously been closed by DHS on April 1, 2025?, Crenshaw wrote on Monday in a filing. Cases do not magically appear on the desks of prosecutors. Judge Crenshaw added that the motivations of the people who place the file on the prosecutors desk are highly relevant when considering a motion to dismiss for vindictive prosecution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tennessee judge also ordered the government to produce any emails between the Deputy Attorney Generals Office and McGuires office from earlier this year about Abrego Garcias prosecution. DHS, pressing to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, says Liberia has agreed to accept him Two days of hearings are scheduled in the case next week. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison -- despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution -- after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which his family and attorneys deny. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was brought back to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, to which he has pleaded not guilty. After being released into the custody of his brother in Maryland pending trial, he was again detained by immigration authorities and is currently being held in a detention facility in Pennsylvania. Judge Xinis, who has been overseeing Abrego Garcia's immigration case in Maryland, had earlier banned the government from removing him from the United States. The Department of Homeland Security said in a court notice on Friday that the West African nation of Liberia had agreed to accept Abrego Garcia, after the agency previously indicated it was planning to deport Abrego Garcia to Eswatini or Uganda. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A federal judge in Tennessee on Monday warned of possible sanctions against top Trump administration officials if they continue to make inflammatory statements about Kilmar Abrego Garcia that could prejudice his coming trial. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw filed an order late on Monday instructing local prosecutors in Nashville to provide a copy of his opinion to all Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security employees, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Government employees have made extrajudicial statements that are troubling, especially where many of them are exaggerated if not simply inaccurate, Crenshaw writes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He lists a number of examples of prohibited statements as outlined in the local rules for the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee. They include any statements about the character, credibility, reputation, or criminal record of a party and any opinion as to the accused's guilt or innocence. DOJ and DHS employees who fail to comply with the requirement to refrain from making any statement that will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this criminal prosecution may be subject to sanctions, his order reads. Earlier this year, Abrego Garcia's mistaken deportation to El Salvador, where he was held in a notoriously brutal prison despite having no criminal record, helped galvanize opposition to President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown. Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked Crenshaw to dismiss them. Meanwhile, Trump administration officials have waged a relentless public relations campaign against Abrego Garcia, repeatedly referring to him as a member of the MS-13 gang and even implicating him in a murder. Crenshaw's opinion cites statements from several top officials, including Bondi and Noem, as potentially damaging to Abrego Garcia's right to a fair trial. He also admonishes Abrego Garcia's defense attorneys for publicly disclosing details of plea agreement negotiations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abrego Garcia has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he immigrated to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, finding he had a well-founded fear of violence there from a gang that targeted his family. Since his return to the U.S. in June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced plans to deport him to a series of African countries, most recently Liberia. ' Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. Federal food assistance payments to the nations poorest citizens will come to a halt on Saturday, the result of the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history. It will be the first time the benefit has been interrupted since it began more than six decades ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 3.5 million low-income Texans are among the more than 40 million Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) payments each month. With Democrats demanding that Congress address expiring health insurance subsidies and Republicans refusing to negotiate until the government reopens, the parties have been locked in a stalemate over government funding for close to a month. The USDA notified states that if the shutdown did not end by Oct. 27, SNAP benefits would be halted on Nov. 1. You can click here to search for your local food bank by zip code. You can also call 2-1-1 and press option 1 for information about local food pantries in your area. Congress could also address the issue without ending the shutdown by passing a standalone bill to fund SNAP. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, has introduced a bill to do so, though Senate Republican leadership has not scheduled a vote on it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, signed on as a co-sponsor, blaming Democrats callous apathy for the shutdown and saying the legislation would ensure our most vulnerable mothers, children, and families across the Lone Star State have the assistance they desperately need during this senseless shutdown. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said, Democrats should open the government when asked about the possibility of a standalone bill on SNAP. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, who sits on the House Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over SNAP, also supports an equivalent House bill to fund SNAP, saying that nearly 20% of households in South Texas rely on the program and that she voted in favor of the House-passed government funding bill in September. As the shutdown threatens to jeopardize the food security of millions, I am supporting legislation to sustain SNAP and ensure American families can continue to put food on their tables, she said in a statement. Here is what you need to know about the SNAP pause. What is SNAP? SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the latest incarnation of the federal food assistance program created in 1964 under President Lyndon Johnson. It is commonly referred to as the food stamp program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The November SNAP price tag is approximately $8 billion. Out of that amount, $614 million would go to Texas SNAP recipients. How does SNAP in Texas work? Every state, including Texas, offers SNAP assistance to qualifying residents. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP assistance. Applicants provide information about their income and family size, and payments are determined by a households income level and the number of people in a household. In Texas, an average of about $400 a month is paid to qualifying individuals. About 3.5 million Texans, including 1.7 million children, depend on SNAP assistance every month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP funds are distributed to Texas participants through a debit-like card called a Lone Star card, which they can use to purchase groceries. Unused benefits from one month can be rolled over to the next month. Why are SNAP benefits suspended for November? The Health and Human Services Commission distributes SNAP in Texas, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is being affected by the federal government shutdown, funds the program. The government shut down on Oct. 1 after the Senate voted down two proposals a Republican-backed plan to fund the government at its current level until Nov. 21, and a Democratic bill to fund the government through Halloween and permanently extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year. Democrats have continued to reject Republicans proposal, saying Congress needs to address the tax credit expiration before premiums rise, while Republicans have insisted that they will not negotiate on health policy until the shutdown is ended. Who is to blame for the SNAP interruption? The USDA, led by Secretary Brooke Rollins, a Trump appointee, has accused Senate Democrats of being responsible for the federal shutdown and the resulting holdup of SNAP funds. Because of the Democrat shutdown, there are not enough funds to provide SNAP for 40 million Americans come Nov 1, Rollins wrote Oct. 16 on X. Shameful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But policy experts and Democrats have countered that the federal government could have used emergency funds to pay out SNAP benefits. That emergency fund has about $5 billion, but both the Trump administration and House Speaker Mike Johnson have said they are not able to legally tap into it. Can states pay SNAP recipients and then have USDA reimburse them when the shutdown ends? No. Despite their willingness, States cannot cover the cost of benefits and be reimbursed, the USDA announced last week. Some states, like California, are fast-tracking funding to food banks to offset the shortfall. Will Texas government leaders step in and approve some type of assistance? Its hard to know that. Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, which represents the states food banks, said her organization is asking lawmakers about state resources available to food banks if the federal shutdown continues long into November. Cole said her organization will work to meet the need but added: We dont have all the resources we need if the shutdown continues. Weve had shutdowns before. Why werent SNAP payments halted then? During Trumps first term, the government partially shut down for 35 days over a border wall funding dispute. But the U.S Department of Agriculture used a contingency fund to disperse benefits early. That shutdown ended on Jan. 25, 2019; the Department had enough reserve funds to keep SNAP afloat through the end of February. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This time around, the Trump administration says it legally cannot draw on emergency funds to pay out SNAP benefits. Democrats have blasted the Trump administration for its analysis, saying it is within Trumps power to tap the contingency money. Whats the immediate impact on Texans who depend on SNAP? According to Cole, the Feeding Texas CEO, once the federal shutdown ends, SNAP recipients would receive any missed payments retroactively. Also, some SNAP participants may have unused October benefits that they can use in November. But ultimately, any interruption in SNAP funding could force families to skip or cut back on meals or choose to pay rent over food. I think people are going to be faced with really difficult decisions and people will go hungry if the benefits are delayed, Cole said. Can Texans on SNAP rely on food banks in November? Yes, but the states 20 food banks are already working hard to help the roughly 334,000 federal employees in Texas impacted by the government shutdown and 118,000 military service members and their families. Food banks are nonprofit entities that rely on both private donations and some government funding to provide groceries free of charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This past week, H-E-B announced a $5 million donation ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday to Feeding Texas to help stock food banks and another $1 million to the states Meals on Wheels programs that deliver meals to older Texans. But the longer the shutdown lasts, the bigger the impact will be on food banks and other nonprofit groups especially if the 3.5 million Texans on SNAP go without their benefits. This definitely has ripple effects, said Craig Gundersen, a Baylor University economics professor who has studied SNAP. Im really hoping that they will figure something out. I think that this (the delay in SNAP benefits) can be catastrophic. Are other federal assistance programs interrupted by the shutdown? No. Other programs including WIC, Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program are not affected at this time. Disclosure: Baylor University, Feeding Texas and H-E-B have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. By Trevor Hunnicutt and Katya Golubkova TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan and the United States agreed to tie-ups on new-generation nuclear power reactors and rare earths, as Tokyo seeks a way back to export markets for its nuclear technology and both look to reduce China's dominance over key electronic components. U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed a framework agreement on Tuesday for securing the supply of rare earths used in everything from cars to fighter jets. They signed the documents, which included critical minerals, at the neo-Baroque-style Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, beneath three chandeliers swathed in gold ornamentation, as aides applauded. They made no direct public mention of China, which processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths, making it the source of each country's concern about its mineral supply chain. Beijing has recently expanded export curbs. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in South Korea to discuss a deal that would pause steeper U.S. tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls. Japan and the United States would use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to speed "development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths", the White House said in a statement. They aim to provide financial support to selected projects within the next six months, it added. Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and cooperate with international partners to ensure supply chain security, it said. While China dominates global rare earth extraction, the United States and Myanmar control 12% and 8% respectively, says Eurasia Group, with Malaysia and Vietnam covering processing - where China is also the top player - of another 4% and 1% each. NUCLEAR POWER, OTHER AREAS In a factsheet for the talks, Japan mentioned mutual interest to cooperate in construction of new generation AP1000 nuclear reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs). These could involve Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba Group and others, along with other cooperation areas. Nuclear power, including next-generation reactors, as a matter of a greater energy security, affordable power supply and export technology, is among the top priorities of Takaichi, who became Japan's first female prime minister last week. Japan shut down all its reactors after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, caused by a powerful 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. China, France, South Korea and Russia, currently dominate global exports of nuclear power technology. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A federal government shutdown has temporarily stalled the Town of Bethanys Water District #5 project, with residents and farmers reporting a lack of access to public water. According to the towns official update on Oct. 22, Phase 2 of the project has been put on hold because the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides funding and approvals for rural infrastructure projects, is included in the shutdown. The project, which aims to provide public water to approximately 1,000 residents, received a $5 million grant from New York State. That funding came after a severe water shortage in late 2023, during which many residents experienced dry wells for months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Phase 1, which includes installation of pipelines, a water tower, and a pump station, is expected to begin in November 2025. The Town of Batavia Water Department is working on zone maps and will contact residents about curb-to-house hookups in the coming months. The delay of Phase 2 has raised concerns among residents. Local residents and business owners in East Bethany say families and farmers are currently without water and are facing the costly option of hauling it in. Residents are encouraged to complete their water hookup forms promptly and can check the Town of Bethany website or Facebook page for updates. The town asks for patience as it awaits the resumption of federal funding approvals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. Don Morgan, president of the Bank of North Dakota, speaks during a meeting of the Industrial Commission on Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) Furloughed federal workers received nearly $1 million in emergency relief loans for missed paychecks from North Dakota banks since the start of the federal government shutdown. The Furloughed Federal Employee Relief Program, administered by the Bank of North Dakota, along with other loan programs from community banks were established earlier this month to help federal workers affected by the shutdown meet their financial obligations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Don Morgan, president of the Bank of North Dakota, said the bank has received 77 applications for the states loan program as of Oct. 27, totaling about $480,000, with many of the requests centered around the Air Force bases at Minot and Grand Forks, as well as Cass and Morton counties. Were actually glad its starting out a little bit slower, Morgan said in an interview. Its allowing us to work some of the kinks out of the first of its kind program. Morgan said the bank was anticipating between 500 to 1,000 furloughed North Dakota federal workers would take advantage of the program. The Industrial Commission estimates there are about 9,200 federal workers in North Dakota, including members of the military. I think its just too early to tell with so many unknowns, he said. I think the longer the federal shutdown goes on, I think the demand kind of builds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One looming question on the program, Morgan said, is a push by congressional leaders to pay military members and essential workers currently working without pay during the shutdown. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced the Shutdown Fairness Act that would pay military members, essential federal employees and contractors that support those exempted federal workers during the shutdown. The bill failed 54-45 on the Senate floor on Thursday. We think that could be affecting it and really affect it moving forward, Morgan said. He said another factor for the program are other banks, such as Gate City Bank and USAA, providing their own programs for furloughed federal workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim Settel, chief retail banking officer for Gate City Bank in Fargo, said her banks furloughed federal worker loan program offers six-month, 0% interest loans for up to $5,000 per furloughed employee. The program has accepted 121 applications, totaling about $500,000, as of Tuesday. I think people thought this would get resolved sooner rather than later, Settel said. We are here to help and we want to be a partner for these community members throughout this, when they need it. She added furloughed federal workers dont need to be customers of Gate City Bank to participate in their six-month loan program, but they do need to live within their lending areas across 45 locations in North Dakota and Minnesota. Gate City Bank is also participating in the states Furloughed Federal Employee Relief Program, but applicants cannot use both relief programs, Settel said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a great illustration of why a community bank is so wonderful because you have some place to go in the event of a crisis, she said. Morgan said any furloughed federal worker or military member living in North Dakota qualifies for the 2% interest loan program and should reach out to their local bank or credit union to start the application process. He added workers that use a bank outside of North Dakota would need to open an account with a local, North Dakota bank for the funds to be deposited. North Dakota Monitor reporter Michael Achterling can be reached at machterling@northdakotamonitor.com. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (The Center Square) In a few short months, the National Counterterrorism Center says its helped prevent 6,525 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) from entering the U.S. This is after U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol officers apprehended a record more than 3,000 KSTs in the U.S. illegally in fiscal 2025, according to CBP data. Until this year, the greatest number of KSTs CBP and Border Patrol agents were apprehended during the Biden administration: 1,903. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority, 64%, totaling 1,216, were apprehended at the northern border coming from Canada between fiscal years 2021-2024, according to CBP data, The Center Square first reported. The unprecedented number of KST apprehensions reported this year is attributed to Tren de Aragua, MS-13, other transnational criminal organizations and cartels being included after they were designated as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) earlier this year. In the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) had identified nearly 1,200 alleged terrorists illegally in the U.S., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said earlier this year. Gabbard, who leads the NCTC, said the number included 750 with ties to MS-13, Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel and others, The Center Square reported. By October, the NCTC had identified more than 35,000 KSTs and added them to the federal Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS), NCTC director Joe Kent said. This allowed law enforcement to prevent more than 6,525 KSTs from entering our country that under the previous administration would have been allowed in. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We're doing this and more every day, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The TSDS includes biographical and biometric information about alleged or confirmed terrorists, which is shared among multiple law enforcement agencies, including CBP and Border Patrol agents. For years, CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) and Border Patrol agents have apprehended KSTs nationwide. CBP reports the data, categorizing it by CBP OFO apprehensions at northern and southwest border ports of entry (POEs) and by Border Patrol apprehensions between ports of entry at the northern and southwest borders. Every year, CBP reports the greatest number of KSTs are apprehended at land ports of entry. Nearly every year, CBP reports the greatest number of KSTs are apprehended at the northern border, The Center Square first reported. This year was an anomaly after Trump designated cartels as FTOs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fiscal 2025, the majority of KSTs were reported by CBP OFO officers at southwest border land POEs: 2,782. CBO OFO officers at northern border land POEs reported 284. Between ports of entry, Border Patrol agents apprehended 61 KSTs at the southwest border and none at the northern border, according to the data. In fiscal 2023, the highest numbers were reported in a single year in U.S. history: a total of 487 KSTs at the northern border and 83 at the southwest border. By contrast, in the first full year of the first Trump administration, in fiscal 2017, a total of 217 KSTs were reported at the northern border and 118 at the southwest border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those identified as KSTs by CBP OFO officers at land POEs are most commonly found inadmissible to our country and immediately repatriated or removed, CBP says. They may also be turned over to another government agency for subsequent detention and law enforcement action. Those apprehended by Border Patrol between POEs are most commonly detained and removed or turned over to another government agency for subsequent detention and law enforcement action, CBP says. Last week, at a White House event, Gabbard said NCTC efforts have also led to high profile KST arrests. They include Sinaloa cartel leaders, money launderers and cocaine traffickers, and a CJNG cartel affiliated baby trafficker, La Diabla (the devil). La Diablas arrest last month disrupted an infant trafficking network that lured pregnant women to remote locations where illegal cesareans were performed on them. The mothers organs were harvested and their babies were sold to U.S. couples for roughly $13,500, The Center Square reported. The State Department designated Sinaloa, CJNG and other Mexican cartels as FTOs in February. It continues to designate additional groups as FTOs. NEED TO KNOW U.S. officials investigating rise in spider monkeys trafficked and sold as pets on social media CBS and Inside Edition exposed smuggling routes from Mexico and illegal sales in Texas parking lots Poachers kill mothers to steal infants, worsening species decline as zoos struggle to care for rescued babies An unsettling trend is rising in spider monkeys being poached and sold on social media, and officials from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are on the case to stop this practice from escalating further. In a joint investigation by CBS and Inside Edition, officials were able to shed light on the growing trend thats putting a strain on local facilities and leading to the ill treatment of these already-endangered animals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the report, the spider monkeys are being brought across the Mexico-Texas border and smuggled into the country to be sold as domesticated pets. For about two years, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confiscated over 100 spider monkeys that are found in hostile conditions while being illegally transported across the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Smuggled spider monkeys Smuggled spider monkeys They havent been given water, they havent been given food. They had no medical attention, explained Colonel Jim Stinebaugh, director of law enforcement at Texas Parks and Wildlife, to the outlet. To see them treated like that is just terrible. These illegal sales are allegedly happening in big box store parking lots in Texas where one reporter, Inside Edition anchor Eva Pilgrim, nearly caught an active sale as the exchange or online, with the spider monkey being shipped to its recipient. In the clip, the woman selling the spider monkey informed the undercover reporter, special guest correspondent Brooke Baldwin, that she charged $6,500 for the 2-month-old animal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After further questioning from Inside Edition producers, the seller explained that the baby spider monkeys were not being sold but she was instead rehoming them. The seller did not share the location or area from which the spider monkeys were retreived from. To meet the demand thats being pushed because of social media with owners dressing up and putting diapers on their domesticated spider monkeys poachers have resorted to capturing and killing female spider monkeys and stealing their offspring. Then, poachers sell them to the people who promote and sell them on sites like Reddit and TikTok. Given that spider monkeys only give birth every two to three years, their population is drastically declining every season because of these poachers and sellers. Stinebaugh explained to CBS Mornings, Youre going to have to kill the mothers to get the babies, and then, the rest of the family is going to be protective of the mother and the baby as well. So you very well may end up killing dozens of monkeys just to get a few of the babies. The USFWS has partnered with Border Patrol to confiscate illegally trafficked animals and, once found, relocate them to facilities equipped to provide the proper care; however, the strain from the influx of animals is becoming unmanageable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One location thats been taking in confiscated spider monkeys is the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. Given that the spider monkey infants are too young to be released back to the wild without a mother to feed and protect them from natural predators, theyre brought to the Texas zoo for care. Veterinarians feed the rescued monkeys with a small bottle and hold them in a makeshift swaddle to simulate the closeness of a mother. However, with over 1,600 other animals in the zoo to care for, the five veterinarians on staff are far understaffed to also continue to take in stray spider monkeys, since the babies require nearly 24-hour care. Read the original article on People ANNISTON, Ala. (WIAT) A fight between two juveniles and two employees at a Little Caesars in Anniston led to shots being fired Monday night, leaving one person injured, authorities said. Anniston police said a juvenile from Oxford and a juvenile from Eastaboga entered the restaurants lobby around 7:18 p.m. The juvenile from Eastaboga was wearing a mask and lifted his shirt to show a Draco 7.62-caliber pistol, reportedly to intimidate two employees. Mother of teen killed in Alabama crash sues city, officer & driver Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the juvenile from Oxford then went behind the counter and attacked one of the employees and a fight ensued involving all four individuals. One of the employees was armed with a gun. During the altercation, the juvenile with the Draco pistol stepped back and pointed the weapon toward his friend and the employee who were still fighting. The employee and the juvenile exchanged at least one shot each inside the lobby, according to authorities. As the suspects and the armed employee exited the building, another round was fired from the Draco, police said. The suspects fled on foot, and the employee fired several more shots in their direction. The armed employee was hit twice with non-life-threatening injuries and transported to UAB Hospital. No other information will be released until charges are made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. State police are investigating a fight that led to gunfire early Sunday morning at the University Village apartments in Slippery Rock, just steps from the university. I was a little shocked, Maddie Mears said after hearing about the fight. Thats scary, especially in this day and age, and also being a college student, thats scary to hear. Its Mears second year living at University Village. Shes a senior this year at Slippery Rock University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since shes moved in, there have been several issues at the apartments. Its a bit chaotic sometimes. Im not going to lie, Mears told Channel 11s Andrew Havranek. Troopers said the reports of shots fired came in after a fight near the fire pit at the apartments. There were no reports that anyone was hit by gunfire. A lot of the time, it does happen by the fire pits, Mears said about fights. According to Slippery Rocks student newspaper, The Rocket, several fights happened at the complex last month. Mears said it seems to mostly involve people who dont actually live at the apartments. Recently, theyve been causing problems, she said. People dont know how to throw away their stuff; they break bottles. There are actually people other than college students who live here, and pets, so its dangerous for them they dont clean up their stuff. They stole a stop sign. Its been a little chaotic this semester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State police did not release any information about those who were involved in the fight in which shots were fired early Sunday morning. Channel 11s Andrew Havranek left a voicemail for University Village management, but didnt hear back. Slippery Rock University sent this statement saying, The housing development is not affiliated with the university. It is off campus. We do not have a statement to share at this time. Mears said last year, they had security guards on Friday and Saturday nights and thinks it would help to bring that back. I definitely think it would help with people coming here on the weekends, Mears said. When people hear that security is here, cops are here, they do not show up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State police are asking for anybody with information or anybody who might have video of that fight on Sunday morning to give them a call. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW Signs for and against Question 1 on the November 2025 ballot pepper roadsides across Maine. (Photos by Maine Morning Star) In addition to local races and initiatives, next Tuesdays election showcases two statewide referendum questions. However, one has attracted more spending than the other. Read additional coverage of the November 2025 election in Maine here. As of the most recent round of pre-election campaign finance filing reports, which were due last Friday, a proposal to modify state election laws including requiring photo identification to vote has drawn more than $2 million in cash contributions. Comparatively, Question 2, which proposes a red flag law, has raised just shy of $635,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Data submitted last Friday reported activity through Oct. 21, but in the days leading up to the election ballot question committees are expected to file additional reports of single contributions of $5,000 or more or single expenditures of at least $1,000. Question 1 Question 1 on Tuesdays ballot will ask Maine voters whether they want to require photo identification to be shown at polling places, in addition to limiting absentee voting and a multitude of other changes to the states election law. It will read: Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections? Based on the filings through Oct. 21, nearly $1.8 million has been raised in opposition to the measure while supporters have raised more than $585,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fundraising success that weve had demonstrates how important protecting absentee voting is to a lot of people in the state, said David Farmer, campaign manager for the effort to oppose Question 1, which includes more than 30 different organizations. With the opposition having raised more than three times as much as proponents, Alex Titcomb, the lead petitioner of the ballot question committee Voter ID for ME, highlighted the money coming from sources outside of Maine. For example, between Oct. 1 and 21, the Save Maine Absentee Voting committee raised nearly $95,000, with more than $70,000 coming from out-of-state donors and national organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Service Employees International Union. The National Education Association has also been a major contributor to the campaign, including with a $100,000 contribution on Oct. 22. But there have also been sizable donations from in-state organizations to oppose the campaign. For example, Maine Voices Network, a nonprofit civic engagement organization, contributed $20,000 last week after the last filing window. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Out-of-state money is also flowing in support of Question 1. Voter ID for ME raised more than $47,000 between Oct. 1 and the filing deadline, including $25,000 from the Republican State Leadership Committee PAC. In total, the Washington D.C.-based political organization has contributed more than $520,000 to back the ballot measure. While proponents have spent just over $566,000, about $1.4 million has been spent to oppose it, as of Oct. 21. The Save Maine Absentee Voting ballot question committee reported another $370,000 in spending since then through more recent 24-hour expenditure reports. Question 2 Question 2 on the ballot will ask voters if they would like to adopt a red flag law, which would allow family or household members to petition a court directly for someones firearms to be temporarily removed. It will read: Do you want to allow courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if law enforcement, family, or household members show that the person poses a significant danger of causing physical injury to themselves or others? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of the fundraising for that proposal has been in support. The Safe Schools, Safe Communities ballot question committee raised more than $540,000 as of Oct. 21, compared to the roughly $94,000 raised by opponents. On Friday, the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine, which opposes Question 2, said it is trying to raise an additional $10,000 to reach undecided voters after a recent poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed the opposition has a slight edge with voters. We are out-funded and we are scrapping for every dollar, the gun rights organization wrote in a campaign email sent out Friday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A fire truck that lost a wheel on its way to an emergency Oct. 27 exemplifies the dangers of Milwaukee's aging firefighting equipment, according to Fire Chief Aaron Lipski. The ladder truck that lost a wheel was a 20-year-old reserve truck already serving on the front line, Lipski said. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that fire trucks operate regularly no more than 15 years. It covered the city's near north and south sides, as well as downtown. Lipski said unless a suburban fire department can provide him a spare ladder truck, the city will be down one from its front line, resulting in longer response times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is terrifying for me," Lipski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We know we're in tough times. We know the city has limited funds. But today, now, I am leading the fire department, and I need to be honest about what we need." The incident is the latest in a brewing conflict between the city's fire department and mayor's office over the money that Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson allocated for repairs to the equipment in his proposed 2026 budget. The budget, which will be finalized in November, allocates $2 million for repairs. Lipski contends close to $14 million is needed. The city owns 13 ladder trucks, Lipski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Eight are regularly used for calls, known as front-line duty, Lipski said, while the remaining five are used as reserves should a front-line truck fail. Three of the reserves recently failed safety tests due to major structural issues. Last available @MilFireDept Ladder Truck now down for the count. Ill be giving a statement in front of this now out of service rig at about 2:45pm. Intersection of 10th & State. pic.twitter.com/YkqikPt0vs Aaron Lipski (@alipski1) October 27, 2025 The Milwaukee Professional Firefighters' Association has also criticized Johnson's budget proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis, vice chairman of both the city's Finance and Personnel Committee and the Public Safety and Health Committee, has said the fire department needs at least eight fire engines and six ladder trucks to be replaced across 2026 and 2027, at an estimated total cost of around $27.8 million for the two years. Jeff Fleming, Johnson's spokesperson, said discussions are underway between the mayor and the Milwaukee Common Council as they finalize the 2026 city budget. "The administration is open to budget modifications regarding additional investments in firefighting equipment," Fleming said in a statement. David Clarey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Milwaukee fire chief warns of danger in aging equipment, wants $12 million more in budget More: Like fire chief, Milwaukee's firefighter union wants more in city budget for aging fleet This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lipski: Milwaukee fire truck's lost wheel shows dangers of aging fleet Partnership expands options for home delivery, instant bank deposits and cash pickup across Vietnam CORAL GABLES, Fla., October 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viamericas, a leading provider of remittance and international money transfer services, has partnered with Dong Phuong Money Transfer to expand access to reliable and convenient remittance options across Vietnam. The partnership enhances the delivery of funds directly to recipients homes and local cash pickup points, offering senders greater flexibility and convenience in how they support their families. Through this partnership, Viamericas customers can now send funds for home delivery in both U.S. dollars (USD) and Vietnamese dong (VND), with delivery completed within three hours in major cities and within two days in rural areas. "Dong Phuong Money Transfer has worked to bring remittances safely and efficiently to every corner of Vietnam," said Le Van Chau, Director at Dong Phuong Money Transfer. "Our collaboration with Viamericas ensures Vietnamese families can receive support from abroad with greater ease and confidence." Vietnam is one of the top remittance destinations worldwide, receiving about $16 billion in annual remittances, representing nearly 3.2% of its gross domestic product. With remittance inflows growing by more than 30% in 2024, families across the country continue to rely on secure and flexible payout options to fund education, health care and daily living expenses. "This partnership represents an expansion of Viamericas services in Vietnam, strengthening our commitment to serve the Vietnamese community with flexible, fast and trusted payout options," said Joseph Argilagos, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Viamericas. "By connecting with Dong Phuongs extensive home delivery and payout network, were advancing our mission to make it easier for families to receive funds safely and conveniently, for even more communities across Vietnam." About Dong Phuong Money Transfer Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Phuong Money Transfer is a trusted provider of home delivery and remittance services across Vietnam. The company also offers domestic shipping, export of Vietnamese agricultural products and tourism-related services. With a network of 534 cash pickup locations and a team known for professionalism, quick payments and customer security, Dong Phuong has earned the trust and support of clients in Vietnam and abroad. "Deposit Now Receive Immediately," embodies Dong Phuongs promise of speed, reliability and trust. Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis hosted a State Dinner at the Governors Residence on Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy of PAcast) On Monday evening, over a dozen Pennsylvanians were recognized at the Governors Residence for their contributions to their respective communities. The honorees, eight people and two groups, were awarded the Governors Keystone Awards during the second State Dinner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Josh Shapiro, who delivered remarks at the event, said the dinner was very special. This is the first dinner we are hosting here at the Governors Residence since the attack in April, and we wanted to be purposeful about all of you being the first guests that we invited back for this event, Shapiro said. We wanted this night to be special, and we are so honored that you are gracing us with your presence. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In April, the Governors Residence was firebombed as Shapiro, his family and guests slept inside, hours after celebrating Passover. Cody Balmer, the Harrisburg man accused of the attack, pleaded guilty earlier this month to attempted murder with a sentencing enhancement for terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know, after the attack, the First Lady and I really wanted to get this building repaired as quickly as possible, so that we could open it back up to be a place that all Pennsylvanians could come, Shapiro said. We want this place to be warm and welcoming for all. The recipients of the Keystone Award were from a wide array of backgrounds. They included Jared Quinteros of Pittsburgh. Hes an artist who teaches art therapy workshops to newly-injured patients at UPMC Mercy and works with the Rebuild Together Foundation. In the summer of 2021, Quinteros and his wife, Kara Leo, were walking a trail when a tree limb fell on them. His wife was killed in the accident. Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis hosted a State Dinner at the Governors Residence on Oct. 27, 2025. Jared Quinteros was among those honored. (Photo courtesy of PAcast) After the tragedy, Jared Quinteros, who now uses a wheelchair, created the KARA program, named after his wife, which helps individuals returning home after spinal cord injuries make essential accessibility improvements and rebuild their lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas and Dr. Kiran Musunuru were also honored for co-developing the first-ever personalized gene editing therapy for a child with severe carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The collaborative, multidisciplinary work that originated here in the state of Pennsylvania allowed us to translate this novel approach to rare disease therapy into the clinic, Aherns-Nicklas said. We now have the incredible responsibility of expanding this work to benefit as many other patients with rare, complex and difficult-to-treat diseases as possible. This finding, according to Penn Medicine, could provide a pathway for gene editing technology to be successfully adapted to treat individuals with rare diseases for whom no medical treatments are available. Several students from Kensington Health Sciences Academy in Philadelphia were among those recognized, for their effort teaming up with their teachers to create the DreamEscape Library, a student-run lending library and mobile book cart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Look in these times of chaos and of darkness and challenges, I think each and every one of you are the people who are bringing light into our communities, Shapiro said. You are the people who are inspiring me, inspiring Lori, inspiring our fellow Pennsylvanians, and that is why we wanted to honor you here this evening. Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis hosted a State Dinner at the Governors Residence on Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy of PAcast) Shapiro says he thinks the governors residence is secure, following renovations and security upgrades The Governors Residence has hosted some events since the arson attack, but the administration pointed to Mondays dinner as a milestone as the first dinner event hosted following the attack. Its really emotional, Shapiro told the Capital-Star. This space exists, in my mind, to bring different Pennsylvanians together to find common ground and to celebrate one another in our Commonwealth, and the way Lori reimagined the state dinner, not as some insidery thing, but a place to bring people who are making a difference in their community together. The State Dining Room and Reception Area have been fully restored, according to a release from the governors office. An image and items that were impacted by the arson attack at the Governors Residence, placed in a container. (Photo by John Cole/Pennsylvania Capital-Star) Theres a few items that have yet to come back in, but I would say that the inside is probably 98% there, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside of the residence, Shapiro said, they have included a lot of security updates and said hopefully by the end of the calendar year everything will be complete. The changes Shapiro highlighted with the Capital-Star include adding a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) unit patrolling the grounds of the residence, as well as a 10-foot brick wall surrounding the property. Prior to the attack, there was only a 6-foot iron fence. And theres a significant amount of technology thats been installed, Shapiro said. Obviously not going to get into the specifics there, but I think the facility is secure now, not just for our family, but for the staff and the visitors that come here. Spotlight PA reported on Friday that State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris and Department of General Services Secretary Reggie McNeill wrote a letter to legislative leaders and administration officials that said the safety upgrades at the governors official residence totaled $32.3 million, including $8 million with windows that are bullet-and-shatterproof. The letter also mentioned that roughly $1 million in security upgrades, also paid by taxpayers, are for Shapiros private home in Montgomery County. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The first-ever Nashville Neighborhood Summit is bringing together neighborhood leaders from Glencliff, East Nashville, Donelson and other areas to discuss challenges within neighborhoods. Every neighborhood has its unique challenges. This summit is all about residents protecting the value and security of their neighborhood. The grassroots event is organized by several neighborhood organization leaders. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organizing committee is led by Alex Abels from the Renraw neighborhood and Alexa Little from the Glencliff neighborhood. Attendees will hear from local neighborhood leaders, including keynote speaker Mike Hodge. Former District 15 Councilmember Jeff Syracuse lives in Donelson Hills, which he said has about 504 homes, along with a condo development. Syracuse helped organize a neighborhood watch program, which eventually evolved into a neighborhood association. Im really excited to see this next generation of neighborhood leaders coming together to learn from each other, Syracuse said. Best practices about how you can keep people engaged, connected, so Im happy to be there to share my experience. Syracuse said no two neighborhoods are alike. After working with plenty of neighborhoods over the years, he knows firsthand how its important to listen to neighborhood needs and help them get involved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its really encouraging and important that we have neighborhood leaders who are trying to come together to learn from each other, Syracuse said. I guess you could say where we were, where we are and where were going. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Nonprofit organizations, like the Civic Design Center and Greenways for Nashville, will provide resources that outline the steps for taking action to make change. The Nashville Neighborhood Summit will be held on Nov. 1 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library Donelson Branch. The event is free, but residents can RSVP to secure their spot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Sparks-based First Financial Federal Credit Union announced Tuesday that it awarded a $100,000 grant to Baltimore County Public Schools to support professional development. The Legacy of Leadership Grant also honors the credit unions Youth Outreach Manager, Cindy Jones, as she steps down as president of the school districts Education Foundation, a news release from the company said. The First Financial FCU Legacy of Leadership Grant is a tremendous investment in Team BCPS staff and will provide us with an opportunity to strengthen and expand our training and development programs, said Superintendent Myriam Rogers in the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grant will fund programs such as the Central Staff Induction Program, the ASPIRE BCPS Professional Leadership Development Program and future leadership training opportunities, the release says. Though it now serves other communities in Maryland and Virginia, First Financial was founded in 1953 by a group of Baltimore County Public Schools teachers, according to its website. This grant will support vital training and professional enrichment for future BCPS leaders and pays tribute to Cindy Jones, Youth Outreach Manager, who is an industry leader in service to both educators and students, First Financials VP/Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Peltzer said in the release. Our storied history with Baltimore County Public Schools is a testament to the power and importance of school and business partnerships. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks. A fiscal who is facing a state investigation after allegedly trying to purchase gold coins with township money has been temporarily blocked from his duties. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] A Montgomery County judge granted Ohio Attorney General Dave Yosts request to temporarily ban Miami Township Fiscal Officer Bob Matthews while the state seeks his removal. Matthews in a purposeful and knowing manner, committed an act expressly prohibited by law with regard to a fiscal duty, Judge Jonathan Hein stated. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miami Township trustees had previously voted to remove Matthews from township offices, outside of instances necessary for the performance of his statutorily-defined duties. Matthews is accused of attempting to cause the transfer of $9.7 million in township funds to purchase gold coins without the approval of the trustees. The transaction was caught by the townships fraud and accounting control and was canceled. Matthews is also accused of attempting to fire the townships finance director, Clay McCord, in his role of stopping the transaction. Township Administrator Chrs Synder issued the following statment: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following is a statement from a Miami Township spokesperson regarding the ruling against Matthews: We appreciate the courts attention to this matter and look forward to a final resolution of the issues raised by the attorney generals office in their complaint against Mr. Matthews. The Board of Trustees will discuss appointment of a deputy fiscal officer pursuant to their statutory obligation, given the suspension of Mr. Matthews by the court. The temporary ban is in place until the conclusion of the case against Matthews. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] TAZEWELL, Va. Five days of early voting remain ahead of Virginias closely watched gubernatorial contest. Locally, voter registration officials are seeing a surge in early voting and that increase is expected to continue throughout the week. This past Saturday, 150 people voted early at the voter registration office in North Tazewell, according to Tazewell County Registrar Brian Earls. Weve had our biggest days to date toward the end of last week, Earls said Monday. Friday being our biggest and we had a big crowd in here on Saturday, which was more than I expected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting in Virginia ends this Saturday, Nov. 1. As of Monday afternoon, 3,392 early ballots had already been cast in Tazewell County. Earls said that tally included 2,835 people who had voted in person at the voter registration office and another 558 absentee mail ballots that had been returned as of Monday afternoon. Counties across Southwest Virginia, and other parts of the state, have been reporting an increase in early voting. The governors race between Democrat Abigail D. Spanberger and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, may be contributing to the increased interest in early voting. Tazewell County still lags behind some other Southwest Virginia localities, including neighboring Washington County, when it comes to early voting figures. Earles estimated that about 12 percent of the countys population had voted early as of Monday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the next five days, including the final Saturday before Election Day, will be busy, according to Earls. These next five days will be our biggest of the whole 45-day early voting period, Earls said. Other counties also are seeing an increase in early voting. In Bland County, which has a population that is smaller than Tazewell, 407 people had already voted early as of Monday afternoon, Bland County Registrar Stacy Tibbs Grady said. Staying busy, Grady said Monday. We have had quite a few voters. We have been very, very busy. While the early voting numbers are below a presidential year tally, they are still good for Bland County, Grady said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We had quite a few people on Saturday, Grady said. We already surpassed that number today. It seems like we will be busy right up to the end. Buchanan County also saw the number of early votes cast to double within a span of a week. So far, 614 people have voted early in person with another 378 absentee ballots by mail being received, Buchanan County Registrar Vickie Clevinger said. There were 26 early ballots cast on Saturday as well, Clevinger said. Theyve started coming in pretty steady Clevinger said Monday. Friday was the last day to register to vote in Virginia, and a number of new voter registrations were added in Tazewell County, according to Earls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Virginia, residents who arent registered to vote for whatever reason but still wish to cast a ballot can still participate in a process called same-day registration, which allows citizens to cast a provisional ballot all the way up to Election Day. Whether or not Tazewell County sees an overall increase in voters for the 2025 election cycle wont be known until after Election Day, according to Earls. We will have to wait until election night to see if there are new voters coming out or if more people who would normally have voted on Election Day voted early, Earls said. While statewide races are generating voter interest, most of the local races are non-contested with the exception of a House of Delegates contest for Tazewell, Bland and Buchanan counties and a town council seat in Pocahontas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hours for early voting are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Voters can also cast ballots on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After Saturday, everyone else will vote on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 4. In Tazewell County, the ballot also includes local board of supervisors, school board and special town council races in addition to the statewide races. On the ballot in Tazewell, Buchanan and Bland counties is the 43rd District House of Delegates race where incumbent Republican Del. James W. Will Morefield, of Tazewell, is being challenged by Democrat Mary E. Sumner, of Clintwood. The 43rd Delegate District also includes parts of Dickenson and Russell counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voters in the Western and Southern Districts of Tazewell County also will elect board of supervisors and school board members. In the Southern District Board of Supervisors contest, independent John B. Rhudy is running unopposed for election. Republican Aaron Gillespie, the incumbent Southern District supervisor, isnt seeking re-election to that position. Also in the Southern District, incumbent school board member B. Irene Mullins is running unopposed for re-election. In the Western District Board of Supervisors race, Republican Curt W. Breeding is running unopposed for that seat. Andy Hrovatic, the incumbent Republican in the Western District, isnt seeking re-election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Western District School Board contest, Brannon C. Breeding is running unopposed for that seat. Chris Moir, the incumbent Western District School Board member, isnt seeking re-election. The towns of Pocahontas and Tazewell also are holding special elections for members of town council. In the town of Pocahontas, two candidates Michele C. Crigger and A. Brad Belcher are vying for a single seat on the Pocahontas Town Council. The winner will serve an unexpired term that ends on Dec. 31, 2026. Suzanne Brinegar, a former council member, resigned, which created the vacancy in Pocahontas. In the town of Tazewell, Glen A. Keen Jr. is running unopposed for a single seat on the Tazewell Town Council. The winner will serve an unexpired term that ends on Dec. 31, 2026. The resignation of former town council member Emily Combs Davis created the vacancy in Tazewell. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com Four other prisoners have been released in error from jails over the past seven days. Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian, was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford in Essex on Friday instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. The migrant sex offender, who had been living at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman, travelled to London where he was arrested on Sunday morning in Finsbury Park after a two-day manhunt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident has prompted an independent inquiry to find out what went wrong and a prison officer has been suspended. Credit: Metropolitan Police Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said more incidents had taken place in the past week and that prison service leaders had known about mistaken releases being a regular occurrence for the past year. Mr Fairhurst said mistaken releases were made from HMP Pentonville in north London, HMP Durham, the Mount prison in Hertfordshire, and from Reading Crown Court. It is understood four prisoners were released by mistake and all but one of them have been returned to custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No prison officers have been suspended over the other releases, Mr Fairhurst said. According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025 a 128 per cent increase on 115 in the previous 12 months. Mr Fairhurst blamed lack of staff training and the increased complexity of calculations to determine release dates, which were changed to tackle jail overcrowding. It is a confusing time for everyone, he said. Asked about Kebatus accidental release, Mr Fairhurst told the BBC: Somewhere along the line there has been a mistake, from the paperwork being processed in an offender management unit, to the two management checks that were carried out before that release, to the discharge process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Somewhere on that paperwork, its been missed that we should have held this person in reception until the immigration service picked him up for deportation. Kebatu was set for deportation under an early removals scheme (ERS) for foreign national offenders, but was released in what appears to have been in human error, David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, told MPs on Monday. He also confirmed stronger release checks would come into force immediately to try to stop similar mistakes happening again, while Mr Fairhurst said the POA will not accept any scapegoating of staff over Kebatus mistaken release. The POA is supporting the prison officer, who the union believes has been unfairly suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. As well as building more prison places and reforming sentencing, we have introduced mandatory, stronger prisoner release checks to keep our streets safe and protect the public. The Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has announced an independent investigation to determine how Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford on Friday 24 October. The investigation, chaired by Dame Lynne Owens, will establish the full facts of the incident and look at the serious issue of releases in error across the prison estate. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BOSTON (AP) A man from India stabbed two teenagers with a fork, slapped a female passenger and a crew member and mimicked shooting himself during an international flight, authorities said. The Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, on Saturday was diverted to Boston, where the Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was arrested and charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, a 17-year-old passenger awoke to find Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli stabbed at the teens clavicle with a fork and then stabbed another 17-year-old boy in the head, causing a laceration, prosecutors allege. The first teen, who wasnt injured because he was wearing a thick sweatshirt, told investigators he had exchanged pleasantries with the man seated next to him during boarding but otherwise had not interacted with him, according to the criminal complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli, who entered the U.S. on a student visa, doesnt have lawful immigration status, authorities said. He was enrolled in a master's degree program at Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago from the fall of 2022 to spring 2025, according to the school. Usiripalli didn't have an attorney listed for him in the federal court system Tuesday. A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Germany was diverted to Boston Saturday after a man allegedly stabbed two passengers with a metal fork, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Indian national Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, allegedly stabbed two unidentified 17-year-old passengers with the fork, one in the shoulder and one in the head, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Following meal service, Minor A was sleeping lightly in a middle seat when he allegedly awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him, the press release said. It is alleged that Usiripalli used his right hand to strike Minor A in the left clavicle area with a metal fork. Usiripalli then allegedly lunged toward Minor B who was seated to Minor As right in a middle seat in the center row of the aircraft and struck Minor B in the back of his head with the fork. Minor B suffered a laceration to the rear of his head. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Lufthansa Airlines Boeing 747-8 lands at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on March 13, 2020. "When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. Immediately afterwards, Usiripalli allegedly turned toward a female passenger to his left and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member," according to the press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As a result of the disturbance, the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody," the press release said. Usiripalli was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, according to the press release. MORE: Former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to shut down engines midflight pleads guilty Lufthansa said in a statement that the flight diversion "was necessitated by the behavior of an unruly passenger, who was taken into custody by local authorities upon arrival. Consequently, the onward flight to Frankfurt did not continue as scheduled." The statement added that "all passengers were provided with hotel accommodations and were rebooked on the next available flights." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli was in the U.S. on a student visa for a master's program in biblical studies, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if found guilty, the press release said, adding that Usiripalli will appear in federal court in Boston on an as-yet undetermined date. ABC News' Ayesha Ali and Clara McMichael contributed to this report. NEED TO KNOW A small plane carrying a flight instructor and a student crashed into a school store on Oct. 26, but resulted in no injuries, according to authorities The instructor and student were conducting a final evaluation flight test for a private pilot licence when they experienced engine failure," an official said An investigation into the incident is underway Authorities in South Africa said a small aircraft carrying a flight instructor and student crashed after making a forced emergency landing into a school store. Miraculously, no injuries were reported. In a statement from the Gauteng Department of Education, the incident occurred on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 26, when the aircraft crashed into the tuck shop (a store that typically sells snacks) at Hoerskool Alberton, a high school located in the South African municipality of Ekurhuleni. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Circumstances around the incident are under investigation by relevant authorities, the department said. The pilot and the instructor who were onboard the aircraft reportedly sustained no injuries. " Officials added that the incident will not affect school activities or the ongoing National Senior Certificate examinations. Tikkie McDonald, a spokesperson for Ekurhulenis emergency services, said the aircraft wanted to make an emergency landing on the schools rugby grounds, South African media outlet News24 reported. The instructor and student were conducting a final evaluation flight test for a private pilot licence when they experienced engine failure, necessitating an emergency landing on the schools rugby field. Fortunately, both the instructor and student escaped uninjured, McDonald said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Africas Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division said the plane involved in the crash was a Tecnam P92 Echo, registration ZU-BJX, IOL reported. The aircraft had departed from Rand Airport [in Germiston] for a Private Pilot Licence skills test and was returning to the same airport when the accident occurred, the Aircraft Incident and Accident Investigation Division said. Authorities believe an engine stoppage may have resulted in the forced landing. An AIID investigator was dispatched to the site to collect evidence for a final report that will be issued once the investigation is complete, the AIID said, according to IOL. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PEOPLE contacted the City of Ekurhuleni and the South African Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday, Oct. 28, for additional information. Meanwhile, in its news release, the Gauteng Department of Education advised parents to make sure their children bring food with them as the tuck shop is being repaired. The GDE commends the schools management, emergency services and aviation authorities for their prompt response to this sudden incident, the department added. Read the original article on People A Lufthansa flight had to turn back after a passenger allegedly attacked people with a metal fork. The man is charged with assault and faces up to a decade in prison and a $250,000 fine. Unruly passenger incidents have fallen in recent years, but still occur twice as often as pre-COVID. A passenger allegedly stabbed two teenagers with a metal fork during a Lufthansa flight on Saturday from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany an incident that forced the aircraft to return to the US. The US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, part of the Justice Department, said that Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, a 28-year-old Indian national, attacked two 17-year-old passengers after the meal service. Lufthansa is Germany's flag carrier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the crew moved to subdue him, the US Attorney's Office said Usiripalli slapped another passenger. One teen suffered a cut to the back of his head. The Transportation Security Administration allows forks in carry-on bags on commercial flights, but utensils with a sharpened edge or a pointed tip that could be used as a stabbing tool may be confiscated. Usiripalli has been charged with "assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm" aboard an aircraft under US jurisdiction. The US Attorney's Office said the charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents available as of Tuesday do not say whether Usiripalli has a legal representative. The Lufthansa flight U-turned midflight to divert to Boston. Flightaware The complaint said there were 285 passengers and crew onboard the plane. Data from the aviation tracking website Flightaware shows the Boeing 747 landed about five and a half hours after leaving Chicago. Usiripalli was taken into custody in Boston and will later appear in federal court. The US Attorney's Office said he entered the US on a student visa to pursue a master's degree in biblical studies but "presently does not have lawful status" in the country. A Lufthansa spokesperson told Business Insider that passengers had to overnight in Boston, adding that the airline "made every effort" to provide hotel accommodations, rebooked customers on later flights to Frankfurt, and offered psychological support. Unruly behavior has surged It's unclear whether Usiripalli will also face civil penalties from the Federal Aviation Administration for the allegedly violent acts on the flight. The agency said it is "not responding to routine media inquiries" due to the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FAA broadly defines unruly as "failing to follow crew instructions or engaging in disruptive or violent behavior on a plane," and more severe cases can be referred to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FAA can fine passengers up to $43,658 per infraction (in addition to any criminal charges), and a single incident can result in higher total penalties if it involves multiple violations or especially severe conduct. Unruly behavior can also affect TSA PreCheck eligibility and land passengers on airline no-fly lists. Assaults on aircraft are relatively rare, but misbehavior has become more common, particularly since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2020 and 2024, the FAA issued nearly $21 million in fines to unruly passengers, including its largest-ever fines of $81,950 and $77,272 in 2022 for separate incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The worst year was 2021, when the FAA reported nearly 6,000 cases six times the number reported in the previous year. Although rates have fallen by 80% since the COVID-era peak, incidents remain more than double the pre-pandemic levels. There were about 2,100 unruly passenger cases in 2024 versus about 1,000 in 2020. So far in 2025, the FAA has reported about 1,200 incidents. For example, a Chicago-bound American Airlines plane had to turn back to Connecticut in May after a passenger attempted to drag a flight attendant down the aisle, according to an FBI agent's affidavit. In early October, a United Airlines passenger tried to open the exit door after landing in Houston, triggering the emergency slide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, a passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight attacked an off-duty law enforcement officer with a makeshift weapon. On a separate Alaska flight in 2024, the cabin crew used a beverage cart to prevent a passenger from attempting to access the cockpit mid-flight. Read the original article on Business Insider The U.S. federal government this week declared sanctions on two of the largest Russian crude oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, which together account for about half of the countrys total outflows. Oil prices jumped, traders got excitedthen prices fell. But the supply security of some major importers just got problematic. Russia exports around 4 million barrels of crude oil daily. Some of the major producers have already been sanctioned earlier Gazprom Neft, for example, and Surgutneftegaz. Rosneft and Lukoil are also the target of many sanctions, but none of these until now have directly targeted their sales overseas. With the latest sanctions, as much as three-quarters of Russian oil exports will effectively be banned to anyone using U.S.-dollar-based payment systems and the U.S. financial system, Russian business daily Kommersant reckons. Three-quarters of 4 million barrels daily is a lot. It is, in fact, larger than the size of the oil market surplus that the International Energy Agency has predicted for this year. That surplus, per the IEA, will be 2.35 million barrels daily. The portion of Russian exports under sanctions amounts to some 3 million barrels, with the latest additions of Rosneft and Lukoil. Assuming the sanctions will be 100% effective in cutting that much oil from Russias exports, the global oil market will be rebalanced in the blink of an eye, more or less, quenching concerns about a glut. Related: Trump Reopens Alaskas Arctic Refuge to Oil and Gas Drilling Of course, history teaches us that no sanctions are 100% effective, and there is also the matter of the latest declarations phrasing, as noted by the Wall Street Journal. The sanctions, the Department of Treasury said, mean financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities with designated or otherwise blocked persons. According to the WSJ, this sort of phrasing suggests there are loopholes that can be used by Indian and Chinese financial institutions that, per the WSJ again, couldnt survive long if they lost access to U.S. banks and dollars. The thing, however, is that China and India have already been testing local currency payments for Russian oil. Chances are that this testing would accelerate thanks to the latest sanctions, with even more Russian crude being sold for yuan or rupees. The latest reports say that both Chinese and Indian buyers are suspending orders from Russia, but this is most likely an immediate, knee-jerk reaction until the implications of the latest sanctions are measured and analyzed. CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) With the government shutdown continuing into its fifth week, air travel may become more challenging. Travel experts are recommending that people stay up-to-date on their flight status and have a backup plan. Flight disruptions are expected to increase as the shutdown not only continues, but air traffic controllers are also expected to miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday. Broken mercury thermometer in Amherst prompts safety reminders Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean, nobody wants to work for free. Their job is stressful as it is. And then to add the stress of no paycheck on top of that, said Terry Burgick of Southwick. As the government shutdown drags on, the strain on federal workers, including those critical to aviation safety and security, is working without pay, leading to increased sick calls and slowdowns at airports nationwide. Just on Sunday alone, more than 8,800 flights in the U.S. were delayed, and 193 cancellations were recorded, according to FlightAware. To minimize frustration at the airport, AAA states to make sure youre signed up for alerts with your airline, especially through their app, so that you can find out if your flight is delayed and how late it will be. Experts add to keep in mind that its sometimes difficult for airlines to estimate the total duration of a delay during its early stages. Generally, if your flight is delayed or canceled, the airline will give you the option for an alternative flight or theyll try to book you on a different flight or potentially with a different airline, said AAA Northeast Senior Spokesperson Mark Schieldrop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US Department of Transportation states that if you find a flight on another airline, ask the airline if it will endorse your ticket to the new carrier. But there is no rule requiring them to do this. If your flight is cancelled, most airlines will rebook you on their first flight to your destination at no additional charge. If your flight is cancelled, most airlines will rebook you on their first flight to your destination at no additional charge. Travelers whose flights are cancelled for any reason are eligible for a refund if they choose not to no longer fly. Its also recommended to have travel insurance in case youre struggling to get a full reimbursement, and for other added benefits. If you have to rent a car or fly out of a different airport or if you have issues with your luggage or even if you have to eat a few additional meals, in the meantime, youll get compensated for that, added Schieldrop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Bradley International Airport Spokesperson told 22News that, since the shutdown, there hasnt been any impact yet to operations or any disruptions to flight schedules. They stated, Its important to note that if an airline delays a flight, it can be due to several factors, such as maintenance, crew scheduling, and weather. Not all delays can be attributed to the government shutdown. Jamaica, a popular travel destination, is facing a major threat from Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to make landfall there on Tuesday, which could cause further flight disruptions. In a statement to 22News, Bradley International Airport stated, When it comes to significant weather events, schedule changes are at the discretion of the airlines not the airport. Policies for impacted travel can also be different from airline to airline. Anyone scheduled to travel to Jamaica or the Western Caribbean in the coming days should be in contact with their airline to find out what their options are in the event of a cancellation. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. Funding authority for a food benefits program is set to expire Nov. 1, and Florida Democrats want Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency and use state money to pay for it. All 43 Democrats in the Legislature signed a letter Oct. 28 urging DeSantis to prevent delays in benefits for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, also known as food stamps. Florida has the fiscal strength to respond, the letter states. Whats needed now is the moral will to act. No parent should have to choose between paying rent and feeding their kids. No child should go hungry because politicians in Washington cant agree. We urge you to act immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP provides money for groceries to low-income families, is funded by the federal government, but is administered by the states. Unless a recipient is disabled, taking care of a child under 6, in a drug treatment program or in school or job training, they are required to work to receive SNAP benefits. There are nearly 42 million SNAP recipients nationwide, including 2.8 million in Florida. Only households earning below 200% of the federal poverty line ($64,300 for a family of four) can qualify for SNAP, although assets also factor into eligibility. The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is $994. Gov. Ron DeSantis attends the Senate President Designate ceremony for Sen. Jim Boyd on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. Democrats have pointed to DeSantis frequent use of emergency powers to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on immigration enforcement, including on the Alligator Alcatraz detention center, to argue he should use that authority to prevent a lapse in SNAP benefits. This is a moral question for America that in this moment we are failing, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried posted on X on Oct. 27. This is a moral question for America that in this moment we are failing. The emergency funds USDA controls must be released. DeSantis needs to tap into Floridas emergency funds (are we still giving out corrupt contracts to donors?). Democrats continue to fight for your family. https://t.co/B8AQC17tlj Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) October 26, 2025 The emergency funds (U.S. Department of Agriculture) controls must be released. DeSantis needs to tap into Floridas emergency funds (are we still giving out corrupt contracts to donors?). Democrats continue to fight for your family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesman for DeSantis didnt respond to an email seeking comment for this story. But DeSantis is unlikely to meet Democrats demands: Most Republicans blame Democrats for the shutdown, which could be ended if seven U.S. Senate Democrats vote for a budget bill. Federal shutdown has stopped funding for variety of programs, needs The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, when budget authority ran out. Florida and other states have been able to issue SNAP benefits for this month because federal disbursements were made ahead of the shutdown. Although Republicans control both chambers of Congress and the White House, the filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate effectively means 60 votes are needed to pass substantive legislation. The GOP advantage over Democrats in the Senate is only 53-45, with two independents who vote with Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has refused to vote for a short-term continuing resolution to keep current budget levels unless Republicans agree to permanently extend subsidies for Affordable Care Act health care policies, set to expire at the end of the year. The spike in costs will likely price millions of Americans out of the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Health insurance costs poised to soar in Florida without Obamacare tax credits As the shutdown has lingered and put greater financial constraints on federal employees and citizens have seen fewer services, the rhetoric to end the shutdown has intensified. The American Federation of Government Employees, a federal employee union with some members that have been furloughed or are in danger of losing paychecks, called on senators to pass a budget bill to reopen the government a call echoed by Senate Republicans. Couldnt agree more, @AFGENational. As the shutdown heads into its 5th week, federal law enforcement & service members are facing massive financial hurdles as they will go without pay. To the Democrats holding the checks of our troops, CBP and ICE agents hostage stop playing https://t.co/6spN5wvakp Senator Ashley Moody (@SenAshleyMoody) October 28, 2025 To the Democrats holding the checks of our troops, CBP and ICE agents hostage stop playing political games with peoples livelihoods while we work to return this country to a place of law and order, Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida posted on X on Oct. 28. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, SNAP recipients face a Nov. 1 deadline before theyll start missing benefit payments. President Donald Trumps administration has said it wont use emergency funds to pay for SNAP during the shutdown, and wont backfill states that opt to pay for it themselves either. Democratic governors are attempting to push back, with 25 states and Washington, D.C., filing suit Oct. 28 to compel the Trump administration to pay for SNAP during the shutdown. From USA TODAY: States SNAP back, sue Trump administration over food aid cutoff Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Democrats urge Gov. DeSantis to fund SNAP benefits Florida is rightly considering bold ideas to ease the burden of property taxes. As a lifelong resident and county commissioner, I believe we can achieve meaningful tax relief starting with those who have called Florida home for decades. Eliminating all homesteaded property taxes at once, however, would bring unintended consequences: a surge of new residents and significant revenue shortfalls for local governments. The result? Floridians would pay more for everyday goods and services to make up the difference. Is it fair for lifelong Floridians to subsidize newcomers who have never contributed to our property tax base? A phased approach makes sense. To begin, eliminate property taxes for those who have paid homesteaded property tax for more than 25 years. Floridians would not be required to live in the same home, only maintain a permanent homesteaded residence, in Florida, for over 25 years. A sliding scale, based on years of homesteaded ownership, could then be used to gradually reduce property taxes for all Florida homesteads until full elimination is achieved. Why this works Minimizes sudden tax shifts: Comparing homes of equal value, long-term residents generally pay less property taxes than newer homeowners, making revenue gaps easier to manage. Rewards loyalty: It honors those who have lived, worked and raised families in Florida. Tests the model: Starting with a subset allows evaluation and adjustment before broader implementation. Supports retirees and young talent: Long-term residents can remain in their homes, while younger workers are encouraged to stay in Florida. Ensures fairness: A gradual sliding scale allows all Floridian Homeowners to benefit from tax relief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A variation of this method of tax relief would honor veterans who grew up in Florida and honorably served in the military for 20 years or more. Those years of military service could be counted toward the 25 years required for tax exemption, recognizing both veterans service and their connection to the state. Any reduction in property taxes must be paired with proportional state support to replace lost funding for local governments. Otherwise, remaining homeowners and businesses would shoulder an unfair burden. How can this be accomplished? That is the multi-billion-dollar question. Eliminating property tax is a challenging feat; its proven to be the most stable and predictable local revenue source. Nevertheless, many Floridians want the idea explored, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for a clearly worded referendum to bring before voters. Ultimately, the solution will require a multi-faceted exercise in fiscal prudence. Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is leading the charge to encourage county governments to adopt more conservative budgeting practices; the state must follow the same prudent path. First, a comprehensive review of the current budget must be conducted to determine how much funding can be reallocated to replace local revenues. Next, a total dollar amount should be identified to support the plan. If a deficit remains, new funding mechanisms will need to be explored. Voters may support a modest sales tax increase if it corresponds with a gradual reduction in property taxes leading to full elimination, however a significant increase would place an undue strain on fiscally constrained households. Experts at the Florida Department of Revenue and the Office of Economic and Demographic Research should provide the data, options and analysis to guide this effort and ensure that any proposed solution is both equitable and sustainable. Balancing affordability As Florida explores various options for achieving property tax relief, careful consideration is needed to avoid unintended consequences. Policies that impose high fees or additional taxes on home purchases could make first-time homeownership unattainable, drive up rental rates and strain our workforce. Likewise, tax plans should not be based on a homeowners age. Such an approach could invite an influx of new retirees seeking to live tax-free, leaving long-term Floridians to foot the bill. While all tax-elimination proposals are considered, efforts to reduce property insurance premiums must remain a top priority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida can lead with smart, fair property tax reform. By beginning with long-term residents, we can honor their loyalty, support retirees and ensure sustainable, broad-based property tax relief for the future. I welcome the opportunity to work with lawmakers and citizens to make this vision a reality. Diana Finegan is a Citrus County commissioner. After more than 80 years in business, Hitchcock's Markets is shutting down all 10 of its stores in North Central Florida. Managers and employees of Hitchcock's Markets told Main Street Daily News in October 2025 that the chain's stores were being sold off following the death of its owner, Carlos Alvarez, in 2024. Aside from the Alvarez family's desire to downsize the company, vendors such as Coca-Cola stopped delivering to the chain due to unpaid bills, Main Street added. Hitchcock's Market website was not functioning as of October 27, 2025. However, its Facebook page thanked customers for their loyal support as it announced a storewide 75% discount on all items remaining at its Alachua and Keystone Heights stores. Founded in 1945, Hitchcock's Markets was initially focused on serving Alachua, a community that borders the college town of Gainesville. But that changed in 1979 when founder Bob Hitchcock passed the reins over to his son Alan, who then proceeded to open additional stores in nearby towns. Prior to being sold to Haug Enterprises in 2008, Hitchcock's had 12 locations, collected $150 million a year in revenue, and 850 employees, per Main Street Daily News. Haug then sold the chain to Carlos Alvarez in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 5 Goods We Buy From Canada That Would Be Affected By Trump's Proposed Tariffs Hitchcock's quality dipped, but customers will still miss it A Hitchcock's Market store. - Sunshower Shots/Shutterstock While the store was under the Hitchcock family's ownership, selling premier food items was a top priority. That was especially true for its meat, since Bob Hitchcock was a butcher. "[We had] the most outstanding meat departments, a deli that served fried chicken second to none, and a bakery that had fresh, hot donuts every morning, accompanied by fresh produce supplied by many local farmers," Alan told Main Street Daily News. Those standards may have dropped by the wayside, though. Elizabeth Lucas-Young complained on Facebook that the "quality of everything had really gone downhill" in the last four years, while other customers complained about expired food products and bad meat. One Facebook user even posted an image of a snake crawling on food items at a Hitchcock's store. Yet several customers still lamented the loss of Hitchcock's, with many telling local media, or posting on Facebook, that they'll miss its fried chicken, fresh donuts, and food items cultivated at nearby Florida farms. Undoubtedly, many loyal Hitchcock's customers will have to take their money-saving grocery shopping strategies elsewhere. One CEO thinks Hitchcock's could help Winn-Dixie's revival A Winn-Dixie store in Miami, Florida - Joe Raedle/Getty Images At least four of Hitchcock's 10 stores were officially sold to other supermarkets. According to Main Street Daily News, its location in Newberry was bought by the New York-based chain Bravo Supermarkets, while Hitchcock's three stores in Alachua, Keystone Heights, and Williston were acquired by Winn-Dixie in October 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, Hitchcock's three stores are part of Winn-Dixie's comeback story. Winn-Dixie was the main brand of Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers which owned hundreds of stores in the Southeast U.S. But then, in 2024, it was acquired by Aldi, a popular grocery chain that's opening more than 200 new stores across the U.S. But less than a year later, Southeastern Grocer CEO Anthony Hucker bought back his 100-year company, along with 130 grocery stores and 140 liquor stores in Florida and other southern states, with the help of private investors. Now rebranded as The Winn-Dixie Company, Hucker told the Jacksonville Business Journal that acquiring three of Hitchcock's stores is an integral part of its Florida First strategy. "These stores represent exactly the kind of opportunity we're looking for: strong local roots, loyal customers and a deep sense of community," Hucker said. Yet Hitchcock employees are still unclear if they will be retained by Winn-Dixie at a time when President Donald Trump's tariffs continue impacting the job market. "I'm worried about it a little bit. They said that we might keep our jobs, but we might not," store employee Dylan Saley told WCJB. Unlock your financial potential. Add Money Digest to your preferred sources for smart money insights! Read the original article on Money Digest. A Florida police officer is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a family from a burning home in Riviera Beach. The dramatic rescue was captured on body camera footage, showing Officer Andrew Hinds responding swiftly to the scene after noticing flames. Officer Hinds remarked on the incident, saying he was just in the right place at the right time. The fire started when a truck parked in front of the home caught fire, prompting the emergency response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fortunately, the family of four managed to escape the blaze unharmed, thanks to the quick actions of Officer Hinds. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. The big story: Islamic schools have a long history of participating in Floridas education voucher system. For years, theyve been had some of the largest numbers of students receiving the state-subsidized financial assistance. Their involvement in the program has gone largely unmentioned, though, even as state lawmakers advanced legislation aimed at banning Sharia law nearly 15 years ago. That was then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, on the heels of a revived legislative focus on Sharia law, state government leaders turned their attention to the Islamic schools and vouchers. As Senate President, universal school choice was one of my top legislative priorities. Schools that indoctrinate Sharia law should not be a part of our taxpayer-funded school voucher program, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wrote on X. Attorney General James Uthmeier also weighed in: Sharia law seeks to destroy and supplant the pillars of our republican form of government and is incompatible with the Western tradition. The use of taxpayer-funded school vouchers to promote Sharia law likely contravenes Florida law and undermines our national security. They were reacting to a lengthy post by social media influencer Amy Mekelburg, who declared FLORIDA IS FUNDING A PARALLEL ISLAMIC SYSTEM. Referring to the state as Florabia, Mekelburg wrote that school choice has been compromised, with Islamic schools publicly boasting that voucher money is attracting Muslims from across the country to relocate here because the state will pay to educate their children inside Sharia-run institutions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On their websites, the schools discuss teaching Islamic values, but do not mention Sharia law. The posts contend that its happening nonetheless. Mekelburg, who has been criticized as anti-Muslim over the years, also has involved herself in bashing New York City Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani a target of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans. She recently called Mamdani a jihadi-Marxist political asset. The closest similar scenario to play out in Florida came last year, when some Jewish lawmakers sought to stop an Islamic school in North Miami from receiving vouchers because of comments made by the schools founder. Hot topics Capacity concerns: The Indian River County school district is considering redrawing school boundaries to better balance enrollment and fill under-used space, TC Palm reports. The Sarasota County school district plans to expand one of its under-capacity elementary schools to a K-8 campus, WUSF reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clubs: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a partnership with Turning Point USA to bring chapters to high schools around the state, Florida Politics reports. Early learning: The Manatee County school district opened a new literacy lab for preschoolers this fall. Leaders are concerned about the programs fate as a Schools of Hope operator inquires about snapping up the space, the Bradenton Herald reports. Federal shutdown: Madison Countys Head Start program faces eviction as it runs out of money because of the federal government shutdown, WCTV reports. Funding: An Escambia County charter school has decided against pursuing a $7.4 million grant from Triumph Gulf Coast it spent two years working on, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lunch line: The Leon County school district is looking into outsourcing cafeteria services as a cost-saving measure, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Special education: A group of Hillsborough County parents advocating for their childrens special needs has called on the school district to create clear rules for using private instructional personnel in classrooms, Bay News 9 reports. University leadership: Former state senator Doug Broxson was appointed to serve on the State University System Board of Governors, Florida Politics reports. Workload: Alachua County teachers say the districts increased demands have made their working conditions overwhelming, the Gainesville Sun reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dont miss a story. Heres a link to yesterdays roundup. Before you go ... What better way to celebrate turning 8? Jeffrey S. Solochek is a reporter covering education as a members of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here. Top Florida Republicans are decrying the flow of voucher money to Islamic campuses that promote sharia law, a stance one prominent Muslim group says is unconstitutional because schools of other faiths benefit from the program without interference. Republican leaders for years have defended the use of taxpayer-funded vouchers at private, mostly Christian campuses, including those that ban gay students and enforce strict gender-specific dress codes. But this week, they objected to Islamic schools tapping into the program, which funnels more than $3 billion annually to more than 2,000 private campuses across the state, a small proportion of which are Muslim. Sharia law seeks to destroy and supplant the pillars of our republican form of government and is incompatible with the Western tradition, Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote this week on X, reposting a video apparently shot at a Tampa-area Islamic school that was previously published by an anti-Muslim organization. The use of taxpayer-funded school vouchers to promote sharia law likely contravenes Florida law and undermines our national security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sharia, which means the correct path in Arabic, is the counsel that Muslims follow to live moral lives and grow close to God, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Most of the worlds Muslim-majority countries have laws that reference sharia. Some of these nations have laws that call for what critics say are cruel criminal punishments, or place restrictions on women and minority groups, while others reject such practices. Uthmeiers office did not respond to an email from the Orlando Sentinel this week asking if he could provide examples of sharia law in schools that take vouchers or explain how that type of instruction might conflict with state law, which allows for religious instruction in campuses that take public money. The video he shared, posted by the founder of the RAIR Foundation, features the principal of the Tampa-area school speaking in Arabic, with English subtitles indicating he is discussing the voucher program, his schools religious teachings, and the challenges facing Islamic educators. Many of the schools that participate in Floridas voucher program enforce rules that reflect the organizations religious beliefs. In 2020, for example, the Sentinel reported that 156 private Christian schools with anti-gay views educated more than 20,800 students with tuition paid for by state scholarships. And in 2023, the paper found that two of Central Floridas Islamic schools require girls to wear hijabs, a head covering worn by some Muslim women, as part of their school uniforms. Christian schools and families have been by far the biggest beneficiaries of vouchers, and, until now, most Florida Republicans have expressed no concern about sending taxpayer dollars to religious and largely unregulated campuses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Republicans inconsistent attitudes toward Christian and Islamic schools conflict with the First Amendment, which forbids the government from establishing an official religion or favoring one faith over another, said Hiba Rahim, deputy executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida. The direct targeting of Islamic schools is both discriminatory and unconstitutional, she said. But Uthmeier wasnt the only Florida leader calling on the state to stop the flow of tax dollars to Islamic schools this week. As Senate President, universal school choice was one of my top legislative priorities, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wrote on X on Monday, reposting Uthmeiers message. Schools that indoctrinate sharia law should not be a part of our taxpayer-funded school voucher program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simpson, who championed vouchers during his decade-long tenure in the Senate, said in 2021 that he and other legislative leaders wanted school choice to be an option for every family, according to a press release that touted a proposal to expand voucher eligibility. More than 300,000 Florida students used vouchers, sometimes called scholarships, to attend 2,278 campuses last year, according to Step up for Students, which administers the program. Roughly two dozen of the schools that participate in the program are Islamic, according to the state education department. The majority are Christian. Sharia law has become a popular topic among Florida Republicans recently. State Rep. Hillary Cassel of Broward County has introduced legislation to prohibit the introduction of sharia law in the state. Some people might not agree with certain policies enacted in Islamic schools, such as dress codes they believe are too restrictive, but if they view themselves as patriotic Americans, they should appreciate that others also have the right to practice their beliefs freely, Rahim said. And Christians might find they have more in common with Muslims than they think, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Muslim parents send their children to Islamic schools for exactly the same reasons that Christian parents send their children to Christian schools and it is for the preservation of values that are important to them, Rahim said. Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, a past president of the board of Americans United For Separation of Church and State, described Uthmeiers views on Islamic schools as bigoted. He pointed out that Florida leaders are quick to criticize what they view as examples of sharia law, but are silent on the practice of canon law or Jewish jurisprudence. Sadly, bigotry against Islam is epidemic, said Shapiro, who lives in Flagler County. Nonetheless, Shapiro said he thinks tax dollars should be reserved for public schools, especially as those campuses face declining enrollment and budget cuts and administrators say vouchers are partly to blame. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would be far better for all of us if the government would stay out of the religious school business and leave our taxpayer dollars for what they are intended, not to support religious education, Shapiro said. anmartin@orlandosentinel.com LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Flu season typically runs from November to March, but this year flu cases are increasing across Southern Nevada well before the usual start of flu season. We started seeing flu cases in August and were expecting that to only increase with our traditional season, which is fall and winter, Dr. Angela Mosby, Market Medical Director for CareNow Urgent Care said. Dr. Mosby added that the flu starting early could mean a busier, more severe season ahead. What that means is that we probably will see a larger spike this winter since were starting so early, but this is the reason why were really promoting getting your flu shots and doing as much prevention as possible, Dr. Mosby said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flu shots are recommended once a year. Flu shots are very effective and the reason for that is because not only does it protect you, it protects people around you your family, your friends, your community, your coworkers, Dr. Mosby said. While many people think of the flu as just a cough, fever, or chills, Dr. Mosby says it can become serious leading to pneumonia, respiratory infections, and even sepsis. Unfortunately, flu can be fatal if not treated or if it does progress those other illnesses, Dr. Mosby said. In people who are more predisposed to illness, people who may have weakened immune systems, children, elderly, or even pregnant patients, they can get severe cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To help prevent the spread, she says one of the most important things you can do this holiday season is know when to stay home. I know this is a hard time to ask that, but if youre sick, we want you to stay home, simply stay home, protect your coworkers, protect your family and friends by doing so, said Dr. Mosby. Now, help is just a phone call away. CareNow Urgent Care is offering a 24/7 Consult A Nurse service to answer questions about your health, including symptoms and treatment. Through the free service, you can speak directly with a licensed nurse 24/7 and get help with what to do next and guidance on what kind of care you may need whether its over the counter or an in-person visit. You can speak to a nurse for free by calling 844-70-NURSE (844-706-8773). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. NORTH ALABAMA, Ala. (WHNT) With the extended government shutdown, several North Alabama organizations are preparing to help those needing food assistance. With many federal workers furloughed or out of work, and the USDA announcing that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds will not go out on November 1, volunteer and nonprofit organizations are looking to bridge the gap for families in the Tennessee Valley. The Food Bank of North Alabama said it is already seeing an increased need for food. House of the Harvest providing a warm breakfast & groceries in Madison County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The food bank said there are nearly 100,000 people who receive SNAP benefits in the 11 counties it serves. That is a huge influx of people, potentially, who would need food assistance from the food bank and from our partners, Food Bank of North Alabama CEO Shirley Schofield said. News 19 is working to compile a list of resources for people who need food assistance. A good starting point is the Food Bank of North Alabamas Food Finder. The tool, which is on the food banks website, allows people to put in their address and receive both a map and a list of available assistance options in their immediate area. The food finder includes information for organizations that the food bank distributes to in all 11 counties it serves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Food Bank of North Alabama will also be holding a free food distribution to help furloughed workers on Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the parking lot of Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium is located at 3125 Don Mincher Dr. SW, Huntsville, Alabama (Gate 1). One organization in Harvest is also working to help those in need. House of the Harvest offers a free weekly breakfast on Saturday morning from 6:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. House of the Harvest also does a weekly food distribution on Saturday mornings from 7:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. House of the Harvest is located at 9144 Wall Triana Hwy, Harvest, AL 35749. You can read more about the organization here. The organization Feeding Alabama also has a food finder tool for those looking for assistance, along with other resources on its website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Key Points U.S. and Chinese negotiators have struck a framework agreement to end their trade war, perhaps as soon as Thursday. China will permit more rare-earth metals exports to the U.S. under this agreement. President Trump has also struck an agreement to add rare-earth supplies from Malaysia. 10 stocks we like better than Trilogy Metals Trilogy Metals (NYSEMKT: TMQ) is a stock I'll bet most people had never heard of before, up until earlier this month, when the Trump administration announced it would take a 10% stake in the Canadian miner of rare-earth metals as a hedge against Chinese threats to restrict exports. That news caused Trilogy Metals' stock price to triple in a day. Admittedly, the initial elation didn't last, and investors later sold off Trilogy stock, still leaving it up nearly double. News out of Washington, D.C., today, however, is causing Trilogy more pain, and the stock is down 18.9% through 10:45 a.m. ET. Image source: Getty Images. Good news for the U.S. is bad news for Trilogy Trade negotiators from the U.S. and China have struck what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls "a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday." Details are still firming up, but the broad outlines include China buying more U.S. soybeans, Trump retracting his latest tariffs threat, and China allowing more exports of rare-earth metals to the U.S. That's good news for many, but bad news for companies like Trilogy, which is counting on a U.S. market, starved for rare-earth supplies, buying its product. Is Trilogy stock a buy? Fear of a rare-earth supply crunch propelled Trilogy stock up nearly 800% over the last 12 months. But what if Chinese supplies don't crunch? In that case, these gains could disappear. President Donald Trump has also struck a deal to have Malaysia, home to some 16 million tons of rare-earth metals, accelerate development so as to sell more supplies to the U.S., too. The more rare-earth metals Malaysia can sell the U.S., the less we'll need from Trilogy -- and the dimmer the prospects for unprofitable Trilogy ever earning money in the future. Should you buy stock in Trilogy Metals right now? Before you buy stock in Trilogy Metals, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Trilogy Metals wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $590,357!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,141,748!* NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) With the federal government shutdown set to enter its fifth week on Wednesday, an indication of the financial strain that federal workers are under was visible here at one of the nations largest airports on Monday. Hundreds of TSA agents lined up to receive grocery assistance from a local food bank and its food supply partners. More Local News Like pasta and sauce, and tuna fish, but also a lot of fresh produce, said Elizabeth McCarthy, the C.E.O. of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, in an interview on site in Newark Liberty Airports Terminal C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said that her organization, with help from Stop and Shop, and Wakefern Food and Amazon, had set up a warehouse-style supply pickup area on the departures floor of the terminal on Monday morning into the afternoon. They obviously still have to pay all of their bills, McCarthy said. Theres been a lot of pressure in their homes to not have money for groceries, so we just wanted to be able to help out with that. The TSA instructed workers not to speak on the record with the media, but many still vocally expressed gratitude toward the food bank workers and volunteers. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank God for what you all are doing, one uniformed TSA worker told volunteers. I appreciate you, she added. Volunteers like Shari Williams, a manager at Stop and Shop, said that they were grateful to serve federal workers who serve the general public. I cannot even imagine how hurtful it is right now to not be collecting that paycheck at the end of the month, she said, so we felt it was just important for us to be here just helping out. Meanwhile, elsewhere at the airport, the screens for departures and arrivals showed some delays that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had warned would come, but they were few and far between on Monday at Terminal C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, said Ronita Mathias, who was headed to her flight to Miami, the relatively high number of on-time outbound flights on Monday did not guarantee that the situation would remain, or be universal. Ive had friends coming back from Florida, said Mathias, who was set to return to Newark on Wednesday, and their flights have been significantly delayed coming back to New York and New Jersey. She was among a variety of passengers who said that theyre concerned that conditions for the country generally, not just at airports, will worsen sharply if an agreement is not reached soon, ending the shutdown. Greg Wakefield, who was catching a flight back home to Anchorage, Alaska, summed up the sense of urgency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It needs to be solved, he said, about the shutdown. It affects a lot of people, and is unnecessary. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. (The Center Square) - An estimated 5 million Californians are at risk of losing federally-funded food benefits through CalFresh, the states version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The federal government shutdown, now in its 28th day, brings families who rely on CalFresh one day closer to losing what, for many, is their only source of food. Current funding for CalFresh benefits run out on Saturday, according to the Department of Social Services. Our families are going to go hungry, Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, told The Center Square. [Democrats] are saying, Its finally worth it to let families starve, when weve got to create a cohesive plan that figures out compromise in the state because families depend on their action. Right now were getting inaction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shutdown was exacerbated by Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocking Republican efforts to vote on a continuing resolution, which would reopen and fund the federal government, The Center Square reported. The ongoing shutdown is the second longest in U.S. history. The Center Squares Therese Boudreaux reported Tuesday that Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C. wont agree to a deal to fund and reopen the federal government without extending a pandemic-era expansion of the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit, which will expire on Dec. 31. Approximately $1.1 billion in federal money is distributed in CalFresh benefits each month to eligible Californians, according to a report from the California Department of Social Services, the department that administers the CalFresh program. The report also states that 5.5 million Californians depend on CalFresh benefits every month. The Center Square previously reported that 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps. Some funding is still available through the remaining days of October, according to the Department of Social Services website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. have requested that funding for the SNAP program nationwide continue to be funded by federal emergency contingency funds, which the Department of Agriculture, which administers the SNAP program, refused to grant. The department issued a memo on Oct. 24 stating the disbursement of contingency funds for regular SNAP funding is illegal. This funding freeze and the federal shutdown threatens to erase nearly $70 million annually in local food support, and thats just in Alameda County alone, said Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Alameda. The federal government refusing to release the $6 billion contingency funding is incorrigible and, Im certain, illegal. No funding, no food In response to the continued shutdown, a notice was posted on the USDAs website in recent days blaming Congressional Democrats for voting against a funding package that would continue to fund the government and its programs, including SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bottom line, the well has run dry, the notice reads. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance. But California's Democrats are pushing back. California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas criticized the Trump Administration and the Republican party in a press release issued on Oct. 23, saying that millions of Californians will lose their food benefits without Congress moving to pass a budget that will open the government back up. This is not a drill. Trumps government shutdown is literally taking food away from our kids, said Rivas, D-Salinas. But when Republicans fail to lead, Assembly Democrats will do everything in our power to help parents and seniors pay for groceries and celebrate the holidays, because its our job to fight for programs that put food on the table. Tangipa, the Republican assemblyman from Fresno, told The Center Square that he grew up in a family that relied on CalFresh benefits, which some know as EBT, or electronic benefit transfer. With their EBT card, he and his family were able to buy food. They had to ration their what they got to make it through the month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without those types of benefits, it makes it very hard. Families are just trying to survive and eat, Tangipa told The Center Square. I was one of those kids where the first time I had consistent meals was whenever I would go back to school. When you grow up in extreme poverty like that, those are the only options you have. How the state is stepping in As the federally-funded CalFresh program faces a complete emptying of its coffers, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced California is filing a lawsuit against the federal government to ensure the state can continue to feed families in the most need. Attorneys general from 23 other states and the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also signed on to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In abruptly suspending SNAP, Trump and Rollins have broken the law, Bonta said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit on Tuesday. They have forced states to scramble to try to clean up the federal governments mess, and worst of all, they have left 41 million Americans unsure of where their next meal will come from. Rollins was referring to Brooke Rollins, the U.S. secretary of agriculture. Legislators are expediting efforts to mitigate the loss of food benefits in California. According to Rivas office, $80 million already allocated in this years state budget for food banks throughout the state are being fast-tracked, and National Guard troops are being deployed to food banks to assist in alleviating the crisis. Troops will be sent out in a non-law enforcement capacity, Rivas said. With the holiday season around the corner, the stakes couldnt be higher for families trying to put food on their tables, Rivas said in the press release. Trumps attack on CalFresh benefits will adversely impact children living in poverty, older adults living on fixed incomes and veterans who rely on federal support to pay for groceries. A growing number of federal workers are missing paychecks due to the government shutdown, including those who keep our airports running. The USDA is warning that SNAP benefits will run out at the end of the week. RELATED: Air traffic controllers to miss 1st full paycheck Tuesday, furthering staffing concerns and delays To help, a food distribution event was held for federal workers on Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Community Food Bank of New Jersey gave out fresh produce and pantry items to TSA employees and air traffic controllers who are set to miss their first full paycheck due to the government shutdown. "This is very specific to the shutdown. So, I mean, of course, if a federal worker had food insecurity in their lives, they could come to one of our pantries. But a focused effort like this is very much due to the fact that they are now missing paychecks," said Elizabeth McCarthy, President and CEO of CFBNJ. Community Food Bank brought three tractor-trailers full of food to the four-hour distribution event and pallets of food were donated by Stop & Shop to help 2,000 families. RELATED: Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov. 1 "We had people telling us they were getting eviction notices, that they were really not going to be able to pay their utilities. And so we quickly got this into action, really in just a matter of days," said McCarthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal employees on the receiving end showed lots of gratitude. "They're happy for the food that they're getting today to put on their table for their families. That meant a lot to us. And, of course, we've been having a conversation about, you know, we thank you for being here. We know how hard it is some days to come to work, but we appreciate you every single day," said Shari Williams, Customer Service Manager of Stop & Shop. For more information, visit Feedingamerica.com. As the government shutdown continues, tens of millions of people who rely on the government for food assistance are set to see their benefits stop in November. The end of food assistance comes as Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked on proposals to reopen the federal government, and the Trump administration refuses to use emergency funds to pay for food assistance during the shutdown. States prepare as USDA warns SNAP benefits to stop Nov. 1 A memo issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be made in November. The memo states that due to Congressional Democrats refusal to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR), approximately 42 million individuals will not receive their SNAP benefits come November 1st. This is one of several statements in the memo that blame Democrats for the lack of SNAP benefits. If not for Congressional Democrats blocking government funding, November SNAP benefits would be paid on-time, another line of the memo reads. The message also states that the administration will not use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits during the shutdown, claiming that these funds are meant for disasters such as hurricane relief and cannot legally be used to cover regular benefits through SNAP. As Blavity previously reported, SNAP benefits are set to stop in November as the government shutdown continues; this is in addition to cuts in those benefits that were already set to go into effect based on Republican-backed legislation passed earlier this year. The contingency funds being withheld by the administration amount to $6 billion, which would cover most of the estimated $8 billion in November SNAP disbursements that are set to go unpaid. Various states are preparing to deal with the SNAP shortfall. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency and has pledged to provide funds for food assistance in the state, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom is mobilizing the National Guard to assist food banks serving residents of that state. The USDA memo has made it clear that states will not be reimbursed for using their own funds to cover the SNAP shortfall during the shutdown. Critics question administrations stance, motives on SNAP funding Experts and organizations like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) do not accept the administrations rationale for not funding SNAP. Calling out U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins stance, former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official and current CBPP president Sharon Parrott said in a statement that Secretary Rollins claim that the Trump administration is unable to deliver November SNAP benefits during a shutdown is unequivocally false. On the contrary, Parrott argues that in fact, the administration is legally required to use contingency reserves billions of dollars that Congress provided for use when SNAP funding is inadequate that remain available during the shutdown to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 Americans who need SNAP to afford their grocery bill. The CBPP also posted a screenshot from a USDA memo, now deleted, that shows a plan to use the contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits in the event of a budget interruption. Punchbowl reports White House officials determined they do not have the authority to use contingency reserves billions of $ that Congress provided for use when SNAP funding is inadequate to fund Nov. SNAP benefits. But, thats not what USDAs now-deleted shutdown plan says: pic.twitter.com/zu7NPlfG5F Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) October 24, 2025 A number of Democrats have called out the Trump administration for playing politics with SNAP benefits. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted that My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared. From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other. He added that the Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong. We should be fighting hunger, not causing it. My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared. From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other. The Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong. We should be fighting hunger, not causing it. Andy Beshear (@AndyBeshearKY) October 26, 2025 Trump is throwing 15 million Americans off health care. Hes doubling premiums for 20 million Americans. Now, hes refusing to use a $5 billion emergency SNAP fund to keep 16 million kids from going hungry, tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). But the 1% keep $1 trillion in tax breaks. Oligarchy in action. Trump is throwing 15 million Americans off health care. He's doubling premiums for 20 million Americans. Now, he's refusing to use a $5 billion emergency SNAP fund to keep 16 million kids from going hungry. But the 1% keep $1 trillion in tax breaks. Oligarchy in action. Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) October 27, 2025 With the government shutdown having lasted for nearly one month already, there are no signs that Democrats and Republicans are moving closer to a deal to end the budget impasse. Federal workers remain furloughed or forced to work without pay. And now, as the debate over the shutdown continues to be used for partisan politics, tens of millions of people will begin to lose access to assistance to help feed themselves and their families. The post Food Stamps/SNAP Benefits To Stop In November As Trump Admin Says It Wont Use $6B Contingency Fund appeared first on Blavity. TOKYO (AP) Japan is filled with tiny white trucks that farmers and commercial workers use to lug their gear along the narrow roads of a nation smaller than California. But Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had another, more substantial truck in mind as she looked to build rapport with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump. Takaichi, who wants to improve economic ties with Washington and cement a strong relationship with Trump, placed an enormous American Ford F-150 truck, as well as U.S.-made Japanese automobiles, in the courtyard of the Akasaka Palace where the leaders held their first talks Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump is a fan of the Ford F-150 and has responded positively to reports that the Japanese government is considering buying dozens of the pickups. He has also complained that there are hardly any American cars in Japan and that the country's vehicle safety standards are too strict. But the lack of big American automobiles in Japan might be linked to more practical reasons, including local tastes and the conditions and size of roads. The trucks may be too big for Japanese roads Japan is an island nation, smaller than California, and there is limited parking. Even in big cities, many of the streets where people live are narrow and twisting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consumers seem to prefer compact or mini cars that can easily navigate the roads. Those who can afford more expensive foreign cars tend to go for compact or medium-size vehicles from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi. Except for American-produced Japanese cars such as Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the top-selling American brand is Jeep, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. Many American cars have their steering on the left side, the opposite of the standard right-side steering in Japan, where expressway tolls are on the right side, for instance. Lower mileage and lack of maintenance and service networks also help explain why American brands except for Jeep have struggled in Japan. Why don't American cars sell well in Japan? Because they lack understanding for road conditions and housing situations, as well as energy conservation, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament in April. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump loves the idea, but it's unclear how Japan will respond When Trump heard of the Ford truck idea as he flew to Asia on Air Force One, he reacted enthusiastically. She has good taste, Trump told reporters of Takaichi. Thats a hot truck. The underlying context is Takaichi's need to figure out how to navigate the complex trade relationship that Trump shook up earlier this year with tariffs. Trump wants allies to buy more American goods and also make financial commitments to build factories and energy infrastructure in the United States. Japans previous administration agreed in September to invest $550 billion in the U.S., which led Trump to trim a threatened 25% tariff on Japanese goods to 15%. But Japan wants the investments to favor Japanese vendors and contractors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Japan, sport utility vehicles and are becoming popular among people with families and for outdoor activities such as camping, but buyers often go for more stylish, smaller models. Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler withdrew from the Japanese market because of slumping sales, Ford in 2016 and Chrysler in 2017. CHANDLER, Ariz. Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema had a warning for a Phoenix suburb that is debating whether to allow a data center. During a planning and zoning commission meeting for Chandler on Oct. 15, Sinema told the city council that the Trump administration is clear about the need to invest in artificial intelligence and set up data centers nationwide. Chandler is a community of nearly 300,000 located southeast of Phoenix. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chandler right now has the opportunity to determine how and when these new, innovative AI data centers will be built, she said. When federal preemption comes, well no longer have that privilege. It will just occur. What did Kyrsten Sinema say The former senator was making her case for the Price Road Innovation Campus, a potentially $2.5-billion project by a New York-based developer, to build a data center and five office buildings in Chandler, a suburb in the Phoenix valley. The artificial intelligence data center and tech park project currently dont meet the land use requirements for the area. The site for this proposed project has remained vacant since 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement David de la Torre, planning manager for Chandler, said that the idea is reserved for knowledge-based industries and preserving and expanding campus-like environments. Staff finds that data centers provide significantly lower numbers of jobs after construction is complete compared to the high-value employment industries that are targeted for the corridor, de la Torre said. But Adam Baugh, a zoning and land use attorney representing the developer, said that this project will attract companies from industries like tech, health care and aerospace who want to be situated close to the data center. Sinema argued that AI is already taking away jobs in Chandlers tech district, the South Price Road Corridor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are three call centers that exist on this corridor and all of them will cease to exist within five years, the former senator argued. The way to get more jobs in this corridor is to build the compute power that will attract the companies of tomorrow, the compute power that they will need close to them in order to function at the highest levels, Sinema said. Sinema said the AI Infrastructure Coalition, which she founded earlier this year and of which she is the co-chair, is working hand-in-glove with the Trump administration to ensure American AI dominance. She hailed Chandler as the home of the semiconductor revolution before pitching the next path forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are now at the tip of AI revolution city council to ensure that this development, not an AI data center, this AI hub, meets the ordinance that was passed by the city council in 2022, she said. The planning and zoning commission will finalize their decision on Nov. 15. Despite the recommended denial of the project, the commission voted 5-1 to recommend that the city council approves the rezoning request, as per the Phoenix Business Journal. Kyrsten Sinema after her exit from Senate The Arizona Democrat-turned-independent works for international law firm Hogan Lovells that represents and lobbies on the behalf of many clients in the artificial intelligence industry. Sinema is subject to a two-year wait period before she can lobby for a firm, but she can still serve as an adviser. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinemas extensive experience in AI, technology, digital assets, private equity, and cryptocurrency were cited in her hiring announcement. She launched the Spark Center with Arizona State University in April this year. Its a partnership with AI product ChatGPT aimed at supporting neurodivergent individuals though technological solutions. Sinema donated $3 million of her campaign funds to this initiative. She talked about this initiative during an appearance on CNN with host Jake Tapper in September. So these are kids who are autistic, or have ADHD or dyslexic, and who maybe are falling through the cracks in the school system, or whose parents dont know how to help them get to their full potential, Sinema said. She added that the Spark Center will develop tools that help them throughout the lifelong learning process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinema told Tapper the Trump administration is knocking it out of the park when it comes to AI policy. She praised David Sacks appointment as AI and cryptocurrency czar. Of the White Houses AI action plan, Sinema said, It is well-reasoned, it is well-thought, it is ambitious. It really strikes a path for us to win the AI race against China, which I think is of national security importance but also kind of an existential threat that we face as a country. BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) The former Beaufort County Sheriffs Office (BCSO) deputy who was seen on a viral video pointing his gun at teenagers, and a neighbor involved in the incident have been released on bond. William P. Billy Squires, 41, was booked at approximately 7:48 a.m. on Tuesday by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), facing four counts of pointing and presenting firearms at a person and one count of breach of peace aggravated in nature, according to officials. However, after a hearing, Squires was released at approximately 12:39 p.m., less than five hours after his booking. He was released on a combined $40,000 cash bond for pointing a weapon and a $25,000 personal recognizance bond for breach of peace. Fired BCSO deputy, William Billy Squires, 41. Lawsuit filed against fired Beaufort County deputy after viral altercation Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Squires was terminated on Oct. 3 after teenagers recorded an altercation with the former deputy at the Squiregate Community in Hilton Head, where he pointed his gun at them while attempting to detain them. Squires was wearing a BCSO vest and badge when the incident occurred. A second person who was present during the incident was also arrested and charged by SLED on Tuesday morning and released on bond after a hearing. Brian Henry Stahlheber, 47, was charged with breach of peace aggravated in nature and making a false statement to a law enforcement officer. Stahlheber was booked at 6:13 a.m. on Tuesday and was released at 1:11 p.m. after a hearing, almost seven hours after his booking. He was released on a $25,000 cash bond for breach of peace, and he is scheduled to go to court in January for falsifying information, which is a magistrate charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Beaufort County Detention Center records, Stahlheber, a neighbor at the Squiregate Community who was under the influence of alcohol when he engaged the group of juveniles on a four-wheeler, questioned and harassed the teens. Stahlheber then told Squires he believed that the group of juveniles had a gun. No weapon was recovered from the teens, said officials. Brian Henry Stahlheber, 47. This is an ongoing story. WSAV will update you as we learn more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ The South Brunswick Board of Education has selected Bernard Bragen as the district's new superintendent, concluding what board officials described as a lengthy and intensive search process. Bragen brings three decades of educational experience to the position, having served in roles ranging from special education teacher to superintendent across several districts. For the past 14 years, he worked as a superintendent, most recently overseeing Montgomery County Public Schools in Christiansburg, Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bragen was formally introduced to the community during the Monday night Board meeting. "Dr. Bragen has been in the field of education for the past 30 years," said Board President Laura Hernandez. "We had a strong pool of applicants, but I am so confident that we chose the perfect candidate for South Brunswick." Hernandez thanked board members for their commitment to the search process, noting the personal sacrifices made to find the right leader. "They had to make hard, hard decisions in order to get us to this place," she said. Bragen's superintendent experience includes leading the Hazlet Township Public School System and the Edison Township Public School System in New Jersey, as well as Montgomery County Public Schools in Virginia. He has also served as an assistant professor and program director at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, directing the Educational Leadership and Ed.D. programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among his notable achievements, Bragen passed a $43 million construction referendum in Hazlet and created early college academic programs partnering with both Brookdale Community College and Middlesex County College, allowing students to graduate high school with associate's degrees. He expanded inclusive programs for special needs students, saving the Hazlet district more than $660,000 annuallya 46 percent decrease in out-of-district tuition costs. In Edison, Bragen supervised operations for over 17,000 students and 2,100 staff members. He guided the district through the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning students to remote learning and back to in-person instruction. While also serving as acting school business administrator, he implemented zero tax levy increases for two consecutive school years and introduced self-insured health benefits that saved the district over $7 million annually. In Virginia, Bragen oversaw approximately 10,000 students and nearly 2,000 full-time employees across 20 schools. He created the first collective bargaining agreement with professional staff, enhanced school safety procedures in collaboration with law enforcement, and restructured the administrative organization to streamline leadership and reduce redundancy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bragen expressed gratitude for the opportunity and humility about returning to New Jersey. "I went to school in Edison Township. I worked in Edison Township, and we always looked on the other side of the county," he said, referencing South Brunswick. "The fact that I have an opportunity to lead it is really humbling." He said that leadership success comes from collaboration. "As a leader and as a superintendent, your job is as a catalyst to put the right people in the right positions to be successful," he said. "I was very fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with some really great people and that we did all of that together." The new superintendent outlined plans to meet with students, parents, faculty, administrators, and community members in the coming weeks. "I plan to have meet and greets throughout the different parts of different communities we have in South Brunswick, so I can really get my ear to the ground and hear what you all want me to know," he said. In closing remarks, Bragen made an unusual request of the community. "I want to ask you not to take my words at face value, but instead, I want you to watch and see if I do what I say I'm going to do," he said. "Don't believe anything I say tonight. I'm totally fine with that, but I hope you reserve judgment and wait to see if I do what I say I'm going to do." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bragen will officially begin his tenure on Dec. 1. The board voted unanimously to approve his appointment. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com Former Edison School Superintendent Will Lead South Brunswick District originally appeared on the South Brunswick Patch A former Towns County deputy has been indicted for allegedly violating his oath of office on Monday. Austin Bradburn, 26, of Blairsville, was indicted on seven criminal counts in Towns County and 10 criminal counts in Union County. Charges include vio The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Bradburn in January on charges of filing a false report of a crime and violation of oath of office. These charges are connected to an incident on December 13, 2024, where Bradburn reported being shot during a traffic stop in Young Harris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GBI said conducted a thorough and independent investigation which led to the charges against Bradburn. The investigation revealed information supporting the allegations that Bradburn filed a false report and violated his oath of office. The indictment comes after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Towns County Sheriff Kenneth Henderson on allegations of misconduct. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The former Mossad chief stated that while he believes that Israel needs a change of leadership, he did not want to run at this point in time. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen confirmed on Monday that he will not be running for office in Israel's next election. Cohen's comments came during his address at Shurat HaDin's "Rage Against The Hate" conference against antisemitism in New York. "The answer is no. Not now. We'll see what happens later," Cohen stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When I was the head of the Mossad, Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu hinted that I was his successor. One day, I went to him and asked if he really said that, and he said yes, and explained why," he added. "This was in 2018 or 2019, I think, and then my wife said, 'No, never. We're not getting into this.' But I think everything changed dramatically after October 7, and there is a need for new leadership. So, it's not entirely impossible. I'm considering everything, but the decision right now is no." Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen with attorney and host Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. (credit: OHAD KAB) This comes after the former Mossad head frequently expressed his intention to run for office. In August, Cohen stated that he should become Israel's prime minister, adding that he would bring "any real change" in a podcast interview with Yasmin Lukatz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added then that "any real change could only come if [he] became prime minister," saying that when a date for elections is announced, he would consider running. Two months prior, he hinted at possibly starting a new political party, with reports indicating he had been approached by Netanyahu, likely prime ministerial candidate and former prime minister Naftali Bennett, and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman. Cohen: Ceasefire, Hezbollah, and Iran are problems that Israel must face Cohen also spoke about the ceasefire deal: "This isnt the ideal agreement, but right now, its time for a ceasefire, and this is a price worth paying for the release of the hostages. I dont think the US or other parties will prevent Israel from fighting terrorism in the future." Israel must decide whether to sever all ties with Qatar after the return of all the fallen hostages. We dont have real relations with them; we only used them as intermediaries to transfer funds to Gaza, supposedly for the population, but in reality, they went to Hamas. It was a mistake, intended for humanitarian aid, but it ended up funding terrorism." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to him, the other problems that Israel should face now are Hezbollah and Iran, saying that it is possible to overturn the Islamic Republic, but "it will take years." "The Iranian people suffer from the brutal regime; anyone who dares to protest is hanged or shot. But I believe that the time has come, and if the world supports it, it will happen, he said. By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -The world's first stablecoin pegged to the yen launched in Japan on Monday, a small but significant move in a country where many consumers still prefer to use traditional payment means like cash and credit cards. JPYC, a Japanese startup, began issuing the stablecoins - also called JPYC - which are fully convertible to the yen and backed by domestic savings and Japanese government bonds (JGBs). The company aims to issue 10 trillion yen ($66 billion) worth of JPYC over three years and have the digital assets used widely overseas. It does not initially plan to charge transaction fees to encourage its usage, and instead aims to earn money from interest on holdings of JGBs. "We hope to spur innovation by giving startups access to low transaction and settlement fees," CEO Noritaka Okabe told a press briefing. "Increasing global interoperability would benefit us too, so we're open to capital tie-ups," he added. Blockchain-based stablecoins are typically pegged to a fiat currency and offer faster and cheaper transactions. With strong backing from U.S. President Donald Trump, stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar have surged and now account for over 99% of global stablecoin supply, according to the Bank for International Settlements. Interest in stablecoins is also gaining momentum globally, and Japan's three megabanks will jointly issue stablecoins, the Nikkei daily reported this month. Tomoyuki Shimoda, a former Bank of Japan executive who is currently an academic at Japan's Rikkyo University, said yen stablecoins are not going to have the same momentum as those backed by the U.S. dollar - the world's reserve currency used across the globe. "There's a lot of uncertainty on whether yen stablecoins will become widespread in Japan," he said. "If megabanks join the market, the pace could accelerate. But it could still take at least two to three years." Policymakers have expressed concern that stablecoins could facilitate the movement of funds outside regulated banking systems and potentially undermine the role of commercial banks in global payment flows. "Stablecoins might emerge as a key player in the global payment system, partially replacing the role of bank deposits," BOJ Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino said in a speech last week, urging global regulators to adapt. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea has pledged to allow companies to introduce won-based stablecoins and China, too, is considering allowing usage of yuan-backed stablecoins. A former Hamilton police officer charged with recording child sexual abuse was found dead early Tuesday in a state park in Hopewell Township, authorities said. Brian DiBiasi, 40, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the southern area of Washington Crossing State Park, near the Delaware River, the Mercer County Prosecutors Office confirmed. DiBiasi and his wife, Elizabeth DiBiasi, 43, were arrested in January by the New Jersey State Police on allegations they had sex in front of children and filmed the acts. Elizabeth was a Mercer County sheriffs officer at the time. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. BOSTON (AP) A former Massachusetts police officer who earlier pleaded not guilty to killing a woman he is accused of sexually exploiting when she was underage was charged Tuesday with causing the death of her unborn son. Matthew Farwell, 39, of Easton, is accused of strangling Sandra Birchmore in early 2021 after she told him that she was pregnant and that he was the father. Birchmore was 23 at the time. Farwell worked as an officer for the Stoughton Police Department from 2012 until 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farwell, who was arrested and charged in August 2024, remains in federal custody. He was scheduled to go on trial next year on the initial charges. He is being represented by several federal public defenders who could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Birchmore began participating in the police explorers program when she was 12 years old, according to the indictment in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. Court documents say that Farwell, who was a police explorers volunteer, used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit and then sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 and that he continued to have sex with her when she became an adult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During some of the shifts when Farwell was supposed to be performing his duties as a Stoughton police officer, he was instead engaged in sex acts with Birchmore, according to the indictment. In late 2020, Birchmore found out she was pregnant and told Farwell, according to the indictment. Farwell allegedly strangled Birchmore on or about Feb. 1, 2021, and then used his police knowledge to stage her apartment to make it look as though she had died by suicide, according to the indictment. When Farwell was indicted on the initial charges, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said that the department had worked with other agencies, including the FBI, to investigate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment, I ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal affairs investigation, the instructions of which made it clear that no stone should be left unturned, McNamara said in a statement. The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice, McNamara said. The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent the single worst act of not just professional misconduct but indeed human indecency that I have observed in a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement. A former sheriffs deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey has testified that his actions matched threat level. Massey, a 36-year-old Black single mother, was shot and killed in July 2024 by Sean Grayson, a white man who worked for the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office in Illinois at the time, after reporting a suspected prowler on her property near Springfield. Grayson gave testimony during his murder trial Monday, in which he argued he shot Massey in self-defense after she told him she would rebuke him in the name of Jesus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It threw me off; it was out of nowhere, Grayson said of Masseys comment while on the stand, according to WBEZ Chicago. A former sheriffs deputy charged with murdering Sonya Massey has testified that his actions matched threat level (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) While police were inside Masseys home she removed a pot of water from the stove in her kitchen. During the interaction with Grayson and another officer, she said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, according to body camera footage shared by Fox Baltimore. Grayson then yelled, You better f***ing not. I swear to God Ill f***ing shoot you in your f***ing face, and pulled a gun on her. He ended up shooting her three times, with one of the bullets hitting Massey below the left eye, the Associated Press reported. Sean Grayson claims he shot Massey in self-defense after she told him she would rebuke him in the name of Jesus (Illinois State Police via AP) Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, which, if convicted, could land him 45 years to life in prison. (Macon County Jail via AP) Grayson claimed in court he shot Massey because he thought she was about to throw a pot of boiling water at him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are trained to use force that will gain compliance to get the situation under control, Grayson said, adding, In this situation, I matched the threat level, and the only thing that would have stopped the threat was my duty weapon. Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, which, if convicted, could land him 45 years to life in prison. Masseys murder sparked protests in several cities, including Chicago, New York City and Atlanta. In August, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed Sonya Masseys Bill into law, which revised police hiring procedures. Masseys family also reached a $10 million settlement with officials in Sangamon County in February. The defense rested its case Monday, and closing arguments and jury deliberations are set to begin Tuesday, according to NBC News. Jennifer-Ruth Green announced her second run for Congress in the 1st Congressional District. (Screenshot from campaign ad) Republican Air Force veteran Jennifer-Ruth Green announced Monday she will run again for Indianas 1st Congressional District despite pending state ethics charges. She first challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan in 2022. He defeated her 53% to 47%. It was the northwest Indiana districts closest margin in decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have spent my life serving our country and striving to serve others. I love this country, and I am still called to serve. Today, I am announcing my candidacy for Congress because Northwest Indiana deserves better, Green said in a news release. The stakes have never been higher. When we defeat far-left Congressman Frank Mrvan and take back Indianas First District for the first time since 1928, Republicans will keep the House, and well stop Mrvan and his radical allies in Congress from impeaching President Trump and advancing their socialist agenda. Indiana lawmakers are set to return to the Statehouse next week to redraw congressional boundaries early possibly reconfiguring the 1st District into a reliably Republican seat. In her announcement, Green promised to support President Donald Trump and back American manufacturing, lower prices, gun rights, border security and immigration enforcement. This isnt about politics its about saving America, she said. I serve our country in uniform. Now Im ready to fight for the America we love in Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green resigned as public safety secretary for Gov. Mike Brauns administration in September. The Indiana Office of Inspector General filed a formal ethics complaint accusing her of ghost employment and misuse of state property. It came after Green signed a remediation agreement while an investigation ran its course. Green previously commanded the 122nd Cyber Operations Flight in Fort Wayne and deployed to Baghdad with the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, she is a Federal Aviation Administration-certified pilot and a former Air Force Special Agent. She also served as deputy commander of the 11th Operations Group at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX GALENA, Mo. A former Stone County employee who was accused of stealing more than $13,000 in tax payments earlier this year has now been formally charged. According to online court dockets, Whitney Marie Brown, born in 1998, of Galena, is charged with one count of stealing $750 or more, a class D felony, in Stone County Circuit Court. The Missouri Attorney Generals Office accused Brown of the theft earlier this year in a Stone County audit report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The probable cause statement says the investigation began after a taxpayer contacted the Stone County Collectors Office in late February this year to report a discrepancy with her 2022 property taxes. The taxpayer attempted to pay her 2023 taxes through the countys website but saw that her 2022 taxes were listed as delinquent, even though she had paid them, the statement says. The Collector told the taxpayer to bring in her receipt, and staff traced the payment back to Brown, who had accepted the payment in cash. When questioned, Brown allegedly began crying and said she was overwhelmed and might have thrown it away, the statement says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Collector later discovered an additional $14,269.34 in cash and checks that Brown allegedly failed to report. The statement says Brown would post payments as paid but did not turn in the corresponding money. Brown allegedly admitted she planned to get a loan to repay the missing money. The Missouri State Auditors Office found that Brown receipted $19,049 that was not deposited and collected $475 that was not recorded or deposited. Some taxpayers later presented stamped tax statements showing proof of payment, the statement says. The statement says Browns stepfather repaid $4,782 to the county via cashiers check after the Collector confronted her, and two taxpayers reissued missing checks totaling $1,060. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The total amount Brown allegedly stole was $13,682, the statement says. Brown is due in court Nov. 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. BOSTON (WWLP) A former Stoughton police officer already facing federal murder charges has been indicted again, this time accused of causing the death of his victims unborn baby. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, 39-year-old Matthew Farwell of Easton has been charged with one count of causing the death of the unborn child of Sandra Birchmore, a pregnant woman he was accused of killing in 2021. Farwell, who was arrested and charged in August 2024, remains in federal custody and will be arraigned on the new charge at a later date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Stoughton police officer arrested for allegedly killing pregnant woman According to the superseding indictment, on or about February 1, 2021, Farwell allegedly killed Birchmore by strangulation. Prosecutors say he then staged her body and apartment to make it appear as though she had died by suicide. The indictment alleges Farwell acted with malice aforethought and with the intent to prevent her from disclosing to law enforcement that he used his position as a police officer to groom and sexually exploit her, beginning when she was 15 years old and continuing until her death. The new indictment further alleges that Birchmores death resulted in the death of her unborn child, who was between eight and ten weeks of gestation at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents state that in the fall of 2020, Farwell agreed to attempt to impregnate Birchmore to prevent her from revealing details about their relationship. Birchmore later told Farwell she was keeping it and that the birth certificate is being signed, to which Farwell allegedly responded, Youre the worst person on the face of the earth. Over the following weeks, Birchmore reportedly shared her excitement about her pregnancy, discussing her due date, ultrasound appointments, and gender reveal plans. Investigators said she booked prenatal appointments that extended beyond her date of death and ordered baby items, planned for newborn photos, and prepared to announce her pregnancy publicly on Valentines Day. Farwell is accused of killing Birchmore before those plans could take place. The charge of causing the death of an unborn child carries a mandatory life sentence. The case remains under investigation by federal authorities. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. STOUGHTON, Mass. (WPRI) The former Stoughton police officer accused of killing a woman he sexually exploited while on duty is now being charged with causing the death of her unborn baby, according to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. Matthew Farwell, 39, of Easton, was originally arrested and charged with killing a witness or victim back in August 2024 in connection with the suspicious death of Sandra Birchmore. Sandra Birchmore The 23-year-old Canton woman was 8 to 12 weeks pregnant when she was found dead in her apartment in February 2021 after her employer requested a wellbeing check on her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has since been revealed that Farwell allegedly strangled Birchmore to death with a duffle bag strap following a nasty argument in which he called off their relationship, according to prosecutors. Investigators believe Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent her from revealing the truth about how long the two had been intimate. Prosecutors said Farwell then used his police knowledge to stage her apartment and make it look as though she had committed suicide. Farwell had been mentoring Birchmore through the Stoughton Police Departments youth explorers program, which has since been disbanded. RELATED: Former Stoughton officer charged in womans death Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though Birchmore was 12 years old when she joined the program, the two didnt have sex for the first time until she was 15 years old, according to court documents. (Farwell was 27 years old at the time.) Court documents say Farwell agreed to attempt to impregnant Birchmore to avoid her publicly disclosing their relationship. Birchmore, who found out she was pregnant in December 2020, later told Farwell via text she was keeping it and demanded that he be involved in the babys life, per court documents. Farwell allegedly responded by telling her that she was the worst person on the face of the Earth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Birchmore repeatedly expressed excitement to Farwell about her due date, ultrasounds, genetic testing, gender reveals and doctor appointments, according to prosecutors. Court documents said Birchmore also booked prenatal care appointments that post-dated her death and was preparing to announce her pregnancy on Valentines Day. SEE ALSO: 3 former officers under fire following womans death Farwell began to lose his patience and temper with Birchmore after her friend notified Stoughton police of their inappropriate relationship, prosecutors said. Birchmore allegedly confided in her friends that Farwell had become increasingly more violent with her and that she was scared for her life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If convicted, Farwell faces a minimum sentence of life in prison. He remains in federal custody and will be arraigned on the new charge at a later date. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Curious about the dramatic redesign of the Galleria mall that calls for nine 30-story buildings? Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis is hosting a special town hall meeting tonight for residents who want to learn more about how the project would advance under the states Live Local Act. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club, 2800 Yacht Club Blvd. For those who cannot attend in person, the city is providing a live-streaming option. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can watch on Fort Lauderdales cable access channel or on the citys YouTube page. Parking at the Yacht Club will be via a free valet service. Overflow parking will be available at George English Park with shuttles running between the park and the Yacht Club beginning around 5 p.m. Under current plans, the developer plans to build more than 3,000 residences, with 1,273 that qualify as workforce housing. The plans also call for a 170-room hotel along with new shops and restaurants. Critics might not like the plan. But under the states Live Local Act, they might just have to live with it. This is probably one of the most significant projects to come to our city, Trantalis told the Sun Sentinel in a recent interview. I think the residents would deserve to have some say on the scale and scope, because they are going to have to live with it. Were not interested in stopping any redevelopment. But I think the scale has to be addressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the meeting, City Hall staff will explain how the Live Local Act works and give a presentation on the project itself, Trantalis said. The new state law aims to boost affordable housing throughout Florida. To qualify as a Live Local project, at least 40% of the residential units must be designated as workforce housing for households earning up to $115,440, which represents 120% of the current median income in Broward County. The affordability requirement must be maintained for at least 30 years. Under the law, developers can build to the highest currently allowed height for a commercial or residential building within a one-mile radius. In addition, all city approvals are handled by administrative staff. Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan The Boney Courthouse building in Anchorage holds the Alaska Supreme Court chambers. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) A prosecutor, a defense attorney, a judge and a private practice attorney have applied to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Alaska Court of Appeals. On Nov. 5, the Alaska Judicial Council will take public testimony and vote on a list of finalists for candidates to replace longtime Judge Bethany Harbison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Mike Dunleavy will then have 45 days to make the final pick. That person will complete the four-judge body that hears most criminal appeals short of the Alaska Supreme Court. The list of applicants, previously announced in June, includes prosecutor RuthAnne Beach, deputy chief of the Office of Criminal Appeals in Anchorage; Lacey Jane Brewster, an assistant public defender in Anchorage; Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Patricia Haines; and Juneau private-practice attorney Chris Peloso. In a survey of practicing attorneys, Haines was rated as the most qualified candidate, having received a score of 4.6 out of a possible 5. Beach received a rating of 4.2, Brewster a rating of 2.9, and Peloso, a rating of 2.6. The survey, conducted for all judicial vacancies, considers a score of 3 to be acceptable, and a score below that mark is considered insufficient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The council must forward at least two candidates to the governor for final selection; if it cannot do so, the hiring process will restart. The Alaska Judicial Council includes three attorneys and three members of the public appointed by the governor. In the event of a tie, the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court casts the tiebreaking vote. Public testimony on the four candidates will be taken by Zoom and in person in Anchorage. Candidates may be interviewed by the council in public or in private; Peloso was the only candidate willing to be interviewed in public. A public vote on the final candidates is expected no earlier than 4:30 p.m. Nov. 5. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A fox has been spotted in the grounds around the Houses of Parliament. It was seen just inside the main visitors entrance to the parliamentary estate in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon. The estate, which surrounds the Houses of Parliament, is bordered by high fences and walls that prevent easy access, apart from through security-controlled entrances. But the animal appeared to have given security the slip, and could be seen near the door of the historic Westminster Hall the largest remaining medieval portion of the Palace of Westminster and the nearby Jubilee Cafe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It then stopped to observe members of the public entering the estate. The fox leaves of its own accord - Sophie Wingate/PA Parliamentary staff in their customary black and white uniforms could be seen attempting to shoo the intruder back out through the visitors entrance and into the street near Cromwell Green. The trespasser appeared to have beaten beefed-up security measures, with long lengths of high metal railings placed at the edges of the estate over the last year, the subject of consternation from some parliamentarians. Peers have in particular been critical of barriers introduced along the western boundary, separating Old Palace Yard from Abingdon Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fox is understood to have left the estate of its own accord. It is not the first time a fox has been spotted illicitly trespassing on the parliamentary estate. In 2020, videos and images emerged of another such animal spending an evening wandering around Portcullis House, a modern building which houses MPs offices and committee rooms. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Xali Gold has signed a share purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire Minera Calipuy, the owner of the Pico Machay gold project in Central Peru. The agreement with Minera Calipuys current owners Pan American Silver and its subsidiary, Aquiline Resources covers 100% of their collective interest in Calipuy. The Pico Machay gold deposit is a high-sulphidation gold deposit situated at the northern end of the Southern Peru epithermal gold-silver belt. It has a historic measured and indicated resource of 264,600oz of gold, containing 10.6 million tonnes with a grade of 0.78 grams per tonne of gold. Additionally, it has an historic inferred resource of 446,000oz of gold, spread across 23.9 million tonnes with a grade of 0.58 grams per tonne of gold. Xali Gold president and CEO Joanne Freeze said: The Pico Machay acquisition represents a pivotal step for Xali Gold as we expand our presence in one of the world's most prolific epithermal gold-silver countries. "With a historic resource already in place and various engineering studies conducted since discovery through 2010, the Project offers both immediate value and excellent upside potential. Pico Machay is especially compelling given that the original resource was calculated using a long-term gold price of $700/ounce. The current stronger gold price environment provides us with many opportunities to upgrade the project and evaluate additional production alternatives that may not have been supported by lower gold prices." The Pico Machay gold project was discovered in 1997 and subsequently explored by various junior companies, including Aquiline, until 2009. During this period, Aquiline conducted various engineering studies, which encompassed resource estimations and metallurgical test work. Freeze added: Our focus will be to update the resource estimate and previous engineering studies with a near-term production goal, while also testing exploration targets for potential resource expansion. "In addition, there are several other known high-sulphidation prospects in the area which we will evaluate for potential acquisition and exploration to enhance/expand production at Pico Machay. "Xali Gold signs SPA to acquire Pico Machay gold project " was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. (WFRV) A couple from the Darboy area is bracing for Hurricane Melissa while vacationing in Ocho Rios, Jamaica for their anniversary. John and Heather Hoffman were planning to fly home on October 26, Sunday, but the airport shut down less than three hours before their flight due to the approaching Category 5 storm. The Hoffmans told Local 5 that theyre staying at a resort with about 45 other couples and resort staff. The hotel upgraded them to the third floor, where they say they feel safer from the hurricanes impact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DNR warns of elevated fire danger as dry fall conditions persist across Wisconsin Our biggest fear is not so much that this beautiful resort is going to get destroyed because were in concrete, John said. Its just that all the roads are going to get washed out and were going to be stuck here. The couple is stocked up with food and water and will go into lockdown at 6 p.m. local time, remaining indoors until the storm passes. They expressed gratitude for the support and concern from family and friends back home. The hotel has been nothing but fantastic. Theyve made sure we have food, water, anything we need, Heather said, but still with a sense of worry. We have been their priority, and were worried about them. We get to go home. Theyre left in destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the National Hurricane Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), winds are topping 175 miles per hour, with heavy rain of up to 30 inches expected in some areas. The storm is moving slowly, only about 5 miles per hour, raising concerns about dangerous flooding and a storm surge up to 13 feet along the coast. Im scared. I mean [its] the unknown. The weather channel here is not like at home. We are seeing weather from all around the world. Not like up to the minute details like you do at home. The Hoffmans confirmed they have travel insurance, which provides some peace of mind as they ride out the storm. They remain hopeful they can fly home to Northeast Wisconsin on October 30, Thursday, but only time will tell. Appleton cultural gifts store to close after nearly four decades on College Avenue Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane Melissa is slowly moving toward the Caribbean island and is expected to make landfall overnight as a powerful Category 5 storm. Local 5 will follow up with the Hoffmans once they safely return home. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Fox News co-host Emily Compagno criticized Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) as someone who pretends to be from the Bay Area. On Mondays Outnumbered on Fox News, the hosts discussed Democrats opposition to President Donald Trumps demolition of the East Wing of the White House to make room for a ballroom. On Sunday, Swalwell insisted that a must-have for any 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful is a pledge to tear down the structure upon taking office. Dont even think of seeking the Democratic nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on DAY ONE, he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am so tired of the credibility being shattered, and the instant these individuals get on camera or behind their X accounts, Compagno said of Swalwell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). And it is so frustrating for me as an American constituent to have to deal with the consistent bile being tripped and dropped and spewed by Hakeem and Eric and everyone else that is doing it for the clickbait rather than serving constituents. She went on to say that the new White House ballroom will benefit us and that the construction will now be commensurate with the gold and the dream and the opportunities for America and also the commensurate respect we want to afford. Compagno, who grew up in the Bay Area, then pivoted to attacking Swalwells backstory. The lawmaker was born in Sac City, Iowa, and was raised there and in Dublin, California after his family moved to the Bay Area. He represents the 14th congressional district, which is in Alameda County. But for some very small-minded and bitter people who come from, where does he come from? Iowa? And then he moved to Dublin, California, and pretends to be from the Bay Area? she said. For Eric Swalwell to now pretend to be hip and think that he has some weigh in about it, Americans care deeply about a lot of other things. Watch above via Fox News. The post Fox Co-Host Takes Offense at California Congressman Being From Iowa: Pretends To Be From the Bay Area first appeared on Mediaite. France was responsible for deciding to shoot down an Israeli drone in Kafr Kila on Sunday, a diplomatic source told Le Figaro. The outlet also reported that the UNIFIL peacekeepers were French. France was responsible for the decision to shoot down an Israeli drone in Kafr Kila, southern Lebanon, on Sunday, a diplomatic source told French outlet Le Figaro on Monday. The UNIFIL peacekeepers involved in the incident were from the French military, Le Figaro noted, while commenting that it is rare for peacekeepers to shoot down an Israeli drone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) claimed that the Israeli drone came close to a UNIFIL patrol and "dropped a grenade," followed by an Israeli tank which "fired a shot" towards UNIFIL peacekeepers. UNIFIL also claimed that this followed a similar incident earlier on Sunday in the same location where "an Israeli drone flew over the UNIFIL patrol in an aggressive manner." A UN vehicle drives, during a Reuters' visit at Camp Shamrock where Irish and Polish peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are stationed near Maroun al-Ras village close to the Lebanese-Israeli border, in southern Lebanon November 29, 2023. (credit: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS) UNIFIL asserted that the events violated UN Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as Lebanon's sovereignty. IDF disputes UNIFIL's report of events However, the IDF disputed this report of events. IDF Arabic Spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee clarified that the original drone was shot down during a routine information-gathering and reconnaissance mission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Preliminary investigations revealed that UNIFIL forces, which were present near the location, deliberately fired at the drone despite it posing no threat to them," Adraee explained. "After the drone was shot down, IDF soldiers threw a hand grenade at the area where the drone was downed," he added, while confirming that no fire was directed towards UNIFIL peacekeepers, and that the incident will be investigated via military liaison channels. PARIS France introduced a modernized version of its M51 submarine-launched strategic ballistic missile, a major milestone in the modernization of the countrys ocean-based nuclear deterrent, the Armed Forces Ministry said on Tuesday. The third and latest version of the M51 has new nuclear warheads as well as improved range, accuracy and capability to penetrate enemy defenses, the ministry said in an emailed statement. The M51.3 will be deployed aboard Frances four Le Triomphant nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The M51.3 ensures the continued credibility of the ocean-based component in the face of evolving enemy missile defenses, the ministry said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The M51 update comes amid what the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in June described as a dangerous new nuclear arms race , with nearly all nuclear-armed states working to upgrade existing weapons and add newer versions. As potential adversaries such as Russia modernize anti-ballistic missile capabilities , older missile designs could be at great risk of being intercepted. That in turn could diminish Frances ability to guarantee a credible second-strike capability, hurting its nuclear deterrence posture. Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin signed the operational commissioning of the M51.3 missile on Friday. This achievement embodies a major ambition of the 2024-2030 Military Programming Law: to accelerate the modernization of our capabilities and ensure the long-term credibility of our deterrence, the sovereign pillar of our security, Vautrin said in a social media post . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The upgraded missile also signals Frances determination to maintain what it calls strategic autonomy within NATO. The country keeps its nuclear forces separate from the alliances command-and-control structure and decision-making process, though France and the U.K. in July agreed to potentially coordinate their respective deterrents. The M51.3 program was overseen by Frances Directorate General for Armament, with the new TNO-2 warhead developed by Frances Commissariat for Atomic Energy, and with ArianeGroup in charge of missile design and propulsion. The M51 missile has an intercontinental range and carries multiple nuclear warheads, according to the ministry. Each of Frances ballistic missile submarines is equipped with 16 of the missiles, which consist of a solid-propellant three-stage launcher with a weight of more than 50 metric tons and a length of 12 meters, according to ArianeGroup. While the exact range of the missile is undisclosed, ArianeGroup says the M51 reaches an altitude of more than 2,000 kilometers before reentering the atmosphere at speed of Mach 20, carrying its payload over a distance of several thousand kilometers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The M51.3 is estimated to have a range of more than 9,500 kilometers, compared to more than 9,000 kilometers for the previous iteration, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . The missile carries four to six multiple independently-targetable reentry vehicles or MIRVs, each with a yield believed to be 100 kilotons, according to the Bulletin. For each warhead, that would be more than six times the yield of the nuclear bomb dropped over Hiroshima in August 1945. Work on the M51.3 started in 2014, while development of the TNO-2 warhead started in 2013, according to the Armed Forces Ministry. ArianeGroup and the DGA completed the first test flight of the M51.3 missile from the Biscarrosse launch site in southwestern France in November 2023. The first version of the M51 ballistic missile became operational in 2010, and the DGA in August tasked ArianeGroup with development of the future M51.4 version . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement France is also working to replace the Le Triomphant-class submarines starting in the 2030s as part of its nuclear modernization, with Naval Group cutting the first steel for the so-called SNLE 3G program in March last year. France expects to operate the next-generation submarines for nuclear deterrence until the end of the 2080s. As well as updating the ocean-based nuclear-deterrence component, France is working on the air-launched ASN4G hypersonic missile to replace the ASMPA nuclear cruise missile carried by the Rafale fighter jet. The new missile is to be integrated on the future F5 standard of the Rafale. Oct. 28What's the first rule when choreographing a sword battle between high-school freshmen? "No improvising," said Shelby Hostetler, English teacher and co-director for the Franklin Regional Thespian Club. Hostetler is choreographing not one but multiple battles as the club prepares to stage a production of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," C.S. Lewis' classic tale of the Pevensie children's magical journey through the back of a family wardrobe and into the land of Narnia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Co-director Richard Sunny said he wanted to make this year's fall play a little more challenging for the 21-student cast. "This gives us a chance to do some battles and let the kids show off some additional talents," he said. Hostetler said coordinating the sword fights starts with a conversation. "We want to make sure everyone's comfortable and knows all the steps in the fight," she said. "All our weapons are made of foam, so there's no real chance of injury. But there's a great deal of planning involved. The big battle has about several different fights happening at once!" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sunny said Hostetler is making maximum use of the high school auditorium for fight scenes. "She's using the stage, the orchestra pit, a lot of additional space," he said. Senior Belle Ralston, who will play the mythical fawn Mr. Tumnus, is used to moving around onstage her performance background is in dancing but in her first year as part of the Thespian Club, she's had to get used to a new medium. "I have to speak," she said with a laugh. "I am used to 'acting' and expressing emotion when I'm not speaking, so acting through my lines has been a new challenge. I really love the process, learning from other cast members and from Mr. Sunny and Miss H." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Freshman Kensington Carswell is taking on her first lead role in her first year with the high school Thespian Club, portraying Aslan, a lion who is the king of Narnia. "In middle school, it was a much larger group," Carswell said. "But when it's smaller like this, you get to know people better and the show, I feel like, becomes more of a close-knit group of people and becomes a little more personal." Carswell's biggest challenge? Acting with fake canine teeth in her mouth. "I'm a lion, so I'm going to have canines attached to my teeth with wax," she said. "I haven't gotten to try it out yet, so we'll see how tough it is to speak." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" will open at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Franklin Regional Senior High School Auditorium. An additional 7:30 p.m. show will take place Nov. 1, with a 2 p.m. matinee performance Nov. 2. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. No advance tickets will be sold. The high school is at 3200 School Drive in Murrysville. Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com. Nicolas Hulscher, an epidemiologist affiliated with the McCullough Foundation, briefly vanished from X search results on October 27 after sharing a report that claimed vaccines were the leading risk factor for autism, sparking a new round of questions about free speech on Elon Musks platform. The disappearance occurred in the late afternoon or early evening, according to multiple users who began flagging the issue shortly after Hulscher posted excerpts from the study. At 5:49 pm, Hulscher appeared to acknowledge the development himself. This is our study that appears to have resulted in a removal of my account from the search results, he wrote in a response post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dallas Express independently verified that Hulschers account and posts were not visible at 9:29 pm local time that same day. This is our study that appears to have resulted in a removal of my account from the search results. https://t.co/5avQcJuisb Nicolas Hulscher, MPH (@NicHulscher) October 27, 2025 His post quoted an earlier thread introducing what he described as The Most Comprehensive Analysis Ever Conducted on the Causes of Autism. The 300-study review, attributed to the McCullough Foundation, asserted that combination and early-timed routine childhood vaccination constitutes the most significant modifiable risk factor for ASD. The study also listed other potential contributors, including parental age, premature delivery, and environmental toxicants. Hulschers affiliation with the McCullough Foundationa US-based medical research organization led by cardiologist Dr. Peter McCulloughhas drawn increased public attention since both men appeared at a Childrens Health Defense event in Highland Park last month, where they discussed President Donald Trumps recent remarks questioning Tylenol and childhood vaccine safety, DX reported. In an email to The Dallas Express, Hulscher said he received no advance notice from X about the change to his accounts visibility. I did not receive any notification from X regarding the removal of my account from search results. However, after intense public backlash, X restored my accounts visibility a few hours later, he wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that he believes the post about vaccines and autism triggered the incident. I do believe that my sharing of our landmark autism report resulted in this apparent censoring of my account. This is gravely worrisome as X is supposed to be the flagship social media site of free speech. Nonetheless, their sudden reversal of the obvious shadowban eases some of these fears, Hulscher said. Hulscher confirmed that he and the McCullough Foundation had contacted X for clarification. We have already sought clarification from X and have not received an adequate response explaining what happened. Nonetheless, no further action is required since they have reinstated my account in search results, Hulscher said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement X, formerly known as Twitter, did not respond to an emailed request for comment from The Dallas Express by publication time. The episode has drawn comparisons to earlier controversies involving the platforms handling of speech on politically or scientifically charged issues. In December 2024, X users who criticized Elon Musks and Vivek Ramaswamys defense of the H-1B visa program alleged they lost verification badges or monetization access, reviving debate over whether the companys stated commitment to open dialogue aligns with its actions, DX reported. Hulscher, a Michigan native with a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from the University of Michigan, has published several papers examining potential vaccine-related injuries and complications. His most recent work, co-authored with McCullough, revisited long-disputed claims about the relationship between vaccination and neurodevelopmental disorders. The co-authors described the report as a major breakthrough through the iron grip of censorship imposed by the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex on the issue of vaccination and autism. The daughter of French first lady Brigitte Macron told a Paris court on Tuesday that her mother now suffers from deep anxiety because of false claims about her gender. Tiphaine Auziere, 41, said it was important for her to testify at the trial, at which ten people are accused of online harassment of the 72-year-old first lady for spreading what prosecutors described as malicious comments about her gender and sexuality. There isnt a single week when she isnt harassed, not one person in her personal or professional life fails to bring up these allegations, Auziere said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She described how her mother is constantly having to pay attention to what she wears or how she carries herself for fear that any image of her may be distorted and weaponized online. The cyberbullying has taken a toll on Brigitte Macrons mental health, Auziere said, adding that this deterioration is supported by medical assessments. She reads the tweets that are shown to her, but she no longer wants to, Auziere added. The youngest of Brigitte Macrons three children, from her first marriage to Andre-Louis Auziere, said the attacks have also deeply affected the rest of the family. Her mother is devastated that her grandchildren hear what is being said, and doesnt know how to make it stop, she explained. The case relates to a legal complaint filed by the first ladys lawyer in August 2024 alleging cyberbullying, which led to two waves of arrests in February and March of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Initial investigations identified several claims about Brigitte Macrons gender and sexuality, as well as describing the age difference between her and the president as pedophilia, the prosecutor said. The trial is expected to last two days, and a verdict is likely to be issued later. Among the eight men and two women on trial are an elected official, a gallery owner, an IT specialist, a teacher, a property manager and a business owner. All are aged between 41 and 60. CNN affiliate BFMTV provided details on one of the defendants: 41-year-old advertising executive Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, who uses the pseudonym Zoe Sagan on social media. His X account, which has since been suspended, has been the subject of several complaints and is often linked to conspiracy theorists. If convicted, the defendants face up to two years in prison. The trial comes three months after Macron and his wife filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the US state of Delaware against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over the claim that Brigitte Macron could be a man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Delaware lawsuit alleges Owens broadcast a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons. In March, the conservative commentator revived a conspiracy theory in a YouTube video entitled Is Frances First Lady a Man? according to the complaint. Promoted widely on X, Owens said the conspiracy theory was likely the biggest scandal in political history. Since then, Owens has produced numerous videos about Brigitte Macron for her nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called Becoming Brigitte. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com PARIS (AP) A delegation of French senators visited the Louvre on Tuesday and acknowledged that the museums security was not in line with modern standards, calling for improved measures at the Paris landmark that was the scene of a stunning heist earlier this month. Thieves took less than eight minutes on Oct. 19 to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) from the worlds most-visited museum. French officials described how the intruders used a basket lift to scale the Louvres facade, forced open a window, opened a breach in display cases and fled. Two suspects were arrested on Sunday and are being questioned by police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Laurent Lafon, head of the Culture Committee at the Senate, said we all noticed that the security equipment is not suitable for a 21st-century museum such as the Louvre. It is our flagship, it must be exemplary, and today we cannot describe the security conditions at the Louvre as exemplary. Speaking to reporters after visiting the Louvre with fellow senators, Lafon said there are many improvements to be made. Our security system does not meet nowadays' standards. Lafon acknowledged there was a weakness regarding outdoor cameras that allowed the robbery, but would not enter into further details for confidentiality reasons. The senators called for a speedy start of massive renovation work that was already planned as soon as possible, since Frances budget for 2026 is currently being debated in the parliament. The decade-long Louvre New Renaissance plan, which includes security improvements, was launched earlier this year. It is estimated it would cost up to 800 million euros ($933 million) to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031. AUSTIN (KXAN) Frontier Airlines will operate nonstop flights between Austin and New Orleans in February to offer convenient travel for Mardi Gras. Flights will operate three times a week beginning Feb. 13 and ending Feb. 22. The airline is also adding nonstop service from several other cities to New Orleans. Mardi Gras is one of the most iconic celebrations in the U.S., and we are excited to provide celebrants from across the country with easy, affordable access to the Big Easy this February, Josh Flyr, Frontiers vice president of network and operations design, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The AUS-New Orleans route is already served by both Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. AUS Data Hub: Passenger totals, busiest months and new flights in 2025 and 2026 Frontier has added several new flights from Austin this year. Service to Chicago, Cincinnati, Orlando and Phoenix began in March, while flights to Miami and Philadelphia took off in May. The airline also added a new route to San Diego in June. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. This story was originally published on Trucking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Trucking Dive newsletter. LTL carrier XPO expects an approximately $35 million charge in its Q3 earnings due to a longstanding insurance lawsuit stemming from M&A activity, according to a securities filing. The disclosure signals an end to a case that has moved back and forth in Oregon courts for over a decade and has been tied to the companys monumental purchase of transportation conglomerate Con-way in 2015. The matter relates to environmental and product liability claims involving truck and part manufacturing plants of a subsidiary company of Con-way that Con-way sold to a third party in 1981, long before XPO acquired Con-way in 2015, XPO said in its filing. In 2012, Allianz Global Risks US Ins. Co. sued 18 insurance companies, including some that provided services for Freightliner assets, and Con-way joined the suit as an interested party, XPO previously noted in earnings reports. Con-way had foundational ties to Freightliner before Daimler acquired it in 1981. The suit involved environmental issues at the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, and an Oregon Supreme Court decision in 2021 eventually reversed a verdict and sent it back to a trial court, per the carriers SEC filing. Additional proceedings were held this month. A final judgment has not been entered, and XPOs charge is an estimate, the carrier said Thursday. XPO has faced several legal issues connected with its acquisition of Con-way, which at the time allowed for a rapid expansion of the company to become the second-biggest LTL carrier in North America. Among those legal matters, XPO settled a case for $10 million in 2016 with the Justice Department for another legal issue it inherited as part of the acquisition. That case involved Con-way subsidiary Menlo Logistics allegedly overcharging the government. XPO noted the issue involved allegations of problematic work done years before the M&A deal. Estes Express Lines and a subsidiary also paid $3 million as part of the settlement. Recommended Reading MINERAL WELLS Directors of the water district that hopes to build Turkey Peak Reservoir plowed ahead Friday on upgrading a highway it will alter and OKd a cleanup at its Hilltop Water Plant. Following the routine meeting, Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1 Chairman David Turk said the district remains committed to making the new lake happen despite a major financial setback that stopped the project in its tracks last month. Four contractors responding to bid packages for the planned new water source of the growing communities west of Fort Worth had proposed doing the work for $350 million to $450 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district, however, had estimated the lake dam and moving or upgrading affected roads would cost $200 million and has secured a state loan for that amount. Theres no changes, Turk said of lake plans. Were still going over our options of what to do. Oh, yes, we are still committed. The districts general manager, Howard Huffman, told the Mineral Wells City Council last month his board might rebid the lake project in pieces, rather than in whole with the dam and roadwork together, in hopes the cumulative tally would come in closer to the loan amount. Turk indicated those details have yet to be conclusively probed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the district has bought the section of Farm-to-Market 4 the lake will submerge, plus the stretch north to upgrade in a new-lake bypass using Ward Mountain Road. Fridays action included a $12,000 smooth-out to a curve north of Santo, an early repair to the old north-south Palo Pinto County artery. Huffman told the board hed obtained Texas Department of Transportation records going back 15 years, and that the last attention the highway received from Interstate 20 north to the county seat in Palo Pinto was $30,000 spent in 2015. Theres pieces of that road that have been neglected, Huffman said, adding he is working on an overall plan for the board to review. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The board later agreed to spend $7,500 to remove concrete and Fiberglass from aging components at the 61-year-old Hilltop Water Treatment Plant that serves Mineral Wells. The district owns the plant, and Mineral Wells applied for a loan this month to replace the facility north of town off U.S. 281. The city pledged water and sewer revenue, as well as property taxes, to back its loan application. The district will own the new lake, as it does the silting-up Lake Palo Pinto, a water source for the entire county plus much of southern Parker County including Brock. In related action Friday, the board agreed to replace six buoys at the lake. Huffman said people are using the buoys to tie off their boats. The replacement cost is $5,212. Fulton County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney said the school district needs to cut expenses by $95 million over the next four to five years or face financial ruin. Looney gave his report during the annual FCS State of the Schools presentation held Oct. 27 at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Centers Byers Theatre. He said the school districts financial house is in order, but it faces lower student enrollment, the increased cost of doing business, and an increasing amount of property tax revenue going to the state as its Local Fair Share. We have increased costs, lower revenue coming in, and if we didnt do anything about it, if we just put our heads in the sand and ignored it, then, yes, we would be in financial ruin in four or five years, Looney said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FCS Board of Education Chair Kristin McCabe told Rough Draft Atlanta that the school districts local fair share has been designated as 5 mills worth of property taxes. Thats approximately $250 million going to support rural school districts. McCabe said the state calculates based on property tax assessments. The state doesnt use homestead and other exemptions in making its calculations. McCabe said the federal government promises to give FCS 40 percent of what it needs for special education funding, but it only provides 11 percent. The school district spends approximately $243 million from its general fund for special education. Read more at RoughDraftAtlanta.com. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A Holland-area nonprofit is hosting an event to support lakeshore veterans and their families. The event, dubbed The Forge After Dark, is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at The Forge Yoga and Movement Studio on James Street near Holland. The party will feature a special yoga-inspired movement class followed by a taco bar and the drop of a new beer from Big Lake Brewing. Funds raised will support free classes for veterans at The Forge and other programs through The 90, a nonprofit that supports veterans mental and physical health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sometimes theres a stigma around yoga, especially of like, Hey, Im a big, tough veteran yogas not for me. But once we can get them through the door and get through through our classes and say, Hey, this is a lot more than just, people say, stretching. Its a good physical workout, its a way to calm your mind to work on your breath work and work through difficult situations, Ben Terpsma, executive director of The 90 and manager at The Forge, said. Bailey Villanueva from Big Lake Brewing said the fundraiser offered a perfect opportunity for a partnership because the brewery was already planning rolling out on a veterans-inspired beer. Something Big Lake Brewings very passionate about is giving back to the West Michigan community, she said. It means so much to be able to walk with (veterans). I know that I cant carry the exact same weight that theyre carrying, but were very thankful to be able to give back and be a part of that community whatever way we can. Tickets for the Nov. 7 event can be purchased online and cost $35. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. (NewsNation) A Washington, D.C., ministry is feeding furloughed federal employees who are missing out on paychecks during the second-longest funding lapse in U.S. history. Were going to continue to do that, not only the duration of the shutdown, but also after the shutdown, in part because of the SNAP benefits that are going to be ending, possibly ending, said the Rev. Wil Stroman, executive director of Urban Outreach. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, distribution hangs in the balance of the government shutdown, and the Department of Agriculture has threatened to withhold billions in contingency funding for beneficiaries if the shutdown continues into November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Border Patrol chief faces questioning over Chicago protest response The Capital Area Food Bank works with organizations like Urban Outreach to distribute thousands of pounds of food and essential items to families in need. Boxes are loaded into the car of a furloughed federal worker at a Capital Area Food Bank distribution site in Alexandria, Virginia, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Volunteers hold boxes of food before loading them into cars of furloughed federal workers at a Capital Area Food Bank distribution site. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Boxes of food to be given to furloughed federal workers at a Capital Area Food Bank distribution site in Alexandria, Virginia, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Stroman anticipates the number of federal employees using the service will only grow as word spreads around the city. I believe people will kind of develop more courage to come out, he said. Because for some, its their first time ever having to stand on a line for food or receive this kind of assistance. House Republicans ask DOJ to probe Biden autopen use to void pardons Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the shutdown enters its fourth week, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed or are working without pay. Members of Congress continue to receive paychecks during a government shutdown. Were going to just continue on with this program that we have, to reach and to meet the needs of just the federal workers, Stroman said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded on his comments about a potential 2028 presidential campaign during a wide-ranging interview Monday on CNNs The Story Is with Elex Michaelson. People talk about it and youd be lying if you havent thought about it, processed it, Newsom said. But quite literally Im making the case thats why I have this initiative, Prop 50 there might not be a 2028 election thats free and fair. The governor, who is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027, said that he hasnt thought about a presidential run beyond just a few people bringing things up and talking about the future. But Newsom, like a handful of other potential 2028 candidates, has been more forthcoming recently about his political prospects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For years, the California governor said he had sub-zero interest in running for president, even as he appeared to be taking steps to raise his national profile. Newsom said Monday his stance has changed because everything has changed. He referred to the presidents decision to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles and other cities as an example of new norms that have reshaped the country. I just think were on the other side of something radically different, not marginally different, Newsom said. Everything has changed in terms of my mindset, my focus, my energy, my perspective on the world were living in. A Newsom presidential campaign would need to confront some of the image issues hed likely face in a Democratic primary, namely the question of whether Democrats want to run someone seen as a San Francisco liberal. The governor said he plans to tackle the perception some Americans have of him in a book hes releasing next year. Newsom, who spent most of his childhood raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs, said the biggest misconception about him is this notion of the silver spoon and he was born into great wealth and privilege. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its quite the contrary, he said. Im going to be pushing back in that respect. California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks in Los Angeles, California, on August 14, as he announces the redrawing of California's congressional maps, calling on voters to approve a ballot measure, in response to a similar move in Texas. - Mike Blake/Reuters California is holding a consequential vote for the midterms At a time when Democrats are looking for new party leaders, Newsom has led the effort to pass Proposition 50, a ballot measure that would allow his party to make five GOP-held House seats in California more favorable for Democrats. Newsom said that the Department of Justices move to send election monitors to six California counties ahead of the November 4 vote on Proposition 50 was an effort to chill free speech. I mean, its a pattern and practice, he said. Theyre doing it as part of an intimidation strategy. Theyre trying to suppress the vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom also defended Proposition 50 from criticism leveled by former California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has warned Democrats would be reluctant to give up control of any new seats. If the measure passes, the state would replace maps drawn by an independent commission with new maps drawn by California Democrats through the 2030 election. This is temporary, its transparent and its democratic, Newsom said. At the same time, Newsom argued that the passage of Proposition 50 along with electoral wins in the New Jersey and Virginia governors races would boost the Democratic Party. The narrative is going to shift: Democrats are finally now no longer on their back heels, theyre on their toes, Newsom said. Its about weakness versus strength, and the challenge the Democrats have had is weve appeared weak and meek. And now we are asserting ourselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor also weighed in on state politics. He said US Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat whom he appointed to the seat, would be an outstanding governor, if he chose to run in the 2026 race. That primary was shaken up in recent weeks after former Rep. Katie Porter, seen as a frontrunner, faced backlash over videos of her berating staff and angrily avoiding follow-up questions in a news interview. Newsom said he reached out to her and said she deserved some grace. We all have a bad day, he said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A man has been convicted of rape following an incident last December. An Ontario County jury found 33-year-old Diego Angeles-Castro guilty of first-degree rape on Monday. Angeles-Castro was accused of raping an unconscious, 19-year-old woman last December. He was arrested after an investigation by the Geneva Police Department. He now faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison and 20 years of post-release supervision. After the sentence, he will be examined by the Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Angeles-Castro is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. STATESBORO, Ga (WSAV) Earlier this year, the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) announced an agreement, effective July 1, that helps provide a seamless pathway for nursing students to continue their education. The program allows graduates of TCSGs associate degree in nursing programs to transfer directly into participating USG institutions to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), establishing a true 2+2 transfer model between the two systems, according to a news release from Gov. Brian Kemps office. The release said this agreement is the first of its kind after the passage of the Top State for Talent Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgias success as the No. 1 state for business depends on a strong pipeline of talent, especially in critical fields like healthcare, Kemp said. This agreement between TCSG and USG is a perfect example of how our state is working together to expand opportunities for students, strengthen our workforce, and ensure that every Georgian has the opportunity to succeed. This would support the relationship between Ogeechee Technical College and Georgia Southern University. Ariel Cagle, associate of science in nursing program director at Ogeechee Tech, spoke with WSAV about how the agreement will help her students. I think it helps our students move through that nursing pathway and get to their end goal a lot faster, she said. Theyre able to complete their associate of science in nursing here and then they can move seamlessly to Georgia Southern to do the RN-BSN program without having to go back and take additional prerequisite courses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cagle added that earning a BSN will help students go further in their careers than just an ASN. They can graduate, pass there NCLEX-RN examination and then start working while doing the RN-BSN program online at Georgia Southern, she said. Having a BSN helps nurses get more into those leadership roles and have other opportunities elsewhere as well. The program will also assist local communities as the country continues to face a national nursing shortage. I think a big part of that problem is because we dont have these easy, seamless options for students, so I do think (the agreement) will increase the number of nurses, especially in our area here in Statesboro, Cagle said. A lot of our associate of science in nursing program students graduate and continue to work here in this rural area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV. A SNAP welcomed here sign is seen at the entrance to a Big Lots store in Portland, Oregon. (Getty Images) The political fallout from the ongoing federal government shutdown continued Monday in Georgia, as Democrats pushed to protect Americas largest food assistance program while Republicans deflected blame onto Democrats in Washington. The latest clash stemming from the federal shutdown centers on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. The SNAP program is set to run out of funds on Nov. 1, meaning that as many as 1.4 million Georgians who rely on the aid could face the abrupt loss of benefits starting this weekend. Though the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, currently has about $6 billion in a contingency fund, the department has said it will not use the money to help fund the program during the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat who chairs the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, urged Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to help fund the program during a Monday press conference at the state Capitol in Atlanta. State Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat who chairs the states Legislative Black Caucus, speaks during a Monday press conference at the state capitol in Atlanta. (Maya Homan/Georgia Recorder) This shutdown threatens to push vulnerable families even closer to the edge, Merritt said. As state leaders, we cannot stand idly by while Georgians endure the ripple effects of political inaction in Washington. State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Duluth Democrat, led a separate effort and sent a letter to Kemp requesting he declare a state of emergency in response to what she called the ongoing Trump shutdown. Parkes urged Kemp to use the states $14.6 billion surplus to provide temporary relief. She said that her constituents have already reached out with concerns about how they will feed their families if they lose SNAP benefits next month. Food is not optional and we have a moral obligation to see to it that Georgia families do not go hungry, Parkes said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock joined a coalition of Democratic senators in Washington to press the Trump administration to sustain the food assistance program. In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Democratic senators said they were alarmed that the USDA had instructed states to stop processing November benefits, claiming the agency has several tools available to avert a lapse in grocery assistance for American families. The senators called on the agency to utilize the USDAs existing authority, including its contingency funding and interchange authority, which Democratic senators said allows the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition programs to SNAP, to ensure benefits continue through November. But Kemp blamed the impasse on the Democratic leadership in Congress just moments after the Department of Human Services announced Friday it would not administer SNAP benefits in November. He called on Senate Democrats to pass the continuing resolution Republicans passed out of the House, arguing it was past time to get back to working for the people of our state. As the impacts of the Schumer shutdown are becoming clearer for Georgians, Democrats like Senators Ossoff and Warnock still refuse to do their jobs and open the government, Kemp said in a statement Friday, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The political stalemate leaves over one million Georgians, including 640,000 children, at risk of hunger. Kemps office has not returned a request for comment or publicly indicated whether the governor intends to declare a state of emergency or allocate state funds for the federal program. However, coming up with funding for the program is only part of the problem, since the infrastructure used to issue SNAP funding to residents is controlled by the federal government. Some states, including North Dakota, have been unable to load state funding onto participants electronic payment cards, according to state officials. The Georgia Department of Human Services, which helps disperse federal SNAP funds to Georgia residents, did not respond to an email inquiry about Georgias SNAP infrastructure. Nov. 1 also marks the first day of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, a program whose rising costs are at the center of the shutdown as federal enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year. If Congress does not extend the credits, Americans could see their monthly insurance premiums more than double on average, according to the nonpartisan health organization KFF. Congressional Democrats have said they will not support a GOP path to reopen the government unless Republicans agree to negotiate on rising health care costs. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE State Rep. Marcus Wiedower, a Watkinsville Republican, announced Tuesday that he is resigning from his House seat. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder It continues to be a busy year for off-cycle state legislative races in Georgia. An Athens-area Georgia lawmaker announced Tuesday that he is stepping down from the seat he has held since 2018, creating a new vacancy in the state House. State Rep. Marcus Wiedower, a Watkinsville Republican, said he is stepping down to focus more on his expanding work as vice president of external affairs at Hillpointe, a real estate development and investment management firm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This decision has been incredibly difficult. Serving in the Georgia General Assembly has been one of the greatest honors of my life, Wiedower said in a statement. Im deeply grateful for the trust placed in me by my constituents and colleagues. Wiedower served as chairman of a budget subcommittee focused on general government spending. He is also currently leading a study committee that is looking at the impacts of expanding gambling in Georgia, which is a thorny issue that has eluded proponents for years. A special election for House District 121 has not yet been called. Its a conservative-leaning district that backed Wiedower over his Democratic opponent last year with 61% of the vote. The Democrat who ran last year, Eric Gisler, announced in August that he planned to run again. The district includes parts of Oconee and Clarke counties. Special election called after the death of a Cherokee County lawmaker A special election to elect a new state representative for a House seat in a northern exurb of Atlanta has been set for Dec. 9. If a runoff is needed, it will happen on Jan. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vacancy for the Cherokee County-based district was created after Canton Republican Rep. Mandi Ballinger died earlier this month following a long battle with cancer. Ballinger, who chaired the House Judiciary Juvenile Committee, had represented the district for more than a decade. Candidates can qualify to run for the House District 23 election from Nov. 3 5. The election was set as early voting is underway for two other special elections in metro Atlanta. Voters in Gwinnett County are electing a replacement for state Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, a Snellville Democrat who stepped down last month. Two Democrats, Muhammad Akbar Ali and Marqus A. Cole, and one Republican, Jamie Parker, are running for the seat. The race is on the Nov. 4 ballot alongside a pair of closely watched contests for the Georgia Public Service Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another special election is being held to fill an Atlanta-based Senate seat. Former state Sen. Jason Esteves stepped down after one term to run for governor next year. Six candidates are competing for that seat. In August, a special election grabbed national headlines when a Democrat was the top vote-getter in a race to replace former Alpharetta Republican Sen. Brandon Beach, who is now serving as U.S. Treasurer. Republican Sen. Jason Dickerson emerged the winner of a hard-fought September runoff. Next year, all House and Senate seats, including those won in this years special elections, will be on the ballot. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX It has emerged that in mid-October, a team from the German media outlet Welt, which was working on a report alongside a mobile Ukrainian air defence unit in an open field in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, came under attack from a Russian Lancet drone. One Ukrainian soldier was killed. Source: European Pravda, citing Welt in a report dated 27 October Details: The crew was preparing a report with a mobile unit of Ukraine's air defence in an open field when a Russian Lancet drone struck a military vehicle that was accompanying the reporters during their work. Cameraman Viktor Lysenko filmed the moment of impact and the minutes that followed. Zu dem russischen Angriff kam es im Osten der #Ukraine, 25 bis 30 Kilometer hinter der Kontaktlinie. Wir befanden uns zum Zeitpunkt des Einschlags wenige Meter von der Besatzung des dreikopfigen Flugabwehrteams entfernt, da kurz zuvor ein Interview gefuhrt worden war. pic.twitter.com/rdhIDGzhpf Ibrahim Naber (@IbraNaber) October 27, 2025 The strike occurred on 13 October 2025 at about 21:35 local time in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, about 25-30 kilometres from the front line. At the moment of the blast, the team was only a few metres from a three-person military crew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 48-year-old Ukrainian air defence soldier was killed in the attack. Another soldier suffered injuries so severe that his leg had to be amputated. A Welt producer, Ivan, suffered shrapnel wounds to both legs. He received emergency care and underwent an operation in hospital. Welt's chief reporter Ibrahim Naber and cameraman Viktor Lysenko sustained minor injuries. The entire team bore clear press insignia while filming. Background: On 3 October, French reporter Antoni Lallican was killed near the town of Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast in a Russian drone strike. His Ukrainian colleague Heorhii Ivanchenko was seriously injured. On 23 October, a Russian Lancet drone strike on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, killed Ukrainian journalist Olena Hubanova and cameraman Yevhen Karmazin. Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said he was shocked by the killing of Ukrainian journalists in Donetsk Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Despite the Israeli leader's call on Tuesday for "powerful" strikes in Gaza after he said Hamas had violated the ceasefire agreement by firing on Israeli troops and delaying the hostage return, a German minister is holding fast to the peace process. During a visit to Haifa on Tuesday Education Minister Karin Prien urged the parties to hold onto the peace process, "We should not let individual setbacks in this process discourage us now," she told dpa. Prien mentioned that a student at the Givat Haviva educational centre that she visited pointed to a drop of hope. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she could only hope that all sides would use this opportunity the drop of hope - to continue on a path towards greater peace. Her comments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to carry out "powerful attacks" in the Gaza Strip immediately. According to a media report, there had previously been a firefight in the southern Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire. Israel is also angered over what it calls Hamas' slow pace in returning the bodies of deceased hostages. The latest coffin handed over to Israel by Hamas on Monday night contained additional remains of an Israeli hostage whose body had been recovered almost two years ago, sparking outrage in Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahu called the misidentified remais a "clear violation" of the US-backed ceasefire agreement, which required Hamas to quickly return all hostages, living or dead. Israel accuses Hamas of deliberately stalling the transfer of bodies, while Hamas says it is struggling to recover the dead amid widespread destruction in Gaza. Since a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist Hamas began on October 10 under the peace plan of US President Donald Trump, there have been repeated fatal incidents. A German court on Tuesday found a police officer guilty of failing to investigate a suspected stabbing attack, which came months before the suspect would go on to kill two people in the southern city of Aschaffenburg. After a woman was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend last August at a shelter for refugees in the town of Alzenau, between Frankfurt and Aschaffenburg, the 29-year-old officer did not initiate an investigation, the court said. "He did nothing, absolutely nothing," presiding judge Torsten Kemmerer said, accusing the defendant of indifference and laziness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January, the suspect, an Afghan national who was later found to be mentally ill, travelled to nearby Aschaffenburg where he attacked a group of infants in a city park, leaving two people dead including a small child. Court proceedings began earlier this month over the January attack, which made national headlines during the campaign for February's parliamentary elections, stirring debate on immigration policies. The suspect's criminal responsibility for the incident has been called into question due to mental health issues. The officer who failed to act on last year's suspected stabbing attack at the refugee shelter was sentenced to a five-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay 3,000 ($3,500) to an aid organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ruling can be appealed. Prosecutors had accused the defendant of having been aware at the time that someone had been stabbed in Alzenau and that there were photos of the incident. But the officer failed to inform prosecutors about the case, thereby obstructing investigations, chief prosecutor Christoph Gillot said. Gillot said it was unclear whether investigations into the Alzenau stabbing could have prevented the attack in Aschaffenburg, but added that the question was irrelevant in the present proceedings. The defendant did not address the accusations during the trial, meaning it remains unclear why he did not act at the time. Police in Chattahoochee Hills are working to find the person responsible for shooting and killing a dog on Saturday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] According to officials, a witness called police after seeing a large, taped trash bag along Woodruff Road. Inside, investigators found an adult Sable German Shepherd with a bloody head injury and no identification tags or collar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evidence indicates the dog suffered two gunshot wounds to the back of the head. TRENDING STORIES: The CPD is asking anyone with information to come forward. They hope to identify the animal and the person or persons responsible for its condition and disposal. Anyone with information is urged to contact Det. Lee Martin at 770-463-6579 or Det. Anna Bridwell at 770-463-6590. You may also email them at lee.martin@chatthillsga.us or anna.bridwell@chatthillsga.us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A reference photo has been provided by the police department to help the public identify the dog, though it is not an image of the actual animal involved in the case. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] German defence contractor Rheinmetall has signed a contract with Bulgaria worth 1 billion ($1.2 billion) for a joint venture to build a new factory for gunpowder and ammunition, Sofia announced on Tuesday. Under the deal signed by Rheinmetall chief executive Armin Papperger and the executive director of Bulgaria's state-owned defence company WMZ, Ivan Gezov, Rheinmetall holds 51% of the shares, while Bulgaria gets 49%. The new plant, to be established on the WMZ premises near Sopot in central Bulgaria, is to produce gunpowder and 100,000 artillery shells per year in accordance with NATO standards. It is expected to create around 1,000 new jobs and could be completed within 14 months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will build up enormous production potential," Papperger said. He said that according to the Bulgarian government, the European Union and NATO need millions of shells. "This project would not be possible without the synergy generated by the [European] Union and NATO to better defend Europe on behalf of its citizens," said Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. Bulgaria's Economy Minister Peter Dilov said the partnership combines "Germany's technological experience and Bulgaria's industrial potential." In the summer of 1908, America was transfixed by the murder of a woman found floating in a country pond in upstate New York. The mystery of a young beauty brutally killed became an instant sensation, splashed across the front page of the country's newspapers. Was she killed by a spurned lover? Was she leading a secret double life outside of her station as a governess to the wealthy residents of Troy, New York? Did she know too many secrets? The murder went unsolved, though, and after about three weeks, the girl in the pond was all but forgotten. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than a century later, the cold case rocketed back into the public eye thanks to a popular television show and true crime-obsessed pop culture. In this new limited series podcast from the Times Union, we'll go back in time to an era of wealth and prosperity, rampant political corruption, and secrets and lies in Upstate New York. We'll unravel the mystery of the life and death of Hazel Drew, and why her story still resonates today. Listen here, or subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Teal's Pond, April 2025 (Jessica Marshall/Times Union) Episode 1: Ghost Stories' Stories about a ghostly young woman appearing in and around Sand Lake, New York, have persisted for generations. Those who tell the stories, whether they've seen the ghost themselves or heard about it secondhand, believe it's the ghost of Hazel Drew, who was mysteriously murdered and found floating in a pond there in 1908. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For some, the ghost stories have inspired a quest to solve her murder. For others, they've spurred creativity: The story of Hazel Drew's ghost became an inspiration for the hit television series "Twin Peaks." Episode 2: Pond Mystery' A peek back into the Times Union newspaper archives reveals a wealth of information about the investigation into Hazel Drew's murder in the summer of 1908. But no official records remain, and all the players, from investigators to potential suspects, are long dead. Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore and retired Rensselaer County resident Mark Marshall spent years researching the case and trying to figure out what happened. But without anything official from law enforcement - something very unlikely at this point - they can do little more than theorize about what happened at Teal's Pond more than a century ago. Episode 3: Come to Troy' The upstate New York city where Hazel Drew was living and working was a booming center of industry at the Eastern Terminus of the Erie Canal in the early 20th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it also was a roiling stew of political corruption and resistance to the momentum of social change in the Progressive Era. Life could be very challenging for a young woman trying to make her way in this damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't world. Episode 4: Family Ties' As the investigation into Hazel Drew's murder began in July of 1908, investigators ran into roadblocks in the form of her family members, who either didn't know, or would not reveal information about her life. And it may have been the key to solving the case. A class photo from a Poestenkill school, 1896. Courtesy Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore. (Courtesy Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore) Episode 5: The Third Degree and the Fourth Estate' In 1908, the idea of law enforcement as an investigatory body hadn't quite caught on. Police forces were more brute squad than Sherlock Holmes. Corruption among the ranks of law and order was rampant, and criminal confessions were often coerced, leading to the prosecution of innocents. The investigation of Hazel Drew's murder case was an arduous task for the Rensselaer County district attorney and his skeleton crew of detectives, who lacked technology, experience, and defense against intense pressure from the media to solve the crime. Episode 6: Situationships' Hazel's letters to friends led investigators and the media to revelations about her romantic life, and possible clues to her killer. Several other discoveries amid her recovered personal belongings also began to shed light on what she was planning in the final days of her life. This article originally published at The Girl in the Pond' investigates the mystery of Hazel Drew's murder. Conservative commentator Glenn Beck announced on Monday the creation of an online library that will provide users with an artificial intelligence resource to navigate his vast collection of historical artifacts. Over the past two decades, Beck has built what he claims is the largest private collection of American founding documents in the world, surpassed only by the Library of Congress and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Beck previewed his plans during his Monday radio program. On Jan. 5, 2026, he will launch the Glenn and Tania Beck Foundation for American History, a privately funded trust, to make his collection of over a million documents accessible to everyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is my next and final step in my career, and it is the culmination of everything that I have done and built, Beck said. This is the moment that I try to pass the torch to you. The new platform, called The Torch, will feature an AI librarian named George that will base responses exclusively on the words of George Washington, the writings of other Founding Fathers, the books they would have read and the sermons they would have heard, Beck said. Unlike other large language models, like ChatGPT, The Torch will not have hallucinations, or the ability to make false claims, according to Beck, because it will respond based directly on primary source historical documents. Beck envisions The Torch being used as a teaching resource that connects Americans with the beliefs, values and intentions of the countrys founders, in their own words, instead of through modern interpretations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the final chapter of my career, to try to restore curiosity, Beck said. Try to restore the ability to ask questions about history and then get honest results back without any bias, just based on actual documents. Is Glenn Beck retiring? Beck has long harbored concerns about AI, often speaking to his audience about the potential for AI to boost government surveillance programs, control investment portfolios and rewrite history. But by developing his own proprietary AI database, Beck hopes he can utilize AI to permanently preserve the physical evidence of Americas soul, providing unique insight into the nations exceptional beginnings. Becks physical archive is currently split between multiple locations, including vaults at his Texas and Idaho residences. Beck says he has now created a digital vault, where historical documents are registered on a blockchain, prohibiting future tampering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So these facts and artifacts will never, ever be lost, unless you want to shut down the entire internet, Beck said. The Torch will be made available as an app, or through glennbeck.com, on Jan. 5, 2026, with plans for significant expansion throughout the year marking this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Beck clarified that he is not retiring from his radio program, but suggested that he will be focusing on in-depth investigations. The Torch will also give users access to over 30 years of Beck content his entire lifes work including every radio show, book, video and speech Beck has produced since becoming a talk show star. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since starting the Glenn Beck program in 2000, Beck has gained the nations fourth largest radio audience of around 8.75 million, while also hosting key time slots on CNN and Fox News, and founding Blaze Media. On Monday, Beck, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he recently realized he was meant to accomplish much more work during his life. I can now turn to what I want to do, which is my next disruption and my next creative venture, because as a nation we are now suffering from a lack of true education, Beck said. In early November 1927, the front pages of newspapers all over France featured photographs not of the usual politicians, aviators or sporting events, but of a group of archaeologists engaged in excavation. The slow, painstaking work of archaeology was rarely headline news. But this was no ordinary dig. A front-page spread in the Excelsior newspaper from Nov. 8, 1927, features archaeologists at work in the field with the headline What the learned commission found at the Glozel excavations. Excelsior/BnF Gallica The archaeologists pictured were members of an international team assembled to assess the authenticity of a remarkable site in Frances Auvergne region. Three years before, farmers plowing their land at a place called Glozel had come across what seemed to be a prehistoric tomb. Excavations by Antonin Morlet, an amateur archaeologist from Vichy, the nearest town of any size, yielded all kinds of unexpected objects. Morlet began publishing the finds in late 1925, immediately producing lively debate and controversy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Certain characteristics of the site placed it in the Neolithic era, approximately 10,000 B.C.E. But Morlet also unearthed artifact types thought to have been invented thousands of years later, notably pottery and, most surprisingly, tablets or bricks with what looked like alphabetic characters. Some scholars cried foul, including experts on the inscriptions of the Phoenicians, the people thought to have invented the Western alphabet no earlier than 2000 B.C.E. Was Glozel a stunning find with the capacity to rewrite prehistory? Or was it an elaborate hoax? By late 1927, the dispute over Glozels authenticity had become so strident that an outside investigation seemed warranted. The Glozel affair now amounts to little more than a footnote in the history of French archaeology. As a historian, I first came across descriptions of it in some histories of French archaeology. With a bit of investigating, it wasnt hard to find first-person accounts of the affair. Examples of the kinds of inscriptions found at the Glozel site, as recorded by scholar Salomon Reinach. 'Ephemerides de Glozel'/Wikimedia Commons But it was only when I began studying the private papers of one of the leading contemporary skeptics of Glozel, an archaeologist and expert on Phoenician writing named Rene Dussaud, that I realized the magnitude and intensity of this controversy. After publishing a short book showing that the so-called Glozel alphabet was a mishmash of previously known early alphabetic writing, in October 1927 Dussaud took out a subscription to a clipping service to track mentions of the Glozel affair; in four months he received over 1,500 clippings, in 10 languages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dussaud clippings became the basis for the account of Glozel in my recent book, Sensations. That the contours of the affair first became clear to me in a pile of yellowed newspaper clippings is appropriate, because Glozel embodies a complex relationship between science and the media that persists today. The newspaper Le Matin, which vigorously promoted Glozels authenticity, even sponsored its own dig near the site, led by a journalist. Le Matin/BnF Gallica Serious scientists in the trenches The international commissions front-page visit to Glozel marked a watershed in the controversy, even if it did not resolve it entirely. In a painstaking report published in the scholarly Revue anthropologique just before Christmas 1927, the commission recounted the several days of digging it conducted, provided detailed plans of the site, described the objects it unearthed and carefully explained its conclusion that the site was not ancient. Recovered objects displayed in the Fradins museum in 1927. Agence de presse Meurisse/Wikimedia Commons The report emphasized the importance of proper archaeological method. Early on, the commissioners noted that they were experienced diggers, all with past fieldwork to their credit, in different chronological subfields of archaeology. In contrast, they noted that the Glozel site showed clear signs of a lack of order and method. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their initial meeting in Vichy, the assembled archaeologists agreed that they would give no interviews during their visit to Glozel and would not speak to the press afterward. But, aware of certain tendentious articles published by a few newspapers, the visitors issued a communique stating that they would neither confirm nor deny any press reports. Their scholarly publication would be their final word on the non-ancientness of the site. The distinction between true science what the archaeologists were practicing and the media seemed absolute. Sensationalist coverage, but careful details, too And yet matters were not so simple. Many newspapers devoted extensive and careful coverage to Glozel. They offered explanations of archaeological terminology. They explained the larger stakes of the controversy, which, beyond the invention of the alphabet, involved nothing less than the direction of the development of Western civilization itself, whether from Mesopotamia in the east to Europe in the west or the reverse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even articles about seemingly trivial matters, such as the work clothes the archaeologists donned to perform their test excavations at Glozel, served to reinforce the larger point the commissioners made in their report. In contrast to the proper suits and ties they wore for formal photographs marking their arrival, the visitors all put on blue overalls, which for one newspaper gave them the air of apprentice locksmiths or freshly decked-out electricians. The risk, apparent in this jocular reference, of losing the social standing afforded them by their professional degrees and education was worth taking because it drove home these archaeologists devotion to their discipline, which their report described as a daily moral obligation. Morlet, far left, and the international commission in front of the Fradins museum in November 1927. Garrod is third from the left. Agence Meurisse Skeptical scientists did rely on journalism If archaeologists continued to mistrust the many newspapers that sensationalized Glozel, its stakes and their work in general, they could not escape the popular media entirely, so they confided in a few journalists at papers they considered responsible. Shortly after the publication of the report, which was summarized and excerpted in the daily press, original excavator Morlet accused Dorothy Garrod, the only woman on the commission, of having tampered with the site. A group of archaeologists responded on her behalf, explaining what she had actually been doing and defending her professionalism in the press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the most basic level, media coverage recorded the standard operating procedures of archaeology and its openness to outside scrutiny. This was in contrast to Morlets excavations, which limited access only to believers in the authenticity of Glozel. Under the watchful eyes of reporters and photographers, the outside archaeologists investigating Glozel knew quite well that they were engaged in a kind of performance, one in which their discipline, as much as this particular discovery, was on trial. Like the signs in my neighborhood proclaiming that science is real, the international commission depended on and sought to fortify the publics confidence in the integrity of scientific inquiry. To do that, it needed the media even while expressing a healthy skepticism about it. Its a balancing act that persists in todays era of trusting science. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Daniel J. Sherman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: This article draws on research funded by the Institut d'Etudes Avancees (Paris), the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as Daniel Sherman's employer, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As debate over the pace of growth in Lebanon continues, Mayor Rick Bell said a mixed-use development approved for up to 574 multifamily units is too beneficial to pass up. The Lifestyle Communities project, dubbed LC Lebanon, along Franklin Road, south of Interstate 40 and near South Hartmann Drive got underway in July with a ceremonial groundbreaking on Oct. 24. Morning Ritual is a Lifestyle Communities coffee shop brand that is part of LC Lebanon. Bell, who spoke at the ceremony, said the project's amenities include a sit-down restaurant and coffee shop make it an overall win for the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Lebanon is able to pick and choose what development we want and this is a development we want," Bell said. "It's a step up from what we got before. It's in a perfect location right off the interstate. It's something that will provide amenities for people throughout the city. But also, it creates a great community for people who are going to live here." The Goat Restaurant and Bar is the Lifestyle Communities brand restaurant. The coffee shop, named Morning Ritual, is part of the Lifestyle Communities umbrella. Code Fitness, a pool and sand volleyball and pickleball courts are also amenities that can be used by the public, Lifestyle Communities Executive Vice President Michael Mueller said. Bell and Lebanon Economic and Community Development Director Sarah Haston said residents have consistently voiced a desire for more upscale and diverse dining options. The site plan was previously approved for 590 units but was revised to a slightly lower number to make room for the Lifestyle Communities brand hotel in the development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three-story hotel is approved for 16 rooms on the first and second floors with a third floor dedicated to residential units, according to Lebanon Planning Department. The Goat and Morning Ritual are part of the first phase that Mueller estimates will be finished in the summer of 2027. The first residential units labeled townhomes and flats are also estimated for completion in the summer of 2027. The first phase includes 423 home units that will be available for rent. In-N-Out Burger, Target and more coming nearby Lifestyle Communities is part of a rapidly growing section of Lebanon, which Bell said has come after sewer expansion was approved by the City Council. Del Webb at Barton Village is a 55-over community approved for more than 700 single-family homes and under construction along Barton Village Boulevard along South Hartmann Drive, also just south of I-40 and not far from Lifestyle Communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Del Webb at Barton Village is part of the Barton Village mixed-use development that includes additional homes, commercial and office space on about 350 acres just off I-40. Retailers like Sam's Club and Target and restaurants like In-N-Out Burger are future commercial additions in different stages of development coming to the area just north of I-40. Work is underway on LC Lebanon, a Lifestyle Communities mixed-use development that will include a restaurant and coffee shop. Lifestyle Communities has other Middle Tennessee developments that include Mt. Juliet, Nashville and Murfreesboro. Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lebanon mayor cheers 574-home project with The Goat, Morning Ritual GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Top Brush Intervention is a West Michigan company that uses goats to chew through invasive plants and landscapes. Its an eco-friendly way to target bad plants without any chemicals or machines. 58 goats have been roaming through a wooded area along 3 Mile Road in Grand Rapids and surrounding areas the past few days, targeting the invasive plant bittersweet. It (the plant) will wrap itself around trees and essentially kill the trees, it will bring down the trees eventually, Jeff Smith, a landowner, explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Besides efficiency, the goats are also better for the environment. Any of the chemical herbicides that are applied to the vegetation will eventually make their way to the watershed, said Dr. Michelle Walker of Top Brush Intervention. Thats ideally what we really like to want to avoid or at least reduce. Walker is in charge of the herd and working with property owners in the area for the removal project. It really does work a lot more effectively and efficiently to have the adjacent property owners involved with larger projects such as this because we reduce the reseeding potential in the entire area, Walker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a property owner, were just trying to be a good steward to the land not only that we own, but the land thats adjacent to us to make sure this wooded area thrives, Smith said. The goats stay busy most of the year from spring until fall, tackling invasive species that are bad for communities but serve as a good snack for the herd. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Oct. 27Lisa Lataille gave a little smile Monday afternoon on the sidewalk in front of the Monongalia County Justice Center. Minutes before in the glass-walled center, Magistrate Dimas Reyes accepted the guilty plea of Sukhjinder Singh the longhaul trucker charged with vehicular homicide in a crash on Interstate 68 on Jan. 19 that sent the car of her husband Kevin careening off the Cheat Lake Bridge. He will now serve a year in the North Central Regional Jail and be ordered to pay a $1, 000 fine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lisa, meanwhile, smoothed her purple T-shirt with her husband's photograph and the writing, "Justice for Kevin, " and remembered their days as husband and wife. They were always laughing, doing things together, she said. Yes, they got through fixup projects in their house (with nary an argument), and yes, they still carved out time for date nights even after 10 years of marriage. "Such a good heart, " she said. "He was everything." Singh, 37, who had been driving for a California-based trucking company, was charged with driving too fast for road conditions, in the middle of a wintry blast, on that Sunday evening in the middle of the Cheat Lake Bridge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eyewitnesses told sheriff's deputies that Singh had already struck several vehicles before the fatal collision with Lataille, who had finished his shift at the Patteson Drive Eat n' Park and was on his way home. That's normally a 30-minute drive, but not on this day it was snowing heavily, visibility was down and so were temperatures. He knew she'd be home, fretting about the weather, so he called from the parking lot. "Hey, I'm leaving, " he said in a cellphone call to Lisa. "Well, be careful, " came her reply. That was the last thing they ever said to one another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A week later, Kevin Laitalle's car was freed from the ice of Cheat Lake, which was still frozen over following the spate of Arctic-styled weather that had rolled in on the day of his death. He was still in the driver's seat, still wearing a seatbelt. Given the way the law was written, Lisa Lataille said she felt justice was served though she and family members would have liked a stronger penalty. She and family members did prevail in a lawsuit which was leveled three months after his death. They didn't discuss the settlement, preferring to keep it confidential. Singh, who remained lodged in the jail in Doddridge County, wasn't present for the hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dayton Meadows, his attorney, said the truck driver was cooperative through the aftermath of the crash and the investigation that followed. Brandon Benchoff, the lawyer representing the county's case, said Singh failed to tell authorities of the collision with Lataille's vehicle while initially fighting extradition from California, where he was eventually arrested. In Reyes' courtroom, Lisa Lataille leaned on her cane (she has mobility issues) and spoke in a clear voice: "My world was shattered in an instant, " she said. Outside, on that sidewalk, she talked about the way people were drawn to her husband, a 59-year-old Rhode Island native who relocated to Pennsylvania after a tour in the U.S. Navy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His friends even searched on foot in extreme weather in the hours and days after his family declared him missing. "If Kevin could help you, he would, " she said. "It's like he'd do anything for anybody. He was just a good guy, taken too soon." CHICAGO (AP) Just before noon on a sunny Friday earlier this month, federal immigration agents threw tear gas canisters onto a busy Chicago street, just outside of an elementary school and a childrens play cafe. Parents, teachers and caretakers rushed to shield children from the chaos, and have been grappling ever since with how to explain to them what theyd seen: how much to tell them so they know enough to stay safe, but not too much to rob them of their innocence. Weeks later, families even those not likely in danger of being rounded up in immigration raids say they remain terrified it will happen again, demonstrating how fear seeps into every facet of American life when the Trump administrations immigration crackdown takes over a city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why did the agents tear gas a residential neighborhood? The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Border Patrol agents were impeded by protesters during a targeted enforcement operation in which one man was arrested. The Chicago crackdown, dubbed Operation Midway Blitz, began in early September. Masked, armed agents in unmarked trucks patrol neighborhoods, and residents have protested in ways big and small against what they see as their city under siege. DHS wrote that its agents are being terrorized: Our brave officers are facing a surge in increase in assaults against them, inducing sniper attacks, cars being used as weapons on them, and assaults by rioters. This violence against law enforcement must END. We will not be deterred by rioters and protesters in keeping America safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agents arrived in an unmarked SUV about half a block from Funston Elementary School in Logan Square, a neighborhood on the citys northwest side. Videos show they were being tailed by cars that were honking their horns to alert neighbors that this was an immigration enforcement operation. A scooter pulled in front of the SUV to try to block it in. The SUVs passenger side window rolled down and a masked man inside threw the tear gas canisters onto the street. The DHS statement said agents deployed tear gas and pepper balls after repeated vocal attempts to disperse the crowd. Witnesses say there was no warning Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fifth grade teacher Liza Oliva-Perez was walking to the grocery store across the street for lunch. She noticed a helicopter circling, then the SUV and its tail of honking cars. That morning, another teacher gave her a whistle with instructions to blow it if immigration agents were nearby. As Oliva-Perez fumbled getting the whistle to her lips, the SUVs window rolled down and the masked man threw the first gas canister. I couldnt fathom that was happening, said Oliva-Perez. Then he threw another, this time in her direction. She said she was only feet away on the sidewalk and didnt hear the agents say anything. Then she ran toward the school, yelling at staff to get the children inside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Toddlers were having lunch at a play cafe down the street A half-dozen toddlers were sitting in the window of the Luna y Cielo Play Cafe, where children learn Spanish as they play while parents and caregivers sip coffee. Owner Vanessa Aguirre-Avalos ran outside to see what was happening, as the childrens nannies hustled them to a back room. Aguirre-Avalos is a U.S. citizen and the nannies are citizens or are legally allowed to work in the U.S. Even so, they were terrified. One nanny begged Aguirre-Avalos: If they take me, please make sure the children get home safe. Molly Kucich, whose 2-year-old and 14-month old sons were at Luna y Cielo, was grocery shopping. Her husband called. She heard immigration raid and then: tear gas. She abandoned her grocery cart and drove as fast as she could and pulled up onto the curb outside, so frantic to get to her boys that she didnt care if her car might be towed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2-year-old was so frightened that he stuttered. Mommy, mommy, mommy, he repeated, clinging to her. In the weeks since, hes fixated on his nanny, a U.S. citizen from Guatemala. He asks where she is and when shes coming. He jumps at the sound of sirens. His mother called their pediatrician for a referral to see a therapist. Since the incident, Andrea Soria, whose 6-year-old plays at Luna y Cielo, has overheard her whisper to her dolls: We have to be good or ICE will get us, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. These kids are traumatized, Aguirre-Avalos said. Even if ICE stops doing what theyre doing right now, people are going to be traumatized. The damage is already done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The neighborhood rushes to protect its children Teachers at Funston Elementary spent the afternoon telling the children that everything was fine. But they dreaded the bell at the end of the day. Theyd have to lead the students outside, and they didnt know what would be waiting. Masked men? More tear gas? First grade teacher Maria Heavener spread the word in community group chats that the school needed help. When the final bell rang, she walked her students outside. In every direction, neighbors lined the sidewalk, dozens of them. There were people whod never considered themselves activists, or even particularly political, standing there, enraged, scanning the streets for unmarked SUVs and masked men. They signed up to come back every morning and afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You dont mess with the kids. You dont go near the schools, Heavener said. Whatever your agenda is, that feels like its crossing a lot of lines. Evelyn Medina stood outside her gift shop next door to the school and watched the children walking by. Two little boys gripped each other so tightly their fingers dug into each others hands. They were so scared, said Medina, who cries when she thinks about how they looked leaving school that day. It was really hard to see, imagining whats going on in their little minds. ___ The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Orimartin Lima graduated Oct. 24 from a five-day training class on offshore wind worker safety at the Community College of Rhode Island's Lincoln campus. He was supposed to start work on the Revolution Wind project but lost the job due to project rescheduling. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current) Orimartin Limas graduation from a weeklong offshore wind safety training program last Friday was bittersweet. The completion of the global certification through the Community College of Rhode Island was supposed to lead directly to a union job with the Revolution Wind project. But instead of shipping out to sea to climb towering turbines in Rhode Island Sound, Lima is stuck on land, watching his job, and his plan, slip away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had goals, buying a house, all this other stuff that came to a halt, Lima, 34, of Pawtucket, said in a recent interview. Now I have all this time, so I really have been thinking too much. I [am] in my head a lot. The federal administration abruptly ordered work to stop on the 700-megawatt project in August under the guise of national security concerns. In response to a lawsuit filed by the project developers, a federal judge in D.C. issued a preliminary injunction in late September, letting work resume on the project that was already 80% complete. A separate lawsuit filed by attorneys general in Rhode Island and Connecticut remains under review in federal court in Rhode Island. Local ports in Providence and New London, Connecticut, hum with activity as specialty vessels carrying workers and skyscraper-sized equipment travel out to sea. The project still appears poised to meet its mid-2026 operational deadline of supplying 700 megawatts of nameplate capacity enough to power 350,000 homes to Rhode Island and Connecticut. But the monthlong pause left two dozen union painters and tradespeople, including Lima, out of the work and paychecks they were relying on for the next several months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meaghan Wims, a spokesperson for Orsted, the Danish co-developer of the project, confirmed in an email that painting work was rescheduled to next year to focus on more time-sensitive tasks while weather remained favorable and vessels available. Logistical planning for any large construction project is a dynamic process, Wims said in her response. She did not comment specifically on the layoffs, but pointed to the work created through the projects preparation and construction: more than 1,900 union jobs, with 4 million work-hours to date. Orsted has also invested millions of dollars into ports and piers in Providence and Quonset, including a $100 million wind manufacturing hub at ProvPort intended to buoy offshore wind projects across the region. The company funded the global wind training course through CCRI that Lima just completed, with a $500,000 grant to cover the $2,500 per-person costs for the first group of trainees. Little comfort to Justin Kelley, business manager for the local chapter of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Less than 24 hours after the D.C. judges order letting work resume, he had to deliver the news to his members that they were out of work. A house of cards collapsed We were gearing up to have people working all over, on the monopiles, the substations, overlapping crews here and in New York, Kelley said in a recent interview. That all fell in like a house of cards. Now, we have guys out of work, members who are angry because they desperately wanted to work on this project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He continued, What do I tell them now? Other work that was available to local trade workers is now reaching its seasonal conclusion. You have to have atmospheric conditions to paint steel, Kelley said. We were gearing up to have people working all over, on the monopiles, the substations, overlapping crews here and in New York. That all fell in like a house of cards. Justin Kelley, business manager for the local chapter of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Even before the cold set in, many of the major road and infrastructure projects that hire painters union members had been paused or canceled because of rescinded federal funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite President Donald Trumps anti-wind directives, which had already halted reviews on other projects still awaiting federal permits, officials and industry experts initially considered Revolution Wind safe from political volatility. Project developers secured the final federal approval in November 2023. For local union laborers, the projects multiyear construction offered a steady source of income without having to scramble to find a new project every month or two. Construction workers are the [original] gig workers, said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. They are constantly trying to line up work so that as soon as they end one job, they can start the next. Nick Reynolds, a member of the local painters union, started working on project components in ProvPort in October 2022, repainting pieces of the 40-foot-tall internal platforms damaged in transport from their Polish manufacturing site. He enjoyed the work, relishing the opportunity to be part of a new industry and the prospect of future gigs on other regional offshore wind projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reynolds is still working in ProvPort, but his enthusiasm has soured in the aftermath of the stop-work order. I was under the impression that once all the permitting and financial process was done, there was no legal way to stop the work, Reynolds, 35, of Providence said. If it can be done here, it can be done anywhere. Jobs in jeopardy Reynolds and his fellow union members were expecting years of good paying, steady work as more offshore wind projects begin construction. Many of those projects are now in jeopardy, with federal permits revoked, contract negotiations delayed and financing questionable. I cant imagine investors are going to jump at the opportunity to spend money in a place where the projects have uncertainty attached to them, Reynolds said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orsted has already reported hundreds of billions of dollars in financial impairments amid rising costs for its East Coast wind projects, including the $5 billion Revolution Wind project. Earlier this month, the company announced it will layoff 25% of its 8,000 person global workforce by the end of 2027 to shore up its balance sheet as it prepares to take on new offshore wind projects, with an eye toward Europe and the Asia-Pacific area. Wims declined to comment on the potential for layoffs in the region. Anticipatory anxiety is setting in for local laborers. People are rethinking this entire thing, Kelley said. They dont want to spend hours training for a job that might not exist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lima learned his job had fallen through months after signing up for a five-day safety training at CCRI to hone his abilities working at heights, sea survival and other necessary skills. The training had already been paid for so he completed it, but without much passion. I feel like I am spending all this time for no reason, Lima said. He said he could have spent that time looking for another job, or even taking some side work to help pay his bills. He already received the maximum amount of state unemployment benefits allowed for the year. I have money saved, but I am burning through that fast, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lima offers a compelling example of why Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha continues to argue for a separate court order on the project in Rhode Island federal court. This is the problem with halting a project out of the blue, Neronha said in a recent interview. The people who lose, many times, include the everyday Rhode Islanders who are working on these projects. Legal matters Neronha and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong continue to push for a preliminary injunction against the federal administration, protecting the Revolution Wind project from impeding their states environmental and economic interests. The U.S. Department of Justice attorneys representing the administration have rebutted the AGs request as unnecessary, given the ruling in the D.C. case more than a month ago, according to court filings. Justice Department attorneys also sought to consolidate the two cases into one in D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is the problem with halting a project out of the blue. The people who lose, many times, include the everyday Rhode Islanders who are working on these projects. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha Neronha is intent on keeping the states case in its home court, though. Our interests are different from Orsted, Neronha said. I want to make sure we are protecting the interests of Rhode Islanders, and of people in Connecticut. The dueling motions remain pending before U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy as of Monday. While the government shutdown has limited hours and operations in federal courts nationwide, including in Providence, the AGs Revolution Wind lawsuit remains on schedule, Neronha said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Pressure is building on Democratic and Republican leaders to end the 28-day shutdown after the nations largest federal workers union called for an end to the stalemate as rank-and-rile GOP lawmakers sound the alarm over rising health insurance premiums. The blunt message from Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, is one of the biggest developments in the monthlong standoff. It appeared to be aimed squarely at Senate Democrats, who have voted a dozen times to block a clean seven-week continuing resolution passed last month by the House, and it came from someone representing 820,000 federal and D.C. workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In calling on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today, Kelley argued that both political parties have made their point and that its time to bring hundreds of thousands of government employees back to work. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said the statement would have a lot of impact and that Democrats would discuss it in the days ahead. Theyve been our friends, and weve worked with them over the years. Ive had a good connection with them and Ive talked to them. Theyre in a terrible mess. So many of their workers are not being paid, Durbin said of the union. Even so, other major unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents between 1.4 million and 1.6 million state and local workers, havent broken with the Democratic position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Durbin, the No. 2-ranking Senate Democratic leader, said the expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding starting Nov. 1 is another major concern. The SNAP program feeds 1 out of 8 Americans, and Ive heard a lot about it back home over the years, he said, adding that the looming shortfall in SNAP funding is driving a sense of urgency in the Senate Democratic caucus. Republicans, for their part, are feeling pressure from members of their party to address rising health insurance premiums in GOP-leaning and swing states, where insurance companies are warning of substantial cost increases in 2026. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Monday that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is working with three House committee chairs to craft a health care plan to address concerns related to the expiration of enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Republicans argue the ACA or ObamaCare is bad policy, they acknowledge that double-digit premium increases could hurt their political chances in next years elections. It affects everybody. Our premiums are going to go up 19 percent, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said. Basically, our health care is going to hell in a handbasket. He said the expiration of the enhanced subsidies is responsible for only a fraction of the projected higher health care costs next year. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the expiration of SNAP funding and the start of the ACAs open enrollment period in many states Nov. 1, which will drive home the financial burden of higher premium costs for many families, is a potential inflection point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve heard pretty clearly through [the U.S. Department of Agriculture] that youre not going to see these SNAP benefits paid out. Thats happening at the same time youve got the release of the ACA premiums. So, youve got a pivot point that many have looked at and said, Thats going to be the precipitating event. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Monday that Republicans cant allow the enhanced health insurance subsidies to simply expire at the end of the end of the year. Im in the camp of that we cant just allow the premium support to expire, he said. If we do, without doing something else about it, its going to double the cost of premiums in my state. Its a half a million people, almost, in my state who buy their insurance on the exchange. Thats just not going to be affordable. Hawley said there are some very sensible reforms that could be made to the program to ensure the very wealthy arent getting subsidized insurance and to require lower-income Americans pay into the system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing air traffic controller staffing shortages are also adding to the pressure. More than 50 airports around the country have reported staff shortages in recent days as air traffic controllers have been required to work for weeks without pay. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary ground stop on Sunday due to a staffing problem at a Southern California air traffic facility, delaying flights departing from Los Angeles International Airport. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Fox Newss Sunday Morning Futures that air traffic controllers are wearing thin and that passengers should expect additional delays in the days ahead. Durbin told reporters Monday that he would vote for bills to pay SNAP benefits and air traffic controllers during the shutdown, reflecting a broader desire among Senate Democrats to address the mounting public anger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Sunday that military service members will miss paychecks Nov. 15 if the shutdown drags on for several more weeks. He said the administration would have enough flexibility to pay the troops at the end of the month but that $8 billion in unspent research and development funds identified by Pentagon officials to cover service members pay would soon run out. Senate Republicans have discussed several strategies for bringing bills to reopen all or parts of the federal government, including proposals to pay military members and air traffic controllers. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Monday the easiest way to solve the financial strain felt is for Democrats to vote for a House-passed resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats, however, have already blocked that measure 12 times on the Senate floor. A Gallup poll published last week found that Americans approval rating of Congress has dropped by 11 percentage points to 15 percent since the shutdown began. Several polls indicate voters blame Republicans slightly more than Democrats for the shutdown, but many blame both parties. Senators in both parties are starting to hear directly about the financial hardships that congressional staff and Capitol police have endured because of missed paychecks. Murkowski told colleagues on the Senate floor that she heard from a police officer who had to find a way to pay for gas for the 40-minute commute to the Capitol and for all-day child care while working without pay to protect lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Alaska senator said shes starting to worry about the impact on people not only financially but from a mental health perspective. Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) told The Hill that he encountered a Capitol worker who was in tears because of the strain of not knowing when she would get her next paycheck. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. GOSHEN The Goshen College Education Department, in partnership with the Lilly Foundation, is pleased to announce that it will be holding a Science of Reading Summit on Nov. 7-8. The summit will include workshops for teachers, administrators and parents on strategies for teaching literacy to young children. The summits featured speaker is Dr. Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, president of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas, and bilingual speech and language pathologist. Dr. Cardenas-Hagan is a national expert on what the science of reading means for English language learners, said Kathy Meyer Reimer, professor and director of education at Goshen College. Weve got some lovely things planned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friday, Nov. 7, will include two half-day sessions for teachers and administrators on the science of reading, with a special focus on multilingual learners. The schedule allows schools to share a substitute teacher between staff members, with one attending the morning session and the other in the afternoon. Lunch will be provided to all participants on Friday. On Saturday, Nov. 8, Cardenas-Hagan will give a keynote address for parents on how to help their children with literacy skills. While the teachers address on Friday will be heavy on instruction, the Saturday session will explain basic aspects of the science of reading. Cardenas-Hagan will discuss specific strategies for the home to increase childrens literacy skills strategies that will benefit both English language learners and native English speakers. Lilly has provided us a wonderful chance to fund this, something that we could not otherwise provide to our community, Meyer Reimer said. To be able to shape something that really fits the needs that our schools and our community are facing were delighted to be able to do this. The professional sessions on Friday are from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3:30 p.m. The parent and community session on Saturday is from 9 to 10 a.m. All sessions are held in the church chapel building on the Goshen College campus, 1900 S. Main St. Parking on the south end of the building is free enter through the south doors. KANSAS (KSNT) Governor Laura Kelly is joining a coalition of attorneys generals and governors in suing federal officials for suspending benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Kelly announced in a press release on Oct. 28 that she is joining the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins for what she said is the unlawful suspension of SNAP amid the government shutdown. Report: SNAP doesnt cover a meal in any Kansas counties Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement States cannot, and should not, take on the federal governments responsibility to fund SNAP, Kelly said. Cutting off SNAP payments is an unprecedented choice made by the Trump Administration and Congress that will harm millions of families across the country. I joined this lawsuit to protect Kansans, because the federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to fund this program, not to take food out of the mouths of Kansas children. Governor Kelly also claims that the USDA has access to billions in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress. The department has funded other programs with emergency funds during the shutdown, but has refused to fund SNAP. Kelly believes the federal government is making a deliberate, illegal and inhumane choice not to fund the crucial program. The lapse in SNAP benefits are predicted to have large consequences for the health and well-being of millions across the county, and nearly 188,000 people in Kansas. Typically, $34.4 million would be distributed to Kansas households but, if the shutdown continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits. Kansas SNAP benefits at risk; food banks preparing Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelly is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the lawsuit. For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, center, greets Rep. Polly Thomas, R-Metairie, left, with Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville, to the right, as he enters the Louisiana House of Representatives on the opening day of a legislative special session, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge.(Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate, Pool) In a place known globally for its culinary culture, it is absolutely heartbreaking that Louisiana finds itself facing a hunger crisis. Whats more disappointing is that our state leaders response has been to score political points at the expense of the working poor. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state emergency Friday for what hes calling the Schumer Shutdown, placing the label of blame on the U.S. Senates Democratic party leader despite the GOP holding the majority in both chambers of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Landrys declaration allows the Louisiana Legislature to pull together money to cover the pending loss of federal food assistance in November. But rather than address everyone in need, the governor went further in his emergency declaration to state it would focus on the elderly, disabled and children in the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program. I encourage our citizens to seek the thousands of new job opportunities across our State, and free themselves from these social programs that the Left uses as a weaponization tool to win political points, Landry said in a statement accompanying his order. To stand behind his statement, the governor must willingly ignore the significant portion of Louisiana residents among the working poor in a state with the nations highest poverty rate at 18.9%. As of 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported 18.4% of Louisiana residents relied on SNAP benefits. The Landry administration puts the number at 17%, or roughly 793,000 residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government doesnt report how many people with jobs rely on federal food aid by state, but its 2023 data found 28% of SNAP recipients nationwide had earned income. That would indicate a significant number who are working but still need the assistance. These figures dont include federal employees and contract workers furloughed during the government shutdown who are increasingly turning to food banks. In response to the governors declaration, Republican leaders in the legislature recognized a broader need. They advanced a resolution Friday that will direct $150 million in state health department funds a month to cover the cost of SNAP as long as needed. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-New Iberia, have coauthored the measure. State Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, heads the legislative committee where the annual state budget originates, giving him perhaps the best perspective into how Louisiana government spends its money. Before asking his House colleague to back the resolution, he told them it was imperative that today we take necessary actions to do our jobs, to make sure we take care of them, the most vulnerable of our population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resolution was approved in a 97-0 vote in the House of Representatives, and it will take its next procedural step Wednesday in the state Senate. Still, the legislative vote is by no means a secure solution. Henry said its not clear yet where the SNAP money will come from in the health department budget. Plus, the Trump administration made clear Friday its not likely to reimburse states that use their own money to cover federal food assistance during the shutdown. Yet Louisiana lawmakers appeared to set party politics aside to reach a solution. They will tap into a state reserve account, the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, to cover money the health department spends on SNAP in November and to pay for any future benefits if the federal shutdown continues. Theres more than $2.7 billion currently in the fund. Its a choice between using money that we have or people going hungry, Henry told the Illuminator. Thats why we have the fund balances that we have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers are currently in a special session on elections, but the governors declaration allows them to address the SNAP emergency. Landry specifically mentioned the use of the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund in his order. If more state money is needed to cover SNAP in months to come, legislators will have to vote remotely to approve these withdrawals. That process could last days, meaning the balloting process will have to be proactive to avoid a lapse in benefits. It could also depend on Landry extending the state of emergency, which is currently set to lapse Nov. 4. Its duration covers the first of the month, when SNAP benefits are typically issued for the elderly, disabled and children ahead of other recipients like the working poor. While theres some comfort in knowing state legislators are preparing for a worst-case scenario, its troublesome that our governor is putting terms on that assistance get a job or go hungry. It seems to be lost on Landry that in Louisiana, you can do both. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (FOX40.COM) Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday that more than 20 states, including California, are suing the Trump administration over the looming suspension of SNAP benefits next month. The lawsuit claims that the government shutdown, which has reached day 28, has had not impacted the funds meant to support SNAP, arguing that the United States Department of Agriculture is unnecessarily suspending November SNAP benefits under the direction of President Trump. Video Above: Food banks and groceries brace for SNAP pause While Donald Trump parades around the world trying to repair the economic damage hes done with his incompetence, hes denying food to millions of Americans who will go hungry next month, Gov. Newsom said. Its cruel and speaks to his basic lack of humanity. He doesnt care about the people of this country, only himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The claims state that the suspension is causing 5.5 million Californians to lose access to $1.1 billion in food assistance. Attorney General Rob Bonta released the following statement: Lets be clear about whats happening: For the first time ever, SNAP benefits will not be available to the millions of low-income individuals who depend on them to put food on the table. November SNAP benefits can and must be provided, even with the government shutdown. USDA not only has authority to use contingency funds, it has a legal duty to spend all available dollars to fund SNAP benefits. The Trump Administration, however, has chosen instead to play politics with this essential safety net that so many people depend on including 5.5 million individuals in California alone. With the holidays around the corner, we are seeing costs for groceries continue to increase and food banks facing unprecedented demand. We are taking a stand because families will experience hunger and malnutrition if the Trump Administration gets its way. The office of Gov. Newsom said that the government is legally required to make payments to SNAP as Congress appropriated $6 billion to the USDA in SNAP-related contingency funds through September 2026. The contingency funds were established in an effort to continue funding SNAP benefits in instances like the current government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The USDA has provided monetary aid for farmers and is temporarily funding WIC benefits during the shutdown, officials said. Meanwhile, Gov. Newsom claimed that President Trump is simply choosing not to use this authority in order to provide SNAP benefits for Americans. REACH Air Medical helicopter crash survivors released from hospital When families dont know where their next meal will come from, our government has failed its most basic duty to care for its people. The Trump administrations decision to withhold food assistance thats already been funded has left millions of Americans in fear and uncertainty. As a state, we know we must stand up and fight back, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. We are taking action for our families, for our children, and for the 5.5 million Californians who deserve the simple dignity of knowing there will be food on the table. Gov. Newsom announced on Oct. 22 that he will be deploying the California National Guard and state volunteers on a humanitarian mission to help food banks, while also fast-tracking upwards of $80 million in state support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump has not released a statement in regard to the lawsuit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a new stopgap state food assistance program Tuesday during a press conference alongside Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet Kelly to discuss the delivery of emergency food benefits to Virginias Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries once the money runs out Nov. 1. Youngkin says the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance, or VENA, was set up in record time to keep food on the tables of state residents who need it most. Its like building an airplane while its taking off. Its never been done before, Youngkin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youngkin alleged this government shutdown was a Democratic shutdown and said if the Democratic party does not end the shutdown by Nov. 1, the state of Virginia will implement Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance Nov. 3. Gov. Youngkin declares state of emergency for hunger relief in Virginia amid government shutdown The plan will use the same cards, the existing SNAP, EBT cards that everyone currently has and will deliver benefits to those same cards, Youngkin said. It will be the exact same group of beneficiaries that received benefits in the month of October. The governor mentioned that under VENA, beneficiaries would receive their funding weekly instead of monthly under SNAP. Youngkin explained that while supplies last, money would be moved from the states surplus fund to cover VENA, which will total $37.5 million per week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are pleased that the financial strength of the Commonwealth of the Virginia, the surpluses weve been running, in all candor, the tremendous job growth and business investment has enabled it [the funding], Youngkin said. Youngkin further explained the first-third of beneficiaries will receive their funding Nov. 3, the second-third will see funding Nov. 5, and the last third will receive funding Nov. 7. This is not easy, Youngkin said. We are creating a parallel food assistance program or system that in fact is gonna step in where the federal government is not able to. Warner told 10 On Your Side hell submit a plan to get the Agriculture Department to keep the money coming from SNAP. Meanwhile, Kaine, Schumer and other Senate Democrats want subsidies for the Affordable Care Act to be continued before theyll agree to fund the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information about VENA, please visit the Virginia Department of Social Services website at: https://dss.virginia.gov/snapfacts/ Frequently Asked Questions: How will the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance effort work? Current SNAP recipients (as of 10/29/2025) will receive a weekly comparable state-supported emergency food assistance payment based upon existing eligibility for the SNAP program. VENA benefits will be issued via the existing electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card that SNAP recipients currently hold. How often will benefits be issued? VENA benefits will be issued weekly, not monthly, in hopes the federal shutdown will end soon. For example: If a household normally receives $200 for a monthly benefit, a $50 benefit will be issued on a weekly basis. Recipients and households should adjust to this new schedule and plan accordingly. What days of the month will benefits be issued? Under normal issuance, SNAP households receive their monthly SNAP benefits at one time on the 1st, 4th or 7th day of the month based upon the first letter of their last name. VENA will be issued on a weekly basis on Monday, Wednesday or Friday (according to the existing staggered issuance schedule). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, if: A household that normally receives SNAP benefits on the 1st of the month, will now receive VENA benefits on Monday of each week. A household that normally receives SNAP benefits on the 4th of the month will now receive VENA benefits weekly on Wednesday of each week. A household that normally receives SNAP benefits on the 7th of the month; will now receive VENA benefits weekly on Friday of each week. Where are the funds coming from? The State of Emergency allows the Governor to expend emergency funds under sum sufficient authority to protect the health, welfare, and safety of Virginians. Due to Virginias prudent fiscal management we have available budget surplus to reduce disruptions in food access and ensure that Virginias families in need remain supported during the federal shutdown. How is this emergency initiative different than the existing SNAP program? SNAP benefits are funded entirely by the federal government. VENA is a state-run emergency relief effort. To recipients and retailers, this should operate similarly to how SNAP beneficiary households receive their monthly benefit. However, the backend coordination is complex and challenging to set up. What about funds that localities typically spend on the administration of the SNAP program? The administrative costs of VENA will be paid entirely by the Commonwealth, separate from SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Commonwealth and VDSS are actively collaborating with localities and local departments of social services (LDSS) on managing the administrative costs associated with SNAP during the federal shutdown. How long will VENA last? The Governor has publicly stated the effort should continue at least through November. This state-supported effort, distinct from SNAP, uses Virginias budget surplus to prevent disruptions in food access and ensures Virginias families in need remain supported during the federal shutdown. However, this is a stopgap solution: once federal funds for SNAP are authorized and released, VENA assistance effort will end, and SNAP benefits will be fully restored. NOTE: The video above is the full press conference Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. The ongoing federal government shutdown is not only halting crucial services for tribal communitiesit also underscores long-term structural flaws in how the federal government finances its obligations to Native Nations and Native American people, according to a new analysis released today by the Brookings Institution. In the report, authors Robert Maxim, Liz Malerba, Glencora Haskins, and Danika Grieser argue that while the U.S. government maintains treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations, the funding mechanisms used to fulfil them are unstable and subject to disruption. The federal government cannot effectively meet its obligations to Tribes and Native people if some of the most significant funding and programs are forced to halt, the report states. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Funding Reality vs. Legal Obligation The study draws attention to the disparity between legal promises and actual funding. For fiscal year 2024, the federal Native American Funding Crosscutwhich aggregates spending aimed at Tribes and Native peoplelisted approximately $37.5 billion in programs. But only just under $32 billion was obligated in that year, leaving $5.6 billion appropriated for future use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Tribal advocates estimate far higher obligations. For example, the Indian Health Service (IHS) Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup projects a minimum federal obligation of $73 billionmore than ten times the roughly $7 billion Congress appropriated for IHS in FY2025. Discretionary Funding and Shutdown Risk A central point in the analysis is that the majority of federal funding for Indian Country is discretionarymeaning Congress must annually approve itrather than mandatory, which is less vulnerable to annual budget politics or shutdowns. In FY2024, about 69 percent of federal spending for Nativerelated programs was via discretionary funding. That means when the government shuts down, or when appropriations are delayed, many programs serving Tribal Nations are immediately at risk. The report highlights that during past shutdowns, IHS facilities were forced to furlough staff or operate without pay, and tribal health programs experienced supply shortages and service interruptions. Examples of Impact Although some protections exist, such as advance appropriations (which allow certain programs to continue despite a shutdown), these are rare. The IHS health services program has recently moved to use advance appropriations, but many other critical agencies do not. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) are largely funded through annual discretionary appropriations, leaving them especially exposed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report notes that nearly all BIE funding and operations rely on these annual appropriations. For the BIA, more than 90 percent of its FY2024 funding came from discretionary sources. Reform Recommendations To address these vulnerabilities, the Brookings authors propose a two-pronged approach: Expand advance appropriations In the short term, Congress could provide advance appropriations for all programs serving Native American people to match their FY2025 levels, ensuring continuity during funding gaps. Shift toward mandatory funding The report argues that many programs serving Tribes should be financed through mandatory spending (similar to Medicare or Social Security) rather than annual discretionary budgets, given the ongoing, treaty-based nature of the federal obligations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the authors put it: Subjecting Tribal Nations to discretionary and annual funding fails to uphold the United States trust and treaty obligations. A Critical Moment With the government shutdown bringing real-world consequencesfrom suspended services to furloughed Tribal program staffthe report contends this is a pivotal moment for reform. Rather than returning to business as usual, the authors write, Congress should re-evaluate and re-work how the federal government meets its funding obligations to Tribes and Native American people. As Tribal Nations continue to navigate the dual burdens of under-funding and funding instability, the Brookings analysis places a spotlight on systemic changenot simply more resources, but a fundamentally different funding architecture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net." Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered the Florida Division of Emergency Management to assist with relief efforts in Central Florida following historic flash flooding on Sunday, October 26. DeSantis is not scheduled to visit flooded areas despite the severe impact. Heavy rains led to major flooding in Lake and Brevard counties, with Lake County receiving as much as 19.7 inches of rain. Due to extreme weather, the National Weather Service issued a particularly dangerous situation alert for Eustis and Mount Dora. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis has directed the deployment of water pumps to remove 30 million gallons of water from flooded areas in Lake County, with assistance from state agencies. FLOOD COVERAGE The Florida State Emergency Response Team (FLSERT), led by Kevin Guthrie, oversees water pump operations in Lake County. The Florida Department of Transportation (MyFDOT), under Jared Perdue, is repairing at least four damaged roads. Kevin is on the ground to assist with the flooding in Central Florida. @MyFDOT is also helping with road repairs. https://t.co/bP2lwLZMQl Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 27, 2025 In Lake County, flooding caused road washouts and infrastructure damage, resulting in a precautionary boil water notice for Mount Dora. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brevard County also experienced heavy flooding, with more than a foot of rain reported in parts of Titusville and Merritt Island. Emergency response teams from state and local agencies are actively helping affected communities. The American Red Cross has set up emergency shelters in Brevard County to assist residents affected by the flooding. The Florida Department of Transportation is repairing roads in the affected areas. Lake County officials have announced that damage assessments are still in progress, and repairs for heavily damaged infrastructure, such as Donnelly Street in Mount Dora, could take up to a year. Drier weather is expected later this week, which may help with flood mitigation efforts. As relief efforts continue, the focus is on assessing damage and supporting communities in Central Florida. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Grace Medical Home will become the first healthcare partner to join Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Floridas Nutritious Pantry Network in Orlando on Tuesday, October 28. Grace Medical Home will join Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Floridas Nutritious Pantry Network as its first healthcare partner on Tuesday, October 28, in Orlando, Florida. This partnership between Grace Medical Home and Second Harvest Food Bank is a milestone to improve patients access to healthier food. The Nutritious Pantry Certification shows Grace Medical Homes dedication to meeting strict nutritional standards. This will allow us to better serve our patients by providing them with the nutritious food they need, said Stephanie Garris, CEO of Grace Medical Home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Nutritious Pantry Network has grown to include 16 pantries across Brevard, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, and Marion counties. Second Harvest Food Bank provides enough food to deliver 300,000 meals each day in these areas, assisting those at risk of hunger. Grace Medical Home will join Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Floridas Nutritious Pantry Network as its first healthcare partner on Tuesday, October 28, in Orlando, Florida. The recognition ceremony occurred at Grace Medical Home, 1417 E. Concord Street, Orlando, from 10:30 to 11 a.m. on October 28, featuring a Nutritious Pantry Certification presentation and pantry tour. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. A grand jury in Marion County is investigating allegations of ghost employment and other wrongdoing in Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith's office. A report filed by the Marion County Grand Jury on Oct. 3 said it met on Aug. 18 and Sept. 30 for an "investigation into the distribution of an intimate image(s) and ghost employment in the office of the Indiana Lieutenant Governor." It's unclear what the investigation into ghost employment pertains to. The confirmation of the grand jury testimony follows accusations of a deepfake AI porn video that was allegedly shared in his office targeting the wife of a Republican state lawmaker. State Rep. Craig Haggard, R-Mooresville, confirmed in August that he was interviewed by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office about the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An ex-staffer from Beckwith's office has said publicly that she was personally shown a deepfake AI video portraying a topless depiction of Haggard's wife by staffers in the lieutenant governor's office. 24sightNews reported that a staffer and contract lawyer in Beckwith's office viewed the video on April 10. Beckwith said previously his office "found no evidence that a video was ever produced or viewed by anyone internally." It's unclear if Beckwith or anyone else from his office testified or was subpoenaed by the grand jury. Beckwith's spokesman Graham Loughead said in a statement to IndyStar on Oct. 28 that "active grand juries are confidential; therefore, the office has no knowledge of any of this." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Ex-Beckwith staffer says alleged AI porn deepfake was part of 'frat house' atmosphere Haggard has previously condemned the situation and said he wants "heads to roll." A spokesperson from the Marion County Prosecutor's Office confirmed Oct. 28 that no charges have been filed at this time related to the investigation but said the office couldn't comment further due to confidentiality laws. This story may be updated. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Grand jury investigates alleged ghost employment in Micah Beckwith's office GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) On Nov. 8, visitors to Roeda Studio in Grand Rapids can attend a holiday art market to get a head start on gift shopping for the holiday season. We will have eight to ten local vendors, Kaitlyn Horpedahl, retail operations manager at Roeda Studio, said. Well have jewelry, original paintings and everything in between. Disability-inclusive community art show hosted in Grand Rapids Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roeda Studio is an art studio and marketplace that specializes in metal artwork, including metal art magnets. On Nov. 8, visitors to Roeda Studio in Grand Rapids can attend a holiday art market to get a head start on gift shopping for the holiday season. (Courtesy) On Nov. 8, visitors to Roeda Studio in Grand Rapids can attend a holiday art market to get a head start on gift shopping for the holiday season. (Courtesy) On Nov. 8, visitors to Roeda Studio in Grand Rapids can attend a holiday art market to get a head start on gift shopping for the holiday season. (Courtesy) On Nov. 8, visitors to Roeda Studio in Grand Rapids can attend a holiday art market to get a head start on gift shopping for the holiday season. (Courtesy) On Nov. 8, visitors to Roeda Studio in Grand Rapids can attend a holiday art market to get a head start on gift shopping for the holiday season. (Courtesy) Theyre hand-painted, and we have a couple full-time painters that paint them right in our studio, Horpedahl said. We design and produce everything in-house. As a holiday shopping destination and local art studio, Horpedahl and Roeda Studio encourages West Michigan residents to shop sustainably and locally this holiday season, especially for artwork. Holiday market benefits Grand Rapids students, teachers Its really important this year to support local artists and local businesses, Horpedahl said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roeda Studios holiday art market will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit the Roeda Studio holiday art market Facebook page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. NEED TO KNOW A 71-year-old grandmother was swept away by floodwaters while walking her dog in Scotland in November 2022 It wasnt until May 7, 2024, that the missing womans remains were recovered from the River Don Earlier this month, the grieving family learned that more remains were found A family in Scotland is grappling with more devastating news after additional remains of a 71-year-old woman were found three years after she disappeared while walking her dog. On Saturday, Oct. 11, around 12:25 p.m. local time, authorities received a report of potential human remains that were found on the bank of the River Don near the village of Kemnay in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Police Scotland told PEOPLE in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives are investigating, and authorities said that Hazel Nairn's family was informed. In November 2022, the 71-year-old was last seen in the water in the River Don near Monymusk, a village a few miles west of Kemnay, according to police. The grandmother was out with her dog when she was swept away by floodwaters, BBC News, The Press and Journal and Sky News reported. A few days later, the dog's body was found as search efforts continued. An underwater team was enlisted to help look for the missing woman, BBC News reported. High water levels inhibited the search, according to the outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It wasnt until May 7, 2024, that the missing womans remains were recovered from the River Don near Kemnay, Police Scotland said. The death was not viewed as suspicious. On the first anniversary of Nairns disappearance, her daughter, Anneka, told BBC News that it was an awful tragedy. I don't want people to think of us or our heartache, she told the outlet, but to think of my mum Hazel and how she is not home yet or at peace but out there, somewhere, all alone. Anneka did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty The River Don in Scotland. The River Don in Scotland. As officials announced more remains were found, the womans grieving family told The Press and Journal that police called to alert them about the latest discovery. As of Saturday, Oct. 25, the family has yet to receive any more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are broken hearted once again, the family told the paper. We are just waiting anxiously to hear more about this latest find. Out of courtesy, wed like to know when and where the remains are being forensically tested, Nairns loved ones continued. Surely, as a family, we are entitled to know that. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Nairns family expressed their gratitude to the public in a statement shared with The Press and Journal. They thanked the local community for being so vigilant and never giving up hope for us. Read the original article on People AMHERST A public health researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will continue research on opioid overdose and HIV treatment programs for incarcerated people, thanks to some federal grants. Elizabeth Evans, professor of community health education at UMass Amherst, was awarded nearly $18 million via four grants from the National Institutes of Health. Her research, started with the NIH in 2019, focuses on assessing the outcomes of a pilot program that provides medications to incarcerated people afflicted with opioid addiction. The program was piloted at seven rural and urban jails around Massachusetts, predominantly in Western Massachusetts and the greater Boston area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evans, who is also associate chair of health promotion and policy in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, said people getting treatment in jail have better outcomes for their opioid use disorder than those who dont receive treatment. But we also found that when they leave jail and go back to the community, quite a few people are not continuing with the treatment they were receiving in jail, she said in a statement from UMass. The funding from the NIH will help Evans continue her research at four jails in Massachusetts, according to the statement. It will address a traditional barrier to health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Historically, when people get incarcerated, their access to Medicaid can get paused or suspended, Evans said. And Massachusetts recognized that as a real challenge, especially for incarcerated people with addiction. Evans will receive a $1.4 million grant to fund the final year of the first phase of the program and a five-year $8.2 million grant for the second phase. Last year, Massachusetts received federal approval for a waiver that would provide Medicaid benefits to incarcerated people up to 90 days before their release. It came with the aim of improving access to health care, especially for substance use disorders, and support services for people transitioning back into the community, the statement from UMass said. The waiver allows people in jail to apply for Medicaid if they dont have health insurance. It also allows those with paused coverage to have Medicaid reinstated, the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massachusetts is the testing ground for this program. If this works in Massachusetts, then other states can learn from this very innovative program and try to do something similar in their state, Evans said. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. An illustration of the scales of justice (Wikimedia Commons). The owner of a gun store and shooting range in Great Falls who was indicted on five counts of submitting false tax returns and failing to report nearly $1.4 million in sales to the Internal Revenue Service agreed to a plea deal with the federal government. At a change of plea hearing on Oct. 23 at the federal courthouse in Great Falls, Thomas VanHoose pleaded guilty to one count of subscribing to a false return. The charge carries a potential penalty of as many as three years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and as long as a year of supervised release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Attorneys Office did not issue a press release or statement on the change of plea hearing, due to the government shutdown. According to court documents, VanHooses sentencing is set for Feb. 18, 2026. Undercover investigation leads to federal indictment In 2023, VanHoose listed his business, Highwood Creek Outfitters, for sale. A federal indictment did not indicate why the IRS was interested in VanHoose and his business, but an undercover agent posed as a buyer and contacted the real estate agent and VanHoose. During the course of telephone and in-person conversations, the undercover agent was told that VanHoose skimmed roughly $450,000 in cash from the business and underreported his sales to the IRS by about 20%, according to the indictment. The five years VanHoose allegedly underreported his income amounted to nearly $500,000 in taxes he did not pay to the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A subsequent warrant executed at VanHooses business drew criticism from members of Montanas federal delegation. In August, 2024, VanHoose was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of submitting a false tax return. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called out House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday for not providing any plans on a Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and tax subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. You left out that I said I have no respect for the House not being in session passing our bills and the Presidents executive orders, Greene wrote on the social platform X, in response to a post from Punchbowl Newss Jake Sherman following a recent GOP conference call. And I demanded to know from Speaker Johnson what the Republican plan for healthcare is to build the off-ramp off Obamacare and the ACA tax credits to make health insurance affordable for Americans, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson said hes got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call, the Georgia Republican continued. Apparently I have to go into a SCIF to find out the Republican healthcare plan!!! During the call, Greene also said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) needs to use the nuclear option and reopen the government, according to Sherman, who translated it as, (In other words, abolish the filibuster and pass a funding bill). The comments come after Johnson said Monday that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) was working with the heads of three committees to develop a Republican health care plan. Greene and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have been among Republicans who see health care premiums as being a serious risk to their campaigns in the 2026 midterms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have held firm against Republicans during the government shutdown in an effort to put a spotlight on health care subsidies that will expire at the end of the year, spiking insurance prices and potentially leaving millions without health coverage. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier this month defended Greenes pressure on House Republican leaders to return to Washington to address health care premiums, calling her absolutely right. So, hold on to your hats, Schumer said at the time. I think this is the first time I said this, but, on this issue, Rep. Greene said it perfectly. According to a recent poll sponsored by Undue Medical Debt and led by the nonpartisan research firm PerryUndem, 69 percent of respondents believe health care is too expensive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The federal government shutdown has now entered its fourth week, and President Donald Trumps administration announced Monday benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, are officially set to run out Saturday, Nov. 1. If no agreement is reached to reopen the government before Saturday, that could leave the nearly 600,000 Kentuckians who depend on the SNAP program scrambling for meal assistance. Local food pantries are feeling strained by a surge in demand amid rising food prices and federal workers left without their paychecks. If you are in need of meal assistance, help is available. Heres a directory of organizations offering food aid across Kentucky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For those looking to donate, several larger organizations that serve to end hunger in Kentucky told the Herald-Leader they are in need of nonperishable items, canned meats, peanut butter, bread and more ahead of the expiration of SNAP benefits. Did we miss any? Send us a news tip via email at ask@herald-leader.com. Lexington food banks and pantries Gods Pantry Food Bank Serving 50 counties throughout Central and Eastern Kentucky, Gods Pantry Food Bank is one of the largest in the state. It partners with more than 500 local pantries and meal assistance programs, which you can find through its website. Contact Gods Pantry Food Bank by calling 859-255-6592 or email to info@godspantry.org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its main headquarters can be found at 2201 Innovation Drive in Lexington. Lexington Rescue Mission Lexington Rescue Mission serves breakfast from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Lunch is also served those days between noon and 1 p.m. According to the organizations website, guests are welcome to take produce, bread and other available food. Its resource coordinator is available during walk-in hours, which are from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Lexington Rescue Mission is located at 535 West Second St. in Lexington. Contact the organization by phone at 859-381-9600 or via email at info@lexingtonrescue.org. Eastern Kentucky food banks Christian Appalachian Project The Christian Appalachian Project, or CAP, is an anti-poverty organization. It has three food pantries in Eastern Kentucky, including in McCreary, Rockcastle and Jackson counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contact the following for assistance: Grateful Bread Food Pantry at 3065 Richmond St. in Mt. Vernon; 606-256-3035 Jackson County Food Pantry at 1257 McCammon Ridge Road in McKee; 606-287-8336 Eagle Food Pantry at 100 Eagle School Road in Parkers Lake; 606-376-3272 Sterling Community Food Coalition Based in Montgomery County, this organizations food pantry is open from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday and Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday. The Sterling Community Food Coalitions food pantry is located at 515 Maysville Road in Mt. Sterling. Contact the organization by phone at 888-765-7232 or send an email to info@sterlingcommunityfoodcoalition.org. The Sterling Community Food Coalition shares regular updates on Facebook. Gods Outreach Food Bank Gods Outreach offers food assistance in Madison, Estill and Jackson counties. Location and pick up information for the following locations is listed on the organizations website: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Madison County: 1512 East Main St. in Richmond. Pick-up times: 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Wednesday. Estill County: 210 Third St. (Ravenna Church of God) in Ravenna. Pick-up times: 10 a.m. to noon Thursday and Friday. Jackson County: 338 Main St. (Jackson County Public Library) in McKee. Pick-up times: 11 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month. Other Kentucky Food Banks The following food banks are members of Feeding Kentuckys network: Dare to Care Food Bank : Dare to Care serves 13 counties between Indiana and Kentucky, including Jefferson, Shelby, Oldham, Spencer, Carroll, Trimble and Henry counties in Kentucky. Feeding America, Kentuckys Heartland: Based in Elizabethtown, the food bank partners with 242 nonprofits in 42 counties. It distributes more than 11 million pounds of food each year. Freestore Foodbank : This Cincinnati-based food bank distributes 23 million meals annually across 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Its service area includes nine counties in Northern Kentucky. Facing Hunger Food Bank : Facing Hunger is based in Huntington, W.Va., but it also serves three Eastern Kentucky counties Tri-State Food Bank : Tri-State Food Bank is based in Evansville, Ind., and serves seven Kentucky counties. Purchase Area Development District Food Bank: PADDs service area includes Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken counties in Kentuckys Jackson Purchase region. Do you have a question about public services and assistance in Kentucky for the Herald-Leader? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) More than 600,000 Oklahomans on SNAP benefits will be impacted if the government shutdown continues. Not only will those Oklahomans be impacted but also the grocery stores where they buy food. Sweis Specialty Foods is a small, locally owned grocery store in Oklahoma City. They have been in business for decades. Weve been around for 50 years now, said David Larkin, assistant manager at Sweis. We are literally one of the last of the last here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Larkin said the store has around 100 customers a day that use SNAP benefits to buy groceries. He has been monitoring whats next. Were rapidly just days away from a situation that were bracing for, said Larkin. Theres no way around that. Small stores and even larger chains could feel the spoils of the government shutdown and its impacts. Federal SNAP benefits wont be paid in November: What happens next? The Oklahoma Department of Human Services provided an update Tuesday. Funding for benefits already existing and available in SNAP accounts will remain available to recipients, said the DHS on its social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That means that after the October 31st deadline, if a person has money left over in their SNAP account, they could use it until it ran out. Governor Kevin Stitt addressed the halt Tuesday. This is a problem that Congress has got to fix. This is a federal problem, said Stitt. States cannot afford these federal programs. In Oklahoma alone, its $130 million in SNAP benefits. So we are working with non-profits. Were working with our food banks. We will be doing things later on this week. Stitt said Oklahomans can get assistance for food insecurity through a state website. You can find it here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Submarine manufacturer General Dynamics Electric Boat has reached the latter stages of the construction of another ship for the U.S. Navy. Electric Boat's progress in building the Utah submarine was celebrated in a christening ceremony last Saturday at the company's shipyard in Groton. The Utah comprises the 28th vessel in the Virginia class of fast-attack submarines, and it will be the 14th boat in the class delivered by Electric Boat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The christening ceremony provides the opportunity to salute the thousands of people who work hard in support of the Virginia-class submarine program," Electric Boat President Mark Rayha said in a written statement included in a news release. "I am proud of Electric Boat's shipbuilders, and the skills and commitment they bring to their work every day to overcome challenges and deliver magnificent submarines like PCU Utah." PCU stands for pre-commissioning unit. The christening was held in the shipyard's Virginia-class assembly building. in front of an audience of approximately 4,000 people, including Electric Boat shipbuilders, members of the ship's crew, as well as other Navy personnel and government officials, according to the news release. Among the commemorations that made up the christening, a bottle of sparkling cyser, a honey and apple cider wine from Utah, was broken on the submarine's hull by the ship's two sponsors: Sharon Lee, wife of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Mary Kaye Huntsman, a former first lady of Utah, whose husband, Jon Huntsman Jr., was the state's governor from 2005 to 2009. "It is an extraordinary honor to serve as a sponsor of the Utah, a vessel that carries a deep and enduring bond with the state of Utah," Sharon Lee said in a written statement. "I'm equally proud to stand alongside its hardworking and devoted crew, whose dedication to excellence reflects what's exceptional about the United States." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Utah is the Navy's second warship to be named for the state of Utah and the first submarine to bear the state's name. The first USS Utah was a Florida-class battleship, which was commissioned in 1911. It was later demilitarized and made into a training ship. On Dec. 7, 1941, while it was moored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the boat was struck by Japanese aerial torpedoes and then sank. Fifty-eight members of the Utah's crew died in the attack. Four years later, after the end of World War II, the mystery of why the demilitarized boat was struck when Japanese officers involved in the attack admitted that a pilot had mistakenly taken out the vessel, according to Electric Boat's news release. "This boat carries more than a name. She carries the resilience of pioneers, the memory of a battleship lost at Pearl Harbor, and the promise of the sailors who will guide her forward," Mary Kaye Huntsman said in a written statement. "It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as her sponsor and to help nurture her spirit and watch over her crew. The Utah will always carry the pride and strength of our state, and may she forever sail with the wind of liberty at her back." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The original Utah was never salvaged and remains where it sank in Pearl Harbor, according to a page on the National Park Service's website about the Utah memorial at Pearl Harbor. Construction of each submarine takes several years, with a keel-laying ceremony for the Utah held in September 2021. While its pressure hull is complete, the new Utah still needs to undergo sea trials and be delivered to the Navy before it can be commissioned. Electric Boat officials referred to the Navy an inquiry about the timeline for the Utah's commissioning, which refers to the Navy's acceptance of the ship into its fleet. Navy officials were not immediately available for comment on Monday. The latest commissioning of a Virginia-class submarine took place in April, for the USS Iowa. The Iowa is stationed at Naval Submarine Base New London, a few miles up the Thames River from Electric Boat's shipyard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three other Virginia-class submarines have been christened, but not yet commissioned: the Idaho, which was built by Electric Boat, and the Arkansas and the Massachusetts, which were constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding. The companies are building several more Virginia-class vessels, whose capabilities include anti-submarine and surface-ship warfare, as well as special-operations support. This article originally published at Groton-based Electric Boat reaches milestone in construction of Utah submarine. Local officials have broken ground on a new domestic violence shelter in Denton, just in time for the holiday season, which brings joy for many but increased domestic violence for others. Officials gathered with Denton County Friends of the Family on October 27 to break ground on a new Family Justice Center in Denton. The campus will shelter victims of domestic and sexual assault, aiming to provide safety, stability, and healing. The new Family Justice Center is more than bricks and mortar. Its going to represent every woman, and children, who will walk a dark day through its doors. Theyre scared and theyre uncertain, but theyre ready to take that first step toward their freedom, said Lisa Stanley, DCFF board chair, in the ceremony. They are not alone. They matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The groundbreaking comes ahead of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, when domestic violence surges, according to the nonprofit Connections for Abused Women and Their Children. Financial and emotional stress, alcohol consumption, limited access to support, family tensions, and apparent togetherness can lay the groundwork for abuse. The center, off N. Bonnie Brae Street, hopes to open in 2026 and will include law enforcement, legal aid, counseling, and housing support. According to the Denton Record-Chronicle, the 60,000-square-foot facility will also offer a courtroom, a secure child visitation area, a job-training area, an animal shelter, and even a hair salon. During the ceremony, nonprofit leaders stood with county leaders, including Judge Andy Eads, Commissioners Bobbie Mitchell and Diane Edmondson, and District Attorney Paul Johnson. Denton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth, Lewisville Mayor Pro Tem Ronni Cade, and members of the Rayzor family which owned the land that is now the Rayzor Ranch area also attended. We want this to be the very best center you can build, Eads said. I want this to be the place that centers come from all over the United States not just Texas, all over the United States to come see how they too can change lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hudspeth thanked volunteers, law enforcement, and city council members for their support. It is truly a blessing, not only for that organization, but for the City of Denton, he said. They usher people in to where its safe, so that they can be out of the storm. Stanley said she first entered DCFFs doors as a client in 2006, where she and her son witnessed the groups efforts firsthand. It was the way that the kind words, the safe spaces, and the helping hands helped to change the course of our lives, she said. I experienced the quiet strength of staff and volunteers who showed me that hope is something we can hold on to, even when we think its a dark moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, 19 years later, Stanley chairs the board, which she calls humbling. Its living proof that lives heal, cycles break, and hope grows, she said. More than 300 people attended the groundbreaking. The Rayzor family helped initiate the project, with support from the Denton County Commissioners and Denton City Council. The DCFF also thanked community partners, donors, board members, and local law enforcement including the Argyle, Krum, Lewisville, Denton, and The Colony police departments. Denton County Commissioners pledged $8 million to the project, while Denton pledged more than $400,000, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. In 2022, the J. Newton Rayzor Foundation donated 6.5 acres of land for the center. In March, the Denton City Council rezoned the land for the shelters use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Denton County District Attorneys office said Johnson was honored to join the ceremony, and the office is proud to partner with the nonprofit to seek justice and healing for domestic violence victims. DCFF reported a 17% increase in domestic violence reported to police from 2022 to 2023, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. According to the groups 2024 report, it answered 6,369 crisis calls and 152 texts that year, and sheltered 137 adults and 62 children, totaling 11,332 nights. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, honoring abuse survivors. As The Dallas Express previously reported, President Donald Trump marked the month by pledging to enforce immigration laws more rigorously, support law enforcement, and advance digital safety reforms. To close the groundbreaking, Mitchell issued a benediction, praying for Gods blessing on the center and those it will serve. Giving God all the honor and all the praises because hes worthy to be praised, lifting him up and magnifying his name, because hes so good and hes so kind and hes so merciful, Mitchell said. Lord, we bless this land. Everything we know if you bless, it is blessed. We dont have to worry about it. Cutting down trees for food is prohibited in various areas to protect forests and all the living things that rely on them as their home. A total of 10 people are facing criminal charges in the Odesa region of Ukraine due to illegal tree-felling schemes, according to EcoPolitic: three separate schemes leading to damaged trees, with total damages over UAH 157 million (nearly $4 million USD). Maybe most alarming, among the 10 individuals, three of them were employees of Forests of Ukraine, a state-owned service aimed at protecting and restoring the forests. EcoPolitic noted that the director of the Ananyiv Forestry Enterprise issued a handful of illegal logging permits, leading to almost 1,300 trees in the Kuyalnik National Park being cut down. Other officials took part in mass illegal logging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emerging data, such as a report from the World Resources Institute, shows the large-scale impact of deforestation. With fewer trees, air quality worsens and habitats are destroyed, affecting wildlife and the entire food chain. The World Wildlife Fund reported that "up to 15 billion trees are now being cut down every year across the world." Government intervention in deforestation is a key step toward a cleaner future. In Kano, Nigeria, a new law prevents the use of chainsaws to cut, trim, or fell trees without a permit in an effort to protect forests. Meanwhile, the European Union has proposed a law that aims to fine companies that profit from deforested land. For those accused of felling trees in the Odesa region, the consequences are no joke. For the director issuing illegal permits, the repercussion is up to 10 years in jail, according to EcoPolitic. The other offenders face hefty fines and possible jail time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To get involved in environmental endeavors in your area, you can educate yourself on the impact of climate issues, such as deforestation. To go the extra mile, you can take local action, looking for ways to help rather than hurt the environment near you. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. A group serving Catholic students at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is moving closer to campus with the purchase of a new home. The Newman Center, which provides masses, other services, and social events, has been at 3001 N. Downer Ave. for more than 60 years. It's also known as the Panther Catholic Center. It will move to 2519 E. Kenwood Blvd., a building at the corner of Kenwood Boulevard and Downer Avenue now used by Chinese Christian Church of Milwaukee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinese Christian Church sold the property to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for $2.2 million. That's according to a deed posted online by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue on Oct. 27. Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said the impending move would give the Newman Center a more visible location closer to campus. He made those remarks during a Milwaukee Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon on Oct. 2. An archdiocese representative couldn't be immediately reached for more information about the move's timing and other details. The Newman Center's new site will be much larger than its longtime location. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City assessment records say the Kenwood Boulevard parcel covers 31,200 square feet, compared to 5,925 square feet at the center's Downer Avenue location. Those records don't provide the buildings' square footage. The center's chapel was built in 1962 at the Downer Avenue location originally a home, according to its website. The future home of the Newman Center/Panther Catholic Center was built in 1929 as the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. It's among four houses of worship built on Kenwood Boulevard just across the street from UWM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The others are Temple Emanu-el Bne Jeshurun, built in 1922 and now UWM's Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts; Kenwood Methodist Church, built in 1923 and now Zao MKE Church, and University Lutheran Chapel, built in 1966 and now the Islamic Society of Milwaukee University Center. The Chinese Christian Church sale was brokered by Barry Co. Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and Facebook. Subscribe to get the BusinessWatch email newsletter. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Group serving UWM's Catholic students moving closer to campus DENVER (KDVR) Denver City Council members are set to hear from community members about the mayors proposed budget Monday night. The mayor made some changes to his proposal last week, but did they align with what community members were asking for? Last week, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston announced some more cuts to his office and allocated some COVID-era relief dollars. Groups impacted by the cuts still have some concerns. Free on Your TV FOX31+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Community members in Denver are raising concerns about the mayors budget proposal outside the city-county building before addressing council members inside. I personally believe that Mayor Johnston is in it for optics, for visibility, to suggest that he is making a change, but all of the solutions that he is providing are very short-term. Right up onto rapid re-housing, which is short-term, temporary assistance for people to have their rent paid for either months or up to a year. The problem is, once hes out of office, we are going to see all of these people return back to the streets, said V Reeves, organizer for the Housekeys Action Network Denver. Housing is set to receive more than $70 million in the current proposal, with funding for rental and utility assistance recently boosted to $15 million, up from $7 million after the city used interest on American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The mayor also put back $575,000 for parking magistrates, and allocated $800,000 to the Clerk and Recorder after City and County Clerk Paul Lopez raised concerns over a budget reduction of $4.5 million ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The clerk told FOX31 his office still needs to make up $2.7 million. If the budget remains as it is right now and council doesnt act to restore that $2.7 million, wed have to reduce the vote centers by 12, said Lopez. So wed go from 17, down to five- whats required by state law at the minimum in terms of access to the vote centers. Thats a devastating cut for the primary election. And wed have to reduce our number of drop boxes by eight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The clerk said three members of the city council will be co-sponsoring an amendment to get that $2.7 million in funding. In his budget letter, the mayor said there was little evidence to support that election costs have risen by the amount the clerk is requesting, which Lopez refuted after having several meetings with the Mayors Office about the funding. Late Monday afternoon, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb issued a statement opposing the cuts made to the Clerk and Recorders Office. Once again, we are called to fight for our survival, for our dignity, and for the protection of the Voting Rights Act. To meet this moment, we must expand access to the ballot box by increasing the number of voting locations and ensuring that adequate funding is provided to safeguard the foundation of our Democracy. If Democracy is to mean anything, it must mean access, inclusion, and fairness for all, the statement read in closing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A weekend traffic stop that was part of a shots fired investigation is drawing criticism of the Grand Rapids Police Department, with the subject of the stop accusing them of racial profiling. I began to think of my wife and children, to be honest, Bishop Amere May Sr. recalled. I said (to myself), They are going to shoot me.' The department maintains the stop was conducted by the book and even tempered slightly from typical procedures for a high-risk stop, while acknowledging Ameres experience and feelings are justified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would be frustrated, angry and embarrassed and all those emotions if put in Mays position, GRPD Deputy Chief of Field Operations Joseph Trigg told News 8. But our officers didnt do anything wrong. They followed training, policy and everything. Grand Rapids leaders host town hall after dismissal of high-profile police cases It began with reported gunfire on Worden Street SE around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Callers and people nearby told officers they saw a black SUV in the area when the shooting happened, adding it was being driven by a Black man wearing blue. About 30 minutes later, according to GRPD, a car and driver matching that description were spotted a few blocks away. May was behind the wheel and noticed the police following him right away. As they continued down the road, emotions built inside both cars. He looked in my car and I can tell from that moment he had profiled me, May said. He looked at me as though I shouldnt have been there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (The officer) doesnt know at this point if this is a victim or a suspect, Trigg said. He doesnt know how they were involved, but it potentially involves a firearm. May, a Southwest Michigan native, is now a pastor at a church in North Carolina. He was visiting friends in Grand Rapids. After being tailed for three blocks, May pulled into the Deliverance Outreach Ministries parking lot. The trailing officer had been waiting for the right manpower and situation to make the high-risk traffic stop. Mays decision to pull over on his own forced the issue and the officer took action. They said, Driver, put your hands where I can see them,' May described. I was looking around like, Who is he talking to?' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A high-risk stop is when we feel that you are potentially armed, Trigg explained. (Typically) we have our firearms pointed down at the vehicle. That didnt happen in this situation. The officer is trying to show compassion, but still has a job to do. He has to investigate what is happening. He has to rule out that this man was involved. May refused to get out of his car until more officers arrived, saying he was afraid of doing the wrong thing and being shot. But he eventually exited the vehicle and placed in handcuffs, as seen video recorded by a bystander and posted online. Officers began their investigation with questioning, a pat-down and a plain-view search of the car. In total, May spent 10 minutes in handcuffs and 12 minutes outside of his car. He called it humiliating and frightening. Trigg acknowledging 12 minutes for someone ultimately determined to not be involved in a situation is a little longer than typical. I feel for Mr. May and his experience, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That 12 minutes, though, was more than due diligence for the man in handcuffs. He said it was a tightrope act of cooperation and self-preservation. For us now, it has been embedded in the African American home, he said. To teach police safety and how to survive being Black That shouldnt have to be taught in your culture. Expert: GRPD shooting of man and dog bite justified May said that he was able to remain mostly calm and collected, steering the interaction away from tragedy. But he pointed out that many people may not have the same demeanor, including people dealing with mental health issues or substance abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trigg spoke with May on the phone after the interaction and reportedly offered the same sentiments he shared with News 8 about protocols, training and the emotions that come with it all. May has founded a new nonprofit in the days since to continue these nuanced and challenging conversations nationwide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. CHICAGO (WGN) What started as a routine traffic stop in Chicagos Jefferson Park neighborhood ended with gunfire and an arrest. It all started near Milwaukee and Lawrence avenues, just after 4 p.m. Monday, according to police. CPD said an officer tried to pull over a Jeep, but the driver drove off, hitting the officers squad car in the process. Police say the suspect then started shooting at the officer, striking the squad car. Officers did not shoot back, according to police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the suspect drove off, Chicago police added that the suspect struck another police squad car near Sunnyside and Meade avenues. The suspect ran off, but officers eventually arrested him near Eastwood and Meade. Charges are pending. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines There are no reported injuries. This story will be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. ELLIOTT WILLIAMS: I had an auto pen when I worked at ICE. KASIE HUNT: Im sorry, Elliott Williams, you were important enough to have an auto-pen? Im so impressed. WILLIAMS: I am important, Kasie. But no, so its commonplace. SCOTT JENNINGS: Did you allow people to use the name Elliott Williams without your knowledge of the document or what was on the page? WILLIAMS: I dont recall. JENNINGS: Im asking you, if you were a government official and you had an autopen, which you did, would you let some staffer sign things in your name without reading it? WILLIAMS: Heres the question: was my authority delegated to that person and I think they do have the authority to do so. Laws and regulations, and Im serious, Scott, laws and regulation JENNINGS: The authority to deletage pardons and executive orders? The president of the United States can say, you unelected staffer, can go sign my name on a document that Ive never seen for a decision that I have never made? WILLIAMS: Quite often, the United States code delegates authority. So through the president of the United States, through the attorney general, whatever else, X person can carry out a function. And certainly, that could be the case. Now, Donald Trump, for instance, in his first term, pardoned like 1,600 people, and I have a hard time believing that he was aware of every single person that he pardoned. One could make a challenge. Every president does this. Now, hold on. If its a question about Bidens fitness for office, did he know what he was doing? Of course, raise that question. But I just. One, given how vast the pardon power is, and two, given how comprehensive the use of auto pens are across administrations, I have a hard time seeing a legal challenge. JENNINGS: Nobody can be delegated the pardon power. It is a constitutional power. And I dont really think you can delegate the executive order power here because the executive has to make the order. HUNT: So, Scott, the president, George W. Bush, and forgive me, Im doing some research here in real time, but we are on justice.gov, Office of Legal Counsel, date of issuance, July 7th, 2005, so this is the Bush administration, they ask whether the president may sign a bill by directing that his signature be affixed to it. And the Justice Department says yes, the President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill he approves and decides to sign in order for the bill to become law, rather the President may sign a bill. Within the meaning of Article 1, Section 7, by directing a subordinate to affix the Presidents signature to such a bill, for example, by autopen. JENNINGS: The issue is not the use of the autopen. The issue was the last thing you said, directing someone, the president making a decision. What Comer and the guys over at Oversight have found is that theres no clear evidence that Joe Biden personally made the decision that only a president. WILLIAMS: Well, thats a fair question, but signing legislation is as much a presidential power as issuing pardons is, right? Theyre both in the Constitution. The president has the power to execute legislation, has the power to pardon. If, as is the case with George W. Bush, he can delegate the signing of legislation. JENNINGS: You guys are missing the point! The allegation is Joe Biden had no idea that his signature was being affixed to certain things. And if thats true, it is a valid question. If the president doesnt personally make a decision WILLIAMS: I think its perfectly a valid question, but Im just saying the notion of presidents delegating their authority JENNINGS: The presidents not a figurehead. WILLIAMS: Even on constitutionally mandated powers, the president can delegate his authority, and that might have been the case here. ELLEITHEE: : Its an allegation that you say theres no evidence. Theres no evidence that supports that allegation. Marco is an H-2A visa immigrant farm laborer employed by Fresh Harvest on April 28, 2020 in Salinas, California. Fresh Harvest is the one of the largest employers of people using the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa for labor, harvesting and staffing in the United States. Credit - Brent StirtonGetty Images The H-2A program, which provides temporary visas for foreign nationals seeking seasonal agricultural jobs on U.S. farms, started nearly 40 years ago as an emergency initiative to combat a nationwide shortage of farm workers. Since then, it has expanded drastically. Last month, the Trump Administration streamlined regulations for the H-2A program, lowered the prevailing wage nationally for these workers, and, for the first time in the program's history, allowed growers to deduct rent from workers wages. This will depress wages for all farmworkers across the nation, robbing them of $2.46 billion and putting that money into growers pockets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local workers Ive interviewed in Washington state in the past year say they dont blame H-2A workers for coming to work on farms; they know it's the growers who prefer this route because federal grants substantially subsidize this program, and because growers want a controlled, captive workforce. Mexican farm workers on a special seasonal harvest visa known as an H-2A weed a tobacco field in Greene County, N.C. Andrew LichtensteinCorbis via Getty Images As the Trump administration continues to ramp up ICE raids across the country, expanding the H-2A visa program cannot be the solution to protecting our agriculture sector. The H-2A program was created as a last resort for farms dealing with a shortage of willing and able local workers. But it has grown rapidly. In 2024, the Department of Labor certified 384,900 H-2A visas, and is hurting farmworkers. Washington State has seen some of the fastest growth in H-2A program use and has quickly become the preferred labor force for growers over the last decade. In Washington, H-2A usage has increased by 1,000% since 2008. Last year, nearly 36,000 H-2A workers arrived on Washington farms. These workers now comprise approximately 30% of the states farm workers and close to 10% of all H-2A workers nationwide. Read more: Extreme Heat Is Endangering Americas Workersand Its Economy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement H-2A operates within the same colonial legacy as the Mexican guest worker project, the Bracero Program, and is riddled with violations and abuse. H-2A workers, who come from rural communities in Mexico, Jamaica, and Central America, find themselves dealing with deceptive contracts and hiring practices, wage theft, and unsafe housing conditions. They often remain silent out of fear of retaliation, blacklisting, and not being brought back the following year. H-2A guest workers are often housed in rural farms away from city centers, with growers and labor contractors controlling their mobility. To further isolate them, H-2A workers are discouraged from growing roots in the communities they work in and are spatially segregated on farms from local workers. But it's not just the H-2A workers who are negatively impacted. Expanded use of the program takes jobs away from local workers, disproportionately women. I recently spoke with one local farmworker who was applying to work on a hops and apples farm just outside Sunnyside, Wash. The farm supervisor said they were not looking to hire women. Amid similar complaints, the state Attorney General's office is now suing the farm for allegedly discriminating against local workers and replacing them with H-2A workers. This lawsuit echoes an earlier case against Ostrom Farms, which discriminated against women workers, firing them all and replacing them with male H-2A guest workers in 2021. A migrant farm laborer from Fresh Harvest working with an H-2A visa hoses down a spinach harvesting machine after the night shift on April 27, 2020 in King City, California. Fresh Harvest is the one of the largest employers of people using the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa for labor, harvesting and staffing in the United States. Brent StirtonGetty Images While women are having more difficulty finding work, all local farmworkers are being impacted by the displacement and fear that if the H-2A program continues to grow, within the next couple years, there won't be work for any of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sunnyside is a farming town in southern Washington State with approximately 16,000 residents, 86% of whom are Latinx. This small farmworker community has become the epicenter of farmworker displacement, as more growers bring in large numbers of H-2A workers, forcing local workers out of agriculture. Familias Unidas Por La Justicia, an independent farmworker union in Washington, estimates that nearly 85% of the local farmworkers are undocumented immigrants from Mexico. These workers initially celebrated the arrival of H-2A workers because H-2A workers are paid at a state-mandated rate that is more than $3 higher than minimum wage, and employers must offer local workers the same pay. However, that initial joy has turned into a nightmare. As more H-2A workers flood Washington farms, many are now wildly overstaffed, with less work available for local workers. As ICE raids against local farm workers continue across the country in states like New York, Vermont, and California, we must ask ourselves how we can support all the workers who put food on our tables. Mass deporting our local farmworkers is not the answer; they deserve to live and work with dignity. But expanding H-2A is also not a viable solution. Instead, the millions of dollars going to this program should be reinvested in supporting a comprehensive immigration reform for all immigrants already in this country. At the same time, we need amnesty for all immigrants in this country, and real reforms for the H-2A guest worker program that protect workers from employer abuses and exploitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farmworkers are the backbone of this country, and if the H-2A program continues to expand at its current rate, local farmworker communities that have built rural America may disappear. We owe them a better future. Contact us at letters@time.com. ROCKWALL The wait will finally be over on Wednesday as corporate, local store and comma city leaders help welcome customers to the grand opening of the new Rockwall H-E-B store. The store which broke ground in June of last year after the location was announced in September of 2023 will officially throw open the doors at 6 a.m. on Wednesday with much pomp and circumstance. The 131,000squarefoot location is the newest addition to the growing Texas grocery store chain. With sales of more than $50 billion, H-E-B operates more than 450 stores in Texas and Mexico. Known for its innovation and community service, H-E-B celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. The San Antonio-based grocer employs more than 175,000 people in Texas and Mexico and serves millions of customers in more than 300 communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rockwall location is located at 1600 Interstate 30 at the southwest corner of I-30 and South John King Boulevard. Possible plans for a Rockwall location first surfaced in August of 2022 when a real estate deal was made within the city. Native Vote. Deb Haaland, candidate for New Mexico governor, met Sunday with community leaders from the South Valley Regional Acequia, alongside State Senator Linda Lopez and Representative Patricia Roybal Caballero, to announce her support for securing annual and permanent funding for land grants and acequias. The meeting focused on the importance of protecting and sustaining New Mexicos traditional land and water management systems. Acequiascenturies-old communal irrigation networksplay a vital role in safeguarding natural and water resources in northern New Mexico while ensuring that southern communities maintain access to critical water flows. Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Acequias are living historyneighbors caring for land and water together. Protecting them will not only support our northern communities, it will strengthen local governance and preserve New Mexicos heritage, said Haaland. Its essential infrastructure for a changing environment. Lets invest in what makes our state strong. Since launching her campaign for governor, Haaland has visited land grant communities and acequia associations across the state to discuss traditional stewardship practices and local needs. Earlier this year, she visited Morphy Lake in Mora County to observe the impacts of wildfire on the watershed. Haaland has also outlined a broader plan to strengthen New Mexicos water infrastructure. Her proposals include modernizing groundwater management in overdrawn basins, expanding statewide stormwater capture systems, and providing competitive grants for farmers to adopt modern irrigation technologiesinitiatives she discussed at the Next Generation Water Summit this summer. As U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Haaland championed policies to support rural and traditional communities. Under her leadership, acequias were recognized as traditional community water organizations eligible for water management engagement. The Bureau of Land Management also backed the Land Grant-Mercedes Traditional Use Recognition and Consultation Act, legislation Haaland previously co-sponsored in Congress to improve coordination between federal agencies and New Mexicos land grant communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During her tenure, she oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in federal investments in rural water infrastructure projects and directed funding to the New Mexico Acequia Association to bolster statewide water resilience. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) Faculty members at HACC are rallying Tuesday night as the threat of a strike looms. The rally began at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the Farm Show Complex, which is right across from HACC Drive. Faculty said they will hit the picket line if the administration fails to deliver a serious proposal. Rally goers plan to march from the Farm Show Complex to the C. Ted Lick Building, where negotiators are meeting at 6 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Faculty said they have a message to the college: Enough is enough. HACC faculty said they have been working without a contract since unionizing in April 2022. They add that they have not gotten a raise since the 2022-2023 school year, but leaders say this is not about the money. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Morning Weather Forecast APSEA spokesperson Lauri Lebo said they believe that the union will just go away if the college drags out the negotiation process. Faculty said the administrations proposals would increase class sizes, reduce standards for instructional hiring, and allow the college to take ownership of faculty-created course materials indefinitely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HACCs education association and PSEA claim these policies would threaten the quality of education and the conditions that allow faculty and staff to do their jobs effectively. On October 2, 2025, union members authorized a strike, giving them the right to hit the picket line at any time. Lebo said this is the last thing faculty want to do to students, and they are trying to prevent it. She added that if the faculty were to hit the picket line, it would have a large impact and mark the PSEA Southern Regions first strike in 17 years. I mean, nobody wants to strike. Thats especially true here in, you know, with HACC faculty, its the last thing that they want. Were talking about dedicated professionals. They love teaching, and they genuinely care about the students, Lebo said. So this is the last thing that anybody wants here. But you know, they just feel that there is no, you know, theyve been at this for, what, 43 months and for three years, basically, and that they just feel that there is no choice at this point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lebo also said that HACC was the last community college faculty union to organize in Pennsylvania since the education association organized in 2022. In response to the upcoming rally and negotiation meeting, HACC shared the following statement: The College looks forward to bargaining in good faith with the union on Oct. 28, 2025. The Colleges goal is to make progress and avoid the union from engaging in regressive bargaining, which makes it difficult to reach a mutually agreeable settlement. In the Colleges last proposal, the base pay increase is higher than 9% to account for compounding that has otherwise been lost due to the union not agreeing to raises offered in the last three years. This proposed increase directly addresses the unions concern about pay. The Colleges proposal eliminates the existing three-tier system for non-nursing adjuncts and full-time faculty overload pay rates, moving all to a single, higher pay rate. If agreed to by the union, that pay rate will be higher than the current maximum rate. Additionally, the contract provides for consistent and predictable salary increases of 3% for full-time and adjunct faculty over the life of the agreement, ensuring stability and fairness in pay progression. Adjunct faculty continue to be the highest paid adjuncts among all PSEA represented community colleges. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. PENN YAN, N.Y. (WROC) A Penn Yan family is pleading for answers after the sudden loss of their 17-year-old who died after a hit-and-run in Geneva last Thursday. I just couldnt believe how anybody can hit a human being and just keep on going without stopping, said Shirley Littell, the grandmother of the victim. I just want him to be caught. The family of 17-year-old Tre-Shaud Littell says he aspired to work in real estate. He worked at a local Dunkin right after his graduation in June, so that he could save up for the online courses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes a bright young man, said Tre-Shauds father, Gary. He had a vision on the future that he wanted, and a great smile. Big heart. Loved his family. He was just a great soul, just a 17-year-old boy trying to find his way through life. Police received a report of a dead person in the southbound lane of Pre Emption Road in Geneva at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning. Gary said the police arrived at his home in Penn Yan, where he lives with his mother and other two children, at around 5:30 a.m. to deliver the news of his sons death. No ones been found that we know of, or any evidence, he said. So, were just kind of waiting and hoping that we can get the news out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family believes he was headed toward his grandmothers home in Penn Yan that night, but is asking anyone with information to come forward or call 911. He was like my savior. He was everything I needed to change my life, cried Gary. He made me the man I am today, just by being here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. (NewsNation) Half of the uncontacted Indigenous groups around the world could be wiped out in the next 10 years, according to a report. Analysis from Survival International, a London-based Indigenous rights organization, revealed at least 196 groups in 10 countries face existential threats from logging, mining and agribusiness. These are what I would call silent genocides there are no TV crews, no journalists, said Survival International research and advocacy director Fiona Watson. But they are happening, and theyre happening now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica and threatens to be the islands strongest recorded storm In 2024, loggers were killed by bow and arrow after entering Mashco Piro territory in Perus Amazon, with Indigenous leaders warning that such clashes are inevitable when frontier zones go unpoliced. Two years earlier, two loggers were also shot with arrows while fishing, one fatally, in an encounter with tribal members. Who are uncontacted peoples? Uncontacted peoples are contemporary societies that deliberately avoid outsiders after generations of violence, slavery and disease. The groups reside in countries across South America, Asia and the Pacific; almost 95% of them are in the Amazon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The communities survive by hunting, fishing and small-scale cultivation, maintaining languages and traditions that predate modern nation-states. US detains British Muslim commentator after revoking visa They thrive, independently, self-sufficiently and without contact, in environments that most others would find extremely challenging, Survival International described the groups. Their lands do not just provide their shelter and livelihoods they are also the core of their identity, culture and resistance. These territories are their homes. What threats have evolved for uncontacted peoples? Threats against uncontacted peoples originated from colonization and state-backed infrastructure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Brazils military was a dictatorship for 21 years, highways were bulldozed through the rainforest without due regard for the people living there. Now, the groups across Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador are faced with dealing with drug traffickers and illegal gold miners who have moved into the territories. Accused fentanyl kingpin returned to US after house arrest escape Any chance encounter runs the risk of transmitting the flu, which can easily wipe out an uncontacted people within a year of contact, Watson said. And bows and arrows are no match for guns. Watson added that for uncontacted peoples to be protected, governments must formally recognize and enforce Indigenous territories and make them off-limits to extractive industries. She believes corporations and consumers must help stop the flow of money driving destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public opinion and pressure are essential, said Watson. Its largely through citizens and the media that so much has already been achieved to recognize uncontacted peoples and their rights. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. As parents get their trick-or-treaters ready to head out and collect goodies, law enforcement agencies want families to be aware of the locations of sexual offenders and predators in their neighborhood. RELATED: Halloween events taking place in the Jacksonville area NORTHEAST FLORIDA The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is encouraging citizens to download the FDLE Mobile App from Google Play or the Apple App Store before Halloween to search Floridas Sexual Offender Registry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Search Sexual Offenders and Predators button is one of eight FDLE public services featured in the mobile app. The app makes it easy for citizens to see where sexual offenders have registered a residential address in Florida. Citizens can also access Floridas Sexual Offender Registry online by clicking here. Here is the information on rules that sexual offenders and predators must follow, county-by-county: DUVAL COUNTY The following is a list of laws that Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators in Duval County must abide by. It is unlawful for any Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator to participate in any Halloween party or event if the event targets non-familial children. Any person designated a Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator shall avoid all Halloween-related contact with children. All outside residential lighting must be off during the evening hours after 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. No Halloween decorations can be visible from the exterior of any Sexual Offenders or Sexual Predators residence. CLAY COUNTY Clay County has an ordinance that sexual offenders and predators must follow on Halloween, stating they must, avoid all Halloween-related contact with children; leave all outside residential lighting off during the evening hours after 5 p.m. and; exhibit no exterior decorations on his or her residence to attract or entice children to the residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CCSO said its Fugitive/Sexual Offender Apprehension unit has been doing checks/verifications in the days leading up to Halloween. To read the full ordinance, click here. RELATED: What is the top Halloween candy? DoorDash, Instacart make predictions ST. JOHNS COUNTY In 2023, St. Johns County passed an update to its original 2009 ordinance relating to sexual offenders and Halloween. On Halloween night, sex offenders must refrain from displaying any visible Halloween decorations from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Also, all residential lighting must be turned off after 5 p.m. on October 31 or on any other day when Halloween is celebrated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The revised rules also specify that registered sex offenders cannot display: Holograms or projections Displays over six feet in height Decorations that line a pathway to a door Inflatables Childrens characters, or other interactive displays Registered sex offenders are also prohibited from decorating their homes or wearing costumes that could attract, entice, or lure children. Additionally, they are banned from attending any holiday events specifically intended for families and children. Penalties for violation include either a $500 fine, 60 days in jail, or both. To read the full ordinance, click here. COLUMBIA COUNTY The Columbia County Sheriffs Office shared the following information with the community about Halloween safety" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOR PARENTS: If you have any concerns about neighbors, refer to the FDLE Sexual Offender and Predators Search page to do a neighborhood search to find out who is around you. You can also download the mobile app in your app store. FDLE - Sexual Offender and Predator System A couple of helpful hints when going out with your children: Have some type of reflective clothing or a light stick on your trick or treaters and yourself Carry a flashlight with new/charged batteries when walking Walk on the right side of the road facing approaching traffic Keep track of YOUR kids if you have older kids and split up, ensure they have a charged phone or walkie-talkie And if the door is closed and the porch light is off, theyre probably not handing out candy or they ran out Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FOR SUPERVISED SEXUAL OFFENDERS: If you are a sexual offender in Columbia County there are no Halloween specific county ordinances. You are not allowed to decorate in any way that may entice a child to come in to your yard and to your door for candy. You are not allowed to hand out candy or interact with neighborhood children out trick or treating. You must have exterior lights turned off and blinds closed after 5 PM. You may not dress up in a costume or wear makeup to hide their identity and interact with children. And you may not attend Halloween parties where little children are going to be present. NASSAU COUNTY According to the countys municipal code, (a) It is unlawful for any sex offender to participate in a holiday event involving children under eighteen (18) years of age including, but not limited to, distributing candy to children or other items to children on Halloween; or wearing costumes, make-up, masks, or anything that would alter a persons appearance for the primary purpose of entertaining or attracting children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (b) Any person designated a sex offender shall be required from 6:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on October 31 (or any other day on which Halloween is celebrated) to: (1) Avoid all Halloween-related contact with children; (2) Not place or allow any displays of Halloween displays or decorations to be visible from the exterior of any sex offender residence, including a vehicle or vessel, or on any property which is leased, rented, owned, or occupied by such sex offender ; and (3) Leave all outside residential lighting off during the evening hours after 5:00 p.m. on October 31 (or any other day on which Halloween is celebrated) and exhibit no exterior decorations on the sexual offenders residence to attract or entice children to the residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (c) Holiday events in which the sexual offender is the parent, or guardian of the children involved, and no nonfamilial children are present, are exempt from this section. Click here for more information on the ordinance. BRADFORD COUNTY The following information was shared by the Bradford County Sheriffs Office: The Bradford County Sheriffs Office Sex Offender Unit (SOU) will be actively participating in several community sporting events and fall festivals throughout the month of October. During these events, deputies from the SOU will maintain a visible presence to promote public safety and strengthen community engagement. In addition to these engagements, the SOU will conduct targeted patrols and compliance checks throughout Bradford County to ensure full adherence to Floridas sex offender and career offender registration laws. These proactive efforts are designed to protect our residents and reinforce the Sheriffs Office commitment to accountability, safety, and trust within the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Roku ranks most-searched Halloween movies for 2025 PUTNAM COUNTY Action News Jax told you in September that Putnam County passed one of the strictest sex offender ordinances in the state of Florida. The ordinance increases the residency buffer zone for registered sex offenders and predators. They are now prohibited from living within 2,500 feet of schools, childcare facilities, school bus stops, parks, or playgrounds more than double the 1,000 feet required by Florida state law. It also bans offenders from living within 500 feet of one another unless they are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Offenders are also prohibited from participating in Halloween or Fall Festival events involving children. This includes handing out candy or wearing costumes intended to attract kids. Violating the ordinance is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in Putnam County Jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. The City of Palatka has also passed a similar ordinance. UNION COUNTY The following information was shared by the Union County Sheriffs Office: The City of Lake Butler will observe Trick or Treat/Halloween on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30th from 6pm-8 pm. (see flyer) Increased Law Enforcement patrol will be at these events and throughout the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the goal of Sheriff Brad Whitehead and the Union County Sheriffs Office that all remain safe and alert during this time of year. The Union County Sheriffs Office is offering these safety tips for kids, parents and motorists to ensure that Halloween and the activities involved are enjoyable for all. Those passing out candy, please have your porch light on and ensure a safe entrance is well lit. TIPS FOR KIDS: Attend an organized event, or it is a good idea to stay in your own neighborhood, go with a friend, or in a group with an adult Go only to homes with lights on or Halloween decorations displayed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do not eat any treats until they have been checked by an adult. Watch for cars when crossing the street. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Make sure your childs costume allows freedom of movement and good visibility. Carrying a flashlight or light stick makes kids more visible. (Union County Sheriffs Office will be providing glow necklaces Saturday at RMC and the night of Halloween) Young children should always go with an adult. Insist that children trick or treat with a group. Before children eat any treats, check them. TIPS FOR MOTORISTS: Exercise extreme caution when driving and be alert for excited children, whose vision may be obscured by masks or costumes. Drive very slow throughout neighborhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Use caution and be aware of children while backing vehicles out of driveways or parking spaces. Use caution if transporting children from house to house. Extra patrol units will be on high alerts for speeders, drunk drivers and registered sex offenders. SOUTHEAST GEORGIA Georgia sexual offenders are subject to follow Georgias Department of Community Supervision guidelines. One of the guidelines states, If the offender has incidental contact with children, the offender will be civil and courteous to the child and immediately remove himself or herself from the situation. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations Sexual Offender Registry can be accessed by clicking here. BRANTLEY COUNTY The following information was shared by the Brantley County Sheriffs Office: As of 10-1-25, there are approximately 70 Registered Sex Offenders in Brantley County, Georgia and we want parents to know which houses their children should avoid when Trick-or-Treating. Registered Sex Offenders report their home address to us. If you are going Trick-or-Treating, visit our website to see whose door you dont want to knock on. Parents should research for Offenders on their Trick-or-Treat route, and near any addresses where their children spend time. The search and maps on the website pinpoints where offenders live. While on the website, citizens can also sign up for Free email notifications from The Brantley County Sheriffs Office, should an offender move into their neighborhood or around an address important to the parent. If you arent planning on Trick-or-Treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a family or friends neighborhood, search their addresses beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. Here are two important things parents should do before Halloween: Search for Registered Offenders in the area on brantleyso.org and click on the Sex Offender tab. Sign up for email alerts at brantleyso.org and click on the Sex Offenders tab. For further information, please call the Brantley County Sheriffs Office, Sex Offender Division at 912-462-2477. Hamas has handed over the remains of another dead captive to Israel, hours after an Israeli drone attack in southern Gaza killed two Palestinians amid a fragile ceasefire. The Israeli military said on Monday that the Red Cross had taken custody of the coffin and was in the process of transporting it to the armys troops in Gaza. Under the terms of a United States-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Hamas has undertaken to return the bodies of all the 28 deceased captives. The remains of 16 had been handed over as of Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 20 surviving captives were freed on October 13 as part of the truce. The release of the latest body comes as the families of some of the captives called on the Israeli government to pause the ceasefire if Hamas fails to locate and hand over the bodies. Hamas knows exactly where every one of the deceased hostages is held, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. The families urge the government of Israel, the United States administration and the mediators not to advance to the next phase of the agreement until Hamas fulfils all of its obligations and returns every hostage to Israel, the association added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement echoed the Israeli governments claim that Hamas knows where the remains are. On Saturday, Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said there were challenges in locating the captives bodies because the occupation has altered the terrain of Gaza. He suggested that some of those who had buried the bodies had been killed during the war, while others had forgotten the burial locations. The day after al-Hayyas comments, Israel permitted an Egyptian technical team to enter Gaza to help with the task of finding the bodies. The search involves the use of excavator machines and trucks. Despite the ceasefire, an Israeli drone attack close to the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed at least two people on Monday, according to Nasser Hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, eight Palestinians have been killed and another 13 injured in Israeli attacks across the enclave over the last 48 hours, Gazas Ministry of Health said on Monday. At least 68,527 people have died and 170,395 have been injured since Israels war on Gaza began in October 2023, it added. Speaking on board Air Force One on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that Israel had not violated the truce through its strike against a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group on Saturday. We dont view that as a violation of the ceasefire, he said, accusing the target of planning an attack on Israeli troops.They have the right if theres an imminent threat to Israel, and all the mediators agree with that. In the more than two weeks since the truce began, about 473,000 people have returned to northern Gaza, where they face widespread destruction of property and critical shortages of basic necessities like food and water, according to the United Nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Younis al-Khatib, the head of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, has warned that Gazas population still faces the same desperate humanitarian emergency as it did before the truce. Rebuilding human beings is more difficult than rebuilding destroyed homes, he said during meetings with Norways prime minister and foreign minister in Oslo, noting that residents would need mental health care for years to come. The World Health Organization also warned that the number of Palestinians in Gaza who need mental health support had risen from about 485,000 to more than one million after two years of Israels war. Almost all the children in the enclave need such help, according to the UN childrens agency, UNICEF, which has said that Gaza has been the most dangerous place in the world to be a child over the last two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tess Ingram, the groups spokesperson in Gaza, explained that this is because of the sheer number of children whove been killed and injured, displaced, separated from their families [or] who have lost a loved one. A classroom of children was killed every single day for two years in this conflict, and the scars of what the children have endured will last for many, many years to come, Ingram told Al Jazeera, speaking from the al-Mawasi area in the south. According to KAN, Israeli officials were notified of Hamas's actions in the video as they happened. Israel suspects that Hamas intends to use the requested heavy machinery, such as bulldozers, in order to further bury the remains of deceased hostages rather than recover them, Israel Public Broadcaster KAN News reported on Tuesday. Earlier on Tuesday, a video filmed by an IDF drone circulated, showing Hamas members placing Tzarfati's remains in a freshly dug hole before covering the remains with dirt. They then proceeded to "dig" up the remains and called over members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to witness the discovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to KAN, Israeli officials were notified of Hamas's actions in the video as they happened. Still, they ordered the IDF not to engage so they could release footage of the incident later and potentially stoke public outrage against the terror group and its actions. The ICRC condemned the staged recovery in a statement released Tuesday night, while claiming that it had no prior knowledge of "prior knowledge of the circumstances that led to this." International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) searching for the remains of deceased hostages in Gaza City, October 28, 2025. (credit: TPS-IL) Egypt sends heavy engineering vehicles to Gaza as Hamas stalls in search Egypt transferred four heavy engineering vehicles into the Gaza Strip on Sunday through the Kerem Shalom crossing to assist in locating the remains of the 13 hostages who have not yet been recovered, Walla reported. The Qatari network Al Araby TV reported that ICRC vehicles entered the Rafah area to take part in the effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas is also capable of returning a double-digit number of deceased hostages' remains and is not making enough effort to return the remains despite knowing their burial locations, an Israeli source told public broadcaster KAN News two weeks ago. Even so, the terror group has stated several times that it cannot locate all the murdered hostages in the Gaza Strip, stressing as recently as earlier the same evening that it has already handed over all the hostages it could access. Amir Bohbot, Guy Elster, and Reuters contributed to this report. "We have exerted every possible effort to recover the bodies," Hindi claimed, and Israel "bears full responsibility for any delay in retrieving the remaining ones." Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza, blamed Israel for delaying the return of the remains of the hostages in a Tuesday interview with Qatari outlet Al Jazeera, refusing to take any responsibility. "We have exerted every possible effort to recover the bodies," Hindi alleged, and Israel "bears full responsibility for any delay in retrieving the remaining ones." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas asked Israel to allow search teams entry into the "red zones" to look for hostage remains and was faced with refusal, according to Hindi. He continued to argue that the terror group "has no interest in hiding any body of a captive or delaying its handover." Hindi also claimed in the interview that Hamas is facing "great difficulties" in recovering the remains of deceased hostages in Gaza, and continues to request permission to bring in "heavy equipment" to aid it in the search. Hamas members search for the remains of deceased hostages, kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, October 28, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Haseeb Alwazeer) Army Radio, however, confirmed on Sunday that the Israeli government had authorized Hamas members to enter territory under IDF control to join the Red Cross members. Hamas-affiliated media outlets also reported on Sunday that members of the International Committee of the Red Cross met with Hamas's "Shadow Unit," responsible for guarding hostages, to guide them to the location of Israeli remains located in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, in southern Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furthermore, Israeli sources confirmed on Tuesday that the Palestinian terror group "can immediately return a handful of hostage remains" if it chooses to do so. Hamas's continued ceasefire violations Israel needs to "stop falsely accusing us of violating the agreement," Hindi said, reaffirming the terror organization's dedication to the ceasefire, and calling on international mediators to place pressure on Israel to facilitate the return of the remains of deceased hostages left in Gaza. Last week, Major Yaniv Kula and Staff-Sergeant Itay Yavetz were killed in Rafah after Hamas fired anti-tank missiles and gunfire at them. A third soldier was seriously wounded in the same incident and was taken to a hospital for immediate treatment. Further violating the ceasefire, Hamas again fired an anti-tank missile and gunshots at IDF troops in Rafah on Tuesday afternoon, marking an additional ceasefire violation by the terrorist group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IDF returned fire in order to stop Hamas from further endangering soldiers on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, according to a military source. Miriam Sela-Eitam, Amichai Stein, Avi Ashkenazi, and Anna Barsky contributed to this report. The latest coffin handed over to Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas contained the remains of an Israeli hostage whose body was recovered by the military almost two years ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday. The family of Ofir Tzarfati has been informed that additional remains were returned, it said in a statement. He was abducted from the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, and later declared dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli military said in December 2023 that it had brought Tzarfati's remains back to Israel, where he was later buried. Israeli media had previously reported that the remains handed over on Monday evening did not belong to a missing hostage. The remains were forensically examined after they arrived in Israel. "This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas," the statement by Nentanyahu's office read. It said the prime minister would hold talks with security heads to discuss Israel's response. As part of the first phase of the US-led peace plan between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group is required to hand over a total of 28 bodies. Discounting these latest remains, 13 hostages' bodies remain in Gaza. Hamas released all living hostages on October 13 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The latest coffin handed over to Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas contained further remains of an Israeli hostage whose body was recovered almost two years ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday. The family of Ofir Tzarfati has been informed that additional remains were returned, it said in a statement. He was abducted from the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, and later declared dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli military said in December 2023 that it had brought Tzarfati's remains back to Israel, where he was later buried. Israeli media had previously reported that the remains handed over on Monday evening did not belong to a missing hostage. The remains were forensically examined after they arrived in Israel. "This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas," a statement by Netanyahu's office read. Family must open grave for third time Tzarfati's family confirmed that some of his remains were returned to Israel on Monday evening, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It said the family had already received additional remains of Tzarfati's body in March 2024. "This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son," the family said in a message conveyed by the hostages forum on X. They spoke of "an abhorrent manipulation designed to sabotage the deal and abandon the effort to bring all the hostages home." The forum demanded an immediate meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the issue. Israel's response Netanyahu's office said the prime minister would hold talks with security heads to discuss Israel's response to the "violation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Times of Israel and the ynet news site reported that Israel is considering expanding the areas it controls in the Gaza Strip. However, the Kan broadcaster said any measures will only be taken in coordination with the United States. It said discussions are also ongoing about the prospect of reducing humanitarian aid to the population in the Gaza Strip. Fragile ceasefire As part of the first phase of the US-led peace plan between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group is required to hand over a total of 28 bodies. Discounting these latest remains, 13 hostages' bodies remain in Gaza. Hamas says it is difficult to find the dead because they are buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels. An Israeli government spokeswoman accused the group of lying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Islamist group released all living hostages on October 13 in exchange for around 250 Palestinian prisoners. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday he would ask Netanyahu to re-arrest all the Palestinian prisoners who were released and brought to the West Bank as part of the ceasefire deal. Palestinian sources say 88 of the 250 released prisoners returned to the West Bank. Many others were taken to Egypt due to the severity of their crimes. Israel also had to release around 1,700 Palestinians who were detained after October 7, 2023. Ofir Tzarfati was killed in Gaza, remains retrieved by Israeli forces in December 2023 Israeli source to 'Post': 'This cannot go without a response' The remains returned by Hamas on Monday night belong to deceased hostage Ofir Tzarfati, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Tuesday. Tzarfati was pronounced dead after his remains were returned to Israel during an IDF and Shin Bet operation in December 2023. Additional remains of Tzarfati were brought to Israel in March 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting today to discuss Israel's response. Certain measures Israel may take were discussed with American officials in recent days. "This cannot go without a response," an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post. The remains were transferred into Israeli territory by the IDF on Monday evening and arrived at the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir at approximately midnight. Red Cross officials undertake excavations in search for remains of slain hostages in the Gaza Strip, October 27, 2025 (credit: TPS-IL) A member of Hamas's Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades told Al Jazeera earlier in the day that the remains had been discovered during excavation efforts in the Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City. The Gaza City area is currently on the Hamas side of the Yellow Line as dictated by the ceasefire deal. Hamas claims excavation of remains underway "We are committed to the ceasefire agreement and the handover of the bodies of Israeli prisoners," Hamas said in a statement, stating that the organization is currently conducting excavations in several areas within the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Netanyahu government threatens our people in the Gaza Strip and seeks to implement its plan to destroy the Strip and displace its people." Separately, Hamas told Arab mediators that it was working to excavate the remains of between seven and nine slain hostages from the Gaza Strip, Saudi network Asharq News reported on Monday. The handover occurred several hours before the 48-hour deadline set by US President Donald Trump to speed up the return of hostages' remains. "Hamas is going to have to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, including two Americans, quickly," he wrote. "Lets see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely," he affirmed. This is a developing story. Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. Hamas said on Tuesday it would hand over the body of another Israeli hostage in the evening, just hours after returning remains that turned out to belong to someone already buried in Israel. The Palestinian Islamist group's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, said on Telegram that the body, found in a tunnel, would be transferred to Israel at 8 pm (1800 GMT). Such handovers are typically conducted via the International Committee of the Red Cross. Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the latest coffin handed over to Israel by Hamas on Monday night contained further remains of an Israeli hostage whose body was recovered almost two years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ofir Tzarfati was abducted from the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, and later declared dead. The Israeli military said in December 2023 that it had brought Tzarfati's remains back to Israel, where he was later buried. The remains were forensically examined after they arrived in Israel. "This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the terrorist organization Hamas," a statement by Netanyahu's office read. Family must open grave for third time Tzarfati's family confirmed that some of his remains were returned to Israel on Monday evening, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It said the family had already received additional remains of Tzarfati's body in March 2024. "This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofir's grave and rebury our son," the family said in a message conveyed by the hostages forum on X. They spoke of "an abhorrent manipulation designed to sabotage the deal and abandon the effort to bring all the hostages home." The forum demanded an immediate meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the issue. Israel's response Netanyahu's office said the prime minister would hold talks with security heads to discuss Israel's response to the "violation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Times of Israel and the ynet news site reported that Israel is considering expanding the areas it controls in the Gaza Strip. However, the Kan broadcaster said any measures will only be taken in coordination with the United States. It said discussions are also ongoing about the prospect of reducing humanitarian aid to the population in the Gaza Strip. Fragile ceasefire As part of the first phase of the US-led peace plan between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group is required to hand over a total of 28 bodies. Discounting these latest remains, 13 hostages' bodies remain in Gaza. Hamas says it is difficult to find the dead because they are buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels. An Israeli government spokeswoman accused the group of lying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Islamist group released all living hostages on October 13 in exchange for around 250 Palestinian prisoners. Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday he would ask Netanyahu to re-arrest all the Palestinian prisoners who were released and brought to the West Bank as part of the ceasefire deal. Palestinian sources say 88 of the 250 released prisoners returned to the West Bank. Many others were taken to Egypt due to the severity of their crimes. Israel also had to release around 1,700 Palestinians who were detained after October 7, 2023. Gunfire in southern Gaza Despite the ceasefire, Israeli media reported an exchange of fire in southern Gaza on Tuesday. According to the Army Radio, Hamas members opened fire on Israeli soldiers near Rafah. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli artillery subsequently shelled several areas in the vicinity. Since the truce began on October 10, sporadic deadly incidents have continued, with more than 90 Palestinians reported killed by the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Hamas said earlier that it would return the remains at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night after claiming it had found additional remains in Khan Yunis. The remains of the additional deceased hostage Hamas claimed to have found in Khan Yunis earlier will not be returned due to Israel's strikes in the Gaza Strip, Hamas said Tuesday evening. Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas said that it would return the remains at 8 p.m. on Tuesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas claims to have found the remains of the hostage while searching a tunnel in Khan Yunis, according to Army Radio. Hamas-linked media published photographs of terrorists wearing oxygen masks entering the tunnel to locate the remains, Army Radio added. Pro-Hamas media footage of a tunnel where the terror group claims to have found hostage remains, October 28, 2025. (credit: Screenshot/Telegram) Hamas returned remains on Monday night, which belonged to the deceased hostage Ofir Tzarfati, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed earlier in the day. Tzarfati was pronounced dead after his remains were returned to Israel during an IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) operation in December 2023. Additional remains of Tzarfati were brought to Israel in March 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting today to discuss Israel's response. Certain measures Israel may take were discussed with American officials in recent days. Hostage Families Forum slam Hamas's psychological warfare The Hostages and Missing Families Forum slammed Hamas and its continued psychological warfare, following the circulation of a video showing the organization's burial and "discovery" of Ofir Tzarfati's remains on Tuesday. The video, filmed by an IDF drone that had been in the area, shows Hamas members placing Tzarfati's remains in a freshly dug hole before covering the remains with dirt. "Hamass repeated violations prove what we have known and said all along," the forum wrote. This is a developing story. Amichai Stein contributed to this report. NEWTON COUNTY, Mo. Culvert work is shutting down Hammer Road in Newton County. The Missouri Department of Transportation has confirmed Hammer Road will close at U.S. Route 60 west of Neosho from 6:00 a.m. Monday, November 3 until 6:00 p.m. Friday, November 7. MoDOT officials say contractor crews will install culverts as part of an intersection development project, which is part of a larger project to build new turn lanes at six intersections along U.S. Route 60 between Route V east of Seneca and Route 37 in Barry County near the Monett Regional Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MoDOT lists the following traffic impacts expected to occur as a result of the work: Hammer Road closed on BOTH sides of U.S. Route 60. Motorists will be able to access driveways and entrances on each side of the closure but shall not be permitted to travel through the work zone. Motorists are urged to find alternative routes. CLICK HERE to view MoDOTs Traveler Information Map. For more information, call MoDOTs Southwest District Office at 417-895-7600 or follow this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Angelina Leo, an Exeter High School senior, speaks during a Concord rally on Oct. 27, 2025, about how vital special education was for her development. At right is ABLE NH Executive Director Louis Esposito. (Photo by William Skipworth/New Hampshire Bulletin) Angelina Leo, an Exeter High School senior, said that without the special education services she received throughout her time in school, she wouldnt even be able to speak. Leo, who has physical and learning disabilities, sees herself as an example of why special education works. She can now read and write. She also has siblings who have benefited from special education. Thats why when she heard about cuts and changes to the federal Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, she was peeved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And then I was scared, she said Monday at a demonstration in Concord opposing the changes. Because what does that mean for me going into college, and what does that mean for my younger siblings, some of which need more help than I needed? Earlier this month, the Trump administration laid off 466 employees within the Department of Education office responsible for ensuring states are complying with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The layoffs at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which administers roughly $15 billion in federal special education funding, are the latest in a series of cuts to the Department of Education that President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon say is part of their promise to return education policy and governance to the states. Ultimately, the administration says it hopes to shutter the Department of Education entirely. Leo said that in elementary school, her teachers told her mother shed never graduate high school. Now, shes on pace to graduate and hopes to attend a community college for a few years before going to the University of New Hampshire to study biomedical engineering. She would like to one day create mobility and accessibility devices for people with disabilities. Louis Esposito, executive director of ABLE NH, the disability rights organization that organized the rally, said IDEA exists because the states werent doing their job to begin with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kids were excluded from the classrooms, he said. They werent even allowed to go to school. And now were just going to trust the states to do a good job with it. Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have publicly discussed moving special education into the Department of Health and Human Services, a move ABLE NH opposes. Esposito worries thatll treat special education like a medical factory. Students with disabilities are students, he said. Theyre not just people with disabilities. They are students first. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Nashville Volunteer Week has kicked off, and there are plenty of ways you can give back to the community while its happening. The week is hosted by Hands On Nashville, a nonprofit organization that connects people to ways to serve the community, from helping the unhoused to picking up litter around town, and more. Now until the end of the week, Hands On is encouraging everyone to get involved in some type of volunteer work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Right now, organizers said food banks are in the most need as food insecurity grows as the government shutdown rolls on. Our nonprofit partners, many of them are in the food security space, and you can find something happening every day that is either delivering meals, cooking meals, sorting donations in a food pantry, handing them out at a food bank, to helping shoppers get the food that they need, HON Director of Corporate Engagement Mary Martin told News 2. Food insecurity is also top of mind this week as around 700,000 Tennesseans prepare to lose their SNAP benefits in November due to the ongoing shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local food pantries prepare for increased demand if SNAP benefits lapse The benefits are set to lapse in November, putting thousands of Tennesseans at risk of going hungry next month. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced last week Tennesseans should prepare to see a delay in their benefits. State Democrats called on the governor to utilize some of the states Rainy Day Fund to cover the gaps in coverage, but the governor resisted that request. Congress has a responsibility to fund the federal government, and as Governor Lee has said, its disappointing that Democrats have chosen not to reopen it. While the Lee administration continues working with federal agencies to mitigate the impact of a shutdown on hardworking Tennesseans, SNAP is federally funded and operated, and without those federal dollars, the state cannot provide the benefits. The Governor shares the frustration of Tennesseans who will be impacted by this temporary lapse, and sincerely hopes Democrats will choose to put the American people ahead of politics Statement sent to News 2 from Gov. Bill Lees Office To be connected to a volunteer opportunity with Hands On Nashville, click HERE. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. LANSING, (Mich.) WLNS The looming pause in SNAP benefits is causing worry among those who use them and advocates are working hard to help them prepare. More than a million Michiganders receive SNAP benefits, but those benefits are set to pause Saturday, as a result of the federal government shutdown after the United States Department of Agriculture instructed the state to pause the distribution of SNAP benefit coupons for November. Mid-Michiganders are busy stocking up on fruits, veggies, and other groceries for the week, but in just 4 days, many will have trouble affording many of the same groceries they enjoy now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Democrats say the pause would leave the roughly 1.4 million Michiganders who currently use the benefits without them. Experts, like activist Sommer Foster, warn the consequences will be dire. Our children, theyre people with disabilities, theyre the elderly. And they are having a hard time making ends meet. Theyre having a hard time paying rent. Theyre having a hard time buying food as it is, Foster said. Foster says 60% of SNAP recipients in Michigan include families with children, which is why shes helping people to tighten their budget, and spreading helping tips to survive. Things like food banks, faith houses, places like Forgotten Harvest, Gleaners, things like that. look at coupons, looking at places that are having sales, said Foster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11), a Democrat, says both parties need to come together to get SNAP benefits back. Food should not be a partisan thing, Stevens said. So, the tools in the toolkit right now are available. Emergency reserve funds, other funds, finding ways that people arent gonna be disrupted. Meanwhile Republicans, like U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (MI-07) says the Democrats are at fault. Its unfortunate that while in the House of Representatives, weve passed a budget that would fund snap going forward, the Democrats in the Senate, a minority of Democrats in the Senate have stood in the way of this policy, Barrett said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. You can find original article here Nrn. Subscribe to our free daily Nrn newsletters. Hardees is trying to draw attention to its chicken tenders by offering a special for its loyalty program members during a weekday normally hyped for tacos. Declaring the second weekday Tender Bender Tuesday, the quick-service chain is offering My Hardees Rewards members a buy one, get one deal on a three-piece order of its Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, which start at $5.49. Its available every Tuesday through June 30, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The offer comes as competition heats up in the tender space, with Popeyes, Sonic Drive-In, and McDonalds all introducing budget-friendly chicken tender wraps this year. KFCs single-unit spinoff Saucy by KFC in Orlando, Fla., has rolled out new chicken tender burritos, called Chickitos, with choice of barbecue sauce, kimchi, or smoky ranch, and other chains also have developed new flavors for its tenders: Golden Chick now offers them in new spicy dill and lemon pepper seasonings, Piada Italian Street Food just rolled them out with hot honey and what it calls Italian chili crisp, and Long John Silvers has added Baja sauce and sweet chili flavors to its version of tenders, called Chicken Planks. That mostly-seafood concept even changed its logo in digital channels to feature a chicken illustration as the category continues to heat up. The offer comes as Americans pull back on dining out, with nearly 40% visiting restaurants less frequently, according to a new report from YouGov. The report also found that BOGO promotions would incentivize 58% of consumers to dine out more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hardees BOGO deal can be redeemed each Tuesday at participating locations in the chains more than 1,500-unit system, limited to one offer per registered user each Tuesday. A spokesperson from the chain, a subsidiary of CKE Restaurants based in Franklin, Tenn., said further marketing efforts around Tender Bender Tuesday are in the works. Contact Bret Thorn at bret.thorn@informa.com Follow him on TikTok and Instagram: @foodwriterdiary Related Articles Harris County could soon crack down on panhandling, but some say they worry it could impact an already overcrowded jail. If you approach an intersection, more than lights or a road sign may greet you. Sometimes you may find someone looking for money, food, or trying to sell you an item. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey said he receives a lot of complaints about those actions. "I get as many calls on this issue as almost anything else that happens in Precinct 3," Ramsey said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In mid-October, Ramsey had the item on the commissioners' court agenda. He said he did show after state lawmakers passed a bill this past session, which went into effect last month. The ordinance vote, though, stalled at the last meeting. Ramsey added the item to this week's agenda. He said he wants the county to explore an ordinance that would ban panhandling in unincorporated streets and medians and prevent street vendors. Ramsey said the ordinance could still give people a way to collect money. "By creating designated safe zones away from busy traffic," Ramsey explained. Ramsey said instead of tickets, they'd focus on warnings and providing resources. Commissioner Rodney Ellis, though, worries that giving tickets could put more people in an already overcrowded jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, he said they may vote to look closer at the issue. "I am worried about whether or not, as we try to do something about unhoused people filling up that jail quicker than we intended," Ellis said. Harris County is considering this ordinance on Thursday, but one other southeast Texas county has already implemented a panhandling ordinance. Two months ago, Montgomery County commissioners adopted one similar to what Harris County wants to do. If caught, violators face a misdemeanor. ABC13 reached out to the sheriff's office to see how many tickets have been issued but hasn't heard back. Not all counties can do this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law has population requirements. It shows that Fort Bend County would be the only other place in our region that could do this. For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, X and Instagram. For months, the biggest headlines from American campuses have centered on legal battles with the Trump administration. These arise, in part, from growing public skepticism (especially, but not exclusively among conservatives) about U.S. campuses. Removed from these combative headlines and receiving far less attention are proactive steps being taken by many universities to get at the heart of concerns felt by many Americans. Presidents and senior leaders from nine of Americas private universities gathered on Oct. 78 in Washington, D.C., for discussions about what more could be done to model healthy civic life and intellectual exchange on U.S. campuses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Convened by Jonathan Haidts Constructive Dialogue Institute, these universities included Brown University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Tufts University, Vanderbilt University and Yale University. Participants in the two-day summit worked to develop innovative models for strengthening constructive dialogue, open inquiry and free expression in higher education. Haidt, a New York University professor, said of the gathering: At a time when polarization threatens both democracy and higher education, these leading institutions have come together to chart a new path forward for our country. Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said this is a moment where there is an acute need to sustain environments where everyone is treated with dignity, even and especially as they vigorously advance and contest opposing points of view. Culture change or coercion? The Constructive Dialogue Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded on the idea that a thriving democracy depends on peoples ability to engage with diverse perspectives, evaluate information critically, and collaborate on shared challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization helps support leaders on campuses, high schools and work places to identify strategies to create cultures of inquiry and dialogue. Caroline Mehl, who co-founded the Constructive Dialogue Institute with Haidt and leads it as executive director, said pressure from the federal government is making the work more complex because its creating skepticism about the sincerity of the work. Even though shes witnessed campus leaders deeply committed to the work, she has also observed growing public wondering about why are you doing this? On the one hand, people (on the right) are questioning, are you truly sincere? And then from the left, people are questioning, are you only doing this to appease the federal government? Reassuring the public Top of mind for everyone is concerns about declining public trust in higher education, Mehl said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This declining trust is a significant motivation for campuses to have a really central civic mission to the American people. Especially within our cynical political climate, Mehl said that getting diverse stakeholders to buy into this work remains a significant challenge. Right now in America, its hard to get people to agree on anything, she said. This is really challenging. Creating a space for cross-partisan dialogue is hard everywhere in the United States. This is also not a problem thats unique to college campuses, Mehl added. And so no one in higher ed has quite cracked (the code) for how to solve everything. This is really challenging. Creating a space for cross-partisan dialogue is hard everywhere in the United States. Caroline Mehl Is the commitment genuine? Some may still wonder how sincere university leaders are about change, especially at a time when such change is being demanded. Are these campus efforts legitimate enough to make a meaningful difference for a conservative student showing up at Brown University or Yale next semester? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mehl described being struck at how eager university leaders were to join together and how deeply engaged they were in collaborative discussions. Rather than a new initiative, she pointed out that for many years these universities have been doing similar work. Respectful discourse has long been integral to academic excellence at these institutions. Paxson, for instance, remarked that for generations, Brown has been a community that most successfully addresses challenges through dialogue, debate and a commitment to listening to each other. There is also acknowledgment, however, that change needs to happen. Linda G. Mills, president of New York University, called the gathering another invigorating step on NYUs journey of bridging divides and creating a campus where all can flourish. The new tools and perspectives shes learned, Mills said, have left her and other colleagues committed as ever to empowering our students to engage across differences with thoughtfulness, openness and civility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These university leaders say they want to signal to the public that they are committed to healthy discourse. Dartmouth is committed to helping our students learn to engage in dialogue across difference an essential skill for training future leaders, said Sian Leah Beilock, president of Dartmouth. Yale has a Cultivating Conversation initiative, along with the Harvard Dialogues and Dartmouth Dialogues the latter, described as strengthening a culture in which community members engage in respectful discussion across differences and feel comfortable having their views challenged. Solving the worlds most pressing challenges hinges on our ability to understand and discuss viewpoints different from our own, Dartmouth states on their website. Positive steps to celebrate The Constructive Dialogue Institute developed five pillars for campus culture change that guide their work. Mehl said that on each campus they have seen interesting, effective work taking place. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, she said, Harvard leaders saw an opportunity to train teaching fellows to create spaces on campus that promote inquiry and dialogue by infusing opportunities for curiosity, intellectual humility in the classroom. Mehl also noted that Yale is providing space for fruitful innovations to take place organically at the smaller department level, and then finding ways to scale up effective strategies pioneered in specific pockets of the institution within their larger, decentralized university system. Because each campus has done something different, Mehl added, there are lots of opportunities for shared learning across campuses. Rather than a one-off event, the Constructive Dialogue Leadership Institute signals the beginning of a formal collaboration among these campuses aimed at strengthening constructive dialogue and free expression. Those plans include mobilizing additional faculty to model and champion healthy disagreement, partnering on institute-led Learning Labs focused on testing out creative solutions to persistent challenges and accountability through measuring the impact of dialogue initiatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It remains a challenge how to effectively measure something that can feel a little bit ambiguous, Mehl acknowledged, in order to see whats working well versus not. Another challenge is simply time, she added. This is really deep culture change and so there needs to be some patience involved. That doesnt mean that you shouldnt see signs of progress along the way, but really significant change is going to take time. In 2026, Constructive Dialogue Institute plans to convene a similar cohort of leading public flagship universities, as they seek to grow a network of institutions explicitly committed to strengthening higher educations civic mission. Donald Trumps trade war with Canada is doing him no political favors domestically, CNNs chief data analyst Harry Enten warned on Monday. Enten highlighted growing opposition among Americans to Trumps tariffs overall, but said picking a fight with Canada is just something totally different. Canada, he noted, is far more popular in the United States than Trump himself, citing a net favorability rating among Americans of +49 percentage points for Canada versus -10 for Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were talking about Canada coming out nearly 60 points ahead on the net popularity rating versus Donald Trump here in the United States, Enten said. When you pick on Canada as a United States president, you are picking on a country that the American people adore; they adore Canada, he continued. Canada has always been a friend to the United States, at least during our lifetimes. And when youre going after Canada, you are going against someone who is far more popular than you are, Donald Trump. Politics: CNN Data Chief Flags 'Ridiculously Awful' Trend For Trump: 'My Goodness Gracious!' Enten added, Pretty much every single time, among most Americans, Americans will choose Canada over Donald Trump. Yet Trump has decided to pick yet another fight with somebody, or some entity, or some country that is more popular than he is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to how Canadians view the U.S., Enten said the feeling isnt mutual. They think that Donald Trumps a big poseur. They hate Donald Trump, they hate everything that hes doing, he said, noting that the share of Canadians who now view America as an enemy or potential threat has soared from 7% in 2023 when former President Joe Biden was in office to 48% today. The Trump administration has a net popularity rating in Canada of -58 points, Enten added. So Americans love Canada, but Canadians no longer love the United States of America. Watch here: Related... Read the original on HuffPost Oct. 27Haywood County Clerk of Superior Court Hunter Plemmons has announced his resignation effective in November coming a month before the candidate sign-up period for the clerk of court race in 2026. Plemmons has served in the role for eight years. He is resigning to return to private practice as an attorney. He said his decision is not connected to the seat being up for election next year. "I'm just ready for a change," Plemmons said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plemmons' last day in the clerk's office will be Nov. 17. He will be joining an existing legal firm in Waynesville, but has not yet made public which practice. The Clerk of Court is an elected position and will be on the ballot in Haywood County in 2026. The race is partisan, meaning there will be a primary election in March to narrow the field to one candidate from each party, who will then advance to the November election. A replacement will be appointed by Superior Court Chief Judge Roy Wijewickrama to fill the role for the next 14 months. "I trust that in appointing my successor, you will appoint someone who will lead with integrity and a demonstrated commitment to serving the public with respect and professionalism," Plemmons wrote in his resignation letter to Wijewickrama. "I have no doubt that my successor will build on the strong foundation that has been laid in this office over the centuries and will provide fresh ideas to take the office to new heights." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who are interested in being considered for the appointment should contact Wijewickrama. While Plemmons is an attorney, a law degree is not required for the position of clerk of court. Whoever gets the appointment would presumably have a leg up in the election as the incumbent, should that person decide to officially run for the seat. The candidate sign-up period for the 2026 election will be held in December. Plemmons said he chose to make the announcement now, so those who may want to run for the seat have time to decide prior to the candidate filing. Plemmons's transition to private practice comes amid an attorney shortage in Haywood County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We see people coming through the clerk's office who can't find an attorney or get an appointment for weeks," Plemmons said. What's the clerk of court? The clerk of court position is akin to an air traffic controller for the legal system. "The clerk's office is the face of the judicial system. Every day, we interact with members of the public who are facing difficult legal issues. Regardless of whether a member of the public is involved in an adoption proceeding, a civil suit, an estate matter, or a traffic citation, we offer a listening ear, information about his or her case, and answer questions to help demystify the legal process," Plemmons said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plemmons credited the staff of the clerk of court office for its dedication to making the court system run smoothly, and for being responsive to the public. "It has been a privilege to lead the dedicated public servants of the clerk's office. Our success also depends on a strong relationship with other stakeholders in the judicial system," Plemmons said, noting the judges, attorneys, district attorney's office, law enforcement, probation and parole, and numerous nonprofits that intersect with the courts. Plemmons said one of the notable accomplishments of his tenure was leading the court system through the transition to e-Courts a digital revolution that moved away from the traditional paper court records and legal filings to an electronic system. "In the eight years I've been here we have Covid pandemic, we had the flood recovery, and the eCourts technological transformation," Plemmons said. "We made it through all that and have a great staff. The office is in a good place." A now-shuttered Rutgers University fraternity is under investigation after a 19-year-old student was critically injured in an alleged hazing incident the latest episode in a troubled history of fraternity life at New Jerseys largest university. The student, who has not been identified by Rutgers or local authorities, suffered an electrical shock that sent him to the hospital in critical condition on Oct. 15. Rutgers Hazing Investigation Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Enterprise technology, company HPE (NYSE:HPE) today announced it was selected to build two systems for the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as part of the DOEs mission to advance American leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) and supercomputing that support science, energy and national security. Introducing HPE Cray Supercomputing GX5000 featuring the HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000 to enable supercomputing breakthroughs in the converged AI and HPC era HPE says the new systems include a second generation exascale supercomputer, Discovery, which is the successor to ORNLs Frontier an HPE-built system that broke the exascale speed barrier and a new AI cluster Lux that will support the DOEs initiatives in advancing AI and machine learning with a multi-tenant cloud-like platform. Discovery will be based on the new HPE Cray Supercomputing GX5000, HPEs next-generation supercomputing platform for leadership class systems that leverages a unified AI and high performance computing (HPC) architecture to streamline operations site-wide and across distributed clusters, notes HPE. It will be augmented by a new DAOS-based HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000, a storage option for HPE Cray Supercomputing GX5000. Discovery will deliver new capabilities for AI, HPC and quantum computing and is expected to increase select application productivity tenfold[i], enabling scientists to accelerate breakthroughs in areas such as precision medicine, cancer research, nuclear energy and aerospace. When we built Frontier for Oak Ridge National Laboratory and ushered in exascale, we achieved the pinnacle in supercomputing history and a triumph for the U.S., said Antonio Neri, president and CEO at HPE. We are proud to build on that leadership innovation and strong public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, ORNL and AMD, to build Discovery and Lux, accelerating the next era of scientific discovery and AI innovation. HPE notes that Lux will be a dedicated AI system based on the direct liquid-cooled HPE ProLiant Compute XD685 and feature AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, AMD EPYC CPUs and AMD Pensando networking. Designed to bolster access to AI resources, Lux will provide researchers across the U.S. with cloud-like access to a sovereign AI factory specifically resourced for training and inference. Discovery will elevate the exascale computing capabilities first developed for the HPE-built Frontier supercomputer at ORNL. As a result, Discovery will unlock new scientific horizons in various scientific fields while advancing the labs mission of innovation and security. We are excited for Discovery and Lux to expand the science that researchers are able to do at Oak Ridge, said Bronson Messer, Director of Science for the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. Discovery will set the stage for a new level of converged HPC, AI and quantum computing capabilities, providing additional insight in connection with other systems, while Lux greatly expands researcher access to dedicated AI resources. As a result, we expect both systems will contribute to a paradigm shift in our productivity, reaching unparalleled gains in various, critical areas of scientific research and leadership. For more than a decade, AMD and HPE have partnered to push the limits of high-performance computing, delivering solutions that enable discoveries and change the world, said Dr. Lisa Su, chair and CEO, AMD. Together with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we are advancing the next generation of AI systems with Discovery and Luxempowering researchers to accelerate innovation and strengthen Americas leadership in science and technology. Inside Discovery: the next-generation exascale supercomputer Discovery's scientific advancements will stem from utilising the HPE Cray Supercomputing GX5000 unveiled today. Building upon 50 years of supercomputing innovation dating back to the Cray-1 announced in 1975, HPE has designed its next-generation infrastructure for supercomputing in the converged AI and HPC era. The HPE Cray Supercomputing GX5000 is purpose-built for exascale and features state-of-the-art end-to-end capabilities across CPUs, GPUs, accelerators, networking, software, storage and liquid cooling. By leveraging the new architecture, Discovery will deliver: Greater performance with optimised space - The new platform is purpose-built to scale to exascale performance with greater density compared to the previous version[ ii], using 25 percent less data centre space per rack. - The new platform is purpose-built to scale to exascale performance with greater density compared to the previous version[ using 25 percent less data centre space per rack. High performance interconnect with HPE Slingshot The next generation HPE Slingshot provides Discovery a modern, high-performance interconnect to deliver high-bandwidth and low-latency for HPC, machine learning and analytics applications. The next generation HPE Slingshot provides Discovery a modern, high-performance interconnect to deliver high-bandwidth and low-latency for HPC, machine learning and analytics applications. I ndustry-first HPC DAOS storage performance[iii] Augmented by the new HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000, Discovery will have 300 percent[iv] more input/output operations per second (IOPS) per storage rack compared to Frontier to enable AI applications to run with higher productivity. As the industrys first factory-built storage system with embedded Distributed Asynchronous Object Storage (DAOS) open source software, the HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000 is a cost-effective, all-flash storage system that complements the Lustre file system-based HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems E2000, which will also be featured in Discovery. Augmented by the new HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000, Discovery will have 300 percent[iv] more input/output operations per second (IOPS) per storage rack compared to Frontier to enable AI applications to run with higher productivity. As the industrys first factory-built storage system with embedded Distributed Asynchronous Object Storage (DAOS) open source software, the HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000 is a cost-effective, all-flash storage system that complements the Lustre file system-based HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems E2000, which will also be featured in Discovery. Next-generation, liquid-cooled and accelerated compute Discovery will feature next-generation AMD EPYC processors, codenamed Venice, with AMD Instinct MI430X GPUs, which offer advanced performance and accuracy for modeling, simulation and AI projects. Leveraging HPEs 50 years[v] of liquid cooling innovation, Discoverys compute infrastructure will be fully liquid-cooled to optimise energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness in supercomputing environments. As a world leader in supercomputing[vi]], HPE delivers end-to-end solutions and services to customers with best-in-class AI and HPC expertise. As an integral partner, HPE supercomputing services help enhance outcomes through a fully unified management approach of an organisations infrastructure and applications with a key focus on core business needs and continuous innovation. concludes HPE. About HPE HPE (NYSE: HPE) is a leader in essential enterprise technology, bringing together the power of AI, cloud, and networking to help organisations achieve more. As pioneers of possibility, our innovation and expertise advance the way people live and work. We empower our customers across industries to optimise operational performance, transform data into foresight, and maximise their impact. Unlock your boldest ambitions with HPE. Discover more at www.hpe.com. [i] In comparison to application performance on the predecessor Frontier supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory [ii] Dimension of a singular 900 mm rack of GX5000 as compared to the 1,200 mm EX4000 cabinet [iii] DAOS-based storage systems are ranked #1 and #2 on the global IO500 storage benchmark and together have four times the storage benchmark score than the next 30 storage systems [iv] The Cray ClusterStor E1000 Storage Systems deployed with Frontier are able to deliver up to 18 million IOPS per storage rack as compared to the HPE Cray Supercomputing Storage Systems K3000 deployed with Discovery can deliver up to 75 million IOPS per storage rack [v] The Cray-1 supercomputer was announced in 1975 [vi] Hyperion Research Q4 2023 HPC Market Data Report reflecting CY2023, Supercomputer Segment (May 29, 2024), Hyperion Research BOSTON (WWLP) The defense sector accounts for over 7% of the Bay States total economy, and the Healey-Driscoll administration is making supporting and developing these defense industries a priority. The Healey-Driscoll Administration states that military funding has always been a priority, and on Monday, they announced $47 million earmarked to bolster the sector. Were already doing so much and are positioned to be national leaders in the defense tech space, said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bay Staters speak out in defense of wildlife The governors initiative is sending $25 million in state and local funding from bond funds and local tax initiatives to the city of Lowell, which will be partnering with Draper, a technology non-profit, to construct a microelectronics and advanced chip technology center. A $11.4 million fund, made up of state and federal dollars, will be sent to an army center in Natick and to Hanscom Air Force Base to develop ways to protect service members. The impact of this funding is meant to be felt across the state. Massachusetts is appropriately, and should be, a cornerstone of the United States defense industry, said Governor Healey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to military-base-specific funding, nine organizations received grants, including Berkshire Community College, which received $202,000 to develop a workforce program for mechatronics. Another method of sector support, Governor Healey signed an executive order tasking state agencies with identifying ways to support defense sector initiatives and creating a task force to advise her administration. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. You can use the database to search by county or by restaurant name. Florida's restaurant owners are not required to post restaurant inspection results where guests can see them. So every week, we provide that information for you. For a complete list of local restaurant inspections, including violations not requiring warnings or administrative action, visit our Palm Beach County restaurant inspections site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's the breakdown for recent health inspections in Palm Beach County, Florida, for the week of Oct. 20-26, 2025. Please note that some more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here. Disclaimer: The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation describes an inspection report as a 'snapshot' of conditions present at the time of the inspection. On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment. For full restaurant inspection details, visit our Palm Beach County restaurant inspection site. Last week: Health inspections: 31 Palm Beach County restaurants get perfect scores; four closed Which Palm Beach County restaurants got perfect scores on their health inspections? These restaurants met all standards during their Oct. 20-26 inspections and no violations were found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ** Restaurants that failed an inspection and aced a follow-up inspection in the same week Which Palm Beach County restaurants were temporarily closed by inspectors? These restaurants failed their Oct. 20-26 inspections and were temporarily closed. Follow-upinspections are required. 22107 Powerline Rd, Boca Raton Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Routine Inspection on Oct. 22 Facility Temporarily Closed: Operations ordered stopped until violations are corrected. They have since made the necessary corrections and have reopened. 12 total violations, with 3 high-priority violations High Priority - Live, small flying insects found. Observed 5 small flying insects on mop sink equipment. Observed approximately 10 small flying insects landing on dry storage area racks and items. Observed approximately 15 small flying landing on bagels and bagel storage racks at back kitchen area. Operator discarded contaminated bagels. See stop sale. **Warning** High Priority - Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Approximately 15 small flying insects landing on bagels stored in back kitchen area. Operator discarded. **Warning** High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. liquid egg whites (67F - Cold Holding) not held on time as a public health control held at room temperature for approximately 1 hour at kitchen prep area per operator. Operator voluntarily discarded. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning** 1447 10th Street Suite B, Lake Park Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Routine Inspection on Oct. 21 Facility Temporarily Closed: Operations ordered stopped until violations are corrected. They have since made the necessary corrections and have reopened. 20 total violations, with 6 high-priority violations High Priority - Live, small flying insects found In kitchen approximately 2 live flying insects landing on wall next to dishwashing area, discussed with operator to kill flying insects and clean and sanitize areas. **Warning** High Priority - Raw animal food stored over or with ready-to-eat food in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. In walk in freezer non commercially packaged raw beef stored above bags of French fries and ice cream, discussed with operator who corrected storage of products. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint** High Priority - Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. In kitchen approximately 3 live roaches on floor next to deep fryers. In kitchen approximately 1 live roach on floor under steam table. In kitchen approximately 1 live roach crawling on container of wood skewers for meat. Discussed with operator to kill all roaches and clean and sanitize areas. **Warning** High Priority - Roach excrement and/or droppings present. At hand washing sink roach excrement droppings on sink, discussed with operator who cleaned area. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning** High Priority - Single-use gloves not changed as needed after changing tasks or when damaged or soiled. Employee washed hands with gloves on ,discussed with operator who educated employee and employee washed hands and changed gloves. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning** High Priority - Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Commercially processed reduced oxygen packaged fish bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use no longer frozen and not removed from reduced oxygen package. In walk in cooler Commercially processed reduced oxygen packaged salmon bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use no longer frozen and not removed from reduced oxygen package. See stop sale **Warning** 412 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Routine Inspection on Oct. 22 Facility Temporarily Closed: Operations ordered stopped until violations are corrected. They have since made the necessary corrections and have reopened. 13 total violations, with 4 high-priority violations High Priority - Banana or plantain with mold-like growth in reach in cooler next to ice machine. See stop sale. **Warning** High Priority - Cook cracked raw shell eggs and then handled ready-to-eat home fries and started plating food without washing hands. Cook went to wash his hands. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning** High Priority - Live, small flying insects found 1 live small flying insect on clean bowl in dish area. **Warning** High Priority - Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. 20+ rodent droppings on plywood, covering grease trap, next to triple sink. 4 rodent droppings on floor under right flip top cooler at cook line. **Warning** 201 N Us 1 Ste C5, Jupiter Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Routine Inspection on Oct. 21 Facility Temporarily Closed: Operations ordered stopped until violations are corrected. They have since made the necessary corrections and have reopened. 20 total violations, with 9 high-priority violations High Priority - Employee touched face and then engaged in food preparation, without washing hands. Educated operator on proper handwashing procedures. Employee washed hands. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning** High Priority - Food placed in soiled container/equipment. Observed salt stored in container with heavy mold like substance at bagel production area. Advised operator to discard. Food prepared with soiled utensil. Observed heavy food debris stuck on salt scoop inside container at bagel production area, removed scoop. **Warning** High Priority - Operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint** High Priority - Presence of insects, rodents, or other pests. Observed approximately Approximately 150 + live insects crawling on boards used for bagels on speed rack in bagel production area adjacent to front counter. Operator removed the boards from speed rack to be cleaned. suggested bagel production area be cleaned. **Warning** High Priority - Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. Observed approximately : 150 rodent droppings on boards used for bagels on the speed rack in bagel production area adjacent to front counter. 40 rodent droppings behind the speed rack next to the reach in cooler and prep table, in bagel production area. Operator removed the boards from speed rack to be cleaned. suggested bagel production area be cleaned. **Warning** High Priority - Single-use gloves not changed as needed after changing tasks or when damaged or soiled. Employee used visibly soiled towel to wipe food contact surface, and continued preparing food without changing gloves and washing hands; Educated operator on proper procedures, employee changed gloves and washed hands. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning** High Priority - Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Butter dated 10/7 at cook line See stop sale. **Warning** High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. In reach in cooler at cook line cheddar cheese (42-49F - Cold Holding); provolone cheese (49F - Cold Holding); potato salad (49F - Cold Holding); egg salad (49F - Cold Holding); tuna salad (49F - Cold Holding) food not prepared or portioned today; foods out of temperature for approximately 1 hour; some foods overstocked and stored in shallow pans; food moved to walk-in cooler to quick chill; **Corrective Action Taken** **Warning** High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food identified in the written procedure as a food held using time as a public health control has no time marking- Butter and Asiago bagel had no time mark. Educated operator on TPHC procedures; operator discarded last bagel and dated butter - 9:50 am **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint** What agency inspects restaurants in Florida? Routine regulation and inspection of restaurants is conducted by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The Department of Health is responsible for investigation and control of food-borne illness outbreaks associated with all food establishments. How do I report a dirty restaurant in Florida? If you see abuses of state standards, report them and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will send inspectors. Call the Florida DBPR at 850-487-1395 or report a restaurant for health violations online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Get the whole story at our restaurant inspection database. What does all that terminology in Florida restaurant inspections mean? Basic violations are those considered against best practices. A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report. An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division. Insufficient compliance after a warning, a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment. Says the division website: "Correcting the violations is important, but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An emergency order when a restaurant is closed by the inspector is based on an immediate threat to the public. Here, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health, safety or welfare of the public. A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach area restaurant inspections: 47 perfect, four closed The website of Connect for Health Colorado, the state's health insurance marketplace, is pictured on Aug. 27, 2025. (Photo by Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline) The cost of purchasing health insurance on Colorados individual marketplace is set to double next year in the absence of enhanced federal subsidies, state insurance officials announced Monday. When the open-enrollment period for Connect for Health Colorado, the states individual marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, begins on Nov. 1, the average consumer can expect a net premium increase of 101%, according to the figures released by the states Division of Insurance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vast majority of that staggering increase, the division said, is caused by the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, which congressional Republicans have declined to extend. The deadlock over whether to extend the subsidies, which help millions of people afford insurance, is the primary cause of the federal government shutdown that entered its 27th day on Monday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX These premium increases are going to create impossible decisions for families across the state, Colorado Insurance Commissioner Michael Conway said in a statement. We have sounded the alarm bells at every turn, but Congress refusal to act means that Coloradans will be left with unacceptably high health insurance bills during a tightening time in the economy. Roughly 285,000 Coloradans purchase their health coverage from one of six insurers that offer plans on the individual marketplace, established under the Affordable Care Act to serve consumers who are self-employed or otherwise dont receive insurance from their employers. State insurance officials estimate that 75,000 of those enrollees are now set be priced out of coverage and become uninsured as of Jan. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subsidies for the purchase of marketplace health plans were included in the ACA, but legislation passed under President Joe Biden in 2021 expanded the number of households that were eligible for the subsidies. The enhanced eligibility allowed more than 3.2 million people to enroll in coverage who otherwise would not have, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. For months, Democrats have been sounding the alarm about the Republican-forced health care crisis, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat and the ranking member on the House Health Subcommittee, said in a statement on Mondays figures. Costs are already too high under (President) Donald Trump, and many families will now be forced to choose between staying on their health care or buying groceries. In a poll conducted last month, the nonpartisan health organization KFF found that more than 78% of people, including 59% of Republicans, want lawmakers to keep the enhanced credits. Consumer advocates have warned for months of large spikes in insurance premiums and other health costs in 2026, because of the combined impact of the tax credit expiration and broader cuts to Medicaid and other health programs included in Republicans tax and spending law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its clear why premiums are skyrocketing and why Coloradans will be shocked when they go shopping for insurance this open enrollment, said Mannat Singh, executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, a nonprofit health advocacy organization. Trump and Congressional Republicans have gutted healthcare coverage for families and small businesses that need it, so that they can fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations. This is what they set out to do, and all of Colorados GOP congresspeople voted for it. Congressional Republicans have said they are willing to negotiate with Democrats about the tax credits, but only after the government reopens. Colorado lawmakers passed a bill during an August special legislative session that will partially offset the loss of the enhanced tax credits, including $100 million for the states health insurance affordability fund. Without that money, ACA marketplace premiums would have nearly tripled in 2026, the DOI estimated. I thank the Colorado legislature for what they have done so far to protect their constituents, and I urge Congress to step up and extend the enhanced premium tax credits, Conway said. Coloradans shouldnt have to gamble their health simply because they cannot afford these rate increases caused by the federal government. Editors note: This story was updated at 10:31 a.m., Oct. 28, 2025, to correct the number of Coloradans who purchase health insurance on the individual marketplace. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Vaccination data for COVID, RSV and the flu is featured on a new state dashboard reporting respiratory illnesses in Maryland. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Maryland health officials launched a new data dashboard on seasonal respiratory illnesses as the winter holidays approach with data on the once-novel COVID-19 virus now reported alongside that of influenza and others. The Maryland Department of Health announced Monday that the Maryland Combined Respiratory Illness Dashboard aims to help families monitor seasonal illnesses that spike in the cooler months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But public health researchers say the dashboard is also a sign of a new stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, where it operates as a relatively equal threat to the other viruses that circulate in the colder months. Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services Meg Sullivan agrees. Were in a different place with COVID, and we know that COVID is endemic and happening, Sullivan said Monday. We want to really urge the public to know what is happening in the community, for all the respiratory viruses, to be able to make those informed decisions about how to best protect themselves and their families. Sullivan described the Maryland Combined Respiratory Illness Dashboard as a one-stop shop for respiratory illnesses that Marylanders and health care providers should monitor in the coming months. The dashboard focuses on COVID-19, seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), among others. The new Maryland Combined Respiratory Illness Dashboard offers a wide variety of data for various viruses such as COVID-19 and the flu, such as vaccination uptake. (Chart courtesy of the Maryland Department of Health) The goal of the dashboard is to put the data all in one place, Sullivan said. To be able to have easy access to a snapshot of what is happening where they live, whether its the entire state or more specifically in their counties and how much disease is out there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dashboard will be updated weekly to provide information on the respiratory illnesses. That includes information on the number of hospitalizations, along with deaths caused by those illnesses and the number of people getting vaccinated each week. Respiratory viruses continue to cause significant illness and death in the community each season, the health department said in a statement. During the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season, nearly 5,000 Maryland residents were hospitalized with lab-confirmed COVID-19, more than 8,000 with lab-confirmed flu, and more than 2,600 with lab-confirmed RSV. The Maryland Department of Health has hosted a public-facing dashboard on COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic back in 2020, at the time releasing daily updates on new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the then-novel virus. But as the pandemic evolved and infection numbers were affected by the availability of new vaccines, growing herd immunity and other factors the severity in the pandemic lessened, and state officials moved to weekly updates to the COVID-19 dashboard in May 2023. In addition, the development of at-home tests along with weakened disease tracking infrastructure in the later years of the pandemic reduced the accuracy of overall daily COVID-19 case data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say that the isolated COVID-19 dashboard will remain on the agencys website, but Sullivan adds that the combined data dashboard will help families understand the full scope of respiratory viruses that could impact their communities. We would encourage people to use this dashboard to really see what is happening in the community with regards to respiratory viruses, she said, noting that the dashboard also serves as a reminder that vaccines remain the most important way to protect yourselves and your community. Andrew Pekosz, a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health professor who researches COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, says that with new protections from COVID-19, the virus is now endemic and is a relatively equal threat to other seasonal illnesses. Were now focusing on COVID as one of the respiratory viruses that were concerned with, side-by-side with influenza and RSV, he said. Now that we have population immunity, now that we have vaccines, now that we have treatments, its [COVID-19] fallen to that area of here are the respiratory viruses that we need to follow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He agreed that the states dashboard grouping COVID-19 data with other seasonal respiratory viruses marks progress against the pandemic. I think there is, from a general publics perspective, an advantage to us talking about them as all being relatively equal threats to the population, because that shows you that weve gotten someplace with the COVID pandemic, Pekosz said. Were now treating it like we do these other viruses, he said. COVID-19 has now gotten to that area where its still a concern, but its an equal concern to other respiratory viruses that are circulating. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE With flu season quickly approaching, experts are warning that this could be one of the most active seasons yet. One Long Island mother is preparing for the worst after she fell seriously ill last fall, just days after returning from a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto. Now she's urging others to get vaccinated before the holidays. Denise Sussman and her daughter had traveled all the way from Sea Cliff to Toronto to see a Taylor Swift concert. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It ended with Denise vowing to never forget her flu shot again. "It just took away my entire life for 3 weeks, almost a month," Sussman said. This year, Denise got her vaccine already. Doctors at Northwell are openly frustrated about why it has been such an uphill battle to convince patients to do the same. "We have public health officials in the United States who are bad mouthing vaccines that have been around for years based on faulty evidence and misinformation," Dr. Bruce Farber, Northwell Epidemiology Chie,f said. They say that while the flu vaccine may not always prevent flu, it will prevent most deaths and hospitalizations from it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, more than 25,000 Americans died from the flu. That's more fatalities than COVID caused and nearly 300 children died. The vast majority had never gotten the vaccine. "It's safe and they're not gonna get the flu from it and people just are very, very reluctant," Northwell Primary Care Physician Dr. Susan Hirsch said. Flu season typically begins in November in the Tri-State area and lasts through February. Public health officials have already been tracking it in the southern hemisphere and they do predict a bad season. "You've seen that happen with measles, we're expecting the same thing to happen with flu. This is what happens when you let your guard down," Dr. Dwayne Breining of Northwell Health Lab Services said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also say that now is the time to get your vaccine before crowded holiday travel. * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * Follow us on YouTube * More local news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) has entered a long-term national agreement that will see the implementation of Nemetschek's planning and data management solution dRofus across its healthcare infrastructure projects. This initiative aims to standardise healthcare planning and data management across New Zealand. Under the agreement, Health New Zealand will use dRofus to implement national standards for healthcare facilities, establish uniform project delivery methods, and enhance budgeting and procurement processes for major medical equipment and furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The platform will also support the asset management information system (AMIS) programme, ensuring alignment with the National Data Standard that is currently being developed. dRofus is purpose-built software for managing and planning data in building projects. It provides a central database for stakeholders, including owners, contractors, designers and planners, to manage BIM models, equipment, requirements, and room data. According to Nemetschek, the platform is claimed to be well suited for complex projects in sectors such as education, healthcare and transportation. In these sectors, change management, data consistency and collaboration are considered critical. The agreement will initially facilitate two significant projects, with broader implementation occurring in phases. The ultimate goal is for all healthcare facility projects throughout New Zealand to utilise dRofus as part of a cohesive digital planning and asset management ecosystem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement dRofus managing director Chris Razzell said: Working with Health New Zealand is a significant validation of the capabilities and flexibility of dRofus. We are thrilled to support their ambitious goals and help establish best-in-class data and project delivery standards that will benefit all stakeholders in the New Zealand healthcare system. "Health New Zealand adopts dRofus to standardise facility planning countrywide" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand. Australia is experiencing temperatures well above average this October, with records being set in several regions of the country. Records have been broken in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales this month, according to the Guardian. The temperature at Bourke Airport in New South Wales soared to 113 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, breaking a record that dated back more than 100 years. Birdsville, in Queensland, hit a record-breaking high of 115 degrees the same day. "The temperatures we're seeing today are just way above the norm," Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines told the Guardian. "Alongside these very hot days, there are stifling nights as well, causing heatwaves to trigger in some areas." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While relief was expected for parts of the country, including the east coast and South Australia, Hines noted that the Queensland region was forecast to stay well above average into the weekend and beyond "with no relief in sight." A heatwave warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday will remain in effect until Saturday. It outlines portions of the country that are expected to endure a severe or extreme heatwave. "Extreme heatwaves can be dangerous for everyone," cautioned the warning. "Severe heatwaves can be dangerous for many people, especially older people, babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions and people who are unwell." A Total Fire Ban was in place for portions of New South Wales (NSW) as firefighters tried to contain several brush fires. The record heat combined with dry and windy conditions to exacerbate fire danger in the region. The NWS Rural Fire Service reported extreme conditions across most of the state on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Temperatures in NSW are increasing because of climate change," according to the NSW government. "Climate change will also mean that we have more heatwaves, and they will be hotter and longer than they are now. They have been responsible for more human deaths than any other natural hazard, including bushfires, storms, tropical cyclones, and floods." A University of Queensland study found a 20% increase in heatwave-related deaths due to "human-induced climate change." Our warming world is supercharging extreme weather events like heatwaves. Dangerous heat is impacting nearly half the global population, according to a joint report from World Weather Attribution, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and Climate Central. The study assessed the influence of our overheating planet on dangerous heat waves from May 1, 2024, to May 1, 2025. "Over the 12-month period, 4 billion people about 49% of the global population experienced at least 30 days of extreme heat (hotter than 90% of temperatures observed in their local area over the 1991-2020 period," concluded researchers. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. BERLIN A Russian transport aircraft of a type linked to the countrys military and former Wagner mercenary group has landed in the Venezuelan capital over the weekend, signaling heightened Russian interest in the Latin American country. The Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft with the registration RA-78765 arrived in Caracas on Sunday after a two-day journey that took it from Russia via Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania to Latin America, flight records show. It appears the aircraft embarked on its trip from an airport in the greater Moscow area, with the transponder signal first being picked up shortly after takeoff. The multi-stop journey is emblematic of the circuitous routes used to avoid Western airspace or possible cargo inspections in unfriendly countries. It is also possible that deliveries or pick-ups were made along the way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russia has a military presence in Algeria, maintains an industrial footprint in Senegal, and relations with Morocco are cordial. Russian mercenaries have also been present in Mauritania, crossing over from neighboring Mali. Stopping in Russia-friendly countries in West Africa also allowed the aircraft to refuel before crossing the Atlantic. An Il-76 can transport up to 50 tons of cargo or up to 200 people. Aircraft of this type are known to have delivered small arms, military supplies and even mercenaries on Russias behalf in the past. Larger deliveries, such as an S-400 air defense system, would likely require several trips. Aviacon Zitotrans, the operator of the Ilyushin, has a fleet of six transport aircraft and is under sanctions by the U.S., Canada and Ukraine for its ties to the Russian military. It has delivered military equipment such as rockets, warheads, and helicopter parts globally, including to regions where the mercenary Wagner group has been active. The Wagner group, formerly headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been a key tool used by Russian president Vladimir Putin to extend his countrys global geopolitical reach and was particularly active in Africa, with reports of some activity in Latin America. Following the groups mutiny in 2023, it was absorbed into the Russian military proper, with its African operations turned into the Russian Africa Corps. The latest Russian moves in the region come as tensions between Venezuela, a longtime Moscow-aligned country, and the United States have reached new heights. The U.S. has accused the government in Caracas of being involved in the illegal drug trade, and has deployed military assets to the region to conduct strikes on vessels it accuses of trafficking narcotics. Washington has recently moved an aircraft carrier strike group to the region in a significant escalation of its military posturing. Venezuela has accused the U.S. of fabricating war. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has continued his campaign against facial hair in the Armed Forces by refusing to meet with bearded troops during his visit to South Korea this week, according to a report. Hegseth has joined President Donald Trump on his tour of the Far East and is meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday before visiting Camp Humphreys in South Korea, the largest U.S. military base in the world. However, while he is there, the secretary has given explicit instructions that he will not spend time with soldiers granted shaver waivers, medical exemptions from orders to remain clean shaven. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers a speech aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan (Getty) The detail was reported by the military periodical Task and Purpose, citing an email sent in advance of Hegseths visit by the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea outlining appearance expectations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As you know, it is typical for senior leaders to visit the troops when they travel to installations around the world, an Air Force official told Task and Purpose, confirming the authenticity of the email but declining to dwell on the anti-beard stipulation. The Independent has contacted the Pentagon for comment. Hegseths fixation with lax personal appearance standards, as he sees it, has become a feature of his tenure leading the Department of War, formerly Defense. He raised the issue in a March memo to senior military leaders in which he called for a review of all fitness, body composition, and grooming standards, which includes but is not limited to beards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The secretary went further in another memo in August in which he called for a clean-shaven military and gave full vent to his feelings in the address he delivered to top brass, assembled at huge expense and inconvenience, at Quantico, Virginia, on September 30. Hegseth has cracked down on beardos in the military (AP) In his speech on warrior ethos, Hegseth told his highly-decorated audience: Today, at my direction, the era of unprofessional appearance is over. No more beardos. The age of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. We dont have a military full of Nordic pagans, he continued. No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. Were going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards. If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave. All of which is surprising because, as The Daily Beast has pointed out, Hegseth himself turned up at Fox News in August 2018, in his previous guise as a presenter, sporting a vacation beard, which was ultimately shaved off on air at the urging of his co-hosts. Im hoping to keep a mustache, Hegseth joked in the segment. HEIDELBERG, Miss. (WHLT) Heidelberg police announced one of the suspects arrested in connection to the fatal shooting at Heidelberg High Schools homecoming game has been released into federal custody. According to Heidelberg Police Chief Cornell White, Tylar Goodloe, 18, was booked into the Forrest County Jail. Monkeys on the loose in Jasper County after truck overturns Goodloe has been charged with two counts of capital murder and possession of a deadly weapon on an educational property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting occurred on October 10, 2025. Heidelberg police said the three victims were identified as Christopher Newell, Mikea McCray and Cayus Stevens. Police said Stevens died from a non-gun-related injury. Tyler Goodloe (Courtesy: Forrest County Jail) Multiple suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting. Bailey Martin, spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS), said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is assisting in the investigation. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. With no end in sight to the federal government shutdown, it appears tens of millions of Americans - including hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents - are about to miss food assistance payments they rely on. President Donald Trump's administration has ruled out using contingency funds to maintain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and is now threatening to become the longest in American history. A notice on the federal government's website warns SNAP payments will not be issued Nov. 1 unless the shutdown ends before then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This will almost certainly cause severe hardship, with families across the country unable to afford food, likely flocking to food pantries for help. At a news conference Monday, Connecticut social services commissioner Andrea Barton-Reeves urged everyone in the state to pitch in however they can. "Food pantries will see increased demand," Barton-Reeves said. "All of us as neighbors, this is the time to step up." Here's what you can do. Donate money or food Maybe the easiest thing you can do is send food or money to food pantries in your community, which are likely to be heavily strained. Pantries typically prefer money, as opposed to food, so they can buy what they need, often in bulk at better prices than a regular person might find at the grocery store. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If people donate money, we can fill for the items we need," said Rev. Sara Smith, president of the non-profit nOURish Bridgeport, which operates a food pantry. "We have 500 families families coming Wednesday afternoon for food, so to buy the bulk, it's easier to do it with money." If someone does want to donate food, Smith recommended sticking to essential items that pantries are always looking for, such as peanut butter and jelly, fresh produce, spaghetti or extended shelf-life milk. Jason Jakubowski, CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, said people can donate money to Foodshare but should send canned goods and other shelf-stable products directly to their local pantries. A full list of food pantries in Connecticut is available through 211ct.org. Start a food drive Smith also suggests starting a food drive to collect resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Grab your synagogue, your church, your mosque, your school, your kid's classroom and do a food drive," she said. The best way to do this, Smith said, is to get a list from a local food pantry of what items would be helpful, then set up outside a grocery story and ask shoppers to purchase something from the list and donate it on their way out. "It's easy, and you're ... providing these staples that people need," Smith said. "Teach your kids how to give back, teach your kids how to raise awareness for the hungry and the food insecure." Volunteer at a food panty In addition to money and food, pantries need volunteers to help them meet increased demand while still fulfilling their existing functions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The volunteer piece is very, very, very important," Jakubowski said. "There's not enough staff on a daily basis for us to do what we do. We're thankful we have volunteers." Those seeking to volunteer at Foodshare can sign up to do so at ctfoodshare.org/volunteer. Smith said she encourages people to volunteer at food banks and pantries because it allows them to connect on a personal level with the people they're helping. "Change and transformation happens in the relationships you make," she said. What to know if you need food Anyone who needs food can their local pantry either through 211 or through the Foodshare website, both of which maintain databases of places across the state that supply goods to those in need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though pantries may struggle to meet demand in November, many are taking steps to prepare for the increase in people seeing food, and the state announced Monday it would donate additional money to Foodshare to help the organization and its partners statewide. At a news conference Monday, state officials encouraged anyone who needs help to seek it. "For those of you who need to seek pantries, there is no shame in it," said state Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, an Avon Democrat. "Please go to a pantry and get the help you need." This article originally published at How to help Connecticut residents who are about to lose SNAP benefits. In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, the Red Cross is working swiftly to deliver life-saving assistance to communities across Jamaica. Volunteers and relief teams are mobilized nationwide, providing aid to those affected by the powerful storm. How the Red Cross Is Helping Red Cross teams in Jamaica are on the ground assisting with early alerts, evacuations and the setup of emergency shelters for vulnerable families displaced by the hurricane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Relief supplies, including shelter materials, clean water and medical equipment, have been pre-positioned and are ready for distribution to communities in need. Damage and needs assessments will begin as soon as conditions allow, helping the Red Cross identify and prioritize the most critical areas for support. The organizations Restoring Family Links services will also be available after the storm to help reconnect families who have been separated. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has released funds from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund to strengthen early action, logistics, and on-the-ground coordination. How You Can Help Individuals wishing to support the response can donate in several ways: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamaica Red Cross: Donations can be made directly through the Jamaica Red Cross website to support local recovery and relief operations. American Red Cross: Financial contributions made through the American Red Cross could be used to help fund emergency shelter, food, and aid distribution in Jamaica and other affected Caribbean nations. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): The IFRC coordinates international humanitarian assistance and ensures aid reaches those who need it most. American Friends of Jamaica: This organization also operates a Disaster Relief Fund dedicated to helping Jamaican communities recover from natural disasters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say donations will help provide immediate relief, including emergency shelter, clean water, food, and medical aid, to families affected by Hurricane Melissa. People in Florida are advised that local drives to gather supplies are not the best way to help due to the logistical challenges of moving supplies into disaster regions. For more information or to make a donation, visit: www.jamaicaredcross.org www.redcross.org www.ifrc.org www.theafj.org Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. CROSSVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) Tennessee State Parks is seeking public input as it plots the course of the future of several parks within the East Tennessee region. Public meetings are set to be held between Nov. 10 and Jan. 8 to share more about the 10-year Comprehensive Strategic Plan that guides the operations of all 62 state parks in Tennessee. The state is in the process of updating and reviewing park plans. Ill never get my daughter back Family, friends mourn woman killed in East Knoxville shooting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meetings are a chance to hear more about the plans from park staff and share their input about the specific strategic management proposals. The plans focus on the four cornerstones of park management: resource stewardship; visitor experience; facilities and amenities; and operational excellence. Public input is vital to the continued success of our state parks, said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner of conservation for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. These meetings are a fun opportunity for Tennesseans to help shape the future of our state parks and fulfill our mission to preserve, protect, and share Tennessees natural and cultural resources while providing safe and quality outdoor experiences. How much will Tennessees new head baseball coach be paid? The schedules for the meetings can be found below: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cove Lake State Park Monday, Nov. 10, 5:30 p.m. Cove Lake State Park Recreation Building 153 Goose Ln., Caryville, TN 37714 Booker T. Washington State Park Thursday, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m. Booker T. Washington Assembly Hall 5871 Champion Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37416 Big Ridge State Park Monday, Nov. 17, 5:30 p.m. Big Ridge State Park Recreation Hall 1016 Big Ridge State Park Rd., Maynardville, TN 37807 Cumberland Mountain State Park Tuesday, Dec. 9, 5:30 p.m. Cumberland Mountain State Park Recreation Hall 582 Swin Drive, Crossville, TN 38555 The public is invited to share their comments through Jan. 31 through an online survey or via mail using the address below. Those who want to learn more about the Comprehensive Strategic Plan can visit this website. Attn: Liz Campbell Davy Crockett Tower 500 James Robertson Parkway, 8th floor Nashville, TN 37243 State Park in Campbell County gets new accessible paddling launches Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A theme throughout the plans is the commitment to a high-quality parks system that delivers world-class parks, trails, and facilities, is known regionally and nationally for its standard of excellence and supports unique outdoor recreation opportunities for all. This comes while contributing to local economies and the quality of life in Tennessee, reads a release from Tennessee State Parks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Halloween is approaching quickly, and dozens of babies from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit were dressed up in hand-knit costumes to celebrate their first holiday. This years theme was Under the Sea. Nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) dressed the tiny patients with ocean-inspired costumes, including a fisherman, a crab, a surfer, and a lifeguard. Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) Babies at Henry Ford Hospital Go Under the Sea! for Halloween. (Henry Ford Hospital) The hospital says a lot of details go into designing and knitting these costumes. Valerie Atkinson, one of the nurses mothers, makes the costumes every year. She says she began knitting hats and headbands, but evolved into making costumes with matching accessories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I absolutely love that the parents, grandparents, nurses, and staff all get to have fun, Atkinson said. Its such a joyful event and it warms my heart! Im amazed by the exceptional care the nurses provide and how much they love these babies, said Atkinson in a news release sent to 6 News. NICU Nurses with costume designer Valerie Atkinson (Henry Ford Hospital) Henry Ford Hospital says each family gets to take home the handmade costumes as a memory of their babys first Halloween. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. Support resources are available in several local counties for those facing financial hardships amid the government shutdown. Here's where you can find help: Merced County Residents who require food assistance are encouraged to reach out to the following resources. Merced County Food Bank Phone: 209-726-3663 Address: 2000 W. Olive Ave., Merced, 95348 Bethel Community Church in Los Banos Phone: 209-827-0797 Address: 415 I St., Los Banos, 93635 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Catholic Charities in Merced Phone: 209-383-2494 Address: 336 W. Main St. #1, Merced, 95340 Tulare County FoodLink Tulare County holds several food distributions and lays it all out on an interactive map on its website. Fresno County 211 United Way Fresno Madera Address: 4949 Cesar Chavez Blvd, Fresno, CA 93727 Dial 2-1-1 or visit the link above to connect with local food pantries, meal programs, and other essential services - available 24/7 and in multiple languages. Central California Food Bank Address: 4010 E Amendola Dr, Fresno, CA 93725 Food Distribution Map & Calendar: ccfoodbank.org/home/findfood/food-locator/ Find a food distribution near you on a day that works best for your schedule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Groceries2Go Groceries2Go is available by appointment only through Central California Food Bank and five satellite locations throughout Fresno County. First Fruits Market Baristas at Starbucks cafes across the country are holding pickets this week as part of a collective push for a union contract, and Phoenix workers are joining in. Workers at a north Phoenix Starbucks scheduled a rally on Wednesday, Oct. 29, as part of the surge of union actions calling for improved pay, hours and working conditions. The rally is one of dozens happening across the country this week as Starbucks Workers United begins a strike authorization vote. The union says the vote will determine whether members want to strike if contract talks with Starbucks do not progress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Workers have been campaigning for the first company-wide union contract for almost three years, but claim Starbucks has delayed or stonewalled negotiations. The company previously said it wants to reach store-by-store agreements. The latest round of pickets comes just ahead of Starbucks holiday drink season, one of the companys busiest and most profitable times of the year. Here's what to know about this week's Starbucks pickets: When and where is picketing happening in Phoenix? Workers and their supporters plan to gather at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Starbucks located at 17045 N. 7th St., near Bell Road, in north Phoenix. The Phoenix picket is among about 70 events planned this week in 60 cities across the country. Why are Starbucks baristas taking action? Workers have three core demands: higher take-home pay, more consistent scheduling and staffing, and a resolution to ongoing unfair labor practices, according to Starbucks Workers United. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Union representatives said both sides have been in negotiations for nine months to establish a national framework that would influence store-by-store contracts. They claim Starbucks has not presented any proposals that meaningfully address their priorities. The strike vote will remain open for several more days, with no specific closing date announced. No walkouts are currently scheduled, but the vote would give workers the ability to strike if talks stall. Rally is part of a growing national effort Over 12,000 Starbucks employees have voted to unionize at more than 650 stores nationwide since 2021. Workers say they want a contract in place before Starbucks busy holiday drink season. Starbucks knows where we stand. They know our demands, said Michelle Eisen, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson and barista. We remain ready to negotiate whenever Starbucks is willing to bargain in good faith and offer new proposals that address our demands. What is Starbucks position on union negotiations? Starbucks has previously stated that it intends to negotiate store-by-store contracts instead of a national agreement, and that it remains committed to reaching agreements with unionized stores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jaci Anderson, director of corporate communications at Starbucks, said Workers United represents around 4% of its workers and claimed it walked away from the bargaining table. If the union votes and pursues a strike, Starbucks does not expect widespread impacts to daily operations. She said Starbucks offers wages of more than $30 an hour on average and is investing over $500 million to place more employees in stores during busy times. "Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail," Anderson said. "The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, turnover is nearly half the industry average and we get more than 1 million job applications a year." This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Baristas at Phoenix Starbucks to join national picketing effort CLOVIS, N.M. (KRQE) Could you be exposed to toxic pollution, and does it trace back to the U.S. military? The New Mexico Environment Department is trying to find out. Newly released data show that nearly everyone tested who lives or works near Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis has elevated levels of toxic PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, in their blood. This week on the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast, New Mexicos Environment Department Secretary James Kenney, and Dr. Eric Chapman join Chris and Gabby to break down what this means for people living near the polluted area, and what the state is doing to help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is the federal government doing enough to clean up the toxic mess? What potential health risks are people facing? Click here for more information on the survey mentioned in the show, regarding PFAS exposure at Holloman Lake. Amid concerns about dairy farms in southeast New Mexico, Sec. Kenney explained that industry leaders are putting in the work to ensure safe food distribution. Dairies are taking the lions share of that, said Sec. Kenney. I know one dairy thats installed a million-dollar PFAS remediation system just to ensure the health of their cattle and the safety of their product. Get the inside scoop and subscribe to the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast wherever you listen. Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Insiders every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean, among others. You can also watch our podcasts in video form, both on-air and online. Tune in to an abbreviated version of the New Mexico News Insiders podcast on broadcast television every Wednesday at 10:35 p.m. on Fox New Mexico. Full video episodes are posted on KRQEs YouTube page at youtube.com/krqenews13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term KRQE or New Mexico News Insiders (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post. If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email your hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. CROCKETT, Texas (KETK) A man was arrested near Crockett after leading police on a pursuit early Tuesday morning. According to the Crockett Police Department, the Houston County Sheriffs Office requested assistance at around 12:15 a.m. in locating 37-year-old Jeremy Alexander Brent, who had reportedly left a residence where he had been trespassing . He left in his vehicle a person who police say was possibly being held against their will. 64-year-old killed in pedestrian crash while crossing Highway 31 in Kilgore, police say Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Crockett officer eventually located Brent driving near the 3000 block of State Highway 7. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop; however, Brent refused to pull over, and police say he drove away at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour back toward Crockett, prompting a vehicle pursuit. Video of the pursuit courtesy of the Crockett Police Department, Officers successfully deployed stop sticks, causing his vehicle to stop near the intersection of South Loop 304. Brent was then taken into custody. The passenger in the vehicle was unharmed, according to the Crockett Police Department. Mugshot of Jeremy Alexander Brent courtesy of Houston County Jail Following his arrest, Brent was charged with the following offenses: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evading arrest with a vehicle Criminal Trespass Unlawful restraint Unauthorized use of a vehicle Brent is currently being held in the Houston County Jail and his bond has been set at $10,500. You can now stream KETK and FOX51 News live 24/7 on your smart TV with KETK+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. Historic flooding has left parts of Brevard and Lake counties in Florida under a state of emergency, with roads washed out and homes flooded after relentless rainfall. WFTV has been on the the scenes with continuous updates on this flooding that has caused significant damage, particularly in Titusville and Mount Dora, where US-1 and North Donnelly Street have been severely affected. Residents have been forced to evacuate, and many homes are underwater as emergency services work to assess and address the damage. In Brevard County, US-1 northbound in Cocoa is closed at Faye Boulevard, and the southbound Interstate 95 ramp to State Road 406 is also closed due to the flooding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A state of emergency has been declared in Titusville, where residents are still battling floodwaters. Theres no sight of them anymore, they are gone, but we will replant those fields, Brooke Hill said. FLOOD COVERAGE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Mount Dora, North Donnelly Street and Wolf Branch Road are closed after the roads were washed out. Officials have stated that repairs could take up to a year. The flooding has been described as worse than any hurricane damage experienced by some residents. Residents in Titusville described the flooding as a wave coming through their homes, with knee-high waters forcing them to evacuate. Vehicles have been stranded, and the flooding is considered unusual for the area, even during hurricanes. In Mims, floodwaters have invaded a motel on Irvin Drive, with neighbors working together to manage the situation. The city of Titusville is offering sandbags to residents as flooding is expected to continue. Drone footage shows dramatic scenes of land crumbling behind homes in Mount Dora, and a car flipped upside down on a washed-out road. No injuries have been reported, but the damage is extensive. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Oct. 27 (UPI) -- More than half a million undocumented immigrants have left the United States since Donald Trump became president again in January, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday. The agency described the 527,000 departures as "record-breaking" in a news release. That comes out to around 2,000 a day. The agency's release did not list the number of deportations but said "the Trump administration is on pace to shatter historic records and deport nearly 600,000 illegal aliens by the end of President Donald Trump's first year since returning to office." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through November 2024, there were 311,990 removals. "When we send an alien back to their country of citizenship or a third country, it's called repatriation," DHS said on its website. Through November 2024, there were about 677,800 repatriations after 1.4 million each in 2020 and 2021, then 1.1 million in 2023. Trump left office the first time in January 2021. The departures include those sent back at the border or ports of entry. DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol are involved in the process. Of the 2 million who left the country since Trump took office, 1.6 million have voluntarily deported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In the face of a historic number of injunctions from activist judges and threats to law enforcement, DHS, ICE and CBP, have not just closed the border, but made historic strides to carry out President Trump's promise of arresting and deporting illegal aliens who have invaded our country," Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "This is just the beginning," she said. "President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem have jump-started an agency that was hamstrung and barred from doing its job for the last four years. The United States is offering undocumented immigrations $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. She said they "are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequence." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McLaughlin also noted, "migrants are now turning back before they even reach our borders. Migration through Panama's Darien Gap is down 99.99%." Seventy percent of arrests are charged or convicted of a crime in the United States, the agency added. The number of encounters at the Southwest border, which stretches from Texas to California, fell 84.5%, from 1.53 million in 2024 to 237,538 in fiscal year 2025, which goes from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. It was 2.22 million in 2022 and 2.05 million in 2023. In the United States, ICE is beefing up arrests, including in Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and Memphis, Tenn. They have been met with protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement National Guard troops have been called to Los Angeles and Memphis but they are being temporarily blocked by the federal courts in Chicago and Portland. Gregory Bovino, the BPC commander, told WLS-TV nearly 3,000 people have been arrested in Chicago since the immigration crackdown began last month in Operation Midway Blitz. "When we utilize force in law enforcement ... it's the least amount of force necessary to effect an arrest or to affect the successful outcome of any given mission that we're on," Bovino said. "Whether it's the use of tear gas. Or the use of hand techniques or any use of force by law enforcement, that's that least amount of force necessary to positively affect the outcome of that mission. And that's what we do here in Chicago." District Judge Sarah Ellis, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, has called him to testify on Tuesday about the techniques. Her case involves a lawsuit against DHS. BARRINGTON, R.I. (WPRI) Behind a metal fence and no trespassing signs on Middle Highway in Barrington stands whats left of the historic Belton Court Mansion. But the property could soon be home to 344 new housing units. Belton Court Village, which town planning director Herbert Durfee said is still in the preliminary stages, would include homes, apartments, and walkable retail shops all clustered on the 39-acre property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is clearly the largest development Barrington has seen in a very long time, Durfee said. The proposal features a mix of single-family homes, apartments, and townhouses, combining local design elements with a recent revival of walkable neighborhoods. The Belton Court Mansion has swapped hands a number of times over the last century, from the Peck family, to Barrington College, to Zion Bible College. It was bought by ShineHarmony Holdings, a Boston-based global investment firm, back in 2017. Over the last decade, talks to repurpose the property have failed to move past the planning phase, including a 2016 proposal to turn it into a senior living community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Durfee said talks have ramped up again recently because of renewed interest from the property owner and changes to the state law. The changes that have occurred to the statute, pretty much led by the Speaker of the House in the last few years, have enabled them to have some density-by-right to be able to do an improved comprehensive permit process, he said. Recent state laws are pushing communities across the state to build more housing, with an emphasis on affordability. According to Roger Williams Universitys 2025 HousingWorks RI Factbook, 3.72% of Barringtons year-round housing is considered low- to moderate-income. The states goal is for 10% to 15% of housing in every municipality to be affordable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement REPORT: RI housing costs rise fastest in New England; no affordable municipalities left But the definition of affordable in Rhode Island can vary greatly from town to town, as the state defines low- and moderate-income as families making 80% or less than the median income in a given community. The most recent factbook has Barringtons median household income at $150,542, meaning the maximum income to qualify for affordable housing is about $120,433. Durfee said the preliminary proposal for Belton Court Village has 25% of its units marked as affordable. He said this proposed housing project could help the town get closer to that 10% goal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It will be, probably, the last opportunity that Barrington has to see a significant amount of affordable housing, from a Barrington standard, he said. As the property has remained vacant, residents say they have watched it fall into a state of disrepair, from acts of vandalism to the deterioration of the historic architecture. Look what its become, said Neile Hartman, who lives in the nearby Lions Head neighborhood. Hartman said she has wanted to see life brought back to the crumbling property, but recognizes that it is no longer feasible. Yet she said she and her other neighbors are concerned about whats next for the lot. And while shes on board with bringing back the old proposal to turn the community into senior living, she said bringing 344 families could strain the areas infrastructure and school district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, there is no capacity for the current structure and even the proposed improvements to be able to accommodate that sort of influx of school-aged children, she said. Durfee said the proposal could get its permit as soon as next year, with construction rolled out in phases over the next three to five years. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Tens of thousands of parents had their child benefit halted by HMRC after travelling outside of the UK. Some 23,489 claimants were sent letters from HMRC questioning their residency after spending time out of the country, an investigation by The Guardian found. In many cases, the travel plans lasted only a few days. Among the people whose benefits were frozen was a woman who visited France for five days after her husband died there, a man who went on a five-day holiday with his son to Italy, and a family who went on a trip to Australia via Gatwick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under current rules, claimants of child benefit in most circumstances can go abroad for up to eight weeks before the benefit is stopped. In exceptional circumstances, like the death of a family member, or medical treatment, this can be extended to 12 weeks. HMRC apologised to the families and admitted that it had sent letters to 0.5 per cent of the 6.9 million claimants and that payments had been suspended while it carried out inquiries. It said it believes in the majority of cases, the benefit was suspended correctly. HMRC has apologised to families who had child benefit wrongly stopped (Getty Images) The tax authority added it was urgently reviewing the current process and actively considering options. Child benefit is paid at two rates: 26.05 a week for the eldest or only child, plus 17.25 for any additional children. It is not affected by the two child benefit cap, which prevents families from claiming additional universal credit entitlement for more than two children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cerys, a music teacher, took her three children on a one-day trip to the Netherlands from John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. They left at 6am and returned the same night. It does feel like you are being punished for going away, she told The Guardian. Child benefit are now saying that there is no evidence of me returning with my family so I need to produce a ridiculous amount of evidence to prove that I have not been living in Amsterdam since February. Cerys, a mother-of-three living in Liverpool, had her child benefit stopped after a trip to Amsterdam lasting less than 24 hours (Getty Images) The mother-of-three said she initially thought the HMRC letter was a scam, but now must provide the authority with original bank statements, letters from her childrens old and new schools, and GP records. She said that she has universal credit records which show she is in the UK and recently moved from Liverpool to Newcastle. However, as that benefit is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and not HMRC, it appears there was no cross-checking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HMRC said: While this affects a very small number of child benefit claimants, we are very sorry to those whose payments have been suspended incorrectly. They should respond to us as soon as possible so we can check their case, reinstate payments, and ensure no one is left out of pocket. Weve already taken swift action to amend our approach, including checking employment data first before suspending payments. Produce at a Virginia grocery store in 2011. (Photo by Lance Cheung/U.S. Department of Agriculture) Gov. Katie Hobbs is urging the Trump administration to use a $6 billion contingency fund to avoid cutting off federal food assistance to more than 923,000 Arizonans and 42 million Americans at the end of the week. Hobbs joins other prominent Arizona Democrats in calling out President Donald Trump, along with congressional Republicans, for failing to release the money in the contingency fund for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal low-income food aid program formerly known as food stamps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs SNAP, had previously said it intended to use the contingency fund to continue November SNAP payments during the ongoing government shutdown, which began Oct. 1. But the Trump administration has since reversed course, putting 42 million people across the country at risk of going hungry if payments arent distributed as scheduled on Nov. 1. Hobbs attributed the reversal to Trumps pledge that he would use the shutdown to cut Democrat programs to gain the upper hand in negotiations to reopen the federal government. Vulnerable Arizonans cannot afford to be used as leverage by Washington Republicans, Hobbs said in a written statement. Its appalling that this administration is choosing to take food out of the hands of Arizona families. SNAP provides food assistance to around 923,400 Arizonans, around 12% of the states population, according to information from the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. More than 68% of SNAP recipients in the Grand Canyon State are in families with children, nearly 29% are in families with older or disabled adults and 40% of recipients are members of working families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hobbs on Monday sent a letter to Brooke Rollins, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urging her to release the contingency funds. Im writing to express my great alarm at the imminent suspension of SNAP benefits, the pantries that will go bare, and the children and families in Arizona who will soon go without meals, Hobbs wrote. Cutting off SNAP benefits would have dire consequences, she wrote, because neither the state government nor food banks have the resources to fill in for those lost benefits. Hobbs joined U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, in demanding that the Trump administration fund SNAP benefits in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both of Arizonas senators joined with 44 other Senate Democrats in a letter last week to push Rollins to use the SNAP contingency fund for its intended purpose. Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance, the senators wrote. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, after Democrats refused to vote for Republicans stopgap funding bill unless they agreed to extend popular health care tax credits. Without the credits, those who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Acts marketplace would see their premiums soar. Republicans control the presidency, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. But they need votes from Democrats in the Senate to clear a 60-vote threshold, and because Trump and the GOP refused to negotiate to win those votes, nearly all Democrats voted against the spending bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both parties have blamed one another for the shutdown, with Republicans falsely claiming Democrats voted against the funding bill to protect health insurance for undocumented immigrants, while Democrats say theyre simply protecting families from untenable increases in their insurance payments. In a microcosm of arguments at the federal level, Republican state Rep. Walt Blackman, of Snowflake, on Monday called on Hobbs to push Kelly and Gallego to vote to reopen the federal government to avoid the lapse in SNAP payments, and to stop the harm they are inflicting on Arizona families. With more than 400,000 Arizona families and 800,000 individuals relying on SNAP to put food on the table, Washingtons gridlock is causing real harm, Blackman said in a statement. Senators Kelly and Gallego have repeatedly voted against a clean continuing resolution that would keep the government open. They can help end this shutdown today. Its time they do their job. Absent a vote to reopen the government, Blackman asked that Hobbs declare a state of emergency in Arizona to release funds to provide food assistance and to coordinate efforts to help families who rely on SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said that she should task the Arizona Department of Economic Security with coordinating the efforts of counties, tribal governments and food banks and to partner with the Arizona Department of Veterans Services and school district to open temporary centers to distribute food aid. Families in Navajo County, Gila County, and across rural Arizona are already struggling, Blackman said in a written statement. If Washington wont act, Arizona must be ready. But Kelly, Gallego, and Hobbs could end this crisis today by putting politics aside and reopening the government. Living United for Change in Arizona, an immigrant rights organization, is already taking action with a rally at the Phoenix DES office planned for Thursday, when LUCHA will begin a food drive to help those who will go hungry without SNAP. LUCHA said in a statement that thousands of rural schools and food pantries were prepping for skyrocketing demand if SNAP payments are delayed or canceled and that some families will have to choose between food and rent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arizona families are paying the price of this shutdown, Alejandra Gomez, executive director of LUCHA, said in a statement. And now Republicans are threatening to cut their food, their dignity, and their future so billionaires can keep getting richer. This is moral bankruptcy. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (The Center Square) A coalition of groups is urging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto a slate of proposals to update the state's liability laws, saying the bills will drive up costs for businesses and consumers. The bills, which were approved by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature earlier this year, include a proposal to that would put foreign in corporations doing business in New York under the jurisdiction of the state courts. The groups, including the Business Council of New York, Retail Council of New York State and Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, said the changes would clog the state's court system with lawsuits. "That means a company could be dragged into New York courts for a dispute that happened entirely elsewhere just because it is registered to do business here," the groups said in a letter to Hochul, urging her to veto the legislation. "Plaintiffs may have a tie to New York, but the underlying disputes could arise anywhere in the country or even the world, making New York an epicenter for forum shopping and costly litigation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The groups noted that Hochul vetoed similar consent to jurisdiction bills in 2021 and 2023, and said the latest iteration of the legislation "still suffers from the same fundamental flaw." "While it limits who can sue New York residents, New York-based entities, and out-of-state businesses registered here, it still allows lawsuits over matters that have nothing to do with New York other than the defendants authorization to do business in the state," they wrote. Another proposal awaiting Hochul's action would require injured individuals to wait at least 30 days before accepting a payment, even if they seek a quicker resolution. The coalition said the bill would increase litigation by voiding early settlements, raising legal costs, and delaying claim resolutions. "The bill also imposes unnecessary and duplicative regulations. New Yorks existing attorney disciplinary rules already protect victims from unethical conduct, including a 30-day no-contact rule to prevent the practice of ambulance chasing," the groups wrote to Hochul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The groups are also asking Hochul to veto another bill that would require New York courts to interpret state labor laws independently of federal precedents, among other changes. The groups said the legislation would direct judges to "disregard measured and consistent interpretations of law, under the guise of protecting workers, while disproportionately harming small businesses across the state." New York state's legal system is consistently ranked among the worst in the nation in the American Tort Reform Association's annual "Judicial Hellholes" reports. New York, New York City or Albany have been included among those named "Judicial Hellholes" for nearly 15 years, according to the association. Tom Stebbins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, said organizations representing every aspect of the state's economy are calling on Hochul to veto the bills and "protect our wallets and preserve the integrity of New York's civil justice system." "New Yorkers are already watching costs climb from housing and medical care to utilities, groceries, and insurance yet the state legislature seems determined to make life even more expensive," he said in a statement. "Instead of looking for ways to reduce liability costs, and make living, working, and operating a business in New York more affordable, Albany keeps piling on. "If lawmakers want to know whats driving New Yorks cost crisis, they need to look inward," Stebbins added. Christmas in November? In Connecticut, it's on the calendar. The New England Christmas Festival is set to kick off the Christmas season in Connecticut, with a three-day, artisan-heavy exposition at Mohegan Sun's Earth Expo and Convention Center in Uncasville. "Offering everything a holiday shopper could desire under one magnificent roof at the Mohegan Sun Earth Expo Center, the New England Christmas Festival makes preparing for the holidays a breeze by bringing together 400+ Art, Craft & Specialty Food American Artisans from all over the country that come to display and sell their unique products, all made by hand," the event says on its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The artisans will offer a range of products for early gift-givers, ranging from jewelry to home goods to spa products. The festival, which organizers say will take up 125,000 square feet of convention floor, is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as Sunday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking at Mohegan Sun is free for attendees, and the event plans to sell hot chocolate in a "Reindeer Lounge" drinks area, as well as souvenir tote bags for purchase. Tickets currently are on sale for the event. A single-day admission ticket, for any day, is priced at $19.81, while a three-day admission ticket is $25.08. This article originally published at Holiday comes early to Connecticut as Mohegan Sun hosts New England Christmas Festival. A woman is speaking out after she was reportedly attacked by a stranger in broad daylight while walking down the street in Hollywood. Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured model Candy Tansiri walking down Sunset Boulevard near Bronson Avenue at around 4 p.m. on Oct. 22 just moments before she says a man shed never seen before assaulted her. I was shocked, Tansiri, who lives nearby, told KTLAs Lindsey Pena. I was shocked and horrified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She recalled that her alleged attacker was carrying shoes and a plastic bag, the latter of which he swung at her head, leaving her with a cut above her left eye, a badly bruised lip and other cuts. Surveillance footage of Candy Tansiri on Sunset Boulevard moments before she says she was attacked by a man on Oct. 22, 2025. (viewer image) Model Candy Tansiri suffered injuries after being attacked on Sunset Boulevard on Oct. 22, 2025. (viewer image) Model Candy Tansiri suffered injuries after being attacked on Sunset Boulevard on Oct. 22, 2025. (viewer image) (Instagram @candy_chaya) There was something inside [the bag]. I dont know what it was, but it was very heavy, she explained. This kind of thing has never happened in my life. Ive never been attacked before. While in the hospital for treatment, Tansiri filed a police report, telling detectives, who have yet to make an arrest, that she will absolutely recognize her attacker if she sees him again. Why are kids in California having the best time screaming 6-7! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A working model, Tansiri told KTLA that the assault has not only affected her ability to book jobs but has a negative impact on her personal sense of safety and security. She said shes speaking out about the attack in hopes of warning others to always be on alert. Since this happened, Im scared to be out, to be honest, she said. Im still processing. I completely lost confidence for walking around. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to KTLA that they are investigating the incident and urged anyone with information to contact the departments Hollywood Division at 213-972-2971. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. San Antonio has lost several crucial Dairy Queen restaurants in the last few years, including one on the Southside that shuttered in 2023 after a 45-year run. The Dairy Queen that stood on the busy intersection of Jackson-Keller Road and West Avenue for decades called it quits in October 2024, but the building wasn't empty for long. A few months after Dairy Queen moved out of its longtime home, a different concept began to take shape in its place, transforming the chain restaurant into a Mexican Restaurant under the name Las Tapatias de Jalisco. The new business announced its opening on social media in May 2025. Las Tapatias de Jalisco on Jackson-Keller Road. (Polly Anna Rocha/MySA) Like Dairy Queen, Las Tapatias de Jalisco has a drive-thru for fast, easy ordering. Las Tapatias is also part of a restaurant chain, though its local scale differs greatly from Dairy Queen's national reach. Two other Las Tapatias restaurants are open in San Antonio, one on South St. Mary's Street across from Brackenridge High School, and the other is on 1619 Goliad Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Las Tapatias de Jalisco offers an assortment of Mexican dishes, including tacos, tortas, burritos, gorditas, quesadillas, chalupas, nachos and enchiladas. The restaurant also carries Mexican sodas, fresh lemonade and alcoholic drinks like margaritas, micheladas and beer. According to Google, the Jackson-Keller location is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Find it: 1914 Jackson Keller Road, San Antonio, TX 78213 This article originally published at Home of cherished Dairy Queen in San Antonio transforms after sudden closure. Crews use a front loader to clean up a former homeless camp on state property in Tulsa. (Screenshot of Operation SAFE video footage) OKLAHOMA CITY Gov. Kevin Stitt said hes expanding an effort to remove homeless camps located on state property to Oklahoma City. Leaving people on the streets isnt compassion, Stitt said on social media. The state is doing its job by cleaning up state property and protecting families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The action comes after a September effort in Tulsa, involving the Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation, that cleared 64 locations and disposed of two million pounds of debris as part of Operation Swift Action for Families Everywhere. Homeless people were offered rides to treatment or housing facilities or a trip to jail if they refused to vacate. No arrests were made. Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols called the project a manufactured crisis, noting that Stitt did not consult with him. After the Tulsa operation, business leaders and stakeholders requested that it be done in Oklahoma City, Stitt said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stitt said leaders are working with Key to Home, an Oklahoma City-based organization that works to connect people to services and housing. The governor just put on this political show in Tulsa and there is no evidence that it actually solved any real problems, said Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City. We all want the same thing to reduce homelessness and make our communities safer. But these short-sighted solutions do nothing but waste taxpayer dollars. Affordable housing, access to community-based mental health services and a living wage are the answer, she said. Until those issues are addressed, nothing will really change, Kirt said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE ST. LOUIS, Mo. The Better Business Bureau is warning recent home buyers to be on high alert for official-looking scam mail related to their new mortgage, home warranty or property title. Because a home purchase is a matter of public record, scammers can easily obtain information like a buyers loan amount and lender name. The BBB says this allows them to send convincing, but fraudulent, correspondence that often mimics real mortgage or insurance documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scammers are pros at making junk mail look official, said Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis president and CEO in a press release. A good rule of thumb is to only engage with mail that you can confirm is from your mortgage or home warranty company. If youre not sure, call your company directly. Common schemes targeting new homeowners include: Mortgage Insurance Offers: Unscrupulous companies pose as the buyers lender to sell them legitimate insurance protection. Mortgage Scams: Fraudulent notices may claim there is an urgent issue or missed payment, prompting the homeowner to call immediately. Home Warranty Schemes: Mail may claim the homeowner is eligible for a warranty or must act immediately to prevent a current one from expiring. Title/Deed Scams: Offers for records recovery services may charge a fee to send copies of documents the homeowner should have already received at closing. Last fall, one consumer in Wentzville, Mo., lost $600 after receiving a letter claiming her home insurance had expired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBB says the letter included her mortgage lenders name, making it convincing. She called the number on the mail, renewed the policy, and was charged on her credit card until she realized the scam and blocked future payments. How to Spot a Scam To avoid falling victim, the BBB offers these verification tips: Verify Directly: If you receive unexpected mail, do not call the number listed on the letter. Instead, call your lender or home warranty company using a trusted phone number from their official website or documents received at closing. Check Companies with BBB: If you do not recognize the company, search for it on BBB.org to view ratings and check for customer complaints before responding to any offer. Look for Red Flags: Be wary of common scam tactics, including: Urgent language like final notice, return promptly, or call immediately. Typos, grammatical errors, or poor graphic design. Generic or limited information, like vague wording such as call us about an important issue. Disclaimers in tiny print stating the mail is not affiliated with your financial institution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To reduce the amount of unsolicited mail, the BBB suggests joining the do not mail list through the DMAchoice service. If you fall victim or notice a scam, you can report it to the BBB Scam Tracker to help protect other new homeowners. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. OCHO RIOS, Jamaica (WPRI) A Rhode Island couple honeymooning in northeastern Jamaica is now stranded at their resort, preparing to ride out Hurricane Melissa as it approaches the island. After tying the knot in Mapleville, Jim Brennan and Kristina Ruggiero arrived for their stay in tropical Ocho Rios on Oct. 20, anticipating a week full of sunshine and relaxation. (Courtesy: Kristina Ruggiero) But those plans quickly changed as the hurricane strengthened and moved toward Jamaica, bringing high winds and heavy rain that could cause potential widespread infrastructural damage and long-lasting power outages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were notified that they were probably going to be closing the airports, so we reached out to see if we could get a flight out, Brennan said. All flights were booked for Saturday. And then, I found out later, subsequently, that all flights were booked for Sunday. RELATED: Hurricane Melissa brings catastrophic winds to Jamaica Soon after, their original flight home on Monday was canceled as airports across Jamaica shut down. The countrys prime minister issued mandatory evacuations for residents in vulnerable coastal areas. Since then, the Cumberland couple has stayed inside as their resort holds daily storm briefings and makes preparations for Melissas landfall. Staff have reinforced windows and doors with plywood and designated the hotel ballroom as a shelter for guests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve changed basically everything and gone into hurricane mode, Ruggerio said, noting that hotel management has been extremely helpful. The central building is created to withstand Category 5 winds and damages, so theyre suggesting we go there, Brennan explained. They said they are going to give first priority to road clearance so that people can get off the island. Rhode Island newlyweds Jim Brennan and Kristina Ruggiero stuck in Jamaica for their honeymoon ahead of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. (Courtesy: Kristina Ruggiero) Rhode Island newlyweds Jim Brennan and Kristina Ruggiero speak with 12 News while vacationing in Jamaica for their honeymoon ahead of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Oct. 27, 2025 (WPRI-TV) Rhode Island newlyweds Jim Brennan and Kristina Ruggiero stuck in Jamaica for their honeymoon ahead of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. (Courtesy: Kristina Ruggiero) As of Tuesday morning, Melissa sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, surpassing Category 5 levels. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it could be the strongest storm on record to hit Jamaica, with catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides expected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While starting married life under stressful circumstances, the couple said they feel fortunate to have a home to return to something many Jamaicans may not. Its really eye-opening and heartbreaking to think that were worried about if we stay in our room or do we go to the ballroom, Ruggerio said. Theyre worried about, if they leave work today, is there a home to go back to? Thats really scary for some people. It definitely gives you a real evaluation of everything that you have. The couple said theyre prepared to stay as long as needed and will play it by ear depending on what happens next. Rhode Island couple Jim Brennan and Kristina Ruggiero wedding. (Courtesy: Kristina Ruggiero) Rhode Island couple Jim Brennan and Kristina Ruggiero wedding. (Courtesy: Kristina Ruggiero) For Providence native Amworth Smith, those concerns hit close to home. He owns property in Jamaica and has family living there year-round. Though theyve experienced hurricanes before, he told 12 News that Melissas strength is unlike anything theyve seen, but he remains hopeful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several disaster relief agencies have teams on standby to provide aid once the storm passes. The Salvation Army is collecting donations to help fund their hurricane relief efforts. DONATE: Hurricane Melissa Recovery Pinpoint Weather 12 Links Detailed 7-Day Forecast | Weather Now | Radar | Hour-by-Hour | Ocean, Bay & Beach | Pinpoint Traffic | Flight Tracker | Active Weather Alerts | Closings & Delays | Power Outages | Get the Weather App Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Pinpoint Weather 12 Alerts Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. TALLAHASSEE The criminal investigation related to the Hope Florida Foundation has reached one of the legal systems most secretive institutions a grand jury. Earlier this month, two key figures related to the Hope Florida inquiry appeared at the Leon County Courthouse. Also seen: state Rep. Alex Andrade, who this legislative session questioned Gov. Ron DeSantis administrations direction of $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation. Much of that money soon ended up in political committees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andrade confirmed that he came to share my perspective with the grand jury, but said he couldnt divulge what was asked or what he said. Thats largely because of tight rules around grand jury privacy. Grand juries play important roles in the criminal justice system, but the secrecy surrounding them can make their process difficult to understand. Dave Aronberg, a former Palm Beach County state attorney, joked that grand juries are so secretive he had to get elected state attorney to get in there. Heres what to know about the state grand jury process. Who gets called to be on a grand jury? A grand jury, like its name implies, is larger than a trial jury. In Florida, state statute says a grand jury shall have no fewer than 15 people, and no more than 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Being selected for a grand jury is no different than being selected for regular jury duty, though. No prior level of juror experience is needed. But being part of a grand jury is a much longer time commitment. Those picked for grand juries are impaneled for months and meet periodically throughout that period. What cases do they look at? Florida prosecutors generally dont need to turn to a grand jury to get a criminal charge. Unlike federal grand juries, which are needed for all felonies, state prosecutors only need a grand jury for capital crimes. Outside of capital crimes, prosecutors use their discretion to decide what cases a grand jury should look at, Aronberg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aronberg said grand juries may be used to handle sensitive cases where a prosecutor may want to remove any smell of politics. In Palm Beach County, for example, Aronberg said they often had grand juries look at cases where police shoot someone. Grand juries can also do more than indict. Aronberg said grand juries can compile issue-based reports or can vet a case for a prosecutor and offer their opinion about whether the case should proceed. John Fitzgibbons, a Tampa criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, said in rare cases, a grand jury can be used to gauge citizen sentiment, like whether grand jury members think a witness is reliable. What do hearings look like? Grand jury hearings are inherently one-sided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Only the grand jury, a court stenographer, the state attorney or assistant state attorney and witnesses are allowed in. There are no judges. Florida statute allows an attorney to be present for the witness, but only for advising and consulting. The witnesss attorney cannot talk to jurors, make an argument or object to questioning. State statute also makes clear that a witness doesnt have a right to have an attorney with them. Federal grand juries do not allow an attorney to be in the room at all, Fitzgibbons said. For a lay witness, a grand jury is one of the most dangerous places in the country to be, Fitzgibbons said. One false statement is perjury. Its a place that no defense lawyer likes to have his or her client. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The jury deliberates in private. What does a jury need to indict? To indict someone, the majority of grand jury members must determine theres probable cause that the person committed the crime. Probable cause is a low bar. It is the same threshold that law enforcement officers need to arrest someone. What are the possible outcomes? A jury can choose to indict by majority vote. They dont have to indict on every charge a prosecutor may present. The jury can also issue a report offering its thoughts, meaning prosecutors would then choose what step to take next. The jury can also return a no true bill, which means no indictment should be filed. Aronberg said that if a grand jury chooses to present a report rather than indict, the prosecutor can still go forward and do it themselves. But, he said, If you get a no true bill, that case is done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aronberg said getting a no true bill is rare. What are critiques of grand juries? Grand juries have their critics. In 2006, a Palm Beach County grand jury indicted financier Jeffrey Epstein on a charge of soliciting prostitution, rather than felony sexual assault or other heftier charges. Records later released from that case show the prosecutor presented the girls molested by Epstein as prostitutes and liars when speaking to the grand jury. Attorney Spencer Kuvin,who represented one of the girls, said the case didnt need to go to a grand jury. Kuvin was not in the room at the time and said counsel was not allowed. The processs secrecy means Kuvin had no way to know that prosecutors were tanking their own case in front of the grand jury, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres no way, without an open proceeding, to check to see what the prosecutors are doing or not doing during the grand jury process, Kuvin said. Theyre using secrecy as a sword to basically do whatever the heck they want. (Years later, Epstein was arrested by federal agents and charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He died in federal detention.) By Will Dunham (Reuters) -About 23 million years ago, a species of rhinoceros - similar in size to the modern Indian rhino but lacking a horn - made its home in the challenging environment of the Canadian High Arctic, which at the time was warmer than it is now but still experienced snow and months of wintertime darkness. Fossils of the polar rhino, named Epiatheracerium itjilik, were found on Devon Island, a landscape underlain by permafrost, in Canada's Arctic archipelago. With about 75% of its skeleton intact, scientists gained a good understanding of the animal. Its remains were discovered in Haughton Crater, one of Earth's northernmost impact craters, about 14 miles (23 km) wide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The polar rhino lived early in the Miocene epoch, a time of diversification of many mammalian groups. Until this discovery, no rhinoceros was known to have lived in such a high latitude. The fossil site is in Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory. About three feet (one meter) tall at the shoulder, this species approximated the size of the modern Indian rhinoceros, and was smaller than modern African rhinos. "Devon Island during the Miocene was much more temperate and forested, quite unlike the polar desert that is there today," said Danielle Fraser, head of palaeobiology at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa and lead author of the study published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. Summers would have been warm but winters cold enough for snowfall. Fraser compared the climate to that of southern Ontario or northern New York state in modern times, though there would have been months of winter darkness and months of summer daylight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So, it remains a mystery as to how animals like a rhino survived, though we know modern mammals dig through snow using hooves and antlers to access plants," Fraser said. "Our study highlights the importance of the Arctic in mammal evolution," Fraser said. "We often think about the tropics as centers for biodiversity - and they are. But the more fossil discoveries we make in the Arctic, the more it is becoming clear that it was an essential region in the evolution of mammals." The polar rhino fed on the leaves of trees and shrubs as it roamed a forest that, based on fossilized pollen at the site, featured pines, larch, alder, spruce and birch. Its fossils indicate it had a narrow muzzle, like browsing animals today. The polar rhino may have had a coat of fur given the freezing winter temperatures, Fraser said. Large horned rhinos with extensive fur coats called woolly rhinoceroses lived during the last Ice Age, but they were not closely related to this species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other fossils from the site include those of the early seal Puijila darwini, which had feet rather than flippers. Rhinos first appeared roughly 48 million years ago and spread to every continent but South America and Antarctica. Five species live today, whereas more than 50 are known from the fossil record. While horns already had evolved in some rhinos, this species did not have one. It also was quite different from other Miocene North American rhinos such as Teleoceras, which was big, short-legged and barrel-chested like a hippo, with a small horn. As detailed in a study published in July in which Fraser was a co-author, scientists were able to extract and sequence ancient proteins from the tooth enamel of the polar rhino. Proteins offer valuable information about an organism and survive much longer than DNA. That discovery helped the researchers better understand the rhinoceros family tree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The polar rhino's closest relatives lived in Europe and in the Middle East and southwestern Asia. This indicates that its ancestors crossed from Europe into North America across a land bridge that previously was thought to have disappeared about 50 million years ago. "Our study says rhinos were crossing for at least 20 million years longer than we thought. This is, in fact, supported by newer geological studies that show that the two North Atlantic routes - one from the UK over Iceland to Greenland and the other from Finland over Svalbard to Greenland - were potentially crossable into the Miocene," Fraser said. (Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks about a new hospital price transparency law at a news conference at the Capitol on Oct. 28, 2025. Stitt is flanked by one of the bill's authors, Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, right, and hospital price transparency advocates. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahomas hospitals will be required to post prices for procedures and services online beginning Saturday as part of a new law that could also prohibit them from collecting some outstanding medical debt. Gov. Kevin Stitt celebrated Senate Bill 889 at a press conference Tuesday and said it was common sense legislation working to lower Oklahomas health care costs by putting the power back in the consumers hands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So now, as a patient, you can see the cost of services upfront before you actually go into the hospital, he said. You have the opportunity to shop around to find the best service, the best price possible. And we think thats really, really good. It happens in every other industry, but somehow, the health care industry has done a really good job of hiding the prices and not letting it be transparent with the consumers, but we do it with whether youre buying a car or going to the grocery store. The law, authored by Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, and Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, requires all Oklahoma hospitals to post the prices of their services on their website, and it authorizes the Oklahoma State Department of Health to oversee compliance and enforcement. Hospitals are required to publish prices for at least 300 services, prioritizing their frequently used services. While this bill isnt specifically about health insurance, I think it provides a better informed consumer of those services, Lepak said. And over the long run, we want to get control of health care costs and still be the best in the world at delivering services. Weve got to have a better educated patient population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hospitals that fail to comply with the price transparency law will not be able to collect on a patients medical debt. If a patient believes the hospital is noncompliant, they can sue, Lepak said. If the Health Department identifies a hospital as noncompliant, the agency will issue a written notice and the hospital must submit a corrective action plan. If the hospital fails to do so, an administrative penalty will be imposed and the penalty will be publicized on the departments website. The bill codifies a February executive order from President Donald Trump requiring hospital price transparency. The Oklahoma Health Department is charged with overseeing compliance. An agency spokesperson previously said there were no anticipated additional costs for the Health Department to comply with the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Hospital Association could not offer comment by the time of publication but the groups CEO previously told Oklahoma Voice that while the association supports greater transparency, he was concerned about overburdensome government regulation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The sign has been taken down from SocialBites Food Hub in Woodstock. Located off of Highway 92 and less than a mile from Interstate 575, the eatery opened with great fanfare in January 2023 as The Original Hot Chicken, a Nashville hot chicken restaurant. To celebrate the restaurant opening, The Original Hot Chicken will be inviting the Woodstock community to the party where they can watch Joey Chestnut take down their delicious mac n cheese for five minutes straight, the news release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inked Tacos later joined The Original Hot Chicken under the same roof. The restaurant later rebranded to SocialBites Food Hub, adding two more brands under one roof: Flametown Burgers and Pinsa Roman Pizza. SocialBites brings bold flavors and good vibes together under one roof. Its where friends meet, families gather, and every bite sparks connection," the company website proclaimed. SocialBites first opened in Sandy Springs, but that location closed earlier this year. In a statement released Wednesday, Experiential Brands says its pivoting from a traditional restaurant to campuses, airports, and other non-traditional spaces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SocialBites is currently open at the University of Alabama, with more openings at two major universities planned for 2026. Their brands can also be experienced independently at East Carolina University, Coastal Carolina University, Auburn University and Nashville International Airport, with more airport partnerships in development, the company said. The Woodstock restaurant space was previously occupied by The Captains Boil and Folks. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The House GOPs much ballyhooed investigation into former President Joe Bidens alleged cognitive decline has largely ended with a thud. In a new report released Tuesday morning, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committees Republican majority claims to have found evidence that senior Biden White House aides exercised the authority of the former president and concealed signs of Bidens mental deterioration. In fact, the probe concluded with the need for answers to more questions than any appearance of a smoking gun. Between June and September, House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) convened depositions or transcribed interviews with more than a dozen former Biden aides, including chiefs of staff Ron Klain and Jeff Zients. The Trump administration waived executive privilege for witnesses as part of an effort to clear the way for their cooperation. Even so, several of them invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House Oversight GOP is citing, in part, this barrier to getting information from the witnesses as proof of an internal cover-up around Bidens health. The committee chair is now asking President Donald Trumps Department of Justice to look into each and every one of Bidens executive actions, with Comer arguing the state of Bidens mental faculties could not be accounted for at the time of signing. [B]arring documentation establishing a record of President Biden's decision-making, the Committee deems void President Biden's executive actions that were signed using the autopen, Comer wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi. [A]nd the Committee determines that action by the Department of Justice is warranted to address the legal consequences of that determination. The request could prolong the administrations crusade against some of Trump's biggest political rivals, though the efforts to overturn Biden's executive actions could be blocked by the courts. Presidents also have for years relied on the autopen to sign materials as a standard practice, and Biden has maintained that his decisions were his own. The Republican report recommends that the District of Columbia Board of Medicine investigate whether Bidens White House doctor, Kevin OConnor, failed his duties as a physician by misleading Americans as to the presidents health. As evidence, the report pointed to OConnors refusal to cooperate with the committees probe: OConnor cited his Fifth Amendment rights and physician-patient privilege in declining to answer questions. Republicans also cited OConnors decision to forgo a cognitive exam for the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Finally, Comer is asking DOJ to investigate OConnor as well as two senior aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini who also cited the Fifth Amendment to ascertain whether their conduct in the former administration was criminal. Dr. O'Connor's lack of transparency demonstrated while serving as the active White House physician and not testifying before this Committee to answer relevant, pointed questions about President Biden's ability to carry out the duties of the presidency is untenable for a licensed medical professional tasked to diagnose, heal, and protect the official in the highest elected office, Comer wrote in a letter to the D.C. Board of Medicines chair. The letter added that, if necessary, OConnor should be sanctioned by the Board of Medicine. Comers leadership of the probe into Bidens mental decline comes at a fortuitous time in his own political career: The Kentucky Republican is weighing a bid for the states governorship in 2027 a race where Trumps endorsement could carry considerable weight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He previously co-led an impeachment inquiry into Biden that culminated in a hundreds-of-pages long report that concluded his family engaged in a global influence peddling racket from which they made millions of dollars. And although the report argued Bidens actions constituted impeachable conduct, House GOP leadership never set up an impeachment vote on the House floor. Bidens weak performance in the June 2024 presidential debate set off a cascade of questions over his mental acuity, ultimately forcing him out of the presidential race. But even after he dropped his reelection campaign and largely stepped aside from public life, Republicans continued to press the partys leadership for covering up Bidens potential health failings. Comer took on the charge of putting together a review of the former presidents use of the autopen. Trump, separately, launched the administration's own probe into whether Bidens former White House aides contributed to a cover-up of his decline and authorized illicit use of the autopen. With the exception of the RIGGED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020, THE AUTOPEN IS THE BIGGEST POLITICAL SCANDAL IN AMERICAN HISTORY!!! Trump posted on Truth Social this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Justice Department declined to comment, but Bondi said in a social media postTuesday morning that her team was "reviewing the Biden administrations reported use of autopen for pardons" and thanked Comer "for his GREAT work on this." Attorneys for Bernal and Tomasini did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Biden, meanwhile, said in a statement the congressional probe vindicated the former president. This investigation into baseless claims has confirmed what has been clear from the start: President Biden made the decisions of his presidency, the spokesperson said. There was no conspiracy, no cover-up, and no wrongdoing. Congressional Republicans should stop focusing on political retribution and instead work to end the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And a lawyer for O'Connor referred to an earlier statement that explained the physician's reasoning for invoking the Fifth Amendment and physician-patient privilege. That statement also pointed to Trump's invocation of the Fifth Amendment before his deposition with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, where the president said, Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool an absolute fool. Among the highlights of Comer's report is that Zients told the committee that Biden had been informed of his suggestion that he should consider dropping out of the presidential race and Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, thought Biden should drop out after the June debate. Additionally, Zients disclosed that Biden's son, Hunter Biden, took part in some White House discussions around pardons. Biden would go on to pardon the younger Biden, who was facing his own legal struggles. In wake of the Republican findings, Democrats took a victory lap. The House Oversight Committee's minority released its own report on the Biden autopen investigation, arguing that the panel's majority did not find sufficient evidence to justify their allegations against the former president. "[T]he autopen 'scandal' manufactured by Chairman Comer and House Republicans proved to be nothing more than a feeble attempt to attack the legitimacy of President Bidens policies a pretext to invalidate executive actions by President Biden," according to the Democratic report. House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled their long-promised report on former President Joe Biden's use of the autopen, delivering a blistering critique of his time in office and inner circle. The report largely rehashes information that was already public, however, while making sweeping accusations about the workings of his White House. The GOP report does not include any concrete evidence that aides conspired to enact policies without Biden's knowledge or that the president was unaware of laws, pardons or executive orders signed in his name. But Republicans said their findings cast doubt on all of Biden's actions in office. They sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging a full investigation. President Trump ordered a similar inquiry earlier this year. At its core, the report advances contested claims that Biden's mental state declined to a degree that allowed White House officials to enact policies without his knowledge. It focuses heavily on the pardons he granted while in office, including to his son, Hunter Biden, based on depositions with close Biden aides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The cost of the scheme to hide the fallout of President Biden's diminished physical and mental acuity was great but will likely never be fully calculated," the report reads. "The cover-up put American national security at risk and the nation's trust in its leaders in jeopardy." Biden has strenuously denied he was unaware of his administration's actions, calling such claims "ridiculous and false." Democrats on the House Oversight Committee denounced the probe as a distraction and waste of time, issuing a 13-page memo on Tuesday that said "following more than a year of inquiry, extensive witness interviews, and significant time and effort expended by both Republican and Democratic staff, the Oversight Majority has failed to produce any evidence to support their allegations against President Biden." Democrats said in the memo that 14 former White House officials and aides provided nearly 60 hours of testimony. In a statement, a Biden spokesperson said it was an investigation into "baseless claims" that proved "there was no conspiracy, no cover-up, and no wrongdoing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans are shifting attention back to Biden at a politically tumultuous time, 10 months into Mr. Trump's presidency, with the government shut down and Congress at a standstill over legislation to fund it. House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House out of session for nearly a month, with most public-facing committee work grinding to a halt. Mr. Trump and his staff have zeroed in on Biden's autopen usage, with the White House in September putting a picture of an autopen along portraits of previous presidents the West Wing Colonnade. A White House official said at the time that Mr. Trump selected the autopen picture himself. The report on Biden was largely compiled over several months before the shutdown began. Based on interviews with more than a dozen members of Biden's inner circle, the report offers few new revelations, instead drawing broad conclusions from unanswered questions. It includes repeated references to polls of Biden's approval rating and perceptions of his public gaffes and apparent aging, much of it publicly known. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It alleges a "cover-up of the president's cognitive decline" orchestrated by Biden's inner circle and takes particular aim at Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, who invoked his Fifth Amendment right against testifying. Republicans also singled out senior aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini, who similarly pleaded the Fifth. All three "should face further scrutiny" from the Justice Department, Republicans said. Jonathan Su, Tomasini's attorney, said during her interview with the committee, "There is no actual evidence of wrongdoing by Ms. Tomasini." Noting the ongoing criminal investigation by the Justice Department, he said "any reasonable person would seriously consider an invocation of their Fifth Amendment rightsThe law is clear that there is absolutely no basis to suggest an invocation of the Fifth Amendment is evidence of wrongdoing." Su, who also represents Bernal, similarly told the committee on his behalf that "it is entirely appropriate and justified for Mr. Bernal to invoke his rights under the Fifth Amendment." Republicans also sent a letter to the D.C. Board of Medicine urging that O'Connor face "discipline, sanction or revocation of his medical license" and "be barred from the practice of medicine in the District of Columbia." O'Connor's attorneys, David Schertler and Mark MacDougall, said in July that he would decline to answer lawmakers' questions based on doctor-patient privilege and his rights under the Fifth Amendment, and they said that asserting Fifth Amendment privilege "does not imply that Dr. O'Connor has committed any crime." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report does not include full transcripts of the multiple hours of recorded testimony that witnesses delivered before the committee. It repeatedly scolds Biden officials and Democratic allies for defending Biden's mental state. "The inner-most circle, or cocoon, of the White House senior staff organized one of the largest scandals in American history hiding a cognitively failing president and refusing any means of confirmation of such demise," the report says. While the report claims that record-keeping policies in the Biden White House "were so lax that the chain of custody for a given decision is difficult or impossible to establish," Republicans do not offer any concrete instances of the chain of command being violated or a policy being enacted without Biden's knowledge. Still, Republicans argue that laws or other legal documents bearing an autopen version of Biden's signature should be considered invalid unless there is documented proof of him approving a decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Barring evidence of executive actions taken during the Biden presidency showing that President Biden indeed took a particular executive action, the committee deems those actions taken through use of the autopen as void," the report says. Democrats and legal experts have warned that broad scrutiny of executive actions could pose future legal headaches for the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, who also often enact policies directed by lawmakers through devices like the presidential autopen. Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Air traffic controllers miss first full paycheck due to shutdown Legal questions over Trump plan to pay troops amid shutdown The bill would create a three-strikes system in which a parent could be charged with a Class B felony on the third instance if they interfere with parenting time arrangements. (Getty Images) House lawmakers are pushing forward legislation to criminalize parents who violate custody orders, arguing harsher penalties are necessary to deter unfair behavior. In a party-line vote, Republicans on the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted last week to recommend House Bill 194 to pass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill, as amended by the committee, would create a three-strikes system in which a parent could be charged with a Class B felony on the third instance if they interfere with parenting time arrangements by holding onto the child. Supporters say the current system requires parents to go to civil courts in order to enforce parenting time agreements if they feel they are being violated, which can be time consuming. But critics, including Rep. Buzz Scherr, a Portsmouth Democrat and professor at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, say the bill would unnecessarily inject prosecutors and criminal courts into disputes that should be resolved civilly. I just dont think its a positive thing to start to criminalize some of this behavior, Scherr said on Wednesday. Itll make things worse; it wont make things better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The full House will take up the committees ought-to-pass recommendation when it convenes for the start of the 2026 session on Jan. 7. In current New Hampshire law, a parent can be charged with a misdemeanor if they take a child out of the state in order to deny access to another parent or to a child protective agency like the Division for Children, Youth, and Families. There is also a misdemeanor penalty for taking, enticing away, detaining, or concealing a child. But there are no criminal penalties for violating a custody arrangement if the child remains in the state. Instead, the aggrieved parent must file a family access motion in family court. That court must then prepare a summons against the other parent within 10 days, and must issue a decision within 60 days. If the court finds the other parent violated the agreement, it can fine them up to $500, award a compensatory amount of parenting time to the aggrieved parent to make up for time lost, require counseling for the violating parent, require that parent to post a bond to ensure compliance, and require the violating parent to pay for counseling between the aggrieved parent and the child to help heal their relationship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Legislature recently updated that process: A law took effect in January intended to make the access motions clearer to navigate, especially by parents who are representing themselves. HB 194, in contrast, would create a set of criminal penalties. Under the committee amendment passed last week the first two violations of the custody order would result in a $500 fine but no criminal penalties; the third would incur a Class B felony, which can include a punishment of up to 7 years in prison and a fine of up to $4,000. Rep. David Love, a Derry Republican and one of the sponsors of the bill, said the bill is intended to strengthen the existing statute and require law enforcement to enforce custody orders against parents. That enforcement is important, Love argued it helps enable parental rights, he said. And he said it would alleviate the effects of a broken home on children by incentivizing parents to stick to their shared custody agreements. Parental rights are not just legal formalities. Theyre an essential in the emotional and psychological well-being of both the child and parent, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately, many divorcing couples are so enraged that they cant see the emotional damage theyre inflicting on their beloved children, much less understand the long term damage that often caused by their own selfish behavior, he added. Keeping the enforcement of custody in civil court would force aggrieved parents to endure six to eight week delays, while HB 194 would deter bad behavior from the outset, Love argued. But Democrats said the threat of criminal penalties would deprive parents of the opportunity to resolve difficult situations relating to custody through mediation or civil court. Rep. David Meuse, a Portsmouth Democrat, pointed to research that the majority of primary custody holders are women, who could face felony charges and jail time. What are the implications of sending a person like that to prison? he said. A mother up to prison, away from her children? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Terry Roy said that a Class B felony does not automatically mean the harshest punishment. Its up to the judge. They dont have to send them to prison, he said. Instead, he said the three-strikes could be a tool for law enforcement to use to convince a parent to relinquish custody and avoid fines or felony charges. To Scherr, the presence of law enforcement into custody battles sets a bad precedent. He brought up his own divorce, which he went through while he had a 6-year-old child. That experience was civil, he said, but many are not. I think everyone on this committee knows otherwise smart, intelligent, thoughtful people losing their minds when it comes to divorce and child custody, he said. I dont think it should be a violation. I think the person should go back into court, and it should be dealt with in a civil context. (The Center Square) The U.S. House Oversight Committee released its report on the investigation into former President Joe Bidens cognitive health, resulting in referrals to the Justice Department and the D.C. Board of Medicine, citing multiple cover-ups of Bidens cognitive decline. The report, released Tuesday morning, claims that the former presidents inner circle gaslit the American people on Bidens cognitive decline. In addition to the referrals, the report argues that many of the former presidents executive actions signed by autopen could be invalid. The committee interviewed over a dozen aides and key Biden advisors during the course of the investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report entitled The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House notes that testimony revealed that political advisors rejected cognitive testing in an effort to protect the former presidents reelection prospects. Bidens physician, Dr. Kevin OConnor, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights when the committee questioned him. As a result, the committee chairman, Rep. James Comey, R-Ky., is recommending the District of Columbia Board of Medicine review the physicians actions while serving as Bidens physician at the White House, to review whether he produced false or misleading medical reports to the American people. The committee argues that senior Biden staff exercised presidential authority or facilitated executive actions without direct authorization from the former president, including the use of the autopen. Comer is asking the DOJ to conduct a comprehensive review of all executive actions during the Bidens presidency, specifically calling for further scrutiny of OConnor, Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal after they invoked the Fifth Amendment. The comprehensive report includes video and transcripts of the interviews of 14 Biden aides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comer underscored the magnitude of the cover-up behind the former presidents cognitive decline, claiming the executive actions signed by the autopen are invalid. The Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. As Americans saw President Bidens decline with their own eyes, Bidens inner circle sought to deceive the public, cover-up his decline, and took unauthorized executive actions with the autopen that are now invalid, said Comer in a news release. Comer argues that the former presidents senior aides purposefully misled the American people, calling for further investigation. Our report reveals how key aides colluded to mislead the public and the extraordinary measures they took to sustain the appearance of presidential authority as Bidens capacity to function independently diminished. Executive actions performed by Biden White House staff and signed by autopen are null and void. We are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a thorough review of these executive actions and scrutinize key Biden aides who took the Fifth to hide their participation in the cover-up. The D.C. Board of Medicine must also review the actions taken by President Bidens physician to hide his true condition. We have provided Americans with transparency about the Biden Autopen Presidency, and now there must be accountability, Comer added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Questions regarding Bidens mental fitness were raised well before the 2020 presidential election. Republicans and many in the conservative media continued to raise questions regarding the former presidents health throughout his presidency. However, the investigations were fueled in part by a book written by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, "Original Sin," which the congressman quoted as claiming, Five people were running the country, and Joe Biden was at best a senior member of the board. Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who has been waiting more than a month to be sworn into office, shared several tweets Monday pointing to some allies she has on the Republican side of the aisle. Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23, easily trouncing her Republican opponent in her deep-blue district 69% to 29%. She will succeed her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who died on March 13, in representing Arizonas 7th district when she is eventually sworn in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Republicans are dragging their feet on letting Grijalva officially join their ranks and have been using the government shutdown as an excuse. Grijalva and her supporters have openly speculated that the delay is driven by the fact that she would be the 218th vote in the House to vote to release the Epstein files. On Oct. 22, the Arizona Attorney General filed a lawsuit seeking to have Grijalva sworn in. Over the past few weeks, Grijalva has used her social media to keep her constituents updated and publicly call on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to swear her in. On Monday, her tweets mentioned several Republicans who supported her quest. One such post quoted an op-ed at AL.com by former Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), titled House Republicans step on thin ice as they ignore the Constitution. "Im a Republican. The House Speaker is a Republican. Adelita Grijalva is a Democrat. But what is right is right, and what the Republican House Speaker is doing to Democrat Adelita Grijalva is wrong. Period." Thank you @RepMoBrooks!https://t.co/byAjOusQr5 Adelita Grijalva (@AdelitaForAZ) October 27, 2025 Brooks, a former staunchly MAGA ally of President Donald Trump who backed his baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election, has more recently become a very vocal critic of the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The delays in swearing in Grijalva, wrote Brooks in his op-ed, represented [p]ure, raw, powerplay politics and a win at all cost attitude that, ultimately, causes all Americans to lose. Grijalva won fair and square, he continued, and there were no election contests and no other disputes. Citing his twelve years in Congress, Brooks pointed out that winners of special elections were usually sworn in within one to three days after winning their elections, at most waiting a couple of weeks or until Congress was back in session. Johnson has no legitimate excuse for delay, Brooks argued, adding that it appears Johnson refuses to swear in Grijalva because her vote may affect whether Republican legislation passes or fails or, more pointedly, whether the Epstein files will be released as promised. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im a Republican. The House Speaker is a Republican. Adelita Grijalva is a Democrat. But what is right is right, and what the Republican House Speaker is doing to Democrat Adelita Grijalva is wrong, he declared. Period. Grijalva also shared an NPR interview with Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), in which he expressed his support for swearing in Grijalva. Kiley said he supports seating Adelita Grijalva without delay. "She won her election. I don't know why this is even an issue," he said. Thank you @KevinKileyCA!https://t.co/nJGiz6ksmL Adelita Grijalva (@AdelitaForAZ) October 27, 2025 From the article on NPRs website: Democrats have criticized Johnsons handling of the standoff, accusing the speaker of using the recess to delay the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election to fill the seat of her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona. Johnson has rejected that claim, saying the delay is unrelated. Kiley said he supports seating Adelita Grijalva without delay. She won her election. I dont know why this is even an issue, he said. The post House Republican Says Newly-Elected Democrat Should Be Sworn In Without Delay: She Won Her Election first appeared on Mediaite. House Republicans are drafting a fresh proposal to curb US investments in China after the Senate passed its bill as part of defense policy legislation, people familiar with the talks told Semafor. Staff hope to reach consensus on the measure, which incorporates Treasury Department feedback into a companion proposal from Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., by Nov. 7 (though the shutdown could delay that date). Members will then use that text to negotiate with senators over what makes it into the final National Defense Authorization Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last Congress, similar attempts to add language imploded amid pushback from former Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.; this Congress, everyones actually working together now, one of the people said. They added that leaders are unconcerned about depriving Trump of a negotiating tool in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday because Treasury is already implementing parallel guidance. House Republican leaders attacked Democrats on Monday, as the government shutdown drags on, by fearmongering about the New York City mayoral race. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested the shutdown occurred because Democrats have given in to a Marxist agenda, using House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last-minute endorsement of Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani as evidence. News: Amazon Targets As Many As 30,000 Corporate Job Cuts: Report We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat[ic] Party is succeeding, and they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat[ic] Party in America, Johnson said at a press conference on Monday, admitting that he has talked a lot about Mamdani lately. After a months-long pressure campaign from the far left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally relented. He gave in, and he gave his endorsement to the socialist running to be mayor of New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House Democrats have chosen a side they were forced to by that far left that theyre so terrified of, Johnson claimed. And theyve shown the world what they really believe. There is no longer a place for centrist and moderates in their party. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) echoed some of Johnsons remarks. Hakeem Jeffries is now all-in for the socialist agenda of Mamdami. He is the head of their party now, Scalise claimed. When he gets elected mayor of New York, hes giving the marching orders to the rest of the Democrats. While its a local race, the New York mayoral election has drawn national attention, with President Donald Trump promising to withhold $7.4 billion in federal funding to the city if Mamdani is elected. Repl Steve Scalise, far left, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 27, 2025. The government shutdown, now in its 27th day, has become the second-longest in history. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist who won the Democratic primary in June, has largely campaigned for universal child care for children under 5, free and efficient city buses, and piloting city-owned grocery stores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I deeply respect the will of the primary voters and the young people who have been inspired to participate in the electoral process. Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a Mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy, Jeffries said in a statement Friday, the day before early voting started in New York, after holding off on his endorsement. Mamdani has also been endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.); Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.); numerous unions and advocacy groups, and more. New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during an election rally at Forest Hills Stadium in New York on Oct. 26, 2025. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images By contrast, sitting New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who ended his reelection campaign last month, has endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) as his successor. Cuomo, who is running as an independent, served as New York governor from 2011 to 2021, until he resigned following a Justice Department investigation into sexual misconduct that he denies. Cuomo is endorsed by state Sen. Sam Sutton (D), disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), former New York Attorney General Robert Abrams, a transit union and the Teamsters union, among others. Politics: David Hogg Shares Theory On Hakeem Jeffries And NYC Mayoral Race: 'I'm Not Afraid To Say' Adams, who has had his own share of public scandals, appeared to warn voters about Mamdani without naming him in a video announcing his withdrawal from the mayoral race. According to The New York Times, a previous version of Adams remarks also criticized Cuomo as a snake and a liar, but did not appear in the final cut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting in New York began on Oct. 25, and Election Day is Nov. 4. The Times, citing a new Suffolk University poll, reported Monday that Mamdani is polling at 44%, while Cuomo is polling at 34%. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is at 11%. Mamdani did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment. Related... Read the original on HuffPost SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A housekeeper employed at Pacifica Bonita Villas Retirement Facility in southern San Diego County has been arrested and charged with allegedly stealing $50,000 worth of valuables from elderly residents of the retirement home. During a search of her home, the San Diego County Sheriffs Office reports detectives found multiple items of suspected stolen property, guns and meth. Tania Soliven, 51, was arrested after police served a search warrant on her home on Oct. 2 part of the investigation into a series of grand thefts and burglaries at the Pacifica Bonita Villas Retirement Facility, located in the 3400 block of Bonita Road in Bonita, the San Diego County Sheriffs Office reported on Monday. In total, $50,000 worth of items, including jewelry and collectible coins, were stolen from five elderly residents on the third floor of the retirement facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An investigation into the thefts led police to Soliven, who was employed at the retirement facility as a housekeeper on the third floor, according to the sheriffs office. Detectives from the Imperial Beach Sheriffs Substation, the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) team and the Sheriffs Special Enforcement Detail (SED) on Oct. 2 served a search warrant at an apartment located in the 4200 block of Bonita Road in Bonita. The sheriffs office reports a gun safe on the property was found with five handguns, one rifle, ammunition, meth and a meth pipe during the search. One handgun and the rifle were unregistered. Hundreds of pieces of suspected stolen jewelry, collector coins, several computers and cellphones were also found on the property. Soliven was booked into Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility facing charges related to possession of ammunition and narcotics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sheriffs office is telling residents at the Pacifica Bonita Villas Retirement Facility and family members of residents that believe they might have been a victim of theft to contact the Imperial Beach Sheriffs Substation at 619-498-2400. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) About 2,500 Brazilian police and soldiers launched a massive raid on a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, arresting 81 suspects and sparking shootouts that left at least 60 suspects and four police officers dead, officials said. The operation included officers in helicopters and armored vehicles and targeted the notorious Red Command in the sprawling low-income favelas of Complexo de Alemao and Penha, police said. The police operation was one of the most violent in Brazil's recent history, with human rights organizations calling for investigations into the deaths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rios state Gov. Claudio Castro said in a video posted on X that 60 criminal suspects were neutralized during the massive raid that he called the biggest such operation in the city's history. Some 81 suspects were arrested, while 93 rifles and more than half a ton of drugs were seized, the state government said, adding that those killed resisted police action. Rio's civil police said on X that four officers died in Tuesday's operation. The cowardly attacks by criminals against our agents will not go unpunished, it said. An unknown number of people were wounded. The United Nations' human rights body said it was horrified by the deadly police operation, called for effective investigations and reminded authorities of their obligations under international human rights law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cesar Munoz, director of Human Rights Watch in Brazil, called Tuesdays events a huge tragedy and a disaster. The public prosecutors office must open its own investigations and clarify the circumstances of each death, Munoz said in a statement. Footage on social media showed fire and smoke rising from the two favelas as gunfire rang out. The city's Education Department said 46 schools across the two neighborhoods were closed, and the nearby Federal University of Rio de Janeiro canceled night classes and told people on campus to seek shelter. Suspected gang members blocked roads in northern and southeastern Rio in response to the raid, local media reported. At least 70 buses were commandeered to be used in the blockades, causing significant damage, the city's bus organization Rio Onibus said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operation Tuesday followed a year of investigation into the criminal group, police said. Gov. Castro, from the conservative opposition Liberal Party, said the federal government should be providing more support to combat crime a swipe at the administration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Gleisi Hoffmann, the Lula administration's liaison with the parliament, agreed that coordinated action was needed but pointed to a recent crackdown on money laundering as an example of the federal government's action on organized crime. Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and a number of ministers met in response to the operation on Tuesday afternoon. Chief of Staff Rui Costa requested an emergency meeting in Rio on Wednesday, with him in attendance as well as Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emerging from Rios prisons, the Red Command criminal gang has expanded its control in favelas in recent years. Rio has been the scene of lethal police raids for decades. In March 2005, some 29 people were killed in Rios Baixada Fluminense region, while in May 2021, 28 were killed in the Jacarezinho favela. While the Tuesday's police operation was similar to previous ones, its scale was unprecedented, said Luis Flavio Sapori, a sociologist and public safety expert at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais. Whats different about todays operation is the magnitude of the victims. These are war numbers, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He argued that these kinds of operations are inefficient because they do not tend to catch the masterminds, but rather target underlings who can later be replaced. Its not enough to go in, exchange gunfire, and leave. Theres a lack of strategy in Rio de Janeiros public security policy, Sapori said. Some lower-ranking members of these factions are killed, but those individuals are quickly replaced by others. The Marielle Franco Institute, a nonprofit founded by the slain councilwoman s family to continue her legacy of fighting for the rights of people living in favelas, also criticized the operation. This is not a public safety policy. Its a policy of extermination, that makes the everyday life of Black and poor people a Russian roulette, it said in a statement. NEED TO KNOW Unidentified human remains were discovered in Los Lunas, N.M, in July 2022 After their own efforts proved unsuccessful, authorities contacted the DNA Doe Project to help and last month, the remains were identified as belonging to Lisa Marie Vernon, who had been missing since June 2022 "No evidence of foul play has been discovered, and the case has been formally closed as a non-criminal death investigation," police said in a statement Authorities have identified human remains found more than three years ago as belonging to a 56-year-old woman from New Mexico. Earlier this month, the Valencia County Sheriffs Office (VCSO) announced that thanks to a collaboration between investigators and the DNA Doe Project, the remains have been positively identified as Lisa Marie Vernon of Albuquerque. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "With Ms. Vernons identity confirmed, investigators were able to piece together the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death, the VCSO said. No evidence of foul play has been discovered, and the case has been formally closed as a non-criminal death investigation. On July 16, 2022, deputies responded to a property at the 1700 block of Rio Communities Boulevard in Los Lunas after being notified about human remains found beneath a tree. Found with her was a backpack which contained clothes, a water bottle, and a diary, although the diary did not contain any writings that assisted in her identification, the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit organization that specializes in genetic genealogy, wrote in their own news release. Efforts to identify the remains of the victim through traditional methods at the time proved unsuccessful, and she was temporarily referred to as Los Lunas Jane Doe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, investigators contacted the DNA Doe Project for assistance in the case and to develop a DNA profile based on the remains. This past May, the DNA Doe Project provided investigators with genealogical results that suggested that the victim was Lisa Marie Vernon, who was last seen on June 4, 2022. It didnt take us long to figure out that Los Lunas Jane Doe had connections to both Illinois and Tennessee, said Lisa Ivany of the DNA Doe Project. However, we could also tell that she likely had recent ancestors from outside the US, especially as a number of her DNA matches were from Europe. Working with the OMI, investigators contacted Vernons relatives and obtained DNA samples to establish a match, the VCSO said. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Investigative genetic genealogy is a powerful tool, said Emily Bill with the DNA Doe Project in a statement. Even though the DNA matches we had were from elsewhere, our research led us all the way to New Mexico and then to Lisa herself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Valencia County Sheriff Denise Vigil thanked those involved in the case, including the DNA Doe Project. Their dedication to giving back names to the unidentified has brought long-awaited answers to a grieving family and helped bring closure to the case, Vigil said. Read the original article on People By Doyinsola Oladipo and David Shepardson NEW YORK/ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) -Hundreds of U.S. air traffic controllers have taken second jobs after missing their first full paychecks due to the government shutdown, intensifying strain on an already stretched aviation safety system, a union official said. Air traffic controllers and trainees are taking side hustles like waiting tables, delivering food for DoorDash, driving for Uber, grocery shopping for Instacart and signing up as weekend tutors to make ends meet as the shutdown enters its 28th day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're talking to our coworkers about how to get zero-interest loans," Mike Christine, National Air Traffic Controllers Association's (NATCA) eastern regional vice president, told Reuters. Controllers are swapping notes about which companies are deferring payments and who is donating food to workers, he added. They missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday. Roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work without pay after a budget impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats triggered the shutdown. Controllers, who only received a partial paycheck two weeks ago, have increasingly called in sick in recent weeks. That has led to thousands of flight delays per day and hundreds of cancellations that have frustrated the public and intensified scrutiny of the shutdown's impact, raising pressure on lawmakers to resolve the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number of controllers working second jobs is set to rise as they look for ways to pay their bills, NATCA President Nick Daniels told reporters on Tuesday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. By the hundreds, they're right now doing second jobs. Tomorrow, it will be in the thousands, Daniels later told Reuters in New York at LaGuardia Airport as controllers handed out leaflets to passing travelers, urging them to contact their local officials to end the shutdown. He said the lack of pay was a dangerous distraction. For younger controllers who have just moved across the country to start their first job, are in training or have not yet built up their savings, the financial strain is more pronounced. "They are the most vulnerable that is out there. They're the ones that are absolutely feeling the greatest amount of this impact," Daniels said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RISING DELAYS Staffing shortages during the government shutdown have repeatedly disrupted the aviation industry, with nearly 7,000 flights delayed on Monday and 8,800 on Sunday. As of 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) on Tuesday, about 3,000 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Tuesday that air traffic controller absences were the primary cause. He said 44% of delays on Sunday and 24% on Monday were caused by air traffic controller absences, compared to 5% on average before the shutdown. Even before the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration was about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, with many already working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duffy was speaking at a press conference at LaGuardia Airport, flanked by air traffic controllers and the president of their union, the latest in a series of airport appearances aimed at prodding Democrats to give up opposition to the Republican-proposed government funding bills. He said it remained safe to fly, and the FAA would slow flights if controllers were not at work at certain towers. The department had not been able to find funding to pay controllers, Duffy said, urging Democrats to vote to open the government. "Don't hold our skies hostage," Duffy said. "There is not a lot of leeway we have to get people paid." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats say Republicans refuse to negotiate and are responsible for the continued shutdown. Southwest Airlines had 34% of its flights delayed on Monday, while American Airlines had 29%, according to FlightAware. United Airlines had 19% of its flights delayed and Delta Air Lines had 22%. In 2019, during a 35-day government shutdown, the number of absences by air traffic controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks, extending wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington, and the flight disruptions were credited with prompting the government to end the shutdown. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Arlington, Virginia and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Nia Williams and Jamie Freed) GRAND JUNCTION Colo. (KREX)- On Monday, hundreds of students from across Colorado competed in the high school state marching band competition held at Lincoln Park. The event, hosted by the City of Grand Junction in partnership with School District 51, brought together more than 30 of the states top high school bands from classes 1A, 2A and 3A including Palisade, Delta and Olathe. Organizers say the competition is among the largest events ever held at Lincoln Park, with 48 buses and 64 trucks and trailers carrying instruments, equipment and uniforms for the performances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were only in our third year of marching this year, said Matt DeJong, principal of Rye High School. We had a program many decades ago, and we just brought it back three years ago. We were able to compete in the semifinals today top four teams move on, and we made top four. So, theyll be competing in the finals again tonight. For many students, the state competition marks the culmination of months of preparation and dedication according to DeJong. Its hard to see all the work that they do unless youre actually at the school hearing them and seeing them practice, he said. Theyre putting in work over the summer, doing camps and rehearsals all for a 15-minute show. Its phenomenal what they do. The competition is not only a celebration of musical achievement but also a great thing for the local economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are more than 30 bands, some of the very best in the state here in Lincoln Park, said Ken Sherbenou, Grand Junction Parks and Recreation director. Its a really exciting thing to host the state band competition because it benefits hotels, businesses, and restaurants significantly, with people coming to Grand Junction to enjoy this lovely fall day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. All 25,000 international tourists who were in Jamaica when Hurricane Melissa made landfall on 28 October are accounted for and in good health, according to tourism minister Edmund Bartlett. Hundreds are still waiting for flights out of the country as airports were closed by what quickly became the strongest storm in the world this year, as well as the worst to hit Jamaica in decades. Europe's largest holiday company TUI has cancelled all package holidays to Jamaica until 9 November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hurricane has caused severe damage and flooding across the northern Caribbean, with the confirmed death toll standing at 49. Jamaica airport reopens with continued cancellations Jamaica shut its two main international airports, Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, in anticipation of the hurricane. At Sangster International Airport, all arriving and departing flights remain cancelled. The structure suffered damage, but Bartlett said it hopes to reopen in the next two days. Following the passage of the hurricane, a comprehensive assessment of the airport will be conducted to determine when it is safe to resume operations. Updates will be communicated promptly, Sangster International Airport said in a post on X on Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the airport reopens, passengers are asked to confirm their flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport. Related The Norman Manley International Airport has announced its reopening on X. On Wednesday, it allowed relief flights to land, while commercial services recommenced on Thursday morning. Schedules continue to be disrupted, with a few cancellations and delays between today and tomorrow, according to FlightRadar24. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Passengers are strongly advised to confirm your flight status with your airline before travelling to the airport, as schedules may have been modified," the airport wrote on X. It urged travellers to arrive at the airport earlier than usual for departing flights to allow for check-in and security procedures. Passengers stranded as airports and ports closed Hundreds of travellers remain stranded on the island, including those on package holidays. Europe's largest holiday company TUI informed travellers that flights home would be delayed by a few days as they continue to monitor the travel situation. On Wednesday, the company flew two empty aircraft to a nearby Caribbean airport in preparation for picking up UK holidaymakers once Jamaican airports reopen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TUI has now cancelled all package holidays to Jamaica until 9 November. Virgin Atlantic have also cancelled all holidays up to and including 4 November. The company is also offering extra flexibility for customers with original departures up to 10 November, waiving admin fees for any modifications. Jamaican ports are also currently closed to shipping and cruise ships, with several cruise lines like Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean already having cancelled stops at the island and rerouted ships to other ports in the Caribbean. How can stranded travellers in Jamaica stay safe? Despite Melissa moving on to other Caribbean islands, stormy weather is likely to continue throughout the next few days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Jamaican and international officials have issued multiple warnings to travellers to find somewhere safe or stay where they are until the hurricane passes completely, due to power lines being down and ongoing flooding. The Jamaican government also has a list of availablehurricane shelters for travellers worried about finding safe shelter. The UK Foreign Office has warned that it may take some time for airports to reopen and that travellers should be prepared for shortages of food, accommodation, water and health services after the hurricane has passed. The Jamaican government also advises holidaymakers on package tours to follow their tour operators advice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Travellers on the island are urged to continue to monitor local and international weather updates, including from the Meteorological Service for Jamaica and the US National Hurricane Centre, and follow the guidance of local authorities, especially in the event of any evacuation orders. Traveller advice for refunds and insurance claims Travellers whose flights or package holidays have been cancelled by the airline or tour operator should be able to receive a full refund. However, insurance providers are not responsible for covering other associated costs such as hotel stays due to this disruption. Holidaymakers who choose not to travel to Jamaica, even if the airline, tour operator or accommodation has not cancelled bookings, may not be eligible for reimbursement or compensation. This is because, without an official no-go warning from your government, this is considered disinclination to travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related Travellers can claim on their travel insurance for disruption, as long as they bought it before the storm was named. "Travel insurance is only designed to cover the unforeseen. Once a storm is named, you can no longer buy a policy that covers that storm. As of 21 October, it was too late to purchase travel insurance for Hurricane Melissa, because thats when it was officially named as a storm," explain travel experts at insurance comparison site Squaremouth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you purchased travel insurance before Melissa was named, itcan cover your financial losses if your trip is cancelled due to severe weather. Specifically, travel insurance reimburses all of your prepaid and non-refundable travel expenses, like flights, cruises, hotel accommodations, and event tickets. However, for coverage to apply, one of the following specific situations must occur: Your destination is uninhabitable due to a hurricane or damage from a storm Your destination is inaccessible due to a hurricane Your airline or cruise line has cancelled your trip because of a hurricane Theres a hurricane warning at your destination Theres a mandatory evacuation at your destination due to a storm Your home has been directly damaged by a hurricane Hurricane Melissa strongest storm on the planet this year Hurricane Melissa is the worst storm in the world so far in 2025, having already caused 19 deaths in Jamaica, another 30 in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has been dubbed the storm of the century, and experts believe that ongoing climate change has driven much of Melissa's rapid escalation, with the storm feeding on increasingly warmer ocean temperatures. Were seeing a direct connection in attribution science with the temperature in the water and a climate change connection," says Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist for Climate Central, a combination of scientists and journalists who study climate change. And when we see these storms go over this extremely warm water, it is more fuel for these storms to intensify rapidly and push to new levels." Jamaicas high mountains have likely exacerbated Melissas rains. As it is a slow-moving hurricane, there are also higher chances of more rainfall in concentrated areas, greatly increasing the chances of flooding. Balazs Orban, political director and adviser to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has said that Hungary seeks to unite with Czechia and Slovakia to form an anti-Ukraine alliance within the European Union. Source: Balazs Orban in a comment to Politico Quote: "Orban is hoping to team up with Andrej Babis, whose right-wing populist party won Czechia's recent parliamentary election, as well as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to align positions ahead of meetings of EU leaders, including holding pre-summit huddles." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Politico noted that the formation of a strong political alliance is still some way off, but if it materialises, it could significantly hinder the EU's efforts to provide financial and military support to Ukraine. "I think it will come and be more and more visible," Balazs Orban said when asked about the potential creation of a Ukraine-sceptical alliance that could begin acting as a bloc within the European Council. According to Orban's adviser, this would mark the revival of the so-called Visegrad Group, which included Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Poland, when a eurosceptic party was in power in Warsaw after 2015. At that time, the then Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki led the alliance, while the V4 group promoted strong external borders for the EU and opposed any mandatory redistribution of migrants among member states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Visegrad alliance fell apart after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Poland took a firm stance against Moscow while Hungary adopted the opposite position. The new Visegrad alliance would therefore consist of three, not four, members. Poland's current Prime Minister Donald Tusk is a supporter of Ukraine and is unlikely to join any alliance with Orban. However, both Fico and Babis have backed the Hungarian leader's position on Ukraine, calling for dialogue with Moscow rather than economic pressure. Babis has faced criticism for his public scepticism about continued European assistance to Kyiv and the Czech foreign minister has warned that Babis will act as Orban's "puppet" at the European Council table. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A Huron woman who built her career on helping others is accused of child abuse. Ashley Kingdon was pulled over in Minnehaha County earlier this month. Buying homes to make room for new school in SF She faces several charges, including child abuse, DWI and having meth and marijuana. Kingdon is a licensed nurse who has founded multiple businesses in Huron. Shes also received several awards for her work as an entrepreneur. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We checked state records and this is the first time shes faced felony charges. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. The U.S. Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the "Hurricane Hunters," encountered heavier than normal turbulence while flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday morning and were forced to turn back. The team was forced to return to its operating location in Curacao after experiencing "forces stronger than normal" that warranted a safety inspection before they could continue, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron wrote on social media. A similar situation arose on Monday, when a "Hurricane Hunters" flight "left the storm early" after experiencing severe turbulence on Monday as well, the National Hurricane Center said. U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Mark Withee - PHOTO: A U.S. Air Force Reserve crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the "Hurricane Hunters," flies through Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa live updates: 'Catastrophic' storm set to make landfall in Jamaica Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite being forced to return once on Monday, the Air Force shared jaw-dropping video as the "Hurricane Hunters" flew into the eye of the storm multiple times over the course of the day. Melissa has a "well-defined" 10 nautical mile wide eye, according to the NHC. U.S. Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, aka the "Hurricane Hunters," flew into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Monday to collect data for the National Hurricane Center. The storm hit Jamaica on Tuesday and is forecast to be the worst storm in the islands history. The storm had near-record-breaking winds of 185 mph as it roared ashore Tuesday on the western part of the island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa brought catastrophic winds, rain, flooding and storm surge. U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Mark Withee - PHOTO: A U.S. Air Force Reserve crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the "Hurricane Hunters," flies through Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 27, 2025. Melissa made a second landfall in eastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, and will move near or over the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos on Wednesday afternoon, according to the NHC. The hurricane could reach the vicinity of Bermuda on Thursday night. Hurricane Melissa appeared to have tied the all-time strongest landfall on record in the Atlantic Basin as it crashed ashore in Jamaica at Category 5 intensity. Melissa made landfall around 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday near New Hope, Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center. This landfall tied the following long-standing Atlantic Basin records for most intense landfall by both pressure and wind speed: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - Lowest pressure: The Labor Day 1935 Florida Keys hurricane (892 millibars) - Strongest sustained winds: Dorian 2019 and the Labor Day 1935 hurricane (185 mph) This landfall data is preliminary, and could change after a post-season review by scientists at the National Hurricane Center. They do this after every hurricane season, and release their findings in a final report for all tropical cyclones that develop that season. Data: NOAA/NHC How Rare Are Cat 5 Landfalls? Category 5 landfalls in the Atlantic Basin are rare (thankfully), but perhaps not as rare as you might think. Since 1924, 17 different Atlantic Basin hurricanes have made at least one Cat 5 landfall. 2017s Hurricane Irma made four separate Cat 5 landfalls from Barbuda to northern Cuba. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last time this happened was just over six years ago, when Hurricane Dorian reached its peak intensity as it slammed into Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on Sept. 1, 2019. Dorian then slowed to an agonizing crawl, dealing a catastrophic blow to the northwest Bahamas. Lowest Pressure The strongest hurricanes in Atlantic Basin history span from the Great Depression to present day. Improvements in technology, including satellites and Hurricane Hunter aircraft instruments, make it challenging to draw apples-to-apples comparisons of hurricanes in recent years with those in the 19th and early 20th century. There are two primary metrics to rank a hurricane's intensity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of these metrics is the lowest pressure measured at the surface. Basically, the lower the pressure the stronger the hurricane. Meteorologists speak of pressure in units called millibars, rather than inches, of mercury. An average pressure at sea level is about 1,013 millibars. Melissa tied for third strongest on record by pressure, with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, behind only 1988's Gilbert and 2005's Wilma. Only seven Atlantic hurricanes have had a surface pressure lower than 900 millibars. 1. Wilma (2005): 882 millibars 2. Gilbert (1988): 888 millibars 3 (tie). Melissa (2025): 892 millibars Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3 (tie). "Labor Day" Hurricane (1935): 892 millibars 5 (tie). Rita (2005): 895 millibars 5 (tie). Milton (2024): 895 millibars 7. Allen (1980): 899 millibars Melissa was also 3 millibars stronger (lower) than last October's Hurricane Milton when it reached peak strength over the Gulf well before landfall. Wilma set this record in October 2005 while over the western Caribbean Sea. Wilma's extreme intensity also set a record for the smallest documented eye size, only 2.3 miles wide. According to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, an average eye is 20 to 40 miles wide. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane was the only one of those that made landfall in the U.S. at peak intensity. It ransacked the Florida Keys with maximum sustained winds estimated at 185 mph and a storm surge reaching 20 feet. It remains America's strongest hurricane landfall on record. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its winds and surge caused 408 deaths, primarily among World War I veterans who were working on construction in the area. NOAA Highest Winds Another metric used to rank hurricanes is their peak sustained winds. In most cases today, these winds are measured by reconnaissance aircraft missions, since these top-end hurricanes most often happen either in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf, or southwest Atlantic Ocean within reach of these aircraft. Melissa currently is tied for second on this list with four other hurricanes. Only nine Atlantic Basin hurricanes have had peak sustained winds of 180 mph or higher. This list includes all the hurricanes in the lowest pressure list, plus several other notable storms. 1. Allen (1980): 190 mph Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2 (tie). Melissa (2025), "Labor Day" (1935), Gilbert (1988), Wilma (2005) and Dorian (2019): 185 mph 6 (tie). Mitch (1998), Rita (2005), Irma (2017) and Milton (2024): 180 mph (MORE: The History Of Category 5 Atlantic Hurricanes) While Allen holds the top spot, the most recent entries into this list before Melissa were Milton in 2024 and Dorian in 2019. World Records If we expand out from the Atlantic Basin, the global records for lowest pressure and winds are incredible. The lowest surface pressure measured in any tropical cyclone was 870 millibars in Super Typhoon Tip in 1979. That's 12 millibars lower (stronger) than 2005's Hurricane Wilma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tip was also the largest tropical cyclone on record, whose size would blanket much of the western U.S. The global sustained wind speed record happened more recently. Hurricane Patricia reached maximum sustained winds of 215 mph off the coast of southwest Mexico in October 2015. It was also just 2 millibars shy of tying Tip for the global low pressure record, bottoming out at 872 millibars. NOAA (locations labels added) Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Millions of people in Jamaica are bracing for Hurricane Melissa, a storm that officials say could be the worst in the islands history. Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane and one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic. Severe Weather Team 2 is monitoring the conditions and will have the latest developments on Channel 2 Action News. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Channel 2s Jorge Estevez spoke with a tourist from Atlanta who is riding out the storm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive been in Jamaica for the last six, seven, eight years in October, so it did catch me as a shock as soon as I got here. I was mental, like, listen, a hurricane is coming, a hurricane is coming, Donna Lee Gordon said Monday on WSB Tonight at 11. Channel 2s Jorge Estevez spoke with a tourist from Atlanta in Jamaica, as the island braces for the impact from Hurricane Melissa. Gordon is visiting the island and some family members who live there to celebrate her birthday. All major airports are now closed on the island with flights canceled. Do you feel safe in the hotel as your plan? Estevez asked Gordon. I do feel safe. The director for the hotel made us aware that if something, some type of breach might happen in our actual room, the stairwells are built with some type of concrete, Gordon said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They do have backup generators. They do have back up water that can last us up to at least three business days, she added. TRENDING STORIES Heavy equipment spent days racing to clear drainage ditches. Some areas could get up to 40 inches of rain. Video from the US Air Force Hurricane Hunters tracking Melissa shows the inside of the eyewall. One of the flights into the storm had to turn back after hitting severe turbulence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like so many Tuesday morning, Gordon is hoping for the best. What message do you have for everybody here back home in Georgia as this thing gets closer? Estevez asked. Hope for the best and pray that it doesnt damage the country as what it seems, she said. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa pummeled the Caribbean island as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa hit with 185 mph (295 kph) winds near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Floodwaters trapped at least three families in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica, and crews were unable to help them because of dangerous conditions, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council. Roofs were flying off, he said. We are hoping and praying that the situation will ease so that some attempt can be made to get to those persons. He noted that extensive damage was reported in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which he said is underwater. McKenzie stressed that it was too early to talk about the extent of the damage because the hurricane the strongest to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago was still pummeling the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rohan Brown, with Jamaicas Meteorological Service, warned that as Melissa moves off the coast, its counterclockwise rotation would bring a heavy storm surge to northern Jamaica through the night. The storm was maintaining Category 4 strength as it moved toward Cuba, where it was expected to cross the eastern part of the island overnight. Nearly 15,000 people were in shelters in Jamaica and some 540,000 customers, or 77%, were without power, officials said. Jamaican officials had warned against going outside during Hurricane Melissa, but curiosity got the better of a few Jamaican teens who had never experienced the wrath of a Category 5 system. When the wind howls, it feels as if the world is falling apart, 15-year-old Gavin Fuller said with a grin. I wanted to know what it feels like to stand in the eye of something so powerful." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser, said most families were sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. He was sheltering with his grandmother in Portmore, where everything went dark after a loud explosion. The noise is relentless, he said. People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes. Jamaica prepares for the aftermath of a record storm On Tuesday night, Melissa had top sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving northeast at 9 mph (15 kph) according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its 185 mph (295 kph) winds and 892 millibars of central pressure tied two records for the strongest Atlantic storm at landfall. The pressure the key measurement meteorologists use tied 1935s Labor Day hurricane in Florida. The wind speed tied the 1935 hurricane and 2019s Hurricane Dorian, said hurricane scientists Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University and Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami. Its been a remarkable, just a beast of a storm, Klotzbach told The Associated Press. With a life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) forecast, officials were concerned about hospitals along the coast. McKenzie said four main hospitals were damaged and one of those lost power, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients. One man called a radio station seeking urgent help for a woman in labor in western Jamaica as the hurricane neared landfall. The show's host pleaded with listeners to let him know the safest hospital before an obstetrician called in to provide detailed directions on how to deliver a baby, if necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kingston, officials warned people to watch out for crocodiles that might be displaced from their habitats by flooding. McKenzie said the government was prepared for rescues immediately after the storm passes through: We have boats, helicopters, you name it. The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Tuesday evening, officials huddled in meetings to determine how best to clear the debris after the storm and distribute emergency relief supplies to avoid bottlenecks at Jamaicas ports, said Richard Thompson, acting general director for Jamaicas emergency management office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials hope to reopen the islands airports by Thursday. U.N. agencies and dozens of nonprofits had food, medicine and other essential supplies positioned as they awaited a distribution rush after the storm. Melissa takes aim at Cuba Melissa was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain was forecast in areas, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. In a televised address to the nation Tuesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged the population to not underestimate the power of the storm, the strongest ever to hit national territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, people streamed into the home of 83-year-old Eduviges Figueroa at the foot of the Sierra Maestra mountains to seek shelter after fleeing their homes by bus, truck and even horse-drawn carts. Were helping as best we can, she said. Now Im cooking for everyone. People in Santiago de Cuba, the islands second-largest city with more than 1 million people, spent Tuesday frantically preparing. Few people were on the streets, while state television showed Cubans in rural areas rounding up animals and protecting crops. Diamon Mendoza, 36, did not hide her concern about the unavoidable storm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement May God have mercy on us, because its coming with a lot of strength, Mendoza said. Anything can happen. Authorities in eastern Holguin province prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people Tuesday and evacuated a similar number of people earlier from the town of Banes. Reports on social media and state television showed blue and white buses ferrying evacuees to shelter early Tuesday. Families clutched babies and belongings and elderly people steadied themselves with canes as they disembarked. ___ Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press journalists Geir Moulson in Berlin, Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Seth Borenstein in Washington and Ariel Fernandez in Santiago de Cuba contributed to this report. Editor's Note: Hurricane Melissa continues on its path. See the latest update for Wednesday, Oct. 29. Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 storm and is forecast to bring destructive winds and storm surge and "catastrophic flooding" to Jamaica through the day, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane center said in a 2 p.m. ET advisory on Oct. 27 Melissa was located about 145 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph with higher gusts. Jamaican officials have evacuated low-lying areas and opened hundreds of shelters in preparation of "life-threatening" storm conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the forecast track, the hurricane center said the core of Melissa is expected to move over Jamaica tonight and early Tuesday, Oct. 28, across southeastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Forecasters said some fluctuations in intensity are likely before Melissa makes landfall on Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28, however the storm is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an "extremely powerful major hurricane," according to the hurricane center, and will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas. "Preparations to protect life and property should be complete in Jamaica and rushed to completion in Cuba," forecasters said in the advisory. A resident stands at a flooded section of Port Royal in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. A man covers the windows of his home with corrugated iron ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a top-level Category 5 storm, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. After passing over Jamaica, the storm was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, while continuing to bring rain and heavy winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A man watches the waves crash into the walls at the Kingston Waterfront on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. A motorist drives along flooded Michael Manley Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa, already a major category 4 storm, gathered steam Sunday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. A coconut tree sways in the wind at the Kingston Waterfront on Ocean Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on Oct. 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa as of 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. People fill bags with sand in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Alfred Veitch places concrete blocks on top of his chicken coop, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. A person watches waves crash on the beach, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Fishermen move a boat to higher ground, in preparation of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Empty counters at the airport, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica on Oct. 25, 2025. People load sandbags onto a vehicle, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in the Harbour View neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica on Oct. 25, 2025. The National Hurricane Center reports Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane in the Caribbean on Oct. 25 and could soon rapidly intensify into a monstrous Category 4 or 5 storm, bringing perilous threats of rain, winds and storm surge to northern Caribbean islands. A drone view shows a vehicle driving along a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. People transit on a motorcycle through a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. People look on at the entrance to their homes on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. A woman is standing on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. A drone view shows water rushing through a spillway at the Sabaneta Dam as water levels are elevated due to Tropical Storm Melissa, in Sabaneta, Dominican Republic October 23, 2025. People walk through a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. A woman walks along a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. A drone view shows a flooded area amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. Gas pumps are wrapped in plastic at a Texaco station as part of storm preparations, ahead of Tropical Storm Melissa, which is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the area, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 25, 2025. Workers board up a business ahead of the potential impact of Tropical Storm Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 24, 2025. Hurricane Melissa slams the Caribbean. See the floods and impact on residents in photos 1 of 23 A resident stands at a flooded section of Port Royal in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. Hurricane Melissa updates: Hurricane strengthens to a Category 5 storm, heads for Jamaica Hurricane Melissa path tracker This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Hurricane Melissa spaghetti models Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts. 'Catastrophic' flash flooding, storm surge forecast in Jamaica, Cuba A hurricane warning is currently in effect for Jamaica and the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin, while a hurricane watch is in effect for southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hurricane center said Melissa is forecast to bring rainfall totals between 15 and 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall totals of 8 to 16 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday, Oct. 29. Forecasters said "catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides" are likely. For eastern Cuba, rainfall totals between 10 to 15 inches, with local amounts closer to 20 inches, are expected Monday, Oct. 27 through Wednesday, Oct. 29, resulting in "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides," the hurricane center said. Additionally, forecasters said a life-threatening storm surge is likely along the southern coast of Jamaica Monday night into Tuesday, Oct. 28, with peak storm surge heights potentially reaching 9 to 13 feet above ground level. The storm surge will be accompanied by "large and destructive waves," according to the NHC. There is also potential for significant storm surge along the southeastern coast of Cuba late Tuesday into Wednesday, Oct. 29, with peak storm surge heights potentially reaching 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels. How do hurricanes form? Hurricanes are born in the tropics, above warm water. Clusters of thunderstorms can develop over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees. If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm once its sustained wind speeds reach 39 mph. When its winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. This story has been updated to add new information. Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Melissa tracker shows projected path of Category 5 storm The powerful Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica and became the strongest storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, bringing damaging winds, catastrophic flash flooding and landslides across Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Haiti, Cuba and the Turks and Caicos Islands also felt the storm's impacts. Recovery and relief efforts remain ongoing in Jamaican communities. The Category 5 storm killed at least 50 people, destroyed homes and knocked out power. Jamaica's airports, including Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, closed ahead of Melissa's landfall. American Airlines resumed service out of Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on Thursday, Oct. 30, and Sangster Airport plans to reopen for commercial service on Saturday, Nov. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American stated it operated relief flights from Miami International Airport carrying relief workers and supplies such as water, canned food and batteries. Airlines are offering travel waivers for passengers whose plans will be disrupted by the storm. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport does not have nonstop service to Jamaica, but American Airlines and Southwest Airlines offer connections. American connects to Jamaica's three major airports in Miami, while Montego Bay travelers also have options to connect in Dallas or Charlotte. Southwest flies to Montego Bay with connections in Baltimore or Orlando. How many flights in Jamaica were canceled due to Hurricane Melissa? Flight tracking website FlightAware showed most flights at Montego Bay and Kingston's airports were canceled on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Montego Bay led the world in the number of canceled flights on all three days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's how many flights were impacted: Monday, Oct. 27 Sangster Airport in Montego Bay: 72 cancellations, including 58 flights to or from the U.S. Norman Manley Airport in Kingston: 35 cancellations, including 20 flights to or from the U.S. Tuesday, Oct. 28 Sangster Airport in Montego Bay: 64 cancellations, including 52 flights to or from the U.S. Norman Manley Airport in Kingston: 30 cancellations, including 19 flights to or from the U.S. Two flights were delayed. Wednesday, Oct. 29 Sangster Airport in Montego Bay: 58 cancellations, including 50 flights to or from the U.S. Norman Manley Airport in Kingston: 33 cancellations, including 15 flights to or from the U.S. Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel: 2 cancellations, both flights to or from the U.S. How can travelers rebook? Major airlines that serve Jamaica, including the two responsible for about 70% of Sky Harbor's flight capacity, will rebook travelers whose flights are affected by the hurricane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American Airlines is waiving change fees and fare differences for travelers with itineraries to or from Montego Bay and Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, near Ocho Rios, who were scheduled to travel between Oct. 25-Nov. 5. Travelers can rebook their flights for travel from now to Nov. 9, but flights must be booked by Wednesday, Nov. 5. Travelers can maintain the originally booked city pairs or rebook to travel out of Kingston. American passengers flying to or from six other Caribbean airports, including Kingston, who were scheduled to travel between Oct. 25-Nov. 1 can rebook their flights for travel from now to Nov. 4. Flights must be booked by Saturday, Nov. 1 and must maintain the originally booked city pairs and cabin of service. American is also capping fares for all direct flights departing from airports affected by Melissa. Southwest Airlines will waive fare differences for travelers booked for Montego Bay flights from Oct. 25-Nov. 8 and Providenciales flights from Oct. 28-Nov. 1 and can rebook for travel within 14 days of their original travel dates without paying the fare difference, as long as they maintain the original city pairs. Travelers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed have the option to receive a refund if they choose not to travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Good news: Sky Harbor was just named among the best airports again. Here's why Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist whos covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republics consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hurricane Melissa impacted hundreds of flights. How to rebook President Donald Trumps military campaign against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean may soon clash with U.S. humanitarian efforts as Hurricane Melissa rips across Jamaica as one of the most powerful storms on record, according to a report. Eight warships carrying about 6,000 troops and several dozen aircraft are currently assembled in the region as the Trump administration targets alleged drug smuggling boats with strikes that have killed over 50 people since early September. Many of the personnel aboard these warships, however, are also trained to respond to natural disasters, and could easily provide assistance as the hurricane is set to be the most powerful storm on record, The Washington Post reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 5 storm, made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday in what forecasters are warning will become an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. The hurricane has unleashed destructive 185 mph winds and is expected to batter the Caribbean country with up to 30 inches of rain. While the U.S. has historically provided support to countries in the Caribbean after natural disasters, the Trump administration has slashed billions of dollars in foreign aid and completely dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) since taking office in January. Potential U.S. response to Hurricane Melissa may collide with President Trumps alleged drug trafficking boat busts in the Caribbean, according to a report (AP) It remains to be seen if, or how, the U.S. will step in to help Jamaica amidst the devastating storm. The presidents previous responses to hurricanes, specifically Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017, have drawn criticism. While Trump lauded the U.S. response as a success, those close with the president said he had dragged his feet and was reluctant to help Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. A State Department official speaking anonymously to the Post said the agency has readied emergency relief supplies in six warehouses to be distributed to people affected by the storm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The official said that a decision to deploy additional capability will not be made until a need is identified. According to the source, the U.S. is capable of providing lifesaving assistance to affected countries and people across the country when it is in the interest of the United States. The U.S. is also capable of helping Jamaica while continuing its alleged counternarcotics mission off the coast of Venezuela, retired Navy officer Bryan Clark told the outlet. The question will be: Does the administration take advantage of that, or does it use this as a statement regarding its priorities? he said. If it chooses to keep the naval force focused on Venezuela rather than disaster response, it would certainly show how the administration wants to exercise its defense priorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Col. Emanuel Ortiz, a military spokesperson, said the U.S. troops are well prepared to respond to a range of conditions and scenarios and were prepared to handle the storm. Several vessels in the region are specialized with crisis response capabilities, while others are capable of launching helicopters that could airlift supplies or perform air rescue missions. Similar marine units assisted after hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, after Hurricane Dorian in 2019, after a 2021 earthquake in Haiti and after Typhoon Krathron in the Philippines last year. The Marine Corps stands ready if called upon to support, said Lt. Col. Joshua Benson, a service spokesman, in a statement. We are manned, trained, and equipped to conduct a wide variety of missions, even on short notice. Hurricane Melissa barreled down on Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, the worst to ever hit the island nation. The storm, projected by The Weather Channel to be the first Category 5 landfall since 2019 in the Atlantic, struck Jamaica with wind gusts of 160 to 180 mph, according to an AccuWeather alert viewed by Travel + Leisure. The storm was expected to bring with it "catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge, and torrential rainfall." Before Melissa, Jamaica had never taken a direct hit from a Category 4 or a Category 5 hurricane. The intense storm surge, extreme rain, and destructive winds can damage critical infrastructure across Jamaica. A catastrophic storm surge up to 18 feet is possible, just east of where the storm makes landfall, Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather's chief meteorologist, said in a statement viewed by T+L. Especially in the areas where the core of the destructive winds travel, from south to north across the island, some communities may be unrecognizable given the level of catastrophic damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of 11:30 a.m. ET, more than 35 percent of customers on the island had already experienced power outages, according to the Jamaica Public Service Company. The catastrophic storm was also affecting travelers to the island with about 25,000 tourists still remaining in the country, The New York Times noted, citing Jamaicas minister of education. She told the paper officials were coordinating with hotels to ensure their safety. Tourism plays a strong part in Jamaicas economy, earning the nation $4.3 billion in 2024, according to Jamaica Information Service. By Monday, several cruise lines announced they would avoid Jamaica altogether, including Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean, USA Today reported. These ships would plan to navigate further west to ports in Central America and along Mexicos Caribbean coast, including Costa Maya and Cozumel, or extend time in the Bahamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Passengers scheduled to sail on upcoming cruises were advised to check with their individual cruise lines for itinerary updates. Flights were also affected to and from the island. Jamaicas three international airportsNorman Manley International Airport (KIN) near the capital city of Kingston, Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ) near Ocho Rios, and Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Baywere forced to close, according to the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica. As a result, major airlines instituted flight waivers, allowing travelers to change their flights without incurring any additional fees. These included Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, and Southwest. After landfall in Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa was forecast to move into eastern Cuba before heading toward the southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos on Wednesday, according to The Weather Channel. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure This article was updated to add more organizations to the list and to share that Hurricane Melissa made landfall. Hurricane Melissa made landfall along the southwestern coast of Jamaica on Tuesday with dangerous wind speeds of 185 mph and life-threatening storm surge Torrential downpours that could produce 15 to 30 inches of rain, with up to 40 inches possible in isolated areas, are expected to contribute to deadly landslides in the island's mountainous terrain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. "Catastrophic" winds, flash flooding and storm surge is already hitting the island, the center said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane Melissa's landfall is one of the most powerful in Atlantic Basin recorded history, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm will move across southeastern Cuba on Wednesday morning and then across the southeastern Bahamas later that day into the Atlantic Ocean. At least seven deaths in the Caribbean had been blamed on the hurricane as of Oct. 27, according to USA TODAY. Here's what to know and how you can help those impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Has Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica? Where is Hurricane Melissa? Yes, Hurricane Melissa slammed into the coast near New Hope at about 1 p.m. ET Tuesday. Significant impacts to Florida and the U.S. East Coast are not expected at this time. How to provide Hurricane Melissa aid and donations Several organizations are already prepped and mobilized to assist immediately after Hurricane Melissa. Many people looking to donate often think of common hurricane-preparation items when offering support, but money is the absolute best donation. Here are some organizations, charities to donate to: American Friends of Jamaica: The organization's Disaster Relief Fund provides critical support to communities across Jamaica affected by natural or humanitarian disasters. You can donate to Hurricane Melissa relief here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Red Cross: Red Cross officials shared their chapters on the islands, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is fully operational, working together to respond across the potentially affected countries. You can donate to disaster relief here. Catholic Relief Services: Officials said they have a team of 100 staff in Haiti and local partners in Jamaica and the region. Its emergency teams are securing offices and warehouses, preparing prepositioned shelter and clean water supplies, and helping people secure their businesses, homes and fields. You can donate here. Direct Relief: Officials shared they have committed an initial $250,000 in financial support and offered up its entire medical inventory to health providers in the Caribbean in response to Hurricane Melissa. You can donate here. GlobalGiving: Officials are seeking to meet urgent needs for search-and-rescue assistance, medical care, food, clean water, and temporary shelter. You can donate here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International Medical Corps: In an email, the organization said it is responding in Jamaica, working closely with local authorities to coordinate relief efforts and deliver critical supplies and support. They have prepositioned medical, wound-care, hygiene and food supplies, and have an emergency response team ready to deploy as soon as conditions permit. You can donate to Hurricane Melissa relief here. Project HOPE: Officials said they are mobilizing an emergency response team to deploy while monitoring needs across the region. You can donate to Hurricane Melissa relief here. Salvation Army: Personnel in the Jamaica East Division were out ahead of the Melissa, urging residents to take action to protect their families. You can donate to help with disaster relief here. Send Relief: In an email, they confirmed they are coordinating with regional partners to deliver emergency supplies and support long-term recovery as soon as conditions allow. You can donate to Hurricane Melissa relief here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement World Central Kitchen (WCK): World Central Kitchen works around the globe to help provide fresh meals to communities in need. By partnering with on-the-ground organizations and activating a network of food trucks or emergency kitchens, WCK quickly and effectively provides freshly made, nutritious meals to communities impacted by disasters. Donate or sponsor a meal here. What is the best way to help those impacted by Hurricane Melissa? The most effective way to help victims is through cash donations, as that's the quickest way to get assistance to those in need. It immediately grants on-the-ground charities the flexibility to purchase the supplies they need. While there is often an urge to send water, blankets, food and other items, charity organizations aren't ready to handle the logistics of organizing, sorting, storing and distributing physical goods. Donating money to trusted charities means it goes to what's needed right now, in the places that need it most. Charities also often receive bulk discounts and, if possible, purchase items in the disaster area to support local economic recovery. There might be a time when items are needed, but in the early days, it's money. How can I ensure Jamaican residents receive my donation? Hurricanes are destructive enough on their own, but unfortunately, some people still try to take advantage of a bad situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's important to know where to send hurricane donations, which can help establish safe shelters, provide supplies to hurricane victims, and offer impacted communities a little hope and comfort. To help avoid scams, the Federal Trade Commission offers these tips: Do some research online: Look into the charities and organizations you want to support, search their name plus complaint, review, rating, or scam. Be careful how you pay: If someone wants donations in cash, by gift card, or by wiring money, dont do it. Thats how scammers ask you to pay. Instead, pay by credit card or check. Keep scammers tricks in mind: Dont let anyone rush you into donating. Some scammers use names that sound very similar to those of real charities, so make sure to vet the organization. Scammers make many vague, sentimental claims but offer no specifics about how your donation will be used. I want to help in person. Is it recommended I go to hurricane-impacted areas to help? Unless officially requested, it is typically not recommended to visit areas affected by storms. Typically, disaster response teams and trusted organizations handle that, and random volunteers, while appreciated in theory, do not have the safety or medical training to help with disaster recovery and might take up resources needed by locals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There will be local health professionals, Red Cross volunteers and first responders heading to the area. Check with them to see how you can help Contributing: C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK Florida This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hurricane Melissa headed to Jamaica. Where to send aid and donations All products featured on Conde Nast Traveler are independently selected by Conde Nast Traveler editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Conde Nast may earn an affiliate commission. Getty Images Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, as the historic storm slammed into the islands western coast. The first-ever Category 5 hurricane to hit Jamaica, Melissa made landfall near New Hope on Tuesday afternoon, bringing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. Jamaicas capital of Kingston was spared the worst of the storms impact, but areas on the western side of the island saw total devastation, according to Daryl Vaz, the Jamaican Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Western Jamaica is now experiencing a complete communications blackout. With sweeping power outages and phone and internet lines down, officials are still unable to fully assess the damage. Early reports, however, show intense flooding with cars and houses completely submerged. Residents and tourists may be stranded for quite some time in the hardest hit areas, AccuWeathers lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said in an emailed statement. The storm weakened into a Category 3 hurricane as it made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday, reaching maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, according to AccuWeather. Storm surges in Cuba could reach up to 10 to 15 feet, with the island receiving 2 to 3 feet of rain. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides can happen in a matter of minutes with this much rain, especially near steep terrain," DaSilva said. The storm is predicted to weaken to a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches The Bahamas, but it will still be a destructive storm as it passes through, according to DaSilva. Bahamian islands closest to the eye of the storm could see wind gusts up to 120 mph. Current projections of the hurricanes path show it continuing on toward Bermuda, where tropical-storm-force winds could reach 60 to 80 mph on Thursday or Friday, before possibly affecting Canadas Atlantic coast later in the week. Heres what travelers need to know about the storms impact, including how to help those affected by the hurricane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a breaking news story. It will be updated with more information as it becomes available. Jump to: Airport closures and flight waivers How is Hurricane Melissa impacting Caribbean cruises? How are hotels in the Caribbean reacting to Hurricane Melissa? How to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa Airport closures and flight waivers Jamaicas airports were closed as the storm made landfall on Tuesday, and experts say that they aren't likely to reopen anytime soon. The islands airports, along with other key facilities like water treatment plants, power plants, shipping ports, and more are all at risk of extensive damage or destruction in the hardest hit areas, Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather's chief meteorologist, said in an emailed statement. Especially in the areas where the core of the destructive winds travel, from south to north across the island, some communities may be unrecognizable given the level of catastrophic damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flight cancellations swept through the region on Wednesday, with Jamaica's Montego Bay (MBJ), having the most cancelled flights. According to FlightAware data, 90% of flights were nixed at MBJ. Closely following was Providenciales (PLS) in Turks and Caicos, where 63% of flights were canceled and Kingston, Jamaica, which cancelled 71% of its flights. Airlines are issuing travel waivers for flights to the Caribbean, allowing passengers to change their itineraries for free. Remember that if an airline cancels your flight, your ticket is eligible for a full cash refund. Heres a look at how some major US airlines are reacting: American Airlines American is allowing passengers traveling through the Caribbean between October 25 and November 1 to rebook their flights to or from airports affected by the storm with no change fee. All changes must be booked by November 1, and travel must take place within one year of the original ticket date. Travelers must rebook in the same cabin and city pairs as their original ticket. The affected airports are: Boscobel, Jamaica (OCJ); George Town, Bahamas (GGT); Holguin, Cuba (HOG); Kingston, Jamaica (KIN); Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ); Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (PLS); Santiago de Cuba, Cuba (SCU); and South Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands (XSC). Delta Air Lines Travelers scheduled to fly with Delta to, from, or through one of the following airports between October 25 and 30 can rebook their tickets in the same cabin class for travel by November 2, and Delta will waive any difference in fare. The affected airports are: Kingston, Jamaica (KIN); Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ); and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (PLS). United Airlines According to Uniteds Hurricane Melissa policy, passengers traveling to or from affected airports between October 25 and 31 can reschedule their trip with no change fees or fare differences. Rebooked flights must depart between October 23, 2025 and November 7, 2025, between the original cities, and new tickets must be in the same fare class. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The affected airports are: Grand Cayman (GCM); Montego Bay (MBJ); Nassau (NAS); and Providenciales (PLS). The carrier is also allowing travelers with flights to Bermuda between October 3 and November 2 to reschedule without paying change fees or fare differences. New flights must depart between October 28, 2025 and November 9, 2025. Southwest Airlines Fliers heading to or from Montego Bay, Jamaica with Southwest between October 25 and 30 can reschedule their flights without paying a change in airfare. Travel must occur within 14 days of the original airfare, be between the same cities, and in the same cabin class. JetBlue Travelers flying with JetBlue to or from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS), from October 28 through October 30 can cancel or rebook their flights without paying change fees or differences in fares. New travel must occur by November 5, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement JetBlue passengers flying to or from Kingston, Jamaica (KIN), and Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), from October 25 to October 31 can cancel or rebook their flights with no change fees or fare differences. New travel must occur by November 8, 2025. How is Hurricane Melissa impacting Caribbean cruises? Major cruise lines are changing Caribbean itineraries to avoid the hurricanes impact, including nixing visits to ports that are affected by the storm. Carnival Cruise Line made changes to five ships voyages in the region due to Hurricane Melissa, according to the lines website: Carnival Celebration: The ship's visits to Grand Turk on Oct. 28 and Amber Cove on Oct. 29 have been cancelled, and we have secured a call to Cozumel, Mexico. Carnival Dream: The ship's visit to Montego Bay on Oct. 29 has been cancelled. Carnival Liberty: The ship's visits to Montego Bay on Oct. 29 and Grand Cayman on Oct. 30 have been replaced with calls to Mahogany Bay (Honduras) and Belize. Carnival Sunrise: The ship's visit to Grand Turk on Oct. 30 has been replaced with a stop in Nassau. Carnival Vista: The ship's visit to Amber Cove on Oct. 30 has been replaced with a stop in Nassau. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Royal Caribbean Group made changes to two Caribbean itineraries, per industry site Cruise Critic. Icon of the Seas repositioned its October 25 to November 1 Eastern Caribbean sailing to the Western Caribbean, switching out calls at St. Thomas and St. Maarten for visits to Roatan and Cozumel. Celebritys Beyond ship also changed course, replacing visits to Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts for calls to Costa Maya, Belize, and Roatan. How are hotels in the Caribbean reacting to Hurricane Melissa? Resorts and hotels across Jamaica helped travelers shelter in place on Tuesday afternoon. Hyatts Inclusive Collection, which includes brands like Dreams Resorts and Secret Resorts, placed all of its properties in the storm path under shelter-in-place orders. All staff and guests are safe following Hurricane Melissa and remain sheltering in place until facilities are fully assessed, Hyatt said in a statement on Tuesday night. A full evaluation of property damage will be conducted once conditions permit. According to Hyatt Inclusive Collections storm policy, guests who are unable to arrive at their hotel due to airport closures and flights cancellations related to the storm will have no show and cancellation fees waived. Affected travelers will be able to take the first available flights after the storm and stay the same number of nights as originally booked, or receive a refund for the unused portion of their reservation. Guests can also choose to reschedule their stay through the end of 2025 for the same rates, based on availability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sister brand resorts Beaches and Sandals, which together operate 20 resorts across 10 islands in the Caribbean, including Jamaica and The Bahamas, are also assisting customers with rebooking and staying safe in the region. Following Hurricane Melissa's landfall in Jamaica yesterday, we are grateful to share that all guests and team members staying at our resorts are safe, a statement from Beaches and Sandals resorts said. Today, we continue to connect with team members across Jamaica and have begun comprehensive assessments of all resorts. We remain committed to keeping our guests, partners, and stakeholders informed and will provide updates as more information becomes available. Beaches and Sandals are proactively contacting travelers who have hotel reservations scheduled over the next two weeks. Our customer service team is reviewing upcoming travel arrangements and offering flexible options to help guests who may need to reschedule their vacation plans," the company said. Guests can also contact 1-800-SANDALS for assistance. The storm is expected to affect the Central and Southeastern Bahamas, per The Bahamas Department of Meteorology. For now, most hotels remain open. The Northern Bahamasincluding Nassau and Freeportare currently operating normally, Visit Bahamas said in a statement. Travelers are encouraged to stay updated on official advisories. How to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa Travelers wanting to assist those in need after the hurricane can consider donating to the following organizations providing on-the-ground assistance in the Caribbean: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement World Central Kitchen has already mobilized in Jamaica to serve meals to families impacted by Hurricane Melissa. United Way of Jamaica is teaming up with partners across Jamaica and the Caribbean to provide food, water, and shelter for those impacted by Hurricane Melissa. American Friends of Jamaica announced a $1 Million Matching Fund to support critical relief and recovery efforts in Jamaica following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa. CORE, a global humanitarian organization, is mobilizing resources and activating deep-rooted networks across the region to meet urgent needs in the storms aftermath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Direct Relief is responding to healthcare needs in Jamaica and the region and has shipped medical aid this week, and has caches of medicines pre-positioned throughout the region. Originally Appeared on Conde Nast Traveler (NEXSTAR) Hurricane Melissa has become one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, reaching the rare strength of Category 5 on Monday. The extremely dangerous storm has its sights on Jamaica as of Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said. As of 1 p.m. ET, the NHC said Melissa had made landfall in New Hope, Jamaica, with 185 mph winds. Why do people fill their bathtubs with water before a hurricane? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The NHC said Melissa is moving at about 9 mph toward the north-northeast as of early Tuesday afternoon. Its slow speed it expected to keep it over Jamaica through the day before Melissa moves toward southeastern Cuba Wednesday morning. Cant remember a storm moving this slowly for this long, Rebecca Barry, a meteorologist at Nexstars WFLA, remarked Tuesday during a broadcast of Tracking the Tropics. Winds are so strong, according to Barry, that its like a tornado, but its lasting for over a day because its moving so slowly. Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Massive wind damage is expected in Melissas core and Jamaicas highest mountains could see gusts of up to 200 mph, said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its going to be a very dangerous scenario, he said, warning that there would be total building failures. Evacuation not an option for 3 Virginia couples in Jamaica Melissa is the fifth most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record by pressure and the strongest to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, according to hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry. With as close as Jamaica and Cuba are to the U.S. Havana, Cuba, is just over 100 miles away from Key West, Florida its difficult not to wonder whether Melissa will impact the U.S. Thankfully, current forecasting suggests that isnt the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest experimental cone from the NHC shows Melissa is expected to move through Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas, then travel northward through the Atlantic without reaching the East Coast. The forecasted track for Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28, 2025, as a Category 5 storm. (National Hurricane Center) Its the poor weather those along the East Coast are experiencing Tuesday thats helping to keep Melissa away, according to Wes Hohenstein, the chief meteorologist for Nexstars WNCN. The region is reporting cool temperatures with breezy conditions and rain in some areas. A lot of us are complaining on the East Coast today because weve got horrible weather, but its that horrible weather, jet stream dip thats keeping the system away from the United States, Hohenstein explained during Tracking the Tropics. Only one storm, Chantal, has reached the U.S. this Atlantic hurricane season. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tropical storm brought severe weather to South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Virginia after making landfall in early July. Others in the northeast also saw the impacts of Chantal. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm and is now making its way through the Caribbean to Cuba. Before the storm made landfall a United Nations agency said it would be the storm of the century. Extensive damage has already been reported in some southwestern areas of Jamaica. Even as the storm made landfall in Jamaica, it was responsible for seven deaths across the Caribbean: three in Haiti, one in the Dominican Republic and three in Jamaica during storm preparations, per CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After making landfall in Jamaica, Melissa weakened to a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph. But according to The New York Times, this doesnt change conditions much; the storm is still catastrophically strong as it continues to make its way through the Caribbean. Even though it is making its way off the island, Jamaica will still see dangerous conditions with heavy rain and strong winds for several hours. As the storm makes its way off the island, Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica declared the country a disaster area, going into effect on Tuesday, per The New York Times. Jamaicas government also renewed a trade order to prevent price gouging following the emergency in an effort to prevent exploitation as citizens are securing food, water and other supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, zero deaths have been reported since Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica. So far, we have not had confirmed reports of any deaths, but again, its too soon to say that there are not any deaths, Holness said during a Tuesday news conference, per NBC News. Extensive damage reported in Jamaica As the storm continues to travel across Jamaica, extensive damage is being reported across the southwestern portion of the country, including the parish of St. Elizabeth. Officials reported that homes, schools and hospitals have been affected by Hurricane Melissa. There is extensive, extensive damage in the southwestern areas, in St. Elizabeth, major damage in St. Elizabeth, a lot of flooding, extensive wind damage to schools, hospitals out there, homes, Richard Thompson, Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parishs primary hospital, Black River Hospital, has also been hit but the magnitude of the damage is unclear. In the neighboring parish of Manchester, the fire brigade is carrying out emergency rescue operations. According to The New York Times, there are roads blocked by flooding and debris in almost every Jamaican parish and Desmond McKenzie, the minister coordinating Jamaicas disaster response, said the parish of St. Elizabeth is under water. In the areas that have been impacted, at least two or three hospitals have been severely damaged, Holness said in a news conference on Tuesday, according to NBC News. We have seen landslides and rivers retaking their original courses and destroying property along their banks. And of course, the loss of roofs off housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials have reported that around 15,000 Jamaicans are in shelters. There are also around 530,000 people on the island without power. McKenzie also told The New York Times that it is not yet possible to assess the damage from the storm. Where will Hurricane Melissa go after Jamaica? After hitting Jamaica on Tuesday, the storm is expected to continue northeast through the Atlantic. It is also expected to start weakening after it makes landfall in Jamaica. According to CNN, Hurricane Melissa is predicted to make landfall in southeastern Cuba overnight as either a Category 4 or high-end Category 3 storm. Cuba has already started to see heavy rain with tropical storm-force winds reaching some coastal areas. Hurricane-force winds are expected to arrive later on Tuesday and continue into the night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated in Cuba as the country prepares for the storm to make landfall there. In the province of Santiago de Cuba, around 168,900 people have been evacuated and four other provinces are also under hurricane warning, per CNN. On Wednesday the hurricane will move through the central and southeastern Bahamas. By then it will likely be a Category 3 or high-end Category 2 hurricane. By Wednesday evening Melissa is set to start picking up forward speed and will begin to race northeastward. It will likely pass near Bermuda on Thursday. Just how strong is Hurricane Melissa? A man watches the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa closes in, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. | Matias Delacroix Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall as the worst storm to hit Jamaica since storms like this have been recorded. The island country has never been hit by a Category 5 hurricane before, according to CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a news conference on Tuesday, tropical cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan with the World Meteorological Organization said, For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure. Its a catastrophic situation expected in Jamaica, she added, per CNN. The storm is so powerful it is predicted to reshape Jamaica for years to come. At 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Hurricane Melissa had sustained winds of 185 mph and the pressure at its center was 892 mb, according to the National Hurricane Center. The 185 mph winds make Melissa the second strongest storm in Atlantic history in terms of wind speed, behind only Hurricane Allen in 1980, which had wind speeds of 190 mph. It is tied with four other storms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, Hurricane Melissa is the fifth strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, per The New York Times. Before the storm made landfall in Jamaica, it was stronger than Hurricane Katrina was at its peak in 2005. Warnings given to the people of Jamaica before the storm hit People take shelter in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa's forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. | Matias Delacroix The International Federation of the Red Cross expected up to 1.5 million people in Jamaica to be directly impacted by the storm, which is more than half the countrys population. Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave, said Desmond McKenzie, the minister coordinating Jamaicas disaster response, per The New York Times. Dont bet against Melissa. It is a bet we cant win. McKenzie urged people in places affected by mandatory evacuation orders to go to shelters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is still a small window of opportunity, he said. Let us see if we can use it wisely. The U.S. National Weather Service has made similar warnings to those in the hurricanes path, saying that this was the last chance to protect your life, per The New York Times. The winds within Hurricane Melissas eyewall are strong enough to cause total structural failure and widespread power and communication outages, the National Hurricane Center said on Monday. Jamaica depends on tourism for around one-third of its annual revenue and the small country has limited resources to prepare for a devastating storm. Officials say the countrys infrastructure is not prepared for a storm of this magnitude. What does it mean for a hurricane to make landfall? This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Melissa, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. | NOAA via Associated Press Landfall officially occurs when the center of a hurricane, specifically the center of the eye of the storm, reaches the shore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The eyewall, which encircles the eye and packs the storms strongest winds, will reach land first. And while thats a significant and potentially dangerous moment, its not officially landfall, per The New York Times. Jamaican officials warn of displaced crocodiles Jamaicas South East Regional Health Authority issued a warning to residents to be aware of displaced crocodiles seeking drier ground because of flooding from Hurricane Melissa, per NBC News. Residents have been told to exercise extreme caution since heavy rain and floods can often displace crocodiles as the animals search for high ground if their environments are flooded. The agency serves the parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomas. KINGSTON, Jamaica Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa came ashore as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairperson of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council, urged people to seek shelter and stay indoors as the storm crosses the island. Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of devastating damage from the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa came ashore near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow. The storm is expected to slice diagonally across the island and head toward Cuba, where the first intermittent rains were falling. Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. He was sheltering with his grandmother in Portmore, where everything went dark earlier in the morning after a loud explosion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The noise is relentless, he said. People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes. Massive wind damage is expected in Melissas core, and Jamaicas highest mountains could see gusts of up to 200 mph, said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center. Its going to be a very dangerous scenario, he said, warning that there would be total building failures. Storm ties 2 records Hurricane Melissas 185-mph winds and 892 millibars of central pressure tied two records for the strongest Atlantic storm on landfall. The pressure the key measurement meteorologists use ties 1935s Labor Day hurricane in Florida. The wind speed ties the 1935 hurricane and 2019s Hurricane Dorian, said hurricane scientists Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University and Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been a remarkable just a beast of a storm, Klotzbach told The Associated Press. On Tuesday afternoon, Melissa had top sustained winds of 160 mph and was moving north-northeast at 8 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was centered about 15 miles south of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and about 220 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place. One man called a local radio station saying he urgently needed to help a woman in western Jamaica who had gone into labor as the storm neared landfall. The shows host pleaded with listeners to let the man know the safest hospital before an obstetrician called in to provide detailed directions on how to deliver a baby, if necessary. Jamaica prepares for the aftermath McKenzie said the government was prepared for rescues immediately after the storm passes through: We have boats, helicopters, you name it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. More than 240,000 customers were without power before landfall, and about one-fourth of the telecommunications system was offline, said Darryl Vaz, transport and energy minister. He said crews will clean and run tests at the islands two main international airports Wednesday in hopes of receiving emergency relief flights as early as Thursday. U.N. agencies and dozens of nonprofits had food, medicine and other essential supplies positioned as they awaited a distribution rush after the storm. Matthew Samuda, Jamaicas water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every drop will count, he said. Melissa takes aim at Cuba Melissa was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast in areas, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. People in Santiago de Cuba, the islands second-largest city with more than 1 million inhabitants, spent Tuesday frantically preparing for Melissa. Few people were on the streets, while state television showed Cubans in rural areas rounding up animals and protecting crops. Diamon Mendoza, 36, did not hide her concern about the unavoidable storm. May God have mercy on us, because its coming with a lot of strength, Mendoza said. Anything can happen. Authorities in eastern Holguin province prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people Tuesday and evacuated a similar number of people earlier from the town of Banes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reports on social media and state television showed blue and white buses ferrying evacuees to shelter early Tuesday. Families clutched babies and belongings, and older adults steadied themselves with canes as they disembarked. Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti. The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening. By JOHN MYERS JR. and DANICA COTO, Associated Press Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin, Andrea Rodriguez in Havana and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report. Physicians hold one of the most essential and sacred trusts in every society: the care of human life. Yet across many developed nations, this trust is undermined by a growing culture of suspicion, litigation, sensationalism, and retaliation. When unethical malpractice lawyers hunt for profit, unfair regulators overreach with bureaucratic zeal, unprofessional journalists publish half-truths for headlines, or disgruntled patients weaponize complaints, the damage goes far beyond the doctors reputation. The needless damage reverberates through the entire health care system. When physicians are unfairly accused, morale across the profession collapses. Clinicians begin to fear and defend rather than focus and care. Instead of devoting their best energy to diagnosis, teaching, and innovation, they work defensively, ordering redundant tests, avoiding complex patients, and withdrawing from high-risk but necessary fields like obstetrics and pain medicine. This causes the health system to lose its best people to burnout, early retirement, or emigration. The result is fewer doctors, less courage, less compassion, and less access to care for everyone. The regulatory and media machinery that often celebrates accountability can also always create a climate of cruelty. A single misleading headline can destroy decades of service. A baseless complaint can spiral into years of investigation, stigma, and financial ruin. The chilling effect ripples outward: Medical students witness the public vilification of role models and question whether the calling is worth the cost. When professionals live in fear, medicine ceases to be a healing art; it becomes a survival game. And here is the truth few want to admit: The bell tolls for everyone. When one physician is wronged or driven from practice by malice, the community loses more than a doctor; it loses continuity of care, mentorship, innovation, and stability. The next time a child needs urgent treatment, a senior citizen needs pain relief, or a pregnant woman needs skilled hands, the system may no longer have anyone left to respond. Every unjust attack on a doctor weakens the social contract that keeps the rest of us safe. The bell that tolls for that doctor is also for patients, hospitals, lawyers, regulators, journalists, and the trust that holds our society together. As John Donne philosophized, No man is an island, every man is a part of the main. Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. To rebuild faith in medicine, society must learn again to protect and respect its healers. Accountability must never turn into persecution, and transparency must never become spectacle. We must remember that when physicians fall, not from negligence, but from the cruelty of a broken system, patients, families, and communities all pay the price. True justice in health care means fairness for physicians and others who dedicate their lives to healing others. Olumuyiwa Bamgbade is an accomplished health care leader with a strong focus on value-based health care delivery. A specialist physician with extensive training across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea, Dr. Bamgbade brings a global perspective to clinical practice and health systems innovation. He serves as an adjunct professor at academic institutions across Africa, Europe, and North America and has published 45 peer-reviewed scientific papers in PubMed-indexed journals. His global research collaborations span more than 20 countries, including Nigeria, Australia, Iran, Mozambique, Rwanda, Kenya, Armenia, South Africa, the U.K., China, Ethiopia, and the U.S. Dr. Bamgbade is the director of Salem Pain Clinic in Surrey, British Columbia, Canadaa specialist and research-focused clinic. His work at the clinic centers on pain management, health equity, injury rehabilitation, neuropathy, insomnia, societal safety, substance misuse, medical sociology, public health, medicolegal science, and perioperative care. The most powerful Atlantic hurricane of 2025 has plowed into Jamaica after days of unleashing heavy rain, strong winds and pounding surf across the Caribbean. The Category 5 storm was at peak strength when it roared ashore on Tuesday. Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. It was the first time an Atlantic storm made landfall as a Category 5 since Hurricane Dorian in 2019. It made a second landfall near Chivirico, Cuba, at 3:10 a.m. EDT Wednesday as a Category 3 storm. Kingston, Jamaica's capital, was spared the worst of the hurricane, but western parts of the island experienced "total devastation," according to Daryl Vaz, the Jamaican Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications. Officials added that there is a "total communication blackout" in the region that took the brunt of Melissa's wrath Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least two dozen deaths have been reported across the Caribbean, the majority of which occurred in Haiti due to flooding, according to The Associated Press. The number may rise as officials assess the extensive damage in the wake of Melissa. AccuWeather.com Tourists who couldn't leave Jamaica before Melissa's arrival experienced the storm's full force and are now temporarily stranded on the island due to flight cancellations. "We had to just hunker down in our rooms and ride the storm out," Debra Shields told AccuWeather in an interview on Wednesday morning. She is one of more than a dozen tourists from the United States who are at the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort in Point Lucea, Lucea, Jamaica. "We're doing fine, we're all okay." "The sound, I don't think I'll ever forget," Shields recalled. "The door sounded like it was about to break down. In fact, there's a big crack in the door now because of the wind. It sounded like somebody was grabbing the handle and pushing, trying to get in. It did that for hours. It was one of the scariest things I've ever experienced in my life." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It may take many days for the full damage assessment to be completed. However, based on expert analysis by AccuWeather, the preliminary damage and economic loss estimate for the hurricane is $48 to $52 billion. "There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5," Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, according to The Associated Press. "The question now is the speed of recovery. That's the challenge." Conditions deteriorated across Jamaica on Monday and Monday night as Melissa approached, with mandatory evacuations issued in areas where the worst of the flooding and storm surge were expected. "There is a lot of flooding around the city," Storm Chaser Bryce Shelton told AccuWeather Tuesday evening while in Mandeville, Jamaica. "There are homes that are submerged, there are cars submerged. It is basically impossible to get out of the city." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Storm Chaser Brandon Clement is in Jamaica and warned that a humanitarian crisis may unfold in the wake of Melissa due to the expected widespread devastation. "It's going to take months for things to even begin to resemble normalcy after this," Clement told AccuWeather in an interview. "It's just a really bad situation." Strongest hurricane of 2025 Melissa intensified into a Category 5 hurricane Monday, becoming the third storm of the year to be classified at the top of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, joining Erin and Humberto. It went on to become the strongest of the three with maximum sustained winds peaking at 185 mph Tuesday morning. Another key measure of a hurricane's intensity is the central pressure, or the atmospheric pressure at the core of the eye. On Tuesday morning, Melissa's pressure dropped to 26.34 inches of mercury (892 millibars), making it the third-most intense Caribbean hurricane ever observed. AccuWeather.com Melissa is also the second-strongest hurricane in terms of pressure anywhere across the Atlantic during October, behind Wilma (26.05 inches of mercury, 882 mb). AccuWeather.com Slow-moving storm magnifies impacts The combination of Melissa's strength and sluggish pace has amplified the danger for Jamaica and the surrounding islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The significant danger posed by Melissa is made even worse due to its record slow forward speed. An exclusive AccuWeather analysis of hurricanes since 1971 in the same area of the Caribbean as Melissa shows that Melissa's average forward speed so far in this region is just 4.6 mph, which is the slowest on record," AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecast Operations Dan DePodwin explained. Jamaica is staring down the most powerful hurricane in its recorded history, as officials warn residents not to venture outside amid "catastrophic and life-threatening" conditions. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope as a Category 5 storm Tuesday with sustained winds of 185 mph. It is expected to deliver "total structural failure" to dwellings and buildings in parts of the island's interior and unleash more than 2 feet of rain as it makes landfall early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, the hurricane center reported Melissa's central pressure had dropped to 892 millibars, making it the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. Melissa is the third Category 5 hurricane of the 2025 season, a milestone reached only once before during the record-setting 2005 season. Jamaica braces for a generational impact After spinning south of Jamaica for several days, Melissa moved ashore Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane. The entire island will experience tropical storm-force winds, and "catastrophic winds with total structural failure are likely near the path of Melissa's center," the hurricane center warned. It is the strongest hurricane ever to strike Jamaica, surpassing 1988's deadly Hurricane Gilbert. But the deadliest threat will come from the rain. One to 3 feet of rain will fall in Jamaica over a three-day period. (NOAA) Melissa's slow crawl will keep Jamaica under relentless rain through Tuesday evening, dumping 15 to 30 inches over most of the island and up to 40 inches in the eastern mountains. Flash flooding and landslides are expected to be widespread. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along Jamaica's south coast, forecasters warned of a 9- to 13-foot storm surge accompanied by destructive waves, enough to inundate coastal towns and cripple infrastructure. The area around Kingston, home to the nation's main airport and several power plants, is especially vulnerable. Storm surge risk map for Kingston, Jamaica, for a Category 3 hurricane. Melissa is forecast to be at least a Category 4 strength storm at the time of landfall. (NOAA) Not done yet: Caribbean still in the crosshairs Jamaica will bear the brunt of the storm, but the rest of the Caribbean will not be spared. By early Wednesday, Melissa is forecast to strike eastern Cuba as a major hurricane with wind speeds of over 120 mph, bringing up to 20 inches of rain and a 7- to 10-foot storm surge. After traversing the rugged mountains of Jamaica and Cuba, Melissa should maintain hurricane strength as it sweeps through the Bahamas on Wednesday night, with winds over 100 mph, up to 10 inches of rain and a 4- to 6-foot surge. Melissa will continue to trek across the Caribbean as a major hurricane, bringing dangerous conditions to Cuba and the Bahamas. (Baron/Lynx ) Amazingly, the storm could re-strengthen again over open water Thursday, potentially reaching Category 3 intensity before making a close pass to Bermuda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When all is said and done, Melissa is likely to be one of most destructive hurricanes on record for the Caribbean region. Latest case of rapid intensification On Saturday, Melissa was merely a tropical storm with 70 mph winds. By Sunday, it had exploded into a major hurricane with 150 mph winds, a textbook case of rapid intensification, when a storm's top winds increase by at least 35 mph in 24 hours. Melissa nearly doubled that threshold. Ocean temperatures in the western Caribbean are running at about 86 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above normal and among the warmest on record for late October. Warm water feeds heat and moisture into a hurricane's core, driving its rise in power. Scientists predict hurricanes to become stronger in a warmer climate, and Melissa is the latest example. The abnormally high sea surface temperatures are no coincidence. More than 90% of excess heat from greenhouse-gas pollution has gone into the oceans. This oceanic heat is making rapid intensification dangerously common in both the Atlantic and Pacific ocean basins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two recent East Pacific storms are good examples of how dangerous rapid intensification is and how difficult it is for forecast models to predict. In 2023, Hurricane Otis fed on 86 degree waters off Mexico, strengthening by over 100 mph in just 24 hours before striking Acapulco. A year later, Hurricane John intensified by 75 mph in only 18 hours over similarly warm seas. In both cases, weather forecast models failed to predict the rapid intensification. Anthony Edwards contributed to this report. This article originally published at Catastrophic' Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica. Holidaymakers have been told to expect disruption and the potential cancellation of their travel plans as Hurricane Melissa brings death and destruction to the western Caribbean. As of Monday, Melissa has been ranked as a Category Five hurricane the highest possible category of hurricane, which can bring wind speeds of at least 157mph. If you are intending to travel to the Caribbean in the coming days, or are currently on holiday in the region, the following information covers the basics of what you need to do. When will Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica? Hurricane Melissa is due to make landfall somewhere on Jamaicas lower edge later on Tuesday afternoon (Tuesday morning local time). Current predictions have the hurricane striking Jamaicas south-west coast, although the entire island will be affected. Is it safe to travel to Jamaica? If you are due to travel to Jamaica on Tuesday or Wednesday, you will probably already have been told that your journey is currently impossible. The Jamaican government has closed the countrys two main airports Norman Manley International, on the south coast in Kingston, and Sangster International at Montego Bay in the north-west until further notice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Passengers have been advised to wait for further details with Sangster International instructing travellers that when the airport reopens, passengers are asked to confirm their flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport. Have flights to Jamaica been delayed or cancelled? Yes. Virgin Atlantic has cancelled Tuesdays departure from London Heathrow to Montego Bay, as well as the return service from Jamaica back to the UK having taken the same course of action with Mondays flights. British Airways flies to Kingston three times a week from London Gatwick, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. At the time of writing, Wednesdays flight is still scheduled to depart on time. Monday evenings British Airways flight from Kingston to Gatwick was postponed until Tuesday but will also be unable to operate, following the closure of Norman Manley International. Kingstons airport lay empty on Saturday as Jamaica prepared for Hurricane Melissas impact - Octavio Jones/Reuters Will popular holiday destinations in Jamaica be affected? It is notoriously difficult to predict the path of such storms, but Hurricane Melissa is currently projected to move across Jamaica in a north-easterly direction, which will bring it into contact with the busy resort area of Montego Bay. Other popular tourist hotspots, such as Negril Beach and Falmouth, are likely to be in its path as well. What should I do if I am already in Jamaica? Holidaymakers already on the island are advised to follow all local instructions. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has issued advice for travellers caught up in the storm, and strongly encourages British nationals currently in Jamaica to register their presence. This will allow the FCDO to share updates and information directly with those affected. What should I do if my flight to Jamaica has been cancelled? If your flight has been cancelled, you may be entitled to a refund. Virgin Atlantic has issued instructions for affected passengers including details on how to rebook. What should I do if my holiday to Jamaica has been cancelled? At time of writing, the FCDO has not issued a formal advisory against travel to Jamaica, so, at present, there are no special circumstances in place that enable customers to cancel a trip and receive a full refund. Travellers should check with their tour operator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Telegraph Travel offers a complete guide on how to claim refunds and compensation in the wake of cancelled or delayed travel plans. Will other countries be hit by Hurricane Melissa? The latest projections have Hurricane Melissa travelling in a north-easterly direction. This would bring the storm into contact with south-eastern Cuba on Wednesday, before passing on towards the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, later in the day. Hurricane Melissas projected north-easterly path means that the storm is not predicted to trouble the islands of the Lesser Antilles. Travellers with imminent holidays to the likes of Barbados, Antigua, Grenada, St Lucia and St Kitts in the diary should be unaffected. How long will Hurricane Melissa last? Current analysis suggests that Hurricane Melissa will reduce in intensity in the next two days, being downgraded to Category Two by Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement b' ' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Tourists are stranded in Jamaica after flights out were canceled by Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall Tuesday, Oct. 28. The Category 5 storm arrived packing 185-mph winds and a dangerous storm surge as it came ashore near New Hope on the southwest part of the island. The projected high wind arrival of Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 28, 2025. Other parts of the country were bracing for the hit and hoping to miss the worst of it. Connease Warren, an Indiana native who interned at the Free Press in 2008, is vacationing in Ocho Rios on the northern central coast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's actually been pretty calm," Warren said Tuesday morning before landfall. "There's a little rain but it's not even raining torrentially or anything. A little bit of light wind but it's not gusts yet." Warren arrived Thursday for what was supposed to be a long weekend birthday celebration with friends. As the storm drew near, she and her friends decided to cut it short and head home Sunday. "We changed our flights to Sunday," she said. "We were all confirmed to leave on Sunday and then all of our flights were canceled." Warren said she felt safe because she was staying at a new resort built to withstand hurricanes. It's solar-powered, so she's hoping she doesn't lose electricity. She is currently scheduled to fly out Thursday, though she knows that could change based on how much damage is done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Will it rain on Halloween? What to expect where you live this week It's not her first hurricane. She was studying at the University of Miami in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew arrived, walloping South Florida and forcing the school to cancel classes for a month. She also worked for years in Houston and lived through Hurricane Harvey, which prompted widespread flooding in one of the nation's costliest natural disasters. Warren said she worries that Melissa could be like Harvey in that it is slow-moving and likely to dump huge amounts of rain. "We're praying that it at least starts to speed up because when it sits, it just dumps rain and just makes everything super dangerous," she said. Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hurricane Melissa strands tourists in Jamaica Editor's note: This page summarizes Hurricane Melissa developments for Monday, Oct. 27. For the latest on Hurricane Melissa's approach to Jamaica, read USA TODAY's live updates for Tuesday, Oct. 28. As Hurricane Melissa crept closer to Jamaica on Monday, Oct. 27, the island nation braced for what could be its worst hurricane in recorded history, evacuating parts of its capital, closing airports, and opening hundreds of shelters. Melissa, a Category 5 storm, is expected to slam into Jamaica's southern coast on Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, with catastrophic consequences. It's also set to approach Cuba as a major hurricane and cross the central and southeastern Bahamas, forecasters said. Melissa poses no direct threat to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At 2 a.m. on Oct. 28, on Oct. 27, the National Hurricane Center reported Melissa was centered about 135 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and 310 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The hurricane had begun moving toward the north-northeast, but was moving at only about 2 mph, with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph. A resident stands at a flooded section of Port Royal in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. A man covers the windows of his home with corrugated iron ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a top-level Category 5 storm, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. After passing over Jamaica, the storm was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, while continuing to bring rain and heavy winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A man watches the waves crash into the walls at the Kingston Waterfront on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. A motorist drives along flooded Michael Manley Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa, already a major category 4 storm, gathered steam Sunday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. A coconut tree sways in the wind at the Kingston Waterfront on Ocean Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on Oct. 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa as of 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. People fill bags with sand in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Alfred Veitch places concrete blocks on top of his chicken coop, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. A person watches waves crash on the beach, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Fishermen move a boat to higher ground, in preparation of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Empty counters at the airport, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica on Oct. 25, 2025. People load sandbags onto a vehicle, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in the Harbour View neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica on Oct. 25, 2025. The National Hurricane Center reports Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane in the Caribbean on Oct. 25 and could soon rapidly intensify into a monstrous Category 4 or 5 storm, bringing perilous threats of rain, winds and storm surge to northern Caribbean islands. A drone view shows a vehicle driving along a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. People transit on a motorcycle through a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. People look on at the entrance to their homes on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. A woman is standing on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. A drone view shows water rushing through a spillway at the Sabaneta Dam as water levels are elevated due to Tropical Storm Melissa, in Sabaneta, Dominican Republic October 23, 2025. People walk through a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. A woman walks along a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. A drone view shows a flooded area amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. Gas pumps are wrapped in plastic at a Texaco station as part of storm preparations, ahead of Tropical Storm Melissa, which is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the area, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 25, 2025. Workers board up a business ahead of the potential impact of Tropical Storm Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 24, 2025. Hurricane Melissa slams the Caribbean. See the floods and impact on residents in photos 1 of 23 A resident stands at a flooded section of Port Royal in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. The hurricane center forecast calls for Melissa to retain those peak winds until the storm makes landfall. The hurricane is forecast to pick up speed on Oct. 28, moving across southeastern Cuba on the morning of Oct. 29 and across the southeastern or central Bahamas hours later. Even well ahead of the storm's fiercest winds, at least seven deaths have been reported in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. Melissa is forecast to make landfall along the southwestern coast of Jamaica on the morning of Oct. 28 near the Black River, then move inland, with the heaviest storm surge and rainfall along the coast to the east of the eyewall, the hurricane center said. Within the eyewall, "total structural failure" of buildings is likely, particularly at higher elevations and on the windward side of hills and mountains, where wind speeds could be up to 30% stronger than at the surface, the center reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles. Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other Jamaican officials urged Jamaicans to seek safe shelter on Oct. 27 and to stay off the roads on Oct. 28. The island's residents also were encouraged to be prepared for impacts they have not experienced with previous hurricanes. "Hour by hour, it is becoming apparent that the impact of Hurricane Melissa will be greater than the impact of Hurricane Beryl, certainly in terms of rainfall and flooding," Holness said on Oct. 27. "We can lessen damage and speed up recovery by taking preparatory and precautionary measures before for the impact of the hurricane." By 11 p.m., Monday, Oct. 27, the central barometric pressure in Melissa's center, one measure of the hurricane's power, had dropped to 903 millibars. That makes it the seventh lowest pressure for a hurricane in the Atlantic basin since consistent pressures began being recorded in 1979, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. It was also the lowest pressure for an Atlantic hurricane this late in the calendar year. Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful October hurricanes on record in the Atlantic Ocean basin, moves slowly toward an expected landfall on Jamaica on the morning of Oct. 28, but tropical storm force winds already had begun on the afternoon of Oct. 27 when this satellite image was captured. At least 3 deaths reported in Jamaica amid storm preparations At least three people have died in Jamaica as they were preparing for Hurricane Melissa, Christopher Tufton, the countrys minister of health and wellness, said at a news briefing on Oct. 27. The deaths occurred in the parishes of Hanover, Saint Catherine, and Saint Elizabeth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of the deaths happened while trees were being cut down, according to Tufton. Two people died after trees fell on them, including one health worker who was airlifted to a hospital and later died of his injuries. The third case involved a person who was also electrocuted, the health minister said. Another 13 people were injured, according to Tufton. Most were injured after falling from ladders or roofs while trying to prepare for the storm. I just want to use the opportunity to express condolences to the family members who have lost loved ones, Tufton said at the news briefing. If you need help, call for help, but be careful that you protect yourself even in the preparation, because already we're seeing the tragedy of lives lost. Authorities across the Caribbean order evacuations Authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of southern Jamaica, including the historic town of Port Royal. Holness has called on foreign support and warned of damage to farmlands, homes, and infrastructure such as bridges, roads, ports, and airports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearby, Haiti and the Dominican Republic have already faced days of torrential downpours leading to at least four deaths, authorities said. In Haiti, more than 3,650 residents in the southern parts of the country moved into temporary shelters, authorities said, as they suspended flights to and from the southern peninsula and banned sailing. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis also ordered evacuations for people in the southern and eastern parts of the archipelago, while much of eastern Cuba battened down ahead of Melissa's expected landfall. Cuban authorities said they had evacuated upwards of 500,000 people living in coastal and mountainous areas vulnerable to heavy winds and flooding, and canceled schools and transport across eastern Cuba. More than 250,000 people were brought to shelters around Santiago de Cuba, the island's second-largest city, which lies squarely in the crosshairs of the hurricane's predicted path. Explosive growth Fueled by the warm waters of the Caribbean, the storm underwent explosive growth over the weekend, its wind speed doubling from 70 mph to over 140 mph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm's slow path forward increases the risks for record rainfall. The storm could drop 30 inches of rain over Jamaica an amount Dana Morris Dixon, the country's information minister, said "we've never heard before." In isolated locations, especially in mountainous regions of the island, rainfall could reach up to 40 inches, the hurricane center said. On the coast, Melissa could push up a storm surge of up to 13 feet, topped by battering waves, forecasters said, warning of "catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding." "The time for preparation is all but over," Matthew Samuda, Jamaica's minister of water and environment, warned at a news conference. Key messages from the National Hurricane Center In afternoon and evening updates on Oct. 27, Michael Brennan, hurricane center director, urged "everyone in Jamaica to be in a safe place where they're going to ride out the storm." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Get to the sturdiest building that you can find," Brennan said. "There's a potential for total building failure near where the eyewall comes on shore and in areas of high terrain, as well as the potential for nine to thirteen feet storm surge inundation along the south coast near and where the center of Melissa makes landfall." In Jamaica, the hurricane center warned that catastrophic winds in the eyewall have the potential "to cause total structural failure especially in higher elevation areas" on the night of Oct. 27 and Oct. 28. The storm could cause "extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities." Brennan reminded people in the path of the hurricane to stay in shelters and not to venture outside as the hurricane's eye crosses over the islands. A thread of videos from todays flight into Hurricane Melissa In this first one we are entering from the southeast just after sunrise and the bright arc on the far northwest eye wall is the light just beginning to make it over the top from behind us. pic.twitter.com/qGdpp7lbCN Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025 A hurricane warning meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours is in effect for Jamaica, the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin, and for the southeastern and central Bahamas. A hurricane watch meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours are in effect for the Turks and Caicos, and a tropical storm warning also is in effect for Haiti, the hurricane center said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Torrential downpours have affected Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and at least four deaths have been reported, according to Reuters. More than 3,650 residents in southern Haiti were moved into temporary shelters, and flights were suspended to and from the island's southern peninsula. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis ordered evacuations for people in southern and eastern parts of the archipelago, and Cuban authorities said they had evacuated upwards of 500,000 people living in coastal and mountainous areas vulnerable to heavy winds and flooding, Reuters reported. More than 250,000 people were brought to shelters around Santiago de Cuba, the island's second-largest city, which lies squarely in the crosshairs of the hurricane's predicted path. Hurricane Melissa tracker: See projected path of Category 5 storm Cruise ships reroute to avoid Hurricane Melissa Several cruise lines are changing plans to avoid Hurricane Melissa. Here are some examples: Celebrity Beyonds Oct. 26 itinerary will visit the Western Caribbean rather than the Eastern Caribbean, according to the cruise lines parent company, Royal Caribbean Group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disney Treasure will stop in Cozumel, Mexico and spend two days at the lines private Bahamas destination, Castaway Cay, rather than visiting Tortola and St. Thomas, the cruise line said. Icon of the Seas Eastern Caribbean itinerary was replaced with a Western Caribbean cruise, visiting Cozumel in Mexico and Roatan, Honduras, according to Royal Caribbean Group. Nathan Diller Where will Hurricane Melissa make landfall? Experts anticipate Hurricane Melissa to make landfall along the western coast of Jamaica, near St. Elizabeth Parish, which has a population of over 150,000. Evan Thompson, the director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, said the storm is expected to move northeast across the country, exiting in the area of St. Ann Parish, where more than 170,000 people live. Both parishes are dotted with towns and cities of varying sizes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm's track is well west of the nation's capital of Kingston, but the entire island could see 30 inches of rain and tropical-force winds. 'This is not the end': Jamaican official briefs the public on Hurricane Melissa Evan Thompson, the director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, said at a news conference that many parts of the country have begun to experience tropical-force winds and heavy rainfall. The impacts, he said, are expected to worsen through the day and overnight as the storm begins turning north, taking it on a path directly toward the island. He said while there's a "small window" where the storm could move further west and potentially miss the island, that's not the most likely scenario. "Of course, all of us are hoping for that and praying for that, but at the same time we have to be practical," he said. "Right now, the projected path takes it to the southwestern part of Jamaica." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He finished his presentation by trying to calm residents: "Believe that we will get through it and we will get through it together. No one is alone. ... This is not the end." Hurricane Melissa gained strength on Oct. 27 Melissa's wind speeds increased to 175 mph on the afternoon of Oct. 27, according to the National Hurricane Center. "Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next 12-24 (hours) due to the possibility that Melissa will start an eyewall replacement cycle," the hurricane center said in an update. "However, this is unlikely to weaken Melissa significantly, and there is no practical difference in Melissa making landfall in Jamaica at category 4 or 5 intensity, since both categories produce catastrophic wind damage," forecasters added. By 5 p.m., on Oct. 27, the center had not yet seen any evidence of the eyewall replacement starting. A 'wild ride' Hurricane hunter flights into Melissa on Oct. 27 reported heavy turbulence. For Andrew Hazelton, an associate scientist at the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, one of those flights was his first ride in a Category 5 hurricane and "the most turbulent" he'd ever experienced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was processing the data from the dropsondes equipment that collects data about the storm and transmits it to the center to assist with forecasting. That data was up there with "about as strong as Atlantic hurricanes can get," Hazelton posted on his X account. A NOAA aircraft on the morning of Oct. 27 had to depart the hurricane earlier than expected after experiencing "severe turbulence in the southwestern eyewall," the hurricane center reported in a forecast discussion. One of the hurricane hunter flights reported birds caught up by the storm and inside Melissa's eye. Could Kingston, Jamaica, avoid the worst of Hurricane Melissa? There may be a tiny shred of good news for Kingston, the capital of Jamaica: "As it stands right now, the center should cross the island about 60 miles west of Kingston, the population center of Jamaica," said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza in a Substack post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Of course, that places Kingston on the stronger side of the storm but with hurricane force winds confined to about a 30-mile radius from the center, theres likely going to be a buffer between the capital and the worst wind of the storm." However, storm surge and heavy rainfall will still be a factor in Kingston. Officials in recent days ordered evacuations in parts of Kingston vulnerable to flash-flooding and storm surge. More than 2 feet of rainfall is possible along Melissa's path through Jamaica and Cuba, the National Hurricane Center and others warned on Monday, Oct. 27. Guantanamo Bay orders evacuations as Hurricane Melissa nears Beginning over the weekend, the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay began moving families off the island ahead of Hurricane Melissa's arrival. "Non-mission-essential U.S. citizens will be moving off the island as early as Saturday afternoon and no later than Sunday morning," the Naval station told residents on Friday, Oct. 24. Evacuees were told to pack two weeks' worth of clothing and medication into one 40-pound bag. Civilians were taken by shuttles to planes bound for Florida. Many families were taken to an air station in Pensacola. According to the Department of War, previously known as the Department of Defense, the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay serves about 6,000 people, including joint services personnel, civilians, family members, and others. Melissa underwent 'rapid intensification' Hurricane Melissa underwent what meteorologists call "rapid intensification," exploding from a 70-mph tropical storm Saturday morning Oct. 25, to a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds by 5 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. It has since reached Category 5 strength, with winds of 175 mph. Rapid intensification is a process in which a storm undergoes accelerated growth: The phenomenon is typically defined to be a tropical cyclone (whether a tropical storm or hurricane) intensifying by at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period. The intensification was powered by unusually warm sea water in the Caribbean, which provides the energy for the storm to gather strength. This forecast track shows the most likely path the center of Hurricane Melissa is forecast to take as it tears across Jamaica, then Cuba and the central and southeastern Bahamas. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Jamaica prepares for landfall, floodwaters inundate Hispaniola Jamaica and Hispaniola could see upwards of 30 inches of rain, forecasters said, warning of mudslides and "life-threatening flash flooding." Peak storm surge could reach 9 to 13 feet above ground level, and will be accompanied by destructive waves. Through the midweek, eastern Cuba could see up to 20 inches of rain, as 9-foot waves crash along the coast. The storm has already begun to wreak havoc. At least three deaths in Haiti have been linked to Melissa, according to The Associated Press. The storm has also inundated parts of the Dominican Republic, damaging over 100 homes and knocking out water service in several parts of the country, officials said. In Jamaica, tourists evacuated as officials moved to close the nation's airports and open over 800 shelters ahead of the storm's arrival. "Many of these communities will not survive this flooding, said Desmond McKenzie, the minister of local government, at a news conference. Where is Hurricane Melissa headed? See forecast tracker This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Hurricane Melissa by the numbers Melissa is the third Category 5 hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season: Erin and Humberto were the other two. Only one other Atlantic season on record has had more than two Category 5s: 2005, with Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, Klotzbach said. There has never been a Category 5 hurricane making landfall in Jamaica in the historical record, which dates back to 1851. Five major hurricanes on record have made landfall in Jamaica, with Hurricane Gilbert (1988) the only Category 4 hurricane to make a direct landfall on the island, Klotzbach said on X. Gilbert made landfall with maximum winds of 130 mph. Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, and with Reuters, Zahra Burton and Dave Sherwood. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jamaica braces for Hurricane Melissa's 'catastrophic' impacts: Updates NEW YORK (PIX11) As Hurricane Melissa inches closer to Jamaica, both those on the island and back here at home at worried about the outcome of the worlds strongest storm of the year. The deadly storm is expected to bring catastrophic flooding, damaging winds of up to 175 miles per hour, and storm surges as high as 13 feet. More Local News As Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 storm, is closer to the island, residents are taking every precaution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have issued all the disaster warnings that we need to have, says Nadine Molloy, Principal at Shortwood Teachers College, a residential higher education facility in Jamaica, which has shut down. Shes been coordinating safety measures. Evacuation- people getting people from flood-prone areas, people who are living in precarious conditions. Melissa is expected to be Jamaicas most powerful storm ever. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said hes worried about any buildings being able to withstand whats coming: the winds can pick up at any time, the rain can come at any time, and you can be caught in a flash flood. Back in the states, the Embassy of Jamaica held an emergency virtual town hall, saying local and international crews are ready to respond and clear roads once its safe. We have gotten some supplies ahead of the event, and those have been distributed across the country to places they can be secured, during the blow, said Antony Anderson, Ambassador of Jamaica to the United States of America. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was just on the phone with my father, whos actually in Jamaica he lives in Jamaica. New York City Councilman Kevin Riley, whose family is from Jamaica, says the Bronx community is already mobilizing to help. The Jamaica Progressive League is also urging residents to stock up on nonperishables that can be shipped to the island once the storm passes. Were really terrified. We tried to be calm. But were really, really terrified. The Red Cross in Jamaica says volunteers have been deployed with communication equipment, transportation, and safety gear ahead of the storm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Hurricane Melissas rapid intensification and its projected torrential rain are highlighting the problems for emergency responders who will have to deal with crises on several Caribbean islands simultaneously in coming days, according to the Caribbeans top disaster management expert. After striking Jamaica, where its expected to make landfall as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, Melissa is forecast to also hit Cuba, the southern Bahamas and the low-lying Turks and Caicos Islands. Haiti and parts of the Dominican Republic, which have already experiencing flooding, could also see life-threatening flash floods and landslides from the slow-moving system. In response to the pending disaster from Melissas devastating winds, rains and storm surges, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the United Nations said Monday they are readying to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm is posing a new level of complexity for emergency managers, said Elizabeth Riley, executive director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. Riley said two key elements stand out about the slow-moving storm: Its rapid intensification and extreme rainfall potential. The system rapidly progressed from a tropical storm to Category 4 in less than 24 hours. What is fueling this are the incredibly warm waters in our region, and this is essentially the energy for the hurricanes and warmer waters, higher sea level temperatures. This is a direct result of climate change, she said. The second thing is around the precipitation. Riley also described the National Hurricane Centers projected rainfall accumulations as unprecedented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The impact of 30 to 40 inches of rainfall from an incredibly slow-moving system is a deep concern, she said. The Caribbean region, she said, is seeing high levels of precipitation not only with tropical cyclones like Melissa, but other severe weather events. Storms targets Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba With Melissa expected to bear down on Jamaica on Monday and Tuesday, disaster responders are also keeping a close eye on Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Cayman Islands, the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. On Wednesday the storm is forecast to cross the southeastern Bahamas, where dangerous storm surges can also wreak devastation. We saw these types of interactions during Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas, where we had very significant storm surges of around 20 feet or higher, along with precipitation of around 25 inches or so, Riley said. And what happens in these scenarios is that the sea is coming inland, and you have at the same time run off in very high levels coming from the land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, hurricane conditions began affecting Jamaica while tropical storm conditions were also felt in Haiti. The potential for hurricane conditions in Haiti decreased, but the country, which is vulnerable to floods and landslides, was not in the clear. There is a significant threat of catastrophic flash-flooding, landslides and urban flooding in Haiti and Jamaica, and further risk of flash-flooding in the southeast Bahamas. Delano Seiveright, a member of Jamaicas Parliament for St. Andrew North Central said while the capital of Kingston and much of the eastern section of the island may be spared the most destructive effects, the situation remains grave. A Category 4 or 5 system is catastrophic under any circumstance, and despite the extensive national preparations and many well constructed buildings, no one can ever be truly ready for a storm at that intensity. Should the storm maintain its strength and trajectory, some communities, particularly in western Jamaica, could face damage reminiscent of Gilbert or worse, he said, referring to the 1988 storm that left 49 dead and destroyed more than 100,000 homes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seiverights constituency of St. Andrew North Central covers the north-central section of the Kingston metropolitan area. It includes a mix of affluent and middle-class neighborhoods and densely populated inner-city communities, some of which straddle the huge Sandy Gully, the citys main drainage canal. These areas are particularly vulnerable, and weve been working nonstop with authorities and residents to prepare, he said. Utility companies, emergency services, and community teams have been fully engaged, and the public has taken this storm seriously. Still, we must brace for the reality that some communities will be badly affected and that recovery will take time. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told the Miami Herald that the agency continues to closely monitor the hurricane, but that a decision to deploy assistance will not be made until a need is identified. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Monday that U.N. regional humanitarian offices are coordinating with country teams and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and emergency authorities. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is also deploying staff to Cuba and Jamaica this week, as conditions allow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.N. World Food Program is providing logistics support, including generators, while the United Nations Childrens Fund, UNICEF, has pre-positioned water and sanitation supplies. The Pan-American Health Organization is reinforcing health emergency operations, while the International Organization for Migration is preparing shelter support. The U.N. Development Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the U.N. Population Fund are mobilizing for early recovery and protection. The agencies are pre-positioning relief supplies, including medical and nutrition supplies, as well as supporting with cash assistance, early-warning messaging and community outreach, Haq said. In Cuba, where the hurricane is anticipated to hit Wednesday morning, the Anticipatory Action Framework has been activated with a $4 million allocation released from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund ahead of the storm. This allowed our partners to pre-position food and essential supplies including rice, grains, hygiene kits, fuel vouchers and portable water-treatment plants in the eastern provinces, Haq said. A reminder of hurricanes Maria, Harvey Josh Dozor, a former deputy assistant administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Melissas path reminds him of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico, Dominica and other islands in the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I see a lot of similarities, said Dozor, the current general manager of medical and security assistance at International SOS, which has clients throughout the areas in the storms path. Were going to see prolonged flooding over a long time. Tim McShane, lead security analyst for North America and Caribbean for the company, said he is concerned about clients who have been calling and are sheltering in place. Melissa reminds him of another slow-moving storm, Hurricane Harvey. Melissa, he said, is a very large and powerful storm, but its also creeping extremely, extremely slow, only a couple miles per hour, said McShane who is from Houston, where Harvey struck in August 2017. So whats going to happen is that as the storm approaches Jamaica it is just going to continue dumping rain across the island. Jamaica will need help after storm Seiverighs said while Jamaicans are a resilient people, the country of 2.8 million will undoubtedly need significant international aid and support to rebuild in the aftermath, particularly if the storms projected path holds and delivers the kind of damage forecasters are warning about. Weve weathered storms and crises before, and weve always found the strength to rebuild, stronger and more united, he said. Our collective vigilance, patience, and unity will once again be key in the days ahead. People in Jamaica have been told to evacuate as the life-threatening Hurricane Melissa bears down on the Caribbean island at speed. The category 5 storm is expected to bring catastrophic flash flooding, numerous landslides, and a life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves, with maximum sustained wind speeds of up to 175mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). At least seven people have already died, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. One person remains missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm will sweep across Jamaica at the peak of its intensity, and is expected to lose force as it crosses the sea to reach Cuba, but will still have destructive power. Melissa originated in west Africa, first forming a tropical wave that was picked up by monitors on October 16. It crossed the Atlantic to the Windward Islands, and then moved slowly westward to the Caribbean Sea. Its slow pace has added to its intensity, with the storm gathering power as it crept along at 5mph for days, creating a formidable and record-breaking force that is expected to bring wind speeds of at least 157mph when it makes landfall. The NHC warned that Melissa is expected to bring between 15 and 30 inches (38.1cm to 76.2cm) of rain to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola, with a maximum of up to 40 inches (101.6cm). Eastern Cuba is expected to receive between 10in (25.4cm) and 15in (38.1cm) of rainfall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica early Tuesday, breaking records as the most powerful storm ever to hit the island. The most powerful before now was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which recorded winds of 130mph. The storm, which has been upgraded to category 5, was last recorded at 310 miles (500km) south-southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba and about 115 miles (185km) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica on Monday. Many of these communities will not survive this flooding, local government minister Desmond McKenzie said at a press conference Monday. Kingston is low, extremely low. No community in Kingston is immune from flooding. Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaicas information minister, said that the force of the storm is unprecedented: Weve heard the rainfall numbers. Theyre numbers weve never heard before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Hurricane Center has warned that Melissa is likely to result in extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities. Satellite images show the scale of the storm (NOAA) Dixon added that the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency is ready to provide assistance to those affected, and added that several international partners have already pledged to provide support for the areas affected by the impending disaster. Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaicas meteorological service, said Melissa could be the strongest storm Jamaica has experienced in decades, and warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of the anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads. There are approximately 900 shelters across Jamaica that are expected to house evacuated members of the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do not venture out of your safe shelter, reads advice from the Miami-based NHC. The Dominican Republic felt the effects of the storm over the weekend (AP) Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday. Destructive winds, especially in the mountains, will begin by this evening, leading to extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities. Life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected along the southern coast through Tuesday. The NHC warned that Melissa is expected to grow in intensity throughout the day, with additional strengthening forecast for Monday. A graphic shows the probable path of Tropical Storm Melissa (National Hurricane Center) Fluctuations in power and force are likely before Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica early Tuesday, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Travelers in Jamaica have been warned not to try to leave the island unless they have a confirmed flight out. Kingston airport warned British citizens: Passengers, contact your airline for rebooking. DO NOT go to the airport. Hundreds of British travelers are stranded on the island because of flight cancelations. Is there ever a good time to be cosying up to foreign despots? Its a dilemma that successive governments have grappled with, not least Boris Johnson. Indeed, the former prime minister seemed genuinely unable to decide where he stood when it came to unsavoury regimes. On the one hand, Johnson repeatedly rallied Western powers against Vladimir Putin after Russias invasion of Ukraine, a cause that he has continued to champion since leaving Downing Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet he also chose to pursue closer economic ties with China amid all the evidence of genocide, brutality, crackdowns on peaceful protesters, as Sir Iain Duncan Smith put it at the time. Equally as controversial was a decision to head out to Saudi Arabia in 2022 in search of an oil supply agreement that would reduce the UKs dependence on Russian energy. At the time, senior Labour figures accused the Conservatives of doing business with the murderous regime. Boris Johnson, the then prime minister, in Riyadh in 2022 with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia - Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Getty Whether that was a reference to Saudi Arabias brutal killing of the brave dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the hundreds of executions that it carries out every year, or its war in Yemen, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, isnt clear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The point is that it is just as accurate a description of Riyadh today as it was back then nothing has changed. What has suddenly shifted, however, is Labours stance, not just towards Saudi Arabia but to autocratic regimes all over the world, it seems. In what amounts to a breathtaking display of hypocrisy, Rachel Reeves is heading out to the Gulf, begging bowl in hand and UK plc in tow. Lest we forget that the current occupier of No 10 spent much of his legal career opposing the death penalty in foreign countries. Or that Sir Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson of going cap in hand from dictator to dictator for visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to secure alternatives to Russian energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, here we are, just one year into a Labour Government, and the Chancellor is leading a UK trade delegation to Saudi Arabia, as part of a desperate bid to forge an economic alliance with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Collectively, they like to call themselves the Gulf Cooperation Council, but they also happen to be some of the most firmly established authoritarian states on the planet. If only Angela Rayner were still around to repeat the taunt she directed at Johnson when she accused him of making the UK reliant on another murderous dictator to keep the lights on. Still, who cares about such minor details when a deal with the GCC could add 1.6bn to the UK economy each year and contribute a further 600m to UK workers annual wages in the long term, as the Government is keen to point out rather than say, the appalling human rights record of the region? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The closest Reeves will come to addressing some of these issues that Labour supposedly holds so dear will be acknowledging areas of divergence and cultural differences, according to officials. What courage. It is, of course, no coincidence that this trip is taking place with just weeks to go before the autumn Budget. The truth is, the country is broke, and as the Government is fast finding out, it can no longer afford to take the moral high ground. Not that Johnson was really in a position to pick and choose. Investor confidence at home and abroad had been shaken by Brexit, then obliterated by the pandemic, and Britain was in dire need of more friends. Yet even our closest allies werent exactly falling over themselves to jump into bed with us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having chosen to eject itself from the worlds biggest trading bloc, the UK pinned its hopes on a free trade agreement with America one of the many great benefits of Brexit we could look forward to, the Leave campaign insisted. Yet if anything, with Joe Biden seeming to embrace a new era of isolationism with Americas hasty retreat from Afghanistan, a pact suddenly seemed less likely than at any time in recent memory. Whats more, with Britain suffering from food shortages, fuel droughts and blackout threats, there was hardly a queue of potential partners queuing outside Downing Street ready to fill the void. Today, the countrys feeble state is even more pronounced, and whereas Johnson could at least point to Covid as a major contributing factor for the countrys ills, Reeves must accept the vast proportion of blame after dragging the UK into an economic doom loop of ever-higher taxes and weak growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the gap in public finances estimated to be as high as 30bn, the prospect of yet more tax rises seems nailed on. Indeed, it is shaping up to be a Budget of nightmarish proportions after the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded its estimates for productivity. Economists have calculated the financial blow from the OBRs decision alone to be somewhere in the region of 20bn a year. About-turns on welfare cuts and the winter fuel allowance, together with the rising cost of government borrowing, leave the Chancellor with a further 10bn hole, it is estimated. When it comes to which foreign states Britain is prepared to do business with, the lines have long been blurred. Under the dead hand of Labour, however, there may soon be none at all. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Federal immigration authorities have arrested two illegal aliens accused of murdering a 43-year-old woman whose body was discovered behind a tire shop in Austin earlier this month. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that agents took Jesus Llamas-Yanez and Javier Roman Hernandez, both criminal illegal aliens from Mexico, into custody on October 8, 2025. Officials identified the victim as Mary Gonzales, who they said had been shot to death. These alleged cold-blooded murderers should have never been in our country in the first place, and Mary Gonzales should still be alive, said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of these criminals came into our country using Bidens disastrous CBP One app, McLaughlin added. Open-border policies have deadly consequences. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, these accused murderers will never be free on American streets to commit heinous crimes again. ICE officials said the arrests highlight the ongoing public-safety risks associated with illegal immigration and recidivism. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, ICE officers in Houston earlier this year arrested 356 illegal aliens linked to violent gang activity. The agency said those detained belonged to more than 40 criminal gangs and had a combined 1,685 convictions, including arson and sexual assault of children. Many had re-entered the United States unlawfully more than once. Despite attempts by some to undermine the courageous work being done by our officers, the brave men and women of ICE continue to put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent transnational gang members, foreign fugitives, and dangerous illegal aliens, said Gabriel Martinez, acting field office director for ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston. The Austin arrests come amid renewed federal efforts to strengthen border security and interior enforcement under the Trump administration, which has pledged to end the use of digital parole tools such as the CBP One app. Sami Hamdi, a British political commentator who was on a speaking tour in the U.S., was detained by immigration enforcement officers on Sunday at San Francisco International Airport after his visa was revoked. A Muslim civil rights group said his arrest was retaliation for his criticism of Israel. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, announced on social media that Hamdi's visa had been revoked, that he was being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement until he could be removed. In her post, she also made unsubstantiated claims that Hamdi supported terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country, McLaughlin wrote in her Sunday social media post. Hamdi, who is based in London, had been on a speaking tour in the United States, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights advocacy group. His visitor visa was supposed to last for several months, a leader at the organization said. The group said in a statement that Hamdi had been detained because he dared to criticize the Israeli government's genocide while on his tour, and called his detention a blatant affront to free speech. Hamdi had attended the organization's annual gala on Friday night in Sacramento and was scheduled to speak at an event in Florida on Sunday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamdi is a journalist and commentator who appears on British television networks to analyze developments in the Middle East, as well as domestic U.K. politics. According to his LinkedIn page, he is the managing director and editor in chief of International Interest, which advises on political environments across the globe. Hamdi appears to be the latest of several immigrants and international travelers to have a U.S. visa revoked over political speech. The Trump administration was rebuked in September by a federal judge, who ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens for their pro-Palestinian advocacy in order to suppress critiques of Israel and the war it has waged in Gaza for two years with backing from the U.S. Read more: Trump administration halts visas for people from Gaza Hussam Ayloush, chief executive of CAIR's California chapter, said he attended the Sacramento gala with Hamdi and was shocked to receive a text from him Sunday around 7 a.m. informing him that Hamdi had been stopped by federal agents who told him he had to come with them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ayloush visited Hamdi along with two attorneys on Monday afternoon at the Golden State Annex, an ICE detention center in McFarland, where he is being held. "When I went inside to meet him and check on him, I felt embarrassed that my country treated him that way," Ayloush said. "He hasn't caused or instigated any harm to our country." Ayloush said Hamdi was only guilty of "being critical of what Israel is doing to Palestinians, and the complicit role the U.S. government has played." CAIR said that its legal team as well as attorneys from the Muslim Legal Fund of America were working toward Hamdi's release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization said Hamdi's arrest came after pressure from right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who publicly took credit for his detention. She said on social media that ICE acted in response to her "relentless pressure." Loomer had smeared Hamdi with anti-Muslim conspiracy theories, the organization said. Loomer has said she successfully lobbied the U.S. government to bar Palestinian children injured by American weapons in Israel's war from seeking medical care in the U.S. In August, the Trump administration announced it had stopped approving visitor visas for Palestinians from Gaza, including young children in need of serious medical care. In response to a question from The Times about whether Hamdi's detention came in response to his critiques of the U.S. and Israel, the Department of Homeland Security linked to a statement the U.S. State Department made on its X account, in which it reposted McLaughlins announcement about Hamdi and added a comment: Weve said it before, well say it again: The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who support terrorism and actively undermine the safety of Americans. We continue to revoke the visas of persons engaged in such activity. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5 / KUSI) Democratic Congressmembers wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after being denied access to a detention facility underneath the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building on Oct. 20. Representatives Juan Vargas (CA-52), Scott Peters (CA-50), Mike Levin (CA- 49) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) were denied access a second time on Monday. Members of Congress are legally allowed special access to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, even if they do not give prior notice. However, Representative Peters and Vargas were denied access on Oct. 20. As Members of Congress, we have the right and the responsibility to enter detention sites in order to conduct oversight without prior authorization, Vargas said. Today, we were again blocked from entering. If nothing is wrong here, why are we not allowed in? What is ICE hiding? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Representatives attempted to visit the Federal Building after reports of ICE detaining people in the buildings basement. The lawmakers said the Officer of Congressional Affairs did not respond to their request for visitation. Following their first attempt at entry, Jacobs, Peters, Levin, Vargas, Senator Alex Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff sent a joint letter to DHS secretary Kristi Noem. The Departments decision not to allocate any staff to review urgent requests for congressional oversight is deeply concerning, they wrote. As members of Congress, we have the right and responsibility to conduct governmental oversight of federal agencies. At the Federal Building, ICE officials told the lawmakers they are now requiring Members of Congress to request a visit seven days in advance. After being denied access the first time, they formally requested a visit in writing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaders said they were met with an automated response reading, ICE Office of Congressional Relations staff are currently out of the office and unable to respond to emails, phone calls, or perform other work-related duties. The email also stated requests will only be reviewed once funding is restored, according to the lawmakers. Due to the government shutdown, these requests are on hold until the government reopens, a DHS staff member said, according to the letter. We came here to confirm that the law is being followed, Vargas said following their second attempt to visit. After being denied entry again, I cannot say for certain thats the case. We will continue to push DHS for answers to what is going on here. We will not stand by while we continue to hear reports that people are being held in concerning conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. About 200 local, state and federal law enforcement officers helped execute a raid on an alleged illegal horserace gambling operation in Wilder, Idaho, on Oct. 19, 2025. (Photo courtesy of ACLU of Idaho) A communitys first responsibility is to keep its children safe. Every young person deserves the chance to learn, to play, and to trust that the adults around them are looking out for their wellbeing. When that promise is broken, the consequences echo far beyond childhood. Trauma caused by abuse, instability, and violence can alter a young persons development and health for decades to come. And yet, time and again, children are put in harms way by the very people and systems that are supposed to protect them. Those consequences arent hypothetical. Last week in the small farming town of Wilder, a government raid showed a shocking disregard for the safety of everyone present, especially the children. Witnesses report agents zip-tied young people and adults. Children watched their parents taken away without explanation. Families were separated in a matter of minutes. What should have been an ordinary afternoon is now a traumatic memory many will carry for the rest of their lives. Despite only a handful of arrests, more than 100 people were swept into detention centers across the region. Behind each number is a family left wondering when or if they will be reunited. Will they ever feel safe in their own community again? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are also left with important and urgent questions: Who counts as part of our community? Which families deserve safety? How wide is our circle of care? Our leaders often speak about family values as core to who we are as Idahoans. But values mean little if they only apply to some families. When we say we care for children, that cannot depend on what they look like, which languages they speak, or where they were born. True family values require caring for each other without conditions. Thankfully, many Idahoans are living those values. Neighbors, educators, and faith communities are stepping in to support the children who have been affected. Their care shows the kind of community most Idahoans want: one grounded in dignity, not fear. The harm in Wilder was avoidable. There are better, more humane ways to enforce the law. Agencies can use strategies that respect due process, community safety, and the wellbeing of young people. When enforcement relies on militarized tactics instead of measured communication and coordination, trust erodes in the very institutions meant to protect us. Children end up paying the highest cost for decisions they had no part in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We can turn away, insisting this is not our issue, not our family, not our children. Or we can widen the circle of who we care for and show up for one another. We have a choice. The kind of Idaho we build will be defined by how we respond now. Will we let fear decide for us, or will we lead with dignity, courage, and care for every person who calls this place home? SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX MIDLAND IDEA Public Schools, a leading network of tuition-free K-12 public charter schools, is thrilled to break ground and welcome a new campus featuring two schools, IDEA Henry Academy and College Preparatory to the families of Midland for the 2026-27 school year. IDEA will host a groundbreaking event to celebrate the monumental achievement on Oct. 30 at 10:30 a.m. at the IDEA Henry campus, 5820 Briarwood Ave., Midland. IDEAs mission is to transform education by preparing graduates to succeed in college and life. Founded in 2000, IDEA serves over 88,000 college-bound students in 145 schools nationwide, including across Texas, Ohio, and Florida. For 18 consecutive years, nearly 100 percent of IDEA Public Schools graduates have gone on to college, with many being first in their family to attend college. IDEA Henry honors Paula A. and James C. Henry whose life work continues on through the Henry Foundation. Established in 2006 by the Henrys, the Foundations mission is to focus resources to change lives. The charitable organization has awarded more than $30 million in grants to more than 850 nonprofit organizations. Through the partnership of the Henry Foundation, land was generously donated for IDEA Henry Academy and College Preparatory by Henry Resources, a news release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IDEA Henry will serve as the fourth campus in the broader IDEA Permian Basin region and open with grade levels K-2 for Academy and 6 and 9-12 for College Preparatory in its first year. This school opening will also mark the first graduating class for IDEA Public Schools in the Permian Basin region. The new campus will offer a unique curriculum and a college support model which is comprised of people, programs, and culture. IDEA aims to close the opportunity gap and increase levels of achievement by preparing students from underserved communities for success in college and beyond, the release said. Presenters for the groundbreaking include Dr. Jeff Cottrill, Superintendent and CEO of IDEA Public Schools, Dr. Annette Macias, Executive Director of the IDEA Permian Basin Region, Ronnie Scott, Vice President of the Henry Foundation and Jennifer Lovett, Principal at IDEA Henry College Preparatory. IDEA Henry is set to open its doors in August for the 2026-27 school year. Registration is now open, and families interested in applying or learning more can visit www.ideapublicschools.org. The post IDEA Public Schools hosts groundbreaking to welcome new school appeared first on Odessa American. Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately ordered the strikes after a security assessment with defense officials. The IDF has intensified its strikes across Gaza after Hamas fired at soldiers in the southern part of the enclave on Tuesday evening, according to Palestinian reports. It struck in the area of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, per Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the hospitals director-general. Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF struck infrastructure Hamas was using in southern Gaza after members of the terrorist group fired at soldiers, the Prime Ministers Office confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas also fired at and launched an anti-tank missile at military troops in Rafah, marking an additional ceasefire violation by the terrorist organization. Smoke rises from Gaza following an explosion, as seen from Israel, May 16, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD) The response to [Hamass] current violations will be much more significant than the response last time, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post. In order to prevent Hamas from further endangering soldiers on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, the IDF was now returning fire, according to one military source. Meanwhile, following a situational assessment with the approval of Defense Minister Israel Katz, the security restrictions that the IDF has put in place in the Gaza border communities ever since Hamass October 7 massacre have been lifted. Katz: Hamas will pay heavy price for crossing red line by attacking IDF In a statement released by his office on Tuesday, the defense minister said that Hamas will pay a heavy price for crossing a red line by attacking IDF troops and for violating the agreement to return the bodies of the remaining hostages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attacking IDF soldiers constituted crossing a bright red line, and the IDF will respond with great force, Katz said, adding, Hamas will pay with compound interest. Hamas will bear responsibility and pay a heavy price if it does not fulfill its commitments, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said. Many challenges still await us. The war is not over yet, he continued. Hamas claims Israeli strike killed two, injured four The Hamas-run civil defense unit said that at least two people were killed and four others were wounded by an Israeli strike south of Gaza City on Tuesday. The terrorist organization denied responsibility for the attack on IDF soldiers, saying in a statement that it remained committed to the ceasefire. Israel weighing five options should Hamas fail to return hostage remains That said, Israel was weighing five different options should Hamas fail to deliver the remaining hostages, Israeli security officials said on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The options being considered by the state include extending operational control, targeted escalation, hostage-remains-retrieval operations, diplomatic pressure, and ending existing agreements. Hamas is capable of returning a double-digit number of deceased hostages remains. It is not making enough effort to return the remains despite knowing their burial locations, an Israeli source told public broadcaster KAN News two weeks ago. On its part, the terrorist group has repeated that it cannot locate all the hostages in the Gaza Strip, saying as recently as earlier on Tuesday evening that it has already handed over all the hostages it could access. Locating the remaining bodies would require extensive efforts and special equipment, the terrorist group claimed. Amir Bohbot and Reuters contributed to this report. Police also worked with paratroopers to locate and arrest several individuals suspected of incitement to terrorism in the Hebron area. The IDF struck and killed three terrorists near Jenin in the West Bank, the military announced in a joint statement with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police's YAMAM counterterror unit on Tuesday. The cell was reportedly planning to carry out an attack and also took part in organizing terror activities in the Jenin refugee camp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the operation, the officers from the Counterterrorism Unit, following intelligence from the IDF and Shin Bet, tracked the terrorist cell, finding them emerging from a cave, before opening fire. Shortly thereafter, an airstrike was carried out by the Israel Air Force to hit the cave from which they emerged. IDF, Israel Police conduct counterterrorism operations in West Bank, October 28, 2025. (credit: Police Spokesperson ) Counterterrorism operations in West Bank Police also worked with paratroopers to locate and arrest several individuals suspected of incitement to terrorism in the Hebron area. Working with the Yehuda Region Police, paratroopers from Battalion 202 located two key suspects who incited terror on social media, including encouraging others to carry out attacks against Israeli citizens. Following their arrest, their mobile phones were seized, and the two were taken for questioning. The IDF also located and seized tools used for manufacturing weapons. An IDF strike in southern Lebanon killed two Hezbollah terrorists, including a member of the Radwan Force, involved in attacks on Israeli territory. The IDF conducted a strike on Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon on Monday, killing two, including one who was a member of Hezbollah's Radwan Force, the military confirmed. The strike, near al-Biyad, killed Radwan terrorist Hussein Ibrahim Suleiman, and Hezbollah terrorist Hassan Ibrahim Suleiman, the military added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IDF strike kills terrorist from Hezbollah's Radwan Force in southern Lebanon, October 27, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) The Israeli military stated that the two terrorists took part in "advancing numerous terrorist attacks toward Israeli territory." They were attempting to rebuild Hezbollah's terror infrastructure in the region, the IDF noted Hezbollah supporters attend a ceremony held by Hezbollah to commemorate the first anniversary of their late leader Hassan Nasrallah's killing by Israel, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, September 27, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR) Similar strikes on Hezbollah over recent days On Saturday, the IDF killed a senior Radwan Force commander north of the Litani River. On Sunday, the IDF killed two Hezbollah terrorists who were involved in smuggling weapons from Syria to Lebanon. This strike was conducted near Naqoura. In a Jewish world where our identity, politics, and power are more important than ever in a post-October 7 world, WZC remains one of the few platforms where all major Zionists gather to debate. Did you know that when you vote in Knesset elections, you are also electing delegates to the World Zionist Congress? Are you aware of the six different unions with full voting rights, or the international Jewish organizations with limited voting rights? If not, you should be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The World Zionist Congress, that body of living history founded by the father of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, has convened in Jerusalem for its now-quinquennial gathering as the supreme authority of the World Zionist Organization. The 39th Congress takes place in Jerusalem beginning today and running until Thursday. Delegates will consider dozens of resolutions in committee sessions, culminating in a plenary vote on Thursday. But beneath the procedures and formal settings, many of these resolutions touch directly on some of the most heated political fault lines in Israel. Several draft resolutions go to the heart of contentious debates in Israeli society: military service, sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, and the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre. The Opening of the 26th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem in 1964. (credit: MOSHE PRIDAN / GPO) The Sovereignty & Borders Committee plans to deliberate three items relating to sovereignty one week after Noam Party MK Avi Maozs bill to apply sovereignty to Judea and Samaria advanced to committee after passing its first Knesset reading. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Pluralism, Social Justice & Jewish Unity Committee plans to address equity issues that expose deep national rifts, chief among them the military draft. One resolution brought by Masorti Olami, the international umbrella organization for Masorti/Conservative Judaism, calls on the WZC to support legislation establishing mandatory service in the IDF or national service for all citizens. And while the Knesset State Control Committee voted last week against a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre, MERCAZ Olami has proposed a resolution calling for the establishment of such a commission. These are questions that are also being asked across Israeli politics, security, and society right now. The WZC is often dismissed as a historical relic and nothing more than the ceremonial gathering of Diaspora and Israeli representatives distributing jobs and budgets. But this Congress wields genuine influence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It oversees key appointments and allocations in the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, and other Zionist national institutions that control significant funding and land resources. Decisions made at the Congress can help shape educational priorities, settlement activity, aliyah policy, religious pluralism, and funding strategies that have far-reaching consequences. In other words, the WZC has a hand in how Zionism is implemented in practice, both in Israel and the Jewish world. That influence is also reflected in its makeup. Israel holds 38% of the delegate seats, the United States 29%, and the remaining Diaspora 33%. For a body that meets only once every five years, the Congress plays an outsized role in defining the global Zionist agenda. It is also, increasingly, a stage for Israels domestic political battles to spill over into the broader Jewish world. This year, those battles have extended beyond ideological debates. An internal power struggle within World Likud is already disrupting coalition negotiations over leadership positions in Israels national institutions. Two separate factions one led by WZO chairman Yaakov Hagoel, the other by Culture and Sport Minister Miki Zohar are negotiating independently for top jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each side accuses the other of delaying the World Likud Conference and its internal elections out of fear of losing control. That dispute has, in turn, created friction with other slates hoping to reach power-sharing agreements and has cast a shadow over the opening of the Congress. For some, the WZC feels distant as a symbol of Herzls time with little relevance to daily life in Israel or the Diaspora. But ignoring it would be a mistake. In a Jewish world where our identity, politics, and power are more important than ever before in a post-October 7 world, this Congress remains one of the few global platforms where all major Zionist streams, Left and Right, religious and secular, Israeli and Diaspora, must sit together, debate, and decide. Its influence may be quieter than a Knesset vote or a street protest, but it is important, often shaping the background against which those louder debates unfold. One can only hope the delegates will be able to sit and debate accordingly. So, do we still need the World Zionist Congress? Perhaps it is better to ask whether were aware how much it still matters. Nothing is more country than picking up a guitar and writing up a song about the joys of riding around in the back of a pickup truck. Some country songs describe the nights cozying up in the back of the truck with a love interest in front of the bonfire, while others reminisce about the fun to be had when driving with your friends. But is it legal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck while driving in the Palmetto State? If you've been seeing this activity around town and are wondering, we've got answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what state law says. Is it legal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck in South Carolina? Yes and no. There are age restrictions on who can and can't. It is illegal for those under 15 years of age to ride in the open bed or open cargo (no permanent overhead restraining construction) of a pickup truck or trailer on South Carolina's public roads, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. Following this law ensures the safety of young passengers. Khris Monteen, from left, Isabella Monteen, 10, and Rick Monteen lay in bed of a pickup truck waiting for the movies. The Monteen family drove from Waukesha to watch drive-in movies at The Milky Way Drive-In during the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020. Are there exceptions where those under 15 may ride in the bed of a pickup truck in South Carolina? Exceptions where individuals under 15 years old may ride in the bed of a pickup truck in South Carolina include the following instances, as outlined by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An adult is present in the bed or cargo area and is supervising the child. The child is secured or restrained by a seat belt manufactured in compliance with federal safety standards and installed to support a load of not less than 5,000 pounds. An emergency situation exists. The vehicle is being operated in an organized hayride or parade pursuant to a valid permit. The vehicle is being operated while hunting or in an agricultural enterprise. The vehicle is being operated in a county that has no incorporated area with a population greater than 3,500, or the vehicle has a closed metal tailgate and is being operated less than 36 mph. What is the fine in South Carolina for illegally riding in the bed of a pickup truck? The fine for violating South Carolina Code of Law Section 56-5-3900 is $25. "No drivers license points or insurance surcharge may be assessed for a violation of this section," per the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. A dog hangs out in the back of a pickup truck along historic Centre Street in Fernandina Beach, Fla. Monday afternoon, October 27, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] Can pets ride in the bed of a pickup truck in South Carolina? Yes, but drivers could still face charges for animal cruelty and negligence if their pet is injured due to being unrestrained. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that pets be secured by a kennel in the truck bed or by a harness in the cab. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Can I ride in the back of a pickup in SC? State laws, age restrictions SPRINGFIELD Hundreds of contenders for public office began filing candidacy petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections on Monday, vying to top March 17 primary ballots amid uncertainty over whether a prominent Republican governor contender will continue his candidacy following a family tragedy and a push by national Democratic leaders to redraw the states congressional boundaries to combat GOP-favored redistricting efforts in other states. Staffers with the campaign of Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey filed nominating petitions on behalf of the Xenia farmer and his running mate, Aaron Del Mar, the Cook County GOP chair from Palatine, only days after Baileys son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren died in a helicopter crash in rural Montana. If Darren decides that he wants to run, I will stand by him and we will run hard, Del Mar told reporters outside the election board offices. If he decides that he doesnt want to run, then I will stand by him in that decision as well. Our campaign right now is no longer a political campaign. Were the Bailey comfort campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was some strong encouragement from President (Donald) Trump, who called on Saturday; he just showed so much grace in his conversation with Darren, Del Mar said. He understands the impact this has had to the Bailey family and to the state of Illinois in general. And he encouraged Darren to stay strong and to run. Darrens taking that information, and its going to be part of our calculus of what we want to do. Bailey, a former downstate lawmaker, was the GOPs 2022 nominee for governor, losing to Democratic incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker by nearly 13 percentage points. After an unsuccessful 2024 Republican primary challenge to veteran U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro, Bailey announced late last month another effort to try to unseat Pritzker. On Wednesday, Baileys son Zachary, daughter-in-law Kelsey and grandchildren Vada Rose and Samuel were killed in the crash of the helicopter, which Zachary Bailey was piloting. Another of the couples children, Finn, was not on the aircraft, and Bailey and his wife, Cindy, have taken guardianship of him. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Bailey, a Christian evangelical who made his faith a centerpiece of his last campaign for governor, has been going through emotional peaks and valleys, Del Mar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You know, theres times where Darren seems like his normal self, and then theres times that hes completely shattered, Del Mar said. A funeral has been tentatively scheduled for Monday in Flora, Illinois, 100 miles east of St. Louis, Del Mar said. Baileys chief Republican rivals for the governor nomination also filed nominating petitions on Monday, including Ted Dabrowski of Wilmette, former president of the conservative activist research organization Wirepoints Inc., and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick. Pritzker also filed his petitions for a third term with new running mate Christian Mitchell. Mitchell is replacing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on the ticket after Stratton announced she was pursuing a bid for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of veteran U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. The filing by candidates for state and federal offices came as U.S. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York met in Chicago with members of Illinois congressional delegation and the state legislative Black Caucus in trying to push Illinois to redraw its congressional map in an attempt to add one additional Democratic seat to counter Trump-backed redistricting in GOP-led states, including a move in neighboring Indiana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois current congressional map, drawn by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly and signed into law by Pritzker, was politically gerrymandered to favor Democrats in 14 of the states 17 U.S. House districts. But even many Democrats were surprised when the map actually gave them all 14 seats. Jeffries is pushing to add another seat favoring Democrats, but he has encountered stiff resistance among some state Democratic lawmakers, including Black legislators who fear further changing the boundary lines would reduce Black representation. Others, meanwhile, are concerned that diluting existing Democratic districts could risk losing a seat to a Republican. But after the Chicago meeting, Jeffries said, Republicans are the ones who are breaking up Black and Latino districts all across the country. He said Democrats are committed to making sure that representation is preserved in districts currently held by African Americans and Latinos. Jeffries declined to offer specific details about any proposed map, though given the population difference and sharp political divide between northeastern Illinois and downstate, any change would likely be aimed at the current district of Darin LaHood of Peoria. The states two other GOP members of Congress, Mary Miller of Hindsboro and Mike Bost of Murphysboro, each have expansive downstate districts far from Chicago that would be more difficult for Democrats to turn into a winnable seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The map is going to be for the legislature and the governor to decide and its our hope that those conversations will intensify this week in Springfield, Jeffries said. Both Democratic U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Lynwood and Lauren Underwood of Naperville said they were on board with Jeffries plan, and Kelly said it would affect each seat. Kelly has a Far South Side, south suburban and downstate district but is bypassing reelection to seek the U.S. Senate seat now held by the retiring Durbin. Democrats have expressed concern about pushing Underwoods district into rural areas in northwest Illinois, which maintain solid GOP support. State Sen. Willie Preston of Chicago, who heads the chambers Black Caucus and is running to replace Kelly in the U.S. House, said theres potential for us to support a map, though he said he had not seen any proposed new boundaries. But he also warned, If it diluted the Black vote in any of the states three traditional Black congressional districts, the answer is, Hell no! In Springfield, Black candidates for Kellys open seat, as well as for the seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, were mixed on the potential of new map lines and the prospect that new boundaries could force them to start over with new petitions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can it be done right? Thats the question. I havent seen a map. No ones seen a map. And thats why its hard to say how can we be against something that we dont know what were against, said state Rep. LaShawn Ford, whom Davis has endorsed as a congressional successor. Here we are in the blue state, we have the ability to do it, right, to protect the voters, protect the Black population and gain a seat. So that should be our goal. But state Sen. Robert Peters of Chicago, a Black candidate to replace Kelly in Congress, sought to avoid discussing the issue as he waited in line to file his petitions. Asked whether he favored Jeffries push, Peters wouldnt answer, instead saying he was focused on current legislation in Springfield. Jeffries also met later in the day in Springfield with Emanuel Chris Welch, the states first Black speaker of the House, and state Senate President Don Harmon. Jeffries declined to say if he had shown Harmon any prospective maps but said he did not show any to Welch. After meeting with Harmon, Jeffries vowed of any remap effort: Our commitment is to make sure that the ability of Black and Hispanic communities to continue to elect the candidates of their choice is not diluted in any way that will prevent that from happening now and into the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Welch said in a statement that all options must remain on the table to protect our democracy. Pritzker said a redrawing of the boundaries is possible and something I think were all going to have to look at during the process here as state lawmakers enter the second and final week of their scheduled fall veto session on Tuesday. That doesnt have to happen during veto session. It could happen after that. But right now, I think theres just a lot of conversation going on, Pritzker said. The effort to redraw congressional maps nationwide is being done with an eye toward the 2026 midterms. But such an effort for 2026 in Illinois could create a host of legal, logistical and political problems for Illinois Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the biggest potential issues are that candidates for Congress have already begun filing for office under the current boundaries, the time frame for the approaching March 17 primary is tight, and the lawsuits that follow every redistricting, including whether map lines meet provisions for ensuring racial and ethnic representation under the federal Voting Rights Act, are inevitable. Candidates for the primary ballot began lining up outside the election boards headquarters in a little-used strip mall on Saturday largely out of tradition, since anyone in line by 8 a.m. is guaranteed a spot in a lottery to determine who will be listed first on the ballot for that office. All statewide offices are at stake, including the comptrollers office, where incumbent Democrat Susana Mendoza is not seeking reelection to potentially pursue a Chicago mayoral bid. In addition, all U.S. and state House seats and 39 of the 59 Illinois Senate seats will also be on the ballot. By the end of the first day of the weeklong filing process, 415 candidates had filed papers to run for a public office. But filing petitions is only the first step in the candidacy process. Many contenders are likely to face challenges to the legitimacy of the signatures they gathered and ultimately wont make it to the primary ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Sunday night, former police Officer Victoria Onorato sat in a chair bundled up in a blanket to file her petitions. Shes planning to challenge Illinois House GOP leader Tony McCombie of Savanna in the GOP primary. Onorato ran unsuccessfully for a House seat in 2022. Now living in Byron in northern Illinois, Onorato said she arrived in Springfield, about 195 miles from her home, on Saturday morning to secure the first spot in line. She wouldnt leave unless she had to take a bathroom break across the street at a grocery store that closes at 10 p.m. I know camping. You know, being a cop, Im a survivor. You know, you do survival mode, Onorato said. No coffee. No tea. Just water. You know, things like that. You know, eat light. Durbins decision to retire from his U.S. Senate seat prompted candidacies by Stratton, Kelly and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and created congressional vacancies in Kellys 2nd District and Krishnamoorthis 8th District. The decisions by Davis and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston to retire at the end of their terms also prompted a huge number of candidates to seek office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss was among 13 Democrats who filed Monday to run for Democrat Schakowskys seat, which represents Chicagos Far North Side and north and northwest suburbs. A former state lawmaker, Biss was an unsuccessful 2018 primary challenger to Pritzker for governor before being elected to municipal office. Standing in line outside the Board of Elections, Biss acknowledged the race for him was different from others hes undertaken because of his feelings and strong opposition to federal immigration enforcement agents flooding the Chicago area, including Evanston, to carry out mass deportations pushed by Trump. Ive never felt this way in a campaign before, Biss said. Masked armed agents of the state were driving around my town looking for brown-skinned landscapers to kidnap in Evanston. Its so wrong. It is so immoral. Its so un-American. Ultimately, the solution has to come from Congress. And thats why this race is so deeply motivating for me, and I think our whole community, he said. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. border patrol leader on Tuesday was in federal court to testify over alleged violations of a temporary restraining order on U.S. troop activity. U.S. federal Judge Sara Ellis was critical of Gregory Bovino, a U.S. border commander, after video footage depicted Bovino throwing tear gas into a crowd in Little Village during a series of widening public demonstrations in the Chicago area and outside a federal detention facility in Broadview. Ellis ordered Bovino to meet with her in person daily by 6 p.m. CDT to review all arrests during the so-called "Operation Midway Blitz" in the Trump administration's hardline immigration crackdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis stated in court she was "not interested in Home Depot arrests" in her order to Bovino. It arrived after clergy members, media groups and protesters filed a suit alleging a "pattern of extreme brutality" intended to "silence the press" and American citizens. Federal agents deployed tear gas during immigrant arrests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Chicago's southwest, north side and northwest side neighborhoods in Little Village, Lakeview and Old Irving Park. ICE field operations have been executed in the southwest Chicago area where a sizable immigrant population resides. Meanwhile, FBI agents along with local police and Illinois state troopers also have been sent to the greater Chicago area after U.S. President Donald Trump arbitrarily federalized then ordered National Guard troops into the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, about 10 miles from Broadview, two Chicago Public Schools students were allegedly assaulted by federal agents on their way to school in Little Village near the Discount Mall. Ellis issued a TRO on Oct. 9 that banned federal personnel from utilizing tear gas on protesters, religious leaders or the press without an immediate threat to safety until a full trial or before the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in. She reiterated that all U.S. agents in the middle of immigration actions in Illinois must wear active body cameras, saying it "wasn't a suggestion" but an order. "(Bovino) is a danger to our community," according to Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a City Council member in Little Village. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hopefully the judge will hold this commander to respect the law," he told The New York Times. On Tuesday, Ellis questioned the overall compliance of federal agents with the TRO she granted this month. Saturday's violent clash with local residents in Chicago's northwest side took place before a Halloween parade was slated to start. Ellis, the federal judge, said the young bystander victims had "their sense of safety" shattered on Saturday, adding that it's "going to take a long time for that to come back." "Your honor, those techniques and tactics can be employed, it's dependent on the situation and what level of force is present there," Bovino told Ellis in court. "Generally, some guy standing on the side of the street in front of his house or next to his car, most of the time -- absent something unusual -- is not presenting such a risk that deadly force is appropriate," the judge countered. Springfield, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) An Illinois State Senator has released a statement following a head-on collision that killed two people, including a Coles County Board Member and his wife in Clark County on Friday night. State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) released the following statement after a tragic DUI crash, that according to him, involved an illegal immigrant. It has now been confirmed that the Clark County Sheriff has received an ICE detention order for the suspect in the horrific DUI accident that killed Coles County Board member Mike Clayton and his wife, Gail, and also horribly injured two others Friday night, according to a statement made by State Senator Rose. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Worse yet, under Illinoiss idiotic laws that protect illegals and criminals over citizens laws that Governor Pritzker refuses to fix the Clark County Sheriff is not even allowed to enforce the ICE order to detain the suspect, Edwin O. Pacheco-Meza, stated Senator Chapin Rose. It is also totally ridiculous that the Illinois State Police have apparently been ordered not to release the citizenship status of the suspect hiding the basic details of this tragedy from the public at large. The Illinois Senators release ends with, The Claytons are, at least, the 5th and 6th DUI related death in east central Illinois by an illegal in as many years. How many more have to die before Governor Pritzker stops worrying about being President and starts standing up for the actual citizens of Illinois? Two people dead, two injured in head-on collision As we previously reported, the crash happened on Friday, October 24th, when a car traveling eastbound on West Lincoln Street in Westfield, Illinois crossed into the westbound lane and hit a car head-on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois State Police state that two people were pronounced dead on-scene, and two others were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Court records show, that the driver identified as 34-year-old Edwin Pacheco-Meza of Indianapolis was charged with reckless homicide, and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of alcohol. Both charges are felonies in the state of Illinois. Illinois State Police said the investigation remains ongoing. For more information on Illinois Senator Chapin Rose full statement click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyWabashValley.com. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WMBD) The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported on Tuesday a slight dip in the number of turkeys that hunters harvested this season. Fall firearm hunters harvested 255 turkeys across the state from Oct. 18 to 26, an IDNR news release said. This is down from the 294 harvested last year. The fall firearm turkey hunting season was open in 56 of Illinois 102 counties. Preliminary numbers show that, in our viewing area, two turkeys were harvested in Fulton County and another two were harvested in Knox County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The numbers were both down from last year, when five were harvested in Fulton County and seven were harvested in Knox County. The counties where the most turkeys were harvested were in Jefferson and Jo Daviess counties, where 16 turkeys were harvested. The record for the most turkeys harvested in Illinois was in 2005, when there were 1,218 turkeys harvested. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. The peace process between Pakistan and Afghanistan is now mired in further uncertainty after talks in Istanbul to broker a sustainable truce failed to reach a resolution, according to Pakistans information minister. The announcement early Wednesday came after state media in each country blamed the other on Tuesday for the lack of agreement in Turkiye on a long-term truce. The talks were spurred by tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistans Taliban government over armed groups operating in Afghanistan, which Pakistan claims were responsible for deadly cross-border hostilities earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afghanistans Taliban government has repeatedly rejected accusations of harbouring armed fighters and instead accuses Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty with air strikes. Dozens of people have been killed on both sides of the border in the deadliest fighting between the neighbours since the Taliban took power in 2021. The negotiations followed a ceasefire agreement mediated by Qatar and Turkiye. However, progress towards a long-term peace has now stalled. Quoting unnamed Pakistani security officials, The Associated Press news agency reported that Turkish mediators were continuing efforts to break the deadlock and allow talks to resume. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pakistan Television reported that a last-ditch effort was being made to resolve the issues. However, the Reuters news agency reported that the talks had ended without a resolution, according to sources from both sides. TTP at heart of deadlock The major sticking point in the negotiations has been Kabuls reluctance to commit to reining in the Pakistan Taliban (TTP), a separate group from Afghanistans Taliban government, which is hostile to Pakistan, according to reports. Islamabad says that the TTP operates with impunity inside Afghanistan, where its leadership is now based. Pakistani television reported that the Afghan delegation had repeatedly agreed to Pakistans demand for concrete and decisive action against the TTP and terrorism, but, following instructions from Kabul, its stance kept changing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Afghan source familiar with the talks told Reuters that they had ended after tense exchanges over the issue, adding that Kabul insisted it has no control over the group. The Taliban-controlled broadcaster RTA blamed Pakistan for the impasse, saying that Kabul had made every effort to hold constructive talks, but that the Pakistani side does not seem to have this intention. Afghan Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid and Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif signed a ceasefire agreement in Doha on October 19 [File: Reuters] Both sides said the ceasefire is holding despite the impasse, and despite sporadic clashes between Pakistani troops and TTP fighters along the border. Skirmishes over the weekend killed five Pakistani soldiers and 25 opponents, Pakistans military said on Sunday, describing the fighters killed as Fitna al-Khwarij, a term it uses for ideologically motivated armed groups suspected of being backed by foreign sponsors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cross-border violence earlier this month has raised alarm across the region, where armed groups like al-Qaeda are trying to resurface. United States President Donald Trump, who claims to have halted several wars since his return to the White House at the start of the year, said on Sunday that he will solve the Afghanistan-Pakistan crisis very quickly. Scientists have discovered special life forms thriving under Arctic sea ice. Until now, their presence in these dark and frigid conditions wasn't thought possible, and the findings could have global implications for the climate. Nitrogen gas makes up roughly 78 percent of Earth's atmosphere, and all organisms require it to survive, yet most can't use the element unless it's first converted to ammonia or ammonium. Microbes that can grab nitrogen from the air are called nitrogen-fixers, and they provide a foundational resource for entire ecosystems. Historically, scientists believed that in oceans, these organisms were exclusive to warm, tropical waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, we know better. Related: Earth's Underworld Is Full of Life, And It Goes Deeper Than We Ever Knew "It was believed that nitrogen fixation could not take place under the sea ice because it was assumed that the living conditions for the organisms that perform nitrogen fixation were too poor," says lead author and biologist Lisa von Friesen from the University of Copenhagen. "We were wrong." Only in the last decade or so have researchers begun to consider the Arctic Ocean as an overlooked source of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. While scientists have previously found nitrogen-fixers in cold Arctic waters, von Friesen and her colleagues are the first to discover these microbes under sea ice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Samples from the Central Arctic Ocean and the Eurasian Arctic have revealed a community of thriving microbes called non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs). This is a fancy name for bacteria that fix nitrogen but don't photosynthesize. Researchers have not yet shown that these microbes are fixing nitrogen in the Arctic, only that they have the genetic machinery to do so. Their distribution and abundance, however, suggest they are closely involved in the region's nitrogen-fixing activity. If that's true, these microscopic life forms could have a global impact. Sea ice decline and the potential impact on nitrogen fixation rates. (von Friesen et al., Commun. Earth Environ., 2025) Researchers found that the fringes of Arctic sea ice tend to host more nitrogen-fixing bacteria and higher nitrogen-fixing activity. This suggests that as Arctic ice rapidly melts with climate change, more of these unique microbes may proliferate, altering the marine food web and impacting the atmosphere itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NCDs feed algae, and if algae expand in the Arctic, they could support a richer food web. "Because algae are the primary food source for small animals such as planktonic crustaceans, which in turn are eaten by small fish, more algae can end up affecting the entire food chain," explains von Friesen. Win a $10,000 Space Coast Adventure Holiday More algae in the Arctic could also trap more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. "If algae production increases, the Arctic Ocean will absorb more CO 2 because more CO 2 will be bound in algae biomass," says marine microbial ecologist Lasse Riemann. "But biological systems are very complex, so it is hard to make firm predictions, because other mechanisms may pull in the opposite direction." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What is clear, Riemann argues, is that nitrogen fixers in the Arctic need to be incorporated into future climate models. "Sea ice melt may, directly or indirectly, stimulate nitrogen fixation," the research team concludes. "We consequently encourage a future modeling effort targeting the magnitude and dynamics of nitrogen fixation in the Arctic Ocean." The study is published in Communications Earth & Environment. Related News NEW DELHI (AP) Indian authorities on Tuesday carried out a cloud-seeding experiment over smog-choked New Delhi in an attempt to induce rainfall and clear the citys toxic air, which has sparked anger among residents. A plane sprayed chemicals into clouds over some areas of the Indian capital to encourage rain and wash pollutants from the air, which remained in the very poor category, according to air quality monitors. Cloud seeding a weather modification method that releases chemicals into clouds to trigger rain has been used in drought-prone regions, such as the western United States and the United Arab Emirates, though experts say its effectiveness remains uncertain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the trial was done in collaboration with the governments Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, with more planned in the coming days. He said that authorities were expecting a brief spell of rainfall in some parts of the city in the following hours. New Delhi and its surrounding region, home to more than 30 million people, routinely rank among the worlds most polluted. India has six of the 10 most polluted cities globally, and New Delhi is the most polluted capital, according to a report from Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir earlier this year. Air quality worsens in New Delhi every winter as farmers burn crop residue in nearby states and cooler temperatures trap the smoke, which mixes with vehicle and industrial emissions. Pollution levels often reach 20 times higher than the World Health Organizations safe limit. Authorities have imposed construction bans, restricted diesel generators and deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze. However, critics say there needs to be a long-term solution that drastically reduces pollution itself, instead of actions that aim to mitigate the effects after it has already plagued the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Krishna Achuta Rao, professor at the center for atmospheric sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, said that seeding clouds to reduce air pollution is ineffective, because it can dissipate pollution only for a few days after which the air quality returns to the state that it was before. Instead, Rao said, implementing strong laws that can result in reducing emissions from all sources, including industries, vehicular pollution and construction, is the only way to clean Indias air. Cloud seeding is not really a cure (for pollution). The main purpose appears to be to show people that something is being done, he said. ___ Sibi Arasu reported from Bengaluru. FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) An Indiana man has been charged in connection with the death of a motorcyclist following a crash in Fort Smith earlier this year, according to court documents. Christopher Hamilton, 45, of West Lafayette, Ind., was arrested on Oct. 22 for one count of negligent homicide with a deadly weapon. Christopher Hamilton, 45 (Courtesy: Sebastian County Detention Center) A probable cause affidavit said that on April 23, officers with the Fort Smith Police Department responded to a fatal vehicle collision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamilton, who was driving a 2020 Toyota Camry, hit a motorcycle, driven by Landin Young, 27, according to the affidavit. New details released in Johnson County crash that left two dead The Midland Bridge, located between Van Buren and Fort Smith, was clearly marked as a two-lane bridge at the time of the crash, the affidavit said. An officer who responded to the scene spoke with Hamilton, who said he forgot the bridge was two-way traffic. A witness told the officer that they saw Hamilton pass several vehicles before hitting Young. Data retrieved from the scene showed Hamilton was driving nearly 58 mph, where the speed limit was posted at 40 mph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamilton is being held in the Sebastian County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 29. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. Police in Indiana have recovered 1,000 Bitcoin mining machines stolen from a hijacked shipment of cargo in a semi-trailer in Grant County earlier this monthand, in an unusual twist, also stopped the theft of $75,000 worth of frozen turkeys during the same investigation. The mining devices, worth around $700,000, belonged to Your Choice Best Ever, a crypto mining firm with operations in the state. The company reported the theft on Oct. 2. It did not respond to requests for comment from Decrypt on whether it also had any connection to the purloined poultry. In a Facebook post Monday, the Grant County Sheriffs Office said detectives tracked the stolen shipment to the Chicago area, and coordinated the recovery of the mining rigs last week. No arrests have yet been made, but the investigation involves international criminal participants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Locals found humor in the bizarre pairing of Bitcoin miners and frozen turkeys. Comments on social media ranged from puns about police gobbling up the charges to jokes about using the ice-cold turkeys to cool overheating servers. Mining operations expanded into areas like the Midwest following a 2021 ban on mining in China. At its height, China dominated the Bitcoin mining industry, accounting for more than three-quarters of global activitybut the ban dispersed miners across the world, leading to new hubs in the U.S. and beyond. According to an article published earlier this year in Nature, the U.S. now accounts for 38% of global Bitcoin mining. Globally, the mining hotspots today are Texas, parts of the U.S. Midwest, the Nordic region, the Caucasus, and increasingly Latin America, Kadan Stadelmann, chief technology officer at Komodo Platform, told Decrypt. Anywhere with cheap, stable, and often renewable power. The company which owns the stolen machines, Your Choice Best Ever, is typical of the trend of China-based miners moving abroad. It once operated blockchain mining facilities in Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Yunnan in China before the mining ban. Founded in 2014, the companys website, which seemingly hasnt been updated in years, claims it now has mining sites in Indiana and Mississippi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump Sons' American Bitcoin Stock Jumps After Adding $163 Million to BTC Treasury Yet the rapid rise of mining operations has stirred debate in communities where they are located. Opponents cite high energy consumption and noise pollution as major concerns, while supporters argue that mining brings jobs, investment, and tax revenue. Some concerns are absolutely valid, Stadelmann previously told Decrypt. The industry hasnt always communicated well about its energy mix or community impact." He argued the key is to stop operating in isolation and start showing tangible local benefits like jobs, tax revenue, and support for renewable build-outs. "The answer isnt denial, its transparency and innovation," he said. The co-owner of an Indianapolis mental health clinic faces dozens of Medicaid fraud charges after investigators say the business billed the state almost $3 million for services never rendered by a doctor. Though TRUTH Treatment Centers claimed a California-based anesthesiologist was treating patients, the facility was instead using recent graduates of its own drug treatment program as counselors, according to a news release from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. The graduates lacked the education and licensure to do this work, Rokita's office wrote. One of TRUTH's owners, Kevin Calvert, 57, is charged with 43 counts of Medicaid fraud and one count of theft. The case will be prosecuted by the attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Marion Superior Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The center's other owner, Tyrone Allen, has not been charged with a crime in connection with the investigation. When asked for comment about the decision to charge Calvert and not Allen, the attorney general's office did not immediately respond. TRUTH Treatment touts itself on its website as a customized "dynamic, multi-disciplinary, integrated and comprehensive treatment program." How the TRUTH Treatment Center investigation began Rokita's office received a tip about TRUTH Treatment Center from another state agency in January 2024, according to court documents. The initial tip highlighted that patients were being billed for two mutually exclusive services on the same day. The investigation took a turn, however, after authorities spoke with the doctor most claims listed as the treating physician. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March 2025, Dr. Algenon Parson said he'd never worked for the business and "is not even qualified, in his opinion, to do that type of work because it is not his specialty," investigators wrote. The doctor knew both Calvert and Allen, however, and a previous business deal between the three had fallen through. They tentatively agreed to a real estate investment partnership for two health care businesses in 2020, but the doctor grew concerned after a contract listed him as both facilities' medical director. Parson told Calvert and Allen he was unable to serve in that capacity because of a law preventing doctors from referring patients to healthcare facilities with which they're financially involved, he recalled to investigators. The real estate partnership fizzled over zoning issues. The contract was never signed, but the three men remained in communication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At some point, the doctor asked Calvert for administrative help with his own medical practice. Through a series of contractors, Calvert instead enrolled Parson as an Indiana Medicaid provider for TRUTH Treatment Centers without his consent, according to court documents. In 2022, the doctor emailed both Allen and Calvert demanding a refund of the money he'd paid them for administrative work. "All of the information you submitted was for TRUTH Treatment, which I am not a part of," Parson wrote in a copy of the email provided to investigators. More than $2.7 million in Medicaid reimbursements discovered But patient medical records continued to show "electronic signatures purported to be made by Dr. Parson" through at least 2023, investigators say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A review of reimbursements submitted to Medicaid found the doctor was listed as the provider on 26,122 claims totaling $2,754,498. In a July 2025 interview, Calvert denied using the doctor's identity without consent. He gave investigators copies of communications between himself and the doctor, but did not include the 2022 email where the doctor asked to be refunded. "We take very seriously our responsibility to protect Indiana's resources from fraudsters," Rokita said. At the time of publication, an attorney for Calvert was not listed in online court records. An initial hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Oct. 29. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither Parson, Allen nor Calvert immediately responded to a request for comment. (This story was updated to add new information.) Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter at IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis addiction center owner charged with 43 counts of Medicaid fraud Influencer Hannah Grubbs has no shortage of social media content about Hurricane Melissa and now, shes facing backlash for it. Over the past few days, Grubbs, who is vacationing in Jamaica, posted multiple TikTok videos about the Category 5 hurricane hitting the island. Hurricane Melissa out here messing with my vacation, she wrote on top of a video that was posted over the weekend and featured her standing outside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Followers took to the comment section to call out Grubbs for her post. People are about to lose everything they own, their loved ones, and their lives, but yes, let us all take a moment of silence for Hannahs vacation , one user wrote. Hey you realize that people actually LIVE there and are scared [about] losing their homes, livelihoods, LIVES, a second person chimed in. But yea lets focus on your vacation. All the employees with family theyre worrying about while also helping tourist who are stuck, another person penned. Youll go home and theyll be stuck picking up the pieces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid the backlash, Grubbs reposted a satellite video on her Instagram Story on Monday, October 27, originally posted by AccuWeather. Currently stuck in Jamaica, she wrote on top of the video alongside a red heart emoji. Please say a prayer for Jamaica and all of its people. This story Influencer Gets Slammed For Complaining Hurricane Melissa is Messing With Her Trip in Jamaica first appeared on National Enquirer. Add National Enquirer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Ten years after 18-year-old Ebby Steppach vanished, her family says they finally have answers to one of the cases biggest mysteries where she spent the final hours before her disappearance. Michael Mazzella, the familys executive producer and spokesperson, says the new information was approved for public release by the Arkansas Attorney Generals Cold Case Unit, which began helping the Little Rock Police Department with the investigation last year. This information was one of the biggest mysteries to the family since the very beginning of this case, Mazzella said. What we were always confused about was where did Ebby go on the evening of October 24th, 2015, when she left her grandparents house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ten Years Later: Mother of Ebby Steppach finds new hope through social media campaign Investigators now confirm that between 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, and 3 a.m. the following morning, Ebby was in the area of 53rd Street and University Avenue in Little Rock, just hours before she made her final phone call to her brother, Trevor, around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Nearly three days later, on Oct. 29, her car was found abandoned at Chalamont Park, in west Little Rock. Inside the vehicle were her phone, makeup bag, and other personal items, signs that her family always believed pointed to foul play rather than a runaway situation. Two and a half years later, in May 2018, police discovered Ebbys skeletal remains inside a drainage pipe at that same park. The discovery confirmed what her mother, Laurie Jernigan, had feared all along, that her daughter had been nearby the entire time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mazzella says the newly released timeline is a breakthrough but leaves critical questions unanswered. Its still a mystery what happened after 3 a.m., he said. We dont know who she was with or what she was doing during that time frame. Mother of Ebby Steppach hopes for development in case nine years after her disappearance According to Mazzella, one reason her movements that night were unclear was a text message she sent to her stepfather, Michael Jernigan, on Saturday evening. In it, she claimed she had been assaulted at a friends house and wanted him to meet her at the police station to file a report. But Ebby never showed up, a turning point that has haunted her family for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mazzella says the family hopes the release of this information, combined with the Attorney Generals involvement, will prompt new leads and refocus public attention. At this point, we believe someone out there probably knows something and they may not even realize that they know it, he said. In recent months, the Steppach family launched a new set of social media pages under the name Justice for Ebby Jane. The pages on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X have already generated thousands of tips, many of which have been forwarded to investigators. Mazzella said one tip circulating is about a security guard at the park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know that the security guard has been cooperative with the current investigation, and it does not appear that he participated in the death or disappearance of Ebby, he said. She loved fiercely Mother speaks on eight-year anniversary of Ebby Steppach disappearance in Little Rock He added that the familys goal in releasing verified information is to help people focus on new possibilities and fresh leads. Our hope by giving you this information releasing it to the public is that people can start focusing on other thoughts, other people, and other ideas, Mazzella said. The Attorney Generals Office and Little Rock Police Department continue to investigate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Attorney Generals Cold Case Unit or submit tips via email or through the Justice for Ebby Jane social media pages. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. PANAMA CITY Local farmers and vendors are coming together in Panama City to bring fresh produce close to home as part of a new program. The Farm to Town Initiative works to connect struggling farmers in the region with local farmers' markets. The Historic St Andrews Waterfront Partnership runs The Market in St Andrews and has faced some struggles connecting with local growers over the years. The Farm to Town Initiative aims to deliver fresh produce from local and regional farms straight to local farmers markets. It was discovered that many farmers in Northwest Florida and Southwest Georgia have been experiencing similar challenges with limited labor, transportation costs and time constraints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new initiative will have refrigerated trucks pick up produce directly from the producers and bring it to Panama City for distribution at the St Andrews and Glenwood Marketplace. Panama City, the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Historic St Andrews Waterfront Partnership have partnered and were awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant in 2023 to create a distribution network as well as the Glenwood Marketplace. A release from the waterfront partnership says that Rebuild Bay County, the LEAD Coalition and Red Tomato have worked together to expand the program. More on community initiatives: Panama City to give away 15,000 free trees with help of $1 million grant Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Visitors can shop for local and regionally grown produce, handmade baked goods, pork, beef, chicken and dairy plus an increasing variety of artisan foods such as granola, kimchi and sauerkraut," reads the release from the waterfront partnership. "Every purchase helps preserve agricultural traditions within a 200-mile radius, reduce transportation waste and encourage sustainable practices that protect the environment for future generations." Every Saturday, Rebuild Bay County hosts the Farm to Town Initiative booth at the St Andrews Market. The booth will be hosted by the LEAD Coalition on the first and third Saturdays of the month at the Glenwood Marketplace. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Initiative will bring local produce to Panama City farmers markets Brescia, Italy, is not the most obvious place for a disgraced American politico to make a triumphant return. But when Paul Manafort appeared at a political event there in April less than five years after his convictions on financial and lobbying crimes as well as witness tampering were wiped away by a pardon from President Donald Trump it marked the completion of an unlikely full-circle journey from high-flying global fixer to federal inmate and back. Manafort was in the industrial city on the outskirts of Milan with a new client on whose behalf he was trying to engineer a political makeover that evoked some of the 1980s-era projects that made him a near mythic figure in the lucrative world of foreign campaign consulting and lobbying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In those days, Manafort made his name by helping launder the reputations of blood-stained foreign figures whom he sold to Ronald Reagans Washington as Cold War allies. But its a new era in Washington, and the pitch has changed. Instead of winning over an American administration by casting his clients as anti-communist stalwarts, hes positioning them as comrades in Trumps war against globalist, deep-state elites. Hence his partner at the event in Brescia: Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister of Albania who had been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for significant corruption and charged in a corruption case at home, was seeking a return to power in a May 11 parliamentary election. Running as the head of the conservative opposition against the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama, Berisha had reinvented himself as a Trump-like victim of a witch hunt by domestic rivals and left-wing globalists including the billionaire investor George Soros and former President Joe Bidens administration. The messaging, according to two people familiar with the effort, was heavily shaped by Manafort. Never mind that for years, Berisha had been an avowed internationalist and NATO defender who had expressed appreciation for Soros and cultivated relationships with both George Bushes, as well as Bill and Hillary Clinton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Brescia, at a meeting of Albanian expatriates expected to cast votes in the upcoming election, Berishas effort to affiliate with an American president who had emerged as the unofficial leader of a right-wing populist movement was driven home by the two operatives who were seen flanking him in the front row of a crowd in which supporters waved Italian and Albanian flags, as well as those with the emblem of Berishas political party. On his right was the co-manager of the 2024 Trump campaign, Chris LaCivita, wearing a slightly rumpled light-blue suit jacket with a tie drooping over his ample belly. On Berishas left, looking fit in an immaculately tailored, perfectly pressed dark blue suit with a red tie and a confident smile beneath a head of well-coiffed thick silver hair was Manafort. If any of the would-be voters in the crowd had issues with the operatives legal history and broadly unpopular pardon, it is not clear if they were publicly voiced. The appearance, days after Manaforts 76th birthday, was perhaps the most public manifestation of a push to drum up business that began not long after he was pardoned. Manaforts associates say its partly an effort to rebuild his finances and partly an attempt to reclaim his legacy and go out on his own terms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When everybody is searching for you and they want your advice and they want to listen to you it just makes you feel validated to a certain extent, said Hector Hoyos, a longtime friend and former business partner. He is fulfilling that elder statesman role at this time in his life. Hoyos said that most of Manaforts work since the pardon had been with corporations, rather than political clients. For instance, since Trumps return to the White House, Manafort has been advising crypto interests on how to navigate Trumps orbit. Yet in the weeks after Election Day, Manafort, sensing opportunity, began aggressively courting far-right populist interests around the world looking to align themselves with Trump. Among those for whom Manafort has explored the possibility of doing elections-related work: a French billionaire who has backed anti-immigration politicians such as Marine Le Pen and an ultraconservative Peruvian mayor who is eying a presidential campaign next year, according to people familiar with his efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent months, Manafort has also consulted with the party of Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian authoritarian who has served as president of the self-governing Balkan territory of Republika Srpska. Manafort was enlisted to help prepare for an election, according to four people familiar with his work. The preparations came as Dodik sought help from Trump to fend off pressure on multiple fronts. Hes facing sanctions in the U.S. and criminal charges in Bosnia for disobeying the international official tasked with overseeing the 1995 Dayton Accords peace agreement that ended bloody sectarian fighting between Bosnians, Serbs and Croats. Dodik, a Serbian nationalist, has denied that the Srpska army committed genocide against Bosnian Muslims during that war. Dodiks government had enlisted a number of Trump allies to try to persuade the U.S. administration to lift the sanctions and pull back on the Dayton Accords enforcement. Not unlike what Manafort did with Berisha, Dodiks American supporters have cast him as a target of Democrat-aligned institutions intent on punishing him for daring to defy them. Manafort's consulting in Srpska, which has not been previously reported, focused on domestic politics, and not the sanctions or court cases, according to people familiar with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives from the Srpska government did not respond to questions about Manaforts role. The efforts appear to have been thrown into limbo late last month, when Dodik made concessions to a court decision seeking his ouster as president. Even as he continued to signal that he still considers himself the president, he announced during an appearance in Russia that he was anointing a loyalist, who is also under U.S. sanctions, as the partys preferred candidate to replace him in a special election next month. Manafort said his consultation with Dodiks party had nothing to do with trying to influence U.S. policy. In a written statement this month, he denied that he had met with anyone in the U.S. government regarding any foreign clients. I do elections overseas, but no lobbying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manafort made his name in politics by helping to devise a new model of consulting. It involved running U.S. political campaigns as a consultant and then, once his clients were in office, seeking to influence them as a lobbyist for various corporate interests. In the 1980s and 1990s, he expanded the model internationally, reaping millions of dollars to run electoral or public relations campaigns for foreign politicians and also lobbying for their governments or groups in Washington. The work made him rich, as he spent decades traveling the world amassing tens of millions of dollars representing a rogues gallery of kleptocratic dictators, brutal warlords and rapacious oligarchs. But it also made him notorious. Manaforts representation of such clients as the brutal Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the bloodstained Angolan guerilla leader Jonas Savimbi was featured prominently in a 1992 watchdogs report called The Torturers Lobby. But in the cases of Marcos, Savimbi and many others, Manafort helped win support in Washington by positioning them as allies of the Reagan and Bush administrations in the global rivalry with the Soviet Union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I never worked with a country that was contrary to U.S. foreign-policy interests. That was the one criteria in anything we did, Manafort told me. The way I would balance it is if they were on the side of the U.S. Now, I say that in a broad way. U.S. foreign policy is called pro-democracy, but it's not always pro-democracy, it's pro-U.S. For instance, he called Savimbi, who was credibly accused of burning opponents in bonfires at public rallies, Reagan's freedom fighter against the Cubans who were then helping Angolas pro-communist government battle the rebels. Manafort launched a sophisticated campaign that turned Savimbi into a cause celebre in Republican circles, while tamping down concerns from government bureaucrats about his brutality, ideological flexibility and hunger for power. With American assistance facilitated by Manafort, whose firm would be paid more than $5 million in reported fees for its work, Savimbi kept fighting the Angolan government through the Reagan and Bush years. By the time Savimbi was killed by Angolan government soldiers in 2002, the civil war he had prosecuted for three decades had left an estimated 500,000 Angolans dead and 4 million homeless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without the assistance Manafort procured for Savimbi, the fighting likely wouldnt have dragged on so long or been so deadly. About one month after Savimbis death, a permanent ceasefire agreement was signed. By then, of course, the Cold War was over and the question of what buttons to press in order to woo Washington had gotten a lot more nuanced. Foreign political consulting is a lucrative but murky industry for American consultants. They can collect huge paydays from shadowy interests with little paper trail, since the campaign finance disclosure requirements in most countries are less stringent than in the United States. And, while the consultants are often regarded by clients as a conduit to Washington, political consulting work does not by itself trigger disclosure requirements in the U.S. under the Foreign Agents Registration Act or FARA. It only requires people to file reports with the Justice Department detailing lobbying or public relations work in the U.S. for international political concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Manafort has not registered under the act for Berishas party or any other clients since he got out of prison. Berishas party will be required to disclose its payments to its American consultants for political work by Nov. 3, according to the Albanian election commission. Separately, Berishas allies entered into a $250,000-per-month contract with a lobbying firm that has ties to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to try to lift the sanctions on the Albanian politician. Questions about FARA compliance and compensation are not insignificant for Manafort. After one of his best paying clients a Russia-aligned strongman president of Ukraine was ousted from power in 2014 by mass street protests against his corruption and pivot to Moscow, Manafort started having trouble paying his bills. He fell behind on credit card payments that included his $210,000-per-season Yankees tickets and other expenses. His finances were stretched further by his unsuccessful fight to fend off charges that he violated FARA and committed financial crimes related to the Ukraine work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While he worked on the Albanian campaign with some of the same team members he brought to Ukraine including the pollster Tony Fabrizio Manafort says he is being careful to avoid anything that could even faintly resemble lobbying. And yet, it was easy to see how his teams efforts in Albania might appeal to a certain audience at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That was made apparent by Berishas own messaging and his unorthodox decision to tap some of Manaforts associates though not the famously press shy Manafort himself to deliver speeches on the campaign trail. In one speech in a rural area of northern Albania, Philip Griffin, a longtime Manafort deputy who had worked alongside his boss in Ukraine, drew a direct line between Trumps cause and Berishas. In America, the socialists tried to destroy Donald Trump using the legal system. But Donald Trump and the American people wouldnt have it, wouldnt let it happen, Griffin told a cheering crowd waving American flags and those of Berishas Democratic Party. Here in Albania, the socialists are trying the same tricks. And Im here to tell you they wont be successful here either. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LaCivita, who recruited Manafort as a senior advisor and Fabrizio as a public opinion analyst to join Berishas team, made several appearances in Albania on behalf of Berisha, opening one speech by asking the crowd, Who is ready to make Albania great again? In another forum, LaCivita called Rama nothing more than a puppet of George Soros, and branded Berisha a true friend of the United States, and who will successfully work with President Trump and the United States. LaCivita declined to comment. Fabrizio did not respond to requests for comment. While Albanian candidates had relied on American consultants in previous elections, they had never been so prominently featured, said Agon Maliqi, an Albanian political analyst who is a fellow at the Atlantic Council. This time around, I think it was more in the spirit of the Trumpian moment bringing people attached to Trump to signal both domestically and externally that this is part of a similar wave, and that Albania is part of it, said Maliqi. It made sense for Berisha to try to wrap himself in the Trump banner, Maliqi said, because pro-American sentiments run deep in Albania, but he said it didnt really fit Berishas decades of political positioning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Berisha has a history of strongman rule, but as a pro-NATO trans-atlanticist who admired Reagan and worked closely with the Bush Administrations, he more comfortably aligns as more of a classical Republican, Maliqi said. It also could have been intended to brush back Albanian prosecutors pursuing a corruption case against Berisha related to a land deal involving his son-in-law, since Albanian law enforcement receives assistance and guidance from the U.S. government. Presumably, Berishas camp wouldnt have embraced Trump if they didnt think it would work with actual Albanian voters. But the potential to win goodwill in Washington is an extra benefit especially because, in Washington, fewer people are aware of how incongruous the MAGA rhetoric sounded coming from an establishment figure like Berisha. But if this particular reinvention might seem odd for the candidate, it seems perfectly natural for his consultant. While Manafort remains in Trumps good graces, he is not nearly as close to the inner circle of foreign policy decision-making as he was under Reagan or Bush. But the formula of casting far-flung politicians as pro-Trump populists could be a blueprint for winning favor in Trumps Washington in much the same way that opposing communism was during the Reagan and Bush administrations, even if it didnt have as much impact in Albania as Manaforts earlier work for Savimbi or Marcos. Headed into the Albanian parliamentary election, there were some rumblings that the State Department might grant Berisha a waiver that would allow him to travel to the U.S. despite the sanctions. It would have been an October surprise except in May that Berishas allies predicted would boost him to victory by affirming the narrative that he had connections at the highest levels of the Trump administration that could help Albania. Except it didnt happen. The sanctions remained in place and Berisha lost badly. His party secured less than a third of the vote, down from its performance in the last election. The Socialists, meanwhile, finished with more than 53 percent, extending Ramas term as prime minister. Nonetheless, Alfred Lela, a spokesman for Democratic Party of Albania, argued that the engagement of Manafort and LaCivita was a success. Through the assistance of our American friends, we were able to demonstrate the Democratic Partys capacity to establish a modern political presence and to promote the vision that all Albanians should enjoy the same opportunities for freedom and prosperity that President Trump is working to provide in the United States and around the world, Lela said in a statement. Not everyone was as magnanimous. Berisha and his team took another page out of the Trump playbook, claiming the election was rigged by the Socialists. LaCivita amplified the claim, as did the lobbying firm hired by Berishas allies. A recount requested by his party found only marginal errors in the vote count. Asked if he agreed with the claim that the election was rigged against Berishas party, Manafort did not respond. Technically, the contract between Berishas party and LaCivita is still active, but its not clear if the Albanian opposition leader, who just turned 81, will make another bid for prime minister. This article is adapted from Kenneth Vogels new book Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests. A voter casts a ballot in Virginia as local election officials describe how paper-ballot systems, sealed vaults, daily audits and public transparency combine to protect the Nov. 4 vote from tampering and build public confidence. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) Virginia is barreling toward a Nov. 4 general election in which voters will choose a new governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general while also deciding all 100 seats in the House of Delegates. In cooperation with Keep Our Republic a civic-education group founded in 2020 as part of a push to counter efforts to undermine confidence in the presidential election The Mercury spoke with four local officials about what they do to keep voting both secure and accessible: Norfolk Director of Elections and General Registrar Stephanie Iles, Henrico County General Registrar Mark Coakley, Richmond General Registrar David Levine and Virginia Beach Director of Elections Christine Lewis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What follows is a look at the mechanics of election protection in their offices in plain terms, and in their own words. Locking down machines The backbone of Virginias voting system remains paper ballots read by optical scanners a design choice that reduces the risk of remote intrusion and leaves a hand-countable record. The state Department of Elections says it works with the Department of Homeland Security and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) to monitor and harden systems. We never, ever hook our voting machines to the internet, Iles, Norfolks director of elections, said. We have secure locations. We have cameras, we have security systems, we always do things in pairs. We do logic and accuracy testing of every piece of voting equipment, and we do post-election audit testing of every piece of equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coakley, Henrico Countys general registrar who has watched technology cycles come and go, noted that Virginias return to paper is the point. Most people used lever machines or punch cards, then touchscreens, and then we went back to paper, he said. You cannot hack paper with optical-scan ballots. Levine, general registrar for the city of Richmond, added that for those worried about files created on computers that might ever touch the internet, the systems layers matter more than any single step. Having paper ballots, strong chain-of-custody protocols and rigorous post-election audits are additional layers that mitigate risk, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several Virginia localities have also hosted public how it works tours and demonstrations of machine testing to blunt misinformation about hacking and tabulators. Watching for fraud Asked what safeguards exist to detect and prevent voter fraud and how often they see it Coakley pointed first to the human presence surrounding the process. (Political) parties do a really good job with their poll watchers, he said. They observe logic and accuracy testing before the election. Then during the 45 days of early voting, they can come in and watch as one voter at a time checks in, gets a personalized ballot, puts it through the machine and leaves. They can report back to their parties that things are going smoothly or where more help is needed for a disabled voter. Virginia officials have said for years that proven cases of voter fraud are rare; their larger concern is the corrosive effect of false claims on public trust. Chain of custody, end to end Lewis, the director of elections in Virginia Beach, said that her office locks down ballots throughout early voting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every day the ballots are stored in our DS300 tabulators. Once it gets to a certain amount, two officers of election put the ballots into a box, they seal the box, everyone signs, and it goes into our secure vault, she said. Only certain people have access, and you have to use your badge to get into it. Norfolk runs a similar daily sweep, Iles said, and then hands off everything to a neutral custodian: the circuit court clerk. On election evening, all of our ballots come back from each precinct, and they are put directly into the custody of our circuit court clerk. We do not access or touch those ballots unless there is a recount or contest. Theres always a chain of custody, she said. Precinct chiefs also reconcile how many ballots were issued, voted and left unvoted at close of polls before sealing and returning all materials. Coordination with state and federal partners The officials described coordination that ranges from long-planned exercises to race-day troubleshooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For federal elections, we have FBI agents assigned to assist us, Iles said. We have our local police, Virginia State Police, the Fusion Center, VITA, the Department of Elections and the State Board of Elections, plus our localitys emergency operations center. Coakley said Henrico runs tabletop drills with local police, the fire department, public works and Dominion Energy to prepare for outages or disruptions and to make sure everyone has everyones cell numbers in a crisis. The Virginia Department of Elections notes that its cyber posture is supported by DHS and VITA, and that Virginia systems are monitored and audited to state and Center for Internet Security standards. Access for every voter Virginia law requires accommodations such as curbside voting for voters 65 and older or those with disabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lewis said Virginia Beach uses Pocketalk, a handheld translation device that can convert hundreds of languages into English and has staff who speak French, Tagalog and Spanish. Richmond offers outreach materials and ballots in English and Spanish, Levine said, and tries to recruit election officers from a diverse range of constituencies, including the disability community. Training stresses inclusive language for example, to call a pet a service dog and respectful ways to assist older voters without playing into stereotypes, he said. Norfolk employs poll workers with disabilities and partners with groups such as The Arc of Virginia. Each voting place offers an ADA-accessible machine, Iles said, referring to devices in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. She added that her office coordinates with senior centers and nursing homes on ride times during early voting and Election Day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Virginias 2021 Voting Rights Act further added state-level protections for language access, polling-place changes and early public notice requirements beyond federal law. Training, audits and accessibility checks Theres required training for officers of election, Iles said, with emphasis on how to set up and use the ADA-accessible device, and how to correctly assist voters who need help. Coakley said the State Board of Elections requires localities to complete an annual, detailed ADA compliance survey of polling places from the slope of your ramp, to the door handle itself which must be uploaded for state review. Virginias early voting period roughly six weeks gives officials time to monitor operations, respond to issues and publish audit materials to the public. Transparency without exposing vulnerabilities Open government is part of the security model, the officials said, but there are limits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coakley said Henrico routinely responds to Freedom of Information Act requests, including for cast ballot records data exported from tabulators that allow outside analysts to study patterns without revealing how any voter voted. Anything FOIA-related that we can give to the public, we do, he said. Wed rather help the voters and the media than deny access to what we have readily available. Levine said Richmond tries to proactively communicate when mistakes happen, and invites residents to observe. Having people in place who know the rules, who are able to secure equipment properly, and are able to talk with the public about why theyre doing what theyre doing, is crucial, he said. The 2024 voter-roll removals and the aftermath The Youngkin administration last fall ordered daily removals of noncitizens from voter rolls based on DMV data, a move that touched off a legal fight over whether federal law bars systematic purges within 90 days of a federal election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge ordered more than 1,600 registrations restored; days later, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed removals to continue pending appeal. The states top elections official later said no additional voters were removed after the ruling. On the ground, the registrars The Mercury spoke to described the controversy as largely a non-event in their offices. It did not affect our office at all, Lewis said of Virginia Beach. In Henrico, Coakley said there was not a big increase in workload the state publishes daily and monthly reports for anyone seeking numbers and his staff referred questions to Richmond. Iles said Norfolk follows a notice-and-affirmation process when DMV data suggest a registrant indicated non-citizenship: If a voter doesnt return the affirmation letter, theyre removed; if the person later appears to vote and is a U.S. citizen, they can use Virginias same-day registration and cast a provisional ballot that will count once eligibility is confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Mercury reported at the time that same-day registration was a backstop for affected voters who showed up to vote in person. How list maintenance actually works List maintenance is largely state-directed, the officials said. The state provides the data to us on a monthly basis, Lewis said. We pull up the information they give us and see if its a match to a voter. And if it is, then that voter gets removed. As far as non-citizens, a lot of them are mistakes. If the person quickly returns an affirmation of citizenship, we can get them back. Coakley emphasized the top-down architecture: the statewide voter database and list-maintenance tools live at the state level; local offices carry out the mailings and processing. The National Voter Registration Act limits wholesale removals close to elections a key legal issue in last years litigation. Threats, safety and staffing Iles said the environment after the 2020 presidential election which was contested by then-President Donald Trump who repeatedly alleged fraud without providing evidence has included real-world harassment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive actually received threats before, she said. I have colleagues that have been doxed. COVID-era health concerns also shrank the pool of older volunteers, Iles added. To help protect election workers, the Voter Registrars Association backed legislation allowing election administrators and officers of election to list a P.O. box as a protected voter address. Local offices have also added cameras and other security features and coordinate closely with police on Election Day. Coakley recalled decisions in past elections to avoid uniformed officers inside polling places to prevent intimidation, while still maintaining a discreet law-enforcement presence nearby. He said one current worry he hears from party officials is the hypothetical appearance of immigration agents at polls something local officials would quickly escalate to state and federal partners to defuse. The throughline: redundancy and openness None of the officials claimed their systems are perfect. What they described instead was redundancy as a means of security: paper ballots backed by audits; cameras and vaults backed by two-person rules; public observation backed by formal records requests; statewide databases backed by local reconciliation; early voting backed by a same-day registration safety net. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state, for its part, continues to point to layered defenses and partnerships with DHS and VITA and to public-facing steps meant to show the process up close. For many Virginians, that offer to come and see for yourself may be the most persuasive answer to questions seeded by an age of disinformation. Editors note: This report was produced in partnership with Keep Our Republic, a civic education nonprofit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The American Battlefield Trust has joined with the Metamonong Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to bring the traveling American Revolution Experience display to the Pulaski County Public Library. The exhibit will be open through Saturday, November 8 during business hours for the library, located at 121 S. Riverside Dr. in Winamac. The American Revolution Experience provides us with an incredible opportunity to work with students, teachers and the general public to provide an insightful and meaningful education about the Revolution, said Shirley Fosler of the Metamonong chapter. We are working with the Pulaski County America 250 and the Pulaski County Public Library to bring this experience to everyone and are excited to welcome it to Winamac and Pulaski County. Everyone is welcome to come to visit this free exhibit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 100 venues across the country have hosted the exhibit, which includes 12 panels that spotlight individuals who were deeply affected by the Revolutionary War. The panels are complemented by three digital kiosks containing contextual information about the broader conflict. Both online and on-site, the American Revolution Experience contains custom illustrations by artist Dale Watson. The American Revolution Experience will continue traveling the United States throughout 2025, introducing visitors across the country to a cast of diverse historical figures with differing experiences and roles they took on during the Revolutionary War. The spirit of the American Revolution wasnt confined to halls of power where independence was declared it lived in the patriot soldiers and the everyday people whose courage shaped the America we know today, said Trust president David Duncan. Through this exhibit, we hope to connect the people of Indiana to those individuals whose sacrifices continue to shape our nations spirit. The American Revolution Experience first launched online in a digital-only iteration during the summer of 2022. Funding to transform the online product into a physical exhibit suitable for pop-up display at a wide variety of sites came from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and a matching grant from the federal American Battlefield Protection Program. The number of international student arrivals in the U.S. dropped by nearly a fifth at the onset of this academic year, according to federal data, the latest sign of a hit to colleges foreign student enrollment as the Trump administration has ratcheted up scrutiny of their visas. International visitors arriving in the U.S. on student visas declined 19% in August compared with the same month in 2024, according to the preliminary data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office. The numbers also declined in June and July, but August is the summer month that typically sees the most international student arrivals 313,138 this year. As the federal government has clamped down on student visitors, industry groups have warned of international enrollment declines that threaten school budgets and American colleges standing in the world. Although the extent of the change remains to be seen, the new data suggest a turnaround in international enrollment that had been rebounding in the U.S. from a decline worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year a source of key revenue for tuition-driven colleges. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid, and many pay full tuition. The picture in California Many California campuses, including the University of California system, have not yet released data on fall enrollment but prepared for potential hurdles in attracting internationals. For fall 2025 admissions not enrollment UC said its nine undergraduate campuses had offered seats to 3,263 more first-year international students, an increase of 17% over last year, according to data reported over the summer. UC also admitted 100,947 first-year California students, up more than 7% from last year, UC said it increased international admits because of "rising uncertainty of their likelihood of enrollment." It noted that the share of accepted internationals who choose to enroll is generally "substantially lower" than that of California residents and that the cost of being a non-Californian at UC has gone up. Last year, the UC Board of Regents approved a 10% increase of the "nonresident" tuition fee from $34,200 to $37,602. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At USC, the California campus that typically attracts the largest share of internationals in the state, there were also concerns over a potential dip in foreign student enrollment. The campus saw a small decline in overall international enrollment, from 12,374 last academic year to 11,959 this fall. Chinese and Indian students made up more than half of the total foreign population, matching trends statewide. But USC also grew its first-year international community, according to university data about this fall's new undergraduate class. Of the 3,759 new first-year students enrolled this fall, about 21%, or 789, are internationals. Last year, about 17% of the 3,489 first-years 593 were in the U.S. on visas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California usually attracts the largest international college community of any state. In 2024, in addition to USC, the biggest draws were UC Berkeley, which enrolled 12,441 students; UC San Diego, 10,467 students; and UCLA, 10,446 students, according to data from the Institute of International Education. STEM fields science, technology, engineering and math were the most popular. Visa challenges and travel bans blocked some students Nationally, many students who had plans to study in the U.S. could not enter the country because of difficulty lining up visas. In late May, the State Department paused the scheduling of visa interviews for foreign students, which resumed three weeks later with new rules for vetting visa applicants social media accounts. The timing of the pause had maximum possible impact for visa issuances for the fall semester, said Clay Harmon, executive director of the Assn. of International Enrollment Management, a nonprofit membership association. A travel ban and other restrictions for 19 countries that the Trump administration announced in June created even more uncertainty for some students. Most of the countries included in the ban were located in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal data on international dips show those regions experienced the largest declines in international student arrivals this August, with drops of 33% from Africa, 17% from the Middle East and 24% from Asia including a 45% decrease from India, the country that sends the most students to the U.S. The data include new as well as returning students, but some who were already in the U.S. avoided traveling outside the country this summer for fear of problems reentering. Students have concerns about the political climate, research funding and cost Some international students and their families have been wary of the Trump administrations wider crackdown on immigration. In the spring, the federal government stripped thousands of international students of their legal status, causing panic before the Trump administration reversed course. Trump also has called for colleges to reduce their dependence on foreign students and cap international enrollment. Syed Tamim Ahmad, a senior at UCLA who grew up in Dubai, said he was considering applying to medical school in the U.S. before last spring, when sudden student visa cancellations and government suspensions of research funding to Harvard and other elite campuses began to intensify. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When I was a freshman, it seemed that out of every country the U.S. provided the most opportunities in terms of access to research funding and resources," said Ahmad, whose major is physiological science. "But by my senior year, a lot of these pull factors became push factors. Funding was cut down, affecting labs, and there is fear among international students about what they put on social media and what they put online. That sense of having freedom of speech in the U.S. isn't the same." Ahmad is now planning to enroll at medical school in Australia. "There is a similar feeling among many students that if they are going to graduate school or continuing their studies they should go outside the U.S.," said Ahmad, who previously served in UCLA's undergraduate student government as an international representative. "But it's not everyone. There are also still many people who believe that there are good opportunities for them in the United States." Zeynep Bowlus, a higher education consultant in Istanbul, said interest in U.S. universities among the families she works with had been declining over the last few years largely because of financial reasons and skepticism about the value of an American degree. Policy changes in the U.S. are adding to their concerns, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I try not to make it too dramatic, but at the same time, I tell them the reality of whats going on and the potential hurdles that they may face, Bowlus said. Institutions in other countries have seized the opportunity to attract students who might be cooling on the U.S. Growing numbers of Chinese students have opted to stay in Asia, and international applications to universities in the United Kingdom have surged. Elisabeth Marksteiner, a higher education consultant in Cambridge, England, said she will encourage families looking at American universities to approach the admissions process with more caution. A student visa has never been guaranteed, but it is especially important now for families to have a backup plan, she said. I think the presumption is that its all going to carry on as it was in the past, Marksteiner said. My presumption is, it isnt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaleem is a staff writer for The Times. Seminera and Keller write for the Associated Press. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Germany's Federal Criminal Police and Interpol have joined the investigation into the jewel heist at the Louvre. Both agencies on Tuesday released a photo of the stolen items and asked for public assistance in recovering the treasures. Interpol has added the Parisian jewels to its database of stolen art, which contains around 57,000 objects. The robbery on October 19, which saw eight crown jewels valued at an estimated 88 million ($102 million) taken by thieves disguised as construction workers, has caused outrage and drawn sharp criticism of security at the world-famous museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laurent Lafon, head of the French Senates Culture Commission, called for urgent improvements. "We are dealing with a security organization that does not meet the expectations one might have for a museum," Lafon said after visiting the Louvre on Tuesday, citing the need for upgrades, including video surveillance. On Saturday, French police arrested two suspects previously known for theft, identified through DNA evidence. According to the Le Parisien newspaper, both invoked their right to remain silent during questioning. Two other suspected accomplices remain at large, and the stolen jewels have not been recovered. Germany's Federal Criminal Police and Interpol have joined the investigation into the jewel heist at the Louvre. Both agencies on Tuesday released a photo of the stolen items and asked for public assistance in recovering the treasures. Interpol has added the Parisian jewels to its database of stolen art, which contains around 57,000 objects. The robbery on October 19, which saw eight crown jewels valued at an estimated 88 million ($102 million) taken by thieves disguised as construction workers, has caused outrage and drawn sharp criticism of security at the world-famous museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laurent Lafon, head of the French Senates Culture Commission, called for urgent improvements. "We are dealing with a security organization that does not meet the expectations one might have for a museum," Lafon said after visiting the Louvre on Tuesday, citing the need for upgrades, including video surveillance. French Culture Minister Rachida Dati later told the Senate: "The fact that this spectacular theft occurred is a failure." Dati stressed that the alarm system had functioned and that security staff had followed procedures, but acknowledged: "There were indeed security gaps." These, she said, must now be addressed. On Saturday, French police arrested two suspects previously known for theft, identified through DNA evidence. According to the Le Parisien newspaper, both invoked their right to remain silent during questioning. Two other suspected accomplices remain at large, and the stolen jewels have not been recovered. Iowa State University students protested March 13, 2025, on campus for freedom of speech and the freedom of New York student activist Mahmoud Khalil. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa Writers 'Collaborative. Linking Iowa readers and writers. Not surprisingly these days, free speech on college campuses is back in the headlines. That makes it worthwhile to highlight the seven-page policy the Iowa Board of Regents wrote to proclaim how it values and protects freedom of expression at the three state universities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before getting to that, it is important to note the regents did not start with blank slate when they crafted their policy. First, they and their policy must comply with the First Amendment, which became part of the Constitution when the lands of Iowa still belonged to France. Second, any sidestepping of the First Amendment could prove expensive for government administrators who discriminate among speakers based on the content of their speech. We see this more clearly now after two Iowa public school teachers, in Creston and Oskaloosa, sued their employers after being fired or threatened with termination in the wake of the death of activist Charlie Kirk. Both teachers allege school officials violated their First Amendment free-speech rights over their Facebook posts about Kirk. ON ITS FACE, the regents freedom of expression policy reads well. It says the policy conveys the boards commitment to the principles embodied by the First Amendment and the Iowa Constitution. The policy provides a guide to students, faculty and staff at the universities in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent events, however, reveal troubling proof the boards First Amendment pronouncements are not self-evident to current board members and university administrators they supervise. For example, the policy states, The Boards fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation must not be suppressed merely because the viewpoints presented are considered by some or even most members of the campus community to be unwelcome. It is not the responsibility of the universities to shield individual members of the campus community from viewpoints they may find unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive. Rather, it is the responsibility of individual members of the campus community to make these determinations for themselves and to respond, not by seeking to suppress speech, but to openly and vigorously debate those viewpoints that they oppose. The policy continues: Employees are free to express personal opinions on their personal social media accounts, consistent with the First Amendment and its application to public employees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WHILE SOUNDING INSPIRING, and in harmony with what the Founders sought to protect with the First Amendment, actions can speak louder than words. And recent actions suggest the regents do not embrace the constitutional bedrock that freedom of expression and the First Amendment constitute. Last month, the board met in a closed session to discuss the freedom of expression policy in the context of another social media post about Charlie Kirk, this time by a financial aid adviser at Iowa State University who is but one of the more than 10,000 ISU employees. The private meeting lasted two and a half hours, supposedly to review the employees job performance as a lower-level worker making less than $50,000 per year. The regents exited their private discussion and gave the schools two weeks to investigate each complaint about employees social media postings. They ordered the suspension with pay of any worker who was the subject of such a complaint while investigations ensued. And the regents authorized the school presidents to fire any employee who violated the freedom of expression policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TWO IRONIES FLOW from the closed session and the employee termination mandate. First, it is choice that the people of Iowa, along with students and employees, were shut out from listening to what regents President Sherry Bates later described as a robust discussion of the limits of freedom of expression at the state universities. Robust, but secret. Then, there is what happened to the employee who was the subject of the closed session. That employee was (note the past tense) Caitlyn Spencer. When Kirk was killed, she took to her personal social media account as a private citizen after her work hours and posted her personal opinions about him. She noted Kirks opposition to limits on gun ownership and opined that he got what was coming and Im happy hes rotting in hell now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her posting went viral once supporters of Kirk learned she worked for a public university. They demanded her firing. And the Board of Regents and ISU President Wendy Wintersteen complied succumbing to the heat and pressure despite their policy saying, It is not the proper role of the Regent universities to shield individuals from speech protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which may include ideas and opinions the individual finds unwelcome, disagreeable, or even offensive. In her termination letter to Spencer, Wintersteen wrote, your conduct and continued employment has caused, and is reasonably likely to continue to cause, significant disruption, harm, and adverse impact to the efficient and effective operations of the university. THE FOUNDATION FOR Individual Rights and Expression is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought. FIRE offered the following analysis in a court brief in a school case in Oregon involving freedom of speech and the assertion that an employees social media comments caused disruption the same term Wintersteen used in her letter to Spencer: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FIRE said in its court brief, The disruption must be of the classroom, not the teachers lounge or the local community; the complaints must come from students and parents, not teachers and outside community members; and the disruption must be caused by the speaking employees themselves, not outraged community members who cause a ruckus. Sadly, Wintersteen and the regents demonstrated that ruckus or not, they prefer robust expediency rather than forceful principles that encourage and protect campus speech, even speech with which we disagree. Randy Evans is a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative and his columns may be found on his blog, Stray Thoughts. Editors note: Please consider subscribing to the collaborative and the authors blogs to support their work. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate allegations of fraudulent and deceptive business practices by The Knot, an international wedding planning website. Grassley, a Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a news release he is requesting the investigation after receiving hundreds of reports from whistleblowers including Iowans. Sen. Chuck Grassley speaks during Iowas Roast and Ride on Oct. 11, 2025, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The Knot World Wide denies that it uses fraudulent or deceptive business practices and said Grassley has not reached out to discuss the issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From August: Swifties are scouring New York City for a $10K engagement ring With what is says are operations in New York; Washington, D.C.; Barcelona, Spain; Delhi, India; Galway, Ireland; and London, The Knot provides wedding planning services for couples worldwide, offering vendors such as caterers and photographers an opportunity to advertise on the site. The company connects more than 4 million users with more than 900,000 small businesses in countries across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, according to its website. In his news release, Grassley says he's receiving complaints of repeated failures to honor contracts and deliberate attempts at fraud. Knot denies allegations; one Iowa case results in default judgment Iowas senior senator said he first raised issues regarding The Knot to the FTC in March. Since then, he said, his office has received nearly 200 allegations of misconduct against the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These small businesses allege that The Knot didnt advertise their businesses on the website as they were contractually required to and the leads they received were largely fake or otherwise lacked legitimacy," Grassley wrote in his letter to the FTC. "Further, they allege that The Knot promised discount pricing but failed to add them to their customers bills. In addition, I was also alerted by several small businesses in Iowa who alleged they were also defrauded by The Knot through these fraudulent and deceptive business practices. The Knot in a statement said it does not engage in fraudulent or deceptive business practices. Our mission has always been to create meaningful connections and support the wedding community with transparency, integrity, and care, The Knot said. We are laser-focused on innovating to help wedding professionals grow their businesses with quality leads and support millions of couples annually on their planning journey. We remain deeply focused on continually enhancing our products, support, and safety standards so every experience reflects the values that built our brand. At least one court case filed in Iowa, alleging fraudulent practices and breach of contract, resulted in a default judgement against The Knot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August of 2021, Q Squared Systems LLC of Des Moines filed the lawsuit in small claims court seeking restitution for $3,050 in advertising fees it said it had paid, $2,550 in statutory damages as defined by Iowas Consumer Fraud Act and $900 in attorney fees. The Knot never responded to the suit, resulting in the court issuing a judgment of $6,500 plus interest to Q Squared. Cornelius S. Qualley, who is listed as both attorney and an owner of Q Squared Systems LLC in court documents and on the companys website, did not respond to numerous requests for comment. Company says it is working to improve systems Shannon Stephany, owner of Simply Stunning Events, a wedding planning company based in West Des Moines, said most of the conversations among wedding vendors relating to The Knot are about spam emails. You do get spam and many of the people I talk to arent fully trusting (The Knot), Stephany said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her previous job planning events for Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines, Stephany said, 50% of the leads for wedding events came from The Knot. Kelly Thomason of Bella Flora Event Design in Urbandale said she is aware of the allegations against The Knot. While many local vendors have expressed to me negative sentiments about these platforms, very similar to what is currently alleged, our experience has remained pretty solid over the years," said Thomason, a 22-year veteran of the industry. "For this reason, we have continued to remain a player, in what some would say, has been an iconic wedding platform for many decades. For its part, The Knot has acknowledged it is working to improve its systems based on vendor feedback. New CEO Raina Moskowitz issued a letter to vendors in March announcing the upgrade of several company processes, including reducing spam and ghosting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley wants wedding planning site investigated Finalists for the Iowa State University presidency will visit Ames next week for meetings and public forums. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Finalists for Iowa State Universitys presidency will come to campus next week to meet with stakeholders and introduce themselves to the public in the hope of being selected for the role. The Iowa Board of Regents announced Tuesday that three of the four finalists recommended by the ISU Presidential Search Committee have accepted invitations to visit Ames for meetings and open forums. The forums will take place from 4-5 p.m. Nov. 4-6 in the Memorial Unions Durham Great Hall. The forums will also be livestreamed on the Iowa Board of Regents website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Finalists were selected from a group of eight semifinalists, narrowed down by the search committee from a pool of nearly 80 candidates. While names have been kept confidential so far in the search, each finalists identity will be publicly announced and their curriculum vitae published online 24 hours before their campus visit. Once campus visits are complete, the board of regents will speak with committee co-chairs Regent JC Risewick and ISU Faculty Senate President Meghan Gillette and interview the finalists in closed session during the groups Nov. 11 meeting. According to the release, the board will announce ISUs new president the same day, tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Memorial Union. Each of the co-chairs said in previous statements they were impressed with the candidate pool for the position and are excited to bring the finalists to campus. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Trump's 48-hour deadline for Hamas to return hostages' remains prompts action, with Israel and the US pushing for serious steps if demands aren't met. Both Israel and Hamas took US President Donald Trump's '48-hours' statement on Saturday seriously, treating it as a hard deadline, after which sanctions could follow, N12 reported on Monday. However, US officials said that Trump's message, which called on Hamas terrorists to return the remains of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip was not a hard ultimatum, but was meant to clarify the Trump administration's position that Hamas "must act urgently" to return remains, the report noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Israeli official highlighted that Hamas have acted in a way that appears to show they took the message seriously, as they announced they would return remains three hours before the end of the 48-hour period Trump originally mentioned, N12 added. If Hamas does not return hostage remains, a move must be made to show Hamas that Israel and the US are serious, Israel clarified to Washington, according to the report. The Trump administration opposed sanctions including cutting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, arguing that doing so would harm Gazans, and not Hamas or other terrorists, the report added. Armed men seen secure trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entering Gaza through the Israeli Kerem Shalom Crossing, in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, September 19, 2025. (credit: SAEED MOHAMMED/FLASH90) A proposal more widely supported by the Trump administration to sanction Hamas would be discussing shifting the Yellow Line further west, allowing the IDF to reoccupy areas from which it withdrew, N12 noted. Trump calls on Qatar to pressure Hamas for hostage remains returns Trump also recently discussed the issue of remains of hostage with the Qatari emir during their meeting on Saturday, particularly calling on Doha to pressure Hamas to return the remains of Israeli-Americans Itay Chen and Omer Neutra. Nearly three weeks after a ceasefire began in the Gaza war, the Israeli Air Force renewed attacks on the Gaza Strip after the Israeli government accused Hamas of attacking Israeli troops and violating the ceasefire agreement. Shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out immediate "powerful" strikes, Palestinian eyewitnesses on Tuesday said the Israeli Air Force was hitting targets around Gaza City. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that several Palestinians had been killed and wounded in the Tuesday evening attacks in and around Gaza City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the south, at least five people were killed in another airstrike, according to the Hamas-controlled civil defence. A spokesman said that children were among them. A vehicle was targeted in the town of Khan Younis in the south of the coastal strip, he said. An Israeli military spokesman said the report was being investigated. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas that it would pay a "heavy price" for attacking Israeli soldiers in Gaza and violating an agreement on the return of deceased hostages, his office said. Katz said Tuesday's attack by militants in southern Gaza had crossed a "glaring red line" and that the Israeli military would respond with "great force." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hamas will pay many times over for attacking the soldiers and for violating the agreement to return the fallen hostages," he added. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Palestinians had attacked soldiers in Rafah earlier on Tuesday, including with a rocket-propelled grenade, and that a sniper was also involved in the assault. Hamas delays body handover after new attacks The Palestinian Islamist militia announced it would postpone the transfer of another hostage's remains, which had been scheduled for Tuesday evening, following the renewed Israeli attacks. The al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said on Telegram the delay was a response to "violations by the occupation (Israel)." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A body had previously been found during search operations in a tunnel in the south of the Gaza Strip, it said, but new Israeli attacks were hindering the searches and the handover. Anger over slow hostage remains return The Israeli government is angered over what they have called deliberate stalling tactics from Hamas in handing over 28 bodies of hostages, of which 13 must still be returned. Hamas says it is difficult to find the dead because they are buried under the rubble of bombed buildings and tunnels. On Monday evening, Hamas again handed over human remains, but forensic examinations in Israel revealed that they belonged to an Israeli whose body the army had already brought back to Israel in autumn 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, the Israeli army released a video that it says shows Hamas members removing a body from a building, burying it in the ground and then calling in representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the "recovery" of the body. Red Cross staff has to date dealt with the handover of the mortal remains of hostages. This triggered great anger and outrage in Israel, and was the reason for Netanyahu's security consultations on the next steps. Repeated ceasefire violations Since October 10, Hamas and Israel have accused each other of repeated ceasefire violations. More than 90 Palestinians have already been killed since the latest ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The trigger for the Gaza war was the massacre by Hamas and other terrorists in Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted. In subsequent massive Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, more than 68,500 people were killed, according to the Hamas-run health authority. Israel's government said Tuesday that a set of partial hostage remains returned by Hamas the previous day belonged to a deceased hostage recovered by the military around two years ago, not one of those whose remains are still missing in Gaza. The prime minister's office called it a violation of the U.S.-brokered peace deal, and said it was considering its response. "After completing the identification process this morning, it was found that last night remains belonging to the fallen hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had been returned from the Gaza Strip in a military operation about two years ago, were returned," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. "This constitutes a clear violation of the [Gaza peace] agreement" by Hamas, Netanyahu's office said, adding that the prime minister would meet with the heads of Israel's defense establishment, "during which Israel's steps in response to the violations will be discussed." Israeli media reported the meeting between Netanyahu and his top security chiefs had concluded without any firm decisions taken about next steps. Veteran journalist Barak Ravid, with Israel's Channel 12, said Netanyahu had told his senior aides that any response would have to be discussed with the Trump administration. An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza urged authorities to "act decisively" against Hamas, accusing the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group of violating the peace deal brokered by President Trump by returning only the partial remains of the previously recovered hostage, Tzarfati, rather than one of the 13 whose bodies remain in Gaza. A poster showing Ofir Tzarfati, who was declared killed after being kidnapped during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, is seen at a memorial display of photos of people killed during the attack on the Nova music festival, Nov. 30, 2023, in Re'im, Israel. / Credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty/Alexi Rosenfeld "In light of Hamas' severe breach of the agreement last night ... the Israeli government cannot and must not ignore this, and must act decisively against these violations," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents many of the hostage families, said in a statement. The forum has urged Israel's leaders to declare Hamas in breach of the peace deal since it started handing over the remains of 28 deceased hostages that had been held in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later Tuesday the Israel Defense Forces accused Hamas of "attempting to create a false impression of efforts to locate the bodies, while in fact holding deceased hostages whose remains it refuses to release as required by the agreement." The IDF said its drones had recorded Hamas operatives "removing body remains from a structure that had been prepared in advance and burying them nearby" on Monday, and then staging "a false display of discovering a deceased hostage's body." The IDF did not identify the remains involved in the incident, but the family of Tzarfati released a statement saying they were his. In a statement shared by the hostage families forum, the Tzarfati family said Hamas had inflicted a deception "upon our family as we try to heal." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This morning we were shown video footage of our beloved son's remains being removed, buried, and handed over to the Red Cross an abhorrent manipulation designed to sabotage the deal and abandon the effort to bring all the hostages home," the family was quoted as saying. Hamas did not have an immediate response to that allegation, but it has said it needs more time, assistance and heavy equipment to locate and recover the remaining 13 bodies still in the Palestinian territory, and that work has ramped up in recent days, with Egypt sending a team to assist and help coordinate, and the Red Cross confirming to CBS News on Monday that its staff were accompanying recovery teams on the ground. President Trump warned on Saturday that he was "watching very closely" to ensure that Hamas returned more bodies within 48 hours. "Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not," he wrote on his Truth Social network. A view shows the heavily damaged Al Nassr neighborhood, where Palestinians struggle to rebuild their lives amid the rubble after a ceasefire agreement in Gaza City, Gaza, Oct. 28, 2025, as many buildings were destroyed and civilian homes and belongings suffered extensive damage. / Credit: Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini/Anadolu/Getty Speaking with the Al Jazeera network on Tuesday, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the group was communicating all logistical details about its effort to locate and retrieve hostage remains with a joint operations room established in Cairo. He said Hamas was updating the mediators on developments regularly and he accused Israel of obstructing the efforts by not allowing sufficient heavy equipment into Gaza to find and recover remains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel has permitted some digging machines into Gaza, and Al Jazeera aired live video on Tuesday that appeared to show a Hamas member emerging from a newly-cleared entrance to a tunnel in the southern city of Khan Younis holding several fingers up, possibly indicating that additional remains had been found. There was no immediate word from Hamas about the discovery of any additional bodies. "Hamas is fully and completely committed to the ceasefire agreement on the Gaza Strip, which includes, among other things, the handover of Israeli captives alive and dead," Qassem told Al Jazeera. "Over the past period we have worked to hand over whatever remains of the captives' bodies are available. Now the occupation threatens and vows retaliation. It knows perfectly well that the obstacles preventing the retrieval of more bodies are caused by the occupation itself." He said Israel's two-year bombardment had "destroyed the Gaza Strip and altered the landmarks of cities, streets and roads all the markers the resistance [Hamas] could use to locate the remaining bodies," and accused Israel of using the incomplete handover of remains "as a pretext to sustain its war" in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its statement on Tuesday, the IDF rejected Hamas' claims of a shortage of heavy equipment as false. It said such equipment "is clearly unnecessary for the transfer of remains, and therefore these claims do not constitute an obstacle to the return of the remaining deceased hostages." Israeli hostage negotiator and peace campaigner Gershon Baskin told CBS News earlier this month that it was "very likely that there might be Israeli bodies underneath the rubble" in Gaza, where the Hamas-run government estimates that at least 90% of the buildings have been damaged or destroyed. "Some of the deceased hostages may never be found, and that's part of the reality, but we have to make sure that Hamas is doing everything possible to do it," Baskin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During negotiations on the Israel-Hamas peace deal, Hamas representatives said they did not know the location of all the remains of deceased hostages, according to Israeli media. Dr. Attia on how to make your final decade of life as enjoyable as possible Mentalist Oz Pearlman blows minds, from Joe Rogan to tech titans | 60 Minutes Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) The Israeli army launched a barrage of attacks in Gaza on Tuesday as tensions with Hamas grew two weeks into a fragile ceasefire, and the militant group responded by saying it would delay handing over the body of a hostage. At least seven Palestinians were killed, health officials said. The flare-up of violence presented one of the biggest tests so far for the truce and had international mediators scrambling to prevent it from collapsing. U.S. Vice President JD Vance attempted to play down the fighting, saying he expected skirmishes to quickly die down. The order from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch powerful strikes came after an Israeli official said its forces were fired upon in southern Gaza and after Hamas handed over body parts on Monday that Israel said were the partial remains of a hostage recovered earlier in the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahu called the return of these body parts a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return the remaining hostages in Gaza as soon as possible. Israeli officials also accused Hamas of staging the discovery of these remains on Monday, sharing a 14-minute edited video captured by a military drone in Gaza. Israel notified the United States before launching the strikes on Tuesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. In Gaza City, at least two Palestinians were killed by strikes, according to Rami Mhanna, the managing director of Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken. In Khan Younis, an Israeli strike on a vehicle killed five Palestinians, including two children, according to Ahmed al-Farra, the head of pediatrics at Nasser hospital, where the bodies were taken. Earlier in the day, Israeli troops were shot at in the southern city of Rafah and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because there hasn't been an official announcement yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Hamas denied involvement in the gunfire in Rafah and reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire. The violent strikes carried out by Israel across the Strip is a blatant violation of the ceasefire deal, said the group, calling on mediators to pressure Israel to stop. The U.S. vice president expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold. That doesnt mean there arent going to be little skirmishes here and there, Vance told reporters on Capitol Hill. Fragile ceasefire holds so far despite tests The ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 has largely held despite at least two previous flare-ups in violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 19, Israel said two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas fire. Israel responded with a series of strikes that killed over 40 Palestinians, according to local health officials. And over the weekend, Israel carried out an airstrike against what it said were Islamic Jihad militants planning an attack, wounding several people. There are still 13 bodies of hostages in Gaza. Hamas said Tuesday it had recovered the body of a hostage, but after Israel announced the plans to strike Gaza, Hamas said in a statement it would delay the handover. An AP videographer in Khan Younis witnessed Tuesday what appeared to be a white body bag being carried out from a tunnel by several men, including some masked militants, and then transported into an ambulance. It was not immediately clear what was in the bag. The slow return of hostages' bodies is posing a challenge to implementing the next stages of the ceasefire, which will address even knottier issues, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and deciding who will govern the territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas has said it is struggling to locate the bodies amid the vast destruction in Gaza, while Israel has accused the militant group of purposely delaying their return. Over the weekend, Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help search for the bodies of the remaining hostages. An Arab official involved in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas said talks were underway with both sides to try to prevent the truce from collapsing. Both sides violated the agreement, but there was no significant breach, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. The official said violations included delays in handing over bodies, the limited scaleup of aid delivery, and minor skirmishes on the line that separates Israeli troops from the rest of Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel accuses Hamas of staging discovery of hostage body The remains returned to Israel overnight were identified as belonging to Ofir Tzarfati. Tzarfati was kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that started the war. The militants killed some 1,200 people that day and took 251 hostages. Tzarfati was killed in captivity and his body was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. In March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. This is the third time we have been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son, the family said in a statement. The AP analyzed the video Israel released accusing Hamas of staging the discovery of Tzarfatis remains on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The video shows a white body bag being thrown out of a damaged building into a dug out area. Three masked men are seen burying the body bag before heavy machinery moves it to a nearby area where it is buried for a second time. The men then dig it out before photos are taken of the body bag. People wearing red vests could be seen observing. AP geolocated the footage and confirmed its location. The AP could not, however, confirm the exact date or time it was filmed or if remains were in fact inside the body bag. This footage clearly shows that the Hamas terrorist organization is attempting to create a false impression of efforts to locate the bodies, while in fact holding deceased hostages whose remains it refuses to release as required by the agreement, the Israeli army said in a statement. Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian called the scene a disgraceful deception and said the body bag contained the partial remains of Tzarfati. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas did not respond to APs request for comment but in a statement accused Israel of obstructing their efforts to search for more hostage remains. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed in a statement that a team was present in good faith and was unaware of the circumstances leading to the discovery of the remains. It is unacceptable that a fake recovery was staged, when so much depends on this agreement being upheld and when so many families are still anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones, said Sarah Davies, a spokesperson for the ICRC. This is the second time since the ceasefire that remains turned over by Hamas have been problematic. Israel said one of the bodies Hamas released in the first week of the ceasefire belonged to an unidentified Palestinian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over 68,500 Palestinians have died in the two-year war in Gaza, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which doesnt distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. ___ Brito reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Sam Mednick in Rome, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Beatrice Dupuy in New York, and Kevin Freking and Matthew Lee in Washington, contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war The Israeli military has killed at least 20 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered powerful strikes following an exchange of gunfire in southern Rafah, during which one Israeli soldier was wounded. The attacks on Tuesday marked the most significant flare-up in violence since a ceasefire brokered by United States President Donald Trump came into effect in the war-devastated territory on October 10. Hamass armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, accused Israel of violating the truce and said it would postpone the planned handover of the body of a missing captive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, it also warned that any Israeli escalation will hinder search, digging, and retrieval operations of the bodies, which will lead to a delay in recovering the bodies of the remaining 13 captives in Gaza. In Washington, DC, US Vice President JD Vance insisted that the truce was still holding despite the attacks and the claims of violations by both sides. That doesnt mean that there arent going to be little skirmishes here and there, Vance told reporters on Capitol Hill. We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an [Israeli] soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the presidents peace is going to hold despite that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas has denied any involvement in the attack in Rafah. Mayhem, panic In Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera that the victims of Tuesdays attacks included four people killed in a strike on a residential building in the Sabra neighbourhood of northern Gaza City, and five others in southern Khan Younis. The sources said that at least 50 others have been wounded. Al Jazeeras Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said that a missile had fallen behind al-Shifa Hospital and that there had been major activity in the air over Gazas skies, with drones hovering above. Eyewitnesses described the strike as massive. We are in an area about 20 minutes away, and we could hear it from here, he said. The attack caused a state of mayhem and panic among patients and medical staff inside the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Sabra neighbourhood, efforts to rescue Palestinians trapped in the rubble continued through the night, with workers using their bare hands to dig through the debris. Medics said the wounded included women and children. This is a breach of the ceasefire, Ibrahim Abu Reesh, a civil defence worker, said from the site. We have casualties. Our crews are searching this building to try and locate and rescue as many people as possible. The attacks came after Netanyahus office issued a statement saying the prime minister had ordered the military to carry out powerful strikes in Gaza. The statement did not give a specific reason for the attacks, but it was followed by a statement from Israels defence minister, Israel Katz, who blamed Hamas for the attack in Rafah. Katz pledged that the group would pay a heavy price for the alleged attacks on Israeli soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Associated Press news agency, citing two unnamed US officials, said that Israel had notified Washington before launching the latest strikes on Gaza. Gazas Government Media Office said that Israel has killed at least 94 Palestinians in attacks since the ceasefire came into effect, and is continuing to heavily restrict the flow of aid to those who desperately need it. Flagrant violation Hamas called for an end to the Israeli attacks. The continued Israeli bombing in Gaza represents a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh under the auspices of US President Trump, it said on Telegram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group also said it remained committed to the deal. Israel must realise that we are committed to the agreement, and they must stop falsely accusing us of violating it, said Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamass political bureau in Gaza. He told Al Jazeera that the group faced significant difficulties during the recovery of the bodies of the Israeli captives. We have made every effort possible to recover the bodies, and the [Israeli] occupation bears full responsibility for any delay in recovering the remaining bodies, he said. The Qassam Brigades, after announcing the delay in the planned handover on Tuesday, also said it had recovered the bodies of two more Israeli captives, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, during search operations conducted on the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The development came after Netanyahu said the remains handed over by Hamas on Monday were not from the 13 dead captives yet to be returned. Instead, he said they were those of a captive whose body had already been retrieved by Israeli forces nearly two years ago. Netanyahus far-right cabinet had called for harsh measures in response, with Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich urging the re-arrest of the Palestinians released in exchanges, in response to Hamass repeated and ongoing violations. Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said the correct response was to destroy [Hamas] completely. Other options include halting the already severely limited flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, expanding Israeli control of the enclave, or ordering air strikes targeting Hamas leaders, according to Israeli media. A US official, meanwhile, told Al Jazeera that locating the bodies of Israeli captives was difficult, challenging and time-consuming amid the devastation Israel has wrought in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The official said that the Civil-Military Co-operation Centre, a US-led body set up to facilitate reconstruction and aid delivery, had played a vital role in bringing Egyptian technical teams into Gaza to retrieve the bodies. Ceasefire hangs in the balance Analysts say Netanyahu has been carrying out provocative acts since the beginning of the current truce in an effort to strain the agreement. Netanyahu, from the very start of the ceasefire, has been trying to find any trick possible to resume the genocide in Gaza, Muhammad Shehada, an analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in Copenhagen, told Al Jazeera. We see this with Israel refusing to open up the Rafah border crossing, with restricting, until this moment, the amount of aid going in [and] continuing these bombardments here and there despite the ceasefire being in place under bogus and unsubstantiated claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shehada said that Israels leadership is testing the waters to see how far it can go in breaking the ceasefire with Hamas, which was orchestrated by Trump. We see the same thing again and again and again. Its basically Netanyahu testing the boundaries with Trump and trying to build up a case for resuming the genocide in Gaza, he added. But Israeli political analyst Ori Goldberg told Al Jazeera earlier that he thought the dispute was unlikely to derail the entire ceasefire agreement, with the US and its regional partners so heavily invested in the deal to end the two-year war. This whole notion that the future, the present of the ceasefire, the assistance millions need so urgently, the chance to end a two-year genocidal campaign that all of this will simply be thrown out because of a violation is ridiculous, Goldberg said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al Jazeeras Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Qatar, said that Netanyahu had his hands tied, as the US has said it will not allow Israel to continue its war on Gaza. We know that Americans have more say on what happens and what does not happen in Gaza through the civil coordination centre in southern Israel, she said. Now it feels like the Israelis are trying to find these clashes here and there to justify what they always wanted to do a ceasefire on their own terms, in which they can attack who they want and control which borders are open or not, she added. The Knesset is set to vote on a controversial bill that would split the attorney-general's role, sparking debates over its impact on Israel's legal system. The bill to split the attorney-generals role is set for its first reading in the Knesset on Wednesday a move dramatic in name, heady in implications, and complex for all involved in Israels legal system. Two bills lie at the heart of this effort. The first, a private bill by MK Michel Buskila (New Hope-United Right), seeks to transfer the attorney-generals authority over criminal cases against public officials to the State Attorneys Office, subject to approval by a newly elected committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second, a governmental bill approved by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation and proposed by MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), is the more radical of the two. This bill would split the attorney-generals role into three separate positions: Legal adviser to the government, head of the state prosecution, and representative of the State of Israel in court. Before the year 2000, acting attorneys-general were political appointments that had to be qualified for the Supreme Court, ensuring professional standards. MK SIMCHA ROTHMAN, chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee presides over a vote during a committee meeting. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) But then, following the 1997 Bar-On-Hebron affair, the Shamgar Commission in 2000 established a formal appointment process via a public professional committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This committee, which is chaired by a retired Supreme Court justice and includes a former justice minister or attorney-general, an MK, a lawyer, and a law faculty dean, reviews candidates and submits recommendations to the government. Each attorney-general serves a six-year term, which can only be cut short under strict conditions. Legal scholars have warned that the new bill proposals would place unprecedented power in the governments hands over its principal legal challenger. Under the Rothman bill, the A-G would be appointed directly by the prime minister and the justice minister, with government approval, for a term of six years. The candidate must have 10 years of criminal law experience, including at least five years as a District Court judge, but their legal opinions would no longer be binding. The head of the state prosecution would be appointed by the justice minister for a six-year term, with Knesset committee approval, and would also need 10 years of criminal law experience. The states court representative would similarly be appointed by the justice minister, requiring 10 years experience. It is important to bear in mind that several officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are currently facing criminal charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney-general occupies a pivotal role in Israels legal and democratic framework. As the governments chief legal adviser, the A-G provides binding counsel to state authorities, ensuring their compliance with the law. The A-G also heads the public prosecution system, represents the State of Israel in courts, and safeguards the public interest in matters affecting constitutional rights. Benefits and risks Even if there may be benefits to such a split... There are risks, particularly the risk of politicizing these institutions, said Dr. Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. He said that splitting the office should follow deep consideration and a professional review, noting that the Shamgar Commission unanimously recommended against this. The government in Israel is already comparatively strong; the only major checks on it are the courts and the A-G, Lurie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This proposal would remove the inner check and leave only the courts. Many issues would go unchallenged, weakening the rule of law and potentially harming human rights, he continued. Lurie added that the proposal is not just a split of the office it is a major revision that weakens officeholders ability to uphold the rule of law. Its importance lies in maintaining a constitutional check on government power. Others who oppose the bill argue that the A-Gs independent position is essential to the rule of law. Splitting unitary institutions is a major organizational reform that requires careful thought, especially given the developments since the Shamgar Commission. If separation proceeds, additional safeguards are needed to prevent politicization, Lurie said. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara has similarly warned that the proposed appointment methods would politicize the office, undermining its role as a protector of democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Efforts to split the A-Gs role have circulated for three decades but never materialized, mainly due to judicial opposition. There is a political element here that should not be ignored. Since the prime ministers indictment in 2019, Israels political landscape has been reshaped, culminating in a 2022 coalition that pushed for judicial reforms with an emphasis on independence and reduced oversight. Given all this, splitting the A-Gs role would require more than legislation it would demand an extensive review of the hundreds of laws that grant the attorney-general authority. The likelihood of such a bill passing, unchanged, is low. But the key questions remain: Why push for this now, and why in this manner? Radio broadcasters seen in the offices of Galei Tzahal, the national IDF radio station, in Jaffa, on March 27, 2014. (photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90) Advisory committee to Katz: Shut Army Radio down or suspend current affairs programming Galgalatz, Army Radio's music station, is expected to remain open The government must shut down Army Radio or suspend its current affairs programming, an advisory committee set up by Defense Minister Israel Katz found in a report presented to him on Tuesday. Katz confirmed receiving the recommendation and is expected to make an announcement shortly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I thank the committee members for their thorough, serious, and professional work, and for their significant investment in examining all aspects related to the operations of Army Radio, he stated. The advisory committee held 19 days of discussion between August and October and conducted a tour of both Army Radio and Galgalatz, Army Radios music station. In its recommendation, the committee suggested the station be rebranded in a way that could preserve its unique identity as the soldiers house by maintaining its programming for IDF soldiers without engaging in current affairs content. Incoming defense minister Israel Katz attends a discussion and vote on the inclusion of MK Gideon Saar as a Minister in the government at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on September 30, 2024. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) This would include the closure of the news department, but the station would still be permitted to broadcast any news flashes produced by KAN, Israels public broadcasting corporation. The committee was established by Katz in June After its establishment, the Defense Ministry stated that the committee would be required to submit its conclusions and recommendations within 90 days and would examine, among other things, the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of various operational options for Army Radio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This would also include the possibility of transferring its management to a civilian body or merging it with an external media organization. At this time, when the State of Israel is engaged in an ongoing campaign on several fronts, it is necessary to reassess how well Army Radio fulfills its mission and whether it succeeds in being the voice and ears for IDF soldiers and fighters at the front and on the home front," Katz said. There is no doubt that a comprehensive and significant change is needed, and I intend to implement it after receiving the committees recommendations. Earlier this year, MK Nissim Vaturi from the Likud Party proposed a bill to privatize the military station through a tender process, which would be managed by the Second Authority for Television and Radio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, at the end of March, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out against the Kan 11 Broadcasting Corporation during a cabinet meeting, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi presented Katz with a proposal to close Army Radio. In the same meeting, Netanyahu asked, Why do we even need a military station? The Defense Minister and Communications Minister need to examine the matter of Army Radio. Walla contributed to this report. The Israeli military on Tuesday said it killed three militants in the north of the West Bank in a "counterterrorism operation." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its units identified a "terrorist cell in a cave and fired at them." The trio had reportedly taken part in "terror activity in Jenin," which is considered a stronghold of Palestinian militants. The Palestinian news agency WAFA also reported on the incident in the cave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The situation in the occupied West Bank has worsened since the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resulting war in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks in the West Bank in the past two years. Meanwhile, radical Israeli settlers have stepped up their attacks on Palestinians. Human rights activists accuse the Israeli military of often failing to intervene in such incidents. The Israeli military on Tuesday said it killed three militants in the north of the West Bank in a "counterterrorism operation." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its units identified a "terrorist cell in a cave and fired at them." The trio had reportedly taken part in "terror activity in Jenin," which is considered a stronghold of Palestinian militants. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said two of the men were members of its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Palestinian news agency WAFA also reported on the incident in the cave, while the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said three people were killed, aged 21, 27 and 29 years old. The situation in the occupied West Bank has worsened since the massacre by the Islamist Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resulting war in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks in the West Bank in the past two years. Meanwhile, radical Israeli settlers have stepped up their attacks on Palestinians. Human rights activists accuse the Israeli military of often failing to intervene in such incidents. Smotrich, Liberman, Gantz, Lapid, and Golan laid out competing visions for Israels future as fiscal and political strains fuel talk of elections early next year. In the crowded hallways of the Knesset, cameras clustered outside each faction's room on Monday as ministers and lawmakers stepped up to the microphones. The war may have ended, but the shouting has not. A week into the Knessets winter session, and only two weeks after the formal end of the Gaza war under President Donald Trumps 20-point peace plan, Israels political stage has once again become a battlefield of ideology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the coalition struggles to pass a national budget, with ministries warning that a fiscal deadlock could dissolve parliament, party leaders used their weekly faction meetings to stake out early positions in what already feels like an election campaign. Across the political spectrum, from the ruling coalition to the liberal opposition, the debates reflected an old but sharpened question: What kind of state does Israel want to be? The central dispute over universal military service has reignited broader divisions about religion, democracy, and civic duty, issues that may soon shape the countrys next electoral map. Yair Lapid, head of Yesh Atid, framed the moment as a moral reckoning. Standing before his faction, he accused the government of betraying both the army and the public. This coalition, he said, is a sacred alliance between the evaders and the corrupt. They say no to drafting the ultra-Orthodox and yes to taking the publics money. Avigdor Liberman speaks at a Knesset meeting during the first week of the Israeli Parliament's winter session, October 27, 2025 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM) Lapid warned that the proposed exemption law, engineered to ensure that those who dont serve will never fight, never stand in the line of fire, never be part of the Israeli story," violates the foundational covenant of the state. His conclusion was blunt: Whoever doesnt come to the draft office wont come to the ballot box. Whoever doesnt serve wont receive a single shekel from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Lapid spoke with moral outrage, Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beitenu, turned the issue into an ideological crusade. We are missing twenty thousand soldiers, he declared. And yet the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox establishment hold a rally for a million evaders. Liberman cited the 1977 penal code, which states that anyone who incites opposition to military service during wartime faces up to 15 years in prison, a law nobody dares to enforce, he added. For him, the issue is not only legal but existential. Zionism begins with serving in the army, he said. Anyone who refuses to serve cannot claim to belong to this country. He went further, promising that under his leadership, no one will be exempt, not the ultra-Orthodox, not Jews, Muslims, Christians, or Druze. Everyone must serve. And whoever refuses to serve will not vote. In a typically caustic tone, Liberman accused Shas and United Torah Judaism of being racist parties thriving on religiosity and privilege, and mocked Likud for selling the secular soul of Zionism for the price of coalition survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Lapid and Liberman spoke to the civic conscience of Israels middle class, Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich spoke to its faith. He opened his factions session with a firm declaration: The war is not over. Although the fighting in Gaza has stopped for now under the Trump-brokered ceasefire, Smotrich insisted that the true test is the complete dismantling of Hamas, militarily, administratively, and ideologically. There will be no reconstruction before full demilitarization, he said. We will not allow any renewed entity of terror under the banner of humanitarian aid. Smotrich paired his doctrine of strength with a message of self-sufficiency. We will not beg anyone to normalize relations with us, he declared. Israel is a superpower, moral, democratic, military, and economic. Whoever wants peace with us must want it on the basis of truth, not lies. He dismissed Saudi Arabias recognition of a Palestinian state as an insult to Jewish history, saying that Judea and Samaria are the heart of our Bible, our history, and our blood. Pressed on whether his comments had harmed ties with Riyadh, Smotrich replied defiantly: Where were all those offended on behalf of the Saudis when, for two years, they accused IDF soldiers of genocide? That is a thousand times more offensive than one clumsy remark by Israels finance minister. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Religious Zionism leader also used the occasion to relaunch his judicial reform agenda, accusing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of paralyzing the government. He argued that Israel has a justice system with one hundred percent power and zero accountability, adding that his party would resume its legislative push to restore balance and democratic control. To Smotrich, the dominance of the legal establishment reflects moral decay, not merely a technical flaw. We have a rotten system, one that prosecutes politicians for doing their jobs while letting crime spread unchecked, he said. This is what happens when the prosecutors rule the country. The opposition, meanwhile, presented a mirror image. Yair Golan, leader of The Democrats party, began by invoking the two years that have passed since the October 7 massacre. Prime Minister Netanyahus government insists on keeping Hamas alive, he said, calling the alliance between Netanyahu and Smotrich a political insurance policy. In his view, as long as Hamas rules Gaza, the Palestinian Authority will not return, the Saudis will not come to the table, and Israel will lose its chance for regional stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Golan urged rebuilding Gaza under a Palestinian civil administration supported by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Emirates, under strict Israeli and international supervision. That, he said, is not a prize for Hamas; it is the only way to defeat it. The former general also defended coordination with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. The PA is not Zionist, but its the best partner we have for ensuring security, he said. Without it, our security only deteriorates. Golan concluded that to guarantee Israels safety, Netanyahu and Smotrich must be replaced. Between Lapids civic nationalism, Libermans secular nationalism, and Smotrichs theological sovereignty, Benny Gantz tried to claim the pragmatic center. In his Blue and White meeting, the former defense minister reminded colleagues that before debating who will sit in the next government, Israelis deserve to know what that government will do for them. He pledged that his party will join only a coalition that enacts a national service framework for all. We will not again blur the outlines of that framework as we did in the previous unity government, Gantz said. We will not take part in any coalition that sends soldiers to the battlefield while funding evasion at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Gantzs tone was moderate, his message aligned with Lapids: Both see the draft debate as a test of fairness that defines Israels social contract. Yet the deeper subtext is political. Government may not survive fiscal year All parties, including Smotrichs own, are maneuvering amid growing speculation that the government may not survive the fiscal year. Finance officials have warned that if no budget is passed by March, the coalition could face automatic dissolution, a scenario many lawmakers now treat as inevitable. That possibility has already shaped the rhetoric. Lapid, Liberman, and Golan sound like theyre on the campaign trail; Smotrich defends as if already under siege. Each invokes moral languageof equality, faith, or responsibilityto define what Israel should become after the war. Behind their competing ideologies lies a shared anxiety: a sense that the machinery of governance itself is wearing thin. Even beyond Israels Jewish political spectrum, ideological lines remain sharp. Joint List lawmaker Ahmad Tibi used his press time not to discuss the draft or the budget, but to praise Zohran Mamdani, the leading candidate in New Yorks mayoral race, described by The Washington Post as the rise of an anti-Zionist mayor in the most Jewish US city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani, now roughly 15 points ahead of his closest rival, has become for parts of Israels Arab leadership a symbol that the moral arena lies far beyond the Knesset. Tibi called him a young, eloquent leader who unites Christians, Muslims, and Jews around justice and equality, framing his campaign as one rooted in universal values rather than Israels internal identity debate. Israel's political fragmentation measured in moral vocabulary For years, Israels political fragmentation was measured in seats and coalitions. Now it is measured in moral vocabulary. The winter session, only a week old, has turned into a referendum on the countrys soul, a contest between those who define citizenship through service and those who define it through belief. Whether the current coalition can pass a budget or hold itself together will depend less on arithmetic than on the answer to a larger question: Can a state founded as both Jewish and democratic still agree on what either word means? Israel is directing the IDF in Gazas yellow zone to make tunnel demolition its central mission under the US-brokered Gaza deal while coordinating details with Washington. Israel will make dismantling Hamas vast tunnel network its top battlefield priority inside Gazas yellow zone, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saturday, asserting in a post on X/Twitter that about 60% of the tunnels still exist, two years after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war and reshaped the region. Under the US-brokered Gaza deal agreed two weeks ago and backed by several Arab states, Israeli forces pulled back to a yellow zone, a belt along Gazas northern, southern, and eastern edges inside the territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katz framed tunnel destruction as Israels strategic super goal, arguing that neutralizing subterranean infrastructure now is essential to prevent Hamas from regrouping under the truce and to set conditions for longer-term security arrangements. I have instructed the IDF to prioritize the destruction of the tunnels as the central task in the yellow zone currently under our control, Katz wrote on X. This is being done alongside protecting soldiers and communities, and in parallel with discussions with US representatives to thoroughly address dismantling terror tunnels in areas under their responsibility, alongside disarming Hamas. ISRAELI SOLDIERS walk, last week, through what the IDF said was an iron-girded tunnel designed by Hamas to disgorge carloads of Palestinian fighters for a surprise storming of the border, in the northern Gaza Strip. (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS) He did not provide independent data supporting the 60% figure, and Israeli officials have issued varying estimates over time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas built a multi-layered underground system commonly referred to as the metro, with command posts, weapons manufacturing sites, storage areas, and holding locations for hostages. The network enables fighters and materiel to move between nodes using thousands of shafts buried in dense urban areas. Terror tunnels an 'unprecedented game changer' No one knows the exact extent of the tunnel network to begin with, said Guy Aviad, a military historian and expert on Hamas, telling the Media Line the network is unprecedented and a game changer in Hamas warfare against Israel. It cancels out Israels military advantage, he said. Tunnels are hard to locate, and surveillance methods are almost irrelevant. Yehuda Kfir, a civil engineer and expert in underground warfare who served as a senior operational construction officer in the IDF, said Western militaries have a technological gap in the subterranean domain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli, American, and other Western military technologies are based and focused almost solely on air and ground abilities and not on the underground, Kfir told the Media Line. He noted that other militaries outside the West invest more deliberately in tunnel warfare capabilities. Hamas has used tunnels inside Gaza since the 1980s for smuggling from Egypt and later for offensive operations into Israel. During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the IDF said it destroyed 32 cross-border offensive tunnels but did not target the internal grid, which remains the backbone of Hamas military operations. In 2021, during a shorter round of fighting, Israel said a massive air campaign destroyed more than 100 kilometers of offensive tunnels. The truth was a bit different, Aviad said. The current war proved how far Israel actually was from this. After that round, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, assassinated by Israel last year, claimed Israel had damaged only about 3% of Gazas tunnels and boasted the system stretched roughly 500 kilometers. Those assertions were never independently verified. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the 202325 war unfolded, Israeli officials offered shifting assessments of network size and damage. There was a lot of confusion in the previous decade on how to deal with this issue, Aviad said. He added that a large share of tunnels remain, particularly under Gaza City and central areas where the IDF did not conduct sustained ground operations, and that damaged sections can be bypassed or repaired during lulls. Kfir cautioned against focusing on percentages. Its not about what percentage has been damaged or not, he said. The real question is, what is Hamas doing with the tunnels that are not known? The second phase of the ceasefire, which has yet to be implemented, stipulates that Hamas will disarm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The publicly available text does not explicitly address the tunnel network, even though tunnels enable command, logistics, and attacks. Hamas uses the tunnels to fortify its rule over Gaza, Kfir said. The underground sphere allows the movement to survive; it is where it can store huge amounts of weapons and can use the tunnels as launch pads for attacks into Israel. Katzs push puts the tunnels at the center of Israeli operational planning inside areas it still holds. But achieving full dismantlement presents both tactical and legal constraints: the networks run beneath civilian infrastructure, complicating detection and neutralization and engaging obligations under international humanitarian law related to distinction, proportionality, and precautions in attack. Experts say traditional airborne intelligence and precision munitions are poorly matched to concealed, reinforced corridors cut through sand and urban substrata. Ground-penetrating radar degrades in mixed media; seismic and acoustic sensing are difficult to interpret in dense cities; flooding or thermobaric options pose civilian risks and may leave usable bypasses. Israel needs to develop a way to control Hamas tunnels, Kfir said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It needs to start accustoming itself to operating in the underground. This requires a shift in the thinking of the military industries and in the strategic planning. That will likely mean a blend of persistent find-and-fix operations, hardened monitoring of known shafts, specialized engineering units, and new detection suites, coupled with mechanisms under the truce to address areas outside Israeli control. Katz said conversations with US counterparts are focused on finding a way to thoroughly address the dismantling and destruction of all terror tunnels alongside disarming Hamas. The sheer number of shafts discovered during the war shocked Israeli officials. During the war, the IDF found thousands of tunnel shafts, way more than was estimated, Aviad said. The scale has also prompted debate over civilian awareness. On Oct. 7, thousands of Gazans who were not members of Hamas crossed the border and looted Israeli homes, and some of the roughly 250 hostages taken that day were held by Palestinian families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whether and to what extent the general public knew about the underground system remains contested; Kfir noted that large networks can be built clandestinely. Citing North Korea as an example, he said, It is impossible to know what is under the shaft, especially only by looking at its opening. Aviad was blunt about the scope of the task: There is no way to reach every single shaft without completely controlling the territory. With Israel already withdrawn from most of Gaza under the deal, and likely to exit fully if implementation proceeds, the IDFs stated goal will collide with hard geographic limits. Still, Israeli officials argue that prioritizing demolition where possible now will reduce Hamas capacity to regenerate under any post-war arrangement. If the US and Israel will not address this now, it [Israel] will lose the next war, Kfir said. This is a continuous historic failure of understanding the significance [of the] underground sphere in warfare. Even before the federal government shutdown, now in its fourth week, Kentuckys food banks were stretched thin. Rising grocery prices, utility bills and other essentials have been dialing up demand for food assistance programs. Government workers missing paychecks, including military members, are lining up at food banks across the country. Federal funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, is set to run out this week, leaving some 600,000 Kentuckians without assistance. Monday, President Donald Trumps administration announced federal food aid funds will not be distributed starting Saturday, Nov. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It will be a crisis if the federal shutdown continues and these people do not have access to their (SNAP) benefits come Nov. 1, Laura Brooks, director of marketing and communications for Gods Pantry Food Bank, previously told the Herald-Leader. From peanut butter to canned goods, some of the most-request food pantry items could be sitting in your kitchen right now. Heres a guide to navigate food banks in Fayette County and across Kentucky, including where you can donate and volunteer. According to Fayette County Public Schools spokesperson Miranda Scully, your donations could support families and their students. Several of the districts schools have on-site food pantries, the largest of which include Bryan Station and Lafayette high schools. The most effective way for the public to help right now is by donating funds, food, or time directly to our community partners, such as Gods Pantry, FEED Lexington, and various local faith communities. We work closely with these organizations to ensure our families receive essential support and help fill existing gaps, as they regularly supply our school-based operations, Scully told the Herald-Leader via email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If a community member wishes to support a specific school directly, they should reach out to the Family Resource/Youth Services Center (FRYSC) Coordinator serving that campus to coordinate needs and drop-offs, Scully added. The district hosts an online directory of those coordinators. Did we miss any? Send us a news tip via email at ask@herald-leader.com. Gods Pantry Food Bank Gods Pantry Food Bank serves 50 counties throughout Central and Eastern Kentucky by partnering with more than 500 local food pantries and meal assistance programs, according to its website. Laura Brooks, the organizations communications director, said Gods Pantry is most in need of unopened, nonperishable food items liked canned tuna and chicken, peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, soups and shelf-stable meals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If anyone needs food assistance, visit godspantry.org/help to find the nearest food pantry or meal program, Brooks wrote the Herald-Leader in an email. The site includes an easy-to-use map and contact information for partner food pantries and meal programs across 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky. There are multiple ways to support Gods Pantry. Businesses, schools and churches can host food or fund drives, individuals can help raise awareness about the organizations mission or make financial donations, Brooks said. Every dollar donated helps provide 6 meals, Brooks wrote. Monetary gifts allow us to purchase exactly whats needed, often at wholesale prices. Location: 2201 Innovation Drive, Lexington, KY 40511 Where to donate: According to the organizations website, individuals in Fayette County can donate nonperishable food by bringing donations to a local warehouse or by placing them in blue barrels found at any Kroger. In other stretches of Kentucky, individuals should contact a local pantry. How to volunteer: In Lexington, volunteers can help sort donations and pack food boxes at 817 Winchester Road. There are also opportunities to stock pantry shelves, distribute food boxes to seniors and pack food for children. Volunteers can send an email to volunteerservices@godspantry.org and register online. Lighthouse Ministries Lighthouse Ministries of Lexington serves lunch at noon and dinner at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It serves one meal at 5 p.m. Sunday. Its located at 190 Spruce Street in Lexington, and has a list of most-needed items on its website. Donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 859-492-0391 with questions. Christian Appalachian Project The Christian Appalachian Project, or CAP, is an anti-poverty organization. It has three food pantries in Eastern Kentucky, including in McCreary, Rockcastle and Jackson counties. Donations are divided between them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Libby Wasserbeck, who manages the nonprofits Rockcastle and Jackson pantries, said donations can be dropped off at 2528 Palumbo Drive in Lexington. Its open between Monday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our greatest need right now is for canned goods peanut butter, canned meats, individual items like mac n cheese, boxed macncheese, ramen, canned beans, flour, pancake mix, pancake syrup, cereals, pasta, pasta sauces or bread of any kind. Fresh produce is also welcome. Try to do non-glass jars when possible on items, Wasserbeck wrote in an email. Wasserbeck added CAP typically doesnt accept perishable items such as milk and butter, except if its coming directly from a grocery store. For questions about donations, call 859-269-0635. Other Kentucky Food Banks Gods Pantry is part of Feeding Kentuckys seven-member food bank network that spans the state. Its member food banks include the following: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have a question about public services and assistance in Kentucky for the Herald-Leader? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com. Two powerful Jacksonville City Council members are denying any involvement with a mysterious foundation that Florida state records show was listed in both of their names along with a third man. According to state corporation filings, Council President Kevin Carrico and Finance Chair Raul Arias were listed as directors of the now-defunct Bold City Cares Foundation, an organization that existed for only one week in August before being abruptly dissolved. Action News Jax uncovered that the foundation was formed on August 20 and dissolved on August 27, raising questions about its true purpose and who was actually behind it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The not-for-profit was incorporated by a man named Mark Stemmermann, with the stated mission of helping small businesses improve their online presence. However, its principal address - 13770 Beach Boulevard - matched that of Mambos Restaurant, formerly owned by Arias and now operated by his parents. Website quickly taken down The Bold City Cares Foundation website, which described Stemmermann as a visionary leader, was taken offline shortly after Becker first contacted Arias for comment. Mark Stemmerman's name on the now-taken down Bold City Cares website. Before it was removed, screenshots captured by Action News Jax showed sponsorship packages ranging from $500 to $2,500, aimed at small businesses seeking exposure. Screenshot from the now-taken down Bold City Cares website Its unknown if any money was collected, how it may or may not have been used, and if forms were filed with the IRS. Council members deny involvement Both Carrico and Arias tell Action News Jax they had nothing to do with the filing and never authorized or consented to being named as directors of the foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had no knowledge of being listed as an officer for this organization and was not made aware of it until yesterday, Carrico said in a statement. Several months ago, I had a brief conversation with Mr. Stemmermann about his interest in starting a nonprofit, but I had no role in its formation, management, or activities, and did not authorize or consent to being included in any filing. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Arias distanced himself as well, but did acknowledge that he sold another business to Stemmerman. Stemmermann is a former employee who I sold the company [Bold City Media] to a couple years ago, Arias said in his statement. Regarding the address listed, the only businesses that operate under that address are Mambos and the catering company. I wasnt aware of being added to a nonprofit [Bold City Cares Foundation] or a website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arias said he currently has no financial interest in Bold City Media. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Stemmermann echoed the statements from both councilmen. I got out over my skis on this. In my enthusiasm about starting a nonprofit, I made assumptions that I shouldnt have, Stemmermann said. I had informal conversations with community leaders and mistakenly interpreted their friendly advice as a willingness to be involved. I take full responsibility for that mistake and apologize to the council members who were listed without their knowledge or consent. Council Member Matt Carlucci, a former council president, cautioned that even the appearance of impropriety can damage public confidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would encourage my colleagues to be careful, Carlucci said. There needs to be some explaining to do. Questions about possible connections Barry Ansbacher, a board-certified Attorney, reviewed the filings and said Floridas corporate registry accepts documents at face value - meaning anyone can list another persons name without consent. The confirmation documents would have been mailed to the Mambos address, Ansbacher said. Filing a fraudulent document with the State of Florida is a third-degree felony, according to the Florida Department of State. Possible next steps Action News Jax asked the State Attorneys Office if any criminal investigation is warranted, including a look at if any Sunshine Law violations occurred between Arias and Carrico. The SAO only acknowledged receiving the email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jacksonville Ethics Office confirmed that elected officials are permitted to form private companies together, as long as city business is not discussed within those entities. Carlucci reiterated that transparency remains critical. Even the appearance of a conflict has a way of undermining public trust, he said. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said on Tuesday that an Arkansan will spend the next 20 years of his life behind bars for felony possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Griffin said 24-year-old Michael Edwards pleaded guilty to 50 counts of pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. The plea followed his March arrest, where investigators found 461 CSAM files across multiple electronic devices while executing a search warrant at Edwards home. Jacksonville man arrested, facing 461 counts of child pornography charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The search warrant came during an investigation into Edwards following cybertips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Edwards will serve the entire 20 years in prison under the provisions of the Arkansas PROTECT Act, Griffin explained. Jacksonville man sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography Griffin thanked his Special Investigations Division and the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office for their work on this case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. Officials in Jamaica have urged people to stay inside their shelters as Hurricane Melissa churns towards the Caribbean island as the most destructive storm on record to hit the area. The Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall early on Tuesday near St Elizabeth Parish in the south and leave the island around St Ann Parish in the north. Andrew Holness, the Jamaican prime minister, appealed to the public to stay indoors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I urge all Jamaicans to stay inside and remain within the safety of your homes. Avoid unnecessary travel. Strong winds, heavy rains and flash floods can occur at any moment, he said late on Monday. Staying indoors is the safest option and reduces the burden on our security and emergency personnel, he added. I am satisfied that our security forces are properly deployed to maintain law and order during this disaster. In times like these, there are always individuals who may act against the common good, and we must protect both our communities and those individuals. Our security pic.twitter.com/He0yyB24hZ Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) October 28, 2025 Holness went on to warn of enormous destruction. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, he said, referring to the strongest storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. Catastrophic winds, flooding The storm already has been blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported late on Monday that Melissa was still 240km (150 miles) southwest of Kingston with maximum wind speeds of 282km/h (175mph). It said the storm was expected to bring catastrophic winds, flooding and storm surge to Jamaica on Tuesday. Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of landfall as officials also warned of a life-threatening storm surge of up to 4 metres (13ft) across southern Jamaica. Desmond McKenzie, Jamaicas local government and community development minister, told Al Jazeera the government had done all it could to prepare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have put everything in place in regards to what are required in terms of evacuation, getting people to our shelters, providing the requisite resources, and we have been cleaning our drains. We have been cleaning our gulleys, he said from Kingston. We have done all the mitigation exercises. We have done public education, and now it is a matter of seeing what the outcome of Melissa will be, he said. McKenzie said 881 shelters have been set up across the country. I must admit that not all the shelters have persons in the shelters. We have seen an uptick in the number of persons turning up to the shelters. The demand in certain parishes are much greater than in some, he said. I am not moving Despite the pleas to evacuate, many residents said they were staying put. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am not moving. I dont believe I can run from death, Roy Brown told the AFP news agency in Kingstons seaside area of Port Royal. The plumber and tiler said he was reluctant to flee because of his past experiences with the poor conditions of government hurricane shelters. In the Flagaman farming community of St Elizabeth, some residents were hunkering down in a store. Owner Enrico Coke said he opened his place for fear that his neighbours had nowhere to go. Im concerned about farmers. The fishermen will be suffering after this, he told AFP. Well need help as soon as possible, especially water for the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening, he told The Associated Press news agency. There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury and of displacement. Meteorologists said part of Melissas punch stems from its slow pace: It is lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just 5km/h (3mph) or less. That means areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than during most hurricanes. People take shelter in a school before Hurricane Melissas forecast landfall in Old Harbour, Jamaica, on October 27, 2025 [Matias Delacroix/AP Photo] Climate change After pummelling Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin provinces while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 510mm (20 inches) of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba along with a significant storm surge along the coast. Cuban officials said on Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the islands second largest city. A hurricane warning was also in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands. Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel said global warming was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, raising the potential for enormous rains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Water kills a lot more people than wind, he told AFP. The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024 an abnormally strong storm for that time of year. Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse, climate scientist Daniel Gilford said. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Theres a large population of Jamaican people in and around the Queen City worried about family and friends on the island ahead of Hurricane Melissa, not to mention many American tourists on vacation who are stuck for the foreseeable future. The sea is rough, the skies are gray, and people in Jamaica are preparing for the storms wrath. Some are doing so by filling up sandbags, and others are boarding up their homes. Its carrying a lot of water, said Gaynor Russell, president of the Jamaican American Cultural Association in Charlotte. Its slow-moving. A lot of wind. And so those three combinations would be very devastating to the island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russell has family on the island. People take shelter in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissas forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) I think Jamaicans as a whole are taking it a little bit more seriously than they normally would, she said. Video from the country shows bare shelves and long lines at grocery stores, as people stock up ahead of time. I was hoping to get some bread, but the shelves are empty, said one man. The airports are also empty, forced to close because of the hurricane. At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the two flights that were supposed to arrive in the Queen City from Montego Bay Monday evening were canceled, and all six flights to and from Jamaica scheduled for Tuesday are not happening either. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its supposed to enter on the southwest side of town and exit on the north coast, said Russell. Thats primarily where our tourism happens, and so it would be an impact to our tourism and just devastating to the rural communities of Jamaica. Thats Russells main concern, as tourism is a significant economic driver for Jamaica. Many American families, including some from North Carolina, couldnt get out in time and have to ride out the storm. Bridgette and Wayne Todd were celebrating their wedding anniversary in Jamaica ahead of Hurricane Melissa making landfall Internally screaming, said Bridgette Todd from Halifax County. Were trying to remain as calm as possible. Bridgette and her husband Wayne will celebrate their wedding anniversary hunkered down at a resort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre keeping us stocked up with water bottles and refreshments, extra linens in case anything floods, said Bridgette. Theyve ensured us theyre going to keep us fed to the best of their abilities as long as its safe. MORE FROM QCNEWS.COM Severe Weather Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. HONESDALE, WAYNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on Tuesday, leaving widespread damage in its path. One Jamaican man, who is now working in Wayne County, has been checking in with his family and friends back home. 28/22 News reporter Connor Coar spent time with him and shares his story. Staying up until three in the morning, Jevy Williams says he is very concerned about his family and friends, as Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is Jevys first time away from Jamaica. He is currently working in Honesdale on a work visa. The National Hurricane Center said that a two-day rainfall event is expected, bringing 20 to 30 inches of rain in many parts of Jamaica. His home is eight blocks off the shoreline in Kingston. This is the biggest hurricane the island has faced since Hurricane Gilbert nearly 40 years ago. Im going to be honest with you guys, man; as a developing state, my country can not afford a Category 5 hurricane, stated Williams. There have been so many people from Rent-E-Vent who have checked in on him over the past few days. Jevy is thankful for it all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Catastrophic: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica | Tracking the Tropics My supervisor Nicky looks at me and said, Hey man, you sure you want to come? You want to stay and work in the warehouse? You want to come? Let me know. I said no, Id rather come so I can clear my mind and work. Its okay, Williams expressed. While 28/22 News was spending time with him, he tried to get in touch with some of his friends and family. Eventually, he did reach some friends, but the connection was spotty at best. I know after the hurricane, theres going to be a reach out, but not everyone can be reached out to immediately. Some people can be trapped in their community, said Williams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A local church is donating money to Jevy and his family. Jevy tells me there was not a single dry eye when they heard about the donation. Jevys work visa ends in December. He says he is planning to stay until the end of his visa. Until then, he will continue to send every dollar he makes in the United States back to his mother in Jamaica. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News. It looks like Jamie Lee Curtis's feelings about Charlie Kirk have changed! The actress did a complete 180 from her initial sympathetic stance towards the social commentator's death and clarified that there is a bigger picture. Last month, Jamie Lee Curtis could not hold back her tears while reacting to Charlie Kirk's assassination during an interview where she hoped his faith meant something during his last breath. Jamie Lee Curtis Insists She Was Talking About Charlie Kirk's Faith ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA The Oscar winner's tone changed during her interview for Variety's cover story, where she revisited her emotional response to Kirk's death. Curtis explained that the press' narrative was a complete misinterpretation of what she meant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curtis stressed that she was not even trying to talk about Kirk positively; instead, she was referring to his public expression of faith in God. "And so it was a mistranslation, which is a pun, but not," the Oscar winner continued. She also condemned the practice of giving public figures heat whenever they make political or social statements. "In the binary world today, you cannot hold two ideas at the same time: I cannot be Jewish and totally believe in Israel's right to exist and at the same time reject the destruction of Gaza," Curtis declared in the interview. Charlie Kirk's Accused Killer Will Show Up For Trial In His Own Clothes Republican National Convention via CNP / MEGA The Blast shared that the political activist's accused shooter, identified as Tyler Robinson, scored a minor win at the preliminary hearing ahead of his trial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the day arrived, he had made a few requests regarding his appearance in subsequent hearings, including his choice of clothing and how he would be transported to court. Robinson's lawyer had filed a motion stating that he would rather appear in court fully dressed in his own clothes, rather than wear the uniform typically provided to inmates. While the judge did not grant his second request regarding transportation, they did see reason to grant him a win on the first point. The court reportedly felt that his wearing a prison outfit could mislead prospective jurors into seeing him as guilty even before the trial commences. No Images Will Be Taken Of Tyler Robinson In Court Facebook | Amber Robinson Robinson would appear in court heavily shackled due to the emotional nature of his case, which may upset one or a few supporters of Kirk into attacking him. Judge Tony Graf also added another restraint, this time concerning the media's conduct within the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Graf reportedly ordered that photographers and TV crews not capture images or footage of Robinson as he arrives, leaves, or stands in the courtroom. Should they manage to get a few shots, the press must not publish these images. Robinson's next court appearance is scheduled for January, and he is expected to attend in person rather than virtually, as he did the last time. Why Tyler Robinson's Case May Become Complex Facebook | Amber Robinson Legal experts have weighed in on the likely future of Robinson's case and how everything may become muddled if top officials do not exercise caution in their public statements about the investigation's progress and trial results. As noted by The Blast, several top officials, including FBI boss Kash Patel and officials from the Utah County Jail, where Robinson is currently being held, have disclosed some sensitive information about the case. A significant revelation is the claims of DNA evidence linking Robinson to the crime scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A professor from New York Law School, Rebecca Roiphe, explained that such commentaries could subject the judiciary to unnecessary scrutiny, especially regarding its safety from outside influence. Roiphe advised the FBI boss to step back from making further controversial remarks about the case and to refrain from addictive media appearances. Dave Chappelle Sparked Outrage Over Controversial Comments On Charlie Kirk's Death Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA Seemingly right up his alley, the comedian touched on the topic of Kirk's death during his show in Saudi Arabia, with over 6,000 audience members in attendance. Chapelle referred to the highly sensitive political landscape in America, adding that discussing Kirk in the wrong way can get people canceled. Chappelle emphasized that, under Donald Trump's administration, free speech in America had become a mirage. According to him, it was easier to freely express oneself in Saudi Arabia than in the current America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also predicted a possible sabotage or punishment for his previous comments on Israel and Gaza, especially his criticisms of the United States' involvement in the crisis. What will be the verdict on Jamie Lee Curtis' U-turn? Japan will send in its armed forces to combat a growing population of aggressive bears. Ten people have been killed by the animals since April, surpassing last years previous high of six. Members of the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) will be dispatched to assist local hunters in Akita, in the far north of Japans main island, following an appeal from the local governor. The troops are being called in after the body of a woman in her 80s was found in a ditch on the outskirts of Akita City on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the woman had sustained severe injuries, and local hunters are tracking a bear that had been seen nearby. The troops are being called in to operate in Akita after the body of a woman in her 80s was found in a ditch - Tony Studio On Friday a bear attacked a couple collecting fruit in the village of Higashinaruse. Two men working nearby came to help but were badly mauled, and one later died. With 73 people injured or killed in Akita this month alone, Kenta Suzuki, the governor, appealed to the national government, saying: Exhaustion on the ground is reaching its limits. The lives of our citizens cannot be protected without the help of the Self-Defence Forces, he told Shinjiro Koizumi, Japans defence minister. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attacks targeting the neck and face are extremely common, resulting in a truly dire situation. There are fewer local hunters in rural parts of the prefecture than before, and they are overwhelmed by requests to track and kill bears, the governor said. Bears have been filmed entering shops - STR/AFP The military will provide logistical support, including setting box traps, transporting equipment and hunters around the prefecture, and disposing of euthanised bears. The defence ministry said the troops would not be armed and would not be involved in tracking or shooting bears. Kevin Short, a naturalist and former professor of cultural anthropology at Tokyo University of Information Sciences, said several factors lay behind the recent spike in bear incidents. He estimated there were about 44,000 Asian black bears on Honshu and a further 11,600 of the larger, more aggressive brown bears on Hokkaido. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been poor beech nut crops in recent years, which means that bears have to forage further afield to get the food they need to get through hibernation, he told The Telegraph. The rural parts of Japan have been experiencing depopulation for a long time as well and bears are just not as nervous around people as they used to be. Bears have attacked tourists, entered shops and turned up near schools and parks, particularly in the north. Experts say warmer weather is also disrupting hibernation patterns. Brown bears can weigh about half a tonne (roughly 1,100lb) and can outrun a human. Japan has two bear species: Asian black bears (also called moon bears) and the larger brown bears found on the northern island of Hokkaido. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prefectures with large bear populations have urged residents to take precautions, such as making loud noise to deter bears and not leaving food where wildlife can access it. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Japans Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hailed a golden age between Tokyo and Washington after talks with US President Donald Trump resulted in deals on defense and rare earths. Relations between the historic allies had strained after Trump imposed steep tariffs on Japan, but Takaichi who took office this month as her countrys first female leader has sought to win over the American president by having Japans emperor greet him on his visit to Tokyo and by dangling the promise of purchasing US-made trucks. The agreement to secure access to rare earths may be the most consequential: China, which produces around 90% of the critical minerals and recently tightened export controls, has poor relations with both the US and Japan. COLLINS: It was a question about not ruling out a third term. But whats your reaction to what the President said there? CROCKETT: Listen, Im waiting on a reporter, and maybe itll be you, Kaitlan, that finally ask him, What is his IQ? Because he is constantly talking about he doesnt even know what a low IQ is. He dont even know which scores are low. And I can guarantee you that whatever score, if hes taken one, anytime recently, Im sure that his qualifies as low. Listen, hes never been known to be an Einstein. This is not a guy who got in on merit, when it came to going to college. This is someone who, but for him, being born with a silver spoon, probably wouldnt have gotten into anybodys institution, unlike me. So, I am not worried about that. And I wish people would look at the fact that you have a President of the United States who consistently is obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House. You are the President. You have a lot more power than we do. But obviously, you consistently feel threatened. And that is why we have seen, the attacks on black women in general from this administration. I dont know what black woman hurt him in his past, honey, but it is really taking him through it. But I really wish, for the sake of this country, and honestly, for the sake of the world, that he would focus on his real job and stop worrying about me. My constituents will worry about whether or not I have an adequate IQ, even though thats not the test that hes taking. And its up to them to decide. Its not him. He cant hire me or fire me, unfortunately for him. Editors Note: KOIN 6 News anchorman Jeff Gianola will retire around Thanksgiving 2025 after more than 40 years as a Portland journalist. In this series, Jeff looks back at some of the most memorable stories hes covered and shared. This story, which earned a Regional Emmy, originally aired May 18, 2023. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) March 29 was a relatively mild Wednesday in Portland. In a short walk from Mothers Bistro, Chef Lisa Schroeder arrives at a public market. But shes not buying anything at the meth and fentanyl supermarket at SW 4th and Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Portlands public fentanyl market surrounds a vacant building. People pull up in their cars, do a deal, pull out their foil and smoke. Drug dealers and drug users are the visible faces of the human tragedy of addiction. This fentanyl market began attracting people in late January after Portland police swept them from a parking lot across from Mothers Bistro. Lisa Schroeder of Mothers Bistro walks through SW 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, March 29, 2023 (KOIN) Were in downtown Portland. Its a free country. Anybody can walk on the street, Schroeder told KOIN 6 News as she pointed to a man with a knife on the sidewalk. But here, what you find, lets say someone is going to their job, right? Somebodys on their way to work and somebody decides to take, somebody is cutting open their leg. Cutting open their leg! There he was, a man cutting at his leg. Others were strung out and passed out, openly buying and using drugs. But the pictures cant capture the stench of urine and garbage or the acrid smell of fentanyl smoke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KOIN Exclusive: Mayor Wheeler on drug markets, police staffing The guys have their hoodies on their heads covered up with a blanket so they can smoke their pipe. Theyve got their foil here. They are lined up smoking. The deals happen, she said. What I want people to understand, yes, there are homeless that need our compassion and our care. And there are drug users whose main reason for being is to get their drugs, use their drug and get more of their drug. This is what is killing Portland. Southwest 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, April 12, 2023 (KOIN) At that moment a big guy in a plaid shirt comes over. Stop stepping over these people. Theyre not people, right? Im tired of seeing Teslas walk by and see people dying and struggling to survive and they dont give a - about us, man. Dont judge. I cant judge nobody. Dont judge us. Come, as he walks away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another guy chimed in. Oh, whats worse is treat us like we choose to be out here. A lot of us not choose to be out here. A lot of us medicate with whatever we can get. Schroeder continued talking with KOIN 6 News. The RVs you see around town are not. Theyre the drug dealers. They buy their users tents. The tents set up around the RV and every time they need a fix they go to their dealer in the RV. Some have even said, Well trade tricks for fentanyl on the door of the RV. But this is what were seeing. Its not a lot of these RVs. And all that garbage, its not somebody down on their luck. Its the drugs. Other people approach, including a man named Ryan. He said he was addicted to fentanyl but is now clean and he doesnt like what hes seeing at SW 4th and Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its horrible. Honestly its not something anybody should want to go through or see, as a matter of fact, Ryan said. You gonna want to help yourself before you know you can help anybody else. A lot of people are on the streets. Been here 25, 30 years homeless, yeah, by choice. Like you said, by choice. And its sad, you know? Because people gotta use, you know, to stay well. Schroeder said people need to realize theyre not here to harm us. Theyre not harming us. Theyre killing themselves. But theyre not harming us and its not that we need to have fear. This is nothing to be afraid of except that its killing people. And its killing our city. People gathered outside Southwest 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, April 11, 2023 (KOIN) Friday, March 31 was rainy and cold in Portland. In a 12-hour period, Central Precinct officers responded to 11 overdose calls in downtown, including 4 in just one hour. They administered Narcan to counteract the likely opiod overdose to 6 people. But it was too late to save 3 people. The majority of the overdoses were linked to fentanyl. Almost all the calls were in the vicinity of SW 4th and Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the tragedy had little effect. After a few hours, the open air fentanyl market was back in business and flourishing. It was dark, kind of blustery on the night of April 5. Shortly before midnight the night version of the fentanyl market looked surreal, like something from a horror movie. People aimlessly wander around. Dealers openly sell and advertise fentanyl. Others are unresponsive, huddled and curled up against the building, along the sidewalk, in the dark corners and doorways, among the trash and debris. Its worse at night. Its easy to see flames from lighters as people heat up the foil to inhale the fentanyl smoke. Southwest 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, April 20, 2023 (KOIN) Southwest 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, April 10, 2023 (KOIN) Over the next few weeks, KOIN 6 News continued to document what was happening at the site during the day and at night. The problem, though, was not centered just around this building but scattered to nearby streets and sidewalks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We werent welcome in the area. Someone even threw a bottle at our car. There was a light rain when daylight broke around 7 a.m. on April 10. After repeated media stories and pressure from downtown businesses, Portland police swept in and cleared out the block. They also cleared out the inside of the building where people had broken in. Crews boarded up the building, blocked off outside stairs and ledges. A contractor begins to board up Southwest 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, April 12, 2023 (KOIN) But when the police stopped their patrols, the sellers, the users, the fentanyl all came back. Those who didnt return simply scattered to nearby doorways and corners. Dr. Keith Humphreys of Stanford University, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is considered an expert on addiction. He points to Oregon voters approving Measure 110, decriminalizing possession of small quantities of drugs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When polls show the public is against it, police kind of say, Alright, were kind of out of this,' Humphreys told KOIN 6 News. No matter how this comes out the public is giving us a message to back off. And that, he said, is the message police have gotten in Oregon. OK, the public doesnt want us doing anything about drugs and we got a lot to do, so well do other things.' Stanford University Professor Keith Humphreys, May 4, 2023 (KOIN) Even though Measure 110 decriminalized drugs, police can issue citations, up to a $100 fine which can be dismissed if the person calls a hotline offering screening and help for drug addiction. Since Measure 110 took effect in February 2021, police have issued 4451 citations. A majority of people 3057, or 69% ignored the ticket, didnt pay the fine or show up to court. Only 189 who called the hotline completed substance use screening, according to Lines for Life, which operates the hotline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ticketing system that Oregon set up clearly is a failure, Humphreys said. Less than 1% of people called the line that was set up, and of those, hardly any asked for treatment. I dont know if they can document that a single person even went to treatment because of that. There are 2 glaring problems with Measure 110, he said, something he warned Oregon lawmakers about before it was enacted. It doesnt do anything to stop or limit the supply of drugs and it fails to hold the addicted person accountable to seek treatment. As long as drugs are extremely available and open air markets are completely tolerated, as long as you know people can commit property crimes over and over again on drugs and not experience any consequences theres going to be an awful lot of drug use and an awful lot of harm both to the people who use drugs and also to everybody else, he said. Thats the thing I think Oregon is going to have to grapple with. Those same concerns were echoed in a recent KOIN 6 Town Hall on addiction and Measure 110. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Portland Police Association President Aaron Schmautz said, Im listening to someone say what police should enforce. But the tools to do that come from the community telling us what we can and cannot do. The ability to interdict, the ability to go and seek out people to help them but also for law enforcement because we are the first to respond to so many different crises. Humphreys said he is not advocating for Oregon to scrap Measure 110. Instead, he suggests taking a hard look at what is working and especially what isnt. I think thats happening. That is making some people rethink their position on these things, that when you live under a system where you know open air drug markets are fine, where addiction is rampant, where crime is rampant and no one does anything thats genuinely painful but its also sometime how we learn what it is we do not want to do in our lives. Saturday, May 6 was a pleasant spring day. Around 9:30 a.m. a few people gathered again at SW 4th and Washington. The area has seen some improvements after repeated sweeps and cleanups. Those who dont keep coming back just scattered elsewhere downtown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lisa Schroeder and Mothers Bistro have been part of downtown for decades. She said she will never lose her love and optimism for what Portland can be. Southwest 4th and Washington in downtown Portland, May 6, 2023 (KOIN) But lately she has her doubts. Im starting to get worried, Schroeder said. Im starting. The drugs are scaring me and until we get a handle on these drugs Im not confident. I was very confident until I saw what is happening with fentanyl and meth and what it is doing to peoples brains. Until we get a handle on this I dont know what the answer is. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Jennifer-Ruth Green, the 2022 Republican congressional candidate, announced her candidacy to challenge U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, in the expected to be redrawn First District as Gov. Mike Braun has called for a special session for mid-census redistricting. Braun announced Monday he would call for a special legislative session beginning Nov. 3 to address redistricting of Indianas Congressional districts. Typically, redistricting occurs every 10 years after the release of census data, but the Trump administration has been pressuring Republican states to redistrict ahead of the 2026 election so that Republicans can maintain control of the U.S House of Representatives. Green lost a close race to Mrvan in 2022 by more than 12,000 votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of Indianas nine Congressional districts, seven seats are held by Republicans and two seats are held by Democrats, including the First District. In her campaign announcement, Green said with Indiana likely to redistrict to make this seat fairer and more competitive, IN-01 will be key to the control of the House of Representatives in 2026. Green recently left her Indiana Secretary of Public Safety post following an ethics complaint investigation by the Indiana Office of Inspector General, which alleged that Green committed numerous ethics violations including retaliating against an employee and requiring state employees to do campaign work on state time. No hearing has been set for the complaint at this time. In an interview with the Post-Tribune, Green said she hasnt had any conversations with any state legislators or leaders about redistricting in Indiana. But, Green said shes grateful that Braun called for the special session and that the state legislature will make the right decision in supporting President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stakes are very high in this race. Its incredibly important for Hoosiers to fight fire with fire when it comes down to these things like redistricting because weve seen how the Democrats have gerrymandered states in New England, and weve seen how theyve done it in Illinois. We need Republicans to continue to have a voice in Congress after Democrats counted millions of illegals in a census to get more blue state entitlements in regards to representation than they were supposed to, Green said. Tim Edson, Greens spokesman, pointed to former President Joe Biden signing an executive order in January 2021 reversing Trumps efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from being included in census data. The census, which is completed every 10 years, counts everyone living in the country at the time, and the data is used for community planning like building grocery stores, schools and roads where federal spending should be allocated and for apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the U.S. Census Bureau website. The bureaus data includes foreign-born populations, which encompasses naturalized U.S. citizens, non-citizen U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants, humanitarian migrants and unauthorized migrants, according to its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gerrymandering, which occurs when the political party in charge draws voting districts in its favor, has been a tool used by Democratic and Republican state leaderships, according to the Brennan Center. After the 2020 census, Republicans controlled the redistricting process in more states than Democrats, which resulted in a net 16 fewer Democratic or Democratic-leaning districts, according to the center, an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization. When asked if Indiana calling a special session to redistrict could be viewed as an effort at gerrymandering, Green said the question was an interesting semantic connection. In certain states, voters have become increasingly upset when the percentage of votes for a political party doesnt match the amount of representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives, she said. When we look at who started it or we look at whos benefiting from it, I believe we are answering in response to the current situation, and its just us fighting back as Republicans, Green said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green resigned as Indianas Secretary of Public Safety on Sept. 5 amid an ethics complaint that alleged she engaged in political activity, ghost employment, misuse of state property, and prohibition against retaliation while on state time. Edson said the complaint is a baseless, politically motivated hit job. Green wasnt given the opportunity to obtain counsel or respond to the false allegations before the complaint was filed with the Ethics commission, Edson said. The truth is on Jennifer-Ruth Greens side and this politically motivated smear campaign will fail, Edson said. Green, an Air Force veteran and Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard, said in a statement announcing her candidacy that shes ready to finish the mission as she faces Mrvan for the second time. In 2022, Green received 47.2% of the vote to Mrvans 52.8% of the vote. Green won Porter and LaPorte counties, while Mrvan won in Lake County, according to election data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Green said Lake County continues to vote more Republican with each election and that President Trumps policies are going to connect moving into the 2026 midterm election. We see that President Trump is making the Republican Party the working-class party again. We see that in Lake County theres just a ton of hard-working people who want a Representative on their side, Green said. Mrvan said in a statement that the Republican party nominee for the 2026 midterm election will be decided by Republican voters in the primary. I am running for re-election and welcome the opportunity to highlight my proven record of fighting for working families with whomever is on the general election ballot, Mrvan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If elected, Green said in the statement that she would help Republicans keep the House and stop Democrats from impeaching President Trump and advancing their socialist agenda. Green said in the statement she would stand shoulder to shoulder with Trump to rebuild American manufacturing and create middle-class jobs; increase salaries and lower prices; support farmers and rural communities; secure the border and deportations; and defend life, the Second Amendment and law enforcement. Green said she looks forward to the 2026 campaign. I look forward to earning the vote, trust and confidence of Hoosiers to get to Washington and making sure that we can have solid representation there, Green said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lake County Republican Party Chairman Randy Niemeyer, who ran against Mrvan in 2024 and lost, said hes possibly going to run for the First Congressional District in 2026. Im working through a lot of details, Niemeyer said. Niemeyer said he would like to congratulate Green on her candidacy announcement. Its sure to be a spirited primary season, Niemeyer said. Republican Barb Regnitz, finishing her third year as a Porter County commissioner representing Center District, filed a statement of organization last week to run for the First Congressional district seat. For the past 100 years, Democrats have controlled Indianas First District, said Regnitz in a news release. Now, with radical far-left activists steering their party, people are concerned about endless investigations, attempts at impeachment, and a return to the failed policies of the past. Our country needs leaders who will defend President Trumps agenda, restore accountability, and preserve our constitutional rights. For these reasons and more Im running to your next U.S. Representative. akukulka@post-trib.com Former Indiana Secretary of Public Safety Jennifer-Ruth Green, a Republican, launched a campaign for the 1st Congressional District on Oct. 28, just one day after Gov. Mike Braun called a special session to draw new maps that could flip the northwest Indiana district red if passed. The campaign is Green's second time running for the seat, which is currently held by a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan. She lost to Mrvan by 5 percentage points when she last faced him in 2022, a smaller margin than Mrvan's 8-point victory over his Republican opponent in 2024. "Now, I'm running for Congress because President Trump needs conservative fighters to help put America First," she wrote in a post on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans have eyed the 1st District as a potential pickup for multiple cycles. It's also the most likely target should Indiana lawmakers pass new maps, a prospect that could create a crowded Republican primary. "With Indiana likely to redistrict to make this seat fairer and more competitive, IN-01 will be key to the control of the House of Representatives in 2026 and at the forefront of efforts to combat Democrats outrageous gerrymanders," Green said in the press release. My name is Jennifer-Ruth Green. I'm a pilot, Iraq War combat vet, Air National Guard officer, and served as Indiana's Secretary of Public Safety. Now, I'm running for Congress because President Trump needs conservative fighters to help put America First. Strap in. Let's Go. pic.twitter.com/M1HDsm6L0h Jennifer-Ruth Green (@JenRuthGreen) October 28, 2025 Green will likely face questions on the campaign trail about her time as secretary of public safety under Braun. She resigned in September just before an ethics complaint was made public that alleged she violated rules regarding political activity, use of state property, ghost employment and retaliation. In some instances, the complaint alleges, she had state employees generate and proofread posts for her campaign Facebook. Green called the allegations "baseless" at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have spent my life dedicated to serving others and maintaining my honor and commitment as a follower of Christ, so I will not lower myself to address evil with evil," she said in a statement provided to IndyStar. The inspector general filed the complaint Sept. 12 with the State Ethics Commission, which could issue sanctions if it agrees Green violated state rules. A spokesperson for the office did not immediately respond to a question about the status of that complaint. Green is a pilot and combat veteran who lives in Crown Point, Indiana. She studied Asian Area Studies at the U.S. Air Force Academy before earning her masters of ministry from Golden State Baptist College and an aeronautics degree from Liberty University. Her priorities include securing the border, lowering prices and rebuilding American manufacturing, according to a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: What to know about Indiana's redistricting special session The special legislative session to redistricting mid-cycle begins Nov. 3, though it's unclear how successful it will be. While the House of Representatives have the votes to pass new maps, a spokesperson said Oct. 27 that the Senate does not have the votes. Contact Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Republican announces 1st District run day after redistricting announcement Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings trails the most prominent Republican contenders for governor by double digits in the first poll measuring his rumored candidacy. But the survey also shows he stands on relatively equal footing with the leading Democrat in the race so far. The University of North Florida poll released Tuesday shows Demings trailing the Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, by 12 percentage points, with 34% of respondents backing Demings compared to 46% backing Donalds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demings was also 11 points behind, 47% to 36%, in a head-to-head race with First Lady Casey DeSantis. Like Demings, DeSantis has been rumored to run, but neither has filed so far. The presumed Democratic frontrunner in the contest is David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from St. Petersburg who has since changed parties. The polls show him doing little better than Demings against Donalds, trailing the GOP congressman by 11 points, 45% to 34% and polling worse than Demings against the first lady, trailing DeSantis by 13 points, 47% to 34%. The poll of 728 likely voters was conducted from Oct. 15 to 25 and has a margin of error of 4.25 percentage points. Demings, the mayor of one of Floridas largest and most Democratic-leaning counties, has hinted that he may run for higher office. More than six sources have told the Orlando Sentinel that hes considering running for governor. In recent months, Demings has also released a memoir on leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked directly about his intentions in September, Demings didnt say definitively what his plans were. Im being encouraged by a number of different constituencies, so Ill leave it at that, he said at the time. The field is still evolving. On the Republican side, former House speaker Paul Renner has thrown his hat in the ring, while Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, recently appointed to the post, has also said hes strongly considering a run. Regardless of which Democrats run, theyll face a math problem. Florida has shifted from a swing state to firmly in Republican control under Gov. Ron DeSantis tenure. As of Sept. 30, there are nearly 1.4 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, and President Donald Trump has won the state in all three of his presidential runs. A Democrat also hasnt won the governors mansion since Lawton Chiles in 1994. Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor who has since run for reelection twice as a Democrat, lost to DeSantis by nearly 20 points in 2022. A community in Monmouth County, New Jersey, is rallying behind a long-time restaurant owner with a work visa after he was detained by ICE. Ruperto Vicens Marquez, co-owner and chef of Emilio's Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands, is a father of three young children. He has spent nearly two decades in the U.S., and people who know him say he's well respected. "I don't understand. You know, we got permission to be here to work," said Emilio Vicens Marquez, Ruperto's brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hard work paid off for the two brothers, who are business owners and best of friends. The immigrants from Mexico have earned the reputation of one of the most beloved restaurants in the town. "Now, I've got two restaurants with no head chef," his brother said. The head chef and younger brother, Marquez, is now in ICE custody at Delaney Hall in Newark. The 38-year-old father of three was pulled over and arrested the Sunday before last. "He just called me to say, like, really fast. 'I guess I'm in a detention center and that's all I wanted you to know, that ICE picked me up,'" Marquez's brother recalled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marquez has been in the country for 18 years, and his work authorization was renewed just a year ago, expiring in 2029. "My police department had no idea that ICE was in our town at 6:30 in the morning last Sunday," Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner said. The town mayor was among dozens of people on Marquez's side, holding a rally Monday night. More than 60 people have written letters on his behalf. "This is the most generous, beloved family. So, they could not have chosen someone worse," Hohenleitner said. Many community members, like business owner Leo Cervantes, resonated with Marquez's story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I came to tell the lady that anything they need. They need cook -- my son, myself will be here to cook for them," Cervantes said. Marquez's brother, who has been in the U.S. for 27 years now, feels like he's back at square one. "In our town and towns around, we saw people going to the authority to say what is happening. The next day, someone from the family disappear," he said. "So, I decided to come to this country. So, now when this is happening. I feel like we have no place where to go." A detention hearing is scheduled for November 17. Marquez's attorney says he should never have been arrested in the first place and that they are working to get him released before then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. (WHTM) The search for a fugitive that started in York County ended with a cross-state police chase and an arrest in New Jersey on Monday. Christopher Emil Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 27, of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, was wanted for numerous felony charges in Virginia and Florida when the Carroll Township Police Department learned he was staying in a Chestnut Grove Road home, the department said. Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Alerts When officers went to the address on Oct. 20, police said Rodriguez-Gonzalez escaped through a window with the help of a family member, who police arrested for aiding him. The department placed two neighborhoods under a shelter-in-place notice as they searched for Rodriguez-Gonzalez into the night. However, it wasnt until Monday, more than a week since he allegedly evaded capture in York County, that the Kearny Police Department in New jersey arrested him during a traffic stop. Police picked him up on an arrest warrant for flight to avoid apprehension charges out of Pennsylvania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man shot during Harrisburg carjacking dies, coroners office says Rodriguez-Gonzalez was also driving a vehicle reported stolen the week before, and which Delaware State Police chased into Maryland before terminating for safety reasons, Carroll Township police said. He was booked into the Hudson County Correctional Center. The United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force assisted the investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. The atmosphere on the cold autumn night was febrile. The noise could be heard from around the corner. Around 100 students most wearing keffiyehs and masks were angrily chanting Zionists off our campus!. The hatred crackled in the air outside one of the UKs most prestigious universities. The London School of Economics (LSE) event on October 16 a discussion about sexual violence committed during the October 7 attacks (and other wars), led by Israeli academic Ruth Halperin-Kaddari was the source of the fury. Within minutes of the venue being announced for safety reasons, just a few hours before the talk began an online call for an emergency rally spread rapidly across the university. Even the Feminist Society joined in the push. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The peace plan between Israel and Hamas had been signed a week earlier, yet the protests continued as they have at universities across the capital and the country targeting both Jewish students and academics, many of whom say they no longer feel able to take part in university life. LSE students held an emergency rally demanding Zionists off our campus before an Israeli academics lecture At City St Georges, part of the University of London, Michael Ben-Gad, an Israeli economics professor, has been targeted for having once served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), a conscript army. The activist group City Action for Palestine described him as a terrorist and declared that it will not allow evil to roam free on our campus. Last week, activists stormed his lecture theatre, with one protester allegedly threatening to behead him. Also in London, Samuel Williams, a final-year politics, philosophy and economics student at Oxford, was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after chanting Put the Zios in the ground. His words have since been adopted by other activists. Pro-Palestine organisations at Leeds, Cardiff and Queen Mary universities shared digital posters using the same slogan, several of which included images of guns, on Instagram. Representatives of Jewish students and academics say that the tolerance of anti-Israel protests since the October 7 attacks has emboldened activists, some of whom have marked the recent two-year anniversary with celebrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No matter what people think of Guantanamo Bay or the war on terror, you would not have seen 9/11 celebrations on campuses around the country two years after the event, says Rosa Freedman, professor of law at the University of Reading and director of the Jewish academic staff network, the Intra-Communal Professorial Group (ICPG). Hannah Holtschneider, a professor of contemporary Jewish cultural history at the University of Edinburgh, claims the university is making no effort whatsoever to create a safe space for Jews. There are always reasons not to act, reasons that demonstrate that there is, in fact, no understanding of the violence of the experience of being Jewish at this time. Calls to violence such as Join the student intifada are consistently downplayed as not meaning what they clearly and literally mean. Edinburgh University professor Hannah Holtschneider says her institution has failed to act over rising hostility towards Jews on campus Holtschneider says she has not been targeted by her own students but describes a lack of support from both colleagues and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) officers. She adds that while EDI officers regularly circulate greetings for Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh festivals, Jewish festivals are ignored. When she asked for them to be included, she says, I was told that Jews could only be mentioned when marking a religious festival that makes no reference to the land of Israel which possibly leaves one, a minor festival called Purim. They love to go on about how inclusive they are but they are not inclusive when it comes to Jews. A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: The School of Divinity has a strong EDI commitment to support all religious traditions, including Judaism. In a learning community, education is always about overcoming discrimination and raising awareness together to build a fully inclusive community. We support the diversity of religious traditions, faiths and non-faiths. The School has a long-standing tradition of supporting Jewish studies alongside the teaching of all other religious beliefs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, at Newcastle University, colleagues from the University and College Union (UCU) led a demonstration celebrating October 7, according to an Israeli academic at the university. There was a large event organised by Newcastle UCU, she says. I just stayed home that day. I didnt want to see my colleagues in keffiyehs. They completely ignored the ceasefire theyre obsessed with this idea of the liberation of Palestine. When I complained about the [pro-Palestine] encampments last year, I was told I was free not to come in, but then I feel like Im hiding from it. My grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and I feel an element of what they must have felt that anti-Semitism has become normalised, institutionalised. I moved to the UK from Israel 12 years ago because I felt it was a safe country, that I would be protected. But now Im called baby killer and I dont feel safe. The people I would turn to to keep me safe such as my union are the ones I feel most in danger from. When I complain to the university, they say they dont know who is responsible. But its not difficult to identify them. At the University of Glasgow, a group of activists from the Glasgow University Justice for Palestine Society (GUJPS) last month launched a magazine called The Gaza Guardian, that told its readers it is time to join the student intifada and featured an article entitled The necessity of armed resistance. Activists at Glasgow University launched The Gaza Guardian, urging students to join the intifada and praising armed resistance The group said its event on October 7 was held to honour our beloved resistance and martyrs, adding: We celebrate the glorious Al-Aqsa Flood the name used by Hamas for its October 7 attack. The GUJPS did not respond to The Telegraphs request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One Glasgow University academic says life has become increasingly difficult for Jewish staff and students on campus, particularly because of the activities of GUJPS. We dont know who they are or who their leaders are. They are normally masked and chant slogans like Zionists off campus. On the whole, it has created an atmosphere in which it is difficult to be openly Jewish. It shouldnt simply be accepted that our Jewish students need security just to hold a bagel lunch. I am openly Jewish and have not been targeted, but when people are holding placards and shouting Zionists off our campus, you cant help but feel they mean you. While I do have some sympathy for the administration, given how difficult this is to manage, for many of us it is clearly anti-Semitism. Pro-Palestine groups at several universities shared posts saying Put the Zios in the ground, some featuring images of guns Glasgow University said it had written to the unaffiliated student group demanding that it remove its social media posts, and had issued a statement condemning such celebrations of violence. We will do everything we can to ensure that all members of the community are protected and will not hesitate to take action against identified individuals who break the Student Code of Conduct, the university said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Freedman says: The activists see the silence surrounding what they are doing as support for it. There is silence because there is fear no one wants to be the next target of this horror mob. After she attended the LSE talk, she says, her employer received dozens of complaints and comments such as: How dare this arch Zio be teaching our children? Prof David Hirsh, a sociologist at Goldsmiths, University of London, and founder of the London Centre for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, says that the current tolerance of anti-Semitism is part of a deeper process of delegitimising Western values that pervades academia. David Hirsh, sociology professor at Goldsmiths, says anti-Semitism is being normalised as universities reject Western ideals We have these students from all over the world coming to study in Europe and America, and the first thing they are taught is that democracy is fake a sham put on by imperialist countries, he says. If they come to university with certain views about Jews, they are reinforced in those views because if Jews are committing a genocide then they are Nazis. And who wants to have Nazis on their campuses? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department for Education said: The Government is stamping out anti-Semitism in all education settings and has provided 7m in funding for this purpose. Within weeks, the Union of Jewish Students will begin delivering 600 Government-funded training sessions to help university staff support students, identify harassment and hate and facilitate open, respectful debate. A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: The welfare of our community is an utmost priority and we continue to listen to our students to identify ways to improve the Edinburgh experience for everyone. We condemn any harassment in our community in the strongest terms and encourage anyone who has experienced this to report it to the university. Intimidation and discrimination have no place here, and reports are taken extremely seriously. A Newcastle University spokesperson said: We will not tolerate harassment or abuse, and where individuals are identified as having breached our policies or codes of conduct, we will take appropriate action in line with our disciplinary procedures. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Former President Joe Biden just issued a grim warning about the state of the country under President Donald Trump. Biden addressed an audience on Sunday night after receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston. He spoke about the state of the country, urging the crowd to stand up against Trump in his first remarks made since finishing a round of radiation therapy for an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Biden warned Americans were facing dark days under Trump, according to a video shared by Fox News and multiple reports of the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Friends, I cant sugarcoat any of this. These are dark days, Biden said in a clip shared online, adding that the U.S. has come out of every crisis we face stronger than when we were in that crisis. I still believe we will emerge as we always have: stronger, wiser, more resilient, more just, so long as we keep the faith, remember who in Gods name we are, Biden added. He also urged Americans to fight in his impassioned speech. This is no time to give up, its time to get up. Get up now! Biden said, according to a video shared by local Boston ABC affiliate WCVB. Its time to get reengaged. Its time to act, to fight like hell, Biden said, according to the video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democrat left office in January after serving one term in the White House. Biden dropped his bid for reelection after facing pressure following a disastrous debate against Trump and concerns about his age, health and mental fitness. Vice President Kamala Harris launched her bid right after, but lost to Trump last November. In May, Bidens post presidential office announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bones. Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively. Bidens office said his score was 9. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Stories by Lauren Sforza Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Faith is an integral part of millions of Americans daily lives. One Nation Under God is committed to reflecting Americas voices, values and communities covering stories of faith and religion, from the latest headlines to stories of hope. Subscribe here. (NewsNation) Could the religious revival some say is taking place in the United States be reaching the upper echelons of podcasting and cultural trendsetting? If Joe Rogans recent admission about his own faith is any indication, it may be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The super successful podcaster and cultural critic, who has more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube and nearly 15 million followers on Spotify, said he enjoys church and sees the benefits of religion. Joe Rogan backs Hegseths war on woke garbage, fat generals Its a bunch of people who are going to try to make their lives better, Rogan told guests Konstantin Kisin, British political commentator and author of An Immigrants Love Letter to the West, and Francis Foster, co-hosts of the podcast Triggernometry. Joe Rogan: Religion is not nothing Theyre trying to be a better person, and theyre trying to I mean, for me at least, the place that I go to they, you know, they read and analyze passages in the Bible, Rogan shared. Im really interested in what these people were trying to say. Because I dont think its nothing. Rogan: Secular people dismiss Christianity as foolish Theres a lot of, like, atheists and secular people that just like to dismiss Christianity as being foolish. You know, Its just fairy tales. I hear that amongst, you know, self-professed intelligent people, like, Its a fairy tale, Rogan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know if thats true. I think theres more to it. I think its history, but I think its a confusing history. Its a confusing history because it was a long time ago, Rogan said. And its people telling things in an oral tradition, then writing things down in a language that you dont understand in the context of a culture that you dont understand. And I think theres something to what theyre saying. Rogan praised Christianity and Jesus Christ. Why was King Charles praying with the pope? Christianity in particular is the most fascinating to me because theres this one person that everybody agrees existed that somehow or another had the best plan for how human beings should interact with each other and behave and was the best example of it and even died in a nonviolent way like, didnt even protest, died on the cross supposedly for our sins. Like its a fascinating story, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also expressed respect for religion in general. When I watch super religious people that are praying five times a day, and Im like, that is amazing. Like look how dedicated they are to that thing. Like theres an attractiveness to that, Rogan said in reference to Islam. Is Gen Z more religious? It could be too early to tell If I was that dedicated to something, Id probably be, like, way more stable in my life, Rogan said. Ive got a friend whos a devout Muslim and hes and hes going through tough times at the moment, and I say to him like, How do you get through this? And hes like, Bro, Ive got my religion, responded Francis Foster, co-host of Triggernometry. Ive got God and I know everythings going to be okay. Hes a great guy. And he goes, I pray five times a day. It really helps me. And it makes me realize and understand that what Im going through is part of his plan. Joe Rogan stands for a benediction after President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President in in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Rogan guest calls gesture at Catholic Mass powerful Rogan wasnt the only one opening up about faith during the podcast. His guest, Francis Foster, also expressed appreciation for the rituals carried out during the Catholic Mass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was raised Catholic, as you know, theyd say, Peace be upon you towards the end. Lets show each other a sign of peace, Foster said, describing the rite of peace at Catholic Mass. You dont know this person. You may have never met them, but you shake hands with Bible sales up after Charlie Kirk killing: Report the person behind, in front, and whatever else. What an incredibly profound gesture that is. Just to shake hands with someone. And all your anger and all your resentment and everything you feel, which is natural, and jealousy, and you go and but you make a literal physical connection with another human being. That is so powerful. Rogan appears to criticize pro-choice stance If you dont have something to believe in if youre just relying on your whims and your, you know, whatever you think is the moral thing to do, you know, then you know what you get? You get those people that are unable to answer the question of whether or not you should protect an unborn fetus or whether or not they have human rights, he said. No, no, no. They dont. If you have religion, you go, wow, thats a good question. Its a very good question. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pope Leo holds first meeting with survivors of clergy sex abuse Rogan praises true Christians The true Christians that Ive met and Ive met some legitimate, like very charitable, kind Christians, he said. Theyre some of the happiest and kindest people Ive ever met. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) John Ball Zoos baby pygmy hippo made his public debut Monday. Baby Hugo made his first public appearance Oct. 27 for a members-only preview event. The exclusive event gave the pair time to adjust to their new surroundings and new crowds of people. John Ball Zoos baby hippo officially has a name Hugo and his mom, Penelope, will be in their habitat daily starting Tuesday, zoo officials said in a release. If all goes well with the pair, their exhibit will open to the public Nov. 1. John Ball Zoo hippos Hugo and Penelope take a nap together on Oct. 20, 2025. (Courtesy) John Ball Zoo hippos Hugo and Penelope enjoy a pumpkin snack on Oct. 24, 2025. (Courtesy) John Ball Zoos baby pygmy hippo, Hugo, made his public debut on Oct. 27. Hugo the baby pygmy hippo goes for a swim at John Ball Zoo. Hugo the baby pygmy hippo goes for a swim at John Ball Zoo. Hugo the baby pygmy hippo poses for a photo at John Ball Zoo. John Ball Zoo hippos Hugo and Penelope enjoy a pumpkin snack on Oct. 24, 2025. (Courtesy) John Ball Zoos baby pygmy hippo, Hugo, made his public debut on Oct. 27. Hugo and Penelope have spent the past several weeks bonding behind the scenes, officials said. Hugo has been busy developing his basic hippo life skills including swimming and holding his breath underwater. He has grown from 11 lbs. at birth to 43 lbs., officials told News 8. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even after the hippo habitat opens to the public, visitors may not be able to see them, zoo officials warned. Hugo and Penelope often nap during the day, hide in the hay or spend time in their private enclosure. Pygmy hippo calf born at John Ball Zoo On Sept. 3, Hugo became the first pygmy hippo to be born at the zoo. His parents, Penelope and Jahari, are part of the Species Survival Plan, a program that works with zoos across North America to ensure the survival of endangered animals, according to John Ball Zoos website. There are only an estimated 2,500 pygmy hippos left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund, so each birth is important. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday said he has spoken with Donald Trump about the possibility of the president seeking a third-term but that he sees no path for it as any change to the US Constitution would be well after Trump has left office. Well, theres the 22nd Amendment, Johnson, who is a constitutional lawyer, said in response to a question about his comfort-level with the president floating a 2028 bid. Its been a great run. But I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution, as much as so many of the American people lament that, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president, he said, is trolling members of the other party when he talks publicly about the topic. The Trump 2028 cap is one of the most popular thats ever been produced. And he has a good time with that, trolling the Democrats, whose hair is on fire about the very prospect, he told reporters on Capitol Hill. The Republican leaders acknowledgment that he and Trump have discussed issues surrounding a third-term adds credence to warnings from the presidents opponents that he is seriously flirting with upending the Constitution. But Johnsons quickly throwing cold water on the suggestion underscores how little support Trump would have if he actually tried to move forward with it. Johnson said he had spoken with Trump Tuesday morning while the president is overseas in Japan, but he did not specify when the pair had discussed the Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amending the Constitution, he noted, would be a lengthy and arduous process, saying, I dont see a way to amend the Constitution, because it takes about 10 years to do that, as you all know, to allow all the states to ratify what two-thirds of the House, three-fourth of the states would approve. So I dont, I dont see the path for that. Trump on Monday continued to entertain the idea of running for a third term, telling reporters that hed love to do it, while also floating the possibility of a Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio pairing in 2028. But he did rule out one proposed end-run around the Constitution, saying it would be too cute for him to run as vice president in order to later ascend back into the White House after the elected president resigned. I think the people wouldnt like that because its too cute. Its not it wouldnt be right, he said, although he tried to reserve the legal right to do it. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to South Korea Wednesday morning local time, Trump said, Based on what I read, I guess Im not allowed to run, so well see what happens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump added: I would say that if you read it, [the Constitution] its pretty clear, Im not allowed to run. Its too bad. But we have a lot of great people. At the White House, Trump has joked about running for a third term and Trump 2028 hats are on display in a room near the Oval Office. Recently, Trump posted images of the 28 hats on the Resolute Desk when the House and Senate minority leaders, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, came to the Oval Office. But some people close to the president say that inside the administration, a third term is not viewed as something he is seriously considering or planning to do. The idea of running for a third term is like catnip for the media and Democrats, Trumps allies argue, ginning up the type of attention the president enjoys, one source said. That attention intensified last week when The Economist published an interview with Steve Bannon, a MAGA influencer and former Trump adviser, who claimed there is a plan for Trump to run for a third term. Bannon is notably far less close to the president and his team than he was during Trumps first term, and some White House officials viewed his comments as an attempt to draw attention to himself. But the seemingly outlandish ideas of Trump and people in his orbit sometimes find their way to reality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sources insisted Trump isnt actually plotting a 2028 campaign. That is not only because it would take a Constitutional amendment to make it legal, but the president is also aware of his age and cares deeply about his legacy. People close to him argue he never wants to be viewed like former President Joe Biden, whose age and health became a fixture of his presidency. If Trump were to take office again for a third term, he would be 82 years old. He said publicly hes not gonna do a third term. Anytime it comes up, its Trump being Trump. Hes going to do the Many people would love that! thing, a person close to Trump said. They also argued the president doesnt like to point out that he only has three years left, trying to swat away any talk of him being a lame duck president. The person close to the president argued that not only is Trump not seriously thinking about 2028, no one is seriously thinking about it right now, including people that Trump has hinted could succeed him, like Vance and Rubio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats something we all expect to play more of a role come the midterms, they said. This story has been updated with additional reporting. CNNs Kit Maher and Zachary B. Wolf contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NEW ORLEANS A Middle Taylor Township native has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a plot to smuggle Honduran migrants and cocaine into the U.S. in 2022, officials said. Carl Allison, 49, of North Huntingdon, was also ordered to forfeit a 65-foot-long boat that Louisiana prosecutors said was used in the smuggling operation, court documents show. Allison was indicted in 2022 after his boat was found floating adrift in the Gulf of Mexico following a storm at sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said at the time that Allison tried chartering a boat to refuel his disabled Sportfish yacht but the U.S. Coast Guard arrived first. Federal prosecutors said 52 pounds of cocaine and Honduran citizens were found concealed inside the vessel. Allison later pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms, or about 11 pounds, or more of cocaine and conspiracy to unlawfully bring aliens to the U.S. for financial gain. Prosecutors later learned that those migrants paid as much as $20,000 each to come to America and that some of the Hondurans were coming to the U.S. to work for companies controlled by Allison, Department of Justice officials said in 2023. At the time of Allisons guilty plea in December 2023, Department of Justice prosecutors said Allison and co-conspirators operated their enterprise for at least a year before it was discovered in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several Honduran nationals, including Darrell Martinez, a man who officials said admitted to serving as a ship captain in the scheme, were previously sentenced for roles in the conspiracy. Allison is scheduled to begin serving his five-year prison sentence in December, online court records show. But he now faces a federal bond revocation hearing Oct. 30 related to domestic battery charges filed Oct. 18 in Louisiana, Louisiana court records show. On this weeks episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart pointed out all the signs that Donald Trump may be planning for a third term in office. Late into Monday nights monologue, Stewart played a clip of a journalist asking Trump on Air Force One if hed be willing to challenge the court to serve a third term as president. Trumps response: Well, I havent really thought about it. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stewart facetiously exclaimed in response, Yes! Hes doing it! I havent thought about it. Thats the tell for whenever hes asked about something that he is definitely going to do that is dubious legally, ethically, or morally. He says he hasnt thought about it, but of course, we know hes thought about it, because he already has the merch. The late-night pundit then cut to a photo of two Trump 2028 hats sitting on the Oval Office desk. Now, of course, the negative nellies are going to have issues. Theyll say presidents cannot serve more than two terms, due to the 22nd Amendment, Stewart added. But whats interesting about Trump is hes actually worked through the various scenarios of running for a third term he has not thought about. Back on Air Force One, a reporter asked Trump if he would run as Vice President to get to a third term. Although the President asserted hed be allowed to do that, he repeatedly deemed the tactic too cute for him to try. Too cute? No, thats why you dont go to a Build-A-Bear as an adult, Stewart joked. Running as a Vice President to skirt the 22nd Amendment isnt cute. But hes the kind of guy whos like, I respect Americans too much to play games. If Im going to run again, Im going to rip off the Constitutions head and shit down its neck. And truth is, indications are very clear hes going to do it. You dont move into a house, knock down a wing, and build a 90,000 square foot ballroom for the next guy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch the entire monologue below. Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Jonah Bevin, adoptive son of former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Glenna Bevin, speaks to attorney Dawn Post, left, in court in Louisville, March 21, 2025. (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool) The Kentucky Court of Appeals has rejected efforts by former Gov. Matt Bevin and his ex-wife, Glenna Bevin, to block their estranged son, Jonah Bevin, from intervening in the court case where their divorce agreement is pending. The Bevins had appealed a judges ruling in May that Jonah may intervene in their divorce settlement proceedings but an appeals court panel on Monday dismissed their claim as having been filed too soon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeal may only be filed after the pending case in Jefferson Family Court is resolved, the appeals court said. The decision means Jonah, 18, who was adopted by the Bevins at age 5 along with three other children from Ethiopia, may proceed with his claims in family court, said John Helmers Jr., one of his lawyers. Were pleased that were going to have our day in court, he said. Jesse Mudd, Matt Bevins lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mark Dobbins, Glenna Bevins lawyer, declined to comment. Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela J. Johnson (Photo by Michael Clevenger, Courier Journal, via press pool.) Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson also had rejected the Bevins efforts to keep their divorce settlement confidential, an order which was not appealed and remains in force, Helmers said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jonah has alleged his adoptive parents abandoned him at age 17 in a brutally abusive and now-closed Jamaican facility. He is seeking support and the right to protect his interests in any financial settlement by his wealthy adoptive parents as part of their divorce. Conditions at Atlantis Leadership Academy, first reported last year in the Sunday Times of London, attracted international headlines after celebrity hotel heiress Paris Hilton flew to Jamaica in April to aid the youths as part of her advocacy work to reform what she calls the troubled teen industry that she says also victimized her. Jonah was among eight youths removed from the facility. Dawn J. Post, a New York lawyer and child advocate who helped relocate Jonah and several other youths from the former Atlantis Leadership Academy after it was closed by Jamaican child welfare authorities in 2024, said she was pleased by the appeals court ruling. However, we are deeply surprised and disappointed by how long it took to reach even this procedural step, Post said in an email. This case represents more than a legal delay; it reflects the ongoing failures of accountability that have defined the experience of too many abandoned adoptees, from adoptive parents to public agencies, that continues to cause profound harm, not just to one young man, but to many others like him who were and are left without support, oversight, or belonging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even now, Post said, more than 160 youths remain housed in a different facility in Jamaica with little oversight and in the midst of a major hurricane that struck the island Tuesday. Jonahs case had been on hold while the appeal was pending but Jonah is asking the judge to schedule a hearing now that the appeals court has ruled, his lawyers said in a court filing. The Bevins have five biological children as well as four adoptees; all are adults except the youngest adopted child. Bevin, a conservative Christian and one-term Republican governor elected in 2015, ran on a campaign of promoting adoption and foster care, often citing his own familys experience. But Jonah, who has said he suffers from significant learning disabilities, has told the Kentucky Lantern he was mistreated by the Bevins and was sent to several out-of-state residential programs, starting at age 13. The last was the Jamaican facility where he said he and other youths were routinely beaten and abused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a time, he was placed in the custody of Jamaican child welfare authorities after the Bevins declined to arrange his return to the United States, his lawyers have alleged in court. His lawyers also have argued he is entitled to educational support for help with learning disabilities and efforts to obtain a valid high school degree. Jonah has said he received no education at the Jamaican facility and his lawyers have said his online degree from an unaccredited program is a sham. Post said she remains concerned about Jonah and the many other youths she has worked with from failed adoptions, often winding up in loosely regulated facilities. Jonah has been working to find his footing amid years of abandonment and instability, she said in an email. Each delay in the legal process makes that work harder. The absence of timely accountability sends a painful message. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A federal judge was taking Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino point by point through her temporary restraining order restricting the use of tear gas and other controversial tactics used by his agents in city neighborhoods, telling him that kids dressed in Halloween costumes do not pose any threat. At the end of Bovinos hourlong appearance on the witness stand, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered him to appear in court every day at 6 p.m. to report on any events that have taken place that day. She also wants all use-of-force incident reports and body-cam footage from Sept. 2 through last weekend given to her by Friday. Ellis ordered Bovino into court Tuesday after he was seen personally throwing tear gas canisters at a crowd of protesters in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood on Oct. 23. Bovino, meanwhile, has claimed he only used the gas after an angry mob was throwing objects at officers and a rock hit him in the head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis began by telling Bovino her role is not to tell you that you can or cant enforce validly passed laws by Congressmy role is simply to see that in the enforcement of those laws that you are acting in the manner that is consistent with your obligation under the law. The judge said that since shes sure Bovino would not simply ignore a court order, the only explanation for what shes been seeing on videos sent to her by the plaintiffs is that her order is simply not clear enough. So I thought it would be a really good idea to go through it so that we are on the same page, she said. Ellis then began reading her restraining order directly to Bovino, who sat in the witness box in his green uniform staring back at the judge and nodding. Part one of the order, Ellis said, essentially ordered Bovino to leave journalists alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If they are doing their job, they have to be left alone, the judge said. Part two ordered that Bovino and his agents cannot use tear gas or other munitions on residents who are not a danger to law enforcement. So kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not elicit an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer, the judge said, a reference to a confrontation Saturday where tear gas was deployed in Old Irving Park before a childrens Halloween block party. They just dont. The judge also said she was well aware that things can be dynamic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What may not look dangerous in one instance, a minute later could be very dangerous, the judge said. And I also know Im not there. Im not out in the streetBut it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary. Bovino, a 30-year veteran border agent, is the public face of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administrations ongoing immigration-enforcement blitz. His appearance caused a media frenzy at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where an overflow courtroom and special security measures are being taken to handle what is expected to be a large crowd of reporters and spectators Dozens of television news cameras crowded the courthouse lobby ahead of the hearing Tuesday morning, and outside the building at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Dearborn Street a small group of protesters held signs denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Uniformed Chicago police officers patrolled outside the courthouse on bicycles. Its unclear if Bovino would enter the building through the main lobby or use a non-public entrance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An hour before the hearing was set to begin, Bovino posted a photo of a recent arrestee on social media he called a Honduran illegal alien living in Chicago and affiliated with the Latin Kings, a violent gang. This is a prime example of how our enforcement operations are out here arresting criminal illegal aliens who threaten our American way of life, Bovino wrote, without providing the mans name or any further details. Shortly before 10 a.m. Bovino strode into Ellis 14th Floor courtroom and took a seat at the defense table in his green uniform jacket and duty belt, sipping from a bottle of water. Ellis entered a temporary restraining order in early October that restricts the use of tear gas and other non-lethal munitions on media and protesters, requires agents to wear body cameras and says immigration officers must have clear identifying information on their uniforms or helmets when interacting with the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What to know about immigration enforcement raids in Chicago after nearly 2 months Late Monday, the plaintiffs in the suit brought by the Chicago Headline Club and others asked Ellis to bar immigration agents from using tear gas altogether pending the outcome of an injunction hearing next month. Its unclear how long Tuesdays hearing will last, but if the judge puts Bovino on the witness stand, it will be the first time hes been required to answer any questions under oath. Ellis has also ordered Bovino to sit for a five-hour sworn deposition later this week, but that interview will not be made public due to a protective order. A full injunction hearing on the issue of tear gas and other tactics is expected to be held next month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement last week, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said she can think of nobody better to correct Judge Ellis deep misconceptions about its mission. Ellis questioned two other Operation Midway Blitz leaders in similar fashion last week. In his six weeks on the ground in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, Bovino, who previously oversaw a similar push in Los Angeles, has claimed thousands of immigration-related arrests, part of a touted mission to make the streets safer for law-abiding citizens. Sporting a high-and-tight haircut and talking often in militaristic terms, Bovino has been featured in slickly produced social media videos put out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purporting to be ridding Chicagos streets of the worst of the worst, undocumented immigrants who have a history of violent criminal behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But scant details of those arrested have been officially released, and critics say the vast majority have had no criminal backgrounds whatsoever. Meanwhile, agents serving under Bovinos command have escalated their presence in Chicagos neighborhoods, where immigration enforcement actions in from the far East Side to Lakeview to Old Irving Park have unfolded in a now-familiar pattern, where irate residents blowing whistles and honking horns scream at agents to leave before arrests are made and tear gas deployed. Bovino has not only not shied away from the controversy, hes placed himself directly in it. He was present during the massive raid on a South Shore apartment building earlier this month that drew national headlines. And he reappeared last week on two separate days in Little Village, the heart of Chicagos Mexican community and an important economic engine for the city, where agents threw tear gas near the Discount Mall. Over the weekend, a filing by the plaintiffs in the case before Ellis accused him of lying about being struck in the head by a rock in the Little Village operation, saying the confrontation was being filmed from multiple angles and nothing had surfaced that backs up that assertion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bovino also gave an interview to a Spanish-language news outlet afterward where he was asked about Ellis order and allegedly said, Did judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock this morning? Maybe she needs to see what thats like before she gives an order like that. Related Articles In that same interview discussed above, Defendant Bovino also stated, I take my orders from the executive branch, suggesting disdain for this Courts authority to enjoin his unlawful conduct, the plaintiffs filing stated. The latest violations, according to the plaintiffs, occurred during a fracas in the Old Irving Park neighborhood over the weekend where residents were tackled and tear gassed as children prepared for a Halloween parade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident in the 3700 block of Kildare Avenue, where agents chased a day laborer down the street, prompted a chaotic scene that ruined what should have been an ordinary Saturday morning, according to a court filing Monday by the plaintiffs in an ongoing federal lawsuit over Operation Midway Blitz crowd control tactics. The filing stated that as neighbors came out to yell at the officers including some still in their pajamas and one woman with her wet hair wrapped in a towel the agents unleashed violence, tackling a man who was around 70 years old and two others and then deploying tear gas as they left the scene. The actions violated Ellis restraining order in several ways, the filing alleged, including by deploying chemical munitions without the required verbal warnings. Some of the agents also had no identifying information on their uniforms and used unnecessary force in tackling residents who posed no physical threat, the filing stated. In a statement over the weekend, the agency said Border Patrol agents were surrounded and boxed in by a group of agitators and that multiple lawful commands and verbal warnings were ignored. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the operation, two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer, the statement read. To safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures. No assault charges had been filed against anyone arrested as of Monday. The operation also resulted in the arrest of the day laborer, who DHS said was in the country illegally and has a previous arrest for assault. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com LIMA Judge Jeffrey Reed will decide on suppressing six pieces of evidence that were presented in court about a June arrest in a drug and weapons case. Quayshawn Burns was arrested in June, and Chief Public Defender Kenneth Sturgill does not believe the search that led to the arrest was a consensual encounter or that officers had reasonable suspicion. Sturgill made the motion to suppress the evidence, and he said based on the body-cam footage, officers blocked the car Burns was in from leaving and used a forceful tone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burns faces charges of possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a second-degree felony; two counts of aggravated possession of drugs with a firearm specification, second-degree felonies; having weapons under disability, a third-degree felony; and possession of cocaine, a fourth-degree felony. Assistant prosecutor Joshua Carp responded to Sturgills claims, saying it was a consensual encounter, and officers had reasonable suspicion. To back up these claims, he brought in Lima Police Department patrolman Riley Brubaker and Christian Martin, who testified about the arrest and the steps they took. According to court documents, on June 1, 2025, officers responded to the Fourth Street Apartments about a large fight. When officers arrived, they approached a vehicle in the parking lot and attempted to confirm if the occupants were part of the fight. While speaking to the occupants of the vehicle, officers noticed that an open container of alcohol inside the car. The defendant, who was identified as Burns, was seated in the rear drivers side and was asked to exit the vehicle. When he exited, officers noticed a gun under the seat where he sat, and he was arrested. Once he was placed under arrest, officers discovered he was under disability, and during a search of him, suspected narcotics were found. A federal judge has indefinitely extended her order banning the Trump administration from mass firing federal employees during the government shutdown. Following a hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction blocking reductions in force better known as RIFs at most major government agencies. Barring further action by a higher court, Illstons decision limits the Trump administrations ability to continue downsizing the federal government and moves it has made to leverage the ongoing shutdown to cut federal programs and agencies favored by Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget and the federal agency defendants are enjoined from issuing any more RIF notices because of the shutdown, said Illston, a San Francisco-based Clinton appointee. The judge also barred the administration from implementing RIF notices issued during the shutdown and said she might hold further court proceedings to resolve disputes about some RIFs that were in the works just before the shutdown began on Oct. 1. The Trump administration is expected to appeal Illstons ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. OMB spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Justice Department attorney defending the administration at the hearing Tuesday, Michael Velchik, said the firings were lawful and represented the will of the electorate expressed through President Donald Trumps victory at the polls last year. The American people selected someone known above all else for his eloquence in communicating to employees that, Youre fired! Velchik said, referring to Trumps trademark line on his television show, The Apprentice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Illston bluntly rejected the administrations key arguments, including that the lapse in appropriations gave agencies new flexibility to fire workers because unfunded programs are no longer required by law. I think thats completely wrong, the judge said. Velchik was undeterred. I think thats obviously correct. I think all three branches of government agree on that, he said. A lawyer representing the federal employee unions challenging the RIFs said that argument suggests Trump could permanently dismantle every federal agency simply because Congress failed to meet a funding deadline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What counsel is arguing is that if Congress lets funding lapse for one day, the president can fire the entire federal government. That is absurd, the unions attorney, Danielle Leonard, said. On Monday, one of the unions suing, AFGE, shifted its position in the shutdown fight. While it initially joined with other federal employee unions backing Democrats resistance to supporting a temporary funding bill, AFGE urged senators to support a three-week funding patch. It fell short in the Senate again Tuesday in a 54-45 vote. Illston made clear at the outset of the hearing that she intended to issue an injunction that effectively extends a temporary restraining order she issued two weeks ago at the unions request. She called it particularly ironic that the federal employees sending out the RIF notices appeared to be violating the Anti-Deficiency Act, which prohibits the government from incurring expenses not authorized by Congress, but includes some exceptions for essential activities. The judge also said she found some accounts from federal RIFed employees very affecting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think it's important that we remember that although we are here talking about statutes and administrative procedure and the like, we are also talking about human lives, and these human lives are being dramatically affected by the activities that we're discussing this morning, Illston said. As an example, she cited an account by a RIFed Department of Housing and Urban Development employee who in a court filing on Oct. 21 wrote that she had never gone through anything as traumatizing as the current experience, including her combat deployment when she was in the Air Force. The judge also mentioned another account filed in court on Oct. 21 from a RIFed IT specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who has been working for the federal government for more than 40 years. After 40 years of service, she's eligible for retirement, but no one at Human Resources can answer her questions about the RIF notice or retiring, because most, if not all, of the HR staff have also been RIFed, Illston said about the woman. This is her second RIF notice. She got one earlier in April that was later rescinded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was part of a spring round of RIFs at the Department of Health and Human Services. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the time that he sought to downsize the department by about a quarter, to about 62,000 employees. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said earlier this month that he expected the total number of employees fired in connection with the shutdown would probably end up being north of 10,000. Those plans appear to have been scaled back since then, partly due to resistance from other high-level officials in the Trump administration. Trump has said the firings and program terminations are aimed at getting Democrats to cry uncle in the budget fight by targeting constituencies and causes important to them. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday. Illston, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, has said she believes the evidence will ultimately show the mass firings were illegal and in excess of authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal agencies are enjoined from issuing layoff notices or acting on notices issued since the government shut down Oct. 1. Illston said that her order does not apply to notices sent before the shutdown. The Republican administration has slashed jobs in education, health and other areas it says are favored by Democrats. The administration has also said it will not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. The American Federation of Government Employees and other labor unions have sued to stop the reductions in force layoffs, saying the firings were an abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress. President Trump is using the government shutdown as a pretense to illegally fire thousands of federal workers specifically those employees carrying out programs and policies that the administration finds objectionable," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley, in a statement thanking the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House referred a request for comment to the Office of Management and Budget, which did not immediately respond. Lawyers for the government say the district court does not have the authority to hear personnel challenges, and that Trump has broad authority to reduce the federal workforce as he pledged to do during the campaign. The president was elected on this specific platform," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Velchik. The American people selected someone known above all else for his eloquence in communicating to employees that youre fired, this is what they voted for. Trump starred on a long-running reality TV series called The Apprentice in which his signature catchphrase was telling candidates they were fired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 4,100 layoff notices have gone out since Oct. 10, some sent to work email addresses that furloughed employees are not allowed to check. Some personnel were called back to work, without pay, to issue layoff notices to others. The lawsuit has expanded to include employees represented by additional labor unions, including the National Treasury Employees Union, the American Federation of Teachers, and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. All Cabinet departments and two dozen independent agencies are included in the lawsuit. Democratic lawmakers are demanding that any deal to reopen the federal government address expiring health care subsidies that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. They also want any government funding bill to reverse the Medicaid cuts in Trumps big tax breaks and spending cuts bill passed this summer. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to negotiate with Democrats until they first agree to reopen the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is now the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history. The longest shutdown occurred during Trumps first term over his demands for funds to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall. That one ended in 2019 after 35 days. By Diana Novak Jones, Renee Hickman and Ted Hesson CHICAGO (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Tuesday intensified her monitoring of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago, requiring a top official to appear daily in court and ordering his agency to detail the use of force by its agents including firing tear gas at protesters and bystanders and to hand over body-camera video. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis during a hearing chastised Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino over his agency's actions in the third-largest U.S. city and told him to get a body camera to wear himself. Ellis had summoned him to appear at the hearing after he was seen on video last week tossing a tear gas canister at protesters during an enforcement action in a neighborhood with many immigrants from Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge is presiding over a lawsuit challenging the legality of the tactics used by officials carrying out Trump's Chicago crackdown called "Operation Midway Blitz." AGGRESSIVE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT The Republican president has made Chicago a focus of his aggressive immigration enforcement during the past two months. Under Bovino's leadership, federal agents have used tear gas in residential areas and forcibly subdued protesters while attempting to arrest people suspected of being in the country illegally, drawing criticism and legal scrutiny. The plaintiffs in the case provided Ellis with video and testimony that they said showed that federal agents were violating the judge's October 9 order setting limits on their use of force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am getting video that the plaintiffs file, I'm getting videos that citizens send in. And at least in the videos that I see, knowing that I am not there, it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm," Ellis told the hearing. The judge's order required the agents to wear visible identification and restricted their use of anti-riot weapons such as pepper balls and tear gas. The judge subsequently required federal officers with body cameras to turn them on while conducting immigration enforcement and during interactions with the public. Ellis on Tuesday ordered Bovino, who also played a lead role in Trump's immigration crackdown in Los Angeles over the summer, to come to court each weekday at 6 p.m. before a November 5 hearing to discuss the day's immigration enforcement operations. The judge also told Trump's administration by Friday to hand over its reports on the use of force against protesters and bystanders in Chicago and corresponding body camera video dating to the beginning of the operation on September 2, and to provide this material going forward for any future instances. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters, journalists and clergy sued Trump and top administration officials, accusing them of violating constitutional free speech rights and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The judge denied the U.S. Justice Department's request to pause her order requiring Bovino's daily appearances. The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment. BORDER PATROL TACTICS During the hearing, Ellis mentioned an incident on Saturday in the Old Irving Park residential neighborhood in which agents tackled residents and fired tear gas without warning, according to court declarations by two witnesses. One of the witnesses said he was preparing to take his children to a Halloween parade before agents arrived and deployed tear gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Kids dressed in Halloween costumes, walking to a parade, do not pose an immediate threat for the safety of a law enforcement officer," Ellis said. "They just don't. And you can't use riot-control weapons against them." Ellis urged Bovino to consider the lives of local children who have a right to feel safe in their neighborhoods. "These kids, you can imagine their sense of safety was shattered on Saturday," Ellis said. "It's going to take a long time for that to come back, if ever." The judge, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said that protesters calling for federal agents to leave Chicago does not warrant the use of tear gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bovino said he was unable to speak about certain incidents without documentation of all the facts but asserted that decisions on using force were "dependent on the situation." When Ellis pressed Bovino about the judge's order requiring agents to wear body cameras when available, he said that "99%" of Border Patrol personnel in Chicago had them but that he personally did not. "I've not received a body-worn camera or the training," Bovino said. Ellis told Bovino to get a camera and training on how to use it by Friday. In response to protests against "Operation Midway Blitz," Trump has attempted to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Illinois to quell what his administration has called violence against federal law enforcement, but the move has been halted for now by another court. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones and Renee Hickman in Chicago and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) By Diana Novak Jones, Renee Hickman and Ted Hesson CHICAGO (Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Border Patrol official who leads U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago to appear in court daily for the next week and to wear a body camera after chastising him over his agency's frequent use of force and tear gas during enforcement actions in the city. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who this month barred federal agents from using certain crowd-control tactics, told Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino that videos suggested his agency was overstepping legal bounds during enforcement operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am getting video that the plaintiffs file, I'm getting videos that citizens send in. And at least in the videos that I see, knowing that I am not there, it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm," Ellis said. Ellis ordered Bovino to come to court each weekday at 6 p.m. before a November 5 hearing related to a legal challenge filed by protesters and others over the border agency's tactics. The judge also required the Trump administration by Friday to supply reports about the use of force and body-camera footage in Chicago since it launched its immigration enforcement operation in the third-largest U.S. city on September 2. Ellis, who read aloud her earlier order at the start of the hearing, referenced an incident on Saturday in the residential neighborhood of Old Irving Park where agents tackled residents and fired tear gas without warning, according to court declarations by two witnesses. One of the witnesses said he was preparing to take his children to a Halloween parade before agents arrived and deployed tear gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Kids dressed in Halloween costumes, walking to a parade, do not pose an immediate threat for the safety of a law enforcement officer," Ellis said. "They just don't. And you can't use riot-control weapons against them." When Ellis pressed Bovino about an earlier order requiring agents to wear body-worn cameras when available, he said that "99%" of border agency personnel in Chicago had them but that he personally did not. "I've not received a body-worn camera or the training," Bovino said. Ellis, who this month mandated that all border agents in Chicago wear body cameras if available, ordered Bovino to get a camera and training on how to use it by Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AGGRESSIVE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT The Republican president has made Chicago a focus of his aggressive immigration enforcement push during the past two months. Under Bovino's leadership, federal agents have used tear gas in residential areas and forcibly subdued protesters while attempting to arrest suspected immigration violators, drawing criticism and legal scrutiny. Ellis ordered Bovino's appearance after protesters submitted a video they said showed him violating the judge's court order directing federal agents to give multiple warnings before using tear gas and other anti-riot weapons. In the video, Bovino appeared to toss a canister of gas at protesters who had gathered as federal agents conducted arrests last Thursday in a Chicago neighborhood known for being home to many Mexican immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement on Friday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were surrounded by a large group while conducting an enforcement operation. McLaughlin said some people in the crowd shot fireworks and threw rocks, hitting Bovino in the head, and that agents gave warnings before deploying chemicals. Trump's ongoing "Operation Midway Blitz" deportation drive in Chicago has spurred arrests across the city and sparked widespread protests. In response, Trump attempted to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Illinois to quell what his administration called unprecedented violence against federal law enforcement, but the move has been halted for now by another court. Tuesday's hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by protesters, journalists and clergy in Chicago against Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials, alleging they were deliberately targeted and brutalized during demonstrations. The judge has repeatedly expressed concerns that federal agents are violating her October 9 ruling requiring them to wear visible identification and limiting their use of anti-riot weapons such as pepper balls and tear gas. The judge later updated her order to require federal officers with body cameras to turn them on while conducting immigration enforcement activity and during interactions with the public. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones and Renee Hickman in Chicago and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, appears by camera before Judge Tony Graf of the 4th District Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 for or his initial appearance in Provo Utah. (Pool photo by Scott G Winteron/Deseret News) A Utah judge has barred news media from taking some video and photos of Charlie Kirks accused killer including any of his shackles but wasnt ready Monday to place further limits on what news cameras can capture inside the courtroom. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf called media and public attention to the case extraordinary. He did not rule on a request from Tyler Robinsons attorneys to restrict news coverage of the case, saying it required further briefing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case has drawn intense national attention after Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. A family friend persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, ending a 33-hour manhunt, authorities said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Robinsons defense attorneys argue the publicity could harm his right to a fair trial. The court should limit media coverage, or video and photographic coverage, at the least, so the defendants appearance is no longer the subject of interest and he has some chance of securing a fair and impartial jury, his legal team wrote in court papers filed last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said the medias right of access to criminal cases is not absolute and can be restricted altogether to ensure a fair trial. Robinson has been charged with multiple crimes, including one count of aggravated murder, which is a capital offense in Utah. Prosecutors have announced they intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. First Amendment attorney Jeff Hunt told Utah News Dispatch that banning cameras from courtrooms altogether isnt necessary. He noted that in Utah statute, theres a presumption theyre allowed. The law sets a high bar to kick cameras and the public out of the courtroom, and for good reason, Hunt said. Electronic media coverage allows the public to actually see and hear what transpires in the courtroom, and have a fuller and more meaningful understanding of the proceedings. Courts have a range of tools they can use to protect the right to a fair trial, he said, including carefully vetting prospective jurors about the news theyve read or watched on a case and widening a jury pool. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the judge said the restrictions he ordered on photography strike the proper balance between Mr. Robinsons right to a fair proceeding and the publics right to access and transparency. The judge also prohibited news cameras from showing him standing, coming in or leaving the courtroom. Graf said Robinson must wear physical restraints in court the least restrictive ones necessary for safety but can wear civilian clothes in court instead of a jail uniform. Robinsons attorneys had argued that prospective jurors seeing him in shackles and jail clothes would perceive him as guilty and deserving of death. Mondays virtual court proceedings followed a Friday hearing that was closed to the press and public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robinson appeared from the Utah County Jail with the camera off and spoke only when the judge asked if he could hear. Yes I can, Robinson replied. He returns to court for an in-person hearing on Jan. 16. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The border patrol chief commanding dozens of federal agents in Chicago has been ordered to appear in court every day after he and his officers faced a wave of allegations that they violently detained protesters and indiscriminately fired tear gas into neighborhoods. Greg Bovino, the top Customs and Border Protection official for Donald Trumps mass deportation operation in Illinois, was ordered to testify in federal court Tuesday after protesters suing the administration accused Bovino and agents of repeatedly gassing residents in violation of a judges restraining order. In court filings, protesters accused agents of shooting chemical agents at close range and pointing a gun at one demonstrator while saying bang, bang and youre dead, liberal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesters also allege masked agents tossed tear gas canisters while hanging out the window from the passenger seat of an unmarked SUV and unleashed violence the morning before a Halloween parade in a Chicago suburb, where agents allegedly tackled three people, including a 67-year-old U.S. citizen, before filling the streets with tear gas. That was the instance, as well, where children were present and they were dressed up in their Halloween costumes, Illinois District Judge Sara Ellis said Tuesday. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and officers under his command are accused of repeatedly violating a court order that blocks indiscriminate use of riot weapons during Trumps anti-immigration blitz in Chicago (AFP via Getty Images) Those kids were tear gassed on their way to celebrate Halloween in their local school parking lot, she said. These kids, you can imagine, their sense of safety was shattered ... and its gonna take a long time for that to come back, if ever. Bovino, the face of Trumps boots-on-the-ground anti-immigration agenda, has been ordered to appear in Elliss courtroom every day for the next week until November 5, when she is scheduled to hold a hearing on a preliminary injunction that could block further use of riot weapons in Chicago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almost every day since Ellis issued a restraining order earlier this month, federal agents have violated it by using tear gas against civilians in residential neighborhoods of Chicago without any lawful basis for doing so, plaintiffs wrote in court filings. The plaintiffs which include a group of protesters, faith leaders and journalists who cover demonstrations argue that federal agents under Bovinos command went on a tour of Chicago neighborhoods, gassing residents in different neighborhoods each day within the last week. Plainly, Defendants are not merely enforcing immigration law. Immigration enforcement does not typically require the daily use of tear gas on civilians in residential areas, she wrote. Instead, the government is regularly inflicting harm on civilians who are simply protesting or observing Defendants violent and unprecedented paramilitary enforcement efforts in one of the countrys largest municipalities, plaintiffs argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They argue that officers are inciting violence in peaceful residential neighborhoods to transform Chicago into the very war zone that [administration officials] use to justify the deployment of more federal force. Defendants are engineering their own pretext for their presence and behavior in Chicago, they wrote. Border Patrol officers are accused of firing tear gas into crowds of demonstrators in defiance of a restraining order that blocks chemical agents and other riot weapons without warning (AP) Federal agents are accused of stirring up unrest in several Chicago suburbs during Trumps mass deportation sweeps, what plaintiffs in a lawsuit claim is engineering their own pretext for their presence and behavior in Chicago (REUTERS) Over the last week, volatile scenes emerged from protests against immigration raids in Chicagos Little Village, Lakeview and Old Irving Park neighborhoods, where masked and heavily armed and armored border patrol agents filled streets with tear gas and arrested several demonstrators. In protests in Little Village October 23, Bovino was apparently the first federal agent to throw a tear gas canister into the crowd, according to plaintiffs. Bovino did not give any audible warnings before doing so and the crowd was not being violent or committing any crimes at the time he threw the tear gas canisters, they argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Images in court filings appear to show Bovino standing with agents as he lobs tear gas cans towards demonstrators. Before-and-after images submitted by plaintiffs in a lawsuit against federal agents' use of force at protests in Illinois appears to show officers firing chemical agents steps away from a demonstrators face October 23 (US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) An image in court filings appears to show Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino lobbing a tear gas canister at protesters in Chicago October 23 (US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) A Homeland Security spokesperson told The Independent that Bovino was struck in the head by an object thrown by a rioter. Did Judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock like I did this morning? Bovino told a reporter at the scene. Maybe she needs to see what thats like before she gives an order like that. During the same interview, Bovino said I take my orders from the executive branch. The border patrol chiefs statement suggests disdain for this Courts authority to enjoin his unlawful conduct, according to plaintiffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Homeland Security officials have argued that rioters and agitators had surrounded and attacked agents at demonstrations in Chicagos suburbs. Officers legally deployed riot weapons after the crowd ignored multiple warnings to leave the areas, a spokesperson told The Independent in response to questions about use-of-force measures at several demonstrations. Secretary Kristi Noems message to the rioters is clear: you will not stop us or slow us down, assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday. ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law, she added. And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Education Department employees laid off during the latest round of federal staff cuts can keep their jobs for now, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Judge Susan Illston from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said she believes the employee unions who sued will be able to prove the governments actions are unlawful as shown by the haphazard way in which the [reductions in force] have rolled out and that they are intended for the purpose of political retribution. Illston, who temporarily blocked the layoffs on Oct. 15, said she was moved by some of the written statements from laid-off employees. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Although we are here talking about statutes and administrative procedure, she said, we are also talking about human lives, and these human lives are being dramatically affected by the activities that were discussing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her injunction means the staff must return to work once the government shutdown ends. Education Secretary Linda McMahon cut 465 positions, including 132 in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 137 in the Office for Civil Rights and 121 in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Madi Biedermann, a spokeswoman for the department, had no comment on the judges ruling and referred The 74 to McMahons earlier X post calling the department unnecessary. At Tuesdays hearing, Michael Velchik, a Department of Justice attorney, argued that the government had the right to lay off employees because Congress hasnt approved a budget for the current fiscal year. If you dont have money coming in, you should be looking for ways to cut costs, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But attorney Danielle Leonard, representing the employee unions, disagreed. What counsel is arguing is that if Congress lets government funding lapse for one day, the president can fire the entire federal government, she said. That is absurd. The cuts were the Trump administrations latest move toward eliminating an agency that it argues should never have existed in the first place. McMahon acknowledges that Congress has the final word on whether the department shuts down, but so far, members have taken no action on a proposal that is likely to fail in the Senate. Two weeks into the government shutdown, McMahon downplayed the cuts, saying that money was still flowing to the states, and some conservatives argue advocates have overreacted to the layoffs. In a commentary, the American Enterprise Institutes Rick Hess said the department deserves credit for a smooth launch of this years financial aid form. But even he questioned the latest cuts, calling them opaque, severe and lacking in any kind of clear justification. 46 years of the Department of Education: Over $3 trillion in spending Falling reading and math scores Bloated bureaucracy We dont need a birthday cake; we need an eviction notice. Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) October 18, 2025 In their complaint, the unions said staff faced political discrimination, and even President Donald Trump has called the layoffs an effort to eliminate Democrat programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in a response filed Friday, Jacqueline Clay, chief human capital officer at the department, said officials didnt target employees based on their political viewpoints, but considered other factors including a shortage of funds. Risks of harm Last week, over 60 organizations asked the Senate education committee to hold an oversight hearing into the administrations actions, which they said have caused unnecessary chaos and create immediate risks of harm to every qualifying individual with a disability and their family. On Monday, Democrats in the House also called on Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to reverse the layoffs. Related Court Blocks Shutdown Layoffs, But Experts Say Ed Dept. Programs Still in Danger Some worry that gutting the elementary and secondary office could mean a lack of sufficient oversight of Title I, the largest federal education program. The $18 billion fund is intended to support schools serving low-income students, with the level of funding schools receive based on a set of complicated formulas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without federal staff, theres a greater risk that states might distribute the funds incorrectly, said Victoria Rosenboom, one of the four staff members who handles those Title I calculations each year. McMahon placed all four on administrative leave. Without us to monitor, the states might monitor less themselves, Rosenboom said. Her team also gathers data from the Census Bureau every year to determine poverty levels. While theres still someone in the budget office who can allocate the funds, she said, they dont do any of the data collection work. The data quality is all done by us. Others warn of a return to the days when states improperly used Title I funds for construction projects or replaced state dollars with federal funds. There were no limits on the imagination of schools in terms of how they would spend their money, and there were some pretty egregious expenditures, said Dianne Piche, a former civil rights attorney at the department who is now retired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the early days after the law passed, a 1969 report from advocates pointed to districts wasting millions of dollars on purchases such as a Baptist church building in Detroit, 18 portable swimming pools in Memphis and equipment, including a deep fryer, adding machines and a piano, in one Mississippi county. Vought wrote the conservative Heritage Foundations Project 2025, a vision for the Trump administration that argued for turning Title I into a block grant. While McMahons budget proposal didnt go that far, shes currently considering a waiver request from Iowa to roll Title I and other federal funds into a block grant. Indiana submitted a similar proposal, but it excludes Title I. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos proposed a block grant during the first Trump administration, but the plan then was to keep the department functioning, said Rosenboom, who joined the department in 2019. At that time, there was still some unease about our future, but definitely not to the same degree as with this administration. Immigration and Customs Enforcements latest branded holding camp for immigrants could open as soon as this weekend after a federal judge denied a request to block it. Activists in Nebraska are suing to thwart a plan to convert the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Work Ethic Camp into an immigrant jail the feds have nicknamed the Cornhusker Clink. As the Trump administration has promoted its bigoted mass incarceration and deportation agenda, its conservative allies have tried to popularize and even market nicknames theyve assigned to various immigrant jails. The camp in Nebraska joins the center in Florida that Republicans branded as Alligator Alcatraz and the Louisiana Lockup, a maximum-security prison that was once a slave plantation that Kristi Noem praised for its brutal history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, District Court Judge Patrick Heng allowed the lawsuit to move forward but refused to issue an injunction on the project after determining that Republican Gov. Jim Pillen had acted within his rights to enter a contract with the feds. According to the Nebraska Examiner: Heng ... ruled that Pillen and Rob Jeffreys, director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, did not violate the Nebraska Constitution or state law by entering into a Sept. 30 contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to convert the states Work Ethic Camp in McCook into a regional ICE detention center. ICE certified the facility last week, Pillen announced Thursday. Hengs ruling gives Pillen and the feds the green light to open the ICE facility this weekend. The governor previously said he expected the facility to be up and running by Nov. 1. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com The Border Control commander whos become the face of the Trump administrations ongoing immigration-enforcement campaign in Chicago will be in a federal courtroom Tuesday for a hearing about tear gas and other controversial tactics used by his agents in city neighborhoods that allegedly violate a restraining order. Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, a 30-year veteran border agent, is set to appear before U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis at 10 a.m. at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where an overflow courtroom and special security measures are being taken to handle what is expected to be a large crowd of media and spectators Dozens of television news cameras crowded the courthouse lobby ahead of the hearing Tuesday morning, and outside the building at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Dearborn Street a small group of protesters held signs denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uniformed Chicago police officers patrolled outside the courthouse on bicycles. Its unclear if Bovino would enter the building through the main lobby or use a non-public entrance. An hour before the hearing was set to begin, Bovino posted a photo of a recent arrestee on social media he called a Honduran illegal alien living in Chicago and affiliated with the Latin Kings, a violent gang. This is a prime example of how our enforcement operations are out here arresting criminal illegal aliens who threaten our American way of life, Bovino wrote, without providing the mans name or any further details. Ellis ordered Bovino into court last week after he was seen personally throwing tear gas canisters at a crowd of protesters in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood. Bovino, meanwhile, has claimed he only used the gas after an angry mob was throwing objects at officers and a rock hit him in the head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those allegations were among a string of incidents that have occurred in neighborhoods across the city and suburbs since Ellis entered a temporary restraining order in early October that restricts the use of tear gas and other non-lethal munitions on media and protesters, requires agents to wear body cameras, and says immigration officers must have clear identifying information on their uniforms or helmets when interacting with the public. What to know about immigration enforcement raids in Chicago after nearly 2 months Late Monday, the plaintiffs in the suit brought by the Chicago Headline Club and others asked Ellis to bar immigration agents from using tear gas altogether pending the outcome of an injunction hearing next month. Its unclear how long Tuesdays hearing will last, but if the judge puts Bovino on the witness stand, it will be the first time hes been required to answer any questions under oath. Ellis has also ordered Bovino to sit for a five-hour sworn deposition later this week, but that interview will not be made public due to a protective order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A full injunction hearing on the issue of tear gas and other tactics is expected to be held next month. In a statement last week, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said she can think of nobody better to correct Judge Ellis deep misconceptions about its mission. Ellis questioned two other Operation Midway Blitz leaders in similar fashion last week. In his six weeks on the ground in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, Bovino, who previously oversaw a similar push in Los Angeles, has claimed thousands of immigration-related arrests, part of a touted mission to make the streets safer for law-abiding citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sporting a high-and-tight haircut and talking often in militaristic terms, Bovino has been featured in slickly produced social media videos put out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purporting to be ridding Chicagos streets of the worst of the worst, undocumented immigrants who have a history of violent criminal behavior. But scant details of those arrested have been officially released, and critics say the vast majority have had no criminal backgrounds whatsoever. Meanwhile, agents serving under Bovinos command have escalated their presence in Chicagos neighborhoods, where immigration enforcement actions in from the far East Side to Lakeview to Old Irving Park have unfolded in a now-familiar pattern, where irate residents blowing whistles and honking horns scream at agents to leave before arrests are made and tear gas deployed. Bovino has not only not shied away from the controversy, hes placed himself directly in it. He was present during the massive raid on a South Shore apartment building earlier this month that drew national headlines. And he reappeared last week on two separate days in Little Village, the heart of Chicagos Mexican community and an important economic engine for the city, where agents threw tear gas near a discount mall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the weekend, a filing by the plaintiffs in the case before Ellis accused him of lying about being struck in the head by a rock in the Little Village operation, saying the incident was being filmed from multiple angles and nothing had surfaced that backs up that assertion. Bovino also gave an interview to a Spanish-language news outlet afterward where he was asked about Ellis order and allegedly said, Did judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock this morning? Maybe she needs to see what thats like before she gives an order like that. Related Articles In that same interview discussed above, Defendant Bovino also stated, I take my orders from the executive branch, suggesting disdain for this Courts authority to enjoin his unlawful conduct, the plaintiffs filing stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest violations, according to the plaintiffs, occurred during a fracas in the Old Irving Park neighborhood over the weekend where residents were tackled and tear gassed as children prepared for a Halloween parade. The incident in the 3700 block of Kildare Avenue, where agents chased a day laborer down the street, prompted a chaotic scene that ruined what should have been an ordinary Saturday morning, according to a court filing Monday by the plaintiffs in an ongoing federal lawsuit over Operation Midway Blitz crowd control tactics. The filing stated that as neighbors came out to yell at the officers including some still in their pajamas and one woman with her wet hair wrapped in a towel the agents unleashed violence, tackling a 70-year-old man and two others and then deploying tear gas as they left the scene. The actions violated Ellis restraining order in several ways, the filing alleged, including by deploying chemical munitions without the required verbal warnings. Some of the agents also had no identifying information on their uniforms and used unnecessary force in tackling residents who posed no physical threat, the filing stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement over the weekend, the agency said Border Patrol agents were surrounded and boxed in by a group of agitators and that multiple lawful commands and verbal warnings were ignored. During the operation, two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer, the statement read. To safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures. No assault charges had been filed against anyone arrested as of Monday. The operation also resulted in the arrest of the day laborer, who DHS said was in the country illegally and has a previous arrest for assault. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com A federal judge took Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to task Monday for their incendiary, out-of-court statements about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran native who was illegally deported from the U.S. to his home country before being brought back to face immigrant-smuggling charges. U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled the Trump Cabinet members violated a local court rule limiting comments by government officials relating to an ongoing criminal case. Crenshaw stopped short of issuing a gag order against future comments about Abrego. However, the judge ordered prosecutors to notify every employee at DOJ and DHS about the existing rule restricting public statements about pending cases. Government employees have made extrajudicial statements that are troubling, especially where many of them are exaggerated if not simply inaccurate, wrote Crenshaw, an Obama appointee based in Nashville. These statements made allegations regarding Abregos character or reputation and expressed government officials views on Abregos guilt or innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crenshaw said Noem violated the rule by declaring that Abrego is a MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator. And the judge said Bondi ran afoul of the rule by stating that Abrego played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring [that] this was his full-time job, not a contractor [that] [h]e was a smuggler of humans and children and women [and that] [h]e made over 100 trips. Although many of the statements were drawn from public court filings, the judge said they violated the courts rule by opining on evidence in the case and future violations could result in sanctions which he did not specify. The ruling adds momentum to Abregos contention that top Trump administration officials have targeted him unfairly in the aftermath of his illegal deportation to El Salvador earlier this year, which led to a cascade of legal problems for the White House, DOJ and DHS. Abrego was whisked onto an airplane in March and sent to El Salvador despite a 2019 court order that found he was likely to be targeted for gang violence there. The administration resisted numerous court rulings requiring officials to facilitate Abregos return from El Salvador earlier this year, only agreeing to bring him back in June after a grand jury in Tennessee charged him with human smuggling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crenshaw, who also dinged defense lawyers for publicly disclosing details about plea negotiations, said he was confident that Abrego would receive a fair trial because media coverage of the case appeared to be subsiding, both nationally and in Tennessee. He added that efforts to screen jurors for potential bias would likely identify anyone who had been exposed to the potentially prejudicial comments about Abrego. Crenshaw had previously ordered the U.S. Attorney handling the case, Robert McGuire, and a colleague, Jason Harley, to report to the court on the steps they had taken to make sure DOJ and DHS officials were complying with the rule. The judge complained Monday that McGuire and Harley side-stepped his directive. In a related development Monday, Crenshaw ordered prosecutors to show him copies of various internal government communications related to the case. They include all records that reflect why prosecutors abruptly shifted their stance earlier this year and decided to pursue criminal charges against Abrego in a case stemming from a traffic stop that took place on I-40 near Nashville in 2022. In addition, Crenshaw ordered the prosecution to turn over all documents about Abrego drafted by a former senior federal prosecutor in Nashville, Ben Schrader. He quit the office on the same day Abrego was indicted and reportedly wrote a memo saying a criminal prosecution in the case was unwarranted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crenshaw is demanding those records in connection with Abregos bid to throw the case out entirely as the product of vindictive prosecution brought in retaliation for the embarrassment he caused the Trump administration amid its mass deportation campaign. The judge said he will look at the documents privately for now, but may decide some or all have to be turned over to Abregos defense. Abregos attorneys have also subpoenaed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and other senior DOJ officials to testify at a hearing on the vindictive prosecution claim next week. Prosecutors have urged Crenshaw to reject Abregos demands, saying McGuire was the official who decided to prosecute him and that he was not influenced by the statements or views of other senior Trump administration figures. The government is asking Crenshaw to quash the subpoenas for Blanche and two of his advisers, Aakash Singh and James McHenry. Earlier Monday, DOJ officials told another judge that the administration now intends to deport Abrego to Liberia and will seek to do so before and perhaps in lieu of any trial in his criminal case. A federal judge slammed Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino Tuesday for agents terrorizing children at a Halloween parade over the weekend, according to Jon Seidal of the Chicago Sun Times. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis was kind enough to walk Bovino through each point of the temporary restraining order hed allegedly violated. Ellis issued the order restricting federal officials use of force against protesters and journalists earlier this month. Bovino was summoned to federal court last week after he was recorded throwing what appeared to be tear gas canisters at protesters. Referring to videos of multiple incidents with federal law enforcement in Chicago, the judge said that Border Patrols use of force did not appear to be justified. It is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm to a person, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was particularly clear in an incident Saturday, when federal agents tear-gassed multiple costumed school-age children en route to a Halloween parade, Ellis said. These kids, you can imagine, their sense of safety was shattered on Saturday. And its gonna take a long time for that to come back, if ever, Ellis said. It seemed that Ellis tried to give the Border Patrol chief the benefit of the doubt when discussing the multiple blatant violations of her order, claiming that the order was either unclear, not read, or read and ignored. Given the fact that you and I took essentially the same oath, I know Option 3 is not somethingthat just wouldnt happen, she said. Ellis spoke directly to Bovino about his own alleged infraction, insisting that he needed to give a clear warning before deploying crowd control tactics. Again, a warning has to be, Im going to deploy tear gas, if you do not do whatever it is, she explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bovino refused to answer affirmatively when asked whether he believed the allegations against other agents suggested that theyd violated Elliss TRO. Well, your honor, I believe that each situation is dependent on the situation. And, you know, Id like to know more about what happened, Bovino replied. Ellis asked Bovino to ensure that officers display identifiers in one of two conspicuous locations on their person and that all officers, including Bovino, wear a body camera. She also gave Bovino until Friday to procure all use-of-force reports since the beginning of September. Ellis asked that he return to meet her every day until a preliminary injunction hearing next month. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) An Ingham County Circuit Court jury has convicted Xavian Soto, of Jackson, of second-degree murder for the death of 18-year-old Braylon Shepherd. Ingham County Prosecutors Office reports that Soto, who was 19 years old at the time of the murder, was also convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and felony firearm. In November, the Lansing Police Department found Shepherd with a gunshot wound on the 600 block of Sadie Court after he crashed a vehicle. The LPD and Michigan State Police conducted an investigation and arrested Soto within 24 hours of the shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Michigan Legislature, second-degree murder carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Soto is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. PEORIA, Ill. (AP) An Illinois jury has begun deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of a sheriff's deputy who shot Sonya Massey, a Black woman who had called 911 for help and was later killed in her home because of the way she was handling a pan of hot water. The nine-woman, three-man jury received the case Tuesday morning and deliberated for about 6 1/2 hours before Judge Ryan Cadagin dismissed them for the day. Jurors must decide whether Sean Grayson, 31, is guilty of murder for fatally shooting Massey in Springfield. Grayson and another deputy answered Masseys emergency call reporting a prowler outside the 36-year-old woman's home early on the morning of July 6, 2024. They entered the house and, spotting a pan of hot water on the stove, Grayson ordered it removed, according to the other deputy's body camera video, which was key evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grayson and Massey joked about how Grayson moved away as Massey moved the hot pan. Then, Massey said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, Grayson yelled at her to drop the pot and threatened to shoot her. Massey apologized and ducked behind a counter. She makes it abundantly clear, I want no part of this. Let this be done," Sangamon County First Assistant State's Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers said in her closing argument. She doesn't say, Lets go, Sean.' She says, Im sorry.' He has no right to go into her kitchen, where she's hiding from an angry man with a gun, he has no right to follow her and shoot her." Defense attorney Daniel Fultz beseeched the jury to decide how Grayson felt in the moment, not to sit back 15 months later and say, This is what I would have done. He drew his weapon to gain compliance, to make her realize that whatever she was considering doing, she shouldn't do," Fultz said. "It is true that she put the pot down. If it ended there, we wouldn't be here today, but for reasons we'll never know, she reacquired the pot, stood up and threw it in his direction. Only at that time did he fire his weapon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Masseys killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes. The accompanying publicity, protests and legal action over the incident prompted the judge to move the trial from Springfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, to Peoria, an hours drive north of the capital city, because of pre-trial publicity. If convicted of first-degree murder, Grayson faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison. The jury also has been given the option of considering second-degree murder, which applies when there is a serious provocation of the defendant or when defendants believe their actions are justified even though that belief is unreasonable. Second-degree murder is punishable by a term of four to 20 years or probation. In an unusual step for a defendant in a murder case, Grayson testified in his own defense, saying he considered using a Taser to subdue Massey but was afraid it wouldnt work given the distance and the counter separating them. He said he determined that Massey was a threat and drew his 9 mm pistol only after she uttered her rebuke twice although prosecutors pointed out that was because he didn't hear her and asked her to repeat it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dawson Farley, the other deputy on the scene that morning, testified that while he followed Grayson in drawing his gun, he did not see or hear anything that caused him to consider Massey a threat. But Farley, who did not fire his weapon, acknowledged that he initially told investigators he was threatened by the hot water. Fultz suggested in his closing that the reason the then-probationary employee changed his story after Grayson was indicted was so he wouldn't be criminally charged too. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the jury is composed of nine women and three men after alternates were dismissed. CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) On Monday, 14 jurors were selected to hear a difficult case involving a Clarksville woman accused of starving her 13-year-old son to death. In July of 2022, Kadaris Maddox, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was found unresponsive by police at their family home on Virginia Terrace. Former Clarksville Police Department detective Bryan Hughes described Kadaris muscle mass as nonexistent. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Kadaris mother, Cheyenne Maddox, told News 2 during a previous jailhouse interview that she believed Kadaris accidentally suffocated himself with a blanket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, an autopsy revealed Kadaris was just 35 pounds when he died, with the report blaming his death on malnutrition and calling the manner suspected homicide. I love my son very much, and I didnt hurt him, Cheyenne told News 2 in 2023. Its not like I woke up one day and decided to give up on my son. I would never do that. This week, Cheyenne will go before a Montgomery County jury, which will consider her first-degree murder charge. She also faces separate child abuse and neglect charges, after police removed five children from her home children Cheyenne last told News 2 were in Department of Child Services custody, but shed like to see them placed with relatives. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com The allegations that are being made are false, you know, I did not do what they said that I did to my son, Cheyenne said. Im just a mom who loves her kids dearly; Im just a mom that misses her kids, misses her son. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opening arguments for the case will begin Tuesday morning. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Jury trial ends in mistrial for Harrison County shooting suspect HALLSVILLE, Texas (KETK) A mistrial has been declared in the jury trial of Darius Gates Jr., 28, who was facing multiple charges including capital murder for a 2023 shooting that took place in Harrison County. On June 11, 2023, Gates Jr. was arrested after a fatal shooting that left two men dead, Keyan Jernigan, 29, and Duane Jernigan, 49. The shooting took place on Roberson Road in Hallsville. Gates Jr. was charged with evading arrest/detention with a vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, possession and deliver of marijuana and capital murder of multiple persons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 9 the jury trial for Gates Jr. took place on a charge for capital murder of Duane and Keyan Jernigan. Due to inadvertent discussion of the facts and evidence of the case prior to the close of evidence by the jury, a mistrial was declared. First Assistant Madison Hood, who represented the State, said The State intends to push for an early 2026 trial date, so the victims families have their day in court as soon as possible and that justice is not further delayed. You can now stream KETK and FOX51 News live 24/7 on your smart TV with KETK+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. Two Massachusetts women fell victim to a missed jury duty phone scam and lost thousands of dollars on Monday, prompting an urgent warning from a local sheriffs office. Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott warned Bay Staters to beware of a recent uptick in calls from scammers claiming to work for the sheriff or local police departments. McDermotts warning comes after a Sharon woman and a Dedham woman came forward after sending a combined $6,700 to scammers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Norfolk County Sheriffs Office never makes calls like this, and neither do local police departments, McDermott said in a statement shared with Boston 25 News. Just hang up on anyone who is demanding money and acting like they are from our office, or another law enforcement agency, threatening you with arrest or detainment for things like missed jury duty or an outstanding warrant. In the case of the Sharon victim, McDermotts office said the woman transferred $5,250 in Bitcoin out of fear she would be detained for missing jury duty. Someone acting like they worked for our office had left her a voicemail about missed jury duty. When she returned the call, the voicemail on the other end indicated it was connected to the sheriffs office. McDermotts office explained in a news release. That triggered a series of phone conversations with the scammer, which led the woman to the Bitcoin kiosk to transfer the money. When the woman told the man on the other end that there was a sign on the machine warning users of such scams, she was told that if she refused, she would be detained for 10-12 days. She then transferred the money under duress. In the case of the Dedham victim, McDermotts office said the woman transferred $1,450 in Bitcoin at a kiosk in Bostons Roslindale section after she, too, was threatened with arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Someone claiming to be a lieutenant with the sheriffs office told her there was a warrant out for her for missing jury duty and that if she did not pay it immediately, she would be arrested and detained for 72 hours, McDermotts office explained. This scammer sent the victim a fraudulent court document to back up his claims, along with instructions on how to pay the bond. McDermott urged anyone who gets a suspicious call to contact their local police department immediately. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The News Republican senators on Tuesday railed against the administrations plans to import more beef during a closed-door meeting with Vice President JD Vance. Officials said last week they would allow Argentina to ship four times as much beef to the US as it previously did at a lower tariff rate. Ranchers immediately panned the move, as did the lawmakers who represent them: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned this isnt the way to do it. Vance sought to explain what the administration is thinking in Tuesdays meeting, one Republican senator in attendance told Semafor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were a number that really expressed why its important to put America first, the senator said, summing up Republicans view as: You just threw the ranchers out and caused the beef market to plummet. And youre not going to get anything out of it. Its not going to change the price of beef. Senators pitched Vance on other ways the administration could quickly bring down the price of beef without isolating ranchers. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said in the last week hes talked to Trump, Vance and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer about how helping ranchers expand our herds will accomplish Trumps goal more than beef imports. The real focus needs to be not on bringing in more beef, but working with our guys, Hoeven said. Thatll send a market signal right away. Among the ideas he and others floated to Vance on Tuesday: encouraging greater competition in the meatpacking industry, allowing more grazing on federal land, and requiring country-of-origin labeling including as part of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve been some of the presidents strongest supporters, and they want to continue to be a strong supporter, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Semafor. Its a matter of, as I said to [Vance], How do we take lemons and turn them into lemonade? What can we do? Know More Lawmakers also encouraged the Trump administration to lean more on meatpackers to pass along lower prices to consumers. Youve already seen a drop in the price per animal, but thats yet to be reflected in the store, Hoeven said. Lets make sure youre talking to these packers and the other people in that supply chain so that price is reduced on the store shelf. Rounds said Vance listened and understood. But its unclear whether much changes: Many of the same lawmakers already raised similar concerns last week, including to Trump himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vice President Vance is always happy to hear the concerns of Senate Republicans, a spokesperson said. The Trump administration is pursuing all available options to address beef prices across the country. Notable A family from Ohio is stuck in Jamaica as Category 5 Hurricane Melissa moves in, according to our media partner WCPO-9 TV. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Charlie and Laura Moorman, of Cincinnati, and their 5-year-old daughter Navia were taking a vacation at the Bahia Precipe resort when the storm quickly developed and turned toward the island. The couple showed our media partners around the resort, which is now boarded up and surrounded by sandbags. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Moormans said they have prepared their belongings and are ready to head into the resorts central shelter, WCPO-9 reported. TRENDING STORIES: Were going to be in a room with (700 to 800) other people who are all going to be coping with this in different ways, Charlie said. They tried to book an emergency flight off the island through Delta for Sunday afternoon, but it was canceled. All flights off the island had already been canceled, Charlie said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Delta spokesperson told WCPO-9 that Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay (MBJ) hours before officials initially communicated on Sunday, causing cancellations. Delta sympathizes with customers in Jamaica who were expecting to depart Sunday, Delta said in a statement. We are focused on staying in touch with them and providing updates about service resumption as we know them. The spokesperson said the airline will stay in contact with Jamaican authorities and resume services as soon as its safe, WCPO-9 reported. Were just trying to stay calm for our kid, mostly, Laura said. However, the thought of the approaching hurricane has filled them with fear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our hope is to get out on our flight that is scheduled for Friday, Laura said. That is our number one hope. Matthew 25 Ministries, an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization, said it will respond to provide help. Recent shipments of essential supplies to Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad have allowed these partners to have pre-positioned aid to be used for immediate and rapid response once the storm passes. The organization is in communication with these partners serving the impacted regions to identify the most urgent, immediate and long-term needs, a release from Matthew 25 Ministries said. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] SPRINGFIELD U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told a packed Springfield Symphony Hall Monday night that anything worth doing takes effort. Her message: Hard work and determination can lead to great things even a seat on the nations highest court. Jackson spoke as part of the Springfield Public Forums Speaker Series, which brings notable voices to the city for free public talks. She was joined by Mount Holyoke College President Danielle R. Holley for a conversation about her path from childhood to becoming the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Tickets were free but sold out early. Signed copies of Jacksons memoir, Lovely One, were available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson shared stories of growing up in Miami, Florida. Her parents, both educators, taught her to value learning and to take pride in her heritage. Her father later became a school board attorney and her mother was a principal. As a child, Jackson dreamed of being a Supreme Court justice and a Broadway performer. Shes done both recently appearing in a one-night performance of & Juliet. She also loves musicals like Wicked, Matilda, and Hamilton. In high school, Jackson was active in speech and debate. Her college essay said she wanted to be a Supreme Court justice and her yearbook listed her goal as a federal judge. The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, (left) on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Mount Hoklyoke College President Danielle R. Holley, (right) was the moderator for the evening. (Dave Roback photo) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Here from left, Denise Jordan a Springfield Alunnae of Delta Sigma Theta, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Delta Sigma Theta chapter president Dena Cooper sit for a photograph backstage. (Dave Roback photo) The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Ketanji Brown Jackson (left), stands with Dean of the Western New England School of Law Zelda B. Harris backstage. (Dave Roback photo) The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Here The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Here Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson smiles as she enters the stage. (Dave Roback photo) The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Ketanji Brown Jackson (second from the left), stands with Dean of the Western New England School of Law Zelda B. Harris backstage. At left is Harris' father Wesley L. Harris Sr, and at far right is Harris' son Wesley Harris Peck. (Dave Roback photo) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. (Dave Roback photo) Crowds wait to enter Springfield's Symphony Hall for the Springfield Public Forum talk featuring United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. (Dave Roback photo) The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. (Dave Roback photo) The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. (Dave Roback photo) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crowds wait to enter Springfield's Symphony Hall for the Springfield Public Forum talk featuring United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. (Dave Roback photo) The Springfield Public Forum talk featured United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, on Monday evening, October 27, 2025. Here Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (center) is seen backstage with memebrs of the Springfield Champter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. (Dave Roback photo) She graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, then worked as a public defender, served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission and held several federal judge positions before President Joseph Biden nominated her to the Supreme Court in 2022. The forum began with a reading from Lovely One, describing the moments before her swearing-in on June 30, 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She recalled that her family and friends were present to witness history and wondering if the other justices could hear her heart pounding. She took the oath with her right hand raised and her left on two Bibles one a restored family Bible used throughout her career and the other once owned by Justice John Marshall Harlan, who famously opposed segregation in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. She said she was the embodiment of a dream that Harlan probably never imagined, but one her family knew was possible for someone like her. A million prayers carried her since the nomination, she said. That moment reminded her of the countrys progress and the importance of standing up for justice. She added her name to the Bible one generation after her parents were denied equal rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her book weaves together her personal story and the broader history of Black Americans. Jackson said her parents grew up in segregation in Miami, attended historically Black colleges and instilled pride and hope in her. Jackson said her fathers decision to attend law school inspired her. She remembers sitting at the kitchen table coloring while he studied, a memory that stayed with her. At Harvard Law School, she began to understand what it meant to be a Black lawyer. She recalled watching the O.J. Simpson trial and debating its racial impact with classmates. The famous line, If it doesnt fit, you must acquit, stuck with her. Jackson reflected on how few lawyers and judges in the U.S. are Black. While progress has been made, she said more work is needed to diversify the profession. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She first visited Massachusetts as a high school debater, competing at Harvard for three years before attending the university. There, she met her future husband, Patrick Jackson, in a class about race and society. Theyve been married for 29 years and have two daughters. She credited six close friends from a Harvard literature class with supporting her throughout life. During her confirmation process, four of them helped with media outreach, surprising her with their dedication. Jackson is the only current Supreme Court justice who served as a public defender and worked on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She has held 15 legal jobs, gaining experience in many areas of law. Her time clerking for Justice Stephen Breyer shaped her understanding of how judges interpret laws. Breyer still visits the court and mentors her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson has served at all three levels of the federal court system. Her nomination process moved quickly, and she met with 98 senators before her confirmation hearing. Though the hearing felt like a performance, she stayed calm. One emotional moment came when Sen. Cory Booker praised her achievements and reminded her she was worthy. Jackson said she cried, even though aides had advised her not to. His words gave her strength. She explained how Supreme Court opinions, when in written draft form, are shared and revised before the final version is published. Dissenting opinions are especially important, she said, because they speak to the public and to history. Jackson hopes her writing helps others see the values of freedom, fairness and minority voices in the law. She wants young people to be inspired by her journey and to consider careers in law and public service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She shares a birthday with Judge Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge. Motley was sworn in 49 years before Jackson, on the same day. Jackson said that connection gives her hope that students will believe they can make a difference too. She reminded students that success takes effort. Even Michael Jordan had to practice, she said. Jackson said civic engagement is essential to democracy. You cant have people on the sidelines, she said. Equal justice under law only works if everyone is treated fairly and stays involved. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. (CANON CITY, Colo.) A new K9 named Ares has joined the Canon City Police Department (CCPD), thanks to a donation from community members. Ares is a 2-year-old black, 75 lb Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix from the Czech Republic. He is the second K9, joining K9 Radar, bringing expanded opportunities to detect and deter criminal activity. K9 Ares is trained in several tasks, including narcotics detection, tracking, and apprehension. He is partnered with K9 Officer Modlin, who spent the past several weeks training with him at Ventosa Kennels in Scotland Neck, North Carolina, the agency from which CCPD acquired Ares and Radar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief John Schick expressed his gratitude to the community for their generous support and to Officer Modlin and K9 Ares for their hard work in getting certified. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. Sarah Balderas, a Kansas immigration attorney, says Congress is allowing politics to get in the way of its responsibility to modernize federal immigration law. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) WICHITA Kansas Immigration Coalition cofounder Yeni Silva-Renteria says trauma of arrests, deportations and family separations amid President Donald Trumps immigration crackdown raise fear even among immigrants who long ago earned U.S. citizenship. Silva-Renteria said anxiety among holders of citizenship papers or a cherished green card, as well as those in the United States without lawful status, was growing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its very, very difficult to just see how separation is happening, the cruelty that is happening, she said. Theres just this fear that is happening across the board. The fear that were facing its not only for the undocumented population. During a gathering of Kansas Democrats on Saturday in Wichita, Silva-Renteria said advocacy on behalf of immigrant communities might in the future be labeled subversive by the federal government and lead to legal challenges to her naturalization. She is executive director of the International Rescue Committee in Wichita. I think what Im doing right now, it can be seen as me fighting against the government, Silva-Renteria said. It is a fear, even for someone like me who has been a naturalized citizen for more than 20 years. Before, it was never a question. I could share my story all over the place and I could feel safe. But now, I dont. Silva-Renteria walked across the border from Mexico with her mother at age 10, received permanent resident status in the United States as a teenager and earned a masters degree in social work at Wichita State University. She is a cofounder, with Wichita immigration attorney Sarah Balderas, of the Kansas Immigration Coalition. Its mission is to safeguard the dignity and well-being of immigrants statewide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yeni Silva-Renteria, cofounder of Kansas Immigration Coalition and executive director of International Rescue Committee in Wichita, says immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump is producing widespread fear among immigrants, even people such as herself who hold U.S. citizenship. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) Risk of assumptions Balderas, who teaches immigration law at Washburn University, said the political climate in regard to immigration could prompt people to insert themselves into enforcement activities by mistakenly alleging people were in the United States without legal authority. You see someone who is from another country speaking a different language, you cant automatically assume they dont have status, she said. She said general public knowledge of immigration law was so deficient that most people didnt appreciate a person could hold a temporary visa, be part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program or hold permanent residency status without being proficient in English. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reading and writing ability enters the picture in a federal regulatory sense when applying for citizenship, she said. There are so many misconceptions about immigration, and its simply because of a lack of education. Nobody talks about this stuff. We just hear what we hear in the news or we hear what we hear from friends, and its really complicated, Balderas said. She said the reality was there were millions of people in the United States who would never qualify for lawful permanent resident status, a prerequisite for applying for U.S. citizenship. You have a typical situation where you have mom and dad entering the country illegally together, she said. They came over 21 years ago because guess what their U.S. citizen-born kid is turning 21 and theyre like, Hell, yes, our 21-year-old kid is going to apply for us. The problem is that they both, mom and dad, entered illegally. If each of them do not have a spouse or a parent with lawful permanent resident status or U.S. citizenship, they will never be eligible to become a lawful permanent resident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Politics of reform Balderas said U.S. immigration law was designed to keep people out of the country. She said Congress, which is responsible for formation of immigration law, failed to make modest changes that could unclog the immigration system to better accommodate people in the United States without legal status who worked hard, paid taxes and avoided criminal entanglement. She said the answer in the United States wasnt debate about a politically fraught amnesty program. Everyones angry at President Trump. I get it. He is enforcing the immigration laws to the fullest extent possible, Balderas said. But we are going to be in this situation every four years if Congress doesnt make changes in the immigration law. Politics is whats holding these people hostage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican serving the Wichita area, has repeatedly praised the Trump administration for securing the southern border with Mexico. He said U.S. Border Patrol data indicated illegal crossing was at the lowest level since 1970s. President Trump promised to secure our southern border, and he has delivered on his promise, Estes said. In fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol captured 238,000 illegal immigrants. When Joe Biden was president, 2.2 million illegal immigrants were apprehended at the southern border. In September, the Trump administration reported elevated enforcement actions had led to deportation of 400,000 people and the voluntary departure of an estimated 1.6 million people from the United States. Silva-Renteria said she worked primarily with people from Mexico, India, Vietnam, China, Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and Latin American nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Kansas, an estimated 116,000 people had at least one immigrant parent and 74,000 of these individuals earned the right to vote in elections. Something very important, especially for those that are elected officials, pay attention to the number of immigrants that now have voting rights, Silva-Renteria said. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and two dozen democratic state leaders, including two other governors, have sued the United States government for illegally suspending benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of the ongoing government shutdown. States cannot, and should not, take on the federal governments responsibility to fund SNAP, Gov Kelly said. Cutting off SNAP payments is an unprecedented choice made by the Trump Administration and Congress that will harm millions of families across the country. In a news release shared by the New York State Attorney General Letitia James, 26 attorneys general and governors have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after it was announced that more than 40 million Americans would lose necessary SNAP benefits starting in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KC2026 gives first look at World Cup FIFA Fan Festival The multistate coalition of political leaders is asking the Supreme Court to intervene immediately to ensure the government agency uses its existing contingency funds to maintain life-saving food assistance benefits through the shutdown. According to Kelly, the USDA has billions of dollars in contingency funds for situations such as this. She added that the department has funded several programs with emergency funds during the shutdown, but has refused to use said funds for SNAP. On Oct. 10, just two weeks before the USDA ordered all states to suspend SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1, the department reportedly agreed to use these contingency funds to maintain the benefits program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, for the first time in the SNAPs 60-year history, monthly food assistance payments will not go to families across the U.S. The political leaders reportedly wrote a letter to the Secretary of the USDA, Brooke Rollins, asking for the administration to provide information regarding a separate food assistance plan amid the shutdown. However, she has yet to respond. Kelly said she joined the suit, alongside the 22 AGs and governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, because she believes the federal government has a legal and moral responsibility to fund this program, not to take food out of the mouths of Kansas children. She added that nearly 188,000 children, families and seniors rely on SNAP every month to meet their needs. Usually, 93,000 Kansas households receive a total distribution of more than $34.4 million in SNAP benefits. Now, that will be cut off until the government shutdown ends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Platte County Commissioner cant support $100 billion Northland data center The other AGs who signed on represent Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. You can read about the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, below: commonwealth-of-massachusetts-v-united-states-department-of-agriculture-complaint-2025Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Hundreds marched across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the No Kings day rally in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) A variety of causes pulled people into the joyful throngs of the Oct. 18 No Kings demonstrations, despite masked federal agents ramming cars and snatching racially ambiguous people from American streets. Joyous because songs, smiles and hugs, and inflatable costumes filled the atmosphere and pierced the loneliness and fear that escalating immigration raids and National Guard occupation threats have created. At the rallies, immigration advocates risked their safety to encourage those living in the shadows. LGBTQ+ advocates asserted their intention to live unapologetically. Organizers sounded a civic engagement call to action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cheers affirmed each perspective, a contrast to belched accusations of hating America from event detractors. But my concern as a speaker at the Overland Park rally centered on a largely already dismantled cause, one worth fighting to restore. I referenced a recent morning news appearance by Wright Thompson, the noted author of The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi. He said his readers believe that those in charge of government want a return to a pre-Civil Rights America. It seems that way. Former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid said the MAGA movement now has everything it wanted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said MAGA has control of the White House, both chambers of Congress and an obedient Supreme Court that has imbued the executive branch with seemingly unlimited power. The court, she said, has allowed racial profiling. Masked ICE agents can stop Latino people based on their appearance and accents. MAGA has ended diversity, equity, and inclusion. It has ended affirmative action. You get all the best jobs even if youre not qualified, she said, referencing Pete Hegseth moving from Fox weekend news anchor to the head of the Department of War (Defense) and Kash Patel moving from podcasting to running the FBI. MAGA has banned books, banned the 1619 Project, smothered Black history in museums and dared historians to tell the truth. Youve canceled Black scholarships. Youre damned near getting rid of (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). The president has already said theyre not going to serve minority-serving institutions, she said. What more do you want? You said you wanted your country back. Now, youve got it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It feels as though half the nation has backtracked on once foundational ideas such as freedom of and from religion, separation of church and state, and a common good. While this movement unfolds, the rest of us wonder how were going to live with people who spend every waking moment thinking of new ways to manage our lives. A dear friend said that because of these differences, he envisioned a future America organized like the European Union, with states or regions operating as nation states. Wed share economies and defense structures but live separately. You can reasonably argue that weve never actually been e pluribus unum, out of many, one. Not with slavery, not with the destruction of Indigenous people, not with limited rights for women, not with inequality that always has existed. The No Kings participants dont hate America. They hate how people cant understand unfairness until it happens to them. They hate hollow religiosity. They hate how half the nation keeps reviving our racial caste system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This tracks with my closing message. Thompson told his interviewers that while standing on the bank of the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi with one of Emmett Tills relatives and staring into the water, the relative said, Im just so grateful, when asked what she felt in that moment. Grateful? He didnt understand. Because he got out of the river, she replied, and it clicked for Thompson. He said the Tallahatchie is known as the singing river for all the lynched bodies tossed into it, bodies that yet today cry out for justice. Thats important, Thompson said, because so many people in the country today want to put Emmett and all such history back into the Tallahatchie. To drown it. To forget it. Symbolically then, we must get out of the water, onto the banks and into a movement to ensure immigration advocates dont have to risk their safety, where our LGBTQ+ loved ones can live freely, where civic engagement is our default. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So many of us are just trying to keep our heads above water, but we must drag ourselves and as many others as we can out of the river and into a movement that protects what we have and restores what weve lost. We have to get out of that river, before our Democracy sinks to the bottom. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of the Kansas African American Museum, a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and former deputy executive director at the ACLU of Kansas. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The Kansas Senate has secured enough signatures to petition for a special session on redistricting. The Kansas Senate Republican caucus has secured the signatures needed to exceed the constitutional threshold, demonstrating strong support for this call for a special session, Senate President Ty Masterson announced on Monday in a news release. Were sending a clear message: were ready to get it done. The Republicans are targeting the 3rd Congressional District, the seat of the states lone Democratic U.S representative, Sharice Davids. They are seeking to redraw the districts border in hopes of picking up another seat in next years midterm election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant change the rules mid-fight just because youre afraid you cant win yet thats exactly what extreme Republicans in Topeka are doing, Davids said in a news release Monday. This is a blatant attempt to silence Kansas voters and protect their own political power. Kansans deserve fairness, not backroom deals influenced by D.C. to hurt Kansans. Kelly talks SNAP risk, stadium spending, and 2026 Race: Its about the person, not the party Earlier this month, lawmakers in the Kansas Legislature voted to set aside $460,000 to host the potential four-day session, which has not yet been scheduled. The House of Representatives also needs a two-thirds majority to sign on to the special session. The House has 125 members, with 88 Republicans and 37 Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The session would also focus on creating a new law that would override a court ruling that allows Kansans to choose what sex appears on their drivers license. Republicans are hoping to begin the special session on Nov. 7. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. Karen Reads lead criminal defense lawyer is calling for an investigation into Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox after a document revealed Cox knew of his departments connection to the Read case, despite remarks to the contrary. The document was obtained by Corri Hopkins, a lawyer in North Carolina who supported Reads innocence online. Hopkins obtained an email to Cox from Stephen J. Kelleher, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Field Office, sent on Feb. 22, 2024. In the email, Kelleher informs Cox that the federal government released documents from its investigation in the Read case to the district attorneys office. Kelly Dever, a police officer who worked in Boston at the time, is mentioned in those documents because she worked in Canton the night Reads boyfriend, John OKeefe, died. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hopkins provided a copy of the email to MassLive. In Jacksons view, that email contradicts what Cox told reporters earlier this year. I have nothing to do with Karen Read. Matter of fact, I didnt even know this person was associated with the Karen Read case, Cox told reporters in July, weeks after Reads acquittal. Its much to do about nothing. That case is over. Ive got nothing to do with Karen Read. I was in the state of Michigan, Cox continued, referencing the fact that he served as chief of police in Ann Arbor on Jan. 29, 2022, when OKeefe died. In a letter provided to Boston 25 News, Jackson wrote that Cox was caught in a lie and not a small one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coxs televised claim that he had nothing to do with Karen Read and didnt even know this person [Kelly Dever] was associated with the Karen Read case was a bald-faced lie one now disproven by documentary evidence originating from the Federal Bureau of Investigation itself," Jackson wrote. For the Commissioner to suggest that he had nothing to do with that case defies both logic and leadership. Common sense tells us he had everything to do with it. Dever, who resigned in September, was called as a witness by Reads defense during her retrial. On the stand, she had a series of tense exchanges with Jackson as he questioned her. In an interview with federal agents, Dever claimed she saw Brian Higgins, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and former Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz alone with Reads SUV in the departments sallyport for a wildly long time. But on the stand, Dever recanted that story as a false memory. Devers recollection would have supported the theory pushed by Reads defense that Higgins and others conspired to frame her. Jackson repeatedly pressed Dever on whether Cox called her to a meeting, where he told her to do the right thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dever only conceded that she met with the commissioner. Jacksons letter is addressed to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Enrique Zuniga, who heads the states Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, a police accountability agency. He calls for POST to open an investigation into Cox. When a police commissioner lies about his own contacts with the FBI and meetings with an implicated officer, he forfeits the credibility and integrity his oath requires, Jackson wrote, according to WCVB. This is not a political issue. It is a question of credibility and public trust. The letter asks for Cox to be put on the citys Brady list, a reference to a list maintained by prosecutors of police officers whose credibility may be an issue at trial. State law requires such lists to be turned over during discovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wus office did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the POST Commission confirmed it received the letter, but declined to comment further, citing confidentiality requirements. More about the case Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws attention to early detection and womens health, researchers and scientists are developing technologies and treatments that could redefine the fight against breast cancer. The Department of Computer Science and Technology at Kean University has been awarded an AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Grant to support the work of Assistant Professor Meng Xu, who has used artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the accuracy of breast cancer detection. Dr. Xus achievement reflects the spirit of innovation and impact that drives our faculty, said George Chang, dean of the Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Xus project, titled Deep Learning Applications for Early Detection of Breast Cancer in Mammography, received $51,840 through the grant, which aims to enhance early diagnosis by using AI-powered computer-aided detection (CAD) tools. The technology is designed to assist radiologists in identifying cancer signs more quickly and accurately, ultimately improving patient outcomes and reducing diagnostic errors. Receiving the AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship is a great honor and a major step forward for my research in medical AI, said Xu in a statement. This support allows us to explore new deep learning methods that can make medical imaging more accurate and accessible. The AIM-AHEAD Research Fellowship Grant, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), empowers early-career researchers to advance health equity through the use of AI and data science in biomedical research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Xu joined Kean in 2023 as a junior faculty member. This is her third external research grant award, furthering her focus on unique approaches to emerging technology in health care. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. (Stock photo by Maskot via Getty Image) All children in Colorado will become educated and productive citizens. Vision statement of the Colorado State Board of Education In September, the Trump administration announced it will move direct management of career-technical education programs from the U.S. Department of Education to the Department of Labor. This should be a wake-up call to advocates of workplace learning for high school students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This switch is part of this administrations dismantling of the Department of Education. Given the support for CTE programs from Colorados governor, commissioner of education, and the business community, lets consider the potential impact of this specific change. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX We can imagine the Department of Labor will pay little heed to the education component of workplace learning. Under the Department of Education, programs needed to at least appear to be about something more than practical work experience. With the Department of Labor, no need to pretend. This change is part of a larger pattern. Since Jan. 20, we have seen this administration curtail support for: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps secretary of Education claims her department is unnecessary. In this case, its not just the department; one wonders if K-12 education even matters. Note where education will see more funds. The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill will extend Pell Grant eligibility to some short-term, workforce-aligned education and training programs, according to the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. CTEs move out of the Education Department must be seen in this larger context. Chalkbeats headline on the change posed a question: Trump gave the Labor Department more control over career-technical education. Will students benefit? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We must hold true to the mission of public education, which is about more than upskilling future workers. Our goal is to educate future citizens. Students? Why should students matter to the Department of Labor? Its focus is future workers. Productive employees. The labor force. Chalkbeat wrote: the Labor Department will integrate education and job training programs with an employment first perspective, which places employers at the forefront of workforce development programs. I have criticized advocates of work-based learning when they suggest the chief purpose is to fill those high-demand jobs that bring ROI to businesses. And when we hear short-term thinking lets be sure our students have the job skills to graduate from high school and enter the workforce right away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is at odds with the goals of a good education. Done well, a K-12 public education provides a sound foundation that will help graduates make the most of their potential throughout their lives. They will gain the essential skills and knowledge in our state, articulated in the Colorado Academic Standards enabling them to learn, adapt, and grow in a wide range of jobs they pursue. Last spring, Susana Cordova, Colorados commissioner of education, praised a program in a rural (four-day week) district: A senior first obtained his commercial drivers license certificate; then he had an internship, trucking corn to the local ethanol plant before coming to school at 11:30 and taking three academic classes. His principal told me that Colorados Innovative Learning Opportunities Pilot Program provides more flexibility on assessing seat time. (Only 12 academic classes in a week? As a senior?) This young man knew the work he would be doing upon graduation: driving that truck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With little E in CTE, I do not see how such programs offer students a sound high school education. Overseen by the Department of Labor, I suppose that wont matter. The writer Marilynn Robinson observes, We have been told again and again that our educators are not preparing American youth to be efficient workers. Workers. That language is so common among us now that an extraterrestrial might think we had actually lost the Cold War. If we truly want educated and productive citizens, we often need more time, not less, to ensure our 16-to-18-year-olds receive a solid education. Expose them to careers? Sure. But to become effective citizens especially in times like these first they need those essential skills and knowledge. How else will our students become critical thinkers able to keep our democracy alive? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How else will they know to question Big Brother when he does not speak the truth? So, yes, I hope CTE programs maintain their education focus. But this is just part of a broader concern. We must hold true to the mission of public education, which is about more than upskilling future workers. Our goal is to educate future citizens. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (COLORADO SPRINGS) Halloween has crept upon us all, crawling into Colorado Springs amidst the chilly morning air. Childrens Hospital Colorado and the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) agree that Halloween is a particularly dangerous holiday for pedestrians, but especially for little goblins trick-or-treating across the Centennial State. According to Childrens Hospital Colorado, cars are the biggest threat that lurks on Halloween night, due to increased foot traffic and low visibility. As such, the hospital has a few tips for pedestrians and drivers for their haunting evenings. For those on foot, all children under 12 should be accompanied by adults. Trick-or-treaters over 12 should stay off their phones while walking, use crosswalks and sidewalks, and be sure to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When making your Halloween haunts, be sure to stick to well-lit homes in familiar areas, avoid going inside strangers, stay in a group, and, as tempting as it may be, wait until youve made it home to start sinking your fangs into your hard-earned candy. Drivers should be aware to avoid all distractions (especially phones), take extra caution when backing out of driveways, drive slowly, and roll down their windows to listen more closely for children. Drivers, as always, should always stay sober when getting behind the wheel. Safety is a shared responsibility. Pedestrians need to use crosswalks, obey traffic signals, and be visible to motorists. Motorists need to drive with the awareness that their vehicle will cause great damage to any pedestrian or bicyclist. There is no contest on who would suffer the most in a crash, said Col. Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. CSP troopers responded to 31 crashes last October in which pedestrians or bicyclists were involved, a 40% increase over 2023s numbers. Alongside this, state troopers responded to 17 crashes involving an impaired driver, arresting 34 for DUIs on Halloween day in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has its own list of tips for drivers on Halloween weekend: Drive slowly around neighborhoods and residential streets, even if you dont see trick-or-treaters around. Dont drink and drive. Dont drive high. Watch for children who may dart out into the street and always yield to pedestrians. If you see one child, there are likely to be more who are ready to cross. When driving, ensure your headlights are onnot just your daytime running lights. Try to park in a spot where you wont need to back up. However, if you must, have an adult present to ensure no children are in the way of your vehicle when you do. Dont use a cell phone, adjust your vehicle controls, or eat while driving. Pull over safely to do all those things, if necessary. This year, we anticipate Halloween events throughout the weekend, explained CSP Chief Packard. Take the time now to plan what you will do when the party ends. Stay at the party hosts place, take a rideshare, or use public transportation. There are many safe options and two scary options. Dont get behind the wheel if you are impaired or be a passenger if your driver is drunk or high. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Scot Mundt covered what the moisture trend has been going into the cooler months, but will the moisture continue in central and northern KELOLAND or will the recent dry conditions in the southeast prevail? Heres what Mundt has come up with. Timber Lake bar featured on Sunday Night Football With the lack of any big global trends, Mundt is basing this year on what KELOLAND been experiencing lately. It will be interesting to see if the pattern or cycle weve been in will continue into the colder months ahead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a shameless plug, Brian Karstens and Mundt have been talking about the pattern weve been in during our KELOLAND+ show Weather or Not. So, if youve been following that program, you have a sneak peek into what weve been experiencing and what we expect to happen. Mundt expects many to be below average when it comes to snowfall. But we will have differences across the area. In Sioux Falls, the amounts will be close to a foot below the climate average the prediction will be in the low 30s for a total. Mundt predicts 31.5 inches of snow in Sioux Falls. Mundt expects Aberdeen and northeast KELOLAND to receive some of the highest totals, but many in northeast KELOLAND will still be below average. Mundt predicts Aberdeens number will come in around 39.8 inches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Central South Dakota will be interesting to follow. Expect south central and central KELOLAND to be below average, and Mundt thinks the best chance for above snowfall will be in north central South Dakota. He predicts Pierre will have 28.9 inches of snow. Western South Dakota will be the closest to their climate average, possibly a little above. Mundt predicts Rapid City will be 42.2 inches. You can follow Mundts snowfall prediction all winter long on KELOLAND.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has announced that he is expecting his eighth child at age 70 an age considered by doctors to be far past advanced paternal age. This will be the Cheers actors fourth child with his wife, 46-year-old film producer Kayte Walsh. The pair share Faith, 12, Gabriel, 10, and James, eight. It was like three days ago, Grammer told the Pod Meets World podcast earlier this week. Christopher, thats just joined the family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grammer is certainly not the oldest expectant father, nor the oldest father in Hollywood. Actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, of The Godfather fame, fathered children at 79 and 83, respectively. But, fathers above the age of only 35 years old are more likely to have children with adverse birth outcomes, according to researchers at Stanford Medicine, and researchers at Rutgers University say those over the age of 45 have a higher risk of pregnancy complications, premature and late still birth, newborn seizures and birth defects. Kelsey Grammer and his wife Kayte Walsh have had their fourth child together. Grammer is 70 years old. Doctors warn fathers over the age 35 have children at an increased risk of developing birth defects and other adverse outcomes (Getty Images) The older a fathers age, the greater the risk for these and other conditions. For example, men who were 45 or older were 14 percent more likely to have a child born prematurely, and men 50 or older were 28 percent more likely to have a child that required admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, the researchers said, citing a previous study of more than 40 million births. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A fathers age can even affect the health of their partner, leaving mothers at a disproportionate risk of developing diabetes and the life-threatening complication preeclampsia. "We tend to look at maternal factors in evaluating associated birth risks, but this study shows that having a healthy baby is a team sport, and the father's age contributes to the baby's health, too," said Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an associate professor of urology, said in 2018. Infants fathered by men of advanced paternal age are also at a heightened risk of childhood cancer, autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. However, these diseases are caused by combinations of genetic and non-genetic factors, according to doctors at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Experts have tied these outcomes to declining testosterone rates the male sex hormone and naturally degraded sperm and semen quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to advancing paternal age being associated with an increased risk of male infertility, there appears to be other adverse changes that may occur to the sperm with aging, Gloria Bachmann, director of the Womens Health Institute at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, explained. Actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino both had children past the age of 70 (Getty Images for AFI) For example, just as people lose muscle strength, flexibility and endurance with age, in men, sperm also tend to lose fitness over the life cycle. Still, being a father of advanced years doesnt mean a baby will automatically develop any of these conditions. Eisenberg compared the risk to buying lottery tickets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you buy two lottery tickets instead of one, your chances of winning double, so it's increased by 100 percent," he said. "But that's a relative increase. Because your chance of winning the lottery started very small, it's still unlikely that you're going to win the lottery. The age at which many men are becoming fathers in the U.S. is increasing. It rose by 3.5 years between 1972 and 2015 and the number of infants born to fathers over the age of 45 has risen 10 percent over the past 40 years. (The Center Square) The arrest of a Georgia lobbyist whose wife leads the states child protective services agency has created a situation where, legally, her agency is charged with investigating her husbands child endangerment charges. The state, however, has declined to explain what steps will be taken to avoid a conflict of interest. Though she wasnt involved in the incident that led to her husbands arrest, the commissioner told The Center Square on Tuesday she wants no special treatment for herself. Her husband, Jason Broce, is accused of driving drunk with the couples two young children in his truck, rear ending another vehicle, then fleeing the scene. According to a police incident report, his blood alcohol content was more than four times the legal limit, and he nearly fell over before an officer placed him in handcuffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If a child is in danger, then youve got to bring in DFCS," Benjamin Bell, a former investigator for the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, told The Center Square. Broces wife is Candice Broce, commissioner of the state Department of Human Services and director of Family Services, which Human Services oversees. Police records show her only involvement was to pick up their two sons from the scene of a traffic stop. "Professionally, I pour my heart and soul into serving others and aiming to always do whats right," the commissioner said in texted statement, declining further comment. "I would never expect nor ask to be treated differently than anyone else in these circumstances." Still, neither the office of Gov. Brian Kemp, who appointed her commissioner in 2021, nor child protective services itself, has explained to the public how it can create a buffer between the agency and the family of its chief administrator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if Family Services will bring in an outside agency to investigate, a Human Services spokeswoman declined to confirm whether theres a case at all, citing privacy laws around child protection cases. The agency did say that an employee with a potential conflict cant be personally involved in an investigation. "The agency cannot confirm or deny the existence of any child abuse or neglect case due to state and federal laws," an emailed statement said. "Please note, the agency has protocols in place to avoid conflicts of interest if a report is received on an agency employee. Under these protocols, the employee shall be recused from reviewing the case, which shall instead be referred to an impartial, independent reviewer." On Oct. 16, Georgia State Patrol arrested Jason Broce, 43, on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, hit and run, following too closely, failure to maintain lane, and two counts of endangering a child under 14, police records show. According to 911 calls of the incident obtained by The Center Square, hes accused of rear ending another vehicle at a stop light in his Ford F150, then leaving the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So I got rear ended by this guy, and now he's driving away," the other driver told a Bartow County 911 operator. "When I got out of my car, a lady in the lane next to me said that he was weaving all over the place, and they were trying to get away from him. I hate to say it, but he looked like he might have been intoxicated." A Georgia State Patrol trooper later spotted the truck "weaving heavily," according to the incident report provided to The Center Square on Tuesday. When the truck stopped in a gas station parking lot, "the vehicle began reversing and nearly backed into my patrol car," the report says. The trooper found two children, ages 5 and 8, in the rear seat. Broce initially told the trooper that he hadnt been in an accident and that the damage to the front of his truck happened 16 months ago, the trooper's report says. According to the report, he stated he had no alcohol that day; the report says he smelled of it, had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I then instructed Mr. Broce to walk to my patrol car and he was very unsteady on his feet and nearly fell over," the trooper wrote in his report, describing Broce as too unsteady for a field sobriety test and testing positive in a breath test. The report lists his blood alcohol content as 0.333. In Georgia, driving with a 0.08% level or higher is against the law. Contacted Tuesday, Jason Broce said he had no comment. Broce is a state lobbyist who founded Terminus South government relations firm. His firms website says he formerly worked as a campaign policy advisor for Kemp. Bell, the former Family Services investigator, said that even though Broce's wife picked up the children, the incident still should have triggered an investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Georgia law says that in cases of potential child neglect or abuse, law enforcement personnel are mandatory reporters, meaning they have a legal obligation to inform child protective services. Bell, who also worked as an investigator for Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, said police in Georgia routinely ignore that step, because the law has no enforcement mechanism. The Georgia State Patrol report does not say if that step was taken, and patrol spokesmen would not elaborate. In an email, a spokesperson said the State Patrol has no specific policy for charges of child endangerment while driving under the influence. But when traffic offenses endanger children, the State Patrol provides "necessary and appropriate notice to the local prosecutor's office" by filing the criminal charges and putting the case before a judge, the agency said. Bell said that in ordinary circumstances, if Family Services did step in, and assuming investigators found the children to be safe with a competent parent, such a case would likely lead to a safety plan for the family to follow. "The state should 1,000% be more forthcoming in the way that theyre handling this," he said. "This is the integrity of the entire agency at stake. This is an agency responsible for keeping children safe, and they wont even comment on whether their own director is keeping their children safe." In 2023, about 34% of all live births in Kentucky were via C-section, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, higher than the national rate of 32%. That was only a slight improvement from 2014, when the rate was 35% in Kentucky. (FatCamera/Getty Images) Despite the low number of vaginal births among patients who have previously had cesarean sections, Kentucky providers generally support them but face barriers to providing that option, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Louisville, Yale University and Florida State University surveyed 99 birth providers in 38 Kentucky counties from Nov. 9, 2023 to May 31, 2024. They found that some providers who want to offer vaginal births after cesarean, or VBACs, reported that liability insurance is punitive and thus larger hospitals who can absorb costs associated with VBACs are more likely to offer them. They published their report this month. Melissa Eggen. (Photo provided) Melissa Eggen, project researcher and an assistant professor at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, said the provider support she uncovered for VBACs was somewhat surprising because Kentucky has such a low rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, about 34% of all live births in Kentucky were via C-section, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, higher than the national rate of 32%. That was only a slight improvement from 2014, when the rate was 35% in Kentucky. The state has a high rate of repeat c-sections and a lower rate of VBACs than the national average. Kentucky VBACs were up to 12% in 2023, an increase from 9% in 2016, according to the new October report. Across the country, though, VBACs were around 15% of live births in 2023. Increasing patient access to vaginal birth after cesarean, the report says, is an evidence-based strategy for decreasing overall cesarean delivery rates, decreasing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, and improving patient satisfaction with their birth experience. The benefits of vaginal delivery include not having major surgery, having lower risks of infection and serious blood loss, shorter hospital stay after birth, faster recovery and lower risk of the baby having breathing problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Though rare, a risk of VBAC is uterine rupture, according to the Mayo Clinic. The state has a high rate of repeat c-sections and a lower rate of VBACs than the national average. Kentucky VBACs were up to 12% in 2023, an increase from 9% in 2016, according to the new October report. Across the country, though, VBACs were around 15% of live births in 2023. (Screenshot) One provider, quoted anonymously in the report, said: We overuse interventions including cesareans in the USA and KY. VBAC accessibility is necessary to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in KY. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement VBACs are more common in hospitals that have a higher volume of births, the report shows. In other words: urban facilities are more likely to have the necessary resources, especially 24-hour access to anesthesia in case an emergency C-section is required during the labor process. Some of this urban-rural divide can be traced to 1999 guidance from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Eggen said. That guidance said that trial of labor after cesarean (called TOLAC) should happen at facilities that could, immediately if required, provide emergency care with anesthesiology and an operating room. These guidelines resulted in steep decreases in the national VBAC rate, which disproportionately impacted smaller hospitals that did not have access to these resources, the October report says. The ACOG guidance was updated in 2017 but the initial guidance continues to be implemented by many healthcare facilities across the country, the report says. Many providers across the state expressed support for vaginal births after a C-section and said they need more training on providing VBACs and identifying candidates who could be successful in safely laboring and delivering vaginally. Providers who were surveyed also said midwives were the most likely to be supportive of VBACs and hospital administrators sometimes discouraged VBACS. (Screenshot) One provider, quoted in the report, said the greatest barrier to providing VBACs is lack of need/want to provide 24h anesthesia, in case it is needed. Another provider said the lack of an in-house anesthesia provider also limited their facility even though there are people who want to VBAC in our area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Administration wants to provide TOLAC, but the financial burden of in-house anesthesia and [operating room] teams makes this challenging, another provider said. One provider was more skeptical, saying that TOLACs are a ton of work. The provider needs to be in-house for active labor. I work enough hours. Despite the low number of vaginal births among patients who have previously had cesarean sections, Kentucky providers generally support them but face barriers to providing that option. (Screenshot) Still, many providers across the state who answered Eggens survey expressed support for vaginal births after a C-section and said they need more training on providing VBACs and identifying candidates who could be successful in safely laboring and delivering vaginally. Providers who were surveyed also said midwives were the most likely to be supportive of VBACs and hospital administrators sometimes discouraged VBACS. One provider said malpractice insurance would cost double if their facility offered VBACs. There are risks to VBACs as well as cesarean deliveries, Eggen said, but better training on identifying good candidates for VBACs is a place to start in increasing Kentuckys rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are people who still believe that if theyve had a cesarean, they have to have cesareans in the future, Eggen said. So I do think that there is a need for more awareness that VBAC is an option for some people. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) A lawmaker is looking to make Halloween safer in Kentucky, reintroducing a bill in 2026 that would keep sex offenders away from trick-or-treaters. We want children to enjoy trick-or-treating, knowing theyll be safe. Halloween should be a time for laughter, family, and community, not anxiety or danger, Rep. Chad Aull (D-Lexington) said. Kentucky law already prevents registered sex offenders from living near schools or child care centers. This bill is another common-sense step that has worked well in other states. Rep. Aull filed a similar bill in the Kentucky General Assemblys 2025 session and has since received a positive response. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Can sex offenders hand out Halloween candy in Kentucky? Heres what the law says However, Rep. Aull said there are a few scenarios that are different for the 2026 session. For starters, this session is 60 days, whereas the last session was 30 days, and most of the time it takes multiple sessions or years before a bill can be passed. Well have more time mechanically to pass it through the session, and unfortunately, we also have this real-life situation where this one lady was abducted in North Carolina around this same type of activity, Rep. Aull said. We just need to take a good idea that our neighbors have done up to our north and say, Hey, look, Ohio did this. Its helped to protect their kids. We should do something here, similar, in the Commonwealth.' The bill being proposed would prohibit sex offenders from participating in events such as trick-or-treating and costume parties on Halloween and two weeks before or after the holiday. Aull also said that violating the proposed law would be a class A misdemeanor, with repeat offenses elevated to a class D felony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for what sparked this decision for Aull, he said some of Kentuckys neighboring states have passed similar legislation. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: I think this is a critical thing that we can add to the toolbox of law enforcement officials to try to keep our kids safer around Halloween, Rep. Aull said. A release from Aull also noted that in the upcoming legislative session, he also plans to sponsor legislation eliminating the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases, which currently stands at 10 years after a survivors 18th birthday, to ensure that survivors can seek justice on their own timeline. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aulls proposal will be considered at the general assemblys 2026 legislative session, which starts on Jan. 6. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) Open enrollment is approaching for thousands of Kentuckians to consider their health care options. Kentuckys Democratic leaders are raising the alarm, anticipating the cost of insurance to climb if action isnt taken in Washington. Its really stressful. Im losing sleep over it. I think all day about what were going to do, Louisville small business owner Ann Pipes said in a Tuesday morning media conference. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government shutdown has stretched into its 5th week with no end in sight, and now the issue at the crux of it all is increasing the political pressure. Every single Kentuckian is going to get notice in open enrollment, and they are going to see their health care costs skyrocket. Every single person, whether youre on the Affordable Care Act, whether you have employer-based insurance, Rep. Morgan McGarvey said. McGarvey joined Gov. Andy Beshear to put a face to the looming concern over the Affordable Care Act tax credits expiring. Pipes is a self-employed real estate appraiser. She said shes already taken a second job to brace for a substantial increase to the basic plan she receives through the state marketplace. Without that tax credit, our current monthly premium is $1,275. So thats an increase of over $900 a month. We do not currently have an extra $900 a month in our budget, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beshear said there would not be many options for the state to supplement any assistance if the credits expire. No state is going to be in a position to be able to make up for the federal tax credits that are there. It would take a massive change on the state level, which would require acts of the General Assembly. So theres not going to be immediate relief, I believe, in any state around the country, he said. Republicans have consistently countered that these are negotiations that should happen with the government open. Kentuckys Republican delegation has largely blamed Democrats for the shutdown. Most Senate Democrats have voted down the House-passed spending bill that could reopen the government, due to the lack of ACA credit extensions in it. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, has also voted no on the bill to reopen the government, citing his stance on responsible spending. Over the weekend, he floated a proposal for President Trump to consider a bipartisan commission to address the cost of healthcare. MORE POLITICAL NEWS: Name three Republicans and three Democrats in the Senate to an official commission to figure this out over a one-month period. And come back with a solution. But in exchange for that, I think the Democrats need to open the government for a month, Paul said in an interview on FOX News Sunday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) Kern County Animal Services is set to have a dog adoption event on Friday. The event will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Halloween at Enchanted Cottage, which is located at 2331 California Ave. Attendees will have the chance to spend time with adoptable dogs and find a new furry friend. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. The federal government shutdown is now entering its fifth week and could soon set an all-time record, with little sign of either side backing down or really even feeling much pressure to do so. But that could start to change in the coming days as some of the previously delayed impacts of the shutdown take hold and some other key deadlines and dates loom. Americans starting to feel the consequences of the shutdown should bring at least some pressure to bear on lawmakers. Lets run through some key events on the timeline, and what each could mean politically. Today: Air traffic controllers miss first full paycheck The date of the first missed paycheck for federal employees differs for different workers. On Tuesday, its air traffic controllers missing their first full ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These officials, who are considered essential workers who must work during the shutdown, have already been under immense pressure amid a series of mistakes and increased scrutiny all year. Staffing shortages have already caused flight delays, and there is fear that missing paychecks will exacerbate things. The disruption for traveling Americans could force lawmakers to act. A flight takes off past the air traffic control tower at Reagan Washington National Airport, on October 8. - Nathan Howard/Reuters Thats more or less what put the final nail in the longest partial government shutdown in history, the 35-day shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019. Ten air traffic controllers decided to stay home, temporarily halting travel at some major hubs and leading President Donald Trump to agree to a three-week pause in his border wall demand. (Trump and the GOP eventually gave up.) October 31: Military paychecks This could be the first time in history that members of all military branches will miss a paycheck during a shutdown, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center though that distinction could get pushed to November 15. The Trump administration reallocated $8 billion to cover October 15 paychecks. Last week, it announced a $130 million gift from an anonymous Trump friend to help pay service members (though that would only cover about $100 per person and raised its own legal questions.) Over the weekend, the administration suggested other maneuvers could cover the troops until November 15. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paying the troops is a politically sensitive subject the kind of thing that could lead members of both parties to feel pressure to find an offramp. But its possible it could weigh more heavily on Democrats, for a few reasons. One is that they are the ones making an extra policy demand during this shutdown. And the other is that they might worry Trump would use this as part of his efforts to politicize the military. Trump has repeatedly in recent weeks sought to pit the military against Democrats, including blaming them for jeopardizing military paychecks. And I want you to know that despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny, Trump told members of the Navy earlier this month. He has twice blamed Democrats for standing in the way of a military pay raise, citing this little gnat thats on our shoulder called the Democrats. Nov. 1: Obamacare premium increases and SNAP benefits This could be the most pivotal day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats because it joins two major impacts: millions of Americans seeing their Obamacare marketplace premiums rise sharply as open enrollment begins, and 42 million people suddenly being at risk of losing critical food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. (The SNAP impact arrives alongside potential cutbacks in other programs for low-income Americans like Head Start). Shoppers inside a grocery store in the Bronx borough of New York, on October 24. - Kena Betancur/Bloomberg/Getty Images On SNAP, some Senate Republicans like Josh Hawley of Missouri are pushing for a stopgap measure. But Senate GOP leadership is wary that this could hurt their leverage by continuing to delay the worst of the shutdowns impacts. Democrats, meanwhile, insist they will press forward in their shutdown strategy regardless. We understand this is not easy, and this is going to be painful, the No. 3 House Democrat, Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, said when asked about SNAP, arguing that Trump is choosing to make things more painful by not allowing SNAP benefits to be funded. The beginning of open enrollment could conceivably go two ways. On the one hand, people seeing their premiums suddenly double or rise even more could ratchet up pressure on Republicans to negotiate over the enhanced Obamacare subsidies extension that Democrats are demanding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other, the arrival of the deadline could lead Democrats to reason that they fought the good fight and can move on, believing they emphasized how Republicans now own those premium increases. Nov. 4: Election Day Well see a handful of elections on Tuesday, including governors races in Virginia and New Jersey, the New York City mayoral race and a redistricting ballot measure in California. Virginia is the one where you might expect to see shutdown impacts because so many federal workers live there, but the shutdown hasnt been a huge focal point in that or any other campaign. At the same time, if Tuesdays results swing unexpectedly in one direction or another, it could lead the side that underperforms to wonder if they have as much political strength as they thought. A voter cast their ballot on the first day of early voting at the Western Government Center in Henrico, Virginia, on September 19. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is considered the favorite in the Virginia governors race, which history suggests should favor Democrats given Republicans won the White House the previous year. (These races usually swing in the opposite direction of the presidency.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Spanberger wins big, Democrats could reason they are on firm footing and should hold strong on their demands. If either this race or the New Jersey governors race are closer than expected, perhaps youll see some Democrats start to worry more about overplaying their hand. Nov. 5: When it becomes the longest shutdown ever If nothing else spurs lawmakers to come to an agreement, maybe ignominy can? At this point, the shutdown will surpass the 2018-19 version as the longest in history. Nov. 21: The House-passed CR expires Just how intractable are things? So intractable that its possible the House might have to pass another stopgap funding measure (or continuing resolution) because the shutdown will have outlived the one it originally passed but the Senate never did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the shutdown began, the House passed a continuing resolution that would have funded the government only through November 21. What would that mean, practically speaking? Well for one, the House would finally have to come back in session something Speaker Mike Johnson has resolutely avoided. At that point he would seemingly have to swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who won a special election more than a month ago but whom Johnson has refused to swear in. Grijalva would soon become the crucial 218th signature for the Jeffrey Epstein files discharge petition, forcing that issue. And perhaps bringing the House back in session might lead to more pressure to negotiate over the Obamacare subsidies from Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and others who have suggested the GOP faces political peril over this issue. Thanksgiving The holiday is set for November 27, but travel will begin days earlier. Its at this point that any lingering problems with airports, other travel and relevant government services would really start to come into focus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holidays can also prove powerful motivators for lawmakers to get their business done so that they can spend time with their families without the threat of being pulled back to work. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.), the lead Senate Republican negotiator on a bill to pay key federal workers during the shutdown, says he has offered Democrats a proposal to pay all federal workers essential and furloughed federal employees while federal departments and agencies are shuttered. Johnson told The Hill that he believes Senate GOP leadership supports his offer, but he says the proposal will be discussed in more detail at the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon Tuesday. Are they going to take yes for an answer? Johnson said of whether his Democratic colleagues would accept the latest offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were willing to add furloughed workers, he said, calling it a big concession. Pay them up front. Theyre going to get paid anyway, Johnson said, noting that under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, furloughed federal workers are guaranteed back pay for the time they miss on the job during a shutdown. We need to put that vote on the floor, he said. Get it all approved by the White House and our leadership. He said Republican senators would discuss it in more detail Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully that will be the conference position, and well start voting on this stuff, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson emphasized the bill hes proposing would not add to or detract from the presidents authority in terms of managing the workforce. In other words, it would not prohibit President Trump from laying off federal workers or restructuring the federal workforce. Johnson said theres no way Trump would sign a bill that diminishes his authority, and noted the courts are currently weighing legal challenges to Trumps power to fire federal workers. Asked if Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and other members of Senate GOP leadership have bought into his proposal, Johnson told The Hill: I believe so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he cautioned that we have to get the actual language and make sure that the White House doesnt have a problem with it I dont think they would. Democrats last week blocked Johnsons Shutdown Fairness Act, which would pay only essential workers, including military service members and air traffic controllers, during the shutdown. It failed on a vote of 54-45, but three Democrats voted for it: Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.) and Raphael Warnock (Ga.). Ossoff is a top GOP political target in the 2026 midterm election. Johnsons concession to Democrats represents a significant move from his position last week, when he objected to two Democratic requests for unanimous consent to approve legislation to pay all federal workers during the length of the shutdown, along with those who have missed paychecks so far. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is negotiating with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the lead Democratic sponsor of one of those competing proposals. Johnson last week rejected Van Hollens True Shutdown Fairness Act, saying the legislation was too complex to approve by unanimous consent. Van Hollen argued on the Senate floor last week that federal workers should not have to suffer because of the stalemate on Capitol Hill over a House-passed proposal to fund the federal government through Nov. 21. We should not be punishing federal employees for something they had nothing to do with. Theyre not responsible. Theyre innocent bystanders, the Maryland Democrat said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A large group of Democrats co-sponsored Van Hollens bill, including Sens. Gary Peters (Mich.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Mark Warner (Va.), Angela Alsobrooks (Md.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), an independent who caucuses with Democrats, also co-sponsored it. Johnson now says he is calling on Van Hollen to follow up on his remarks by making federal workers whole financially. Van Hollens saying we shouldnt punish them for our dysfunction. Vote for the bill, then, he said. The key difference between the negotiators is language included in Van Hollens bill that would prevent the Trump administration from attempting to fire thousands of employees through reductions in force during the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Van Hollen confirmed Monday that he had been in talks over the weekend but declined to comment in detail on the substance of the competing proposals. Democrats will be under heavy pressure to accept Johnsons proposal after Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, issued a statement Monday urging Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to end the shutdown. The union represents 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers. Federal employees last received partial paychecks on Oct. 10, Oct. 14 or Oct. 16, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. JIM THORPE, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) The Pennsylvania Attorney General has details on the takedown of a drug trafficking ring in NEPA. Attorney General Dave Sunday was in Jim Thorpe on Tuesday morning to announce the arrest of key members of a drug trafficking operation. Sunday, along with area law enforcement, highlighted the months-long operation that targeted armed dealers in and around Carbon and Schuylkill counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Attorney Generals Bureau of Narcotics Investigations and the Carbon County Drug Task Force arrested Cruz Rodriguez and six members of his team last week. The AG says the investigation determined Rodriguez was a supplier of illegal and controlled substances for the Second Street Gang out of Allentown. In August, the Attorney Generals Office and area law enforcement searched two residences and Rodriguezs car. Officials hold forum in Lackawanna County They found a stolen nine millimeter handgun, more than two pounds of methamphetamine, more than eight ounces of fentanyl, nearly 130 grams of marijuana, 76 grams of synthetic marijuana, 30 grams of cocaine, and 281 ecstasy pills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sunday says the opioid crisis doesnt just apply to larger cities. From the start of the opioid epidemic, we knew that these horrific substances infiltrated every community. So many families, so many schools, and so many workplaces. And that meant that all of these places, regardless of population, were vulnerable to exploitation, Attorney General Sunday explained. Rodriguez and his co-conspirators are each facing several charges in relation to drug trafficking. Sunday says a false sense of security allows traffickers like Rodriguez to operate more efficiently. Some people may not think this is the type of thing that happens in Carbon County. Thats not a very small town in Pennsylvania when you think about it. The truth is that these poisons have a significant presence in communities like Jim Thorpe and all throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Attorney General Sunday said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carbon County District Attorney Michael Greek hopes this serves as a warning for other drug operations in the state. This type of arrest from somebody whos not necessarily from this area should be a message to anyone from Allentown to Reading to Philadelphia. Dont come to Carbon County and deal drugs, District Attorney Greek warned. Despite the arrests, the Attorney General says the investigation is still active and ongoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News. A key witness and alleged co-conspirator in the illegal gambling case against suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was recently arrested after being accused of money laundering, court records show. Krishna Kumar Deokaran, 50, was arrested Oct. 6 by the Lake County Sheriffs Office on a charge of money laundering. Specifics were not immediately available, but his charging document says he allegedly committed the offense between January and May 2024 in Lake, Osceola and Orange counties. The charge was brought by the Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution, which is handling the Lopez case. Deokaran pleaded not guilty and posted a $20,000 bond, according to court records. His attorney, Dan Eckhart, declined to comment when reached by phone Monday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deokaran, who was not arrested when Lopez and others were in June, is among the prosecutions key trial witnesses in the case against Lopez. In court documents, he was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator who prosecutors said owned and operated many of the illegal casinos involved in the gambling enterprise. Deokaran was described as the man who stood at the helm of the gambling enterprise, according to a 255-page law enforcement affidavit filed in the case. The affidavit describes an illegal gambling operation that operated casinos in Lake, Marion, Sumter and Osceola counties, had aspirations to move into other states and made more than $21 million. He came to U.S. Homeland Securitys attention as he tried to launder more than a million dollars in illegal gambling profits, the affidavit shows, and ultimately provided extensive information about his operation and Lopezs involvement. Deokaran told investigators, for example, that he paid Lopez between $600,000 to $700,000 in illegal earnings over the course of their partnership and watched the sheriff upgrade both his car and his house. FBI chief Kash Patel has sent FBI employees scrambling to probe a 20th-century mysterythis time over Jimmy Hoffa. Keystone Kash ordered bureau staff to immediately search their workstations and digital archives for any material related to the disappearance of the former Teamsters boss, according to CNN. The directive landed nearly a month into the federal government shutdown and is the latest in a series of odd internal orders demanding agents dig up records connected to decades-old mysteries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It follows a Fox Nation segment in July that featured Hoffas son, James P. Hoffa, calling on President Donald Trump to release all FBI files tied to his fathers case. Hoffa, president of the Teamsters Union, in 1966. / Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Lets find out what really happened, Hoffa said in an interview for the final two episodes of Fox Nations Riddle: The Search for James R. Hoffa with Eric Shawn. President Trump, release the files. I dont know whats in those files... the American public, the Teamsters Union, our family deserve it, and I think youll do it. Two law enforcement sources told CNN that the Hoffa hunt has since been revived. Hoffas name has haunted American true-crime history since July 30, 1975, when he vanished outside a Michigan restaurant. Once one of the most powerful labor leaders in the country, Hoffa was forced from the Teamsters after serving time for jury tampering and fraud in 1971. A handcuffed Hoffa at Lewisburg Federal Prison in 1967. / Underwood Archives / Getty Images In 1967, he was convicted of jury tampering, attempted bribery, and mail fraud after a years-long federal pursuit that exposed how deeply mob money had seeped into the union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said Hoffa tried to buy off a juror during an earlier trial for taking illegal payments from trucking companies, and used union pension funds like his personal piggybankfunneling millions into shady loans that doubled as mob investments. The verdict sent the countrys most feared labor leader to federal prison in 1967. His 13-year sentence was commuted by President Richard Nixon in 1971 on the condition that he steer clear of union activity until 1980. He ignored that, trying to claw back power from rivals with deep mob tiesand disappeared before he could succeed. Over the decades, the FBI has chased Hoffas ghost through New Jersey marshes, Michigan fields, and suburban driveways, never finding a trace. Al Pacino, center, played Jimmy Hoffa in The Irishman. / Netflix Hoffa was declared legally dead in 1982. He was immortalized in Martin Scorseses 2019 film The Irishman, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theories about Hoffas demise have run wild, including that he was buried under Giants Stadium, dissolved in acid, or entombed beneath Detroit. The case remains one of the most famous unsolved disappearances in U.S. history. Patels Hoffa directive fits a pattern inside the bureau. Earlier this month, CNN reported that FBI employees were told to perform a similar search for files tied to the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart. In that case, too, the hunt followed a wave of renewed media attention and speculation. Trump has revived several decades-old cases. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Since the start of the Trump administration, FBI agents have repeatedly been pulled from standard assignmentscounterintelligence, violent crime, and immigration enforcementto handle politically charged priorities. The current Hoffa order adds to that list, alongside past requests involving the release of documents connected to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Daily Beast contacted the FBI for comment. An automated response stated that the agencys operations are directed toward national security, violations of federal law, and essential public safety functions due to the ongoing government shutdown. KILGORE, Texas (KETK) The Kilgore Police Department is asking for help from the public after a man driving a white SUV hit a male riding a bicycle on the 2600 block of Stone Rd and fled the scene. The incident took place at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 22. Courtesy of Kilgore Police Department Courtesy of Kilgore Police Department Tuesday Afternoon Forecast: Rain chances and cooler temps If you have any information regarding this persons identity, please contact Detective Justin Murphy at 903-218-6904 or justin.murphy@cityofkilgore.com. You can now stream KETK and FOX51 News live 24/7 on your smart TV with KETK+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. (NewsNation) King Charles was heckled by a protester Monday who asked the royal about Prince Andrews relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Charles was outside the Lichfield Cathedral, shaking hands with supporters, when someone in the crowd asked him if he asked the police to cover up for Andrew. How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? the protester asked, as seen in this video, obtained by The Guardian. Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meghan and Prince Harry snubbed by A-listers As King Charles continues to shake hands with people in the crowd, one woman tells the protester to shut up. According to The Guardian, the person who recorded the video may be the protester and may be a member of the anti-monarchy group called Republic. Prince Andrew renounces royal title Earlier this month, Andrew announced he was giving up his royal titles, including the Duke of York, after a discussion with the King. In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life, he wrote in a statement shared by the BBC. LICHFIELD, STAFFORDSHIRE OCTOBER 27: King Charles III meets members of the public following his visit to Lichfield Cathedral, with a focus on the Fenland Black Oak Table, The Table for the Nation on October 27, 2025 in Lichfield, Staffordshire. (Photo by Temilade Adelaja WPA Pool/Getty Images) FILE Prince Andrew looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) Adding, With His Majestys agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement comes just days after an email from 2011 surfaced revealing Andrew supporting Epstein after a photo showed Andrew with his arm around a teenage Virginia Giuffre. Prince Andrews Jeffrey Epstein scandal: Timeline Giuffre has accused the prince of sexually abusing her on multiple occasions when she was under 18 years old and a victim of sexual trafficking by Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew has denied Giuffres allegations. Prince William, Kate Middleton: We dont want Prince Andrew at Windsor In her Substack Fresh Hell, royal biographer Tina Brown claims that Prince William and Kate Middleton cant abide Prince Andrew and dont want him near their new forever home, according to US Weekly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to NewsNations Paula Froelich, negotiations are underway within the royal family to kick Andrew out of the Windsor Lodge, the 30-room mansion that he has lived in for decades. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. For the first time in five centuries, an Anglican British monarch and the leader of the Roman Catholic church prayed together in public. King Charles III, the nominal head of the Church of England, joined Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel during a state visit to the Vatican Oct. 23 the first moment of shared prayer since the Reformation. Beneath Michelangelos Last Judgment, the king and a veiled Queen Camilla, 78, sat alongside the Chicago-born pope, 70, in a powerful gesture of renewed Christian unity. The meeting came nearly 65 years after Queen Elizabeth II made the first visit to the Vatican by a reigning English monarch since King Henry VIIIs split with Rome in the 16th century. Later, at the Basilica of St. Pauls Outside the Walls, a special seat was presented to Charles to honor his contribution to interfaith relations, to be used by his successors. New titles and honors were exchanged Charles was named a Royal Confrater of the Basilica, while the pope accepted the honor of Papal Confrater of St. Georges Chapel in Windsor, England. Read More From Star This story King Charles III and Pope Leo XIVs Meeting, Shared Prayer Was 500 Years in the Making first appeared on Star. Add Star as a Preferred Source by clicking here. (The Center Square) A recent study on King Countys affordable housing needs identified a $3.96 billion annual funding gap that would require the average county home owner to contribute an additional $3,856 per year to close. The King Countywide Housing Needs Assessment 2025 outlined three funding scenarios to generate the $3.96 billion annually, but they are deemed unrealistic. One calls for a regional property tax levy of $4.53 per $1,000 of assessed value, nearly 10 times Seattles current housing levy and far exceeding state-imposed lid lift caps, as noted in the report. The other two proposals are equally unfeasible: a 4.23% sales tax rate and a 11.46% real estate excise tax (REET) rate more than triple the current maximum state REET rate of 3%. Both would require new authorizing legislation from Olympia. King County Executive Shannon Braddocks office stated that it will take more than the county to reach its regional housing goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meeting Puget Sounds housing demand will require a sustained, coordinated effort between the public and private sectors, the King County Executives Office said in an email to The Center Square. Residents should not brace for a single mega-levy to fill the $3.96 billion gap. Both candidates in the Nov. 4 King County executive race agree: tax hikes alone wont solve the crisis outlined in the report. King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, a candidate for county executive, called the findings daunting but not surprising to see. It is clear that we will be unable to raise taxes to meet this projected need for subsidy to fill the gap, Balducci said in an email through her campaign. As executive, I will make it a top priority to update our regions affordable housing task force plan and bring a variety of strategies to bear with public and private partners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If elected, she aims to deliver 44,000 net new affordable homes within five years a fraction of the 178,000 the county originally identified as needed by 2044. Her opponent, fellow Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, said the crisis is too large for local government alone under existing tax rules. Instead, it requires smarter use of funds and better coordination. He is eyeing long-term investments into the regions housing needs through a unified front in Olympia and Washington, D.C. If were serious about ensuring that every family has a stable place to live, we need the state and federal government to step up with the tools and resources counties need to meet that challenge, Zahilay told The Center Square. As executive, Ill focus on making King Countys existing housing dollars go further through stronger partnerships, faster permitting, and performance-driven reforms. Despite voter-approved funding, King County is on track to reach just one-third of its 178,00-unit affordable housing target by 2044. The goal was lowered from 195,000 units in 2019 to 178,000 thanks to voter-approved taxes like Seattle JumpStart payroll expense tax levied on a small group of businesses and its voter-approved housing levy that is anticipated to collect $970 million through 2030. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn notes that the county is already one of the most expensive places to live in the U.S., driven by far more than just housing We recently had the highest gas prices in the nation, and the cost of food, utilities, and new taxes continue to climb. My focus is on reducing costs and making our region more affordable, not increasing costs and new taxes, Dunn said in an emailed statement. A committee hearing and discussion on the report could be scheduled for Nov. 3. A new lawsuit by Democratic state officials Tuesday seeks to uncork emergency money to help tens of millions of Americans keep buying food for their families after federal SNAP funding is expected to run dry Saturday due to the U.S. government shutdown. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps about one in eight Americans buy groceries. A halt to SNAP benefits would leave a gaping hole in the country's safety net. Vulnerable families could see federal money dry up soon for some other programs, as well from certain Head Start preschool programs to aid for mothers to care for their newborns through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. Heres a look at the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic officials sue Tuesdays legal filing from attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia, plus three governors, focuses on a federal contingency fund with roughly $5 billion in it enough to pay for the benefits for more than half a month. The officials also say the federal government could use money from a separate $23 billion fund to cover benefits. President Donald Trump's Department of Agriculture said in September that its shutdown plan included using the $5 billion to keep SNAP running. But in a memo last week, it said that it couldnt legally use it that way. The memo also said the $23 billion is supporting other programs during the shutdown and that shouldn't be jeopardized. The Democratic officials contend the administration is legally required to keep benefits going as long as it has funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency said SNAP debit cards beneficiaries use to buy groceries will not be reloaded as of Nov. 1. With their own coalition, 19 Republican state attorneys general sent Democratic U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a letter Tuesday urging passage of a clean continuing resolution to keep funding SNAP benefits. Lack of funds for SNAP benefits could affect millions Most SNAP participants are families with children, more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability, and close to 2 in 5 are households where someone is employed. Most have incomes below the poverty line, about $32,000 for a family of four, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The USDA says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The average monthly benefit is $187 per person. Beneficiaries say that without the aid, theyll be forced to choose between buying food and paying other bills. Food banks are preparing for a spike in demand that theyll have to navigate with decreased federal aid themselves. Not everyone receives their SNAP benefits on the first day of the month, though many beneficiaries get them early in the month, with some differences by state. States expect retailers will be able to accept cards with balances on them. Some states seeking to fill void of SNAP benefit cuts State governments controlled by both Democrats and Republicans are scrambling to help recipients. But several say they dont have the technical ability to fund the regular benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials in Louisiana, Vermont, Virginia and Rhode Island have pledged to provide some type of backup food aid for recipients. The USDA says states wont be reimbursed. More funding for food banks and pantries is planned in states including New Hampshire, Minnesota, California, New Mexico, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and West Virginia. Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Dan McKee announced a plan Tuesday to funnel $6 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families reserves to TANF recipients who also receive SNAP benefits. He acknowledged that the plan using the federal welfare program would help only 60,000 of the states 145,000 SNAP recipients. McKee also said the state would use $200,000 to boost food banks. Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the state would create a new system to load EBT cards weekly for SNAP recipients, and also forward $1 million to food banks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, said the state is opening a nonprofit fund typically used for disasters to give grants to food banks. But it needs immediate donations. Last year, it raised $6 million for Hurricane Helene relief. More than $100 million in SNAP benefits are delivered monthly in South Carolina. West Virginia likewise has launched a donation drive for food banks, with up to $13 million in state matching money. A Pennsylvania budget stalemate has held up more than $25 million in aid to food banks. Democratic lawmakers are pushing for $60 million in emergency aid for food banks and Meals on Wheels programs. In Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation made $6.75 million emergency relief funding available from its strategic reserves to help with direct payments to tribal citizens currently receiving SNAP benefits and grants to food banks and similar nonprofits within its reservation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the West Coast, Washington state said it would send nearly $2.2 million a week to food banks starting Nov. 3 if a deal to end the shutdown is not made by then. Some states have called on National Guard troops to help distribute food at pantries and centers should SNAP benefits pause, including California and West Virginia, and South Carolina's State Guard. But at least some California food banks say they dont want National Guard members help, fearing the Trump administrations use of those troops in mass deportation efforts could scare vulnerable residents from seeking food. Early childhood education More than 130 Head Start preschool programs wont receive their annual federal grants on Nov. 1 if the government remains shut down, according to the National Head Start Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Centers are scrambling to assess how long they can stay open, since nearly all their funding is federal. Head Start provides education and child care for the nations neediest preschoolers. With new grants on hold, a half dozen Head Start programs have already missed federal disbursements they were expecting Oct. 1 but have stayed open with fast-dwindling reserves or with help from local governments. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs nationwide could be affected. Food aid for mothers and young children Another food aid program supporting millions of low-income mothers and young children already received an infusion to keep the program open through October. But states say that money could run out as early as Nov. 8. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents purchase nutritious staples such as fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk and infant formula. The program, known as WIC, risked running out of money in October because of the shutdown. The Trump administration reassigned $300 million to keep it afloat, but only for a few weeks. ___ Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey. Contributors include Jeffrey Collins in West Columbia, South Carolina; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island; and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ___ This version corrects the day of the South Carolina governor's announcement to Tuesday. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) Mississippis next Election Day is November 4, 2025. Polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Any voter in line at 7:00 p.m. is legally entitled to cast a ballot. To view the list of counties that may have an election on November 4, click here. Visit the My Election Day portal to receive election information tailored to your specific address, including a sample ballot. Mississippi lawmakers push to revive downtown Jackson Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Mississippi Secretary of States Office, problems at the polls observed by state observers or otherwise reported to the Elections Division will be referred to the authorities, including the Attorney Generals Office or the appropriate District Attorneys Office. Election Day Reminders In-Person Absentee Voting Deadline: The last day to vote absentee vote in-person is Saturday, November 1. Mail-In Absentee Voting Deadline: All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by November 4 and received by Circuit Clerks Offices by November 12. Voter ID Affidavit Ballot Deadline: Voters who cast an affidavit ballot because they forgot their voter ID must present an acceptable form of photo ID to their Circuit Clerks Office by November 12. Polling Place Location: Contact your Circuit Clerks Office to verify your polling place. Voter Photo ID: Voters are required to show photo identification at the polls. A voter without an acceptable form of photo identification is entitled to cast an affidavit ballot. Click here to view a list of acceptable photo IDs. Campaigning: It is unlawful to campaign for any candidate within 150 feet of any entrance to a polling place, unless on private property. Loitering: The polling places should be clear for 30 feet from every entrance of all people except election officials, voters waiting to vote, or authorized poll watchers. Camera Phones: Voters are prohibited from taking pictures of their marked ballot. Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. WACO, Texas (FOX 44) Its National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, which is a time to bring awareness to the dangers of substance abuse and highlight the importance of prevention. Brenna Sanford and Bambi Blanchard with the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network paid a visit to our studio to share more information. You can watch our interview above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Here are the top headlines from this morning. As the government shutdown nears almost a month, many Iowa and Nebraska Community Action programs are still staying funded, except for a couple. LIHEAP delays expected due to federal government shutdown A property in downtown Sioux City has been deemed a blighted area and an economic development area. Sioux City City Council deems area appropriate for urban renewal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reconstruction of Northshore Drive in North Sioux City isnt expected to begin until Spring 2026, but preparation for that major rebuild continues. Easements still needed for Northshore Drive project in North Sioux City Watch more stories in the video above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) The county still plans to build a Gibbs pedestrian bridge despite delays. On Monday, the Knox County Commission passed resolutions relating to the project, including a license agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Jim Snowden, the senior director of Engineering and Public Works for Knox County, called this the last paperwork hurdle. Knoxville Salvation Army launches emergency food program amid rising need Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bridge would cross Tazewell Pike between Gibbs High School on one side and Gibbs Elementary and Gibbs Middle Schools on the other. The county hopes to have the project open for bidding late 2025 with construction starting in March of 2026, said Snowden. The county plans to name the bridge after Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, one of the 13 soldiers killed during the attack at Kabul airport. Knauss was a Gibbs High School graduate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. The Knox County Commission voted to postpone consideration of a ordinances barring the use of county funds by nonprofits to service immigrants without legal status. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) The Knox County Commission voted to temporarily shelve a pair of proposed ordinances that would compel nonprofits receiving county grants to pledge not to serve immigrants without legal status. The vote on Monday paused consideration of the proposed ordinances for six months. It came after a procession of clergy, nonprofit workers, activists and citizens stood before the panel of commissioners to deliver impassioned pleas against approving the ordinances. No one expressed support for the measures during a public comment period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You are proposing to penalize Knoxvillians for being good. You would turn food pantries, clinics and shelters into checkpoints and faithful servants into informants, said Matthew Nance, a Knox County resident. Nance was among the speakers who cited scripture in opposing the measures. You would threaten directors for refusing to betray what Christ commands: to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger and heal the wounded, he said. But Commissioner Andy Fox, a cosponsor of the measures, chided many of the members of the public who spoke by name, telling one, you do not rightly divine the Bible. The people that like to bring up the Bible and say what would Jesus do first of all the Bible, as I like to put it, is a book of personal piety not public policy, Fox said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now you can derive values from the Bible that you apply in public situations, but primarily the Bible is the book that is the Gospel message to the world and its primary focus is to draw attention to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the need for repentance, he said. The two ordinances were initially introduced by Commissioner Angela Russell, an accountant who said the county should more strictly monitor nonprofits that receive county funds. The ordinances require more stringent audits and detailed reporting of expenditures. One ordinance would attach the new requirements to nonprofits receiving funding via the countys hotel tax; the other applies to general funds distributed to nonprofits. Fox subsequently added a clause to the ordinances requiring nonprofit executive directors to provide sworn statements, subject to penalty of perjury, that no county funding is used to provide services to any person or persons residing in, staying in, or visiting Knox County while in violation of U.S. immigration laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Knox County issued $1.9 million in grants to charitable foundations through its general fund. The amount distributed to charitable funds through its hotel tax was not immediately available. Altogether, public officials said that the total amount granted to nonprofits is less than 1% of the countys budget. Separately on Monday the commission voted 7-3 in favor of a resolution honoring the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk after debate that grew heated at times. County resolutions have historically honored east Tennessee residents. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) The Salvation Army of Knoxville announced the launch of an emergency food campaign to combat rising need. As the government shutdown continues, the Trump Administration announced that food aid will not go out November 1. Now, the Salvation Army of Knoxville, which serves Knox, Blount, Sevier, Anderson, Cocke and Campbell counties, is launching a new program called Feed Hope. Share Love. The nonprofit said it has seen three to five times the amount of food assistance requests in recent weeks, calling this a dramatic rise. Nowhere to go: Knoxville shelters near capacity as cold weather sets in Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With grocery and utility costs continuing to strain family budgets, were seeing many of our neighbors turning to us for helpsome for the very first time, said Knoxville Area Commander Major Cameron Henderson. Our faith calls us to feed the hungry and care for those in need, and were confident our community will once again come together to make that possible. The nonprofits Sevierville and Maryville Corps are also working to provide food and emergency assistance including Maryvilles Free Food Friday and Fellowship program. The Knoxville Corps asked for donations: Knoxville Area Command: www.SalvationArmyKnoxville.org Maryville Corps: www.SalvationArmyMaryville.org Sevierville Corps: www.SalvationArmySevierville.org Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 690,000 Tennesseans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the possibility of a lapse in aid has many local families on edge. Governor Lee has warned residents to expect delays and said he was working with nonprofits and members of the faith community to prevent people from going hungry. Across the country, the SNAP funding expiration could hit more than 40 million people. Knoxville City Council to discuss $125,000 contract to help unhoused people The Salvation Army has served East Tennessee for more than a century, and time and again, our neighbors have proven their compassion, said Henderson. Together, we can share food, hope, and the love of Christ with every person who comes to our doors. Meanwhile, temperatures are dipping and local shelters are nearing capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those in need can contact the Salvation Army over their website or call 865-525-9401. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. Question : Please list help for federal workers who are forced to work without paywe cant file for unemployment. I have so many bills on autopay and zero money coming in. Answer : Weve heard from numerous readers who say the pain of this shutdown is not fully understood by the American public because so many federal services are still available, provided by excepted workers, also known as essential workers, who are working full time without pay. As you said and as Kokua Line has previously reported, they are not eligible to file for unemployment compensation because they are not considered unemployed. Furloughed employees, kept home by the shutdown that started Oct. 1, are eligible to file ; they are a different category. A Shutdown Assistance Map at can help both types of federal employees find assistance during the shutdown. The searchable map lists national and local resources by categories, including financial assistance, utilities and food. For example, the Hawaii map lists 0 % APR loans offered by Navy Federal Credit Union ; special personal loans from Bank of Hawaii for federal employees and contractors ; information about interest-free payment plans for electric (Hawaiian Electric ) and water bills (Board of Water Supply ); and information about the Hawaii Foodbank and Aloha Diaper Bank, among other resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each brief map posts links to the primary source of the information, for specifics about how to seek that particular resource. Hawaii businesses or agencies that have help to offer can add their listings to the map directly. In the national section, theres information from military relief societies, nationwide financial institutions and other resources. Another place to check is the website of the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency financial assistance for civilian federal employees. This group is offering $150 shutdown grants to eligible employees affected by the shutdown, and also has links to other resources. See for details. Hawaii, with a high percentage of federal employees and contractors, is the state most affected by the government shutdown, according to a recent analysis by Wallet Hub, which put the islands at No. 2 for shutdown impacts, after the District of Columbia, which is not a state. Mahalo It was a very scary moment when my sisters sit-down walker went forward and she went backwards and hit her head on the pavement at Waioli Kitchen & Bake Shop in Manoa. She had been resting on the seat. A big mahalo to the two ladies and the staff and medical personnel at the restaurant who came to our rescue and helped lift her up, put her in a chair and comforted her. Also a big mahalo to the ambulance personnel who checked her out and assured us that she was OK to go back to her assisted living facility. She is doing well and enjoying herself !Grateful Sister (Four-wheeled walkers, commonly known as rollator walkers, many of which have a small resting seat, are generally recommended for people who need a walker only for balance, not to bear weight, according to an article in Elder Care, published by the University of Arizonas Center on Aging. Standard walkers are generally recommended for people with unstable gaits who need to lean heavily on the walker, while two-wheeled (rolling ) walkers are generally recommended for people with unstable gaits who dont need to bear substantial weight on the walker. For safety and mobility, its important for people to use the correct assistive device. To read the full article, which includes the pros and cons of each type of walker, go to.)------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email kokualine @staradvertiser.com.------------ KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) Kalamazoo Public Schools officially approved an agreement with the union representing its teachers and school professionals on Wednesday night at the districts school board meeting. The KPS Board of Education met at 6:30 p.m. to vote on the approval of the agreement. It had already been ratified by the KEAs bargaining unit, according to a release from KDPS. The Kalamazoo Education Association, which represents more than 800 teachers, school counselors, librarians and other staff members, reached an agreement with the school district regarding compensation for the 2025 to 2026 school year ahead of the approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im ecstatic about this, said KPS trustee Patti Sholler-Barber. Im really pleased and I love the part of the rationale where it says teachers, ancillary staff and behavior specialists. These are the people who are in our classrooms that dry tears, that calm fears, that encourage, that are cheerleaders. I dont think that you could list the amount of hats a teacher, ancillary staff or behavior specialists wear, Sholler-Barber said. Michigan schools prepare for fall amid state education budget fight Under the agreement, KEA members will receive a 2.29% base salary increase plus an additional 1.71% generated through other changes to the collective bargaining agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They will also receive a 2% increase in tuition reimbursement and National Board Certification and a step on the salary schedule. All members will now get a $650 planning time stipend; previously only elementary teachers received the funding, according to the release. KPS trustee Juanita Payton was grateful that all sides were able to come to an agreement and reiterated her appreciation for the districts teachers. I too want to echo thanks to everyone who worked on getting this contract settled, she said. And Im happy we could give the teachers the raise that they received, although we all know they deserved much more than we were able to give them. I appreciate all your hard work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. For the record: 9:07 a.m. Oct. 28, 2025: An earlier version of this article said the L.A. County Sheriffs Department is withholding the names and photos of deputies. The department has released a list of names but not the photos of deputies. It also said Cerise Castle is an independent journalist. She works at Capital & Main. Los Angeles County is attempting to block a journalist from obtaining the photographs of about 8,500 deputies and other sworn personnel employed by the Sheriff's Department. The legal dispute centers on a public records request filed in April 2023 by journalist Cerise Castle. Castle asked county officials to release the names and official headshots of all deputies not working undercover, then sued last summer after her request was denied, alleging a violation of Californias open records law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Castle has argued that releasing the images would boost transparency and improve the publics knowledge of law enforcement activity. The department released the deputy names to Castle but has maintained in court filings that the images are not public records and that they do not substantially relate to the conduct of the publics business. L.A. County Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant rejected the countys position, writing in a July decision that its lawyers are confusing the publics general lack of access with whether official photographs are a public record. The county has also claimed that deputies personal privacy, personal safety and effectiveness in their roles could be harmed by the release of the images. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Castles battle with the Sheriffs Department echoes a similar case involving photos of Los Angeles Police Department officers. In 2022, journalist Ben Camacho and the activist group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition posted departmental photos and other information about LAPD officers, which they posted online in a searchable database dubbed Watch the Watchers. The database provoked a furor within the LAPD, which led to the city unsuccessfully suing in an attempt to claw back the photos. Some officers also filed a lawsuit claiming they were endangered by the release because they worked undercover. Read more: LAPD chief ousts lawyer blamed by union for disclosing thousands of officer photos In response to questions about Castle's lawsuit, the Sheriff's Department released a statement to The Times that said it is deeply concerned about the prospect of releasing thousands of deputy headshots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such a broad request risks compromising deputies privacy and safety in an era of advanced technology and artificial intelligence, the statement said. Additionally, such disclosures endanger undercover operations, discourage deputy recruitment amid nationwide hiring challenges, and undermines efforts to protect those who selflessly serve our communities. In his July decision, Chalfant directed L.A. County to release the headshots with the caveat that any deputies who once worked undercover could argue for their photos exclusion from release. The judge wrote that the county had not demonstrated that there was a specific safety concern regarding any particular officer, adding that vague concerns do not establish any specific danger to individual officers. Castle is best known for her coverage of so-called deputy gangs with the Sheriff's Department. She has a large following on social media and previously reported for Vice News and NPR before joining Capital & Main, where she works currently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Castle said in an interview with The Times that the county's arguments for withholding the photos dont meet the standard under state law. Theyre not presenting any real arguments, she said. All of this stuff is speculation and hypothetical situations that havent occurred. Castle has also worked for the progressive news site Knock LA, as did Camacho when he obtained the LAPD officer photos that became the Watch the Watchers database. The two reporters are currently involved in a lawsuit against Ground Game LA, the nonprofit organization that founded Knock LA. They have sued for nearly $5 million, claiming the organization improperly profited off their work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ground Game LA has alleged that the reporters tried to assume control of the site, claiming they improperly took and used its trademarked name, its mailing list and other materials. Castle's path to obtaining the deputy photos hit a speed bump this month with the California 2nd District Court of Appeal. The Superior Court's ruling in Castle's favor was paused pending a review by the higher court's three-judge panel. Castle has argued in recent court filings that the release of the images would further her reporting about deputies, focusing on deputies who were involved [in] shootings, misconduct, and deputy gangs. Susan Seager, an attorney for Castle, said there's no good reason for the photos to be withheld. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We think they just dont want the public to hold them accountable," Seager said. "They dont want the public to know what theyre doing. Castle said her case resonates beyond the courtroom, given the ongoing raids across L.A. County by federal immigration agents wearing face coverings and increasing use by law enforcement of facial recognition and other technologies that pose a threat to citizens privacy. In the moment that we are in now, where we are seeing masked agents ripping people off of the street and away from their families, I think that this lawsuit becomes even more relevant, she said. Updates: 5:47 p.m. Oct. 29, 2025: This story has been updated to remove a characterization of Castle. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. About a month ago, as he was lying in a hospital bed after a stroke, Kenny Enea had one main concern: Would the Halloween decorations be completed in time? "The only thing he was worried about was getting out and finishing," says Ana Lovelis, his partner of 32 years. The Hatteras Haunted House in Sherman Oaks is in its eighth year, and is a mix of accumulated, handmade, store-bought and antique items. (David Butow / For The Times) After all, if the elaborate front-yard haunt wasn't fully assembled by Oct. 31, eight months of work could be for naught. This is the eighth and final year Enea's family of four will be remaking its Van Nuys property into a frightful, walk-through attraction that spooks thousands of visitors each Halloween. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, Enea, 62, is on the path to a full recovery, and the Hatteras Halloween House its official name, based on the street that borders the home was wrapped with days to spare. The family is planning a large-scale bash Friday featuring a tarot reader, a handful of actors and even a wedding: Lovelis and Enea have decided that after three-plus decades together, it's time to tie the knot. Their two daughters, Nia and Rena Lovelis, both in their mid-20s, will serve as "best man" and maid of honor. The Hatteras Halloween House has become one of the more well-known home haunts of the San Fernando Valley, a region now known for extravagant, do-it-yourself Halloween displays, especially in Burbank. To enter is to walk through a small cemetery before encountering a winding array of thematic spaces a skeleton seated at a decrepit vintage piano gives way to a rickety bridge, a smooshy swampland, a doll-laden tea temple, a chapel and an exorcism room. The Hatteras Halloween House started small as an accumulation of Halloween items but has gradually grown into an elaborately themed walk-through attraction. (David Butow / For The Times) Read more: Inside L.A.'s chilling seance that gets deeply personal and keeps selling out The displays are so massive that when the facades for the bridge and mini church started taking shape, the family received a visit from a city inspector. A neighbor, says Nia, complained that the family was building an unsanctioned ADU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They thought it was an actual house extension," Ana says. "We were like, 'No, it's Halloween decorations.' The inspector came by, and I was like, 'No, it's foam.'" One segment of the haunt is lighted by bloody hands holding plastic tea candles. Stairways to nowhere are hiding bones and body parts in their underbelly. Hand-written notes, courtesy of a narrative dreamed up by Nia, dot the space and hint at an enveloping backstory. An abstract, slow-waltz of a moody soundtrack, courtesy of Rena, sets the mysterious tempo. A mix of store-bought animatronics, handmade props and found objects vintage lamps, creatures with elongated necks and an assortment of mystical, witchy knickknacks, fill every nook. After eight haunted houses and 32 years together, Kenny Enea and Ana Lovelis will marry this Halloween inside the haunt's church. (David Butow / For The Times) Consider it a collection of intimate rooms, each one holding new reveals and surprises. You may want to duck, for instance, if you spy a snake near a foggy water fountain. Elsewhere, a cabinet never stops quivering as we wait for its door to swing open. Months went into constructing the surrounding fences and the vintage-inspired covered wooden bridge Enea and Ana run a construction firm and luxuries such as vacations were skipped as the family estimates that not an evening or weekend went by without some work done on the haunted house. Ana puts the total cost at somewhere in the $20,000 range. And Rena is quick to joke, "Don't ask about the DWP bill." In a way, the haunt feels like an extension of the family's home. On a recent afternoon the four, plus Darragh Hettrick, Nia's partner, were gathered in a living room that felt like a mix of an antique store, a tarot tent and an apothecary haven. Or perhaps the embodiment of a witch's coven candles, crystals and fantastical items (a small mermaid hangs on one wall) grace the space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's not just Halloween," Enea says. "We're kind of drawn to the darker side of everything in life. Everything is just a little left of center. A lot left of center." "We're looking to marry the dark with the light," Ana says, noting she's held a fascination with Halloween, costumes and masks since early childhood. A creepy woman figure at The Hatteras Halloween House. (David Butow / For The Times) The family's haunts at first started relatively modest a hodgepodge of Halloween decorations. But in the last four years, especially, the couple and their children have experimented with various themes. Last year, for instance, was a "hell hotel," with rooms themed to demented clowns or terror at sea. Other years they have experimented with aliens, complete with a 12-foot spaceship hanging above the proceedings. It became a family craft project taken to its maximalist extreme. Ana says she wanted something the neighborhood kids could experience for free. Many neighbors started participating, either dropping off old Halloween decor or even acting in the haunt. Enea says the project brought him joy during our stressful and divisive cultural climate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In these times we're experiencing in this country and the world, there's no politics and there's no religion here," Enea says. "We're literally just having a good time. There's no left or right. Everyone is just in it, and having a good time. I see the experience of people coming through with the kids, and everyone is just so happy. Can't we have that throughout the world? I know it's Pollyanna thinking, but we can give this little section of Van Nuys happiness." The Hatteras Halloween House is estimated to have drawn about 3,000 people last Halloween. (David Butow / For The Times) Multiple home haunts throughout the San Fernando Valley have been garnering attention in the Southland in recent years. Jen Spincic in 2020 created the Halloween in Burbank and Beyond map and site to catalog them all. Spincic's accompanying Instagram contains dives into some of the better known, which this year included a house that's a mash-up of "Wicked" and "The Wizard of Oz," a creepy exploration of all-things clowns and a joyous celebration of Disney-inspired culture. "In the last three years it's really exploded," Spincic says. "More and more people are decorating. It's a destination. I see that people on the news keep calling it 'Halloween town.'" Read more: Want the 'Rolls-Royce' of holiday decorations? Call this L.A. team and pay up to $50,000 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halloween in 2025 often stretches into the late summer, and increasingly there are conventions, theme parks and films that celebrate a spooky mood year-round. Spincic also attributes the growth to our cultural climate, theorizing people need community and tension-free places to rally around. "Nowadays everybody hates each other, with political differences or whatever it is," Spincic says. "It brings people together. People are laughing, connecting and talking." Props, creepy antiques and weird dolls are found throughout the Hatteras Halloween House. (David Butow / For The Times) But it all raises a question. The Hatteras Halloween House clearly brings the family closer. Nia can talk for more than five minutes explaining the byzantine narrative she has constructed for the haunt. Rena speaks proudly of experimenting with jazzy sounds for the soundtrack (the two daughters were in the now-defunct L.A. rock band Hey Violet). Can they really give up the haunt? Nia says the family is getting nostalgic for the days before they turned their home into a destination, when they explored the creativity and artwork of others. "They bought a cabin and they want to spend time building that next year," Nia says of her parents. "I don't think we can do nothing. Mom and I will be out there next year putting up some props, but before we started doing the walk-throughs we would go to Reign of Terror (in Thousand Oaks), and all the home haunts. It was a tradition for the family." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enea says he also needs a break. This year he worked with the local fire department to ensure the haunt was up to code, and on Halloween night they have hired actors and security. But before Enea can relax, Anna is rattling off a series of dreams for the future perhaps the family opens a Halloween-inspired pizza parlor, or maybe a "haunted" home that can be rented out. "My ideas are endless," she says. "I just have to figure out how to pull Kenny in on it." And moments after the family talks about the haunted house's retirement, for instance, they also speak excitedly of the Krampus figure they purchased that will make an appearance this Christmas season. They may be able to remove the haunt from the yard, but don't expect the Hatteras house to completely go quietly into the night. The Hatteras Halloween House comes with an elaborate, slightly hidden backstory for guests who want to dig deep. (David Butow / For The Times) Sign up for The Wild newsletter to get weekly insider tips on the best of our beaches, trails, parks, deserts, forests and mountains. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Home Depot distributor and subsidiary HD Supply plans to shutter its Middle Tennessee facility in 2026, adding to the list of significant closures in the area since the start of 2025. HD Supply filed its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) with the Tennessee Department of Labor on Oct. 27, notifying the state that it will permanently close its plant off of Antioch Pike by Jan. 9, 2026. As a result, 108 employees will be laid off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "HD Supply continues to improve its leading maintenance, repair and operations distribution business," an HD Supply spokesperson said in a statement. "As part of that journey, weve made several strategic decisions around our network strategy and have made the decision to consolidate our La Vergne Distribution Center into another facility in La Vergne." The facility is located just outside of La Vergne city limits in Davidson County. The company said it is "actively supporting affected associates" and offering some other positions within HD Supply. This is the third major business closure and fifth layoff announced in the immediate area this year, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor. In total, 639 employees have been laid off across Rutherford County, and 1,164 employees have been laid off in Davidson County, Department of Labor records show. Those numbers don't include layoffs that were too small to warrant a WARN alert. What other companies laid off workers in and around La Vergne? La Vergne's first significant closure in 2025 was Bridgestone Americas, which announced in January that it planned to close its 150-acre tire plant. Consequently, 700 workers lost their jobs. Local leadership including La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce President Paul Latture mourned the loss of those jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a tough day when an announcement like that gets made, Latture said. Then came the Saks Global fulfillment center, which supplies luxury department retailer Saks Fifth Avenue. On April 17, the company released its plans to close for good and lay off 446 employees. The news came two months after Saks laid off a round of corporate employees in February. Other Rutherford County layoffs this year have included Smyrna logistics firm WWL Vehicle Services Americas, Inc., Murfreesboro freight company Quickway Transportation. Those companies laid off a combined total of 95 employees. La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole pointed out HD Supply is not technically in La Vergne, and the city is continuing to grow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even when we've had a few companies that have closed shop or relocated, we still have companies coming to La Vergne offering residents opportunities to start a career and further their life," Cole said. "They like the business friendly atmsosphere of La Vergne, and that's what we try to do." The mayor mentioned that his city the past couple of years has attracted EFP, a Best Buy warehouse, a Matco Tools warehouse, Rentex Audio, Visual and Computers and more. Also, The Tennessee Farmers Co-op in La Vergne will soon be adding a million square feet to its presence, Mayor Cole said. How does Tennessee track statewide layoffs? State and federal laws offer safeguards for employees and their families by requiring companies to provide notice 60 days in advance of plant closings, mass layoffs and the sale of a business. The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act applies to companies with 100 or more employees, and the Tennessee law applies to companies that employ 50-99 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tennessee Department of Labor keeps track of all mass layoffs defined either as 50 or more full-time employees if they make up at least one third of total employees or 500 or more full-time employees. Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Home Depot announces Tennessee closure, cutting 100 jobs There are enormous perils in the path of Labour MPs who take to social media to champion multiculturalism in the UK. Take Luke Charters, for example, the recently-elected MP for York Outer. In response to Conservative MP Katie Lam, who claimed recently that multiculturalism had failed, Mr Charters decided that the most persuasive example of successful British multiculturalism was a 2,000-year-old semi-mythical figure who may or may not have existed at all (and if he did, never set foot in England); but who was nevertheless adopted as Englands patron saint centuries ago. Born in Turkey. Lived across the Middle East. Migrant, huffed Charters on X. Katie Lam and the Tories absurd policy insults the very story of St George. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps he assumed that this cutting-edge historical and social analysis would have the multitudes throwing garlands in his direction. If so, he will have been disappointed. If youre going to cite examples of the successful integration of a number of foreign cultures in a single country, might it not be likely that failing to mention actual recent examples could undermine your entire argument? St Georges contribution to English multiculturalism seems to have been to stay as far away from our island as possible: not, perhaps, the positive example of immigration that Charters imagines. Lams own analysis, as revealed to Robert Peston on ITV, will of course have its detractors: There is a gathering view now, which I subscribe to, that multiculturalism has not succeeded in this country, that what you need is one culture for a country to be a success, she said. Now, you can be a multi-ethnic culture, you can be a multi-racial culture, but you need one national culture for a people to live together in harmony and prosperity. She was speaking after a weekend in which hordes of masked, black-clad men British Muslims from Londons East End marched menacingly through the streets and then brought traffic to a halt by choosing to pray in the middle of the road, all helpfully captured on mobile phone cameras. British Muslims stopped traffic by praying in the streets outside Whitechapel station - Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images It was hardly typical of those cities and towns that have experienced high levels of immigration in recent decades, and where new communities have learnt to live in peace and amicable neighbourliness with the indigenous population. But it was, nevertheless, a lurid example of where multiculturalism has signally failed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just as the attack of a Manchester synagogue by an Islamist fanatic was another example of a clash of cultures. There are plenty of other examples, not least asylum seekers sexually assaulting British women and girls and claiming, in their defence, that they arent used to the cultural differences with their native countries. And I make no apologies for raising, once again, the case of the Batley Grammar teacher who was forced into hiding by threats to his life from Islamists who chose to take offence at the nature of cartoons he showed to his class as part of their religious education. These may not represent an accurate picture of modern Britain but they are real and the public, thanks to social media rather than mainstream news outlets, are only too familiar with them. They also need to be urgently addressed by the Government and by MPs of all parties. But for the vast majority of Labour MPs, these examples either dont exist, have been nefariously generated by AI or have been exaggerated by the ever-present and ever-convenient far-Right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And this is why the Reform bandwagon trundles ever onwards, unaffected by scandals involving links with Russia or racist language used by their MPs. Complaints by Reform, and increasingly by a Conservative Party desperate not to be eclipsed by Nigel Farages party, about the few but high-profile examples of failed multiculturalism and the UK establishments performative embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion policies are striking a chord with voters. That may be an uncomfortable truth but it is the truth nevertheless. And despite having spent most of 2025 in a poor second place to Reform in the polls, Labour seems no nearer to constructing a persuasive argument in response to its appeal. St George? Really? That is the example of successful multiculturalism that Labour hopes will turn the tide? A man who may or may not have travelled extensively throughout the Middle East at a time when national borders meant little and who had almost certainly never even heard of the country that would adopt him as its patron saint? Labour needs to get a grip on this issue, and they need to do it soon. Recognising the failures of multiculturalism and the utter failure of certain groups to integrate with British society is not an optional extra in the campaign ahead: it is absolutely essential. Those who still root for a Labour recovery should hope that Charters intervention is a one-off stunt rather than a template for a future strategy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Hotels housing asylum seekers became the focal point of nationwide protests this summer. Now, many Reform UK politicians and party-run councils are turning their attention to a new target: HMOs. Houses in multiple occupancy house shares of three or more people from at least two households often attract students, young professionals and lower-income workers because of their cheaper rents. Crucially, they are also sometimes used by Home Office contractors to accommodate asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their immigration status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zia Yusuf, former chairman of Reform which now controls 12 local councils is a prominent critic of the practice. He claims tenants are being turfed out by landlords who want the guaranteed income from a government contract. Writing in The Telegraph earlier this year, he said: If you are a landlord in a Reform-controlled council and considering betraying your country by accepting a golden government contract to house illegal migrants in HMOs, you can expect rules to be enforced. Nigel Farage, Reforms leader, has also voiced concerns, saying: While its the hotels that have the visibility and thats where the protests happen, in some ways the HMOs are even worse than the hotels. Above-average yields have helped tempt landlords into the HMO sector. Now many find themselves fighting a war on two fronts against an ascendant Reform determined to clamp down on migrant housing, and tightening licensing rules that local authorities see as a way to drum up revenue from buy-to-let investors. Throwing gas on the fire It is no surprise that Reform sees the issue as a potential vote winner. Reform MP Sarah Pochin, who secured a parliamentary seat at the Runcorn and Helsby by-election by six votes in May, made HMOs a key part of her campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In her maiden speech in the House of Commons, she claimed that hundreds of asylum seekers were living in shared houses in her constituency. Reforms Sarah Pochin made HMOs a key part of her campaign for the Runcorn and Helsby by-election - Paul Grover People are frightened to go out, she said. They will certainly not let their children play out on the pavements when there are such houses on their street. She told The Telegraph that to combat their spread of these residences, she supported local authorities removing permitted development rights that allow houses to be converted into small HMOs for up to six tenants, through a mechanism known as an Article 4 Direction. This forces landlords to seek planning permission before carrying out a conversion. Approval from planners is always needed for larger HMOs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reform currently controls a handful of local authorities, and Durham Council, which the party took control of in May, has backed implementing Article 4 Directions which are already in place in student areas across the whole county. According to Sophie Lang of professional body Propertymark, there has been an increase in local councils of all stripes moving to restrict the proliferation of HMOs over the past year. While motivations for implementing Article 4 Directions vary, the rising stigma against shared houses is hard to ignore. As Vann Voggstad, of property management platform COHO, puts it: Reform has probably thrown quite a lot of gas on that fire. Tightening regulation For years, landlords have invested in HMOs because they are the most profitable type of rental. Paragon bank figures show that the average yield for HMOs stands at 8.5pc, compared to 6.97pc for all rentals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Voggstad warns that the spread of new planning rules is scaring off some investors. Although small HMOs are not banned outright by Article 4 Directions alone, they ensure neighbours and politicians can object to the conversions, offering a route for them to be blocked. Lang says: Landlords will avoid investing in those areas if there is Article 4 because there are more hoops to jump through. Some areas have even stricter policies in place. In parts of Reading, local planning guidance allows new shared houses to be blocked if they would result in HMOs making up more than 25pc of the total residential units within 50 metres. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COHO estimates suggest that while the number of HMOs across England increased by 2.3pc in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, their prevalence dropped in the south-east and east of the country. Reading experienced one of the largest drops over this period, at 37.6pc. The requirement to apply for planning permission also places an additional financial burden on landlords. Since April, owners have to pay a 588 planning application fee for an HMO conversion. On top of this, landlords already risk being tripped up by complex council licence schemes, which can result in large fines or costly rent repayment orders. In December, Labour handed down new powers for councils to introduce selective licensing schemes for the private rented sector at the councils discretion. b' ' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Previously, councils had to get central government sign-off for any selective licensing scheme that covered more than 20pc of their area, or more than 20pc of its privately rented homes. Earlier this year, it was revealed that councils had raked in more than 300m in fees from licensing schemes for private rentals. In Durham, a licence costing 1,020 is needed for shared houses with five or more people. Just trying to meet demand Experts believe that in the short term, Article 4 Directions are likely to shift the market for new HMOs to neighbouring areas that still allow conversions under permitted development. But some landlords could be forced out of the market entirely if more councils tighten planning rules. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ambitions of Reform-controlled councils to curtail HMOs will also force buy-to-let owners to think twice about their investment. Lang says: Were going to find that landlords will move their investment to other parts of the property sector where they are getting a better return. While potentially proving fatal to some landlords HMO ambitions, Chris Norris of the National Residential Landlord Association, says it is unlikely that these new directives will address the problems councillors hope they will solve. He adds: People hear HMO and think of a big seven, eight, or nine-bed. But the things that get prevented by Article 4 are two couples sharing a two-bedroom flat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would be useful if local authorities understood how harsh these things are to people who are trying to find a place to live. We do question when there is an arbitrary figure given about how much of the local area should be rented or let out to certain types of properties. All landlords are trying to do is meet demand. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A familiar landmark at the eastern gateway of West Lawn is gone. The former Schoellkopf Service Center, a gas station and repair shop that operated for half a century at Penn and Morwood avenues in Spring Township, was recently torn down after sitting vacant since 2021. According to Berks County online property records, the 0.9-acre property, which carries the address of 2005 Penn Ave., was sold that year to Kazi Family Pennsylvania LLC, based in Hershey, for $765,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A former Sunoco gas station at Penn and Morwood avenues in West Lawn has been demolished but a development plan for the site has yet to be submitted. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE) The owner-of-records address is listed as 134 W. Chocolate Ave. in Hershey, Dauphin County the same address as Kazi Foods of New Jersey Inc., which owns several KFC restaurants. For decades. Schoellkopfs was a place where people could fill their vehicles fuel tanks, top off propane tanks for gas grills, buy motor oil by the quart and have their vehicles serviced. Township officials said they issued a demolition permit to the property owner this year. The site, including the building and the familiar Sunoco fuel-pump canopy, was cleared in late summer is now surrounded by a nylon mesh fence. A development plan for the site has yet to be submitted, officials said. Attempts to reach the Kazi companies were unsuccessful. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell speaks to Gov. Jeff Landry at a news conference Sept. 13, 2024, on the recovery from Hurricane Francine at Signature Aviation in Kenner. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) NEW ORLEANS The state of Louisiana has begun the process for a potential takeover of the city of New Orleans finances. The news came Tuesday in an agenda posted for a meeting of the states Fiscal Review Committee. The little-known entity is responsible for reviewing and, on occasion, intervening in the financial stability of cities and parishes through the appointment of fiscal administrators, officials empowered to formulate local budgets, hire and fire personnel and approve contracts unilaterally, without the consent of elected officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee meeting, the first step in the process that could end with a fiscal administrator running Louisianas largest city, will be held 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The meeting comes after Gov. Jeff Landry posted online, urging Attorney General Liz Murrill, Treasurer John Fleming and state auditor Michael Waguespack the three members of the committee to convene an emergency meeting and to utilize all necessary measures to thoroughly review the citys affairs and, if deemed necessary, appoint a fiscal administrator. Landry also called on the state Bond Commission, which meets Thursday, to reject the citys request for a $125 million loan to shore up its troubled finances. New Orleans is facing a projected $160 million budget deficit coupled with a cash shortfall, threatening its ability to continue payroll throughout the end of the year. It is not yet evident the full extent of the deficit and its causes, but Director of Finance Romy Samuel called the citys tough financial position the consequence of a perfect storm of reduced revenue and increased expenditures the bulk of which can be attributed to increases in personnel and overtime spending. New Orleans Finance Director Romy Samuel, left, and Interim Chief Administrative Officer Joe Threat appear before the council after Mayor LaToya Cantrells budget address on Oct. 1, 2025. (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America) Murrill previously told Axios that her office was considering using a state law to impose fiscal administration on the city, as it did earlier this year in Bogalusa. The fiscal administrator law was recently amended to make it easier to trigger a fiscal review. If a political subdivision fails to meet any of ten listed conditions, including having insufficient revenue to cover a years worth of operating expenditures, it can be subject to takeover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The meeting is just the first step toward the appointment of an administrator. If the members of the committee agree that a fiscal takeover is necessary, Murrill then must file a motion in Orleans Parish Civil District Court to appoint an administrator, which the city can either agree to or fight the state. If the latter, a judge must determine whether the city meets the criteria outlined in the fiscal administrator law. If the judge finds with the state and the state is successful in any appeal a fiscal administrator will be appointed. Appointing a fiscal administrator is unnecessary and not in the citys best interest but we look forward to discussing other ways we can work together to increase transparency and oversight while preventing deficit spending in New Orleans, Council President JP Morrell told Verite News via text message. I look forward to presenting to the Fiscal Review Committee tomorrow with Mayor-Elect Moreno to discuss the plans for addressing the short term and long term plans to address the current budget crisis. The City of New Orleans will not survive a financial administrator, and it sets the stage for even more graft, cronyism, and patronage, but legally sanctioned, Amanda Fallis, a librarian at the New Orleans Public Library and the president of the union that represents city employees, told Verite News via text. Everyone who cares about saving New Orleans should be at the emergency Fiscal Review Committee in the state capitol tomorrow at 4:30 [p.m.]. Representatives for Landry, Murrill, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Mayor-elect Helena Moreno did not immediately respond to requests for comment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Comparta este articulo On the unpaved streets of Xochimilco, Jose Vega moves with difficulty. At 65 years old, after a leg amputation due to complications from diabetes, he gets around with an orthopedic walker. It gets stuck on the stones, I hardly leave the house anymore, he says. Loading He used to sell nopales at the street markets in the south of Mexico City; now he spends his days at home, unable to work. It all started with pain in my pinky toe. It turned black, he recalls in an interview with La Silla Rota. Faced with the pain, like millions of Mexicans without social security, he went to a pharmacy clinic. The doctor told me I was fine, gave me some pills, and that was it. But the pain didnt go away. Later, another doctor explained to him that an infection caused by his diabetes was advancing and that, if it wasnt stopped, they would have to amputate his left foot. They tried to save it, but it was too late, he says. The amputation took place in February 2025 in a private clinic. Months later, his daughter looked for help in public hospitals in Xochimilco to obtain a prosthetic, but the process was long and confusing. They sent us around in circles and we cant take that much time off work, she explains. They looked for alternatives, but private clinics were asking for over 60,000 pesos. Impossible, he says. Thats when they found an ad on social media for Mapili Prosthetics, an organization that offers affordable alternatives for amputees. A response born out of necessity Behind the project is Alan Garcia, a young man from Xochimilco who uses 3D printing to manufacture low-cost prosthetics and serve those who, for various reasons, have been left out of the healthcare system. It all started with my father, who was missing some fingers on his hand, he says. I wanted to give them to him as a gift, but one finger cost up to 40,000 pesos. I thought: if a finger costs that much, how much does a leg cost? He quit his job and spent a year studying digital manufacturing methods. Without a medical background, he learned from orthopedists and combined 3D printing with digital scanning to design custom-made, lightweight, and resistant prosthetics. Thats how Mapili was bornan initiative that, since 2016, has made more than 400 prosthetics at prices far lower than the market standard. A transtibial prosthetic costs between 90,000 and 110,000 pesos. We make them starting at 15,000, Alan explains. Photo: Raul Estrella The goal is for people to regain their mobility and independence without going into debt. Every day, around 75 people undergo amputations in the country, according to medical estimates based on reports from the Health Ministry. The main causes are complications from diabetesa disease that affects more than 14 million Mexicansand motorcycle accidents, which in recent years have become a new source of amputations. Before, one out of every twenty patients came due to a motorcycle accident; now its two out of ten and many are young, Alan warns. If you rely on the public system, getting a prosthetic can take monthsor even years. Social programs prioritize financial support, but no longer guarantee mobility devices. Ive had patients who spent a year doing paperwork and were ultimately rejected due to their age, he says. Others receive a pension, but not a prosthetic. And what they want is not moneythey want to work. Prosthetics made with 3D printing Mapilis workshop, located in a converted house in Xochimilco, combines digital scanners and 3D printers that operate day and night. Each piecefrom the socket to the footis designed to fit the patient. The scan ensures the prosthetic fits the stump precisely. That reduces the manufacturing time to less than a month, Alan explains. The material used is carbon fiber, which offers lightness and durability. Many patients are surprised by how light it is. I tell them its easier to break a bone than to break this, he jokes. The result is an ergonomic, long-lasting, and, above all, affordable prosthetic. I get people from Veracruz, Chiapas, or Tijuana. Its cheaper for them to travel here than to buy a prosthetic in their own state. People dont want a pension; they want to walk Alan has seen many people come into his workshop in wheelchairs, depressed and feeling like a burden to their families. But a few weeks later, they walk out. Jose Vega is one such case. He says that after losing his leg, he did receive a government pension, but he still cant leave the house. The most important thing isnt to give out financial aid, says Alan Garcia. Its to provide mobility, to restore peoples dignity by allowing them to move again, work, and get ahead. Thats what makes them happiest. Context: In Mexico, more than 55% of workers are in the informal sector, according to INEGI, and therefore lack access to social security. For them, projects like Mapili offer an alternative to a gap the public system still hasnt been able to close: the lost mobility of thousands of Mexicans. I dont want to be stuck inside anymore, says Don Jose. With the prosthetic, I want to walk again, even if its just to the corner. Larry Keefe, executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, speaking in Tampa on May 12, 2025. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix) Larry Keefe, the first executive director of Floridas new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, exited his post Tuesday in what the governors office says was a planned move. A former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, Keefes position will be taken over effective immediately by Anthony Coker, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement liaison to the state of Florida. This comes months after the Legislature created the board to consolidate efforts against undocumented immigration and approve state grants to reimburse state and local law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Larry has done a number of things in our administration over the years, and he has performed at a very high level with honor and integrity, and we really thank him for his service, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Tuesday Cabinet meeting. I move to approve the appointment of Anthony Coker as executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement. The three Cabinet members unanimously agreed to Cokers appointment in the phone call meeting, which lasted under three minutes. These meetings are chaired by DeSantis and include Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Cabinet members are elected statewide and independently of the governor. A representative of the governor confirmed that Coker will take over immediately from Keefe, and that this was a planned transition. It wasnt immediately clear where Keefe heads next. Keefe served as public safety czar in DeSantis administration early in his second term, helping to orchestrate migrant flights from Texas to Massachusetts in 2022. He was tapped as executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement on Feb. 17, vowing to be relentless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boards new leader, Coker, was announced in June to be the nations first state-embedded liaison with ICE. Were excited to be the first state to announce our own ICE agent embed in the state, Uthmeier said at the time, explaining that Coker would be stationed alongside Floridas immigration board to support efforts against undocumented immigration, Talk of Titusville reported. Keefe did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The state of Florida has suddenly replaced the head of its State Board of Immigration Enforcement. At an Oct. 28 meeting, the board said goodbye to Larry Keefe, who held its executive director position since February of this year, a total of eight months. Keefe's successor will be Anthony Coker, who was the Florida's first U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement liaison. Larry Keefe attends the swearing-in ceremony for James Uthmeier, who recently became the Florida Attorney General, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. "Larry has done a number of things in our administration over the years, and he has performed at a very high level with honor and integrity," said Gov. Ron DeSantis, a member of the board, which met by phone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keefe used to be north Florida's top federal prosecutor and the states appointed public safety czar, but is most known for being heavily involved in the 2022 publicity stunt of arranging flights of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to blue states. Keefe, who has been the subject of lawsuits and investigations that have stemmed from the migrant flights, said in February that the executive director position was the perfect thing for me. He did not speak during the board's meeting on Oct. 28, and the meeting lasted less than five minutes. A spokesperson for the governor's office said Keefe's exit was "a planned transition." Anti-ICE protesters gather for a demonstration along Commerce Avenue and Fischer Street in front of a building where the Florida Highway Patrol and Border Patrol are located, Oct. 22, 2025, in Stuart. Law enforcement gets more money for immigration enforcement In other business, the board agreed to give 15 local police departments and sheriff's offices $4,171,896.91 as another batch of reimbursements for their immigration enforcement efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The board comprised of DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson also awarded sheriff's offices in Wakulla and Santa Rosa counties more money for detention beds and equipment. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office is asking for the most money, with $998,602. The Taylor County Sheriff's Office comes in second, with $991,279, and the Leon County Sheriff's Office comes in third with $499,523. Approximately half of St. Lucie's requests are for enforcement equipment and items for the jail. In addition to the common request of Rapid ID devices and license plate reader cameras, the sheriff's office is also asking for long-range infrared light kits, a $145,000 radio-frequency identification system for the jail to track inmates, DNA swab kits and approximately 1,873 different color inmate uniforms for undocumented immigrants. "These uniforms will help to maintain security by making unauthorized alien inmates easily identifiable, distinguishing them from staff, visitors, and regular inmates at the facility." the request says. "In addition, these highly identifiable uniforms will be a valuable asset during transport activities to help prevent escape attempts." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All the requests were preliminarily OK'd by Keefe between Oct. 10 and Oct. 24. The state will repay law enforcement with the $250 million it set aside during a special session earlier this year to refund any expenses relating to assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This includes bonuses and overtime for officers who participate in ICE operations. The federal government also has awarded Florida $38 million for the state's immigration efforts, with $10 million of that going to local law enforcement. That money does not overlap with the state's reimbursement awards. Breakdown of reimbursements by county Taylor County Sheriff's Office - $991,279: $309,771.50 for 287(g) training; $623,055 for detention beds; $42,305 for transportation; and $16,147 for overtime for law enforcement and corrections officers Daytona Beach Shores Department of Public Safety - $53,750.82: $9,688.50 will go to bonuses; $31,350 for six Rapid ID devices; $12,712.32 in overtime for nine officers St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office - $998,602.39: $64,676 for 287(g) training; $20,100 for detention beds; $202,994.39 for mileage and overtime for officers during transport; $158,245.50 in bonuses for 137 law enforcement and corrections officers; $462,028 for license plate reader cameras, two long-range infrared light kits, 10 Rapid ID devices, a radio-frequency identification system for the jail to track inmates, 120 DNA mouth swab kits, and a "Web-based software service" to analyze data from multiple sources; $14,983 to purchase 1,873 different color inmate uniforms for unauthorized alien inmates; and $75,575.50 in overtime City of Tampa Police Department - $430,776.37: $118,200.06 for 287(g) training; $19,377 for law enforcement bonuses; $293,199.31 for overtime City of Daytona Beach Police Department - $133,721.30: $34,773 for 287(g) training; $87,357.30 for ballistic protection; $11,591 for overtime Leon County Sheriff's Office - $499,523: $186,865 for 287(g) training; $23,400 for detention beds for ICE; $118,095 to pay officers for transportation and mileage reimbursement; $66,743 for bonuses; $104,420 for new software and to hire an IT person to manage the software City of Cocoa Beach Police Department - $99,515.50: $14,425.32 for transportation-related costs; $10,765 in bonuses; $65,000 for a portable narcotics spectrometer and four Rapid ID devices; and $9,325.18 in overtime City of St. Cloud Police Department - $38,000: For 20 Rapid ID devices Suwanee County Sheriff's Office - $212,376.18: $50,000 for detention beds; $32,418.18 for transportation; $43.060 for bonuses; $86,898 for Rapid ID devices, 30 mats and pillows, tactical vests and portable radios City of Altamonte Springs - $36,470.13: $12,448.73 for 287(g) training; $3,215.40 for transportation; $4,306 in bonuses; $16,500 for Rapid ID devices Brevard County Sheriff's Office - $490,444.44: $68,025 for ICE detention beds; $32,719.44 for transportation-related travel and overtime; $389,700 for Rapid ID devices, laptop power adaptors and long range license plate readers Indialantic Police Department - $15,102.50: $9,688.50 for law enforcement bonuses; $5,414 for laptops and software Hardee County Sheriff's Office - $135,560: $7,500 for detention beds; $43,059 for bonuses; $85,000 for license plate readers, Rapid ID devices and translation software West Melbourne Police Department - $7,931.80: For Rapid ID devices City of New Smyrna Beach Police Department - $28,843.48: $1,570.88 for transportation; $6,819.10 for travel and lodging costs related to 287(g) task force activities; $20,453.50 in bonuses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ana Goni-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida replaces immigration enforcement chief Larry Keefe Large last-minute contributions are flowing into the 115th Assembly District race. Republican candidate Brent Davison received $15,110 from the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, the political arm of the Assembly Republican Conference, Oct. 21, and $37,500 on Oct. 23. Democratic candidate Michael Cashman received $3,000 from 1199 SEIU, the states largest health care union, $1,000 from the New York Democratic Rural Conference and $3,000 from the state AFL-CIO on Oct. 25, according to 24-hour reports filed with the state Board of Elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The election has entered the period when candidates must report any contribution of $1,000 or more within 24 hours of receiving it. As of Oct. 20, the final full campaign finance report before the election, Davison had $56,209 in his campaign fund, and Cashman had $47,822, Davison, a retired state police commander, and Cashman, Plattsburgh town supervisor, are running in a special election to fill the remainder of the term of former Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateauguay, who resigned to become vice president of Clinton County Community College. Democrats have been outspending Republicans once outside spending is factored in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public campaign funding has boosted Davisons coffers, while Cashman has not received public funding, as of Oct. 20. Davison spent $90,468 between Oct. 3 and 20, mostly for television advertising and campaign signs. Cashman spent $2,115, including $1,000, for newspaper advertising. Separately from Cashmans campaign, the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, the political arm of the Assembly Democratic Conference, spent $150,072 in support of his campaign. Davison raised $120,898 between Oct. 3 and 20, including $87,980 in public matching funds of small-dollar donations. Individual contributions of $500 or more included Kelsey Moody of Fayette, $3,500, of which $500 was refunded; Stephen Rodd of Chazy, $1,041; Assemblyman Robert Smullen, R- Johnstown, $1,000; Francesca Conti of Plattsburgh, $520; James McCartney of Albany, $500; campaign of Assemblyman Matt Simpson, R-Lake George, $500 and campaign of Assemblyman Ken Blakenbush, R-Watertown, $500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Political Committee and labor union contributions to Davisons campaign were as follows: New York State Troopers PAC, $3,000; Clinton County Republican Committee, $500; New York Investigators Association, $500; Saranac Republican Committee, $200; Champlain Republican Committee, $100. Cashman raised $25,032 between Oct. 3 and 20. He did not report any public matching funds. Individual contributions of $500 or more to Cashman included former Assemblyman Billy Jones, $3,000; Mark Schneider of West Chazy, $1,050; Kirk Baugham of Jay, $1,000; Meghan Rini of Plattsburgh, $1,000; James Calno of Plattsburgh, $500; Ann Bener of Plattsburgh, $500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Democratic congressional candidate Mike Derrick contributed $250, and the campaign of current Democratic Congressional Candidate Blake Gendebien $100. Political committee and labor union contributions were as follows: Communications Workers of America District 1, $3,000; Northeastern States Regional Council of Carpenters, $3,000; Essex County Democratic Committee, $3,000; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, $1,000; Franklin County Democratic Committee, $500 and Constable Democratic Committee, $100. The 115th District includes all of Clinton and Franklin counties and the towns of St. Armand, Wilmington, Jay, North Elba and Keene in Essex County. Election Day is Nov. 4. Early voting ends Nov. 2. KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) Hurricane Melissa has made landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island since records were first kept 174 years ago. It is tied for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever hit land. Melissa is a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph (295 kph). It is expected to slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is expected across southern Jamaica. The storm is expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Officials said there was no more preparation they could do and warned that damage assessment will be slow. The storm has been blamed for at least seven deaths in the Caribbean three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's the latest: Trump says US will help Jamaica with Hurricane Melissa Were watching it closely, and were prepared to move, President Donald Trump said. Trump marveled at the storms strength. Ive never seen that before. I guess it can get that high, but Ive never seen it, he said. Miami Heat donates $1 million to help with recovery efforts The Miami Heat has donated $1 million to the humanitarian organization Direct Relief to assist with Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts, according to an NBA statement. The donation is being made in partnership with the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation and Carnival Corporation & plc. The three organizations have given more than $17 million to Direct Reliefs crisis response since 2013. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Florida, we are all too familiar with the widespread devastation caused by a Category 5 storm, Eric Woolworth, president of The Heat Groups business operations, said in a statement. Direct Relief provides life-saving and ongoing assistance, which is so critical as residents begin the long road to rebuilding their communities. Direct Relief will help sustain healthcare access after the storm and support Jamaica health facilities, many of which are in coastal and low-lying areas, a spokesperson for the nonprofit told The Associated Press. Read more about how to help those impacted here The hurricanes ferocity drove many indoors. A few did the opposite Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamaican officials warned against going outside during Hurricane Melissa, but curiosity got the better of a few teens who had never experienced the wrath of such a ferocious storm. Ive never seen a Category 5 storm, so I couldnt help but imagine what it must be like, 15-year-old Gavin Fuller said. Despite being told by his parents not to go outside, he went anyway. I wanted to know what it feels like to stand in the eye of something so powerful, he said. His home in Portmore, St. Catherine, was not in the direct path of the hurricane, but the tropical storm-force winds were enough to pique his interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His neighbor, Demario Smith, joined him in the whipping winds. Yes, I do believe that the storm is dangerous, but I just wanted to see for myself what it is doing. Feel how powerful the wind is blowing, the 16-year-old shared, admitting that his parents were not happy with his actions. Melissa continues its path toward Cuba Melissa has top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 8 mph (13 kph) through the Caribbean Sea, according to the latest advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was centered about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east-northeast of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and about 160 miles (260 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evacuations already well underway in Cuba The president of the Provincial Defense Council and first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, said that some 281,000 people have already been evacuated and taken to 101 evacuation centers in that region or are staying with neighbors or relatives. Some low-lying or coastal communities have been completely evacuated, with only the personnel in charge of safeguarding property remaining. Of the 16 reservoirs managed by the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources in the province, five are discharging water, with 78% of their capacity accumulated in anticipation of heavy downpours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Blocked roads and severe flooding seen across Jamaica Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council, noted that extensive damage was reported in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which he said is under water. He said severe damage also was reported in parts of Clarendon in southern Jamaica. Almost every parish in the country is experiencing blocked roads, fallen trees, damaged utility poles and excessive flooding, McKenzie said. He said four main hospitals are damaged, with the storm knocking out power to one of them, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 3 families trapped and unable to be rescued until conditions improve, officials say Floodwaters trapped at least three families in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica, and crews were unable to help them because of dangerous weather conditions, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council. Roofs were flying off, he said. We are hoping and praying that the situation will ease so that some attempt can be made to get to those persons. McKenzie said there are no confirmed reports of deaths and stressed that it was too early to talk about the extent of the damage because the storm was still pummeling the island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamaica not in the clear, meteorologist says Rohan Brown, with Jamaicas Meteorological Service, said damaging hurricane winds were persisting late Tuesday afternoon in St. James, Trelawny and sections of St. Ann and Hanover. Were not in the clear as yet, he said. He warned that as Melissa moves off the island, its counterclockwise rotation will bring a heavy storm surge to northern Jamaica through the night. Meanwhile, officials are working to determine how best to clear the debris after the storm and distribute emergency relief supplies to avoid bottlenecks at Jamaicas ports, said Richard Thompson, acting general director for Jamaicas emergency management office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People out there are in need, he said. Officials have said they hope to reopen the islands airports by Thursday. Nearly 15,000 people were in shelters as Melissa continued to pummel Jamaica. Some 540,000 customers, or 77%, were without power, officials said. NHC says winds across Jamaica remain dangerous Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, said late Tuesday that winds across Jamaica would remain dangerous even though Melissas center had moved into open water. He said people in Jamaica are still facing dangerous conditions across the island. Melissa was now headed toward the southeast coast of Cuba, where it was expected to make landfall as a major hurricane early Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The storm was expected to generate a storm surge of up to 12 feet (30 centimeters) in the region and drop up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain in parts of eastern Cuba. Numerous landslides are likely in those areas, Brennan said. Cuba's president urges residents to not underestimate the power of the storm Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said every effort will be made to protect residents despite the fragility of the islands economy. In a televised address to the nation and wearing an olive-green uniform, Diaz-Canel urged the population to not underestimate the power of the storm, calling it the strongest ever to hit national territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He asked residents to avoid bathing in swollen rivers and urged them not to leave evacuation sites until the order has been given. There will be a lot of work to do. We know there will be a lot of damage. Beware crocodiles, avoid floodwaters Officials in Jamaica are warning the public in the capital, Kingston, and surrounding areas to beware of crocodiles and avoid floodwaters. Heavy rains and flooding associated with Hurricane Melissa may result in crocodiles being displaced from their natural habitats, said the islands South East Regional Health Authority in an official social media post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It warned people to not try and capture or harm any crocodile that appears displaced. The only species of crocodile in Jamaica is found primarily along the islands southern coast from St. Thomas to Westmoreland. Smaller populations may be found in Hanover and Trelawny, according to Jamaicas National Environment and Planning Agency. China sends aid parcels to Cuba Chinas ambassador to Cuba, posted a video on X showing the transportation of hundreds of boxes of what he called family kits, along with pictures of their contents: footwear, toothbrushes, forks, spoons, bowls, umbrellas and thermal blankets, among others. The damage is expected to be considerable, Hua Xin wrote. The products were pre-positioned in eastern Cuba ahead of the hurricane and were delivered by the Chinese Red Cross to its Cuban counterpart. 'May God have mercy on us' People in Santiago de Cuba, the islands second-largest city with more than one million inhabitants, spent Tuesday frantically preparing for Melissa. Few people were on the streets, while state television showed Cubans in rural areas rounding up animals and protecting crops. This is coming with more power than (Hurricane) Sandy. Well see what happens, Miguel Leon, 60, told The Associated Press as he recalled one of the most damaging storms to hit the city in 2012. Diamon Mendoza, 36, did not hide her concern about the unavoidable storm. May God have mercy on us, because its coming with a lot of strength, Mendoza said. Anything can happen. A beast of a storm Experts say Hurricane Melissas 185 mph winds and 892 millibars of central pressure on landfall tied two different records for the strongest Atlantic storm upon hitting land. The pressure measurement the key one meteorologists use ties with 1935s Labor Day hurricane in Florida. And the wind speed ties with that 1935 hurricane and 2019s Hurricane Dorian. Thats according to hurricane scientists Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University and Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami. Its been a remarkable just a beast of a storm, Klotzbach told The Associated Press. Strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since 2019 Melissa is the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Abaco Island in the Bahamas in 2019 with 185 mph winds. Thats according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher. Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, the strongest direct hit to the island in 174 years. Melissa is the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica since record-keeping began in 1851. Thats according to Jamaicas Meteorological Service and other experts. Thousands are evacuated in eastern Cuba Authorities in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin prepared to evacuate more than 200,000 people on Tuesday, in addition to a similar number moved to safety from the town of Banes. Reports on social media and state television showed blue-and-white buses ferrying evacuees to shelter. Families clutched babies and belongings, and elderly people steadied themselves with canes as they disembarked. This phenomenon is very dangerous, Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martinez said in a statement from Banes, where he was located in what appeared to be a shelter. It is unprecedented, he said of Hurricane Melissa. Catastrophic wind damage expected in Melissas core Its going to be a very dangerous scenario, said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, warning that there would be total building failures. Brennan said Jamaicas highest mountains could see wind gusts of up to 200 mph (321 kph). Its just a catastrophic situation playing out here for Jamaica, he said. Brennan noted that Melissa would make landfall in eastern Cuba overnight Tuesday or early Wednesday. Reggae jam encourages Jamaica to hold on As Jamaica shut down before landfall, one of the islands main radio stations played uplifting songs, including a new reggae jam that referenced Melissa. Hold on, Jamaica! the singer crooned as he gave a shout out to all those in the Caribbean affected by the storm, our family in Cuba, our sisters in Haiti. In between songs, people called in and reported conditions in their neighborhoods, with one woman in western Jamaica saying it sounded like someone was knocking heavily on her door. Jamaican officials urge people to seek shelter and stay indoors Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaicas Disaster Risk Management Council. McKenzie said the government was prepared for potential rescues immediately after the storm. We have boats, helicopters, you name it, he said. Britain is ready to deliver aid if required The British government says it is ready to deliver humanitarian aid to Jamaica if requested, as the Caribbean nation braces for the impact of Hurricane Melissa. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she spoke to her Jamaican counterpart Kamina Johnson Smith to offer the U.K.s full support and solidarity, and we are prepared to mobilize resources at their request. Cooper said the government is positioning specialist rapid deployment teams to provide consular assistance to British nationals in the region. There are thought to be thousands of U.K. nationals in Jamaica, a combination of vacationers and people visiting relatives. The Foreign Office urged Britons to register their presence through an online portal to get updates from the British government. Agencies prepare humanitarian aid for quick distribution after the storm The U.N.s International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that it is dispatching solar lamps, blankets, indoor tents, generators and other items from its logistics hub in Barbados to Jamaica as soon as the storm crosses the island. Many people are likely to be displaced from their homes and in urgent need of shelter and relief, said Natasha Greaves, interim head for IOM Jamaica. Meanwhile, the nonprofit Direct Relief said it has two packages with enough medications to treat 3,000 people in one month staged in Panama and ready to deploy to Jamaica. It also will send a shipment of 100 field medic packs from its warehouse in California to Jamaica as soon as the islands main international airport reopens. Shelters are open, but not everyone is going Officials in Jamaica say they are concerned that not enough people are seeking shelter as the catastrophic storm approaches. More than 130 shelters were open across the island, but by late Monday, fewer than 1,000 people had heeded evacuation orders. One exception was the small community of Old Harbor, just west of Kingston. Some 200 people crowded in its shelter by late Monday. Its definitely more than last time, said Jason Fuller, a firefighter and shelter volunteer, referring to the number of people that sought shelter from Hurricane Beryl last year. He said the team of volunteers have ensured that there is adequate food, bedding and security with police and soldiers on location. In the past, Jamaicans have complained about the safety in shelters and lack of basic goods. I am feeling safe and OK, said a cheerful 13-year-old girl who only provided her first name, Natanya. Melissa draws closer, Jamaica and Cuba on standby On Tuesday morning, Melissa was centered about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south-southeast of Negril, Jamaica, and about 265 miles (430 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 7 mph (11 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The NHC predicted landfall in Jamaica in the next few hours and said it would issue a special update at that time. Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. Melissa also is expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane. Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the islands second-largest city. One person has been arrested after a shooting took place at a Central Texas library over the weekend. Austin Police Department officers responded to a shooting/stab hotshot call just after noon on Saturday, October 25, at the Austin Central Library, that resulted in one person being injured, according to an X post. The Austin Public Library said in a statement to MySA that its staff responded to a loud sound coming from the sixth-floor men's restroom of the Central Library. An employee entered to find a man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to APL. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "APL staff throughout the building were immediately notified via radio and electronic messaging, and emergency response protocols were activated," the library said in the statement. "Staff immediately contacted emergency services, both via 9-1-1 calls and dedicated duress alarms at circulation desks, and initiated a swift and orderly evacuation of the entire building." When APD officers arrived on scene at 710 West Cesar Chavez St., they found the injured man inside the library and transported him to a local hospital. An active shooter shelter in place was issued in the area and some witnesses who visited the library Saturday morning shared videos of their reactions on social media. The shelter in place was lifted nearly an hour after a suspect was taken into custody. APD initially described the suspect "as a thin Black male, and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, green shorts, black pants, black shoes, and two black bags." Police said in an update that a suspect was taken into custody at 1:26 p.m. in South Austin and confirmed this "was NOT an active shooter incident, but rather an isolated incident with one suspect and one victim." FINAL UPDATE: The suspect was taken into custody at 1:26 p.m in South Austin. This was NOT an active shooter incident, but rather an isolated incident with one suspect and one victim. The victim remains at the hospital in serious but stable condition. Thank you to our community https://t.co/eKcQx8FgaI - Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) October 25, 2025 Austin library shooter suspect identified Austin police arrested 55-year-old Harold N. Keene in connection to Saturday's shooting and another downtown Austin shooting earlier that day, according to an updated news release on Monday, October 27. At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Austin police officers responded to a call that reported a shooting in the 3200 block of Guadalupe Street. Officers arrived at the scene and located a victim with an apparent gunshot wound. The victim reported that the shooter fled the scene and headed south on Guadalupe, but upon searching the area officers did not find the suspect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours later, officers responded to the Austin Public Library and cleared the building. However, it was determined that the suspect left the scene immediately after the shooting and got on a CapMetro bus. After acquiring a suspect description which was disseminated to sworn personnel across the city, police located Keene inside a business in a shopping center at 4006 S Lamar Boulevard. He was arrested and booked into the Travis County Jail. Keene was charged with one count of Aggravated Assault relating to the Austin Public Library incident and is being held on two counts of Aggravated Assault and one count of Deadly Conduct related to the Guadalupe Street shooting. Austin library shooting victim status APD added that the person who was shot remained at the hospital in serious but stable condition. "Thank you to our community members who called in tips to lead to the quick apprehension of the suspect, and to our public safety partners who assisted at the scene," police said on X. "We will release more details next week as the investigation continues." Texas leaders, public respond to Austin library shooting Austin Mayor Kirk Watson responded to Saturday's shooting in an X post writing, "I'm grateful to our Austin Public Library employees and our first responders for their immediate action to the shooting at our Central Library. Public spaces and city-owned facilities should be a safe place for everyone." I'm grateful to our Austin Public Library employees and our first responders for their immediate action to the shooting at our Central Library. Public spaces and city-owned facilities should be a safe place for everyone. My office has been in regular communication with Austin https://t.co/8GUyd2fHQc - Mayor Kirk Watson (@KirkPWatson) October 25, 2025 Some Austin witnesses took to TikTok to voice their concerns. @sunshiney.sami wrote under @sarah_gilson's video, "I'm so glad you're okay - I can't imagine how terrifying that was :(" and @thewholefoodsgrind wrote under @sheistystan's video, "I'm so glad you are ok. I hate this for us." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Others noted their stances on gun control and protecting public spaces such as @robynxx who added, "glad your safe . side note : mmm protect our children's safe spaces universe please" and @eviltwinruss saying, "the austin library is a force for good in this world and the downtown branch is so beautiful. glad you're safe." Austin Public Library responds to the shooting The Austin Public Library also responded in a statement saying, "the safety of everyone in our libraries is always Austin Public Library's primary concern." "Our thoughts are with those who were present for this upsetting incident, we hope for a swift recovery for the injured individual, and we are grateful for the quick response from first responders," APL said. "We also appreciate the cooperation and quick evacuation compliance of library customers who were present." Is the Austin Public Library open after the weekend shooting? The library was closed to the public for the rest of the day on Saturday, but reopened on Sunday for its regular operating hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement APL added that its staff also receive regular safety and emergency response training in addition to partnering with the Austin Police Department for on-demand security needs and Travis County Sheriff's Office for scheduled part-time shifts at several library locations. MySA reached out to APD for an update on the investigation. This article originally published at Texas library shooting suspect ID'd after 2 confirmed injured. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has suggested that Moscow can provide "security guarantees" to European Union and NATO countries. Source: TASS, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency, citing Lavrov at the International Conference on Eurasian Security in the city of Minsk, Belarus, as reported by European Pravda Details: Lavrov claimed that Russia "does not have and has never had intentions to attack any of the current members of NATO and the European Union". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "We are willing to enshrine this position in future security guarantees for this part of Eurasia." More details: However, the Russian foreign minister argued that EU leaders are moving "away from considering these future guarantees on a truly collective basis" because they are seeking "security guarantees not with Russia but against Russia". Background: Earlier, Lavrov stated that Moscow does not consider its aggression against Ukraine to be a violation of the Budapest Memorandum. He also flatly rejected a US proposal to halt hostilities along the current line of demarcation. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! (FOX40.COM) A search warrant was conducted in Southern California in connection with the Esparto firework explosions that left seven people dead in July. On Monday morning, officials from Yolo County and the California State Fire Marshals Office said its investigators executed a search warrant in East Los Angeles that could be connected with the Esparto investigation. According to FOX40s sister station KTLA, the search warrant was served in the 400 block of Vancouver Avenue, which is 1,000 feet from Garfield High School. Photo of high school students being evacuated. Image provided by KTLA Due to the cache findings of fireworks being so close, law enforcement issued an evacuation order for the school and the surrounding neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several items were discovered at the scene that required assistance from bomb squad and fire hazmat teams, and investigators are actively pursuing multiple leads, Cal Fire officials said. At this time, Cal Fire said in an email to FOX40 that it could not share any more information about the search warrant but wants to let the public know that the agency is committed to a thorough investigation. Image: KTLA Helicopter Image: KTLA Helicopter Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. Florida lawmakers are rethinking a new law which blocks a host of planning efforts by cities and counties and has already drawn a pair of lawsuits from governments and development watchdogs. The law, which bars any local planning changes considered more restrictive or burdensome than those already on the books, is derided as a political gift to builders and developers. The industry lobbied hard for its passage during the last legislative session. Now, in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the law, 23 cities and two counties called it the largest incursion into local home rule authority in Floridas modern history. One of the cities, Deltona, recently withdrew from the lawsuit after a holding another vote spurred by the appointment of a new city commissioner. Opponents say a new state law hamstrings local governments from dealing with growth issues in their communities. But legislation by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and Rep. Shane Abbott, R-DeFuniak Springs, would scale back the controversial law, exempting some counties from the scope of the planning ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the proposal, a majority of counties, though, would continue to cope with the developer-friendly standard, according to 1000 Friends of Florida, which also has filed a second lawsuit against the measure. In an email, 1000 Friends has said the law hamstrings local governments from dealing with growth issues in their communities. More changes may be coming to planning law There are other signs that changes may be coming when lawmakers reconvene in January. Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, who sponsored the bill (SB 180) creating the tough standard, told the USA TODAY NETWORK Florida that he'll be seeking to tone down the law, although he hasnt filed legislation yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its going to be a lot more efficient and cost beneficial for us to fix it in the Legislature versus seeing this play out through the courts, DiCeglie said earlier this month. DiCeglie also told a Pinellas County publication that hes heard from fellow lawmakers who want to ensure the new law is directly tied to hurricane response. That was the spirit of the bill from top to bottom, DiCeglie said. Its my full commitment to make a very challenging situation at the moment much, much better. Portrayed as helping to improve emergency response after hurricanes and floods, the law has blocked local governments from updating comprehensive plans and from making even routine revisions to development codes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law empowers development companies and even private citizens to sue local governments for changes to planning laws imposed since August 2024. It also keeps any stricter planning provision off the books until at least October 2027. New law overturns 25-year plan, threatens building pauses Under the law, the state has overturned Orange Countys new 25-year comprehensive plan and threatened building moratoriums approved in Deltona, Edgewater and Treasure Island. A transportation plan set for Osceola County faces a possible challenge and Manatee County delayed the reinstatement of wetlands protections fearing it could violate the developer-friendly standard, officials said. Windermere has paused action on a new tree ordinance, Lake Park has shelved an historic district plan, and Naples, Jupiter and Stuart have received notices theyre being sued over various actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Development dilemma... Florida law handcuffs cities, boosts building and rebuilding. Is it a 'developer handout'? Fighting back... Cities, counties brace for fight with state over law giving developers more muscle While the law includes some provisions that even critics say help bolster state and local emergency response, its also become a weapon used by developers to fight restrictions on growth. The counties suing are Manatee and Orange. The almost two-dozen cities include Delray Beach, Destin, Alachua, Stuart, Naples, Palm Beach, Jupiter and Fort Lauderdale. Like the governments lawsuit, the 1000 Friends challenge alleges constitutional flaws in the law. That lawsuit includes an individual Orange County property owner and 1000 Friends members across four counties who say theyve been hurt by the states blocking of local planning protections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State records show that some of Floridas largest builders lobbied lawmakers in support of the law. Among them are On Top of The World Communities, the Kolter Group, North Lake Communities, Highland Homes and Associated Builders & Contractors. John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @JKennedyReport. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida may scale back controversial planning law Russian lawmakers Tuesday endorsed a bill mandating year-round military conscription, rather than just in the spring and fall, as authorities seek to fill the ranks as fighting in Ukraine grinds through a fourth year. The legislation, which was approved by the lower house, the State Duma, in a third and final reading of the measure, turns conscription into a permanent process. Once the bill is vetted by the upper house and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, it would allow conscription offices to summon draftees for medical exams and other procedures at any time of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bills authors say the measure is intended to ease pressure on military conscription offices and streamline their activities, which includes performing the physicals and assigning conscripts to various military branches. Even though the bill will make conscription a year-round process, it stipulates that conscripts will enter military service only during a few spring and summer months as before. All Russian men aged 18-30 currently are obliged to serve in the military for one year, although many avoid the draft by using deferments granted to students, those with chronic illnesses, and for other reasons. The military has called up between 130,000 and 160,000 draftees during each round of conscription. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Russian authorities say the military doesnt use draftees in Ukraine, relying on volunteers and reservists who were mobilized for action. Human rights activists and media reports have said, however, that the military has sought to encourage or coerce many draftees into signing contracts as volunteers. Russia, which had an army of 1 million when Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, has gradually increased its size as the fighting dragged on. Last year, Putin ordered the number of active troops to be increased by 180,000, to 1.5 million. He said last month that the military has over 700,000 troops fighting in Ukraine. As part of their efforts to combat draft evasion, authorities earlier this year launched an electronic register of conscripts to serve online summonses in some Russian regions. They also introduced a series of legal restrictions for those who ignore the summonses, including banning their bank transactions, suspending their driver's licenses and blocking foreign travel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid Russian military setbacks early in the fighting, Putin ordered a partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists in the fall of 2022, a widely unpopular move that prompted hundreds of thousands to flee abroad to avoid being called for service. While Putins decree held the door open for calling up more reservists, the Kremlin has changed course and focused on bolstering its forces with volunteers, who were offered relatively high wages and other benefits. Authorities reported that about 440,000 volunteers joined in 2024 and another 336,000 people signed military contracts this year. But even as the military has sought to attract more volunteers, lawmakers approved another bill Tuesday that stipulates using reservists for protecting critically important facilities in some regions -- a measure its authors said was intended to bolster defenses against Ukrainian drones that have ranged more than 1,000 kilometers (over 600 miles) deep inside Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The measure will not apply to all reservists only those who voluntarily signed contracts to be in the active reserve. The Kremlin efforts to increase the ranks came as Putin has resisted U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for a quick ceasefire and maintained the Kremlin's maximalist demands that include Ukraine's withdrawal from the four regions that Russia has annexed but never fully captured. Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected Putin's demands. Officials have banned waterfowl hunting around Chitral Airport in Pakistan. As reported by Pakistani outlet Dawn, the ban aims to ensure airport security, safe landings, and the protection of birds like ducks, geese, and swans. The airport, located along the Balach riverbank, is one of the most popular destinations for hunting migratory birds. Unlike typical hunting practices, hunters in Chitral create artificial ponds to lure birds for hunting. The ban will be in effect for the 2025-2026 season. Officials said these bans are crucial to preserving an ecological balance in the region. With the ban in place, bird populations can recover to more natural levels and strengthen the local ecosystem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, banning hunting near public green spaces with trails can encourage the wider public use of those areas since the hunting may deter other visitors. Per Chitral Today, the ban is in effect for the hunting seasons of September through November and February through April. As a result, it has received much backlash from hunters in Chitral. Many hunters feel they are being stripped of their cultural and traditional rights and said there is no threat to the migratory bird populations during the months they hunt. Riaz Ahmed Diwan, a leader of a local hunters association, told Dawn: "Hunting of waterfowl had been the part and parcel of the culture and tradition of Chitral since the time immemorial." A large number of hunters have defied the law, continuing their activities in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conversely, locals of the Chitral area have spoken out about the decline of waterfowl populations, saying the hunting is a "tragic slaughter" and demanding immediate intervention and consequences for those still participating in the illegal activity. Additionally, a Facebook user commented that the use of artificial ponds and traps is an "assault on nature" and the practice is not sport, but the destruction of nature. The difference in opinion highlights the difficulty and importance of honoring local traditions while also implementing the necessary conservation efforts to protect wildlife. Similar bans have been enacted to help protect bird species like falcons, quail, and other migratory birds, including waterfowl in other areas of Pakistan where their populations are threatened. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Lawyers for Aidan Kearney, the blogger known as Turtleboy, are asking a judge to order a special prosecutor to turn over evidence recently pulled from former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctors phone. Mark Bederow, a New York City-based lawyer representing Kearney, first requested the evidence from the special prosecutor in the case, retired judge Robert Cosgrove and a Norfolk County prosecutor. But Cosgrove, according to Bederow, refused to turn over the evidence because Proctor didnt play an investigatory role in the Kearney case and wouldnt be called as a witness. In a motion to compel production of the new evidence from Proctors phone, Bederow argues the information should be turned over because it could benefit Kearneys defense. Under state and federal law, evidence that could benefit a defendant must be turned over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bederow notes that Kearneys defense will argue at trial that the investigation into him for possible witness intimidation, which ultimately led to his indictment, was flawed. Evidence ... which impairs Mr. Proctors credibility by revealing his poor character, his racist and homophobic beliefs, his investigative bias, his making of false statements and/or which advance Mr. Kearneys defense that the investigation itself was corrupt, rife with conflicts, lacked integrity and/or conducted in bad faith, constitutes ... material that must be provided to the defense" Bederow wrote. Proctor was fired from the State Police in March over his conduct in the Karen Read case. He sent a series of demeaning text messages about Read while investigating the death of her boyfriend, John OKeefe. Bederows motion comes after prosecutors revealed on Friday that they found sensitive information in a text chat on Proctors personal phone. Prosecutors have represented that they uncovered material dating back more than a decade on the phone, including texts, emails and audio and video files. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The evidence on the phone is apparently inflammatory and harmful to Proctors credibility, Bederow wrote, noting that the executive board of the State Police Association of Massachusetts withdrew its support for Proctors appeal of his termination after becoming aware of the new materials. On information and belief, Mr. Proctors phone also contained homophobic comments and the disgusting messages he sent were made about subjects of investigations, defendants and MSP colleagues, Bederow wrote. Bederow also disputed the representation that Proctor was not involved in the investigation into Kearney. He cited two different instances where the former trooper disparaged Kearney in communications with other investigators. The exact content of what Proctor said is redacted. Proctor testified before the grand jury that ultimately indicted Kearney, Bederow noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a supplemental affidavit, Bederow points to emails obtained by North Carolina lawyer Corri Hopkins, who sued the district attorneys office after it failed to respond to a public records request. Hopkins obtained documents showing Proctor was included on email drafts of investigative reports in the Kearney case. Kearneys defense has not received those emails, despite them being discoverable under state law, Bederow wrote. Until last week, Kearney faced three indictments in Norfolk Superior Court on charges of witness intimidation. One of those cases was dropped last week after the district attorneys office couldnt find another prosecutor to take it on. In the other two cases, Kearney is accused of intimidating and harassing witnesses in the Read case. His team has claimed his conduct is protected by the First Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A hearing on a recent motion to dismiss filed by Kearneys team is scheduled for December. More about the case Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) Attorneys for death row inmate Harold Wayne Nichols are suing the State of Tennessee, accusing prison officials of violating the Public Records Act. The lawsuit, filed by Federal Defender Services of Eastern Tennessee (FDSET), claims the Tennessee Department of Correction is refusing to release key documents about its execution protocol, just weeks before Nichols must choose how hell die. His attorneys say the state is hiding behind a secrecy statute, even after witnesses reported signs of pain during recent executions using the drug pentobarbital. Knoxville Salvation Army launches emergency food program amid rising need Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a release, the lawsuit is looking for records related to the states new execution protocol following the Department of Correction finishing its multi-year revision of the lethal injection protocol. The attorneys are also seeking access to records related to the executions of Oscar Smith and Byron Black, which were conducted under the new protocols. Given the recent revelations in the execution of Byron Black that he was conscious and suffered pain as the State injected him with pentobarbital and that his heart showed activity after he was pronounced dead transparency is more important now than ever. The State owes it to all Tennesseans to ensure that its process for carrying out executions is transparent and complies with the Constitution, said Nichols attorney Luke Ihnen with FDSET. Tennesseans deserve to know that the Tennessee Department of Correction is following its own rules and that executions are being carried out in a manner that is not cruel and torturous. Transparency is not optional, its the law. 18-year-old killed in Blount County crash on Wildwood Road Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nichols is scheduled to be executed on December 11. He was convicted of rape and first-degree felony murder in the 1988 death of Karen Pulley in Hamilton County. He had an execution date previously set in 2020, but it was delayed due to the pandemic and then paused again when Governor Bill Lee halted all executions amid the review of execution protocols. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. Authorities on Monday asked the public for leads regarding the head of a company that organized youth after-school programs after he was arrested last week on suspicion of possessing child pornography. Miguel Adrian Gonzalez, 28, worked at schools, camps and after-school programs throughout the Los Angeles area, L.A. Police Department officials said in a statement on X. Arrested Friday by LAPD detectives and agents from Homeland Security Investigations, Gonzalez confessed to molesting boys whom he baby-sat and photographing their genitals, according to a complaint filed in federal court that charged him with possessing child pornography. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was unclear whether Gonzalez, who is jailed pending an arraignment, was represented by a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Gonzalez, a resident of Las Vegas, is listed in public records as chief executive of Let's Play LA. In an archived version of its website, which has since been taken down, the company called itself "a community-driven organization dedicated to creating a space where kids can explore, connect and grow through active engagement and play." "We believe in the power of playing with children, not just supervising," the website said. The company addressed Gonzalez's arrest in an email to parents, calling it "serious and upsetting." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Out of concern for every child and family connected to our programs, all Let's Play LA LLC activities and events are suspended immediately until further notice," the email said. Let's Play LA did not immediately return an email seeking comment. According to the complaint made public Tuesday, Gonzalez was fired in 2017 from a position at a Yale University program for gifted youth after he was found to have been taking children on unauthorized off-campus trips and messaging with them. The investigation that led to Gonzalez's arrest began in January, when law enforcement in Ireland discovered sexual photographs of an 11-year-old boy on the dark web, a federal agent wrote in the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interviewed in Kentucky, the juvenile victim said he was coerced by a Snapchat user who threatened to hurt the boy if he didn't provide nude photographs and videos. Homeland Security Investigations agents linked the threats to an iCloud account that belonged to Gonzalez, according to the complaint. Separately, in April Snapchat alerted the LAPD to suspected child pornography being transmitted by an account associated with Gonzalez, the agent wrote. Gonzalez allegedly sent the image to another Snapchat user, writing, "Do I need to do more than take photos the next time I watch a boy?" "Yes," the other Snapchat user replied, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After his arrest, Gonzalez admitted photographing the child, whom he'd baby-sat, and confessed to molesting another boy, the agent wrote in the complaint. According to the document, authorities found in his phone a file of videos and photographs titled "babysitting boyz." A search of Gonzalez's emails revealed he'd recently applied for jobs in Nevada, the complaint said, including at a preschool soccer program, a Boys & Girls Club and an elementary school. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. For the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, this week is perhaps the best shot theyve had in years of substantive progress. Not only does Japan have a new prime minister, but US President Donald Trump is in their part of the world, with unfinished business when it comes to the return of their loved ones. Japan says at least 17 of its citizens were snatched by North Korean agents in the late 1970s and 1980s alongside hundreds of unexplained cases. Five citizens were returned in 2002; some families are still waiting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pyongyang disputes the total number taken and says some died in traffic and drowning accidents, as well as suicide, and it considers the matter over. Families met with Trump and new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday and, while holding photos of their lost family members, asked if hed put their case to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump review an honor guard at the Akasaka State Guest House in Tokyo on October 28, 2025. - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images No Trump-Kim meeting has been formally scheduled, but South Koreas unification ministry stoked speculation last week, saying North Koreans had been spotted cleaning, pulling grass, arranging flower beds, pruning and taking photos of the North Korean facilities at Panmunjom, the peace village inside the demilitarized zone (the DMZ), that separates the two Koreas. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly raised the prospect of an impromptu visit to the DMZ. On Monday as he flew to Japan and told reporters on board Air Force One he was open to extending his Asia trip, which ends in South Korea, for a meeting with Kim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Id love to meet with him if hed like to meet, Trump said. I got along great with Kim Jong Un, I liked him, he liked me, if he wants to meet, Ill be in South Korea. Asked again on Tuesday, he replied: Well see whats going on. Trump and Kim last met a the DMZ in 2019, shaking hands across the border in a historic moment hurriedly organized when Trump posted a speculative invitation on social media. It was the first time a sitting US President had set foot on North Korean soil. In the end the meetings produced no substantive breakthrough for either side. North Korea, which frequently condemns the US in its daily state media missives, certainly hasnt ruled out a meeting with Trump. Kim said in a speech last month that he had good memories of President Trump, according to state media. An advertorial to appeal to Americans Trump has previously embraced the cause of those who lost their loved ones to North Korea. Tuesdays meeting was their third since 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2019, he stood beside then-leader Shinzo Abe, and said: You have a great prime minister. He loves this country. He loves you. And we will be working together to bring your relatives your daughters, your sons, your mothers home. He repeated similar phrases on Tuesday, telling the families that Takaichi was going to be a great prime minister. Its my honor to be with you again. And we will do everything within our power, Trump added. But little has happened since Abe left office in 2020 (he was later assassinated in 2022). The issue passed to three more prime ministers, with no real signs of progress. US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meet with family members of people abducted by North Korea, at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on May 27, 2019. - Jonathan Ernst/Reuters In March of this year, then-Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba took out an advertorial in the Washington Post to inform Americans of the situation and appeal for international support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the advertisement, Sakie Yokota, who at 89-years-old is the last surviving parent of an abductee, made a direct appeal to Trump, with a dose of flattery in the hope that the US leader doesnt abandon them. I am greatly counting on the Trump administration because of his strength, she said. I fervently hope that President Trump will make a significant push for the abductees return home. The abductions appear to have been part of North Koreas espionage program, with a 2014 UN report finding the abductees were used to teach the Japanese language, accent and culture to (North Korean) spies in training; to enable the study of Japanese identification documents in order to better falsify them; and allow (North Korean) agents to pass themselves off as being Japanese, using the identity of the abducted person. Kidnapped on the way home from school Yokotas daughter Megumi is perhaps one of the most well-known of Japans abductees. Then 13, Megumi vanished in 1977 on her way home from school in the coastal city of Niigata. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photos later emerged showing her in North Korea, where she was known to have married and given birth to a daughter. In 2014, Sakie and her husband Shigeru met that child, Kim Eun-gyong, then 26, during a meeting in Mongolia arranged by Japanese and North Korean officials. North Korean officials had told them that Megumi died in 1994 from suicide, a claim repeated by her daughter. File photo shows Megumi Yokota, who was abducted from Japan by North Korea at age 13 on November 15, 1977. - Kyodo News Stills/Getty Images But the family refuses to believe she is gone. Shigeru died in 2020, leaving his wife to continue the search. Now Sakie hopes Takaichi, as Japans first female prime minister, will bring new energy to their quest for answers. She is the first female prime minister I feel that her feelings as a mother may lead her to tackle this issue seriously from a different angle, Sakie said during a news conference last week. Hajime Matsumoto, the older brother of Kyoko Matsumoto, who disappeared in 1977 as she was leaving her home to attend a knitting class, said he was also hopeful of progress under Takaichi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Until now, only men have become Prime Minister, and many of them say Ill do it, Ill do it, but then dont, said Hajime. This time, the prime minister is a woman, so I believe she will be persistent and patient, and will probably keep striving until she can meet with the person she needs to meet. According to the Japanese government, North Korea denies that Hajimes sister Kyoko entered its territory Japan believes otherwise. Takaichi, an Abe protege who shares his conservative, hawkish views, met the families last week and says shes prepared to meet Kim to discuss the issue. I myself will exercise leadership in my own way and strive to break through no matter what, she said. But the families of the abductees know that Takaichi is only one part of the puzzle. They hope that she, like Abe, will press Trump to raise their plight with Kim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We hope to remind him to convey to Chairman Kim Jong Un in the case of a US-North Korea summit, that things cannot move forward unless the abduction issue is resolved, said Yokota, who is also head of the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea. Kenichi Ichikawa, the older brother of Shuichi Ichikawa, who disappeared with his partner on a beach in 1978, said ultimately, only one man can give them what they want. The only one who can return the victims, the family members, is Kim Jong Un. CNNs Riku Inoue, Junko Ogura, Gawon Bae and Betsy Klein contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Ohioans relying on SNAP benefits will face a significant challenge in November as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces that no benefits will be issued due to the government shutdown. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This decision affects more than 1.4 million residents in Ohio, leaving many families uncertain about how they will manage their food needs. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre already stressing your bills and stuff to begin with, and now youve got to stress this, said Constance Gregg, a disabled SNAP recipient from Mechanicsburg. While in Greene County, News Center 7 asked Governor Mike DeWine about the lapse in federal funding for SNAP. This is basically food for people all over the state of Ohio who need that help and need that assistance, DeWine said. DeWine said its a serious problem, and now, hes looking into ways the state can help fill the gap. Were taking a hard look at that, and well have something to say about that in the next several days, he said. Its a huge problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Montgomery County, the Board of County Commissioners is considering reallocating funds to The Foodbank, Inc. to provide some relief to affected families. Previously, in August, the county commissioners had reallocated a million dollars to The Foodbank, Inc. to offset federal funding cuts. Gregg told News Center 7 that shes taking it one step at a time, hoping a deal gets reached soon by the government. Just get it together. Compromise, Gregg said. Think about the people youre affecting. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] President Joseph Aoun has called for an end to near-daily deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon during a meeting in Beirut with United States envoy Morgan Ortagus, as Israel has intensified its attacks on its northern neighbour in recent days. Israel has repeatedly bombarded Lebanon, flagrantly violating a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities that escalated into months of full-blown war, with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. In October alone, Israeli strikes have killed more than 20 people in Lebanon, according to the countrys Ministry of Public Health. A statement released by the presidency on Tuesday said Aoun had insisted to Ortagus on the need to activate the work of the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Committee particularly with regard to halting the ongoing Israeli violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A five-member committee, which includes the United States and France, is in charge of overseeing the implementation of the truce. Ortagus is expected to attend the committees meeting this week. Aoun also asserted the need to enable southern citizens to return to their homes and repair damaged ones, especially with winter approaching. Israeli strikes in recent weeks have targeted excavators and bulldozers. Lebanese officials believe these strikes aim to prevent any reconstruction work in the war-ravaged south. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah, without providing evidence. The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday that it had verified the killing of 111 civilians by Israeli forces since the ceasefire in Lebanon. As part of last years ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle any military infrastructure in the south. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the agreement, only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers are to be deployed in the south of the country. The United Nations and France condemned an Israeli attack that hit UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the previous days attack on UNIFIL troops, which he said involved an Israeli drone dropping a grenade in the vicinity of a patrol, as well as a tank opening fire on peacekeepers near the border town of Kfar Kila, was very, very dangerous. Israel still occupies five positions in southern Lebanon and has been launching near-daily attacks in defiance of the ceasefire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under US pressure and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, who have said they will not lay down arms as the countrys main resistance to Israeli attacks and occupation in the south. Despite the terms of the truce, Israel has kept troops deployed in five border points it deems strategic. Israels attacks around the Middle East havent ceased with the recent ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Lebanon, Syria and the occupied West Bank have all witnessed Israeli strikes in the last week, giving credence to the idea that Israel is trying to keep its neighbours destabilised and weak. US envoy Morgan Ortagus meets Lebanons leaders to discuss Israeli strikes, Hezbollah disarmament, and efforts to stabilize the region. US envoy Morgan Ortagus is in Beirut this week for meetings. Her visit follows a trip to Israel, where she was shown the countrys northern border, and comes as Israel continues to strike Hezbollah and after an IDF drone was downed by UNIFIL. Lebanon wants the Israeli strikes into its territory to cease. Israel wants to see Hezbollah disarmed. Hezbollah says it will not disarm. The US has sought to engage with Lebanon. US envoy Tom Barrack and Ortagus have both tried various methods. However, Beirut is, as ever, cunning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al-Akhbar, which is seen as a pro-Hezbollah media outlet, noted that there is a positive atmosphere in Lebanon amid Ortaguss visit. Lebanons president has stressed the need to activate the work of the Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Committee [the mechanism], particularly with regard to halting ongoing Israeli violations and attacks on Lebanon. The report says that Ortagus met with President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace and discussed the general situation in the country and the steps needed to restore calm and stability to the south, according to the Lebanese Presidency. Aoun says he wants to see UN Resolution 1701 implemented, which is supposed to enable the Lebanese army to deploy to the south and would also mean that Hezbollah would not be present with arms there. Ortagus also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Lebanon. They discussed the general situation and field developments related to daily Israeli violations and attacks on Lebanon, in addition to the work of the five-member technical committee monitoring the ceasefire [the mechanism] and activating its role, the report said. It was seen as a long and positive meeting. (From L-R): US envoy Morgan Ortagus, US envoy Tom Barrack, and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, August 18, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR) Berri has been a key figure in Lebanon for five decades. He is a Shiite politician in charge of the Amal political group. US envoys, Beirut discuss Israeli attacks in Lebanon The US envoy also met with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Government Palace and discussed with him developments on the ground related to the Israeli attacks, wrote the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aoun also said, Lebanon is a country committed government, institutions, people, society, and individuals to exerting every possible effort to combat all forms of imminent terrorism, and we have demonstrated this on the ground and in our own country. During his participation in the opening of a regional conference, he noted that the Lebanese Army, like all Lebanese armed forces, made great sacrifices in confronting terrorists, emphasizing that we defeated them in military confrontations, as well as in security confrontations and in intellectual, cultural, and civil confrontations, Al-Akhbar added. Aoun explained that what we see every day, of the enormous resources being allocated for wars, conflicts, and killing of people, confirms to us that allocating even a part of them for national security and civil peace is capable of eliminating terrorist plots and saving innocents. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Members of the legal community and the public gathered on Monday, Oct. 27, in Downtown El Paso to attend the annual Red Mass. Celebrated by Bishop Mark J. Seitz, the mass was held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the St. Patrick Cathedral. The centuries-old tradition in the Catholic church is offered for judges, lawyers, and government officials of all faiths, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit for all who work in the pursuit of justice and provides a moment of reflection on the power, responsibility, and moral dimension of the legal profession, read a news release by the Diocese of El Paso. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Elected officials in Madison and Milwaukee want to prevent the deadly Mother's Day fire at the Highland Court apartments from happening again. State Sen. LaTonya Johnson is introducing a package of bills to improve fire safety in older residential buildings like Highland Court. The fire killed five people and displaced another 100 tenants. State law didn't require the building to have fire sprinklers because it was built before 1974. Nearly 70% of Milwaukee's high-rise buildings were constructed before sprinklers were required by state law, city officials say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bills would give local governments the authority to set stricter fire safety rules, such as requiring landlords to retrofit older buildings with sprinklers. State law currently prohibits municipalities from mandating sprinklers. Milwaukee officials say that law is too restrictive and is putting people at risk. Eddie Edwards waits to enter his apartment to retrieve his belongings at the scene of a fatal apartment fire at Highland Court Apartments, 2725 W. Highland Blvd in Milwaukee, on May 12, 2025. At least five people are dead after the five-alarm apartment fire on Mother's Day, May 11. The legislation would also create a $10 million grant to help landlords cover the costs of installing sprinklers and other fire safety upgrades. Johnson is also proposing to require the Department of Safety and Professional Services to conduct audits of sprinklers in certain residential buildings. The Highland Court fire wasn't an isolated incident, Johnson said during an Oct. 28 news conference about the package of bills. "People living in these buildings don't get to choose whether their apartments have modern fire protection," Johnson said. "They just pay their rent in the places they can afford and hope for the best." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has previously raised concerns about the cost of installing sprinklers. Installing sprinklers in an existing building is about $4 per square foot roughly the price of putting high-end carpet in each room. "The last thing we want to do is to make it even more expensive to own a home or rent an apartment," he said in May. At the news conference, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said sprinklers prevent the onset of fires and slow their growth, giving firefighters crucial additional time to get in the building and save lives. "We understand that it's expensive, but we also value life more than the almighty dollar," Lipski said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Dora Drake, Rep. Christine Sinicki, Rep. Margaret Arney and Rep. Deb Andraca, all Democrats, are coauthoring the bill package. Johnson said she believes the bills will get bipartisan support. Arney, whose district includes Highland Court, said she spoke with survivors of the fire at a Red Cross shelter. Many shared harrowing stories of the terror they felt navigating smoke-filled hallways to safety. "It's unfair that our state laws have prevented local municipalities, particularly Milwaukee, from having higher safety protocols needed for the older housing we have," Arney said. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and several members of the Milwaukee Common Council have expressed support for the package. In a joint statement, council members Milele Coggs, Andrea Pratt and Sharlen Moore said the legislation could prevent another deadly apartment fire in Milwaukee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are hopeful that the legislation will gain support and momentum, and that it can ultimately be passed to bring new fire suppression systems that will minimize the risk of similar tragedies occurring in the future," they said in the statement. "The lives of our residents depend on it." Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be reached at gcastro@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bill would clear path for sprinkler mandates in Wisconsin apartments Florida Democrats want governor to declare state of emergency over the impending SNAP losses. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Florida Democrats in the Legislature are imploring Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency and use state money to buy food and direct it to food pantries as nearly 3 million people lose access to a federal food assistance program. Led by Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, and her House counterpart Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, legislative Democrats sent DeSantis a letter Tuesday asking him to use his emergency powers to ensure the millions of Floridians who rely on the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program dont go hungry when their benefits expire Saturday as a result of the federal government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter also asks DeSantis to direct the Department of Children and Families, which administers the SNAP program, to coordinate with local food banks and their community partners to distribute the food immediately. For families already struggling under record food and housing costs, the loss of this critical support would be catastrophic, the letter reads. Local food banks and pantries have already reported overwhelming demand and depleted supplies. We are days away from a full-blown hunger emergency that will leave families without food during the holiday season. The state cannot stand by. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried added in a separate written statement: This moment is bigger than politics. This is about showing up for our fellow Americans and keeping Floridians safe and fed. SNAP provides nutritional support for low-income seniors, people with disabilities living on fixed incomes, and other individuals and families with low incomes. Florida has the fourth largest SNAP enrollment nationwide with 2.94 million relying on the assistance for their food security, behind California, Texas, and New York. Nationwide, 41.7 million people rely on SNAP benefits, August 2025 data show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governors office didnt immediately respond to Florida Phoenixs request for comment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Democrats letter comes after the DeSantis administration posted a notice that SNAP benefits are about to expire. The state notice was put up after the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted Friday that it would not tap into $6 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits intact for the coming month. It would take $9 billion to cover the costs of the SNAP program through November. But the federal memo, first reported by Axios, claims that SNAP contingency funds cannot be used to float the program during the shutdown, an assertion that has been disputed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contingency funds are only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits. The contingency fund is not available to support FY 2026 regular benefits, because the appropriation for regular benefits no longer exists, the memo says. The partisan impasse has resulted in a 28-day government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, the start of the federal fiscal year. SNAP is one of the most effective programs for addressing hunger and food insecurity in the state, the letter from the Democrats stated. Especially after the recent cuts stemming from President Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill, Floridians cannot afford another day without action by the state. Florida has the fiscal strength to respond. Whats needed now is the moral will to act. No parent should have to choose between paying rent and feeding their kids. No child should go hungry because politicians in Washington cant agree. We urge you to act immediately. Heartless Berman said in prepared remarks that Florida has $5 billion in its rainy day fund that DeSantis could use to avert the food cliff low-income families face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sudden loss of those benefits would be an economic and humanitarian nightmare, she said. With the stroke of a pen, the Governor can keep food on peoples tables. He has a responsibility to the people of this state to put partisanship aside and lead. Refusing to act would be truly heartless. Driskell said in her prepared remarks that the governor brags about maxing out the amount of savings in the states rainy day fund. If millions of hungry Floridians isnt an economic storm, I dont know what is, she said, adding, This is a crisis but an entirely solvable one. We can make sure Floridians do not go hungry. It costs a little more than $6 a day to feed someone. Isnt every Floridian worth that? The letter also asks the governor to request the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to implement the universal school meals programs for the duration of the emergency. This story has been updated to include comment from FDP Chair Nikki Fried. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE (The Center Square) Californians say theyre not surprised that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is eying the White House. I think thats the worst-kept secret on the planet, state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, told The Center Square Monday afternoon. I think everyone knows hes been running for president. By a margin greater than two to one (54% to 26%), most Californians surveyed in late April by the University of California, Berkeley said Newsom, during his final two years in office, was more focused on things that would benefit a possible presidential run than governing the state. Respondents in the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll were equally split, 46% to 46%, on whether they approved of Newsom's work as governor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And 48% of the respondents said they believed the state was heading in the wrong direction, as opposed to 35% saying California was on the right track. In addition, 48% expressed confidence in Newsom's ability to look out for the state's interests as he deals with the Trump administration. Forty-five percent said they lacked confidence in the governor's ability to do that. The poll was conducted among 6,201 registered voters statewide. In a story that aired Sunday, Newsom told CBS News that he would decide after the 2026 midterm elections whether to run for president. But Strickland accused Newsom of already thinking more about getting into the White House than governing California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think hes been aloof and has not been a good governor, the Republican legislator told The Center Square. He has not been engaged in the major issues. The senator added he believes Newsom made the comments during CBS Sunday Morning to get ahead of potential Democratic primary opponent Kamala Harris, the former vice president who lost to Republican President Donald Trump in 2020, and set the stage to get campaign donations from the same sources who might fund Harris run. Harris, who decided against running for governor in a crowded field of Democrats, has not announced her plans for 2028. Both Newsom and Harris served in the combined city-county municipality of San Francisco, Newsom ultimately as mayor and Harris as district attorney. Both went on to statewide elected offices: Newsom, first as lieutenant governor, then governor; Harris, as attorney general. Harris rose to the national scene with her election to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and as vice president in 2020. Strickland advises looking at Newsom's record instead of his rhetoric. The senator pointed to the state's high taxes and high energy costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For several years, California has consistently had the nations highest gas prices. Strickland said one reason is that the state has the highest gas tax. On Monday, AAA reported California's gas price was $4.593 a gallon, well above the national average of $3.052 a gallon. The Center Square reached out Monday to Democratic and Republican leaders in the state Senate and Assembly, but either didn't get a response or was told they weren't available to comment. But state Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, told The Center Square earlier Monday that Newsom is "an amazing governor and an incredible leader." Bonta said a future leadership role, whatever that may be for Newsom, "would only benefit the people of this great state and this great nation." LENOIR COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) Multiple sheriffs offices and police departments across North Carolina are participating in the Halloween Booze it & Lose It Campaign this weekend. The Lenoir County Sheriffs Office is encouraging residents exercise caution when out driving this weekend. They also want to remind people to stay sober if theyre going to drive to help make Halloween safe and fun for everyone this year. Halloween is a time for fun, but safety must come first. Please dont drink and drive, and be alert for trick-or-treaters and families out enjoying the evening, said Lenoir County Sheriff Rogers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies will be increasing patrols through the weekend to help keep and eye out on impaired and dangerous drivers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. Oct. 27ROCHESTER Less than 25% of students in Rochester Public Schools were proficient in science according to the yearly test known as the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment. Although the state released the MCA results for math and reading in August, it didn't include the results for science at the time, citing the fact that this was the first year of MCA results following the implementation of new science standards. RPS Superintendent Kent Pekel said that because of that change, this year's results can't be compared with years past because they are different tests with a different set of standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So 2025 is a baseline year for student achievement in science and we will use the results of the tests students took last spring to inform our strategy for improvement in the years ahead," he said. He said one step in that process recently took place when the district purchased a new science curriculum for its elementary schools. The MCA is given to students in grades 5-8, as well as once in high school. The current results reflect the test that was administered in the spring. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, 23.8% of RPS students were proficient in science, which was slightly below the state average of 26.2% of students who were proficient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were noticeable discrepancies in performance among various student demographics. White and Asian RPS students were 30.4% and 31.2% proficient in science, respectively. Students of two or more races were 16.7% proficient, Black students were 10.7% proficient, and Latino students were 11.5% proficient. Although none of the school district's in the Rochester area had student populations who were more than 50% proficient, the results from RPS were lower than many of the surrounding districts. The highest-performing district in the Rochester area was Byron, where 43.5% of students were proficient in science. "Students in Byron continue to outperform nearly all other students in every category of state testing," Byron Superintendent Nate Walbruch said in a statement. "This is a testament to the teachers in Byron, the systems that support them, and, of course, a testament to students who are fully engaged in learning." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The science proficiency of other Rochester-area districts included: * Zumbrota-Mazeppa: 42.7% * Kasson-Mantorville: 36.1% * Pine Island: 33.7% * Dover-Eyota: 30.9% * Chatfield: 27.5% * Stewartville: 24.2% * Plainview-Elgin-Millville: 21.5% Rochester Public Schools' MCA results in science were well below what it recorded in math and reading. In math, 41.7% of RPS students were proficient, compared with 45.2% of students statewide who were proficient. In reading, 47.8% of RPS students were proficient, compared with 49.6% of students statewide who were proficient. Before-school programs that feed students' passions can help kids want to be in school. (Getty Images) Anthony, one of my 5th graders, told me often that he hated school. I knew he didnt hate learning. He focused intensely on the things he was interested in, like maps, flags, and musical instruments. But when Anthonys attention wandered in class, his teachers would take away his flag art and gas station maps and turn off his music. He would leave his classroom to escape frustration. Why even come to school at all? Hed ask me. Anthony is not the only one. In Arkansas, chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year, has been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of chronically absent public school students in our state is a staggering 23%. Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects at-risk and minority students like Anthony for whom long-term consequences include delays in reading and math proficiency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Luckily, Anthony found a refuge: Our music room. When things got overwhelming, hed hide under the piano. One day, he told me: I only come to school on time on Tuesdays, because thats when we have music. I wish I could have music on other days too. I needed Anthony to come to school every day so I made that happen. I started a before-school music practice time. There was no sign-up sheet, no requirements just an open door. Students could come in as soon as the building opened and practice whatever we were learning in class. At first, that meant keyboards. Later, we added more instruments. One day, my own child asked, Why cant we be a band? And just like that, the Ukulele Band was born. The impact was immediate. More and more students showed up early, not just Anthony. Within a few years, 60 out of the 100 4th and 5th graders I taught were starting their day in the music room instead of lingering in hallways or staying home. Attendance improved. Tardiness declined. Behavior issues diminished. And most importantly, Anthony and many other students started their days with joy, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Anthony now plays multiple instruments and was recently accepted into an arts middle school. If we want students to show up, we need to offer meaningful and engaging experiences that start with their interests. The data is clear: Breakfast clubs, school music clubs, school music programming, or any school related extracurricular activities all create positive effects on school attendance. School clubs and programs rooted in genuine student interest, not just remediation or extra academics, are a powerful tool to combat absenteeism, tardiness, and disengagement. Harnessing that power Build before-school programs around student passion. Not every student loves music, but every student loves something. Whether its robotics, poetry, drawing, dance, or coding, schools in Arkansas should invest in before-school programs that reflect student interests. These dont have to be expensive or formal. Instead, they should be student-centered, consistent, and joyful. For me and my school, it meant opening my door twenty minutes before the first bell. Poll the parents and students at your school and find willing teachers and activities to start the day off with excitement. Remove barriers to participation. No sign-ups. No permission slips. No fees. Just open doors. Students with chaotic home lives or unreliable transportation shouldnt be excluded from participation. Flexible, inclusive programs ensure that every student, not just well-resourced students, can benefit. Have multiple re-entry points so that students who have a late running bus can still benefit from five minutes. I had many students who were daily or occasional bus riders, including Anthony. On one particularly late day he said, Thanks for keeping the door open for me. I thought I missed the best part. Redefine learning time. We talk a lot about bell-to-bell instruction, but learning doesnt only happen during official class periods. When students start their day in a safe, creative space, theyre more emotionally regulated, socially connected, and ready to learn. We must recognize the value of this time, not as extra, but essential. Even on days Anthony came late, we were able to have a few moments to center him before he entered the classroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One in four students in Arkansas Schools are struggling with chronic absenteeism, and we often look for high-tech solutions or academic interventions. But sometimes the answer is simple: lets make school a place kids want to be. Anthony is now at school every day on time, and he is one among many who no longer struggle with truancy because of their experience in a before-school music club. School is where he wants to be. To the editor: This article states that at around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 2, a resident is hiking the trail above Skull Rock when he shoots video of a wisp of white smoke ( Its still smoldering. A hikers video of Palisades fire raises questions about states responsibility, Oct. 26). He whispers, "It's still smoldering. What then? The rest of the reporting speculates on who's responsible for monitoring or not monitoring the area that would erupt into the devastatingly destructive Palisades fire. It is never reported whether the Jan. 2 hiker called 911 to report a wisp of smoke in what is a tinderbox of dry park wilderness. Did the Los Angeles Fire Department receive a report and not respond, or was the call never made? There is a deeper story here and these questions need to be addressed. Christi Engel, Topanga This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. To the editor: When I read about plans for a $2.3-million fence for MacArthur Park, I couldnt help but wonder: Did anyone ask an urban planner ( Drugs, crime and homelessness plague MacArthur Park. Can a multimillion-dollar fence rescue it?, Oct. 25)? We would tell you that making the park safe requires increasing access, not preventing it. As Jane Jacobs explained in 1961 in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, foot traffic and eyes on the street are what create a safe environment. Limiting access to the park will reduce the number of people who walk through it and is likely to make it even less safe. A far better approach would be to use that money to license nearby street vendors and co-locate them in a safe, central location within the park. This would offer more reasons for people to walk through the park regularly. Even better, it would provide incentives for other pop-up businesses (and increased security personnel) within the park or on the perimeter which, again, would encourage more foot traffic. Perhaps the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks should talk to the city planning department more often? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joshua Schank, Studio City This writer has a doctorate in urban planning from Columbia University and works as a transportation planning consultant. .. To the editor: The opening paragraph of this article tells the readers all they need to know about the sad state of lawlessness in Los Angeles. It states "an open-air drug market operated nearby" MacArthur Park. As long as our city allows people who break the law to remain unaccountable, MacArthur Park will remain a danger instead of a refuge. No fence can fix lawlessness. It should be obvious to anyone who lives in Council District 1 that Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez has failed her constituents. From Highland Park's burgeoning homeless encampments, to the filth and litter along the 110 southbound, to MacArthur Park's notoriety, her misguided efforts to put optional outreach over the equal protection of the rule of law have destroyed her law-abiding constituents' quality of life. Her unavailability for an interview for this front-page article further highlights her ineptitude. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raul Claros, who will be running for City Council, stands for deeper community investment, rule of law and, if necessary, armed park rangers to secure MacArthur Park. Claros understands that we are a country based on equal protection under the law. Even Rick Caruso has asked , "Why isn't our city enforcing the laws?" Indeed, why not? A fence is no substitute for the rule of law. Victoria Stover Mordecai, San Marino .. To the editor: Take a walk around Los Angeles State Historic Park downtown: beautiful trails, native plants, fruit trees, clean and accessible restrooms, and great spaces for activities. Like MacArthur Park, it has a great view of downtown. It feels safe, clean and well-maintained. And it has a fence, with defined open hours. It is a beautiful fence that doesnt detract from the view; it just limits access when not open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Hernandez said, everyone deserves a park like this. Rana Parker, Pasadena .. To the editor: Westlake neighborhood residents deserve a beautiful green space thats safe, accessible and fosters community enjoyment and pride. A recent unanimous vote approved the conceptual phase to address park crime and safety concerns, including a proposed $2.3-million fence. I can hear my dads reaction to solutions like this one: Locks and fences only keep the honest people out. This prompts consideration of alternative allocations for the funds. Rather than investing in a perceived remedy with questionable efficacy, it may be more prudent to allocate the $2.3 million toward sustaining outreach workers and programs that address homelessness, addiction and mental illness, while collaborating with law enforcement on issues like drug trafficking and violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furthermore, outreach workers could empower capable members of the homeless community to participate in initiatives (with compensation) like park beautification, litter removal and neighborhood watch, cultivating a sense of community ownership and responsibility. Karen Schetina, Los Angeles This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. To the editor: During the first World Series game, we applauded Canadas ad featuring Ronald Reagan denouncing the use of tariffs. President Trump then canceling trade talks and adding additional punitive tariffs is yet another infantile tantrum, and shows our allies (if we still have any) that hes not to be trusted in any negotiation ( Trump ends trade talks with Canada over tariffs ad that Ontario premier now says hell phase out, Oct. 24). Our president has worked diligently to convince the world that hes incapable of operating at a level more mature than a 6-year-old. Ellen Butterfield and Scott Fraser, Pasadena .. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To the editor: Considering the current political climate, if the Dodgers win the World Series again and get an invite to the White House because of it, surely they will face a public-relations nightmare no matter their decision. But, given that Trump recently ended trade talks with Canada, if Torontos Blue Jays are crowned champions, will they even be offered an invitation? And, if so, would they ever accept? Even in sports, the world remains mired in moves of political " strategery ." Mitch Light, Carpinteria .. To the editor: I completely agree with everything guest contributor Christian B. Teeter wrote about American economic overreliance on China ( The real cost of Americas overreliance on trade with China, Oct. 26). It was intelligent, sane and based in fact. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But alas, there is an elephant in the global economy room. From the op-ed: The U.S. has always thrived in open economies governed by fair competition. The right response to our current challenge is deeper engagement with nations that share those principles countries like Japan, Australia, England, Canada . In the very same edition of the Los Angeles Times was this headline: Trump says he will impose extra 10% tariff on Canada over TV ad. When a president whose only strategy is retribution against perceived enemies has the authority (apparently) to throw tantrums against nations that share our principles, words like intelligence, sanity and fact have little bearing on our current reality. Bob Fey, Orange This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A murder suspect is facing life in prison after a deadly 2023 shooting near Lewisville High School. A jury sentenced Siang Thang to life in prison on October 24, according to a press release from the Denton County District Attorneys Office. He allegedly shot and killed 17-year-old Skylar Ashton Marquel Linson in Lewisville in September 2023. First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck told The Dallas Express that Thang was 16 at the time of the murder, but prosecutors certified him to stand trial as an adult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was senseless, Beck said. The jury was pretty clear that when you take a life in such a senseless, cold-blooded fashion, youre going to get life. This killing stemmed from another murder earlier that year. Taylor Hooker, 17, allegedly shot and killed Van Sui Uk, also 17, at a park in Lewisville on May 27, as Fox 4 reported. Hooker technically got out on bond, but was never released due to a different hold, according to Beck. She said this sparked outrage among the areas Chin residents, from Burma. They thought getting out on bond meant no criminal charges, Beck said. They thought Taylor Hooker got away with murder. The victim, Uk, was Thangs best friend. So the Flower Mound resident sought vengeance, according to Beck he wanted to avenge his death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Linson made rap videos, one of which mentioned the shooting of Van Sui Uk. This defendant just thinks, Okay, hes who I need to go after, Beck said. So Thang and Linson went back and forth on Instagram for close to three months. Eventually, Beck said, Thang lured Linson to Raising Canes in Lewisville at 4 p.m. on September 20, 2023. Linson was a student at Lewisville High School, which had just let out. He brought three friends. We believe he thinks hes showing up Weve been going back and forth on Instagram, lets duke this out. He shows up with no weapons, Beck said. As soon as this defendant gets a chance, he shoots him seven times, including the final shot which is after he drove around the parking lot, came back, and shot him one last time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It really was just very cold-blooded, she added. Responders brought Linson to Medical City Denton, where he died less than an hour later from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office. After the shooting, Thang allegedly fled the scene. But Beck said two good Samaritans jumped into action. One woman called 911 with the description and license plate of Thangs car, and one man called 911 as he followed the vehicle. Hes on 911 the whole time, Beck said. When Lewisville police caught up to the suspects car, he briefly tried to escape for close to 2 minutes, according to Beck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, he just puts the car in park, and gets out with his hands up and says, The guns in the front seat, Beck said. So he was caught within minutes, really, thanks to two good Samaritans. Lewisville police ultimately arrested Thang near 1800 Trinity Mills Road in Carrollton, according to the Cross Timbers Gazette. He was booked in the Denton County Jail on a murder charge. ADAs Karen Anders and Michelle Lowery prosecuted the suspect in court. Officers responded quickly after the initial shooting and identified the suspect after he left the scene in a vehicle. An officer initiated a traffic stop a short time later, and the suspect surrendered without incident, said Elizabeth Mayes, a department media representative, to The Dallas Express. The department appreciates the work of our detectives, patrol officers, and the collaborating agencies who ensured a safe and thorough investigation that led to this outcome. A Liberty County mother is accused of giving her three children alcohol and NyQuil before trying to drown them in a lake in what prosecutors called an "attempted murder-suicide plot." Jessica Quintana, 37, and her three children, ages 6, 11 and 15, were pulled from the water in the early morning hours of Sept. 29 in the 9100 block of FM 1008, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. Quintana's husband pulled the children from the water and called police, Capt. David Meyers said previously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quintana and her 11-year-old daughter were airlifted in critical condition to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, while the two other children were taken by ambulance, Meyers said. Quintana had no documented history of mental illness, he added. After being released from the hospital, Quintana was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of attempting to injure a child, a first-degree felony, and one count of attempted aggravated assault resulting in bodily injury, a second-degree felony, according to court records. She's being held in the Liberty County Jail on a combined $3 million bail. Quintana had allegedly formed two plans, Plan A and Plan B, to have her and her children escape the family home, District Attorney Jennifer Bergman said during a news conference Monday, streamed by Bluebonnet News. Plan A consisted of Quintana and her children packing their belongings and leaving the house while Plan B was only to be carried out if they were unable to leave. Quintana and her children were unsuccessful in attempting to leave the home on Sept. 28, Bergman said, though it's unclear why. The following morning, Quintana allegedly told her children to drink a mixture of alcohol and NyQuil until they "felt fuzzy" and then told them to roll themselves into the lake, or she would roll them "once they were knocked out." A toxicology report found the children had high levels of alcohol and acetaminophen in their systems, Bergman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quintana's husband, 61-year-old Domingo Quintana, was arrested and charged on Sept. 30 with animal cruelty after authorities discovered an emaciated cat on the family's property while investigating the attempted drowning. He has since posted a $5,000 bond, according to Liberty County Jail records. Bergman said Monday that the father would not face any charges in the attempted murder-suicide. Bergman also addressed rumors surrounding the suspension of Lt. Ramiro Lozano from the City of Liberty Police Department, after he visited and later picked up Domingo Quintana from jail. The interactions between Lozano and Domingo Quintana spurred the Texas Rangers to launch an investigation. The City of Liberty Police Department is also conducting an internal investigation regarding Lozano. "He was not employed by the Liberty County Sheriff's Office at this time, and he was not associated with this investigation in any manner," Bergman said Monday. A judge last month approved a temporary conservatorship for the three children, placing them with family members "who can assure their safety and continue to meet their needs," according to a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesperson. Bergman declined to comment on the status and condition of the children. This article originally published at Liberty County mother accused of giving kids alcohol, NyQuil before attempted drowning, DA says. Proposal 3 sign | Susan J. Demas Right to Life of Michigan, alongside several parents, have filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to their lawsuit against Gov. Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The suit in the appellate court seeks to argue that Proposal 3, which was a ballot initiative in 2022 that enshrined reproductive freedoms, including the right to an abortion, in the Michigan State Constitution, threatens parental rights related to a minor childs decision to seek an abortion, according to a press release from Right to Life of Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case was first filed in November 2023 in federal district court in the Western District of Michigan, where Judge Paul Maloney dismissed the case on Sept. 30, stating in his opinion that The court finds that Plaintiffs lack standing. The initial lawsuit sought to completely overturn Proposal 3, arguing that it violated multiple clauses of the U.S. Constitution, including the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The full text of the appeal has not yet been filed with the court, but Right to Life characterized it as a narrow appeal specifically centered on the issue of parental rights. They cite the Fourteenth Amendment specifically as protecting parental rights. The parents joining the appeal are identified as Celina Asberg, Grace Fisher, John Hubbard and Andrea Smith, all of whom were plaintiffs in the initial case. Not all of the parties in the initial case have joined the appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Todays appeal seeks to protect parental rights, which are now at unprecedented risk due to Proposal 3s broad language, said said Amber Roseboom, the president of Right to Life of Michigan in the groups press release. It shocks the conscience to see the rampant disregard for the role of parents in helping guide their children through decisions that will impact their mental and physical wellbeing, which is undeniably the case with abortion. The threat to parental consent for abortion would jeopardize a critical, long-standing safeguard in protecting children from harm, Roseboom continued. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) As the government shutdown nears almost a month, many Iowa and Nebraska Community Action programs are still staying funded, except for a couple. Community Action organizations said theyve received plenty of calls since the government shutdown began, with people worried about whether certain programs are still operational. We are running on 2025 funding. We are really trying to stay on top of all the updates, and at this point, were running normal as usual, said Amy Munderloh, the executive director of Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NENCAPs programs, like WIC and Head Start, already have funding allocated to them by the federal government and dont expire until next year. This is the case for many programs at the Community Action Agency of Siouxland as well. Story continues below However, the Community Services Block Grant, which distributes funds to Community Action Agency programs, and LIHEAP, a program that pays for a portion of the heating costs in low-income homes, could soon be impacted by the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Community Services Block Grant and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) both normally are funded by October 1, we would have those award amounts, that has not happened due to the shutdown, but because there has been some carryover money available, were able to continue our operations, said Jean Logan, the executive director of Community Action Agency of Siouxland. While people are still able to apply and qualify for LIHEAP, officials said assistance will be delayed. Last year, I think we didnt get funding probably for those first applications that we took until maybe the end of December or January, so I kind of tongue-in-cheek have been telling people expect delays,' said Logan. Those who are approved will still receive a moratorium, meaning if your heating bill isnt paid immediately, your electricity wont be shut off, but Logan advises everyone to pay what they can until funding arrives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your MidAmerican bill will continue to come through, and were hoping that you will pay what you can on that bill. And then in maybe January, whenever the money finally starts to flow from the fed, to the state, to us, and that then it appears as a credit on your bill for whatever that amount is, that you get, said Logan. Last year, the Action Agency of Siouxland helped 15,000 Woodbury County residents through their programs, while NENCAP assisted around 8,000 to 10,000 people across 14 Nebraska counties. Officials emphasized just how important these programs are to low-income families. We provide food, we provide housing, we provide case management, resource referral coordination, and without us being there to help. Id be afraid that, you know, families as well as elderly will go unserved, said Munderloh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can apply for LIHEAP starting November 1. For more information about the Community Action Agency of Siouxland, click here. And for more information regarding the Northeast Nebraska Community Action Partnership, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Lime, the e-bike rental company, is offering two free 30-minute rides to Atlanta residents from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4 as part of its Lime To The Polls initiative to celebrate Election Day. The initiative aims to reduce transportation barriers to voting by providing free rides during the early voting period and on Election Day. Lime has partnered with organizations such as Vote Early Day and When We All Vote to encourage voter participation and civic engagement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We believe transportation should never present a barrier to voting, Emily Salazar, director of Social Impact and Advocacy at Lime, said in a statement. By offering two free rides in celebration of Election Day, Lime is proud to highlight the importance of voting and engaging in the democratic process. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Limes promotion is available to all members of the public in Atlanta, with no requirement to be a registered voter or to vote in order to receive the free rides. This offer is independent of any election process and is intended solely to facilitate transportation for the community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since its inception, the Lime to the Polls program has supported more than 115,000 free or low-cost rides for over 84,000 riders to vote in local and national elections globally. Limes partners, Vote Early Day and When We All Vote, have been working with the company since 2020 to spread Get Out The Vote messages and offer free or discounted rides to celebrate Election Day. Lime is once again leading the way in making our democracy more accessible, Bryce Bennett, executive director of Vote Early Day, said. Bennet praised Limes efforts: By offering free scooter rides to early voting sites nationwide, theyre breaking down transportation barriers that too often keep people from the ballot box. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] NEED TO KNOW Lindsay Graham was caught calling Fox News host Sean Hannity from the Senate floor on Tuesday A congressional reporter shared that the South Carolina Republican was attempting to whisper the call into his phone, but his Siri replied at full volume Congress is currently locked in a stalemate as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark As the government shutdown nears the one-month mark, restless senators have been filling their free time with TV hits while negotiations to reopen the government stall. Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio shared an anecdote from the half-open U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Oct. 28, as South Carolina's senior senator, Lindsey Graham, was caught in an embarrassing moment, thanks to his iPhone's voice assistant, Siri. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Funny moment just now in the Senate: Lindsey Graham whispered something into his phone and then Siri responded with full volume: 'Calling Sean Hannity mobile,' " Desiderio posted on X. Replies ranged across the political spectrum. One commenter wrote, "If any Democrat senator had this happen on the Senate floor... 'Calling Rachel Maddow mobile,' the R party and their Fox News soldiers would be covering it nonstop for a week." Another brushed it off, commenting, "Yes, its extremely embarrassing for Lindsey Graham that we now know he still uses Siri." Graham directly addressed the moment in a statement to PEOPLE, saying, Siri: Tell my friends at PEOPLE to watch more Fox News. Why was I calling Sean Hannity? Breaking news: I like his show and Ill be a guest tonight! Tune in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Desiderio also reported on what progress was being made in regards to the shutdown, noting that both parties were considering proposing one-topic "rifle-shot" bills in order to fund crucial needs that are about to be majorly impacted, like military salaries and SNAP food benefits. After individual states started to notify citizens about the upcoming suspension of benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a notice on its website this week, blaming congressional Democrats for keeping the government shutdown as they "hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures." The shutdown began on Oct. 1 and is the second-longest on record. The largest point of contention is related to the Affordable Care Act, with Democrats seeking to quickly extend ACA tax credits to prevent healthcare premiums from dramatically rising for millions of Americans. Despite overwhelming public support, Republicans have refused to budge on the issue, saying they can negotiate after the government reopens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Siri slip-up isn't the first time Graham's been caught in an eyebrow-raising moment. In May 2022, a CNN broadcast played audio of Graham seemingly criticizing Donald Trump for taking things "too far" and praising Joe Biden as the "best person" to lead the country in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. "We will actually come out of this thing stronger. Moments like this reset. It'll take a while. People will calm down," Graham said in audio recorded on the day of the attack, after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin, who was conducting the interview, then asked, "And Biden will be better, right?" "Yeah, totally, he'll be maybe the best person to have, right?" the lawmaker said. "I mean, how mad can you get at Joe Biden?" Read the original article on People Lithuania has closed its border with Belarus following constant violations of its airspace, the countrys foreign ministry announced Monday, at a time when European nations are on high alert for intrusions into their skies. Dozens of helium balloons have entered Lithuanias airspace from Belarus over recent days, according to Inga Ruginiene, the countrys prime minister. Autocrats are once again testing the resilience of (the European Union) and NATO against hybrid threats, she said Monday in a post on X, calling for a united, resolute response against the airspace violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a press conference, Ruginiene said that her countrys armed forces would take all necessary measures to shoot down balloons, Reuters reported. In this way, we are again sending a signal that we are ready and we are ready to take even the most severe actions when our airspace is violated, she said. In response to the border closure, Belarus foreign ministry said it has handed Lithuania a note of protest over the move. This violates citizens rights and freedom of movement principles. Belarus supports dialogue and practical cooperation, the ministry said in a post on X. In this undated photo released by the State Border Guard Service, an officer inspects a balloon used to carry cigarettes into Lithuania. - State Border Guard Service/AP Earlier this month, dozens of small hot-air balloons entered Lithuanian airspace, some of which were carrying smuggled cigarettes, according to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though it was not clear where those balloons came from, Darius Buta, a senior adviser at Lithuanias National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) told the Associated Press at the time that Belarusian smugglers are increasingly using balloons for smuggling cigarettes into the EU. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, called Mondays violations a hybrid threat, describing them as destabilization and provocation. Europe stands in full solidarity with Lithuania in the face of the persistent incursions of helium smuggling balloons into its airspace, she said. Europe is on high alert after multiple recent incursions by drones and aircraft into NATO airspace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The alliance launched the mission Eastern Sentry to reinforce its presence in Eastern Europe and counter Russias threat. On September 9, Poland shot down Russian drones that had violated its airspace. The operation marked the first time shots were fired by NATO since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The military alliance denounced Moscows absolutely dangerous behavior. Russia claims it did not deliberately fly its drones into Poland, suggesting Ukrainian electronic jamming may have caused them to veer off course. Days later, Russian drones violated Romanian airspace, prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NATO has also intercepted three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets that violated Estonias airspace. Russia claims its jets never crossed into NATO airspace, but the alliance says it has data to prove its claim. European leaders have vowed to increase pressure on Moscow to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NATO member Lithuania today authorized the shooting down of balloons that cross the border from Russias ally Belarus, after as many as 66 balloons were spotted by Lithuanian radar overnight. The Lithuanian government has described the balloon incursion as a hybrid attack and has closed its border with Belarus temporarily, for now. The balloon incident is the latest airspace incursion on NATOs eastern flank, as tensions between the alliance and Russia grow against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Lithuania has also said it is considering calling for talks under NATOs Article 4, which discusses a response when the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any of the parties is threatened. Lithuania spent much of last week battling balloons literally. For 4 days over the last week, smuggling balloons from Belarus disrupted air traffic and shut down airports. Officials call it a crisis and psychological operation meant to test Lithuanias resilience. In pic.twitter.com/O8uoUFp2T5 Linas Kojala (@LinasKojala) October 27, 2025 Some of the helium balloons involved were assessed by Lithuanian authorities to weigh between 110 and 130 pounds, making them a significant threat to aircraft operating in Lithuanian airspace. Initially, it was reported that at least some of them were being used to smuggle goods primarily cigarettes across the border. These would typically be recovered once landed, using location tags to find them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the cigarette cargoes may well be true, it doesnt rule out the possibility that the balloons were sent as a deliberate provocation, with, at the very least, Moscows approval. It may also be the case that Belarus is simply turning a blind eye to the contraband balloons, knowing they will drift into the airspace of its NATO neighbor. The Lukashenka regime continues its hybrid war against last night, more weather balloons crossed into Lithuania. We support s firm response, while calling to keep the borders open for honest Belarusians. Only a free, democratic Belarus can end these threats to Europe. pic.twitter.com/kwCJGLqvYj Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) October 27, 2025 It should be noted that balloons of different types are widely used in the war in Ukraine. Russia employs balloons extensively as decoys to stimulate, distract and gain intelligence on Ukrainian air defenses. This mission is a long-established one for balloons and Russia has looked to weaponized balloons throughout the Cold War. Ukraine, meanwhile, has developed balloons to help locate drone operators, as you can read about here. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene pledged to shoot down any further balloons disrupting the Lithuanian airspace. This would likely involve Lithuanias Air Defense Battalion, which is equipped with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), the shorter-range RBS 70 and Avenger systems, as well as various man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). The stocks of some of these systems have been depleted by transfers of equipment to Ukraine after the full-scale invasion. A Lithuanian Air Defense Battalion NASAMS launcher deployed in defense of Vilnius Airport. Lithuanian Armed Forces Lithuania does not operate fighter jets, but is protected by NATOs Baltic Air Policing detachments, with Hungarian Air Force Gripens and Spanish Air Force Typhoons currently stationed at Siauliai, in Lithuania. Ground-based air defense systems from other NATO members are similarly deployed to Lithuania on a rotational basis, too. Spanish Air Force Typhoons take part in Operation Eastern Sentry, while deployed to Siauliai in Lithuania, as the Vilkas detachment. Spanish Air and Space Force However, as we have discussed in detail in relation to balloons in U.S. airspace in 2023, even when these are very large targets, they are by no means easy to bring them down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lithuania has also now closed its roughly 400-mile eastern border with Belarus in what is currently described as a temporary move enacted by the countrys border force. The government is meanwhile discussing whether the border closure will be extended indefinitely, something that is expected to be approved during a government meeting planned for Wednesday. Belarus has described the temporary border closure as a provocation. A map showing the border between Lithuania and Belarus, including the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Google Maps No hybrid attack will be tolerated, said Prime Minister Ruginiene at a press conference today. We will take the strictest possible measures to stop such actions. Autocrats are once again testing the resilience of EU and NATO against hybrid threats. In recent days, dozens of helium balloons from Belarus have entered our airspace drifting toward major airports and disrupting civil aviation. This calls for a united, resolute response: Inga Ruginiene (@IRuginiene) October 27, 2025 Deividas Matulionis, a senior advisor to the Lithuanian president, said the balloon incursions were part of a hybrid psychological operation seeking to disrupt the everyday life of Lithuanians. We very much hope that immediate action will be taken, but there should also be very strong diplomatic action and certain legal measures, which should be approved as soon as possible, he said. Without mentioning Russia directly, Ruginiene and Matulionis were pointing to the growing threat posed to NATO and the European Union by a variety of unorthodox types of warfare, ranging from sabotage of critical infrastructure to manipulation of the information space in an effort to undermine Western democracies. In such incidents, Russia has always denied any responsibility, but Western suspicions generally center around potential Kremlin motives, especially after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Europe stands in full solidarity with Lithuania in the face of the persistent incursions of helium smuggling balloons into its airspace. This is destabilisation. This is provocation. We call it by its name: a hybrid threat. We will not tolerate it. This is yet another reason Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 27, 2025 Ruginiene explained that, if the border is closed indefinitely, there will be only very limited exceptions for Lithuanian and EU citizens, as well as diplomatic mail. All other movement will be halted, she confirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incursions overnight were the latest in a string of similar disruptions over the course of last week. Vilnius Airport, Lithuanias biggest hub, was closed on four separate occasions. In total, more than 170 flights were disrupted by cancellations, diversions, and delays over the course of the week, the airport operator said. This evening air traffic at Kaunas and Vilnius Airports was temporarily suspended. According to initial reports, the decision to restrict the airspace was caused by meteorological balloons. The airspace restrictions are in effect until 10:00 p.m. Lithuanian Airports (@LTairports) October 24, 2025 Last Thursday, Lithuania summoned a Russian diplomat to protest what it says was the entry of two Russian military aircraft into its airspace. The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said a Russian Su-30 Flanker fighter and an Il-78 Midas tanker flying from Kaliningrad passed through Lithuanian airspace for around 2,300 feet before leaving after 18 seconds, probably during aerial refueling training. The Russian SU-30 and IL-78 aircraft crossed about 700 metres into Lithuanian territory near Kybartai, staying in our airspace for 18 seconds. This incident once again shows the reality of our region. Together with our Allies, we must keep strengthening our defence capabilities. https://t.co/njpFxMUoMM Lithuanian MOD (@Lithuanian_MoD) October 23, 2025 Russias defense ministry denied the incursion had taken place. The flights were conducted in strict compliance with the rules for using airspace above Russian territory. The aircraft did not violate the borders of other states, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As to what comes next, Lithuania has said it is not ruling out Article 4 talks over the balloons. The procedure has only been used nine times in the alliances history. Most recently, it was triggered by Poland and Estonia after Russian airspace violations in September. Our response will determine how far autocrats dare to go, Ruginiene said. There have also been suggestions that Lithuania might extend the border closure to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, to the west, or at least restrict transit across the frontier. The incursions in Lithuanian airspace follow an incident last month, during which three Russian MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors spent 12 minutes in Estonian airspace, as you can read about here. Following a violation of Estonian air space, Swedish JAS 39 fighters intercepted and monitored three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets over the Baltic Sea today. Sweden is always ready to ensure the safety, security and integrity of our airspace together with our allies.#WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/gpTbmngiKc Forsvarsmakten (@Forsvarsmakten) September 19, 2025 Ahead of that, Polish authorities counted 19 Russian drones that entered the countrys airspace, in what Polish authorities described as an attempt to test our capabilities and responses. Some of those drones were shot down by Polish and Dutch combat aircraft. You can catch up to our reporting on the incident in our story here. Last night, Polands airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. Our assessment is that they did not veer off course but were deliberately targeted. Poland, EU and NATO will not be intimidated and we will continue to stand by the brave people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/prAEqrIUKX Radosaw Sikorski (@sikorskiradek) September 10, 2025 Overall, the last few months have seen unprecedented chaos for European civil aviation, with Russia being widely suspected as the main culprit. Other drone incursions have disrupted the airports in Copenhagen, Munich, and the Baltic region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the latest incidents in Lithuania, theres a growing consensus in NATO and the EU that these airspace violations are not isolated incidents. Instead, in the words of Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, they are calculated provocations designed to destabilize, distract, [and] test NATOs resolve. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com LITTLE ROCK, Ark. As Hurricane Melissa roars toward Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, one Little Rock man is keeping a close eye on the island he still calls home. Michael Phillips, owner of Wah Gwaan Caribbean Grill in Little Rock, said his heart is with his family back in Jamaica as they brace for the storm. Well, I got my mom in Jamaica. And Ive got brothers and sisters in Jamaica. And cousins and aunties. And uncles. So, Ive got a whole entourage in Jamaica, Phillips said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hurricane Melissa explodes into Category 4 storm, expected to hit Jamaica Phillips is preparing to open a new location for his restaurant, but his thoughts are far from business this week. Were always going to worry about family when it comes to something like this, he said. We will always, because it comes down to the people that we love. Phillips said his mothers home is made of concrete, but the flooding expected with the storm worries him most. Once its over, thats when the real problem comes in, he said. Because now school is going to open back. People are going to have to go to work, so theyre going to need stuff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the hurricane approaches, Phillips has been making frequent calls to his family, checking in and offering support from afar. We dont worry about it taking their life where theyre at because I know theyre safe, he said. But were worried about what gets destroyed, what they lose. Arkansas Storm Team Blog: Melissa reaching potentially historic strength Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica early Tuesday morning. Phillips said all he can do now is wait and hope his family weathers the storm safely. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. Amid a fierce backlash to President Donald Trumps decision to demolish the White Houses East Wing, administration officials have been eager to try to tamp down the outrage. The White House says it is working to protect and preserve the historical artifacts found in the East Wing, the structure that has housed the Office of the First Lady since the 1940s. And First lady Melania Trumps staff is currently working in the White Houses main building, according to a White House official. But much may be lost in the rubble regardless and not just physical items of note according to Katherine Jellison, a historian at Ohio University and a scholar of first ladies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those of us who do oral histories interviewing former first ladies, their children, their staff members a place like the East Wing is a physical structure that can spark those kinds of memories, she said in an interview with POLITICO Magazine. It was my living nightmare last week when I saw those first visual images, she said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. The White House says its working to properly archive items from the East Wing, but are you concerned with the demolition of the structure itself? I'm very concerned, and everyone I know who studies first ladies and studies architectural history, people who study the history of the presidency, everyone in my orbit, is very concerned that all of this was done so quickly, without consulting with organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before we were even warned, professional historians and others, we saw bulldozers bringing the place down. Was due diligence done to preserve important records, important artifacts, important objects? We really don't know. It is my worst fear coming to fruition. The minute I heard that Mr. Trump had designs on building this ballroom structure, I was concerned about the historical integrity of the White House, and concerned about whether or not portions of the White House would be taken down to accommodate it, and what would happen to records and objects. It was my living nightmare last week when I saw those first visual images. Can you think of any lesser-known historical tidbits about the East Wing that may be lost to history? You may have seen this quotation from Betty Ford, that If the West Wing is the mind of the nation, then the East Wing is the heart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not only am I concerned about papers and artifacts, but without the structure there to trigger people's memories that could be captured in oral histories what happened in this particular room, do you remember how this room was decorated for Christmas or Easter? Those of us who do oral histories interviewing former first ladies, their children, their staff members a place like the East Wing is a physical structure that can spark those kinds of memories. What is the historical significance of the East Wing and what did its expansion in 1942 signal about the role of first lady? Before the expansion of the 1940s, it was more a terrace area, as opposed to a significant office building. And then when it was expanded in the early 1940s, we had the person who still arguably was our most active and activist first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a dynamo, in part because her husband was paralyzed and in a wheelchair, and things were certainly not accessible. So she needed to be someone who was very active and went places that her husband couldn't go and would report back to him. But also she was motivated by her own desire to change American society. Although the East Wing as we knew it was constructed to cover an underground bunker during World War II, it's appropriate that this office building structure that was built on top of the bunker would be constructed at the time that Eleanor Roosevelt was first lady because she was such a strong presence in American society, so busy, so involved politically, and had a larger role than a first lady had ever had before, and set the precedent for first ladies being very high profile in American society and expected to play a very public, substantial role in their husband's administration. Some who have worked in the East Wing say it was actually pretty run down and in urgent need of upgrades. Whats your reaction to that? There were concerns about cramped space for official functions, state dinners, etc. So it wouldn't surprise me in the least that there needed to be some upgrading and some expansion. But in consultation with groups I mentioned who could say, What are ways that we can keep the general character of this building, rather than knocking it down and starting from scratch. There has been a real public backlash to the destruction of the East Wing; why do you think thats the case? The secretive nature of this project all of a sudden there's a bulldozer and we're seeing gaping holes in the White House I think that is why maybe some people on the political right have been upset, because they just see that as a continuation of the deep state. On the political left, it's a strong metaphor for the way they've always characterized both of Trumps terms: This guy is tearing down all the norms. We now have a visual metaphor for that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's just this dark visual that bothers people. Ever since the tear-down project began early last week, I have heard more than I've ever heard the term the people's house. The American people own this house and care about this house, and are used to thinking about it and seeing it in a certain way, and to have this just ugly, empty space there now, it rubs people the wrong way. You know the old saying, A picture paints 1000 words? The picture of that empty space is painting thousands of words to Americans who, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum, are seeing this as something they don't like. How do you think this demolition fits into the broader story about the current first ladys role in the White House? In what we might call the television age onward into the internet age so from Jackie Kennedy forward first ladies have been seen and heard from on a very regular basis. Mrs. Trump was low-profile in the first Trump administration, and even lower profile in the second Trump administration. If we're talking about metaphors, the fact that there's not a first ladys office in the now-absent East Wing sort of speaks to Melania Trump's current role as first lady, which is largely unseen and unheard. PLATTSBURGH This Election Day, Clinton County voters will choose between Republican Jerika Manning and Democrat Brandi Lloyd in the county clerk race. Both candidates hope to succeed long-time Republican Clerk John Zurlo, who died one year into his seventh four-year term in December 2024. Zurlo was first elected in 1995. The Press-Republican asked each candidate two questions leading up to the general election Tuesday: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What do you see as the most pressing issue in the clerks office, and what would you do to address it? MANNING From the perspective of the Clerks Office, the biggest challenge is service efficiency in the DMV. Residents shouldnt have to deal with long waits, slow processing or unnecessary red tape when handling basic tasks like DMV services. Improving efficiency starts with putting people first. The clerks office isnt just about paperwork its about service. That means investing in better systems, streamlining procedures and supporting staff so they can provide prompt, courteous assistance. It also means creating an environment where every person who walks through the door feels respected and valued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive spent the last decade focused on improving efficiency and community-centered service in both my business and local organizations. I look forward to continuing that work in the Clerks Officemaking it a place that runs smoothly, serves everyone well, and truly works for the people of Clinton County. LLOYD The most pressing issue in the clerks office is efficiency, particularly when it comes to reducing wait times at the DMV and improving customer service at the DMV. If elected, Ill make improving efficiency my top priority. That starts with the institution of dedicated cashiers for different types of transactions: one for licenses, one for registrations and a third for quick transactions such as fee payments, abstracts and duplicate titles. This structure will streamline services and prevent longer transactions from holding up the line. I also plan to implement a take-a-number system so customers can check in, take a seat and wait comfortably instead of standing in line. This will also help staff manage workflow more efficiently and keep the process moving smoothly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would like to introduce a dedicated drop box for plate surrenders, allowing customers to quickly and conveniently return their plates without waiting in line. Lastly, we will explore a hybrid operating model that includes several appointment slots available daily to better accommodate customers with busy schedules while still maintaining the convenience of walk-in availability. ----- What future do you see for the clerks office, and how would you work to achieve that if elected? MANNING I see a modern, people-focused clerks office, one that combines efficiency with approachability. The future should include smarter systems, more convenient options for residents and a culture that values both professionalism and compassion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If elected, Ill work toward that by continuing to evaluate and modernize operations, strengthening communication with the public and ensuring that staff has the tools they need to succeed. My goal is to make the clerks office not just a government service center, but a trusted resource that reflects the best of Clinton County efficient, respectful, and community-driven. LLOYD I see a future where the Clinton County Clerks Office is known for being efficient and people-centered. This office touches nearly every resident at some point whether through the DMV, land records, or vital documents and it should reflect the professionalism our community deserves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If elected, Ill work to build that future by modernizing operations where needed and improving accessibility. That means continuing to look for technology upgrades that make transactions faster and more accurate, while maintaining the personal service that people value. Well improve transparency and communication by upgrading the clerks office website to make it more user friendly, and by launching an official social media page to share helpful tips, answer common questions and provide updates in real time. I also plan to introduce a monthly newsletter from the County Clerk to keep residents informed about services and community initiatives. By combining these communication improvements with clear procedures and efficient service, I know we can make the clerks office a model of good government one that runs smoothly and operates with transparency and professionalism. Thats the kind of leadership Ill bring as your next Clinton County Clerk, focused on service, professionalism, and results for the people of Clinton County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CANDIDATE BIOS MANNING Name: Jerika Mae Manning Age: 33 Party: Republican/Conservative Occupation: Self-Employed, Business owner Procurement: Logging & Transportation Industry. Education: Chateauguay Valley Regional High School Bi-Lingual Diploma 2009; CEGEP Champlain St. Lambert. Social Studies Diploma 2012; Concordia University. Certificate in Human Relations/Community Service 2013; CEGEP John Abbott College. Professional Degree in Youth & Adult Correctional Intervention. Civic organizations: Member Mooers Board of Assessment Review; Member Mooers Zoning Board of Appeals; Member of the Dannemora Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee; NYSGOP State Committee Woman; Chairwoman, Clinton County Republican Committee; Rouses Point Stars and Stripes Committee member; Executive Officer of North Country Honor Flight; Co-Founder of Memorial Day Community Car Show in Altona, NY; Co-Founder and Director of Ladies of Liberty US Ltd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family: Engaged LLOYD Name: Brandi Lloyd Age: 52 Party: Democratic Occupation: Deputy Commissioner, Clinton County Board of Elections (2016 present) Education: State University of New York Plattsburgh Bachelor of Arts, Communications (May 1996); Clinton Community College Associate of Arts (May 1994); Chazy Central Rural School (1992) Civic organizations: Joint Council for Economic Opportunity of Clinton and Essex Counties, Inc. Board of Directors (present); Clinton County Democratic Committee Chair (2022-2025) Family: Matt Lloyd (husband, married 29 years); Ben Lloyd (son, 23 years old); Bailey (golden retriever, 5 years old); Brewer (golden retriever, 3 years old) DUGGER, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) Earlier this month, we told you how a Sullivan County man hopes to become the first blind person to complete whats called the Explorers Grand Slam. He is now one climbing experience away from doing it. The challenge includes climbing the highest peaks on every continent and trekking to the North and South Poles. Earlier this month, we caught up with Bedwell as he packed for his trip to Australia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bedwell posted on social media that hes now climbed all of the highest peaks, conquering the final peak in the land down under. He has also gone to the South Pole. The only thing left to do in order to complete the grand slam is by going to the North Pole. The Dugger man lost his sight more than 28 years ago in a hunting incident. He was accidentally shot in the face by his best friend. He uses his disability to inspire others to dream big. Believe in yourself. Dont ever question your value, your worth, your purpose, said Bedwell. WTWO has followed Bedwell as hes trekked to the South Pole and as he climbed the worlds tallest mountain, Mount Everest. The mountain he said was the most challenging. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local blind man wants to complete Explorers Grand Slam The altitude and just the longevity of it. 47 days to get to the summit, said Bedwell. To achieve his goal, Bedwell climbs with sighted climbers. He said he follows sounds and their directions. He trains for each climb by jogging a 7 and half mile route near his home. He also uses a stationary bike and a climbing machine. Bedwell said at times we all face struggles and offers this advice. Believe you can do so much more than you think you can. So face that adversity. Just take another step, said Bedwell. Take another step and climb your mountain just as Bedwell plans to do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PHOTOS: Local blind veterans trek to peak of Mt. Everest Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyWabashValley.com. The recent closing of Amelia Island Brewing Company is part of a larger trend of breweries shutting down across the nation. So far in 2025, Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery closed. But so did Jekyll Brewing, RagTime Tavern, and Ancient City Brewing in St. Augustine. Those were just some of the locally owned breweries forced to close this year. And now the latest victim, Amelia Island Brewing Company. The Brewers Associations 2024 annual craft brewing industry production report found that last year, more breweries closed than opened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Annual Craft Brewing Industry Production Report A new Gallup poll found that only 54% of U.S. adults consume alcohol, the lowest number theyve recorded in nearly 90 years. U.S. Drinking Rate at New Low as Alcohol Concerns Surge Across the board, everyone is seeing a downturn in the market right now, Ron Gamble, Brewmaster and President of Veterans United Craft Brewery, said. Gamble says hes seen the spike in the number of breweries closing across northeast Florida. Despite an apparent drop in alcohol consumption and studies pointing to health risks associated with drinking, Gamble thinks the closures have more to do with rising costs than anything else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of the costs have been going up over the last several years, ever since COVID. You know, with the latest tariffs, if youre buying products, like we buy products and raw materials out of Canada, so were having to face an increase in the tariff costs, Gamble said. We reached out to Amelia Island Brewing Company to find out why they are closing their doors. You can read their statement here: After serving the community for over 10 years Amelia Island Brewing Company is closing on Nov. 5th for regular service. This choice was not made lightly, the ever growing complexity of the food and beverage industry was a major factor- including managing fluctuations in food costs & shifts in the labor markets etc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AIBC is one of few independent restaurants on the island to offer health insurance reimbursement and other like benefits. We have offered a two week working notice and two week severance to assist our amazing team in their transition. We are very proud of the brand they have helped to build and we are thankful for a community that has supported us all these years. We hope everyone comes out on the evening of Nov. 7th to support our team as the company bids the community a final farewell and we float as many of our remaining kegs of locally brewed beer as we can. Cheers. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A local stand-up comedian is being accused of stealing $200 from a womans purse during a road rage incident last week that went viral on social media, according to court documents obtained by KTSM 9 News. Alfredo Marquez was arrested and booked into the El Paso County jail last week on Thursday, Oct. 23, for criminal mischief and robbery, according to jail records. Jail records also show a traffic violation was issued to Marquez on July 31 for an issue with his brake lights and driving with no or an expired drivers license, with a $35,000 cash or surety bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents say last week, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, officers were dispatched to 7870 N Mesa in reference to a robbery. Upon arrival, officers met with the victim, a woman, who told police that she was traveling along the 4800 block of N Desert and intended to merge into the turning lane to turn on Mesa. The woman told police that she thought there was space to enter the lane, but then her vehicle collided with Marquezs vehicle. After the crash, the woman got out of her vehicle to exchange insurance information with Marquez, who began yelling at the victim, You hit me, b****. Stupid a**, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While yelling, Marquez also aggressively approached the woman, which led the woman to return to her vehicle and call the police, according to court documents. As the woman entered her SUV and tried to close the door, Marquez stopped the door from closing, took the womans phone from her hand, and threw it across the roadway into a dirt area, according to court documents. The woman then told Marquez to stop and she exited the SUV to retrieve her phone. While the woman went to retrieve her phone, she told police that Marquez opened the door to her SUV, reached inside the vehicle, and took $200 from the womans purse, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The woman then approached Marquez in an attempt to stop him, to which Marquez then turned around and pushed the woman to the ground, according to court documents. The woman then told Marquez, Hey, you took my money. I have insurance, give it back, and Marquez then said to the victim, Ill f*** you up b****. Ill f*** you up and fled the scene. A video posted online by FitFam went viral, showing the incident, where Marquez can be seen opening the womans SUV door, grabbing her phone, and throwing it across North Desert Boulevard near Mesa Street. Marquez is also seen pushing the woman, who is seen falling to the ground. Several witnesses are also seen approaching Marquez in defense of the woman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. **Related Video Above: How to report a missing person LAKE COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) The Lake County Sheriffs Office announced a missing 12-year-old boy has been found Tuesday. Sheriff Frank Leonbruno said the boy was found by search teams and has been deemed OK. The sheriff thanked everyone for their help during the search. Early Tuesday morning, at about 6 a.m., the sheriffs office posted a picture of the 12-year-old on Facebook and said he was last seen around 3 p.m. on Monday near Hale Road, heading into the woods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New TJ MAXX and HomeGoods stores opening in NE Ohio Around 11 a.m. Tuesday, deputies released another photo that showed what he was wearing last night. Summit County officials pass emergency legislation to help SNAP recipients We are asking anyone with security cameras residing in the area of Park and Hale Road to check them for any possible sightings of [the boy] after 3 p.m. yesterday, stated in the original post. Anyone with information was asked to call the Lake County Sheriffs Office at 440-354-3434. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Leaders in North and South Carolina are taking action to address a potential hunger crisis as federal funding for food assistance is expected to run out by the end of the week due to the government shutdown. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined a federal lawsuit alongside other states, requesting that the federal government use emergency funds to continue food assistance benefits. Meanwhile, South Carolinas governor has activated a special fund to support food banks in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ALSO READ: SNAP payments were late to many recipients in Mecklenburg County, report reveals No single nonprofit can fill in the gap of a SNAP cut... that is our countrys first line of defense against hunger, said Danielle Moore, Chief Operating Officer of Nourish Up. Nourish Up, a local food bank, reported that 3,000 people sought food assistance last week, an increase from its average of 2,700 people per week. The organization expects demand to rise further when SNAP benefits are paused on November 1st. Danielle Moore, Nourish Ups Chief Operating Officer, shared that her team is preparing for increased demand by buying more food and expanding pantry hours, despite losing hundreds of thousands of dollars from federal funding cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moore noted a 20% increase in need during October, with more furloughed and unpaid federal workers seeking food assistance. Nourish Up anticipates the pause in SNAP benefits will impact over 140,000 people in Mecklenburg County. Moore emphasized that no one should have to choose between shelter or a meal, encouraging people to prioritize bills and seek food assistance from Nourish Up. With federal funding cuts looming, local food banks like Nourish Up are bracing for increased demand and preparing to support families affected by the pause in SNAP benefits. For those who would like to apply for food assistance, they can call 704-523-4333 or visit https://nourishup.org. This website can also be used for people who would like to volunteer. VIDEO: SNAP payments were late to many recipients in Mecklenburg County, report reveals Editors note: This story corrects a typo on one of the names of the participating organizations. We regret the error. BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) A local nonprofit is seeking to help feed families in need on Tuesday morning and is looking for assistance. Led by nonprofit United Way Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, their goal is to provide over 140,000 meals to families across the Valley. Theyre looking for volunteers to lead a meal packing line. Also collaborating with United Way Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley is Direction Home of Eastern Ohio and Meals of Hope to help distribute food across the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event starts at 9:30 a.m. at the United Way Volunteer Resource Center on Market Street in Boardman. Supplies, training, and equipment will be provided. The meals packed will be distributed through Gleaners Food Bank, MYCAP, United Way, and Heart Reach Ministries, reaching older adults and families throughout the region in the coming weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Former President Barack Obama greets then-Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell during the inauguration of President Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 20, 2021. (Photo by Susan Walsh - Pool/Getty Images) A few days ago, Bobbie Coleman the chairperson of the Hardin County Republican Party shared an AI video on the county partys Facebook page with former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama portrayed as grinning apes. Coleman took the video down and eventually posted an apology, which began, Earlier today, I shared a video from social media that was intended to celebrate President Trumps successful policy achievements by depicting him as a Lion King, triumphing over liberal Democrats. She closed with, I believe the Republican Party is the vehicle to save our country from the far-left and I look forward to continuing to support our Republican candidates and Make America Great Again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Obamas left the White House almost nine years ago. Other than being Black, what do they have to do with Trumps alleged policy achievements? With making America great again? With supporting Republican candidates? With their obsession to save our country from the far-left? Whats odd about todays latent obsession with Barack and Michelle Obama is how little their obsession has to do with policy. If anything, Obama as president is viewed by those on the far-left (Colemans word choice in her apology) as someone who was not all that liberal, as someone who played it too careful and too close to the center. But realities like these do not matter in Trumps Republican Party. Obama, almost a decade post-presidency, is not a cartoon figure for todays Make America Great Again crowd because he is influencing policy. Obama is a MAGA cartoon figure because he is Black. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Racism sells. At the end of Kentuckys 2024 General Assembly, I wrote a recap of what Id witnessed over the course of those many weeks titled, Undercurrent of racism fueled this legislative session. This is not a title a writer chooses without a pretty long list of strong, supporting evidence. There was Senate Bill 6 and House Bill 9 that year which aimed to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion DEI in our education system and would pass in the next session because, hey, who needs diversity? There was Sen. Gerald Neals proposed Crown Act, a repeat bill that never gets anywhere, which would have outlawed discrimination on the basis of a hairstyle historically associated with a persons race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was Rep. Jennifer Decker (who is white) telling an NAACP audience that her white father was a slave and then doubling down on the claim when asked to explain. There was Rep. Jason Nemes (who is white) ranting in anger at Rep. Derrick Graham (who is Black) for daring to tell the truth on the House floor about how the Jefferson Davis statue was taken out for a reason, the reason being that he led the Confederacy, which was built on the backs of slaves, and the insurrection that kicked off the Civil War. And later in 2024, a bunch of white university presidents prostrated themselves before the interim education committee in our state Capitol, assuring them that they were not, no-way-no-how, teaching diversity of thought or helping people of color in their education systems, even as one brave Black woman sat right there in the front row wearing a bright red t-shirt that read in bold white letters, Make America Not Racist for the First Time. Racism is not a side item in todays Republican Party, with its masked ICE agents profiling brown people on the streets; its a main menu selling point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president told a gaggle of reporters on Air Force One Monday that U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett is a low-IQ person which is the same derogatory statement he makes regularly about professional Black women, insisting they cant be smart because theyre Black. And speaking of women because GOP misogyny runs in the same creek as their racism a 35 year-old Louisville Republican named Calvin Leach is currently running for state Senate after once writing in an online article in that young women are promiscuous skanks, coddled americunts, party whores and damn sloots (internet slang for slut). When asked about this in an interview with Kentucky Public Radio, Leach described his writing as dating advice, saying that diversity, equity and inclusion has gotten out of hand. It is notable that I also wrote during the same 2024 General Assembly that was fueled by racism that our GOP supermajority is often nothing but a good old boy, misogynistic, frat-house-like romp masquerading as serious lawmaking. With Leach as a candidate, it appears they like it this way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Apologies for the digression. There is so much rampant sexism and racism in the KY GOP, its hard to keep up. If the Republican Party of Kentucky does not want to be viewed as racist if they do not want their leaders out in the counties posting racist videos they might start by not telling tall tales about how their white fathers were slaves, by passing bills *allowing* Black people to wear their natural hair at work, by not obsessing about how one whiff of diversity or Black history might dare appear on a college syllabus. Racism greeted Obama in both his primary and general election campaigns in 2008, Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote in his book, We Were Eight Years in Power. Photos were circulated of him in Somali garb. Rush Limbaugh dubbed him Barack the Magic Negro. After Obama won the presidency in defiance of these racial headwinds, traffic to the white-supremacist website Stormfront increased sixfold. We will soon approach two decades since Obamas 2008 campaign, but overt racism is alive and well here in the commonwealth. Just last week the Frankfort Police Department advised the public that KKK propaganda was strewn around and that they were looking for ring-cam footage and any other evidence of the perpetrators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I watched and rewatched the video posted on social media by the GOP chairperson in Hardin County, opening as it does with Barack and Michelle Obama portrayed as grinning apes, and I was not surprised. I read and reread the article about KY GOP candidate Calvin Leach and his use of promiscuous skanksand worse to describe women, and I was not surprised. Lets face it, you arent either. NILES, Ohio (WKBN) Come November, families could be without access to food stamps if the government shutdown lingers much longer, so a local restaurant wanted to step up to make sure the community thats supported them is taken care of. Read next: Warren Family Mission tries to help those who get SNAP benefits Edamame Ramen Hibachi and Sushi was offering free meals Tuesday for local residents. The giveaway was from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You could get two meals per EBT card your card must match your ID or you could get a free meal if youre 60 or older with a valid ID. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The restaurant said theyve been embraced by the community in Niles and wanted to give back. And the line was stretching out the door. We want to be grateful because weve received a lot of support from the community, said manager Komang Pramesti. Weve been here for three years and were always busy. We have a lot of regular customers some come three times a week so we just want to be grateful to spread the kindness to the community. This is the first time theyve done a giveaway like this, and the restaurant says theyre grateful for the support they received. They served more than 500 meals to residents in four hours. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. The Mad River Local Schools Board of Education announced Christopher Fox as the new treasurer during a meeting held on October 27th. Fox will replace the current treasurer, Jerry Ellender, who will retire at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Fox graduated from Stebbins High School in 2003 and earned a bachelors degree from Wright State University in finance. According to a spokesperson, before taking the treasurer position at Mad River Local Schools, Fox was the Assistant Treasurer at the Montgomery County Educational Service Center (ESC) and at Huber Heights City Schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2015, Fox returned to the Montgomery County ESC as treasurer, a position he currently serves. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: During his tenure, Fox has been involved in professional boards and committees, including serving as President of the Ohio ESC Treasurers Association, a member of the Ohio ESC Association Executive Committee, the Southwest Ohio EPC Benefits Committee, and the Board of Directors of the Ohio School Plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are excited to welcome Chris to our leadership team, said Superintendent Chad Wyen. He said Foxs expertise, community roots, and commitment to the public make him an exceptional fit for the position. We are confident he will continue to support our districts strong fiscal foundation, said Wyen. Fox said he was honored to return home to the community and serve the district in such an important role. I look forward to working with the district staff, the Board, and the community to support the continued success of our students and schools, said Fox. Over the coming months, Fox and Ellender will work together to create a seamless transition. Fox will begin his duties on August 1, 2026. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] HARRIS COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL)- At Harris County High School, one biology teacher is working to bring real life science to the classroom. Brittany Moss has been partnering with the Guy Harvey Research Institute to bring a fresh curriculum to her classes. Mrs. Moss is a Guy Harvey Research Educator, which is a free experience for teachers. This allowed her and a few Harris County students to go on the trip of a lifetimea shark tagging expedition. The trip was a learning opportunity filled with students and parents from across the south. Moss explained that they where given safety lessons and researchers went over what kinds of sharks to expect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So it was a great teaching moment..so out we set 20 lines, we caught three sharks, we sat five more, waited two more hours and caught zero sharks. So they saw that. Its a lot of waiting. Its a lot of downtime. Science has a lot of paperwork. Its not just what you see on shark week or what the discovery channel makes it out to be Moss says. The three female nurse sharks that the group tagged and released ranged from 6 to 8 feet. Plus, the students had a surprise when they discovered one shark was pregnant. The goal of the research was to learn more about the ecosystem, shark population, shark genetic diversity, and the health of the ocean. Mrs. Moss started working with the Guy Harvey Research Institute over a year ago. She has big hopes for the future of the program. She told WRBL that Harris County High School is the only Guy Harvey conservation school in Georgia. She is optimistic that hopefully here in the near future, the elementary schools, Creekside, and the middle school will participate as well. And as long as we have two teachers from each of those schools to attend, we can be the first district in Georgia to become a [Guy Harvey] conservation district. By getting kids involved and showing them what is possible in the world of biology, Mrs. Moss says she hopes to inspire her students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is hands down, just the entire Guy Harvey foundation has had the greatest impact on my teaching in 19 years.From all of these different experiences, Im able to use real things that i was able to do and show the kids that yeah, you live four hours from the beach, but it doesnt matter. You can still go off to be a marine biologist. Mrs. Moss is working on trips for future Harris County High School students with the research team at Guy Harvey Research Institute. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) Its feeling more and more like fall across KELOLAND, but its more pronounced for some areas. Meteorologist Adam Rutt explains how, just like in real estate, temperatures can be all about location. Sioux Falls Police: $181k lost in scam Temperatures continue to cool as we head deeper into fall, but those cool days seem to feel just a bit cooler once you venture out of the city and into the rural expanses that KELOLAND has to offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats due to how well or how poorly certain surfaces retain heat. Specifically, were going to look at paved surfaces versus bare ground. As we go about the day, the sun heats up the ground but does so at different rates. Darker pavement will retain more heat compared to grassy surfaces or bare ground. That, in turn, leads to how quickly each surface loses that obtained heat. Pavement has a tendency to hold onto that daytime heating a bit longerdue mainly to how darker colors absorb more heat than lighter colors. As a result, the open plains and prairies of South Dakota cool down quicker and more efficiently. Though the differences arent as stark in the fall as they are in summer, its still a noticeable difference all the same. Of course, these differences will be even more important to remember when we revisit this topic during our winter months. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. NEED TO KNOW Queen Sirikit of Thailand died on Oct. 24 at age 93 The queen was the wife of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn Following her death, a year-long mourning period will be observed in the country Queen Sirikit, the wife of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on Friday, Oct. 24, following years of declining health. She was 93. The Queen Mother, whose eldest son, Vajiralongkorn, 73, succeeded his father as King following his death in 2016, had withdrawn from public life after suffering a stroke in 2012. She was hospitalized since 2019 and, earlier this month, developed a blood infection from which she did not recover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to Vajiralongkorn, Queen Sirikit and her late husband shared three daughters: Ubol Ratana, 74, Sirindhorn, the Princess Royal, 70, and Chulabhorn, Princess Srisavangavadhana, 68. The late Queen was born on Aug. 12, 1932. Her father was Prince Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakara, a member of the Siamese royal family. He worked as a diplomat and was serving as Thailand's ambassador to France when Sirikit met Bhumibol in Paris. They married in 1950, just before Bhumibol's coronation, when Sirikit was just 17. Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand in 1960 King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand in 1960 King Bhumibol reigned for 70 years and 126 days, the longest-reigning Asian monarch on record, and third-longest of any sovereign state behind only King Louis XIV and Queen Elizabeth. Following Queen Sirikit's death, mourners took to the streets of Thailand and gathered around the Grand Palace in Bangkok. A motorcade transported the late queen's body from Chulalongkorn Hospital to the palace on Oct. 26, with onlookers bowing and police officers taking a knee as the cars passed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like her husband, Queen Sirikit will lie in state at the Grand Palace for one year before being cremated. John van Hasselt/Corbis via Getty King Bhomipol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand King Bhomipol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has instructed all government workers to wear mourning attire for one year, with everyone else asked to dress in black or muted colors for 90 days. Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that this has put a run on black fabric in the country, with retailers struggling to keep up with demand. Flags on government buildings will be flown at half-mast for 30 days, and, according to NDTV World News, visitors to the country are also asked to respect the mourning period with their dress and behavior. Varuth Pongsapipatt/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Procession for Queen Sirikit on Oct. 26, 2025 Procession for Queen Sirikit on Oct. 26, 2025 Unlike his parents' long, uninterrupted reign, Vajiralongkorn is already facing a succession crisis of sorts. Despite being in his 70s, he has yet to officially name an heir. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His eldest child, Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, was thought to be the frontrunner, even though Thai tradition favors a male heir. However, "Princess Bha," as she is known to the public, has been hospitalized in a coma since December 2022 after collapsing as a result of a heart condition. In August, the royal family shared a rare update on the condition of the 46-year-old princess, revealing that her medical team at Chulalongkorn Red Cross Hospital in Bangkok has "detected a severe infection in the bloodstream, leading them to administer antibiotics and medication to stimulate blood pressure in order to maintain stable levels." The doctors have reported that the Princess lungs and kidneys have been functioning with support from medical devices and medication, the statement added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The King also has five children by his second wife, Yuvadhida Polpraserth, and one son by his third wife, Srirasmi Suwadee. For now, it is thought that his youngest, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, 20, may be his only choice for a nuclear successor. Read the original article on People LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) Longview ISD, Kilgore College and UT Tyler came together on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) giving Longview students college opportunities before they graduate. No. 3 TJC football stays unbeaten with 38-17 road win over Kilgore College Leaders from the schools came together to formally sign the MOU, launching a multi-year partnership made to help high school students earn college credits, complete associates degrees and transition to bachelors programs all before graduating from high school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Longview High School will be launching an Early College program that places junior students on the Kilgore College Campus. Next fall, 75 juniors are set to begin taking classes at Kilgore under the program, earning up to 60 hours towards an associate degree. The new system also helps make transfer pathways to UT Tyler bachelor programs more seamless for students. Photos Courtesy of Longview ISD Our goal is college and career with every Longview graduate equipped to earn a degree and step confidently into their future, Longview ISD superintendent Dr. Marla Sheppard said. By placing students on a college campus as juniors, supporting first-generation scholars, and removing financial barriers, were changing expectations for whats possible in East Texas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Longview ISD held their first Early College Parent Meeting on Monday. Families of selected students for the beginning of the new program were given program plans and advice. The first student group is set to start in summer of 2026. You can now stream KETK and FOX51 News live 24/7 on your smart TV with KETK+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Louisiana joined a coalition with over 20 other states in support of President Donald Trumps birthright citizenship policy. A federal appeals court ruled that Trump cant withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily. Arguments center around the 14th Amendments Citizenship Clause. Over 20 states filed a Supreme Court brief, stating that a judicial review of Trumps policies should be based on sound legal analysis, not prejudgments. Legal setbacks mount for Trumps birthright order before likely Supreme Court review Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a release from Attorney General Liz Murrill, attorneys general say the 14th Amendment never intended to grant automatic citizenship to tourists or illegal aliens who are coming into the U.S. for the sole purpose of having an anchor baby. We filed a lawsuit on this same issue which has currently been temporarily stayed pending the outcome of other litigation on this issue. Were happy to see this lawsuit move forward. I believe the United States Supreme Court needs to expeditiously resolve this issue, said Murrill. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called on LSU to erect a statue of the slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, while Loyola University in New Orleans denied one of Kirk's Turning Point USA campus chapters official status. Landry posted a video on X late Oct. 27 after he and conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey spoke during a Turning Point USA rally in Baton Rouge organized by the LSU chapter. LSU is the state's flagship public university. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Landry said more than 1,500 people attended the event at the River City Theatre for Peforming Arts. Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 on a Utah college campus. "Were here on campus, next to Mike the Tiger, and were going to put a challenge out to the LSU Board of Supervisors to find a place to put a statue of Charlie Kirk to defend the freedom of speech on college campuses, Landry said in his video. Come on, ladies and gentlemen. Lets see if we can be the first campus to do it. Meanwhile, the Student Government Association at Loyola, a private Catholic university in New Orleans, denied a request to charter a Turning Point chapter, preventing it from accessing school resources and reserving space on campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SGA denied the request Oct. 15, but Loyola posted the following statement on its Facebook page Oct. 27 after media reports surfaced about the decision. Following is the full statement from Loyola: "At Loyola University New Orleans, the chartering of new student organizations, including Turning Point USA, follows a student-led, peer-to-peer process administered by the Student Government Association (SGA). "The SGA Senate made a recommendation to the SGA President on the proposed organizations application for recognition, and the SGA President upheld the recommendation. "Student leaders of the proposed organization have been notified of their right to appeal the decision through the SGA Court of Review, as outlined in Loyolas Student Organization Handbook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Loyola will continue to support the student-led process as it moves through its next steps." Landry and other conservative governors are supporting Turning Point rallies and advancing the organization's growth. Republican Indiana Gov. Mike Braun spoke at an Oct. 21 Turning Point at Indiana University, while Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Oct. 27 announced a partnership with Turning Point USA to create high school chapters in his state. More: Louisiana's Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise honor memory of slain Charlie Kirk in Capitol Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Jeff Landry wants Charlie Kirk statue at LSU while Loyola denies Turning Point The federal government shutdown has forced a Louisiana organization to halt its hospital accompaniment services for sexual assault victims when they are going through evidence-gathering medical exams. (Getty Images) Louisianas largest provider of aid for sexual assault survivors cut back on services this month as a result of not receiving funding before the federal government shutdown. Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, or STAR, had to halt its hospital accompaniment program, where staff members support victims going through an evidence-gathering medical exam after a sexual assault. STAR serves sexual assault survivors in 15 parishes in central and southeast Louisiana. The organizations hospital accompaniment services will stop for the foreseeable future in St. Tammany Parish and the New Orleans area, where other nonprofits also provide that service. In Baton Rouge and Alexandria, STAR hopes to be able to resume hospital accompaniment in November after not offering it in October. But the organization will have to cut back on other services to do so, said Morgan Lamandre, its CEO. In those regions, STAR is the only entity to send staff into hospitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To pay for hospital accompaniment in Baton Rouge and Alexandria, Lamandre will have to shut down STARs case management program. It gives sexual assault survivors help accessing crime victims funding, health care and other assistance in the weeks and months after their assault. Those processes can be bureaucratic and confusing for those not used to navigating them, which is why STAR offers that support to their clients. But Lamandre said the organization has to prioritize its hospital accompaniment program in Baton Rouge and Alexandria because the nonprofit needs to offer the service in order to keep its accreditation and some other funding. STAR and other Louisiana organizations that help sexual assault survivors have found themselves in a difficult financial position because much of their funding has been cut off while the federal government is shuttered. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE During previous D.C. shutdowns, federal assistance for crime victims continued to flow. But the Trump administration has shuttered federal crime victim offices this time, Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault executive director Rafael de Castro said in an interview earlier this month. In the case of STAR, the organization was awarded a $700,000 federal grant it cant access because the federal staff who administer it are not working. The nonprofit had also expected to hear at the beginning of October about whether it had won a $1.2 million grant it typically receives every year. But with the government closed, a notice about the award hasnt been sent yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We could have the grant, but we dont know if we have the grant. We need to assume we are not getting the grant, Lamandre said. The shutdown resulted from an impasse in Congress over the extent to which the federal government should subsidize health care coverage for people who purchase their insurance through a government exchange. Democrats want a vote assuring tax credits to make those health plans more affordable will continue. Republicans believe the debate over the cost of the health care plans should be dealt with separately. In the meantime, more than a million federal employees are not getting paid, and scores of federally funded services are not being provided. Louisiana lawmakers announced last week they plan to use $150 million monthly to help pay for residents groceries while a federal food assistance program isnt operating. Lamandre and de Castro said they intend to ask for $2 million in permanent state funding for sexual assault survivor centers to be added to the Louisiana budget next year. Over half of STARs budget currently comes from federal grants, but Lamandre fears Washington, D.C., will no longer provide financial stability for her organization and others. Let us know what you think... Louisiana also provides very little of its own funding for sexual assault survivor support and programs. This year, the states domestic violence shelters and child advocacy centers, which serve children who are victims of abuse, received $7 million and $1.2 million in general state revenue, respectively. Sexual assault survivor centers received no comparable allocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are no state dollars provided to stand-alone sexual assault centers like STAR, Lamandre said. Louisiana uses unclaimed gambling winnings each year to pay hospitals, nurses and other medical providers for performing forensic medical exams, during which physical evidence of a sexual crime can be collected. That fund has about $6.2 million currently, but it doesnt pay for counseling, legal assistance or the other support sexual assault survivor centers provide, according to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement. A new law, sponsored by state Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, was crafted with the intention of creating a new source of funding for sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence victim service providers. But Lamandre has doubts that it will become a reliable source of money. The law assesses a new $2,000 fine on people convicted of crimes related to sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence. In theory, it could produce over $1 million per year based on the approximately 500 convictions these offenses produce annually, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. But people imprisoned for such crimes often dont have the means to pay criminal fines after they become incarcerated. Prison jobs pay as little as less than a dollar per hour, and incarcerated people have other financial obligations such as child support and victim reparations they are also required to cover, according to previous reports on Louisianas criminal justice system. A financial analysis of the new law also notes that the $1 million might be difficult to collect on time, explaining that current law provides that indigent offenders may be placed on a payment plan and therefore the $2,000 may be dispersed across multiple fiscal years. The likeliness we will see any meaningful funding from that bill is not so high, Lamandre said at a legislative hearing last month on child sexual abuse. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Louisiana sugarcane farmers acknowledge they depend greatly on migrant workers from Mexico to plant and harvest their crops. (Photo by Olivia Perillo/The Current) In the late summer heat, the hours move like molasses. Still, across the cane fields of South Louisiana, migrant workers from Mexico brave the sun and punishing humidity to plant sugarcane. They come from the mountains of Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi, or the tropical coast of Veracruz, working the fields, often up to 70 hours a week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their long hours spent in the sun create an estimated economic impact of $4 billion in Louisiana annually from sugarcane alone, according to the American Sugar Cane League. Many return for rice and crawfish harvests, spending most of their year in the U.S., separated from their families back home. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The isolation can be challenging. The question what do you do with your free time? earns mostly blank stares. Still, they return, year after year, often bringing brothers, cousins, nephews with them. Jesus Tamez, originally from Monterrey, has built a life in South Louisiana, sending his children to school in Lafayette, then off to college. But for most of the men he works with, there isnt much but the fields. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont have much of a social life, just work, he says. Theres no weddings, no quinceaneras, not like in Mexico. Connecting with the locals can be tough, in part because of the language barrier. People here are more closed off, says Javier Aguilera Sanchez, a 29-year-old from Veracruz, a state famous for its colorful carnival celebration. In Louisiana, Aguilera Sanchez works the cane field to provide for his family and young daughter back home. Their time in Louisiana is limited, a means to an end. Just like locals, they strive for the simple things: a truck, a house for their family, tuition for a good school to send their kids to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve become indispensable to the fields and crawfish ponds of Acadiana. Without them, most local farmers acknowledge, there would be no planting, no harvest. Local workers are impossible to find, they say, even at the comparably high hourly pay ($15 in Louisiana) set by the migrant worker program few locals apply, and those hired on have a habit of not showing up. The barrel is empty on people who want an opportunity to work on a farm, says Chad Hanks, a local farmer and vocal supporter of the visa program for seasonal agricultural workers. Its vital to the survival of not only Louisiana sugar, but practically all of agriculture around the United States, he adds. Migrant workers load cut sugar cane from a field in Louisiana. (Photo by Olivia Perillo/The Current) Despite rising costs in transportation and lodging, which farmers are required to pay for workers in the visa program, along with a mandatory hourly pay far above minimum wage, theyre in high demand. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of H-2A workers nationwide grew nearly 65%, according to the American Immigration Council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ahead of this years various harvest and planting seasons, agricultural employers in Louisiana filed over 1,300 requests for participation in the program, based on quarterly reports by the Office of Foreign Labor Certification, resulting in over 6,000 workers being certified. Hanks knows that the men laying down cane stalks in his fields on that August day make sacrifices to be there, as do their families, so he makes every effort to make it worth their while by giving them as many hours as possible, and getting them out of the field before the afternoon heat really hits. I feel equally indebted to each one of them, he says. It warms my heart to know that their families are well taken care of, even as they have to live with Dad being away and over here for that time. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Kentucky Kingdom is adding its sixth rollercoaster for the 2026 season, according to a news release from the park. Flying Fox, which was inspired by crop-dusting pilot Jeb Fox, will represent a Kentucky farmland setting, officials said. The rollercoaster costs around $14 million and is part of a larger effort to invest in the park. Flying Fox is Kentucky Kingdoms first new rollercoaster since 2019. From the red barn-inspired queue to hand painted murals and playful audio featuring Jeb himself, the theming celebrates Kentuckys agricultural heritage while adding a lighthearted twist aimed for families to enjoy, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Riders will need to be at least 38 inches tall to get on Flying Fox, which will be 1,380 feet long and reach a maximum speed of 37 miles per hour. Sarah Worrell, general manager of Kentucky Kingdom, said that the parks mission is to create memories worth repeating. With the debut of Discovery Meadow in 2025, we set a new standard for immersive, family- friendly experiences, and Flying Fox builds on that momentum, she said. This new coaster represents not only our continued investment in the park, but also our commitment to transforming Kentucky Kingdom into a place where families can return year after year and always find something new to discover. Caroline Neal is a breaking news reporter for The Courier Journal. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Kingdom to add new Flying Fox rollercoaster for 2026 season POLO, Ill. (WTVO) A Loves Park man, a woman, and a juvenile were hospitalized following a rollover crash in rural Polo on Saturday. According to the Ogle County Sheriffs Office, Brandon Elrod, 26, was driving a 2007 Nissan Altima northbound on Union Road when he lost control of the car while negotiating a curve at the intersection with Canada Road. Police said the car went off the east side of the road before returning to the roadway and then overturning at least once. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elrod was taken to St. Katherines Hospital with injuries described by authorities as non-life-threatening. The sheriffs department said a front-seat passenger, Alissa Green, 20, and a male juvenile were also taken to the hospital. Their injuries were also said to be non-life-threatening. No charges have been filed in relation to the incident. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) A Lowcountry couples honeymoon in Jamaica took a dramatic turn when Hurricane Melissa forced widespread flight cancellations, leaving them stranded on the island for days. Adam and Jordan Simmons of Summerville arrived in Montego Bay last week to celebrate their marriage. They were supposed to return home this week, but their flight was canceled as Hurricane Melissa moved in over the weekend. The Category 4 storm brought dangerous winds, heavy rain, and widespread damage across Jamaica, prompting the government to close airports and order people to shelter in place. The Simmons are among many travelers waiting out the storm inside their resort. They said management moved guests to an interior shelter early Tuesday morning as conditions worsened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weve just accepted that were here and riding out Hurricane Melissa, following all the protocols were being advised to do, Adam Simmons said. Before taking shelter, the couple saw palm trees bending in the wind and parts of the roof beginning to lift. They said they could hear strong gusts whistling through the walls as they waited for the storm to pass. When we watch the news and see the severity of the storm, thats when it really sets in. But we know nothing comes from panicking in an emergency situation, Jordan said. Back home in South Carolina, Jordans mother, Carrie Spears, has spent the past several days checking in constantly for updates from her daughter and son-in-law. She said the wait has been filled with worry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My first thought was panic. I was thinking, oh my God, how am I going to get her home? For a parent, its hard to know youve always taken care of your children, and now you cant, Spears said. She said her family has been able to stay in touch through text and FaceTime thanks to generators at the resort, which allow guests to charge their phones between power outages. Friends and coworkers have been sending messages of encouragement as the family keeps an eye on news updates from Jamaica. You kind of fall asleep and then wake up in a panic. Did I miss a call? Did I miss a FaceTime? Its hard to even explain it, Spears said. The Simmons said they are safe and grateful for the resort employees who have kept guests informed and sheltered throughout the storm. They are scheduled to fly back to Charleston on Thursday, depending on weather conditions and airport operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) LSU presidential search committee members narrowed down candidates to three finalists after interviews on Wednesday. Several candidates were interviewed throughout the day, including LSU interim president Matt Lee. In a statement, LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Ballard said the board remains committed to a transparent, fair, comprehensive, and thorough process to identify the most qualified leader for the university system. Who are the three finalists for the top job at LSU? Candidates who were named finalists are University of Alabama executive vice president and provost James Dalton, McNeese State University president Wade Rousse and former University of Arizona president Robert Robbins. James Dalton (LSU) Robert Robbins (LSU) Wade Rousse (LSU) The LSU Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on the systems next president. The three finalists are expected to return to LSUs campus on Tuesday, Nov. 4, for visits with students, faculty, and members of the Baton Rouge community before the Board of Supervisors makes its final decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Wednesdays meeting, several speakers emphasized the importance of selecting a president without political influence. The political climate is hot and its only getting hotter, said one member of the Students for a Democratic Society. Others raised concerns about potential changes to research and admissions standards tied to federal funding. The problem is if you take that money, it reduces the potential quality of the research youre going to do, said community member Dr. Marshall Burn. You could end up being a well-funded university doing mediocre research. The LSU system has eight campuses across the state. The search profile states that the university seeks a new president who can lead the charge in positioning LSU as one of the nations top public research universities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LSU presidential search committee members required to sign non-disclosure agreements Latest News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. BEDFORD, Ohio (WJW) Tara Reynolds said her puppy, Noah Ash, is more than just a pet. He is her best friend, her therapy dog and her coworker. He loves meeting new people, laying down at your feet, like please pet me,' she said. Reynolds is a 911 dispatcher at Chagrin Valley Dispatch in Bedford. Noah Ash is at her side for each 12-hour shift, and over the past year, he has helped the team at Chagrin Valley deal with the stress of the job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He can take our minds off of what were doing, so like the play time or the cuddles or just pet him while hes sitting by us, Reynolds said. Summit County officials pass emergency legislation to help SNAP recipients How Noah Ash got his name and how he ended up in Greater Cleveland is an amazing story. After the remnants of Hurricane Helene hammered the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina in the fall of 2024, with historic flooding and mudslides, dispatchers with Chagrin Valley Dispatch volunteered to help their overwhelmed counterparts in Asheville. Members of the team came across a flood victim with a crate of puppies he could no longer care for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They found homes for the pups and decided to keep one of them and bring him home to Northeast Ohio. They named him Noah Ash, a reference to Noahs Arc and the flood zone in Asheville. Reynolds volunteered to adopt the loveable dog. I think hes probably the luckiest puppy from the hurricane. Hes a lucky dog, he gets to run around and play and gets petted 12 hours a night basically, she said. Noah Ash is much more than a mascot at CVD. He is also being trained to provide comfort for victims in disaster zones, like the one he survived last year. Athletes death inspires lifesaving training for local teachers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who know the friendly puppy best believe the experience of being saved from the ravages of the hurricane has given him unique skills and understanding of human emotions. Hes just an outgoing dog, friendly, just makes everybody happy, said Nicole Reese. His life is obviously extremely better than where he came from in the hurricane, so hes a very happy, loving dog and hes well taken care of. Noah Ash is also the face of a new campaign to provide food for the needy of Greater Cleveland and pets at local shelters. Hes a busy boy. Hes always got something to do, Reynolds said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. As the ice around Alaska's Glacier Bay melts, the geography of the national park named for it is being reshaped in real time. One dramatic example is a once-connected hillside that now stands alone in Alsek Lake, transformed into its own island. Long surrounded by the Alsek Glacier, Prow Knob became disconnected over the summer of 2025, as the glacier retreated, or melted, and Alsek Lake washed in. Now, Prow Knob stands as a lush, 2-square-mile island. The change was spotted in satellite images from NASA Earth Observatory. Published photos show the shift from 1984, when Prow Knob was still connected to the terminus of Alsek Glacier, to 2025, where it stands alone, rising over 1,000 feet out of the lake. In the early 1900s, the glacier reached a whole 3 miles to the west of this new island, according to glaciologist Mauri Pelto. The lake itself, fed by the Alsek River and flowing out into Dry Bay, has more than doubled in size since 1981 due to glacial melt. While visitors can cruise to Glacier Bay National Park, itineraries don't include Dry Bay or Alsek Lake, meaning there's only one real way to get a glimpse of this new island. Read more: The Lake That Many Call The Most Dangerous In America Rafting the Alsek and exploring Glacier Bay A cruise ship sails through Glacier Bay National Park. - Laurie Gronewold/Shutterstock The only way to see Prow Knob up close is by rafting down the Alsek River, one of North America's most remote and spectacular wilderness routes. The multi-day journey begins in Canada and winds through deep valleys carved by ice, passing glaciers, towering peaks, and floating icebergs, as well as a whole lot of grizzly bears. Toward the end of the trip, rafters spill into Alsek Lake, where the new island sticks out of the blue-gray water. It's a challenging expedition that requires experience, permits, and a helicopter portage (yes, really!). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For a more accessible taste of the same dramatic scenery, visit Glacier Bay National Park by cruise ship. From the deck, you'll watch glaciers calving into the sea and spot wildlife, like brown bears and humpback whales, from a safe distance. If you really want to get up close to incredible glaciers, consider a kayaking trip, either for one day or as part of a multi-day adventure. Glacier Bay is one of several national parks that are free to visit year-round, though with no roads connecting the park to the outside, your only way in is by boat or plane. Most visitors to Glacier Bay will never get to see Prow Knob, but the map is changing throughout the park, as retreating glaciers form new landscapes. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Explore. There is never a good time for a catastrophic hurricane to hit. But for Junior Ebanks, a farmer on Jamaicas southern coast, Hurricane Melissas timing could not be worse. We are just preparing to start planting again for the tourism winter season, he said from Treasure Beach in St. Elizabeth Parish. Thats our best growing season, where we get the best possible price for our produce, when all the hotels and our and the Airbnbs are fully booked with tourists from North America, Canada and the U.K. Now, instead of preparing his greenhouses to produce 6,000 pounds of Scotch bonnet peppers, along with tomatoes, bell peppers and watermelons over the next 90 days, hes praying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know a lot of communities are going to be impacted severely, cut off because of the amount of rainfall that is expected. he said about Hurricane Melissa, which is threatens to make landfall Tuesday as a Category 4 or 5 storm along the southern coast. Some of these are flood prone areas. Im expecting, hoping for the best, but I have to be realistic: Im expecting a lot of devastation. Ebanks, 47, was only a kid when the last devastating storm to make a direct hit on Jamaica, Hurricane Gilbert, struck. It was 1988 and Gilbert, a Category 3 storm, made landfall on islands east coast on a Monday morning in September. Melissa is forecast to arrive packing even more rain, stronger winds and more destruction. The storm seems to be the most devastating that we will ever see in the history of the Jamaican agriculture sector for the southern side of the island, said Ebanks, who removed the plastics off his greenhouses. One of the major concerns we have right now is about side erosion and intrusion and the salt water coming inland to make the land less arable over the years to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gilbert left 49 people dead. It sheer devastation in its wake, as utility pols and cables blocked roads for miles, and blown-off fences and roofs piled up on roadways. While no one can predict the extent of Melissas destruction, the storm is forecast to affect the whole of the island while causing catastrophic and life-threatening flooding and numerous landslides likely starting Monday through Tuesday. Its catastrophic winds in the eye wall also have the potential to cause total structural failure, especially in higher elevations, the National Hurricane Center said. This will result in extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages and isolated communities. Life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected along the southern coast through Tuesday. Floyd Green, who represents the area and serves as minister of agriculture, said Hurricane Melissa can have a devastating impact on all of rural Jamaica, and especially our agriculture and fishery. The sector suffered $44 million in losses last year, including 232 greenhouses, from Hurricane Beryl, which brushed by the same southern coast where is expected to make a direct hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was quite significant in terms of setting us back, Green said. However, I think all the things that we have been seeing is that Jamaica is building resilience. The agricultural sector was just starting to make a comeback from Beryl, he said, when the government began issuing tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches last week as Melissa slowly churned in the Caribbean, threatening not only Jamaica but Haiti and the Dominican Republic. For years now, Jamaica has been investing in its agriculture sector, especially in the use of greenhouses and in the linkages between farmers and hoteliers. And that has been paying dividends both for the country and farmers like Ebanks, who says he lost almost $625,000 in last years storm. Outside of weather events, we are self-sufficient in things like lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and were self-sufficient in poultry and in eggs, Green said. But once theres a major weather event, we know that it does have a significant impact on our vegetables. We saw that with Beryl; it had a significant impact on our egg production because of the loss of birds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have, over the last decade, achieved some levels of self-sufficiency in a number of areas, but these weather events are the greatest threat to that, he added. Unfortunately, the projections for Melissa, is that it will come on land in the most productive agricultural belt, which happens to be my constituency. Melissa is also arriving during what is traditionally the time of year that Caribbean farmers use to get their crops in the field in time for the Christmas season. Farmers, fishers, they look forward to the uptick in demand that comes with Christmas, Green said. Its just a bad time in the farming cycle. Green said his ministry has been in communication with farmers, fishermen and others throughout the country, urging Jamaicans to secure livestock, boats and others investments as well as themselves. We are seeing greater awareness, greater take up, and we now use the technology so we have our WhatsApp groups for our fishers. We had put in a DHF radio system that we can communicate with them early. So I think those advances are helping with preparing for this, he said. With that said, the challenges are a creating a certain level of despair that besets farmers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, Hurricane Beryl flattened all the greenhouse in the Treasure Beach community, said Ebanks, who on Monday was at home bunkered down with four of his kids. He was only able to get his greenhouses mounted back up four months ago, he said, after securing the financing after taking the hit from Beryls damaging winds and rains. He doesnt even want to think about Melissas potential impact. Junior Ebanks, a farmer on Jamaicas southern coast, removed the plastic coverings from his greenhouses in hopes to spare himself from the same devastation he suffered after last years storm. Unlike Hurricane Beryl, which brushed the island, powerful Hurricane Melissa is forecast to make a direct hit. Im just praying. Im saying to myself, Whoa, this is deja vu, and Im going to lose everything again, Ebanks said, Every single thing. Because with the Category 5 hurricane coming with all that water, rain, I mean, I cant even imagine what its going to be like. While Melissa is threatening to make a direct hit on Jamaica, other nearby islands are also facing catastrophic floods and possible landslides. This includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola. Both nations have already seen flooding from the storm even before it intensified to a hurricane, and together have logged four deaths. After reaching Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to remain a major hurricane when it reaches Cuba. Hurricane conditions, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall are also possible Wednesday in the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elizabeth Riley, the head of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the response arm for Caribbean Community governments, says the agency stands ready to respond to member nations requests. Of course, our best wishes and our thoughts and prayers are with the government of Jamaica at this time, she said. Our team has been on the ground since Friday, supporting them not only in terms of technical advice in the National Emergency Operations Center for the preparedness planning, but also preparation for the response. Her agency has deployed a telecommunication specialist to Jamaica, Riley said ,ahead of the impact to support the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management to restore telecommunications for parish disaster emergency committees. This is an important add, she said, noting that in past communities like Treasure Beach were cut off after a storm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We continue to hope for the best, but we are putting all the resources in the regional mechanism on standby, Riley said. For days, Prime Minister Andrew Holness and cabinet ministers have been warning Jamaicans that the threat is real, and they need to batten down. In addition to devastation to the agricultural sector, the country risks seeing disruptions to healthcare services; interruption of supply chains, and possible injuries or deaths from wind damage, debris and falling trees. All public hospitals have entered emergency mode, meaning they remain open, though outpatient services and elective surgeries have been suspended. There are 116 priority facilities, including 25 hospitals, on the island, the health ministry said. Christopher Tufton, the countrys health minister, says his agency is monitoring developments on an hourly basis. He has been traveling the island to evaluate hospitals, checking on availability and beds. Tufton, also a former agriculture minister, told the Herald The staff are on standby. They are refreshed; meals are in place along with basic medications. NEED TO KNOW Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has given more than $500 million to 23 historically Black colleges and universities across the country "On average, institutions selected to receive donations attained retention rates fifteen percent higher than institutions that did not receive a donation," Rutgers researchers who studied the impact of her donations wrote in a report Scott is dedicated to giving away the majority of her fortune during her lifetime MacKenzie Scott has a long, and well-documented, history of philanthropy, which includes donating millions to historically Black colleges and universities across the country In 2020, according to a report from Rutgers University, the philanthropist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos gave a whopping $560 million to 23 HBCUs scattered across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Analyzing the immediate impact of Scott's donations, Rutgers researchers found that, "on average, the median enrollment of new students was more than 300 students greater for HBCUs that received funding when compared to the median enrollment for those that did not receive funding." Additionally, institutions that got donations "attained retention rates fifteen percent higher than institutions that did not receive a donation," researchers wrote in the 2021 report. As for what's happened to the donations over the years, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported that Morehouse College officials will use the $20 million donation the school received to construct a new campus center building. Meanwhile, Spelman College put Scott's $20 million unrestricted donation to a variety of uses, a school spokesperson tells PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $11 million was invested in Spelman's endowment, $1.1 million was put toward the college's Social Justice Scholars program and in 2020, every student received a Path Forward scholarship worth $3,500. Officials used the rest of the money for technology upgrades, academic programming and other improvements. A spokesperson for Lincoln University in Pennsylvania called their $20 million donation, one of the largest in the university's history, "transformative." "The gift has been instrumental in strengthening Lincolns strategic priorities, including student success initiatives, academic innovation, and long-term financial sustainability," the spokesperson tells PEOPLE. Scott also gave $25 million to Bowie State University in 2020, in what was the largest gift the school had ever received, a communications director confirms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BSU officials put $22.5 million into its endowment fund, then used the remainder to "secure grants that require matching funds from the university," the communications director says. "Without that $2.5M we set aside specifically for matching purposes, BSU would not qualify to apply to such grants." The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which got $20 million, found plenty of uses for Scott's generosity. "The funds were used to create three endowments," a university spokesperson tells PEOPLE. The first provides "annual spendable income for a variety of purposes such as scholarships," while the second funds special initiatives and the third "was matched with a special state of Maryland program to create a new Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The holder of that Chair has further leveraged the funds to secure approximately $6 million to support programs for students, faculty and community members working to start their own businesses. Funds were also used for a maker's space and most recently for an off-campus business incubator," the spokesperson adds. Fellow Maryland school Morgan State University previously announced that they used a majority of Scott's $40 million gift for a newly created Leading the World Endowment Fund, that would then be invested. Michael Kovac/Getty MacKenzie Scott in 2018 In a series of statements, Howard University officials previously said Scott donated $40 million to the school in 2020. We plan to immediately put this eight-figure gift to good use to support components of our 5-year strategic plan to help students graduate on time, retain our talented faculty, enhance our campus infrastructure and support academic innovation and entrepreneurship, said then-President Wayne A. I. Frederick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, Scott gave an additional $12 million specifically to their College of Medicine. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Meanwhile, an official from Tuskegee University confirms to PEOPLE that with their $20 million donation, they invested half in endowments, which helps fund scholarships and the other half was "set aside for an investment account, which has grown to $14.9 million." Scott, who is dedicated to giving away the majority of her fortune during her lifetime, has a current estimated net worth of nearly $40 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the six years since her divorce divorce from the Amazon founder became official in 2019, resulting in an approximately $36 billion settlement, Scott has transformed philanthropy with her sizable, unrestricted donations, according to a three-year study published by the Center for Effective Philanthropy earlier this year. Since their divorce, she has given away more than $19 billion to over than 2,000 organizations. Read the original article on People LORMAN, Miss. (WJTV) Alcorn State University received a $42 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This is the largest single gift in the 154-year history of the nations oldest public historically Black land-grant university. Scott previously donated $25 million to the university in 2020, bringing her total contributions to $67 million. JPS receives $4.9 million grant for electric buses Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today marks a historic moment for Alcorn State University as we celebrate the largest single donation in our universitys history, said Dr. Tracy M. Cook, president of Alcorn State University. We are immensely grateful for Ms. MacKenzie Scotts continued investment in Alcorn, our students, and mission to create access. I also extend my deepest gratitude to our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters who champion our mission every day. Your unwavering commitment and belief in Alcorn State University make milestones like this possible. FILE Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, March 4, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) Scotts 2020 gift supported faculty endowments, scholarships, including the Rep. Alyce Clarke Mississippi First Scholarship program, and capital projects aligned with the universitys strategic plan. Alcorn State University leadership will work with the ASU Foundation to invest and allocate resources across strategic campus priorities. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. Clashes between the faith community and Donald Trumps team have been quite common this year, but the broader tensions can still get worse. Religion News Service reported on a pastor who was struck in the head with a pepper round fired by a U.S. immigration agent as faith leaders protested the Republican administrations deportation efforts. From the article: The pastor, the Rev. Jorge Bautista, was one of dozens of demonstrators who had gathered before sunrise Thursday (Oct. 23) at the entrance of the narrow bridge to Coast Guard Island, a military base near Oakland, where more than 100 U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents were supposed to arrive and stage that day. Organized by the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, the demonstrators crowded the intersection, peacefully blocking entry to the base, while singing anthems like We Shall Not Be Moved in English and Spanish. The report added that the Rev. Jorge Bautista was struck in the face with a pepper round fired by a federal agent. A related report in the San Francisco Chronicle added that the impact of the shot caked his [the ministers] face and clothing in orange powder. Asked about his condition in the aftermath of the incident, Bautista told the newspaper: Im in a lot of pain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These circumstances might sound familiar, because Bautista is not alone. As we recently discussed, the Rev. David Black, wearing a clerical collar, stood in front of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the Chicago area and invited armed agents to repent. He, too, was soon after hit with a pepper shot fired by a federal agent. The Religion News Service also reported that the Rev. Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist pastor who leads United Church of Rogers Park in Chicago, also has protested at the local ICE facility, and she too said she has been shot multiple times with pepper bullets, including while she was praying with her eyes closed and hands lifted, wearing a clerical collar. Sarah Posner, a journalist with extensive experience covering the religious right movement, noted soon after: Try to imagine if federal agents under a Democratic administration had fired pepper balls at conservative clergy protesting lets just say abortion. With these developments in mind, a reporter recently asked House Speaker Mike Johnson during a Capitol Hill news conference: Weve seen images out of Chicago of federal agents shooting faith leaders with pepper balls and arresting journalists. Wheres the limit for you on whats acceptable conduct by federal law enforcement? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Louisiana Republican replied, Ive not seen them cross the line yet. As the number of affected pastors grows, one wonders how much more it will take to get the GOP leader to care. As for the executive branch, it was just six months ago when Attorney General Pam Bondi convened a meeting of a task force that was created to eradicate what the White House described as anti-Christian bias within the government. The hyperpartisan Republican lawyer began the meeting by attacking Joe Biden, who Bondi said had abused and targeted Christians. The rhetoric was absurd at the time. Six months later, as Christian leaders are actually abused by Trump administration officials, its worse. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com The first Chinese leader to visit Britain, Chairman Hua Kuo-Feng, has arrived in London at the start of a six-day visit. He was welcomed at Heathrow airport by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who paid tribute to China as a great and historical nation which has a crucial role to play in world affairs. She said the two countries enjoyed a close understanding in many fields and she hoped their talks would further improve relations. In his reply, Chairman Hua stressed the important role Western Europe has to play in defending world peace. He said this was why China had given high priority to the development of good relations with the West European countries. Chairman Hua was given the kind of treatment usually reserved only for royalty and presidents. The Coldstream Guards formed a guard of honour before he was taken to the luxury Claridges hotel, where he and his party will be staying. Chairman Hua has an invitation to lunch at Buckingham Palace where the Queen will personally take him on a tour of the state rooms. This is the Chinese leaders first visit to the non-Communist world. [] Trade issues are expected to focus on the process of modernisation in China in particular improvements to its armed forces, transport infrastructure and industry. The Chinese delegation will pay a visit to Rolls Royce in Derby, BP and British Rails technical centre. Chairman Hua, who spent 20 years of his life in the Chinese agricultural sector, will also be shown a farm in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, and fit in a quick visit to Oxford University, before flying on to Rome on Saturday. He has already spent a week each in France and West Germany. Courtesy BBC News In context In an interview before his visit to Western Europe, Chairman Hua was quoted as saying he wanted to see for himself the reality of advanced economic, scientific and technological experience to see how they could benefit Chinas modernisation programme. The trip paved the way to improved relations between Britain and China. Official negotiations on the future of Hong Kong began in 1982 and were completed with the handover on 1 July 1997. The Queen became the first British monarch to visit China in 1986. However, the suppression of the protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 led to a breakdown in Chinas relations with the West. China has since become of the worlds leading growth economies, prompting greater trading links with the West. Like this: Like Loading... By any fair measure, there was a lot on Donald Trumps plate last week. The United States was three weeks into a government shutdown; the president was ordering legally dubious military strikes against civilians in international waters; Trump and his White House team were dealing with multiple court fights; and the Republican was preparing for a major overseas trip to Asia. But on Wednesday night, none of these important issues was foremost on the presidents mind. Rather, he published this message to his social media platform, alerting the public to an entirely different priority: Ask former President Barack Hussein Obama whether or not he really believes that in 2020 Joe Biden got 15 Million more Votes than he did in 2012 (65.9 vs. 81 Million). Additionally, ask him why it is that Joe Biden beat Obama in every single Swing State with the Black Vote in 2020, even though Black Voters hate him, but in no other State? THE 2020 ELECTION WAS AN ILLEGAL SCAM/HOAX THAT THE PEOPLE OF OUR GREAT COUNTRY WILL NEVER FORGET! Yes, despite a full plate and overlapping challenges, the incumbent president was focused on the details surrounding his election defeat from five years earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While this is ridiculous, it isnt out of character. In fact, even after Trump left for Asia, he continued to publish additional items about his discredited 2020 conspiracy theories. When addressing U.S. troops stationed in Japan, the Republican once again pushed the election nonsense known as Trumps big lie. If we were to stop here, it would be a legitimate story about an incumbent presidents unhealthy obsession and desperate desire to prioritize an imaginary grievance over his weighty responsibilities. But complicating matters further is the unfortunate fact that the broader story isnt just about misguided rhetoric: Trump added a Stop the Steal lawyer named Kurt Olsen to his administration and tasked him with launching an investigation into his 2020 defeat. The president hired another Stop the Steal lawyer named Ed Martin and rewarded him with a leadership position in the Justice Department. Trump has hired election deniers to help oversee federal elections. According to claims the president made last week, both the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence are currently investigating the results of the 2020 election. About a year ago, with time running out in the 2024 presidential election and early voting underway across much of the country, then-Sen. JD Vance refused to answer questions about who was the rightful winner of the 2020 race. The Ohio Republican complained at the time that political journalists were obsessed with the election from four years earlier. A year later, someone is obsessed with the 2020 race, but its not political journalists. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com As part of Donald Trumps spectacularly inappropriate speech to U.S. troops stationed in Japan, the president included one of his favorite talking points, though he added a new detail that made it worse. Referring to his alleged successes in securing foreign investments in the U.S., the Republican boasted, We did more than $17 trillion in eight months, and I think by the time we finish up our first year, were gonna be over $20 [trillion] or $21 trillion. Toward the end of the remarks, he added, I told you, $17 trillion, but its gonna be $20 [trillion], $21 trillion. And thats numbers that have never been heard of before. In a way, thats true: These are investment totals that no ones ever heard before. That said, theyre also figures with no basis in reality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its been almost comical lately to watch the moving target. Trump started by claiming the total was $17 trillion. It was soon after revised to very close to $18 trillion. That was two weeks ago. In the days that followed, the new total was $18 trillion, followed by over $18 trillion. The figure then climbed to $19 trillion. Early last week, Trump said the total could be $20 trillion by the end of the year, which the president described as unbelievable. (In a literal sense, I agree.) Two days later, he said it would be $20 trillion, then over $20 trillion, leading up to his new total of $21 trillion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I half-expect the Republican to start exaggerating by making up new words. (Thanks to my awesomeness, weve secured eleventeen gajillion dollars in foreign investments...) If recent history is any guide, no amount of fact-checking will stop Trump from inflating these figures, but for those interested in reality, its necessary to acknowledge the simple fact that the presidents figures are bonkers. CNN recently reported, Trumps own White House website values the major investment announcements this term at $8.8 trillion, around half the $17 trillion and $18 trillion numbers Trump used out loud this week. And an item-by-item CNN review of the top 10 items on the White Houses list shows that even the $8.8 trillion number is itself a big exaggeration. A New York Times fact-check report added that the number used by the White House includes broad pledges and previously announced projects. And more than half of that amount comes from informal pledges from foreign countries to invest in the United States that experts warn may be unrealistic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other words, those expecting Trump to double the size of the U.S. economy through foreign investments, based on the presidents outlandish boasts, are setting themselves up for disappointment. Update: Shortly after this piece was published, the president upped the ante, declaring, Well probably be at maybe even $22 trillion in investments coming into our country by the end of the first year of my second term. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Last summer, as the Republican-led Congress continued to sputter, a prominent right-wing activist named Laura Loomer targeted a key GOP leader in a memorable way. James Comer needs to be replaced as the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Loomer argued via social media. He has failed at all of his investigations that have gone nowhere. The complaint was understandable. The Kentucky congressman spent two years launching all kinds of partisan probes, nearly all of which related to Joe Biden, and in each instance, he excited his partys base with assurances about the possible results of his efforts. Comer, however, ultimately produced nothing. It was inevitable that far-right voices such as Loomer would get frustrated. The problem, however, was only partially Comers fault. The Republican lawmaker was wrong to raise expectations, but his failure to uncover damaging information was not due to incompetence but because he was searching for scandals that didnt exist. Even if Loomer had gotten her way and Comer had been replaced, it wouldnt have changed the fundamental problem: There was no evidence that would bring down the Democratic president. The party was chasing a mirage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This problem wasnt limited to 2023 and 2024. On the contrary, the Oversight Committee chair is still chasing his white whale, still raising expectations and still generating duds. Politico reported: The House GOPs much ballyhooed investigation into former President Joe Bidens alleged cognitive decline has largely ended with a thud. In a new report released Tuesday morning, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committees Republican majority claims to have found evidence that senior Biden White House aides exercised the authority of the former president and concealed signs of Bidens mental deterioration. In fact, the probe concluded with the need for answers to more questions than any appearance of a smoking gun. Comer and his GOP-led panel released a 100-page staff report with an overwrought title, The Biden Autopen Presidency: Decline, Delusion, and Deception in the White House. An accompanying press release was filled with provocative claims about cover-ups and declarations that make the investigation sound like a success. The Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history, Comer asserted. But after months of scrutiny, the chairman delivered questions, not answers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Oversight Committee concluded its probe, it sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking the Justice Department to investigate Bidens executive actions. It was, for all intents and purposes, a passing of the baton, suggesting the investigation will continue even as the GOPs Captain Ahab is forced to confront an ocean entirely devoid of whales. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Late last week, Donald Trump ordered his 10th deadly military strike against civilian targets in international waters and increased the overall death toll. Based on the Republican administrations tally, the president and his team had killed 43 civilians over seven weeks. A couple of days later, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a retired Marine and Iraq war veteran, condemned the strikes as sanctioned murder. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky agreed, describing the operations as extrajudicial killings ... akin to what China does and Iran does. The senators rhetoric was more than fair, though it apparently didnt prove persuasive to the White House or Trumps Pentagon. NBC News reported: The U.S. military on Monday carried out three strikes on four vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean that were allegedly trafficking narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. ... Based on official estimates from the Defense Department, the U.S. military has launched 13 strikes so far, three of them occurring Monday, which in total have killed 57 people. All of the usual caveats still apply: We dont know who these 57 people were, who or what they were associated with, whether they were actually trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S., whether the purported evidence against them was credible, whether any innocent people were on the vessels or whether it wouldve advanced U.S. interests to detain and question them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We also dont know whether the official number of strikes and fatalities is accurate. Just as importantly, theres a long list of questions about the legality of the operations. Indeed, the incumbent American president appears to have embraced a model that allows him to order deadly military strikes against civilians, at times and locations of his choosing, without congressional approval or regard for legal limits. At a White House event last week, Trump shrugged at the necessity of asking Congress to authorize his use of military force. I think were just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? the president told reporters. We are going to kill them, you know? They are going to be, like, dead. To the extent that a Trump Doctrine exists, I think were just gonna kill people seems like a suitable summary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, the president need not worry about being prosecuted for possible crimes Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices have effectively elevated the presidency above the law but the same cannot be said for those who carry out his orders. So its understandable that, as The Washington Post reported, some junior officers have been asking judge advocates general military lawyers known as JAGs for written sign-off before taking part in strikes. If that reporting is correct, it suggests there are troops that are understandably concerned about the possible legal liabilities of participating in Trumps highly controversial strikes on civilians. In case that werent enough, Reuters reported that U.S. military officials involved with Trumps operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, according to multiple U.S. officials. The report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC, added that this step is highly unusual, given that U.S. military officials are already required to shield national security secrets from public view, and comes as lawmakers in Congress say they are being kept in the dark about key aspects of the mission. As burgeoning Trump scandals go, this ones just getting started. Watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 27 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show. When Donald Trump returned to the White House, Avelo Airlines, a small commercial airline that mostly serves smaller airports across the U.S., stuck up its hand and announced that it would be contracting with the new administration to fly deportation flights. Now, its one thing to see your government doing that flying people off with no legal process to huge torture prisons in the middle of El Salvador but its another thing to be offered the opportunity yourself to purchase a commercial flight on the very same plane that was just used to take people in chains and shackles without any due process at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Avelo Airlines decision to fly deportation flights for Trump while also offering commercial flights to Americans was always going to be a difficult mix, and people protested against the airline at a large number of airports where Avelo has tried to stay in business. This summer, on The Rachel Maddow Show, we reported on Avelos decision to pull out of several airports in California, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. We also had the attorney general of Connecticut, William Tong, on the show. After his state gave Avelo all sorts of financial incentives to operate out of Connecticut airports, Tong wrote to the airline asking if it could confirm that it would not fly nonviolent non-criminals in shackles. He asked whether the company would fly a deportation flight in violation of a court order, since the Trump administration has apparently ordered some of the flights to stay in the air even when a judge has ordered them not to. Avelo wouldnt answer the attorney generals questions, so the state cut off some of the subsidies the company was getting from Connecticut taxpayers. But the states residents kept picketing at the airports where Avelo was operating, and last week the airline announced that it would pull out of the airport in Hartford, Conn., too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Connecticut Airport Authority put out a statement saying its the companys actions that are to blame, citing Avelos own decision to run deportation flights for the US government and the backlash it has generated in the region. The backlash to Avelo hasnt only taken the form of protests and pickets: Tens of thousands of Americans have signed pledges to never fly the airline as long as its flying deportation flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In Annapolis, Md., 13,000 petitions were delivered to the state government, specifically to Gov. Wes Moore, calling on the Democrat to cancel the states contract with Avelo and ban the airline from using Baltimore Washington International Airport as long as the company is also functioning as ICE Air. This is why protesting against authoritarianism is so important. One, because it keeps you sane. Two, because when it comes to rights, its either use em or lose em. Any authoritarian worth his weird hairdo would love to extinguish your right to protest, free speech and free assembly. But it is harder to take those rights away when people regularly exercise them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Strategically, protesting is also important action against authoritarianism because even though authoritarian leaders like to present themselves as strongmen who have all the power and can do anything they want, they actually alone do not have that much power at all. Its not within Trumps power to remove a late-night comedian from the air for criticizing him; he needs the company that employs that comedian and the other companies involved in that business to act for him. When he pressures them, the companies will likely act for him, unless theyre also pressured by the people not to do that. For his chaotic deportation spree, Trump tried at first to do it all with military planes. Then he moved on to contractors like Avelo, who were excited to make money from ICE and deportations. It's their right to compete for those contracts, but then if they want to just spray some Febreze, unhook the shackles and try to sell the American flying public on also buying seats on those same planes for a vacation flight to Cancun, the people of this country are going to have something to say about that, too which Avelo is now learning. For every Avelo Airlines, for every Paul Weiss law firm, and any other law firm doing corrupt deals with Trump, for every corporation, like MSNBCs current parent company, Comcast, that wants to pay for Trump to take a wrecking ball to the White House, they should know that theres a cost in terms of their reputation with the American people when they do things against this countrys values, against the public interest, all because they want to please Trump, or buy him off, or profit from the authoritarian overthrow of our democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protesting may or may not move Trump, but it does constrain his power and help move the public-facing, consumer-facing entities that hes enlisting for help. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com In his second term as president, Harry Truman was aggravated with the snails pace at which lawmakers tackled their responsibilities. It led the Democrat to come up with a memorable label to summarize his frustrations with Capitol Hill, which was then under Republican control: It was a do-nothing Congress, he said. At the time, however, members at least made an effort. Nearly eight decades later, members of the GOP-led House are giving the phrase do-nothing Congress a more literal meaning by not showing up for work at all. After taking off part of July and all of August, House members did some work in September, voting on measures on Sept. 19. But at that point, Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home and they havent returned since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant do legislative business if youre not here, Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts told The Boston Globe. There are no negotiations going on. There are no talks. There are no hearings. Nothing. I dont know how long he can keep his vacation going. As House members enjoy their sixth week off, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters, [T]here cannot be a regular legislative session so long as the government is closed and Americans are feeling so much pain. In reality, however, this is the Louisiana Republicans choice: The House could be in regular legislative session right now. Hes simply chosen to keep members away. Johnson added that his GOP members are currently doing some of the most meaningful work of their careers, adding that hes reluctant to pull them away from their time in their home districts. As the House speaker sees it, its important for lawmakers to stay away from the jobs they were elected to do. The prolonged and unnecessary break, Americans are supposed to believe, is a good thing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not just a tough sell. As a New York Times analysis explained, its also a posture that has diminished the role of Congress and shrunken the speakership at a critical moment. The article added: Its an approach born of political expedience that could have far-reaching consequences for an institution that has already ceded much of its power to President Trump. And Mr. Johnson, who without the presidents backing wields little influence over his own members, has chosen to make himself subservient to Mr. Trump, a break with many speakers of the past who sought in their own ways to act more as a governing partner with the president than as his underling. The Times added that Trump has privately joked, Im the speaker and the president. Johnson, in a position that has traditionally wielded enormous power, could easily reassert himself and disprove the humiliating joke. Hes choosing not to. There are plenty of theories as to why the House speaker refuses to let the chamber return to work, as the Republican-led Senate already has, and I wont pretend to be able to read his mind. Its worth noting, however, that if Johnson were to allow members to get back to their jobs, hed have to swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, who intends to sign a pending discharge petition that will force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. The longer the speaker chooses to keep the House on ice, the longer he can push off that vote. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Italian manufacturers are titans of the global fashion industry, long revered for their independent design houses, hand-worked products and locally sourced materials. But a crisis is looming for Made in Italy; everything from a lack of young apprentices to AI is threatening the prowess of Italian fashion. At a recent conference in Venice, industry experts set out their vision for how Made in Italy can be relaunched for the future. They say supply chain transparency and sustainability urgently need to be addressed for Italian fashion to maintain its supremacy on the world stage. Related Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A crisis for Italian tailoring Leather shoes, wool jumpers, tailored suits: Italy produces some of the finest apparel in the world. But so much of the countrys excellence relies on factors at odds with how modern design is developing. At the core of Italian fashion is hand-worked, artisanal craft, which often requires a long and painstaking period of training. Concerns are growing in the industry as young people are increasingly unwilling to undertake lengthy apprenticeships to learn the trade. FILE: The measure of a man for some is having an Italian-made suit - AP Photo The stalwart of the Neapolitan fashion scene is the bespoke tailored suit. Streets in the city centre are lined with independent historic boutiques where master tailors pass on their prodigious skill to young apprentices. But in recent years, these ateliers have been struggling to find the workforce of the next generation. Many menswear fashion stores in cities like Naples are struggling to pass on sewing skills handed down from generation to generation - Euronews With so many swifter and more immediately stimulating roads into the industry through fast fashion or large-scale technology, young people are now less willing to dedicate years to learning the art of tailoring. Painstaking work and a long training are hallmarks of Italian fashion. - Mihaela Claudia Puscas Giuseppe and Massimiliano Attolini have dressed heads of state, actors, and entrepreneurs, and designed costumes for films such as House of Gucci. In their atelier, it takes 25 hours to hand-sew a jacket and 33 hours for a complete suit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The difficulty in finding workers isn't unique to us: it's a widespread, systemic problem," Giuseppe Attolini recently told Italian media. "Young people today aren't attracted to this work. They don't see any prospects, and no one offers them. They're looking for easy money and short career paths." Its the same story everywhere, from leather factories in Tuscany to wool weavers in Piedmont. According to artisan industry group Confartigianato Imprese, the second trimester of 2025 saw 1,035 clothing and leather companies close, partly due to the dwindling workforce. The entire fashion industry was worth approximately 104 billion in 2023. That dropped to 90 billion in 2024, while this year is expected to be around 80 billion. Is AI a threat to Made in Italy? A significant part of the prestige of Made in Italy is knowing - and often meeting - the designer behind an item of fashion. Experts within the industry warn that the rise of technology like AI undermines this key aspect of Italian fashion. As journalist Alessandro D'Ercole wrote in La Voce di New York, perhaps what is more crucial than Made in Italy is the concept of Made by Italians. Streets in Italian city centres are lined with independent historic boutiques. - Bibi Pace Simone Balducci, president of fashion industry group Federmoda for the Florence province, says the human factor has been underestimated. To do our work, it takes at least five years of apprenticeship and ten to have a qualified worker who guarantees care and precision. Sometimes, it is thought that technological innovation can compensate for manual skills and artisanal intelligence, but this is not the case, he told Italian media. Supply chain transparency and sustainability are the future of Italian fashion Last weekend, the fourth edition of the Venice Sustainable Fashion Forum came to a conclusion. The overarching message from industry experts was the urgent need to overhaul what Made in Italy stands for, beginning with stricter controls throughout production stages. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Foremost is the need for supply chain transparency to prevent mass-produced, foreign products of lower quality from coming into the market unnoticed. Industry group Confindustria Moda says it is developing a digital platform to provide verification methods for companies. The group says it will be an open-source system that everyone can use to identify virtuous companies. The other key development will be in terms of sustainability. Italys National Chamber of Fashion is developing a common list of sustainability criteria for companies, while a parliamentary bill will propose a certification of conformity and a database of qualifying companies. A clear and shared message is emerging from Venice: sustainability is not a cost - it is our industrial identity and the true engine of Made in Italys competitiveness, Luca Sburlati, president of Confindustria Moda, said during the conference. The future of Italian fashion will be sustainable, competitive, and united - or it wont exist at all. The Trump administrations war on Tylenol is having real legal ramifications in Texas. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the acetaminophen brands parent company Tuesday, regurgitating Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s talking points about the drugs alleged ties to autism rates. Last month, Kennedy and Donald Trump told Americans that the number one drug prescribed to pregnant patients for pain relief and fever reduction was actually not safe to take, despite an overwhelming lack of evidence to support their claim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But their comments have now morphed into a serious legal challenge that could have huge ramifications for one of Americas biggest drugmakers. Citing Kennedys comments, Paxton argued that Johnson & Johnson failed to adequately warn consumers that Tylenol use during pregnancy posed a significantly increased risk of autism and ADHD. Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets, Paxton said in a statement. Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. More than any other over-the-counter drug, doctors have recommended Tylenol for pregnant people due to its wide availability and its well-researched safety. It has been on the market since 1955, and is considered to be the single safest fever reducer and painkiller for pregnant women. Because of this, its also one of the few pain medications that expecting parents are allowed to consume, and they do consume it: Studies have found that two-thirds of pregnant women in the U.S. consume Tylenol during their pregnancies. The flip side of not taking Tylenol to, say, reduce a fever, is that it puts a developing fetus at risk for serious defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drugwhich is really just acetaminophenis so safe that governments around the world launched public education campaigns for their own residents in the wake of Kennedys announcement, urging pregnant people not to stop consuming the drug over the Trump administrations unfounded fears. The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus, Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement in September following the announcement. Combating autism is the cornerstone of Kennedys public health policy. Kennedy is a part of a growing movement of anti-vax parents who refuse to provide their children with the same public health advantages that they received in their youth, mostly in fear of thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories that, at one point, linked autism to the jab. The researcher who sparked that myth with a fraudulent paper lost his medical license and eventually rescinded his opinion. Since then, dozens of studies have proven theres no correlation between autism and vaccines, including one study that surveyed more than 660,000 children over the course of 11 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But confusion persists regarding the basic figures. A study published by the Autism Society of Texas found that one in 31 people are estimated to have autisma disturbingly sharp uptick from figures released in 2006 that found about one in every 110 children were diagnosed with autism by age eight. But behind those numbers is a different story, since the definition of autism was broadened in that same time span. Increased research, social destigmatization, and improved mental health screening have also contributed to the inflated numbers. A top attorney behind MAGAs rabid crusade to have Hunter Biden jailed for breaching foreign influence laws was working for an authoritarian foreign government at the same time. Ted Kittilaa Delaware-based lawyer who previously ran on a GOP ticket for state attorney general and seats in the states House and Senateserved as legal counsel to the House Ways and Means Committees years-long probe of the Biden family. As part of those efforts, he lobbied for the courts to review explosive Republican claims that the son of former President Joe Biden may have peddled the influence of foreign actors on American soil. Now, the Daily Beast can reveal that Kittila also worked on behalf of foreign actors on a secretive New York lawsuit. Attorney Ted Kittila helped push explosive MAGA claims of foreign influence peddling against Hunter Biden while working for an authoritarian foreign government that tried to buy military-grade spyware in the U.S. / Sarah Gamard/USA Today Network The suit was brought against a U.S. firm by an agent of the Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq. It accused the American company of failing to deliver on a contract for sinister high-tech surveillance software. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraqruled by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and President Nerchivan Barzani, son and nephew, respectively, of the regions former presidenthave faced repeated accusations of human rights abuses, including attacks on journalists, activists, and political dissidents. The specific type of spyware sought by the Barzani regime, known as zero-click software, enables users to remotely access devices without requiring any action from the target, such as clicking on a harmful link. It had gained notoriety in 2021 following a series of journalistic exposes on Israeli firm NSO Groups sale of Pegasus spyware to malicious actors around the world, whose victims included heads of state in France, South Africa, Pakistan, Egypt, and Morocco. Hunter Bidens plea deal ultimately unraveled as a result of Kittilas legal interventions on behalf of the House Ways and Means Committee. / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images In a further twist, Kittilas work on the secretive Kurdistan lawsuit came as he pursued a still-ongoing, separate case against the U.S. government, brought by nonprofit Project for Privacy and Surveillance Accountability, in which he accused the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency of spying on American citizens, and called for greater transparency on domestic surveillance operations. President Donald Trumps first impeachment in 2019 stemmed from his alleged efforts to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating Hunter Bidens business dealings in the Eastern European country. Trump and his allies claimed the younger Biden had engaged in corruption while serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, while Joe Biden was serving as vice president under President Barack Obama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted Trump on charges of abusing his presidential powers and obstruction of Congress, the House Ways and Means Committee later launched an investigation into the Biden family to further probe those allegations and other claims of wrongdoing against Hunter Biden. President Donald Trumps alleged efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate Biden were what first got him impeached back in 2019. / Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images Kittila first made national headlines in July 2023 when he filed a brief at a federal court in Delaware, where Hunter Bidens plea deal on federal tax and gun charges was then under review. He was acting on behalf of Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chairman of the committee, who alleged the Biden family had made millions of dollars as a result of Hunter Bidens foreign influence peddling and the selling of the Biden brand. In his brief, Kittila argued Bidens plea deal was suspicious because there was unprecedented and unusual interference, delays and roadblocks at the Justice Department that appear to have hindered the investigation into his tax affairs. He argued the plea negotiations may therefore have been tainted by improper conduct at various levels of the government. As evidence of those claims, Kittila attached testimony from two IRS whistleblowers whod told the committee theyd seen evidence Biden may have violated U.S. laws on foreign influence, but were precluded from doing anything by their superiors. The deal, under which Biden would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses in exchange for a likely probationary sentence, unraveled as a result. At the same time as his work on the Biden family probe, Kittila helped the Kurdistan regional government, led by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, pursue damages in the U.S. over a highly secretive spyware deal. / Safin Hamid/AFP via Getty Images It was only the day after Kittila submitted his brief in the Delaware proceedings against Biden that his complaint on behalf of the Barzani regime was filed in New York. While the docket for the Kurdistan lawsuit remains under seal, the Daily Beast obtained a public copy of that document from an online service providing open access to U.S. court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the complaint, an agent of the Barzani regime tried to purchase zero-click spyware worth around $11 million from a U.S. cybersecurity firm in late 2022, a year after the Pegasus scandal first broke. But the firm failed to prove its systems effectiveness at a scheduled demonstration, so the agent sued after the company refused to refund his $360,000 deposit. Kittila successfully urged the court against publicly naming the foreign government on whose behalf the agent had sought the software, because doing so would irreparably harm them by reducing the utility of the system or similar technology if acquired in future, as well as advertising any weaknesses in [their] intelligence and surveillance capabilities. Kittilas work on the Kurdistan spyware case came even as he lobbied for greater transparency on the National Security Agencys widespread surveillance of American citizens, first revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013. / Henrique Casinhas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The Daily Beast was nevertheless able to identify Kurdistans ruling clan from otherwise sealed depositions in the case that feature as exhibits in a separate New York action against members of the Barzani family. That case alleged the Kurdish political dynastys involvement in a years-long corruption, fraud, and money laundering scheme. The MAGA lawyers arguments in the highly secretive spyware suit contrast with filings in his later case against the Defense Department and NSA, brought in April 2024, where he slammed the U.S. intelligence agencys failure to produce records on domestic surveillance operations against American citizens for depriving the public of necessary and important information with which to hold the government accountable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kittila is not the only attorney at Halloran Farkas & Kittila, the law firm he founded and where he works as managing partner, with ties to the GOP. Former Delaware Attorney General and Superior Court Judge M. Jane Brady, who joined the group in November 2024, was a founding member of the Republican Attorneys General Association. Republican Rep. Jason Smith, on whose behalf Kittila filed the Delaware brief, claimed the Biden family made millions of dollars as a result of Hunter Bidens foreign influence peddling and the selling of the Biden brand. / Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images Nor is it the first time the Barzani family has made headlines in the U.S. An investigation this month by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project revealed how former President Massoud Barzanis sons, who have long fended off allegations of kleptocracy at home, spent tens of millions dollars on luxury real estate in Virginia, Florida, Texas, and California. In October 2023, the Daily Beast reported how, in 2019, Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins accepted bribes from an Iraqi fixer tied to the Barzanis in exchange for deputies badges. The badges grant bearers qualified immunity from civil liability and the right to carry concealed service weapons, as well as access to areas otherwise restricted to law enforcement. Trump pardoned Jenkins in May. The Foreign Agents Registration Act, which imposes public disclosure requirements on agents of foreign interests in the U.S., contains an exemption for legal professionals, like Kittila, representing foreign clients in the course of normal court proceedings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding to request for comment on this story, Kittila said his firm represents a wide variety of clients from many different political views, including high ranking Democrats and other political organizations, and that our partners also hold a diversity of political views. He added the Kurdistan lawsuit had been placed under seal for the safety of the parties and the firms and the lawyers, and that the release of its details by other parties has needlessly placed people at risk. Lawyers for Prime Minister Barzani did not respond to emailed requests for a statement in time for this storys publication. A shopper who receives SNAP benefits slides an EBT card at a checkout counter in a Washington, D.C., grocery store in December 2024. (Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture) With roughly 170,000 Mainers about to lose federal food assistance and, in the absence of a state contingency plan, dozens of legislators are calling on the federal government to release emergency funds. On Tuesday, 81 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to release contingency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in light of the agencys warning that November checks would not be issued due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 12% of Maines population will go hungry if SNAP benefits lapse, and about 20%of the children across the state rely on food assistance as well. As the adults in charge, we simply cannot allow for 1 in 5 Maine children to grow and play on empty stomachs, especially with the colder months on the way, wrote Maine Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-Arundel), co-chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, who led the letter. The loss of SNAP benefits will devastate our local economies, he added. More than 160 independent food stores, 136 grocery chain locations, and 80 farmers markets and farm stands in Maine accept SNAP, which helps generate $1 million in sales every year for local farms, which now face losing this revenue. The increased strain on food banks because of this lapse in benefits puts access to food at risk for so many families including financially strained Mainers who rely on local pantries because they dont qualify for other assistance, the letter reads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, even though the November checks will not be issued, SNAP benefits already loaded onto EBT cards remain available for use to purchase food. SNAP is operated jointly by federal and state governments to help low-income families pay for food. In recent days, several states including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Nevada, Louisiana and Colorado have announced contingency plans to mitigate the loss of federal food assistance. Other states, such as Florida and Tennessee, have said they will not compensate for the funding loss. Most plans rely on additional funding for food banks as they meet the increased needs of residents. New Hampshires plan, for example, asks the Legislature to approve $2 million to open up 20 additional temporary food bank locations for the states 75,000 SNAP recipients. Maine has the highest rate of food insecurity in New England, but the state has yet to announce how it will make up for the federal SNAP cuts. At an event in Brunswick on Monday, Gov. Janet Mills said, Were looking at every possible contingency plan, talking with members of the Legislature and leadership about what we can do, looking for any possible alternatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Maine has $1 billion in the Budget Stabilization Fund commonly known as the rainy day fund, which serves as a reserve account to be used to offset a General Fund revenue shortfall that is not available for short term SNAP funding, Mills said. People seem to think that the rainy day fund is like a checkbook I can use and draw from. I cant do that legally. Mills office did not respond to a request asking if there are any updates on the contingency plan. Reversal of federal plan The USDA initially planned to use its multi-year contingency fund to continue paying for SNAP benefits during a federal shutdown, according to a Sept. 30 plan that has since been deleted from the agency website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, the department released a memo saying that the fund cannot legally be used to provide November food assistance benefits for the more than 42 million people who rely on the program. The fund contains roughly $6 billion, which still is short of the approximately $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program. In response, a coalition of state attorneys general sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, asking a federal judge to force the release of the funds. It is unconscionably cruel and unlawful, said Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, who is among the 23 officials that launched the suit. My colleagues and I are going to court to insist that the Trump Administration follow the law and use the funds Congress appropriated to ensure SNAP can continue through the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, has also urged Rollins to use any funding possible to keep SNAP benefits intact as the shutdown continues. The SNAP program is incredibly important to families in Maine, Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote in a letter last week. I will continue to work with my colleagues to end this damaging shutdown and reopen the government but in the interim, I ask that you use every available tool to ensure legally available funds are expended to provide SNAP benefits. U.S. Sen. Angus King and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree have also signed onto letters encouraging the agency to use all possible alternatives to fund the program. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maines 2nd Congressional District was not among the 214 House Democrats to sign the letter. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Macau is leveraging its 500-year history as a crossroads of Chinese and Western cultures to position itself as a hub for digital creativity, hosting its first large-scale celebration of the creator economy, CreatorWeek Macao 2025. Running from October 24 to 28, the event unites global content creators, social media leaders, and representatives from major platforms including Google, Meta, YouTube, Bilibili, Red, and Douyin. At the opening of the conference at Grand Lisboa Palace in Cotai yesterday, MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes highlighted Macaus unique blend of cultural heritage and modern urban vibrancy, emphasizing that evolving traveler preferences favor immersive experiences over traditional sightseeing. We are inviting influential content creators to explore Macau firsthand, connecting our rich heritage with global creative trends, Fernandes said, underscoring the governments push to diversify the economy beyond tourism. We are oriented to becoming a world center of tourism in Asia, Fernandes said, noting Macaus designation as a UNESCO-created city of gastronomy and its designation as a Culture City of East Asia 2025. Fernandes described the changing landscape of tourism and content creation, pointing to evolving traveler preferences that favor deeper, immersive experiences over simply visiting picturesque locations. She explained, Traditional ways of travel are evolving into various new styles. Travelers are embracing the growing preference for experiencing tourism products in depth rather than just taking photos of very nice places. And digital marketing and sales have, in turn, become increasingly significant for visitors, so, in parallel with all these shifts in the competition of our market segments and also travel styles. In light of this shift, she notes that MGTO recognizes the rising importance of digital marketing and the creator economy as growing industries filled with business potential. We have tried to invite a lot of influential content creators to join various activities in Macau, she added. According to the MGTO, CreatorWeek Macau brings together more than 180 creator groups, 50 keynote speakers, and 20 live acts from around the world, transforming Macau into a vibrant showcase of global creativity. Throughout the week, the festival includes not only the conference but also wellness workshops, live performances, and community tours designed to immerse creators in Macaus multicultural heritage. Industry leaders such as Ben Wong, chief marketing officer of Google Greater China, Evan DeFilippis, vice president of Strategy at MrBeasts YouTube channel, and Benny Chu, head of Industry at Meta Greater China, were among the speakers exploring themes like scaling creators from Asia to the global stage and strategies behind the worlds biggest creator businesses yesterday. Like this: Like Loading... Daniel OConnor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between The Maine Monitor and the Bangor Daily News, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers. District Attorney Natasha Irvings office would get just $1 from Lincoln County in a new recommendation from officials protesting what they see as a lenient prosecuting style. Natasha Irving, the top prosecutor for Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo and Knox counties, was elected as the midcoasts top cop in 2018 after a campaign that promised progressive reforms. Seven years later, the Democrat has stirred discontent among officials in Lincoln County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At an Oct. 17 meeting, members of the countys budget advisory committee aired concerns about Irvings office and approved only a $1 allocation. It is unlikely to result in any major cuts because the budget is set by commissioners who are legally obligated to fund prosecutors, but the debate is a local example of tension around prosecuting styles. Its a statement being made that were unhappy with the present district attorneys administration, Nobleboro Select Board member Richard Powell, who serves on the advisory committee, said. Irving declined to comment on the protest vote. She has said she subscribes to a law enforcement theory called restorative justice, which focuses on dialogue between victims and offenders and considers incarceration a last resort. The prosecutor unseated a Republican incumbent in a 2018 election that was seen at the time as an upset. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She has been part of what political operatives and academics have called the progressive prosecutor movement. In 2022, Cumberland County District Attorney Jackie Sartoris beat an incumbent in a Democratic primary with support from billionaire megadonor George Soros political network. Powell and other members of the advisory committee declined to get specific about their concerns with Irvings office. But Commissioner William Blodgett, a Democrat who attended the most recent budget meeting, said advisory panel members asked good questions about the results of some cases that have ended without charges. Commissioners are expected to meet with the advisory committee later this week to discuss the recommendations and next steps. The county budget will ultimately not be approved until December. While the commissioners are obligated to reject the $1 funding recommendation, Blodgett said the all-Democratic panel would take the vote seriously. The city of Gig Harbor wants to build a new commercial fishing dock next year, but holdups in the review process for permits during the federal government shutdown could further delay the project, which has already been in the works for a decade. At this point, we are really at go time, where we have done everything that we have been told to do, City Administrator Katrina Knutson said in a phone call Tuesday. And were really relying on the federal government to come back to work and review and approve our permits so that we can get this going. Gig Harbors proposed Commercial Fishing Homeport at Ancich Waterfront Park is a public dock project that staff and commercial fishing advocates have been pushing for since 2013. The dock would provide moorage for up to 17 vessels, the News Tribune reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The homeport would serve both a symbolic and practical use, honoring the role of Croatian commercial fishing families in Gig Harbors history while also providing current fishing families a place to moor their boats. The project is anticipated to attract tourism and more foot traffic to local businesses, the city wrote in a news release about the projects progress May 7. From honoring Croatian-American traditions to supporting a new generation of maritime workers and maintaining the small-town character residents cherish, the project reflects the communitys identity and economic resilience, the release said. The proposed location of the Commercial Fishing Homeport, which would allow 17 commercial fishing vessels to dock, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Gig Harbor, Wash. Knutson told the city council during the Oct. 13 city council meeting that the city had begun the process to purchase the necessary mitigation credits for the homeport through the Puget Sound Partnership. These credits are calculated based on a projects projected impacts to nearshore habitat, and money earned from the sale of these credits go toward conservation projects managed by the Partnership, according to the Partnership website. That process is going well, and the mitigation component is what the city was waiting for, Knutson told the city council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The holdup now has been with federal agencies who work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and are supposed to participate in the permit review process. National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees have been furloughed during the federal government shutdown which began Sept. 30, meaning that the citys permits cant continue through the review process for the time being, said Knutson. The U.S. Army Corps has emailed the information to the services, Gig Harbor Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm said via phone Tuesday. Its just my understanding theres nobody there to receive, review, respond. Even if the city had the permits now, they wouldnt be able to begin in-water construction until mid-July of next year. The city needs their permits by January to stay on schedule, he said. Ancich Waterfront Park on Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Gig Harbor, Wash. The citys news release May 7 said that the city is bound by a limited window for in-water construction due to environmental regulations, which are based on fish migration patterns in Puget Sound. That window typically runs from July 15 to Feb. 15 of each year, the release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The citys consultant, Facet, is working to finalize components of the mitigation design, Langhelm said. Their contract was extended with the city councils approval Monday. And so, ideally, we would have a permit in hand in the next couple months ... requesting bids for this project in late winter, and then receive bids, award a contract in the early spring timeframe, and then be under construction this summer, he said. Knutson and Langhelm confirmed that the $3.5 million the city has budgeted for the project includes funding to purchase the mitigation credits, along with funds for other mitigation work. It also includes funding to pay for the ongoing consulting services. City staff noted in their recent agenda bill to extend the citys contract with Facet that the city has expended more of the contract budget for design and permitting than anticipated by this time, given the extended time theyve spent in the permit review process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if the city expects to remain within budget for the homeport, Langhelm said he doesnt know yet. The city will receive an updated construction cost estimate as part of the final design package, likely early next year, he said. Knutson and Langhelm both expressed confidence in the changes the city has made to meet the requirements for approval, this time around. The News Tribune reported that the city has already gone through multiple rounds of review, learning each time that they needed to address some new issue such as stormwater runoff, kelp growing near the site and ensuring protections for two species listed under the Endangered Species Act, the bull trout and marbled murrelet. We have done all that we can, Knutson told the city council Oct. 13, adding that as soon as the federal government reopens, city staff will keep the council apprised on where we are. A major storm is approaching Nepal's Himalaya, and it is expected to worsen throughout this week. Most climbers are sheltering at lodges down the valley, but trekkers may be the most affected. Few are equipped for the big dump of snow expected shortly. The Severe Cyclonic Storm, already known as Cyclone Montha, is approaching the east coast of India from the Bay of Bengal, Everest Today reported. It will affect the higher Himalayan regions of Nepal from Tuesday through Friday, with heavy snowfall and strong winds. It is expected to peak this Friday. Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology issued a warning bulletin today, translated into English by entrepreneur and travel consultant, Raj Gyawali: The weather warning issued today by Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. Credit: Raj Gyawali/Facebook Annapurna alert Roland Hunter of The Mountain Company has been tracking the storm to keep his trekking groups informed about the threat. Five days ago, it looked like the Kangchenjunga region would bear the worst of it. However, more recent charts suggest that the Annapurna region, further west, will suffer most. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Tomorrow, the Annapurna [area] will get 22mm, with the heaviest rain expected on Friday with 68mm of rain (or snow, depending on the altitude)," Hunter noted. He explained that trekkers doing the Annapurna Circuit should carefully consider whether they want to risk hiking up the Thorong La (5,416m), the high point of the trek, or even driving in the Kali Gandaki area, which is prone to flooding. At Annapurna's south side Base Camp, a popular trekking spot. Photo: Upper Mustang Trek Trekkers less equipped Climbing expeditions are prepared for rough weather and deep snow. However, the most popular treks in Nepal typically avoid venturing into ice and snow, as the trails remain off the glaciers. Trekkers do not carry loads of "just in case" gear with them, opting instead for versatile, lightweight clothing. They typically wear light hiking boots -- some even insist on trail runners. Trekking equipment is based on a layering system that works in a wide range of temperatures. But dealing with half a meter of fresh snow on a 5,000m pass is a different story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a similar storm earlier this month, hundreds of hikers in Tibet were stranded and had to be helped down the valley. They were trekking in the Kangshung region near Everest, and made worldwide headlines when mainstream media assumed they were all stranded while actually climbing the mountain. Climbers in the Khumbu shared some footage of that snow dump in the Khumbu. Below, a short clip from Lucien Bocansaud in Chukhung village: Landslides and flooding Snow and heavy rain have further side effects, including landslides, rockfall, and floods in the lower areas and avalanches higher up. Last spring, a trekker died in an avalanche near Annapurna Base Camp. The best way to tackle such difficulties is to be aware of the forecast and retreat to safer areas before the storm hits. Unfortunately, even guided trekking groups rarely monitor weather forecasts. A recent, similar storm in Nepal killed a South Korean climber on Mera Peak and swept others to their deaths in flash floods. Mera Peak, one of the most popular trekking peaks in Nepal, is located in the heavily visited Khumbu Valley, which offers dozens of potential accommodations in case of rough weather. A skeptical Holecek on Cho Oyu Marek Holecek and Radoslav Groh of Czechia are not trekkers but rather alpinists about to attempt a new route on the Southeast Face of Cho Oyu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Various weather forecasts are coming in, [foreseeing everything] from a two-meter snowfall to a hurricane that will lift us and our tent and carry us somewhere to the Bay of Bengal," scoffed Holecek. He prefers to trust his own meteorologist, who spoke of unclear forecasts and suggested that they just wait it out. They have decided to do so at the base of the face, where they have cached a small tent and some gear, Holecek said. If they go up and the storm evolves as expected, it will not be the first time that the Czech climbers have been trapped in a violent storm on a difficult mountain. On Baruntse in 2021, they barely survived a six-day tempest. In fact, Holecek has endured storms on virtually all his Himalayan expeditions. Zohran Mamdani has been forced to explain what the word aunt means in South Asian culture. On Friday, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor made a speech about Islamophobia outside of a Bronx mosque. The speech highlighted how Muslims in New York City deal with discrimination and prejudice, especially after the 9/11 attacks. Mamdani spoke of a personal experience where one of his loved ones was fearful of experiencing prejudice in the city. I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab, Mamdani said, while getting emotional. I want to speak to the Muslim who works for our city, whether they teach in our schools or walk the beat for the NYPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, rather than actually listening to his story or perhaps engaging in some introspection about prejudice others face in America, right-wing media seized upon Mamdanis mention of his aunt to try to claim some kind of gotcha. The Murdoch-owned New York Post and Fox News both claimed to find Mamdanis actual aunt, who doesnt wear a head covering. On Tuesday morning, Mamdani had to clarify what the word aunt means in South Asian culture, explaining that he was speaking about his fathers cousin Zehra fuhi, who passed away a few years ago. An aunt can refer not just to a sister of a parent but to any elder female relative or even a friend or acquaintance. Zohran Mamdani says that his "aunt" that he claimed on Friday was too afraid to wear her hijab on the subway after 9/11 was actually his father's cousin named "Zehra Fuhi" who he says passed away a few years ago. pic.twitter.com/eyPb60wetM NYScanner (@nyscanner) October 28, 2025 Some right-wing commentators then tried to claim Zehra Fuhi isnt a real person, believing fuhi is a surname, rather than a term for paternal aunt in Urdu, Hindi, and Gujarati. The whole saga is another bigoted attempt to smear Mamdani based on his religion. Mamdanis opponent Andrew Cuomo, along with right-wing media, has made multiple Islamophobic attacks in a desperate attempt to gain ground on the surging Democratic candidate. Cuomo and the media have tried to claim that Mamdani is pro-Hamas, wants a global intifada, and is close to Siraj Wahaj, an imam in the city baselessly accused of supporting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. These efforts have only demonstrated how pervasive Islamophobia is in New York and American politics, proving the points Mamdani made in his Bronx speech. AUSTIN (KXAN) A man accused of assaulting several students near the University of Texas at Austin in April has been ordered to be transported to an outpatient restoration program after a court deemed him incompetent to stand trial, according to court documents. Aymen Labidi is charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon in connection with the reported assaults. A hearing is expected for him on Nov. 17, according to Travis County online court records. Arrests are not enough: UT leaders call out prosecutors, judicial system in letter about campus safety Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to his bond conditions, Labidi must stay at least 200 yards away from all UT campuses, wear a county-funded GPS tracking device and attend counseling and education services at the Austin Travis County Integral Cares Community Competency Restoration Program. Additionally, Labidi must comply with medical, psychiatric or psychological care and treatment, including taking all psychoactive medication as recommended, court documents said. He will stay in restoration services for no more than 120 days. He will then be reexamined for competency to stand trial. KXAN reported in April the suspect was arrested three times and continued to be arrested and released. That person returned to the Drag, on Guadalupe Street near UT Austin, to threaten and physically assault students. This caused concerns for student safety around west campus. What UT Austin leaders said about campus safety When the crime occurred, UT leaders wrote a statement sharing concerns regarding the safety and security of its students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When individuals threaten student safety with violent and criminal behavior, our law enforcement have been steadfast in making necessary arrests to remove these threats. But arrests are not enough. We must be able to work hand in hand with prosecutors and the local judicial system to make sure these offenders stay off our campus, UT Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said. A spokesperson for Travis County Judge Brown provided KXAN with a statement that said, in part, Judge Brown will continue these conversations to advocate for a mental health jail diversion center that helps meet the needs of the campus community and Travis County. KXAN Investigates reported that while the waitlist number for state hospital beds improve, there are still concerns as those numbers could plateau. According to the report, the waitlist peaked in December 2022, when more than 2,500 people were on it. By the end of August 2025, that number fell below 1,800. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. CORSICANA, Texas (FOX 44) A man is accused of striking two people with his vehicle in two separate crashes. Corsicana Police officers responded to the 1700 block of W 7th Avenue on Sunday. This was regarding a vehicle versus pedestrian crash. The vehicle involved failed to render aid to the pedestrian and fled the scene before officers arrived. The victim was transported to Navarro Regional Hospital for treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said that shortly after the crash, a witness at a local business saw a subject telling another person they were just involved in a crash where a vehicle struck a pedestrian and fled the location. The witness contacted police, and officers were able to develop a suspect description and a suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle and suspect were found a short time later. Police say the suspect was identified and interviewed. Following the interview, officers were able to develop probable cause that he committed the offense and he was arrested for Collision Involving Serious Bodily Injury a third-degree felony. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) A man accused of firing shots at an Austintown home in August appeared in court Tuesday morning. Read next: Embattled former recovery center owner back in jail JaMere Taylor, 23, of Youngstown, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before Judge Maureen Sweeney on Tuesday morning. Taylor faces three counts of felonious assault and a single count of improper discharge of a firearm into a habitation, all second-degree felonies. He was indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury earlier this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taylor is accused of shooting at a home at about 7 p.m. on Aug. 24 on Baylor Avenue in the College Park Estates. Police said there was a custody exchange at the home, followed by the gunfire. No one was injured. Taylor has been in the Mahoning County jail since his arrest on $40,000 bond. He is set to return to court for pretrial Nov. 10. Joe Gorman contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. JACKSON COUNTY, Ala (WHNT) The man police said shot and injured a Scottsboro Police officer appeared in a Jackson County courtroom on Monday morning. Daniel McCarn had a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Monday morning, but the judge decided to push his hearing back until January. This was at the request of McCarns attorney, Robert Tuten. Tuten told News 19 the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency sent discovery, which is also known as the evidence in the case, less than two weeks ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuten argued to have the hearing pushed back to give him more time to review the details of the case. This all comes after police responded to a domestic incident in the early hours of July 26. Police say McCarn fled in his vehicle after they arrived at the house. Police say McCarn then crashed his vehicle on Highway 72, got out and started shooting. Lieutenant Derek Porch was shot in the hand. Scottsboro Police said Lit. Porch is still recovering from his injuries. McCarn is charged with attempted murder. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Macaus upcoming 10-year action plan for rehabilitation services, covering 2026 to 2035, will focus on four key areas: physical and mental rehabilitation, potential development, support and protection, and fostering an inclusive environment. The plan aims to enhance the adoption of smart technologies in rehabilitation facilities, expand access to AI-powered speech therapy systems, and advance preliminary research for future accessibility legislation. It also includes transforming Zone A into a model community for barrier-free mobility and developing a comprehensive accessibility map for the city. The finalized plan is expected to be completed this quarter, with a public release scheduled for early 2026. In an announcement yesterday, Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) director Wilson Hon, who also serves as deputy head of the steering group, said the new phase will expand from 13 to 15 projects, involving 18 government departments across five secretariats. The focus will be on promoting smart technology in rehabilitation services. A biennial review mechanism will require departments to update their work plans every two years to keep pace with technological advancements. Hon added that future initiatives may include introducing guide robots and fully integrating accessibility concepts into Zone As roads, transport, and social service facilities. Like this: Like Loading... BOSTON (WPRI) A man accused of attacking two teenagers with a metal fork on an international flight is facing federal charges, according to United States Attorney Leah Foley. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to cause bodily harm on an aircraft. He was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport after the plane made an emergency landing. Foley said Usiripalli was on board a Lufthansa flight enroute from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, when he stabbed two 17-year-old boys with the metal fork. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Charging documents revealed that the first teenager was sleeping lightly in a middle seat when he awoke to see Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli then reportedly stabbed the boy in the shoulder with the fork. SEE ALSO: Man convicted of trying to open plane door, stab attendant released Usiripalli turned to the other teenager, who was sitting next to the victim in another middle seat, and stabbed him in the back of the head with the fork, according to the charging documents. The second victim suffered a laceration to the back of his head as a result of the attack. The charging documents explained that, as flight attendants attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli slapped a female passenger with his hand and attempted to slap a flight attendant immediately after making the violent gesture, per the charging documents. The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport as a result of Usiripallis unpredictable behavior. Usiripalli is an Indian national who was admitted to the United States on a student visa for a masters program in biblical studies, according to Foley. Foley added that Usiripalli currently does not have lawful status in the United States. Hes will face a federal judge in Boston at a later date. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. SANTEE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) A sentencing date has been scheduled for the man accused of angrily vandalizing a Santee hair salon in a viral video after he missed an appointment. August Marriott, 28, was seen in a widely-circulated video berating employees and throwing shampoo bottles inside a Great Clips salon in Santee on Jan. 29. Watch the report by Jaime Chambers from Feb. 6, 2025, in the video player above. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the San Diego County Sheriffs Office, the incident occurred after Marriott was told he was late for his appointment and he had arrived to the salon, located in the 9600 block of Mission Gorge Road, demanding to get a haircut. Workers at Great Clips called SDSO but Marriott drove away before deputies arrived. Authorities later tracked him down with help from the public. In February, Marriott was arrested in Chula Vista and booked into the San Diego Central Jail on numerous charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and violation of parole. Marriott pleaded guilty to assault along with having a prior strike conviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. An international flight bound for Germany had to make an emergency landing in Boston over the weekend when a man aboard allegedly stabbed two teens with a fork. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, an Indian national, allegedly stabbed two 17-year-olds while Lufthansa flight 431 from Chicago to Germany was in the air, according to US Attorney Leah Foley. During the flight, Usiripalli allegedly stood over one of the sleeping teens, and when the victim awoke, he stabbed him in the left shoulder with a metal fork. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect then allegedly lunged at the second teen, stabbing him in the back of the head with the fork. When flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he allegedly raised his hand, made a gun gesture, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. He then allegedly turned toward a female passenger to his left and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member. The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was immediately taken into custody. Foleys office says Usiripalli was admitted to the United States on a student visa and was enrolled in a masters program in biblical studies. He does not have lawful status in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli will appear in Boston federal court on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A man has been arrested and charged in Livingston County after he allegedly used an excavator to damage a home during a dispute. New York State Police said they were called to a residence on Upper Bean Hill Road in the Town of Groveland on Monday at 3:33 p.m. to respond to a domestic dispute with criminal mischief. An investigation by responding troopers and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation from SP Geneseo found a man, identified as 37-year-old Matthew P. Patridge of Nunda, had operated a large excavator that belonged to a family business and driven it into the residence. At the time, the home was occupied by a 62-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Police say during the incident, Patridge threatened the woman and proceeded to damage property, prompting her to flee the home and contact a 64-year-old male relative. When he arrived at the scene in a 2013 Chevrolet 3500 truck, Patridge allegedly struck it multiple times with the excavator before getting into a physical altercation with the man. Partiridge then proceeded to flee the scene. Troopers eventually found him at his mothers home, where he was taken into custody by the Livingston County Sheriffs Office. He now faces the following charges: Three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the first degree Two counts of Criminal Mischief in the second degree Endangering the welfare of a child Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patridge was released after being arraigned in the Livingston County CAP Court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. A man has been charged with allegedly stabbing two teenage boys with a metal fork on a flight from Chicago to Germany on Saturday, the Department of Justice said. The DOJ said the alleged stabbing happened after meal service on the Lufthansa flight. A 17-year-old boy was lightly sleeping in a middle seat when he allegedly awoke to see Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, a 28-year-old Indian national, standing over him, the DOJ said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli allegedly stabbed the boy in the shoulder area before lunging toward another 17-year-old boy, who was sitting in the middle seat of a center row, the DOJ said. Usiripalli then allegedly stabbed that teen in the back of the head. When crew members tried to subdue Usiripalli, the DOJ said he allegedly formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger. The suspect then allegedly turned toward a female passenger and slapped her with his hand. Usiripalli also allegedly attempted to slap a flight crew member. The DOJ said the flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where officials took Usiripalli, who was previously admitted to the United States on a student visa, into custody. The DOJ said the suspect does not currently have lawful status in the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, the DOJ said. If convicted, Usiripalli faces up to 10 years in prison. He will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Lufthansa issued a statement, saying, "Lufthansa confirms that flight LH431 (Boeing 747-8, 363 passengers) operating from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Frankfurt am Main was diverted to Boston on Saturday, October 25, 2025, where it landed safely. The diversion was necessitated by the behavior of an unruly passenger, who was taken into custody by local authorities upon arrival. Consequently, the onward flight to Frankfurt did not continue as scheduled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During this period of high hotel occupancy in the Boston area, Lufthansa made every effort to ensure that all passengers were provided with hotel accommodations and were rebooked on the next available flights. We sincerely regret the inconvenience this situation has caused and appreciate our passengers' patience and understanding. The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew are always Lufthansa's highest priority. For all inquiries relating to the incident, we kindly ask that questions be directed to the relevant local law enforcement authorities. Furthermore, we kindly ask for your understanding that Lufthansa is unable to share further details regarding the individual involved." ST. LOUIS Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez, the man charged in a drunk driving crash that killed a veteran St. Louis Police officer David Lee, pleaded guilty to criminal charges Tuesday in the crash. Chavez-Rodriguez, 24, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of DWI (causing death of law enforcement) and a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license. Authorities say fallen Officer Lees death is a tragedy that continues to weigh heavily on the St. Louis community and his fellow officers. Lee was an 18-year veteran of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department known for his professionalism, calm leadership and commitment to service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News In the early morning hours of Sept. 22, 2024, Lee was called to a crash on Interstate 70. Investigators say that while placing cones to direct traffic, he was struck by a car whose driver lost control. Lee was rushed to the hospital but later died during surgery. The driver, later identified as Chavez-Rodriguez, was charged with driving while intoxicated, exceeding the speed limit, and driving without a valid license. Authorities also confirmed Chavez Rodriguez does not have legal status in the United States. Attorneys tell FOX 2 that sentencing will be scheduled afterward, a process that typically takes about six weeks. Lee pleaded to a Class B felony in his DWI charge, which carries a penalty between 5-15 years in prison, per Missouri statutes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tragic killing of Officer Lee had a devastating impact on the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis community, said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore in a statement to FOX 2. Officer Lee devoted 18 years to protecting this city and its residents. Though no court outcome can heal the pain of his loss, his legacy of service and sacrifice will endure. As the community prepares for this next step in court, Officer Lees colleagues say his sacrifice will never be forgotten and his service continues to inspire those still on the job. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) For more than three hours, D.C. police officers were involved in a stand-off with a suspect who allegedly shot a man in Southeast. It all began on Monday, Oct. 27, around 7:45 a.m. in the 4900 block of Ayers Place. Officers responded to the area for a reported shooting. There, they found a man who had been shot, conscious and breathing. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Shooting in Southeast DC leads to hours-long barricade, suspect in custody As the investigation developed, the suspect, later identified as 61-year-old Matthew Lee Murphy, was stopped in the 4500 block of Benning Road NE. Police said officers executed a search warrant at his home, where they discovered a loaded firearm. Murphy was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (gun). Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. A 28-year-old man stabbed two teenagers with a fork and tried to slap a crew member on a flight from Chicago to Germany over the weekend, causing the flight to be diverted, officials said. The dramatic incident comes during an already tense period in aviation, with significant delays and staffing shortages due to the government shutdown. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft, according to a news release from the US Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts. Usiripalli will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli is accused of stabbing two 17-year-old boys, one in the shoulder area and one in the back of the head, with the same metal fork while on a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt on Saturday, according to the news release. Usiripalli is described as an Indian national who was previously in the United States on a student visa. He was enrolled in a masters program in biblical studies, but currently does not have lawful status in the country, officials said. CNN is working to determine whether he has an attorney. The first victim was sleeping in a middle seat after meal service when he woke up to see Usiripalli standing over him. Usiripalli allegedly used his right hand to strike the boy in the left collarbone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli is accused of lunging at the second victim, who was seated to the right of the first victim, and stabbed him. When flight crew members tried to subdue Usiripalli, he formed a gun with his fingers, put it in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger, officials said in the news release. He then turned toward a woman on the flight and slapped her and he tried to slap a flight crew member, according to the news release. The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, and Usiripalli was taken into custody. The charge carries of a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NEED TO KNOW Norman Grim, 65, received a lethal injection from the state of Florida on Tuesday evening He was convicted on charges of murder and sexual battery in the death of his lawyer neighbor Cynthia Campbell in 2000 Grim announced earlier this year that he would not file for an emergency stay from the Florida or U.S. Supreme Court that might have halted or delayed his execution A Florida man convicted of raping and murdering his neighbor became the 15th person executed this year by Florida on Tuesday evening, a state record. Norman Grim, 65, received a lethal injection at the Florida State Prison after being sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Cynthia Campbell on July 27, 1998. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The body of Campbell, a lawyer who lived next door to Grim, was found in the waters off a pier in Pensacola by a fisherman just hours after her death. An autopsy determined that she had been "hit with a blunt instrument, perhaps a hammer, 18 times about the head, fracturing her skull," according to a copy of a 2001 appellant brief filed in the case and obtained by PEOPLE. The brief also noted that Campbell "had been stabbed at least 11 times, with seven of those wounds being to the heart" and had a "large laceration" on her genitalia. Norman Grim Deputies with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office soon found multiple pieces of evidence linking Grim to the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grim had repeatedly asked Campbell to join him for a cup of coffee on the day of her murder, including in front of a police officer who had been called to the lawyer's home early that morning when someone threw a lug nut through her window. She declined. Grim left and a short time later a tree branch suddenly snapped off and hit Campbell's car, at which point Grim returned and asked Campbell to join him for coffee once more. This time she accepted, and the police officer left. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. When Campbell failed to show up for work, police returned to her home and then spoke with Grim, who said he had not seen his neighbor and then fled from the scene, quickly losing a police officer who attempted to follow him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An eyewitness saw him soon after on the pier where Campbell's body was discovered with his car trunk and doors open, according to the brief. Once Campbell's body had been taken out of the water, deputies were able to match fabrics, rope and tape found at Grim's home to those found on the victim. He entered a not guilty plea at trial but was convicted of murder and sexual battery in December 2000, at which time he opted against calling any mitigating witnesses at his sentencing hearing. He did file appeals in his case but said at a hearing earlier this week that he would not seek an emergency stay of his execution from either the Florida or U.S. Supreme Court. Read the original article on People Julia Wandelt yesterday told a court in Leicester she discovered who Madeleine McCann was when she was in hospital in the summer of 2022, BBC News reported. She told jurors it was at that time that she had been considering whether she had been adopted and decided to check out databases of missing people. There were not actually a lot of people my age or around my age, but that is how I found Madeleine. Wandelt, a Polish national, has claimed to be Madeleine McCann and stalked the missing girls parents by sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at their address, a court has heard. Madeleines sister Amelie yesterday gave evidence as part of the prosecutions case, this time over video-link. According to BBC News, she told the court Miss Wandelt first tried to contact her in January 2024 over Facebook. McCann said Wandelt told her she had memories of playing Ring a Ring o Roses with her and feeding her brother Sean. The trial has previously heard Wandelt contacted a couple who were with Madeleines family on the night she disappeared in Portugal in 2007. Like this: Like Loading... A man was critically injured after being hit by a car in Pittsburghs Oakland neighborhood on Tuesday morning. Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Forbes and Oakland avenues around 4:45 a.m. First responders found a man lying in the road with a head injury. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Public Safety officials said that the driver remained on the scene. Pittsburgh Police continue to investigate. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW NEW ORLEANS (AP) Immigration officials have deported a father living in Alabama to Laos despite a federal court order blocking his removal from the U.S. on the grounds he has a claim to citizenship, the man's attorneys said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick last week ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep Chanthila Shawn Souvannarath, 44, in the United States while he presented what the judge called his substantial claim of U.S. citizenship," court records show. He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but was granted lawful permanent residence in the U.S. before his first birthday, according to court filings. But Souvannarath on Sunday messaged his wife on WhatsApp and told her he was in Dongmakkhai, Laos, according to a screenshot she shared with The Associated Press. The message ends with love y'all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is very unfortunate, especially for the children that we have together, Beatrice Souvannarath told AP. Emails, phone calls and text messages sent to ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were not immediately returned. The ACLU of Louisiana, which is representing Souvannarath, called the deportation a stunning violation of a federal court order. Before his deportation, Souvannarath had been detained at a newly opened ICE facility at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. ICE just ignored a federal court order and tore yet another family apart, said Alanah Odoms, executive director for the ACLU of Louisiana, in a statement. This administration has shown it will ignore the courts, ignore the Constitution and ignore the law to pursue its mass deportation agenda, even if it means destroying the lives of American citizens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deportation comes as Trump administration officials have repeatedly clashed with the courts over their attempts to deport large numbers of immigrants. There have been previous cases of U.S. citizens being deported, including U.S.-born children. Chanthila Souvannarath was taken into ICE custody in June following an annual check-in with immigration authorities in Alabama, where he had been living, his wife said. When he went to check in, they detained him. And our two younger kids were with him," Beatrice Souvannarath told AP. "It was the hardest two months of my life. He spent much of his childhood living with one or both of his parents in Hawaii, Washington state and California. His father, a native of Laos, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, and Souvannarath claims his citizenship derives from that status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I continuously lived in the United States since infancy, Souvannarath wrote in a letter from immigration detention, and I have always considered myself an American citizen. Souvannarath filed an emergency motion seeking to delay his deportation. Dick, the federal judge based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, citing the irreparable harm that would be caused by immediate deportation. "Though the government has an interest in the enforcement of its immigration laws, the potential removal of a U.S. citizen weighs heavily against the public interest," wrote Dick, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Barack Obama. Souvannarath would be unable to effectively litigate his case from Laos," she added. The court docket shows no changes in Souvannaraths case since the judge issued the temporary restraining order, which was set to expire Nov. 6. Dick declined to through her office to comment. __ Mustian reported from New York. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) A homicide investigation is underway in the District after a man died days after he was found shot in Columbia Heights. D.C. officers responded to the shooting inside an apartment building in the 3200 block of Hiatt Place, Northwest, just minutes before 2 a.m. on Oct. 25. At the scene, police found a man who was semi-conscious and barely breathing with gunshot wounds, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Police: Man found shot inside Columbia Heights apartment building; investigation underway Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medics rushed the man, later identified as 27-year-old Jermaine McGee-Holmes, of Northeast, to the hospital for treatment of critical injuries, where he died on Oct. 27. As detectives continue to investigate the shooting, officials urge anyone with information to contact the Metropolitan Police Department at 2020-727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for each homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the departments TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Killeen, TX (FOX 44) Bond has been set at $50,000 for a man arrested for injury to two young children after an elementary school nurse reported their conditions to CPS. Immanuel K. Thomas was arrested by Killeen Police after an arrest warrant was obtained. The affidavit filed in support of the warrant request stated that on April 14 Killeen police were contacted by Child Protective Services who had earlier received a report from a nurse at Killeen Elementary School. CPS had spoken with the nurse and a school counselor then made contact with the children, ages five and seven who were the subjects of the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CPS reported visible injuries to both children with marks consistent with having been beaten with a belt or similar object. The children were taken to McLane Childrens Hospital in Temple for forensic examinations and interviews. Immanuel Thomas was interviewed and gave a statement regarding use of a belt as a disciplinary measure. Thomas remained in the Bell County Jail Tuesday held on two counts of injury to a child with intent bodily injury, which is a third degree felony. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. NEED TO KNOW Shiateek Wilson was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Noel Denzel Miller on Sunday, Oct. 26 Wilson allegedly told police he was hiding in his ex-girlfriend's daughter's closet when she returned home with Miller before the shooting Wilson briefly held onto the woman's phone as she begged to call emergency services, an affidavit alleges A Texas man has been arrested following a shooting in his ex-girlfriend's home that resulted in the death of the woman's lover. Officers responding to an early morning shooting in a Converse, Texas home on Sunday, Oct. 26 found Noel Denzel Miller suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said in a statement this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miller, 35, was pronounced dead after he was transported to a local hospital. Police arrested 23-year-old Shiateek Wilson later that day in connection with the shooting. Wilson allegedly told police he went to his ex-girlfriend's house around 1 a.m. and hid in her daughter's closet with flowers to surprise the woman, according to the sheriff's office statement. As he waited for her to return home, he drank a beverage and watched videos, per the statement. The woman, whose name has not been publicly shared, told investigators soon after she had returned home with Miller, the two decided take a shower together, according to an arrest affidavit cited by KSAT. As she waited in the shower for Miller, she heard gunshots and ran to her son's upstairs bedroom, where she found a wounded Miller, per the affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She claimed that Wilson was also there and had a handgun on him, the sheriff's office said in the statement. She alleged Wilson briefly held onto her phone, withholding her from calling emergency personnel as she begged him, KSAT reported, citing the affidavit. Wilson then allegedly fled the scene, per the sheriff's office, and was arrested later that day. Miller is being mourned by his family and friends. "The hood is gonna feel this one," read a Facebook post by Nathan Devon Liggins. "Noel Miller brought joy to a lot of people its sad to see his story end so soon RIP my friend." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A piece of my heart was just ripped away," read another post from Wendell Monroe. "...having to tell this to my mom, dad and lil brother ended me: Rest in Heaven Noel; Ill love you forever my baby and keep your name alive." Another family member shared on social media that they are gathering funds to lay him to rest. Bexar County Sheriff's Office Shiateek Wilson Shiateek Wilson Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Wilson, who the sheriff's office alleges admitted to shooting the victim "claiming self-defense," has been charged with murder, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is awaiting indictment and is being held on a $300,000 bond. An attorney listed for Wilson in court records did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People SUTTON, W.Va. (WBOY) A man will serve up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing and neglecting a young child in Braxton County, West Virginia. Carl James Carl William James, age 52, appeared in Braxton County court for a sentencing on Monday after being convicted of multiple felonies back in May, including sexual abuse, sexual assault and gross child neglect creating substantial risk of injury or death. James sexually abused a young girl for six years in Braxton County when she was between the ages of 7 and 13, officials said. According to a release from the Braxton County Prosecuting Attorneys office, the court rejected a request for alternate sentencing on Monday because James reportedly had expressed no remorse for the crimes, instead blaming the victim and altered evidence at trial in an effort to deceive the jury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Man allegedly fired gun to prevent victim from getting her pets from home in Barbour County Judge Jasmine R. H. Morton passed down a sentence of not less than 51 years and not more than 175 years. If James is released from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life. During the hearing, the state read a letter from the child victim, and Judge Morton noted that the victims life would never be the same. James did not address the court during the hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to murder in a 2023 case. Calvin Mitchell, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the shooting at the Elvis Presley Inn in Whitehaven. The Shelby County District Attorneys Office said Mitchell shot and killed the victim after they got into an argument. Calvin Mitchell (Courtesy: Shelby County Sheriffs Office) In 2023, WREG reported that Mitchell Mitchell was wanted in connection with an execution-style shooting in Whitehaven in the summer of 2023 and was arrested for first-degree murder in October 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was taken into custody inside a fenced-in area outside a warehouse on Jackson Avenue. The warehouse belongs to Hodge Auto Mart. The owner said he got an alert on his phone and saw four males rummaging through his building. Police captured a second suspect in a wooded area near the business. Man wanted in execution-style killing arrested in business burglary Investigators said Mitchell was also caught on camera after a man was shot and killed in the parking lot of the motel on June 25. They said the video showed Mitchell pull a black handgun from his waistband and fire a single shot at the victim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A witness told police he heard Mitchell argue with the victim before grabbing his gun and shooting him in the face. The witness said the victim was not armed, and he believed the shooting was gang-related. The man who was shot was pronounced dead at the hospital. Mitchell was also arrested in June of 2022 for allegedly assaulting a man at the MATA bus station off North Main. Police said he also ran from officers who heard the disturbance and had to be tackled to the ground. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) One of two men accused of handling a gun at the Tops supermarket on Jefferson Avenue the site of a 2022 racist mass shooting has pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, a violent felony. According to police reports obtained by News 4 Investigates, a witness reported on June 17 that a man waved a gun at his daughter near the Tops parking lot. The father told police a vehicle operated by one of the suspects almost hit his truck as it exited the parking lot, when one of the men rolled down a window, yelled at him, and waved a gun in his direction. Buffalo police officers stopped the vehicle a few blocks away from the store and recovered two loaded 9mm ghost guns, along with three loaded magazines from one of the suspects pants. One of the guns had an illegal 15-round magazine, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Store surveillance video showed two men identified by police as Avello Pena and his half brother, Ronnie Midgett passing a gun back and forth, according to investigators. On Oct. 6, Midgett, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He faces up to seven years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 18. Courtesy: Erie County District Attorneys Office Midgetts attorney, Celia Szczur-Benz, said Pena handed Midgett the gun while in the store. She said Midgett questioned why Pena took out the weapon, then tucked it into his pants before both men left the store. Disturbing gun-related incident at Jefferson Ave. Tops reopens wounds from racist massacre Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident happened at the same store where an 18-year-old from Conklin, N.Y. fatally shot 10 Black people and wounded three others in a racist massacre on May 14, 2022. Pena, of Tonawanda, still faces five charges, including two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree menacing, and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Neither the Buffalo Police Department nor Tops disclosed the incident to the community until June 26, after the report by News 4 Investigates. The late notice led some Buffalo Common Council members in July to question the police department about why it did not immediately inform the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I shouldnt have to find out about this from a news reporter a week and a day later, Masten District Common Council member Zeneta Everhart said in July. Her son was working at the store during both the 2022 massacre and this incident in June. This is Tops on Jefferson. This is hallowed ground, Everhart said. At the time, a Tops spokesperson said store surveillance video showed no firearms were pulled on any individuals on the Tops property. Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane said in June there was no indication the men targeted the store or its customers. Keane declined to comment Tuesday because Penas case remains active. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News 4 Investigates confirmed Pena has a prior criminal record. According to court documents, Pena was indicted and pleaded guilty to an assault charge for shooting a man in 2010. In addition, in 2013, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary for breaking into the vehicle and home of Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. He has served eight years in prison. City Council seeks answers from police on recent gun-related incident at Tops Both Midgett and Pena remain in custody without bail. Pena is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial conference Nov. 18 before Erie County Court Judge James Bargnesi. Latest Local News Dan Telvock is an award-winning investigative producer and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2018. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. The gunman accused of killing Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe pleaded guilty Tuesday, three years after the assassination in broad daylight shocked the world. The slaying forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence, and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the Unification Church. "Everything is true," Tetsuya Yamagami said at a court in the western city of Nara, admitting to the murder of the country's longest-serving leader in July 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is no doubt that I have done all this," Yamagami added, according to the Japan Times. The 45-year-old was led handcuffed into the room with a rope around his waist. When the judge asked him to state his name, Yamagami, who was wearing a black T-shirt and had his long hair tied back, replied in a barely audible voice. His lawyer said they would contest certain charges, including violations of arms control laws for allegedly using a handmade weapon. More than 700 people lined up to be one of the 32 allowed in a lottery to sit in the courtroom's public gallery for the trial, the Japan Times reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yamagami pleaded guilty on the same day that two of Abe's former allies, incumbent Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and visiting U.S. President Donald Trump, met in Tokyo. Yamagami's trial had been a long time coming after the discovery of a suspicious item later found to be harmless caused its last-minute cancellation and the evacuation of the Nara court building in 2023. One issue central to the case was whether extenuating circumstances applied due to "religious abuse" in Yamagami's childhood stemming from his mother's extreme devotion to the Unification Church, according to Japanese media reports. In a recent interview with TBS News, cited by the Japan Times, she said her faith grew even stronger after the her son assassinated Abe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors told the court that Yamagami started building up resentment toward the church, which he thinks derailed his life. "He began to think he needed a gun" to attack church executives, but having failed to procure one "he decided that he had to make one himself," a prosecutor said. Tetsuya Yamagami, bottom, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, hospital officials said. / Credit: Katsuhiko Hirano / AP Yamagami "thought he could draw public attention to the church ... if he killed someone as influential as Abe," the prosecutor said. Some Japanese expressed sympathy for Yamagami, especially those who also suffered as children of followers of the Unification Church, which is known for pressuring adherents into making big donations and is considered a cult in Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former prime minister had spoken at events organized by some of the church groups and received some criticism for doing so. "Life was ruined by the church" Yamagami reportedly resented Abe for his perceived ties to the Church, which was established in South Korea in 1954 and whose members are nicknamed "Moonies" after its founder Sun Myung Moon. The Church has been accused of fomenting child neglect among its members and financially exploiting them, claims it denies. Yamagami's lawyers on Tuesday said his life collapsed because of the sect, with his mother convinced "throwing all her money and assets into the Church will salvage her family" after the suicide of her husband and the illness of one of her sons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the end, she donated around 100 million yen ($1 million at the time) to the sect, the lawyer said. Yamagami gave up on advancing to higher education and joined the military instead, while his mother declared bankruptcy, according to the lawyer. He also attempted suicide in 2005. "He began to think his whole life was ruined by the church," the lawyer said. Investigations after Abe's murder led to cascading revelations about close ties between the Church and many conservative lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, prompting four ministers to resign. Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued a dissolution order for the Church's Japanese arm, saying it caused "unprecedented damage" to society. etsuya Yamagami, the alleged assassin of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, gets out of a police station in Nara, western Japan, on July 10, 2022, on his way to local prosecutors' office. / Credit: Nobuki Ito / AP The assassination was also a wake-up call for a nation with some of the world's strictest gun controls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gun violence is so rare in Japan that security officials at the scene failed to immediately identify the sound made by the first shot, and came to Abe's rescue too late, a police report after the attack said. The debacle prompted lawmakers to pass a bill in 2024 further strengthening arms controls to prevent people from making homemade guns. Under the new rules, uploading tutorial videos on making firearms and propagating information about gun sales on social media can result in a fine or imprisonment of up to one year. Dr. Attia on how to make your final decade of life as enjoyable as possible Mentalist Oz Pearlman blows minds, from Joe Rogan to tech titans | 60 Minutes Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told the East Asia summit yesterday that Asia-Pacific leaders must choose dialogue over coercion and cooperation over confrontation, stressing the need for engagement in light of global conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, North Korea and the sharpened U.S.China rivalry. The East Asia summit is a regional forum between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its key regional partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States to discuss political, security and economic challenges. We continue to advocate for dialogue over coercionand cooperation over confrontation. We affirm our stand on global peace and security, for multilateralism and international law, Anwar said in his opening remarks. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the summit as Malaysias guests, in the groups support for expanding trade links, he added. The summit convened after U.S. President Donald Trump left Malaysia yesterday for Japan, following his participation at ASEANs weekend summit meetings. On Sunday, Trump witnessed the signing of several economic agreements with Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia part of Washingtons push to strengthen trade ties and secure access to critical minerals as it seeks to reduce reliance on China. Trump also attended a ceremony marking a formal expansion of the CambodiaThailand ceasefire that Washington helped broker earlier this year. Analysts expect discussions to focus on tensions in the South China Sea, ASEANs response to internal crises particularly Myanmars prolonged conflict and cross-border scams. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed during talks to form a joint task force from November to combat transnational scams, especially those targeting South Koreans. Anwar in his speech called for the South China Sea territorial row to be resolved within ASEAN and its partners through the long-delayed Code of Conduct currently under negotiation. He warned outside pressure could escalate tensions and urged all parties to respect international law. His call was echoed by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr,, who vowed to accelerate the conclusion of the Code of Conduct when his country takes over as ASEAN chair next year. In Beijing, Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiaku blamed Philippines deliberate infringements and provocations at sea as the root cause of tensions. Talks on peace and dialogue On other issues, Anwar commended Trumps plan to end the Gaza conflict, but said more must be done to ensure a just and lasting political solution for the Palestinian people. He voiced concern over the recent surge of ballistic missile launches by North Korea and called for engagement. Once we call for engagement in all areas from Gaza to Ukraine to Myanmar, we should not preclude engagement with (North Korea), he said. On Myanmar, he said ASEAN is sticking to its 2021 Five-Point Consensus on peace and dialogue to resolve the civil war triggered by Myanmars 2021 military takeover. He didnt say if ASEAN would support Myanmars plan for a general election, but said fighting has subdued and that engagement should continue. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a meeting with ASEAN leaders later yesterday, warned Myanmars plans for elections in December, that critics say wont be free nor fair, could cause further exclusion and instability. The U.S. delegation is likely to present Washington as a reliable partner for Indo-Pacific stability while China, represented by Premier Li Qiang, will likely underscore noninterference and the virtues of connectivity through projects such as the Belt and Road initiative, said Ilango Karuppannan, former Malaysian ambassador and senior adjunct fellow at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The 20th East Asia summit will be remembered for the signing of the peace deal and U.S. trade recalibration with Southeast Asia, he said. A hedge against tariff shocks The impact of U.S. tariffs loom large over the meetings as countries seek ways to counter their effects. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said yesterday that Canada plans to accelerate free trade talks with ASEAN, targeting a completion next year. Canada also aims to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade to bolster its economy, he said. Trump last week said he was ending all trade negotiations with Canada in anger over a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs. Carney told reporters that Canada is prepared to resume negotiations when Washington is ready. Malaysia also announced the completion of a free trade pact with South Korea. Earlier, ASEAN members and five partners China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand held a leaders summit of the Regional Economic Comprehensive Partnership, the first since they signed a free trade pact in 2020. The agreement covers roughly a-third of global gross domestic product and aims to promote regional economic integration. In a joint statement, the RCEP leaders said their partnership could bolster the regions economic resilience amid current global uncertainties. They vowed to enhance the implementation of the RCEP agreement and domestic reforms. Although provisions are loose and not seen as strong as some other regional trade blocs, the RCEP can help nations diversify their trade basket and serve as a practical hedge against U.S. tariff shocks, said Doris Liew, an economist specializing in Southeast Asian development. On a lighter note, delegates celebrated Brazil leader Lulas 80th birthday at a dinner yesterdayy with a cake and a birthday song. Lula earlier told reporters that he felt at a high point in his life and hoped to live to 120.EILEEN NG, KUALA LUMPUR, MDT/AP Like this: Like Loading... OMAHA, Neb. (AP) The man accused of fatally stabbing a Catholic priest during a break-in at his home beside the church he served in a small Nebraska town pleaded guilty to murder and other charges Tuesday in the December 2023 killing. Kierre Williams changed his plea to guilty on murder, burglary and weapons charges during a routine pretrial hearing. He will be sentenced on Nov. 12 to life in prison for killing the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, 65, in the rectory next door to St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Calhoun. The killing occurred just hours before Gutgsell was scheduled to celebrate Mass. Washington County prosecutors decided early on in the case not to pursue the death penalty in the case. Investigators struggled to find any connection between Williams and the priest. The priest's death and another unexplained killing four months earlier had badly shaken the roughly 1,100 residents of the town some eight miles (13 kilometers) north of Omaha near the Missouri River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first-degree murder charge Williams pled guilty to calls for a sentence of life in prison without parole when prosecutors dont pursue the death penalty. Williams' attorney didn't immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press on Tuesday. On the day of the attack, Gutgsell called 911 before dawn to report that a man had broken into the rectory and was in his kitchen holding a knife. A deputy who arrived at the home minutes later said he found Gutgsell lying near the kitchen, bleeding profusely from stab wounds. Gutgsell was rushed to a hospital in Omaha, where he died. Williams didnt have a weapon at the time, but investigators later found a broken knife with a serrated blade lying in blood on the floor of Gutgsells bedroom. Williams has several felony convictions in other states, authorities said. At the time of the killing, he was working in a meatpacking plant in Sioux City, Iowa. KANSAS CITY, Mo. A 33-year-old man has been sentenced on multiple felony charges in connection with a 2023 deadly shooting in east Kansas City. Jackson County prosecutors charged Tamon Daniel in November 2023 with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, assault and three counts of armed criminal action. Masked trio who terrorized Virginia family was trying to pull a prank, police say On Tuesday, the unlawful use of a weapon and one armed criminal action charge were dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniel pleaded guilty to the remaining charges and was sentenced to a total of 25 years in jail. According to court documents, Kansas City police officers responded to a shooting just after 4 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2023, near E. 49th Terrace and Heritage Avenue, not far from U.S. 40 Highway and Noland Road. When officers arrived, they found Daniel at the intersection. He waved the officers down and put his hands up in a surrendering motion. He then laid down, put his arms behind his back and officers placed him in handcuffs, court documents say. Daniel told officers he shot someone. Officers then found an AR-15 style pistol, a gray jacket and a cell phone on the ground next to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighbors directed officers down the street where they found a black Dodge Journey wrecked out in the woods. The victim, identified as 21-year-old Jayden James, was located lying in a vacant lot of a cul-de-sac, dead from multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide. See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri A witness stated that a man armed with a rifle fired at him and the deceased victim through the windshield of the car they were sitting in. Police found no firearms in or around the witness vehicle or the deceased victim. During questioning, Daniel said he responded to the apartment complex to protect his sister. He stated that two individuals he believed to be involved in the kidnapping of his sister were in a vehicle at the apartment complex and had guns. The men pointed their guns at him and he pointed his rifle at them, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Daniel said he did not fire shots at the men while they were at or near their vehicle. The men ran on foot, and he chased them in his vehicle in an attempt to run them over. He believes he was able to run over one of the men. He subsequently crashed his vehicle, got out and shot the man approximately 4-8 times with his assault rifle. He then walked up the hill, notified police and surrendered to them, court documents say. No firearms were located in or around the victims vehicle, according to court documents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. (COLORADO SPRINGS) El Paso County 4th Judicial District Judge Erin Lynn Sokol leveled the maximum sentence to the man who pleaded guilty to killing a woman after throwing her out of her car outside of a Colorado Springs bingo hall. The original incident happened around 2:45 p.m. on April 17, 2024, when Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers were sent to a call that reported a woman, 62-year-old Dorothy King, had been thrown from a moving car on South Academy Boulevard. CSPD said that medical personnel tried to save King, but she ultimately died of her injuries. Courtesy: Colorado Springs Police Department, the photo is of 33-year-old Nathaniel Buchmann, who was arrested after a woman was thrown from a car and killed on Wednesday, April 17 on South Academy Boulevard. Less than a day later, CSPD reported that they found a car they suspected to be involved in the incident, but the driver, 35-year-old Nathaniel Buchmann, attempted to drive away until officers forced him to stop. At the time, Buchmann was already wanted on a warrant for Robbery and Motor Vehicle Theft, but an additional arrest warrant was issued, giving Buchmann Second Degree Murder and Vehicular Eluding charges added onto his arrest, also resulting in a $1 million bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, Buchmann and the prosecution reached a plea agreement on July 29, in which Buchmann pleaded guilty to the April second-degree murder. The agreement also covered Buchmanns previous charges for car theft. In a sentencing hearing on Monday, Oct. 27, Judge Sokol handed down the maximum sentence for Buchmanns guilty plea: 48 years, as well as an additional 12 years for the other charges, making a total of 60 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) Almost a week after his conviction, David Hollie was back in a Trumbull County courtroom Tuesday for his sentencing. David Hollie is facing a lifetime behind bars, sentenced to 41 and a half years to life in prison in connection with the death of Choice Washington. Read next: Coroner identifies body of man found in Youngstown ditch What happened to him was senseless and has left a deep pain in all of our lives, said Brooke Clark, Washingtons friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington died from injuries he received during an August shooting on Scott Street in Warren, leaving behind his family, friends, and his 16-year-old daughter. I find it unfathomable, traumatic and a tragedy for a 16-year-old to lose her father just because somebody chose to take a loaded gun to his head and basically kill him execution style, said Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Sarah Kovoor. He took one to mine, Hollie said. A jury convicted Hollie on several charges, including murder. Judge Kovoor found Hollie is a repeat violent offender, pointing to a prior conviction in a 2005 case on felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hollie spoke out several times during Tuesdays hearing. You all know this man robbed me, Hollie said. He never apologized, but talked about a video presented as evidence during the trial. If I would have been able to see that video before I went through with this trial, I would have took the deal that the prosecutors offered me, Hollie said. Washingtons family says that although justice was served, they continue to grieve his loss. Its still gonna impact us for the rest of our lives. We lost something that was more than words can explain, said Niya Washington, Washingtons niece. Hollies attorney told the court he plans to file a notice of appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) A Warren man was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty last month to kidnapping and felonious assault charges. John Baker, 65, was sentenced to consecutive prison terms totaling 19 to 24 years after a Trumbull County jury on September 4 convicted him of kidnapping and felonious assault of a 70-year-old woman. The jury found Baker not guilty of rape. The case involves an incident on February 20, 2025, in Champion Township, when the victims sister called police to tell them that her sister had called her and said that she was being raped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim told police that she had met Baker a few weeks prior and that they had been hanging out prior to the attack. During testimony in the case, the 70-year-old victim said Baker attacked her private parts with a sharp object, and she got away by going into a bathroom and locking the door, according to a spokesperson for the prosecutors office. Baker was found naked in a bedroom inside the home of the victim, where he was arrested, the police report stated. Police noted there were stab marks on the bathroom door, and they retrieved a knife that was lying on the bed in the bedroom where Baker was found. Police also noted that while Baker was being arrested, he threatened the victim by saying, B****, I am going to get you, and I have matches, and I am going to get you, b****. According to the Trumbull County Prosecutors Office, Baker was linked to the crime through DNA evidence and testimony from an emergency room doctor and a forensic scientist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker represented the state in the case. In his closing statements, Becker stated police body camera footage showed Baker to be intoxicated. Evidence showed the defendant gave police conflicting statements, claiming he was engaged in a sex-a-thon, yet later telling officers he was impotent. In pronouncing sentence, Judge Kovoor told Baker, You terrorized this poor woman, and stated the consecutive sentence reflects the seriousness of the offenses and the defendants conduct, which showed a lack of remorse. Chelsea Simeon contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. A Dartmouth man is expected to plead guilty to murder on Tuesday in connection with the stabbing of a 31-year-old woman. Tyler Baglini is accused of killing Kerri Fidalgo in her New Bedford home on Sept. 20 of last year. Prosecutors say the pair were in a romantic relationship at the time, WJAR reported. During Baglinis arraignment last year, prosecutors said he arrived at St. Lukes Hospital on Sept. 20 holding a kitchen knife believed to be the murder weapon, South Coast Today reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Personnel at the hospital called police after Baglini claimed his girlfriend had been stabbed to death, the outlet reported. Baglini had what appeared to be dried blood on his hands, the outlet reported, citing a police report. Baglini told police serial killers stabbed Fidalgo, according to WJAR. Fidalgo worked as a New Bedford District Probation Case Specialist before her death. Kerri will be remembered for her huge heart, happy-go-lucky personality, and her smile that could light up any room, her obituary reads. Always full of life, she loved travel, tattoos, and entertaining friends and family through hosting parties. More News Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A man was shot five times while standing on a Northwest Side sidewalk on Tuesday afternoon, Chicago police said. Police said the shooting happened in the Humboldt Park neighborhood's 1000-block of North Lawndale Avenue around 2:30 p.m. A male suspect, whose age was not immediately known, approached a 38-year-old man on the sidewalk and fired shots, striking him in the body, police said. The suspect ran away southbound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious condition. Chopper 7 was over the scene, where several evidence markers littered the ground. No one is in custody, and Area Four detectives are investigating. Police did not immediately provide further information about the shooting. INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood A 28-year-old man from India is facing a criminal charge after prosecutors say he stabbed two teenagers with a metal fork on board a flight from Chicago to Germany. The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport following the incident, where the man was arrested. Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is charged in federal court with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He was arrested on Saturday and will make an appearance in federal court in Boston at a later date, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Usiripalli was on board a Lufthansa Airlines flight headed to Frankfurt, Germany from Chicago on Saturday. Following meal service, a 17-year-old boy woke up to see Usiripalli standing over him, according to the statement. Prosecutors say Usiripalli then stabbed the boy, who was sitting in a middle seat, in the left shoulder with a metal fork. Usiripalli is then accused of lunging toward another 17-year-old boy and hitting him in the back of the head with the fork. The boy sustained a cut to the back of his head, according to the statement. When members of the flight crew attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he formed a gun with his fingers, put them in his mouth and pulled an imaginary trigger, according to the statement. Prosecutors say Usiripalli then slapped a female passenger and tried to slap a member of the flight crew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport, where Usiripalli was arrested. Usiripalli was admitted to the U.S. on a student visa and enrolled in a masters program in biblical studies, according to the statement. If convicted, Usiripalli would face up to 10 years in prison. More News Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A 34-year-old man from mainland China has been arrested for allegedly detaining and sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room, the Judiciary Police (PJ) reported yesterday in a media briefing. The victim reportedly suffered head injuries after being struck with an ashtray and was choked with a charging cable while attempting to seek help. The Public Security Police and firefighters arrived shortly after, rescuing the woman and apprehending the suspect. The case has been handed over to the PJ for further investigation. Authorities said the victim, a middle-aged woman from mainland China, met the suspect in her home region in 2024. In the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 25, the two encountered each other at a restaurant in ZAPE. The suspect allegedly threatened to reveal their prior sexual relationship to her husband and family and coerced her into a hotel room, where she was reportedly held for about an hour. She later alerted her sister, resulting to police intervention. The PJ noted that the suspect has refused to cooperate, but evidence and the victims medical examination indicate strong signs of criminal conduct. Public security scam The PJ also reported that three individuals recently fell victim to a scam impersonating law enforcement, with losses ranging from HKD189,000 to HKD20,000. The local pair, a man and a woman, received phone calls from individuals claiming to be Wuhan Public Security officials. They were accused of participating in fraudulent activities and asked to share their phone screens during a supposed investigation, exposing their banking credentials. They later discovered funds had been transferred from their accounts, reporting losses of HKD195,000 and HKD220,000 respectively. In a separate case, a middle-aged woman from mainland China was contacted by someone claiming to be from the Shanghai Public Security Bureau. She was accused of committing a serious crime and instructed to pay HKD300,000 in bail. Unable to cover the amount, she took loans totaling RMB160,000 and deposited HKD69,000 and HKD120,000 at Hong Kong ATMs. The woman realized she had been scammed after seeing anti-fraud publicity on a bus and reported a loss of HKD189,000. The PJ urges residents to remain vigilant, avoid sharing personal or banking information over the phone, and report suspicious calls immediately. lv Like this: Like Loading... Lauryn Berg, 32, at Evergreen Rotary Park in Kitsap County, Wash. on September 23, 2025. Berg secured a domestic violence protection order against her ex-husband in August 2024, which required him to surrender all of his guns to law enforcement. Although Bergs ex-husband turned in two handguns, she fears that he can still access other guns he owned during their relationship. (Photo by Mike Kane/InvestigateWest) This article was first published by InvestigateWest. In July 2024, Joseph Leitz walked into a red brick sheriffs office building in the small Western Washington city of Shelton and turned in two handguns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A court commissioner had ordered Leitz to do so after his then wife, Lauryn Berg, secured a domestic violence protection order, alleging he had beaten and raped her, threatened to take their kids, and held an unloaded gun to his head, pulling the trigger three times. Leitz denies the allegations. The commissioner later determined that Leitz no longer possessed any firearms, based on Leitzs word and documentation from the Mason County Sheriffs Office. But Berg believed her ex-husband still had nearly a dozen other firearms, including an AR-style semi-automatic shotgun that he stored in a safe during their 12-year relationship. Ive seen them. Ive shot them. I have videos of my friend shooting them, said Berg, referred to here by her maiden name. When they said handguns, I was like, Are you kidding me? Washington, with some of the nations strongest civil protections for domestic violence survivors, is one of 22 states that require certain alleged abusers to turn in their guns while under a restraining order. But researchers say even with these laws in place, most states lack mechanisms to actually ensure accused abusers are disarmed, which has been shown to lower rates of intimate partner homicides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite Washingtons pioneering policies, Bergs fears that her ex could still have access to firearms show the holes in the states system for enforcing surrender orders. While some communities, like King County, have invested substantial resources into the problem and are touted by gun violence prevention advocates as a model, many jurisdictions still rely primarily on the honor system to ensure guns are turned in. Judicial officers waive or give cursory attention to hearings that would give survivors an opportunity to present evidence of missing guns, according to firearm enforcement advocates and attorneys. And even when there are indications that a person is violating a surrender order, some police and prosecutors are hesitant to investigate over concerns of infringing on an alleged abusers constitutional rights. As a result, whether a survivor will actually see their abusers firearms confiscated in Washington depends heavily on where they live and what their local courts, police or prosecutors think of the law. Were going basically on the stance that theyre providing true and actual factual information to us, said Stephen Rowe, a sergeant at the Mason County Sheriffs Office, where Leitz was ordered to surrender his guns. Whenever you have a case that challenges the Constitution, theyre difficult to enforce. Washington state Rep. Lauren Davis, who has sponsored several bills to protect domestic violence survivors, said that although other states might look to Washington as an example, she wouldnt give us any gold stars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It says all of these things on paper, but its not actually happening, Davis said. Not every judge is going to take a victims word seriously. Not every prosecutor is going to bother litigating that with the court, even upon the victims word. And not every court even has a compliance hearing in the first place. This patchwork enforcement leaves survivors like Berg with a very real fear that their alleged abusers could act on threats of gun violence. More than 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month on average in the U.S., according to the national gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety. In Washington, two-thirds of the states 43 domestic violence-related homicides reported in 2022 were by firearm, research shows. Many accused abusers tell police and courts that they dont have any guns, even when thats not the case, firearm-surrender enforcement experts say. In Kitsap County, where Bergs case is, the Superior Court issued orders to surrender weapons in 1,961 civil protection order cases from 2022 to mid-August 2025, according to data provided by the county clerks office. Only 12% of those individuals turned over their weapons and submitted the required receipt from law enforcement to the court, according to a data analysis by the Gun Violence Data Hub, a data initiative by The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in the United States. The majority 56% or 1,094 people simply claimed that they didnt have any guns to surrender, although at least 12 of those people refused to sign a court declaration swearing to that. Leitz, a 34-year-old truck driver, told InvestigateWest that he did have an AR-style shotgun and other guns during his marriage, but gave them to his dad and cousins before being hit with the surrender order. While thats allowable under state law, the sheriffs office and court never attempted to verify his claim, according to court and police records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Leitz says he cant access the guns, Berg doesnt feel safe knowing that his family members have them. He could go get them at any time, she said. Government funding is making a difference in some communities, showing what can be done when counties have dedicated money and a commitment to enforcing the orders. King Countys domestic violence firearms enforcement unit, made up of police, prosecutors, advocates and enforcement experts, tracks down evidence of missing firearms and encourages alleged abusers to turn them in sometimes leading courts to resort to jail time and fines for those who still dont comply. Spokane, in eastern Washington, has also sharply increased its collection by thousands of guns since 2019, when it began receiving federal dollars to prioritize the issue, according to data provided by Spokanes YWCA, which is working with local police to address the issue. But amid the Trump administrations threats to shrink the U.S. Department of Justices Office on Violence Against Women and slash funding for domestic violence services, its not clear if the federal funding will be available in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Increased funding, however, is only one piece of the puzzle, according to researchers and victim advocates. It also takes a coordinated effort by police, prosecutors and courts to prioritize the issue. Resources are always brought up as a challenge, and I totally understand that, said Renee Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, a Washington nonprofit that recently launched an online portal to help survivors navigate the states civil protection order system. My response to that is, were talking about some of the highest risk situations. Some of it has to come down to priority. Challenges to enforcement When an alleged domestic abuser is ordered to surrender guns in Washington, state law lays out specific steps to ensure that all firearms are accounted for. Police serving the order must tell them to immediately turn in their guns and seize any firearms in plain sight or discovered through a lawful search. The alleged abuser must sign a declaration that they have no guns, or provide evidence, like a receipt from police, that the weapons are no longer in their possession. The court then reviews this evidence in a hearing to determine whether all guns have been surrendered. The process is straightforward in theory. But people lie. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The declaration of nonsurrender thats signed in court, almost always theyre not accurate. Theyre not being honest, said Amie Simeral, a domestic violence firearms analyst at the Spokane YWCA, which provides resources for survivors. Yet many Washington communities still rely largely on the accused abusers word. In Yakima, a city in rural central Washington with high rates of gun ownership and domestic violence, theres not a whole lot that police can do to ensure people are telling the truth, said Yakima Police Department Capt. Chad Janis. Yakima is one of 12 pilot sites nationwide that receives federal funding from the Office on Violence Against Women to protect survivors from gun violence. Yakimas $500,000 grant goes toward costs like data collection, equipment for police to send protection orders electronically, and a coordinator to help monitor and encourage firearm surrenders. But even with this increased support, tracking guns remains overwhelming. Like Bergs ex-husband, many accused abusers give their guns to relatives or friends just before an order is served, said Janis and Mason County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Rowe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law allows that. And theres really no verification process, Janis said. Following up with family members takes a lot of manpower, Rowe said. And I will tell you, most agencies are short-manned. Still, there are steps that police and courts should take, according to enforcement experts and attorneys. In King County, judges ask family members and friends for a sworn statement confirming they were given guns. But after that, I dont know if theres much more that can be done, said Karla Carlisle, a managing attorney with the Northwest Justice Project, a nonprofit legal aid program in Washington. Obviously, the big elephant in the room is, whats stopping the family member from just handing over the guns? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Constitutional challenges have also hampered the implementation of Washingtons firearm surrender law ever since its passage in 2014, though recent court rulings have affirmed its constitutionality. Some judicial officers who stopped issuing surrender orders in 2023 over concerns that they infringe on accused abusers protections against self-incrimination and unreasonable search and seizure have once again started ordering them, following a state Court of Appeals ruling in June. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court also put an end to Second Amendment concerns when it affirmed the constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. Yet when it comes to actually removing these guns, some police officers remain wary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2019, for example, a new state law requiring police to seize firearms at the scene of domestic violence incidents met with enormous resistance in law enforcement, said Spokane Police Department Sgt. Dave Adams, who trained fellow officers on this law. I had people who were command level yelling at me in training, Adams said. Just generally speaking, most of my co-workers are people who are, Ive got my Second Amendment right. Youre not going to take my guns away. I dont care what a local court says, the U.S. Constitution overrides. It took until this past year for many agencies like Spokane to start implementing it more proactively, he added. These are state mandates, Adams said. If youre in law enforcement and youre not OK enforcing the laws as written, you have to really reconsider whether or not this is going to be the career for you. Yes, he can lie to us In August 2024, four weeks after the Kitsap County court found that Leitz had surrendered all of his guns, Berg met with a Mason County detective about her reported sexual assault. Berg told the detective that she feared Leitz still had firearms, according to the sheriffs office report. She explained how Leitz had shot and killed their familys two dogs earlier that year, before the protection order was put in place, which Leitz admitted to in a court hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The detective said she would look into it, and later emailed Berg that Leitz had surrendered two guns. Thats definitely not all of what he has, Berg replied. Two weeks later, after receiving no response, Berg followed up again. Im very concerned he may go off the deep end, Berg wrote. I know for a fact he didnt give up all his guns. The detective reached out to Leitz and his lawyer, but they didnt cooperate with her investigation and Leitz was never interviewed, according to the sheriffs office reports. Theres no indication that the sheriffs office tried to verify where those other guns were. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another four months went by. Finally, Bergs mom, Kelly Walker, submitted a complaint against the sheriffs office in December, accusing them of mishandling the surrender order. Her complaint fell to the responsibility of Jason Dracobly, then the departments chief criminal deputy. Lauryn Berg, 32, at Evergreen Rotary Park in Kitsap County, Wash. on September 23, 2025. (Photo by Mike Kane/InvestigateWest) Dracobly himself had been ordered to surrender guns to the Mason County Sheriffs Office back in 2013, when he was a sergeant at the agency. His ex-wife had accused him of domestic violence and anger issues, including threatening to shoot a man she was texting with. The court granted her a restraining order and found that irreparable injury could result if Dracobly wasnt ordered to give up his firearms. He surrendered various hunting rifles and handguns to his co-workers, court records show, but his ex-wife raised concerns that he had not given up three of his guns, including an AR-15. Dracobly, who denied the domestic violence accusations or that he violated the surrender order, eventually got his guns back and continued climbing the ranks in the department. Dracoblys internal investigation into Walkers complaint concluded that her accusations were unfounded. His own divorce had no impact on his review of Walkers concerns, which, he told InvestigateWest, was handled objectively and based solely on the facts and information available to him at the time. We do not know what other firearms he may or may not have, Dracoblys report said about Leitz. Yes, he can lie to us. We have no evidence or proof currently that he has physical control of any more firearms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Berg says she has shipping information for the AR-style shotgun and a December 2023 video taken by Leitz of herself shooting it, but the Mason County Sheriffs Office never asked her for proof. According to Sgt. Rowe, that wouldnt give them enough evidence to search Leitzs home for prohibited guns anyway. To obtain a search warrant, the Fourth Amendment generally requires that law enforcement have a factually grounded belief that evidence of a crime will be found in that location. From my understanding, there is absolutely next to nothing that would give us probable cause to violate somebodys rights and go into their home and their free space, Rowe said. A time-stamped photo of a person holding a gun after being subject to a surrender order might give police more tread, he added. But its difficult. Dracobly, now the undersheriff, told InvestigateWest that neither Walker nor Berg provided information about specific firearms or their current location, and a general claim that someone has many guns isnt enough to justify a search warrant. Its critical to have recent information, as opposed to older statements that have lost evidentiary value, he noted. He also emphasized that under state law, its up to the courts not law enforcement to verify whether people are telling the truth. Its not uncommon that survivors know about a partners guns but dont have recent evidence, according to Sandra Shanahan, program manager of King Countys enforcement unit. Those things are not great fact patterns, necessarily, to get a police officer out there on a warrant, she said. But Shanahan and other experts say there are many other actions that police and courts can take. They can look for evidence of previous gun purchases, recent gun ownership or social media posts displaying guns, for example, which could be enough for a judge to determine that a person is not in compliance and ask for further proof. Its a lack of communication between police, prosecutors and courts thats the problem, said Natalie Nanasi, a Southern Methodist University law professor whose research focuses on effective firearm surrender strategies. The solution, Nanasi said, really can be something as simple as one or two people who are within a countys court system who are flagging these cases, who are following up on them, who are making sure that everybody who needs the information has the information. Were way, way beyond that At the Spokane Police Department, Sgt. Adams reads each domestic violence report that comes across his desk, he said. The volume is daunting. Spokane County has one of the highest reported rates of domestic violence in Washington, with 6,998 offenses in 2024 making up 11% of the states total, according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs annual crime report. More than half of those offenses were handled by the Spokane Police Department. When Adams reads a report that has even the whiff of a mention of a firearm, he routes it to Simeral, the YWCAs domestic violence firearms analyst. Simeral and Spokane police officers explain to accused abusers that surrendering weapons doesnt mean their guns will be destroyed or sold, but rather stored by law enforcement for safekeeping. Many people simply state that they have no guns, which Simeral said is often not accurate. To get to the truth, she dives into their history. She checks if the person has legally purchased a gun from a licensed dealer. She works closely with local pawn shops to spot firearms that arent supposed to be there. She scours social media accounts for recent pictures of guns and reviews past police reports for mentions of firearms. Then she presents this information to the court. If we tell them that we fear that there are some firearms outstanding, and weve got some good, tangible evidence to prove that, the courts hold that very highly. They will not just say, Youre in compliance because you say so, Simeral said. Were way, way beyond that. Simeral and Adams say their success comes largely from the citys decision to invest in the problem. Spokane also has a federal grant and is spending it on costs like increased police training and overtime pay for officers to serve firearm surrender orders during off-duty hours. In 2017, before Spokane began receiving the federal dollars, 36 firearms were collected, according to data provided by the YWCA. This is despite Spokane courts issuing 3,000 surrender orders that year, representing a 1% collection rate in a state where an estimated 42% of households own guns. Compliance has now surged, with 2,568 firearms collected from 2020 to 2023, according to the YWCA. That number continues to rise over 600 guns have been removed this year alone. Now, its unclear if the funding will exist past 2026. To the surprise of some victim advocates, the Office on Violence Against Women under the Trump administration did not release a notice for future grant applicants this year. The office says it plans to do so next year, with the caveat that any planned funding is always subject to available appropriations and other factors, it wrote in a statement to InvestigateWest. Spokane remains committed to prioritizing the issue even if their federal funding stops advocates secured a grant through the state Department of Commerce to continue their work, according to Sally Winn, YWCA Spokanes director of legal services. King County, home to Seattle and the states most populated county, has found similar success. After launching its firearms enforcement unit in 2018, people subject to domestic violence protection orders became 3.3 times more likely to relinquish at least one firearm or other dangerous weapon, according to a 2023 study by University of Washington researchers. Gun violence prevention experts across the country say other states should look to the unit as a model. Laws dont implement themselves, said Shanahan, the units program manager. Do we get every gun from every person? Absolutely not. We sure try. Bearing the burden It wasnt until August 2025, a year after Leitz was first ordered to surrender his guns, that the Kitsap County Superior Court convened a hearing on Bergs claims that her ex-husband had not complied. It was Bergs chance to present her proof to the court. But without an attorney or enforcement experts like Simeral or Shanahan to assist her, the shipping information and video of the AR-style shotgun were never considered she didnt properly send those documents to the court, her emails show. With little proof to show that Leitz had other guns, a commissioner quickly signed an order finding him in compliance, ending the hearing within minutes. Leitz, meanwhile, said the hearing was just another pain in the ass. Hes frustrated by his mounting legal fees and the repeated requirements for him to prove he cant access guns. Its nothing new for a nasty divorce like this, he said. Although state law requires courts to hold compliance hearings as soon as possible after a surrender order is served, and whenever theres any indication that the orders subject still has firearms, victim advocates and attorneys say they often dont happen. In Spokane, courts frequently skipped compliance hearings until the city started focusing on the issue, Winn said. Now, the judges and commissioners are infinitely better about setting compliance hearings where they consider actual evidence and not just taking the abusers word for it, Winn said. Statewide, inconsistent recordkeeping across state courts makes it nearly impossible to track whether courts are properly holding compliance hearings and confirming that all guns were turned in. It is actually very, very difficult and Im going to say infeasible to be able to measure all of those separate parts, said Alice Ellyson, an assistant professor at the University of Washington who researches firearm surrenders in the state. Courts are still figuring out what penalties to impose when a person refuses to comply, Simeral said. In 2022, the Spokane County District Court found a man named Jesse Jones in contempt of court for stating that he had no firearms despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary including videos of his secret bunker behind a hidden door that had gun ports and firearms hanging on the wall, court records show. When Jones failed to prove that he no longer had access to those weapons, a judge hit him with a $150 fine. The case was a really big deal for establishing consequences for not complying with an order, according to Simeral. The goal is to avoid overly punitive measures while still encouraging compliance. Leitz has maintained, even after the protection order, that he never abused Berg. He also denied the sexual assault allegation that Berg reported in July 2024. (You cant rape the willing, Leitz told InvestigateWest, asserting that photos of Bergs black eye and bruised arm following the alleged assault were from Berg bumping into walls while drunk.) The Mason County prosecutors office said it is still reviewing the rape allegation. Without his guns, Leitz said his farmwork is more difficult. While he used to be able to shoot cows to put them out of their misery when they injured themselves, he now has to bludgeon them to death with a hammer or wait for a butcher to come slaughter them. Its a lot more gruesome, Leitz said. But he feels like he has no alternative. My kids mean more than the firearms do to me, and I gotta be 100% compliant for everything or else I wont even be able to see my kids. Berg still feels that she and her kids are in danger as long as his other guns remain unaccounted for, and plans to keep raising the issue in court. My anxiety is off the charts. Im scared of him, Berg said. Its why she got the protection order in the first place. But of course, its just a piece of paper. InvestigateWest (investigatewest.org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Reporter Kelsey Turner can be reached at kelsey@investigatewest.org or 503-893-2501. TOPEKA (KSNT) A recently released survey shows how Kansans are feeling regarding the hot topic of marijuana legalization in 2025. The Fort Hays State University Docking Institute released its 2025 version of the long-running Kansas Speaks survey on Oct. 27. Survey respondents were asked numerous questions, including what they think about legalization for recreational and medical marijuana. The topic of marijuana appeared several times in four different survey questions. Around 70% of people who responded to the survey indicated they strongly or somewhat support the legalization of medical marijuana while about 59% indicated support for recreational marijuana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys general ask for clarification of hemp definition A smaller number of survey respondents said they either somewhat or strongly oppose marijuana legalization. About 24% said they opposed legalizing recreational marijuana while 14% opposed the legalization of medical marijuana. Likelihood to vote for a candidate who supports medical marijuana legalization. Highly likely 35.9%. Somewhat likely 29.5%. Neither more nor less likely 16.6%. Somewhat unlikely 6.4%. Highly unlikely 9.6%. Dont know 2%. Opinion on legalizing medical marijuana in general. Strongly support 43.4%. Somewhat support 27%. Neutral 14.4%. Somewhat oppose 5.6%. Strongly oppose 8.6%. Dont know 1%. Opinion on legalizing recreational marijuana in general. Strongly support 37.4%. Somewhat support 21.4%. Neutral 15.8%. Somewhat oppose 6.8%. Strongly oppose 17.7%. Dont know 1%. Legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 and older to allow taxation by the State of Kansas. Strongly support 42.4%. Somewhat support 22.4%. Neutral 15.2%. Somewhat oppose 6.8%. Strongly oppose 12.4%. Dont know 0.9%. Kansas is one of the few states remaining to legalize either medical or recreational marijuana. Marijuana legalization continues to appear annually in the Kansas Legislature while law enforcement agencies, such as the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, have conducted recent raids to enforce the states laws regarding marijuana products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FHSUs Docking Institute used a panel of 526 adult Kansas residents to gather responses for the online survey from Sept. 26 to Oct. 14 this year. You can download a copy of the full 2025 survey and view surveys from previous years by clicking here. All Kansas federal lawmakers refusing pay during government shutdown For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Two hundred and fifty years ago, in a smoky Philadelphia tavern, a handful of men gathered to take an oath that would outlast empires. It was November 1775 at Tun Tavern no barracks, no ships, no certainty of victory. Just an idea: that discipline, loyalty and shared purpose could forge a fighting force strong enough to defend a fragile people in search of a nation. From that room emerged more than a military branch. The Marine Corps became a moral institution an engine of trust and mutual responsibility held together by something hard to define but deeply felt: esprit de corps. You can trace it across centuries: Marines clinging to one another on the black sands of Iwo Jima, carrying the wounded through the streets of Hue City, or standing shoulder to shoulder in Fallujah. But it also lives in smaller, quieter acts the lance corporal who gives up his last canteen of water; the mechanic who stays past midnight to keep the next days mission flying; the sergeant who eats last so his Marines eat first. That instinct to serve the person beside you before yourself is what transforms individuals into a Corps. Its why small units of Marines have done outsized things for 250 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Corps marks this milestone, its meaning reaches far beyond the battlefield. We live in an age of polarization and distrust, a nation of individuals hyperconnected but increasingly isolated. The Marine Corps endures because it demands the opposite of what our culture often rewards: humility over self-promotion, loyalty over cynicism, discipline over indulgence. The genius of the Corps is not just how it fights, but why. Its ethos offers something our civil society desperately needs: a living example that unity doesnt require sameness, only shared purpose. Marines come from every background imaginable farm towns, cities, immigrant families, and generations of service yet when they put on the uniform, they become one team with one mission. They dont erase difference; they simply focus you on something greater. Thats the deeper lesson of the Marine Corps: cohesion built not on comfort or agreement, but on commitment. The Corps doesnt promise equality of experience; it demands equality of effort. And in that meritocratic crucible, Americans who might otherwise have nothing in common learn to depend on one another completely. Consider the Marines at the Chosin Reservoir in 1950 surrounded, outnumbered and freezing in 30-below-zero weather. When asked if they were retreating, one Marine famously replied, Retreat, hell! Were just attacking in another direction. They fought their way out together, not for glory or orders, but for each other. Thats esprit de corps the conviction that survival depends on mutual trust, not individual strength. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Corps has never been perfect. It has evolved through integration, reform and self-correction. But that evolution itself is a lesson in humility: the willingness to hold fast to core principles while adapting to a changing world. From racial integration to women in combat to new technologies, the Corps has proven that tradition and progress need not be enemies. Our country should take note. Ours is an era defined less by shared mission than by shared resentment. We build factions instead of teams, accumulate followers instead of friends, and measure influence in clicks rather than character. The Marine Corps offers a countercultural model, a reminder that our greatest strength is each other and our shared purpose. Esprit de corps cannot be downloaded or manufactured. Its built through shared hardship, mutual accountability and the knowledge that others are counting on you. Thats what gives the Corps its moral gravity and what our civic life too often lacks. To celebrate the Marine Corps 250th birthday is not just to honor those whove worn the uniform, but to honor this remarkable model: loyalty before ego, mission before comfort, unity before pride. Imagine if more of our workplaces, schools and neighborhoods operated with that same ethic; how different our civic life might look. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Marine Corps has given our nation heroes in battle. But its greatest gift may be its example of brotherhood and sisterhood built on service and trust. In a time when division feels like destiny, that example matters. Because the truth at the heart of the Marine Corps is also the truth at the heart of any republic worth defending: we are strongest when we belong to something larger than ourselves. Happy Birthday, Marines. Steven Arango is a former Marine Corps officer, an attorney and the proud grandson of a Marine who served and was wounded in the Pacific during World War II. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of his employer, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense or the U.S. government. Wayne Township had blown past its budget for utility bill assistance by August. Hot summer days and ever-increasing utility bills had created a surge in need for the township's services, said Trustee Jeb Bardon, who oversees one of Marion County's largest townships. More than 1,000 people, often seniors on fixed incomes, had come to them for assistance that month. Overall, he said, the number of people requesting assistance had nearly tripled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its shocking how much it's gone up, he said. As state legislators and Gov. Mike Braun's office explore potential changes to township government, trustees in Marion County are being inundated with requests for assistance, they told IndyStar. They welcomed efforts to increase efficiency but cautioned against an approach that could take away local control and harm constituents dealing with a rising cost-of-living. More: Some leaders want to kill Indiana's 1,000+ townships. Is Gov. Mike Braun on their side? Above all, they emphasized how different Marion County's townships are from the hundreds of townships across the state. Wayne Township, which serves a population of 140,000, is bigger than some counties. And while more than three quarters of Indiana's townships spent more on trustee and board member salaries in 2024 than they did on poor relief, according to an IndyStar analysis of township assistance and compensation data, most of Marion County's townships spent more on assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No county distributed as much poor relief as Marion County, whose nine townships doled out a combined $4 million in assistance last year. Here are four graphics that demonstrate how Marion County stacks up against other counties. Marion County township assistance outpaces trustee pay Altogether, Marion County townships spent nearly four times as much on assistance as they did on trustee and board pay, but that's far from the case for every county. Of the eight counties bordering Marion County, only five spent more on assistance than pay. Part of that is because the need is high and appears to be rising, trustees told IndyStar. Decatur Township, the smallest in Marion County, has also seen more requests for assistance, said Trustee Jason Holliday. The amounts requested are higher too, Holliday said, as rent soars year after year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His office provides assistance to around 325 to 375 people per year, he said. In 2024, the trustee's office spent $66,585 in assistance and $123,000 on trustee and board pay, making Decatur one of two Indianapolis townships that spent more on compensation than assistance. Marion County townships vary in size and assistance There appears to be some correlation between the size of the township and how much it spends on assistance. Decatur Township has 36,000 people to Wayne Township's 140,000, for example. Center Township topped the list for distributing the most assistance in Marion County last year. It's another large township that includes downtown Indianapolis. Though Decatur Township provides the least assistance of the Marion County townships, Holliday said having a hyperlocal layer of government is essential. He has lived his entire life within the township, save a few months for college. His connection to the community helps him provide truly local services to his constituents, he said, a feature of township government that would be lost if it were eliminated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Some people come here to the trustee's office because they hit dead ends when they try to go down to City Hall," he said. Instead of complete elimination, Holliday said he would be open to consolidating some rural townships that give out minimal assistance. Marion County trustees among highest paid Five of Marion County's nine townships ranked among the highest in the state for total spend on trustee and board salaries. In Marion County the boards are larger, which means more people to pay. Wayne Township ranked fourth for total trustee and board member pay. It's one of few within Indianapolis that still operates its own fire department one of the largest in the state, according to Bardon though the board has explored a merger with the Indianapolis Fire Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That proposal was ultimately tabled last year. But Bardon expressed interest in continuing to pursue the idea, as long as it was done in a way that doesn't harm the township or the city. It's not the first effort the township has taken to be more efficient, either. It recently merged its ambulance services with the city's, generating nearly $3 million in savings. Marion County townships spend millions in assistance Three Marion County townships ranked in the top 10 for distributing the most poor relief, though townships in Allen and Lake County topped the list at around $1.5 million each. The sheer amount of aid underscores the importance of townships as a way to help a community in need, trustees told IndyStar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bardon supports modernizing township government and finding efficiencies when possible. But having accessible, local government is important, he said, and would be damaged if township services were transferred to county government. "For people who are struggling to make it, that's a sense of hope that there is somebody who is there to try and help you," he said. "I'd hate to see us get rid of that." Contact Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or find her on X at @marissa_meador. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: See how much Marion County townships spend in 4 graphs House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia went back and forth during a private call with House Republicans on Tuesday, according to two sources on the call, as tensions rise during the government shutdown. Greene, who has been publicly critical of Johnsons decision to keep the House out of session, took her criticism directly to the speaker and said he is not in touch with what people want, the source said. Johnson responded by saying it was not helpful to shoot inside the Republican tent, argued the shutdown was Democrats fault, and said President Donald Trumps poll numbers are rising, the source added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A clearly frustrated Greene was forceful as she vented her criticism, which was directed at GOP leaders for keeping the House out of session during the shutdown, according to another source on the call. Johnson, in his response, was calm in his defense of the partys decision. The Louisiana Republican also told members the shutdown pain was about to rise to a level 10, referring to the millions of Americans who could lose food assistance in the coming weeks, as well as disrupted air travel and missed paychecks for federal workers. Reps. Kevin Kiley of California and Dan Crenshaw of Texas also voiced frustration with the House not being in session, the source on the call said. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks with Majority Leader Steve Scalise as they leave a news conference at the Capitol on October 28 in Washington, DC. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The criticism comes after weeks of inaction from the House, with lawmakers riding out the shutdown from their districts after passing an initial funding bill in late September. As consequences from the shutdown have rippled through more Americans lives, tensions have been rising in the House GOP conference, with some like Greene and Kiley demanding a clearer plan from leadership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most in the conference remain in lockstep behind Johnson, arguing that the House cannot return to Washington until Democrats agree to reopen the government. Yet the strain on the GOP is evident even among leadership loyalists as the shutdown drags on. Greene later posted on X in response to a report on the private call, saying, You left out that I said I have no respect for the House not being in session passing our bills and the Presidents executive orders. And I demanded to know from Speaker Johnson what the Republican plan for healthcare is to build the off-ramp off Obamacare and the ACA tax credits to make health insurance affordable for Americans. Democrats are calling for Republicans to negotiate with them an extension of expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, but Republican leaders have said the government must be reopened first before any negotiation. She added, Johnson said hes got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call. Apparently I have to go into a SCIF to find out the Republican healthcare plan!!! For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg privately met with Attorney General Pam Bondi in March, a new book says. The reported purpose of the meeting: How to talk to Trump about Meta. That would've come as Meta prepared for a trial in an ongoing FTC antitrust case against them. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg privately met with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Department of Justice earlier this year, according to a new book. In "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America," ABC reporter Jonathan Karl reports that Zuckerberg asked Bondi for "advice on how to effectively speak" with President Donald Trump about "Meta's concerns." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The previously unreported meeting took place on March 12, during one of Zuckerberg's several trips to Washington, DC, in 2025. He later met with Trump at the White House that same day. Spokespeople for both Meta and Bondi declined to comment. The meeting would have taken place weeks before the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against Meta went to trial. The case began at the tail end of Trump's first term in office and proceeded under President Joe Biden. The trial proceeded in April before wrapping up in May. If the government is successful, Meta may have to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal judge has yet to rule on whether Meta has violated antitrust laws. More broadly, the episode is an example of how Zuckerberg and other Big Tech CEOs are seeking to navigate their relationships with Trump since he took office. Zuckerberg was one of several Big Tech CEOs who attended Trump's inauguration in January. The CEO, who Trump once threatened to jail, was also photographed sitting next to the president at a White House dinner in September attended by many tech CEOs following an AI summit led by first lady Melania Trump. Meta is also among the Big Tech firms that have agreed to contribute to the construction of a new ballroom at the White House. Read the original article on Business Insider GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) An educational sign was unveiled in Eastown Monday, highlighting a more than 200-year-old trade route traversed by the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians. Members of the tribe, U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten and Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand were some of the people who gathered at the intersection of Robinson Road and Lake Drive in Grand Rapids for the unveiling ceremony. The sign explains how the 10-mile footpath was used to transport goods produced by Ottawa farmers and hunters and connect the Grand River Bands in Grand Rapids to tribal bands at the intersection of the Grand and Thornapple rivers, in current-day Ada, the tribe said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stabenow, Peters introduce bill to federally recognize Michigan tribe The footpath ran along what is now Fulton Street, Lake Drive and Robinson Road. In the 1800s, there was a trading post at that river intersection in the Ada area. In 1931, human remains and evidence of burial-related items were dug up in Wilcox Park by city workers, according to the tribe. My great great great great grandfather was actually the chief of the village in Ada and he walked this trail in 1855 to sign a treaty where the rapids are in downtown Grand Rapids, said Ron Yob, the chief of the Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians. And that was 170 years ago. And I know it had to please those ancestors that our people are still here and theyre still walking the same footpaths where they made their footprints. Were still here doing the same thing. We havent gone away and were still thriving, alive and well here. The sign was funded by the a grant from Experience GR awarded to the Eastown Community Association partnering with the Grand River Bands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Grand River Bands have played such an important role in our community for centuries, and we at the ECA are very proud to recognize and showcase that history, program coordinator at ECA and a professional historian Steve Staggs wrote in a release. We look forward to residents and visitors of Eastown discovering the significance of where they stand when they see the commemorative sign and future historical marker. In the next few months, a Michigan Historical Marker will be installed on the site. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. North Koreas top diplomat visited the Kremlin yesterday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which followed last months meeting between the countries leaders. Putin and Kim Jong Un met in Beijing in September after attending a major military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Chon Son Hui to convey his best wishes to Kim, noting that they had a very warm meeting, according to his televised remarks at the start of the talks. Before attending the Kremlin meeting with Putin, Choe held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who again hailed North Korean troops for fighting alongside the Russian military in the Kursk region after a surprise Ukrainian incursion. These heroic deeds will, of course, further strengthen the bonds of friendship and historical unity in our shared struggle for justice, Lavrov said. Choe noted a considerable progress in relations between the two countries and stressed Pyongyangs unwavering support for the Russian leaderships policy aimed at defending state sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice. According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall and also supplied large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles to support Moscows military action in Ukraine. Kim has also agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russias Kursk region. MDT/AP Like this: Like Loading... BALTIMORE Maryland will no longer house foster youth in hotels, a much-criticized practice even before a 16-year-old foster girl was found dead a month ago in a Residence Inn in East Baltimore. As of Monday, six youth remained in hotels, said Maryland Department of Human Services Secretary Rafael J. Lopez. He has issued a directive to local social services agencies that they must place them elsewhere by Nov. 24. One young person in a hotel is one too many, Lopez told The Baltimore Sun. We wanted to end the practice once and for all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The directive came in the wake of the suicide death of Kanaiyah Ward, 16, who was staying at the Residence Inn by Marriott on the Johns Hopkins medical campus on Wolfe Street under the care of a contracted one-on-one service provider. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was diphenhydramine intoxication, saying an empty bottle of the antihistamine, often sold as Benadryl, and a suicide note were found on the premises. DHS continues to investigate the death. It is not clear how long Kanaiyah had been staying at the hotel, but the girl, who previously lived with her family in Prince Georges County, had been enrolled at the Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts in West Baltimore since last September 2024, according to the city public schools system. Hotels, motels, office buildings and other licensed settings are not in a youths best interest and must be discontinued immediately, Lopezs directive said. Youth experiencing stays in unlicensed settings is inconsistent with state and federal law, and departmental standards and policies. DHS said it has been increasing residential care services to accommodate youth who might previously have ended up in hotels and other places not licensed to provide foster care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Child advocates say foster youth are still staying, for example, in social services offices and hospitals. Mitchell Y. Mirviss, a Venable law firm partner who for decades has sued the state to reform its foster system, said he received reports that five Baltimore children were in hospital overstays, in which they remain despite being deemed ready for release, on Friday, and one child spent Sunday night and Monday morning at a city social services office. Lopez said children will be brought to offices on occasion, for just several or more hours, if, for example, they are removed from their homes in the middle of the night and cannot immediately be placed in a home or other facility. Advocates questioned where caseworkers will find placements for youth who have been in hotels due to a lack of open spots. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not a solution, its a command, said Judith Schagrin, a former administrator of Baltimore Countys foster system. It doesnt appear to be accompanied by, Here are the resources.' Where are they going? said Leslie Seid Margolis, managing attorney for Disability Rights Maryland. The bottom line is: There arent enough community resources for them. The directive, for example, doesnt specifically name children who overstay in hospitals, Margolis said. She and other attorneys have a pending lawsuit against the state on behalf of such foster youth, who can linger for months in a hospital setting awaiting a placement. Rather than hotels, the DHS directive calls for youth to be placed, in the order of preference, in kinship care, a licensed foster home, a contracted treatment foster home, congregate care such as a group home, an independent living program, or a trial home visit with a parent or guardian. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lopez said child welfare is a very complex environment, and social services agencies are continuing to work to provide a higher level of care across the state. If I had a wand, I would have used the magic wand from day one, he said. Maryland Delegate Mike Griffiths, a Republican who represents Harford and Cecil counties, said that he welcomes the directive as obviously a positive step forward. But he also said he wants more details on where youth are being sent, and said that he still plans to introduce a bill, Kanaiyahs law, to codify the ban on using hotels as well as other unlicensed settings. The bill would also address issues of licensing and background checks, Griffiths said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The issue is personal for him, having been in foster care himself between the ages of 12 and 18. It brings back tough memories for me, Griffiths said. Watching this play out, these kids are still largely treated like second-class citizens. To help reduce reliance on hotels, DHS said it has contracted with residential child care providers to expand and develop services to address the complex needs that have made placements difficult. In June 2025, DHS put out a solicitation for residential programs that can accommodate children with complex medical and behavioral health needs in a structured, therapeutic, and supportive environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Existing group homes, DHS said, dont necessarily have the specialized staff or training for this level of care, leading to youth overstaying at hospitals or being placed in hotels. DHS has said reducing hotel stays has been a top priority. There had been 41 youth staying in hotels in January 2023 when the current administration took office. As of last week, there were 3,748 youth in foster care in Maryland. Officials have said that hotels have been used as a last resort for youth, usually older ones with behavioral or mental health issues that can make them more difficult to place. There may not be a foster family willing or able to take a youth with behavioral problems, or a treatment facility with an opening. While intended as a stopgap measure, hotel stays could drag on for much longer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a July report by a court-appointed monitor of the Baltimore foster care system, for example, The last youth to be placed at a hotel in Baltimore City was moved to a group home on May 9, 2025, after living in a hotel since January 8, 2024, more than one year and 4 months. The monitors report, though, goes on to note that removing youth from hotels doesnt always solve the problem for good: Unfortunately, several of the youth who previously resided in hotels have been ejected (some more than once) from their post-hotel placements, are on runaway, or have spent nights in an agency office. The General Assembly created a workgroup that recently began meeting to study and make recommendations on how to solve the problem of foster youth staying in hotels and other unlicensed settings. Lopez said his directive is part of an ongoing set of efforts to better care for youth with complex needs. Can we continue to improve? he said. Without question. _________ ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) Maryland State Police (MSP) arrested a man in Anne Arundel County after finding evidence of production and possession of child pornography. Philip Turner, 36, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with seven counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, production of child pornography, five counts of possession of child pornography and other related charges. Prince Georges County firefighter arrested, charged for allegedly distributing child pornography Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Maryland identified people who were connected to the sexual trafficking of children in the Philippines. MSP said the traffickers were using online platforms to allow people who purchased the ability to watch the sexual exploitation of kids through a live camera feed. According to MSP, Turner would virtually direct girls, aged 10 to 13, to engage in child pornography in the Philippines and around the world. Authorities executed a search warrant on his home and car on Tuesday, and he was arrested. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. On Tuesday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined 22 other attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, accusing the agency of unlawfully suspending food assistance for millions of Americans during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The lawsuit, filed against the USDA and its secretary, Brooke Rollins, contends the agency violated federal law by halting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides benefits to more than 40 million low-income Americans. More than 680,000 Marylanders including 262,000 children rely on SNAP to put food on the table, Brown said in a statement Tuesday. Time is running out to prevent hundreds of thousands of Maryland families from losing access to food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were taking the Trump administration to court because Marylands children and families deserve better than a federal government that chooses to let them go hungry despite having the resources to help. Congress set aside billions The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to approve a budget for the new fiscal year. Nine days later, USDA informed state agencies that if the impasse continued, the department would not have enough funds to pay full November benefits. Brown and other state officials say that claim is false, noting that Congress set aside billions in contingency funds for SNAP. They argue that USDA has continued funding other programs while withholding money for food assistance, a move they call unlawful and inhumane. In Maryland, the program supports more than 680,000 residents each month, including children, seniors, people with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness. Officials warn that a lapse in benefits would worsen hunger and strain food pantries and community organizations already struggling to meet demand. It would also hurt grocers and other businesses that rely on SNAP purchases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement USDA has estimated that every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.54 in economic activity, meaning a suspension could have ripple effects throughout the economy. Lawsuit asks for temporary restraining order The lawsuit argues that the agencys actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and exceed its authority under federal law. The coalition is also seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately restore benefits. Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin joined the filing, along with the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich. Food pantries are preparing for a looming crisis: SNAP benefits run out on Saturday for more than 3 million people in the Tri-State area who rely on them to eat. It's a busy time at a food bank in Borough Park, Brooklyn. "You know how they say certain things are a luxury? Food is not a luxury," said Laura Allen of Masbia Soup Kitchen. The flow of clients never stops, as residents make app-based appointments for essentials they can't afford on their own. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Masbia Soup Kitchen is the life's work of Alex Rapaport. "Masbia is in Hebrew to 'satiate, to satisfy.' We want to satiate every living creature," Rapaport said. He's the nonprofit's executive director and says demand has started to increase, now 27 days into the government shutdown. What has him deeply concerned is what will happen just four days from now when government-funded food stamps disappear. "That means so many people who get their help by going to the grocery will not only rely on emergency food providers like us," Rapaport said. It's a real fear for 42 million Americans, who stand to lose food assistance, even though Congress already set aside billions in contingency funds to be used in the event of a shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, the president blames Democrats, who have refused to fund the government while trying to block steep cuts to healthcare. "This is purely Democrats, they're doing some really bad things," President Donald Trump said. "I think they're lost souls. Do you know what that is? They are lost souls." Democratic New Jersey Senator Andy Kim called the actions from the Trump administration "plain cruel." "This is something they've been trying to gut for a long time, so they are gleeful about the effort to do harm to so many Americans," he said. Meanwhile, the people who need food are suffering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If people don't have food, it becomes really sad. It's just reality," Rapaport said. ---------- * More Brooklyn news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Massachusetts leaders are pushing back against the suspension of SNAP benefits, aid that helps hundreds of thousands and low-income families put food on the table. On the steps of the Massachusetts state house, food banks and anti-hunger advocates gathered behind the states top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who is leading a coalition of 21 other attorneys general and three governors in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for unlawfully suspending SNAP. Theyre demanding the federal government release food assistance funds and warn that time is running out. Many expressed frustration and fear over what could become a hunger crisis for more than 650,000 families statewide, including Iris Ivette Montufar who spoke through tears at Tuesdays rally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I depend on it and Im just very worried about what Im going to do for my kids, Ivette Montufar said. The attorney generals legal action against the Trump administration comes after federal officials moved to suspend SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. There has always been a reserve fund, in this case there is $6 billion of a SNAP reserve fund available to fund SNAP and they are refusing to use that reserve, Attorney General Campbell explained. Were filing this lawsuit to ensure our families get the food they deserve and the resources they so desperately need. Advocates with Project Bread said this move by the Trump administration has never happened before, and the fallout could be devastating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For every dollar invested in SNAP, yields a dollar fifty in economic activity so this is going to be felt by everyone, Project Bread president, Erin McAleer said. If the benefits dont go out, the states food banks could be flooded with up to 56 million extra meal requests, which they say they cant handle. Thats why supporters are calling on the state to use its $8 billion Rainy Day Fund to cover SNAP payments if the federal government doesnt act. However, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says there is no way the state can back-fill this money. There is no need for this to happen. There are billions of dollars sitting right now in a contingency fund that the president can use to continue to fund SNAP which is what every other president has done during a federal shutdown, Gov. Healey said. A spokesperson for the US Department of Agriculture wrote We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Continue to hold out for the Far-Left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If an agreement on the federal funding bill is not made soon, the federal government said they will not be paying out SNAP benefits for the month of November, starting Saturday. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Between the candy, costumes, parties and horror films, Halloween has become a highly anticipated holiday across the United States, and a massive boost for the economy. The average U.S. household will spend $114.45 on Halloween expenses, from decorations to treats to customers, WalletHub reports. That totals approximately $13.1 billion spent by the 73% of households that celebrate. These findings motivated a WalletHub study aimed at helping people find their best return on investment by analyzing the best cities for Halloween. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rankings were based on metrics such as the number of costume stores per capita, crime rates and the best potential trick-or-treat stops on Oct. 31. Halloween holds a big place in American popular culture, and we collectively spend billions of dollars celebrating every year. At the same time, its also a holiday that comes with a certain amount of risk, given that children visit strangers houses in the dark, WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. The best cities for Halloween are those that provide the safety conditions for celebrating, along with an abundance of activities, Halloween-related stores and good weather. Boston ranked 8th overall nationwide on WalletHubs list for best cities for Halloween, earning a total score of 56.15. The citys placement showed high and low marks across different categories: Trick-or-treater friendliness: Ranked 4th Halloween fun: Ranked 60th Halloween weather: Ranked 68th Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On a scale ranking the best places to go trick-or-treating, Boston came in nearly last place, at 96th. In contrast, Laredo, Texas came in first. Meanwhile, New York, New York was considered the best place to be overall on Halloween. It boasts the second-most Halloween costume shops and the most candy stores per capita, Wallet Hub reported. New York residents also search Google for Halloween parties and related terms more than people in any other city. The citys high population density and the second-highest walkability score mean its easier to go trick-or-treating and collect candy. For other Halloween activities, New York has the second-most movie theaters per capita and the 16th-most haunted houses, along with many amusement parks. The top 10 best cities for Halloween: WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities to determine the rankings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres how the top 10 scored: New York, New York with a score of 71.38 Jersey City, New Jersey with a score of 62.29 Los Angeles, California with a score of 59.35 Chicago, Illinois with a score of 58.20 Las Vegas, Nevada with a score of 57.99 Miami, Florida with a score of 57.18 Anaheim, California with a score of 56.47 Boston, Massachusetts with a score of 56.15 Gilbert, Arizona with a score of 54.11 Newark, New Jersey with a score of 53.41 The latest from MassLive Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has defended a partisan message posted to a state website blaming President Donald Trump for this weekends looming lapse in food benefits for more than 1 million Bay State residents. President Trump is currently choosing not to issue November SNAP benefits that help you and many families put food on the table, an alert posted to the state Department of Transitional Assistances website reads. Its the latest round of partisan sniping that also has seen the U.S. Agriculture Department blame Democrats on Capitol Hill for the loss of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starting Saturday, some 1.1 million people statewide are expected to lose benefits under the decades-old program, often referred to as food stamps, as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Healey on Monday called on the Agriculture Department to tap a contingency fund to keep benefits flowing. Nationwide, about 42 million depend on SNAP to keep food on the table. The administrations messaging netted it some partisan pushback from a top lawmaker. On Monday, state Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Worcester/Hampden, engaged in some parliamentary gymnastics to cut short the chambers session. He said he hoped it would send a message about the administrations partisan messaging, The Boston Globe and other outlets reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The message has been, you know, Blame the president, blame the Congress, Fattman, of Sutton, said, according to the newspaper. Its very specific about who theyre blaming. And to me, that type of resource, when its paid for by taxpayer money, shouldnt happen. Healey, a Democrat, stood by the move later in the day when she was asked about it by reporters. The facts are that [President] Donald Trump, right now, is refusing to fund SNAP even though he has the funds to do it. The facts are that every other president during a federal shutdown has continued SNAP benefits for kids, for our seniors, for people with disabilities, using contingency funds, Healey said, according to published reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump is choosing not to do that. Donald Trump is choosing not to feed people in America, including in Massachusetts, she said, echoing prior comments. Earlier in the day on Monday, Healey accused Trump of abdicating his responsibilities by not tapping the contingency money. Trump needs to do what every other president has done in American history when theres been a federal shutdown, and thats ensure that seniors, that people with disabilities are fed, Healey told reporters after she left an unrelated event at the State House. Thats something that an American president should do, she continued. Its something he owes to the American people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Healey rejected suggestions that the state could tap its more than $8 billion Rainy Day Fund to provide a stopgap until lawmakers on Capitol Hill get a deal to end the four-week-old shutdown. What needs to happen is the president of the United States needs to do what every other president in history has done, which is to use the contingency fund, billions of dollars, to fund the SNAP program to feed kids, seniors, people with disabilities across America during the pendency of this federal shutdown, she said. Healey also brushed aside a question on why the state couldnt fund SNAP benefits when it had found billions of dollars to pay for its emergency shelter system. At $240 million a month, theres no way that a state, any state in the country, can begin to backfill, Healey said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But theres a problem with that approach. Last week, the Agriculture Department said that it cant dip into such funds during the shutdown, and that states wont be reimbursed if they move to cover expenses on their own, according to an internal agency memo. Unlike other reimbursable programs, SNAP allotments are fully federally funded, the agency asserted. States are responsible for determining household benefits, and the movement of dollars through to the processors and ultimately to the retailers. There is no provision nor allowance under current law for States to cover the cost of benefits and be reimbursed. Asked by a reporter whether the state had a plan B, Healey appealed to residents sense of charity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan now, folks, is to rely on food pantries, to rely on food banks, to encourage those who can contribute to something like the United Way Response Fund, she said. But, you know, that is what is happening. It is because of a decision that Donald Trump has made not to fund SNAP. Its completely unnecessary. This doesnt need to happen. More on Politics Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A storm chaser from Massachusetts got a rare and dramatic look inside Hurricane Melissa after flying directly into the Category 5 storms eye. Boston family vacationing in Jamaica bracing for the worst as Hurricane Melissa hits island Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist with MyRadar, joined a NOAA Hurricane Hunters flight on Sunday night to gather data from inside the powerful system threatening Jamaica. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cappucci told Boston 25 News that the experience was surreal and intense, comparing the flight to being inside a washing machine or car wash due to the near-zero visibility. Once inside the eye, however, the scene changed dramatically. Being in the center of this buzz saw in the atmosphere and knowing the hellacious conditions on all sides are whipping around you, and yet youre this little oasis of calm that youll only have for a few moments, Cappucci said. It was simultaneously peaceful, mesmerizing, beautiful, and also destructive just heart-sinking to know whats going to hit Jamaica. Cappucci warned that Hurricane Melissa could bring devastating impacts to Jamaica, including washed-out communities, tornado-like damage spanning 30 to 40 miles, and communication outages that could last for weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa was set to make landfall Tuesday, threatening to pummel Jamaica as the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently upheld a massive $811 million civil judgement that was handed down last year against Nexus Services Inc., three of its former owners and a subsidiary. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) along with the states of Virginia, Massachusetts and New York filed the 17-count lawsuit in 2021 against Nexus, Libre by Nexus, former CEO and majority owner Mike Donovan, his spouse and former part-owner Richard Moore, and Evan Ajin, a former vice president at Libre who also owned 10% of Nexus. The trio were accused in the complaint of engaging in a "slew of deceptive conduct." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nexus Services provided bond securitization for immigrants held or released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The company was located in Verona before its campus was auctioned off for $3.4 million in 2023 after the property went into foreclosure. Nexus was sold last year for less than $5, but an attorney for the defendants said it was equivalent to $21 million if one were to combine assumed liabilities with the purchase price. In their appeal, according to the Court of Appeals ruling, the defendants challenged the district courts rulings that imposed default judgment and evidentiary sanctions against them, including permanent injunctive relief and the imposition of a monetary award that subjects them to approximately $811 million in liability. But on Oct. 15, the Court of Appeals upheld the ruling. "The Nexus defendants charged the immigrant consumers exorbitant fees for a purported array of services only some of which the defendants actually provided and deceived and abused those immigrant consumers, in violation of federal and state consumer protection statutes," Judge Robert B. King said in the ruling. The appeals court noted the defendants tried to have the lawsuit tossed in 2021 while arguing that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. After that attempt failed, King said they "engaged in a systematic and continuous pattern of noncompliance with multiple court orders, and they failed to engage properly in discovery proceedings." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company once used a 21-page, written client agreement that was entirely in English except for one page in Spanish. The original contract required consumers to make upfront payments in the amount of 20% of the bond, a $420 advance payment and an activation fee up to $460. The initial lawsuit said the claims made by Libre to its clients were false and misleading. The appeals court noted that, according to the plaintiffs, "Libre falsely told consumers that it paid the full amount of the consumers bond to [ICE]. In addition, Libre falsely told consumers that the $420 monthly payments in the Original Agreement were repayments to Libre for the bond Libre paid, but the monthly payments actually went toward leasing the GPS device." For some time, clients had to wear ankle bracelets, but around early 2018, Libre revised its written agreement to not include GPS monthly lease payments. Instead, it called for monthly program fees" and required consumers to either pay the fees according to a schedule or to pay supplemental "bond collateralization" payments that added up to the full amount of the bond, court records show. In 2018, the average immigration bond was $7,500. The Court of Appeals affirmed the roughly $811 million award, with nearly $231 million of that restitution slated for 2,840 clients in Virginia; 2,778 in New York, and 680 in Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moore is currently behind bars and awaiting sentencing in a federal tax fraud case, where he could receive a 10-year prison term. Moore, Donovan and another former Nexus employee, Timothy Shipe, will also go on trial next year in Augusta County after being accused of stealing $426,000. More: Harrisonburg standoff ends after police deploy gas canisters, suspect arrested More: A 1.68 million-dollar gift, flu season is here, health seminar and more: THE DIGEST Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter). This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Court of appeals upholds judgement against Nexus, former owners The president of East Timor told AP yesterday that he would be willing to intercede personally to try and break the impasse in the regions most challenging problem Myanmars raging civil war, one day after his country was granted membership in the influential Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In a wide-ranging interview in the Malaysian capital, where ASEAN was holding its annual summit, President Jose Ramos-Horta said that while his country may be the regions youngest and one of its poorest nations, its people and leaders were long on diplomatic experience. In the midst of so many problems in the region, in the world, ASEAN doesnt need another headache, he said. But at the same time, we do have some experience in reconciliation, ending conflicts, and healing wounds of communities, of society. That background, he said, has served his government well in balancing East Timors close relationship with China and its ties to the United States, Australia and other Western nations, and in maintaining stability at home as it works to tackle complicated problems like widespread poverty, malnutrition and youth unemployment. My advice is to reach out to the people, do not fear them, he said. A government that is very connected to the people, that is reachable, is already a long way toward creating conditions of peace. A history forged in conflict East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, sits between Indonesia and Australia and was a Portuguese colony for more than four centuries before it declared independence in 1975. Indonesia invaded nine days later, beginning a brutal 24-year occupation that claimed tens of thousands of lives through conflict, famine and disease. A U.N.-supervised referendum in 1999 paved the way for independence. Both Ramos-Horta and his Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao are heroes of East Timors independence struggle, which led to its establishment as a free, democratic country in 2002. Ramos-Horta won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his efforts toward a just and peaceful solution to the conflict. Myanmars war confounded the region The 75-year-old has been outspokenly critical of the seizure of power by Myanmars military, known as the Tatmadaw, from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. That sparked widespread public protests, whose violent suppression by security forces triggered an armed resistance that has spiraled into a civil war with ethnic minority militias and pro-democracy groups. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced. Myanmar, an ASEAN member, has largely ignored the blocs 2021 Five-Point Consensus, which calls, among other things, for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Its refusal to comply has meant its political leaders are barred from ASEAN summits, though it does send bureaucrats to take part. For Ramos-Horta, ASEANs peace plan is a very good paper but too aspirational and thus difficult to achieve. With people fighting and dying daily, there is a need to reach out to all sides in one place, in person and including the Tatmadaw to try and find an immediate agreement on a ceasefire with no preconditions, such as insisting that the military give up power, he said. Then explore a road map towards stabilization, a new political agreement between everyone, Ramos-Horta said. That doesnt have to be perfect dont expect a perfectionist democracy, it doesnt exist. Maybe in your eyes there is perfect democracy; the only problem with that horizon is you walk, walk towards the horizon and it never hits you. Ramos-Hortas criticism of Myanmar and his willingness to engage with the opposition National Unity Government group prompted its military leadership to threaten to block East Timors membership bid for ASEAN. East Timor overcame that hurdle, and was named the blocs 11th member on Sunday. Still, while acknowledging Myanmars military leaders may reject him as an envoy, he said he would be willing to personally travel there to engage them if ASEAN agreed as a group on the approach. I will go to Myanmar to talk with the military because, well, they hold significant power, he said. Power to do harm and power to stop doing harm, so you have to talk with them. Problems at home East Timor has its own problems at home, with high youth unemployment and widespread poverty. Its accession to ASEAN gives East Timor, which has just 1.4 million people and gross domestic product of around $2 billion, better access to an economic community of nations with some 680 million people and a $3.8 trillion economy. The bloc has already given East Timors people greater access to education, which Ramos-Horta called his number one priority. There are many areas of potential benefit to Timor-Leste coming from ASEAN countries, he said. One, that is already happening anyway, (is) more scholarships, opportunities for young Timorese to study across Southeast Asia. The government is seeking to diversify the economy from a reliance on oil and gas revenues, which are running out, but that will take time. Meantime, it has a healthy $18 billion sovereign wealth fund, but experts believe it might not last much more than a decade unless new sources of fossil fuels are tapped. Talks with Australia over the development of Greater Sunrise fields, which contain an estimated $50 billion in gas that lies beneath the seabed that separates the two countries have been long stalled. DAVID RISING, KUALA LUMPUR, MDT/AP Like this: Like Loading... NEW YORK More than 223,000 New Yorkers cast ballots over the first three days of early voting, suggesting strong enthusiasm over the mayoral matchup featuring Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Over Saturday and Sunday, 164,190 voters hit the ballot boxes, with an additional 59,078 New Yorkers casting their votes on Monday, tabulations from the city Board of Elections show. Those numbers were far more than the 94,112 who cast ballots over the first three days of early voting in Junes Democratic mayoral primary, won by Mamdani. Hes polling as the clear favorite to prevail in next Tuesdays general election, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These numbers also surpass the number of early voters for the entire early voting period in 2021 general election, which saw 170,000 early voters in total, though that election wasnt viewed as competitive and was the first citywide contest in which early voting was offered. Voters aged 55 and older made up just over half of the weekends numbers, a data analysis from Gothamist/WNYC found. Voters in that age bracket generally lean more conservative, while younger voters tend to lean more progressive. Cuomo was quick to claim the older voter stats as a victory. Theres fear in this city, theres anger in this city, theres frustration in this city, he said at a campaign stop in Harlem. Its all percolating, and you can feel it up there. And I feel very good, because New Yorkers, at the end of the day, they want a mayor who can do the job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, his campaign also touted a new poll from Suffolk University showing Mamdani leading Cuomo by 10 points, 44% to 34%, cutting in half the lead the democratic socialist held over the ex-governor in the same poll a month ago. This is exactly where Mamdani was at this point in the primary, and its clear that Andrew Cuomos message of competent leadership along with his agenda to increase public safety, end the housing and affordability crisis and strengthen our economy and education system is resonating, the Cuomo campaign said in a statement. While greeting voters near a polling site on the Upper East Side on Monday afternoon, Mamdani waved off the idea that high turnout among older voters would be bad news for him. I think its great to see this turnout, the candidate said. I think we should always celebrate when more New Yorkers are going to the polls, and I continue to be confident in our campaign as well as in our outreach to voters above the age of 55. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to the Daily News in between shaking hands with voters in the neighborhood with Manhattan state Sen. Liz Krueger, a centrist Democrat, Mamdani said theres also a silver lining in having a voter base thats predominately young. Ive heard from so many older New Yorkers that its been their kids, their grandkids, their nephews, their nieces who also introduced them to this campaign over the last few months, and thats been so exciting to see how this coalition is actually broadening, Mamdani said, adding that affordability remains a major priority for older New Yorkers too. Later in the day, Mamdanis campaign sent out an email to supporters voicing a different message. Turnout is already 5 times higher than the 2021 mayoral election and the highest number of early voters so far are in age brackets where Cuomo either ties or leads Zohran in the latest polls, read the email, which urged Mamdani supporters to sign up to canvass for him in the final days of the race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Brooklyn, 67,729 cast ballots over the first three days of early voting, followed by Manhattan with 67,110 voters and Queens with 52,272. In the Bronx, 19,096 checked in, and 17,061 voted on Staten Island, tabulations show. Early voting will continue through Nov. 2, with Election Day the following Tuesday, Nov. 4. _____ At a time when healthcare systems are under pressure to increase efficiency while delivering tailored outcomes, Belgian company Materialise is making a calculated push to bridge that divide. A longstanding pioneer in 3D printing and surgical planning, Materialise is positioning itself as a central player in the movement toward personalised medicine. The company, headquartered in Leuven, has been working in medical device planning and production for over three decades. It is now focused on an ambitious objective: enabling personalised surgery to move from a niche solution to a standard part of care across disciplines such as cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) surgery and orthopaedics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking at a two-day CMF innovation summit attended by clinicians, engineers and healthcare innovators from across Europe and beyond, Materialise executives outlined both their progress and the work that lies ahead. The technology is proven. The challenge now is scale, said Koen Peters, Head of Materialise Medical. We know personalised care improves outcomes. The next step is integrating it seamlessly into day-to-day surgical practice across more hospitals, more regions and more types of procedures. Koen Peters, Materialise Medical at the CMF Innovation Summit in Leuven, September 25-26. From early adopters to clinical mainstream One of the recurring themes at the event was the evolving mindset among clinicians. A decade ago, many surgeons viewed 3D surgical planning as experimental or reserved for complex cases. Today, in several leading medical centres, it has become routine. Surgeons are no longer asking whether this works, shared Peters. They are asking how to integrate it more efficiently and how to extend access to more patients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This shift has been particularly visible in the CMF field. Although relatively small compared to other surgical disciplines, the CMF community is recognised for its openness to innovation. According to Materialise, adoption of 3D planning, personalised implants and digital workflows has accelerated sharply in recent years. The company credits this in part to a growing network of clinicians who act as peer advocates. Surgeons who have successfully adopted these tools are sharing their experience with colleagues, helping to build trust and dispel hesitation among those still unfamiliar with the technology. In his keynote address at the summit, Dr Thomas Kofod, Chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, disclosed that his department now utilises 3D planning in every procedure and have completed more than 1,000 reconstructions to date. For Dr Kofod, the full adoption of patient-specific planning and implants has elevated technology from a supplementary aid to an indispensable element of surgical practice. His experience reflects a broader European shift, where digital precision is not displacing surgical skill but augmenting it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prof Thomas Schouman of AP-HP Pitie-Salpetriere, Paris drew on more than ten years experience with porous implants in CMF reconstruction. Once regarded as experimental, these materials are now integral to managing complex defects. He presented fresh clinical data demonstrating that porous structures enhance osseointegration while providing greater flexibility in surgical planning. Ecosystem, not just equipment Materialise is also careful to position itself not just as a vendor of devices or planning platforms, but as a partner in clinical transformation. The company emphasised the importance of building an ecosystem that supports surgeons both technically and professionally. We are not simply offering technology, said Peters. We are offering a framework that connects physicians, engineering expertise and digital tools to help deliver better care. This ecosystem includes educational forums, collaborative planning services, clinical engineering support and access to real-world case data. Materialise believes this multifaceted approach is essential to building lasting adoption and delivering consistent outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Central to the companys offer is what it refers to as a "predictability engine" - a set of tools and processes designed to bring greater certainty to surgical planning and execution. The aim is to make outcomes more consistent, reduce intraoperative uncertainty and simplify the clinical decision-making process. TMJ, orthopaedics and the broader opportunity While CMF is an established vertical, Materialise is expanding into other areas. In Europe, Materialise has launched a TMJ total joint replacement system and sees this as a major opportunity for growth. The company believes the TMJ market is entering a new phase. Earlier generations of implants, introduced in the 1980s and 1990s, often underperformed, leading to caution among surgeons. Now, more advanced solutions, based on personalised planning and improved biomaterials, are offering renewed confidence. Dr Vladimir Machon of Charles University, Prague, and Mr Sherif Bayoumi of Spire Manchester Hospital shared practical insights from complex TMJ cases, detailing complications and how personalised implants have helped resolve them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These are difficult cases,. But digital planning allows us to anticipate challenges and plan for long-term function," said Machon. Bayoumi presented tumor reconstruction cases combining TMJ replacement with free flap reconstruction, demonstrating how personalised implants improve both function and aesthetics. Patient-specific solutions give us bespoke reconstructions that deliver better cosmetic and functional results, said Bayoumi. Materialise is also active in orthopaedics and cardiology, where it is applying its experience with planning software, implants and 3D visualisation to new procedures. The future of this company will be shaped by its ability to scale personalised care across multiple clinical domains, said Peters. Its not about one product or one field. Its about enabling a methodology. Investment in adjacent technologies Another area receiving growing attention is the use of extended reality technologies - augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) - to enhance preoperative planning and intraoperative navigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Materialise is currently working with early adopters to test how AR can improve anatomical understanding and surgical confidence. The company views AR as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for existing solutions. Concluding the summit, Dr. Diego Rossi and Dr. Alessandro Remigio Bolzoni from Milans IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico presented findings from one of Europes first studies on AR/XR in CMF surgery. Dr. Rossi shared clinical results on CAD CAM planning, emphasising that while 3D technologies enhance precision, optimal outcomes still depend on the surgeons clinical knowledge and aesthetic judgment regarding facial harmony and proportions. Dr. Bolzoni presented promising findings on optimal see-through AR systems, demonstrating real-time visualisation capabilities We are now moving beyond the hype, he said. Our data show AR and XR potential to enhance accuracy and confidence in real surgical conditions. CMF Innovation Summit - September 25-26, in Leuven, Belgium. Credit: Materialise. Materialise Market Manager, Maarten Zandbergen explained that while XR won't replace fundamental technologies, it can significantly improve surgeons' visualisation and planning capabilites. "The goal is to make surgery more predictable and outcomes more precise, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That philosophy - technology in service of outcomes - has become something of a mantra at Materialise. The company is careful to emphasise that it does not pursue innovation for its own sake. Instead, it focuses on aligning technological capability with clearly defined clinical needs. Operational challenge of growth With growth comes pressure to scale operations. Internal figures suggest that Materialises personalised solutions are growing at more than three times the average rate of the CMF market. That level of growth requires expansion of manufacturing, clinical support and education programmes. Peters described this not just as a challenge, but as an opportunity to refine how the company operates. As more hospitals seek to bring personalised planning into their workflows, the company is investing in point-of-care partnerships that enable healthcare providers to adopt parts of the planning process in-house, supported by the companys software and platforms. Confidence heading into 2026 As the year draws to a close, Materialise leadership appears confident. Peters noted that the company is on track to finish 2025 strongly, with a clear strategy for the coming year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are well-positioned for 2026, Peters shared. The growth in personalisation is validating our approach, but it also pushes us to keep improving - to keep listening to surgeons, expanding our ecosystem and delivering tools that make a real difference in the operating room. In an industry where innovation is often incremental, Materialise is making a case for scale. By combining engineering expertise with clinical collaboration and a clear focus on outcomes, the company is attempting something few others have done: to turn personalised surgery from a specialist solution into a mainstream standard of care. "Materialise drives personalised surgery from niche to norm" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. For nearly a decade, the Orlando Sentinel has documented and exposed factually flawed teaching and blatant discrimination at religious schools in Florida that are funded with tax dollars. We found schools that refused to serve gay students, that fired teachers after learning they were gay and that even refused to serve kids if school officials learned that they have two same-sex parents all in the name of religion. We also documented schools that refused to serve children with disabilities schools whose written policies said they wouldnt enroll kids in wheelchairs or with intellectual challenges, citing autism as an example. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And we found schools that teach all kinds of factually inaccurate science and history lessons, using books that question evolution, human history and even the negative aspects of segregation. Every time we exposed these twisted teachings or discriminatory policies, supporters of school choice including the governor and a majority of GOP lawmakers shrugged it off, saying thats how choice works. Schools should be free to teach whatever they want, they argued, and if parents dont like it, they should simply choose to take their kids to another school. Well, that was apparently before some of these politicians learned that Muslims also get tax dollars to run voucher schools. Now theyve decided that unfettered choice may have some drawbacks. The most recent push to defund voucher schools that teach Islamic faith is being led by the hard-right members of the Freedom Caucus in Congress, which has counted aspiring Florida governor Byron Donalds among its members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After learning that taxpayer-funded voucher money supported a Muslim-run school in Tennessee, the Freedom Caucus tweeted earlier this month that: School choice is great, but taxpayer dollars should not be going to Islamic schools in Nashville (or anywhere in Tennessee) That was followed this week by Floridas GOP Attorney General, James Uthmeier, highlighting an Islamic voucher school in Florida that Uthmeier suggested should be investigated, saying Sharia law seeks to destroy and supplant the pillars of our republican form of government and is incompatible with the Western tradition. So to recap: If a school uses Christian faith to discriminate against gay students or kids in wheelchairs, thats all fine. Thats what choice is all about. But if an Islamic school espouses objectionable ideas, we have a problem. Ive long argued that no school should get public money to spread religious indoctrination or to discriminate against any member of the tax-paying public regardless of whether the school is run by Christians, Muslims or anyone else. That doesnt seem like a radical stance. Yet that approach to both quality and equality has been roundly rejected by school-choice proponents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schools Without Rules: An Orlando Sentinel Investigation As a quick refresher, the Orlando Sentinel started documenting some of the ugly things going on inside Floridas publicly funded voucher schools back in 2017 in its Schools without Rules series. Among the findings: Some teachers lacked degrees or any kind of basic teaching certification Finances so disastrous that some schools actually shut down in the middle of the school year, stranding families and students Science classes that claimed dinosaurs roamed the earth with humans and history lessons that claimed slavery and segregation werent really all that bad Teachers fired for being gay. And more than 150 voucher schools with written policies that explicitly said that LGBTQ students would not be admitted or that students who uttered phrases like I am gay would be expelled Schools that said they wouldnt serve kids with special needs or disabilities, including one in Volusia that received more than $1.5 million in public money a year while also having a written policy that said all of its students must be ambulatory and have no emotional disorders or limited intellectual functions (such as Autism, Aspergers, Downs syndrome, etc.). Some of the schools, including that one in Volusia, would later change their policies or claim theyd never actually enforced them but also made it clear that Florida lawmakers gave them permission to do as they please with public money. Trinity Christian Academy is a religious organization and we are fully within our rights to freely practice our beliefs, the headmaster said in an email two years ago. Our teaching is Bible-based and we will make no apology for that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was right. Floridas taxpayer-funded voucher system has long allowed schools to largely do as they please and do so unapologetically until some Muslim schools caught their attention anyway. Uthmeier and some of the new critics have tried to coat their concerns about Muslim schools by linking the theologies or school leaders to anti-American sentiment or even terrorism. But the Freedom Caucus was quite clear in saying what it really wanted: taxpayer dollars should not be going to Islamic schools Listen, there are some Muslim extremists just like there are some Christian extremists. There are also many faith-based schools that do spectacular jobs teaching kids and do so in an inclusive manner. The solution isnt to allow indoctrination and discrimination from some religions and not others. Its to ban both altogether at schools that run on public money. If you believe your faith endorses discrimination and warped versions of history, youre fortunate to live in a country where youre allowed to both hold and espouse those beliefs. But taxpayers shouldnt fund any of it no matter whos doing it. City officials, developers and community members on Oct. 27 celebrated the groundbreaking of the first neighborhood to be redeveloped into a solar farm, which will be used to offset electricity in Detroit's municipal buildings. Mayor Mike Duggan, alongside DTE Energy president and CEO Joi Harris and dozens of community members, kicked off construction for the Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood project, which will convert about 42 acres of vacant and blighted land into a landscaped solar field. Preparation for construction is underway in other neighborhoods Gratiot Findlay and State Fair which also will be part of the first phase, with construction expected to start in those areas early next year. Duggan announced the projects last year in an effort to repurpose vacant land and to generate clean energy to help offset electricity for the city's 127 municipal buildings. Officials broke ground on Detroit's Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood, the first of the five neighborhoods, for the solar panel project on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. "In this state, we're still importing energy and the demands being placed are enormous. We're going to need every source of energy that we can get, and to be able to do it with renewable is such a step forward," Duggan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When I ran for mayor, I laid out a 10-point plan we called, 'Every Neighborhood has a Future.' And the 10th point was that those blocks that might only have one person left per block, that we would find a way to swap them out and clear those neighborhoods...on this side, we basically had one occupant, every block or two. If you came down here six months ago, the neighbors will tell you: illegal dumping, other illegal activities, it was not a safe place to be." Duggan's administration explored whether the city could convert blighted areas into power-producing sites, and use money made from it to improve homes of residents in surrounding areas. Home repairs were part of the community incentives of the project for nearby residents. More: New poll has some potentially good news for Mike Duggan More: Ralph C. Wilson Park draws thousands for 1st look at $80 million Detroit riverfront jewel Mayor Mike Duggan shares remarks at the Van Dyke/Lynch groundbreaking of the solar neighborhoods project on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. DTE Energy and Boston-based Lightstar will build the solar arrays. Harris said DTE will also "beautify" the solar farms wtih trees, shrubs, welcome signage and other landscaping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "DTE is Michigan's leading developer and producer of renewable energy...Detroit-made clean power will help reduce the city's carbon footprint and create a cleaner environment for your children and your grandchildren," Harris said. "There's roughly 60-65 homes (in Van Dyke/Lynch) that we will update with water heaters, with new insulation, roofing, wahtever it is they need in order for them to take control of their energy usage and lower their bills." Homeowners of adjacent homes could receive various energy-efficient home upgrades, including new windows, roof repairs, residential solar panels, appliances, home insulation, air sealing, furnaces and water heaters, smart thermostats, energy-efficient lighting or battery backup power sources. Already, about 250 households have taken advantage of the program, according to the city. District 3 City Councilman Scott Benson said the project will reduce greenhouse gases and generate local job opportunites. "This is not just a patch of ground that has been cleaned and cleared. It's a physical realization of our city's deepest commitment to a cleaner, more sustainable future," Benson said. "This array will allow Detroit to significantly offset our municipal greenhouse gas footprint, taking a huge bite out of our carbon emissions and helping secure a healthier environment for generations to come." Officials broke ground on Detroit's Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood, the first of the five neighborhoods, for the solar array project on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. Tepfirah Rushdan, director of the office of sustainability, said the city engaged environmental activists from the beginning of the project, driving a partnership with Tammy Black, CEO of Communities Power. The organization aims to provide affordable solar energy, and has provided professional skills training to Detroiters using a demonstration solar rack through the Solar Neighborhoods Project. DTE is sponsoring seven of her students, Black said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "DTE and Motor City Electic are gonna help my students who would normally just be doing rooftop solar training getting the opportunity to get hands-on, commercial training in solar," Black said. Haley Henley, who has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years, said Monday's announcement was "a day worth waiting for," especially since dealing with electrical issues in her home, which have been fixed through the program. She thanked those involved for helping upgrade her home. Detroit resident Haley Henley shares her support for the solar neighborhoods project in the Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood, ahead of its groundbreaking on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. "Without the help, I would not have made it. I was a disaster waiting to happen," Henley said. "I had no electrical work in my kitchen. I ran an extension cord from my dining room to my kitchen for six months. I cooked on one hot plate. But I made it. And for that, I want to thank the mayor for thinking about us and coming to this area, and letting us know that were not forgotten." Dorothy Gladney described the neighborhood as "beautiful" when she moved in more than 40 years ago. But one day, the lawns were no longer maintained and houses were falling apart. She dubbed herself the "mayor of Almont Street," drawing laughter from the crowd, including Duggan, and said she nearly left the city at the time until she met Duggan. Dorothy Gladney speaks in support of the solar neighborhoods project in the Van Dyke/Lynch neighborhood on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. "I said, who is Duggan? What's he gonna do?" Gladney said, drawing more laughter, adding that he said she and her neighbors will no longer have to worry about dim lights and trash out in the streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It just wasn't fair to the neighbors, to us. We try to keep our part up, then people come from all over, dumping on us. For now, we got it made," Gladney said, adding that the area is now cleaner and turned around since its darker days. Phase two will involve developing the Houston Whittier/Hayes and Greenfield Park/I-75-McNichols neighborhoods. Pre-construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with all five projects expected to be up and running by early 2027. Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Duggan, DTE break ground on solar neighborhoods project Hundreds of students in Milwaukee Public Schools will soon see new faces in their hallways: city workers, who will volunteer monthly as mentors in assigned schools as part of a new joint initiative between the city and school district. The Adopt-A-School program is the first project to come from a new Kids Cabinet a group of city, district and community leaders, co-chaired by MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, that will meet quarterly to identify ways to work together. Announcing the effort at Elm Creative Arts School on Oct. 28, officials described it as a fresh approach for proactive collaboration between the city government and school district, which have a hot and cold history, though they largely operate independently with separate budgets and leadership. Previous MPS leaders have lamented a lack of stronger advocacy from the mayors office for public schools. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I have prayed for this type of event, this type of citywide effort for our children, for so many years," Milwaukee School Board Vice President Marva Herndon said. Just last year, Johnson was fielding questions about whether he would take over control of MPS as the district faced a rush of criticism over its late financial reporting and the resignation of its former superintendent. Johnson rejected the idea, instead promising city staff would lend support to the school district. When Cassellius, former superintendent of Boston Public Schools, took the helm at MPS in March, she had been accustomed to working closely with Bostons mayor on major school infrastructure projects. In Milwaukee, she quickly started seeking guidance and resources from state, city and business leaders as she worked to rebuild operations at MPS. She's been regularly attending monthly meetings of Johnson's own cabinet. Johnson and Cassellius had to interface already on two contentious issues: an unfunded state requirement to assign city police officers to schools, and the discovery by city workers of widespread lead paint hazards throughout the district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cassellius has praised the city's contributions on both fronts, despite a history of strong opposition from MPS leaders and community groups to the forced placement of police officers in schools. Cassellius called the officers "wonderful to have in our schools." Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, left, and Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius read This Book Just Ate My Dog to Lakaya Rogers second-grade class at Elm Creative Arts School on West Walnut Street in Milwaukee on Oct. 28. MPS and the City of Milwaukee announced the creation of the Kids Cabinet, which will convene quarterly to discuss shared initiatives between the city and school district around attendance, safety and literacy. As part of the Adopt-A-School program, city staff from every department will be paired with 10 MPS elementary schools, where they will spend two hours a month volunteering with students reading books, mentoring and helping with activities that encourage attendance. "Whenever students have a strong sense of belonging in a school and have connected with adult mentors in the school, they're more likely to come," Cassellius said. "And then students who attend more regularly are likely to succeed in school." Elm is one of the 10 schools, which were chosen based on attendance rates. The others are: Carson, Clarke, Franklin, Hartford, King Jr., LaFollette, Milwaukee Sign Language, Obama and Sherman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A city spokesperson said hundreds of city staff will participate. Speaking at Elm, Johnson reflected on his own childhood moving to six different elementary schools. "We're starting with elementary schools for a reason," he said, recalling his experience with mentors who "saw something in me that I couldn't really see in myself, but they lifted me up. Those early years are important." Beyond the Adopt-A-School program, the Kids Cabinet will be tasked with finding other ways for city and school officials to combine resources, share information and take collective action, Johnson said, without sharing specific ideas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kids Cabinet will meet quarterly. The members, all appointed by Johnson, are: Michael Totoraitis, Milwaukee health commissioner Melissa Buford, Department of African American Affairs director Julie Cayo, Employ Milwaukee CEO Preston Cole, Department of Administration director (or designee) Amber Danyus, mayor's council liaison Heather Hough, Milwaukee Police Department chief of staff Ann Lopez, deputy district attorney Joan Johnson, Milwaukee Public Library director Brian Litzsey, MPS chief family, community and partnership officer Paulina Gutierrez, Elections Commission executive director Dea Wright, Office of Early Childhood Initiatives director Renee Logee, United Neighborhood Centers of Milwaukee executive director Melinda Wyant Jansen, Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee vice president of programs and chief academic officer Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mayor, superintendent launch Kids Cabinet, 'Adopt-A-School' Boston Mayor Michelle Wu will deliver the citys first-ever State of the Schools address tonight, outlining her vision for the future of Boston Public Schools amid ongoing challenges. The event will be held at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Chinatown, which city leaders celebrated opening just last year. Many of those same leaders will return tonight to hear the mayors plans for the countrys oldest public school system. Mayor Wu says she wants to make Boston Public Schools the first choice for Boston families. While she plans to set goals and expectations, there are plenty of hurdles to overcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is still a lag in MCAS scores. Following the pandemic, chronic absenteeism continues to be an issue. And there is currently a facilities proposal for closures and mergers that would result in the reduction of 17 schools by 2030. Wu says she wants to invite the entire city to push forward progress for young people and families. The address begins at 7 p.m. and is expected to last about one hour. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) is investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting in Northeast Mississippi. The shooting occurred near the intersection of Plainfield Road and Daniels Circle in West Point just before 10:30 p.m. on October 27, 2025. 22-year-old man killed in Crystal Springs shooting According to Bailey Martin, press secretary for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS), Monroe County deputies responded to a report about an individual having a mental health crisis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When deputies arrived, Martin said they encountered a man with a weapon in his hand. She said the suspect charged at the deputies, who discharged their weapons. The unidentified man was killed during the shooting. No deputies were injured. MBI agents will gather evidence and share their findings with the Mississippi Attorney Generals Office. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. Gov. Dan McKee on Tuesday, Oct 28 will announce "new actions" to help Rhode Islanders when federal food aid ends at the start of next month due to the government shutdown. Around 140,000 Rhode Islanders receive help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, and with the shutdown now entering its fourth week the $28 million monthly disbursement the state receives is now in jeopardy. In a news release Monday, McKee said President Donald Trump "continues to hold Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits hostage during the federal government shutdown." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exactly what McKee plans to do to compensate for the loss of federal funds will be revealed Tuesday. But in a campaign statement issued 16 minutes before McKee called the Tuesday news conference, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, who is running to oust McKee in next year's Democratic primary, called for a "state of emergency." "Families, children, and seniors across our state are going to go hungry," Foulkes said. "While this crisis stems from decisions made in Congress and by the Trump administration, our state leaders must act now. A state of emergency declaration will mobilize the Rhode Island National Guard to assist with logistics and food distribution, and coordinate our response across state agencies, food banks, community organizations, municipalities, and federal partners to ensure that not a single Rhode Islander goes hungry." The increasing alarm at the state level comes as municipal and nonprofit leaders have issued increasingly dire warnings about the loss of food assistance starting Saturday, Nov. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, Oct. 23, Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera convened an "emergency coordination meeting" to deal with the loss of food assistance for 5,000 residents and an "immediate food security crisis across the city." On Monday, Woonsocket Mayor Chris Beauchamp called on residents to donate to local food pantries as 11,700 people there face the loss of food aid. "Right now, were asking everyone who can to step up once again and help ensure no one in Woonsocket goes hungry," Beauchamp said. On Monday, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced the release of $3 million to help plug some of the gap left by the loss of federal SNAP funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined Democratic colleagues demanding the Trump administration to tap federal reserves to maintain SNAP payments and prevent people from going hungry. Congressman Gabe Amo also called for the use of contingency funds to prevent a loss of benefits. "We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will run out of money in two weeks,'" a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. "In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: McKee to reveal plans as federal shutdown threatens SNAP benefits WEST ALLIS There are two rules at the Burnsie's Bar & Grill monthly meat raffle. Don't touch the meat. And no complaining about how often the tickets get mixed around in the drum. Other playful jeering is fair game, including when a winner selects the next ticket and ends up drawing his own numbers twice more in a row. And there's no policy against purchasing multiple, small increments of tickets one purported strategy to end the night with a stack of steaks, stuffed pork chops and hamburgers destined for the freezer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On a Wednesday night in early August, Burnsie's was filled with whoops and hollers when a regular got their first win of the night, the muted sounds of a Milwaukee Brewers game and the aroma of $1 chicken wings wafting from the kitchen. The night took on a more serious tone when patron Mark Carothers told the crowd how the night's simultaneous 50/50 raffle supports a cause close to his heart: A volunteer-run camp for children with severe burn injuries. "If you go home tonight not winning the raffle, know you did a really good thing for some really deserving children," he said. Meat raffle regulars some sporting custom T-shirts at reserved tables know the routine and are happy to introduce newcomers to the state's quirky pastime that was even featured on Top Chef: Wisconsin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the laws surrounding meat raffles are much more complicated. While the tradition is generally legal, there are regulations that often aren't followed or enforced. Lawmakers have unsuccessfully tried to change state statutes to align with what many charities, churches and other raffle hosts already do in practice, such as using spinning paddlewheels similar to a vertical Wheel of Fortune to draw winners. "(Regulators) will turn a blind eye to some things. Certainly, it's not like prosecution is occurring on this, either," said state Sen. Andre Jacque, a Republican from New Franken. "To a certain extent, we're discouraging good actors." Owner Dave Burns and MC Jenni VanWagenen begin sorting and selling raffle tickets to patrons at Burnsie's Bar & Grill in West Allis on Aug. 6, 2025. Raffle licenses rarely enforced; regulators focus on felony-level gaming Walk into any gas station in Wisconsin, and there will likely be flyers advertising a meat raffle to raise money for a loved one's medical expenses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Technically, that's not allowed. Individuals, and businesses like bars, can't get bingo or raffle licenses those are only available to local charitable organizations. Thanks to a recent law change, charities don't need a license to conduct a 50/50 raffle, but even that has caveats, like a $500 prize limit. The regulations for tavern games are complex. They fall under two state agencies the Department of Revenue, which handles video gambling and pull tabs, and the Department of Administration, which oversees charitable gaming like raffles and bingo. Neither agency made staff available for interviews but responded to written questions. The Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association also declined an interview, saying DOR agents are the experts. But the state reminded local law enforcement in 2022 that they have authority to stop illegal gaming, according to a state Department of Justice bulletin. There are occasional crackdowns, including an Eau Claire tavern's shake-of-the-day dice game with a $40,000 jackpot. DOR agents and local police prioritize gaming violations that rise to the felony level, like unlicensed bars with gambling machines. In 2023-24, state regulators conducted 26 audits of gaming operations, according to an annual report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's unlikely enforcement agents would walk into a tavern on a Friday night and shut down a charity meat raffle or routine shake-of-the-day game. The same is true for bars that host March Madness brackets with prizes, which are illegal under state law. "The fact is, there isn't a ton of enforcement by anybody," said state Rep. Jeffrey Mursau, a Republican from Crivitz who has worked on legislation to update gambling statutes. Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, advises members to be familiar with state laws and regulations and make their own decisions. Some bars forgo gaming activities altogether, while others host them to the extent they feel comfortable, he said. "Folks generally understand theres a difference between everyday games that people enjoy between friends, and larger events that can violate the letter and spirit of the law," Jefferson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection pointed out another regulation. The meat and poultry prizes for raffles must be made in a state- or federally inspected meat establishment and in their original, unopened package with an inspection label. That need for food safety is where the "don't touch the meat" rule comes in. If you get your greasy fingerprints all over the packaging, you're taking it home. Plus, it speeds the raffle along. Burnsie's orders its meat from local butchers Rupena's Fine Foods and Roberts' Specialty Meats. "The safety and sanitation is a priority. These are our regulars and all our customers, and you can't take any chances with that," said Dave Burns, who took over ownership of the bar, formerly Dicken's Grille, early last year. To reduce touching the meat during the raffle, name cards are placed on the packages before the raffle starts at Burnsie's Bar & Grill on Aug. 6, 2025. Lawmakers tried to change state law to allow paddlewheels The state has put hosts of meat raffles on notice before, according to lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sometime before 2020, charities and churches hosting meat raffles using paddlewheels were reportedly sent letters warning them they could be subject to a felony. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel attempted to track down a copy of that letter, but the state Department of Justice couldn't locate it in its records. After that letter was brought to the attention of Jacque and Mursau, they introduced legislation to allow paddlewheels in state law. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed that bill twice, arguing the state's tribal nations have exclusive rights to Class III games, like roulette, poker and slot machines. "By expanding the definition of raffles, this bill could be considered a violation of the (tribal) compacts, which could result in a significant loss of past, current and future gaming revenue to the state," Evers wrote in his 2020 veto message. Jacque points out Minnesota law allows paddlewheels and said tribal leaders they spoke to didn't have concerns. Those who spoke to the Journal Sentinel were more focused on slot-like video gambling machines, which have a greater impact on their revenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Johnson, president of the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Nation, wishes meat raffles were taxed by cities or counties, especially if organizers take in more proceeds than the amount they spent on meat products. It's the same thing with cornhole or cribbage tournaments, he said. "If we did that, we'll get charged," Johnson said. Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Meat raffles are part of Wisconsin tavern culture. But are they legal? By Mike Albanese Medical Center Hospital is celebrating their new Level II trauma center. The Level II verification will run through August 2026, with a chance to extend another two years if the facility continues to meet standards. Dr. Gregory York said the Level II designation makes Medical Center Hospital the most advanced trauma center in the Permian Basin. He added this allows the medical center to bring patients in the 17-county Region J of the Permian Basin a higher level of care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement York added the designation allows the facility to have specialists and care that isnt available at a lower level trauma center. He said a Level II designation covers every specialty in the book, as opposed to a Level III that covers general and orthopedic care. York said the facility now has a full complement of medical care, and is the only Level II trauma center in the Permian Basin. The facility was a Level II trauma center prior to COVID, but the facility lost its designation in 2020 as the facility faced financial issues and declining oil business hit the region. York, however, noted the facility maintained around 90% of its capabilities when it was moved to a Level III trauma center, and it was fairly easy to regain the Level II status once the economy returned in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added the facility sees around 1,500 trauma patients annually. Sirena Watts, trauma program director and chair of the regional advisory council, said the facility underwent a review from the American College of Surgeons. She said they review processes, patient care and tour the facility. York said the facility submitted its application to the state and was certified a few weeks later. Russell Tippin, president and CEO of Medical Center Health System, said as the Permian Basin grows, the people will look to the facility to be a leader in medical care. Tippin added the jump from Level II to Level I is huge, adding itd take years of planning, with most of the facilities located in Dallas, Houston or Fort Worth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, he noted, we take every trauma regardless. Tippin said the Level II designation will help the facility recruit and maintain staff, and ensures patients will receive quality care. The post Medical Center Hospital celebrates Level II designation appeared first on Odessa American. * Transit gaps Low LRT usage among residents linked to insufficient network coverage, survey shows * Society | Govt to subsidize up to 75% of the cost of disability support equipment * CreatorWeek | Conference welcomes East-West collaboration in digital content * The 2026-2035 rehabilitation action plan will focus on physical and mental rehabilitation, aiming to expand smart technologies in facilities * Emperor Palace Casino, Waldo Casino to cease operations ahead of transition deadline * Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged Asia-Pacific leaders to choose dialogue and cooperation amid global conflicts and U.S.China tensions DOWNLOAD PDF Tuesday, October 28, 2025 edition no. 4827 Like this: Like Loading... CHICOPEE Almost exactly a year ago, Mark McCarthy won the approval of sitting School Committee and City Council members for an at-large seat on the committee. McCarthy, 42, of Chicopee, replaced long-standing committee member Chester Chet Szetela, who stepped down last fall due to health reasons. Szetela was in the middle of a four-year term. The at-large candidate had no prior experience in politics and didnt think he would be chosen for the position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCarthy and newcomer Robert Cantin will face off for the only at-large position on the committee. Ahead of Tuesday, Nov. 4, The Republican reached out to all candidates for the opposed City Council and School Committee seats to answer a short questionnaire. Each council candidate was asked the same four questions. A different set of four identical questions were sent to the candidates for School Committee. Over the next several days, The Republican will be publishing the candidates answers to the questions in print. Find more candidates and responses at masslive.com/topic/election. Name: Mark McCarthy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Age: 42 Address: Chicopee, MA Profession: Literacy teacher educator, associate professor at Springfield College Position running for: Chicopee School Committee at-large Introductory statement: As a literacy teacher educator, I teach teachers how to teach kids to read and work with schools to strengthen instruction and support teacher growth. Chicopee has dedicated educators and strong leadership, but we must ensure our schools are funded, staffed, and equipped to meet every learners needs. I believe in local control and schools that reflect our communitys values. My goal is to advance equity and excellence for all through investment in literacy, teacher retention, and safe, inspiring facilities, he said. Question #1: What letter grade would you give the school system? Why? Id give Chicopee a B we have committed educators, thoughtful leadership, and improving student outcomes. With greater investment in staffing, facilities and family engagement, we can move toward an A. Our teachers work hard with limited resources; its time for the community to match that dedication through sustainable support and long-term planning. Question #2: What is the biggest challenge the schools face? Our biggest challenge is maintaining stability amid uncertainty in funding and policy. Staffing shortages, aging facilities, and increased student needs demand consistent investment and collaboration. We must align vision, morale and resources to retain great teachers and provide every student with an environment that supports both learning and well-being. Question #3: The school budget is roughly two-thirds of the city budget and there are concerns about federal and state assistance dropping. How should the School Committee address any loss of funding? We need a transparent community dialogue about priorities and local investment. Chicopee should move above the states minimum funding level to ensure stability. Responsible planning, careful spending, and pursuit of aligned grants can soften funding shifts but sustained local commitment is essential to preserve quality teaching and learning. Question #4: With the MCAS no longer a condition of graduation, what should the diploma requirements be? Diplomas should reflect consistent learning and authentic achievement, not one test. Students should demonstrate literacy, numeracy, and civic readiness through coursework, projects, and educator-designed assessments. Graduation should represent both academic preparation and community contribution the full measure of what it means to be ready for life after high school. more news from Western Massachusetts Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. In our Meet Milwaukee's Animals series, we speak to an animal caretaker to share the stats and stories that make some of our favorite animals so fascinating. Filly the jaguar got in trouble in her native Belize, though she was so sly in her predations that she was never caught in the act. Now living more than 1,700 air miles from her homeland, Filly has settled in well at the Milwaukee County Zoo, where keepers hope she will bring valuable genetic diversity to a multi-zoo jaguar species survival plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a recent interview, Katie Kuhn, assistant curator of large mammals, and Sheri Robb-Guay, the zoo's big cats supervisor, answered questions and shared observations about Filly's acclimation to Milwaukee and what it's like to work with one of the most dangerous felines. How did Filly come to the Milwaukee County Zoo? A female jaguar estimated to be 6 or 7 years old, Filly arrived at the zoo Jan. 23, 2025, from the Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Center. She had been humanely trapped in 2019 through the Human Jaguar Conflict Program, which rescues jaguars believed to be preying on livestock. A farmer had reported significant loss of cattle to a large predator, Kuhn said. Camera traps were set up to catch Filly, but each time a camera was positioned, she apparently approached her targets from a different direction. After she was finally trapped, the livestock killings stopped, so the conclusion was drawn that she was the culprit. Filly the jaguar explores her habitat at the Milwaukee County Zoo. She came to the zoo from Belize. No one can say definitively why Filly was hunting cattle. Often such conflict jaguars are older, sick, injured or unable to compete with other jaguars for territory and food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was deemed a potential re-offender and not a candidate for release back into the wild. But the Milwaukee County Zoo was delighted to bring her here. The Milwaukee zoo has worked with conservation partners in Belize going back to the 1980s. Kuhn and Robb-Guay have both made working visits to Belize; Kuhn accompanied Filly on her flight from Belize to Miami, before the jaguar was then driven to Milwaukee. Zoo hopes Filly the jaguar will breed here Female Filly joins male jaguar Frankie at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Her human minders are keeping fingers and toes crossed that the two will eventually breed. Frankie is the son of Pat, a conflict jaguar from Belize who came to the zoo in 2007. Filly would be "bringing total new genetics into the population," Robb-Guay said. If she has offspring with Frankie, Filly would be considered a founder animal of a new line of jaguars here, Kuhn said. Jaguars are considered a "near threatened" species "due to a suspected 20-25% decline over the past three generations (21 years) in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, and habitat quality," according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Filly had a reproductive assessment in Belize before she came to Milwaukee, and Kuhn said her uterus looks healthy. With big cats, "the girls are the ones in charge" of mating, Kuhn said. She's the one who signals when its OK to approach. Though a male does have to be a little pushy to make the connection, Kuhn said. What is Filly's species designation? Her designation is Panthera onca. Jaguars are only living members of the Panthera genus native to the American continents. The farther south you go in the Americas, the larger jaguars tend to be, leading scientists to debate if they are more than one species. Filly, being a northern jaguar from Belize, is on the smaller side, Kuhn said. How much does Filly weigh? Her recent recorded weight was 36 kilograms, or about 79 pounds. What is Filly the jaguar training to do at the zoo? She has been trained to step on a scale for monthly weigh-ins. Her human keepers anticipated it might take months to train her how to do that, but she exceeded their expectations by getting right on the scale the first time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Filly also is trained to come to a spot where she can be x-rayed. For some animals, such as Kash the tiger, periodic X-rays are necessary to track degenerative conditions. In Filly's case, an X-ray will be needed if keepers suspect she has become pregnant. "We have to train them for the behaviors before we need them," Kuhn said. Next up will be the trainings need to take blood draws and measure blood pressure. What is the Filly's personality like? She watches, all the time, Kuhn said, imagining Filly's thought process: Oh, you use your keys to do the door. She strikes Kuhn as having an eye for possible opportunities to cause havoc and a little bit of chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I feel like they train us half the time," Kuhn said. If all big feline species were the same size, who would be the most ferocious? The jaguar, Robb-Guay said, without hesitation. They're smart and fast and quiet, she said. They wouldn't even need to be the same size, Kuhn said, echoing her colleague. How do Filly and her human caretakers get along? "We're coworkers," Kuhn said. "We have to work together every day, and so she works with us." "We reinforce the behaviors that we want to see from her," she said. Filly doesn't present her human keepers with negative behaviors, but if she did, they would not reinforce those, Kuhn explained. "We just reinforce what she's doing right when we're working together." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's not unlike the relationship between human coworkers, Kuhn said. She compared the situation to praising her colleague Sheri, or giving Sheri credit. Those compliments reinforce their positive working relationship. As good as their working connection with Filly is, her human caretakers never forget that she is a dangerous carnivore. For example, they use feed sticks, also known as tongs, to provide her food. "All of our work with her is protected contact," Kuhn said. "So that means we're never sharing space with her while she's awake." The only time they would share a space with her is for a medical procedure, and she would be anesthetized before the humans enter the space. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A troublemaker in Belize, jaguar Filly has found a home in Milwaukee Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica with record-tying 185 mph winds Tuesday, was a beast that stood out as extreme even in a record number of monster storms spawned over the last decade in a superheated Atlantic Ocean. Melissa somehow shook off at least three different meteorological conditions that normally weaken major hurricanes and was still gaining power as it hit, scientists said, a bit amazed. And while more storms these days are undergoing rapid intensification gaining 35 mph in wind speed over 24 hours Melissa did a lot more than that. It achieved what's called extreme rapid intensification gaining at least 58 mph over 24 hours. In fact, Melissa turbocharged by about 70 mph during a 24-hour period last week, and had an unusual second round of rapid intensification that spun it up to 175 mph, scientists said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's been a remarkable, just a beast of a storm," Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said. Melissa ties records When Melissa came ashore it tied strength records for Atlantic hurricanes making landfall, both in wind speed and barometric pressure, which is a key measurement that meteorologists use, said Klotzbach and University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. The pressure measurement tied the deadly 1935 Labor Day storm in Florida, while the 185 mph wind speed equaled marks set that year and during 2019's Hurricane Dorian. Hurricane Allen reached 190 mph winds in 1980, but not at landfall. Usually when major hurricanes brew they get so strong that the wind twirling in the center of the storm gets so intense and warm in places that the eyewall needs to grow, so a small one collapses and a bigger one forms. That's called an eyewall replacement cycle, McNoldy said, and it usually weakens the storm at least temporarily. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa showed some signs of being ready to do this, but it never did, McNoldy and Klotzbach said. Another weird thing is that Melissa sat offshore of mountainous Jamaica for awhile before coming inland. Usually mountains, even on islands, tear up storms, but not Melissa. It was next to a big mountainous island and it doesn't even notice it's there, McNoldy said in amazement. Warm water is the fuel for hurricanes. The hotter and deeper the water, the more a storm can power up. But when storms sit over one area for awhile which Melissa did for days on end it usually brings cold water up from the depths, choking off the fuel a bit. But that didn't happen to Melissa, said Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist for Climate Central, a combination of scientists and journalists who study climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's wild how almost easily this was allowed to just keep venting, Woods Placky said. This had enough warm water at such high levels and it just kept going. Warm water fuels growth Melissa rapidly intensified during five six-hour periods as it hit the extreme rapid intensification level, McNoldy said. And then it jumped another 35 mph and that's extraordinary, he said. For meteorologists following it just your stomach would sink as youd see these updates coming in, Woods Placky said. We were sitting at work on Monday morning with our team and you just saw the numbers just start jumping again, 175. And then again this morning (Tuesday), 185," Woods Placky said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's an explosion, she said. One key factor is warm water. McNoldy said some parts of the ocean under Melissa were 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the long-term average for this time of year. Climate Central, using scientifically accepted techniques of comparing what's happening now to a fictional world with no human-caused climate change, estimated the role of global warming in Melissa. It said the water was 500 to 700 times more likely to be warmer than normal because of climate change. A rapid Associated Press analysis of Category 5 hurricanes that brewed, not just hit, in the Atlantic over the past 125 years showed a large recent increase in those top-of-the-scale storms. There have been 13 Category 5 storms from 2016 to 2025, including three this year. Until last year, no other 10-year period even reached double digits. About 29% of the Category 5 hurricanes in the past 125 years have happened since 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McNoldy, Klotzbach and Woods Placky said hurricane records before the modern satellite era are not as reliable because some storms out at sea could have been missed. Measuring systems for strength have also improved and changed, which could be a factor. And there was a period between 2008 and 2015 with no Atlantic Category 5 storms, Klotzbach said. Still, climate science generally predicts that a warmer world will have more strong storms, even if there aren't necessarily more storms overall, the scientists said. Were seeing a direct connection in attribution science with the temperature in the water and a climate change connection, Woods Placky said. And when we see these storms go over this extremely warm water, it is more fuel for these storms to intensify rapidly and push to new levels." ___ Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Science Writer Seth Borenstein has covered hurricanes for more than 35 years and has co-authored two books on them. Data journalist M.K. Wildeman contributed from Hartford, Connecticut. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) A memorial service and procession for Washington County-Johnson City AEMT and Rescue Technician Fred Kemp have been scheduled for Saturday, and the community is encouraged to participate. Kemp died in the line of duty during a training exercise on Wednesday afternoon. According to a release from Washington County/Johnson City EMS, a public safety procession will take place Saturday morning before the service, beginning at approximately 11 a.m. Kemp will be escorted from Dillow-Taylor Funeral Home, 418 W. College Street in Jonesborough, to his final resting place at Mt. Zion Cemetery, the release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fred gave his all | Details shared in EMTs training death as team mourns Traffic impacts are expected throughout the area on Saturday, the release states. Drivers and residents should plan ahead, allow extra travel time, and follow directions from officials. Modified routes and temporary closures may limit or restrict access for residents near Mt. Zion Baptist Church and along the procession route. The EMS said members of the public are encouraged to stand safely along the processions route to show support and honor Kemps life and career. Those attending are urged to stay clear of active roadways and follow instructions from officials. Procession route provided by Washington Co.-JC EMS Public safety agencies planning to participate in the procession are asked to register in advance at this link. Additional details will be shared with registered agencies by email and text, the EMS said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the release, friends can visit Dillow-Taylor on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to pay their respects and sign the register. Funeral services for Kemp will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and seating inside the church will be limited to family, friends and first responders, the release said. Washington County/Johnson City EMS continues to thank the community for its support as the agency, family, and friends honor the life and service of this hero, the release states. More information and updates on the memorial services planned for Saturday can be found at wcjcema.org/kemp. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A child who was reported missing for two weeks was found on Monday by the Memphis Safe Task Force, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. The agency says the child was reported missing on October 12 and recovered by the task force in Shelby County on October 27 after developing information through various leads. Since October 1, when the task force was created, the USMS says 143 juveniles have been reported missing in Shelby County. However, the child found on Monday was the 84th safely recovered juvenile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TBI director says task force recovered 45 missing children They also say several of these children have been found out of state. The Memphis Safe Task Force is committed to using every resource available to locate and recover missing and endangered children, said U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller, Western District of Tennessee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. An officer with the Richardson Police Department has died, leaving a legacy as a mentor and friend to all. Richardson Police Lt. Thomas Koch died of cancer October 24, according to a press release from the department. He served the community for 16 years and left behind a wife and four children. Public Information Officer Mike Wieczorek told The Dallas Express that Koch joined the department in April 2009. He won Rookie Of The Year in 2010 and Sworn Supervisor Of The Year in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Koch served in the patrol division with the Crisis Intervention Team, and in the Hostage Negotiator Unit first as an officer, then as a supervisor. Those specialized units are an example of his dedication to help people that were experiencing a mental health crisis and his skill at de-escalating emergency situations, Wieczorek told DX. Richardson police officials called his death a tremendous loss for the department and community, and asked residents to keep his family in their thoughts and prayers. They said Koch served the department with honor, dedication, and compassion. He was not only a respected leader but also a mentor and friend to all who had the privilege of working beside him, the department posted. Koch is survived by his loving wife and four children, who were his greatest source of pride and joy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials with the Lewisville Police Department offered condolences to Kochs family and the Richardson police. Koch served with honor and courage throughout his 16-year career, the department posted. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and colleagues during this difficult time. Meta's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, seen in 2023. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Facebooks parent company is asking Washingtons high court to overturn what the states attorney general has called the largest campaign finance penalty in the nations history. Meta argues the Washington campaign finance law used to justify the $35 million fine violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The company also argues that the punishment, for not providing required records for digital campaign advertisements hosted on its platform, is excessive and misguided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state attorney generals office, which sued Meta in 2020, says provisions of the law are necessary to inform voters about who is spending money to influence Washington elections. Gov. Bob Ferguson was leading the attorney generals office when the case was filed. This purpose is even more urgent today, given the targeted and ephemeral nature of digital media, yet Meta has repeatedly and intentionally violated our law, said deputy solicitor general Cristina Sepe, as the state and Meta argued their cases before state Supreme Court justices Tuesday. Meta was represented in court by Rob McKenna, the former two-term Republican state attorney general and 2012 gubernatorial candidate. It could be months before the court issues a ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washingtons Fair Campaign Practices Act, first enacted in 1973, now requires advertisers like Meta to maintain records related to campaign ads they run, including the cost of the ad, its sponsor, the targeted audience and other information. The advertisers must make this information available for inspection upon request. In 2020, Ferguson sued Meta, known at the time as Facebook, alleging the social media conglomerate intentionally violated the states campaign finance law hundreds of times by not disclosing some of this information. Meta has an Ad Library that includes some but not all of the records required under Washingtons statute, judges have found. A King County Superior Court judge sided with the attorney general, ordering Meta to pay $35 million for its violations. Two-thirds of that penalty would go to a state account dedicated to transparency and the other third to the state for attorney fees. Finding nothing stopped Meta from complying with the law, a panel of state appeals judges upheld the lower courts ruling last December, leading the company to appeal to the state Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states legal saga with Meta over not including some of these records dates back to 2018, when Washington first sued the company over the issue. Meta agreed to pay about $200,000 in damages at the time. Later that year, Meta announced it would no longer accept campaign advertisements in Washington. However, the ads still appeared. Google has also voluntarily announced a moratorium on selling ads for state and local elections in Washington, following similar legal action from the state. Yahoo also doesnt permit political ads in Washington, either. Meta says this indicates Washingtons law runs afoul of the First Amendment, arguing it has basically banned some political speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2019, a federal appeals court struck down a similar law in Maryland as a content-based regulation on speech, in a lawsuit brought by news outlets. The state attorney general argues the Maryland case doesnt apply here because it focused on burdens on the media. The company believes the burden of disclosure should lie with the sponsors of these advertisements themselves. The Facebook parent also argues the companies prohibitions on selling campaign advertisements especially disenfranchise political outsiders who can buy digital ads for cheap but still reach a lot of voters. Still, digital campaign advertising has more than doubled over the past few years, from $7 million in 2020 to $15 million in 2024, according to a legal filing from the League of Women Voters of Washington and other civic advocacy groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meta argues the courts have wrongfully fined the company $35 million, as the penalty is based on the number of advertisements in question, not the number of requests it received to inspect the ad records 12 from three requesters. The state said in court filings that Meta can afford it, noting the $25 million it agreed to pay President Donald Trump earlier this year for suspending his Facebook and Instagram accounts. Meanwhile, the company says it may make as little as $1 per ad, while facing steep compliance costs or fines. It just isnt worth it for these neutral platforms to accept the ads, McKenna said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud said the punishment raises significant Eighth Amendment issues about the disproportionality between the penalty and the transgression. Sepe said this way of calculating the punishment promotes transparency. In Washington, the next-closest campaign finance penalty came in 2022 when the Grocery Manufacturers Association agreed to pay $9 million after intentionally contributing millions of dollars to oppose an initiative campaign without disclosing the source of the cash. That settlement came after the state Supreme Court upheld an earlier $18 million fine a lower court had imposed. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a private meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Justice Department earlier this year seeking advice on how to talk to President Donald Trump, a new book claims. The Facebook founder pressed Bondi for guidance on how to effectively speak to Trump about his companys concerns during their sitdown on March 12, ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl writes in the forthcoming Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America. Zuckerberg was preparing for his own meeting with the president at the White House later that same day, which came almost exactly a month before a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case against Meta went to trial on April 14. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks to President Donald Trump during a dinner at the White House (AP) U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has yet to issue a ruling in the case, despite the trial drawing to a close in May. It could yet have major consequences for Zuckerbergs company, which could ultimately be forced to spin off key assets like Instagram and WhatsApp to settle monopoly concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CEO previously met Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago shortly after his election win last November and reportedly returned again to Palm Beach in January. He was also one of a number of Silicon Valley titans in attendance at Trumps second inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in January, alongside the likes of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk. Zuckerberg subsequently committed an embarrassing blunder when he wandered into Trumps Oval Office in July during a highly-classified meeting with Air Force leaders about the new F-47 stealth fighter jet and had to be asked, politely, to leave because he did not have the required security clearance. Attorney General Pam Bondi was consulted by Zuckerberg on how best to approach the president, according to a new book (AP) His company has since pledged to invest at least $600 billion in the U.S. over the next three years, largely in data centers to help support the needs of the artificial intelligence sector, which Trump has made clear he views as an emerging industry in which America can be a world leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meta is also among the list of private donors who have made a contribution to the presidents $350 million White House ballroom, which he has decimated the East Wing to accommodate. Other tech firms that have made a sizeable donation in support of Trumps project include Amazon, Apple, Google, HP, Microsoft and, from the cryptocurrency sector, Coinbase, Ripple, and the Winklevoss Twins. Zuckerberg has even bought a $23 million home near the White House in Washington, D.C., with a view to staying close to Trump. Facebook has recently attracted criticism for bowing to Justice Department pressure to remove an anti-ICE group that allowed users to warn others about the location of immigration agents in Chicago, despite Zuckerberg pledging that the platform would not compromise its content standards under pressure from any administration in either direction. NEED TO KNOW As Hurricane Melissa raced for southern Jamaica, meteorologist John Morales reacted to a new advisory from the National Hurricane Center "Oh my Jesus Christ," he said in response to the drop in the barometric pressure Last year, he went viral for his emotional response while reporting on Hurricane Milton As Hurricane Melissa barreled towards Jamaica, a Florida hurricane specialists visceral reaction underscored the severity of the storm. John Morales, a meteorologist with NBC affiliate WTVJ, couldnt contain himself when he learned the latest barometric pressure of the eye of the approaching hurricane an indicator of how strong a storm will be as seen in a clip shared on TikTok. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During an on-air segment on Tuesday, Oct. 28 before the storm made landfall his fellow meteorologist Adam Berg told Morales that a new advisory had been released by the National Hurricane Center. "180 [mph] now," Berg said, referencing the storms maximum sustained winds. "Okay, 180, and what's the pressure?" Morales said, as Berg responded, "Pressure is now down to 896 [mb]." Rubbing his forehead, Morales said, "Oh my Jesus Christ," before adding, "Okay, Im going to hold it together here. He explained that 896 millibars is stronger than Hurricane Miltons barometric pressure when it made landfall in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milton ended up being responsible for 15 direct deaths as well as 27 indirect deaths, according to Florida station WINK-TV. As Melissa has developed, the storm has continued to get stronger, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and the minimum central pressure falling to 892 mb. The winds are five miles short of the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record, according to The New York Times. So far, the hurricane has claimed the lives of at least seven people across the northern Caribbean. As of Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory as the Category 5 storm approached southern Jamaica, warning of catastrophic winds and the last chance to protect your life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION! TAKE COVER NOW! the agency warned. Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious injury, and loss of life. AP Photo/Matias Delacroix Hurricane Melissa as it hits Jamaica on Oct. 28. Hurricane Melissa as it hits Jamaica on Oct. 28. Morales previously went viral for his emotional reaction while providing updates on Milton during an NBC affiliate WTVJ telecast on Oct. 7, 2024. I apologize this is just horrific, he said as tears appeared to well up in his eyes. When Milton landed in October 2024, it was a category 3 storm, resulting in a tornado outbreak in east-central Florida that damaged buildings and power lines. To the north, residents received 10 to 15 inches or more of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Following the attention Morales received for his Milton reporting, he opened up about why it was such an upsetting moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I can tell you that it's angst over the multiplication of extreme weather events and their severity, he told PEOPLE that October. It's empathy for future victims because these hurricanes really wreck lives and take lives. Read the original article on People Tunisia and Nigeria have begun laying the groundwork for a new framework of bilateral cultural cooperation following a preparatory meeting held on Monday, October 27, at Tunisias Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The session forms part of Tunisias wider strategy to bolster South-South partnerships by promoting artistic collaboration and cultural exchange, particularly in the preservation and celebration of intangible heritage. The meeting brought together Belinda Ilfo Lawrence, Chargee dAffaires at the Nigerian Embassy in Tunisia, and Buba Youssef Yakubu, President of the Nigerian Agency for Technical Cooperation, alongside senior Tunisian officials. Discussions covered potential exchanges in audiovisual production, as well as joint efforts in the restoration and promotion of tangible heritage. The Nigerian delegation presented a draft programme of artistic and cultural cooperation, which will be jointly reviewed by both nations international cooperation departments in the coming weeks. A 34-year-old Forsyth County man was 10,000 miles away in Bali when he went into a coma, and weeks later, hes back home. Mark Moczarski was on his dream vacation in the Indonesian province last month when he crashed the moped he was driving, hitting his head and chest on a curb. He was put into a medically induced coma after a brain surgery. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] His family says Moczarski and his father were able to get a medical flight back to Atlanta on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mark is now in the best hands, surrounded by love, and receiving the healing and care he needs. Mark is doing very well given his injuries, they wrote in an online fundraiser. Channel 2s Bryan Mims spoke with Moczarkis family members after the accident. TRENDING STORIES: They say Moczarski left in June for a four-month trip. But they got a call in the middle of the night that he had an accident and blood had collected on his brain and in his lungs, and he suffered eight broken ribs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His sister-in-law told Mims that doctors delayed life-saving surgery by 12 hours because the hospital needed consent and payment first. A GoFundMe called Bring Mark Home has raised more than $72,000 to help afford the cost of a medical flight back to the U.S. You did not just help save Marks life; you helped save our family, his family wrote. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] MetroLINKs new CEOs background includes resignation after investigation New Metrolink CEO Benjamin Limmer resigned with a $40,000 settlement from a position in Florida after a 3-month investigation triggered by a whistleblower report in 2020. He went on to hold management positions in North Carolina and Connecticut over the past few years until being named MetroLINKs CEO on Oct. 14. Hes been on the job in the Quad Cities since Oct. 20. Our Quad Cities News started to look into Limmers background after getting a tip. He was allowed to resign from his position as chief executive with the Hillsborough Transit Agency Board in Tampa Bay in February 2020. His resignation and the $40,000 settlement came after an 11-1 vote to fire him with cause. A three-month investigation by an independent law firm found violations of policy related to inappropriately dealing with vendors during contract bidding, misuse of an agency credit card, and violations of agency travel policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Limmer apologized to the Hillsborough Transit Agency Board in a public meeting shortly before the vote to terminate him. Watch in the video below: The issues in Tampa, that chapter has been written, Limmer said. There were a variety of perspectives on exactly what happened. I certainly have one perspective; there were others that have other views of it. Again, the chapter has been written, and everything was extremely transparent in what happened. Since then, Ive just been focused on the future. Since then, Ive led two other agencies, and I couldnt be more excited to join the team here. The MetroLink Board of Trustees hired New York-based search firm Harris Rand Lusk to conduct the search for a new CEO. Board of Trustees Chair David Krouth says the vote to hire Limmer was unanimous and board members were aware of Limmers history in Florida. It was brought to the forefront when we first started our search, which started in March of this year, said Krouth. When we started our search for a new CEO, the company that we hired, they brought us six viable candidates and that was brought up day one. It was investigated, looked into, the board looked into it. We discussed it, Ben discussed it with us, and we have no concerns with it going forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Krouth said Limmer seemed to tick all the check boxes during the search: His background, his demeanorwe interviewed three of them two times. One time was in person (and) the board was completely involved in it. Some candidates had qualities here, some candidates had qualities there. Ben seemed to meet all the qualities and requirements we were looking for in a candidate. We have complete faith in Ben. Further research revealed that in late 2020, a group called RATP Dev hired Limmer as general manager for the Bus Operations Division for CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) in Charlotte, North Carolina. An investigation by WBTV revealed that Limmer was hired without serious vetting from CATS. CEO John Lewis told WBTV that he was not aware of any previous allegations against Limmer. Limmer did not work for the city of Charlotte. RATP Dev is a private contractor that provides services to the city. The Charlotte job was just one of several that Limmer says he did for RATP Dev. They recruited me to do a variety of activities. That started out as business development, client relations across the U.S. and then they asked me to head up bus operations at the largest client, which was the City of Charlotte, so I accepted that role and then after that I held a couple of other roles. He notes the operations remained steady during the COVID-19 pandemic: We were able to maintain service levels throughout the pandemic without laying one person off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Limmer says hes now focused on his new position. Im learning something every day. You take everything you do day in and day out, you learn from it, grow from it. What Im really committed to is to be a great public servant and to really serve this community and serve MetroLINK at the pleasure of the MetroLINK board. Throughout my career, whenever you are recruited for new opportunities, the agencies recruiting you do their own background checks, due diligence, he said. I have full confidence Im looking for the future and couldnt be more excited to serve this community. Im beyond excited to be a member of the Quad Cities and looking forward to engaging in all that the region has to offer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Oct. 27New Mexico food banks are preparing to meet increased demand as 21% of New Mexicans face the possibility of losing food assistance in November. "For every meal provided by a food bank, the (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) provides nine," said Jill Dixon, executive director of The Food Depot, which serves nine counties in northern New Mexico. "So the scale of this crisis is at a whole new level." The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides an average of $310 per month to help New Mexicans buy groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not deliver November benefits because of the government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats in Congress have called for the USDA to use its roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP benefits at least partially funded in November, but a memo from the agency said contingency funds are not "legally available to cover regular benefits." The memo contradicts a now-deleted USDA shutdown contingency plan. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general suing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for the plan to suspend SNAP instead of using the contingency funds. On Saturday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said "the federal government's refusal to pay for SNAP benefits in November is unconscionable." "The best way to solve this crisis is for Congress to end this shutdown and do its job," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "Until then, New Mexico will do everything in our power to keep our families fed, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lujan Grisham's administration is expediting $8 million that was allocated for food banks, she said. SNAP benefits in New Mexico cost $80 million to $90 million a month. The state is still weighing its options and coordinating with partners to determine what steps to take if November SNAP benefits are delayed, according to Health Care Authority spokeswoman Marina Pina. The Health Care Authority has notified The Food Depot that there are 31,000 households that receive SNAP benefits in the area it serves, Dixon said, so the nonprofit is scaling up its operations as much as possible. "We've purchased an additional multiple truckloads of food, brought them into our warehouse. We're trying to give additional resources to our food pantry agencies and make sure that they're ready to handle additional volume. And our team is actively working on adding distributions and making sure that we have the resources to scale up our existing distributions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November is a time of year when more people turn to food banks for many reasons, Dixon said, including that children are out of school for holidays so they get fewer school-provided meals. The food bank's agency partners have seen as much as a 20% increase in people using their services in recent weeks, Dixon said. The federal shutdown, which has delayed paychecks for many, and compounding economic pressure are likely the reasons, she said. Dixon has been in food banking for 13 years, and this is the first time in her experience that SNAP benefits would be interrupted at a 100% level. The state has been very supportive of food banks, she said, and The Food Depot is using state funding that was allocated during the regular Legislative session earlier this year to help accelerate purchasing. Additional funds allocated during the special session earlier this month will likely be available in the near future, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're thrilled that that is at our disposal right now. But it is worth noting that was funding that was intended for other core operations, and this is sort of superseding those," Dixon said. Roadrunner Food Bank, which distributes food to partnering nonprofits across much of the state, is also increasing the amount of food it's purchasing, said Katy Anderson, vice president of strategy, partnership and advocacy, although it cannot replace the food aid provided by SNAP. Normally, the food bank moves 600,000 to 750,000 pounds of food a week, but Anderson expects that number to increase, which will also necessitate more volunteers. The delay in SNAP benefits could also affect grocery stores where those benefits are redeemed, particularly smaller stores in rural communities, Anderson said. The stalemate on government funding began on the first day of October, but has yet to beat the record for longest shutdown, which was the 35-day shutdown in 2019. The Republican-led House passed a temporary funding measure that would keep the government funded at the same levels until Nov. 21, but that has stalled in the Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have demanded negotiation on the funding bill, and introduced their own temporary funding measure that would reverse Medicaid cuts and extend federal health insurance subsidies. "Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people," 214 House Democrats, including New Mexico's three House representatives, wrote in a letter to the Agriculture secretary on Friday. "We can't negotiate through cruelty, and that's the entire point of why we're in the shutdown in the first place," said Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M. "The administration has shown a clear disdain and disregard for federal employees right here in New Mexico, by firing them, by furloughing them, by threatening to withhold their pay. Now they're threatening to withhold food assistance, and they have the money." He wants Republicans to return to the negotiating table and consider extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When people get sick in the wealthiest country in the world, we should be able to provide them with the health care services that they deserve. And that's what this fight is about," Vasquez said. New Mexico Republican Party Chair Amy Barela said the Senate needs to pass the Republican funding bill and that Democrats need to stop "fear mongering our citizens that they're going to lose their benefits." She does not think the health insurance subsidies, on which Democrats have based much of their holdout, should be extended. "I think we need to redesign our health care system for the United States, especially here in New Mexico," Barela said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was also critical of House Majority Leader Mike Johnson's, R-La., decision to keep the House out of session since the shutdown began. "Not one of them need one day off until this is resolved, and they do not need to get paid while they are there," Barela said. Oct. 27The CEO of the New Mexico Hospitality Association, a nonprofit representing the state's restaurant, hotel and tourism industry, will retire next month. Kathy Komoll, the organization's CEO since 2018, announced Monday that she will step down at the end of November, following NMHA's annual awards ceremony. Before joining NMHA, Komoll spent a decade as the executive director for the New Mexico Association of Food Banks and served as a vice president and corporate spokesperson for Furr's Supermarkets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As she looks back on her tenure at NMHA, Komoll said she's most proud of the alliances she helped form with other associations across the state and the country, including the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. Komoll helmed the organization through the pandemic, and said it's gratifying to see NMHA and the hospitality industry make a recovery after a difficult few years. "It was hard on our organization because of the impact on meetings and networking events and things like that," she said. "And then, of course, all of our members had their own really significant struggles to deal with." Komoll replaced former NMHA CEO Jen Paul Schroer who went on to become a cabinet secretary in the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham nearly seven-and-a-half years ago. A successor for Komoll has not yet been announced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We thank Kathy for her service and contributions to the organization during her tenure," NMHA President Ray Roa said in a statement. "The board is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and has put in place to guide the organization during this important period." Combined, hospitality and tourism is one of New Mexico's largest private industries, employing more than 90,000 people statewide and generating over $8.8 billion in spending each year, including $2.8 billion in lodging, according to the New Mexico Tourism Department. State data shows New Mexico's travel and tourism industry has made a resurgence after a pandemic slump. "It bodes really well for New Mexico's future, as far as sort of a destination hot spot," Komoll said. "So I think there's nothing but blue sky for hospitality and tourism across the state." Recent proposals by New Mexico lawmakers to change the states liquor tax policy for the first time in three decades have failed in the past three sessions, but several legislators intend in next years session to push for additional taxes and redirect tax revenue to treatment programs. (Source NM file photo) As New Mexico maintains the highest rate of deaths from alcohol misuse, lawmakers are again considering changes to state liquor tax policy to redirect revenue to treatment options. Prior bills attempting to do so have failed in the last three legislative sessions, and lawmakers this week continued to express skepticism that changes to tax policy could impact the problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a presentation Monday before the interim Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee meeting in Santa Fe, state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and Rep. Cristina Parajon, both Albuquerque Democrats, noted that for nearly 30 years, New Mexico has had the highest rate of deaths from alcohol use in the United States. During that time, the states liquor taxes have remained mostly stagnant. Currently, the state collects about $50 million annually from taxes from alcohol distributors. Of that, half goes to the general fund to be spent as state revenue. Of the remaining tax revenue, 45% benefits a local DWI grant fund, while another 5% helps fund the states drug courts. A final 0.05% or about $20,000 per year goes to Farmington for alcohol treatment and rehabilitation services for street inebriates, according to state law. In last years legislative session, Sedillo Lopez and Parajon co-sponsored House Bill 417, which would have established higher taxes for distributors along with a new sales tax, but the bill did not advance to a floor vote. Instead, a small per-glass tax on alcohol, which critics called an industry-friendly bill, passed. Sedillo Lopez said seeing the patterns of alcohol misuse in her family replicated in New Mexico over and over again persuaded her to push for a policy fix. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do not believe that we are going to move the needle in this state until we get a handle on the misuse of alcohol in this state, and thats why I got on board, Sedillo Lopez told the committee. It also didnt seem fair to me that the alcohol tax, which is extremely regressive, hasnt been changed in 33 years. Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena (D-Mesilla), said she remains quite dubious about where the research lands on the ways our tax policy single-handedly can change behavior, but said sending tax revenues to impacted communities rather than the states coffers was a better policy move. There seems to be that one point of agreement, that if were collecting tax on alcohol, we dont need it in the general fund, Lara Cadena said. Parajon said that taxation is only a first step, and the Legislature needs to also invest in treatment, behavioral health and housing. This is part of the solution, this is not the whole solution, she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Filmmaker Michael Moore had some strong words on Substack for the media outlets and politicians leveling racist and disgusting attacks against New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The people of New York City my home away from home are on the verge of doing something historic, Moore wrote Tuesday. On November 4th, 2025 one week from today we will elect Zohran Kwame Mamdani as Mayor of the largest city in America. News: Mamdani Torches Cuomo As Trumps Puppet At NYC Mayoral Debate It will be nothing short of miraculous, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moore began by praising Mamdani for placing affordable housing, public transportation and city-owned groceries at the core of his progressive campaign, arguing these are safety nets that any sane, humane, and civilized city (and country) should have. He also lauded Mamdani for what he sarcastically called the shocking position that Palestinians are human beings who dont deserve to be exterminated. For these reasons, the political power structure in New York and around the country has been trying to stop him, wrote Moore. They rallied around disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, yet Mamdani crushed him by double digits. And with the election a week away, they are desperately throwing everything they have to not just shut down Mamdani, but the movements upon which the Mamdani campaign is built, he continued. The good news is its not working! Hes ahead in the polls. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (right) recently appeared to agree with a radio host that his mayoral opponent Zohran Mamdani (left) is a terrorist sympathizer. Left: Evan Agostini/Invision/Associated Press; Right: Yuki Iwamura/Associated Press The bad news is this: in the final weeks, a new threat has emerged, Moore continued. The desperate Cuomo campaign and the desperate media think they have an ace up their sleeve to derail Mamdani: The fact that hes a MUSLIM!!! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From open violent threats directed at Zohran and his family, to hateful and bigoted TV ads, to racist and disgusting attacks from the media and his opponents, the level of hate is sickening, the filmmaker added. Politics: Trump's Ex-Press Secretary Reveals What She'd Do To Beat Trump During a radio interview with Sid Rosenberg last week, Cuomo laughed when the conservative radio host said Mamdani would be cheering on another 9/11-style attack if one occurred. Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, meanwhile, baselessly claimed that Mamdani supports a global jihad. Moore urged his readers to watch a speech Mamdani gave at the Islamic Cultural Center in the Bronx last week in which he decried those who are attacking him for his faith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And to the nearly one million Muslims in New York City who are currently being barraged with Islamophobic TV ads and mailers I have your back. We all have your back! And to the bigots and Islamophobes and haters and warmongers ENOUGH! ITS OVER! Moore concluded. Early voting in the New York City mayoral election has already begun. Related... Read the original on HuffPost LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) A Michigan-based candy company is recalling full-size candy bars due to an undeclared allergy. Zingermans Candy Manufactory of Ann Arbor has recalled its Zingermans Peanut Butter Crush because it may contain undecleared cashews, and Zingermans Ca$hew Cow because it may contain undecleared peanuts. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports these products were distributed in Michigan and New York. Potential or Undeclared Allergen, Zingermans Candy Manufactory. (FDA) Customers who have purchased Zingermans Candy Manufactory Peanut Butter Crush or Cashew Cow Bars from Lot# 174250 should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions should contact Zingermans Candy Manufactory at 877-632-9264, according to the FDA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. Rep. Joe Fox, a Republican from Fremont, testifies before the House Election Integrity Committee on Oct. 28, 2025. Fox sponsored a resolution calling on the state to release its complete voter roll, including sensitive identifying information, to the Trump administration. (Screen grab of MI House Election Integrity Committee) This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Sign up for Votebeat Michigans free newsletter here. Nearly two dozen Michigan House Republicans have signed on to a resolution calling for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to share the states complete voter rolls with the Trump administration, without redactions of potentially sensitive identifying information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michigan is one of several states being sued by the U.S. Justice Department over their refusal to share unredacted voter rolls in response to requests from the agency. Benson shared some of Michigans voter roll the parts accessible to any member of the public but withheld personal identifying information, such as Social Security numbers. The GOP-backed resolution, which was debated at a hearing Tuesday in the House Election Integrity Committee, calls for the secretary of state to share an unredacted copy of Michigans computerized statewide voter registration list, also known as the qualified voter file, with federal officials. It is inconceivable, in fact unconscionable, that the chief election officer in Michigan refuses to comply with our nations top law enforcement official, Rep. Joe Fox, a Republican from Fremont and the sponsor of the resolution, said at the hearing. Who does she think she is? When questioned by Rep. Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids, Fox appeared unaware that the state had already submitted a redacted voter roll to the Justice Department, saying he was maybe one of the most confused. After Wooden provided the date that the file was submitted, Fox said hed look into it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee approved the resolution 6-3 along party lines. Rep. Rachelle Smit, a Republican from Martin and chair of the committee, said she appreciated the resolution, as Benson has been obstructing the work of this committee, the work of this legislature. Smit and the House GOP have been in a fight with Bensons agency for months over access to election manuals and whether the Department of State is providing information as required by law to the Legislature. In total, 23 Michigan House Republicans signed on to the resolution. The resolution was first introduced on Oct. 23. Early the next day, the Michigan Department of State put out a video and a news release arguing that both state and federal law forbids Benson from sharing personal information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why do they want access to your personal information? Benson asks in the video. Well, Ive asked them that. Other secretaries of state, both Democrats and Republicans, have asked them that. They wont tell us. Nobody not the president, the DOJ or any other federal agency has the right to your sensitive, private voter information. Benson, who is in her final term as secretary of state, is running for governor. Both polling and fundraising indicate shes the likely frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. The Privacy Act of 1974 requires the federal government to provide adequate notice for the collection of public information as well as an explanation for how that information will be used. Other state and federal laws may also prevent the release of such information. The House resolution acknowledges that concern and says the Justice Department has indicated the data will be kept secure. It also points to several other federal laws the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Help America Vote Act and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 cited by the Justice Department as reasons that Michigan could be obligated to share the data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other states have also refused the Trump administrations requests for complete, unredacted voter rolls, and have been sued by the Justice Department. Al Schmidt, Pennsylvanias secretary of the commonwealth, called the request a concerning attempt to expand the federal governments role in our countrys electoral process. In Maine, the states secretary of state told the administration to go jump in the Gulf of Maine, an allusion to a similar rebuff years earlier by Mississippis then-secretary of state. The federal lawsuit against Michigan is ongoing, according to court records, with next steps expected in mid-November. Hayley Harding is a reporter for Votebeat based in Michigan. Contact Hayley at hharding@votebeat.org. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization covering local election integrity and voting access. Sign up for their newsletters here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: University of Newcastle New research from the University of Newcastle has revealed that PFAS levels matching those found in the Williamtown contamination zone could significantly alter male reproductive health in animalseven without visibly damaging sperm. Led by the University's Professor Brett Nixon and Dr. Jacinta Martin, of HMRI's Infertility and Reproduction Program, the pre-clinical study exposed subjects to PFAS-contaminated water at concentrations reflecting real-world environmental exposure in areas of Williamtown in NSW. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment and accumulate in living organisms. Mounting evidence suggests they may pose risks to human health, including impacts on male fertility. The latest findings in animals raise concerns about the potential long-term and generational effects of PFAS exposure. Published today in Communications Biology, the findings are based on pre-clinical studies on mice and reveal: Developing sperm count droppedday-to-day sperm production decreased during the PFAS exposure period. Male hormone levels felltestosterone and DHT (dihydrotestosterone; a potent androgen hormone derived from testosterone), which are vital for sperm production, were reduced. Sperm carried hidden changesmolecules that help regulate gene expression were altered. Embryo development was disruptedearly embryos showed abnormal gene expression. Sperm still functioned normallythey could move, survive, and fertilize eggs in lab conditions, despite the molecular changes. The study highlights a potential new mechanism of harm: PFAS may not damage sperm directly, but instead alter the molecular signals sperm carrysignals that are crucial for healthy embryo development. "This is the first time we've shown that PFAS exposure at environmentally relevant levelsequivalent to those detected in Williamtowncan change the molecular makeup of sperm with potential implications for disrupting embryo development," Professor Nixon said. "What's striking is that the sperm still looked and functioned normally in lab conditions. But beneath the surface, they were carrying molecular changes that could affect the next generation. "We also found lower levels of testosterone and DHT in male mice exposed to PFAS, and daily sperm production decreased too." The study, which contributes to a Ph.D. project by student Leah Gillespie, examined the consequences of PFAS exposure on male fertility and subsequent embryo health. "We discovered there were some changes to gene expression which could impact the health of the embryo," Dr. Martin said. "One of the predicted changes we noticed was related to body sizeand the potential for offspring fathered by PFAS exposed animals to be born, or grow, significantly larger than normal." These findings echo human studies showing lower sperm counts in men with high PFAS exposure and suggest that paternal PFAS exposure alone could have consequences for children, even if the children themselves are not directly exposed. "Our study was based on a real-world environmental exposure. We emulated the levels and types of PFAS found in samples from a ground water monitoring wellnot a drinking water sourcelocated in the Williamtown contamination zone," Dr. Martin said. "The subjects in our study were exposed to PFAS via contaminated water consumed over a 12-week period." This research emphasizes the urgent need to understand how PFAS exposure affects reproductive health and future generations. "It's especially relevant for communities like Williamtown, where PFAS contamination has been a long-standing concern," said Dr. Martin. More information: Leah Gillespie et al, Exposure of mice to environmentally relevant per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) alters the sperm epigenome, Communications Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08865-4 Journal information: Communications Biology House Speaker Mike Johnson is apparently tired, despite doing little this month during the government shutdown. Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday that people have been telling him, You look so tired on TV. I am so tired, because were not sleeping a lot. Were working overtime, Johnson said, adding that House committees are still conferencing to put together legislation to be ready to go as soon as the House is back in session. Johnson: People keep coming to me, "You look so tired on TV" -- I am so tired, because we are not sleeping a lotwere working overtime. pic.twitter.com/pKJOw0rk1p Acyn (@Acyn) October 28, 2025 But the House hasnt been in session since September 19, thanks to Johnson, well before the government shutdown began on October 1. Not only is no legislation being debated or passed, but Johnson has refused to swear in Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election in Arizona last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson has dodged questions about Grijalva, claiming that hes following a made-up Pelosi precedent and saying she wont be sworn in until after the shutdown ends. Grijalva would be a deciding vote on whether to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, which could be the real reason for the delay. Meanwhile, Johnson didnt claim that he or House Republicans were hard at work negotiating with Democrats, which should be the preeminent concern, with SNAP benefits on the verge of ending thanks to the shutdown. If the speaker and his party are actually working hard, it doesnt seem to be on reopening the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on President Donald Trumps flirtation with a third term, saying he doesnt see a path for another run for the White House. When asked on Tuesday about Trump floating the possibility of a third term, which is barred by the Constitution, Johnson replied, Well, theres the 22nd Amendment. Its been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and Ive talked about the constraints of the Constitution, Johnson told reporters, according to Politico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 79-year-old president has long been flirting with the idea of a third term, most recently telling reporters Monday on Air Force One that he would love to do it. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he doesnt see a path for President Donald Trump to run for a third term as president, despite Trumps continual flirtation with the idea. (Reuters) The comments come as Trump was asked about an interview his ally Steve Bannon gave to The Economist, in which he said Trump would get a third term and be president in 28, which is when the next presidential election is set to be held. Despite the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits anyone from serving more than two terms as president, Bannon claimed, At the appropriate time, well lay out what the plan is. When asked if that was something Trump would be willing to challenge at court to be able to do, Trump replied, I havent really thought about it. We have some very good people, as you know, but I have the best poll numbers Ive ever had. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pressed as to who he was referring to by good people, Trump pointed to Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The president then said, Im not sure if anybody would run again. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable, I do. I really believe that. I would love to do it. I have my best numbers ever. A reporter then asked if Trump could circumvent the 22nd Amendment by running as the vice president, which Trump said he could but wouldnt want to: I would rule that out because its too cute. I think the people wouldnt like that. Its too cute. It wouldnt be right. However, running with that plan, Trump would run into issues with the 12th Amendment, which states: No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of the President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. Trump boosted the idea by claiming he solved eight wars, an uptick from last month when he took credit for solving seven after he oversaw a peace treaty between Cambodia and Thailand over the weekend. Trump spoke to reporters about the possibility of a third term while on Air Force One Monday, saying he would love to do it. (Getty) I mean, I just solved eight wars and a ninth is coming. I believe Russia-Ukraine will happen, the president said Monday. I mean its millions of people we saved. I saved the lives of millions of people. Thats whats important. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he was asked directly if he wasnt ruling out a third term, Trump replied: Am I not ruling it out? I mean, youll have to tell me. All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they dont, the president said, seemingly referring to the Democrats. Its not the first time Trump has floated the idea of running for a third term. Just days after winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump told House Republicans: I suspect I wont be running again unless you say Hes so good, we got to figure something else out. Days later, he declared at a Las Vegas rally that he was the most upwardly mobile politician in history, adding that it will be the greatest honor of my life to serve, not once but twice or three times or four times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, Trump told Meet the Press he was not joking about running for election again. A lot of people want me to do it, the president said at the time. But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, its very early in the administration. Even before winning the most recent presidential race, Trump seemed keen on a third term. Were going to win four more years in the White House, he said in 2022. And then after that, well negotiate, right? Because were probably based on the way we were treated we are probably entitled to another four after that. Despite flirting with the idea, Trump told Time in April 2024 that he didnt plan on trying to make a third term happen. I wouldnt be in favor of it. I wouldnt be in favor of a challenge [to the 22nd Amendment]. Not for me, Trump told the magazine. I wouldnt be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. UNITED NATIONS (AP) Mike Waltz is approaching his new role as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a mandate from President Donald Trump to cut funding for what were once longtime American priorities the same way he set about representing Florida in Congress. I approach nearly every decision I can here with America first, with the American taxpayer first, Waltz said virtually at a recent event at the Richard Nixon Foundation. So, if I had to stand up in a town hall with a group of mechanics and firemen and women and nurses and teachers and testify to them that their money is being well spent in line with our interest, that would be incredibly tough right now. He added, And thats why were using, quite frankly, our contribution as leverage for reform at the U.N. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent meetings with U.N. officials, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Waltz and his colleagues at the U.S. mission have made the case that the United States the U.N.'s largest donor will no longer be footing the bill the way it has since the world bodys founding eight decades ago. Instead, U.S. officials are taking an a la carte approach to paying U.N. dues, picking which operations and agencies they believe align with Trump's agenda and which no longer serve U.S. interests. It is a major shift from how previous administrations both Republican and Democratic have dealt with the U.N., and it has forced the world body, already undergoing its own internal reckoning, to respond with a series of staffing and program cuts. Where the Trump administration is seeking changes at the UN Shortly after being confirmed as ambassador, Waltz met with Guterres as world leaders gathered at the U.N. General Assembly last month. The former congressman said in a Sept. 25 interview with Larry Kudlow on Fox Business that he made it clear to the top U.N. official that U.S.-backed changes would need to take place before you start talking about taxpayer dollars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washingtons decision does send a worrying signal that powerful countries can get away with this and really try to apply more pressure through a process that is meant to give the organization the backing it needs to execute the mandates that every country agrees on, said Daniel Forti, senior U.N. analyst at the International Crisis Group. The U.S. mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment or an interview with Waltz. The U.S. is demanding changes to the salaries and benefits of some high-ranking U.N. officials until the U.S. "can get better transparency, and it wants the creation of an independent inspector general to oversee the complex financial system within the world body. But some U.N. organizations have been written off entirely. Waltz has said in interviews that U.S. retreats from agencies like the World Health Organization, the U.N. aid agency in Gaza known as UNRWA, and the Human Rights Council are permanent. In other areas, like contributions to the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, the U.S. decision to pull support wont go into effect until December 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many U.N. staffers and groups are now watching to see if the Trump administration's targeting of climate and gender initiatives also will result in significant cuts to two of the most important priorities of the U.N. operation. That pressure, coupled with years of dwindling support for humanitarian aid, has forced Guterres to propose a 15% cut to the entire U.N. budget, an 18% cut to personnel and a repatriation of 25% of all peacekeepers stationed around the world. It is a deliberate and considered adjustment to an already conservative proposal for 2026 reflecting both the urgency and ambition of the reforms we are undertaking, Guterres told a U.N. budget committee this month. UN peacekeeping is taking a hit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, one of the most drastic cuts is to U.N. peacekeeping, with the U.S. pledging to pay $680 million toward various missions out of its outstanding bill of more than $2 billion, according to a senior U.N. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations. As a result, roughly 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed to nine global missions will be sent home. U.N. officials have warned that the consequences of withdrawing those troops from previous conflict zones in South Sudan, Kosovo and Cyprus, among other places, will be serious and long term. Guterres says that while representing a tiny fraction of global military spending around one half of 1% U.N. peacekeeping remains one of the most effective and cost-effective tools to build international peace and security. U.N. watchers say the U.S. cuts and changes go beyond pushing conservative financial values on an international organization and will result in a shift that will fundamentally change the way the United Nations operates around the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What weve also found is that theres really no other country around the world besides the U.S. that has been willing or able to step up and take on that role of financial underwriter in any considerable way," said Forti of the International Crisis Group. Not China, not the European countries, not the Gulf. That is forcing development and humanitarian agencies to scale back what the U.N. can actually deliver on the ground and with little prospect of the U.S. returning at scale to that role at play before, he said. Even with these cuts underway, Waltz has pushed back on concerns that the U.S. would completely retreat from the U.N., echoing Trump's recent speech in the General Assembly about the great" but untapped potential of the world body. The U.S. wants to expand its influence in many of the standard-setting U.N. initiatives where there is competition with China, like the International Telecommunications Union, the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are still the largest bill payer," Waltz said at the Nixon event last week. China is creeping up to a very close second, and this is a key space in our competition with the Peoples Republic of China. He said he understands those in the Republican base who say we should just shut the place down, turn out the lights on the embassy and walk away. But, Waltz added, We still need one place in the world where everyone can talk, even if its with the North Koreans, the Venezuelans, the Europeans, Russians, (and) the Chinese. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that Guterres has proposed a repatriation of 25% of all U.N. peacekeepers stationed around the world, not a 25% cut to peacekeeping operations. BANGKOK (AP) Political parties in military-run Myanmar on Tuesday kicked off their election campaigns, two months ahead of scheduled national polls that are widely seen as an effort to confer legitimacy on the militarys 2021 seizure of power, even as the countrys civil war precludes voting in many areas. Campaigning began just a day after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a meeting with leaders of Southeast Asian nations, warned that the planned election could cause further instability and deepen Myanmars crisis. Critics of the military-led government charge that the polls, which are set to begin on Dec. 28, will be neither free nor fair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fifty-seven parties have registered for the contest but Aung San Suu Kyi s National League for Democracy, which won the last two elections by landslides only to be ousted by the army, is not among them. It was one of dozens of parties ordered disbanded by the army-appointed Union Election Commission more than two years ago after it refused to take part in what it saw as a sham process. On Tuesday, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party held ceremonies in the capital Naypyitaw and Yangon, the countrys largest city, to unveil its campaign slogan Stronger Myanmar. The ceremony in Naypyitaw, attended by hundreds of green-clad supporters, was led by the partys senior figures, including former generals now serving in the Cabinet of the military government. USDP chairman Khin Yi, a former general and chief of police, said in his speech that the campaign would follow regulations and the law, declaring that the polls results would confer legitimacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other parties have not yet staged campaign events on the ground but are instead focusing their outreach on social media platforms, especially Facebook. State television and radio will carry nightly broadcasts by registered parties through Nov. 24. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who heads the military government, has said that six parties will contest nationwide for seats. However, due to fighting, the polls cannot be held in all 330 townships, he said. Voting will be held in 102 townships in a first phase and 100 in the second. In the absence of the NLD or any other credible nationwide opposition parties, the military-backed USDP, which is fielding more than 1,000 candidates is expected to win the most seats. Several opposition organizations, including armed resistance groups, have said they will try to derail the polls. The General Strike Coordination Body, which organizes anti-military protests, announced on its Facebook page Monday that an election boycott would run from Tuesday until the end of the year and urged public participation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The military seized power in February 2021, claiming the victory of Suu Kyis party in the November 2020 election was due to widespread voter fraud. However, they have failed to present convincing evidence to back the allegation. The takeover sparked a national uprising with fierce fighting in many parts of the country. The military government has stepped up activity ahead of the election to retake areas controlled by opposition forces, with airstrikes killing scores of civilians. Hunger is the newest concern connected to the government shutdown. Metro Atlanta military commanders started the week preparing troops to find food to feed their families. They sent an email to squadrons on Monday that included a list of food bank locations. Thats because military members may not get their Nov. 1 paychecks on time. The Department of Agriculture could cut SNAP benefits some military families rely on to supplement their food finances, that same day. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This does not seem real, said Gary Herber. Herber is a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and a Purple Heart recipient. He said friends at Dobbins Air Reserve Base began their week with that serious e-mail from commanders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It made me feel sick to my stomach, Herber told Channel 2s Courtney Francisco. Military members also received an email reminding them of a nonprofit sending emergency groceries to families during the shutdown. Its called Military Family Network. Kara Pappas is Chief Advancement Officer for the organization. During normal government operations, one in every four military families reports being food insecure, said Pappas. So, as you can imagine, thats being dramatically exacerbated at this moment. Military Family Network is sending boxes of shelf-stable pantry items to families through the mail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This preserves dignity as well. This arrived right at a familys doorstep, said Pappas. She said the shipment also includes a $25 gift card to military commissaries. Since the shutdown began, 50,000 families have applied for the shipment. More than 2,700 of them are from Georgia. To date, 234 Georgia military families have received a grocery box. The organization is asking for more donations to send more relief. All of that is depending on funding, said Pappas. The more funding we have, the more boxes and the more support we can unlock for military families. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local food banks said they need donations, too, as they prepare to serve more families during the shutdown. It is getting worse, said Lynette Jackson. Jackson runs a nonprofit called Love Outreach Mission in Lawrenceville. They provide families with boxes full of fresh food every Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Global Outreach Church at 1294 Braselton Hwy. Last Saturday, Jackson said her team served a record-breaking 900 families. However, they ran out of food. Were starting to fIll up our freezers, but itll all be gone, said Jackson. She said people can donate money online at https://www.go-lom.org/. She said they can also drop off non-perishable food at the church on Braselton Hwy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said if the government does not fund military and SNAP benefits, she will definitely need help. I am going to run out. I need help! I really need help! said Jackson. Thats heartbreaking, said Herber. Herber fears missions will fail if military members must focus on finding food this month. The last person in this country that should ever have to ask for a handout from the community to feed their own family is the men and women that wear the cloth of our nation, said Herber. Another option some families are considering are loans through banks that cater to military members. Spokesperson for USAA Daniel Diaz said, USAA members that are employed by an impacted federal agency, including military, continue to be eligible for the USAA shutdown financial relief program. He said USAA is providing loans equal to one net paycheck with zero interest for this next paycheck set for Nov. 1. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Your email login details could be part of one of the biggest password leaks ever recorded. Millions of accounts from Gmail, Yahoo, and other major email providers were exposed in a massive breach, and if yours is on that list, the consequences could ripple far beyond a simple password change. Read on to find out how to check if your account is affected and why doing so right now could save you from a world of headaches. 183 million passwords leaked in massive data breach More than 183 million passwords have been swept up in what experts describe as one of the largest digital thefts in recent memory. The massive data set, first revealed by Australian cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt, amounts to a staggering 3.5 terabytes of stolen information. To illustrate the scale, thats roughly the same as storing 875 full-length HD movies. Hunt explained that the breach isnt confined to one platform. All the major providers have email addresses in there, he said, pointing to Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and several others. Theyre from everywhere you could imagine, but Gmail always features heavily, he told the Daily Mail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the data was originally compromised in April, the full extent has only now come to light through Hunts Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) website. The exposed trove reportedly includes 183 million unique email addresses, the websites they were linked to, and the passwords used. According to Hunt, this isnt a single breach but rather a collection of stealer logs records compiled by malware designed to siphon sensitive user data. Stealer logs are more of a firehose of data thats just constantly spewing personal info all over the place, Hunt explained in his blog post. Once the bad guys have your data, it often replicates over and over again via numerous channels and platforms. So far, the identity of those behind the malware remains a mystery. However, Hunt warns that the fallout could extend far beyond just one compromised login. Passwords tied to an email addressused across platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Netflixmay also be vulnerable. Stealer logs expose the credentials you enter into websites you visit, then log in to, he added. The massive cache of stolen data was first discovered by Benjamin Brundage of cybersecurity firm Synthient, which specializes in detecting and blocking malicious online actors. Brundage forwarded the information to HIBP for public awareness and verification. Is your email account safe? Heres how to check If youre concerned that your information may have been caught up in the recently publicized data breach, theres a quick way to find out. Simply visit Hunts HIBP website and type your email address into the search bar. Then, click on the Check button to instantly see whether your details have appeared in any known security breaches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if your account isnt part of the most recent email account leak, dont let your guard down. The HIBP database tracks breaches spanning more than a decade, meaning your email could have been exposed in earlier incidents without you realizing it. Checking your status regularly is one of the easiest ways to stay ahead of potential cyber threats. What to do if your email was compromised If youre among the 183 million users affected by this massive data breach, acting quickly is crucial. Start by changing your email password immediately, ensuring its completely different from any youve used before. Once thats done, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) a vital security feature that sends a unique code to your smartphone each time you log in, adding an extra layer of protection to your accounts. Its also wise to update passwords on any other platforms linked to your compromised email, as many people unknowingly increase their risk by reusing the same password across multiple sites. Cyber experts recommend creating strong passwords with at least 16 characters, blending uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Security blogger Graham Cluley emphasized the importance of password variety: Always use different passwords for different online accounts, he told the Daily Mail. He also advised using a password manager to securely store and remember them, noting, You wont be able to remember them by yourself, so use a password manager to do it for you. Google reacts to the massive data breach Following the alarming revelation of the massive password leak, Google has issued a statement reassuring users that the incident is not the result of a direct attack on its systems. A company spokesperson confirmed that the breach involves known infostealer malware, which targets a wide range of online activities rather than specifically focusing on Gmail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This report covers known infostealer [malware] activity that targets many different types of internet activity. There is not a new, Gmail-specific attack at play, the spokesperson said. Google added that it continues to protect users through multiple layers of defense, including automatic password resets when stolen credentials are detected. The company also urged users to strengthen their own security measures by enabling two-step verification and adopting passkeys, which Google describes as a simpler and more secure alternative to traditional passwords. Source: Daily Mail Read the original article on GEEKSPIN. Affiliate links on GEEKSPIN may earn us and our partners a commission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a new study, University of Arizona researchers created a model for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, and identified two mutated tumor proteins, or neoantigens, that contain features of good candidates for a vaccine. At the same time, they used artificial intelligence to create 3D models to help them understand and predict which neoantigens could provoke T cells, a type of white blood cell critical to the immune system, to attack the cancer. Tumor neoantigens are unique mutated proteins in cancer cells. They act like an alarm system, alerting the immune system that cancer cells are a threat. By identifying and characterizing neoantigens, researchers can develop personalized tumor vaccines to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. The results suggest that both the structural and physical features of neoantigens could play important roles in predicting which ones could be used in cancer vaccines against tumors. The findings were published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. "One of the challenges in creating tumor-based cancer vaccines is finding the right mix of neoantigens to elicit a T cell response that can destroy a tumor," said senior author Dr. Karen Taraszka Hastings, professor and chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Arizona College of MedicinePhoenix and a member of the U of A Cancer Center. "We want to find ways to make it easier to choose the right neoantigens to include in cancer vaccines, especially in cancers like cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma that contain a high number of mutations." Tumor vaccines can include dozens of mutated tumor protein fragments, or peptides. Some experimental vaccines aimed against mutations in a person's tumor already exist, including for melanoma and pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancers. But for some cancers, such as cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, there are thousands of tumor peptide mutations and no good way to figure out which mutations will be most useful in a vaccine. The researchers found both human and mouse cancers have a high number of mutations, including the same key mutations that are instrumental in causing tumors. Using a mouse model, they also identified two neoantigens that prompted T cells to halt tumor growth. Both of the neoantigens caused T cells to produce a strong anti-tumor response, while the normal version of the peptides did not. When they looked closer, they saw that each of the neoantigens worked differently though both were equally visible to the immune system. Before T cells can act against tumor neoantigens, the immune system has to recognize them. The neoantigens must first attach to the major histocompatibility complex, or MHC, a set of proteins that act as a display case. The team discovered that the MHC displayed the mutated Picalm peptide, whereas it didn't display the normal peptide. This is likely responsible for the ability of mutated Picalm peptide to stimulate an anti-tumor T cell response. In contrast, the mutated Kars peptide and the normal peptide were bound to the MHC in similar ways. "So, there is a different reason that mutated Kars elicits a T cell response that destroyed the tumor," Hastings said. To find out why, the scientists turned to 3D, artificial intelligence-based modeling to look for differences in the structures of the peptides and how they connected to the MHC. "We found that the mutated Kars peptide has a different chemical structure on the surface of the 3D structure that is exposed to the T cell receptor," Hastings said. "It is likely that this difference in the peptide structure between mutated and normal Kars is recognized by the T cell receptor, which results in a response that restricts tumor growth in mice." They examined all known cancer neoantigens that have been tested individually for the ability to control tumor growth and found that increased exposure of the mutated peptide to the T cell receptor was key. "We are proposing 3D structural modeling as a way to further narrow down which neoantigens to select for inclusion in cancer vaccines, which should improve their effectiveness," she said. Hastings believes 3D modeling may be especially important for predicting useful neoantigens for developing individualized vaccines against skin cancers and melanoma, and it could have applications for other types of cancer as well. The team plans to test their ideas on human tumor samples next. "The use of artificial intelligence in developing a new approach to building personalized cancer vaccines speaks to the transformative nature of the technology for cancer therapeutics," said David Ebert, chief AI and data science officer at the U of A. "Dr. Hastings' research is a perfect example of the potential impact of the University of Arizona on the future of medicine and patient care." More information: Anngela C Adams et al, Structural changes from wild-type define tumor-rejecting neoantigens, Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (2025). DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2025-013148 Journal information: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer For the first time in its history, the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., will host a powwow. The Nov. 1 event will launch its Native American Heritage Month activities. The Ho-Chunk drum group Little Priest and dancers from various tribes will participate in what the museum is calling its first annual 3 Rivers Powwow. Powwows are social gatherings that celebrate different tribes coming together to share their vibrant regalia, dance styles steeped in tradition, and powerful singing and drumming, James Flores, the museum's manager of tribal relations, said in a statement announcing the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The museum emphasizes that everyone is welcome at the powwow. You don't have to be Native American. The powwow will be the centerpiece of a day of free activities at the museum. Grand entry begins at noon for the powwow, which is scheduled to continue until 7 p.m. Indigenous crafts and food will be on sale. Also on Nov. 1, children 3 through 6 years old and their families can hear Native American stories and participate in hands-on activities in the museum's Early Learning classroom. Free museum admission on Nov. 1 is sponsored by Bader Philanthropies in honor of the late Isabel Bader. Admission also is free for all museum visitors on Nov. 6 courtesy of the Kohl's Thank You Thursday program. Native American Heritage Month activities on Nov. 6 will include talks by Flores, a member of the Oneida nation, on construction and design styles of moccasins worn by different Wisconsin tribal nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Native American Heritage Month activities at the museum are presented by Potawatomi Casino Hotel. For a list of activities, visit mpm.edu/nahm. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Public Museum will host its first powwow Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, has taken a victory lap after trolling Donald Trump over trade, declaring mission accomplished. Mr Ford said that he achieved our goal by baiting the US president with an advert that used excerpts from a 1987 speech by Ronald Reagan bashing tariffs, a key plank of Mr Trumps economic agenda. Mr Trump abruptly terminated trade talks with Canada on Thursday after the advert was first aired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Branding the clip fake, Mr Trump announced a new 10 per cent tariff on goods coming from Americas second-largest trading partner. Speaking at the Ontario legislature in Toronto, Mr Ford hailed the commercial as the best ad that ever ran. He said: We achieved our goal. As we say: mission accomplished. Theyre talking about it in the US, and they werent talking about it before I put the ad on. Im glad that Ronald Reagan was a free trader. Speaking at the Ontario legislature in Toronto, Mr Ford said this was the best ad that ever ran - Canadian Press/Shutterstock According to Mr Ford, he spoke about the ad with every single premier in Canada, and they were all on side. Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, also saw the clip before it aired, according to Politico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The slickly produced, minute-long video shows images of American homes, streets and families, as clips of Mr Reagan speaking about how harmful tariffs are played over the images. When someone says lets impose tariffs on foreign imports, it looks like theyre doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs, the former president says. And sometimes for a short while it works, but only for a short time. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American, worker and consumer. As Mr Reagan described it, tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries, which will trigger fierce trade wars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After it aired, Mr Trump said he would not be meeting with Mr Carney, the prime minister of Canada, for a long time. President Trump said he would not be meeting with Mark Carney, who allegedly approved the video - Evan Vucci/The Associated Press That leaves in place Mr Trumps proposed 35 per cent tariffs on goods not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement, a trade deal negotiated during the first Trump administration, as well as 50 per cent tariffs on steel exports to America. The additional 10 per cent tariffs announced by Mr Trump appear to be in addition to the current levies. Speaking on Monday, Mr Carney mocked Mr Trump for being too emotional. It doesnt pay to be upset. Emotions dont carry you very far, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In any complicated, high-stakes negotiation, you can get unexpected twists and turns, and you have to keep your cool during those situations. Mr Ford, a Right-wing populist, has previously trolled the Trump administration by ordering Ontario to remove American alcohol from the shelves until a trade deal with the US was reached. He also threatened to impose a surcharge on electricity exports to the US, but backed down. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) Theres a push from Mississippi lawmakers and Jackson Mayor John Horhn to get more state agencies and life back to the downtown area. Horhn provided several state senators with an overview of the capital city. Hes looking at all facets of city government, and its going to be important for him to be able to whittle it down to a few issues that he thinks we can help him with in the upcoming session, said State Senator Walter Michel (R-District 25). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State lawmakers said they want to help Jackson revive the downtown area. Jackson mayor addresses water systems revenue shortfall We want tourists to come to Jackson. We want people to live in downtown Jackson. The state has a lot of office space that we rent in the metro Jackson area, and office space in downtown Jackson is very reasonable, stated Michel. According to Horhn, Kumar Bhavanasi, a real estate developer from New Jersey, bought the Pinnacle building and its garage. Hes also bought the art deco portion of the old Deposit Guarantee Bank building, and hes bought the Regents Plaza, said Horhn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Mondays meeting, Horhn told lawmakers they should listen to State Senator David Blounts (D-District 29) suggestions. According to Blount, he filed his first bill 14 years ago, working with then-Lt. Governor Tate Reeves (R-Miss.). The idea is very simple. Its a win-win proposition to move state agencies that are paying high rents into Jackson to pay less rent. It saves the taxpayers of the state of Mississippi money, and it brings people downtown to revitalize downtown Jackson, said Blount. He said theres no doubt efforts like this could save taxpayers millions of dollars. Blount said the State Senate passed Senate Bill 2291 in the 2025 Session and are already talking with the State House to see if they can also pass the bill in the 2026 Legislation Session. Close Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. When word spread through Bessemer, Alabama, earlier this year that a tech giant was eyeing hundreds of pine-covered acres at the citys edge, Benard Simeltons phone wouldnt stop ringing. The longtime NAACP leader had fielded calls about toxic air and shuttered steel mills before, but this, he said, was new to him. At first, the renderings looked like progress for the majority-Black town: glass-and-concrete buildings promising jobs, innovation, and a future rooted in Big Tech. But the fine print told a different story: a complex that would level 700 acres of forest, swallow nearly 2 million gallons of water a day, and draw enough electricity to power a city the size of Seattle. What officials pitched as transformation began to feel, to Simelton, like extraction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Behind closed doors, city leaders had inked nondisclosure agreements tied to the nearly $15 billion plan. Then came a zoning change that allows industrial facilities to now be built on farmland, stripping away oversight and clearing the path for potentially even more sprawling data centers to be built in the city with little public input. Now, residents are asking what progress means when the future demands so much from those who already have so little. Theyre not telling us much, Simelton said. If this was really good for the community, why all the secrecy? Benard Simelton has worked to fend off a proposed $15 billion Project Marvel data center being built in Bessemer, Alabama. (Courtesy of the Alabama NAACP State Conference) There are roughly 3,000 data centers operating nationwide, with an additional 1,000 estimated in the construction pipeline. The South is facing the largest impacts, according to residents and multiple analyses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Across the South, data centers the high-tech warehouses behind artificial intelligence are rising on the fault lines of environmental injustice, according to MediaJustice, a nonprofit organization advocating for community ownership of media infrastructure. A MediaJustice review found more than $200 billion in planned data infrastructure across Southern states. The report found that these projects are often landing in communities long treated as sacrifice zones, where vulnerable residents already face increased health and economic harm. The funders of data centers promise high-paying tech jobs and local investment. But advocates say they see a familiar pattern: exclusion from decision-making, environmental risk, and benefits that rarely reach those most affected. As Big Tech collects hundreds of millions in tax breaks, residents and newfound tech activists are saying it leaves residents with higher light bills, reduced drinking water, and deepening inequality. From Texas to Virginia and everywhere in between, Black residents are confronting these projects in different ways: packing city council and county commissioner meetings, gathering tens of thousands of signatures, filing environmental impact complaints, and leveraging local ordinances to delay approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, Big Tech is following in the footsteps of Big Oil as this industry deliberately builds data centers in the South, banking on disempowered cities and towns with large Black populations to not have the local power to fight back, MediaJustice researchers wrote in the September report. But from Bessemer, Alabama, to Memphis, Tennessee, local communities are showing up to call out the public health, environmental, and economic harms of data centers and the bulldozing of democratic processes to greenlight them. How data centers may harm Black communities Residents of Memphis, Tennessee, are organizing in protest against Elon Musks xAI data center in a historically Black community. (Courtesy of Memphis Community Against Pollution) In towns where residents already face rising utility costs, data centers now account for up to 70% of new energy demand, and since 2020, people who live near them have seen an increase in electricity costs of as much as 267%. In more rural communities, residents near data centers are reporting that the water in their taps is brown and murky or does not drip out at all. The centers are also leading to at least 200 new power plants being built to meet the new energy demands of AI, according to an analysis of permit applications. Studies show that power plants are most likely to be constructed in Black neighborhoods and worsen the risks of cancer and respiratory disease. Researchers from Majority Action, an advocacy group focused on increasing sustainable economic investments, have concluded that the growth of data centers is also worsening climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The AI data center boom is accelerating climate change by increasing our reliance on fossil fuels and deepening inequality by burdening communities with poor air quality and higher utility rates, wrote Majority Action researchers in a policy report. But across the country, community members say they are learning from one anothers playbooks to slow or stop massive data-center projects. According to Data Center Watch, a research firm that tracks the growing opposition to these projects, roughly $64 billion worth of U.S. datacenter projects have been delayed or shelved after such actions. From doortodoor campaigns to courtroom appeals, these networks of residents, environmental groups, and city council allies are hoping to turn local hearings into national battlegrounds over AIs physical footprint. Theyre not telling us much. If this was really good for the community, why all the secrecy? Benard Simelton In College Station, Texas, residents organized a six-hour public hearing that drew more than 5,000 petition signatures and 75 speakers. Their activism convinced the city council to unanimously reject a 600megawatt complex. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar efforts in North Carolina, Michigan, and Arizona involve organizing neighborhood canvasses, filing open-records requests, and coordinating with local officials to push for moratoriums. With these projects, the public interest has to actually be about the public. It cant keep operating under this idea that industry will save a community, said Davante Lewis, an elected member of Louisianas Public Service Commission tasked with regulating industry. Lewis, the only Black official on the commission, was the only member to vote against a new data center owned by Meta, the parent company of Facebook. The center will be the biggest in North America upon completion. People still have immense power, and they should use it, he added. If officials arent acting in your best interest, you have the right to take that power back. Fighting rising costs in Baltimore In Maryland, there is frustration over soaring power bills that has evolved into local action. With a $5 billion data center proposed in Baltimore, residents like Kevin Stanley of Broadway East who said his energy costs are up nearly 80% in three years have joined neighborhood organizers and legal advocates pressing the Maryland Public Service Commission to investigate whether data center power demand is inflating household rates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consumer advocates and the Office of Peoples Counsel are urging state regulators to require utilities to disclose how much of recent hikes stem from transmission upgrades linked to data centers in nearby Virginia. Community meetings in Baltimores Greenmount East and Charles Village have drawn residents who say theyre cutting back on groceries to keep their lights on every month. It is bad enough that Maryland residential customers are already paying the price of policies that have them subsidizing some of the worlds wealthiest corporations, David Lapp, Peoples Counsel for the state of Maryland, said in a statement to Capital B. They shouldnt have to pay for inflated estimates of projected growth that is unlikely to ever occur. Storming council meetings in Bessemer Back in Alabama, one of the most visible forms of activism in Bessemer is the Wear Red coalition, led by the Alabama Rivers Alliance, neighborhood organizers, and the state NAACP. In recent weeks, they have turned city council meetings into a sea of red shirts a sign of collective resistance to the $15 billion Project Marvel data center. The coalitions campaign combines the pressure at council meetings by sharing digital petitions that have collected thousands of signatures. Residents are also canvassing doortodoor and staging teachins across the city in Black churches and community halls to explain how the project could drive up energy prices and drain local water supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simelton, the NAACP leader, said that tech companies believe that if they can get the political leaders on their side, they feel they wont have people beating on their doors demanding answers thats why they choose lowincome Black communities. But were here to fight, he said. In a press release issued earlier this month, the Bessemer City Council reaffirmed its full support for the data center as a tremendous investment and said they are fully committed to moving it forward. Alongside calls for environmental review and disclosure of nondisclosure agreements, organizers are now drafting a community benefits agreement proposal a legally binding contract that ensures developers share tangible benefits with local residents that could require the builders of the data center to invest in local water infrastructure, job training, and health monitoring before a single shovel hits the ground. Such agreements, however, have at times delivered uneven results, with promises proving difficult to enforce or falling short of community expectations. Power struggle in South Fulton In South Fulton, Georgia, residents are confronting a wave of data center expansion that they said threatens to upend their neighborhoods. At a September community meeting, dozens of people gathered in the Etris Community Center in neighboring Union City to demand answers about projects that one advocate described are reshaping communities without their input. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Organizer Wanda Mosley with the Black Voters Matter Fund has been leading a grassroots education effort by hosting meetings and distributing information to residents who she said are often left out of zoning discussions. Advocates said they are also drawing attention to the broader pattern of inequity, warning that Black communities in southern Fulton County have long been burdened with industrial development that officials often routinely reject in whiter and wealthier parts of the region. The city needs to think about the history of environmental racism, because it plays a role here, Yvonne Cole Boone told Capital B Atlanta. As rural and urban Black communities across Georgia organize, residents are demanding transparency, better landuse decisions, and an end to what Mosley calls a pattern of being used as a dumping ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MediaJustice researchers echo that belief in the report: Tech corporations are marketing data center projects as progress, but the reality is that tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta are quietly draining the South economically and environmentally. The post From Mississippi to Maryland, Black Communities Are Taking On Big Tech appeared first on Capital B News. Images of 7-OH extract, powder, and gummies (left to right) posted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration photo gallery (photo courtesy of FDA). The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services issued an advisory Tuesday warning consumers of health risks it says are associated with a product called 7-OH. The name, 7-OH, is short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, and its made by chemically converting the main opioid-inducing element in kratom. Products containing it are sold in smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores and online shops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The health department stated in the advisory that 7-OH is sold as gummies, candies, imitation ice cream cones, liquid shots, tablets and powders. Sometimes its marketed as kratom, the department said, but it is far more addictive. Isolated 7-OH is currently untested in humans, unregulated, not proven safe or effective for any use and sold to the public without restriction, the department said in its advisory. Until safety data is available for human consumption, Missourians are advised to avoid these products. The department said both 7-OH and kratom have been marketed as natural promoters of alertness and remedies for pain, anxiety and opioid withdrawal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, isolated 7-OH products marketed and sold in Missouri have a far higher concentration and therefore far higher potency than natural kratom, the department stated. Research data reveals 7-OH has 13 times the potency of morphine at the opioid receptors. The departments action follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement in July that it planned to restrict access to 7-OH products due to strong opioid-like effects. The FDA sent a warning letter in July to a Kansas City company, Shaman Botanicals LLC, alleging it was illegally marketing pills that have opioid-like effects. The letter sent to Shaman was also sent to six other companies, all but one of which have their products manufactured at Shaman Botanical using its patented 7-OH formula, Vince Sanders, Shamans owner, previously told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaman was the first company to make 7-OH products. Its products are called 7-OH White Vein and Green Vein chewable tablets. Sanders told The Independent in July that the company conducted three research studies on its products, including using rodents and beagles, which he believes shows they are safe. Weve spent an enormous amount of money and time on this, Sanders said, regarding the scientific studies, in July. My 82-year-old mother takes it twice a day. She was in so much pain and it changed her life. Aside from pain relief, Sanders has advocated in Washington, D.C., and in the media that the product can also be a harm reduction tool for people addicted to opioids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres some addiction specialists that are just like, Hey, this is too important, Sanders said. The public needs this product. We cant lose it, so were going to have some big voices on our side. Sanders couldnt immediately be reached on Tuesday for comment on the health advisory. (FOX40.COM) The Stanislaus County District Attorney announced on Monday that a man from Modesto was convicted by a jury of felony domestic violence, terrorist threats, false imprisonment and arson charges. Roseville police arrest serial arsonist accused of several car fires According to District Attorney Jeff Laugero, 48-year-old Richard Garcia was convicted of crimes he committed in February. With a history of domestic assault, Garcia reportedly assaulted a victim, whom he had been dating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the assault on Feb. 7, Garcia strangled the victim until she lost consciousness. Officials said he also threatened to kill the victim numerous times during the incident. The victim was able to run for help and call 911 after Garcia became distracted. Stanislaus County Sheriffs Deputies immediately responded to the victim and rendered medical aid. Officials reported that the victim sustained bruises, a cigarette burn and other injuries inflicted by Garcia. During the investigation, detectives attempted to serve a warrant at his house on Feb. 21. While detectives were executing the warrant, officials said that police drones caught Garcia opening a gas line to the house and using a gasoline can and lighters in an attempt to blow up the home. Deputies with the Sheriffs Special Investigations Unit were able to locate and subdue Garcia within the residence before he was able to ignite the natural gas, which had saturated the interior of the home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Stanislaus County Sheriffs Office investigated this crime and apprehended the suspect. The District Attorney Victim Services Unit provided assistance and support to the victim. Garcias sentence has yet to be released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. NEED TO KNOW A man will spend 30 years in prison for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl inside the Virginia home where he was hired to work Ricardo Leonel Mejia, 35, pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a victim under 13 Prosecutors said the victim's mother spotted Mejia naked in her daughter's bed last fall when she opened the locked bedroom door A man who was caught raping an 11-year-old girl inside the Virginia home where he was hired to work will spend 30 years in prison. Ricardo Leonel Mejia, 35, was handed down the sentence after pleading guilty in June to three counts of raping a victim under 13, Virginia Beach Commonwealths Attorney Colin D. Stolle announced in a press release on Oct. 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said the 11-year-old victim's mother spotted Mejia naked in her daughter's bed on Oct. 9, 2024 and recognized him as the man she had hired to renovate one of the bathrooms in their home. The mother had tried to check on her daughter before going to bed, but the daughter's door was locked. Eventually, the mom opened the door with a butter knife, per prosecutors. "Mejia jumped out of bed, grabbed some of his clothes, exited the bedroom through an open window, and ran away," the release states. "The victim told police that the defendant had vaginal intercourse with her," the release continues. "A physical examination was conducted on the victim, and forensic analysis determined that Mejias DNA and spermatozoa were present on the victim." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While speaking with Mejia, police said he admitted to "having a relationship" with the girl and knowing she was underage, per the release. He also said that night was the third time he had sexual relations with the girl, adding that the first happened a few days prior in the bathroom when the girl's parents weren't home. Mejia further stated that he jumped out of the window because he was scared of a confrontation with the victims father, prosecutors said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. A judge sentenced Mejia to 75 years in prison with 45 years suspended, leaving 30 years to serve, per the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office said in a post on X that Mejia is a citizen of El Salvador and was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the crime. They added that he will serve his decades-long sentence before being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Read the original article on People By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal judge dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit accusing Mondelez International of deceiving consumers into overpaying for Clif bars that were labeled "climate neutral certified." U.S. District Judge Manish Shah in Chicago found nothing wrong with labels for Clif Kid Zbar and Zbar Protein products that reflected a certification from the Change Climate Project, a nonprofit that helps companies reduce emissions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shah dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again. The plaintiff Cynthia Salguero accused Chicago-based Mondelez of greenwashing, or exaggerating the environmental impact of a product, by labeling Zbars as "climate neutral." She said the manufacturing process for Zbars emits 54,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, the same amount as 12,596 gasoline-powered cars, causing a higher concentration of greenhouse gases and contributing to climate change. But the judge said Mondelez did not advertise that Zbars were climate neutral, but only that they were certified as such. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a distinction with a difference," Shah wrote. "There is nothing deceptive about Mondelez including on its packaging a true statement.... Salguero's complaint misstates the promise that Mondelez was making to prospective customers." Mondelez and lawyers for Salguero did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Salguero, a resident of Anaheim, California, had sought unspecified damages for Mondelez's alleged misstatements and violations of California consumer protection laws. The case is Salguero v Mondelez International Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No. 25-02139. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: AI-generated image Everything in moderation. Including moderation. That's the idea behind the Colorado sober movement, an unofficial yet growing trend away from alcohol, and toward plant-based and psychedelic drugs. But how can one be considered sober while, for example, smoking pot and taking LSD? Because "Colorado sober"a spin-off of the similar term "California sober"isn't about abstaining from all substances, but rather the ones that are known to have lasting effects on your body and brain, advocates say. That includes drugs such as cocaine and opioids, but also alcohol, which has waned in recent years as the standard social lubricant for young people. "Weed and mushrooms have a lot less next-day negative effects than alcohol," said Marissa Poppens, a Denver resident who considers herself Colorado sober. "I'm new to the term but I think people are starting to realize what it means on their own. It's a version of 'natural high.'" Poppens regularly uses cannabis and microdoses psilocybinthe active psychedelic ingredient in magic mushroomsnot only for recreation, but also to help treat chronic pain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). As executive director of the nine-year-old nonprofit MSterios Miracles, Poppens wants to help advocate for and provide resources to people living with MS. She said a flare-up two years ago led to one of her medical professionals suggesting psilocybin. The drug has proven itself as an effective alternative to psychiatric medication, according to licensed psychedelic therapists and researchers, with studies bearing out its transformative effects on depression, PTSD and addiction. As of 2025, the state's Natural Medicine Division has begun licensing psilocybin healing centers, which follows Colorado's recreational legalization of cannabis for people 21 and over in 2014. The combination of those actionsmagic mushrooms have been decriminalized since 2022, so it's not a crime to grow or ingest them, though retail sales are not yet here (as they are for cannabis)and cultural acceptance has helped Poppens feel better about abandoning alcohol, she said, and find allies in her quest for nontraditional relief. "I was able to get off my prescribed depression medication, which I hated taking, after I started microdosing," she said, adding that her regimen is based around wellness, not recreational highs. In that way, it's not just a cheeky term for non-drinkers, said Josh Kesselman, owner of the cannabis magazine High Times. It's an evolving descriptor for people who want to explore, not pummel, their minds. Research compiled by the Cleveland Clinic has shown that the movement away from alcohol is rooted as much in alcohol's deleterious effects as increased emphasis on education, mental wellness and healthier lifestyles. "Alcohol is a depressant and never the answer to a bad day," said addiction psychiatrist Dr. Akhil Anand in the Cleveland Clinic report. "Gen Z seems to understand that concept, and they've moved in a different direction." "It's a great place for many of us to dwell," Kesselman said. "Cannabis expands the brain, the neural network fires, and synapses connect. We have an endocannabinoid system for a reason." Gen Z's alcohol consumption is dropping rapidly, with a Journal of American Medicine report showing that the percentage of college students abstaining from alcohol was 28% in 2022, as compared with 20% in 2018. Sales of beer have dropped year-over-year, and Pew Research and other reports have shown that the youth movement away from alcohol has rippled out to all age groups. "I broke up with wine!" reads a testimonial for Feals cannabis gummies, which is categorized under Health/Beauty on Facebook. The image on its social media campaign shows a spilled glass of red wine next to an orange packet of THC and CBD gummies. "Ten years ago, I would go visit friends in New York, and I could never handle two nights in a row of drinking, because by the third night I'd be useless," Kesselman said. "Alcohol is something that takes your life force and gives you nothing in return. Plus, when people drink they do terrible things. Nobody's like, "Let's get stoned and rob people.'" Kesselman, who also founded the Raw Rolling Papers company, has a strong business reason for encouraging others to drop alcohol for cannabis. But it's no smokescreen, he said. There's not an objectively right or wrong way to be sober, and that can easily include abstaining from substances altogether. That would not, however, be considered Colorado sober, or even sober-curious. Rather, Colorado sober describes intentional consumption based around wellness, said Ricardo Baca, who was appointed to the state's first Natural Medicine Advisory Board last year by Gov. Jared Polis. "The California sober movement was really born out of recreational cannabis, but also the medical movement before it," Baca said of that state's pioneering cannabis laws. "So I was glad when I first heard of the Colorado sober movement, because there was space being carved out for our home state to stake this claim around intentional consumption. "It's not about restriction or prohibition or a purity test, because we've seen how that goes," he added, "but about redefining sobriety and aligning with plants and mushrooms and chemical-based alternatives." That covers purely synthetic substances that have shown positive, peer-reviewed results as medical treatmentsbut that can also have their own party-ready uses as recreational drugs. Think ketamine, MDMA (a.k.a. ecstasy or molly), kratom and DMT. Baca has long studied the subject, both as the former editor of The Denver Post's groundbreaking Cannabist journalism site, as well as founder and owner of Denver's Grasslands PR and marketing agency. His clients include cannabis, psilocybin, kratom and other companiesincluding High Times' Kesselman. He's delivered TEDx Talks and keynotes at South by Southwest and other conferences detailing how cannabis works in pain management and the ripple effects of its legalization. He acknowledged his company benefits by boosting the Colorado sober trend, but said that it's more about harm reduction than profit. "We've seen the California sober movement co-opted by brands and businesses, and we will absolutely see the Colorado sober movement co-opted by similar brands," Baca said. "I don't see anything wrong with it, that myself and other marketers and businesses will take advantage of this to help tell their own stories. It's still an organic trend that came from the community." On the other hand, the idea of being Colorado sober soft-pedals the potentially addictive effects of cannabis and psychedelics, said Alton P. Dillard II, a media consultant for the One Chance to Grow Up nonprofit. The Colorado organization includes a number of top medical and academic advisors advocating against drug use for young people. "We recognize the intense toll of alcohol addiction and understand that adults make choices that they think best support their health," he said. "The problem for youth is that they are already getting confusing messages that marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms are healthy, natural medicines. "In fact, they both present significant risks to young brains, which are growing until age 25," he continued. "When weed and mushrooms are presented as part of a 'sober' lifestyle, teens may get the impression that they're harmless. They're not." High Times' Kesselman said the Colorado sober movement is not about pushing anyone toward drugs. "Just like with anything else, people have to consume within their own limits, and we at High Times do not recommend any kind of overconsumption," he said. "But what that means to one person might be different than someone else, and you have to find that balance in your own life. This is a way to change your thinking, not just your chemistry." 2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A cow southeast of Dillon, MT, near Sweetwater Basin is pictured in this 2019 photo. (USDA photo / Lance Cheung) A comment about buying more beef from Argentina made by President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One has rankled the cattle industry, upset members of his base and added fire to an effort to advance long-discussed meat packaging legislation. The price of beef has skyrocketed 51% since 2020, though its mostly a demand for low-quality, imported meat, Montana ranchers have said. Legislation for improved country-of-origin labeling on beef is being discussed at the federal level, which advocates for ranchers and farmers say would help make the meat market more competitive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Large packing companies sometimes combine and sell meat consumers think is American, advocates said, but in fact came from cattle not raised in the United States. On Oct. 19, Trump suggested while flying back to Washington, D.C., that buying beef from Argentina would bring its price down. Trump and Argentinian President Javier Milei are close allies. The impact from Trumps announcement, along with a later policy proposal of increasing Argentinian meat imports and a tariff reduction conversation with Brazil, was cratering beef futures. Cash values of cattle remain up meaning packers need meat to fill demand but the plans for Argentina specifically will have little overall impact, Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said. In addition, 85% of the U.S. beef market is controlled by four companies. One of the four, Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS, gave $5 million to the TrumpVance Inaugural Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schweitzer said in the previous 10 years, America has lost about 20% of family ranchers. As a cattle producer, as a feeder, as a broker, youre a little nervous because these packers will take advantage of a bunkhouse fire to crash a market, Schweitzer said. The Trump proposal would increase Argentinian beef imports from 20,000 metric tons to 80,000 metric tons, a small percentage of United States beef imports. Even so, a broad swath of agricultural interest groups are taking notice. We certainly want to make sure that we pay close attention, though, because were very proud of our product that we raised, not just here in Montana, but in the U.S., said Nicole Rolf, the director of governmental affairs for the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. We dont want our country to have to rely on other countries for food security, even at these small rates. Its probably not a big worry, but its something that well be keeping an eye on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tariffs have hurt foreign markets for American companies, some ranchers have said, with those places now buying beef from other countries. Thats not everyone, though, and Rolf said she has not heard that complaint from her members. Beef demand is high, she added, and theres hope that more European markets open soon. Once the Europeans get a bit more of a taste for great American corn-fed beef that theyll want to open that up a lot more, Rolf said. Trump, meanwhile, has said American meat producers dont know what theyre talking about. The cattle ranchers, who I love, dont understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% tariff on Brazil, Trump posted on Truth Social. If it werent for me, they would be doing just as theyve done for the past 20 years Terrible! A cow is pictured on the Jordan Ranch in Livingston, Montana. (USDA/FPAC photo by Preston Keres) Created uncertainty However, Trumps comments and the beef market shifts have reignited a meat-packing debate over whats called mandatory country-of-origin labeling, or MCOOL, essentially meaning that if hamburger was brought to America from Brazil, it would have to say so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, has a bill called the American Beef Labeling Act, which would strengthen the labeling law, requiring products be labeled with where they came from. Hes said Trumps comments have created uncertainty in the market. A variety of interest groups and politicians have also been vocal on the issue, including Montana Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who has taken note and signed onto a letter to Trump, along with several other House reps from states with significant interest in the cattle industry. In recent days, we have heard strong concerns from producers regarding reports that the U.S.may import beef from Argentina, the letter reads. While we recognize the importance of strong trade relationships and diverse markets, our producers are seeking clarity on how this decision will be made, what safety and inspection standards will apply, and how this policy aligns with your administrations commitment to strengthening American agriculture. American beef is sometimes blended with foreign beef and sold and labeled as an American product, which is what Thunes legislation would seek to fix. This is especially true with hamburger, and its profitable ground beef sales were $15.3 billion in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current country-of-origin labeling fight dates back about a decade. In 2015 under pressure from the four big packing companies, Schweitzer said the World Trade Organization ruled labeling American beef as being from the United States was an unfair trade practice. This decision only applied to chicken and beef, and country-of-origin labeling is required on all other American products, whether it is a car part or a washing machine. The decision allowed Mexico and Canada to pursue retaliatory tariffs if they wanted to. The problem there, Schweitzer said, is that the quality of American beef differs even within the country itself Montana beef prices are usually higher than border states, because of genetics and the environment theyre raised in. Packing companies then put pressure on Congress, and the rules were softened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the fact is the U.S. cattle market dropped 50% when Congress repealed COOL, Schweitzer said. We could have paid those retaliatory tariffs and still made money as a nation. Schweitzer also reiterated a point hes made consistently American ranchers arent afraid of competition. They just want it to be fair and explained what would happen with country-of-origin labeling. What would happen is that you could go into the meat counters and you could find Brazilian burger, you could find Australian burger, you could find Canadian burger, you could find Mexican burger, and you could find U.S. beef, and the consumer would have a choice, he said. The Montana Cattlemans Association, the Montana Farmers Union and the Northern Plains Resource Council are all in lockstep on beef labeling. Theres even a website mtcool.org devoted to the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Montana Farm Bureau Federation has no official position on mandatory country-of-origin labeling, Rolf said, though they do support doing so voluntarily. This is for a couple reasons, one of them being a Biden-era executive order regarding the voluntary product of U.S.A. labeling on beef products. Those rules appear to be set to go into place next year, she added. That piece of the puzzle is coming on board soon, Rolf said. Our members are supportive of a voluntary country-of-origin labeling program, and that product of the USA label is just that. So wed like to see that come into effect. The Alabama Senate in session on Feb. 25, 2025. A court-appointed special masater recommended two remedial maps to remedy a Voting Rights Act violation in Montgomery-area state Senate districts.(Photo/Stew Milne for the Alabama Reflector) A court-appointed special master Friday submitted two proposed maps redrawing an Alabama Senate district in the Montgomery area as part of an ongoing lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in state legislative districts. In August, U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ruled that the current map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting laws or procedures that purposefully discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group. Manasco ordered new district lines to be drawn in Senate Districts 25 and 26, represented by Sens. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, and Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, respectively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After multiple check-ins with Manasco and lawyers with both sides, Gov. Kay Ivey said last month she would not call a special session to redraw the map, citing a similar case in the U.S. Supreme Court, Callais v. Louisiana. Manasco then appointed the same team that redrew the states congressional districts in 2023 to remedy the state Senate issue. Richard Allen, the Special Master, recommended two maps to remedy the VRA violation. Remedial Plan 2 aligns more with the current State Senate districts and provides a better Voting Rights Act remedy, according to court-appointed Special Master Richard Allen. (Map from court documents) A federal judge ruled that the current State Senate districts in the Montgomery area violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. (Map from court documents) Remedial Plan 1 provides a weaker remedy to the Voting Rights Act violation than Remedial Plan 2, according to court-appointed Special Master Richard Allen. (Map from court documents) The first map, Remedial Plan 1, reallocates South Montgomery in Senate District 26 to Senate District 25, leaving a tail of the south-western portion of Montgomery County in District 26. The northern part of the district is extended into Elmore County, which is currently in Senate District 30 represented by Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville. Remedial Plan 1 changes the Black voting-age population from 29% to 51.6% in Senate District 25, 66.1% to 49.7% in Senate District 26 and 23.6% to 20% in Senate District 30. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second map, Remedial Plan 2, completely reallocates the southern portion of District 26 to District 25. It also extends northward into District 30, but not as far. Remedial Plan 2 changes the Black voting-age population from 29% to 53.6% in Senate District 25, 66.1% to 48.3% in Senate District 26 and 23.6% to 19.1% in Senate District 30. Remedial Plan 2 even more closely aligns with the enacted plan than Remedial Plan 1 Remedial Plan 2 also performs slightly better than Remedial Plan 1 as a Section 2 remedy, Allen wrote. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Callais v. Louisiana earlier this month, and seemed open to limiting the consideration of race in the redistricting process. A ruling from the high court could come anytime before June, which is why Manasco put Allen to work before a ruling. In her original ruling, Manasco ordered a remedial map to be in place before the 2026 midterm elections. The qualifying period for candidates is in January. The steps of the Maryland State House. (Photo by Danielle E. Gaines/Maryland Matters) Changes continue in senior leadership under Gov. Wes Moore (D), with the announcement Tuesday of two new deputy chiefs of staff. The appointments of Michael Huber and Chichi Nyagah-Nash follow Mondays announcement that two of Moores senior staff were leaving the office. The changes are part of a reorganization under Lester Davis, Moores new chief of staff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive had the privilege of partnering with both Chichi and Michael over the years in a variety of capacities across the public and private sectors, Davis wrote in an email to staff in which he announced the hires. They are among the most capable and committed leaders Ive worked with, and I know many of you have experienced the same. Im excited for them to bring their expertise and energy to our team in these new roles. Nyagah-Nash, the deputy secretary of the Department of General Services, joins the second floor on Wednesday to take over for Shaina Hernandez, who is leaving to run the Baltimore Public Markets Corp. In her role as deputy chief of staff, Nyagah-Nash will oversee environmental protection, transportation, general services, information technology and energy. She earned her undergraduate degree from Alliant International University and her masters degree from Johns Hopkins University. Huber, an attorney who is currently the director of government affairs at Johns Hopkins University, is expected to join the Moore administration on Nov. 12. He will oversee economic development, workforce development, housing, insurance regulation, public health, education and human services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to his work at Hopkins, Huber was chief of staff to two Baltimore City Council presidents and to Mayor Brandon Scott. He also served on then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Browns unsuccessful 2014 campaign for governor. He earned his bachelors degree in political science from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, and his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Nyagah-Nash and Huber fill vacancies created by the departures of Hernandez and Jonny Dorsey, two departing deputy chiefs of staff. Moores office announced Monday that Dorsey, part of the administration since 2023, had been named acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation to replace outgoing Secretary Paul Monteiro. He was the first to lead the department that was created when Moore took office, part of his signature legislative effort to create a paid service-year program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dorsey takes over from Monteiro on Nov. 12. The Baltimore Banner reported that Hernandez is leaving to become CEO and president of the Baltimore Public Markets Corp., effective in January. Moores office did not publicly announce or confirm Hernandezs departure on Monday. The moves are the latest in a series that has seen nearly a dozen senior staff and Cabinet secretaries leave Moores administration in advance of his 2026 reelection bid. The changes also come as Davis takes over as chief of staff from Fagan Harris, who continues as an adviser to Moore but is set to join the Abell Foundation as the next president and CEO of the Baltimore philanthropic organization. Harris begins that job after the first of the year. This story was updated to include comments from Lester Davis. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX (The Center Square) More than two million illegal foreign nationals have been removed from the U.S. in the first 10 months of President Donald Trump's second term. This includes 1.6 million who agreed to voluntarily self-deport and more than 527,000 who were apprehended and deported, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday. Self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the U.S. and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, DHS said when announcing a new self-deportation initiative. The cost of the stipend for those who agree to self deport is projected to be 70% less than being arrested, processed for removal and deported by ICE agents, DHS said. Currently the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an illegal alien is $17,121. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The record number of removals is a marked reversal of Biden administration policies, which ushered in at least 14 million illegal border crossers. Meanwhile, an additional 700,000 criminal foreign nationals backed up an ICE docket for removal, The Center Square reported. Biden administration policies ushered in millions of inadmissible foreign nationals through more than a dozen parole programs Congress identifies as illegal. Roughly one million who werent properly vetted were also released into the country using a newly created CBP One phone app, The Center Square reported. Under the Trump administration, the app was repurposed as the CBP Home app and work authorization and other privileges that accompanied it were terminated. To quickly facilitate removals, DHS began offering $1,000 stipends and free flights home for those choosing to self deport using the app. Eligible participants include non-violent foreign nationals without criminal histories, who were encountered or apprehended by CBP or Border Patrol agents at a port of entry or between ports of entry, categorical parolees whose legal presence in the U.S. expired or will soon expire, and whose Temporary Protected Status was terminated, CBP explains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration also began requiring all illegal foreign nationals in the U.S. to register with the federal government in accordance with federal law. Those who dont and who fail to self-deport face fines of up to $1,000 a day, The Center Square reported. DHS also launched Project Homecoming in May, using chartered flights to return individuals and families, including young children, to their home countries. They received travel assistance, a $1,000 stipend, and preserved the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally, The Center Square reported. The administration also expedited enforcement operations to arrest violent criminals and those with removal orders illegally living in the U.S. nationwide. Targeted operations have led to the arrest of hundreds of thousands, federal detention, and removal proceedings before federal immigration judges. Every day, ICE officers and partnering law enforcement agencies are arresting violent felons with extensive criminal histories, including fugitives wanted by authorities, alleged terrorists, murderers, pedophiles, sex abusers, drug traffickers, human smugglers, and many whove been previously deported dozens of times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of ICE arrests, 70%, are of violent criminals charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S., it says. Since implementing enhanced targeted operations, attacks against ICE officers increased by more than 1000%, The Center Square reported. Despite the government shutdown, ICE and federal law enforcement officers are still arresting violent offenders. Those doxxing and threatening ICE officers are also being arrested, many of whom are U.S. citizens, The Center Square reported. Rioters and sanctuary politicians have not deterred ICE or CBP in their mission to protect the homeland from those who have no right to be in America. Day-in and day-out, DHS law enforcement is removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from American communities, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, drug dealers, and others DHS said. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also launched a domestic and international ad campaign warning those in the country illegally to voluntarily leave and those in other countries not to come. Under President Trump, we are defending American families and restoring their safety. If you try to enter illegally, you will be caught, you will be removed, and you will never return," she said. When people with mental health problems are in crisis, police often are the first responders. Since many officers have little to no training on how to assess or treat mental illness, these situations can easily become violent. In 2024, for example, 118 people were killed across the U.S. after police responded to reports of someone having a mental health episode. Such cases can lead to charges of police brutality. This problem is not new. One of the first cases to receive wide attention and spur reform efforts happened 41 years ago, on Oct. 29, 1984. On that day, a white New York City police officer fatally shot 66-year-old Eleanor Bumpurs, a Black woman. Bumpurs, who lived in public housing and had a history of mental health problems, was killed during an eviction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bumpurs death ignited one of New Yorks most significant social justice campaigns of the 1980s, centering on Black womens encounters with police. It influenced decades of debate over police response to those with mental illness, which have continued right up to New York Citys current mayoral election. Bumpurs lived across the street from my childhood home, and I was 10 years old when she was killed. In my new book, Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpurs & the Police Killing That Galvanized New York City, I explain how the police shooting of a grandmother roiled my neighborhood and sparked citywide action. Eleanor Bumpurs in an undated photo. Associated Press The eviction On the day of the shooting, officers from the New York City Police Departments Emergency Service Unit and the city housing agency gathered with a city marshal, public housing and welfare workers and medical technicians outside Bumpurs apartment. They were there to evict Bumpurs, who was four months behind on her rent and owed the city a little over US$400, equivalent to about $1,240 in todays dollars. Housing Authority policy required police to accompany city marshals to all evictions. As I recount in my book, this group believed Bumpurs was violent. Housing officers told the police that she was mentally ill and had a history of throwing lye on strangers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Bumpurs had a history of mental illness, she was also an elderly woman in need of medical care. As The New York Times editorial board later pointed out: neither the citys Housing Authority nor Human Resources Administration seemed able to help. Officials were unable to secure an emergency rent grant, for which she would have easily qualified. A consulting psychiatrist found her unable to function and recommended hospitalization, but no one moved fast enough. The officers were tasked with subduing Bumpurs. They had little information about her underlying condition or training to manage it. Armed with gas masks, plastic shields, a restraining bar and a shotgun, six officers entered Bumpurs apartment. Police observed Bumpurs wielding a butcher knife in her right hand. Officer Stephen Sullivan fired two blasts with the shotgun. The first severely damaged Bumpurs right hand; the second struck her in the chest. Bumpurs died at a local hospital. Public outrage Bumpurs killing shocked New Yorkers. City leaders and community activists condemned what they saw as the NYPDs use of excessive force against Black people and other people of color, particularly those with mental health conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As then-city clerk and future mayor David Dinkins put it, It is inconceivable to me that deadly force was employed here. The New York Times called Bumpurs death a grave error of police procedure and judgment. Bumpurs killing was discussed in Sunday morning sermons, university lecture halls, beauty salons and barbershops. Many New Yorkers denounced the shooting, although others praised Sullivan for protecting the lives of his fellow officers. Artists took up Bumpurs cause. In her 1986 poem For the Record: In Memory of Eleanor Bumpers, Audre Lorde wrote: Who will count the big fleshy women the grandmother weighing 22 stone with the rusty braids and gap-toothed scowl who wasnt afraid of Armageddon . . . . and I am going to keep writing it down how they carried her body out of the house dress torn up around her waist uncovered past tenants and the neighborhood children a mountain of Black Woman and I am going to keep telling this if it kills me and it might in ways I am learning Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1989, Brooklyn filmmaker Spike Lee dedicated his movie Do the Right Thing to Bumpurs and other Black New Yorkers killed by police officers. Critics argued that Sullivan should be terminated and charged with homicide. They called for holding city workers responsible for mishandling the eviction and pressed Mayor Edward Koch and U.S. Attorney Rudolph Guiliani to investigate it. Through rallies, grassroots lobbying and letter-writing campaigns, activists demanded legal justice for Bumpurs. They also called for reforms, including new police policies. Amid activists calls for his arrest, Sullivan said he had been justified in shooting Bumpurs. He insisted that he had followed police procedures. City action In response to Bumpurs death, the NYPD implemented new procedures. Public pressure from activists inspired policy changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers were instructed not to confront an emotionally disturbed person believed to be armed or violent. No action will be taken until the Precinct Commander or Duty Captain arrives and evaluates the situation. The new policies prioritized nonlethal methods for responding to these emergencies, instructing officers to use nets, Tasers and restraining bars and shields rather than guns. Bumpurs family filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city, which ultimately led to a $200,000 settlement in 1990. In 1985, Sullivan was indicted by a Bronx grand jury on a manslaughter charge, which carried a maximum of 15 years in prison. He was convicted but acquitted on appeal in 1987 and restored to full duty. Little lasting change Even as the NYPD has adopted various training programs, people with mental illnesses continue to face excessive and deadly force when they confront the police. Protesters in New York City demonstrate over police violence against Black people, including Eric Garner and Michael Brown, who were both killed by police in 2014. Viviane Moos/Corbis via Getty Images Most recently, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio launched the Crisis Intervention Team in 2015 and the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division program in 2021. In 2016, approximately 4,700 NYPD officers out of a force of slightly over 35,000 completed Crisis Intervention Team training, which provided instruction for responding to mental health emergencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nonetheless, New Yorkers continued to confront police violence. On Oct. 18, 2016, police Sgt. Hugh Barry responded to reports that 66-year-old Deborah Danner, who was schizophrenic, had been screaming in the halls of her Bronx apartment building. Barry, who had not received CIT training, fatally shot Danner when she allegedly swung a bat at him. Barry was later indicted and acquitted of murder in 2018. The B-Heard program dispatches mental health professionals and fire department paramedics to 911 mental health calls. As of 2024, however, it covered only 31 out of 77 NYPD precincts. Police officers still respond to many mental health calls using Tasers or firearms. On March 27, 2024, for example, 19-year-old Queens resident Win Rozario called 911 because he was experiencing a mental health episode. Since no B-Heard unit served Rozarios neighborhood, police were dispatched. Rozario was fatally shot minutes after officers entered his home. Other U.S. communities have had greater success using civilian response teams. Examples include Denvers Support Team Assistance Response program and Seattles Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion initiative. Research shows that such initiatives are safer and more effective than relying on law enforcement interventions. They produce better outcomes for people with mental health conditions and help keep communities safer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In interviews with Bumpurs daughter, Mary, I asked what she saw as the legacy of her mothers case. She replied, To keep her spirit moving. To let people know what happened to her. More than 40 years after Bumpurs death, the public continues to remember her death. Activists and writers have paid tributes and written articles about Bumpurs, signaling the importance of her tragic killing to the current political movement against police violence. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: LaShawn Harris, Michigan State University Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: LaShawn Harris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. More desks across Connecticut school districts are consistently empty compared to a decade ago as fewer students regularly show up to school - a new normal for American schools still roiled by the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Years after the pandemic upended daily life, sending kids and teachers home for remote instruction, the impact of those disruptions are still apparent, as attendance, test scores and other measures of student success still lag pre-pandemic levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rates of chronic absenteeism - when students miss at least 10% of school days - offer a look into the lingering effects of the pandemic, including how students are affected by challenges that continue to face Connecticut's families and schools, experts say. Chronic absenteeism doesn't exist on its own, rather, it is "a symptom" of larger issues, said Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association. "We have to remember that absenteeism, in and of itself, is not the problem. Absenteeism is a response to a problem," she said. Dias and other experts view chronic absenteeism alongside other challenges that have come more to light during pandemic recovery, such as greater student needs and worsening mental health and behavioral issues. "We have to figure out how to adapt our system to reflect those needs," Dias said. Connecticut's absentee numbers lag behind pre-pandemic levels { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "Datawrapper", "__fallbackImage": "https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/9LdKv/mobile.png", "__data": { "datawrapper_id": "9LdKv" } } Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Connecticut, the numbers are clear: fewer students are regularly showing up in schools compared to five and 10 years ago. Before the pandemic, Connecticut's chronic absenteeism rates hovered around 10%, state data shows. In the 2024-25 school year, Connecticut's chronic absenteeism rate was 17.2%. A student is considered chronically absent when they miss at least 10% of school days, or 18 days in a school year. Since hitting a record high in 2021-22, Connecticut's chronic absenteeism rates have made notable improvements, dropping by 6.5% since that peak to 17.2% last year. And yet, Connecticut student attendance is far from what it used to be. There were more than 80,000 students chronically absent during the last school year, around 30,000 more than during the years prior to the pandemic. CT districts with most high-needs students struggle with absenteeism A closer look also shows that the number of empty desks can look drastically different depending on the school district - mirroring the socioeconomic and racial gaps that have long plagued education in Connecticut. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "Datawrapper", "__fallbackImage": "https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/OSIWZ/mobile.png", "__data": { "datawrapper_id": "OSIWZ" } } During the last school year, some Connecticut school districts had less than a dozen students chronically absent, while others had thousands. Colebrook, Brookfield, Weston, New Canaan, Darien, Wilton and Ridgefield had less than 5% of students chronically absent in 2024-25, according to state data. { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "Datawrapper", "__fallbackImage": "https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/AhOWv/mobile.png", "__data": { "datawrapper_id": "AhOWv" } } Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But other districts like Hartford, Bridgeport, New Britain and New Haven had more than 30% of students chronically absent. State data shows that the more urban, poorer school districts with the student highest needs have the highest chronic absenteeism rates, while districts in wealthier areas with whiter student populations tended to have much lower rates. That trend is reflected nationally, as students of color and in poorer districts tend to be absent from school more often. { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "Datawrapper", "__fallbackImage": "https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NPIMS/mobile.png", "__data": { "datawrapper_id": "NPIMS" } } Like with many things in education, it can often come down to resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In poorer districts, schools are often stretched to their limits in terms of how they can intervene and provide extra supports to students, Dias said. "We know that there is a lot more issues that they're facing," she said. "When you look at districts like Darien or New Canaan or Ridgefield, that have lower chronic absenteeism, but you also find that they're going to have lower rates of poverty, lower rates of unhoused students, lower rates of food insecurity," Dias said. For example, in Darien - which had among the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in 2024-25 - fewer than a quarter of students are considered to have high needs, according to state data. The state classifies high needs students as those with a disability, English learners, and students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. By comparison, in the Hartford school district, which had one of the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the state, around 85% of students have high needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "Datawrapper", "__fallbackImage": "https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/DPiwQ/mobile.png", "__data": { "datawrapper_id": "DPiwQ" } } Absenteeism is a hard cycle to break It can be especially difficult to get high-needs students who are chronically absent back in school, experts say, which is why certain districts have seen a slower recover than others. "If you are a child who comes from a stable household, regular access to transportation, home supports, access to extracurricular activities, access to libraries, you have all these different opportunities appointed to you - your life looks a little bit different than a child who may have a different set of conditions around them," Dias said. When students consistently miss school, it's a hard cycle to break. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The first day you miss, it's easy to come back from," Dias said. "The second day, it's a little rougher. The third day, you start to stack up the missed lessons, and it starts to feel insurmountable," she said. "And I'm absolutely certain that a lot of our chronic absenteeism comes from a sense of, like, 'how do I get out of this? Once I go down this road, how do I get out?'" Those missed days, and the corresponding loss of learning, can then perpetuate gaps in achievement and other educational outcomes. "Being chronically absent has a huge impact on a student's ability to read at grade level, perform academically, and graduate on time. Good attendance can help children do well in school, and eventually in the workplace," according to the state Department of Education. Some of the Connecticut districts with the lowest chronic absenteeism rates last school year also had the highest test scores. Family outreach, home visits key to keeping students in school Pandemic recovery efforts have reduced chronic absenteeism statewide, officials say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A recent report found that while the state wasn't hitting its ideal goal for chronic absenteeism, Connecticut has stronger policies than other states that seemed to be making a difference. When data for 2024-25 showed that overall chronic absenteeism rates fell for the third straight year, Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said the results "were no accident." She and others officials have credited the state's Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP), launched in 2021 using federal pandemic relief funds to reduce chronic absenteeism by re-engaging students and families through initiatives like home visits. That program has been expanded for the next two fiscal years, as the state approved more funding so more districts can implement the program. The Enfield school district saw a decline in chronic absenteeism after launching LEAP and working to expand family outreach and identify key causes of absenteeism. In the New Haven school district, which has among the worst chronic absenteeism rates in the state, officials attributed a decline in 2024-25 to community partnerships and outreach efforts like home visits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State leaders continue to emphasize that family-outreach programs like LEAP are critical to getting students to class and keeping them there. "It took us a little bit of time to get into this situation," Dias said. "It's going to take us a little bit of time to get out of it." This article originally published at More CT students are missing school regularly than before the pandemic. Here's what the data shows.. A growing number of readers who responded to a survey about the federal government shutdown say Republicans are most responsible for the budgetary impasse which is stretching into its fourth week. Our non-scientific poll asks, "Who is most responsible for the government shutdown?" Unlike at the beginning of the shutdown where the blame was equally split, a majority (62%) now say "Republicans" as opposed to "Democrats" (14%), "other" (14%) or "both parties" (11%). Readers are also increasingly worried about the prospects of an extended government closure. We asked, "How concerned are you about the prospects of a long-term shutdown?" Here's how the responses broke down: 18% "extremely;" 32% "moderately;" 16% "somewhat;" 18% "slightly;" and 16% "not at all." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The longest government shutdown lasted 34 days during President Trump's first term of office. The current impasse began October 1. The results only represent the views of readers who responded (38). There is still time to vote: Click here to share your thoughts on the federal government shutdown. Here is the latest batch of your comments: Who is most responsible for the government shutdown? "Democrats voted for every continuing budget resolution (CR) during the Biden Administration, why not this one. The CR has zero pork. The speaker made it clear, the health care will be addressed when the CR is passed." Mike Warner, Sheboygan Falls Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Republicans have been unwilling to negotiate. If you need votes, you need to negotiate to get them. Simple concept." Wayne Meyer, Oak Creek "Republicans control Congress and the White House, but they don't have the courage to accept responsibility for their misdeeds." Doug Freeman, Appleton "Republicans are in charge of all three branches of government. House and Senate reps know full well how detrimental cuts to health care subsidies will affect their constituents. Democrats not only continue to expose this malfeasance by Republicans they are taking an stand against these cuts through this shut down." Shelley Craine, Milwaukee "Democrats. When they don't get their way they blame and attack and the media fails to cover both sides. This is why Republicans always get the blame!" Kevin Stevenson, Appleton Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Republicans control both houses of Congress, as well as the White House. They have a responsibility to negotiate with the other side who, while in the minority, still represent a significant percentage of Americans. So far, the Republicans have shown they are largely unwilling to even listen, much less seriously consider what the Dems are asking for." Elane Rigsby, Waukesha Letters: Developer's plan would fit better in Lake Geneva, not Bay View "When you control both houses of Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court (yes, it is Republican, not conservative), you accept blame for all political decisions." Nathaniel Haack, Milwaukee What outcome would you like to see from 2025 government shutdown "Extend the current funding and Republicans voted out of office that support gutting the Affordable Care Act. A true Republican would vote to give care to all their constituents. Find candidates that actually care for the people they represent. That goes for both parties." Paul Forslund, Appleton Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Compromise on health care. Pay for legislators and their aides clawed back and be charged for benefits received during shutdown." Wayne Meyer, Oak Creek "For starters, a budget that will actually be faithfully executed by this administration. Second we need to address heath care costs in this country which are skyrocketing for everyone, but even more for those who use the marketplace established by the ACA. Finally, Congress should begin to hold the administration accountable to the U.S. Constitution." Joseph Mish, Pine Island, Minnesota Opinion: Here's how President Trump can deliver campaign promise to lower grocery prices "Just pass a 'clean bill' and have media report all sides fairly, which is not happening now. Then through "regular order" Congress can address health care issues. But adding $1.4 trillion in new spending only deepens our long-term debt issues in this country. The reason I am "not at all" concerned is that I was raised that family takes care of family, stay within your budget, and save. I, my children, and my grand children will survive because of this. A country boy will survive." Kevin Stevenson, Appleton Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'd like it to end today (yesterday, actually) so that those who are getting hurt by it, such as by not getting paid on time, won't be as hurt by it. I'd also like the Republicans learn they need to work with the Democrats to get their bills passed, not just this budget bill. Compromise is a part of being a Democracy and we need bipartisanship in Congress to get things done and represent the needs of all Americans, regardless of where they live or what color their state is considered." Elane Rigsby, Waukesha "Provide Affordable Care Act premiums subsidies. Restoration of the Medicare cuts passed under the One big beautiful bill. Reverse the extension of the 2017 tax cuts. Restore the green energy credits and funding previously provided. Restore grants that were halted for medical and drug studies such as cancer, Alzheimers, etc." Tariq Akmut, Waukesha "Congress needs to reclaim its authority as a co-equal branch of government. No more impounding allocated funds. No more bypassing Congress on international affairs. No more tariffs without Congressional votes. No more wars or military actions in foreign countries without Congressional votes. No more cancelling grants with no notice or feedback. No more pressuring governments and private businesses mafia style. Oh, and and end to the madness of future government shutdowns. They are absurd and have no place in a functioning democracy. Oh wait, that's why they happen here." Nathaniel Haack, Milwaukee Jim Fitzhenry is the Ideas Lab Editor/Director of Community Engagement for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Reach him at jfitzhen@gannett.com or 920-993-7154. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here is what Wisconsin readers say about federal shutdown | Opinion (NewsNation) The U.S. military conducted three strikes on four boats in the Eastern Pacific, killing more than a dozen alleged narcotics traffickers, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday. The boats were allegedly operated by members of designated terrorist organizations, though Hegseth did not specify which. Hegseth confirmed the attacks on social media, accompanied by footage of the three lethal kinetic strikes carried out Monday. Transportation chief Sean Duffy to talk shutdown effects on air travel Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In total, 14 individuals described by Hegseth as narco-terrorists were killed in the strikes, and one survived. Mexican search and rescue authorities have assumed responsibility for the rescue of the survivor aboard, Hegseth said. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed, he added. Furloughed federal workers turn to food banks as shutdown drags on The Defense Department has carried out a series of strikes on boats accused of similar crimes in the Caribbean since August. The first attacks in the Pacific came earlier this month. In February, the State Department designated eight cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NewsNations Meg Hilling contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A massive recall has been issued for more than 2.28 million pounds of ready-to-eat Golden Island pork jerky, which may contain pieces of metal wire. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall Oct. 24. It's a Class I recall, meaning there is a reasonable probability that the using the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. No injuries have been reported. The recall affects 14.5- and 16-ounce plastic pouches of meat jerky labeled "Golden Island fire-grilled pork jerky Korean barbecue recipe." The affected products have a one-year shelf life, with Best By dates ranging from Oct. 23, 2025, to Sept. 23, 2026. Consumers should check their jerky packages for the establishment number M279A inside the USDA mark of inspection. Sold at Costco and Sam's Club stores nationwide, the product was pulled off the market after customers filed complaints about finding wiry metal fragments in the jerky packages. The jerky is made by LSI, Inc. in Alpena, South Dakota. Company officials determined the metal originated from a conveyor belt used during the production process, FSIS said. U.S. health officials urge anyone who has purchased the affected pork jerky to not consume it. It should either be thrown away or returned to the point of purchase for a refund. If you have already consumed the product and are concerned about illness or injury, you should contact a health care provider. Food safety experts stress that while contamination with foreign materials such as rocks, sticks, or insects occasionally occurs in food production, consumers should notify manufacturers if they find any foreign objects in food products. To report a problem with a meat, poultry or egg product, visit the FSIS. Consumers with food safety questions can also call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or send email to MPHotline@usda.gov. More information: Consumers with questions about the recall may contact info@goldenislandjerky.com. 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved. ST. LOUIS Taking trips out of town for the holidays does not appear to be in the plans for most Missourians. Home for the holidays remains the norm in the Show Me State. According to a recent survey by Upgraded Points, 66% of Missouri residents plan to stay home instead of traveling between Thanksgiving and New Years Eve 2025. More than 2,300 adults were surveyed online in September 2025. Those who responded were asked about trip distance, budget, and personal factors shaping their decisions to leave town or stay home. The findings show costs, airport stress, and family expectations are changing how people travel for the holidays. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trio charged with arranging murder of witness in child sex case State residents most likely to stay home: Nevada: 72.7% stay home Utah: 71.2% Hawaii: 68.1% Missouri: 66.0% Oklahoma: 66.0% State residents most likely to travel: Ohio: 62.0% travel Connecticut: 58.0% Texas: 56.1% Iowa: 54.0% Washington: 54.0% For the complete list of top states, you can find the detailed survey results here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Brigitte Macrons daughter has told a Paris court that her mother can no longer ignore the horrors that are being said by cyber-bullies who baselessly claim she was born a man. Tiphaine Auziere, 41, said these had caused a change and a deterioration in her mother, Frances first lady, as she testified in the second and final day of the trial of eight men and two women, aged 41 to 65. They are accused of spreading numerous malicious comments online about Mrs Macrons gender and sexuality and of describing the age gap with her 47-year-old husband Emmanuel, the French president, as paedophilia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They face up to two years in prison if found guilty. Mrs Macron, 72, told investigators the rumour had damaged her mental and physical well-being, and greatly impacted her and her family, especially her grandchildren, who were told their grandmother was a man. She has not attended the trial but her lawyer had asked her daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, 41, to testify. Brigitte with her daughter Laurence, who is the same age as Emmanuel Macron - Foc Kan/WireImage To a packed Paris courthouse on Tuesday, Ms Auziere, a writer and employment lawyer, said: It was important to be here today to express the harm done. I wanted to talk about what her life has been like since she suffered this hatred. She added that she had noted a change and a deterioration in her mothers condition since such unfounded claims about her gender and sexuality had spread online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She knows that her image can be taken and misused. She is constantly under attack. She cannot ignore all the horrors that are being said. Ms Macron in constant state of alertness about appearance Ms Auziere said the cyberbullying had left her mother in a constant state of alertness regarding her appearance. She is no longer at ease in any aspect of her life, she told the court. She has to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself because she knows that her image can be distorted, said Ms Auziere, adding it had led to a deterioration of her health. Its impossible for her to have a normal life without being reminded of the attacks she is subjected to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She asked the court not to underestimate the anxiety this caused her, in terms of what her loved ones, especially her grandchildren. This whirlwind is having a growing impact on her living conditions and health. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron - REUTERS/Benoit Tessier This has repercussions on her children and grandchildren. They hear things at school such as, Your grandmother is a man. I dont know how to make it stop, she said. Its something that affects her greatly, she told the court. The Macrons started criminal proceedings two years ago after there was no let-up in the torrent of claims that Mrs Macron, 72, had been born Jean-Michel Trogneux and underwent gender reassignment before taking part in a supposed conspiracy to seduce the future president, who is 24 years her junior. In reality, Mr Trogneux is Mrs Macrons reclusive older brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ms Auziere said that the uncle in question was alive and well. I saw my uncle a few months ago, hes in great shape. In an interview with The Telegraph last year, Ms Auziere expressed disdain for conspiracy theories regarding her mother, saying: I find those kinds of polemics grotesque, on the same level as being told we are all being governed by lizards. So our response to that or my mothers response was to file a legal complaint, and I trust the law to re-establish the truth there. The law does have to intervene in instances like that. On a national level, it needs to condemn that kind of behaviour, and beyond that, on a European level, we need to think about what kind of legal arsenal people should have at their disposal. The cyber-bullying trial comes just three months after Mrs Macron and her husband filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against Candace Owens, a conservative podcaster, over similar claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several of those on trial in Paris shared posts from the US influencer. The defendants, who also include a town councillor, a teacher and an IT expert, have cast the trial as a bid by Frances ruling elite to stifle free speech. Another defendant, a self-styled spiritual medium called Amandine Roy, said: If there was real justice in France, these charges would never have existed. Amandine Roy is one of two women and eight men on trial - TERESA SUAREZ/EPA/Shutterstock The trial is being closely watched across the Atlantic, where the Macrons are planning to offer scientific evidence and photos proving that the first lady is not transgender, according to their US lawyer. Despite this, Ms Owens fired off a tweet on Monday that read: If it walks like a dude, talks like a dude, and is listed in the French tax registry as a dude, then its the First Dude of France. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was a reference to revelations on Sunday that Mrs Macron was given a male name on her personal tax record by a team of hackers. A verdict in the Paris case will likely be issued at a later date. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. NIAGARA FALLS A motorcyclist and an e-bicyclist were both taken to Erie County Medical Center after suffering serious injuries in a Monday night crash on Buffalo Avenue. Emergency crews responded to the area of 56th Street and Buffalo Avenue around 9:50 p.m. for reports of the crash. On arrival, officers located a e-bicyclist down in the roadway west of the 56th Street intersection. The motorcyclist was located down in the roadway on the east side of the intersection. Following the collision, the motorcycle had enough momentum to slide all the way down to 57th Street and Buffalo Avenue. A preliminary investigation showed that the motorcyclist was heading east on Buffalo Avenue at a high rate of speed. The speeding motorcycle was observed by a New York State trooper, who was conducting an unrelated traffic stop. As the motorcyclist sped past the traffic stop, it collided with the e-bicyclist who was also reportedly travelling on Buffalo Avenue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 23-year-old male driver of the motorcycle suffered multiple injuries and underwent surgery at ECMC. The operator of the e-bike, a 53-year-old Niagara Falls man, suffered multiple injuries and was transported to ECMC by AMR Ambulance. The Niagara Falls Police Crash Investigation Unit responded to the scene and is continuing the investigation. Charges are pending. An off-duty sheriff's deputy jumped into action and brought an end to a high-speed chase of a motorcyclist wanted in connection with the killing of a fellow deputy Monday afternoon in Southern California. Sheriffs officials suspect the motorcyclist was involved in the shooting of a San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy who responded to a report of a man threatening a woman with a gun in the city of Rancho Cucamonga, about 45 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, sheriffs officials said. The deputy, six-year-veteran Andrew Nunez, 28, father of a 2-year-old daughter and expecting another child, was shot in the head just after 12:30 p.m. after arriving at the scene and later died at a hospital, sheriffs officials and the office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies arrived and were immediately shot at by the suspect, the sheriff's department said in an earlier statement. An off-duty sheriff's deputy in an unmarked car drove into the path of a motorcyclist wanted in connection with the killing of another deputy, bringing an end to a high-speed chase in Southern California on Monday. (NBC Los Angeles) The incident triggered a high-speed chase that ended only when an off-duty deputy drove a Toyota Camry, which the department described in a statement as an unmarked Sheriffs Department vehicle, into the bikes path on the 210 Freeway in the city of Upland at about 1:35 p.m., Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus said at a news conference. The pursuit came to a conclusion with an off-duty deputy sheriff who put himself on duty and conducted a legal intervention by hitting the suspect on the motorcycle, Dicus said. The motorcyclist at times reached speeds of 150 mph-plus, the sheriffs department said, as deputies and California Highway Patrol units lagged behind during the pursuit, which was captured on video. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rider tumbled and slid forward along the leftmost lane and the left shoulder as the bike did the same after the off-duty deputy bumped into him, video showed, before law enforcement officers moved in to apply restraints. After paramedics rushed to the man's aid, a helicopter landed on the freeway to rush him to a hospital, NBC Los Angeles reported. He was stabilized and is expected to be booked on suspicion of murder upon his release, the sheriff's department said in a statement Monday night. The sheriff's department on Tuesday identified the suspect as Angelo Jose Saldivar, 47, of the city of San Bernardino. He remained hospitalized, it said. It wasnt clear if he has retained counsel. The county public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment after regular business hours Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said Monday that a charging decision for the man would come in a day or two. Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol be flown at half-staff after the killing of Nunez. His courage, compassion and dedication to protecting others reflect the finest traditions of law enforcement, Newsom said in a statement Monday night. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com An international effort led to the arrest of a wanted Mountain View man, and he made his court appearance on Monday. Franklin Enrique Sarceno Orla, 35, is accused of assaulting at least 19 men, perhaps as many as 60, dating back to 2018. Back in the United States and in a Santa Clara County Courtroom, Sarceno Orla appeared for the first time in front of a judge Monday facing life in prison. Mountain View Police Department Detective Lauren Riffel was the lead investigator into accusations that Sarceno Orla drugged and sexually assaulted at least 19 men while working as a barber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "When you have more than one, that's crazy enough," Det. Riffel said. "When you have more than 5, 10, going all the way up to over 60 people - talking to 60 humans that were victimized in a certain population, it's terrible to have to hear these stories over and over again." RELATED: Mountain View sexual assault suspect believed to have HIV: report; victims advised to get tested Sarceno Orla was freshly back in the United States for this court appearance after fleeing the country to Guatemala. District Attorney Jeff Rosen says Sarceno Orla skipped court after posting bail when arrested for his first alleged rape, around the time we first covered this case last fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents detail a string of crimes dating back to 2018. Victims reported losing consciousness after sharing drinks with Sarceno Orla, passing out and waking up injured in his home. RELATED: Mountain View man accused of sexually assaulting at least 60 men appearing in court Monday DA Rosen has also added enhancements to charges because Sarceno Orla is HIV positive. "Once this individual fled the country, we made sure that we did everything we could to bring him back," Rosen said. "We don't forget." Sarceno Orla operated a home barber shop within his apartment in Mountain View. Some of the men were clients of Sarceno Orla around the time they were assaulted, according to prosecutors - others were men he met in local night clubs. RELATED: Police searching for Mountain View barber charged for sexually assaulting 2 men Mountain View Police Chief Michael Canfield applauds survivors for coming forward to help solve this case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In my career of almost 27 years, I have never seen a case like this - with this scope, with his breath of impact on our community," Chief Canfield said. "With this arrest, our community is safer and our victims know that there is justice that they can seek." Sarceno Orla remains in custody this time around after a judge ruled no bail allowed. He will be back in court for his next appearance in January. RESOURCES: Get help with sexual assault, rape, and abuse If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live Is there a point at which Republicans and the broader conservative movement take President Trumps third-term push seriously and start trying to make it happen? His former adviser Steve Bannon told The Economist that there is a plan to make Trump president again despite the limitations of the 22nd Amendment. Theres many different alternatives, he said, declining to reveal any of those until a later date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump Organization is selling Trump 2028 hats, and Trump had 2028 hats in the Oval Office during a pre-government shutdown meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he asked Vice President Vance if he had a problem with that, with Vance saying: No comment. The chatter has ramped up so much again that even a market analyst at Signum Global addressed the matter, per Bloombergs Joe Weisenthal, outlining a potential third-term loophole. Trump on Air Force One early Monday said he would not attempt that loophole running as vice president, with the person atop the ticket stepping down and then Trump taking over once elected calling it too cute. But he would not rule out seeking a third term and said he would love to do it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has talked about a potential third term or 2028 bid repeatedly for months. Most national Republicans have dismissed the idea as a joke, or trolling the media despite Trump himself telling NBC earlier this year that he is not joking about the matter. Now, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) who once brushed off the Trump 2028 talk as a joke is giving more recognition to the desires of some people to see a third Trump term. Johnson said in a press conference on Tuesday that many Americans lament the constrictions of the Constitution, and that the Trump 2028 cap is one of the most popular thats ever been produced. Johnson said that he has talked to Trump about the Constitutional limitations that would prevent Trump from seeking a third term. But the Speaker said he does not see the path to getting him another term after 2028, given the difficulties of amending the Constitution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If meme magic is real, dont be surprised when Trump 2028 starts picking up steam. There are already real efforts in the works. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) proposed a Constitutional amendment in January that would allow Trump to seek a third term. It was carefully worded to only allow a president who has served two non-consecutive terms to seek a third one, preventing former President Obama and former President Bush from mounting a return. Its politically impossible for that effort to succeed. It would take two-thirds of each chamber of Congress meaning significant support from Democrats to advance, before needing three-quarters of states to ratify the amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But other forces are working to build up outside support. Take the Third Term Project an initiative spearheaded by Republicans for National Renewal, which describes itself as a nationalist and populist group whose activists first popped up at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) earlier this year, handing out Trump 2028 stickers and displaying an image of Trump in the style of a Roman statue. That group has mentioned not only a constitutional amendment through Congress but other long-shot ideas like an Article V Convention called by states to amend the Constitution, the idea of running as vice president, or even a legal challenge in an attempt to get the Supreme Courts conservative justices to decide that the 22nd Amendment allows the president to serve more than two terms as long as they are non-consecutive. The Third Term Project is finalizing a white paper on the topic, titled Staying Till The Job is Done: The Case for the Third Term Project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got my hands on an excerpt, which is more aimed at building political support for the third-term cause than on a legal loophole. Here it is: Given the overwhelming need to protect the national interest amidst these fluctuating circumstances, it might very well be time to act boldly and think anew in order to preserve the nation and civilization our forefathers so painstakingly fought for and bequeathed to us. Put more bluntly, it might be time to consider the potential benefits of allowing truly exceptional leaders to stay in office long enough for consequential nation-building goals to be properly seen through. Firstly, it is important to establish what is and is not historical fact and precedence. In the American context, there was an article of faith that the President would not serve more than two terms in that most esteemed office in order to prevent the emergence of what was seen as a calcified monarchy. This article was later codified into the Constitution as the twenty-second amendment, shortly after the only man to break this gentlemens agreement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, served four consecutive terms before dying in office. The purported benefits of the New Deal in mitigating the effects of the Great Depression is a topic still fiercely debated to this day, with conservative and liberal historians and economists arguing vastly divergent opinions on the matter. But what is objectively true is that FDR, apart from the Founding Fathers themselves, is the man most responsible for the America we currently have today, for better or worse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This level of consequence would have been all but impossible to achieve had FDR been officially confined to less than a decade of national stewardship, which then begs the question: Should America be blessed with a truly noble and exceptional leader who goes on to occupy the Oval Office, would it be wiser to allow him a flexible timeline with which to serve this nation to the fullest extent of his capabilities? It all sounds very far-fetched. But given Trumps refusal to rule out a third term, his history of inspiring an election-denialism movement, and devoted following, its feasible to see the jokes turning into a movement as Trump and his allies making a serious third-term effort even if its ill-fated. Welcome to The Movement, a weekly newsletter looking at the influences and debates on the right in Washington. Im Emily Brooks, House leadership reporter at The Hill. Send me tips, comments, or ideas of what I should write about next: ebrooks@thehill.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Follow or DM me on X: @emilybrooksnews Not already on the list? Subscribe here HERITAGE RESPONDS TO SENATOR WHITEHOUSE SCOOP Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts on Monday formally denied a request from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) for a broad swath of documents and communication from the think tank that might have contributed to an Environmental Protection Agency change. Whitehouse, in his role as ranking member on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, in September launched an investigation into outside influences who might have impacted the Environmental Protection Agencys proposed rollback of the agencys 2009 endangerment finding that determined greenhouse gasses threaten public health and welfare. He sent requests for information to not only Heritage but also the America First Policy Institute, American Petroleum Institute BP, Chevron, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Exxon, General Motors, Heartland Institute, Heritage Foundation, Shell, Toyota, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and more, noting some of their praise for the proposed rule change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whitehouse had requested from Heritage, and from others, any documents from Nov. 5, 2024, through July 29, 2025, containing the words endangerment, tailpipe, consumer choice, preempt, or preemption. Roberts wrote that Whitehouses request lacks any legal authority to compel the internal work product demanded. The basic premise of your letter is that any challenge to the endangerment finding, and antifossil fuel policies more broadly, is obviously unscientific and immoral, and corrupt; therefore, Heritage or anyone else challenging anti-fossil-fuel policies is corrupt and in need of investigation, Roberts responded. But if you read our work, you would understand why our position is in fact the scientific and moral one. Roberts added: It is in no way unusual that government officials notice and utilize Heritages work. On the contrary, that is the point. COLLEGE REPUBLICAN CHAPTER DISAVOWAL RICHOCHETS The Boston College chapter of the College Republicans is getting backlash after it publicly criticized a speech from a MAGA-world figure it hosted on campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American Moment CEO Nick Solheim traveled to Boston on his own dime last week, where he gave a speech telling the young students that they need to be willing to be killed for their beliefs. The Boston College Republicans chapter executive board then posted a since-deleted statement recognizing that Solheim had not been approved to speak on campus and adding his rhetoric was unprecedented and unrepresentative of our club members, and that it did not endorse any of these views. It then noted it would host Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) while saying it will uphold the notion of civil discourse. There was massive online backlash from MAGA figures and conservative activists. Jack Posobiec called the statement pathetic and soft. The Daily Wires Michael Knowles called it disgraceful. Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) called it pure cowardice. The College Republicans of America one of the spun-off national rivals to the more-established College Republican National Committee said it designated the Boston College Republicans group as an unwelcome organization. (If you want to go down the rabbit hole, heres more on the national CR infighting from Alex J. Rouhandeh at Newsweek.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Boston College Republicans chapter didnt get back to me when I asked about the statement on Monday. What was perhaps most interesting about Solheims speech is how it hit on a core theme dividing the old free-market establishment and MAGA right. How many of you in this room want to die for lower taxes, free trade, and the ideas of Adam Smith, the invisible hand, and so on? Show of hands? No? Do you think thats why they slander us in the media and attempt to kill our leaders? No, Solheim said, according to a copy of his speech he posted on X. Rather, he argued, it is freedom of speech, freedom of association the God-given right to associate with whomever and whichever ideas you like, no matter how naughty the mainstream media may think they are, without any legal downside and freedom from tyranny are the values, he argues, their enemies would kill them over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Solheim had this to say on the Young Republicans racist group chat drama from earlier this month: Recognize the friend/enemy distinction and live accordingly . At the same time as were eating our own, the likely next Attorney General of Virginia has called for the death of the little fascist 2 and 5 year-old children of one of his Republican colleagues and has not been denounced by a single Democrat in or seeking federal elected office. These two sins are not even close to similar in their severity, yet theres a lesson in how Democrats protect their own. Saying naughty, edgy words may be dumb, but what Democrats are doing is evil. I will never disavow one of my own with these stakes. ON MY CALENDAR Monday, Nov. 3: Phyllis Schlaflys Eagle Forum and the Patriot Freedom Project host a panel on Ending the weaponization of the federal government, featuring Patriot Freedom Projects Cynthia Hughes, John Lauro, personal counsel to President Trump in the Jack Smith prosecution; Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project; Nicholas Smith, attorney for January 6 defendants; and Douglass Mackey, whose conviction over posting 2016 election memes was overturned. Capitol Hill Club, 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21: The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity hosts its Freedom & Progress 2025 conference in downtown Washington, D.C. THREE MORE THINGS SCOOP The Archbridge Institute, a think tank aimed at human flourishing and economic mobility that was founded in 2016 by its president and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz, announced a major expansion now with eight staff members and 20 fellows on its economics, psychology, and culture teams. Its staff consists of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Clay Routledge, Vice President of Policy Edward Timmons, Vice President of Finance Romulo Lopez, Chief Economist Justin Callais, senior fellow James J. Heckman, senior fellow Axel Kaiser; and Director of Communications and Marketing Kali Keller. SCOOP The Heritage Foundation has been hosting lunches for Capitol Hill and administration staffers going without a paycheck amid the government shutdown, a tipster told me. After I asked about it, I got this from Steve Chartan, vice president of government relations at Heritage: Since Democrats are intent on keeping the government closed and forcing Americans to work without a paycheck, Heritage is offering free lunch to furloughed federal employees and others needing a hand. We want Democrats to end their shutdown as soon as possible. In the meantime, its been great to see a lot of new faces at Heritage. Heritage is happy to be a resource for staff as long as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jefferies keep up their temper tantrum. Eyeballs emoji: FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino unfollowed Bannons War Room and the shows CFO/COO Grace Chong, per a tracker account run by prediction market company Kalshi. WHAT IM READING Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Starting this fall, Milwaukee Public Schools will offer a new van service to help homeless students get to and from school. District officials said the $1.1 million pilot program is meant to improve access, cut costs and serve as a model for future transportation efforts. The district is leasing a fleet of 20 hybrid minivans, each of which can transport four students at a time. David Fifarek, senior director of transportation services for MPS, said the program allows the district to serve homeless and displaced students who are living in temporary places farther away or outside of typical school bus routes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 5,000 students in Milwaukee Public Schools experienced housing insecurity last school year, according to the district. The National Center for Homeless Education cites transportation as one of the biggest barriers preventing homeless students from regularly attending school. We must do whatever it takes to get all our students to school, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said in a statement. Our schools cant solve homelessness, but MPS is thinking outside the box to ensure dignity, respect, and stability, so displaced students can focus on their learning and their futures." The project was funded through federal COVID-19 relief dollars, known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, under a grant aimed at removing barriers for unhoused students in the district. While Milwaukee Public Schools already contracts with eight yellow bus companies and eight private van providers, Fifarek said the new service will give the district more flexibility, especially for long-distance routes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In some cases, he said, students attending Milwaukee schools are living in temporary housing or shelters outside the district's boundaries. Homeless students who currently get to and from school through the district's contracted van providers travel about 12 miles on average, Fifarek said. Finding regular drivers for longer routes can be difficult because of geographic restrictions. Fifarek said the new vans will target students who need to travel 15 to 20 miles to get to school. The van service is also expected to save MPS money by reducing the district's reliance on yellow buses to transport a small number of students, Fifarek said. The project has been in the works for more than a year. It faced delays due to insurance requirements, Fifarek said, but the district aims to begin offering the service after drivers complete practice runs this month. District officials said they hope to eventually expand the van service to other groups, including students with disabilities or those needing transportation to job sites or apprenticeship programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're excited to see this really start to move," Fifarek said. Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions at the Journal Sentinel. Reach her at khuynh@gannett.com and follow her on X at @_kaylahuynh. All of her work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors. Kaylas position receives support from Kohl Philanthropies and contributions to the Community-Funded Journalism Project. Help continue this reporting with a tax-deductible donation at jsonline.com/support. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS starts van service to help homeless students get to school MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell unloaded on CNN CEO Mark Thompson and his networks right-wing pundit in a brutal criticism over its coverage of President Donald Trump. CNN is already owned by a right-wing Trump supporter and has compromised itself accordingly, ODonnell told viewers Monday on his show Last Word, claiming that everyone who remains at the network after anchor Jim Acosta left earlier this year is much more careful in anything they might even think of saying about the president. News: CNN Pundit Scott Jennings, Who Regularly Defends Trump, Gets Raise Amid Staff Cuts The MSNBC host went on to say the network eagerly pays a Trump supporter to lie on CNN every day and night for Donald Trump, claiming the network did so during his first presidential campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He specifically attacked Scott Jennings, a pundit known for his conservative takes on NewsNight with Abby Phillip. The head of CNN for the last three years, hired by the Trump-supporting owner and operator of CNN, is an Englishman who thinks paying Scott Jennings to lie about Donald Trump is money very well spent, ODonnell said. Jennings has been at the network since 2017, starting during the first Trump administration and working under different CEOs. Thompson, the Englishman ODonnell references, was put in charge of the network in 2023. News: Shohei Ohtani Makes Baseball History In Utterly Insane World Series Marathon ODonnell lambasted Jennings, saying he was not always a rabid, lying Trump supporter, noting how the pundit used to criticize some of Trumps more extreme positions. But he figured out where the money is and how he could get his own podcast and decided to become the JD Vance of CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The MSNBC host told viewers the single goofiest thing ever said by anyone in charge of CNN in that networks history was the lost-in-America Englishman who heads CNN comparing Jennings to a character in The Three Musketeers. Scotts like DArtagnan, hes got his sword out and hes got about four Democrats against him, but he spiked them all off. Thats much more like it, I think. Hes a worthy opponent, as it were, for the Democrats in the room, Thompson told Mediate earlier this month. And it makes for not just good television, but also for, in some ways, a slightly deeper testing of the ideas all the way around that table. Mark Thompson, above, chair and CEO of CNN Worldwide, praised right-wing pundit Scott Jennings in an interview with Mediate. Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images CNN declined to comment on ODonnells remarks when reached by HuffPost, but a source at the network told Mediates David Gilmour: Wonder if Lawrences audience knew he resented immigrants this much. He may be interested to know the lost-in-America Englishman is an American citizen. A CNN source offered @Mediaite this pretty scathing response to O'Donnell's tirade against CEO Mark Thompson: Wonder if Lawrences audience knew he resented immigrants this much. He may be interested to know the lost in America Englishman is an American citizen. David Gilmour (@davidmgilmour) October 28, 2025 ODonnell insulted CNNs programming while boasting about his own, claiming the show Jennings frequents the most is on opposite this program, and that show, on a good night, gets half, half of the audience of this show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This program usually has an audience triple the size of the terrible, terrible television that Scott Jennings is delivering on the absurdly degraded version of CNN presided over by the man who thinks lying for Donald Trump on TV is an honorable pursuit and should be paid for by CNN, ODonnell concluded. Politics: Lawrence O'Donnell Exposes The 'Very Bad News' Trump Is Desperately Trying To Hide Jennings fired back at ODonnell in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying, No, Lawrence, I do not have time to save your show. No, Lawrence, I do not have time to save your show. https://t.co/IHitdjp57O Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) October 28, 2025 Related... Read the original on HuffPost MSNBC star Lawrence ODonnell tore into CNN and its corporate leadership for prominently featuring Scott Jennings on the air, calling the network absurdly deranged for employing a rabid, lying Trump supporter. ODonnells tirade against the rival cable news network comes as CNNs parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is being targeted for a takeover by Paramount chief David Ellison, a bid that is largely bankrolled by his Trump-backing ultra-wealthy father Larry Ellison. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Donald Trump has all but approved Paramounts merger proposal with WBD, despite no deal yet being reached. During Mondays broadcast of his primetime MSNBC (soon to be MS NOW) show, ODonnell grumbled about media moguls looking to grow richer through massive corporate mergers, which he said showed how they never cared about the news. He then took aim at the corporate parents of CBS News and ABC News for settling frivolous lawsuits with the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They might all be doing this because they fear Donald Trumps interference with the next merger they want to engage in. But it wasnt always that way, ODonnell huffed. It used to be that Republican administrations allowed just about any corporate merger to go through as part of their so-called pro-business spirit. It turns out that was all a lie. They dont believe in anything. The liberal host went on to accuse corporations of being afraid of taking the president and his administration to court, instead insisting that they are merely looking to placate Trump in order to win his approval. MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell blasted CNN and its corporate leadership for paying Scott Jenning to "lie" on the air in defense of Donald Trump. (MSNBC) These greedy, cowardly corporate executives and billionaires of today dont want to wait 204 days to get richer, ODonnell declared. Not when the payoffs of the mergers could come immediately, just by paying off Donald Trump. This brought him to CNN, which he said was currently owned by a right-wing Trump supporter, seemingly referencing WBD shareholder John Malone. Claiming that the network has compromised itself accordingly, ODonnell referenced the recent departure of anchor Jim Acosta as proof of CNNs conservative shift under chief executive Mark Thompson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And everyone who remains has become much more careful in anything they might even think of saying about Donald Trump, he stated before directly invoking Jennings. And now CNN eagerly pays a Trump supporter to lie on CNN every day and night for Donald Trump. Claiming CNN regularly paid Trump supporters to lie about the president during the first Trump administration, ODonnell added that the CNN regime then realized that was a mistake and stopped doing it. However, according to the MSNBC star, Thompson decided to bring back the MAGA defenders when he took over CNN three years ago. [Thompson] thinks paying Scott Jennings to lie about Donald Trump is money very well spent. Scott Jennings, who used to be an aide to Senator Mitch McConnell, was not always a rabid, lying Trump supporter, ODonnell exclaimed. When he first started appearing on television, he was capable of criticizing some of the more extreme Trump positions, but Scott Jennings figured out where the money is and how he could get his own podcast and decided to become the JD Vance of CNN. Pointing to a recent interview that Thompson gave to Mediaite, ODonnell accused the lost in America Englishman of saying the single goofiest thing ever said by anyone in charge of CNN, which featured Thompson directly comparing Jennings to one of the Three Musketeers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scotts like DArtagnan, hes got his sword out and hes got about four Democrats against him, but he spiked them all off. Thats much more like it, I think. Hes a worthy opponent, as it were, for the Democrats in the room, Thompson said earlier this month. And it makes for not just good television, but also for in some ways, a slightly deeper testing of the ideas all the way around that table. Taking particular offense at Thompsons claim that Jennings makes for good television, the MSNBC host noted that the right-wing pundit is prominently featured on CNN Newsight which airs opposite ODonnells show. ODonnell called CNN senior political commentator Jennings a lying, rabid Trump supporter. (Getty Images) Good television? Heres how bad that television is that they make over there. The show that Scott Jennings frequents the most is on opposite this program. And that show on a good night gets half of the audience of this show, the Last Word host said. This program usually has an audience triple the size of the terrible, terrible television that Scott Jennings is delivering on the absurdly degraded version of CNN, presided over by the man who thinks lying for Donald Trump on TV is an honorable pursuit and should be paid for by CNN, he concluded. Scotts like DArtagnan, he says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Ellison is currently looking to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery and potentially merge CNN with CBS News, Jennings recently visited with new CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, the anti-woke founder of The Free Press. Jennings meeting with Weiss comes as she is actively pursuing Bret Baier to anchor the networks evening broadcast, though it is highly unlikely she will succeed in poaching the Fox News star. Meanwhile, Ellison isnt the only suitor looking to take over WBD. Comcast, the corporate parent of MSNBC at least until the Versant spinoff is complete later this year has expressed interest in purchasing all or parts of the media giant. While the president has long railed against Comcast chairman Brian Roberts, calling him a lowlife while describing the company as Concast, the NBCUniversal owner recently ponied up cash to fund Trumps East Wing demolition and new ballroom. That move has left many of the companys journalists disgusted and mortified. On top of that, one top media analyst has suggested that in order for Roberts to convince the president to approve a merger between Comcast and WBD, he should agree to install Erika Kirk the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as the editor-in-chief of NBC News, MSNBC and CNN. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The World Health Organization's (WHO's) priorities are being skewed by its increasing reliance on donations from organizations such as the Gates Foundation (previously known as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), which must be spent on specific health challenges favored by the donors, suggests a study published in the journal BMJ Global Health. Between 2000 and 2024, more than half of the US $5.5 billion donated by the Gates Foundation to WHO was directed toward vaccine-related projects and polio, while relatively little funding was spent on other issues considered to be important by WHO. The Gates Foundation has become WHO's second biggest source of funding in recent years, contributing 9.5% of WHO's revenues between 2010 and 2023. Its largest funder was the United States, but earlier this year the US announced it would withdraw from WHO from January 2026. Germany and the UK were third and fourth largest WHO funders, respectively. Although it is widely assumed that the Gates Foundation's financial power allows it to exert influence over WHO's work program, little research has been undertaken to track exactly how its grants are spent. To address this, the authors extracted data from the Gates Foundation website on all its grants to WHO between 2000 and 2024 to determine the number and value of grants, and the diseases, health issues and activities they funded. Between 2000 and 2024, the Gates Foundation made 640 grants worth US $5.5 billion to WHO. In total, 6.4% of all grants made by the Gates Foundation during this period went to WHO. More than 80% of the Gates Foundation's grants to WHO (US $4.5 billion) were targeted at infectious diseases and almost 60% (US $3.2 billion) were spent on polio. More than half of the Foundation's money (US $2.9 billion) was used to fund vaccine programs and related projects. Relatively little funding from the Gates Foundation was directed towards non-communicable diseases, strengthening health systems, and broader determinants of health, despite their importance to WHO strategy and global health more generally. Just US $11.8 million (0.2%) was spent on water and sanitation and US $37.4 million (0.7%) on health systems strengthening. Less than 1% of the Foundation's funding went towards non-communicable diseases, despite them being responsible for 74% of global deaths with 77% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. WHO's budget comes from two sourcesassessed contributions from member states, calculated according to a country's wealth and population, plus voluntary contributions or extra-budgetary funding from member states and non-state organizations. Around nine-tenths of the income comes from voluntary or extra-budgetary funding, and almost all of this money is "earmarked," i.e. given on the condition that it funds activities and projects defined by the donor. The way WHO is funded limits its ability to fulfill its strategic goals, the authors say. "Assessed contributions from member states are nowhere near the level needed to fund its strategic priorities, so WHO must rely on earmarked voluntary contributions from donors," they say. "Consequently, activities and areas that donors favor receive more resources than are required, while those they are not interested in do not get enough." And the situation could worsen if the United StatesWHO's largest donorcarries through with its threat, announced in January 2025, to withdraw from WHO. While it is easy to blame major donors like the Gates Foundation for undermining WHO's independence by pursuing its agenda through WHO, the authors say, "We should not, however, lose sight of the fact that it is the member states' failure to increase assessed contributions in line with WHO's needs over the last four decades that has created a situation in which the organization is forced to rely on voluntary contributions from donors." They add, "WHO has asked for more flexible and sustainable funding, warning that without fundamental changes to the way it is financed, it will be unable to achieve its strategic aims. If the member states continue to ignore these exhortations, then WHO will remain vulnerable to the influence of external donors and will struggle to address the full spectrum of contemporary global health challenges." More information: Who's leading WHO? A quantitative analysis of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's grants to WHO, 2000-2024, BMJ Global Health (2025). DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015343 Journal information: BMJ Global Health MSNBC host Lawrence ODonnell slammed CNN on Monday as an absurdly degraded network as he blasted its CEO, Mark Thompson, for paying rabid conservative pundit Scott Jennings to lie about Donald Trump. ODonnells tirade came as he discussed media moguls playing to President Trump to seal business mergers before he argued the rival network, too, was compromised and used Jennings as a case in point. CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discoverys stock jumped last week after CEO David Zaslav revealed that the company has attracted multiple parties interested in a potential acquisition. The disclosure came as the media giant announced its board had launched a strategic review following recent unsolicited interest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move effectively signals that WBD is open to offers, with CBS parent firm Paramount Global, now under David Ellisons leadership, reportedly among those pursuing a deal. ODonnell unloaded on Zaslav to begin with, claiming his ownership has quashed editorial freedom: CNN is already owned by a right-wing Trump supporter and has compromised itself accordingly. The firing started right away in that new regime. Thats why Jim Acosta is no longer there and others are no longer there. And everyone who remains has become much more careful in anything they might even think of saying about Donald Trump. Rounding on Jennings, the host continued: And now CNN eagerly pays a Trump supporter to lie on CNN every day and night for Donald Trump. CNN did this during the first Trump presidential campaign and presidency. CNN regularly paid Trump supporters to lie about Trump on CNN. But the CNN regime then realized that was a mistake, and they stopped doing it. They stopped paying for lies. He then pointed to Thompson, whom he blasted for pandering to the president by keeping Jennings on the air: But then CNN got a new head, the head of CNN for the last three years, hired by the Trump supporting owner and operator of CNN, is an Englishman who thinks paying Scott Jennings to lie about Donald Trump is money very well spent. Scott Jennings, who used to be an aide to Senator Mitch McConnell, was not always a rabid, lying Trump supporter. When he first started appearing on television, he was capable of criticizing some of the more extreme Trump positions but Scott Jennings figured out where the money is and how he could get his own podcast and decided to become the JD Vance of CNN. ODonnell then continued to mock comments made by the lost in America Englishman Thompson in an interview with Mediaites Colby Hall as the single goofiest thing ever said by anyone in charge of CNN for defending Jennings as DArtagnan one of the fictional French Three Musketeers from the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thompson likened the pundit to having his sword out and jousting with a Democrat stacked panel each night on CNNs NewsNight with Abby Phillip, adding Jennings made for good television and a deeper testing of liberal ideas. ODonnell followed: Good television. Heres how bad that television is that they make over there. The show that Scott Jennings frequents the most is on opposite this program. And that show on a good night gets half half of the audience of this show. This program usually has an audience triple the size of the terrible, terrible television that Scott Jennings is delivering on the absurdly degraded version of CNN, presided over by the man who thinks lying for Donald Trump on TV is an honorable pursuit and should be paid for by CNN. Scotts like DArtagnan, he says. As the clip went viral, Jennings mockingly sniped back on X: No, Lawrence, I do not have time to save your show. A CNN source offered an even more scathing takedown of ODonnells tirade against Thompson, telling Mediaite: Wonder if Lawrences audience knew he resented immigrants this much. He may be interested to know the lost in America Englishman is an American citizen. Watch above via MSNBC. The post MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell Slams Degraded CNN for Paying Rabid Scott Jennings to Lie About Trump first appeared on Mediaite. MATTAWAN, Mich. (WOOD) A man has been charged after a Friday night shooting in Mattawan that involved troopers from the Paw Paw Post. According to the Michigan State Police, 37-year-old Joshua Crow of Kalamazoo was arraigned Monday on 10 charges, which include resisting and obstructing police, malicious destruction of police property, fleeing and operating while intoxicated. The shooting happened around 9:15 p.m. Friday on westbound I-94 near the exit to Mattawans Main Street. No one was actually hit by gunfire, according to troopers, and no injuries were reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MSP has described it as an officer-involved shooting, but the agency has so far refused to clarify what led up to the shooting or who shot at who. A statement of probable cause against Crow filed with the court makes no mention of any shots being fired. In the probable cause document, an MSP sergeant wrote that a trooper turned on lights and sirens after seeing Crows pickup truck was stopped partially in the road. (Crow) began moving at a slow speed and swerving all over the road, the document reads in part. The trooper followed him for about 4 miles, the document says, soon joined by two other cruisers. One of the officers pulled in front of Crows pickup and stopped, at which point Crow rammed the cruiser, causing damage, the document alleges. The officers then performed the PIT maneuver, intentionally causing a crash to stop Crows pickup, and then tried to box it in. Crow then drove into another cruiser, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities say Crow resisted them, so they used a Taser on him and pulled him out of the pickup. (Crow) would not listen to verbal commands or give officers his arms so he was tased again, the document reads. MSP said they found a whippet can that was still smoking next to Crows driver seat. After the shooting investigation is done, it will be sent to the Michigan Department of Attorney General for review, MSP said. Prosecutors declined to speak with News 8 Tuesday, citing an open investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) Monday marked a new chapter for the City of Mt. Juliet. The city cut the ribbon on the brand new police headquarters. News 2 toured the facility before the event and got to see all the new, unique amenities. Today is a huge day for our community, our city, our police department, Mt. Juliet Deputy Police Chief Tyler Chandler said. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Chandler said the department has grown out of the old building, which sits behind the new headquarters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we moved into our current building over 11 years ago, we had about 45 police officers; today we have 86, Chandler said. However, Chandler said the 2020 tornado also presented a need for storm shelters. In the new headquarters, there are two storm shelters for the community and first responders. Chandler said the department also has evidence processing space, K-9 kennels, and plenty of training and office space. We have an advanced communications center that handles all the police fire and dispatching but also our real time intelligence operations, which is all our LPRs, camera systems and our drones as a first responder, Chandler said. He said the MJPD will be the first agency in the state to use drones as first responders. News 2 watched as the drone was being operated over the city in real time. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com We are going to have drones as a first responder where drones are installed in two buildings in our community, and they will be responding first to the scenes to provide building and intelligence back to our responders, so they know exactly what they are responding to, Chandler said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chandler said the new space offers police all the tools they need under one roof, which will serve the community for years to come. And we will probably never ever have to build another headquarters, as our city grows, we may need to put a precinct in the south end of town, by the interstate, by our shopping area, but this headquarters will be our headquarters for many, many years, Chandler said. Chandler said the department will slowly move in through November, and he hopes to be fully moved in by the end of the year. At the time of Mondays interview, Chandler was the Deputy Chief of Police for Mt. Juliet. As of Monday afternoon, he has been named Mt. Juliet Police Chief. He will be sworn in on Monday night at the city commission meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. The return of snow has already claimed a life on the tallest mountain in the continental United States, with the death of a hiker on slippery Mt. Whitney, according to the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. Over the weekend, the hiker fell in the notorious 99 Switchbacks section of the main trail, said Lindsey Stine, community outreach coordinator for the Sheriffs Office. The switchbacks begin just above Trail Camp at almost 12,000 feet, where many hikers spend the night before making an early morning start for the 14,500-foot summit. In the summer, when the trail is dry, the switchbacks section is a long slog, winding back and forth up two miles and nearly 2,000 vertical feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it gets a big snow, as it did this month, the trail becomes buried and the whole slope becomes perilously steep. Wes Ostgaard, who said he has climbed Mt. Whitney four times, posted on Facebook that conditions on Saturday were so treacherous he and his climbing partners decided to turn around. Winds were extremely intense, and with the recent snowfall, the wind was blasting snow in our faces, Ostgaard wrote. The snow covered the trail and, in many places, rendered it invisible, he wrote. When Ostgaard and his companions were descending the switchbacks, they encountered the body of another hiker who had apparently fallen above a section of steel safety cables and then slid an additional 70 feet or so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe it is highly unlikely he survived, Ostgaard wrote of the hiker. There was a fair amount of blood from [colliding with] the cables, and a lot of blood around a rock he made contact with. Ostgaard used Starlink to contact his father around 12:30 p.m., who then contacted emergency services. A helicopter arrived about four hours later, Ostgaard wrote. Another hiker that day, Kirill Novitskiy, encountered the same conditions on the switchbacks but made the wrong decision to keep climbing. He made it up with just microspikes little metal cleats that attach to the bottom of shoes and provide winter traction on flat ground or on gentle slopes where falling would be no big deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But microspikes are notoriously inadequate for winter mountaineering, when a fall could be fatal. As so often happens in the mountains, when Novitskiy returned to the steep switchbacks after a few hours traveling on relatively flat ground to and from the summit, he discovered conditions had deteriorated so much that he was in real danger and seriously under-equipped. "I had a couple of dangerous places where the trail became a slope full of powdery snow, and it was very easy to slip off, Novitskiy wrote on Facebook. The worst part on the way back were the switchbacks. Almost all the trail was covered with powdery snow brought up with the wind, it was very hard to go with just microspikes. Near the cables he saw a pair of trekking poles with nobody around and then encountered a group of five hikers at the bottom of the switchbacks who told him about the accident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Mt. Whitney: A perilous trek to the top of California's record snowpack Anyone attempting to climb Mt. Whitney from this point on in the winter season should bring crampons much larger spikes that attach firmly to mountaineering boots and dig deep into snow and ice to prevent falls and an ice ax. Experts also advise traveling in groups and bringing a satellite communication device to contact help if anything goes wrong. So far, the Sheriffs Office has not released the identity of the hiker who died. In January, a hiker from Texas died after attempting to climb Mt. Whitney in bad weather. His body was found at an elevation of 12,000 feet near North Fork Lone Pine Creek Trail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In June, a 14-year-old hiker became delirious on Mt. Whitney and fell off a 120-foot cliff. He survived. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes constituents are taking her side in her split with President Donald Trump. Voters in solidly red North Georgia tell Bloomberg they are grateful that MAGA hardliner Greene has called out the presidenteven if it has made her a pariah in the eyes of the White House. Doug Bowling, the owner of a deli in downtown Rome, where Greene lives, told the site that Trumps inability to bring down costsa result partly stemming from his tariff crusadeis hurting his business. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been one of the most vocal proponents of releasing the Epstein Files. / BRYAN DOZIER / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Were making no money, he told Bloomberg, adding that his labor costs are soaring and will never come down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greene, 51, has pushed her party to focus on the economy and make it work for everyday Americans, not just crypto donors. Her pleas come as Trump, 79, has torn down the East Wing of the White House to build a massive ballroom to host swanky dinners, even as the government remains shut down. I love her because shes a voice for the people, said Elizabeth Fielden, a Republican from tiny Ringgold, Georgia, in an interview with Bloomberg. Greene has criticized her Senate colleagues for not using a nuclear method to end the shutdown and reopen the government. Republican lawmakers and Trump have instead opted to play the blame game with Democrats while over a million federal workers go without pay, some resorting to gig jobs like Uber to cover their bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greene has also broken with Trump on combating rising healthcare costs. Bowling said he hopes Congress listens to Greene and extends Affordable Care Act tax credits, as he is concerned about what will happen to his business if rates rise by 80 to 200 percent, as projected. Marjorie Taylor Greenes deep-red district spans from the edge of the Atlanta suburbs to the states northwest corneron the state lines of Alabama and Tennessee. / Office of Marjorie Taylor Greene Bloomberg reports that 74,000 people in Greenes district receive tax credits to help lower their monthly premium payments. The Trump administration has modified the method for calculating tax credits, meaning enrollees will be required to contribute a larger percentage of their income towards a standard ACA plan in 2026. Greene has said she is absolutuely disgusted with the planned price hike. Dan Morgan, a Republican lawyer in Greenes district, said, She can admit when shes wrong and she can change a position upon thought. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene gives President Donald Trump a kiss on the cheek in 2025. / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images It was in March that Greene wore a red MAGA cap that read TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING to the presidents address to Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A year prior, at former President Joe Bidens final State of the Union address, she wore a signed Make America Great Again hat and political buttons. Biden laughed at her when he saw the extravagant get-up. Now, Greene has gone rogue. Im carving my own lane, she posted to X this month. Im absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year. She continued, Not a single Republican in leadership talked to us about this or has given us a plan to help Americans deal with their health insurance premiums DOUBLING. Greenes office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taking a hardline position against rising healthcare costsand on declassifying the so-called Epstein Filesmay not be popular at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but Bloomberg reports Greenes growing independence from Trump is welcomed in Georgia. Kasey Carpenter, a Republican state representative who lives in Greenes district, noted that their shared constituents are feeling it in their pocketbooks. Theres some real cracks in the economy, he told Bloomberg. The haves are fine, but the have nots are not. The tariffs are really affecting more lower-class folks. For the upper class, its just a rounding issue. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is taking shots at Republicans lack of action in reopening the government, directing her ire at White House staff and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Greene expressed her frustrations on a House Republican conference call Tuesday, saying that she was tired of people listening to White House political staff, Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News reported. She also said Senate Majority John Thune should abolish the filibuster to pass a funding bill and reopen the government. In a post on X, Greene confirmed Shermans reporting, and added that she said I have no respect for the House not being in session passing our bills and the Presidents executive orders. Greene also once again attacked Johnson for failing to produce a single health care plan that would keep costs down for Americans. Democrats have demanded that tax credits for the Affordable Care Act be extended in order to vote to reopen the government, the primary sticking point in the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson said hes got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call, Greene wrote. Later, Greene told The Washington Posts Kadia Goba that she was muted on the call, and then reprimanded by Johnson, who said, Stop attacking your own party, Marjorie. A source close to Republican leadership didnt deny the incident, saying it was standard practice for a third party to mute the line after questions to give leadership a chance to respond. In recent months, Greene has not hesitated to criticize her own party, calling out Republicans and Donald Trump on everything from the Epstein files to Israels genocide in Gaza. Trump has been dumbfounded by the Georgia congresswomans turn, asking other Republicans what happened to her. Johnson doesnt seem to have an answer to her or any of his other critics as the government shutdown stretches to nearly a month. CLINTON COUNTY, Ill. The Clinton County Sheriffs Office says multiple dead deer with gunshot wounds were found in a field last Friday, Oct. 24. According to the sheriffs office and the Illinois Conservation Police, the deer were found not too far from the roadway around the Boulder Area. Officials say the deer are believed to be shot from the roadways. Law enforcement also suspects that there may be more deer that were shot, but they havent been located at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Clinton County Sheriffs Office is investigating the incident and is seeking to identify those who may be involved. Anyone who has information that can assist deputies in their investigation is urged to contact the Clinton County Sheriffs Office at 618-594-4555. Acting Chief Deputy Dennis Perez can also be reached at dennis.perez@clintonco.illinois.gov. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. COLUMBUS GROVE Multiple fire departments responded to an early-morning report of a barn fully engulfed in flames Monday in Monroe Township. The Cairo-Monroe Township Fire Department received aid from the American Township, Beaverdam-Richland and Columbus Grove fire departments for a fully engulfed barn fire just after 1 a.m. Monday at 433 Hillville Road, Columbus Grove, according to a Facebook post from the American Township Fire Department. The American Township Fire Department contributed an engine and a tanker to combat the blaze, which appeared to completely destroy the structure, according to aerial photographs taken at the scene by Elite Drone Services. No information on any equipment or animals potentially lost inside the structure has been released, nor has the cause of the fire been released. There were no reports of injuries. The Cairo-Monroe Township Fire Department could not be reached for comment. The property is owned by Paul Niese, according to Allen County Auditor records. Action News Jax has now learned there are at least four open lawsuits against Kid City USA, a daycare company based in Daytona Beach with locations across the U.S. and northeast Florida. We told you last week when we found out Kid City USAs daycare in Fernandina Beach abruptly closed, which parents told us happened without warning. We searched Nassau County court records and found out landlord of that daycare sued Kid City USA and its CEO two months ago, claiming they had missed rent payments totaling more than $104,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ciara Morris was a teacher at the Kid City USA teacher in Fernandina Beach. She tells Action News Jax that she and her fellow teachers only got one phone call from the company notifying them their location would be shutting down, a call Morris said happened one day before they had to close the doors on the daycare. This is how I provide for my two kids, and it was all taken from me, Morris said, I felt like a rug had been snatched out from under me. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Apart from the Nassau County lawsuit, we found open lawsuits in Duval, St. Johns and Clay Counties. All of the lawsuits claim that Kid City USA and its CEO missed rent payments to the landlords of some of the daycares managed by the company, adding to more than $500,000 worth of rent that wasnt paid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the lawsuits came from the landlord of one of Kid City USAs daycares in Clay County, on Royal Pines Road, which closed last month. The lawsuit claims the company and its CEO missed more than $226,000 in rent payments. Beth Dreher said she was the director for the Kid City daycare in Fruit Cove for about seven months before she quit, in part, because she claims Kid City USA management wasnt giving her the resources she needed to effectively take care of the kids. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] I didnt feel like I had any support from the company, said Dreher, I was severely understaffed, I was working 6:00 in the morning to 6:00 at night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the last two weeks, weve told you about the daycare closures of the Kid City USA locations in Fernandina Beach and Aberdeen, a neighborhood in St. Johns County. We called the location in St. Augustine, which had sent a letter to families last week notifying them the daycare would close this upcoming Friday, October 31st, to ask about its possible closure. We were told the daycare was working through issues with its landlord and hopes to stay open. Action News Jax has contacted the lawyer representing the CEO of Kid City USA asking for a response to the lawsuits, recent daycare closures and questions asked by parents and former daycare employees. Were still waiting for a follow-up, as well as a response to the multiple requests we have made for interviews with Kid City USA. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: This type of stem was found to be better at preventing early femoral fracture after total hip replacement than flat-tapered wedge stems. Credit: Nakashima Health Force Co. As populations continue to age, total hip replacement (THR) is becoming an increasingly common surgical procedure. Experts estimate that approximately one million THRs are performed each year worldwide. The surgery is often life-changing, as it can fully restore the function of the hip joint, reduce pain, and allow patients to walk and bear weight again. However, as with any major surgery, the procedure is not without risks, especially for older individuals with other health conditions. A significant complication following THR is a femoral fracturea break in the thigh bone near the artificial hip joint. This is currently the leading cause of reoperation or revision surgery after THR. Nearly half of these fractures occurred early, usually within the first 90 days following surgery. While surgeons have limited control over factors such as their patients' age, health status, and lifestyle, one critical decision they can influence is the design of the artificial hip implant to use. But which type of hip implant is best at preventing early femoral fractures? A research team led by Assistant Professor Rui Hirasawa from the Graduate School of Medicine at Chiba University, Japan, conducted a retrospective study comparing the two most widely used types of femoral stems in THR. Their work was published in Bone & Joint Journal. It was co-authored by Dr. Kazuhiro Oinuma, Executive Director of Funabashi Orthopedic Hospital, and Dr. Yoko Miura, Director of the Joint Reconstruction Center at Funabashi Orthopedic Hospital, as well as Lecturer Shigeo Hagiwara, Associate Professor Junichi Nakamura, and Professor Seiji Ohtori, from Chiba University. The two types of femoral stems compared were collared fully hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated stems and flat-tapered wedge stems. The first type features a stabilizing ring or "collar" at the top of the implant that rests on the patient's bone, and a specialized coating called HA, designed to promote bone growth directly onto the implant for a secure fit. Meanwhile, flat-tapered stems rely purely on their wedge shape and tight fit within the bone canal of the femur to achieve initial stability; they do not have a stabilizing collar or HA coating. "Based on both our clinical impressions and reports in the literature indicating a lower incidence of post-THR femoral fractures with collared fully HA-coated stems, we were inspired to investigate whether these stems could indeed reduce the risk of these fractures," explains Dr. Hirasawa. The researchers gathered data from 4,511 THR procedures conducted by a single surgeon in a single medical center from 2009 to 2023. Here, the team used an advanced statistical technique called propensity score matching to produce two highly comparable groups of patients for better analysis. They ultimately matched 1,804 cases where collared HA-coated stems were used with 1,804 cases where flat-tapered wedge stems were used, based on factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and conditions like osteoarthritis. This approach helped minimize the impact of confounding variables. The results revealed that early post-THR femoral fracture was significantly less frequent among patients with collared HA-coated femoral stemsonly two cases of fracture were recorded in this group versus 13 in those with flat-tapered wedge stems. Hence, the researchers investigated each fracture in detail based on available clinical data. Notably, while the use of collared HA-coated femoral stems was associated with fewer early postoperative femoral fractures, the study also found that the incidence of intraoperative femoral fractures was higher in this group compared to flat-tapered wedge stems. This highlights the importance of further research to optimize surgical techniques and patient selection when using collared HA-coated stems, in order to minimize intraoperative complications. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that collared HA-coated stems may have inherent advantages over flat-tapered wedge stems, which surgeons should take into account when deciding which type of prosthetic hip to use or recommend. "Our results have the potential to directly improve patient safety and surgical outcomes in THR by helping surgeons make more informed implant selections, leading to fewer serious complications, faster functional recovery, and reduced need for reoperation," remarks Dr. Hirasawa. "In the long term, this research may set a new global standard for femoral stem selection in hip replacement." More information: Rui Hirasawa et al, Collared fully hydroxyapatite-coated femoral components reduce early periprosthetic femoral fractures in total hip arthroplasty with the direct anterior approach, The Bone & Joint Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1302/0301-620x.107b10.bjj-2024-1494.r1 September and October 2025 have proven busy for multiple sclerosis (MS) professionals, as many gathered at three major conferences to discuss trials in the indication that could alter the current treatment paradigm. At the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), the International Symposium on MS & NMOSD, and the World Congress of Neurology, which opened their doors to attendees across the two months, experts across the globe convened to consider the best up-and-coming therapies for MS a disease that is estimated to impact 2.9 million people worldwide. At the forefront of these conversations were disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), which are used to reduce the prevalence and severity of relapses, while slowing the formation of new lesions in the brain and spinal cord. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While a range of DMTs are already approved for MS, three drugs are currently making their way through Phase III trials, including a Brutons tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, a CD20 cell killer and a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor. Novartis seeks MS scope expansion for remibrutinib Following the recent approval of its oral Brutons tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor Rhapsido (remibrutinib) in chronic spontaneous urticaria, Swiss pharma giant Novartis is looking to expand the drugs label to include relapsing MS (rMS). To achieve this, the company is conducting the Phase III REMODEL-2 study (NCT05156281), where Rhapsido will go up against Sanofis DMT, Aubagio (teriflunomide). The global trial, which spans 246 locations across 25 countries, is set for primary completion by 30 April 2026 enrolling an estimated 800 patients with rMS. Maya Zeineddine, clinical associate professor at Lebanese American University, has high hopes for the drug: As a BTK inhibitor, Rhapsido has a novel mechanism of action for MS, meaning it can modulate B-cell signalling in a different way to all other available therapies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zeineddine is also intrigued by Rhapsidos capacity to trigger both myeloid and microbial activation within the central nervous system (CNS), which allows it to target both peripheral and central inflammation. BTK inhibitors such as Rhapsido and Sanofis tolebrutinib hold great potential in MS especially in primary and secondary progressive subsets, she adds. Claire Winchester, head of research and information at UK-based patient advocacy charity MS Trust, echoes this sentiment, noting: BTK inhibitors have some efficacy in progressive MS, which is one of the real unmet needs in the indication. If Rhapsido can demonstrate its effectiveness in late-stage trials, then it could have a place in the treatment paradigm. Maya Zeineddine, clinical associate professor at the Lebanese American University However, both Winchester and Zeineddine caveat that patients given Rhapsido will need to be carefully monitored for liver toxicity an adverse event (AE) associated with BTK inhibitors. While Zeineddine believes that the drugs safety profile is manageable and minimally burdensome to the patient monitoring process, Winchester sees Rhapsidos hepatotoxicity as a more notable issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She warns: Constant patient monitoring takes up clinic space. As there are other drugs which are as good at dealing with relapses without the requirement for monitoring, Rhapsido may not become a front-runner in the MS treatment paradigm. Christie Wong, managing neurology analyst at GlobalData, seconds this, stating: Rhapsido could be positioned to be prescribed in rMS patients who have low inflammatory activity following treatment with anti-CD20 mAbs. Rituximab makes MS clinical trial comeback Researchers at the Haukeland University Hospital (HUH) are putting CD20 killer rituximab to the test in a late-stage trial. Once touted as promising, Roche discontinued the drugs development in MS in favour of a next-generation alternative, anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which gained FDA approval in its new subcutaneous form in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rituximab has been approved in oncology indications, including lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Despite Roches call to terminate rituximabs development programme in MS, the drug is commonly prescribed as a cost-effective off-label treatment across Europe and the Middle East. In the investigator-led OVERLORD-MS trial (NCT04578639) trial, rituximab is being pitted against Ocrevus. The studys estimated completion date is 14 September 2025, and 214 patients across 12 Scandinavian locations are enrolled. Wong notes that rituximabs once-yearly dosing schedule could offer more convenience to patients compared with Ocrevus, which requires an intravenous infusion every six months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Winchester is also surprised to see rituximab back in trials, as she thought the drug had missed its moment. She says: Rituximab is cheap, relative to other branded alternatives, so it can be attractive to have in the mix. However, I do not think it will replace Ocrevus or Kesimpta (ofatumumab) in the general MS population. Zeineddine has a rosier outlook on rituximab, as the efficacy of anti-CD20 drugs have been proven by extensive, global real-world studies. She also believes that it is the most cost-effective therapy for MS, meaning more patients will be able to access treatment. Christie Wong, managing neurology analyst at GlobalData Immunic bets on vidofludimus calcium Another company seeking a stake in the MS market is Immunic, which is currently evaluating its dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor, vidofludimus calcium, in the Phase III ENSURE-1 trial (NCT05134441). This global study hopes to enrol around 1,050 patients across 86 sites in 16 countries. A topline readout for this trial is expected in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite Immunics high hopes, Zeineddine is less confident about the drugs potential, noting its status as a low efficacy therapy. She also notes that vidofludimus would have to outperform Aubagio (teriflunomide) in terms of efficacy to make it to market. If it were to achieve this, Zeineddine believes that its role would likely be confined to patients uncomfortable with high-efficacy therapies due to their associated AEs. She cautions: While it seems to be more tolerable than Aubagio from Phase II findings, its low efficacy may be a hurdle for physicians who are considering prescribing it. Though Winchester was once intrigued by vidofludimus, its failure to offer a statistically significant improvement to brain atrophy in the Phase II CALLIPER study (NCT05054140) dampened her excitement for the drug. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neuroprotection is something most MS patients are seeking, as they want to preserve the function they still possess, rather than just thinking about relapse control, she says. If Immunic can prove that the drug reduces brain atrophy and enhances neuroprotection, it may hold more potential in the MS market, Winchester adds. Despite muted interest from Zeineddine and Winchester, Wong notes that vidofludimus has shown some promise as an oral therapy for patients with rMS, as it suppressed disease activity and delayed disability progression in the Phase II EMPhaSIS trial (NCT03846219). Wong elaborates: Key opinion leaders interviewed by GlobalData had mixed opinions on vidofludimus, with some envisioning it playing a me-too role similar to Aubagio in MS. However, she adds that the drugs dual mode of action and suggested additional neuroprotective properties could offer it a leg up on the market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wong concludes: To compete against Aubagio and generic formulations of teriflunomide, vidofludimus calcium must demonstrate positive findings in large Phase III trials in relapsing and progressive populations while Immunic would need to employ strong marketing. "Multiple sclerosis: three trials to watch" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A new indoor music venue is coming to the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood of Nashville next fall. Live Nation announced Tuesday its new 4,400-capacity venue The Truth is set to open in fall 2026. The Truth will be a three-story venue with a flexible floor plan that can accommodate both seated and standing-room shows. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts The venue will also contain Harlans whiskey bar, honoring country music songwriter Harlan Howard, and a two-story vinyl record listening lounge. According to a release, Nashville-made spirits will be served alongside a menu of locally loved food items. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It will reportedly be located off Chestnut Street, within the 18-acre Wedgewood Village development that houses Soho House, the Academy of Country Music, and Pastis. (Courtesy: Kirsten Battle) (Courtesy: Kirsten Battle) (Courtesy: Kirsten Battle) (Courtesy: Kirsten Battle) (Courtesy: Kirsten Battle) Sally Williams, president of Nashville music and business strategy for Live Nation, said the goal of The Truth is to create a concert experience that is unique to Music City. The legendary songwriter Harlan Howard said all you need for a good country song is three chords and the truth. The Truth is built on that same idea, Williams said. Our goal is to create a space that could only exist here where raw, honest music meets world-class production, and where fans and artists from across all genres can connect in a way that feels unmistakably Nashville. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com As a contribution to the community, Live Nation will make multi-year commitments to two local organizations that support members of Nashvilles music industry: Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and the W.O. Smith Music School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials said each year The Truth is projected to generate $74 million in economic impact, support 430 jobs and contribute $6 million in state and local tax revenue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. A Northfield, N.H. man pleaded guilty to unlawfully removing political signs, according to the N.H. Attorney General. Nick Moorhead, age 55, entered the guilty plea in Franklin District Court. The court imposed a penalty of $310, which was split into a $250 fine and a $60 penalty assessment, according to the A.G. On several occasions Moorhead removed a political sign with the word Trump on it from a Northfield, N.H. residents yard, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resident reported to police that two days in a row, on both August 27, and August 28, 2024 Moorhead was seen on camera taking the sign from the front yard and damaging it, according to a court affidavit. The resident then reported to police that on September 15, 2024, Moorhead kicked the sign, which the resident had moved further onto their property under a window of their house. Moorhead then lifted his middle finger towards one of the homeowners, the affidavit continues. Moorhead was arrested by police on October 19,2024, according to court documents. As a result of the guilty plea, according to the states constitution Moorheads right to vote in New Hampshire is terminated unless the New Hampshire Supreme Court restores it, the A.G. said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any person who believes a political sign has been unlawfully erected should contact the Election Law Unit or the owner of the property where the sign was erected. Any person who believes a political sign has been unlawfully removed should contact the Election Law Unit or local law enforcement, according to the A.G. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW In the first independent poll here since the federal government shutdown began, a solid majority of likely New Hampshire say President Trump along with Republican leaders in Congress and Democratic holdouts deserve a lot or some of the blame for the impasse. Buttigieg leads early NH poll among possible 2028 hopefuls A new independent poll had former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg slightly ahead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among potential candidates for President in 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among all those surveyed, 54% apiece said Trump and GOP leaders each share a lot of the blame, while 48% said Democratic lawmakers who oppose a continuing resolution to reopen the government were much at fault for it. When it came to independents, most of them blamed Trump (68%), but Republican (66%) and Democratic (63%) congressional leaders were close behind with this cohort of swing voters. The University of New Hampshire Survey Center also found an early scramble among Democratic voters as to who should be their next standard-bearer for President in 2028. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (19%), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (15%) and New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (14%) shared high honors, while former Vice President Kamala Harris, who won the states four electoral votes in 2024, had 11%, which put her just inside the surveys margin of error of plus or minus 4%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The poll of 1,325 residents was done Oct. 16-21, before Harris had told a BBC interviewer last weekend that she wasnt done and might mount a comeback bid three years from now. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a two-time winner of the first-in-the-nation primary here, had 8% support. As expected, Vice President J.D. Vance dominated at this early stage among likely GOP primary voters (51%) with ex-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (9%), National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard (8%) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (5%) all in single digits. In 2020, Buttigieg finished a close second behind Sanders here, and this could explain why his backing here was higher than in surveys UNH did recently in Vermont and Maine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among these voters, 81% viewed him favorable, while 72% felt that way about Sanders. Likewise, given her narrow victory in the state last November, Harris 11% backing in this poll was higher than what likely Democratic voters gave her in Vermont (6%) and Maine (9%), two neighboring states that she won by much larger margins over Trump. Since the centers last poll a month ago, Trumps approval rating on foreign affairs has gone up 9%, though a majority (53%-to-44%) still said they disapprove of the job hes doing in that area. A clear majority (60%) gave Trump all or some of the credit for negotiating a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, while 22% said he didnt do very much and 14% said he did nothing at all; the rest were unsure. klandrigan@unionleader.com A Bergen County couple were arrested earlier this month after they were accused of making up a report of a home invasion after the man shot himself in the leg, authorities said. On Oct. 14, at 6:42 a.m., police received a 9-1-1 call from Juan B. Rodriguez-Santos, 30, and Lisa Palacio, 29, asking for assistance at their home in Moonachie, according to a statement from the Bergen County Prosecutors Office. When officers arrived, they saw that Rodriguez-Santos was suffering from a gunshot wound to his leg and he was taken to a local hospital with what was considered a non-life-threatening injury, the office said. He was treated and released. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives learned that Rodriguez-Santos told responding officers that he was suffering from a stab wound, but later reported that an unknown man wearing a face mask entered their home, attempted to rob him, and then shot him once in his leg with a handgun, investigators said. Palacio initially told police that she knew a person had entered her home and shot Rodriguez-Santos, but later informed officers that she was unaware what happened to him, the office said. Investigators eventually determined that neither a home invasion nor a robbery occurred, and that Rodriguez-Santos shot himself in the leg, authorities said. Palacio allegedly hid the firearm from police. Detectives said Rodriguez-Santos also had the personal identifying information of others, but the office did not elaborate further in their statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was arrested on Oct. 15 and charged with making false reports to law enforcement authorities, two counts of hindering apprehension or prosecution, trafficking in personal identifying information pertaining to another person, and tampering with physical evidence, officials said. Palacio was arrested the same day and charged with making false reports to law enforcement authorities, hindering apprehension or prosecution by concealing evidence, hindering apprehension, and tampering with physical evidence, the office said. They were both taken to the Bergen County Jail and were released following their first court appearance on Oct. 16. Chris Sheldon Stories by Chris Sheldon Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. New Jersey has joined 24 other states in suing President Donald Trumps administration for what they have called the unlawful suspension of funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The lawsuit, which names the United States Department of Agriculture and its secretary, Brooke Rollins, was announced Tuesday by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office. New Jerseys nutrition benefits program, widely known as SNAP, is fully funded through Oct. 31, officials from the New Jersey Department of Health said in a statement last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents and more than 40 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits each month, authorities said. The Trump Administrations failure to fund SNAP during the federal government shutdown is an affront to the more than 800,000 New Jerseyans who depend on these critical benefits to access nutritious food, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. I thank Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin for taking action to hold the federal government accountable for their betrayal of Americas most vulnerable working- and middle-class families, the governor added. On Oct. 1, the new federal fiscal year began without an appropriation by Congress to fund the federal government, creating the government shutdown, the office said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 10, the USDA sent a letter to state SNAP agencies saying that if the shutdown continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits, the office said. On Oct. 24, USDA confirmed its position that effective Nov. 1, it will suspend all November 2025 SNAP allotments. Despite USDAs claim of insufficient funds, the agency has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for this very purpose, the office alleged. The department has also funded other programs with emergency funds during the shutdown but has refused to fund SNAP, the office added. It is clear the federal government is making a deliberate, illegal, and inhumane choice not to fund the crucial SNAP program, the office said in its statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Jersey families are being used as political pawns by the Trump Administration, which is illegally suspending SNAP and the critical assistance it provides to residents who are struggling with food insecurity, Platkin said. This is especially devastating in the month of November, when families are gathering and demands on food banks and pantries are heaviest. The office said the lapse in funding will also put unnecessary strain on state and local governments and community organizations, as families increasingly rely on emergency services and local food pantries that are already struggling to fill a growing nutrition gap. In New Jersey, as of August 2025, SNAP serves about 812,966 individuals, 436,452 households, 340,425 children and 176,706 elderly individuals, according to the statement. The state is also home to nearly 5,700 authorized SNAP retailers. While the federal government funds and sets the monthly amount of SNAP benefits, states are responsible for administering programs in their state, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 25-state coalition also planned to file a temporary restraining order Tuesday asking the court to immediately reinstate benefits, the office said. Trumps U.S. Department of Agriculture said in September that its plan for a shutdown included using the money to keep SNAP running. But in a memo last week, it said that it couldnt legally use that money for such a purpose. Joining Platkin in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The Governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania have also joined. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A Camden County man has pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend, Laura Hughes, whose remains were discovered inside a refrigerator in a South Jersey forest, state officials said. Christopher Blevins, 46, of Runnemede, entered the plea Monday and will be sentenced Dec. 5, the Camden County Prosecutors Office told NJ Advance Media. In June, Blevins was indicted on first-degree murder charges by the Camden County Prosecutors Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated manslaughter, which means he admitted causing Hughes death recklessly, but without the intent or premeditation required for a murder conviction. Blevins is also charged in Cape May County with desecrating human remains. That case will be presented by the Cape May County Prosecutors Office, Camden County authorities said. The Cape May County Prosecutors Office did not immediately return a request Tuesday for comment. Hughes, a mother of two daughters, was discovered by a hunter last December. Her remains were identified through artist renderings of her tattoos and a distinctive yoga mat found at the scene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors will ask a judge to sentence Blevins to 17 years in state, a term served under the No Early Release Act. His attorney, Larrisa Rouse, a a public defender, couldnt immediately be reached for comment. According to court documents, Blevins was seen around the time of the disposal driving his pickup truck with a refrigerator in the bed in Long Beach Township and Sea Isle City. After dumping Hughes body, he drove cross-country, entered Mexico through Texas, and reached Mexico City. On Aug. 27, Blevins voluntarily surrendered to Mexican authorities and said he had been involved in a violent incident in Runnemede and panicked, according to an affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told investigators he may have killed someone during a bar fight. Blevins returned to the U.S. and stayed in Delaware until around the time Hughes body was found. He then left work during a lunch break and never returned, the affidavit states. He was eventually tracked to San Diego, where police arrested him after he gave a false name. He was taken into custody after New Jersey authorities issued a warrant and was extradited back to the state. The Camden County Prosecutors Office did not immediately release details about the plea hearing. It remains unclear whether the desecration charges will be dropped as part of the agreement. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A Newark man has been sentenced to 60 years in state prison for fatally shooting his stepfather outside the victims home two years ago. Tyrone Cradle, 29, shot Rasool Crews, 48, multiple times on May 19, 2023, as Crews and his daughter were getting out of a vehicle outside their home in Newarks South Ward, according to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II. A jury convicted Cradle of first-degree murder and weapons offenses in late August. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance video showed Cradle emerging from the side of the house moments before the shooting then fleeing afterward. Cradle was identified and charged four days after the shooting. The courts imposition of a 60-year prison term is an acknowledgement of the cold and calculated manner in which this murder was committed, Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Nicholas said in a statement. Under New Jerseys No Early Release Act, Cradle must serve 85 percent of the 60-year sentence before he is eligible for parole, the prosecutors office said. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A former teacher in Bergen County was sentenced on Friday to five years in state prison for bilking friends and colleagues out of more than $300,000. Suzette Hart, of Oradell, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by deception in August and was sentenced last week in New Jersey Superior Court, according to court records. She was taken into custody immediately after sentencing, records show. Hart, 59, was a teacher with Hackensack Public Schools earning a yearly salary of $115,440 when she was arrested on Oct. 13, 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her webpage has since been removed from the districts site. According to the Bergen County Prosecutors Office, Hart solicited multiple investors for various high-yield, well-known investment opportunities knowing that the investments were fraudulent. Hart accepted more than $300,000 from investors and used the money on her own personal expenses without conducting investment activity, the prosecutors office said at the time. Harts victims included friends and colleagues. The scam that lasted from 2012 to 2017, according to the prosecutors office. Detectives received complaints about Hart in May 2019, and arrested her the following year. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Senegal has launched a nationwide, multisectoral response to tackle a growing outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF), warning affected communities against risky self-medication. The coordinated campaign brings together ministries of health, agriculture, environment, and water resources, and includes surveillance, mosquito control, and livestock vaccination efforts, officials announced at a press conference on Monday (20 October) in Dakar. "This is a disease that lies at the crossroads of human, animal, and environmental health, and therefore requires a collective response," said Minister of Health and Social Action Ibrahima Sy. He said the government has activated epidemic management committees across the country, increased treatment and case detection, and rolled out vaccination campaigns for livestock, since the outbreak began in September. Mosquito control operations are in place in high-risk areas, according to the minister, including destruction of breeding sites, use of impregnated mosquito nets, and deployment of drones to identify stagnant water sources. A communication campaign in local languages is underway to inform communities in markets, villages, and farming areas. Authorities have intensified surveillance in the most affected regions: Saint-Louis, Matam, Louga, Thies, and Tambacounda. "These combined efforts have slowed the spread of the epidemic, but vigilance must remain high," said Sy. Human and animal impact As of 20 October, the Ministry of Health had tested 1,657 samples, confirming 258 human cases. Of these, 21 resulted in death, while 192 patients have recovered. There were 57 confirmed cases in animals, while authorities say more than 14,000 animals have been vaccinated. According to Boly Diop, head of Senegal's National Incident Management System (SGI), specialized working groups have been formed to inform decision-making, bringing together experts in zoonoses, diseases that spread between animals and humans. Health officials say the combined efforts of the ministries and technical teams have slowed the spread of the epidemic, enabling rapid detection of cases and early treatment of severe forms of the disease. Self-medication However, Diop warned that self-medication and delayed medical consultations have contributed to several deaths. He said, "We urge the population to be vigilant. Anyone showing symptoms should seek medical care immediately. "We strongly advise against self-medication, as certain medicines, particularly anti-inflammatories sold in markets, can aggravate the situation." Investigations carried out by SGI teams in the north of the country found that several deaths were linked to late hospital admission and complications from self-medication. "Some died from hemorrhaging, others from organ failure," said Diop. "The findings show that several patients arrived at the hospital too late. This confirms once again that self-medication is one of the main causes of the worsening of the viral form of the disease." Disease transmission RVF is primarily transmitted by mosquito bites or through direct contact with infected animals. It is not transmitted between humans, Senegal's health ministry stressed. "There is no vaccine for humans, but there are effective vaccines for animals," said Diop, highlighting the importance of prevention measures. Mawlouth Diallo, an entomologist at the Pasteur Institute of Dakar, said vaccination efforts were being prioritized in livestock markets, at water points, and along routes where livestock are moved to graze. "Some of these animal vaccines have been available in Senegal for a long time," said Diallo. "Now that there is an epidemic, targeted vaccinations will be carried out in certain areas." Research priorities The UK Health Security Agency convened an open scientific consultation last week (14 October) in collaboration with global and African health institutions, to identify research priorities to support the outbreak response in Senegal. Disease specialists at the online meeting said more point-of-care diagnostic tests were urgently needed to manage the disease more effectively. Emmanuel Agogo, director of the pandemic threats program at FIND, a non-profit that aims to spur diagnostic innovation, said data analysis by the organization on the availability of commercial diagnostics tests for RVF found "huge gaps in point-of-care tests." PCR tests, which require samples to be analyzed in a laboratory, are currently being used to diagnose suspected cases in Senegal and elsewhere. However, lateral flow and antigen tests, which give results without the need for specialist laboratory equipment, are lacking, said Agogo. "Overall tests on the market were very limited," he said. "We have quite a few lab-developed tests that are available, but when it comes to LFAs (lateral flow assays) or antigen tests, pretty much nothing," he told the meeting, adding that there were no new tests currently being developed. Moussa Diagne, a virology researcher at the Pasteur Institute of Dakar, echoed these concerns. "RVF hits rural areas so, what we need is true point-of-care tools," he told the meeting. For Diagne, continued genomic monitoring is crucial. "That is key to keeping assays updated, which is what we have done for this outbreak, at IPD, to make sure that we are updated in terms of sensitivity and specificity," he added. One challenge in responding to the disease is keeping veterinarians safe and ensuring strict biosafety conditions are met to stop the disease spreading. In Uganda, researchers have developed "mobile labs" with a specially designed "glove box" to improve biosafety, according to Stephen Balinandi, a researcher at the Uganda Virus Research Institute. "It's a small box, it can provide a safe environment, it doesn't require a lot of training and actually with it you don't really need a lot of PPE (personal protective equipment)," he said. "In our situation we've been able to address the issue of biosafety at the community level using that glove box." Provided by SciDev.Net A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Neptune Township. David Leigh will have to serve at least five years before he is eligible for parole and will have to register as a sex offender, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office said Tuesday. Leigh, of Auburn, New York, met the then 14-year-old girl on social media in early 2023. He sexually assaulted her in April 2023 at a motel not named by prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was arrested in January 2024, and indicted two months later. At Leighs trial in June, the girl testified against him, revealing he knew her age when they met. Prosecutors also presented electronic and physical evidence. He was convicted after a week-long trial. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Fifteenth-century explorer Christopher Columbus was certain that his expedition had been cursed. Sailing across the Caribbean Sea with four ships in his fleet, a series of brutal storms kept the flotilla at the mercy of the wind, rain, thunder, and waves for nearly three months, preventing the vessels from reaching safe harbor. As he wrote in a letter in 1503, It seemed as if it were the end of the world. Under the chaotic waves, a more insidious threat was destroying his ships from within. Like a Biblical swarm set loose in the ocean depths, thousands of hungry worm-like animals gnawed at the wooden boards of his hulls. The ravenous beasts could grow to a foot in length in just six months. My ships were pierced by borers more than a honey-comb, Columbus later wrote.* With three pumps, and the use of pots and kettles, we could scarcely clear the water that came into the ship, there being no remedy but this for the mischief done by the ship-worm. Battered by storm and made porous by the shipworm, Columbus ships were left stranded on an island that would come to be known as Jamaica. In an age before iron and steel hulls, his plight was a common experience for any voyage; if you build something out of wood and soak it in the ocean for long enough, it will get eaten by shipworms. From the Ancient Greeks to the Spanish Armada, boat-builders not only had to make a vessel sea-worthy but also attempt to make it shipworm-proof. Hulls were coated in tar, animal hair, seal oil, lead, copper, and, in the 15th century, a second layer of wood that was bolted to the outside the actual hulla sacrificial offering to the insatiable wood-boring worms of the ocean. Just as shipworms did not exactly evolve to eat ships, they are also not exactly worms. Even today, shipworms eat piers, breakwaters, and pilings. At a cost of $300 million, the foundations underneath Brooklyn Bridge Park, for example, are presently being wrapped with concrete or coated with epoxy resin in order to stop these animals from collapsing this sprawling structure near New York Citys iconic span into the East River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just as shipworms did not exactly evolve to eat ships, they are also not exactly worms. Members of the Teredo genus, these animals are mollusks most closely related to clams. The two valves of their shell arent used for protection but as sharp jaws able to scrape through even the toughest oak. Their long, worm-like body is protected by the burrow it excavates in a piece of woodwhether a floating ship, a pier piling, or a sunken tree trunk. It was the shipworms insatiable appetite for all things wooden that caught the attention of David Willer, a scientist who studies sustainable aquaculture at the University of Cambridge. Fast growing, able to subsist entirely on wood, and with little investment in a biologically costly large shell, the animals seemed to him an intriguing and promising candidate for a big problem: Helping to feed the world. He suggests they might be an unlikely means for tackling far reaching problems of hunger, malnutrition, and a global food system that contributes about 26 percent of humanitys greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, he sees the shipworm very differently from the mariners who have long cursed the animals: not as scourge but as savior. With this in mind, he has a rebranding suggestion: When prepared for human consumption, he calls them naked clams. Shipworms dont dine on ships out of spite. For those organisms that can stomach it, wood is nutritious stuff. It is made from lignocellulose, a natural polymer composed of closely packed chains of cellulose wrapped in a mesh of lignin and hemicellulose. Hard to break, it is even harder to digest. But for any organism that has evolved the ability to do so, the rewards are well worth their efforts. Cellulose is the most abundant biological polymer on Earth, and it is made entirely from repeated linked molecules of glucosesugar. If you think of an ice lolly, says Simon Cragg, a researcher who studies wood-borers at the University of Portsmouth, the biggest energy potential is in the little stick. To turn wood into glucose, the ancestor of modern shipworms (and a deep-sea group of Teridinids known as Xylophagids) formed an alliance with bacteria that are capable of digesting lignocellulose. While symbiotic relationships are common across the tree of lifegrass-digesting bacteria inside the rumen of cows and sheep, for examplethe shipworms alliance is a bizarre one. Their symbiotic bacteria are kept separate from the digestive system, contained within cells in their gills, which span most of their bodys length. Its the equivalent of us having bacteria in our lungs that provide us with the ability to digest our food, says Reuben Shipway, a shipworm taxonomist who, in 2021, co-founded the Naked Clam project with Willer. They aim to spin up an entirely novel sector of the robust global aquaculture market by capitalizing on the shipworms unique biology. Theyre the only animals that do this. WHAT'S IN A NAME?: When preparing shipworms for human consumption, David Willer calls them "naked clams" to make them seem more palatable. And a fancy presentation, like in this shipworm dish, doesn't hurt either. Courtesy of David Willer. Crucially, only the enzymes that can break down wood enter the digestive system from a shipworms gills, a hypothesis first proposed by a scientist in the 19th century but only confirmed in 2022. What may seem unnecessarily complex is actually an evolutionary sleight-of-hand that favors the shipworm. Keeping their bacterial helpers away from their woody banquet, the host organism retains control of the riches, keeping their bacterial symbionts just happy enough on scraps while they consume the lions share of the sugar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With these tactics and when surrounded by their food, shipworms can grow up to 20 times faster than the blue mussel, a commercially grown bivalve eaten across the globe. This extreme growth rate, combined with its bottomless appetite for the indigestible, also makes shipworms one of the elite oceanic recyclers, able to transform a sunken tree trunk into a protein-rich buffet that can, in turn, help feed their predators and surrounding ecosystems. All of these ideas coalesced into an unconventional plan in Willers mind. Why not grow these naked clams as an even more efficient food source? Perhaps in shipping containers or along coastlines. This, he thinks, could help feed the 1o billion or so people projected to live on Earth by 2050, and also tackle the increasing rates of food poverty and malnutrition in the shorter term. The history of shipworm aquaculture predates Willers naked clam project. Actually by quite a bit. Roughly 8,000 years ago, in what could be the first form of aquaculture, Indigenous people living in and around what would later be named Sydney, Australia, sunk branches and trunks of swamp oaks to grow their own local supply of shipworms. The name of these peoplethe Cabrogalliterally means the shipworm clan. In Southeast Asia, shipworms are still harvested from mangrove roots at low tide and eaten raw with a sprinkling of salt, chili, and calamansi (a citrus fruit similar to lime). Known in Thailand as tamilok, they are also eaten in stews and battered like calamari. Shipworms are even added to halo-halo, a popular type of ice cream in the Philippines. When prepared for human consumption, Willer calls them naked clams. Shipworms are also reasonably nutritious. Willers own analyses have found that naked clams are high in DHA omega acid, contain more protein than beef, and, like other animal-based products, offer micronutrients such as vitamin B12, selenium, iron, and zinc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Willer says that he seeks to expand the appetite for shipworms across the globe. Willer enjoys eating them raw, himself, describing it as a true connoisseur: a bit like a whiskey that holds onto the taste of wood. Working with professional chefs, Willer is also developing some modern twists on this seafood. Battered and fried, chopped into meat-style chunks, or packed into burgers, modern processing could enhance the flavor of shipworms while also making them more approachable to Western consumers. He has even experimented with injecting garlic butter microcapsules into tanks containing shipworms, a flavoring that is then suffused throughout the naked clams body. If Willer manages to get widespread shipworm aquaculture off the ground, it would join a rapidly growing sector in the global food production landscape. From a few million tons in 1950, aquaculture now produces more than 90 million tons of fish and mollusks every year across the world. But this surge in popularitysalmon, for example, is now being grown from Norway to Chilehas also led to widespread environmental concerns. Producing 1 kilogram of farmed salmon, for instance, requires catching and processing 4 kilograms of smaller fish pulled from some of the most productive food webs in the oceans. As Patricia Majluf, a biologist and vice president focused on Peru at the international conservation advocacy organization Oceana, and her colleagues wrote in the journal Science Advances in 2024, most of this global supply, especially of FO [fish oil], now being used by the aquaculture industry purportedly to contribute to global food security is, in fact, primarily being used to produce high-value, globally traded seafood that benefits only the few who can afford it. Eating lower in the food chain can be less environmentally damaging than eating large predatory fish (such as salmon and tuna) because smaller fish require fewer inputs of food and can grow and reproduce faster, bolstering their recovery from potential overfishing. And growing and consuming any bivalve is often even more sustainable. As an additional environmental asset, bivalves also reduce levels of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus, compounds that can fuel toxic algal blooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But even these apparent benefits and a long history of shipworms as food doesnt mean that more people will accept them, even with their rebranding. It is difficult to predict consumer acceptance, Birgit Rumpold, a researcher who studies insects as food at Technical University of Berlin, tells me via email. In the end, [the] key factor is always taste. But disgust, food neophobia, and food culture are also of great importance. She adds that, like with insects, shipworms could also be grown to feed other animals or farmed fish. In 2026, Willer has plans for his first large-scale aquaculture project, an underwater farm of mussels, shipworms, and marine algae called sugar kelp common in Asian cuisine on the north coast of Devon in southwest England. With long stretches of sandy beaches, this area is famous for its relentless wind and waves, a place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the land with a running hug. Setting sail from western Spain in the 15th century, the waves that Columbus first met would have been much the same. But here, the shipworm is far from a scourge but instead an unlikely glimmer of hope. Lead image: Ekaterina Gerasimchuk / Shutterstock Footnote *While Columbuss legacy is tarnished by the cruelty and callousness he showed the Indigenous people he encountered in the New World, he did keep good ships logs, some of which were preserved, giving us a window into nautical troubles of the time. This story was originally featured on Nautilus. WASHINGTON The nations largest federal workers union have called for Congress to pass a clean funding extension to reopen the government. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced its new position on Monday through an article published on the organizations website. The move marked a significant shift; many federal workers in the DMV have supported the refusal of Democrats to vote for the GOPs clean funding extension during the first month of the shutdown, forming an unofficial alliance with the political party. AFGEs call for a clean extension breaks the pattern, shifting its official stance toward the GOPs proposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight, AFGE National President Everett Kelley wrote. Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay today. Kelley further called for Congress to immediately open the government so they could continue to debate on the larger policy disagreements that have wedged themselves between lawmakers. Democrats have dug in their heels on funding cuts and rising health care costs during the shutdown, including the expiring Affordable Health Care premium tax credits. Republicans have refused to negotiate on extending the tax credits until the government reopens. The union calling for Congress to pass a clean funding bill didnt immediately sway Senate Democrats, who have opposed it. The majority of the caucus, including Marylands senators, has voted against the GOPs clean spending bill more than 10 times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im committed to immediately reopening the government in a responsible way that prevents the illegal budget actions [President Donald] Trump has taken including against our federal workers and stops Americans health care costs from exploding, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said after the announcement. In the meantime, Im also working to immediately pay all our federal employees and prevent this administrations mass firings. Federal employees did not cause the shutdown, and they should not have to bear the brunt of it. Van Hollen told The Sun last week that he plans to work with Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson on a compromise bill to pay federal workers during the shutdown. He said he was willing to consider making sure that we pay all federal employees, Van Hollen said. They shouldnt have to be the ones punished for something they had nothing to do with. Johnson and Van Hollen both offered bills last week that would allow federal workers to be paid during the shutdown. Johnsons bill focused on employees who were having to work through the shutdown. Van Hollens would have paid all federal employees, including furloughed and contract workers and service members. It would also have prevented additional mass firings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AFGE represents over 800,000 federal workers. Many missed a full paycheck last week. The shutdown has almost reached its second month Monday marked its 27th day and is closing in on becoming the longest shutdown in American history. Its long past time for our leaders to put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government, Kelley wrote. A strong America requires a functioning government one that pays its bills, honors its commitments, and treats its workforce with respect by paying them on time. ________ To the naked eye one may not assume that the scorching desert would be the pioneer-land to skateboarding in the 1960s, but you'd be wrong. Arizona is widely considered to be home to the world's first official skate park: Dry Surf. The park opened in Tempe in the summer of 1965 and completely revolutionized the skating game. Before the park's opening skateboarding was mainly composed of California's, largely due to the popularity of surfing. Surfers wanted to transfer the feeling of the waves onto the asphalt, even calling skateboarding asphalt surfing in its early years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the sport gained more traction it eventually moved east from the West Coast to the Valley, resulting in the birth of Dry Surf skate park. Arizona's skateboarding history is on display Dry Surf's memory is being honored with a new museum exhibit at the Tempe History Museum. The idea for the exhibit was brought to life after the documentary "High Rollers: The Golden age of Skateboarding" was shown at the museum in 2023. Rob Locker, long-time Arizona skater and visual director and marketer of the High Rollers documentary, is one of the curators of the Dry Surf Exhibit along side Josh Roffler. Roffler, Tempe History Museum Manager, may not be a skater, but he is a long time valley resident and understands the impact of skate culture in Arizona. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I like to say the skateboard community made it happen," Roffler said. "It's a community project." The exhibit is filled with artifacts all borrowed from Arizona skaters from back in the day. Relics from the past display Arizona's rich skate board history. Old boards and Thrasher magazines can be seen on display as well as gear from Patti McGee, the world's first professional female skater. "Our main thing was trying to tell the whole story, which we knew we couldn't, so we tried to touch a little bit on each and every little thing," said Locker. How skateboarding took over Arizona Although, Locker, now 58 years old, wasn't there for Dry Surf skate park's opening in 1965, he still remembers a lot of the early days of skating. Locker recalls all of the devious ways him and his friends would find their next skate spot when he was younger. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back then, one of the most sought after skate spots were the full pipes, which were a key part of the Central Arizona Project's 1970s effort to bring Colorado River water to the Valley. The pipes were built on site, then placed under ground for water to be pushed through. However, the time-frame in between the pipes being built and then put underground gave Arizona skaters the perfect advantage to shred the iconic full pipes. "My buddy called up SRP or somebody back then and just was saying, 'Hey, I'm doing a report for my high school and I was wondering if you can give me some info about the locations of some of these big projects going on,' Locker said. "That's how they found out where these pipes were." These smooth pipes were skate nirvana back in the day and are remembered fondly by Arizona's skate pioneers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before skating became the main stream Olympic sport it is today, parks were hard to come by and often got shut down because insurance issues. Skaters were seen as public annoyances and were often chased off by cops at any given point. This left skater to their own devices. "Arizona has a million pools, so that means a couple thousand are probably dry at one time. And we just had an affinity to skateboarding, the need to make it happen, and took chances," said Locker. Early years of skate culture Locker recalls early days of breaking into abandon pools, and running from cops, though never getting arrested. This self-reliant rebel ideology is what makes skate culture iconic and connects the sport with punk music. Locker is not only a skater but the owner of AZPX, a Phoenix merchandising and skate company. AZPX does all merchandising JFA, and Sun City Girls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement JFA was the first record label to have its own skateboarding brand, according to Locker. "A lot of people say they're the skate-rock pioneers. They were one of the first bands that you had to be a skateboarder if you're going to be in this band, and we're going to sing about skateboarding," said Locker. The influence between skateboarding and punk music is noticeable. "At first skateboarding was all flowery and beach-like and, you know, beach colors and whatnot. And then the kids started listening to punk rock, that skated, and they started getting that style into their skateboarding. It just kind of flourished from there to where they all just kind of intermingled," said Locker Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even Roffler agreed to the sentiment, saying both skateboarding and punk music are both very DIY, or do-it-yourself. Skateboarding in Arizona now Popularity of skating has only flourished since Dry Surf. There are now 3,500 skateparks in the U.S. according to the Public Skatepark Development Guide. As the skateboarding community flourishes, the sport has created a bond of community, family and inclusivity. "Skateboarding builds so many bridges. I have so many relationships, still, I'm total friends with," Locker says. "It's just like this whole generational thing". Roffler also expressed his hope from the museum, hoping that people who aren't familiar with skateboarding broaden their minds to understand the inclusivity of the sport. How to see Dry Surf museum exhibit in Tempe The Dry Surf exhibit will be open at the Tempe History Museum until Jan. 23, 2026, and is free to the public. For more information, visit the Tempe History Museum's website or call (480) 350-5100. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Arizona built the 1st skate park in the US CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS/AP) NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson is taking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to court, accusing the agency of illegally withholding more than $230 million in monthly food assistance for 1.4 million North Carolinians. Nearly 600,000 children in our state could be without food in a few days because USDA is playing an illegal game of shutdown politics, Jackson said in a released statement. They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and theyre refusing to spend it. I warned them last week that I would take them to court if they tried to hurt our kids, and today thats what were doing. This marks the first time that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could be delayed during a government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CLICK HERE: North Carolina Food Access Maps USDA had previously told states it would use contingency funds to keep SNAP running, but reversed that decision on Oct. 24, ordering states to halt November payments. NC Governor Josh Stein supported AG Jackson, saying in a released statement, The federal government is denying access to food for more than 1.4 million North Carolinians, including children, veterans, and people with disabilities. The USDA must take immediate action to keep families from going hungry, as it is required to do by law. Jacksons lawsuit argues the USDAs actions violate federal law and asks the court to restore benefits through a temporary restraining order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Families needing help can contact local food pantries through Feeding America, call 2-1-1 for assistance, or visit the NCDHHS food access map for resources. Government shutdown enters day 28 According to the Trump administration, funding will run out for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected using more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program flowing into November. SNAP helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries using debit cards normally loaded each month by the federal government. Some states have pledged to keep the benefits flowing even if the federal program halts payments, but a memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, says states would not be reimbursed for temporarily picking up the cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another program that helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents purchase nutritious staples, like baby formula, will likely run out of funds the following week. Earlier this month, WIC received a $300 million infusion from the Trump administration, but those funds are running out, too. The Associated Press contributed to this article. MORE FROM QCNEWS.COM North Carolina Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson held a press conference Tuesday announcing he was filing a lawsuit with a coalition of Democratic states to force the Trump administration to continue funding SNAP food aid. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline) North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued the Trump administration Tuesday, seeking to force continued funding for food assistance ahead of an expected pause in benefits Friday. Jackson, a Democrat, filed suit in Massachusetts alongside a coalition of Democratic-led states against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget. Their suit argues that the Trump administration should dip into reserve funds to continue funding SNAP benefits, rather than pausing them which Jackson called unprecedented. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The truth is, the department is choosing not to use the emergency money theyve been given, Jackson told reporters Tuesday. I believe the reason theyre doing that is to play shutdown politics. They are looking to ratchet up the pain in an already painful moment. USDA had initially planned to use its $6 billion contingency fund to continue sending out food assistance as the federal government shutdown drags toward one month. But it reversed course last week, informing states that it would not tap into that money. In recent days, many state governments have sought to roll out funding or other emergency measures of their own ahead of the Friday pause. As of Tuesday afternoon, no such action has been taken in North Carolina, and neither Republican leaders nor the Democratic governor has offered any ideas. SNAP helps feed about 1.4 million North Carolinians monthly. The states Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that November benefits would not arrive on schedule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The USDA must take immediate action to keep families from going hungry as it is required to do by law, and I thank Attorney General Jackson for standing up to secure these critical resources, Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, said in a statement. An unnamed USDA spokesperson released a statement criticizing U.S. Senate Democrats over the continued shutdown, calling it an inflection point. Continue to hold out for the far-left wing of the party or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive timely WIC and SNAP allotments, the spokesperson said. Jackson and Democratic states lawsuit alleges that the administration is violating federal law by pausing benefits, arguing that USDA has historically funded SNAP benefits during prior lapses in appropriations. The lawsuit is asking the court to act as quickly as possible to resume benefits, but it is not yet known if action will be taken before Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other states have begun moving to continue funding food assistance on their own as the pause approaches. In Louisiana, state leaders are using $150 million monthly to cover benefits. Nevada is funneling $38.8 million toward local food banks. On Tuesday, Virginia announced a substitute program that will send money to EBT cards weekly. And South Carolinas emergency fund is accepting donations to help stock food banks. North Carolina does not appear poised to pursue a similar solution. State lawmakers were in session as recently as last week, redrawing the states congressional voting districts and passing a stopgap spending bill for some state needs. But emergency funding for food aid was not included in that bill or even publicly discussed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The offices of both General Assembly leaders House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) and Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In other states, governors have ordered the release of emergency funds. Stein on Monday issued a statement requesting USDA to release contingency funds, and is exploring all available options to find relief and prevent hunger in our state, a spokesperson for his office said Tuesday. DHHS is not able to cover the gap in funding, said Jonathan Kappler, deputy secretary at the department. Unfortunately, the size and scope of this program is one that that avenue was not really available to us, he told reporters Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if the state were able to cover the gap, DHHS and the governors office do not have authority to cover the cost of SNAP without legislative appropriation, the department told NC Newsline. The looming pause in food aid would have an outsized impact on families over 580,000 children and 40,000 babies in North Carolina rely on SNAP. Similarly, rural counties would take a hit, with one in six residents in those counties depending on the program, according to Kappler. More than 80% of those on SNAP in North Carolina are currently working, according to state officials. Food banks and nonprofits can provide some aid, but cannot come close to filling the gap that a pause in SNAP would create. For every nine meals provided through SNAP, food banks provide one, one food bank leader told NC Newsline on Monday. The CEO of Interfaith Food Shuttle, Ron Pringle, joined Jackson on Tuesday and warned that nonprofits and food banks would be forced to make tough choices without the safety net of SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody wants to make a decision on whose child gets to eat, Pringle said. A group of North Carolina food banks called on elected leaders to reach an agreement to end the shutdown in a statement Tuesday. They said they had experienced high levels of need even before the shutdown. Shutdowns and short-term fixes are not strategy, said Eric Aft, chair of Feeding the Carolinas and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC. Continuing resolutions are not stability. Nutrition programs must be funded fully and predictably so that families, farmers, schools and health systems are not held hostage to gridlock. The federal nutrition program that helps pay for baby formula could also see a future pause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State health officials said Monday that benefits for more than 262,000 women, infants and children will continue through early November, but did not give an exact end date. Wake County said WIC benefits will continue through Nov. 15. We are on guard against that, Jackson said of a potential stoppage in WIC. Updated at 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCT) Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of Management and Budget for refusing to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the government shutdown and withholding food assistance for 1.4 million North Carolinians, including nearly 600,000 children, more than 40,000 of whom are under 18 months old. This would be the first time ever that SNAP benefits have been delayed, even though USDA has at least $6 billion in contingency funds from Congress to use in emergencies like this one. Nearly 600,000 children in our state could be without food in a few days because the USDA is playing an illegal game of shutdown politics, said Jeff Jackson, North Carolina Attorney General. This delay in benefits is going to be devastating for North Carolina families and kids. Families who are already facing economic pressures because of the shutdown have been relying on food banks for support. Food banks are already straining to meet the demand after the USDA cut $500 million nationwide in food deliveries in March. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If North Carolinians are facing food insecurity and need assistance during this uncertain time, you may consider reaching out to the following: Find a food pantry near you through Feeding America. Call 2-1-1. This United Way service can help you find food assistance in your area. Contact your countys Department of Social Services to see if they have additional food assistance programs. View food access maps from NCDHHS. Use the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolinas food finder tool. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT. A Durham church set up in a parking lot to provide food during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. (Photo: Lynn Bonner/NC Newsline) Food banks in North Carolina are bracing for a surge in demand as federal nutrition benefits begin to run dry on Friday. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps feed about 1.4 million North Carolinians each month. The federal government shutdown means benefits for November are suspended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the state Department of Health and Human Services warned people who use SNAP that their next round of monthly benefits wont arrive on schedule. More than 580,000 children rely on SNAP, NCDHHS said in a news release, and more than 80% of people who receive food benefits are working. Food banks are doing what they can, though their directors know theres no way they can fill the gap. For every nine meals provided through SNAP, food banks provide one, said Liz Reasoner, CEO of Food Bank of the Albemarle. Were trying to approach this from a disaster mitigation strategy, she said. The states food banks, which supply food pantries and other distributors, were already feeling a financial pinch. A federal program that helped food banks nationwide purchase locally grown food was cancelled this year. The state legislature had routinely appropriated money to food banks, but did not include them in this years stopgap budgets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Food Bank of the Albemarle decided to pay for seeds and labor for a local farm to grow vegetables, Reasoner said. One way we can mitigate some of the loss is by investing in intentional planting programs. The government shutdown was putting pressure on nonprofits before the SNAP suspension. A food pantry in Elizabeth City saw a 50% increase in traffic last Saturday, which Reasoner attributed to paychecks lost through the government shutdown. We knew it was going to happen, she said, as households adjusted their budgets to account for limited cash. Federal benefits that help pay for baby formula set to run out N.C. Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler spent part of Monday calling people about providing formula to babies who will lose access to it when funding for the federal nutrition program focused on infants, young children and their mothers runs out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the attention on SNAP, Johnson-Hostler (D-Wake) worried that people wont know that federal support for parents buying baby formula is also at risk. Thats whats scary to me, she said. I dont think people knew it was happening. Money for the federal nutrition program Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, wont end as soon as SNAP does, but wont last too much longer than the larger program. NCDHHS said in an email that benefits will last until early November, but did not give an exact end date. Wake County said in an email that WIC will issue benefits through Nov. 15. More than 262,000 babies, pregnant women, new mothers, and young children in North Carolina use WIC, according to NCDHHS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wake County is advising mothers who are supplementing breast milk with formula to increase breastfeeding to help boost milk supply. Pediatricians may be a short-term source of formula, Wakes email said. In special cases, WIC will coordinate with hospitals or manufacturers to arrange for direct deliveries, the email said. Political finger-pointing In a statement Monday, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein urged the USDA to use federal contingency funds to keep SNAP benefits available after Nov. 1. The USDA said last week it would not use contingency fund to help cover the cost, the New York Times reported. The administrations refusal to use these available funds as temperatures cool and the Thanksgiving holiday approaches is a cruel abdication of the responsibility to support families and communities, Steins statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration continue to blame Democrats for the shutdown that threatens to suspend food benefits in days. Most Democrats have voted against a short-term budget in an effort to pressure Republicans to extend Affordable Care Act marketplace tax credits for health care coverage. U.S.House Speaker Mike Johnson defended USDAs decision not to use the contingency fund. Editors Note: The video attached to this story aired on Oct. 27, 2025. AUSTIN (KXAN) Nearly 12,000 people in Bastrop County will lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds in November due to the government shutdown, the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry said in a news release. Millions of low-income Americans are expected to lose some or all of their food assistance due to new federal rules, including stricter work requirements for older adults, young people aging out of foster care, parents of teens, and others who were previously exempt, the food pantry said in the release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP provided benefits to around 41.7 million Americans in fiscal 2024, according to reporting from The Hill. In that same year, the government spent $99.8 billion on SNAP. Thats a monthly average of $187.20 per participant. As the government shutdown continues, the food pantry said this will hit hard families who rely on this assistance to put food on the table. The Food Pantry is already experiencing a high volume of neighbors coming to them for food assistance, the release said. The food pantry currently serves all of Bastrop County, to Cedar Creek to Smithville and from McDade to Elgin, the release said. Those services include the following, which is provided by the food pantry: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emergency food assistance from 8 a.m. 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday Fresh food distributions are available for the public from 10 a.m. 11 a.m. on the third Friday of each month Call 211 for any services needed outside of Bastrop County For those who would like to support the food pantrys cause whether it be to donate food, donate for or more can go to its website for more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Nearly one million hectares of land in Ukraine have gone up in smoke this year as the Russian invasion turns forests into battlefields and leaves nature badly scarred. The fires follow the front line, raise fears of war crimes and add to a growing climate bill. Satellite data shows close to 9,000 fires consuming 965,000 hectares, including a third of farmland. That is almost double the area burned across the entire European Union over the same period. The EU Joint Research Centre confirms 2024 as a record year, the worst for Ukrainian forests in more than 30 years. A complex battlefield A joint investigation by The Guardian and the Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Independent shows the devastation is directly linked to the invasion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using satellite images, monitoring data and testimony from the ground, the investigation maps burn scars that closely follow the front line in the east, tracing an arc from Kharkiv to Donetsk and Luhansk. Experts say trees can hide movements from drones. That makes forests useful to both armies and may also make them targets. Shadow fleet targeted as EU advances frozen assets plan for Ukraine The picture is more complicated, General Jean-Claude Allard, an associate researcher at the French Institute of International and Strategic Affairs, told RFI. These are areas that, added together, are significant. But they are not large fires. They mainly result from artillery and explosive exchanges, Allard said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Using fire as a weapon is possible but hard to prove, he added. This type of weapon is delicate and difficult to control. Artillery fire is much more effective in military terms and causes fires indirectly linked to the conflict. A tinderbox front line Last summers heat and drought turned Ukraine's front line into a powder keg. More than two million mines are scattered across the country. Some explode when temperatures rise. Others block access to burning areas and keep emergency workers out. We observe many outbreaks of fire. Often these are small fires, but they quickly grow, said Lennard de Klerk, a lead author of a report on the fires and a member of the War Greenhouse Gas Accounting Initiative, who spoke to RFI in February 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Firefighters cannot intervene. There are mines, it is too dangerous. The fires are therefore much larger and more intense than they would have been without the war, he said. Russian surveillance adds to the danger. The Russian armed forces monitor everything since they use drones. As soon as there is movement, they track it to see what is happening. It is one of the mechanisms of the war, Allard pointed out. Could peatlands protect Europe's eastern borders from a Russian invasion? Hard to prosecute Under international law, deliberately targeting rescuers or intentionally setting destructive fires is a war crime. But ecocide is not recognised worldwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You would have to prove the intention to deliberately destroy Ukrainian territory in the war zone," said Sophie Marineau, a PhD candidate in the history of international relations. "It is difficult, because Russia can show it was attacking battalions or that it sensed a threat from that region. Ukrainian prosecutors are trying to document whether some attacks target natural resources. Each bombardment is a deliberate military action, said Kherson prosecutor Vitaliy Nikitin. We document every case where protected areas are hit. Marineau said building a case remains a challenge. The destruction of dams and the pollution of rivers have been documented, but it is still difficult to build a case," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You need evidence and for international justice to have the power to judge this kind of crime, which is not yet the case. Russia and Belarus war games fuel European fears over Ukraine conflict Climate cost The impact reaches beyond Ukraine. Since 2022, the conflict has generated nearly 237 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, the War Greenhouse Gas Accounting Initiative estimates. The climate damage cost already stands at $US43 billion (36 billion). Forest fires alone represent one fifth of the wars carbon footprint. This war has an impact on the climate. We see huge CO2 emissions and these do not only harm Ukrainians," de Klerk said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They contribute to global warming and therefore affect the whole world. Ukraines authorities say nature is paying heavily. Nature is a silent victim of this war, Environment Minister Svitlana Grynchuk told the Cop29 summit in November 2024. Scientists warn that restoring forests and soil will take years or even decades. Ending the fighting will be only the first step in repairing the damage. This story was adapted from the original version in French by RFI's Julien Hennequin and lightly edited for clarity. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: High-resolution three-dimensional A(H5) antigenic map comprising genetically diverse HAs. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09626-3 Scientists have developed a proof-of-concept vaccine that could offer broad protection against all known and emerging variants of highly pathogenic avian influenza (A5) viruses, including those that have yet to evolve. This kind of one-shot blanket protection could significantly improve our defenses against the threat of a future pandemic. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (A5) viruses are a significant global health concern. They have caused infections in birds, dairy cows, and poultry, and have jumped to humans, causing serious illnesses and fatalities. Our current defenses rely on continually updating strain-specific vaccines, a slow, reactive process that requires waiting for new variants to emerge before matching vaccines can be developed and deployed. This leaves populations at risk during the early stages of an outbreak. The challenge for vaccine makers is that the virus's surface protein, hemagglutinin (HA), is constantly changing or antigenically evolving, making it difficult to design a vaccine against all strains. So complex and unpredictable is the evolution of A5 viruses that the World Health Organization has recommended 48 new candidate vaccines since 2006. In a study published in the journal Nature, Mathilde Rochard of Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands and her team describe how they developed a method to design a vaccine that targets all strains rather than a single one. A(H5) antigenic evolution over time. The antigens and sera of the three-dimensional antigenic map constructed from the final 117 29 dataset (as shown in Fig. 1b and Supplementary Data 2) appear based on the year of isolation of the respective virus, as indicated in the top-right corner. Antigens are displayed as closed spheres and sera are displayed as open cubes. Antigens and sera are colour coded based on the genetic HA clade, as indicated in the bottom-left legend. Each direction (x, y, z) represents antigenic distance, and one square of the grid corresponds to one antigenic unit, which is defined as a twofold difference in HI titre. The antigenic map is oscillating for visualization purposes. Credit: Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09626-3 First, they created a high-resolution 3D map of how the A (H5) HA protein has changed over decades so they could easily see the entire history and diversity of the different strains. Then, to design the vaccine, instead of choosing an antigen (any substance an immune system recognizes as foreign), they used the map to create a new HA protein that is antigenically central. It is at the center of the map, so it won't be a perfect match for all A5 virus strains, but it is the closest to all known and some future strains. The idea is that by exposing the immune system to this central antigen, the body can produce a broader range of antibodies to fight future infections. New era of flu defenses? The team successfully tested the vaccine in ferrets, a common model for influenza studies. It provided broad protection against significantly different H5 strains, just as well as strain-specific vaccines. It was also effective against two distinct viruses that were different from the vaccine components. "We provide a proof of concept for designing and evaluating antigenically central A(H5) vaccines using antigenic cartography, a strategy that could be expanded to other zoonotic influenza viruses," wrote the researchers. While these animal results are encouraging, the work is not over yet. Human studies will be needed to confirm if the vaccine is safe and effective in people. But if successful, it is hoped that this clever approach could be used against other dangerous flu threats. Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Eganthis article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information: Adinda Kok et al, A vaccine central in A(H5) influenza antigenic space confers broad immunity, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09626-3 Journal information: Nature 2025 Science X Network Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent Bryan Waugh, at podium, joins Nebraska Adj. Gen. Craig Strong at left and Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Rob Jeffreys as the state announces work a new ICE facility. Aug 19. 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN As Nebraska turns a state prison into a detention center for migrants facing deportation proceedings, the Nebraska Corrections Department confirmed where it moved state inmates from the McCook Work Ethic Camp to make room. The transition plan, announced Aug. 19, will convert the Work Ethic Camp as soon as this week. Gov. Jim Pillen and federal officials said then it would be a Midwest hub for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of that announcement, Nebraska housed 186 men at the McCook low-security facility, a total population that fluctuated with normal transfers in. The Corrections Department transferred them to other state facilities as follows: 103 inmates to low-security-level community corrections centers in Omaha and Lincoln. 59 inmates to minimum custody housing at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. 17 inmates to minimum custody housing at the Omaha Correctional Center. 7 inmates to parole. 2 inmates discharged. 1 inmates placed into post-release supervision. Several were also temporarily transferred to the Reception and Treatment and county jails, due to behavioral reasons and unrelated to the WEC transition, a department spokesperson said. Rob Jeffreys, head of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, speaks to the Legislatures Judiciary Committee. Jan. 25, 2025. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner) State lawmakers created a work ethic camp in state law by a 41-1 vote in April 1997 at the request of McCook native and then-Gov. Ben Nelson. It opened in 2001, designed to reduce prison crowding through rehabilitative programming for low-risk offenders as a method to free up bed space for more violent offenders at other prisons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The facility had served adult men convicted of felonies who needed substance use treatment or cognitive restructuring. It had a state budget of $10.2 million. Rob Jeffreys, director of the Correctional Services Department, said last week in a court filing that all inmates formerly assigned to the Work Ethic Camp had been moved to other prisons that were available, suitable and appropriate to meet the inmates programming requirements. In my opinion as NDCS director, the inmates transferred out of the facility to make room for [U.S. Department of Homeland Security] detainees will receive programming at the transfer facility that is equivalent to or meets the programming the inmates received at the facility, Jeffreys said in the sworn statement. If Nebraska needs to transport state inmates back to the Work Ethic Camp alongside ICE detainees, the state would incur costs for doing so. The Sept. 30 contract is in place for an initial two-year period. Pillens office estimates it could annually net Nebraska about $14 million. The rebranded state-federal facility will remain state-owned and operated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lawsuit filed Oct. 15 argues Pillen and Jeffreys violated the Nebraska Constitution and state law in entering the ICE contract and sought to usurp legislative authority. A Red Willow County District Court judge allowed the case to proceed but declined to pause the Nebraska-ICE deal while it is argued, ruling that Pillen and Jeffreys complied with the law. Officials have said the first ICE detainees are expected to be sent to McCook by the end of the week. ICE inspectors completed walkthroughs of the facility last week and certified it for federal use. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A Nebraska man is headed to federal prison for sexual exploitation of an underage girl in South Dakota. Langford man dead after tractor fire Friday A judge sentenced Sean Carlos Payne to 35 years followed by 10 years of supervised release. Payne kidnapped a Meade County girl and took her to Wyoming, where he was involved in a chase with law enforcement. He was also wanted for assault and child abuse for a separate case out of Omaha. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. DENVER (KDVR) A Swansea neighborhood says a problem property on Fillmore Street continues to attract people squatting despite police calls, city citations, and cleanup efforts. FOX31 first reported on the home in September, when a neighbor whose identity were keeping private for his safety described drug activity and trespassing inside the abandoned structure. Since then, both the Denver police and the citys Department of Community Planning and Development say theyve taken new action. Denver police video shows undercover operation targeting human trafficking Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When FOX31 returned to the home this Monday, one room was still wide open, with a mattress inside exposed to the elements and to anyone who might enter. Neighbors say its the latest sign of what they call an endless cycle of squatting and cleanups. A home in Denvers Swansea neighborhood that has drawn crime from unhoused individuals. (KDVR) Every time we call the cops, it takes hours for them to get here and then they call and say they couldnt find anything, the neighbor said. Weve reached out to local politicians, no response youve really been the only person that has responded and actually helped us get some progress. Denver police confirm officers have responded to two burglary calls at the property since the original story aired both times, no one was found on site. Officers say theyve also tried, without success, to contact the property owner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City officials have now added the home to Denvers Neglected and Derelict Building List, giving inspectors authority to clean the property and remove trash. They say nearly $20,000 in penalties and citations have been issued this year, and a show-cause hearing with the owner is next. Coloradans health insurance costs will double on average next year: Division of Insurance In a statement to FOX31, the city said in part: We know neighbors are frustrated, and we will continue to inspect the house at regular intervals to ensure it is closed off and safe. Neighbors say that while the property looks cleaner than before, enforcement hasnt been consistent. We get a little bit of hope, and its just back to it again, the neighbor said. We saw the house get cleaned up, which was really nice, but then the squatters just keep coming back it really is a vicious cycle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City leaders are encouraging residents to call 911 if they witness a crime or unsafe activity at the property. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. Days before Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are set to run out due to the ongoing government shutdown, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and three governors are suing the Trump administration over the funding lapse. Approximately 140,000 Rhode Islanders receive SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. The funding is set to lapse Nov. 1. The average monthly benefit amount per household member is $199. When the president and his administration blame lapsing SNAP benefits on the government shutdown, they are lying to you, said Neronha in a statement announcing the lawsuit. The USDA has billions in contingency funds for this express purpose so that Americans dont go hungry waiting for their federal government to get its act together. Forty-two million Americans rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families, including nearly 150,000 Rhode Islanders, for whom this is potentially a life-threatening situation. So, as the president prioritizes golden ballrooms over access to food, we will continue to fight on behalf of all Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit targets the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its secretary, Brooke Rollins. The statement said the coalition would be filing a temporary restraining order on Oct. 28, asking the court to immediately turn benefits back on. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. How did we get here? The Trump administration has warned that SNAP benefits will end on Nov. 1 if the government remains closed. About 42 million Americans would lose their SNAP benefits, including 140,000 Rhode Islanders. While previous guidance issued in September said that it could use contingency funds to pay for SNAP benefits, the Agriculture Department in a recent memo said that the money isn't available. "Bottom line, the well has run dry," the Agriculture Department said in a notice on its website. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats." Lawsuit argues that the money for SNAP benefits is there In a press release announcing the lawsuit, Neronha argued that the USDA has access to "billions" of dollars in contingency funds designated for the SNAP program by Congress for exactly this purpose, Neronha argued. The USDA also has access to other emergency funds that could be used for SNAP benefits as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to harming families who receive the benefit, the lawsuit argues that the move will harm grocers and merchants who accept SNAP benefits. For each $1 in SNAP benefits paid out, the release said, about $1.54 goes back into the economy. "It is clear the federal government is making a deliberate, illegal, and inhumane choice not to fund this crucial program," the release states. Other states join the lawsuit Neronha joins the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the governors of Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the lawsuit. Reporter Margie Cullen contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI AG Neronha sues Trump administration over SNAP benefits funding lapse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered his military to conduct forceful airstrikes in Gaza, his office wrote on social media, putting new pressure on a weeks-old ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The announcement comes less than a month after President Donald Trump proclaimed that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a tentative peace deal, with Israeli hostages returning home and food aid flowing albeit unsteadily into Gaza. The White House has since worked to keep the deal together, at times expressing frustration with Netanyahu and lawmakers in the Knesset. Netanyahus office said hours earlier that remains that were recently returned by Hamas were actually just additional remains of a hostage who was already previously recovered in a military operation about 2 years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This constitutes a clear violation of the agreement by the Hamas terrorist organization, the prime ministers office said earlier Tuesday. Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold a security discussion with the heads of the security establishment to discuss Israel's steps in response to the violations. Israel had previously struck the enclave during the ceasefire, after alleging last week that Hamas militants had shot at its soldiers. Both Israel and Hamas have accused the other of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Trump on Saturday made it clear the pressure was on Hamas to return the bodies of deceased hostages, or the other Countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action. Lets see what they do over the next 48 hours, he wrote in a post on Truth Social. I am watching this very closely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, the president has signaled that his support of Israel has its limits. I said to Bibi, Bibi, you can't fight the world. You can fight individual battles, but the world's against you, he told Time Magazine on Oct. 15 over his diplomatic efforts to press Netanyahu to end his incursion into Gaza. And Israel is a very small place compared to the world. Last week, Vice President JD Vance slammed a Knesset vote over the annexation of the West Bank, calling it stupid and telling reporters he was insulted by the Israeli parliament. International officials are already expressing concern that Netanyahu may be unwilling or unable to deliver an enduring peace. Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, told POLITICO before Tuesdays strikes that she doubted his commitment to Trumps ceasefire. Felicia Schwartz contributed to this report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, threatening the already fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Following security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu has directed the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahus office said in a post on the social platform X. The order from the Israeli leader comes as Hamas, which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, gave back body parts of an Israeli hostage whose remains Israel said were returned early on in the conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Netanyahus office called it a clear violation of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which went into effect earlier in October and temporarily paused the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hamas shot at Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in the city of Rafah on Tuesday, east of the yellow line that demarcates Israeli control, an Israeli military official, speaking on condition anonymity, told The Hill on Tuesday. This comes after Hamas has also shown their true face and the fact that they are pretending to not know where the remaining hostages are, the official said. Under the ceasefire deal brokered by President Trump, Hamas is required to return all remains of Israeli hostages from Gaza as soon as possible. There are 13 bodies of hostages remaining in the war-torn enclave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas has argued that it will be difficult to recover the remains of the hostages in light of the leveling of Gaza during the two-year conflict. Israel has accused the Palestinian militant group of delaying the return of the remains on purpose. Earlier this month, the IDF said that two of its soldiers were killed and three were injured in Rafah by Palestinian militants. President Trump expressed confidence over the weekend that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will hold. Well, if it doesnt hold, that would be Hamas, Trump told reporters on Saturday aboard Air Force One. Hamas will be not hard to take care of very quickly. I hope it holds for Hamas too because they gave us their word on something, so I think its going to hold and if it doesnt then theyll have a very big problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hours later that day, the president urged Hamas to start returning the bodies of the deceased hostages, warning that other Countries could get involved. Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not. Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, Both sides would be treated fairly, that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Lets see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely, Trump wrote in a Saturday post on Truth Social. Updated: 1:54 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered immediate and powerful strikes on Gaza, putting the countrys ceasefire with Hamas in doubt. Tuesdays announcement comes after Israel accused Hamas of violating the truce by firing on Israeli forces in Rafah and reneging on promises to return missing hostage remains. The strikes threaten to disrupt US President Donald Trumps top diplomatic triumph of his second term; since the ceasefire took effect earlier this month, Washington has scrambled to contain flare-ups, pressuring both parties to adhere to the peace deal. The US vice president said Tuesday the ceasefire is holding, despite little skirmishes here and there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday ordered the military to carry out immediate "powerful" strikes in the Gaza Strip, his office said. The statement comes after the prime minister held talks with security heads to discuss Israel's response to Hamas "violations" of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Shortly after Netanyahu's announcement, the Palestinian militant group said it would delay the handover of another hostages body that had been scheduled for Tuesday evening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The al-Qassam Brigades, the group's armed wing, said on Telegram that renewed Israeli attacks prevented searches in southern Gaza tunnels and that the group would postpone the return of the remains. The latest coffin handed over to Israel by Hamas on Monday night contained additional remains of an Israeli hostage whose body had been recovered almost two years ago, sparking outrage in Israel. Ofir Tzarfati was abducted from the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, and later declared dead. The Israeli military said in December 2023 that it had brought Tzarfati's remains back to Israel, where he was later buried. Netanyahu called the misidentified remais a "clear violation" of the US-backed ceasefire agreement, which required Hamas to quickly return all hostages, living or dead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israel accuses Hamas of deliberately stalling the transfer of bodies, while Hamas says it is struggling to recover the dead amid widespread destruction in Gaza. Meanwhile, clashes erupted in southern Gaza on Tuesday, further straining the fragile truce. Army Radio reported that Hamas fighters fired on Israeli soldiers near Rafah, and Palestinian witnesses said Israeli artillery subsequently shelled several nearby areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to launch "powerful" strikes in the Gaza Strip, his office announced on Tuesday. The statement comes after the prime minister held talks with security heads to discuss Israel's response to Hamas "violations" of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli media reported an exchange of fire in southern Gaza. According to the Army Radio, Hamas members opened fire on Israeli soldiers near Rafah. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli artillery subsequently shelled several areas in the vicinity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the truce began on October 10, sporadic deadly incidents have continued, with more than 90 Palestinians reported killed by the Hamas-run Health Ministry. None of this information can currently be independently verified. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Sometimes, in a quiet moment between appointments, Dr. Carson Cruise runs the financial numbers through his head. They make a cold but compelling case: If he dropped all of the Medicaid patients from his small-town pediatric dental practice, he could make the same money while working far fewer hours. Cruise, 36, owns a dental clinic in the picturesque Alabama town of Florence, home to the University of North Alabama, tucked into the rural northwest corner of the state. He and his wife have two little boys, ages 3 and 5. They sold their small family farm recently because it became too difficult to keep up with it and his practice and still have time for their family. All of his patients are children. About half of them have their dental care covered by Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program for people with low incomes. They come to his clinic from across the region, he says, and some parents drive from rural communities an hour away. He's got a waitlist four or five months long. "I have great relationships with a lot of these families I've been seeing for years," he said. "I don't want to leave them hanging, but it's getting to a point where it's really difficult to keep working at the pace we're working and seeing the volume that we're seeing." Even though more than half of Alabama children are enrolled in Medicaid, Cruise said he is the only board-certified pediatric dentist in the area who still accepts it. Alabama is a vivid example of a national problem. Most state Medicaid programs pay dentists far less than private insurers do for the same services. As a result, not enough dentists are willing to take Medicaid patients, leaving low-income families in Alabama and many other states with limited options for providers and longer wait times when they find one. Alabama has fewer dentists per capita than any other state except Arkansas, according to the American Dental Association. A handful of Alabama counties lack any dentist at all, while other areasincluding parts of Lauderdale County, where Cruise's clinic is locatedare considered dental deserts, places where patients have to drive at least half an hour to reach a clinic. The problem is likely to get worse: In several counties, more than half of dentists are 60 or older, while nearly half have no dentists under age 40. States have flexibility in how they structure their Medicaid programs, including in how much they reimburse providers. Alabama Medicaid reimburses dentists about 46% of what they charge, on average, for their services. The state pays so little for some procedures, Cruise said, that dentists lose money by providing them. Some dentists decide that treating Medicaid patients just isn't worth it. That helps explain why, even though Alabama children get cavities at rates similar to children nationwide, they are less likely to be treated for them. Many of those kids' parents are also going without care. Alabama is the only state where the Medicaid program doesn't cover any dental services for adults, with the lone exception being women who temporarily qualify for Medicaid due to pregnancy. Those gaps in care aren't a geographical fluke, but the result of political choices, says Zachary Schulz, a public health historian who teaches at Auburn University and who compiled the state health department's most recent report on oral health. "The reason we have the health system we do is because of the policies that dictate it has to be that way," he said. If Cruise only accepted patients with private insurance or who could pay out of pocket, he'd make far more per patient. That would allow him to cut his patient volume in half and reduce his staff and overhead costs, he said. He could work fewer days a week and potentially take home a bigger salary for himself. That hard-eyed calculus is at odds with the cheerful murals in the exam rooms at his clinic and the vintage Disney posters lining the hallway. It's at odds with his own conscience. "I love helping these kids," he said. "I also have two kids of my own to take care of, and I can't subsidize this care for the state of Alabama." A dental silo When it comes to health insurance, teeth and gums have been separated from the other parts of the body, with inferior coverage and higher out-of-pocket costs. Medicaid coverage of dental care varies from state to state but tends to be limited. Only about half of states and the District of Columbia cover a wide range of dental services for adults, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy. The others offer limited coverage or only cover emergency procedures. Medicare, the federal health insurance for people over 65, doesn't pay for most dental care. Even with private plans, consumers often bear more of the cost of their dental care than they do with medical insurance. While most dental plans cover 100% of preventive services such as teeth cleanings, they tend to cover only about half the cost of major procedures, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. Insurers may consider dental care to be less critical than other medical care, but the lack of it can have serious, even life-threatening, consequences. Bad oral health has been linked to heart disease, stroke, pregnancy and birth complications, dementia and a number of cancers. It can impact a person's mental health, or even their ability to get a job, said Schulz. As part of a research project involving Alabamians leaving prison and trying to reenter the workforce, he found that many have a hard time landing job interviews not just because of the stigma of being formerly incarcerated, but because of something as simple as not having all of their teeth. "They won't get the job because they look poor, or like they don't take care of themselves," he said. "We view a healthy mouth as a sign of money." "Having to triage kids' Recently, Cruise saw a young patient who had cavities in all 20 baby teeth. Several of those teeth were infected and abscessed. For a patient who's 5 or 6 years old and requires complex care, an office visit won't work. Extensive dental work done under anesthesia has to take place in a hospital. But Cruise's waitlist for hospital procedures is about six months long. Sometimes, parents call begging for help with a child's tooth pain or infection weeks or months before their scheduled procedure. Often, all he can do is call in a prescription for antibiotics to try to keep the infection in check before he operates. "It gets to a point where you feel like you're having to triage kids and do Third World care in a First World country," Cruise said. He keeps a list of kids who have pain or infection. "Those are the ones we try to triage and move to the front of the line. There's just not enough availability to treat all of these kids efficiently." And yet, he counts it as a win that he's able to treat patients in the hospital at all. Until recently, many Alabama hospitals had stopped accepting Medicaid-covered pediatric dental patients because the state's reimbursement rate didn't begin to cover the costs of an operating room, nurses, anesthesia or equipment. But after dentists and other groups advocated to get the state's rate increased, a nearby hospital granted Cruise operating room privileges and he was able to start seeing patients locally, instead of referring them two hours south to a hospital in Birmingham, where the waitlist could be a year or more. That distance had posed a problem for patients without reliable transportation. "It shows that if we try to fix these things, we can fix them," Cruise said. "But at the end of the day, it takes money." Untreated Nearly a quarter of Alabama third graders had untreated tooth decay in 2022, according to the most recent state report, a higher rate than the national average. But the overall numbers mask a demographic divide: Children attending lower-income schools were significantly more likely to have cavities. Black and Hispanic children were more likely to have tooth decay than white children. Dr. Stephen Mitchell, a professor at the state's only dental school, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said the Alabama Medicaid program does a good job of making Medicaid coverage available to children and youth under age 21, at least when it comes to eligibility rules. But reimbursement rates are another story, though Mitchell believes state Medicaid officials are doing what they can with the limited money they have. This year, Alabama lawmakers approved a 19% increase for Medicaid, and the state has raised dental reimbursement rates three times since 2021, and still the payments are too low for many dentists to provide care to Medicaid patients. "We're not the wealthiest state," he said. "We've got to be smart. A dollar of prevention saves a hundred dollars in treatment." Better-paying neighbors Cruise has a friend who's a pediatric dentist and works a little more than an hour's drive from his clinic, over the state line in Mississippi. He said she is paid about 25% more than he is for the same procedures. For a child's tooth extraction, for example, Alabama Medicaid reimburses dentists $64. Mississippi Medicaid reimburses about $83 for the same extraction. Alabama Medicaid just began giving dentists an extra $10 per patient per visit for dental care. It's appreciated, Cruise said, but he hopes the legislature will do more. No one is sure how President Donald Trump's broad tax and spending law, which cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade, will affect Alabama's already strapped Medicaid program. But a further reduction in state reimbursement would likely push Cruise to take the step he has long dreaded: refusing to accept Medicaid patients. "The last thing we want at this point is a budget cut, because we're already doing some things at a break-even or even at a loss," he said. "If we cut that even more, it's going to turn what's a very tight profit margin into a negative. "Most of us have a heart for helping these kids and we'll do it. But you've got to move the needle." 2025 States Newsroom. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus corruption trial was abruptly halted in Jerusalem as Hamas sent more hostage remains to Israel, prompting a high-level security meeting. The criminal corruption trial hearing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was cut short on Tuesday due to security developments, as Hamas had sent late Monday night more remains of a hostage, who had already been returned and buried in Israel, and Netanyahu later convened a meeting with security officials to chart Israels response. The truncated hearing, which had been anticipated to delve into Netanyahus interactions with Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan, including alleged efforts to assist Milchan with regulatory issues related to Channel 10, was halted three hours earlier than scheduled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision was made after the prime minister informed the Jerusalem District Court judges of the situation in a closed-door session, which his attorneys requested upon the start of the hearing. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on the charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three cases: 1000, 2000, and 4000. He pleaded not guilty to all three, and the trial began in 2020. Case 1000 centers on allegations that Netanyahu and his family received luxury gifts from Milchan and other wealthy benefactors in exchange for political favors, including pushing for certain pieces of legislation that would have been beneficial to the Hollywood mogul. Activists protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the District Court in Tel Aviv, where Netanyahu is testifying in his trial, October 28, 2025. (credit: MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90) Milchan previously testified that he had provided an ongoing supply of cigars, champagne, and other items to the Netanyahu family, largely at their request. Netanyahu denies cigars, champagne were part of an exchange Netanyahu has said that these were gifts and were in no way an exchange of any sort. New information received on Tuesday indicated that Milchan had repeatedly offered to join him in business, the prime minister said in his testimony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The abrupt halt to the proceedings has added to the already intense atmosphere surrounding the trial. The prosecution has previously challenged Netanyahus credibility, pointing to numerous instances where he claimed not to remember key events. The unexpected interruption has left many questions unanswered and has intensified public and political scrutiny of the trial. As the legal proceedings continue, the implications of Netanyahus testimony and the surrounding events remain a focal point in Israeli politics. Within the audience are, ordinarily, supporters and detractors of the prime minister, who, during the breaks, will either address Netanyahu or verbally scuffle with each other. In an unusual occurrence, a supporter named Mordechai David appeared threatening to several journalists. After he was removed and returned to the hall, he apologized to two of them, but harassed them again later outside of the courthouse, threatening to block their cars. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel has announced the allocation of funds to support Ukraine's energy system. Source: van Weel on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Details: Van Weel, who is visiting Kyiv, stated that 25 million will be provided for equipment, emergency repairs and gas purchases for Ukraine. He also stressed that maintaining strong pressure on Russia is of vital importance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Therefore, he announced that the Netherlands will host the initial stages of establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. "Every single crime committed by Russia must have consequences," the Dutch foreign minister added. Background: Earlier, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, who also visited Kyiv, announced the allocation of 150,000 to support Ukraine's energy sector ahead of the winter. Recently, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre pledged around US$150 million in aid to help provide electricity and heating for Ukraine during the winter. On 21 October, Sweden announced a contribution of 35 million through the World Bank to help Ukraine prepare for winter. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! A volunteer packs food at Three Square Senior Hunger Campus. (Photo courtesy Three Square of Southern Nevada) The State of Nevada plans to quickly funnel $38.8 million toward local food banks in hopes fewer people will go hungry next month when $90 million in federally funded food stamps are not delivered to low-income people and families. A memo released by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardos office Monday announced a $38.8 million Food Insecurity Nevada Plan that will prop up local food banks, which are expected to see a flood of demand from the approximately half a million residents who currently receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or by the antiquated term food stamps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP benefits are 100% federally funded. Nevadans receive approximately $90 million in SNAP benefits each month. Because of the federal government shutdown, and because of a USDA decision to not follow its own contingency plan outlining the use of nearly $6 billion in emergency funds to keep providing food assistance, SNAP benefits are expected to come to a screeching halt for more than 42 million people nationwide. The Food Insecurity Nevada Plan proposes taking $30.2 million from the Interim Finance Committees contingency fund, which lawmakers typically use to pay for unexpected expenses like lawsuit settlements or overtime salaries. Another $8.6 million will be reallocated from other already approved projects, though the details of that are not yet public. Lombardos memo says he will engage the Nevada National Guard to assist with food distribution to those in need. To that end, he is requesting legislators approve $200,000 for their pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Nevada Board of Examiners composed of the governor, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, and Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning to consider the IFC contingency fund transfer and National Guard salaries. The Interim Finance Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon to give final approval. The agenda of that meeting had not been posted online as of late Monday. Nevadas planned response is similar to whats being done by its neighbor to the west. California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced the state would fast track $80 million in funding to food banks and deploy its national guard to assist at food banks. Several California food banks declined that help, citing community fear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lombardo in August authorized the use of the Nevada National Guard to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officials have said that work is administrative in nature and only involves 1% of the states guard. Still, distrust within immigrant communities is high. The Food Insecurity Nevada Plan is expected to boost local food banks across the state. The resources provided through these community programs are intended to make sure that no family goes hungry during this crisis, said Lombardo spokesperson Elizabeth Ray in an emailed statement to the Nevada Current. Key details are unknown, such as what time period the $38.8 million will be used over, and to what extent the food banks have capacity to scale up their services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even before the federal government shut down on Oct. 1 food banks were already struggling to meet increased demand. They have also been dealing with earlier cuts to federal grant programs. SNAP benefits are distributed via an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system, in which recipients get benefits deposited on what is effectively a debit card that can be used to purchase items in stores. Best efforts notwithstanding, food banks will not be able to fill the void left by discontinued SNAP funding of EBT cards. A spokesperson for Food Bank of Northern Nevada told the Current the food bank is working on aggressive food sourcing through donations and purchased food but acknowledged that, even with additional state money, it will be an impossible task to immediately help each of the 77,008 people in Northern Nevada set to lose their SNAP benefits on Saturday. For every meal that we provide, SNAP provides nine, making it impossible for us to scale up our operations to that level, said spokesperson Jocelyn Lantrip in an email. We do want our communities to know that we are here to help them and we will do everything that we can to offer that support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three Square of Southern Nevada did not provide a comment by publication time. Attorneys general sue Tuesday morning, 23 Democratic attorneys general, including Aaron Ford, along with three Democratic governors sued the Trump administration over the decision not to draw on its own contingency fund to continue SNAP funding during the shutdown. That decision is contrary to law, arbitrary and capricious, and an abuse of discretion, the suit asserts. Where Congress has clearly spoken, providing that SNAP benefits should continue even during a government shutdown, USDA does not have the authority to say otherwise, Ford said in a statement announcing the suit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorneys general would also be filing a restraining order Tuesday asking the court to immediately turn benefits back on, Fords statement said. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizaro, a Democrat now running to succeed Ford as Nevada AG, on Monday sent a letter to Ford urging him to employ every available legal remedy, including federal litigation. Other top Democrats in the state continue to criticize President Donald Trump The Trump administration is finding any excuse they can possibly come up with to avoid helping Nevadans have Thanksgiving, said Democratic Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine, who is also running attorney general. The administration is doing it in exchange for the pressure that theyre hoping its going to put on Democratic senators to vote for a continuing resolution, Conine said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The USDA website blames the shutdown and drying up of SNAP funds on Senate Democrats, falsely accusing them of prioritizing healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures. Senate Democrats, including Nevadas U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, have been clear their priority is maintaining Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. ACA plans are not available to undocumented immigrants. Who receives SNAP in Nevada? Approximately 500,000 Nevada residents receive SNAP benefits. Thats 1 in 6 people, more than the national average of 1 in 8 people. According to the Nevada Division of Social Services: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 40% of SNAP recipients are children; 1 in 3 of households include a child/children; 29% of households include an elderly person; and 22% of households include an individual with disabilities. In Nevada, 70% of households receiving SNAP benefits report having other income; 28% report earned income, meaning a wage or salary. Social Security benefits are one of the most common non-wage sources of income, according to the DSS. Other sources of income include child support or unemployment benefits. What benefits do SNAP recipients receive? SNAP benefits vary depending on income level and household size. But, according to the governors office, for October 2025: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 15.58% of households received $100 or less, and 8.4% of households received $25 or less. According to The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the average SNAP benefit in Nevada during federal fiscal year 2024 was $166 for each household member per month. Thats equivalent to $5.46 for each household member per day. The average monthly SNAP benefit for all households in fiscal year was $276. For households with children, it was $479. Benefits are accessed via electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which look similar to a debit or credit card. They are issued during the first 10 days of each month, with Nevadans receiving their benefits on the day of the month that aligns with the last digit of their birth year. (For example: A person born in 1986 would receive hers on the 6th.) Dana Gentry contributed to this report. This story was updated to reflect the attorneys general filing suit Tuesday. A North Jersey man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for fatally shooting his stepfather, authorities announced Tuesday. Tyrone Cradle, a 29-year-old Newark resident, was convicted in the case earlier this year. Under New Jersey law, he will serve at least 51 years behind bars. Cradles stepfather, 48-year-old Rasool Crews, was killed in the May 19, 2023, shooting outside Crews home in Newark, according to authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cradle opened fire on Crews and Crews daughter when they exited their vehicle after returning home, cops said. The shooting was captured on surveillance video, which showed Cradle stepping out from the side of the home moments before bullets started flying. He fled the scene immediately afterward but was captured four days later. Two days before the shooting, Crews kicked Cradle out of his home, where Cradle had been staying, investigators said. This was a cold and calculated murder, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Nicholas, who tried the case, said after Cradle was convicted in August. We are grateful to the jury for their verdict and hope that Mr. Crews family and loved ones can move forward knowing that justice was served. A man matching Cradles name, age and hometown was also named as a member of the Grape Street Crips gang in a 2022 federal indictment. Cradle was charged with distributing fentanyl and cocaine and pleaded guilty in the case, feds said. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the death of a newborn baby girl whose body was found near the University of Southern California campus. Officers responded Monday to the Cardinal Gardens Apartments in the 3100 block of McClintock Avenue. The LAPD told ABC News that a "full-term infant" was found dead at the USC student housing apartment complex. Initially, a 20-year-old woman was taken to a hospital for trouble breathing just before 6 p.m. About an hour later, the fire department says the LAPD asked them to return after an infant was found unresponsive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They went straight to the bedroom, so I'm assuming they already knew something that happened," USC student Hugo Mayorquin said. Los Angeles police say it is investigating, and the cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner lists the baby as 19 hours old. An exam on the body by the medical examiner is still pending. Eyewitness News was told the department's Juvenile Division is investigating. NEWMAN, Ill. (WCIA) Halloween may be centered around children getting candy, but almost a month into the government shutdown, one Central Illinois city is thinking about families this holiday. The City of Newman is asking people to pass out non-perishable items to trick-or-treaters. Candy and books: How one trunk-or-treat event is helping Central IL schools When you serve another person, thats a way that you can say I see you and I care about you, Councilman Sean Mixson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His daughters, Kyrie and Katrina, thought of the idea to give away food because of the delay of SNAP benefits. Foods like ramen noodles, pudding, rice, beans, boxed macaroni and cheese are some things at the top of the list this Halloween. This isnt the first time the city has done this. At its trunk-or-treat event, people gave canned food items away earlier this month. Mayor Dennis Kibler said he is not shocked by the generosity. Its always been that way since Ive lived here. When someone is in need, everybody helps out, Kibler said. The fire department will also be sharing non-perishable items at their Halloween event this Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When can I go trick-or-treating in Central Illinois? We are community-driven, Newman Fire Chief Wade Hales said. Our goal is to support the community as best as we can. Trick-or-treating in Newman will run from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. President Trump faces the most important international meeting of his second term so far on Thursday: face-to-face negotiations with Xi Jinping, who has made China a formidable economic and military challenger to the United States. The two presidents face a vast agenda during their meeting in Seoul, beginning with the two countries escalating trade war over tariffs and high-tech exports. The list also includes U.S. demands for a Chinese crackdown on fentanyl, Chinas aid to Russia in its war with Ukraine, the future of Taiwan and Chinas growing nuclear arsenal. Trump has already promised, characteristically, that the meeting will be a major success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its going to be fantastic for both countries, and its going to be fantastic for the entire world, he said last week. But it isnt yet clear that the summits concrete results will measure up to that high standard. Read more: 'I'm terrified': Hunger looms as millions brace for loss of food aid amid shutdown Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the two sides have agreed to a framework under which China would delay implementing tight controls on rare earth elements, minerals crucial for the production of high-tech products from smartphones and electric vehicles to military aircraft and missiles. He said China has also agreed to resume buying soybeans from U.S. farmers and to crack down on fentanyl components. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In return, Bessent said, the United States will back down from its stinging tariffs on Chinese goods. Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador in Beijing under then-President Biden, said that kind of deal would amount to an uneasy trade truce rather than a comprehensive trade deal. That may be the best we can expect, he said in an interview Monday. Still, he added, it will be a positive step to stabilize world markets and allow the continuation of U.S.-China trade for the time being. But U.S. and Chinese officials have been close-mouthed on what, if anything, has been agreed on regarding Xis other big trade demand: easier U.S. restrictions on high-tech exports to China, especially advanced semiconductor chips used for artificial intelligence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burns said the two superpowers technology competition is the most sensitive in terms of where this relationship will head, which country will emerge more powerful. Giving China easy access to advanced semiconductors would only help [the Chinese army] in its competition with the U.S. military for power in the Indo-Pacific, he warned. Other former officials and China hawks outside the administration have said, even more pointedly, that they worry that Trump may be too willing to trade long-term technology assets for short-term trade deals. In August, Trump eased export controls to allow Nvidia, the world leader in AI chips, to sell more semiconductors to China in an unusual deal under which the U.S. company would pay 15% of its revenue from the sales to the U.S. Treasury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Pottinger, Trumps top China advisor in his first term, protested in a recent podcast interview that the deal risked trading a strategic technology advantage for $20 billion and Nvidia's bottom line. Underlying the controversy over technology, some China watchers warn, is a basic mismatch between the two presidents: Trump is focused almost entirely on trade and commercial deals, while Xi is focused on displacing the United States as the biggest economic and military power in Asia. I dont think the administration has a strategy toward China, said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. It has a trade strategy, not a China strategy. The administration does not seem to be focused on competition with China, said Jonathan Czin, a former CIA analyst now at Washingtons Brookings Institution. Its focused on deal making. ... Its tactics without strategy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Trump bonds with Japan's new prime minister and says her nation is delivering on U.S. investments Weve fallen into a kind of trade and technology myopia, he added. Were not talking about issues like China's coercion [of smaller countries] in the South China Sea. China doesnt want to have that bigger, broader conversation. It isnt clear that Trump and Xi will have either the time or inclination to talk in detail about anything other than trade. And even on the front-burner economic issues, this weeks ceasefire is unlikely to produce a permanent peace. As with all such agreements, the devil will be in the details, Burns, the former ambassador, said. The two countries will remain fierce trade rivals. Expect friction ahead and further trade duels well into 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buckle up, Czin said. There are likely more sudden moves from Beijing ahead. In the long run, Trumps legacy in U.S.-China relations will rest not only on trade deals but on the larger competition for economic and military power in the Pacific Rim. No matter how this weeks meetings go, those challenges still lie ahead. Get the L.A. Times California Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. SANBORN The Niagara Pumpkin Farm has become quite popular in its first few years of operation. The Townline Road fall attraction, also known as Niagara Nightmares, is currently in its third season, offering seasonal food, haunted hayrides, a corn maze, and a pumpkin house. It has also been the subject of noise complaints from nearby residents and Town of Lewiston lawsuits charging it with operating without the proper permits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, though, both sides are working together as the business makes its way through the current fall season. At a work session earlier this month, the Lewiston Town Board approved deferring code enforcement of the farm for the rest of the 2025 calendar year. Starting with the 2026 operating season, attraction owners Kyle and Alisha King will have to submit the required applications for operations to the town planning board for approval in order to operate. At this time, we are working together with the town to continue our operations, Kyle said last week. Town Attorney Alfonso Bax said that the action did not mean the town was granting site plan approval, special use permit approval, or any other kind of authorization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kings had previously operated Niagara Nightmares on Lee Avenue in North Tonawanda before buying the property at 5368 Townline Road and moving the attraction to Lewiston. Andrew Davis, who lives a few houses down from the Pumpkin Farm, has complained about their neighbors to the town board with his wife, Hannah, since it began operating. They say the noises disturbing their neighborhood come from loud music, chainsaws, announcements done over bullhorns and ATVs. Its apparent the Town of Lewiston is unable to enforce its own zoning ordinance and its town code with respect to the owners residing on this property, accused Davis in September, comparing the situation to that of residents complaining about short-term rentals, which the town has banned on most properties. Enforcing the zoning ordinance and the town code is essential to all of us law-abiding citizens. The town filed a lawsuit against the Kings in Niagara County Supreme Court on Sept. 2, claiming the operation did not fit as a permitted use for Rural Residential zoned areas, had expanded without applying for special use permits, and had refused to comply with building department requests. The Kings argued that the business is an agritourism site with crops like pumpkin, corn, hay, and apples available during harvest, with any delays to their season hurting them financially. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other filed court documents show the building department served them violations dating back to March 2022, including some notices given after site inspections in 2023 and 2024. There was a temporary restraining order against the Kings, preventing them from operating the farm as negotiations to operate were underway. On the Kings side, they received letters of support from North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec, where it previously operated, West Street Elementary School Counselor Lenore Palmeri, whose students went on field trips there, and from many other Lewiston residents who enjoy the farm. Their lawyer, Justin Andreozzi, filed a cease and desist against the Davis claiming they were caught harassing, stalking, and threatening the King family. I believe this path forward is the right one for the town, because it doesnt lock us up in endless litigation, Bax said in September as the town board was in the middle of negotiating. He acknowledged that it brings town code compliance, safety for the individuals visiting there, and peace of mind for neighbors. If we find violations, we are going to hold those people accountable, Bax said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kyle King was supposed to appear before the town planning board at its September meeting, but he didnt appear and the agenda item was removed at his request. A letter they sent to the planners said they are committed to operating a safe and family-oriented place and serving the community, while maintaining town compliance. Since then, town building inspector Ed Zimmerman and Fire Inspector Patrick Martin have toured the property and offered the Kings safety recommendations to implement, which they have done. The regular approval process for the business to operate would have taken several town planning board sessions and possibly prevented the farm from operating this season. The lawsuit from the town was withdrawn without prejudice, though it can be brought again in the future. Bax said that negotiations went better than expected, hoping the Kings continue in this direction. They understand they can still be subject to concurrent violations of town code, Bax said. Since this agreement was reached, Bax said neither he nor the town has heard any more complaints from residents, with the farm abiding by town requests. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An early stage embryo. Credit: Dr Azelle Hawdon, Zenker Lab, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute Most people have heard of stem cells. They are often described as "miracle" cells ones that can grow into any other type of cell in our bodies, promising revolutionary medical treatments. However, not all stem cells are the same, and not all of them can become treatments equally well. To appreciate what stem cells actually doand can't dowe need to understand their different types. Each comes with its own strengths, limitations, and challenges. Stem cells already save lives in Australia and worldwide. But if we want them to help more people, science alone is not enough. We also need strong regulation, industry partnerships and public trust. What are the three types of stem cells? Stem cells are the body's raw materials: unspecialized cells that can, under the right conditions, develop into many different types of specialized cells including blood, skin, heart, or brain. There are three main stem cell types: adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent. As their names suggest, they are found in adult tissues, come from embryos, or are created in the lab respectively. Let's look at each type in detail. Adult stem cells: Proven but limited Adult stem cells are found throughout the body, often named after the tissue they come fromsuch as bone marrow, skin, or gut. A blastocyst embryo where the inner cell mass can be seen. These are typically isolated to culture embryonic stem cells. Credit: Dr Azelle Hawdon, Zenker Lab, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute Because they are collected from a donor or the patient themselves, their use is ethical and based on informed consent. But they are limited. They can usually only regenerate the cell types from the tissue they came froma skin stem cell can only grow into a skin cell, for example. Also, their quality varies from person to person. Adult stem cells are useful and can be life-saving, but not a universal solution. The only approved stem cell therapies currently used in Australia involve blood stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells). These are used in bone marrow transplants to treat blood cancers like leukemia, and some immune conditions such as multiple sclerosis. Embryonic stem cells: Powerful but controversial Embryonic stem cells are more versatile than adult ones. They appear only days after fertilization and can become nearly any cell type in the body, a property called pluripotency. This power comes with ethical and legal challenges. In Australia, embryonic stem cells can only be derived from donated embryos under strict conditions. Their use is tightly regulated and often debated. At the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, my team studies the earliest stages of life. Using advanced imaging, we capture how embryonic cells organize, change shape, and "decide" what types of cells they will become. These processes hold vital clues for guiding stem cells to one day repair or replace damaged organs, and for understanding how a healthy embryo develops. Induced pluripotent stem cells: reprogramming the body In 2006, scientists found a way to "rewind" specialized adult cells, such as skin or blood cells that usually cannot change, and return them to a stem-cell-like state. An image of induced pluripotent stem cells. Credit: Oliver Anderson, Zenker Lab, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute These are called induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs for short. Once reprogrammed, they regain the ability to become many other cell types. iPSCs avoid many ethical issues because they don't require embryos. They can also be made from a patient's own cells, lowering the risk of immune rejection. At our institute, we use this type of stem cells to model diseases, develop new drugs, and generate specialized cells such as neurons, heart muscle and skeletal muscle. Using the latest advances in science imaging to reveal differences invisible to the naked eye, we are also investigating how closely iPSCs resemble natural embryonic stem cells. Understanding this will help us use them safely and effectively in the future. Why aren't more therapies available yet? Stem cells have enormous potential, but the path to turning them into proven therapies is complex. Embryonic stem cells and iPSCs face major scientific, technical and regulatory hurdles. Any therapy must be shown to be safe, effective and reliably manufactureda process that takes years of testing and clinical trials. There is also a risk from unproven stem cell clinics, which offer treatments that lack evidence and can put patients at risk. This is why strong national and international regulation is so important. Equally important is helping everyone understand stem cells so patients can make safe, informed choices. There's a careful pathway from discovery to treatment, and it's important to understand the difference between hope and hype. Stem cells are sort of magic, but only when truly mastered. They remain one of the most promising frontiers in modern medicine. Beyond cells alone, researchers are now combining stem cell biology with tissue engineering, 3D modeling of organs (organoids) and embryos, and gene editing to push the boundaries of regenerative medicine, which harnesses the body's regenerative capabilities to repair damaged and diseased tissues. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Mocha Point Yemeni Coffee Co. began with Ali Othman seeking a solution to a few problems. Firstly, the young professional struggled to find any coffee shops in St. Louis that were open late most seemed to close early in the afternoon. Secondly, Othman couldnt find the same Yemeni coffee his parents had taught him to love. So Othman opened Mocha Point in St. Charles two years ago. After finding success in the St. Louis area, Mocha Point is coming to the Kansas City metro, starting at 8641 W. 135th St. in Overland Park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Omar Abdelmoity, owner of the Kansas location, said it will open in late 2025 or early 2026. The Johnson County spot will be the Mocha Points second location. A third will open in the St. Louis area next year. The expansion is part of a broader goal to bring more Yemeni coffee shops across Kansas and Missouri. Mocha Point customers will notice some of the same flavors as other coffee shops, as well as some that are different. We utilize a lot of cardamom, pistachio notes, cinnamon, nutmeg, Abdelmoity said. A lot of what were wanting to build a brand is not necessarily the product, but the overall environment. Mocha Point has one location in the St. Louis area. Another will open next year, as well as one in Johnson County, Kansas. Its menu will include drinks Americans are familiar with, like lattes and Americanos. Cultural offerings include the Yemeni latte (with honey, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger), pistachio latte, pistachio croissants, Adeni chai (black tea with cardamom and ginger), sticky date cake, and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shop showcases seasonal offerings. From its fall menu: pumpkin latte, pumpkin chai, salted date banana latte, blueberry matcha and blended mango chai. Were hoping that theyre going to see a unique twist on what we call coffee, Abdelmoity said. Mocha, Yemen, is thought to be the birthplace of coffee as a beverage. Europeans associated the chocolatey notes of the beans to cocoa. If one orders a mocha in a Western coffee shop today, it will most likely come with a splash of chocolate syrup. Othman said coffee beans from Yemen are some of the highest quality. Combine that with the stylish atmosphere and friendly service, and he believes customers will be more than satisfied with Mocha Point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When a person steps into our coffee shop, they really feel a different experience, Othman said. Its an elevated experience. A blended mango matcha is one of several fall drinks at Mocha Point, which will soon open a KC area location. Hours will tentatively be 7 a.m. to midnight, matching typical hours of Yemeni coffee shops and giving consumers nearby a place to study late or catch up with friends in the evening. There arent many Yemeni coffee shops in the Midwest. Othman said Yemeni shops found success in Dearborn, Michigan, a few years ago, making it one of the first cities to welcome Yemeni coffee culture into the United States. A few more are scattered throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. Its much more than your average coffee shop, Othman said. Bed-Stuy is getting a new home for books, culture and conversation under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Hannah-Jones is teaming up with New York entrepreneurs Rotimi and Ayo Akinnuoye and Baldwin & Co. owner DJ Johnson to open The North Star Books + Bar, which wil lbe inside the former Macon Hardware storefront at Macon Street and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, as Brownstoner reported. The goal is simple: Create a gathering place where literature, community and nightlife meet. Nikole Hannah-Jones is keeping Bed-Stuys legacy alive The project is deeply tied to neighborhood history. Macon Hardware stood for generations as one of Bed-Stuys longest-running Black-owned businesses. Keeping the building in community hands mattered to Hannah-Jones, a Bed-Stuy resident for nearly 15 years who has hosted reading salons in her home and spent years scouting a public space. After a previous lease fell through, she set her sights on ownership. A for sale post led her to 339 Macon Street, where she made her case to owner Warren Hayes to pass the keys to someone rooted in the neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Hayes was very happy to be able to sell it to someone who is in the community and cares about the community and will create a great community space, she said in an interview with Brownstoner. Im very much aware of the history, and very much honored to keep the building Black owned, frankly. Macon Hardwares legacy remains central. Open since around 1930, the shop became a neighborhood anchor under the Hayes family after Peter and Clara Hayes purchased it in 1987. Clara ran the store after Peters passing. Following her death in 2022, there wasnt a relative of the couple to keep the business operating. Their son decided to sell it, marking the end of an era for a place many considered an iconic community hub. The sale was completed in 2024 with financing from the Self-Help Venture Fund, and Hannah-Jones noted it served as a bridge loan with her as the buildings owner. What will the North Star Books + Bar offer Bed-Stuy? The concept is part bookstore, part bar and cafe. Hannah-Jones, who is also a Howard University professor and co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, wants the venue to be a magnet for the creative world. Im very plugged into the writer community, Im friends with a lot of great writers, and wanted to be able to bring those writers into our community, Hannah-Jones explained. Whenever you have big book events in the city, theyre not at Black bookstores and theyre not in Black neighborhoods, so I really wanted to bring that to Bed Stuy. People should expect all of their writing heroes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Programming will stretch beyond author talks. Patrons can expect performances, book clubs and writing workshops designed to pull in both neighbors and visitors. I really, really want it to be a space, especially in these times, where creative folks can come together and exchange knowledge, ideas, literature, art, Hannah-Jones said. Plans are to open the bookstore in early 2026 The two-story brick corner building sits within the Bedford-Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. Apartments upstairs will host micro-residencies that give visiting writers a place to stay and a way to plug into community work. Inside, a gut renovation is underway to channel a Harlem Renaissance spirit with an Art Deco touch. As Hannah-Jones put it, The space will pay tribute to Black writers of all eras and of all forms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, she and her team plan to operate the bar and cafe in-house. A full kitchen is being built now, with chefs consulting on the menu. With The North Star Books + Bar, the partners are building on that legacy rather than replacing it. Hannah-Jones framed it as a place designed to be a draw for great Black writers and creators from across the globe. She hopes it will be ready for customers in early 2026. The post Nikole Hannah-Jones To Open Bookstore/Bar In Historic Bed-Stuy Building appeared first on Blavity. A New Mexico State Trooper peers out the Roundhouse window as snow falls in Santa Fe during the legislative session on Jan. 29, 2025. Wednesday. On Oct. 28, 2025, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government sued the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, which includes State Police, alleging a pattern of delays or denials in media requests for public records. (Patrick Lohmann/Source NM) The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government announced Tuesday it is suing the state Department of Public Safety for what it calls a pattern and practice of delaying or denying news organizations access to public records. In a suit filed in the First Judicial District court in Santa Fe, NMFOG alleges the department regularly deems simple requests broad and burdensome, a designation that enables the department to unnecessarily prolong production of the records far beyond the 15-day deadline that the state Inspection of Public Records Act imposes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit details records requests to the agency that went unfulfilled for months, often related to records for pending criminal investigations, from news organizations including Searchlight New Mexico, Source New Mexico, the Rio Grande Sun and the Santa Fe New Mexican. NMFOG filed duplicate requests in most instances and reported that NM DPS offered various, allegedly illegal, reasons not to fulfill them, including claiming that the records NMFOG sought did not exist. In a response to Source New Mexicos request for comment on the lawsuit, NM DPS spokesperson John Heil said Tuesday afternoon that the department has not yet been served and cannot comment on pending litigation. Some of the records the news organizations requested included ones relating to an alleged assault at a state Children, Youth and Families Department facility. Other records related to the death of Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield. Based on the agencys response to one of NMFOGs IPRA requests, the foundation alleges, DPS has a practice of claiming the request is overly broad and burdensome, so that it may continue to delay disclosure of records related to ongoing investigations. Doing so circumvents a 2020 New Mexico Supreme Court, Jones v. City of Albuquerque Police Department, which established that an ongoing criminal investigation is not a reason to withhold public records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement accompanying the lawsuit, NMFOG Executive Director Christine Barber said DPS took 10 months to respond to the CYFD records request. Without intervention by the Court, DPS will continue to violate the publics right to access records of the state, Barber said. The lawsuit asks a judge to order DPS to immediately satisfy any of the IPRA requests in full, as well as award any applicable damages and fees that IPRA allows. It also seeks a court order to ensure the departments future compliance with the records law. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wont even look at any soldiers with beards during his upcoming South Korean engagement. An email from the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea formally restricts any members with shaving waivers from attending the military chiefs speaking engagement at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, according to a screenshot shared to an unofficial Air Force Facebook page. The post was made on Sunday, ahead of Hegseths visit to South Korea alongside Donald Trump. The memo underscored that unshaven members are NOT authorized to attend the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No Beardos allowed at Osan, the post captioned the image. An Air Force official confirmed the memos authenticity to Task & Purpose. Last month, Hegseth ordered hundreds of Americas top military commanders to leave their international posts to attend a mandatory in-person assembly in Quantico, Virginia. The meeting unveiled the hairphobic exFox News hosts latest efforts to de-woke the countrys armed forcespart of which included snipping shaving waivers away entirely. That policy is expected to disproportionately affect Black service members due to the potentially injurious effects of frequently shaving their faces, given the curl pattern of their hair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No more beardos, Hegseth said, during his September address. Calling someone to shave, or work hard, is exactly the kind of work force we want. The era of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done, Hegseth continued, adding that anyone unwilling to comply should look for a new position or a new profession. Hegseth is far from the first commander to redefine the militarys relationship with facial hair. The armed forces have a long and strange history with beards, changing hygiene requirements and regulations every few decades. But thats far from Hegseths only hyperfixation on physical appearance. In the same address, Hegseth also announced that he would be changing physical standards for combat roles to the highest male standard only, a revision that could eject women from their positions. Hegseth has openly said before that he does not believe women should serve in combat roles. During a November interview on The Shawn Ryan Show, Hegseth said, Im straight-up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasnt made us more effective. Hasnt made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated. (The Center Square) As air traffic controllers and other federal workers missed a full paycheck Tuesday, growing numbers of labor unions and advocacy groups are calling on Congress to end the record-long government shutdown. During a Tuesday press event, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association highlighted how controllers and other federal workers compelled to work without pay are suffering from the shutdown. Almost every controller cant make it without two paychecks. And so I think the message is clear, Duffy told reporters. Open up the government. End the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duffy lambasted Senate Democrats for not only continuously voting to keep the government closed but also tanking a bill that would have ensured essential federal workers at least receive pay during a shutdown. I think were getting to the point of extremism, and it does beg the question for me again: what are the Democrats fighting for?, Duffy said. I spent almost ten years in Congress. There are political differences those political differences are very real. And the way you resolve those differences is not taking hostages, its actually opening up the government and having a conversation. Senate Democrats have continuously filibustered Republicans Continuing Resolution to reopen and temporarily fund the federal government. After 28 days of a government shutdown, they are still refusing to vote for a funding deal unless it includes a costly extension of COVID-19 era changes to Obamacare subsidies. In the meantime, the problems are mounting daily and federal workers are being forced to make difficult choices in order to stay financially afloat, NATCA president Nick Daniels told reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Daniels mentioned how an air traffic controller recently decided to quit his job because he no longer has the money to pay for his daughters life-saving medical treatments. This job is stressful enough. We go to work, day in and day out, and make thousands of decisions, Daniels said. So the message is simple: end the shutdown today. There is no excuse, that these hardworking men and women are showing up to do this job and to not ever know when theyre going to get paid again. Other organizations, including the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters labor union, are specifically urging Democrats to support Republicans CR. American workers are not bargaining chips, Teamsters President Sean O'Brien posted on social media. Senators should stop screwing around and pass the House-passed clean, short term funding bill." Connecticut is set to turn back the clock for the end of daylight saving time this weekend, gaining an hour at 2 a.m. on Nov. 2. While some might get an extra hour of sleep, Saturday night revelers will not get an extra hour out at the bars, a policy out of step with the Nutmeg State's biggest neighbors. Under state law, venues such as restaurants and bars are allowed to serve alcohol until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Since the clocks this weekend fall back an hour, the 1 a.m. hour will occur twice, technically opening up a loophole for an extra hour of legal carousing before the 2 a.m. cutoff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But a spokesperson with the state Department of Consumer Protection confirmed to CT Insider Monday that the state's prohibition on selling alcohol kicks in when the clock first hits 2 a.m., and does not allow for drinking in the second 1 a.m. hour caused by the clocks turning back for the end of daylight saving time. "It's time for our annual fun-sucking reminder," DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli said in a 2024 press release on the daylight saving drinking question. "When the clocks turn back that's your sign to request a ride or call a cab, not to order another round. Go home, enjoy that extra hour of sleep, and as always, please drink responsibly." Alan Heron, owner of the popular Norwalk whiskey bar Flying Scotsman, said the bar would be open until 2 a.m. on Saturday, but "not a minute after." Overall, he said the end of daylight saving time and resulting earlier sunsets naturally extend the bar's busy hours through winter. "When the clocks go back, though, we tend to feel the bump in energy," Heron wrote to CT Insider. "The earlier sunsets draw people to us a bit sooner, and the colder evenings make a good whisky or a proper cocktail all the more appealing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Connecticut's policy after the clock first strikes 2 a.m. stands in marked contrast to the state's neighbors to the north and west. In Massachusetts, as in Connecticut, bars and restaurants usually are prohibited from selling alcohol past 2 a.m. But for one early Sunday morning every November, the Bay State gets a longer night out. That's because, according to the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC), bars in the state that usually remain open until 2 a.m. can remain open for the second 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. hour, after the clocks fall back. "Licenses of businesses that close at 2 a.m. can be open for the extra hour (still closing at 2 AM)," an ABCC spokesperson wrote to CT Insider. "Bars and restaurants that close usually at 12 a.m. or 1 a.m. will not be open for the extra hour because when the clock turns back, it will still be 1 a.m. and therefore outside of their business hours." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In New York, bars are allowed under state law to sell alcohol even later, until 4 a.m. According to Syracuse-based television station WSTM, bars in the state get a bonus hour on the night the clocks change. The New York State Liquor Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Connecticut residents hoping to adjust their sleep schedules for the time change - regardless of their Saturday night plans - can follow tips from a Yale sleep psychologist throughout the next week to make "falling back" as easy as possible. This article originally published at No 'extra hour' for Connecticut bars when clocks roll back for daylight saving time. AP Photo/Kevin Wolf Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is serious about his hatred of facial hair, refusing to allow service members with beards to attend an event with him during a visit to South Korea this week. The story was reported by independent news website Task & Purpose, citing an email sent from the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, which was shared on an unofficial Air Force page. No Beardos allowed at Osan, the caption said, along with a hashtag #PriceOfTheWaiver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members with shaving waivers are NOT authorized to attend, the text of the email read, highlighted in the image. This was a reference to a quote from Hegseths Sept. 30 speech at Quantico, Virginia to hundreds of generals and admirals in which he declared No more beardos, because the era of unprofessional appearance is over and the age of rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles is done. One of the common reasons service members might have requested a shaving waiver is a medical condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), a painful skin condition that can happen with thick or curly facial hair and cause ingrown hairs, scarring, and other problems. It is more common among Black men and exacerbated by shaving. Hegseths Sept. 30 memo changed the U.S. military policy to only allow temporary waivers for PFB and other skin issues, and would require annual renewals. The previous policy allowed a five-year waiver. The memo also rolled back waivers for religious reasons; Hegseth has expressed a high level of skepticism about these waivers, saying we dont have a military full of Nordic Pagans. He has also pushed for the military to adopt higher fitness standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Task & Purpose reached out for comment, and an Air Force official confirmed the authenticity of the email, saying troops with shaving waivers would not be allowed to attend. The post No More Beardos: Hegseth Will Only Meet With Clean-Shaven Troops During South Korea Trip first appeared on Mediaite. Jimmie Furr, a volunteer with Anson Crisis Ministry, brings boxes of food to a client on June 9, 2020. North Carolina's tiers of economic distress system has consistently ranked Anson as one of the most distressed counties. (Photo: Melissa Sue Gerrits/Carolina Public Press) When economic developers from Anson County pitch their community to prospective businesses, they advertise its railroad access, its proximity to Charlotte, its airport and its available industrial sites. What they dont mention is Anson Countys official tier designation as one of North Carolinas most economically distressed counties a cloud thats been hanging over county officials heads since 2007. That label is intended to help the county. More often, it does the exact opposite. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Carolinas attempt to promote economic growth in its poorest, most rural communities is rife with perversities like this one. In counties rich and poor across the state, officials wrestle with the states unique and inflexible approach to economic development. North Carolina has been steadily adding both jobs and population for more than a decade, with the exception of during the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem, however, is that parts of the state are left out of that promising economic picture with no way to join the fray. Jane Winik Sartwell / Carolina Public Press This is the first article in Trapped By Tiers, a three-part Carolina Public Press investigative series examining North Carolinas economic distress tiers, a system intended to promote economic mobility across the state. CPP analyzed state data and found that this system is ineffective, stagnant, and at times, counterproductive. This article focuses on our findings and their consequences for North Carolina communities across the economic spectrum. The second article focuses on the root causes of the systems failures, while the third article will explore possible improvements and alternatives. What are distress tiers? State law requires North Carolinas Department of Commerce to sort the states 100 counties into three tiers each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In theory, Tier 1 is home to the most distressed counties. Tier 2 represents medium distress, and Tier 3 the least distressed. But Department of Commerce officials apply just four criteria on a countywide basis to determine which counties are placed in which tier: Unemployment rate Population growth Median household income Property tax base per capita. Each year, there must be 40 Tier 1 counties, 40 Tier 2 counties and 20 Tier 3 counties regardless of overall progress or decline in the state or local economies. This is a central assumption from which many of the systems issues stem. The state uses the tiers in order to more prudently distribute its limited money to the counties that need it most. Or at least, thats the idea. Jane Winik Sartwell / Carolina Public Press The funding that is officially impacted by tier designations includes public infrastructure grants, competitive business incentive programs and building redevelopment funds. However, many more state programs now rely on the tier system including several noneconomic programs. Some private foundations and nonprofit organizations use it to deal with counties as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tier 1 counties are given preference in their economic development grant applications and often receive higher state matches for local dollars. The One North Carolina Fund, a job incentive program, divvies it up like this: In a Tier 1 county, the local government must provide no less than one dollar for every three dollars provided by One NC. In a Tier 2 county, the local government must provide no less than one dollar for every two dollars provided by One NC. In a Tier 3 county, the local government must provide no less than one dollar for every one dollar provided by One NC. The idea is that Tier 1 counties, like Anson, need the money more but have less resources to compete for it. They need the extra help. In some counties, however, that one-to-three requirement may still be too steep of a challenge for the county to take advantage of the program. Although annual tier designations are usually announced late in the year, late changes in the data cannot always be captured, so a lag occurs between tier designations and potentially major shifts. The 2025 tier designations were announced in late 2024 and did not account for the economic disruption of Tropical Storm Helene, which hit the state in late September. The 2026 tiers will likely be announced in early December. Key findings Carolina Public Press analyzed publicly available state economic records on distress tier assignments, economic indicators and demographic information between 2014 and 2025, finding that: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 20 of the 40 Tier 1 counties have held that same status for more than a decade. Even though the system was originally intended to promote economic growth, it has failed to move the states most disadvantaged communities forward. 19 counties operate in a kind of permanent recession, posting unemployment rates 20 to 55% higher than the state average for decades. The former home of a laundry business sits vacant and in disrepair and with the door hanging off its hinges on U.S. 501 Business southeast of downtown Laurinburg in Scotland County, which has consistently been ranked by the state as one of the most distressed counties. Next door is the Project InAsMuch charity, which provides food to young children in the community. Frank Taylor / Carolina Public Press 13 of the 20 Tier 3 counties have held that same status for more than a decade. Many counties have become stuck, unable to progress to Tier 2, with Tier 3 completely out of reach for them. In Eastern North Carolina, two distinct clusters of counties have remained in the most distressed tier since the systems inception, pointing to a regional economic issue that the system has been unable to address. The northeastern cluster maps onto the counties with the highest percentage of Black North Carolinians, revealing deep socioeconomic problems spurred by inequity and systemic disadvantages based on race, often with long historical roots. The tier system obscures these kinds of issues and has not led to economic progress for these counties. It is possible for a county to improve in nearly every indicator and still shift down to a more distressed tier. This happens because counties are judged against other counties, not on their own, and a fixed number of counties will always be in each tier. The system is not flexible enough to respond to economic crises in real time, such as a hurricane, factory closure or pandemic. The 2025 tiers, for example, did not address or represent the economic havoc wrought by Hurricane Helene in late 2024 in many mountain and Western Piedmont counties. Avril Wilson, owner of Serenity Garden Wellness Center, and Gary Curtis help to clear out Wilsons business in Spruce Pine on Oct. 4, 2024, a week after massive flooding from Tropical Storm Helene. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press Wealthy enclaves distort rankings by obscuring real poverty in adjacent communities within the same county. In Tier 3 Union County, for example, wealthy Charlotte suburbs in the west prevent heightened state attention to the eastern town of Marshville, where the poverty rate is 18%. The system, once designed to distribute a single tax credit, now is applied across state agencies, economic and not. In some cases, this punishes counties with a system that was intended to incentivize growth. A lack of mobility Since North Carolina implemented its three-tier system in 1987, the designations were meant to be dynamic. The ranking was intended to incentivize growth in struggling areas, eventually helping them move out of the most distressed tier and make room for other counties that needed special attention from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is not what happened. CPP analysis showed that half of the 40 Tier 1 counties or the most economically distressed have held that same status for more than a decade. It reflects a kind of economic fatalism thats becoming increasingly pervasive. There are parts of North Carolina that do not have anything, and may never have anything much, Orange County economic development director Steven Brantley told CPP. The pattern holds at the other end of the spectrum as well. More than half of the 20 Tier 3 spots have always been occupied by the same counties, CPP analysis showed. Think counties like Wake, home to Raleigh, and Mecklenburg, home to Charlotte. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The static tiers hide the fact that the poorest counties dont improve while the richest counties just get richer. In Eastern North Carolina, two distinct clusters of counties have remained locked in the most distressed tier since the systems inception. An economic issue plagues these counties that the tier system does not, and cannot, address. The northeastern cluster of Tier 1 counties is aligned with the cluster of counties that are home to the highest percentage of Black North Carolinians. Some of the economic challenges in these counties are rooted in the history of racial economic disadvantage going deep into the regions history. The tier system obscures these counties specific struggle into a broader category of distress. One such northeastern county, Edgecombe, is currently tied with an adjacent county, Halifax, for highest unemployment rate in the state. It has been designated as Tier 1 for as long as the system has been around. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im sick and tired of Edgecombe County being at the top of every bad list, Edgecombe County Manager Eric Evans told Carolina Public Press. Weve been able to capitalize on it and tap into resources that we otherwise might not have. But really changing the economic outlook for these counties takes a whole lot more than just a designation and first dibs at federal and state funding. Because of its tier designation, Edgecombe County received a job development grant and other incentives from the state that helped the county attract Natron Energy, an international industrial battery manufacturer. Natron planned to bring more than 1,000 jobs and an investment of $1.4 billion to Edgecombe County with a gigafactory at Kingsboro Business Park, midway between Rocky Mount and Tarboro. Natron had plannned to build an sodium-ion battery plant with 1,000 jobs at this Edgecombe County site between Tarboro and Rocky Mount. Those plans have changed. File / Provided Other companies had promised to come to the business park before namely CSX and Triangle Tire but pulled out at the last minute. Now, its happening again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We just found out recently that (Natron) just couldnt make things work, and they pulled a plug on the project, Evans said. The state incentives are enough to get companies interested in North Carolinas poorest areas, but not enough to ensure follow-through. For all the bad PR that Tier 1 counties get, many dont actually receive that much special treatment from the state. In the two years that Renee Perry has served as Vance County manager, she hasnt seen any money or incentives come in as a result of Vances economically distressed status. Halifax County Manager Dia Denton doesnt think her county will ever ascend out of Tier 1, but she doesnt necessarily see that as such a terrible thing the system just fails to appreciate Halifaxs dominance in the agriculture sector, she says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that may not be of much help to workers in Halifax County who dont happen to own farms. Like Edgecombe, Halifax has a perpetually high level of residents without jobs. Challenges in every tier Tier 1 counties arent the only ones with challenges. Many wealthy, older North Carolinians own second homes in the mountains. Should that mean that the county receives less funding to repair buildings? What about counties whose populations are rapidly growing should that mean they receive less funding to build new schools? Logic would suggest not, but thats the way it works under the current system. For Tier 3 counties, their relative success can handicap parts of the county that arent as affluent as others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karen Howard is a county commissioner in Chatham County, which has been designated as non-distressed for upwards of a decade. In a community like Chatham, we certainly have condensed wealth and a lot of opportunity, but we also have deep pockets of poverty, Howard said. Siler City in western Chatham County has lagged behind the wealthier and fast-growing northeastern portion of the county. The Mountaire poultry processing plant is one of the few major employers in Siler City. Frank Taylor / Carolina Public Press The lack of access to some of the grant and funding opportunities in towns like Siler City and Goldston has been crippling. The model itself is the challenge. Towns that are distressed and unable to access or manage the funding opportunities because of where they are located are just at this permanent disadvantage. The system is unable to take in nuance. The same sentiment is felt by other Tier 3 counties, such as Iredell and Mecklenburg. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Being a Tier 3 county excludes us from multiple revenue sources that are desperately needed, Beth Milton, Iredell County manager, told CPP. It punishes a less vibrant area of a county because of anothers success. In the states largest city, Charlotte, the tier system breeds even more contradictions. Mecklenburg County Commissioner Arthur Griffin argues that Charlotte has many more poor people than sparsely populated, rural counties, but those people are excluded from the benefits of the tier system. In North Carolinas cities, economic success is accompanied by deep pockets of poverty. The system is designed to ignore those pockets, Griffin argued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials from Tier 3 counties like Iredell feel they contribute more to the state economy, and are unfairly punished for it. In North Carolina, counties classified as Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounting for 80 out of the 100 counties receive a far greater share of state funds despite paying less than 20% of the states total taxes, said Gene Houpe, an Iredell County commissioner. In contrast, Tier 3 counties like Iredell contribute the majority of the tax revenue yet receive little to no support back from the state. This disparity leads to severe reductions in state incentives for economic development, local grants, and much-needed capital funding for school projects. One of the most pressing issues we face in Iredell is the lack of adequate funding for school capital projects. Due to rapid growth, our county is required by law to build new schools to accommodate the increasing population. However, we do not receive enough funding from the state to meet these obligations, and the financial strain is becoming unsustainable. Growing uses for the tiers The tier system was never intended to impact public school funding. Over the nearly 40 years the system has been in effect, its influence has grown beyond the purposes for which it was designed. The program was built in 1987 for one specific economic development incentive program, explained Anson County Planning Director Nick Addison. Since then, the state has expanded this program to kind of be all-encompassing. Michelangelo didnt paint the Sistine Chapel in broad strokes. Cathy Carlton, front, hands food to a woman while visiting the Feed My Lambs ministry in Wadesboro on June 9, 2020. In April that year the food pantry served 630 families, increasing from an average of 520 families monthly. Melissa Sue Gerrits / Carolina Public Press The tier system doesnt just dictate which counties get which job creation incentives. It now impacts random county programs, like spay-and-neuter programs, farmland preservation programs, school construction, waste- and drinking-water reserve programs, community colleges, oral health preventative services and medication assistance programs. The tier system has seeped into the grant-making decisions of nonprofits like the Golden Leaf Foundation, a major grantor for counties impacted by the decline of the tobacco industry. It can also affect federal funding streams, when those are operating normally. The School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill recently published a study examining the effectiveness of the tier system. One of the authors, Carolyn Fryberger, blames the increasing use of the tiers for many of the systems unintended consequences. The goal of the system is now very unclear, Fryberger said. It was originally created under this one very specific statute for a very specific use. It is now used in every program, across every department, in every issue area, in ways that it was not intended and was not designed. These tier designations, whose influence has grown to represent so much of counties identity, in many cases, are not all that meaningful. Tier soup The prescribed number for each tier results in a musical chairs effect where a county can improve or decline just because of another countys unrelated performance. Some counties wobble between tiers. The counties that hover near tier boundaries need not experience meaningful changes to switch. Caldwell County, for example, has switched between Tier 1 and Tier 2 six times in the last 10 years. A factory off Willow Street in Lenoir is seen on Sept. 19, 2025. After many furniture manufacturers in Caldwell County closed or downsized, the city turned to converting spaces for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Melissa Sue Gerrits / Carolina Public Press In the most recent rankings, Caldwell once again moved tiers, from medium distressed to most distressed with hardly any meaningful, or negative, changes in its economic outlook. Between 2024 and 2025, Caldwell Countys property tax base increased by $9,700. The median household income increased by $8,900. These are positive changes. It experienced population growth at a rate of 1.32% between July 2020 and July 2023, which is faster than it had been growing in previous periods, but slow compared to the statewide growth rate of 3.95%. The unemployment rate in Caldwell was 3.65%, exactly on par with North Carolinas over the same period. It represented an increase in unemployment in Caldwell, but just by 0.3%. That tiny fraction amounted to a decline of 12 positions in the unemployment rate rank among North Carolina counties. The county moved from Tier 2 to Tier 1, spurring bad PR and making it less attractive for potential businesses. Last year, when we moved down in the tier rankings, we saw improvements in three of the four categories, Ashley Bolick, Caldwell County economic development director, told CPP. The only area that we saw a decline was in unemployment rate, and our unemployment rate was still the second-lowest unemployment rate weve reported since weve been keeping records. So its hard to think of yourself as a Tier 1 community when all of your metrics are improving. People think we are going backwards, and that is not the case. In Surry County, the median household income dropped by just $2,300 between 2024 and 2025. That amounted to a drop of 30 positions in the median household income ranking, and Surry moved from Tier 2 to Tier 1. That marks the sixth time Surry County has shifted in 10 years, complicating the countys economic planning. The distress tiers system magnifies relatively insignificant changes like these while obscuring more meaningful changes. A Tier 1 county could improve dramatically without ever exiting its tier, and that improvement would be completely obscured by the system. The tier system touches nearly every corner of North Carolinas economy, from school construction to businesses recruitment to animal control. It has calcified into a static ranking that fails to capture economic reality and punishes counties at both ends of the economic spectrum. It resists the very changes it was intended to promote. For North Carolinas poorest counties, the system represents anything but a beacon of hope. This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. According to the Department for Education, children missing at least half their classes in a term climbed to a record high in the spring. This is also one of the findings of the Centre for Social Justice, whose most recent research shows that severe absence defined as missing over 50 per cent of school is on an upward trajectory. This spring, 160,497 schoolchildren fell into this category, a 167 per cent increase on pre-pandemic levels. That last bit of data tells the story. School attendance officers and headteachers speculate about the cause of the alarming rise in truancy in the last five years smart phone use, negligent parents, child poverty but the most obvious candidate is the closure of schools during the pandemic. Turns out, telling children to stop attending school for the best part of a year means some of them lose the habit. Ive tabled an amendment to the Childrens Wellbeing and Schools Bill that will make it harder for the Government to close schools in future, but its a case of slamming the stable door after the horse has bolted. To a large extent, the damage has already been done. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im thinking of the research and analysis published by Ofsted in April 2022, based on inspection evidence, which highlighted delays in childrens speech and language progress and the negative impact on childrens personal, social and emotional development. Im thinking of the research published by the IFS, the Education Endowment Fund and the Social Mobility Commission detailing the persistent and highly damaging impacts of school closures in terms of exacerbating inequalities and reversing progress previously made in narrowing the attainment gap. Im thinking of the irrecoverable learning loss highlighted in a report by the University of Oxford in January 2023. Im thinking of the data accumulated by Children and Young People Now about the deterioration in childrens mental health since the school closures, with 1.3 million schoolchildren being referred to mental health support services in the school year 2023/24, a 71 per cent increase on the pre-pandemic year of 2018/19. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And above all, theres the vital work done by the Centre for Social Justice documenting the rise in persistent absenteeism since schools re-opened. Incredibly, the number of persistently absent children, defined as missing at least 10 per cent of lessons, climbed to 1.6 million last summer. b' ' Some will argue that these costs, while undoubtedly high, were outweighed by the benefits in terms of infections averted and lives saved. But children were at negligible risk from Covid-19. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in England & Wales, between March 2020 and October 2022, there were 88 deaths registered as due to Covid-19 for children aged under the age of 18. Thats 0.05 per cent of the total number of Covid deaths in the same period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To put that figure in perspective, between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2022, 644 children died from accidents. In any event, closing schools didnt make children less likely to become infected. A study published by the Public Health Agency of Sweden in 2020 found that infection rates were no higher among schoolchildren in Sweden, which closed sixth forms, but no other schools during the pandemic, than they were in Finland, which closed all schools. What about adults? Didnt closing schools protect them? Were in the realm of counterfactuals here, but if we look at Sweden again, the evidence is that, no, keeping schools open did not mean more people were at risk of becoming infected and dying from the coronavirus. According to the ONS, Swedens overall excess mortality between March 2020 and July 2022 was negative, i.e., lower than the pre-pandemic average and far lower than in the UK, where schools were closed. In fact, Swedens excess mortality was the lowest of all European countries except Norway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Incidentally, Norway did close schools, but the prime minister at the time actually apologised for doing so. So, the costs of closing schools were almost incalculable and the benefits non-existent. It was a catastrophic error although you wouldnt know that from the line of questioning pursued at the UK Covid-19 inquiry last week, when school closures were in the dock. My amendment wont make it impossible for the Government to close schools again. It merely says that any decision to do so has to be signed off by the Childrens Commissioner and consented to by Parliament, and that such approval needs to be given afresh every two weeks. I daresay it will be rejected by the Government, which wont want to antagonise the teaching unions, who applied huge pressure on Boris Johnsons government to close schools. As usual, they put their own interests above those of children. If this country is going to have any sort of future, we all need to stop doing that. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The Texas attorney general announced a lawsuit Tuesday against the pharmaceutical companies behind Tylenol that echoes the Trump administration's allegations linking the painkiller to increased risk of autism. Ken Paxton, a Republican, accused drug makers Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Kenvue of "knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets," according to a press release issued with the suit that was filed in a Texas state court. The lawsuit seeks to prohibit alleged false marketing and monetary penalties, among other remedies. Paxton's press release also referenced literature by President Donald Trump's administration asserting a link between acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, and autism if pregnant mothers took the painkiller. Trump, accompanied by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr at a September 22 event, insisted that "taking Tylenol is not good" and to "fight like hell not to take it." But medical groups including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have long cited acetaminophen as among the safest painkillers to take during pregnancy. Some public health experts have described Trump's attacks on the drug as unscientific and dangerous. Paxton accused J&J of "illegally offloading their liability to a different" company when it spun off Tylenol as part of the establishment in 2023 of Kenvue, a consumer products firm. A J&J spokesperson said the company no longer owned Tylenol and that "all rights and liabilities" were now owned by Kenvue. Kenvue said acetaminophen "is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy," according to a statement. "We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children," Kenvue said. 2025 AFP NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The government shutdown has hit home, and come Saturday, it could impact how thousands of Tennesseans put food on the table. According to a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits wont be paid out for November because the well has run dry. The Nashville Food Project has teamed up with other local nonprofits to brace for what could be a major surge in need. Food insecurity has been on the rise in Middle Tennessee since the pandemic, CEO of The Nashville Food Project, C.J. Sentell, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED | Nashville area food pantries prepare for increased demand amid looming SNAP lapse The Nashville Food Project supports a long list of local nonprofits including the YWCA, Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee by supplying them with fresh meals and groceries. Whether they need more shelf-stable food or more fresh produce or more meals, meals in different formats, Sentell explained. Meals that can be passed along, for example, through an afterschool program. Sentell told News 2 that about 1 in 7 Nashvillians do not have access to the food they want or need, but at the same time, more than 40% of food is going to waste in Nashville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are thinking about how to recover more food, so about 80% of every meal is donated or recovered food, so we recover food from grocery stores and farms across the county, Sentell said. State data shows more than 690,000 Tennesseans rely on SNAP for nutrition assistance. If those benefits stop, families that depend on them could be forced to make tough decisions. Its families having to make decisions based on the hierarchy of needs, frankly, Sentell described. The Nashville Food Project has started preparing for what could be a major surge in need if the shutdown continues. Organizations across the city are going to have to collaborate and corporate to make sure that our residents, our neighbors, our friends, our family members get access to food, Sentell emphasized. Again we believe in abundance. We believe there is enough food in our community, and we have to work together to get our fellow neighbors the food that they need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sentells message to those facing food uncertainty is one of togetherness. You are not alone, Sentell said. We exist in a community together, and we are not going to let our community members go hungry. Sentell encouraged people to get involved whether through donating or signing up to volunteer. PREVIOUS | Federal SNAP benefits wont be paid in November: What does that mean for Tennesseans? The Nashville Food Projects meal partners include: The Ark Community Resource Center Begin Anew of Middle Tennessee Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee Colbys Army Community Care Fellowship Crossroads Pets Dignidad Obrera Workers Dignity Dismas House Edgehill Neighborhood Partnership Fifty Forward Green Street Sanctuary Harvest Hands JCALA Homeless Comfort Service Judge Dinkins Educational Center Martha OBryan Center Metro Nashville Public Schools Metro Nashville Public Schools Office of English Learners Napier Kitchen Table Fellowship Nashville Launch Pad National Church Residences Nations Ministry Center for Refugees Open Table Nashville Operation Stand Down Tennessee Our Place Nashville Project Access Resource Centers Project Return Safe Haven Family Shelter Samaritan Recovery Community South Inglewood Community Center St. Lukes Community House Strings for Hope Trinity Community Commons Uprise Nashville Urban Housing Solutions Water Walkers The YMCA YWCA Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) A shooting at a North Augusta gas station left two dead on Sunday, and now residents are speaking out. Bullets traveled from the gas station to the Nancy Carson Library. This is where children play, and now, the childrens area is temporarily closed while crews clean up glass to make it safe again. We was coming to the store and we seen the crime scene, so we stopped, said Derek Mays, who lives in North Augusta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Augusta officers arrived around midday at the gas station and found an armed suspect. One officer fired, hitting the suspect. Two people had already been killed before police arrived 76-year-old Jewel Harden and 33-year-old Thomas Lilly Junior. I got a phone call to come and open the building, said Barbara Walker, manager at the Nancy Carson Library. Inside the librarys childrens section where kids read, play, and use toys bullets pierced two windows and hit nearby walls. Walker explained how the library was affected in the shooting. In between the shelves and on the shelves and the way out here on by the tables, there were these pieces of glass, Walker said. So, we had to clear all that up. And then as you can see, theres one hole over there. And then theres another where the one right there, where it was hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the first time the library has seen damage like this. Crews are cleaning up glass and debris to make the area safe again. Walker says shes thankful no one was inside when the shots were fired. It doesnt look like anyone wouldve been hit with any kind of ammunition or anything like that, Walker. But the glass and stuff over kids and stuff, thats what we wouldve worried about. Cones still block parts of the Sprint parking lot, but people are still walking in. Some community members say the shooting has shaken their sense of peace. I cant believe this is right here in our hometown, North Augusta, said Debra Funches, who lives in Graniteville. So I say stop the crime rate, lets stop, lets come together as a people and speak out against it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No officers were hurt. SLED is still investigating. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) The North Carolina State Board of Education voted unanimously without further discussion to bring on Mauldin and Jenkins, a financial firm, to carry out an internal controls review of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. The audit is going to cost more than $97,000, and the district is on the hook to pay for it. What this means is the firm will look at what the district is doing by using the right mechanisms and procedures to put them on the right track and to be sure the district doesnt overspend again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, in a previous system, the district used software called AS400, which, according to the state auditors report, was overridden 300 times. The district is now using a software called Tyler with safeguards in place, which has stricter rules when it comes to approving purchases. The district still doesnt have a permanent chief finance officer, although Interim Superintendent Catty Moore said there are several qualified applicants. According to Mauldin and Jenkins proposal to the NCSBoE, they have experience in these types of audits. They provided a financial services risk assessment and process evaluation for a district in Georgia, which helped that district identify any risks in financial processes, ensuring compliance and efficiency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mauldin and Jenkins have an office in Raleigh, which was important to the NCSBoE when choosing the firm to do the audit. According to the firm, they plan to help WS/FCS with a forward-looking report and to build a roadmap of priorities they should consider, and they plan to meet in person three times while doing the audit. The audit is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025, and the findings will be presented on Feb. 15, 2026. This audit is separate from the districts annual audit. Forvis Mazars, the accounting firm doing the independent audit for the district, said they wont finalize their finding until they see the audit from Mauldin and Jenkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is bad news for the district because its annual audit is due in December. Forvis Mazars is expected to present its findings so far at the NCSBoE meeting on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) The North Charleston Police Department will hold a Tuesday evening town hall to provide residents with insights into policing procedures during incidents and service calls. Police officials said community members will have an opportunity to engage with local leaders and ask questions about issues that affect the community. Harve Jacobs, the agencys public information officer, said officers will conduct a live reenactment during the event, which he explained as a unique effort to improve community understanding and engagement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That reenactment will demonstrate appropriate and safe ways for citizens to conduct themselves during interactions with law enforcement. Were committed to building strong, informed relationships with our community, said Chief Camacho, who will attend the town hall along with elected officials. This town hall is an opportunity for open dialogue and shared understanding. The town hall will be held at Royal Baptist Conference Center (1805 Pearson Avenue) from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) North Korea said Wednesday that it has conducted successful cruise missile tests, the latest display of its growing military capabilities and one that came a day before U.S. President Donald Trump visited South Korea. Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his trip but acknowledged difficulties in arranging a meeting with Kim. "I know Kim Jong Un very well. We get along very well, Trump said at the beginning of his meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the South Korean city of Gyeongju. We really werent able to work out timing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking with reporters earlier aboard Air Force One en route from Japan to South Korea, Trump appeared to downplay the significance of the latest North Korean missile test activities. "Hes been launching missiles for decades, right? Trump said. North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency said its sea-to-surface missiles fired Tuesday flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in its western waters. It said the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational sphere of the countrys nuclear-armed military. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said that South Korea and the United States were analyzing the weapons and maintaining a combined defense readiness capable of a dominant response against any North Korean provocation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Koreas latest launches followed short-range ballistic missile tests last week that it said involved a new hypersonic system designed to strengthen its nuclear war deterrent. They were North Korea's first ballistic missile tests in five months. North Korea hasn't made a direct response to Trump's overture as it has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since Kims high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions. The two leaders met three times during the American presidents first term, and their third and last meeting happened at the Korean border village of Panmunjom. Many experts say Kim won't likely return to talks with Trump anytime soon unless he's assured it would get big U.S. concessions like extensive relief of sanctions. But others say North Korea would find it difficult to ignore Trump's repeated outreach because doing so could make it a less important foreign policy agenda for Trump. Trump earlier said he would be willing to extend his Asian trip South Korea is his final scheduled stop if there was an opportunity to talk with Kim. Trump even suggested that sanctions relief could be discussed if the meeting is realized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Kim said he wouldnt return to talks with the United States unless Washington drops its demand for North Koreas denuclearization. Kims top foreign policy priority is now Russia. In recent months, he has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment to help fuel President Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine, while embracing the idea of a new Cold War and positioning his country as part of a united front against the U.S.-led West. Trump is in South Korea for talks with Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit set to open on Friday. Trump will likely skip the APEC summit. During his meeting with Trump, Lee, a liberal who espouses greater reconciliation with North Korea, said that he thinks Kim hasn't understood Trump's sincerity but the American president's outreach itself could help foster peace on the Korean Peninsula. (FOX40.COM) A man was arrested after he was pulled over with more than 100 pounds of illegal fireworks in his car, according to Northern California police. Video Above: Most commonly reported crimes in the U.S. The Lathrop Police Department said it was conducting a traffic stop at McKinley Avenue and Lathrop Road when K-9 Officer Valker located more than 100 pounds of illegal fireworks in the bed of the pickup truck. $25,000 fireworks fine shocks Northern California landlord, surprise tickets still being sent Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver, Julian Ruiz, was arrested and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail. He faces charges related to felony possession of fireworks. With the holidays approaching, the Lathrop Police reminds everyone to celebrate responsibly and follow the law, LPD said. Illegal fireworks are dangerous, they can cause serious injuries, start fires, and endanger entire neighborhoods. Lets keep our community safe and enjoyable for everyone. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder, by Michael McFaul, Mariner Books, 544 pages, $35 If you were looking for a human avatar of America's unipolar moment, you couldn't do better than Michael McFaul. Picture a youthful, energetic McFaul with a newly minted Ph.D. bounding into the suddenly post-Soviet space of the early 1990s, full of bright ideas about democracy and faith in the end of history. As McFaul himself puts it, 1991 "was a glorious moment to be a democratic, liberal, capitalist, multilateralist, and American.I was treated like a rockstar." History, however, was undeterred. From his perch in the Democratic Party's foreign policy elite, McFaul had a front-row seat for the twists and turns of U.S. foreign policy. As an adviser on national security to President Barack Obama and later as Obama's ambassador to Russia, he watched the U.S.-Russia relationship worsen; he negotiated Russia's fateful abstention from the United Nations Security Council vote authorizing NATO intervention in Libya. He became an informal advisor to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and then a commentator for MSNBC, where he drew connections between resisting President Donald Trump at home and promoting democracy overseas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McFaul's new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats, highlights the brighter moments of that arc while eliding or dismissing its darker ones. He sings the praises of America's response to the Russian seizure of Crimea and of Obama's attempts to engage overseas democracy movements, but he glosses over the excesses of the unipolar moment. He offers only a few paragraphs on Iraq (while reminding readers that he was not an Iraq war booster). On NATO expansion and its role in today's European tensions, his book is entirely silent. The book's central, perhaps defining, theme is an unshakeable faith in the righteousness of post-Cold War liberal foreign policy, coupled with an unwillingness to explore the unintended consequences that emerged along the way. McFaul deplores the American public's falling support for liberal international orderor rising "isolationism," as he sees itbut without dwelling overmuch on why American attitudes shifted so dramatically. Nor does he question whether some of these liberal crusades contributed to the very nationalism and illiberalism that now haunt politics throughout the Western world. In that respect, this book feels very much as though it were written in 2015, not 2025. McFaul has a message to impart. Across 400 pages of often repetitive prose, he paints a picture of an emerging battle between democracies and autocracies (especially Russia and China) fighting "for the soul of mankind." The book proceeds in three parts: a brief history of U.S. relations with Russia and China, a lengthy comparison of today's global power balance, and a set of policy prescriptions meant to bring the lessons of the Cold War to bear in this conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is that last section that differentiates this from McFaul's prior book (From Cold War to Hot Peace), which mostly relates his own experiences working in Russia policy. Autocrats vs. Democrats focuses on America's failure to build liberal democracy in Russia and China since 1991, arguing that this failure has created a world full of dangers that can be overcome only through a reversion to Cold War strength and certainty. Our core interests, McFaul argues, are: "(1) to protect American territory, (2) to deter attacks on our allies globally, (3) to stop Russian annexation and conquest in Europe, (4) to prevent war with the [People's Republic of China] over Taiwan, and (5) to preserve freedom of navigation in the South China Sea." We must do all that while avoiding overreach, he says, and while "maintaining the best military in the world." His policy prescriptions strongly echo the Biden administration's approach: sustained American exceptionalism (including a unified elite that accepts that the U.S. must "lead the free world"), substantial investments in military capabilities, stronger alliances with other democracies, more forward-deployed U.S. troops overseas, and new international institutions. Some of the latter would transplant existing European institutions to Asia (i.e., the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Asia). Others would replicate existing institutionson economics, artificial intelligence, or countering misinformationbut would be restricted to democracies only. If you think this sweeping vision seems like a heavy lift even for the United States, you're right. Indeed, one wonders how new democracy-centric institutions might view the United States itself. As McFaul himself writes, "Today, in contrast to the Cold War, America's greatest threats come not from Russia or China, but within." Trump, he argues, has "weakened or destroyed almost all" of America's Cold War-era assets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is in many ways lucky for McFaul that Trump exists to serve as his foil: He blames the president for everything from democratic dysfunction to isolationism, nationalism, and protectionism. In McFaul's Manichean account, the story of the post-Cold War period was one in which good people tried to make a better world, only to be thwarted by bad guys, who must now be contained until another opportunity to democratize them arises. There are bad guys at home too: democratic setbacks created by those who want America to be divided. Reality is rarely this simple. Without the invasion of Iraq, would Americans be so skeptical about the use of U.S. military force overseas? Without the invasion of Libya, would Europe's far-right nationalist parties have been able to leverage dissatisfaction with refugees and immigration to steer closer to power? Without America's democracy promotion efforts in the post-Soviet space and the backlash they created in Moscow, would there be a war in Ukraine today? And on the domestic front: Is lumping together Trump and those who voted for him with overseas autocrats really the best way to rebuild confidence in our democratic system? If leaders like Trump are going to arise within our political system, is it a good idea for us to vest them with the increasingly intense executive powers that McFaul's strategy requires? Without the global war on terror, after all, Immigration and Customs Enforcement would not have the same capabilities to terrorize. Autocrats vs. Democrats is ultimately a nostalgic read whose comforting narrative allows foreign policy elites to escape any complicity in the problems that we now face. That narrative should be hauntingly familiar to anyone who has watched liberal-leaning cable news in the last few years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For critical readers, however, the book is likely only to prompt deeper introspection about America's role in the worldand about whether today's foreign policy elites can be trusted to set the right course. The post A Nostalgic Read for Foreign Policy Elites appeared first on Reason.com. Another San Antonio area business has seemingly been locked out of its home, contributing to a trend of restaurant and bar closures, both temporary and permanent, that have hit the city and surrounding municipalities this month. In this case, it's The Winchester Pub that has been forced to close after its landlord changed the locks on the British bar and grill. Multiple Facebook users have shared that a lockout notice was reportedly posted to the front door of The Winchester. The notice was issued by the property management company for the Stewart Center, the retail block in Alamo Heights that houses the British pub. MySA reached out to the number listed on the notice and spoke with Patti Stewart, president of the Stewart Center, about the state of The Winchester. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As far as I know, it's still not in operation. They shut the business down a few weeks ago," Stewart told MySA. The Winchester has been under new ownership since at least July 31, according to social media posts from the pub. The business's longtime owner, Greg Ploch, wrote that he was selling the business after eight years to pursue a new venture. A Facebook post by 78209 Magazine states that Andrea Castaneda purchased the pub on May 1, 2025, but an article about the acquisition was removed from the magazine's website. MySA attempted to contact The Winchester directly by phone, but the business did not answer, and there was no option to leave a message. Additionally, we emailed and messaged the business on social media, but did not hear back at the time of publication. Find it: 5148 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209 This article originally published at 'Not in operation': Pub in historic San Antonio area closes after lockout. A visibly displeased federal judge on Tuesday ordered Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to start coming to court every day to detail any confrontations his immigration enforcement officers have had with the public, a move that comes as allegations have mounted that agents are indiscriminately throwing tear gas in Chicago neighborhoods and using inappropriate force against residents and reporters. During a remarkable hourlong session with Bovino on the witness stand Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis instructed the 30-year border patrol veteran to get his own body-worn camera and send her every use-of-force report and accompanying bodycam footage filed since Operation Midway Blitz began nearly two months ago. The judge spoke at one point in somber tones about a fracas in the Old Irving Park neighborhood over the weekend where agents tackled angry residents and deployed tear gas on a quiet street as children were preparing to march in a Halloween parade to a nearby grammar school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These kids, you can imagine, their sense of safety was shattered on Saturday, and its going to take a long time for that to come back if ever, Ellis told Bovino, who was sitting on the witness stand in his military-green Border Protection uniform and duty belt. Thats not how any of us want to live. I know you wouldnt want to live that way. Ellis did most of the talking during the hearing, with Bovino keeping his gaze on the judge and answering mostly with a polite Yes, maam, spoken in his slight North Carolina drawl. In the few instances where the judge asked Bovino directly about why his agents took certain actions, he responded that use-of-force rules depend on the specific situation. One incident Ellis asked about involved agents allegedly deploying pepper spray at a protester standing on the side of the road as they were driving away. Was that an appropriate use of force? the judge asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, your honor, I believe that each situation is dependent on the situation, Bovino replied. And, you know, Id like to know more about what happened in those various activities before I would say anything one way or another, because I dont know all the facts that were present there. In the end, Ellis said she expected Bovino to uphold his duty to execute the laws of the nation while also respecting peoples constitutional rights. People can say they dont want you here, the judge said. They can say they dont like the way youre enforcing the law and that they wish you would leave Chicago and take your agents with you. When Ellis asked Bovino if they were on the same page, he first said he gets what she was saying, prompting the judge to ask it again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your honor, I as far as, yeah, were on the same page that we will abide by the TRO, the temporary restraining order, and all the accoutrements that are contained therein, Bovino said finally. While she stopped short of finding any specific violations had occurred, Ellis ordered Bovino to appear before her in open court at 5:45 p.m. each weekday to go over any uses of force from that day. The appearances would be required until at least Nov. 5, when Ellis is scheduled to hold a full hearing on a preliminary injunction. After being excused from the witness stand, Bovino left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse about an hour later surrounded by armed agents as protesters shouted obscenities at him. Bovino stood on the running board of a Border Patrol pickup truck and made some sweeping military hand gestures to his personnel before getting behind the wheel and heading west on Adams Street. One of the agents who protected Bovino as he got into the vehicle was holding what appeared to be a canister of tear gas, which was placed on the dashboard before the truck pulled away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spectacle was set into motion after Ellis ordered Bovino into court Tuesday to go over a series of alleged violations of a temporary restraining order she entered in early October restricting the use of tear gas and other controversial tactics used by his agents in city neighborhoods, and requiring agents to wear body cameras and conspicuous identification on their uniforms when interacting with the public. Bovino, who previously had served a similar role in a crackdown in Los Angeles, is the public face of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administrations ongoing immigration-enforcement blitz. Sporting a high-and-tight haircut and talking often in militaristic terms, Bovino has been featured in slickly produced social media videos put out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purporting to be ridding Chicagos streets of the worst of the worst, undocumented immigrants who have a history of violent criminal behavior. But scant details on those arrested have been officially released, and critics say the vast majority have had no criminal backgrounds whatsoever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, agents serving under Bovinos command have escalated their presence in Chicagos neighborhoods, where immigration enforcement actions from the East Side to Lakeview to Old Irving Park have unfolded in a now-familiar pattern. In at least seven high-profile instances in recent weeks, irate residents blowing whistles and honking horns have screamed at agents to leave before arrests were made and tear gas deployed. Bovino has not only not shied away from the controversy, hes placed himself directly in it. He was present during the massive raid on a South Shore apartment building earlier this month that drew national headlines. And he reappeared last week on two separate days in Little Village, the heart of Chicagos Mexican community and an important economic engine for the city, where Bovino himself was seen personally throwing tear gas canisters at a crowd of protesters. Bovino, meanwhile, has claimed he only used the gas after an angry mob was throwing objects at officers and a rock hit him in the head. It came as no surprise that Bovinos appearance caused a media frenzy at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where an overflow courtroom and special security measures were taken to handle a large crowd of reporters and spectators. Uniformed Chicago police officers patrolled outside the courthouse on bicycles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dozens of television news cameras crowded the courthouse lobby ahead of the hearing Tuesday morning, and outside the building at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Dearborn Street a small group of protesters held signs denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Shortly before 10 a.m. Bovino strode into Ellis 14th-floor courtroom and took a seat at the defense table, sipping from a bottle of water. When he was called to the witness stand and put under oath, Bovino adjusted his chair and swiveled toward the judge. Ellis began the hearing by telling Bovino her role is not to tell you that you can or cant enforce validly passed laws by Congress my role is simply to see that in the enforcement of those laws that you are acting in the manner that is consistent with your obligation under the law. The judge said that since shes sure Bovino would not simply ignore a court order, the only explanation for what shes been seeing on videos sent to her by the plaintiffs is that her order is simply not clear enough. So I thought it would be a really good idea to go through it so that we are on the same page, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis then began reading her restraining order directly to Bovino, who sat in the witness box in his green uniform staring back at the judge and nodding. Part one of the order, Ellis said, essentially ordered Bovino to leave journalists alone. If they are doing their job, they have to be left alone, the judge said. Part two of the restraining order was that Bovino and his agents cannot use tear gas or other munitions on residents who are not a danger to law enforcement. So kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not elicit an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer, the judge said, a reference to the confrontation Saturday where tear gas was deployed in Old Irving Park before the childrens Halloween block party. They just dont. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge also said she was well aware that things can be dynamic. What may not look dangerous in one instance, a minute later could be very dangerous, the judge said. And I also know Im not there. Im not out in the street But it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary. What to know about immigration enforcement raids in Chicago after nearly 2 months There was also a memorable exchange when Ellis began asking Bovino about body-worn cameras, which she had added to her restraining order earlier this month. Bovino said most of the 201 Border Patrol agents in the Chicago area right now have them, but he wasnt sure exactly how many. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would like you to do your best to make sure that everybody that is operating under Operation Midway Blitz, that they all have body cameras. OK? Ellis asked. Yes maam, Bovino replied. Ellis then asked Bovino: Do you have a body cam? I do not, no maam, Bovino said. I have not yet received a body worn camera nor the training. OK, so you are in charge of this operation and you probably have an in with (DHS) Secretary Noem? Ellis asked somewhat sarcastically. Ive talked to her from time to time, maam, Bovino said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I suspect that if you ask for a body camera you could probably get one without having to pull strings? Ellis asked. After Bovino agreed that was a fair statement, Ellis said, So how about by Friday you get a camera? We can get a camera (for me) by Friday and the training, he agreed. Ellis mostly stayed away from confronting Bovino about specific alleged violations. In general, however, she said shed reviewed many videos sent by the plaintiffs and posted in the media and it was difficult for me to see that the force being used was necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm. Ellis also did not ask Bovino directly about the video showing him lobbing a tear gas canister toward demonstrators in Little Village last week. But she repeated to Bovino that warnings must be given before such action can be taken, and they have to be explicit about what force is going to be used if people do not comply with lawful orders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Late Monday, the plaintiffs in the suit brought by the Chicago Headline Club and others asked Ellis to bar immigration agents from using tear gas altogether pending the outcome of an injunction hearing next month. Ellis put off a decision on that issue on Tuesday, saying shed be surprised if, after talking to Bovino directly, there would be any more issues. I dont know that we are going to see a whole lot of tear gas being deployed over the next week, the judge said. Ellis has also ordered Bovino to sit for a five-hour sworn deposition later this week, but that interview will not be made public due to a protective order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his six weeks on the ground in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, Bovino has claimed thousands of immigration-related arrests, part of a touted mission to make the streets safer for law-abiding citizens. Over the weekend, a filing by the plaintiffs in the case before Ellis accused him of lying about being struck in the head by a rock in the Little Village operation where he was seen throwing tear gas, saying the confrontation was being filmed from multiple angles and nothing had surfaced that backs up that assertion. Bovino also gave an interview to a Spanish-language news outlet afterward where he was asked about Ellis order and allegedly said, Did judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock this morning? Maybe she needs to see what thats like before she gives an order like that. Related Articles In that same interview discussed above, Defendant Bovino also stated, I take my orders from the executive branch, suggesting disdain for this Courts authority to enjoin his unlawful conduct, the plaintiffs filing stated. During Tuesdays hearing, Ellis had the most to say about the Old Irving Park incident, describing it as a quiet neighborhood and noting that children were excited to be going to a Halloween event where all the rules go out the window and they can eat as much candy as they want. The confrontation in the 3700 block of Kildare Avenue, where agents chased a day laborer down the street, prompted a chaotic scene that ruined what should have been an ordinary Saturday morning, according to a court filing Monday by the plaintiffs. The filing stated that as neighbors came out to yell at the officers including some still in their pajamas and one woman with her wet hair wrapped in a towel the agents unleashed violence, tackling a man who was around 70 years old and two others and then deploying tear gas as they left the scene. The actions violated Ellis restraining order in several ways, the filing alleged, including by deploying chemical munitions without the required verbal warnings. Some of the agents also had no identifying information on their uniforms and used unnecessary force in tackling residents who posed no physical threat, the filing stated. In a statement over the weekend, the agency said Border Patrol agents were surrounded and boxed in by a group of agitators and that multiple lawful commands and verbal warnings were ignored. During the operation, two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer, the statement read. To safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures. No assault charges had been filed against anyone arrested as of Monday. The operation also resulted in the arrest of the day laborer, who DHS said was in the country illegally and has a previous arrest for assault. After Bovino left the courtroom Tuesday, Ellis had a stern warning about any planned immigration enforcement actions on Halloween night itself, which is Friday, telling lawyers for the Justice Department that agents should not be out tear-gassing anyone where kids are present. I expect everybody to act reasonably, the judge said. Im not telling the agency how to operate (but) know that it is a day where people are going to be out minding their own business. Chicago Tribunes Rebecca Johnson contributed. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Female individuals may experience a three-fold reduction in mortality risk from coronary heart disease when following recommended exercise guidelines, compared to male individuals. These findings, published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, suggest that sex-specific recommendations could improve coronary heart disease prevention and management. Coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Current guidelines from the World Health Organization, American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week for all adults. However, these guidelines adopt a uniform approach despite evidence of a "gender gap" in exercise capacity, but how coronary heart disease may relate to this gap is unclear. Jiajin Chen and colleagues analyzed UK Biobank data collected from wrist-worn activity trackers from more than 85,000 participants to examine sex differences in the association between physical activity and coronary heart disease outcomes. Among 80,243 participants (45,986 females and 34,257 males) without coronary heart disease, female participants that met the guideline target of 150 minutes of exercise per week had a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease, compared with 17% in male participants. Further analysis showed that women achieved a 30% reduction in coronary heart disease risk with 250 minutes of activity per week, whereas men would require 530 minutes to achieve a comparable reduction. In 5,169 participants (1,553 females and 3,616 males) with coronary heart disease, adherence to guidelines was linked to a three-fold greater reduction in all-cause mortality risk in women compared with men. The findings highlight that current guidelines overlook sex differences, and that sex-specific strategies could improve coronary heart disease prevention. Further research in more diverse populations is needed to confirm these findings and inform tailored recommendations. More information: Jiajin Chen et al, Sex differences in the association of wearable accelerometer-derived physical activity with coronary heart disease incidence and mortality, Nature Cardiovascular Research (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44161-025-00732-z Emily S. Lau, Sex differences in the association of physical activity with coronary heart disease incidence and mortality, Nature Cardiovascular Research (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44161-025-00734-x Journal information: Nature Cardiovascular Research CHICAGO A visibly displeased federal judge on Tuesday ordered Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to start coming to court every day to detail any confrontations his immigration enforcement officers have had with the public, a move that comes as allegations have mounted that agents are indiscriminately throwing tear gas in Chicago neighborhoods and using inappropriate force against residents and reporters. During a remarkable hourlong session with Bovino on the witness stand Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis instructed the 30-year border patrol veteran to get his own body-worn camera and send her every use-of-force report and accompanying body-cam footage filed since Operation Midway Blitz began nearly two months ago. The judge spoke at one point in somber tones about a fracas in the Old Irving Park neighborhood over the weekend where agents tackled angry residents and deployed tear gas on a quiet street as children were preparing to march in a Halloween parade to a nearby grammar school. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These kids, you can imagine, theyre sense of safety was shattered on Saturday, and its going to take a long time for that to come back if ever, Ellis told Bovino, who was sitting on the witness stand in his military-green Border Protection uniform and duty belt. Thats not how any of us want to live. I know you wouldnt want to live that way. Ellis did most of the talking during the hearing, with Bovino keeping his gaze on the judge and answering mostly with a polite Yes, maam, spoken in his slight North Carolina drawl. In the few instances where the judge asked Bovino directly about why his agents took certain actions, he responded that use-of-force rules depend on the specific situation. One incident Ellis asked about involved agents allegedly deploying pepper spray at a protester standing on the side of the road as they were driving away. Was that an appropriate use of force? the judge asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well, your honor, I believe that each situation is dependent on the situation, Bovino replied. And, you know, Id like to know more about what happened in those various activities before I would say anything one way or another, because I dont know all the facts that were present there. In the end, Ellis said she expected Bovino to uphold his duty to execute the laws of the nation while also respecting peoples constitutional rights. People can say they dont want you here, the judge said. They can say they dont like the way youre enforcing the law and that they wish you would leave Chicago and take your agents with you. When Ellis asked Bovino if they were on the same page, he first said he gets what she was saying, prompting the judge to ask it again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Your honor, I as far as, yeah, were on the same page that we will abide by the TRO, the temporary restraining order, and all the accoutrements that are contained therein, Bovino said finally. While she stopped short of finding any specific violations had occurred, Ellis ordered Bovino to appear before her in open court at 5:45 p.m. each weekday to go over any uses of force from that day. The appearances would be required until at least Nov. 5, when Ellis is scheduled to hold a full hearing on a preliminary injunction. After being excused from the witness stand, Bovino left the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse about an hour later surrounded by armed agents as protesters shouted obscenities at him. Bovino stood on the running board of a Border Patrol pickup truck and made some sweeping military hand gestures to his personnel before getting behind the wheel and heading west on Adams Street. One of the agents who protected Bovino as he got into the vehicle was holding what appeared to be a canister of tear gas, which was placed on the dashboard before the truck pulled away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The spectacle was set into motion after Ellis ordered Bovino into court Tuesday to go over a series of alleged violations of a temporary restraining order she entered in early October restricting the use of tear gas and other controversial tactics used by his agents in city neighborhoods, and requiring agents to wear body cameras and conspicuous identification on their uniforms when interacting with the public. Bovino, who previously had served a similar role in an crackdown in Los Angeles, is the public face of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administrations ongoing immigration-enforcement blitz. Sporting a high-and-tight haircut and talking often in militaristic terms, Bovino has been featured in slickly produced social media videos put out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purporting to be ridding Chicagos streets of the worst of the worst, undocumented immigrants who have a history of violent criminal behavior. But scant details of those arrested have been officially released, and critics say the vast majority have had no criminal backgrounds whatsoever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, agents serving under Bovinos command have escalated their presence in Chicagos neighborhoods, where immigration enforcement actions from the far East Side to Lakeview to Old Irving Park have unfolded in a now-familiar pattern. In at least seven high-profile instances in recent weeks, where irate residents blowing whistles and honking horns have screamed at agents to leave before arrests were made and tear gas deployed. Bovino has not only not shied away from the controversy, hes placed himself directly in it. He was present during the massive raid on a South Shore apartment building earlier this month that drew national headlines. And he reappeared last week on two separate days in Little Village, the heart of Chicagos Mexican community and an important economic engine for the city, where Bovino himself was seen personally throwing tear gas canisters at a crowd of protesters. Bovino, meanwhile, has claimed he only used the gas after an angry mob was throwing objects at officers and a rock hit him in the head. It came as no surprise that Bovinos appearance caused a media frenzy at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where an overflow courtroom and special security measures were taken to handle a large crowd of reporters and spectators. Uniformed Chicago police officers patrolled outside the courthouse on bicycles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dozens of television news cameras crowded the courthouse lobby ahead of the hearing Tuesday morning, and outside the building at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Dearborn Street a small group of protesters held signs denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Shortly before 10 a.m. Bovino strode into Ellis 14th Floor courtroom and took a seat at the defense table, sipping from a bottle of water. When he was called to the witness stand and put under oath, Bovino adjusted his chair and swiveled toward the judge. Ellis began the hearing by telling Bovino her role is not to tell you that you can or cant enforce validly passed laws by Congress my role is simply to see that in the enforcement of those laws that you are acting in the manner that is consistent with your obligation under the law. The judge said that since shes sure Bovino would not simply ignore a court order, the only explanation for what shes been seeing on videos sent to her by the plaintiffs is that her order is simply not clear enough. So I thought it would be a really good idea to go through it so that we are on the same page, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis then began reading her restraining order directly to Bovino, who sat in the witness box in his green uniform staring back at the judge and nodding. Part one of the order, Ellis said, essentially ordered Bovino to leave journalists alone. If they are doing their job, they have to be left alone, the judge said. Part two of the restraining order that Bovino and his agents cannot use tear gas or other munitions on residents who are not a danger to law enforcement. So kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking to a parade do not elicit an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer, the judge said, a reference to the confrontation Saturday where tear gas was deployed in Old Irving Park before the childrens Halloween block party. They just dont. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge also said she was well aware that things can be dynamic. What may not look dangerous in one instance, a minute later could be very dangerous, the judge said. And I also know Im not there. Im not out in the street But it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary. There was also a memorable exchange when Ellis began asking Bovino about body-worn cameras, which she had added to her restraining order earlier this month. Bovino said most of the 201 Border Patrol agents in the Chicago area right now have them, but he wasnt sure exactly how many. I would like you to do your best to make sure that everybody that is operating under Operation Midway Blitz, that they all have body cameras. OK? Ellis asked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yes maam, Bovino replied. Ellis then asked Bovino: Do you have a body cam? I do not, no maam, Bovino said. I have not yet received a body worn camera nor the training. OK, so you are in charge of this operation and you probably have an in with (DHS) Secretary Noem? Ellis asked somewhat sarcastically. Ive talked to her from time to time, maam, Bovino said. I suspect that if you ask for a body camera you could probably get one without having to pull strings? Ellis asked. After Bovino agreed that was a fair statement, Ellis said, So how about by Friday you get a camera? We can get a camera (for me) by Friday and the training, he agreed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ellis mostly stayed away from confronting Bovino about specific alleged violations. In general, however, she said shed reviewed many videos sent by the plaintiffs and posted in the media and it was difficult for me to see that the force being used was necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm. Ellis also did not ask Bovino directly about the video showing him lobbing a tear gas canister toward demonstrators in Little Village last week. But she repeated to Bovino that warnings must be given before such action can be taken, and they have to be explicit about what force is going to be used if people do not comply with lawful orders. Late Monday, the plaintiffs in the suit brought by the Chicago Headline Club and others asked Ellis to bar immigration agents from using tear gas altogether pending the outcome of an injunction hearing next month. Ellis put off a decision on that issue on Tuesday, saying shed be surprised if, after talking to Bovino directly, there would be any more issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know that we are going to see a whole lot of tear gas being deployed over the next week, the judge said. Ellis has also ordered Bovino to sit for a five-hour sworn deposition later this week, but that interview will not be made public due to a protective order. In his six weeks on the ground in Chicago as part of Operation Midway Blitz, Bovino has claimed thousands of immigration-related arrests, part of a touted mission to make the streets safer for law-abiding citizens. Over the weekend, a filing by the plaintiffs in the case before Ellis accused him of lying about being struck in the head by a rock in the Little Village operation where he was seen throwing tear gas, saying the confrontation was being filmed from multiple angles and nothing had surfaced that backs up that assertion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bovino also gave an interview to a Spanish-language news outlet afterward where he was asked about Ellis order and allegedly said, Did judge Ellis get hit in the head by a rock this morning? Maybe she needs to see what thats like before she gives an order like that. In that same interview discussed above, Defendant Bovino also stated, I take my orders from the executive branch, suggesting disdain for this Courts authority to enjoin his unlawful conduct, the plaintiffs filing stated. During Tuesdays hearing, Ellis had the most to say about the Old Irving Park incident, describing it as a quiet neighborhood and noting that children were excited to be going to a Halloween event where all the rules go out the window and they can eat as much candy as they want. The confrontation in the 3700 block of Kildare Avenue, where agents chased a day laborer down the street, prompted a chaotic scene that ruined what should have been an ordinary Saturday morning, according to a court filing Monday by the plaintiffs. The filing stated that as neighbors came out to yell at the officers including some still in their pajamas and one woman with her wet hair wrapped in a towel the agents unleashed violence, tackling a man who was around 70 years old and two others and then deploying tear gas as they left the scene. The actions violated Ellis restraining order in several ways, the filing alleged, including by deploying chemical munitions without the required verbal warnings. Some of the agents also had no identifying information on their uniforms and used unnecessary force in tackling residents who posed no physical threat, the filing stated. In a statement over the weekend, the agency said Border Patrol agents were surrounded and boxed in by a group of agitators and that multiple lawful commands and verbal warnings were ignored. During the operation, two U.S. citizens were arrested for assaulting and impeding a federal officer, the statement read. To safely clear the area after multiple warnings and the crowd continuing to advance on them, Border Patrol had to deploy crowd control measures. No assault charges had been filed against anyone arrested as of Monday. The operation also resulted in the arrest of the day laborer, who DHS said was in the country illegally and has a previous arrest for assault. After Bovino left the courtroom Tuesday, Ellis had a stern warning about any planned immigration enforcement actions on Halloween night itself, which is Friday, telling lawyers for the Justice Department that agents should not be out tear-gassing anyone where kids are present. I expect everybody to act reasonably, the judge said. Im not telling the agency how to operate (but) know that it is a day where people are going to be out minding their own business. _____ (Chicago Tribunes Rebecca Johnson contributed to this story.) _____ Danielle Dohm, left, Claire Little and Chloe Washington, students at the University of Missouri, sort donated potatoes at the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri in Columbia last week (Steph Quinn/Missouri Independent). For Whitney Jackson and her four children, not knowing if her family will receive federal food assistance next month means trying to make the most of a smaller meal so we can save the food stamps. Jackson, a single mother from Columbia working as a certified medical assistant, said she has $44 of her familys October benefits left. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im trying to stretch it until the end of the month, she said, but is $44 going to make it until November, when we dont know whats going to happen? As Congress remains deadlocked on a plan to fund the federal government, and families who rely on the U.S. Department of Agricultures Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program wait, food pantries across Missouri are confronting how to make up for the potential loss of a key pillar of food security in their communities. We rely on families getting food stamps, said Andrew Diemer, executive director of the St. Augustine Wellston Center in St. Louis County. Were just there to make a couple of the hard questions go away. When families might not even have the money to buy food for the rest of the month, I dont know. If this continues, fundamentally the role of our food pantry has changed. The Missouri Department of Social Services, which disburses SNAP benefits in the state, announced Oct. 20 it wont be able to pay benefits until further notice, after USDA informed states that funding would run out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Approximately 650,000 Missourians receive SNAP benefits. Four days later, the USDA said it couldnt legally shift contingency funds to sustain SNAP, despite an earlier USDA shutdown plan indicating that was the departments intention. USDA last month transferred $300 million into its Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, from an account funded partly by tariff revenue to keep that program running. Food pantry directors said they are already seeing heightened demand, from families of furloughed or laid off federal workers, SNAP users trying to stock up in case their benefits pause and those struggling to cope with rising food prices. Suzanne Wilber, executive director of Good Samaritan of the Ozarks in Pulaski County, said the group gave out 125 bags of food during its monthly mobile distribution to food insecure students at Ozarks Technical College on Thursday. Its typical to distribute 30 to 35 bags of food per month, Wilber said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some federal employees are getting paid and some are not here, Wilber said. We have had a number of folks last week come that had not come before. And again, were just expecting that to increase. Beginning Nov. 12, Wilber said the food pantry will be open later on Wednesdays, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., to accommodate people who work or have limited transportation. The food pantry is currently open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In the St. Louis area, the federal shutdown and potential suspension of SNAP is compounding heightened need from tornadoes earlier this year and a strike of Boeing workers that has lasted almost three months. Angela Gabel, executive director of Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry in Overland, one of the largest pantries in St. Louis County, said she doesnt know how food pantries will be able to take the place of SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its like we were invited to Thanksgiving dinner and asked to bring a side dish, and now all of a sudden the cooks quit, and we have to make a whole meal, Gabel said. On Wednesday alone, the food pantry served 185 families, Gabel said, and registered 25 new families. The pantry is preparing to increase the number of volunteers signing up new clients and helping them shop the pantrys shelves. Another part of the plan that we havent worked out, Gabel said, is how are we going to manage inventory for all of these new faces that are likely to appear because all of a sudden, they have no food budget? Patrick McKelvey, executive director of Gateway Food Pantry in Arnold, said the pantry served a record 135 families Thursday. The previous daily record was 122 families in September double the number of families the food pantry was serving on a typical distribution day two years ago, McKelvey said. The pantry signed up 40 new families in a recent week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are setting new records every day, month, week, quarter, he said. McKelvey said the food pantrys support from its largest food source is down $300,000 from January to September. In the past week, Ive spent $10,000 just to shutdown-proof my pantry, McKelvey said. The pantry is likely to open extended hours and extra days to meet demand, McKelvey said. Food banks throughout the state source food from an array of retailers, private donations, federal programs and their own purchases. We try not to put all of our eggs in one basket, said Katie Adkins, chief communications officer at the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri in Columbia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The food bank, one of six members of the statewide coalition Feeding Missouri, turns around about two million pounds of food every two weeks, Adkins said. Adkins said that although the food bank receives strong community support, resources are finite. We can continue to try to use those other avenues of food sourcing to grow what we have, Adkins said, but when you have a specific amount, and youre serving more people, that could mean that people are taking home less when theyre seeking help. Several St. Louis area food pantries have formed a coalition of their own, said Diemer, director of the Wellston Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKelvey said St. Louis area food banks are sharing information on the cheapest places to buy food items and planning to exchange supplies to allow variety for clients. Theyve started to pool bulk food orders in order to split shipping costs. That is new, McKelvey said. That is basically in direct response to the food crisis weve seen since the beginning of the year. McKelvey said people receiving food have been expressing frustrations about the federal lawmakers lack of a plan to end the shutdown or fund SNAP. There are people making decisions about their lives hundreds of miles away in Washington, D.C., and [theyre saying] how can we tell them how badly we need it? McKelvey said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jackson, the single mother from Columbia, said she has been trying not to worry, because it just causes stress and anxiety for my family. But its just me and my four kids, she said, so how can you not? CLEMMONS, N.C. (WGHP) The dark story of Pazuzu Ilah Algarad came to an end 10 years ago today, but the impact of his crimes can still be felt here in the Piedmont Triad. Algarad died in prison on Oct. 28, 2015, just over a year after investigators arrested him, then-35, and his self-proclaimed wife, Amber Nicole Burch, then-24, on one count each of murder and accessory after the fact to murder. For years, neighbors had spun rumors about the strange home on Knob Hill Drive, its windows blacked out and yard hidden behind a fence. Outside of the house, a letter warded off law enforcement, a cross hung upside down and a sticker carried a grim promise: Evil will triumph, all omens of what truly lay inside. It was under that home where investigators would find the remains of Joshua Wetzler and Tommy Dean Welch. Exactly a month after their bodies were found, Algarads domain was revealed for the world to see. Video from Forsyth County Housing and Community Development showed a sickening scene. Trash littered so densely through the home that investigators could not walk into certain rooms, a warning scribbled on a bathroom door warning that each word you read would take another second off of your life and holes where the bodies of Algarads victims deteriorated for years, away from prying eyes. John Lawson John Alexander Lawson was born in San Francisco, California, in December of 1978. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was raised primarily by his mother, Cynthia James, who had grown up in Forsyth County and graduated from Parkland High School. The pair moved back to North Carolina when John was 2. For years, they were a normal family. Cynthia says she first noticed a change in her son when she remarried. The pair and his new stepfather, Johnny, moved into the home on Knob Hill Drive in Clemmons. But John and Johnny didnt always get along, and the boy became a recluse. When the couple separated, neighbors said thats when they started to see John outside again, though he rarely appeared at school. He repeated second and ninth grades before dropping out. He would later tell doctors that ninth grade was when the phobia around people started. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He admitted he was a poor student, typically receiving failing grades for his classwork. He would frequently fight with other students, and he admitted to being verbally disrespectful to teachers. Thats when his appearance began to change. Becoming Pazuzu He shaved off his long locks and began dressing himself in a style that evoked the demons with which he had grown obsessed. He started looking for anything to help him cope with how he saw the world. A forensic evaluation showed that he had started regularly consuming alcohol at age 13. His mother said she was worried about the people he was spending time with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres this one guy that was doing meth and got John into doing that, and I dont know if I just turned a blind eye, James said. James brought him to what was then the Reynolds Health Center on Highland Avenue, but he wasnt there long. Soon, he was back out and plunging deeper into a new identity. He legally changed his name from John to Pazuzu in homage to an ancient Mesopotamian demon, perhaps best known for its depiction in the movie The Exorcist. His new surname, Ilah Algarad, translates from Arabic to mean God of locusts. James said that Algarad did not worship the Devil, but rather a dragon, as she put it, named Tiamat, a reference to a Mesopotamian goddess associated with the primordial sea and chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What had begun with clothing evolved into body modification as he accumulated more homemade tattoos on his face and whittled his teeth to points. FOX8 spoke with tattoo artist Ronnie Whitesell in 2014 who said the tattoos on Pazuzu Algarads face tell a story. He said Algarads facial tattoos were all versions of different tribal markings. The tattoo on Algarads chin was a Polynesian Moko tattoo, drawn on warriors during ceremonies or sacrifices to show tribal affiliation. A tattoo on Algarads cheek was a version of Celtic knotwork, mostly worn by Viking warriors. Mindset In February of 2006, at the age of 27, Algarad went to Daymark Recovery Services. Psychiatrists had determined that Algarad suffered from schizophrenia, agoraphobia and alcoholism. Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by a distortion of emotional reality accompanied by delusions and hallucinations. Agoraphobia is an abnormal fear of being in open and public places. Greensboro Psychiatrist Dr. Phil Lavine says Algarads schizotypal personality disorder would have led him to experience unusual perceptual experiences, odd thinking or speech, to be suspicious and paranoid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a pretrial interview in 2010, Algarad told the doctors that he often experienced panic symptoms when he left his home. Those feelings caused Algarad to suffer from depression. Vance said Algarad drank alcohol to cope with his other mental health issues. Whenever he is outside his house he feels markedly increased anxiety, leading at times to actual episodes of panic, Dr. Charles Vance, a forensic psychiatrist at the former Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, wrote in an evaluation of Algarad before his trial. As a result of this anxiety, he has tremendously limited his activities, essentially making himself a prisoner in his own home. The doctors said he was physically healthy and taking medications for his mental illnesses, including Paxil, Lamictal and Ativan, but Algarad said the drugs made him feel like a zombie, which led him to stop taking them. Algarads mental illness, however, was not the culprit behind Algarads violence, Lavine said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I cant connect up from a schizotypal personality structure to murders, the psychiatrist said, calling the case an outlier. According to Lavine, Algarad would not have responded well to medications. He had alcohol problems for a long time, and then he started getting into methamphetamines, which is not likely to help him but to make his anxiety issues worse, Lavine said. He left Daymark after two months, then returned again in October of 2008. Documents show Algarads reason for leaving was a transportation issue. Within the next year, James says she was in the home as Algarad and his self-described wife, Amber Nicole Burch, killed Joshua Fredrick Wetzler and Tommy Dean Welch. July 2009 Algarad was loaded up with drugs and alcohol, James says, when she remembers him walking into the house one morning in July. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I come out of my room and I said, Whats going on?' James recalled. There stood her son, holding a rifle, Wetzlers body on the floor. Josh is laying on the floor and Im like, My God, I mean, I dont remember what. I mean Im going crazy, and he just stood there, she said. She asked him to sit in the den before she returned to her bedroom, where she thought about her options before choosing to do nothing. So then I came out. I said, Im going to go to work,' James recalled. By the time she came back, Algarad and his friends had moved the mans body to the basement, and James once again closed the door to her bedroom behind her. August 2009 Deputies got their first tip that Algarad had killed Wetzler a mere two weeks after it happened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August of 2009, a woman named Terina Billings contacted the sheriffs office with a lead. She said her father, Allen Billings, had seen a body in the basement of Algarads home on July 19, 2009, and helped Algarad bury body parts in the backyard. Allen had reportedly told his daughter that Algarad used cat litter and chlorine to conceal the odor. As for why Algarad killed the man, Algarad had reportedly told Allen Billings that he had shot the man 10 times for being a snitch, according to Terina Billings account in the search warrant. When investigators spoke with Allen Billings, he denied his involvement but did say that Algarad had admitted three days prior to shooting and killing someone. With that, the investigator, identified in warrants only as Detective Foster, went to see Algarad face to face, though no one had been reported missing at the time. Algarad allowed the investigator to come inside. Deputies spoke with Algarad and asked him questions. They told him that they had information that he had shot and killed someone. But, as they walked around the home, basement and backyard, no substantial evidence surfaced. There was supposedly something about chlorine, said Brad Stanley, special assistant at the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office. Well, yes, there was chlorine, but theres a swimming pool in the back, so there would have been chlorine. There was something about cat litter that had come up. OK, they had 15 or so cats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the next six months or so, a few more anonymous tips came in. We would get bits and pieces, and then peoples stories would change, Stanley said. October 2009 Tommy Welch disappeared on Oct. 3, 2009. That night, the plan was to have family night. We gave hugs [and said] we will be back later and we will watch a movie, get us some pizza, once kids went to bed that was our plan, said Carrie Price, Tommy Welchs sister-in-law. Price and her husband left Tommy and his mom at their Clemmons home. A little while later, Tommy walked a half mile to his home and said he would be right back. He never returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Algarads mother James heard gunshots, she walked into a scene similar to what she had found in July. Amber came to the entry of the hall there, and she says, Go back to your room. Alright, OK. The gunshots were the sound of Birch shooting and killing Tommy Dean Welch. He was slumped over on the couch in their home. I guess I was scared of her, James said. February 2010 Stacey Carter, Wetzlers former girlfriend and the mother of his child, had known Wetzler to disappear for long periods at a time, but alarm bells rang when she heard from a friend that Algarad had murdered Wetzler. On Feb. 9, 2010, Carter spoke with Foster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I didnt know at the time that we werent the first people that had reported that, that the police had already been told about it, Carter said. Unbeknownst to Carter, Winston-Salem police had found Wetzlers car, a 1989 Buick, days after she had last seen him. It had been found abandoned at an apartment complex on the 300 block of Brookline Street on July 26, 2009. The drivers side window was rolled down, and the keys were still in the ignition. It had not been reported stolen. She reported Wetzler missing to the Davie County Sheriffs Office a few days later, on Feb. 15, 2010. Had I known that his car had been found abandoned, we would have immediately started looking for him, Carter said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Feb. 23, 2010, Foster was granted the first warrant to search Algarads home. The sheriffs office asked for the help of North Carolina State and the North Carolina Archaeological Research Center, but the doctor heading up the program said his crew would not be available for another two weeks. He also mentioned that cadaver dogs may or may not be able to detect the body buried under the given circumstances. Nevertheless, the sheriffs office moved forward with the help of the SBI, Davie County Sheriffs Office and Triad bloodhounds. Ultimately, even the bloodhounds were unable to pick up on a scent in Algarads backyard. Something we would do differently, we would probably wait, but again, given the information that we had at the time and the circumstances, the decision was made to proceed, Stanley said. That decision to try to stop Algarad before he could potentially kill again, though regrettable, may have been justified. June 2010 A few months later, on June 7, 2010, investigators found the body of 30-year-old Joseph Emerick Chandler at Donnaha Park near the Yadkin River. He had been shot and killed. Chandler was the third man to disappear from the Clemmons area between July 2009 and July 2010. Nicholas Pasquale Rizzi, of Lewisville, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Chandlers death. Algarad, then-31, was charged with accessory after the fact of involuntary manslaughter for allowing Rizzi to stay at his Knob Hill Drive home. Rizzi was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on March 31, 2011, and sentenced to one year and one month in prison. Algarad pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact of involuntary manslaughter in 2012. A judge sentenced him to serve 10 months to 12 months in prison and placed him on probation for five years. He was on probation when the bodies were found in his yard. September 2011 Algarads self-proclaimed wife, Burch, assaulted his mother, James, on Sept. 22, 2011. While Burch was in jail, James went to the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office. James told deputies that, in late 2009, she had heard a gunshot and saw Burch holding her rifle. But when deputies said they needed to question Algarad about the murder, thats where Jamess help stopped. Police said it was a classic case of a mother protecting her son. When Algarad was released the next year, following his accessory after the fact to involuntary manslaughter conviction, things calmed. September 2014 A few more years went by until a couple more leads came in and led deputies to a woman named Dixie Ross in late September 2014. All the information started coming in there at one time and so we pieced it together, prepared the search warrant, looked at the previous search warrant. Ross told deputies that Burch texted her to come over to the Knob Hill home in early October 2009. When she got there, Burch told her, smiling, I just did my first. It would later prove to be the homicide of Tommy Dean Welch. Ross, now in fear, helped Burch dig a hole. Looking for an excuse to stop, Ross said her sandals kept falling off while jumping on the shovel. Burch took her shoes off, gave them to Ross. And then put on Tommy Dean Welchs before starting to sing, Im wearing a dead mans shoes out loud over and over. Four days later, deputies got their second search warrant for Algarads home. After arresting Algarad and Burch, investigators spent days digging, collecting every shred of evidence they could. Investigators had to use self-contained breathing apparatuses to go inside. Deputies went back to guard the home out of fear that people would go there on Halloween. Oct. 5, 2014 When investigators unearthed the skeletal remains of two people in their backyard, the sheriffs office arrested Pazuzu Illah Algarad, then-35, and Amber Nicole Burch, then-24, on murder charges. The two were at home when they were arrested. Algarad was, at the time, on probation for his 2012 conviction of accessory after the fact in connection with the shooting death of Joseph Emmrick Chandler. Both were charged with one count each of murder and accessory after the fact to murder. Both were placed in the Forsyth County Detention Center with no bond, according to deputies. Burchs warrants said that she killed an unidentified male and, with the help of Algarad, buried the body in the backyard sometime between Oct. 2 and 5 of 2009, nearly five years to the day before the bodies were uncovered. The remains were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for examination. Authorities were on the scene for much of the day. It was big news. People were gathered there for days upon days, Stanley said. April 2015 The property would be sold back to the bank three times before, finally, at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, April 24, 2015, the walls were torn down as neighbors erupted in cheers. A track hoe flattened the home piece by piece. Dust debris gathered for years floated off into the spring sky. In the meantime, Pazuzu had attempted to commit suicide in the Forsyth County Detention Center and was transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh for safekeeping, where he continued to write his mother letters. October 2015 It was Oct. 26, 2015, when Algarad sent his mother his last letter from Central Prison in Raleigh. It said, Mom, of course, James said. Shaka muku, which means whats up in Arabic. And he says, Im so bored. Got a letter from you and one from Amber. I despise the human race. People are ugly and pointless creatures. I sit back and watch them, and they anger me. I should get a medal for murdering these stupid [expletive]. Maybe when Im dead, the gods of chaos shall grant me the power. I mean, he was so hurt and angry, you know? So hows things your way? When are you and Kim coming to see me again? Well, Im hungry and tired, so Ill write you again here soon. I love you.' Two days later, he was dead. His death was ruled a suicide, the cause: blood loss from a deep wound to a major blood vessel in his left arm. The autopsy revealed tattoos that had largely gone unseen to the public. Some reading Pazuzu, Lucifer, Satan, villain, 666, joker and Live fast and die. James kept Algarads remains in an urn in her living room. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. By Ludwig Burger and Bhanvi Satija FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Swiss drugmaker Novartis met third-quarter profit forecasts on Tuesday, as fast growth of newer drugs offset a sharp slowdown in blockbuster heart drug Entresto as it comes under pressure from generics in the U.S. market. The results underscore why Novartis is on an aggressive deal-making spree this year, with a push for acquisitions and licensing deals worth up to $30 billion so far to bolster its drug pipeline as established treatments lose patent protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company, which has raised its outlook twice this year, confirmed its 2025 forecasts and said it expected net sales to grow by a "high single-digit" percentage and adjusted operating income to grow by a "low-teens" percentage. Operating income, adjusted for special items, rose 6% to $5.46 billion in the quarter, just slightly above consensus numbers cited by analysts of $5.4 billion. CEO SEES NO IMPACT FROM US TRADE TARIFFS CEO Vas Narasimhan said on an earnings call that the company did not expect a hit from U.S. trade tariffs, despite President Donald Trump threatening levies on drugmakers and pushing for lower drug prices for Americans and more local investment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We expect five different groundbreakings before the end of the year at manufacturing sites in the U.S. So no impact from tariffs on our guidance for the remainder of this year and next year," said Narasimhan. He said talks over drug pricing with the U.S. administration were progressing well. Peers including Pfizer and AstraZeneca have already struck drug-pricing deals. In late September, Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on imports of branded or patented pharmaceuticals, starting October 1, unless a drugmaker is building manufacturing facilities in the United States. NEW DRUGS VS GENERICS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Novartis has been on a buying spree as it looks to firm-up its drug pipeline in the face of "increasing generic erosion" in the United States. This week it unveiled a $12 billion deal for U.S. biotech firm Avidity. Quarterly sales of its established heart drug Entresto, which lost patent protection this year, reached $1.88 billion in the third quarter, compared to $1.77 billion expected by analysts, according to LSEG data. That was largely flat versus a year ago, well down from its 20%-plus growth earlier in the year. REVENUE FROM TOP SELLER SEEN DECLINING Launched a decade ago, Entresto was Novartis' top-selling medicine in 2024 with sales of $7.82 billion worldwide. In July, a U.S. federal judge rejected Novartis' request to stop MSN Pharmaceuticals from selling a generic version. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Analysts project revenue from the drug will surpass $8 billion this year, but will drop to about $6 billion in 2026, according to LSEG data. Sales of the firm's psoriasis drug Cosentyx, which faces competition in the treatment of certain types of psoriasis and arthritis from UCB's Bimzelx, were mostly flat year-on-year at about $1.7 billion. Sales of breast cancer drug Kisqali, launched last year, came in at $1.33 billion. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Bhanvi Satija in London; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and David Holmes) FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Swiss drugmaker Novartis, on a deal-making spree this year, reported a 6% gain in operating income as growth of its new drugs outpaced stagnant revenue from established heart drug Entresto. Third-quarter operating income, adjusted for special items, rose to $5.46 billion, it said on Tuesday, slightly above consensus numbers cited by analysts of $5.4 billion. Novartis has made a push for acquisitions and licensing deals worth up to $30 billion this year, including a $12 billion deal for U.S. biotech firm Avidity, to bolster its drug pipeline and make up for a sales decline from established treatments losing patent protection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company, which has raised its outlook twice this year, confirmed its 2025 forecast and said it expected sales to grow by a "high single-digit" percentage and adjusted operating income to grow by a "low-teens" percentage. Quarterly sales of its top-selling heart drug Entresto, which lost patent protection this year, was at $1.88 billion for the third quarter. Launched a decade ago, Entresto was Novartis' top-selling medicine in 2024 with sales of $7.82 billion worldwide. Analysts were expecting sales of $1.77 billion for the quarter, according to LSEG data. In July, a U.S. federal judge rejected Novartis' request to stop MSN Pharmaceuticals from selling a generic version of Entresto. Analysts project sales of the drug will cross $8 billion this year but will drop to about $6 billion in 2026, according to LSEG data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sales of the firm's psoriasis drug Cosentyx, which faces competition in the treatment of certain types of psoriasis and arthritis from UCB's Bimzelx, were mostly flat on-year at about $1.7 billion. Sales of breast cancer drug Kisqali, launched last year, came in at $1.33 billion. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Bhanvi Satija in London; Editing by Friederike Heine and Janane Venkatraman) By Ludwig Burger and Bhanvi Satija FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Novartis' blockbuster heart treatment Entresto saw sales growth stall in the third quarter of the year, dragging the Swiss company's shares lower, as its top-selling drug comes under pressure from cheaper generics in the key U.S. market. The drugmaker, on a deal spree to boost its pipeline, posted quarterly earnings roughly in line with forecasts, but analysts pointed to weaker gross margins. New drug growth also failed to allay fears about a plateau in sales of older revenue drivers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The firm described the quarter as "solid", but flagged "increasing generic erosion" in the United States. NOVARTIS SHARES FALL; FIRM CONFIRMS 2025 OUTLOOK Novartis shares fell over 3% in early Tuesday trade. Sales of Entresto, which lost patent protection this year, were largely flat at $1.88 billion in the quarter, against 20%-plus growth earlier this year. The results underscore the importance of Novartis' $30-billion push for deals this year to bolster its drug pipeline as established treatments go off patent. The company, which has raised its outlook twice this year, confirmed its 2025 guidance, with net sales expected to grow by a "high single-digit" percentage and adjusted operating income by a "low-teens" percentage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Operating income, adjusted for special items, rose 6% to $5.46 billion in the quarter, roughly in line with a consensus estimate cited by analysts of $5.4 billion. CEO SEES NO GUIDANCE IMPACT FROM US TRADE TARIFFS CEO Vas Narasimhan told an earnings call that the company did not expect a hit from U.S. trade tariffs. President Donald Trump has threatened levies on drugmakers if they don't invest in the United States, and also pushed for lower drug prices. "We expect five different groundbreakings before the end of the year at manufacturing sites in the U.S. So no impact from tariffs on our guidance for the remainder of this year and next year," said Narasimhan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said talks over drug pricing with the U.S. administration were progressing well. Peers including Pfizer and AstraZeneca have already struck drug-pricing deals. REVENUE FROM TOP SELLER SEEN DECLINING Launched a decade ago, Entresto was Novartis' top-selling medicine in 2024, with sales of $7.82 billion worldwide. In July, a U.S. federal judge rejected Novartis' request to stop MSN Pharmaceuticals from selling a generic version. Analysts project revenue from the drug will surpass $8 billion this year, but will drop to about $6 billion in 2026, according to LSEG data. Barclays analysts said the third quarter was a "slightly soft print", though not unexpected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sales of Novartis' Cosentyx, which faces competition in the treatment of certain types of psoriasis and arthritis from UCB's Bimzelx, were mostly flat year-on-year at about $1.7 billion. Sales of breast cancer drug Kisqali, launched last year, came in at $1.33 billion. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Bhanvi Satija in London. Editing by David Holmes and Mark Potter) Approximately 26% (3,065) of the 11,583 students in Manchester were receiving special education services through Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) as of Oct. 1, a number well above the 20% of the student population across New Hampshire that receive such services. Members of the Manchester Board of School Committee gathered at the school district offices last week for a special meeting devoted specifically to a presentation on the state of special education in the city by Ryan Roth, assistant superintendent of middle school and student services, and Aisha Weaver, executive director of student services and wellness for Manchester schools. Special education plays a vital role in ensuring access to learning for students with identified disabilities, Roth said. However, its important to understand which special education is not it is not a mechanism to raise grades or modify academic expectations for improved GPAs. It is not a substitute for strong tier one classroom instruction or general education interventions. It is not a solution for attendance motivation for behavioral challenges that can be addressed through other supports. And finally, it is not a placement or label to be used when a student simply learns differently or temporarily struggles with coursework. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Roth, nationally the percentage of students receiving special education services has grown from roughly 13% in 2018-2019 to over 15-18% in 2023-2024. Nationally, there have also been sharp increases in the Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, which is up by 30 to 40%, other health impairment, or OHI, some of us would know that as ADHD, or anxiety related disorders, its up by 20% and speech and language, or SLI, has also increased by 25%. In the Manchester School District, autism spectrum disorder numbers rose from 408 students last year to 533 students this year, a 31% increase. Other health impairment identification increased from 520 students last year to 868 students this year an increase of 67%. Speech and language impairment decreased by 10% from 523 last year to 470 students this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, while some of our percentages exceed the national average, they remain consistent with comparable districts across New Hampshire, Roth said. Roth and Weavers presentation included a slide showing numbers and percentages of students with IEPs on a per school basis. For elementary schools, Highland-Goffes Falls School had the highest percentage of students, with 108 special education students out of 344 total students, or 31.39%. McDonough Elementary had the highest number of students, with 155 of 526 enrolled students (29.46%). For middle schools, Parkside has the highest percentage of special education students, with 27.72% (216 students) out of 779 enrollees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For high schools, West High (which, aside from Manchester School of Technology, has the lowest enrollment with 752 students) has the highest percentage of special education students with 26.86% (202 students). According to the NH School Funding Fairness Project (NH SFFP), the costs of special education are rising at more than three times the rate of general education expenses. The average additional cost to educate one student with an IEP in New Hampshire was $31,093 in 2024, up 5.2% from 2023. The average cost to educate one student without an IEP in New Hampshire in 2024 was $18,719, a 1.6% increase from 2023. In 2024, 70 (or 40%) of New Hampshire public school districts spent over 25% of their total school expenditures on IEP expenses, an increase of 10 districts from 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to SFFP, New Hampshire taxpayers contributed nearly $3.88 billion to public education in the 2023-24 school year. Of that amount, $978 million, or 25.23%, went to disability services, a 6.91% increase over the previous year. School board Vice Chair Jim OConnell pointed out Manchester has no choice as a district about whether we give services to these students or not. Those students have to get those services, and if the moneys not there, then the lemon gets squeezed, or the sausage gets squeezed, or whatever it is, and it has to go someplace else, OConnell said. So its either less science, less math, less sports, less music, less art, less teachers, less something across the district. We have federal and state mandates insisting that we deliver these services to the degree that are needed and deemed necessary by these students and then were left to our own devices to spread out the remainder of the budget between all the other categories. pfeely@unionleader.com By Stephen Nellis and Alexandra Alper WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to give a keynote address in the U.S. capital on Tuesday, with investors looking for clarity on what chips the artificial intelligence leader will be able to sell to the vast Chinese market. Huang's remarks are expected at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). President Donald Trump is touring Asia this week and is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. The flow of advanced technology between the two nations is likely to be at the center of trade discussions, with access to Nvidia's chips deemed a key issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Huang will speak at Nvidia's GTC event, held for the first time in Washington, D.C., a sign that Nvidia is pursuing work with the government and contractors clustered around the capital. At its last GTC event in California in March, Nvidia laid out its chip road map for the next year. Both the first Trump administration and President Joe Biden clamped down on sales of Nvidia's most advanced chips to China, but the second Trump administration has shown an openness to letting Nvidia ship chips there. Huang has argued that Nvidia needs access to some $50 billion in potential sales from the Chinese market to fund U.S.-based research and development to maintain his company's edge. Reuters has previously reported that Chinese developers still want Nvidia's chips, despite pressure from Beijing to purchase domestic chips from Huawei Technologies Co. Nvidia announced a partnership with Intel last month, which analysts have said should help it push into markets where Intel's central processing units (CPUs) remain dominant. "On the heels of its investment in (Intel), we expect an emerging theme to be the acceleration of the data processing market - the bulk of which is being done today on CPUs," UBS analyst Tim Arcuri wrote in a note to investors. "We expect this to become an increasingly important theme with (Nvidia)." (Reporting by Stephen Nellis and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis) NEW YORK (PIX11) New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with two dozen state leaders, is suing the federal government for withholding SNAP benefit funds. James, along with 24 other state attorneys general and the Washington, D.C. AG, announced a coalition lawsuit on Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming that the suspension of SNAP funds is illegal. More Local News The USDA notice suspending benefits came on Monday, stating, Bottom line, the well has run dry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit is an attempt by state leaders to force the Trump administration to hand over the funds that support over 40 million Americans and three million New Yorkers. The attorneys general said the decision to withhold the money is a clear violation of the Food and Nutrition Act. SNAP is one of our nations most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running, James said. The federal government must do its job to protect families. Emergency funds in New York, roughly $30 million, will be handed out to pay for approximately 16 million meals for SNAP recipients in the state, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. ALBANY - New York has joined a coalition of states suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking to force the federal government to provide funding for a federally subsidized food assistance program that is set to stop Saturday as the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week. Announced Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is pursuing the case alongside 24 other states and the District of Columbia, the lawsuit challenges the USDA's decision to refrain from issuing November benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides low-income individuals and families monthly payments to help buy food. The states allege the move violates federal law because the agency has access to at least $6 billion in contingency funds that are meant to be used "exactly for this purpose." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP, which provides benefits to more than 42 million people nationwide, provided roughly $650 million to 3 million New York residents each month in fiscal year 2025. In a Friday memo, the USDA contends that its contingency funds cannot be used in to offset the shutdown because they are "only available to supplement regular monthly benefits when amounts have been appropriated for, but are insufficient to cover, benefits." House Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated that statement at a Monday news conference. And in an announcement posted Sunday on its website, the USDA attributed the funding gap to Senate Democrats as the politically charged battle in Congress continues over the spending bill needed to reopen the government continues, saying the country is "reaching an inflection point" and "the well has run dry." The move is a departure from President Donald J. Trump's administration's previous statements that it would use contingency funds to continue providing benefits. A funding lapse plan prior to October stated that, "congressional intent is evident that SNAP's operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds" that can be used during a shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorneys general pursuing the case contend that the suspension violates two federal laws: the Food and Nutrition Act, which created SNAP, and the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies make rules. They are seeking a temporary court order forcing the USDA to use contingency funds for November benefits for plaintiff states. This article originally published at NY joins lawsuit seeking to force USDA to fund SNAP benefits. An upstate New York man is facing multiple charges for allegedly driving a large excavator into a home with a 62-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy inside, New York State Police said Tuesday. Matthew P. Partridge, 37, of Nunda, was arrested Monday on charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child after authorities responded to a report of a domestic dispute at a home in the town of Groveland, about 45 miles south of Rochester. State troopers and investigators from the NYSP Geneseo barracks responded to a residence on Upper Bean Hill Road around 3:30 p.m. Monday and determined that Partridge was operating an excavator belonging to the family business when he drove toward the home occupied by the woman and her 11-year-old male relative, the NYSP said in a press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He allegedly drove through the side of the residence and destroyed part of its wrap-around porch, police said, noting that his actions caused extensive damage to the home. Hes also accused of continuing to damage the property and threatening the woman as she fled, officials said. After fleeing the home, the woman contacted another family member asking for help. That relative, described as a 64-year-old man who also lived at the home, arrived a short time later in his Chevrolet truck which was then struck several times with the excavator, police said. Partridge and the man also got into a brief physical altercation before the suspect managed to flee the scene, according to state troopers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 37-year-old suspect was later located at his mothers home and ultimately taken into custody by Livingston County sheriffs deputies. Partridge was arraigned in Livingston County CAP Court and has since been released, police said. Officials did not provide details on Partridges relationship to the residents nor how the female victim is related to the boy. (The Center Square) A New York City-based advocacy group is suing the Trump administration after it abruptly terminated the states work requirement waiver for food stamp recipients. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court Monday by the Urban Justice Center, alleges more than 100,000 New York City recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be at risk of losing their benefits if the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowed to terminate a work requirement waiver for able-bodied adults without dependents. Under President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, certain SNAP recipients are required to work or volunteer at least 20 hours per week to receive benefits. If they fail to meet the work requirement for three consecutive months, they lose benefits until they come back into compliance. New York was granted a temporary waiver, which is set to expire on Nov. 2, according to the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This sudden, premature, and unlawful action will harm plaintiffs and the proposed class," lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in the 23-page complaint. "Those unable to comply with federal work requirements within that brief 30-day period will risk termination of the SNAP benefits on which they rely to feed themselves and their families." The group, which is represented by the Legal Aid Society, said the federal government's timeframe for complying with the new work requirements "will lead to administrative chaos and numerous administrative errors that puts them at risk of losing their SNAP benefits when the new work requirement rules go into effect in February. "Even those who manage to comply by February may still accrue one or two countable months which will accelerate the termination of their benefits if they are unable to continue compliance at any time in the future," the lawsuit claimed. The legal challenge comes as nearly 3 million New Yorkers are expected to lose their SNAP benefits after Nov. 1 unless Congress can reach a deal to end the federal government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has no plans to tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through SNAP flowing into November. The administration blames Democrats, who say they will not agree to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate with them on extending expiring Obamacare subsidies. "Bottom line, the well has run dry," the USDA said in a statement. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats." New York Attorney General Letitia James joined other Democratic AGs in sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins demanding clarity from the USDA on how it plans to proceed after alerting states that the SNAP payments will lapse beginning next week. Nationwide, more than 42 million people purchase fresh produce and other groceries through SNAP, according to the USDA. Eligibility for the public-benefits program, previously known as food stamps, is based on participants income and household size, among other factors. THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) At the Top Choice Jamaican restaurant in Wakefield, lunch was on the menu. But for employees behind the counter, their homeland and loved ones were on their minds. The Category 5 Hurricane Melissa and its 160-mile-per-hour winds are shaping up to be the most powerful storm to hit Jamaica. Its forecasted to be even more powerful than Hurricane Gilbert, which left a quarter of the island nations population homeless in 1988. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The focus in the Bronx community? Muster up resources now to be ready to send emergency food, water, clothing and other resources after the storm passes. I spoke with my sister, I spoke with my friends, Kim of the Bronx said. Very scared. Water, everything, lights going out. Im very scared. The 89-year-old Jamaica Progressive League, a staple of community outreach in New York City, has gotten the word out as it prepares to stock every pantry shelf with donated supplies to send down to Jamaica. Were really terrified. We tried to be calm, but were really, really terrified, said JPL President Sadie Aarons-Campbell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how City Councilman Kevin Riley, also of Jamaican descent, says the northeast Bronx will be ready to help when the time comes. I was just on the phone with my father, whos actually in Jamaica. Theyre going to need us now more than ever, Riley said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. NEW YORK (PIX11) To start November, students will have a day off from school as New Yorkers cast their vote on Election Day. New York City Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and reopen on Wednesday. More Local News Additionally, elementary students will be dismissed three hours early on Thursday, Nov. 6, as parent-teacher conferences will be held in the afternoon and evening. Parent-teacher conferences for middle schools and D75 will be held on Nov. 13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parent-teacher conferences for high schools, K-12, and 6-12 schools will be held on Nov. 20. Students in the respective schools will also be released three hours early on those days. Possible NYC school bus layoffs: Alternate transportation options for worried parents The next full school closing is slated for Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The NYC Public Schools calendar can be found here. Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) A New York City school janitor was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl inside an empty classroom, the Bronx District Attorney announced on Tuesday. Prosecutors said 45-year-old Cesar Ortega Licona, of Yonkers, forcefully pulled the second grader into the classroom around 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 17, 2024. He then sexually assaulted the child, according to prosecutors. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The girl ran out of the classroom and screamed for help. A teacher called 911, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said Licona was linked to the assault through DNA evidence. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Hes also facing five years post-release supervision and will have to register as a sex offender, according to prosecutors. The defendant grabbed a little girl and abused her, in what should be a haven for children, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said in a statement. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. LANSING Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald is dominating fundraising in the race for state attorney general, having raised more money than all the other Democratic and Republican candidates combined, reports filed ahead of the Monday, Oct. 27 filing deadline show. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald speaks to the media on Thursday, March, 14, 2024, as Nicole Beausoleil, mother of Madisyn Baldwin; Steve St. Juliana, father of Hana St. Juliana; and Craig Shilling, father of Justin Shilling; look on after James Crumbley was found guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths caused in 2021 by Crumbley's son after he perpetrated a mass shooting at Oxford High School. McDonald is now in the race for Michigan Attorney General. The two parties are expected to select their candidates for attorney general at state party conventions next year. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, can't run again because of term limits. The candidates selected will then compete in the November 2026 election. McDonald, a Democrat who announced her candidacy in June, has raised just over $840,000 in donations and has also transferred $100,000 from her Oakland County prosecutor fund to her statewide campaign, records show. She has reported spending just under $320,000, leaving her with about $626,000 in cash on hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Combined fundraising by the four other Democratic and Republican candidates for attorney general who had filed reports by the morning of Oct. 28 totaled less than $700,000, including candidate loans. Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, another Democrat seeking the nomination who announced his candidacy in May, has raised just over $300,000, with just over $23,000 of that amount coming from a political action committee Savit founded, Pursuit of Justice, records show. Savit reported spending just over $140,000, leaving him with about $160,000 in the bank. Former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, who was the first Democrat to enter the race, in April, has raised close to $161,000 in donations, including $17,500 from the United Food and Commercial Workers union PAC, and has loaned his campaign close to $90,000 in additional funds, records show. Totten has reported spending just over $50,000, leaving him with about $200,000 in cash. Longtime Detroit public defender William Noakes, who announced his campaign at the end of September as the fourth Democrat seeking the nomination, did not have a report showing on the Michigan Secretary of State website as of the morning of Oct. 28. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the Republican side, Birmingham attorney Kevin Kijewski, who announced his candidacy in April, has raised close to $13,000 in donations and has loaned his campaign nearly $68,000, records show. Kijewski reported spending just over $54,000, leaving him with just over $26,000 to spend. The other Republican candidate, Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd, who joined the race in July, reported raising $46,000 in donations and transferring another $15,000 from his county prosecutor campaign fund. Lloyd reported spending just under $15,000, leaving him with a little over $46,000 in the bank, but he also reported $30,000 in campaign debt in the form of consulting bills that have not yet been paid. Kalamazoo attorney Matt DePerno, who was the Republican candidate for attorney general in 2022, formed a campaign committee in August but has not announced he is running again and had not filed a report as of the morning of Oct. 28. McDonald's reports show 34 donors who gave the maximum $8,325 permitted under state law. Notable donors include former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, who gave $2,500; automobile scion Edsel Ford II and his wife Cynthia, who each gave $8,325; Detroit Pistons vice-chair Arn Tellem and his wife Nancy, who is chair of the New York-based media company, Eko, who each gave $8,325; and Ilitch Enterprises, LLC president Denise Ilitch, who donated $5,000 and also contributed about $3,300 in catering costs for a campaign fundraiser. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland Co. Prosecutor Karen McDonald ahead in Michigan AG money race Former President Barack Obama was reportedly left blindsided and fuming when Nancy Pelosi broke ranks to endorse Kamala Harris as the 2024 Democratic presidential pick within hours of former President Joe Bidens exit from the 2024 race. According to a forthcoming book by ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, Pelosi, describing Harris as brilliantly astute and expressing full confidence that she could defeat then-Republican nominee Donald Trump, made her move less than 24 hours after Biden announced he would not seek re-election. Karl writes in his new book, Retribution, that Obama, who had urged senior Democrats to let a process unfold before rallying behind any successor, was not happy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Obamas were not happy, a Pelosi confidant told Karl. This person summed up Obamas message to Pelosi as, essentially, What the f*ck did you just do?' In excerpts seen by the Daily Mail and New York Post, Karl details how Obama and Pelosi had privately agreed to avoid early endorsements and that both were wary of anointing Harris without an open primary. When Pelosi acted anyway, Obama phoned her directly. That train has left the station, she reportedly shot back, pointing to Bidens own swift backing of Harris. A source close to Obama insisted to Karl that the exchange was more good-natured ribbing than rage, though another Pelosi ally said he sounded genuinely irritated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to MSNBCs Morning Joe about the excerpt on Tuesday morning, Karl explained the source of Obamas frustration was a that he and Pelosi had a pact to run a primary after working together to get Biden to drop out of the race. So the two of them had been basically working to try to get, you know, Biden out of the race. And they had been and they had been adamant that when he gets out, we need to have some kind of a process, whether it be a mini flash primary something, a meeting of delegates, something, something. And dont just hand it over to Kamala Harris. And they had had a pact on this, he told the hosts. He continued: [Harris] gets out and everybody endorses her within hours. You know, [Josh] Shapiro, [Gretchen] Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, theyre all endorsing her within hours. Pelosi actually waits till the next day. But she sees that theres nothing to hold the tide. So she puts out the endorsement, gets this phone call. I actually spoke to somebody who overheard the phone call. And what Obama says is basically: Nancy, what was that all about? And clearly irritated. Karl added: Now, Ive spoken to people close to President Obama who say he was just kind of giving her joshing with her and giving her a hard time. Ive spoken to another, you know, person who is very close to Pelosi who says, No he was angry. The clear message was, Why did you do that?' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A message left with the Obama Foundation by Mediaite was not immediately returned on Tuesday. The former president waited five days before publicly endorsing Harris, a pause that reportedly fueled speculation he doubted her ability to win. By the time heavyweights from the Clintons to Newsom had fallen in line, Pelosi had, as Karl writes, no choice. The only thing she could do was try to help her win the election. The post Obama Fumed at Nancy Pelosi for Endorsing Kamala Harris So Quickly in Tense Phone Call: What the F*ck Did You Just Do? first appeared on Mediaite. The Odessa College Board of Trustees will convene at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 30 in Classroom 206 of the Wood Health Sciences Building, 201 University Blvd., for a special board meeting. The action item is Property Discussion. The post OC holds special meeting appeared first on Odessa American. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) The Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) has been named eligible as a top 200 institution for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. According to OCTC, being named to this list is a testament to the daily hard work, dedication and innovation demonstrated by its faculty, staff and students. The Salvation Army launches emergency food campaign According to the Aspen Institute, the organization that gives this prize, the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence is the nations signature recognition for Americas community colleges. Officials say The Aspen Prize is rooted in deep research into colleges that achieve excellent and improving student outcomes, uncovering models of excellence that Aspen shares with the field and embeds in its professional development programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KWC adopts new model for deeper student engagement A spokesperson for the college says, Being selected from over 1,000 institutions as a top 200 community college nationwide is an extraordinary honor. This recognition reflects the transformative impact we are having on the lives of our students and the vital role we play in serving our community and advancing social mobility and economic opportunity in our region. OCTC notes this achievement was only made possible by the collective efforts and commitment of educators and staff, the resilience and determination of students and the support of OCTCs partners and community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Officials in India have enacted a sweeping single-use plastics ban to cut down on plastic pollution along a popular train route. As The New Indian Express reported, the Salem Railway Division announced the ban on single-use plastics at the Mettupalayam Railway Station in Tamil Nadu. It followed a directive from the Madras High Court that prohibited the sale and use of items such as plastic bottles, cups, spoons, and containers. The move addresses a growing concern of plastic waste along the Mettupalayam-to-Udhagamandalam route, which runs through the Nilgiri Mountains. While passengers and shop owners have criticized the restrictiveness of the ban, activists have pushed for a plastics ban for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, residents in the region complained about plastic waste being consumed by the local elephant population, putting the animals at risk. N. Mohanraj, a conservationist located in Nilgiri, spoke to The Hindu regarding fears that elephants may fall ill from plastic consumption. "The Nilgiris is a plastic-free district and other wildlife too can be affected if they ingest plastic," Mohanraj said. "The trains are only a few compartments long, so it should be feasible for the railway authorities to seize plastic waste and packaging and prevent it from being discarded along the line." As seen along the popular train route, plastic pollution can harm wildlife through ingestion and entanglement. It can also disrupt ecosystems and degrade soil and water quality. Since plastics are not biodegradable, they do not decompose. Instead, plastics break down over time into microplastics, ending up in the food chain and threatening human health. Single-use plastics bans can be a hindrance to businesses required to adopt plastic alternatives. This can lead to an increase in prices that fall back on consumers. However, some feel that it is a small price to pay to protect the environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Ultimately, it is also the responsibility of the train passengers to ensure they keep the place they are visiting clean," said K. Natrajan, founder of Heritage Steam Chariot Trust. "Some sensitisation campaigns can be started, aimed at tourists through announcements and signboards at railway stations along the NMR line." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. After a devastating fire in 2023, residents who lost their homes in Lahaina, Hawaii, have received an offer of temporary housing in a tiny home community erected by the state, The New York Times reported. Many Lahaina residents were in a bind after the disaster. Housing was already at a crisis point in the area beforehand, with prices sky-high due to tourism and the rate of homelessness being among the worst in the nation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which would normally provide financial aid to disaster victims, has recently been the target of cuts by the Trump administration, and many survivors of the Lahaina fire don't qualify for help. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That left a large proportion of residents being bounced from shelter to hotel, worried that they would not be able to find or afford a long-term housing solution. This is where the state of Hawaii stepped in. It established Ka Lai Ola, a community of 450 homes set to house roughly 1,500 people. In order to move quickly to provide housing, the state called upon five companies from multiple countries to provide modular tiny homes that could be put in place immediately, similar to this community in California. Because they are tiny homes, their utility needs are small, which makes them cheaper to power and supply with water, as well as having a small impact on the environment. The path to this solution was not completely smooth. The land where the community was established was originally set aside to house Native Hawaiians because it is ceded territory. However, the previous plan for development would have taken 17 years to allow anyone to move in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under this new plan, Governor Josh Green has proposed immediate development and using the land to house the Lahaina fire victims for five years, after which the community will be turned over to Native Hawaiians. This means it will still be available faster if everything goes well. There are concerns about whether the specific homes chosen for the project will hold up in the local weather long-term, but this is still progress. Dr. JoonYup Park, a University of Hawaii at Manoa assistant professor focused on housing economics, had some concerns, but ultimately told the Times that if the state succeeded in turning the community into permanent housing, "it could meaningfully reduce homelessness." Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. The Bangladesh Secretariat, the administrative headquarters of the government of Bangladesh, has banned single-use plastics from the building in an effort to protect the environment and control pollution, as reported by Prothom Alo. The government identified 17 items as banned single-use plastics, including plastic bags, single-use plastic bottles, cups, plates, and eating utensils. All ministries administrative units responsible for specific areas of the government and visitors to the building will be required to abide by the ban, and entry points will be checked. Anyone carrying a plastic bag will be provided with a paper bag as a replacement. Each ministry is required to appoint a person to be part of a committee to monitor enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Single-use plastics are bad for the environment because they are a huge source of pollution and waste. Plastic products are often improperly discarded and end up in oceans and habitats on land, where they pose a risk to wildlife. Wild animals can become entangled or restricted, which can hurt or even kill them, threatening a range of species. Toxic chemicals from the plastics can also leach into the soil and contaminate water, creating unhealthy conditions. Plastic does not naturally break down but can degrade into microplastics, which are tiny particles that have been found nearly everywhere in our environment and are linked to health risks to wildlife and people. Animals often ingest the small particles either accidentally or mistake them for food. This plastic waste disrupts the balance of ecosystems and can pose a threat to biodiversity. In addition, the production and disposal of single-use plastics release pollution into the air that contributes to the warming of the planet. Millions of tons of plastic waste are generated each year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ban on plastics at the Bangladesh Secretariat is a step in the right direction in terms of reducing plastic usage globally, even though there may be an adjustment period for some individuals working in and visiting the government building. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom and US chip manufacturer Nvidia are planning to build a large data centre in Munich, the Bavarian government said on Tuesday. Around 10,000 computing units will be used in the project in the Bavarian capital, according to the state Economy Ministry. Telekom initially did not respond to requests for comment. "We are in contact with Telekom and support the project in Munich," said Bavarian Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger. He said the plans represent "another significant investment in future technologies" in Bavaria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to estimates by digital association Bitkom, Germany needs to ramp up its data centre and cloud capacity to strengthen digital independence and reduce its dependence on countries such as the US and China. "Within Europe, Germany has the highest computing capacity," Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst told dpa in September. In international comparison, however, Germany is losing ground, he said. Tuvalu isn't warning the world anymore it's living the disaster that everyone else still talks about avoiding. Maina Talia, Tuvalu's climate change minister, told Al Jazeera that his country is fighting to stay above the rising seas that are already swallowing its land. The country's nine atolls and islands, home to fewer than 10,000 people, rise barely 1 meter (3 feet) above the sea. What's happening? Talia said Tuvalu needs funding now to build sea walls and reclaim land, or it risks losing whole communities with no safe ground left. Warmer seas are fueling rougher storms, according to NASA, and bit by bit, the coast keeps eroding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We cannot delay any more," he said, per Al Jazeera, adding that funding is the only way Tuvalu can endure. The Global Center on Adaptation said that 39 island nations need about $12 billion each year just to stay protected, but they're only getting a fraction of that. Why is this concerning? Tuvalu's fight started long before the waves reached its door. Burning coal, oil, and gas fills the air with heat-trapping pollution that melts ice sheets and raises sea levels. According to NASA, rising global temperatures are already making parts of the world dangerous to live in. That rising heat intensifies extreme weather, endangering lives and destroying landscapes. The same trend is evident in Catalonia's record drought and in India, where unrelenting heat is pushing people to their limits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of it leads back to the same reality: A hotter planet links coastlines and vulnerable towns to the same rising sea. What's being done about it? Tuvalu is small, but it continues to show up. Its leaders are helping shape the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, pushing bigger nations to slow the oil and gas projects that drive the crisis, per Al Jazeera. At the same time, the country is working with UNESCO to preserve its culture online in case the islands ever go under. Elsewhere, governments are pushing tougher disaster laws, much like the work led by state attorneys general in the U.S. Each of these efforts points to the same urgency: to confront critical environmental issues and protect communities while there's still time. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Oct. 28Flathead County voters must remember to include their year of birth on their ballots as they prepare to cast their vote by Election Day. The county is overseeing an all-mail ballot for this year's general municipal election, and a state law that went into effect Oct. 1 requires Montana voters to include their birth year, along with their signature, on their ballots. The Flathead County Election Department has received 6,854 ballots as of Oct. 24, out of an estimated 68,200 active electors. Among those, 145 were rejected, although 17 have been corrected since then, according to Election Manager Paula Buff. Out of the 128 ballots that are currently rejected, 105 of them either are missing the birth year or have an incorrect date. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Election staff have been diligent about calling people when their ballot is rejected, Buff said, and a rejection notice is sent to the voter, as statutorily required. This close to Election Day, she encouraged voters to make corrections either by visiting the office in Kalispell or emailing the missing information at [email protected]. At this point, anyone who hasn't turned in or mailed their ballots is encouraged to drop them off at the Election Department, located at 290 B N. Main St. in Kalispell. "If it were me, there would be no way I would mail a ballot after [Oct. 29]," Buff told the Inter Lake. All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 to be counted. Buff said it's difficult to estimate the speed with which a mailed ballot could reach her office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voters can visit the Election Department any time Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to drop off ballots. On Election Day, Nov. 4, office hours will be extended from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and a ballot drop box will be set up in the department's parking lot that day. "We're just trying to make it a little more convenient for people, especially with parking," Buff said. Key issues on the ballot this year include a $105 million bond for a new county jail and, for voters within Kalispell, electing the city's next mayor. Sitting City Councilors Ryan Hunter and Sid Daoud, and local entrepreneur Kisa Davison are all vying for the position. Voters will also elect city councilors in each of Kalispell's four wards. Also on the ballot is an $84.8 million bond to completely remodel a high school in Columbia Falls School District 6. Voters in Columbia Falls will also vote for three new city councilors. Four candidates appear on the ballot, but Hannah Pennington is not seeking election. Pennington was too late in withdrawing her candidacy for her name to be removed from the ballot. Mayor Don Barnhart is running unopposed for reelection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Whitefish residents, four candidates on the ballot are vying for City Council. Newcomer Nathan Dugan is running against incumbents Andy Feury, Giuseppe Caltabiano and Ben Davis for one of the three open seats. For more information about voting in the Flathead County general municipal election, visit flatheadcounty.gov/department-directory/election or call the Election Department at 758-5535. Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected]. A customer was robbed of cash in the parking lot of a PNC Bank on Midway Blvd in Elyria on Saturday morning. The suspect approached the victim as they were returning to their car, used force to steal the cash, and then fled the scene on foot, according to Elyria police. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elyria police reported that no weapon was shown during the robbery. The incident occurred at the PNC Bank located in the 400 block of Midway Blvd. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the robbery to contact Elyria police at 440-323-3302. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Artificial intelligence may be clever, but it cant say I do. A measure introduced by Ohio State Representative Thaddeus Claggett aims to make it law that humans cant marry their chatbot. If passed, the legislation, House Bill 469, would make it illegal to recognize an AI system as a spouse, domestic partner, or any kind of life companion. Though this might sound like a bizarre thing to legislate, people are indeed attempting to marry chatbots, though these are not legally recognized marriages in most states. These relationships involve a person forming a deep emotional connection with a chatbot, sometimes to the point of conducting virtual ceremonies or engagements. The trendas with all trends, you can find an AI-relationships community on Reddit is driven by a desire for unconditional support and a partner who is always available, but raises questions about the potential impact on human relationships. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Ohio is apparently going on the record as being one of the first anti-AI marriage states. Indeed, its also going on the record as denying "personhood" to chatbots. No AI system shall be granted the status of person or any form of legal personhood, nor be considered to possess consciousness, self-awareness, or similar traits of living beings, the bill states. The legislation reflects growing concern that advances in generative AI could blur the line between human rights and machine autonomy. The bill defines AI as any machine or software capable of simulating humanlike functions such as learning or problem-solvingbut makes clear that simulation is not the same as consciousness. Any purported attempt to marry or create a personal union with an AI system is void and has no legal effect, the bill said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bill currently going through committee would also make companies legally responsible for any harm caused by their AI. Under the measure, companies would be required to maintain safety mechanisms, conduct risk assessments, and report serious incidents involving injury or property damage. Labeling an AI system as 'aligned,' 'ethically trained,' or 'value locked' does not, on its own, excuse or diminish the owner's or developer's liability for harm, the bill said. Statue of Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao Coming to Washington DC After Trump Pardon HB 469 arrives amid an intensifying debate over AI sentience and the limits of machine autonomy. In August, OpenAI faced backlash after it abruptly deprecated GPT-4o, disrupting human-AI relationships as it rolled out GPT-5. Around the same time, Microsoft AI chief and DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman warned that developers were nearing systems that appear seemingly conscious, potentially misleading the public into believing machines are sentient or divine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ohio is among several U.S. states moving to enact legislation that says artificial intelligence has no legal personhood. Others include Utah, Idaho, and North Dakota, which have passed laws that explicitly state AI is not a person under the law. The office of Representative Claggett did not respond to requests for comment by Decrypt. Two children help their mother pick up food from the Sugartree Ministry food bank in Wilmington, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Ohio SNAP recipient Peaches Calhoun is worried what will happen to her familys Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits if the federal government shutdown stretches into November. Calhoun, a single mother of four children in Columbus, is one of the approximately 1.39 million Ohioans who receive SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im someone whos living this currently, she said Thursday during a press conference at the Statehouse. Someone whos seen the fear in her kids faces when theres more months left than there is money, someone who knows that hunger is not a talking point, its a sound, its a feeling, its a slow ache that lives in your bones. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 and SNAP benefits are funded for this month, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a letter on Oct. 10 there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation if the shutdown continues. USDA has also posted a notice on its website saying federal food aid will not be issued for Nov. 1. Ohios average SNAP benefits are $190 a month, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Spokesperson Tom Betti said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is closely monitoring the federal shutdown situation, Betti said in an email. Weve not yet received guidance from USDA Food and Nutrition Service beyond that, so we cannot speculate beyond October. To qualify for SNAP, Ohioans must have a net income at or below federal poverty guidelines $32,150 a year for a family of four. State Rep. Latyna Humphrey, D-Columbus, introduced House Bill 502 earlier this month which would make an appropriation to continue to fund SNAP and some other federal programs if there were to be a lapse in federal funding. Grocery stores wont stop operating, she said. The bills wont stop coming. The babies wont stop needing formula, and families still have to eat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House Bill 502 has had no hearings so far and no hearings on the bill are currently scheduled. Her bill has an emergency measure, meaning it would take effect immediately if it were signed into law. We are getting very close to Nov. 1, so I would urge my colleagues on the Republican side to start thinking and getting together and even being willing to work with me, work with us, to get something done so we are prepared if it is Nov. 1 and there is no solution, Humphrey said. Maybe my bill wont be the actual solution, but it is possible to put together a similar bill and fast track it, and get it to the governors desk, she said. She sent a letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday urging him to preserve SNAP benefits. State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, said H.B. 502 is a blueprint for how we can solve the problem facing us today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we love Ohioans, then we have to feed our people, he said. It is just that simple. The Mid-Ohio Food Collective helps feed more than 5,000 families each day 58% more families than at the peak of the pandemic, said Mid-Ohio Food Collective Spokesperson Mike Hochron. Many of our neighbors are one tough break away from having trouble putting food on their table, he said. SNAP helps working families keep food on their table, a roof over their heads and keeps our economy strong. We are here to help as best we can, but without gap help, and if SNAP benefits are not issued for November, we anticipate the need for services will be far beyond what our food bank and network of interest are able to meet on our own. Calhoun criticized President Donald Trump for building a $300 million ballroom at the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They build ballrooms while Im building grocery lists that dont add up, she said. How do you have marble floors and empty pantries at the same time? The longest government shutdown took place during Trumps first term as president in 2019 and lasted 35 days. Its now the second longest shutdown in our nations history and without immediate intervention from our state and federal elected leaders, it will be the most devastating, said Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE An Ohio man has learned his punishment after his pit bull attacked and killed an infant in Ohio, according to our media partner WBNS-10 TV. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Blake Bates, of Marion County, was sentenced to more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to several counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was also charged with escape and strangulation stemming from another incident, WBNS-10 reported. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deadly attack happened at Bates home in April 2024 when he left the pit bull near the unsupervised infant. The infant was reportedly left with another young child Bates and his co-defendant, Alyssa Smith, supposedly left the infant with another young child. WBNS-10 reported that the pit bull reportedly mauled the infants head. The baby was transported to an area hospital, where they died. Authorities responded and immediately euthanized the dog, WBNS-10 reported. There were other pit bulls inside the home when the attack happened. The Marion County Prosecutors Office said Bates ignored previous warnings about the dogs aggression after it attacked another child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bates was reportedly warned and charged by the dog warden, but didnt take adequate precautions. Smith got three years in prison after pleading guilty to child endangering, according to WBNS-10. No family should endure this pain, but todays sentence honors Royal and protects Marion from criminals like Bates, Marion County Prosecutor Raymond Grogan said. Well keep pursuing justice to safeguard our kids. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] (FOX40.COM) Two people were arrested in connection with an oil-in-the-engine car scam that has been circulating through California. Video Above: Scams circulating in California On Monday, the Placer County Sheriffs arrested Lulian Mihai,19, and Decebal Mihai, 36, both from Fremont, for their alleged involvement in the scam. The scam involves a car buyer causing damage to a sellers vehicle so that they will reduce the selling cost. Northern California police arrest driver with more than 100 pounds of illegal fireworks Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, a Newcastle resident contacted PCSO after the suspects tried to scam her while buying her vehicle. During the test drive, the car suddenly began to smoke something it hadnt done before, according to PCSO. This well-known scam tricks victims into believing their vehicle has a catastrophic problem, which the all-too-willing suspects are able to take off the victims hands for a steeply reduced price, PCSO said. Police chase in Sacramento ends with car crash into house In this case, the victim grew suspicious that the individuals had introduced oil to the vehicle to make it appear something was wrong with the car. The victim reportedly told the suspects to come back another day. Thats when the victim contacted deputies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Together, they arranged a follow-up meeting with the suspects in Newcastle. When the pair arrived, they were met instead by our deputies and detectives and were promptly arrested. A search of their vehicle revealed counterfeit documents and evidence of identity theft, according to PCSO. Further investigation revealed that the 4Runner they drove to Newcastle had also been obtained in a similar scam in the Bay Area. The original owner had been tricked into selling her car for less than 25% of its value. Both suspects were arrested and booked into the Placer County Jail for alleged theft-related crimes, conspiracy, and fraud charges. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) An Okaloosa County School District principal has received a national honor. Guantanamo Bay evacuees arrive at NAS Pensacola ahead of Hurricane Melissa According to an OCSD news release, Dr. Donna Kelley, principal of Northwood Elementary School, is one of 43 principals in the nation to receive the 2025 National Distinguished Principal award. A photo of Donna Kelley (Okaloosa County School District) The award is given out by the National Association of Elementary School Principals at a banquet in Washington, D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The OCSD release said Dr. Kelley has been the principal at NES since 2013. It is an incredible honor to be recognized among such talented and dedicated school leaders, said Dr. Kelley. This award reflects the work of the entire Northwood Elementary community, our teachers, staff, students, and families, who make our school such a special place to learn and grow. Superintendent Marcus Chambers said the school system is proud of Dr. Kelleys accomplishments. Ocean Springs man pleads guilty to sexual battery, child exploitation Dr. Kelley exemplifies what it means to be a servant leader. Her passion for students, her dedication to excellence, and her unwavering commitment to building a positive school culture are second to none, said Chambers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. ASHER, Okla. (KFOR) An Oklahoma couple is stuck in Jamaica and bracing for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, the Category 5 storm projected to make landfall soon. They immediately started boarding up all of the restaurants, all of the resort. Theyve boarded up my parents room, said Heather Idell as she described what her parents vacation to Ocho Rios, Jamaica has turned into. Oklahoma couple trapped in Jamaica before massive hurricane hits Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Idell explained that her parents planned to leave the island early, in hopes of beating the storm, but things took a different turn. My mom sent us a text on Saturday saying that they had gotten a flight out. So we were very excited, Idell said. Then later in the afternoon, she texted back and said that American had canceled their flight and they had shut the airport. The National Hurricane Center is describing the storm as, catastrophic with life threatening winds and flooding. Idells parents, Steve and Cheryl McKinley still had internet access and were able to speak with News 4 on Monday. Steve and Cheryl McKinley. Image from family We do feel very safe here. And were going to be okay. Were just concerned about the country and everything thats going to be the aftermath. And then, of course, our concern is how we get a clear path to the airport and make arrangements to get a flight out, said Steve McKinley. Idell worries about getting her parents home when the storm passes and has tried to get answers from the U.S. Embassy in Kingston but has run into some issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did go to the government website, but as we know, everything is shut down. My parents did enroll in the STEP Program (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program), so the government should know that theyre there, said Idell. Camera captures Blanchard home invasion Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullins Office said they are now in direct contact with Idell. As the storm runs its course, Idell is worried about losing contact with her family. Tomorrow will be the day that we really will know if were going to be able to talk to them or how bad it actually is, Idell said. Mullins office says the U.S. Embassy in Kingston will have limited emergency services from now until the end of the month and they encourage anyone in a situation like the McKinleys to enroll in the STEP. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City. No contract exists between the Oklahoma State Department of Education and California-based PragerU, which worked with past state schools superintendent Ryan Walters to develop a test for teachers moving to Oklahoma from so-called woke states. The test was just one of the many ways Walters partnered with PragerU, a nonprofit that promotes conservative educational materials. Their work to inject far-right politics into Oklahoma's school system drew national attention before Walters resigned in September. His successor says no state contract covered the work, and PragerU did not receive state funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not sure exactly what they were doing, but there was no State Department (of Education) money spent with PragerU, new state schools Superintendent Lindel Fields told The Oklahoman on Monday, Oct. 27. Ryan Walters pushed for PragerU-developed curriculum, teacher 'anti-woke' test Walters worked closely with PragerU during much of his two years and nine months in office. He encouraged schools to use PragerU-developed curriculum including cartoon videos depicting its version of historical events in classrooms. In one video, a character depicting Christopher Columbus said slavery is better than being killed, no? Later, Walters included PragerUs cofounder, Dennis Prager, on his executive review committee to help develop new social studies standards for Oklahoma schools. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has put a pause on the enforcement of those standards, which include dozens of mentions of Christianity, as well as debunked claims about results of the 2020 presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier in 2025, Walters said he would institute a so-called woke test that teachers moving into Oklahoma from Democratic-controlled states, such as California and New York, would be required to pass before being issued an Oklahoma teaching license. He did so despite the fact the state Department of Education isnt allowed under Oklahoma law to administer such a test as a requirement for teacher licensing. He said the test, dubbed the America First Assessment, would be developed by PragerU. The nonprofit debuted the test with an ad in The New York Times in August. The test included 34 multiple-choice questions written by the nonprofit. There are multiple questions about biology and gender identification, political viewpoints, in addition to others about civics, the Constitution and key U.S. historical figures and dates. The online version of the test was designed so that a person taking it could not advance to the next question until providing what the test-maker believes is the correct answer essentially making it impossible to fail. To take the test, people were required to provide personal information to PragerU, including their names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers, and agree to the terms of PragerU's privacy policy. New state schools Superintendent Lindel Fields says there's no evidence the Oklahoma State Department of Education spent money with California-based nonprofit PragerU during his predecessor's time. Fields, who said he has not taken the test, said Monday he doesnt know how PragerU is using the personal information of those who did take the test. An email sent to an address listed on the PragerU website for media inquiries on Monday wasnt immediately returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walters resigned Sept. 30 to take a private sector job. Two days later, Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Fields to fill out the remainder of Walters term, which will expire in January 2027. Within hours of Walters departure, the Oklahoma State Department of Educations website was scrubbed to remove a section about the PragerU test. Fields has said the PragerU test is not required for those seeking to obtain an Oklahoma teaching certificate. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma didn't pay PragerU for teacher 'woke' test, superintendent says As a thunderstorm rolls in, people stand in line outside the Mitch Park YMCA, which was next door to the Oklahoma County early voting location in Edmond on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY Lawmakers are studying ways to reduce the long waits early voters experienced during the last presidential election. At least three county election boards Oklahoma, Tulsa and Cleveland plan to open additional locations, a legislative panel was told Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, oversaw a Tuesday interim study on the issue. Interim studies often help lawmakers craft legislation for the upcoming session. Boren said knew of two instances during the 2024 presidential election in which some Cleveland County voters were told early voting had closed when time still remained to cast ballots. She blamed the issue on inadequate training. Each county is required to have one early voting site, said State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax. Counties with 25,000 or more voters or that have an area of 1,500 square miles or more can have more than one site, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the last general election, about 15 counties had more than one early voting site, he said. A record 293,206 voters voted early during the 2024 general election, an increase from 167,185 four years earlier, he said. In Tulsa County, 10% of registered voters cast ballots early, double the percentage in 2020, said Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman. The average wait time to vote early in Tulsa County during the last presidential election was an hour and a half, but some waited two hours, she said. In Oklahoma City, the longest early voting wait was two to three hours, but at the Edmond location, voters waited as long as six hours, said Oklahoma County Assistant Election Board Secretary Tuesday Sanders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It didnt start off that way, but people kept coming and coming, she said. She said a third location will take the pressure off the other two early voting locations. You really had county election boards across the state dealing with unprecedented levels of early voting turnout, and I think that drove some of the lines that you were hearing about, because there was no way to anticipate that there was going to be that kind of shift, Ziriax said. County election officials did the best with the hand they were dealt, he said. Ziriax said he doesnt want people to wait in long lines, but it comes down to resources, time, money, people and locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While some of the resources can come from the Legislature, a lot has to come from the county government, he said. Cleveland County is adding additional sites to bring the total to six from four since the last general election, said Cleveland County Election Board Secretary Bryant Rains. The initial cost for Cleveland County to add an additional early voting site is about $15,000, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the southwestern coast of Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28, bringing with it catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center. While communities there brace for one of the most powerful hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin's recorded history, winds currently crossing Oklahoma may contribute to moving the system away from the Caribbean. Here's what to know about Hurricane Melissa and the upcoming forecast. Hurricane Melissa live tracker Oklahoma weather amid Hurricane Melissa Oklahoma is not forecast to be affected by any widespread storms from Hurricane Melissa. Instead, Oklahoma's rainy and windy weather this week could contribute to its migration away from American soil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A representative at the NWS station in Norman said Tuesday's rain and subsequent windy weather on Wednesday are not signs of Melissa's effect; rather, "the wind system is going to push Melissa northeast and away from the US." According to all projections, Hurricane Melissa appears to end its path in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Newfoundland, Canada and Ireland. Melissa's journey started in the westward through the Mid-Atlantic, off the northern coasts of South America, before heading north and hitting Jamaica on Tuesday and heading northeast through the Caribbean. Has a hurricane or tropical storm reached Oklahoma before? It's rare for large, organized storms like a hurricane to reach this far inward, but it's not impossible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the 2007 hurricane season, Tropical Storm Erin formed in the Gulf of Mexico and powered its way into west Texas. It eventually turned northeast toward Oklahoma and strengthened again as it crossed the state. As Erin produced winds up to 60 miles an hour and its eyewall attempted to reform over Oklahoma, forecasters described the conditions as amounting to an "inland tropical storm." Erin caused six fatalities in Oklahoma, mostly due to drowning and auto accidents. Oklahoma weather forecast After Tuesday's windy weather with showers in the morning, Wednesday is still set to be windy behind a strong cold front. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cold front will continue into Thursday morning with a frost and the first freeze across northwest Oklahoma. High temperatures over Oklahoma City are not expected to be higher than 72 degrees. The coldest the metro area will see comes on Wednesday night with a low temperature of 38 degrees. Thursday morning will mark the first freeze with Woodward, Clinton and Altus temperatures dropping below 32 degrees, with much of Western Oklahoma having a high chance of frost. NWS suggests that residents dress for the cold and protect all sensitive vegetation. Contributing: Dale Denwalt, The Oklahoman This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma's wind could steer Hurricane Melissa away from US. Here's how. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Lawyers for a man shot at by a federal agent during a recent traffic stop are alleging a cover-up among officers and agents after details of the shooting were omitted from police reports and charging documents. Photos given to DC News Now from lawyers Elizabeth Paige White and Bernadette Armand show bullet holes left behind in Phillip Browns car window and passenger seat after his lawyers say a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent shot at him while he was unarmed during a traffic stop on Oct. 17. Man found shot in Columbia Heights apartment building dies in hospital Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown was charged with attempting to flee the traffic stop, but those charges were later dropped. Charging documents for Brown, a 33-year-old man, describe the traffic stop during a collaborative enforcement effort between the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and federal law enforcement agencies, saying the white Dodge SUV Brown was driving along Benning Road NE didnt have a front plate and had dark tint on the windows. The officer alleges in the document that when officers and agents tried to pull him over, Brown revved the engine, drove toward officers standing nearby and hit the car in front of him before he was taken into custody. The document does not mention a shooting. On Tuesday, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told DC News Now the suspect drove toward an officer and an agent in a deliberate attempt to run them down. The agent, in fear for his life and the lives of others, fired defensive shots into the suspects vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Browns lawyers said there is no evidence of a crash, but there is evidence of gunshots fired at Browns car. Browns defense said the omission of details about the shooting is evidence of a police cover-up. The Washington Post reports his defense said last week that an MPD officer testified under oath he was told to leave the shooting out of the report. On Tuesday, MPD declined to comment on the officers testimony and whether it is common to omit details, like a shooting or firearm discharge, from a police report. The allegations come two-and-a-half months after President Donald Trump ordered federal agents to patrol the citys streets under a crime emergency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How many times has the MPD hidden federal misconduct and federal violence in our streets since the surge began in August? lawyer Bernadette Armand said during a press conference Tuesday. Two 19-year-olds arrested, charged following shooting near Howard University MPD responded to requests for comment on Tuesday. The department confirms they are investigating the shooting and telling DC News Now this is not a cover-up, as MPD is the agency investigating the shooting, and has been investigating since the night it happened. MPD investigates all shootings involving law enforcement, including federal agents, in D.C. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, MPD told DC News Now the case will be independently reviewed by the D.C. United States Attorneys Office. MPD says its going to do an internal investigation. What does an internal investigation mean when the shooter is external? When the shooter is the feds? Armand said. MPD said the body-worn camera footage from this shooting hasnt been released to attorneys because theres no longer a criminal investigation associated with it, as charges against Brown were dropped. The footage may be released if it becomes evidence or discovery in another criminal or civil case, if it is requested through the appropriate channels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Vegetarian and vegan restaurant and registered charity Omnom will open its second location in Birmingham, UK in November 2025. The new venue, which is twice the size of Omnoms original Islington site in London, will include a 150-seat restaurant and an events area named OMspace. OMspace is billed as a place for wellness activities and will host classes such as yoga and meditation alongside workshops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Omnom Birmingham will also feature an open-plan dining area with the capacity for up to 200 guests, a dedicated bar and a conservatory. It will incorporate a traditional low-seating area crafted from hand-carved timber with cushions imported from India. The site will stage interactive cookery workshops focusing on plant-based Indian cuisine. Omnoms community initiative, OmLife, will continue to operate from the new location. OmLife runs events including Soulful Sundays and bhakti yoga retreats, and places an emphasis on service, compassion and mindfulness. The Birmingham opening continues Omnoms partnership with Indian vegetarian restaurant group Namaste Village. Dishes from Namaste Village are described as central to Omnoms menu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a registered charity, Omnom maintains a give-back pledge and each meal served results in a child in need being fed overseas. The Islington site has hosted cultural and creative events such as podcast recordings, book launches and comedy nights. Omnom plans to continue the programme at the Birmingham restaurant. Omnom founder Yuvi Rana stated: Omnom began in Islington as an idea, to create a restaurant that feeds more than the body. We wanted to bring the timeless wisdom of bhakti yoga, the yoga of love and devotion, into a modern, accessible setting... to show that spirituality isnt abstract, its something you can taste, feel and live every day. Our new Birmingham home at twice the size of our London flagship will allow us to expand that vision. "Omnom to launch restaurant in Birmingham in November 2025" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. MADISON COUNTY, Ala (WHNT) The Madison County Coroner has identified a man who was killed following a fatal crash that happened on Monday. Madison County Coroner Tyler Berryhill identified the man as Dezi Fletcher Jr., 27, of Madison. HEMSI Spokesperson Don Webster said the two-vehicle wreck occurred near the intersection of Jack Thomas Road and Patterson Lane in Madison County at 4:31 p.m. Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to ALEA, a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe that Fletcher was driving, was struck by a 2022 Ford F-250. Mother of teen killed in Hartselle crash sues City of Priceville, officer & driver ALEA told News 19 that Fletcher Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man involved in the crash was taken to Huntsville Hospital Trauma Services by an ambulance. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said state troopers are investigating the crash. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. HARTFORD - One person died in a fire at a multifamily house in Hartford Monday night, a fire official said. The fire broke out in a 2.5-story, multifamily home on Elliott Street, in the southern part of the city, shortly after 10:30 p.m., District Chief Mario Oquendo Jr. said. Arriving firefighters encountered heavy flames on the first floor, Oquendo said, and the fire already had spread to the second floor and roof. They called for a second team of firefighters and more equipment, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A man was taken to the hospital to be treated for possible smoke inhalation, Oquendo said; he was treated and released. Three families were displaced by the blaze, Oquendo said. They received help finding temporary housing from the Hartford Fire Department's Special Services Unit and the American Red Cross, he said. Staff from the Fire Marshal's Office are working with the Hartford Police Department and the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit to determine the cause of the fire. "The Hartford Fire Department extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the individual who lost their life in this tragic incident," he said. This article originally published at One person dead, 3 families displaced after Hartford fire on Elliott Street, official says. One person is dead following a two-alarm fire late Monday at a multi-family home in Hartford that displaced nine people. Firefighters responded to the 2 story home on Elliott Street at 10:35 p.m. and encountered heavy fire conditions on the first floor when they got to the scene, according to the Hartford Fire Department. The flames had already extended to the second floor and roof area, leading to a second alarm being called in for additional crews, fire officials said. Firefighters were able to knock down the blaze and bring it under control after deploying multiple hose lines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One person was pronounced dead at the scene, according to fire officials. The victims identity is being withheld pending notification to their family. The Hartford Fire Department extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the individual who lost their life in this tragic incident, the fire department said in a statement. A man who suffered possible smoke inhalation was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated and released, fire officials said. The fire left nine adults temporarily without a home, according to fire officials. They are receiving assistance from the Hartford Fire Department Special Services Unit and the American Red Cross. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Hartford Fire Marshals Office, the Hartford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here. LONDON On the morning after the U.S. election in November, an American living in London woke up, read that Donald Trump would be returning to the White House and sent an email to the U.S. Embassy. It said - in essence - I want a divorce. A year later, the country of his birth is about to grant his request not to be an American anymore. The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he fears retribution by the Trump administration, is in the final phase of expatriation, the process of formally renouncing U.S. citizenship. On a coming morning, he will walk into the embassy as an American, swear face-to-face that he understands that what he has requested is irrevocable and that he is doing it voluntarily. He will pay $2,350 in fees and walk out again as - a former American? A non-American? An un-American? It's complicated. "As soon as I open my mouth people know I'm American," said the man, who left the United States at age 25 and built a career in Britain's nonprofit sector, got a British passport and made a British life in the London suburbs. All the while, he felt his American identity wither and then, when a politician he loathes returned to power, die. "Once I renounce, that's it, I'm just British," said the man. He is not alone. Others interviewed for this article, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the fear of retribution by a president who insists he is making America greater, is indicative of the tipping-point changes that led them, after years of deliberation, to finally cut ties with their homeland. "This government is so vindictive," the man said. "It's such a changed country from the one I left behind." Each year, some 5,000 to 6,000 Americans living abroad call it quits with the United States. The reasons most often cited are tax-related and logistical, according to immigration lawyers who handle renunciation cases. But these days, politics is playing a more central role, they say. The United States is one of only two countries - along with Eritrea - that taxes income based on citizenship rather than residency, requiring Americans abroad to file annual returns with the IRS in addition to those required by the country where they live or work. Some banks, daunted by the onerous extra reporting requirements imposed by Washington, won't let American citizens open accounts or charge them extra fees. Some countries, including Japan and Qatar, don't allow dual citizenship, forcing U.S. expats to chose one passport or the other. Even former British prime minister Boris Johnson, born in New York to British parents, renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016 after complaining of an "absolutely outrageous" IRS bill from the sale of his London house. But increasingly, according to lawyers who handle such cases and the chatter in online forums - a Facebook group called "Renounce U.S. Citizenship - Why and How" has almost 3,000 members - renouncers cite unhappiness with U.S. politics and policy as part of their motivation. "Politics is definitely more part of the mix lately," said Maya Buckland, an attorney at the London firm Withers. "When we ask the question of Why now?' that has become one of the factors." Between 2024 and 2025, the percentage of U.S. citizens living abroad considering renouncing rose to 49 percent from 30 percent, according to an annual survey by Greenback, an international tax consultancy. Of those, 61 percent cited "taxes" among their reasons and 51 percent included "dissatisfaction with the U.S. government or political direction." Renouncers describe keeping a mental tally of arcane hassles that come with the overseas lifestyle that many have chosen for themselves: being blocked from banks, extra fees and reporting requirements, paying accountants to deal with tax agencies in two countries, additional taxes when selling a house or stocks. For many, it was all annoying but bearable given that renunciation is an irreversible step that means losing the right to live or work in the United States and possible difficulties, including obtaining visas, in visiting family. Then came the upheavals in the United States, the growing divisiveness, the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, legal challenges to voting rights, school shootings, cancel culture. For Republicans, it was "wokeness" ruining the country. For Democrats, it was Trump. "I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for the election," the London man said. "I just couldn't understand, and still can't, how a third of Americans can think a felon and sex offender is the right guy for the job." Colleen McCutcheon, 33, was born in Ohio to her American mother and Canadian father. She grew up mostly in Canada, crossing the border frequently to visit family. In 2018 she moved to London for school and stayed to work. McCutcheon had noticed a shift in U.S. attitudes over recent years that made it harder and harder to imagine living in her birth land again. She worried about the opioid crisis, the lack of affordable health care, the coarsening political rhetoric. While escorting her grandfather to a ceremony for veterans at the World War II memorial in 2017 in Washington, she was dismayed at how vitriolic the discourse had become. "It was a collection of things that happened along the way, bit by bit, that gave me the feeling that I no longer had any sense of being American," she said. The bother of renewing the passport no longer seemed worth it. After her grandfather died and she didn't have to worry about being blocked at passport control, she submitted to renounce her U.S. citizenship, sending the email on the very day she learned she could stay permanently in Britain. It was, as it happened, Election Day 2024 in the United States. She had just voted by absentee ballot in Hamilton County, Ohio, for what turned out to be the last time. She and others petitioning for an amicable breakup got a warning from the U.S. Embassy to be patient: "Due to unprecedented demand for loss of nationality services, we are unable to provide estimated wait times for appointments." The U.S. Embassy and State Department declined to comment. Many federal agencies prohibit media teams from operating during a government shutdown. Covid created a backlog in big embassies like London. Post-election renouncers have only added demand, and some lawyers send their clients to U.S. embassies in Malta, Prague and other European capitals where the wait for appointments is shorter. Abbie, 41, a Londoner who spoke on the condition that she be identified only by her first name, flew to Latvia in July to officially sever her relationship with the country where she was born in the Reagan era to a British couple working in the United States. She lived in New England for five years, and her mother became a naturalized American citizen. But Abbie, who is married to a European and raising purely British children, considers herself an "accidental American," someone whose citizenship is more circumstantial than cultural. It's a common category of citizenship renouncer. Still, it was hard to go through the strange unwinding of all those Pledges of Allegiance she had recited as a child. "I hereby absolutely and entirely renounce my United States nationality together with all rights and privileges and all duties and allegiance and fidelity thereunto pertaining," reads the oath of renunciation. "I identify as a European, but I've always been proud to be American-ish," Abbie said. "It's a strange existential thing to stand there and raise your hand and say, I am now laying that part of myself down to rest.'" The process is laborious and slow. Would-be renouncers must have another citizenship to fall back on. They must demonstrate that they are up-to-date on U.S. tax filings for the previous five years. Certain high-earners or those who haven't filed recent tax returns could be hit with an exit tax that calculates a capital gains liability as if you had liquidated all your assets on the day you renounced. Most renouncers don't face that, lawyers said. Abbie knew she was giving up the eagle-embossed passport that millions of immigrants sacrificed everything for, that countless refugees yearn for today. Now, she is just another alien who must stand in the noncitizens line in U.S. airports hoping her eVisa is in order. "I want them to know they can't expect the same smooth entry they've been used to," said Janice Flynn, an immigration lawyer in London. "It's always been a concern, but now when they hear how [other noncitizens travelers] are being treated the question is What if I have something on social media?'" Flynn had a client for whom the final straw was having his mail-in ballot challenged in Philadelphia as voting rights have become more partisan and acrimonious. "He's frustrated," Flynn said. "He thought, I had to pay taxes but at least I could vote in U.S. elections. If they are going to take that away - '" For him and others - including "fed up" members of her own family who are thinking of renouncing - Flynn emphasized just how permanent the renunciation process is. Politics and tax law - and presidents - come and go, but there are no second marriages to the United States. "Sometimes I want to tell people, don't give up," she said. "It can change again." (COMMENT, BELOW) NEED TO KNOW Chinese officials have spent years censoring content deemed unfavorable by the government, but regulators are now taking aim at online pessimists The Cyberspace Administration of China announced an operation to stop people from "one-sidedly promoting absolutist and pessimistic sentiments such as 'hard work is useless' and 'studying is useless' " The regulators accused people of "splicing and editing content or using matrix accounts to fabricate and spread rumors about the economy, finance, social welfare, and public policies" Officials in China have spent years censoring content deemed unfavorable by the government, but regulators are now targeting online pessimists. In late September, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced a two-month operation to stop people from "one-sidedly promoting absolutist and pessimistic sentiments such as 'hard work is useless' and 'studying is useless,' " the agency said in an English translation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials argued that people are "maliciously interpreting social phenomena, one-sidedly amplifying negative individual cases, and exploiting them to promote negative outlooks on life such as world-weariness." The online regulators even accused citizens of "splicing and editing content or using matrix accounts to fabricate and spread rumors about the economy, finance, social welfare, and public policies" and "fabricating false identities and personas such as 'masters' and 'experts' to 'sell' anxiety around employment, marriage, and education, promoting products and courses." The agency's move came after several people found their accounts had been banned from social media or their videos were removed after sharing content about "lying flat," a Chinese trend deprioritizing stress and work, according to CNN. Now, the censorship efforts will target "short videos, livestreams, social media platforms, and forums, specifically targeting content that deliberately creates gender, regional, and class divides," China's state-run CCTV said in an "online commentary" translated to English. "Once an illegal account is discovered, its traffic should be restricted, its content should be banned, and its account should be blocked, effectively acting as a 'filter' for cyberspace." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government's push to further limit online speech is taking place as China's national economy wobbles and unemployment rises. The root cause is deteriorating economic and social prospects for many Chinese, which has led to what for any country would be a natural social response the expression of anxiety and misgiving, David Bandurski, director of the China Media Project, told The New York Times. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Weibo, a blogging platform, has reportedly removed more than 16,000 pieces of content and imposed "phased bans" or account closures on more than 1,200 people in accordance with the new operation. Read the original article on People Over 3,000 businesses in the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts have completely ceased operations and now only about 30% of the population have any form of employment. Source: Ukraine's National Resistance Center (NRC) Quote: "According to Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, as a result of the fighting in Donbas, more than three thousand enterprises in the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have completely stopped their activities." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: As a result, only about 30% of residents have at least some form of work, most of it temporary, low-paid, or connected with Russian occupation organisations. Local sources told the NRC that some people are being forced to work on "military-restoration" sites in municipal services, on the construction of defence structures, or in repair units that are subordinate to the Russian military. Payment for this kind of work is often made late or takes the form of food packages. "The occupation administrations are closing massive numbers of local factories and mines, which were previously the basis of the region's economy. Production facilities are being exported to Russia or transferred to the control of Russian companies," the NRC said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some workers have been officially "downsized" so that they are not counted in the unemployment statistics. "Inside the occupation structures, it was recognised that the economy of the region has been practically destroyed: industry is not being restored, there are no new investments, and all resources are being directed exclusively to military needs," the NRC noted. "Thus, the unemployment rate in the occupied territories is three times higher than in 1992, and the standard of living remains catastrophic. Donbas, which Russia promised to 'raise from its knees', has turned into a zone of social decline, where survival has become the only 'job'," the NRC concluded. Background: The management of 1,600 residential buildings in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast, with a total area of almost 2.9 million sq m, has been transferred to the so-called Unified Management Company. During the scorching hot summer of 2025, water supply disruptions pushed Donetsk Oblast to the brink of a humanitarian disaster. Water levels in the Zuivske and Vilkhivske reservoirs dropped critically, threatening the operation of the Zuivska thermal power plant. In the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk Oblast, the water shortage intensified. The Russian occupying authorities in Kherson Oblast claimed they had completed the construction of a government quarter near the town of Henichesk, although the buildings were erected before the full-scale invasion. Over 3,000 companies based in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast have been registered in the Russian business register since 24 February 2022. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Another day, another rumble in the ongoing scandal of the monarchy and the sex slave. The latest instalment of the tawdry tale is all about how Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson will negotiate their way out of a 30m grace-and-favour house on the royal estate that they have lived in rent-free for 22 years. The pair will apparently give up Royal Lodge but in exchange, they want to move into Frogmore Cottage (the one done up to the nines by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) and Adelaide Cottage (where the Prince and Princess of Wales currently live). Prince Andrew fancies Megxit-beige, while Fergie just wants to be near him. Bless. Now, to most of us, living rent-free in the midst of a royal park is just a dream. Yet Prince Andrew clearly thinks he is doing us all a favour, and really slumming it, by agreeing to downsize into a six-bedroom house in Home Park. Which just shows how out of touch with reality he is. The truth is that even if Prince Andrew and Fergie go and live in an asylum hotel in Slough, or a tent under Waterloo Bridge, they still wont get away from the Epstein scandal. It goes way too deep for that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive spent some of the last week reading Virginia Giuffres posthumously published memoir Nobodys Girl. It is tragic: some of the most chilling passages are Giuffres accounts of her Epstein-facilitated trysts with a man she calls the minister; a powerful global politician who she claims beat her so viciously she thought she might die. When she told Epstein how violent the man had been, he said coldly: Youll get that sometimes. This is the man Fergie described as a supreme friend and whom Prince Andrew, long after he said he had broken off all contact, emailed expressing a wish to play some more soon. Think of a 17-year-old you know being served up to these powerful men like an after-dinner fruit basket, or a rare oyster. Female flesh as the ultimate buffet for the worlds most powerful and entitled men. This is why this royal scandal wont die. In Prince Andrews disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, his biggest sin was to not express any remorse for the women who had been played with in Epsteins sordid circle. He was full of self-pity for himself and getting caught up in it, and how it had ruined his life. But pity for Virginia Giuffre or the other girls? Not a whiff. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a media professional for the last 30 years myself, I could not believe that he was so badly briefed. Any spin doctor would have told him that, number one, he should say sorry, and express sympathy and remorse for the victims. Not doing so was an own goal of epic proportions. However, I am not surprised Andrew took no sensible media advice. As editor of the Sunday Times Magazine, I sent journalist John Arlidge to interview Prince Andrew in 2017. Setting up the story involved a visit to Buckingham Palace where I spent an hour with one of Andrews press officers. I have rarely met somebody who seemed so clearly over-promoted; a yes-man incarnate. It appeared to me that there was no way he could speak truth to power (a spin doctors first duty). Fast forward to the day of our photo shoot. We had agreed on a particular shot for the magazine cover. At the last minute Prince Andrew refused to do it out of petulance. Nobody around him particularly the press officer had the gumption to tell him that if we didnt get that shot he wasnt going to get the cover. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was furious because wed wasted many months following him around the Commonwealth doing his Pitch@Palace initiative (a kind of royal Dragons Den) yet we ended up without the shot we needed. So I didnt put him on the cover. It showed that he didnt listen to anyone and certainly not the people he employed to protect and further his media reputation. Im sure he still doesnt. So that is why I am making this modest proposal to his former Royal Highness. If you want redemption, if you want to make amends and stay in Royal Lodge and be able to hold your head up and represent the Royal family again, this is what you have to do: ring up the American lawyers who have the unopened Epstein files and say that you will give evidence and name all the other men who were part of Epsteins ring of shame. The US prosecutors say there are tens of thousands of hours of video from Epsteins mansions (he had cameras everywhere). Helping to bring those rapists to justice, telling the prosecutors the names of the other men you saw there, would show that you really get it, that you understand that it was wrong to treat women like human sashimi. That you truly want to right those wrongs. Furthermore, you could accompany your testimony with a statement in which you say how truly sorry you are to Virginia Giuffres bereaved children and that you are going to use your considerable privilege and global media position to fight for justice for the rights of all those other abused girls. That you abhor sex trafficking and the use of girls bodies as male play things. That you realise the error or your ways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, that would be a truly royal act noble, virtuous and changing the world for the better. If you come forward and do this, we might have a Prince Andrew that stood for something. The line I am suggesting is mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. By taking the stand against the all-powerful cabal of bankers, politicians and tech billionaires who flocked to Epsteins parties, you could strike a mega blow for all women. Your daughters would be proud of you again. That really would be a legacy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Some 300 employees at German carmaker Opel are set to lose their jobs as the firm's car testing facilities near Frankfurt, among the biggest of their kind in Europe, are due to shut down. French operator Segula Technologies, which has filed for insolvency, said it was unable to find a new investor to take over the test sites in Rodgau-Dudenhofen and Russelsheim, meaning 287 jobs will have to be cut by the end of October. A small team will continue to operate the facilities until the end of the year, while a transition company will be set up for some 82 workers, most of them long-term employees, at the Dudenhofen site, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Segula Technologies, a French engineering service provider, began managing large parts of Opel's development department as well as vehicle testing after the firm was taken over by French company PSA, the parent company of Peugeot, in 2017. Opel, which is headquartered in Russelsheim near Frankfurt, is the sole German brand in the portfolio of multinational auto giant Stellantis, which emerged from a merger between Fiat-Chrysler and PSA. The Frankfurt vehicle testing centre, which was opened in 1966, is considered one of the largest in Europe and has also been rented out to other manufacturers. A spokesman for Opel said the carmaker was in talks to find a new operator, while operations at the site would be temporarily suspended. OpenAI's $500 million Stargate project needs more workers and electricity. The AI company recommends that the US add 100 gigawatts in energy capacity every year. The spike in energy demand could have consequences for public health and electricity prices. OpenAI's project to build more data centers is hungry for more workers and electricity. In a letter sent by CEO Sam Altman to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy on Monday, OpenAI called its $500 billion Stargate project, which is a chain of AI data centers now under construction in Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin, a "once-in-a-century opportunity" to reindustrialize the US economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company also projects that a $1 trillion investment in AI infrastructure could result in more than 5% in additional GDP growth over three years. To make the ongoing data center buildout a success, it might take one-fifth of the nation's existing skilled trade workforce, as well as for the US to add 100 gigawatts of energy production capacity a year. "The country will need many more electricians, mechanics, metal and ironworkers, carpenters, plumbers, and other construction trade workers than we currently have," the letter said, adding that OpenAI plans to create new training pipelines through a "Certifications and Jobs Platform" starting in 2026. In the letter, OpenAI also warned of an "electron gap" between the US and China and wrote that limited domestic electricity generation threatens both America's AI competitiveness and national security. According to figures cited by OpenAI, while China added 429 gigawatts of new power capacity in 2024, the US only added 51 gigawatts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The energy bottleneck is becoming an issue for AI companies seeking to build data centers, and so is the pushback. This summer, new AI centers popping up across the country have drawn the ire of local residents for driving up household electricity bills in at least 13 states. As major utilities companies plan multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects to build more energy-generating capacity, there is little regulation to prevent companies from recovering those costs from a utility's entire customer base. A Business Insider investigation earlier this year also found that annual public health costs from electricity generation for data centers could reach between $5.7 billion and $9.2 billion. This is mainly because the US relies on highly polluting fossil-fuel-fired sources for at least 60% of its electricity, which has health implications for residents in the region. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comments. Read the original article on Business Insider At least three homeless encampments were cleared during an Operation SAFE effort in Oklahoma City this week as the governor expanded the effort to the state's capital. Operation SAFE, which first launched in Tulsa in early September, sets out to remove homeless individuals from Oklahoma's state-run properties, including underpasses, highways, state buildings and more. In the Tulsa edition of the initiative, Gov. Kevin Stitt utilized the Oklahoma Highway Patrol along with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Now, for the Oklahoma City variant, Stitt worked with local organizations to accomplish the work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's what we know about Oklahoma City's Operation SAFE. What is Operation SAFE? Operation SAFE, which first launched in Tulsa in September, is a state-operated initiative aimed at addressing homelessness within the state's two largest cities. While it has worked to address homelessness within Tulsa and Oklahoma City, the program's overall purpose has shifted between the two cities. The Tulsa version of the operation was focused on restoring "order and safety to Tulsa" by clearing encampments, trash and criminal activity from state-owned property. While Oklahoma City's plan was set to "restore safety and cleanliness" by removing homeless encampments, trash and debris from state-owned property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Hundreds of Tulsans displaced during Operation SAFE with more barriers to getting help. Operation SAFE: OKC, Tulsa efforts differ The efforts between the two cities differ substantially. In Tulsa, Stitt utilized the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation for cleaning efforts; however, in Oklahoma City, the governor opted to work in a private-public partnership. We are partnering with Key to Home, an Oklahoma City-based public/private partnership, to connect those individuals we move from state property to services and housing. The state is doing its job, and just like in Tulsa, its the role of the city and non-profits to ensure Oklahoma City stays clean and safe for all residents," Stitt said in a release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: What does homelessness look like in Oklahoma City? See latest numbers. Key to Home is a program that helps connect people to shelter, treatment and housing. Currently, Key to Homes Encampment Rehousing Initiative has helped nearly 450 people transition from unsheltered homelessness into housing with supportive services. The program's goal is to rehouse at least 500 people by the end of 2025. Homeless Strategy Implementation Manager Jamie Caves said the state approached them about addressing encampments on state property and their program was already in place to offer a solution. Weve worked hard to coordinate efforts more effectively and create a streamlined pathway to restoration for our neighbors who are sleeping outside, Caves said. How long is it going to go? Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirmed to The Oklahoman it was a one-day-only operation where they cleared three encampments in the city on Monday, Oct. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Ward 6 Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon says it's immoral to add more people to OKC's homelessness. According to Stitt's office, on Monday, state troopers cleaned out at least three homeless encampments to keep unhoused people from camping on state property in Oklahoma City. Troopers cleaned out the bridges under Interstate 235 on 23rd Street and Reno Avenue, as well as Interstate 40 from Meridian Avenue to MacArthur Boulevard, said Abegail Cave, the communications director in Stitt's office. In total, the state reports 12 individuals were helped. Tulsa vs. OKC reaction differs widely When Tulsa originally set out to experience Operation SAFE, Mayor Monroe Nichols disputed the governor's original statement that, because of the homeless population in Tulsa, "homeless people on every corner, trash piling up, and Oklahoma families are being forced to live in fear." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have a long way to go, but we are making progress and will continue to do so," Nichols said in a statement. "I will not be distracted or deterred from doing what we know is necessary to end this crisis in Tulsa." Nichols said his office has a program, the Safe Move Initiative, which has a goal to end homelessness in the city by 2030. In Oklahoma City, Mayor David Holt appreciated the collaboration with Key to Home, citing the organization's effective work to lower homelessness in Oklahoma City. "As a property owner in our city, the state government reached out to local authorities in the last few weeks and requested collaboration in addressing homelessness on their state-owned property in Oklahoma City, Holt said via text to The Oklahoman on Monday. State-owned property is obviously a very limited subset of Oklahoma Citys land mass, so the work of Key to Home will continue long past today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holt responded positively to the partnership the state is using, noting it as a "good move, if for no other reason than it took advantage of an existing, proven program." "This approach of utilizing Key to Home on state property not only accomplishes the property owners goal of clearing their property, it also helps to reduce homelessness for the entire community, which should be the real goal," Holt said. Contributing: Jordan Gerard and Alex Gladden, The Oklahoman This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Operation SAFE shifts into OKC. Everything we know so far. State troopers cleared 11 homeless encampments in Oklahoma City in a surprise round of sweeps Monday, Oct. 27, and say more could be on the way. The operation marked the expansion of Gov. Kevin Stitts campaign to remove unhoused people and their belongings from state-owned land. For the first time, troopers targeted the capital city. The governors Operation SAFE campaign started in Tulsa and wasnt aimed for Oklahoma City until business leaders asked Stitt to take action, said Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for the governor. She said the Oct. 27 operation came together after about two weeks of planning and involved coordinating with city officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People asked, and people were willing to step up and help, Cave said. We were inclined to do that. Cave said troopers cleared out the bridges under Interstate 235 on NE 23rd Street and Reno Avenue on Monday in Oklahoma City. They also cleared out Interstate 40 from Meridian Avenue to MacArthur Boulevard. More: Gov. Stitt authorizes Operation SAFE to clear homeless encampments in Oklahoma City Holly Foxtch warms up by the fire Jan. 13, 2024, near the Homeless Alliance day shelter in Oklahoma City. Homelessness has become an issue in Oklahoma City for which officials have tried to find solutions. Gov. Kevin Stitts campaign to remove unhoused people and their belongings from state-owned land has now moved to Oklahoma City. For the first time, troopers targeted the capital city. Troopers helped 12 people who had been living at the encampments get services through the citys Key to Home partnership that helps connect people with shelter and care, said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Mark Southall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Southall said he did not know how many people in total were forced to find somewhere else to live. At a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 28, Stitt described the effort as a success, though he acknowledged he was not solving homelessness. But I am going to enforce the law, and Im going to make sure Oklahomas clean, and were going to get people the help that they need, Stitt, a Republican, said. Were not going to let people its not compassionate to leave people underneath an overpass sleeping. More: Operation SAFE expands into OKC. How does it differ from Tulsa? How many housed? What we know Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The effort drew criticism from Democratic state lawmakers who represent parts of Oklahoma City, including House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, who is running for governor in 2026. She said there was no evidence that past sweeps in Tulsa improved outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. Initiating this now in Oklahoma City is extremely irresponsible, does not solve the problem of homelessness, and only ends up costing taxpayers," she said. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt told The Oklahoman in a text message Monday that state officials had reached out to the city ahead of the sweeps and requested collaboration. State-owned property is obviously a very limited subset of Oklahoma Citys land mass, so the work of Key to Home will continue long past today, said Holt, a Republican. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jamie Caves, the homeless strategy implementation manager for Key to Home, said the program was already in place to help people when state officials reached out about the planned sweeps. Weve worked hard to coordinate efforts more effectively and create a streamlined pathway to restoration for our neighbors who are sleeping outside, Caves said. Southall said troopers may conduct future sweeps in Oklahoma City but are waiting for workers with Key to Home to reach out to the people living in those spaces. He said he wasn't sure when that would happen and wasnt able to provide a list of exact locations of encampments that would be cleared in the future. More: Hundreds of Tulsans were displaced during Operation SAFE, adding barriers to getting help Operation SAFE takes different path in OKC from Tulsa Tents belonging to people living unsheltered in Oklahoma City are pictured Jan. 9, 2024. According to an annual survey conducted that same month, 433 people were living on the streets at that time. The count stayed roughly the same in 2025. Gov. Kevin Stitt, in a news conference on Oct. 28 about his "Operation SAFE" sweeps coming to the capital city, said Were not going to let people its not compassionate to leave people underneath an overpass sleeping. Stitt launched his push to clear homeless encampments in September, branding it as Operation SAFE. It came after President Donald Trump issued similar directives targeting Washington, DC, and warned mayors of other Democratic-led cities that they could be next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The implementation of Operation SAFE in Oklahomas two largest cities has had noticeable differences. Tulsas Democratic mayor, Monroe Nichols, has said the governors office kept the city in the dark about the sweeps and criticized the removals as failing to address the root causes of homelessness. The camp-clearing effort lasted 12 days and ended Sept. 17. Stitt said the state was aiming to restore order and safety in Tulsa by clearing homeless encampments, trash, and criminal activity from state-owned property inside the city. The governor's announcement about the sweeps in Oklahoma City made no mention of restoring order or clearing criminal activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holt said he was grateful state officials coordinated their efforts with the city. The state collaborating with us was a good move, if for no other reason than it took advantage of an existing, proven program, said Holt, referring to Key to Home. "This approach of utilizing Key to Home on state property not only accomplishes the property owners goal of clearing their property, it also helps to reduce homelessness for the entire community, which should be the real goal," Holt said. The nonprofit has been working with the capital city since 2023, when several groups formed a partnership to reduce unsheltered homelessness. The program is on track to meet its goal of housing 500 people by the end of 2025. Currently, the group has housed 446 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Key to Home uses an encampment rehousing initiative model to build relationships with people until theyre able to move into housing with supportive services, Caves said. With Operation SAFE, that model was more expedited, and homeless outreach teams didnt have as much time to build connections with people, Caves said. But she said building outreach efforts into Operation SAFE from the beginning in Oklahoma City was important. Our goal with adding the housing and supportive services is we get a longer-term benefit, because people have housing, and so they're not just moving right back to that same location that they were previously at, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Tuesday's news conference, Stitt reiterated his past statements that unhoused people forced to vacate state-owned land were given the options of jail or treatment. Southall said that while troopers offered treatment options, arrest was only considered when people refused to leave state property. No one was arrested during Mondays sweep in Oklahoma City, he said. All that they are required to do is walk away from state property and not camp there," Southall said. He said troopers also made another round of sweeps in Tulsa in October, returning to about half of the 64 encampments they previously cleared. They found that people had returned to live on some of the properties and again made people leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates for people who are homeless said the sweeps in Tulsa ultimately just moved people from one place to another, without helping them in any lasting way. Some people lost important documents and medications, advocates have said. Southall said troopers gave people time in Oklahoma City to clear their belongings. We didnt just shoo people away immediately," Southall said. Contributing: Staff writers Jessie Christopher Smith, Josh Kelly and Steve Lackmeyer This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What's next for Operation Safe targeting homeless camps in OKC? Chicago has been under siege by masked and heavily armed federal law enforcement officers for weeks. Those of us who live here have seen those masked agents use tear gas against people protesting their awful mission. We have been witnessing the abductions and detainments of our neighbors, and those of us who are associated with the Chicago Public Schools have seen our students who are minors be detained, sometimes violently. As a school board member in Chicago, I say unequivocally that there is no justification for the terror that these federal agents are inflicting on our communities as a whole but on our children in particular. Federal agents have carried out some of these deeply traumatizing events right outside our schools, while students are walking into school, learning inside or simply enjoying recess. So many of our parents, students and communities are living in fear. Our children are worried, and theyve been asking their teachers and parents what papers will keep them safe from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Some of our students have returned home from school only to find their parents gone: detained and facing deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, a 17-year-old CPS student was detained (but ultimately released) after he stopped on his way to school to participate in an anti-ICE protest. For all of the reasons above, some CPS parents have asked the school system for an option to let their children learn remotely while federal immigration agents are deployed to Chicago, and Im one of at least seven people on the 21-person board who believes our school system should offer such an option. Our students have a right to education regardless of their immigration status. Our families have a right to live in peace and with dignity. Interim Superintendent/CEO Macquline King has explained that the school system doesnt have the authority to allow some students to switch to remote learning. That decision has to come from the governor, but so far, Gov. JB Pritzker has resisted calls for him to give CPS families that option. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As quoted recently by NBC Chicago, the governor said Covid-19 showed that remote learning really has a deleterious effect on kids ability to get the kind of education they need, and so we want to do everything we can to keep kids in school, where they are safer, frankly, than when they are wandering around in the community. While I firmly and adamantly believe our children are safest in our school buildings, I also recognize the deep anxiety and fear devastating our communities. We must provide real solutions to families who do not feel safe leaving their homes, who fear detainment at every step. Chicago is lucky to have elected officials, parents, teachers, principals and community organizations who have spent months organizing safety patrols, know your rights canvassing campaigns and ICE watch training for hundreds of community members who want to protect their neighbors. The result is that while some CPS families have struggled under our current conditions, others have been rising to meet the moment. Rapid responders across the city are responding with heroism and courage to document and connect detainees with their family members and available resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But those rapid responders are being harassed and threatened by ICE agents who refuse to activate their cameras or adhere to legal protocols, demonstrating a clear lack of accountability or respect for the law. This is no way for anyone to live, much less for children to learn, grow and thrive. We must find an end to the profound and immeasurable trauma that this federal administration is inflicting on our families. We cannot expect our immigrant community to live a normal life under such authoritarian conditions. We have community members living in constant fear: unable to get groceries, go to work or even take their children to school. Virtual learning options are just one way to help decrease the toxic anxiety our students and families are experiencing daily, but we must also be able to provide additional mutual aid and mental health support if we want hope for our students to be able to survive this climate of terror without lasting social and emotional harm. Fear should never be a part of anybodys childhood. Thats why its such an outrage to see the way federal agents have been making our children afraid, and to know that some people are gleefully cheering those agents on. Its our responsibility as public officials and as adults to do everything in our power to ensure that this great threat to our students well-being is removed and that all CPS families live in an environment where they not only feel safe but thrive. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Across America, the same story repeats itself. Great cities like Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, New York, and Boston are crumbling under the weight of failed policies and hollow compassion. Families struggle, crime spreads, and the very leaders who caused the decline now pretend to protest it. Take Chicago. The same Lucy Martinez, an elementary school teacher who mocked the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, has now become the face of the so-called "No Kings" movement. This is who they rally behind: people who glorify hate and mock death, all while teaching children. Imagine what she's been teaching in the classroom. Come on, that's not progress, that's moral rot. Most of the marchers chanting "No Kings" couldn't even explain what made Trump a "king" in the first place. They just repeat slogans fed to them by activists who thrive on outrage. They're not fighting tyranny; they're parroting talking points. Reports now show Republican leaders are investigating who's been funding these "No Kings" rallies, suggesting they may not have been organic at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We watch these crowds waving signs as if that slogan carries deep meaning. Really? What they're rejecting isn't monarchy; it's strength, discipline, and accountability. They're loud because President Trump's success makes their excuses harder to sell. Look at the timing. It's hard to believe it's coincidence. Just as Trump celebrates a major diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East - real progress toward peace - the Democratic Party organizes another rally of outrage. When he brings stability, they bring chaos. When he restores order, they stir confusion. When Americans see the results - fewer conflicts abroad, stronger borders, renewed respect - the old political game falls apart. And they know it. Here's a man who came within a fraction of an inch of losing his life for standing up to the establishment, and he's still fighting. You don't walk away from that kind of moment unless you're called to something bigger than yourself. That's not politics anymore, that's purpose. America needs steadiness again. Trump may not fit every mold, but he delivers. World leaders who once mocked us now line up to shake his hand. Respect is earned, not demanded, and he's earned it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Too many in power depend on division to stay relevant. They thrive when people are struggling, when neighborhoods remain broken, when communities lose faith. They don't fix the chaos, they feed off it. Without crisis, their politics collapse. But everyday Americans see through it. We care about jobs, safety, and peace, not hashtags and empty anger. We don't want to tear down what's working; we want to strengthen it. Protesting success doesn't make you enlightened, it makes you disconnected from reality. Trump isn't wearing a crown; he's carrying a flag. When America stands tall, it's not about one man, it's about every citizen walking taller, proud again, believing our nation can still lead with purpose. I've always believed in small wins, in effort, in community, and in daily discipline. Seeing America respected again is one of those wins. The loudest critics rarely build anything. The quiet, focused ones do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So let them march and shout. History won't remember their slogans; it will remember the peace, the jobs, and the pride that returned under strong leadership. We all rise when America succeeds. Arturo Rodriguez (artrodiguez703@gmail.com) of Newington is a former longtime Waterbury resident, retired Air Force veteran and retired social worker. He holds a master's degree in human resources and writes on faith, culture, and community issues. This article originally published at Opinion: As Trump delivers results, Democrats sow 'No Kings' chaos. Zohran Mamdani moved me to tears. The New York City mayoral candidate released a six-minute video on Friday about his identity as a Muslim and the galling Islamophobia he has endured during his campaign, which quickly went viral. To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity. But indignity does not make us distinct there are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity that does, Mamdani said. In an era of ever-diminishing bipartisanship, Islamophobia has emerged as one of the few areas of agreement, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At last, Mamdani, one of the highest-profile Muslims in this country, said the quiet part out loud or at least spoke the truth in a way that resonated across audiences. He detailed just a few of the hideous examples of Islamophobia his opponents have engaged in recently, such as when former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo laughed and agreed when a radio show host said that I would cheer another 9/11, and when New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Mamdani and his followers wanted to burn churches. Then the 34-year-old mayoral candidate announced he was done shaping himself in response to this vitriol. He was done implicitly apologizing for being Muslim by relegating his faith to the shadows, softening his identity as a Muslim in order to make himself appear more palatable to an audience for whom the nucleus of normal is whiteness. No more bending in an effort to be seen as more than just my faith. As Muslims, we are so often reduced to our faith it is the beginning and end of how we are seen, treated and categorized in a way that simply does not happen with other religions. I will be a Muslim man in New York City, Mamdani concluded. I will not change who I am, I will not change how I eat, I will not change the faith that I am proud to belong to. But there is one thing I will change: I will no longer look for myself in the shadows I will find myself in the light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its hard to overstate how powerfully his words resonated. The contortions and daily indignities so many of us Muslims endure are exhausting at best and humiliating at worst. Ive watched my brother shave his beard whenever he flew into or out of America because of the incessant profiling and the Islamophobic questioning that ensued. Ive watched my father be randomly interrogated as a traveler with a frequency that seemed anything but random. I myself have been interrogated on multiple occasions while traveling. Once, when I asked why, I was simply told that I had been put on a list. When I inquired further, I was told I was not allowed to know which list or why. I wake up every day fearing the implications of my faith in this country, unsure what my being Muslim will mean in a month, in a year, in three years. And that is absolutely the point. It is a climate designed to terrorize. I spent last year completing my masters at Harvard a campus that has become a flashpoint for pro-Zionist and pro-Palestine advocacy. There, I heard and witnessed some students enact covert and overt forms of anti-Muslim bias with impunity. Had Muslim students said similarly egregious things or done similarly outrageous things toward Jewish students or pro-Zionist students critically, two separate identities the response would be and has been different. Muslim and pro-Palestine students across the country have been expelled, doxxed and barred or excluded from certain forms of employment. While I certainly do not intend to reproduce a cynical worldview that pits Jews and Muslims against each other many of the most vocal and ardent supporters of Palestine are Jewish students the reality is that there are few arenas where this double standard is more stark than advocacy around Israel and Palestine. While anti-Blackness is still rampant in this country, for example, there is at least a consensus among Democrats and other liberal factions that such bias is wrong in a way that simply does not apply to anti-Muslim bias. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consider another way in which Mamdanis video was notably deft: He was unequivocal in owning his identity as a Muslim man while also presenting himself in the fullness of his humanity. He honored the centrality of his faith while not allowing himself to be reduced to it. In doing so, he managed to convey the nuance that so many of us long for and that this anti-Muslim climate attempts to deny us. Whats more, Mamdani implicitly wove into his messaging themes that are integral to Islam. The Quran portrays Allah as being deeply invested in quashing oppression and as being deeply invested in justice. We find this in some of Allahs 99 names: Al-Muqsit (The Just One), Al-Muntaqim (The Avenger) and Al-Adl (The Embodiment of Justice). And, as The Prophet famously said, Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no veil between it and Allah. Mamdanis message honors what the Quran teaches us all, what my faith teaches me that, to echo James Cone, the father of Black liberation theology, we know where god is and what god is doing in the revolution. And, much like Mamdani, while my faith is central to who I am, it is not all of what I am. I pray that his message, which has seemingly captivated so many hearts, galvanizes us to collectively condemn the cultural and material violences our society has both normalized and embraced. To quote Mamdani, No more. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) remains stuck in negotiations with Hyderabad-based GVPR Engineers for Mumbais first desalination project, despite finalising the firm as the lowest bidder earlier this year. Talks have stalled after the company quoted Rs 832 crore more than the civic bodys estimated project cost of Rs 3,200 crore. To address Mumbais growing water demand, the BMC has planned to set up two desalination plants one at Manori and another at Versova. Initially proposed under the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in 2021, the project gained traction in 2023. Each plant will have a capacity of 200 million litres per day (MLD), expandable to 400 MLD, aimed at bridging the gap between Mumbais current supply of around 3,950 MLD and its demand of 4,463 MLD, projected to reach 6,900 MLD by 2041. Tender troubles After three failed tender attempts that drew poor response, the BMC floated a fresh tender for the Manori plant in May 2024, finally attracting 21 interested firms. Following the evaluation, GVPR Engineers emerged as the lowest bidder. However, officials said the companys quoted cost of Rs 4,032 crore 26 per cent higher than BMCs estimate has prolonged negotiations. We understand this is a specialised project, but 26 per cent is too steep, said a senior official. Negotiations have taken time due to the projects scale. Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar confirmed talks are ongoing. We are negotiating with the company as the quoted cost is higher than expected, he said. In its first phase, the Manori plant is expected to produce 200 MLD of potable water daily, with potential expansion to 400 MLD. The supply will primarily serve Malad, Kandivali, and Borivali. A separate tender has been issued for the Versova desalination project, which will also produce 200 MLD of treated water. In this model, the company will supply treated water at the lowest possible rate, an official explained. Currently, Mumbai depends solely on rainfall-fed lakes. With erratic monsoons, desalination offers a reliable alternative. Why desalination matters Desalination removes salt and minerals from seawater, turning it into potable water through two main methods reverse osmosis, where water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane, and thermal distillation, which involves heating and recondensing water vapour. The technology is seen as a key long-term solution for water-scarce coastal cities facing climate-related disruptions. Mumbais desalination idea first surfaced in 2007, but only took shape in 2020 with the Thackeray governments approval. After securing clearances from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), the design phase was completed, and the first tender was floated in December 2023. YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) Opposition leaders in Cameroon Tuesday contested the official results of the Oct. 12 presidential election after the countrys top court declared the worlds oldest leader Paul Biya winner as protests continued across the country. Citizens began protesting in mid-October after opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed victory as the official results were still being tallied. Since then, security forces have clashed with angry protesters in many cities including Douala and Garoua opposition strongholds and in the capital, Yaounde. At least four people have been shot and hundreds arrested as opposition supporters demanded credible results. The Constitutional Council on Monday said Biya won the election with 53.66% against his former ally-turned challenger, Tchiroma, who received 35.19%. The results are final and cannot be appealed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International bodies and human rights organizations on Tuesday condemned the violent response to the protests. The European Union said in a statement Tuesday that it was deeply concerned by the violent repression of the demonstrations that took place on Oct. 26 and 27 and deploring the death by firearm of a number of civilians. The U.N. Secretary-General echoed these concerns, calling on political stakeholders and their supporters to "exercise restraint, reject violence and refrain from any inflammatory rhetoric and hate speech. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and other rights groups have also noted excessive use of force against protesters and have called for an investigation into the deaths. The minister of territorial administration, Paul Atanga Nji, told reporters Tuesday that protesters wreaked havoc in several towns across the country prior to the official proclamation of the presidential election results. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During these attacks, some of the criminals lost their lives. Several members of the security forces were also seriously injured during clashes with demonstrators, Atanga Nji said without giving further details. Shortly after being declared winner, 92-year-old Biya sent his thoughts to all those who have unnecessarily lost their lives and their families in the postelection violence. But the opposition candidates rejected the results pronounced by the Constitutional Council. Tchiroma claimed victory two days after the election and last week called on his supporters to come out in massive numbers." On Tuesday, he called out the Constitutional Council for announcing truncated results and awarding a fictitious victory to Biya. The lone female candidate in the election who emerged fifth, Tomaino Ndam Njoya, said on Monday that the outcome of the election didnt reflect the sovereign will of the people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They reflect a weakened electoral system, undermined by irregularities, manipulation and repeated violations of the law, she said. A group of eight local civil society groups previously noted several irregularities in the electoral process, including the presence of deceased voters on electoral lists, unequal distribution of ballot papers and attempts at ballot box-stuffing. But the African Union mission said the vote was conducted largely in accordance with regional, continental and international standards. Biya is expected to be sworn in within 15 days of the official announcement of the results in consonance with Cameroons Constitution. He first came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroons first president and has ruled since then, later benefiting from a constitutional amendment that abolished term limits. Cameroon is an oil-producing country with modest economic growth, but young people say the benefits have not trickled down beyond the elites. According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate stands at 3.5%, but 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment. ___ Follow APs Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (WKRG) A local restaurant is lending a helping hand by collecting supplies for families impacted by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. Mobile couple stranded as Hurricane Melissa makes its way towards Jamaica Many workers at OSO at Bear Point Harbor have been following the storm closely because they have family in Jamaica. When they heard about a category 5 hurricane hitting Jamaica, they knew they had to do something. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were here as humans to give back to one another and help each other when we can, OSO Operations Manager Brandi Limerick said. This is a time when they need help and its our time to step up and help. Staff here at OSO tell WKRG News 5 that this storm is hitting far too close to home for many on their team. A lot of people down here dont realize that we do have a large Jamaican population that live here, Limerick said. They work six days to seven days a week tirelessly just to provide back home for their families. The restaurant is partnering with a nonprofit called Project Dynamo who will be making several trips to Jamaica as soon as its safe to land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know a lot of people feel helpless right now with whats going on, but we just wanted to rally together and get as many donations as we could, Limerick said. Residents in Orange Beach said theyre stepping up to donate because they know first hand how devastating a hurricane can be. It could very easily be us. Weve been in this situation before, Brent Alexander said when he came in to donate supplies. They dont have the infrastructure that we have and they cant take a hit like theyre going to get. Everything we can do to help out, we need to step up and do that. OSO will be accepting donations at the white tent stage at the restaurant for the first trip to Jamaica until 8 p.m. Tuesday; however, theyll continue accepting donations after that for future relief trips to help families in Jamaica. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre accepting any donations that will help make life after the storm easier for these families such as water, paper towels, toilet paper, baby items, hygiene products, canned goods, nonperishable items and more. Daphne park closes for nearly 2 years OSO at Bear Point Harbor is located at 5749 Bay La Launch Ave, Orange Beach, AL 36561 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes US President Donald Trump will exempt his country from sanctions on oil and gas imports from Russia, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported, drawing criticism from the right-wing leader's team. "I will soon be in Washington to discuss this with President Trump," Orban told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica in comments published on Monday. He said he wants to discuss how a "sustainable system" can be established for Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement La Repubblica reported that Orban said Trump's sanctions against major Russian oil companies, announced last week, were a mistake. However, Orban's political adviser, Balazs Orban, denied this and accused the newspaper of misquoting the prime minister. According to the Italian newspaper, the reporter asked whether Trump has gone too far and made a mistake with his latest sanctions. It said Orban replied: "From a Hungarian point of view, yes. So we will try to find a way out, especially for Hungary." In a post on Facebook on Tuesday, Balazs Orban wrote: "The case is a textbook example of how the fake news media are trying to divide those who advocate dialogue and peace instead of the logic of war." He said Hungary's prime minister had merely emphasized that his country is heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas and that without these products prices would "explode" and serious supply bottlenecks were to be feared. Orban maintains good relations with Trump, as well as with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claims that the summit in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will still take place. Source: an interview with Orban, quoted by Hungarian news website Index, as reported by European Pravda Details: Orban noted the summit in Budapest will take place, but its date has been postponed for now: "What is delayed will still happen". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Negotiations are ongoing, and it is a fact that a peace summit will take place in Budapest," Orban added. Meanwhile, he was unable to say when this meeting would take place. "Let's look at the scenario of the last such major peace summit. It took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where peace in the Middle East was finally concluded, where the parties, including the Americans, negotiated for a long time and then announced on Saturday that the agreement would be signed on the following Monday. That's how we should imagine it," Orban said. Background: US President Donald Trump has so far changed his mind about meeting Putin in Budapest and admitted he was disappointed with the pace of talks with Russia. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the "pro-war elite" of trying to derail the planned Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest. Putin himself, commenting on Trump's statement about cancelling the bilateral meeting in Budapest, spoke about its possible "postponement". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is seeking to form a Ukraine-sceptic alliance with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, his political adviser Balazs Orban told Politico. The right-wing Hungarian leader aims to coordinate positions with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech prime minister-designate Andrej Babis ahead of future EU summits, the adviser said. While no formal alliance between the three countries is currently in sight, such coordination could significantly hinder the European Union's efforts to provide financial and military support to Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think it will come and be more and more visible," Balazs Orban said in the Politico interview published on Tuesday. He noted that cooperation among eastern EU states had already worked "very well" during the 2015 migration crisis. He is not related to the Hungarian premier. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are part of the Visegrad Group, which also includes Poland. However, relations between Budapest and Warsaw have cooled in recent years over their differing stances on Russia's war in Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is seeking to form a Ukraine-sceptic alliance with Slovakia and the Czech Republic, his political adviser Balazs Orban told Politico. The right-wing Hungarian leader aims to coordinate positions with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Czech prime minister-designate Andrej Babis ahead of future EU summits, the adviser said. While no formal alliance between the three countries is currently in sight, such coordination could significantly hinder the European Union's efforts to provide financial and military support to Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think it will come and be more and more visible," Balazs Orban said in the Politico interview published on Tuesday. He noted that cooperation among eastern EU states had already worked "very well" during the 2015 migration crisis. He is not related to the Hungarian premier. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are part of the Visegrad Group, which also includes Poland. However, relations between Budapest and Warsaw have cooled in recent years over their differing stances on Russia's war in Ukraine. Criticism of EU's Ukraine policy in Bratislava and Prague Slovakia's Fico has repeatedly criticized Ukraine, calling it a "totally corrupt country," though he has mostly refrained from backing Hungary's attempts to block EU aid to Kiev. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Babis, a billionaire businessman who recently won parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic and is expected to soon return to the premiership, has opposed using Czech state funds to finance weapons deliveries to Ukraine and said he would halt a Czech-led initiative to gather munitions for Kiev from countries around the world. Political observers expect, however, that Babis may soften his campaign rhetoric once in office. He previously led the country from 2017 to 2021, leaving before Russia's all-out war on Ukraine. Babis' ANO party and Orban's Fidesz already cooperate closely in the European Parliament within the Patriots for Europe group. Fico's Smer party, by contrast, continues to identify as left-wing. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has expressed concern that the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine could become a "harbinger" of a Russo-European war. Source: Orban on Facebook; European Pravda Details: Orban said he has "seen with his own eyes that all European leaders today are thinking about war". Quote: "Europe is running out of strength and money. The main question is who will finance what's left of Ukraine after the war. Who has the money? Which EU country's citizens are prepared to send billions of euros to a Ukraine that cannot support itself?" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: According to Orban, Brussels has come up with a "new miracle weapon" for this purpose: confiscating and using Russia's currency reserves held in Europe. "This is a Russo-European conflict that could become a harbinger of war. Only direct talks between Russia and Europe can prevent the conflict from escalating. We insisted on this during recent meetings," Orban added. Background: On 23 October the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine that omitted any direct mention of the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Belgium reportedly played a leading role in pushing for the change in wording. Nevertheless, the EU has insisted that the issue remains on the agenda, with a final decision expected in December 2025. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Nine months ago, leading manufacturer of plastic items and packaging ORBIS Corp. began production of reusable pallets, totes and bulk containers at its plant in Greenville. Already employing more than 3,300 people across 50 states and with manufacturing locations in North America and Europe, ORBIS currently has 147 employees at its 420,000-square-foot facility in Greenville, which is located at the former Fritz Industries building at 7121 Shelby Avenue. On Monday, ORBIS Greenville plant had their official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With about half of the building still waiting to be filled with equipment, the facility still has plenty of room to grow. Lots of industries are moving to Texas and we want to stay ahead of that and be equipped to be part of them, plant manager Zach Johnson told the Herald-Banner. As we grow, well also need more talent to fill a wider variety of positions, so were reaching out to Greenville High School and Paris Junior College because were going to need more engineers, welders, mechanics and other employees, Johnson added. According to ORBIS website, the company is currently seeking applicants for 15 positions: maintenance technician, mold change technician, material handler, manufacturing engineer, process technician (injection molding), quality auditor, senior maintenance technician, process technician (structural foam), grinder operators (both day and night shift), tooling engineer, production supervisor, industrial janitors (both day and night shift), production team lead, tooling technicians (all shifts) and tool maker. Those interested in applying for employment at ORBIC can do so online at https://tinyurl.com/2jxj63cb. FeedMore workers receive pallets of U.S. Department of Agriculture ham. FeedMore is one of USDA's partner agencies, located in Richmond, Virginia, providing food assistance as part of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and The Emergency Food Assistance Program. (Photo by Preston Keres/USDA) Find food assistance in Idaho Find food assistance near you on the Idaho Foodbanks Food Locator at idahofoodbank.org. Click the Get Help button at the top of the website to find food assistance in Idaho by zip code. Listings on the site include the phone number, as well as the days and hours that the specific food pantries are open. Call ahead to confirm hours of operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled thousands of orders, accounting for millions of pounds of food, meant for low-income Americans. Orders totaling more than 370,000 pounds of U.S.-produced meat, dairy and produce for Idaho food banks were canceled, according to USDA data obtained by ProPublica. The deliveries had been scheduled between May and September under the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program. Nationwide, the cuts totalled about $500 million for nearly 94 million pounds of food, ProPublica reported. For Idaho, the canceled deliveries included cheese, turkey breast, dried cranberries, chicken, and pulled pork. The program is designed to provide nutritious, high-quality USDA foods for low-income residents and support U.S. agriculture markets. Seven orders would have gone to food banks in North Idaho through the Community Action Partnership, which offers food assistance in Boundary, Kootenai, Shoshone, Benewah and Nez Perce counties. The deliveries would have included hundreds of cases of canned chicken, dried cranberries, and frozen chicken legs, the data shows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Multiple orders of meat and cheese were scheduled to go to Boise Cold Storage on behalf of El-Ada Community Action Partnership. The canceled orders totaled approximately 200 pounds of food, including shredded cheese, turkey breast, chicken breast, pork chops, chicken legs and turkey breast deli meat. Food banks in Lewiston and Pocatello also had cases of pork and turkey that halted under the action. The food banks affected by the order cancellations could not be reached for comment. Products delivered through the program are some of the most expensive and difficult for food banks to keep in stock, ProPublica reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There may be additional strain on food banks as the federal government shutdown continues because the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has depleted its funding until Congress renews it. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced last week it will pause its SNAP program, previously known as food stamps, in November. There are more than 130,000 Idahoans who use SNAP food assistance. The Emergency Food Assistance Program, known as TEFAP, was first authorized by Congress in 1981 to purchase farmers surplus food and distribute it to Americans in need. In 2018, under the first Donald Trump administration, funds were added to the program to help farmers dealing with tariffs amid trade disputes, ProPublica reported. Under the current Trump administration, the additional funding was cut and characterized as a Biden-era slush fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins in August announced the department would purchase up to $230 million in fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables from American producers for food assistance programs, including The Emergency Food Assistance Program. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Sophisticated criminal networks are dumping millions of tonnes of household and construction site waste in the British countryside every year, Lords have warned. A House of Lords inquiry said large-scale fly-tipping was conducted by organised crime groups involved in money-laundering, drug-dealing and modern slavery. The committee heard that waste crime costs the UK a total of 1bn a year in clean-up charges and revenue lost through unpaid waste disposal tax, as well as revenue lost by legitimate waste disposal businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An estimated 38 million tonnes of waste are dumped in Britain each year, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 35 times. But the committee said waste crime was substantially under-reported and its true scale remains unknown. One particularly egregious event highlighted by the committee saw 15ft-high piles of waste dumped in a wood in Kent, which is home to highly endangered nightingales. It took four years for the Environment Agency to take action despite a member of the public reporting illegal waste disposal in 2020. Some local residents were said to have been reluctant to speak out for fear of reprisals by the gangs involved. Les Bashford, a gamekeeper on the Surrey-Kent border, who has problems with illegal fly-tipping almost weekly, said: At least 75pc of people dumping here are people who are known to the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Bashford added that confronting them can result in violence. He said: If you catch them and theyve already tipped, they will go like rats, and they will just do whatever they can to escape. Baroness Sheehan has warned that criminal gangs dumping waste act with complete impunity - PAL Stock / Alamy Stock Photo Baroness Sheehan, chairman of the environment and climate change committee, which authored the report, said: Criminals seem to be able to act with complete impunity it seems to be seen as a low-risk, high-reward crime. Separately, she warned Emma Reynolds, the Environment Secretary, that waste crime is critically under-prioritised despite its significant environmental, economic, and social costs. Lady Sheehan said: The Government must act now on our recommendations. There is no time to waste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The committee has recommended that ministers set up a dedicated hotline to report waste crime, a new digital system to track waste, and to assess whether tax imposed on landfill was increasing waste crime. It also suggested that Defra should establish targets on waste crime, with quarterly reports published on whether those targets were being met. Dan Cooke, at the Chartered Institute of Waste Managers, said: The negative impact this crime imposes on the professional and legitimate waste sector and on local economies, alongside the wider environmental damage it causes, confirms that tackling waste crime must be treated by Government as a definitive sector and societal priority. A Defra spokesman said: This Government is taking action to clean up Britain and tackle waste gangs. Under our Plan for Change, we are tightening the net on gangs exploiting our waste system by helping councils to crush fly-tippers vans, funding more Environment Agency enforcement officers and imposing tougher sentences for those who transport waste illegally. We will carefully consider the recommendations of this report and will respond in due course. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. America-based filmmaker Roshan Sethis rom-com A Nice Indian Boy has become yet another victim of the Central Board of Film Certifications (CBFC) crude erasure. The film, based on Madhuri Shekars play of the same name, is a queer love story between Naveen, an Indian-American doctor, and Jay, a white man. Before the film was released in Indian cinemas on October 17, the censor board demanded that Indian be dropped from the films title, seemingly to separate the nation from the core theme of the film. The films distributor, Pictureworks, in an Instagram post revealed that they were compelled to remove Indian owing to the censorship rules in India. Remember when the Aligarh mayor wanted Aligarh [2025] banned because she thought a gay protagonist made her city look bad? Seems like the CBFC now fears that calling a gay man A Nice Indian Boy might make the whole country gay, tweeted Aligarhs writer and editor Apurva Asrani, reacting to the incident. Following Mirrors October 25 report on Indian cinemas battle with the censor board, Sethi spoke on the arbitrariness of these alterations. I think censorship is historically always very dumb, and doesnt really work. This title change achieves nothing. Anyone who wants to watch the unaltered film via other means can and will. I suspect all of the people who watched the film already knew its real title. A censorship board composed of people who believe they know whats best for the public is a silly exercise in pretend power, and the best thing we can do is to repeatedly puncture the appearance of that power, he said. Queer love has existed in every country since the beginning of human history, and will continue existing until the end regardless of how anyone feels about it. Its a basic, dependably re-occurring facet of human biology. Same with most things considered controversial or worthy of censorship. The pronouncements of largely older men in dusty rooms have always historically been proven to be irrelevant because they are trying to stop something that cannot be stopped, he added. Long list In the past many Indian film titles have been renamed for a variety of reasons: Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati was renamed Padmaavat (2018) after mobs took to the streets and protested claiming that the film inaccurately portrayed the Rajput queen and disrespected their culture. Malayalam film Oru Bharatha Sarkar Ulpannam was renamed as Oru Sarkar Ulpannam (2024) as the censor board commanded that the film would be certified only if Bharatha is removed from the name. Other hacked titles include Janaki v/s State of Kerala releasing as Janaki V v/s State of Kerala (2025), when the CBFC objected to the use of a Hindu deitys name, or Cheat India (2019), which was renamed Why Cheat India. Another instance Another film stuck in certification limbo is Honey Trehans Panjab 95, for over a year. A biopic that centres on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the human-rights activist who uncovered extrajudicial killings and mass cremations during Punjabs militancy era in the late 1980s1990s, the film was slated for a release in India in February but is yet to come out. CBFC demanded over 120 cuts to the film, reportedly including core aspects such as removal of the name Jaswant Singh Khalra, deletion of real-locations, and removal of key historical references. The teaser and trailer for the film have reportedly been blocked or removed in India and the title itself was reportedly changed from an earlier working title Ghalughara to Punjab 95 allegedly under CBFC pressure. The director and protagonist, Diljit Dosanjh, refused to associate with the film if it releases in India with the cuts. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Trehan reveals that he was asked to withdraw the films censorship case from the high court and has been asked not to fight for the films release anymore. Censorship should not exist at all. The CBFC is meant to be a certification board, not a censor board. Once the film is released, if anybody has a problem with the film, they can definitely go to court but the CBFC is wielding powers beyond its jurisdiction. CBFC has become more like a self-proclaimed court, he said. They have been given extra power by the ruling government, for whom the CBFC is a backdoor entry into controlling the film industry particularly films that dont match their narrative. CBFC is an independent body, why is the government interfering? BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) An organizer for a Burke County charity event has been indicted by a grand jury on embezzlement and obtaining property by false pretense charges. Court documents show that Stanley Travis Stancil of Boynton Beach, Florida, is accused of defrauding residents, participants and sponsors by allegedly hosting a charity benefit show that never happened and embezzling the proceeds. Stancil organized an event called Dancing with the Burke Stars. Morganton Public Safety says he recruited a group of local personalities to be paired with professional dancers, similar to the popular reality show. Each star was instructed to sell sponsorships and tickets, with the understanding that a portion of the events profits would be donated to a charity of their choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In January 2024, Stancil and the professional dancers met at the Crowne Plaza in Hickory. Stancil allegedly agreed to provide meals, hotel accommodations and compensation, but within two days, the dancers left, citing inadequate accommodations, insufficient food, and a breach of contract. The event was then rescheduled to March 27, 2024. After the dancers left, it was alleged that Stancil ceased communication with the stars, ignoring phone calls and emails, and didnt attend a meeting organized by the stars to address event concerns. The stars then began requesting refunds for the funds they gave to Stancil, with the intent to return the money to the sponsors and ticket holders. Stancil allegedly made no effort to respond or issue refunds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On February 27, 2024, a report was filed with the Morganton Department of Public Safety. The investigation revealed that Stancil had collected over $48,000 from the event, based on financial records. The Morganton Criminal Investigation Division made multiple attempts to contact Stancil but were unsuccessful. Stancil was officially indicted on October 8 for two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses and four counts of embezzlement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) An American icon is cruising into northeast Wisconsin this weekend. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile the 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels will be in Green Bay starting Thursday for several community events. No resolution between the District and Green Bay East coach Niko Sila, another meeting set for Thursday The vehicle, driven by Oscar Mayer Hotdoggers, will make multiple stops throughout Brown County. Date Event Time Address October 30 Not-So-Spooky Storytime @ Central Library 9:15 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. 515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI October 30 Market on Military 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. 216 South Military Avenue, Green Bay, WI October 30 The Howard Commons Halloween Hoopla 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. 550 Commons Place, Howard, WI November 1 Misty Ridge Orchard 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. N5126 Advent Road, De Pere, WI November 1 Aspiro Taste & Toast Benefit Ride 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. TBD November 2 Game Day @ Stadium View 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. 1963 Holmgren Way, Green Bay, WI Green Bay Area Public School District Superintendent Vicki Bayer to retire following the 2025-26 school year Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oscar Mayer currently has six Wienermobiles traveling the country, each spreading smiles and hot dog-themed fun along the way. Fans who spot the vehicle can also pick up the famous Wiener Whistles a signature souvenir thats been handed out for generations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. A popular BBQ sandwich has been recalled over a potential choking hazard. E.A. Sween has issued a recall on 127,887 pounds of its Deli Express BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich product, according to a recent report published by the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service. The company first announced the recall Saturday due to the potential presence of plastic in the packages, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration noted can present a choking hazard if swallowed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several consumers reported discovering plastic pieces in the sandwiches, which contain pulled pork made with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce on a sesame bun. The plastic is believed to have come from the barbecue sauce bottles used to produce the prepackaged sandwiches, according to the FSIS report. Affected products have been sold throughout convenience stores, grocery stores and mass retailers nationwide between January 16 and October 23, 2025. The Department of Defense was among the places where the sandwiches were delivered, the FSIS reported. The affected products were sold from January 16 to October 23, 2025 (FDA) Customers are urged to contact E.A. Sween if they have eaten the affected product (Getty Images) Although the stores have been instructed to remove the sandwiches from the shelves and inventory immediately, they may still have been purchased or could be in consumers freezers. The exact consumer lot codes of the affected pulled pork sandwiches can be found here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although there have been no reported injuries or illnesses, the FDA reports that any product with the affected lot codes should be considered potentially contaminated. Customers are able to return the pulled pork sandwiches to their place of purchase for a full refund, and are urged to contact E.A. Sween if the product was eaten using the phone number 1-800-328-8184 from Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST. The recall comes after Hormel Foods issued a recall of nearly 4.9 million pounds of its frozen boneless chicken products distributed to restaurants, cafeterias, and other commercial food outlets, according to the FSIS. Customers reported finding metal fragments in chicken breast and thigh products. FSIS said Hormel traced the contamination to a damaged conveyor belt used during production. No injuries or illnesses have been reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The affected Hormel Fire Braised chicken products were shipped nationwide to HRI Commercial Food Service, a restaurant supply company, between February 10 and September 19. The products are only sold to food service companies, not directly to consumers. The full list of affected pack dates can be found on the USDA website. FSIS advised that any recalled chicken still stored in hotel, restaurant, or cafeteria freezers should be discarded. Hormel stated it has contacted all customers who received the impacted items. The Austin, Minnesota-based business released a statement saying that No other Hormel products are affected, and no illnesses or injuries have been reported in association with this recall. The news came days after a major recall on more than 140,000 bottles of cholesterol medication was upgraded to a higher risk level. House Republicans on Tuesday released a report detailing former President Joe Bidens use of the autopen and urged the Department of Justice to conduct a full investigation. The report, led by Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., raised questions about the legitimacy of Bidens executive actions and his mental and physical health while in office. The autopen is a mechanical device that replicates a presidents signature and has been used in the past by other presidents. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have alleged the autopen was used without Bidens knowledge to fake the appearance that the president was consciously carrying out executive actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans allege Bidens aides in the White House covered up a months-long decline and improperly used the autopen to sign executive orders and pardons without the presidents involvement. The report argues Bidens aides allegedly misled the nation. Biden and his top aides have consistently dismissed the allegations. The report says that the scheme to hide the fallout of Bidens physical and mental acuity was great but will likely never be fully calculated. The report claims the aides actions put U.S. national security at risk and the countrys trust in leaders in jeopardy. Over the last several months, the committee conducted interviews with many members of Bidens close circle in the White House. The investigation focused on Bidens doctor, Kevin OConnor, who invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not testify before the committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other White House officials interviewed include Anita Dunn, the former senior adviser for communications for the president, Ian Sams, the former spokesperson for the president, former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and others. The report also cited several surveys about Bidens approval rating in office and his aging, information that is largely publicly available. The report said it found no evidence that Biden himself approved executive actions, including ones related to pardons. It also detailed the presidents son, Hunter Biden, and the pardon issued to him in the final days of Bidens presidency. While the report offered sharp criticisms of Biden administration staff, it does not offer explicit examples of if or when aides did something with the autopen without Bidens knowledge. Despite that, Republicans say actions taken that were signed with the autopen should be void without proper and traceable evidence the president authorized them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comer shared the report online and said the Biden Autopen Presidency will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. He said that during interviews with aides Democrats on the committee only averaged 15 minutes of questioning per witness, arguing its clear Democrats never wanted you to know who ran the Biden White House. He called on the Justice Department to conduct a thorough review of the executive actions signed by the autopen and the multiple people involved in the investigation who invoked the Fifth Amendment. In light of our bombshell Biden Autopen Presidency report, Chairman Comer is calling on @AGPamBondi to conduct a review of ALL executive actions taken during the Biden presidency. He's also referring Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Annie Tomasini, and Anthony Bernal for further pic.twitter.com/RKFtLFqIVV Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) October 28, 2025 Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the committees work a blockbuster report. He said its an unprecedented situation that has major implications for the presidents actions including pardons. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the lead Democrat on the Oversight Committee, released a statement criticizing the GOPs continued obsession with Bidens health amid the 28-day government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite this sham investigation, every White House official testified President Biden fully executed his duties as President of the United States. The testimonies also make it clear the former President authorized every executive order, pardon, and use of the autopen, Garcia said, calling on House Republicans to come back to work and reopen our government. Attorney General Pam Bondi said her team at the Justice Department has already initiated a review of Bidens autopen use. She said Comers report is extremely helpful and his leadership on the issue is invaluable. Bondi said she would continue to work with Republicans on the Oversight Committee to deliver accountability for the American people. A hallway in the Pennsylvania Capitol building in Harrisburg on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star) Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity said Tuesday her office has provided more than $21 million in loans to four dozen organizations to continue operating during the state budget impasse. The office started the $500 million Budget Bridge Loan Program in September to support county governments and Head Start local agencies, which provide education, health and social services to families with children aged 3 to 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, it expanded the program to support organizations that contract with county governments to provide services for rape survivors and pre-k children, as well as domestic violence prevention support. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Garrity, who is also running in the Republican primary for governor next year, announced that her office approved 24 new organizations to bring the total number to 48. Pennsylvanians, especially the most vulnerable, should never have to pay the price for a budget stalemate, Garrity said in a statement. Treasury is committed to working diligently with applicants so funds can be delivered as quickly as possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile on Monday and Tuesday, House and Senate leaders from both parties met with Gov. Josh Shapiro in his office as both chambers returned to session this week. Top lawmakers including Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana), Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) and House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) were tight lipped about the negotiations leaving the governors office Tuesday afternoon. A spokesperson for Shapiro said it had no updates on the budget process.. Shapiro introduced a $51.5 billion spending plan in February that included increases in state funding for education and transit but also proposed new revenue from taxes on legalized adult-use recreational marijuana and Skill Games. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, the House passed a pared-down version of Shapiros plan without the new revenue and about a $900 million reduction in overall spending. The Senate responded in August by passing a budget bill that would keep spending at 2024-2025 levels. On Oct. 8, the 100th day after the June 30 budget deadline, the House passed a second Democratic-led proposal that further reduced spending to $50.25 billion, as House and Senate leaders traded barbs in Capitol news conferences. Last week, the Senate passed a second budget proposal with a modest spending increase over last fiscal year. At $47.9 billion, however, it struck most of Shapiros new spending and Democrats warned of the consequences of not fully funding schools and social safety net programs. As the budget deadline passed without an agreement this summer, county and school officials across the commonwealth warned that their available funding would start to dry up by September. As a result counties and school districts have been forced to spend reserves, take out revenue anticipation loans or cut services. Those that take out loans will be responsible for interest that cannot be recouped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the case of county governments, the cuts affected social safety net services provided by private agencies under contract. The Treasury loans must be repaid with 4.5% interest within 10 days of receiving state funding after a budget is approved. The Senate passed a bill this month to allow Garritys office to waive the interest and it awaits consideration in the House. A married couple from Lempster have been arrested after a months-long investigation involving multiple police departments into allegations of sexual assault. Kimberly Frechette Kimberly Frechette Kimberly Frechette, 51, was arrested by Dunbarton police earlier this month on charges of aggravated felonious sexual assault pattern, aggravated felonious sexual assault incest, incest and endangering the welfare of a child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, her husband, Douglas Frechette, 51, a registered sex offender, was charged with the same offenses after being arrested by Dunbarton police. He was also charged with multiple counts of being an accomplice. The couple resides in Lempster, but formerly lived in Dunbarton, according to a news release. Douglas Frechette was processed at the Valley Street Jail, where he was being held on other felony charges. Douglas Frechette Douglas Frechette Since being arrested in Dunbarton, both have faced additional charges in Henniker. Douglas Frechette has also been arrested by Weare police, according to that department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Douglas Frechette was held on preventative detention after being arraigned. Douglas Frechette had to register as a sex offender after he pleaded guilty of transmitting a lewd image to a child under the age of 16 in Strafford Superior Court in March 2024, according to the release. Dunbarton police were notified of a past-tense sexual assault allegation in August. According to court records, Douglas Frechette was given a suspended 1-to-5-year prison sentence on those charges. Kimberly Frechette was arrested by Dunbarton Police on Oct. 9. The Hillsboro Police Department provided valuable investigative assistance to the Dunbarton Police Department, the release read. She remains held on preventive detention at the Merrimack County House of Corrections. A Palatine police officer aided a federal enforcement action Monday morning, local authorities said. One candidate for Illinois state representative questioned whether the action violated the TRUST Act, which prevents the use of state and local resources for civil immigration enforcement purposes, according to a fact sheet from the Illinois attorney general. Jenny Levin, who is making a run to represent Illinois General Assemblys 51st House District, called for an investigation by local authorities in a post to social media Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The TRUST Act does not prevent law enforcement officers from taking action to maintain peace and ensure public safety within their jurisdiction, the fact sheet notes. Just before noon, Palatine police officers observed three federal agents attempting to take a subject into custody after responding to a report of a disturbance in the northwest suburban village, the Palatine Police Department said in a news release. The department did not immediately say what agency the agents were from. During the confrontation, a crowd of about 20 people gathered, with several individuals shouting obscenities and moving toward the arresting agents, the department said. In turn, a Palatine officer positioned himself between the agents and the crowd to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to maintain order at the scene, the department added. However, after continuing to see agents struggle with the subject and given the subjects noncompliance, the agitated crowd and the potential risk of injury, the officer made the split-second decision to assist in stabilizing the situation, the department said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The officer gave verbal instructions in Spanish to the person getting detained and grasped the persons right arm which was already being handcuffed while the agents secured the persons left arm to help bring the incident to a resolution, according to the department. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Palatine Police Department in its release Monday said it remains committed to complying with all state laws and will continue to focus on building relationships with the community. The Police Departments priority is to address criminal activity and ensure the safety of all residents, the department continued. The police department is here to serve and protect all members of our community equally. Residents should feel safe reporting crimes without fear of immigration repercussions. By adhering to these principles, the police department demonstrates our commitment to fair and unbiased policing. tkenny@chicagotribune.com A north suburban police officer helped federal agents detain someone outside of a shopping plaza on Monday morning, officials said. Palatine police said officers responded to the 1100-block of East Dundee Road for a report of a disturbance around 11:50 a.m. Three federal agents, wearing police insignia, were trying to take someone into custody, police said. Viewers shared videos of the incident, and ABC7 blurred the face of the person being detained, because it is unclear if they face any charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said about 20 people gathered around the scene, and some shouted obscenities and moved toward the agents. Police said a Palatine officer put himself between the agents and the crowd, and he saw the agents struggling with the person they were trying to detain. The Palatine Police Department said the officer "made a split-second decision to assist in stabilizing the situation" due to "the subject's noncompliance, the agitated crowd, and the potential risk of injury." The department added, "The officer provided verbal instructions in Spanish to the subject and grasped the subject's right arm, which was already being handcuffed, while agents secured the left arm helping to bring the incident to a safe and peaceful resolution." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why the person was detained was not immediately clear, and officials did not immediately say which agency the agents work for. The Palatine Police Department said it "remains committed to complying with all state laws, and will continue to focus on building strong relationships with the community. The police department's priority is to address criminal activity and ensure the safety of all residents. The police department is here to serve and protect all members of our community equally. Residents should feel safe reporting crimes without fear of immigration repercussions. By adhering to these principles, the police department demonstrates our commitment to fair and unbiased policing." ABC7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment, but did not immediately hear back. Further information was not immediately available. Credit: Instagram/cageinternational An activist who is accused of targeting an RAF base with Palestine Action has led anti-Israel protesters outside his jail using a phone from behind bars. Videos have emerged showing Muhammad Umer Khalid speaking via a phone from inside Wormwood Scrubs to protesters outside the jail with his voice amplified by a microphone. In one clip, he is seen leading a call-and-response with the demonstrators outside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khalid, 22, is being held on remand charged with offences in relation to a break-in by protesters at RAF Brize Norton. Two Voyager planes were sprayed with paint in the incident, causing 7m damage. In one of the videos, published 10 days ago, protesters outside the prison in west London are heard shouting: Zionism has to fall! Zionism is a crime! Get your hands off Palestine, and, Umer, you make us proud! It has been branded another security farce, coming days after sex offender Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian asylum seeker, was mistakenly released from jail rather than sent to a deportation centre, prompting a 48 hour police manhunt before he was recaptured. Credit: YouTube/CPReports Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palestine Action has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation, which means that supporting or belonging to it can carry a maximum jail sentence of 14 years in jail. The charges against Khalid were laid before the Government introduced its terror ban on the group after the protest at RAF Brize Norton. There is no suggestion that either Khalid or the protesters outside the prison made any comments in support of Palestine Action. In one video recording, Khalid is heard saying: We cant let things like being in prison stop us from achieving what we have always [wanted]. He adds: Its our victory. Weve pushed the state to the point of vulnerability... We have exposed that. On a daily basis we continue to achieve victory over the state. As long as we live, we win and if they kill us, win. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As long as we keep fighting, we keep winning. Thats always how it has been done and thats always how it will continue to be. Khalid, 22, is being held on remand charged with offences in relation to a break-in by protesters at RAF Brize Norton Sources indicated there was no evidence that Khalid had a mobile phone, which would be illegal. He is understood to have instead used a prison phone which can be accessed via a personal pin number issued to each inmate. This ensures all calls can be traced back to the inmate making them. Misuse of a prison pay phone is a serious breach, prisoners who do so will face penalties and could face losing access, a Prison Service spokesman said. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: This is yet another security farce. What is David Lammy going to do about it? Empty words are not enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Professor Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who has advised ministers on extremism in jails, said: If these details are accurate it is yet another breach of prison security that illustrates the problems are systemic, not just in one location. This man is remanded in custody facing charges related to an attack on an RAF base claimed by Palestine Action which resulted in it being proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Now we learn he is taking part in what is essentially a propaganda exercise live from his prison wing. Something is fundamentally wrong with security across the prison estate. This will not be the last blunder. A man holds his phone up to a microphone so the crowd outside the prison can hear Khalids voice Prisoners can only call numbers that have been pre-approved by prison authorities. These are usually family members, legal representatives, or support services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Privileges in prison are granted based on a prisoners behaviour and engagement with the regime and rehabilitation activities such as education, work, and substance misuse programmes and can be withdrawn if they behave poorly or refuse to participate. Police have arrested at least 2,094 individuals who have shown support for Palestine Action, many resulting from sit-ins in central London, in defiance of the terror ban. Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the group, is challenging its proscription in the High Court after the Government failed to block the action. Mr Justice Chamberlain granted permission to the challenge on the basis that it is a disproportionate interference with the groups rights to free speech and freedom of assembly under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Palestine Action protesters vandalised planes at RAF Brize Norton in June On Tuesday, protesters calling for an end to the ban on Palestine Action said they would hold demonstrations in 18 towns and cities next month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Defend Our Juries said protests would take place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Oxford, Leeds, Aberystwyth, Nottingham, Northampton, Gloucester, Truro, London, Belfast, Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Bristol, Sheffield, Exeter and Lancaster on various dates in November. Organisers claimed that around 1,500 people could take part in the action next month. Dr Clive Dolphin, a spokesman for Defend Our Juries, said: This is about here in the UK, people having the right to protest, the right to speak up to government when they think the Government has got something wrong, and fundamentally this is about the fact that the British people oppose genocide. They do not want to be complicit in war crimes. They do not want to see people starved to death in an artificial famine. British people oppose genocide. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. In Gaza, entire generations have been wiped out by Israel since it launched its genocidal war in Gaza two years ago, compounding the acute trauma of the already long-suffering Palestinian civilian population in the enclave. More than 39,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both of their parents, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics announced in April. Among them are about 17,000 children who have been deprived of both parents since October 2023, according to the bureau. In the ruins of Gaza City, one couple is now raising 36 grandchildren whose parents were killed by Israel. They now face the myriad of daily challenges of looking after and protecting them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Aliwa family is among those who lost generations. Since their five sons were all killed during Israels two-year assault on Gaza, Hamed and Rida Aliwa are raising the orphaned grandchildren. Palestinian couple in Gaza step in to raise 36 orphaned grandchildren [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] These children need care, 60-year-old Rida told Al Jazeeras Tareq Abu Azzoum in Gaza City. They need food, water and special attention. Its a huge responsibility that brings me immense stress. Each of these children has experienced the pain and suffering of Israels two-year war on Gaza; they have learned to share a single loaf of bread and fall asleep to the sound of explosions. Every morning, Hamed and Rida get up and face the day, not for themselves, but for those who now call them mother and father. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rida is unable to hide the grief of losing her sons, I would be lying if I said I didnt miss them. I miss them deeply. My heart aches for them. My sons meant everything to me they were the reason I kept going. Now, Im taking care of their injured children. At least 20,000 children are among the dead one child killed every hour for the past 24 months. UNICEF estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 children in Gaza have lost one or more limbs Every day for the Aliwas is a wrenching struggle to find food, to fetch clean water and to keep the little ones safe. The basic elements of life are almost impossible to find, Hamed Aliwa told Al Jazeera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have no guarantees, no permanent shelter, no certainty of what perils tomorrow will bring. A United States-brokered ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 10. Since the truce began, about 473,000 people have returned to northern Gaza, where they face widespread property destruction and critical shortages of necessities, including food and water, according to the United Nations. We live under the constant sound of drones that keep us awake all night, and we are scared that the war could start again, Hamed said. The site for the BJPs new state headquarters at Marine Lines is now at the centre of a political controversy. The Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar) and the Congress on Monday accused the ruling party of using undue influence to procure the land in just 11 days. NCP leader Rohit Pawar questioned whether the plot reportedly a leasehold Schedule-W site could be transferred without lease renewal. Can such land be sold if no lease renovation is done? Will the BMC commissioner clarify this? he asked. In a detailed letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut raised a series of allegations regarding the land transfer. Raut claimed that the BJP acquired the prime plot within just 11 days. The BJP has built grand, state-of-the-art offices in states and districts across the country, spending hundreds of crores on them so far. The office at Marine Lines is of the same style. You are the home minister of the country, so it is necessary to see whether the office space that you are inaugurating has been seized by the BJP group by abusing power and rules. It is clear that files were circulated very quickly to seize the space at Marine Lines near Churchgate railway station and outright coercion was used in many places. Your devotees say that you are a responsible and honest leader of the country, so I am giving you some special information about this space, the letter states. Raut alleged that the BJP swiftly secured approvals and that situations changed at BMC overnight. The BJP acquired the plot reserved for residential purposes by the municipality in just 11 days. The builder Eknath Realtors made this deal with the BJP, Raut said in his letter. He further detailed the property ownership history: Vasani Chambers, Marine Lines Plot No 9, adjacent to Patkar Hall, belongs to the BMC. The plot measures 1,377.79 square metres, where 54 per cent share is held by Maharashtra State Cooperative Finance Corporation (MSCFC), and the remaining 46 per cent by members of the Vasani family. The land was originally leased for 99 years from February 11, 1902, to February 12, 2001. According to Raut, the Vasani familys 46 per cent land rights were mortgaged to various banks without prior approval from the BMC. Despite the land not being transferred, portions were repossessed by banks over unpaid loans. Meanwhile, the lease expired in 2001, and only the MSCFC applied for renewal, while the Vasani family did not. They transferred their own ownership rights to four investment companies, leading to disputes between these companies and lending banks. A hearing was held before the BMC deputy commissioner (reforms) on December 29, 2017, but the matter remained unresolved and inactive until 2025. However, in 2025, Eknath Realtors suddenly entered the market, Raut claimed. He further alleged that Eknath Realtors applied to the Property Department on April 1, 2025, for transferring the mortgaged 46 per cent share, and received approval on April 4, 2025. The company then sought lease rights to the remaining 54 per cent land from the municipal corporation, which was also approved immediately. The realtor reportedly paid a transfer premium of Rs 21,25,18,170. The following month, on May 21, a proposal was submitted to transfer the entire plot to the BJP state headquarters. Raut noted that the application was approved the very next day, May 22, and ownership rights were transferred on May 31, 2025. For that, the BJP paid Rs 8 crore. A transfer fee of Rs 91 lakh was paid, Raut alleged, calling it a case of several irregularities. NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar also demanded answers from the BMC administration. If a precedent is being set to sell lease land, Schedule W sites, then tomorrow, will many important sites like Mahalaxmi Racecourse also be handed over to private individuals? It is also understood that just as calls were made to all media houses to suppress the Jain Boarding case in Pune, similar calls have been made today for this site in Mumbai. Therefore, this matter is also serious, and the commissioner needs to provide clarification. If the commissioner does not clarify, tomorrow we will meet the commissioner and demand to see the file of this case, Pawar said on his X. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant called the land deal highly suspicious. How was this land transferred when it was classified under Schedule W and under BMC possession? Why didnt the BMC extend the lease of Maharashtra State Co-operative Housing Finance Corporation? The municipal commissioner must answer these questions. Was the proposal for transferring this land approved in the Cabinet meeting? The chief minister must clarify. How did the BJP get this land worth crores of rupees for only Rs 8.91 crore? he said. Three nationalised banks are also involved in this transaction. How did these banks give a loan to a 46 per cent stakeholder of the property without the BMCs consent? With whom did these banks and the Maharashtra State Co-operative Housing Finance Corporation settle their respective 46 per cent and 54 per cent shares? Who is this Eknath Builder, and what is his relationship with the BJP? Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, meanwhile, said the land has been purchased with party funds, following all BMC rules and without any concessions. BJP does not live in a glasshouse, so do not throw stones at us. Those who have a habit of grabbing land should not question us, he said. (This story has been updated to correct a typo.) Clerk and Comptroller Mike Caruso has been given the go-ahead to increase Palm Beach Countys investment in Israeli government bonds, a move being challenged by a group of Palestinian-American residents who argue that the investments are so risky that they violate state law. County commissioners on Oct. 20 determined that the percentage of the county's investment portfolio containing bonds from Israel could be increased to 18% from 15%, potentially bringing the county's total to over $1 billion by early 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At $710 million, Palm Beach County is currently the worlds largest investor in such bonds. The county has repeatedly raised the percentage limit. In 2021, it was just 5%, and it rose to 10% in 2024. The Palestinian group refiled an earlier lawsuit on Oct. 10. It had originally been filed two years ago but was withdrawn because of a procedural issue. Citing municipal finance professors at Brandeis University and the University of Chicago, the new lawsuit alleges it is unusual and risky for a public entity to invest so much of its money in one area. It also claims that, with recent downgrades by rating agencies, the investing in Israeli bonds have such a low rating that they violate both state law and the county's own policies. The lawsuit seeks a court order preventing the county from investing in bonds issued by Israel. Why is Palm Beach County so invested in Israeli bonds? A LED menorah is illuminated on the second night of Chanukah during the Chanukah in Bradley Park celebration hosted by Palm Beach Synagogue and Co-hosted by Temple Emanu-El, Temple Beth El, Temple Israel and New Synagogue December 26, 2024 in Palm Beach. Caruso said in an interview that before he makes further investments, he wants to ensure that doing so wont impact the countys triple AAA bond rating or its "overall investment portfoilio." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once I am assured it wont, I intend to increase the investments," Caruso said. As for the lawsuit, Caruso and County Administrator Joe Abruzzo called it frivolous. Abruzzo, who made the investments a cornerstone of his tenure as county clerk, said the lawsuit will go nowhere, just like the first one. Caruso also said the lawsuit has no merit to it. County Clerk Mike Caruso has been authorized to increase purchases of Israeli bonds, but he wants to be certain the investments won't impact the county's triple-A bond rating. Israeli government bonds continue to be investment-grade, but they have faced downgrades in recent years, placing them in the lower end of that category. There has never been a default of Israeli bonds. Caruso said the county invests in bonds that have only one or two-year maturities, which offer a level of protection. The return is strong, Caruso said, noting it is 20 to 30 basis points more than what U.S. Treasury bills pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit alleges that the countys investment policy requires bonds to have a rating of AA or higher from Moodys and S&P. Moodys said the impact of the war in Gaza on the countrys long-term financial prospects created much higher (risk) than is typical even at the lower investment rating. New Florida law lets public entities invest in Israeli bonds regardless of rating The refiled lawsuit, however, does not mention a Florida law, enacted in June 2025, that prohibits local governments from requiring a minimum bond rating for Israeli bonds. Abruzzo, when he was county clerk, testified in support of the bill. What does this (investment) mean for Palm Beach County taxpayers? It means an incredible return, with a very strong and safe investment. To make that investment with our greatest ally, in one of the safest investments we can make as Palm Beach Countys treasurer and CFO, its a win, Abruzzo said in a news release defending the amount being invested when he was county clerk. The only foreign bonds that localities in Florida can invest in by law are from Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COUNTY NEWS: County responds to lawsuit challenging purchase of Israeli bonds, calling it 'flawed' COUNTY NEWS: Jewish cemetery's plans to expand west of Boynton needs waiver of rule to save open space The lawsuit claims the countys investments in the bonds have been a significant contributor to the genocide that it alleges occurred in Gaza. Family members of the plaintiffs have been killed, according to the lawsuit. Like the original one, the refiled one lists the plaintiffs as John and Jane Doe. The county is expected to challenge whether the lawsuit can be filed anonymously. Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County residents challenge policy of buying Israeli bonds A fallen legend of the golden age of air travel, Pan Am may soon take to the skies again thanks to the brand's current owners, who have begun the certification process with the FAA. The original company shut down in 1991, after deregulation in the industry and changing economics brought the airline low. The famous blue meatball logo did fly again in the following decades under a succession of new companies, but each attempt eventually failed. The current owner, appropriately called Pan Am Global Holdings, believes it can break the curse and return the white and blue livery to glory. As Aviation Week lays out in its report, the plan is to set up headquarters in Miami if it can get certification. Notably, the intention is to fly planes from Airbus, not Boeing, the American manufacturer long associated with the Pan American World Airways brand (though it did fly both). Pan Am flew the very first Boeing 707 in 1958, introducing America to the Jet Age; it later was a major early client of the 747 jumbo jet. If the company comes back flying only European planes, that would be a symbolic blow to the still-recovering Boeing. Read more: Ford Once Made A Mile-Long Factory To Build Bombers Faster Than Anyone Thought Possible Pan Am-branded everything Vintage photo of the interior of a Pan Am Boeing 377 - Fpg/Getty Images The new company appears to be serious, because 2025 has seen the most activity from that brand in a long time. This summer, it chartered some commemorative flights retracing some of Pan Am's most famous trips, using a Boeing 757 in Pan Am livery. Then, just this month, a flurry of announcements fell out of the sky: Holland America will start sailing Pan Am-branded cruise lines, Pan Am-branded hotels will bring a "retro, mid-century design" to Los Angeles and Europe, and SafariScapes will run a Pan Am-branded safari through Africa using a private jet. Advertisement Advertisement Not enough brand integration for you? Don't worry, there's more. Timex has a series of Pan Am watches now (none of which have unfortunate names, luckily). According to the main Pan Am site, lounges and shops are coming soon, too. Clearly, there's a big effort here to leverage nostalgia into lots of other products. But at the end of the day, Pan Am should be an airline that flies passengers to places. That is the goal here, and it would be nice to see an old piece of Americana refurbished and restored. Still, the real question is whether the new airline will have the same level of style and luxury the old carrier had. First-rate food on a plane? Plush seats? An actually nice interior? Take me back, please. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google. Read the original article on Jalopnik. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A Wayne County program is expanding its reach to help more students and families experiencing homelessness. According to the latest state data from the 20232024 school year, nearly 400 students in Wayne County were identified as homeless. That number has inspired local advocates to take new steps to keep families housed and children in school. Family Promise of Wayne County, a grassroots nonprofit, runs a program called Roof Over Their Heads, or ROTH. The initiative focuses on preventing homelessness by helping families remain in stable housing before they lose it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through ROTH, families work with staff to identify barriers and set both financial and personal goals. The organization also collaborates with local landlords to reduce stigma and strengthen community partnerships. Theres a lot of partnerships built with landlords, said Nancy Ramos, care coordinator for Family Promise of Wayne County. Because theres a stigma on homelessness, right, and so we want to break that barrier because the cost of living and rent has skyrocketed and all of America is one paycheck away from homelessness themselves. And so building that gap to where we say, hey were not here just to support the families, were here to support you. After seeing how widespread the issue was among local students, Family Promise has expanded the ROTH program to work directly with school districts. Program leaders say the effort not only supports families but also strengthens the health of the entire community, and builds new, sometimes unexpected, relationships. A deeper look into how the ROTH program works and the impact its having on families, will be featured Tuesday at 9 p.m. on the RochesterFirst streaming app in a new Parenting Plus segment hosted by Isabel Garcia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) A new sign naming part of a Denham Springs road in honor of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2023 was unveiled. A portion of South Range Avenue now honors Cpl. Shawn Kelly. He died in the hospital weeks after being critically injured in a May 2023 shooting while responding to a disturbance near a shopping center. Chief Rodney Walker and Kellys family gathered for the sign unveiling Monday. Other local leaders, including the mayor, sheriff and parish president, were in attendance to pay respects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A bill was passed during the regular legislative session this year to designate a part of the highway as Corporal Shawn Kelly Memorial Boulevard. Latest News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. In the Illinois Democratic Party electorate, circa 2025, the fringe has gone mainstream. Asubstantial minorityof Democratssupportpolitical violence(including felonies to stopfederal immigration officers from carrying out their duties),and about80%say thatPresidentTrump and his supporters are"Nazis" and agreed that ICE officers are "jack-booted thugs." Whenasked whether theysupportIllinois Gov. JB Pritzker doing"whatever it takes"to keep ICE and other federal law enforcement out of Illinoisand prevent them from apprehending illegalmigrants,84% of DemocraticParty primary voters answered yes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new surveydone byM3 Strategiesshows that Gov.Pritzkers scurrilous rhetoric is in sync with his partys most committed voters. Whether hes "going along to get along" with the angry, deranged progressive base - or intentionally ginning upinsurrectionist impulses with intemperatelanguage- is, to be charitable, an open question. What is not in doubt is thatmillionsof Illinois Democratsare rejectingthe primacyof federal law,a foundational principle of our Union established by the Constitution, consecrated during the Civil War, and sanctified during the civil rightsmovement. But before delving more deeply into the survey findings, a quick refresher on the basic principles underlying the structure of our constitutional republic: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone who believes, as Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pretend, that Illinois is a "safe haven" in which the state and local government can and should keep federal officers from enforcing immigration laws, and further believe that violence against federal officers who are apprehending officers is ever appropriate, is essentially advocating for an organized insurrection. Consider in this regard the fact that 70% of Illinois Democrats surveyed in this poll say that its appropriate to follow ICE officers, while 63% think its appropriate to block the entrance to ICE facilities. In addition, nearly 40% think its appropriate to pull ICE officers off of someone they are apprehending, 14% think its appropriate to throw objects at ICE vehicles, 10% think its appropriate to spit on ICE officers and just under 9% think its appropriate to throw objects at ICE officers. Asked another way, 42% of Illinois Democrats think violence to stop ICE agents from apprehending people is "sometimes," "mostly," or "always" acceptable. The seething cauldron of Democratic Party opinion is not limited to the issue of immigration. A substantial minority of Democratic voters express open anti-Americanism, intolerance for other viewpoints, and a shocking level of support for political violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, more than one-third of respondents view the American flag as a symbol of "oppression and hate" instead of an expression of "freedom and unity. And when asked if political violence under certain circumstances was always, mostly, sometimes, or never acceptable under certain circumstances, 21% thought violence was acceptable to silence "a racist or homophobe," 11% found violence acceptable against a flag-waving MAGA Trump supporter, and 18% found violence against greedy corporate executives acceptable. Young Democratic voters express the most support for political violence: Of the respondents in the 18-30 year old demographic, 34% thought violence to stop ICE was always acceptable, 10% against a flag-waving MAGA was always acceptable, and 25% thought violence against a greedy corporate executive was always acceptable. Is it any wonder that last Wednesday, ICE arrested twice as many people in Chicago for obstruction as illegal aliens? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The results of this poll should give pause to Americans of good faith, especially those who have actively supported the Democratic Party. Their leaders are playing to a base thats increasingly alienated from Americans who dont think like them - and that hate those who disagree. The implication here is that the bracing ascendency of socialist Zohran Mamdani is no anomaly. Why? In part, Democratic Party leaders have become upsettingly strident over the last 10 years. Consider that we have regressed from Hillary Clintons description of Republicans as a "basket of deplorables" to Pritzkers persistent Nazi allusions. Nor is, "But Trump!" an excuse that explains this behavior. Trump didnt become the Democrats designated demon until he stopped supporting Democrats and became a Republican. Besides, the roots of the Democrats devolution into routine demagoguery predates Trump. When Barack Obama claimed that rural Americans in flyover country "cling to guns or religionor anti-immigrant sentiment," he was running against John McCain, not Donald Trump. Democratic demonization has gone on far too long. Consider that now, practically the only Senate Democrat willing to acknowledge that the other party does not consist of murderous hateful Nazis is the one recovering from a stroke. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps thats an apt metaphor: Democrats must heal themselves, as John Fetterman did; or Democrats of good faith should follow Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and so many others out - and ditch the Democrats. Richard Porter is the former National Committeeman to the RNC from Illinois. State health department officials have announced a potential measles exposure after a non-New Jersey resident visited the state while contagious. The New Jersey Department of Health said Monday that anyone in Terminal B of Newark Liberty International Airport between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 was potentially exposed to the virus. Anyone who suspects they were exposed should contact their local health department and doctor before going to a medical office or emergency department, officials said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those infected by the virus could exhibit symptoms as late as Nov. 9, and officials are working on contact tracing and notifying potential exposures, authorities said. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery red eyes and a rash that typically appears around three to five days after the onset of symptoms, officials said. The rash usually appears on the face and hairline as flat red spots, but spreads downward through the torso. New Jersey has had 10 confirmed cases of measles in 2025 and seven in 2024, according to state health officials. In recent years, measles infections have soared to the highest levels in the U.S. since 1992, eight years before the disease was declared effectively absent from the U.S. population in 2000, officials said. Matthew Enuco Stories by Matthew Enuco Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Hes a pastor and a car dealer who has spent much of the past year behind bars. Now the subject of a 2023 Channel 2 Action News investigation is pleading guilty to theft charges. Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray said it took a lot of negotiation to get Revechyo Hill to sit down to talk about the allegations against him. He told Gray in that interview he was innocent, a legitimate businessman, but he admitted something else to a judge this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think you guys are used to dealing with people that run from you guys. Im not intimidated by you guys, Hill said. That was in 2023 when Hill agreed to answer Grays questions, and repeatedly, emphatically denied any wrongdoing. But this month, he pleaded guilty to felony theft charges. In a deal to avoid major prison time, hell spend 40 years on probation and pay $270,000 in restitution. Its just so disgusting, said Georgia Nkwocha, who once worked at Hills Athens car dealership H and P Auto Brokers I just cant believe he got away with that for so long. How do you get away with all of this stuff? she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While spending Sundays preaching from the pulpit, he also ran a used car dealership. Families in the original Channel 2 Action News Investigation alleged that they either paid Hill for a car they never received or he used their identities to buy vehicles for himself. Stephanie Downey thought someone stole her car. It was actually repossessed by the lender. I was paying him the money, but he wasnt paying the loan company, she said. You didnt forge any documents. You wont say yes or no, you didnt forge any documents? Gray asked him. Im not going to. We dont know about it. I dont even know. I mean, I can say I have never forged any documents, Hill responded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Im going to say I dont even know what documents youre talking about, so I wouldnt be able to forge a document. Well, I mean, I can just say Ive never forged a document, period. I dont know any documents that will have me that I forged, OK? he added. But the current plea deal does not address those forgery charges Gray was the first to tell Hill about. That separate felony case is still open and active. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The video attached to this story aired on Sep. 23, 2025. AUSTIN (KXAN) A month after President Donald Trump said that taking Tylenol while pregnant causes autism, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday in Panola County court against the companies Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue over the claims. Kenvue, which makes Tylenol, said it would defend itself in court against the AGs claims, according to reporting from The Texas Tribune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support, the company said, according to The Texas Tribune. Kenvue and Johnson & Johnson have not yet filed their full responses in court. Fact check: False, misleading claims by Trump about autism, Tylenol and pregnancy In a Tuesday press release, Paxton claimed that the companies lied for decades about the medication he said was poisoning our people. His offices lawsuit alleges that Johnson & Johnson violated the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act by transferring its Tylenol liabilities to subsidiary Kenvue in 2022. It also accuses both companies of breaking the states consumer protection laws by marketing Tylenol as safe for pregnant women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The active ingredient in Tylenol, called acetaminophen or paracetamol, is commonly recommended worldwide during pregnancy to treat fevers. Its also the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating fevers during pregnancy. The FDA has also said that high fevers in pregnant women can pose a risk to their children, and that aspirin and ibuprofen have well-documented adverse impacts to a fetus. Major medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommend parents talk with their care providers about medications during pregnancy. Vance on Tylenol: Pregnant women should follow your doctor Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxtons lawsuit cites research that the White House presented in September. Trumps Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. said at an Oct. 9 cabinet meeting that there isnt proof of a connection between acetaminophen and autism yet, but that the administration was doing the studies to make the proof. The labels for Tylenol products contain no warning that there is any sort of risk of ASD or ADHD if a woman ingests the drug while pregnant or if young children take the drug, it reads. Pregnant women have purchased and taken Tylenol products based on the understanding that these products posed no risk to their unborn children. The full lawsuit can be read below: LawsuitDownload Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FDA has noted that the available research doesnt establish a causal relationship. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan have failed in Istanbul after four days of negotiations, Pakistans information minister said early Wednesday, accusing the Taliban government in Kabul of refusing to act against militants blamed for deadly cross-border attacks. The talks followed an earlier round in Doha that produced a ceasefire on Oct. 19 after deadly border clashes between the two sides left dozens dead, including soldiers, civilians and militants. However, the ceasefire was still holding and no new clashes were reported between Pakistan and Afghanistan hours after the talks collapsed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring militants linked to a surge in attacks, while Kabul denies its territory is being used against Pakistan. Before dawn Wednesday, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar took to social media platform X, saying the dialogue failed to bring about any workable solution, despite mediation by Qatar and Turkey. Kabul had no immediate comment. The latest development came hours after state media in both countries said there was an impasse in the talks, with the state media from the both sides blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal. Tarar said Pakistan at the request of brotherly countries Qatar and Turkey gave peace a chance and engaged with the Afghan Taliban government first in Doha and then in Istanbul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He accused the Taliban of being indifferent to Pakistans losses" even though Pakistan has always desired, advocated and immensely sacrificed for peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan. Tarar said Pakistan was thankful to Qatar and Turkey for facilitating this dialogue, which was part of a broader diplomatic push to ease months of heightened tension between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border attacks and militant safe havens issues that have strained relations since the Talibans return to power in Afghanistan four years ago. He said that since the Taliban regime bears no responsibility towards the people of Afghanistan and thrives on war economy, it desires to drag and mire the Afghan people into a needless war." Tarar said "Pakistans patience has run its course, and warned that Islamabad would continue to take all possible measures necessary to protect our people from the menace of terrorism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier, on Tuesday, three Pakistani security officials who had direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that there was a deadlock in the talks in Istanbul over the reluctance of Kabul in accepting demands about assurances that Afghan soil not be used against Pakistan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They said the host country was trying to end the deadlock so that the final round of the talks could resume as soon as possible. According to the Pakistani officials, the Taliban delegation was not fully willing to accept Pakistans proposals and continued to seek guidance from Kabul before making decisions. Afghanistan-controlled media RTA made similar accusations against the Pakistani side, saying Kabul made every effort to hold constructive talks, but that the Pakistani side does not seem to have this intention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the latest round of the talks was underway in Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to help resolve the crisis between the two neighbors very quickly. The recent fighting prompted Qatar to host the initial round of talks, which produced a ceasefire that both sides say is still holding despite the stalemate in Istanbul. Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Mohammad Ali on Tuesday said Afghanistans strategy at the talks was to slow the diplomatic process and shift focus to other bilateral issues. He noted Afghanistans reluctance to give clear, unambiguous and internationally verifiable commitment to act against Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban and other militants. Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent years, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a group closely allied to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Islamabad says the group is being sheltered in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities in Pakistan have said the country's military earlier this month targeted hideouts of the TTP in Afghanistan. It triggered deadly clashes between the two countries until Qatar brokered the ceasefire. All border crossings between the two sides have remained shut for more than two weeks, with trucks carrying goods stranded pending the reopening of key trade routes. ___ Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar contributed to this story from Jalalabad, Afghanistan. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A man was struck by a vehicle and seriously injured while walking through a busy intersection near the San Diego International Airport during rush hour Monday evening, San Diego Police reports. The police department reports an unknown man was struck at 5:04 p.m. Monday while walking in the middle of the intersection of Pacific Highway and Sassafras Street in the 3400 block of Pacific Highway in the Midtown neighborhood of San Diego close to the San Diego Airport Rental Car Center. Child, 6, dies in hit-and-run in San Diego Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 75-year-old woman driving a Chrysler Pacifica was heading south on Pacific Highway when she hit the pedestrian, according to police. The woman reportedly told authorities she did not see the man before the collision. The man was taken to the hospital with head trauma, a fractured pelvis, a fractured right femur and an open fracture to the right tib/fib. Authorities have not yet identified the pedestrian. Anyone with more information is asked to call the San Diego Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. In an extramarital affair, can the aggrieved woman seek damages from her husbands lover, or a man from his wifes paramour? A Delhi High Court judge last month ruled that such a plea would not only be maintainable, but it could also be heard by a regular Civil Court and not remain the exclusive jurisdiction of a Family Court. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kau-rav, while deciding a petition filed by a woman, directed that summons be issued to her husband as also the woman he was alleged to be in a relationship with outside marriage. The legal concept, the judge said, at play in this case would be alienation of affection derived from Anglo-American Common Law which was accepted by the Supreme Court of India in two judgments. The judge clarified that one of the circumstances to be proven for the wifes claim to be accepted would be intentional and wrongful conduct by the paramour directed at disrupting the marriage. It will also have to be illustrated that the husbands decision to get into a relationship outside marriage was not voluntary, but that he was induced and coerced. Allegations of active interference The suit was instituted by the wife, seeking damages from her husbands alleged lover on the premise that she stole the affection and companionship that the marriage offered and guaranteed. The husband is named as defendant No. 2. The couple, married in March 2012, had twins in 2018. The wife joined the familys diagnostics labs business as a director in 2019. The woman, who is accused of bringing about the breakdown of their marriage, joined one of the mans independent ventures in 2021. The wife contended that the new woman in her husbands life was aware of the consequences of her action, yet developed a close and personal relationship with her husband, frequently visiting the marital home and becoming his exclusive travel companion on work trips. She claimed that despite interventions by her in-laws and the extended family, the woman refused to end the relationship. In April this year, he filed for divorce. Husband as an individual first The husband argued that he was entitled to personal autonomy and liberty, while the woman with whom he established an extramarital relationship said she was alien to the marital relationship and, therefore, owed no legal duty to the wife to refrain from interacting with her husband. Together, they also claimed that a suit of this nature need not warrant a separate civil proceeding and could be taken care of by the Family Court in the existing divorce proceedings. While not directly relying on a Supreme Court constitution benchs judgment of September 2018 which decriminalised adultery, the husband also invoked the underlying principle of non-interference by the State in private matters and the autonomy of consenting adults. What is alienation of affection? The court, before addressing the defendants objections, conducted an extensive analysis of the tort of alienation of affection, acknowledging that Indian legislation does not expressly recognise it. The concept is derived from Anglo-American Common Law, categorised under heart-balm torts civil claims seeking monetary compensation for the disruption of a romantic or marital relationship. The judge relied on two Supreme Court precedents. The first precedent is from September 2013 where a two-judge bench was dealing with an appeal against the concurrent conviction of a man for cruelty towards his wife, who eventually committed suicide owing to an alleged extramarital relationship with his colleague. A sessions court in Gujarat as well as the Gujarat High Court had convicted him on two counts cruelty and abetment to suicide. The Supreme Court, however, overturned the judgments and acquitted him of both charges. In its judgment, the SC discussed the concept of alienation of affection, relying on two 2011 judgments in the US. Action for alienation of affection lies for all improper intrusions or assaults on the marriage relationship by another, whether or not associated with extramarital sex. His or her continued overtures or sexual liaisons can be construed as something akin to an assumption of risk that his/her conduct will injure the marriage and give rise to an action, the SC bench had observed. Just a couple of months after this SC judgment, the same bench delivered another judgment where it relied on the earlier judgment and discussed the concept of alienation of affection again. This judgment ruled that a woman cannot claim to be in a live-in relationship under the Domestic Violence Act with a married man when she was aware of his existing marriage. The autonomy vs accountability debate Addressing the defences argument that the suit infringed upon the personal liberty and autonomy of the husband, Justice Kaurav made a clear distinction between criminal action and civil consequences, affirming that if the husband acted entirely of his own volition, the third party could not be held accountable. However, whether the husbands conduct was voluntary or the result of external influence must be established, the court said. Citing the SC constitution bench judgment decriminalising the offence of adultery, Justice Kaurav agreed that the State had no role in criminalising the private lives and intimate choices of individuals. However, he also observed that the SC judgment did not create a licence to enter into intimate relationships outside marriage free from civil or legal implications. Civil vs Family Court jurisdiction Justice Kaurav ruled that for the Family Court to have exclusive jurisdiction, the cause of action must have an intrinsic and unavoidable nexus with the marital relationship. Applying this functional test, the court concluded that the wrong alleged by the wife the intentional and wrongful interference by a third party (the woman) resulting in an actionable civil injury was materially distinct from disputes such as maintenance or custody. The court noted that the suit specifically asserted a third-party tort and sought monetary compensation for that civil wrong, and that neither the Hindu Marriage Act nor any other matrimonial legislation provided a codified remedy enabling the Family Court to grant relief against the alleged acts of a third party. In the absence of any such remedy under matrimonial law, and equally in the absence of any statutory bar, a civil action seeking damages against a third party is not excluded and can be pursued before the Civil Court, the court observed. PELLA Mental health support for students dominated discussion Monday as the Pella Community School District hosted a legislative work session with state Sen. Ken Rozenboom and Rep. Barb Kniff McCulla. District staff and administrators pressed lawmakers for help funding licensed therapists in schools, while the legislators suggested possible alternatives and questioned funding challenges. Superintendent Greg Ebeling told the legislators that community counseling services are overwhelmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have some really great counseling services that are in the community, he said. But the reality is that theyre also full. Theyre super booked up. If you have somebody that has to get in immediately, it is really, really hard to do because their schedules are full. Ebeling said there was a reason Mondays roundtable focused on mental health. This is our number one thing, he said. I mean over everything else that we could talk about mental health is our main work, more than everything else. Counselors shared stories of student trauma and data showing that nearly 77 percent of Iowa students have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience, or ACE. Middle School Counselor Jourdan VanWyk said a graduate practicum student now provides therapy one day each week, serving nine students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It took under two weeks to fill her schedule, she said. Now shes full, and were turning away people already. School Board President Elisa Klahsen asked lawmakers to consider a bill to fund one therapist per 1,000 students statewide. While we will never know the history that weve changed, we can start changing the history, she said. McCulla said she understands the need for more in-person services, rather than relying on remote options that make personal connections difficult. She said she would respond by continuing to push legislation to allow chaplains in public schools. After hearing you guys tonight, Im going to push that Chaplain bill even farther this next year, she said. It got stuck in the process, but I think chaplains in school are another big piece to identify. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think chaplains are one key piece to what needs to happen, she added. She also advocated for less student interaction with computers. Rozenboom, a Marion County Republican who chairs the Iowa Senate Education Committee, calculated potential costs of the proposal and suggested school budgets might offset some of them. Administrative costs in schools have skyrocketed far greater than the number of students, he said. Can we find [funding] by reducing the administrative costs of schools? Because that has ballooned. Its ballooned across the country, and its ballooned across Iowa, in very substantial ways. Ebeling did not respond directly to that suggestion but returned to the districts main request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think what were asking for is for you guys to sponsor a bill, he said. I know thats a big ask, but youre our representatives. We can support bills that are out there, but we need a bill, we need something written. We need something tangible for people to debate. Rozenboom acknowledged that funding such a measure would be difficult but said he would raise it with colleagues at the Capitol. It will be a heavy lift, he said. Im willing to brainstorm this, to bring the idea. McCulla said she would continue the discussion with other legislators. Mental health is part of the talks in our House Education Committee, she said. Nobodys come up with any ideas yet, but mental health is part of it. The meeting ended with agreement to continue conversations in the months ahead on possible legislation to support school-based mental health services. UPDATE: 18 News has learned that tickets for the fundraiser are no longer for sale online, but will be available at the door of the event. Extra pasta will be available for these last-minute in-person orders. CORNING, N.Y. (WETM) Giuseppes Restaurant in Corning is partnering with Corning-Painted Post High School Bands to host a spaghetti night fundraiser to raise money for the bands trip to Italy. Penne Pasta Night will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Corning-Painted Post cafeteria. The fundraiser will be followed by the annual Fall Celebration of the Bands concert at 7 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steuben County EMS receives grant to enhance emergency services Tickets for the fundraiser were required to be purchased in advance, which have since sold out. Each ticket was $15 and included a meal of pasta, meatballs, bread, salad and dessert, which will be served by the band students. In addition to receiving a pasta dinner, attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy music and participate in raffles for the opportunity to win a variety of prizes. All proceeds raised from the fundraiser will support airport transportation for the bands upcoming trip to Italy. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) The Governors Residences State Dining Room and Reception Area have been restored following the arson attack last April in Harrisburg. Governor Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro welcomed guests back to the dining room during the State Dinner on Monday, which honored 17 Pennsylvanians who have made a lasting difference in their communities. A full list of honorees can be viewed online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tonights dinner is very, very special for a number of reasons, Governor Shapiro said. This is the second state dinner of our administration. This is also the first dinner we are hosting at the Governors residence since the attack in April. Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis host a State Dinner at the Governors Residence in honor of nine Pennsylvanians who have made a difference in their communities. The State Dinner will tell the stories of nine Pennsylvanians who do meaningful work to improve the lives of others across the Commonwealth. Governor Josh Shapiro, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis host a State Dinner at the Governors Residence in honor of nine Pennsylvanians who have made a difference in their communities. The State Dinner will tell the stories of nine Pennsylvanians who do meaningful work to improve the lives of others across the Commonwealth. Governor Josh Shapiro presents the 2025 Keystone First Responder Award during a ceremony at the Governors Residence in Harrisburg, honoring three fallen heroes for their bravery, sacrifice, and service to the people of Pennsylvania. On April 13, 2025, Cody Balmer climbed the fence of the Governors Residence in Harrisburg, carrying a bag that contained Molotov cocktails and a sledgehammer. Balmer broke a glass window and threw in the flaming Molotov cocktails, starting a fire inside the residence. Newly released video showed Balmer entering the residence, throwing the Molotov cocktails, and attempting to break down a door inside. Balmer pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges including attempted murder, aggravated arson, and burglary, and will serve a prison term of 25 to 50 years. A charred piano, left, is visible inside the Pennsylvania governors official residence after a man was arrested in the alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) Charred tables and dishes are visible inside the Pennsylvania governors official residence after a man was arrested in an alleged arson that forced Gov. Shapiro, his family and guests to flee in the middle of the night on the Jewish holiday of Passover, Sunday, Apr. 13, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy) HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES APRIL 13: A view of the damage after an arsonist sets fire to the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiros residence in a targeted attack in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States on April 13, 2025. Governor Josh Shapiro held a press conference later in the day to address the incident and reassure the public. At approximately 2:00 a.m., the Harrisburg Fire Department responded to a fire at the Governors Residence, located on North Front Street in Harrisburg City, Dauphin County. Crews quickly contained and extinguished the fire, which damaged a portion of the historic residence. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images) HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES APRIL 13: A view of the damage after an arsonist sets fire to the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiros residence in a targeted attack in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States on April 13, 2025. Governor Josh Shapiro held a press conference later in the day to address the incident and reassure the public. At approximately 2:00 a.m., the Harrisburg Fire Department responded to a fire at the Governors Residence, located on North Front Street in Harrisburg City, Dauphin County. Crews quickly contained and extinguished the fire, which damaged a portion of the historic residence. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images) Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police provide an update on the act of arson that took place at the Governors Residence. Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police provide an update on the act of arson that took place at the Governors Residence. Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police provide an update on the act of arson that took place at the Governors Residence. Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police provide an update on the act of arson that took place at the Governors Residence. HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES APRIL 13: A view of the damage after an arsonist sets fire to the Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiros residence in a targeted attack in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States on April 13, 2025. Governor Josh Shapiro held a press conference later in the day to address the incident and reassure the public. At approximately 2:00 a.m., the Harrisburg Fire Department responded to a fire at the Governors Residence, located on North Front Street in Harrisburg City, Dauphin County. Crews quickly contained and extinguished the fire, which damaged a portion of the historic residence. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images) Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania State Police provide an update on the act of arson that took place at the Governors Residence. Inside the governors residence after an arson attack on April 13. No one was injured in the attack, and enhanced security measures were implemented at the residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Shapiro Administration says they are working to fully reopen the Governors Residence to the public as soon as possible. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. (WHTM) A Pennsylvania lawmaker is proposing establishing a drink spiking response and intervention task force. The legislation, circulated by State Rep. Daniel Deasy (D-27), aims to combat drink spiking by establishing a task force. According to the memo, the task force would review and assess the safety and health shortfalls related to drink spiking, provide legislative recommendations and intervention techniques, and train employees who serve drinks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Severe Weather Alerts The task force would report to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Boards Bureau of Alcohol Education, which will, in turn, create a training program to accompany the Responsible Alcohol Management Program (RAMP) that licensee managers will be required to complete, per the memo. State Rep. Deasy said that 56% of women and 44% of men say they have had their drinks spiked at least once. The legislation has not yet been submitted for introduction. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. (WHTM) More than 6,100 items of unclaimed property are set to be auctioned off in Pennsylvania this week. Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced Pennsylvanias next unclaimed property auction, scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, and Thursday, October 30. According to the treasury, the online auction will feature 6,120 items safeguarded in the treasurys vault, including diamond rings, gold and silver coins, gold bracelets, and more. Courtesy of Pennsylvania Treasury Department Courtesy of Pennsylvania Treasury Department Courtesy of Pennsylvania Treasury Department Courtesy of Pennsylvania Treasury Department Courtesy of Pennsylvania Treasury Department Courtesy of Pennsylvania Treasury Department Im excited about this weeks auction and for Pennsylvanians to see some of the unique items from Treasurys vault. With support from our auctioneer partners, Pook & Pook, these auctions are a great opportunity to release some very interesting items, Garrity said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone interested in registering or viewing the unclaimed property available this week can visit the Pook and Pook website. The Pennsylvania Treasury searches for the owners of each item for at least three years before auctioning them off. They added that military decorations and memorabilia are never auctioned off. Our team works diligently to identify the owners of unclaimed property and return it to them, but sometimes, we must make room for incoming items in our vault by auctioning items. The proceeds from any item sold remain available for a rightful owner to claim, no matter how much time passes, Garrity said. The treasury says it has returned more than $1 billion in unclaimed property since 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. The US military carried out more deadly attacks on boats that it said were transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 people in three separate attacks, US Department of Defense chief Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday. Hegseth, writing on X, noted that there was a sole survivor of the attacks. There were four vessels US intelligence was aware of but three strikes, according to the information on X. The Mexican navy, also in a post on X, said a patrol vessel and a reconnaissance aircraft were deployed about 830 kilometres south-east of the coastal city of Acapulco to search for and rescue a person in the sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The navy said it had intervened in compliance with international maritime law "for the safety of life at sea" and at the request of the US Coast Guard and only learned after Hegseth's statements that the person was a crew member of the boats that were attacked. In his post, Hegseth referred to those killed as "narco-terrorists" and said eight men had been killed during the first strike, four men during the second and three men during the third. All strikes took place in international waters and no US military personnel were harmed, he wrote. The Pentagon "has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we're defending our own," he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He claimed that "these narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda" referring to the radical Islamist terrorist organization responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed some 3,000 people. The US government's fight against Latin American drug cartels recently reached a new stage of escalation. Hegseth sent the world's largest warship, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, to Latin America. US President Donald Trump also announced that in future he wants to take tough action on land against drug smugglers. There has not been independent confirmation of the identity of the reported dozens of people killed by US forces in the Caribbean and Pacific. UN 'very concerned' about strikes A spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said when asked in New York that they were "very concerned about the increasing military activities on the high seas." It was important to avoid further escalation and resolve conflicts through diplomatic means. "Every time someone is killed, there must be accountability," the spokesman stressed. He did not comment specifically on the latest attacks. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) The city of Peoria is inviting residents to join them while they open up a 128-year-old time capsule on Sunday. The time capsule, sealed in the cornerstone of City Hall, will be opened at the Gateway Building at 2 p.m., Nov. 2, according to a post on Peoria City website. The capsule dates back to the buildings construction and was recently removed while the buildings facade was being repaired. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is believed to contain a variety of items from the community, including a copy of the city code, local newspapers, photos and other historical treasures. Time capsules are more than just containers of artifactsthey are messages from the past, created by the people who lived here more than a century ago, said Mayor Rita Ali. Because this capsule belongs to the people of Peoria, it is only fitting that our community comes together to witness its opening and reflect on how far weve come. A presentation will be held before the capsule is open, which will feature representatives from the Peoria Historical Society, Peoria Public Library Local History Collection, Bradley University Special Collections, and the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. Every year, I teach a one-week course through the American Enterprise Institutes Honors Program on how to think about your education and career. I recently caught up with a former student who joined a business consulting firm in 2024, just as artificial intelligence tools were going mainstream. While much of America ricochets between utopian dreams and Terminator-like fears about AI, in his experience, AI is far from taking over industries or disemploying workers. Instead, the technology appears to be fulfilling its early promises to help workers leverage their knowledge and time in order to do more and better work. That word leverage is crucial. In a consulting context, leverage refers to producing more value per unit of effort. For junior consultants, it means accelerating teamwork, boosting quality and compressing more productive activity into less time. AI is like an extra set of hands, my former student told me. My manager gives me a task that creates leverage for him. I do the same with AI. In our emerging AI-infused economy, technology is helping workers across the knowledge sector frame problems, design research methods, automate and improve data analysis, and support breakthrough thinking all helping to leverage human effort and skill. In most cases, the technology is helping to sharpen human insight and judgment rather than replacing human work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This trend toward leverage has deep consequences, especially for younger workers trying to break into well-paid knowledge-sector occupations. Todays job market is not friendly to new graduates. In a classic illustration of skill-biased technological change, AIs automation of basic tasks is shifting employer skill demands and pushing workers away from routine, technical tasks and toward broader, tacit ones that require insight. The research, spreadsheet construction and client-delivery tasks that once served as apprenticeships for new analysts remain important but now act mostly as background knowledge. The new high-value work relies on intangibles: judgment, discernment, ethical awareness and interpersonal communication required to persuade clients to follow through on recommendations. AI doesnt think or know but it is becoming a crucial support to the human workers who do. This emerging reality redefines what entry-level means and introduces new forms of workplace anxiety. Recent hires no longer build products cell by cell in spreadsheets, yet theyre expected to maintain full comprehension of their work as if they had. Id be terrified to bring an AI-only recommendation to my manager, my former student said. You have to understand every piece. A junior analyst must defend every number, anticipate every question and take ownership of every conclusion. This means having the judgment necessary to differentiate between AIs insight and its hallucinations. Those who adapt fastest treat AI not as a shortcut but as a partner and collaborator another mind to test assumptions, explore scenarios and structure analysis. AI prompting, my student observed, is like coding or modeling: it rewards precision, iteration and curiosity. Fast learners climb quickly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Onto their daily workflows: Surveys find that half of all consulting firms use AI in at least one business area. AI is no longer a side tool; its becoming a foundational backbone of the modern consulting practice, developing new ways to create value. These internal shifts mirror changes on the client side. As firms adopt AI to improve speed and quality, some clients are experimenting with at-risk contracts that tie consulting fees to measurable outcomes like cost savings, implementation speed or risk reduction. In effect, the leveragers in consulting are being leveraged by their clients who are aware of AIs impact and are demanding more insight rather than more elaborate slide decks. What does all this mean for the rising generation of knowledge workers? When I asked my former student what advice hed give to others preparing for work in the AI economy, his response was immediate. First, he said, learn continuously. Treat curiosity as a professional habit. Read one thing every day outside your field, whether it be about the arts and literature, the natural sciences or public affairs. The breadth you build today becomes the adaptive muscle youll need tomorrow. When I asked which classes outside of his business major proved most useful, he talked about a sociology course that expanded his understanding of human and organizational behavior, knowledge essential to working with colleagues and clients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His second piece of advice was equally practical: Get fluent in AI workflows. Dont just prompt for answers. Use AI end-to-end to frame problems, refresh methods, structure analysis and synthesize results. Then, focus on explaining what you did and why. The differentiator wont be who uses AI, but who uses it well and understands its limits. As AI eats routine tasks, the work left on the table is that of meaning-making, explanation, persuasion, and the integration of knowledge and judgment across knowledge domains and operational systems. Technical skills are necessary but insufficient; interpersonal awareness and the ability to read the room may soon be worth more than any degree or certification. As technical work recedes, learning speed, contextual breadth and moral clarity about its limits will pull ahead. In the age of AI, the ultimate form of leverage is learning itself. Those who cultivate curiosity and discernment will not only keep up but help shape what comes next. Jim Watson / Getty Images US troops with facial hair reportedly have been barred from attending an event with Hegseth this week at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. Jim Watson / Getty Images Related: "Put This On A T-Shirt" People Are Praising This Anti-ICE Protestor's 3-Word Response To Getting Tear-Gassed At The LA Protests The restriction for troops was announced in an email purportedly sent by the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea and was posted Sunday to an unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page Mario Tama / Getty Images The email, which an Air Force official confirmed to Task & Purpose, a news outlet focused on military reporting, noted that troops with shaving waivers are NOT authorized to attend the gathering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: After Karoline Leavitt Announced The White House Is Using Tariff Money On This Important Woman's Program, Gavin Newsom Backhandedly Thanked Them As you know, it is typical for senior leaders to visit the troops when they travel to installations around the world, the official said in a statement to the news outlet. Hegseth is set to travel to multiple areas in Asia this week, including Japan, Vietnam, and Malaysia, to drill down on the U.S. militarys focus on the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Pentagon. Oliver Contreras / Getty Images Reps for the Pentagon and the US Air Force didnt immediately respond to HuffPosts requests for comment. Hegseths beard ban for troops comes after the defense secretary delivered a controversial speech in which he declared, No more beardos. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images Related: People Have Little Sympathy For This Trump Supporter Who Said They'd "Gladly" Pay More For Groceries...Until They Got The Bill At the rare meeting of hundreds of senior military officials at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, last month, Hegseth announced that service members must give up superficial individual expression. Alex Wong / Getty Images No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. Were going to cut our hair, shave our beards, and adhere to standards, Hegseth said in his speech, which detailed impending changes to the military under the Trump administration. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related: Hillary Clinton Just Hit On One Of Donald Trump's Biggest Insecurities With Three Words He added, If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave. Hegseth also railed against woke culture within the military and decried fat generals and admirals. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: "This Is Not The Desk Of Someone Who Actually Does Work": 49 Political Tweets From The Last Month That Are Too Good Not To Share Also in In the News: A Woman Who Called Herself A "MAGA Junkie" Now Regrets Voting For Trump After Getting Fired During The Government Purge Also in In the News: Seth Meyers Uncovered A Truly Unhinged Trump Moment That Has Everyone Questioning His Mental State Read it on BuzzFeed.com The U.S. military carried out three strikes Monday on four vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean that were allegedly trafficking narcotics, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. Hegseth said in a statement on X that the strikes killed 14 narco-terrorists and that there was one survivor. Mexican authorities took over responsibility for rescuing the survivor. Hegseth said that the boats were "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific" and that they were known to "our intelligence apparatus." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He included a video in his post marked "unclassified" showing boats in the water being hit by the strikes and suddenly on fire. No additional details about the vessels or the alleged narcotics they were carrying were provided. Hegseth also didn't share where the boats originated from. Mexican officials didnt confirm whether the lone survivor is in Mexican custody. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed disapproval of the strikes when she was asked about them at a news conference Tuesday. We want all international treaties to be respected," Sheinbaum said. "We do not agree with these kinds of attacks, so I have requested that, within the framework of the security agreement we have with the United States, the ambassador be called in and that this situation be reviewed." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Based on official estimates from the Defense Department, the U.S. military has launched 13 strikes so far, three of them Monday, which in total have killed 57 people. Eight strikes occurred in the Caribbean Sea, and five took place in the eastern Pacific. The most recent strike before Monday happened Friday in the Caribbean. Later that day, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth directed the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford strike group, which had been stationed in the Mediterranean, to relocate to the Caribbean to support President Donald Trumps effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narcoterrorism. The attacks are an escalation of Trump's threats to crack down on drug smugglers, even amid bipartisan pushback. Six sources told NBC News this month that members of Congress from both parties have expressed concern that the administration isn't being transparent enough about the strikes. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a Marine Corps veteran, said Sunday in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the strikes amounted to "murder." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If this president feels that theyre doing something illegally, then he should be using the Coast Guard," Gallego said. "If theres an act of war, then you use our military, and then you come and talk to us first. But this is murder. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., accused the administration Sunday of violating the Constitution by pursuing military action without congressional approval. "Ive been invited to no briefing, but a briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution," he said on "Fox News Sunday." "The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it." After another set of strikes last week, Trump said that his administration had the legal authority to carry them out and that the operations could eventually expand to targeting drug traffickers on land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will hit them very hard when they come in by land, Trump told reporters at the White House. Were totally prepared to do that. And well probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what were doing when we come to the land. NBC News reported in late September that U.S. military officials were preparing options to target traffickers inside Venezuela. Four sources said at the time that those strikes could take place in a matter of weeks. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com On October 19, panic gripped an IndiGo flight when a passengers power bank caught fire on a Dimapur (Nagaland)-bound flight while the aircraft was taxiing at the Delhi airport. The airline said the crew quickly extinguished the flames and managed the situation by diligently following standard operating procedures. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft, an Airbus A320neo, resumed operations after checks. The incident has drawn attention to the rising number of such fires worldwide and the need for clearer airline policies on carrying and using rechargeable devices with lithium-ion batteries on flights. Last week, a lithium-ion battery caught fire in the overhead compartment of an Air China flight from Hangzhou in China to Seoul, South Korea, forcing it to be diverted to Shanghai. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. In January, a power bank was believed to be the cause of a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane with 176 on board on the tarmac, according to South Koreas transport ministry. Everyone was evacuated, and three people sustained minor injuries. Why power banks can catch fire A rechargeable device that contains lithium-ion batteries, a power bank is used to charge mobile phones or other electronic devices. While typical devices with these batteries, such as phones or laptops, are generally safe when properly handled, spare lithium batteries and power banks pose increased risk if they are damaged, defective, overcharged or stored incorrectly. Thats because lithium-ion batteries are inherently fire-prone because of their chemical composition. They store a substantial amount of energy in a compact space, using flammable electrolyte liquids that facilitate ion flow between the batterys cathode and anode. During normal operation, lithium ions move between the cathode and anode to charge and discharge the battery. But when these batteries are damaged or subjected to extreme conditions, they can cause an internal short circuit. This short circuit generates heat beyond what the battery can dissipate. As the temperature rises, the separator can melt or collapse, causing more short circuits and releasing flammable, toxic gases. This dangerous state is called thermal runaway, where the battery overheats, and the internal heat buildup (up to 1,000 degrees Celsius) triggers a self-sustaining chemical chain reaction, often leading to smoke and fire or an explosion. When this happens in an aeroplane environment, where there is low pressure, limited ventilation and confined space, the hazard is magnified. Stricter norms globally Following the recent incidents, several airlines are enforcing stricter norms on the use and storage of power banks. While they are still allowed in cabin baggage, airlines have begun restricting or prohibiting the use of power banks in the aircraft. Some, for example, require the power bank to be kept in the seat pocket or in a bag under the seat in front and not in overhead bins, where smoke detection can be delayed. Travellers whose carry-ons are checked in at the gates must remove these items before handing over their bags. The main logic: if something overheats or emits smoke mid-flight, its safer for the crew to handle it immediately in the cabin rather than in an inaccessible cargo hold. One of the easiest solutions is keeping devices within arms reach, said Jeff Marootian, CEO of UL Standards & Engagement, a US-based safety standards organisation, according to The New York Times. From October 1, the Dubai-based Emirates has prohibited the use of power banks while in-flight. Although it allows a passenger to carry one power bank under 100 watt hours, they can neither use it to charge a device, nor charge the power bank in the aircraft cabin. Further, the power bank must be stored within easy reach, and not in overhead bins. India is also expected to adopt stricter rules soon. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indias regulatory body for civil aviation, is taking up this issue, said a senior DGCA official. Besides power banks, other devices with lithium batteries can pose a safety risk if damaged or stored incorrectly. Note: If your device is rechargeable, it likely contains these batteries. Those items include mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, toothbrushes, portable chargers and vapes. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been nearly 700 incidents involving lithium batteries that caused fire, or extreme heat since March 2006, the NYT reports. These include both passenger and cargo flights. The vast majority of incidents involved battery packs, with vapes or e-cigarettes being the second most common cause. Even a cracked screen or physical damage to a device such as a mobile phone or a tablet can compromise its internal battery and trigger a short circuit or thermal runaway, John Cox, a former pilot and aviation safety expert, told NYT. HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is encouraging anglers and boaters to take advantage of the fall and winter fishing and boating opportunities available across the Commonwealth. During its quarterly meeting, the Board voted to approve changes in fishing regulations along with the stocking of fish at locations across the state. Specifically in Central Pennsylvania, Jefferson County saw a change in fishing regulations at Kyle Lake. Under the changes, the 165-acre impoundment will be removed from the Catch and Release Lakes program and added to the Big Bass and Panfish Enhancement program for crappies and sunfish. The changes will go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Somerset County, the board voted to approve a Cooperative Nursery Grant in the amount of $55,000 to the Salisbury-Elk Lick Hunting Club. The cooperative nursery raises 9,000 trout annually that are then stocked into public waterways. Through the funding, the club plans to complete a stream habitat and nursery intake improvement project on the unnamed tributary to Tub Mill Run. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. As a reminder to those looking to fish or boat, the annual cold-weather life jacket requirement begins Nov. 1 and lasts through April 30, 2026. Cold water shock is a major factor in boating fatalities when temperatures are less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ - www.wtaj.com. On Philadelphias famed Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where stone, symmetry and civic ambition meet, something subtle yet seismic has happened. The citys grandest temple to art has shed a preposition. After nearly a century as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or PMA, the institution now calls itself simply the Philadelphia Art Museum or PhAM, as the new logo and public rollout invite us to say. The change may seem cosmetic, but as a marketing scholar at Temple University whose research focuses on branding and digital marketing strategy, I know that in the tight geometry of naming and branding, every word matters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The museums new identity signals not just a typographic update but a transformation in tone, purpose and reach. Its as if the museum has taken a long, deep breath and decided to loosen its collar. Insta-friendly design For decades, the museums granite facade has represented permanence. Its pediments crowned with griffins mythological creatures that are part lion and part eagle have looked out across the parkway like silent sentinels of culture. The rebrand dares to make those sentinels dance. In its new form, PhAM is deliberately more flexible, less marble, more motion. The logo revives the griffin but places it with a bold, circular emblem that is unmistakably digital. The new logo is chunkier, more assertive and designed to hold its own on a phone screen. Like the 2015 Metropolitan Museum of Arts digital overhaul in New York, the Philadelphia Art Museum is leaning into an era where visitors first encounter culture through screens, not doors. As the Mets former chief digital officer Sree Sreenivasan stated, Our competition is Netflix and Candy Crush, not other museums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The PhAMs visual language is redesigned for environments filled with scrolling, swiping and sharing. Through this marketers lens, the goal is clear: to ensure that the museum lives not only on the parkway but in the algorithm. The museums new branding and signage aims to appeal to younger and more diverse audiences. Rob Cusick/Philadelphia Art Museum A little younger, more cheeky There is something refreshing about a legacy institution willing to meet its existing or future audience where they already are. The museums leadership frames the change as a broader renewal a commitment to accessibility, community and openness. The rebrand showcases Philadelphia and it takes center stage in the new name and logo, a subtle but potent reminder that the museums roots are here. In the previous design, the word Art was much larger and more bolded than Philadelphia. And then theres the nickname: PhAM. Its playful think, Hey, fam! or a Batman comic-style Pow! Bam! PhAM! compact, easy to say and just cheeky enough to intrigue a new generation. Its Instagrammable and hashtaggable. Its got trending power. I asked a lecture hall full of marketing students in their 20s what they thought of it, and they generally loved it. They thought it was fun, hip and had enough play in the name to make them want to visit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its also a nod to the way folks from Philly actually talk about the place. No one in Philadelphia ever says, Lets go to the Museum of Art. They call it the Art Museum. The brand finally caught up with the vernacular. A balancing act Rebrands in the cultural sector are rarely simple makeovers. They are identity reckonings. The Tate Modern in London mastered this dance in 2016 when it modernized its graphics and digital outreach while keeping the weight of its bones intact. Others have stumbled. When the Whitney Museum in New York debuted a minimalist W in 2013, reactions were mixed. To me, it felt more like a tech startup than a place of art. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PhAM now faces that same paradox. How does the cultural institution appear modern without erasing its majesty? Museums, after all, trade in authority as much as accessibility. The new name carries subtle risks. Some longtime patrons may bristle at the casual tone. And the phrase Museum of Art carries an academic formality that Art Museum softens. And the more flexible a brands logo or voice becomes, the more it risks dissolving into the noise of digital sameness. While brands must adapt their visuals and tone to fit different social media platforms and audiences, there is a fine line between flexibility and dilution. The more a brands logo, voice or visual identity bends to accommodate every digital trend or platform aesthetic, the greater the risk that it loses its edge. For example, when too many brands adopt a minimalistic sans-serif logo as weve seen with fashion brands such as Burberry and Saint Laurent the result is a uniform aesthetic that makes it difficult for any single identity to stand out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flexibility should serve differentiation, not erode it. In the end, I appreciate how PhAMs revival of the griffin, steeped in the buildings history, keeps the brand tethered to its architectural DNA. For now, the rebrand communicates both humility and confidence. It acknowledges that even icons must learn to speak new languages. The gesture isnt just aesthetic; its generational. By softening its posture and modernizing its voice, the Philadelphia Art Museum appears intent on courting a new cohort of museumgoers used to stories unfolding on screens. This is a rebrand not merely for the faithful but for those who might never have thought of the museum as for them in the first place. Read more of our stories about Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, or sign up for our Philadelphia newsletter on Substack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Sheri Lambert, Temple University Read more: Sheri L. Lambert does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Greenville, S.C. (WSPA)- An Upstate nonprofit is hoping to break stigma and raise awareness for drug prevention with art. The Phoenix Center in Greenville will host Red Ribbon Week with an art community night Tuesday Oct 28 from 5-8 pm. The Red Ribbon Week is the nations oldest and largest drug prevention initiative and started in 1985. It has been a way to include elementary and middle school students in drug prevention efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now it will include high school students and keep them engaged through hosting an art competition at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts. You can attend the free event featuring artwork created by highschoolers, raffles and games. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A new art exhibit is coming to Sioux City that features a place thats both divided and deeply connected the U.S.-Mexico border. Xavier Taveras Borderlands photography collection opens at the Sioux City Art Center on Thursday, October 30, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. As a part of its debut, Tavera will hold an artist conversation at 6 p.m. Since 2016, Tavera has been photographing along the border and aims to show that its more than just a wall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Art Center Curator Christopher Atkins said the exhibit offers a unique look at life on the border. Its a very interesting space in that its both in the United States and in Mexico. Some of the photographs that youll see, you arent aware of what side of the border that hes on. So its a beautiful exhibition. I think people are really, really excited about it, commented Atkins. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Atkins said the exhibit takes a more personal approach to a politically charged subject. We all know its a hot button topic. We all know its front and center in the news, but Xavier really wants people to sort of see it on their own terms, see it outside of the news coverage, Atkins explained. See it from someone who is an artist, but someone who really wants to kind of capture both sides of the area. The reception is free and open to the public, and the exhibit will remain on display until March 29, 2026. More information about the exhibit can be found on the Sioux City Art Centers website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) The South Carolina Department of Transportation has closed the Laurel Road bridge over Middle Branch Brushy Creek for repairs, which are expected to be completed by the end of the year. As part of the closure, a detour route has been established for both southbound and northbound traffic on Laurel Road. The detour directs southbound motorists to take Calhoun Memorial Highway to the South B Street ramp, then proceed on Brushy Creek Road back to Laurel Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Northbound drivers are directed to take Brushy Creek Road to the Calhoun Memorial Highway on-ramp, continuing north to Laurel Road. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) advises drivers to slow down and pay attention to signs and crews when navigating the area. Laurel Road remains open to local traffic, except at the bridge site. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS. NEW YORK (PIX11) Welcome to PIX on Politics Daily with Dan Mannarino where we break down the days political news, top headlines, and the issues that matter most to you through thoughtful, in-depth conversations. Join us every day at 1 p.m. on PIX11+ as we speak with newsmakers, lawmakers, and key figures shaping policies that directly impact our local communities. More Local News On Tuesday, Henry Rosoff is joined by Jessie Gomez, a reporter at Chalkbeat Newark, to discuss the role of education in the New Jersey governors race. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A plane crash killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenya's coastal region of Kwale early Tuesday while en route to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were on board, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 25 miles from Diani airstrip, authorities said. The airline did not confirm what time the aircraft departed Diani airstrip, saying the pilot failed to communicate upon departure and the airport control tower tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our primary focus right now is on providing all possible support to the families affected," the airline said in a statement obtained by BBC News. Kenyan officials inspect the scene of a plane crash near Diani, Kenya, Oct. 28, 2025. / Credit: AP Photo Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash that happened at 5:30 a.m. local time, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The Associated Press. Later, the ministry of transport said in a statement the crash occurred at 8.35 a.m. local time. There was heavy rain in coastal Kenya in the morning. "The weather is not very good here at the moment. Since early in the morning, it is raining and it is very misty, but we cannot preempt [the findings]," Orinde told BBC News. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving a charred wreckage at the scene, officials said. Witnesses told the AP that they heard a loud bang, and upon arriving at the scene, they found unrecognizable human remains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority had earlier said that 12 people were on board the Cessna Caravan-type aircraft. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, located west of the coastline, is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular coastal town known for its sandy beaches. The reserve attracts a large number of tourists as it features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania. Last year, tourists were evacuated by helicopter from the reserve as devastating flooding hit the sanctuary. The Kenyan coastline's white sand beaches along the Indian Ocean attract tourists from all over the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organization site, from 2018, the country fell below the global average in accident investigations. In 2019, a small plane carrying five people from the nature reserve crashed in the west of the country, killing two Americans. Dr. Attia on how to make your final decade of life as enjoyable as possible Mentalist Oz Pearlman blows minds, from Joe Rogan to tech titans | 60 Minutes Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) The precautionary lockdown placed on Plaquemine Senior High School Tuesday morning was lifted. School officials said the deputies were investigating a report of a person with a weapon nearby, adding that it didnt involve any of its students or staff. The lockdown was placed as a safety measure. Your cooperation and understanding are sincerely appreciated. We remain committed to keeping our students and staff safe above all else, the school said. Latest News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. The maker of the worlds most popular chatbot, ChatGPT, launched a web browser last week that promises to make surfing the internet smarter. In exchange, ChatGPT Atlas wants permission to watch and remember everything you do online. The browser from OpenAI out-surveils even Google Chrome, and thats saying something. It doesnt just log which websites you visit; it also stores memories of what you look at and do on those sites. It can even take control of your mouse and browse for you. Its too early to evaluate whether Atlass new artificial intelligence capabilities are useful enough to make it worth all the data gathering. But the implications for privacy are vast, and the controls for managing what Atlas remembers are confusing at best. Theres a lot at stake in which browser you choose. Its your daily portal to the internet a spigot of lucrative information that companies can use to target you with adverts, steer you towards certain sites, and train AI on your behaviours and interests. OpenAI isnt alone in trying to reinvent browsers with AI. Search engine Perplexity makes a browser called Comet, and Google has recently added its Gemini bot to Chrome and says it will soon also add agent capabilities that let AI do tasks for you. So what does Atlas actually do? It replaces Google with ChatGPT as the main source to find websites and information. An Ask ChatGPT button in the upper right lets you chat with the bot about pages youre viewing. For instance, you could ask it to summarise an article or analyse data. And it puts ChatGPT one click away for tasks such as revising email drafts. The goal was to make it easier for ChatGPT to work alongside you as you browse the web, said Adam Fry, OpenAIs Atlas product lead. But reviewing Atlass privacy practices and controls revealed something darker. Behind the scenes, it is working to learn much more about you. If you grant permission during setup, the browser builds a trove of memories about sites you visit and surfaces them when you need them. You could tell Atlas: Open the Halloween decorations I was looking at last week in some tabs, and it could do it. Atlas remembers not just website addresses, but facts and insights from the sites themselves based on summaries of the content OpenAI makes on its own servers. It might remember you have a trip coming up, prefer Delta Air Lines and use Google Calendar, Fry said. These memories shape your experience across the browser. ChatGPT tailors its responses to your Atlas memories in future chats. And the browsers home screen offers personalised suggestions of things you should do next, such as find a vegetarian recipe. (By contrast, Googles Chrome doesnt let Gemini store memories about the contents of webpages. But Gemini can if you ask it to answer questions about your web browsing history.) That level of personalisation brings privacy risks that are hard to understand, much less control. There are things you might want an AI to remember and bring up again in the future and things you definitely wouldnt, such as relationship troubles or that embarrassing medical condition you researched at 2 am The details of what Atlas will or wont remember get confusing fast. OpenAI says memories could include tasks youre working on and your preferences, but not entire page contents. Atlas isnt supposed to remember government IDs, bank account numbers, addresses, passwords, medical records and financial information. It also isnt supposed to attempt to remember the content of adult websites. However, a test found that Atlas kept memories about registering for sexual and reproductive health services via Planned Parenthood Direct, according to Lena Cohen, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It also kept a memory about the name of a real doctor. The extensive data collection in the Atlas browser could be a privacy nightmare for users, she said. You can control Atlass memories, but it takes effort. In the address bar, you can tell Atlas not to remember certain websites. Clearing your browsing history is supposed to clear memories from that period. In settings, Atlas shows a list of its memories, which you can delete individually or all at once. But this memory file is separate from the one ChatGPT already keeps about you. Atlas offers an incognito mode that doesnt add to your history or memories. But like Chromes misleadingly named mode, it doesnt actually hide you from other websites or even from ChatGPT itself. Companies love to claim that they give users control over data collection. But offering scattered privacy settings isnt the same as meaningful control. A 747 aircraft has lots of controls, too. But that doesnt mean just anyone can fly it. We are using memory specifically to enhance the product features of Atlas not for anything else, Fry said. The way we use data here is pretty different from social media companies that build interest profiles. OpenAI also does not have an advertising business, he said. Yet. Online surveillance can have serious consequences: Will governments be able to ask OpenAI to hand over peoples browsing data and memories? What if theyre researching activities that are illegal in certain states, such as abortion? OpenAI didnt immediately respond to my question. In one area, Atlas takes a more conservative approach. By default, it doesnt use the contents of your browser for training its AI though theres a setting to turn that on if you want. (This is separate from whether your ChatGPT conversations can be used for training, which does happen by default.) Atlas also introduces new risks by letting AI operate your browser for you. These agents can go on shopping hunts or, as I wrote recently, help you quit subscriptions. But AI agents are still prone to mistakes and when an agent has access to a browser with your log-in credentials and payment info, thats a lot of power to hand over. Fry said Atlas lets people use agent mode in a completely cleared-out version of the browser. And certain high-risk tasks involving money happen only in a mode where the user is supposed to monitor what the AI is doing. Browsers have evolved from simple windows to the web into sophisticated data-collection tools. Atlas might make browsing more convenient, but only if youre comfortable letting AI deep into your life. Bound, sedated and stuffed into bags: Poachers are ripping baby spider monkeys from their mothers in the forests of southern Mexico and selling them as pets on social media platforms in the United States. Jim Stinebaugh, a special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says nearly 90 baby spider monkeys have been confiscated at the Texas-Mexico border in the last 18 months and that's believed to be just a fraction of the spider monkeys illegally brought into the United States. Wildlife officials say the spike in spider monkey smuggling is driven in part by viral videos showing the animals dressed up, diapered and treated like human babies. Those clips racking up millions of views may look cute, but experts warn they glamorize illegal pet ownership and fail to show the cruel conditions for monkeys torn from the wild. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigative photos document the cruelty of how baby spider monkeys are smuggled across the border. Traffickers smuggle the spider monkeys in horrific conditions, often crammed into tiny compartments with no food or water. Many arrive sick, injured or clinging to life, with authorities racing to save those that survive the brutal journey. In Mexico, poachers shoot mother spider monkeys out of trees, with their babies still clinging to their backs. And because the moms only give birth every two to four years, the population is slow to recover. "You're going to have to kill the mothers to get the babies, and then the rest of the family are going to be protective of the mother and the baby as well," Stinebaugh explained. "You very well may end up killing dozens of monkeys, just to keep a few of the babies." Stinebaugh focuses on catching smugglers who sell through social media platforms. It's an uphill battle because law enforcement is understaffed, and the penalties are often small. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He warned: "If you're paying cash for a spider monkey in the parking lot of a big-box store, there's something wrong." Baby spider monkeys can't be returned to the wild without their mothers, so agents bring them to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, where five veterinarians care for 1,600 other animals. But one Texas zoo can't tackle the problem alone, so the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is piloting a project where facilities house, care for and permanently place spider monkeys at other accredited facilities around the country. Stinebaugh believes that if people understood the brutality of the spider monkey black-market trade, they would see the truth: that we're pushing these animals closer to extinction. His message: "If you care at all about this species, if you don't want them killed in the wild, if you don't want the babies smuggled across the border and these abhorrent conditions, don't make the purchase." Dr. Attia on how to make your final decade of life as enjoyable as possible Mentalist Oz Pearlman blows minds, from Joe Rogan to tech titans | 60 Minutes The true, authentic Kenny Chesney Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), the transport hub under development in central Poland, has opened a tender to design and build an underground tunnel and a railway station beneath the planned CPK Airport. The project aims to establish rail links connecting the airport with major Polish cities. Interested bidders must submit applications for the competitive dialogue procedure by 12 December 2025. The procurement process is divided into two lots. The first covers the design and construction of the eastern and central tunnel sections, including the station. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The second addresses the western section and junction area. Both lots include optional provisions for track systems and internal transport equipment to facilitate short-distance passenger and cargo movement. Up to five bidders will be shortlisted for each lot. CPK expects to award the contract in Q1 2027, with project completion scheduled for 2031. Poland Infrastructure Deputy Minister and CPK Government Plenipotentiary Maciej Lasek said: Following the launch of the terminal tender, were moving forward with another major procurement this time for the tunnel and railway station beneath the airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were seeking a contractor with proven experience in large-scale tunnelling and infrastructure projects in Poland. The proposed tunnel will measure approximately 6km in length and is expected to have a total volume of 3.5 million m3. This will make it one of the largest tunnels in Poland, with dimensions exceeding those of the Limanowa rail tunnel and S3 road tunnels near Kamienna Gora. The tunnel will follow an eastwest route, providing infrastructure for railway lines 5, 85, and 88. These lines will offer direct connections to Warsaw, Gdansk, Katowice, and odz. According to CPKs schedule, the railway station and tunnel beneath the airport are expected to open in late 2032, coinciding with the introduction of a high-speed rail line between Warsaw and odz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional sections of Polands national high-speed Y network, linking odz to Wrocaw and Sieradz to Poznan, are projected for completion by 2035. CPK CEO Dr Filip Czernicki said: The tunnel is an integral part of high-speed line No. 85 linking the CPK Airport with Warsaw and odz. The station will form a fully integrated part of the terminal, enabling smooth and rapid transfers between rail and air. In July this year, CPK launched a tender to appoint a general contract engineer (GCE) for its new airport project. The selected contractor will act as both project management consultant (PMC) and construction manager, with proven experience in international greenfield airport projects and major infrastructure developments in Poland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April this year, Polands CPK awarded a 1.76bn zlotys ($465.7m) contract to a consortium led by PORR for the construction of a high-speed rail tunnel in odz. The CPK investment in odz forms part of the trans-European North SeaBaltic Corridor, a key route within the EUs core TEN-T network. In December 2024, five companies bid to build railway tunnel on line no. 85 in odz. The projects budget is 2.8bn zlotys ($684.4m), with bids ranging from 2.16bn zlotys to 2.79bn zlotys, all within the allocated budget. In January 2023, RB Rail, the joint venture coordinating Rail Baltica, signed an MoU with Poland's CPK and Czech rail operator Sprava zeleznic, statni organizace (SZCZ) to collaborate on developing a high-speed rail network in North-East Europe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rail Baltica aims to link the Baltic states to the European rail network. "Polands CPK opens tender for underground rail station and tunnel at new airport" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WJW) Multiple people were taken to the hospital following vehicle crashes on the border of Lakewood and Cleveland Tuesday morning, Lakewood police confirmed to FOX 8. Investigators release new photo of missing 12-year-old The incident began around 8:10 a.m., when a Lakewood Police officer was reportedly attempting to pull over a vehicle on West 117th Street just north of I-90. The driver did not stop, but before the Lakewood officer could radio in the attempted stop they were struck by another vehicle. That vehicle remained on scene, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver of the vehicle that struck the cruiser, and the officer were both OK, but the officer was taken to the hospital to get checked out. WJW photo The driver who initially fled from Lakewood Police crashed into another vehicle at W 117th Street and Western Avenue in Cleveland. Woman killed in local rollover crash identified: EMS Cleveland police responded to that crash and the Accident Investigation Unit is investigating due to serious injuries, police confirmed. Cleveland EMS said two people, a 51-year-old female in stable condition and a 35-year-old man in critical condition, were take to MetroHealth Medical Center. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Oct. 28A man found dead with his wife's body in the trunk of their car outside the West Milton Municipal Building killed her and another woman before killing himself, West Milton police said. Police said that the man, identified as Jacob E. Prichard, 34, killed his wife, 33-year-old Jaymee M. Prichard, as well as a co-worker, 25-year-old Jaime S. Gustitus of Sugarcreek Twp. early Saturday morning. Jaime Gustitus was a first lieutenant who worked in the 711th Human Performance Wing, Jacob Prichard was part of the Air Force Research Laboratory and Jaymee Prichard worked in the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, according to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Milton police said in a release at around 2 a.m. Saturday, Jacob Prichard went to Gustitus' apartment in the 1600 block of Honey Tree Place in Sugarcreek Twp., where he broke in and killed her. It is unknown when he killed his wife, police said, but his next known location was outside the municipal building at 4:22 a.m., where he got out, opened the trunk where his wife's body was, then killed himself. West Milton Chief of Police Doyle Wright said over the weekend that Prichard appeared to have shot himself, and a handgun was found on the ground near him. The bodies of the Prichards were discovered at 5:08 a.m. Saturday by a West Milton police officer who noticed the vehicle in the empty parking lot, Wright said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said that Jacob Prichard and Gustitus worked together at WPAFB, but otherwise their relationship is unclear. Friends of families of the Prichards and Gustitus can access counseling and support services through the Air Force's Casualty Assistance Office, the Air Force Employee Assistance Program and the Chaplain's Office. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones affected. We stand with them as they navigate this unimaginable pain, and we offer our sincerest condolences to all impacted by this heartbreaking loss," said Lt. Gen. Linda Hurry, deputy commander, Air Force Materiel Command. "We are committed to fully investigating this incident and ensuring the families and co-workers of the victims receive the support they need during this difficult time." West Milton police said they are working with all four agencies connected to the incident as well as the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Wright Patterson Office of Special Investigations. Anyone with information on the deaths is asked to call Miami County Sheriff's Office Lt. Jason Moore at 937-440-6085, ext. 3991. Staff writer Holly Souther contributed to this report. Oct. 27A man found dead with his wife's body in the trunk of their car outside the West Milton Municipal Building murdered her and another woman before killing himself, West Milton police said. Police said that the man, identified as Jacob E. Prichard, 34, killed his wife, 33-year-old Jaymee M. Prichard, as well as a coworker, 25-year-old Jaime S. Gustitus of Sugarcreek Twp. early Saturday morning. In a release, West Milton police said that at around 2 a.m. Saturday, Jacob Prichard went to Gustitus' apartment in the 1600 block of Honey Tree Place in Sugarcreek Twp., where he broke in and killed her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unknown when he killed his wife, police said, but his next known location was outside of the municipal building at 4:22 a.m., where he got out, opened the trunk where his wife's body was, then killed himself. West Milton Chief of Police Doyle Wright said over the weekend that Prichard appeared to have shot himself, and a handgun was found on the ground near him. The bodies of the Prichards were discovered at 5:08 a.m. Saturday by a West Milton police officer who noticed the vehicle in the empty parking lot, Wright said. Police said that Jacob and Gustitus worked together at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, but otherwise their relationship is unclear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Milton police said they are working with all four agencies connected to the incident as well as the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Wright Patterson Office of Special Investigations. Anyone with information on the murders is asked to contact Miami County Sheriff's Office Lt. Jason Moore by calling 937-440-6085, extension 3991. Staff writer Holly Souther contributed to this report. A person was hospitalized Tuesday after police fired their weapons in response to seeing that person brandish a firearm in Madisonville, officials said. Interim Chief Adam Hennie said they were sent to a residence on Haley Avenue around 2 p.m. along with Veterans Affairs social workers to perform a welfare check. He said after they arrived the person brandished a firearm. The officer fired shots, Hennie said. The person was taken to an area hospital with injuries that are not life threatening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No officers were injured, Hennie said. The department will provide more information in an Oct. 29 press conference, he said. Interim Chief Hennie's second appearance at shooting since promotion Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie addressed the media after an officer shot and hospitalized a person following a welfare check in Madisonville on Oct. 28, 2025. Hennie addressed media for the first time since becoming interim chief Oct. 22. That same day, a Cincinnati police officer fired at an 18-year-old in Winton Hills. Police said Marvonni Finnerson drove his car repeatedly into an occupied cruiser during the attempt to pull him over. Finnerson threw a firearm into the woods and ran before an officer fired at him and missed, according to a press release. Hennie became acting chief after City Manager Sheryl Long placed Police Chief Teresa Theetge on paid administrative leave Oct. 20. The city is looking into "the effectiveness of her leadership" over the police department, according to a statement. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Person hospitalized after police shooting, interim chief says NEED TO KNOW Knoxville Police Lt. Gordon Gwathney, 57, drowned during a hunting trip in North Dakota on Oct. 26, authorities said The Stutsman County Sheriff's Office said Gwathney's kayak tipped over and the members of the hunting party could not see him "Our hearts are with his family, friends, and co-workers as we grieve his untimely death," said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon A Tennessee police department is mourning after one of their own drowned during a hunting trip in North Dakota. This is an incomprehensible loss for our agency and the entire Knoxville community, Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel said in a press statement about Lt. Gordon Gwathney, 57. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gordon was beloved by our department and so many members of our community," Noel added. "He was a truly exceptional police officer who mentored generations of officers, dedicated his entire life to service and embodied the true spirit of community policing. As reported by KX News, the Stutsman County Sheriffs Office received a report on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 26, that a hunters kayak overturned north of Woodworth and that the members of the hunting party could not see their colleague. A sergeant with the sheriffs office said the victim was located and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The Knoxville Police Department subsequently identified the victim as Gwathney, who had served with the force since 1997. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gwathney, known endearingly as 'Officer G' throughout the East Knoxville community, served virtually his entire career on patrol, the department said in its statement. Early in his career, he was assigned as the first-ever School Resource Officer at Austin-East High School, where he formed countless lasting relationships in the community. Prior to joining the police force, Gwathney served in the U.S. Army and the Tennessee National Guard. We are completely devastated by his passing and ask the community to lift his family, the members of our department and all who loved Gordon up in prayer, they added. Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon also paid tribute Gwathney. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gordon Gwathney will always be remembered first and foremost as Officer G, the friendly, accessible, caring officer who took the time to really get to know the people he was entrusted to serve and protect," Kincannon said in a statement, "His commitment to listening and earning the trust of the community was exceptional. Our hearts are with his family, friends, and co-workers as we grieve his untimely death. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The police department thanked the agencies who responded to Sundays incident, including the Stutsman County Sheriffs Office and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. In an email to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Oct. 28, a representative for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department said the incident remains under investigation. Read the original article on People An investigation is underway after a deceased woman was found in a retention pond behind a New Hampshire business on Monday afternoon. The Derry Police Department responded to 71 Birch Street around 1:30 p.m. and found a woman lying at the base of the retention ponds embankment. Video investigators found video from a few days prior that shows the woman walking in the area. Police say she appeared to be ill or impaired and as she walked past the retention pond, she stumbled and fell, landing near the pond where she passed away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police say people nearby would have been unable to see her and she was only found on Monday when workers discovered her while landscaping. Police say the woman is around 45-50 years old with dark blond hair slightly longer than shoulder length. She was wearing a black sweatshirt and mid-thigh length skirt with a floral print design and gray sneakers. While an investigation is ongoing, police say there is no indication of any foul play. Anyone who may have information regarding her identity is asked to contact Derry Police at 603-432-6111. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW To Pakistan, its a fixed border. To Afghanistan, its merely hypothetical. Its the Durand Line: a legacy of the British Empire thats dividing the neighbours today. For weeks, Pakistani and Afghan forces have fought across and over the frontier drawn by 19th-century Britain through historically Pashtun lands. Now, as they attempt to negotiate a lasting ceasefire, the Taliban-run Afghan government is increasingly challenging its legality. Dozens of soldiers and civilians have been killed this month in skirmishes along the line. Pakistan launched airstrikes against cities across Afghanistan two weeks ago, an escalation that threatened to turn the border dispute into a wider war. A temporary ceasefire since then has largely held. But ahead of talks in Istanbul this weekend, there was little optimism that Pakistan and Afghanistan would find common ground on the differences or the line that divides them. What is the Durand Line? British officials drew the 1,640-mile Durand Line in 1893 to demarcate the border between Afghanistan and what was then the British Raj after the empire won the second of the three Anglo-Afghan wars. Under British pressure, Afghan Emir Abdur Rahman Khan accepted the loss of some ethnic Pashtun tribal lands, which were effectively annexed into British India. The resulting frontier, which runs from China in the northeast to Iran in the southwest, was named for British diplomat Mortimer Durand, then the foreign secretary of India. When Pakistan was created in the 1947 partition of India, it inherited the border. Since then, Islamabad has considered the matter settled, and has urged successive Afghan governments, and now the Taliban, to treat it as such. Ahead of the peace talks, Pakistani officials have reiterated that its not up for negotiation. But Afghanistan has long disputed the lines legitimacy. The Taliban have taken to referring to it as a hypothetical or imaginary border. More vexing to Pakistani officials, the Afghan Taliban have shown little interest in securing it against militants or smugglers. Of particular concern to Islamabad are militants in Pakistan who have sworn allegiance to the Afghan Taliban and are waging an expanding insurgency in the territory effectively annexed by Britain more than 130 years ago. Pakistani officials say the Afghan Taliban are actively supporting the militants efforts to establish Taliban rule in border regions that were historically Afghan. Pakistani officials blame most attacks on the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP. The groups leader, Noor Wali Mehsud, was the target of an alleged Pakistani airstrike in Kabul two weeks ago that ignited more than a week of border clashes. Mehsud survived the attack and has since re-emerged on camera. (Pakistan has not claimed responsibility for the strike.) The Afghan Taliban deny supporting the TTP and the TTP denies being supported or sheltered by the Afghan Taliban. Support for the TTP in the tribal border region appears to be limited. But the militants have been able to make some inroads recently by capitalising on the long-time perception among people on both sides of the border that the Durand Line was not supposed to have any effect on their everyday lives. In the 1980s, Pakistani officials even encouraged this as they shepherded weapons and fighters over the border to support the Afghan mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet Union. The mujahideen a precursor of the Taliban drew support and recruits from large ethnic Pashtun communities on both sides of the border. People didnt think of it as a border there were no passports, no visas, said Nisar Ali Khan Dawar, a 57-year-old tribal leader in Pakistan, who crossed the border freely into his 30s. Free passage ended after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Taliban had sheltered al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden; the United States responded to the attacks by invading Afghanistan. Under pressure from Washington, Pakistan closed border crossings and deployed troops to try to secure the border. Bin Laden slipped through to Pakistan anyway, but the impact on the border region has been severe and long-lasting. Communities that depended on cross-border trade lost their revenue streams, said Nisar Baaz, a local politician who supports closer Afghan-Pakistani ties. After the TTP formed in 2007 and started launching attacks in Pakistan, Islamabad moved to fortify the Durand Line, eventually building a fence that now runs along most of its length. Still, the border remains virtually impossible to surveil. TTP fighters and traffickers have frequently breached the fence, and some locals support the militants efforts. Analysts doubt that the Taliban government, recognised internationally only by Russia, can make a legal argument to challenge the Durand Line. The Taliban might view tensions along the Durand Line as domestically advantageous. By raising this issue again and again, they are using Afghan nationalism to distract people, said Zahid Hussain, a Pakistani political commentator. That may bring them short-term support at home, but it will only increase instability for both countries. Hussain cited closure of Afghan-Pakistani border crossings for the past two weeks, which has left traders on opposite sides of the border while millions of Afghans face severe hunger. EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Police are investigating after someone believed to be riding an electric-powered motorbike vandalized a brand new futsal court at Kent Heights Park in East Providence. East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva told 12 News the futsal court, which opened just months ago, was vandalized late last week. The green paint on the court has been scuffed and is covered in black tire marks from the motorbike. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a shame that we have to deal with this now, DaSilva said. We just spent almost $2 million on these renovations. The paint on these courts is expensive Now were going to have to spend possibly thousands of dollars to remove and repair the damage. DaSilva said an off-duty Department of Public Works employee spotted someone riding a motorbike doing burnouts and doughnuts on the court. The only purpose of doing that is to cause damage, DaSilva said. Youre purposefully damaging the property. The city has reported the vandalism to the East Providence Police Department, which confirmed to 12 News it is actively investigating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DaSilva told 12 News this incident only adds to the number of complaints hes received from residents about electric-powered bikes and scooters being used in public parks throughout the city. He described the bicycles and scooters as being the equivalent of electric-powered motorcycles. DaSilva said it appears teenagers and children are the ones who are riding these bicycles and scooters recklessly. Theyre riding them against traffic laws and its dangerous, DaSilva said. DaSilva is now looking to ban high-powered electric bicycles from the citys parks and sidewalks. Hes teamed up with East Providence City Council Vice President Frank Rego to create and introduce new regulations for electric-powered bicycles and scooters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre a little different from your traditional bicycle, Rego said. Its new, so there has to be some city ordinances to be able to go after them. We just need to have laws in place. DaSilva will also seek guidance from the East Providence Police Department for these new regulations, since it the citys officers will be the ones enforcing them. The investigation into the vandalism at Kent Heights Park is ongoing and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information is asked to contact the East Providence Police Department at (401) 435-7600. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. GLASTONBURY - A New Jersey man accused of stalking a woman admitted to a judge that he had tracked her through an old phone, according to a warrant for his arrest. The man, identified as 31-year-old Jared Huff, admitted during a court hearing that he knew the password to her phone and tracked her, the Glastonbury Police Department wrote in a warrant for his arrest. Huff also contacted the victim "incessantly," while also touching her rear end despite her telling him not to, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glastonbury police charged Huff, of Newark, N.J., with five misdemeanors on Oct. 4: fourth-degree sexual assault, second-degree stalking, second-degree harassment and two counts of disorderly conduct. Huff's bond initially was set at $100,000, but judicial records indicate his bond was lowered to $20,000 and he has been released from custody. He is next scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Manchester on Nov. 17. Police began investigating Huff when the woman approached a detective patrolling the area of Cotton Hollow Preserve on the evening of July 5, according to the warrant. The woman said she was on a date with someone when Huff showed up. He then took a picture of the woman and her date, laughing and saying it was "funny seeing you here," the warrant states. He later sent her the photo, the warrant said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The victim was baffled on how Jared knew where she was," police wrote in the warrant. "She did not post it on social media and did not tell anyone where she was going on the date." The woman also detailed other incidents involving Huff, such as a prior instance when he came to her house, according to the warrant. "While he was there, he said concerning comments to the victim such as I'm watching you. I always know what you're doing. I'm stalking you on social media,'" according to the warrant. The woman initially couldn't figure out how Huff knew her whereabouts, but then she recalled leaving an older cellphone connected to her iCloud account, which he could have accessed, police wrote in the warrant. Police said this theory was supported when Huff sent her a picture of her notes stored in her iCloud account. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police looked at copies of the communications between the woman and Huff, which showed he "contacts the victim incessantly, attempts to be sexual with her, and exhibits behavior consistent with stalking," the warrant states. The woman filed a restraining order against Huff and, during a hearing, Huff told a judge he knew the password to the woman's phone and admitted to tracking her, according to the warrant. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, including stalking, call or text the Domestic Violence Crisis Center's 24-hour hotline at 888-774-2900. This article originally published at Police say NJ man stalked Glastonbury woman through old phone: 'I always know what you're doing'. At least 20 people have been killed in Rio de Janeiro in a police operation against the Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, crime syndicate, according to Brazilian media reports on Tuesday. The dead included 18 suspects and two police officers, TV Globo reported. Nine police officers and three civilians suffered gunshot wounds. Criminals set barricades on fire, dropped explosive devices from drones and opened fire on the officers, according to reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Media accounts said 56 suspected gang members were detained during the large-scale operation in the Alemao favela and the Penha district in the north of Rio. At least 2,500 police officers took part in the operation to execute 100 arrest warrants. Videos showed black plumes of smoke rising over the districts. Comando Vermelho is one of the largest crime syndicates in the South American country and is chiefly active in drug trafficking. During the operation, a regional leader of the group and the finance chief of one of the gangs top bosses were detained, according to the authorities. At least 64 people, including four police officers, have been killed in a law enforcement operation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to local media reports. On Tuesday, Governor Claudio Castro issued a video statement saying 60 alleged criminals had been neutralised, as part of a large-scale police operation that saw police deliver more than 250 arrest and search warrants. He added that 81 people had been taken into custody, and weapons were seized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What do we want? A Rio de Janeiro and a Brazil free of crime, Castro said. And we will not retreat, because we believe the more public safety works, the freer you and your family will be. But the death toll has attracted international scrutiny. Tuesdays raid, in the north of the city, has become the single most lethal police operation in local history. Officials have explained that the violence was part of an effort against drug trafficking and organised crime called Operation Containment. The gang Comando Vermelho, also known as the Red Command, was named as one of the primary targets. The state government described Operation Containment as the largest ever initiative to target the group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operation aims to combat the territorial expansion of the Comando Vermelho and capture criminal leaders from Rio de Janeiro and other states, Governor Castro wrote on the social media platform X. Castro explained that as many as 2,500 officers took part in Tuesdays police raid, some equipped with armoured vehicles and helicopters. The initiative centred on the Alemao and Penha favela complexes low-income, densely populated neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. But gunfire broke out as the operation was under way, leading to dozens killed and injured, as well as road closures. Initial reports indicate stray bullets may have struck bystanders. Comando Vermelho is considered the main drug-trafficking organisation in Rio de Janeiro, and it holds power in some of the citys poorer neighbourhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But other criminal organisations have also exerted significant sway throughout the state. Sixty percent of the territory of the state of Rio de Janeiro is either controlled by drug gangs or by the militia, which were formal policemen that decided to charge people that live in the slums to pay them security fees, Al Jazeera correspondent Monica Yanakiew explained. In the 1980s, Comando Vermelho emerged as a major player in the global cocaine trade, collaborating with Colombian cartels and traffickers in the Amazon rainforest to distribute illicit narcotics. Brazil ranks second globally behind only the United States in gross cocaine consumption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The country documented more than 180,000 incidents involving cocaine trafficking in 2023, resulting in the seizure of nearly 130,000 kilograms (286,600 pounds) of the drug, according to government figures. Police raids against criminal organisations are not uncommon in Brazils favelas, and many turn deadly. In 2024, approximately 700 people died during police operations in Rio, a rate of almost two a day. One of the deadliest such raids came in 2021, when armed police stormed the Jacarezinho favela, killing at least 25 people. Al Jazeera obtained video and pictures at the time that showed homes riddled with bullet holes and blood flowing through the favela streets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such scenes raise concerns about police violence and the efficacy of such raids. Reporting from Rio de Janeiro, Yanakiew said she had spoken to residents who were upset by Tuesdays bloodshed. These are some relatives of the people that were taken here that are very angry, she said, gesturing around her. They say that there are some 20 bodies up the hill, which they cant take to the hospital. Yanakiew added that, with Brazil heading into a national election in 2026, the threat of criminal violence and drug trafficking is expected to take centre stage. Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced last week that he plans to run for re-election in the upcoming race, but he is set to face sharp criticism from Brazils right wing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government does not want to consider these criminal gangs as terrorists, as the right in Brazil wants, Yanakiew explained. So this is an ongoing debate now. Human rights groups have also questioned the timing of such large-scale police operations in Brazil, which are not uncommon before major international events. Next week, Rio de Janeiro will host the C40 World Mayors Summit and Prince Williams Earthshot Prize, awarded for environmental achievements. Later on, Brazil is expected to welcome world leaders for the United Nations climate summit, COP30, in the Amazonian city of Belem, starting November 10. The search for two endangered tortoises stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo has come to an end after the pair was found unharmed, officials said. An Egyptian tortoise and a Northern Spider tortoise, both of which are on the critically endangered species list, were taken from their enclosure in the zoos desert exhibit between 10 a.m. local time on October 11 and 10 a.m. on October 12, Indiana State Police say. Captain Ron Galaviz with the Indiana State Police confirmed to Fox 59 that the tortoises were not reported missing until last Thursday, 11 days after they vanished. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, authorities asked for the publics help in finding the two tortoises in a Facebook post. One day later, Indiana State Police announced they were found safe and uninjured in Falls Park in Pendleton, Indiana, about 40 miles from the zoo. The Indianapolis Zoo waited 11 days to report the theft of two endangered tortoises, including this Northern Spider tortoise (Indiana State Police) Park visitors stumbled upon an unattended cardboard box covered by a paper plate with a note referencing the Indianapolis Zoo. Inside the box, the visitors saw the two missing tortoises and immediately called the local police department. The tortoises were later positively identified as the two reported stolen after having their microchips scanned by Zoo personnel, state police said in a Tuesday release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident remains under investigation. After the tortoises went missing, Facebook users questioned how the theft couldve happened. Im curious how exactly you steal not one but TWO tortoises from a Zoo? one user wrote. To which another replied, We recently went to the Indianapolis zoo and theyre not in a really closed encounter. Theyre just smack in the middle with very accessible fence type thing you could reach in and pick it up. How do you walk out of the zoo with 2 turtles? That must be a big rain coat, a third user commented. But Galaviz explained the tortoises stolen were rather small. An Egyptian tortoise was also taken from the zoo between 10 a.m. local time on October 11 and 10 a.m. on October 12, police say (Indiana State Police) The tortoises are not the large giant tortoises that you see people sitting on and riding around on, he told Fox 59. These are actually very small, probably fit in the palm of your hand. According to the zoos website, the Egyptian tortoises are typically four inches long and weigh one pound, and are endangered due to habitat loss and pet trade. Northern Spider tortoises, which are five inches long and weigh one pound, suffer from habitat loss and poaching. A 37-year-old Milwaukee man was charged in the Oct. 20 shooting death of 16-year-old Marquis Champion, a student at Bay View High School. Martell Haire was charged with one count of first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree reckless injury, one count of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon in the triple shooting, which also injured a 17-year-old and 18-year-old. Police are still seeking Haire, who could face more than 141 years in prison if convicted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the criminal complaint, police responded to a residence on the 7900 block of West Hampton Avenue around 10 p.m. Oct. 20 after reports of a shooting. Champion was found in a car that had arrived on the scene and was pronounced dead; the other two victims were found at the residence and were taken to hospitals for their injuries. Surveillance video recovered from the scene picked up the sound of gunshots around 10 p.m. and a person, who was later identified as Haire, running across West Hampton Avenue and heading southbound on North 80th Street before leaving the camera's view. Witness interviews describe the three shooting victims as getting into a disagreement with Haire over Haire's referring to girls in the house as women. Haire was charged in November 2023 with first-degree sexual assault of a child and incest with a child, court documents show. An arrest warrant was issued for Haire in the case, and again in July after he failed to appear in court in a misdemeanor disorderly conduct case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milwaukee Alderman Mark Chambers Jr. said in an Oct. 27 statement that Champion was his nephew. He described Champion as "a good kid with a bright spirit and a big heart," with "so many dreams ahead of him," and asked for the community's help in finding Haire. Anyone with any information on Haires whereabouts is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips. More: 16-year-old killed, 2 teens injured in Milwaukee shooting This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Police looking for suspect in shooting death of Milwaukee 16-year-old MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) The Marshall Police Department is seeking leads to help solve a homicide. On Sunday, October 26, 2025, just before 9 p.m., MPD officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 1900 block of Bean Street. When they arrived, they identified a deceased male victim, identified as 48-year-old Carlos Dewayne Hill, at the scene. During their investigation, officers learned that the suspect had fled. Now, MPD is asking members of the community to help them identify and locate the person responsible for Hills slaying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Marshall Police Department at 903-935-4575 or provide an anonymous tip to Marshall-Harrison Crime Stoppers at 903-935-9969. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTALnews.com. This Halloween, state and local government officials, as well as law enforcement officials, are warning parents and caregivers to be extra vigilant when checking the packaging of candy and snack products. A police department in Michigan issued a warning to community members after uncovering counterfeit candy and snacks containing THC and hallucinogenic mushroom products while executing a search warrant at a local residence. The counterfeit candy and snacks were in packaging that looked like the authentic product, according to police. Warren Police Department - PHOTO: The Warren Police Department in Warren, Michigan, shared a photo of counterfeit candy and snacks that contain THC. "We thought to ourselves, 'Wow, if a group of trained investigators looked at this and didn't pay any attention, what's your average kid gonna do on Halloween?," Lt. John Gajewski, public information officer for the Warren Police Department in Michigan, told ABC News. "And we just felt we wanted to get this message out there to parents and children to be vigilant this Halloween season." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gajewski added that police have no evidence the items found while executing the search warrant were going to be distributed on Halloween. Still, he said, parents and caregivers should be aware of lookalike candy and snack products that contain THC. "If you're possessing these legally in your house, and you want to use them, that's your business," he said of THC-containing products. "But put them away, lock them up like medication, so that somebody, an adult or a child, doesn't get them accidentally." The top Halloween trends of 2025 THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is a psychoactive compound found in marijuana, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consuming THC produces a psychoactive effect, according to the DEA. In the United States, the legality and enforcement of THC use varies by state. In Arkansas, state officials are also warning parents and caregivers to look at candy packaging carefully. According to Arkansas Tobacco Control, some candy-like products that contain THC and are illegal under Arkansas law can be found at gas stations and convenience stores. "The concern for us is that a lot of these products very closely resemble products that kids normally consume that are available in gas stations or grocery stores," David Potter, regulatory enforcement director for Arkansas Tobacco Control, told ABC Little Rock station KATV-TV. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With SNAP cuts looming, some suggest handing out nonperishables to trick-or-treaters Gajewski told ABC News that parents and caregivers should look for warning labels on the packaging of candy-like products. "Look for unusual symbols, unusual odors, anything that may indicate this isn't normal," he said, adding that people can also call their local police department if they have concerns. On Halloween, Gajewski said people should avoid consuming candy that is unwrapped or comes from a source they do not know or trust. Officials told ABC News that the makers of the candy and snack products shown in the warnings are not behind the fake products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ferrara Candy Company, the maker of Troll and Nerds candy products, told ABC News in a statement that its products found at major retailers are safe. "We are deeply concerned that our candy packaging imagery or deceitful lookalike logos are being used ... intentionally or otherwise, [on] unregulated products that have been demonstrated to be unsafe for children," the company said. A common view in the crude oil market is that Western sanctions against Russias exports are pointless as the market quickly devises ways to keep cargoes flowing. The same dynamic may be at play with US President Donald Trumps latest sanctions, announced last week, which targeted Russias two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft. These two majors produce roughly 5 per cent of the total global crude oil. The expectation is that Russias oil exporters will be able to circumvent any new sanctions by utilising the dark fleet of tankers and a myriad of middlemen and banking arrangements that avoid US dollars. Past experience suggests this is indeed the most likely outcome, and that any disruption to Russias crude exports will be short-lived and limited in scale. Does this mean that the sanctions are a wasted effort? It all depends on what you really want to achieve. If the aim is to prevent Russian oil from being exported by cutting off its remaining buyers in China and India, then these latest measures are likely to prove ineffectual. If the aim is to keep Russian barrels in the global market, but cut the revenue Moscow receives for selling its oil, then the sanctions may be somewhat more effective. The new sanctions make it riskier for refiners in China and India, who are the only major buyers for Russian oil, to do business with Moscow. They are likely to demand steeper discounts to keep importing Russian barrels. Shutting Russian oil companies out of the global US dollar banking system also imposes costs on oil revenue, as routing money through complex shell companies and numerous offshore jurisdictions means every intermediary takes a cut. Clearly Western sanctions against Russia arent having much apparent impact on persuading President Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine, and they are also unlikely to result in a significant reduction in export volumes. But they make it harder for Russia to sell crude, and the money received per barrel may decline. Much will depend on whether Trump is successful in reaching trade deals with India and China, and whether Russian oil forms part of these deals. Its likely that both New Delhi and Beijing will want significant concessions from Washington if they are to end or significantly reduce their imports of Russian oil. For now, Russian oil is likely to continue to flow, but the main risk for the market is that it becomes more of a political tool in the broader reshaping of global trade under Trump.Reuters WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polish prosecutors on Tuesday requested lifting the parliamentary immunity of a former justice minister who is facing charges of abuse of power and mishandling funds including for buying Israeli spyware allegedly used against political opponents. Zbigniew Ziobro was alleged to have misused a fund under the Ministry of Justice for victims of violence for other purposes, including the purchase of Israeli Pegasus surveillance software. Prosecutors said they have evidence Ziobro allegedly created and led an organized crime group responsible for diverting money from the same Justice Fund for personal and political interests. Ziobro served as the justice minister and prosecutor general between 2015 and 2023, under the conservative Law and Justice party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anna Adamiak, a spokesperson for the General Prosecutor's Office, told a news conference that 150 million zloty ($42 million) from the Justice Fund were misappropriated. Prosecutors were seeking Ziobros arrest on charges that carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, she added. The current government, led by center-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk, claimed that Law and Justice used Pegasus to spy on political opponents, including prominent politicians from Tusk's party. Polish authorities are investigating the claims. Tusk's government came to power with a promise to hold the former government to account for alleged abuses committed while in office. There are no sacred cows, the current justice minister, Waldemar Zurek, wrote on X, announcing the request to lift Ziobro's immunity. The speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, who receives the request, is a political ally of Tusk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors have earlier charged Micha Wos, a former Ziobro deputy, with abuse of power for his role in the purchase of Pegasus. Prosecutors have also unsuccessfully sought the lifting of the immunity of Bogdan Swieczkowski, the current president of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, over orders he gave while he served as a national prosecutor in relation to Pegasus surveillance operations. Zbigniew Ziobro did not immediately respond to the prosecutors' allegations. He was in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday, writing on X that he would tell Hungarian friends what life under a Brussels-anointed prime minister looks like," in a swipe at Tusk. The Law and Justice party accuses Tusk of being an EU puppet. Hungary, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has hosted several politicians close to Law and Justice while Polish authorities were seeking them. Speaking during a parliamentary commission looking into Pegasus, Ziobro said Sept. 29 that he was the initiator of the purchase of the spy software but insisted it was used for legitimate purposes, to uncover the activities of people who were embezzling Polish assets." Despite being a current frontrunner to lead the Democrats in the next presidential election, California Governor Gavin Newsom is not the current favorite to win the New Hampshire primary the first that will take place in 2028. Newsom occupies second place with 15 percent of voters choosing him as their preferred presidential candidate, losing out to former Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who has 19 percent, according to a new poll. Though few delegates are chosen in the New Hampshire primary, a date for which has not yet been set, the contest receives massive media coverage, and a poor showing can cast major doubts on a campaigns viability. Those that dont rank highly in the Granite State may find momentum hard to build. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joining Newsom and Buttigieg in the top three is New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has 14 percent, according to a very early snapshot in the University of New Hampshires poll, which was released Monday. On the other side of the political aisle, the poll shows that Vice President JD Vance currently leads other potential Republican candidates, with a commanding 51 percent of the vote. Former presidential hopeful Nikki Haley follows, with just 9 percent. Despite being a current frontrunner to lead the Democrats in 2028, California Governor Gavin Newsom is not the current favorite to win the New Hampshire primary the first of the midterms next year (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Newsom occupies second place with 15 percent of voters choosing him as their preferred presidential candidate, losing out to former Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg (pictured), who has 19 percent, according to a new poll (AP) Newsom confirmed Sunday that he was specifically considering a bid for president in 2028, but added that he was first focused on helping his party win Congressional seats in the 2026 midterms. The Governor has risen steadily in the ranks of contenders amid his online sparring with Donald Trump earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside of the top three current favorites in the New Hampshire primary are former Vice President Kamala Harris in fourth with 11 percent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in fifth with 8 percent, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker with 6 percent. On the other side of the political aisle, the poll shows that Vice President JD Vance currently blows other potential Republicans candidates out of the water, with a commanding 51 percent of the vote (AP) However, despite occupying the number four spot, a breakdown of favorability shows that 17 percent of voters have expressed negative views towards Harris compared with 55 percent positive. Despite this, the former VP confirmed to the BBC in an interview last week that she was also considering a 2028 bid. By contrast, just 6 percent view Pete Buttigieg unfavorably, while 81 percent hold positive views of the former Mayor of South Bend. Some 72 percent hold positive opinions of Newsom, and 13 percent hold unfavorable opinions. (The Center Square) One week out from Election Day, Democrat Abigail Spanberger is leading Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginias race for governor, according to the latest polling. Earle-Sears has stepped away from the campaign trail this week to attend a special legislative session in Richmond, where lawmakers are reconvening ahead of the Nov. 4 election. A new Wason Center poll from Christopher Newport University shows Spanberger at 50% and Earle-Sears at 43%. About 6% of voters said theyre still undecided, and 1% said they plan to back someone else. The survey included just over 800 likely voters and was taken Oct. 21 through 23, about a week before early voting wraps up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanbergers lead is strongest among Democrats, black voters and Virginians under 45. Earle-Sears continues to do well with Republicans, white voters and men. In the lieutenant governors race, Democrat Sen. Ghazala Hashmi is slightly ahead of Republican John Reid, 47% to 45%. Reid recently hosted what may have been Virginias first AI debate, featuring an AI-generated image of Hashmi, which drew plenty of attention and questions. The attorney generals race is even tighter. Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is holding a slim edge over Democrat Jay Jones, 46% to 45%, after renewed focus on Joness 2022 text-messaging scandal. Most voters said theyve heard about it, and nearly half said it could influence their vote. Voters said their biggest concerns this election are threats to democracy and the cost of living, followed by health care and immigration. About 29% of voters said theyve already cast their ballots, with Republicans slightly ahead of Democrats so far. Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday marked the 60th anniversary of the Vatican document that revolutionized the Catholic Churchs relations with Jews, reaffirming the commitment to dialogue at a time of rising antisemitism over Israels war in Gaza. Leo presided over a two-part interfaith commemoration of the anniversary: He first joined religious leaders from over a dozen faith traditions in an appeal for peace at the Colosseum, then presided over an evening event focused on the landmark document at the Vatican. In the text, Nostra Aetate, Latin for In Our Time, the Catholic Church deplored antisemitism in every form and repudiated the deicide charge that blamed Jews as a people for Christs death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The idea of Jewish collective guilt for the crucifixion had fueled antisemitism for centuries. The Vatican crafted the document repudiating it as the church reckoned with the role traditional Christian teaching had played in the Holocaust. The document itself was issued in 1965, during the Second Vatican Council, the meetings that modernized the Catholic Church and revolutionized the way it related to other religions and the modern world. It has been credited with helping improve relations between Christians and Jews ever since. In his comments Tuesday night, Leo said the document was historic, the first time the Vatican had provided the theological basis for the Jewish roots of Christianity. He said it takes a firm stand against all forms of antisemitism and remained highly relevant today. This historic document, therefore, opened our eyes to a simple yet profound principle: dialogue is not a tactic or a tool, but a way of life a journey of the heart that transforms everyone involved, the one who listens and the one who speaks, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This years anniversary comes amid a surge in antisemitism linked to Israels military actions in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. In the United States alone, the Anti-Defamation League says the number of antisemitic incidents reached a record high last year, with 58% of the 9,354 incidents related to Israel, notably chants, speeches and signs at rallies protesting Israeli policies. The war has similarly strained the Vaticans relations with the Jewish community. Pope Francis repeatedly angered Jewish and Israeli leaders with comments they perceived as drawing a moral equivalence between the Hamas attacks and Israels war in Gaza. Francis did meet with relatives of hostages taken by Hamas and called repeatedly for them to be returned. But he called for an investigation to determine if Israels attacks in Gaza constitute genocide and said Israels military response was disproportionate. Leo didnt minimize the strain when he met with Jewish leaders and faith leaders who attended his installation as pope in May. In greeting the Jewish leaders present, he recalled Christians special relationship with Jews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours, Leo said in May. Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee, said Leos acknowledgment of the problems was in itself a big step forward. In Rome to mark the anniversary, Marans said he hoped for continued, firm position from the Vatican repudiating antisemitism. Never in the relationship of Catholics and Jews since Nostra Aetate has the Jewish people been more in need of friends who commit themselves to combating antisemitism with every fiber of their being, he said in an interview. The Catholic Church has one of the largest megaphones available. It has moral suasion that is unparalleled. We hope that they will use all of the tools in their arsenal to double down in that effort, he added. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. ROME (AP) Pope Leo XIV urged Catholic teachers on Tuesday to focus less on pre-professional outcomes and more on educating students to have rich spiritual lives and use technology in ways that keep human dignity front and center. Leo issued a set of marching orders to Catholic educators during a special Holy Year celebration that has brought thousands of teachers, students and administrators to Rome. The brief text, which Leo signed Monday at a Mass for the Jubilee pilgrims, is an update to a 1965 Vatican document laying out the priorities for Catholic educators that was adopted during the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings that modernized the church. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Catholic Church is one of the worlds leading players in education, operating more than 225,000 primary and secondary schools and enrolling some 2.5 million students at Catholic universities around the globe, according to Vatican statistics. Leo was educated by the Augustinians and is a member of the Augustinian religious order, which places a special emphasis on St. Augustines search for truth and the command Tolle, lege" ("Take up and read"). In the text, Leo repeated that parents are the primary educators for their children and that Catholic schools must cooperate with them, not take their place. And he said Catholic teachers must themselves be models for their students. Educators are called to a responsibility that goes beyond their work contract: their witness is worth as much as their lessons, he wrote, calling for ongoing training for Catholic teachers in both academic and spiritual fields. He didnt mention issues such as teachers private lives or sexual orientation, avoiding the polemics over cases where gay teachers have been fired by Catholic schools in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leo said Catholic education isnt measured in efficiencies or output but rather in dignity, justice and the capacity to serve the common good. Such a vision, he said, goes against a purely mercantilist approach that often forces education today to be measured in terms of functionality and practical utility. He cited priorities Pope Francis had listed for Catholic educators, which emphasized inclusion, ecology and the common good, and added three more: He said Catholic educators should emphasize the interior spiritual life of students, use a disarmed and disarming language that eschews violence, and promotes a responsible use of technology, including artificial intelligence, that keeps human dignity foremost. The Catholic school is a place where faith, culture and life cross paths, he wrote. Its not just an institution, but a living environment in which the Christian vision permeates every discipline and every interaction." ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. This packaging mix-up is beyond bizarre. Teasdale Foods, Inc. is recalling certain taco dinner kits because the kits contained cocoa packets instead of taco seasoning. Officially, the company announced a recall because the cocoa mix packets contain milk, and milk is an allergen that needs to be disclosed on the packaging. The unexpected milk could be dangerous for people who have an allergy or sensitivity to milk and may cause a life-threatening allergic reaction. The company launched a recall after consumers reported taco dinner kits containing cocoa mix packets instead of taco seasoning packets. No surprise, people expecting chili powder and cumin did not want to eat taco meat seasoned with hot cocoa. Teasdale Foods says the problem was caused by mislabeling of the taco seasoning packets by the third-party seasoning provider. The offending taco dinner kits were sold at Aldi, Giant Food, and Martin's Super Markets. Simply Recipes / Retailers How To Identify the Taco Dinner Kits The recall announcement lists two affected products. Here's what to look for on the packaging to determine whether your dinner kit is part of the recall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The kit packaged in a blue and yellow box was sold at Aldi: Product Name: Casa Mamita Soft Taco Dinner Kit UPC: 4099100318715 Lot code: 25259 Best if used by date: MAR 15 26 (on the back of the package) The kit packaged in a purple box was sold at Martins and Giant: Product Name: Crunchy Taco Dinner Kit UPC: 68826757516 Lot code: 25257 Best if used by date: MAR 13 26 (on the back of the package) The products were distributed to stores in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. What To Do if You Have a Recalled Product If you purchased one of the taco dinner kits, return it to the store where you bought it for a refund. If you have questions, reach out to the company at teasdalecomplaints@teasdalefoods.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For people who are allergic to milk, an allergic reaction usually occurs not long after you drink or eat a product containing milk. Symptoms can include wheezing, hives, digestive issues, and vomiting. The reaction can be mild to severe and may include anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. If you experience a serious reaction, see a doctor. Read the original article on Simply Recipes Port Houston announced the completion of its share of the $1 billion Houston Ship Channel Expansion (Project 11) during Mondays commission meeting, marking a major milestone toward widening one of the nations busiest waterways; even as residents and environmental groups pressed for stronger safeguards over dredging practices. Port officials said the widened channel through Galveston Bay expanded from 530 feet to 700 feet will improve safety, reduce vessel emissions, and strengthen Houstons competitiveness. This is really big for our port and our channel and our region, Charlie Jenkins, CEO of Port Houston, said during the meeting. It has already had measurable efficiency gains and safety gains for all users of the Houston Ship Channel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jenkins said daylight-restricted vessels now have an additional two-and-a-half hours each day to sail. Thats a huge improvement in emissions because ships arent sitting out there waiting and it helps balance the workload of the channel, making it safer for everyone, Jenkins said. Jenkins also reported that September tonnage rose 6% year-over-year, with total throughput up 5% year-to-date, even as some commodity imports softened. Port Houston handled 337,659 twenty-foot equivalent units in September, a 2% year-over-year increase compared to the same month in 2024. Compared to most ports, were faring very well given the economic uncertainties, he said. Public concerns over dredge spoil placement The meetings public comment period was dominated by concerns about dredge spoil disposal sites linked to Project 11. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives from the Environmental Defense Fund, Public Citizen, and local neighborhood coalitions urged the port to support a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proposal to barge dredged material to offshore bay sites instead of reusing legacy placement areas near Pleasantville and Clinton Park. Paige Varner, a toxicologist scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the dredge spoils could pose contamination risks. Testing from USACE and communities show that the material from both Project 11 dredging and ongoing maintenance dredging contains potentially hazardous concentrations of chemicals, including dioxins, furans, PCBs, arsenic, and PAHs, Varner said. These chemicals are linked to multiple cancers, developmental and reproductive harm, liver damage, and immune system suppression. Varner said samples exceeded EPA risk levels by up to 25 times and nearby neighborhoods already face some of the highest cancer and non-cancer health risks in the country from air pollution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Varner urged the port to halt any new on-land placement of dredge spoils until comprehensive, transparent risk assessments are completed. It is imperative that the port take immediate steps to protect affected communities, she said. Retired Army Corps engineer Bill Empson echoed those concerns, saying the proposed onshore sites should undergo full dam-safety reviews, while Adrian Shelley, director of Public Citizens Texas office, asked the commission to make a decision in favor of public health and safety. Major capital approvals Commissioners also advanced a slate of infrastructure and maintenance contracts, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement $20 million for construction of Container Yard 7 North at Barbours Cut Terminal. $4.65 million for design of Wharf 8 at Bayport Terminal. $1.7 million for two truckable push boats and a maintenance barge. Renewals and new pipeline and barge-fleeting leases with Kirby Inland Marine and others The post Port Houston completes ship channel dredging amid environmental scrutiny appeared first on FreightWaves. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Portland woman who was detained by immigration authorities despite a judge dropping proceedings to remove her from the United States was released from custody and reunited with her family on Monday, Oregon lawmakers announced. Im so grateful to have my freedom today, said Jackie Merlos. So many people have been by my side in this long journey. Im so appreciative. I cant wait to hug my babies. And then I will get to work for others like me. The case surrounds Kenia Jackline Jackie Merlos a Portland mother and business owner originally from Honduras. Merlos first entered the United States in 2003, according to court documents, noting she has no criminal history or arrests in the U.S. or abroad. DONT MISS: Outrage grows over cruel ICE detainments as Oregon lawmakers press for answers On October 23, Merloss attorney filed a petition for habeas corpus advocating for her release from immigration enforcement custody since her removal proceedings were cleared by a judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merloss attorney, Stacey Rogers with SRR Law Group, confirmed to KOIN 6 on Monday that the U.S. Attorneys Office conferred with Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the petition was filed and agreed to release Merlos. The case goes back to June 28, 2025, when Merlos (who had pending immigration documents not yet finalized by the federal government), along with her nine-year-old triplets and her seven-year-old son (who are U.S. citizens), traveled from their Portland home to Peace Arch State Park at the U.S.-Canada border. The family was joined by Merlos mother, who held a visitors visa, according to court documents. Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Eye on Northwest Politics At the park, Merlos and her family were visiting her sister (a permanent resident of Canada), Merlos brother-in-law (a Canadian citizen) and their two children. But as the family gathering came to an end, the Merlos family faced detention at a Washington immigration facility, according to court documents. While saying their goodbyes, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers approached and accused (Merlos) of attempting to smuggle her sister, niece, and nephew into the United States. (Merlos) and all accompanying relatives, including six children taken into custody, according to the petition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keizer teen arrested after alleged mass shooting attempt in Lincoln City Court filings from Merloss attorney indicate that Merlos and her children were held in CBP custody for two weeks, alleging that CBP officers repeatedly refused her requests to speak with counsel and sought to remove her and her children to Honduras. Following the familys detainment, Merloss case gained attention from Oregon lawmakers, notably, Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (OR-03), who advocated for Merlos release, saying the family was detained without cause, and visited the family while they were detained in Washington state. On July 14, U.S. District Court Judge Tana Lin in Seattle found that the family was serially re-located and denied access with counsel. The judge issued an emergency order that halted Merlos deportation, prevented CBP from moving the Merlos family from the courts jurisdiction and allowed the family to access legal counsel, Oregon lawmakers previously announced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Kotek demands USDA to continue SNAP benefits despite federal shutdown That day, the Merlos children were released from custody and were watched by a family friend, Oregon lawmakers explained. Court documents claim that while the family was detained, CBP detention officers contacted ICE about Merlos husband Carlos Merlos and ICE detained him at the same facility. On Oct. 2, a judge then reinstated his prior removal order to Honduras and according to Oregon lawmakers he was deported. While Jackie Merlos children were released, CBP served her with a Notice to Appear, charging her under the Immigration and Nationality Act as an alien present without admission or parole, and no criminal charges were filed against her, court documents state. Two days later, Merlos was transferred from CBP custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Seattle, where Oregon lawmakers said she remained in custody despite her removal proceedings being terminated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PHOTOS: Maine Coon cats rescued from neglect up for adoption at Oregon Humane Society Now, Rogers and Oregon lawmakers are celebrating her release. I can confirm that we filed a habeas petition in federal court last week seeking the immediate release of Kenia Jackeline Jackie Merlos from ICE custody, after her deportation case was terminated due to her pending U visa. For context, a U visa is granted to victims of certain crimes who assist law enforcement and allows them to remain in the U.S. legally while their applications are processed, Rogers told KOIN 6. We are very grateful for the strong community and congressional support that brought attention to Jackies situation. Weve now been notified that ICE has agreed to release her, and she should be going home today to be reunited with her family. Lawmakers react Jackies freedom is proof that the power of the people is greater than the people in power, Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (OR-03) said in a statement. Oregonians refused to be silent, and because of that, Jackie is free and will be home with her children. This is a moment for celebration, but its also a painful reminder that justice was long delayed and actively undermined by the federal government. Jackies faith, her community, and her resilience got her homebut thousands of others will never see equal justice. That is un-American. Our community cannot let up now; we must keep using our power to protect our neighbors and keep families together. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christine Drazan running again for Oregon governor in 2026 If we allow families to be torn apart and our neighbors to be detained by their government indefinitely without due process, we surrender the values that define our great republic, said Sen. Jeff Merkley. I joined my colleaguesCongresswoman Dexter, Senator Wyden, and Congresswoman Bonamicito demand the release of Jackie Merlos, an innocent mother of four children who was held in ICE custody for over 100 days. Today, thanks to the voices of countless Oregonians and the tireless work of Jackies legal team and local organizations, Jackie is going home, though her experience isnt an anomaly. Trump continues to shred our Constitution, allowing due process to be illegally denied and using ICE to stoke fear and uncertainty in our communities. We must keep ringing the alarm bells on his authoritarianism and fight for the rights of all our friends and neighbors. Im glad our delegations teamwork has succeeded in helping to free this Oregon mom and reunite her with her four U.S. citizen children, Sen. Ron Wyden said. Jackie Merlos should never have been cruelly separated from her kids and illegally imprisoned thanks to Donald Trumps scattershot immigration schemes. Ill never stop pushing back against this Trump madness so that due process and civil rights are upheld for everyone in America. It is encouraging that Jackie Merlos will finally be reunited with her four young children, but ICE never should have separated this family, said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01). Many families, like Jackies, are being ripped apart by an out-of-control federal agency using cruel, violent, and often illegal enforcement tactics. My heart goes out to the entire Merlos family and to all of the families who are continuing to fight to be with their loved ones again. Thank you to my colleague, Rep. Maxine Dexter, for leading on this case with heart and persistence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oaks Park kicks off 20-year expansion plan In a statement to KOIN 6 News, a spokesperson for CBP said, Kenia Jackeline Merlos was arrested by Border Patrol agents in Peace Arch Park attempting to smuggle illegal aliens into the U.S. on June 28. Initially, the children remained with the motherat her requestin Border Patrol custody. CBP noted the agency will not comment further on active or pending litigation at this time. KOIN 6 News has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Attorney Generals Office. This story will be updated if we receive a response. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) With a potential transportation nightmare headed for New York City schools, parents may need alternate resources to get their child to school. New York City Mayor Eric Adams laid out a contingency plan ahead of the possible disruption of service when multiple school bus companies emergency contracts expire on Oct. 31. More Local News Adams said his administration is working toward a resolution with the bus companies, but has a backup plan just in case it doesnt get done in time. The mayor added that New York City Public Schools has sent another round of emergency contract extensions to the companies to continue negotiations and keep the kids on the yellow buses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If things dont work out, here are some ways the city is trying to help parents worried about how their children can get to and from school safely and on time. All impacted families will be eligible for free OMNY cards for students and caregivers, according to Mayor Adams. These cards will be distributed by schools. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Some students will be eligible for pre-paid ride share options and transportation reimbursements, Adams said. To qualify, students will need to be one of the following: Transportation recommended on an Individualized Education Program or 504 Accommodation Plan Living in temporary housing or foster care Approved for transportation exceptions Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an attempt to ensure transparency, schools will notify families if their childs bus service is affected using contact information through their New York City Schools account. To learn more about these options, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. TOWN OF PIERREPONT, N.Y. (WWTI) A 23-year-old Potsdam man is facing charges after an alleged DWI following an August crash. New York State Police arrested Timothy Farns following an alleged crash just before 11 p.m. on August 27 on State Route 56 in the town of Pierrepont. Cocaine allegedly found during traffic stop in St. Lawrence County State Troopers located a 2015 black Ford that had left the roadway upon arriving on the scene. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Farns. An investigation allegedly determined that Farns was traveling southwest on State Route 56 when he failed to negotiate a curve, left the roadway, struck a tree and a National Grid utility pole, and came to rest in a nearby yard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities allegedly observed signs of impairment while speaking with Farns. He was evaluated by Potsdam EMS and transported to Canton-Potsdam Hospital for further evaluation. While at the hospital, Troopers administered a Standardized Field Sobriety Test, which Farns failed. He subsequently consented to a blood draw to determine his blood alcohol content. The toxicology report later indicated a BAC of .19%. Farns reported to the state police station in Canton for processing on Sunday. He was charged with Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated and issued traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Pierrepont Court at a later date in November. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWTI - InformNNY.com. In Jingdezhen, a town four hours inland from Shanghai, China, even the lampposts are made of glazed ceramic. Known as the porcelain capital of the world, since the Qin dynasty, its had an unbroken tradition of porcelain-making that continues to this day. The whole town is abuzz right now, says contemporary artist and ceramicist Madhvi Subrahmanian, from the towns Taoxichuan Creative Art District, which shes visiting as one of the nominees for the inaugural Jingdezhen Prize 2025, which opened with its first exhibition and ceremony on October 17. Jointly initiated by the World Crafts Council (WCC), the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC), and the Jingdezhen Creative Design Centre, the prize has been conceived to celebrate innovation in ceramics, while honouring its traditions. In this, its first edition, it received over 1,300 applications from 55 countries, and 41 finalists were chosen through a blind review process. The works were presented in the opening exhibition of the Taoxichuan International Craft Art Museum, titled Star Atlas: Voyage Routes. The exhibition traces humanitys creative journey through clay, from the earliest handmade vessels and tools to contemporary works that reinterpret those gestures through new materials, ideas, and technologies. Its about mapping where we come from through what we make, says Subrahmanian, who divides her time between Mumbai and Singapore. The infinite loop Within this curatorial constellation, Subrahmanians installationpart of her long-evolving Spiral seriesechoes a gravitational pull. Composed of over 800 individually hand-made ceramic cones, each hand-painted with a spiral motif, the work unfurls across the wall in a hypnotic circular motion. The spiral forms the backbone of her practice. It exists in every act of making with clay, from wedging to coiling to throwing. Its a universal form that speaks of continuity, momentum, and infinity. Each cone, she adds, represents variation within repetitionthick, thin, tall, smallcollectively forming what mathematicians call a concho-spiral, or a spiral upon a spiral base. Its both imperfect and infinite, she smiles. For me, it reflects the dualities of lifecreation and dissolution, containment and expansion. Even in the Mahabharata, the Chakravyuh formation is a spiral, an image of power and destruction existing together. Installed on a circular board for the first timeinstead of directly on the wallat the curators request, the piece responds to the exhibitions architectural rhythm, its circular galleries, its orbiting visitors, and its title itself. It draws people in, she relates. Even though its made of such small pieces, it commands the space around it. Its very demanding that way, you cant put anything next to it; it simply absorbs everything. Creating in sync Placed beside her is a South African artists black sculptural form, stark and upright, creating what Subrahmanian describes as a conversation of opposites. She elaborates, His work had this phallic, outward energy, and mine was absorbing, feminine, inward. There was this poetic balanceblack and white, male and female, object and installation. Elsewhere in the exhibition, an Australian artist has recreated pottery forms using cake-icing piping bags; a Chinese artist has printed glaze digitally in spiralling patterns; and a Spanish ceramicist worked with algae-based materials to mimic the biology of human skin. It was incredibly inspiring to see so many different ways of thinking through the same material, says Subrahm-anian who is with Chemould Prescott Road. Every piece was exploring a new relationship between craft, body, and technology, but nothing felt out of place. And the curators gave everything equal footinghandmade, digital, conceptual. No hierarchy, just harmony. A dialogue around contemporary ceramics For Subrahmanian, the Jingdezhen Prize isnt just an accoladeits an affirmation of the growing global dialogue around ceramics. Awards like this push the practice forward, she emphasises. They make artists look harder at their material, challenge themselves to innovate, and at the same time, not lose sight of the roots that ground them. She speaks from experience: as co-founder and co-curator of the Indian Ceramics Triennale, shes helped create a similar platform for artists back home. The idea isnt to pick the best work, she notes. Its to bring pieces into conversationto see how they interact, resonate, and evolve together. And yet, beyond the networks and juries, the most lasting dialogue happens quietly between the artwork and the viewer. People often ask me how to understand contemporary art, she says. I tell themdont read the label first. Just look. If it makes you stop, even for a few seconds, its done something. For details: jingdezhenprize.com Oct. 28AIKEN The "Powderhouse Connector Road" under construction on Aiken's Southside between Whiskey Road and Powderhouse Road was named "Tribute Parkway" Oct. 27 by Aiken City Council to honor law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. One roundabout on the new road will be named for Master Public Safety Officer Scotty Richardson, who was fatally shot during a traffic stop on Dec. 20, 2011. He was 33 years old and had been on the force for 12 years. His three sons were ages 5, 4 and 16 months old at the time of his death. Richardson was the first officer killed in the line of duty in Aiken since 1950. Another roundabout will be named for Master Cpl. Sandy Rogers, who was shot and killed while off-duty but responding to a suspicious person call on Jan. 28, 2012. She was 48 years old and a 27-year veteran of the force. Rogers was the first female officer to be killed in the line of duty in South Carolina history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This project has been on the books for 19 years," Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh told the council. "We've had several discussions about naming the road," he said, mentioning that Powderhouse Connector was "a placeholder." The council discussed the renaming at its Oct. 13 work session. Bedenbaugh said naming the road "Tribute Parkway" would "recognize those public safety, police and fire officers in our history who have lost their lives in the line of duty." The roundabout closest to Whiskey Road, at South Centennial Avenue Extension, would be named for Rogers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The roundabout near the intersection of Powderhouse Road and Old Powderhouse Road would be named for Richardson. The council passed the renaming unanimously on a motion by council member Kay Brohl seconded by council member Andrea Gregory. After the discussion at the Oct. 13 work session, city staff determined that the name Tribute Parkway was available and reserved it for use pending City Council approval A pregnant British drug mule will have her baby behind bars after agreeing to serve two years in a former Soviet prison. Bella Culley, 19, pleaded guilty to smuggling drugs into Georgia from Thailand and will now serve time in the countrys only female prison, despite her family paying a 140,000 fine as part of a plea bargain. Culley was arrested in May after arriving at Tbilisi International Airport, days after she went missing while travelling in Thailand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was subsequently charged with purchasing 446g of tetraphenol cannabinol and 11.2kg of cannabis abroad and bringing it into Georgia on May 10. At the time of her arrest, video showed a suitcase apparently full of drugs, including around a dozen sachets labelled hash. The drugs were said to be worth 200,000. Culley, from Billingham, Co Durham, previously told Tbilisi City Court that she was forced under torture to smuggle drugs and insisted: I didnt want to do this. Her lawyers claimed a gang had branded her with an iron and that she had been threatened with decapitation by British criminals in Thailand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, after months of on-and-off hearings in the Georgian capital she has pleaded guilty and reached a plea bargain with authorities. Culley, pictured in court in Tbilisi, pleaded guilty after months of hearings - east2west news Culley will be sentenced to two years of imprisonment by Judge Giorgi Gelashvili on Monday, after her family handed over 500,000 Georgian Lari (140,000) in a plea bargain. Her mother Lyanne Kennedy, 44, a charity worker, and father Niel Culley, 49, were given three weeks to find 215,000 to secure her freedom at the start of this month. On pleading guilty, Culley asked her lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia: Will I be able to take the baby with me if I go back to jail? Mr Gelashvili responded: Nobody is going to take the baby away from you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Culley is due to give birth before Christmas after getting pregnant while travelling south-east Asia with a man she said was not involved in drug smuggling. The teenager said she did not know Georgia was a country when she was arrested after arriving in the capital. She appeared in court in a grey sleeveless cardigan and a pink t-shirt and appeared slightly taken aback on being told she must serve two years. Bail request refused Culleys defence lawyer asked the judge to release her on bail, given her advanced pregnancy. However, Judge Gelashvili refused and said she would have her baby behind bars. Culley waved to her mother as she was led off and lawyers confirmed afterwards that had the family paid the full fine, the teenager could have been freed immediately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Culleys time already served since May will be taken into account meaning she has just over 18 months left in prison. She has been detained in Prison No 5 in the city of Rustavi, the countrys only female jail and a 45-minute drive from the capital. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. TBILISI, Georgia (AP) British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, could receive a two-year prison sentence after her family paid more than $180,000 in a plea deal, her lawyer said Tuesday. Culley, 19, who is pregnant, was arrested in May at Tbilisi Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12 kilograms (26.4 pounds) of marijuana and 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of hashish into the country. If convicted, she faced up to 15 years or life imprisonment, but a plea bargain intended to reduce her sentence is currently being finalized, her lawyer Malkhaz Salakhaia told reporters. Reaching an agreement with the prosecutors office is in its final stage. All the conditions under which a plea agreement will be concluded regarding the charges against Bella May Culley are known to my client, Bella May Culley, and her family members. Only the technical issues remain to be finalized, for which we need several more days, Salakhaia said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salakhaia told The Associated Press that a sentence of two years in prison for the teenager is being discussed as part of a plea deal, but the final verdict will be announced on Monday. He did not rule out that Culley could be pardoned by the president if she is convicted. Culley's mother, Lyanne Kennedy, told reporters that the family has paid 500,000 lari (approx $184,000) as part of the plea bargain. In Georgia, a 3.7-million nation in the South Caucasus, the law allows for financial plea agreements that can be reached to reduce or eliminate a prison sentence in certain cases. Those plea agreements are often reached in drug-related cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Culley, who is from Teesside, in north east England, was reported missing in Thailand prior to her arrest at Tbilisi Airport on May 10. The teenager pleaded not guilty to the charges after her arrest, saying she was tortured in Thailand and forced to carry the drugs. Salakhaia has told reporters that she showed visible physical signs of torture upon her arrival in Georgia. It wasn't immediately clear whether she changed her plea as part of the plea bargain. Updated on Oct. 28 at 9:16 p.m. Since June, President Donald Trump has ordered several National Guard deployments within the United States, often against the wishes of the Democratic governors of the states where troops are being sent. The resulting legal battles have put a spotlight on the presidents authority to federalize troops and use them domestically. How far, exactly, does this power extend? Heres an overview of the legal backing behind Trumps recent deployment orders. Where has Trump sent the National Guard? In the past five months, Trump has sent or attempted to send National Guard troops to five cities led by Democrats: Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Chicago; and Memphis, Tennessee. To justify the deployments, the president has pointed to the crime rates in those cities and the need to protect federal officials involved in immigration enforcement. For example, Trumps Aug. 11 memorandum on mobilizing the District of Columbia National Guard said the city is under siege from violent crime, and that [i]t is a point of national disgrace that Washington, D.C., has a violent crime rate that is higher than some of the most dangerous places in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps deployment orders have led to multiple legal battles. In L.A., Portland, and Chicago, the disputes primarily center on the presidents authority to federalize National Guard troops which are traditionally under state control and send them to U.S. cities, even after governors declined the presidents request to order such deployments. In Memphis, the conflict is between the Tennessee officials who support the deployment and those who do not, with members of the latter group challenging Gov. Bill Lees decision to carry out Trumps deployment plans. In D.C., Trump has direct command over the citys National Guard, so the key question in a lawsuit brought by the D.C. attorney general is not whether the president can deploy any troops there, but under what circumstances Trump can bring in troops from other states to supplement the local force. What authority has Trump invoked? The Constitution does not grant the president the authority to call military troops into domestic federal service. Article I, 8 instead gives this power to Congress, which is tasked with calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions. Once Congress has issued the call, the president has the authority to command the troops under Article 2. Just four years after the Constitution was ratified, Congress enacted the Militia Act of 1792, which gave the president the power to independently call troops into federal service to quell a foreign invasion or domestic insurrection or to stop the obstruction of the laws of the United States. This act allowed President George Washington to call up and lead state militia forces during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, and it is a precursor to the laws at issue in the ongoing legal battles over Trumps deployment plans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a June 7 memorandum, Trump cited one such statute when he laid out his case for his authority to deploy the National Guard to U.S. cities. In that memo, he pointed to 10 U.S.C. 12406, originally passed in 1903, which allows the president to call into Federal service members and units of the National Guard of any State in such numbers as he considers necessary to stop an invasion by a foreign nation, combat a rebellion or danger of a rebellion within the U.S., or execute the laws of the United States with regular forces. In considering the challenges to the deployments in Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago, federal judges have considered whether conditions in these cities met one of the latter two criteria that is, whether they constituted a rebellion or something near a rebellion and whether officials were able to uphold U.S. laws without National Guard troops present. The Trump administration has pointed to protests, including violent confrontations with federal immigration officials, to justify the presidents invocation of Section 12406, while challengers have either said that the administration is using past conflict to justify new deployments or is generally overstating the size and violence of current protests. The Chicago deployment is on hold since a U.S. district judge there held that it wasnt called for because the situation on the ground didnt meet either of those thresholds (though there is little case law on what constitutes such a threshold), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit agreed with that assessment. In Los Angeles and Portland, district judges issued similar orders blocking deployment after determining that protests did not rise to the level of a rebellion and that local law enforcement officials currently were capable of enforcing the law, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit paused both orders. It concluded that courts must be highly deferential to the presidents determination that the federalization and deployment of National Guard troops was or is necessary to execute the laws of the United States. On Tuesday, the 9th Circuit announced that it will rehear the governments appeal of the order blocking the Portland deployment en banc (a larger panel) and that deployment would remain on hold at least until then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even as it has worked to convince judges that Trumps use of Section 12406 was justified, the Justice Department has argued that such justification isnt necessary. As a threshold matter, this Court long ago held that the authority to decide whether [an] exigency has arisen[] justifying the federalization of the militia belongs exclusively to the President, whose judgment is conclusive, contended U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer in his request for the Supreme Court to clear the way for the Chicago deployment, citing an 1827 case called Martin v. Mott. What is Martin v. Mott? The 1827 case stemmed from President James Madisons decision to call up the New York militia during the War of 1812. When Jacob Mott failed to report for duty and then faced consequences for that decision, he challenged Madisons order, claiming that the president didnt have the authority to bring the New York militia into service in the first place. As Sauer noted, the court stated in Martin v. Mott that a presidents decision to call up a state militia cant be questioned. Specifically, the court wrote that [w]e are all of opinion that the authority to decide whether the exigency has arisen belongs exclusively to the President, and that his decision is conclusive upon all other persons. But not all courts agree with Sauers application of that ruling to todays deployment debates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, in its decision allowing the order blocking the Chicago deployment to remain in place, the 7th Circuit stated that the 1827 ruling must be understood in its context, which tells us that the Supreme Court wanted to prevent members of the militia from challenging a presidents deployment decisions, especially when the country was under threat from the most powerful empire on earth, not to prevent judicial review. According to the 7th Circuit, The Court in Martin expressed incredulity at the prospect that every officer under the Presidents command could make his own determination whether an imminent threat of invasion existed and could refuse to obey the Presidents orders. Here, by contrast, the question is whether courts, not subordinate militiamen, may review the Presidents determination. What is the Posse Comitatus Act? The disputes over recent deployments also have involved the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law outlining what activities members of the U.S. military can undertake in U.S. cities when theyre under the presidents control. In other words, Section 12406 and similar statutes outline the circumstances under which domestic deployments can happen, while the Posse Comitatus Act places limits on what the troops can do once theyre deployed. The Posse Comitatus Act addressed a concern that was present even among the Founders that is, that the federal government would interfere with local law enforcement by sending federal troops to take over but specifically responded to abuses resulting from the extensive use of the army in civil law enforcement during the Civil War and the Reconstruction, according to one scholar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The act came to the forefront of the dispute over the L.A. deployment when a U.S. district judge in California held in early September that the Trump administration had violated it by using federalized National Guard troops to execute domestic law. The evidence at trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiers (whose identity was often obscured by protective armor) and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles, Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote. That decision, which would have limited what National Guard troops could do in L.A., was put on hold with an administrative stay by the 9th Circuit, which currently is considering whether to continue blocking a different order from Breyer regarding Trumps invocation of Section 12406 that would have barred Trumps use of California National Guard troops in L.A. altogether. What is the Insurrection Act? Looming over the current deployment disputes is the possibility of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act. Like Section 12406, this law gives the president the power to federalize and deploy National Guard troops to enforce the laws of the United States. Unlike that other statute, it also authorizes the president to deploy members of the regular armed forces domestically, and deployments under the Insurrection Act are not subject to the limitations outlined in the Posse Comitatus Act. Those arent the only difference between the two statutes. The Insurrection Act allows for deployment under a broader range of circumstances by, for example, enabling the president to federalize troops when laws are impracticable to enforce, rather than only when they cant be executed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also explicitly defers to the presidents judgment of whether conditions on the ground fit one of those circumstances. Specifically, it states that [w]henever the President considers that unlawful obstructions or rebellion against the authority of the United States make it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States in any State by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, he may call into Federal service such of the militia of any State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary to enforce those laws or to suppress the rebellion. Those differences help explain why legal experts have described the Insurrection Act as far more favorable to presidential authority. It is based on highly permissive standards for action and provides neither a role for Congress nor a basis for serious judicial review, wrote Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith in an Oct. 18 column calling on Congress to reform the act. The Insurrection Act has been used 30 times since the countrys founding era by presidents from both parties. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson used it to send federal troops to the South to enforce desegregation orders. The Insurrection Act was last used by President George H.W. Bush in May 1992 to respond to riots in L.A. What has Trump said about the Insurrection Act? In recent interviews about his National Guard deployments, Trump has floated the idea of using the Insurrection Act if his efforts to use other statutes fail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im allowed, as, you know, as president. Like 50% of the presidents have used the Insurrection Act, they can use that, and everybody agrees youre allowed to use that, he said on Oct. 19 when speaking with reporters about the possibility of deploying troops to San Francisco. Were trying to do it in a nicer manner. But we can always use the Insurrection Act if we want. What will happen next? The Supreme Courts ruling on the Trump administrations planned deployment in Chicago is expected at any time. Although the justices orders on the interim docket rarely include much explanation, that decision may clarify how the court views Martin v. Mott and how much deference it believes justices should give to the president when assessing whether Section 12406 has been properly invoked. For more Supreme Court news and analysis, visit SCOTUSblog. Read more at SCOTUSblog WASHINGTON (AP) Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, though he did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding as pain from the second-longest shutdown spreads nationwide. The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans. We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now, Vance told reporters after lunch with Senate Republicans at the Capitol. Weve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. Were trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vice president reaffirmed Republicans' strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. But nearly a month into the shutdown, it hasn't worked. Just before Vance's visit, a Senate vote on legislation to reopen the government failed for the 13th time. Federal employee union calls for end to shutdown The strain is building on Democratic lawmakers to end the impasse. That was magnified by the nation's largest federal employee union, which on Monday called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point. "Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship," said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act. Weve got to get a deal with Donald Trump, Kaine said. But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand. This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore," said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How will Trump administration reconfigure funds? The nations 1.3 million active duty service members were at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll. Vance did not say Tuesday how the Department of Defense will cover troop pay this time. Larger still, the Trump administration says funding will run out Friday for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected the use of more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. And it says states won't be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month. A coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Massachusetts that aims to keep SNAP benefits flowing by compelling the Agriculture Department to use the SNAP contingency funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance said that reconfiguring funds for various programs such as SNAP was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget. The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, goes against the department's previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration made an intentional choice not to the fund SNAP in November, calling it an "act of cruelty. Another program endangered by the shutdown is Head Start, with more than 130 preschool programs not getting federal grants on Saturday if the shutdown continues, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge blocks firings A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing federal employees during the government shutdown, saying that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday. Federal agencies are enjoined from issuing layoff notices or acting on notices issued since the government shut down Oct. 1. Illston said that her order does not apply to notices sent before the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Will lawmakers find a solution? At the Capitol, congressional leaders mostly highlighted the challenges many Americans are facing as a result of the shutdown. But there was no movement toward negotiations as they attempted to lay blame on the other side of the political aisle. Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats political games," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The House passed a short-term continuing resolution on Sept. 19 to keep federal agencies funded. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of legislative session ever since, saying the solution is for Democrats to simply accept that bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Senate has consistently fallen short of the 60 votes needed to advance that spending measure. Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Window-shopping for health plans delayed When asked about his strategy for ending the shutdown, Schumer said that millions of Americans will begin seeing on Saturday how much their health insurance is going up next year. People in more than 30 states are going to be aghast, aghast when they see their bills, Schumer said. "And they are going to cry out, and I believe there will be increased pressure on Republicans to negotiate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The window for enrolling in ACA health plans begins Saturday. In past years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has allowed Americans to preview their health coverage options about a week before open enrollment. But, as of Tuesday, Healthcare.gov appeared to show 2025 health insurance plans and estimated prices, instead of next years options. Republicans insist they will not entertain negotiations on health care until the government reopens. Im particularly worried about premiums going up for working families, said Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa. "So were going to have that conversation, but were not going to have it until the government opens. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report. PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) Officials on Monday said a firefighter in Prince Georges County is being held without bond after he was charged with distributing child pornography. Joshua Murphy, 35, was arrested on Oct. 24 and charged with 16 counts relating to possessing and distributing child pornography. INITIAL COVERAGE: Prince Georges County firefighter arrested, charged for allegedly distributing child pornography Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Court documents allege that he would use the internet at the Chillum Fire Station, where he worked, to upload the material on the social media app, Kik. Child pornography crimes are troubling anyway, but when a person that holds the trust of our community is accused of such crimes, it is deeply troubling, Prince Georges County States Attorney Tara Jackson said. Some tell DC News Now the allegations are almost too disturbing to talk about. New Carrollton resident Michael Wilson is concerned about the victims involved in the incident. I have children and grandchildren, so I have 9 grandchildren, and I would never want anything like that to happen to my kids and grandchildren, Wilson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Firefighter Joshua Murphy is on administrative leave. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. An empty class at Coral Glades High School, Tamarac, Florida. (Photo by Dan Forer/GettyImages) Two private Islamic schools derided by Floridas Cabinet for accepting school scholarships have received millions in taxpayer dollars through the states school voucher system. Hifz Academy and Bayaan Academy in Tampa have together brought in more than $18 million in scholarship funds during the past decade, according to data provided to the Phoenix by the non-profit that administers most of the states scholarships, Step Up for Students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both schools on Monday came under heavy fire from members of the Florida Cabinet for accepting school vouchers while allegedly promoting Sharia law. Of note, Sharia appears nowhere on either of the schools websites. Data from Step Up for Students documenting how much money Hifz Academy and Bayaan Academy have received from DOE. (Via Step Up for Students) Hifz Academy has brought in $15,711,396 since 2015. Its biggest year was 2024, when parents used $3.7 million of Department of Education money to send their students to the Tampa school, which enrolled 501 students that year. Bayaan Academy has brought in $2,668,694 since 2017. Its wealthiest year was also 2024, with a $1.5 million state distribution for its 204 students. Parents, not Step Up, decide which schools the funds go to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The data come after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson publicly questioned whether it was legal for schools supposedly promoting Sharia law to receive these vouchers. Although theres no evidence that Hifz and Bayaan teach or practice Sharia law, Islams legal system derived from the Quran. Uthmeier amplified his concerns on social media Monday, responding to a right-wing organizations article claiming that one Bayaan employee is related to a founder of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood. Floridas school choice programs were largely expanded under a 2023 law allowing any Floridian, regardless of income, to apply for vouchers for private schools accepting these scholarships. This built off of a 1999 law providing these vouchers exclusively to low-income students. As of this year, the program applies to 2,278 private schools, while 82% of participating students attend a religious school. Roman Catholic schools are the single largest religious recipients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The programs provide an average of between $7,700 and $8,500 to students attending non-public schools. More than 122,000 new students started using vouchers in the 2023-24 school year. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Protesters gathered outside a Sept. 19 Dona Ana Board of County Commissioners meeting to urge elected officials to vote against the $165 billion bond for the massive data center project known as Project Jupiter. (Leah Romero for Source NM) Two recently filed lawsuits seek to stop Project Jupiter, the massive southern New Mexico data center that recently received approval for $165 billion in government-backed bonds, and allege that Dona Ana County commissioners violated state law by giving the green light to a project that had an incomplete application. The litigation comes as a number of unknowns persist about the deal. Supporters of the project hail it as a major economic win for the area, but its not clear whether the regions infamously troubled water system will be able to support it, or if it will be able to generate its own energy in compliance with state law. Critics of the deal, including local residents and state lawmakers who represent the area, say the projects proposal for a natural gas generating station appears to exploit a loophole in the states landmark Energy Transition Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 on Sept. 19 to approve $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds for the development known as Project Jupiter, a 1,400-acre swath of desert that is planned to support artificial intelligence tech giants OpenAI and Oracle. Although Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the project in February, some local residents and state lawmakers say they learned of the project too late to prepare for the countys vote and that meaningful details remain hard to come by. The Dona Ana Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 19, 2025 approved Project Jupiter in a 4-1 vote during a tense meeting. Residents have since filed two lawsuits in a bid to stop the project. (Leah Romero for Source NM) The nearly 400 pages of county documents governing the project contain a number of unknowns. They say the project will create about 750 full-time jobs with salaries of $75,000 to $100,000 and that the companies will prioritize hiring locally, but its unclear how that can be enforced. They say the projects main water source will be drinking water from the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority, though its unclear how developers will pull that off as serious problems of water quality and safety have persistently plagued CRRUA. And they say that by 2045, the project will comply with the states landmark Energy Transition Act, which requires that utilities use fully renewable energy resources by 2045. Even that is not clear, though. State officials disagree about whether a last-minute floor amendment to a bill passed in the 2025 legislative session permits microgrid developments like this to skirt the ETAs requirements of being 50% renewable by 2030 and 80% renewable by 2040. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That leaves 20 years of potential pollution, said Stacy Tellinghuisen, deputy director of policy development for clean energy at Western Resource Advocates, a regional conservation nonprofit. When we estimate what it means in terms of emissions, its sizable. Its near 2 to 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Thats more than PNM emits across its entire system. Data centers have increasingly popped up across the Southwest the Phoenix area is the fourth-largest data center market in the nation, according to real estate firm CBRE. The arid climate and wide, open land are typically sought after by developers. Many data centers rely on evaporative cooling, which is most efficient in regions that have low humidity. Building in relatively affordable places with large lots of land for sale, like Arizona and New Mexico, allows data center operators to more efficiently transmit data to major metro areas like Los Angeles, Denver and Dallas. Traditionally, these thirsty facilities generate few jobs. Apples 1.3 million square-foot data center in Arizona employed 150 people in 2018, and three Microsoft data centers in the area created just 110 combined jobs. Project Jupiter plans to pay a total of $360 million less than 1% of the $165 billion in bonds issued for this project over the next 30 years rather than pay property taxes. A recent Western Resource Advocates report says a sizable portion of new strain on PNMs electric grid comes from data centers and forecasts that PNMs peak energy demands will increase 40% by 2035. In August, PNM filed an application with the state to be acquired by private equity firm Blackstone Infrastructure, citing a need to provide the financial resources necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing energy environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement OpenAI, Oracle, developer Stack Infrastructure and the company that represented this deal at public meetings, BorderPlex Digital Assets, did not respond to requests for comment. Water woes While documents governing the project say it will generate its own power, they say water for the project will come from the areas drinking supply. Whats not clear is whether the strained drinking water system, which is currently the subject of state litigation, will be able to rise to the occasion. Project Jupiter could use less water than its competitors, but this part of the state, in particular, has been roiled by water woes and critics arent confident the system here can support such a development. A sign captured outside of the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority in 2023. The state environment in May of 2025 filed a lawsuit against CRRUA and asked the Third Judicial District Court to appoint an independent manager to oversee its operations. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) In 2023, the New Mexico Environment Department found that CRRUA leaders had bypassed the systems arsenic treatment and sent arsenic-laden water to residents. NMED recently sued CRRUA and asked a judge to place it under a receivership. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Developers anticipate that Project Jupiters closed-loop cooling system will need a one-time fill of about 2.5 million gallons per building, which will use and reuse that water, according to the projects website. Ongoing water demand will average 20,000 gallons per day and will max out at 60,000 gallons per day, according to county documents. By comparison, the Meta data center in Los Lunas is permitted to use about 163 million gallons per year, an average of about 447,000 gallons per day. Thats not a huge water use, said Anjali Bean, WRAs senior policy adviser for healthy rivers. But you cant watch the news down in that part of the state without hearing about the challenges CRRUA has faced. The specifics are really critical and they arent immediately available. The companies behind Project Jupiter have pledged to spend $250,000 to explore potential for a water desalination plant, which removes harmful contaminants from groundwater. The process is typically inefficient and costly, though some nations desalinate seawater for drinking. Either way, its not yet guaranteed, Bean said. When did the deal come together, and will it skirt state law? At public meetings, officials representing Project Jupiter touted that it would generate its own power. There was no need to worry about an increase in energy bills, they said. But critics allege that the legislation that enabled Project Jupiters self-powering microgrid created a loophole in state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In February, Lujan Grishams office announced Project Jupiter as a $5 billion partnership with BorderPlex Digital Assets and said it would create 1,000 jobs. Project Jupiter is located near the U.S.-Mexico border in Santa Teresa. The state Water and Natural Resources Committee will discuss water use and Project Jupiter on Wednesday afternoon in Artesia and online at nmlegis.gov. (Courtesy of Dona Ana County Planning and Zoning Commission) On March 20, two days before the regular 2025 legislative session adjourned, state Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque) introduced an amendment to House Bill 93, legislation regarding advanced grid technology. The amendment said that microgridssystems that can solely rely on their own energy source, rather than drawing from an existing electric companys power gridwould be required to generate fully clean energy by 2045. It did not make any mention of the Energy Transition Acts benchmark requirements of 50% clean energy in 2030 and 80% in 2040. Dona Ana Countys documents on Project Jupiter say it will use a self-powering energy microgrid, powered at least in part by natural gas generation. It also states the project will have large-scale battery storage and that its leaders are actively exploring renewable energy integration in accordance with HB93. By saying simply that microgrids must use 100% renewable energy by 2045 and omitting any requirement to be 50% renewable by 2030 and 80% renewable by 2040, critics like State Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, a fellow Democrat who represents Mesilla, say that the law doesnt comply with the ETA and that it does nothing to stop Project Jupiter from polluting for 20 years and then leaving town in 2045 once the clean-energy requirements take effect. Padilla disagrees. He told Source that projects like these will still have to follow the 2030 and 2040 benchmarks laid out in the Energy Transition Act. He said the ETA is the law of the land and supersedes HB93. When asked why he didnt clearly write those benchmarks in his amendment to HB93, he said it wasnt necessary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I used ChatGPT to try to fight and kill this ChatGPT proposal Las Cruces resident Derrick Pacheco, who is suing the Dona Ana County Commission over Project Jupiter After Dona Ana County commissioners approved the deal in September, Las Cruces resident Derrick Pacheco said it felt like an overnight decision. He filed a lawsuit on Oct. 17 against the commissioners, alleging that they acted inappropriately by issuing billions in bonds before the project had even gone through the Planning and Zoning Commission. That same day, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed suit against commissioners for approving the project even though its application was missing pages. Ordinarily, someone like Pacheco might seek out an attorney. But he wants to fight fire with fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I used ChatGPT to try to fight and kill this ChatGPT proposal, he said. He uploaded documents related to the countys vote into ChatGPT, which is owned by OpenAI, and asked it to find where commissioners erred. Then, he asked it to help him write a lawsuit. He said hes concerned about energy use, pollution and strain on a water system that is perhaps best-known for its lack of resilience. When you start getting corporate involvement in farming, and water and chemicals, it becomes clear that this is really just a fight for resources and the communities that are smallest, AKA poorest, are most vulnerable, he said. Its clearly a resource grab, its clearly an energy grab. SACRAMENTO - With a week to go, supporters of Proposition 50 have raised more than twice as much as opponents, a gap that has widened significantly in recent weeks. Supporters have reported $129 million in contributions while opponents have reported just $46 million. Spending is also lopsided, with supporters reporting more than twice in expenditures than opponents. The supporters' haul, the lion's share of which has been raised by a committee led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is so massive that state regulators struggled to display the latest campaign fundraising and spending report on the state's archaic campaign finance website. The report, which was due Thursday, was finally available Monday. A similar delay happened for the previous report last month, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proposition 50 supporters have raised so much money that on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom did something almost unheard of in a race of this scale: he told his supporters to stop contributing. "We have hit our budget goals and raised what we need in order to pass Proposition 50. You can stop donating," he wrote in an email to supporters on Monday. As of Oct. 18, his campaign reported spending $77 million of its total haul, mostly on television ads. Newsom has been the face of the campaign, and is the star of some of its ads, but in recent days the campaign has also pushed ads featuring former President Barack Obama. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Billionaire Tom Steyer, a former San Francisco hedge fund manager and presidential candidate, has also launched a separate ad campaign in support of the measure using $12 million of his own money. Steyer has used the money to run two ads in support of the measure, including one that stars himself. Steyer is the second-largest overall contributor in support of Prop 50. The biggest is House Majority PAC, which works to elect Democrats to Congress. It has reported about $15 million in contributions. The Fund for Policy Reform, an organization founded and funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros, has given $10 million. Several labor unions are also among the biggest contributors. The National Education Association and the California Teachers Association have each contributed $3 million, and the California Nurses Association has kicked in $3.3 million. Michael Moritz, the 71-year-old billionaire Pacific Heights venture capitalist and publisher of the San Francisco Standard, has contributed $2.5 million. Newsom's campaign has also raised significant sums from small-dollar donors. It reported more than $31 million in donations of $250 or less. The campaign has reported more than 102,000 individual donors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That's a much, much larger donor base than opponents, who have reported about 420 individual donors. Most of the opponents' cash has come from Charles Munger Jr., who has given $32 million of the total $41 million raised. Munger is a retired Palo Alto physicist and son of billionaire Charles Munger, who served as the vice chairman of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. More than a decade ago, Munger Jr. bankrolled the campaigns to create the independent redistricting commission and give it power to draw the state's political districts. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a group that works to elect Republicans to Congress, has kicked in about $7 million. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has donated $1 million through an old campaign account. Thomas M. Siebel, a longtime Republican donor and distant relative of Newsom's wife, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, also gave $1 million. Opponents have spent about $41 million, mostly on advertising, according to the most recent campaign expenditure reports. This article originally published at Prop 50 supporters have raised so much money it keeps straining the state's reporting system. The News in Brief Tuesday, October 28, 2025 Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili announced that the ruling majority has finalized a constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban certain political parties. The draft will be reviewed at a majority meeting today and is expected to be submitted to the Constitutional Court tomorrow."The lawsuit is prepared and undergoing final legal adjustments. We will discuss it at today's majority meeting, and afterward, it will be ready for submission," Papuashvili said.Responding to criticism about the constitutionality of such a move, Papuashvili insisted that the Georgian Constitution allows for banning parties that act against the state's fundamental principles. "This has always existed in our Constitution and in the laws of any democratic country," he noted.He accused some non-governmental organizations and opposition figures of hypocrisy, referencing a past initiative by former Public Defender Nino Lomjaria. "If anyone has doubts about constitutionality, I advise Lelo to consult Nino Lomjaria. She once prepared a similar constitutional lawsuit and even shared it with opposition MPs to have it filed," Papuashvili said, claiming that current criticism comes from "foreign-funded groups" spreading "absurd legal interpretations."Explaining the rationale behind the lawsuit, Papuashvili said it aims to uphold what he called the principle of "defensive democracy." According to him, the goal is to protect the state from forces that seek to use democratic tools to undermine it."The logic is clear: we see parties that act to harm Georgia, organize attempts to overthrow the government, spread war propaganda, and challenge the country's territorial integrity," he stated. "Our main target is those political parties that are actively engaged in anti-Georgian and anti-constitutional actions, with a real potential to destabilize the country."Papuashvili added that the proposed measures align with international practice. "This is a Western-style approach based on defensive democracy. Similar bans have been implemented in Moldova, Ukraine, and even Germany, where parties and organizations can be outlawed if they work against democratic order," he said.Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has sharply criticized Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for shutting down the International Education Center, an institution he founded during his presidency to fund Georgian students studying abroad.In a post on social media, Saakashvili called the decision "a new stage of deep Talibanization," warning that it would have "extremely destructive long-term consequences" for future generations."The International Education Center, which I established, once helped thousands of Georgian students study at the world's best universities," Saakashvili wrote. "Now this so-called prime minister claims that students who went abroad did not serve the state. During my time, 99% of them returned to serve the country."He argued that the closure represents a broader assault on education and openness, framing it as part of what he described as a growing authoritarian trend under the Georgian Dream government. "We must defeat tyranny in time," he added.The International Education Center was created under Saakashvili's administration to provide scholarships for Georgian students to pursue degrees abroad, with the expectation that graduates would later contribute to the country's development upon their return. When we [my husband and I] first started dating, I was in the caregiver role. I was the psychologist, and he was navigating his own challenges with ADHD and depression. I felt responsible for being there for him, helping him through it all. But eventually, it became clear that both of us were facing our own difficulties. We had to figure out how to support each otherhow to hold one another up during tough times. If we both found ourselves struggling simultaneously, how could we manage our roles as individuals with mental illnesses while also being caregivers for each other? Its a delicate balance that weve been navigating. When people would find out about my struggles, or when my impulsivity drove me to act out in front of others, it brought a different layer of complexity to my experiences. My suicide attempts were not just about me; they also affected people closest to me. I often feel like a huge part of me wants to be dead rather than alive, and in those moments, I did not really consider the impact of my actions on myself. Instead, my thoughts would shift to the pain my loved ones would endure if something were to happen to me. These thoughts create a constant cycle of questioningabout myself, about Vasanth and about whether he genuinely wants to continue this journey with me. Its a heavy weight to carry, and I cant help but worry about the impact my struggles have on him and our relationship. I have always struggled with the term resilience. Its often introduced as a quality youre born with. It implies that after facing a difficult experience, you should bounce back, as if resilience is a trait you carry inherently. This notion can be damaging. It suggests that if you struggle for a long period, you lack resilience, which isnt true. To me, resilience is built from the vulnerability and struggles we face the trauma and difficult experiences we endure. Each of those moments adds to our resilience toolkit, contributing to what I call my resilience cloud. I wouldnt say that Im inherently more resilient now than I was a few years ago. Rather, I believe it is something we build over time through our experiences. Sometimes, we find ourselves more durable than others, and thats okay. There are moments when I can draw on my own resilience, and other times when I rely on others to do that for me, which is perfectly fine too. Its a dynamic process that requires both self-reflection and connection with others. By being open, I not only allow others to support me but I also create space for deeper, more authentic relationships.Normalising lived experience narratives in the context of mental health is a crucial conversation. Here are some thoughts on how we can make them more visible and accepted: Storytelling platforms: Creating both digital and physical safe spaces where individuals can share their stories can help validate experiences. This normalisation of storytelling can encourage others to share their journeys, breaking down stigma, reminding people that their voices matter and that their journeys are worthy of being heard. Embedding lived experiences in education: Incorporating narratives of lived experiences into mental health education can help demystify mental health challenges. When students and professionals engage with authentic stories, they can better understand the complexities of mental health issues and move beyond abstract concepts. Reframing vulnerability as strength: Normalising vulnerability is revolutionary in cultures that prize resilience and stoicism. Workshops, support groups and discussions that celebrate vulnerability can help shift cultural narratives. Intersectional lenses: Recognising that lived experiences are shaped by caste, gender, disability, class and culture ensures narratives are inclusive and dismantles one-size-fits-all approaches in the mental health discourse. Representation in media: Advocating for accurate and respectful representation of mental health experiences in mediafilms, literature and televisioncan also play a significant role. When people see relatable narratives, it can foster understanding and empathy, and it can reduce shame on a societal scale. Supportive policies: Encouraging organisations to adopt policies that prioritise mental health and well-being can create environments where lived experiences are acknowledged and respected. This could include mental health leave, access to counselling and training for staff to understand such challenges. Including individuals with lived experience in leadership rolesacross organisations, advocacy bodies and policy-makingensures decisions are grounded in realworld realities. Peer support initiatives: Establishing peer support networks can empower individuals to share their lived experiences in a structured way. These networks empower people to share their stories without fear of judgement, creating ripple effects of hope, validation and resilience within communities. Engaging with mental health professionals: Mental health professionals can play a pivotal role in normalising lived experiences by encouraging clients to share their stories as part of their healing process. This can be incorporated into therapy sessions to help individuals recognise the power of their narratives. When framed as a resource, personal stories can be deeply healing and identity-affirming. Research with, not on, people: Shifting research frameworks to participatory models gives voice and agency to those whose experiences are studied. Co-designing research honours lived experience as expertise. Excerpted from Homecoming: Mental Health Journeys of Resilience, Healing and Wholeness, edited by Neha Kirpal and Dr Nandini Murali, Westland Books WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) A driver crashed into propane tank supply lines Tuesday afternoon while evading law enforcement, causing over 5,000 gallons of propane to be released and a temporary evacuation notice for some Williamsburg County residents. Around 1:26 p.m., Williamsburg County fire crews were dispatched to the accident on Milliken Road in Kingstree. Officials said the crash resulted from a chase with local authorities. The driver rammed through a fence and struck supply lines from an 18,000-gallon propane tank that supplies an industrial manufacturing facility, the Williamsburg County Fire Department said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When first responders arrived, they saw propane gas leaking rapidly from the lines and no one in the vehicle. WCFD Chief Randy Swinton immediately ordered that everyone in a half-mile radius of the crash site be evacuated. Firefighters, clothed in protective gear, used gas monitors to measure how much was leaking. The Williamsburg County Sheriffs Office also deployed a drone to survey the damage. Authorities determined that two lines could be cut off while teams waited for a gas representative to arrive. Once gas levels reached a safe level, teams entered to repair the lines, and the evacuation was lifted. After an assessment, officials concluded that 5,500 gallons of propane had been released, but the area should not suffer lasting effects since the leaked propane had dissipated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gas crews finished repairs around 6 p.m., and the car has been removed from the area. No injuries to the public were reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2. After successive years without increases, the Niagara Falls Water Board is considering a 2026 budget that includes a 5.9% rate hike. Water Board Executive Director and General Counsel Sean Costello told board members Monday evening that the increase is not being driven by rising expenses, but by declining revenue. Costs are pretty well under control, Costello told the board. But revenues are declining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costello cited a loss of revenue from the shuttering of industrial facilities in the city. He said the July announcement that the Cascades Containerboard Packaging facility, formerly known as Norampac, would shut down in October had a dramatic impact on revenue projections for the 2026 budget. The water board exec also said sewer revenues have declined substantially since 2023, with further declines expected. Sewer revenues for the projected 2026 budget are $1.3 million less than in 2025, without a rate increase. Our sewer revenue has been over-budgeted in recent years and water revenue has also been over-budgeted, Costello said, noting that the 2026 water board budget projects a $600,000 decline in water revenue without a rate increase. Ten large industrial users currently account for 35% of the water boards annual revenue billings. Costello said making projections of revenue from those users can be tricky because their use fluctuates a lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the expense side of the proposed 2026 budget, the cost of chemicals, interest on the water boards debt and a large increase in sludge disposal presented challenges, Costello said. While debt service and chemical costs remain the two largest drivers of water board expenses, the bid price for sludge removal in 2026 shot up 37%. When the city water department was spun off in 2003, creating the water board, the Falls off-loaded $110 million in debt to the agency. At the end of 2024, over $68 million of that debt remained outstanding. The interest payment on that debt in 2025 is almost $8 million. Collectively, the debt interest payments and the cost of chemicals, largely for the wastewater treatment plant, represent 38% of the 2026 budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costello told the board members that without the rate increase, they would confront a $2 million deficit in the 2026 budget. The proposed 5.9% rate hike would close that budget hole. Roughly half of the water boards customers receive what is characterized as a minimum quarterly bill. Under the proposed rate hike, the bill would increase by $8 a quarter or $32 a year. It is the first proposed rate hike since 2023. There were no rate increases in 2024 or 2025, though the boards rate consultants had recommended a hike for the current year, Its been challenging, Costello said. But he said he doesnt believe Falls water board rates are high compared to municipalities across the United States. Costello cited a study that showed average monthly residential water and sewer service rates in the U.S. were 94% higher than the water boards proposed 2026 minimum bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to questions from members, Costello said he believes the water board should increase rates every year by 2% to 3% to avoid larger increases like the 2026 proposal. Modest rate increases are going to be necessary, he said. Revenue is likely to continue to decline. The water board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed rate increase for 5 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the water treatment plant on Buffalo Avenue. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) The Kent County prosecutor said two more teenagers have been charged in a theft after an attack where Grand Rapids police said a man was jumped and seriously injured before the teens broke into his home. The two teens were charged Tuesday with receiving/concealing a motor vehicle, larceny from person and third-degree home invasion, which are all felony charges, according to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. Another, third teen had previously been charged with aggravated assault, illegal use of financial transaction device and receiving/concealing a motor vehicle. GRPD: Teens severely beat man, then broke into home Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attack happened Aug. 16. Officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department were called around 8:30 a.m. for a burglary at a home on 8th Street NW near Parkhurst Avenue on Grand Rapids West Side. It was reported by someone who did not live in the home. Officers tried to reach the person who lived there, but he didnt answer. The same day, police got a call from a hospital saying an unidentified man had been brought in by ambulance around 6 a.m. He had been listed in critical condition. GRPD confirmed the man was the resident of the home that had been broken into. Family identified the man to News 8 as Todd Johnson. He underwent emergency surgery for a brain injury and was in intensive care for a week. Then he was moved to a rehabilitation facility. Todd Johnson in the hospital. (Courtesy family) Family said they were told Johnson was attacked while walking home and left bloody and unconscious in the middle of the street. Later, family said, the attackers went to Johnsons home and stole his car. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom said the assailants likely did not know Johnson. News 8 reported in September that detectives took four juvenile suspects into custody following the attack and one of them was charged. Winstrom said it was possible a fifth person was involved. Its not clear if the two charged Tuesday were part of the four that were initially taken into custody. Winstrom and Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said all three teens are being charged as juveniles. This investigation continues, clearly there were more individuals involved and the police are doing everything they can to properly identify them and charge any individual for their role in this incident. As of now, under the law in Michigan, we cannot move anyone into adult court, Becker wrote to News 8 Tuesday. Johnsons family has launched a GoFundMe account to help cover his medical bills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. A federal prosecutor who handled the bribery case against former San Francisco Public Works head Mohammed Nuru has been selected to become the city's top official tasked with rooting out corruption at City Hall. Alexandra Shepard, an assistant U.S. attorney, will be San Francisco's first-ever inspector general if confirmed by the Board of Supervisors, the city controller announced Tuesday. In her new role, she would lead city investigations into waste, fraud and abuse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her hiring comes as San Francisco grapples with repeated episodes of alleged impropriety by government officials and nonprofit contractors, including former department heads who recently faced scrutiny over their conflicted relationships with city vendors. The inspector general position was created by voters in November 2024 to prevent, detect and investigate a variety of public corruption-related issues, including conflicts of interest in city contracting. The ballot measure was proposed by former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who argued that the city needed to be more proactive about rooting out government malfeasance. City Controller Greg Wagner said in a statement that Shepard had the "ideal combination of experience and perspective" for the job. "As a San Francisco resident she cares about the future of our city," Wagner said. "As an outsider to local government and politics, she will also bring a fresh, independent perspective to promote accountability and integrity in city government." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shepard has taken on public corruption, money laundering, narcotics traffickling and other cases as an assistant U.S. attorney since 2020, according to her biography released by the city. She previously worked 14 years as a trial attorney in the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she probed price fixing and bid rigging conspiracies. She also served as an advisor to the Ukrainian government on anticorruption efforts in Kyiv. In 2022, Shepard was the federal prosecutor who urged a judge to imprison Nuru after he pleaded guilty to fraud and admitted to taking bribes from city contractors, trash-hauling giant Recology. His arrest in early 2020 had set off a wave of corruption allegations that implicated a bevy of city officials and contractors. Shepard dubbed Nuru the "quintessential grifter" in court filings. He was sentenced to seven years and is not due to be released until the end of 2027. Working within the controller's office, the inspector general will have the power to review and investigate whistleblower complaints, collaborate on city audits and to recommend new policies and laws to the Board of Supervisors and mayor. The inspector general can also subpoena testimony and records from city contractors, including nonprofits. The new official will also be able to write search warrants for approval by a judge. They will be required to report out twice a year to the board and could hold public hearings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor Daniel Lurie, who supported Shepard's appointment, said in a statement Tuesday that he looked forward to working with her to "strengthen oversight and ensure our city's government operates with transparency and accountability." Shepard is expected to appear before the board's Rules Committee for a vote on Nov. 17. The full board would then consider her hiring the next day. She would start in her new role Jan. 5. This article originally published at Prosecutor on high-profile S.F. corruption case tapped as city's first inspector general. Prosecutors in the murder trial of a NoDa business owner will get to use another deadly shooting as evidence. Steven Staples and Terry Connor are accused of killing two people in north Charlotte a month after investigators said they killed one of the owners of Brooks Sandwich House in 2019. Jury selection is now underway in the murder case of beloved business owner Scott Brooks. Jury selection is paramount to any case that you do, said Yolanda Trotman, defense attorney and former Mecklenburg County District Court judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shes not a part of the trial but is aware of the high-profile case against Connor and Staples. From left: Terry Conner, Steven Staples They are accused of robbing and shooting Brooks to death at about 4:45 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2019, as he was preparing to open Brooks Sandwich House. The two men are being tried together, which is something Trotman said will make jury selection crucial. Trial Day 1: Both suspects to be tried together in Brooks Sandwich House murder case Both sides want someone who can make sure that they dont have the preconceived notions, Trotman said. Prosecutors may look for jurors who may be more sympathetic with a victim of a crime or officers on the stand, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most defense attorneys dont want somebody who is going to make a decision more so based on sympathy, Trotman said. Jury selection comes as Judge Lou Trosch ruled Tuesday morning that prosecutors can talk about a deadly double shooting from January 2020, which was 32 days after Brooks was killed. READ MORE: Man charged in NoDa sandwich shop owners slaying tied to 4 other murders Criminal past The suspects have extensive criminal backgrounds and are connected to several homicides. Staples, at 18 years old, carjacked a public works truck and trailer before crashing and taking off. Staples and his buddies were arrested after that for kicking in hundreds of doors across Charlotte. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An armed robbery sent Staples to prison in 2010. He was released in 2016. In December 2019, Staples went on a killing spree, investigators said. Brooks was killed on Dec. 9, 2019. Shortly after, investigators said Staples became a suspect in the Dec. 23, 2019, slaying of Anthony Leakes in Charlotte. Staples and Connor, whom detectives called partners in crime were also charged in a double homicide involving Asa Shannon and Siojvon Joseph, who were found dead in an SUV along Atando Avenue on Jan. 11, 2020. Both were shot in the head. The home they were associated with was ransacked and burglarized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judge Trosch said Tuesday the crimes on Atando Avenue and at Brooks Sandwich House shared a similar motive, which was getting quick cash and allegedly killing to avoid being identified. The suspects defense attorneys hope the other case would not be allowed in as evidence, but it will be. Staples pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing a man in Hickory on Jan. 23, 2020, and is currently in prison for that. In the Brooks murder case, jury selection continues Wednesday. VIDEO: Both suspects to be tried together in Brooks Sandwich House murder case It was one of the most dramatic protests in Los Angeles by activists who opposed Israel's war in Gaza: a shutdown of the southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway as it passes through downtown. In a chaotic scene captured by news helicopters, protesters sat down on the freeway in December 2023, halting traffic just south of the four-level interchange. On live television, enraged motorists responded by getting into physical altercations with demonstrators. Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto's office later charged many of the protesters with unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, failure to comply with a lawful order and obstruction of a street, sidewalk or other public corridor all misdemeanors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, after a lengthy legal battle, a judge agreed to put 29 protesters into a 12-month diversion program, which requires that each performs 20 hours of community service. If they complete that service and obey the law, the charges will be dismissed in October 2026, said Colleen Flynn, the protesters' attorney. In court Monday, Flynn praised her clients for taking a stand, motivated by a moral duty to "bring attention to the loss of life and humanitarian crisis going on in Gaza." "These are people who were, out of conscience, making a decision to engage in an act of civil disobedience," she told the judge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Gaza protesters shut down L.A. freeway, angry drivers lash out: 'Just hurting working people' Two others charged in connection with the protest were granted judicial diversion earlier this year and have already completed their community service. The charges against them have been dismissed, Flynn said. Flynn initially asked for the 29 protesters to each receive eight hours of community service. City prosecutors successfully pushed for 20 hours, saying the political reason for the protest had no bearing on the case. Deputy City Atty. Brad Rothenberg told the judge that the freeway closure lasted about four hours. "That affected thousands of people who come to the second largest city in the United States to work," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hearing brought a quiet end to a furious legal battle. Flynn spent several months pushing for the case to be dismissed, arguing that Feldstein Soto's decision to charge the protesters was rooted in "impermissible bias" religious or ethnic prejudice against Palestinians and their supporters. At multiple hearings, Flynn said her clients experienced disparate treatment compared to other protesters who also disrupted traffic but were highlighting different political issues, such as higher wages for hotel workers. Flynn also pointed to social media posts by Feldstein Soto on Oct. 7, 2023, the day Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, murdering more than 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 others. "Every nation and every moral person must support Israel in defending her people," Feldstein Soto wrote on her @ElectHydee page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, a judge denied Flynn's request to dismiss the case. At that hearing, prosecutors said the protesters were charged because they shut down a freeway, creating a particular threat to public safety. Prosecutors argued that a motorcycle traveling between traffic lanes at a high rate of speed easily could have plowed into freeway protesters who were sitting cross-legged on the pavement. Prosecutors also defended Feldstein Soto's social media posts, saying they were written on the day of the invasion, before Israel had launched its counterattack. At that point, Feldstein Soto was expressing outrage over a horrific day of violence, the prosecutors said. Since then, Israels campaign in Gaza has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, a majority of whom were women and children, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) A Providence man is facing charges after he allegedly stabbed another man at a senior living complex on Monday. Police responded to the Saint Elizabeth Apartments off Westminster Street just before 4 p.m. and found the 70-year-old victim with stab wounds to his neck and collarbone area. According to the police report, he was standing outside covered in blood. Officers arrested the suspect, identified as Ismael DeJesus Polanco Lovera, 79, at the scene. Hes charged with felony assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault on a person over 60 causing bodily injury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BACXKGROUND: Man stabbed, suspect arrested at Providence senior complex The report says a maintenance worker recovered the knife used in the attack and turned it over to police. At last check, the victim was still being treated at Rhode Island Hospital. According to the apartment complex, an argument between the two men led to the stabbing. At Saint Elizabeth Community, we care deeply about the safety and well-being of all of our tenants, the organization said in a statement. This was an isolated incident between the two men and no one else was at risk. We are working through the legal proceedings to determine the future tenancy of the parties involved. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) Providences Parks Department wants the next owner of Waterplace Pavilion to sign a 10-year lease to operate the three-story facility in Waterplace Park, which has been vacant for over a year. The city posted an advertisement on Oct. 8 for the request for proposals, or RFP, to seek a new tenant for the events space formerly held by Skyline at Waterplace. The RFP comes about a year after the Parks Department took over management of the building after the city settled with the former owner to evict them. The Parks Department said it is seeking proposals for food, beverage or events services, as well as other services, amenities, or vendors that promote the public good, according to the RFP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City officials have previously confirmed they showed off the vacant space to interested parties. Its been a restaurant or event space for a long time, but were interested to know if there are alternate uses that were not contemplating that someone might be interested in, Mayor Brett Smiley told Target 12 last December. Smiley also said he wants whoever the next owner is to sign on for a long-term lease. According to the RFP, the city is looking for bids that will enhance and elevate public programs like Waterfire, offset operational and programming costs through rental income, provide a lively and enhanced atmosphere at the park and surrounding downtown, in addition to providing unique and innovative offerings in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Waterplace Pavilion has traditionally operated as a restaurant or event space, respondents may propose alternative uses, except for nightclubs or similar venues, the RFP stated. Skyline at Waterplace had been embroiled in a legal battle with the city since April 2023, when its owners were accused of violating their lease agreement by not keeping the property in good condition. In June, there were even suggestions that the Matunuck Oyster Bar would temporarily use the space in the wake of a devastating fire at the South Kingstown restaurant in May. The oyster bar later opened up a tented dining area across the street from its original location at the end of that month. According to the RFP, questions must be submitted by Wednesday at 4 p.m. by email to the citys director of real estate, Nicholas Cicchitelli. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bids may be submitted up to 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 17, at which time all bids will be publicly opened and read at that afternoons Board of Contract meeting. Awards will be made within 90 days of the bid opening. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. ECHO Village in Providence, shown here on Oct. 28, 2025, has 45 cabins that provide a safe space for people who are homeless. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Rhode Islands first community of tiny shelters for homeless individuals will remain in operation for at least through the end of September 2026. The State Properties Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a new lease with the nonprofit responsible for managing ECHO Village, the Pallet shelter village near Route 146 in Providence that opened in February after sitting vacant for more than a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Committee members spent about 10 minutes discussing the lease, with their main question focused on the structural lifespan of the tiny cabins, which were assembled on the 4-acre site on Victor Street in 2024. That also appeared to be an open question for the Office of Executive Housing staffer presenting to the panel. People have only been living in them since February, Peter Asen, director of housing production and preservation, told the committee. I think theyre going to last as long as we hope to have a need for this type of project we dont have any indication at this point that they arent lasting. But that information should be made clear under provisions of the new lease, which call for House of Hope to conduct routine maintenance and inspections of shelters HVAC and fire suppression systems, along with maintaining records of those activities. There are 45 cabins in all, each measuring 70 square feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An update Asen could provide the committee was that since ECHO Village opened, no major issues have arisen save for a small number of participants who were asked to leave because of behavior issues. Police were called twice to ECHO Village, Kristy dosReis, spokesperson for the Providence Police Department, wrote in an email to Rhode Island Current. One visit was for a well-being check and another time for a reported overdose. In the case of the overdose, officers were cancelled while en route, dosReis said. Laura Jaworski, executive director of House of Hope, acknowledged some growing pains during ECHO Villages first eight months, including clarifying whos responsible for damages, establishing relationships with first responders, and speeding up the turnaround time to prepare cabins for new residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The expected length of the stay for residents is around nine months, but could vary depending on each individuals health and other circumstances and whether there is a more permanent place for them to stay, Jaworski previously told Rhode Island Current. While staff continue to adjust, Jaworski said she believes ECHO Village has been a quick success, noting that seven individuals have since moved into permanent housing. As of mid-October, she said 70 people have spent time inside a cabin. These are folks who have been homeless for very long periods of time, with multiple challenges that theyre handling, she said. All in all, I think for a new program, a new model, we are successful. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX High energy bills and data centers popping up in Black neighborhoods across Georgia may be on the minds of many voters this week as they cast ballots in two Public Service Commission races that could impact how much money millions of people pay for power for the foreseeable future. PSC Commissioners Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson are the two Republican incumbents vying for reelection against Democratic challengers Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard. Fitz Johnson and Hubbard are competing for a seat in PSC District 3, which includes metro Atlanta. Echols and Alicia Johnson are competing in PSC District 2, which includes Savannah and most of the states Atlantic coastal region. Why this race matters The Public Service Commission is the five-member regulatory body that governs utility providers for most of the state, including 2.7 million customers of Georgia Power, metro Atlantas largest energy company. PSC commissioners have taken heat this year for approving six Georgia Power rate hikes over the past two years, resulting in residential customers paying an estimated $516 more annually on their electric bill than they were in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This years PSC races may be more critical for Black Georgians, who often pay more than most for electricity in one of the worst states for high utility costs in America. In recent years, some Georgians have complained about energy bills being as high as their monthly rent. Winning the two statewide office races are a big priority for the Democratic National Committee, which confirmed on Monday that its state party division, the Association of State Democratic Committees, has raised more than $100,000 to help turn out the vote for Hubbard and Alicia Johnson. The DNC confirmed via email on Monday that its vice chair, Jane Kleeb, will be campaigning in Georgia this week along with Georgia Democratic Party chair Charlie Bailey. Hundreds of Democratic volunteers will be calling, texting and doing on the ground mobilization work until election day. This is the first time weve done something like this for a regulatory body race, a DNC spokesperson told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. Its vastly important. Its lowering utility bills. We would argue this is one of the most important elections on the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican National Committee did not respond to a request for comment. The candidates Echols and Fitz Johnson have faced criticism for receiving thousands in campaign contributions from Georgia Power-affiliated donors and other utility companies they regulate. Both men told Capital B Atlanta earlier this year that those contributions have no influence on whether they approve utility company rate hikes. Fitz Johnson is the West Atlanta military veteran and owner of ASID Group International LLC., a professional services provider, who has campaigned on keeping utility rates affordable, improving grid reliability, and increasing sustainability. I dont know if youve ever been in the political arena, but it takes money to do this, a lot of money and a lot of time, Fitz Johnson told Capital B Atlanta in April. If you start picking and choosing who gets to donate to your campaign, I think that can get a little dicey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson didnt respond on Monday to a phone call requesting additional comment. Echols told Capital B Atlanta on Monday that Georgia Conservations Voters, a progressive environmental advocacy group, is spending $2.2 million to defeat him and Fitz Johnson. The group confirmed on Monday that its political action committee, Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund, has raised $2.2 million for Hubbard and Alicia Johnsons campaigns. That group has their own agenda and their own donor base, so I am glad to have what donations I have been able to garner all legal contributions per Georgia law, Echols said in an emailed statement. Echols is a Baptist minister from Hoschton who wants to replace fossil fuel with nuclear, solar, and battery storage power in addition to increasing home solar adoption among Georgia residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has made establishing a moratorium on Georgia Power rate hikes one of his top campaign priorities this year. He noted that he and the other PSC commissioners approved a plan in July to halt Georgia Power rate hikes for the next three years, a decision hes spent weeks telling voters on the campaign trail across the state. People need to know we heard them and took action to rein in rates, and make sure data centers dont impact peoples light bill, Echols said. Hubbard and Alicia Johnson have both centered their campaigns on being self-proclaimed better advocates for clean energy and for working Georgians struggling with high utility costs. Hubbard is a renewable energy project developer for Cygnus Solar Power, a solar and battery storage project developer, who wants to stop Georgia Power rate hikes, increase PSC accountability, and ensure data center owners arent passing off their infrastructure costs onto residential Georgia Power customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I intend to represent the people of Georgia no matter where they come from, but in particular those folks who have not had a voice in that commission, Hubbard told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. Alicia Johnson is a health care administrator from Savannah who wants to strengthen community protections and advocacy on the PSC, conduct a mandatory energy burden analyses during rate case examinations, and design targeted low income and environmental equity programs for the regulatory body. She said she believes her campaign messaging and Hubbards are resonating with underserved Georgia communities. Good public policy is people-centered policy, Johnson told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. I am a leader who not only centers the needs of people in policymaking decisions. I empower them to also advocate, from self to system, educate them about the process, and bring them to the table with me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting in the race ends Friday. Election Day voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 4. Only 4.5% of eligible voters have cast ballots early as of 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the secretary of states office. Read More: Correction: Fitz Johnson is the Republican iincumbent for the Public Service Commission District 3 seat, and Tim Echols is the Republican iincumbent for the District 2 seat. An earlier version of this story misstated the races they were competing in. The post PSC Elections: Why the DNC Raised $100,000 for the High-Stakes Race appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta. YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A man allegedly set fire to his York County apartment this summer amid a dispute with his landlord, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Ethan Pomraning, 31, of Brogue, faces arson and other charges after allegedly starting the two-alarm fire along York Street in Jefferson Borough, according to the charges filed by State Police at York. According to Troopers, Pomraning thought his landlord owed him $1,000 and believed his unit had subpar living conditions, so he started the fire to send a message. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was just after 8:30 p.m. on July 15 when the Jefferson Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched for a two-alarm fire. Troopers said the American Red Cross, fire police, and EMS crews were also called to the scene to assist, and they were able to get the fire under control about two hours later. The building suffered between $300,000 and $500,000 worth of damage from the fire, according to State Police. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter Charging documents show that nine people lived in the building, and four of them were inside it when the fire was started. All of the residents were displaced due to the fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Troopers said Pomraning was questioned at the scene, and he allegedly made up a story about how he chased a young child who had just pulled the fire alarm near the laundry room. State Police say Pomraning also claimed he helped the residents evacuate after he discovered fire in the laundry room. However, court docs show that when Pomraning was interviewed again on Oct. 20, he allegedly admitted he lied, and that he used a BIC-style lighter to light a bag of dryer lint on fire. State Police said he also admitted to being upset with his landlord. Pomraning is out of York County Prison after he was able to post his bail, which was set at $25,000 by Magisterial District Judge Thomas Reilly. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Montana Public Service Commission (via PSC Twitter account). Commissioner Jeff Welborn will lead the Montana Public Service Commission after the commissioners voted on Tuesday for him to replace ousted President Brad Molnar. Welborn, a former legislator in his first term as a commissioner, said until recently, he wasnt expecting the role to become open, but he would accept the challenge. Earlier this summer, Molnar announced he was under investigation internally for professional misconduct. Commissioner Jeff Welborn, former lawmaker. (Provided by Montana Legislative Services) The PSC has been operating under duress at least since then, with a combative-at-times Molnar and an internal committee requesting his suspension by Gov. Greg Gianforte. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, the Public Service Commission voted to vacate the office of president, unseating Molnar from the leadership post he took in January. In accepting the nomination for president this week, Welborn, the sole nominee, said respect is a two-way street, as is communication. I do believe that the only way any organization can move forward is keep both of those lines open in both directions, said Welborn, of Dillon. Its perfectly fine to disagree with somebody, but I would always try to promote an environment that you can disagree without being disagreeable, and I think theres a difference. The all-Republican Public Service Commission voted 3-2 in favor of seating Welborn as president, with Molnar and ally Commissioner Randy Pinocci voting no. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Molnar tried to restart discussion after voting was underway, but Vice President Jennifer Fielder, who chaired the meeting, said doing so was contrary to Roberts Rules of Order, a format for parliamentary procedure. Molnar retorted: Well, maybe Robert should speak for himself. Fielder nominated Welborn, with whom she served in the Montana Legislature, and Commissioner Annie Bukacek seconded the nomination. Fielder said when she and Welborn served together as legislators, they often disagreed on policy. However, she said she found her colleague to be well-reasoned, respectful and never vindictive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fielder said he developed chairmanship skills as a lawmaker, is a good listener, and represents the positive change needed by the agency regulating monopoly utilities. Hes been able to work respectfully with others, whether he agrees with them or not, Fielder said. Bukacek said Welborn would be a natural in the role given his respect for others and capacity to listen. She said he also would promote a positive environment with civil decorum, as the job requires. He has the temperament, character and life experience well-suited for the role of president for the good of the order of the Public Service Commission and the public we serve, Bukacek said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The internal investigation into professional misconduct against Molnar is pending. In his own defense, Molnar has described himself as a redneck in a white shirt, and he has said he may have made a joke that he didnt realize had sexual overtones until he was told. However, Molnar is not averse to conflict, and he has openly criticized staff and commissioners, especially when he believes the agency has been deferential to NorthWestern Energy, the largest public utility in the state, at the expense of consumers. Staff and commissioners have said they appreciate Molnars dedication and experience, but they also opposed a move to rescind the earlier complaint and suspension request made to Gianforte by the internal PSC response team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, commissioners voted 3-2 against taking back the letter, with Pinocci siding with Molnar. Last week, Molnars lawyer argued the request to the governor was moot given the PSC removed leadership responsibilities from Molnar, so he no longer had the authority that allowed him to interfere with the investigation, as the internal committee alleged. Molnar has admitted to taking advantage of his right to free speech in speaking out against the investigation but denied interference. The Governors Office has not responded to questions about the status of the complaint against Molnar. In other business Tuesday, the Public Service Commission voted unanimously to accept a staff recommendation to extend negotiations with the North Star utility for 30 days over its failures to provide adequate water service to roughly 270 residents in a subdivision near Helena. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A potential $86,700 fine has been pending against the utility, but its an amount the utility likely cant afford to pay, according to an earlier PSC staff memo. Negotiations had been underway for 60 days. At a meeting in August, the PSC said the fine was a step toward negotiating infrastructure improvements, and Tuesday, commissioners learned negotiations had been productive, and PSC staff requested more time to continue them. It's a satisfying, nostalgic feeling while hanging out at a bar in Wisconsin: Uncrumpling a dollar bill, feeding it into a pull tab machine then tearing back the strips, one by one, to reveal a possible win. While not unique to Wisconsin they're actually most popular in neighboring Minnesota pull tabs are ubiquitous in taverns. And their creators have painstakingly studied state laws to make sure their products are legal, even going to court to prove it. That's the story behind Wisconsin Souvenir Milkcaps, which feature colorful motifs of Wisconsin traditions, from "Roll Out the Barrel" to deer hunting to cheese. Other designs return a portion of proceeds to organizations that support veterans or breast cancer research, for example. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At first glance, pull tabs involve prize, chance and consideration three elements that together constitute illegal gambling. But Walter Bohrer designed the milkcaps with State Statute 100.16 in mind, said Dayton Young, Bohrer's grandson and now the company's president. "What he did, and what we continue to do, is follow every line item of that law," Young said. That includes putting the odds of winning and promotional end date on each of the tickets. The pull tabs also provide something of value through the cut-out milkcap a collector's item similar to the POGs craze of the 1990s and the Japanese game of Menko that originated long before it. State Statute 100.16 is the "in-pack chance promotion law." Pull tab companies in Wisconsin say they satisfy each of the requirements. In 1999, Milwaukee police executed a search warrant at Bohrer's offices, seizing milkcaps, computer files and other items. Bohrer took legal action to get the items back and secure a guarantee that his pull tabs complied with state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While a circuit court called the system a "thinly veiled lottery," the judge concluded Bohrer had "taken great pains to craft this promotion so it would conform to (State Statute 100.16)" and had succeeded in doing so. The state appealed, but the decision was upheld. "(Bohrer) had the unique idea to prove what he was doing in court and spend a lot of time and treasure to go through the court system and do it the right way," Young said. And, Young said, his grandfather paved the way for "any generic or any other pull tab to be treated the same," as long as they're following the state law. Another company has done just that. Ducktabs' rewards system designed to comply with state rules Stan Konrath knew people in the tavern business who saw unmet demand for pull tabs in Wisconsin. He launched his company, Ducktabs, as the pandemic began and has grown it for the past five years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Konrath called Bohrer's court case "supporting evidence" for the legality of pull tabs in Wisconsin, adding he's consulted with his lawyers and state Department of Revenue representatives. They've told him that other pull tabs are legal "as long as you're following the statutes, and you follow as close as you can to what the state requires," Konrath said. More: Pull tabs and shake of the day: NFL draft campus in Green Bay recognizes Wisconsin's love of the humble dive bar Both brands allow winners to immediately redeem their cash prizes at the bar. Tavern owners and machine operators come to an agreement on how to split the remaining profits after prize money is paid out, Young said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From there, Ducktabs winners can enter another contest a $99 prize is worth 99 points, for example. They can use those points to enter an online drawing for $5,000, conducted a few times a year. Konrath created that system because the state law requires keeping a record of winners over $100. But it's cumbersome for bars to fill out that paperwork, and Konrath says compliance isn't common across the industry. The rewards system encourages players to self-report their names and addresses. "That encourages a lot more compliance, trying to make sure the state has what it needs for their end," Konrath said. The Wisconsin Lottery also offers pull tabs, which accounted for only 0.1% of total lottery sales in 2021-22. State officials recently expressed interest in working with lawmakers to improve the program, market the state's product to taverns and bring in more property tax relief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Konrath said there could be other pull tab companies trying to enter the market in Wisconsin, but he hasn't run into any new competitors at trade shows. Like Young, Konrath focuses his distribution on Wisconsin, since states have different regulations. Minnesota is weighing rules for its electronic pull tabs, initially legalized in 2012 to help pay for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium. The state's Democratic-Farmer-Labor party passed a law in 2023 prohibiting features like free plays to ensure they don't become too similar to slot machines and violate tribal gaming compacts. But a Republican-backed bill would repeal those rules, saying it's hurt revenue for charities like the American Legion. Konrath isn't aware of any electronic pull tabs in Wisconsin. If a company introduced the idea, it's possible another court case would materialize and test the boundaries of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, the issue is settled by the courts, and Wisconsinites seem content with the tradition of ripping back the perforated paper tabs. "Just in my time with the company, pull tabs were sort of a really niche, not well-known thing. In the last 10 to 15 years, it's really become a staple and part of the bar culture in our state," Young said. "It's really come a long way." Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Wisconsin pull tab companies ensure the tradition is legal When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Zelensky deserves a Nobel Prize for patience after enduring another Trump tirade. | Credit: EYEPRESS / Reuters What happened A planned meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to discuss a halt to the war in Ukraine was shelved last week, after Russian officials said Putin would not bend on any of his demands. A ceasefire now would mean only one thing, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, that a vast part of Ukraine remains under the control of a Nazi regime. Trump said those comments showed that another meeting with Putin would be a waste of time. Trump had earlier suggested that the U.S. might provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles, but after a phone call from Putin, he dropped that idea, saying Tomahawks could mean a big escalation. Instead, at a combative White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he reportedly demanded that Ukraine accept Russias termsincluding surrendering areas of the Donbas region that are currently under Ukrainian control. After Russia bombarded Ukraine with more than 400 drones and missiles, killing at least six people and causing widespread power outages, U.S. officials said they would allow Ukraine to use British long-range missiles, which require American guidance. European leaders said they would lend Ukraine more than $200 billion in frozen Russian assets, and they called for an immediate ceasefire that would freeze each sides territorial gains. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who met with Trump this week, said he had total confidence that the president would reach such a ceasefire, saying hes the only one who can get this done. What the columnists said Zelensky deserves a Nobel Prize for patience after enduring another Trump tirade, said Edward Luce in the Financial Times. He undoubtedly knows that Putin, whose troops have gained only 0.4% of territory this year at the cost of 100,000 casualties, has fewer cards in his hand than Trump supposes. But given that Putin seems to hold a mesmeric sway over the U.S. president, we have to wonder if one of those cards is Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump sincerely wants to end the war, said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial, and the quickest way to do that is to provide Ukraine with Tomahawks. Putin has tried to use nuclear blackmail for three years to talk the U.S. out of donating this or that weapon, but its just bluster. Kyiv has already damaged or destroyed about 20% of Russias oil-refining capacity with the help of long-range strikes, and could knock out even more with the long-range missiles. It was the mere threat of Tomahawks, after all, that persuaded Putin to agree to a meetingwhen the threat was called off, so was the meeting. Putin has no intention of ever reaching a ceasefire, said Eric S. Edelman and David J. Kramer in The Dispatch. His goals have not changed since the day of the invasion in 2022: to destroy Ukraine, overthrow its government, subjugate its population, and eliminate its hopes for one day joining NATO. With or without American Tomahawks, the Ukrainian people will fight on. They have no choice. In July 2021, Putin penned a history-laden pamphlet arguing that Ukrainians and Russians are kindred nations, artificially divided by outsiders. The cherry-picked historical narratives and outright distortions were Putin's casus belli for an all-out war. Seven months later, Putin's Russia was bombing Ukraine, illegally "annexing" large swathes of territory while killing untold thousands of people in the name of historical revisionism. Since then, the Russian leader has continued to draw on past events to justify Moscow's ongoing aggression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wider Western audiences became more familiar with Putin's penchant for history during his interview with Tucker Carlson in February 2024. The Kremlin's chief expounded at length on his version of Ukrainian and Eastern European history, beginning with the founding of Kyivan Rus in the 9th century, a proto-state for modern Ukraine and Russia. He then reportedly gave a similar lecture to U.S. President Donald Trump during the August summit in Alaska. Putin uses history as "an arsenal where he can select weapons to defeat his adversaries," Francoise Thom, a French historian specializing in Soviet history, told the Kyiv Independent. Historians call this Putin's weaponization of history. This weapon is primarily aimed at Ukraine. They add that his focus on Ukraine reaches the level of obsession, saying that the 73-year-old leader has drowned in a world that doesn't exist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Culture is not neutral: The troubling presence of Russias Eksmo in Frankfurt 'A country with an unpredictable past' Studying history in Russia was never an easy task, as one of the country's comedians put it in the early 2000s "Russia was a country with an unpredictable past." Moscow's history textbooks were rewritten as soon as a new ruler, or regime, had been installed, be it a tsar, a Communist party leader, or a post-Soviet autocrat. Putin has, meanwhile, taken rewriting the country's history to heart, justifying his war against Ukraine with passages from cherry-picked events from centuries back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putin "needs to legitimize the war against Ukraine, so he has chosen the strategy to present the Russian and Ukrainian peoples as one," says Serhii Hromenko, a historian and publicist serving with Ukraine's Armed Forces. Kyivian Rus, a medieval polity founded in the 9th century from which Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus claim their descent, has been used by Putin as an argument that Ukrainians and Russians are effectively one people. Yaroslav Hrytsak, a Ukrainian historian and professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, dismissed this interpretation as "nonsense," noting that it ignores the changes every nation undergoes over centuries. After the fall of Kyivian Rus, the successor states and territories of modern-day Ukraine were eventually incorporated into Poland and Lithuania, becoming integral parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A portrait of Russias President Vladimir Putin is seen on a page of a schoolbook for high school students on world history and Russian history in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 7, 2023. (Yuri Kadobnov / AFP via Getty Images) The Grand Duchy and later Tsardom of Muscovy, in the meantime, evolved largely separately from Ukrainian history until the late 17th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An anti-Polish Cossack rebellion led by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi sought allies against the Polish king, eventually concluding the 1654 Treaty of Pereiaslav with the Muscovy tsar. Khmelnytskyi and Pereiaslav fit well into Putin's discourse that Russia is a "peaceful nation," to which others seek to join of their own volition, Hrytsak explains. The complexities of the event, including the other alliances Khmelnytskyi sought, are left out. That is the case with many parts of history that do not fit into Putin's desired narrative. Hromenko notes that topics like Ivan Mazepa, a Cossack leader who waged war against Russian Tsar Peter I, are often omitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter WTF is wrong with Russia? Sign up So is the 1917 Ukrainian Revolution, which negates Putin's favorite claim that Ukraine was "created" only years later by Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin. Another omitted fact is that large parts of Ukraine, where Ukrainian language and culture had flourished for centuries, were annexed by the Soviet Union only in 1940, and were held by Moscow for less than half a century. "(Putin) wants to destroy Ukraine as a nation. And a nation is supposed to have its own history," Hrytsak says. When a nation is stripped of its history and collective memory, it makes it vulnerable to being absorbed by another, he adds. Putin's obsession Putin has long been using perceived historical grievances to attack adversaries and justify political goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Thom says: "For him, history is a bottomless conservatory of offenses inflicted on the Russian people by the hostile West since Byzantium." Yet, historians say Putin's focus on Ukraine reaches the level of obsession. The shared Russo-Ukrainian history has been marked by centuries of subjugation and repression. Russian and Soviet leaders, from tsars to Joseph Stalin, have viewed the Ukrainian nation with suspicion. Russias President Vladimir Putin addresses the audience during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Kursk, a major World War II Eastern Front battle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, in Kursk, Russia, on Aug. 23, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov / Pool / AFP via Getty Images) Nevertheless, Sergey Radchenko, a historian specializing in Soviet and Russian foreign policy, says the obsession with Ukraine is "peculiar to Putin." "If you look back through decades to see how Soviet and Russian leaders have drawn on history, you'll see that while they have all done that, they did not obsess over it," he told the Kyiv Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hrytsak links this directly to the full-scale invasion. While acknowledging Russian-Ukrainian relations would be difficult regardless of who sits in the Kremlin, the Ukrainian historian believes that Putin's obsession with Ukraine plays an outsized part. For him, its personal, Hrytsak adds. Read also: Theyre always moving forward Russian troops overrun Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblasts once-liberated city Note from the author: Hi, this is Martin, the author of this article. If you would like to learn more about Ukrainian history and its impact on the current war, please consider supporting us by becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent community. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has asked North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to let the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, know that relations between Russia and North Korea are "going according to plan". Source: Reuters Details: "Everything is going according to plan. Please give him [Kim] my best wishes," Putin said during talks at the Kremlin. Reuters noted that Putin and Kim signed a strategic partnership agreement last year that includes mutual defence commitments. North Korea has supplied Russia with troops, artillery shells and rockets to support its war against Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukraine and South Korea estimate that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to fight in Ukraine in exchange for economic and military-technical aid from Russia. South Korea's intelligence agency estimated in September that around 2,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed in combat. During her visit to Moscow, Choe also met with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss bilateral relations and regional dynamics in Asia. Background: Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Putnam County Common Pleas Court Oct. 20 Jeff R. Hoyt, 57, Columbus Grove, pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Bond was continued while a presentence investigation is conducted with sentencing scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Dec. 1. The hearing will be held at the Assembly Room on the first floor of the courthouse due to courtroom renovations. Hoyt had been indicted on three counts aggravated arson and insurance fraud. Court records accused Hoyt of creating a substantial risk of serious harm to Clay Bellman, who discovered the fire at the tavern, located at 409 S. Broad St., Kalida, on March 16, 2024. The second count involved knowingly creating a substantial risk of physical harm by means of a fire to the firefighters from the Kalida Fire Department who responded to the fire. The third count involved causing physical harm by means of fire to the tavern itself. The fourth count accused Hoyt of filing a claim of more than $150,000 with the Erie Insurance Co., knowing the claim for payment was false or deceptive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Cases Laura Eckman, Ottawa, v. Joseph Echman, Ottawa; divorce with children. Andrew T. Maag, Columbus Grove, and Melissa S. Maag, Columbus Grove; dissolution of marriage with children. Putnam County Municipal Court dispositions Oct. 16 Mark S. Galloway, Jr., 40, Deshler, was fined $100 for speeding and court costs for driving under suspension in violation of license restriction. Oct. 17 Jared C. Sherman, 19, Toledo, was fined $150 for drug abuse/possession. He was also fined $150 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Oct. 20 Zaniyah D. Williams, 21, Lima, pleaded guilty to driving under OVI suspension. Sentence: 180 days jail, 177 days suspended, $250 fine, one year license suspension. A charge of speeding was dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Juan C. Librado, 23, Montpelier, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license. Nicholas A. Baker, 32, Lima, was fined $150 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Anais Beatty, 36, Defiance, was fined $150 for driving without a valid license and $50 for speeding. Clinton Malcom, 35, Lima, was fined $150 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Oct. 21 Brittany M. Patton, 28, Van Wert, pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide and was found guilty. Sentence: 180 days jail, suspended, $1,000 fine and one year license suspension. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrols Lima post, Dorothy Smith, 72, Anderson, Ind., was driving a 2021 Honda CR-V eastbound on US Route 224 in Monterey Township at 10:57 a.m. May 5 when Brittany Patton, 28, Van Wert drove a 2007 Ford E-150 van southbound on state Route 66 and failed to stop at a posted stop sign striking Smiths vehicle. The Honda went off the right side of the road, struck a stop sign and overturned. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported by the Ottoville EMS to the Lucas County Coroners Office. The Ford went off the left side of the roadway. Patton suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Mercy Health St. Ritas by the Ottoville EMS. The three children in the vehicle, all in child safety seats, were taken to the hospital as a precaution measure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brieona K. Spears, 29, Perrysburg, pleaded guilty to an amended offense of criminal mischief. Sentence: 10 days jail, 9 days suspended, $50 fine. Chelsey L. Gunn, 36, Ottawa, pleaded guilty to an amended offense of reckless operation. Sentence: 30 days jail, 27 days suspended, $250 fine with credit for three days jail upon completion of DIP. Robert O. Tudor, 49, Columbus Grove, pleaded guilty to an amended offense of criminal mischief. Sentence: 30 days jail, 29 days suspended, $150 fine. Nicholas A. Hazelton, 39, Ottawa, was fined $150 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Oct. 23 Steven G. Duling, 66, Ottawa, pleaded no contest to OVI and was found guilty. Sentence: 180 days jail, 160 days suspended, $750 fine, $185 suspended, two-year license suspension, and complete an alcohol and drug assessment. Charges of marked lanes and expired plates were dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clinton Malcom, 35, Lima, was fined $150 for driving under FRA/noncompliance suspension. Dennis E. Moore, 71, Ottawa, was fined $150 for stopped school bus. Putnam County Municipal Court judgments Oct. 20 LVNV Funding, LLC, Greenville, S.C., default judgment v. Brandon Wilson, Ottawa, $1,330.17, plus interest and costs. Midland Credit Management, Inc., Plymouth, Minn., default judgment v. Joy D. Macke, Pandora, $1,303.89, plus interest and costs. Oct. 22 Midland Credit Management, Inc., San Diego, Calif., default judgment v. Sean Swyers, Kalida, $1,038.87, plus interest and costs. Rebecca Distel, Ottawa, small claims v. Reliable Transport, Dayton, $6,000, plus interest and costs. Oct. 23 Capital One, Richmond, Va., default judgment v. Leann M. Altman, Leipsic, $4,505.61, plus costs. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish are invited to ask questions about Thrive EBR, a tax plan with three proposals on the November ballot. The initiative aims to rededicate taxes from the parish library system, Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control and the Council on Aging to the general fund. People are invited to attend community meetings to learn more about the tax plan. Watch: Baton Rouge mayor details Thrive EBR tax plan Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting starts this Saturday, Nov. 1. Click here for more voting information. Community meetings before Nov. 15 election Town hall hosted by Councilwoman Twahna Harris When : 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3. Where: MLK Community Center (4000 Gus Young Ave.) East Baton Rouge Parish Library System presentations When : 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. Where: Main Library on Goodwood When : 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. Where: South Branch When : 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. Where: Main Library at Goodwood When : 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4. Where: Zachary Branch When : 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5. Where: Zachary Branch When : 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6. Where: Fairwood Branch When : 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9. Where: Fairwood Branch When : 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10. Where: Main Library at Goodwood Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When : 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10. Where: River Center Branch Latest News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Louisiana First News. NEW YORK (AP) Jack DeJohnette, a celebrated jazz drummer who worked with Miles Davis on his landmark 1970 fusion album and collaborated with Keith Jarrett and a vast array of other jazz greats, has died at 83. The acclaimed drummer, bandleader and composer died Sunday in Kingston, New York, of congestive heart failure, surrounded by his wife, family and close friends, his assistant, Joan Clancy, told The Associated Press. A winner of two Grammy awards, the Chicago-born DeJohnette began his musical life as a classical pianist, starting training at age 4, before taking up the drums with his high school band. He was in demand in his early years as both a pianist and a drummer. Over the years he collaborated not only with Davis and Jarrett but also with names like John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Betty Carter virtually every major jazz figure from the 1960s on, wrote the National Endowment for the Arts, which honored him in 2012 with a Jazz Master Fellowship. In an interview for the NEA at the time, DeJohnette described what he felt was the nature of his talent. The best gift that I have is the ability to listen, not only listen audibly but listen with my heart, he said. Ive been fortunate enough to play with a lot of musicians and leaders who allowed me to have that freedom. He added: I just never doubted that I would be successful at this because it just feels like somethings going through me and lifting me up, and carrying me. All I had to do was acknowledge this gift and put it to use. In 1968, DeJohnette joined Davis and his group to work on music leading up to Davis 1970 influential studio album, Bitches Brew. In a Sessions Panel interview, DeJohnette spoke of how he hed been freelancing in New York when the opportunity arose to join Davis in the studio, at a time when experimentation with genres had become the new frontier, so to speak. Miles was in a creative mood, DeJohnette said, a process of utilizing the studio to go in every day and experiment with grooves. A lot of the music is not that structured it was a matter of grooves, and sometimes a few notes or a few melodies. Youd turn the tape on and just let it roll. Days and days and days of this would go on, DeJohnette added. We never thought about how important these records would be, it was just we knew it was important because Miles was there and he was moving forward with something different. Rolling Stone, which listed DeJohnette as one of the top 100 drummers of all time (at No. 40), cited the drummers own innate knack for turning a memorable tune. Born Aug. 9, 1942 in Chicago, DeJohnette grew up in a family that placed great importance on music and its appreciation, according to background material on his website. He studied classical piano as a child privately and then at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. He turned to the drums at age 14, when he joined his school band. I listened to opera, country and western music, rhythm and blues, swing, jazz, whatever, his website quotes him as saying. To me, it was all music and all great. Ive kept that integrated feeling about music, all types of music, and just carried it with me. As a sideman on piano and drums and also with his own groups, DeJohnette had become part of the Chicago jazz scene by the mid-1960s. He was active with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and later drummed alongside Rashied Ali in the John Coltrane Quintet. It was his involvement with Charles Lloyds quartet, where he first performed with Jarrett, that brought him international recognition. In 1968, DeJohnette joined Davis group ahead of the recording of Bitches Brew, and remained with him for three years, contributing to further albums while also recording his own as a leader, beginning with the 1969 release The DeJohnette Complex. DeJohnette recorded on various labels during his career but mostly on ECM. In addition to his own many projects and bands, he was a member of the Standards Trio, with Jarrett and Gary Peacock, for more than 25 years. His two Grammys were for new age album (Peace Time) in 2009, a continuous, hourlong piece of music, and for jazz instrumental album (Skyline) in 2022. DeJohnette is survived by his wife, Lydia DeJohnette, and two adult daughters, Farah DeJohnette and Minya DeJohnette, Clancy said. By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow on Monday denounced the companies that are contributing money to President Donald Trumps costly White House ballroom project including MSNBCs very own parent company, Comcast. The Rachel Maddow Show host argued that the corporations doing business with Trump and his administration might be profiting from it, but could also be tarnishing their legacies. Politics: Trump's Ex-Press Secretary Reveals What She'd Do To Beat Trump Contractors like Avelo Airlines are excited to make money off of ICE, to make money off of Trumps deportations, Maddow said, and that is, of course, Avelos right to compete for contracts like that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, she cautioned, the public also has the right to boycott and protest Avelo for participating in Trumps utterly lawless, chaotic, shambolic deportation regime. For every Avelo Airlines for every corporation like our parent company, for another hot minute, Comcast, that wants to pay for Trump to take a literal wrecking ball excuse me, an excavator to the White House, she added, those public-facing companies should know theres a cost in terms of their reputation with the American public. There may be a cost to their bottom line when they do things against American values, against the public interest, because they want to please Trump or buy him off or profit somehow from his authoritarian overthrow of our democracy, Maddow warned. Trump hosted a White House dinner last week to thank the companies and individuals who donated to his ballroom project. He claimed in July that construction would cost $200 million, but the estimate has since leaped to $300 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House provided NBC News with an official list of donors last week, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta and Comcast. Politics: Melania Trumps Halloween Display Gives Critics The Creeps As Millions Face Real-Life Horror Trump has launched mass deportations, deployed the National Guard to U.S. cities, ordered masked immigration agents to snatch civilians off the street and deported people in open defiance of federal judges. The nationwide No Kings protests earlier this month were held precisely in opposition to Trumps authoritarian moves. Maddow also pointed to protests Saturday outside Trump Tower in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Protests may or may not move Donald Trump himself, although these people at Trump Tower in New York this weekend were doing their best to try to make sure that it does, she said on Monday. But even if protest doesnt move Trump directly, it constrains his power by moving the public-facing, consumer-facing people and entities that he has to enlist in what hes trying to do. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Rachel Maddow warned MSNBC viewers Monday of the Trump administrations quiet embrace of new spyware technology that she said turns your own phone into a spy against you. It probably should come as no surprise that the Trump administration is trying to give themselves all sorts of new, very intrusive powers against American citizens, Maddow said at the top of the Monday segment. The Rachel Maddow Show host went on to detail how the Trump administration has begun working with a company known for the same kind of spyware technology that was reportedly used by the Saudi government to track, kidnap and kill Washington Post columnist and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The technology in question reportedly infects its targets phone without them realizing it or clicking on anything. Once a persons device has been infected with it, Maddow explained, the spywares controller gets access to everything on the device and sees everything it is used for. The devices microphone and camera can be turned on without its owner even realizing it. This technology has been sitting on the table like a loaded gun, waiting for a would-be dictator to come to power in America and use it against us, Maddow explained. When this kind of spyware surveillance tool emerged as a favored weapon for authoritarian governments and murderous dictatorships around the world, the Joe Biden administration banned the U.S. government from ever using that particular spyware or anything like it. Maddow revealed, however, that the Trump administration has reversed that ban. Which part of the Trump administration is using it? ICE, Maddow said. Are they using it just against immigrants? Yeah, right. As if. You can watch the full segment yourself in the video below. Maddow noted that ICE plans to reportedly use its new spyware technology to investigate not only undocumented immigrants but also networks of anti-ICE protesters. It is additionally unclear whether or not ICE is even getting warrants before it deploys. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This turns your own phone into a spy against you, Maddow reiterated. This is a surveillance capability I have been laying awake at night thinking about for the past couple of years. Now, Trump is in power and Americans are protesting against him every single day of the week and twice on Sundays, and so, naturally, he is happily signing the contracts that give his government this power. He is handing this power to the most untrained, most lawless, most aggressive pseudo-military parts of his government to use against American citizens, without warrants and without us being notified that its happening, Maddow concluded. What are they going to do to us with this stuff? And what do we do about it? The post Rachel Maddow Warns of New ICE Surveillance Tool: Turns Your Own Phone Into a Spy Against You | Video appeared first on TheWrap. An emergency room nurse tends to a patient at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital in Texas. States, counties and nonprofits are striving to continue their work to close racial health disparity gaps but are struggling amid a loss of federal dollars. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Racial health disparities may widen as states, universities and nonprofits grapple with federal funding cuts to programs that were aimed at filling gaps in care, public health experts say. As part of its federal restructuring and crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, the Trump administration has been shuttering federal offices and rescinding grants dedicated to addressing worse health care access and outcomes for racial minorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shake-up has caused some state agencies and nonprofits to pause programs and some groups and universities to apply for foundation grants instead. Hundreds of grants have been terminated for state, local and territorial health departments as well as nonprofits and universities, many of which addressed health equity across rural, low-income and communities of color. The nations racial health disparities were laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the virus killed Black, Hispanic and Indigenous people at higher rates than white people. The police murder of George Floyd in May 2020 also fueled a racial reckoning across the nation, prompting efforts by states, universities, health systems and the federal government to address racial health disparities. Those approaches ranged from targeted vaccine campaigns and efforts to enroll more people of color in clinical trials to corrections of diagnostic tests that relied on inaccurate information about race and biology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement COVID revealed the impact of health disparities to individual health as well as how not addressing these disparities undermines the health system for everyone. Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association Communities of color have long had less access to health care, increased exposure to environmental pollutants and higher rates of certain chronic illnesses and cancer deaths. They also have more diabetes-related amputations because of a lack of access to care. And specific genetic diseases, such as sickle cell disease, disproportionately affect Black people. COVID revealed the impact of health disparities to individual health as well as how not addressing these disparities undermines the health system for everyone, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, many of the programs trying to address health disparities are being rolled back. As a result, health policy experts, clinicians and researchers fear those disparities will widen as states, universities and nonprofits grapple with lost federal dollars while the administration continues to limit federal funding for DEI programs. In July, the U.S. Department of Justice released guidance saying such initiatives should not receive federal funding, alleging they are discriminatory. Entities that receive federal funds must ensure that their programs and activities comply with federal law and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or other protected characteristicsno matter the programs labels, objectives, or intentions, the news release said. Several state and local health officials were reluctant to speak with Stateline on the record about how the federal administrations DEI crackdown has left them in a bind, fearing retaliation or targeting by the federal government. The White House did not respond to Statelines request for comment. My concern about what the administration is doing is that they are, in effect, making these disparities worse, Benjamin said. Everybodys health is not the same. Its important to know that the disparities are really profound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Benjamin added that the cumulative effect of disparities means more late-stage disease costing both patients and health systems more. Theres a trope or misunderstanding out there that DEI is a woke-related agenda. DEI is not a woke agenda. DEI is an American agenda, because its really one that is the same thing as rising tides lift all boats, said Brandon Wilson, senior director of Health Innovation and Public Health at Community Catalyst, a health equity advocacy organization. When you cut [resources] off, youre actually disproportionately impacting those who are already impacted. Increasing need The administration canceled billions of dollars in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services. Many of the grants helped recipients create solutions tailored to their communities needs and strengths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least three dozen state, local and territorial health departments have had pandemic-era grants that addressed health equity terminated. While originally focused on COVID-19, agencies have since used that grant money for other public health efforts: testing and contact tracing for a wide range of diseases, better data reporting, and community partnerships that address social and environmental effects on health. The money was part of a $2.2 billion national health equity initiative that aimed to address vulnerabilities and protect those communities ahead of the next outbreak. The Department of Health and Human Services told media such cancellations were due to the pandemic emergency ending in 2023. At NIH, the administration terminated more than 5,400 NIH research grants, although about 2,800 were reinstated. Canceled grants included research toward illnesses like HIV and AIDS, which disproportionately affect Black and Hispanic people as well as gay and transgender people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has also gutted federal offices dedicated to fighting disparities, including the Offices of Minority Health under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. At the state level, the Arkansas Department of Health recently shut down its own minority health-focused office. Ashley Whitlow, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement that it relies on federal grant funding to support a variety of public health programs. The recent reduction in program staff reflects the Arkansas Department of Healths ongoing efforts to operate more efficiently with the resources available. Despite these changes, ADH remains fully committed to serving communities across the state, the statement said. Meanwhile, Marylands Department of Health said its minority health office is funded through state general funds and not directly impacted by the federal cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The nation has seen a spike in congenital syphilis cases, which disproportionately occur among Black and Indigenous families. Regardless of whether youre at the highest risk, any outbreak thats not controlled can spread widely and broadly, and you can see that thats whats happening with measles, said Dr. Julie Morita, former executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former health commissioner Chicago Department of Public Health. But states likely cant replace all the lost federal dollars. Youve got declining capacity, and increasing need which is a formula for problems, said Richard Frank, director of the Brookings Institution Center on Health Policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its impossible to make all that up with state and local dollars, he continued. Youre going to see programs that serve real people getting pulled back. Frank and Wilson also expressed concern about the Medicaid changes included in the broad tax and spending law President Donald Trump signed in July. The law is projected to cut federal Medicaid spending by an estimated $911 billion over the next decade, largely because new work requirements will push people off the rolls. Data shows the majority of Medicaid enrollees already work, and experts say many will be kicked off the rolls due to difficulties in states reporting processes. Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately represented on the Medicaid rolls. OB-GYN Dr. Versha Pleasant, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan, directs the Cancer Genetics and Breast Health Clinic at Von Voigtlander Womens Hospital. She treats patients at high risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Black women have an almost 40% higher risk of death from breast cancer than white women. That, to me, is unacceptable, she said, adding that such disparities speak to the need for ongoing programs to provide everyone with a fair chance at leading a long and healthy life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we dont make a special effort to save the most vulnerable lives where does that leave us? she continued. The changes that were seeing are only going to magnify preexisting challenges. Data and dollars Dr. Sarah Rudman, acting public health officer at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department in California, and others have told Stateline that federal officials are informing health agencies that race and ethnicity data are no longer required to be reported. We are being asked to change the way we collect our own data here and report it, Rudman said, adding that her county is going to continue collecting data to understand who is here, whos experiencing what health outcome and what they need. Many families, in the shadow of the countys Silicon Valley, still struggle with poverty more than 27,000 children suffer food insecurity, United Way Bay Area says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is sometimes surprising and striking to people to understand how much poverty and other types of vulnerability are hidden among the more visible wealth of Silicon Valley, and thats where weve dedicated our resources, Rudman said. Its hard to even imagine what my colleagues in smaller areas of California or in other parts of the country are experiencing, she added about lower-income counties. We are feeling extremely strained and already in our second round of layoffs, knowing that many more are likely. So I think that the hits are going to be that much more significant in areas who have less resources than we do. Federal officials also canceled the countys $5.7 million grant to address COVID-19-related disparities, used to shore up vulnerable communities ahead of the next disease outbreak, natural disaster or heat wave, Rudman said. The money helped the county conduct basic laboratory testing and vaccine outreach for a wide range of diseases, not just COVID-19. Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Authorities raided an illegal fireworks lab in East L.A. in connection with an ongoing investigation into a deadly fireworks explosion in Yolo County, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The operation prompted the evacuation of students at two nearby high schools on Monday morning and sparked anxiety among some parents. Authorities served a search warrant in the 400 block of Vancouver Avenue, which is opposite Garfield High School and Monterey Continuation High School. As a precautionary measure, students at both schools were transferred to Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School, according to a spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man living inside the home had nearly 100 pounds of improvised pyrotechnic powders, the source told The Times. The operation was led by Yolo County authorities in partnership with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, while the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's arson and explosives unit assisted, the Sheriff's Department spokesperson said. The Sheriff's Department also helped facilitate the evacuation of students and some nearby residents. The raid was connected to an ongoing investigation into a massive explosion at a fireworks warehouse in the rural Yolo County community of Esparto in July, the source said. Seven workers were killed inside the building, which is owned by Devastating Pyrotechnics. Read more: 'We want answers.' Families hold vigil after seven found dead in fireworks factory explosion Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities have also searched the San Francisco home of Devastating Pyrotechnics Chief Executive Kenneth Chee. Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Alberto Carvalho reassured parents that students were safe during the operation in a statement on X. "Our dedicated teams and law enforcement partners have ensured students and employees are safe and protected," he said. "Together, we protect our school communities with care, conviction and an unwavering commitment to ensuring every child learns in peace and safety." Some parents expressed frustration with the time it took the district to notify them of the evacuation as well as the challenges they faced in picking up their children, according to reporting from Boyle Heights Beat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Us parents were very worried because we didnt know what was happening, Carolina Garcia told the local paper in Spanish. This made us realize that they were not prepared to sufficiently handle an emergency." Another parent, Dana Guerrero, told Boyle Heights Beat that it took her more than two hours to verify guardianship of the student she was trying to pick up. Its a huge mess," she said. "It took them almost an hour to even call us to let us know what was happening." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Get ready, Greater Akron, another fast-casual food option is coming to State Route 18. Raising Cane's, a national chain known for its chicken fingers, aims to open for business next year, the company confirmed Oct. 27. The new restaurant location will be built at the former Melt Bar & Grilled site at 3921 Medina Road in Bath, with plans to open late Spring 2026, Shayna Kobuck, a public relations specialist for Raising Cane's, said. The former Melt Bar & Grilled is seen reduced to a pile of rubble, Oct. 27, 2025, at 3921 Medina Road in Bath Township, Ohio. Carly Detar of the OLIO Development Group filed a conditional use application for the chicken finger restaurant to construct a building with a drive-thru along Medina Road in April 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melt Bar &Grilled, which filed for bankruptcy in June 2024, closed its Medina Road location in August 2024. There are two other Raising Cane's locations in Summit County with one at 200 Howe Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls and another at 597 East Aurora Road in Macedonia. Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Raising Canes opening location in Bath, Ohio in spring 2026 INDIANAPOLIS The Capitol Police Section of the Indiana State Police is asking for the publics help locating two tortoises that were stolen from the Indianapolis Zoo earlier this month. According to investigators, the theft occurred sometime between 10 a.m. Oct. 11 and 10 a.m. Oct. 12. Both species, an Egyptian tortoise and a northern spider tortoise are currently listed as "critically endangered" species. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both tortoises are microchipped, and the Egyptian tortoise is said to have a prominent scar on its underside. Anyone with any information related to this theft is asked to call either the capitol police at 317-234-2131 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477). The expiration of federal subsidies for health insurance plans, at the center of a D.C. budget fight, is to blame for the coming increase, the state says. (Getty Images) Premiums for health insurance plans purchased through the New Jersey marketplace will rise 174% next year because of the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies, according to the state Department of Banking and Insurance. The staggering price hikes, which would come alongside market-driven rate increases of 17%, would kick in after the enhanced premium tax credits approved during the pandemic expire at the start of 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Consumers will soon be shopping and comparing health plans, and without these enhanced tax credits, they will be confronted by startlingly higher prices for coverage. We are significantly concerned that many households will be forced to choose plans with lesser coverage or choose no coverage at all as a result, said the departments commissioner, Justin Zimmerman. The news comes as the federal government shutdown stretched into its 28th day on Tuesday, with congressional leaders at odds over whether the tax credits should continue. Democrats have sought to use a continuing resolution that would restore funding to the government to extend the credits. Republican officials have so far largely declined to negotiate, though they lack the Senate votes to advance a funding measure on their own absent changes to the chambers rules, which require a 60-vote majority for continuing resolutions. The Department of Banking and Insurance said new analysis showed the subsidies expiration would spike premiums for all individuals enrolled in plans traded on Get Covered NJ, New Jerseys health insurance exchange, by 174%, adding more than $2,780 to premiums annually. Individuals receiving financial assistance to subscribe to an exchange-traded plan thats 91% of enrollees who purchase health insurance through Get Covered NJ would see a 163% increase, with rates rising by $1,850 on average. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the upcoming plan year, it is essential for all consumers to carefully shop and compare health plans to secure coverage that best meets their needs and budgets, Zimmerman said. The impact will be broad. More than 510,000 New Jerseyans are enrolled in plans obtained through the states marketplace, and more than 466,000 of those receive the enhanced subsidies, the department said. Overall, New Jersey expects to lose more than $500 million in federal premium assistance, state officials said. New Jersey will still provide $215 million in state assistance. The increases could be far greater for families and individuals who are risky to insure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rates for a family of four in Ocean County with an annual income of $131,000 could see their premiums rise by $26,000 annually as a result of the expiring subsidies, the department said. A Middlesex County couple in their early 60s with $94,000 in income could see an increase of more than $22,000, the department said. At 28 days, the shutdown is already the second-longest in U.S. history. The only shutdown to last longer occurred during President Donald Trumps first term in 2018 and 2019, and lasted for 35 days. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Decatur County Health Department recently announced a Clarksburg community meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at the Clarksburg Fire Department. DCHD staff will present their plans for eradication of a reported rat infestation and listen to public concerns moving forward. Decatur Count Health Department Director Sean Durbin received complaints from a Clarksburg resident who saw rats running around his neighborhood. Durbin also received a complaint from a homeowner who had killed a rat in his home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An investigation determined that 30 homes were involved in the infestation. Durbin said the course of action moving forward is a simple plan: eliminate the rats habitat, eliminate their food source and then eradicate the pests. As for how the public can help, Durbin warned against poisons but recommended snap-traps and glue strips instead. Durbin published a Clarksburg rat eradication plan, and it includes a few things the public can do to assist in eradicating the infestation. He stressed the importance of avoiding personal contact with rats. Organize a neighborhood clean-up campaign. Remove trash, pet food, bird seed, fallen fruit and yard debris. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seal garbage bins with tight fitting lids and consider metal containers. Eliminate overgrown vegetation, abandoned structures and junk piles. Set up a Rat Watch community group. Rats are a serious health concern, Durbin said. Think about the Black Death in 1346 in Europe that killed millions. It was started by rats. The Clarksburg Fire Department is located at 6645 700 E, Clarksburg. Thursdays meeting is open to the public and Clarksburg residents are urged to attend. This is what a genocide looks like. The city encircled by an earthen wall, trapping over 250,000 people inside. Women, children, the elderly. With the siege complete, the dull drone of bombers heralded a relentless aerial bombardment before the troops moved in through the smoke with blood in their nostrils. We have witnessed many of our relatives being massacred, one man told reporters after managing to flee from the hellscape. They were gathered in one place and killed. Now we have no idea what has happened to those who are still alive. While the UN rights chief, Volker Turk, warned impotently of ethnically-motivated violations and atrocities, grisly footage emerged on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There were scenes of summary executions, with civilians forced to sit on the ground before being gunned down at point-blank range. Dozens of corpses could be seen sprawled around burnt-out vehicles. On Saturday, the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the atrocities, mass executions, starvation and the devastating use of rape as a weapon of war. The head of the World Health Organisation, meanwhile, has denounced attacks on the only hospital still partly operational. According to reports, a nurse lost her life, and three other health workers were injured, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. The press syndicate expressed deep concern for the safety of journalists. The death toll from the fighting has risen to at least 150,000 by conservative estimates, and according to some reports hundreds of thousands of children are thought to have succumbed to malnutrition. In January, the United States officially declared the conflict a genocide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This bloodbath dwarfs Gaza in scale and contrasts with it starkly in terms of intent. No humanitarian corridors. No leaflets to warn innocents to flee. No provision of aid. Not even the pretence of drawing a distinction between civilians and combatants. Moreover, as I have explored before in these pages, the most cursory of glances at the UNs flawed workings reveals that the Gaza conflict was a war, not a genocide. Yet where is the outrage? There was a protest in central London last week Wednesday against the genocide, but the moral indignation pales in comparison to that aroused by Israels attempt to eliminate Hamas in Gaza. Nobody would be gullible enough to expect the Free Palestine mob to suddenly take to the streets with placards demanding an end to the genocide in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, Sudan. Nobody imagined that there would be chants of death, death to the RSF. We know by now that the selective empathy of the Gaza crowd is the servant of a cynical agenda. In truth, however, if you were going to wish death on anybody, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would surely be up there. The bastard child of the feared Janjaweed militias has a well-deserved reputation for the most depraved war crimes including rape and ethnic massacres. Rapid Support Forces rebels on the streets of El Fasher in Darfur - AFP via Getty Images Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has rightly highlighted the support given to RSF by the UAE: theyve been involved in this conflict where there is real barbarity and a civilian death toll that is astonishing. And yet there has been, as of yet, no mass protests by progressives against the UAE embassy in London for supporting this genocide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A society that had not been saturated with Israelophobic propaganda would surely show far more concern. After all, Darfur has suffered a true genocide before, in the early Noughties, which claimed up to 300,000 lives. It is officially commemorated on Holocaust Memorial Day. So much for Never Again. In a recent, searing satirical sketch by the Israeli comedy team Eretz Nehederet, an actor plays Greta Thunberg aboard her flotilla, receiving news of the ceasefire in Gaza. How dare they? she pouts. What am I supposed to do with the boat? Start fishing? When a comrade suggests protesting the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria instead, Thunberg is enthusiastic until she discoves that Israel had nothing to do with it. She also snubs the idea of going back to environmental activism. Global warming? What are we, 12? Its true what they say: no Jews, no news. From one point of view, it is human nature to be preoccupied with relatable conflicts. When I was a foreign reporter, I was often dispatched to cover atrocities the gruesome 2019 Easter Bombings in Sri Lanka come to mind with clear instructions to concentrate on the Western, and ideally British, victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It might not be noble but things have always gone that way. The brilliantly-titled book by the iconic foreign correspondent Edward Behr, Anyone Here Been Raped And Speaks English?, was published back in 1975. That is how the media works, largely because that is how people work. But human nature is insufficient to explain the swivel-eyed frenzy over Gaza, which rages on despite the ceasefire. After two years of wall-to-wall coverage of the conflict, much of it laughably biased, many ordinary folk suffer from compassion fatigue. We have reached a point where a fake genocide has stifled our sympathies for a real one. Meanwhile, the activists march on against a war that has ended and a genocide that never existed. What is their true agenda? Forget Sudan. Never mind Israel. To find out, ask them for their feelings about Britain and the West. Never Again? How the West Betrayed the Jews and Itself by Jake Wallis Simons is out now Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Senate Minority Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor urging President Trump to immediately negotiate an end to the government shutdown and take action to prevent a healthcare crisis as open enrollment approaches. Schumer was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Open enrollment is five days away. Starting this Saturday, tens of millions of Americans face the specter of financial crisis, all while Donald Trump is dancing on the tarmac in Malaysia. Donald Trump may be having a nice time abroad, but people here at home are dreading dreading open enrollment. Insurance plans that cost $300 or $400 a month will suddenly cost $2,000 a month or more, because Republicans prefer to shut the government down over working with Democrats to extend the ACA tax credits. Consequently, the average ACA plan is set to more than double double starting next year. The average 60-year-old couple making $85,000 a year will soon pay an extra $22,000 or more just to have health insurance. Imagine the specter. The devastation will be felt across the country, even by Americans with private insurance. Theyre not exempt. Their insurance is going up quite a bit, too. The rate of people without insurance will spike by the millions. More people will get sick. More people will lose coverage. More people will go bankrupt. More people will die from preventable illness. Americans have never seen a healthcare crisis like this, the one about to begin this Saturday, and Donald Trump is nowhere to be found. Americans are going to sit at their kitchen tables on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and say, how the heck can we pay these bills? What are we going to do without health insurance? What if our kids get sick? What if we get sick? And there is Donald Trump, overseas not even paying attention to this crisis. Instead of sitting down with Leader Jeffries and me, Trump skipped town for his second foreign trip in less than a month. Open enrollment is just days away, and Trumps message to the American people facing financial disaster is greetings from Malaysia. Here is what the president needs to do: he should negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government and end the ACA premium crisis right away. The president should stop focusing on foreign escapades, on ballrooms, on bailouts for Argentina, and start focusing on negotiating with Democrats to lower peoples healthcare costs. But Donald Trump isnt taking this crisis seriously still, as millions of Americans are just frightened tens of millions about what will happen. Trump continues to use the American people as pawns. This weekend, we learned that the Trump administration, for instance, ordered the USDA, the Department of Agriculture, not to tap into emergency funds to keep SNAP benefits, food benefits, flowing to the states. The very same administration that sent $40 billion to Argentina at the drop of a hat to help Trumps MAGA ally is now telling hungry families that they cant have nutrition funding. What gall. The administrations decision to let SNAP freeze is callous, is cynical, and entirely unnecessary. Donald Trump says theres no money to pay [for food for] hungry kids, but hes spending: $40 billion to bail out Argentina, $300 million on his vanity ballroom, $172 million on two luxury jets for Kristi Noem, and hundreds of millions for outfitting his foreign jet. But nothing, nothing, nothing to help hungry kids. What warped priorities. What a bubble this president lives in, apart, away, and not caring about the trauma the American people are facing when it comes to healthcare. Lets be very clear: the administration is making an intentional choice not to fund SNAP this weekend. The emergency funding is there. The administration is just choosing not to use it. And for those who say the money cant be moved around so easily, that is a load of bunk. If this administration can cough up $40 billion for Argentina, they can find money for SNAP by this Saturday. This administration, that all year long has trampled over the rule of law and illegally impounded funds left and right, suddenly says the law wont let them fund SNAP to feed hungry kids? Give me a break. Even Republicans privately know that Donald Trumps SNAP ploy is outrageously cynical. Here is what one House Republican said on the issue: I find it hard to believe a department with so many slush funds cant find the money for a month of SNAP benefits. Thats a quote from a House Republican. So, make no mistake: Donald Trump is manufacturing a SNAP crisis, instead of working with Democrats to reopen the government and end the healthcare crisis, which is very real for tens of millions of American families. Because after all, what Democrats are pushing for is the same thing that the American people want. Americans want to see their healthcare premiums go down. Americans want to see the government reopen. They dont want to pay an extra twenty thousand dollars a year just to have health insurance. And we Democrats want to solve this crisis right away. Lowering healthcare [costs] is not a crazy demand. Its not some left-wing pipedream, which it seems the Senate Republican Leader wants people to believe. Its rather just common sense. And most Americans even MAGA voters agree. Fifty-five percent of those who voted for Trump want to see the ACA credits extended. But Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues in the Senate and even more so in the House are nowhere to be found. So, the choice to keep the government open or keep the government closed is entirely in Doanld Trump and Republicans hands. Time is short. Americans are on the brink of a crisis that could send millions and millions of families into financial disaster. Donand Trump and Republicans, meanwhile, are not even here in Washington to deal with the crisis headed straight towards us. The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML. The high demand for H-E-B's viral heavy metal-inspired T-shirts is prompting fakes to hit the market. Earlier this month, the limited-edition shirts, which came from a collaboration between the San Antonio-based grocer and a Nashville-based artist, sold out within minutes. But the designer's original art is now being knocked off online. Over the past few days, TikToks have been surfacing from various printing shops posting videos of shirts that resemble Connor Dwyer's designs for H-E-B. Fans were quick to notice the similarities and dismiss the shops for copying Dwyer's work. TikTok users such as @lolarrr.yeahh even used Dwyer's own voice from his original audio to create an AI-generated video and promote the fake T-shirts currently being sold on their TikTok shop. Many users like @real_retrospects_ were very upset in the comments writing, "Ripping off someone is really sh****. Ripping off an HEB Colab is even worse." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loyal H-E-B shoppers like @casablanca_Tx wrote, "No thanks. Would never cheat on HEB" and @darthjraiaya04 added, "we will never betray heb thats a fight waiting to happen." The shop, @lolarrr.yeahh, liked several of these comments and responded to one by saying, "Totally get it - we didn't mean any disrespect. We'll fix this." MySA also reached out to the shop and others selling T-shirts with similar designs. While some tagged Dwyer's TikTok username @connor.designs for visibility, others, including @conniejackson11, believe H-E-B could take legal action, writing, "You're going to get sued." @lawlesscraft added under Kenneth Rivera Emporium's video, "that cease and desist is coming for yall lol." Besides the obvious plagiarism, fans were also mad that these shops were selling the shirts for their own profit since H-E-B originally sold them to raise money for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. Others in the comments had mixed reactions over the T-shirts, like @Mermaidsuki who said, "I mean this is what happens when you have demand with no supply" and @capinapple08 adding, "I wanna order but not on tiktok." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this may not be the only option. For those who weren't lucky enough to snag the shirts when they dropped, H-E-B hinted in a post to "stay tuned." MySA reached out to H-E-B for comment in response to the shirts. This article originally published at 'Really sh***y': Copycat H-E-B metal T-shirts enrage loyal shoppers. Ukraine's State Border Guard Service has released footage from Donetsk Oblast showing yet another Russian assault being repelled and 12 armoured vehicles destroyed. Source: State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Ukraine Details: The SBGS said this is the fifth Russian assault in October towards the settlements of Volodymyrivka and Shakhove in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces lost 12 pieces of armour, including 2 BMP infantry fighting vehicles, 1 MT-LB a multi-purpose fully amphibious auxiliary armoured tracked vehicle and 4 tanks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 40 Russian troops were wiped out, the SBGS added. The State Border Guard Service calculated that Russia has lost 92 heavy armoured vehicles in this area since the beginning of October. Background: Earlier, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces posted a video of a raid on camouflaged Russian positions in Sumy Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Some Republicans across the south are preparing to redraw their congressional maps to boot Democrats out of office if the Supreme Court issues a ruling on a case gutting the Voting Rights Act in time for the midterms. While such a decision is no sure thing, some states are nonetheless planning for the scenario. The potential scramble to redraw could completely reshape the midterms, and Democrats are already sounding the alarm. One Democratic group forecasted an ambitious 19 seat pickup for the GOP by dismantling majority Black and other majority-minority districts currently protected by the VRA, though that would be an extreme scenario where every possible state redistricts. The Supreme Courts looming ruling centers around Section 2 of the VRA, which has long been implemented by creating majority-minority districts. Those districts are almost entirely represented by Democrats, something that Republicans have long claimed gives the party an unfair advantage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were that portion of the VRA to be weakened or entirely invalidated by the court, it could open up the floodgates for redistricting, if not in time for 2026 than certainly for 2028. In South Carolina, for example, top Republicans in the state are itching to draw out the states lone Democrat: Rep. Jim Clyburn. If we could have a clean sweep, I would love that, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who is running for governor, told POLITICO. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) also running for governor is similarly hoping to eliminate Clyburns seat through redistricting, and he doesnt see a reason to wait for a ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House should apply pressure to the weak-kneed South Carolina Legislature and the governor just as it has done in non-Section 2 states, Norman wrote in a recent op-ed. Democrats are pushing back, and they say recent comments from the GOP should influence the justices as they decide on the case. Many states across the South are already licking their chops to try and prepare to racially gerrymander maps as quickly as possible, said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. It is clear that there is a consistent and dramatic need for laws to be in place to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment and ensure that the racial gerrymandering or racial discrimination at large is not permitted in this country. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly asserted that if the Supreme Court rules that states cannot consider race when drawing district lines, it will necessitate new congressional redistricting in the red state. He has previously suggested that seats in South Florida where several districts have a significant number of Black and Hispanic voters would need to be changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DeSantis, who under the state constitution has veto power over congressional maps, previously muscled into law changes that resulted in Republicans gaining a 20-8 edge. Florida Republican legislative leaders have suggested they are open to mid-decade redistricting and this summer state House Speaker Daniel Perez even signed off on creating a committee to consider changes. Since then, however, theres been little movement. Perez declined to comment earlier this month when directly asked if lawmakers are waiting for the high court to rule. Floridas annual legislative session is scheduled to start in January. Legislators could have enough time to act ahead of the 2026 midterm elections since Floridas primary isnt until late August. One caveat, however, is that Floridas constitution prohibits drawing districts for partisan gain, and any major changes could trigger legal challenges. The state Supreme Court, where a majority was appointed by DeSantis, earlier this year upheld the current congressional map, a boon for the one-time presidential candidate. In Louisiana the state that is central to the case challenging the Voting Rights Act Gov. Jeff Landry has called a special session to adjust the states primary date to give the most possible time for a redraw. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During oral arguments, the high courts conservative justices seemed poised to weaken the law. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch appeared inclined to bar virtually any use of race in redistricting, suggesting that race-conscious district lines might be unconstitutional. But even if they ultimately do strike down portions of the law, lawmakers will face a tight timeline to get new maps passed before the midterms. If a ruling drags into the summer, when some of the highest-profile cases are often decided, it could foreclose many states from redrawing lines. Because the entire case is a rehearing from last term, some Republicans are optimistic that the court could rule sooner than later, setting off a rush to redistrict. If thats not the case, there are still options for red state lawmakers looking to redistrict after the ruling comes down. Moving back primaries, said one top Republican strategist granted anonymity to discuss strategy, would be the best way for states to redraw in time for the midterms. But it would take a lot of strong-arming to get lawmakers to alter their own election timelines, and the strategist warned that such a scenario is not very likely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House has ramped up pressure on lawmakers in red states without Voting Rights Act limitations to redraw their maps, going as far as threatening a primary to New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte. But so far, according to one person familiar with the strategy, the White House has not started talking with lawmakers in states with VRA-protected seats. But if the pressure in other states is any indication, if there is an opportunity to redraw, Trump and the White House expect lawmakers to take up the issue. Already, the GOP has picked up seven seats across three states: Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. Gary Fineout and Alec Hernandez contributed to this report. Oct. 27RED WING, Minn. Red Wing police say they have linked two false emergency calls to an international cybercrime network tied to an extremist group. An investigation into two calls falsely reporting shootings has led to an arrest overseas, Red Wing Police reported Monday. The Red Wing Police Department and the Red Wing Fire Department responded to calls reporting shootings with multiple victims Oct. 14 and Oct. 16. The calls prompted large-scale responses by the emergency agencies, according to police. False calls like that prompting those types of response are known as "swatting." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Red Wing investigators found ties to a cybercrime network investigators say targets children and teenagers through extortion and acts of violence. Investigators said evidence points to people who are connected to an extremist group that the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI categorize as a terrorist organization. The investigation involved Red Wing investigators working with law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom that ultimately led to an arrest Oct. 24. "Our mission is the same no matter the distance: keeping Red Wing safe through teamwork and partnerships," said Capt. Cory Huberty, of the Red Wing Police investigations division. RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) The Virginia House of Delegates met for a special session Monday to take the first step in revising congressional district lines in the Commonwealth. Virginia Democrats will try to reshape US House districts in counter to Trumps redistricting push Lawmakers and politicians took to the capital Monday afternoon to express their thoughts on the proposed change. Its no surprise that this political power grab would come one week before an election, said Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, running for governor against Democrat Abigail Spanberger. Virginians, my friends, deserve transparency, fairness and integrity in their elections. They deserve to know that no matter who holds office, their vote will count the same as everyones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans called say it would be going against what the voters want, but Democrats disagree. All were doing is letting the voters have their say again, said Del. Cia Price (D-Newport News). So actually, we should be aligned in making sure that the voters are the focus and that the voters have the say. Democrats say they were in Richmond in response to the Republican-led redistricting happening in other states like Texas and Missouri. Texas redistricting war escalates across the country Eric Claville, a political analyst and professor at Norfolk State University, called it a redistricting arms race. He said it could ultimately have an impact on Hampton Roads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do know that of all the congressional districts here in the Commonwealth, theres one district that weve seen flip over multiple times through the last several election cycles, and thats congressional district number two here in Hampton Roads, Claville said. It flips during the time of the presidential election, or off cycle of it. So that district will probably be the main district impacted through this process, Any new map would take effect before next years midterm elections, not before next weeks gubernatorial race if Virginia were to redistrict. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) A Chicago law firm announced on Tuesday that Reditus Laboratories must pay $5.5 million to refund taxpayers for improper payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pekin-based company, founded by Aaron Rossi, was sued by their former medical director Lorine LaGatta. In the suit, which the company lost, she revealed the companys misconduct, said David Fish, an attorney with Workplace Law Partners.. The settlement returns millions of dollars to federal, state, and local governments and recognizes Dr. LaGattas courageous role in exposing the alleged misconduct. The total amount of the settlement is $5.5 million, Fish said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Approximately $3.5 million will be paid to government agencies including the federal government, the state of Illinois and Peoria County to reimburse taxpayers for improper payments identified during the pandemic-era COVID-19 testing schemes, he said. Money will also be returned to Medicare, Illinois Medicaid, and other government programs. In 2022 LaGatta filed suit against Reditus, after witnessing what she perceived as billing and kickback schemes, Fish said. The doctor was disappointed, the attorney said, because the lab had all the potential because of the hard work and talent of their employees, which made the misconduct more disappointing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She believed that the company, and Aaron Rossi, used the pandemic in order to make money from the government. She says when she raised concerns to the company itself, she was allegedly fired to silence her but she proceeded with the whistleblower suit anyway, Fish said. Taxpayers should never have to foot the bill for improper billing, said LaGatta. This outcome isnt just about one lab or one person its about protecting our healthcare system and our communities. My hope is that this settlement leads to better safeguards and a reminder that no one is above the law, even during a crisis. Fish also praised Lagattas willingness for her perseverance and the outcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr. LaGatta had the courage to speak up when it mattered most. This settlement vindicates her and sends a clear message that whistleblowers must be protected. By doing the right thing, Dr. LaGatta helped uncover the truth and return funds to Illinois and U.S. taxpayers, he said. While these types of suits can be very risky, he said that her efforts will lead to real change and greater oversight. Rossi is serving a total of 97 months in federal prison for various fraud charges related to Reditus and another medical firm. Redtius, a pathology lab, seized upon the COVID-19 pandemic to become one of the states largest testing companies, earning more than $200 million before it was shuttered in 2022 due to lawsuits from former business partners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But that started to unravel when his former partners alleged they were cut out or pushed out of the company and, thus, the profits. Those civil lawsuits alleged Rossi used the company as his own personal piggy bank to finance his lifestyle, which included a private jet, fancy cars and other luxury items. The company shuttered in late 2022, sending hundreds of people to the unemployment line. At Rossis sentencing this summer, federal prosecutors claimed that Rossi, through Reditus, overcharged or mischaracterized tests such as PCR testing that could check for infectious diseases, including the COVID-19 virus, as a way to get more money from the government. The tests were both paid with public and private health insurance programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Healthlink and the Health Resources & Services Administrations Uninsured Program Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. Michelle Martinez, the inaugural director of the Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment at the University of Michigan at a rally against data centers. Oct. 27, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance While members of the board overseeing Michigans energy resources consider long-term plans for the energy grid, residents from across the state joined together in Auburn Hills to demand protections from data centers. The Michigan Public Service Commission took public comment Tuesday on guidelines for its integrated resource plan, offering residents a chance to weigh in on the states energy future during a hearing at Oakland Community Colleges Auburn Hills Campus. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its the spooky season, but the scariest thing in Michigan right now is AI data centers threat to the Great Lakes state, said Michelle Martinez, the inaugural director of the Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment at the University of Michigan during a rally held ahead of the meeting. Michelle Martinez, the inaugural director of the Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment at the University of Michigan at a rally against data centers. Oct. 27, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Data centers house servers, storage devices and other pieces of online infrastructure. They are considered essential for artificial intelligence and have contributed to a significant increase in demand for electricity across the nation due to their continuous, energy intensive operations, and similarly demand large amounts of water for cooling. While the Legislature approved tax incentives for data centers in 2024 in a bid to court investments into Michigan communities, Martinez warned that failing to act will sacrifice water resources, balloon energy costs and risk accelerating climate change. Martinez pointed to an analysis from Bloomberg News which found that energy prices had increased 267% within five years in areas located near data centers, warning that Michigan communities could face a similar threat, with seniors and people with disabilities particularly at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christy McGillivray, the executive director of Voters Not Politicians slammed the Legislature for moving forward with incentives for data centers without protections for ratepayers, while Andrea Pierce, the policy director for the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition warned these facilities could deplete groundwater aquifers and disrupt ecosystems through thermal pollution of surface waters, alongside pollution with PFAS, methane and other harmful chemicals. The only way to protect our water is through airtight regulations at every level, including the MPSC, Pierce said. Through its integrated resource plan, the Public Service Commission should require utilities to plan within water limits, Pierce said, factoring in cooling water needs, growing demand from various industries and climate-adjusted water scenarios. The commissions chair, Dan Scripps spoke with reporters ahead of the meeting. He noted that the commission is currently weighing consumer concerns in a contested case with Consumers Energy intended to protect ratepayers from the additional costs brought on by data centers, telling reporters he expected those issues would be addressed on a utility by utility basis. Michigan Public Service Commissioners Shaquila Myers, Katherine Peretick and Commission Chair Dan Scripps. Oct. 27, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance When asked what role the commission could play in looking at the water use associated with energy generated for data centers, Scripps said that was not a role the Legislature had given them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, when asked about the extent of the commissions ability to institute air and water protections, Scripps noted there are statutes barring residential, industrial and commercial energy customers from shifting costs from one customer class to another. He also pointed to clean energy laws passed in 2023 with one law instructing the commission to weigh factors like equity, environmental justice, affordability, public health and more when reviewing energy companies operations plans as another piece of those considerations. During the hearing, residents continued to raise concerns that a proliferation of data centers would bring additional costs to ratepayers and derail the states goal to meet a 100% clean energy standard by 2040. Pontiac City Council member Mikal Goodman. Oct. 27, 2025 | Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance Mikal Goodman, a member of the Pontiac City Council, stressed the importance of energy affordability and the environmental impact of expanding energy infrastructure, particularly as it affects low income residents and communities of color. He noted that many Michigan communities still have lead water lines, raising further concerns about the ability of Pontiac and communities like Detroit and Benton Harbor to access clean water should data centers open up nearby. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If our city of Pontiac is not able to get clean and affordable drinking water on a regular basis, that is a catastrophic outcome beyond the decades of disinvestment that have already happened, Goodman noted. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) When rumors spread last week that Venezuela s government would free several Colombians being held without trial in Venezuelan prisons, Diana Tique bought a plane ticket to travel to the border between the two countries to meet her brother. But hopes of reuniting with her sibling vanished a few hours later, when she was informed that Manuel Tique, a 33-year-old humanitarian worker, was not included in the list of 18 Colombian citizens who were freed from Venezuelan jails on Friday. It was devastating, Tique told The Associated Press at a coffeeshop in Bogota. I will not be able to talk to him, and see how he is really doing. Tique said she has only been allowed two phone calls with her brother since he was detained in Venezuela in September last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bargaining chips According to human rights groups in Venezuela and the U.S., there are approximately 80 foreign nationals being held in Venezuela without trial, including citizens of Spain, France, Colombia and the Czech Republic. New York-based Human Rights Watch says these prisoners are being used as bargaining chips by Venezuelas government as it tries to get political leverage with countries that have refused to recognize last years reelection of President Nicolas Maduro, a vote that the Venezuelan president has been widely accused of stealing. These are very grave cases, that underscore the regimes persecution of foreign nationals said Martina Rapido Raguzzino, a researcher for the Americas Division at HRW. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Humanitarian groups say that many of the foreign nationals who have been detained in Venezuela entered the country as tourists and were detained at border posts. Most are now being held in a prison known as Rodeo One, where visits and phone calls are rarely allowed. We know that in Rodeo One there are conditions that are tantamount to torture Rapido Raguzzino said. Not a terrorist Manuel Tique was detained on Sept. 14 last year after presenting his passport at a border post in Apure, a large and sparsely populated state in southern Venezuela. The 33-year-old was working for the Danish Refugee Council, an international non- profit organization that helps displaced populations, and was headed to Venezuela to deliver a workshop to local aid groups on how to monitor food and medicine distribution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diana Tique said she was never notified by Venezuelan authorities of her brothers detention. But a month after Tiques arrest, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello spoke about him in a TV program, where he accused the Colombian and several other foreigners of participating in a plot to overthrow Maduro. Cabello said that Tique went to Apure to recruit mercenaries, a claim his family vigorously denies. My brother is not a terrorist said Diana Tique, adding that he had not traveled outside Colombia before his ill fated trip to Venezuela. Prisoner swaps Tique said that she has not been able to find a lawyer who will defend her brother in Venezuela, and requests to visit him have gone unanswered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She fears that Tique could be sentenced to a lengthy prison term if he is not freed as part of a deal between the governments of Colombia and Venezuela. Colombia's government has not recognized the results of last years election in Venezuela, although its leftist president has strengthened diplomatic ties with Venezuelas government, and criticized a U.S. naval build up near Venezuelas shores. On Friday, Colombias Foreign Affairs Ministry said it will continue to hold talks with Venezuela to seek the release of its citizens from Venezuelan prisons. The Venezuelan human rights groups Penal Forum said there are still 20 Colombian nationals jailed in Venezuela without trial. In July, the United States secured the release of 10 American citizens from Venezuelan prisons through a prisoner swap that included the release of 250 Venezuelan migrants deported by the Trump administration to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Six Americans were also freed by Venezuela in February after Trump envoy Richard Grenell met with Maduro in a visit that critics said helped the Venezuelan president legitimize his rule, following his widely disputed election las year. ___ Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda contributed to this report from Caracas, Venezuela Wisconsin state officials say Catholic Charities Bureau, a nonprofit network of social service organizations run by the Catholic Church, isnt sufficiently religious to qualify for a state religious exemption from employment tax laws. Now, instead of extending the exemption, state officials are proposing to eliminate it entirely, a move that would affect not only Catholic Charities, but all faith-based organizations in Wisconsin. In March 2024, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Catholic Charities did not qualify as being operated primarily for religious purposes, pointing out that its programs serve people of all faiths and none, and that it does not engage in proselytizing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four months later, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected that reasoning, ruling that Wisconsin had wrongly claimed Catholic Charities work with the poor wasnt religious enough to merit an exemption. Writing in the courts opinion in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the state had violated federal law by favoring some expressions of faith over others. It is fundamental to our constitutional order that the government maintain neutrality between religion and religion, she wrote in the decision. There may be hard calls to make in policing that rule, but this is not one. The case has now returned to the Wisconsin courts, but with a proposal that would have far wider impacts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 22, Wisconsins attorney general, in a brief, suggested the states Supreme Court discontinue the religious exemption. The Court did not prescribe a particular remedy, Josh Kaul, the states attorney general, wrote. Discrimination is cured by restoring equal treatment, which can be accomplished here in one of two ways: either by expanding the statutory exemption to groups like Catholic Charities or else by eliminating it altogether. He noted that getting rid of the exemption would avoid collateral damage to Wisconsin workers while still curing the discrimination the U.S. Supreme Court identified. Becket, a religious liberty law firm that helped represent Catholic Charities Bureau, filed a brief in response, asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to comply with the Supreme Court decision and grant Catholic Charities a religious exemption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If permitted to eliminate the exemption entirely, Wisconsin would harm not only Catholic Charities but also churches, synagogues, mosques, and other ministries that depend on the same exemption, Beckets press release said. The idea that a Catholic ministry serving those in need isnt religious was always absurd, said Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, in a statement. Thats why the Supreme Court unanimously rejected Wisconsins arguments and protected Catholic Charities. Trying to wriggle out of a 9-0 loss is even more absurd. The state should take the L and move on. The dispute began in 2016, when Catholic Charities requested a religious exemption from the states unemployment tax program so it could participate instead in the Catholic Churchs own unemployment system. Wisconsin law allows organizations operated primarily for religious purposes to be exempt from paying into the state system. When the Department of Workforce Development denied the request, Catholic Charities and several affiliated organizations sued, arguing that the denial violated their religious freedom. Sacramento, CA A lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 20 other states argues that the Trump Administration is required to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits during the federal government shutdown. SNAP funding is scheduled to be cut off at the beginning of November due to the lingering government shutdown. The SNAP program, formerly known as Food Stamps, is run through the US Department of Agriculture. State officials report that it helps provide food assistance to 5.5 million Californians. Lets be clear about whats happening: For the first time ever, SNAP benefits will not be available to the millions of low-income individuals who depend on them to put food on the table, argued Attorney General Rob Bonta. November SNAP benefits can and must be provided, even with the government shutdown. USDA not only has the authority to use contingency funds, it has a legal duty to spend all available dollars to fund SNAP benefits. The lawsuit argues that the federal government is required to make payments to SNAP because Congress funded $6 billion to the USDA in SNAP-related contingency funds through 2026 to continue funding the program during instances like the current government shutdown. In a related move, California announced last week it will fast-track $80 million in state funds to stabilize food bank distribution and offset delays in federal CalFresh benefits. (NewsNation) Religious leaders have become a fixture at anti-ICE/anti-Trump protests across the country. Since the protests commenced in Los Angeles earlier this summer, there have been multiple reported incidents of religious leaders protesting, being tear-gassed and sometimes arrested at protests. The incidents, faith leaders say, have become so frequent that theyre forced to speak up. Protesters at ICE facility arrested on disorderly conduct, harassment charges Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cannot be ministers in this moment and ignore whats going on, said Bishop William J. Barber, II. If you cant stand up now, when youre talking about the death of the democracy, the death of human beings and the denial to the least of these, then you relegate yourself and your religion, your faith, as being terribly suspect. Religious leaders arrested, struck with pepper balls During the early clashes with federal officers in Los Angeles, pastors, ministers, imams, rabbis and priests have stood between police and protesters. Things have only escalated as protests started taking place in other major cities. On Oct. 17, the Rev. Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist minister, was among more than 200 Chicago-area clergy demonstrating outside the ICE facility in Broadview. Kardon was one of more than 300 people who signed a letter titled Jesus is Being Tear Gassed at Broadview, which railed against ICE and agents hunting and terrorizing of immigrant communities in the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was arrested at the protests, but not before an incident was caught on film of one officer allegedly shoving his baton into her leg and then Kardon being pulled from the crowd and thrown to the ground. I hope if anyone sees (the video of her arrest) and is disturbed by it, what they think about is that if they are willing to do that to a clergy in broad daylight, imagine what they are doing to detainees in the dark, Kardon said. Peaceful protests in Chicago amid scrutiny of Border Patrol chief At a protest in September, Presbyterian Pastor David Black was hit in the head with a pepper ball while praying outside an ICE facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Rev. Jorge Bautista was also shot with a pepper ball by federal officers at close range, which staggered him, and left orange powder caking his face and clothing. Meanwhile, in Portland, at the U.S. Capitol and in congressional offices, faith leaders have been taken into custody. Were not inventing anything, said the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance. Were actually just recognizing how important faith leaders and moral commitments have played in every moment when the country has needed to push back against authoritarianism or targeting of marginalized communities. This is a moment for religious folks to show up. Catholic Church supports migrants The Roman Catholic Church has committed to defending the rights of migrants, even as it acknowledges the rights of nations to control their borders. U.S. Catholics depend on foreign-born priests to serve parishes. In the Washington Archdiocese, which includes D.C. and parts of Maryland, more than 40% of parishioners are Latino. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Church leaders have accompanied congregants to immigration court, where, in cities nationwide, masked ICE officers have arrested immigrants as they leave hearings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. Remains of two dinosaur mummies found in Wyoming more than 100 years ago were so well preserved that they still have skin, spikes and hooves intact, according to researchers. The skeletons of the duck-billed dinosaurs, Edmontosaurus Annectens which lived more than 66 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period were unearthed in 1908 in a ravine area of east-central Wyoming. However, a reexamination of those fossils by paleontologists at the University of Chicago has revealed that, in addition to bones, a skinny layer of clay has preserved the mummified body parts underneath. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stunningly preserved flesh, spikes and even hooves are still intact, according to a new research paper published last week in Science. Soft tissue is rarely preserved in fossils, making accurate reconstructions of the creatures appearance difficult. The skeletons of the duck-billed dinosaurs, Edmontosaurus Annectens which lived more than 66 million years ago in the late Cretaceous period were unearthed in 1908 in a ravine area of east-central Wyoming (Gary Todd/ Natural History Museum) Image showing the size comparison of a man to Edmontosaurus Annectens (Dani Navarro/Reuters) But due to the large area of preserved external skin surface, the specimens provide the most complete view of a large dinosaur to date. Two mummies of the end-Cretaceous, duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus Annectens preserve a fleshy crest over the neck and trunk, an interdigitating spike row over the hips and tail, and hooves capping the toes of the hind feet, the papers abstract reads. A battery of tests shows that all the fossilized integument (skin, spike, hoof) are preserved as a thin clay template that formed on the surface of a buried carcass during decay prior to loss of all soft tissues and organic compounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Researchers noted that such preservation has only been documented previously in underwater settings that are completely devoid of oxygen. Due to the large area of preserved external skin surface, the specimens discovered in Wyoming provide the most complete view of a large dinosaur to date (Dani Navarro/Reuters) Were seeing the full profile of the dinosaur for the first time, paleontologist Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago, who led the study published in the journal Science, told NBC. Were confident [in] what it looked like. When the specimens were first discovered at the turn of the century, it was assumed that they were fossilized skin texture and body parts. But further examination of the skeletons and the discovery of two other Edmontosaurus Annectens have changed scientists opinion completely. One, a late juvenile, is the first subadult dinosaur mummy on record and the first large-bodied dinosaur preserving the fleshy midline over the trunk, the paper states. It was roughly 20 feet long. The other, an adult specimen, is the first hadrosaurid to preserve the entire spike row from hips to tail tip and the first reptile preserving wedge-shaped pedal hooves. It was roughly 40 feet long. Workforce boards are federally authorized groups of community leaders led by local employers that guide how national and state workforce dollars are spent in their areas. Indiana has 12, monitored by the state's Department of Workforce Development. (Photo by Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) A system of regional workforce development boards wants to lead the way on solutions to Indianas immense labor needs but fragmentation, funding and other challenges limit its effectiveness, the Indiana Workforce Alliance has found. The alliance, which represents the states 12 workforce boards, commissioned the report from Pathemy Strategies. It was released last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a time when employers are struggling to find talent, Hoosiers need clear and faster routes to good jobs, the 25-page report reads. Workforce boards offer the connective tissue linking regional economic growth strategies to the people who will power them. But theyre limited by fragmentation in the talent ecosystem, funding cuts, inconsistent quality, and regulatory constructs that crowd out strategy, it said. It also laid out a plan to help them evolve from program administrators to strategic conveners and talent system architects. Workforce boards are federally authorized groups of community leaders led by local employers that guide how national and state workforce dollars are spent in their areas. Indiana has 12, monitored by the states Department of Workforce Development. They oversee about 70 WorkOne job centers, run the recently gutted Jobs for Americas Graduates program, help Hoosiers find jobs or enroll in registered apprenticeships, assist employers in recruiting workers and more. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report lauded the boards extensive geographic reach, employer network, adaptability to economic changes and wraparound service provision such as transportation or child care to ease barriers to employment. It also applauded Gov. Mike Braun for his attempt to align talent and economic development strategies. But the system has its weaknesses. Communication between the boards, state workforce and economic development agencies, and others is often fractured or ineffective, according to the report. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, for instance, administers an employment services program for Hoosiers on the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because workforce boards are the primary entities charged with helping low-income Hoosiers access job training and employment, the separation of TANF job-readiness efforts creates duplication and limits integration, the report found. The critique also applies to the boards themselves, which maintain different databases and platforms that dont connect to each other. The report further chided Indiana for not applying for more waivers from federal requirements, which can ease administrative requirements and add flexibility. But declining and unpredictable funding was highlighted as a growing threat to the stability and scalability of Indianas workforce system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act provides most of the Hoosier systems funding, but the amount received has dropped 16% in the last decade and the share of funding DWD withholds has increased. Additionally, state funding cuts of $22 million have all but eliminated the popular, $26 million Jobs for Americas Graduates program. Thats less than a year after the program finished a massive expansion to become the nations largest network. Thinking bigger The analysis made several ambitious recommendations to boost workforce development progress in Indiana. The boards must see their missions as much bigger than administering WIOA and their WorkOne centers, it asserted. They should partner more with businesses, chambers of commerce, universities and others and get talking to lawmakers to prevent cuts in the future, the report added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maintaining active, year-round relationships with public officials and civic leaders means going beyond occasional updates and instead systematizing regular interactions such as district visits, site tours of WorkOne centers, and data briefings that highlight outcomes, workforce needs, and employer perspectives, it said. These activities reduce misperceptions about what (workforce boards) do and build long-term champions who can advocate for stronger policies and resources. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun speaks at a Department of Workforce Development event on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Courtesy Office of the Governor) Workforce boards should become the default source of information on training programs, perhaps by creating provider scorecards along key metrics, the report suggested. The analysis included a call for Indianas employers to step up. It noted many want new or expanded programs, or are frustrated by funding cuts to programs they benefit from, but are often unwilling to contribute funding or engage in formal advocacy. Doing so would make the workforce system less reliant on government money, the report said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boards should also get more involved in youth apprenticeships, plus educational and economic development planning. Rarely are (workforce boards) involved in Indianas code-name economic development projects, and that needs to change if workforce and economic development are to be more aligned, the analysis noted. Other recommendations included: offering boards greater funding and flexibility, having them administer workforce-related human services programs, strengthening the Indiana Workforce Alliance and integrating data infrastructure. Workforce boards are Indianas most scalable, demand-responsive workforce infrastructure, the report asserted. But realizing their full potential requires deliberate action from leaders across the full workforce ecosystem. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Happy Tuesday! Heres your Tech Drop: the weeks top stories from the intersection of technology and politics. The scale of Trumps crypto self-enrichment A new Reuters report breaks down the Trump family cryptocurrency empire, which Donald Trump and his children have promoted since his return to office, and finds that it has generated 17 times the income the Trump family generated just last year. The report, compiled from the presidents official disclosures, property records, financial records released in court cases, crypto trade information and other sources, says some of this wealth was generated via the investment of a bunch of characters that Reuters describes as having histories of legal and regulatory entanglements related to their business endeavors, including a Chinese crypto enthusiast whos under investigation for alleged money laundering in Britain. The details seem to offer the clearest view yet of the breadth of self-enrichment the president and his sons have engaged in since Trumps election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the report: The Trump brothers efforts have been a whopping success. In the first half of this year, the Trump Organizations income soared 17-fold to $864 million from $51 million a year earlier, according to Reuters calculations based on the presidents official disclosures, property records, financial records released in court cases, crypto trade information and other sources. Of the first-half total, $802 million more than 90% came from Trump crypto ventures, including sales of World Liberty tokens. Read more at Reuters. Thompson presses Trump ballroom donors Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is pressing Big Tech and media companies over their financial contributions to Trumps demolition of the White Houses East Wing to make way for a golden ballroom. Some of the companies on the donor list, which includes MSNBCs current parent company, Comcast, are trying to cozy up to the president by funding one of his self-aggrandizing pet projects and during a government shutdown, no less. Thompson sent letters to many of the major companies on the donor list, which you can read here. Sequoia Capital fallout continues Fallout at the tech firm Sequoia Capital last week reached the companys chief operating officer, a practicing Muslim who resigned after leadership refused to reprimand one of its partners, Shaun Maguire, over a bigoted viral tweet, in which Maguire posted that New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani comes from a culture that lies about everything. Its literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda. The West will learn this lesson the hard way. (Maguire later apologized on X.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more at Forbes. Trump Jr.s company gets drone deal The Pentagon has signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Unusual Machines, a drone company that counts Donald Trump Jr. as a member of an advisory board and part owner an arrangement that raises a laundry list of ethical concerns. (A Trump spokesperson told The New Republic that Don has never communicated with anyone in the administration on behalf of Unusual Machines or about the contract in question.) Read more at The New Republic. Trump puts tech bros in the drivers seat After the president announced that some of his Big Tech associates had convinced him not to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco, Ars Technica reported on how tech billionaires such as Marc Benioff are shaping the administrations militarization of American cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more at Ars Technica. Expanded surveillance The Trump administration is expanding the governments surveillance of noncitizens at points of entry. A report from tech news site Biometric Update cites public documents on the Dec. 26 rollout of a new policy to acquire biometric data and photographs from noncitizens as they enter and leave the country. Civil liberties experts are sounding the alarm on the potential for civil rights violations that could occur as a result of this policy. Read more at Biometric Update. Copyright strike After being blocked by an appeals court, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to step in and allow the president to fire the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter, who has suggested that her firing may have been linked to her views about the need for artificial intelligence companies to obtain copyright clearance before training their models on other peoples creations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more at The New York Times. Strange bedfellows An eclectic mix of public figures, from Prince Harry to Steve Bannon, co-signed a letter urging a prohibition on developing superintelligent artificial intelligence tools, or tools that surpass the capabilities of expert humans. Read more at NBC News. European regulators target tech giants Regulators with the European Commission allege that Meta and TikTok breached transparency rules outlined in the E.U.s Digital Services Act that requires social media platforms to provide public access to data. The commission said both companies processes for requesting such data is burdensome. Heres how TikTok responded: We are reviewing the European Commissions findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension. If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled, a TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Heres how Meta responded: We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA, and we continue to negotiate with the European Commission on these matters. In the European Union, we have introduced changes to our content reporting options, appeals process, and data access tools since the DSA came into force and are confident that these solutions match what is required under the law in the EU, a Meta spokesperson said. Read more at Tech Crunch. Sinema sparks furious backlash Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., faced blowback including a comparison to a cartoon villain after she spoke at a public hearing last week at which she told Arizonans she was working hand in glove with the Trump administration to bring data centers to the valley, warning local residents to get onboard or face federal intervention. Read more at Deseret News. Former US Sen. Kyrsten Sinema lobbies for data center developer at Chandler AZ Plan Commission. Says she's working "hand in glove" w Trump Admin & warns city to embrace DCs or face federal intervention. City Council vote on Sinema's DC scheduled for Nov. 13. pic.twitter.com/KulHg594gj Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) October 24, 2025 This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) will challenge Senate Assistant Minority Leader Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) in 2026 for Senate District 31. James at press conference in April and Smith at a press conference in September. (Photos by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) will challenge Senate Assistant Minority Leader Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) in 2026 for Senate District 31, a key district that will help determine control of the Wisconsin Senate. All of Wisconsins odd-numbered Senate seats 17 out of 33 will be in play in 2026, the first election in those districts since they were redrawn as part of new voting maps adopted in 2024. The maps already shook up the Senate in 2024, when Democrats gained five additional even-numbered seats, cutting the Republican majority from 22 seats to 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Next year, Republicans will be competing to hold onto their majority as Democrats have launched an effort to flip the entire body. The last time Democrats held a majority in the Legislature was during the 2009 legislative session. Democrats will need to win at least two additional seats and hold all their current seats to win the majority. Most of the seats, including SD 5, SD 17 and SD 21, are currently held by Republicans. SD 31, which represents the entirety of Eau Claire County and parts of Dunn, Trempealeau and Chippewa counties, is the one district that Democrats have tagged as a seat to protect. Smith seeks reelection Smith, the second top Democrat in the Senate, is the incumbent of SD 31 and he announced his intention to seek reelection earlier this year. He was first elected to the Senate in 2018. He told the Wisconsin Examiner that the prospect of flipping the Senate is one of the reasons he is running again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I see the opportunity is right in front of me where I think were going to reach a point where were in the majority, and Im going to have to be able to carry that voice into our state Legislature, Smith told the Examiner. Smith said he has introduced over 130 bills in his time in office and only one of those has gotten a public hearing. The public should have the ability to hear all sides and all ideas, Smith said, adding that he believes that would happen under Democratic control. Among the priorities he listed in the next session are boosting state funding for Wisconsin public schools, ensuring that private schools that receive public funding are held accountable and increasing access to health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It shouldnt matter whether youre working or not working, everyone should be able to access the same level of care in any hospital, in any clinic, in not only our state, but in our country, Smith said. Smiths Republican challenger, Jesse James, announced his plans to seek reelection earlier this month. James says hes ready to come home When James was elected to the Senate in 2022, he lived in Altoona, which sits outside Eau Claire and was part of Senate District 23. Under the new maps, however, Altoona was drawn into SD 31, so James said he decided to uproot his life to Thorp to finish out the rest of his four-year term. In his campaign announcement for 2026, James said he is ready to come home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Being 40 minutes away sucks, James told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview. The Republican senator said he is still helping take care of things at his family and home in Altoona as well as helping take care of his father who is sick. James, who comes from a law enforcement background and has continued working as a part-time police officer while in office, said he loves what he does in the Legislature and wants to continue the work. Prior to the Senate, James served in the Assembly for two terms. Mental health services, substance use prevention and public safety are among his top priorities. At the start of his current term, he proposed the Senate form a committee focused on mental health, substance abuse prevention, children and families, which he now chairs. He said he had 27 bills signed in his first two years and has spent the majority of his time seeking to advance legislation in those three areas, including for expanding postpartum Medicaid access a bill that is currently held up by members of his own party as well as an effort to establish psychiatric residential treatment facilities in Wisconsin. Im coming home. Im in a prime seat where I chair the committee that I do, everything that I fought for up to this point motivates me, and Im going to continue that work record, James said. Im going to continue the performance level that Im at and continue working for the people Its going to be an uphill battle. Im OK with that. Ive been through uphill battles my whole life, and Im willing to take on challenges. With majority at stake, competitive race ahead Theres about a year before Wisconsins 2026 November general elections, leaving plenty of time for a campaign. Both candidates said they are prepared for a tough race, especially with the Senate majority at stake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im always for competition, James said about challenging his Democratic colleague. This is going to be a huge seat. Its going to be a battle, and everything we know right now its going to be interesting with midterms because they dont always bode well, James added. Come this midterm election, well know where things are if I win, and well know where things are if Jeff wins. According to an analysis by John Johnson, a research fellow at Marquette University, the current 31st Senate district has a slight Democratic lean. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the area by 2.2 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election and Sen. Tammy Baldwin won it by 4.7 percentage points in the 2024 Senate race. According to data compiled by the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee and shared with the Examiner, the districts Democratic lean goes back further than the recent elections. In 2014, the district voted for Mary Burke, who lost statewide to former Gov. Scott Walker, and in 2016, it chose Hilary Clinton by a 51-point margin as President Donald Trump won the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James said when he decided to run for reelection some people questioned why he was running in a district that is kind of a lost cause, though in his mind, he views the race as a 50-50 prospect. Its going to be ugly, and I cannot wait to see what ads come out, James said, adding that he doesnt plan to go negative during his campaign. I want to talk about me. Im not going to talk about Jeff. Jeff can do his thing. Im going to do mine. While James is a popular legislator who has generally sought to avoid polarizing partisanship, Smith sees his entry into the race as part of a larger partisan plan. The bottom line about Republicans somehow convincing Sen. James that he should run for this district is simply because they also understand one thing, and that is, whoever wins this district is going to be in the majority, Smith said. He added that this isnt about Jesse James and it isnt about Jeff Smith. Its about the state of Wisconsin, and who actually is going to govern and lead Wisconsin to a better future, and I really believe that we as a Democratic Party are in the best position to be able to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smith is accustomed to running in tough races, he added. Smith won a second term to the Senate in 2022 to represent SD 31, defeating his Republican challenger by 697 votes. In 2018, Smith defeated his Republican opponent with 51% of the vote. Smith also served in the Assembly for two terms from 2007 to 2011. He was ousted from his seat in 2010 by Republican Warren Petryk. Smith said he will take the same approach to this race that he has always taken, knocking doors and talking to people where they are. In the past he has been known for setting up shop in his truck, putting up a sign encouraging people to stop and talk to him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I know how to do this. Ive done it before, over and over, and it is nothing new to me to have to run a difficult race, Smith said. Im a great believer go to the people, dont make them come to you. Hospital access key issue In a statement after James campaign announcement, Smith said the Republican senator would need to explain himself to voters. After years of toeing the line for Republican leadership, botching the hospital closure funding, dropping the ball on PFAS funding and failing to deliver results voters in the 31st District know all too well how these failures have affected their lives, Smith said. Two hospitals, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire and HSHS St. Josephs Hospital, closed abruptly last year due to financial difficulties, leaving a big swath of the Chippewa Valley with diminished access to health care. Wisconsin policymakers sought to help provide funding to help the area, but lawmakers refused to release the funds after Gov. Tony Evers exercised a partial veto on a related bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked about Smiths statement on his candidacy, James pushed back. Im not going to talk about the hospital funding. Its dead. Its over. The $15 million went back into the GPR [General Purpose Revenue], James said. He added that hes helped secure other investments in the area since. One bill, coauthored by James, to set up the legislative framework for Rogers Behavioral Health to establish a behavioral health hospital in Chippewa Falls passed the Assembly in September and the Senate in October. James also helped secure $1 million for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, so it can re-open the former L.E. Phillips Libertas Treatment Center in Chippewa Falls. James said securing the funds are his biggest wins for the Chippewa Valley, especially given the recent closures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a start, and I still think that theres more I already have ideas for next session, that if I come back, or when I come back, Ill be able to work on so that were already starting to look at the future and improving what we can for our rural areas, primarily, especially up north, with mental health and substance abuse prevention, James said. For his part, Smith said that he believes there needs to be more accountability for hospitals, noting that the ones in Chippewa Falls were being managed by an Illinois-based health care system and they closed because they just werent bringing in enough moneyThat shouldnt be the reason that people lose access to health care because someone cant make enough money off them. Its been a real struggle up there, and has become at the forefront of what my office is dealing with these days, Smith said. When it comes to funding for cleaning up PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, in the water supply, James said he hasnt been involved in drafting or negotiating on the bill to make use of $125 million set aside to combat them. I will call Jeff out on this, James said. Hes the assistant minority leader, and hes part of leadership to where he could be part of these discussions, so why not use that leadership position as far as having the discussions about PFAs and stuff? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James also noted that he recently helped author a bipartisan bill that would require the state Department of Natural Resources to warn county and tribal health departments when an exceedance of state groundwater standards is discovered. We want clean, safe drinking water. Thats why I worked with Jill Billings [the Democratic Assembly representative from La Crosse] The PFAS funding and stuff thats all political. Im going to be honest with you, I dont like to be political, James said. My work record shows I like to get things done. Ive gotten things done to better peoples lives. I will continue to work on things bipartisan. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX House Republicans have turned their focus back to former President Joe Bidens autopen while regular Americansparticuarly federal workers and SNAP recipientssuffer the consequences of the ongoing government shutdown. The House Oversight Committee issued a 93-page report Tuesday on Bidens use of the autopen, a fairly standard practice among U.S. presidents, and called on the Department of Justice to begin an investigation. The report urges Attorney General Pam Bondi to consider whether the pardons or clemency Biden granted to individuals are still valid, as well as any executive actions that were signed using the Autopen. The Republican report alleges a cover-up of the presidents cognitive decline on the part of Dr. Kevin OConnor and Biden aides Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cost of the scheme to hide the fallout of President Bidens diminished physical and mental acuity was great but will likely never be fully calculated, the report reads. Barring evidence of executive actions taken during the Biden presidency showing that [he] indeed took a particular executive action, the committee deems those actions taken through use of the autopen as void. Of course, the GOPs probe did not include any evidence that anyone other than Biden made the decisions that his staff later carried out. Rather, it seems like another Trump vendetta, this time during the longest full shutdown in U.S. history. Other than the Rigged Presidential Election of 2020, the Biggest Scandal in American History is the AUTOPEN! Whoever used it was usurping the power of the Presidency, and it should be very easy to find out who that person (or persons) is, Trump posted back in May. They did things that a Joe Biden, of sound mind, would have never done, like, Open Borders, Transgender for everyone, men in womens sports, and far more. Fear not, however, we will bring America BACK, BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! Biden has repeatedly said that he made every final decision in the White House. Nevada Democratic Rep. Dina Titus at the No Kings rally in downtown Las Vegas Oct. 18. (Photo: Hugh Jackson/Nevada Current Democratic U.S. Rep. Dina Titus called Republicans false claims that the government shutdown was part of Democratic push to extend benefits to undocumented immigrants an outright lie as she warned of the damage of ending health care subsidies. Titus, accompanied by panelists from Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Nevada Campaign for Reproductive Freedom for All and MomsRising, hosted a town hall last week to talk about health care, reproductive rights, and economic issues affecting women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While speaking about the importance of extending health subsidies, speakers also decried the actions of President Donald Trump, including cuts to access to health care to downplay the severity of domestic violence, as being harmful to women. The town hall comes nearly four weeks into the federal government shutdown. The Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution Oct. 1 to keep funding the government until Nov. 21. A resolution passed the Republican-controlled House but has not been able to secure enough votes in the Republican-controlled Senate. Democrats are calling for any resolution to fund the government to also reverse cuts to Medicaid and restore subsidies to the Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums actions Republicans took while passing Trumps Big Beautiful Bill Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think that the Republicans will not agree to open up the government until Trump says to do it, Titus said. They just do what he says. Until he makes that determination, I dont see anything happening. Nevadans who get insurance through Nevada Health Link are facing a projected average 26% premium rate hike, though the increases could be far greater for many Nevadans. Trump and congressional Republicans have falsely claimed the shutdown was due to Democrats pushing a far-left wish list that included extending Medicaid and ACA health insurance premium subsidies to undocumented immigrants. Undocumented people in the U.S. are not eligible for either program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its an absolute, outright lie, Titus said, adding Extending the tax credits for the ACA has nothing to do with that. Titus instead questioned Trumps funding priorities, adding that what you want to spend money on is a reflection of your values. Theres a lot of money floating around out there right now, she said, noting the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to make way for Trumps $300 million ballroom funded largely by corporate donors, and the administrations $20 billion bailout of Argentina. When you lose the ACA, you lose that health insurance, you lose the coverage of preventive care, Titus said. We know if you can prevent something, thats a lot better than trying to cure something. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps policies mean people will be forced off Medicaid, said Denise Lopez, director of the Nevada Campaign for Reproductive Freedom for All, adding that women would bear the brunt of those cuts. This is going to impact postpartum care, Lopez said, noting data showing 42% of births in Nevada are to women enrolled in Medicaid. And this is going to impact womens health overall. This is a dire, critical situation that were in. Women will also be locked out of access to other services including mammograms, said Annette Magnus, an organizer with MomsRising. For a lot of younger women who are just starting their journey of doing their breast health checks, of getting those mammograms, they are not going to have access to those services anymore, Magnus said These cuts are going to be devastating for those women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has also made cuts and changes to domestic violence funding and programs, said Elizabeth Abdur-Raheem with the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. When speaking about crime rates in the District of Columbia, the president dismissed domestic violence, saying If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime scene. The speech received criticism from national domestic violence groups. This is gaslighting to the highest degree, Abdur-Raheem said.. We know that people who cause harm will be not only emboldened, but they wont think theyre causing harm. They were told by the president that this isnt a big deal. Republicans received an unexpected ally on Monday as they hope to pressure Democrats to vote on a stopgap spending bill to end the government shutdown: the labor union representing federal workers. The president of the Association of Federal Government Employees released a statement on Monday calling on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government as the shutdown enters its fourth week. The path forward for Congress is clear: Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues, Everett Kelley said in a statement. Ensure back pay for every single employee who has served or been forced to stay home through no fault of their own. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) praised the Association of Federal Government Employees for saying the Senate needs to pass a clean continuing resolution. (Getty Images) The move gave Republicans a boost as they have argued the government needs to reopen immediately while Democrats want to include an extension of the Covid-era enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think they're exactly right, and I think the Democrats should stop hurting government employees, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told The Independent. They need to listen to the unions, and that's not a sentence I say very often. The move put Democrats on the defense, as for the past few weeks, they have said federal workers have already been battered by President Donald Trumps Department of Government Efficiency and then by Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. Trump even posted an AI video calling Vought the Grim Reaper set to Blue Oyster Cults song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." But Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, praised the federal workers union statement. The union is absolutely right that the longer this goes on, the more unfair difficult it is for federal employees, some of whom are working without pay, others of whom have been and still others are at risk of losing their jobs due to OMB, she told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This week poses a crucial week amid the shutdown. The Trump administration said that it would not disburse payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. In addition, open enrollment for the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplace begins this week. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said federal workers have one message for Washington: End the shutdown. End the shutdown. We want to get paid. Murkowski said the two concurrent cliffs of food for poor people and people seeing their premiums spike could force Washington to begin negotiations. And so if there's something that is the precipitating factor, I think it's not that the unions have changed, maybe, but that you have this date that is so pivotal, she told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement from AFGE also threw Democrats for a loop. I think we can still deal with health care and SNAP, but the federal shutdowns a real challenge, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told The Independent. But he added that federal employees, I feel like, they feel like theyve been abused. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said she did not think the AFGEs statement would weaken their leverage. I was a federal government employee, so I certainly understand that they're bearing the brunt of this, and they're doing what they think is best to advocate for federal government employees, Slotkin, a former CIA officer, told The Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have long touted their support for labor unions. But plenty of federal workers have gone without pay since the shutdown began. Last week, Democrats blocked legislation to pay excepted workersworkers who have to keep working despite a shutdownby Republicans, arguing it allows Trump to pick and choose which federal workers can be paid. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has long sold himself as a champion of workers rights, said he understood why the union made its statement. Obviously, everybody wants to see the government reopen, he told The Independent. But he also faulted House Speaker Mike Johnson for keeping the House out of session since September. And maybe it might be a good idea for the Speaker of the House to end its, what is it? Five week vacation, for his members, and bring them back here and begin serious negotiations if he wants 60 votes here in the in the Senate, he said. Among political conservatives, there is no hotter potato at the moment than the civil liability protections afforded by Section 230 to online operators. Unless Republicans learn to love it again and reject the censorship lawfare complex favored by Democrats, they risk dooming our tech leaders and everyone who uses their products to the sharks circling our legal system. The twenty-six words tucked into the Communications Decency Act of 1996 shielded publishers from liability so they could host and moderate content and still allow a wide range of speech without fear of lawsuits. Since then, Section 230 has evolved to be one of the most powerful legal shields in the nation against civil litigation in U.S. courts. This gave the early digital economy the guardrails it needed to thrive by incentivizing creatives and disruptors to bring their big ideas to life. Nothing ices a good idea like the fear of a lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet, to be a rising star in the Republican Party today conveys some kind of fealty to the idea that Section 230 is antiquated - a relic of the early Internet that has outlasted its usefulness. Last month, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) called on his colleagues to "fully repeal Section 230" to cut the knees of AI companies and thwart their LLM training models. "Open the courtroom doors. Allow people to sue who have their rights taken from them, including suing companies and actors and individuals who use AI," said Hawley. Hes joined in these efforts by fellow Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Marsha Blackburn, not to mention Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Amy''.ord('').';'''.ord('').';'''.ord('').';'Klobuchar. According to the Section 230 Legislation Tracker maintained by Lawfare and the Center on Technology Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill, there have already been 41 separate bills aimed at curbing some aspects of the law by both Democrats and Republicans in the last two sessions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The principal motivation for Democrats, including former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, has always been to force censorship of social media platforms to stop "disinformation," a pretext for muting opposing views. The coordination of Democratic officials pressuring platforms to censor, as revealed in the Twitter Files, proves this beyond dispute. To highlight the irony, we should remember that President Donald Trump is not only the chief executive of the United States, but also the owner of a social media platform that currently enjoys broad Section 230 protections afforded to any online publisher. A wish to cripple Section 230 means making Truth Social a target as much as YouTube or Instagram. We should harbor no illusions that right-leaning media publications, podcasters, and websites would be the first to be kneecapped in a post-Section 230 world. Can MAGA and the GOP swallow that pill? In that scenario, it will be the millions of Americans who currently enjoy freedom of speech online that will lose out. Its the tens of millions of Americans turning to AI tools to become more productive, create value, and build the next great economic engines of our time who will be harmed by dismantling Section 230. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Republicans want to cement American dominance in technological innovation, they will have to abandon this devils dance on gutting Section 230 liability protections. This is a censorship trap laid by Democrats to benefit them once they return to power. The premise of broad civil liability protection for platforms is a core principle that has and should be applied to producers across Americas innovative stack, whether its oil and gas firms fending off dubious climate cases or artificial intelligence firms building the tools that are the key to Americas present economic dominance. For one, Republicans should follow the lead of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who has rightly intimated that Section 230 likely applies to AI chatbots where many Americans are now getting their information. Legislation to further clarify this would alleviate thousands of hours of courtroom battles and millions awarded to plaintiff attorneys, all too keen to make their millions suing AI companies. Forcing platforms to spend their time fending off trial lawyers circling their offices will not only hasten censorship on American internet platforms, but it will also require it. There is no business model for online connection with liability protection removed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Section 230 falls and every online dispute is dragged into court, it wont be Big Tech that pays the price - it will be Americans whose speech and livelihoods hang in the balance. Yael Ossowski is deputy director at the Consumer Choice Center. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Dozens of cats were rescued from a studio apartment in downtown San Diego during a month-long operation by the San Diego Humane Society. By the time it was finished, 40 cats and kittens were taken from a small studio apartment in downtown San Diego and turned over to the San Diego Humane Society. 40 cats rescued from studio apartment in San Diego We had a concerned neighbor reach out complaining about a terrible smell coming from the apartment. When we got there, 40 cats and kittens were living inside. Some of them, not doing well, said Nina Thompson of the San Diego Humane Society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As it turns out, one of the people living inside the studio apartment was recently hospitalized, leaving the cats and another person behind. According to the humane society, both people were elderly and became overwhelmed when their cats kept on breeding inside the tiny apartment. None of the cats rescued had been spayed or neutered. San Diego Humane Society sponsored bills signed into law Im not sure if that person is still in the hospital, but when we did make contact we were notified one of the owners was in the hospital. The other owner was well aware of the situation and maybe realized they are not able to care for these 40 cats and especially in that small of an apartment, said Sgt. Sinai Esperiu of the San Diego Humane Society Law Enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rescue of all these cats comes just a couple weeks after a separate operation in Vista in northern San Diego County where the humane society rescued 11 dogs and two cats from a small apartment that was stacked high with garbage. Humane Society rescues 13 pets from abandoned, hoarder-like Vista apartment These large rescues are coming at a tough time a time when the humane society animal shelters are already chronically overcrowded. This is an issue thats been going on for three years, and thats hard to explain. We do think it has a lot to do with pets being adopted during the pandemic who were not spayed or neutered, and we are seeing the results of that now, said Thompson of the San Diego Humane Society. If people are having trouble we can help. We can offer these services for free if people are having financial problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of today, 16 of the 40 cats have already been adopted into forever homes, while eight of the cats are getting medical treatment and should be available for adoption in a couple of weeks. That leaves about a dozen cats that are currently available to adopt. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) China signed an expanded version of a free trade agreement Tuesday with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with Premier Li Qiang pitching expanded economic ties with Beijing as an alternative to the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. Li Qiang told an ASEAN-China summit meeting after the signing that closer cooperation could help overcome global economic uncertainties. He said pursuing confrontation instead of solidarity brings no benefit in the face of economic coercion and bullying, in a swipe at the U.S. Unity is strength, he said, citing remarks by President Xi Jinping made during a Southeast Asia visit earlier this year. His remarks were met with skepticism by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose country has clashed with China over competing claims in the South China Sea, as have other ASEAN nations. Marcos welcomed the expanded trade pact, but stressed that this cooperation cannot exist alongside coercion. Pact could ease already-booming regional trade The signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 came on the final day of the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings and was witnessed by Li Qiang and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving as ASEAN chair this year. Its the third revision of the long-standing agreement, which was first signed in 2002, and came into force in 2010. The free trade area covers a combined market of more than 2 billion people and lowers tariffs on goods and boosting flows of services and investment. Two-way trade has surged from $235.5 billion in 2010 to nearly $1 trillion last year. ASEAN and China are each others top trading partners. Li stressed mutual reliance between China and ASEAN members Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, calling them good neighbors and good brothers that are close in geography, culture and sentiment. Unilateralism and protectionism have seriously impacted the global economic and trade order, while external forces are increasing their interference in the region many countries have been unreasonably subjected to high tariffs, he said. By relying on each other and coordinating our actions, we can safeguard our legitimate rights and interests. Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh said the upgraded pact would benefit both sides, especially in the areas of supply chains and sustainability. It also speaks to a global reality that non-U.S. countries are coming together to strengthen trade relationships for their prosperity as a recoupling with the U.S. is ongoing, she said, ASEAN juggles relationships with China and US The prospect of a deepening trade conflict between China and the U.S. has risked weakening economic growth worldwide. Trump at the ASEAN summit on Sunday announced new economic details with Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, though all countries are still subject to new tariffs he has brought in. Anwar stressed at the ASEAN meeting with China that the bloc seeks friendly relations with all countries. The day before we were with President Donald Trump of the United States of America, and today we are back with China, he said. And that reflects ASEAN centrality. This is what we consider steady engagement that fosters trust that enables us to work through challenges together. There were signs that tensions between the U.S. and China were cooling ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Xi in South Korea on Thursday. Top negotiators from each country said a trade deal was coming together, which could prevent a potentially damaging confrontation between the worlds two largest economies. Officials said the ASEAN-China free trade agreement is expected to broaden integration across the region by covering new areas such as digital trade, the green economy, sustainability and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up the majority of ASEAN businesses. The agreement is designed to make trade benefits more accessible, improve market entry for smaller players, streamline nontariff procedures and lower regulatory barriers. Territorial tensions remain Marcos said the pact could help modernize trade practices and enable both sides to better respond to emerging economic challenges, but urged China to commit to cooperation and meaningful engagement, especially in the South China Sea. Marcos said it was regrettable that Philippine vessels and aircraft continue to face dangerous actions and harassment in the South China Sea. He reiterated Manilas objections to Beijings plan to establish a nature reserve over a hotly disputed shoal in the area. Actions like these cannot hide under the veneer of marine environmental protection because they have no legal basis or effect, blatantly disregard international law, and infringe on the Philippines sovereignty, he said. Still, Marcos added that Manila would continue to engage constructively with China to manage differences. ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei along with Taiwan have overlapping claims with China, which asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea. Chinese and Philippine vessels have repeatedly clashed in the vital sea trade route. Marcos has vowed to accelerate the conclusion of a Code of Conduct to govern behavior in the disputed waters when the Philippines assumes the ASEAN chairmanship next year. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Monday accused the Philippines of deliberate infringements and provocations at sea, blaming Manila for escalating tensions. Welsh, the analyst, said regional officials treat the South China Sea dispute as a separate track from security ties and dont expect it to impact economic ties with China. In his remarks closing the summit, Anwar said that there had been consensus for engagement, with Li Qiang agreeing that the Code of Conduct negotiations should be accelerated. All agreed that this region should not be an area of contestation of superpowers, Anwar said. ___ This story has corrected the spelling of the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons name. By EILEEN NG and DAVID RISING Associated Press A worrying new report indicates that all migratory species face risks due to rising global temperatures, presenting consequences for us all. What's happening? In February 2025, the United Nations' Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, or CMS, gathered over 70 experts in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. In a workshop setting, they explored how rising global temperatures, extreme weather, and shifting water systems are negatively impacting migratory animals by altering travel ranges, shrinking habitats, and putting delicately balanced ecosystems in danger. Now, a report sharing the findings from this convening has been made available. Workshop participants including scientists, program managers, intergovernmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations identified a range of impacts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an early-October press release announcing the report, the CMS described the North Atlantic right whale as "especially vulnerable" to these hazards. According to the report, the animals' migratory patterns are straying into dangerous parts of the ocean, their food sources are dwindling, and their reproduction rates are decreasing due to warming seas. Human activity such as hunting, pollution, and noise from boats appears to be a contributing factor. Conflicts between humans and migrating elephants have also escalated due to shrinking elephant habitats. And marine heat waves combined with sea-level rise have posed challenges to seagrass meadows, which feed migrating sea turtles as well as capture carbon and protect coastlines. Why are migratory species important? Migrating animals are particularly essential to planetary health, with the UN noting their key role in maintaining the world's ecosystems by "pollinating plants, transporting key nutrients, preying on pests, and helping to store carbon." As these species influence all of the regions they regularly visit, impacts on any one animal population can have enormous ripple effects, demonstrating the major consequences of rising temperatures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Migratory animals are the planet's early-warning system and they are in trouble," Amy Fraenkel, CMS executive secretary, said in the press release. "Climate change is having impacts now, and without urgent action, the survival of such species is in jeopardy." In addition to the endangerment of migratory species, the interconnectedness of ecosystems globally means that human health, waterways, food systems, and local economies could also be at risk. What can be done to protect migratory species? The CMS workshop experts called for a surge in investments, knowledge sharing, and global coordination to realize the strategies that might save species as they move around the world. How concerned are you about the plastic waste in our oceans? Extremely I'm pretty concerned A little Not much Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Case studies are pointing to key actions to help species adapt to climate change," said Des Thompson in a statement. Thompson advises the UN on climate and biodiversity issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We need to share examples of successful work and practices, and this is especially important where we can work with Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge holders to devise community-based solutions." Adopted in 1979, the CMS itself is a treaty bringing together 133 countries and states, as of 2022, with the aim of protecting at-risk species. One of its endeavors has been the conservation of the Central Asian Flyway, a flight path traveled by over 180 avian species. Scientists are tracking current migratory paths and gearing conservationist efforts to these particular areas to help protect vulnerable species. In addition to advancing the clean energy transition at the household, community, state, and federal levels to mitigate the risks of rising temperatures posed by heat-trapping pollution, volunteering with local conservation programs can help to support animal populations close to home. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. A number of budget cuts and operational changes have greatly hindered U.S. research efforts in Antarctica. For now, the United Kingdom appears to be picking up the slack. What's happening? As Phys.org reported, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, a research vessel owned by the Natural Environment Research Council and operated by the British Antarctic Survey, is launching a mission to undertake a number of climate-based studies in Antarctica. The 15,000-ton icebreaker is decked out with advanced scientific equipment designed to support a wide range of scientific missions. This includes studying Antarctic ice loss and how it can heavily influence global climate patterns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced plans to terminate the lease for the Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker. The vessel, which was dedicated to Antarctic research, was the country's only research icebreaker. The foundation noted that it would pursue a new Antarctic research vessel as part of a "longer-term strategy for marine science and logistics support." However, climate experts say that this may take years, jeopardizing many crucial research projects in Antarctica. Why is research in Antarctica important? BAS oceanographer Peter Davis acknowledged that the U.S. withdrawal from Antarctic research ventures was disappointing. However, Davis told AFP that "lots of countries are stepping up to the plate and saying, 'We understand the importance of Antarctica, and we're going to drive our scientific research there,'" per Phys.org. Ice melt can greatly alter weather patterns and accelerate rising global temperatures. It also contributes to rising sea levels, causing coastal erosion and even more severe storms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By monitoring conditions in Antarctica and observing ice melt rates, we can better determine more effective strategies to combat adverse effects. "The saying goes, 'What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica'," Davis said. What's being done about research efforts in Antarctica? While the U.S. has pulled funding for research, it has dedicated resources to the construction of a new fleet of Coast Guard icebreakers. On Oct. 10, the Trump administration announced a partnership with Finland to build 11 new vessels to "keep trade routes open, secure U.S. borders and maritime approaches in the region, and protect the Homeland from dangerous adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party." Stephen Doughty, U.K. Minister of State for Europe, North America, and Overseas Territories, explained that the U.S.' cutting back on Antarctic research efforts may prove to be detrimental in the short term. But the U.K. and other global leaders are ready to put in the work to ensure that global climate concerns are properly monitored. "The United States is responsible for their own approach," Doughty said. "But we work closely with a range of international partners, and we're very, very clear about the threat that climate change poses." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Reindeer in the Arctic are facing new challenges that could threaten their habitats and survival. What's happening? Unpredictable patterns of heat, rain, and snow in 2024 are resulting in struggles for the reindeer populations of Finland, according to Mongabay. Warmer temperatures exacerbated by human-caused pollution are making it harder for the reindeer to find food. A study conducted by researchers from Australia, Denmark, and the U.S., published in the journal Science Advances, estimated that reindeer numbers could plummet by more than 50% by 2100 around the world. The biggest decline could occur in North America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our models that focused on climate and habitat suitability predict severe species population decline much higher than what happened in the past," said Elisabetta Canteri, an author of the study from the University of Copenhagen, per Mongabay. Why is it concerning? Several traits make reindeer resilient to change, according to Mongabay, like the species' ability to travel far to new areas, adapt to a range of environments, survive in small population sizes, and reproduce in strong numbers when living in favorable conditions. However, the current state and pace of the warming climate, as well as human development, are significantly threatening the cold-weather habitats reindeer need to survive. More consistent heat could eliminate more plant species or force animals to leave their typical areas, disrupting ecosystems and food sources for reindeer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With rising global temperatures negatively impacting their survival rate, shrinking reindeer populations are also affecting local Indigenous people in Finland, who manage semi-domesticated herds and rely on them for their livelihoods. What's being done about it? There have been some efforts in Finland to curb the logging industry that clear-cuts forest habitats for many wildlife species. Local reindeer herders have had a deal in place with a state logging company since 2009 to maintain space for reindeer in certain wooded areas. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. However, experts say there needs to be a stronger movement of sustainable land management so that reindeer can thrive, per Mongabay. More ecological corridors for the deer should be created and protected so that they have reliable access to food. "When the amount of usable or herding land for the species is shrunk and the patches get too separated, the species might not be able to move around or connect with other populations that are around," Canteri said, per Mongabay. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. After decades of silence, a camera trap has captured something incredible in India's Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape the endangered Asiatic wild dog, also known by its scientific name Cuon alpinus, or dhole. It's the first confirmed sighting in Assam in 35 years, reported The Times of India. The images were taken during a survey between February 2021 and December 2022. Researchers set up 83 camera traps across four ecological corridors: Panbari, Haldibari, Kanchanjuri, and Amguri. After more than 15,000 days of using a camera trap, the endangered wild dog was finally photographed. This find is especially important because the species had been considered extinct from the southern zones of the landscape, including Kaziranga and the Karbi Anglong hills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to lead researcher Mujahid Ahamad, the animals likely disappeared from the area because of habitat loss, urban development, and a shrinking prey population. Over time, they moved to other places with better hunting conditions. "The availability of prey in the region declined over the years," Ahamad explained, per Times of India. "It is important that this new information is brought into the public domain, as these animals deserve equal attention in conservation discussions." The goal of the research was to test whether the four corridors in the landscape are still functional. The sighting shows that, at least in part, they are. This gives hope not just for the wild dogs, but for other species that rely on these paths to move and survive. With the help of tools like camera traps, scientists can now better understand where endangered animals still live and how to protect them. These small wins in conservation can lead to bigger changes for ecosystems and for the people who depend on them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The public response to the discovery has been overwhelmingly positive. One commenter on Reddit called the animal "truly one of the most underestimated species of large carnivore," while another celebrated its return, saying: "India's most successful predator is making a comeback." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) In September, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Clean California initiative picked up more than 136,000 garbage trucks worth of trash along California highways over the last four years, but theres still more to do. Over the summer, Mayor Todd Gloria announced an agreement with Caltrans to allow city workers to clear illegal dumping sites and encampments across a five-mile stretch of highway in the city of San Diego, but that agreement didnt include parts of the highway in San Ysidro, and residents there say trash has piled up since the pandemic along State Route 905. Near the Iris Trolley Station in San Ysidro, crowds of people may find themselves walking through a trashy situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not joking when I say its just too much, said San Ysidro resident Kenia Peraza. Its just ridiculous. The mound of junk includes everything from piles of clothes to old nightstands, vacuum cleaners and even broken glass right down the street from an elementary school. Im not gonna wait, she said. Im not gonna sit there and just watch to see how much more things pile and how it can be a dangerous situation for the future. Peraza organized a cleanup event on Friday where she says one of the volunteers found a needle in the mess. Its not right that kids come through here and theres a guy doing drugs, said Jose Soto, another San Ysidro local. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After collecting 15 garbage bags of junk, theres still more work to be done. Its definitely better than before, she said. Peraza says residents in the area reported the mess to the city but claims the issue has been swept under the rug. I have seen one time they come, and they come and pick everything up really quick, but then within a month it will start again, Soto said. This section of land belongs to the city of San Diego, a private owner and Caltrans. The city of San Diego cant just walk into a Caltrans property and clean it up without an agreement, said councilwoman Vivian Moreno. Moreno says shes hosted more than 150 trash collection events in her tenure across the district, even cleaning up this street in early October. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We work closely with residents as soon as they contact us regarding any debris in the right of way, she explained. We put it in the Get It Done app, and it usually gets done within two to three business days. But, Peraza says both the city and CalTrans are wasting time to address the mess. Its not about pointing fingers, she said. Its about just taking action. FOX 5/KUSI reached out to Caltrans that says in an email, Were still trying to get more details, but I can let you know that we are aware of the issue, and it will be addressed. I think it should be secured better, maybe secured more under this area right underneath the bridges, Soto said. Thats where the problem is. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soto says the issue has grown exponentially since the pandemic, and they say theyre pushing for a change so their community isnt forgotten in the rubble. I want a better future for our families not just mine, Peraza said. The city of San Diego adds they cant fix the problem without communication, so they advise residents to continue reporting problems they see across the county in the Get It Done app, and Moreno says shes happy to work with the community to organize other cleanups in San Ysidro. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. As rollbacks on clean energy incentives start to take effect, experts in Pennsylvania are worried about how it will affect energy prices for people across the state. David Kieve, president of EDF Action, the advocacy partner of the Environmental Defense Fund, told NorthcentralPA.com that Pennsylvanians could expect to see a $160 annual increase on their electricity bills as a result of the cuts. He noted that utility companies have already made over a dozen requests to raise their rates since the beginning of the year an indication of what's to come. The news site added that ending the tax credits could also halt construction and lead to factory closures, resulting in about 16,000 job losses by 2030. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kieve also said that many policies in the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act aim to advance costlier energy options like coal in lieu of supporting the expansion of renewables like solar and wind. He said the resulting price increases might not sit well with many Americans, according to his interpretation of a recent national poll. "Most respondents in the country said that their energy prices were creating the greatest strain for them," Kieve said, per NorthcentralPA.com. "More than the increase in cost of groceries, more than the cost of housing, more than any other household expense. Americans are very concerned that our energy bills are too high, and they're only going higher." As energy prices continue to surge across the country, going solar is one way that homeowners can save money on utility costs. In fact, depending on the setup, a solar panel installation could save you up to $3,000 each year. This renewable energy source is also a win for the planet, as it can help the U.S. transition away from dirty energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas. These fossil fuels, which have long powered our homes, are responsible for more than 75% of all planet-warming pollution, according to the United Nations. In addition to heating up the planet, the toxic air pollution they produce endangers communities across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That said, the upfront costs of solar can be difficult for many people to afford. Leasing solar panels is one alternative that can help homeowners access the benefits while avoiding massive upfront costs. For instance, Palmetto offers leasing options some with no money down as part of its LightReach program. With over 16 years of clean energy experience, Palmetto can help homeowners find the perfect solar solution for their needs. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. NEED TO KNOW Springfield restaurant owner Patrick Netthongkome faces four lawsuits involving his eateries Thai Express and Simply Thai, with claims of unpaid debts, breached contracts and other alleged business misconduct tied to his Nett Restaurant Group. The most recent suit, filed Oct. 17 by Springfield Grocer Co., accuses Netthongkome and Thai Express of failing to pay more than $63,000 for grocery deliveries, despite a May promissory note promising repayment with interest. Additional lawsuits from LVNV Funding, J&L Investments and Schumann Meat Co. allege unpaid royalties, credit defaults and misuse of business assets, totaling more than $200,000 in claimed damages. A Springfield, Mo., restaurant owner is feeling the heat, and not just in the kitchen. According to multiple court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Patrick Netthongkome is currently facing four separate lawsuits (three of which have been filed since Sept. 20) for breaching contracts, unpaid royalties and other bad business practices regarding operations involving his restaurants, Thai Express and Simply Thai, his restaurant group, Nett Restaurant Group and its partners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the most recent lawsuit filed on Friday, Oct. 17, lawyers for Springfield Grocer Company are accusing Netthongkome and Thai Express of not paying the grocer for deliveries that were brought to the restaurant after Netthongkome and the grocer entered a contract back in April. The documents state that though Netthongkome and Thai express accepted the grocery goods and services while at the same time promising to pay for same, they have failed, refused and totally neglected to pay for such benefits as agreed. As of Oct. 1, 2025, Netthongkome and Thai Express owed $63,527.75 in unpaid goods to the grocer. In the documents viewed by PEOPLE, lawyers for SCG said that Netthongkomes restaurant company, Nett Restaurant Group, LLC, delivered a Promissory Note to the grocer in May 2025 which said that the group would pay $73,117.57 at 10% interest in payments that were supposed to begin in June 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawyers for SCG alleged that the restaurant group has failed, refused, and neglected to pay any of the payments as of Oct. 1. Springfield Grocer Company is now seeking the original $63,527.75 from Netthongkome as well as an additional $66,704.13 from Nett Restaurant Group, LLC, totaling over $120,000 in damages. Representatives for the Nett Restaurant Group did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. According to the groups website, the Nett Restaurant Group oversees two restaurants in Springfield, Thai Express and Simply Thai. According to the Springfield Daily Citizen, Simply Thai shut its doors in August with plans to redirect customers to Thai Express. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are no concrete answers if we are going to stay open or not, Nett told the outlet at the time. For now, we are just redirecting the few customers that show up to go to Thai Express. As of press time, the restaurant was listed as Permanently Closed on Google. Unfortunately for Netthongkome, this is not the only lawsuit he and his restaurant portfolio are facing. In court documents viewed by PEOPLE, a Sept. 20, 2025 lawsuit filed against Netthongkome by investment group LVNV Funding, LLC alleges that the restaurateur owes the group $20,533.84 in offsets and credits due. A separate lawsuit filed on Oct. 2, 2025 by J&L Investments alleges that Netthongkome and Thai Express owe $80,082.78 in unpaid royalties due to a lease agreement that claimed Netthongkome and Thai Express agreed to a "Limited Investment Agreement" in which they would pay 2.5% of monthly sales at Thai Express on a quarterly basis to an investor who agreed to co-sign a $250,000 line of credit between Netthongkome and his bank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives for neither Springfield Grocery Company, LVNV Funding, nor J&L Investments immediately responded to PEOPLEs request for comment. No representative for Netthongkome was listed in any of the above lawsuits. Netthongkome is also facing a fourth unrelated lawsuit on behalf of Schumann Meat Company in which the owners, Chad and Julie and Schumann accused Netthongkome of draining their bank account and resources after verbally agreeing to buy the business from the couple after 12 months of running operations. The suit alleges that Netthongkome took "all of their inventory in the Business, including but not limited to shelving, seasonings, and meat (the Inventory), used it in his other businesses Thai Express and Simply Thai, and had given away numerous gift cards for the Business to promote his other businesses." Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW Jace Hanson was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to 33 felony counts tied to food contamination at a Leawood, Kansas steakhouse He allegedly filmed himself contaminating meals more than 20 times stomping, urinating and spitting on the food on different occasions and shared the videos online before his arrest in April 2024 The FBI became involved after a tipster reported the videos, and the restaurant later closed amid lawsuits and health complaints Bon appetit, said no one. Jace Hanson, a former restaurant worker in the kitchen of the upscale Hereford House steakhouse in Leawood, Kan., was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison after filming himself contaminating restaurant food with his bodily fluids, according to KCTV5, KSHB 41 and KMBC 9. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The videos which surfaced on a social media site under the username Vandalizer were reported to the FBI by a tipster, and the FBI then passed the information to Leawood police, per the outlets. The clips allegedly showed Hanson urinating on food, spitting into containers, stomping on food items and rubbing them on his body before they were served to customers, per court documents and reporting by KCTV5, KMBC 9 and The Kansas City Star. Hanson was arrested on April 25, 2024, after the FBI forwarded its findings to local authorities, according to KCTV5, KSHB 41 and KMBC 9. Investigators said the incidents occurred between March 26 and April 25 of that year, and Hanson later pleaded guilty on July 3, 2025, to 33 felony counts including 22 counts of criminal threat, one count of criminal damage over $25,000 and 10 child exploitation charges according to KSHB 41 and KMBC 9. Leawood Police Detective Jack Bond testified that, along with footage of the contamination, detectives recovered child sexual abuse material on Hansons devices. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. It was the most brutal and violent child sexual-abuse material that I have ever seen, Bond said in court, according to the Johnson County Post, adding that he had to take breaks while reviewing the files because of how horrific the footage was. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Oct. 9, 2025, a Johnson County judge sentenced Hanson to 11 years and 4 months in prison, the maximum allowed under Kansas law, per the outlets. The fallout for the Hereford House was immediate: co-owner Camellia Hill testified that sales plunged the minute it hit the press, saying the scandal basically destroyed our business, per the Johnson County Post. The restaurant closed its Leawood location on Aug. 3, 2024, citing financial strains caused by recent events, according to KCTV5 and the Post. By Aug. 8, 2024, at least 13 civil lawsuits had been filed against the restaurant, according to KMBC 9, KCTV5 and The Kansas City Star. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the departments records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People NEED TO KNOW Two men were arrested for dumping cooking grease into a Miami storm drain An anonymous tip and a photo led to an environmental crime investigation Grease pollution can harm wildlife, water quality, and local ecosystems Two men were arrested in Miami after police say they were caught illegally dumping food grease into a storm drain an act that triggered an environmental crimes investigation. According to a news release obtained by PEOPLE, authorities reported that the case began when an anonymous tip, along with a photo, was submitted to the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) on Sept. 22. The report described the image allegedly showing two men disposing of food waste near Northwest 17th Avenue and 29th Street. Getty Outdoor dining in Miami, Fla. Outdoor dining in Miami, Fla. Detectives with the Miami Police Departments Environmental Crimes Unit responded to the scene, where they found one man actively dumping waste into the drain and another nearby matching the photos description, police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspects were identified as 48-year-old Roman Jaquez and 73-year-old Oscar Brooks Gago. According to a news release, Jaquez told officers that Gago had instructed him to pour the grease into the drain and said it was a regular practice for the restaurant where they worked. Gago reportedly admitted to directing Jaquez to get rid of the waste, but denied telling him to dump it in the storm drain. Both men were arrested and charged with one count each of "Environmental Crime Willful Disregard." Per the release, MPD encourages locals who witness or have knowledge of illegal environmental activities to report them to authorities immediately. Pouring grease into a storm drain can have serious environmental consequences, experts say. When oil and cooking grease enter the drainage system, they can contaminate water sources, harm wildlife and disrupt delicate ecosystems. The buildup can also clog sewage systems, leading to overflows that send raw sewage into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Beyond the immediate area, grease can travel long distances through waterways, spreading pollution and damaging habitats far from the source. Wildlife exposed to oil and grease can suffer fatal effects the substance can coat feathers and fur, impairing mobility and body temperature regulation, or smother aquatic plants that other species depend on for food and oxygen. Police urged the public to report any suspected environmental violations to authorities. Read the original article on People CAIRO (AP) Paramilitary fighters in vehicles, on camels and on foot rampaged through the Sudanese militarys last stronghold in Darfur on Tuesday, killing and detaining hundreds of people in the latest atrocity of a war that has raged in Sudan for over 31 months. The Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, overran the city of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, in what the United Nations chief called a terrible escalation in the conflict. Medical groups reported that RSF fighters killed dozens of civilians and detained hundreds of others since taking over the militarys base in the city on Sunday. The army said it withdrew from the city, hoping to save civilians from further violence after more than a year of RSF attacks on the city. Military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan said the army retreated because of the systemic destruction, and the systemic killing of civilians by the RSF. In a surprise statement Tuesday night, the Sudanese government said it ordered the expulsion of the Country Director and the Director of Operations of the World Food Program and declared them persona non grata without giving a reason. The two have 72 hours to leave the country. It added that this decision does not affect the ongoing cooperation with the World Food Programme in Sudan. The war started in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country. Summary executions reported The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it received credible reports of atrocities, including summary executions, attacks on civilians along escape routes and house-to-house raids. Sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, was also reported in the city, it said. Thousands of people have made attempts to flee el-Fasher as the violence escalated. The U.N. migration agency estimates that over 26,000 people managed to flee the city. The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that more than 4,200 people have reached camps in the town of Tawila, in North Darfur, in the last two days. Graphic footage flooded social media showing fighters in RSF uniforms shooting and beating people as they attempted to flee. Other footage showed troops on vehicles and camels roaming city streets. Many were shown detained, with one video showing a group of young people wearing the Sudanese Red Crescent vests being held and beaten by an armed fighter. The reports emerging from el-Fasher are horrifying, said Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East and Southern Africa Tigere Chagutah. He urged the RSF to stop its attacks on civilians and allow humanitarian aid into the city. The people of el-Fasher have already endured the RSFs brutal 18-month long siege of the city, he said. All those responsible for the ongoing atrocities must be held individually accountable. Medical workers abducted The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical group tracking the war, said RSF fighters abducted five medical workers, including four doctors, a pharmacist and a nurse from the city. The Yale School of Public Healths Humanitarian Research Lab published a report Tuesday relying on satellite imagery that said RSF forces were conducting alleged mass killings after seizing el-Fasher. Using imagery from Airbus taken Monday, the lab pointed out a series of scenes in el-Fashers Daraja Oula neighborhood. They included what appeared to be gun-mounted trucks, known as technicals, in the streets in formations that appeared like roadblocks. Imagery analysis shows objects consistent with the size of human bodies on the ground near RSF vehicles, including at least five instances of reddish earth discoloration, the report said. The Associated Press separately accessed and analyzed the satellite images from Airbus, matching those details highlighted by the Humanitarian Research Lab. While the AP was not able to conclusively determine what the objects on the ground or the red splotches seen in the dirt were, it raises new concerns about the RSFs conduct after taking el-Fasher. The U.N.s human rights office said it feared the RSF was carrying out atrocities, including summary executions in el-Fasher. It cited social media footage circulating the internet showing fighters purportedly gunning down unarmed men. No comment from RSF on atrocity allegations The RSF has not addressed allegations against it. The paramilitary force grew out of the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias that carried out genocide during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s. The Biden administration in one of its last acts declared the RSF and its allies were committing genocide in the current war. The fall of el-Fasher to the RSF could usher in another split of Sudan, more than a decade after South Sudans creation after years of fighting between the central government and rebels. In comments in Malaysia on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the fall of el-Fasher marked a terrible escalation in the war and called for ceasing foreign military support to the warring parties. The problem is not only the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, but also the growing external interference that undermines prospects for a ceasefire and a political solution, he was quoted as saying by a U.N. spokesman. Guterres didnt name a specific country, but the Sudanese government and rights groups have repeatedly accused the United Arab Emirates of being involved in the war by supplying the RSF with weapons, a claim denied by the Gulf country. Red Cross volunteers killed in Bara Also on Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced that five of its volunteers were killed in the city of Bara, in Kordofan state, while distributing food. It said three other volunteers were missing. The group said the team were dressed in uniform with the Red Crescent logo. Any attack on humanitarian teams is unacceptable, the group said in a statement. We strongly reiterate our call for unwavering respect for the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems and the crucial humanitarian services they represent. The war has killed over 40,000 people, according to the U.N, but the actual toll is highly likely much higher. The war has also created the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, with part of the country, including the El-Fasher area, plunged into famine. Over 14 million people have fled their homes. ___ Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. By SAMY MAGDY Associated Press BERLIN The German military has received a demonstrator for a high-energy laser weapon developed by Rheinmetall and MBDA, marking a milestone toward fielding an operational directed-energy system for naval use by 2029. The containerized laser system was relocated to the Laser Competence Centre at the Technical Centre for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91) in Meppen on Oct. 28, following a year-long trial phase aboard the German Navy frigate Sachsen, Rheinmetall said in a statement. The hand-off comes after the demonstrator completed more than 100 live-firing tests under operational maritime conditions, proving its ability to track and engage drones and other fast-moving targets. The system demonstrated what Rheinmetall described as a first for Europe: successful target engagement in front of blue sky, meaning without using terrain as a backstop for the laser beam. The trials validated the weapons tracking capability, precision and reaction speed against drones, which the companies emphasized as one of the most pressing challenges in modern warfare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a statement by the two defense contractors, the laser weapon is designed to complement conventional cannons and guided missiles, particularly for defense against drones, drone swarms, speedboats, and potentially guided missiles at close range. Future iterations could be scaled up to engage supersonic missiles, rockets, and even mortar and artillery shells, Rheinmetall said. The two German companies have collaborated on laser weapon development since 2019, with responsibilities divided between them. MBDA Germany handles target detection and tracking, the control console, and integration with command-and-control systems, while Rheinmetall oversees the aiming system, beam guidance, the high-energy laser source, and mechanical integration aboard naval platforms. The demonstrator currently operates at approximately 20 kilowatts, suitable for neutralizing small unmanned aerial vehicles and light surface targets. However, the architecture is designed to be scalable, with future versions expected to exceed 100 kilowatts for engaging larger threats. The system will now undergo further land-based drone defense testing at WTD 91, one of the largest fully instrumented ground firing ranges in Western Europe. If trials continue to meet German military requirements, procurement decisions could come within a few years, placing Germany among a small cadre of nations with operational naval laser weapons alongside the United States and Israel. About 23 million years ago, a rhinoceros stomped across the Canadian High Arctic. Now extinct, a team of scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) have found a new species of the enigmatic Arctic rhino. First uncovered almost 40 years ago in lake deposits in Haughton Crater on Devon Island, Nunavut, Epiatheracerium itjilik was more petite than many of its modern descendants. The species is described in a study published today in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Today there are only five species of rhinos in Africa and Asia, but in the past they were found in Europe and North America, with more than 50 species known from the fossil record, Dr. Danielle Fraser, a study co-author and head of palaeobiology at the Canadian Museum of Nature, said in a statement. The addition of this Arctic species to the rhino family tree now offers new insights to our understanding of their evolutionary history. Big rhinos, small rhinos, and everything in between Rhinoceroses have been around for over 40 million years and have been found on all continents except South America and Antarctica. This recently discovered Arctic rhino lived about 23 million years ago, during the Early Miocene. It is most closely related to other rhino species that thrived in Europe millions of years earlier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earths Rhinocerotids also came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some were large and hippo-like, while others were relatively small and lacked horns. Epiatheracerium itjilik falls in that latter category. It was relatively small and slight, similar to the modern Indian rhinoceros, but without a horn. The team believes that the Arctic specimen was in early to mid-adulthood when it died based on moderate wear of the cheek teeth. Overhead view of the fossil of Epiatheracerium itjilik with its bones laid out on a sandy base. About 75 percent of the animals bones were recovered, including diagnostic parts such as the teeth, mandibles and pieces of the cranium. Image: Pierre Poirier Canadian Museum of Nature. Most of the bones were collected at the Haughton Impact Crater site in 1986 by the late arctic paleontologist Dr. Mary Dawson. The Haughton Crater was formed by an asteroid or comet strike about 31 to 32 million years ago during the Early Oligocene. It is almost 14 miles across and the most northern known site containing fossils from the Miocene Epoch (about 23 to 5.6 million years ago). At this time, many families of modern mammals began to diversify and move between Earths continents. When the impact crater filled with water a few million years after impact, a lake that preserved the remains of local plants and animals formed. Dawson had uncovered the critical diagnostic parts of the skeletonthe upper and lower teeth, mandibles, and parts of the skull almost 40 years ago. With these, the team from CMN could define it as a rhinocerotid and a completely new species. Whats remarkable about the Arctic rhino is that the fossil bones are in excellent condition, palaeobiologist Marisa Gilbert added. They are three dimensionally preserved and have only been partially replaced by minerals. About 75% of the skeleton was discovered, which is incredibly complete for a fossil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the late 2000s, Gilbert took part in a number of research trips to the Haughton Crater with study co-author Dr. Natalia Rybcynski. These expeditions uncovered another new species, a walking seal ancestor named Puijila darwini. Additional remains of E. itjilik were found on later field expeditions. Dr. Natalia Rybczynski is a lone figure exploring the Haughton Crater site on Devon Island, where the fossil of Epiceratherium itjilik was found. Image: Martin Lipman Canadian Museum of Nature. Crossing a land bridge With this new Arctic species, the team dug deeper into the evolutionary and biogeographic history of rhinocerotids. Biogeography studies how animals and plants evolved and dispersed over time. To place E. itjilik on the rhino family tree, they studied the occurrence of 57 other types of rhinocerotids, almost all of which are extinct. They combed through museum collections, scientific literature, and various databases. The teams detective work and analysis shows how rhinos dispersed over millions of years. They likely travelled between present day North America and Europe (through Greenland) on the North Atlantic Land Bridge. Earlier studies suggested that this land bridge may have only been used as a pathway until about 56 million years ago. However, E. itjilik and its related species suggest that rhinos moved from Europe to North America much more recently, potentially as late as the Miocene. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its always exciting and informative to describe a new species. But there is more that comes from the identification of Epiaceratherium itjilik, as our reconstructions of rhino evolution show that the North Atlantic played a much more important role in their evolution than previously thought, said Fraser. More broadly, this study reinforces that the Arctic continues to offer up new knowledge and discoveries that expand on our understanding of mammal diversification over time. Marisa Gilbert (left) and Dr. Danielle Fraser with the fossil of Epiaceratherium itjilik laid out in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Image: Pierre Poirier Canadian Museum of Nature. Honoring the High Arctic The species name itjilik means frosty or frost in Inuktitut. To honor the rhinos home in the High Arctic, the team consulted with Inuit Elder Jarloo Kiguktak. Kiguktak is also the former mayor of Grise Fiord, the most northerly Inuit community in Canada. He has also visited the fossil deposits of Haughton Crater and played a role in multiple paleontological expeditions in the High Arctic. The fossil of Epiceratherium itjilik is currently housed and curated in the fossil collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature. WILBRAHAM, Mass. (WWLP) Miravista Behavioral Health Center expressed its gratitude to nurses by offering free coffee and donuts at Rices Fruit Farm in Wilbraham. On Thursday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., all nurses were invited to Rices Fruit Farm, located at 757 Main Street in Wilbraham, to enjoy a free cup of cider and a donut as a small token of appreciation. Holyoke Community College hosts annual trunk or treat Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The collaboration between the longtime local farm stand and MiraVista aims to recognize the compassion and commitment of healthcare professionals who serve communities across western Massachusetts. Nurses are there for all of us on our best days and our hardest ones, said Anthony Maloni, owner of Rices Fruit Farm. If a warm cider and a fresh donut can bring a smile or a moment of calm to someone who spends their days caring for others, then thats the least we can do. Were honored to partner with MiraVista to say, from our whole team: thank you, nurses. Nurses anchor our healthcare system with skill, heart, and resilience, said Kimberley Lee, Chief of Creative Strategy and Development for MiraVista. By welcoming the nursing community, Rices Fruit Farm is helping create a simple moment of respiteone that recognizes the essential, often unseen work nurses do across hospitals, clinics, schools, long-term care facilities, behavioral health programs, and more. The event also served as a platform for Miravista to introduce its mental health services to those who attended. For nurses who could not attend, information about Miravistas services is available on their website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By recognizing the efforts of nurses, Miravista Behavioral Health Center hopes to strengthen community ties and highlight the importance of mental health services. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. Bret Baier. Anderson Cooper. Scott Jennings. Some of the most prominent and loudest voices in TV news are apparently on Bari Weiss radar as the Free Press founder tries to make her mark in her first month as CBS News editor in chief. As Weiss navigates her first month at CBS News, shes reportedly considered various household names to revamp some of CBS News programming. The talent would ostensibly help Weiss fulfill her mission of building the most trusted news organization of the 21st Century by relying on figures the general public knows, while also generating buzz for a network whose programming has faced a precipitous ratings decline and drawn political scrutiny. CNN declined to comment. CBS News did not respond to an immediate request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enter Baier and Cooper, who anchor two of the flagship shows on Fox News and CNN, respectively. Status reported last week that Weiss was interested in Baier for CBS Evening News, which has fallen further behind its ABC and NBC competitors after an anchor shift in January, while the Independent reported on Saturday that Cooper was also a potential replacement. But complications arise. Baier remains under contract at Fox News until 2028, and he told Meghan McCain on Monday that he had no plans to leave the network until that contract expires. Im flattered by all the press and everything like that, but Im in a multi-year contract with Fox. I dont know where everythings going, he said. Im signed onto Fox, very happy at Fox and, you know, well see what happens at the end of that. Cooper could be a more viable option. He is already affiliated with the network through his yearslong role as a 60 Minutes correspondent, and his contract at CNN expires soon, according to Status. But Cooper has been a face of CNN for decades, often on the front lines of its coverage of both domestic and international issues and serving as its lead New York-based anchor for election coverage, so its also hard to imagine hed want to leave. (Not to mention his passion projects, such as the networks annual alcohol-fueled New Years Eve special with his close friend Andy Cohen or his podcast on grief, All There Is.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Weiss is eyeing on-air talent, she also tapped journalist Adam Rubenstein as her deputy at CBS News and the Free Press, according to the New York Post. Internally, Tony Dokoupil and Norah ODonnell are reportedly seen as top contenders for the Evening News slot. Dokoupil interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Hamas released the last living hostages from Gaza, a conversation arranged by Weiss. To execute one of Weiss first ideas at the network, ODonnell the former Evening News host before it switched to a two-anchor model hosted a discussion with former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice about the apparent end of the war once a deal was brokered. Meanwhile, some people have already headed for the exits. CBS Evening News co-anchor John Dickerson said on Monday he would leave the network in December, opting to end his 16-year tenure at the Tiffany Network. I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me the work, the audiences attention and the honor of being a part of the networks history and I am grateful for my dear colleagues whove made me a better journalist and a better human, Dickerson wrote on Instagram. I will miss you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision was Dickersons alone, according to the Times, though the anchor was cognizant that significant changes, including a revamp of the Evening News, were on the way. His exit follows the news organizations head of standards, Claudia Milne, saying she would leave the network as well. Changes are expected beyond the evening newscast. Weiss is reportedly interested in shaking up flagship newsmagazine 60 Minutes, a program at the heart of President Donald Trumps ire at the network. Such changes could mean correspondents like Scott Pelley and Bill Whitaker are shown the door, according to the New York Post. She is also reportedly interested in luring conservative pundit Scott Jennings away from CNN, meeting with him in New York, according to Semafor. All in all, such moves indicate the tides of change are still approaching CBS News shore. The post Whos In, Out and on the Rise at Bari Weiss CBS News appeared first on TheWrap. Protests to end Israels mistreatment of Palestinians are getting louder and larger. Seeing the livestreamed genocide Israel perpetrated in Gaza has had an effect globally, with the call to boycott Israel at an all-time high. Quiet boycotts, which started in supermarkets nearly two decades ago, have turned into widely used apps that help millions make choices about purchases. Campus protests and encampments in the US and Canada have led some major education institutions to cut ties with Israeli counterparts, while investments into Israel have dipped, and some of the worlds largest economies have recognised Palestine as a state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dr Mohammed Mustafa is a Palestinian Australian doctor whose parents left their native Deir el-Balah in central Gaza decades ago in search of a better life. He volunteered in Gazas hospitals over the past two years and has shared it all on social media, including his visits to Gaza, attending conferences and advocating for Palestinians. He says the experience of watching a genocide livestreamed has changed many people. For years, Palestinians have felt like we were shouting into a void. Now, to see people across continents marching, creating art, and demanding justice it gives you hope that the worlds conscience is finally waking up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I was younger, I never imagined this level of global solidarity Seeing that tide turn now its deeply moving. It feels like truth is finally finding its voice, he continues. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the Colosseum in Rome on October 2, 2025, to protest after a Gaza-bound aid flotilla was illegally boarded by Israel in the Mediterranean [Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo] Nearly 50,000 pro-Palestine protests in two years In recent months, pro-Palestine protests have seen a noticeable uptick between May and September 2025, they increased by 43 percent compared with the five months prior. Over the past two years, there have been at least 49,000 pro-Palestinian protests across 133 countries and territories, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The highest number of pro-Palestine demonstrations was recorded in Yemen (15,266), followed by Morocco (5,482), the US (5,346), Turkiye (2,349), Iran (1,919), Pakistan (1,539), France (1,397), Italy (1,390), Spain (1,102) and Australia (967). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The map below shows the locations of the 49,000 pro-Palestinian protests held between October 7, 2023, and October 3, 2025. The growth of a boycott Israel has grown increasingly isolated, the founder of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Omar Barghouti, told Al Jazeera. BDS launched in 2005 to advocate for Palestinian rights and end Israels occupation and apartheid through targeting complicity, not individuals, he said. Barghouti is from a Palestinian family that is deeply involved in politics and culture. Among the famous Barghoutis is Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is serving out several life sentences in an Israeli prison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BDS movement has played the most important role in exacerbating the isolation of Israels regime of settler-colonialism, apartheid and now genocide, Barghouti said. Barghouti noted that even the chairman of the Israel Export Institute, Avi Balashnikov, had admitted to challenges in global trade. Balashnikov, at the Mind the Tech Conference 2024, said: Economic boycotts and BDS organisations present major challenges, and in some countries, we are forced to operate under the radar. BDS has achieved this impact by channelling the immense grief, rage and solidarity expressed by tens of millions worldwide into strategic, nonviolent, and very effective boycott and divestment campaigns, Barghouti adds. Omar Barghouti is cofounder of the BDS campaign [Screengrab from Al Jazeeras Reframe] The BDS movement has identified numerous companies that are considered complicit in Israels occupation, human rights violations, or apartheid policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their campaigns are divided into three main groups: Priority boycott targets: Companies and institutions with a proven record of complicity in Israeli apartheid and occupation. The BDS movement calls for a complete boycott of these brands. Pressure targets : Companies that BDS actively pressures through boycotts (when alternatives exist), lobbying, peaceful protests, social media campaigns, and strategic legal actions. Organic boycotts: Grassroots campaigns started by local communities, which BDS supports because of the boycotted brands complicity in Israels actions against Palestinians. (Al Jazeera) How are people boycotting? Sumayya Rashid*, a 45-year-old expat mother living in the United Arab Emirates, has been teaching her 11-year-old daughter about what Palestinian children are experiencing and explaining to her how buying certain brands indirectly supports the genocide. We no longer buy anything from McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut or Carrefour. These were brands that we would consume before the boycott, says Rashid, adding that they have found local replacements where possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rashid says her daughter is immersed in Palestinian culture because of school and the community around it. She may not understand the extent of the genocide, but she does know we cant be supporting Israel as they are the instigators of the violence. Rashid has found that it is easy to find alternatives in the UAE, but she relies on the Boycat app to double-check any items she is not sure about. Boycat is one of several mobile apps launched over the past years to help consumers identify products targeted for boycott it has partnered with the BDS movement, which helps keep its list up to date and ensure it follows BDS goals. Across the Atlantic, in Toronto, Canada, is 26-year-old Jaspreet Kaur*, who feels there are some restrictions on speaking openly in support of Palestine in Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palestine brought a lot of things into perspective for a lot of us. Its just even looking down at your cup of morning coffee, and seeing this is such a core need, a necessity, which is a sheer luxury. Kids cant play in the street without the fear of being bombed thats something I never have to think about, says Kaur. I dont remember the last time I had Starbucks or McDonalds, or used Airbnb or booking.com, she says adamantly. Kaur says she has boycotted as much as possible, using apps to guide her, but that some consumer items from multinationals have crept back into her life due to budget constraints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beyond her personal shopping choices, Kaur has found it difficult to be vocal about supporting Palestine while working in corporate finance. I dont go to as many protests as I would like to, Ive taken off my Palestinian phone case and removed the Palestinian flag from my Instagram bio, I cant be as loud as I need, as I want to personally, she says. As an immigrant waiting for her citizenship, Kaur says she feels her actions and thoughts on Palestine are not so accepted publicly and at work. What has the boycotts effect been? Boycotts have not only affected the bottom lines of several companies complicit in Israels occupation but have also led to investments being pulled out of Israel and international embargoes on it, increasing economic and political pressure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In November 2024, French retailer Carrefour closed all its stores in Jordan. BDS has long highlighted Carrefours business ties with Israeli firms in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The company also exited Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, its locations being reopened as HyperMax, a local grocery chain launched by regional franchisee, Majid Al Futtaim. The closures are seen as a major win for the movement, demonstrating the power of consumer-led campaigns on multinational corporations. Two of the largest US food and beverage chains, McDonalds and Starbucks, have felt the effect of boycotts, facing declining sales and reputational backlash, particularly across the Middle East and other Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During an earnings call in January 2024, McDonalds Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski said the fast food giant had seen a meaningful impact in several markets. Starbucks reported three consecutive quarters of global sales declines, with revenue down 2 percent for the year 2024. In September, the giant announced plans to close dozens of US outlets and lay off some 900 employees as part of a $1bn restructuring initiative to reverse declining performance. Demonstrators from the Palestine Coalition gather in support of Palestinians, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza went into effect, in London, UK, October 11, 2025 [Jaimi Joy/Reuters] Divestments, sanctions, and diplomatic measures In September, the Spanish government cancelled a weapons deal with Israel worth nearly 700 million euros ($815m). Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had previously announced an upcoming law banning military trade with Israel, which came into effect on October 9. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, Norways pension fund and Frances AXA divested from Israeli assets linked to settlements. Ireland, Denmark, and the Netherlands pension funds also withdrew investments in Israeli-linked companies, including Caterpillar, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, due to concerns over human rights violations and involvement in illegal Israeli settlements. In June, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom formally sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for incitement of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. In the same month, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain called for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sweden has also asked the European Council to adopt sanctions against Israeli ministers who promote illegal settlement activities and actively work against a negotiated two-state solution. For a Palestinian witnessing the turning of the global tide, Mustafa says he feels the movement for Palestine has become one of the most dynamic social justice movements of our time. It has brought together people from every background faith-based, secular, Indigenous, and global uniting them under a shared demand for human dignity. Because of that, I believe the Palestinian movement will shape how future struggles for justice are fought and understood, he said. UN monitoring The UN Office of Human Rights, since 2020, has maintained a database of companies that are profiting from Israels illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank. In its September 2025 update, it listed 158 firms operating inside settlements deemed unlawful by the International Court of Justice. While nearly 90 percent of the companies are Israeli, the list also includes multinationals registered in Canada, China, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK and the US. These include well-known companies like Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Motorola, Re/Max and TripAdvisor. * Name changed upon interviewees request ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A few bright RIT students are on their way to win thousands of dollars as finalists in a North American sustainable packaging design challenge. Their project is all about pets. For this years Paperboard Packaging Design Challenge, students were asked to create a line for an original pet care company called PPA Pets. For their work, they could win over $10,000 for the team and another $10,000 for the school. After, what was initially a class assignment, its so cool to see that continue beyond it and move into something that is in existence in the larger packaging design industry now, said Dante Verna, an industrial design student at RIT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They came up with a design for a dog DNA testing service and a dental chew and toothpaste kit. Learning more about how the real world works and working with different people from different majors was my favorite part, said Amy Brumlik, a packaging design student at RIT. The goal is for the students to show off their design skills by meeting real-world customer needs and marketing scenarios, and they do this by bringing together students from different majors. Its multiple processes coming together at any given point, and I was really proud throughout this process of how well we were able to keep that on track, said Verna. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its definitely just a great collaborative experience that expanded all of our views on the packaging industry, Brumlik added. These finalists will present their project in Vancouver next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. CNNs Clarissa Ward confronts the man who held Austin Tice captive. Subscribe to watch the full exclusive report. The Americans drove through here, the Syrian army guard said, pointing to a steep road behind him. I dont know where they headed, Im not allowed up there. The barricaded road leads to a labyrinth of military facilities wedged into the rocky slopes of Mount Qasioun on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. It was as close as CNN could get to the locations searched by an FBI-led team that came here in September looking for traces of American journalist Austin Tice more than a decade after he disappeared. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American team was hard to miss, arriving in a convoy of armored vehicles. Their objective was two-fold: to search for the place where Tice was last believed to have been held and, if possible, to find his remains. The US search focused on a facility called the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center. It lasted less than three days. On September 9, Israel launched its explosive attack on Qatar and the delegation abruptly left. The tip that led to the US search came from several witnesses, including Bassam Al-Hassan, a powerful adviser to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the man who held Tice after his capture in mid-August 2012. For 13 years, the mystery of what happened to Austin Tice has plagued multiple US administrations. Then, after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, witnesses began to emerge. After fleeing to Iran, Al-Hassan made his way to Beirut, Lebanon in April, where he was interrogated by FBI investigators, along with several associates, about Tices capture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, CNN managed to track the apartment where Al-Hassan was living in Beirut. After knocking on his door, the team introduced themselves as CNN journalists. During a 20-minute conversation, the first time hes been confronted by a journalist, Al-Hassan told CNN that Assad ordered the execution of Tice. Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead, he said, his comments captured on video by hidden cameras worn by the team. He nodded yes when asked if Tice was killed in 2013, saying that he had passed the execution order down to a subordinate. I dont want to protect Bashar al-Assad because he abandoned and left us, Al-Hassan added. I dont want to protect Russia or Iran, because the US thinks Russia and Iran have something to do with the case. And I can assure you that this is not the case. This relates to President Bashar only, he said. Assad fled to Russia after the collapse of his regime and attempts by CNN to reach him were unsuccessful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al-Hassan claims he passed the execution order onto a subordinate in the notorious Iran-backed, pro-government militia the National Defense Forces (NDF). CNN has learned the man in question is now in Russia. Through an intermediary, he refused to respond to CNNs questions. Freelance journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria in 2012 and has not been heard from since. - Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service/Getty Images Several sources that CNN spoke to claimed that there are holes in Al-Hassans story. CNN has confirmed that he failed a polygraph test given to him by the FBI. The truth is tangled in a web of lies that remain the enduring legacy of a regime that killed and disappeared hundreds of thousands of its own people. In order to piece together what happened to Tice, CNN spoke to dozens of former and current officials, investigators and eyewitnesses in seven different countries. Many only spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters or protect their precarious status in the countries they fled to. While CNN cannot confirm that Tice is dead, for the first time we are hearing from people with direct knowledge of his capture, captivity and attempted escape. The accounts they provide strongly suggest that Tice was killed more than a decade ago, but there is no hard proof. Since the Assad regime fell last year, the new Syrian government has been keen to establish good relations with the US and has been working closely with American officials to help solve the Tice case. The FBI has ramped up its own investigation, collecting evidence on the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As well as a recovery operation this is also an active federal investigation and there is always the goal of trying to bring some justice to this situation, said a person familiar with the FBI investigation. Since Tice disappeared in 2012, his family has not wavered from the belief that he is still alive. His mother, Debra Tice, has waged a tireless public campaign on behalf of her son, lobbying the US government across multiple administrations to do whatever it can to return him alive. Earlier this year, not long after the Assad regime fell, Debra travelled to Damascus to look for him and sat down with Syrias new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. She has previously dismissed Al-Hassan as a pathological liar. Austin Tice is alive. We look forward to seeing him walk free, the Tice family told CNN in a statement. Captivity Tice, an ex-US Marine Corps officer, reported from Syria during the summer of 2012, when protests against Assad had turned into an armed struggle. He embedded with rebels on the frontlines and documented the regimes brutal crackdowns on peaceful protests. His daring approach got him bylines in top US outlets including the Washington Post and McClatchy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He filed his last report from Darayya, a Damascus suburb that still bears the marks of years of fighting and bombardment. His family and editors said they lost contact with him in mid-August when he was supposed to travel to Lebanon for a break. For 13 years, the Syrian government consistently denied holding Tice or having any knowledge of his whereabouts, despite pressure from the American government and his family. Weeks after Assad fled Syria to Russia, cracks started to emerge in that story. Early this year, a former officer with Syrias external intelligence branch, General Safwan Bahloul, gave testimony to Al Jazeera, saying that hed interrogated Tice in 2012 at the behest of Al-Hassan. Bahloul agreed to talk to CNN only after securing permission from the new government in Damascus. A security official led the way to his house up a leafy hill in Latakia, the coastal province in Syria known for its loyalty to the Assads. Unlike other former officials who fled Syria, Bahloul took a settlement offered by the new government that essentially gives him amnesty. During a wide-ranging interview last month, Bahloul discussed how he first became aware of Tice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I went to [Al-Hassans] office and he told me, We have caught an American journalist. We want you to interrogate and see the possibility if hes not a mere journalist or if hes a spy, Bahloul said. Safwan Bahloul was a general with Syria's external intelligence branch in 2012 when he was summoned to interrogate Tice. Unlike other Assad security officials who fled the country, Bahloul took a settlement offered by the new government that essentially gives him amnesty. - Scott McWhinnie/CNN Bahloul, who has spent time in the US and the UK and speaks English fluently, told CNN he interrogated Tice three times. I just went through the names and the contacts on his phone, asking him about each name, Bahloul said. He was cooperative about it. He told me that hes an ex-Marine officer. He wasnt shaky. He was brave enough to face his custody. Sometimes even we talked about music. Tice was held in a Republican Guard compound often referred to as Tahoune, under the command of Ghassan Nassour, a senior officer who reported to Al-Hassan. The line between the Republican Guard and the NDF was often blurred with officers serving in both, including Nassour. CNN managed to reach Nassour on the phone in his new home in the UAE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This was not a formal prison, but a brief detention facility for offending soldiers, he said. When CNN visited the compound in September, it was mostly refurbished and used by soldiers of the new government. Faded Assad murals, discarded ammunition and bars on the windows of some rooms were the only traces left of the old guard. According to Nassour, the soldier who was assigned to bring food to Tice was instructed not to speak to him. Tices nationality and identity, Nassour claims, were known only to a handful of people close to Al-Hassan, whose office was across the road from Tahoune. Ask any soldier in Tahoune and he would tell you they knew we had an important [prisoner], but no one knew who he was, a low-ranking soldier who worked in Al-Hassans office at the time, told CNN over the phone from his village in Latakia. He said he only figured out it was Tice when details of his captivity were reported in 2025. Before that, he did not dare ask. In this screenshot taken from a 2012 video, Austin Tice is blindfolded and surrounded by Assad regime soldiers dressed up as jihadists. - Obtained by CNN Signs of life Nassour recalled the day they took Tice to Rakhla, a mountainous area near the Lebanese border, to film a video that was released in September 2012. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the direction of Al-Hassan, regime soldiers dressed up as jihadists and led a blindfolded Tice up a hill while chanting God is Great, Nassour said. The point, he added, was to give the impression that Tice was held by extremists and not the Assad regime. The video was posted online the next day, and it was as if Tice was held by Taliban in Afghanistan and he never entered Syria, Nassour said. Tice was seen in the 46-second video reciting the Muslim proclamation of faith and pleading, Oh, Jesus. US officials and independent analysts quickly determined the video was a ruse. US investigators followed the digital breadcrumbs to the Syrian regime. It was taken as evidence that Tice was in government hands and the first and only proof of life. The Republican Guard compound, often referred to as Tahoune, was not meant to be an official prison. When CNN visited, the compound had mostly been refurbished by the new Syrian government. - David von Blohn/CNN Back in Tahoune, sometime in late October, Tice asked Bahloul for soap and a towel, which Bahloul said Tice used to escape. Syrian investigators at the time, Bahloul explained, determined that Tice used the soap to slip through the high window and the towel to jump over the shattered glass cemented at the top of the compounds external wall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The low-ranking soldier in Al-Hassans team described the ensuing havoc. We were on a state of alert. There was chaos because someone had escaped prison, the soldier told CNN. They distributed his picture to the checkpoints close to the compound. Tice made it to the upscale Mazzeh neighborhood, about a mile from Tahoune. For more than 24 hours he was on the run in an area dotted with embassies and the homes of some of the regimes top generals. Every security apparatus in Damascus, thousands of operatives, they started the search, and he was caught by one of them, and he was redelivered to the National Defense Forces militia, which was headed at that time by Bassam Al-Hassan, Bahloul said. Once Tice was recaptured, Bahloul was brought in one more time to see him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I felt the connection between me and him was just lost. I was talking to him and he was not responding. He was, in a way we could say, depressed, Bahloul recalled. I never saw the guy again. This time, Tice was taken to Al-Hassans office across the road from Tahoune. From there, the trail went silent, according to multiple Syrian intelligence and NDF commanders. I stopped asking about the issue, Nassour said. In Syria if anyone hears that youve asked about what doesnt concern you, you will be in trouble. I never asked again until the fall of the regime. Bahloul told CNN of Tice, Its one of the most mysterious cases I have ever experienced. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The person who knows the key to the mystery is Al-Hassan. Bassam Al-Hassan, advisor to former Syrian President Assad, held Austin Tice in 2012. He told CNN Tice has been dead since 2013. - Sarah El Sirgany/CNN Bassam Al-Hassan Al-Hassan served as Assads adviser and created the notorious NDF militia, implicated in some of the worst crimes during Syrias civil war. He was sanctioned by the UK and the EU in 2011 and by the US in 2014. The US sanctions note his multiple roles in the regime including acting as the Syrian presidential representative to Syrias Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), which is the government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and missiles. In 2023, French prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Al-Hassan, Assad and others for complicity in war crimes over the use of chemical weapons against civilians in August 2013. The two attacks referenced in the case killed more than 1,000 people in the Damascus suburbs of Douma and Eastern Ghouta. He was sort of like a right-hand man to Bashar al-Assad, someone Bashar could absolutely trust, someone who Bashar could farm out his dirtiest jobs, his most unpleasant of tasks to, said Economist journalist Gareth Browne who has covered Al-Hassan extensively since the fall of the regime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Al-Hassan has refused to talk to journalists and the only photographs of him online were incorrect or very old. In September, CNN obtained a recent photo of him, and a tip about where he was hiding out an upscale apartment complex in a suburb of Beirut. A team from CNN spent an evening observing the buildings. One balcony and one man in particular appeared to match the photo. The next morning, CNN knocked on his door and asked him about Tice. He invited them in as soon as he heard Tices name. During the conversation, Al-Hassan appeared rattled that CNN had found him and repeatedly asked who told where he lived. He explained to CNN that he had recently told a team from the FBI that he had been holding Tice when Al-Assad gave him the order to execute him. According to multiple sources with knowledge of the interrogation, Al-Hassan also claimed that he tried to push back on Assads order but that the then-president was adamant. Multiple Syrians who know Al-Hassan disputed the likelihood of him challenging Assad. You could say whatever you like about Bassam, but he is not the courageous guy I couldnt imagine him giving such, you know, Sir, we shouldnt. No, he doesnt give such advice, Bahloul said. Other sources told CNN that they question his motives for talking to the FBI. After the regime fell, the US government offered a reward of $10 million for information on Tice. Al-Hassan told CNN that he was not seeking a monetary award for coming forward. Sources also described Al-Hassan as cunning, Machiavellian, and not someone to be trusted. In many ways, Al-Hassan embodied the culture of the Assad era. You have to look at the nature of this regime. You know, these people are competing with each other. Its riddled with rivalries. There are people lying and deceiving each other, even though theyre nominally on the same side, said Browne, the Economist reporter. Austin Tice reported from Yabroud, Syria, in July 2012. He stayed with the family of activist Waseem Enawi. - Waseem Enawi. Behind the scenes Both Nassour and Bahloul told CNN that when Tice was first captured Assad was pleased and saw him as a valuable card to be used in later negotiations with the US. Assad knew about Tice and knew he could use him in negotiations. It would be extremely stupid to kill him to let go of a winning card in your hand, Nassour said. Others CNN spoke to believed it was plausible that Assad would order Tices execution, particularly after his escape. Over the past 13 years, multiple US administrations made several offers to the Assad government in exchange for Tices release. Syrian negotiators were steadfast in their denial, even when US officials merely asked for a proof of life. It wasnt logical for me. But I started to feel that there is something wrong happening around the case or around Austin, General Abbas Ibrahim, Lebanons former spy chief, said of the failed negotiations during President Donald Trumps first term. A mediator who has negotiated the release of numerous Western hostages across the region, Ibrahim worked on Tices case through all US administrations starting with President Barack Obamas until his retirement in 2023. The Americans were very interested in this case, and they were ready to pay any price to get [Tice] back, Ibrahim said. The regime in Syria had a big opportunity to save themselves [with] Austin, but they didnt play this card because maybe they dont have this card anymore, he said. A defaced portrait of Syria's ousted president Bashar Al-Assad hangs on a wall in the capital Damascus on June 2. - Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images Elusive justice During CNNs visit to Tahoune and Bassam Al-Hassans office across the road, it was clear that traces of what happened there 13 years ago were gone not just lost in the looting and vandalism by crowds retaliating against years of oppression in December, but painted over by the horrors these compounds witnessed over the years. In the months after the Assad dungeons were flung open last year, the hope to find Tice and tens of thousands of missing Syrians began fading. Those who hadnt emerged were presumed dead. Many of their families refuse to officially accept this until the remains are found. They still hope that the truth, buried in secret graves and hidden in millions of old government documents, could provide closure one day. For the Tice family, the search for Austin goes on. It was only at the door on our way out that Al-Hassans voice cracked, saying he owed Tices mother an apology. Truly, it upsets me to remember it. I wish what happened hadnt happened, Al-Hassan said. He removed his glasses revealing blood-shot eyes. It was a predicament that I was burdened with. Tice may simply be remembered as yet another victim of the endless lies and senseless cruelty of a ruthless regime. Pins are seen with a hashtag calling for Austin Tice's release, during an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on August 14. - Alex Wroblewski/AFP/Getty Images -Additional reporting by journalist Zaher Jaber in Syria For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Oct. 27A Ross Twp. police officer was dispatched to a road rage incident that ended with a man threatening to "shoot him in the face," according to police. James Edward Holbert, of Canary Lane, and Bryan Gessner, of Thrush Avenue, were in a Ford F-150 on Sunday afternoon in the area of Lark Street and Cincinnati-Brookville Road. Holbert was driving under a suspended driver's license when police reported he nearly struck another vehicle. A verbal dispute occurred between Holbert and the driver of the other vehicle, which led to Holbert allegedly grabbing a large piece of wood and throwing it at the victim's rear vehicle window, police reports say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The piece of wood struck the victim in the head, causing an injury, according to police. On the way to the Butler County Jail, Holbert "threatened to kill the arresting officer and shoot him in the face," according to a statement issued by Ross Twp. Holbert was charged with two felonies, aggravated assault and aggravated menacing, as well as criminal damaging, a misdemeanor, and driving under suspension. Gessner was charged with a misdemeanor assault and wrongful entrustment of a vehicle. "We will not tolerate this type of violent behavior in Ross Twp.," said Police Chief Robert Gerhardt, "and if you threaten to harm our officers in any way, we will seek the maximum prison sentence possible." ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) As the federal government shutdown drags on, millions of Americans are set to lose access to food assistance benefits starting Nov. 1. One Upstate New Yorker is stepping in to help. Area business owner and philanthropist Jeff Knauss announced the launch of a community relief fund to support families impacted by the upcoming suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Knauss and his family are personally donating $10,000 to start the effort, which will provide up to $150 in Wegmans gift cards to households in need across Central and Western New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cant wait for the government and bureaucracy to fix this, Knauss said. Having access to healthy food is a human right, not a privilege. The program will accept requests here, with assistance distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Gift cards will be available for in-person pickup at designated Wegmans locations in Syracuse and Rochester, a measure organizers say helps ensure the support reaches local families directly. Knauss, who was born in South Korea to teenage parents and later adopted by a family in Upstate New York, said his experience shaped his belief in community-driven aid. He was the co-founder of Digital Hyve and owns multiple companies, including Hidden Fish, Clovers, and profound. The GoFundMe campaign connected to the effort is available here. Every dollar raised, Knauss said, will go directly toward helping families buy groceries during the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the government reopens before the funds are depleted, any remaining donations will be given to regional food banks. No bureaucracy. No shame, Knauss wrote in the announcement. Just people helping people. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. STEUBEN COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) A Rochester man was arrested on Monday after police said he was found with fentanyl during a traffic stop following a domestic dispute in a vehicle. Anthony R. Jackson, 39, of Rochester, was arrested on Monday, Oct. 27, on the charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree (class A misdemeanor), as stated in a release from the Village of Bath Police Department. During his arrest, police said they learned Jackson also had felony warrants out of the City of Rochester Police Department. Southport man arrested on multiple warrants after standoff Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, around 12:38 p.m., officers from Bath Police, along with members from the Steuben County Sheriffs Office and New York State Police, were sent to the area of State Route 415 South for an erratic driver and a possible domestic incident occurring in a vehicle that was headed toward the village, the release said. Law enforcement then found the vehicle and confronted the individuals inside, the release explained. The unidentified driver and passenger, later identified as Jackson, were said to have been arguing in the car, which resulted in erratic driving, police explained. While officers investigated further, Jackson was found with fentanyl, police stated. As a result, Jackson was charged with the above-listed crime, given an appearance ticket to appear in Bath Village Court in the future, and turned over to the Rochester Police Department on the warrants. Police said the driver of the vehicle was given two traffic tickets for driving left of pavement markings and unlicensed operation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. Oct. 27ROCHESTER A Rochester man was given probation and up to five years to pay back money to a trust from the estate of a woman he stole from. Jesse Koran Lequia, 51, was sentenced in Olmsted County District Court Monday on a felony charge of theft. He received a stay of imposition of any jail time and placed on probation for up to five years as he pays back a remaining $43,480 in restitution of the $46,400 he stole from a vulnerable adult. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lequia declined to say anything in court before the sentence was pronounced. District Court Judge Erin Lindhart Felten said she understood if advocates for the woman were disappointed with the sentence agreed upon by the attorneys. "I would not pretend that what I do here today makes everybody whole," she said. According to court records, from November 2023 through March 2024, Lequia made 12 transfers to his own bank account from the savings account of a vulnerable adult he was living with. He used a banking app on her phone to make the transfers, investigators found. The transfers ranged from $2,300 to $6,500, court documents show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A man who had power of attorney over the woman's accounts gave a victim impact statement in court. The woman was troubled by the theft and betrayal of trust, he said. She died unexpectedly in February 2025, he told the court. The trust the woman had set up was to go to her granddaughter, he told the court. The man said he hoped that the trust would be repaid under the sentence requirements. He also expressed confusion that Lequia was given what he called a "very generous" sentence when Lequia was already on probation in an unrelated case. Attorney John Barragry, who represented Lequia, said his client has sought treatment for gambling addiction. In addition to restitution, Lequia was ordered to perform 80 hours of community work and is barred from entering bars, liquor stores or marijuana dispensaries. Felten said the sentence was a chance for him to pay back what he took and consider the choices he has made. "I would suggest to you that this is an opportunity you have been given," she said. ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) In a state dominated by high-performing schools in Chicago and its suburbs, a Rockford elementary school has quietly surged to the top: Thurgood Marshall Elementary has been ranked third-best in Illinois, according to a new analysis by U.S. News & World Report. Thurgood Marshall Elementary, at 4704 N. Rockton Avenue, ranked just beneath Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center and Skinner North Elementary Schools, in Chicago. According to the reports authors, For each state, schools were assessed on their shares of students who were proficient or above proficient in their mathematics and reading/language arts state assessments. Half of the formula assessed the scores themselves and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics. In other words, the top-ranked schools are all high-achieving and have succeeded at educating all their students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the report, the student population at Thurgood Marshall is 378, with 92% scoring at or above the proficiency level for math, and 82% scoring at or above for reading. Compared to the rest of the ranked schools in the Rockford Public School District, Thurgood Marshalls students tested much higher than the districts average math proficiency, which stands at 12%, below even the Illinois state average of 26%. In reading, Thurgood Marshall tested higher than the RPS 205 average of 17% proficiency, and the state average of 29%. The school also ranked as the #1 elementary school in Rockford. US News & World Reports best Illinois elementary schools for 2026 Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center in Chicago Skinner North Elementary School in Chicago Thurgood Marshall Elementary in Rockford The Lane Elementary School in Hinsdale Decatur Classical Elementary School in Chicago Meadow Glens Elementary School in Naperville Elm Elementary School in Burr Ridge Westmoor Elementary School in Northbrook Prospect Elementary School in Clarendon Hills Highlands Elementary School in Naperville Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other Rockford elementary schools ranked low on the list, with Haskell Elementary School achieving the highest rank of #1014. The worst-ranked Rockford school was Washington Elementary, which showed a 5% math proficiency and a 2% reading proficiency with 485 students and a 16:1 student to teacher ratio. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. Russia has intensified its offensive in Ukraine's east and the situation around the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast has noticeably worsened in recent weeks, as small Russian groups have begun infiltrating the city. Source: Financial Times Details: The FT noted that the situation around Pokrovsk has significantly deteriorated in recent weeks, as small Russian units have started slipping through poorly manned Ukrainian defence lines and entering the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quote: "Manpower shortages in Ukrainian frontline brigades have made it easier for Russian forces to identify and exploit defensive gaps." Details: Reconnaissance groups have confirmed the presence of Russian units south of the railway tracks that divide Pokrovsk in half. Russia's main offensive efforts remain concentrated on the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration. Russian forces slowly advanced north and south of these two cities over the past year, trying to encircle them or bring key logistical routes within range of their drones. Read also: How Pokrovsk is imperceptibly falling: five observations by Ukrainska Pravda Background: On 26 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had concentrated its main assault force against Pokrovsk, consisting of a significant number of troops. On 24 October, Ukrainska Pravda reported that there were at least 250 Russian troops in Pokrovsk, engaging in firefights and killing Ukrainian soldiers at their positions, particularly drone operators. Logistics into the city are fully controlled by drones, and Ukrainian troops have to walk 10-15 kilometres to reach their positions. Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are at risk of encirclement. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! A Russian deputy agriculture minister has been served with a notice of suspicion of committing a war crime the illegal seizure of Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied territories and its subsequent export. Source: press service of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office Details: The official investigation revealed that from the start of the full-scale invasion until 31 December 2023, the suspect, acting in collusion with the Russian leadership and the occupation administrations in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, organised the large-scale appropriation of assets belonging to Ukraine's agricultural sector, both state-owned and private. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The property and produce involved belonged to Nibulon LLC, Tesslagroup companies, Kernel Trade LLC, the State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine, and others. The total volume of misappropriated grain is estimated at more than 4.136 million tonnes, worth over UAH 23 billion (about US$552 million). The stolen grain was transported to Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea, then exported by sea to Syria, Egypt, Turkiye, Lebanon and other countries and falsely declared to be goods of Russian origin. There was no military justification for such actions, which violate international humanitarian law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The notice of suspicion is for violation of the laws and customs of war, which carries a penalty of eight to twelve years' imprisonment. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) with operational support from SSU units. Background: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev was charged in absentia with organising the large-scale theft of grain from temporarily occupied oblasts of Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! German newspaper Die Welt's chief reporter Ibrahim Naber and his team came under a Russian Lancet drone attack while working in eastern Ukraine on Oct. 13, injuring him and two other crew members. Naber said in an Oct. 28 Instagram post that his team had just finished interviewing a Ukrainian soldier with an air defense unit around 25-30 kilometers from the front line when the Lancet struck killing the soldier he had just interviewed. Another soldier suffered a serious injury that led to a leg amputation, he added. The reporting team was a few meters away from the three-man air defense crew, who were on duty to down Russian long-range drones flying toward Ukrainian cities, according to Naber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They saved many lives before the attack hit them," Naber said. The Russian drone attack on Naber's team comes as it becomes increasingly dangerous for journalists to work near the front in Ukraine, with Russia expanding its "kill zone" with its extensive stocks of drones that can fly deeper into the rear areas. In October, two Russian drone attacks have killed three journalists working in eastern Donetsk Oblast. Read also: Russian troops outnumber Ukraine 8-1 in Pokrovsk sector, Zelensky says Ukrainian producer Ivan Zakharenko, who was working with Naber, received the most serious injury on the Die Welt team, with one of two pieces of shrapnel still lodged in his leg, according to Naber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an Instagram post, Zakharenko wrote that a shrapnel fragment lodged in Nabers ear, and camera operator Viktor Lysenko, who was filming the attack, received a concussion. A video of the attack was included in an Oct. 27 Die Welt report. Earlier on Oct. 23, Ukrainian journalist Olena Hramova and her cameraman, Yevhen Karmazin, working for Freedom TV, were killed by a Russian drone strike in Kramatorsk. At the beginning of the month, French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed and Ukrainian photographer Heorhii Ivanchenko was severely injured in an Oct. 3 drone strike while working with the 4th Mechanized Brigade in Donetsk Oblast. As of Oct. 9, Russia has killed at least 133 media workers in Ukraine, including those who had joined the military, and committed 848 crimes against journalists and media outlets, according to the Institute of Mass Information (IMI). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: French photojournalist killed, Ukrainian photographer injured in Russian drone strike Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia outnumbers Ukrainian troops eight-to-one in their offensive to capture the semi-surrounded city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Oct. 27. "(Russian troops) have devoted such forces to the Pokrovsk (sector) that Ukraine cannot devote to one direction (of the front) one to eight people," Zelensky told journalists in a briefing, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported. "Imagine how many Russian forces are there. But at the same time, they have not achieved the planned result." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After capturing Avdiivka, a long-time Ukrainian stronghold located over 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk, in February 2024, Russian troops have gradually advanced toward Pokrovsk, once a key Ukrainian logistics hub tucked away in a relatively safe part of Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops have surrounded Pokrovsk from three sides, leaving about a 15-kilometer (about nine miles) gap for the Ukrainian military to bring in troops and supplies, according to the Ukrainian open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState. All the bridges into Pokrovsk were blown up by the Russian military and the evacuation of the wounded is nearly an impossible task, Senior Leitenant Natalia Stoiko, the head of medical services in the 5th Heavy Mechanized Brigade deployed in the Pokrovsk sector, said at the "A Person in the Army" conference held in Kyiv in October. Stoiko said that the Ukrainian military lacks "everything," from engineering equipment to engineers themselves who could build temporary wooden bridges to allow evacuations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Western military experts who previously spoke to the Kyiv Independent said it would be crucial for Ukraine to withdraw timely when it stops tactically making sense for its troops to hold onto the city despite the crippled logistic routes. Despite lacking manpower, the Ukrainian military has repeatedly held onto cities that Russia was about to occupy, resulting in a chaotic last-minute withdrawal where the wounded were often left behind. Pasi Paroinen at the Finland-based open-source analytical organization Black Bird Group, said that his group believes that Ukraine should have withdrawn from Pokrovsk by around mid-Summer, especially after Russian forces approached towns such as Rodynske just north of the city. "The more time passes the more difficult will it will be for the Ukrainians to pull out," Paroinen told the Kyiv Independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: More than Tomahawks: What Ukraines soldiers say they actually need Paroinen assessed that it could be "weeks" till Russia occupies most of Pokrovsk, but the timeframe is difficult to predict because it depends on how long the Ukrainian military command would insist on holding onto it, and whether there would be Ukrainian counterattacks. "But in practical terms like the situation is that the Russians are really now pushing into Pokrovsk in force," Paroinen said, stressing that they are now starting to gain a like a substantial hold over the city. The weather factors likely have helped Russia to ramp up its advance in the Pokrovsk sector, according to the expert. He elaborated that the long heavy fogs days with suitable wind conditions that help provide coverage from drones have likely allowed Russian forces to use mechanized assaults and to push "more aggressively" into Pokrovsk with infantry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Russia's eventual capture of Pokrovsk would not significantly impact the situation in other sectors of the front, since the Ukrainian military has had to stop using the city as a key logistic hub in late 2024 due to Russian troops' proximity to the city, according to Paroinen. Russia would, however, gain an important crossroad city that connects Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the west to the Ukrainian strongholds in the northern parts of Donetsk Oblast. The Ukrainian military admitted on Oct. 26 that Russia has accumulated about 200 servicemen in Pokrovsk, infiltrating small infantry groups, reporting shooting and drone battles in the city. About 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Pokrovsk, Ukraine has been launching counterattacks to take back the swathes of territories Russia penetrated through in an August breach near the town of Dobropillia. The Ukrainian military said on Oct. 26 that it liberated the villages of Kucheriv Yar and Sukhetske over the past 10 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zelensky said at the same briefing with journalists on Oct. 27 that Ukrainian troops have captured 2,200 Russian soldiers over the six months in 2025 in the east, including in the Pokrovsk and Dobropillia sectors. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify his claim. Read also: Analysis: Ukraine learns hard lessons from Russias evolving tactics after clearing Dobropillia breakthrough Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian forces have broken through to the outskirts of the city of Myrnohrad on the Pokrovsk front in Donetsk Oblast, where heavy street fighting is ongoing. Source: Colonel Hryhorii Shapoval, spokesperson for Operational Strategic Group Skhid (East), during the national joint 24/7 newscast Quote: "At present, unfortunately, the enemy has entered the outskirts of Myrnohrad and is using not only artillery and unmanned systems but also infantry and technical assets. Our defence forces are trying to hold their positions and are constructing fortifications, but the situation is quite difficult." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Shapoval said that intense street fighting makes it difficult to use certain types of weapons. Read more: How Pokrovsk is imperceptibly falling: five observations by Ukrainska Pravda Background: On 26 October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the Russians had concentrated their main strike group against Pokrovsk, which represents a significant number of forces. Ukrainska Pravda has learnt that at least 250 Russian troops are in Pokrovsk they are engaging in firefights and killing Ukrainian soldiers, particularly drone operators, at their positions. Logistics into the city are fully controlled by Russian drones, forcing Ukrainian soldiers to walk 10-15 km to reach their positions. Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are at risk of being encircled. On 27 October, Zelenskyy reported that fighting is ongoing in the city of Pokrovsk. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The management of 1,600 residential buildings in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast, with a total area of almost 2.9 million sq m, has been transferred to the so-called Unified Management Company. Source: most.ks.ua, a news website covering events and developments in Kherson Oblast Details: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin told pro-Russian media outlets that Kherson Oblast has thus become "the first of the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation" to "complete the centralisation of housing management". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The occupation authorities on the left bank of Kherson Oblast set up an illegal Unified Regional Fund to manage high-rise buildings in July 2024," most.ks.ua noted. Meanwhile, people living in temporarily occupied Kakhovka have recently begun receiving utility bills from this "fund" for services they do not actually receive. Background: It was reported earlier that the Russian occupying authorities in Kherson Oblast claimed they had completed the construction of a government quarter near the town of Henichesk, although the buildings were erected before the full-scale invasion. Over 3,000 companies based in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast have been registered in the Russian business register since 24 February 2022. In September it was reported that employees of the Askania-Nova biosphere reserve in Kherson Oblast, which was illegally established by the Russian occupiers, had not been paid their salaries since July. It was also reported that the water situation is rapidly deteriorating in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast: groundwater levels have dropped, crop yields have sharply declined, and the Russian authorities are taking no action. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A fraternity at Rutgers University in New Jersey is under investigation and has been permanently shut down after a student was critically injured in an alleged hazing incident. The university issued a cease-and-desist on the Alpha Sigma Phi chapter, hours after the 19-year-old was found unresponsive last week in the basement of the fraternity's off-campus house. Rutgers officials said the fraternity admitted the student was shocked with electricity and then came into contact with water. Authorities discovered the injured student after responding to a disconnected 911 call. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Based on our investigation, hazing did occur and as a result, the fraternity made the decision to close the chapter," Gordy Heminger, a spokesperson for Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, Inc., said in a statement. "At some point, water became involved," Heminger added. "This was not students just listening to music in the dark, as was claimed by an anonymous parent. This was hazing. We are still trying to determine who and how many people were involved, but we believe it will be double digits when all the facts come out." After being shut down, the fraternity house in New Brunswick was also condemned following a history of building code violations. An inspection earlier this year found numerous electrical hazards on the property. The student, who was injured, is no longer in critical condition and is recovering. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heminger promised that "all members directly or indirectly involved will be permanently expelled" from the fraternity. "We hope Rutgers will do the same," he added. "New Jersey has very strong anti-hazing laws and I hope the prosecutor seeks the maximum penalties allowed for those involved." Rutgers Health and University Hospital have officially commenced construction of the initial phase of its campus redevelopment in Newark, New Jersey, US. This multi-year project aims to expand education, research, and healthcare services for both the local community and the wider New Jersey region. The ground-breaking ceremony comes after the demolition of administrative office buildings that were constructed in the 1970s for temporary use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first new building will feature four storeys of administrative offices, an outpatient clinical space for University Hospital, and an 875-space parking garage. Rutgers Health chancellor Brian Strom said: Today marks a major step in transforming health in Newark, for Newark and most importantly with Newark. "This is more than a construction project. It is a commitment to ensure that every person in Newark and across New Jersey has access to world-class care right here in their own community. As the construction of the administrative building moves forward, plans are on to initiate work on a new medical office building that will replace the current doctors office centre on 90 Bergen St. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following its completion, construction will begin on a new patient tower, accompanied by renovations to the existing hospital structure. This phased development strategy is designed to minimise disruptions to patient care, allowing services to continue in the current clinics until the new facilities are operational. Once the redevelopment project is completed, the transition of specialties into the larger, purpose-built spaces is expected to start in 2027. University Hospital interim president and CEO Kaitlan Baston said: From the very beginning, this project has represented a shared vision, one to modernise and expand our campus so that our facilities match the excellence and dedication of our people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This new facility will give our teams the tools, space and infrastructure they need to operate and serve our community more efficiently. It will strengthen the foundation that supports everything we do, from patient care and research to education and community engagement. "Rutgers Health and University Hospital begin Newark Campus redevelopment" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand. HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) The Salvation Army has launched an emergency food campaign at some western Kentucky locations in response to a rise in local food-assistance requests some three to five times higher than usual levels in recent weeks. With grocery and utility prices continuing to strain family budgets, were seeing many of our neighbors turning to us for the first time, said Captain Victor Haworth, Corps Officer of The Salvation Army of Owensboro. Our faith calls us to feed the hungry and serve those in need, and were confident our community will come together once again to make that possible. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 13.5 percent of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2023, and 17.9 percent of households with children were food insecure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Salvation Army says it provides various forms of food assistance throughout western Kentucky. Financial contributions allow the organization to replenish supplies and serve those in need. Cannelton business offering free Christmas shopping Officials say this is how to help The Salvation Army: Henderson: Donate here or send the donation to P.O. Box 835, Henderson, KY 42419 Madisonville: Donate here or send the donation to PO Box 489, Madisonville, KY 42431 Owensboro: Donate here or send the donation to PO Box 943, Owensboro, KY 42002 Here are the gift amounts and how they help: $50 feeds 3-5 families for a week $100 feeds 6-10 families $500 feeds 30-50 families $1,000 sustains food assistance services for several weeks $5,000 funds the food assistance program for a month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials say local residents who prefer to donate non-perishable food items may do so at 805 McCoy Avenue in Madisonville, from Monday to Friday, during the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Salvation Army has served this area for many years, and we know that our neighbors always come through for one another, said Captain Doug Monroe of The Salvation Army in Henderson. With your help, we can share both food and the hope of Christ with every person who walks through our doors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Samaritans Purse is hard at work gathering supplies to send to Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa slams into the island. Many American tourists were unable to evacuate with airports shut down due to the strong hurricane. The storm has caused several deaths in the Caribbean so far, and authorities are urging people to stay inside and hunker down until the storm passes. ALSO READ >> Samaritans Purse aids Colorado families affected by Hurricane Priscilla flooding Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Volunteers with the Boone-based nonprofit loaded a plane in Greensboro Tuesday afternoon with the hope of leaving as early as Wednesday morning. Channel 9s Dave Faherty joined employees and volunteers at their 200,000-square-foot North Wilkesboro warehouse where they were packing up supplies, including shelters and water filtration systems. Thirteen pallets were loaded onto the Boeing 757. On the airplane, I hope you get a shot of it, said James Vechery, with Samaritans Purse, told Faherty. It says Helping in Jesus Name. So, that when we show up, they know who we are there to represent, and the fact that we are bringing hope and help in the need of a crisis. Samaritans Purse says they are ready to send a field hospital, if necessary. The nonprofit says their plan includes sending an advance team on Wednesday. Some of those people are already in south Florida. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Samaritans Purse says the island nation could see as much as 40 inches of rainfall from the slow-moving catastrophic storm. One third of the country was without power Tuesday afternoon. Jill Teran and her family from Texas visited the Samaritans Purse warehouse and saw firsthand the efforts to help survivors. They are the hands and feet of Jesus, Teran said. And they are doing Gods work and being preemptive on getting ahead of it. The organization hopes to have its first plane, a 757, on the ground by Wednesday, with a second plane, a DC-8, ready to go as soon as it lands. VIDEO: Panthers legend gives surprise to family who lost everything in Hurricane Helene A beloved fixture of North Beach's Little Italy is saying goodbye. After five decades of serving homemade pastas, espresso and a taste of "La Dolce Vita," Mona Lisa Restaurant will close its doors Friday. Owners Filomena Azzolino Nevigato Florese and Maurizio Florese said the decision comes with mixed emotions. "It was time to support the next generation of the Florese family restaurateurs,'" they said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their sons, Salvatori and Osilio, operate two separate North Beach restaurants, Mona Lisa Mare e Monti and Steps of Rome. The family also owns the Old Clam House in the Bayview. The couple emphasized that their staff - some of whom have been with them for decades - will stay with the family. "Most important, all employees will be assimilated into the other family-owned restaurants," they said. Many of Mona Lisa's longtime workers began their American journey there, with some going on to open restaurants of their own across the country. "At Mona Lisa, our kitchen isn't just a place where dishes are prepared - it's a sanctuary of culinary artistry led by the skilled hands of our Italian chef," according to the restaurant's online site. "Our team is a tapestry of talent, united by a shared heritage and an unwavering dedication to preserving the essence of authentic Italian cuisine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born in Calabria, Maurizio said he dreamed of coming to America to share his grandmother's recipes and his love of genuine Italian cooking. That dream became reality in 1979, when he and Filomena - who immigrated to North Beach at age 10 - opened the restaurant together. Known for its lively decor, homemade dishes and the famous vintage Fiat booth with a view of the Transamerica Pyramid, Mona Lisa became a symbol of old-world hospitality in one of the city's most storied neighborhoods. "It's not easy to immigrate and assimilate," Filomena said in a statement. "But anything is possible in America if you are willing to put in the hard work, give back to the community and always look towards bettering the next generation." This article originally published at San Francisco loses North Beach landmark restaurant after 50 years. In San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, where espresso bars and old jazz clubs still echo the city's bohemian past, new rules could soon change what types of businesses call the storied area home - stirring both hopes of renewal and fears about losing what has long made it special. "It's a really unique ecosystem that allows there to be, on one block, a record store next to a flower shop, a candle shop, a souffle restaurant and a jewelry store," said local business owner Stuart Watts, who is also the president of the North Beach Business Association. "That's unheard of in most neighborhoods because it can become really expensive for micro businesses like that to operate." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent months, Watts joined the chorus of more than 50 small business owners who opposed legislation authored by the area's supervisor, Danny Sauter, that stands to set aside longstanding zoning restrictions meant to protect the diverse mix of small, locally-owned businesses in North Beach and several surrounding neighborhoods, in favor of more permissive regulations. However, not everyone agrees - neighborhood and business interest groups including the North Beach Neighbors, the Jackson Square Merchants Association, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce have shared their support for the legislation. The legislation, called "District 3 Thrives," would, among other things, expand the types of commercial uses allowed in North Beach and the neighboring Nob Hill and Jackson Square neighborhoods and permit the merging of small storefronts into larger storefronts. Patricia Lanao sells flowers to Arielle Christian on Columbus Avenue in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood in 2023. Some residents worry that a change in zoning could threaten small businesses. (Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle) On Monday, Watts and other opponents were dealt a blow: A City Hall committee advanced the controversial legislation to the city's Board of Supervisors, which is expected to hold a hearing on it Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who chairs the Land Use and Transportation Committee, perhaps said it best: "As San Franciscans, it's very rare that we all agree on something anytime." But in a city where recalling elected officials over land use decisions already has a precedent, crossing constituents means toeing a fine line. While a list of supporters on Monday welcomed Sauter targeting "archaic rules" that they said no longer make sense for the district, many others said that the effort left them feeling blindsided and alienated. "Our supervisor doesn't care," said District 3 resident Romalyn Schmaltz during Monday's hearing. "We know these changes will push a lot of us out in favor of larger, more corporate businesses, all while creating more vacancies. But he just stays the course." "My neighborhood's morale is extremely low," said another North Beach resident during the hearing, who gave his name as Apollo. "Here again is our new supervisor trying to fix something that isn't broken." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sauter said that his legislation will solve a problem that many commercial corridors throughout the city are experiencing: stubborn vacancies. Storefront mergers of up to 3,000 square feet would be permitted, allowing new businesses to enter North Beach, where such consolidations have long been banned. The legislation would also legalize new walk-up establishments and "flexible retail" - meaning a bookstore could now co-locate in the same space as a coffee shop. Businesses like Knitz & Leather, on Grant Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, are central to the area's character. (Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle) "District 3's reputation as the hardest district in San Francisco to start or run a small business is not something I think anyone should be proud of, and I believe our legislation will go a long way towards changing that," Sauter said. Sauter said he's also honored requests from constituents who are worried that his effort will open the door to well-funded businesses that have the ability to outbid mom-and-pop retailers, like medical offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Sauter amended his legislation to walk back a provision that would have allowed "health services" uses in ground floor spaces in North Beach. But the change did little to appease constituents who do not believe that streamlining is an appropriate approach for revitalizing historic neighborhoods like North Beach and Jackson Square, where restaurants and bars dominate and retailers are bucking citywide trends. "North Beach is not a struggling corridor. Our commercial vacancy rate is 6%, among the very lowest in the city," said Nick Ferris, who is the president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers association. "These policies that have created that stability are the very policies that this legislation would undo." A cable car heads down Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, in 2023 (Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle) According to Ferris, larger storefronts equal higher rents, which would make it difficult for a range of small businesses to compete. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "For nearly 40 years, storefronts have been capped at 2,000 square feet, with conditional use allowed up to 4,000 square feet - this has preserved small, independent businesses and prevented large format retail from dominating," Ferris said. The concern is that the legislation, coupled with a current effort by Mayor Daniel Lurie to upzone commercial corridors citywide and a stalled bid to declare much of the North Beach neighborhood as a historic district, would incentivize the replacement of the neighborhood's quaint commercial buildings with large box retailers. Opponents have also taken issue with a provision in Sauter's legislation that would remove restrictions on new restaurants in North Beach and Jackson Square, by allowing limited restaurants - such as cafes - to open in spaces that were previously occupied by non-restaurant businesses. "If any business was able to turn into a restaurant, that would cost more per square foot. And as soon as that kitchen is put in, a candle shop is not going to pay to take out that kitchen - it doesn't have the budget for that," said Watts, adding that of the eight vacancies that his organization is tracking in North Beach, five are abandoned restaurant spaces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watts said he is not opposed to more flexible zoning and incentives for new businesses to set up shop in the stretch of North Beach that he said is currently struggling with multiple vacant storefronts. The North Beach Business Association is pushing for an amendment to the legislation that maintains stricter restaurant density controls in the neighborhood's core, he said. But if the committee's vote on Monday is any indication, the future of North Beach may already be decided. Melgar described Sauter's legislation as a "modest proposal." Alejandra Prieto spends time with her 2 1/2 months old baby, Gonzalo, at Washington Square Park in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, in 2023. (Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle) "I think it is wise to look ahead and plan ahead into changes that are going on around us, and adapt and give a little bit more flexibility. I don't think these changes are all that earthshaking," Melgar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen acknowledged that preventing an "over saturation of specific kinds of establishments" is crucial in protecting a neighborhood's small business ecosystem. "I would like to see data that actually shows how the existing controls are working or not working, and I haven't seen much of the data that could really help justify the changes that are being proposed," she said, before voting to advance the legislation. Sauter agreed that the city "collectively" should do more to gather such data, and made a promise to the legislation's detractors: "They have my commitment to monitor concerns, like the balance of restaurants and retail, to explore the idea of an inner and outer North Beach Neighborhood Commercial District, and to explore ground floor use reforms," he said. Regardless of whether or not the legislation will win approval in its current form Tuesday, views on it are likely to remain divided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Why are we removing the protections now?" said Kathleen Courtney, of the Russian Hill Community Association. "What's the urgency?" This article originally published at S.F.'s North Beach divided over proposal that could shake up retail in the historic neighborhood. BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) A new sanctuary for first responders is ready to provide them relief from the stresses of the job. The Mahoning Valley First Responder Wellness Center is a safe space available for active and retired personnel who serve in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana Counties. Its run in partnership with area mental health professionals, and can be used for proactive wellness programming, or even for continuing education. The property in Boardman Township was donated by the Clarence R. Smith Family, who were dedicated supporters of first responders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oh, he would love it. He loved helping people, especially helping those who help us and keep us safe every night. He would be in hog heaven right now, said Rick Kamperman. One hundred and fifty-two area fire, police, EMS, and dispatch agencies will be served by the First Responder Wellness Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. As I write this, the Home Office has just confirmed that the suspect arrested for a triple stabbing in Uxbridge is a 22-year-old Afghan national who entered the UK illegally on a lorry. One man is dead, another has life-changing injuries, and a 14-year-old boy is wounded after a shocking and senseless act of violence. Of course, we must presume the accused is innocent until proven guilty and legal proceedings have taken their course. Rightly so. We can point out that Afghanistan is one of the high grant countries to whose citizens the Home Office has decided we are required to offer asylum regardless of any troubling behaviour. Because Afghanistan is deemed too unsafe to send people back. Sudan is another high grant country. We might usefully note that the Sudanese asylum seeker, Deng Chol Majek, who murdered asylum-hotel worker Rhiannon Whyte, stabbing her 23 times with a screwdriver, 11 times in the head, would have been granted the right to remain in the UK if hed had his asylum interview before he slaughtered that young mother so beloved of a little boy that he made an unbearably piteous sound when he heard of his mummys fate. Sudan, you see, is not safe for asylum seekers like Majek to return to. Instead, the Majeks get to make it unsafe here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Never mind, eh? A lot of Guardian-reading, middle-class civil servants in Whitehall get to burnish their anti-racist and human-rights credentials and if a few poor white people get murdered or raped, well, thats all part of life in a diverse, multicultural society. We have just seen a good illustration of exactly how much the authorities care about the danger they have unleashed on the British people. The Justice Secretary David Lammy was splitting his sides with laughter in the House of Commons on Monday during Robert Jenricks response to his statement on Hadush Kebatu, the Ethiopian asylum seeker and sex attacker, who was released from jail in a Carry-On-style fiasco. Kebatu entered our country illegally by small boat, was put up at great expense at the Bell Hotel in Epping, given almost 50 quid a week pocket money and then allowed to wander around the leafy Essex town, approaching schoolgirls and asking them if theyd like to come to Africa and make babies. Eight days after he arrived in the UK, Kebatu sexually assaulted one of those poor teenagers. I dont blame him; he may as well have been a time traveller in Dr Whos Tardis arriving on a much more advanced planet. I do blame a system so warped by hyper-liberal wishful thinking it has allowed 50,000 undocumented young males from backward countries to break into our liberal Western nation since the general election and instead of locking them in a detention centre has given them the freedom, if they choose, to stalk young white women regarded as little better than livestock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the mothers and grandmothers of Epping protested outside the Bell Hotel, they were called far-Right and fascists for implying that any of the hotels charming refugee residents could possibly have been involved in sexual assault. A menacing group from Stand Up to Racism jeered and spat at the group in pink T-shirts. The women were right, of course, although that didnt stop the preening, virtue-signalling mob calling them racist, the word the Left uses to shut down any conversation about immigration or the religion of multiculturalism. Foreigners are convicted of up to 23 per cent of sex crimes in England and Wales, according to data that was forced out of the Ministry of Justice earlier this year. Still, it is a badge of faith among the progressive classes that such inconvenient facts about race and culture must be swept under the carpet. The deliberate inversion of reality to appease the Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) commissars of the woke Left can sometimes be lethal. Last week, at the inquiry into the Southport massacre of three little Taylor Swift fans, Joanne Hodson, the former head teacher of Axel Rudakubana, recalled how her fears about the young killer were silenced. After a meeting with Rudakubana and his parents, Ms Hodson, who has years of experience supporting disturbed children at a special school, wrote that the boy was the most sinister pupil shed ever come across. Cold and calculating was her description. One unnamed mental health worker accused the head of racially profiling a black boy with a knife. Ms Hodson said that accusation shut her up and closed her down professionally. She agreed to remove those prophetic remarks from the teenagers education plan despite a visceral sense of dread that Rudakubana was building up to something. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three beautiful little girls might be alive today had some bien-pensant, censorious enforcer of Leftist pieties worried less about racism and more about the safety of British children. Does that unnamed mental health worker have sleepless nights, I wonder? Probably not. She or he belongs to that metastasising class of public sector apparatchiks who dispense Blairite bromides like complex safeguarding and multi-agency partnerships, meaningless phrases which have the useful effect of distancing them from responsibility and human suffering. Over the past couple of days, the Lefty witchfinders have once again been avoiding the herd of elephants in the room while fretting about racist language. This time they are demanding the head of Reform MP Sarah Pochin, who said that the disproportionate number of black and Asian actors in TV adverts drives me mad. Certainly, her choice of words (full of black people) could have been more tactful, but most people will have agreed with Ms Pochins broader point, which is that Brits are sick of TV adverts and dramas delivering a constant political lecture designed to nudge us into adopting modish social attitudes. Broadcasting is heavily skewed towards the metropolitan viewpoint and against the experience of the majority population who, strangely enough and in rude defiance of every supermarket Christmas ad, do not all live in a mixed-race household. Channel 4s Mirror on the Industry audit supported Ms Pochins point, finding that black individuals appeared in over 50 per cent of UK TV adverts in 2022, up from 37 per cent in 2020, despite representing only 4 per cent of England and Waless population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, why would that be? We can all celebrate the immense black and Asian talent on our screens while still finding it odd that almost every white female detective seems to have a non-white partner, most Muslims are saintly and well-integrated (see The Archers), and Anne Boleyn turns out to have been black, which, for some reason, wasnt mentioned in my A-level copy of England under the Tudors and Stuarts. It is utterly ridiculous to suggest Nigel Farage should strip Ms Pochin of the Reform whip. I know for a fact that she is a deeply compassionate, hands-on MP for Runcorn and Helsby; constituents in the north-west of England whose concerns she faithfully represents are 97 per cent white. Yet, if they object to being manipulated by unrepresentative, DEI-driven portrayals of ethnic minorities on TV they can, like their MP, expect to be called racist for having the temerity to say, Sorry, thats not the country we live in. Sir Keir Starmer, whose perceived anti-Britishness has seen Labour plummet in the opinion polls, rushed to join the ugly Pochin pile-on, saying she was guilty of shocking racism and its the sort of thing that will tear our country apart, and it tells you everything about Reform. This is the Prime Minister who fought tooth and nail to resist a national inquiry into the worst racially-aggravated crime in our history. And it tells you everything about Labour, I think, that they just elected in Lucy Powell a deputy leader who, not long ago, dismissed a mention of the Pakistani rape gangs as a dog whistle. What a despicable woman Powell is to seek to downplay the depravity inflicted on tens of thousands of young girls because its politically awkward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It fell to another survivor of the rape gangs, Ellie-Ann Reynolds, who was taking part in a Reform press conference, to reprimand the Leftists and journalists for obsessing over Ms Pochins perfectly legitimate observation at the expense of what really mattered. Its taken you media decades to recognise grooming gangs that are coming over and raping our children because theyre white. That is also racially motivated and it is racist, she said bitterly. Wow, you tell them Ellie-Ann! No one in authority has wanted to admit that the mainly-Pakistani abusers preyed on the vulnerable girls they gang-raped and trafficked because they were white, and they were allowed to get away with it because Labour councillors, social workers and police were convinced that being racist was the worst thing you could be. So the culturally sensitive thing to do (the morally inert thing) was ignore the industrial-scale abuse of working-class girls. A fear of being racist underpins so many of these evils. Well, it feels like the multicultural myth is unravelling at speed now. Diversity is not our strength. Starmers commissars can scream racist all they like; it no longer has an effect. We see the way they invert the truth, refusing to let an honourable headmistress flag up a mass-murderer-in-waiting because hes black. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trying to laugh off the peril posed by illegal migrants whose human right to asylum is said to trump the right of women and girls to live here in safety. How dare they. DEI is not dead, but it is dying. The public mood has shifted. We will take no more pious lectures from those who have brought shame, such indelible shame, on our country. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. As Hurricane Melissa barrels through Jamaica, a Sarasota County missionary flight team is already gearing up to deliver food, water and generators from Florida to the Caribbean island. Venice-based Agape Flights is preparing to deliver disaster relief supplies, including food, water and generators to Jamaica later this week. The organization says it anticipates sending a crew on Thursday, Oct. 30, weather permitting, to assess the island's greatest needs. Historic, life-threatening flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of Jamaica, southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the weekend, the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. Peak storm surge heights could reach 9 to 13 feet above normal tide levels when the storm makes landfall, accompanied by large and powerfully destructive waves. When does the Venice-based flight crew plan to visit Jamaica? Agape has already gathered 100 generators and is coordinating logistics with six partner aid organizations providing food and other essentials. About 40 tons of food are staged in Miami, ready to be shipped out on their first flight. Sea Hope, based in Puerto Rico, and Mercy Chefs will also assist with food relief efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were tentatively planning to fly out Thursday to scope out whats needed most, said Jaques May, Agapes director of communications. Where theres a need, were gonna be. The project is expected to last several weeks. While Jamaica is the groups main focus, Agape may also provide aid to Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas, which are expected to experience residual impacts from Hurricane Melissa. Agape officials said they are closely monitoring conditions, especially around Kingston Airport, which sits on the harbor and could face flooding. Flights will depart from Venice Municipal Airport once the all-clear is given. May said flights to Cuba remain complicated because Agapes entry license has lapsed. Their renewal application is still pending due to the recent government shutdown, but a partner carrier, IBC Airways in Miami, is licensed to deliver those shipments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For over 40 years, Agape Flights has provided humanitarian aid to missionaries throughout the Caribbean and the Bahamas, responding to crises such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The group typically flies 67 volunteer pilots and two staff pilots, and has completed hundreds of relief missions over the years. Agape staff say theyre standing by as Melissa threatens to bring devastating floods to the region. Those wishing to support their relief efforts can make a donation through Agape Flights website. Residents can also help by donating to the U.S. Caribbean Strong Relief Fund, managed by The Miami Foundation. Other options for donating include the South Florida-based Global Empowerment Mission and Food for the Poor, as well as American Friends of Jamaica, which is based in New York. Melissa Perez-Carrillo covers breaking news and public safety for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Reach out at mperezcarrillo@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota flight crew preps aid mission to Jamaica as storm hits island Empty shelves in the warehouse of Harvest Hope Food Bank pictured Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. This time of year the warehouse would typically be filled to the ceiling. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA The states emergency relief fund is accepting donations to help stock food banks ahead of the impending halt of federal grocery assistance amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. Benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps, will stop Nov. 1. More than 556,000 low-income people in South Carolina rely on the aid, uploaded to debit cards, to help them pay for groceries each month, according to the Department of Social Services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If theres any money remaining on SNAP debit cards from previous monthly allotments, the credit wont disappear. People can continue to spend any unused money from October or earlier, according to DSS. But no money will show up for November unless Congress approves some sort of spending. How to donate Go to yourfoundation.org Send checks to Central Carolina Community Foundation with a memo reading, One SC Fund: Food Corporate or foundation gifts should email mimi@yourfoundation.org Source: One SC Fund Those who cant afford groceries are turning to food banks, which are already struggling to keep up with the increased demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November and December are already busy months because of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the heads of two large food banks said Tuesday. Add to that the loss of SNAP and federal workers who are going without pay, and the food banks are hitting a crisis point, said the leaders of Harvest Hope in the Midlands and Lowcountry Food Bank along the coast. Donations to the One SC Fund, a statewide philanthropic effort activated in response to disasters, will buy food to help pantries keep their shelves stocked. The State Guard, a volunteer corps, will help volunteers unload truckloads of food, stock shelves and work with law enforcement to make sure everyone stays safe and orderly, said Leon Lott, the guards commander and the Richland County sheriff. Officials acknowledged Tuesday that activating the fund and the State Guard will likely not be enough to feed everyone who uses SNAP. Without the federal money, the fund was the states best option to help, Gov. Henry McMaster said during a Tuesday news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are very few mechanisms that we have other than the agencies that are already in place, but we have no agency that gives out food, McMaster said. That is what the SNAP program is there for. Around 70% of SNAP recipients are children or elderly, said DSS Director Tony Catone. No state-level program can fill the gap the program leaves, he said. There is nothing that substitutes for SNAP, Catone said. Every time One SC Fund is activated, it starts with nothing in the bank, said Georgia Mjartan, president of Central Carolina Community Foundation, which runs the effort. The statewide fund raised a record $6 million in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene. Thats a small portion of the $104 million SNAP pays to South Carolinians each month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Major companies that donated following Helene may be stretched too thin to help out, making individual donations even more important, Mjartan said. Find a food bank South Carolina has four regional food pantries that cover the state: To find a local food bank of the 900 options across the state, visit the Department of Environmental Services Food Access Map. Source: Department of Social Services The fund will not be an immediate fix. Food banks often require about two weeks to make and receive food orders. Bringing food directly to community members in need or churches that hand out free meals can help get food to people who need it, Mjartan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The One SC Fund is simply a way of coordinating that effort at a state level, she said. Food banks overrun On Monday, a line of hungry families started around 6 a.m. at the Harvest Hope food pantry in Columbia. But eight hours later, the pantry shelves on Shop Road were completely empty, and people were turned away, CEO Erinn Rowe told the SC Daily Gazette. When its gone, its gone, Rowe said of the food. Typically, the food bank serves between 150 and 175 families from its emergency food pantry, which is open daily. That number has grown to around 250 families per day over the past two weeks because of the federal shutdown, Rowe said. Workers in the warehouse of Harvest Hope Food Bank pictured Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) The growing number of families needing food is not sustainable for the food bank, which typically feeds 687,000 people from 20 counties each year, Rowe said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, 266,350 households received food aid through SNAP. The region served by Harvest Hope, the states largest food bank, includes counties with some of the highest need. In Richland County alone, more than 23,000 families received grocery aid through SNAP in September. Thats the most of any county statewide. Harvest Hope doesnt have the capacity to provide additional help to everyone receiving SNAP, Rowe said. Theres no way we can logistically cover SNAP, Rowe said. Weve never been able to fully meet the need. There are still hungry people, and now its going to be 100 times worse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont think people fully understand the impact this is going to have, Rowe added. Its going to cause a health crisis. Harvest Hope, which typically relies on donations and overstock from local grocery stores, has ordered several extra tractor trailers full of food to replenish its now-sparse shelves, Rowe said. She expects those shipments to be gone as soon as they arrive, she added. Nick Osborne, president of Lowcountry Food Bank, echoed Rowes concerns. For every single meal a food bank provides, SNAP benefits cover nine meals, he said. With robust support, food banks can provide only a fraction of the nutritional assistance that feeding programs like SNAP provide, Osborne said Tuesday. Other options Without any promise of Congress stepping in to fund SNAP before the end of the week, South Carolina is among states evaluating their options to keep people from going hungry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Getting state money to the people who typically use federal funds is not a simple fix, said Catone, the DSS director. Although South Carolina has a surplus of tax collections, as well as reserves, it could potentially use to help fill in the gaps, the federal government would not reimburse the state for anything spent on SNAP, according to a Friday memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That could put the state out about $104 million, according to DSS. Any sort of decision on funding must come from legislators, who are not scheduled to return to the Statehouse until January. Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, sent McMaster a letter Monday asking him to call legislators back to the Statehouse to come up with a solution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres something that certainly we can do to figure out how to ensure that people dont go hungry, Tedder told the Gazette. usda-memo-102425 McMaster said its up to legislators to decide whether they will come back and have that debate. Even if legislators decided to come back early, any decisions they made would not offer an immediate fix, McMaster said. That is a long, tedious process that may produce nothing, McMaster said. Other states have questioned whether state agencies can even load money onto SNAP debit cards without the help of the federal government. DSS, which administers the program for the state, does not touch SNAP funds, which go straight from the federal governments coffers to cards distributed by a third-party vendor, Catone said. The USDA instructed states not to send any information about SNAP to those vendors for the month of November, which made officials question whether that applied to state funding as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some states, including Alaska and New Mexico, have determined that directive meant no state money could go toward supplementing SNAP funds. Rep. Hamilton Grant, D-Columbia, called on McMaster in a separate Monday letter to declare a state of emergency. Grant wanted to see the state Department of Agriculture send more money to food banks and deploy the National Guard at the states expense to distribute food in communities and allow state agencies to work with nonprofits to distribute food, according to the letter. This is a disaster, Grant told the Gazette. We are in an emergency. A state of emergency would not solve the monetary issue food banks are facing, McMaster said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Activating the One SC Fund and the State Guard will give food banks what they need most: money and manpower, he said. We have a great network, but what we must have is volunteers and money, McMaster said. We must have those two things in order to help out. But Im confident that we can do it. State Superintendent Ellen Weaver presents a check to the teachers of Seven Oaks Elementary Global Magnet in Columbia, S.C., on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA State Superintendent Ellen Weaver will ask the Legislature for another $5 million to expand eligibility for performance-based bonuses after 400 teachers received a pay boost for the programs inaugural year, she said Monday. The state Department of Education doled out just half of what legislators approved last year for the pilot program: At least one teacher at each of the 37 participating schools received some amount, totaling $2.5 million in bonuses, according to agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state-paid bonuses averaged $6,300. The highest award was $33,500. The other $2.5 million will roll over into this school year, said department spokesman Jason Raven. That will give the agency $7.5 million total to award for year two of the pilot. More schools will be participating this school year, though its unclear how many. The agency has not yet released specifics. Its also unclear why half of last years allotment went unspent. Weaver did not address that at a news conference Monday celebrating the awards. The bonus program is meant to reward the states best teachers and encourage student progress, Weaver said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The goal of this is to thank our teachers, to support them for the great work that they do, and then to keep them in the classroom, she said. We want our very best teachers in the areas where we need them most. Different models The program expands on a public-private model started at Meeting Street Schools in Charleston County in 2021. The Excellence in Teaching Awards are run by Beemok Education, a nonprofit funded by philanthropist Ben Navarro. That model compares students performance on tests at the beginning and end of the school year to judge their progress. Schools in the state pilot had the option of having their bonus program overseen by Beemok (but funded by the state). Eleven of the 37 participating schools went with Beemok. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of the 400 teachers receiving a state-funded bonus, 94 were part of Beemoks announcement earlier this month. Their bonuses averaged $9,135, according to the Department of Education. Roughly half of the 37 schools based bonuses on students performance on end-of-year state-standardized math and reading tests taken by students in third through eighth grades. The average bonus for those teachers was $8,728, according to the agency. Six schools created their own model to measure academic growth, which included using scores on end-of-course tests taken by high schoolers. Bonuses in those schools averaged $3,315. In all, more than 800 teachers statewide received a combined $6 million in bonuses, according to numbers provided by Beemok Education and the Department of Education. Jennifer Clyburn, a first grade teacher, talks to fourth- and fifth graders about a teacher bonus program at Seven Oaks Global Magnet in Columbia, S.C., on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette) Funding request Weaver is seeking an additional $5 million for bonuses to award for the 2026-27 school year. That would give her agency three years of data to help craft a potential statewide expansion, Weaver said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shes long been a proponent of rewarding teachers for proven performance. Her first budget request in 2023 included a $25 million ask for a bonus program, which the Legislature didnt fund. Weaver also plans to continue pushing for higher salaries for all teachers, she said. Since the 2020 pandemic, the state-required minimum salary for a first-year teacher has risen from $35,000 to $48,500. Repeating a request from last year, Weaver is again asking legislators to raise the floor to $50,000. The bonuses are meant to supplement state minimums in the so-called salary schedule, which pays teachers based on their years in the classroom and level of college degree, Weaver said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rewarding teachers for students documented progress is a really important way for us to incentivize our very strongest teachers into our classrooms where we need them the most, Weaver said. Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, said he would be open to seeing some sort of boost for excellent teachers, but he worried about whether a statewide model could be fair to all teachers, including those whose classes didnt include testing. He suggested teacher evaluations as a more equitable way of distributing bonuses, though even those would need a standardized process first, he told the SC Daily Gazette previously. Highest performer At Seven Oaks Elementary Global Magnet in Columbia, 20 teachers 86% of those eligible earned awards. Thats the highest proportion of any school participating in the state-funded pilot, according to the Department of Education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those teachers earned a total of $141,500, which Weaver presented to the schools principal in the form of a giant check Monday. Second grade students work on math equations at Seven Oaks Global Magnet in Columbia, S.C., on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette) Seven Oaks, part of Lexington-Richland School District Five, exemplifies the programs goals, Weaver said. A school where more than 85% of its students live in poverty showed more growth than any other, she said. That shows the dedication of students and staff alike, said Principal Angie Slatton. I often say that these children and staff are easy to work hard for, she said. They inspire us every single day and truly deserve to be celebrated. While Seven Oaks is a magnet school a public form of school choice there are no academic requirements for attending. Students outside the normal attendance zone are selected by lottery. The students and staff represent more than 25 nationalities, according to the schools website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jennifer Clyburn, an award winner who teaches first grade, works to tailor her lessons to the specific students in her classes each year instead of sticking to a set lesson plan year after year, she said. She focuses on how her students mistakes can help them learn and encourages them to remember there are no bad questions, she said. Clyburn didnt say how big of a bonus she received. Every lesson, every activity and every experience is designed as a team to close that learning gap that we see, and we help each child move forward step by step, however big or small that is, Clyburn said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE On paper, Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and former marine, was exactly the sort of straight-talking progressive the Democrats needed. But his campaign to represent Maine in the Senate was knocked off course when his concerning social media history came to light and it emerged he once had a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. At a time when the Democrats are fighting for relevance, each public misstep provides rocket fuel for their opponents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In California, the Democratic frontrunner to replace Gavin Newsom, the governor, suffered a major fall from grace after a series of bad-tempered interactions with interviewers and her own staff came to light. In Virginia, the Democrat campaigning to be elected governor next week, has tied herself in knots by failing to condemn death threats made against Republicans. Anybody who enters into the public sphere should look and see what information is out there on them, said Larry Ceisler, a Democratic strategist. To let that stuff stay is either arrogance, sloppiness or laziness. On Thursday, Mr Platner shared a video showing he had had the tattoo, a skull and crossbones, covered and claimed he was not aware until recently that the style of his tattoo resembled the insignia of an elite division of the SS, known as Totenkopf, or deaths head. Graham Platner has had his skull and crossbones tattoo covered - @grahamformaine/Instagram But far from taking responsibility, the Bernie Sanders-backed candidate blamed the furore on the establishment, which he claimed is trying to throw everything it can at me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joel Rubin, a Democratic strategist, told The Telegraph that Mr Platners explanation was a swing and a miss, and does nothing to assuage Jewish voters concerns. Mr Platner was already fighting for political survival after a slew of racist and homophobic posts on his social media were dug-up. In since-deleted comments on Reddit, he referred to white people as stupid, said black people dont tip, dismissed military sexual assaults, and used homophobic slurs. Mr Platner apologised for the comments, saying they were made after he left the army in 2012 when he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Mr Platner apologised for making racist and homophobic comments - Caleb Jones/AP Despite the controversy, he resisted calls to drop out of the race and will face-off against Governor Janet Mills in the Democratic primary in June. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in a seat that has been held by Senator Susan Collins for nearly two decades, the skeletons tumbling out of Mr Platners closet will do nothing to help the partys chances of unseating the veteran Republican. Weve got to put up candidates that dont have tremendous baggage, said Mr Ceisler. In the race to win the Democratic nomination for California governor, frontrunner Katie Porter has also made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In the deep blue state, the former representative looked all but certain to succeed Mr Newsom, but after a series of on-camera meltdowns emerged, her campaign is in free-fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, she stormed out of a CBS interview after being asked how she would win over Trump supporters. Credit: CBS News Days later, Politico uncovered a 2021 video of her berating an aide for accidentally stepping into the camera shot while she was on a webinar. Stay out of my f---ing shot, she barked, causing the aide to scamper away. Ms Porter said she was trying to be more intentional in showing gratitude to my staff for their important work, in a statement to Politico. But her various infractions have spectators asking: in the wealthiest blue state in the country, is this the best the Democrats can do? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steve Hitlon, the Republican candidate and former Downing Street adviser, pounced on the opportunity, saying she represents the smug, arrogant ruling elite of the California Democrats. In Virginia, Abigail Spanbergers run for governor has been sullied by her failure to denounce Jay Jones, a fellow Democrat, who spoke about murdering Republicans in leaked texts. In his 2022 messages, reported by National Review, Mr Jones suggested Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert should get two bullets to the head, called his children fascists and said he would urinate on the graves of some state GOP delegates. He has since apologised for the texts, saying: Im ashamed, Im embarrassed and Im sorry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Donald Trump, condemned the Democrat as an animal who wanted to kill his opponent. The Republican campaign made hay with the fact that Ms Spanberger still fully endorses him. Abigail Spanberger is running to be the next Virginia governor - Carlos Bernate/Bloomberg Part of the Democrats problem, Mr Ceisler argued, is that they are divided over how to counter the street-fighter tactics pioneered by Mr Trump. The feeling is, if our opponents are going to lie and cheat and play in the gutter, then we have to meet them where they are that the ends justify the means, Mr Ceisler said. They also remain vulnerable to attacks about appearing flimsy on hot button issues such as transgender rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A recent attack ad launched by a conservative political action group urges Ms Spanberger to clarify her position on transgender policies, claiming she is as extreme as it gets. Aside from scandal, age is another factor marring the party. Nancy Pelosi, the 85-year-old former House speaker, has not yet made a decision about whether to retire. Nancy Pelosi has served as an elected politician since 1987 - Kin Cheung/AP Reacting furiously to her support of anti-Trump No Kings protests last week, Republican commenters claimed she is the closest thing we have to a modern-day monarch, having served as an elected politician since 1987. Ms Pelosi was approached for comment. The growing gerontocracy is a subject of intense debate within the party, with David Hogg, the former Democratic National Committee vice-president, going against the party this month to back Donavan McKinney, 33, in a Michigan House primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Hogg railed against Shri Thanedar, 70, calling the incumbent exactly the kind of out-of-touch, ineffective, and out-for-himself incumbent we want to kick out of office. This is our first incumbent challenge; it wont be our last, he told The Washington Post. Theres a jam up thats been created by people [in Congress] who wont leave, said Mr Ceisler. I think at a certain point you have to let younger people take over. David Hogg is keen for the Democrats to connect with young people - DOMINIC GWINN/AFP At the heart of the Democrats struggle is a furious debate over whether the midterm elections will be won by tacking to the Left or cleaving to the centre. Zohran Mamdanis runaway victory in the New York Democratic primary has prompted giddy speculation among the partys most Left-leaning members that the country is crying out for more progressive candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But strategists warn this approach is doomed to failure. For the activist base of the party, the existential question is whats more important: picking the candidate you love or winning the seat, said Mr Rubin. The white whale were hunting is how to win back the white working class voters and the economic and social issues voters who left our coalition at the last election. What Im worried about is not learning the lessons from 2024. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The Cumberland County Board of Education called a special-called meeting for Monday, Oct. 27, following the board retreat to vote on Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement accountability. According to the Tennessee Department of Education, every school district is required to submit an accountability report to the TDOE by Nov. 1 every year, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 49-3-112. The TISA accountability must be approved by the school board and put for public comment for 30 days prior to submission to the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To view the complete agenda with attachments, visit https://meeting.boeconnect.net/Public/Agenda/536?meeting=715630. To share a public comment at the full board meeting, there will be a sign up sheet made available. Comments are limited to three minutes. All public comments must adhere to board policy 1.404. The Cumberland County Board of Education will meet Oct. 27 at 4 p.m. in the Community Complex at 1398 Livingston Rd. in Crossville. This is a developing story. Visit www.crossville-chronicle.com and see an upcoming issue of the Chronicle for more information. SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A local school district is impacted by the Pennsylvania state budget impasse. The budget is now 119 days overdue, and the district is still forced to operate without funding. Mondays meeting at the West Scranton Intermediate School covered the financial future of the school district as more time passes with no end in sight to the budget impasse. We are victims in this situation, Scranton School District Superintendent Doctor Erin Keating told 28/22 News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Scranton School District is one of many school systems in Pennsylvania that are affected by the overdue state budget. Without federal funding, the district has already had to cut back on what they offer. Weve had to curtail programming like before and after-school tutoring, some other events that would take place for kids after school, field trips. For teachers, weve had to stop professional development that has a cost associated with it because we just dont have the money right now to be able to do that, Dr. Keating explained. Along with having to cut back on opportunities for students and teachers, there is a strain when it comes to balancing the remainder of the districts budget as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigation ongoing after fatal Edwardsville shooting I put out a memo to all of my administrations, both building-level and center office, that they are operating under the idea that they have zero dollars in all of their accounts. Nothing is approved, nothing can be purchased, nothing can be done, Dr. Keating continued. The frustration over the budget was shared among other people at the meeting as well. We cannot sit and think about sending letters, or calling, or texting. We cannot do that! Scranton Federation of Teachers President Emeritus Rosemary Boland exclaimed Since the district is on a calendar-year budget, their focus right now is making it to December 31. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our goal is to get to January 2, where we can close on a tax revenue anticipation note to fund the next, basically, three months of operations for us, Scranton School District Assistant to the Superintendent Pat Laffey stated. Without a state budget, the situation could only get worse. We have to borrow money to keep our doors open and pay our basic overhead. Thats what we have to do, and then we have to pay interest on the money we have to borrow because weve been put in this position, Dr. Keating added. Mondays work session ended on a determined note as board members will keep seeking the money the district is owed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to 28/22 News. Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG Administrators across Pennsylvania say theyre cutting after-school programs, freezing hiring, and taking on costly loans as the state fails to make significant payments thanks to the nearly four-month-late budget. This is the case in districts big and small, rural and urban, and everything in between. The impact is being felt especially hard in districts that serve poorer areas, which have less robust tax bases and tend to get a bigger percentage of their budgets from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This impasse is kinder and gentler in communities that arent like mine, in communities where they have a significant fund balance because theyre capable of raising taxes, local taxes, every year, said Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Amy Arcurio. The district is in Cambria County and primarily serves the struggling former steel city for which it is named. It was a plaintiff in a landmark lawsuit that argued the states education funding system was so inequitable that it violated the Pennsylvania Constitution. In 2023, Commonwealth Court agreed and ordered lawmakers to fix it. Lawmakers have since devised a formula that routes extra funds to schools identified as under-investing in students, like Johnstown. This money, along with billions in regular K-12 education payments, is being held up by the impasse. Thats doing real damage in Johnstown. In its latest budget, the district got only $12.6 million of its $45.6 million revenue from local taxes; $25.9 million came from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnstown isnt alone. During a virtual news conference with superintendents and advocates for public education in late October, Sherri Smith of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators warned lawmakers that schools are nearing a tipping point. Heading into November, she said, more and more districts will not [be] in a place where all programs can continue. Officials from at least six districts at the event reported freezing new hires, pausing planned capital improvement projects, and delaying payments to charter schools. And three superintendents from other districts who spoke with Spotlight PA said theyve either already cut programming for students or are planning to take out loans to make it through the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not the first time state lawmakers have missed the June 30 deadline Pennsylvanias budget has been late every year since Gov. Josh Shapiro took office but this year marks the longest impasse during Shapiros tenure. Recent impasses have been resolved by the fall, allowing schools to obtain state funding by the time students return. However, this years stalemate has stretched two months into the school year, forcing an increasing number of districts to make difficult funding decisions. We have to be so fiscally conservative Without state funding, all school districts have roughly the same set of unappealing options. Those with robust reserves can spend them down those without can pursue loans, cut programming, or furlough staff. At Scranton School District, administrators already cut after-school and before-school tutoring for students and professional development classes for teachers at the start of the school year, and they are not authorizing overtime. This, they told Spotlight PA, will ensure the district can keep paying its teachers and keep the lights on through the end of the calendar year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scranton is a relatively large urban school district that serves a poor community more than 80% of its students are considered economically disadvantaged. It benefited from the legislatures additional dollars for chronically underfunded schools last year, receiving $8.4 million in supplemental dollars the sixth-largest allotment in the state. Erin Keating, the districts superintendent, told Spotlight PA that she wants to preserve as much of the core school day as possible, but that means cutting down auxiliary spending. She told every administrator to assume they have $0 in every budget. We have to be so fiscally conservative right now to ensure that we can make it through payroll and benefits for the end of this year, Keating said. The impact has already been significant, Keating said particularly when it comes to the districts decision not to authorize overtime payments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Already, it has meant stopping meetings of a faculty council that reviews curriculum initiatives and strategies. Keating said the district plans to take out a loan as soon as possible in the new year. Public entities like school districts have the ability to take out a specific kind of loan, called a tax revenue anticipation note, that is paid back with future tax revenue. They typically are paid back within a year. The district operates on a calendar-year budget rather than a fiscal-year budget, meaning its annual budget plan spans from January to December rather than June to July. As state law requires districts to have balanced budgets, any loans taken out at the start of the school year would have to be paid back by December. In the meantime, Keating is walking a tightrope relying on remaining revenue and hoping that no unexpected expenses arise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the October news conference, other districts said they have taken similar steps. Norristown Area School District, which serves a relatively large, diverse Montgomery County area in the Philadelphia suburbs, has been forced to pause hiring and delay purchasing instructional materials, Superintendent Christopher Dormer said. Franklin Area School District, a small rural district in Venango County, in northwest Pennsylvania, is scaling back or suspending critical programs, according to Sabrina Backer, who heads the districts board. That includes after-school enrichment, behavioral health partnerships, early childhood education, and critical infrastructure investments, she said. Schuylkill Haven Area School District in the Coal Region is now in a discretionary spending freeze, said Superintendent Shawn Fitzpatrick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every nonessential line item professional development, certain maintenance projects, non-emergency purchases all have been paused, Fitzpatrick said at the news conference. Repairs that should have been addressed months ago remain unfinished, and weve delayed replacing some teachers lost to other school districts to preserve what funds we have. Even districts that have so far been able to maintain their programming are bracing for hard decisions if the impasse continues into 2026. The rural Keystone Central School District, which stretches across Clinton, Centre, and Potter Counties, will be able to make it through the rest of this calendar year mostly unscathed, thanks to its relatively robust local tax revenue, Superintendent Frank Redmon said. Roughly half of the districts $92 million budget comes from local taxes, while the other half comes from the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Redmon says starting in the new year, the district will need to either spend down its reserves or take out a loan. The choice between the two, Redmon says, comes down to the numbers. If the district takes out a loan, it will have to reallocate funds from other budget line items to repay that money with interest. Spending down the districts reserve cash would avoid that extra cost, but it would also reduce the amount of money available to earn interest. The big question, Redmon said, is: Would we pay more in interest [on the loan] than were earning in interest with our investments? Still, not even a new infusion of cash may keep the district from cutting programs, such as professional development, purchases of school supplies or materials, and field trips, for the rest of the school year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats also the situation that Amy Arcurio, the Johnstown superintendent, has found herself in. Earlier this month, after legislative representatives indicated to district officials that the impasse could last into 2026, Johnstown took out a $10 million loan. That loan, she said, will be enough to cover payroll and benefits and keep the lights on in schools through the end of the school year, but the district is still implementing additional cost-saving measures like a hiring freeze, canceling after-school tutoring programs, and scrapping trips for students to tour colleges and universities. The loan isnt going to be cheap. The interest that the district will have to pay is going to cut into other programs. Social workers, therapists, and mental health professionals will likely be the first programs that would have to go, according to Arcurio. Its a problem. But an even bigger problem, Arcurio said, is that she has no confidence this impasse is a one-off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am really fearful for what next year is going to be like, she said. Is this setting up the stage for the new norm for public education that we are just waiting with bated breath day after day, month after month? BEFORE YOU GO If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Interview: China strongly contributes to APEC, says secretariat executive director Xinhua) 08:20, October 28, 2025 SINGAPORE, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- China has been a very committed member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) over the years, said Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat. China has very strongly contributed to the APEC, Pedrosa told Xinhua in a recent interview before the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in South Korea, expressing anticipation for China's participation in this year's meeting. During China's hosting in 2014, the forum undertook "a deep dive into the idea of a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific" with the release of a roadmap, Pedrosa said. "We continue to look at that as a reference document for our work moving ahead." "We also have this blueprint for connectivity," he said, referring to the APEC Connectivity Blueprint 2015-2025 released in Beijing. "How do we all connect with each other? The physical infrastructure, people-to-people infrastructure, and institutional connectivity. These are major contributions that China made the last time it hosted." He described the current era as one of multifaceted transitions. The Asia-Pacific region faces structural challenges, including climate change, natural disasters, the need for renewable energy, and demographic shifts. On top of these long-term transitions, Pedrosa said new vulnerabilities have been exposed in recent years, particularly in global supply chains. "The emphasis is on how we make them more resilient," he said. Pedrosa noted that one key focus for this year's meeting is how supply chains can be strengthened, including through the use of technology such as artificial intelligence (AI). "Where the different parts of the supply chains are, and where the parts of each good come from ... that's something we actually don't know ... Using artificial intelligence, it's much easier for us to have that transparency and understand where we need to build resilience," Pedrosa said. Established in 1989, APEC now has 21 member economies. "One of APEC's key strengths is its member-driven," Pedrosa said, emphasizing that the forum respects each member's self-interest while building a common agenda. "It's like a marketplace for ideas." Through this process, he added, economies gain insight into why others adopt specific policies and how they might respond. "We live in very uncertain times," Pedrosa said. "But the uncertainty can be addressed through dialogue and increasing understanding." He described the organization as a form of soft institutionalism with non-binding characteristics that allow members to discuss complex issues collaboratively. Demographic shifts, especially aging populations, are another area of focus. "Each economy has different structures, different social security systems. But there's a lot that we can learn from each other," Pedrosa said. "We talked about the volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity in the world. Institutions like APEC play a really instrumental role in trying to navigate a path through this period. That really does come from the sharing of information and of priorities," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Armenia is ready to provide a highway through its territory for the passage of trucks from Turkiye to Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan said in parliament the day before. "From now on, we are ready to ensure the passage of trucks from Turkiye to Azerbaijan and in the opposite direction through the territory of Armenia. The passage can be ensured along the Margara-Yeghnadzor-Sisian-Goris route," the Armenian Prime Minister said. These decisions were Yerevan's response to Azerbaijan's lifting of restrictions on the transportation of goods for Armenia through its territory. President Ilham Aliyev announced this decision in Kazakhstan. It is no coincidence that Kazakh grain will be the first cargo for Armenia to pass through Azerbaijani roads for the first time in thirty years. Azerbaijan has always been the most convenient and profitable transit country for Armenia. Therefore, when the roads were closed due to Armenian aggression, the country found itself in a very difficult situation. When announcing Yerevan's retaliatory move, Pashinyan described it as a "historic event marking the first step towards overcoming the RA blockade." The enthusiasm of the Armenian Prime Minister cannot be ignored, but Pashinyan should choose his words carefully. The term "blockade" is inappropriate in this context. Armenia was not under a blockade; it was in isolation due to its aggressive policies and unwillingness to make amends. Of the four borders, only two were closed. These closures were due to objective reasons stemming from Yerevan's actions. Armenia had access through Iran and Georgia. No one was stopping her from trading and exchanging with the outside world. On the other hand, it was Azerbaijan and Turkey that Armenia needed to effectively and profitably integrate into the Eurasian space. Neither Iran nor Georgia could provide this. So the word "blockade" is completely inappropriate here, and it even diminishes the significance of what the Armenian Prime Minister said, creating a certain background. In general, Pashinyan's government needs to get rid of the cliches of traditional propaganda. These cliches were aimed at creating an image of a victim, while Armenia is not a victim in the processes that have taken place in the South Caucasus over the past thirty-five years. Armenia has been the cause of all these troubles, including those of its own people. Although we seem to have become friends, we should not assume that the conflict and the Armenian occupation will be forgotten or archived for the sake of good relations with our neighbor. It is also unrealistic to think that Azerbaijan will agree to replace the Zangezur project with alternative options that Yerevan has already proposed. The main thing that Azerbaijan needs from Armenia is the opening of the road through Meghri. More specifically, its restoration. We are pleased to hear from Nikol Pashinyan that active work is currently being carried out with the United States to implement the TRIPP project. The Armenian Prime Minister mentioned the challenges associated with the project, but promised that they would be discussed and resolved in the near future. While the Armenian side is looking for solutions, Azerbaijan continues to move forward. Azerbaijan has already agreed to use its railways for the transit of Russian products to Armenia. This was announced by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk to journalists. Currently, the railway authorities are resolving issues related to the start of transit. As we can see, this is Baku's second practical step. It is a practical step. After Russian cargo ships start sailing to Armenia from Russia and probably in the opposite direction as well, the Armenian side will be able to forget about the problems of Upper Lars. For decades, Armenian carriers have been struggling to deliver cargo to and from Russia, spending half a year at the problematic border crossing on the Georgian-Russian border. Russia is Armenia's main trading partner. Additionally, Yerevan has been promising Iran for many years that it will become the gateway to the EAEU, and now it can finally fulfill this promise. Armenia will only be able to enter the EAEU space after the launch of the Zangezur corridor, the TRIPP project. To be honest, Azerbaijan doesn't really need transit through Armenia to Turkiye. What Azerbaijan needs from Armenia is transit to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. This is the main thing that Azerbaijan expects from Armenia. The positive developments that have begun since Washington are based on this logic. If Armenia suddenly changes its mind or takes too long to resolve the issue, it could affect the positive momentum, which would not benefit anyone. This is especially true for Armenia itself. After all, she is already benefiting from the opening of the transit. As for Pashinyan's proposal, the route from the Turkish border to the Azerbaijani border via Margara, Yeghnadzor, Sisian, and Gori takes four and a half hours. This is significantly faster than cargo transportation through Georgia. However, there is a significant drawback. This is a road that cannot compete with rail transportation in terms of volume. The volumes transported along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route cannot be transported through Margara-Yeghnadzor-Sisian-Goris, even if it were a multi-lane modern highway. This is not even a multi-lane modern highway, but an old road that needs to be expanded and adapted for international cargo transportation. In addition, the road goes through mountains and overpasses, which can be challenging for cargo caravans. The route also faces difficult terrain at the Azerbaijani border. According to experts, the proposed route for Azerbaijan is not suitable for cargo transportation. The Gyumri-Inzhevan-Gazakh road would be more suitable, but it requires reconstruction due to the lack of asphalt in some areas. So the only suitable route is the road through Meghri. And the Armenian side should focus all its efforts on this route if it wants the road exchange to be equal. Pashinyan has proposed what he currently has available. In general, Armenia's road network leaves much to be desired. Nikol Pashinyan himself admits that the route he has proposed is the only option that can be implemented right now. However, this does not mean that Azerbaijan will immediately use this route to avoid offending its neighbors. There is another point. Transit to Turkiye via Georgia is safe. The route proposed by Pashinyan, even if we forget about the technical aspects, is 277 kilometers across the territory of a country with ambiguous sentiments in society. The news about the transit to Armenia through Azerbaijan did not cause a violent negative reaction in the Azerbaijani society, but it raised a wave of indignation and rejection in the Armenian society. It would seem that it should have been the other way around. This is also a serious issue that Nikol Pashinyan will have to resolve. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about the return launch of the route right now. Although the desire to respond to good with good is certainly commendable from the point of view of bilateral relations. Yerevan's response and the Armenian Prime Minister's genuine enthusiasm indicate that the process is underway. The momentum should continue and develop, even if there is currently no practical benefit for Azerbaijan from the Armenian side's actions. For now, the Armenian side is benefiting from the exchange of steps. We will be able to say that the exchange has truly taken place only when the construction of the Zangezur corridor begins. Nevertheless, at this stage, political goals and objectives take precedence over economic ones. The primary goal is to strengthen peace and the ties that have been established between the two leaders. The roads will follow. ELIDA Elida schools will hire three armed security officers to protect its school buildings. The Elida school board recently voted unanimously to hire Branden McKibben, Taylor Triplett and Elijah Wortman as school resource officers. The SROs must undergo background checks, complete training approved by the Ohio School Safety Center, pass an annual background check and undergo a minimum of eight hours of additional training each year to recertify their status as armed security officers, according to a resolution adopted by the board Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boards decision Tuesday follows months of negotiations between the district, the Allen County Sheriffs Office and American Township Police Department. The district relied on auxiliary officers from the sheriffs office to act as SROs for the past decade, but the retirement of an auxiliary officer at Elida Elementary last year and general staffing issues at the sheriffs office meant fewer officers were available to provide coverage to Elida schools, Superintendent Joel Mengerink said. The district requested assistance from American Township prior to hiring its own SROs. One officer began his duties with Elida schools Monday, while the remaining two officers are expected to start by November, Mengerink said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stationing SROs in each of the school buildings is about more than improving security, Mengerink said. Theyre able to mentor students. Theyre mediators. Theyre a positive influence, he said. Mengerink said students gain trust in law enforcement when they have non-threatening interactions with SROs, whose presence should also mitigate fights and security incidents. In one incident, Elida High School called for backup from the Allen County Sheriffs Office, Elida Village Police and American Township Police Department in February 2024 when a fight broke out in the hallway. The district issued 11 expulsions and 60 out-of-school suspensions for fighting or violence in the 2023-24 school year, the most recent year for which disciplinary data is available through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fewer than 10 of those expulsions resulted in serious bodily injury or the use, possession, sale or distribution of a firearm, according to ODEW data. The district issued 11 expulsions and 99 out-of-school suspensions for disobedient or disruptive behavior the same year. Maybe you dont have the same number (of fights) because you have personnel in the building, Mengerink said. Harvard University was founded on this day in 1636. About 200 years later, in 1832, the first Supreme Court justice to have a Juris Doctorate degree, Benjamin Robbins Curtis, graduated from its law school. SCOTUS Quick Hits The Trump administration on Monday urged the Supreme Court to pause an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit requiring the temporary reinstatement of the top U.S. copyright official, who was fired earlier this year. Several other cases on the interim docket are fully briefed and awaiting the courts ruling, including the Trump administrations request to be allowed to federalize and deploy the National Guard in Illinois. Were less than one week away from the start of the courts November sitting. Well be publishing previews of the cases scheduled to be argued throughout this week. Well also be live blogging the tariffs argument on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Morning Reads A Closer Look: Rearguments at the Supreme Court Two weeks ago, the justices heard oral arguments for the second time in Louisiana v. Callais, a challenge to a federal court order that required Louisiana to create a second majority-Black congressional district. The case was originally argued in March, but on the last day of the 2024-25 term in June, the court announced that it would be restored to the calendar for reargument this term. On Aug. 1, the parties were asked to address additional questions about the role of race in redistricting. As Amy Howe wrote in her Oct. 10 preview, there is no way to know exactly why the justices chose to schedule Callais for another argument. But how common is it for the bench to rehear a case? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the last 10 terms, the court has only heard rearguments in five cases: Johnson v. United States in 2015; Jennings v. Rodriguez in 2017; Sessions v. Dimaya in 2017; Knick v. Township of Scott in 2019; and most recently, Callais. One can get a better idea of why (and when) the court orders reargument by looking at past instances of when it decided to do so. This has historically occurred when the justices deem a second round of argument necessary for either clarifying a legal issue raised in the case, or carving out a consensus, such as breaking a 4-4 deadlock on an eight-member court. The former was the basis for reargument in a number of landmark cases, such as 2010s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, where the court broadened the case from a relatively narrow question of statutory interpretation to address additional issues, including whether the court should overrule precedent upholding political spending restrictions by corporations under the First Amendment. This also occurred in Brown v. Board of Education, where the court ordered reargument and asked the litigants to discuss the original intent of the 14th Amendment and whether it gave the court the power to desegregate public schools. Shortly before the second argument could occur, Chief Justice Fred Vinson passed away and was replaced by former California Gov. Earl Warren, who led a unanimous court in its 1954 ruling that separating children in public schools based on race was unconstitutional. The second circumstance seeking court consensus or a full bench played a role in the decision to have Roe v. Wade reargued. Roe was initially argued in 1971 with the bench short two justices. The court then decided to hear it again the following year, however, after Justices Lewis Powell and William Rehnquist joined the court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As with other court decisions, justices can dissent from the decision to have a case reargued. In Callais, Justice Clarence Thomas did so, writing, I am hopeful that this Court will soon realize that the conflict its 2 jurisprudence has sown with the Constitution is too severe to ignore. Because the Court declines to reach that conclusion today and instead inexplicably schedules these cases for reargument, I respectfully dissent. SCOTUS Quote But we are not asked in this case to say whether we think this law is unwise, or even asinine. We are asked to hold that it violates the United States Constitution. And that I cannot do. Justice Potter Stewart in Griswold v. Connecticut On Site From Amy Howe Another Case on Trumps Removal Power Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration on Monday afternoon asked the Supreme Court to pause an order by a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., that temporarily reinstated the top U.S. copyright official after her firing earlier this year. U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit another case of improper judicial interference with the Presidents power to remove executive officers. For more on the request, read Amys analysis. Contributor Corner The Dissent Everyone Knows Was Right In her latest In Dissent column, Anastasia Boden wrote about the privileges or immunities clause of the 14th Amendment, which declares that [n]o State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. Specifically, she explored a Supreme Court ruling from 1873 that significantly narrowed the application of that clause and Justice Stephen Fields memorable dissent. Field bellowed that the court had turned the amendments important promise of liberty into a vain and idle enactment, which accomplishing nothing. Nearly every scholar to have studied the question now agrees. For more Supreme Court news and analysis, visit SCOTUSblog. Read more at SCOTUSblog After a short, idyllic boat ride down an Apollo Beach canal, a small group of nonprofit leaders watched the lengthy and laborious process of planting seagrass on a recent Thursday. With Tampa Electrics Big Bend Station looming in the background, a small team spent several hours in the water planting 4,800 bundles of seagrass they hope will provide both habitat and nutrition for marine wildlife for years to come. Workers dipped under the shallow waters, wrenched loose chunks of dirt with a handheld tool and planted the bundles individually. The floating trays heaped with seagrass were pushed along gradually as the team filled in a previously inaccessible tract of land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The acre of vegetation lies in an area thats proven to be a symbol of Tampa Bays delicate balancing act between urban expansion and the preservation of its most treasured wildlife. The effort is part of a state-funded initiative to accelerate seagrass recovery in areas where the plants had been depleted by pollution, red tides or damaging algae. Local students study seagrass recovery in Tampa Bay The nonprofit Ecosphere Restoration Institute received $5 million in funding for seagrass planting in 2022. They have since planted 100 acres around the state. They have also received funding to plant another 70 acres over the next two years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thomas Ries, the organizations president, said some of the permits would go to a location in Old Tampa Bay and another at Wolf Branch Creek Nature Preserve near Ruskin. The planting Oct. 16 was part of a public-private partnership with Tampa Electric. Its the third acre planted recently in waters abutting the Big Bend Station near Apollo Beach. The first 2 acres were funded by the state through Ecosphere, while this months acre was paid for by Tampa Electric at about $35,000, according to Ries. The land, which is privately owned by TECO, will be placed under a conservation easement to ensure its protection. The easement is a perpetual interest in a property that can be used to shield it for purposes of protecting natural resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ries said he has mostly worked on public lands throughout his 37-year career restoring natural systems in Florida. The opportunity to partner with a company to retrofit private lands excited him. TECO stepped up, Ries said. They didnt have to do this. They see what we see. There are places out here that are critically important to restore or protect. Floridas roughly 2.2 million acres of seagrass help to maintain water clarity and provide shelter for a variety of marine life, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. They also provide food for water birds and marine mammals like manatees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Widespread urbanization from the 1950s to the 1980s led to a steep drop-off in seagrass coverage, according to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. But after its designation as an estuary of national significance by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1990, Tampa Bay saw a series of restoration efforts that were heralded as an international model of success, according to Tampa Bay Estuary Program executive director Ed Sherwood. Seagrass levels in Tampa Bay peaked in 2016 at more than 40,000 acres, according to data from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. But recent years have seen a step backward. Between 2016 and 2022, seagrass levels throughout Tampa Bay declined by 28%, or 11,518 acres, according to data from the district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now were just looking at ways to improve water quality and get that back, Sherwood said. Water quality conditions remained surprisingly stable last year, in spite of record-breaking rainfall and flooding from hurricanes Helene and Milton. Back-to-back years of drought in 2022 and 2023 reduced the impacts from stormwater runoff, allowing the bay to stabilize, according to the Tampa Bay Estuary Programs State of the Bay report. According to the report, last year saw an increase of 1,407 acres. Seagrass levels in the bay currently sit at about 31,500 acres. The acre of turtle grass, one of seven species found in Floridas marine waters, was planted this month with help from AquaTech Eco Consultants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The grass was sourced from Anclote Key, taken back to a nursery and bundled in preparation for planting. The Big Bend Power Stations ongoing transition from coal to natural gas has lowered water temperatures nearby by about 7 degrees, Ries said. That makes it more conducive to sustaining seagrass. Attempts to plant in the same place 12 years ago failed to take root, potentially due to the higher temperatures generated from the use of coal, Ries said. While this transition bodes well for seagrass, long-term consequences for the manatees that warm themselves at power plants throughout the state remain to be seen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ries believes the waters are cooled enough for seagrass, but warm enough for manatees to find refuge when winter temperatures plunge into the 30s and 40s. Although bay waters will soon be too cold for more planting this year, the seagrass planted now should be ready for manatees to feed on come January and February, Ries said. At the end of the day, everybody who lives, works and plays in Tampa Bay wants to see clean water and a healthy habitat, Sherwood said. Thats why we live here in the first place. The Tampa Bay Times launched the Environment Hub in 2025 to focus on some of Floridas most urgent and enduring challenges. You can contribute through our journalism fund by clicking here. Sean "Diddy" Combs is expected to be released from prison in three years, according to federal inmate records. The Bureau of Prisons posted what they believe to be Sean Combs' release date from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which is set for May 8, 2028, but it can change. His sentence could be reduced by 12 months if his attorney's request to have him sent to Fort Dix is granted and he is accepted and successfully completes a Residential Drug Abuse Program, a 9-12 month treatment program offered by the Federal Bureau of Prisons for federal inmates with substance abuse problems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sean 'Diddy' Combs will appeal conviction and prison sentence Paras Griffin/Getty Images - PHOTO: Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. The rap mogul was sentenced to 50 months in prison earlier this month following his conviction earlier this year on two prostitution-related charges. He was acquitted by the jury of the most serious charges he faced, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Federal prosecutors argued Combs deserved at least 11 years in prison, while Combs' lawyers asked for a sentence of no more than 14 months. Combs received credit for the year he already served in custody at MDC Brooklyn. Combs gets 50 months in prison Last week, Combs' attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, filed a notice of appeal in the Federal District Court of New York stating their intent to appeal his conviction and over four-year prison sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His attorneys previously argued the conviction should not stand because the statute, transportation for the purposes of prostitution, does not apply. "Good Morning America" has reached out to Combs' attorney for additional comment. HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) An Evansville man is facing drug dealing charges after authorities found almost seven pounds of marijuana during a search of a wanted person. According to an affidavit, on October 27, detectives with EPD assisted the United States Marshals Service in locating Leonard Frye. Authorities arrived at a home in the 1700 block of S. Elliott Street. Bryce Wilbourn claimed Frye was not there. He reportedly signed a Pirtle form to allow officers to search for Frye. Trial for teen charged with murder scheduled to start Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detectives found the following: Basement: Five sealed bags of a green plant material near basement ceiling Plastic bag of a green plant material in a backpack Plastic baggies on the basement floor Small plastic bag containing green plant material on a basement table Large digital scale on a dryer Bag of shotgun shells near basement ceiling 12-gauge double barreled shotgun Garage: Plastic bag with green plant material on a table iPhone Office AK 47 rifle with magazine and ammo Loose and boxed ammo in an office desk area Pistol magazines Kitchen Small plastic bag with green leafy substance on the counter Digital scale in an upper cabinet Black folding digital scale on the counter Loose green plant material on a table Nissan vehicle 9 mm handgun with magazine and ammo in a purse Wilbourn claimed he didnt know anything about the marijuana in the garage and claimed he and another person in the home smokes when asked about the other marijuana. Officials state the total field weight came to 6.82 pounds. Authorities state the substance tested positive for THC. Authorities claim the amount of marijuana far exceeds a normal user amount, and the packaging, digital scales, firearms and baggies indicate evidence of an intent to distribute. Wilbourn was charged with Dealing Marijuana. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW). Federal Courthouse in Winston-Salem, NC (Photo: Lynn Bonner/NC Newsline) Another set of GOP redistricting opponents want to update their federal lawsuit to include North Carolinas redrawn 1st Congressional District. Republicans in the legislature last week redrew boundaries for two of North Carolinas 14 congressional districts the 1st District and the 3rd District to create another GOP seat at the behest of President Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The North Carolina NAACP, Common Cause, and individual voters asked federal judges who are deciding whether the 1st District boundaries used in 2024 are proper to amend their complaint to take into account the new district lines. The district is part of an ongoing lawsuit that includes other congressional districts and some state Senate districts where opponents have claimed boundaries were set to dilute the power of Black voters. A three-judge panel heard arguments in the lawsuit last summer but have not issued an opinion. The updated complaint claims that Republicans retaliated against some of the lawsuits plaintiffs by drawing them out of the 1st District, where they voted for incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Davis. Construing plaintiffs civil rights lawsuit as a sue-until-blue tactic, legislative leaders responded to plaintiffs lawsuit by targeting Congressional District 1 and plaintiffs for even more extreme vote dilution, the amended complaint says. Another set of voters who sued over the plans asked the judges last week to amend their complaint to include the new 1st District. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Tuesday morning, the judges have not said whether they would allow the amendments. In a filing Monday, lawyers for Republican legislative leaders said they did not object to the first plaintiffs request to amend their complaint. Legislative defendants do not oppose the Courts consideration of these new claims and will defend them on the merits, the Republicans lawyers wrote. The Republicans lawyers learned that the NAACP plaintiffs also planned to amend their complaint. Pending further review, legislative defendants do not presently anticipate opposing such a request, they wrote. North Carolina is part of a wave of mid-decade redistricting triggered by Trumps effort to keep a Republican majority in the U.S. House after next years midterm elections. Republicans have a slim hold on the majority and the presidents party typically loses ground in the midterms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas redrew its congressional districts when Trump asked. California voters will be asked to change that states district map to add as many as five Democratic districts. Missouri redrew its lines in September to add another Republican seat. Virginia and Indiana joined the redistricting wars this week. State legislatures draw new election district boundaries after they receive census population data and usually only draw new lines mid-decade when theyre under court order. The 1st District was North Carolinas only toss-up in 2024. Davis narrowly won a second term last year. On Tuesday, Davis introduced a bill that would retroactively ban mid-decade redistricting unless a court orders it or a statewide referendum is conducted to comply with the Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act. The only solution to prevent this ongoing domino-redistricting effect and power struggle between different states is to immediately hit reset. We must work to restore electoral stability to enhance trust, Davis said in a statement. To many who join outsider parties and dream of toppling the status quo, attaining office must seem like the victory condition. But as events in the Netherlands illustrate, it is really just the start of the job. After more than a decade fighting its way up from the fringes of Dutch politics, in 2024 Geert Wilders PVV finally became the dominant element in a ruling coalition. Yet in July, less than a year later and following a significant slump in the polls, Wilders pulled the plug. Contrary to progressive and centrist hopes that the electorate might have learnt their lesson, the traditional parties of the centre-Left and centre-Right have not been the beneficiaries of the PVVs deflation indeed the VVD, the Netherlands traditional major Right-wing party, saw its polling fall even further over the summer. And while the party with the biggest increase in polling so far has been the long-established, Left-liberal D66, far more concerning for Wilders will be the rise of new Right-wing challenger parties most significantly the agrarian-populist BBB (founded 2019) and JA21 (founded 2020), both of which are polling at similar levels to the traditional VVD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is the Netherlands a vision of the UKs political future? It is certainly difficult to think of another example of a Right-wing challenger party outflanking its traditional rivals only to get outflanked again by even newer challengers. But then, relatively few such parties have yet formed a government. The travails of Wilders and the PVV are nonetheless a helpful illustration of the very delicate balancing act facing Nigel Farage and Reform UK. In any democratic system, a party of government has to thread a careful line between two competing centres of gravity: public opinion and elite opinion. The former is important for getting elected; the latter both for building alliances and taking power (especially in proportional systems) but also because humans are social creatures and it matters, even to most radical politicians, that they are socially acceptable to the political and media class with whom they operate. Sometimes this balance can be relatively easy to maintain, either because there is a broad national consensus about which politics subjects are off-limits (the taboo theory of consensus set out by Phil Tinline) or because elite and popular opinion diverge only on low-salience issues. Elites can circle the wagons on an issue like the death penalty because it simply doesnt matter enough to most voters. Unfortunately for challenger parties at least those with some prospect of forming a government none of the above applies to them. For the only circumstances in which they get a shot at government are when elite and public opinion are in significant conflict on a high-salience issue, such as immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Worse still, the elite consensus on the topic is probably extremely strong. If it wasnt, the opportunity for a party such as Reform, and Ukip before it, wouldnt have arisen in the first place. If the Conservatives had actually lurched to the Right on immigration, for example, they could have deprived Farage of the space his parties needed. But they didnt, because mainstream politicians had gone into wagon-circling mode on an issue the public actually cares about. Thats been enough to propel Reform to the top of the polls. But it confronts Farage with a formidable dilemma: trying simultaneously to harness popular anger against an elite consensus and somehow be acceptable to the elite which holds it. If he stands too far outside the polite limits of politics, he risks not only appearing a crank and a racist but he risks being able only to recruit actual cranks and racists, because respectable people who share much of his analysis wont join up. But if he accommodates too much or too quickly, he risks losing his grip on his voters, and being seen as just another status-quo politician, at which point space opens up on his flank for an even more radical challenger. I call the space between these positions the Overton Shadow: the representational gap in politics and media between the edge of the Overton Window (i.e. the bounds of respectable opinion) and the actual fringes, populated by people who dont play such respectability games at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farage will surely be feeling the pull of these competing forces acutely. He does not have the decades available to him which a younger politician might spend refining his offer and waiting for public opinion to shift; nor is Reform UK a dynastic project like the Rassemblement National in France. There is no obvious successor. But if he moves too quickly, and takes office without a mandate or a workable plan, he may yet end up getting eaten by the very tiger he has ridden, so successfully, to the very steps of Downing Street. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Editor's Note: Hurricane Melissa continues on its path. See the latest update for Wednesday, Oct. 29. Hurricane Melissa continued to wreak a punishing path of damaging winds and rain across the island of Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as it hits Cuba by Wednesday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The Category 5 storm hit the southwestern coast of Jamaica near New Hope around 1 p.m. ET Tuesday with catastrophic winds speeds of about 185 mph after churning slowly toward the island nation. The hurricane center said Melissa's landfall is one of the most powerful in the Atlantic Basin's recorded history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the storm's center moved across western Jamaica to its northern coast, Melissa became a Category 4 storm with winds of 145 mph and torrential rainfall that caaused flash flooding and life-threatening storm surge, the hurricane center said. "Residents in Jamaica should remain in a safe shelter," the hurricane center said in the 5 p.m. ET advisory on Oct. 28. "In the warning area in Cuba, residents should seek safe shelter. In the Bahamas, preparations to protect life and property should be completed later tonight." Melissa is expected to reach southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and it could still be a major hurricane when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas," the NHC said in the 5 p.m. advisory. Forecasters said Melissa will move across southeastern Cuba late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, and move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later Wednesday, then approach Bermuda Thursday. A resident stands at a flooded section of Port Royal in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. A man covers the windows of his home with corrugated iron ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a top-level Category 5 storm, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. After passing over Jamaica, the storm was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, while continuing to bring rain and heavy winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A man watches the waves crash into the walls at the Kingston Waterfront on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. A motorist drives along flooded Michael Manley Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa, already a major category 4 storm, gathered steam Sunday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. A coconut tree sways in the wind at the Kingston Waterfront on Ocean Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on Oct. 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa as of 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. People fill bags with sand in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Alfred Veitch places concrete blocks on top of his chicken coop, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. A person watches waves crash on the beach, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Fishermen move a boat to higher ground, in preparation of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. Empty counters at the airport, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica on Oct. 25, 2025. People load sandbags onto a vehicle, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in the Harbour View neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica on Oct. 25, 2025. The National Hurricane Center reports Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane in the Caribbean on Oct. 25 and could soon rapidly intensify into a monstrous Category 4 or 5 storm, bringing perilous threats of rain, winds and storm surge to northern Caribbean islands. A drone view shows a vehicle driving along a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. People transit on a motorcycle through a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. People look on at the entrance to their homes on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. A woman is standing on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 23, 2025. A drone view shows water rushing through a spillway at the Sabaneta Dam as water levels are elevated due to Tropical Storm Melissa, in Sabaneta, Dominican Republic October 23, 2025. People walk through a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. A woman walks along a flooded street amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. A drone view shows a flooded area amid rain caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025. Gas pumps are wrapped in plastic at a Texaco station as part of storm preparations, ahead of Tropical Storm Melissa, which is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the area, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 25, 2025. Workers board up a business ahead of the potential impact of Tropical Storm Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 24, 2025. Hurricane Melissa slams the Caribbean. See the floods and impact on residents in photos 1 of 23 A resident stands at a flooded section of Port Royal in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. Torrential downpours that could produce 15 to 30 inches of rain, with as much as 40 inches of rain possible in isolated locations, are also expected to contribute to deadly landslides on Jamaica's mountainous terrain, the National Hurricane Center said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With its fierce intensification, Melissa became the strongest tropical cyclone of 2025 globally, "beating out the Western Pacifics Typhoon Ragasa," meteorologist Jeff Masters wrote for Yale Climate Connections on Oct. 27. At least seven deaths in the Caribbean had been blamed on the dangerous hurricane as of Oct. 27. Forecasters said life-threatening storm surge remained a threat on the northwest coast of Jamaica, near Montego Bay, where the surge could be 2 to 4 feet above ground level. Once-dangerous storm surge along the southern coast of Jamaica should subside Tuesday night, the hurricane center said. A potential storm surge along the southeast coast of Cuba late Tuesday or Wednesday, could hit reach 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels and bring "large and destructive waves," as the storm makes landfall, forecasters said. Minor coastal flooding is possible in bays and inlets along the north coast of eastern Cuba. Swells generated by Melissa are expected to affect portions of Hispaniola, Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and the Cayman Islands during the next several days, forecasters said, likely "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions." Swells will reach the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda later this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Storm surge of 5 to 8 ft above normally dry ground is possible in the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, and 2 to 4 ft above normally dry ground in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday. The storm could also cause minor coastal flooding is expected along the coast of Haiti. Hurricane Melissa live updates: Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa slowly approaches Jamaica Live video shows footage from the island as the storm roars ashore: Hurricane Melissa tracker This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Hurricane Melissa spaghetti models Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts. Melissa becomes first Category 5 hurricane to strike Jamaica Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other officials urged Jamaicans to seek safe shelter and to stay off the roads until the worst of the hurricane passes over. The island's residents were also encouraged to be prepared for impacts they have not experienced with previous hurricanes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Hour by hour, it is becoming apparent that the impact of Hurricane Melissa will be greater than the impact of Hurricane Beryl, certainly in terms of rainfall and flooding," Holness said. Within the catastrophic winds of the eyewall, "total structural failure is likely, especially in higher elevation areas where wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains could be up to 30% stronger" than the winds at the surface, the hurricane center warned. If the estimated sustained winds at the surface remain at 175 mph, that would put wind speeds at higher elevations well over 200 mph. The storm could cause "extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages," isolating communities, the center said. How do hurricanes form? Hurricanes are born in the tropics, above warm water. Clusters of thunderstorms can develop over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees. If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm once its sustained wind speeds reach 39 mph. When its winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. This story has been updated to add new information. Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Melissa tracker shows path as it makes landfall in Jamaica Nashville Yards unveiled a new front door to Music City on Oct. 28. A 1.3-acre public park now anchors the new 19-acre district that transformed a former railyard into a vibrant urban gateway. The Ascension Saint Thomas Landing park features a dog run, pickleball courts, a putting green, seating areas, restrooms and food trucks. The park neighbors Amazon's two-tower office campus, The Pinnacle music venue and luxury homes, restaurants and shopping. "This is a social gathering place for Nashvillians, it's a social gathering place for visitors to the city," said Southwest Value Partners Managing Director and Partner Joe Bucher, who has worked on the design, vision and development strategy for the 19-acre Nashville Yards project for the past decade. He said the park is a crucial element of the overall master-planned community. The Ascension Saint Thomas Landing, which is part of the 19-acre mixed-use Nashville Yards project downtown Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. "Hopefully, you'll come back many, many times and enjoy the extreme attention we, our team, and everyone here has put into this place to make it, in some ways, more complex than the beautiful towers we've built across the site," Bucher said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The park bears the name of Ascension Saint Thomas, which aims to promote healthy living in downtown Nashville by improving access to the outdoors, green space, areas to exercise and get health care. "At the end of the day, you can get out of the office, get out of a building, and where health happens is not in the hospital and it's not in the doctor's office," said the health system's President and CEO Fahad Tahir. "It's the way we live every single day." The Ascension Saint Thomas Landing, which is part of the 19-acre mixed-use Nashville Yards project downtown Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. Ascension Saint Thomas recently opened a primary care clinic in the downtown neighborhood near the park and green space. Where is the Nashville Yards public park? The Ascension Saint Thomas Landing is located at the Nashville Yards development in the downtown Nashville area, just across the CSX railyard from The Gulch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The park runs along the train tracks and connects Church Street to Broadway, with pedestrian access points at the Union Station Hotel, Pinnacle office building and Commerce Street. Parking is available on site. Adding much-needed recreation space to the Nashville Yards area, the park is adjacent to the residential towers The Everett and The Emory, the Pinnacle office tower, a creative arts office building, the Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Union Station Hotel. The dog park at The Ascension Saint Thomas Landing, which is part of the 19-acre mixed-use Nashville Yards project downtown Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn. Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville. You can email her with comments, questions and tips at mmdavis@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Park and pickle ball courts open at new downtown Nashville gateway COLUMBUS, Kan. The SEK Humane Society is challenging the community to raise money to keep the shelters doors open. The Fundraiser Thermometer Challenge is being made possible by an anonymous donor, who has pledged to match contributions up to 25 thousand dollars. For every milestone reached, the Humane Society will celebrate with a community event. Some of the events on the table, crafting enrichment toys for shelter pets, a doggie pup cup social, and a free microchip day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, the no-kill shelter is funded through the end of March, and every donation makes it possible to keep animals in need off the streets. Its a huge blessing, I mean, especially in the time that were in, where the cost of living has increased, people are surrendering more en masse. We are seeing so many mom-and-pop shops having to close down. So for those individuals to really squeeze their way in to give a dollar back to us, it means everything to us, said Jasmine Kyle, SEK Humane Society Director. The shelter is collecting donations through November 20, or until the community meets the 25-thousand-dollar fundraising goal. You can mail a check to PO Box 783 in Pittsburg, or donate online via the SEK Humane Societys website or Facebook page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. OTTUMWA A judge on Monday found Joshua Michael not guilty in the 2024 stabbing death of Jeffrey Wayne Johns, ruling the killing was an act of self-defense. District Judge Michael Carpenter acquitted Michael of first-degree murder, willful injury causing serious injury and assault while participating in a felony, ordering the case dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. In a 34-minute verdict reading Monday afternoon, Carpenter said the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Michaels use of deadly force was unjustified in the late-night fight at Ottumwas Foster Park. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The court found that Johns, who was taller and stronger, started the fight after accusing Michael of assaulting his girlfriend a claim attorneys for both sides had agreed was false. Witness testimony indicated the fight lasted several minutes before Michael, fighting with one hand while holding a bag in the other, drew a small knife and stabbed Johns once in the side. The wound penetrated his heart. Carpenter said the evidence showed Michael used deadly force only after losing his footing and fearing he was about to lose control of the fight. The judge also noted toxicology results showing Johns had methamphetamine in his system, finding it relevant to the victims aggression that night. Once Johns fell to the ground, Michael broke off the fight, Carpenter said, adding that this supported his claim of self-defense. This does not mean that Michael is innocent, Carpenter said. It does not mean that he was actually justified in using deadly force. It does not mean that Johns deserved to die. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because the state has the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Michael was not justified, the courts finding is that, based on these facts, it has a reasonable doubt about whether Michael was justified. No more, no less. The judge acknowledged that Michaels actions after the stabbing fleeing, showering and hiding from police undermined his self-defense claim but said those acts did not outweigh the evidence from the fight itself. The court finds the circumstances of the fight before, during and after the stabbing more prominent than Michaels actions afterward, Carpenter said, reading from his decision. The state raises an inference that goes to the issue of justification that arises from the defendants failure to satisfy the statutory duty not to destroy, alter or disguise physical evidence. Michaels violation of these duties is mitigated by his willingness to speak to law enforcement with apparent frankness about his involvement in the stabbing, which erased any advantage he would have gained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michael, who is Micronesian, was represented by defense attorneys Robert Breckenridge and Andrew Aeilts. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Monty Platz and Wapello County Attorney Steviee Grove. Despite the acquittal, Michael remains in custody as he faces separate charges of first-degree burglary and assault while participating in a felony related to a May 27, 2024, incident in Ottumwa. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial in December. WASHINGTON The Senate on Monday confirmed Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Taibleson as a judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Her nomination was approved on a 52-46 party-line vote. Wisconsin's two senators, Democrat Tammy Baldwin and Republican Ron Johnson, split on the confirmation after Baldwin for weeks declined to back Taibleson's nomination. "I am confident that she will be a valuable addition to the Seventh Circuit, given her strong commitment to the Constitution and her dedication to applying the law as written," Johnson said in a statement after the vote. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Taibleson pictured in a WisEye video Baldwin this month said Taibleson "does not meet" the standards Wisconsinites deserve in a judge, noting Taibleson during her confirmation hearing declined to say whether the landmark Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing the right to same-sex marriage was correctly decided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Taibleson, 42, will fill the seat previously held by Diane Sykes, who moved to senior status this month. President Donald Trump in August nominated Taibleson for the post after she interviewed at the White House in May. She was was one of two candidates who were recommended by the judicial nominating commission set up by Baldwin and Johnson. Baldwin, at the time of Taibleson's nomination, said she was prepared to vet Taibleson's credentials when deciding whether to vote to confirm her for the appellate bench, but in the months since withheld her support. At her confirmation hearing in September, Taibleson said she did not think she had Baldwin's support. "Wisconsinites expect judges who have relevant experience, respect everyones rights and freedoms, and will deliver justice fairly and impartially," Baldwin said after a procedural vote on Taibleson's nomination last week. "I have reviewed Ms. Taiblesons application, her previous work and statements, and her confirmation hearing, and sadly, she does not meet those standards and what Wisconsinites deserve." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baldwin noted Taibleson told senators in September that she believed Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional, and Loving v. Virginia, which struck down laws banning interracial marriage, were correctly decided by the court but declined to say the same about Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 case guaranteeing the right to same-sex marriages. Taibleson has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for about a decade and worked for a couple of years as an assistant to the solicitor general. She has no prior judicial experience. Taibleson's nomination was met with strong pushback from some conservative organizations over her family's political donations and the work of her husband, Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Taibleson, who used to clerk for former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Taibleson defended her conservative credentials during her confirmation hearing, and both Democratic and Republican senators derided the opposition campaign. Headquartered in Chicago, the 7th Circuit includes Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Traditionally, two of the 11 circuit seats have been filled by Wisconsin judges. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate confirms Trump pick Rebecca Taibleson to US Court of Appeals Washington The Senate voted on Tuesday to approve a resolution that would block President Trump's tariffs on Brazil, with five Republicans joining Democrats to back the measure in a rebuke to the president. Led by Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, the resolution would terminate the national emergency that the administration is using to impose 50% tariffs on goods from Brazil. The vote to approve the measure was 52 to 48. Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul joined Democrats to vote in favor. The resolution required a simple majority and was not subject to the 60-vote threshold needed for most legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In July, Mr. Trump declared a national emergency with respect to "recent policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Brazil" that he said constitute an "unusual and extraordinary threat." The move came during the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup in 2022. "President Trump's tariff regime global, Brazilian tariffs, Canadian tariffs, tariff deals announced then paused, tariff deals negotiated, exceptions granted and in some cases not granted have created huge chaos in the national economy," Kaine said in a speech on the Senate floor before the vote. "Tariffs are a tax on American consumers. Tariffs are a tax on American businesses. And they are a tax that is imposed by a single person: Donald J. Trump." Containers sit at the port of Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 22, 2025. / Credit: Fabio Teixeira/Anadolu via Getty Images Kaine told reporters that the president's emergency order was "unusual and extreme," and accused him of putting it in place due to the "decision to prosecute Donald Trump's friend." "If that's an emergency, then anything is an emergency, and any president can make up anything and call it an emergency and then use massive powers to impose regulations or evade regulations," Kaine said. The bill will still need to pass the House and be signed by the president, meaning it is mostly symbolic. House Republican leaders have taken steps to prevent lawmakers from forcing a vote on the president's tariffs in the lower chamber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Kaine said Tuesday that he has learned that "the president is responsive to things like this." "When he sees Republicans starting to vote against his policies, even in small numbers, that makes an impression on him and can often cause him to alter his behavior," he said. One of those Republican yes votes was McConnell, a former Senate majority leader who has clashed with Mr. Trump for years including on trade policy. McConnell has long been skeptical of tariffs and supportive of free trade, a stance that was essentially considered doctrine in pre-Trump GOP politics. "Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive," McConnell said in a statement prior to the vote. "The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule." Earlier in the day, Vice President JD Vance met with Senate Republicans at the Capitol and urged them to reject the resolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The point that I made to my Republican colleagues, recognizing that there's a diversity of opinions about it, is that the tariffs give us the ability to put American workers first," Vance told reporters after the meeting. "They force American industry to reinvest in the United States of America, instead of a foreign country. They're also incredible leverage for the president of the United States in negotiating these trade deals overseas." The president cited a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in his order imposing the Brazil tariffs. The act gives any senator the authority to force a vote to challenge the move, effectively bypassing Senate leadership. In April, four Republicans joined Democrats to approve a measure aimed at blocking the Canada tariffs. Those Republicans were Murkowski of Alaska, Collins of Maine and McConnell, along with Paul of Kentucky, a Republican who cosponsored the legislation. Later that month, an effort aimed at blocking Mr. Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs on countries around the world fell short, with two senators who had previously backed the tariff measure absent from the vote. The resolutions need a simple majority to pass. Kaine said he would force additional votes on Canadian tariffs and global tariffs throughout the week as he pushes back on the administration and puts pressure on Senate Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So the votes are about tariffs, and they're about the economic destruction of tariffs, but they are also really about, how much will we let a president get away with?" Kaine said. "Do my colleagues have a gag reflex or not, in terms of powers that constitutionally are handed to Congress?" Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Jury deliberations begin in Sonya Massey murder trial 25 states sue Trump administration over SNAP food stamp funding freeze WASHINGTON As the pain of the longest-ever full government shutdown becomes more acute, and hundreds of thousands of federal workers and military members go without paychecks, the paralyzed U.S. Senate is getting antsy. The leadership of both parties remains dug in four weeks into the shutdown, but rank-and-file members are looking for possible off-ramps and ways to lessen the effects on Americans as the situation becomes more dire, including travel delays at airports due to staffing shortages and growing lines at food banks across the country. Politics: Donald Trump To Leave Country Amid Government Shutdown Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) over the weekend suggested President Donald Trump finally get involved by creating a bipartisan commission to hammer out a deal that would reopen the government and address expiring subsidies for millions of people who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Trump has mostly been disengaged from the crisis, refusing to sit down and talk with Democrats until they agree to fund the government. He left town over the weekend for a trip to Asia and isnt scheduled to return until later this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I suggest President Trump come forward, name three Republicans and three Democrats in the Senate to an official commission to figure this out over a one-month period and come back with a solution, Paul said on Fox News Sunday. But in exchange for that, I think the Democrats need to open the government for a month, and then we need to pay the workers, pay our soldiers, and then I think we could come to a solution but it has to be something different, it cant be the same old, same old. Republicans want to see major reforms to Obamacare, including its enhanced subsidies, which help protect millions of Americans from high premiums. Potential changes being discussed by the GOP include a more stringent income cap, requiring a minimum out-of-pocket premium, or gradually winding down the tax credits. One flaw with this idea is that bipartisan commissions dont often solve anything. They are formed every Congress, usually to tackle an intractable issue by making recommendations, some of which ultimately get adopted, most of which do not. But any kind of bipartisan negotiation with Trumps involvement would be progress at this point, and could produce some movement. Politics: Democrats Dig In As Government Shutdown Odds Spike Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), meanwhile, is calling on her leadership to keep the chamber in session over the weekend even if it means taking more doomed votes to reopen the government again and again and just staring at each other. During the shutdown, the Senate has been running on its typical weekly schedule, which begins Monday afternoon and ends Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were pretending that everything is OK. Were pretending that people are not being impacted by this shutdown, Murkowski said in a speech on Monday. I dont think we should be going home and just behaving as if this was another week in the United States Senate. When we leave, we send the message its just business as usual. Then people whose lives are being impacted right now, they think we dont get it, she continued. Murkowski noted that U.S. Capitol Police officers and other Senate support staff are going unpaid during the shutdown, unlike members of Congress, and still showing up for work. Politics: AOC Blows Right-Winger Riley Gaines Out Of The Water With 2 Hilarious Clap Backs But the idea of weekend sessions has been shot down repeatedly by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who blamed Democrats for refusing to budge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If it makes any difference, I would, Thune told reporters earlier this month. If theyre just gonna continue to vote down keeping the government open, Im not sure what purpose thatll serve. Republicans have also introduced rifle shot bills that would allow funding to flow to certain government programs amid the shutdown. That includes legislation from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would pay air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents, a bill from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to pay essential federal workers, and a measure from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that would prevent millions of Americans from losing food aid when the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is due to run out of money Saturday. Notably, Hawleys bill has bipartisan support after Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) signed on. But the White House opposes that strategy, and Thune is skeptical about it as well, according to Punchbowl News, because it would take the pressure off Democrats to end the shutdown. Republicans believe Democrats will soon fold, pointing to a statement from the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal workers, urging Congress on Monday to pass a clean funding bill to end the government shutdown and undercutting Democrats position that any deal include health insurance subsidies and protections for the power of Congress to appropriate and direct government spending. Politics: 4 Reasons This Government Shutdown Is Different But Democrats were unmoved on Monday by AFGEs statement. Some downplayed its effect on the caucus while others, like Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), acknowledged it has a lot of impact. New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senates top Democrat, also didnt appear to budge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a speech on the Senate floor, Schumer criticized Trump for dancing upon landing at the airport in Malaysia over the weekend as millions of people faced rising health insurance premiums back home. Starting this Saturday, tens of millions of Americans face the specter of financial crisis, all while Donald Trump is dancing on the tarmac in Malaysia, Schumer said. Donald Trump may be having a nice time abroad, but people here at home are dreading dreading open enrollment. Political Updates Read the original on HuffPost (The Center Square) - Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, says he is thankful the Trump administration once again showed it is committed to the rule of law and fair elections after filing a brief in support of the states election integrity laws. The laws include a requirement that voters show proof of citizenship, a requirement that is being contested in a lawsuit that Mi Familia Vota, a Hispanic voting rights organization, filed against Arizona. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Petersen are among the defendants. The Department of Justice brief reinforces exactly what weve argued all along that states have a constitutional right and responsibility to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in their elections," Petersen told The Center Square. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having the full weight of the federal government behind that principle strengthens Arizonas case and restores confidence that the law and the will of the people will prevail, he added. In 2022, Arizona passed House Bill 2492 and HB 2243. HB 2492 mandated people who were registering to vote in federal or state elections to verify their citizenship with documents such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers. If people couldn't provide these documents, they couldn't vote. HB 2243 expands the requirements for verifying voter registration and allows election officials to investigate and remove ineligible voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After these bills became law, Mi Familia Vota challenged them with a lawsuit. In 2024, a federal district court struck down several provisions in both laws. For HB 2492, the rule requiring people to list their birthplace on registration forms was struck down, as was the requirement to provide documented proof of citizenship. The court blocked HB 2243s provision allowing county officials to investigate and remove voters. After Petersen appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the court ruled in February in favor of the district courts decision. Petersen then appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nations highest court has not announced if it will take up Petersens appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the brief filed with the 9th Circuit Court, the DOJ said Arizonas laws did not violate the Civil Rights Act. Furthermore, the DOJ said it is essential that states have the authority to run their elections and ensure that only eligible voters can vote. Attempting to prevent voter fraud is in the state's interest, the brief noted. The brief asked the 9th Circuit Court to reopen the case and undo the district courts decision. Since Trump took office in January, the DOJ has changed its opinion on Arizonas laws. In April, the DOJ dropped the Biden administration's 2022 lawsuit against Arizona over these laws. If Petersen is unsuccessful in having the Supreme Court take up his appeal, he said it would open the door for noncitizens to participate in Arizonas elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He told The Center Square that it would undermine the integrity of every legitimate vote and erode public trust in our democratic process. Arizonans deserve to know that every ballot cast comes from an eligible U.S. citizen nothing more, nothing less, he noted. If the Supreme Court picks up his case, Petersen said he's optimistic justices would affirm Arizonas right to enforce commonsense election laws that protect both our citizens and our votes. Proof of citizenship laws are fundamental to maintaining free, fair, and transparent elections," Petersen said. He added these laws ensure that every person who votes is legally eligible to do so, protecting the weight of every legitimate ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arizonas approach isnt extreme its common sense, he told The Center Square. Election integrity was among the topics in The Center Square's Voters Voice Poll, conducted by Phoenix-based Noble Predictive Insights. The poll found most Americans support a voter ID requirement. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of 18 Democratic senators urged the Trump administration to reconsider its intention to drop a plan by the prior administration to require airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when flight disruptions are caused by carriers. In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation under then-President Joe Biden sought public comment in a regulatory proceeding about whether airlines should be required to pay up to $775 per passenger for delays that they cause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement USDOT announced last month it planned to drop the compensation plan, and is considering rescinding Biden regulations requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside airfares. "This is a common-sense proposal: when an airlines mistake imposes unanticipated costs on families, the airline should try to remedy the situation by providing accommodations to consumers and helping cover their costs," said the letter signed by Democratic Senators Maria Cantwell, Ed Markey, Ron Wyden, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jack Reed, and others. A spokesperson for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy did not immediately comment on Tuesday but said previously some rules proposed or adopted under Biden "went beyond what Congress has required by statute, and we intend to reconsider those extra-statutory requirements." The department is also planning to reduce regulatory burdens on airlines and ticket agents by writing new rules detailing the definition of a flight cancellation that entitles consumers to ticket refunds, as well as revisiting rules on ticket pricing and advertising. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Airlines have pushed the Trump administration to go further and praised the action to rescind the Biden plan. USDOT has taken other steps to reverse Biden's airline consumer efforts. In May, the Justice Department dropped a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines filed by the Biden administration in its final days that accused the carrier of illegally operating chronically delayed flights. (Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Rod Nickel) Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate voted for the 13th time and failed to reopen the government Tuesday. Democrats won't back down from their insistence on funding for health care, and Republicans won't agree to it. The government shutdown is on Day 28. Senators voted 54-45 on the funding patch that would fund the government until Nov. 21. It needs 60 votes to pass. Three members of the Democratic caucus voted for the House-passed funding bill: Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; and Angus King, I-Maine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The vote came a day after the largest labor union in the United States called on lawmakers to reopen the government. The American Federation of Government Employees represents 800,000 federal workers. "Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight," said Everett Kelley, president, in a statement. Sen Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans must begin negotiations on the health care issue. "Republicans do not even want to talk about fixing health care," The Hill reported that Schumer said. "Americans are on the brink of a health care crisis unlike we have seen in our lifetimes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Enrollment for marketplace health insurance plans begins Nov. 1. Without a subsidy extension, enrollees are expected to see much higher rates this year. On Friday, military personnel will miss a paycheck. On Saturday, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will stop distributing funds to states, leaving hungry people without aid. Some senators have discussed having votes on stand-alone bills that will help segments of people. Some Democrats have said they are willing to vote for legislation from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that would fund SNAP during the shutdown, Politico reported. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday that's not true. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's not a high level of interest in doing carve-outs, or so-called 'rifle shots.' I think most people realize the way to get out of this mess is to vote to open up the government." On Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported that air traffic controllers are feeling the strain of working but not getting paid. As many are calling out sick, flights are getting canceled. On Friday, President Donald Trump reported that an anonymous donor has given $130 million to help pay military staff. But it's not enough to pay them all, and its legality is in question. Seven hotheads are in a pickle after their beef at a burger joint in Texas turned into a massive melee, leading to their arrest, police say. According to authorities, an order mix-up led to the big beef when hungry patrons came to blows at 3 a.m. in a Whataburger in San Antonio, leaving the floor spattered with blood, per New York Post. Andres Garcia Cardenas, 21, Tyrone Tolliver, 21, Miguel Torres, 57, Meili Torres, 21, Andrew Lopez, 21, Deontae Tolliver, 23, and Veronica Valdez, 53, were collared for assault causing bodily injuries, police say. Officials state the victims were two 18-year-olds and two 20-year-olds, who were not arrested, and one of the attacked teens reportedly suffered a concussion, 40 lacerations, a bite mark, a broken wrist and bruised kidneys, liver and ribs, according to CBS Austin. Outraged mom Rebecca Noel says, Part of another tables order was mistakenly brought to my son and his friends. Instead of the staff acknowledging their error, they reportedly told the other customers, They have your food. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moments later, those individuals confronted my son and his friends, and within seconds, the situation escalated far beyond a simple misunderstanding to a violent assault. There is absolutely no excuse for what happened. This never should have escalated to this point. The all-out brawl was caught on video, and cops say the recording is part of their ongoing investigation into the incident. Whataburger reports that an off-duty staffer who was allegedly involved in the scuffle is no longer employed with the chain. A company spokesperson said, The safety of our guests and employees is our top priority. We are cooperating fully with the authorities, per San Antonio Express-News. This story Seven Hangry Patrons Get Into Violent Altercation at Whataburger in San Antonio Over Mixed Up Orders first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Here are seven new restaurants that Connecticut diners can enjoy in November, including a pizza restaurant in Guilford, two new locations for the growing Raising Cane's restaurant chain, an ice cream shop and a burrito bar's first Connecticut location. Brookfield Grill Brookfield After more than three decades in the restaurant business, Avni Brahimuj has brought his culinary experience to Brookfield with the opening of Brookfield Grill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new restaurant, located in the former home of Del Primo restaurant, offers something for everyone, Brahimuj said, "from French fries to porterhouse, to salads, pasta, fish and chicken." Brahimuj previously owned and worked at several restaurants in New York state, including Torcello Ristorante Italiano in Larchmont, Bia American Kitchen & Bar in Chappaqua, and Sapori Restaurant in Scarsdale. Brahimuj, who is from Kosovo, came to the U.S. when he was a teenager, joining his brothers who were in the restaurant business. "I fell in love with the restaurant business and with customer service. I started from a dishwasher and went through every job until I was an owner," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 450 Federal Road, brookfieldgrill-ct.com - Sandra Diamond Fox Char & Lemon Wood Fired Pizza Guilford Char & Lemon Wood Fired Pizza opened its second location at the end of October, bringing its signature lemon pizza to town to Guilford. It occupies the former 2,800-square-foot Amarone restaurant and the 2,200-square foot former day spa next door on the corner of Water and Whitfield streets in Guilford. The lemon theme runs throughout the restaurant, including a "lemon wall" where patrons can take photos for social media. "It's going to make you feel like you're in the Amalfi Coast of Italy here," said Slamen Hussain who is operations manager of both restaurants. "You're going to feel like you're on vacation here." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even the pizza oven, specially ordered from Italy, is covered in bright yellow tile. The oven can fit 15 pizzas and cooks them in 90 seconds, Heslin said. Pizza choices include Hey Meatball, which is a margherita pizza topped with ricotta and meatballs; Spice of Life, which is San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, jalapenos, house-made spicy Italian sausage and Calabrian hot honey; and Alla Vodka, with vodka sauce, house-made spicy Italian sausage, Calabrian chili, ricotta and basil. 2 Water St., charandlemon.com - Susan Braden Raising Cane's Manchester, Milford Not one, but two Raising Cane's locations opened in the Nutmeg State in the past month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The fried chicken chain's Milford location opened at the beginning of October while the Manchester store opened at the end of the month. The fast-casual chain restaurant, founded in 1996 in Louisiana, specializes in chicken fingers but also offers chicken sandwiches and sides like Texas toast and coleslaw. The openings follow a barrage of new restaurants in the past two years, starting with Enfield and Simsbury in 2024 and following with Wethersfield in 2025. 75 Buckland St, Manchester 1455 Boston Post Road, Milford raisingcanes.com - Joseph Villanova and Joseph Tucci The Blind Rhino Milford Sports bar The Blind Rhino has opened its third location in October in the former site of Eli's Tavern in Milford. The pub, which was owned by Eli's Restaurant Group, closed last October after 10 years of business due to industry challenges it's faced over the past few years, the group said in an announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Milford location marks The Blind Rhino's first location in New Haven County. The Blind Rhino, known for its wings, first opened in South Norwalk in Oct. 2015 and added its Bridgeport location in 2019, according to its website. In addition, it has a food truck that travels to breweries and events. The Blind Rhino has won more than 35 awards across the northeastern U.S. for its wings and has garnered 11 trophies at the annual National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York, according to the website. Its menu features a variety of both traditional and unique wing flavors, from traditional buffalo to togarashi brown sugar and plum sriracha. 21 Daniel St., theblindrhino.com - Jayden Nguyen 7 Brew Coffee Orange Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 7 Brew Coffee's newest Connecticut location has officially opened in Orange. 7 Brew Coffee's menu includes hot, ice or chiller coffees, teas, lemonades, smoothies, shakes, the 7 energy chiller and more, according to the company's website. 7 Brew Coffee, an Arkansas-based chain that began in 2017, has 500 locations around the country, according to Parmar. The company now has three locations open in Connecticut including Orange, Wallingford and Vernon. Construction will also begin soon on the North Haven and New Haven locations. 116 Boston Post Road, 7brew.com - Ciara Hooks Barrio Burrito Bar Orange Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barrio Burrito Bar, a fast-casual restaurant chain that specializes in Tex-Mex food, officially opened its first Connecticut location in Orange in October. Barrio Burrito Bar offers customizable, made-to-order food. The menu includes Bang-Bang Shrimp, Crunchy Chicken, Extreme Fries, house-made salsas and more, according to the news release. Barrio Burrito Bar, originally named BURRITOBAR, was founded in 2005 in Toronto, according to the company's website. The Tex-Mex franchise was introduced to the U.S. in 2020 and rebranded in 2024 as Barrio Burrito Bar. The chain is expanding nationwide with more than 1,600 franchised units under development, according to Young. There are 11 locations in the U.S., and Young said they anticipate having at least 20 units open by the end of 2025. 263 Boston Post Road, barrioburritobar.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement - Ciara Hooks Mountain Dairy Creamery Storrs Mountain Dairy Creamery, a new, on-site shop that sells ice cream and other dairy products made by the historic Mountain Dairy farm in Storrs, officially opened in October. The ice creamery is run out of a converted barn on the 150-year-old dairy farm owned by the Stearns Family. It includes a viewing window where guests can watch the ice cream being made, according to the company's website. The window also provides an opportunity to see the farm's calves in the greenhouse. The new location will also offer the farm's fresh Mountain Dairy milk, which is available for purchase. 483 Browns Road, mountaindairy.com - Ciara Hooks This article originally published at Here are seven new restaurants to check out in CT this November. The charity shop owner claimed it was physically impossible that he had committed sexual assault, as he only had one testicle and only four women had accused him. Sadettin Karagoz, a charity shop owner in Turkey who has gained a reputation as the grandfather of refugees for his work helping refugees, has allegedly been using his position to sexually abuse vulnerable female Syrian refugees, according to a BBC Turkish investigation published last week Over the course of a year-long investigation on Karagoz, the BBC spoke with multiple Syrian women in Ankara who claimed he sexually abused them. Karagoz denies all the accusations. Seven people, including two former employees, told the site they witnessed or heard first-hand accounts of Karagoz sexually abusing women between 2016 and 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After opening the Little Aleppo Umut Charity Store in Altndag in 2014, the same neighborhood inhabited by many of those who escaped the Assad regime, Karagoz became embedded in the aid network in the community. Medina, who fled to Turkey in 2016 from Aleppo, told the BBC that she was directed to the shop after finding herself struggling to care for her children alone. It was here that she collected donations of diapers, pasta, oil, milk, and clothes. A Kurdish Syrian refugee waits for transport during a sand storm on the Turkish-Syrian border near the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, September 24, 2014. (illustrative) (credit: MURAD SEZER/REUTERS) She recounted how Karagoz initially told her, "My door is always open to you. When you have nowhere else to go, come to me and I will help you," but when she returned to the shop later, she said he had changed his tone and treatment of her. She said that soon Karagoz began touching her without consent, and he took her behind the curtain in the shop. "He grabbed me, told me he liked me. He started kissing me. I screamed, told him to let go of me. If I hadn't screamed, he would have tried to rape me," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medina claimed she ran from the store after telling Karagoz that she would go to the police, but Karagoz continued to insist she stay. Medina said Karagoz later came to the house she lived in with her children and said terrible things to me, insulted me... I didn't open the door, I was terrified." She claimed that he also threatened to have her sent back to Syria, and the threat prevented her from seeking help from authorities. "I couldn't trust any man... I became distant, depressed. I wanted to die. The only thing that kept me going was my children, she shared. "I still have friends who ask him for help... He is such an influential person, even if we complain, who would listen to us, who would care? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nada, a 27-year-old Syrian refugee mother who visited the store, told BBC News, "At first, he was like an angel descended from the sky," but then quickly began insisting that he would "only help her if she went with him to an empty apartment." She claimed that Karagoz told her, "It won't take long, just 10 minutes... If you don't come, I won't give you anything." Despite feeling uneasy about the interaction, poverty pushed Nada to return to the store for diapers for her son. It was during this visit that she said Karagoz took her to an area behind the curtain. "He was holding the diapers in one hand, and the other was free. He tried to touch my breasts. He told me, 'Don't be afraid, it's normal,'" she said. "He approached me from behind, grabbed my hand, and put it on his genitals. He was like a beast attacking me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "My whole body was shaking. I was crying. He was telling me, 'Calm down. This is normal, it will be over soon.'" Nada said she ran from the store and began quietly warning women not to go there, but could not tell her husband or openly accuse him, Karagoz, due to fears of stigma and blame. A third woman, who has since moved to Germany, claimed Karagoz sexually assaulted her. The single mother of three said that while she was collecting resources for her children, he put his hands on my hips. I got angry, very angry, and pushed him away. I left the care package in my hand and walked out of the store," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she hopes speaking out anonymously will help "many women who have gone through what she has been through." Employees testify about abuse "There was a small room behind Karagoz's desk where we kept the care packages. We were used to seeing him harass women in that room," a former employee told BBC Turkish. A woman complained to the police that Karagoz had sexually harassed and assaulted her in 2019, according to official documents. However, the authorities did not pursue the matter due to a lack of evidence. Police have questioned him at least twice so far. Denying the accusation Denying accusations made by three women, Karagoz said he has helped more than 37,000 people, mostly refugees, at his store and noted that he has received both national and international support for his charitable work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He denied the possibility that he could have been inappropriate with a woman, as the area is allegedly crowded, he is never alone with women there, and the store is monitored with security cameras. He accused the women who claimed he acted inappropriately of being engaged in crimes and drugs, saying that was the reason behind their allegations. "More women would come forward to speak out" if the allegations were true, he claimed. "Three people, five people, 10 people [might complain]. These things happen. If you had said 100, 200 [people accused me], okay, then you could have believed I actually did these things." After showing the BBC medical paperwork showing he had one of his two testicles removed, along with his diagnosis of high blood pressure and diabetes, he denied it was physically possible for him to have committed the assaults. Dr. Ates Kadioglu, a male sexual health specialist at Istanbul University, told the site that "in cases where one testicle is removed, the testosterone level remains at 90% and therefore the person's sexual life will not be affected." A convicted doctor at the center of a sexual abuse scandal involving children and adults continues to trigger legal headaches for Henry Ford Health, which has been hit with three new lawsuits involving the notorious doctor including one for $100 million. The lawsuits involve women who say they had to identify themselves in disturbing videos and photos that police had obtained while investigating a doctor who allegedly was secretly recording himself molesting patients. Among the victims was a woman who was having a pelvic exam, though unaware she was being filmed during the process. Dr. Oumair Aejaz is facing charges that he recorded nude images of women and children. "This is yet another instance of a healthcare provider preying on vulnerable patients that come to them for help," Fieger Law said in announcing the lawsuits on Monday, Oct. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuits are on behalf of three patients who allege they were secretly videotaped and subjected to sexual abuse or misconduct by former Dr. Oumair Aejaz, who faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to a slew of crimes two weeks ago. The 41-year-old Rochester Hills doctor admitted to molesting a child while recording himself doing so, and to secretly recording children and adults in places like hospital rooms and bedrooms. Prosecutors also allege the embattled physician recorded himself sexually assaulting unconscious hospital patients. Aejaz, though, was not employed by Henry Ford Health, but rather was an independent physician from a private practice who did work at the hospital. Following his guilty plea, authorities noted that the investigation is ongoing and that there may be numerous unidentified victims out there. Separately, a year-old class action is pending against Henry Ford Health, its Macomb hospital and Aejaz, alleging that Aejaz engaged in widespread sexual abuse and violated the privacy of multiple patients, including minors, over at least six years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest plaintiffs are not part of that class action. In an Oct. 27 statement to the Free Press, Henry Ford Health said: We are deeply committed to ensuring and supporting the safety of our patients and team members, and we prioritize their safety in everything we do. However, we do not comment on pending litigation. Aejaz's lawyer, Mariell Lehman, declined to comment Tuesday, Oct. 28. The latest lawsuits include claims by three Macomb County women two from Sterling Heights, one from Utica who allege the following: In the spring of 2024, a 40-year-old Utica woman was admitted to Henry Fords Macomb Hospital on multiple occasions, though the suit does not disclose the health reason. According to her lawsuit, she was assigned to Aejaz, who allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times while he was in a room alone with her, and recorded these acts using hidden devices that were ultimately discovered by law enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the womans allegations is that he once sexually assaulted her while performing a pelvic exam. Another time he allegedly put his hands on her neck and breasts and felt her up. Another time he lifted up her shirt after putting hand sanitizer on and exposed her breasts. According to the lawsuit, which seeks at least $100 million, the woman confirmed her identity in photos and videos that had been obtained by law enforcement, and were shown to her during a meeting in May a year after the alleged incidents. Henry Ford Macomb and Henry Ford Health knew or should have known that Aejaz was taking inappropriate photos and videos of patients and inappropriately touching patients, the lawsuits states. A second lawsuit involves a 47-year-old Sterling Heights woman who went to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital on multiple occasions for treatment related to blurry vision and chronic headaches. She presented through the emergency department, the suit states, and wound up getting molested by Aejaz during her treatment there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aejaz performed inappropriate, offensive, and/or sexual acts on (the woman), the lawsuit states, adding he also took recorded and retained inappropriate, offensive, and/or sexual photos and videos of her. According to the lawsuit, the woman confirmed her identity in the photos and videos, which included inappropriate offensive, and/or sexual touching, during a meeting with law enforcement on Aug. 7. Her lawsuit seeks at least $25,000 in damages. The third plaintiff is a Sterling Heights woman who went to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital for heart issues. She alleges that she was "photographed and videotaped in inappropriate and compromising positions and inappropriately touched" by Aejaz during her treatment at the hospital. The lawsuit did not specify when this allegedly happened. The Free Press is not naming the women because the company generally does not name sexual assault victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our clients allege that not only did Dr. Aejaz videotape them when they presented to the hospital for care, but also the doctor engaged in unwanted sexual contact with them during interactions ... at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital," Fieger Law said in a statement, adding its lawyers also have discovered in patient records that complaints were made about Aejaz and his behavior to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital. Additionally, Fieger Law says, law enforcement alleges that in some cases, Aejaz was seeing patients who were not assigned to him. Aejaz landed on law enforcement's radar in August 2024, after his wife tipped off authorities that he had been secretly recording her and their two minor children, as well as female relatives. She also told investigators that she found recordings of individuals undressing at the Goldfish Swim School in Rochester Hills, and produced materials that raised concern among authorities. An investigation followed, with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office eventually seizing six computers, four cellphones and 15 external hard drives one of the drives alone had 13,000 videos on it. Investigators estimate there could be hundreds of victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aejaz will be sentenced on Dec. 2 and faces up to life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Henry Ford Health system sued for $100M over sexually abusive doctor BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The community of Shafter came together on Monday to strongly oppose the construction of the high-speed rail project that would cut through the middle of the city, citing concerns that the project would harm public safety and businesses in the community. On Monday, the Shafter City Council held a special meeting to hear about the alternative options for the high-speed rail project proposed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority. On May 7, 2014, CHSRA certified the Fresno to Bakersfield Sections final impact report and environmental impact statement. The approved project included an elevated viaduct within the city of Shafter, the agenda said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How CAPK is assisting families amid loss of SNAP benefits On June 6, 2014, the city of Shafter filed a lawsuit challenging the approvals made under the California Environmental Quality Act, claiming that routing the Fresno to Bakersfield section through Shafter was unacceptable, according to the agenda. In 2018, after holding a community open house and a public workshop, Shafter and CHSRA reached a settlement agreement where the retained fill variation was accepted as the least harmful alternative for the city, the agenda said. With the retained fill variation, the high-speed rails would be elevated on a retained fill, referring to 35-feet-tall walls going through the city of Shafter. This would require over 2.5 million cubic yards of fill to be brought into the city, CHSRA staff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to city officials, over the last seven years, Shafter has been planning transportation elements and other infrastructure around the retained fill variation to bring the train tracks above grade through the city and preserve cross-town access for residents and public safety. The city met new CHSRA staff Sept. 30 to receive an update on the progress, where they learned the retained fill variation that was agreed upon in 2018 was expensive. CHSRA staff asked the city to consider other options, the agenda said. During the presentation, CHSRA staff suggested the city take the grade separated variation instead of the retained fill variation. The grade separation design wouldnt require tall embankments and walls that would impact the view and lead to less pollution and noise than if the high-speed rails were to be elevated on a retained fill. The grade separated variation would also improve safety for schools and pedestrians in Shafter, CHSRA staff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CHSRA asked the city to move forward with the suggested grade separation design changes, work with CHSRA staff on preliminary engineering plans and amend the settlement agreement to reflect the changes. Numerous Shafter and Kern County residents attended the meeting to oppose the high-speed rail project. Some individuals grew so passionate in their speech that they were fighting back tears. Preliminary hearing begins in Genesis Mata case I come from a small town here in Kern County, not from Shafter, but from another one, and seeing these pictures of the walls up? That is just devastating to me that theyre wanting to do this to this community, said Ginger Richardson. You cannot allow them to tear this community apart, its beautiful, the people are beautiful, everything is beautiful about this community. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rick Jhaj, owner of Countryside Construction and Development, said CHSRAs project would gut businesses and affect jobs and income, and Shafter is not a city that grows exponentially on the retail side. If we are doing this you need to work with the city here, work with the local community here, find out how to do this correctly without impacting business, Jhaj said. Because if we gut the city of Shafter, youre not only gonna lose business out here but how to drive people to come here, people to come shop, people to invest in this community, and without that, the city dies. Martin Rodriguez, chief business official for the Richland School District, said CHSRA should consider the safety and transportation for the children in Shafter. I dont think any consideration was done for our students here in town, I dont think any consideration was done for our bus routes for our kids here in town, Rodriguez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor Chad Givens thanked CHSRA staff for the presentation. He also said he understands theyre not the ones who made the decision and theyre only trying to figure out how to make the project work. But at the same time, youre hearing from a community who did not want this to begin with, and as you heard tonight, still doesnt want it, and the responsibility for the council is to figure out what makes sense, Givens said before giving time for the city council to speak. The council members all expressed opposition or doubt about the project. Councilmember Pete Espinoza said he didnt hear one positive impact of the project during the presentation, nor did the presentation satisfy anybodys expectations at the meeting tonight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre coming right through the middle of a 100-plus-year-old town and youre just gonna rip it up, Espinoza said to CHSRA staff. And it doesnt benefit anybody here, it doesnt stop here, its just gonna go right through the gut of town. Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage CHSRA said Shafter is the only city that the high-speed rail would cut through in the middle without a station being constructed within the city. Givens said Shafter is one of the five fastest growing cities in California. He asked if theyre not able to negotiate simply having the high-speed rail not cut through Shafter and built around the city, as no other city is being impacted by this project as much as Shafter and the city would see no benefits from the rail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Givens made a request for the city to talk with CHSRA to re-negotiate the settlement agreement so the project can move outside the city limits so the project wouldnt impact the residents and businesses in Shafter. The Shafter City Council unanimously voted for this re-negotiation to proceed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. NEED TO KNOW Adam Beckerink was charged with murder in connection with the 2024 death of his wife, Caitlin Tracey Tracey died after falling more than 20 stories down a stairwell in a Chicago condo building where Beckerink lived Prior to the murder charge, Beckerink pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges in Michigan The husband of a woman found dead in the stairwell of a Chicago high-rise is facing a murder charge in connection with her death. Caitlin Tracey was found at the bottom of the stairwell of the condo building where her estranged husband, Adam Beckerink, lived in the South Loop in October 2024, according to ABC 7. She allegedly fell 24 stories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One year later, Beckerink is now charged with first-degree murder in connection with Tracey's death, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS Chicago, WGN and ABC 7. The complaint alleges that Beckerink threw Tracey over a railing on Oct. 25, 2024, per the reports. Her body was found two days later, per CBS. ABC, citing Chicago police, reported that Beckerink reported Tracey missing the day before she was found dead, claiming he hadn't seen her in weeks. Jail records indicate that Beckerink is currently behind bars in Berrien County, Mich. ABC 7 reported that in August, he pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges. He was sentenced to 93 days in jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the domestic violence charges, Berrien County jail records now indicate that Beckerink is also being held on a fugitive warrant filed in Cook County, Ill. Beckerink has not yet entered a plea to the reported murder charge in Illinois. In July, Fox 32 reported that a Michigan judge had ruled that police bodycam footage and a 911 call made by Tracey were admissible in the domestic violence case against Beckerink. The Daily Mail reported that it obtained a copy of a 911 call, during which Tracey allegedly said, "He's assaulted me before." Beckerink is still in custody in Michigan and has not entered a plea to the murder charge in Illinois. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. At his sentencing hearing in Michigan, ABC reported that Beckerink told the court he missed his wife. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I did lose my wife, and I've been unable to grieve for her," he reportedly said. "I miss my wife every day. I love her more than anything." Following the murder charge against Beckerink, Tracey's family issued a statement, reported by CBS and ABC. "We dearly miss Caitlin as do her friends," her family reportedly said, in part. "Our family hopes that during the murder case against Adam Beckerink, that the truth about the last months of Caitlin's life and the events leading to her tragic death are revealed, so our wonderful daughter can finally be laid to rest." Read the original article on People Montana Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy announces launch of Senate Stewardship Caucus on Oct. 27, 2025. (Courtesy image) Montanas junior Sen. Tim Sheehy is the co-chair of a new bipartisan caucus launched this week focused on protecting the nations public lands. The Senate Stewardship Caucus has six inaugural members and is co-chaired by New Mexico Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich. The caucus mission is to drive efforts to expand and protect access to public lands, promote commonsense land management policies, and support economic growth in rural communities, according to a news release from Sheehys office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public lands are a purely American institution, and all Americans can find common ground in working together to better manage, conserve, and steward these treasured landscapes while driving economic growth and supporting our resource and agricultural economies, Sheehy said in a statement. Im proud to launch the Senate Stewardship Caucus with Senator Heinrich to safeguard the rights of Americans to hunt, fish, and recreate on our public lands and ensure we protect them for generations to come. The formation of the Stewardship Caucus follows a similar move in the House where earlier this year Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke launched the Public Lands Caucus, which Montana Rep. Troy Downing is a member of. All four members of Montanas federal delegation are Republicans. Public lands have been a flashpoint in federal politics this year as resolutions and budget riders have included proposed sales and exchanges of public lands. Zinke, a former Secretary of the Interior during President Donald Trumps first term, has positioned himself as a public lands champion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sheehy drew on his professional work as CEO of Bridger Aerospace, a private aerial firefighting company, during his 2024 election against incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester to tout his own land management bona fides. He also previously served on the board of the The Property and Environment Research Center, a self-described property rights and environmental organization and focuses on what it calls free market environmentalism. The Stewardship Caucus launch event on Monday was hosted by Nature is Nonpartisan, a nonprofit organization that seeks environmental solutions that span the political rift. Even when America feels more divided than ever, conservation is a place of consensus, Nature is Nonpartisan CEO Benji Backer said in a statement. The most durable solutions come from bipartisanship, and we look forward to supporting the important work of the Senate Stewardship Caucus. Caucus co-chairman Heinrich said in his remarks that the caucus came together on an important day Teddy Roosevelts birthday, and the publication day of the Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, a giant in the annals of American conservation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a young person, I had the privilege of serving as an outfitter guide in the very landscapes that Aldo Leopold wrote of in that book. It was seminal in creating what he called a Land Ethic the relationship that our communities have with place, with land public and private with streams, with wildlife, Heinrich said. Putting together this Stewardship Caucus is an opportunity for all of us to work on these issues together to protect and conserve the places we know and love for this generation and the next. The other inaugural members of the caucus include Montanas senior Sen. Steve Daines, and Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, Thom Tillis, R-North Caroline., John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Katie Britt , R-Alabama. America is home to the most pristine natural beauty in the world, and its our job to be good stewards of the land were blessed to live in, Daines said. As a lifelong outdoorsman, Im proud to join Senator Sheehy and Senator Heinrich in founding the Senate Stewardship Caucus, so that we can protect and manage our lands for generations to come. SHEFFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) Sheffield police are investigating after a shooting threat was reported at Berkshire School on Monday. Tractor-trailer hits gas line, causes delays for Springfield schools The Sheffield Police Department stated in a news release that at approximately 1:29 p.m. on Monday, officers received a report that someone had called Berkshire School and was threatening to shoot up the school. The school was immediately placed into a lockdown following the threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sheffield police were assisted by officers from Great Barrington, Egremont, New Marlborough, and the Massachusetts State Police to perform a full sweep of the school campus, during which time no threats were located. Based on current evidence, police stated this was likely a swatting incident, and that there is no danger to the school or the public. Law enforcement is continuing to investigate the threat. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) Voters who live in unincorporated Shelby County near Chelsea will head to the polls Tuesday. They are voting on whether to add zoning regulations. The area does not have any. Vote No signs are up and down Chelsea Road in unincorporated Shelby County. Jackie Hale, the owner of the Canine Country Club, put most of them up. The people that live out here outside of the city of Chelsea, and the area that is under scrutiny with this vote, were six, seven, eight miles away from that, Hale said. We dont want to give up our unzoned property. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alabama food distribution sites seeing spikes as government shutdown continues, SNAP suspension looms Josh Osborne, the manager of planning and community development for Shelby County, said the proposed zoning take businesses like the Canine Country Club into account. Zoning will maintain characteristics of the community, Osborne said. It will preserve property values and gives the people an opportunity to carry that. If theres ever a petition to rezone a piece of property, whether its a commercial or even for zoning for data centers or for concrete plans for example, they have the opportunity to go to the planning commission to be heard. Hale said she still wants the freedom to do what she wants on her property, which is something she believes will not be the case if the vote passes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The problem is that if we ever wanted to change our business, we would have to apply for different zoning, and thats just a process I dont want to have to go through, Hale said. Of course, we have to follow building regulations, but we dont have zoning regulations. So we can build whatever we want to on our property as long as it follows building regulations, and thats just the way we like it. Voting will take place at North Shelby Baptist Church. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42. Park City is pictured on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) As Utahs housing affordability crisis continues to be a stated top priority for the states political leaders, short-term rentals like Airbnbs and VRBOs have been in some policymakers crosshairs. Lawmakers for years have contemplated changes to Utahs short-term rental laws some to allow more restrictions and others more leniency but its a moving target as the number of short-term rentals continues to grow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Past research has shown that short-term rentals eat into less than 2% of the statewide housing market, but they have a bigger impact on vacation areas like Park City, Moab and St. George. Housing experts have stressed that short-term rentals while they impact some communities more than others are taking up only a fraction of the states housing stock, and theyre just a small piece of the states housing affordability crisis. Still, lawmakers have explored legislation targeting short-term rentals, including possibly enacting higher taxes on the properties. So a Utah taxpayer watchdog group recently commissioned a new report wanting to give lawmakers a bigger picture of short-term rentals impact both on housing and the economy. Billy Hesterman, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, told Utah News Dispatch on Monday that he wants policymakers to look at the whole picture when it comes to short-term rentals not just in the housing affordability conversation, but also as economic drivers. Short-term rentals are often framed as having an outsized impact on housing supply while only benefiting the relatively few Utahns who own them, Hesterman said in a prepared statement issued alongside the report. This couldnt be further from the truth; the report shows that short-term rentals benefit small businesses, contribute to local economies, and generate needed tax revenue. As Utah grows, its important that our elected officials understand the role short-term rentals can play in boosting communities across the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report released earlier this month concluded that while short-term rentals continue to be a significant component of Utahs tourism landscape, their broader impact on housing supply and affordability is relatively limited at the statewide level. They account for only 1.9% of the states total housing stock, the report said. And even in the communities where theyre the most concentrated, if they were to be converted into for-sale homes, they still would not fundamentally solve local housing shortages or materially shift affordability for most residents. To understand their impact, the Utah Taxpayers Association study tested a scenario: What if the states short-term rental properties were converted into traditional residential housing? We wanted to evaluate what would happen if all of the current STR stock became available, residential housing, said Hesterman. This helps us understand whats at stake and whether or not STRs are a major driver of supply-side availability and affordability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if all of Utahs year-round short-term rental housing units moved to the residential housing market, the statewide median home price would drop by just 0.4%, the report concluded. That would equate to about $2,000 off a $500,000 homes sale price. And still, less than 1,000 short-term rentals would be affordable for families earning their areas average income. In areas where short-term rentals are highest such as Summit, Grand and Kane Counties converting them would dramatically increase inventory; yet these markets often have limited year-round housing demand and unique economic drivers, the report said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Hesterman said those areas, while they have housing challenges, also benefit greatly from their short-term rental availability and the tourism dollars they bring. He said any changes like increased regulations or higher taxes on short-term rentals would likely not have the impact people hope while the status quo is producing really good results for those areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for Utahs largest and fastest-growing urban counties, the report said short-term rentals represent a negligible share of housing stock, and their potential conversion to owner-occupied or rental housing would provide only marginal and temporary impacts on housing supply. At the same time, the report found that short-term renters generate a significant amount of tourism dollars, totaling $1.19 billion in direct visitor spending in 2023. Additionally, the report found theyve led to an estimated 10,200 jobs across the state. Tax wise, short-term rentals have generated an estimated $35.8 million in usage taxes, which the report said accounts for more than a third of statewide collections for hotel and other temporary room rentals. Plus, short-term rentals generated about $181 million in property tax revenue last year. This research makes it clear, Hesterman said. Eliminating short-term rentals would do almost nothing to solve Utahs housing challenges, but eliminating their significant benefits to tourism and small business-based economies would create revenue shortfalls and other problems for communities across the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hesterman said he thinks lawmakers should continue focusing on incentivizing more affordable housing types rather than punishing or regulating the short-term rental market. Lets look at other options. How do we increase the supply? How do we look at making construction more affordable in the state and making sure our future families do have somewhere to live at an affordable cost? Hesterman said. There are a lot of options to consider. STR-Utah-Draft2_Oct2025_FinalDraftV2 SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE YUMA Southern Arizona politicians joined representatives of the Sierra Club by the banks of the Colorado River on Oct. 27 to call on Washington to protect the waterway by taking action against climate change. The officials, including Democratic U.S. Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, were demanding an end to what they called major rollbacks in climate protections, most prominently the Trump administrations plan to overturn the endangerment finding that enables the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Grijalva and others connected that action and the revocation of clean energy incentives with the prospect of drought and drying reservoirs that could keep water from flowing to Yuma in the future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We cannot let this lifeline run dry, Grijalva said. The congresswoman-elect has yet to be sworn in during the ongoing government shutdown a point one person in the handful of supporters attending the event emphasized with the placard that read, Swear her in. Drought persists: Colorado River shortages will continue through 2026, with 'dire' predictions beyond Without the Colorado, 'there is no Arizona' City Councilmember Lizeth Sevin, from the border town of San Luis, noted that the river already is fully diverted before it passes her community. Further water reductions would harm the regions ability to produce food and would bring climate change home to all Arizonans, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without the Colorado River, there is no Arizona, there is no Nevada, there is no Southern California, she said, and of course there is no San Luis. Rep.-elect Adelina Grijalva, D-Ariz., speaks at a news conference near the Colorado River Oct. 27, 2025, as Sandy Bahr of the Sierra Club looks on. Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr organized the event at Yumas riverside Gateway Park to draw attention to a facet of climate change that already has harmed Arizona and is likely to sting more next year when the federal government is expected to adopt new water-sharing guidelines for the seven states that use the river. Still, she noted, President Donald Trump attempted to force Arizona Public Service to reopen the closed Cholla coal-fired power plant until it became apparent that doing so would cost the utility more than $1 billion and more than the president had directed to prop up coal nationwide. Tech and the environment: Are water- and energy-hungry data centers a good idea in Arizona? Not enough water for data centers, lawmaker says Cary Meister, a Yuma resident who leads the chapters Colorado River Task Force, said Lake Powell dropped by 33 feet in the past year to prop up Lake Mead and keep the Southwest from facing deeper cuts than it already has an option that may not exist if more dry winters deplete the reservoir. Yet the government has cut back on support for renewable energy while seeking to support fossil fuels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, Washington is putting all its eggs in the oil and coal basket, he said. Democratic State Rep. Mariana Sandoval, whose southern Arizona district includes part of Yuma, said the state also needs to balance the job creation of new data centers with their water demands. We dont have the water for ourselves, let alone data centers, Sandoval said. For more Colorado River stories: Sign up for AZ Climate, The Republic's weekly environment newsletter. With the Southwest's worsening water outlook, wildfire seasons and heat waves, she said, "Climate change is no longer a distant threat." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked how Arizonans can change the trajectory on climate policy, Grijalva pointed to next years congressional elections. We have an opportunity to change the majority in the House, she said. Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com. Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Colorado River shortage is one reason to act on climate, advocates say Families across the country are facing a Nov. 1 cutoff of key food assistance because of the government shutdown, including military families who find themselves in a variety of different situations depending on where they live. The good news for about 10,000 military families using WIC Overseas is their benefits have experienced no disruption, and they wont be affected if the shutdown continues into November. That program, which is modeled after the U.S. Department of Agricultures Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, is operated through a contract and funded by the Defense Department. Its separate from the state-run WIC programs under the Agriculture Department. But in the U.S., a number of states have warned that funding will run out at the end of October for WIC, which would affect military families using the benefit in those locations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WIC provides benefits for healthy foods and infant formula, as well as nutrition education and breastfeeding support for pregnant women, new mothers and young children. States days away from cutting off WIC, SNAP The state WIC programs received temporary emergency funds from the Trump administration earlier this month to stabilize the program through October 31, but that funding is being rapidly depleted, according to the National WIC Association. That association led an effort with 44 other national organizations that signed on to a letter urging the administration to provide an additional $300 million in emergency funds for WIC to sustain the program through the first two weeks in November. In the most recent Defense Department survey of active-duty military spouses, about 7% said they were currently using WIC benefits and 1% said they were using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps. Exact numbers have traditionally been difficult to track, however. Many advocates contend that more military families would be eligible for WIC if they would apply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WICs eligibility criteria is more lenient than with SNAP, in which the Basic Allowance for Housing is used in calculating an applicants income. Adding in the BAH makes it more difficult for military families living off post to qualify for SNAP. Troops request assistance at unprecedented rate as shutdown persists Concerned about military families needing SNAP, Congress authorized a benefit implemented over the last few years called the Basic Needs Allowance. It provides a monthly stipend to boost military families income beyond SNAP eligibility, based on income and household size. But many of those military families who do qualify for SNAP may see those federal benefits disappear come Nov. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1 for SNAP, the Department of Agriculture posted on its website. SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food. A number of states have posted information about the looming cutoff, including several states with large military populations. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency to provide emergency hunger relief for Virginians in response to the looming cutoff of SNAP benefits. Other states, like North Carolina, are also exploring options to maintain the benefit if they dont receive federal funding. Contractor fronts money for WIC Overseas The continuation of WIC Overseas is a bit of good news at least for the short term, said Eileen Huck, acting director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Defense Health Agency told Military Times that the Treasury Department couldnt reimburse the WIC Overseas contractor after Oct. 1. However, that situation hasnt affected the ability of WIC Overseas to operate or pay for drafts used to purchase WIC-approved foods, said Virginia Carrillo Johnson, who works for the contractor, Cherokee Nation Aerospace and Defense, as the WIC Overseas program manager. At this time, WIC Overseas will not be affected if the shutdown continues into November, Johnson. said. Commissaries are continuing to receive payment for WIC-approved foods as normal, she added. While that contractor continues to pay for all WIC Overseas drafts, the funds are provided by Cherokee Federal and other internal funding, she said. Cherokee Federal is their federal contracting division. We will seek reimbursement from [Defense Health Agency] once the government shutdown is over and [fiscal 2026] funds are available, Johnson said. The WIC Overseas program is fully funded through April 2026. Cherokee Federal plans to continue supporting and funding the program until the government reopens, she said. The Senate failed yet another vote today, dragging on what has now become the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The vote to fund the government failed 54-45, short of the 60 votes needed, as Republicans and Democrats continue to butt heads on funding legislation. Meanwhile, millions of Americans risk losing their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits come November as a result of the shutdown. Here's how Illinois' representatives voted. How did Dick Durbin vote on funding extension? Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin voted against the House-backed measure to fund the federal government, according to the U.S. Senate website. How did Tammy Duckworth vote on funding extension? Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth also voted against the measure. Did any Republicans vote against funding extension? Did any Democrats vote for it? Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against the measure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) joined Republicans in voting for the funding extension. Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) refrained from voting. When is the next Senate vote? The date of the next Senate vote is not known yet, as the Senate schedule for tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, has not yet been released. When or if a 14th vote will take place remains unclear. Lori Comstock contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Senate fails another vote. See how Duckworth, Durbin voted on shutdown CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) The government shutdown is affecting people all over the nation. In Central Illinois, one of those groups impacted is farmers. The Farm Service Agency is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. The FSA was shutdown for about three weeks, and now, only two workers are back in each countys office, making it difficult to get all the necessary work done for farmers. From the Farm: Beef association CEO criticizes Trump admins Argentine beef plan Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were, I know, singing to the choir that we need the government to reopen, but its true, said Champaign County Farm Bureau Manager Bailey Conrady. And, we need it for a variety of reasons. She added that the shutdown is impacting the agriculture community in many ways, like many of the USDAs operations being closed and the FSA only having two workers in each county office. Conrady said that all the government reports they depend on, theyre not getting. Its at the same time that harvest is slowing down for farmers, and they are struggling to be able to report their yields and acres farmed. They say its causing concerns for them. Conrady shared that those numbers will affect the supply and demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We depend on all those types of reports to help set the market prices for commodities, Conrady said, and she acknowledged that, Farm policy, while it can seem very esoteric and very weird, and if youre not in it, its hard to understand. It impacts everyone. Other items are being affected as well. FSA loan repayments and the issuance of new FSA loans, you know, thats very slowed down, Conrady said. From the Farm: Artificial Intelligence Farms: CropWizard She said that its a lot of end-of-year paperwork theyre struggling to get in to the FSA because of the limited amount of workers. One farmer in Macon County agreed. Theyre going to work, and they cant really get some of their work done, which in turn slows things down, farmer Clint Gorden said. Some of these payments could be the difference between going on in 2026 and not going on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conrady added that producers have been selling commodities at low prices, while input prices remain high. The farm economy is not good right now, you know. Its bad, she said. The shutdown is just compounding this problem. These high inputs with land rental and all the other things that go into farming, I think its going to add up and pile onto some of these producers, Gorden said. He said that he is doing okay right now but knows that these problems could grow if something doesnt change. I think, right now, its just a thought in our heads as producers, but a month from now, its going to be a really big deal if this government doesnt get back open, he admitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conrady also said that farmers are supposed to have yield reports in by a specific deadline, and while that deadline varies, she said that they are unsure if the government will extend that date. She shared its just one of the unknowns and What ifs? theyre working through right now. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) A Sioux Center man is behind bars, accused of starting a fire. 16 SD counties to hold sobriety checkpoints in November Greg Aberson, 52, was arrested for second-degree arson. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office says it happened just before 5 p.m. Saturday, south of Orange City. First responders arriving on scene found smoke and flames coming from a home. No one was hurt. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com. ORANGE CITY, Iowa (KCAU) A Sioux Center man is behind bars for allegedly setting a house on fire in northwest Iowa. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office said Greg Aberson, 52, is being held in the county jail on a second-degree arson charge. According to court documents, on October 25 at around 11 a.m., authorities received a report of a house fire in the 4900 block of Ironwood Avenue, around four miles south of Orange City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Firefighters arrived at the home and saw a portion of the building in flames and with heavy smoke. Deputies showed up and saw fire crews working to put out the flames. No one was home at the time of the fire, and nobody was injured. Story continues below After the fire was extinguished, law enforcement said they were told by the Fire Chief that the burn patterns and origin of the fire were inconsistent with an accidental fire, and an arson investigation began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the investigation, witnesses told officials that they saw Aberson leaving the residence as smoke was coming out. According to court documents, Aberson admitted to law enforcement that he intentionally set the home on fire by pouring 2.5 gallons of gas in the house and a lighter. Authorities said the residence was deemed a total loss, which is valued at around more than $100,000. Aberson is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on November 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) Considered a delicacy and once a form of currency, chocolate has been around for centuries, and Palmer Candy has been making delicious treats since 1878. One of the things I always tell people is I have the best job of anybody that I know, I get to run a chocolate factory, said President and CEO of Palmer Candy Company, Marty Palmer. Palmer is the fifth-generation owner of Palmer Candy, a company that just surpassed Jelly Belly to become the oldest privately run and operated candy company still operating in North America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyve been creating delicious treats, such as the popular Twin Bings, for over 100 years. The Bing has been made for over 100 years, said Palmer. About two years ago, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Bing, which makes it one of the oldest candy bars. Story continues below The Twin Bing is a handmade candy bar that combines a flavored center, chocolate, and peanuts. Teams would scoop all three elements together using what looks like a double-ice-cream scooper. Team members responsible for making the candy bar can make up to 50,000 a day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palmer told KCAU 9 that customers will soon find a new Twin Bing in stores. After more than 100 years of making the iconic Cherry Bing, were now adding a Coconut Bing to the lineup, and it is amazing, Palmer said. Also made were white chocolate and milk chocolate pretzels, some of which were decorated for the holiday season. Once packed, the candies are shipped around the continent, including Mexico and Canada. We are the second largest producer of all enrobed pretzels, enrobed caramel corn, (and) peanut clusters, said Palmer. A point of pride for the Palmer family is their peanut clusters. The company makes its own centers and roasts its own peanuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The center is created in a machine called a mogul, where the desired center is flowed into a shape tray. Once made, its cooled, covered in chocolate and peanuts, cooled again, covered in chocolate again, and cooled one final time. Palmer said, This line will make 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of beautiful candy per day. If you have never been to Sioux Citys Palmer Candy Shop, you can find it at 405 Wesley Parkway, Sioux City, IA. You can also find them online at their Facebook page or their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Dolton Mayor Jason House says he is excited to announce six community members have begun developing a plan for Pope Leo XIVs boyhood home, though he still plans to appoint one more person to the Historic Preservation Commission. I think we have a very skilled and talented group thatll bring an inclusive mindset to this process, and well definitely get a great result for the residents, House said Tuesday. Dolton clerk Alison Key was sworn in Thursday as leader of the commission that also includes Democratic state Rep. Will Davis, village co-chaplain Deborah White, former Illinois GOP finance committee chairman Vince Kolber, and longtime residents Garrett Ghezzi and Lisa Montgomery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House said Keys contributions as village clerk qualified her to lead the commission, which is charged with deciding next steps for the popes childhood home at 212 East 141st Place as well as general pope-related tourism in Dolton. Shes been instrumental to so many things that we do within the village that, I guess because of her humility, many times fly under the radar, House said. House said the commission conducted its first meeting Thursday and will meet at least monthly to develop a plan for highlighting the home and encouraging responsible tourism. Myself and the village have brainstormed at least four potential paths for developing the area, House said. Each path has its own strengths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement House declined to elaborate more on potential plans so not to interfere with the commissions ability to recommend their own ideas to the village board for approval. The village closed on the house in July, paying $375,000, and has since welcomed visitors who are often seen posing for photos outside its front door. With the help of now commission member White, the village celebrated Pope Leos 70th birthday outside of the home last month. At the time, House said he was considering multiple ways to draw in more revenue as people stop by the house, including potential partnerships with nonprofits and property additions. He said hes researched approaches taken by other towns home to important landmarks for remarkable people, including those in other countries where popes were born. The Jackson Family Home in Gary, Indiana was another potential model, though less applicable due to a lack of consistent foot traffic there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But House said a priority is ensuring anything we do be consistent and mindful of the Catholic faith. If were doing things the right way as a by-product of that, the village will benefit, House said. House said he prioritized selecting at least two members who were devout Catholics. That includes Kolber and another person who was selected to the commission but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. House said he expects to appoint another Catholic member within a month. ostevens@chicagotribune.com MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) In an effort to help keep its students healthy and strong, Skyview Elementary held an assembly on Monday to celebrate a recent donation of physical education equipment and get kids excited for it. The American Heart Association and MVB Bank partnered together to donate the equipment to the school, a move thats part of the Recess Reboot initiative, which MVB Bank is a sponsor of. So we are definitely wanting to be in partnership with keeping kids healthy and the community healthy by getting them moving. So we decided to donate, Kandyce Tubbs with MVB Bank said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The assembly announced the equipment donation to the students. Select Students and staff were chosen to compete in an obstacle course to encourage a fun way to exercise and showcase the equipment. West Virginia small businesses offering free meals for kids every day during SNAP delay We are so excited to see our students get stronger, like I said, they are so mentally tough and mentally strong, so it will be cool to see that translate into P.E. class, Assistant Principal Courtney Wheeling said. Wheeling also spoke on how the new equipment will directly impact the students. It was the goal of our P.E teacher at the end of last year to increase our students upper body strength, she said. This is stuff we have never had before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Skyview Elementary is not the only school to benefit from Recess Reboot. The Recess Reboot initiative has led to similar donations for schools all over the country with the goal of keeping students healthy and strong. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBOY.com. Andrew Nunez, a six-year employee of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, is survived by a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife, officials said. (San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department) There has been an outpouring of grief for Andrew Nunez, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy who was fatally shot Monday, allegedly by a suspect who then led officers on a wild motorcycle chase. Nunez, a six-year employee of the department, leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. "We're embedded in sorrow," Dicus said at a Monday afternoon news conference. "Unfortunately for our department, this has happened way too often. We're going to do our very best to do the most important thing at this point, and that's to make sure that we bring the suspect to justice and take good care of that family." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He was a wonderful father," he added. "He was a wonderful deputy sheriff." Dicus said Nunez was called to a house after reports of a man threatening a woman. When he arrived, a suspect shot him before fleeing, the sheriff said. The deputy died soon after at a hospital. Theres a tremendous amount of violence out there, Dicus said. Were proactively trying to prevent this violence. A memorial procession for the slain deputy began around 6:30 p.m. as scores of law enforcement personnel gathered outside Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to salute Nunez's body as it was carried outside the building. A motorcade then escorted the body from the medical center to the San Bernardino County coroner's office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sheriff's Department released a statement Monday evening honoring Nunez's service as a law enforcement officer and extending condolences to his family, friends and fellow deputies. "Deputy Nunez served with unwavering commitment, courage and deep compassion for the community he vowed to protect," the department stated. "His bravery and sacrifice reflect a life dedicated to safeguarding others, even at the greatest cost. Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts." A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy was fatally shot Monday. (OnScene.TV) Nunez's death was met with condolences from elected officials. "My prayers are with his wife, young daughter and family," Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) said in a statement. "His courage and dedication to protecting others will never be forgotten." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "On behalf of all Californians, [my wife] Jennifer and I extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Deputy Nunez," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "His courage, compassion and dedication to protecting others reflect the finest traditions of law enforcement. We honor his life and service with gratitude; may his sacrifice never be forgotten." The suspect, 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar, allegedly led police on a high-speed chase and was deliberately knocked off of his motorcycle by another deputy on the 210 Freeway in Upland. At 1:35 p.m., the off-duty deputy conducted a legal intervention, hitting the suspect and causing the motorcycle to crash, Dicus said. Helicopter video shows the suspect colliding with a black sedan while traveling at 70 mph, soaring over the handlebars and landing on his back. The injured suspect was loaded onto a stretcher and transported to a hospital via helicopter. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. ROCHELLE, Ill. (WTVO) Ogle County authorities have charged an Illinois woman with aggravated assault, cocaine possession, DUI, and more after she reportedly led police on a chase through Rochelle that came to an end when deputies blew out her tires on Saturday. According to the Ogle County Sheriffs Office, deputies were called to investigate a driving complaint around 12:25 a.m., near the intersection of Illinois Route 38 and Beck Road. Deputies located the suspect vehicle, a black Ford Escape, near the intersection of IL 38 and Dement Road, and activated lights and sirens in an attempt to get the driver, identified as Donna Di Nardo, 62, of Des Plaines, to stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Di Nardo did not yield to authorities, however, and led deputies on a slow-speed pursuit through the city of Rochelle, authorities said. Stop sticks, used to deflate a vehicles tires, were thrown in her path several different times during the pursuit, police said. Eventually, the vehicle stopped on Intermodal Drive, just west of Jack Dame Road. Di Nardo faces a litany of charges, including: aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing to elude, aggravated driving under the influence, possession of cocaine, DUI drugs, driving on a suspended license, fleeing to elude, two McHenry County warrants for failure to appear in court on aggravated assault charges, and a failure to appear in Waushara County, Wisconsin court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was also cited for various traffic offenses. Di Nardo was booked into the Ogle County Jail, where she was held on the active warrants. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) A plane crash killed 11 people, mostly foreign tourists, in Kenyas coastal region of Kwale early Tuesday while they were en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in heavy rain. The airline, Mombasa Air Safari, said in a statement that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were on board, and the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly, forested area about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Diani airstrip, authorities said. The airline did not confirm what time the aircraft departed Diani, saying the pilot failed to communicate upon departure and that the airport control tower tried to reach him for 30 minutes before the plane was located. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigating agencies were looking into the cause of the crash, Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The Associated Press. Authorities initially said the crash happened at 5:30 a.m. but the transport minister in a statement gave the time as 8:35 a.m. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving charred wreckage, officials said. Witnesses told the AP they heard a loud bang and found unrecognizable human remains at the scene. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on social media that the foreign ministry had been in contact with Kenyan authorities. What a tragedy! Orban wrote. Our sincere condolences to families of the Hungarians who died in the plane crash in Kenya. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on social media that the Hungarian victims were two families and an acquaintance, with two children among the dead. He said the Hungarian consul in Kenya was on the way to the scene. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority earlier said 12 people were on the Cessna Caravan-type aircraft. It did not give a reason for revising the number to 11. The Mombasa Air Safari airline operates 13-passenger Cessnas to many tourist destinations. The Maasai Mara National Reserve, in western Kenya, is a two-hour direct flight from Diani, a popular town on the Indian Ocean. One of Kenya's most visited areas, the reserve features an annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Mombasa Air Safari plane crashed in the Maasai Mara in 2012, with four people killed. According to the most recent safety oversight audit for Kenya posted on the International Civil Aviation Organization site, from 2018, Kenya's performance in the area of accident investigation fell below the global average. ___ AP journalist Justin Spike contributed from Budapest, Hungary. Appearing before the court last week by video conference, Judge Ahmad Darvish was said to have delivered a verdict with a smile without proper process, Zahra Shahbaz Tabari's family told HRANA. Irans Revolutionary Court sentenced 67-year-old Zahra Shahbaz Tabari to death on the charge of collaboration with anti-regime groups, based on highly limited and unreliable evidence, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) claimed on Monday, citing her family. Appearing before the court last week by video conference, Judge Ahmad Darvish was said to have delivered a verdict with a smile and without proper process, her family told HRANA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Describing the legislative process as symbolic and unlawful, her child told HRANA that, The hearing lasted less than ten minutes. My mother had no meaningful access to an independent lawyer. The court-appointed attorney confirmed and signed the verdict without any defense. The whole trial was a show. They stressed, My mother has never had any connection with political or opposition groups; the charges against her are entirely fabricated. Tabari was allegedly arrested in April and taken to the Lakan Prison in Rasht. A image of Zhina Mahsa Amini at a candlelit vigil following her death, outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 22, 2022. (credit: BING GUAN/REUTERS) During a search of the familys personal devices, police alleged to have found a piece of fabric bearing the slogan Woman, Resistance, Freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The slogan, which was allegedly found, bears resemblance to the Woman, Life, Freedom call, which spread across Iran after authorities murdered Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, for not wearing a headcovering correctly. The supposed evidence collected during the search also included an unpublished voice message, and her son complained that authorities attempted to lie about her possessing weapons. Authorities accused Tabari of collaborating with the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK). Tabari, an electrical engineer, member of the Iranian Engineering Organization, and a graduate of Isfahan University of Technology, had also reportedly previously been arrested and imprisoned for three months for content posted on social media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a letter sent by her child to HRANA, they wrote: She has been detained for about six months or more. The trial was virtual, and the judge announced the death sentence with a smile in a ten-minute session. The appointed lawyer also smiled upon hearing the verdict. Tabaris child described the court process as another example of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic. Iran dramatically increases executions in 2025 Iran has executed at least 1,000 people over the past nine months, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization shared in September. The number of executions has reportedly reached a three-decade peak. The executions, mostly hangings, toppled the previous figure of 975 state murders in 2024 and the record in 2015. The Islamic Republic has begun a mass killing campaign in Irans prisons, the dimensions of which, in the absence of serious international reactions, are expanding every day, IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam told The Telegraph. PLATTSBURGH When Jessica Furnias father, Ricky Taylor, was unexpectedly admitted to University of Vermont Health Network Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, her world shifted in an instant. The man who was her best friend and grandfather to her two children was dying. In that moment of heartbreak, Furnia says a nurse brought grace and love to her fathers passing. Ive worked in skilled nursing and end-of-life care, Furnia shares. Ive met many amazing professionals through my work with NAMI-CV and the hospital. But Ive never met anyone quite like Walter Rooks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rooks introduced himself to Furnia, her mother, and even to Taylor, who was no longer responsive. He quietly bowed his head beside Furnias father, recognizing the sacredness of the moment. He spoke gently to Taylor, explaining each step of care, even though Taylor couldnt respond. He talked to my dad like he was still fully there, Furnia recalls. He made sure every movement, every adjustment, was done with care and dignity. Rooks advocated for frequent comfort checks and medication to ease Taylors passing. He carefully positioned him with the help of assistants, adjusting blankets and pillows to ensure he was truly comfortable. and when Furnias mother had to step away, Rooks offered words of peace. Walter rubbed my dads arm and said, Ricky, Claudia went home. She is safe. Your daughter is here. You are okay. You are loved. That moment will stay with me forever, she says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Furnia adds that Rooks stayed well past the end of his shift, continuing to check on her and speak to her father with warmth and love. At one point, Taylor smiled, something Furnia admits she hadnt seen in days. That smile meant everything to me, she says. Walter made such a traumatic experience a peaceful one. I felt heard. My father was respected and cared for far beyond the call of duty. Rooks impact was so profound that Furnia insisted he be mentioned in her fathers obituary. Now when I talk about my dads passing, I talk about Walter, she says. She also nominated Rooks for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at the hospital. He received the honor during a surprise ceremony with his colleagues. During the award presentation, Rooks was presented with a certificate commending him as an extraordinary nurse. He, like all honorees, also received a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healers Touch, which is hand-cared by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital launched the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses in 2018 to recognize and reward licensed nurses for making a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients. Nomination forms and boxes are located at each of the hospitals main entrances and online at UVMHealth.org. Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. A committee reviews nominations and awards a deserving nurse each quarter. The award is part of the DAISY Foundations mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The DAISY Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System). The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org. WACO, Texas (FOX 44) The USDA announced on Monday that SNAP benefits will end on November 1st. The USDA cited the ongoing federal shutdown as being the cause behind the end of SNAP benefits. This change will affect the nearly 42 million Americans and 3.5 million Texans who rely on SNAP every day. McLennan County already faces a food insecurity problem, and Mia Medina with No Kid Hungry Texas says that the loss of SNAP funding wont make it any better. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within McLennan County, we already see high rates of food insecurity where one in four kids is at risk of hunger, according to Feeding America, said Medina. The total number of McLennan County residents affected potentially affected by lapses to snap, is estimated to be about 30,000 people. Rising food costs have made financial decisions increasingly difficult for families across America. Medina says that families are having to choose between feeding themselves or paying their bills, a problem she expects will only grow. We did a recent poll here in Texas that found 71 percent of all Texans have had to choose between paying for food and doing things like paying for rent, utilities or even medical bills, said Medina. This data was collected in September before the shutdown, so we expect this number to increase even more. According to Medina there is a $5-6 billion contingency fund meant to cover the cost of SNAP benefits in situations like the shutdown, but the USDA is not tapping into them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was created to fund SNAP during emergency situations like this. In its pre-shutdown plan, the USDA stated that multi-year contingency funds were intended to keep snap operations and benefits running during federal funding lapses like we have now, said Medina. The agency now claims that contingency funds cannot be used for November SNAP benefits because there is no fiscal year 2026 appropriations, which marks a shift from their earlier stance. For people who may need assistance with food during the government shutdown, there are several organizations and food banks across the McLennan county area which can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KWKT - FOX 44. The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is warning residents who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to prepare for possible delays or disruptions in their benefits if the federal government shutdown continues into November. DHS officials said they are awaiting guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers SNAP, but early indications suggest the shutdown could delay benefit issuance. The department is working with food banks and community partners across the state to prepare for a potential gap in assistance. SNAP is a critical program that helps ensure families all across our state have access to nutritious foods, and even a brief disruption is problematic, said DHS Secretary Janet Mann. Arkansans have a history of coming together to help each other in difficult times. Please check on friends, family, and neighbors, and donate time or money to food banks if you are able. Lets do everything we can to support one another so that no family goes hungry. DHS urges SNAP households to plan ahead DHS is advising SNAP participants to take the following steps before Nov. 1: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Identify local food pantries, churches, and community organizations that can provide temporary food assistance. The Arkansas Foodbank offers an online directory searchable by city or ZIP code. Reach out to family or friends who may be able to help with food purchases if there is a lapse in benefits. Use any remaining SNAP funds this week to buy shelf-stable foods that can last through November; purchases may not be allowed if the federal system shuts down. Check eligibility for other programs such as WIC or school-based meal services. Visit humanservices.arkansas.gov/u/SNAP for updates. DHS said the shutdown may also cause delays in processing new applications or renewals, though recipients should continue to submit all required paperwork and report household changes as usual. Other programs such as ARHOME, ARKids First A and B, and Medicaid are not expected to be immediately affected because state funding covers those through years end. SNAP by the numbers As of Sept. 1, more than 222,000 Arkansans in 118,000 households received SNAP benefits. In fiscal year 2024, the program assisted about 240,100 residents, or roughly 8 percent of the states populationone in every 13 people. Nationally, SNAP reached about 41.7 million participants, or 12 percent of the U.S. population. In Arkansas: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 64% of participants are in families with children. 45% include older adults or people with disabilities. 27% are in working families. Most participants live below the poverty line42% of households earn half the federal poverty threshold or less. Poverty and food insecurity in Arkansas According to federal data, 18.9% of Arkansas households were food-insecure between 2021 and 2023. About 15.7% of residents lived below the poverty line, including 20.9% of children and 12.1% of older adults. SNAP remains a vital safety net: between 2015 and 2019, it lifted an average of 63,000 Arkansansincluding 33,000 childrenabove the poverty line each year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Benefit amounts and impact SNAP targets aid based on need, providing larger benefits to households with lower incomes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Average benefit (FY 2024): $191 per person per month, or about $6.30 per day. Average monthly benefit in Arkansas (FY 2022): $309 for all households; $564 for those with children; $449 for working families; $125 for households with older adults. A 2022 federal update to the Thrifty Food Plan raised benefit levels nationwide to better align with food costs. SNAP participants in Arkansas received about $551.8 million in benefits in 2024. Economically, SNAP has a strong multiplier effecteach federal dollar generates roughly $1.50 in local economic activity, according to USDA estimates. Benefits are spent through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards at more than 2,700 retailers across Arkansas. Who receives SNAP in Arkansas Data from Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families show that in 2023: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White residents made up about 52% of participants (121,000 people). Black or African American residents represented 31% (72,500). Hispanic or Latino residents made up 3.8% (8,400). Other racial and ethnic groups, including Asian, American Indian, and Pacific Islander Arkansans, accounted for less than 1%. Rural need remains greatest SNAP participation is higher in rural Arkansas, where poverty and food insecurity rates remain elevated. In 2022, nearly one in five rural Arkansans (18%) received SNAP, compared to 13% of urban residents, according to the "2025 Rural Profile of Arkansas" by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Rural counties have higher overall poverty (19%) and child poverty (26%) than urban areas (16% and 22%, respectively). Food insecurity affects about 16.6% of Arkansans, with slightly higher rates in rural regions, particularly the Delta. Experts say SNAP spending also benefits rural economies by boosting local grocery sales and supporting jobs. However, limited internet access, transportation barriers, and food deserts can make it harder for rural families to apply or find healthy food options. Looking ahead Until Congress resolves the federal budget impasse, DHS says it will continue working with the USDA and community partners to mitigate harm to vulnerable Arkansans. For now, officials urge families to stay informed and prepare for possible interruptions starting Nov. 1. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Federal shutdown threatens food aid for thousands of Arkansas families WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The government shutdown and pause on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have area food pantries reaching deep into their cupboards. On Tuesday, Wichita-area providers gave an update on the impact of the uncertainty surrounding SNAP. They outlined their response to the increased demand for food assistance across the state. Brian Walker, president and CEO of the Kansas Food Bank, emphasized the urgency of the situation, saying the organization is preparing for a perfect storm as more families face food insecurity. The food bank is ramping up efforts to ensure that those in need can still access meals, especially during the holiday season. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kansas suing Trump administration over looming SNAP benefit lapse We do see an increase when people have to start turning on their furnace and those kinds of things, said Walker. But we also need more food because we all want to provide people that are struggling with the same type of meal that we all get to go sit down with our families or our friends during a holiday. Jay Hawes, executive director of Living Waters Food Pantry, reported a dramatic increase in new clients, with a 50% rise in just one week. This surge is forcing the pantry to make difficult decisions about resource allocation. We have very limited resources with the amount of food that we have and that were able to distribute, Hawes said. We have to figure out, How can we serve more people with our limited resources?' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are nervous: Wichita food banks see influx as SNAP benefits expire Traci Kennedy, executive director of Catholic Charities, highlighted the need for community support to meet the growing demand. We need the support of the community to come in and help us, she said, noting that the organization has contingency plans in place to deal with potential funding shortfalls. Tiffany Oltejenbruns, director of Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, and Emily Thome, director of Lords Diner, both reported increases in the number of people seeking assistance. Lords Diner serves between 2,000 to 2,200 people a day during the week, with numbers expected to rise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the Kansas Food Bank and its partners brace for increased demand, they are calling on the community to assist through donations and volunteer efforts. If youre interested in donating, we greatly need your help with that right now, Thome said. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Michigan House Democrats introduced a five-bill package on Tuesday to mitigate food access issues for residents at risk of losing SNAP benefits on Saturday due to the federal government shutdown. States warned SNAP recipients this month that eligibility for food assistance could change in November, when the compliance requirements for the One Big Beautiful Bill kick in. The shutdown makes the situation even more severe, as benefits could end in November if it continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told states to stop issuing benefits next month. As SNAP pause looms, local communities are rallying to help Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans said that by opposing the GOPs stopgap spending bill, Democrats are threatening undue harm to some of the countrys poorest people. I and other Democratic House members are deeply concerned about the imminent risk of 1.4 million Michiganders facing hunger, Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit) said in a statement. The Trump Administration and Washington Republicans are jeopardizing the food security and well-being of people families, seniors and those with disabilities who rely on SNAP benefits. The five bills focus on securing food access, stocking food banks and reopening the federal government so benefits can continue. AG Nessel sues USDA for halting SNAP benefits Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Introduced by Myers Phillips, one bill would create a $900 million emergency fund that would supplement SNAP. Lawmakers said this would allow the program to remain operational in Michigan. An additional bill introduced by Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) would provide $12.5 million for the Food Bank Council of America. Rep. Kimberly Edwards (D-Eastpointe) introduced a bill that would provide that same amount of funding to food pantry programs to help those facing food insecurity. The package also includes two calls to action: one introduced by Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mt. Clemens) that would urge President Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress and USDA to immediately reopen the federal government or, at a minimum, allow the continued flow of SNAP benefits beyond the Nov. 1 cutoff. A second call to action, introduced by Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Twp.), would urge USDA to use its contingency fund to support SNAP, noting thats what the department did during the 2019 shutdown during Trumps first term. In an interview, U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) told 6 News that Democrats should not be allowed to shut down the federal government, noting that Republicans won the presidency, House and Senate in last years election. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) countered that by arguing Republicans want to strip health care away from people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Senate failed Tuesday for a 13th time to reopen the government. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) On the election ballot for El Paso voters within the Socorro Independent School Districts (SISD) boundaries, a voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, proposes to adjust the districts tax rate. District officials said the adjustment wont cost homeowners more, while helping improve the districts financial outlook. Our current tax rate is a dollar five, and itll remain at a dollar five, even if this passes, and it will bring $49 million of additional revenue to our district, SISD Superintendent James Vasquez said. Proposition A on the SISD ballot reads as a tax increase: Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.0589 per $100 valuation in the Socorro Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 14.91 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the District for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $15,080,585. Vasquez said that while state law required Proposition A to read on the ballot that it is a tax increase, theyre not increasing the districts tax rate beyond the current $1.0589 per $100 valuation. He added that the adjustment is rather a penny swap within that same rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are two parts to the tax rate: the maintenance and operations, and the interest and sinking rate. So, what wed be doing essentially would be increasing the maintenance and operations tax rate by $0.12. However, wed be reducing the interest in the sinking tax rate also by $0.12 to our current tax rate, that is, a dollar five. Thus, there would be no impact to property owners within our district, Vasquez said. Vasquez said some property owners may even see a reduced property tax bill if voters were to approve some state propositions on the ballot that aim to pass property tax relief for Texans. So, there are about 17 statewide propositions on the ballot this November. Two in particular, propositions 11 and 13, those affect the homestead exemptions. Now, if the voters were to approve propositions 11, 13, and our Proposition A, they would actually see a decrease in their property taxes by about $345 on the average-priced home, Vasquez said. Vasquez said that if Prop A were approved, the newly generated revenue would be primarily used to restore the districts reserves or fund balance, but it would also allow them to fund other maintenance and operation needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were at a point now where were down to 17 days of fund balance. By our own policy, we need to be at 75 days. So, this would help with the recovery of our fund balance and put us in a better financial situation for years to come, Vasquez said. The money from this proposition would be usedto continue to support the student programs that weve been able to enjoy for the past many, many years. It will help with the employee compensation, and itll help with maintenance and operations needs across the district. Vasquez was asked what it would mean for the district if the proposition were denied by voters in the election. If this does not pass, there will be a continued financial strain on the district. Itll take longer to recover that fund balance. There will be potential cuts to programs, potential cuts to staff, Vasquez said. We did pass a balanced budget for this school year. And, while were proud of the fact that we did that, it was painful. We had to make a lot of painful decisions in order to get there. And even though were there, thats just part of the picture. We still have a fund balance issue, Vasquez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proposition A was recommended to the district by the finance and operations advisory committee, or FOAC, composed of parents, active and retired teachers, business leaders, and other stakeholders who believe this proposition will be crucial in helping the district turn the corner. Rosie Perez President of the West Texas Alliance We jumped on board to support it just because it really would not be a tax increase for taxpayers, and it would bring the necessary money that the district needs to make it solvent, said Rosie Perez, president of the West Texas Alliance. This is another crucial piece that will really help the district start progressing. Phillip Laign Treasurer for the Support Socorro ISD Schools political action committee (PAC) What the district has shown me in the course of maybe 4 or 5, maybe 6 months, is a commitment to make a change, to positively impact the community it serves. And its made a commitment to really revisit its finances, to get its financial affairs in order. It went from a $40 million deficit to a balanced budget. And thats about as close as you can come to a financial miracle today, said Phillip Laign, the treasurer for the Support Socorro ISD Schools political action committee (PAC). So, with the district, with the board, and the newly elected superintendent, its a district that Ive come to realize I can trust as a taxpayer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. In May 2024, part of the Sun exploded. The Sun is an immense ball of superheated gas called plasma. Because the plasma is conductive, magnetic fields loop out of the solar surface. Since different parts of the surface rotate at different speeds, the fields get tangled. Eventually, like rubber bands pulled too tight, they can snap and that is what they did last year. These titanic plasma explosions, also known as solar flares, each unleashed the energy of a million hydrogen bombs. Parts of the Suns magnetic field also broke free as magnetic bubbles loaded with billions of tons of plasma. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These bubbles, called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, crashed through space at around 6,000 times the speed of a commercial jetliner. After a few days, they smashed one after another into the magnetic field that envelops Earth. The plasma in each CME surged toward us, creating brilliant auroras and powerful electrical currents that rippled through Earths crust. You might not have noticed. Just like the opposite poles of fridge magnets have to align for them to snap together, the poles of the magnetic field of Earth and the incoming CMEs have to line up just right for the plasma in the CMEs to reach Earth. This time they didnt, so most of the plasma sailed off into deep space. Humans have not always been so lucky. Im an environmental historian and author of the new book Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean: An Environmental History of Our Place in the Solar System. While writing the book, I learned that a series of technological breakthroughs from telegraphs to satellites have left modern societies increasingly vulnerable to the influence of solar storms, meaning flares and CMEs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since the 19th century, these storms have repeatedly upended life on Earth. Today, there are hints that they threaten the very survival of civilization as we know it. The telegraph: A first warning On the morning of Sept. 1, 1859, two young astronomers, Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson, became the first humans to see a solar flare. To their astonishment, it was so powerful that, for two minutes, it far outshone the rest of the Sun. About 18 hours later, brilliant, blood-red auroras flickered across the night sky as far south as the equator, while newly built telegraph lines shorted out across Europe and the Americas. The Carrington Event, as it was later called, revealed that the Suns environment could violently change. It also suggested that emerging technologies, such as the electrical telegraph, were beginning to link modern life to the extraordinary violence of the Suns most explosive changes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more than a century, these connections amounted to little more than inconveniences, like occasional telegraph outages, partly because no solar storm rivaled the power of the Carrington Event. But another part of the reason was that the worlds economies and militaries were only gradually coming to rely more and more on technologies that turned out to be profoundly vulnerable to the Suns changes. A brush with Armageddon Then came May 1967. Soviet and American warships collided in the Sea of Japan, American troops crossed into North Vietnam and the Middle East teetered on the brink of the Six-Day War. It was only a frightening combination of new technologies that kept the United States and Soviet Union from all-out war; nuclear missiles could now destroy a country within minutes, but radar could detect their approach in time for retaliation. A direct attack on either superpower would be suicidal. An aurora an event created by a solar storm over Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, in Greenland in 2017. In 1967, nuclear-armed bombers prepared to take off from this base. Air Force Space Command Suddenly, on May 23, a series of violent solar flares blasted the Earth with powerful radio waves, knocking out American radar stations in Alaska, Greenland and England. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forecasters had warned officers at the North American Air Defense Command, or NORAD, to expect a solar storm. But the scale of the radar blackout convinced Air Force officers that the Soviets were responsible. It was exactly the sort of thing the USSR would do before launching a nuclear attack. American bombers, loaded with nuclear weapons, prepared to retaliate. The solar storm had so scrambled their wireless communications that it might have been impossible to call them back once they took off. In the nick of time, forecasters used observations of the Sun to convince NORAD officers that a solar storm had jammed their radar. We may be alive today because they succeeded. Blackouts, transformers and collapse With that brush with nuclear war, solar storms had become a source of existential risk, meaning a potential threat to humanitys existence. Yet the magnitude of that risk only came into focus in March 1989, when 11 powerful flares preceded the arrival of back-to-back coronal mass ejections. For more than two decades, North American utility companies had constructed a sprawling transmission system that relayed electricity from power plants to consumers. In 1989, this system turned out to be vulnerable to the currents that coronal mass ejections channeled through Earths crust. In Quebec, crystalline bedrock under the city does not easily conduct electricity. Rather than flow through the rock, currents instead surged into the worlds biggest hydroelectric transmission system. It collapsed, leaving millions without power in subzero weather. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Repairs revealed something disturbing: The currents had damaged multiple transformers, which are enormous customized devices that transfer electricity between circuits. Transformers can take many months to replace. Had the 1989 storm been as powerful as the Carrington Event, hundreds of transformers might have been destroyed. It could have taken years to restore electricity across North America. Solar storms: An existential risk But was the Carrington Event really the worst storm that the Sun can unleash? Scientists assumed that it was until, in 2012, a team of Japanese scientists found evidence of an extraordinary burst of high-energy particles in the growth rings of trees dated to the eighth century CE. The leading explanation for them: huge solar storms dwarfing the Carrington Event. Scientists now estimate that these Miyake Events happen once every few centuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Astronomers have also discovered that, every century, Sun-like stars can explode in super flares up to 10,000 times more powerful than the strongest solar flares ever observed. Because the Sun is older and rotates more slowly than many of these stars, its super flares may be much rarer, occurring perhaps once every 3,000 years. Nevertheless, the implications are alarming. Powerful solar storms once influenced humanity only by creating brilliant auroras. Today, civilization depends on electrical networks that allow commodities, information and people to move across our world, from sewer systems to satellite constellations. What would happen if these systems suddenly collapsed on a continental scale for months, even years? Would millions die? And could a single solar storm bring that about? Researchers are working on answering these questions. For now, one thing is certain: to protect these networks, scientists must monitor the Sun in real time. That way, operators can reduce or reroute the electricity flowing through grids when a CME approaches. A little preparation may prevent a collapse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fortunately, satellites and telescopes on Earth today keep the Sun under constant observation. Yet in the United States, recent efforts to reduce NASAs science budget have cast doubt on plans to replace aging Sun-monitoring satellites. Even the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, the worlds premier solar observatory, may soon shut down. These potential cuts are a reminder of our tendency to discount existential risks until its too late. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Dagomar Degroot, Georgetown University Read more: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dagomar Degroot has received funding from NASA. Gabriela Marte sends her son to Coral Cove Academy of the Arts, a public school in Florida. She worried about her son's transition to a big middle school until Coral Cove made a much-requested change. She also said the focus on arts education has been instrumental to her son's development. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Gabriela Marte, the parent of a child who attends Coral Cove Academy of the Arts in Broward County, Florida. Coral Cove is a public school that recently converted from a K-5 structure to K-8. It has been edited for length and clarity. When I enrolled my son at Coral Cove for kindergarten, he was struggling with a learning disability. Now he's in fourth grade, he's high achieving, and he's excelling in reading and math. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I didn't have many expectations coming into Coral Cove. I received some positive recommendations from neighbors about the school, and I liked that it had a smaller population where I knew my son would get the attention he needed. I quickly saw that my son was thriving. His teachers were giving him guidance to grow in his academics, and the focus on the arts built his confidence. However, at the time I enrolled my son, Coral Cove was a K-5 elementary school, and I was concerned about putting him in a larger public middle school after fifth grade. I was raised in the Dominican Republic, and my education there consisted of small class sizes and a tight-knit community. I want my son to have the same experience, and I didn't want to throw him into a big pool of people where he might not get the same support that he had at Coral Cove. Business Insider is exploring how America's public schools are fighting an enrollment decline due to the school choice movement, declining birth rates, funding challenges, and more. Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com. I became involved in the push to transition Coral Kove to a K-8 academy, and I was so happy when the change was approved earlier this year. It provides our students the opportunity to continue to grow in the same creative environment during sixth through eighth grade, years which I think are crucial to a child's development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, it's an adaptation period, and not everyone was on board with the shift. Some parents wanted to stick with the more traditional public school model, but the response to a K-8 was still overwhelmingly positive. It's something that the community had been craving; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many K-8 charter and private schools in the area. If I didn't have the option of keeping my son in a K-8, I probably wouldn't go into public education for a middle school. I would likely look into a charter or a private school to ensure he wouldn't fall behind in a larger school environment. Marte said she didn't expect an arts-focused education to play such a big role in her child's development. Courtesy of Gabriela Marte The benefits of an arts-focused education My son didn't have a lot of exposure to the arts before entering Coral Cove, and it wasn't a priority for me, either, before we had enrolled. After getting an arts education, my son's personality has changed; he went from being very shy to having no fear of public speaking or performing in public. I was shocked at his growth this isn't the same child that I had four years ago. He goes to music, art, and dance classes, and it's a way for him to express himself and build confidence. When he was in second grade, he stood onstage in front of 800 people and introduced the principal, and last year, he performed as Mufasa in The Lion King. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seeing him speak and sing in front of a huge crowd is incredible. I didn't know my son could sing; I didn't know he could play the violin. Coral Cove exposed him to these things, and when I talk to parents from private schools, unless they pay for it, these are not things their children are exposed to. It's also helped my son be more well-rounded in academics. When he's struggling in math class, for example, the math teacher will let the music teacher know, and the music teacher will encourage my son to spend a bit more time on math instead of music. Everybody plays a part, and there are incentives from every angle to help students achieve academically. While it's been great for my son, it might not benefit every child; you need to find what works best and where your child can be best supported during their developmental phases. You expose and you encourage. That's all you can do as a parent, and if you don't expose them, you'll never know whether they'll be good at something. It puts the child in a much better place. Read the original article on Business Insider A jury has found a former Illinois sheriff's deputy guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey. The trial began last week for Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County deputy, in the fatal shooting of Massey in July 2024 after she called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home in Springfield, Illinois. Grayson had been charged with a total of three counts in connection with Masseys death -- first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty to "all counts," his attorney told ABC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the seven-day trial, the jury was given the option of considering second-degree murder, according ABC station WLS in Chicago. Grayson's sentencing is set for Jan. 29, 2026. He could be sentenced from four to 20 years in prison, or be given probation. The jury was instructed not to deliberate on the lower charges. Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for Massey's family, said in a statement Wednesday that the "verdict is still a measure of justice for Sonya Massey." They added, "Accountability has begun, and we now hope the court will impose a meaningful sentence that reflects the severity of these crimes and the life that was lost. We will continue to fight for Sonyas family and for reforms that protect everyone from unlawful use of force." Scott Olson/Getty Images, FILE - PHOTO: In this July 30, 2024, file photo, Donna Massey, the mother of shooting victim Sonya Massey, is comforted during a press conference at New Mount Pilgrim Church in Chicago. James Wilburn, Massey's father, said at a press conference outside of the courthouse after the trial that there was no doubt in his mind that Grayson committed first-degree murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm sure there's no doubt in Sean Grayson's mind, but his attorneys were skillful enough," Wilburn said. "They said that my daughter was the aggressor." "When you threaten to shoot someone in the face, and you do, that's first-degree murder," Sangamon County Assistant State's Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers said during closing arguments on Tuesday, according to ABC affiliate WICS in Springfield. Rodgers said the biggest lie Grayson told was that he had no choice in shooting Massey, according to WICS. The assistant state attorney said Grayson continued to lie over and over again on the stand, including when he said he attempted to turn his body camera on. According to bodycam footage from his partner, Grayson, who was inside Massey's home, points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, Walk away from your hot steaming water." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Massey then appears to pour the water into the sink and repeats the deputy's phrase before saying, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," according to the video. Grayson threatens to shoot her and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt, the video shows. As she briefly rises, Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows. Aashish Kiphayet/Nurphoto via Reuters, FILE - PHOTO: In this July 27, 2024, file photo, mourners put up candles while attending a vigil for Sonya Massey in Folger Park in Washington, D.C. "He wants you to believe that he was scared," Rodgers said of Grayson. "But you dont have to believe that because its not true." The assistant state attorney said that Massey's final words before being shot with her hands up were, "I'm sorry," according to WICS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During Grayson's testimony, he told the jury he believed Massey was going to throw the scalding water on him. Daniel Fultz, Grayson's defense lawyer, said during closing arguments that what happened to Massey was a tragedy but not a crime, according to WICS. As hard as that is to hear and accept, the outcome of this particular case was driven by Sonya Massey's actions," Fultz said, according to WICS. The defense attorney stated that when Massey said, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus," Grayson believed it was a threat, and the jury didn't have to agree with the former deputy, but thats what he believed, according to WICS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fultz said that he didn't care if the jury didn't like Grayson as a person because that wasn't what they were there to decide. Sonya Massey murder trial: Sheriff deputy's partner said he wants to 'do right' by her "The thing you cannot do is let your emotions dictate the outcome of this case," the defense lawyer told the jury, according to WICS. In rebuttal, Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser referenced the defense's instruction for the jury not to let their emotions decide the results of the trial, according to WICS. "Huh, thats what happened," Milhiser said, according to WICS. "The defendant let his emotions dictate the outcome of what happened in Sonya Masseys kitchen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The prosecution played Grayson's partner's body camera footage of the shooting on a monitor, causing multiple family members of Massey to cry or leave the courtroom, according to WICS. Grayson leaned forward over a table, not watching the monitor. One juror appeared to cry as she watched the footage, holding a notepad up to her face in an attempt to hide behind it, according to WICS. "Here's this giant, dangerous pot," Milhiser said as he held up the kitchenware for the jury to see, according to WICS. Chief Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin put the court in recess as he sent the jury out for deliberation after the closing arguments, according to WICS. Fultz declined to provide a comment to ABC News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The footage released by Illinois State Police shows the incident from the partner's point of view because Grayson did not turn on his own body camera until after the shooting, according to court documents reviewed by ABC News. Grayson took the stand in his own defense Monday, telling the jury he thought Massey was threatening him the night he and his partner responded to her. The former deputy said that after he asked her to turn off the stove, which was heating a pot of boiling water, he thought she was threatening him and was going to throw the water at him. In body camera video, Massey doesnt appear to raise the pot until after Grayson raises his gun, a key distinction, according to prosecutors. He shoots and kills her moments later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Grayson told the jury that he didnt use a taser because he had an older model and Massey was wearing multiple layers of clothing. The former deputy said he didnt want to take the chance of it malfunctioning. Before Grayson took the stand, his partner, who responded to Masseys home with him, said on the stand that he did not see her as a threat before his partner fired his gun. The trial began with jury selection on Monday, where a panel of 12 jurors was seated, according to WICS. The process took more than five hours and ended with a jury made up of nine white women, one Black man and two white men, as well as two white men and one white woman selected as alternate jurors. The trial was moved from Sangamon County to Peoria County due to extensive media publicity. GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) The United States and South Korea advanced trade talks on Wednesday, addressing details of $350 billion that would be invested in the American economy, after negotiations and ceremonies that included the presentation of a gold medal and crown to President Donald Trump. Both were gifts from the countrys president, Lee Jae Myung, who dialed up the flattery while Washington and Seoul worked to nail down financial promises during the last stop of Trumps Asia trip. Although both sides said progress has been made Trump said things were pretty much finalized no agreement has been signed yet. The framework includes gradual investments, cooperation on shipbuilding and the lowering of Trumps tariffs on South Korea's automobile exports, according to Kim Yong-beom, Lee's chief of staff for policy. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim said the two countries have agreed to keep reciprocal tariffs at 15%, as they have been since August, and further agreed to apply that rate to automobiles and auto parts, South Koreas largest exports to the United States. Autos and parts had been facing a 25% tariff, putting automakers such as Hyundai and Kia at a disadvantage against Japanese and European competitors, which face 15%. Despite the lack of immediate confirmation from U.S. officials on those points, it was apparent progress had been made on difficult issues after a day of adulation for the visiting American president from his hosts. There was a special lunch menu featuring U.S.-raised beef and a gold-adorned brownie. A band played Trumps campaign anthem of Y.M.C.A. when he stepped off Air Force One. Lee told him that you are indeed making America great again. Trump can be mercurial and demanding, but he has a soft spot for pomp and circumstance. He was particularly impressed by a choreographed display of colorful flags as he walked along the red carpet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was some spectacle, and some beautiful scene, Trump told Lee during their meeting. It was so perfect, so flawlessly done. Earlier in the day, Trump even softened his rhetoric on international trade, which he normally describes in predatory terms where someone is always trying to rip off the United States. The best deals are deals that work for everybody, he said during a business forum. Washington and Seoul have been working on a trade deal Trump was visiting while South Korea is hosting the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the historical city of Gyeongju. He previously stopped in Japan, where he bonded with the new prime minister, and Malaysia, where he attended a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican president has been trying to tie up trade deals along the way, eager to show that his confrontational approach of tariffs is paying dividends for Americans who are uneasy about the job market and watching a federal government shutdown extend into its fifth week. However, South Korea has been particularly tough to crack, with the sticking point being Trump's demand for $350 billion of direct investment in the U.S. Korean officials say putting up cash could destabilize their own economy, and theyd rather offer loans and loan guarantees instead. The country would also need a swap line to manage the flow of its currency into the U.S. Trump, after meeting with Lee, said we made our deal pretty much finalized." He did not provide any details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oh Hyunjoo, a deputy national security director for South Korea, told reporters earlier in the week that the negotiations have been proceeding a little bit more slowly than expected. We havent yet been able to reach an agreement on matters such as the structure of investments, their formats and how the profits will be distributed, she said Monday. Its a contrast from Trumps experience in Japan, where the government has worked to deliver the $550 billion in investments it promised as part of an earlier trade agreement. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced up to $490 billion in specific commitments during a dinner with business leaders in Tokyo. Lee, speaking at the business forum before Trump arrived, warned against trade barriers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a time when protectionism and nationalism are on the rise and nations focus on their immediate survival, words like cooperation, coexistence and inclusive growth may sound hollow," he said. "Yet, paradoxically, it is in times of crisis like this that APECs role as a platform for solidarity shines brighter. Trump and Lee swap praise despite disagreements Lee took office in June and had a warm meeting with Trump at the White House in August, when he praised Oval Office renovations and suggested building a Trump Tower in North Korea. He took a similar approach when Trump visited on Wednesday. The gold medal presented to Trump represents the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, the countrys highest honor, and Trump is the first U.S. president to receive it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said its as beautiful as it can possibly be and Id like to wear it right now. Next was a replica of a royal crown from the Silla Kingdom, which existed from 57 B.C. to 935 A.D. The original crown was found in a tomb in Gyeongju, the kingdoms capital. Besides trade disagreements, there have been other points of tension between Washington and Seoul this year. More than 300 South Koreans were detained during a U.S. immigration raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia in September, sparking a sense of outrage and betrayal. Lee said at the time companies would most likely hesitate to make future investments unless the visa system was improved. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If thats not possible, then establishing a local factory in the United States will either come with severe disadvantages or become very difficult for our companies," he said. Asked Monday about the immigration raid, Trump said, I was opposed to getting them out, and he said an improved visa system would make it easier for companies to bring in skilled workers. Trump-Xi meeting is expected Thursday While in South Korea, Trump is also expected to hold a closely watched meeting on Thursday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Washington and Beijing have clashed over trade, but both sides have indicated that they're willing to dial down tensions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that he expects to lower tariffs targeting China over the flow of fentanyl ingredients. Theyll be doing what they can do, he said. Trump added that China is going to be working with me. Trump sounded resigned to the idea that he wouldn't get to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on this trip. The president previously floated the possibility of extending his stay in South Korea, but on Wednesday said the schedule was very tight. North Korea has so far dismissed overtures from Washington and Seoul, saying it wont resume diplomacy with the United States unless Washington drops its demand for the Norths denuclearization. North Korea said Wednesday it fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters, in the latest display of its growing military capabilities as Trump visits South Korea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump brushed off the weapons test, saying hes been launching missiles for decades, right? The two leaders met during Trump's first term, although their conversations did not produce any agreements about North Korea's nuclear program. ___ Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung and Hyung-jin Kim contributed from Seoul, South Korea, and Josh Boak contributed from Tokyo. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Koreas new president will host leaders from 20 countries for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where the American and Chinese leaders are set to hold a high-stakes meeting on the sidelines. The two-day annual APEC summit, which opens in Gyeongju on Friday, is likely to test Lee Jae Myung's diplomatic abilities as he faces tough foreign policy challenges. Lee, in office less than five months, seeks to get along with friends and rivals alike with his self-proclaimed pragmatic diplomacy." But prospects for greater cooperation with Washington and Tokyo are in doubt due to Trumps tariff war and the election of a new ultraconservative leader in Japan. Tensions with North Korea remain high after Pyongyang snubbed Lees overture and bolstered ties with Russia and China instead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Gyeongju, Lee is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with U.S President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, while presiding over APEC events. Experts say the summit may offer positive optics for Lee, but it doesn't guarantee long-term diplomatic success. A joint declaration and US-China tensions This years APEC summit, the first in South Korea in 20 years, is overshadowed by Thursday's Trump-Xi meeting, whose results are expected to have a major impact on the global economy. Trump will likely skip APECs main conference, but experts say Lee could still align with other countries to promote free trade and multilateralism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Korean officials say they've been holding ministerial-level communications with other countries to prod all 21 to issue a joint declaration at the end of the summit in an effort not to repeat the failure to reach one in 2018 in Papua New Guinea due to U.S.-China discord over trade. Of course, there are some lingering issues, but many have been resolved. We're making efforts toward the adoption of a Gyeongju Declaration and acting as a mediator between the U.S. and China," South Koreas national security director Wi Sung-lac told local broadcaster KBS on Sunday. US and Japan Top South Korean officials have been recently flying in and out of Washington to finalize a trade agreement with the U.S., but it's unclear if the two countries can strike one in time for the APEC summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South Korea's trade minister, Kim Jung-Kwan, told lawmakers Friday that Washington and Seoul remain sharply divided over how much of South Koreas promised $350 billion U.S. investment package should be provided as direct cash payments under a July deal aimed at averting the Trump administrations highest tariffs. There are also worries that South Korea's ties with Japan could turn sour because of the recent inauguration of Japan's Takaichi, who has right-wing views on her country's wartime aggressions. Relations between the Asian neighbors and their trilateral military cooperation with the U.S. have improved in recent years. But Seoul-Tokyo ties previously experienced on-again, off-again setbacks due to grievances stemming from Japans past colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. There are also questions about whether a trilateral Seoul-Tokyo-Washington partnership would continue to grow amid Trump's America first policy. Kim Tae-hyung, a professor at Seouls Soongsil University, said Seoul and Tokyo are more likely to continue to tighten cooperation as they both struggle to deal with Trumps unilateral push to reset the global trade order and American security commitments to them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oh Hyunjoo, a deputy South Korean national security director, told reporters Monday that there likely wouldnt be enough time to organize a trilateral meeting with Lee, Trump and Takaichi. A push to reopen talks with North Korea Restarting diplomacy between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would potentially help Lee's push to reconcile with North Korea. During campaigning, Lee said he would support Trumps efforts to restore diplomacy with Kim, saying that improved ties between Pyongyang and Washington could allow aid projects for the impoverished North that would likely need South Korean funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While en route to Asia, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday that he's open to meeting with Kim, saying he had a great relationship with him. North Korea hasn't responded, but Kim suggested last month that he could meet Trump again if the U.S. withdraws denuclearization of North Korea as a precondition for talks. Oh said Seoul sees little chance of a Trump-Kim meeting on the occasion of the APEC. But she noted that South Korea would have contingency plans ready if the two leaders decide to meet in the future. Their third and last meeting in June 2019 was arranged at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, a day after Trump posted a tweet message inviting Kim to the border. Chinese-Korean relations Xis visit will mark his first trip to South Korea in 11 years. Lee is expected to seek to boost economic and other ties with China, South Koreas biggest trading partner, observers say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China, locked in rivalry with the U.S., likely sees the need to improve relations with South Korea and Japan. That possibly gives South Korea more diplomatic leverage and allows it to manage its relations with Washington, Beijing and Tokyo more effectively, said Jeonghun Min, a professor at Seouls National Diplomatic Academy. (South Koreas approach) is to strengthen cooperation with the U.S. on a robust alliance and, on that foundation, manage relations with China and other major countries, Min said. The attendance of leaders from all major countries at this APEC summit provides a good opportunity to advance such pragmatic diplomacy. An Oxnard man was sentenced to nearly two decades in state prison on Monday after he sexually assaulted a female trucker in 2020. Jose Luis Meza Jr., who turns 35 years old on Thursday, was sentenced to 18 years and eight months in prison after he pleaded guilty last month to assault with intent to rape and forcible oral copulation, the Ventura County District Attorneys Office said in a news release. He also admitted to multiple special allegations, including prior convictions and being on parole at the time of the crime. Jose Luis Meza Jr. is shown in an undated image provided by the Ventura County District Attorneys Office. On Sept. 14, 2020, Meza entered the truck of a woman who was asleep in the cab in an industrial area of Oxnard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After initially demanding money, Meza climbed into the sleeping area, where he physically restrained and sexually assaulted the victim before she was able to escape and run to a nearby business for help, the release explained. Meza fled, but surveillance footage showed him exiting the victims truck following the attack wearing a distinctive yellow sweatshirt and discarding a water bottle, prosecutors said. That water bottle contained DNA that tied Meza to the scene, while Meza while still wearing that sweatshirt was contacted by police officers in unrelated incidents shortly before and shortly after the attack on the victim. The hard work of our forensic scientist partners at the Sheriffs Forensic Services Bureau has again brought justice to another victim who deserved it, Chief Deputy District Attorney Brent Nibecker said in the release. Because of their commitment to the victim in this case, our community has been made safer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. BECKLEY Nonprofit organizations offering food to people in need are anticipating more requests if the federal governments ongoing shutdown delays Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. People across the region depend on SNAP for their grocery needs. Due to the federal governments shutdown, recipients all over the nation may not receive their November benefits. While the shutdown continues, agencies are continuing their food distributions. Raleigh County United for Prevention Director Kellie Gunnoe said Monday the organization has been working with local agencies to have resources ready for their clients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have already started to see an increase in people coming to our food bank in Sophia, she said. Some of them have already been affected on Oct. 15. They (government) stopped renewing, taking new applications. Benefits applications are currently not being processed. Theres already people who need that benefit who are not receiving it, Gunnoe said. Gunnoe compared the anxiety many are experiencing now to how consumers rushed to buy toilet paper and other necessities when the COVID-19 pandemic began. There are a lot of people who are afraid of losing a basic human need, food, she said. And at the end of the month a lot of the SNAP benefits dont make it. They dont last until the end of the month, so at the end of the month theyre out of food anyway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local agencies are working with Raleigh County United for Prevention so their services can last as long as possible for their clients when there is a surge of food requests. Gunnoe said people looking to volunteer and donate should approach food pantries that are already equipped to handle their time and resources. Donating food to pantries that are already in operation prevents a disconnect in communications, she said. Over in Mercer County, the Bluefield Union Mission has not yet seen more requests for food assistance, said Executive Director Craig Hammond. We wont know until it happens, he said. People who get (benefits) early in the month, theyll be impacted right away; but then if the shutdown ends it may not affect others throughout the month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the government shutdown does not end soon, then the Union Mission should start seeing the impact locally, Hammond said. The mission has a food pantry as well as regular meals for people in need. Were fairly well stocked, he said. As the shelves get depleted, they fill up again miraculously. We got quite a good load of food in the other day, but sure, we can always use canned food donations. Hammond is watching to see if the government will reopen anytime soon. Lets hope its averted, he said. I believe it will end shortly. Were in good shape, but we do expect an increase in demand if the shutdown does not end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Across the state line in Southwest Virginia, other agencies are seeing how the possible loss of benefits is driving demand. At the Labor of Love Mission in North Tazewell, Va., more people have been seeking groceries. During two food distributions so far this October, clients cleaned us out, said Director Rene Steele. I think our clients are panicking and were getting texts and emails from people who have never called us before, she said. Theyre calling and getting the days that we give out and the hours and preparing. The last two times weve gave out, its been double the recipients that have never been here before, clients that weve never seen. Steele said police had to monitor one food distribution at an Abingdon, Va. food bank. I think if they (SNAP benefits) are not issued, its going to be chaos, she said. Theyre panicking already. If theyre not issued, its just going to be chaos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some agencies were distributing food on Tuesday. In Mercer County, Helpful Harvest Food Bank & Outreach at 3070 Hinton Rd. near Athens will distribute food today from 3:30-6:30 p.m. If you are struggling because of the government shutdown, waiting on a paycheck that has not come, or have not received your SNAP benefits, please come, agency representatives said in a social media post. There is no shame in asking for help. Every one of us has faced moments when we needed someone to lift us up. Helpful Harvest also has baby formula, diapers and baby food available upon request, according to the organizations post. Helpful Harvest representatives were unavailable Monday. Mountaineer Food Bank will have mobile pantries Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Heritage Center in Fayette County. In Mercer County, a mobile pantry will be at the Mitchell Stadium parking lot in Bluefield Tuesday from 10-11:30 a.m. Another mobile pantry will be open Wednesday, also from 10-11:30 a.m. in Greenbrier County at Renick Park. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com SOUTHINGTON - Officers arrested a Massachusetts man they say was driving a stolen vehicle on Friday and who was wanted on several warrants, according to the Southington Police Department. Southington police officers received an alert around 5:12 p.m. Friday for a stolen 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van that had entered the town. Officers found the vehicle going south on North Main Street, saw it park at the Stop & Shop and spoke with the driver as he began to get out of the van, the Police Department said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The operator, identified as 41-year-old Stephen Oldham, initially gave officers a fake name and date of birth, though further investigation revealed Oldham had three active arrest warrants from other agencies within Connecticut and seven warrants out of Middleborough, Mass., according to the Police Department. Officers also confirmed that the van had been stolen out of Middleborough, police said. Oldham, of Middleborough, was charged by Southington police with larceny of a motor vehicle and criminal impersonation. He also was booked and processed for the three outstanding warrants out of Connecticut, police said. Oldham was held on bonds totaling $500,000, and was scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in New Britain Oct. 27. On that same day, Canton police charged Oldham with interfering with or resisting an officer as well as multiple motor vehicle offenses stemming from an incident in February 2024, judicial records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judicial records also indicate Oldham was charged with three counts of first-degree failure to appear from incidents in May and August. He was scheduled to appear at state Superior Court in Waterbury Tuesday for arraignments, according to judicial records. This article originally published at Southington police arrest Massachusetts man driving stolen van, wanted on several warrants. TOWN OF SOUTHPORT, N.Y. (WETM) A Southport man was arrested on Saturday on two warrants following a standoff in the town of Southport, according to a release from the Chemung County Sheriffs Office. Hunter J. Stone, 27, was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 25, on two separate warrants, with one out of New York and the other out of Pennsylvania, the release stated. Painted Post woman arrested after incident involving a child Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stones first notice was an active bench warrant for failure to appear in court on the charges of fleeing an officer in the third degree and obstructing government administration in the second degree, handed down by Southport Town Court on July 19, 2024, the release said. Further, Stones second notice was an active felony arrest warrant as a fugitive from justice out of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, the release explained. Deputies said Stone was arrested on Saturday after a standoff that occurred in the Town of Southport. As a result, Stone was arraigned in Southport Town Court and sent to the Chemung County Jail, awaiting being sent to Pennsylvania. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. SOUTHWEST MISSOURI Thousands of people in the United States are expected to be impacted following the announcement of SNAP benefits set to be frozen starting on Saturday, Nov. 1. According to an Ozarks Food Harvest social media post, the organization has alerted residents around southwest Missouri of the faith-based and community charities to help aid families and individuals who may be affected. Here are some of the pantries listed by the food harvest: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barry County: Cassville Pantry: located at 800 West 10th Street in Cassville, which is open from 9 to 11:30 a.m. from Monday to Thursday. Central Community UMC: located at 25682 State Highway YY in Shell Knob, which is open every first Friday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon. Helping Hands Community Food Pantry: located at 32685 State Highway 86 in Eagle Rock, which is open Tuesday and Saturday from 9 to 11:45 a.m. and every first Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. Cedar County: Hope Center of El Dorado Springs: located at 505 East Fields Boulevard in El Dorado Springs, which is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. SAMA Food Pantry: located at 1500 Highway 32 in Stockton, which is open on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Christian County: Least of These: located at 1720 West James River Road in Ozark, which is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 to 11 a.m. and open on every third Thursday from 5 to 7:15 p.m. St. Joseph Catholic: located at 320 NW Washington Ave. in Billings, which is open every second Saturday from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Dade County: Dade County Neighborhood Center: This is a mobile pantry located at 513 Crestview Drive in Greenfield, with distributions monthly. OACAC Dade County: located at 803 South Main Street in Lockwood, which is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The pantry is open every Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon, except for the first Thursday, which is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dallas County: Calvary Chapel Free Will Baptist Church: located at 26 Oak Ridge Road in Buffalo, which is open every third Tuesday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Isaiah 58:7 Mission Food Pantry: located at 1235 State Highway 64 in Tunas. The pantry is calling for appointments on Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and open on Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. Prairie Chapel UMC: located at 20438 U.S. 65 in Urbana, which is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dent County: Shepherds Nook Lifeway Center: located at 701 North Main Street in Salem, which is open on Tuesdays from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Douglas County: Heart of the Hills Food Harvest: located at 913 W. Broadwat Ave. in Ava, which is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Greene County: American Indian Center: located at 1126 North Broadway Avenue in Springfield, which is open Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Ash Grove Food Pantry: located at 121 W. Main Street in Ash Grove, which is open every third Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. Battlefield Towers: This pantry is a mobile pantry which is located at 1451 East Woodland Street in Springfield, with it being open on every third Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The Caring Place: located at 417 S. Washington Street in Walnut Grove, which is open every third Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. Center City Christian Outreach Well of Life Food Pantry: located at 418 S. Kimbrough Ave. in Springfield, which is open every Tuesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Crosslines Springfield: located at 3055 East Division Street in Springfield, which is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to noon, and Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Destiny Chuch Republic: located at 526 East Harrison Street in Republic, which is open on the first Tuesday of the month from 6 to 7:30 p.m., second Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., third Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m., and the fourth Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drew Lewis Foundation Pantry: located at 1126 North Broadway Ave. in Springfield, with a call appointment being open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Glo Food Pantry: located at 518 East Commercial Street in Springfield, with a call for an appointment only at 417-869-3978. Hand Extended Food Pantry: located at 2157 N. Prospect Ave. in Springfield, which is open on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon. MSU Bear Pantry: located at 1110 E. Madison Street in Springfield, which is open Monday from 2 to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parkview Christian Church: located at 1362 S. Campbell Ave. in Springfield, which is open Mondays from 8 a.m. to noon. People Helping People: located at 210 North Pine Avenue in Republic, which is open Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and the second Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon. Salvation Army Springfield Pantry: located at 1707 West Chestnut Expressway in Springfield, which is open every Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 2:30 p.m. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton-Seas: located at 2200 West Republic Road in Springfield, with food distribution calls taken on Wednesdays from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. for 20-minute appointments from 1 to 2:30 p.m. St. Joseph Catholic Springfield: located at 1114 North Main Avenue in Springfield, which is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hickory County: Hickory County Cares: located at 18613 Main Street North in Wheatland, which is open Tuesday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Howell County : FEED: located at 425 East 1st Street in Mountain View, which is open every first Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. First Baptist Church West Plains: located at 112 Walnut Street in West Plains, which is open every Monday and Wednesday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. MUNCH: located at 811 East Main Street in Willow Springs, which is open Monday to Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Laclede County: Community Baptist Lebanon: located at 15905 Highway 64 in Lebanon, from Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. Crosslines Lebanon: located at 141 Lawson Ave. in Lebanon, which is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon. L-Life Food Pantry: located at 1448 W. Elm Street in Lebanon, with food distribution on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Market at Lifepoint: located at 158 N. Adams Ave. in Lebanon, which is open from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the fourth Thursday of the month being closed. Project 360-Sound House: located at 210 S. Adams Ave. in Lebanon, which is open Monday to Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. Salvation Army Lebanon: located at 435 Garfield Street in Lebanon, which is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lawrence County: Harvest Food Pantry: located at 21172 Farm Road 1200 in Aurora, which is open Monday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., every Friday except the third from noon to 1 p.m., and every third Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Miller Christian Services: located at 111 West Main Street in Miller, which is open every second Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m. Monett Community Pantry: located at 1600 N. Central Ave. in Monett, which is open Mondays from noon to 1 p.m. St. Susanne Catholic Church: located at 700 W. Sloan Ave in Mount Vernon, which is open every third Wednesday and the previous Monday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Verona Baptist Church: located at 115 South 1st Street in Verona, which is open every second Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Oregon County: Oregon County Food Pantry Alton: located at 18932 U.S. 160 in Alton, which is open every first Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. Oregon County Food Pantry Thayer: located at 538 Taylor Road in Thayer, which is open every first Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. Ozark County: Ozark County Food Pantry: located at 20477 U.S. 160 in Gainesville, which is open the first Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the third Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Polk County: Community Outreach Ministries Bolivar Pantry: located at 320 South Market Avenue in Bolivar, which is open Tuesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday and Saturday from 9 to 10:45 p.m. Pulaski County: Crocker Presbyterian Church: located at 414 South Commercial Street in Crocker, which is open every second Tuesday and every Wednesday from noon to 5:30 p.m. Dixon Area Caring Center: 206 South Elm Street in Dixon, with food distribution on Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to noon. Good Samaritan Resource Center Richland: located at 112 West National Street in Richland, which is open on the second Thursday of the month from 9 to 11 a.m. Good Samaritan Resource Center Waynesville: located at 1811 W. Historic Route 66 in Waynesville, which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shannon County: Eminence Pantry: located at 103 Vine St. in Eminence, which is open the Tuesday after the fourth Monday each month from 9 to 11 a.m. Shannon County Food Pantry: located on 18276 2nd Street in Winona, which is open every fourth Monday for home-bound, handicapped, and people above 60 from 2 to 5 p.m., and on Tuesdays after the fourth Monday from 9 to 11:30 a.m. St. Clair County: St. Clair County Food Bank: located at 425 Market Street in Osceola, which is open every Tuesday except the fifth from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. WCMCAA St. Clair County: located at 112 West 4th Street in Appleton City, with distribution days on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Stone County: North Stone County Food Pantry: located at 215 Main Street in Crane, which is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Southern Stone County Food Pantry: located at 20 Kimberling Blvd. in Kimberling City, which is open every first and second Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. It is also open every third Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. Taney County: CAM-Branson: located at 2400 State Highway 165 in Branson, with hours at The HB at that address on Monday from 2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday from noon to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. They are also open at Downtown 400 West Pacific Street on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CAM-Forsyth: located at 10726 E. Highway 76 in Forsyth, which is open Tuesday to Thursday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Salvation Army Branson Pantry: located at 1114 Stanley Avenue in Branson, which is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with being closed for lunch break from noon to 1 p.m. Texas County: Texas County Food Pantry: located at 102 A E. State Route 17 in Houston, which is open on Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. United Community Help Center Licking: located at 209 Park St. in Licking, which is open Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Webster County: Kingdom Church Marshfield: located at 1235 Spur Drive in Marshfield, which is open on the second Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Kings Food Pantry: located at 732 South Division Street in Seymour, which is open the first and fourth Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with being closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. The pantry is also open on the third Thursday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon. Niangua Community Food Pantry: located at 272 North Olive Street in Niangua, which is open the first Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. and the third Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. Safe Haven Now Fordland: located at 138 W. Main Street in Fordland, with food distribution on the third Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Safe Haven Now Rogersville: located at 117 East Center Street in Rogersville, which is open on the third Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m. Wright County: Mountain Grove Love Center: located at 304 East 1st Street in Mountain Grove, which is open Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The organization states that if you are interested in helping a family in need to click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com. BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) With just days left before Virginians head to the polls, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger spent Monday meeting with voters across Southwest Virginia as part of her Virginia Votes Bus Tour. The former congresswoman kicked off her regional tour in Floyd, where she spoke about her plans to strengthen Virginias schools and economy. We want our schools to be the strongest in the nation. We want our kids to have every opportunity possible, and we want a governor who recognizes that things are getting harder, said Spanberger. We need someone focused on lowering costs in housing, healthcare, and energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later in the day, Spanberger traveled to Blacksburg to meet with students at Virginia Tech for a Hokies for Spanberger event. Supporters say theyre drawn to her message of affordability and bipartisanship. I want candidates to fight for affordability. I want candidates to bring back sane politics, said Dawit Sheckler, co-president of the Virginia Tech Democrats. As a freshman, I have to look for housing and affordability next year, like utilities and groceries. Its super expensive, and I really appreciate how she cares about lowering the cost of living for Virginians, said student Lily Outland. I think its really important to have good role models right now, and having a younger woman advocating for things that speak to our generation is so important, added student Charlotte Campbell. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanberger told students that tackling housing costs and affordability would be among her top priorities if elected governor. When the governor recognizes that housing prices are going up because we havent kept up our supply a governor can work with the General Assembly to take steps that lower costs and stand up for Virginians, said Spanberger. Spanbergers bus tour is set to continue through Election Day as she works to rally voters in every corner of the Commonwealth. Her opponent, Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, was in Richmond Monday for the General Assemblys special session. Shes expected to visit Southwest Virginia on Tuesday alongside Governor Glenn Youngkin and other top Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement WFXR News will share Earle-Sears comments once available, but you can find her past statements anytime here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv. SPB Hospitality, a portfolio company of Fortress Investment Group based in the US state of Texas, has promoted Ryan Russell to the role of chief of staff. Russell will report directly to GJ Hart, chairman and CEO of the company. He will work alongside the leadership group to bolster crossfunctional collaboration, reinforce the companys culture and back strategic initiatives across SPBs portfolio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hart stated: [Ryan Russell] has a proven track record of driving performance across SPBs restaurant portfolio while building strong partnerships with our support team, operators and communities. In his new role as chief of staff, Ryan will continue to oversee PR and corporate communications while expanding his focus on internal communications, culture and cross-brand alignment, ensuring our restaurants and teams are empowered to deliver exceptional guest experiences and operational excellence every day. Russell became part of SPB in 2021 and has held several leadership positions, most recently serving as senior director of communications and marketing. During his time with the business, he spearheaded public relations strategy, corporate communications, and community engagement efforts, such as the HOPE Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He expanded the companys causemarketing efforts to encompass partnerships with Gift A Meal and K9s for Warriors. Russell stated: My career with SPB has been an incredible journey, and Im grateful for the opportunity to continue contributing to a company that prioritises people and purpose. I look forward to partnering with our leadership team to advance our strategic priorities and continue building programmes that make our brands some of the best in the industry. SPB Hospitality runs a network of fullservice restaurants spanning 25 states including Stoney River Steakhouse & Grill, J Alexanders, Chef Jose Garces Amada and Village Whiskey, and Logans Roadhouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, SPB purchased the Amada and Village Whiskey restaurant brands from 3BM1, which trades as Ideation Hospitality. "SPB Hospitality appoints Ryan Russell as chief of staff" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. CHICAGO A special education assistant at a CPS school in Auburn Gresham has been charged with grooming. Mycale Ford, 41, of South Holland, was taken into custody last week following an investigation that began in March, according to court documents. A 13-year-olds father contacted Chicago police after Ford allegedly sent his daughter an obscene message, documents state. The teen spoke with police and stated that Ford began reaching out to her on Instagram in Oct. 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ford allegedly offered money for a photo of the girl, documents state. He admitted to police in an interview that he knew the comment was wrong and had knowledge of her age, documents allege. Ford works as a special education classroom assistant at Gresham Elementary School. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines CPS sent the following statement. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) holds all employees to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct. When credible concerns about employee behavior arise, the District acts swiftly and decisively. CPS is firmly committed to maintaining safe, ethical, and supportive learning environments for every student and staff member. The District continually reviews and strengthens its safeguards, including robust ethics training, oversight procedures, and accountability measures to protect our school communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While CPS does not comment on specific personnel matters or active investigations, the District follows a consistent process when allegations of misconduct are reported. Employees found to have violated Board policy are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Nashville International Airport police officials forcibly removed a passenger from a Spirit Airlines plane on Oct. 25, and she is banned from ever taking another Spirit flight, according to airline officials. Over 100 people boarded Flight 1499 in BNA's Concourse C for a Saturday afternoon flight from Nashville to Los Angeles. But the flight crew temporarily delayed takeoff because of a significant disturbance on board. A Spirit spokesperson said one passenger was being "disruptive" upon boarding the Airbus A320 set for LAX. When the person did not adhere to Spirit flight attendants' requests, the Spirit crew members contacted the airport's Department of Public Safety to request assistance in taking the person off of the plane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The passenger was ultimately removed from the aircraft by law enforcement," a Spirit spokesperson said in a statement. "We do not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind, and this passenger is no longer welcome on any of our flights." Neither Spirit nor BNA identified the person who was removed from the flight. Nashville airport officials declined to comment on the situation, deferring to Spirit. Flight 1499 departed for Los Angeles International Airport minutes after police removed the passenger, and it eventually landed on time for its scheduled arrival. Is it illegal to be 'disruptive' on an airplane? Federal law prohibits anyone on an aircraft from interfering with the performance of flight crew members' duties, lessening their abilities to perform those duties and assaulting or otherwise intimidating them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Depending on the severity of the incident, consequences can include fines up to $43,658, jailtime, removal from Transportation Security Administration PreCheck and no-fly status. The Federal Aviation Administration itself does not have criminal prosecutorial authority, but it does have the civil authority to impose fines. Still, passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be prosecuted on criminal charges. The FAA investigates all airlines' reports of these incidents and refers some to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. How common are passenger incidents on commercial flights? The FAA reported a recent rise in disruptive passenger behavior occurrences. In 2025, the FAA has tracked 1,205 incidents of "unruly passengers." Last year, that number reached 2,102, and the year prior, it was 2,076. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FAA maintains a "zero-tolerance" policy toward any disorderly or violent passengers. Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Spirit Airlines passenger taken off Nashville airport flight, banned Oct. 27Alejandro Barrientos' qualification to legally run for Spokane City Council is being scrutinized over questions about whether he met the residency requirement for candidates. Barrientos, who is running for the open seat for Spokane's southern council district against Kate Telis, dismissed the concerns Friday as a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of court filings following his divorce last year. The candidate's residency issues were first reported by local alternative news outlet Range Media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State and local law requires a candidate for public office to have lived in the jurisdiction for at least a full year before they file for office. Specifically, under the Spokane city charter, a candidate must have their "primary residence" be a "permanent address where he or she physically resides and maintains his or her abode." Compared to Tyler LeMaster in 2021 or Mark Hamilton in 2013, both of whom were disqualified from their runs for Spokane City Council because they didn't fulfill the residency requirement, Barrientos' case is less clear-cut. If he were to win the November election and his eligibility was challenged in court, his ability to hold office could come down to how a judge interprets the particulars of the law. Barrientos is confident that he could overcome a court challenge, he said Friday. "Legally, I don't have any concerns," he said. "If it needs to be litigated, I'm perfectly fine doing that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barrientos is and had been a resident of the south Spokane district for years, but where he laid his head at night was at least somewhat in flux for nearly the full year before he filed for office. Barrientos filed for divorce from his wife in May 2024. In initial court filings, he certified to the court that they were no longer living in the same residence and that his now-ex-wife would remain in their South Hill home. Barrientos told Range Media that he stayed in different places before he purchased his new South Hill home in April, including at his brother's house out of town and at a downtown condo he owned with his ex-wife. Primarily, however, he and his ex-wife both maintained that Barrientos still lived at the South Hill home with his ex-wife and kids. "My wife and I had a plan in mind when we were putting (the divorce filings) together, but we soon decided the best thing to do was for my wife and kids to stay in that house while I was finding new housing," Barrientos told The Spokesman-Review on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By October, Barrientos told the courts he would relinquish ownership of the South Hill property to his ex-wife and would gain full ownership of the downtown condo that the couple had jointly owned. But Barrientos claims to have never lived in the downtown condo full time, primarily using it as an office where he occasionally slept. He also told The Spokesman-Review on Friday that this property transfer hadn't actually occurred yet, and the South Hill home where his ex-wife and children live is still in his name. In any case, Spokane's candidate residency requirement makes no mention of home ownership as a qualification, only that someone "physically resides" at a "permanent address" in the district. Both Councilman Paul Dillon and former Councilwoman Lili Navarrete, who represent or represented the south Spokane district on the council, told Range Media that Barrientos had claimed to have recently lived downtown, in part to demonstrate an intimate understanding of the issues facing the area. Barrientos on Friday said they were confused. "I think that people might be confused, and I want to give them the benefit of the doubt," Barrientos said. "I have stated I've lived downtown, but this was all prior to 2018 when I moved to the South Hill." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a brief interview, Dillon reiterated that Barrientos had claimed to live downtown recently, not seven years ago. "I understand divorce is very hard, and I want to be very empathetic to how hard that is," Dillon said. "At the same time, it's clear he told the judge he was not living in District 2 within the time frame of that residency requirement." Dillon has endorsed Barrientos' opponent, Telis. Spokane's city attorney was unavailable to comment Friday, wrote city spokesperson Erin Hut, who added only that "If a question arises regarding a candidate's residency and eligibility for office, the matter would require a legal challenge and a subsequent determination by a judge." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Barrientos was elected and then ruled ineligible, his replacement would be appointed by the Spokane City Council; notably, five of the seven sitting council members have endorsed Barrientos' opponent. Disqualifications are common It is not at all uncommon for candidates to be disqualified because they hadn't lived in a district for long enough, nor for elected officials to be removed from office because they accidentally moved outside of the district. In most of those cases, however, the violation is more clear-cut. Two candidates were cut from local ballots in 2021: Billy Costello, a candidate for Deer Park City Council, and Tyler LeMasters, a candidate for Spokane City Council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Costello had been unaware of the one-year residency requirement and was open about having moved to the city only a month before filing for office. By the time the disqualification was discovered, ballots had already been mailed to voters. If he had won election and chose to take the oath of office, he would have been able to serve until being challenged in court and declared ineligible by a judge. He lost the election, however, making the legal questions moot. LeMasters was, in a roundabout sense, also open about having moved to Spokane only six months before filing, having posted a video to Instagram announcing when he moved to the city; still, he fought a legal challenge until a judge had him removed from the ballot. Unlike either Costello or LeMasters, there does not seem to be any evidence or record of Barrientos calling the downtown Spokane condo home, nor any other residence. Dillon filed the court challenge against LeMasters in 2021 on behalf of the Parenthood Advocates of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho, the political affiliate of the Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and Northern Idaho. He noted that the case four years ago was significantly more clear-cut, and argued that reforms to the residency requirement may be appropriate to prevent the kinds of questions Barrientos is now facing, such as a requirement for candidates to proactively declare their primary residence when filing for office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was also the case of Spokane City Council candidate Mark Hamilton in 2013. Hamilton had purchased a house within the district almost exactly a year before he filed to run against the incumbent, then-Councilwoman Amber Waldref, explicitly with the intent of using the address in order to qualify to run. That didn't stop Hamilton from registering to vote at a second address outside of city limits, voting in out-of-city elections twice in 2012. A judge ruled against him and tossed him off of the November ballot. But unlike Hamilton, Barrientos never registered to vote at his downtown condo or anywhere outside of the South Hill. A month after certifying that he would relinquish the south hill home to his ex-wife, he was still registered to vote at that address, according to voter rolls. By the time he voted this summer in the city's primary elections notably the first Spokane municipal election in which Barrientos had ever voted, according to state voter data he had moved into and registered at his new South Hill home. (The Center Square) With spending in the red, city finance officials requested a bailout from the Spokane City Council on Tuesday as fire department overtime and employee claims continue to go over budget. If approved, it wouldnt be the first time that the city has had to pull from the general fund or reserves this year. The officials already backfilled several accounts a few weeks ago with existing fund balances and also relied on the general fund to prevent another account that pays for the jail from going insolvent. Spokane also faces a $13 million general fund shortfall that the council must balance before Jan. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any additional one-time transfers from the general fund will only exacerbate their budget woes, so city staff are looking under every couch cushion for cash. Budget staff say the Employee Benefits Fund still has enough in reserves to get through the end of 2025, but fire overtime is a little more complicated. Finding a solution was a bit elusive this year, Budget Director Jessica Stratton told the council during a special committee meeting. Funds we normally look at to help ameliorate the situation, general fund, criminal justice assistance fund, ARPA, public safety personnel fund, theyre not in a position to help. The Spokane Fire Department has faced issues with its overtime budget for years. SFD exceeded that budget by roughly 22% last year, and Stratton said Tuesday that fire overtime is currently $2.2 million in the red so far this year. Despite prior challenges, the city only budgeted $3.2 million for 2025-2026. She said the options for covering overtime are now limited to the Pension Contributions Fund, which is a pass-through to the general fund. Essentially, the city deposits tax revenue there to cover pension needs, but a spreadsheet error that city staff have since corrected resulted in a $2.6 million fund balance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Councilmember Michael Cathcart wanted to allocate more funding toward fire overtime last November when the city was balancing another $25 million deficit, but it fell on deaf ears. The council and Mayor Lisa Brown are now dealing with the issue again as city spending continues to exceed available means. I want a lean budget, too, but its also got to be accurate because weve had lean budgets in the past, which is just underfunding things, Cathcart said during budget negotiations last November. So I want to make sure that were appropriately funding so that next October when we have to do this again, were not making giant cuts that we should have been making now to accommodate those things. He and Council President Betsy Wilkerson raised concerns about subverting the Firefighters Pension Board. Stratton said this doesnt technically require that boards approval, but Cathcart reiterated his worries after they also pulled $2 million from this account last year to cover SFD capital expenses. Wilkerson said she sits on the board and had no idea the fund balance existed. Cathcart compared the situation to robbing Peter to pay Paul and referenced his remarks from last November. He wants to see a sustainable plan for funding overtime that does not rely on one-time transfers moving forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Financial Officer Matt Boston said he would return after Brown proposes her budget next week. I will tell you that the administration is increasing fire overtime substantially [compared to] what it was budgeted in 2026, Boston said. Ive said this numerous times, but there were operational levers that theoretically could have been pulled with all of the bargaining that was happening. He said that relying on these existing fund balances instead of general fund reserves is a win from his point of view. This extends to the Employee Benefits Fund as well, which City Administrator Alex Scott said currently has about $9 million in reserves they want to draw on to cover a rapid increase in costs. Rather than poor budgeting, he attributed this to a few employees who require expensive medication. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott said these prescriptions dont have generic options, so theres not much they can do to mitigate costs other than raising premiums paid into the fund. He and Boston asked the council to backfill $8 million from the existing fund balance to keep the benefits account afloat through the end of the year. They said the city and its employees will both contribute to a 25% increase in premiums next year to help rebuild the reserves. Councilmember Paul Dillon pointed the blame at "greedy" insurance providers. I will just tell you, my mother has [multiple sclerosis], she has an injectable shot," Boston said. "That shot is $75,000 per month. You extrapolate that times the entire year, and that is what is keeping her alive." The council will vote on whether to allow the city to backfill these accounts in the coming weeks. (The Center Square) With unanimous support, the Spokane City Council set aside ideological divides on Monday, just a week before the election, to replace Mayor Lisa Browns unenforceable camping ban. The historic vote follows community backlash after the council majority passed the mayors proposal in June. Much of the business community had argued it didnt have enough teeth and would let habitable offenders get off scot-free, pleading with the council to reinstate another voter-approved camping ban. The conservative minority attempted to revive that law, which nearly 75% of voters approved in 2023, but the majority declined to do so more than once. However, now their tune has changed as their vote on the most politicized issue in Spokane comes under scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know why downtown couldnt have been cleaned up before an election year, Spokanite Justin Haller testified Monday. Its just a shell game, dont let this temporary thing fool you. When there are seats in jeopardy on the city council to break up the supermajority, then this is what happens. The progressives and conservatives settled on an ordinance that gives officers discretion to enforce as they see fit while still emphasizing service referrals. Police Chief Kevin Hall recently confirmed officers were unable to issue any citations or referrals for months due to the language in the mayors version. Mondays approval ushers in a new era for the city that Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart asked their colleagues to support for over a year. While the new ban retains some elements of Browns proposal, the council ultimately passed many of the reforms proposed by the conservatives. Does the administration plan to enforce this ordinance? Bingle asked City Administrator Alex Scott during an agenda review meeting before he responded absolutely on Monday. And are we going to prioritize that enforcement? Bingle followed up, with Scott reaffirming his stance again, Absolutely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robin Bernhart, managing partner of Landmark Restaurants, testified that camping, trash and open drug use exploded downtown after the council passed the mayors camping ban. She emphasized the importance of supporting businesses amid $13 million budget deficit driven by plateauing tax revenue. Emilie Cameron, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, and Brad Barnett, president of the Spokane Business Association, both offered support as well. As did Greater Spokane Incorporated and Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, though CCEW noted that the ban is not a complete solution. Ive been on council for four years, Councilmember Zack Zappone said, we have not been able to pass a law like this and so were finally at a place that we can all agree now its that charge to say, what do we need to build the facilities and the resources to be able to implement this policy. Zappone and Bingle are both up for reelection next week, along with another seat representing District 2 with Councilmember Paul Dillon. Former Councilmember Lili Navarrete occupied that position up until the end of June, when she officially resigned after the council majority passed Browns camping ban. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Spokane Ethics Commission launched an independent investigation into Brown, Navarrete and the rest of the council majority in July amid claims of quid pro quo over how they passed her ban in June. The next commission meeting is on December 17, with an investigation report due ahead of then. Ive spent four years, almost four years now, on this city council, and in four years in government, you can get pretty cynical pretty quickly, but today Im choosing not to be cynical, Bingle said Monday. This policy, in my opinion, does have the ability to be a legacy piece for us as a council. RUTLAND, VT. (WWLP) An incarcerated Springfield man has been charged with assaulting another inmate in a Vermont prison earlier this month. West Springfield police seek suspect in shoplifting incident According to the Vermont State Police, staff members at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland reported an inmate-on-inmate assault on October 11. The assault reportedly took place in the prisons Echo Unit at 8:15 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following an investigation, it was determined that 20-year-old James Narcisse of Springfield, Mass., assaulted another inmate. The victim reportedly sustained injuries, including multiple facial fractures. On October 24, the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations issued a citation to Narcisse for the charge of Simple Assault. Narcisse is scheduled to appear in Rutland Criminal Court on December 15. No additional bail has been sought for this charge. Narcisse remains incarcerated for prior unrelated charges. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. ALBANY - An attorney whose firm represents roughly 1,100 former employees of the now-closed St. Clare's Hospital in Schenectady, whose pension plan was shut down in 2018 with a $50 million shortfall, has asked a U.S. Bankruptcy judge to examine whether their interests are being considered under settlement agreements recently being made on behalf of sexual abuse victims. The issue surfaced after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany earlier this month agreed to an $8 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by a man who had said he was molested hundreds of times as a child by a former high-ranking priest who ultimately admitted sexually abusing young boys for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The deal was finalized just before the man's case, filed under New York's Child Victims Act, was scheduled to go to trial in Albany, where testimony and evidence was expected to focus on the diocese's alleged decades-long cover-up of the sexual abuse of children by priests and others. That settlement was signed as a second agreement was also reached with one of the diocese's many insurance carriers, The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc., which has pledged to pay $1 million to a trust for the benefit of Child Victims Act claimants. Paul A. Levine, an attorney for the St. Clare's pensioners, wrote a letter recently to U.S. District Bankruptcy Judge Patrick J. Radel raising concerns about whether funds paid in settlements made on behalf of the diocese's insurance carriers or parishes could be segregated "solely for the benefit of abuse victims, particularly where many such victims, like the pensioners, have no direct claim against a specific insurance policy or parish." The pensioners are among the many unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy case; Levine said he wants to make the court aware of the issue of whether one group of creditors is being favored over another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Counsel may argue that they are simply settling claims, which is commonplace in chapter 11 cases," Levine wrote. "However, the settlements are directing the use of insurance proceeds which are property of the estate to favor some creditors over others which is tantamount to establishing creditor classes; a determination that of course must await the plan process." He added that the diocese "is attempting to accomplish through settlements what it should not be allowed to accomplish through a plan - namely the disparate treatment of similarly situated creditors." The outreach from Levine to the judge comes as a lawsuit involving a group of St. Clare's pensioners who sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and the defunct hospital's corporate entity six years ago is scheduled to go to trial next week in state Supreme Court in Schenectady. The petitioners in that case are being represented by the AARP Foundation and state attorney general's office. St. Clare's closed in 2008 and merged with Ellis Hospital. The former employees' retirement portfolios were wiped out by the hospital's depleted pension fund, which they allege was mismanaged by top officials associated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pension plan was shut down despite having received $28.5 million in Medicaid benefits from the state to fully fund the plan. Of the 1,100 retirees eligible for a pension, about 650 were told they would get nothing. The remaining 450 or so were paid 70 percent of their retirement benefits. The fund was created in 1959, about a decade after the diocese co-founded the hospital. The diocese has asserted that it has no responsibility in the St. Clare's pension collapse; the pensioners and the state attorney general's office have accused deceased former Albany Bishop Howard J. Hubbard - in league with other diocesan officials - of falsely telling the Internal Revenue Service that required annual contributions were being made to the pension plan. The addition of the pensioners as unsecured creditors in the Albany diocese's bankruptcy case has created a unique situation among the many bankruptcies of dioceses across the U.S. as a result of sexual abuse claims. Levine, in his letter to the bankruptcy judge, said the court will need to address whether the pensioners "may share in recoveries obtained from insurance carriers, parishes, and other entities within the Catholic community, in addition to sharing in contributions made directly by the debtor (diocese) to the overall pool of funds available to satisfy creditor claims." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case that resulted in the diocese's recent $8 million settlement offer is one of seven child sexual abuse lawsuits that a federal judge in March ruled would be allowed to go to trial - part of an effort to spur mediation in the diocese's languishing bankruptcy case. Under the terms of the deal, the settlement agreement has been submitted to bankruptcy court for approval, and any money awarded by the judge will go into a trust fund for the benefit of all of the survivors who have filed similar claims against the Albany diocese. Attorneys for the sexual abuse victims and the former St. Clare's employees have also engaged in a court-authorized examination of where the proceeds went from the sale of a lucrative insurance business that had once been controlled by New York's bishops - and whether those funds should be used to help resolve the litigation. The 2018 sale of the Fidelis Care insurance company took place months before New York's Child Victims Act passed - a law change that allowed alleged survivors of childhood sexual assault to sue their abusers or the institutions that may have harbored them. Attorneys for the plaintiffs have questioned the timing of the sale and whether it was done to shield billions of dollars in assets before New York's eight dioceses faced an avalanche of litigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The $3.75 billion in proceeds from the Fidelis sale were transferred to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, where the assets have remained out of reach in the lawsuits and settlements involving thousands of Catholic church sexual abuse victims. The assets also have not been available to help the former St. Clare's employees. The plaintiffs' attorneys received permission from a judge to subpoena documents and testimony from the organizations and the church officials that were involved in the Fidelis sale. The diocese had opposed the motions filed by the creditors' committees, but noted in a court filing that it had "continued to express its compassion for the St. Clare's pensioners and has offered support and assistance within the purview of its mission and ministry." Levine previously claimed in a court filing that none of New York's eight dioceses - six of which have filed for bankruptcy due to the Child Victims Act - had received any of the billions in sale proceeds. The sale occurred when all of the bishops were aware of "a very significant chance of liability to the abuse survivors, and the additional risk of liability to the pensioners." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By pursuing an investigation of the structuring of the Fidelis sale, the attorney committees for the alleged victims and the pensioners are hoping to ascertain whether billions of dollars were diverted away from the New York dioceses to shield those assets in the impending civil cases and bankruptcy proceedings. It has been common for dioceses across the country to seek bankruptcy protection when they face financial peril from waves of abuse claims. That strategy also allows the church to often avoid public trials or witness depositions, and to handle claims in one court proceeding that potentially will preserve more of their financial assets. The assets of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation are not considered the dioceses' because they are not the legal owners of the not-for-profit, even if there's overlap among who controls the funds. The charitable organization is governed by a board of health care experts, business leaders and others, and is "dedicated to improving the health and well-being of New York's poor, disadvantaged and underserved and eliminating health disparities," according to its website. Jonathan Rosen, a public relations professional employed by Cabrini, told the Times Union two years ago that the foundation had given grants to charities around the state, including Catholic Charities, which is directly affiliated with the church, and sometimes directly back to the dioceses. The foundation had made $315 million in grants since its formation, including about $31.5 million to the dioceses and $37.4 million to Catholic Charities. This article originally published at St. Clare's pensioners ask if settlements will also benefit them. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A St. Helens man was arrested following a report that an unknown individual had uploaded child sex abuse material onto a social media site, officials say. A Columbia County Grand Jury indicted 46-year-old Lucas Dean Greenwell on Oct. 23 on eight counts of encouraging child abuse in the first degree and six counts of encouraging child abuse in the second degree. Greenwell was arrested in the 200 block of South Fifth Street in St. Helens on Monday, according to a St. Helens Police Department Facebook post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The arrest comes after a six-month investigation by the St. Helens Police Department and the Oregon Department of Justice. In May, detectives received a report from the Internet Crimes Against Children task force alerting them that an unknown individual uploaded the material on social media. During the investigation, detectives executed multiple search warrants and seized multiple digital devices. According to court documents obtained by KOIN 6 News, Greenwell is accused of uploading multiple images while knowing or being aware of and consciously disregarding the fact that the creation of the visual recording of sexually explicit conduct involved child abuse. Greenwell was booked into the Columbia County Jail. His arraignment has not yet been scheduled. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. A gunman was sentenced to nearly five years in prison Monday for a 2023 robbery at a St. Paul park and a June shooting that wounded three at a downtown pool party. Tyson Joseph Volk, 20, received his sentence in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to the two cases in August. Three counts of attempted second-degree murder filed in the shooting were dismissed as part of a plea deal he reached with the prosecution. According to court records, Volk was out on bond in the robbery case when he fired a 9 mm handgun nine times on June 21 at the rooftop pool at Kellogg Square apartments at Kellogg Boulevard and Robert Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shooting was fueled by a physical fight a month earlier between Volk and a 23-year-old man, the criminal complaint said. On the rooftop, Volk and another man approached the 23-year-old, who then punched Volk. Volk stumbled backward, pulled out a gun and started firing. The man was struck in the knee, while a 20-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the pelvis. A 16-year-old boy was hit in the ankle. Marquez Demar Hill-Turnipseed then fired shots toward Volk, according to a complaint charging the 23-year-old with possession of a firearm by a person who was ineligible due to a conviction of a crime of violence. Earlier cases Less than three weeks earlier, on June 1, Hill-Turnipseed allegedly fired a barrage of bullets from a Dodge Challenger into several groups of people at Boom Island Park along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, a shooting that killed 23-year-old Stageina Whiting and wounded four men. Related Articles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hill-Turnipseed, of Minneapolis, was charged under a sealed complaint with aiding and abetting murder and other counts. He was arrested in early July in Chicago. Both cases against him are pending. In Volks robbery case, a 19-year-old man told St. Paul police he went to Weida Park in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood to smoke marijuana with two acquaintances just after midnight Oct. 2, 2023. He said Volk pulled out a handgun, pointed it at his face and then pistol-whipped him while a juvenile recorded the incident on a cellphone. He was robbed of his iPhone, clothes and Nike Air Force shoes. Police found two videos of the robbery on Volks phone. St. Petersburg will celebrate on Wednesday the grand opening of a public art project more than three years in the making. Its billed as the longest mosaic in Florida and one of the longest in the U.S. The artists behind the Sunshine City Mosaic assembled 15,000 pieces of porcelain tile and glass to create nine vignettes of wildlife native to the area, such as an osprey and a green sea turtle. The mosaic sidewalk starts at its eastern end with animals from Tampa Bay and transitions to wildlife from the Gulf of Mexico as visitors walk west, heading toward the beaches. The walkable artwork is full of subtle details keen-eyed visitors may notice, like the hexagonal shapes in the background meant to evoke St. Petersburgs historic sidewalk pavers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Near the center lies the image of a green anole. Early on, the artistsdebated whether to do a brown anole. The brown lizards have become more common in Florida and would have required far less expensive and easier-to-find brown tile but are invasive. Green won out. The city commissioned the publicly funded work in April 2023 after putting out a call for artists in 2022. Alex Kaufman, who crafted the piece alongside George Retkes and Laura Spencer, known as Miss Crit, said the intent was to bring attention to one of the citys lesser-known public parks. The sidewalk cuts through Sunset Park, a small green space along the Intracoastal Waterway at the western edge of Central Avenue, just before it becomes the Treasure Island Causeway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its also practical, allowing strollers to avoid the busy corner at Central Avenue and Park Street S. The $50,000 work debuts at a time of greater scrutiny on government spending, with public art and arts programs among the most criticized budget items by conservatives looking to curb what they describe as waste. In Pinellas County, commissioners voted this summer to defund Creative Pinellas, an organization that provided funding and opportunities for artists and public art projects. Kaufman points out that all three of the artists behind the Sunshine City Mosaic had previously received grants from Creative Pinellas in the form of emerging artist awards that helped launch their careers. The mosaic, he said, shows how that early support makes artists competitive in a competitive art market and eventually leads to notable work in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is not a direct tie because that is not how art is built, Kaufman said. But it is all about foundations and opportunities. The mosaic also debuts months after the controversial removal of other public art on prominent local walkways. The state removed murals painted in streets and intersections around St. Petersburg,Tampa and beyond, citing new state rules and a desire to keep roads clear of social messaging. While there is nothing foreseeably controversial about the content of the Sunshine Mosaic, Kaufman said the funding ofpublic art in general is a quality-of-life question. Theres a reason people gravitate toward older things, and thats because in the past 30, 40 years of development, theres a lot of soul sucked out of our general space, he said. Public art is a way to beautify our spaces, and one that, for the amount of money cities spend on it, brings a greater impact than anything else. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaufman said that while $50,000 might sound like a lot, the artists worked basically, for cost. They agreed to that, he said, because they were bidding for the job against more established artists. Now the hope is that the quality of the work helps them land more and bigger jobs so they can continue creating. Part of the cost of the job was running and repairing arare, 12-foot-long, 87,000 PSI waterjet machine to cut the tile. The machine is powerful enough to cut through metal with water at the force of 45 pressure washers combined. Other delays included hurricane flooding that beached unmoored boats in the middle of the park. Miss Crit created the wildlife images initially as sketches, while Retkes, known primarily as a sculptor, did the cutting and surfacing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The sidewalk featuresdozens of different colors and textures of tile, sourced from around the world. Kaufman, lead designer for MGA Sculpture Studio, which created the metalsculpture outside St. Petersburg Police Department headquarters, solved the design puzzle of transforming it all into a mosaic. The trio spent months on their hands and knees over the summer assembling all 15,000 pieces by hand, fighting humidity and mosquitoes as they sometimes worked past midnight under tents and lights. The project has been their baby for years, but now it belongs to everyone. Starbucks workers are "ready to go on strike" against the company as the holiday drink season approaches. Starbucks Workers United has planned rallies and pickets to take place at 70 Starbucks in 60 cities between Friday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 2, including three locations in Ohio. The move comes shortly after the coffee giant announced a wave of layoffs, cutting about 900 jobs and closing 1% of stores. Among them, 59 union locations were closed, per USA TODAY, and workers plan to rally and picket outside key Starbucks locations for a fair union contract. If negotiations fall through, baristas could vote to authorize a strike. Starbucks workers in Columbus protested in September for better pay, staffing and working conditions. The union reiterated its commitment to going on strike in a post on X. Starbucks knows where we stand. They know our demands: More take-home pay, better hours, resolving legal issues. Its time to finalize a contract this fall before the all-important holiday season, Starbucks Workers United spokesperson Michelle Eisen said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Customers may soon start seeing picket lines at Starbucks in Ohio and beyond. Here's why and which locations in the Buckeye State will be affected. Starbucks baristas plan rallies, pickets. See where in Ohio Were not on strike yet, but we will be if starbucks doesn't start listening to baristas soon! We're ready to do what it takes to win fair pay, consistent hours, and resolve outstanding ULPs in our workplaces! pic.twitter.com/WQEONW2kFW Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) October 10, 2025 Starbucks Workers United is a worker-led union representing more than 12,000 baristas in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The union says that it has planned rallies and pickets to take place across the country between Friday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 2. The organization is demanding that Starbucks finalize a fair union contract with improved staffing, hours, take-home pay and on-the-job protections for baristas. Beginning this week, union baristas, allies and community supporters are rallying and picketing in three Ohio Starbucks locations: Bowling Green: Oct. 28, 5 p.m. ET, 1560 E Wooster St. Cleveland : Nov. 1, 2 p.m. ET, 11302 Euclid Ave. Worthington: Nov. 2, 2 p.m. ET, 7176 N High St. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starbucks Workers United argues that settling a union contract would cost Starbucks less than one average day's sales, while Starbucks "paid CEO Brian Niccol $96 million compensation for just four months of work in 2024, which is the biggest CEO-to-worker pay gap in the country." Niccol, a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, earned $96 million in his first few months of work, Fortune reports, after taking the job earlier this year. Following the September announcement of layoffs, the union expressed critiques of Starbucks' CEO, noting that "things are only going backwards at Starbucks under Brian Niccols leadership." The union has not set an official end date for its current vote and there is no set date for a scheduled work strike as of the time of this publication. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Are Starbucks workers going on strike? See Ohio stores affected More Tennessee hospitals could close if Congress allows enhanced health insurance marketplace subsidies to expire (Photo: Getty Images) Former President Joe Biden is fond of quoting from his father, Dont tell me what you value. Show me your budgetand Ill tell you what you value. Of course, our current federal government no longer budgets directly. It stumbles through months at a time with extensions, continuing resolutions, and bills with large budgetary effect but often not complete or even rational. Thus, its best to express the past several months of budgeting (everything from Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill to the current government shutdown) as a simple but profound value choice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you only could choose just one temporary item to extend, which would it be: Trumps tax breaks largely benefitting the wealthy and corporations, or the credits that help many middle class and poor Americans pay for health insurance? The numbers from Tennessee make it clear the latter is the far superior choice. The Urban Institute examined how ending those credit subsidies would affect health insurance policies done through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. For Tennesseans the average annual net premium would jump from $145 to $608, even if persons switched to the lowest cost plan in the market. More than 600,000 Tennesseans get health insurance through the ACA. The Tennessee Justice Center estimates the ballooning costs will lead to an estimated 265,000 Tennesseans being forced to go without insurance and the rest of us pay through increased costs when the uninsured find care only through emergency rooms. If the Congressional Republican majority closes its eyes to the effects of Trump budgeting, Tennessee could see one result in rural hospital closings. One recent analysis found that nine Tennessee hospitals are at risk of closure if the current budget policies prevail. The problem is nationwide, but Tennessee has the highest rate of rural hospital closures per capita. This problem is exacerbated by our long and nonsensical tradition of turning down Medicaid expansion. This failure of our state legislature has cost our state more than $27 billion and counting. Compromise may be the currency of legislating, but the current congressional majority already has turned aside one reasonable compromise regarding extending tax breaks. Congressional Democrats proposed an amendment that would continue the lowered tax rates for people making less than $400,000 a year. Only those over that high annual income would see previous rates kick into place. As 60 percent of the Trump tax break extension money goes to that higher income group, the budgeting becomes better and we thus could extend the health insurance subsidies benefitting everyday middle-income families. Republicans, including those from Tennessee, quickly shut down that reasonable compromise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our current batch of Republican senators and congressmen from Tennessee are toeing the Republican line and blaming Democrats for the shutdown, but contribute little to any resolution other than bloviating about passing their plan and maybe they might get around to all those other matters. The current federal stalemate and government shutdown is particularly problematic. Democrats want to avoid the coming crisis of health insurance costs crushing family budgets. Further, trusting the GOP is a real problem because of the Trump administrations record of snubbing law and tradition, and refusing to spend certain monies already allocated by Congress. Republicans control the White House, Senate and House. This fall already Senate Republicans have used the nuclear option (changing the rules to negate the filibuster and allow a simple majority to prevail) to jam through a package of dozens of Trump judicial nominees. Presumably they could do the same to ram through their awful budgeting, but havent gone there yet. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sir Keir Starmers workers rights overhaul could cost up to 1,100 per person in terms of lost economic growth, a think tank has warned. The Employment Rights Bill will wipe between 1.4pc to 2.8pc from GDP per person within a decade, according to the Growth Commission, an independent body of economists backed by Liz Truss. This blow to living standards which are most commonly measured as GDP per head would amount to as much 1,108 per person, the group said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the economy as a whole, it predicts that the cost would range between 38bn and 76bn. Shanker Singham, chairman of the Growth Commission, said: The evidence is clear from our calculations that the Employment Rights Bill will further harm the UKs economic prospects. His comments will fuel scrutiny of the bill, which seeks to strengthen workers rights by introducing a range of new powers. This includes greater rights from the first day of employment and better sick pay. Britains biggest business groups recently warned the Government that the legislation would do significant damage to the economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even the Left-leaning Resolution Foundation has said it risks crippling the jobs market. However, despite growing scrutiny of the bill, Steve Reed, the Housing Secretary, said on Monday that the Government had no plans to water down its proposed employment rights overhaul. Spanish-style labour market In particular, the Growth Commission said the incoming legislation would make the job market less flexible at a time when employers are already struggling to cope with big tax raises and minimum wage increases. The group said the planned reforms would make the UK more similar to Spain in terms of labour market regulation, a country where the unemployment rate is above 10pc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Singham said: If the Government is serious about prioritising growth, it should drop the Employment Rights Bill from its legislative agenda as a matter of urgency. The Tories also accused Labour of going out of its way to raise unemployment. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: This report is just another from a series of business groups and think tanks all saying this bill will damage rather than help the economy. Whilst all eyes are on the next Budget, more red tape and fewer jobs is the last thing business needs. Every Labour government leaves unemployment higher but this one is going out of its way to ensure that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A government spokesman said: We do not recognise these figures. This bill will benefit the economy by helping businesses to thrive as well as raising living standards across the country, creating opportunities for all. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. New York environmental regulators have asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review ethanol emissions from WhistlePig Whiskey's spirit-aging warehouses in the Moriah Business Park, citing a growing fungus problem and the Vermont-based company's eagerness to expand. The ethanol emissions, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has said, are feeding what's called whiskey fungus, a sticky black slime dotting homes, cars and even stop signs in the Mineville area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Should the EPA take on the case, WhistlePig Whiskey could be required to curb what distillers call the "angel's share," vapors from spirits during the aging process. The DEC estimates that process is releasing more than 1 million pounds of ethanol a year. The EPA's involvement would also mark a rare federal ruling on ethanol emissions. There have been two such cases in recent years where the EPA determined that emissions from spirit-aging warehouses should be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The most recent example involved Jack Daniels storage facilities in Tennessee in 2024. The DEC made the request to the EPA in January. An EPA spokesperson said it "is evaluating the regulatory requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for distilleries and aging warehouses. We do not have a specific timeline for when a determination will be made." Ahren Wolson, director of operations at WhistlePig, did not respond to emails seeking comment. But engineering reports provided to the DEC show the company remains unconvinced that its emissions are causing the local fungus outbreak. Expansion plans WhistlePig Whiskey is a craft distiller based in Shoreham, Vt., with 11 warehouses used for aging approximately 154,000 barrels of whiskey in the Mineville area. Under its Moriah Ventures subsidiary, WhistlePig has a dry storage warehouse and a bottling plant at the Moriah Business Park, a project of the Essex County Industrial Development Agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DEC records show the company is looking to add another three whiskey storage warehouses, which could hold 42,000 more barrels total. The Essex County IDA has been looking to expand the business park. At a July IDA meeting, officials said WhistlePig approached them about expanding. IDA officials hosted the state's Adirondack Park Agency for a site visit of neighboring lands it was hoping to purchase. The APA, which oversees public and private development in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, permitted the original warehouses. But the handshake deal between the IDA and the landowner was botched after the owner logged the property. The APA found a jurisdictional wetland in the middle, which IDA CFO and co-director Jody Olcott said was not apparent when the parcel was a woodlot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a Sept. 30 IDA meeting, Olcott said she told WhistlePig that the "adjoining property is basically unusable," adding "no park expansion right now." Olcott referred a reporter's request for comment to Moriah Ventures. Air emissions Though it has contended it is not responsible for the fungus growth, WhistlePig agreed to a "corrective action plan" last year. In that plan, WhistlePig pays to clean fungus-covered homes within a 900-yard radius. Last year, the company paid to have 29 houses washed, records show. The DEC requested further air modeling to determine if the cleaning radius should be expanded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in response, WhistlePig's hired engineering firm, Ramboll, noted that Moriah Ventures has been working with mycologists, or those that study fungi. They "have indicated that DNA testing is required for definitive identification of Baudoinia (compniacensis, the scientific name for whiskey fungus). As this method was not performed for the mold samples taken in the vicinity of the Mineville site, there is still a question as to whether the mold in question is Baudoinia," the Ramboll report read. (Mold is a type of fungus.) It did not recommend expanding the cleaning radius, and so far, the DEC has not required it. Later in January, the DEC's James Hogan III, an air pollution control engineer at Region 5, wrote Robert Buettner, manager of air compliance at the EPA's Region 2. Hogan requested the EPA consider whether WhistlePig's ethanol emissions are considered "fugitive emissions." Those are emissions that cannot be controlled through a vent or stack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hogan estimated that WhistlePig is emitting about 1,062,600 pounds of ethanol a year, which could be subject to a Clean Air Act permit. While the DEC did not require such a permit originally, Hogan said the DEC left the door open to reconsider "if active ventilation becomes necessary for health and/or safety reasons." "Although the company has offered to clean neighboring structures on a periodic basis, Mineville residents have expressed concern about the long-term impacts of fungal growth on their homes," Hogan wrote. This article originally published at State asks feds to rule on WhistlePig ethanol emissions . BOSTON (SHNS) The Board of Higher Education is on track to vote in early 2026 on whether to allow public and private colleges and universities in Massachusetts to offer three-year bachelors degrees, reducing the typical 120-credit requirement. The board voted Tuesday to solicit a second round of public comment on the regulations, which have been in the works for about a year. This final opportunity for comments after the previous round led to some changes in the regulations ends on Dec. 12, putting the board on pace to take a final vote on whether to approve the measure about four to six weeks later, a department official said. The proposal aims to provide students with a faster, more affordable path to a degree. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To earn a traditional four-year bachelors degree, students are required to take and pay for 120 credits. An associates degree, or a two-year degree, is 60 credits. The three-year bachelors programs, which some universities around the country are beginning to offer, are sub-120 credits. Students will graduate with the same degree as those who attend school for four years, but theyll have completed fewer credit hours to do so. Some higher education institutions in Massachusetts have expressed interest in creating these pathways. The New England Commission of Higher Education, an institutional accreditor for most of the private and public colleges in New England, gave a green light last year to Merrimack College in North Andover to pilot a three-year program focused on non-licensure majors, like business, health science, physics and liberal arts degrees. The regulations should the board vote to approve them would not automatically allow the programs, just enable colleges and universities to submit proposals for potential approval to the board, board chair Chris Gabrieli has previously said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the changes the department made following the first round of public comment, the regulations now ensure financially struggling institutions are not using the proposal for inappropriate reasons, such as to achieve financial stability, said DHE Chief Legal Counsel Dena Papanikolaou. They also added language to ensure students have informed consent about the program they are signing up for, and require schools to be transparent about what they will call the degrees students receive. DHE lawyers also added a clause to make clear that there is nothing in the regulations to preclude the board from enforcing its existing authority to revoke or suspend an institutions degree-granting authority if the board determines that something inappropriate might be happening, or if theres non-compliance with the way that the institution is proceeding, Papanikolaou said. Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island became the first university in the country to launch an in-person, three-year bachelor degree this fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Students are only required to complete 90 to 96 credit hours, and take a regular semester load of courses during the academic year. The university is only offering the accelerated degree program in computer science, criminal justice, graphic design and hospitality management. Its not just in New England that interest in quicker and more affordable higher degrees is growing. Last year, the Utah Board of Higher Education created a new Bachelor of Applied studies degree that only requires 90 credits. Several universities have expressed interest in the accelerated programs, though none are underway yet in the state. In Indiana, former Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a law last spring requiring every state college and university to review their bachelors degree programs to determine if they could be completed in three years by a full-time student. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. Most tap water around the United States is safe to drink, but the safety of each faucet's stream can be questionable from state-to-state. While a lot of people worry about whether it's safe to drink hotel tap water abroad, or if they'll find drinkable water in Europe during their upcoming trip, it's also a good idea to look at water quality and sources a little closer to home. Clearly Filtered, a U.S.-based water filter company, recently conducted a study using data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Environmental Working Group (EWG), and various other organizations to determine the states with the dirtiest tap water. Topping that list is New York, with more than 365,800 acute EPA water quality violations and over 10,100,000 health-based violations. So, as it turns out, you might want to think twice before running that faucet, or asking for still instead of sparkling during your next restaurant visit. According to the EWG, close to 190 drinking water systems in New York contained high levels of toxic chemicals between 2023 and 2024. Syracuse, for example, found incredibly high traces of lead in its tap water after an EPA-mandated monitoring which discovered levels up to four times higher than their lead action level, which is set at 15 parts per billion. Considering the state's water systems serve over 1.3 million people from the bustling city to the scenic, upstate mountains it makes sense to be concerned. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: These Are The Most Dangerous Cities In America For 2025 (And Why You Might Want To Avoid Them), According To Research What does this mean for New Yorkers? A NYC Water stand - Here Now/Shutterstock Whether you're visiting the Empire State Building considered the happiest tourist attraction in the northeast or checking out the fall foliage in the Adirondack mountains, there's a likely chance you'll come across tap water at some point. Thankfully, as the quality worsens, the EPA is starting to take action. According to Newsweek, in June 2025, the federal company issued a $1.25 million fine to Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW) and three municipalities for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and supplying users water with chemicals linked to potential cancer risks. After they settled, it was determined that WJWW must build a $138 million water filtration plant, taking steps to improve the quality. While this only covers a portion of New York, it highlights broader concerns across the state. Ultimately, the reality is that these toxic chemicals can have long-term impacts, including cancer and birth defects. And if local water systems are being consistently flagged for chemical toxicities, it's important that residents and visitors take action themselves. For residents, the EPA recommends using at-home filtration such as charcoal, reverse osmosis systems, and ion exchange resins. Whatever you pick, make sure the product is certified for water filtration. To verify, look for the certification marks "NSF/ANSI 53" or "NSF/ANSI 58" on the packaging, which means they're effective for PFAS reduction. Meanwhile, for visitors, it's worth noting that most NYC water does meet federal standards, which means it's considered safe to drink especially for short-term stays. That said, it's always worth checking local water quality reports online to be sure. To take matters into your own hands, you can even consider carrying a portable water filter as an extra precaution. Advertisement Advertisement Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. KILLINGLY - Troopers responded to a Pratt Road home Monday to investigate a suspicious incident, state police said. A spokesperson for the Connecticut State Police said that as of 10 p.m. the scene was active and no further information was available. This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available. This article originally published at State police investigating 'suspicious incident' at Killingly home, officials say. (WJET/WFXP) Police in New York and Pennsylvania are asking the public for their help in finding a New York man whose car was found on Allegheny National Forest property. According to Pennsylvania State Police Lewis Run, 45-year-old Brian Serafin of Towanda, New York was first reported missing on August 11 with his car being found on an Allegheny National Forest road. Police said the car was found on October 12 in Wetmore Township, McKean County on south of Forest Road 133. The condition of the car was Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes described as standing at about 6 feet tall, weighing about 180 lbs, with brown hair and green eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call PSP Lewis Run at 814-368-9230. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com. A state agent investigating Rep. Ajay Pittman for alleged misuse of campaign funds reported she made "several suspicious" purchases last year that included two large-screen TVs and a laptop computer. Those purchases from her campaign account were further described as consistent with being for "personal benefit." The disclosure came in records filed Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Oklahoma County District Court in connection with two searches conducted during the investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents working for Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Oct. 16 searched Pittman's state Capitol office and her mother's house. The state's grand jury judge, Natalie Mai, gave them permission to conduct the searches. Pittman, 32, has not been charged. The Oklahoma City Democrat was first elected in 2018 and represents House District 99. She has not made any public statements about the investigation and did not respond again Tuesday to requests for comment. Rep. Ajay Pittman is shown in a photo from a news release about her interim study in September 2025 on food supply and food access issues. The investigation has "discovered incidents involving Embezzlement, Forgery and violations of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, at the hands of PITTMAN," Agent Eric VanGurp told the judge in requesting the searches. "The criminal acts were related to funds associated with her 2024 campaign account." Candidates are supposed to use donations for campaign purposes such as advertising, campaign rallies, campaign signs and campaign staff. They cannot spend the money on themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If elected, they also can also spend campaign funds on so-called officeholder expenses. VanGurp reported he found the suspicious transactions during a review of subpoenaed bank documents from Pittman's campaign account. The agent reported there were "clothing, dining, and beverage purchases that were not consistent with purchasing requirements for campaign volunteers and more consistent with personal purchases." "Individuals who engage in fraudulent activities will often have financial difficulties and live beyond their means," VanGurp wrote in the requests. "These individuals will commit fraud and embezzle money to maintain a certain lifestyle." Oklahoma Ethics Commission reported alleged misuse The investigation began in June after the Oklahoma Ethics Commission reported the alleged wrongdoing, according to the search warrant documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ethics Commission's general counsel pointed out the spending pattern from Pittman's 2024 campaign was "consistent" with her unauthorized spending from her 2020 and 2022 campaigns, VanGurp wrote. More: Rep. Ajay Pittman stripped of committee assignments, suspended from Democratic caucus Pittman purchased a Vizio large-screen TV on April 18, 2024, from Sam's Club, according to the court documents. Pittman wrote on a campaign report that she spent $543.65 that day at the store on "office supplies (TV, water, envelopes, snacks, canvassing attire for volunteers.)" Pittman purchased a second Vizio large-screen TV on May 28, 2024, from Sam's Club, according to the court documents. Pittman's campaign report does not show a second TV purchase. She did report she spent $182.61 that day at the store on beverages, tissue paper and volunteers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pittman purchased the laptop from Best Buy on Aug. 20, 2024, according to the court documents. She wrote on a campaign report she spent $945.20 at Best Buy in August 2024 on a laptop as an officeholder expense. She later told the Ethics Commission the laptop was for her campaign, VanGurp reported. Those large purchases came after the Ethics Commission accused her in a notice of misspending her 2020 and 2022 campaign funds. She reached a $35,000 settlement with the Ethics Commission in May 2024. She admitted in the settlement to personal use of campaign funds and agreed to reimburse her campaign accounts $17,858.22 from personal funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also agreed to pay a $17,141.78 civil penalty to the state's general revenue fund from personal funds. The Ethics Commission is now suing Pittman for fraud and breach of contract. She has not filed an answer to the civil case. She is accused in the lawsuit of falsely representing that a $2,500 deposit into her campaign's bank account in January was a reimbursement payment from her. The deposit was actually a campaign contribution from the Osage Nation, according to the lawsuit. The Ethics Commission also alleges she forged a cashier's check and lied on a campaign report as part of the deception. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The criminal investigation also is focusing on the cashier's check, the AG agent disclosed in the search warrant documents. Agents believe the check was altered and emailed to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission by Pittman in an attempt to deceive it, VanGurp wrote. Agents searched her mother's home in Midwest City after determining through "covert electronic surveillance" that the lawmaker was living there, VanGurp told the judge. Pittman's address in Oklahoma City "does not have any active utilities." The lawmaker's mother is former state Sen. Anastasia Pittman, who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 and again this year for Oklahoma County commissioner. Anastasia Pittman was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seized from the Capitol office were laptops, Ethics Commission documents, a blue ledger, a dark green bag and other items, the court documents show. Seized from her mother's house were bank documents, financial documents, cellphones, laptops, iPads and U-Haul keys. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Criminal probe of state Rep. Ajay Pittman focuses on campaign spending Earlier this year, the story of Adriana Smith a Georgia woman, declared brain dead, being kept alive by the state due to her pregnancy, without the consent or input of her family has captured national attention. Smiths mother, April Newkirk, told a local Atlanta TV station in May after her daughter had been on life support for 90 days (with aggressive medical bills piling up) that the experience was torture. And it is all due to the laws in the state that required physicians to prioritize a potentially viable fetus over the will of Smith and her family. Advance directives exist for a reason, as a means for a person to preemptively state in a legal document what they want to happen if they are near death or incapacitated in a lasting way. However, depending on the state you live in, your final wishes like those of Smith and her family can actually be ignored or bypassed just because you are pregnant. FatCamera via Getty Images Yes, this does functionally put an asterisk over the whole concept of an advanced directive for more than half of the population in the majority of U.S. states, particularly if you live in any of the nine states that automatically toss out a pregnant persons advance directive: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alabama Indiana Kansas Michigan Missouri South Carolina Texas Utah Wisconsin But thats not the complete story. A 2019 study published in JAMA examined the way all states navigated pregnancy and advance directives and found that 39 states identified pregnancy as a condition that influences either an incapacitated [patients] advance directive or surrogate decision making. They also noted some of the nuances that vary between states: which states test for pregnancy before they allow someone to be taken off life support (Alaska, Georgia and Oklahoma); the five states (Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota) that specified that life-sustaining therapies may be discontinued if they cause the woman undue pain that cannot be alleviated by medication and the lone state (Pennsylvania) that offers to take on the financial burden of keeping a pregnant person on life support in these situations. A map outlining the states that restrict treatment decision-making for pregnant people in end-of-life care situations. JAMA Yet, among these states, the actual laws are hardly public knowledge only eight of the states advance directive documents seek someones pregnancy-specific care preferences. Of the 31 states that had restrictions on taking pregnant people off life support, 29 of these states have restrictions in their state statutes. However, 69% of the advance directive forms from these states made no mention of them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And these are meant to be thorough forms after all, they are one of the few things to speak up for you when you cant speak for yourself. Family: These States Will Ignore Your Final Wishes Just Because Youre Pregnant When you fill out an advance directive, theres typically a lot of questions, Stacey Lee, professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Bloomberg School of Public Health, said. The majority of states are silent about what happens when you become pregnant. You may think, Im covered! I have the advanced directive. Im good to go, but states dont give the heads up. A Shocking Silence These laws are often so obscure that even practicing health care providers are often unaware of the state-specific restrictions. Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an OB-GYN and hospitalist practicing in Portland, Oregon, first sounded the alarm about the discrepancies on her Substack after initially writing an educational post on the importance of advance directive documents in the aftermath of Smiths story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I am an author and educator on social media and am very active in creating educational content regarding reproductive rights, health care access, and abortion. I consider myself pretty well-informed when it comes to these spaces, so I was shocked when I had written on my Substack about the importance of advance directives as a way to take control in states where abortion is restricted Lincoln told Huffpost. I had never heard of what are called pregnancy exclusions before, so I looked into it, and what I found shocked me and thats hard to do to an OBGYN in America in 2025. The sneakiness of these laws follows a familiar playbook that abortion rights advocates will recognize the quiet, state-by-state restricting of just one small part of pregnancy, in this case, end-of-life care, is not too different from Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers (TRAP) Laws that steadily chipped away at reproductive health care access in various states in the decades leading up to the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Family: Kids Cant Stop Yelling Out These Two Numbers Heres The Story Behind Why There has been a real concerted effort among people focused on protecting the fetus at all costs to look for whatever types of law are possible for the state to step in and champion often at the expense of the mother the rights of a bunch of cells, Lee adds. Its always been an effort thats been in the background, but because of the comfort of Roe, I think people took their eyes off the ball. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While that is the prevailing reproductive health care narrative of the last 30 or so years, the experts we spoke to still maintained that the ethics of these laws have disturbing implications and heartbreaking (and, given U.S. health insurance costs, expensive) outcomes for the families that survive individuals affected by them. Whats so sad about this is this is not a medical issue. The law has provided everyone the right and encouraged you to have an advanced directive. There is never a fine print notice to say, Hey, if youre female and you become pregnant, this is meaningless, Lee adds. The idea that the state can spring to life and use my body in a way that I do not consent to and do not want in some states, regardless of whether the fetus is viable? The harm that is inflicted on the family to use a womans body that way. Lee notes that there are major racial disparities in these situations, too, that cant be overlooked: Things like this fall disproportionately on Black women, who are more likely to receive inadequate care and to have their medical wishes overridden, in terms of legislation. Ultimately, it comes back to a prevailing narrative that reproductive health care experts and advocates have been urging more Americans to consider: These sort of restrictive laws, pieced together by people with little knowledge of medicine or pregnant bodies cannot fairly legislate around the unique medical needs of pregnant people and the health care providers who care for them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of us who care about bodily autonomy are broken records when we say this: pregnancy is too complicated to legislate, Lincoln said. These restrictions take away the freedoms of the family to carry out the wishes of their dying relative. They tie the hands of the doctors who took an oath to put the patient first. It adds an extra layer of trauma and horror to an already traumatic situation. It is inhumane and unethical. News: Brain-Dead Georgia Woman Is Taken Off Life Support After Delivering Baby Unsurprisingly, Lee notes that there isnt a comparable law on the books restricting or overriding the advance directives of people who cant get pregnant. So lets say for the sake of saying that my spouse is incapacitated and he has made it really clear that I dont want to have any more kids, but I extract his sperm anyway, Lee said. Theres no knowledge I have of [laws] that contradict a males right to not go forward with the creation of life. What They Dont Cover In Medical School Unsurprisingly, these specific nuances of end-of-life care arent covered in medical schools at least not to the extent that modern physicians in a post-Dobbs v. Jackson world might need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Something like this? I dont think that your average provider is aware of this. I dont think this is part of your medical school education, Lee said. I think that most physicians believe in following the advance directives. Also Read: A Brain-Dead Pregnant Woman Was Kept Alive For Months. I'm Suing To Make Sure That Never Happens In My State. And Lincoln outright acknowledges that these nuances were not discussed in her training. I never learned about this aspect of end-of-life care in medical school or in my residency training, which was why I initially was so embarrassed when my follower messaged me, Lincoln said. I thought I had missed something everyone else knew, but then when I shared this update in another Substack, I had dozens of responses from other doctors, lawyers, ethics workers and more who were equally in the dark. At the end of the day, I think the fact that so few people in these fields know about pregnancy exclusions is maybe the scariest part of all. The fact that its flying under the radar in a time when we know fetal personhood laws are only gaining traction is chilling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This highlights a broader issue: state legislations impose an additional burden on health care providers who are already striving to support their patients. As Lee notes, the ethical issues providers face when it comes to end-of-life care arent dissimilar to the ethical issues providers now face providing abortion care: It puts them in a vulnerable place of really having to consider whether their state will come after them for providing necessary, compassionate care to their patient. Family: The Rudest Things You're Probably Doing In Your Friendships The issues of pregnancy and when you can intervene in a pregnancy, especially in states where an abortion is not legal, [have doctors considering] how do you thread that needle to avoid a potential lawsuit? Lee said. In terms of ethics, its less of an immediate decision [in end-of-life care situations], but the lack of urgency doesnt lessen the ethical issues. What You Can Do To Protect Yourself And Your People Regretfully, as weve seen throughout the post-Dobbs landscape, there is no silver bullet to getting around reproductive health care restrictions that werent written with pregnancy (the condition) in mind. But Lee and Lincoln did have some solid advice for how to best arm yourself with knowledge and set yourself up for the best possible odds of winning the fight over body autonomy in a situation where youre incapacitated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Know the laws of your state. Take a look at the map and familiarize yourself with the specific laws in your area. I want pregnant people to be fully informed of what the laws are in their state so there are no surprises if a tragedy happens, Lincoln said. I still recommend they have an advance directive and discuss it with their families and their health care team, even if they are in a state with hostile pregnancy exclusion laws. Be prepared to leave if that is the right decision for you. If you think you could be having a complicated pregnancy, consider getting the hell out of the states that throw your directive out, Lee said. Add a pregnancy-specific clause to your advance directive.Just because your state might not offer the fine print or the opportunity for you to speak to pregnancy-specific issues, you can still make the move yourself to be explicit about your desires in these scenarios. Double down, document and be explicit. Lee suggests going as far as making a video where you explicitly state that you are competently expressing your wishes for what should and shouldnt happen if you are in one of these dire medical situations. Write a Microsoft Word document and share it with your people as well make sure it is widely known where you stand on this. Id have a separate pregnancy addendum and a plain language document with my philosophy on pregnancy and life support: I want to retain my bodily autonomy and my dignity and this is not what I want, Lee added. Id talk loud and long to my loved ones. Have a trusted health care proxy. Lee recommends that you also have a trusted health care proxy (who you should ensure has access to your medical records well in advance) on deck, prepared to advocate for you and use all the documentation you already have to your advantage. Be aware of the helpers. Organizations like If/When/How (a group of lawyers working for reproductive justice) are great resources to know if a pregnant person or family has questions or is having issues with advance directives being followed, Lincoln said. They also have a helpline number (844-868-2812) to assist with all kinds of reproductive health care legal dilemmas. Beyond getting your own individual protections and resources buttoned up, theres work to be done from an advocacy standpoint, too and theres work already being done thats really promising. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I also want to provide a glimmer of hope that organizations and people are fighting back against these exclusions...in Washington, the governor signed a law that removes pregnancy exclusions from end-of-life care, Lincoln said. Similar work was done by If/When/How in Idaho in 2022. Lee adds that people concerned about this issue can and should contact their individual states and state representatives to push for transparency in advance directive restrictions and encourage legislation that upholds a persons advance directive regardless of their pregnancy status. In your own communities, Lincoln recommends raising the alarm and speaking with others in the reproductive health care and legal spaces around you: Tell your OB-GYN or midwives, I bet they have no idea this is happening, and they can use their positions of power to advocate for change. Contact your representatives (yes, it works!) and tell them you want them to prioritize removing these exclusions. Educate others. It all helps. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Nearly 42 million Americans and their families could imminently lose access to federal food assistance if Donald Trumps administration does not tap into billions of dollars in emergency funding to keep the critical program afloat during the government shutdown. Democratic leaders from 25 states are now suing the administration to keep those dollars flowing, arguing that the Department of Agriculture is legally required to continue providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as long as there is money to support it. Millions of Americans are about to go hungry because the federal government has chosen to withhold food assistance it is legally obligated to provide, said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is among 25 attorneys general suing the Trump administration to keep SNAP running. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP is one of our nations most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running, she said. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline. The federal government must do its job to protect families. A notice on USDAs website this week claims the well has run dry for SNAP benefits and states there will be no benefits come November 1. A lawsuit from 25 Democratic-led states demands a court order the Trump administration to tap into emergency funds to keep SNAP running before funding lapses November 1 (REUTERS) But the government was preparing for an emergency plan, as outlined in a September memo, which said the agency would tap into a multiyear contingency to continue supporting SNAP in the event funding came to a screeching halt. That document was recently removed from the USDA website, and a follow-up memo now claims USDAs contingency funding was not legally available to cover regular benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plaintiffs claim the federal government is illegally blocking those funds, which should cover at least a significant portion of November SNAP benefits based just on the $6 billion in SNAP-specific contingency funds. USDA claims that those funds were earmarked for natural disasters and other emergencies, not in the event of an impasse in Congress over a funding bill to reopen the government. The USDA, echoing a recent wave of partisan attacks on government websites, is explicitly blaming congressional Democrats for the shutdown and the suspension of SNAP funding. Bottom line, the well has run dry, according to the latest notice on its website. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If SNAP benefits are suspended this weekend, it would mark the first time in the programs 60-year history that the federal government had let it lapse. Withholding emergency funds is illegal, immoral, and cruel, according to Chris Swartz, senior ethics counsel at legal advocacy group Democracy Defenders Fund. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins has both the authority and the legal obligation to act, the groups chief counsel and director for ethics and anticorruption Virginia Canter said. Congress created the SNAP contingency fund precisely to prevent hunger during funding lapses, she added. Choosing not to use it is a deliberate decision to deny food to 42 million Americans who are legally entitled to those benefits, including the elderly, children, and veterans. Food banks across the country, already stretched thin, are bracing for an influx of families who rely on SNAP if the anti-hunger program isnt funded by November 1 (AP) SNAP funds, which are distributed by the federal government to states each month, support the nations largest anti-hunger program, which serves millions of households, with a vast majority of recipients being children and seniors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recipients receive roughly $188 per person per month, or about $6 per day, which is administered on prepaid cards that can be used for grocery store staples. The program provides roughly nine meals for every one meal provided by a food pantry, according to anti-hunger advocates. More than 3 million people in New York alone rely on SNAP, as do tens of thousands of people in states with some of the highest poverty levels in the country. Tens of millions of Americans are on the cusp of crisis, according to the lawsuit. Every day that this suspension of SNAP benefits is not enjoined is another day that critical food assistance does not go out to families who need it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Suspending funds risks burdening the state agencies that administer SNAP and the state and local programs that will need to compensate for the lack of SNAP benefits, according to the lawsuit. State governments and food banks are now warning SNAP recipients that those funds could soon be coming to an end, for now. A hearing in the lawsuit is set for October 30. Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on October 27, 2025 in New York City Credit - Michael M. Santiago2025 Getty Images Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and architect of some of President Donald Trumps harshest immigration policies, has claimed that federal agents carrying out arrests and deportations are immune from prosecution. In a recent interview on Fox News, Miller hit out at opposition to the Trump Administrations plans to carry out the largest mass deportation in United States history, accusing Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker of seditious conspiracy for his attempts to block those efforts and threatening his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read More: Even With Tons of Money, ICE Finds Obstacles in Hiring 10,000 New Agents Miller also announced in a message to agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency: You have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop or obstruct you is committing a felony. ICE and Border Patrol agents have been the tip of the spear for Trumps hardline deportation agenda, deploying to cities around the country to conduct arrests and raids of anyone in the country illegally. Agents from those agencies have been accused of using increasingly aggressive tactics to meet ambitious arrest targets set by Miller and the Trump Administration, which has sparked protests and opposition across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several high-profile incidents have highlighted those tactics. ICE agents joined with Border Patrol to conduct what Pritzker described as a military-style raid at a Chicago apartment building earlier this month. One ICE officer in New York was removed from duty after he forcibly threw a woman to the floor at an immigration court, only to return a week later. Another ICE agent fatally shot a Mexican immigrant in Illinois during an arrest attempt, and incidents between ICE, protesters and journalists outside of an ICE facility in Chicago created the basis for the case against the Administration for alleged violations of First and Fourth Amendment rights, which led to a judge granting a temporary restraining order blocking federal agencies from using forceful tactics to stop protesters or journalists. Those incidents have prompted some District Attorneys to say they would seek prosecutions of ICE agents who break the law in their jurisdictions. So are ICE agents really immune, as Miller claims? 'Necessary and proper' Stephen Vladeck, a professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center, argues noat least on its face. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government absolutely retains the ability to prosecute federal law enforcement officers who break the law, even in the course of carrying out their duties, Vladeck writes in a newsletter published Monday. Vladeck argues that while these agents are protected by an immunity doctrine, that doctrine is not as absolute as Miller makes it out to be. Miller is relying on the doctrine known as Supremacy Clause immunity. This immunity protects federal officers from state criminal prosecution when they are carrying out their official duties under federal law, provided their actions were "necessary and proper." Read more: Inside Chicagos Battle With Trump Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This makes sense, Vladeck says, since [o]therwise, states could criminalize the very conduct that federal law enforcement officers engage in and thereby thwart the enforcement of any federal law with which they disagree, including things like anti-discrimination laws. The necessary and proper idea, though, is up for much debate, and could lead to holes in Millers claim, as Vladeck points to lower circuit decisions that federal agents are not given this immunity unless their behavior would be found to be reasonable. If these agents are acting outside of their federal authority, that immunity would not be as air-tight. Even at its most robust, Supremacy Clause immunity would not preclude a local or state prosecution of ICE officers for all scope-of-employment conduct, Vladeck says. Howard Bashman, an appellate lawyer and legal columnist, agrees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even as an argument about state criminal prosecutions, that claim is overstated at best," he wrote on his blog. The comments come a week after Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents New York, sent a letter to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, calling on NYPD officers to be trained and equipped to arrest and prosecute federal agents who break state laws. ICEs own policy makes clear agents cannot assert civil immigration enforcement authority over U.S. citizens, Goldman wrote to Tisch. Yet, under the Trump administration, there have been dozens of credible reportssome recorded on videoshowing the agency doing exactly that, with violence and impunity. Several other District Attorneys and lawmakers claim that their offices would file charges against ICE agents breaking the law. For example, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office would review any clear, excessive use of force by federal agents and file charges if warranted. Contact us at letters@time.com. One of Greyson Moreys peak experiences as an Emory undergraduate student took place at the High Museum of Art. Thats where he found himself hanging one of his own paintings for an exhibition of art by Emory students, on view through Nov. 2 in the museums Greene Family Education Center. Not only am I showing multiple pieces at the most prominent art museum in the entirety of the Southeast, says Morey, a junior double majoring in English and integrated visual arts, I've created an artists statement, there are going to be headshots, biographies and I got to help curate an exhibition including my own work. Moreys section of the exhibit, entitled The Vine that Ate Myself, uses repetition of line to explore themes of queer and neurodivergent identity and coming-of-age in the American South. A unique relationship The event is the first of a planned annual show of art by Emory students since the university and the High forged a partnership through the museums Academic Affiliates program in 2024. Kim Collins, art history librarian with Emory Libraries; Christian Hill, graphic designer with Emory Libraries, and Andi McKenzie, curator of the Works on Paper Gallery with the Michael C. Carlos Museum judged the exhibit. They selected three student artists from a pool of applicants in the spring to curate the show. These students worked with faculty sponsors and High Museum staff to install the artwork, which includes 18 pieces created by six Emory students. The Greene Family Education Center features gallery space reserved for students, High Museum classes and affiliated programs. Visitors to the High can view the Emory exhibit during museum hours. The Academic Affiliates program offers Emory students, faculty and staff unique access to the Highs collections, exhibitions and research. For example, last spring, students in Emorys Paper Architecture class studied rare archival materials at the museum illustrating architectural designs that are difficult or impossible to build in real life. The class is taught by Andre Patrao, assistant professor of art history. The student art exhibit marks a rare, hands-on opportunity for young artists to learn how exhibitions work at the professional level, says Dana Haugaard, associate teaching professor and director of visual arts at Emory. This really forced them to think through all the steps, from idea, to execution and installation, to artists statement, he says. This learning curve was precisely what stuck out to Sophia Sun, a junior majoring in biology. Its obviously a really cool opportunity to have your work hung at the High, she says. And I learned a lot particularly when it comes to thinking about how to design this in a way where the viewer could go from one painting to the next and sort of see the vision or the narrative that I wanted to develop. Haugaard served as a faculty sponsor of the exhibit along with Linda Merrill, teaching professor in the Art History Department, and Peter Wakefield, professor of pedagogy in the Institute for the Liberal Arts. Were thrilled about this first student exhibition as part of Emorys academic affiliation with the High Museum, says Valeda Dent, vice provost of libraries and museum. Each artist brings something truly different to the exhibition, and were particularly grateful to our colleagues at the High Museum and to the planning team at Emory, without whom this would not have been possible. This really allows our visitors to enjoy artwork by the next generation of creatives and thinkers, says Andrew Westover, the Highs Eleanor McDonald Storza deputy director of learning and civic engagement. We are grateful for the strong collaboration between our staff and the Emory team and look forward to supporting student flourishing through future projects as well. His voice and my hands working together Learning that her artwork would appear in the exhibit felt special and important, says Paige Scanlon. It was also kind of surreal. Thats because Scanlon, who graduated in the spring with a bachelors degree in religion and interdisciplinary studies, doesnt think of herself as an artist. The three collages she contributed to the exhibit contain snippets of letters from Michael, a religious scholar who assists the chaplain at Burruss Correctional Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia. He is also incarcerated there. (Only his first name can be shared for confidentiality reasons.) Scanlon and Michael met in the spring as students in an interdisciplinary studies class called Freedom and Authority, taught by Wakefield. At class meetings held separately for Emory students on campus and for the incarcerated students at Burruss participants discussed works by scholars like Greek philosopher Plato, Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol and Black feminist writer Audre Lorde. They also read one anothers work. Emory students were invited to attend one class session with their Burruss classmates at the prison. The collages in the exhibit reflect their getting to know one another and their discussions in the class. Ultimately, says Scanlon, its his voice and my hands working together. We both feel so humbled that something we made is worthy of being in a museum. The class motivated Scanlon to pursue prison chaplaincy herself. Today, she is a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School. The exhibit also featured the work of Clara Cai, a third-year human health and art history major; Josephine DeMarco, a third-year computer science and French major; and Tamiia Quinn, who graduated in May 2025 with a bachelors degree in interdisciplinary studies and visual arts. JACKSON, Miss, (WJTV) As Mississippi prepares for a pause in SNAP benefits in November, a Jackson nonprofit said its already seeing more people seeking help. Stewpot Community Services operates many programs for the community, including a community kitchen and food pantry. Both are feeling the strain as families prepare for benefits to stop in November. For many residents, the pause in SNAP benefits is already causing worry about how they will put food on the table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is going to be difficult because they aint getting no, you know, food stamps no more. I know it will be hard for me, said one resident. Extra Table plans to increase aid amid SNAP freeze Even if SNAP is restored soon, the effects are expected to linger. People who are experiencing food insecurity, or people who are financially insecure are going to feel the effects and experience the effects of the change, for weeks and maybe months to come. So, its not just a kind of a flash, and its over, but for people who are who need support, then its going to take a while to reach that new normal, said Jill Barnes Buckley, executive director of Stewpot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stewpot is preparing to meet the growing need, stocking up on supplies and extending hours Monday through Thursday afternoons. We are available to people who need help getting food, you know, primarily through our community kitchen where you can get, you know, good lunch, every single day of the year. But also, you know, through help with groceries and depending on how long the crisis lasts, said Buckley. The nonprofit is also asking the community to step in through volunteering, donating food or making a financial contribution. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJTV. WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Wichita Falls police arrested an Arlington man Sunday evening after they said he led officers on a chase in a stolen vehicle. On Sunday, October 26, around 5 p.m., Wichita Falls police officers said they noticed several people running across Holliday Road toward 23rd Street. When officers contacted them, they were told that they saw a man in one of their vehicles, a silver GMC Sierra, so they began to yell and chase the subject before he ran away. Officers began to check the area, looking for the suspect, then returned to the area of Holliday Road and 23rd Street to complete the report. As officers approached, they said the people were running and yelling frantically. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers turned east onto 23rd Street and reported the silver GMC Sierra sped away, and a white four-door sedan followed. Police said the chase went south on US 81 and left city limits before the truck exited and crashed near BNSF railroad tracks. Police identified the driver as Joshuan Duranmartinez and arrested him. The owner of the truck told police he had just purchased it from a man in Decatur earlier that day. Police said the video recording of the transaction showed that the man who sold the vehicle was Duranmartinez. According to the arrest affidavit, auto theft investigators with the WFPD believe Duranmartinez purposely kept a key to the truck at the time of sale to take back possession of the truck after it was sold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duranmartinez was charged with theft of property more than $2,500 but less than $30,000 and evading arrest with a vehicle. He was booked into the Wichita County Jail on bonds totaling $75,000. You can now stream KFDX and Texomas FOX live 24/7 on your smart TV with KFDX+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Texomashomepage.com. BANGKOK (AP) The number of people fleeing from Myanmar to Thailand after Myanmars military shut down a major online scam center has slowed to a trickle, a Thai regional army commander said Tuesday, after more than 1,500 had left in the past week. The KK Park site, identified by Thai officials and independent experts as housing a major cybercrime operation, was raided by Myanmars army in mid-October as part of operations starting in early September to suppress cross-border online scams and illegal gambling. The center is located on the outskirts of Myawaddy, a major trading town on the border across from the Thai town of Mae Sot. The Myawaddy area is only loosely under the control of Myanmars military government, and shares power there with an allied local militia of the Karen ethnic minority operating as a Border Guard Force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Witnesses on the Thai side of the border reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke coming from the center over the past several nights starting on Friday. The Thai army's Naresuan Task Force, which operates in Thailand's northern region, said Monday that parts of KK Park were demolished by explosions carried out by Myanmar's military and its Border Guard Force allies. Debris from the blasts caused damage to several houses on the Thai side of the border. The task force's commander, Maj. Gen. Maitree Chupreecha, told The Associated Press that 25 people from four nations crossed into Thailand on Tuesday, though he didn't identify their nationalities. Those who fled Myanmar are mostly believed to have worked at the center, often under duress. The authorities in Thailands Tak province, who have set up temporary shelters for them, said they come from 28 countries, including Thailand. They are being processed to determine if they were victims of human trafficking and and then can be repatriated to their home countries, which include India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Kenya. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Myanmar is notorious for hosting cyberscam operations, which recruit many of their workers from other countries under false pretenses, promising them legitimate jobs and then holding them captive and forcing them to carry out criminal activities. Myanmar's independent media, including The Irrawaddy, an online news service, have reported that online scams in Myanmar continue to operate in the Myawaddy area even after the raid on KK Park. Cambodia is another major center for such operations, which garnered international attention on Oct. 14, when the United States and the United Kingdom enacted sanctions against organizers of a major Cambodian cyberscam gang, and its alleged ringleader was indicted by a U.S. federal court in New York. Mashaal praised the "resistance" of youth on university campuses, and rejected Hamas disarmament as tantamount to "taking away our souls," in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday. A slight majority, 51%, of Americans between the ages of 18-21 are not only involved in the Palestinian cause, but are active in Hamas "resistance," leader of the terror group Khaled Mashaal said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday. It's been a rough few years for Santa Monica. Businesses have abandoned its once-thriving downtown. Its retail and office vacancy rates are among the highest in Los Angeles County. The crowds that previously packed the area surrounding the city's famous pier have dwindled. Homelessness has risen. City officials acknowledge crime incidents had become more visible and volatile. The breadth and depth of the issues became apparent just last month when the city was forced to declare itself in fiscal distress after paying $229 million in settlements related to alleged sexual abuse by Eric Uller, a former city dispatcher. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: Once-booming Santa Monica faces a dire fiscal crisis. The surprising way it got there Now, Santa Monica is trying to plot a new path forward. A significant first step could come Tuesday. That's when the City Council is set to consider a plan to reverse its fortunes. A shuttered business on Broadway in Santa Monica. (David Butow/For The Times) The plan includes significantly increasing police patrols and enforcing misdemeanor ordinances, investing in infrastructure and new community events, and taking a more business-friendly brush to permits and fees. Officials also plan to be more aggressive in making sure property owners maintain unused properties. The blueprint tackles many "quality of life" issues that critics say have contributed to lower foot traffic in the city's tourist districts since the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's far from clear the tactics will work. But given the city's current trajectory, officials say bold action is necessary. "We're trying to usher in a rebirth a renaissance of the city by investing in ourselves," Councilmember Dan Hall said. Read more: Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade is a retail relic. Can it be saved? Hall, 38, is part of a relatively youthful City Council majority that swept into office in recent years as voters opted for new leadership and a fresh approach. Five of the seven council members are millennials, and six members first joined the council in either 2022 or 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also new on the scene is City Manager Oliver Chi, who five months ago was hired away from the same position in Irvine. "The city is in a period of distress, for sure," said Chi, 45. "We're not in a moment where the city is broke. The city still has resources. ... But right now, if we do nothing, the city's general fund operating budget is projected to run a structural deficit of nearly $30 million a year, and that's because we've seen big drops" in revenues, such as from hotel taxes, sales tax and parking. "But part of that is the private sector hasn't been investing in the city. And we haven't had people traveling to the city," Chi said. Read more: With a surging residency rate, this neighborhood is transforming L.A. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santa Monica is far from the only city in California or nationwide to face the pain of a downtown in decline. Brick-and-mortar retailers have long bled business to online offerings, and the pandemic upended the cadence of daily life that was the lifeblood of commercial districts, with many people continuing to work from home at least part of the week. Birds fly over and people walk on the Santa Monica Pier. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) But the hope is through concerted, planned investment that Santa Monica can shine once again and modernize to be competitive in the postpandemic era. The City Council had already decided to set aside $60 million from its cash reserves to spend over the next four or five years to cover any operating deficits. But with Tuesday's vote, Santa Monica would instead use those dollars as an investment in hopes of getting the city back on track. "Those things really are issues related to public safety, disorder in town, the disrepair that we've seen in our infrastructure," Chi said. "All of those things are preventing, I think, confidence in the local economy." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: A Santa Monica police employee molested more than 200 kids. Warnings of abuse were ignored In downtown, the city's plan would include doubling the number of police officers assigned to a specialized unit to at least eight to 10 a day, deploying an additional five patrol officers daily, creating a new police substation, adding two workers daily to address homelessness issues, and hiring eight public safety employees to provide a more constant presence across the city's main commercial district, parks and parking garages. Staff in the city attorney's office would also be augmented to boost the ability to prosecute misdemeanor cases. An unhoused man naps on a bench in Palisades Park. (David Butow / For The Times) Also on the agenda: moving the city's homeless shelter out of downtown; making a one-time $3.5-million investment to address fraying sidewalks and streets and freshen up trees and trash cans; funding monthly events at the Third Street Promenade to attract crowds; creating a large-scale "Santa Monica Music Festival" next year; upgrading restrooms near the pier and Muscle Beach; and increasing operating days for libraries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another proposal would require the owners of vacant properties to register with the city, in hopes of addressing lots that remain in disrepair. Read more: This must be Santa Monica The city is also looking to be more business friendly. It's seeking to upgrade the current permit process, utilizing artificial intelligence to get nearly instantaneous permit reviews for single-family homes and accessory dwelling units, as well as reduce permit fees for restaurants with outdoor dining. The plan also outlines strategies to boost revenue. Santa Monica is poised to end its contract with a private ambulance operator, McCormick Ambulance, in February and move those operations in house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's going to cost roughly $2.8 million a year to stand that operation up. But the reality is, once we start running it, it'll generate about $7 million a year in new ongoing revenues," Chi said. "That's part of what we're thinking through: How do we invest now in order to grow our revenue base moving ahead?" he said. Parking rates are also going up, which city officials estimate should generate $8 million to $9 million in additional annual revenue though officials say they still charge a lower rate than those of nearby cities. The city also plans more traffic safety enforcement and will cut the current 90 minutes of free parking in downtown parking structures to 30 minutes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There's also been talk of a new city parcel tax, though no decision has yet been made to pursue that. A parcel tax would need voter approval. Read more: Can pickleball cure what's ailing Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade? Another priority is building back the city's cash reserves, which have dwindled over the years, largely on account of legal payments. Eight years ago, Santa Monica had $436 million in cash reserves; today, there's only $158 million in nonrestricted reserves. The planned $60 million in spending would further reduce the city's unobligated cash down to $98 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Santa Monica's annual general fund operating budget is nearly $800 million a year. Beachgoers enjoying the scene near the Santa Monica Pier. (David Butow/For The Times) The city is also looking to redevelop some of its underutilized properties, including a 2.57-acre parcel bounded by Arizona Avenue and 4th and 5th streets, which includes branches of Bank of America and Chase bank, the leases of which are expected to expire in a few years. Also being eyed are a 1.09-acre kiss-and-ride lot southeast of the Santa Monica light rail station; the city's seismically vulnerable Parking Structure 1 on 4th Street, which sits on 0.75 of an acre; and the old Fire Station No. 1, which sits on 0.34 of an acre and is being used for storage. No firm plans are in place just yet. The parcels could be sold, leased long term or redeveloped as part of a joint venture. One likely possibility is that the developments would include new housing. "When you look at any revitalization effort of any vibrant downtown core that's eroded, there's always been an element of repopulating the area with people," Chi said. A smart redevelopment plan for those properties will not only "hopefully help bring back vibrancy to the downtown, but also help replenish the city's cash reserves." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: A second act for empty office space? How skyscrapers in downtown L.A. could ease the housing crisis The seeds of downtown Santa Monica's decline actually started before the pandemic. But COVID hit the city hard, and commercial vacancies rose significantly, Councilmember Caroline Torosis, 39, said. Santa Monica also sustained damage in 2020 from rioters who swarmed the downtown area in what appeared to be an organized attack amid a protest meant to decry the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Tourists never came back in the numbers they had before the pandemic. Torosis said the new council majority was elected on a promise to boost economic activity in the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We need to absolutely ensure that people feel safe, welcome, invited and included in our city," said Torosis, who serves as mayor pro tem. Hall called the plan a bold bet. "What we're trying to do here is move us away from a scarcity mind-set, where we're nickel-and-diming businesses trying to stay open, restaurants trying to open a parklet, residents trying to build an ADU," Hall said. The council's relative youth, he said, is a plus for a city trying to write a bright new chapter. "I think that that's something that millennials are finding themselves needing to do as we take ownership of society, and we see a world where past generations have been afraid to make mistakes or afraid to make decisions," he said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. (COLORDO SPRINGS) A student was taken into custody after a bomb threat at an elementary school that was reportedly only a prank. According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), staff at Explorer Elementary School received a call containing a bomb threat to the school shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27. CSPD said officers and a drone unit responded and did not find any explosives at the school. A minor suspect was contacted during the investigation and taken into custody in connection to the threat. CSPD said it is believed that the phone call was only a prank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. Barbers paused haircuts to look out windows and bakers in aprons peered out doorways along West 26th Street in Little Village to the sounds of whistles and chants from young voices echoing down the street. Since the Trump administrations Operation Midway Blitz began in September, whistles have been used as warnings that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is nearby. But on Tuesday, the whistle-blowing coincided with students carrying Mexican flags and signs during a staged walkout of local schools. In an over 2-mile walk, hundreds of students made their way from Little Village Lawndale High School to the La Villita or Little Village Arch, denouncing recent ICE action and supporting immigrant communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration enforcement descended on Little Village last week, resulting in multiple people being taken into custody. The sobering effect the arrival of federal officers had on the community inspired the walkout, student organizer and Social Justice High School senior Lia Sophia Lopez said. They hurt us like theyve never hurt us before. They attacked our community, they surrounded the parks, they surrounded our school, Ive never felt more unsafe in my life than that day, Lopez said. We need to protect our peoples peace. We need to protect their freedom and dignity. Because if we dont, no one else will. Lopez and other students organized the walkout, which included her peers from the four schools on Little Village Lawndale High Schools campus Multicultural Academy of Scholarship High School, World Language High School, Greater Lawndale High School for Social Justice, and Infinity Math, Science, and Technology High School. With less than a week of planning, Lopez said she was pleased with the large turnout and made sure her fellow students knew the risks of protesting, including the presence of federal agents, telling them they will not stop because you are children and they do not care, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, fear did not stop students accompanied by Chicago police officers as they moved along the route. Chants of say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here, and the people united, will never be divided drew honks from cars stopped along the marchers path. The march through the village drew people to the sidewalks, cheering and blowing whistles in solidarity with students as they passed. Others hung out of windows that overlooked the streets or pressed themselves against storefront windows, smiling and recording. The community engagement was not lost on Lopez, who said her beautiful, vibrant home has gone quiet amid the recent federal action. Ive seen so many people come out and smiling and feeling safe, which is something we havent felt in months. And thats what I want. That is all I want, Lopez said. This protest was just for us to get peace, to be able to walk down the street again without being scared, to be able to live your life. For Lopez, protesting was worth whatever potential consequences. When her peers and family expressed concerns, she pushed back. I said to them, I dont care if I get expelled, I dont care if I get detained. I will do this for my people, for my community, because they deserve it, Lopez said. They deserve people to speak out for them. They deserve people to show the love and appreciation that they give to us and to our students, Social Justice and Little Village Lawndale High School as a whole. Breathing air contaminated by the oil and gas industry kills 91,000 Americans every year, as reported in Phys.org. What's happening? Scientists at University College London and the Stockholm Environment Institute studied how dirty air from the petroleum industry harms people across every step of the process, from drilling wells to burning fuel in vehicles and electricity generation facilities. They found that petroleum pollution causes over 10,000 premature births each year. The contaminated air also triggers more than 200,000 asthma diagnoses in children annually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black, Asian, Native American, and Hispanic populations experience the highest pollution levels throughout the entire process. The study revealed that burning petroleum fuels in vehicles and electricity facilities accounts for 96% of health damage. Lead researcher Dr. Karn Vohra said: "What we found was striking: 1 in 5 preterm births and adult deaths linked to fine particulate pollution are from oil and gas. Even more concerning is that nearly 90% of new childhood asthma cases tied to nitrogen dioxide pollution were from this sector." Why is oil and gas pollution dangerous? The pollution doesn't stop at borders. Contaminated air from American oil and gas operations drifts into Canada and Mexico, killing more than 1,600 people in those countries each year. Communities living near refineries and chemical plants, such as those in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley," experience worse health problems. Historic policies that pushed certain groups into neighborhoods beside industrial zones continue to affect health outcomes today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For humans, breathing this contaminated air means higher risks of lung disease, heart problems, and cancer. Children growing up in affected areas face lifelong health challenges that could have been prevented. What's being done about oil and gas pollution? Doctors and scientists call for faster movement away from oil and gas to protect public health now, not just to address the warming planet in the future. If you want cleaner air in your community, contact your local representatives and tell them you support stricter pollution controls on oil and gas operations. Voice your backing for policies that move your state toward clean energy sources. Supporting clean energy in your own life helps, too. When possible, choose electric options for transportation and home heating. These switches reduce demand for oil and gas while improving air quality for everyone in your neighborhood. Do you feel like the air quality is safe where you live? Always Usually Not in the summer Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Pakistan will close its airspace over border provinces on October 2829 in response to Indias large-scale military exercises in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states, Azernews reports, citing international media sources. According to a statement from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), the airspace restriction will apply to both domestic and international flights operating over Punjab and Sindh provinces. The PCAA has advised airlines to exercise caution and consider alternative flight routes during the closure. Earlier this month, Pakistan extended its existing ban on Indian aircraft from entering its airspace until November 23. The restriction was first imposed on April 24 amid heightened military tensions between the two countries. Once upon a time, there were stories about birds, puppies and baked goods in Yiddish childrens literature that helped shape a global sense of Jewish identity. Emory University professor Miriam Udel has zeroed her scholarly eye on the political and cultural significance of those century-old tales for more than a decade. In Modern Jewish Worldmaking through Yiddish Childrens Literature her new book, released Oct. 14 Udel explains how the stories from a range of political ideologies espoused the importance of compassion and building a better world. She will hold a free book launch and reading on Sunday, Oct. 19, at A Capella Books in Atlanta. She will also discuss the book in conversation with Marshall Duke, the Charles Howard Candler professor emeritus of psychology, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Congregation Shearith Israel. These stories still feel incredibly relevant to the contemporary world, says Udel, an associate professor in German studies for Emory College of Arts and Sciences and the Judith London Evans Director of the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies. Common themes running throughout this literature included empathy, democracy education and wealth disparities and all of these resonate today, she adds. This literature was the cultural glue that creates the symbolic world that many Jews at the turn of the 20th century would inhabit. Scholars have documented such cultural nationalism in other childrens literature. Grimms Fairy Tales, for instance, collected Teutonic folk tales before the founding of a German state. Udels focus on the whimsy of childrens stories, such as wild birds refusing to sing until their cousins caged as pets are free, began with similar rigorous scholarship. She won the National Jewish Book Award in 2016 for her debut book, Never Better!: The Modern Jewish Picaresque, which researches how Jewish people encounter the modern world by examining Jewish antiheroes in fiction. To expand that scholarly analysis into childrens literature, though, she had to translate those stories. She edited and translated more than 1,000 stories and poems published from 1889-1974, the bulk of which were published in the 1920s and 1930s. The result was her second book, Honey on the Page: A Treasury of Yiddish Childrens Literature. The collection was a landmark anthology of tales, most never before published in English. The book won the 2020 Judaica Reference Award, and five of its stories were the basis of an hour-long radio play in Seattle. Her new book suggests those stories act as a historical archive for understanding the politics and aspirations of Jews, whether they be socialists, communists, Zionists or strict Yiddishists united by the common language. In The Birds Go on Strike, for instance, children see the power of community action when the story reveals that the birdsong is what raises the sun each morning. Another tale illustrates the power of individual action by sharing how a baker who routinely donated challah and bagels to the needy finds himself saved by a former beggar when their fortunes reverse. If you have ever had any part of caring for a child, you know how youre willing to reach deep into yourself and try to find resources to give them something better than what you were given, Udel says. This is a generation of writers who handed the children of our community, which spans continents, a common identity. That is what the Brothers Grimm did for European culture, which Udel includes in her first-year seminar on childrens literature and democracy for Emory College students. The class also will study some of the more layered political Yiddish stories in a unit later this fall. Udels next book, a translation of Chaver Pavers 1935 story collection about an emotionally intelligent mutt adopted by a working-class leftist Bronx family during the Great Depression, is expected to be published next year by SUNY Press. The work already served as the basis for Theater Emorys 2021 puppet film, Labzik: Tales of a Clever Pup. She is also drafting the proposal for another book, researched during her time as last years Chronos Fellow, for a deeper analysis into ways childrens stories and broader Yiddish writing might provide guidance for a peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine. There are deep cultural scripts in childrens literature, she says. If we hope to change the world and have a future better than the present, we should all be interested in its power. When Napoleons once invincible army limped out of Russia in winter 1812, frostbite and hunger were merely half the story. Historians have debated for more than two centuries over which diseases killed so many soldiers on that disastrous retreat. Typhus was the prime suspect. But a new genetic study in Current Biology paints a different picturea web of infections plotting to bring down the French Empires greatest military force. Using advanced DNA sequencing on teeth dug up from a mass grave in Vilnius, Lithuania, researchers identified genetic traces of Salmonella enterica Paratyphi C, the parasite causing paratyphoid fever, and Borrelia recurrentis, the causative agent of louse-borne relapsing fever. These results challenge the classical typhus hypothesis and demonstrate that Napoleons troops fell victim to simultaneous epidemics of foodborne and lice-borne pathogens. Graphical abstract. During Napoleons retreat from Russia in 1812, countless soldiers of the French army succumbed to infectious diseases. (CREDIT: Current Biology) Ancient DNA, Modern Tools The researchers, from the Microbial Paleogenomics Unit at Pariss Institut Pasteur, teamed up with researchers at Aix Marseille University and the University of Tartu in Estonia. They used DNA from 13 soldiers who were dug up in 2002 from the Vilnius site, a mass grave that held thousands of remains from the 1812 retreat. Every tooth yielded about 20 million DNA readsshort genetic snippets that were compared with microbial databases containing 185 known human pathogens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From that vast database of information, only two offenders remained: S. enterica Paratyphi C and B. recurrentis. Four soldiers were positive for paratyphoid fever on the genetic level, one for relapsing fever, and one had symptoms of both diseases. The scientists ruled out other common diseases such as epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) and trench fever (Bartonella quintana), which were suspected for centuries. The teams authentication process was rigorous. The fragments of DNA would need to display the typical chemical degradation of materials hundreds of years oldshort in length and cytosine deamination. The genetic fragments were placed into evolutionary trees in order to confirm their relationship to modern strains. These extra steps secured that the bacteria were not false positives caused by the contamination of modern organisms. Historical, geographical, and archeological context of the study. (CREDIT: Current Biology) What the Soldiers Faced Traditional accounts record that troops suffered incessant diarrhea, fever, and exhaustion during the retreat. A few consumed salted beets and even drank brine from pickling barrels when clean water ran out. Given such adverse conditions, the spread of paratyphoid fever, spread by contaminated water and food, was virtually unavoidable. Relapsing fever, spread by lice, would have been just as calamitous, resulting in periodic high fever, followed by temporary recovery, followed by relapse. Every one of these diseases provokes extreme fevers, fatigue, and gastrointestinal distresssymptoms that would have worsened the ordeal of already starvation- and cold-weakened soldiers. Combined with frostbite and fatigue, these illnesses most likely accelerated the breakdown of the army. Of the approximately 500,000 men who marched into Russia, fewer than a tenth lived to come out. A Complex Web of Disease Previous research in 2006 indicated typhus, but DNA technology was not sophisticated enough at the time to determine the species. The new sequencing technologies altered that, uncovering a more complex epidemic. Authentication of S. enterica aDNA data. Distribution of edit distances of the YYY087A, YYY092B, YYY095A, and YYY097B reads. (CREDIT: Current Biology) Having access to the genomic information of pathogens that circulated among past populations enables us to study how diseases have evolved and transmitted, said Nicolas Rascovan, chief of the Microbial Paleogenomics Unit at the Institut Pasteur and lead author on the research. He explained how this genetic view enables researchers to link ancient records with specific microbes, shedding light on which diseases actually shaped world events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The researchers evolutionary analysis placed the Vilnius Salmonella isolates in the Paratyphi C line that had been circulating around Europe for centuries. Meanwhile, the Borrelia recurrentis isolate was an ancient European lineage before the contemporary forms, showing that the pathogens have deep roots on the continent in the past. Reading History in DNA The secret to the success of this study is that it has paired state-of-the-art genomics with serious verification. Scientists built what they called a phylogeny-driven workflow, using low-coverage ancient DNA to trace diseases back in time. The technique can confirm infections even if only a handful of dozens of DNA fragments are lefta first for historical microbiology. These methods open new avenues to investigate other ancient pandemics. With each reconstructed chunk of bacterial DNA, researchers can now revisit centuries-long epidemics that shaped wars, migrations, and social uprisings. Teeth and bones turn into archives, containing microscopic histories of the human experience with disease. Authentication of B. recurrentis aDNA data. Distribution of edit distances of YYY093A and YYY092B mapping reads on three closely related Borrelia species, with the associated NDP. (CREDIT: Current Biology) A Tragedy of Many Fronts The find does not rule out typhus altogether. Two centuries of DNA breakdown could have eradicated it from the specimens. However, the established presence of S. enterica and B. recurrentis demonstrates that Napoleons troops were exposed to more than one microbial hazard. Infection on the 1812 battlefield was not a lone epidemicit was an epidemic tempest of infections driven by hunger, dirt, and fatigue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To researchers, the story underlines that wars most lethal killers are often out of sight. Frostbite and starvation may have weakened Napoleons army, but bacteria finished what Russian winter had begun. Practical Applications of the Research The research illustrates how modern genetic techniques can uncover forgotten medical histories and help scientists discover how disease-causing microorganisms change and survive. By learning which microbes caused past epidemics, researchers can trace their evolution and anticipate diseases and resistances future behavior. Outside the past, these methods could also give us new insight into how we track outbreaks todayespecially those with multiple pathogens. Understanding how food-borne and louse-borne disease coexisted during one of the greatest breakdowns in war history may also inform us how to address disease outbreaks in modern-day humanitarian crises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Research findings are available online in the journal Current Biology01247-3). Related Stories Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News newsletter. Sudans army chief has announced the withdrawal of his soldiers from their last stronghold in Darfur, as the United Nations issued a stark warning over reports of atrocities by the paramilitary group now in control of the city of el-Fasher. The announcement by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan came late on Monday, a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the main Sudanese army base in el-Fasher and declared victory there. The armys withdrawal from el-Fasher leaves more than a quarter-million people half of them children under the control of the RSF. Aid groups reported chaotic scenes there, including killings, arrests and attacks on hospitals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his statement, al-Burhan said that his soldiers decided to withdraw from the city entirely in the hopes of sparing the civilian population from further violence. The army retreated because of the systemic destruction, and the systemic killing of civilians by the RSF, he said, adding that the army hoped to spare the citizens and the rest of the city from destruction. We are determined to avenge what happened to our people in el-Fasher, he said. We, as the Sudanese people, will hold these criminals accountable. The fall of el-Fasher to the RSF could herald another split of Sudan, more than a decade after South Sudans creation. The latest war started in April 2023, when tension between the military and RSF exploded into fighting in the capital, Khartoum. The ensuing conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 12 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Footage posted on social media since Sunday showed RSF fighters celebrating in and around the former army base in el-Fasher. Other footage shows RSF fighters shooting and beating people as they attempt to flee. Many were shown detained. Atrocities in el-Fasher UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that the developments represent a terrible escalation in the conflict and that the level of suffering that we are witnessing in Sudan is unbearable. The UN Human Rights Office said that RSF fighters reportedly carried out atrocities in el-Fasher, including summary executions of civilians trying to flee their attacks, with indications of ethnic motivations for killings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said the risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in el-Fasher is mounting by the day. The Sudan Doctor Network, a medical group tracking the war, described the RSFs attack on el-Fasher as a heinous massacre and said that dozens of people were killed. RSF fighters rampaged through parts of el-Fasher, looting hospitals and other medical facilities and destroying what remained of essential life-supporting and health care infrastructure, the network said in a statement. The Darfur Network for Human Rights said the RSF detained more than 1,000 civilians, describing it as systematic targeting of civilians, arbitrary detentions and potential acts amounting to war crimes. Among the detained was a local journalist, one of the few left in the city, according to the Sudanese Journalists Union. The group warned about potential mass violations in el-Fasher, similar to what happened in another Darfur city, Geneina, in 2023, when RSF fighters killed hundreds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sudan Doctors Union, the professional umbrella of Sudanese physicians, said that the RSF had turned el-Fasher into a brutal killing field, calling its practices in Sudan a barbaric policy that aims at terrorizing and annihilating civilians. The group urged the international community to classify the RSF as a terrorist organisation. Mathilde Vu, the Sudan Advocacy Manager at the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Al Jazeera that information coming out of el- Fasher was sparse and that civilians in the area are in grave danger. Weve been trying to reach our partners in el-Fasher for the past 24 hours, with no success, she said. So its very difficult right now to understand the level of gravity but more and more we are seeing reports of mass atrocities, of executions, of kidnappings and of unbearable suffering, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have to say that no one is safe right now in el-Fasher. Alleged war crimes Before Sundays attack, there were 260,000 civilians, half of them children, trapped in el-Fasher, according to the UN childrens agency. The UNs International Organization for Migration said that more than 26,000 people had fled their homes as of Monday, retreating to rural areas and the overwhelmed nearby town of Tawila. Elsewhere, RSF fighters ran riot in the town of Bara in the central Kordofan region over the weekend, killing at least 47 people, including nine women, the Sudan Doctors Network said. The RSF grew out of the notorious government-linked militia known as the Janjaweed, which brutalised the Sudanese during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest war has killed more than 40,000 people and created the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, with part of the country, including the el-Fasher area, plunged into famine. The conflict has been marked by gross atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings and rape, according to the UN and rights groups. The International Criminal Court has said it is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Sundance Institute, the major 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by actor Robert Redford in the early 1980s, the one most people know from its popular film festival that brings upcoming films to a wide audience of consumers and distributors, now employs a union for a handful of event organizers on their staff. According to a report from Deadline, a group of approximately 40 employees formally made a request to be voluntarily recognized as a union, to be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. In a rapid-fire development, management swiftly approved the decision just hours later. The move was met with immediate enthusiasm from the organized workers. The president of the union, Marisa Remski, expressed her satisfaction with the outcome in a statement: The Communications Workers of America Local 9003 proudly welcomes the Sundance Institute into our union family. We congratulate all the talented individuals whose collective efforts have brought this historic achievement to life. This marks another step forward in strengthening solidarity, ensuring equity, and amplifying the voices of creative professionals across the industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Institutes leadership quickly acknowledged and supported the decision, positioning itself as pro-union. A spokesperson for the Sundance Institute added to the conversation in the Deadline article by expressing: We, the Board and Leadership of the Sundance Institute, acknowledge the decision from a group of staff to organize as a union under the Communications Workers of America Local 9003. We strongly support unions and their contributions to American society. We respect staffs ability to organize collectively, value their dedication to the Institutes vision, and we are committed to working collaboratively with them. Sundance Institute looks forward to engaging with staff in this process to support the needs of our employees and looks forward to working together to continue to carry our mission forward. Now, the newly unionized staff will enter negotiations for their first contract. The primary needs being outlined by the CWA include equitable salary, benefits, and working conditions across departments. A crucial voice in this effort was Sara Kenrick, the coordinator of event operations, who expressed her views as a public-facing staff member. Kenrick stated frankly that the concerns of those doing the core work have been marginalized: We are the most valuable voices to this organizations purpose, and we have slowly but surely been pushed aside. We are understaffed and underpaid, and our concerns have been overlooked. If Sundance wants to continue being Sundance, they need to welcome us back to the table. This demand for a deeper appreciation of those putting in the most emotional and physical labor to make the festivals happen will be central to the upcoming negotiations. How this will ultimately affect the upcoming 2026 festival has yet to be seen. It's important to note, too, that next year will be the last time the event will be occurring in Park City, Utah, as Sundance heads to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. Related: Stephen King, James Gunn Among Many to Remember Robert Redford's Legendary Career The workers at Sundance Institute have formed a union. Just a few months ahead of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the group of around 40 staffers delivered a petition to leadership asking for voluntary recognition of their decision to be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003. Hours later, management agreed. More from Deadline Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Communications Workers of America Local 9003 proudly welcomes the Sundance Institute into our union family, Marisa Remski, president of CWA Local 9003, said in a statement Monday. We congratulate all the talented individuals whose collective efforts have brought this historic achievement to life. This marks another step forward in strengthening solidarity, ensuring equity, and amplifying the voices of creative professionals across the industry. In a statement regarding its recognition of the workers union, a spokesperson for Sundance Institute tells Deadline: We, the Board and Leadership of the Sundance Institute, acknowledge the decision from a group of staff to organize as a union under the Communications Workers of America Local 9003. We strongly support unions and their contributions to American society. We respect staffs ability to organize collectively, value their dedication to the Institutes vision, and we are committed to working collaboratively with them. Sundance Institute looks forward to engaging with staff in this process to support the needs of our employees and look forward to working together to continue to carry our mission forward. Now, workers will begin negotiating their first contract with Sundance Institute leadership. Among the priorities are equitable salary, benefits, and working conditions across departments all of which need necessary improvements to support the Institutes growing scope of work, CWA said. We are the staff of the Sundance Institute that are on the ground and working face-to-face with our audiences and artists, Sara Kenrick, Coordinator, Event Operations, said in a statement of her own. We are the most valuable voices to this organizations purpose, and we have slowly but surely been pushed aside. We are understaffed and underpaid, and our concerns have been overlooked. If Sundance wants to continue being Sundance, they need to welcome us back to the table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The news comes as the Sundance Institute staff is preparing for the upcoming 2026 festival, which will be its last in Park City, Utah, after which it will settle in its new home of Boulder, Colorado, for the 2027 festival. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Election workers process ballots at the Davis County Administrative Building in Farmington on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Election Day next Tuesday will mark the first general election since the 2025 Utah Legislature passed sweeping changes to the states election laws but for now, only one crucial vote-by-mail deadline has changed. Previously, county clerks have been allowed to count a by-mail ballot as long as its been postmarked on or before Election Day, even if it arrives at clerks offices days later. But now, Utah law requires ballots to be in clerks possession no later than 8 p.m. on election night, regardless of their postmark. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That means Utahns wanting to vote by mail now have a shorter timeframe to mail their ballots in on time and run a higher risk of their ballots not being counted if they mail them too close to Election Day. To be safe, county clerks are encouraging Utah voters if they have any doubt that the post office might not deliver them on time to instead drop their ballots at a designated drop box or directly at their county clerks offices on or before Election Day. Voters can use the states election website or their county clerks websites to look up drop box locations or in-person voting locations. Salt Lake County, for example, has posted a list of Election Day vote centers that will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. where people can drop off their by-mail ballot or vote in person with a valid ID. The moved up vote-by-mail deadline is just one of many changes included in HB300, a bill passed by Utah lawmakers earlier this year enacting a long list of changes, including more restrictions to voting by mail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, its important to note that most of the new laws changes have a delayed effective date with the most substantial changes not scheduled to become law until 2026 or, in some cases, until 2029. In addition to moving up the voting-by-mail deadline, heres a breakdown of HB300s most important changes and when they take effect (unless lawmakers make any additional changes between now and 2029): Starting in 2026, voters with a valid state ID will be required to include the last four digits of their state ID or Social Security number on their by-mail ballot. However, for registered voters who cast their ballot without an ID number, clerks can still use signature verification to verify ballots but only until 2029. That year, clerks will then be required to move away from signature verification and instead rely on ID number ballot verification. Utahs current automatic vote-by-mail system will be phased out by 2029. Starting Jan. 1 of that year, in order to vote by mail, Utahns will be required to obtain a valid state ID and opt in to have a ballot mailed to them. Theyll also be required to continue to opt in every eight years. Beginning in 2029, voters who vote in person must present a valid ID, except in certain circumstances, in which a voter could sign an affidavit and present two forms of alternative ID (like a Social Security card, bank statement or paystub). Confusion over four-digit requirement Though most of HB300s provisions wont take effect until years later, the new law has caused some confusion particularly in one county where a clerk decided to test the four-digit ID requirement early. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the 2025 municipal primaries in August, Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson included a space for those four digits on that countys ballot envelopes but he told KSLTV that he opted against doing it again for the November municipal elections after his office found some problems with that verification method. We identified 790 ballots where the signature did not match, but the four digits did, Davidson told the outlet. So for the 2025 general election next week, Davidson decided to remove the four-digit space off of the ballot envelope. However, county officials included the same instructions from the primaries instructing voters to write the four digits, even though there was no longer a space to do so. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That meant for the November election his countys voting instructions included inaccurate information but Davidson told ABC4 he decided against re-printing the instructions because it would have cost more taxpayer money. We just didnt feel it was physically fiscally prudent to throw those instructions out and have them reprinted, he told the TV station. So we sent out the instructions from the primary (in the general election) and it does say to put the four digits on, but we figured wed just address those issues with voters, as they call (and) just let them know you can add the four digits if you want to at the end of your signature. Its more likely than not that Utah lawmakers between now and 2029 will make more changes to the states election laws so its possible the four-digit ID requirement could be tweaked or changed entirely. But for Election Day next week, the most important thing voters need to know is that the only change enacted so far is that by-mail ballots have to be in county clerks hands by 8 p.m. on Election Day. There are no requirements yet to write four-digit ID numbers on ballot envelopes. If you have other questions about how to vote, visit vote.utah.gov, or contact your county clerks office. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) The suspect who allegedly set fire to a dumpster in a Holyoke alley in September was taken into custody as part of an investigation on Monday. Crews work to put out stove fire on Wolcott Street in Holyoke The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services states that the Massachusetts State Police arrested 68-year-old Ed Jones on a warrant charging him with one count of burning property in connection with the September 22 fire in an alley behind 73 Sergeant Street in Holyoke. Jones has no fixed address. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No injuries were reported in connection with the fire; however, it occurred close to an occupied apartment building. Jones was booked Monday night at the Northampton Barracks, and his bail was set at $10,000. He will be arraigned at Holyoke District Court. Two additional outdoor fires that occurred recently are considered suspicious and will remain under investigation by local and state officials. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. The annual fall iron pour hosted by SIU Carbondales School of Art and Design is Nov. 8. (SIU Carbondale photos) SIU School of Art and Design 2025 Iron Pour is Nov. 8 by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. A lecture by internationally known mixed media sculptor Joseph Bigley is part of this years free, annual fall cast iron pour activities by students in Southern Illinois University Carbondales School of Art and Design sculpture program. The iron pour begins at noon Saturday, Nov. 8, in the schools Foundry Complex at 1520-1560 W. Pleasant Hill Road. Those attending will have the chance to create their own cast iron artworks on scratch blocks comprising resin-bonded sand used in making molds. The festivities will include other activities, such as T-shirt printing by Southern Illinois Print Works and demonstrations from the blacksmithing department. Alex Lopez, an associate professor in the sculpture program, said organizers expect the metal to start flowing before 1 p.m. with the goal of finishing before 5 p.m. A variety of shapes and sizes of scratch blocks will be available for everyone to participate, and their designs will be cast on site. The price range is $20 to $30 for blocks of different shapes, including hearts, squares, rectangles and ovals, he said. About 50 scratch blocks will be available. The pouring activity will continue until all the pours are finished. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs. The event is co-sponsored by Critical Forum, also known as C4, the sculpture clubs registered student organization. Anthony Deal, an assistant professor of practice also in the sculpture program, noted the events legacy is the collaboration with other creatives within the school, including the printmaking and metals program. SIU has traditionally been a leader in sharing the magic of iron casting with both students and the public, said Deal, who earned his Master of Fine Arts from SIU Carbondale. As Ive traveled across the United States to take part in similar events, Ive seen firsthand how much impact SIU has had on this art form. When I walk into our foundry and start working, I feel a sense of gratitude and respect knowing Im part of SIUs legacy. Visiting artist lecture Bigley, a lecturer in Appalachian State Universitys studio art program and founder of the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center and Park, will give a free, public lecture at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in Faner Hall, Room 1326. The lecture is sponsored by the Visiting Artists Program and Fine Arts Activity fund. Bigleys presentation will not only cover his journey as a sculptor but also his insights into developing the Western North Carolina Sculpture Center and Park from the ground up, Deal said. Bigley will also meet with students and discuss their creative works. Bigleys work has been shown across the United States, China, the Netherlands, Spain, Montevideo (Uruguay) and Berlin. He has also worked as an assistant professor of art and sculpture at Spelman College in Atlanta. Watch a video of the 2023 Iron Pour. One person is in custody in connection with a fatal shooting in Killingly late Monday. The shooting was reported on Pratt Road where troopers responded and found a gunshot victim, according to Connecticut State Police. The victim was shot in the chest and died from their injury, state police said. They have not been identified. The Eastern District Major Crime Squad responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to state police, an individual described as a suspect was taken into custody. They were not immediately identified. A state police spokesperson said the incident poses no threat to the public. State police said the homicide investigation remains active and ongoing. KILLINGLY - Detectives are investigating a homicide in Killingly Monday in which a person was shot in the chest at a Pratt Road home, according to police. A suspect was in custody as of Tuesday morning in connection with the fatal shooting, Connecticut State Police said. Police Monday night had confirmed that troopers were at the home for a "suspicious incident." The state police Eastern District Major Crime Squad is investigating the shooting, police said, and there is no threat to public. No further information on the shooting was immediately available early Tuesday. This article originally published at Suspect in custody in Killingly homicide at Pratt Road home, police say. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 33-year-old man was arrested on Monday, Oct. 27, for stealing a vehicle near Horizon City, according to the El Paso County Sheriffs Office. Christian Pinguino Hernandez, 33. The Sheriffs Office says on Sunday, Oct. 26, deputies were dispatched to the 300 block of Buffalo Drive in reference to a reported stolen vehicle. The Sheriffs Office received a tip regarding the vehicles location the next day and identified Christian Pinguino Hernandez of Horizon as a suspect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hernandez was taken into custody for unrelated warrants and was later charged with theft of property and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with no bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. The man accused of assassinating former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe pleaded guilty at the start of his trial on Tuesday. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is accused of shooting Japan's longest-serving post-war prime minister with a homemade firearm during an election campaign speech in 2022. According to Japanese media, a verdict is expected in January. Yamagami reportedly told investigators that he acted out of hatred for the controversial Unification Church, which was founded in South Korea in 1954 by staunch anti-communist Sun Myung Moon, and supported in Japan by Abe's grandfather, former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yamagami's mother had donated large sums of money to the religious organization, which had left the family in financial ruin. Abe's assassination brought to light the connections between the Unification Church and members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Media reports say Yamagami denied that he had acted out of resentment towards Abe's political views during questioning after his arrest. At the time, it was reported that he had not originally targeted the right-wing politician, but a leader of the Unification Church. The trial has attracted considerable attention in Japan. More than 700 people lined up outside the Nara District Court at its opening to get one of the 32 public seats in the courtroom. The tickets were allocated by lottery. A person suspected of fatally shooting a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy was deliberately knocked off of his motorcycle by another deputy while he was leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit on the 210 Freeway in Upland. Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Nunez was killed while responding to a domestic violence call on Monday. (San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department) The deputy who was killed Monday was identified as Andrew Nunez, a six-year employee of the department. He leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife, according to Sheriff Shannon Dicus. The suspect, who has not been identified, is in stable condition at an area hospital. "We're embedded in sorrow. Unfortunately for our department, this has happened way too often," Dicus said at a Monday afternoon news conference. "We're going to do our very best to do the most important thing at this point, and that's to make sure that we bring the suspect to justice and take good care of that family." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nunez was shot while responding to call of an armed man threatening a woman in Rancho Cucamonga. The incident occurred in the 12300 block of Hollyhock Drive at 12:37 p.m., according to the Sheriff's Department. Deputies were dispatched to the 12300 block of Hollyhock Drive in Rancho Cucamonga after a report of an armed man threatening a woman. Within moments of deputies arriving on scene, the suspect opened fire and struck Deputy Nunez. (OnScene.TV) He was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, where he was later pronounced dead. San Bernardino County Dist. Atty. Jason Anderson said his office planned to file charges within the next two days. Charges under consideration include murder of a police officer and domestic violence. Anderson emphasized, however, that this is a fluid situation and much information still needs to be reviewed. Around 1:20 p.m. Monday, authorities began pursuing the fleeing suspect as he barreled down the 210 Freeway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dicus said the suspect was traveling at speeds in excess of 150 mph and sometimes almost 200 mph. "You can imagine what that could have done to unsuspecting motorists on our freeway," he said. At one point, the suspect nearly collided with a pursuing California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer, according to helicopter footage captured by KTLA. A fleeing motorcyclist suspected of shooting a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy crashes on Monday afternoon during a high-speed pursuit. (KTLA) At 1:35 p.m., an off-duty sheriff's deputy put himself on duty and conducted a legal intervention, hitting the suspect and causing the motorcycle to crash, Dicus said. Helicopter footage shows the man colliding with a black sedan while traveling 70 miles per hour, soaring over the handlebars and landing on his back. The injured suspect was loaded onto a stretcher and transported from the crash site on the 210 to a hospital via helicopter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The eastbound lanes of the 210 Freeway between Mountain Avenue and Campus Avenue are currently closed as a result of the accident, according to the California Highway Patrol. Dicus said that the department was working to identify and interview the suspect and that he anticipated releasing his name to the public within the next 24 hours. The Sheriff's Department released a statement Monday evening honoring Nunez's service and extending condolences to his family, friends and fellow deputies. "Deputy Nunez served with unwavering commitment, courage, and deep compassion for the community he vowed to protect," stated the department. "His bravery and sacrifice reflect a life dedicated to safeguarding others, even at the greatest cost. Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nunez's death was met with an outpouring of grief from elected officials and first responders. Deputies gathered outside of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center on Monday afternoon where Deputy Nunez was pronounced dead. (ONSCENE TV) "My prayers are with his wife, young daughter, and family," said Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) in a statement. "His courage and dedication to protecting others will never be forgotten." A memorial procession for the slain deputy began around 6:30 p.m. as scores of law enforcement personnel gathered outside Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to salute Nunez's body as it was carried outside of the building. A motorcade then escorted the body from the medical center to the San Bernardino County coroner's office. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A suspect turned himself in to police Monday for the September shooting death of a 26-year-old autistic man in a Bronx park, cops said. Luis Alberto Lopez Castillo, 19, surrendered at the 43rd Precinct stationhouse in the Bronx. Lopez Castillo was charged with murder, manslaughter, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon for the Sept 4. shooting incident of Ronell Marte who was shot in the chest in Starlight Park near West Farms Road and E. 174th St. about 2:50 a.m., police sources and cops said. Officers on the scene where Ronell Marte was fatally shot in Starlight Park, near W. Farms Rd. and E. 174th St. in the Bronx on Sept. 4, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News) Show Caption1 of 2Clothing can be seen on the ground of the scene where Ronell Marte was fatally shot in Starlight Park, near W. Farms Rd. and E. 174th St. in the Bronx on, Sept. 4, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)Expand Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medics rushed Marte to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he died. He lived just a few blocks from the park, according to cops. Lopez Castillo was homeless, according to cops. His arraignment in Bronx criminal court was pending Monday evening. He had one prior arrest from July for a robbery in Queens. Members of a sophisticated burglary crew suspected of executing a series of smash-and-grab retail burglaries that netted more than $2.6 million in stolen goods this year have been arrested, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday. Three adults and three minors were arrested in connection with the burglaries at high-end eyewear and sunglass shops throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, the statement said. From February to July, the suspects known to police as "the Shade Snatchers" hit shops in Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Venice, Newport Beach, La Jolla, Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Studio City, according to police. During an April 1 burglary at Good See Co. in Venice, the suspects allegedly walked away with $800,000 in goods. At a Hall of Frames Inc. in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, the suspects are accused of taking more than $300,000 in merchandise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 20 incidents have been linked to the group, authorities say. The LAPD's organized retail task force and gang and narcotics unit worked with local police agencies, including in Newport Beach, Pasadena, Alhambra, Beverly Hills and San Diego. According to detectives, the crew followed a similar pattern during the burglaries. Arrests Made in "Shade Snatchers" Commercial Burglary Investigation. From February to July, the suspects hit shops in Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Venice, Newport Beach, La Jolla, Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Studio City, according to police. (Los Angeles Police Department) Using stolen vehicles, usually older SUVs or pickup trucks, burglars crashed through storefronts during early morning hours. Carrying laundry baskets or storage bins, they would rush in to grab designer eyewear, handbags and other merchandise before fleeing in coordinated convoys of vehicles. In all, officials suspect the crew took about $2.68 million in stolen goods and caused nearly $500,000 in property damage, according to the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several vehicles used appeared to have been taken from South Los Angeles neighborhoods hours before the burglaries, and some vehicles that picked up the suspects were seen in multiple crime scenes. Police used surveillance footage and other forensic evidence to help link similar vehicles to the crew. Police identified three primary adult suspects: Phillip T. Harris, 37, of Bellflower, Orlando D. Neal, 37, of Los Angeles and Rasheed Reed, 25, of Compton. The three minors who were arrested were not identified. Authorities filed 26 counts of burglary and grand theft along with firearm-related charges against the suspects. Police still are working to identify additional suspects. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The three men charged in the 2022 gang shootout in Paterson that left high school honors student Robert Cuadra dead rejected the states final plea offers and will stand trial for felony murder. Defendants Kahaz Heron, Jaquin Williams and Jahed Jones all appeared in Superior Court in Paterson on Monday, the deadline set by Judge Sohail Mohammed for any plea deals in the case. The Passaic County Prosecutors Office offered 10-year sentences to Heron and Williams, and a 12-year term to Jones in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser charges of aggravated manslaughter and a promise to testify against each other during the pleas, attorneys for the three defendants said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The judge set a date of Feb. 19, 2026 for Heron and Williams, who will be tried together. Jones will go on trial sometime after that, although no date has been set. Defense attorney Harley Breite said his client, Heron, isnt the shooter and found the plea bargain not acceptable. Mr. Kahaz Heron never took the life of another human being, Breite said following the brief hearing. Given the strengths and weaknesses of the states case, the plea offer was not acceptable. Breite said the state will have to prove Heron was at the scene in order to convict him. The state will have to prove my client was at that location, but the state knows that my client did not kill that young man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuadra, 18, was a senior at HARP Academy and headed for Montclair State University on a scholarship when he was caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout in Paterson on the evening of Jan. 19, 2022. Cuadra was unloading groceries in front of his grandmothers house on Godwin Avenue around 6:30 p.m. when a blue Honda Accord and white Nissan Maxima rolled up, the state contends. As seen on video, one of the occupants of the Honda Accord wearing a grey jacket got out and opened fire on a group across the street. Numerous shots rang out as Cuadra, caught in the crossfire, is stuck once in the head. He was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state contends that Heron, Williams and Jones were among the six men in the two cars who participated in the attack. Using surveillance video, investigators tracked the two cars to a street in Patersons 1st Ward, where the suspects are seen exiting the vehicles. Hours later, Heron, Williams and Jones were arrested in Paterson after police stopped them in a blue Honda Accord, which was reported stolen in Clifton the day before. Police recovered two guns, ammunition and a gray jacket believed to have been worn by the shooter, according to the arrest affidavit. One of the guns was a .40 caliber pistol, and .40 caliber shell casings were found at the scene, the affidavit says. The three suspects have been locked up ever since. They were later indicted on charges of felony murder and weapons possession. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones gave Paterson police a statement following his arrest, officials said. That statement could have been used against Jones and the others at trial. But Jones attorney, David Pine, said Monday the statement is no longer part of the case. Pine convinced a judge to quash the statement, because Jones spoke to police without being fully advised of his Miranda right to have an attorney present during questioning. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Allan Nawrocki did not respond to a request for comment following Mondays hearing. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) A Rochester man is facing charges after investigators say he made inappropriate comments and advances toward pedestrians on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus, in some cases while wearing a bear costume. According to the Monroe County Sheriffs Office, deputies worked with RIT Public Safety after several reports of the individual approaching people on campus walkways. No injuries were reported. After gathering evidence from pedestrians involved, investigators identified a suspect. On Wednesday, deputies located and interviewed the man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 33-year-old Mohammad S. Akbari from Rochester was arrested and charged with forcible touching. Following his arrest, Akbari was banned from all RIT campuses and taken to Monroe County CAP Court for arraignment. MCSO thanked RIT Public Safety for its assistance in the investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A popular soda shop is in the works on the West side of Nashville. Swig, known for their trendy drinks and unique flavors, could be coming to Highway 70 in Bellevue. A site plan for the proposed location was recommended for approval by the Metro Planning Commission at their meeting last Thursday. If passed by the Metro Council, it will mark the third Swig location in Middle Tennessee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Swig is a hot spot for people who love unique soda combinations. On the menu right now, the soda fountain chain has options like pumpkin soda, cinnamon soda, and dozens of other classic flavors like Coca-Cola with lime and root beer floats. The proposed location will be right off Highway 70 near Sawyer Brown Road, per the site plans. The other locations East Nashville teacher wants your spooky stuff for school haunted house The developer told News 2s Sophia Radebaugh they expect to break ground as soon as possible but did not have a specific date in mind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Swig would join a growing list of businesses establishing a presence in Bellevue. Regional convenience store and gas station chain Wawa announced plans for a West Nashville location near where Swig is proposed. The area also recently saw a Dunkin come into the neighborhood. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@wkrn.com. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. A swimmer off the coast of Los Angeles recently survived a shark attack, according to SFGate. What's happening? A 50-year-old man was participating in a swimming competition eight miles off the coast of Catalina Island when the shark approached. The British swimmer, Chris Murray, had been training for six months to complete this swim. "Just whack, straight into my leading left hand. I shook it off. It was wriggling around me a bit. I can just remember it feeling [like] pure muscle," Murray told CBS News Los Angeles. "I felt another attack clamp on my foot. I managed to hit it pretty hard with my heel. That dragged it off." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Murray was rescued by the pace boat accompanying him on the long-distance swim to Palos Verdes. At first, he was keen to continue, but that changed after he and his team realized the source of the attack. "They got the big search light, looked down, and they could see it circling. So, it was like, 'You've got to get out.'" "He was transferred to one of our local fire stations by Los Angeles County Fire, and we took him to a local hospital in fair condition," said Lyndsey Lantz, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, per SFGate. Why are shark attacks important? Shark attacks are rare, but they highlight how exposure to humans can increase animal comfort levels with humans and the likelihood of such encounters. Destruction of natural habitat combined with food incentives introduced by humans only exacerbate the problem. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sharks play a variety of vital ecosystem roles. They ensure prey species populations don't overwhelm a habitat. They cycle nutrients to be used further down the food chain. Sharks are also large enough that their bodies sequester carbon, and they keep it sequestered when they die and sink to the bottom of the ocean. Despite their clear importance, sharks have been in steady decline. What's being done about shark attacks? Some conservationists are leaning on trophic rewilding, which introduces apex predators such as sharks into environments that could benefit from them. The Australian government has been funding other shark conservation initiatives in the face of excessive fishing. Murray received 20 stitches to fix his hand following the shark attack, but he says he got off light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't know what the bite strength is of a shark, but it's powerful. Didn't sever any arteries, didn't sever any tendons," he said. " I think it was actually relatively generous to me." He also told CBS News, "The only thing I would say I felt was really annoyed." When asked if he would attempt the swim again, Murray didn't rule it out. "Never say never," he said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. UPDATE: News 5 has learned the identity of the suspect accused of planning an attack on synagogues in Alabama. UPDATE: 24-year-old man shot Tuesday night on First Court Jeremy Wayne Shoemaker (Photo courtesy of the Clarke County Sheriffs Office) The Clarke County Sheriffs Office said Jeremy Shoemaker of Needham made credible threats of violence against synagogues in Alabama and surrounding states.. Investigators said after getting a warrant to search Shoemakers home, they discovered weapons, more than a suitcase of ammo, body armor, and other items related to the plans of violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They said they believe Shoemaker planned to die in the attacks and was planning attacks on public officials. ORIGINAL STORY CLARKE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) One person was arrested and weapons were seized after the FBI and other agencies were alerted to threats made against multiple synagogues in Alabama, according to a Clarke County Sheriffs Office Facebook post. Plant disease detected in Mobile County According to the post, several federal agencies were notified of credible threats of violence made against the synagogues in Alabama and nearby states. Weapons, ammo, and body armor were found at the home of a suspect believed to have been planning attacks against multiple synagogues in Alabama and nearby states. (Courtesy of Clarke County Sheriffs Office) Investigators identified a suspect who lived in Needham and got a search warrant for the persons home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 1st Judicial Circuit Special Response Team, made up of deputies and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, searched the home and discovered a disturbing plan along with a lot of weaponry. Agents found weapons, more than a suitcase of ammo, body armor, and other items related to the plans of violence, the post said. According to the post, agents learned the suspect had planned to die in the attacks, and indicated they were possibly planning attacks on public officials as well. The investigation, which is still ongoing, will involve numerous federal agencies, and multiple federal charges are likely, as well as local charges of resisting arrest and certain persons forbidden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agencies involved in the operation included the FBI, Clarke County Sheriffs Office, Choctaw County Sheriffs Office, Jackson Police Department, Grove Hill Police Department, Thomasville Police Department and Butler Police Department. Having a local team with such training, capabilities and ability to immediately respond prevented multiple violent acts with minimal incident, an FBI field agent said. Mobile couple stranded as Hurricane Melissa makes its way towards Jamaica This story is developing. News 5 will update this article as more information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. The Al-Hol camp has become a hotspot for ISIS detainees, housing tens of thousands of them, while the Homs Governate's anti-narcotics branch seized millions of Captagon pills. Syria is trying to deal with many continued challenges, almost a year after the Assad regime collapsed. One issue is trying to unify the country, and that means bringing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) under the control of Damascus. The SDF is backed by the US. The US also backs Syrian unity and integration. At the same time, the US and Israel have both opposed attacks on the Druze in Syria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one high-profile example of US support, the US said that it is "providing humanitarian assistance to Suwayda, where Druze, Christian, and Bedouin communities have faced violence, the destruction of their homes, and have lost their livelihoods. This assistance will support life-saving needs of approximately 60,000 people through targeted provision of food, water, and hygiene items, as well as the rehabilitation of houses and water systems for when people can safely return home. Meanwhile, in eastern Syria, there are tens of thousands of detainees with links to ISIS. Reports say Iraq has repatriated almost 20,000 of them recently. This aids the SDF and Syria by removing the burden of the ISIS detainees from Syria. Kurdish internal security forces display seized captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Orhan Qereman) The detainees are mostly held at Al-Hol camp in Syria, while displaced Syrians are also leaving the camp. Damascus cracking down on Captagon smuggling Another report noted that Syria continues to crack down on drug smuggling, which the Assad regime has used to transport the drug Captagon as fuel for its war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, Damascus is putting an end to the Iran-backed drug trade in Syria. The Syrian interior ministry said Monday that it had seized about 11 million Captagon stimulant pills that entered the country from neighboring Lebanon in one of the largest busts since the fall of former ruler Bashar Assad, a report at Arab News said. In a statement, the Syrian interior ministry said the anti-narcotics branch in Homs province seized a vehicle coming from Lebanon containing approximately 11 million Captagon pills. Arab News noted that the statement said that the authorities are continuing to conduct the necessary investigations to uncover the identities of those involved and identify the criminal networks linked to the operation. It notes that Captagon, which is similar to amphetamines, became Syrias largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011, with its trade serving as a key funding source for the government of ousted president Assad. Meanwhile, the BBC visited Al-Hol. Wives and children of suspected Islamic State group fighters are detained in tented camps. In the complex mosaic of the new Syria, the old battle against the group calling itself Islamic State (IS) continues in the Kurdish-controlled north-east. It's a conflict that has slipped from the headlines, with bigger wars elsewhere, the report noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kurdish counter-terrorism officials have told the BBC that IS cells in Syria are regrouping and increasing their attacks. The reports indicate how much of a hot-button issue Al-Hol has become. It needs to be wrapped up as a detainee center as the SDF considers integration into the Damascus-backed security forces. Although many hurdles remain, the recent reports indicate some progress is being made. Police are searching for three suspects involved in the armed robbery of a taco stand in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles early Tuesday. The incident was reported shortly after midnight near Olympic Boulevard and Orme Avenue. The three suspects approached the Tacos El Guero stand and pointed a handgun at the workers while demanding money, video news service OnScene.TV reported. The suspects fled north on Orme Avenue with about $1,000 in cash. Police investigate a robbery at a Boyle Heights taco stand on Oct. 28, 2025. (OnScene.TV) Video showed Los Angeles Police Department officers at the scene investigating the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspects were described as three males wearing black ski masks. No injuries were reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A wall of sequoias over 100 feet fall abuts a 25-unit mobile home park in Eastside Tacoma. Crows perch in their blue-green branches. Resident Viola Stewart, who has lived there nine years, enjoys watching the wind rustle the needles. In August, residents of the Ohana Estates at 8211 E. McKinley Ave. learned that 59 giant sequoias might be cut down. The incident prompted them to mobilize. By January, the neighbors plan to start a co-op to buy the community from their landlord, thus ensuring their housing stays affordable and the trees remain cared for. Owner Kelly Verduin told The News Tribune on Oct. 21 that shes owned the property with her husband and other partners since 1989, in addition to other mobile home properties in the South Sound. Verduin said shes optimistic the sale will go forward, with the help of Resident Owned Communities USA (ROC USA), which is assisting the manufactured-home community residents in forming a cooperative and navigating the purchase and management of the property. According to Pierce County records, the property was worth $1.72 million in 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If we didnt sell to the residents, we would end up selling to a private investor, who would, of course, have to make their return and then raise rents, said Verduin, who is based in Poulsbo. This would be the fourth [mobile home community] weve sold to the residents, and it is a win-win. Theres something very rewarding about [the tenants] retaining that forever. The value of their homes are worth more because its not a land-lease situation anymore. They own a share of the cooperative. Verduin said the trees were planted before she purchased the property. Originally there were cedar trees planted in between each sequoia, but the sequoias quickly took over the limited space, she said. ROC USA has helped 356 manufactured-home communities purchase their land nationwide since its founding in 2008, according to its website. That includes 24,415 homes. The organization, which is headquartered in New Hampshire, touts its model as a way to build wealth and investment power in working class and BIPOC communities through community ownership. On a walk around the neighborhood on Oct. 20, neighbor John Burns said his biggest fear is that the owner would sell to a developer and kick us all out. Hes lived at the park next to the sequoias for more than 20 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its like being in the forest, he said. Nothing has brought the community together more than these trees. Verduin said she considered cutting down the sequoias because she was concerned their roots would harm the sewer line nearby and buckle the road, which would be more costly to fix down the line. Now that the residents are planning to take over the property, it would be their responsibility to find solutions to any future problems, she said. For now, the trees will stay. An arborist contacted by the neighbors wrote in a preliminary assessment that, In my professional opinion, removing the entire row of trees seems highly unnecessary and an exaggerated response to minimal initial impacts to structures. Many, if not all, of the concerns brought forth could be mitigated with selective root pruning. Philip Stielstra got involved after residents reached out to him in August to help save the trees. Stielstra is the president of the nonprofit PropagationNation, which was founded to propagate and plant millions of giant sequoias and coastal redwoods around the Pacific Northwest. On Oct. 20 one of the sequoia Stielstra measured was 4.6 feet in diameter. They sequester carbon at two to three times the rate of native Northwest trees, he said. I think Tacoma is not doing well by their trees, especially in the south and east parts of the city. Overall, the canopy is only 20%, its one of the lowest in the state I mean, you can have the Tacoma Tree Foundation planting as many trees as you want, but its going to take 50 years to get to be the size and the beneficial nature of the ones that they were going to allow to be cut down. Editor's note: The story has been updated to include additional details. The controversial former mayor of Odesa, Hennadiy Trukhanov, has been charged with negligence over his handling of a heavy rainstorm and flooding that devastated the coastal city late last month, the Prosecutor General's Office confirmed on Oct. 29. Trukhanov and eight more officials were charged with negligence for failing to take adequate measures before and during the massive storm that claimed the lives of nine people, including a child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The cause was not a natural disaster, but official negligence," Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said on Oct. 29. "(Trukhanov) held his position for years, knew the problems better than anyone else, but did nothing to solve them." According to prosecutors, the former mayor neglected to maintain Odesa's engineering infrastructure. Repeated flooding has affected the city's streets for years, yet Trukhanov failed to take actions required by his office to repair the stormwater and drainage systems in due time, the statement read. During the floods on Sept. 30, he also did not properly warn residents about the danger of an emergency, the prosecutors said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Law enforcement conducted searches at the residences of Trukhanov and his deputies. If convicted, the former Odesa mayor could face up to eight years in prison. Two days of heavy rain caused widespread flooding, power outages, and downed trees across the region at the end of September, with reports of over 360 people rescued amid the storm. In a recent interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Trukhanov said that he and the city council "did everything within their power" to deal with the flooding in Odesa. Later in the day on Oct. 29, he said that the charges came as a "surprise." "I'm not avoiding responsibility, but I have to be honest: this was a natural disaster, the scale of which exceeded the capabilities of any system," Trukhanov added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The charges against Trukhanov follow a series of political developments over the past month in Odesa's Mayoral Office. Trukhanov is a controversial figure in Ukraine due to his alleged Russian citizenship, as well as active charges against him stemming from a corruption case involving Odesa's Krayan factory building. However, critics have also accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of turning a blind eye to the mayor's Russian citizenship before and trying to remove Trukhanov from office in order to monopolize power and eliminate local autonomy. On Oct. 14, Zelensky issued a decree to strip Trukhanov of his Ukrainian citizenship, based on evidence that Trukhanov is a Russian citizen a claim that he has denied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As evidence, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) published a purported photo of Trukhanov's active Russian passport, issued in 2015, a year after Russia launched its war against Ukraine and occupied the Crimean Peninsula. Despite the photo, the Insider, a Russian investigative journalism outlet, claimed on Oct. 15 that while databases confirm that Trukhanov is a Russian citizen, the photo of the Russian passport published by the SBU is doctored. When asked on Oct. 28 during a closed-door meeting with journalists, Zelensky said while Ukraine's State Border Guard Service has evidence of Trukhanov's Russian citizenship, the legitimacy of the SBU-published passport "doesnt concern" him. In an effort to replace Trukhanov, Zelensky appointed Serhii Lysak as head of the the newly formed Odesa Military Administration on Oct. 15. Zelensky's ally Ihor Koval, the secretary of the Odesa city council, a day later appointed himself as the city's acting mayor while Trukhanov was on vacation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The procedure for depriving people of Ukrainian citizenship through presidential decrees without court decisions has also been lambasted as legally dubious or even illegal. Read also: Zelensky strips tainted Odesa Mayor Trukhanov of Ukrainian citizenship, effectively pushes him out of office Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Voters in Tampas District 5 are heading to the polls Tuesday to elect a City Council representative. Thomas Scott and Naya Young the top vote-getters in last months special election are vying for the seat, which has been vacant since the death of former council member Gwen Henderson in June. The candidates differ in age, experience, and perspective on key policy issues, from diversity to affordable housing. They have drawn support from different corners of the large district, which spans downtown, East Tampa, Ybor City and parts of West Tampa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott, 72, is a former Hillsborough County commissioner and Tampa City Council member who says the district needs an experienced leader. Young, 33, would bring a fresh face to the dais. She works for the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association and has never run for office. Polls are open from 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. For election results, visit tampabay.com. The Tampa Police Department will receive a little more than $430,000 in federal funding to expand its immigration enforcement program, deputizing 18 more officers and covering overtime for all police personnel deputized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Board of Immigration Enforcement, comprised of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, approved more than $4 million in reimbursements to 15 local police departments and sheriffs offices on Tuesday. This is the second time the state has authorized reimbursement funds to local enforcement agencies. In late September, the board approved $14 million to more than 50 agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agencies partnering with federal immigration authorities can receive reimbursements for equipment, training, travel, software and officer bonuses from the $250 million program created during a special session on immigration that DeSantis pushed for shortly after President Donald Trumps inauguration. About half of the $430,000 for Tampa police will cover costs for deputizing 18 new officers for immigration enforcement, including lodging and transportation for training sessions proposed for 2026. The rest will fund overtime for all deputized officers working immigration enforcement operations beyond normal hours. Of the 15 agencies that requested funds, the Taylor County and St. Lucie County sheriffs offices requested the largest amounts, nearly $1 million each. Taylor requested more than $600,000 for the cost of providing 25 beds to house federal detainees alone. The rest was related to deputizing 15 new officers and transportation costs for detainees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of St. Lucie County requests were for equipment including license plate readers, portable fingerprint scanners, DNA mouth swabs kits. The county also requested new software that would replace old outdated systems. Along with approving funding requests, the state board named Anthony Coker, Floridas U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement liaison, as the new executive director, replacing Larry Keefe. EAST RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the East Ridge Police Department in Hamilton County are searching for a man charged with first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery, the TBI said. The TBI added Jason Sherman Brown Jr., 22, to its Most Wanted List. He is considered armed and dangerous, the TBI warned Tuesday afternoon. It described him as being 6-feet tall and weighing about 230 pounds. Two dead after gunfire at Cleveland workplace, police report Jason Sherman Brown Jr. (TBI) This is a developing story. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates. There is a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest. If you have information on his whereabouts, call the East Ridge Police Department at 423-867-3720 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. East Ridge is located south of Chattanooga. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side. The Preble County teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student has changed his plea. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7 previously reported that Garrett Stringer-Smith, 31, pleaded not guilty to sexual battery charges in March. He was indicted on 10 counts of sexual battery earlier this year. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now he has changed his plea, pleading guilty to all 10 counts of sexual battery, according to Preble County Common Pleas Court documents. Stringer-Smith was a teacher at Twin Valley Community Schools and is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. He was arrested on Feb. 7 after the student reported the relationship to a school resource officer, according to a previous News Center 7 report. Stringer-Smith faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison and must classify as a Tier III sex offender. He is expected back in court on Dec. 3. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] NEED TO KNOW Cory Kapahulehua, 44, was sentenced to 187 years in prison after a jury in Arizona convicted him on charges including sexual abuse, assault and sexual conduct with a minor The charges stem from relationships the teacher had with two minor students, ages 14 and 17, which began in August 2021 while he taught at the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center Kapahulehua lived with the older victim after she turned 18 and organized a fundraiser to help her get money to move out of her parents' home when she was still 17, prosecutors said An Arizona teacher convicted of sexually abusing and assaulting two of his students was sentenced on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Cory Kapahulehua, 44, will now serve 187 years in prison after a jury convicted him on all 17 counts he faced at trial. This includes: molestation of a child, sexual conduct with a minor, sexual abuse, aggravated assault and attempted sexual conduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those charges stem from the teacher's relationship with two students, ages 14 and 17, which both began in August 2021 while he was working at the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Center in Mesa. The younger student told authorities that she and Kapahulehua had sex on school grounds until January 2022 when he was dismissed from his job, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. She said that the two continued to meet up after that for sexual encounters, which took place at a hotel near the school and a nearby parking garage. Related: Married Mom Sexually Abused Her Incarcerated Student But Was Acquitted of Plotting to Murder Husband Related: Underage Student Alleges Teacher, 30, Exposed Herself While Video Chatting From Shower and Had Other Plans, Too Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The older victim said that she and Kapahulehua had sex at his apartment while she was underage, according to the attorney's office. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Prosecutors said during Kapahulehua's trial that the teacher organized a fundraiser to help the older victim get enough money to move out of her parents' home when she was still 17. Then, when she turned 18, the victim moved in with Kapahulehua at his apartment, prosecutors said. This defendant used his position as a teacher to groom these students and take advantage of their trust, said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. Im proud of these girls for having the courage to come forward and stop him from victimizing any children ever again. Kapahulehua had entered a not guilty plea to all charges. His lawyer did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Read the original article on People Above, from left: National Black Theatre CEO Sade Lythcott, former Ford Foundation president Darren Walker, and Ray founder Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Sade Lythcott and Dasha Zhukova Niarchoss first encounter was like the collision of two galaxiesdazzling, radiant, rare, producing a new whole greater than the sum of its parts. They talked about their work and passions, about their journeys and ambitions, about art, theater, design, architecture, business, and philanthropy. But before any of that, they talked about their mothers: the formidable Barbara Ann Teer and Elena Zhukova, PhDs both. Dasha spoke of the ways her mother, a molecular biologist, challenged her to dream without limit, Sade of the passion she felt for upholding her late mothers legacy in Black theater and community building. Both spoke of the ways they hoped to honor the fierce, fearless women who transfixed and transformed the worlds around them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over that first lunch, over these stories, Dasha and Sade saw in each other a partner. I see in their partnership the future of philanthropythe future of culture, the future of urban development, the future of community building. The future, period. National Black Theatre As president of the Ford Foundation, I worked with, and learned from, the brightest minds at the nexus of creative expression and social justice. In Dasha and Sade I see a powerful model of collaboration. And in a 21-story building on the corner of 125th Street and 5th Avenue in Harlemthe future home of Ray Harlem and the National Black Theatre (NBT)I see a literal blueprint for how we can build vibrant communities with people and culture at their center. I first connected with Dasha in the early days of Ray, her real estate development company, and I have been a friend and supporter of NBTfounded by Dr. Teerfor many years, dating back to the 1990s, when I lived and worked in Harlem. Since 2019 Dasha and Sade have partnered to shape the future of a mixed-use, mixed-income development project in Harlem. When construction is complete, Ray Harlem will have more than 200 residential units and will house NBT, the longest-running Black theater company in New York. National Black Theatre At first blush, Dasha appears to have stepped off the pages of Vogue, but she is no mere fashionista. She is a capable, accomplished businesswoman on a mission. And her vision for Raywhich has locations in Philadelphia, Nashville, and Phoenixemerged from her success with the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. She co-founded that space in 2008 in her native Moscow, and it taught her how architecture can foster human connection. Every Ray property includes art and space for artists to work; for Ray Harlem, NBT is something of a crown jewel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NBT has been a stronghold of Black cultural life, and a pillar of Harlem, since Dr. Teer first conceived of it amid the tumult of 1968. Sade joined NBTs board of directors after her mothers sudden death in 2008, planning to stay only for an interim six-month period. But she soon realized she had the opportunity to meaningfully shape her mothers legacy and the future of an institution she rightly understood to be indispensable to Harlem and to Black theater more broadly. For Sade, whose elegance and charisma and passion are palpable, the question of staying on as CEO was deeply personal. Could I do what all my aunties were so pained and grieved about? Could I write my mother and the legacy of this institution back into its rightful place? And I thought I could say yes to that. Sade has now served at NBTs helm for almost 20 years, guiding it through the challenging days of the pandemic and now, with Dasha, the development of its new home. It is difficult to overstate NBTs impact on the theater world under Sades leadership. NBT introduced audiences to such wonderful, canon-defining talents as Dominique Morisseau, James Ijames, and Saheem Ali. And it recently had two shows on Broadway. In 2023 Fat Hamwhich won the Pulitzer Prize and garnered five Tony nominationswas only the third Black theater production ever to transfer to Broadway (after it saw more extensions at the Public Theater than any show other than Hamilton). Later that year NBTs revival of Purlie Victorious opened on Broadway and earned six Tony nominations. Sade attributes much of NBTs staying power to her mothers early insistence that real estate and placemaking were just as essential to the theaters long-term success as the shows they staged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a fire burned down NBTs original space in 1983, Dr. Teer purchased the lot on which it sat, physically securing a home for NBT for generations. And as Sade thought about NBTs future, she was intentional about what any new development would mean. Mark J Franklin What Sade and Dasha understand intuitively is that no one wants a new Harlem or a new NBT. I was very clear that cultural preservation needed to be at the forefront of what new could be, Sade says. We did not want to be brand new. We wanted to be brand true. What drives their collaboration is a sense of renewal rather than of reinvention. Dasha accordingly speaks about Rays mission as a form of embedded philanthropy: a philanthropy that meets communities where they are, brings art directly to them, and works to make cities better for the people who inhabit them. Its not just about buildings, Dasha says. Its about shaping neighborhoods into ecosystems of belonging and creativity and care. And I think thats how we scale the values of philanthropy. Not merely through grants but through structure. This is philanthropy at its best, its most inspiring: not the rigid, prescriptive grantmaking of philanthropy past, but a philanthropy that emphasizes openness, a philanthropy that encourages exploration, a philanthropy that meaningfully engages the communities it aims to serve. Marc J Franklin And, further, Rays success reveals that in real estate, form need not conflict with function. Dasha emphasizes that Rays balance sheets look the same as any other major developersthe underwriting and returns are like any competitorsbut that what distinguishes the company is its belief in the essential and transformative power of artcentric design. This belief is shared by Frida Escobedo, the architect behind Ray Harlem and the critical third member of Sade and Dashas partnership. Ray Harlem will be her first major project to debut in New York, opening well before her highly anticipated design of the Mets new Tang Wing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither Dasha nor Sade is naive about the scale of their ambitions. Both recognize the challenges facing them with clarity and resolve, a sense of purpose borne out in their material progressin the apartments already leased and in the millions of dollars of investments they have secured from a range of public and private partners. It has been a joy and a privilege to witness the extraordinary work theyre doing in Harlem at this exciting moment for 125th Street in particular. (Soon the remodeled Studio Museum in Harlem will reopen to the public nearby, as will the renovated Apollo Theater.) The Tyler Twins Ultimately, Dasha and Sades work encourages us to reimagine the role of art in our livesnot just as ornament but as essential. They remind us that Black cultural institutions are the lifeblood of our cities. Their work promises to fundamentally transform how we think about the relationship between art, community building, and urban life. And theyre doing it all because of their mothersthe audacious, righteous women who taught them to demand more from the world and to make it a better, more vibrant place for all of us. What were building does not exist in America, or anywhere, Sade says. A home for Black storytelling at its highest form of excellence doesnt exist. Thats what were building. Photos by Tyler Twins Makeup by Emily Amick for Danessa Myricks Beauty at Exclusive Artists. This story appears in the November 2025 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW You Might Also Like NEED TO KNOW A Maryland teenager was sentenced to 80 years in prison for fatally shooting a high school classmate during an argument about a girl Jaylen Prince, 17, was convicted in May of first-degree murder and more in connection with the death of Warren Grant Prince testified during his trial that the shooting wasn't intentional A Maryland teenager will spend decades behind bars for fatally shooting his classmate inside their high school bathroom. Jaylen Prince was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 20 years on Oct. 14, with all but 80 years suspended, according to a press release from the Harford County State's Attorney's Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors said state laws did not allow a sentence of life without parole to be handed down due to Prince's age. However, he won't be eligible for parole until at least half of his sentence is served. WBAL-TV reported that Prince is now 17, and he was 16 at the time of the shooting. A jury found Prince guilty in May of first-degree murder and related criminal charges in connection with the September 2024 death of Warren Grant at at Joppatowne High School, per the release. Prosecutors said Prince brought a loaded ghost gun to school in his book bag with the intention of using it before ultimately shooting Grant, WBAL-TV reported. During the trial, Prince testified that the shooting was accidental and that it happened out of fear during an argument about a girl, CBS News reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the other hand, prosecutors said a video showed Prince threatening to kill Grant four times and witnesses reported seeing him take the gun out of his backpack and shoot Grant, per CBS News. After the shooting, Prince reportedly fled the scene and the gun was never recovered. Prosecutors said in the release that Prince had a history of violent behavior in school. Harford County Public School records showed "dozens of incidents of threats toward teachers, multiple attacks and physical violence towards peers, and continuous verbally abusive behavior," per the release. Prosecutors claimed those threats even continued after his conviction. Prior to his sentencing, a psychologist found Prince to be an extremely high risk for future violence," the release states. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. States Attorney Alison M. Healey said, No sentence will ever bring Warren back to his loved ones or make up for the fact that his life was cut short in the most tragic and senseless way." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Healey added, "It is my hope that today will help close the hardest chapter of Warren familys lives and send the message that gun violence will not be tolerated in our schools, or in our community at all for that matter. Read the original article on People An 18-year-old man has died from injuries after a stabbing at a Georgia Walmart, according to police. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The altercation happened Thursday night between the 18-year-old and a 49-year-old man. Chatham County Police Department officers responded to the Walmart at 5:50 PM after reports of an altercation. They found the 18-year-old suffering from multiple stab wounds and lacerations. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation revealed that the incident began when the 18-year-old kicked the shopping cart of the 49-year-old man as he was exiting the store, leading to a confrontation, the CCPD said. The 18-year-old was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but died from his injuries the following morning. Detectives from the Chatham County Police Department are conducting a thorough investigation and have spoken with the 49-year-old man involved, as well as witnesses to the incident. Police have not released their identities. The police department will consult with the Chatham County District Attorneys Office to determine any criminal charges in the case. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] NEED TO KNOW A Tennessee woman was 13 years old when she ran away from her abusive home, she tells PEOPLE Fifteen years later, she's engaged to one of the police officers who searched for her at the time although they didn't actually meet until 2023 "We've built this beautiful connection," says Roshin Ali When she was a teenager, a Tennessee woman ran away from an abusive home, only to fall in love almost a decade and a half later with one of the police officers who helped search for her. Now 28, shes going viral for opening up about her incredible journey. He searched for me then, Roshin Ali, who goes by Roro Nicole on social media, tells PEOPLE in a joint interview with her 38-year-old fiance Tyler Schrupp, whom she didnt actually meet until 2023, when she began working at the Jackson Police Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The couple, who both work as patrol officers, share a 5-month-old son named Stetson. Schrupp is also helping Ali raise her two older sons Dawson, 8, and Brantley, 7 from a previous relationship. "We've built this beautiful connection," she adds. Ali has no rose-tinted memories of her childhood. She says was 13 years old when she and her brother fled their father after years of abuse. That summer day, on July 27, 2010, she tells PEOPLE her father came home after losing all of his money while gambling. That's when he discovered Ali and two of her siblings playing outside with their neighbors, an activity that she says wasn't permitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When their father entered the apartment, we ran to the room because we already knew he was angry, remembers Ali, whose second brother had stayed inside. (Ali has requested that her family members remain anonymous.) Their dad immediately came to the bedroom where the three children had fled, but Alis sister quickly braced her foot on the wall and her back against the door so he couldnt enter. As Ali and her brother hid under a blanket, violence exploded around them. Ali recalls her father demanding that their mother bring a knife and Ali remembers him "literally trying to stab [my sister] through the door to try to get her out the way." (An affidavit obtained by PEOPLE mirrors her recollection of events, although there is no mention of a knife.) When their enraged father opened the door, he grabbed Alis sister by the hair and dragged her to his room. The teen was beaten with a pair of heels that their dad found nearby before he bound her legs together and covered her mouth with duct tape, Ali alleges. They watched as their sister was hit with a cable wire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then their mom entered their room and issued a terrifying warning to Ali and her brother: "Y'all are going to be next." So they decided they were going to "run and try to find some sort of help" and jumped out the window," Ali recalls. In May 2011, Alis father pled guilty to aggravated assault, according to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE. Two police officers, who also served as witnesses, confirmed they saw bruises on Alis sisters face, according to the affidavit. Initially, Ali and her brother who were reported missing by their parents were considered runaways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All I knew about it was we had two runaways in the area we needed to locate, says Schrupp, recalling his response to the BOLO, or be on the lookout, request. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. That night, Ali and her brother slept in a park. They went to a friends house the next day and later went to a church with their friends mother, which is where the pair was discovered by other police officers from the Jackson Police Department. Meanwhile, their parents had been questioned and taken into custody, Ali says. On July 28, the day after the two kids ran from home, charges against Alis dad were filed, according to court documents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From there, Ali and three of her siblings were placed in the foster care system. Ali and her sister were placed together, while their two brothers were placed in a separate foster home. Not long after being placed in the home of a friend of their father's, Ali alleges she was sexually assaulted. When she reported the incident to her caseworker at Tennessees Department of Childrens Services, she claims nothing happened. I guess they didn't take me seriously whenever I was telling them the information, says Ali. There was no report on file or anything as far as I'm concerned. The Department of Childrens Services was unable to share any information about the case with PEOPLE because of privacy laws. Courtesy of Roro Nicole Schrupp, Ali with her two eldest sons. Schrupp, Ali with her two eldest sons. Despite the cruelty that Ali both witnessed and experienced, she pushed forward. She stayed in foster care until she was 18, and later gave birth to two sons. She eventually became a correctional officer in Jackson before she transferred to her current place of work in May 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the first time Schrupp saw Ali, he was immediately smitten. You were nervous, but you were staring at me pretty hard, Ali says of her fiance, who made sure to strike up a conversation the next time. We just started talking every day since then, says Schrupp, who loves the openness and honesty he shares with Ali. We hit it off and just could talk about any and everything. Courtesy of Roro Nicole The couple welcomed baby Stetson five months ago. The couple welcomed baby Stetson five months ago. The patrol officers were still just friends when they realized that they had a connection that went back to 2010 as Ali began telling Schrupp about running away from home as a teen. Thats when it clicked. Schrupp remembers telling Ali, I was on that search. Courtesy of Roro Nicole Schrupp and Ali with their blended family. Schrupp and Ali with their blended family. For Ali, the fact that Schrupp had looked for her was endearing. It was surprising, but I thought it was so cute, she says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their friendship became the bedrock of their romance and almost a year after they started dating, Schrupp proposed on a family vacation in August 2024. Ali thought they were taking a group photo on the beach when Schrupp had her two sons look for a hidden surprise. While she was distracted by a shell theyd found with a fake ring inside, Schrupp got down on one knee and presented her with the real one. Courtesy of Roro Nicole Schrupp proposed during a family vacation. Schrupp proposed during a family vacation. I cried. I lost it, recalls Ali. I was so happy because I'm like, I finally get to marry the man of my dreams. Their destination wedding is scheduled for Oct. 2026. Ali says shes grateful for the life theyve been able to build together and Schrupps unending support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As she reflects on the day she fled her home in July 2010, Ali tells her fiance, You were my hero. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People While Scranton plans to seek a state grant to fund a $315,000 renovation of the Lookout, its telescope that was hit by a vehicle and removed for repairs should be back in place soon at the scenic overlook on East Mountain. Scranton City Councils agenda for its weekly meeting Tuesday has a resolution from the administration of Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti to authorize the city to apply for a Local Share Account grant to fund repairs to the stone foundation and walls of the Lookout, built in 1938. Council voted 5-0 last Tuesday with council President Gerald Smurl, Bill King, Mark McAndrew, Jessica Rothchild and Tom Schuster all in favor to introduce the resolution. The legislation now comes back to council for a second vote on adoption. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im glad to see us acting quickly in putting in this grant application and I hope the city is successful in receiving it, Rothchild said. I think we all want to see the Lookout be fixed up and renovated and we need this money to help us get there. The Lookout along Route 307 was constructed under the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help create jobs during the Great Depression. For 87 years, the roadside attraction along Moosic Street (Route 307) has offered panoramic vistas of Scranton and West Mountain, and beyond. In recent years, the site has suffered from vandalism knocking loose many of the stone blocks of the structure and tagging it with graffiti. The Works Progress Adminstration (WPA) built the stone wall around the Lookout on East Mountain in 1938. The cornerstone of the wall has been vandalized, in addition to other sections of the overlook on Rt. 307 in Scranton. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, city engineer Reilly Associates estimated that stonework repairs and installing security cameras, lighting and other facets at the Lookout would cost $314,768. The work would include repointing masonry of the stone walls; additional stone repairs; repaving the parking area; stone sidewalk repairs; additional lighting; guiderail transition replacement; security cameras; mobilization; and traffic control. Previously, in July, a car hit the telescope and broke its base, and the binocular viewer was sent to Tower Optical in Connecticut for repairs. For about 15 years, the telescope was kept at the Lookout under an arrangement with the Architectural Heritage Association, a local preservation civic group, said former Mayor Wayne Evans, who is a member of that association. The group has paid the lease of about $500 a year to have the telescope stationed at the Lookout and has kept it free to the public to use, unlike other stationary telescopes at tourist destinations that are coin-operated, Evans said in a phone interview Monday. It was really more of a community donation more than anything else, Evans said. We look for opportunities to quietly help in the preservation world. Its a small cost to pay it forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city plans to install safety measures to ensure that the returned telescope will not get hit again by a vehicle. The city engineer also suggested trying to get the Lookout placed on the National Register of Historic Places. On its website, Tower Optical says it has made its iconic binocular viewers since 1932 and the viewfinders have cemented themselves as a piece of American history as fixtures at scenic destinations across North America, including the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Niagara Falls and the Golden Gate Bridge. In Scranton, The Lookout is historic and the view is historic as well, Evans said. On a clear day, as they say, you can see forever. Vehicles are parked at the Lookout on East Mountain in Scranton. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)A snowy viewfinder and view of Scranton at the Lookout scenic overlook along Moosic Street (Route 307) on Feb. 21, 2011. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Everyone knows Tennessee whiskey. In 2022, Volunteer State distilleries contributed more than $3 billion statewide. But that success is facing a new hurdle: trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada. A new report shows American liquor exports to Canada have dropped 85% this year after several Canadian provinces banned American spirits from its shelves. The move came in response to new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, reigniting a trade dispute thats hitting distillers close to home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At Southern Collective in Nashville, CEO Tricia Brill said expanding internationally was always part of the plan. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts By the time we got around to exporting to Canada, the tariffs were in place and destroyed our dream of expanding overseas, Brill said. Its just not worth it for a small distillery like ours right now. We have to be really picky and choosy about where we export to. The company opened in 2022 with optimism, expanding into European markets like Germany and the Netherlands. After Trump reinstated sweeping tariffs on imported steel and aluminum this year, Canada retaliated. The country placed certain restrictions on American-made products, including liquor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its always in the back of my mind, Brill said. Im constantly working with distributors and trying to build relationships, but it feels like theres a wall in the way of what we want to do. Meanwhile, Trump has defended the tariffs, telling reporters on Air Force One Monday: Canada has been ripping us off for a long time, and they arent going to rip us off anymore. That comment comes after he canceled trade talks with Canada after an ad aired featuring a clip of former President Ronald Reagan warning against tariffs. It aired during the World Series. The Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute later said the Canadian ad misrepresents Reagan in the 1987 address. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Soon after, Trump posted to his Truth Social account: BASED ON THEIR EGREGIOUS BEHAVIOR, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED While global names like Jack Daniels can ride out the storm, newer distilleries depend on international sales to grow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this point, we just dont see its worth it, Brill said. Wed have to export quite a bit to make it worth our while and were just a smaller operation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. A medical center in Tennessee is the best employer for company culture in the nation, according to a new ranking by Forbes. To develop the first "America's Best Employers for Company Culture" list, more than 218,000 employees from U.S. companies with at least 1,000 workers were surveyed. They were asked how likely they would be to recommend their current and past employers, as well as other companies they were familiar with through their industry or through friends and family who had worked there. The data collected from surveys over the past three years was organized into a scoring system. Higher weight was given to more recent data and responses from current employees. Ultimately, the top 600 U.S. companies with the highest scores were ranked, with a Tennessee-based business earning the overall top spot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are the Tennessee companies that made the inaugural list. Which Tennessee companies are in the top 600 of Forbes' Best Employers for Company Culture list? Forbes and Statista asked employees to evaluate their employers on fairness, inclusivity and opportunities. They included questions about whether employers recognize good performance, promote a healthy work-life balance, and offer avenues for advancement. Forbes' Best Employers for Company Culture list includes nine Tennessee businesses. Of the 600 enterprises analyzed in the list, the top company in Tennessee was also at the top of the entire list. The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville ranked as the overall best employer for company culture. Other Tennessee employers on the list are: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , in Memphis, ranked No. 21 Kirkland's , in Brentwood, ranked No. 24 BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee , in Chattanooga, ranked No. 159 Genesco , in Nashville, ranked No. 275 Eastman , in Kingsport, ranked No. 278 First Horizon , in Memphis, ranked No. 384 Tennessee Valley Authority , in Knoxville, ranked No. 436 FedEx, in Memphis, ranked No. 453 Forbes' top 10 employers for company culture University of Tennessee Medical Center, located in Tennessee Progressive, headquartered in Ohio Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, located in Georgia University of California, Irvine, located in California Cleveland State University, located in Ohio Mutual of Omaha, headquartered in Nebraska Western Carolina University, located in North Carolina Verisk Analytics, headquartered in New Jersey Intel, headquartered in California Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Michigan, headquartered in Michigan Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Best employers for company culture in TN? See who made Forbes' list NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) Tennessee State Parks wants to hear from the public about site management plans at 14 state parks. According to Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation officials, the plan for each park is part of a 10-year Comprehensive Strategic Plan that is guiding how each of Tennessees 62 state parks is operated. TDEC officials said each park plan must be reviewed and updated within the next decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials will hold the meetings to hear about the plans from each parks staff, and residents can respond. Park staff members have come up with specific objectives, and theyre looking for input from the public about them. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts The meetings will be held from Nov. 10 through Jan. 8, 2026, and they will be held at or near the parks. According to TDEC, the park plans focus on resource stewardship, visitor experience, facilities and amenities and operational excellence. Public input is vital to the continued success of our state parks, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Deputy Commissioner Greer Tidwell said. These meetings are a fun opportunity for Tennesseans to help shape the future of our state parks and fulfill our mission to preserve, protect, and share Tennessees natural and cultural resources while providing safe and quality outdoor experiences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here is TDECs schedule for the public input meetings: Cove Lake State Park Monday, Nov. 10, 5:30 p.m. Cove Lake State Park Recreation Building 153 Goose Ln., Caryville, TN 37714 Booker T. Washington State Park Thursday, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m. Booker T. Washington Assembly Hall 5871 Champion Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37416 Big Ridge State Park Monday, Nov. 17, 5:30 p.m. Big Ridge State Park Recreation Hall 1016 Big Ridge State Park Rd., Maynardville, TN 37807 Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park Tuesday, Nov. 18, 5:30 p.m. Erwin Town Hall 211 N. Main Avenue, Erwin, TN 37650 Bledsoe Creek State Park Monday, Dec. 8, 5:30 p.m. Highpoint Health Formerly Sumner Regional Medical Center 555 Hartsville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cumberland Mountain State Park Tuesday, Dec. 9, 5:30 p.m. Cumberland Mountain State Park Recreation Hall 582 Swin Drive, Crossville, TN 38555 David Crockett State Park Tuesday, Dec. 9, 5:30 p.m. The Restaurant at David Crockett State Park 245 Crockett Park Road, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464 Big Hill Pond State Park Thursday, Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m. Big Hill Pond Visitor Center 1435 John Howell Road, Pocahontas, TN 38061 Harpeth River State Park Monday, Dec. 15, 6:30 p.m. Montgomery Bell Visitor Center Auditorium 1020 Jackson Hill Road, Burns, TN 37029 Montgomery Bell State Park Monday, Dec. 15, 5:30 p.m. Montgomery Bell Visitor Center Auditorium 1020 Jackson Hill Road, Burns, TN 37029 Burgess Falls State Park Tuesday, Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m. Burgess Falls Maintenance Shop 8487 Burgess Falls Road, Baxter, TN 38544 Middle Fork Bottoms State Park Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, 5:30 p.m. Three-Way City Hall 174 Three-Way Lane, Humboldt, TN 38343 Chickasaw State Park Thursday, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. Chickasaw State Park, Sagamore Lodge 20 Cabin Lane, Henderson, TN 38340 North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park Thursday, Jan. 8, 2025, 5:30 p.m. Greenway Farm Conference Center 4960 Gann Store Rd., Hixson, TN 37343 Residents can also submit comments online or via mail. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Any comments by mail should be addressed as: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attn: Liz Campbell Davy Crockett Tower 500 James Robertson Parkway, 8th floor Nashville, TN 37243 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn will back efforts to provide SNAP funds during a government shutdown, although she blames the shutdown on Democrats. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Amid bickering about funding the nations food program for the poor in a government shutdown, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Monday she is backing legislation to keep it from lapsing. Blackburn joined Republicans in signing the Keep SNAP Funded Act to make sure it continues without interruption as the federal government shutdown drags into November, WSMV reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would make sure 1 in 10 Tennessee residents who depend on the program continue to receive benefits, Blackburn said. She blamed Senate Democrats for holding government funding hostage to appease their far-left base, according to the report. Blackburn, a Tennessee gubernatorial candidate, made the announcement Monday with some 690,000 state residents on the brink of losing food assistance next month as the one of the longest federal government shutdowns in the nations history continues. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declined to act last week, saying the state isnt capable of uploading funds to SNAP recipients cards. House Democrats reacted late last week by urging him to call a special session to fund the food program for the poor, disabled and elderly. They increased their criticism Monday by pointing out Republican governors in Virginia and Louisiana declared emergency orders in their states to approve food assistance for children and elderly and disabled adults. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Likewise, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, sent a letter to Gov. Lee requesting he take action to avert a lapse of the food program. The government shutdown has turned into a war of words between the two political parties since Democrats held up a vote in the Senate in an effort to persuade Congress to turn back cuts to Medicaid and subsidies for the Affordable Care Act as part of President Donald Trumps Great Big Beautiful Bill. Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson told colleagues recently to prepare for an onslaught of calls about SNAP and other services that could be affected by the federal shutdown. He predicted hundreds of state employees paid through federal funds will be furloughed if it continues into November. Johnson, a Franklin Republican, said his caucus members should make sure constituents know this is a Schumer shutdown, referring to Sen. Chuck Schumer, leader of U.S. Senate Democrats. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Tens of thousands of people have fled from Sudan's El Fasher to a nearby refugee camp, after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the last major city in Sudan's western Darfur region that was held by the Sudanese army. More than 26,000 people have arrived at the Tawila camp, which is located about 60 kilometres from El Fasher, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday. "New arrivals report dangerous movements and horrific abuses," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi wrote on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jacqueline Wilma Parlevliet, the head of UNHCR's field office in Sudan, said those who fled El Fasher reported indiscriminate violence, murders and executions of people with disabilities. Others said they were shot at while fleeing, Parlevliet said, and many stayed behind because they were unable to get out. The Sudanese army said on Monday that it had withdrawn from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and the final government stronghold in the Darfur region, much of which has fallen under RSF control. The city's population, previously up to 300,000 people, has been under siege by the RSF for a year and a half, during which time many experienced torture, looting, rape and the recruitment of children into armed groups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tawila camp was already in a dire state, after around 400,000 people arrived there within a few months earlier this year following the RSF's capture of other camps. Aid organizations say the camp does not have enough safe drinking water and food, or toilets. Diseases such as cholera are now spreading. Sudan has been gripped by a brutal power struggle since April 2023 between de facto ruler Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF. Observers fear the conflict could lead to the country's permanent division. A man pleaded guilty to assault after a tantrum at a Southern California hair salon that involved knocking over shelves, throwing shampoo bottles and yelling at employees, all of which was captured on video. He is set to serve six years in prison. On Jan. 29, August Marriott, 28, entered a Great Clips on Mission Gorge Road in Santee around 7 p.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Marriott became agitated after he was told he was late for his appointment. He then vandalized the store, according to the Sheriff's Department, which cited the cellphone video footage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The video posted on social media shows Marriott overturning shelves that contain hair care products, which he then heaves toward the back of the salon while yelling profanity at staff members. "What's up?" he asked the woman filming the video. An employee had minor injuries as a result of the attack, and Marriott fled the scene before deputies arrived, authorities said. He was arrested in Chula Vista on Feb. 4 by deputies from the Santee Sheriff's Station and booked into the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism and violation of parole. On Oct. 10, Marriott pleaded guilty to assault and admitted to having a prior strike conviction as part of his plea, according to the San Diego County district attorney's office. He's scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 18. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Millions of Texans are likely to see higher prices when they sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance this year. Open enrollment for the ACA marketplace begins Nov. 1, but Congress is still debating whether to maintain subsidies that have helped millions of Americans afford health insurance. The fight over those subsidies, known as enhanced premium tax credits, is at the heart of the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly 4 million Texans enrolled in ACA plans this year, and many of them will see their health insurance premiums rise if Congress does not extend the subsidies. Premiums are expected to increase across the board due to higher health care costs, so many Texans could be in for sticker shock when they go to sign up for coverage, health policy experts said. READ MORE: Texans could see higher health insurance costs unless Congress acts, hospital leaders say Higher premiums could be jarring for someone who has their ACA plan set to automatically re-enroll each year, said Lynn Cowles, the health and food justice director at the nonprofit Every Texan. She recommends logging onto the ACA marketplace website to actively re-enroll beginning Nov. 1. "You should see how things look different, and make an active plan selection for 2026 if you decide you can stay covered," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The process for signing up for ACA coverage is largely unchanged this year, thanks to a court order that blocked certain changes that were set to take effect. Here's what you need to know about the process. When is ACA marketplace open enrollment? Open enrollment for ACA marketplace health insurance plans begins Nov. 1. There is a Dec. 15 deadline to sign up for coverage that takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. After that deadline, Texans can still sign up for health insurance until Jan. 15, 2026, but their coverage will not kick in until Feb. 1, 2026. Prices could spike unless Congress acts Congress created the enhanced premium tax credits in 2021 to lower or offset health insurance premiums for ACA plans. Enrollment in the ACA marketplace has more than doubled since then, to more than 24 million enrollees this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The enhanced subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025. If they do, millions of Americans could see their premiums increase by about 114% or more than $1,000 year-over-year in 2026, according to an analysis by the nonprofit health policy organization KFF. READ MORE: What the 'big, beautiful bill' means for health coverage, hospitals and Medicaid in Texas Leaders from five Houston health systems sent a letter to lawmakers to urge Congress to extend the enhanced premium tax credits. The subsidies have helped to reduce health insurance premiums for about 3.4 million Texas residents, including more than 667,417 in Harris County, they said in the letter. Democrats have pushed to extend the subsidies as part of any funding legislation that would end the ongoing government shutdown. Republicans have said the subsidies could be considered later because they do not expire until the end of the year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the looming expiration of the subsidies has created uncertainty for millions of Americans and health insurance companies. Community Health Choice, a nonprofit insurer that serves the Houston area, has letters that are ready to be sent to its members in the event the subsidies are extended, said Rudy Guerra, vice president of community connections and sales for the insurer. "We don't know what action is going to be taken," he said. Actively re-enroll to avoid sticker shock Texans who have their ACA coverage set up to automatically re-enroll each year are at higher risk for sticker shock if the subsidies are not extended, Cowles said. In Texas, more than 1.4 million enrollees - or 36% - automatically re-enrolled in ACA plans last year, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Many of those enrollees could be paying a premium for the first time if the subsidies had covered the full cost in prior years, Cowles said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE: Texas ranks worst in nation for health care access and affordability "If they're not paying attention to the news or anything right now, they're going to auto-enroll, and chances are they're going to have a monthly premium payment to make," she said. Experts recommend taking steps to actively re-enroll this year, such as logging in to healthcare.gov or reaching out to an advisor, to avoid unexpectedly higher costs. Enrollees have until Jan. 15 to change their plan if they determine they can't afford the higher premiums. "I think the general message is to take action," Guerra said. "Do not wait." Pause of special enrollment period Individuals with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level (about $48,000 for a household of four in 2025) had been able to enroll in ACA plans at any time through what's known as special enrollment periods. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services paused special enrollment periods this year "due to concerns over increased unauthorized enrollments and adverse selection risk." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Special enrollment periods can be critical for individuals with lower incomes, Guerra said. "If you're under (150% of the federal poverty level), that's a very vulnerable population that doesn't have a lot of options as far as coverage is concerned," he said. READ MORE: Trump announces efforts to lower drug prices, but experts say benefit to patients unclear However, certain qualifying life events such as losing health coverage, moving or having a baby will still trigger a 60-day window when someone can apply for an ACA plan outside of the open enrollment period. Some ACA changes on hold The so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" that Congress passed this summer includes additional changes to the ACA marketplace. But some are not taking effect this year, and others have been delayed by a lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cities of Baltimore, Chicago and Columbus filed a lawsuit that challenged some key changes to the marketplace, including a $5 cost for individuals who automatically re-enroll in coverage. A federal judge in Maryland granted a preliminary injunction in the case, putting those changes on hold. The "One Big Beautiful Bill" shortens the ACA open enrollment period by one month beginning in 2026, meaning it will end Dec. 15 instead of Jan. 15. The law also calls for automatic re-enrollment to end altogether beginning in 2027. Help is available The healthcare.gov site offers a "Find Local Help" tool that lists "navigators" who offer free assistance with the ACA marketplace. However, health policy experts have noted that assistance could be limited this year because the Trump administration announced a 90% cut to funding for the navigator program. The tool lists thousands of assisters, agents and brokers in Houston who offer help to enrollees. Cowles recommends reaching out to an assister, because agents and brokers are paid a commission by insurance companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legacy Community Help has been an assister since 2010, and lends help to thousands of Houston residents each year, said Ivonne Coraza, senior director of eligibility. Legacy offers in-person and virtual appointments for English and Spanish speakers. Signing up for a plan takes roughly an hour. Patients are asked to provide documents such as their most recent tax return, their birth certificate, their Social Security card, a photo ID and proof of address to complete the application. Legacy encourages all patients to sign up for coverage, and helps them sign up for a plan that covers any medications or specialists they need, Coraza said. "We sit there and review all of the different plans that are offered, in order for us to be able to get them to the correct plan," she said. This article originally published at Texans enrolling in ACA health insurance may see higher prices during open enrollment. What to know.. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol on Tuesday, alleging the companies irresponsibly marketed the medicine to pregnant women despite risks to children. At the center of the lawsuit is the claim that acetaminophen can cause autism and ADHD, an unproven allegation that President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have promoted aggressively in recent weeks despite strong objections from the medical community. The lawsuit, filed in Texas state court, alleges longtime Tylenol-maker Johnson & Johnson as well as Kenvue, which has sold the drug since being spun off in 2023, engaged in deceptive trade practices by hiding the risks of taking Tylenol while pregnant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump doubled down on the claim in a Monday social media post, warning pregnant women not to use the drug UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. A co-author of the study cited by the Trump administration in its warnings against Tylenol use by pregnant women has insisted that the drug remains safe for pregnant women and that more research is needed to better understand the correlation between acetaminophen use and autism. Johnson & Johnson divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue, Clare Boyle, a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson, said in a statement responding to the lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses Johnson & Johnson of attempting to evade responsibility for its actions by illegally transferring responsibilities to Kenvue, a move that Paxton alleges violated Texas fraud laws. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement, Kenvue maintained that Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy, while advising pregnant women to speak with a doctor before using it, as directed on Tylenols product label. The company also vowed to vigorously defend itself against the claims in Paxtons lawsuit. Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products, the company said. We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children. Paxton, who is entrenched in a bitter primary to unseat GOP Sen. John Cornyn, has filed dozens of lawsuits in line with the Trump administrations agenda in his decade as the top lawyer for Texas. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he's sued the makers of Tylenol, alleging the medication can cause autism despite experts and studies saying there's no clear link. The lawsuit accuses Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue of "deceptively marketing" Tylenol -- the main ingredient of which is acetaminophen, to pregnant mothers. A news release from Paxton's office announcing the suit said the companies knew the active ingredient in the pain reliever can lead to a "significantly increased risk of autism and other disorders." "Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks," Paxton said. "These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company." Paxton's announcement comes a little over a month after the Trump administration held a news conference to link the over-the-counter pain reliever to an increased risk of autism. President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spoke at the White House announcement Sept. 22, citing a report from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA did not outright ban the use of Tylenol or any other form of acetaminophen. The FDA is "strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary," Trump said. "That's, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Medical research hasn't found a definitive cause for autism, but many doctors believe genetics and environmental influences play a role. Kennedy, however, has argued the country has an "autism epidemic" caused by "environmental toxins" such as Tylenol and vaccines. Doctors typically recommend acetaminophen as the safest painkiller for women during pregnancy, citing the fact that there are no credible or consistent studies showing that the drug causes autism. In the days after the Trump administration's announcement, a number of international health organizations and groups representing medical professionals refuted the FDA's statement, citing multiple studies and decades of data. "Although some observational studies have suggested a possible association between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen (paracetamol) and autism, the evidence remains inconsistent," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said during a September press conference in Geneva. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An article posted by Johns Hopkins University said that studies that do appear to show a link between acetaminophen and autism fail to clearly find a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. Brian Lee, an epidemiology professor at Drexel University, said the studies fail to account for other confounding factors. For instance, why might a pregnant woman take acetaminophen? "It might look like there's an association with acetaminophen, but really the association could just be reflecting the underlying infection that the person has," he said. Autism diagnoses rose by about 300% in the United States between 2000 and 2020, according to the Wendy Klag Center or Autism and Developmental Disabilities. The vice director of the organization, Christine Ladd-Acosta, told Johns Hopkins University that part of the increase is because there's been a "broadened definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder," which means more people fit the diagnosis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Second, there have been many widely successful public health programs that increased screening at wellness visits for children ages 18-24 months to look for signs of autism," she said. "Parents, caregivers and community members are also more aware of the symptoms, and autism is being more accepted in the community." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, claiming that they deceptively marketed the over-the-counter medication to pregnant women despite alleged links to autism and other disorders. "Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks," Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday. "These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. ... By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again." This is the first lawsuit from a state government since President Donald Trump claimed in September that Tylenol use during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of autism, despite limited evidence to suggest an association -- and no evidence that it causes autism, according to major medical organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'Highly concerning': Major medical groups react to Trump's claim that Tylenol is linked to autism Johnson & Johnson sold the drug for decades and its consumer health division spinoff, Kenvue Inc., has been selling the drug since 2023. In a statement, Kenvue pushed back on the attorney general's claims, saying it is "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children." Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Tylenol packages and caplets are displayed, in Los Angeles, September 22, 2025. "Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated," the statement read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support," the statement continued. Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy blasted the lawsuit and said it should be thrown out "because the evidence is weak." I'm a doctor, so I'm always going to go where the medical science lands and the best evidence is there's no relationship," Cassidy, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, told ABC News. The Louisiana Senator, who chairs the chamber's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, concluded that Texas AG Ken Paxton shouldn't be suing if there's a coincidental linkage between some Tylenol use in pregnant mothers and the risk of the disorders without ample evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cassidy suggested to ABC News that the suit should be thrown out because the "evidence is weak." Studies have been mixed on whether acetaminophen is linked to a higher risk of ADHD or autism, but no published study has found a direct cause and effect. Some studies point to a possible link, but major medical groups maintain that acetaminophen is safe in moderation, as described on the packaging, during pregnancy. During Trump's press conference last month, federal officials cited an August 2025 meta-analysis from researchers at Mt. Sinai, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and UMass Lowell that found prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD, in children. Debunking 3 claims about Tylenol after White House links drug's use in pregnancy to autism Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the authors of the meta-analysis said their work does not prove Tylenol taken during pregnancy causes autism and did not recommend that pregnant patients stop using Tylenol. An April 2024 study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in JAMA, found that using acetaminophen during pregnancy was not linked to an increased risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in children. In a statement, last month, Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), said the medical group continues to recommend acetaminophen as the safest painkiller during pregnancy. "Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy," Fleischman said. Justin Lane/POOL/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on April 30, 2024. As recently as last weekend, Trump posted on social media, again urging pregnant women not to take Tylenol unless absolutely necessary and for them not to give the medication to their young children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxton, a Republican, is running for Senate and competing against GOP Sen. John Cornyn in the primary next year. The race is a competitive one and some of Paxton's action appear to align with the priorities of Trump. Paxton challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election after Trump falsely claimed it was stolen and he also asked the state's highest court to expel Democratic statehouse legislators from office after they fled the state over Republican efforts to pass a new congressional map that could create up to five new GOP seats. A similar civil suit against Kenvue was thrown out of court by a judge citing a lack of evidence, which is under appeal with hearings set in November in New York. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Johnson and Johnson, accusing the pharmaceutical company of failing to warn consumers about the risk of taking Tylenol while pregnant. This lawsuit, the first of its kind from a state government, comes a month after President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced updated guidance discouraging pregnant women from taking acetaminophen, citing it as a possible cause of autism. The announcement set off a wave of controversy in the health care community, and confusion among pregnant women unsure how they should manage fever and pain during pregnancy. The science around Tylenol and autism is uncertain. While some studies suggest a correlation between taking Tylenol while pregnant and having a child with autism, others have repudiated those findings. Major medical associations rejected Kennedy and Trumps claims as overly generalized and potentially harmful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kenvue, the corporate subsidiary that makes Tylenol, said in a statement that it would vigorously defend itself against Paxtons claims in court. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support, the company said in a statement. This issue has been bubbling up for far longer than Trump and Kennedy have been in office. Dozens of people have filed personal injury lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson, and its corporate spin-off, Kenvue, alleging adverse neurodevelopment outcomes for their children after taking Tylenol while pregnant. Those cases have been consolidated into multi-district litigation, which is still making its way through the courts and being led by Ashley Keller of Chicago law firm Keller Postman. Keller has represented Texas in litigation against Google and Meta, and has been contracted by the attorney generals office to handle this new lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Paxton] figured I knew the science, I knew the history, I knew a lot of the moving parts, Keller said in an interview. And so Id be an obvious choice to pursue this for Texans. Paxton, who is running in the GOP primary to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit that by holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. What the science says Autism affects approximately one in 31 American children, and the rate of diagnoses has increased almost 300% over the last 20 years. Researchers attribute that rise to better screening and an expanded definition of the spectrum of behaviors that qualify for a diagnosis. Kennedy, in contrast, has long blamed the debunked theory that autism is caused by common childhood vaccines. Since becoming health secretary, Kennedy has vowed to figure out and eliminate the root causes of autism, putting $50 million toward research. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Relabeling Tylenol was one of his first steps. Kennedy pointed to an August study from the Harvard School of Public Health and Mount Sinai Hospital that found pregnant women who reported taking acetaminophen seemed to be slightly more likely to have a child diagnosed with autism, a conclusion other studies have reached over the years. But one of the largest studies, which looked at the health records of 2.5 million children born in Sweden over 25 years, found that link went away when they looked at siblings where the parent took acetaminophen during one pregnancy but not the other. Its hard to get a 100% definitive case closed on any topic in epidemiology, Dr. Brian Lee, a Drexel University epidemiologist who authored that study, told the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health podcast. It would be unethical to give pregnant women Tylenol just to see if they have a child with autism, so researchers must rely on less definitive methods to determine how great the risk is. While more research is needed, he said, right now, the needle is pointing strongly toward there being no causal effect of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on autism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Keller, the lawyer leading the litigation against Johnson and Johnson, said its better to inform people about the potential risks, and the uncertainty around them, and let them make their own decisions based on that. It is mind boggling to me that these major medical organisations would say, We arent sure, and therefore we should say nothing, he said. The opposite is true: We are not sure, and therefore we should sound the alarm. A federal judge recently excluded the expert witnesses that Keller had planned to present in the consolidated litigation against Johnson and Johnson, supposedly because the science wasnt strong enough, he said. That decision has been appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The lawsuit Paxtons lawsuit builds on these claims, saying Johnson and Johnson willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science around acetaminophen and autism. Paxton takes specific aim at a spin-off company, Kenvue, which the suit says was only created to shelter Johnson and Johnsons main assets from liability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given the prevalence of acetaminophen use and these conditions, there is little doubt that Defendants will have to pay tens of billions of dollars in damages to children who were permanently injured from acetaminophen use, the lawsuit said. As attorney general, Paxton has a different avenue into court than an individual trying to prove that Tylenol caused their childs autism. While those lawsuits focus on personal injury claims, this suit hinges on two state consumer protection laws, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. That overlaps a lot with the science and with the argument that is going on about Tylenol right now, but its ultimately a different burden of proof and different damages that were going to be seeking, Keller said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas has repeatedly sued Johnson and Johnson over the years, negotiating a $290 settlement over the companys role in the opioid epidemic in 2021; tens of millions of dollars in settlements over medical devices; and $158 million for deceptive marketing of the anti-schizophrenia drug, Risperdal. Disclosure: Google has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) This lawsuit comes a month after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. updated guidance discouraging pregnant women from taking acetaminophen, citing it as a possible cause of autism. Tuesday Morning Forecast: Cold front brings rain, cooler temps Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Johnson and Johnson, accusing the pharmaceutical company of failing to warn consumers about the risk of taking Tylenol while pregnant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This lawsuit, the first of its kind from a state government, comes a month after President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced updated guidance discouraging pregnant women from taking acetaminophen, citing it as a possible cause of autism. The announcement set off a wave of controversy in the health care community, and confusion among pregnant women unsure how they should manage fever and pain during pregnancy. The science around Tylenol and autism is uncertain. While some studies suggest a correlation between taking Tylenol while pregnant and having a child with autism, others have repudiated those findings. Major medical associations rejected Kennedy and Trumps claims as overly generalized and potentially harmful. Kenvue, the corporate subsidiary that makes Tylenol, said in a statement that it would vigorously defend itself against Paxtons claims in court. Amazon opens first distribution center in Tyler, providing faster deliveries Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support, the company said in a statement. This issue has been bubbling up for far longer than Trump and Kennedy have been in office. Dozens of people have filed personal injury lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson, and its corporate spin-off, Kenvue, alleging adverse neurodevelopment outcomes for their children after taking Tylenol while pregnant. Those cases have been consolidated into multi-district litigation, which is still making its way through the courts and being led by Ashley Keller of Chicago law firm Keller Postman. Keller has represented Texas in litigation against Google and Meta, and has been contracted by the attorney generals office to handle this new lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson. [Paxton] figured I knew the science, I knew the history, I knew a lot of the moving parts, Keller said in an interview. And so Id be an obvious choice to pursue this for Texans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxton, who is running in the GOP primary to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit that by holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. What the science says Autism affects approximately one in 31 American children, and the rate of diagnoses has increased almost 300% over the last 20 years. Researchers attribute that rise to better screening and an expanded definition of the spectrum of behaviors that qualify for a diagnosis. Kennedy, in contrast, has long blamed the debunked theory that autism is caused by common childhood vaccines. Since becoming health secretary, Kennedy has vowed to figure out and eliminate the root causes of autism, putting $50 million toward research. Relabeling Tylenol was one of his first steps. Kennedy pointed to an August study from the Harvard School of Public Health and Mount Sinai Hospital that found pregnant women who reported taking acetaminophen seemed to be slightly more likely to have a child diagnosed with autism, a conclusion other studies have reached over the years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But one of the largest studies, which looked at the health records of 2.5 million children born in Sweden over 25 years, found that link went away when they looked at siblings where the parent took acetaminophen during one pregnancy but not the other. Its hard to get a 100% definitive case closed on any topic in epidemiology, Dr. Brian Lee, a Drexel University epidemiologist who authored that study, told the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health podcast. It would be unethical to give pregnant women Tylenol just to see if they have a child with autism, so researchers must rely on less definitive methods to determine how great the risk is. While more research is needed, he said, right now, the needle is pointing strongly toward there being no causal effect of acetaminophen use during pregnancy on autism. Keller, the lawyer leading the litigation against Johnson and Johnson, said its better to inform people about the potential risks, and the uncertainty around them, and let them make their own decisions based on that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is mind boggling to me that these major medical organisations would say, We arent sure, and therefore we should say nothing, he said. The opposite is true: We are not sure, and therefore we should sound the alarm. Rustic C Ranch raises money for neglected horses in Tyler A federal judge recently excluded the expert witnesses that Keller had planned to present in the consolidated litigation against Johnson and Johnson, supposedly because the science wasnt strong enough, he said. That decision has been appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The lawsuit Paxtons lawsuit builds on these claims, saying Johnson and Johnson willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science around acetaminophen and autism. Paxton takes specific aim at a spin-off company, Kenvue, which the suit says was only created to shelter Johnson and Johnsons main assets from liability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given the prevalence of acetaminophen use and these conditions, there is little doubt that Defendants will have to pay tens of billions of dollars in damages to children who were permanently injured from acetaminophen use, the lawsuit said. As attorney general, Paxton has a different avenue into court than an individual trying to prove that Tylenol caused their childs autism. While those lawsuits focus on personal injury claims, this suit hinges on two state consumer protection laws, the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. That overlaps a lot with the science and with the argument that is going on about Tylenol right now, but its ultimately a different burden of proof and different damages that were going to be seeking, Keller said. Texas has repeatedly sued Johnson and Johnson over the years, negotiating a $290 settlement over the companys role in the opioid epidemic in 2021; tens of millions of dollars in settlements over medical devices; and $158 million for deceptive marketing of the anti-schizophrenia drug, Risperdal. This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday he had filed a lawsuit against Tylenols manufacturer, citing numerous controversial and debunked claims by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that acetaminophen, the drugs active ingredient, causes a significantly increased risk of autism and other disorders. Kennedy, who holds no science or medical degrees, has a long track record of promoting conspiracy theories and unfounded claims about vaccines and autism, including debunked research by Andrew Wakefield, who lost his medical license for fraud and serious professional misconduct. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, Kennedy held a press conference with President Donald Trump during which they made multiple false or unproven claims about a link between autism and acetaminophen, circumcision, and other factors. Trump has repeatedly made comments and written social media posts claiming pregnant women and children should not take Tylenol for virtually any reason. Completely erroneous and dangerous Numerous doctors, scientists, and medical organizations decried Kennedy and Trumps claims as completely erroneous and dangerous and supported by no proof whatsoever, including Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, MSNBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta, and Republican senator and licensed medical doctor Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, the president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), said in a statement denouncing Kennedys press conference for presenting irresponsible claims that were not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplif[y] the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children and sending a harmful and confusing message to pregnant women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In more than two decades of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children, Fleischman continued, noting that the two highest-quality studies on this subject one of which was published in JAMA [the Journal of the American Medical Association] last year found no significant associations between use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and childrens risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability. That April 2024 JAMA study, which looked at health records of over 2.5 million children born in Sweden over a 25-year period, further noted that its result suggests that associations observed in other models may have been attributable to familial confounding. Complaint rests on foundation of Kennedys false, unfounded, and misleading claims Nonetheless, Paxtons lawsuit presented Kennedys claims as providing a factual basis for the lawsuit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Filed in Panola County, a staunchly conservative county in rural east Texas, the complaint names as defendants Johnson & Johnson, Tylenols manufacturer and distributor; Kenvue, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that was created in 2022 and from which it fully divested in 2024; and Kenvue Brands LLC (formerly known as Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kenvue, Inc. Paxton accuses the defendants of willfully ignor[ing] and attempt[ing] to silence the science that prenatal and early-childhood exposure to acetaminophen can cause ASD and ADHD in children, failing to include a warning label on their products that there is a risk of ASD or ADHD, and market[ing] the drug as a completely safe pain medication for pregnant women and children. The complaint argues that autism is over two times more prevalent in the United States than the global average, and that diagnoses of ASD and ADHD have both become more prevalent among American children over time. Critics of Kennedys autism claims have pointed out that the increasing number of cases is primarily a function of expanded diagnostic criteria for both conditions. Furthermore, American access to healthcare is greater than large parts of the developing world and that predictably results in a higher number of reported cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, as the complaint itself notes, [a]cetaminophen was first discovered in the latter half of the 19th century, and has become one of the most widely used drugs in the world a fact that contradicts claims it could be causing a spike in autism in more recent years. The complaint goes on to claim that [f]or years, the scientific evidence has shown that acetaminophen can cause ASD and ADHD in children whose mothers ingested the drug while pregnant and that the more acetaminophen ingested, the greater the risk, citing several studies, which notably did not include the April 2024 JAMA study of 2.5 million Swedish children that found no significant associations between use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and childrens risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability and directly called into question the results of previous studies. Risks to mother and child from untreated fevers and pain can be severe, even fatal Other studies not mentioned in Paxtons complaint show a link between fevers during pregnancy and ASD, and forgoing treatment for pain and fever during pregnancy presents multiple long documented health risks for both mother and child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the statement by Fleischman, the ACOG president, he warned against the dangers of Kennedys HHS needlessly scaring pregnant women from using acetaminophen, noting that it is one of the few options for them to treat pains and fevers: Maternal fever, headaches as an early sign of preeclampsia, and pain are all managed with the therapeutic use of acetaminophen, making acetaminophen essential to the people who need it. The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus. Specifically, pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive crises during pregnancy are are well-established in numerous peer-reviewed studies as one of the leading causes of maternal death due to pregnancy, due to increased risks of complications like strokes, damage to organs like the liver or kidneys, respiratory failure, depression, and anxiety. These issues also increase the risk of preterm labor, caesarean section, placental abruption, low birth weight, fetal growth restriction, and other complications that can cause miscarriages or death of newborn babies, and children whose gestation was affected by pre-eclampsia have a higher risk of problems like diabetes, coronary artery disease, obesity, certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, and psychiatric illnesses. Dr. Peter Hotez is a pediatrician, professor, and researcher at the Texas Medical Center whose daughter, Rachel Hotez, has autism. He has long been a critic of the claims by Kennedy and other anti-vaccine activists about the causes of autism. Reached for comment by Mediaite, Hotez shared links to multiple research studies showing that the neurodevelopmental processes leading to autism or autism spectrum disorder occur in early fetal brain development through the action of more than 100 known autism genes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are a few known chemical exposures that can interact with autism genes and lead to autism the best established one appears to be the anti-seizure medication valproate, Hotez added. In contrast, the evidence for acetaminophen or Tylenol is not strong at all, mentioning the study of 2.5 million children in the Swedish study that found no significant associations. Hotez noted a more organized autism science initiative to look at additional environmental exposures interacting with autism genes was needed, but right now Tylenol is not on any autism scientists priority list, and pointed to a strong statement released earlier this year by the Coalition of Autism Scientists on the topic. Intriguingly, Hotez added, there were also some studies that actually show a protective effect, meaning Tylenol may actually prevent autism, including one of the studies that was highlighted during Kennedys press conference although they forgot to mention that part! Partnering with personal injury lawyer whose expert witnesses were tossed by the court in similar lawsuit Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, Paxton contracted with Ashley Keller of the Chicago law firm Postman Keller to assist with this litigation. Keller is the lead counsel for a group of plaintiffs suing Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue in personal injury lawsuits claiming that prenatal use of Tylenol caused neurodevelopmental harms like ASD and ADHD to their children; about six hundred plantiffs cases were consolidated into multi-district litigation that was heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In December 2023, Judge Denise L. Cote, a Clinton appointee, issued an order excluding all of five of the expert witnesses the plaintiffs had submitted to argue that there was a causal link between acetaminophen and ASD or ADHD. One of those plaintiffs witnesses, Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, has also been cited by Kennedys HHS. Baccarelli testified that he was paid about $150,000 for his participation in this litigation led by Keller. Baccarellis involvement in the study cited by Kennedy, and now this lawsuit by Paxton, was disclosed in a disclaimer that said it could present a conflict of interest regarding the information presented in this paper on acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early in the extensively-detailed 148-page opinion, Cote noted that the court had invited the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other government agencies to submit its views on the case, and the federal government declined to submit a Statement of Interest but noted in its letter the FDAs independent 2023 conclusionthat the scientific evidence on this topic is as of yet unable to support a determination of causality.' The majority of the opinion is devoted to analyzing the claims and deposition testimony by the plaintiffs proffered expert witnesses. Cote finds all five of them to be so fundamentally lacking in reliability that she ruled that their testimony should be excluded. [T]he unstructured approach adopted by the plaintiffs experts permitted cherry-picking, allowed a results-driven analysis, and obscured the complexities, inconsistencies, and weaknesses in the underlying data, wrote Cote, finding that all of the witnesses presented by the plaintiffs have failed to show that their methodology in [claiming a link between Tylenol and ASD or ADHD] is generally accepted by the scientific community. Going through each of the plaintiffs proposed witnesses, Cote found fatal and overarching methodological flaws in each of their proffered expert opinions, criticizing how they had cherry-pick[ed] isolated findings, misrepresented study results and refused to acknowledge the role of genetics in the etiology of either ASD or ADHD, ignor[ed] inconsistent findings, and disregard[ed] limitations expressed by a studys authors as well as generally accepted statistical principles, contain[ed] so many errors in its description of the relevant research that it is inherently unreliable, and offered opinions were rushed, too undeveloped to be otherwise admissible, and had admitted many limitations and inconsistencies in the data that presented simply too great an analytical gap between the data and the opinion proffered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One particular plaintiffs expert witness was lambasted for claiming there were seven studies that supported his opinion, but which did not suffice to provide a scientifically sound basis for that opinion. As Cote observed, the witness claimed that these studies found that exposure to acetaminophen for more than 28 days during pregnancy showed a two-fold increased risk for childhood ADHD and ASD diagnosis,' but [n]one of these studies involved an ASD diagnosis, and regarding the study the witness claimed carried the greatest weight, it did not involve even an ADHD diagnosis. Overall, the judge wrote about these plaintiffs witnesses, [t]heir analyses have not served to enlighten but to obfuscate the weakness of the evidence on which they purport to rely and the contradictions in the researchWith these rulings, the plaintiffs do not have admissible evidence to demonstrate that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen causes either ASD or ADHD in offspring. The plaintiffs then submitted a sixth expert witness, but Cote issued another ruling in July 2024 excluding that witness as well, finding her to have little relevant expertise, including a lack of expertise in the fields most pertinent to this litigation, and a lack of familiarity with ADHD that was apparent at her deposition when she was frequently unable to answer even basic questions about ADHD, and struggled to answer during her deposition even basic questions. Cote assessed this witness proffered opinion testimony as problematic, unreliable and inadmissible, displayed flagrant cherry-picking, showed a failure to confront carefully and fairly the profoundly important issue of confounding by genetics, and was result driven and therefore not an objective or rigorous application of scientific methodology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Accordingly, in the summer of 2024, Cote issued two rulings dismissing the plaintiffs cases in two batches, finding that after the plaintiffs expert testimony had been excluded, their legal claims could not survive without it. Keller has appealed Cotes orders excluding the expert witnesses and dismissing the cases to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, accusing the judge of making up rules of science in an interview with the New York Law Journal. Oral arguments in the appeal were conducted in early October. Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue have maintained that [c]redible, independent scientific data continues to show no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism, either prenatally or when given to children. The Tylenol website advises consumers to [t]alk to your healthcare professional before taking or administering acetaminophen if pregnant, breast-feeding, or if giving to children, and always follow the dosage guidelines provided on the product label or by your healthcare provider. The post Texas Attorney General Sues Tylenol, Citing Controversial and Debunked Claims It Causes Autism and ADHD first appeared on Mediaite. Texas authorities have identified a deceased serial rapist responsible for attacking elderly women in Bastrop County over two decades ago. Emory Earl McVay, who died in 2010, was linked through advanced DNA testing to sexual assaults that occurred between 1997 and 2005. The breakthrough ends a 28-year investigation that frustrated law enforcement despite DNA evidence connecting the crimes. Modern genealogy research finally provided answers for victims and their families. The case began on March 27, 2004, when an intruder sexually assaulted an elderly woman in her Bastrop County home. DNA evidence was submitted to CODIS, the national DNA database. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That October, the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory found a DNA match to a July 1997 assault in Smithville. The following year brought another match a July 2005 attack with the same pattern. Investigators collected DNA samples from numerous suspects over the years. None matched the serial rapists profile. Hope arrived in 2021 when the Texas Rangers enrolled the case in the DPSs Sexual Assault Kit Initiative program. The federally funded program helps agencies solve cold sexual assault cases. Bode Technologies began advanced DNA testing and genealogy research on August 11, 2021. The painstaking process took four years to complete. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August 2025, investigators finally got their answer: Emory Earl McVay of Smithville, who had been dead for 15 years. McVay had an extensive criminal history in Central Texas, including multiple burglary convictions. His death in 2010 at age 48 meant no arrest could be made. The Texas Rangers thanked multiple agencies for their dedication to the case. Cases like this highlight the importance of collaborative investigative work between the Texas Rangers and our partner law enforcement agencies to keep unsolved cases alive, ultimately bringing closure to victims families and the community, officials stated. The investigation involved the Bastrop County Sheriffs Office, District Attorneys Office, Smithville Police Department, and DPS crime laboratories. Their persistence over nearly three decades finally provided answers. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) El Paso City Council voted to direct staff to schedule a public hearing on Monday, Nov. 17, to allow residents to hear directly from the Texas Gas Service about its proposed rate hike and the potential impact on local rate payers, the City said in a press release. City Council also authorized staff to enter settlement negotiations with Texas Gas Service and other intervening parties. The Texas Gas Service will also host community meetings in each council district between Nov. 4 through Nov. 17, if needed, to give residents a clear understanding of the proposed rate changes and their potential impact, the City said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Railroad Commission of Texas will hold a formal hearing before an administrative law judge in Austin on Nov. 4-5, to review Texas Gas Services June 2025 proposal to increase residential rates. City Council voted earlier this year to intervene at the state level and suspend the proposed rate hike to allow staff time to analyze the companys request and assess its potential impact on El Paso customers, the City said. Under TGSs proposal, El Paso households could see an average residential bill increase of more than 27 percentmore than double what would occur if the current regional rate structure were maintained. The Citys analysis shows that merging the West Texas, Central Gulf, and Rio Grande Valley service areas into a single statewide system would unfairly shift costs onto El Paso residents. The City of El Paso The City says it has also formally intervened in the case before the Railroad Commission of Texas to ensure fairness and compliance with state law requiring just and reasonable rates. The City has recommended the following: Maintaining separate service-area rates to ensure fairness and prevent cross-subsidies. Adopting a 9.0% return on equity (ROE) with a 50-50 debt-to-equity ratio, rather than TGSs proposed 10.4% ROE and 60-40 split. Rejecting TGSs proposal to spread credit card processing fees to all customers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are the upcoming dates regarding the rate hike: Nov. 45: Formal hearing before the Railroad Commission of Texas in Austin. Nov. 417: Community meetings hosted by Texas Gas Service (as needed) in each Council district. Nov. 17: City Council public hearing on the proposed rate increase. January 2026: Expected final decision by the Railroad Commission of Texas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. (The Center Square) Local mayors in Texas are calling on state and federal leaders to implement worker protections for immigrant workers. This is not Republican, this is not Democrat, this is real time solutions to help our economy to keep our economy moving forward, Alamo mayor J.R. Garza said at a recent roundtable. The call from local leaders mirrors efforts throughout the state over the decade to address workforce shortages and protect immigrant workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2013, the Texas legislature introduced the Texas Essential Workers Program. The program was designed to provide employers in ranching, farming, dairy, food manufacturing, construction, landscaping and restaurant or food services with a stable workforce. The bill highlighted that those industries often experience workforce shortages throughout the state and tend to exploit undocumented workers. The legislature enacted the program to allow the Texas Workforce Commission to contact industries where workforce shortages exist and calculate how many workers it would take to address those shortages. After determining how many workers would be needed in the industry, the commission would petition the federal government for the number of workers certain employers would need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program was designed for employers whose jobs were left unfilled for more than 30 days after a job was posted in ranching, farming, dairy, food manufacturing, construction, landscaping and restaurant or hotel services. The Texas program would have marked a shift in immigration policy as state leaders petition the federal government for worker visas. Michelle Waslin, assistant director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, has studied state-based immigration solutions for years. She said states across the country have proposed many solutions to expand federal programs. Were seeing states, regardless of political party, or rural or urban split or whatever geography, realizing that the current immigration system isnt working for them, Waslin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas legislatures program was never signed into law or implemented by the state government. The Texas legislature also issued a similar program in 2015 that did not get passed. Despite the unsuccessful attempts, Waslin sees the current debate over immigration policy as an opportunity to challenge the federal governments immigration enforcement. Waslin said she has recently noticed state and local leaders recognizing the harms that federal enforcement may be causing. Were seeing this in industries like construction, like agriculture, sectors that have been really disproportionately dependent on immigration labor, Waslin said. Were absolutely seeing now changes in the immigrant population, a lot more arrests and deportations. Dante Galeazzi, president of the Texas International Produce Association, said the deportations have impacted his industry and reduced the number of workers he has. Galeazzi also called for reforms to the federal immigrant work programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The recent calls for reform could bring about the introduction of another state-based visa program in Texas. Its an expensive program. Its not accessible for our small and medium farmers, theres tons of problems and the government doesnt run it incredibly well, but its the only program we have, so were forced into this pigeonhole, Galeazzi said. (Reuters) -The makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, were sued on Tuesday by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused them of knowingly hiding the drug's links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Paxton, a Republican, sued five weeks after Republican President Donald Trump said using Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in children. Trump is not a doctor, and his claim is unproven and not backed by scientific evidence. Johnson & Johnson sold Tylenol for more than six decades, and its former Kenvue unit has sold it since 2023 after being spun off. The pain reliever is known generically as acetaminophen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kenvue has repeatedly defended Tylenol's safety, and in a statement said it would defend against Paxton's lawsuit. "Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy," Kenvue said. "We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen." In a separate statement, Johnson & Johnson did not comment on Paxton's lawsuit, and said Kenvue is responsible for "all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol." (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -The makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, were sued on Tuesday by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused them of knowingly hiding the drug's supposed links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Paxton, a Republican, sued five weeks after Republican President Donald Trump said using Tylenol during pregnancy can cause autism in children. Trump is not a doctor, and his claim is unproven and not backed by scientific evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson & Johnson sold Tylenol for more than six decades, and its former Kenvue unit has sold it since 2023 after being spun off. The pain reliever is known generically as acetaminophen. Kenvue has repeatedly defended Tylenol's safety, and in a statement said it would defend against Paxton's lawsuit. "Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy," Kenvue said. "We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen." Johnson & Johnson did not comment on Paxton's lawsuit, and in a separate statement said Kenvue is responsible for "all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shares of Kenvue fell as much as 2.4% in morning trading, while Johnson & Johnson fell as much as 1.6%. Kenvue fell 7.5% on September 22 when Trump discussed Tylenol and autism. PAXTON SAYS U.S. 'CONFIRMED' TYLENOL'S RISKS Paxton filed his complaint in a Texas state court in rural Panola County, which borders Louisiana and where Trump won 83% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election. He said the federal government "confirmed" last month that using acetaminophen during pregnancy likely causes autism and ADHD, and that despite "overwhelming evidence" Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue did not warn pregnant women of the risks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxton also cited Trump urging pregnant women not to use Tylenol unless it was "absolutely necessary," a claim the president repeated in a Truth Social post on Sunday. The attorney general said Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue violated a Texas law against deceptive trade practices by concealing the risks. He also said Johnson & Johnson violated a Texas law against fraudulent transfers by spinning off Kenvue to shield itself from liability. Johnson & Johnson is based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Kenvue in Summit, New Jersey. Paxton is mounting a primary challenge next year against incumbent Senator John Cornyn, positioning himself to the right of the four-term Republican and as a strong supporter of Trump's agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement AUTISM A CONCERN FOR RFK JR Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would seek new warning labels for acetaminophen to reflect the drug's potential links to neurodevelopmental disorders. Autism has been a longtime concern of U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose agency includes the FDA. Hundreds of private lawsuits have also been filed by families who said their children suffered from autism or ADHD after their mothers used Tylenol during pregnancy. A judge dismissed many of those cases last December, and the federal appeals court in Manhattan will hear arguments in the families' appeal on November 17. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The law firm Keller Postman represents families in that appeal, and is also working with Paxton on his lawsuit. Johnson & Johnson separately faces lawsuits from more than 73,000 plaintiffs who said they were diagnosed with cancer after using its baby powder and other talc products. Federal courts have rejected three efforts by the company to resolve those cases through bankruptcy. Concerns about Tylenol's safety did not mount until after Johnson & Johnson announced the Kenvue spinoff in 2021. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Deepa Babington) Texas has launched a lawsuit against manufacturers of Tylenol, claiming they deceived customers by failing to mention unproven risks to pregnant women - claims that were first made by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. weeks ago. On Tuesday, State Attorney General Ken Paxton parroted allegations by Kennedy that the pain medication leads to a significantly increased risk of autism and other disorders, which have been strongly refuted by medical professionals. Paxton is suing Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, two companies that produce Tylenol, saying they deceptively marketed it to pregnant mothers despite being aware of the alleged risks of early exposure to acetaminophen the active ingredient in the drug. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets, Paxton said in a press release Tuesday. Additionally, seeing that the day of reckoning was coming, Johnson & Johnson attempted to escape responsibility by illegally offloading their liability onto a different company. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. Texas has launched a lawsuit against manufacturers of Tylenol, claiming they deceived customers by failing to mention unsubstantiated risks to pregnant women, that have been pushed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (AP) At a press conference last month, Kennedy and President Donald Trump announced that a link between autism and the use of the pain reliever acetaminophen had been established, and warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol. Despite objections from medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the remarks were seized upon by the MAGA faithful and lawmakers in more conservative states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Announcing the lawsuit, Paxton claimed that for decades Johnson & Johnson had willfully ignored and attempted to silence the science that prenatal and early-childhood exposure to their acetaminophen products can cause Autism and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children. The marketing of Tylenol as a safe medication for pregnant women allegedly violated Texas consumer protection law, Paxtons office said. Johnson & Johnson also violated the Texas Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act by fraudulently transferring liabilities arising from Tylenol to a separate company, Kenvue, in order to shield their assets against lawsuits arising from the harmful impact Tylenol had on children, the suit added. In a statement shared with The Independent a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said: Johnson & Johnson divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for Kenvue told The Independent that the company was deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children. At a press conference last month, Kennedy and Donald Trump announced that a link between autism and the use of the pain reliever acetaminophen had been established, and warned pregnant women not to take Tylenol. (Reuters) We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support, they said. We also encourage expecting mothers to speak to their health professional before taking any over-the-counter medication, including acetaminophen, as indicated on our product label for Tylenol. In a statement following the original remarks by Kennedy and Trump, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warned that pain and fever can be harmful when left untreated during pregnancy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus, the group said in a statement. Decades of research have shown no direct connection between autism and acetaminophen. Advising pregnant women not to take Tylenol is simply highly irresponsible, Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg, professor emerita at Boston University and head of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, told The Independent. In this photo illustration, Tylenol caplets are displayed in San Anselmo, California, on September 22, 2025. Credit - Justin SullivanGetty Images Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the pharmaceutical companies behind Tylenol for deceptively marketing the medication as a safe option for pregnant mothers. The lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, which Paxton filed on Tuesday, claimed that the companies knew that being exposed to acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, before birth or in early childhood leads to an increased risk of autism and other health conditions but hid that information from consumers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump claimed that using Tylenol during pregnancy increases the risk of a child having autism in a September announcement, after Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised earlier in the year to find what has caused the autism epidemic. Leading obstetrics experts and medical associations, however, have largely disputed the claimed link and the quality of the studies the Trump Administration has cited when making it. Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy, Steven J. Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), said in September. In more than two decades of research on the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, not a single reputable study has successfully concluded that the use of acetaminophen in any trimester of pregnancy causes neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Read more: Trump Links Tylenol Use During Pregnancy to Autism. What Does the Science Show? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxton, however, pointed to the Trump Administrations claims in his states lawsuit, alleging that the pharmaceutical companies had long had access to evidence cited by the Administration but declined to take action. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets, Paxton said in a press release. By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again. The Texas lawsuit is the first a state government has filed against the pharmaceutical companies over the alleged link between Tylenol and autism. But hundreds of families with children with autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have filed legal challenges over similar claims. Kenvue, which spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023 and has sold Tylenol since, has repeatedly defended the medications safety and denied allegations that it misled customers. Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children, the company said in response to the lawsuit. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson & Johnson told multiple news outlets in a statement that it divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue. TIME has reached out to Johnson & Johnson for comment. A New York federal judge dismissed some of the lawsuits earlier this year due to a lack of reliable scientific evidence. The plaintiffs are appealing the decision. Many of the other cases are still moving through the court system. In addition to the allegations that the companies hid the risks of taking acetaminophen, Paxtons lawsuit also alleges that Johnson & Johnson sought to evade liability for its actions by spinning off Kenvue. Prior to the spinoff, Johnson & Johnson sold Tylenol for more than six decades. The legal challenge is one of several the Texas Attorney General has filed against health and pharmaceutical companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxton, who is running for the U.S. Senate, has previously filed lawsuits against Eli Lillyalleging that the company bribed medical providers to prescribe GLP-1 medications and others it manufacturesand Pfizer. Paxton filed an appeal in the latter lawsuit, in which he claimed the company unlawfully misrepresented the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine, after a district court dismissed the case. Pfizer has previously said that the lawsuit was without merit and that representations made by the company about its COVID-19 vaccine have been accurate and science-based. A spokesperson for Eli Lilly in August said the company intends to vigorously defend against the lawsuit, pointing to previous court rulings that found similar accusations lacked merit. The Texas Attorney General and the top prosecutors of many other states, won a $700 million settlement against Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit that accused the company of making misleading claims about its talc-based baby powder. Contact us at letters@time.com. NEED TO KNOW Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol, claiming they hid that it's dangerous to unborn children and young children His lawsuit comes after President Donald Trump claimed Tylenol, when taken while pregnant, causes autism Medical experts do not agree that Tylenol causes autism Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Tylenol, claiming they marketed the medication to pregnant women while knowing it causes autism a claim that has been widely refuted by medical experts. Paxton announced that he was suing manufacturer Kenvue, and former parent company Johnson & Johnson, in an Oct. 28 statement on his official website. In the lawsuit, Paxton claims the companies knew that acetaminophenTylenol's active ingredientis dangerous to unborn children and young children. Yet they hid this danger and deceptively marketed Tylenol as the only safe painkiller for pregnant women, violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks. These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets, Paxton is quoted as saying in the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump made the initial claims that Tylenol, when taken while pregnant, causes horrible, horrible autism in a Sept. 22 press conference alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz despite medical experts disagreeing with the statements. "People have been taking Tylenol since 1960, and there's a very long history of safety here," Dr. Karam Radwan, Director of the UChicago Medicine Neurodevelopmental Clinic, previously told PEOPLE. Acetaminophen and autism have been the subject of numerous, often inconclusive, studies. Trump's claims about Tylenol are thought to be largely fueled by research published in August in Environmental Health. While the study authors claim there is a positive association between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen the active ingredient in Tylenol and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, they also said that they cannot establish causation for any single exposure. As Dr. Radwan says, that could mean if you're taking Tylenol for weeks, that does indicate by itself that there is probably something like an inflammation, infection, some autoimmune problem thats causing people to take Tylenol extensively during pregnancy. These underlying problems could be the issue rather than Tylenol itself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That doesn't mean the Tylenol is the cause, he said. The cause could be the reason why you're taking Tylenol. Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty President Donald Trump made claims about Tylenol causing autism, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz. President Donald Trump made claims about Tylenol causing autism, alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. A rep for Kenvue told PEOPLE, Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products. We are deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children. The statement continued: Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated. We will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Johnson & Johnson company spokesperson told PEOPLE, Johnson & Johnson divested its consumer health business years ago, and all rights and liabilities associated with the sale of its over-the-counter products, including Tylenol (acetaminophen), are owned by Kenvue. A more detailed response to the lawsuit is available on Kenvues website. Read the original article on People AUSTIN Texas voters are heading into the 2026 elections with cautious optimism about the states future, and a strong desire for decisive leadership by elected officials. Texas voters in the near term are focused on the high cost of some of the basic elements of their well-being, including housing and medical care, said David Leebron, president and CEO of Texas 2036. They want results from their leaders that make life more affordable, strengthen education and build long-term opportunity. The opportunity is there for Texas policymakers if they pay attention to the priorities laid out by the voters. As a pivotal election approaches with Texas statewide leaders on the ballot, voters are indicating that they will back candidates with plans to address everyday concerns like health care, homeowners insurance and the quality of education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest Texas Voter Poll from nonpartisan public policy organization Texas 2036 finds that voters across party lines share a clear set of priorities for maintaining affordability and keeping the state competitive. Conducted by Baselice & Associates from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, 2025, the poll surveyed 1,001 registered voters statewide (3.1% margin of error). Confidence in Texas future A majority of Texas voters remain confident in the states trajectory: * By a 3-to-1 margin (54% to 18%), voters say Texas economy will outperform the U.S. over the next four years. * Two-thirds (66%) say they are confident they could find a goodpaying job in Texas, with Republicans more confident (77%) than Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * Democrats (52%), and men reporting greater optimism (71%) than women (61%). * 44% believe Texas offers more economic and job opportunities than other states, compared to 16% who believe the state has fewer opportunities. But Texans also continue to express unease about Texas direction heading into 2026, with 85% registering some level of concern about the states future. Texas voters see the strength of our economy, but they also know it does not run on autopilot, said John Hryhorchuk, senior vice president of policy and advocacy at Texas 2036. That mix of optimism and vigilance is what keeps Texas competitive. It is a reminder that preparation is part of our success story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Economic pressures drive the agenda Concern about rising prices in health care or the costs associated with owning a home stood out in this years survey of Texas voters. * 82% say they are more likely to support candidates who will prioritize lowering health care prices, the top election motivator in the poll. More than a third say someone in their household skipped or delayed medical care because they did not know what it would cost, the highest level since Texas 2036 began tracking the issue in 2021. * 79% want leaders who will work to address homeowners insurance rates, with nearly four in five voters reporting that their rates have increased in the past five years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas voters are clear about their priorities, said Hryhorchuk. They support leaders who tackle rising costs today and plan for a stronger, more affordable Texas tomorrow. Voters also support investments that strengthen resilience, including water infrastructure and disaster response, with 78% saying such efforts would make them more likely to support a candidate, including 84% of those residing along the Gulf Coast. Accountability in education matters to Texans Quality education remains a top priority for Texas voters, who give mixed marks to Texas public schools when it comes to preparing students for future success. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement * 56% of Texas voters with school-aged children gave their local public schools either an excellent rating (36%) or good (20%), compared to the 23% who gave a 23% fair or the 18% who gave a poor rating. But voters gave their local school district a six-out-of-10 rating when it comes to ensuring graduates complete high school ready for college or prepared to enter the workforce with a good-paying job. And Texas voters are looking for decisive opportunities to improve school outcomes. * 78% said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports improving education accountability. When parents of current public school students were asked if they had considered sending their child to a different school or school district within the past year, 37% responded that they had. The primary reason provided was academics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And when asked if they intended to apply for the new Educational Savings Account program, 46% of parents of school-aged students reported that they were either very likely (23%) or somewhat likely (23%). The intensity was higher among public school parents (25% very likely) than among parents whose children are not in public school (17% very likely). The poll included 219 parents of current public-school students and 284 parents of school-aged children (ages 4-18). While smaller in sample size, these responses offer a closer look at how Texas parents view education options. Voters want leaders to fight for their shared beliefs The Texas Voter Poll also offers new insight into how Texans view the tone of politics today, preferring a candidate who will fight for them but rejecting violence in politics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A majority (56%) say they prefer candidates who fight for their shared beliefs, while 37% favor those who work with people with whom they disagree. A majority, or 52%, say they are more concerned about a society where people cant resolve their differences vs. 37% who say they are more concerned about the other sides political beliefs prevailing. Texas voters clearly support strong leadership, said Jordan Wat, director of government affairs at Texas 2036. We found a majority of voters expect leaders to hold firm to their beliefs while finding ways to deliver results that move the state forward. Worries about political violence remain strikingly high: 76% of voters say they are extremely or very concerned about political violence in the nation. More than nine in 10 Texans reject violence as a means to achieve political goals. About Texas 2036s Texas Voter Poll Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baselice & Associates has conducted the Texas Voter Poll since 2020 for Texas 2036, a nonpartisan public policy organization dedicated to improving lives and opportunities for all Texans through 2036, Texas bicentennial year, and beyond. Results are available at www.texas2036.org/voterpoll. The post Texas voters cautiously optimistic, want state leaders to act appeared first on Odessa American. Key Takeaways Mostly mild and travel-friendly weather: Many regionsincluding the Southeast, Great Lakes, and Deep Southcan expect sunshine and clear skies, making for smooth travel conditions. Cold and snow up north: The Northeast and Upper Midwest may see colder-than-average temperatures and occasional snow flurries, so travelers should plan for possible delays. Rain out west: The Pacific Northwest and parts of the Southwest could face rain and slick roads, meaning extra caution is advised for those driving. If youre traveling for Thanksgiving this year, youll likely want to know what the weather will look likeespecially if youre driving instead of flying. According to a weather report issued by the Old Farmers Almanac, conditions will vary by geographical region. To help you figure out the safest travel path, we broke down weather forecasts across the U.S. What Thanksgiving Weekend Weather Will Look Like In the Northeast, Colder Than Average For those in the Northeast, expect colder-than-average temperatures. Northern New England may see some snowflakes, while southern areas enjoy a crisp, sunny Thanksgiving, the report reads. Just be sure to have your winter coat handy if youre spending the holiday in this region. Bright and Dry Weather Near the Atlantic While states near the Atlantic coast may face some chilly weather, bright and dry skies are expected during the holiday weekend. You can expect smooth sailing on your way to Grandmas house. Sunshine Across the Appalachians Northern areas near the Appalachians will have lower temperatures than usual, while southern regions should expect warmer weather with clear skies. Regardless of temperature, however, sunshine will be leading the way. Chillybut Sunnyin the Southeast Much like many of the colder regions in the U.S., there will be a chilly start early in the week, but anticipate milder temperatures by the holiday weekend. Sunshine is expected, making it the perfect holiday to spend time outside with your loved ones. Warmer Great Lakes In the lower lakes regionaka states near Lake Erie and Lake Ontariothe week is surprisingly warm and sunny. Expect smooth travel across the regionwhether youre navigating highways or heading out for a post-feast walk, the report says. Ohio Valley Showers The Ohio River valley will experience a slight chill early in the week, with temperatures getting warmer as we inch closer to the weekend. There may be a few clouds and showers by midweek, but expect enough pleasant weather for post-feast walks around the block. Warm in the Deep South Its no surprise that temperatures in the deep south will be warmer than average with lots of sunshine. Traveling will be easy with these clear skies! Snow Flurries in the Upper Midwest The Upper Midwestwhich historically faces some of the lowest temperatures in the nationwill experience a few snow flurries that could impact travel plans. While most of the week is relatively calm, its best to plan ahead to ensure you get where you need to go. Warm Air in the Heartlands The heartlandwhich predominantly includes the Great Plainswill have what the Old Farmers Almanac calls unseasonably warm air. Expect mostly sunshine and clear skies, but keep an eye out for some rainfall later in the weekyou might want to head out earlier than you originally planned. Sun and Rain in Texas and Oklahoma Near the Texas-Oklahoma border, theres a meteorological split. Northern regions will be dry and sunny, while the southern regions may face some rainfall. However, experts dont anticipate the weather impacting travel plans, so dont be worried about your holiday road trip. Dry, Clear, and Chilly in the High Plains Cold wind will fill the air in the High Plains, but it should stay clear and dry throughout. Driving conditions and visibility shouldnt be an issueexperts simply recommend bringing along your winter coat. Rain in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest In the Pacific Northwest and Southwest regions, rainfall will be prominent, with colder-than-average temperatures. Roads may become slick and hazardous, so its best to drive cautiously or plan your holiday travel in advance. Snow and Rain Showers in Non-Continental Regions For non-continental states like Alaska and Hawaii, weather forecasts look similar to nearby continental states. In Alaska, snowfall is expected on and off throughout the week, with slick roads and low visibility when it comes to travel. In Hawaii, temperatures will be slightly cooler than usual with some isolated rainfallbut mostly pleasant conditions overall. Read the original article on Real Simple In Connecticut classrooms, students are routinely insulting, threatening, cursing and physically assaulting teachers. The issue is the most pressing in education today, teachers and education advocates say. The tense climate has caused teachers to ask to move to other schools to teach and some have been out on workers compensation due to injuries at school, according to the Connecticut Education Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The increased aggression from students is tied to numerous factors including the aftermath of COVID, the use of technology, and emotional dysregulation of students, according to mental health experts. I think what we are seeing and hearing across the state consistently is that the safety of the school environment, the working conditions and the student behavioral challenges have really leapfrogged in front of everybody to be the top concern, said Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the states largest teacher union. It is certainly a significant stressor in the environment that is impacting teachers ability to do the instructional work. It is important to remember that these are not just physical confrontations. Sometimes these are students who will swear at their teacher and aggressively or verbally go after them, which ultimately stops instruction in the classroom. The Connecticut State Department of Education states in its latest report on student discipline in schools for the 2023-24 school year that physical and verbal confrontations increased 44.1%, representing 21,582 incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Further, the report showed that personal threatening behavior increased 32% representing 8,956 incidents. There was also a 21% increase in property damage, which included 1,761 incidents. Overall, there were 30,538 such incidents in schools, representing on average 166 incidents per day during the school year across the state. In 2023-24, nearly 37,000 students (7%) or approximately one out of approximately every 14 students statewide, received a suspension or an expulsion, according to the CSDE report. Threats and physical incidents Dias said she has never had a meeting of educators where the issue of physical and verbal confrontations concerning students has not come up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is the most pressing issue facing our classrooms right now, she said. A CEA Back to School survey of nearly 1,000 educators found more than 60% of educators surveyed said they had to evacuate their classrooms due to classroom disruptions that threatened the safety of students. In the same survey, 47% of educators said they had been threatened by a student. We get everything from very directed personal threats, Dias said. We have kids say things like I am going to stab you with my pencil. I am going to kill you. Dias said some teachers have reported that students have told them, I am going to hunt you down and find out where you live. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said she is hearing from teachers more reports of verbal confrontations than physical ones. I have teachers who are out on workers comp due to injuries, she said. Often they are head injuries. Somebody who gets pushed and hits their head. Again, we recognize it is not the intention of the child to actively hurt the teacher. It doesnt change the fact that it happened. It is often a push or a shove. Biting is not uncommon. Kevin Egan, president of the Waterbury Education Association, said student aggressive behavior is certainly something Waterbury teachers are seeing. We are seeing an increase in these behaviors, now even in younger grades, he said. We are seeing them in pre-K and some of our biggest issues are actually in kindergarten. It is increasing the stress that has already been there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carol Gale, president of the Hartford Federation of Teachers, said over the last few years there has been an increase in teacher worker compensation issues occurring, often due to student outbursts. She couldnt specify how many teachers were out on workers compensation. Gale said she is encouraged that the school day in Hartford has been reduced from seven and a half hours to seven, hoping that will help alleviate stress for students. She added that the districts new superintendent Andrae Townsel has also been positive. Further, Gale said it is educators responsibility to manage student behavior and that you need adequate resources and support to do that with children that present more challenging behaviors. Where we have had that in place, behavior gets managed better. When that doesnt happen, where there is a revolving door through the principals office, that tends to create a more challenging climate for staff. A common occurrence Patrice McCarthy, executive director and general counsel of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, said the issue of student behavior is an ongoing worry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We know the pandemic certainly exacerbated some of these issues, she said. Some of these issues are serious mental health challenges that we need more professional support for our young people. Gary Steck, chief executive officer of Wellmore Behavioral Health, which houses a 24-7 urgent crisis center in Waterbury, said almost every day he gets a call or talks with an educator about a circumstance concerning student behavior. We have spoken to many educational colleagues who have been hit or injured, he said. It is a common occurrence and I think there are a lot of people that thought the great increase of mental health concerns during COVID would now be magically over. That is not the case. What we are hearing particularly is that younger elementary age children are being more physical. A glimmer of hope, Steck said, is data showing that districts that are banning the use of cellphones in schools see a reduction of fights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Steck said while experts dont have a definitive answer on the causes of increased student aggression, emotional dysregulation is certainly a factor and the aftermath of COVID. We are seeing a lot of very stressed and very anxious parents, he said. I think it is not unreasonable that if parents are struggling and anxious, that kids are struggling and anxious. Further, when asked if technology is a factor, Steck said there is data that shows that too much screen time has a negative effect on physical and emotional development. Michael Dorn, a national expert on school safety with Safe Havens International, the worlds largest international K12 school safety center, said he is seeing significant impact on turnover rates, problems with retention of employees and high vacancy rates in quite a few districts hes worked with in recent years due in large part to concerns over safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This not only impacts teaching positions but also many support staff positions such as food service employees, school bus drivers, custodial personnel and security personnel, he said. We are most often seeing this in school districts that become severely out of balance with how they handle student conduct violations. Tragically this usually disproportionally impacts the ability to attract and retain high caliber employees in schools serving larger percentages of at-risk youth, which due to the challenges, create the need for our very best teachers and employees for student success in these schools. Dias said in Connecticut she is seeing a higher rate of mobility of educators in moving to other schools in the state. I am concerned that these incidents have been prevalent enough to become a detractor for young people who may say this is not where I am going to spend my time and energy, she said. Solutions Dias said student aggression is often the result of unmanaged or persistent mental health challenges students are facing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said the CEA and others advocated for new school climate legislation which passed in 2024 and requires districts this year to establish a new school climate policy. That policy outlines expectations on responding to challenging behavior, establishes new training requirements and redefines terms and responsibilities associated with school climate personnel, according to information from the CSDE. When we have these kids who have these issues the goal really is to figure out how we prevent it from happening the next time, Dias said. Are there coping skills? Things we need to be doing. What is the right answer for this child? The focus is on how we intervene to help and support. The responsibility lies on every adult in that building to figure how to be part of the solution of how we help our kids. How are we making sure that parents are part of the solutions? State Rep. Jennifer Leeper, D-Fairfield, chair of the states Education Committee, said the new school climate legislation aims to factor in students mental health and look at ways to proactively address challenging behaviors before they rise to an incident of bullying. She also said it is important to bring families into those conversations. Dias said while the issues are complex, she has faith the schools and communities will be able to overcome them. While these numbers are telling a story of something that is uncomfortable for all of us, the story really needs to be: what are we going to do about it? MEMPHIS, Tenn. Three suspects were arrested and accused of attacking a man on Beale Street and stealing his car after his girlfriend told one suspect she was not interested in him. Cristian Riddick, 19, was charged with Robbery to wit: acting in concert. Nile Jolly, 20, and Donterrious Pollard, 18, were charged with Robbery, to wit: acting in concert, Theft of Property $10,000-$60,000 of motor vehicle theft. L to R: Cristian Riddick, 19, Nile Jolly, 20, Donterrious Pollard, 18. Courtesy of Shelby County Jail Six wanted after man beaten, robbed of car: MPD Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said on Oct. 12 at 3:30 a.m., police responded to a robbery in the 200 block of Beale Street. The victim told police that she and her sister were on Beale Street with her sisters boyfriend when six guys came up to them. According to reports, one of the guys started to hit on her, but she told him she wasnt interested, so he became angry. Police said the boyfriend intervened because the guy started insulting his girlfriend, and he told the suspect to chill out. Officers said that was when the rest of the group attacked the sisters boyfriend, and when the attack was broken up, the suspects attacked the boyfriend again. Police said it happened three times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Women robbed, Charger stolen by men on Beale: MPD Robbery on 200 Beale Street Courtesy of MPD Reports said the suspects wanted the boyfriend to empty his pockets, and when he refused, they attacked him and tried to rip his pants off. The suspects took $80, a phone, and the key to the victims car when the boyfriend emptied his pockets. Police said surveillance cameras showed the suspects taking the victims car, fleeing the scene westbound on Peabody. On Oct. 14, officers said Nile Jolly was identified as a possible suspect, and the victim and her sister identified Jolly as a suspect. On Oct. 23, Jolly was arrested and identified Donterrious Pollard and Cristian Riddick as the two other suspects he was with during the robbery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jolly told police that he and Pollard were in the stolen car as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. San Francisco police have arrested three men in connection with a July shooting in North Beach that left one man dead, police said. Police arrested 19-year-old Jeremiah Neal and 20-year-old Elijah Silver after a tactical SWAT team executed a search warrant Friday on the 2500 block of Wallace Street. The same day, police arrested 22-year-old Jesus Gabriel Cendejas of San Francisco after officers searched a home on the 600 block of Francisco Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All three were booked on suspicion of murder in the July shooting, which happened July 3 at about 2 a.m. at Powell and Vandewater streets near Fisherman's Wharf. The SFPD Homicide Detail took over the case and identified multiple suspects during the course of the investigation. Police responded to the scene that night and found an adult man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency crews provided aid and transported the victim to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The man later died on July 8 despite life-saving efforts. Investigators learned that a fourth suspect believed to have been involved in the July killing was the victim of a homicide in San Francisco in September. This article originally published at Three arrested in connection with S.F. homicide. WEST POINT Three people have been arrested in connection with the theft of tons of copper from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Clay County Sheriffs Office and the Tennessee Valley Authority Police investigated copper being stolen from the TVA facility in West Point. It was discovered that during September and October, approximately $46,000 worth of copper had been stolen. There was also more than $1,000 worth of damage done to the facility. Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott stated that three individuals have been arrested so far for the copper theft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Christopher Hendon, 27, and Michael McFalls, 23, were arrested late last week and charged with grand larceny and malicious mischief. Madison Ray, 26, was arrested Saturday evening and charged with conspiracy to commit a felony. Hendon and McFalls also face an unrelated charge of burglary of a dwelling. All three could also face federal charges from the Tennessee Valley Authority Police and Kansas City Southern Railroad Police. This investigation is ongoing and anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the Clay County Sheriffs Office at 662-494-2896 or the Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151. Last Saturday, I squeezed into St Peters in Rome for Mass. Nothing especially surprising there, you might think. But two things stood out. First, the 3,000 or so attendees were mostly young and drawn from across the world not just by the conservative American cardinal, Raymond Burke, who celebrated the Mass, but by the second thing that stood out: this particular Mass has proved so controversial that the late Pope Francis came close to banning it. Why? It was in Latin. This Traditional or Tridentine Mass using texts dating back as far as the fourth century, and accompanied by elaborate ceremonies and Gregorian chant has long been a source of friction within the Catholic Church. However, despite ensuring that no such mass had taken place in the Vatican since 2022, Francis never quite finished the Latin Mass off and the fact his successor, Pope Leo XIV, granted permission for this revival has reignited old arguments. The reasons for the high emotions excited by the Latin Mass are rooted in history. In 1963, the Churchs Second Vatican Council called for a reform of the liturgy and suggested a greater role for the vernacular, but the subsequent reform was more radical than anything the Council anticipated, and its often careless implementation created a reaction. Some people just preferred the older Mass, which allowed worshippers to pray in silence, while the priest carried on at the altar with his back to them, muttering in Latin sometimes audibly, sometimes not. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pope at the time, Paul VI, accused such worshippers of spiritual laziness, but this was unfair. It could be an intense experience, as I discovered 20 years ago when I was first mesmerised by the reverence, silence and beauty of the Latin Mass. In the words of Pope Leo himself, I was looking for a deeper experience of prayer, of contact with the mystery of faith, and, like so many before me, found it in this centuries-old liturgy, which has appealed to peasants and kings alike and inspired scholars and saints down the ages, from the martyrs of Ancient Rome to opponents of the Nazis. Far from spiritual laziness, Latin Mass can be an intense experience for worshippers - Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Today the movement in support of the ancient Mass is characterised by zealous young Catholics who are more likely than their peers to believe less fashionable official teachings, answer a call to priesthood or the convent, or to marry and have a large number of children. This exasperates progressive theologians who want to sweep away the Churchs opposition to contraception and divorce, but the energy in the Church has always been to challenge secular culture, and not just go with the flow. One of the more recent tactics of progressives has been to attempt to link the Latin Mass to extremist politics: in 2017, for example, the Jesuit priest Antonio Spadaro coined the phrase ecumenism of hate to describe the Trump-supporting alliance between conservative Catholics and American evangelicals. Such attempts, however, have been unconvincing and churches report that the number of worshippers attending Tridentine Mass is on the rise (even if the overall share remains small). In Britain, it finds supporters across the spectrum: Jacob Rees-Mogg is famously a fan; George Galloway called it poetry in motion in an interview with The Telegraph; while artists and musicians signed a 2024 petition to save it and it continues to inspire monks and friars to embrace a call to radical poverty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pope Leo XIV seems to be signalling yet another reversal of policy. If he follows through with this he will be putting wind in the sails of some of the Catholic Churchs most vital elements.The alternative is the prolongation of the Churchs strange war against its own traditions, which is increasingly being waged against her younger generation. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. NORMAL, Ill, (WMBD) Leaf vacuuming started Monday, Oct 27 in the Town of Normal. Open burning of leaves is not allowed within Normals boundaries. So vacuuming is the way the city handles fall leaf collection. Crews started in Zone 3 and will complete collection one zone at time until all 5 are complete. The leaf collection post on the towns website explains each zone can take a couple of days to get through. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leaf collection instructions ask people to rake leaves to the curb keeping them on the grass or the shoulder of the road if there are no curbs. If cars are typically parked on the street people can also place leaves at the edge of their driveway. People are asked to keep sticks and other debris out of their leaf piles that should be no more than three feet tall. Sticks and other brush should be placed in a separate pile; there are also instructions for brush collection on the website. If leaf piles contain sticks, they may not be picked up as it can damage the vacuuming equipment. Residents are asked not place leaves in the street as they can block storm water drains and get in the way of street maintenance. Leaves should also be kept ways from mailboxes, utility poles, guide wires water valves and other things that might serves as obstructions to getting the vacuum in to do its job. The Normal website also offers an interactive map that shows each zone, the area that is in progress and which one is up next. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaf collection is ongoing throughout fall but is discontinued after the first snow with ground cover. Leaves may also be dropped at the Town of Normal Landscape Waste Drop off site at 1301 Warriner Street. The drop site is open 24/7 for residents. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com. DENVER (KDVR) Unless Congress reaches a funding deal, SNAP benefits are set to run out in five days. According to the governors office, the federal food assistance program helps feed about 600,000 Coloradans. But the state says it doesnt have the capacity to foot the bill for the program. Its why one Denver woman is taking the matter into her own hands, at least for the people in her own building. Coloradans health insurance costs will double on average next year: Division of Insurance Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leslie Comstock lives in a mostly low-income apartment complex off Blake Street in downtown Denver. Of the 33 families who live there, she estimates about 90% rely on SNAP benefits. I feel like were at a point societally where the time to wait for help is really over, Comstock said. Worried her neighbors wont have enough to eat, Comstock is organizing a food drive herself. I think its just how weve got to get things done and keep our communities intact going forward, she said. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Comstock took her plea online, asking her neighborhood for donations of extra food. She also slipped notes under her neighbors doors, asking anyone who needed help with groceries to reach out so she could coordinate deliveries. Its very imperfect, Comstock said. Im just a regular person trying to learn this and figure it out as I go along. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though imperfect to Comstock, its exactly what her neighbors say they need. During an interview with FOX31, one of Comstocks neighbors stopped by to thank her. Shes really trying to help us out, he said. While the governor has requested $10 million to support food banks and is urging donations, Comstock worries demand will outpace supply. In Denver alone, the mayors office says nearly 100,000 people rely on SNAP benefits. Comstock encourages other neighborhoods will follow her lead, hoping people will help each other out in a time of need. Colorado leaders call Trumps plan to import beef from Argentina a slap in the face Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Talk to your neighbors, she said. See who is willing to help and what the actual need is, whats most pressing, whats most urgent and move from there. If youd like to drop off food for Comstocks neighbors in downtown Denver, you can reach her through Nextdoor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. During the Cold War, the US military experimented with placing nuclear weapons on board missiles that themselves ran on nuclear power. The design had notable advantages: in theory, such a projectile could fly for days or even weeks. It could also travel at very low altitudes, making it hard to detect on radar. But Project Pluto was shelved in the mid-1960s because of the serious risks it posed. By strapping a nuclear bomb onto a nuclear reactor, any mishaps could result in a spectacular disaster, potentially over the US mainland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such qualms are evidently not shared in Moscow, which on Sunday announced the first successful test of its own Project Pluto: the Burevestnik, or storm petrel. In a televised meeting with Vladimir Putin, Valery Gerasimov, Russias most senior general, boasted of the development of a weapon with unlimited range that could defeat any missile defence system in the world and pack a nuclear punch 20 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. b' 2810 9M730 Burevestnik cruise missile ' Even by the Kremlins standards, it marked an almighty rattle of the nuclear sabre. With its novel design, the weapon Nato refers to as Skyfall does indeed present new challenges to the alliance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most nuclear defence systems aim to intercept incoming weapons in the stratosphere. The US has a network of ground-based missile systems in Alaska and California, pointed up at space. Such systems although far from perfect make it harder for Russias arsenal of around 300 intercontinental ballistic missiles to reach their targets should nuclear war break out. This is where the Burevestnik comes in. According to Gen Gerasimov, the missile flew 8,700 miles on its first test, a journey of more than 15 hours. Crucially, it can fly just 100 metres above the ground, potentially slinking under the Wests defences. It is the systems onboard nuclear reactor that permits such long, earth-hugging flights. Traditional cruise missiles are limited by their use of fuel-powered engines. They can only fly as far as their supplies carry them and must gain altitude to take advantage of thinner air thereby entering the view of Nato radars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nuclear-powered missiles, by contrast, can rip through the murkier atmosphere shared by, for example, the penthouses of the Shard. Instead of fuel, the reactor simply heats the air then blasts it out the missiles rear-end for propulsion. In 2018, Putin released a video of how a strike with the Burevestnik might work: it showed an animated missile crossing Europe, turning south down the Atlantic, bending around the Cape of Good Hope, then dodging US missile defence systems to detonate in Florida. According to Fiona Hill, then Mr Trumps senior Russia adviser, the presidents face went white when he saw the footage. Today, Western missile analysts are more phlegmatic. In terms of its threat to Russias adversaries, the Burevestnik is hamstrung by its sluggish pace (around 600mph) and the use of known, fixed launch points. Its effectively an airplane, and not even a stealthy airplane, said William Alberque, senior associate at the Honolulu-based Pacific Forum think tank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every kilometre it travels, you increase the chance of spotting it. And youve got a nuclear reactor on board... so the chances of detecting stray neutrons are pretty high. Western jets could shoot the Burevestnik down, as could ship-based missile-defence systems. The war in Ukraine has proved that the age of subsonic cruise is kind of over, Mr Alberque added, given the high rate of intercepts. I would want to shoot it down over Russian territory, so that it can be with family and friends when it dies. Russia previously tested a version of the nuclear-powered Burevestnik rocket in March 2018 If it were to be shot down over a neighbouring nation, the blowback would do Moscow no favours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear non-proliferation expert at Middlebury College, described the weapon as a tiny flying Chernobyl, referring to the former power plant in Ukraine that became synonymous with nuclear disaster after it exploded in 1986. This is a bad development, Mr Lewis told The New York Times. It is one more science fiction weapon that is going to be destabilising and hard to address in arms control. Given its less than certain battlefield effect, many analysts view the Burevestnik as more of a psychological threat or something that could give Moscow leverage in future arms control deals. As demonstrated by several test failures, it is a very complex and thus error-prone means of delivering a nuclear payload, said Dr Sidharth Kaushal, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the missile may be viewed as a bargaining chip, with Moscow hoping to include it in negotiations over the New Start treaty, a deal capping the number of deployed nuclear warheads, which is set to expire in February next year. So far, the only people known to have been killed by the Burevestnik are five scientists who worked on its development. Putin gave their families medals after an explosion during testing. Should it ever be used in war, they may not be the last Russian casualties of Moscows new, unbeatable weapon. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) speaks at a get out the vote event at Solidarity House in Detroit on Nov. 1 2024, days before the presidential election. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols) Updated Oct. 29, 2025 Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist has landed his first major gubernatorial endorsement from a sitting member of Congress: Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit. Gilchrist is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2026. Tlaib, an often controversial progressive Democrat from Detroit, carries with her the weight of progressive voters and ideas in Congress. Shes also often the source of ire for many conservative and far-right Republicans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tlaib announced her support for Gilchrist in a video published Tuesday morning. I trust Garlin [and his] lived experience, not only as a father, but as someone who understands what it means when we dont have people in office defending us and fighting on our behalf, Tlaib said. He has shown up at the picket line and has shown up for our folks who are returning citizens, who need that second chance. Tlaibs reference was to Gilchrists championing of Clean Slate expungement laws that went into effect in recent years. He believed in them, and thats why he helped push the Clean Slate program, Tlaib said. I know, again, many of you feel very strongly that we need a fighter. I know Galrin is going to fight for us. And thats why I am proud to support him for governor of the state of Michigan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to Tlaibs announcement, Gilchrists list of endorsements online only included nods from state senators and representatives With Tlaib, Gilchrist extends his footprint of support in Detroit, his hometown, and those aligned with Tlaibs politics, namely young progressives. Gilchrist and Tlaib also see eye-to-eye on the plight of the Palestinian people, with the lieutenant governor pronouncing recently at a national Arab convention in Dearborn that Israels actions in its war on Gaza is a genocide. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Gilchrists comments set him apart from the Democratic primary field. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who is also seeking election to the governors office on the Democratic side, earlier this month called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a lasting ceasefire and said humanitarian aid should flow freely to those in need. Swanson said the situation hurts his soul, and I know Im not alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, also in the race, has called for a peaceful solution to the conflict. However, neither has gone as far to call Israeli actions a genocide. Following Gilchrists comments, the Jewish Federation of Detroit said it was deeply disappointed in the lieutenant governors remarks, which the organization said was a use of his tall platform to vilify support for Israel. Gilchrist promotes an inaccurate and offensive narrative that also omits the horrific attacks of October 7th and ignores those that remain hostage in Gaza, the organization wrote in a news release issued in September. This inflammatory language is an attempt to foster divisiveness as a campaign tool. We expect our elected representatives to reject political rhetoric that plays into antisemitic tropes and instead promote peace and understanding among all Michiganders. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, left, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, center, and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), right, greets President Joe Biden in Detroit on Sept. 26, 2023. Biden visited Michigan to join striking UAW members on the picket line in Wayne County. (Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) Countering that rhetoric was the Detroit Jews for Justice organization, which advocates for racial and economic justice. The group said it was disheartened by the federation picking apart and policing Gilchrists remarks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is not antisemitic to use the term genocide or to criticize the actions of a government, no matter who the government is, Detroit Jews for Justice wrote on Instagram. Just days later, when a white political leader also described the situation as a genocide, she was not met similarly targeted and labeled as divisive or inflammatory. Lets be clear disproportionately scrutinizing our allies from other marginalized communities, while ignoring their public record of support for the Jewish community, is divisive and rooted in racism. The group went on to say that progressive leaders of color already face dangerous political environments, and should not be admonished for speaking out for Palestinians, or any other groups human rights. Arab American Democrats, the Arab cultural caucus within the Michigan Democratic Party, also issued support for Gilchrist in his stance on Gaza and Palestine. For Arab Americans across Michigan, this genocide is painfully close to home. Our families, loved ones, and communities are living with daily grief and fear as entire generations are being killed and forcibly displaced from their homes and homeland, the caucus wrote in a news release issued in early October. We know the cost of silence, and we recognize in his words the courage and principle that embody true Democratic leadership. His remarks on the influence of money in politics reflect a concern Democrats across the state have voiced for years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like Detroit Jews for Justice, the Michigan Democratic Arab caucus noted that when Black elected leaders speak out against injustice, they often face disproportionate attacks and attempts to silence them. The same forces seeking to punish truth-tellers in Palestine are driving broader assaults on free speech, racial injustice, and democracy here in Michigan, the caucus wrote. This radicalized double standard weakens our democracy and undermines the inclusive value that our party claims to represent. The caucus went on to praise Gilchrists leadership on the matter. His leadership aligns Michigan with the universal values of justice, equality, and human dignity, principles the Democratic Party must uphold if it is to remain credible in the fight against authoritarianism at home and abroad, the caucus wrote. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist has shown the courage this moment demands, and the Arab American Caucus proudly stands with him. This story was updated to better reflect the mission of Detroit Jews for Justice. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SALEM, Ohio (WKBN ) From backyards to front porches, a growing number of stray cats are causing problems across Salem. After years of frustration, city leaders are finally taking action, with the help of volunteers. Brenda Austin is the citys new trap, neuter, and release (TNR) coordinator. Armed with traps, shes trying to tackle the citys feral cat problem. The health department gets calls. I get calls. We know the problem is everywhere, Austin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salem has allocated $2,000 for the TNR program. And for the first time in years has filled its animal control officer position. Sara Oaks was sworn in earlier this month. Oaks is the first to fill the Animal Control Officer position, which was officially created as part of a suite of updates to the citys animal ordinance approved by city council in July. As Animal Control Officer, Oaks will spearhead enforcement of the citys animal regulations, according to information from the city. Im just going to stick to one neighborhood at a time and work one block at a time and the surrounding areas. I think then we will see some positive impact instead of me just jumping all over the city, Austin said. Austin says the citys support will go a long way towards not just catching the cats but changing attitudes about them. Very grateful to city council members, the mayor, $2,000. And an extra $1,000 to use as a startup for fundraisers, Austin said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While residents say the cats can be a nuisance, destroying porch furniture and damaging property, Austin says people need to remember how the problem started. Its not the cats fault, its humans. These are all human problems. Humans started it. Getting the free kitten and not getting it fixed, abandoning them, Austin said. With traps costing roughly $125 and each neuter procedure between $35 and $75 dollars, the work isnt cheap. For now, donations can be made to The Salem City Health District to help expand the TNR program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com. Heres a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Oct. 28, according to the Tribunes archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 80 degrees (1999) Low temperature: 19 degrees (1925) Precipitation: 1.53 inches (1874) Snowfall: 0.2 inches (1920) 1893: The Worlds Fair Mayor Carter H. Harrison, was shot and killed at point blank range at his home by Patrick Eugue Prendergast, who was disappointed that he was not named corporation counsel. Prendergast was later hanged for the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harrison, whose son Carter H. Harrison Jr. served five terms as Chicago mayor, and Anton Cermak are the only Chicago mayors who have been assassinated. 1944: Weeks before he was elected to a fourth term (the 22nd Amendment that instituted a two-term limit was not ratified until 1951), President Franklin D. Roosevelts wartime visit to Soldier Field drew more than 100,000 spectators. We are fighting this war and we are holding this election both for the same essential reason: because we have faith in democracy, Roosevelt told the crowd. And there is no force and there is no combination of forces powerful enough to shake that faith. 2004: Donald Trump, whose namesake building would be constructed on the site, watched as demolition began on the Chicago Sun-Times building along the Chicago River. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Completed in 2009, Trump International Hotel & Tower is the second-tallest building in Chicago. 2019: Trump made his first visit to Chicago as the nations chief executive. Speaking at the annual gathering of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at McCormick Place, Trump slammed Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson in front of his peers and criticized the type of federal order the city was under to reform the CPD. Trump also called Chicago the worst sanctuary city in America and cited the refusal of the citys Police Department under Johnson to detain people in the country illegally for immigration enforcement. Also in 2019: Federal bribery charges were announced against state Rep. Luis Arroyo of Chicago. A longtime Democrat, Arroyo resigned his seat shortly after he was arrested on charges that he took bribes from politically connected business owner James Weiss in exchange for help promoting legislation beneficial to Weiss company, Collage LLC, which specialized in sweepstakes gaming machines. Arroyo also admitted he enlisted the help of then-state Sen. Terry Link, arranging for Weiss to pay Link bribes to help push the legislation in the General Assembly. At the time, Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat, was secretly cooperating with the FBI. Link resigned from office before pleading guilty to unrelated tax evasion charges in September 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A federal appeals court upheld Arroyos 57-month prison sentence, saying the district judge was well within his bounds by placing extra emphasis on general deterrence for any future elected officials thinking about taking bribes. The Dishonor Roll: Meet the public officials who helped build Illinois culture of corruption Want more vintage Chicago? Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicagos past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com Tanks wrought massive carnage in the Second World War, and stopping these tracked monsters from the air was a tough task. It demanded flying low, avoiding or surviving getting shot, and having a big enough weapon to destroy or disable a well-protected, often moving, target. Not all aircraft were suited to the demanding anti-tank mission; when the He-177 heavy bomber was tasked by Luftwaffe commander-in-chief Hermann Goring personally to halt a large Soviet tank offensive, the results were disastrous for the Germans. The He-177 force was too lumbering for the mission and was cut to pieces. Here are the 11 best tank-busting aircraft of World War 2 that did much better: 11: Bucker Bu 181 Bestmann Bucker Bu 181 Bestmann In the desperate last-ditch defence of Germany, almost every available aircraft type was dragged into the fight. The rather innocuous-looking Bu 181 training aircraft had already been used as a liaison aircraft and a glider tow, and now it was to enter the more dangerous role of tank-buster. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Armament was to be four Panzerfaust. The Panzerfaust was a recoilless launcher tube with a single bulbous high-explosive anti-tank warhead extending forward from the muzzle. Unlike the baseline infantry version, the aircraft version was wired to be fired remotely by the pilot. 11: Bu 181 Bestmann Bu 181 Bestmann The converted tank-killing aircraft were known as the Bu 181C-3 Panzerjager (tank hunter), fitted with four wing-mounted Panzerfaust 100 mounted in pairs, two on each wing. Bomb-armed Bucker Bu 181s were used for harassment attacks. The assignment to such tank-busting missions in the Bu 181 must have been an alarming prospect to pilots. Considering the low-speed top speed of the Bucker Bu 181 of 122mph (197km/h), its relative fragility, the extremely short range of its Panzerfaust and the mass of Allied forces, it is unsurprising that the 181 pilots endured heavy losses. However, they did succeed in destroying some Allied armour. 10: L-4 Grasshopper L-4 Grasshopper The humble Piper Cub is a simple light aircraft loved by civilians and built in great numbers. It was not designed for warfare, yet in a quirk of fate, it ended up book-marking the US war and even taking on tanks directly with Bazookas! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moments before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Marcus F. Poston, a student pilot, was on a solo flight in a Piper Cub J-3 above Oahu, the third-largest of the Hawaiian islands. In an epic example of bad luck, Poston met the surprise attack of Japanese aircraft head-on, resulting in the modest J-3 becoming the first American aeroplane to be shot down in World War II. 10: L-4 Grasshopper L-4 Grasshopper The L-4 Grasshopper was a military version used for reconnaissance, liaison and spotting. As a spotting aircraft, it must take some credit for the armour destroyed by artillery (similarly, the Stinson L-5 Sentinel must take some credit for tank destruction by P-47s and other US tactical aircraft when used in the Horsefly Forward Air Control role). In 1944, USAAF Major Charles Carpenter was assigned an L-4 in France. Learning of other L-4 pilots installing bazookas on their aircraft, Carpenter did the same with impressive results. Carpenter told a correspondent that the word must be getting around to watch out for Cubs with bazookas on them. Every time I show up now, they shoot with everything they have. They never used to bother Cubs. Bazookas must be bothering them a bit. Carpenter took six tanks out before the war ended. 9: Junker Ju 88 Junker Ju 88 With Soviet tank production factories creating armour at a startling rate, Germany was forced to consider every conceivable measure of anti-tank warfare. Every combat aircraft type was assessed for suitability for the anti-armour role, which meant fitting heavy armour to withstand low-level ground fire and adding bigger guns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The twin-engined Junkers Ju 88, which first flew in 1936, was the most versatile of the Luftwaffes aircraft, serving in various roles, including bomber, heavy fighter, night fighter, torpedo bomber and reconnaissance. It was even adapted into an explosive-packed drone. With a glut of available Ju 88s airframes, it was considered convenient if they could be drafted into the anti-tank role. 9: Junker Ju 88 Junker Ju 88 Many gun types were tried with the Ju 88, including the huge 75mm PAK 40, capable of penetrating thirteen centimetres of tank armour at one kilometre. However, even the smaller 30mm Mk 101 was highly effective and could destroy a tank if attacked in its relatively vulnerable rear. The Ju 88 P variant was developed for the anti-armour role with a single Bordkanone series 75 mm, 50 mm (1.97 in), or twin 37 mm (1.46 in) calibre cannon in a ventral gun pod position. Produced in small numbers, the large, somewhat lumbering Ju 88S, were not a success. 8: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was designed by the aircraft design genius Kurt Tank and was one of the finest fighters of the war. It entered service in 1941 and was, for a while, the best fighter in the world. It also served with distinction in the fighter-bomber role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A thoroughly modern design, the Fw 190 was a radial-engined fighter that boasted spectacular speed, roll rates and a strong armament, pushing aside the Messerschmitt Bf 109 as the premier Luftwaffe fighter (though the Bf 109 would remain in service until the end of the war). 8: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 When the Eastern Front campaign was failing, the Luftwaffe desperately needed high-performance ground attack aircraft less vulnerable to enemy fighters and groundfire than the large and slow Stuka. Various heavier armaments (including huge guns and rockets) were fitted to the Fw 190, in an attempt to create just such a machine. The Fw 190 F-8 had a modified injector on the compressor for improved performance at lower altitudes (for short times). For better communication with ground forces, it had the FuG 16 ZS radio unit. It had 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots and two 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns above the engine. 7: Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane To take on tanks requires serious firepower, and with this (and other ground attack roles in mind) a Hawker Hurricane was tested with a wing-mounted 40mm cannon in 1941. The Rolls-Royce 40mm cannon was tried but dismissed for a lack of reliability and smaller ammunition capacity in its drum magazine, and the Vickers S was selected instead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hurricane Mk.IID, armed with 40mm cannons, went to fight tanks in the desert as part of the No.6 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, earning the nickname The Can Openers for their ability to destroy armoured vehicles. Hurricanes armed with the hefty Vickers S gun claimed 47 tanks plus 198 other enemy vehicles. 7: Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane Mk. IID, with its water-cooled engine, was not ideal for the low-level ground attack role, and suffered heavy losses, largely from enemy anti-aircraft fire. The improved Mk. IV, operational from 1943 - had beefed up armour around the fuel tanks, engine and cockpit areas. In June 1943, Hurricanes of No 137 Squadron started flying Hurricanes with the option of a 40mm cannon or unguided rockets, initially known as Unrotating Projectiles (UP) and later Rocket Projectiles (RP). The rockets were more effective, but the unit was initially banned from using this secret weapon over occupied land. 6: Yakovlev Yak-9 Yakovlev Yak-9 Though given different designations, the wartime Yak fighter family is the same series, substantially more so than the Spitfire family can claim. Around 8700 Yak-1s were made, 6399 Yak-7s, and 4848 Yaks for a tremendous total of around 36,716, making it the most numerous fighter type in history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Soviet Unions fixation with tactical air power meant no fighters could completely escape the ground attack, Close Air Support or Ground Attack missions. With its 37mm cannon and excellent low-level performance, it is often thought that the Bell P-39 was a prime Soviet anti-tank aircraft, but it was primarily tasked with the low-level fighter role. 6: Yakovlev Yak-9 Yakovlev Yak-9 The Yak-9 performed more anti-tank missions, in particular, the Yak-9T variant with a 37mm cannon, in this case the Nudelman-Suranov NS-37 (also fitted to the Ilyushin Il-2 and Lavochkin LaGG-3). This formidable cannon could penetrate up to 40 mm (1.6 in) of tank armour from 500 metres (1,600 ft). The Yak-9T carried 30 rounds of 37mm ammunition, which fired through the propeller hub. A total of 2748 Yak-9Ts were produced. Attempts to up-gun the Yak-9 further to carry a 45mm gun, as the Yak-9K, proved too much for the tiny fighter. 5: Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon Testing revealed Britains Hawkers Typhoons performance was rather disappointing above 15,000 feet, making it a poor choice in its intended role as fighter. The Typhoon may have failed as a fighter, but it found its place as a rugged, low-level fighter bomber. The Typhoon was perhaps the fastest of all piston-engine aircraft of the war at sea level, capable of an astonishing 375mph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This low-level performance was an excellent quality for a ground attack aircraft, but it had a built-in vulnerability; it had a water-cooled engine with a large radiator beneath the nose, a bad prospect considering the anti-aircraft and infantry guns it would face. To make it a Close Air Support aircraft suitable for the invasion, 780Ibs (355 kg) of armour was added. 5: Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon Twenty squadrons of the 2nd Tactical Air Force fought with the Typhoon, supporting British and Canadian forces in the brutal invasion of Northwest Europe. In addition to brilliant tank-busting, Typhoons were the main Defence Suppression aircraft tasked with destroying German radar stations before D-Day. In the early days of the fight for Europe, Typhoons roamed the skies with the terrific armament of unguided rockets, and four 20-mm cannon. Though there is some debate on the direct effectiveness of rockets on German armour, what is, without doubt, is that the fear of this weapon caused many German tank crews to get out and run rather than face a rain of rockets. 4: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a colossal radial-engined fighter bomber used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). Fast, long-ranged and well-armed, it was a tough and versatile machine. It was the principal US fighter bomber of the war and came to fame in the ground attack role with the Twelfth Air Force. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Standard armament was six .50 calibre guns, and it could also carry bombs and rockets. Rocket options included M8 4.5 in (115 mm) rockets or 5-inch (130 mm) High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVARs). In addition to carrying potent weapons, the hefty P-47 could withstand furious groundfire and return home. 4: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Republic P-47 Thunderbolt One mission by the 314th Fighter Squadron, on March 16 1945, saw the destruction (or disabling) of ten tanks by a force of eight P-47s. This action took place in Forstheim, in Alsace. The P-47s attacked with 500Ib (227kg) General Purpose and 260Ib (118kg) Fragmentation bombs before setting up a racetrack pattern to perform strafing passes with guns. From D-Day until VE Day, Thunderbolts wrought tremendous destruction on Axis forces; USAAF aircraft claimed to have destroyed 6000 armoured vehicles and 68,000 trucks. During Operation Cobra, an offensive by the First United States Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, P-47 Thunderbolts of the 405th Fighter group decimated a column with 122 tanks (also destroying 259 other vehicles). 3: Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Junkers Ju 87 Stuka Any documentary on the German Blitzkrieg warfare of the early part of the Second World War will show footage of a Junkers Ju 87 dive-bombing; indeed, the aircraft is emblematic of the Blitzkrieg. As the war progressed, its role shifted to tank-busting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In early June 1940, Stukas attacked a formation of 20-30 French tanks in woods close to Roye, France. The Ju 87s dive-bombing attacks destroyed some tanks and left the rest of the force scattered and disengaged, allowing the invading German ground forces to advance. 3: Ju 87 Stuka Ju 87 Stuka Heavier firepower was required for the anti-armour role, in the form of the two 37-mm Flak 18 cannon carried underwing by the Ju 87G. With this bulky weapon and its increased drag came some loss of performance; the G was slower and less manoeuvrable than lighter Stukas. Though effective, the Ju 87 endured very heavy losses on the Eastern Front, with a kill-loss ratio sometimes reaching parity or worse. Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1916-1982) is likely the most effective anti-tank pilot of all time and is credited with destroying 519 tanks. 2: Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik Our Red Army now needs Il-2 aircraft like the air it breathes, like the bread it eats. These were the words Stalin used to express his dissatisfaction with an aircraft factory behind on production rates. This might just tell you something about how vital the Shturmovik (meaning stormer or assaulter and used to describe ground attack aircraft) was on the Eastern Front. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Forget your A-10s, forget your Harriers, when an aircraft is so good at its role that it defines the nature of an air theatre, you know its formidable. The Ilyushin Il-2 keeps popping up in our articles, and for good reason. As well as being the aircraft created in the most significant number, it is also one of the most significant warplanes ever made in terms of what it achieved. 2: Ilyushin Il-2 Ilyushin Il-2 This was the original tank-killer. The aircraft that devastated German mechanised columns, that frustrated Luftwaffe aces, that scared Wehrmacht troops so much they dubbed it The Flying Tank. German pilots would report emptying their entire ammunition loads into Il-2s, only to watch them carry on flying. Anti-Aircraft gun crews could get direct hits, yet the Shturmovik often flew on. While Soviet reports of combat destruction were, without a doubt, exaggerated, the impact that the Il-2 had on harrying and disrupting the German war machine was vital to the Red Armys success and progress on the front. The Il-2 may not have been the best aircraft for tankbusting in all respects, but it was there when it was most needed and fought in large numbers. 1: Henschel Hs 129 Henschel Hs 129 The Henschel Hs 129 is unique in this list in being purpose-designed for the Schlachtflieger (Close Air Support) mission, which included anti-armour; in this and several other respects, it was the A-10 of its time. In the 1960s, the USAF experience in Vietnam led to a desire for greater armour protection for ground attack aircraft; in the 1930s, the Spanish Civil War experience had the same effect on the Luftwaffe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The requirement was issued in 1937, and soon, two contractors were down-selected, Focke-Wulf and Henschel. The new aircraft was required to have an armoured bathtub and carry 20-mm cannon. Focke-Wulf proposed a converted existing design, and Henschel a new one. Henschel won the contest, and the machine flew in 1939. 1: Henschel Hs 129 Henschel Hs 129 It proved troublesome, with the chronic lack of power and the poor pilot view (through the thick armoured glass) being among the worst problems. Considering the size and power of the aircraft, there were limitations on the size of gun it could effectively use. A lightened Pak 40, the BK 7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone was fitted to the Henschel Hs 129B-3 but was too much gun for the aircraft. Though insufficient numbers of Hs 129s were made, they proved excellent at destroying tanks. Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer (1920-1944) was a German Luftwaffe ground-attack pilot, who destroyed 80 tanks, most with the Henschel Hs 129. Though relatively slow and tricky to master, pilots felt reassured by its effective armour and armament. Had it been produced and deployed in larger numbers, like the Il-2 and Ju 87, it could have proved a significant problem for the Allies. Follow Joe Coles and his Hush-Kit aviation world on Substack, Twitter X or Blue Sky. If you enjoyed this story, please click the Follow button above to see more like it from Autocar Photo Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en ]]> WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday he had discussed the limits of the U.S. Constitution with President Donald Trump, and that there was not enough time to amend the founding document to allow the Republican a third White House term. Trump, 79, on Monday declined to definitively say he would not seek a third term, keeping alive speculation about how he might seek to extend his time in office. "It's been a great run. But I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution," Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill, adding that he had most recently talked to Trump an hour ago during the president's Asia trip. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't see a way to amend the (U.S.) Constitution because it takes about 10 years to do that, as you all know, to allow all the states to ratify ... what two-thirds of the House and three-fourths of the states would approve," he said. "I don't see the path for that." Trump's allies, including Steve Bannon, have cited plans to test the two-term limit laid out in the U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment. Trump has publicly talked about it at rallies and sells Trump 2028 hats, referring to the next presidential election that year. "He has a good time with that, trolling the Democrats whose hair is on fire about the very prospect" of another Trump term, Johnson said. Trump's current term ends in January 2029. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump on Monday also pointed to Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as great people who could seek the presidency in 2028. If he did try to seek another term, Trump would be 82 in 2028, making him the oldest U.S. president in history. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Alison Williams) By Diana Novak Jones and Ted Hesson CHICAGO (Reuters) -A federal judge has summoned a top U.S. Border Patrol official leading President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago to appear in court on Tuesday, after a video appeared to show him deploying tear gas potentially in violation of a court order limiting its use against protesters. Gregory Bovino, a roving Border Patrol operations commander who also played a lead role in immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles, was ordered to attend the hearing in person by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who earlier this month barred federal agents from using certain crowd-control tactics following a legal challenge by protesters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, a Republican, has made Chicago the focus of his aggressive immigration enforcement push during the past two months. Under Bovino's leadership, federal agents have used tear gas in residential areas and forcibly subdued protesters while attempting to arrest suspected immigration violatorssparking criticism and legal scrutiny. Three former federal immigration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters that it was unusual for a top official to be summoned to court on short notice. Ellis ordered Bovinos appearance after the protesters submitted a video they said showed him violating her earlier court order directing federal agents to give multiple warnings before using tear gas and other anti-riot weapons. In the video, Bovino appeared to toss a canister of gas at protesters who had gathered as federal agents conducted arrests last Thursday in a Chicago neighborhood known for being home to many Mexican immigrants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement on Friday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were surrounded by a large group while conducting an enforcement operation. She said some people in the crowd shot fireworks and threw rocks, hitting Bovino in the head, and that agents gave warnings before deploying chemicals. A DHS spokesperson on Monday defended Bovino and the agencys crowd-control tactics. DHS can think of nobody better to correct Judge Elliss deep misconceptions about its mission, and we thank him for his service, the spokesperson said. TRUMP'S BLITZ OPERATION FACES RESISTANCE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's ongoing "Operation Midway Blitz" deportation drive in Chicago has spurred arrests across the city and sparked widespread protests. In response, Trump attempted to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Illinois to quell what his administration called unprecedented violence against federal law enforcement, but the move has been halted for now by another court. Tuesday's hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by protesters, journalists and clergy in Chicago against Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials earlier this month, alleging they were deliberately targeted and brutalized during demonstrations. The judge has repeatedly expressed concerns that federal agents are violating her October 9 ruling requiring them to wear visible identification and limiting their use of anti-riot weapons such as pepper balls and tear gas. She later updated her order to require federal officers with body cameras to turn them on while conducting immigration enforcement activity and during interactions with the public. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones in Chicago and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shumaker) TOPEKA (KSNT) Despite what might seem to have been an unpleasant weekend, the community still managed to host several Trunk or Treats, around town. Our 27 News Storm Track Weather team reports that Topeka saw a quarter inch of rain on the weekend of October 25, with showers lasting for hours. Two event coordinators said bad weather was responsible for a lower turnout. The rain effected the event quite a bit, said Heather Quillin, organizer of the Jeepers Creepers, Trunk or Treat. We had a lot of people back out. We tend to have about 55 to 60 jeep, we only had 35. It was cold and wet. We expected it and we went with it and just kept on rolling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kansas seeks to improve clarity for schools across the state We had much fewer people show up to give out candy than we have in the past, but we had more children and parents come through than weve ever had before, said Ben Hardee, First Baptist Church Pastor. We had to make two different runs to the local Dillons down the street. Our Storm Track Weather team says Halloween should be clear, and the highs will be in the 50s so you might want to bundle up in those costumes. For more local eats news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. A Conservative peers talk on the importance of free speech has been cancelled by a prestigious school, The Telegraph has learned. Nigel Biggar, an Oxford professor and author, was scheduled to speak at a prize-giving ceremony at the High School, Dublin, where former pupils include William Butler Yeats, but had the invitation withdrawn hours before the event. Lord Biggar an outspoken defender of aspects of the Empire and a critic of post-colonial attacks on British history said that his speech at the 7,100-per-year school was to be on the value of free speech in a liberal society. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, according to emails seen by The Telegraph, Dr Duncan Cole, the chairman of the schools board of management instructed the headmaster to cancel Lord Biggars appearance. Lord Biggar has said he suspects that someone with influence expressed outrage over his initial invitation for the Oct 29 event and lobbied for the cancellation. The author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, a 2023 bestseller, has now written to the board of governors asking them to investigate the circumstances. Schools liberal culture at stake In the letter, he writes: Past experience suggests to me that the truth of what happened is something like this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the programme for the prize-giving was published ... someone with influence and maybe money had seen my name and took indignant exception. They objected fiercely to my being given a platform, because of my outrageous views, probably about the British Empire and slavery reparations. The outraged then applied pressure to Dr Cole who quickly folded. Lord Biggar added: Whats at stake here, in addition to your reputation, is the genuinely liberal culture of the High School and the integrity of its governance. Lord Young of Acton, the founder of the Free Speech Union, told The Telegraph the case was another example of free expression being curbed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like many victims of cancel culture, Nigel was only informed hed been no-platformed 24 hours before he was due to appear, he said. The discourtesy the sheer bad manners is staggering. But then, self-righteous woke gatekeepers think anyone who challenges their smelly little orthodoxy is beneath contempt and doesnt deserve to be treated with any respect. Sarah OReilly, CEO of Free Speech Ireland, said the schools management had placed itself at odds not only with public opinion, but with the core beliefs in free expression that underpin democracy in Western Europe. It is astonishing that an British parliamentarian has been deplatformed in Dublin for addressing the very subject of free speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cancellation of Professor Nigel Biggars talk by The High School, Rathgar, is not merely a civic embarrassment it verges on an international one. Free Speech Ireland calls for Professor Biggars invitation to be reinstated and for robust safeguards to be introduced to protect freedom of thought and expression on campuses nationwide. The right to speak freely is not conditional on ideological conformity. What begins as cancellations in educational settings rarely ends there it risks seeping into wider Irish civic life, chilling open discussion at precisely the time our society needs it most, she said. Lord Biggar was first denounced in 2017 after launching the Ethics and Empire project, which aimed to present a more balanced view of empire. Lord Biggars 2023 bestseller was published by HarperCollins. He claimed Bloomsbury, who commissioned it, told him public feeling did not support its release Following the initial row, he was commissioned by Bloomsbury to write a book about colonialism that drew on his work at Oxford. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However he claimed that Bloomsbury wrote to him in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests to say that public feeling on the subject does not currently support the publication of the book. The project was delayed indefinitely, before HarperCollins intervened and published the bestseller. Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning argued that the imperial project was beneficial for many subjects around the world, with one benefit being the abolition of slavery. The High School, Dublin, was founded in 1870 as a Protestant institution, and the independent schools ethos states that staff will strive to develop an institutional culture that respects the needs and views of others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The school has been contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (DC News Now) Airports across Jamaica are closed as Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 storm, moves closer to the island. Flights are canceled until later this week, and officials are warning of potentially catastrophic conditions as strong winds and heavy rains begin to arrive. From Montego Bay, travelers are already seeing the first signs of the storm. Marnell Small and her husband traveled to Jamaica to celebrate their anniversary, but instead, theyre spending it waiting out the hurricane. It is very calm, and thats alarming because sometimes, like, before its about to snow when youre at home, you know, it gets really peaceful. And then something is about to happen, Small said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier Monday, Small shared a video from her resort balcony showing gray skies. The skies are gray, but its like a drizzle every now and then, she said. Hurricane Melissa becomes rare Category 5: Has DC seen a storm like that before? Small and her husband have been stuck in Montego Bay since flights were canceled on Saturday. Friday afternoon, we noticed there was some rain coming, but Saturday morning, we got word that the flights were canceled. And then we got word that the flights were canceled until Wednesday, she said. While the weather remains relatively calm in Montego Bay for now, Small says shes praying for other parts of the island already hit by flooding and mudslides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im just praying for the areas that are experiencing flooding right now. Im hearing theres some mudslides and flooding happening in Kingston, she said. Small added that her resort has taken extra precautions, providing water, meals, and even housing staff members on-site. I see that theyve taken down things around the resort, anchored them so they dont fly away. Theyve housed their employees. Im trying to prepare as best I can, keeping our gadgets plugged in, keeping phones charged and battery packs ready, she said. 2.5 magnitude earthquake hits Howard County Despite the preparations, she admits its difficult to stay calm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have a little bit of anxiety because I keep hearing all of whats supposed to be. So Im just praying for the areas already seeing the flooding right now. Back in Virginia, Ainsworth Smith has been in touch with family living in the countryside of Jamaica. He says his relatives are preparing to shelter in place rather than evacuate. Get food and stuff because they need it to last for a while because theres going to be no electricity, no internet, no water, Smith said. Hes especially concerned about recovery efforts once the storm passes. They probably wont get any help for months, so thats my concern, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Small says friends and family back home grew worried after seeing fake AI-generated photos and videos online exaggerating the storms impact. Shes urging people to be cautious about what they see and share. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. A new Trader Joes grocery store is set to open Wednesday in Woodbridge, bringing dozens of new jobs to the area. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 8:55 a.m. followed by the supermarket opening at 9 a.m. Customers will be welcomed to the new location at 675 U.S. Route 1 South in Iselin by Store Captain Daniel Scott and crew members. The new store, which is the 20th Trader Joes in New Jersey, is across Route 1 from the Woodbridge Center Mall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trader Joes has hired more than 60 new crew members from surrounding areas and also transferred experienced staff from other locations. The Woodbridge store will participate in the companys Neighborhood Shares Program. Throughout the week, the market will donate 100% of unsold products that are still fit for consumption to local nonprofit, community-based organizations. The store will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The new Trader Joes occupies the space formerly held by Bed, Bath & Beyond. Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac revealed plans for the store back in March. The most sought-after American-owned and operated grocery store is finally coming to Woodbridge after we beat out all of our neighboring towns that have been competing to attract it, McCormac said at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Woodbridge location joins existing New Jersey Trader Joes stores in Brick, Bridgewater, Cherry Hill, Clifton, Denville, Edgewater, Florham Park, Freehold, Hoboken, Marlton, Middletown Township, Millburn, North Brunswick, Paramus, Princeton, Shrewsbury, Wayne, Westfield and Westwood. Stories by N.J. News Report Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Trader Joe's shoppers, get excited. A new store location is opening in the Boston area this week. According to the Trader Joe's website, the grocery chain's new store will be on Centre St. in West Roxbury, located in the building which formerly housed Walgreens until it closed last November. In a previous statement, Trader Joe's expressed their excitement over the "terrific location." "We are proud to be joining the neighborhood, and to continue our commitment to providing nourishment to the surrounding communities," reads the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's when the new Trader Joe's will open in Massachusetts. When will Trader Joe's in West Roxbury open? Trader Joe's in Hartsdale Oct. 27, 2025. The new Trader Joe's will open on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. A brief ribbon cutting ceremony will start at 8:55 a.m. New restaurants in MA: Tavern in the Square to open new MA location this year. Here's where How to go to Trader Joe's in West Roxbury The Trader Joe's logo is displayed at a store on in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2024. After the grand opening, West Roxbury's Trader Joe's store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The store is located at 1999 Centre St. in West Roxbury. MA businesses: Chick-fil-A opening 7 new MA restaurants in 2025 with more to come. Here's where Other Trader Joe's locations in MA Until the West Roxbury location opens, Trader Joe's has 23 other locations in Massachusetts, including three in Boston: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Back Bay 899 Boylston St., Boston Boylston St. 500 Boylston St., Boston Fort Point Seaport 44 Thomson Pl., Boston A full list of Trader Joe's locations in Massachusetts can be found on the grocery store's website. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Trader Joe's opening new Massachusetts store this week. How to go A three-car crash between Parkland and Spanaway on state Route 7 blocked a turn lane Tuesday. The southbound left turn lane was blocked near Military Road South and 152nd Street South, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation at 10:43 a.m. A driver was reportedly driving northbound on SR 7 and ran a red light. The driver struck a vehicle that was going through a green light westbound on Military Road, Washington State Patrol Trooper Daniel Southard told The News Tribune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then the driver who ran the red light hit another vehicle that was stopped at a red light in the SR 7 left turn lane at Military Road. No one was suspected to be impaired and the driver who hit the two vehicles was cited for second-degree negligent driving, Southard said. All three vehicles were towed. No injuries were reported. The road was blocked for about 30 minutes. A transgender nurse who used a hospitals female changing room was no different than a larger woman, an NHS boss has suggested. Eight nurses are bringing a claim against the NHS after Rose Henderson, who was born male but identifies as a woman, was allowed to use the female changing facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital. An employment tribunal in Newcastle has previously heard allegations that Henderson, who was bearded, intimidated female colleagues and repeatedly asked one if she was going to get changed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Andrew Thacker, of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said during a hearing on Tuesday that Henderson had not acted in a threatening way. Mr Thacker, a director of workforce and organisational development, was asked by Niazi Fetto KC, the nurses lawyer, whether female nurses sharing a changing room with a larger biological male might find the situation aggravating. Rose Henderson was born male but identifies as a woman As the first witness to give evidence in defence of the trust, he replied: I think I could accept that if this was a man who didnt identify as a woman. I think the image that youre trying to portray is there was a largely built man using the female changing rooms. Rose identifies as a woman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pressed further, he said: For me, it would depend on whether or not (Henderson) was threatening in any way toward the female employees and thats not my understanding of the situation. I have got no reason to believe that Rose being Rose and presenting the way that Rose is, is any different to having anybody larger than any individual in the changing room. Some of the nurses from Darlington Memorial Hospital speak to the media - Owen Humphreys/PA The nurses have filed the claim against the trust on the grounds of sexual harassment, discrimination, victimisation and breaches of the right to a private life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The tribunal has heard that nurses started to raise concerns about Henderson using the changing rooms in the summer of 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one incident, a nurse alleged that a half-clothed Henderson was clearly watching her as she was about to get undressed and asked her three times if she was going to get changed. She said the incident had triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder from child sexual abuse. On Tuesday, the tribunal heard evidence from Kirsten Coutts, a staff nurse at the hospital, who criticised the trusts treatment of nurses who raised concerns about Henderson using the changing room. In her witness statement, Ms Coutts said she was one of 26 nurses to sign a letter to the trusts HR department in March 2024 raising their concerns. A changing room at the Darlington hospital embroiled in a trans row She said: When we look after patients, we are not allowed put transgender patients together with biological women at any point in their stay at the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are always placed in a side room. This is obviously a sensible rule and it is not reasonable or fair to deny the same right to privacy to the trusts own staff. The staff nurse said that Henderson lodged a formal grievance in response to the letter. The trust gave her and the other nurses a grievance notice in which Henderson accused them of direct discrimination and harassment and creating a hostile environment, she said. Ms Coutts, who has worked at the hospital since 2008, said she was quite surprised and taken aback and claimed the trust was effectively saying that we had no right to an opinion on this issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She recounted a later meeting with one of the trusts HR workers which veered into confrontational questioning about Hendersons complaint. I felt I had been ambushed and intimidated and did not know what to do, she said. The hospital where a group of female nurses allege harassment Jane Shields, a nurse anaesthetist who also gave evidence on Tuesday, said that hospital bosses did not take nurses concerns seriously because they were worried about being portrayed as a bullying trust. Ms Shields said in her witness statement: My assessment is that 80 per cent of the female staff at the time were not happy that Rose was permitted to change in our changing rooms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The majority of the people that I spoke to were not happy with it. She said she asked her manager: Why were we expected to share our changing room with a male? Ms Shields continued: Her answer was that we have to be shown to be a diverse and accepting trust. I was aware that in the recent past we had a reputation of being a bullying environment for students and that students were refusing to come to Darlington as a result. She said there was an internal investigation into allegations around five years ago, adding: I think they just did not want to upset the apple cart or be portrayed as a bullying trust. The tribunal continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. IN ITS DEALINGS WITH ALLIES, the Trump administration is often described as transactionala term that means that any entreaties by Americas partners grounded on appeals to shared values are a waste of time. Instead, tangible, commercially minded proposals must be put on the table, with direct economic benefit to the United Statesor, even better, to the president himself. This advice, which has congealed into conventional wisdom in Washington and has been heard by just about every visiting delegation seeking to stay on Americas good side, is at best highly incomplete. At its worst, it produces the exact forms of interdependence that Western governments would recognize immediately, in other contexts, as a source of vulnerability. Acquiescing to putative Trumpian transactionalism, furthermore, validates the worst instincts of the administrationand delays the course correction that is necessary if U.S.-led alliances are to survive. Instead of jumping into ill-thought-out deals, U.S. allies need a serious strategy of derisking their economic and other relations with the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First of all, the evidence that humoring the current occupant of the White House turns him into a more reliable ally is scant. Since the disastrous Oval Office meeting at the end of February, Ukraines leaders have said yes to nearly every proposal put forward by the United States, including most prominently a deal on rare-earth minerals. Yet, during that period, the Trump administration has run hot and cold, sometimes signaling support, sometimes not, sometimes pausing military assistance, then resuming it. Nor has Washington put meaningful economic pressure on Russia, aside from the sanctions imposed recently on Lukoil and Rosneftwhich will likely only prove effective if secondary measures are also taken against their customers. Earlier this year, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Japan accepted humiliating, one-sided trade deals, tearing up longstanding principles of international trade, on largely non-economic grounds. At a time when the European continent both showed serious economic vulnerabilities and continued to rely on U.S. security guarantees, a trade war with the United States might have been indeed ill-advised. Yet, little suggests that the deals in question have translated into a more credible U.S. posture in Europe or in the Indo-Pacific. And, within weeks of the deal with the EU, Washington issued new threats of tariffs against the EU, in response to the blocs longstanding rules governing large technology companies. Likewise, Canada, which has also sought to accommodate the United States, is now facing U.S. tariffs after the government of Ontario bought airtime for a trade-related television ad (featuring old footage of Ronald Reagan) that got under Trumps skin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And even Qatars blatant bribing of Trumpan airplane!did not protect the emirate against strikes from a U.S. ally, Israel. Support The Bulwarks independent political journalism by signing up for a free or paid subscription. WHAT LIES AT THE HEART of the illusion of the transactionalist Trump is Norman Angells chestnut of liberal peacethe old idea that liberal countries that engage in commerce with one another are unlikely to engage in war with one another. In its new version, the notion is that economic interdependence will soften Trumps politics by changing the incentives to which the U.S. president responds. Now, one does not need to believe that Trumps America is equivalent to Vladimir Putins Russia or Xi Jinpings China to be skeptical that this approach will work. And it is incumbent on those advocating for transactionalism to explain why Trumps success in forging one-sided, quasi-colonial deals with Americas clients will not encourage him to be more predatory. Otherwise, transactionalism becomes simply a self-serving slogan for those unwilling to confront the realities of America in 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None of this is to say that allies should pick needless fights with the United States or be deliberately unconstructive in their dealings with the Trump administration. However, for their own sake, they must think of their countries relationships with the United States also in terms of weaponized interdependencemuch like they do in the context of relations with other, not necessarily benevolent powers. For example, for Romanians or Czechs to buy F-35s, to be delivered sometime in the 2030s and with massive price tags, is approximately as rational as Spains (now aborted) decision to invite Huawei to upgrade its government networks, or to use the company to store judicial wiretaps. In the year that followed Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Draghi report notes, 63 percent of European defense purchases went to U.S. companies. That makes little sense and would be fundamentally unsustainable even under the most optimistic assumptions about the United States and the health of the transatlantic relationship. While the United States still has a long way to go to resemble autocratic regimes such as China, it has rapidly been building a disturbing new nexus of executive power and big business. The list of donors to Trumps ballroom project and the ongoing capitulation of big media companies to Trumps blackmail indicate the ever-thinner line separating the U.S. government and the corporate sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, Europeans cant solve this problem. Neither can Americas Indo-Pacific allies. Only the U.S. voting public can. But they must entertain the possibility that in case of a major transatlantic dispute, for example, their F-35s might stop receiving critical software updates or spare parts. They must understand they may not be able to rely on Starlinkjust as Ukraine could not at a critical moment in the war. They must grasp that U.S. supplies of liquid natural gas may start coming with strings attached. They must also face the very real prospect of social media platforms, controlled by figures close to the Trump administration, pumping out content to sway European elections in ways that are congruent with Steve Bannons authoritarian project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, the embrace of transactionalism by allies make the prospect for a change of course in the United States more distantboth by cushioning the direct impact of Trumpism and by helping to disarm political opposition at home. It is harder to mobilize domestic opposition against Trump if key allied leaders indulge his every whim and let themselves be humiliated at regular intervals. There is a better way to engage with the United States in 2025 than to flatter Trump and look for compelling business deals. It starts by acknowledging that Americas democratic decline and its pugilistic turn on the global stage are real and potentially chronic conditions, and proceeds by managing the associated risksnot only by appeasing the current administration but also by using leverage to push back whenever appropriate and by reducing exposure to economic, technological, and other interdependencies with an increasingly unreliable America. To do so is not to accelerate the disintegration of the U.S.-led alliance. Rather, it is simply to deal with realityand set conditions for a reconstruction of the relationship when political circumstances in the United States allow. Share The Sierra Club has released a report critical of plans to build a $1.5 billion waste-to-energy plant off Jog Road near West Palm Beach, one that Palm Beach County officials have faulted as misleading. The county is home to the nations largest waste-burning complex, owned by the countys Solid Waste Authority. There are two incinerators with a combined capacity to burn 5,000 tons of waste per day. The first came online in 1989 and has two burners, each capable of burning 1,000 tons in 24 hours. The report, commissioned by the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group, claims that the new 3,000 to 4,000-ton-a-day trash incinerator would be one of the largest industrial air polluters in the county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement County commissioners have authorized the Solid Waste Authority to plan construction of a new plant to replace the existing one, which is expected to be decommissioned by 2039. The SWA said its waste-to-energy sites are highly regulated under federal, state and local laws and have operated safely for 36 years. Sierra Club urges study of strategies that don't burn garbage The Sierra Club report raises concerns about the potential health risks associated with the project, particularly for its neighbors. Plant opponents argue that increased emissions could disproportionately affect children and the elderly, who are more sensitive to air pollution. They urge county officials to consider other strategies for handling trash that prioritize public health. The new facility would be among the countys top five industrial air emitters of ammonia, cadmium, dioxins/furans, hydrochloric acid, mercury, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gases, according to the 39-page report, whose principal author is Mike Ewall of the Energy Justice Network, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that has opposed waste-to-energy plants in other parts of the U.S. One of the two waste-to-energy plants at the county's Solid Waste Authority is expected to be replaced by a new one. A report from the Sierra Club questions whether it will emit pollutants that could poison the air. No incinerator is clean, as all involve putting significant amounts of pollutants into the air," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The SWA said it considered human health and ecological risks in siting the new plant. It concluded there were none. The Sierra Club argues the question is a relative one. Yes, newer trash incinerators are less polluting than the older generation but it will still be a major air polluter, the report said. That analysis is based on air emissions data reported from the incinerators themselves to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as emissions data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys National Emissions Inventory, Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, and Toxics Release Inventory databases, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The SWA, however, claims it is misleading to cite its facilities as being among the countys largest industrial polluters in Palm Beach County for two reasons: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The county is not heavily industrialized, and its economy is predominantly based on agriculture and tourism. So any emissions from an industrial source would rank high within that category as there are only a few industries in the county Any report on air emissions should consider all the emission sources within the area. A study conducted by the University of Florida considered all sources in the county, and concluded that SWAs air emissions represent 0.5% of the total emissions within the county. The SWA also took issue with the reports finding that its current facilities account for 100% of potentially toxic dioxin/furan emissions within the county, noting that no data are available for any other sources. For 2025, actual emissions for dioxin/furan were 83% below permit limits, according to SWA. Waste-to-energy facilities are net greenhouse gas reducers when accounting for avoided fugitive methane emissions from landfills, SWA officials have said. Sierra Club to hold two meetings about waste-to-energy plant The Sierra Club study, though, questioned the reliability of emission limits set by state and federal environmental agencies. It claimed they are not based on health and safety and that arguments that complying with permit limits equates to no harm to health and the environment are a fallacy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MORE: County says new $1.5 billion waste-to-energy plant will cut emissions by more than half MORE: SWA: Proposed new emission rules could force us to close our two Palm Beach County plants It also pointed to issues in other states with Covanta, the New Jersey-based corporation whose affiliate, Reworld, operates the waste-to-energy plants in Palm Beach County for the SWA. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the company entered into a nonprosecution agreement after an investigation into alleged improprieties in the recording and reporting of emissions data. The company also agreed to pay a $200,000 community service payment to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to fund air quality and environmental efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Connecticut, the company was fined $20,000 in a civil case after an employee allegedly manipulated an emissions monitoring device to pass an audit. There has been no federal or state citations related to the operation of the waste-to-energy facilities in Palm Beach County. The report also claimed that other counties have documented that incineration (and landfilling of the incinerator ash) is two to three times more harmful to human health and than going directly to the landfill without burning the waste first. The Sierra Club will hold a seminar on at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 and at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 15 at Seminole Trails Elementary School, at Haverhill and Roebuck roads in suburban West Palm Beach, to discuss the report and the SWA's plan for a new waste-to energy plant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information, and an online copy of the report, one can visit the following website: www.energyjustice.net/fl/pbcincin.pdf. Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sierra Club asks county to rethink building new waste-to-energy plant The U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 travel advisory for Mali, warning Americans not to travel to the country due to ongoing risks from crime, terrorism, kidnapping, civil unrest, and limited health care services. On October 24, 2025, the Department authorized non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families to leave Mali amid growing safety concerns. The U.S. government has also restricted its employees from traveling outside the capital, Bamako, and cannot provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens beyond this area. The advisory highlights widespread violent crime throughout Mali, including kidnapping, armed robbery, assault, home invasion, and carjacking. These dangers are especially pronounced in Bamako during local holidays and seasonal events. Travelers should be aware of frequent roadblocks by armed groups, police checkpoints at night, and attacks targeting government, civilian, and commercial vehicles on highways. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is a significant threat of terrorist violence. Terrorist and armed groups have targeted foreigners for kidnappings and may carry out attacks without warning at locations frequented by foreigners such as nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, places of worship, diplomatic missions, and local security forces. Armed conflict between the Malian government and various armed groups is common nationwide. These groups often carry out deadly attacks on government and military facilities, including in the capital, resulting in civilian casualties. Air travel in and around Mali is also considered risky. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued notices restricting civil aviation operations due to safety concerns.Health services in Mali are limited. While some facilities exist in major cities, rural areas have very restricted access to medical care. Public clinics often lack basic supplies, and patients must pay for hospital transfers. Psychological and psychiatric services are scarce, and hospital care is generally available only through government institutions. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Mali to have emergency plans that do not rely on government assistance. Travelers should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive updates and alerts. It is also recommended to establish personal security plans, monitor local news, and prepare legal and communication arrangements with family and employers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additional precautions include leaving expensive belongings behind, securing accommodations, and deleting sensitive content from electronic devices before traveling to Mali. Vaccinations and travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage are strongly advised. For U.S. citizens requiring assistance, the U.S. Embassy in Bamako remains the primary contact point.For more detailed information, visit the official U.S. Department of State travel advisory page. More Travel Advisories Generative AI was used to help produce this story, based on source material. It was reviewed and edited by MassLive. Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) Its been nearly four months since the Independence Day floods devastated parts of Central Texas, including along Sandy Creek in western Travis County, where ten people were killed and homes were swept away. Ashley Willis and her family, who have lived there for generations, said they lost everything houses, farm structures and their family business. I think this was my bedroom. Im like 98% certain it was, she said, pointing to an empty space. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four structures in three hours. Not to mention the barns and all the animals, Willis continued. The amount of damage is incomprehensible. Residents have spent the past several months clearing piles of debris tree limbs, vehicles, and shattered pieces of homes. Detritus still litters Willis property. She said it would be an impossible task to remove every piece left behind from the flood. I think we had 54 pull-behind trailers of debris pulled out, she said. Travis County officials say the deadline to apply for debris removal assistance is this Friday. You can apply by clicking this link. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ensuring her neighbors get the help they need has become Williss passion. She recently formed the Sandy Creek Alliance, a grassroots group advocating for more recovery funding and faster emergency response times. We do it because we believe in change, but also that we shouldnt have to do this alone, Willis said. Theres real power in community and in working yourself from the local level up. Despite the challenges, Willis said shes determined to see her community rebuilt. We are going to rebuild. Its just a lot right now very overwhelming. The Travis County Commissioners Court had planned to discuss the countys disaster response, including the Sandy Creek floods, during its meeting on Tuesday, but the item was pulled from the agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday are set to discuss response to natural disasters or other emergencies, including the deadly July flooding. The flooding during the Independence Day weekend killed more than 100 people across the state, including several in Travis County. The meeting comes hours after Travis County Judge Andy Brown and others met with those still trying to rebuild in the Sandy Creek area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED: Woman trying to connect family with photos found in Texas flood aftermath In September, commissioners unanimously approved a special tax rate to help pay for damage and prepare for future disasters. A county spokesman previously said $21 million had already been set aside to directly respond to flooding. An estimated $42 million in additional funding is expected with the new tax rate which will go into a disaster response special reserve fund. For the average taxable homestead, the county will tack $200.64 additional to your property tax bill next fiscal year, according to staff. Of that, $71.66 is the portion thats related to the disaster declaration. That would be one-time funding, not recurring year after year. Flood victims say theyre frustrated by county response During Mondays meeting, those who live in the Sandy Creek area met with Brown and other leaders to discuss, what they say, are ongoing problems with recovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One resident said she continues to foot the bill for damage on her property and there has been an overall lack of communication from officials. RELATED: FEMAs flood maps often miss dangerous flash flood risks, leaving homeowners unprepared When the flood hit, I started helping right away, the Sandy Creek resident said. Not because someone told me to but because I couldnt just stand there since there was not an immediate response from professionals. She went on to say she saw food and supplies go unused because information didnt reach the families who needed it. Residents said the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) was making it tougher to get the help they needed because of the way it categorizes peoples property. Brown said he agreed to follow up with TCAD on concerns officials did not have answers to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An update is expected by Nov. 10, Brown said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. NEW CANAAN - "I took my mom's life," Sebastian Van Stockum, sitting on the ground and wearing bloodstained clothes, told first arriving officers "in a low, indistinguishable voice," according to newly police reports released Tuesday. Van Stockum, 20, who since has been charged with murder after his mother, Laura Williams, was found bludgeoned to death in a New Canaan home, had called police earlier that evening to confess to the killing, official said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When police arrived they found Williams lying in a pool of blood in the front yard of her Gerdes Road home, the reports said. Next to her head, police found "a hammer covered in blood," the reports said. "I tried using a knife, I tried using a hammer and I used my fists," Van Stockum told investigators when asked what had happened to Williams, according to the reports. Williams later was pronounced dead at the scene, the reports said. Police were first alerted to the incident when they received reports of shouts of "Mama" ringing through the nearby woods, the reports said. Shortly after, they received a call from Van Stockum confessing to the crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I want to turn myself in," Van Stockum told police during the call, according to the reports. "I just killed my mom and I don't know why I did it." "I wish she was here, I wish I didn't do what I did," Van Stockum later told dispatchers, the reports said. When police got to the home, they found Van Stockum sitting on the floor of his home holding a phone in his hands, which police noted "were completely saturated in blood." The phone he held still had the 911 call on the line, reports said. Van Stockum was taken into custody without incident and placed into the rear of a cruiser, at which point the reports said he broke down in tears. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I was a problem ever since I was born. ... I don't have time to take any pressure off me, I want all the pressure. I want to be crushed," Van Stockum told police, according to the reports. "I deserve to be forgotten." With Van Stockum in custody, police began searching the home, where they found "overturned furniture, blood stains and miscellaneous items strewn about," police reports said. Police wrote that they also found blood on the rear screen and interior doors to the home, suggesting "the female victim may have run out the back door prior to collapsing in the driveway." Stockum was arraigned Monday at state Superior Court in Stamford, where State's Attorney Paul Ferencek had revealed that the 20-year-old had bludgeoned the victim, leaving her with "extreme trauma to her skull" and killing her in the process. While several days have passed, New Canaan police have remained tight-lipped about the case and have not formally identified the victim in the killing. In an email Monday morning, New Canaan police Lt. Marc J. DeFelice said the department did not intend to release any further information in the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, however, confirmed that Williams, who owned the home, died of blunt injuries of the head in a homicide. Criminal defense attorney Phillip Russell, who represented Van Stockum for bond purposes Monday, said the killing came as "a terrible shock" to everyone involved. "No one foresaw this happening," Russell said Monday. Van Stockum remains in custody on a $2 million bond and is next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 3. New Canaan police detectives investigating the killing are being assisted by the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crimes, DeFelice said. This article originally published at 'I tried using a hammer and I used my fists,' suspect in New Canaan mom's killing told cops: Reports. An expedition to try to locate Amelia Earhart's plane on a remote island in the Pacific has been delayed until next year, Purdue University said Monday. A team of researchers was planning to travel to Nikumaroro Island in early November to determine whether something known as the Taraia Object a visual anomaly seen in satellite and other imagery is Earhart's aircraft. They are now awaiting additional clearances from local authorities as they work through the permit approvals, and cannot go later this year due to the start of cyclone season, according to a news release. "We've overcome other challenges to this project over the past four years, and we will get past this one, too," Richard Pettigrew, executive director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, said in the release. "Because of the compelling evidence we have in front of us, we have to go to Nikumaroro and get a close look at the Taraia Object. Rest assured that we will do just that, so stay tuned! We will have a revised project schedule worked out soon." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The underwater object has been visible in photos dating back to 1938, the year after Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared while Earhart flying a Lockheed 10-E Electra tried to become the first female aviator to circle the world. A satellite image shows the Taraia Object in a lagoon on Nikumaroro Island. / Credit: Rick Pettigrew, Archaeological Legacy Institute Researchers previously said there is "very strong" evidence that the object, which is in a lagoon on Nikumaroro, a small island in Kiribati about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, is the iconic aviator's plane. Some, however, have expressed skepticism. "We've looked there in that spot, and there's nothing there," Ric Gillespie, executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, told NBC News in July. A team of researchers from Purdue and the Archaeological Legacy Institute plan to take photos and videos of the site, then use magnetometers and sonar devices to scan the area. The item will then be dredged and lifted from the water so researchers can attempt to identify it. Expedition member Steve Schultz, who is Purdue University's senior vice president and general counsel, said "maritime expeditions require thorough preparation and numerous clearances." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have gained valuable insights throughout this process and are very confident and resolved to continue this quest with a planned 2026 departure," he said. Amelia Earhart poses for photos as she arrives in Southampton, England, after her transatlantic flight on the Eye Opener: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Judge admonishes ICE leader in Chicago after agents descend on Halloween parade LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A young Lancaster County boy passed away after being pulled from a pond last week, Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday. Troopers confirmed the two-year-old boy was taken off life support at Hershey Medical Center Sunday and died. The investigation continues into how the boy fell in the pond in the 1000 block of Mine Road in Salisbury Township on Thursday, State Police said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter State Police did not release any other details or the identity of the boy. This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth doesnt appear to be letting go of his beef with facial hair anytime soon. U.S. troops with facial hair reportedly have been barred from attending an event with Hegseth this week at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. Politics: Pete Hegseth's Newest Defense Order Is Sure To Annoy A Lot Of Military Members The restriction for troops was announced in an email purportedly sent by the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base in South Korea and was posted Sunday to an unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The email, which an Air Force official confirmed to Task & Purpose, a news outlet focused on military reporting, noted that troops with shaving waivers are NOT authorized to attend the gathering. As you know, it is typical for senior leaders to visit the troops when they travel to installations around the world, the official said in a statement to the news outlet. Hegseth is set to travel to multiple areas in Asia this week, including Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia, to drill down on the U.S. militarys focus on the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Pentagon. Politics: Trump's Ex-Press Secretary Reveals What She'd Do To Beat Trump Reps for the Pentagon and the U.S. Air Force didnt immediately respond to HuffPosts requests for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseths beard ban for troops comes after the defense secretary delivered a controversial speech in which he declared, No more beardos. At the rare meeting of hundreds of senior military officials at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, last month, Hegseth announced that service members must give up superficial individual expression. No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression. Were going to cut our hair, shave our beards and adhere to standards, Hegseth said in his speech, which detailed impending changes to the military under the Trump administration. Politics: AOC Blows Right-Winger Riley Gaines Out Of The Water With 2 Hilarious Clap Backs He added, If you want a beard, you can join special forces. If not, then shave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseth also railed against woke culture within the military and decried fat generals and admirals. Related... Read the original on HuffPost The government shutdown continues to grind on, and theres no end in sight. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that troops would begin going without pay starting Nov. 15 if the shutdown continues, even as many families prepare for the holiday season. Earlier this month, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that this could be the longest shutdown in American history. Task & Purpose has continued to cover military issues related to the shutdown, including missing or incorrect mid-month paychecks, emergency loan troubles, service obligation extensions and Congressional infighting over legislation that could restart military pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But we know that the shutdown extends beyond those issues and occurs away from the limelight of Capitol Hill. And we want to hear more from you troops, military families, veterans, federal employees and contractors as the governments closure reaches its fourth week. Is your units training happening as expected? Are you able to attend the military schools you signed up for? Are you experiencing any differences in medical or mental health resources? Can you find childcare? Are military civilians continuing work despite being furloughed? In short, what is the public missing about how the shutdown is affecting you? If youd like to talk to us about this, please fill out the form below and well follow up. Vice President JD Vance said military members will continue receiving their pay amid the government shutdown, suggesting to reporters Tuesday that President Donald Trump has identified new funding to avoid a first-ever lapse in troop pay. We believe that we can continue to pay the troops on Friday, he said after addressing a closed-door Senate GOP lunch. Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to pay everybody, because we've been handed a very bad hand by the Democrats. This is one of the reasons why you've seen some layoffs in the federal workforce. We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now, he added Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance also said that the White House is working to keep as much open as possible, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal food aid program that is set to run out of cash at the end of the week. He said the White House is exploring all options to ensure food benefits flow and military members get paid, he said, noting it would be easier if Democrats voted to open the government. There are limitations on all these funds. There are limitations on how you can use them, Vance said. Obviously, it's a limited pot of money, so even if you use them for one thing, that means you can't use them for another. Vance, according to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), did not discuss paying the military or SNAP funding during the closed-door lunch. The Pentagon made payments to active duty troops earlier this month by tapping a Defense Department research and development account. The White House has not released details about how the upcoming paychecks will be funded. Republican senators were more interested in talking about another issue: President Donald Trumps plan to import beef from Argentina , according to five senators in the room. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said Republicans gave Vance an earful, but two other senators, who were granted anonymity to describe the private meeting, said Vance gave no indication Trump is going to change his strategy on beef imports. Vances lunch with Senate Republicans comes on the 28th day of the shutdown, starting shortly after Democrats once again rejected a House-passed bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21. Vance stressed to GOP senators in the room to stay united and force Democrats to reopen the full government. He counseled against passing narrow rifle shot exemptions to the shutdown, according to one GOP senator who attended. Senate Majority Leader John Thune ruled out votes on those narrower bills in comments to reporters after the lunch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This piecemeal approach where you do one-off here, one-off there that is the wrong way to do this, Thune said. That's not the way to approach this. Vance also sent a message to GOP senators to stand behind Trumps tariff campaign ahead of a series of votes this week that would undermine recent duties levied on Brazil, Canada and other countries. Vance said he told Republican senators that the tariffs give us the ability to put American workers first though he added that he recognized there is a diversity of opinions among Republicans on the matter. Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said Vances message was that we should stick together and that the presidents working to get better trade deals, and he's having real success. Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in an interview with Axios, conducted on Sunday and published on Monday, that his country and its allies will work on a plan for a ceasefire with Russia "in the next week or ten days", Azernews reports. Still, Zelensky expressed doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to agree to any such plan. "As far as I know, the conversation between [US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio and [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov was not positive," he noted. Zelensky added that US President Donald Trump is "concerned about escalation. But I think that if there are no negotiations, there will be an escalation anyway." Zelensky noted that, to pressure Russia, "sanctions is one such weapon, but we also need long-range missiles." He added that he and Trump "speak not only about Tomahawks. The US has a lot of similar things that doesn't require much time for training." Three aggressive monkeys are still on the loose after a truck transporting them overturned in Mississippi, officials confirmed. The truck was loaded with caged Rehsus monkeys when it crashed on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg, on Tuesday. It is still not clear what caused the truck to overturn. Despite reports initially suggesting that the monkeys were carrying infectious diseases - including hepatitis C, herpes and Covid-19 - Tulane University, where they were being housed, denied that was the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The primates...aren't infectious. We're actively collaborating with local authorities & will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed, the university wrote. Tulane stressed to The Independent that the monkeys have not been exposed to any infectious agent. A truck hauling aggressive monkeys thought to be carrying hepatitis C, herpes and Covid-19 has overturned in Mississippi, with at least one on the loose, according to authorities (Getty Images) The monkeys, which the Associated Press say are among the most medically studied in the world, were being transported to a testing facility in Florida, Connecticut, WFSB reported. Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson told local outlet WAPT that 21 monkeys were on the truck, six of whom initially escaped. "The monkey that got away actually crossed interstate, went out into a wooded area," Johnson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Initial reports suggested only one monkey was still on the loose, but after Jasper County officials were able to reach the wreck safely, they discovered two others had also fled from the wreck, The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans, the department wrote in a Facebook post, warning the public they were aggressive. Tulane previously told The Independent that the monkeys left the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center in Covington, Louisiana, and were traveling to a non-Tulane-affiliated location. The primates in question belong to another entity, the university said, adding that they were not being transported by a Tulane-affiliated service. The truck was loaded with caged Rehsus monkeys when it crashed on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg, on Tuesday (Jasper County Sheriff's Department) The monkeys that escaped and were recovered have been destroyed, according to officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries also responded to the scene. Tulane will send a team to pick up the monkeys that are still caged on Wednesday, according to authorities. In the wake of the incident, PETA issued a statement, calling the incident an example of the risks posed by the greedy monkey experimentation industry. During a welcoming ceremony in Tokyo Tuesday, Donald Trump appeared to forget where he was going as he walked through a room filled with dignitaries and a military band, at one point even leaving Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi behind. Bro has no idea what is going on. This is crazy. pic.twitter.com/Q6qHSMe6uZ Jim Stewartson, Antifascist (@jimstewartson) October 28, 2025 Its another example of the presidents ongoing cognitive decline and health issues, which are becoming more apparent with each of his public appearances. On Monday, the president revealed on Air Force One that a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center earlier this month was to get an MRI as part of what he described as a routine yearly checkup, despite the fact that his yearly physical exam was six months ago. Neither the president nor White House officials have revealed why he got the MRI, and Trump also talked at length about a very hard aptitude test he received at the military hospital, claiming that members of Congress such as Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett wouldnt have performed well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said the tests at the time included questions about tigers, an elephant, a giraffe, which sounds like he took a test to check for Alzheimers, dementia, or other cognitive issues. Such tests being conducted only six months after his yearly physical are a worrying sign, especially considering that Trump has also been spotted with discoloration on his hands and mysterious bruises. Trump is visiting Japan hoping to shore up Japanese investment in the United States, just after the country elected the right-wing Takaichi as its first female prime minister. But aside from the U.S. economys health, the presidents health appears to be cause for concern. (NewsNation) President Donald Trump continued to tout his recent trade deals Tuesday in Japan, marking the second leg of an Asian tour that will culminate in a face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During a meeting with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday, Trump referred to Japan as an ally at the strongest level and praised the countrys previous $550 billion investment commitment to the United States. The leaders struck a pair of deals, including one that secures critical and rare-earth minerals for the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Border Patrol chief questioned over Chicago immigration crackdown Weve made Japan a lot of money, thats OK, Trump told troops on the USS George Washington. But theyre a big investor in our country, and we like that. YOKOSUKA, JAPAN OCTOBER 28: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to troops aboard USS George Washington at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Trump is visiting Japan, fresh off an appearance at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and will next travel to South Korea for the APEC meetings. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) YOKOSUKA, JAPAN OCTOBER 28: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (C) and U.S.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (R) react as President Donald Trump (not pictured) prepares to speak to troops aboard USS George Washington at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Trump is visiting Japan, fresh off an appearance at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and will next travel to South Korea for the APEC meetings. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) YOKOSUKA, JAPAN OCTOBER 28: U.S. President Donald Trump applauds as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to troops aboard USS George Washington at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Trump is visiting Japan, fresh off an appearance at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and will next travel to South Korea for the APEC meetings. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the crowd, Trump praised American military power and recruitment. He also announced a $10 billion investment into Toyota auto plants across the U.S. At a later event with business leaders, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said an additional $490 billion in investment would soon be signed. Its a great honor, Trump said. You are all great businesspeople. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trial set for 6 Nevada Republican electors accused of forgery Trump leaves Japan for South Korea on Wednesday, where he will meet with leaders, including Xi, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. Tariffs, trade and TikTok are expected to be the focuses of that long-awaited meeting, which comes following news of a framework for a trade deal between the U.S. and China. The deal may also involve China resuming the purchase of soybeans from U.S. farmers after trade disputes disrupted the once-solid relationship. Regarding the upcoming meeting, Trump said on Tuesday, Its going to work out very well actually. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NewsNation. The lawsuit should continue in its ordinary course because of the serious nature of the administration's claims, U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin said Tuesday. (Fran Baltzer for New Jersey Monitor) A federal judge Tuesday denied the federal governments request to pause a challenge to sanctuary policies in four New Jersey cities, rejecting arguments that the federal governments shutdown prevents U.S. Department of Justice attorneys from working on the case. U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padins order will allow the federal governments lawsuit over laws that restrict when local law enforcement in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Hoboken can aid federal immigration enforcement efforts to continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Department of Justice attorneys had requested a stay, arguing the federal government shutdown, which stretched into its 28th day Tuesday, bars them from working on the civil case. The federal government wanted the matter postponed until the government reopens. Chief District Court Judge Renee Marie Bumb earlier this month stayed most civil cases to which the United States is a party, but she allowed the challenge to the cities sanctuary policies to continue. Padin on Tuesday challenged whether the shutdown would actually prevent federal attorneys from working on the case, noting that the initial complaint alleged a crisis of illegal immigration that caused the murder of American citizens and underscored the gravity and emergency of this present danger and imminent threat. In the Courts view, the serious nature of Plaintiffs allegations warrants this action proceeding in its ordinary course, Padin wrote in her order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their letter requesting a stay, Department of Justice attorneys said the shutdown barred officials from working even voluntarily except in emergencies that threaten human life or property. Former New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who is representing Newark and Hoboken, noted in a letter to Padin that other courts had allowed similar cases to continue because the federal government continued to fund immigration enforcement despite the shutdown. Grewal added that courts around the country had rejected bids to overrule local laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Trump administrations suit charges the cities sanctuary policies run afoul of the U.S. Constitutions supremacy clause, which states federal law supersedes state law so long as the laws fall within the scope of the powers the U.S. Constitution grants the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cities argue the supremacy clause does not apply here because their sanctuary policies regulate local not federal law enforcement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana The Trump administration initiated a purge of top officials in Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid growing frustration over the rate of deportations, NBC News and Fox News reported on Monday night. While NBC News reported that the administration is planning to replace some regional leaders at ICE with officials from Customs and Border Protection, Fox Newss Bill Melugin said the purge is underway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trumps top aides have welcomed Border Patrols more aggressive tactics to secure arrests, such as rappelling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots, as theyve become disappointed with ICE, two Department of Homeland Security officials told NBC News. The mentality is CBP does what theyre told, and the administration thinks ICE isnt getting the job done, one of the DHS officials told NBC. So CBP will do it. Both NBC and Fox reported that the initiative is being led by DHS special employee Corey Lewandowski, a longtime confidant of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Melugin reported on X that ICE field office directors in at least eight cities are being replaced, including those in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and New Orleans. He said there is significant friction in Homeland Security as to how to best to achieve more deportations: Im told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the worst of the worst or those with deportation orders while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trumps promises of mass deportations. One Border Patrol agent Melugin spoke to said, What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, The New York Times reported that the administration was planning major changes in leadership at ICE. The post Trump Administration Begins Purge of ICE Leadership Over Amid Frustration With Deportation Numbers: Report first appeared on Mediaite. President Donald Trumps administration is planning to replace almost half of its regional ICE directors with their Border Patrol counterparts as part of a major shake up of the leadership of its illegal immigration crackdown, according to reports. The administration has grown increasingly frustrated with ICEs failure to meet White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Millers target of 3,000 arrests of undocumented migrants per day, The New York Times reports. The latest figures available, compiled prior to the government shutdown, recorded an average arrest rate of 1,178 per day in September, well below Millers expectations. A man seeking asylum from Colombia is detained by federal agents as he attends his court hearing in immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York City (Getty) The development came as California Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal took to X to announce the latest death of a detainee in ICE custody, placing further pressure on the much-criticized immigration enforcement agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is 22 immigrants who have died in custody since Trump came to office, the congresswoman wrote. This is beyond outrageous. ICE is responsible for the well-being of people in immigration detention and it is failing miserably. The Trump administrations decision to swap out ICE field directors with replacements from Customs and Border Patrol was inspired by the presidents top aides being impressed by the latters more aggressive tactics to secure arrests, NBC reports, such as rappelling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots. The mentality is CBP does what theyre told, and the administration thinks ICE isnt getting the job done, a DHS official told NBC. So CBP will do it. The network reports that the White House has signed off on a list of at least a dozen directors of ICE field offices it intends to remove imminently, half of whom would be replaced by CBP personnel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Given that there are only 25 ICE field offices across the U.S., the substitutions would mean almost half of its leadership being benched. The list of replacements, who have not been named, was reportedly drawn up by DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski and CBP chief Greg Bovino, who has overseen his agents operations in Los Angeles and Chicago. A Border Patrol agent among protesters at Coast Guard Base Alameda in Oakland, California (AP) Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin did not address Rep. Jayapals concern about the treatment of detainees but told The Independent: This is one team, one fight. President Trump has a brilliant, tenacious team led by Secretary [Kristi] Noem to deliver on the American peoples mandate to remove criminal illegal aliens from this country. Stephen Miller, Tom Homan, Todd Lyons, Gregory Bovino, Corey Lewandowski, and Madison Sheahan are patriots who wake up every day to make this country and its people safer... We have no personnel changes to announce right now but we remain laser focused on RESULTS and we will deliver. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reported dissatisfaction with ICE comes after it was revealed that the agency had spent $70 million on weapons in the first nine months of Trumps second term, a 700 percent increase on the amount spent in Joe Bidens final year in office, as its role has dramatically increased to help deliver the largest mass deportation program in history as the president promised on the campaign trail. The 20,000-strong agency has also been the subject of a major recruitment drive, with Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently claiming ICE had received more than 175,000 applications to join its ranks as a result of an ad blitz on platforms like Spotify, X, Meta, YouTube, and LinkedIn, with more than 18,000 tentative job offers issued. The Trump administration is planning another shake-up at Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid frustrations over lagging immigration arrests, according to four sources familiar with the discussions. The White House set a lofty goal of 3,000 daily arrests earlier this year a high bar for an agency thats historically been strained for resources and personnel. And despite ramping up arrests, ICE has largely fallen short of that goal. Thats fueled tensions between the White House and ICE. Planning has been underway to reassign at least a dozen directors of ICE offices nationwide who senior officials believe are underperforming, the sources said. ICE has 25 field offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. Since receiving its mass deportation edict after President Donald Trump took office in January, ICE has fielded criticism from people inside the administration who think they arent doing enough, lawmakers and advocates who think they are doing too much, and an incensed public that in some cases is taking drastic action to impede immigration enforcement. To bolster immigration arrests, DHS tapped US Border Patrol agents to fan out across the country. Theyve have been involved in high-profile confrontations with protesters and at the center of some of the administrations most controversial and aggressive enforcement actions. Part of the discussions have involved replacing heads of certain ICE field offices with Border Patrol officials, the sources said, stressing that plans have not been finalized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the helm of the immigration crackdown in Democratic-led cities is Gregory Bovino, who holds the title of chief patrol agent of the El Centro sector and has been the lead on the administrations crackdown in cities now, in Chicago. Leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House have touted the work of Bovino and the Border Patrol publicly and privately. There are more than 1,500 Border Patrol agents assisting ICE with immigration enforcement in the interior of the US. But while ICE and CBP both fall under the Department of Homeland Security and are involved in immigration enforcement, they also execute different functions, raising concerns about potentially replacing some ICE leadership with Border Patrol officials. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Trump administration is staging a major shake-up at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with plans to reassign senior leaders in agency offices across the country amid frustrations over current arrest and deportation levels, two sources familiar with the changes told CBS News on Monday. One U.S. official, who requested anonymity to talk about internal matters, said as many as roughly a dozen local ICE leaders could be reassigned, with some expected to be replaced by current or former officials at Customs and Border Protection, its sister Department of Homeland Security agency. Some of those ICE officials have already been informed of their reassignments, the official added. The planned shake-up at ICE would be a major leadership overhaul, affecting roughly half of the agency's 25 field offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In most cases, the field office directors won't be demoted or fired, said two U.S. officials, who described the plan as a way to give certain ICE offices additional support. The Trump administration has increasingly turned to CBP and Border Patrol officials like Commander Gregory Bovino to expand its government-wide crackdown on illegal immigration, deploying them to apprehend unauthorized immigrants far away from the U.S.-Mexico border, in Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. Operations by green-uniformed Border Patrol agents in those cities including arrests at Home Depot parking lots and worksites like car washes have triggered significant local backlash, with critics accusing the agents of being heavy-handed and arresting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally but without criminal records. In a statement to CBS News, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said, "The President's entire team is working in lockstep to implement the President's policy agenda, and the tremendous results from securing the border to deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves." The Washington Examiner reported on the reassignments earlier Monday. Internally, U.S. officials tell CBS News, some ICE leaders have been frustrated with Border Patrol's operations in cities and the opposition they have garnered from local residents. While the Trump administration has made anyone in the U.S. illegally who is encountered by federal officials subject to arrest, ICE says its operations have continued to primarily target immigrants who have committed crimes in addition to being in the country unlawfully. "We're arresting criminals, while they are going to Home Depots and car washes," one U.S. official told CBS News, referring to Border Patrol agents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some inside the Trump administration, however, see Border Patrol officials as better equipped to carry out the aggressive and expansive operations needed to reach the ambitious arrest targets set by the White House. In the spring, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the architect of President Trump's mass deportation plans, suggested on Fox News that ICE should be carrying out "a minimum" of 3,000 arrests per day. ICE officials have not met that target. While they have peaked above 2,000 on some days, arrests by the agency typically hover over 1,000 each day. As of this week, ICE had carried out more than 260,000 arrests under the second Trump administration, or an average of approximately 900 per day, according to internal agency data obtained by CBS News. In less than a year, the Trump administration has shuffled ICE's leadership several times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caleb Vitello, the first official tapped to lead ICE under the second Trump administration, was reassigned in February and replaced by longtime agency veteran Todd Lyons, who continues to serve as acting director. Previous heads of ICE's deportation unit, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and its investigative branch, Homeland Security Investigations, have also been replaced in recent months. ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017, under the Obama administration. Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica What is an autopen? Here's what to know as House GOP issues report on Biden's use of device Reporter's Notebook: Why won't Trump call lapsing food aid an emergency? VMPL New Delhi [India], October 28: The organizing authority of the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Common Entrance Examination (AME CEE) proudly announces that registration for AME CEE 2026 is now open. Students from all across India aspiring to build successful careers in aviation, aerospace, and allied fields can apply online at the official website https://www.amecee.in. The AME CEE is a prestigious exam connecting candidates to top institutes with programs approved by DGCA, EASA, AICTE, and UGC. It offers exclusive scholarship opportunities and industry-aligned career guidance. Courses Covered Under AME CEE 2026 AME CEE 2026 facilitates admission and scholarships into a wide spectrum of aviation and aerospace programs categorized as follows: License Programs: * Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (DGCA approved) * Commercial Pilot License (CPL - DGCA approved) * Aircraft Maintenance Engineering EASA License Engineering Programs: * Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AICTE approved) * Aeronautical Engineering (AICTE approved) * Aerospace Engineering (AICTE approved) Graduation Programs: * Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Aviation (UGC approved) * Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (UGC approved) Certificate Programs: * Cabin Crew (Skill India certified) * Airport Management (Skill India certified) * Airport Ground Staff (Skill India certified) These comprehensive programs equip students with industry-relevant knowledge and practical skills for successful careers in aviation and aerospace sectors. Important Dates for AME CEE 2026 The AME CEE 2026 Application Form will be released on 1st September 2025. Interested candidates can apply online through the official link:Apply Now: https://www.amecee.in/apply-now The last date to submit the application is 31st March 2026. Candidates are advised to complete their registration well before the deadline.Application Details: https://www.amecee.in/apply-now The Admit Cards for the examination will be available for download in the first week of May 2026. Download Admit Card: https://www.amecee.in/student/login The AME CEE 2026 Examination is scheduled to be held in the second week of May 2026. Exam Details: https://www.amecee.in/aircraft-maintenance-engineering-common-entrance-examination-amecee-exam The Result Declaration will take place in the third week of May 2026. Check Results: https://www.amecee.in/ Finally, the Admission Counselling Process will begin in the last week of May 2026. Detailed information about the counselling rounds, seat allotments, and document verification will be available at:Counselling Process: https://www.amecee.in/ Eligibility Criteria Candidates must be between 16 to 28 years of age and are allowed a maximum of three attempts. Eligibility varies per program: * License Program: 12th (PCM) or 3-year engineering diploma * Engineering Program: 12th (PCM/PCB) or 3-year engineering diploma * B.Sc in AME: 12th with Mathematics or 3-year diploma * Certificate Programs: 12th or appearing students eligible How to Apply Applicants should: 1) Visit https://www.amecee.in/apply-now 2) Complete the online application and upload a recent photograph 3) Pay the registration fee online 4) Retain the confirmation email and registration number for future reference Exam Fee * 1200 for Male (General/OBC) candidates * 1000 for Female, SC/ST, Defence/Navy, and Freedom Fighter category candidates For detailed fee information, please visit https://www.amecee.in/aircraft-maintenance-engineering-common-entrance-examination-amecee-exam. Scholarship Structure Based on All India Rank, scholarships on tuition fees range from 10% for all qualified candidates to 100% for toppers and top rank holders, encouraging merit-based admissions. About AME CEE AME CEE is the national gateway for aspiring aviation professionals seeking admission in DGCA, EASA, AICTE, and UGC-approved aviation and aerospace programs. It provides a single platform for admission and financial support across India's leading institutes. Learn more at https://www.amecee.in. Media Contact:AME CEE Admissions OfficeEmail: info@amecee.inWebsite: https://www.amecee.in (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) The United States has revoked the visa of Nigerian author and playwright Wole Soyinka, who became the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. Speaking at Kongis Harvest Gallery in Lagos on Tuesday, Soyinka read aloud from a notice sent on October 23 from the local US consulate, asking him to arrive with his passport so that his visa could be nullified. The author called it, with characteristic humour, a rather curious love letter to receive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We request you bring your visa to the US Consulate General Lagos for physical cancellation. To schedule an appointment, please email et cetera, et cetera in advance of the appointment, Soyinka said, skimming the letter. Closing his laptop, the author joked with the audience that he did not have time to fulfil the request. I like people who have a sense of humour, and this is one of the most humorous sentences or requests Ive had in all my life, Soyinka said. Would any of you like to volunteer in my place? Take the passport for me? Im a little bit busy and rushed. Soyinkas visa was issued last year, under US President Joe Biden. But in the intervening time, a new president has taken office: Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has overseen a crackdown on immigration, and his administration has removed visas and green cards from individuals whom it sees as out of step with the Republican presidents policies. At Tuesdays event, Soyinka struck a bemused tone, though he indicated the visa revocation would prevent him from visiting the US for literary and cultural events. I want to assure the consulate, the Americans here, that I am very content with the revocation of my visa, Soyinka said. He also quipped about his past experiences writing about the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Maybe its about time also to write a play about Donald Trump, he said. Playwright, political activist and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka attends the PEN America Literary Gala on October 5, 2021, in New York [Evan Agostini/Invision/AP] Nobel Prize winners in the crosshairs Soyinka is a towering figure in African literature, with a career that spans genres, from journalism to poetry to translation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is the author of several novels, including Season of Anomy and Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth, as well as numerous short stories. The 91-year-old author has also championed the fight against censorship. Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth, he wrote. He has lectured on the subject in New York City for PEN America, a free speech nonprofit. As recently as 2021, he returned to the US to present scholar and former colleague Henry Louis Gates Jr with the nonprofits Literary Service Award. But Soyinka is not the first Nobel winner to see his US visa stripped away in the wake of Trumps return to office, despite the US presidents own ambitions of earning the international prize. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oscar Arias, a former president of Costa Rica and the winner of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize, also found his visa cancelled in April. Arias was previously honoured by the Nobel Committee for his efforts to end armed conflicts in Central American countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. While the letter Arias received from the US government gave no reason for his visas cancellation, the former president told NPRs Morning Edition radio show that officials indicated it was because of his ties to China. During my second administration from 2006 to 2010, I established diplomatic relations with China, and thats because it has the second-largest economy in the world, Arias explained. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, Arias added, he could not rule out the possibility that there were other reasons for his visas removal. I have to imagine that my criticism of President Trump might have played a role, Arias told NPR. The president has a personality that is not open to criticism or disagreements. Soyinka likewise has a reputation for being outspoken, both about domestic politics in his native Nigeria and international affairs. He has, for example, denounced Trump on multiple occasions, including for the brutal, cruel and often unbelievable treatment being meted out to strangers, immigrants. In 2017, he confirmed to the magazine The Atlantic that he had destroyed his US green card his permanent residency permit to protest Trumps first election in 2016. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As long as Trump is in charge, if I absolutely have to visit the United States, I prefer to go in the queue for a regular visa with others, he told the magazine. The point was, he explained, to show that he was no longer part of the society, not even as a resident. In Tuesdays remarks, Soyinka reaffirmed that he no longer has his green card. Unfortunately, when I was looking at my green card, it fell between the fingers of a pair of scissors, and it got cut into a couple of pieces, he said, flashing his tongue-in-cheek humour. He also emphasised he continues to have close friends in the US, and that the local consulate staff has consistently treated him courteously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His work had long caused him to face persecution in Nigeria though, famously during a stint in solitary confinement, he continued to write using toilet paper and eventually, in the 1990s, he sought refuge in the US. During his time in North America, he took up teaching posts at prestigious universities like Harvard, Yale and Emory. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and two-time Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has also had his US visa cancelled [Manu Fernandez/AP Photo] Targeting hostile attitudes The Trump administration, however, has pledged to revoke visas from individuals it deems to be a threat to its national security and foreign policy interests. In June, Trump issued a proclamation calling on his government tighten immigration procedures, in an effort to ensure that visa-holders do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What qualifies as a hostile attitude towards US culture is unclear. Human rights advocates have noted that such broad language could be used as a smokescreen to crack down on dissent. Free speech, after all, is protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution and is considered a foundational principle in the country, protecting individual expression from government shackles. After Arias was stripped of his visa, the Economists for Peace and Security, a United Nations-accredited nonprofit, was among those to express outrage. This action, taken without explanation, raises serious concerns about the treatment of a globally respected elder statesman who has dedicated his life to peace, democracy, and diplomacy, the nonprofit wrote in its statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disagreements on foreign policy or political perspective should not lead to punitive measures against individuals who have made significant contributions to international peace and stability. International students, commenters on social media, and acting government officials have also faced backlash for expressing their opinions and having unfavourable foreign ties. Earlier this month, Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino voiced concern that members of his government had seen their visas cancelled over their diplomatic ties to China. And in September, while visiting New York City, Colombian President Gustavo Petro saw his visa yanked within hours of giving a critical speech to the United Nations and participating in a protest against Israels war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US Department of State subsequently called Petros actions reckless and incendiary. Separately, the State Department announced on October 14 that six foreign nationals would see their visas annulled for criticising the assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close associate of Trump. Soyinka questioned Trumps stated motives for cancelling so many visas at Tuesdays literary event in Lagos, asking if they really made a difference for US national security. Governments have a way of papering things for their own survival, he said. I want people to understand that the revocation of one visa, 10 visas, a thousand visas will not affect the national interests of any astute leader. President Trump's lawyers on Monday filed their long-promised appeal of the Manhattan "hush money" criminal case that led to his felony conviction. The president's attorneys echoed arguments that Mr. Trump and his trial counsel made repeatedly throughout the proceedings in the spring of 2024. They said the case should not have been brought, the judge should have recused himself because he had previously made small donations to Democratic causes. They also argued the conviction should be discarded due to the Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling on presidential immunity. That decision was tied to another of Mr. Trump's criminal cases, but his lawyers said it has a bearing on Mr. Trump's conviction in the New York case. Many of these same arguments were rejected during the criminal trial in Manhattan. "This case should have never seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a jury conviction," the lawyers, led by Robert Giuffra Jr., wrote in the 96-page filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeal is part of a multi-pronged effort by Mr. Trump to attempt to overturn the conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He has also asked a federal appeals court to transfer his state case to federal court. The case revolved around Mr. Trump's efforts to cover up so-called "hush money" payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued during the trial that Mr. Trump, through his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election to suppress her story of an alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump. The jury concluded that Mr. Trump authorized an effort to falsify records related to reimbursements to Mr. Cohen for that payment. The trial played out over seven weeks last spring, in effect relegating Mr. Trump's third presidential campaign to hallway gaggles outside the courtroom. As Mr. Trump himself did regularly before, during and after the trial, his lawyers accused Bragg on Monday of bringing the case for political gain. "The DA, a Democrat, brought those charges in the middle of a contentious presidential election in which President Trump was the leading Republican candidate. These charges against President Trump were as unprecedented as their political context," Mr. Trump's attorneys wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bragg's office declined to comment on Mr. Trump's filing. Days before his return to the White House in January, Mr. Trump received a no-jail sentence. His felony criminal conviction, however, remains on the books unless the jury's verdict is overturned. Mr. Trump's lead attorney during the trial, Todd Blanche, is now the deputy U.S. attorney general. Another lawyer from his trial team, Emil Bove III, was nominated by Mr. Trump and confirmed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. A spokesperson for Mr. Trump's legal team called the appeal a "powerhouse." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focuses on his singular mission to Make America Great Again," the spokesperson said. Dr. Attia on how to make your final decade of life as enjoyable as possible Mentalist Oz Pearlman blows minds, from Joe Rogan to tech titans | 60 Minutes Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica NEW YORK President Donald Trump on Monday asked a New York appeals court to overturn his criminal conviction in the Manhattan hush money case that made him a felon as he plotted a path back to the White House last year. In a 96-page filing, Trumps lawyers relied on many of the same arguments that Trump previously made before, during and immediately following the 2024 trial, including that the conviction should be thrown out in light of the Supreme Courts ruling on presidential immunity and that the judge who oversaw the trial should have recused himself because he made political contributions. This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction, his lawyers, a six-person team of Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys, wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeal is just one of Trumps attempts to overturn his conviction last May of 34 counts of business fraud for his effort to conceal a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. He has separately asked a federal appeals court to transfer his state criminal case to federal court. Such a move would pave the way for Trump to eventually ask the Supreme Court to erase his criminal record by tossing his conviction on presidential immunity grounds. Though Trump has suffered few consequences as a result of the conviction he won reelection in November and was subsequently sentenced to no punishment in January hell still carry the title of felon unless an appellate court overturns the case. Trumps lawyers argued in the filing Monday that the Supreme Courts decision on presidential immunity, issued more than a month after a New York jury convicted Trump in the hush money case, meant prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorneys office should have been precluded from using evidence connected to Trumps official acts as president during his first term. That evidence, his lawyers wrote, included testimony about conversations between Trump and Hope Hicks, who was then the White House communications director, as well as Trumps social media posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Late last year, the trial judge, Justice Juan Merchan, rejectedthe notion that the immunity ruling applied to the evidence used in the case, finding that evidence at issue related not to Trumps official acts, but instead to his private conduct specifically, his effort to conceal a hush money payment to Daniels. Trumps lawyers also took aim at Merchan himself, as they did numerous times during the course of the prosecution, writing that his impartiality was reasonably in doubt because of small-dollar political contributions he made to Democratic candidates or causes in 2020. They also cited his daughters work for a digital agency whose clients include a number of Democratic officials. When Trumps lawyers made the same arguments in 2023, asking Merchan to recuse himself, the judge disclosed that he had sought guidance earlier that year from the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics about several issues Trump subsequently raised. The judge said the committee had issued an advisory opinion regarding his daughters employment that concluded: We see nothing in the inquiry to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judges relative, the relatives business, or any of their interests. While his administration prosecutes his political opponents, President Donald Trump is appealing his criminal conviction in a case that he calls the most politically charged prosecution in our Nations history. Seeking to upend his loss in the so-called hush money case, Trumps lawyers lean on the Supreme Courts immunity ruling from another one of his criminal cases to argue that New York state prosecutors wrongly used evidence of his official presidential acts to convict him. The jury found him guilty last year of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money scheme in connection with the 2016 presidential race. Citing the immunity rulings provision against using evidence of official acts to secure convictions for unofficial conduct, his lawyers point to evidence at trial from his first term in office: discussions with White House communications director Hope Hicks, statements on social media, discussion with the attorney general and testimony about White House operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In previous litigation at the trial level, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office argued that the immunity case has no bearing on this prosecution and that it wouldnt support vacating the jury verdict even if its reasoning did apply here. Trumps brief was filed Monday to New Yorks intermediate appeals court (the same court that recently gave him a partial win in his civil fraud appeal). After that court rules (its unclear when it will), the states top court could also weigh in. So could the U.S. Supreme Court, which hasnt yet defined the outer limits of the immunity that it laid out in last years ruling for Trump in the federal election interference case. The president is separately trying to move the hush money appeal to proceed in federal court. Whichever path it takes, the final word on the case might not come for a while. Trump was sentenced in January to an unconditional discharge, which was basically a non-punishment to allow the case to wrap up before he re-entered the White House. A divided Supreme Court declined to halt his sentencing, over the dissent of four Republican-appointed justices: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Part of the rationale in the high court majoritys brief, unsigned order allowing the sentencing to proceed was that the alleged evidentiary violations at President-Elect Trumps state-court trial can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal. Its that ordinary course that is now playing out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The immunity issue is just one of the claims that Trumps lawyers raise in the appeal. They also argue that the state prosecution was preempted by federal law, that the jury was wrongly instructed, that the evidence was insufficient, and that the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, shouldve recused himself. The hush money case is the only one of Trumps four criminal cases that went to trial. In his two federal cases the classified documents case and the election interference case that produced the immunity ruling the DOJ dropped them after he won the 2024 election, citing the departments policy against prosecuting sitting presidents. The fate of the fourth case, a state election interference case brought in Georgia, is technically in limbo (though likely dead, in reality) after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting it. The president pleaded not guilty in all four cases. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administrations legal cases. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com President Donald Trump appealed his criminal conviction on state charges related to a hush money scheme, arguing the case should never have been brought and the verdict should be overturned. Lawyers for Trump repeated many of the arguments that had been rejected throughout the investigation and trial, accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, of bringing a politically charged case, and alleging the judge erred by not recusing himself from the trial and allowing evidence Trump believes should have been excluded based on the concept of presidential immunity. Targeting alleged conduct that has never been found to violate any New York law, the DA concocted a purported felony by stacking time-barred misdemeanors under a convoluted legal theory, which the DA then improperly obscured until the charge conference. This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction, Trumps attorneys wrote in a 96-page filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to reimburse his personal attorney Michael Cohen who, days before the 2016 presidential election, advanced $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged past sexual tryst with Trump. Trump has denied the affair. Trump was able to shed federal indictments looming over him, but the state case and conviction is the only one that made it to trial and resulted in Trump being a convicted felon turned president. Stormy Daniels leaves Manhattan Criminal Court after testifying at former US President Donald Trump's trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, in New York City, on May 9, 2024. - Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images In addition to the appeal at the state court level, the president is simultaneously trying to move the state case into federal court where he believes hell have a better chance at overturning the verdict. An earlier attempt to move the case into federal court was denied by a district judge and Trumps legal team is appealing that decision. The Supreme Courts historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately overturned and dismissed, a spokesperson for Trump told CNN in a statement. President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focuses on his singular mission to Make America Great Again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his legal argument before New Yorks Supreme Courts Appellate Division, First Department, Trumps lawyers repeated many of his past arguments, including that federal election law should pre-empt state election law. The prosecutions theory was that Trump falsified the business records to influence the 2016 election. Several witnesses, including David Pecker, Trumps long-time friend who at the time ran the company that published the National Enquirer, testified about catch and kill deals. Trump argued that since federal prosecutors did not bring federal election charges against him, the state should not have been able to bring a case. Trumps lawyers also argued that Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, made several errors. They argued Merchan should not have allowed the jury to hear any evidence that involved official presidential acts, including testimony from Trump aide Hope Hicks, and that Merchan, who gave $35 in donations to Democrats, should have recused himself based on his own donations and his daughters job at a political consulting company that worked on the Biden campaign. Federal law expressly preempts (the New York district attorneys) misdemeanor-turned-felony charges because those charges rest on an alleged violation of federal campaign regulations that States cannot (and have never) enforced. The trial was fatally marred by the introduction of official Presidential acts that the Supreme Court has made clear cannot be used as evidence against a President. The jury was instructed incorrectly, allowing a conviction without the unanimity required by both New York law and basic due process. Beyond these fatal flaws, the evidence was clearly insufficient to convict, Trumps lawyers wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merchan previously rejected all of these arguments in denying a bid to overturn the conviction. Trump, who after the verdict went on to win the presidential election, was sentenced days before his inauguration to an unconditional discharge no jail time and no restrictions. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Donald Trump's approval rating took a slight dip in a new national poll over the last week, but still remain in a months-long plateau stretching back to mid-May. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Oct. 28, the president had a 40% approval rating, compared to last week's 42%. Though the three-day poll measures a 2-point drop since the previous survey, the difference is within the margin of error, maintaining the president's steady ratings. Positive opinions of his job performance have not strayed beyond a percentage point or two from its current 40% for more than five months, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. However, disapproval has grown over the same period of time, rising from 52% in a May 16-18 poll, to 57% in the latest Oct. 24-26 survey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Live updates: States sue over SNAP cutoff as shutdown enters Day 28 US President Donald Trump (C) poses for a group photo with (from L - R) Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, and Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone before the 13th ASEAN - United States Summit during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks as he presides over the signing of a Cambodia-Thailand peace deal at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on October 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Trump is in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and will next travel to Japan, en route to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. President Donald Trump looks on as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (C) and Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hold up signed documents during a ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct.26, 2025. A Royal Malaysian Air Force F-18 Hornet fighter jet escorts Air Force One with U.S. President Donald Trump aboard en route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Oct. 26, 2025 in Malaysia. Trump is in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and will next travel to Japan, en route to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. President Donald Trump walks with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (centre R) as he walks from Air Force One upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump holds the US and Malaysian national flags at a welcome ceremony upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump waves from his official vehicle known as "The Beast" as he departs from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang to attend the ASEAN summit on Oct.26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump joins performers for a dance during the welcome ceremony next to Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) as he arrives on Air Force One at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Oct. 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump welcomes Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani (L) and Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (3rd-L) aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop at Al-Udeid Air Base on Oct. 25, 2025 in Abu Nakhlah, Qatar. Trump is traveling to Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit (ASEAN), Japan, and to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC). Also pictured is U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (3rd-R), White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles (2nd-R), and Special Assistant to the President Margo Martin (R). President Trump visits Asia. See the biggest moments from his trip 1 of 9 US President Donald Trump (C) poses for a group photo with (from L - R) Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto, and Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone before the 13th ASEAN - United States Summit during the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, 2025. The poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,018 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The previous Reuters/Ipsos poll: Trump approval ticks up while majority of Americans back Palestinian state The poll also asked respondents about their opinions on the government shutdown, which is now the second-longest in American history. A debate over extending health care tax credits that expire at the end of the year has remained the key sticking point between Democrats and Republicans. Trump and congressional Republicans argue that the health care subsidies should be debated after the shutdown is over. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The survey found 50% of Americans were frustrated with the shutdown and another 20% were angry. Some 29% said they either didn't care or were glad about the shutdown, according to Reuters. Some 73% of Americans polled say they want the insurance subsidies to continue as Democrats maintain, despite arguments that they will increase the federal budget deficit. The numbers show little change from the results of a poll conducted earlier in the month when asked the same question, Reuters reported. Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reuters Ipsos Trump approval poll finds steady rating amid shutdown By Blake Brittain WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump's administration on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the Republican president to remove the head of the government's Copyright Office while her legal challenge to his firing of her plays out in the latest battle over his targeting of various federal officials. The U.S. Justice Department asked the justices to put on hold a lower court's ruling that blocked Trump from firing Copyright Office Director Shira Perlmutter. In a filing to the justices, the department argued that Trump acted within his powers as president to fire Perlmutter and that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lacked the authority to reinstate her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The justices requested a response from Perlmutter by November 10. The Justice Department declined to comment. A spokesperson for Democracy Forward, the legal organization representing Perlmutter, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Copyright Office is part of the Library of Congress. Perlmutter was notified by email on May 10 that Trump had fired her. Perlmutter on May 22 filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of her ouster. The lawsuit said that only the Librarian of Congress can appoint or remove her. In this case, Trump fired Perlmutter and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, and then moved to install his own acting Librarian of Congress. The lawsuit said Trump lacked the authority to appoint an acting Librarian of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perlmutter's removal provoked a backlash from Democratic lawmakers who said that the Copyright Office under law is insulated from political interference. The lawsuit noted that Perlmutter's firing came one day after her office issued a report that found that the unauthorized use by technology companies of copyrighted works to train generative artificial intelligence systems may not always be legal. Perlmutter said in her appeal that Trump later made public statements contradicting the report's conclusions, and she called her firing part of an attempted "takeover" of the office. Washington-based U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, rejected Perlmutter's request to preliminarily block her firing, finding she had not suffered "irreparable harm" that would justify reinstating her. The D.C. Circuit subsequently reinstated Perlmutter temporarily in September. Circuit Judge Florence Pan, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, said the administration's alleged "blatant interference" with Perlmutter's duty to advise Congress on copyright issues "strikes us as a violation of the separation of powers that is significantly different in kind and in degree from the cases that have come before." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Constitution divides the powers of the U.S. government among the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The administration has repeatedly asked the justices this year to allow the implementation of Trump policies impeded by lower courts. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has sided with the administration in almost every case that it has been called upon to review since Trump returned to the presidency in January. The court has in a series of decisions in recent months allowed Trump to remove various officials. It has scheduled arguments in two cases involving presidential powers to remove certain types of officials, involving his moves to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter. (Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) President Donald Trumps feeble attempts to kiss up to yet another authoritarian leader dont appear to be working. Ahead of Trumps visit to Asia this week, the U.S. president made efforts to meet with Kim Jong Un, suggesting that he could use discussions about sanctions to bring North Koreas reclusive leader to the table. It seems to have failed. North Korea released a statement Tuesday that appeared to express support for China in ongoing trade disputes with the United States, according to journalist John Delury. The statement described a spokesperson for the Chinese governments response to Trumps recent threat to impose 100 percent tariffs on China starting on November 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is not a proper way of interacting with China to threaten China with high tariffs rather than reflecting upon themselves, the spokesperson added and urged the U.S. to correct its wrong approach, the statement said. Meanwhile, North Koreas top diplomat Choe Son Hui met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, and expressed invariable sympathy and support for Russias efforts in its military campaign against Ukraine, Delury reported. Everything is going according to plan. Please convey my best wishes to him (Kim), Putin told Choe, according to Reuters. North Korea has deployed an estimated 10,000 troops in Russias war in Ukraine, in return for military and economic aid from Russia. On Monday, Trump met with the families of Japanese citizens abducted by the North Korean government, which Delury suggested meant he may have given up on the hope of meeting with the notorious dictator. It appears that Trumps disastrous foreign economic policy has only pushed Russia, North Korea, and China closer together. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Trump administration was within its rights to deploy the Oregon National Guard into Portland last week, Oregon attorneys said the decision was based on false information. On Thursday, the attorneys sent a letter to the appellate court claiming that the number of officers sent by the Federal Protective Service were incorrectly tallied. Christine Drazan running again for Oregon governor in 2026 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The citation filed on Oct. 23 said, Plaintiffs write to alert the Court of a material factual error by defendants on which the panel relied to grant a stay pending appeal. Given that reliance, and the gravity of the interests at stake, plaintiffs ask that the panel immediately withdraw its order or, in the alternative, that the en banc court immediately vacate it. According to the attorneys, the Trump administration misled the court into thinking that all or most of those 115 officers were deployed to Portland at the same time. However, a citation filed by Trump attorneys on Monday claims that they never contended that all FPS officers were deployed at the same time or remained in Portland throughout the relevant period. Although defendants regret any unintended ambiguity about the number of deployed FPS officers at any given time, there is no basis for concluding that any such ambiguity was the basis for the majoritys decision, the citation said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oregon resident tests positive for E. Coli after eating Washington cheese The defendants did share a correction, clarifying that there were not 115 FPS officers in Portland, but rather 115 deployments of the available officers. The true number of officers deployed to Portland was 86 total, according to the new citation. As of Monday afternoon, the en banc court has paused any National Guard troops coming to Portland until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28. The court says the decision was made to allow the completion of pending en banc proceedings. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. German Parliamentary State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Johann Saathoff is set to travel to India with a business delegation for a series of talks and to open the country's largest international wind energy trade fair scheduled from October 29 to November 1 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. According to an official release by the German Embassy in India, the visit aims to strengthen cooperation between Indian and German companies in the renewable energy sector and enhance investment opportunities. India has set ambitious targets in the field of renewable energy, making it an important market for German businesses seeking to expand their global partnerships. "The Parliamentary State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Mr. Saathoff, is traveling to India with a business delegation" the statement read. Saathoff, along with the business delegation, will begin his engagements in Chennai on October 29, where he will hold talks with Indian companies and associations from the wind energy sector. The following day, on October 30, he will inaugurate this year's Indian wind energy fair in Chennai, alongside representatives from the Indian government and business community. Continuing the visit, Saathoff and the business delegation will travel to New Delhi on October 31 to hold further discussions with Indian companies, government officials, and associations from the solar and bioenergy sectors. Talks will also cover key areas such as energy storage, skilled workers, and labour migration. The official release highlighted that Germany remains a reliable partner for India, especially in helping achieve its renewable energy target of 500 GW by 2030. It highlighted that cooperation between German engineering and Indian manufacturing is crucial for building diversified and resilient global supply chains in renewable energy production. This partnership also provides an opportunity to reduce international unilateral dependencies while enhancing the competitiveness of both German and Indian companies. To promote collaboration, the BMZ and India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy had jointly established the "India-Germany Platform for Investments in Renewable Energy Worldwide" at the RE Invest conference in Gujarat in 2024. Under this initiative, four working groups have been formed to focus on the most strategically important areas--solar energy, wind energy, battery storage, skilled workers, and research and development. As per the government data, Germany is the 9th largest foreign direct investor in India with a cumulative FDI of USD 15.11 billion from April 2000 to March 2025. German investments in India in FY 2024-25 were USD 469 million (USD 505 million in FY 2023-24, USD 547 million in FY 2022-23). As per the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, there are more than 2000 German companies active in India. German investments in India have been mainly in transportation, electrical equipment, metallurgical industries, services sector, chemicals, construction activity, trading and automobiles. (ANI) President Donald Trump has reignited tensions with Democratic Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, after saying the lawmakers have a low IQ, prompting swift responses from the two House members. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Trump recently underwent an MRI at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, describing the test results as perfect. When asked about the recent health inspection, Trump discussed the various tests he underwent while at Walter Reed, taking shots at both Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez in the process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump explained how he underwent multiple different IQ and cognitive tests during his recent checkup, claiming that neither of the representatives would be able to accomplish that feat. They have Jasmine Crockett a low IQ person. AOC is low IQ. If you give her an IQ test, have her pass like the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed. Those are very hard. Theyre really aptitude tests, in a certain way, but theyre cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump, Trump said. Crockett responded to Trumps claims during a recent interview, questioning the Presidents intelligence and suggesting his remarks reveal insecurity, saying that she has been waiting on a reporter to ask about his IQ. What is his IQ? Because he is constantly talking about he doesnt even know what a low IQ is. He dont even know which scores are low. And I can guarantee you that whatever score, if hes taken one, anytime recently. Im sure that his qualifies as low, she claimed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, I am not worried about that. And I wish people would look at the fact that you have a President of the United States who consistently is obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House. You are the President. You have a lot more power than we do. But obviously, you consistently feel threatened. This back-and-forth comes as Crockett has been under scrutiny over ethics questions. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Crockett failed to disclose ownership in roughly 25 companies that have ties to major pharmaceutical, fossil fuel, and marijuana firms, raising concerns about transparency with the representative. Not to mention her long list of questionable personal ties, tirades, and taunts. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez joined the online exchange about IQs, posting on social media to take a shot at the President in response to his comments. Hello Mr. President! Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too? Asking for 340 million people. https://t.co/afaYP47knh Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 27, 2025 The post quickly gained traction online, drawing thousands of reactions from supporters and critics alike, including over five million impressions on X. The White House is escalating its strikes on alleged drug boats, counting on the issue to be such a winner with American voters that the operations wont need a congressional stamp of approval, despite howls from Democrats and at least one Republican senator. A White House official on Tuesday argued that the American public supports its direct actions against drug smugglers, and that the strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean fulfill a campaign promise President Donald Trump made to take on drug cartels. In addition, the official said lawmakers have been briefed several times since the strikes began in September including members of leadership and key committees in charge of foreign affairs, intelligence and the military and that the administration is "working through additional requests for information from the Hill. And last week during a roundtable on law enforcement, Trump laid down a rhetorical marker that could allow Republican lawmakers to line up behind his moves instead of supporting a vote on the use of war powers to interdict what he says are dangerous drug smugglers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We may go to the Senate, we may go to the Congress and tell them about it. But I cant imagine they'd have any problem with it, Trump said, in response to a reporter's question. He added, signaling to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: Pete, you go to Congress, you tell them about it. What are they going to say, Gee, we don't want to stop drugs pouring in? Democrats have called for the administration to provide information on the boat strikes and suggested that Congress needs to approve them as required by the War Powers Act, which limits a presidents ability to use the armed forces abroad without approval from Congress. But the White House hopes its rhetorical gambit will resonate strongly with the average voter by casting the strikes as necessary for defense and national security as well as to protect Americans from the threat of drugs at home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Framing it around drug trafficking connects a national security action to a domestic concern that people understand and explains why theres broad acceptance," said Simone Ledeen, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense during Trump's first term. "Stopping narcotics headed to the U.S. protects Americans. Linking the strikes to drug interdiction gives the action a defensive rationale that many people instinctively support." The U.S. military first launched strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats in the international waters off Venezuela in September, saying they were headed for American shores. Since then, the U.S. military has killed at least 50 people all of whom the White House alleges were smuggling drugs and expanded its operations to the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. The most recent operation was on Monday, when the military conducted strikes against four boats, killing 14 people in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hegseth said on X on Tuesday. A person close to the White House, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, said this appeal to security is part of the same playbook Trump has used successfully in the past to get the public behind what could otherwise be controversial issues, such as social issues related to girls sports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a classic case where Trump leads, the person said. The person described the choice as taking out people who are bringing drugs that kill young people in America or worrying about whether hes gone through the legal memorandum. Whats the choice? Thats like boys in girls sports its an 80-20 issue. Sitting around the campfire, most people are going to have an opinion about that, the person added. One of the few Republicans pushing back on the military operation is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a libertarian who often questions Trumps war powers. Paul described the strikes in the Caribbean Sea as extrajudicial killings in an appearance on Fox News Sunday. A briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution. The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it, Paul said, adding, to be clear, weve got no information. Ive been invited to no briefing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the most part, Republicans on Capitol Hill have endorsed the most unusual moves Trump has made even if critics see them as invalidating the role Congress plays in American democracy. But another official who served in the first Trump administration, granted anonymity to discuss the matter candidly, said the question over war powers could eventually cause a break in party loyalty. Even though Trump has gone out of his way to make fun of neocons and people fighting for the next war, he may be stretching Congress to [its] tolerance with this war in Latin America, the person said. The congressional leaders are still quite deferential to Trump, but he has lost a lot of mojo because many of his policies have not worked out as promised, and theres a lot of pain from tariffs and confusion about his position on China and Ukraine. Latin American adventurers are an age-old presidential hobby, but I expect there will be some wrestling with Congress on this. And dont forget about the extreme isolationist streak in the MAGA base that is willing to apologize for Putin all in the name of peace. That might also be a problem, the person added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other Republicans have offered only tepid criticism, suggesting the White House needs to communicate better with Congress. Sen. James Lankford (R- Okla.) said on C-SPAN last week that the administration needs to give insight to Congress and called for the White House to brief lawmakers on the matter. Pressed by reporters last week on why he wouldnt seek a declaration of war from Congress, Trump essentially said he didnt think it was warranted. I think were just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay, were going to kill them. You know, theyre going to be, like, dead, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vice President JD Vance has been laying the messaging groundwork since last month, offering a preview of the administrations strategy. In response to questions from reporters about the legal groundwork for the administrations strikes, Vance said their legal authority is that there are people who are bringing literal terrorists who are bringing deadly drugs into our country and the president of the United States ran on a promise of stopping this poison from coming into our country. And Ledeen said Trump allies seem to agree that the drug boat strikes can be viewed as a limited operation that doesnt rise to the level of a declaration of war. The War Powers Resolution gives presidents some leeway to act when they believe theres an immediate threat to U.S. interests. In this case, Trump is framing the strikes as protecting Americans from drug traffickers, not as a new conflict, she said. Most Republicans see it as a limited defensive move rather than something that rises to the level of a war requiring Congress to weigh in. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Maduro mobilized troops along the coast as state media rallied citizens to repel a gringo incursion. The people are ready for combat, Maduro said. | Credit: Federico Parra / Getty Images What happened Evidence mounted last week that the Trump administration was seeking regime change in Venezuela, as a U.S. counter-narcotics campaign that began with military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats shifted toward the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro. Some 10,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to the Caribbean as part of a buildup involving at least eight Navy warships, 10 F-35 fighter jets, missile-loaded drones, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, and a floating base for special operations forces. While the administrations official stance is that the buildup is part of a war against narco-terrorism, unnamed officials have told multiple news outlets that the real goal is the removal of leftist strongman Maduro. President Trump said he had cleared the CIA to pursue covert activities inside Venezuela, and said the U.S. is looking at ground strikes. In response, a defiant Maduro mobilized troops along the coast as state media rallied citizens to repel a gringo incursion. The people are ready for combat, Maduro said. The administration expanded its ship-bombing campaign, previously limited to the Caribbean, with a strike on a speedboat off Colombias Pacific coast, killing two people. It was at least the eighth vessel to be destroyed since Sept. 2, bringing the death toll to at least 34. The president has declared the U.S. to be in armed conflict with drug traffickersincluding a cartel he claims is headed by Maduroand says the attacks are thus legally justified. But he has offered no evidence the targeted boats were carrying drugs, and legal experts say that in any case, the strikes on suspected criminals amount to extrajudicial executions under international law. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. of murder in a September strike he said killed a Colombian fisherman whose boat was damaged and adrift. In response, Trump called Petro a drug leader with a fresh mouth and said the U.S. would cut aid payments to Colombia and impose new tariffs on its exports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As tensions rose, the admiral overseeing operations in the Caribbean stepped down just a year into his command. Neither Adm. Alvin Holsey nor the Pentagon offered an explanation for his departure. But Tom Shannon, a former senior official at the State Department, said its likely Holsey thought, This is going to be my legacy? War crimes? What the columnists said The administration has offered a steadfast rationale for blowing up boats off Venezuela, said Terrence McCoy in The Washington Post: Theyre operated by narco-terrorists whose drugs are killing Americans. But numerous experts say those claims dont add up. They note that most of the boats were en route to Trinidad and Tobago, a transit point for cocaine and marijuana headed to Europe and Africa, not America. And the vast majority of U.S. overdoses are caused by fentanyl, which is typically made in Mexico with Chinese ingredients and smuggled north by land, most often by U.S. citizens. The administration hasnt provided the slightest evidence that these boats were carrying drugs, said Fred Kaplan in Slate. And even if they were, theres no legal or even practical justification for blowing them up instead of seizing them. For evidence that the administration is fudging the facts, consider the fate of a Colombian and an Ecuadorian who survived a U.S. boat strike last week. Instead of holding them at Guantanamo or some other military prison, the U.S. returned these supposed terrorists to their home countries, where the Ecuadorian was released for lack of evidence of any wrongdoing. This may have started as a fight against drug trafficking, but the focus has shifted, said Michael Stott in the Financial Times. Insiders and analysts say the administrations priority is now to depose Maduro and his inner circle by convincing them that staying in power will be more costly than leaving. The military buildup delivers the clear threat that if they cling to power, the U.S. may use force to capture or kill them. That shift marks a victory for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Jonathan Blitzer in The New Yorker. A longtime regime-change advocate, hed spent months in open conflict with the more conciliatory Trump special envoy Richard Grenell. The balance of power shifted when top Trump aide Stephen Miller sided with Rubio, seeing the strikes as a means to expand Trumps power and reinforce the idea of Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. as alien enemies. Trump also had an itch to see more dramatic military action against cartelsand Venezuela presented a safer target than next-door neighbor Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administrations hope is to spark a military coup against Maduro, said Juan Forero and Jose de Cordoba in The Wall Street Journal, but the socialist autocrat has made himself virtually coup-proof. He has jailed or exiled military officers accused of conspiring against him and seeded the officer corps and rank and file with domestic spies and counterintelligence officers from his ally Cuba. Maduro foes within the military know that torture, jail, and even death await should they rise up. Trump is courting catastrophe, said Ross Barkan in New York, and Americans should be deeply alarmed. If he topples Maduro, it will create a power vacuum that will be filled with warlords, transnational gangs, and paramilitaries awash in advanced weaponry. It seems fair to ask what the administrations plan is, said Jim Geraghty in National Review, but its shared nothing with Congress or voters. Lets be clear: Maduro is a miserable despot, and his demise would make the world a better place. But our post-9/11 adventures in nation building have delivered the hard lesson that toppling a dictator is the easy part; what comes after is much tougher. What next? Republican Sen. Rand Paul is pairing with two Democrats to introduce a bill that would prevent the U.S. from attacking Venezuela without congressional approval, said James P. Sutton in The Dispatch. But other Republican lawmakers have shown little appetite for asserting the legislatures authority over war powers. Some analysts are skeptical that ground action is forthcoming, but others believe its just a matter of time. To pressure military leaders to oust Maduro, the U.S. is totally going to strike land targets in Venezuela in the relatively near future, said Will Freeman, a Latin American expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. Administration sources say any land attack would likely be a targeted operation on alleged trafficker encampments or clandestine airstrips, and not a direct effort to oust Maduro, said Karen DeYoung in The Washington Post. But Trump has said nothing to dispel concerns that the United States could launch a full-scale military operation. President Donald Trump has formally appealed his criminal conviction in New York for state charges related to a hush money scheme. His lawyers argue the case should never have been brought to court and the verdict should be overturned. This is the most politically charged prosecution in our Nations history, the filing begins, according to NBC News. The appeal was filed on Monday with the state Appellate Divisions First Department, a midlevel appeals court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction, said the appeal, which seeks to have the entire case thrown out. One of the arguments is that the jury was presented evidence it should not have heard related to the presidents official duties during his first term. The DA, a Democrat, brought those charges in the middle of a contentious Presidential election in which President Trump was the leading Republican candidate, the lawyers wrote, according to NBC News. These charges against President Trump were as unprecedented as their political context, and involved alleged conduct that has never been found to violate any New York law. The prosecution in the case, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office, has declined to comment on Trumps filing. What is the case that Trump is trying to appeal? In May 2024, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. During the case, prosecutors argued the records were falsified to cover up hush money payments that Trumps lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election, per CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps conviction made him the only former or current president to ever be convicted of a felony. The president has denied any wrongdoing and in January he was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, meaning he is a convicted felon in the eyes of New York state law, but will face no further penalties. The New York hush money case was the only one of Trumps four criminal cases to go to trial, per USA Today. Two federal criminal cases were dropped after he won the 2024 presidential election. The fate of the fourth criminal case brought in Georgia is unclear, since a state appeals court has disallowed the local district attorney from prosecuting the case following a romantic relationship she had with another prosecutor. Along with the appeal at the state court level, Trumps lawyers are simultaneously trying to move the state case into federal court, where the president believes hell have a better chance at overturning the verdict. What are Trumps arguments for an appeal? Trumps legal team has argued that Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, made several errors. They argued that the judge should not have allowed the jury to hear evidence involving official presidential acts, including testimony from former Trump aide Hope Hicks, per USA Today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This argument comes from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in July 2024, which says that former presidents cant ever be prosecuted for certain core parts of their presidencies, adding that evidence of various official presidential acts arent allowed to be presented to a jury. The Supreme Courts historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately overturned and dismissed, a spokesperson for Trump told CNN in a statement. President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focuses on his singular mission to Make America Great Again. Hicks was the White House communications director during Trumps first presidency and testified about a discussion with Trump at that time about how to respond to a news article describing Daniels nondisclosure agreement. Trumps lawyers argue that her testimony was about official presidential conduct and is prohibited under the Supreme Court ruling. They also argued that Merchan should have recused himself because of a $35 donation he made to Democrats, as well as his daughters job at a political consulting company that worked on the Biden campaign, per CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A complaint against Merchan about that donation was dismissed by a New York commission that reviews judicial conduct, but the commission did caution him. There is little doubt that (New Yorks district attorney) would have cried foul if Justice Merchan had donated $35 to President Trumps 2020 campaign, and rightly so, Trumps lawyers wrote, per USA Today. Another argument made by Trumps legal team is that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg shouldnt have been able to prosecute Trump because federal prosecutors didnt bring charges under a federal law that deals with campaign activity. The lawyers said that federal law blocks state prosecutors from bringing a similar case. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump late Monday formally appealed his criminal conviction in New York, asking the state's Supreme Court to throw the case out. Arguing the trial was "fatally marred," Trump's defense said in its 96-page filing, obtained by Politico, that the charges against their client were political, the judge was compromised and evidence that was included in the trial should not have been. "This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction," his lawyers said in the filing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This court should now reverse." Trump was convicted by a jury in May 2024 on 34 counts related to the falsification of business records to hide hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels to hide their alleged affair from the voting public in the run-up to the 2016 election, which he won. New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg was able to indict Trump on felony charges for what would normally be misdemeanor document falsification by arguing that it was done in furtherance of another crime, specifically to conceal violating state election interference laws. In the filing Monday, Trump's legal team argued that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, "concocted a purported felony by stacking time-barred misdemeanors under a convoluted legal theory, which the DA then improperly obscured until the charge conference." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They also said Justice Juan Merchan "fatally marred" the trial by allowing the introduction of official presidential acts in opposition to a Supreme Court ruling that came down months after the trial, which states the president enjoys immunity from prosecution for such alleged crimes. Merchan should have also recused himself, Trump's team continued, because he had donated $15 to ActBlue that was earmarked for Joe Biden's President campaign and $20 to two political action committees that support Democrats. "Despite years of rifling through President Trump's business, DANY could not find a felony charge. So it concocted an elaborate theory that has never before been pursued in this State and is plainly preempted by federal law," Trump's lawyers said. "Like every criminal defendant in a New York courtroom, President Trump was entitled to a fair trial before a properly instructed jury and a neutral judge. Instead, he was convicted after a trial that featured repeated and clear violations of his constitutional rights, federal law and New York law, presided over by a judge who was required to recuse." Trump has repeatedly tried to overturn his conviction, including by seeking to move the case to federal court, where he, as president, could potentially invoke federal immunity in a case handled by his own Justice Department. By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jihoon Lee TOKYO/GYEONGJU, South Korea (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump heads to South Korea on Wednesday for the final leg of his Asia trip, with high-stakes meetings expected with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korea's Lee Jae Myung. After arriving on a flight from Tokyo, where he signed a rare earths deal with Japan's new prime minister, Trump is due to address a summit of CEOs and meet with Lee in Gyeongju, a sleepy South Korean town filled with historic tombs and palaces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the top of the agenda will be the unresolved trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea. The two allies announced a deal in August under which South Korea would avoid the worst of the tariffs by agreeing to pump $350 billion of new investments into the United States. But talks over the structure of those investments have been deadlocked, and officials from both sides have said Trump and Lee are unlikely to finalise an agreement. Trump has also pressed allies like South Korea to pay more for defence, and South Korea has sought reforms to U.S. immigration laws to allow for more workers to build factories after a raid on a Hyundai Motor battery plant in Georgia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NORTH KOREA TEST-FIRES MISSILES Trump and Lee are likely to discuss efforts to engage North Korea, which announced early on Wednesday that it had test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile the day before. "It is our responsible mission and duty to ceaselessly toughen the nuclear combat posture," the North Korean official who oversaw the test said, according to state news agency KCNA. Last week, the North fired its first ballistic missile since May. Trump has made repeated calls for a meeting with leader Kim Jong Un, including during this trip, but there has been no public comment from Pyongyang. Kim has previously said he could be open to talking if Washington stops pressing him to give up nuclear weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TRADE AGENDA Filled with thousands of police and soldiers for security, Gyeongju will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum this week, but Trump will skip the leaders' summit scheduled for Friday and Saturday. "Trump dislikes large international gatherings and prefers to have one-on-one meetings with key leaders," said Christopher Padilla, senior adviser at advisory firm Brunswick Group in Washington. "But while the U.S. steps back, most of the world has continued to work through such institutions, finding them a useful source of cooperation on international problems." Instead, Trump will address the APEC CEO summit, hold bilateral meetings with several countries' leaders, including China's Xi, and have dinner with Lee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Xi-Trump meeting, expected on Thursday, is overshadowing the rest of the week's busy diplomatic schedule. Negotiators from the world's top two economies hashed out a framework on Sunday for a deal to pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, U.S. officials said. The news sent Asian stocks soaring to record peaks. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Tuesday that he was not worried that Trump would "abandon" the island in his meeting this week with Xi. Since taking office in January, Trump has vacillated on his position towards China-claimed Taiwan as he seeks to strike a trade deal with Beijing. Trump says Xi has told him he will not invade Taiwan while the Republican president is in office, but Trump has yet to approve any new U.S. arms sales to Taipei. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement FINAL STOP IN ASIA TRIP Trump is arriving in Gyeongju after a whirlwind swing through the region, among the hardest hit by his tariff policies and increased U.S.-China competition. In Malaysia, he announced a slew of trade agreements on the sidelines of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and oversaw the signing of an expanded truce between Thailand and Cambodia after a border conflict. In Tokyo on Tuesday, Trump lavished praise on Japan's first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signing deals on trade and rare earths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Takaichi applauded Trump's push to resolve global conflicts, vowing to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Trump's spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt. The U.S. and Japan also released a list of projects in the areas of energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals in which Japanese companies are eyeing investments of up to $400 billion. Tokyo pledged to provide $550 billion of strategic U.S. investments, loans and guarantees earlier this year as part of a deal to win reprieve from Trump's punishing import tariffs. Washington has pressed South Korea to make a similar arrangement, but Seoul says it cannot afford to pay the $350 billion it pledged upfront. Instead, South Korea has offered a mix of phased investments, loans and other measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said a last-minute concession by the United States could lead to a deal. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Tokyo and Jihoon Lee in Gyeongju, South Korea; Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Jamie Freed) President Barack Obama was roundly criticized by conservatives in 2012 after he used the presidential bully pulpit to pressure the U.S. Supreme Court into upholding the federal health care law known as Obamacare. It was April 2, several days after the Court heard oral arguments in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, and Obama took the opportunity to publicly lecture the justices against taking the "unprecedented extraordinary step" of overturning his signature policy. Two months later, the Supreme Court narrowly upheld Obamacare. Next week, the signature policy of another president will be having its day in court when the justices hear oral arguments in Learning Resources v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, the consolidated cases challenging the legality of President Donald Trump's unilateral trade war. And much like Obama before him, Trump is now using the presidential bully pulpit in a blatant effort to influence the Supreme Court's decision-making process. Will it work? As a legal matter, the Supreme Court has many excellent reasons to overrule Trump's tariffs. For one thing, the constitutional authority "to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises" as well as the authority "to regulate Commerce with Foreign nations," are assigned exclusively to Congress, which means that Trump is wielding power that the Constitution did not grant to him. His tariffs thus deserve to be struck down for violating both the constitutional separation of powers and the nondelegation doctrine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's tariffs also violate the major questions doctrine, which says that before the president may wield significant regulatory power, the president must first point to a clear and unambiguous delegation of such power to him by Congress. Yet the supposed tariff-making authority that Trump citesthe International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)does not even mention tariffs anywhere in its text, which hardly qualifies as a clear and unambiguous delegation. But excellent legal reasons such as these do not always matter as much as they should in the minds of Supreme Court justices. You have probably heard the oft-hurled insult that the justices are merely "politicians in robes." Unfortunately, it is sometimes true that political considerations outweigh legal ones at the High Court, especially in hot-button cases that are thought to have major political ramifications. Trump seems to recognize that the legal arguments in the tariffs case may not go his way. So he is openly pressuring the justices to tip the scales in his favor for political reasons. "If a Radical Left Court ruled against us at this late date," Trump declared in August, it would produce "a GREAT DEPRESSION." Likewise, earlier this month, Trump asserted that "if we don't win that case, we will be a weakened, troubled, financial mess for many, many years to come." Trump has even mused about attending the oral arguments in person, which is something that no sitting president has ever done. I guess Trump thinks he is capable of literally staring down the justices. For the sake of argument, let's assume that the Supreme Court will give extra weight to nonlegal considerations in the tariffs case. Even if it does, however, the justices still have many better nonlegal arguments at their disposal than Trump's self-serving pronouncements. For example, the justices would be well served if they paid heed to a friend of the court brief filed by trade and economic policy experts Scott Lincicome, Colin Grabow, and Clark Packard, who explained why Trump's claims of economic doom if he loses "are groundless and should be ignored." As they pointed out, "there is little merit to the government's frequent public claims about the parade of horribles that would befall the nation if the IEEPA tariffs were invalidated. The United States has survivedand in fact has thrivedwithout IEEPA tariffs, and there is little doubt that it would do so again." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump wants the Supreme Court to put politics first in the tariffs case. But given the overwhelming economic evidence arrayed against his tariffs, Trump might want to be more careful about what he wishes for. The post Trump Hopes To Bully SCOTUS Into Upholding His Tariffs appeared first on Reason.com. As the government shutdown drags into another week, neither President Donald Trump nor most House Republicans are even in town. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has opted to once again keep the lower chamber out of session this week, while Trump is on a multicountry trip in Asia. News: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Sues Tylenol Makers Over Autism Claims Johnson has long stressed that Republicans have fulfilled their role by passing spending legislation. But the measure stalled in the Senate as Democrats have refused to support it because it doesnt include an extension of health care subsidies that are set to expire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The House did its work ... and the most important thing is to get the government open. Its the number one priority and number one responsibility of Congress, and the Senate Democrats have chosen not to do it, Johnson said during a press briefing on Monday. And the White House has maintained that it will only hold talks with Democrats after they support legislation to reopen the government. While Democrats shut down the government to use struggling American families by their own admission as leverage for their radical political agenda, President Trump is continuing to work night and day on behalf of American people, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. Our position has not changed, we are happy to have policy conversations with the Democrats once they reopen the government and stop holding Americans hostage. News: 'Republicans Aren't In Town:' Bernie Sanders And AOC Slam House Absence During Shutdown Trump has worked to get troops paid during the shutdown, the White House notes, even as experts have scrutinized his legal ability to do so. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the effects of the shutdown have become more apparent, however, both Trump and House Republicans are facing growing scrutiny for their physical absence, and missing voices, from talks to reopen the government. Democrats are getting backlash, too, for their refusal to back a clean funding bill, including from the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal workers. Come November, aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is expected to stall and many federal employees will have missed a full paycheck. News: House Speaker And Majority Leader Trash Jeffries Endorsement Of Zohran Mamdani How can I negotiate? The president is in Asia for five days. Johnson is basically keeping ... the House of Representatives out until January to stop and protect pedophiles. So who am I negotiating with right now?Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) asked during a CNBC interview on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As NOTUSs Riley Rogerson reports, in addition to being away this week, Trump has not personally visited Capitol Hill, nor has he hosted top Democrats at the White House in the 27 days that the government has been shut down. I dont know that weve ever had a shutdown ... where the president was not engaged at the end, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told CNNs Manu Raju last week. And so I think that that would certainly help. House Republicans have similarly received questions about why theyve been out of session during the shutdown, when the lower chamber is still able to conduct business like passing bills and swearing in new members. (Johnson, in particular, has been criticized for his failure to swear in new Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona.) News: Trump Is Targeting The Kennedy Center For Renovations, Too Theres enough interest on both sides for a deal, Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.), a Republican who has disagreed with Johnsons approach, told NPR. I dont see why were not talking about that now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson claimed Monday that staying out of session allowed members to continue to engage in meaningful business in their home districts. Related... Read the original on HuffPost VMPL New Delhi [India], October 28: When it comes to building wealth and saving taxes, investors often explore multiple options that offer both stability and long-term growth. Two such investment tools, ELSS Mutual Fund and Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), can play a key role in your overall financial strategy. While an ELSS Mutual Fund helps you reduce your tax liability under Section 80C, ETFs are known for their diversification and liquidity benefits. Combining both can help you strike the perfect balance between tax planning and portfolio growth. Leading financial institutions, including ICICI Bank, offer access to both mutual funds and ETFs through seamless digital investment platforms. Let's understand how to use these instruments together for smarter investing. Understanding the Basics What Is an ELSS Mutual Fund? An ELSS Mutual Fund (Equity Linked Savings Scheme) is a type of equity mutual fund that primarily invests in shares of listed companies. The key feature of ELSS is its tax-saving benefit under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, allowing investors to claim a deduction of up to 1.5 lakh in a financial year under the Old Tax regime. Key features of ELSS Mutual Funds: * Lock-in period: Minimum of 3 years (shortest among all 80C instruments) * Returns: Market-linked; potential for higher long-term growth * Tax benefit: Eligible for deduction under Section 80C under the Old Tax regime * Risk: Moderate to high, depending on market volatility ELSS Mutual Funds are ideal for individuals seeking dual benefits, wealth creation and tax savings. ETF Meaning: What Are Exchange-Traded Funds?Before combining both products, it's important to understand ETF meaning clearly. An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is an investment fund that tracks an index, commodity, or a basket of securities. It is listed on stock exchanges and can be bought or sold like shares throughout the trading day. Key features of ETFs: * Diversification: Tracks indices like Nifty 50 or Sensex, spreading risk across multiple sectors * Liquidity: Traded on the stock exchange, allowing real-time buying and selling * Low cost: Generally have lower expense ratios than traditional mutual funds * Transparency: Holdings are disclosed regularly, ensuring visibility for investors ETFs are suitable for investors looking for passive, cost-efficient exposure to equity markets. Why Combine ELSS and ETFs?While an ELSS Mutual Fund focuses on tax savings and long-term growth, ETFs enhance liquidity and diversification. Combining the two helps balance risk and optimise returns. Here's why this combination works well: 1. Balanced Portfolio Strategy ELSS funds focus on active fund management, aiming to outperform the market, whereas ETFs are passively managed, mirroring the performance of an index. By combining both, you create a balanced approach, capturing market growth through ETFs while seeking alpha returns through ELSS. 2. Tax Efficiency Investments in ELSS Mutual Funds qualify for tax deductions under Section 80C, whereas ETFs (especially equity ETFs) are subject to capital gains tax similar to stocks. The tax advantage of ELSS offsets some of the tax liability you might incur on ETF gains. 3. Diversification and Flexibility ETFs provide instant diversification across multiple sectors and stocks. ELSS funds, being actively managed, offer an additional layer of research-driven selection. This blend ensures your portfolio isn't dependent on one market segment or management style. 4. Liquidity Meets Long-Term Growth ELSS has a lock-in of 3 years, ensuring disciplined investing. On the other hand, ETFs offer instant liquidity, allowing you to rebalance or exit positions when needed. Combining both ensures your investments are accessible yet growth-oriented. How to Combine ELSS and ETFs in Your Portfolio? Here's a step-by-step guide to using both investments effectively: Step 1: Define Your Investment Goals Start by identifying your objectives, tax savings, capital appreciation, or long-term wealth creation. ELSS caters to tax planning and long-term growth, while ETFs support flexible investing and liquidity needs. For example: * If your primary goal is tax reduction allocate more to ELSS. * If your goal is steady portfolio growth maintain a larger ETF allocation. Step 2: Allocate Investments Wisely A balanced allocation between the two depends on your risk tolerance and investment horizon. Suggested allocation model (for moderate-risk investors): * 60% ELSS Mutual Funds: for tax savings and equity exposure * 40% ETFs: for diversification, liquidity, and low-cost returns Aggressive investors can reverse this ratio, giving ETFs a higher share for market-linked growth. Step 3: Choose the Right Funds and Indices When selecting an ELSS Mutual Fund, look for: * Consistent long-term performance (5-7 years) * Experienced fund management * Diversified equity exposure across sectors When selecting ETFs, consider: * Broad-based indices (like Nifty 50 ETF or Sensex ETF) * Sector-specific ETFs for tactical exposure (e.g., banking or IT ETFs) * Expense ratios and tracking error Digitally advanced financial institutions, such as ICICI Bank, offer platforms where you can compare, evaluate, and invest in both ELSS and ETFs easily. Step 4: Use SIPs for ELSS and Lump Sum for ETFs To maximise returns and reduce volatility, invest in ELSS funds through a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP). This approach averages out the cost over time and ensures consistent contributions throughout the year. For ETFs, you can consider periodic lump-sum investments when the market dips, enabling cost-efficient accumulation of units. Step 5: Review and Rebalance Annually Market conditions change, and so should your portfolio allocation. Review your ELSS and ETF performance at least once a year. If one asset class significantly outperforms the other, rebalance your portfolio to maintain your original allocation. Total annual investment: 1.5 lakh Here, 90,000 invested in ELSS provides tax benefits under Section 80C, while 60,000 in ETFs helps achieve liquidity and cost efficiency. Over time, this balanced strategy compounds wealth while optimising tax savings. Key Benefits of Combining ELSS and ETFs * Tax Optimisation: ELSS reduces taxable income while ETFs offer capital appreciation. * Diversification: Exposure to both active (ELSS) and passive (ETFs) investments. * Liquidity Control: ETFs allow flexibility, while ELSS builds long-term discipline. * Cost Efficiency: ETFs have lower expense ratios, balancing the management cost of ELSS. * Wealth Creation: Both contribute to compounding returns through market participation. Things to Keep in Mind 1) Understand Lock-in Periods: ELSS investments are locked for three years, while ETFs can be sold anytime. 2) Track Performance Regularly: Review both fund types annually to ensure alignment with goals. 3) Be Tax-Aware: When redeeming ELSS after the 3-year lock-in, profits (i.e., long-term capital gains) are exempt up to 1.25 lakh in a financial year, but the amount above this may attract LTCG tax at 12.5% (without indexation) under the current rules. 4) Avoid Overlapping Sectors: Ensure your ELSS and ETF investments don't replicate the same underlying sectors excessively. Conclusion Combining ELSS Mutual Funds and ETFs is a smart strategy for investors seeking tax efficiency and portfolio growth. ELSS helps you save under Section 80C while encouraging long-term investing, and ETFs offer diversification, liquidity, and cost-effectiveness. By integrating both, you build a portfolio that balances discipline and flexibility, helping you grow wealth systematically while managing taxes efficiently. Major banks providing investment facilities, such as ICICI Bank, provide investors with the tools and platforms needed to invest in ELSS and ETFs conveniently, track performance, and make informed financial decisions. With careful planning and periodic reviews, this combination can serve as a powerful foundation for your investment journey, one that not only helps you save taxes today but also builds wealth for tomorrow. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) President Donald Trump urged American troops to buy cars from Japanese manufacturer Toyota after long complaining about the lack of American vehicles sold in Japan. Trump, who has long promoted America First, told U.S. soldiers during his trip to Asia to buy the Japanese-made cars following his announcement that Toyota is set to invest $10 billion to build manufacturing plants all over the U.S. Theyre going to be putting auto plants all over the United States to the tune of $10 billion, the president told troops Tuesday aboard the USS George Washington, docked at the Yokosuka naval base. So thats Toyota, so go out and buy a Toyota. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japans new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has only been in the post for a week but has rolled out the red carpet for Trump on a charm offensive. Before sitting down with Takaichi, Trump was greeted by the sight of an enormous American-made Ford F-150 truck, a nod to an idea recently floated by Japans government to buy a fleet of the vehicles. President Donald Trump urged American troops to buy cars from Japanese manufacturer Toyota after long complaining about the lack of American vehicles sold in Japan. (AFP via Getty Images) The gesture went down well with the president. She has good taste, Trump told reporters on the journey to Asia. Thats a hot truck. Japan exported over 1.37 million vehicles to the U.S. last year, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, and cars are the countrys top export to America. On the flip side, American cars have proved a tough sell in Japan, which imported fewer than 17,000 American cars last year, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts have cited Japans narrower roads and smaller parking lot spaces as one of the reasons why large, heavy-duty-style trucks do not sell as well. Those who can afford more expensive foreign cars tend to go for compact or medium-size vehicles from Europe, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi. Before sitting down with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump was greeted by the sight of an enormous American-made Ford F-150 truck, a nod to an idea recently floated by Japans government to buy a fleet of the vehicles. (AP) Except for American-produced Japanese cars such as Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the top-selling American brand is Jeep, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association. Many American cars have their steering on the left side, the opposite of the standard right-side steering in Japan, where expressway tolls are on the right side, for instance. Lower mileage and lack of maintenance and service networks also help explain why American brands except for Jeep have struggled in Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why don't American cars sell well in Japan? Because they lack understanding for road conditions and housing situations, as well as energy conservation, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament in April. The Associated Press contributed reporting A retired federal judge is warning that President Donald Trump has actually seized near-absolute unchecked power in the United States as questions swirl about the possibility of him seeking a third term in 2028. During an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe on Tuesday, J. Michael Luttig, a former judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, was asked whether Trump will attempt to seek a third term. Trump did not rule out his political future in the 2028 election on Monday, telling reporters that I havent really thought about it, while touting the best poll numbers Ive ever had. I would love to do it, Trump said. And I have my best poll numbers ever. Its very terrible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exchange came after former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon declared in an interview last week that Trump is going to get a third term. The MAGA architect claimed theres a plan for the president to stay in office, though he did not provide specific details. Trump is gonna be president in 28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that, Bannon told The Economist. Luttig said the question of Trump seeking another term is virtually on the minds of every American today. The presidents been in office approximately 10 months now. He began talking about a third term two months into that 10 months, and he and his allies and supporters have continued to talk about it up until yesterday, when the president himself spoke to the issue, Luttig said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: That is unchecked by either the Congress or the Supreme Court, the several states or the media itself. Theres no question at all that as of today, Donald Trump has all the power he would ever need to run for a third term and be seated as the next president, whether or not he actually won that election." Since taking office in January, Trump has made several claims entertaining another term, despite the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibiting any citizen from serving for a third time in the post. While speaking to NBC News in March, he did not say directly that he would not seek a third term. During an appearance on CNBC in August, he went on to say he would probably not run during the next election. Meanwhile, he has teased the prospect of a third term at rallies and among his base, selling Trump 2028 hats on his online storefront. While speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Monday, Trump also floated a potential 2028 ticket with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not sure if anybody would run against us, Trump said. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. President Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Japan on Tuesday shortly after she became the countrys first female prime minister, and the two touted the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Trump and Takaichi met at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo one week after Takaichi officially took over as prime minister. Trump congratulated her on becoming the nations first woman to hold the position, calling it a big deal. I want to just let you know, anytime you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there. We are an ally at the strongest level, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Takaichi worked closely with the late Shinzo Abe, Japans former prime minister who built a strong friendship and working relationship with Trump during the presidents first term. He spoke so well of you, long before we met, and Im not surprised to see that you are now the prime minister and he would be very happy to know that, and I congratulate you on behalf of the United States, Trump said. Takaichi praised Trump for his efforts to broker peace in the Middle East and for his role in securing a detente between Thailand and Cambodia. The prime minister announced Japan would gift 250 cherry trees to the United States as part of ongoing celebrations marking 250 years since Americas founding. The two leaders were expected to discuss trade during their meeting in Tokyo. The two nations struck a trade agreement in July that imposed a 15 percent tariff on Japanese goods and included a commitment for Japan to invest $550 billion in the U.S. Trump had previously threatened to hit Japan with a 25 percent tariff on its goods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan is one of the United Statess largest trading partners. The U.S. exported roughly $80 billion in goods to Japan in 2024, while Japan exported roughly $148 billion to the United States. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Trump met Monday with families of Japanese citizens who had been abducted by North Korea amid speculation about whether he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posed for photos and spoke with the families, some of whom held up pictures of their loved ones. The U.S. is with them all the way, Trump said, adding that it was an issue Takaichi felt strongly about. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan says at least 17 of its citizens were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Five citizens were returned in 2002. There has been speculation about whether Trump would meet with Kim while on his trip to Asia this week. The president has left the possibility open, though White House officials have said there are no plans for such a meeting before Trump heads back to the United States on Thursday. I would. If you want to put out the word, Im open to it, Trump said as he flew to Malaysia on Saturday. Trump met twice with Kim during his first term, including in 2019 when he became the first sitting president to set foot in the Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea. He has frequently boasted about his great relationship with the North Korean leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Republished by Louisiana Illuminator, The Lens, Texas Standard Residents of the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast are bracing for their latest environmental setback: A two-year exemption loosening emissions standards at some petrochemical plants a move that could pump nearly 5.3 million additional tons of air pollution each year into their neighborhoods. According to an analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), five petrochemical facilities planning expansions along the coast would be exempt from rules limiting emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gasses and other hazardous emissions. The facilities include two in Texas and three in Louisiana that make products ranging from pesticides to plastic resins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates say the exemption deals yet another blow from President Donald Trump to the predominantly Black and brown communities located near these facilities, which are already overburdened by pollution. Our lives don't matter, says Tish Taylor, a community activist and lifelong resident of the corridor in southeast Louisiana known as Cancer Alley, where she says residents are routinely subjected to chemical smells and fog from the high concentration of polluting facilities. Nothing that Trump does says that he cares about people. Everything about his actions shows his disdain for poor and Black people specifically, but poor in general. Since taking office this year, Trump has made it his mission to dismantle the previous administrations moves to improve environmental justice and lower greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. Under this latest move, 52 chemical facilities owned by 25 different companies are now exempt from adhering to key air emissions standards outlined in the so-called HON Rule finalized last year under Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among them was the gutting of provisions that allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take action against emissions from tailpipes, smokestacks and the oil and gas industry. The agency also has seen massive layoffs and a rescission of then-President Joe Bidens multibillion-dollar push for more renewable energy. CIELs analysis includes emissions estimates culled by the Environmental Integrity Projects Oil and Gas Watch a database tracking the expansions of fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. Floodlight used those estimates to calculate the overall emissions impact of the two-year regulatory pause on the five communities in Texas and Louisiana with planned expansions. Expanding Gulf plants get compliance delay The rule is scheduled to take effect in July 2026, requiring additional pollution control equipment and, in some cases, fenceline monitoring. For the exempted facilities, the rule now takes effect in 2028 and Trump could push it back another two years beyond that, says Steven Feit, a senior attorney and legal and research manager with CIEL. Five of the companies are planning expansions that would be exempt from the HON Rule for at least two years. They are BASFs Geismar, Louisiana, plant, which makes various chemicals and petrochemicals; Shells chemical plant, also in Geismar; Chevron Phillips refinery in Sweeny, Texas; Formosa Plastics plant in Point Comfort, Texas; and Westlake Chemical Corporation, in Westlake, Louisiana, which produces vinyl chloride and other chemicals. Our lives don't matter, Louisiana environmental advocate Tish Taylor says in reaction to President Donald Trumps recent decision to grant 52 petrochemical facilities two-year exemptions that will likely increase toxic and greenhouse gas emissions in fenceline communities like Taylors. (Lee Hedgepeth / Inside Climate News) These rollbacks are essentially saying we're going to keep the status quo, the existing environmental injustice, the existing disproportionate impact that is going to continue, Feit says. And that, as we point out, is going to worsen, because these facilities are growing, expanding, in addition to all the new ones planned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Chemistry Council, an advocacy group for more than 190 chemical companies, applauded Trumps action, saying it will play a critical role in maintaining and strengthening the countrys chemical manufacturing sector. Without relief from these unworkable timelines, the HON rule jeopardizes the production of essential chemistries that are crucial for our national security interests, including public health and economic security, as they are used for countless everyday products and critical industries such as agriculture, healthcare, semiconductor manufacturing, and more, the council said in a prepared statement. In its analysis, CIEL noted that the American Chemistry Council spent nearly $31 million in 2024 and 2025 on lobbying. Ten of the companies granted exemptions spent a similar amount in those two years, CIEL found, while their employees donated $3.6 million to various campaigns during the 2024 election cycle. The HON Rule is expected to cost the industry more than $190 million a year to meet the new requirements. Trump: Chemical industry is critical infrastructure The HON Rule requires more than 200 facilities across the country to monitor their emissions for certain high-risk emissions including ethylene oxide, chloropene, benzene and vinyl chloride which have been linked to cancer and other health-related problems. The rule also ends loopholes that exempted facilities from the Clean Air Act during startups, shutdowns and plant malfunctions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the rule was finalized in 2024, the Biden administration said it would reduce elevated cancer risk by 96% in fenceline communities. Taylors father, Robert, was one of the environmental advocates from Louisiana present when the HON Rule was signed by then-EPA Administrator Michael Regan. We always want any petrochemical industry to be regulated, Tish Taylor says. That's all we ask: That they be good neighbors, that they not kill us in the process of making billions of dollars and maybe pay some taxes to help us have economic development. Plans to expand production at BASFs TDI plant in Geismar, La. have been projected to increase toxic air emissions for the nearby community by 18,969 tons annually due to exemptions President Donald Trump granted recently that would have forced the company to adhere to stricter air quality monitoring. (Louisiana Economic Development) CIEL argues the Trump administration cited a never-before-used provision of the law to grant the exemptions, allowing the president to suspend hazardous air pollutant regulations if he determines that the technology to implement such standard is not available and that it is in the national security interests of the United States to do so. In his July proclamation granting the two-year exemptions, Trump characterized petrochemical facilities as critical infrastructure vital to safeguarding the countrys supply chains and reducing its dependence on foreign minerals crucial to the nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump also wrote that the HON Rule imposes substantial burdens on chemical manufacturers already operating under stringent regulations and that the monitoring and air quality testing being mandated were not "practically available and could not be implemented safely or consistently under real-world conditions. CIEL expects the exemptions to be legally challenged as were the ones Trump issued a month prior for the coal industry. The coal exemptions are the subject of a lawsuit filed in June by a coalition of environmental groups. Justice delayed is justice denied, Feit says. At some point, the short term becomes the long term. Fear, confusion grip communities Jane Patton, the Fossil Economy Campaign manager with CIEL, says environmental advocates were stunned by how quickly the Trump administration handed out the exemptions with no community notice. She also notes that the list of exempted facilities released by the Trump administration in some cases did not match the names of existing facilities, leading to confusion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She says CIELs initial calls with environmental leaders in fenceline communities were riddled with questions: How do the exemptions affect the lives of people living in fenceline communities? Which facilities are affected? How are families supposed to keep their children safe if they don't know what's in the air? Patton says. Folks are trying to come to us for answers, and we don't have answers. Like, it's not even just that we don't have answers because we haven't investigated. It's that there may not be answers to be had right now, and that is very scary and confusing for communities. In 2019, Diane Wilson reached a $50 million settlement against Formosa Plastics, one of the exempted companies, in what was called the largest payout in U.S. history for a citizen environmental suit. The petrochemical giant was found liable for illegally dumping toxic waste including plastic beads and powder in waterways along Texas Gulf Coast. The settlement funds are being used to remediate affected land and water, boost environmental education and research and revitalize the local fishing industry. After spending years fighting against environmental pollution and winning a landmark $50 million settlement against Formosa Plastics, Diane Wilson thinks it's "outrageous" that President Donald Trump recently granted a two-year exemption that allows the company to ignore stricter air monitoring protocols designed to improve air quality for many fenceline communities. (Courtesy of the Goldman Environmental Prize) As part of that settlement, the company also agreed to eliminate all plastic waste at its Point Comfort plant in Calhoun County, Texas, and pay penalties until discharges from the facility stopped. But since June 2021, Wilson says her organization has documented 859 violations and $34.1 million in fines, which the company is required to pay under a consent decree . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company plans to expand its Point Comfort plant, which is projected to raise greenhouse gas emissions the most of any of the expansions equivalent to about 670,000 gas-powered vehicles.. It's really outrageous that they can get permits when you have a serial polluter and it's documented, says Wilson, leader of the San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper. I have a real problem about them getting all of those exemptions like they need it easier. Plumes of smoke rise from three towers at Westlake Chemical's plant in Lake Charles. President Donald Trump recently granted the facility a two-year exemption from stricter air quality standards. Environmental advocates say the move will increase toxic and greenhouse gas emissions for the surrounding neighborhoods. (Photo by Halle Parker/WWNO) Residents of the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast are bracing for their latest environmental setback: A two-year exemption loosening emissions standards at some petrochemical plants a move that could pump nearly 5.3 million additional tons of air pollution each year into their neighborhoods. According to an analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), five petrochemical facilities planning expansions along the coast would be exempt from rules limiting emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gasses and other hazardous emissions. The facilities include two in Texas and three in Louisiana that make products ranging from pesticides to plastic resins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates say the exemption deals yet another blow from President Donald Trump to the predominantly Black and brown communities located near these facilities, which are already overburdened by pollution. Our lives dont matter, says Tish Taylor, a community activist and lifelong resident of the corridor in southeast Louisiana known as Cancer Alley, where she says residents are routinely subjected to chemical smells and fog from the high concentration of polluting facilities. Nothing that Trump does says that he cares about people. Everything about his actions shows his disdain for poor and Black people specifically, but poor in general. Since taking office this year, Trump has made it his mission to dismantle the previous administrations moves to improve environmental justice and lower greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. Among them was the gutting of provisions that allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take action against emissions from tailpipes, smokestacks and the oil and gas industry. The agency also has seen massive layoffs and a rescission of then-President Joe Bidens multibillion-dollar push for more renewable energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under this latest move, 52 chemical facilities owned by 25 different companies are now exempt from adhering to key air emissions standards outlined in the so-called HON Rule finalized last year under Biden. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CIELs analysis includes emissions estimates culled by the Environmental Integrity Projects Oil and Gas Watch a database tracking the expansions of fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. Floodlight used those estimates to calculate the overall emissions impact of the two-year regulatory pause on the five communities in Texas and Louisiana with planned expansions. Expanding Gulf plants get compliance delay The rule is scheduled to take effect in July 2026, requiring additional pollution control equipment and, in some cases, fenceline monitoring. For the exempted facilities, the rule now takes effect in 2028 and Trump could push it back another two years beyond that, says Steven Feit, a senior attorney and legal and research manager with CIEL. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Five of the companies are planning expansions that would be exempt from the HON Rule for at least two years. They are BASFs Geismar plant, which makes various chemicals and petrochemicals; Shells chemical plant, also in Geismar; Chevron Phillips refinery in Sweeny, Texas; Formosa Plastics plant in Point Comfort, Texas; and Westlake Chemical Corp., in Westlake, which produces vinyl chloride and other chemicals. These rollbacks are essentially saying were going to keep the status quo, the existing environmental injustice, the existing disproportionate impact that is going to continue, Feit says. And that, as we point out, is going to worsen, because these facilities are growing, expanding, in addition to all the new ones planned. The American Chemistry Council, an advocacy group for more than 190 chemical companies, applauded Trumps action, saying it will play a critical role in maintaining and strengthening the countrys chemical manufacturing sector. Without relief from these unworkable timelines, the HON rule jeopardizes the production of essential chemistries that are crucial for our national security interests, including public health and economic security, as they are used for countless everyday products and critical industries such as agriculture, healthcare, semiconductor manufacturing, and more, the council said in a prepared statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In its analysis, CIEL noted that the American Chemistry Council spent nearly $31 million in 2024 and 2025 on lobbying. Ten of the companies granted exemptions spent a similar amount in those two years, CIEL found, while their employees donated $3.6 million to various campaigns during the 2024 election cycle. The HON Rule is expected to cost the industry more than $190 million a year to meet the new requirements. Plans to expand production at BASFs TDI plant in Geismar. have been projected to increase toxic air emissions for the nearby community by 18,969 tons annually due to exemptions President Donald Trump granted recently that would have forced the company to adhere to stricter air quality monitoring. (Photo courtesy of Louisiana Economic Development) Trump: Chemical industry is critical infrastructure The HON Rule requires more than 200 facilities across the country to monitor their emissions for certain high-risk emissions including ethylene oxide, chloropene, benzene and vinyl chloride which have been linked to cancer and other health-related problems. The rule also ends loopholes that exempted facilities from the Clean Air Act during startups, shutdowns and plant malfunctions. When the rule was finalized in 2024, the Biden administration said it would reduce elevated cancer risk by 96% in fenceline communities. Taylors father, Robert, was one of the environmental advocates from Louisiana present when the HON Rule was signed by then-EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We always want any petrochemical industry to be regulated, Tish Taylor says. Thats all we ask: That they be good neighbors, that they not kill us in the process of making billions of dollars and maybe pay some taxes to help us have economic development. CIEL argues the Trump administration cited a never-before-used provision of the law to grant the exemptions, allowing the president to suspend hazardous air pollutant regulations if he determines that the technology to implement such standard is not available and that it is in the national security interests of the United States to do so. In his July proclamation granting the two-year exemptions, Trump characterized petrochemical facilities as critical infrastructure vital to safeguarding the countrys supply chains and reducing its dependence on foreign minerals crucial to the nation. Trump also wrote that the HON Rule imposes substantial burdens on chemical manufacturers already operating under stringent regulations and that the monitoring and air quality testing being mandated were not practically available and could not be implemented safely or consistently under real-world conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CIEL expects the exemptions to be legally challenged as were the ones Trump issued a month prior for the coal industry. The coal exemptions are the subject of a lawsuit filed in June by a coalition of environmental groups. Justice delayed is justice denied, Feit says. At some point, the short term becomes the long term. Fear, confusion grip communities Jane Patton, the Fossil Economy Campaign manager with CIEL, says environmental advocates were stunned by how quickly the Trump administration handed out the exemptions with no community notice. She also notes that the list of exempted facilities released by the Trump administration in some cases did not match the names of existing facilities, leading to confusion. She says CIELs initial calls with environmental leaders in fenceline communities were riddled with questions: How do the exemptions affect the lives of people living in fenceline communities? Which facilities are affected? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How are families supposed to keep their children safe if they dont know whats in the air? Patton says. Folks are trying to come to us for answers, and we dont have answers. Like, its not even just that we dont have answers because we havent investigated. Its that there may not be answers to be had right now, and that is very scary and confusing for communities. In 2019, Diane Wilson reached a $50 million settlement against Formosa Plastics, one of the exempted companies, in what was called the largest payout in U.S. history for a citizen environmental suit. The petrochemical giant was found liable for illegally dumping toxic waste including plastic beads and powder in waterways along Texas Gulf Coast. The settlement funds are being used to remediate affected land and water, boost environmental education and research and revitalize the local fishing industry. As part of that settlement, the company also agreed to eliminate all plastic waste at its Point Comfort plant in Calhoun County, Texas, and pay penalties until discharges from the facility stopped. But since June 2021, Wilson says her organization has documented 859 violations and $34.1 million in fines, which the company is required to pay under a consent decree. The company plans to expand its Point Comfort plant, which is projected to raise greenhouse gas emissions the most of any of the expansions equivalent to about 670,000 gas-powered vehicles.. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its really outrageous that they can get permits when you have a serial polluter and its documented, says Wilson, leader of the San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper. I have a real problem about them getting all of those exemptions like they need it easier. This report was originally published by Floodlight, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action. Sign up for Floodlights newsletter here. Donald Trump has let thousands of criminals off the hook, so why not himself? The president is pushing to appeal his criminal conviction in New York in an effort to undo his status as a convicted felon, reported Politico. In a 96-page legal brief filed to the New York Supreme Court Monday, Trump once again argued that the outcome of the trial should be completely disregarded since the Supreme Court expanded the scope of presidential immunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction, his attorneys wrote. Trump was convicted in May 2024 after a high-profile trial found him guilty of issuing hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, but he never faced consequences. He wasnt scheduled to be sentenced until after the presidential election, the outcome of which effectively undid any chance of holding him accountable. Instead, Justice Juan Merchan let Trump off in January with unconditional discharge, which he wrote at the time had become the most viable solution for Trump. As a result, Trump received a future in which he would not be hampered down with fines, court-appointed supervision, or incarceration for breaking the law. Trump has tried several times to unravel his conviction. He was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He will remain a felon until an appellate court overturns his case, an act that he and his attorneys have already tried a handful of times to achieve without success. In the legal brief, Trumps team argued that the Supreme Courts decision should have precluded prosecutors from utilizing evidence tied to Trumps official acts, such as testimony about communications between Trump and Hope Hicks, the former White House communications director. By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration has told the U.S. Supreme Court he needs to deploy National Guard troops to the Chicago area in part because local police have failed to respond to what the Justice Department described as mob violence by people protesting his aggressive immigration enforcement. Those law enforcement agencies have given the nine justices a starkly different account of protests they called limited in scale, detailing in court filings how they have responded on specific dates and explaining how a unified command they set up to coordinate efforts dealt effectively with the demonstrations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is just one of many contrasts in how events on the ground are being portrayed in the case, creating for the justices what may be a dilemma over who to believe as they mull the Justice Department's October 17 emergency request to allow the deployment. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the move, rejecting the administration's legal rationale and its version of events. The Supreme Court could act at any time. The Justice Department relied heavily in its Supreme Court request on two written statements to justify its stated need for the National Guard to protect federal agents and property. The statements by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency official Russell Hott and Border Patrol official Daniel Parra portray the situation on the ground as dire and dangerous. The Justice Department cited Hott's declaration 37 times in its 40-page application to the Supreme Court, and Parra's 15 times, a Reuters analysis showed. Chicago-based U.S. District Judge April Perry found the sources of the administration's facts to be unreliable, a determination an appeals court upheld. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In addition to demonstrating a potential lack of candor" by Hott and Parra, Perry wrote in her decision, "it also calls into question their ability to accurately assess the facts." In the U.S. legal system, trial judges and juries have the primary role in fact-finding, with higher courts generally deferring to those conclusions. "Here, the district judge carefully detailed the factual record and found it 'impossible to align' with the statements in the affidavits submitted by the administration. The judge also raised serious credibility concerns with those statements," said Brandon Garrett, a Duke University School of Law expert in legal evidence. Garrett said it would be "all the more problematic for the Supreme Court to engage in fact-finding which is outside of its role as an appellate court." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement University of Chicago constitutional law professor Aziz Huq said it is not surprising for the court to be encountering a major gap between versions of events given its increasing willingness to settle weighty matters on its so-called emergency docket - as in this case - before the facts of a dispute have been fully determined. "The Supreme Court has created a situation in which the ordinary process for settling factual disputes no longer exists in these cases," Huq said. The Justice Department declined to comment. An ICE spokesperson said that agency "is not going to comment on court documents and pending litigation." The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection did not respond to requests for comment. DOMESTIC DEPLOYMENTS Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In their legal challenge to Trump's deployment, the city of Chicago and state of Illinois have said he is using protests that have been limited in size and severity as a pretext to dispatch troops to punish adversaries and stifle dissent. They noted that Trump has talked about sending the military into Democratic-led cities like Chicago for years. Trump since June has deployed troops to various Democratic-led jurisdictions in an extraordinary expansion of the use of the military for domestic purposes. Trump also has sent them to Los Angeles, Memphis and Washington, D.C., and has sought to dispatch them to Portland. Challenges to those deployments are playing out in other cities. A judge who already has blocked the Portland deployment is set to preside over a trial beginning on Wednesday. GLARING DIFFERENCES Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A comparison of statements provided by both sides as evidence in the case reveals important differences in how the situation in Chicago and at a federal immigration processing facility called BSSA in the suburb of Broadview is being described, including the nature and size of protests and the response of local and state authorities. Hott stated that "riots at the BSSA escalated from September 12 to the present," alleging blocked traffic, vandalized property and assaults on personnel. Broadview Police Department Chief Thomas Mills, in his own written statement, never mentions a riot or rioters, and said protesters number typically fewer than 50. On the use of tear gas and pepper spray near the BSSA, Parra said federal agents take such steps only after issuing warnings and only against "assaultive subjects." But Mills called this use by federal agents indiscriminate and "unlike anything I have seen before," sometimes targeting a protest with no more than 10 people. The Hott and Parra statements use nearly identical language in detailing an October 4 incident in which a Border Patrol agent shot and wounded a female driver in Chicago who allegedly aimed her car at the agent, the Reuters analysis found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, both statements include the following passage: "Approximately 200 rioters converged near the scene of the shooting at three separate locations. Over the next four hours, rioters threw objects at agents, including glass bottles and traffic cones, and forcefully pushed the agents. The Chicago Police Department initially refused to assist, but over one hour later, they provided perimeter security." The gender of the federal agent who shot the woman was changed from male in the Hott and Parra statements to female in the Justice Department's later Supreme Court filing. "A declaration or affidavit is far less credible if it uses repeated text or legal language," Garrett said. "A hearing can shed more light on such documents. And that kind of fact-finding is the role of a district court. The Supreme Court is not in a position to carefully evaluate a factual record." The National Guard serves as state-based militia forces answering to state governors except when called into federal service by the president. Trump has relied on a law that lets a president deploy state National Guard troops to suppress a rebellion or if he is "unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's administration federalized 300 Illinois National Guard troops and ordered more Texas National Guard troops into Illinois. WINNING WAYS In almost every challenge to Trump's actions since he returned to office in January, the Supreme Court has ruled in his favor, often lifting orders imposed by district court judges. "The Supreme Court does not appear to give a great deal of weight to district court findings of credibility. To my mind, that is a very problematic stance for the court to take," Huq said. "It suggests that the Supreme Court has the power not just to pick and choose what the law is, but it has the power to pick and choose what the facts are," Huq added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perry, appointed by Democratic former President Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order blocking the deployment as likely violating the federal law establishing preconditions for use of National Guard troops as well as the state's rights under the U.S. Constitution's 10th Amendment. Perry faulted the statements by Hott and Parra for "equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting or doing violence." A three-judge panel of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously left Perry's order in place, concluding "the facts do not justify the president's actions in Illinois." Two of the three judges were appointed by Republican presidents, including one by Trump. Richard Friedman, a University of Michigan Law School expert on evidence and the Supreme Court, said if the justices apply normal standards, they would overturn the district judge's factual findings only if they are "clearly erroneous" - a high bar, Friedman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That form of deference may yield to another in this case, given it involves the president and his power over military matters. "The court will presumably give a great deal of deference to the executive," Friedman said. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; editing by Amy Stevens and Will Dunham) More than a year and a half after a 12-member jury found him guilty of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump has formally called on a state appeals court to toss the verdict that made him the first-ever criminally convicted president. In a midnight filing, attorneys for the president revived familiar arguments from Trumps previous attempts to dismiss the case, which is still moving through state and federal courts as the president looks to the Supreme Court to vindicate him, once again. This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction, Trumps six-person team of Sullivan & Cromwell attorneys wrote Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorneys outlined five reasons why the case should be thrown out, arguing that Manhattan prosecutors concocted charges using a convoluted legal theory, then fatally marred the case with evidence that Trump claims is protected under the Supreme Courts immunity ruling. The office of New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg made a mockery of criminal law and relied on an elaborate theory to drum up charges against him, according to Trumps attorneys. Attorneys for Donald Trump asked a New York appeals court October 27 to overturn his historic 34-count criminal conviction (Reuters) Attorneys also argue in the 111-page document that the judge who presided over the case should have recused himself over his political contributions and disqualifying family conflicts. Throughout Mondays late-night filing, Trumps legal team argues that the case was pursued only for political reasons in an attempt to derail his 2024 campaign, calling the case the most politically charged prosecution in our Nations history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like every criminal defendant in a New York courtroom, President Trump was entitled to a fair trial before a properly instructed jury and a neutral judge. Instead, he was convicted after a trial that featured repeated and clear violations of his constitutional rights, federal law, and New York law, presided over by a judge who was required to recuse, attorneys wrote. The Independent has requested comment from Braggs office. Days before he was sworn into office, Trump appeared virtually in a Manhattan criminal courtroom to receive a sentence of conditional discharge, which preserved his felony convictions without little other consequences (Getty Images) Jurors reached a 34-count guilty verdict against the president on May 30, 2024, following a weeks-long trial surrounding Trumps efforts to pay off an adult film star to prevent her from speaking publicly about having sex with him. Trumps then-attorney Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 for the rights to her story. Trump then reimbursed Cohen in a series of checks, some of which were cut from the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those reimbursements were falsely recorded in accounting records as legal expenses, fulfilling a conspiracy to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election, the jury found. On January 10, Trump received a sentence of conditional discharge which preserved the jurys verdict but came with little, if any, criminal consequences. Trump was sworn into office a second time 10 days later. Roughly one month after his conviction, the Supreme Court issued its immunity decision, throwing a wrench into the presidents federal criminal indictments and opening a door for his lawyers to question his conviction in New York. Trumps attorneys argue certain evidence including Twitter posts and trial testimony from former White House aides about should never have been shown to a jury under the Supreme Courts immunity decision, which shields the president from criminal prosecution for official acts in office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those arguments were already rejected by Justice Juan Merchan, the Manhattan criminal court judge who presided over the trial, finding that the case involved Trumps private conduct, not his official duties as president. A unanimous jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide payments to his lawyer Michael Cohen, who paid off Stormy Daniels to prevent her from going public with a story about having sex with Trump (Getty Images) The presidents legal team also took aim at Merchan, who they say put the whole case in jeopardy by remaining on the bench throughout Trumps trial. His impartiality was reasonably in doubt because he donated $35 to Democratic candidates or causes in 2020, and because his daughter worked for a digital ad agency that did work for Democratic officials, they argue. The New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics had previously stated that there is nothing in the inquiry to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judges relative, the relatives business, or any of their interests. Falsifying business records, on their own, are misdemeanor offenses. But Manhattan prosecutors elevated those charges to felonies by tying them to another crime one that involves a conspiracy to manipulate an election through unlawful means. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps lawyers claimed that prosecutors who argued that the president sought to unlawfully promote his 2016 campaign by burying allegations of his affairs from the public through business fraud had erred by telling jurors that they did not have to unanimously agree what those unlawful means were. Prosecutors also had no proof that Trump had intent to defraud, according to his lawyers. State appellate judges are likely to take their time reaching a decision on what happens next in the presidents case. But in June, his lawyers asked a federal appeals court to take up the case instead, which could give the president a shortcut to overturning his conviction at the Supreme Court. A ruling from the federal appeals court ruling is pending. The nations high court had previously denied hearing Trumps appeal in the hush money case, stating that the president should go through the normal course of appeals at the state level. That decision was narrowly decided by a 5-4 vote. In a social media post, the minister said, "It was a pleasure to meet my friend @MarosSefcovic, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security." He added that the discussions focused on giving impetus to the India-EU FTA negotiations. Both sides reiterated their shared commitment to achieving a swift, balanced, and mutually beneficial agreement aimed at strengthening trade and economic ties between India and the European Union. Goyal is on a two-day October 27-28 official visit to Brussels. Minister Goyal began his visit to Brussels with a meeting with Johann Wadephul, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, to strengthen discussions on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). On Monday, Goyal shared the details of his meeting on X, saying, "Began my visit to Brussels with a meeting with Mr. Johann Wadephul, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Germany, @AussenMinDE. Our discussions spanned key areas of mutual interest and growth, reaffirming the robust India-Germany strategic partnership and our shared commitment to an early conclusion of the India-EU FTA." According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Minister's trip is aimed at giving political and strategic direction to the ongoing talks, which recently saw progress during the 14th round of negotiations held earlier this month. This visit takes place against the backdrop of the India-EU partnership gaining renewed strategic depth following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier this year. The two leaders had highlighted the importance of a future-ready trade relationship that advances prosperity, sustainability, and innovation on both sides. The Minister headed to Belgium after his visit to Germany. Earlier, Goyal met Anne-Laure Parrical de Chammard, Member of the Executive Board of Siemens Energy, in Berlin to explore ways to enhance cooperation in developing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy systems. (ANI) Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte had a bit of a meltdown on Sunday because a publication that asked him for a quote didnt include all of his insults in the published article. It all started after Punchbowl News journalist Brendan Pedersen asked Pulte to comment on statements from various Democratic lawmakers for a story headlined The Future Of Housing Has Never Been Hazier. Politics: Cheryl Hines Dishes On RFK Jr. Obsession Thats Too Much For Her: Its Like Whoa, OK Pulte responded by focusing exclusively on one Democrat: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has accused him of abusing his power to help President Donald Trump target political foes and has been trying to find the more than 25,000 tweets he reportedly deleted after the 2024 presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although Pulte could have used the opportunity to inform readers about the U.S. housing market, he decided to mock Warrens previous claims of Native American ancestry instead. Punchbowl News opted to leave out the personal attack against Warren and only include the relevant part of Pultes quote, however, prompting him to gripe about it on X. Its really sad to see the state of journalism, Pulte wrote. They include quotes from Democrats attacking me but leave out my quote where I said this about Elizabeth Warren, Elizabeth Warren is faking an understanding of mortgage finance just like she faked her Native American heritage. Its really sad to see the state of journalism. They include quotes from Democrats attacking me but leave out my quote where I said this about Elizabeth Warren, Elizabeth Warren is faking an understanding of mortgage finance just like she faked her Native American heritage https://t.co/qyZIFYBbHU Pulte (@pulte) October 26, 2025 The article did mention Pultes response, saying, We asked the FHFA for a response to these lawmakers comments. The agency sent back a statement attributable to Pulte that focused only on Warren, saying the Massachusetts Democrat was faking an understanding of mortgage finance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an X post, Pedersen explained why his publication focused on the one relevant statement Pulte made, and not his inflammatory remark about Warrens heritage. We included the part of the quote that met our editorial standards for relevancy, not the racial commentary. Thank you for your readership, Mr Pulte, Pederson wrote. We included the part of the quote that met our editorial standards for relevancy, not the racial commentary. Thank you for your readership, Mr Pulte https://t.co/yV7v2RrHa5pic.twitter.com/2yLmk8zjWL Brendan Pedersen (@BrendanPedersen) October 27, 2025 As of Monday afternoon, Pulte hadnt responded to Pedersens explanation. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership is reportedly being replaced in favor of the more aggressive leadership tactics of U.S. Border Patrolwho dont care about only detaining immigrants with criminal recordsas friction grows in the Department of Homeland Security over unsatisfactory deportation rates. Four senior sources in President Donald Trumps administration and DHS told Fox Newss national correspondent Bill Melugin Monday night that nationwide staffing shakeups were underway. ICE field office directors are reportedly being removed in Denver, El Paso, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, as well as Portland and Los Angeles, where massive ICE operations have been ongoing. Corey Lewandowski, DHS Secretary Kristi Noems rather disruptive special government employee, compiled the list of ICE officials to be reassigned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite Trumps sweeping deportation efforts, his administration is still falling short of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Millers goal of 3,000 immigration arrests per day. As of late September, ICE was detaining an average of only 1,178 people per day. This has led to significant friction at the DHS, Melugin reported. ICEs style of more targeted operations, helmed by Tom Homan and Todd Lyons, is now considered too mild for the sweeping ethnic cleansing the Trump administration has planned. Instead, Lewandowski and Noem hope the roaming hordes of Border Patrol officers will weed out scores of noncitizens to deport. What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the U.S. illegally is on the table, one Border Patrol officer told Melugin. Not only does Border Patrol care less about pursuing the worst undocumented immigrants with criminal rap sheets, but it has an aggressive style that lends itself to Trumps vision of made-for-television deportation raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trumps top aides have welcomed Border Patrols more aggressive tactics to secure arrests, such as rappelling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots, as theyve become disappointed with ICE, one DHS official told NBC News. The mentality is CBP does what theyre told, and the administration thinks ICE isnt getting the job done, another DHS official told NBC News. So CBP will do it. As has become the standard for her, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin offered a statement that did not reflect reality at all. While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump administration remains laser-focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country, she told Fox News. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US government of fabricating a new eternal war against him, as the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford inches towards the Venezuelan coast. The US deployment of the carrier the worlds largest warship follows 11 US strikes on boats in Venezuelan waters, which the US claims are trafficking drugs and are linked to the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. On Tuesday, Venezuela suspended a major gas deal with neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, citing the island nations reception of the USS Gravely, another US warship. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So far, the US has not produced any evidence that the Venezuelan boats it has targeted were carrying drugs, and Maduro denies it. Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves, he said last week. Furthermore, experts say that most drugs are smuggled into the US via the Mexican land border by US citizens. Speculation that Trump is actually angling for regime change in Venezuela is mounting, but it is not the only country whose domestic affairs or relations with other countries Trump seems determined to interfere in. The US president has also made comments about, or direct moves towards, the internal affairs of Brazil, India, Israel and Argentina, among others. What is the US doing in the Caribbean and why? The US has built up a huge military presence, including nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and elite special operations forces, in the Caribbean. It says this is necessary for its security and to prevent an invasion by Venezuelan drug gangs. Trump has said he is considering land attacks and has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since September 2, US forces have struck 11 boats, with eight of the attacks occurring in the Caribbean, claiming that they are trafficking drugs to the US. At least 49 people have been killed in the attacks but the US has not provided any evidence to back its claims. While the US has named the notorious criminal gang, Tren de Aragua, in connection with its claims of drug smuggling, the gang is primarily known for contract killings, extortion and people smuggling. It is not known for major global drug trafficking operations. Global cocaine production hit a record 3,708 tonnes in 2023. It mainly originated in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Most US-bound cocaine routes go through Colombia, Peru and Ecuador rather than Venezuela, which serves as only a minor transit corridor. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported last year that 84 percent of US-seized cocaine comes from Colombia and did not mention Venezuela as a source. Is Trump really angling for regime change in Venezuela? Maduro has alleged this, but it is an allegation Trump has not responded to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are seeking a regime change through military threat, Maduro said in September. The purpose of US actions is to create legitimacy for an operation to change the regime in Venezuela, with the ultimate goal of taking control of all the countrys resources, the Maduro government stated again this month. On Friday last week, Maduro stated during a national broadcast: They are fabricating an extravagant narrative, a vulgar, criminal and totally fake one, referring to the US narrative that Venezuelan drug gangs are invading the US. Maduro returned to power last year following a disputed election. He was widely accused of election fraud by the US and some Latin American countries. The Carter Center and UN experts reported that the election lacked international standards and transparency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, the US has not formally recognised Maduros presidency or maintained diplomatic relations with Venezuela since 2019. This years Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to key opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding for fear of arrest. Furthermore, Trump has alleged, without evidence, that Maduro is the leader of Tren de Aragua. On October 15 at the White House, reporters questioned Trump on his stance towards Caracas. Does the CIA have authority to take out Maduro? one journalist asked. Trump responded: Oh, I dont want to answer a question like that. Thats a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldnt it be a ridiculous question for me to answer? But I think Venezuelas feeling heat. Why would Trump interfere in Venezuela? Experts say Trump has a number of incentives. Popularity at home The first reason is that his actions towards Venezuela are popular with his MAGA support base, who are demanding a crackdown on immigration, drugs and crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visible pressure in the Americas helps him claim results on migration, drugs, and crime, which resonates with parts of his coalition in Florida and Texas, Salvador Santino Regilme, an associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Al Jazeera. Heading off Russia and China A second reason is that Trump may want to demonstrate to his supporters that he is heading off geopolitical competition in the Americas from other rivals. Venezuela is a stage to undercut the presence of Russia, Iran, and China in the hemisphere and to reassert a modern version of the Monroe Doctrine, Regilme said, referring to the US foreign policy doctrine coined by President James Monroe in 1823, which decrees that North and South America should be free from European influence. In September this year, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank released a report that showed that China and Russias military diplomacy was growing in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report states China has hosted frequent high-level defence meetings, such as the China-LAC Defense Forum, and maintained regular bilateral dialogues with senior officials from Brazil, Argentina and others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Between 2022 and 2025, China conducted 97 military exchanges with 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Russia has also conducted high-level meetings with countries, including Nicaragua and Venezuela. Negotiating power Third, Trump is building negotiation leverage in Latin America through his aggressive stance towards Venezuela. Sanctions relief and oil licensing are bargaining chips that Washington can trade for political concessions in Caracas and for cooperation from neighbours, Regilme said. Control of resources Venezuelas energy resources particularly ultra-heavy crude oil have a part to play in this as well. It holds the worlds largest proven oil reserves, but much of that is extra-heavy Orinoco crude that requires diluents, upgrading, and major capital to bring to market, Regilme said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite having an ample supply, Venezuela is not a top player in hydrocarbons, he added, as its oil and gas industry has suffered from years of poor investment and international sanctions. In practice, Washingtons leverage is less about seizing hydrocarbons and more about controlling the regulatory choke points that determine who can invest, ship, insure, and refine Venezuelan barrels. Selective licensing shapes global supply at the margins, influences price stability, and sets the terms for any political concessions in Caracas, Regilme said. Energy is therefore a lever inside a broader political strategy, not the singular objective. Where else has Trump been meddling in domestic affairs? Regilme said Trumps foreign policy actions such as his stance towards Venezuela were predictable. It continues his transactional, leader-to-leader style that mixes public spectacle with coercive leverage, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In office, he has paired tariffs, sanctions, and overt intelligence signalling with personal diplomacy to pressure both allies and adversaries. The method is stable across terms: personalise power, reward ideological friends, punish opponents, and stage toughness for a domestic audience. Furthermore, his interference in foreign countries has not damaged his popularity back home. These high-visibility moves reliably energise core supporters in places like Florida and parts of Texas, but they have not produced gains among independents or younger voters unless they trigger pocketbook costs, visible disorder at the border, or US casualties. Since he started his second term, Trump has intervened in the domestic affairs of a handful of countries, including: Brazil: Bolsonaro trial On September 11, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stage a coup in order to hold on to power after he lost the countrys 2022 elections to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Bolsonaro are close allies the latter is often referred to as the Trump of the south and Trump had very closely followed the trial. In July, Washington hit Brazilian imports with a 50 percent trade tariff and restricted US visas for Brazilian officials. Justifying the tariffs in a letter, Trump directly connected them to his anger over Bolsonaros trial, which was upcoming at the time and which he deemed a witch-hunt. In July, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Bolsonaro was not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE. In September 9, a journalist asked White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt whether Trump was considering further action in response to convictions or crackdowns preventing candidates like Bolsonaro from competing in Brazilian elections, and on censorship of US social media platforms in Europe and Brazil. Leavitt responded: The president is unafraid to use the economic might, the military might of the United States of America to protect free speech around the world. India: Russian oil In August, Trump announced an additional 25 percent trade tariff for India bringing the total to 50 percent for most Indian goods and linked his decision to Indias continuing purchase of Russian oil, revenues from which are funding the war in Ukraine, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In late July, he posted on his Truth Social platform that India was Russias largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! This month, Trump claimed that the pressure had paid off and that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to stop buying oil from Russia. Thats a big step. Now were going to get China to do the same thing, Trump told reporters in the White House back then. Since sanctions and a price cap were launched on Russian oil by the European Union in response to the war in Ukraine, India has massively increased its Russian energy imports. The biggest importer in India of Russian seaborne crude oil is Reliance Industries (RIL), for which Russian crude comprised a mere 3 percent of total crude imports in 2021. Since the war in Ukraine, that has jumped to 50 percent in 2025, according to data from the Finland-headquartered Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, 16.8 percent of Russian mineral products such as crude and refined petroleum went to India. These exports were worth $66.1bn. India was second only to China, which received $129bn worth, or 32.7 percent of Russian mineral exports. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Trump arrive for a news conference in the White House on February 13, 2025 [Francis Chung/EPA] Israel: Netanyahus corruption trial Since 2020, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been facing trial for corruption in three separate cases, which include allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. When Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal which aims to end the war in Gaza, Trump was welcomed to the Israeli Knesset and hailed as the president of peace. Speaking at the Knesset on October 13 and addressing Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Trump took the opportunity to lobby on Netanyahus behalf. Mr President, why dont you give him [Netanyahu] a pardon? Argentina: Propping up the economy Trump has thrown his support behind far-right Argentinian President Javier Milei, who led his party to a landslide victory in Sundays legislative elections, earning a strong mandate to push forward with his overhaul of the economy, including free-market reforms and deep austerity measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, who described Milei as a truly fantastic and powerful leader on October 1, may have partly given him the means to do this. Im doing something I dont often do Im giving my full endorsement to him, Trump told reporters after meeting with Milei on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September. After a series of meetings with Argentina in September, the US pledged strong support including the consideration of a $20bn bailout loan and other financial measures to help stabilise Argentinas economy. Iran: Nuclear programme In June, amid Israels war with Iran, the US hit three key nuclear enrichment sites in Iran Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. Trumps rationale for this was that the strikes were part of a strategy to prevent Iran from refining uranium to a weapons-grade level. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Irans key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated, Trump said in a televised address after the attack. President Donald Trump rarely has anything negative to say about the men and women of the U.S. military, but he made an exception on Tuesday to offer a rare criticism of Americas fighting forces: They may be too good-looking for his tastes. Trump was in the midst of an address to sailors aboard the U.S.S. George Washington, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that is semi-permanently based at the American naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, when he paused an attempt to praise the assembled service members to rant about their excessive attractiveness. Speaking on the second day of a multi-day, multi-country trip through Asia that will conclude after a planned summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, Trump said the Navys ultimate strength comes from the men and women of the rank and file, calling his uniformed audience incredible people and good-looking people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a beat, he said there were too many good-looking people present. I dont like good-looking people, he continued, as the sailors laughed at their commander-in-chiefs bizarre remark. I never liked good-looking people, Ill be honest with you ... never admitted that before, he said. President Donald Trump railed against good-looking people and longed for a return to steam power as he spoke to troops aboard USS George Washington on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images) (Getty Images) The presidents meandering, stream-of-consciousness remarks followed a theatrical arrival to the George Washington, which is forward-deployed in Japan as part of the permanent American military presence that has remained there pursuant to 1960 joint defense treaty that replaced an earlier agreement imposed as a condition of end the post-World War II occupation of Japan by U.S. forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump, who made his entrance on one of the aircraft carriers massive elevators that are used to ferry planes and helicopters from hangars to the carriers enormous flight deck, eventually launched into a litany of complaints about the elevator and catapult systems aboard the newest class of American carriers starting with the class lead ship, U.S.S. Gerald R Ford. Unlike the previous Nimitz-class carriers like the one on which the president was speaking, the Ford-class uses massive electromagnets to raise and lower elevators used for aircraft as well as those employed to move munitions from armored hangars up to the flight deck for loading on aircraft. The Ford-class also uses an electromagnetic system to power the catapults used to launch aircraft from the flight deck and the arrestor gears which slow planes down as they land upon their return. The new systems are favored by the Navy because they allow planes to be armed and launched at double the speed of the hydraulic elevators and steam-powered catapults aboard older carriers such as the George Washington. The electromagnetic catapult system, known as EMALS, also permits smaller aircraft such as drones to be launched from carriers and can launch advanced fighters such as the F-35C with far less wear and tear on the expensive planes fragile airframes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Trump, who oversaw the commissioning of the Gerald Ford during his first term and complained about the newer systems back then, claimed the electromagnetic systems could easily be damaged by water something systems aboard Navy ships are designed to withstand. You know, the new thing is magnets. So instead of using hydraulic that can be hit by lightning and its fine. You take a little glass of water, you drop it on magnets, I dont know whats going to happen, Trump said. So, you know, the elevators come up in the new carriersI think Im going to change it, by the waythey have magnets. Every tractor has hydraulic, every excavator, every excavating machine of any kind has hydraulic. But somebody decided to use magnets. A U.S. Navy fighter is pictured aboard U.S.S. Gerald R Ford. President Trump has repeatedly complained about the high-tech systems used to launch aircraft aboard the newest American aircraft carrier. (AFP via Getty Images) Continuing, Trump asked the assembled sailors aboard George Washington to opine on whether they prefer the older system or the new one before suggesting that hed order the Navy to return to the steam-based catapults and hydraulic elevators on future carriers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im going to sign an executive order. When we build aircraft carriers, its steam for the catapults and its hydraulic for the elevators. Well never have a problem, Trump said. He referred again to prior difficulties during the Fords shakedown period and vowed to have the Navy reverse course a second time. They spent $993 million on the catapults trying to get them to work. And they had steam, which works so beautifully, and it has for 50 years, Trump said. Im going to do an executive order. Im not going to let them continue to do this. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump intends to follow through with his plan to use his executive authority to upend the construction of the Ford-class carriers by mandating a return to the older steam-based systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Such move would require massive revisions to the design of the cutting-edge supercarriers, of which ten are planned to replace the existing Nimitz-class ships that form the backbone of Americas carrier fleet. Two such vessels, the future U.S.S. John F Kennedy and the future U.S.S. Enterprise, are currently under construction at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Construction on two more, the future U.S.S. Doris Miller (named for the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross) and the future U.S.S. William J Clinton, is scheduled to begin in 2026 and 2027, respectively. A planned start date for the sixth of the planned ten carriers, the future U.S.S. George W Bush, has not yet been set. That ship, which will be named for the 43rd President of the United States, will eventually serve alongside the tenth Nimitz-class carrier that was named for the 41st president, the U.S.S. George HW Bush. President Donald Trump kicked off his Asia tour Sunday with a diplomatic blitz in Malaysia, securing peace accords, trade deals and critical minerals agreements. The whirlwind visit to Kuala Lumpur delivered multiple bilateral wins ahead of Trumps broader regional tour. The agreements mark Trumps most significant diplomatic achievement since returning to office. They position the U.S. to compete more effectively in Southeast Asia while addressing longstanding regional conflicts. The centerpiece was the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, ending military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand. Trump joined Prime Ministers Hun Manet and Anutin Charnvirakul in signing the historic agreement at the 13th ASEAN Summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On trade, Trump inked deals with Malaysia and Cambodia eliminating or significantly reducing tariffs on many U.S. exports. The agreements address non-tariff barriers and expand market access for American products. Thailand and Vietnam signed frameworks for future trade agreements. Both countries committed to reducing tariff barriers and providing preferential access for U.S. industrial and agricultural goods. Trump also secured critical minerals agreements with Malaysia and Thailand. The deals aim to diversify global supply chains and reduce dependence on China for strategic materials. The Malaysia agreement includes billions in new investments alongside minerals cooperation. Thailands deal promotes partnerships between American and Thai companies while addressing unfair trade practices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim greeted Trump at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Sunday. The presidents signed multiple agreements during the two-day summit before Trump departed Tuesday for the next leg of his Asia tour. The White House framed the agreements as advancing Trumps America First agenda. Officials emphasized benefits for U.S. workers, farmers and national security interests. The peace accord represents a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a region often marked by territorial disputes. Whether the agreement holds will depend on implementation and continued U.S. engagement in Southeast Asia. The Trump administration is accumulating a massive U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, deploying warships, surveillance planes and fighter aircraft as it continues to blow up alleged drug-trafficking boats in the waters around South America. The main target for the flurry of activity appears to be Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the administration has called an illegitimate leader. The countrys attorney general said over the weekend there is no doubt that Trump wants to topple Maduros regime. On Friday, the Department of Defense (DOD) ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships to head to the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) area of responsibility, significantly expanding the U.S. military presence there, which already counts around 10,000 U.S. forces supporting counternarcotics operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, Trump confirmed he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The U.S. flew B-52 Stratofortress bombers near the coast of Venezuela. And last week, two Air Force B-1 bombers flew near Venezuelas airspace. So I think thats another example of the president trying to scare the pants off of Nicolas Maduro and his top generals in order to hopefully create some sort of breaks within the regime, which might lead to a change that might be more favorable to an opening with the opposition, said Christopher Hernandez-Roy, the deputy director and senior fellow of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He called the B-52 bombers that flew for hours off the Venezuelan coast an action meant to intimidate the country and its military. He said the U.S. seems to be telegraphing some sort of imminent kinetic action inside Venezuela. And while that has not yet taken place, it seems to be, it seems that the administration has been closer to that, but I think that they would prefer their pressure to lead to some sort of internal fissures within the government that might lead to a change of government without the U.S. actually having to engage in military activities on the actual territory of Venezuela, he said in an interview with The Hill last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and his close allies have raised the prospects of the U.S. conducting land strikes in Venezuela as the White House has ramped up pressure against Maduro, accusing him of being the leader of Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government and that traces its roots to Venezuela. Over the weekend, Trump signaled land strikes could come soon. Were going to see with Venezuela. I can tell you one thing. We stopped all drugs from coming in by sea. I will stop all drugs from coming in by land very shortly. Youll see that starting. Theyre not going to want to do it. Youre going to see drugs stopping into our country, the president told reporters Saturday. Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said Trump promised to take on the drug cartels while campaigning during the 2024 election and that he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country, Kelly said in a statement to The Hill on Monday. Maduro accused the administration on Friday of fabricating a war against him after the Pentagon ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford, the worlds largest aircraft carrier with more than 4,500 sailors, to sail to Southcom after being docked in the Adriatic Sea. It carries a squadron of F/A-18 Super Hornets and helicopter squadrons. Asked about the buildup, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said, The Department of War is prepared to carry out the Presidents directives to take on narco-terrorism. The president initially said last week the administration may go to Congress for authorization to strike drug cartels that are smuggling on land. But a day later, he dismissed the need to ask Capitol Hill lawmakers for a declaration of war for attacks against alleged cartel boats, operations that have raised questions among senators in both parties and have taken place off the coast of Venezuela and in the east Pacific Ocean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think were just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? Were going to kill them, Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday. Experts say the U.S. military, if given the green light, could target drug cartel infrastructure such as port facilities and warehouses where drug traffickers store cocaine before it is dispatched elsewhere. Any of that could be struck and could be struck in a number of different ways. It could be done by soft type of raid can be done with an airstrike. There are a lot of different ways that could occur, said Dr. Bradley Martin, a senior policy researcher at RAND who retired from the Navy as a surface warfare captain. The U.S. would not go after drug labs, Hernandez-Roy said, because most of that cocaine is made in Colombia. He added that if land attacks take place, they will likely reveal the true intentions of the U.S. government, whether the administration is combating drug trafficking or trying to force regime change in Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, the efforts so far to force regime change have been just to apply pressure and scare the pants off them, but if they then start going after targets inside Venezuela, then thats a whole different ballgame, he said. Tarek William Saab, the Venezuelan attorney general and close ally of Maduro, told BBCs Newshour program on Sunday that Trump is trying to overthrow the Venezuelan government. Saab said a land invasion of Venezuela should not happen, but that Caracas is prepared. The attorney general added that Venezuela is still ready to resume dialogue with the U.S., even though Trump cut off diplomacy with Caracas in early October. Geoff Ramsey, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Maduros regime is still intact and that the U.S. is nearing a crossroads. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think theres really been no indication of any kind of cracks in the regime or any kind of high-profile defections, and so I think were getting to a point where the U.S. has to decide whether to escalate to military strikes inside Venezuela, or whether to declare victory and move on, Ramsey said in an interview with The Hill last week. On Sunday, the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, docked at Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, to conduct joint military training exercises with the Caribbean country and is set to stay there until Thursday. And the massive USS Gerald R. Ford is one of 11 U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, meaning it represents less than 10 percent of carrier strike groups, a naval formation that revolves around an aircraft carrier, according to Martin, the researcher at RAND. He added that even with escort destroyers, were not at 15 percent of the U.S. fleet being deployed in the region. The forces being brought into Southcom are specifically for power projection, so whether or not theres an intention, there is significant capability, he told The Hill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an effort to continue showing air dominance, multiple B-1B Lancer bombers flew near Venezuela on Monday, according to flight-tracking data reviewed by The Hill. The DOD also has deployed three Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers: the USS Stockdale, USS Gravely and USS Jason Dunham in Southcom, along with the USS Lake Erie, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser. More than 4,500 Marines and sailors are in the Caribbean as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, a task force comprised of the USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship; USS Fort Lauderdale; and USS San Antonio. The MV Ocean Trader, a civilian ship that is converted for special operations missions, is also deployed to the Caribbean and can support various activities, including intelligence collection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The naval forces could stay in the region for a very long time because they are on a normal deployment cycle, although overloading one region could leave other parts of the world undercovered. But thats not an immediate thing. Thats something that takes a while to become an issue, Martin said. Ramsey, the senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said there are too many U.S. military assets in or traveling to the Caribbean to dismiss the campaign as empty saber-rattling. He said the likelihood of Washington ordering strikes inside Venezuela has gone up. The million-dollar question here is what the administration actually wants to achieve with missile strikes. Its a bad time to be posted in a guerrilla encampment in western Tachira, or to be running a clandestine airstrip along the Colombian border in Zulia state, Ramsey said, referring to two of the 23 states in Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the jurys still out on whether the U.S. will target Maduro and his inner circle. Given that there is no evidence that decapitation strikes would lead to a clean transition, I tend to think the administration is still trying to avoid a Libya-style meltdown, he added. Updated: 4:12 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Katya Golubkova TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday signed a framework agreement for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths through mining and processing, the White House said in a statement. The agreement was signed during Trump's visit to Japan, part of his wider Asia trip, as both countries are looking to strengthen their rare earth supply chains used everywhere from renewable energy to electronics and cars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. and Japan plan to cooperate through use of economic policy tools and coordinated investment to accelerate development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths, the statement said. China processes more than 90% of the world's rare earths and has recently expanded export curbs, including new elements on its control list and tightened oversight of foreign producers that rely on Chinese materials. The U.S., by contrast, has one operational rare earth mine and is racing to secure minerals vital for electric vehicles, defense systems and advanced manufacturing. Trump plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. As part of their deal, the U.S. and Japan agreed to streamline and deregulate permitting timelines and processes for critical minerals and rare earths, as well as to address non-market policies and unfair trade practices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and would cooperate with other international partners to ensure supply chain security, the White House statement added. (Reporting by Katya Golubkova in Tokyo and Kanishka Singh in Washington, DC; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephen Coates) NewsVoir Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 28: Flix, a global travel tech leader and DKMS, an international non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of patients with blood cancer and blood disorders, have launched a long-term partnership to raise awareness and drive stem cell donor registration across six countries. Through the collaboration titled "Your journey could save a life", DKMS and Flix aim to make registration as a potential donor as accessible and seamless as possible. In India, specifically, travelers will see select Flix buses with DKMS's signature red-painted headrests, a striking contrast to Flix's iconic green. Each headrest displays a QR code linking directly to the DKMS Foundation's virtual drive registration page. To further enhance visibility, standees and posters will also be positioned in Flix Bus lounges, creating multiple touchpoints for awareness and engagement. Additionally, travelers using onboard Wi-Fi on FlixBus and FlixTrain in Germany, Poland, Chile, the United Kingdom, and the United States will be guided to a dedicated landing page where they can begin the registration process with just a few clicks. Every 27 seconds, someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with blood cancer or a severe blood disorder. In India, a new diagnosis occurs every five minutes. While 30% of patients may find a matching stem cell donor within their family, the remaining 70% rely on unrelated donors, many of whom never find a match due to underrepresentation in donor registries. DKMS is working globally to diversify the donor pool to improve chances for all patients, especially those with rare genetic profiles. A Shared Commitment to Social Impact The campaign, leverages Flix's international reach and digital infrastructure to promote awareness and action in six participating countries including India, Germany, Poland, Chile, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Flix travelers are met with simple, actionable prompts at key digital touchpoints during their journey, making it easy to sign up as a potential donor in the midst of everyday life. "Every journey has the potential to change lives for those who travel, and for those waiting for a second chance at life," says Elke Neujahr, Global CEO of DKMS. "By partnering with Flix, we're turning mobility into meaningful impact." "Through this partnership with Flix, we are reaching people in everyday moments and showing them how easy it is to take the first step toward saving a life. It's a simple act that can make a real difference, not only for patients here in India, but around the world," says Patrick Paul, Executive Chairman, DKMS India. Andre Schwammlein, CEO of Flix, states, "This collaboration shows how technology, mobility and purpose can come together. Flix connects people every day across borders, and now we're helping connect potential lifesavers with patients around the world." "This partnership demonstrates how innovation and purpose can work hand in hand. Flix brings people together across countries daily, and today, that same connection is helping bridge the gap between those willing to save lives and patients who need them across the globe," says Surya Khurana, Managing Director, FlixBus India. Who can register? Anyone between the ages of 18-55 in general good health, with a BMI under 40, and not already registered, can sign up as a potential donor. DKMS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of patients with blood cancer and blood disorders. Founded in Germany in 1991 by Dr Peter Harf, DKMS and the organization's over 1,300 employees have since relentlessly pursued the aim of giving as many patients as possible a second chance at life. With over 13 million registered donors, DKMS has succeeded in doing this more than 125,000 times to date by providing blood stem cell donations to those in need. This accomplishment has led to DKMS becoming the global leader in the facilitation of unrelated blood stem cell transplants. The organization has offices in Germany, the US, Poland, the UK, Chile, India and South Africa. International expansion and collaboration are key to helping patients worldwide because, like the organization itself, blood cancer knows no borders. DKMS is also heavily involved in the fields of medicine and science, with its own research unit focused on continually improving the survival and recovery rate of patients. In its high-performance laboratory, the DKMS Life Science Lab, the organization sets worldwide standards in the typing of potential blood stem cell donors. With its international support programs, the organization improves the access to treatment for patients in low and middle-income countries. DKMS Foundation India is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and other blood disorders such as thalassemia and aplastic anaemia. The foundation aims to improve the situation of patients in India and across the world by raising awareness about blood stem cell transplantation and registering potential blood stem cell donors. For more information, please visit www.dkms-India.org. Flix intends to transform the collective transport sector by offering sustainable and affordable long-distance bus- and train travel solutions in more than 40 countries across four continents through its brands FlixBus, FlixTrain, Kamil Koc, and Greyhound. With its asset-light business model and innovative technology platform, Flix, launched in 2013, swiftly established a market-leading position for long-distance bus travel in Europe, North America and Turkiye and is rapidly expanding further into South America and India. Driven by increased awareness for sustainable travel, Flix is committed to achieving Net Zero operations in Europe by 2040 and globally by 2050. To assess its progress within a scientifically recognized framework, Flix established near-term targets for emissions reduction with the Science Based Targets initiative. While Flix manages the commercial side of the business such as network planning, pricing, operations control, marketing and sales, quality management and continuous product development with a data-driven approach, trusted Flix partners conduct the daily operations. The innovative combination of Flix's technology and sales platform with traditional passenger travel has turned a European start-up into a leading and globally expanding travel tech company. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Oct. 28 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump met with Japan's first female prime minister Tuesday in Tokyo to mark "a new golden age of the Japan-U.S. alliance," before signing a deal on trade and a second agreement on critical minerals. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was elected prime minister just last week, pledged to build a "new golden era," calling the bilateral relationship "the greatest alliance in the world." Takaichi also praised Trump for his role in securing global cease-fires. "Mr. President succeeded in securing a cease-fire deal between Thailand and Cambodia ... also, the deal you have recently achieved in the Middle East is an unprecedented, historic achievement," Takaichi said during Tuesday's meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump told Takaichi that she would be "one of the great prime ministers," while praising Japan as "a great ally." "I want to just let you know, any time you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there," Trump said. "This will be a relationship that will be stronger than any before and I look forward to working with you and on behalf of our country." U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) arrive for the Japan-U.S. summit meeting at Akasaka Palace State Guest House in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday. Trump is on a three-day visit this week to reaffirm the JapanUS alliance and economic talks. Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA/POOL PHOTO President Trump Participates in a Signing Ceremony with the Prime Minister of Japan https://t.co/Vwo8a77mId The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 28, 2025 During their meeting, Trump and Takaichi signed two new deals. The first deal ushers in a new "golden age" of U.S.-Japan relations and secures cooperation between the two allies to "strengthen economic security, promote economic growth and thereby continuously lead to global prosperity." The second agreement covers critical minerals and provides a framework to boost the supply and production of rare earths between the United States and Japan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and Takaichi agreed "to support the supply of raw and processed critical minerals and rare earths crucial to the domestic industries of the United States and Japan," according to a joint statement. The Trump administration has been working to diversify U.S. minerals, which are used in the production of electronics and military equipment. The United States is also working to reduce its reliance on China, which has a near-monopoly on global rare-earth supplies. Meanwhile, much of Japan's critical minerals are underwater and difficult to mine. The United States has signed a number of minerals deals, to include Malaysia, Thailand and Australia, in an effort to break China's hold on supplies. Trump will be meeting with China's president later this week. This is the second leg of Trump's three-nation Asia tour, which includes Malaysia. On Monday, Trump met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. Their meeting lasted for more than half an hour with Trump calling him "a great man." On Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to travel from Japan to South Korea, where he will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The president has said he would be willing to extend his trip in South Korea if North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would agree to meet with him. President Donald Trump is nearing the middle of his weeklong tour of Asia, visiting Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. The trip will conclude after discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During his first stop in Malaysia, Trump attended the ASEAN Summit; signed reciprocal trade agreements with Thai, Malaysian and Cambodian leaders; brokered the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords between Cambodia and Thailand; and signed minerals deals with Malaysia and Thailand. In Japan, Trump met with Emperor Naruhito for half an hour on Monday and is scheduled to meet with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday. What will Trump and Takaichi discuss in Japan? Trump and Takaichi are likely to finalize a trade agreement. Following the countrys agreement made in July, details remain to be ironed out on how Japan will deploy $550 billion to the U.S., as part of the countrys lowered tariff rate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Takaichi is also suspected to raise concerns about China, their military build-up and economic power. Second stop: Japan. President Donald J. Trump meets with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/ckA1cKumy8 The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 27, 2025 As Trump has encouraged European countries to increase their military spending to aid in the Ukraine war, he is likely to encourage Japan to increase its own military spending as well. This would coincide with Takaichis campaign promise to bolster her countrys defense capabilities, as the Deseret News previously reported. The United States has acted as Japans primary defense since the end of World War II. Article 9 of the Japanese constitution states, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained and the right of belligerency ... will not be recognized. President Donald Trump, left, and Japan's Emperor Naruhito shake hands during their meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Oct. 27, 2025. | Issei Kato Asian leaders including Xi Jinping to gather in South Korea In Gyeongju, South Korea, Trump will join 1,700 global leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump will deliver a keynote speech on Wednesday, and Xi will make a special address the following day, the South Korean paper Chosun Daily reported. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick will join Trump in South Korea and is scheduled to have dinner with several prominent South Korean businessmen, including the chairmen of Hyundai Motor Group, LG, Samsung Electronics and Hanwha Aerospace. Trump has imposed a 25% tariff on South Koreas auto industry, which is higher than their Japanese and European rivals which are both 15%. South Koreas new president Lee Jae-myung, who replaced Yoon Suk-yeol after he was impeached and removed from office in 2025, has advocated for a closer relationship with China than his predecessor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having President Trump and President Xi in the same room will be a test of Mr. Lees diplomatic juggling, The New York Times reported. Will Trump meet with Kim Jong-un? On Air Force One on Monday, Trump told reporters hed be willing to extend his trip if North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered an invitation to meet. But Id love to meet with him if hed like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him, he liked me, Trump said on Air Force One, per Fox News. During his first presidency, Trump met with Kim three times, once on the North Korean leaders own soil. Last Wednesday, North Korea tested out a new hypersonic weapon, launching two projectiles that flew 350 kilometers from Pyongyang toward the northeast, the U.S. Naval Institute reported. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has taken a veiled swipe at President Donald Trumps latest trade tantrum, declaring that it doesnt pay to get emotional during negotiations. Days after Trump issued an all-caps rant on social media against his key ally in response to a TV advertisement that criticized his tariff regime, Carney confirmed he still hadnt spoken to the president and that it was up to Trump to explain the sudden deterioration in their relationship. In any complicated, high-stakes negotiation, you can get unexpected twists and turns, and you have to keep your cool during those situations, Carney told reporters in Malaysia on Monday during the ASEAN summit. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur. / FAZRY ISMAIL / POOL/AFP via Getty Images It doesnt pay to be upset. Emotions dont carry you very far, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump halted talks with Carney last week and slugged Canada with an additional 10 per cent tariff, accusing the country of putting up a fraudulent advertisement on Ronald Reagans Speech on Tariffs. This was in reference to an ad put out by the government for the Canadian province of Ontario, which featured a minute-long clip from an address given by the 40th president. Ronald Reagan LOVED Tariffs for purposes of National Security and the Economy, but Canada said he didnt! Trump said in his social media post on Thursday. Mark Carney and Donald Trump in happier times. / EVAN VUCCI / Evan Vucci/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD. Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Less than 24 hours later, Ontarios Premier Doug Ford said he was suspending the ad so that talks could resume. However, on Monday, Trump said he doesnt anticipate meeting with Carney any time soon. I dont want to meet with him, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan. No, Im not going to be meeting with them for a while. Im very happy with the deal we have right now with Canada. Were going to let it ride. The comments were a clear sign that the much-hyped rapport between the pair had been put on ice, merely weeks after Carney visited the Oval Office with an expectation that a deal on sectoral trade issues was imminent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking on Monday, the Canadian prime minister said the rift was an unexpected twist given considerable progress had been made in steel, aluminum and energy up until that point. He also confirmed that he hasnt been in contact with Trump since the president terminated trade talks on Thursday. President Donald Trump, accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, (2nd R),speak to the media aboard Air Force One. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images Trumps meltdown over the Reagan ad caught political observers by surprise and prompted his troller-in-chief, California Governor Gavin Newsom, to describe the president as a man child. The man child in the Oval got his feelings hurt, so he is punishing the American people with higher costs, Newsom wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of Trumps Truth Social post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it was not the only time Trump has slapped tariffs on Americas northern ally. In early February, Trump signed an executive order imposing nearly all goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Retaliatory tariffs were threatened, and within days, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause. Trumps on-again-off-again trade tactics have resulted in the president being nicknamed TACO: Trump always chickens out. An upstate New York town has had to call off its annual Christmas celebration, blaming rising costs caused by Donald Trumps sweeping global tariffs. The effects of Trumps foreign trade wars have meant that the Sinterklaas celebrations in Rhinebeck, around 100 miles north of New York City, have been canceled for the first time in 26 years. It is hard to believe that something as unique and beloved as Sinterklaas could fall casualty to lack of moneybut that is the case, organizers wrote in a farewell post, noting that their last hopes of saving the event had fallen through last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sinterklaas organizers highlighted the direct impact of Trumps tariffs, noting that their lights made in China had almost tripled in price, making them unaffordable to most families. The effects of the Donald Trumps sweeping global tariffs have meant that the Sinterklaas celebrations in Rhinebeck, New York, have been canceled for the first time in 26 years (ANP/AFP via Getty Images) Decorative stars made in India, to benefit an orphanage, accounted for around one-fifth of the festivals budget. Organizers noted the possibility that the stars could be caught in a customs backlog anyway and thus not make it to Rhinebeck in time for the event. Arts grants have also been cut back or eliminated, the post added. Before we say goodbye, I want to take this moment to give a shout out to the astonishing core group of folks who, for 25 years, dedicated themselves and their creativity, camaraderie, hard work and talent to make Sinterklaas happen for so long, said Jeanne Fleming, Sinterklaas Rhinebecks creator and coordinator. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To the hundreds of incredible artists and thousands of volunteers thank you! I bid sad adieu to all the creative time spent collaborating together in endless meetings and working dinners that went into making this one thing happen for everyone. Based on an old, Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas is a day-long celebration in Rhinebeck where the children are children dressed up as kings and queens and revered as the bringers of light at a dark time of year (Getty Images) The storytelling, the laughter, the music, the drama, the silliness and fun. It has been the greatest joy of my life to have lived and worked with this extraordinary group of generous souls in this wonderful community to truly allow magic to happen We love you all and thank you for the privilege of having been able to do the work! Based on an old Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas is a day-long celebration in Rhinebeck where the children are dressed up as kings and queens and revered as the bringers of light at a dark time of year. The day culminates in a Childrens Starlight Parade with towering puppets, Kings and Queens in sequined gowns, light-filled stars, a life-size dancing bear, music and Sinterklaas the legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. The News The Senate will try again this week to rein in President Donald Trumps tariff regime even as some of its Republicans quietly hope for the justices across the street to squash it. If the Supreme Court doesnt check Trump on tariffs, Congress doesnt have a role in determining what constitutes an emergency. This president, and future presidents, will take it upon himself to creatively define and redefine that, one Republican senator told Semafor. The GOP senator added: This should be Congress call if youre increasing taxes on the American people through tariff policy. We are the ones who dictate tax policy. This is a form of taxation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high court will hear arguments next week in a case that challenges Trumps ability to use national emergencies to impose tariffs. The president has already fretted in public about the difficulty his administration would face if the conservative justices rein him in, warning that we will be a weakened, troubled financial mess for many, many years to come. Trump is much more assured of surviving this weeks Senate votes, which disapprove of his tariffs on Brazil and Canada plus his global levies, but the whiplash of his trade agenda is clearly wearing on GOP senators. A Supreme Court ruling against the tariffs would have the benefit of defusing what could soon become a brutal internecine fight for Republicans. The latest schism stems from 10 percent tariffs that Trump slapped on Canada in retaliation against the Ontario premier, who ran an ad showing former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Those new Canada tariffs jolted free-trade Republicans, prompting Democrats to force a series of tariff votes. In theory, Congress could stop Trumps tariffs through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act but that requires veto-proof majorities. And House Republican leaders changed their rules to prevent such a vote in the lower chamber. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which leaves the Supreme Court as the only practical way to unravel Trumps plans in the eyes of pro-trade Republicans and Democrats who say the tariffs are hampering the economy and raising prices. I do not think that you can invoke this law that the president is relying on, said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. To me, the constitutional authority is pretty clear in vesting in Congress. But that doesnt necessarily mean it will come out that way. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, even took the rare step of signing onto an amicus brief which argued that Trump has usurped Congresss constitutional authority by impermissibly using his emergency tariff powers. She, Collins and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., all told Semafor they hoped the Supreme Court stopped Trump. The Canada retaliatory tariffs are not appropriate, and he had no basis for advancing those, Murkowski said. The president has said very clearly that I didnt like what the premier of Ontario did. And boom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other GOP senators are more privately rooting against the tariffs in court. For the Trump administration, the looming Supreme Court decision on tariffs is possibly the most important outstanding high court decision on its agenda; the president sees tariffs as a way to bring money and manufacturing into the US. Trump suggested earlier this month that he might attend oral arguments next month. President Trump lawfully exercised the tariff powers granted to him by Congress to defend our national and economic security from foreign threats. The presidents tariffs remain in effect, and we look forward to ultimate victory on this matter, said Kush Desai, a spokesperson for the White House. Know More Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in September that the government would have to give a refund on about half the tariffs if the high court strikes them down, adding that a delayed decision would cause significant disruption and affect up to $1 trillion in tariffs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Regardless of the outcome, the Trump administration is confident that the ruling wont sideline their overall plans, one person close to the White House told Semafor. The president has many options. In fact, officials have prepared for alternative scenarios for months; Bessent recently noted that one fallback idea would be to tap into a 1930 tariff law, though he acknowledged any other authority would be less powerful than the one Trump has used. The administration may also ramp up its use of sector-by-sector tariffs, the person close to the White House added. Trump has also used so-called Section 232 tariffs, which can be imposed on imports for national security reasons. Paul said a lot of his colleagues agree with his position but arent ready to actually vote against Trump. The Senate is set to vote Tuesday evening on Trumps tariffs on Brazil and later this week on the Canada tariffs. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is expected to vote for the Brazil measure but called the rest messaging votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre all grumbling. Theyre mad. You hear them asking Jamieson Greer tough questions, but I dont know if theyre ready to do it yet, Paul said, predicting that theres still more bad news to come in the farm economy. And when it comes, I think maybe more Republicans vote against Trump, he added. But a floor vote to cross Trump is a rebuke that only a handful of senators have stepped forward to offer, and many still hope it doesnt come to that. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the premier of Ontario made a mistake, and the 10 percent tariff will soon blow off. The tariff policy continues to evolve. But, I mean, we have a lot of bilateral trade with Canada. Canada and Mexico are our two biggest trading partners, and I hope the long-term strategy here is to create more trading opportunities, not less, said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vice President JD Vance gave a strong defense of Trumps tariffs to Senate Republicans at a private Tuesday lunch ahead of the votes, arguing they are working, said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Room for Disagreement Some Republicans think Trump will find a way to continue playing tariff man, regardless of what the Supreme Court rules. The presidents got multiple statutory tools to continue to use tariffs. And I dont think theyre ever going to dissuade him. He likes the leverage it provides, said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Still, he said he hopes Trumps top advisers have got a plan for landing the plane. The View From Democrats Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Tuesday that hes asked his staff to come up with as many ways as possible to take on Trumps tariffs. He said even small numbers of GOP defections can sway the president. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court will decide whether tariffs are even an appropriate tool to be used under IEEPA. But Im standing strong for the position that we shouldnt just let a president manufacture emergencies, Kaine said. Burgess and Shelbys View Its easy to see why free-trading Republicans hope the Supreme Court will bail them out: They would get the result they want without the headache of opposing the president on the record. But Trump is already making clear that hell work to find other ways to implement his tariff agenda even if the court rules against him. So expect this to keep dividing the GOP. Notable Republicans were already signaling weeks before the 2024 election that as much as they dislike tariffs, they wouldnt stop Trump from imposing them, as we reported. (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has told U.S. troops he was prepared to send "more than the National Guard" into U.S. cities if needed, in the latest demonstration of his willingness to escalate a confrontation with Democratic-led local governments which oppose the deployments. Trump delivered his remarks on Tuesday aboard the George Washington aircraft carrier, which was docked at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo. His speech, which occasionally touched on partisan issues, was interrupted by applause and cheers from the troops several times. "We have cities that are troubled ... and we're sending in our National Guard. And if we need more than the National Guard, we'll send more than the National Guard because we're going to have safe cities," Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump since June has deployed National Guard troops to various Democratic-led jurisdictions in an extraordinary expansion of the use of the military for domestic purposes. Trump has sent them to Los Angeles, Memphis and Washington, D.C., and is waging court battles to try to dispatch them to Portland and Chicago. In Los Angeles, Trump also took the rare step of deploying active duty Marines, although their job was to protect federal agents and federal property and they have since been withdrawn. Trump has left open the possibility that he might use the centuries-old Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops for policing purposes and sidestep any court rulings blocking the dispatch of Guard troops into American cities. Under federal law, National Guard and other military troops are generally prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement. But the Insurrection Act allows for an exception, giving troops the power to directly police and arrest people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since his second term as president began in January, Trump has shown little hesitation in seeking to wield governmental authority against his political opponents, as he pushes to expand the powers of the presidency in ways that have tested the limits of the law. Last month, in a speech to top military commanders, Trump suggested using U.S. cities as "training grounds" for the armed forces, alarming Democrats and civil liberties groups. (Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) President Trump early Tuesday threatened to send more troops to cities amid his crackdown on crime, telling U.S. service members in Japan that some places may need more than the National Guard. We have cities in trouble. We cant have cities that have trouble, Trump said, speaking to troops on the USS George Washington at the Yokosuka Naval Base. Were sending in the National Guard and we need more than the National Guard. Well send more than the National Guard, because were going to have safe cities, he continued. Were not going to have people killed in our cities. And whether people like that or not, thats what were doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has deployed the National Guard to a number of big cities, including Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Chicago; and Portland, Ore., this year alone. The administration has argued the troops are needed to combat crime and enforce immigration law. But the presidents move to deploy the National Guard has been met with political and legal resistance. Trumps critics note the administration has deployed troops to cities with Democratic mayors, most of which are located in blue states. The administration saw a legal victory last week in its efforts to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, when a federal appeals court said Trump could deploy troops across Oregon for now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President Donald Trump told U.S. troops in Japan that he was prepared to send more than the National Guard into American cities as he ramped up his rhetoric on cracking down on crime and immigration. Speaking from aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka on Tuesday, the president doubled down on his vision of using the military for domestic purposes as he gave a rambling speech to personnel stationed overseas. Politics: Melania Trumps Halloween Display Gives Critics The Creeps As Millions Face Real-Life Horror Trump claimed that people dont care if we send in our military, if we send in our National Guard, if we send in Space Command. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They dont care who the hell it is. They just want to be safe, the president argued. While suggesting that the Trump administration needs a little more help from state officials, he then countered that their support doesnt matter, really. We can do as we want to do, Trump insisted. Politics: AOC Blows Right-Winger Riley Gaines Out Of The Water With 2 Hilarious Clap Backs He continued that we have cities that are troubled. And were sending in our National Guard, and if we need more than the National Guard, well send more than the National Guard, because were going to have safe cities, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not going to have people killed in our cities. And whether people like that or not, thats what were doing, he added. (Watch video of the speech below). Trump: "We're sending in our National Guard and if we need more than the National Guard we'll send more than the National Guard, because we're gonna have safe cities ... whether people like that or not, that's what we're doing." pic.twitter.com/atMSlnL8zr Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 28, 2025 His remarks echoed comments last month when he told U.S. generals and admirals they were fighting a war from within. Since returning to power, Trump has deployed the National Guard to big cities including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Politics: Trump Elaborates On His New Threat And Jabs At Reporter Who Asks About It Despite Trump suggesting the public is enthusiastic about an increased military presence domestically, polling suggests most Americans are opposed to troops being deployed unless there is an external threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps deployments have often been opposed by Democratic governors of the states where troops are being sent, leading to successful challenges in court. Trumps authoritarianism has relied on a law that allows the president to deploy the military, or federalize National Guard troops, to suppress a rebellion or if he is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Oct. 28 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump gave a speech to sailors aboard an aircraft carrier in Japan in which he said he's prepared to send "more than the National Guard" into American cities. Speaking to service members aboard the USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, he said, "We have cities that are troubled, we can't have cities that are troubled. And we're sending in our National Guard, and if we need more than the National Guard, we'll send more than the National Guard, because we're going to have safe cities." "We're not going to have people killed in our cities," he said. "And whether people like that or not, that's what we're doing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump also defended the recent strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific of what the administration says are suspected drug smugglers, indicating it was a type of war. "We're winning it already, the sea," he said. "I mean, the only problem is, nobody wants to go into the sea anymore, even the fishing boats." The strikes have now killed 57 people. The administration claims that they were all participating in drug smuggling, but has provided no evidence. "For many years, the drug cartels have waged war in America, and at long last, we're finally waging war on the cartels," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump said the sailors took a pay cut to be there, though it wasn't clear what he meant by that. "We're not going to deduct anything because you came in to listen to your commander," he said. "I'd like to be an admiral. I always wanted to be an admiral, to be honest." He mentioned the military and economic relationship between the United States and Japan. He said he had just approved an order of missiles to supply Japanese F-35 planes. He also reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that Toyota would invest $10 billion in putting auto plants throughout the United States. He told the sailors to "go out and buy a Toyota." "Our ultimate strength does not come from equipment," he said. "It comes from the men and women of the rank and file. That's true. It comes from you people, incredible people, good-looking people. Too many good-looking people. I don't like good-looking people. I never liked good-looking people. I'll be honest with you, never admitted that before. Trump will next go to South Korea, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He has mentioned wanting to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, but it's unclear if that will happen. PNN New Delhi [India], October 28: AiNXT Technovations Pvt. Ltd., one of India's fastest-growing innovators in artificial intelligence and enterprise automation, marked a historic milestone with its grand international debut in Dubai. The high-profile event, "AiNXT Goes Global - Dubai 2025," celebrated the global launch of its flagship Voice AI platform, "VedVani", a revolutionary step in human-like voice automation designed to transform how enterprises communicate through AI. The event, held in Dubai's bustling innovation district, was graced by AiNXT's leadership team -- Mr. Anil Singh (Founder & CEO), Mr. Amit Singh (Co-Founder & CPTO), Mr. Devanshu Desai (Co-Founder & CTO), and Mrs. Renu Dhuria (Co-Founder) -- along with global partners, clients, and technology delegates from India and the Middle East. The evening's Chief Guest, Mr Scott Rea, Executive Vice President and Global Strategic Advisor, praised AiNXT for "bringing human-centric voice intelligence from India to the world stage." Redefining the Future of Voice AIAs the global Voice AI market surges toward an estimated USD 50 billion by 2030, enterprises are rapidly transitioning from text-based chatbots to intelligent, emotion-aware voice interactions. In this context, VedVani -- inspired by the Sanskrit words "Ved" (knowledge) and "Vani" (voice) -- symbolises "The Voice of Knowledge." Unlike traditional voice bots, VedVani offers natural, multilingual, and emotionally intelligent communication that understands tone, context, and intent. Built on AiNXT's proprietary Agentic AI architecture, the platform empowers banks, NBFCs, fintechs, and enterprises to automate customer onboarding, support, and compliance -- while preserving the warmth and empathy of human conversation. "VedVani is more than a product -- it's a movement toward humanised automation," shared Mr. Anil Singh, Founder & CEO of AiNXT. "Launching it from Dubai reflects our mission to reshape global communication -- enabling AI to speak not just intelligently, but meaningfully." Dubai: A Gateway to Global ExpansionDubai was a deliberate and strategic choice for AiNXT's international debut. Recognised as a global hub for fintech, smart-city innovation, and digital transformation, Dubai offers the ideal ecosystem for technology collaboration across MENA, Africa, and Europe. "Dubai connects innovation, finance, and culture like no other city," said Mr Amit Singh, Co-Founder & CPTO. "It's the perfect launchpad for delivering scalable, voice-driven automation solutions to enterprises that demand speed, intelligence, and compliance." AiNXT's new Dubai office will serve as its regional operations and engagement centre, partnering with banks, regulators, and digital solution providers to build voice-first customer journeys across diverse markets. The Technology Powering VedVaniVedVani represents years of deep R&D in Voice AI, Machine Learning, and regulatory automation. Its advanced framework includes: - Emotion-aware, natural speech synthesis in multiple Indian and global languages. - Real-time compliance intelligence with integrated OCR, Face Match, and Liveness Detection, trained on SEBI/RBI-grade datasets. - Seamless API integration with BFSI and CRM systems. - Hybrid and on-premise deployment options, secured by AES-256 encryption and certified under ISO 27001:2022 standards. "Every voice must speak responsibly," emphasised Mr Devanshu Desai, Co-Founder & CTO. "VedVani ensures every AI-driven interaction is accurate, auditable, and regulator-ready." Celebrating Innovation and Team SpiritThe Dubai launch was also a celebration of AiNXT's people and culture. The entire India-based team joined the event to showcase live demonstrations of VedVani's multilingual responses, real-time emotion detection, and natural conversation flow -- impressing attendees with the platform's near-human precision. "The energy and purpose behind this launch perfectly represent AiNXT's culture of innovation and collaboration," said Mrs Renu Dhuria, Co-Founder. "We're proud to bring Indian AI innovation to a global audience." Proven Expertise and Accelerated GrowthAiNXT has rapidly grown into a trusted AI partner for over 30 BFSI and enterprise clients, deploying 35+ intelligent automation solutions that have reduced onboarding times by over 90% and achieved near-zero manual errors. The company is recognised under NASSCOM's 10,000 Startups Program, the Government of Uttar Pradesh's Start-in-UP initiative, and maintains ISO 27001:2022 certification for top-tier information security. The Road AheadFollowing its global launch, AiNXT aims to enhance VedVani's capabilities with: - Digital Onboarding 2.0 - integrating AI-driven risk scoring and fraud analytics. - Cross-Platform KYC SDKs - enabling instant verification across web and mobile. - AI Compliance Dashboards - offering real-time audit readiness and analytics. - Multilingual Expansion - including Arabic, Hindi, English, and regional dialects. With a clear mission to lead the world in human-like enterprise voice automation, AiNXT is setting new benchmarks for intelligence, compliance, and trust -- redefining how the world communicates, one meaningful voice at a time. About AiNXT Technovations Pvt. Ltd. Headquarters in Thane, Mumbai, AiNXT Technovations Pvt. Ltd. specialises in Voice AI, intelligent automation, and compliance-driven solutions that empower enterprises to enhance efficiency, security, and customer experience across industries. Email ID: solutions@ainxttech.comPlease visit for more Information: https://www.aiagent.ainxttech.com/http://www.ainxttech.com/ (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn, an envoy for Syria during his first White House term, to be assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. The Republican president nominated Rayburn in February for the State Department position overseeing Middle East policy. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held his confirmation hearing in May. But Republican Senator Rand Paul and committee Democrats had concerns about Trump's choice, and the panel held an unusual vote last week in favor only of advancing the nomination, not recommending Rayburn to the full Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the sources said Rayburn did not have enough votes to proceed and that the administration will move ahead in a different direction. Senators had questioned whether Rayburn had been involved in misleading U.S. officials about the number of U.S. troops in Syria during Trump's first term. Rayburn said at the hearing that he had no role in any deception. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the withdrawal, which was first reported by online media outlet Axios. Rayburn served at the State Department and the National Security Council during Trump's first administration. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Steve Holland; Editing by Jamie Freed) Trump withdraws Joel Rayburn's nomination as assistant secretary of state after concerns over his role in US troop deployment discussions in Syria. US President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn, an envoy for Syria during his first White House term, to be assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. The Republican president nominated Rayburn in February for the State Department position overseeing Middle East policy. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held his confirmation hearing in May. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Republican Senator Rand Paul and committee Democrats had concerns about Trump's choice, and the panel held an unusual vote last week in favor only of advancing the nomination, not recommending Rayburn to the full Senate. One of the sources said Rayburn did not have enough votes to proceed and that the administration will move ahead in a different direction. Did Rayburn mislead US officials on US troop deployments? Senators had questioned whether Rayburn had been involved in misleading US officials about the number of US troops in Syria during Trump's first term. Rayburn said at the hearing that he had no role in any deception. Joel Rayburn, then-US deputy assistant secretary for Levant Affairs and special envoy for Syria, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, October 29, 2019. (credit: REUTERS/DENIS BALIBOUSE/FILE PHOTO) The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the withdrawal, which was first reported by online media outlet Axios. Rayburn served at the State Department and the National Security Council during Trump's first administration. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn, an envoy for Syria during his first White House term, to be assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. The Republican president nominated Rayburn in February for the State Department position overseeing Middle East policy. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held his confirmation hearing in May. But Republican Senator Rand Paul and committee Democrats had concerns about Trump's choice, and the panel held an unusual vote last week in favor only of advancing the nomination, not recommending Rayburn to the full Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senators had questioned whether Rayburn had been involved in misleading U.S. officials about the number of U.S. troops in Syria during Trump's first term. Rayburn said at the hearing that he had no role in any deception. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the withdrawal, which was first reported by online media outlet Axios. Rayburn served at the State Department and the National Security Council during Trump's first administration. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jamie Freed) Five months before the 2024 presidential election, a Manhattan jury convicted Donald Trump of falsifying business records with the intent to conceal "another crime." On Monday, the president's lawyers asked a New York appeals court to overturn those convictions, arguing that they were based on fallacious legal theories, inadequate evidence, and flagrantly deficient jury instructions. All of those arguments are compelling. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg "concocted a purported felony by stacking time-barred misdemeanors under a convoluted legal theory," Trump's 96-page appeal brief says. "This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction." You need not be a Trump supporter to agree with that assessment. You only have to examine the iffy logic of Bragg's case against Trump, which transformed a single hush payment into 34 state felonies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prior to the 2016 presidential election, Michael Cohen, then Trump's personal lawyer, paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in exchange for a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that barred her from talking about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump at a Las Vegas hotel in 2006. As Bragg told it, the effort to keep Daniels quiet was the essence of Trump's crime. By depriving voters of information they might have deemed relevant in choosing between Trump and Hillary Clinton, Bragg said, Trump committed "election interference," which the D.A. described as "the heart of the case." Bragg's underlings told the same story during Trump's trial. "This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures, to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior," lead prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said. "It was election fraud, pure and simple." In reality, there was nothing "pure and simple" about Bragg's case. Since trying to hide embarrassing information is not a crime, he focused on what happened after the election, when the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen for the NDA payment with a series of checks that were recordedinaccurately, according to Braggas "legal expense[s]" under a "retainer" agreement. Bragg treated each of the 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries associated with the payments to Cohen as a distinct violation of a New York law against "falsifying business records" with "intent to defraud." Trump argued that he had no such intent, since there was no evidence that he tried to deprive anyone of money, property, or "anything else of pecuniary value." His appeal reiterates that argument, saying the trial judge erred in ruling that "intent to defraud either the voting public, the government, or both" was good enough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In any event, Trump's lawyers say, "no evidence suggested that the internal business records hereinvoices, checks, and ledger entrieswere intended to be seen, or had any reasonable prospect of ever being seen, by any governmental entity." Nor does it seem possible, let alone plausible, that those records, which were produced after Trump was elected, were aimed at deceiving "the voting public." Even assuming Trump had an "intent to defraud," falsification of business records is usually a misdemeanor, meaning the statutory deadline for prosecuting it would have passed by the time Trump was indicted in April 2023, more than five years after the last payment to Cohen. Bragg avoided that obstacle by alleging that Trump's "intent to defraud" included "an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof," which turned those 34 misdemeanors into 34 felonies. What was the other crime that Trump allegedly tried to conceal? For a year after the indictment, Bragg was vague on that point. But by the end of Trump's trial, which ran from April 15 until May 30 last year, prosecutors had settled on New York Election Law Section 17-152, an obscure, rarely used provision that makes it a misdemeanor for "two or more persons" to "conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means." That theory raised another issue: What "unlawful means" did Trump and Cohen use to influence an election? Amazingly, prosecutors never offered a definitive answer to that question. Instead the jurors were instructed that they could find Trump guilty based on any of three possibilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The leading contender was a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), based on the theory that Cohen's payment to Daniels qualified as an excessive campaign contribution. Cohen had accepted that theory under a 2018 federal plea agreement that also resolved several other, unrelated charges against him. But the law on this point is hazy, and Trump was never charged with violating FECA by soliciting Cohen's "contribution." Furthermore, FECA expressly preempts state law, making it doubtful that a FECA violation could count as "unlawful means" under Section 17-152. "By its terms, FECA squarely preempts that application of Section 17-152 to campaign contributions to candidates for federal office," Trump's lawyers say. "Were it otherwise, any district attorney in New York (or any other State) could prosecute any alleged violation of FECA by packaging it as a violation of a state law like Section 17-152, even where, as here, federal authorities declined to pursue the alleged violation." If the jurors had doubts about the FECA theory, they were told, they could still convict Trump if they concluded that Cohen had falsified bank records when he paid Daniels. Alternatively, they could focus on the 1099-MISC forms that the Trump Organization prepared in connection with the payments to Cohen, which allegedly violated city, state, and federal tax law by misrepresenting a reimbursement as income. That last option involved a strange sort of tax fraud, since the effect of the alleged misrepresentation was to increase Cohen's tax liability. And it was a mystery how 1099s issued after the 2016 election could have retroactively affected its outcome. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because the prosecution offered three different theories of "unlawful means," it was not clear which one persuaded the jurors. In fact, it is possible that some jurors favored the FECA theory, some bought the bank-record argument, and others preferred the tax theory. Those jury instructions were clearly improper, Trump's lawyers argue. "New York law requires that the jury unanimously agree on the 'unlawful means' because the object of a Section 17-152 conspiracy is an element of the offense," they say. And even if the statute is not read that way, they add, "convicting President Trump absent such unanimity" would violate his right to due process. The appeal raises other issues, including the judge's alleged bias and the use of evidence regarding Trump's "official acts" as president. But the weak links in Bragg's caseincluding the conversion of a misdemeanor into a felony by reference to another misdemeanor, which in turn hinged mainly on an alleged violation of a federal election law he had no authority to enforcewould have been enough to deter any reasonably prudent and conscientious prosecutor. When you add the uncertainty about what the jury actually concluded, Trump's prospects on appeal look pretty strong. The post Trump's Appeal of His New York Convictions Highlights the Absurdity of Alvin Bragg's Convoluted Case appeared first on Reason.com. President Donald Trump's Big Law lawyers are fighting to overturn his criminal conviction. Sullivan & Cromwell cochair Robert Giuffra asked to personally argue the appeal in court. They say Trump was protected by presidential immunity in the hush-money trial. President Donald Trump's attorneys have asked a New York appeals court to overturn his criminal conviction, arguing that he was protected by presidential immunity. The appeal brief was filed Monday night by Trump's attorneys at the elite Big Law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. The firm formally began representing Trump shortly after he was inaugurated for his second term, and it is not among the list of law firms the president has targeted during his administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Robert Giuffra, the cochair of the 146-year-old law firm, asked to personally present oral arguments before the court, the brief says. "This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction," the brief says. In May 2024, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business documents to cover up hush-money payments to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The case was brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office and overseen by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan . (In the New York state court system, the trial court is called the Supreme Court and judges are called Justices.) In the middle of the Manhattan criminal trial, the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, heard arguments over whether presidential immunity shielded Trump in a separate criminal case over his actions during the January 6, 2021, riot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high court issued a sweeping ruling in July of last year, granting broad criminal immunity protections for presidents and forbidding evidence about a president's "official acts" from being used in a trial. The decision led to a pitched battle between Trump's lawyers and the New York attorney general's office over whether Merchan should have excluded certain evidence in the trial. His attorneys said jurors should have never heard testimony from former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks about conversations she had with Trump in the Oval Office. Nor should jurors have seen Trump's social media posts attacking key witness Michael Cohen, which his lawyers said were "official Presidential statements." Merchan ultimately decided to uphold Trump's criminal conviction, ruling the evidence was allowed in because they were about "personal matters involving an alleged affair and a sexual encounter" before Trump was president. Shortly before Trump's inauguration, the judge sentenced him to an unconditional discharge, which means he did not give him any punishment. Monday night's brief argues the Supreme Court ruling required an "automatic reversal of a conviction." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The jury improperly heard extensive testimony about at least four different kinds of official acts by President Trump," Trump's lawyers wrote. The appeal brief also argues that Merchan wrongly instructed the jury about how to weigh the charges against Trump, that the Manhattan district attorney's office improperly tried to enforce a federal law, and that the judge should have recused himself from the case because his daughter co-owned a marketing agency that provided work for Democrats. "The Supreme Court's historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately overturned and dismissed," a spokesperson for Trump's legal team told Business Insider. "President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focuses on his singular mission to Make America Great Again." A representative for the Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The appeal was filed to the Appellate Division First Department, which is the intermediate New York appeals court overseeing cases brought in Manhattan. The court's decision will almost certainly be appealed to the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. From there, it can be appealed to the US Supreme Court. Trump's Sullivan & Cromwell lawyers have also asked a federal appeals court to take on future appeals in the case, which could offer a faster path to the US Supreme Court. The same team of Sullivan & Cromwell is also representing Trump in his appeal of a $500 million civil fraud judgment in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. In August, the appeals court upheld Trump's liability in the case, but said the monetary amount was excessive. Read the original article on Business Insider Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino glanced at the crowd of yelling protesters in Chicago's largely Latino Little Village neighborhood, took a step toward them and lobbed a canister of tear gas, a tactic a judge had temporarily banned. The interaction - captured last week on shaky cellphone video - demonstrated the defiant approach that has powered Bovino's unlikely rise within the Trump administration: Despite his official role as chief of the agency's El Centro sector in California's Imperial Valley, he has been on the ground in some of his department's most aggressive efforts around the country. And he is literally hands-on, using tactics that stretch or even disregard the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His efforts have landed him at the center of multiple lawsuits accusing Bovino and his Border Patrol officers of excessive force and violating the rights of residents in Illinois, Oregon and California - where he has been developing his brazen playbook. Bovino has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks for his agency's response to the protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Chicago, where masked federal agents have clashed with demonstrators and deployed tear gas and pepper balls against them in skirmishes across the city. Many feared similar scenes in the Bay Area last week, as more than 100 federal agents, including from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were dispatched to a Coast Guard base in the East Bay. Federal officials told CBS News Bovino would be involved, before Trump suddenly called off a planned "surge" in San Francisco. On Tuesday, the 55-year-old Bovino was forced to testify in federal court in Chicago, where he and his agents are accused of violating an Oct. 9 court order restricting federal immigration agents' use of non-lethal "riot control" weapons. It is far from the first time he has been accused of ignoring the court orders meant to rein in Border Patrol as it seeks to deport as many immigrants as possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who'd ordered Bovino to appear in person to explain himself, said Tuesday morning that video footage showing officers violating her order could only be explained in one of three ways: Either the order wasn't clear, no one read it or "folks read it, understood it, and actively decided not to abide by it," according to CBS News. Bovino's courtroom grilling comes just a day after Trump announced plans to purge ICE leaders around the country, replacing them with a list of people handpicked by Bovino. The future of ICE, observers expect, may well look more like Bovino's Border Patrol. Greg Bovino, the chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol El Centro sector, center, walks with federal immigration agents near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Bovino was forced to testify in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday, where he and his agents are accused of violating an Oct. 9 court order restricting federal immigration agents' use of non-lethal "riot control" weapons. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) (Erin Hooley/AP) Far from the border Bovino has traveled a long way from his relatively obscure post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His El Centro sector is responsible for patrolling 34 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, plus 940 square miles of largely agricultural, mountain and desert lands in Imperial County. Since January, however, Bovino's work has taken him far afield. That work began before Trump took office, with a shocking raid in Bakersfield in early January targeting farmworkers. Called "Operation Return to Sender," the crackdown ensnared U.S. citizens and drew condemnation from local and state officials, and from a federal judge who said the agents' tactics violated residents' Fourth Amendment rights. That case highlighted what has become a signature Bovino gambit. He has not only orchestrated brazen sweeps in cities across the country, but has publicly boasted about doing so online. CalMatters reported in April that the El Centro sector employs at least five people to produce videos and social media posts celebrating its efforts. Many of the posts mock immigrants and contain false information. In more than one court case, federal judges have pointed to Bovino's posts as evidence of his intention to act unlawfully. In a January post before the Bakersfield raid, Bovino wrote on X: "Undocumented means just that. I recommend returning to the country of origin, obtaining proper documents, and doing it the right way. If not, we will arrest." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston said that statement and others "show Border Patrol agents from the El Centro Sector do not intend to comply with the requirements to perform flight risk assessments for probable cause in the forthcoming operations - including in this District - but to perform warrantless arrests without probable cause." In a separate case in San Diego federal court, an attorney for two men detained outside a Home Depot detailed numerous social media posts by the El Centro sector in court documents, arguing they present a pattern of flouting the limits of its authority. The judge in that case blocked Border Patrol's efforts to swiftly deport the men, and the agency abruptly dropped the case. A Chicago Police Department car is reflected in the window of Luna y Cielo Play Cafe, where a framed picture is displayed of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez who was killed in an interaction with federal immigration enforcement (ICE) agents, as part of a Mexican Day of the Dead altar in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Gregory Bovino's conduct in Chicago has drawn scrunity from the courts. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) Provocative tactics Bovino's efforts significantly ratcheted up tensions in Los Angeles this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In unprecedented raids, agents - some on horseback, some who poured out of rented, unmarked vans - swarmed MacArthur Park, a pillar of a Latino-dominated neighborhood in the center of the city. Bovino himself took part in the operation. Immigration advocates soon secured a court order similar to the one approved after the Bakersfield raid, limiting agents from stopping and detaining people based solely on their appearance or the fact that they were speaking Spanish. It specifically said agents couldn't target locations like car washes and Home Depots just because they tend to employ Latino workers - a stipulation agents appeared to violate multiple times. But the Supreme Court invalidated those provisions in September. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the decision that stops in which U.S. citizens were targeted based on their appearance were both rare and harmless. Such stops would be "brief" and once officers saw proper documentation of citizenship, residents would "promptly be let go," he wrote. That has not occurred in practice: ProPublica reported that at least 170 American citizens have been held against their will by immigration agents since Trump took office in January, and in some cases have been beaten, shot, detained while pregnant and denied access to lawyers and loved ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bovino has not been afraid to flex his political muscles in confrontations with those who question or criticize him or his agenda. A week after the raid in MacArthur Park, Bovino called Michele Beckwith, then the acting U.S. attorney for California's eastern district, where the injunction in the farmworker case remains in place, and told her he was bringing his officers to Sacramento, the New York Times reported last month. Beckwith warned Bovino in an email that she expected "compliance with court orders and the Constitution." Hours later, she was removed from her post. Bovino told the Times that Beckwith's email "revealed a bias against law enforcement." Vice President JD Vance, center, speaks next to officials including, from left to right, HUD Regional Administrator William Spencer, United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli, FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director Akil Davis, US Border Patrol Sector Chief Gregory Bovino and ICE Field Office Director Ernie Santacruz at the Wilshire Federal Building Friday, June 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. Bovino's approach has been embraced by President Donald Trump and his administration. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (Jae C. Hong/AP) No shame in our game' In August, Newsom held a news conference in Los Angeles to officially launch Proposition 50, the November ballot measure asking voters to redraw the state's congressional lines to counter Trump's efforts to carve out more GOP House seats in other states. Bovino and a group of heavily armed border patrol agents swarmed outside the event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're here making Los Angeles a safer place, since we don't have politicians that'll do that," Bovino told a reporter in a clip posted by Newsom's office. Bovino later told the New York Times he did not know Newsom happened to be holding an event at the location. Newsom blasted Bovino's appearance as a "sick and pathetic" intimidation tactic, prompting Bovino to respond in a post on X that said: "Shame on us? For what? There's no shame in our game. Shame on illegal immigrants who break the law by being in the United States illegally." Bovino has used a version of that line countless times to defend his agency's tactics. But being in the United States without proper legal documentation is a civil violation, not a criminal offense. Gregory Bovino, chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol's El Centro Sector, poses for a photo after an interview with The Associated Press in Los Angeles, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. He has practiced his brazen tactics in California, but recently come under fire in Illinois. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Jae C. Hong/AP) Legal, moral and ethical' Though Bovino has at least temporarily turned his attention to Illinois, lawyers in the Bakersfield farmworker case are still working to ensure Border Patrol officers work within the bounds of the court order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, ACLU lawyers told the judge overseeing the case that documents filed by Border Patrol that were supposed to document the agency's compliance with the court order instead made clear that the agency was continuing to make indiscriminate stops, in violation of the injunction. The 136-page filing argues that Border Patrol illegally stopped and arrested people during the July raid in Sacramento - the same one in which Beckwith warned Bovino to comply with the court order - and failed to properly document its officers' traffic stops and arrests. Included in the filing are numerous exhibits laying out Bovino's tactics in Illinois, which lawyers argue demonstrate his determination to flout the law - whether in Bakersfield, Chicago or wherever his efforts take him next. Before his testimony this week, Bovino made clear how he felt about judges' orders restricting his efforts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Did Judge Ellis get hit in the head with a rock, like I did this morning? Maybe she needs to see what that's like before issuing an order like that," he told a TV reporter, court documents show. On Tuesday, Ellis laid out in exhaustive detail the ways in which Bovino and his agents had violated her order. In many instances, he did not respond, or made vague statements about different situations requiring different calculations. Ellis decided on a new approach: Bovino must now meet with her - in person - every day to document his agents' actions and defend them. She also ordered Bovino to personally wear a body camera, according to CBS News. "If someone's throwing a rock at your head, the camera's gonna catch it," Ellis told him. This article originally published at No shame in our game': Inside the defiant tactics of Trump's chief immigration enforcer. President Donald Trump recently leveled whats become one of his go-to attacks against Democratic Reps. Jasmine Crockett (Texas) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.): He called them low IQ people ... again. And one American studies professor has since called out the president for pitching racism and misogyny to his followers. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, the president inexplicably inserted Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez into his response to a question on whether hed have the desire to serve a third term as president. Trump boasted about his popularity and said hed love to do it even though the Constitution sets a two-term limit for presidents. Life: Neutrogena Recalls Over 15,000 Packages Of Makeup Wipes Over Bacterial Contamination Concerns Trump also said that Republicans nonetheless have strong contenders he named Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as examples to run for president in 2028, and that Democrats dont have a great group of people fit to run for office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person ... AOC is low IQ, you give her an IQ test have her pass the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed [National Military Medical Center], he said, before claiming that the exams were aptitude tests in a certain way. But theyre cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump, the president said, before adding: The first couple of questions are easy a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe ... then when you get up to about 10 and 20 and 25, they couldnt come close to answering any of those questions. Trump didnt clarify when he took the cognitive tests he was referring to on Monday, but the president has previously boasted about passing a test he was given at Walter Reed, which many believe is a reference to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) a screening tool used to detect cognitive decline. Back in July, Trump similarly took a dig at Ocasio-Cortezs and Crocketts intelligence, calling them low IQ, before he told reporters that he took a real test at Walter Reed Medical Center and that he aced it. Hello Mr. President! Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too? Asking for 340 million people. https://t.co/afaYP47knh Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 27, 2025 Both Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez have since responded to Trumps most recent attack on Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ocasio-Cortez shot back at the president in a post on X, formerly Twitter, by mockingly asking him about the details of his test at Walter Reed: Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too? she wrote. Life: The Funniest Posts From Women This Week (Oct. 18-24) Crockett told CNN in an interview that aired later that evening that she wasnt worried about the presidents digs about her intelligence, but that Trump is consistently obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House. I dont know what Black woman hurt him in his past, honey, but it is really taking him through it, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has a history of questioning the intelligence or IQ of Black people and people of color. The Guardian published an analysis in 2018 that found that while Trump insulted men, women and people of all races over their intelligence, he tended to focus attacks on IQ or intelligence alone when it came to the Black people he targeted. Kari J. Winter, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo whose expertise includes gender, feminism, race and class, said that she believes Trump repeatedly targets Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez with insults about their intelligence because he is pitching racism and misogyny to his supporters. Life: This Clip Of Men Harassing A Female Sports Reporter On-Air Is Going Viral And There's SO Much To Discuss When Trump insults Crockett and AOC, he is pitching racism and misogyny to his followers once again encouraging them to give into their basest impulses, she told HuffPost. Trumps repeated attacks on Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez shows hes irritated by their intelligence, Winter said. Winter believes Trumps second term as president is proof that he revels in violence and cruelty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He throws insults around with the relish of an unsupervised toddler in the developmental stage of potty humor, she said. For decades he has shown particular animus toward women of color, who he attacks with old tired tropes of racism and misogyny. His repetitious targeting of Jasmine Crockett and AOC suggests that he is frequently irritated by their dazzling intelligence and rhetorical skill, she continued. Life: The Funniest Posts About The Louvre Heist And as for why Trump often talks about someones IQ or intelligence? Winter thinks it has to do with his own insecurities. He keeps bringing up IQ because anyone who listens to him can see that he is not OK, she said. He cannot string together a coherent paragraph. He rarely even manages to complete a sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked to weigh in on the way Ocasio-Cortez responded to Trumps attacks on X, Winter said that she believes the congresswomans mockery of the president can help rally and encourage the millions of Americans who are determined to fight back against the destruction of our democracy. The road to justice is long, and we need courageous leaders who inspire us with joy and laughter as well as clarity, compassion and unflinching determination, she said. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Officials with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said Tuesday that a positive case of tuberculosis was found at North Mecklenburg High School. CMS provided Channel 9 a letter that was sent to families at North Mecklenburg HS that said a case of pulmonary tuberculosis has been identified at our school. Its not clear if a student or a teacher was found with TB. The district says its staying in contact with CMS School Health and the Mecklenburg County Health Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CMS says TB symptoms include cough, fever, bloody sputum, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and chest pain. Symptoms can be more severe than the flu or common cold, and symptoms usually persist for weeks. TB mostly affects the lungs, but it can spread to the rest of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic. Were working on getting more details on this development. Check back for updates, and watch Eyewitness News tonight for the latest. (VIDEO: Samaritans Purse mobilizes aid for Jamaica ahead of Hurricane Melissa) NewsVoir Gurugram (Haryana) [India], October 28: In the fast-transforming cityscape of Gurugram, Ganga Realty has emerged as a beacon of modern luxury and architectural excellence. Spearheaded by Mr. Vikas Garg, Joint Managing Director, the brand has established itself as one of the most forward-thinking real-estate developers in the NCR region. Through an inspiring blend of innovation, elegance, and sustainable planning, Ganga Realty is crafting a new vision for urban living -- one where design, comfort, and connectivity coexist seamlessly. With successive luxury launches such as Nandaka 84, Anantam 85, Ganga Valley, and Ganga Kashi Residences, the company is not only redefining Gurugram's skyline but also reshaping its residents' perception of luxury. Mr. Vikas Garg's Vision: Luxury with Purpose At the heart of Ganga Realty's success is Mr. Vikas Garg, whose leadership has guided the company toward creating spaces that embody purpose and refinement. His philosophy is simple yet profound -- "Luxury must be felt, not flaunted." Under his stewardship, Ganga Realty has adopted a design ethos centered around well-being, environmental balance, and community living. Each development reflects his belief that modern homes should inspire harmony -- blending smart technologies with timeless aesthetics. Mr. Garg's approach has positioned Ganga Realty as a brand that values experience over excess, creating residences that nurture families and stand as enduring symbols of thoughtful luxury. Signature Projects That Elevate Gurugram's Skyline Nandaka 84 -- The Essence of Refined Living Situated in Sector 84, Nandaka 84 epitomizes urban sophistication. Surrounded by lush greenery, it offers residents an oasis of calm amid Gurugram's energetic pace. The project's design integrates open spaces, wellness zones, and modern amenities, reflecting a lifestyle centered on balance and serenity. Every architectural element is tailored to enhance both aesthetic and functional appeal. Anantam 85 -- Futuristic Design Meets Everyday Comfort Just a short distance away, in Sector 85, Anantam 85 captures the future of luxury living. The project's design language emphasizes vertical elegance, intelligent space use, and sustainability. With panoramic views and world-class facilities, Anantam 85 symbolizes Ganga Realty's ability to combine grandeur with green innovation -- setting a new benchmark for residential excellence. Ganga Valley -- Harmony Between Nature and Design Also located in Sector 85, Ganga Valley represents the brand's most serene expression of luxury. Envisioned as a green sanctuary within the city, it is built around the themes of rejuvenation and natural wellness. Thoughtfully landscaped surroundings and eco-friendly architecture make it a haven for those seeking peace without compromising connectivity or modern comforts. Ganga Kashi Residences -- Heritage, Harmony, and Modern Grace Situated in Sector 89, Ganga Kashi Residences draws inspiration from India's cultural depth, celebrating the blend of tradition and modernity. Its design evokes a spiritual calm, yet it incorporates the best of contemporary living -- spacious interiors, smart features, and premium leisure spaces. It's where heritage meets innovation, crafting an atmosphere of timeless grace. Strategic Locations, Seamless Connectivity One of Ganga Realty's defining strengths lies in its strategic location choices. Projects in Sectors 84 and 85 are positioned near the Dwarka Expressway, NH-48, and major commercial corridors -- ensuring effortless connectivity to Delhi, IGI Airport, Cyber City, and Sohna Road. The proximity to upcoming infrastructure such as the Global City project and new metro extensions enhances their investment appeal while providing residents with unmatched access and convenience. Expanding this locational advantage, Sector 90 adjacent to Sector 89 is fast emerging as one of Gurugram's most well-connected and promising residential zones. With direct access to the Dwarka Expressway, Pataudi Road, and the Southern Peripheral Road, the area offers a perfect balance between urban accessibility and peaceful surroundings. Its growing ecosystem of schools, retail avenues, healthcare facilities, and upcoming commercial spaces makes Sector 90 an ideal destination for modern families seeking comfort, convenience, and a premium lifestyle. Meanwhile, Ganga Valley and Ganga Kashi Residences extend the brand's footprint to emerging lifestyle hubs -- areas that offer a perfect blend of serenity, accessibility, and future growth potential. Redefining Gurugram's Luxury Real Estate Landscape Ganga Realty's journey is a reflection of Gurugram's rise as a world-class urban destination. By merging strategic vision with architectural excellence, the company is not just building residences -- it is curating experiences that celebrate the essence of modern living. From Nandaka 84 and Anantam 85 to Ganga Valley and Ganga Kashi Residences, each project embodies the brand's enduring promise: to create homes that inspire pride, comfort, and connection. Under Mr. Vikas Garg's visionary leadership, Ganga Realty continues to set new benchmarks in luxury real estate -- combining design, sustainability, and connectivity to craft the future of urban living in Gurugram. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) The race for New York City mayor has turned into a sprint to the finish with New Yorkers smashing early voter turnout records, casting ballots at a five times greater rate than they were four years ago. A brand new poll also shows the race getting tighter. Over the weekend, more than 164,000 New Yorkers voted early compared to 31,000 who cast a ballot at the same time four years ago in the election Mayor Eric Adams eventually won. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More Local News General election votes are so far skewing older than they were in the June primary. So far, 50% of general election voters are over the age of 55. During the June primary, only 40% of voters in the first couple of days were over 55 years old. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent after losing that primary where he was heavily favored, viewed this as a positive sign while campaigning at a Harlem senior center. In the primary, turnout was totally different than they thought, it was much younger, and the younger vote was a much higher percent, and that skewed all the polls, Cuomo said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani was mobbed while greeting voters along 2nd Avenue and said he, too, was encouraged by the early turnout and believes his message resonates regardless of age. Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Heres how Too often we think of affordability is a young persons problem of whether you can build a life here, Mamdani said. But theres so many who are asking themselves whether they can keep a life here. Meanwhile, a new poll from Suffolk University does show Cuomo gaining on Mamdani, though still trailing by 10 points. Late Monday, a third day of early voting showed the high turnout continuing. NYC surpassed the total from all nine days of early voting in 2021 and is still pacing out to have roughly five times as many votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story. Weve created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available. AUSTIN (KXAN) With early voting underway in Texas, KXAN is keeping track of how many Texans have voted in the Nov. 4, 2025, election. From state constitutional amendments to school district propositions, voters across Central Texas will be deciding important races on the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement KXAN Voter Guide: What to know for the November 2025 elections Early voting runs from Monday, Oct. 20, through Friday, Oct. 31. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. More election data: More than 18.4 million Texans are currently registered to vote, according to the Secretary of States office. In total, 759,969 votes have been cast so far, for a statewide turnout of about 4.1%. In Texas, constitutional amendment elections typically occur every two years. In 2023, 14.4% of registered voters in the state cast a ballot, the highest turnout in a constitutional amendment election since 2005. Heres how turnout this year compares to previous elections. For comparison, turnout in the 2024 presidential election was 61.2%. The maps below show turnout in each of the states 254 counties, based on data from the Secretary of States office. Hover over a county (or tap if using a mobile device) to see the data. You can also search for a specific county in the top left of the map. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bexar County has reported the highest number of votes, with more than 92,000. Harris County is second, with more than 90,000. Three other counties have reported more than 50,000 votes: Travis, Dallas and Tarrant. Eleven counties have surpassed 8% turnout. Loving County has the highest turnout, at 35.7%, followed by Schleicher County, at 12.4%. Local turnout Across the 15-county KXAN viewing area, there are 1,799,349 registered voters. More than half of those are in Travis County, while Williamson County accounts for about a quarter of all registered voters locally. About 10% of registered voters in the area live in Hays County. The chart below shows turnout in each of our local counties. Turnout locally is highest in Blanco County, at 9%, and lowest in Lee County, at 1.9%. Areawide turnout is 6.1%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Two 19-year-olds are facing a slew of charges after a shooting near Howard University during the schools homecoming weekend left five people injured Friday night. Officers arrested Naseem Parker, of Northeast, and Jahlil Abdul Sabur, of Southeast, at the scene of the shooting in the 600 block of Howard Place after responding to sounds of gunfire in the area shortly before 8:30 p.m. A woman, a 13-year-old boy, and three men sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting, police said. According to a police report obtained by DC News Now, Parker was one of the men injured by the gunfire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PREVIOUS COVERAGE | 5 shot near Howard University homecoming week; 2 people in custody As a result of the shooting, university officials increased security across campus throughout homecoming weekend. However, Howard Universitys Office of University Communications emphasized that the shooting was not affiliated with the school and that no Howard University students, faculty, or staff were involved, but that the incident appeared to stem from a confrontation between two people. Following the incident, authorities charged Parker with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device and other weapons-related charges. Meanwhile, Sabur was charged with resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, carrying a pistol without a license and other gun-related charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The circumstances surrounding the shooting and what led up to it remain under investigation, police noted. Check DCNewsNow.com for updates. To keep up with the latest news and weather updates, download our Mobile App on iPhone or Android. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | DC, Virginia, Maryland News, Weather, Traffic, Sports Live. Oct. 28---- Two drivers were injured Tuesday in an intersection crash outside Litchfield. According to the Jay Jonathan Schoenecker, 54, of was transported to the Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the second vehicle, 60-year-old Anthony John Fisher, also from Watkins, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries but not transported. According to the crash report, Fisher was traveling eastbound in a 2012 GMC Sierra pickup truck on Minnesota Highway 24 as Schoenecker was driving southbound in a 2025 Toyota Corolla on County Road 34, when the two vehicles collided at the intersection. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Airbags in both vehicles deployed, according to the State Patrol, and both drivers were wearing their seat belts. Alcohol was not involved. Road conditions were wet when the crash was reported around 11:51 a.m. Tuesday. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office, Litchfield Fire Department and Mayo Ambulance assisted the Minnesota State Patrol at the scene. Two members of the Illinois National Guard say they will refuse orders to carry out the Trump administrations long-stated goal of sending federal troops into Chicago. It's disheartening to be forced to go against your community members and your neighbors," Staff Sergeant Demi Palecek, a state legislative candidate, told CBS News. "It feels illegal. This is not what we signed up to do." Captain Dylan Blaha, a congressional candidate in the state, had similar reservations, accusing the Trump administration of actively dismantling our rights free speech, due process, freedom of the press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Look at 1930s, 1940s Germany," Blaha added in an interview with the broadcaster. "There is a point where if you didn't stand up to the [Nazi secret police] Gestapo, are you just actively one of them now?" The Guard members could face a court martial, imprisonment, or a discharge if they refuse a lawful order. Members of the Illinois National Guard say they would refuse orders to deploy in Chicago, criticizing the Trump administration aim of launching a military crackdown in the city as unlawful and authoritarian (REUTERS) The Independent has contacted the White House, Illinois National Guard and Pentagon for comment. The Trump administration is attempting to send roughly 500 federalized National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas into the city, the latest in a string of attempts to use the military in largely Democrat-run cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, to crack down on crime and protests against immigration raids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement City and state leaders in Illinois have vocally opposed the latest attempted deployment, which Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called a form of authoritarianism. Troops began massing outside of Chicago earlier this month, though they havent deployed to the city yet, amid an ongoing lawsuit from Illinois leaders challenging the operation. The Illinois National Guard has been blocked in court from being sent to Chicago, but federal immigration agents have been operating in the city in a surge operation since last month (Chicago Sun-Times) A federal court temporarily blocked the deployment, finding it likely violates the 10th and 14th Amendments as well as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits the military from enforcing domestic law. An appeals court upheld the pause, and the Trump administration has sought emergency relief before the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the operation to move forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An expanded contingent of federal immigration agents have separately been on the ground in Chicago since last month as part of the Department of Homeland Securitys Operation Midway Blitz. Border Patrol agents in Chicago have been accused of using abusive tactics and were ordered by a federal court to stop firing riot control weapons at protesters (Chicago Sun-Times) As part of the mission, masked federal agents have carried out military-style raids across the city and have been accused of abuses. A federal judge this month ordered the agents to wear body cameras and to stop firing rubber bullets, tear gas, and chemical munitions at protesters and journalists. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, a top official leading the operation, is accused of violating these orders, after he was filmed throwing what appeared to be a tear gas canister at protesters. DHS claims violent protesters struck him in the head with a rock. Bovino has been ordered to appear in court later this week. The heats rising in D.C. as cops nabbed two more guys tied to the brutal August beating of Edward Coristine, once a pencil-pusher for Elon Musks pet project, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. What started as a nasty carjacking attempt sparked a full-blown federal crackdown, courtesy of Trumps tough-on-crime playbook. Meet the latest perps: Laurence Cotton-Powell and Anthony Taylor, a pair of teenagers now staring down charges that read like a rap sheet straight out of a crime drama. Unarmed carjacking? Check. Robbery sprees? You bet. And thats just the warm-upprosecutors claim theyve got dirt on them for another attack right before Coristine got jumped. COTA Turn One Chaos: McLarens Double DNF Becomes Instant Meme Gold Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pictures of the bloody 19-year-old, fresh off quitting Musks cost-cutting crusade, went viral back in August. Coristine swears a whole packmaybe 10 deepcame at him. So far? Four down, including a couple of kids who copped to simple assault and skated with probation. But this isnt just about one guy getting worked over. D.C.s streets are a mess, even if the stats say violent crimes dipping from last years nightmare numbers. The whole mess got so ugly the feds rolled out the National Guard, throwing muscle behind local cops. Prosecutors arent done yet. Theyre still hunting for more suspects in whats turned into a headline-grabbing saga, tangled up with politics and the age-old question: Whos really running the show in the capital when even a stroll can turn into a brawl? Source WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) As the days get shorter and visibility drops, pedestrian accidents tend to rise. On Monday, October 27, the Texas Department of Transportation took to the streets of downtown Wichita Falls with a unique approach to safety: walking billboards carrying lifesaving messages. Instead of billboards along the highway, these messages are being walked through the heart of downtown Wichita Falls, reminding both drivers and pedestrians to stay alert, make eye contact at crosswalks and obey traffic signals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were having this event today in downtown Wichita Falls because we have a lot of traffic down here, and we have a lot of businesses and pedestrians down in downtown, whether its on a regular workday or even more so when we have our art walks or weekend events, Adele Lewis, Public Information Officer at TxDOT, said. As part of its be safe, drive smart campaign, TXDOT deployed street teams with messages hoping to catch the eyes of drivers and pedestrians right where it matters. Its also extremely timely since October is the deadliest month in Texas for these types of accidents. In fact, last year we lost 778 people all year long. 89 Of those people died in the month of October, Lewis said. Officials say distraction, whether youre behind the wheel or not, is often to blame. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When youre a pedestrian, make eye contact with the driver crossing the intersection and obey all the traffic signals and signs. Dont wear earbuds or headphones because they are impairing your ability to hear vehicles in your area. And also, we need drivers to look out for the pedestrians, try to make eye contact where they do see a pedestrian. If youre driving a really large vehicle, youve got a lot of blind spots, Lewis said. The signs were just out for today, but TxDOT hopes the message sticks. Whether driving or walking, a second of awareness can be the difference between life and loss. You can now stream KFDX and Texomas FOX live 24/7 on your smart TV with KFDX+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Texomashomepage.com. A screenshot from a video posted to X by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showing a strike against an alleged cartel boat in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. Credit - Pete Hegseth / X The U.S. military killed 14 people in strikes against four boats it claimed were transporting drugs in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday. The strikes marked the deadliest day of President Donald Trumps campaign against boats that his administration claims are manned by drug trafficking cartels, and marked a further escalation in an operation that has begun to draw scrutiny from his own party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseth said the four boats were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics. He added that one person survived the strikes and Mexico had assumed responsibility for their rescue. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she did "not agree with these attacks" and asked officials to meet with the U.S. Ambassador to discuss them. "We want all international treaties to be respected," she said. Read more: Republicans Are Starting To Speak Out Against Trumps Boat Bombing Campaign Hegseth shared footage of the strikes on social media that showed several boats catching fire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strikes bring the number of people killed since the start of the campaign to 57. As in previous operations, the administration has not provided evidence to show that the targets were cartel members. The family members of at least one victim of a previous strike claimed he was a fisherman and denied any links to cartels. Legal experts have questioned the legality of Trumps bombing of suspected civilian cartel members without any attempt to intercept or capture the offenders, and without approval from Congress. The campaign has even drawn criticism from advocates of the War on Terror, a similarly sprawling and ill-defined military campaign that stretched the limits of executive power. We have the president using force against civiliansthey may be breaking narcotics laws, they may be criminalsbut he has simply killed them without due process, people who were not posing a threat against the United States, John Bellinger, a former legal advisor for the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council during the George W. Bush Administration, told TIME in a recent interview. Either Trump does not know about international law, or he does not care, he added. The latest operation comes as a growing number of Trumps own party are publicly challenging the bombing campaign, which has now expanded into a broader pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the Trump Administration considers illegitimate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has denied that he is seeking regime change in Venezuela, but in recent weeks, he has increased threats against the countrys president and ordered a massive naval buildup off Venezuelas coast. Trump has also authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and says he was weighing carrying out land strikes on the country. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, a member of the Armed Services Committee, called for greater scrutiny of the strikes in an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday. We have oversight responsibilities, and we expect to get our questions answered, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, also urged talks on authorizing the use of force. I think weve got to be very careful when youre talking about ordering a kinetic strike, he told the Times. Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, also told the Times there are legitimate questions about the legality of Trumps strikes without congressional authority. Collins said she would like to see the Senate pass a resolution that either authorizes his force or prevents its use, although the comments come after Senate Republicans struck down a measure that would have blocked Trump from continuing his assault on unmarked boats. Read more: Trumps Caribbean Bombing Campaign Brings War on Terror to the Americas Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford told C-SPAN that the White House needs to give insight to Congress about the military strikes Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If this was happening with this level of insight under the Biden administration, Id be apoplectic, Lankford said Thursday. Senator Rand Paul, a libertarian Republican from Kentucky, has emerged as a consistent critic of the campaign. Paul has gone so far this weekend as to join international experts in calling the strikes, which the Trump Administration says have killed 43 people, extrajudicial killings. No one said their name, no one said what evidence, no one said whether theyre armed, and weve had no evidence presented, he said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it, he added, emphasizing that the drug war is something that has traditionally been done through domestic law enforcement. Contact us at letters@time.com. Cincinnati's Walnut Hills High School is the best middle school in the state, per U.S. News & World Report's 2026 rankings. Part of Cincinnati Public Schools, Walnut Hills serves students grades 7-12 and is included under both the middle school and high school directories by U.S. News, a global education rankings publication. It earned the No. 1 rank among middle schools in Ohio after being ranked No. 6 in the state in the 2025 rankings. For the past two years, Walnut Hills also claimed the title of best high school in the state, per U.S. News' ranking for 2025-26. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joining the CPS schools ranked among the best in the state is the Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students, ranked the No. 8 best elementary school in Ohio. The Cincinnati school serving kids in grades 3-12 showed major improvement after being ranked No. 27 in Ohio last year. The third school representing Cincinnati among the top 10 elementary school and middle school rankings is Mariemont Junior High School, ranked No. 5 among best Ohio middle schools. Across the river, Beechwood High School in Fort Mitchell and Conner Middle School in Hebron were ranked among the best middle schools in Kentucky. The 2026 rankings list, released on Oct. 28, includes about 47,000 public elementary schools and over 23,000 middle schools scored at the state and district levels using public data from the U.S. Department of Education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schools were scored according to the number of students who tested proficient or better on math and reading state assessments. Half of the ranking formula was based on the scores themselves and the other half analyzed state test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics like students representing ethnic minorities and those coming from low-income households. Here's a look at the top schools in Ohio and in Northern Kentucky. To see the complete rankings, visit USNews.com. U.S. News & World Report: Best elementary schools in Ohio Here are the top 10 schools in Ohio: Miller City Elementary School, Miller City. Wells Academy, Steubenville. Parkside Elementary School, Solon. Pugliese Elementary West, Steubenville. Grace L Roxbury Elementary School, Solon. Dorothy E Lewis Elementary School, Solon. Whitehouse Primary School, Whitehouse. Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students, Cincinnati. Chestnut Ridge Elementary School, Berlin. Mckinley Stem Academy, Steubenville. U.S. News & World Report: Best middle schools in Ohio, Northern Kentucky Here are the top 10 schools in Ohio: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati. Chagrin Falls Middle School, Chagrin Falls. School of Innovation, Willoughby. Russia High School, Russia. Mariemont Junior High School, Cincinnati. Solon Middle School, Solon. Menlo Park Academy, Cleveland. Ottoville High School, Ottoville. Granville Intermediate School, Granville. Versailles Middle School, Versailles. Here are the top 10 schools in Kentucky: Scapa at Bluegrass, Lexington. J. Graham Brown School, Louisville. Anchorage Independent Public School, Anchorage. Pikeville High School, Pikeville. Corbin Middle School, Corbin. Beechwood High School, Fort Mitchell. East Bernstadt Elementary School, East Bernstadt. Conner Middle School, Hebron. Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School, Lexington. North Washington Elementary School, Willisburg. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: U.S. News says this Cincinnati school is the best in the state Indian aviation industry's net financial losses to increase to Rs 95-105 billion in FY2026, credit rating agency ICRA said in a release. The agency expects net losses to widen more than Rs 100 billion in FY2026, compared with Rs 55 billion in FY2025. The increase is attributed to slower traffic growth amid high aircraft deliveries and rising operational costs. According to the release, a major cost driver continues to be aviation turbine fuel (ATF), which rose 3.3 per cent sequentially in October 2025. Fuel prices averaged Rs 95,181 per kilolitre in FY2025, lower than last year, but volatility persists due to exchange rate fluctuations. Fuel accounts for 30-40 per cent of airlines' operating costs, while a large share of expenses remains dollar-denominated, leaving airlines vulnerable to currency movements. India's domestic air passenger traffic also declined in September 2025, as compared to the same period the previous year. The domestic air passenger traffic was estimated at 128.5 lakh in September 2025, down 1.4 per cent from 130.3 lakh in September 2024 and 0.8 per cent lower than 129.5 lakh in August 2025. The fall comes despite airlines deploying slightly higher capacity compared to the previous month, though capacity remained 3.3 per cent lower year-on-year. The aviation sector continues to navigate a mix of operational and financial headwinds. During the first half of FY2026 (April-September 2025), domestic passenger traffic touched 803.7 lakh, a 1.3 per cent increase over the same period last year. ICRA said this slow growth reflected "cautious travel sentiment" amid ongoing challenges in the industry. At the same time, international air traffic for Indian carriers has shown stronger momentum. In August 2025, the segment recorded 29.9 lakh passengers, a 7.8 per cent year-on-year rise, supported by sustained recovery in global travel. For the five months from April to August 2025, Indian carriers flew 147.3 lakh international passengers, up 9.7 per cent over the previous year. ICRA's outlook on the Indian aviation sector remains 'Stable', but it has revised its growth forecast for FY2026 to 4-6 per cent, lower than the earlier estimate of 7-10 per cent. The agency cited "cross-border escalations leading to flight disruptions, travel hesitancy following an aircraft accident, and trade tensions linked to US tariffs" as factors likely to weigh on demand. The sector's capacity has also been hit by engine failures and supply chain issues, particularly involving Pratt & Whitney engines. While the number of grounded aircraft has fallen from last year's peak, around 133 planes--or 15-17 per cent of the total fleet--remained grounded as of March 2025. These constraints, coupled with pilot shortages and rising lease rates, have added to operational strain. ICRA noted that while some carriers are supported by strong parent companies, others continue to face stretched liquidity. "Healthy yields and high passenger load factors are helping absorb some of the pressure," it added. (ANI) NEED TO KNOW The U.S. is no longer one of the top 10 most powerful passports The country fell from the No. 1 spot in 2014 to No. 12 in 2025 The top three countries with the most powerful passports now include Singapore, South Korea and Japan It isn't as easy to travel with a U.S. passport as it used to be, according to a new report. The U.S. passport is no longer among the top 10 most powerful passports, ranking at No. 12, per the Henley Passport Index. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This marks the first time the U.S. has fallen out of the top 10 in the 20 years that the Henley Passport Index has tracked passport strength. The information is analyzed by Henley & Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm that gathers exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association. The Henley Passport Index tracks how many destinations one passport can easily permit travelers to visit without a visa requirement. The index considers 199 passports and 227 destinations. Now, Singapore boasts the world's most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 193 destinations. South Korea comes in second, with 190 destinations, and Japan in third with 189 destinations. Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy are all tied for fourth place with access to 188 countries. Fifth place includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland and the Netherlands, with passport holders having access to 187 destinations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greece, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Sweden (186) are all tied for sixth, while seventh includes Australia, Czech Republic, Malta and Poland (185). Ranking 8th is Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom (184). Canada is the sole ninth-place holder, allowing access to 183 places, which comes right before Latvia and Liechtenstein, each of which has a total of 182. Iceland and Lithuania fall right behind with a total of 181. The U.S. is tied with Malaysia at 12th place, with access to 180 destinations. Due to the repeated ties between multiple countries, the U.S. is actually outranked by 36 other countries. Getty Stock image of travelers passport and international entry stamps Stock image of travelers passport and international entry stamps Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The U.S.s lower ranking comes 11 years after it held the No. 1 spot and then consistently remained in the top 10 until this year, per Henley & Partners. The U.S. isnt the only country to see a rapid descent; the U.K. also held the No. 1 spot in 2015 and now sits at No. 8. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the two Western countries have fallen in the rankings, China has quickly ascended, rising from 94th place in 2015 to 64th in 2025. The UAE has seen a similar rise, climbing from No. 42 in 2015 to No. 8 in 2025. Henley & Partners chair Christian H. Kaelin said the U.S. decline is more than just a reshuffle in rankings it signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind," he added. For example, passport holders in the U.S., Canada and Australia no longer have visa-free access to Brazil. The South American country withdrew visa-free access in April in response to the three countries barring Brazilian passport holders from visa-free access. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Vietnam and China have excluded the U.S. from their visa exemption lists. However, China has permitted visa-free access to Russia, the Gulf states, South America and several European countries. Read the original article on People Washington The U.S. military on Monday struck four more vessels that were allegedly trafficking narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing 14 and leaving one survivor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on X. The four vessels were hit in three different strikes, Hegseth said. The strikes bring the total death toll in President Trump's campaign against alleged traffickers in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific to more than 50. "The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics," Hegseth wrote. "Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added: "These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them." Hegseth said U.S. military personnel immediately began search and rescue operations for the survivor, and Mexican authorities assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. It's not clear what happened to the survivor from there. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed at a Tuesday morning news conference that the strike was in international waters and the Mexican Navy rescued one person. In a statement, the Mexican Navy confirmed it was "conducting a maritime search and rescue operation 400 miles southwest of Acapulco" at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Trump, currently on a multiday trip in Asia, has said his administration will provide information about the strikes to Congress, but he won't seek a declaration of war. "I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We're going to kill them. You know? They're going to be like, dead," he said last week. Mr. Trump also said land strikes in Venezuela could come next, amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, has called the military airstrikes on the boats "extrajudicial killings." Paul told "Fox News Sunday" this week that Congress has received "no information" on the strike campaign from the administration. Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Jury deliberations begin in Sonya Massey murder trial 25 states sue Trump administration over SNAP food stamp funding freeze LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Officials with the University of Central Arkansas announced the creation of a Northwest Arkansas Advisory Council to connect alumni, programs, and resources with one of the fastest-growing regions in the South. The council held its inaugural meeting Sept. 22 at Hunt Tower in Rogers, with UCA President Houston Davis attending, officials said. University of Central Arkansas becomes the first in the state to join Next Generation Service Corps Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to a spokesperson, the council brings together UCA alumni leaders to serve as strategic partners and advocates, advising university leadership, identifying collaboration opportunities and shaping initiatives to strengthen UCAs presence and visibility in Northwest Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas is one of the most influential regions in the South, and UCA needs to be part of that story, UCA Senior Director of Northwest Arkansas Engagement Paul Gatling said. This council is how we start treating it like a partner in shaping the universitys future. The council will meet twice a year to share insights, provide feedback on engagement strategies and assist in identifying potential partners, Gatling said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. You may or may not know Bryce Mitchell. He's a UFC fighter who previously said he thinks "that Hitler was a good guy based on my own research." Chris Unger / Getty Images And in April, he claimed he'd "take a bullet and die" for Donald Trump. Chris Unger / Getty Images Related: 17 MAGA Voters Who Are Getting EXACTLY What They Voted For, And The Stories Are A Looooooot Well, it took about six months into Trump 2.0, but Mitchell recently took to Instagram to share his regrets in supporting the president. Mike Roach / Getty Images In a video statement, Mitchell told followers, "Hey, I want to let y'all know I'm not with Donald Trump no more. I don't support him. I don't like him. I think he's a corrupted leader." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It took me a while to come to that conclusion, but I finally am coming to it. I do not like the guy at all," he continued before pressing forward with his chief complaint. thugnasty_ufc / instagram.com Related: "Put This On A T-Shirt" People Are Praising This Anti-ICE Protestor's 3-Word Response To Getting Tear-Gassed At The LA Protests "The first thing for me was, he didn't release the Epstein files. They're even acting like they didn't exist," Mitchell said. "And of course, they're sending Israel and Ukraine all of our tax dollars, just like the numbnuts before them did. Puttin' America last. And now he's blaming the beef farmers for the price of beef. Hey, I'm not biased, man. He talked a good game. He tricked me. I was fooled. I admit it." thugnasty_ufc / instagram.com Related: People Have Little Sympathy For This Trump Supporter Who Said They'd "Gladly" Pay More For Groceries...Until They Got The Bill Then Mitchell explained how his reasoning shifted: "OK, now let me tell you how bad I think this is, though... If you're Christian, I want you to get into Revelation 13:3 and I want you to read that verse. Yeah, about the antichrist," he said. "About the one who was fatally wounded in the head, then he was miraculously healed, and the whole world marveled at him, and said, 'No man can make war with him.' Yeah, I do think that Donald Trump is that beast of Revelation 13:3... He's done to me." "It sucks to say that because I supported him for a long time, but he's a good actor and he had me fooled for a long, long time," Mitchell concluded. "God bless y'all and thank you." thugnasty_ufc / instagram.com In the comment section of Mitchell's video, some people thanked the 31-year-old for sharing his true feelings. Related: Hillary Clinton Just Hit On One Of Donald Trump's Biggest Insecurities With Three Words While others expressed annoyance. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Also in In the News: "This Is Not The Desk Of Someone Who Actually Does Work": 49 Political Tweets From The Last Month That Are Too Good Not To Share Also in In the News: 5 Absolutely Horrifying Ways Republicans Are Explaining Why They're Fine With People Losing Healthcare Also in In the News: A Woman Who Called Herself A "MAGA Junkie" Now Regrets Voting For Trump After Getting Fired During The Government Purge Read it on BuzzFeed.com The Georgia student hit by a man dressed in a Nazi uniform outside an Athens bar said she fears for her safety. The main person confronting him was my Jewish friend, and I got in between them. I didnt like where that was going, Grace Lang told Channel 2s Tom Regan. The incident occurred late Thursday outside Cutters Bar and Grill on East Clayton Street, Athens-Clarke County police said. The suspect, 33-year-old Kenneth Leland Morgan, is accused of hitting 23-year-old Lang in the face with a beer mug, causing significant injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Videos of the attack have gone viral. Lang has extensive facial injuries. She said her concussion is subsiding but is still having vision issues. I was incapacitated; I could still see, she said. I didnt feel knocked out or anything. She said he hit her in the head again before being pulled away. Police arrested Morgan after he walked away, ad he is charged with felony aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of simple battery. We are horrified by the actions of an individual, while in downtown Athens wearing a Nazi uniform, assaulted a female University of Georgia student, a university spokesperson said in a statement. His actions caught on videotape are appalling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lang said she was left traumatized by the attack, and there have been attempts to harass her. Morgan posted bond, but Lang said he is not allowed to be near her. He also was banned from the bar where it happened. I dont think he sees anything wrong with what he did, Lang said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) The University of Illinois Springfield has unveiled a new place to take a moment to reflect on campus and its much more than just a place to sit. A new bench donated by Joshs Benches for Awareness serves as a resource for students who might struggle with their mental health. It was unveiled on Monday and is inscribed with the suicide prevention hotline. Urbana Police collecting supplies to support domestic violence support group Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement School officials said its meant to serve as a visible reminder to students that support is available. Joshs Benches is a nonprofit dedicated to ending the stigma around mental health issues. Officials also said the bench was made possible with the support of Marc Klingshirn, associate professor of chemistry; Jamarco Clark, vice chancellor for student affairs; Bethany Bilyeu, director of the UIS Counseling Center; the Capital Scholars Honors Program; and Active Minds at UIS. The bench can be found on campus near the UIS Admissions Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -The British government is preparing to meet the "inevitable" increase in the cost of some drugs following talks over pharmaceutical sector pricing and tariffs with the United States, Science Minister Patrick Vallance said. U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured Europe to pay more for U.S. drugs, and major pharma companies have halted investments in Britain, citing a difficult operating environment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vallance has acknowledged that the country's National Health Service needs to reverse a trend of declining spending on medicines, and on Tuesday he said that the ongoing talks with Washington would mean the costs of certain drugs would go up. "I think that some degree of price increase is inevitable," he told lawmakers at a committee hearing, adding existing medicines and generics might not see the same increases. "I think for brand new, innovative medicines, it's likely there will be some price increase." UNCERTAINTY OVER US TALKS IMPACTS GOVERNMENT AND FIRMS Asked if he was discussing the implications of such price increases on the state-run National Health Service with the health and finance ministries ahead of an annual government budget on November 26, Vallance said: "yes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We've discussed the fact that if there's a rise in price for innovative medicines, that comes with a cost load, and that needs to be met," Vallance said. Vallance declined to comment on the details and latest status of the negotiations over pricing with the United States. Amid uncertainty over those talks, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said pharmaceutical firms now had until November 14 to notify whether they intended to leave a voluntary pricing scheme, which has been a point of contention with the government. ABPI said the two-week extension was "to give companies more time to consider their decisions in the context of ongoing global uncertainty affecting the life sciences sector." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also under scrutiny in talks with the United States is Britain's framework for establishing the value for money of medicines, known as NICE. Junior Health Minister Zubir Ahmed said there was no formal review looking at the NICE framework, but wanted to ensure it was "fit for the future" given concerns that the current system led to medical innovation being undervalued. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Sharon Singleton) Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 28 that it struck two Russian radar stations and a launch pad for a Russian anti-aircraft missile system in the eastern Donbas region. Attaching drone footage of the claimed attacks, HUR said in a Telegram post that its "Ghost" special forces unit "systematically" targeted Russian air defense systems in the Donbas over the past two weeks, destroying two 48Ya6-K1 Podlet low-altitude radar and a 9A82 launcher from the S-300V complex. The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify HUR's claim. The Russian Defense Ministry has not reacted to the report on the recent damage its air defense systems took in the Donbas, as neither side rarely admits war setbacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement HUR's statement comes as Ukrainian forces are slowly pushed back from their strongholds in the Donbas, outnumbered and overwhelmed by the relentless Russian small infantry assaults across the front. 0:00 / 1 While operations such as the recent one on the Russian air defense systems reported by HUR may temporarily help Ukrainian forces defending the relevant sectors of the front, the reality on the ground remains grim for Kyiv. Russian troops have already entered the long-embattled Pokrovsk, semi-encircling what used to be a key Ukrainian logistics hub, and are trying to further close in on the city to force a Ukrainian withdrawal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ukrainian military admitted on Oct. 26 that Russia has accumulated about 200 servicemen in Pokrovsk, infiltrating small infantry groups, reporting shooting and drone battles in the city. Read also: Analysis: Hard lessons for Ukraine as clean-up of August Dobropillia breakthrough wraps up Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. India's petroleum and energy sector is undergoing a transformative expansion, poised to play a defining role in shaping the global energy future, said Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, on Tuesday. Addressing the inaugural session of the Energy Technology Meet in Hyderabad today, he stated that India's energy journey reflects remarkable progress, driven by visionary policy frameworks, rapid innovation, and sustained investment across refining, biofuels, and green energy. According to a release by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, the Minister noted that while the global energy market is expected to grow at a slow pace--with several refineries worldwide facing closure--India stands out as a bright spot, projected to contribute nearly 30-33 per cent of global energy demand growth in the coming decades. He pointed out that India's refining capacity currently stands at about 258 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) and is on track to reach around 310 MMTPA by 2030, with long-term plans to scale further to 400-450 MMTPA. This expansion, he said, will consolidate India's position among the top three refining hubs globally as around 20 per cent of existing global refining capacity--over 100 refineries--faces potential closure by 2035. Highlighting India's achievements in biofuel blending, Puri said that the country had advanced from a 5 per cent target in 2006 to achieving 10 per cent ethanol blending five months ahead of schedule in 2022. Building on this success, the Government preponed the target for 20 per cent blending from 2030 to 2025-26. The Minister underlined that well-designed policies and robust support systems have enabled such accelerated achievements, demonstrating India's capability to set and meet ambitious energy goals. Puri also observed that India's refineries are world-class, globally integrated, and export-ready. India is already the fourth-largest refining nation and among the top seven exporters of petroleum products, exporting to more than 50 countries worth over USD 45 billion in FY 2024-25. The refining sector, he added, contributes nearly one-fifth of the country's revenue, with both public and private entities showing strong financial and operational performance. Domestic petroleum consumption has increased from around 5 million barrels per day in 2021 to about 5.6 million barrels per day currently and is expected to touch 6 million barrels per day soon, supported by India's robust economic growth and rising per capita income. Referring to the growing integration of petrochemicals with refining, Puri said that India's petrochemical utilisation is still only about one-third of the global average, offering significant potential for growth. The petrochemical intensity index has already risen from 7.7 per cent to 13%, reflecting the sector's upward trajectory. He emphasised that new refinery expansions are being planned as integrated petrochemical complexes to enhance efficiency, value addition, and export competitiveness. The Minister also underlined the importance of innovation and indigenisation in the energy ecosystem. He said that India has achieved nearly 80 per cent import substitution across the energy value chain. While acknowledging that certain critical components, such as catalysts and specialised equipment, continue to be imported, he emphasised the need for a balanced approach to Atmanirbharata, focusing on efficiency and global competitiveness rather than complete self-containment. He added that the government has initiated the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and established a National Centre for Catalyst Research to promote R&D and domestic manufacturing in key energy technologies. Speaking about green energy, Puri noted that India's progress in green hydrogen has been particularly promising. Recent tenders by IOCL and HPCL have reduced the price of green hydrogen from around USD 5.5/kg to nearly USD 4/kg, marking a major step toward commercial viability. He said that green hydrogen, natural gas, and biofuels will be central to India's energy transition, with the Global Biofuels Alliance expected to catalyse international trade and adoption of biofuels, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Puri stressed that India's energy strategy encompasses both fuel and petrochemical growth as part of a calibrated transition toward sustainability. He said that while the share of traditional fuels will gradually reduce, they will continue to play a major role for decades as India moves toward its 2047 goals. Simultaneously, the share of natural gas in the energy mix is being raised from 6 per cent to 15 per cent, green hydrogen is being scaled up, and renewables are expanding rapidly--all underlining India's commitment to meeting its climate goals without compromising energy security. Recalling India's historic refining legacy, from the first refinery at Digboi in 1901 to today's global-scale facilities, the Minister said that post-2014 reforms and ecosystem strengthening have unlocked a new era of growth and innovation. He highlighted ongoing projects such as the Barmer Refinery and Andhra Refinery as key examples of the sector's forward momentum. With over 100 biogas plants operational and 70 more in the pipeline, he said that India is building an ecosystem that connects technology, investment, and sustainability. Puri concluded that as India advances toward becoming a USD 10 trillion economy, its energy sector will not only meet domestic requirements but also serve global markets. The Minister expressed confidence that by 2035, India will move from being the world's fourth-largest to possibly the second-largest refining power. He emphasised that India's young demography, rising energy demand, and proactive policy environment will ensure that the country not only participates in but actively shapes the global energy future. (ANI) Editor's note: This was the edition of Ukraine war latest for Oct. 28. Read Ukraine war latest for Oct. 29 here. This is Yuliia Taradiuk reporting from Kyiv on day 1,342 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The top story on Oct. 28: Ukraine used its domestically produced Flamingo and Ruta long-range missiles in combat for the first time, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Oct. 27, praising their effectiveness. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are doing everything we can to ensure that this year we try not just one, two, or three, but to make a serious attempt (to do more)," Zelensky said in a closed-door briefing, as reported by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne. Zelensky did not elaborate where or when the Flamingo or Ruta missiles were used. Outmanned and outgunned on the front, Ukraine has relied on its long-range capabilities, enabled by Western-provided weapons and its homemade drones, to hit deep in Russia's rear to disrupt its logistics and slowly grind down its fighting capability. With Western military aid running low each year, Ukraine has turned to producing its own long-range weapons and has asked for financial backing from its allies, insisting that it has "all the knowledge." Zelensky admitted in the briefing that Ukraine's remaining supplies of European long-range missiles are running low, according to Ukrainian news agency Interfax. Ukraine only has the British Storm Shadow missiles in "normal quantities," in addition to "a smaller number" of the French long-range SCALP missiles, Interfax reported, citing Zelensky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Zelensky praised Flamingo as the "most successful" missile in Ukraine's arsenal in August, the maker of the domestically produced missile, a deep-strike drone company called Fire Point, is tainted with controversy. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has been investigating Fire Point over concerns that it inflated the components' value or the number of drones it delivers to the army, or both, sources with knowledge of the investigation, who include current and former govrnment officials and industry representatives, told the Kyiv Independent in August. Weapon production has been kept a wartime secret, making it difficult for independent investigations to scrutinize money flows. Fire Point confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that the investigation exists but denied the accusations, downplaying its significance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Exclusive: Maker of Ukraines new Flamingo cruise missile facing corruption probe Allied forces shoot down unidentified drone near southern Estonia military base Last updated 6:50 p.m. Kyiv time. Two drones of unknown origin were spotted near a military base in southern Estonia, one of which was shot down by allied forces, Estonian media outlet Postimees reported on Oct. 28. The incident occurred on Oct. 17 near Camp Reedo, a military base around 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Tallinn, which plays an important role in the rotation of U.S. forces stationed in Estonia. According to Liis Vaksmann, a representative of Estonia's General Staff, efforts by the armed forces and the Police and Border Guard Board to recover the downed drone were unsuccessful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The armed forces do not comment in detail on security-related incidents," Vaksmann added. This comes amid a surge in mysterious drone sightings across European countries, raising fears of Russian involvement in hybrid warfare and renewed concern about the alliance's security. Read also: Allied forces shoot down unidentified drone near southern Estonia military base Russian troops outnumber Ukraine 8-1 in Pokrovsk sector, Zelensky says Last updated 2:40 p.m. Kyiv time. Russia outnumbers Ukrainian troops eight-to-one in their offensive to capture the semi-surrounded city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Oct. 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "(Russian troops) have devoted such forces to the Pokrovsk (sector) that Ukraine cannot devote to one direction (of the front) one to eight people," Zelensky told journalists in a briefing, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported. "Imagine how many Russian forces are there. But at the same time, they have not achieved the planned result." After capturing Avdiivka, a long-time Ukrainian stronghold located over 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk, in February 2024, Russian troops have gradually advanced toward Pokrovsk, once a key Ukrainian logistics hub tucked away in a relatively safe part of Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops have surrounded Pokrovsk from three sides, leaving about a 15-kilometer (about nine miles) gap for the Ukrainian military to bring in troops and supplies, according to the Ukrainian open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Russian troops outnumber Ukraine 8-1 in Pokrovsk sector, Zelensky says Russian drone strikes German newspaper Die Welt team in eastern Ukraine, 3 wounded Last updated 5:03 p.m. Kyiv time. German newspaper Die Welt's chief reporter Ibrahim Naber and his team came under a Russian Lancet drone attack while working in eastern Ukraine on Oct. 13, injuring him and two other crew members. Naber said in an Oct. 28 Instagram post that his team had just finished interviewing a Ukrainian soldier with an air defense unit around 25-30 kilometers from the front line when the Lancet struck killing the soldier he had just interviewed. Another soldier suffered a serious injury that led to a leg amputation, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reporting team was a few meters away from the three-man air defense crew, who were on duty to down Russian long-range drones flying toward Ukrainian cities, according to Naber. "They saved many lives before the attack hit them," Naber said. Read also: Russian drone strikes German newspaper Die Welt team in eastern Ukraine, 3 wounded Death toll of Oct. 22 attack on Kyiv rises to 3, Klitschko says The death toll of the Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv has risen to three, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Oct. 28. A woman was hospitalized in serious condition following the attack. She died in a hospital on Oct. 28, according to Klitschko. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A large-scale missile and drone attack on energy infrastructure across Ukraine killed six people and injured at least 44 overnight on Oct. 22, according to authorities. In Kyiv, three people were killed and 29 were injured, while four were killed in the Brovarsky district of Kyiv Oblast, regional authorities said. Read also: 6 killed, 29 injured in Kyiv and oblast during mass Russian overnight missile and drone attack Ukraine says it struck 2 Russian radar stations, launch pad for missile system, HUR releases video Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Oct. 28 that it struck two Russian radar stations and a launch pad for a Russian anti-aircraft missile system in the eastern Donbas region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attaching drone footage of the claimed attacks, HUR said in a Telegram post that its "Ghost" special forces unit "systematically" targeted Russian air defense systems in the Donbas over the past two weeks, destroying two 48Ya6-K1 Podlet low-altitude radar and a 9A82 launcher from the S-300V complex. The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify HUR's claim. The Russian Defense Ministry has not reacted to the report on the recent damage its air defense systems took in the Donbas, as neither side rarely admits war setbacks. HUR's statement comes as Ukrainian forces are slowly pushed back from their strongholds in the Donbas, outnumbered and overwhelmed by the relentless Russian small infantry assaults across the front. Read also: Ukraine says it struck 2 Russian radar stations, launch pad for missile system, HUR releases video At least 4 killed, 12 injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine over past day At least four people have been killed and 12 others injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities reported on Oct. 23. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 26 out of the 38 Shahed-type attack drones and other drones launched by Russia overnight, according to the Air Force. Twelve strikes were recorded at four locations. In Kherson Oblast, two people were killed, six were injured due to Russian strikes, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Critical and social infrastructure in residential areas of Kherson Oblast was targeted, according to Prokudin. One high-rise building and six houses, along with farm buildings, a garage, and several cars, were damaged. In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one person was killed, 5 injured as a result of Russian attacks on several districts, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed one civilian and injured one, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. According to Filashkin, 17 houses, three apartment buildings, one infrastructure facility, and two vehicles were damaged. No injuries reported after Russian attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts. General Staff: Russia has lost 1,137,850 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022 Russia has lost around 1,137,850 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Oct. 28. The number includes 1,060 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day. According to the report, Russia has also lost 11,299 tanks, 23,508 armored fighting vehicles, 65,786 vehicles and fuel tanks, 34,044 artillery systems, 1,529 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,230 air defense systems, 428 airplanes, 346 helicopters, 75,054 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: More than Tomahawks: What Ukraines soldiers say they actually need Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russia attacked Ukraine with 38 drones on the night of 27-28 October, 26 of which were downed or jammed by Ukraine's Air Force. Source: Ukrainian Air Force on social media Details: It is reported that from 20:00 on 27 October, the Russians used 38 Shahed and Gerbera UAVs and other types of drones from the directions of Russia's Kursk and Oryol. According to the air force, about 25 of the Russian drones were Shaheds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early reports indicate that as of 09:00, air defence forces shot down/jammed 26 Russian UAVs in the north and east of the country. Twelve attack UAVs were recorded hitting four locations, and the debris from downed UAVs was recorded falling at one location. Quote: "The attack continues, there are several enemy UAVs in the airspace. Follow the safety rules!" Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation detained former chief of Ukraines state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, in Lviv Oblast, the agency confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 28. The arrest follows a raid on Kudrytskyis home a week earlier, which he claimed had been organized by his opponents to "send him a message." Kudrytskyi, dismissed from his post last year, told the Kyiv Independent after the raid that unidentified men took his phone during the search to access his communications. As Ukraine battles to keep its power grid running under constant Russian assault, Kudrytskyis detention adds to growing unrest in the countrys energy sector. Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported recently, citing its sources, that current officials may be looking to blame former leaders for failing to protect energy infrastructure from Russian attacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unnamed law enforcement sources told Ukrainska Pravda on Oct. 28 that Kudrytskyi is expected to face charges of large-scale fraud and money laundering in a case linked to events dating back to 2018. The case also involves Ihor Hrynkevych, who is already under investigation in a separate defense procurement corruption probe. Hrynkevych, who allegedly orchestrated the scheme, has received a second notice of suspicion. The investigation alleges the two may have diverted funds from the state-owned energy company during 2018 tenders for infrastructure reconstruction. The SBI alleges that while overseeing tenders to rebuild power substations, Kudrytskyi, then serving as Ukrenergo's deputy director for investments, conspired with a private company. The sides signed two contracts worth over Hr 68 million ($1.6 million). The state company then paid Hr 13.7 million ($325,000) in advance, which was allegedly embezzled, according to the statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigators also claim that the suspects forged documents to register a company used in the scheme. They then carried out financial transactions with the stolen money to make it appear legal, the SBI said. Previously, Kudrytkyi said that the real purpose of the Oct. 21 searches was to gain access to his phone and his messages. He has been outspoken about his decision to resign from Ukrenergo in September 2024, claiming corrupt individuals attempted to take over the company. Kudrytskyis forced resignation in the lead-up to the heating season in 2024 sparked controversy both domestically and abroad, as he was largely seen as a reliable figure. The companys supervisory board chairman, Daniel Dobbeni, and board member Peder Andreasen said his dismissal last year was over accusations that Ukrenergo had failed to protect Ukraines energy infrastructure amid Russian missile strikes, and called the move "politically motivated" that had "no valid grounds." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read also: Analysis: Ukraine learns hard lessons from Russias evolving tactics after clearing Dobropillia breakthrough Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Ukraines long-range strikes on refineries inside Russia have reduced Moscows oil refining capacity by 20%, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, citing intelligence from Western governments. Over 90% of those deep strikes on Russian soil were carried out by Ukrainian-made long-range weapons, according to Zelenskyy. He said Ukraine needs additional foreign financial help to produce more of them. We just need to work on this every day, he said in comments to the media on Monday that were embargoed until Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oil exports play a key role in funding Russias invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. While Ukrainian weapons take aim at the refineries, new sanctions from the U.S. and the European Union are aiming to cut into Moscows oil and gas export earnings. Despite renewed U.S.-led peace efforts, the war shows no sign of ending after nearly four years. With the Kremlin showing no willingness to compromise, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the stakes by announcing sanctions last week against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. Those sanctions are due to come into force on Nov. 21, and Zelenskyy says Trump probably will use this as a tool of pressure or dialogue with the Russians. China and India are the biggest customers for Russian oil. Zelenskyy said India has definitely given all the signals that it will reduce imports of energy resources from Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said he is hopeful that Trumps planned meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday will bring further reductions in purchases of Russian crude. In other comments to reporters, Zelenskyy said: Ukraine has 70% of the $2 billion it needs to fund gas imports for the winter heating season as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. By next month Ukraine will be producing between 500-800 interceptors per day to stop Russias Shahed drone attacks, but operators also need training to use them. Ukraine has captured 2,200 Russian prisoners of war in over six months of fighting this year in the eastern region, where Russias bigger army is making a push to capture the city of Pokrovsk. where Ukraine is shoring up its defenses with more troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kyiv officials are holding parallel talks with Sweden, France and the U.S. to build up Ukraines future combat aviation potential. Zelenskyy says he has requested a fleet of 250 new aircraft in total. ___ Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Days after a Ukrainian strike on a Russian dam designed to impede Russian logistics, videos and photographs are emerging showing flooded dugouts and vehicles stuck in the mud in the northern Kharkiv region. Ukrainian military officials and a local Russian media outlet claim the attack on the Belgorod Reservoir Dam on the Siverskyi Donets River is working as intended, helping to slow down Russian advances near the embattled town of Vovchansk. You can see a satellite view of the results of the attack in the following video. Belgorod Flooding Aftermath from Space Satellite imagery shows massive flooding below the Belgorod reservoir after the dam strike water is spreading fast, cutting off roads, supply routes, and defensive lines along the border region.#Belgorod#Russia#WarInUkraine pic.twitter.com/ZFqvhGBpHR Ukraine Frontline_Daily (@ukraine_frontup) October 27, 2025 Enemy logistics are becoming significantly more complicated, the Ukrainian 16th Army Corps stated on Telegram in reference to the results of water streaming out of the dam. The leaves have also fallen. So the units that managed to cross the Siverskyi Donets found themselves practically cut off from the main forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are waiting for reinforcements for the exchange fund, the corps added, using a reference to prisoners of war. A Russian outlet offered a similar take. Light military equipment sunk in mud on one of the roads in the Vovchansk direction, the local Belgorod Pepel Telegram channel posited. Water from the Belgorod reservoir has reached the positions of the Russian army and washed out the roads, greatly complicating logistics and the combat capability of the Russian Armed Forces in the Vovchansk direction. Our dugout was flooded after the dam was blown up, a Russian soldier is heard to complain on one of the videos. Belgorod region, Shebekino a Russian complains that due to the strikes on the Belgorod Reservoir dam, the road has been washed away and logistics have become difficult. https://t.co/3swJCsVx8Ypic.twitter.com/f7Q6hBh405 NSTRIKE (@NSTRIKE01) October 28, 2025 Russian logistics after the Belgorod Reservoir dam breach. pic.twitter.com/KoKaBaqDul MAKS 25 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) October 28, 2025 Water from the Belgorod Reservoir reached Russian army positions and washed away roads, significantly complicating logistics and combat capabilities for Russian forces in the Volchansk direction. pic.twitter.com/dCQp6juea7 Slava (@Heroiam_Slava) October 28, 2025 Ukraines Commander of Unmanned Systems Forces, Col. Robert Brovdi, said the dam was hit by drones on Saturday. Robert "Magyar" Brovdi confirms that a dam on the Belgorod reservoir was targeted by the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces (formerly 14th Regiment).https://t.co/iMXWKGwQJ2 pic.twitter.com/klTKR8BBgg Rob Lee (@RALee85) October 26, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the regional governor said it was attacked on Friday as well. As a result of the strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there is damage to the dam of the Belgorod reservoir, Vyacheslav Gladkov stated on Telegram on Saturday. We understand that the enemy may try to strike again and destroy the dam. If this happens, there will be a threat of flooding of the river floodplain from the Kharkiv region side and several streets of our settlements, where about 1,000 residents live. Though the dam is located a little more than eight miles north of the border, the flood waters that resulted from the attack have swollen the Siverskyi Donets River, which bisects Vovchansk, located about four miles south of the border. The bombed-out town has become a focal point of the fighting in northern Ukraine. It was liberated in September 2022 but a Russian counteroffensive managed to recapture a portion of the town in May 2024. An aerial view shows the destroyed city of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv Region near the border with Russia, on October 2, 2024. (Photo by Libkos/Getty Images) Libkos Both the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries say the fighting remains fierce in the area, with Moscow claiming to have inflicted severe damage during these battles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the dam attack, the Russians had made gains in the area thanks to the summers heat, according to the Ukrainian 16th Army Corps. The enemy tried to fully take advantage of the window of opportunity after the lack of precipitation and the hellish summer, the rivers Siverskyi Donets and Vovcha have dried up, which simplified logistics for the opponent, the corps stated on Telegram. Plus, they managed to accumulate reserves and there are still enough leaves on the trees all this combined led to a sharp increase in activity in the Vovchansk direction. The Russians managed to achieve local successes, but it came at the cost of heavy losses, the corps claimed. Some units almost completely lost combat readiness, for example, the 1st battalion of the 82nd Marine Regiment was almost wiped out, with only the command left in the unit, so it had to be withdrawn to the rear for replenishment. As of today, the situation is no longer in favor of the Russians, the 16th Corps suggested. A satellite view of how the Belgorod Reservoir dam looked before the attack. (Google Earth) Still, Ukrainian forces are not yet able to take full advantage of any logistical impediments imposed on Russian forces by the dam bust, stated one noted Ukrainian journalist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Comrades located at various sections of the Vovchansk direction responded, saying that assault actions and drone operations have not decreased over these 2 days, Sergey Bratchuk wrote on Telegram. This is despite the weather conditions, which noticeably complicate the work of UAV crews. Due to (so far) constant tension, they do not allow the so-called window of opportunity to be used for improving their own logistics, personnel shifts at positions, and strengthening defensive lines, he added. The lack of Ukrainian progress may change as water continues to flow from the dam, Bratchuk suggested. Well, lets see how they behave in a few days when all the main access routes are flooded, the crossings are flooded, and the fortifications are destroyed, he explained. Without provisions, ammo, fuel, generators, etc. offensive capabilities will somewhat quiet down. Infantry are not demanding people; you can even drop them a package and they will hold out for a long time, but supplying pilot positions is a completely different matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Belgorod attack is the most recent, but certainly not the largest strike on a dam. In March 2023, Ukraine claimed that the Russians intentionally blew up the Nova Kakovka dam on the Dnipro River, intending to impede Ukrainian logistics. While the extent of that objective is unclear, the attack caused major flooding and created a massive ecological disaster in the region. A satellite view of the Nova Kakovka dam after it was destroyed in March 2023. (PHOTO 2023 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION) Just how much the attack on the Belgorod Reservoir dam will hurt Russia remains to be seen. However, the strike is the latest example of how both sides are using water to try and stop the other. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com Oleh Petrasiuk, press officer from the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after King Danylo, has shot down a Russian FPV drone that was attempting to attack a foreign film crew in the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast. Source: a video by the brigade on Facebook Quote: "This happened while accompanying a journalist from the Dutch newspaper Het Nederlands Dagblad. The reporter was documenting the destruction of the Holy Dormition Church caused by an attack by the occupiers. At that moment, an enemy FPV drone tried to attack the film crew. The officer from the communication division of the 24th Brigade, Oleh Petrasiuk, noticed the enemy drone in time and shot it down with his rifle. This saved the lives of his brothers-in-arms and the journalist." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, has taken aim at states complicit in Israels genocide in Gaza, calling for a new multilateralism that will prevent it from happening again in future. Albanese presented her new report Gaza Genocide: a collective crime to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, addressing delegates remotely from the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. Israel had, she said, left Gaza strangled, starved, shattered. Her report, which examines the role of 63 states in Israels actions in both Gaza and the West Bank, calls out the multilateral system for decades of moral and political failure in a colonial world order sustained by a global system of complicity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through unlawful actions and deliberate omissions, too many states have harmed, founded and shielded Israels militarised apartheid, allowing its settler colonial enterprise to metastasise into genocide, the ultimate crime against the indigenous people of Palestine, she said. Genocide had been enabled, she said, through diplomatic protection in international fora meant to preserve peace, military ties ranging from weapons sales to joint trainings that fed the genocidal machinery, the unchallenged weaponisation of aid, and trade with entities like the European Union, which had sanctioned Russia over Ukraine yet continued doing business with Israel. The 24-page report analyses how the live-streamed atrocity was facilitated by third states, zooming in on how the United States provided diplomatic cover for Israel, using its veto power at the UN Security Council seven times and controlling ceasefire negotiations. Other Western nations had collaborated, it said, with abstentions, delays and watered-down draft resolutions, reinforcing a simplistic rhetoric of balance. Many states had, it said, continued supplying Israel with arms, even as the evidence of genocide mounted. The report noted the hypocrisy of the US Congress passing a $26.4bn package for Israeli defence, just as Israel threatened the Rafah invasion supposedly a red line for the administration of former US President Joe Biden. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report also points a finger of blame at Germany, the second-largest arms exporter to Israel during the genocide, with supplies ranging from frigates to torpedoes, and the United Kingdom, which has allegedly flown more than 600 surveillance missions over Gaza since war broke out in October 2023. While acknowledging the complexity of regional geopolitics, the report also highlighted the complicity of Arab and Muslim states through US-brokered normalisation deals with Israel. It points out that mediator Egypt maintained significant security and economic relations with Israel, including energy cooperation and the closing of the Rafah crossing during the war. Albanese said the UNGA should have confronted the dangerous precedent of sanctions imposed on her earlier this year by the United States over her criticism of Israels actions in Palestine, which had prevented her from travelling to New York in person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These measures constitute an assault on the UN itself, its independence, its integrity, its very soul. If left unchallenged, these sanctions will drive yet another nail into the coffin of the multilateral system, she said. The Gaza genocide exposed an unprecedented chasm between peoples and their governments, betraying the trust on which global peace and security rest, said the report. Speaking at the UNGA, the special rapporteur called for a new form of multilateralism, not a facade, but a living framework of rights and dignity, not for the few but for the many. Action taken in the past against South Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Portugal and other rogue states had, she said, shown that international law can be enforced to secure justice and self-determination. The United Nations and France have condemned Israeli fire near UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon, after a weekend incident during which peacekeepers neutralised an Israeli reconnaissance drone. "We are very concerned about the incident that occurred on Sunday in which an Israeli drone dropped a grenade in the vicinity of a UNIFIL patrol, and subsequently an Israeli tank fired a shot at the peacekeepers in Kfar Kila in the UNIFIL area of operations," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday, referring to the incident in southern Lebanon. "Our colleagues at UNIFIL are in touch with the IDF to protest vehemently what has happened. It's not the first time that we feel we've been targeted in different ways by the IDF (including) pointing lasers or warning shots. It's very, very dangerous," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UN peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL works with the Lebanese army to enforce the ceasefire agreement that ended more than a year of conflict between Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel. According to a French diplomatic source, the UNIFIL troops involved in Sunday's incident were French. "France condemns the Israeli fire that targeted a UNIFIL detachment on October 26, 2025," the French foreign ministry said in a separate statement. It said that "these incidents follow those observed on October 1, 2, and 11, when the Israeli army had already targeted UNIFIL positions." Drone activity On Sunday, UNIFIL said an Israeli drone flew over its patrol in an "aggressive manner". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralise the drone," it said in a statement. The incident "shows disregard for safety and security of the peacekeepers implementing Security Council mandated tasks in southern Lebanon", it said. UNIFIL later said another Israeli drone came close to its patrol operating near Kfar Kila and dropped a grenade. "Moments later, an Israeli tank fired a shot towards the peacekeepers. Fortunately, no injury or damage was caused to the UNIFIL peacekeepers and assets," the statement added. France's Macron hails UN decision to extend peacekeeping mission in Lebanon Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Israeli army still occupies five positions in southern Lebanon, along the border with northern Israel, and despite the ceasefire continues to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory, claiming to target Hezbollah. Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X earlier on Monday that "an intelligence-gathering drone was downed in the area of Kfar Kila." "An initial inquiry suggests that UNIFIL forces stationed nearby deliberately fired at the drone and downed it. The drone's activity did not pose a threat to UNIFIL forces," Shoshani wrote. Ceasefire deal As part of last year's ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle any military infrastructure in the south. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the agreement, only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL are to be deployed in the south of the country. Lebanon's president seeks French, US support for Israeli withdrawal Under US pressure and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose. Despite the terms of the truce, Israel has kept troops deployed in five border points it deems strategic. Israel has also intensified strikes in recent weeks, with several deadly attacks launched over the past few days. (with AFP) Governments are falling far short of the promises they made to cut planet-warming pollution under the Paris climate agreement 10 years ago, the United Nations said in a report Tuesday. Only a minority of countries have so far updated their commitments to tackling what the countries signing the pact called in 2015 "the urgent threat of climate change." And the plans they submitted to date would cut global greenhouse gas pollution only modestly compared with levels they had pledged half a decade ago. The lapse comes as President Donald Trump's administration has pressured nations against measures to curb the use of fossil fuels, whose greenhouse gas emissions are increasing the dangers of a warming planet and as rising energy prices have prompted European leaders to recommit to using energy sources such as natural gas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Only 64 nations out of 195 parties to the Paris Agreement submitted updated domestic plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as required under the 2015 pact, the U.N. noted in its report of those commitments. And one of the most aggressive pledges submitted by any nation is effectively dead: then-President Joe Bidens pledge last year that the United States the world's No. 2 climate polluter behind China will slash its greenhouse gas output by at least 61 percent from 2005 levels by 2035. Trump has disowned that goal and instead recommitted the country to producing and exporting more fossil fuels, while pressuring allies to buy more U.S. oil and natural gas. Most G20 countries have not formally filed their plans with the U.N. Apart from the United States, only Australia, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Russia and the U.K. have done so. And based on those that have been submitted, the U.N. report hinted at the disappointing targets for emissions cuts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is not possible to draw wide-ranging global-level conclusions or inferences from this limited data set, the report said. Governments are expected to submit their plans at the COP30 U.N. climate talks next month in Brazil. Commitments were originally due in February, but the process was delayed after the reelection of Trump, who in his first administration had removed the United States from the Paris agreement and who did so again in January. This climate change, its the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion, Trump said during his U.N. General Assembly speech in September. All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success." The national climate policies that countries have submitted so far would push global greenhouse gas emissions 6 percent lower in 2035 than the levels than nations' previous plans, submitted five years ago, had called for reaching by 2030, the U.N. assessment showed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But even that incomplete accounting may be optimistic, since it includes Bidens pledge that Trump has rejected. Taken together, the policies that 64 nations floated would ensure their emissions peak before 2030 with strong emissions reductions thereafter until 2035, the report said. The plans projected those nations' combined emissions would fall 17 percent compared with 2019 levels in 2035. In totality, however, those marks mean countries are far behind the Paris goal of keeping temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius of warming since the preindustrial era, a target that scientists have called essential for lessening global catastrophe. The Paris pacts' stronger alternative goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is in even greater peril. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found hitting the 2-degree mark requires global emissions to plummet 35 percent from 2019 levels by 2035. It would require a 60-percent drop to remain below 1.5 degrees, the U.N. report noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parties are bending their combined emission curve further downwards, but still not quickly enough, the report said of the plans. The forthcoming submissions will likely improve the bleak forecast the U.N. outlined in its report, which covered plans from nations comprising 30 percent of global greenhouse emissions. The analysis did not factor in China and Turkey, major polluters that have disclosed their overall targets but have not officially filed their plans. It also did not include the European Union, which is still negotiating its emissions strategy. Many analysts view as underwhelming Chinas overall goal of lowering emissions up to 10 percent from their peak by 2035, given the country has overtaken the United States as the worlds largest greenhouse gas emitter. Meanwhile, the EUs 27 countries have struggled to agree on new climate targets as they weigh economic the strain placed on their heavy industries. In lieu of a new climate target, the EU sent the U.N. a statement of intent saying it would reduce emissions by up to 72.5 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from the limited pool of updated plans. An ongoing but incomplete U.N. analysis of plans that nations announced during the General Assembly in September but have not yet finalized could reflect a 10-percent global emissions decline by 2035, Stiell said in a statement. Countries are making progress, and laying out clear stepping stones towards net-zero emissions, he said. We also know that change is not linear and that some countries have a history of overdelivering. UNITED NATIONS (AP) An independent U.N. investigator again took world nations to task Tuesday for not standing up to the U.S. over sanctions it imposed on her penalties that complicated her ability to deliver in person her latest assessment of Israeli human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories. Calling the sanctions unlawful and spiteful, Francesca Albanese told the General Assembly via video from South Africa that it should already have confronted this dangerous precedent. These measures are an assault on the U.N. itself on its independence, its integrity, its very soul, she said before turning to her report on Gaza and the West Bank. Hours later, she told reporters that despite the unprecedented attacks against her as a U.N. investigator, powerful countries have not taken concrete steps beyond declarations and condemnations since the U.S. decision this summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Albanese demurred when asked whether the United Nations and its officials, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, had supported her during this time, saying she'd rather not comment. An Italian human rights lawyer, Albanese is a special rapporteur" an outside expert who is tapped by the U.N. Human Rights Council to assess human rights in a particular place or subject area. The rapporteurs have no formal authority, but their views can inform world opinion and prosecutors at the International Criminal Court and other venues. As the special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza since May 2022, Albanese has issued trenchant critiques of Israel's policies in the territories and, especially, its war against Hamas in Gaza. She has repeatedly described Israel's actions as genocide and apartheid." Albanese repeated those assertions Tuesday as she described a Gaza that remains strangled, starved, shattered during a shaky ceasefire that she portrayed as far short of a plan for peace. Israel and the U.S., its key ally, vociferously spurn Albanese's claims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to her presentation Tuesday, Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., blasted her report as shameful and one-sided" and disparaged Albanese personally, calling her a witch. She has taken the word genocide, born from the ashes of the Holocaust, and turned it into a weapon, not to defend the victims of history, but to attack them, Danon said during a U.N. committee meeting. Multiple other countries' representatives condemned his comments. Israel has long taken issue with the Human Rights Council and its rapporteurs, seeing them as biased. The State Department said in a statement released Tuesday evening that Francesa Albanese has openly supported antisemitism, terrorism, and has engaged in lawfare against the United States and our interests. In light of these facts, she was sanctioned earlier this year and will not be granted a visa to travel to America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In announcing the sanctions against Albanese in July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made similar accusations, saying she had spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West. Albanese rejected those assertions and countered that she was being attacked for doing her job and that she wouldn't stop. I did everything I did in good faith, and knowing that, my commitment to justice is more important than personal interests, she told The Associated Press in a July interview. When the U.S. imposed sanctions on Albanese, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, called for their prompt reversal. The U.N.'s chief spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, called the sanctions unacceptable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people captive on Oct. 7, 2023. Israels retaliatory campaign killed more than 67,000 people, according to Gazas Health Ministry. It's part of the Hamas-run government and does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count, which the U.N. sees as a reliable estimate. The war also displaced the vast majority of Gazas 2.3 million people, demolished much of its infrastructure and sparked widespread hunger. More than two weeks after the ceasefire started and was quickly tested, tensions escalated Tuesday after Israel said Hamas had fired on its forces in southern Gaza and wasn't living up to the agreement's terms on the return of hostages' remains. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then ordered the army to immediately carry out powerful strikes, and Hamas vowed to delay handing over the body of a hostage. Albanese urged the U.N.'s member countries to achieve a permanent end to the fighting in Gaza and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories. Calling a ceasefire a peace plan while enabling occupation and killings to continue is not diplomacy. It is Orwellian doublespeak, she said. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire was styled as the first stage of a peace plan that President Donald Trump aired last month. ___ Peltz reported from New York. The release date of Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur starrer 'Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha' has been postponed. The film 'Dacoit: Ek Prem Katha' is now slated to release in theatres on the occasion of Ugadi, March 19, 2026. Taking to his X handle, actor Adivi Sesh shared the release date announcement of the film. The lead duo, Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur, unveiled an intense new poster today, officially announcing the revised release date. https://x.com/AdiviSesh/status/1983076021583917416? Dacoit promises an electrifying cinematic experience, seamlessly blending high-octane action, raw emotion, and gripping drama. With the fiery chemistry between Sesh and Mrunal, and Anurag Kashyap in a pivotal role, the film is poised to make a lasting impact., Marking Shaneil Deo's directorial debut, this ambitious project is produced by Supriya Yarlagadda, co-produced by Suniel Narang, and presented by Annapurna Studios. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, the film's story and screenplay have been jointly crafted by Adivi Sesh and Shaneil Deo. On being a part of the film, Anurag said that this role is both fun and challenging for him and getting the same impact in both languages is a challenge that he is thoroughly enjoying. "Playing a police officer who is an Ayyappa devotee is both fun and challenging. The conundrums of duty versus dharma, and to go about doing his job with a dry sense of humour, is fantastic. I am truly looking forward to playing this character in two languages, shooting in Hindi, as well as in Telugu. To get the same impact in both the languages is the challenging part, something I am thoroughly enjoying," he said in a press note. (ANI) Russian forces have used drones to hunt and displace civilians from their homes near the front line in Ukraine, Reuters reported on Oct. 27, citing a new UN inquiry presented to the General Assembly. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found that the coordinated drone assaults, carried out over more than a year, amount to the crime against humanity of forcible population transfer. Investigators said Russian troops intentionally targeted civilians and civilian structures across a 300-kilometer area spanning the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv regions, forcing people to flee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report drew on 226 interviews with victims, witnesses, aid workers, and local officials, as well as verified videos showing civilians being hunted by drones. UN investigators said the attacks also struck first responders, including ambulances and firefighters, despite clear humanitarian markings. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians and refuses to cooperate with the UN commission, which has previously accused Russia of war crimes such as the deportation of Ukrainian children. Read also: AI drones in Ukraine this is where were at Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The United Nations and France have condemned an Israeli attack that hit UN peacekeeping troops in southern Lebanon. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the previous days attack on UNIFIL troops, which he said involved an Israeli drone dropping a grenade in the vicinity of a patrol, as well as a tank opening fire on peacekeepers near the border town of Kfar Kila, was very, very dangerous. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) works with the Lebanese army to enforce a ceasefire struck last year between Israel and the Lebanese armed groupd Hezbollah. Israel has violated the truce on a near-daily basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frances Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs also condemned the Israeli fire that targeted a UNIFIL detachment and noted that the incidents followed similar attacks on October 1, 2 and 11. Dujarric said: Its not the first time that we feel weve been targeted in different ways by the [Israeli army, including] pointing lasers or warning shots. He said his colleagues at UNIFIL were in touch with the Israeli military to protest vehemently against the attacks. On Sunday, UNIFIL reported an Israeli drone flying over its patrol in an aggressive manner, saying its peacekeepers applied necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralise the drone. No injuries or damage were reported. Israel still occupies five positions in southern Lebanon and has been launching near-daily attacks in defiance of the ceasefire. At least two brothers were killed in a strike on the village of al-Bayyad in the Tyre district on Monday. The Lebanese official news agency ANI said that the two were killed in an attack on a sawmill in al-Bayyad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three people were killed on Sunday in raids on southern and eastern Lebanon. The military says that it is targeting members of Hezbollah and its infrastructure, but Lebanese leaders have accused it of attempting to obstruct reconstruction by striking machinery like diggers and bulldozers. The Israeli army said that its Sunday attacks targeted an arms dealer working for Hezbollah and another man who was aiding the groups attempts to rebuild its capacity for military action. Hezbollah, severely weakened by Israels attacks, has said it is ready to defend itself. The possibility of war exists but is uncertain; it depends on their calculations, said Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in reference to Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States government has been pressuring Lebanon to have the group surrender its arms to the countrys army. US Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived late on Monday in Beirut, where she is scheduled to meet Lebanese leaders. UN condemns Houthi detentions of staff in Yemen, with 59 held as security forces raid offices, seizing equipment, making aid delivery harder. Another United Nations staff member has been detained in Yemen, bringing the number of the world body's employees apprehended in recent days to six, a UN spokesperson said on Monday. The latest detention came after Houthi security forces entered several United Nations offices in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that the Houthis confiscated IT and communication equipment and assets. At least 59 UN personnel are being held by Houthis, according to Dujarric, who condemned the continued detentions. Some have been held for years, the UN said. There are hundreds of UN personnel remaining in parts of Houthi-controlled Yemen, including a small number of international staff, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general. A boy holds a toy weapon as protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, attend a pro-Palestinian rally one day after Israeli airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, September 26, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) "Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of all UN personnel, including securing the release of colleagues who have been arbitrarily detained and those of our local partners who have also been affected, and prevent further detentions," Haq said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Iran-aligned Houthis have controlled most of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since seizing power in 2014 and early 2015. Houthis make it difficult for UN to provide assistance to Yemenis According to the UN, Houthis have taken steps that have made it "increasingly difficult" for the agency to provide assistance to those in need in Yemen. Haj said last week that the Houthi's actions are forcing the UN to reassess how it works in areas controlled by the group. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) A New York and New Jersey chain business is looking to add over 1,000 new employees across all of its stores through monthly hiring events. Uncle Giuseppes Marketplace is expanding its team across all of its locations in New Jersey, Westchester and Long Island. The specialty grocery store is hoping to hire more than 1,000 new employees for all positions. More Local News Uncle Giuseppes locations will be hosting hiring events on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting Nov. 1. Job seekers should be prepared with resumes and ready to share how you would create a warm guest experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The marketplace said on-the-spot interviews are expected. Some current openings include bakery and deli clerks, grocery and stock associates, cashiers, prepared foods and catering, as well as meat and seafood clerks. To learn more about job opportunities near you, click here. Spencer Gustafson is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered New York state and city news since 2023. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Oct. 27GRAND FORKS The University of North Dakota's Department of Physical Therapy has received accreditation for its PT Faculty Residency Program, the fifth in the country and first in the Midwest to do so. In a nationwide shortage of qualified health care educators, the accreditation represents a multi-professional solution, a press release said. "Our goal is to prepare the resident to be the best faculty member they can be for a physical therapy department anywhere," said Gary Schindler, professor of physical therapy at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "This isn't just good for UND. It's good for the profession." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Physical Therapy welcomes one licensed physical therapist resident each year to serve as a short-term faculty member while they are completing their two-year residency, the release said. The residents gain experience teaching and designing curriculum, participating in scholarly projects and completing graduate-level coursework through the College of Education and Human Development. At the end, residents will receive a College Teaching Certificate and can pursue the Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) or Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)-granting programs. They will also complete the Alice T. Clark mentoring program and a Faculty Development Workshop through the American Physician Therapy Association, the release said. Schindler took part in building the PT residency program through his own doctoral training. "Residents are obviously in the classroom," he said. "They're teaching their syllabus, leading a class. As time goes on, they're also learning about governance in higher ed and learning about service. And there's a scholarship piece where they have to complete a project as part of the residency too, meaning research." Physical therapy is among other health care professions with a national shortage in providers, the release said. Cindy Flom-Meland, chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, said that means a shortage of physical therapists in the classroom to serve as quality instructors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What's happening around the country is that people are retiring, resulting in faculty shortages," she said. "So we see the residency as a pathway to additional faculty for us, and for Doctor of Physical Therapy programs in general." There are health professions that require a clinical doctorate as the degree for practicing on patients, the release said. In the physical therapy world, that is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, such as the one UND provides. Accrediting agencies also need programs to maintain a certain number of research-oriented faculty with Ph.D. degrees in the classroom, the release said. Dave Relling, senior associate dean for health sciences at UND SMHS said that, unfortunately, there aren't a lot of Ph.D.-trained physical therapists. Thus, health science training programs "often have to grow their own faculty in-house," the release said. Relling gave an example of if "a department can't hire another full-time faculty member because they don't yet have their Ph.D. or Doctor of Education degree, they can fill a gap through a residency program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This helps build the next generation of physical therapy educators at a time when they're needed most," he said. "Even within the building, Gary reached out to different faculty across departments. There are other people involved who he's brought into play more than just PT faculty. This way, the resident gains a broad perspective of what it means to be an academic." Other universities in the country with accredited PT Faculty Residency programs include Duke University in North Carolina, Nova Southeastern University in Florida, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Utah and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Lingering apprehension trailing behind last week's threat of a major immigration enforcement crackdown in the Bay Area will have a marked effect on Dia de los Muertos celebrations this year. Across the region, some event organizers canceled events or pared them back significantly to avoid putting celebrants in the crosshairs of federal immigration enforcement. Others are moving forward, but with emergency plans in place to keep people safe should federal immigration officers show up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least three organizers canceled parts of their Day of the Dead celebrations, which begin Nov. 1. Every year, families in Mexico and throughout Latin America gather to honor their deceased family members with various acts of remembrance, including by making ofrendas, or altars. It is believed that families are reunited with spirits of the dead. Many families in the Bay Area and across the world celebrate Dia de los Muertos to connect with their cultural roots. Harold Johnson, senior assistant operations manager at the Unity Council, rolls up a Dia de los Muertos banner after measuring it inside the Peralta Service Corporation office near Fruitvale Village Plaza in Oakland. (Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle) Last week, as organizers were preparing for their events, President Donald Trump said he planned to send federal agents to the Bay Area for an immigration crackdown, similar to immigration operations in other U.S. cities. Protests erupted, and a day later, Trump called off plans for a "federal deployment" after talking to tech leaders and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who encouraged him not to send agents. Despite Trump canceling those plans, many immigrants and activists fear that immigration raids could still happen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Even though it's called off, we want to make sure that our community" feels safe, said Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, founder and executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Sonar, a nonprofit in Half Moon Bay that provides services to Latinos and farmworkers. Hernandez-Arriaga said the group canceled its annual Dia de los Muertos procession and large event with vendors and mariachi after hearing from community members. An altar-making event will still happen inside the nonprofit's office, Hernandez-Arriaga said. "We have had community members expressing concern about what was happening and were stressed and worried, so we just want to honor that," Hernandez-Arriaga said. In Sonoma, the Sonoma Community Center also canceled a large annual celebration where residents typically gather to eat and dance before an altar lighting, said the center's executive director Vanessa Rognlien. This year the center decided in early October that it will only host the altar lighting ceremony in an effort to make people feel safer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're not putting anybody at risk, asking them to bring their kids out, or putting them in a position where they might have to make a choice that doesn't feel comfortable," Rognlien said. In Berkeley, organizers at Berkeley High School canceled their Dia de los Muertos event on Oct. 25 "after hearing from many community members who shared that they do not feel safe attending at this time," the organizers said in an Instagram post. Other organizers are taking a different approach. Instead of canceling, they're working with other groups and local officials to create emergency plans and ensure attendees feel safe while honoring their deceased loved ones at some of the largest celebrations in the region. "We refuse to allow fear or intimidation to silence our joy or erase our traditions. Instead, we will move forward - celebrating safely, proudly and united," the Unity Council, a nonprofit that organizes one of the Bay Area's largest Dia de Muertos festivals in Oakland's Fruitvale district, said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Iglesias, CEO of the Unity Council, said it was especially important for the group to provide a safe space for communities at a time when people are scared to leave their homes. The annual festival, which brings thousands of people to Fruitvale, is also a big economic boost for local businesses, many of whom are still struggling post-pandemic and urged the Unity Council not to cancel the event, Iglesias said. Caheri Gutierrez, director of fund development and communications at Unity Council, said the organization began working with city officials and other local groups, like Centro Legal de la Raza, a legal aid group, to create an emergency plan. They are also beefing up their security, deploying attorneys and volunteers to serve as "ICE watchers" and setting up a "Know Your Rights" booth with additional information and free legal consultations, the group said. "Given the federal attacks on our people, who are being hit first and worse, it is absolutely critical for us to preserve culture and honor traditions, so we're moving forward very cautiously," Gutierrez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A spokesperson for the city of Oakland did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the city's involvement in the Unity Council's plans. In San Francisco, the Day of the Dead Festival of Altars at Potrero Del Sol Park, one of the city's largest Dia de los Muertos celebrations, will also carry on, said the festival's founder, Rosa De Anda. She said she wasn't anticipating problems with ICE, but the group has created an emergency plan nonetheless. "We're Bay Area strong, you know? It's a very progressive community," De Anda said. "We have to be strong because we have to take care of each other." This article originally published at Under the threat of immigration crackdowns, Bay Area communities rethink Dia de los Muertos. A new poll from the University of North Florida shows nearly two-thirds of Floridians surveyed oppose removing childhood vaccine mandates. These results come as state leaders are working to drop all school vaccine requirements for children in Florida. In that poll from the public opinion research lab at UNF, likely voters were asked if they support or oppose the state of Florida removing all childhood vaccination mandates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of the 728 likely Florida voters polled, about half, 48%, said they strongly oppose it. Another 14% somewhat oppose it, and only 34% were supportive of it. Of our likely voters, 63% combined opposition, Dr. Michael Binder, UNF PORL faculty director and professor of political science, said. UNF poll shows 63% of surveyed Floridians are against ending vaccine mandates Binder said the numbers show a resistance to the change, even among Floridas republicans who have often opposed government health mandates. I think it says that maybe the parts of the republican party that are more supportive of this are not necessarily reflective of the rest of Florida, Binder said. While they have small majorities amongst republicans there are huge oppositions not only amongst democrats, but NPAs are also opposed to this as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The poll also found that parents were slightly more supportive than other groups. The one group that is interesting in this are parents, Binder said. They are, I guess, the least opposed if you will . 46% support, and 53% oppose, but even so, they are opposed to this overall. The state has not finalized any policy changes, but Action News Jax will continue to follow this as we learn more about the plan to remove vaccine mandates. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. STILLMAN VALLEY, Ill. (WTVO) An uninsured, unlicensed driver was arrested Friday after causing a crash at a Stillman Valley intersection, police reported. According to the Ogle County Sheriffs Office, Braulio H Campos, 26, of Beloit, Wisconsin, was driving southbound on Rural Street around 9:30 am when he disregarded a stop sign at the intersection of Illinois Route 72 and was hit by a Jeep Grand Cherokee going eastbound. The driver of the Jeep was transported to Swedish American Hospital in Rockford for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Campos was charged with operating a motor vehicle without a drivers license, disregarding an official traffic control device, and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. Campos was taken to the Ogle County Jail and then released on a notice to appear at a future court date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports. United Airlines announced an expansion of its international network, introducing new nonstop flights connecting the United States to four European destinations for summer 2026, according to a recent press release. The airline will launch services from its Newark/New York hub to Split, Croatia; Bari, Italy; Glasgow, Scotland; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This expansion follows the airlines record-breaking summer 2025 growth. United Airlines aims to meet increasing demand for European travel while providing American travelers with direct access to some of Europes most sought-after destinations. The new routes are part of Uniteds ongoing commitment to expanding its global reach, making it the only U.S. airline to offer nonstop service to these four European cities. United Airlines New European Destinations From Newark/New York United Airlines summer 2026 schedule includes four new European destinations, all served from its Newark/New York hub. Starting April 30, 2026, the airline will begin thrice-weekly service to Split, Croatia. This coastal Croatian city, known for its Roman ruins and picturesque beaches along the Adriatic Sea, will be connected to the United States for the first time by a U.S. carrier with nonstop flights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following day, on May 1, 2026, United will launch four weekly flights to Bari, Italy. Bari offers travelers rich Mediterranean charm, delicious cuisine, and access to southern Italys cultural heritage. United will be the only U.S. airline serving this Italian destination directly. Expanding Presence In Scotland And Spain Uniteds expansion continues with daily seasonal service to Glasgow, Scotland, beginning May 8, 2026. This new route complements Uniteds existing service to Edinburgh, further establishing the airline as the largest carrier between the United States and Scotland, the company stated in its announcement. The final addition to Uniteds summer 2026 lineup is Santiago de Compostela, Spain, with service beginning May 27, 2026. This UNESCO World Heritage city, famous for its stunning cathedral and serving as the terminus of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, will receive three weekly flights. This marks the first regularly scheduled service between the United States and Santiago de Compostela. In addition to these new European destinations, Yahoo Finance reports that United will continue operating all nine routes introduced during its successful summer 2025 expansion. These include seasonal services to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island and Faro, Portugal. Year-round service will continue to Dakar, Senegal; Puerto Escondido, Mexico; and Kaohsiung. The post United Airlines Adds Flights To New Cities In Croatia, Italy, Scotland, And Spain To Launch Summer 2026 appeared first on Travel Noire. Actor Emraan Hashmi says his upcoming film 'HAQ' draws inspiration from the historic 1985 Shah Bano case, describing it as a story that reflects on a balance between personal faith and constitutional law. He also noted that the movie is not meant to "malign" any community or religion and talks about women's rights and dignity. Speaking to ANI, he said, "Maybe the younger generation doesn't know much about this case. The film is inspired by the 1985 Shah Bano case, in which Ahmed Khan divorced Shah Bano, who then fought for her dignity in the Sessions Court, the High Court, and the Supreme Court after her husband stopped her maintenance." He added, "Shah Bano said 'Mai Musalman hu hindustani aurat hu pehle' and 'I should get my maintenance under secular law and constitutional law. Beyond Muslim personal law'. It became a landmark case; Shah Bano was fighting for a lot of women, for different generations to come. So even then, the country was divided into two parts on this argument. Because on one side was the law of religion. On the other side was secular, all-encompassing constitutional law for every citizen. Obviously, the verdict that came, we have to accept it. But there is always a tilt. That a personal law is also a sacred sacrosanct of a religion. So it was a very interesting story. And it was based on that." Emraan emphasised that the film's purpose is not to form any opinion. "This is a film where, when you step out of the theatre, we will find it is pro-women and we have raised the issue for their dignity, for their equality of rights. But at the same time, if you feel that during the final monologue and the film, Ahmed bhi Abbas bhi jo apne nazariye se ki jo environment mein pala bada tha jo uski conditioning thi vo sahi tha apni taraf to humne apna kaam kar liya..So we are not judging anyone in this film. We are not pointing fingers. We have just shown you the case in a very unbiased way. And then it is up to you as to how you step out of the theatre. ," he explained. The actor, who is known for his films such as 'Murder', 'Hamari Adhuri Kahani ', and 'Jannat', among others, shared that he approached the story with sensitivity. "I read the script of this film, I saw it from the perspective of a creative actor, but for the first time in my career, I had to see that there is a sensitivity regarding a community, regarding my community. I have to be a little cognisant, and I have to analyse it in a different way. What I have extrapolated from this film is that there is a very balanced point of view..So we are not talking about anything that we are not pointing a finger at a community or passing a judgment," he said. Hashmi said that the film did not "malign" or target any community. "I don't know what people will say, but as a liberal Muslim, I can say that I had no problems with the viewpoint of the film. Because we are not maligning any community, if we were, I wouldn't have done this film...And just to give a viewpoint of the kind of Muslim I am, I married Parveen, who is a Hindu. Meri family mein mere bete puja bhi karte hai, namaaz bhi padhte hai. This is my secular upbringing. So from my point of view, I am watching this film. Everyone watches a film according to their conditioning, religious tenets, upbringing, environment, and viewpoint." Urging viewers to watch the film, he said, "Not just the Muslim community. Of course, they should see it. Women should see it. It's a story of a woman's voice. It's a story of equality. It's a story of a certain right to dignity. It's a story for men as well. I think these biases that men have in a patriarchal society, that we think it's a man's world, and we will do whatever we can, and it costs a woman her dignity. That has been reflected in this film. If you introspect on that, you will find value in this film. For men as well." Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam are set to bring a true story from the 80s to the screen in 'HAQ', which focuses on the famous Mohd Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum case. Emraan and Yami will play the lead roles as Mohd Ahmed Khan and Shah Bano Begum, with a fierce courtroom confrontation. The Mohd. Ahmad Khan v. Shah Bano Begum, or the Shah Bano maintenance case, has been considered a legal milestone in the battle for the protection of the rights of Muslim women in India. In 1978, Shah Bano (62) filed a petition in the Indore court, seeking maintenance from her divorced husband, Mohammed Ahmed Khan, an affluent and well-known lawyer. The two married in 1932 and had five children -- three sons and two daughters. In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled that Shah Bano was entitled to maintenance under Section 125. However, a year later, the Rajiv Gandhi government brought in legislation to nullify the court verdict. Directed by Suparn S Varma, 'HAQ' also features Vartika Singh, Danish Husain, Sheeba Chadha, and Aseem Hattangady in prominent roles. Made under the banner of Junglee Pictures, the film is produced by Vineet Jain, Vishal Gurnani, Juhi Parekh Mehta, and Harman Baweja. It will hit theatres on November 7, 2025. (ANI) United Airlines Flight 126 from Washington Dulles to Rome made an unprecedented mid-flight U-turn on October 15, 2025, after a passenger's active laptop somehow dropped through the aircraft cabin into the cargo hold, creating a potentially dangerous lithium battery hazard that pilots deemed too risky for a transatlantic journey. Unusual Incident Forces Precautionary Return The Boeing 767-400ER, carrying passengers on the eight-hour journey to Rome's Fiumicino Airport, had been airborne for less than an hour when the crew contacted air traffic control approximately 100 miles southeast of Boston to report the unusual emergency. "A passenger on the airplane had a laptop that they dropped somewhere, and it's now missing somewhere inside the airplane, and we need to recover it before we can go across the pond," the pilot told Boston Center controllers, according to audio recordings posted by aviation monitoring service "You Can See ATC." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The laptop had fallen down a sidewall and into the cargo pit area, where it was completely inaccessible to crew members and outside the aircraft's fire suppression system coverage. Lithium Battery Safety Drives Decision The crew's decision to return was driven by serious safety concerns about the laptop's lithium-ion battery, which was still active when it disappeared into the cargo hold. Flight crew told controllers the device was "not even near the suppression system we have for fires down there," making the situation particularly hazardous. "This is just out of abundance of caution and just precautionary, you know, due to the lithium battery in the cargo area," the pilot explained to air traffic control, emphasizing that while no emergency was declared, safety protocols required immediate action. The aircraft landed safely back at Dulles around 12:35 AM local time, allowing ground crews to locate and retrieve the laptop before the flight departed again for Rome later that night, arriving approximately five hours behind schedule. Growing Lithium Battery Concerns The incident highlights the aviation industry's ongoing battle with lithium battery hazards. According to Federal Aviation Administration data, there have been 620 verified incidents involving lithium batteries in the United States between March 2006 and April 2025, with the number trending upward annually since 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of those incidents, at least 465 occurred in passenger cabins and 129 in cargo holds, with battery packs, e-cigarettes, and cellular phones representing the most common sources of problems. In 2025 alone, there have been 22 verified incidents through May, with new FAA data showing lithium battery incidents now occur on an average of two flights each week. Why Lithium Batteries Pose Aviation Risks Lithium-ion batteries can enter "thermal runaway," a dangerous chain reaction that produces extreme heat and fires that are difficult to extinguish. In a pressurized aircraft environment, such fires represent serious emergencies, particularly in cargo holds where detection and suppression capabilities may be limited. "These batteries can overheat and go into thermal runaway, a chain reaction that can lead to extreme heat and fire that is difficult to extinguish," explains aviation safety documentation. The concern is especially acute when batteries are in inaccessible areas without proper fire suppression coverage. Industry Safety Protocols Airlines have established clear protocols for lithium battery incidents. When devices fall into inaccessible areas, particularly those without fire suppression systems, safety regulations typically require immediate action to locate and retrieve the equipment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Air traffic controllers noted they had "never heard anything like that before," highlighting how unusual it was for a passenger device to actually fall into the cargo hold rather than simply becoming wedged in seats. Recent Battery-Related Aviation Incidents This incident follows several recent lithium battery emergencies in aviation. Earlier this year, a Lufthansa flight made an emergency stop in Boston due to a tablet threatening to burst into flames in the cabin. Just this month, an Air China passenger's battery spontaneously caught fire in an overhead bin. Southwest Airlines recently became the first U.S. carrier to require that portable chargers being used during flight remain in plain sight, allowing crew members to spot overheating batteries immediately. Passenger Responsibilities Aviation experts emphasize that passengers can prevent such incidents by properly securing electronic devices and immediately alerting crew if devices fall into inaccessible areas. Attempting to retrieve devices wedged in seats can cause damage leading to thermal runaway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flight attendants receive specialized training to safely retrieve fallen devices, and passengers are instructed never to attempt recovery themselves, particularly if devices become stuck between or under seats. Setting Safety Precedent The United incident establishes an important precedent for how airlines handle lithium battery risks in inaccessible aircraft areas. The crew's decision to return rather than continue an eight-hour transatlantic flight demonstrates the industry's commitment to proactive safety measures. As personal electronic devices become increasingly ubiquitous in air travel, incidents like Flight 126 serve as crucial reminders of both the hidden dangers of lithium battery technology and the aviation industry's sophisticated safety protocols designed to protect passengers and crew. The successful recovery of the laptop and safe completion of the journey to Rome validates the effectiveness of current safety procedures while highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by the proliferation of battery-powered devices in modern air travel. This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. RUWA, ZIMBABWE United Methodist clergy and laity excitedly greeted Zimbabwe bishop Rev. Gift T. Machinga, welcoming him and his vision for the Southern African nation. Machinga, elected in March, is expected to continue leading a unified Zimbabwe church. The same cant be said for other African nations, where confusion and disagreement about legislative changes in the denomination have fractured large portions of congregants. Bishop Rev. Gift Machinga speaks to delegates during the second day of the United Methodist Church Zimbabwe East Annual Conference in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. But Machinga and his predecessor, retired bishop Rev. Eben Nhiwatiwa, have undertaken tremendous education campaigns to ensure their peoples commitment to the United Methodist Church (UMC). A joyous celebration of Machinga at the UMC Zimbabwe East Annual Conference during an Oct. 25 gathering reflected that push for United Methodist fidelity had sunk in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after, the 637 delegates voted on whether to ratify a plan to restructure the denomination. The results of this conferences vote, for a plan known as regionalization, is unknown until all regional conferences in an ongoing worldwide vote are tallied by early November. Delegates hold completed ballots while voting on a plan to restructure the denomination, known as regionalization, during the second day of the United Methodist Church Zimbabwe East Annual Conference in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. Regionalizations prospective passage is seen as a critical step to maintaining the UMCs global communion following a costly splintering including over disagreements about LGBTQ+ rights. The plan to restructure the historically Nashville-based UMC will allow United Methodists across the globe to maintain policies and practices that align with local customs and laws. Regionalization allows the UMC to remain one big family but have different understandings based on different regions, delegate Tazvionepi Nyarota said at the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference. Nyarota represents a special delegation of Zimbabweans living overseas who are still aligned with their UMC conference back home. Shes from Canada, but there are other Zimbabwe immigrant churches in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Australia. Many Zimbabweans see regionalization as an opportunity to craft their own unique identity within the UMC. But its not the only reason United Methodism is appealing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a presentations earlier Oct. 25, delegates heard plans for a newly formed business development arm of the bishops office. The new arm, an autonomous enterprise with its own board of directors and staff, will seek out alternative income sources beyond parishioners tithing. This includes renting out conference-owned property for office space or leasing other church-owned property for agriculture or mining. This additional cash flow will support other strategic initiatives, a plan for which conference leadership presented Oct. 25. Delegates take a brief recess during the second day of the United Methodist Church Zimbabwe East Annual Conference in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. We are now going to enjoy life, we have suffered enough, a delegate sang in Shona, part of the Bantu family of languages spoken in most parts of Zimbabwe, following the business development presentation. Overall membership in Zimbabwe churches has declined in recent years. The two Zimbabwean conferences recorded a total membership of 146,023 in 2025. But the conferences also add new churches annually, which they decided to do at the Oct. 25 gathering for the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference. Whereas theyre petitioning to close (UMC) churches elsewhere, were petitioning to open churches, Machinga told the delegates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rev. Taurai Maforo, communications director for Machinga's office, provided translation services for The Tennessean from Shona to English. Other reporting from Zimbabwe: 'Whoo whoo, our elephant!' United Methodists in Zimbabwe unify ahead of historic decision Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: United Methodists in Zimbabwe celebrate bishop, vote on restructuring Heres what we know for sure: a truck that was transporting research monkeys crashed on an interstate in eastern Mississippi after leaving Tulane University, and some of them escaped. According to a statement posted to Facebook, the local Jasper County Sheriffs Office initially claimed the Rhesus monkeys were infected with a range of horrendous diseases including hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID-19 and were aggressive. All but one of the escaped animals have been euthanized, the police said, and the university was due to recover the ones still in cages. We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose, the cops said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But then the story took an unexpected turn. Tulane University spokesperson Michael Strecker told New Orleans-based outlet NOLA that the primates in question belong to another entity and are not infectious, suggesting that the sheriffs office had received bad intel. Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery, he said. We are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed. In a statement to Futurism, a Tulane University spokesperson clarified that the monkeys did not carry any infectious disease and had not been exposed to any infectious agent. With or without the threat of being infected by a monkey on the loose, the situation still posed a considerable threat. According to the sheriffs office, the monkeys weighed around 40 pounds each and were aggressive to humans and they require [personal protective equipment] to handle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not the first time weve heard of research monkeys escaping their captors. In November 2024, over 40 rhesus macaques escaped a facility run by Alpha Genesis, one of the largest monkey breeders globally, in South Carolina. Authorities warned residents to secure their doors and windows. Over a month later, four monkeys remained uncaptured. By late January 2025, officials confirmed that all 43 monkeys had been recovered safely. More on escaped monkeys: Monkeys That Escaped Research Facility Still on the Loose, Authorities Say PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The state of Oregon and cities like Portland are working to figure out how to manage with less federal funding. The Trump administration has canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for climate action, such as renewable energy projects and increasing energy efficiency. On Monday, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson spoke about this at a national urban planning and transportation conference held in Portland, where transit experts from across the country are meeting this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is concern whether the federal government will keep shutting off grants to cities like Portland. The president has threatened to cut funds to Portland due to ongoing protest activity outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. The Mpact Transit + Community Conference met in Portland, as the city has long been viewed as one of the best cities to invest in mass transit to cut down on cars and pollution in urban areas. But now, with hundreds of millions of dollars in promised federal dollars now on hold for projects, Wilson said they face a challenge. We have learned that its essential to not get distracted by current events or short-term controversies, he said. Federal administrations come and go. Its crucial, as city leaders, that we stay focused on our long-term vision. We can make incremental changes that advance our vision, while we wait for the next big opportunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But with gas tax money dropping, the city needs federal money now more than ever. The city hopes it can work with other cities at the conference to figure out other ways to find funding. Meanwhile, there is growing pressure on the state to come up with some of that money. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. A United States federal agency issued authorization to shoot and kill an endangered Mexican gray wolf in the Southwest this summer. Advocates condemned the "lethal removal" of a female pup, sanctioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and called for an additional kill order to be revoked. What's happening? According to the Arizona Republic, it was a series of "at least 14 confirmed and probable wolf-livestock conflicts" that prompted a decision from FWS to authorize the killing of a Mexican gray wolf in New Mexico this August. "Wildlife Services personnel lethally removed the uncollared wolf using a firearm out of an agency contracted aircraft," wrote Joe Grant of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on August 13 in a memo later shared by the advocacy group the Center for Biological Diversity. "The Dillion Mountain uncollared wolf was taken on Forest Service lands." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An August 21 press release from the Center for Biological Diversity identified the wolf as a 3-month-old female pup. "Gunning down a wolf pup from the air whose precious genes could have helped save her entire subspecies was cruel and will further stall recovery of these animals," said the CBD's Michael Robinson in a statement. "One killing is too many, and the death of a second wolf would be heartbreaking." Per the press release, another wolf an adult male was also targeted for lethal removal in Arizona but appeared to still be alive when the kill order aimed at the animal expired. The order to kill the male wolf from the Bear Canyon pack was set to last through August 30, emails obtained by the Arizona Republic reportedly indicated. Why is the killing of wolves concerning? The CBD noted in its release that the U.S. government started trapping and poisoning Mexican gray wolves "on behalf of the livestock industry" in 1915. Those activities continued until the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, three years after which the species was declared endangered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a result of the previous wolf killings and a halt on the release of family packs, there has been a decline in genetic diversity among the animals, advocates have said, leading to physiological and reproductive issues in the population. This latest loss of what the CBD has identified as a "genetically valuable" animal could represent another challenge to recovery efforts in a year that has seen a ramp-up in lethal removals, according to the group. The Arizona Republic reported that federal agents had "mistakenly killed a potentially pregnant wolf wearing a tracking collar while executing a lethal removal order for an uncollared wolf" in April. All together, at least four such kill orders for the endangered species have been authorized in 2025. The past several months have also seen the delayed return of a wolf family back into the wild, reported New Mexico public radio station KUNM. Chris Smith of WildEarth Guardians told the radio outlet "the livestock industry has been actively lobbying the Trump administration to defund the wolf's recovery program and even introduced a bill to delist it from the Endangered Species Act," KUNM paraphrased. In addition to the loss of animal life, genetic diversity, and biodiversity overall, fewer wolves in the wild can also mean overpopulation of large herbivores, like elk, and smaller predators, like coyotes. Such overpopulations can bring their own cascade of ecosystemic effects, such as the overgrazing of vegetation, erosion, and soil health decline. What's being done? In a not-unrelated case, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled in Montana in early August that "the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ignored scientific evidence and failed to account for aggressive state management policies that could threaten wolf populations with collapse," according to NBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The CBD was among the 20 advocacy groups listed as plaintiffs in the case, in which the judge found that Endangered Species Act protections had not been applied to gray wolves in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Some advocates hope this outcome and similar legal battles can help to strengthen protections for the endangered species across the country. "This case gives wolves in the Northern Rockies another shot [at] federal protections, which they desperately need," Lizzy Pennock, an attorney with WildEarth Guardians, told NBC. Pennock went on to say that claims that wolves pose significant harm to livestock are not supported by data. "This isn't about protecting ranchers or hunters. It's about a small number of anti-wolf politicians driving unscientific policy," she said. Many ranchers are concerned about the impact of wolf packs on their livestock and livelihoods. Meanwhile, wildlife advocates often argue for non-lethal strategies, citing research that shows killing wolves may not be a very efficient or effective method of livestock protection anyway. A study published in August in the journal Science Advances found that "wolf hunting in the Western U.S. has had little impact on the loss of livestock," according to NPR. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Study co-author Leandra Merz told the news outlet that effective non-lethal strategies such as fencing and patrolling have often become the financial responsibility of overburdened ranchers, perhaps suggesting that state or federal funding could better support these efforts. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted to tighten restrictions on telecommunications equipment made by Chinese companies deemed national security risks, the latest in a series of U.S. actions targeting Beijing. The U.S. telecom regulator previously named companies including Huawei, ZTE, China Mobile and China Telecom to the so-called "Covered List," which bars the FCC from authorizing the import or sale of new equipment from those companies. The FCC voted 3-0 to prohibit authorization of devices containing component parts from companies on the list and authorize the agency to prohibit the sale of previously authorized Covered List equipment in specific cases. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted to tighten restrictions on telecommunications equipment made by Chinese companies deemed national security risks, the latest in a series of U.S. actions targeting Beijing. The U.S. telecom regulator previously named companies including Huawei, ZTE, China Mobile and China Telecom to the so-called "Covered List," which bars the FCC from authorizing the import or sale of new equipment from those companies. The FCC voted 3-0 to prohibit authorization of devices containing component parts from companies on the list and empowered the agency to prohibit the sale of previously authorized Covered List equipment in specific cases. "These present loopholes that bad actors could use to threaten the security of our networks," FCC Chair Brendan Carr said. "America's foreign adversaries are constantly looking for ways to exploit any vulnerabilities in our system." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this month, Carr said major U.S. online retail websites had removed several million listings for prohibited Chinese electronics as part of a crackdown by the agency. The items removed were on the U.S. list of barred equipment or were not authorized by the agency, such as home security cameras and smart watches from companies including Huawei, Hangzhou Hikvision, ZTE and Dahua Technology Company. The FCC issued a national security notice this month reminding companies of prohibited items including video surveillance equipment. The FCC on October 15 said it was moving to revoke the authority of leading Hong Kong telecom carrier HKT, a subsidiary of PCCW, to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, the FCC said it was investigating nine Chinese companies on the Covered List including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications, Dahua Technology Company, Pacifica Networks/ComNet and China Unicom (Americas). The FCC previously barred some Chinese companies from providing telecommunications services in the United States, citing national security concerns. Last month, the FCC began proceedings to withdraw recognition from seven test labs owned or controlled by the Chinese government, citing U.S. national security concerns. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul and Andrea Ricci ) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States tightened rules on telecoms gear made by Chinese companies deemed a national security risk, the latest move in a broader crackdown on Beijing. The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-0 on Tuesday to block new approvals for devices with parts from companies on its "Covered List" and to allow the agency to bar previously approved equipment in certain cases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These present loopholes that bad actors could use to threaten the security of our networks," FCC Chair Brendan Carr said. "America's foreign adversaries are constantly looking for ways to exploit any vulnerabilities in our system." The telecoms regulator previously named companies including Huawei, ZTE, China Mobile and China Telecom to the so-called "Covered List," which bars the FCC from authorizing the import or sale of new equipment from those companies. This month Carr said major U.S. online retail websites had removed several million listings for prohibited Chinese electronics as part of a crackdown by the agency. The items removed were on the list or were not authorized by the agency, such as home security cameras and smart watches from companies including Huawei, Hangzhou Hikvision, ZTE and Dahua Technology Co. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hikvision opposes extending restrictions to previously approved models, arguing the FCC is overstepping its authority. "This order is not based on any product-specific evidence," Hikvision said, adding it will "impose unnecessary harm on U.S. communities and small businesses that rely on safe, compliant, and already authorized security systems." The FCC issued a national security notice this month reminding companies of prohibited items including video surveillance equipment. The FCC on October 15 said it was moving to revoke the authority of leading Hong Kong telecom carrier HKT, a subsidiary of PCCW, to operate in the United States, citing national security concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, the FCC said it was investigating nine Chinese companies on the Covered List including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications, Dahua Technology Co, Pacific Networks Corp and its ComNet subsidiary and China Unicom (Americas). The FCC previously barred some Chinese companies from providing telecommunications services in the United States, citing national security concerns. Last month, the FCC began proceedings to withdraw recognition from seven test labs owned or controlled by the Chinese government, citing national security concerns. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Howard Goller) (FOX40.COM) The Trump Administration announced that part of the test to become a United States citizen has been modified and will take effect in October. Video above: SCOTUS to hear birthright citizenship case On Oct. 20, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated a new policy is being implemented for the Naturalization Civics Test with some modifications, to allow people to fully understand the information. The government officials stated that those who are living in the U.S. without any documentation and who file to become citizens moving forward will be taking the new, modified exam. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DHS said the exam, an oral test issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has now doubled from what it was before. The Naturalization Civics Test used to be 10 questions with a requirement of getting six correct. With this new change, the NCT has been increased to 20 questions, with 12 answers correctly to pass the test. The previous test had 100 potential questions on the history and government of this country, of which a USCIS officer would ask 10. The USCIS stated that if people get nine questions wrong, an officer will stop the test for those who are taking it. A PDF document below shows some questions of Civics ( History and Government ) of the Naturalization test portion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization TestDownload The DHS said that this new modification will help ensure proper assimilation of lawful immigrants into the United States and promote a unified American identity and attachment to the Constitution, laws, and founding principles of the United States. Below is the document shared with the public regarding this policy change. 20251020-CivicsTestDownload The Citizenship Test Working Group and more than 120 national, state and local organizations and educators submitted a letter requesting that USCIS to hold off on implementing the new policies on the exams to allow for a proper notice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration has not presented substantial evidence that the changes are necessary to protect the integrity of the naturalization process, which it cites as a basis for justifying this shift, according to the letter. The new USCIS Director, Joe Edlow, stated in an interview on Aug. 27 at the Center for Immigration Studies that the test was too easy. American citizenship is the most sacred citizenship in the world and should only be reserved for aliens who will fully embrace our values and principles as a nation, said USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. By ensuring only those aliens who meet all eligibility requirements, including the ability to read, write, and speak English and understand U.S. government and civics, are able to naturalize, the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to Americas greatness. These critical changes are the first of many. USCIS stated in a press release that being a citizen is what allows applicants to become fully members of American society, with important rights and responsibilities that all citizens should exercise and respect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more information, see the Federal Register notice. Find test implementation and administration information, test questions and study guides online at the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. (NewsNation) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained British commentator Sami Hamdi, revoked his visa and said he would be deported rather than allowed to complete his speaking tour in the United States, a Homeland Security official said Sunday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization known as CAIR National, called Hamdis detention an injustice. Earlier this morning, ICE agents abducted British Muslim journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi at San Francisco Airport, apparently in response to his vocal criticism of the Israeli government during his ongoing speaking tour, CAIR National wrote. We can confirm that Mr. Hamdi has not been deported and remains in custody. Our attorneys and partners are working to address this injustice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pentagon slams Netflixs A House of Dynamite over defense missile portrayal Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on social media. Conservative figures had been urging the Trump administration to expel Hamdi from the U.S. Hamdi has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British TV networks. CAIR accused the Trump administration of detaining him over his criticism of the Israeli government. Conservative activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer on Sunday took credit for Hamdis arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pentagon moves into Venezuela as Trump fights cartels ICE sent NewsNation affiliate KRON in San Francisco the following statement in response to Hamdis detainment: ICE arrested Sami Hamdi, 35, today at San Francisco International Airport, and he is in ICE custody. Hamdi entered the United States on a visitor visa Oct. 19, through John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The State Departments Bureau of Consular Affairs revoked Hamdis visa Oct. 24, 2025, effective immediately. ICE detained Hamdi, as he was illegally in the country, and he will be placed in immigration proceedings. NewsNation affiliate KRON and Reuters contributed to this report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is closely monitoring the situation across the state due to unseasonal rainfall and changing weather conditions, remaining in constant touch with district collectors and the State Emergency Operation Centre, the Chief Minister's office said. The Chief Minister has directed senior ministers of the state cabinet to promptly visit the districts most affected by the unseasonal rainfall and provide necessary guidance to the district administration to effectively manage the situation. As directed by the Chief Minister, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani will visit Bhavnagar, Tribal Development Minister Naresh Patel will visit Tapi, Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia, and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Pradyuman Vaja will visit Junagadh and Gir Somnath, while Minister of State Kaushik Vekariya will reach Amreli at the earliest. Furthermore, these ministers will meet with officials from their respective districts to assess the situation and will personally visit the affected areas to gain a firsthand understanding of the conditions. CM Bhupendra Patel on Monday held discussions with all district collectors across the state and gained insights into rainfall and changing weather conditions in their respective districts. He also directed the State Emergency Centre to coordinate closely with the districts and ensure timely assistance and necessary support. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday forecast heavy rain, accompanied by moderate thunderstorms and strong surface winds, at isolated places across several districts of Gujarat. According to the weather department, heavy rain exceeding 15 mm per hour, along with moderate thunderstorms and maximum surface wind speeds of 41 to 61 kmph in gusts, is very likely to occur in Amreli, Gir Somnath, and Diu districts. These areas also face a moderate probability (30 to 60 per cent) of cloud-to-ground lightning. The IMD further stated that moderate rain of 5 to 15 mm per hour, with light thunderstorms, and surface winds below 40 kmph are very likely at isolated places in Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Dangs, Navsari, Valsad, Daman, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli districts. These areas have a low probability (less than 30 per cent) of lightning occurrence. Light rain of less than 5 mm per hour accompanied by light thunderstorms and surface winds below 40 kmph is expected at isolated places in Porbandar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Botad, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Panchmahal, Dahod, Kheda, and Mahisagar districts, also with a low probability (below 30%) of cloud-to-ground lightning. (ANI) BAMAKO, Mali (AP) The U.S. Embassy in Mali told American citizens Tuesday to leave the country by plane because of the threats of terrorism and a severe fuel crisis stemming from a jihadi group's blockade of fuel tankers entering the landlocked West African nation. U.S. citizens should depart using commercial aviation, as overland routes to neighboring countries may not be safe for travel due to terrorist attacks along national highways, the U.S. Embassy in Bamako said on its website. It was the embassy's second alert in three days after an Oct. 25 advisory for U.S. citizens not to travel to Mali due to crime, terrorism, kidnapping" and other reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The al-Qaida-linked Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, or JNIM, announced in September that it was imposing a blockade on tanker trucks entering Mali as part of its fight against the country's military authorities. The group's fighters have set more than 100 trucks on fire, paralyzing the countrys fuel supply. The government has announced the closure of schools and universities nationwide because of the disruptions to travel caused by the fuel shortage. JNIM is one of several armed groups operating in the Sahel, a vast strip of semi-arid desert stretching from North Africa to West Africa, where an insurgency is spreading rapidly with large-scale attacks. (Reuters) -A top biosecurity adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, who believed messenger RNA Covid vaccines should be taken off the market, was fired over the weekend, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday citing an agency official. (Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) (Reuters) -A senior biosecurity adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, who has made several critical statements regarding mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, was fired over the weekend, an agency official told Reuters. Steven Hatfill, who served as a senior adviser at the agency's Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, was fired on Saturday. The agency cited false claims of being the chief medical officer at ASPR and lack of effective cooperation with government agencies and department leadership as reasons for the ouster, according to Bloomberg News, which had reported the development earlier in the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He (Hatfill) was senior advisor, not chief medical advisor or chief medical officer," the HHS official said, but did not immediately clarify whether this was related to his dismissal. Hatfill could not be immediately reached for comment. ASPR leads the nation's medical and public health preparedness for and response to disasters and public health emergencies. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a research unit of ASPR which helps companies develop medical supplies to address public health threats, had said in August it would wind down mRNA vaccine development activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The decision included the cancellation of a contract awarded to Moderna for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine for humans. Hatfill appeared on a show hosted by right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon days after the BARDA announcement and claimed mRNA vaccines caused "biochemical havoc" in cells. (Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri) By Trevor Hunnicutt and Katya Golubkova TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed a framework agreement on Tuesday for securing the supply of rare earths, as both countries aim to reduce China's dominance of some of the key electronic components. The leaders signed the documents, which included critical minerals, at the neo-Baroque-style Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, beneath three chandeliers decorated from top to bottom with gold ornamentation, as aides applauded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No direct mention was made publicly by the leaders about China, which processes over 90% of the world's rare earths, making it the source of each country's concern about its mineral supply chain. Beijing has recently expanded export curbs. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in South Korea to discuss a deal that would pause steeper U.S. tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls. Japan and the U.S. would use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to speed up the "development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths", and aim to provide financial support to selected projects within the next six months, the White House said. Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and cooperate with other international partners to ensure supply chain security, it added in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While dominated by China, the U.S. and Myanmar control 12% and 8% of global rare earth extraction, according to Eurasia Group, and Malaysia and Vietnam cover another 4% and 1% of processing, respectively. U.S. ENERGY SUPPLIES Japan has pledged a $550 billion investment into the U.S. economy, part of the wider bilateral trade deal, which could include power generation and liquefied natural gas, among other areas, according to sources familiar with the talks. Ahead of Trump's Asia trip, the U.S. called on Russian energy buyers, including Japan, to cease imports, and imposed sanctions on Moscow's two biggest oil exporters - Rosneft and Lukoil - to push the Kremlin to the negotiation table to end the war in Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan has stepped up U.S. LNG purchases in the last few years as it tries to diversify away from its key supplier Australia and prepare for supply contract expirations from Russia's Sakhalin-2 LNG project, which Mitsui and Mitsubishi helped to launch in 2009. In June, JERA, Japan's top LNG buyer, agreed to buy up to 5.5 million metric tons per annum of U.S. LNG under 20-year contracts, with deliveries starting around 2030. This is roughly the same amount Japan imports annually from Sakhalin-2. Most supply from Sakhalin-2, which covers 9% of Japan's gas needs, ends in 2028-2033. Japan buys less than 1% of its oil imports from Russia under a sanctions waiver, with the bulk of its oil supply covered by the Middle East. Last week alone, Japan's biggest city gas supplier, Tokyo Gas, signed a preliminary deal to buy 1 million metric tons per annum of LNG from the Alaska LNG project, following a similar announcement from JERA in September. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement JERA pledged $1.5 billion for gas assets in Louisiana in its first foray into upstream production in the U.S., where Tokyo Gas and Mitsui are already present. To keep electricity prices in check, Japan wants to continue Sakhalin-2 LNG imports, a senior official has said, as it takes only a few days to deliver LNG to Japan compared to around a week from Alaska and roughly a month from the U.S. Gulf Coast. "The U.S. said it wants Japan to stop importing Russian energy - but this is Japan's closest LNG source and which is also cheap," said Nobuo Tanaka, chief executive with Tanaka Global, Inc. advisory. "I think the question should be framed this way: can the U.S. provide Japan with LNG as cheap as what currently comes from Russia? Can gas from Alaska be that affordable?" (Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Trevor Hunnicutt in Tokyo, additional reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, DC; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephen Coates) The United States and Japan are aiming to further strengthen their economic and security alliance as Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday heralded what she hoped would be a "new golden age" in bilateral ties. During a visit by US President Donald Trump to Tokyo, the two leaders signed an agreement to secure the supply of rare earths, which are dominated by their common rival, China. The agreement seeks to "secure supply of critical minerals and rare earths necessary to support domestic industries, including advanced technologies and their respective industrial bases." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beijing has imposed export controls on rare earths and the magnets made from them - which are essential for industry as well as the high-tech and defence sectors - amid ongoing trade tensions with Washington. Trump plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to discuss trade issues. On his way to South Korea, the US president is using his trip through several Asian countries to secure a series of agreements on rare earths in a bid to reduce Washington's dependence on China. For Japan, a high-tech nation, rare earths are also vital. The metals are key components in products such as smartphones, wind turbines, electric vehicles and defence equipment. Japan wants to strengthen defence During a subsequent visit to the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington at the US naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, Takaichi pledged to strengthen Japan's defence capabilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the start of the summit with Trump, the Japanese premier said Japan was ready to contribute to peace and stability alongside the United States, as part of "the greatest alliance in the world." Trump praised Takaichi, who has been in power for a week, for immediately boosting Japan's military capabilities. "We received your orders for a large amount of new military equipment," Trump said. Takaichi last week announced plans to raise Japan's defence budget to 2% of gross domestic product by March, two years ahead of schedule. She described the security alliance with the US as a "cornerstone" of Japan's foreign and security policy. In his speech to soldiers on board the George Washington, Trump invoked the strength of the US Navy in martial language, saying: "Nobody has what we have." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No enemy would dare to threaten the US Navy, he said. "And if they do, the American sailor stands ready to crush them and sink them and wreck them and blast them into oblivion." He added that this "terrible" statement likely takes him "out of the running" for the Nobel Peace Prize, an award he covets. Praise and gifts abound However, Takaichi later said she wanted to nominate Trump for the prize, according to a statement from the White House. The Japanese prime minister also said her country would donate 250 cherry trees to Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cherry trees are a popular photo spot in the US capital, where their blossoms turn the city into a sea of pink and white each spring and are featured on souvenirs. The planting of cherry trees in Washington originated over a century ago as a gift of friendship from Japan, according to US information. The tradition of celebrating the cherry blossom dates back centuries in Japan. The United States and Japan have agreed to deepen cooperation on the supply of critical minerals and rare earths. The aim is to "secure supply of critical minerals and rare earths necessary to support domestic industries, including advanced technologies and their respective industrial bases," according to an agreement signed on Tuesday in Tokyo by US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The move comes against the backdrop of China's near-monopoly on rare earths. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beijing has imposed export controls on rare earths and the magnets made from them - which are essential for industry as well as the high-tech and defence sectors - amid ongoing trade tensions with Washington. Trump is using his trip through several Asian countries to secure a series of agreements on rare earths. By expanding cooperation, Washington hopes to reduce its dependence on China. For Japan, a high-tech nation, rare earths are also vital. The metals are key components in products such as smartphones, wind turbines, electric vehicles and defence equipment. Trump is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to discuss trade issues. APEC brings together 21 economies across the Pacific, including the US, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, with the goal of promoting economic growth by lowering trade barriers. By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday extended a block preventing President Donald Trump's administration from laying off thousands of federal employees amid a nearly month-long partial government shutdown. During a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston extended an earlier temporary ruling barring nearly 40 federal agencies from implementing layoffs pending the outcome of a legal challenge by unions that represent federal workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 4,100 employees at eight agencies had been notified that they were being laid off before Illston's October 16 ruling, the Trump administration said in court filings. White House Budget Director Russell Vought has said that more than 10,000 federal workers could lose their jobs because of the shutdown. Illston's decision will likely be immediately appealed, and could be paused by a San Francisco-based appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court pending further litigation. The shutdown, which entered its 28th day on Tuesday, is the second longest in U.S. history after a partial lapse in funding that lasted 35 days beginning in late 2018, during Trump's first term. Trump has blamed Democrats for the shutdown and the planned layoffs, though no other administration has carried out mass layoffs during lapses in funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The unions that filed the suit said implementing layoffs is not an essential service that can be performed during a shutdown, and that the current funding lapse does not justify mass job cuts because many federal workers have been furloughed without pay. Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress but need at least seven Democratic votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate, where Democrats are holding out for an extension of health insurance subsidies. Democrats have said they will not cave to Trump's pressure tactics. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Edmund Klamann) By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday extended a block that prevents President Donald Trump's administration from laying off thousands of federal employees amid a nearly month-long partial government shutdown. During a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston barred nearly 40 federal agencies from implementing layoffs, pending the outcome of a legal challenge by unions representing federal workers. The decision extends an earlier temporary ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 federal workers and is a plaintiff in the case, this week called on Republicans and Democrats to put aside their differences and pass a spending bill so that government employees can return to work. About 4,100 employees at eight agencies had been notified that they were being laid off before Illston's October 16 ruling, the Trump administration said in court filings. White House Budget Director Russell Vought has said that more than 10,000 federal workers could lose their jobs because of the shutdown. Illston's decision will likely be immediately appealed, and could be paused by a San Francisco-based appeals court or the U.S. Supreme Court pending further litigation. The shutdown, which entered its 28th day on Tuesday, is the second longest in U.S. history after a partial lapse in funding that lasted 35 days beginning in late 2018, during Trump's first term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has blamed Democrats for the shutdown and the planned layoffs, though no other administration has carried out mass layoffs during lapses in funding. Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress but need at least seven Democratic votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate, where Democrats are holding out for an extension of health insurance subsidies. Democrats have said they will not cave to Trump's pressure tactics. The unions that filed the suit said implementing layoffs is not an essential service that can be performed during a shutdown, and that the current funding lapse does not justify mass job cuts because many federal workers have been furloughed without pay. During Tuesday's hearing, U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Michael Velchik argued that federal agencies have broad powers to implement layoffs when they run out of funding to pay employees, and that Trump was following through on a campaign promise to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Danielle Leonard, a lawyer for the unions, countered that a funding lapse does not relieve federal agencies of their legal obligations under federal law or allow them to fire the workers who fulfill them. If it did, Trump could "fire the entire federal government" during a shutdown if he chose, she said. Illston made clear throughout the hearing that she agreed with the unions. "I believe I will find (the layoffs) are arbitrary and capricious, as shown by the haphazard way in which they were rolled out, and intended for the purpose of political retribution as Budget Director (Russell) Vought and the president himself have publicly announced," said Illston, an appointee of Democratic former President Bill Clinton. Trump has, for example, said that job cuts would target "Democrat agencies." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, a left-leaning legal group that represents the unions, said in a statement that the judge's ruling was a major blow to what it referred to as efforts by Trump to decimate the federal workforce. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Alexia Garamfalvi) By Diana Novak Jones, Renee Hickman and Ted Hesson CHICAGO (Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday chastised a top U.S. Border Patrol official leading President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago after a video appeared to show him deploying tear gas potentially in violation of a court order limiting its use against protesters. U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis, who this month barred federal agents from using certain crowd-control tactics, told Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino that videos suggested his agency was overstepping legal bounds during enforcement operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am getting video that the plaintiffs file, I'm getting videos that citizens send in. And at least in the videos that I see, knowing that I am not there, it is difficult for me to see that the force being used is necessary to stop an immediate and serious threat of physical harm," Ellis said. The judge ordered Bovino to get a body camera and training on how to use it by Friday. Ellis, who read aloud her earlier order at the start of the hearing, referenced an incident on Saturday in the residential neighborhood of Old Irving Park where agents tackled residents and fired tear gas without warning, according to court declarations by two witnesses. One of the witnesses said he was preparing to take his children to a Halloween parade before agents arrived and deployed tear gas. "Kids dressed in Halloween costumes, walking to a parade, do not pose an immediate threat for the safety of a law enforcement officer," Ellis said. "They just don't. And you can't use riot-control weapons against them." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Ellis pressed Bovino about an earlier order requiring agents to wear body-worn cameras when available, he said that "99%" of border agency personnel in Chicago had them but that he personally did not. "I've not received a body-worn camera or the training," Bovino said. The Republican president has made Chicago a focus of his aggressive immigration enforcement push during the past two months. Under Bovino's leadership, federal agents have used tear gas in residential areas and forcibly subdued protesters while attempting to arrest suspected immigration violators, drawing criticism and legal scrutiny. Ellis ordered Bovino's appearance after protesters submitted a video they said showed him violating the judge's court order directing federal agents to give multiple warnings before using tear gas and other anti-riot weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the video, Bovino appeared to toss a canister of gas at protesters who had gathered as federal agents conducted arrests last Thursday in a Chicago neighborhood known for being home to many Mexican immigrants. In a statement on Friday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were surrounded by a large group while conducting an enforcement operation. McLaughlin said some people in the crowd shot fireworks and threw rocks, hitting Bovino in the head, and that agents gave warnings before deploying chemicals. 'BLITZ' OPERATION FACES RESISTANCE Trump's ongoing "Operation Midway Blitz" deportation drive in Chicago has spurred arrests across the city and sparked widespread protests. In response, Trump attempted to send hundreds of National Guard troops to Illinois to quell what his administration called unprecedented violence against federal law enforcement, but the move has been halted for now by another court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday's hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by protesters, journalists and clergy in Chicago against Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other federal officials, alleging they were deliberately targeted and brutalized during demonstrations. The judge has repeatedly expressed concerns that federal agents are violating her October 9 ruling requiring them to wear visible identification and limiting their use of anti-riot weapons such as pepper balls and tear gas. The judge later updated her order to require federal officers with body cameras to turn them on while conducting immigration enforcement activity and during interactions with the public. (Reporting by Diana Novak Jones and Renee Hickman in Chicago and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker) Delhi Police have arrested the father of a woman who alleged an acid attack near Ashok Vihar, after the probe revealed inconsistencies in her statement and links to a separate harassment case filed by the main accused''s wife, police said on Monday. The accused has been identified as Akil. Police said that their initial investigation the accused revealed that it was not acid that had been thrown on the woman. Instead, the accused''s daughter had taken toilet cleaner from their home and poured it on her hands herself, after which a false case of acid attack was registered. Delhi Police also stated that since the accused has been arrested and is being continuously interrogated, all the facts are being corroborated. The woman''s father was detained earlier. According to a Delhi Police statement, on October 26, a 19-year-old open-school student was admitted to a hospital with burn injuries on her hands. She told police that her acquaintance, along with his two friends, had attacked her with acid while she was walking towards her college for an extra class. She alleged that her acquaintance had been stalking her and that the two had argued about a month earlier. Following the incident, an FIR was filed under Sections 124(1)/3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the spot was examined by the crime and forensic teams. However, during the investigation, police found several discrepancies in the woman''s account. According to officials, call detail records, CCTV footage, and witness statements placed her acquaintance in Karol Bagh at the time of the incident. The motorcycle allegedly used in the attack was also found there. Police said that two days before the incident, the acquaintance''s wife had lodged a complaint against the victim''s father, accusing him of sexual harassment and blackmail during her employment in his factory between 2021 and 2024. A case in this regard was registered at the Bhalswa Dairy police station."Her (victim''s) father, who was absconding, has now been taken into custody for questioning," the police said. Meanwhile, the two other accused are reportedly in Agra with their mother. Police said their mother had herself been a victim of an acid attack in 2018, allegedly by relatives of the father of the acid attack victim, and has an ongoing property dispute with him. "The case is under trial," they added. Officials said that CCTV footage from the day of the incident showed the complainant leaving her home in Mukandpur on a scooty driven by her brother, who dropped her near the Ashok Vihar area before she continued in an e-rickshaw. Police said the reason her brother did not drop her off at the college gate after driving her all the way from Mukundpur to Ashok Vihar is being examined. The brother has also become unavailable and is not joining the investigation. Further investigation is underway. (ANI) A U.S. Department of Navy memo released this month details military personnels responsibilities when posting on social media. The department said in the memo that it is reviewing reports of personnel violating its current social media policies. The disclosure of an internal review appears to be one of the main differences between the new memo and a previous social media guideline memo released March 14. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of conduct, the guidance read. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Service members are expected to uphold Navy and Marine Corps core values on duty, off duty, and online, it said. The memo reiterated previously shared social media standards for service members, instructing all personnel to ensure that personal social media accounts clearly communicate that opinions expressed on online platforms are not sanctioned by the U.S. Navy or Defense Department. Individuals are allowed to display military titles and or photos of themselves in uniform but must make sure that when doing so the affiliated content does not appear to be sanctioned by the service, according to the new memo. If there is any concern that the content might violate the latter tenet, the memo instructed service members to include a disclaimer saying their content solely reflects their personal views, not those of the Defense Department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Service members can use social media accounts to send official information if they do not imply that the Navy or Defense Department supports their opinions. Service members must also make sure not to disclose unauthorized or nonpublic information when communicating over social media. Navy issues instructions for reporting improper social media use The memo reminds military personnel that they are always subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, pointing out a list of offenses they are in danger of violating if they dont follow social media guidelines. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle released a Sept. 15 memo providing instruction to military leaders on how to identify and track reports of unprofessional social media use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Defense Department has not been shy about disciplining service members for a potential violation of those guidelines. In September, longtime U.S. Navy doctor Janelle Marra was fired as director of medical services at Expeditionary Medical Facility 150-Bravo in San Diego, California, for a potential misuse of social media. The firing came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth retweeted an X post from conservative social media account Libs of TikTok that took issue with a job title displayed on Marras LinkedIn that read Navy Deputy Medical Director for Transgender Health Care. Hegseth announced Marras firing in his reposting of the conservative accounts post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It appeared that Marra never officially held the position she had listed and instead was nominated at one time for a once-proposed transgender health center within the Defense Health Agency that ended up never being created. Memos are typically uploaded to the MyNavy HR websites ALNAV section, but due to the government shutdown and lapse in appropriations, the website has not been updated, prompting Navy personnel to look elsewhere. Service members have instead turned toward the My Navy HRs Instagram page for news of updates. Alexis Travis, a Naval officer with more than 150,000 followers on Instagram, uploaded a post breaking down the biggest differences between the new social media guidelines and previous ones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Travis said she and other service members interpreted aspects of the new memo to mean that communicating information was allowed so long as opinions about DOD policies were not included. Its not that you cant deliver information, its that you shouldnt be providing your personal opinion, Travis said of how she was interpreting the new guidance in her Instagram post. You shouldnt be saying this is good policy or bad policy. The US and South Korea are set to strike a deal to cooperate on AI and quantum computing, even as contentious trade issues linger. The pact is aimed at securing an edge over China in the race for tech superiority, Bloomberg noted. Officials, though, are less confident that a trade agreement discussed in July will be finalized, as the countries remain deadlocked over the details of Seouls $350 billion investment pledge. Analysts raised similar concerns after Trumps meeting with Japans new prime minister, which scored high on chemistry, but low on concrete trade breakthroughs. Trumps Asia tour so far underscores the challenges he faces in turning a series of eye-popping foreign investment pledges into reality, Politico wrote. Increasingly desperate US farmers, including many who voted for US President Donald Trump, are urging him to adopt a conciliatory approach rather than a confrontational one if a lasting soy deal can be reached when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. As the harvest season slips by with no orders from China and rising input costs - from equipment to fertiliser - farmers say partnership, not strong-arming Beijing, would serve both sides better. Many voiced frustration at Washington's failure to design tariffs that spared their livelihoods, saying they had expected Trump to act faster on the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "I don't think we could force the Chinese to do anything. I don't think that's the approach we need," said David Burrier, a third-generation farmer from Maryland, just a few miles away from Washington. Describing China as a "good partner", he stressed "it's got to be a relationship or partnership that works for everyone." Over the weekend, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the Chinese side did not share details of the outcome of the discussions, citing pending internal approvals, Bessent told US media outlets that a framework has been reached for the two leaders to sign. This truce, he said, will make American farmers "feel very good". As hopes grew of a US-China trade deal and renewed Chinese purchases, wheat futures rose and soybeans hit a four-month high on Monday. How Trump approaches his sit-down with Xi in South Korea on Thursday could weigh heavily on the 2026 midterm elections - a pressure point both sides appear keenly aware of. On the US side, the urgency to declare a victory is palpable. In recent weeks, as farmers' pain has deepened, Trump and his advisers have spoken more frequently about the issue and floated the idea of using tariff revenues to fund a new round of subsidies for a group that has long been a cornerstone of the Republican base. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bessent, a former hedge fund manager who is leading the trade talks with Beijing, went on to call himself "actually a soybean farmer", citing one of his investments this weekend on ABC News, saying "so I have felt this pain, too." Farmers, many of whom backed the "America first" president for his deal making reputation, now argue that Trump appears out of touch with their mounting struggles. A crop scout collects soybean samples on a Midwest farm. File photo: Reuters alt=A crop scout collects soybean samples on a Midwest farm. File photo: Reuters> As trade ties with China wobble, bankruptcies rise, and Argentina joins Brazil in capturing the Chinese market while benefiting from a multibillion-dollar bailout and increased access to sell beef in the US, American farmers say they feel left behind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maryland farmer Burrier, a Trump supporter who described him as a "very successful businessman", said the US president understands real estate and finance. In saying that, he does not understand agriculture - a fact he noted has been common among previous administrations as well. "We have an urgency right now to get this deal done, because if we miss this one too, there's 52 per cent of our soybeans that may not have a home, which would be very, very detrimental to our industry," he noted. Burrier said he was "very disappointed" with US Secretary Bessent recently calling Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang "unhinged". "It does not work, and there's no place for it there," the 72-year-old farmer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement John Bartman, a fifth-generation farmer from Illinois, said that the US should be able to "step back and analyse how we've been treated unfairly", but "we should be able to do that with diplomacy". "Unfortunately, these, as we call them, shotgun tariffs, just shoot out and hit everyone," he added, contending that Trump didn't have a plan for farmers despite having "eight years to figure out how to do this without affecting the United States farmers". John Bartman is a fifth-generation farmer from Marengo, Illinois. Photo: Handout alt=John Bartman is a fifth-generation farmer from Marengo, Illinois. Photo: Handout> Bartman, who didn't vote for Trump and appears in a new Democratic National Committee YouTube advert, said farmers are "very upset", especially when the president is bailing out Argentina with US$40 billion as the South American country continues to increase its sales of soybeans to China, undercutting US farmers' market share. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That's a major problem", he said, highlighting that Trump's plans to import Argentine beef were hurting not just the cattle industry but also American farmers, as over six billion US bushels of grain are consumed by the domestic livestock industry. "He is going to push us further into bankruptcy. The bankruptcy rates for farmers are up, and that's very unfortunate and that shouldn't be happening," Bartman argued. In 2024, over 200 US farms filed for bankruptcy, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. A recent report by the American Farm Bureau Federation said the US "has completely lost more than 140,000 farms from 2017 to 2022, and an additional 20,000 in the last two years". The report blamed drought and geopolitically driven supply chain disruptions for cooling markets, with soybean prices plunging 58 per cent to below US$10 and corn dropping 54 per cent to US$4 since 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since January, Trump has once again turned the trade screws on Beijing, flaunting tariffs as his favourite "power move" while choking off tech exports and threatening to blacklist thousands of China-linked companies. Beijing struck back by sidelining US soybean farmers by directing orders to Brazil and Argentina, imposing retaliatory tariffs, and tightening rare earth exports, actions that have prompted Trump to threaten 100 per cent tariffs starting November 1 and accuse China of manipulative "tactics". US-China trade tensions under Trump have been a recurring nightmare for American farmers. During his first term, Beijing leveraged US dependence on the Chinese market when Trump imposed additional 25 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports totalling more than US$300 billion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After two years of negotiations, the two sides signed the so-called "Phase One" deal in 2020, under which China agreed to purchase US$50 billion worth of American products, including soybeans. However, after Trump left office, the deal unravelled, with Trump blaming his successor, Joe Biden, for failing to follow up with China on the commitment. Last week, the US Trade Representative launched an investigation into China's implementation of the deal. Burrier said that though China did buy some soybeans as part of the agreement, there were times when orders were placed but later cancelled if the price fluctuated. "I think that was part of that negotiation, as well as that, if they made a contract that President Trump, at that time, felt like they should honour it," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also noted that while advancement in technology has enhanced production, the markets to sell the produce remain scant. Over the last two decades, China has snapped up large volumes of American soybeans, accounting for about 40-60 per cent of the exports. A recent report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, estimated that US farmers will "lose out on US$5.7 billion worth of soybean exports to China through October 2025, relative to average exports from the past four years". It warned that the American heartland could bear a "disproportionate share of the burden". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another farmer in Maryland, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue among his community members, described the negotiations with China as a "give and take situation". "I think we've reached a point where it doesn't seem like we're going to pressure them into doing anything," he said. He added that he left "pretty confident" that "something will eventually be worked out", but noted he didn't expect "it would quite take this long for that to happen either". China, once the biggest buyer of US soybean exports, has halted orders in a trade row triggered by president Trump's aggressive tariffs. Photo: AFP alt=China, once the biggest buyer of US soybean exports, has halted orders in a trade row triggered by president Trump's aggressive tariffs. Photo: AFP> Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Burrier said he plans to watch the meeting closely and keep up with the news "all the time". "Certainly, I'm watching it closely now. I mean, it's a lot, it's a lot to come from it, and there's a lot of impact that could come from it", he added. Bartman said he personally had low expectations for the meeting "regarding trade and the soybean situation", because Brazil and Argentina "are selling every soybean they have to China". He stressed the importance of staying informed in a democracy, but noted, "unfortunately, this president always wants the limelight - always to be in the story. And at times, it can get very overwhelming". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. "I Voted Today" stickers for Nov. 5, 2024, voters. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) A U.S. Supreme Court case scrutinized for its potential impact on Black voters and congressional redistricting could also have consequences for the voting rights of Native Americans, according to advocates in South Dakota. The pending case, Louisiana v. Callais, is a challenge to the legality of a majority-Black congressional district. The court is using the case to determine whether Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act remains constitutional. The section prohibits voting laws or procedures that result in a denial or abridgement of voting rights due to a persons race or color or membership in a language minority. Learn more Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During arguments earlier this month, lawyers for Louisiana and the Trump administration said the consideration of race in the redistricting process violates constitutional requirements to treat all people equally. Rosebud Sioux Tribe member OJ Semans, co-executive director of the South Dakota-based Four Directions voting rights group, said advocates for Native American voters would not have won any voting rights lawsuits in South Dakota without Section 2. Theyve used its protections to win better registration services in closer proximity to Native American voters, and to force redrawn county and state voting districts with more equitable representation for Native Americans (Section 2 doesnt impact congressional districts in South Dakota, because its low population means it has only one member of the U.S. House who represents the entire state). In the past 10 years, I think Native Americans have filed more civil rights lawsuits on voting than any other organization or race, Semans said. And they have continually been able to win victories that would provide equality for Natives throughout Indian Country. Four Directions consultant Bret Healy, a former executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, warned that if the court undermines the law, Republican lawmakers could redraw legislative districts in South Dakota to disadvantage Native American voters, whove traditionally leaned Democratic. He said lawmakers can go back to just making at-large districts where the white vote totally overwhelms by 70 to 30, 80 to 20 margins. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Police arrested a University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) professor after finding hundreds of child sexual abuse images and videos on his electronic devices, according to reports. Officers charged 49-year-old Paul William Leafgreen in Tarrant County with possession of child pornography involving minors under 18 engaged in sexual acts, according to Fox 4. Leafgreen, a math lecturer at UTA, was placed on administrative leave by UTA and is currently out on bond as of October 3. His next court date is set for April 10, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said investigators monitored an online network known for sharing child pornography in April of this year. They traced a download of illegal material to an IP address registered to Leafgreen. Officers searched Leafgreens home on August 6, and seized multiple electronic devices. During questioning, Leafgreen allegedly admitted possessing material showing minors as young as five years old but denied sexual attraction to children. Investigators found 354 images and 52 videos of child sexual abuse material on Leafgreens laptop. Forensic analysis showed he used additional file-sharing apps to obtain and distribute the material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As previously reported by The Dallas Express, this case follows similar incidents involving North Texas educators. Earlier this year, former Lewisville ISD teacher Alainee Simonson was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a child and engaging in an improper relationship with a student, according to Grapevine Police. Simonson, 29, was arrested on December 13 after a months-long investigation into alleged incidents from 2022 to 2023 while she taught at Killough High School, reported Fox 4. There is a growing movement to split Utahs Granite School District in half. Catalyzed by school closures in wealthier areas, some parents wonder if their childrens school district has become too big to adequately represent them. Parents and policymakers are asking city councils in Holladay, Millcreek, South Salt Lake and Emigration Canyon to approve a feasibility study, which would act as the first step to split the district in half. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Granite School District covers a horizontal slice of the Salt Lake Valley, from Magna in the west all the way to Holladay, which sits on the east bench of the valley in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. The district serves a wide socioeconomic range of students. It covers areas of rapidly constructed new-builds and areas where the median home price is $1.7 million. With how large the district has become, parents feel their school board members cannot adequately represent them. The issue has taken a central role in the Holladay mayoral race, set for Nov. 3, with parents on both sides of the aisle advocating for a feasibility study. How does Granite School Districts size compare with others? In 2021, Granite School District served 62,544 students, making it the 62nd largest district in the country out of more than 13,000 school districts. DN-Graniteboundaries South of Granite, Alpine School District ranked 36th largest in the nation in 2021, with more than 85,000 enrolled students. But last November, voters approved a three-way split, which is set to go into effect in the summer of 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the split, Davis County School District will be the largest in the state, serving around 70,000 students. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Murray City School District serves around 6,000 students. What do studies say about school district size? Various studies have shown school districts operate well when enrollment ranges roughly from 15,000 to 30,000 students. Districts that are either too large or too small suffer the same conclusion: tax-dollar inefficiency. In 2022, Utahs Auditors Office conducted a study on public education administrative costs. They found that some of the lowest administrative costs per student are among midsize and large districts (i.e., those with student counts of 10,000 to 20,000 students). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Districts that are too small suffer from limited resources and higher per-student costs. On the other hand, mammoth districts can suffer from diseconomies of scale, bureaucratic inefficiencies and reduced student achievement. Another study across 13,600 schools in six states found that smaller schools and smaller school districts with many economically disadvantaged students are likely to have higher average test scores than their counterparts in larger systems. The study found a consistently predictable relationship between smaller schools and school districts and higher test scores. Parents want more representation Taylor Davis, a Millcreek resident and father, told the Deseret News, Im not frustrated with the money being spent. Im frustrated with the fact that one of the highest revenue categories, my property tax, is where I actually have the lowest amount of representation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His school board representative, Julie Jackson, represents 15 schools, whereas in Murray School District, each board member represents about 1.2 schools. In Murray, if you were to randomly ask school board members how things were going at their school, Davis believes they could tell you everything about it. He worries that school board members burdens are too high to genuinely understand and represent every school they are assigned. DN-Newboundaries Holladay mayoral candidate Daren Watts told the Deseret News, as he was knocking doors for his campaign he heard about the issue from multiple voters. This was an issue that continued to come up again and again from parents on both sides of the aisle, he said. The citys other mayoral candidate, councilman Paul Fotheringham, did not respond to a request for comment from the Deseret News about his position on a feasibility study. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement to the Deseret News, a spokesperson for Granite School District said the district does not take a position on whether it should be divided, nor does it have the authority to initiate such a change. However, the statement said, district splits can lead to significant financial and operational concerns. When Jordan and Canyons split in 2008, (according to a Deseret News story published at the time) both districts raised taxes by 1620% to maintain current levels of service, and administrative costs per student rose sharply." The spokesperson said if Granite split, it would likely increase housing costs, reduce efficiency, and still leave both new districts facing declining enrollment and school closures. What happens to poorer areas when high income cities leave a district? Three of the four areas asking their cities to do a feasibility study are the richest areas in the district. South Salt Lake has the lowest median income of any area in the school district, at $68,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Holladay, Millcreek and Emigration Canyon have median incomes of $112,300, $98,500 and $184,700, respectively. During school district splits, the seceding area keeps their local property tax revenue as school funding, leaving the original district with a smaller tax base. Areas not included in the new district would not vote on the split, if it were put on the ballot. Contrary to the researchers hypothesis, a comprehensive study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham found, School districts with an ongoing or successful secession attempt also had fewer per-pupil revenues, but those differences were not statistically significant. Meanwhile, other studies have found that the districts left behind are worse off after secession. A 2022 study found the resulting poorer districts face 10%-15% funding cuts, higher teacher turnover and reduced college readiness scores. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents in Granite School District want a feasibility study, which will give local policymakers more data to decide what will ultimately serve students best. What is the legal process for splitting a school district in Utah? The first step to splitting a school district in Utah is to commission a feasibility study. In this case, Holladay, Millcreek, South Salt Lake and Emigration Canyon would form an interlocal agreement to commission the study. The study costs about $50,000, and it would be paid for by the area wanting to secede. Once the feasibility study is complete, the interlocal group would host two council meetings to present what the feasibility study found and allow a space for the community to discuss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, if a majority of the city councils approve in the respective areas, the proposal to split Granite School District would be placed on the ballot. Davis said parents in Holladay, Millcreek, South Salt Lake and Emigration have a goal to put seceding on the ballot in November 2026. If it passes, two new districts would be created over a three-year period. A new superintendent would be hired, new school boards would be elected and a new name for the district would be chosen. In 2009, Jordan School District split in half, creating Canyons School District. Davis told the Deseret News, when he speaks to people on both sides of the split, they tell him it was difficult and a long process, but I have never had a single person Im talking teachers, administrators, citizens Ive never had a single person tell me they wish that they were still together. This story has been updated to include a statement from Granite School District. Members of the Virginia House of Delegates during a special session at the Capitol in Richmond Monday, where lawmakers debated the legitimacy of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to modify congressional districts mid-decade a move Republicans and Attorney General Jason Miyares say violates the state Constitution. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) Virginia House Democrats on Tuesday afternoon released the long-awaited text of their proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to modify congressional districts mid-decade if another state redraws its own congressional map for political reasons. The proposal, House Joint Resolution 6007, would amend Article II, Section 6 of the Virginia Constitution to authorize the legislature to modify one or more congressional districts in the event that any state conducts a redistricting of such states congressional districts for any purpose other than completion of the states decennial redistricting or as ordered by a court to remedy an unlawful or unconstitutional district map. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under a separate section added to the constitutional Schedule, that authority would apply only between Jan. 1, 2025, and Oct. 31, 2030, and only in response to actions taken by another state during that same period. Democrats call amendment a safeguard, not a power grab Democrats say the measure preserves Virginias 2020 independent redistricting commission while giving the General Assembly a narrow option to respond if GOP-controlled states redraw their maps mid-decade and alter national representation. Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, who is sponsoring the amendment, said the goal is to ensure that Virginians arent left disadvantaged by partisan remapping elsewhere in the country. Speaking to reporters Monday evening nearly 24 hours before the fleshed out proposal was released Willett said Democrats were responding to a growing national pattern of Republican-led legislatures redrawing maps mid-decade. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think we were absolutely empowered to be here, Willett said. This is an attack on democracy, and our hands been forced here. This is not our choice to be here, but with this kind of attack, weve got to respond. He emphasized that the proposal does not dismantle the states independent redistricting system. We are still going to have a commission, he said. This is going to give us options, and an option that could or could not be exercised that questions actually going to be left to the voters to vote in a referendum as to whether well have redistricting or not. Willett said the amendment would maintain the decennial redistricting schedule spelled out in the state Constitution, while giving future lawmakers flexibility to revisit congressional boundaries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a decennial process for that, so we will absolutely stick to that, he said. This is to create, again, not a mandate, but an option, in the interim, in between those decennial redistrictings to do something when theres an extraordinary circumstance. GOP, Miyares say Democrats missed the legal window for amendment The amendments release followed hours of heated debate in the state Senate earlier on Tuesday, where Democrats and Republicans clashed over the timing and legality of advancing the proposal, introduced after more than a million Virginians have already voted. Republicans have accused Democrats of trying to ram through a redistricting plan before voters go to the polls, while Democrats insist they are acting within their authority to safeguard fair representation. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Tuesday argued that the Democratic proposal violates the state Constitutions intent that voters have a meaningful say before such measures move forward. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a written opinion released Tuesday afternoon, Miyares said the proposed redistricting amendment cannot legally advance during the current election, citing the Virginia Constitutions requirement for an intervening general election before such measures proceed. Miyares said Article XII of the Constitution clearly contemplates that there will be an intervening general election between the proposal of the amendment by one General Assembly and the referral of the amendment to the subsequent General Assembly. On Monday, Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania, had made a similar case as Miyares, arguing on the House floor that Democrats have already missed the legal window to advance a proposed redistricting amendment this year, pointing to a section of Virginia law that governs how constitutional changes must be made public before an election. Under Code 30-13, the clerk of the House of Delegates is required to distribute proposed constitutional amendments to local courthouses for public posting and inspection no later than three months before the next general election for the House of Delegates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orrock said that deadline has already passed, meaning the amendment could not be properly advertised in time for this Novembers election. Parties trade blows over Miyares opinion Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones sharply criticized Miyares opinion in a statement Tuesday, casting it as a partisan effort aligned with the president and proof that when Donald Trump said he could always count on Jason Miyares, this is what he meant. He accused the attorney general of attempting to block a fair, legal process that would return power to Virginians, adding that Miyares was doubling down on his fealty to Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda. And Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, slammed the attorney generals opinion on social media, accusing him of politicizing his office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on X, Surovell wrote that Miyares has committed attorney general malpractice, abused his office for partisan gain and been wrong about dozens of other legal calls in the last four years so why not add more to the list as he wraps up? In contrast, House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, hailed the opinion as a clear validation of Republican concerns that Democrats are acting outside the bounds of Virginia law. Kilgore, a seasoned lawyer and legislator, said that Miyares analysis gives legal weight to the obvious, common-sense reading of Virginia law. He noted in a statement that hundreds of thousands of Virginians have already cast their ballots in this election, as the 45-day early voting period sought by Democrats is ongoing. The current general election began on September 19 and will conclude on November 4 at 7 p.m., Kilgore said. The effort to ram through a constitutional amendment during an election flies in the face of Virginias constitutional and code-mandated public notice requirements. Spanberger backs keeping redistricting option open The House Privileges and Elections Committee, chaired by Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, is expected to take up the amendment Wednesday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger said Monday she would not oppose the General Assemblys effort to advance the proposed measure. In an interview aboard her campaign bus, Spanberger told The Associated Press that she supports Democrats keeping alive the option to respond to other states that redraw their congressional maps for partisan advantage. While I like to plan for everything, on this one, because Im on the bus tour, because we are eight days away (from Election Day), Im like, I will let the General Assembly take this step, and then well talk calendar issues later, she said. Her stance marks a subtle shift from comments she made in August, when she said she had no plans to redistrict Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican candidate for governor Winsome Earle-Sears denounced the proposed amendment outside the state Capitol Monday, lambasting it as an attempt to dismantle the very independent redistricting commission that Virginia was voting for in a bipartisan majority. The issue has taken on new urgency for Democrats nationally. If the party were to gain just three more seats in the U.S. House, it could reclaim the majority, while Republican-led legislatures in states such as Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina have already approved new maps expanding GOP advantages. If approved by both chambers, Virginias measure would still need to pass again in the next General Assembly session in 2026 and then win approval from voters in a statewide referendum before taking effect. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene Wednesday at 11 a.m. to consider the procedural resolution that opened the door for redistricting-related measures during this special session. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi adopted the tried-and-true method of getting on President Donald Trumps good side by complimenting his peacemaking skills and vowing to nominate him for the Nobel Prize. During Tuesdays meeting in Tokyo, Takaichia protegee of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who enjoyed a close relationship with Trumppraised the presidents efforts to broker peace in the Middle East and Asia, according to The New York Times. Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy, she told Trump. I myself am so impressed and inspired by you, Mr. President. Japans new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, learned from her mentor, the late Shinzo Abe, how to handle President Trump. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images The 64-year-old Takaichi, who is the countrys first female prime minister, assumed office just last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said Takaichi had nominated Trump, 79, for the Nobel Peace Prize, which has long been a fixation of the presidents. Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, reportedly nominated Trump for the prize during the presidents first term, to no avail. The Japanese government declined to comment to the Times on whether it had nominated Trump, citing the Nobels committees principle of not disclosing the nominees. If true, however, would be the latest in a long line of political allies and sycophants attempting to win over Trump by playing to his Nobel ambitions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised Trump with a nomination for the peace prize in July, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that Trump deserved the award. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both men are leading years-long military campaigns that have tested their relationships with Trump, but the Nobel Prize gestures immediately put them at least temporarily in Trumps good graces. Both Israeli lawmakers and House Speaker Mike Johnson have said they will launch campaigns to get Trump the coveted prize next year, making Japans nomination unnecessary. Those efforts appear to be counterproductive, though, as the Norwegian Nobel Committees deputy leader, Asle Toje, told Reuters in September that influence campaigns are more likely to have a negative effect than a positive one when the panel convenes to decide who will get the award. House Speaker Mike Johnson has vowed to lead a campaign for President Trump to win next years Nobel Peace Prize, even though committee members have said that lobbying is counterproductive. / Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Some candidates push for it really hard and we do not like it, Toje said. We are used to work in a locked room without being attempted to be influenced. It is hard enough as it is to reach an agreement among ourselves, without having more people trying to influence us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many of the committees members have also spoken out publicly against Trumps attacks on the press and his dismantling of American democracy during his second term. And yet Takaichis approach to Trumpincluding her dangling of the Nobel Prize nominationseemed to pay off for Japan. After originally threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on products from Japan, Trump reduced the rate to 15 percent in July as part of a trade agreement in which Japan has vowed to invest $550 billion in the U.S. I want to just let you know, anytime you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there, he told her. We are an ally at the strongest level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Afterward, Trump gave a speech to U.S. troops stationed in Japan during which he vowed to deploy more soldiers in American cities. The peacemaker president also vowed to go into countries, win wars, and blast the hell out of countries before leaving. No enemy will ever even dream of threatening Americas Navy... And if they do, the American sailor stands ready to crush them, and sink them, and wreck them, and blast them into oblivion, Trump said. He then joked that those comments had probably taken him out of the running for the Nobel Peace Prize. US Vice President Vance added that 'little skirmishes' are expected here and there, but that he expects Trump's peace plan to hold despite them. United States President Donald Trump said that "nothing is going to jeopardize" the ceasefire in Gaza during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One early Wednesday morning, according to Reuters. "You have to understand Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave," Trump told the reporters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If they (Hamas) are good, they are going to be happy, and if they are not good, they are going to be terminated, their lives will be terminated." Vice President JD Vance also said on Tuesday that the ceasefire in Gaza was holding despite Israeli strikes in Gaza City, and both Israel and Hamas' accusations of violations against each other. "The ceasefire is holding. That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there," Vance told reporters. Smoke rises in Gaza City due to Israeli air strikes, September 26,2025. (credit: Ali Hassan/Flash90) IDF ups response against Hamas amid violations The IDF expanded its strikes across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after Hamas terrorists fired at soldiers in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IDF announced on Wednesday morning that one soldier was killed by Hamas sniper fire, which triggered the strikes on Tuesday. Trump defended the IDF's response to reporters on Air Force One. "They killed an Israeli soldier, so the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back." The Israeli military also struck the area of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, claimed the hospital's director-general. Israel is also considering further encroaching into areas of the Gaza Strip that it had previously withdrawn from. An Israeli source said that it will "nibble away" at additional territory currently under Hamas control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These actions follow multiple ceasefire violations by Hamas, including firing an anti-tank missile and shooting at IDF troops in Rafah. An Israeli official told the Post that Israel's response to Hamas's violations will be "much more significant" than the last time. At the same time, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas will "pay a heavy price" for attacking IDF soldiers and violating the agreement to return hostage remains. On Monday night, Hamas returned additional remains of former hostage Ofir Tzarfati, marking the third time Tzarfati's remains have been discovered, returned, and buried. In response, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum alluded to yet another Hamas violation. "Hamas knows the location of all the hostages and continues to act with contempt, deceiving mediators and the international community while desecrating the dignity of our loved ones," the forum said. Reuters contributed to this report. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Monday released the "Himachal Pradesh Human Development Report 2025" prepared jointly by the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change, Government of Himachal Pradesh, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India, under the theme "Building the Future in a Climate-Impacted World." Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister Sukhu said the report marks a significant milestone in assessing the state's progress through an independent, evidence-based approach. "For the first time, the Government of Himachal Pradesh decided to get an independent assessment done through a third-party agency like the UNDP. This report reflects the positive policy response of our government over the past two and a half to three years," said CM Sukhu. He added that despite a challenging fiscal situation, the state has been able to maintain a strong development performance. "If Himachal Pradesh today stands among the top five states in the country on human development indicators, it is because of the policy transformation and welfare measures that have empowered our people. Even amid economic adversity, our focus remains on self-reliance and human dignity," the Chief Minister said. Sukhu emphasised the state's pioneering initiatives in social welfare and sustainable agriculture. "Himachal Pradesh is the first state in India to provide a minimum support price (MSP) for naturally grown crops like wheat, maize, barley, and raw turmeric, and also the first state to offer a support price for milk," he stated. "Moreover, Himachal is the first state where the government has legally adopted orphan children under the 'Children of the State' policy; here, the government itself is their mother and father." He added. The Chief Minister noted that the Human Development Report 2025 highlights how the state's welfare schemes and environmental policies have improved social indicators despite natural disasters and fiscal pressures. He lauded UNDP's efforts to conduct an independent field-based assessment. "We appreciate the UNDP for carrying out this assessment on the ground. Their findings confirm that the state has made visible progress even in the face of disasters," Sukhu remarked. Referring to the 2023 floods and landslides, he said the government's disaster response has been recognised by NITI Aayog and the World Bank. He, however, expressed concern over the pending financial assistance from the Centre. "The Prime Minister had announced 1,500 crore for disaster relief in Himachal, but that amount has not yet been released," Sukhu told reporters. "If necessary, I am ready to go to the Prime Minister along with BJP MPs and MLAs to seek this aid jointly." He Added. The Chief Minister also said he would raise key fiscal issues during his upcoming visit to Delhi. Earlier, presenting the report, Dr. Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative of UNDP India, lauded the state's leadership for pioneering a new development framework that integrates climate resilience with human progress. "This is the first state Human Development Report in India that examines the intersection of human development and climate change," Dr. Lusigi said. "We commend the Government of Himachal Pradesh for its leadership, and the Department of Environment, Science, Technology and Climate Change for steering this report." He said. Highlighting the key findings, she said the report introduces, for the first time, a Climate-Adjusted Human Development Index (CA-HDI) -- a new metric to assess how climate change reshapes development outcomes. "The key message is clear: climate change is not only about the environment, it's about human development," she said. "In 2025, Himachal Pradesh witnessed floods in Kangra, landslides in Kullu, and record heat in Una. These events cost the state an estimated 4,300 crore -- nearly three times more than last year. Yet, the report gives us hope, showing that climate resilience and local wisdom can safeguard progress," she added. She pointed to examples from the field that demonstrate resilience, such as weather-based insurance schemes for farmers, solar irrigation in Sirmaur, and the restoration of natural springs in Shimla. "Fighting poverty and fighting climate change must go hand in hand. Every development plan and every investment, public or private, must build resilience," Dr. Lusigi said. Acknowledging the role of women in climate adaptation, she noted, "Women are leading this transformation in Himachal. Through self-help groups and local institutions, they are pioneering solutions in water management, clean energy, and sustainable agriculture." She also praised the state's use of technology for environmental monitoring. "The bioportal for real-time forest monitoring, developed with the Aryabhatta Geo-Informatics and Space Applications Centre, is an inspiring example of how data can become the new climate infrastructure," she said. Dr. Lusigi commended the Chief Minister's leadership. "The creation of the State Climate Council and the integration of resilience in departmental planning reflect a forward-looking vision," she said. "As UNDP, we remain committed to working with the Government and people of Himachal Pradesh to accelerate human development, strengthen climate resilience, and ensure that no one is left behind," she added. (ANI) Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, though he did not specify how the Trump administration will reconfigure funding as pain from the second-longest shutdown spreads nationwide. The funding fight in Washington gained new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans. We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now, Vance told reporters after lunch with Senate Republicans at the Capitol. Weve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. Were trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shutdown causes turmoil for some military families food assistance The vice president reaffirmed Republicans strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. But nearly a month into the shutdown, it hasnt worked. Just before Vances visit, a Senate vote on legislation to reopen the government failed for the 13th time. Federal employee union calls for end to shutdown The strain is building on Democratic lawmakers to end the impasse. That was magnified by the nations largest federal employee union, which on Monday called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point. Its time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship, said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act. Weve got to get a deal with Donald Trump, Kaine said. But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand. This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore, said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference. How will Trump administration reconfigure funds? The nations 1.3 million active duty service members were at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll. Vance did not say Tuesday how the Department of Defense will cover troop pay this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Larger still, the Trump administration says funding will run out Friday for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected the use of more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. And it says states wont be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month. Vance said that reconfiguring funds for those programs was like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with the budget. The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, goes against the departments previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration made an intentional choice not to the fund SNAP in November, calling it an act of cruelty. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another program endangered by the shutdown is Head Start, with more than 130 preschool programs not getting federal grants on Saturday if the shutdown continues, according to the National Head Start Association. All told, more than 65,000 seats at Head Start programs across the country could be affected. Will lawmakers find a solution? At the Capitol, congressional leaders mostly highlighted the challenges many Americans are facing as a result of the shutdown. But there was no movement toward negotiations as they attempted to lay blame on the other side of the political aisle. Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats political games, said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The House passed a short-term continuing resolution on Sept. 19 to keep federal agencies funded. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of legislative session ever since, saying the solution is for Democrats to simply accept that bill. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the Senate has consistently fallen short of the 60 votes needed to advance that spending measure. Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Window-shopping for health plans delayed When asked about his strategy for ending the shutdown, Schumer said that millions of Americans will begin seeing on Saturday how much their health insurance is going up next year. People in more than 30 states are going to be aghast, aghast when they see their bills, Schumer said. And they are going to cry out, and I believe there will be increased pressure on Republicans to negotiate. The window for enrolling in ACA health plans begins Saturday. In past years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has allowed Americans to preview their health coverage options about a week before open enrollment. But, as of Tuesday, Healthcare.gov appeared to show 2025 health insurance plans and estimated prices, instead of next years options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans insist they will not entertain negotiations on health care until the government reopens. Im particularly worried about premiums going up for working families, said Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa. So were going to have that conversation, but were not going to have it until the government opens. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report. FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) Former Fall River Mayor William Flanagan is sharing his feelings of gratitude after he was attacked last week and survived being stabbed in the neck. Flanagan posted on social media Tuesday morning and revealed what he experienced. I came face to face with death. A man, lost in psychosis, stabbed me multiple times in my face, in my body, and in my neck, Flanagan explained. I can still feel the weight of those moments. The sound. The fear. The realization that I might never see my family again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement BACKGROUND: Arrest made in stabbing of former Fall River mayor The former mayor credited first responders, his doctors and nurses with saving his life. Thank you for being angels on Earth, he wrote. Flanagan also swore to never take another day for granted and thanked his community. Since that night, Ive felt the power of love in a way I never thought possible, he said. The prayers, the messages, the faces of friends and strangers who reached out theyve brought me to tears over and over. Fall River police accuse 31-year-old Corree Gonzales of randomly stabbing Flanagan on Oct. 20 on Hartwell Street. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident was captured on surveillance video. Flanagan was walking on the sidewalk when an individual ran up from behind and stabbed him several times. MORE: Surveillance video shows moment when former Fall River Mayor was attacked Current Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan has said Gonzales suffers from serious mental illness. He is currently being held without bail at Bridgewater State Hospital. A doctor who testified last week recommended Gonzales undergo additional evaluation before the case moves forward. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. Venezuela said Trinidad and Tobagos hosting of a US warship was a hostile act after Washington sent a destroyer to the islands. The US has moved military assets close to Venezuela in recent weeks, including the recent deployment of the worlds biggest aircraft carrier. Analysts remain puzzled over the White Houses intentions, with some speculating that hardliners are vying to remove Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro from power. Were Washington to overthrow Maduro, the focus should be on who would replace him, a Latin America expert argued: Removing Maduro is hard, but the transition will be harder. Venezuela has suspended a major gas deal with neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, citing the island nations reception of a United States warship. President Nicolas Maduro ordered the immediate suspension of a deal to provide natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago, state broadcaster TeleSUR reported on Monday. The island is hosting one of several US warships deployed near Venezuelan waters by President Donald Trumps administration. Venezuelan officials have accused the US president of seeking regime change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cancelling the gas deal, Maduro accused Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of transforming the Caribbean nation into an aircraft carrier of the American empire against Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago ran out of gas before Venezuela had agreed to help it with the deal, Maduro asserted. Persad-Bissessar pushed back, telling Trinidad and Tobagos Newsday newspaper that the countrys future does not depend on Venezuela and never has. She added that her government has been moving away from reliance on the long-delayed joint Dragon gasfield, which sits in Venezuelan waters near Trinidad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last government mistakenly placed all their hopes in the Dragon project. We have not done so, Persad-Bissessar said. This means that the government is not susceptible to any blackmail from the Venezuelans for political support, she asserted. However, she denied that there are rising tensions between the two countries, which are separated by a small bay just 11km (7 miles) wide at its narrowest point. Illegal and immoral military threat The USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, arrived on Sunday in the Trinidadian capital, Port of Spain, with US Marines on board before planned joint military exercises. Venezuelan authorities described Trinidads decision to host the ship as a provocation. The island nations government has stressed that joint exercises with the US happen regularly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since September, the Trump administration has launched 10 strikes against vessels in the region that it alleges were carrying drugs, killing at least 43 people. The Pentagon has so far deployed seven warships, a submarine, drones and fighter jets to the Caribbean as well as another warship to the Gulf of Mexico. The US has also announced the imminent arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford, the worlds largest aircraft carrier, which can host up to 90 airplanes and attack helicopters. Many Latin America and Caribbean leaders have compared the strikes to extrajudicial killings. However, Persad-Bissessar has supported the US campaign, saying shed rather see drug traffickers blown to pieces than have them kill citizens of her nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venezuela argues that the attacks are aimed at allowing external powers to rob Venezuelas immeasurable oil and gas wealth. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto told the United Nations General Assembly on Monday that the US has an illegal and completely immoral military threat hanging over our heads. Several senior officials have accused the US of using false claims of a war against drugs to prepare a bid to oust Maduros government, which earned international opprobrium last year as it won elections branded neither free nor fair. Dragon and Manatee gas projects Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago first agreed to jointly drill for gas in 2018. However, the project has been long delayed and complicated by US sanctions on Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the US supports the Trinidad governments Dragon gas proposal but it would take steps to ensure it will not provide significant benefit to Maduros government. The licence on the field permits the British multinational oil and gas company Shell and Trinidads National Gas Company to develop the Dragon gasfield off Venezuela despite the sanctions targeting Maduros government. Shell is separately developing the Manatee gas project, which crosses the maritime border into Venezuela but has received permission from the Maduro government to be developed on the Trinidad side independently. It was not immediately clear whether that project could also be at risk, the Reuters news agency reported. The Dragon gasfield is reported to have 119 billion cubic metres (4.2 trillion cubic feet) of gas, a fossil fuel that contributes to climate change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The International Energy Agency warned in 2021 that launching new oil and gas projects was incompatible with reaching climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement. Trinidad and Tobago is reliant on gas for 92.6 percent of its energy needs with the remaining 7.3 percent provided by oil products, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, provide 0.02 percent of the island nations energy, according to the IEA, well below other countries in the region. VERSAILLES, Ky. (FOX 56) A Woodford County man was arrested on Saturday after a juvenile was injured in a shooting in Versailles. According to an arrest citation, Versailles police arrested 25-year-old Jai Burgess around 10 p.m. on Oct. 25 after allegedly shooting a juvenile in the foot. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Versailles Police Department officer reported that Burgess said that he saw the victim point a gun at him while driving by, but police did not find any firearms inside the victims vehicle. The citation said six shell casings were found at the scene of the shooting on Macey Avenue. LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Burgess is charged with first-degree assault and first-degree wanton endangerment and was lodged in the Woodford County Detention Center with a $50,000 cash bond. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. _ A former royal staffer shared his prediction for Prince George's future, and according to the insider, it's very unlikely the second in line to the British throne will break from tradition when it comes to joining the military after college. Keep reading to find out why MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news Mirrorpix / MEGA _ As the future king of England, Prince George ought to enlist in the military when he's older, former royal butler Grant Harrold said. "It is possible that he could take on the position of being head of the armed forces and have little or no experience within their armed forces and learn about it on the job. But it would be very strange if he stopped the tradition in the military," Harrold told Study Dog. "We've always had royals involved in the military or some sort, even if it's for a short period of time. So it should still continue." James Whatling / MEGA _ Prince William became a helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. King Charles III was also in the Royal Navy. Prince Harry, meanwhile, completed two tours in Afghanistan. Queen Elizabeth II was the first female member of the royal family to join the military full-time. (She served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and became a driver and mechanic.) "Historically, royals were all about fighting battles, and if suddenly that stops, that would be quite significant because that's a big part of what the royal family is about," Grant Harrold said. Mirrorpix / MEGA _ Prince William began his stint in the military after completing his education. Grant Harrold believes Prince George will do the same. "I think George will go to university. William enjoyed university and [his] children seem to enjoy the school and their education," he said. James Whatling / MEGA Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement _ Unlike his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, Prince George is being prepared by Prince William and Kate Middleton for the pressures that come with his role as future king. "It's all part of a slow, incremental move towards his destiny. They've always been very clear about pacing it, not making the children do anything that puts them off the idea of being royal in the future. It's a case of including him in things that he'll enjoy, but that also touch on his life to come," biographer Robert Hardman said. ST. LOUIS Fallen teacher Jean Kuczkas family spoke only with FOX 2 about the lawsuit we first reported on Friday. The suit accuses health care professionals of failing to warn of the gunmans plans, which they believe were explicitly told to psychiatrists. If the proper reporting would have been done, we feel like this would have never happened, Jean Kuczkas husband Steve told FOX 2. Steve sat down with his three children Isabelle, Abbey and Joe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If theres something we can do to prevent a future school shooting or prevent someone from getting hurt, thats what we want to do, the children added. Their loved one died protecting her students-and doing a job she believed in. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News She drove over an hour one way to work every day and I think that says something. She wanted to be where she was at, Joe said. Mental health was part of it, as her bullet riddled classroom door had a sign saying, Mental health is just as important as physical health and her chalkboard the day she died instructed students to Design a personalized mental wellness first aid kit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think it would have been prevented, if they would have known. They didnt have all the information, Joe said. Hes talking about the St. Louis Police visit to the school shooters home nine days prior to the rampage. Officers could not do much because they did not know what we know today-the shooter wrote in his manifesto, later discovered by police, which said in part, I literally told 2 psychiatrists I was planning on shooting up my old high school. Alfred Montgomery temporarily removed as St. Louis Sheriff, judge rules On Oct. 24, 2022, the shooter carried out that plan-killing two people and injuring seven others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Absolutely should not have happened, attorney Todd Nissenholtz told FOX 2. He is suing on behalf of the Kuczkas over the alleged failure to report. When you make a specific threat this is my target this is my plan and its imminent theres absolutely a duty to warn on the part of the psychologist, Nissenholtz said. The lawsuit defendants BJH Health Systems and WashU Medicine jointly responded that they will vigorously contest the allegations outlined in the petition. I mean even teachers, theyre mandatory reporters. So, youd think when theres a specific threat made that they wouldve told police about it, Steve Kuczka said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kuczkas say theyre fighting to prevent the next tragedy. If we can prevent that, even through this news coverage, thats what we want just to help others, Joe said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. A Houston crime victims advocate will appear before the Texas parole board to argue against the release of a man involved in one of the city's most notorious crimes, the 1993 rape and murders of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena. Venancio Medellin was 14 years old when the two teenage girls were attacked and killed after taking a shortcut through T.C. Jester Park. Now 46, Medellin has served 32 years of a 40-year prison sentence and is eligible for parole for the second time. Medellin pleaded guilty to sexual assault in connection with the case and received the lightest sentence among the six gang members convicted, after testifying against the others. Three of the attackers have since been executed, and two remain in prison serving life sentences, which were commuted from death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Andy Kahan, who is Director of Victim Services and Advocacy for Crime Stoppers of Houston, is traveling to Palestine, Texas, on Tuesday to meet with a member of the parole board who will serve as the lead voter in Medellin's case. That member's recommendation will be shared with a second voter. If their decision is split, a third member will break the tie. "It's just a name on a piece of paper, so I'm going to bring them back to life," Kahan said, holding a folder filled with newspaper clippings and photos of the victims. "I'm going to make sure they know who Jenny and Elizabeth were." The girls' families have long fought against parole. Kahan said Jennifer Ertman's mother, Sandy, will join Tuesday's meeting by conference call and added that he continues to keep a promise made to Jennifer's father, Randy Ertman, before his death in 2014, to represent the family at every parole hearing. "When you are part of a group that is sexually assaulting and torturing, you need to remain in prison," Kahan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a 2023 interview with ABC13, Medellin expressed remorse for his role. "I would want to express that I'm sorry for what happened," he said. "I wish that I could take it back, but I cannot." The parole board's decision is expected in the coming weeks. If parole is denied, Kahan will ask for another 5-year set-off, he said, so that parole will not be reviewed again until 2030. Medellin's projected release date is in 2033. Meantime, the remaining two others, Efraim Perez and Raul Villareal, who are serving life sentences, are eligible for parole in 2029. To find out how to send a letter or email to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, click here. For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, X and Instagram. Oct. 28The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is continuing to investigate a shooting that left two people dead in North Augusta on Oct. 26 at a local gas station. The victims were 76-year-old Jewel Harden of Hephzibah, Ga., and 33-year-old Thomas Lilly Jr. of Williston, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables. They were both found dead on the scene inside the Sprint gas station on Edgefield Road near the Nancy Carson Public Library. The suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, was shot by a North Augusta Department of Public Safety officer when they arrived on scene. According to SLED, the suspect was armed with an AR-style pistol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No motive has been released by police. The suspect was taken to the hospital where he remains for medical treatment. No law enforcement officers were injured. North Augusta Department of Public Safety officers were reportedly dispatched at about 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 26 and "upon arrival one of our officers encountered the armed suspect in the parking lot where the suspect was shot by a North Augusta Public Safety Officer," according to the agency's report. According to SLED, the incident in Aiken County is the 40th shooting involving an officer in South Carolina in 2025. This is the first officer involved shooting for the North Augusta Public Safety Department this year. SLED is continuing to investigate the incident. In a post on X, Home Minister Shah said, "Glad to share that 21 Maoists have surrendered along with their arms in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh. Out of them, 13 were senior cadres. I commend them for joining the mainstream, abjuring violence at the call of the Modi government. I reiterate my appeal to the rest who are still wielding guns to surrender at the earliest. We are resolved to eradicate Naxalism by 31st March 2026." A total of 21 Maoist cadres, including 13 women, surrendered with 18 weapons in the Kanker district on Sunday, Bastar Inspector General P Sundarraj said. The cadres were part of the Kuemari/Kiskodo Area Committee of Keshkal Division (North Sub Zonal Bureau), he said. According to the senior police official, four Division Committee Members, including Division Committee Secretary Mukesh, nine Area Committee Members and eight party members are among the 21 cadres who have joined the mainstream. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday said that the "backbone of Naxalism is broken" after 21 Maoist cadres, including 13 women, surrendered in the Kanker district. Calling it a success of the 'Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy', the Chief Minister said that the "misled" youth is beginning to choose the path of development. CM Sai reiterated the government's aim to make India Naxal-free by March 31, 2026. (ANI) As the current government shutdown approaches a record-setting length, ABC News Jonathan Karl is certain that President Trump absolutely feels like hes winning because of it. According to the journalist, hes seen no sense of urgency from Trump or his allies to end the shutdown. Karl stopped by The View on Tuesday morning in support of his latest book, called Retribution. To kick things off, host Alyssa Farah Griffin recalled working for Pence during last shutdown (there have now been three in total under a Trump administration), and noted she felt a sense of urgency to end it. The same cannot be said now, in her opinion, so she wondered what Karl has heard, and whether the president feels hes winning with every day the government is shut down. He absolutely feels like hes winning, Karl said. They feel no need to cut a deal with the Democrats. Donald Trump has spent far more time talking about the new marble hes putting in the floor of the White House, obviously about the new ballroom, all of that. And obviously, hes on a foreign trip now in Asia. .@ABC News' @JonKarl explains why he says Pres. Trump "absolutely feels like he's winning" the government shutdown when it comes to public perception. pic.twitter.com/NV3SIQPkXd The View (@TheView) October 28, 2025 At that, host Joy Behar quipped that Trump seems to consider himself more like Martha Stewart, as he talks of demolishing pieces of the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes very into doing this changing the White House, theres no doubt, Karl agreed. And I see no sense of urgency, and not even on Capitol Hill, he added, circling back to Farah Griffins point. I mean, the Republicans in the House they control the House, they control the Senate the House has not even been in session during the shutdown. Ive never witnessed that. Theres always stuff while theres a shutdown happening, trying to get to a deal. As of this writing, the government has been shut down for 28 days, with no end in sight, and thousands of people not getting a paycheck because of it. The previous record remains 35 days, back when the government shut down in December 2018. The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. The post The View: Jonathan Karl Says Trump Absolutely Feels Like Hes Winning With Shutdown Approaching Record Length | Video appeared first on TheWrap. The 2025 Virginia attorney general race is slated to be the most expensive state attorney general race on record, according to the ad tracking company AdImpact. A total of $36.8 million has been spent in the race so far, with Republicans spending $21.9 million and Democrats spending $14.9 million. Last years attorney general race in North Carolina saw a total spend of $35.3 million, while $27.2 was spent in 2024 in the Pennsylvania attorney general race. In Texass 2022 race, $32.8 million was spent, and $19.2 million was spent in Illinoiss attorney general race in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Old Dominion State race became arguably the most watched in the states off-year election after a texting scandal emerged involving Democratic nominee Jay Jones. In the messages, which were sent to a Republican delegate in 2022, Jones openly talks about shooting former state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R). Jones has since apologized for the resurfaced remarks, but Republicans including President Trump and Vice President Vance have called on him to drop out of the race. Polling suggests that the scandal has boosted state Attorney General Jason Miyaress (R) chances at reelection. A Washington Post/Schar School poll released last week showed Miyares and Jones tied at 46 percent support among likely voters. Meanwhile, a Virginia Commonwealth University poll shows Miyares leading Jones 45 percent to 42 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Virginia Democrats are bracing for the possibility of split-ticket results in the governor and attorney general races, which could pose a significant impact on policy and issues like redistricting. While former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) continues to hold a lead over Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), the attorney generals race is increasingly looking like a wild card. Polls released in the weeks following news of unearthed violent texts sent by Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones in 2022 have shown an increasingly tight race between him and incumbent state Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), with some more recent polling showing Miyares leading. A scenario in which Spanberger wins the governors mansion and Miyares retains his position would create a headache for Democrats in Richmond, who have voiced a desire to push back on Republicans and the Trump administration by any means possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its very possible, said veteran Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth, when asked how likely a split ticket is in November. I dont know whether Jones has staunched the bleeding. Clearly the issues would be harmful to him in the Richmond suburbs and in the Hampton Roads suburbs, but from what Im hearing even internally, even inside the Beltway up in [Northern Virginia], theyre very problematic. The states attorney general race was viewed as one of the more competitive statewide races prior to Joness texting scandal, with Miyares holding a fundraising lead and Jones holding only a narrow lead in the polls. But the scandal has ratcheted up Democrats anxiety. A Washington Post/Schar School poll released last week showed Miyares and Jones tied at 46 percent support among likely voters. Meanwhile, a Virginia Commonwealth University poll shows Miyares leading Jones 45 percent to 42 percent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Jones win could depend on how big of a margin Spanberger wins by. The same VCU poll showed Spanberger with a 7-point lead, while the Washington Post/Schar School poll had Spanberger up by 12 points. Part of the math equation here is that its a lot harder to lose on the coattails if your voters are not crossing over, veteran Virginia Democratic strategist Ben Tribbett said. I think to the extent that theres anger at Jay, theyre not voting for him. Tribbett argued that Miyares faces a challenge winning with undervotes because he needs twice as many of them. Holsworth predicted Jones could benefit from undervotes. This undervote is going to be fairly sizable, Holsworth said. The Post poll said that theres not a lot of people who are switching their vote from Jones to Miyares, but I think thats more on the Democratic side. With independents, I think youre going to see some Spanberger-Miyares votes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Virginia, the attorney generals office is separate from the governors administration. The attorney general represents the legal interests of the state agencies. Additionally, the attorney general is involved in cases challenging the federal government. It definitely slows down the administration, Tribbett said. Not always in a bad way, but usually in a bad way. The scenario is not unprecedented in Virginia. Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) each had Republican attorneys general when they were governor. When they had issues with the [attorney general] not being able to represent them because the [attorney general] didnt agree with them, they were able to appoint their own counsel who could represent them, Tribbett said. So from an administrative perspective of Abigail as governor, she has some options at her disposal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Democrats say President Trump makes the impact of this election particularly unique because their partys state attorneys general have worked as a firewall between their state and the administration. According to the Democratic Attorneys General Association, as of September, the countrys Democratic attorneys general have filed 50 lawsuits against the administration. Miyares has predictably not taken part in those lawsuits. Thats been sort of the center point of this election, Tribbett said. This has to do with Trump and is Miyares going to join these suits with Trump. Jones has zeroed in on this argument in making his case against the incumbent attorney general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the last nine months, Jasons had 50 chances to sue the administration to protect us, to protect our workers, to protect our health care, to protect our K-12 funding, funding for law enforcement, and his office hasnt done a thing because hes too weak and too scared to stand up to the president, Jones said at their only debate earlier this month. Another factor is the states newly announced redistricting effort, which has added a last-minute wrinkle to the election. Virginias General Assembly is slated to meet Monday in a special session to discuss issues including redistricting, mirroring moves made by Democrats in other states to counter Republicans redistricting moves to gain additional seats ahead of the midterms in states like Texas. A special election on new congressional maps likely wouldnt take place until next year at the earliest, but it raises the stakes for both parties in the Nov. 4 election. Democrats would need to hold onto the House of Delegates, which they control by a narrow majority, in order to move forward with the plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Miyares, meanwhile, could hinder those efforts if he were to win reelection, even if Democrats control the governors mansion and the statehouse. You can imagine that [Miyares] would bring every legal option to bear to delay or prevent the Democratic redistricting plan from coming into effect, Holsworth said. Virginia voters should pick their elected officials, not politicians picking their voters, Miyares told the Virginia Scope last week. I voted for the Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission and broke ranks with my own party on nonpartisan redistricting, to the point where I was removed from House Privileges & Elections Committee for taking a stand. Keeping politicians out of the process was the right thing to do then, and I strongly believe it is the right thing to do now, the attorney general said in a statement to the outlet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones, on the other hand, voted against the commission when he was a delegate and delivered an impassioned speech against it on the floor of the House of Delegates. Something we are seeing is the base I think nationally and in Virginia want to counteract all of this MAGA redistricting and with Jason Miyares as attorney general hes going to hold this up in court forward, said one Virginia Democratic operative. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (WFXR)- Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares issued an opinion on Tuesday, October 28, arguing that state democrats cannot complete the redistricting process before the 2026 midterm elections. In the four-page document, sent House of Delegates Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, Miyares concluded the next actual general election for House of Delegate members is 2027. Under Virginia law, the entire membership of Virginia House of Delegates is elected every two years, in odd-numbered years, for terms beginning in the following even-numbered year, the opinion read in part, In accordance with law, Virginia voters are currently casting their ballots for the candidates they prefer to represent them as delegates for the term that begins in 2026and have been doing so for weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In order for Virginia democrats to redraw districts, an amendment to the state constitution would be required. The current district maps were approved in December 2021 by the Supreme Court of Virginia after the General Assembly failed to approve ones drawn by the Virginia Redistricting Commission. Democrat Abigail Spanberger backs Virginia legislatures redistricting push Miyares democratic challenger for attorney general, Jay Jones, issued the following statement in response. When Donald Trump said he could always count on Jason Miyares, this is what he meant, wrote Jones. Trump has been pressuring Republicans nationwide to rig redistricting in his favor. Now, Jason Miyares is attempting to block a fair, legal process that would return power to Virginians, doubling down on his fealty to Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda. As Attorney General, Ill immediately reverse this partisan opinion and fight to protect our democracy not Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting in Virginia began on Friday, September 19 and runs through Saturday, November 1. The General Election will take place on Tuesday, November 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv. BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, said Monday that she would not oppose a push by the state's Democratic-controlled legislature to redraw congressional districts ahead of next year's midterm elections. Virginia Democrats earlier in the day began taking steps to change the states constitution to allow for a new congressional map, a change that must ultimately be approved by voters before it becomes law. The change is designed to counter President Donald Trumps push to create more partisan districts in several Republican-run states. In an interview on her campaign bus just eight days before Election Day, Spanberger told The Associated Press that she would not stand in the way of the Democratic leaders in the state General Assembly, although it's unclear whether congressional districts could be changed in time for the 2026 midterm elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What they are doing at this moment is keeping alive the option of taking action into the future, said Spanberger, who would become the governor in January if she wins next week. While I like to plan for everything, on this one, because Im on the bus tour, because we are eight days away (from Election Day), Im like, I will let the General Assembly take this step, and then well talk calendar issues later. Her position marks a shift of sorts from this summer when she said she had no plans to redistrict Virginia. Virginia Republicans, including Spanberger's Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, blasted the move in a news conference outside the statehouse. This, my friends, is not about party, its about principle," Earle-Sears said, standing in front of a podium marked with the words, Spanbergers sideshow session." "The voters created an independent redistricting commission. Only the voters have the right to decide a future, not gerrymandering Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democratic-led legislature's push to enter Virginia into a redistricting battle comes after California made a similar move earlier this year. If Democrats gain just three more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, they would take control of the House and with it, the power to impede Trumps agenda. But Republicans in other states, at Trump's urging, are working aggressively to extend their advantage in redistricting moves of their own. Republican lawmakers in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina have already approved new congressional maps aimed at winning more GOP seats. The Republican governor of Indiana also said Monday hes scheduling a special session to redraw congressional boundaries. In Virginia on Monday, the House amended its agenda to allow a redistricting constitutional amendment to be put forward, with details to come later. The state senate is expected to follow suit this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, who has championed Virginia's current redistricting law, said he still supports the concept of a bipartisan redistricting commission, but Im also not going to let Donald Trump go around to states that have the majorities that he likes and try to make it so that he cant lose. Virginia is currently represented by six Democrats and five Republicans who ran in districts established by a court in 2021 after a bipartisan commission failed to agree on a map. Because Virginias redistricting commission was created by a voter-approved constitutional amendment, voters must sign off on any changes to the redistricting process. A proposed constitutional amendment would have to pass the General Assembly in two separate sessions and then be placed on the statewide ballot. Democrats are scrambling to hold that first legislative vote this year in order to take a second vote after a new legislative session begins Jan. 14. By Steve Gorman and Joseph Ax (Reuters) -Democratic leaders convened a special session of the Virginia legislature on Monday to consider redrawing congressional electoral maps in their party's favor, while Indiana's Republican governor summoned lawmakers to weigh a similar plan next week at the behest of President Donald Trump. Virginia and Indiana were poised to become the latest battlegrounds in a mid-decade redistricting war, instigated by Trump, that could play a pivotal role in the outcome of next year's congressional elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Redistricting, the periodic reshaping of political boundaries dividing legislative seats, traditionally is conducted just once a decade following the U.S. Census to account for population shifts. The widening coast-to-coast redistricting scramble, set off by Trump pushing for Texas to redraw its maps this year, is unprecedented in modern U.S. politics. Republicans, including Trump, openly acknowledge that redrawn maps enacted in recent months in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina are aimed at preserving their party's slim U.S. House of Representatives majority in the hotly contested 2026 midterm races. Democrats have fought back by advancing redistricting initiatives of their own, starting in California, where a plan to redraw congressional boundaries to their party's advantage was passed by the legislature in August and will be decided by voters in a special election next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abruptly entering the redistricting fray on Monday in the midst of its gubernatorial race was Virginia, which has a Republican governor and Democratic-controlled legislature. Democrats currently hold six of Virginia's 11 seats in the U.S. House. The opening round in Virginia's statehouse was mostly procedural, with Democrats in the House of Delegates pushing through legislative ground rules required for consideration of a state constitutional amendment to the redistricting process. The resolution passed on a party-line vote of 50-42, and the House was swiftly adjourned until Wednesday, when more substantive action is expected to commence. Democrats in Virginia have said little publicly about their precise intentions, and it was not clear when the state Senate might act. "Virginia's decision to convene and preserve the right to consider a new map in 2026 is critical to the fight to ensure voters have fair representation," Courtney Rice, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement last week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a radio interview on Friday, Governor Glenn Youngkin, a term-limited Republican whose successor will be determined by voters on November 4, called Democrats' steps toward redistricting "a desperate power grab." Under Virginia law, the governor plays no role in amending the state constitution. In Indiana, Republican Governor Mike Braun called a special legislative session for November 3 to weigh redistricting proposals in his state, bowing to a White House pressure campaign. Braun said he was acting to protect Indiana "from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington and ensure their representation in Congress is fair." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democratic leader in the state Senate, Shelli Yoder, responded in a statement, "This is not democracy. This is desperation." FIGHTS OVER HANDFUL OF SEATS No political map alterations have been specifically proposed in Virginia. But local news media reports have said Democrats would stand to gain at least two additional U.S. House seats. California's redistricting plan, which comes before voters in a special ballot on November 4, is designed to flip five Republican seats to the Democrats' column. The redrawn Texas map could yield as many as five more Republican seats. The party is also seeking to gain one additional seat each in Missouri and North Carolina. Other Republican states, including Ohio, Kansas and Florida, are either planning or considering similar moves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats' redistricting ambitions in Virginia face several hurdles that must be surmounted in short order. Virginia law requires a majority of both houses of the General Assembly to vote in two consecutive sessions - this year and next - to alter the state constitution, then submit the plan to voters for approval in a referendum early next year. While Democrats control both the state's Senate and House of Delegates, Virginia is eight days away from elections on November 4 for governor and all 100 legislators in the lower house, leaving little time for lawmakers to act on redistricting in this session. In Indiana, by contrast, lawmakers have the authority to alter the existing map, though some Republicans have expressed skepticism about doing so. Republicans now control seven of the state's nine U.S. House seats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Signaling the next potential flashpoint in skirmishes over political boundaries, the Kansas Senate president announced he has collected enough signatures to call for a special session on redistricting. The House has not yet done so. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Sam Holmes and Leslie Adler) Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday how the commonwealth plans to replace the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with a parallel system to distribute benefits to Virginians amid the government shutdown, which is entering its fifth week. Benefits will be distributed on a weekly rather than monthly basis to SNAP beneficiaries existing Electronic Benefits Transfer cards beginning Nov. 3, assuming the shutdown continues until at least Saturday, Youngkin said at a news conference. More than 850,000 Virginians rely on SNAP benefits for food security. Virginias roughly $2.7 billion budget surplus is funding the new system, called Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance, which will cost roughly $37.5 million per week to operate, according to Youngkin. Related Articles Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The emergency system will work slightly differently than current SNAP benefit distribution, which delivers benefits to a third of recipients on the first, third and fifth days of each month. Under the new plan, which Youngkin said has been developed in real time, will distribute benefits in the same increments every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, meaning the first batch of funds will be delivered Nov. 3, 5 and 7. (Its) like building an airplane while its taking off, Youngkin said. It has never been done before, and we are restricted in that we cant just fund into SNAP. Youngkin said he knows that two-day delay will impact many Virginians in need, and he has directed an incremental $1 million to be distributed across Virginia food banks by the weekend to help stock food shelves and provide a stopgap before people receive their benefits. I expect there are families who will find this delay from Saturday the first to Monday the third to be challenging and a true hardship, Youngkin said. I hope the food banks will have everything on the shelf that they need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move comes after Youngkin declared a state of emergency last week following the Virginia Department of Social Services issuing a notice that benefits would lapse Nov. 1 if a congressional deal was not made to reopen the government by Oct. 28. Republicans and Democrats blame each other for the prolonged shutdown. Republicans control the U.S. House and Senate, but need at least some bipartisan support to pass a temporary funding resolution. Democrats have largely withheld support, saying they will not vote to resume federal funding until Republicans agree to negotiate an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies. Youngkin, a Republican, blamed Democrats on Tuesday. But he said the states parallel system is funded at least through November. After that, he said funding becomes less certain. We have run the finances and are prepared to fund this program for the entire month of November, Youngkin said. And then I pray to the Lord we dont have to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youngkins strategic plan is a contrast to actions taken by other states. On Tuesday, Democratic attorneys general and governors from 25 states sued the Trump administration to force the release of billions of dollars of contingency funds available to ensure the program can provide food for the roughly 42 million Americans that rely on it. Virginia did not join the lawsuit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is roughly $3 billion short in its multi-year contingency fund to cover a month of SNAP operations, which costs roughly $9 billion. However, the department is currently sitting on $5.5 billion in additional contingency funds, but has refused to release the money, claiming it is illegal to make emergency funds available for regular benefits, and must reserve them for situations like natural disasters. Mark Warner, one of Virginias two Democratic senators, fired back during a news conference Tuesday, accusing the Trump administration of withholding the contingency funds for political purposes in addition to the SNAP eligibility cuts included in the reconciliation bill Trump signed into law earlier this year. Warner acknowledged Youngkins plan to ensure Virginians dont go hungry next month, but said Congress needs a long-term plan to ensure SNAP is available to everyone who needs it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You all say you want to support SNAP. Lets go ahead and take the administrations plan that they laid out and make that the law so that nobody has to go hungry, Warner said. I understand Virginia has found a way to short-term, but these short-term fixes only last so long. Lets end the shutdown. Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, devlin.epding@virginiamedia.com Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces the creation of the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance program, a state-level food assistance program that can operate amid an ongoing federal government shutdown that's placed the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on pause, on Oct. 28, 2025 in Richmond. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/ Virginia Mercury) Virginias budget surplus will fund a state-level replacement for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program should the federal government shutdown continue into November, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday. Dubbed Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance, or VENA, the newly-created program is expected to send money to SNAP beneficiaries Electronic Benefit Transfer cards starting on Nov. 3. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP typically helps low-income earners and people who cant work afford groceries. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the program, has told states to pause payments until further notice, starting Nov. 1. The federal government has been shut down since the beginning of October as members of Congress failed to agree on annual appropriations bills and several attempts at a short-term spending bill that could end the shutdown. VENAs payments will roll out in weekly waves every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and follow SNAPs model of disbursing funds to a third of beneficiaries each time. With SNAP, a third of people are paid on the first of each month, another third gets paid on the fourth and the last group gets their benefits on the 7th. Unlike SNAP, however, people can expect VENA money weekly rather than their months allotment all at once. Youngkin estimates that about $37.5 million will be allocated per week to Virginias roughly 850,000 SNAP recipients. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Because we are designing this in real time, we need to pay the first benefits on a Monday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said as he announced details of the new program at the state Capitol on Tuesday afternoon. Youngkin acknowledged the hardship recipients may face if they had expected their normal SNAP payments on the first of the month, which is a Saturday. To remedy that problem, he directed $1 million to the states network of food banks to help bolster their support. Last week, Virginias food banks had cautioned that they could not fully absorb the spike of Virginias SNAP beneficiaries that would flock to them for help. Youngkin said that he anticipates Virginia can operate the program through the end of next month, but he hopes that Congress can end the shutdown before then. Partisan tensions simmer amid shutdown, social programs held hostage The governor cast the blame for the shutdown and impending SNAP freeze on Democrats in Congress, where Republicans hold the majority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To be honest, I think our nation will be in a state of complete disarray if the Democrats in the Senate continue to drag out this complete shutdown and hostage-taking that they have engineered, Younkgin said. He suggested that Democrats in Congress are essentially putting programs like SNAP at risk, which continues to just absolutely defy any sense of morality. His remarks echo that of politicians nationwide, who have played a blame game about whos at fault for the federal shutdown and its effect on states. President Donald Trump is on an out-of-country trip to Asia while the U.S. House of Representatives has not gaveled into session in more than a month. The U.S. Senate has continued to meet but has also failed to agree on continuing resolutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A key sticking point for Democrats, has been an attempt to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that the Republican-controlled Congress left out of their reconciliation bill this summer. Those subsidies help low-income people who dont qualify for Medicaid be able to purchase health insurance on their own. The matter has taken on fresh salience as the reconciliation bill entails forthcoming changes to health care that would cause millions of Americans to lose Medicaid insurance and funding losses to hospitals. The bill took aim at Medicaid in order to boost funding for the U.S. military, U.S. Customs and Immigration and to extend tax cuts that primarily benefit high-income earners. Republicans still control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. They have, quite literally, the power to stop this, Virginias U.S. senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner said in a statement provided to The Mercury. They also had the power to defend nutrition benefits earlier this year, but chose to sell out working families as part of the Big Ugly Law in order to offset the cost of tax breaks for billionaires. U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, has agreed with her Democratic colleagues that the ACA subsidies should be extended and urged her fellow Republicans to address the matter but she suggested in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson that Congress take up the matter after ending the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaine, Warner and others have also urged the USDA to tap into its $6 billion contingency funding in the interim to support SNAP nationwide. SNAP recipients will have relief for now The political back-and-forth over the past month has caused stress for local SNAP recipients, including Richmond resident Asia Broadie, a single mother balancing work, parenting and schooling to become a nursing assistant. On a recent trip to the grocery store with The Mercury, she explained which bulk purchases get her through each month and how shes able to tap into a state program to buy discounted produce. Theyre growing and theyre eating it goes quick, she said of her children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Virginias budget surplus has allowed Youngkin to get creative with short-term solutions, he emphasized Tuesday that each state is different and not all can absorb issues that stem from the federal fallout. The National Governors Association has called us to ask us how we are doing this, Youngkin explained. Were leading different states in different circumstances, and I think we have decided that were just going to get this done. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The hot sand around the Sudanese city of El Fasher is stained red with the blood of more than 2,000 massacred civilians. The pools of blood are so thick, the piles of bodies so exposed, that the ethnic purge allegedly committed by Sudanese paramilitary rebels is visible from space. Militia groups defending the city alongside the army alleged the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebel group committed heinous crimes against innocent civilians and said most of the dead were women, children and the elderly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A video purported to show a child soldier murdering a grown man in cold blood. Another supposedly showed RSF fighters executing civilians moments after pretending to release them. The total death toll could not immediately be confirmed, but satellite pictures taken after the city fell over the weekend following an 18-month siege showed evidence of mass killings. Analysis by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which has been tracking the siege using open source images and satellite imagery, found clusters of objects consistent with the size of human bodies and reddish ground discolouration thought to be either blood or disturbed soil. Body-sized objects were found clustered around vehicles and along an RSF sand berm built around the city. There have been reports of civilians being shot as they tried to break out and flee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement b' ' The lab said it had also found evidence of door-to-door clearance operations. It concluded: El Fasher appears to be in a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of... indigenous non-Arab communities through forced displacement and summary execution. More than a quarter of a million people had endured starvation and bombardment in the city, after taking refuge in what was the last army stronghold in the vast Darfur region. Sudans two-and-a-half-year-long civil war has rekindled ethnic bloodshed in the region, with RSF fighters accused of massacring black African groups to take their land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The RSF is largely drawn from Arab militias and formed from the notorious Janjaweed, responsible for genocide and mass atrocities in Darfur 20 years ago. The RSF capture of other enclaves, including El Geneina in 2023, led to ethnic massacres of thousands of people. b' ' Refugees and aid workers have been warning for 18 months that similar atrocities were likely if El Fasher fell. Cameron Hudson, a former US National Security Council director for Africa, said: We have seen what is unfolding in El Fasher before. It was two years ago in El Geneina and as the RSF took the city, it initiated a campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Its happening again and still we do nothing. Shame on them. Shame on us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tens of thousands of people have fled El Fasher since it fell, many heading westwards for Tawila. A video clip purported to show scores of people fleeing the city, clutching their belongings as RSF fighters shouted racial insults and beat them. In another scene, several militants dressed in the RSFs trademark brown uniforms and turbans were seen packed into a truck, chasing unarmed civilians as they ran for their lives. Gunfire rang out as one fighter shouted kill the Nuba, a reference to Sudans black African tribes. Credit: RSF Reports indicated that the RSF was deliberately forcing displaced civilians eastward into areas under its control, away from humanitarian hubs such as Tawila, where some international agencies were operating. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, the RSF was preventing people from fleeing the town in other directions, specifically blocking movement south and west, and compelling them to move east, where there was no safety or access to aid. Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, said: We are witnessing a deeply disturbing pattern of abuses in El Fasher, including systematic killings, torture, and sexual violence. The UN Human Rights Office said it had received multiple, alarming reports that the RSF are carrying out atrocities, including summary executions. Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, said the risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El Fasher was mounting by the day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement b' ' Sudans catastrophic civil war is well into its third year and the UN and aid agencies say the fighting has produced the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Rivalry between Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto president, and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, his deputy, flared into open fighting in April 2023. Violence has forced 14 million to flee their homes and some estimates have put the death toll at as many as 150,000. The health system has collapsed and several parts of the country have been plunged into famine. A UN fact-finding mission has accused both sides of committing an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including mass rape, arbitrary arrests, and torture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rivals have turned to regional allies for help, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) accused of backing the RSF with supplies and mercenaries through Chad and Libya. Sudans army has meanwhile reportedly been supported by Egypt, Russia and Iran. The UAE strongly denies supporting either side and says it has been pushing for a ceasefire. The country is part of the so-called Quad of nations, alongside the United States, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, leading efforts to find a negotiated peace. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Mesa voters have one more day to mail in their ballots to decide a historic recall election that seeks to remove sitting Councilmember Julie Spilsbury from her seat. The controversial recall election in the east central District 2 has gained support from Turning Point USA and was criticized by sitting council members and residents who questioned its grounds. It's widely seen as a litmus test for how much clout the national conservative group can weild in non-partisan local politics. The recall effort was launched in January when a Mesa resident filed the petition to gather signatures, and in July, the council called the election after the Maricopa County Recorders Office verified the group had obtained sufficient signatures to place it on the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Political newcomer Dorean Taylor is the sole challenger in the race. Taylor did not respond to three separate inquiries from The Arizona Republic for comment. In July, she told The Republic she was running to unseat Spilsbury because she didnt think Spilsbury cares about her constituents based on her talk (versus) her actions. She said it was not representative non-partisan leadership. Spilsbury faces the recall because of a trio of yes votes, including raising utility rates, approving the transition of a hotel into a homeless housing program and increasing council salaries. Two of those votes took place prior to Spilsbury's reelection in August, which she won with 65% of the vote in her district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The real crux of the outrage against Spilsbury was her endorsement of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election in November. Spilsbury is a registered Republican. Voter turnout in the special recall election in an off-cycle year creates challenges for Spilsbury. She faces an outpouring of support for Taylor from Turning Point Action, and odd-year elections traditionally have low turnout. Councilmember Julie Spilsbury takes the official oath of office at the Mesa Mayor and Council swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 7, 2025. There are nearly 49,000 registered voters in District 2, according to the city clerks office. In the July 2024 primary elections, only 12,320 residents voted, a 33% turnout. The last recommended day to mail back a ballot is Oct. 28, according to the Maricopa County Election Department. The mail-in-ballot election will take place on Nov. 4. Residents can also drop off their ballots at the following Mesa voting locations, including: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brimhall Aquatics Complex. Maricopa County Recorder/Elections offices. Red Mountain Mesa Community College, which opens on Nov. 3. If Taylor wins the recall election, she would be sworn in and take her seat directly after the city council adopts the canvassing resolution, according to City Clerk Holly Moseley. What is Taylor telling voters in Mesa recall election? On Taylors social media channels, she was seen holding meet and greet events, door-knocking and attending local Republican events. In an Instagram post on Oct. 22, she urged voters to select her for the Mesa City Council. Please elect me to be your Mesa City Councilwoman, to listen to you and represent your voice at the local level, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shes emphasized in her social media messaging that she would be a council member who would represent the voices of all her constituents. In one post on Oct. 15, she wrote she spoke with voters about the future of restoring representation to D2 us. Who is Dorean Taylor and what do we know about her support? Dorean Taylor will challenge Mesa Councilmember Julie Spilsbury in the November recall election. Taylor is originally from Florida and moved to Mesa in 2008, she told The Republic in an email in July. Taylor is a registered Republican and has been registered to vote in Arizona since 2009, according to voter registration data. She raised more than $29,000 in campaign donations, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Not noted in the report was the support she gained from Turning Point Action, which held get-out-the-vote events throughout October and posted campaign signs across the district. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August, the organization faced a campaign finance complaint from a Mesa resident who alleged Turning Point PAC, the fundraising arm of the organization, failed to comply with the Voters Right to Know Act, or Proposition 211. In September, the organization's legal team responded none of the public communications had come "anywhere close to the $25,000 campaign media spending threshold required for filing reports under the act." There has been no resolution to the complaint, according to Tom Collins with the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. A representative of the organization did not respond to a request for comment about its support and involvement in the recall effort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has received support online from upper leadership in the organization, including Tyler Bowyer, the group's chief operating officer. On Oct. 20, he wrote on X that the organization was fully working the recall of the Kamala councilwoman in one of AZs biggest cities, Mesa. Spilsbury hopes community show their support Spilsbury was first elected to the city council in 2020 and won her second term in July 2024. Her term is expected to end in 2029, after which she will be term-limited. She told the Republic she and her team have knocked on over 10,000 doors to correct information spread by her opponent and her team. Theres literally just dozens and dozens of Turning Point people knocking on doors and telling lies about me, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spilsbury said she was trying to run a positive campaign and has not done any negative mailers. She has raised more than $94,000 in donations, including from political action committees like the United Mesa Firefighters PAC and Moms Fed Up PAC out of Tucson. She said she was frustrated that she was having to campaign after she won fair and square a year ago. Spilsbury said she doesn't have a real sense of how it will go, but that she was "feeling really good." "I feel like if all the Democrats, Independents and all the reasonable Republicans vote for me, I should be just fine," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom. Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Wednesdays. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Voters have 1 day to mail in ballots in historic Mesa recall The Indian Army and Assam Rifles in close coordination with Manipur Police, executed a series of precise, intelligence-driven joint operations that led to the apprehension of two cadres from hill and valley-based groups and recovery of a weapon, seizure of contraband, and other war-like stores during the period of October 17-24, 2025. On 17 October 2025, during a check post by Assam Rifles, one individual was apprehended and 500 litres of spurious liquor were recovered in coordination with Wangoo Police at Pangaltabi in Kakching, whereas, on 24 October 2025, Assam Rifles apprehended Haominthang Haokip, a cadre of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA), in Churachandpur with a pistol and two rounds. Meanwhile, Assam Rifles recovered a significant cache of arms, ammunition, and war-like stores from Saikumphai, Champhai District, Mizoram, a statement issued on Monday stated. In a post on social media platform X, the Assam Rifles stated that during an operation on October 24, the forces recovered six 60mm mortar tubes with base plates, two 7.62mm Myanmar-made assault rifles, three shotguns, two .22 rifles, one hand grenade, forty live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, fifteen 60mm mortar rounds, two anti-personnel mines, and two radio sets with antennas along with a charger. All recovered items have been handed over to the Police Department, Dungtlang, Champhai, for further investigation and legal proceedings. Earlier, the Assam Rifles under Spear Corps, in the early hours of October 25, based on specific intelligence inputs and in coordination with Arunachal Pradesh Police, launched a follow-up operation in the general area of Manfeisang, Namsai District, South Arunachal Pradesh, a press release said. During the extensive search and tracking operation, multiple columns were employed, including aerial reconnaissance, tracker dogs, drones, and technical surveillance. Troops have apprehended one ULFA (I) cadre near Hanthi Camp, Manfeisang. The individual was identified as Self-Styled Corporal Thawseng Asom alias Anupom Dohatiya, aged 24 years, resident of Makum Bariakoli, Tinsukia District, Assam. The apprehended cadre was involved in the attack on the Army Camp at Kakopathar on October 17. (ANI) The Nov. 4 election is just one week away, and some people across the region are heading to the polls to cast their votes early. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7s John Bedell talked to some early voters on Tuesday. We are early voting because we are not going to be here on election day because we are traveling, Beavercreek resident Sunita Chavan said. Inside the board of elections, News Center 7 crews saw virtually no lines. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement None. Absolutely none, Miami Township resident Linda Parsons said. As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, elections officials in Xenia said early voter volume was starting to pick up Tuesday as we enter the final week before election day. News Center 7s John Bedell polled some of the regions largest counties for early voter turnout. This includes people who have shown up in person to vote at their local board of elections office and voters who have already returned their absentee ballots. Montgomery Countys turnout so far is nearly 1.5 percent. A little more than 3 percent of registered voters in Miami County have voted early. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Clark County, theyve seen a 3.22 percent turnout. And in Greene County, early voting turnout was at 3.3 percent as of Tuesday afternoon. News Center 7 asked voters about the issues and candidates that motivated them to vote in this election. I think all the levies for me, the taxes are important. For me, getting the right candidates on the board of schools and thats important, Beavercreek resident Pratap Chavan said. Renewing levies for the library, the fire department, the health department, and the trustees, Parsons said. We vote every time. I mean, I think we, we strongly feel that we have to exercise our rights. We, we dont have any right to complain about the government if we dont do what, you know, our duties are, Chavan said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montgomery, Greene and Miami counties board of elections directors said they all expect very early voting hours over the upcoming weekend. Saturday and Sunday are the last two days to vote early and in-person at your countys board of elections. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] (The Center Square) Just one week until Election Day, Minneapolis voters are choosing between 15 different candidates to fill the seat as the citys mayor for the next four years. Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey hopes to win the seat for a third time, though three other candidates have also broken through as frontrunners. Those include minister DeWayne Davis, state Sen. Omar Fateh and businessman Jazz Hampton. Minneapolis uses of ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing just one. For the mayoral race, voters will select their top three candidates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All four frontrunners are members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is a Minnesota-specific political party affiliated with the national Democrat Party. Though all members of the same party, the election has still had its share of political drama. In July, Fateh officially received the endorsement of the DFL with the support of more than 60% of its delegates. Yet, Frey and others challenged that endorsement, citing flaws in the voting system. That eventually led to the party revoking its endorsement, meaning that the DFL is currently not endorsing any candidate. Though early voting started Sept. 19, the frontrunners have participated in a number of debates over the past few weeks. The most recent was Monday night, when candidates differed over approaches to issues like public safety and the minimum wage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All four agreed that the police need more resources, which is notable in light of the "defund the police" movement and the riots that rocked Minneapolis in 2020 during the George Floyd protests. Thousands of buildings were damaged in the riots, resulting in about $350 million in damages. As mayor, Frey has launched a violence interpreter program. He said, if elected for a third term, he hopes to expand that program, while still arresting perpetrators of violent crime. Hampton said the police department is woefully understaffed, while Davis focused on the need for more studies on effective implementation and Fateh pointed to poverty as a root issue. He called for a livable wage and an ambitious youth agenda to address crime. Fateh has also set himself apart as the only candidate in the race that has endorsed the city adopting a $20 minimum wage by 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One job should be enough, Fateh said during the Monday night debate. Every single person deserves to have a livable wage period, no matter the worker. Frey has received a number of significant endorsement from Democrat leaders, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 former vice president candidate. Jacob has helped make Minneapolis a national leader on issues like housing, and I've been proud to work with him to deliver funding to hire more police officers and fight violent crime, Walz said. I am proud to support Mayor Frey's reelection so that we can continue working together to move Minneapolis into the future. Oct. 27SANTA FE With just over one week until Election Day, early voting turnout rates in Albuquerque and other parts of New Mexico suggest many voters might be feeling less than enthusiastic about heading to the polls. Only about 9.3% of Albuquerque's more than 362,000 registered voters had cast ballots as of late Monday, according to the Bernalillo County Clerk's office. That figure includes both absentee and early voting. With early voting set to end Saturday in advance of next week's Election Day, the current trend suggests final turnout levels might fall short of the 32% mark from Albuquerque's last mayoral election in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Voting participation levels have been sluggish," said Brian Sanderoff, a longtime New Mexico political observer who is the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc. While Albuquerque's mayoral election is technically a nonpartisan race, registered Democrats have been voting at a slightly higher clip than Republicans since early voting began on Oct. 7. Roughly 9.5% of registered Democrats in Bernalillo County had cast ballots entering Monday, compared to 8.4% of Republicans, according to state voting data analyzed by Research & Polling Inc. A smaller percentage of independent voters, or those declining to state a political affiliation, had cast a ballot. Viewed another way, more than 55% of the Bernalillo County voters who had cast a ballot entering Monday were registered Democrats, even though Democrats make up only about 45% of all registered voters in the county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanderoff said it's relatively common for Democrats to vote at a higher rate than Republicans during the initial stages of an election. He also said more voters have voted before Election Day than on it during recent election cycles. The turnout trends come after a Journal Poll last month found 37% of likely voters in Albuquerque voters were undecided about who they planned to vote for in the Nov. 4 local election. Two-term incumbent Tim Keller was leading a field of six candidates in that poll, but Keller's approval rating has steadily declined since he was first elected mayor in 2017. The low turnout rates so far in this year's local election are likely connected to the large number of undecided voters, Sanderoff said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But he also said mayoral candidates Keller and Alex Uballez, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, will fare better than their rivals among Democratic voters due to their more progressive views. With Democrats so far voting at a higher clip than Republicans in a city in which Democrats far outnumber GOP voters, the trend could make it difficult for a Republican candidate to post an upset victory even if this year's Election Day turnout ends up narrowing or eliminating the current gap. "We're not seeing the Democratic vote depress" despite the large number of undecided voters, Sanderoff said. Meanwhile, early voting turnout rates have also been sluggish in other parts of New Mexico for this year's local election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 6.2% of registered voters in Santa Fe County had cast a ballot entering Monday, and roughly 4.8% of voters in Taos County. Voters in both Santa Fe and Taos are also choosing a new mayor and other local leaders during this year's election cycle. In Chaves County, where incumbent Roswell Mayor Tim Jennings is seeking to fend off two challengers to win reelection, roughly 4.7% of registered voters had cast a ballot, according to Secretary of State's Office data. Every time Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia's father tried to talk to her, her mother told him the girl was not around, according to a warrant for the woman's arrest. Victor Torres became so concerned, it said, he called the state Department of Children and Families to do a wellness check on his daughter, but the agency couldn't do one because they didn't have the 11-year-old's address, the warrant said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DCF was one of two agencies contacted about problems in Jacqueline's household before the girl's decomposing body was found in a plastic storage bin in New Britain on Oct. 8. Police suspect she was starved to death in Farmington about a year ago and her body moved with the family when they relocated in New Britain. Jacqueline's mother, Karla Roselee Garcia, 29, and Garcia's boyfriend, Jonatan Abel Nanita, 30, were arrested this month on charges that include murder with special circumstances. Police say the couple conspired to kill Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia, who endured "prolonged physical abuse and malnourishment" in their Farmington home last year. While they say Garcia's sister, Jackelyn Leeann Garcia, 28, participated in the abuse, she is not charged with murder. The arrest warrants for all three were made available by the Connecticut Judicial Branch on Tuesday morning. Warrants shedding light on what led to the death of Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia were unsealed this week. The 11-year-old's remains were found in a bin behind an abandoned house in New Britain on Oct. 8, 2025. Jacqueline's mother, Karla Garcia, and her boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, have been charged with murder. Garcia's sister, Jackelyn Garcia, faces charges that include cruelty to a child. (Courtesy of the New Britain Police Department) Signs of trouble Neighbors said they called DCF and police to report their concerns about the family, and Jacqueline's younger sister's school made calls as well, according to the warrant for the arrest of Karla Garcia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents of a Farmington condominium that shared a wall with the family said they routinely heard yelling, swearing and things being thrown around the home, the warrant said. The neighbors in the Wellington Avenue condo said they called DCF to report possible abuse and neglect of Jacqueline's younger sister because they often saw the girl taking out the garbage and carrying large, heavy bags of groceries by herself, it said. "She said this child would also go outside and start the family vehicle, when it was cold outside and was not dressed for the weather," the warrant said. The same neighbors called police on Sept. 28, 2024, saying they "could hear loud noises and arguing and a female voice threatening to break someone's neck," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Dec. 29, 2024, after police believe Jacqueline had died, the neighbors called police twice because they "heard someone scream and heard something heavy' fall," the warrant said. They heard Garcia yell something like, "Stop" or "Don't," the warrant said. The residents also smelled bleach. A neighbor on the other side of the family's rented, townhouse-style condo was a teacher at Jacqueline's younger sister's former school, and said staff saw bruises on her, according to the warrant. "DCF had been contacted on several occasions and reports had been filed," the warrant said. The resident also said when the family moved in next door, "it was always loud, and she could hear young kids yelling during the night. She stated she routinely smelled weed on her back deck, noting it came from Nanita," it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Victor Torres, Jacqueline's father, told investigators that Karla Garcia "made it very difficult to see his children." The problem worsened when he started seeing his current wife and even worse when she became pregnant and they got married, the warrant said. Garcia always had an excuse every time he asked to see Jacqueline, it said; he was often told she was at a friend's house. The last time he saw her was on June 10, 2024, at her fifth-grade graduation, Torres told investigators. A year later, in June, when he attended her younger sister's fifth-grade graduation, Jacqueline was not there and when he asked where she was, he was told Jacqueline was in school, according to the warrant. When Garcia moved from Farmington to Tremont Street in New Britain, she did not give him the address at first and would meet him in her car on a side street, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Torres told police "he grew so concerned that he contacted DCF to do a wellness check but was told they could not because he did not know where she lived." DCF said it cannot comment on its response because of its internal review of how the case was handled. "This is an unspeakable tragedy and one that has impacted Jacqueline's family, friends, and her entire community," said Ken Mysogland, a DCF spokesperson. "We have previously provided three statements in regard to our involvement with her family and at this time we have no further comment." Farmington police said they responded to four calls about the home - two in the same night - but there were never any signs of fighting or violence. In two cases, on Sept. 28, 2024, and on Feb. 2, 2025, no one answered the family's door for police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Dec. 29, 2024, the family had calmed down by the time the officer arrived, so the neighbors told the police not to bother them. And later that night, a woman, apparently Karla Garcia, told police she is in her last trimester "and was just frustrated," according to the police report obtained by CT Insider. On Sunday, Oct. 5, after the family's March move to Tremont Street in New Britain and after Torres found out their address, he brought McDonalds to the apartment and asked to visit his daughters, he told investigators. Garcia told him Jacqueline was at her friend's house, and the two argued, but she allowed Jacqueline's young sister to eat with her father, according to the warrant. Garcia let him take her to the Westfarms mall to buy shoes, but Garcia followed them and, after they spent some time in the mall, she took her home. Three days later, on Oct. 8, Jacqueline's body was found in a 40-gallon "tote," or storage container, behind a boarded-up house in New Britain. 'Severe and prolonged malnourishment' The autopsy showed there was no sign of trauma to the body that would have contributed to the person's death, according to the warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The remains were found in plastic trash bags wrapped in a comforter and bed sheets. The bedding linens had been in a laundry basket, which had been placed in the container, the warrant said. The body belonged to an adolescent female, and it was folded at the waist, in a fetal position; it lacked fat and weighed about 27 pounds, it said. Medical examiners found a white, powdery substance on the person, which they suspected may have been poured after death to preserve the body and mask the smell, the warrant said. Dr. Melissa Pasquale-Styles found that the condition of the corpse was due to "severe malnourishment, not decomposition," it said. In Pasquale-Styles' "preliminary professional opinion," the warrant stated, "Jacqueline died of severe and prolonged malnourishment." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They identified the person as Jacqueline by comparing post-mortem X-rays to X-rays in medical records at the Hospital for Central Connecticut, it said. Zip ties and starvation as punishment, warrants say Jackelyn Garcia appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs when she was first interviewed by police and urinated in her pants during questioning, according to the warrant for her arrest. During a second interview conducted the next day, Jackelyn Garcia admitted to police that her sister Karla and Nanita had withheld food from Jacqueline for a long period of time and that the child was "skinny" the last time she saw her in August 2024, the warrant said. Jackelyn Garcia moved out a few weeks later and went to prison for a child abuse conviction in December 2024, the warrant said. During that time, she didn't see her niece but asked about her, the warrant said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karla Garcia told her that Jacqueline was living with "a friend," the warrant said. She never saw Jacqueline alive again after she moved out in August 2024 and admitted to police that she witnessed her sister and Nanita abusing the girl but never told authorities, according to the warrant. In at least one instance, Jackelyn Garcia said Nanita "physically beat" Jacqueline and that the child often was restrained with zip ties and made to stand in a corner while being "deprived of food and water," the arrest warrant for Jackelyn Garcia said. She also told investigators that the 11-year-old would be "beaten" when she urinated or defecated on herself while tied up, it said. Jackelyn Garcia's own children had been taken from her and adopted, she told police, according to the warrant. Jackelyn Garcia admitted to police that she hadn't seen her niece in months and was told that she was living with "friends," the warrants said. Karla Garcia and Nanita both blamed each other for the child's death but Jackelyn Garcia also told police that she had witnessed the two abuse and starve the child, the warrant for her arrest said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karla Garcia admitted she had restrained Jacqueline in zip ties as punishment "when she was acting bad," according to a search warrant; she told police that most of the punishments were at Nanita's direction. She also told them she and Nanita had stopped feeding the girl for about two weeks before her death, the search warrant stated. Police determined that the girl likely died in fall 2024. Karla Garcia, 29, of New Britain, stands at her arraignment next to Assistant Public Defender Stephanie O'Neil at Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Torrington, Conn., Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Garcia is charged with murder with special circumstances and other charges in the death of her daughter, Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia. Arrest warrants shedding light on what happened to the girl were unsealed this week. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media) When that happened, Karla Garcia told police, Nanita took the body downstairs to the basement "but she wasn't sure what he did with it," the search warrant said. At one point, the odor from the decaying body was so strong, they had to leave the rented condo and stay with friends or at hotels, it said. Jonatan Nanita stands at his arraignment next to Public Defender James Longwell at Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Torrington, Conn., Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Nanita is charged with murder with special circumstances and other charges in the death of Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia, 11. Arrest warrants with detail about what led up to the girl's death were made public when the warrant for his and his conspirators' arrests were made public this week. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media) The family moved the body when they relocated in March to New Britain, the city where they lived before the August 2024 move to Farmington. Girl's death kept a secret, police say Jacqueline wasn't missed in school because when Karla Garcia informed the New Britain school district of the planned move to Farmington, she added that she would be homeschooling the girl, police and school officials said. No one reported her missing, officials said in a news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When a worker from DCF tried to meet with Jacqueline for a wellness check in January, the family said she was out of town and set up a video call - with a child who posed as the 11-year-old, the agency said. This is the Farmington condominium complex where police believe Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia died and was kept in the basement until her family moved to New Britain. They took the remains with them, police say, where they were eventually dumped. (Christine Dempsey/Hearst Connecticut Media) In an interview, Jacqueline's younger sister, and the daughter of Karla Garcia and Victor Torres, did not say anything about abuse in the home, Karla Garcia's arrest warrant said; she also "did not acknowledge the existence of her older sister Jacqueline Torres Garcia, only her younger half-siblings." Box with girl's remains 'smelled bad' Police learned what may have preceded the gruesome discovery of the remains from two people who are friends with another one of Nanita's girlfriends, according to the warrant for Karla Garcia's arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two complainants told New Britain police that Jonatan "JoJo" Nanita picked her up at the end of September and told her he needed to pick something up. "She remembered Nanita driving to a cemetery, picking up a tote, putting the tote in the trunk of his Acura, then driving to 80 Clark St., where Nanita removed the tote from the trunk and placed it at that location. She remembered that the tote smelled bad." After thinking about it, the woman came to conclusion that the tote may have contained a body and told her friends, the warrant said. Differing accounts, changing stories When police first talked to Karla Garcia and Nanita, they gave different accounts of what happened, the warrant said, and Garcia changed her story as well. Karla Garcia originally told New Britain detectives that her daughter was fine and visiting a friend. Then she said Nanita had kicked Jacqueline in the head in October 2024 after Jacqueline pushed Karla - who was six months pregnant -- down the stairs during an argument, the warrant stated; the argument started because Jacqueline was upset her mother was pregnant again, she told police. Karla Garcia had two daughters with Victor Torres and three children with Nanita. "Garcia stated that she never saw her daughter again after that," the warrant said, and she denied any knowledge of a tote containing her daughter. Nanita, who said he was homeless after Garcia kicked him out of the home, told New Britain detectives that Garcia contacted him and asked him to dispose of the tote that was outside her apartment building near the garbage, the warrant said. He drove to her apartment on Tremont Street with his new girlfriend, placed the tote in his truck, and drove to a nearby cemetery to hide the tote, according to the warrant. "He did not find a good location, so he drove the tote to Clark Street and dropped the tote in the backyard," it said. When detectives asked him about Jacqueline, he told them he went to Garcia's home in Farmington after he was released from prison and noticed a lot of blood on the walls and floor by the stairs. He asked Garcia about it, and she told him not to worry about it, that she would clean it up. The next day, he said, everything was cleaned, and when he asked about Jacqueline, she told him not to worry about it. Nanita told detectives he did not see Jacqueline after that day. Karla Garcia and Nanita were arrested on more than a half-dozen charges each. Besides murder, each is charged with conspiracy to commit murder with special circumstances, tampering with physical evidence and improper disposal of a dead body. Each also is charged with risk of injury to a child, first-degree unlawful restraint and intentional cruelty to a child. Jackelyn Garcia, who told police she moved to New Haven in September 2024, according to the search warrant, was arrested solely on the last three charges: intentional cruelty to a child, first-degree unlawful restraint and risk of injury, police said. Suspects' criminal pasts All three people have criminal histories that include violence, records show. Karla Garcia was convicted of third-degree assault after she repeatedly punched a woman in the face in 2018, arrest records show; Nanita was convicted of first-degree reckless endangerment and interfering with an officer/resisting arrest when he nearly dragged an officer while fleeing a 2020 traffic stop. And just last year, Jackelyn Garcia was convicted of risk of injury to a child, records show. She served eight months of an 18-month sentence after she and a man were found responsible for numerous injuries to a toddler in their care in New Britain in 2021 and 2022, according to a warrant for her arrest. Jackelyn Garcia, 28, of New Britain, stands at her arraignment next to Assistant Public Defender Stephanie O'Neil at Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse in Torrington, Conn., Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Garcia was arrested on cruelty to persons under 19 years of age and other charges related to the death of her niece, Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia. Arrest warrants shedding light on what happened to the girl were released this week. (Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media) The baby's broken bones were in various stages of healing: The child had a skull fracture, hemorrhages of her right eye, bruises to her jawbone and forehead, fractures to her left femur - one of which was starting to heal - fractures to her ribs that were 7-11 weeks old, and arm fractures that were 2-4 weeks old, according to the warrant for Jackelyn Garcia's 2023 arrest. Jackelyn Garcia served eight of an 18-month sentence and was in a transitional supervision program at the time of her latest arrest, said a spokesperson for the state Department of Correction. Her sister Karla was her sponsor, the search warrant said. This article originally published at Police, DCF, were called about family of Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia before girl's body found. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) The Washington County, Virginia Sheriffs Office is preparing for the return of its annual trunk-or-treat. The event is happening on Halloween night and is open to all from 5 to 8 p.m.at the Washington County, Virginia Fairgrounds. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted in support of childhood cancer research for St. Jude Childrens Hospital. Officers with the department shared the details with our Good Morning Tri-Cities team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) In an order issued on Monday, a federal judge in Washington blocked the Trump administration from cutting funds for K-12 mental health programs. The ruling comes after 16 state attorneys general led by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit in June against the United States Department of Education, alleging the administration unlawfully cut the grant funding, which was approved by Congress. The lawsuit argued that the cuts violate the Administrative Procedure Act. Joining Washington in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DONT MISS: Invalidated, isolated and defeated: OHA urges support for teen mental health On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Kymberly Evanson issued a preliminary injunction or a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from cutting the student mental health grants Congress passed under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. According to Attorney General Browns office, the judge limited her injunction to the grantees that submitted declarations to the court explaining how they were harmed by the cuts. The injunction comes after Judge Evanson denied the Education Departments motion to dismiss the case on October 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gresham elementary school closes due to ICE operation The cuts targeted the bipartisan act of Congress, which gave $1 billion for mental health support in schools following the mass school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022 that killed 19 students and two teachers. In the first year of that grant funding under President Joe Biden, grantees served almost 775,000 students and hired nearly 1,300 school mental health professionals, Washington Attorney General Nick Browns office said, citing the National Association of School Psychologists. NASP also found a 50% decrease in the risk of suicide at high-need schools, decreases in student absenteeism and behavioral issues and a rise in positive student-staff engagement based on data from sampled programs, Browns office noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gov. Kotek demands USDA to continue SNAP benefits despite federal shutdown According to the Attorney Generals Office, the case goes back to April 29, when the Education Department sent notices to grantees, claiming their grants now conflict with the Trump administrations priorities and funding would be discontinued. As reported by the Associated Press, the Biden administration prioritized the grants for applicants who showed they would increase the number of counselors from diverse backgrounds or communities served by the school district. AP notes, however, that the Trump administration disagreed with aspects of the grant funding arguing that grants that touch on race are harmful to students and conflict with the administrations priorities of merit, fairness, and excellence in education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Eye on Northwest Politics Now, Judge Evansons preliminary injunction temporarily blocks the cuts to mental health services from taking effect including in three educational service districts in Washington state and at the University of Washington. Congress created these programs to address the states need for school-based mental health services in their schools, and has repeatedly reaffirmed the need for those services over the years by reauthorizing and increasing appropriations to these programs, Judge Evanson wrote. There is no evidence the Department considered any relevant data pertaining to the Grants at issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reacting to the temporary order, Attorney General Brown said, Its a relief to students and their families that a large number of these programs are shielded for now, vowing, Well continue this fight in court until the administration agrees to follow the law and the will of Congress in supporting the mental health of young Americans. Portland woman released from ICE custody, reunited with family after illegal detainment, lawmakers say The lawsuit also highlighted the impact the cuts would have in Oregon specifically, Central Oregon. On March 30, 2023, the Department awarded Oregon State University a grant for Promoting and Advancing Training of High Desert School Counselors (PATHSC), the lawsuit states. In its application, Oregon State University explained that it would partner with the High Desert Education Service District (HDESD) and four Central Oregon school districts. It further explained that Central Oregon had experienced a significant decline in community-based and residential services for mental health and was identified as a medically under-served area and classified as mental health professional shortage area by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Currently in Central Oregon, the lawsuit continued, there are no intensive inpatient services offered for children and adolescents. The grant discontinuance is already causing harmful effects to Oregon State University and the people in that region. Many students will lose their scholarships, hard earned relationships will be damaged, and school counseling students from more rural districts, who depend on grant funding to attend graduate school, may no longer be able to attend, among other harmful effects. In a statement responding to the judges decision, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said the administration will appeal the order. The Department stands by our grant decisions and is working with the Justice Department to appeal this order, the Education Department spokesperson said. Our new competition is strengthening the mental health grant programs in contrast to the Biden Administrations approach that used these programs to promote divisive ideologies based on race and sex. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A pair of British brothers who have been growing gargantuan gourds for over 50 years finally broke a world record when they harvested a pumpkin that tipped the scales at 2,819 pounds, 4 ounces. Twins Ian and Stuart Paton of Lymington, Hampshire, said they started growing supersized squash in their early teens, and at the age of 64 they finally harvested a pumpkin certified by Guinness World Records as the heaviest pumpkin of all time. The full-figured fruit, which the brothers named Muggle, also broke the record for the largest pumpkin by circumference at 21 feet and 3.8 inches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pumpkin was officially weighed at the Wargrave Nursery Giant Vegetable Weigh-Off, near Reading, England. The brothers said they were relieved the pumpkin was not damaged in the two-hour trip from their property to the competition, but they have plenty of experience. "Moving giant pumpkins is fairly easy as we've been doing it for many years. We have our big lifting ring and literally scoop up the pumpkins," Ian Paton told Guinness World Records. Sebastian Suski, a Great Pumpkin Commonweath assessor and regular Guinness World Records consultant, performed the official measurements, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I was amazed to see this record come to the U.K.," Suski said. "This was massive news for the brothers who have been growing for over 50 years, but also for all British pumpkin growers. Ian and Stuart always shared lots of tips for growing giant vegetables with me, so being the one to confirm their pumpkin's record status was, from a personal perspective, extra special." (The Center Square) - Following Gov. Gavin Newsoms announcement hes pondering a presidential run in 2028, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Monday that Newsom is gubernatorial and more during a press conference about the state's congressional redistricting election. Gavin Newsom is an amazing governor and an incredible leader, Bonta told The Center Square on Monday. I think he is completely crushing it right now. I think the people of this nation see his leadership, and I think many of them would like him to continue to lead. Bontas comments about Newsom follow the Democratic governor's announcement on Sunday that he is considering a run for the White House in 2028, a run he has long been expected to make. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom's announcement comes at a time the U.S. Department of Justice said election monitors would come to California to monitor the states Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50, which would draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The new districts are designed to pick up five additional Democratic seats in the House. While at first saying he had no idea if he would run, Newsom admitted a potential run is on his mind after the 2026 midterms. Yeah - Id be lying otherwise. Id just be lying, and I cant do that, Newsom told "CBS News Sunday Mornings" Robert Costa when asked if he would seriously consider a presidential run after next years midterm elections. Bonta told The Center Square on Monday that he sees Newsom standing up for the rule of law, democracy, the Constitution and the people of California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hell decide on his timeline what he wants to do, when he wants to do it, and if he will do it, and I think Ive always seen him as incredibly gubernatorial and more, Bonta, a Democrat, said as he answered a question from The Center Square. So if he wants to continue to lead, in whatever capacity that is, I think it would only benefit the people of this great state and this great nation. Federal election monitors on their way to California The U.S. Department of Justice also announced last week that election monitors would be sent to California to observe the Prop. 50 election, worrying Bonta that the Republican Party might be making a move to sway the special election. The specifics, we dont yet have, Bonta said about the arrival of election monitors. Its with a great deal of concern that I see these so-called election monitors coming to California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bonta said historically, election monitors are sometimes sent by the U.S. Department of Justice to states during elections in places where voting rights were previously violated or suppressed in order to ensure that all eligible voters can vote. But these are not normal times, Bonta said during the press conference. All the reports have revealed that the Republican Party is the one who requested that the monitors come in, so at the beginning its very partisan. Election monitors are being sent to five counties in California, including Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles, according to a press release issued on Friday from the U.S. Department of Justice. Bonta pushed back on federal efforts to monitor or observe the election, fearing that immigrant voters would be targeted the most by federal election monitors. Our immigrant communities are often the ones being pointed at, wrongly, unfairly, unjustly, Bonta said. The Republican Party of Trump, many of those around him - they lead with fear, and they create conspiracies and lies to gin up and generate fear to impact behavior they think will help them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While these federal election monitors are themselves going to be observed to make sure they dont interfere in the special election, Bonta said, they will be allowed to watch and observe activities at polling places. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to ensure transparency. Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity, Bondi said in the press release. We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free and transparent elections they deserve. A representative from the U.S. Department of Justice declined to answer questions from The Center Square Monday afternoon. Instead, the DOJ referred to the press release quoting Bondi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proposition 50 Proposition 50, the only statewide measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, allows California voters the chance to allow a redrawing of congressional district lines, temporarily taking that responsibility away from the states California Citizens Redistricting Commission, which draws both state and congressional district lines. The Prop. 50 redistricting push is Newsoms response to Texass recent congressional redistricting effort, which gave Republicans in the Lone Star State the potential to pick up five more seats in the U.S. House. Californias Prop. 50 special election will cost the taxpayers of the Golden State an estimated $200 million, according to the arguments against Prop. 50 on the California Secretary of States website. But the Legislative Analyst's Office put the cost to the state at about $200,000 for one-time costs. To date, more than $49 million has been spent so far in support of Prop. 50, while more than $42 million has been spent by those who oppose the measure, according to the Fair Political Practices Commissions Prop. 50 database. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If Prop. 50 is passed by California voters, counties would shoulder a one-time cost of up to a few million dollars to update election materials with the new congressional district maps, according to the official voter information guide. The new maps would expire in 2030. The congressmen who stand to lose their seats if Prop. 50 passes are Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin; Darrell Issa, R-San Diego County; Doug LaMalfa, R-Yuba City; David Valadao, R-Bakersfield, and Ken Calvert, R-Riverside County. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert will appeal Mondays Appeals Court decision on an ouster attempt against her, sending it to the state Supreme Court, her attorney said Tuesday. Halbert and her attorney held a news conference a day after the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed a lower courts decision to dismiss the county attorneys ouster proceedings against Halbert. That would mean the county attorney did have standing to bring the ouster case against Halbert when it was filed in 2024, and would send it back to the lower court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Appeals court rules countys ouster case against Halbert can proceed However, Halberts attorney Darrell ONeal said thats not the direction the case is going. They will now appeal the case to the state Supreme Court, he said. We believe that the trial courts ruling was the correct ruling and were going to ask the Supreme Court to look at it and tell us whether or not it was in fact the correct or incorrect ruling, ONeal said. He also addressed the recent controversy over the clerks branch office in Millington after officials in Shelby County and Millington said $40,000 in back rent was owed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halbert maintains her office never had a lease with Millington and was not part of the negotiations for the office space. She maintains it is the countys responsibility to pay the lease for the clerks offices. County clerk in $40K clash with Millington over office space This office has not in any way, intentional or otherwise, done anything wrong, Halbert said. The clerks office says there has been a major spike in auto registrations because of the threat of being pulled over for expired tags by the Memphis Safe Task Force. That has caused major lines that are overburdening the offices. Since her election in 2018, Halbert has faced repeated attempts and calls for her removal from office from state and local political leaders who have complained about long backups at the clerks office and the closures of branch offices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, the state comptrollers office temporarily took over Halberts office after several months of inaccurate revenue reports were submitted. The evidence of incompetence and willful neglect by management in the Shelby County Clerks Office is overwhelming, said state Comptroller Jason Mumpower at the time. There are about nine months left in Halberts term in office. I am absolutely not going to leave this office in the condition I found it, Halbert said Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday morning offered prayers and performed rituals on the last day of Chhath Puja. Maurya performed Chhath Puja rituals along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sanjay Mayukh at the latter's residence in Patna. "There is rigorous practice, rigorous rituals, and the faith and belief of the people is so strong that whatever they pray to Chhath Maa, it fulfils," the UP Deputy CM told ANI. He also said, "Our election campaign is going on continuously, and with the blessings of Chhath Maiya, the NDA government will be formed in Bihar once again." BJP leader Mayukh said that Chhath Puja represents the faith of the people. "This is a festival of 'lok astha'. 'Suryopasna' for the prosperous life of each and every one - we celebrate this together wherever Indians reside across the world. We pray for the prosperity of everyone," Mayukh said. Reacting to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's "we will throw Waqf Act into the dustbin" statement, Mayukh said that the Mahagathbandhan will not come to power. "We are people of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'. We never mock anything; we speak of everyone's progress. So, those who say they will dump the Waqf Bill in the garbage. They are not coming to power even in Bihar, and for this, they will have to come to power in the centre," the BJP leader said. Meanwhile, devotees on Tuesday morning offered "Usha Arghya" to the rising Sun on the last day of Chhath Puja. The devotees reached the riverbanks to witness the rising Sun and to perform pooja. In Bihar, people flocked to the Patna Collectorate Ghat to prepare for the "Usha Arghya." The devotees carefully placed offerings, including flowers and fruits, in various locations at the ghat. Security personnel were present to ensure the smooth conduct of the "Usha Arghya." The four-day Chhath Mahaparv, dedicated to the worship of the Sun God, began on Saturday with the sacred ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on Sunday, and Sandhya Arghya (evening arghya). The festival will end with morning arghya on Tuesday. This year, the festival is being celebrated from October 25 to 28, with rituals including Nahay-Khay on Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, Kharna on Panchami, Chhath Puja on Sashti, and the concluding Usha Arghya on Saptami. (ANI) SWANSEA, Mass. (WPRI) A dolphin was caught on camera swimming near Lee River in Swansea on Monday. Sarah Callan, the Animal Rescue Program Manager at Mystic Aquarium, told 12 News that while Swansea isnt in the programs coverage area, dolphins do occasionally swim up bays and rivers while chasing fish. MORE: Large stingray spotted in Rhode Island waters Callan said the dolphins can normally find their way back to open ocean, adding that there are a lot of them in the area right now. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app. Follow us on social media: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com. (The Center Square) Illinois lawmakers are debating an energy omnibus bill during the final days of fall veto session, but the ratepayer impact of the legislation remains a question mark. Several Illinois Democrats joined clean energy and organized labor groups to lobby support for Senate Bill 25 in Springfield Tuesday. State Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, said the electric price increases Illinoisans experienced last summer were unacceptable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have to act and we have to act today and we have to act tomorrow and get this through this veto session, because we cant go through another summer of these horrendous spikes in electricity bills, Hoffman said. Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz joined Hoffman at the press conference and said the bill provides tools to protect consumers. These tools such as energy efficiency, battery storage, virtual power plants and optional time-of-use rates can work on a system-wide level to cost-effectively help us avoid electric price volatility, Moskowitz said. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed opposition to a bill provision that would have consumers pay for the cost of battery storage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Climate Jobs Illinois Executive Director Joe Duffy said the energy omnibus bill is a win for union workers. It ensures that major wind, solar and thermal energy projects will be built by skilled local union labor, benefiting Illinois communities, Duffy said. Climate Jobs Illinois is a coalition of labor organizations advocating for a pro-labor, pro-climate agenda. According to clean energy advocates, Illinois Power Agency analysis shows SB 25, also known as the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) will save consumers more than $13 billion over the next 20 years. Illinois Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said SB 25 is being pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administration and was written by special interests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This proposal will lead to higher electric bills, less reliability and fewer options for families and manufacturers alike, Rezin said. Rezin said the bill lifts price caps on rates and consumers will pay the price. According to Rezin, energy prices have gone up because capacity is being forced offline. Natural gas plants in this state are being forced offline. Natural gas is the cheapest way to provide capacity, which is what we need because of the new economy, the [artificial intelligence] economy that you hear about, Rezin said. Rezin said other states are building out natural gas combined-cycle plants to power their data centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Illinois Industrial Energy Consumers Chairman Phillip Golden called on the state legislature to delay a vote on the bill in order to clarify the economic impact it will have on electricity consumers. Golden said in a statement that any benefits from the legislation would take decades to see, but the real costs would start immediately. The fall veto session is scheduled to conclude Thursday. (FOX40.COM) Mayors and councilmembers from Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt and Rancho Cordova, as well as representatives from the county, are set to hold their first joint public agenda meeting addressing homelessness. Members of the sheriffs office, homeless services staff and several community-based organizations are also expected to participate. Homelessness is a widespread crisis it is not limited by city or county lines, the county said. People experiencing homelessness often cross jurisdictional boundaries, access care through a variety of systems and may be hampered by the lack of clarity around who is or could be providing them with programs and services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News. Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A kite surfer in New Zealand ended up losing his kite during a recent outing -- and consequently found a surfboard that had drifted nearly 1,500 miles from Australia. French surfer Alvaro Bon said he was kite surfing Oct. 15 in Raglan, on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, when his kite got caught in the water and started pulling him out to sea. Bon had to let go of his kite and headed back toward shore, where he spotted a surfboard at the northern end of the beach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said the board appeared to be in good shape, but was not a style frequently used by the local surfers. He flipped it over and found it was covered in barnacles and mussels. "The shape of the board is made for very big waves -- it's not the kind we use in Raglan every day," Bon told 1News. "I removed a few mussels to check the size, and that's when I saw it had been shaped for someone named Liam." Bon took the surfboard home and posted photos of his discovery on various surfing groups on Facebook in the hopes of finding the owner. One of the posts resulted in Bon receiving a message from the board's owner, Liam, who said he lost it during a boat trip off the coast of Tasmania -- nearly 1,500 miles from where it was found -- on May 10, 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Liam couldn't believe it," Bon said. "He told me that was one of his favorite boards. Edward Doddridge, a physical oceanographer at the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, said the board may have been carried by the East Australian Current, which runs down Australia's east coast toward New Zealand, or taken a more scenic route along the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. "There's this tiny, infinitesimal possibility that the surfboard went south, hitched a ride on a really fast part of that current, and went all the way round the world before washing up in New Zealand," Doddridge said. "It would be quite the adventure, and we can't know for sure." Bon said Liam's board will soon be headed home to Australia thanks to members of his family visiting New Zealand for a wedding. (The Center Square) Illinois taxpayers may find out they are on the hook for another tax increase before the week is over. One of the many things legislators continue to hash out is how to address a fiscal cliff for mass transit estimated at $230 million. Senate Minority Leader John Curran said more money is not the answer. We should be looking at reform first, said Curran, R-Downers Grove. It does not make logical sense to. At the same time, you're going to put a bunch of reforms in place and put a new group of people in charge. You don't know exactly what you need. We know the cliff keeps getting pushed out. The amount keeps coming down. Let's put the new people in first. Let's reform the structures, let them get their arms around it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, agreed that reforms are needed for the agency, but pushed for the House to pass the package the Senate approved in May that included $1.50 surcharge for retail delivery. This is a smart investment, not just for transit, but also for our local economy, Simmons said. And there have been endless studies from Crain's and other sources that make the case that investing in public transit to the tune of $1.5 billion is how we take our economy forward, not backwards, in this region. Gov. J.B. Pritzker told reporters in Peoria that the details on how to fund closing the fiscal cliff are still coming together and he is being careful not to sway how its paid for. I've tried to be careful about what I've told them because I want to make sure that they are considering all the options, and then, you know, I, from my perspective, what I want to make sure happens is that we end up with a world class transit system for the whole state, Pritzker said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curran warned that legislators are also poised to increase taxes on business owners before the week is out by decoupling from recent federal tax changes. The Democrats plan is to increase taxes on the economic engines of our state, while at the same time making taxes more complicated for Illinois, Curran said. Legislators are scheduled to wrap up fall veto session in Springfield Thursday. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The Wichita City Council will hold a workshop on Tuesday. The council plans to review water and sewer rate changes for 2026. On Monday, Mayor Lily Wu told KSN News that the city already knew about an increase because of the new water treatment plant. It is not clear how much of an increase people will face. Right now, the new treatment plant is undergoing testing. There were some hiccups, as you already know, but testing has continued, so that means we should be getting full ownership of this water treatment plant by the end of December, Wu said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The council will also get an update on the citys animal shelter. In the last month alone, Mayor Wu said more than 1,000 dogs and cats were taken into the shelter and that services are strained. The way that were gonna help ourselves out of this problem is when community comes together and realizes that they need to reconnect with their pets, spay and neuter their pets, or adopt one of these shelter animals, she said. To watch the council workshop at 9 a.m., click here. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. WATERTOWN - Town police are searching for an Oakville resident wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident that happened Sunday, officials say. In a news release Monday, Watertown police Detective Mark Conway said his department is attempting to find 37-year-old James Passino, a Falls Avenue resident in the Oakville neighborhood. He said police have an active warrant for his arrest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conway said officers were called about a domestic violence incident at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. He said Passino left the scene before police arrival and may have sustained injuries during the incident. Conway said Passino was last seen driving a full-size, silver GMC 2500 pickup bearing Connecticut registration C394041. They released photos of him and the truck. If anyone has any information on Passino, they are asked to call the Watertown Police Department at 860-945-9940 or their local police. This article originally published at Watertown man wanted for domestic violence incident, police say. REDGRANITE, Wis. (WFRV) Authorities in Waushara County say they are asking for the publics help to identify a driver who crashed into a building early Tuesday morning. According to a social media post from the Waushara County Sheriffs Office, the driver lost control of their truck around 3:05 a.m. and crashed it into a building on the 100 block of Bannerman Avenue in the Village of Regranite. 89-year-old arrested after hit-and-run injures 9-year-old in Wisconsin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Deputies are now asking the public to help them identify the person responsible and they say the truck likely has damage on the front passenger side. Anyone who has any information on the incident or may know the driver involved is asked to contact the Waushara County Sheriffs Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. EMBREEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) A man was arrested in the Embreeville community of Washington County, Tennessee after deputies reportedly discovered two ounces of what they believe to be fentanyl in his possession. According to a release on Monday from the Washington County Sheriffs Office (WCSO), Charles Burgin, 41, was taken into custody around the 4000 block of Highway 81 South on Friday. The release said Burgin told deputies that a baggie they located in his possession contained one ounce of cocaine. JCPD: 1 taken to hospital after I-26 crash Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The substance was tested and is believed to be Fentanyl, the release states. The baggie weighed 2.016 ounces (56.699 grams). Burgin was charged with Manufacture/Delivery/Sell of a Controlled Substance and was transported to the Washington County Detention Center on a $20,000 bond, to which he posted and was released. He was expected to appear in court on Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla cautioned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav over his recent remarks on the Waqf Act, asserting that the law cannot be repealed as it is a central act passed by the Parliament of India. He further said that Muslims should not be taken for granted in political discourse. Poonawalla emphasised that the Waqf Act is not an issue specific to the Muslim community and highlighted that only a few 'rich muslim families' control Waqf properties across the country. "Tejashwi Yadav is a very dear friend of mine.... You cannot remove the Waqf law. It is a central act passed by the Parliament of India. 200 rich muslim families that align with every political party that is in power have the Waqf land. This is not a muslim issue...Don't take muslims for granted," Poonawalla told ANI on Monday. He clarified that even if the Mahagathbandhan secures a majority in the Bihar Assembly, it can only propose amendments to the Waqf Act. Such amendments, however, would still require approval from the Governor and the President of India. Poonawalla also urged Tejashwi Yadav to ensure greater political representation for Muslims within his party. "Even if you get a majority and become the CM, and you pass some amendments in the assembly, the Governor of Bihar or the President of India is not going to sign that law...If you really care for Muslims, give them more representation in tickets..Who takes the Waqf land?" Poonawalla added. Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav had remarked that if the opposition alliance comes to power in Bihar, it would "throw the Waqf (Amendment) Act into the dustbin." The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed by Parliament earlier this year after a detailed debate, with several opposition parties opposing it. The President gave assent to the Bill on April 5. The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, whereas bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will be held on November 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14. In Bihar, the main contest is between the ruling Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA and the RJD-led opposition alliance 'Mahagathbandhan.'NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), includes Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj is also debuting in the fray. (ANI) AUSTIN (Nexstar) Congress missed a key deadline Monday and it could leave millions of Texans wondering about where their next meal is coming from. The second-longest federal government shutdown in history entered its 27th day Monday, and has shown no signs of ending. Without a resolution, it would become the longest shutdown in history on Nov. 5. Earlier this month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) set Oct. 27 as the deadline for the shutdown to end, or SNAP benefits will not be provided nationwide. Texas has an estimated 3.5 million people, including 1.7 million children, on SNAP, and nationwide, the programs expiration is set to affect over 40,000,000 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Food banks all around Texas are bracing for an influx of Texans who would usually receive SNAP benefits. The good news is we have 20 food banks in our network and collectively the reach every county in the state, Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said. Up to this point, Cole says Feeding Texas has been focused on helping Texass large population of federal workers and military personnel who havent been paid during the shutdown. Were particularly worried about the potential delay in SNAP benefits that will happen on November 1 if the shutdown continues past today, she said. While the food pantry network will help where it can, the model is likely unsustainable in a long-term SNAP shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For every meal that food banks across the state provide, SNAP provides nine meals, Beth Corbett with the Central Texas Food Bank, said. Central Texas Food Bank is a branch of Feeding Texas serving 21 counties, including Travis, Hays and Williamson counties. [Thats] a pretty big delta when youre looking at the loss of those meals for so many families. To help weather the impact of the shutdown, Central Texas Food Bank has added new drives geared towards people who rely on SNAP. On all Feeding Texas websites, recipients can click on Find Food Now, to find their closest food bank. Were obviously doing everything we can increasing the amount of food that were sourcing, that were purchasing and also that were distributing to try to meet the need, Corbett said. But its really not sustainable for the food bank our partners to fill the gap the time is now for the government to reopen. No end in sight The U.S. Senate has been gridlocked for over a month on funding the government with Democrats asking Republicans to extend the Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies and Republicans asking them to sign onto a continuing resolution to keep the government temporarily funded at current levels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the federal level, the USDA and Senate Republicans are pointing fingers at the Democratic party. Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the USDA website says at the top. Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance. In an email response to a Nexstar request, the USDA continued to slam Democrats, continuing a new trend of federal agencies taking political stances which some argue is an illegal violation of the Hatch Act. If not for Congressional Democrats blocking government funding, November SNAP benefits would be paid on-time, a two-page sheet sent to Nexstar said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramDownload Prior to sending the sheet, USDAs press office had an automatic response reading: Thank you for contacting our press office. Due to staff furloughs resulting from the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, the typical monitoring of this press inbox may be impacted. We ask for your patience as remaining staff works diligently to field your requests. As you await a response, please remember these delays could have been avoided had Senate Democrats supported the clean Continuing Resolution to fund the government. Thank you for your patience and attention to this matter. Texass U.S. Senators also weighed in. Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times against funding the government, which includes funding for SNAP, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a statement. Food banks in Texas and across the country are doing everything they can to help those who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texans who rely upon SNAP as a safety net to buy their groceries and feed their children will not have those benefits until this deranged shutdown comes to an end, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said last Monday. Those in the food insecurity system are just asking for politicians to put aside their differences and at least fund SNAP if not the entire government. While its reasonable for politics to have their difference, its not acceptable for people to go hungry, Cole said. We are hopeful that short of a conclusion to the shutdown, that Congress will find a way to fund SNAP benefits so we can help our communities recover. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The government has issued an official warning no SNAP benefits will be issued starting Saturday, Nov. 1. "Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1," said the message posted Monday, Oct. 27, on the website of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more than 680,000 in Oklahoma. The program, also known as food stamps, provides low-income families monthly benefits to afford healthy food. SNAP money is allocated monthly, so October benefits went out as usual despite the government shutdown over a budget dispite at the first of the month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of Congress, need to hear how this: How will the cut affect you or others you know? Were you able to stock your pantry and refrigerator in anticipation of the cuts? Will you be able to get help from family and friends. Are food banks and other support services available to you? Send a note with your experiences and opinions to: yourviews@oklahoman.com. Please include your name and where you're from so we can include your comments in a story. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Share your plans to survive the loss of SNAP funding The City of West Burlington has been awarded a grant of $20,000 by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) through its Empower Rural Iowa program, a news release says. The grant is part of a statewide initiative that awarded $490,000 to 16 Iowa communities to support rural housing, child-care, and community development efforts. Purpose of the grant This grant will fund a housing readiness assessment in West Burlington, conducted in partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The assessment will: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Analyze the current housing stock, demand, and conditions in West Burlington and surrounding areas. Identify gaps in housing including workforce, senior, and affordable housing. Develop strategic recommendations for future housing development and revitalization. Significance for West Burlington In southeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River, West Burlington is home to about residents and a growing economic and retail base. The City has committed to a proactive development vision through its 2045 Comprehensive Plan that emphasizes housing, infrastructure, and economic development. The housing assessment aligns with findings from the 2023 Des Moines County Housing Needs Assessment, which reported significant demand for housing that supports working families, senior residents, and newcomers to the region. Next steps In the coming weeks, the city will initiate the assessment process, begin stakeholder and resident engagement, and set a schedule for completion. The final assessment will inform housing strategy, policy development, and potential future grant or investment opportunities. About Empower Rural Iowa Empower Rural Iowa grants are administered by IEDAs Center for Rural Revitalization and are funded through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature. Eligible communities have fewer than 20,000 residents and are not adjacent to cities of 40,000 or more. Applicants are evaluated based on economic need, partnerships, project readiness, and alignment with program goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A 2019 graduate from West High School joined the California Highway Patrol Bishop office in October. Officer Lopez graduated the CHP Academy in early October and was assigned to the Bishop area, according to his family. Officer Lopez is in the photo above alongside other CHP officers. Prior to going to the CHP Academy he worked at Wasco State Prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17 News. WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) West Springfield police are seeking the publics help in identifying a suspect in connection with a shoplifting incident earlier this month. Suspect charged in Holyoke dumpster fire investigation The West Springfield Police Department stated that an individual was captured on surveillance footage allegedly stealing from a business on Memorial Avenue on October 12. (West Springfield Police Department) (West Springfield Police Department) (West Springfield Police Department) If anyone recognizes this suspect or has any information related to this incident, they are urged to contact West Springfield Detective Grillo at 413-263-3210 ext. 239. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP. As his Budapest summit with President Donald Trump unravelled and America sanctioned Russias two largest oil companies, Vladimir Putin was in desperate need for good news. On Sunday, he got a much-needed reprieve. By announcing the successful test of the 9M370 Burevestnik nuclear-capable cruise missile, Putin finalised a project that originated with Americas December 2001 withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. It is a milestone breakthrough, but is the Burevestnik all that it is cracked out to be? According to the Kremlin, it is a peerless military technology innovation. Chief of the general staff of Russias armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, claimed that the Burevestnik missile had travelled 14,000km on nuclear power and was airborne for fifteen hours. These capabilities would give it an unlimited strike range and the capability to degrade any Nato-class missile defence system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A closer inspection, though, reveals weaknesses. Doubts persist about the scale of the Russian militarys innovation in general and Burevestnik missiles utility in the event of a Russia-Nato conflict in particular. Pavel Podvig, the director of the Russian Nuclear Forces project in Geneva, described it as impractical and expressed scepticism about whether it was a departure from Russias extant missile stocks. There are equally valid concerns about the missiles potential for environmental devastation. In August 2019, an alleged Burevestnik test triggered a radiation accident in the northwestern Russian village of Nyonoksa that killed five military and civilian specialists. Cold War-era efforts to construct such equipment were marred by concerns about radiation fallout, and it is unclear whether Russia has fully mitigated those risks. Aside from these impracticalities and safety risks, Russias nuclear fear-mongering has lost some of its bite. When Putin warned of unforeseen consequences during his February 2022 Ukraine invasion speech, and placed Russias nuclear arsenal on high alert after Swift sanctions were imposed, Western countries panicked about the prospect of World War III. Concerns about escalation risks delayed vital military assistance to Ukraine, and bought Russia time to recover from its disastrously planned offensive on Kyiv. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The response of Nato countries to the Burevestnik test underscores this sea change in thinking. Trump called it an inappropriate distraction from Ukraine peace talks and warned that the US already had a nuclear submarine off Russias coast. Norway confirmed that the Burevestnik was launched from the Barents Sea archipelago of Novaya Zemlya and claimed that no radiation had entered its territory. Most other Western nations remained tellingly silent. While Russias psychological warfare has fallen flat, we still need to refrain from undue complacency. The evisceration of the post-Cold War international arms control regime has fuelled unprecedented levels of Russian nuclear belligerence. Norways defence minister Tore Sandvik recently revealed that Russia is amassing nuclear weapons and attacking submarines on the Kola Peninsula. This military infrastructure would be invaluable in a Russian conflict with the Nordic countries to regain a foothold on the Baltic Sea. Russias nuclear aggression in the Indo-Pacific region is equally concerning. On Friday, Japan scrambled jets to monitor nuclear-capable Russian Tu-95 warplanes that were flying on the edge of its airspace. This episode occurred one month after a Russian Borei-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine transited through the La Perouse Strait near Japan. As Russia overtly supports North Koreas right to a nuclear deterrent, and stages mock combat drills with China, these provocative deployments pose a broader threat to regional security. Despite these mounting threats and a superficial display of solidarity during the recent Steadfast Noon drills, Nato lacks a coherent strategy to address the Russian nuclear threat. Growing support within the British defence community for nuclear weapons sharing with Germany has not translated into policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frances insistence on maintaining sole control over its nuclear deterrent is similarly counterproductive for European deterrence strategy. While the AUKUS trilateral pact is progressing, internecine debates about burden-sharing ensure equally uncoordinated deterrence efforts in the Indo-Pacific region. Russias Burevestnik missile test will not shift the balance of nuclear missile capabilities in its favour, but it will embolden further nuclear saber rattling. Now is the time for the West to abandon its passivity and actively deter Russian nuclear aggression. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The West Texas Food Bank is sounding the alarm. As the federal government shutdown continues, thousands of West Texans including federal employees and families depending on SNAP benefits are left wondering how theyll put food on the table. The Food Bank is stepping in to fill the gap, but shelves are emptying faster than they can be restocked. Demand has surged across the 19 counties served by the organization, with lines growing longer every day. We are seeing fear in peoples eyes, Libby Stephens, CEO of the West Texas Food Bank, said in a news release. Parents will skip meals so their children can eat. Families who have always been the ones giving help will find themselves asking for it. We will do everything we can, but our resources are already stretched to the limit. We desperately need the communitys help more than ever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With SNAP benefits delayed and thousands of federal workers missing paychecks, the Food Bank is distributing emergency boxes of food to those in crisis. But to keep up with the growing demand, donations are urgently needed, the release said. Five dollars provides up to 10 meals through the Food Banks network of partners. Every contribution large or small helps keep food on the tables of West Texans who need it most. Our mission has never been more critical, Stephens added. We are determined not to let our neighbors go hungry, but we cant do it alone. Please, if you are able to give today. Your support truly means the difference between a family eating tonight or going without. If you would like to donate, visit www.wtxfoodbank.org The post West Texas Food Bank in crisis mode appeared first on Odessa American. The Australian and New South Wales (NSW) governments have indicated that the construction of the Mamre Road Stage 2 upgrade is anticipated to start in 2026. Mamre Road serves as a main transport connection to employment zones in Western Sydney, including the site of the upcoming Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. The road is scheduled to be expanded to two lanes in each direction via a A$1bn ($654.72m) upgrade funded by the governments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The planned upgrade is intended to improve travel efficiency, manage higher traffic volumes, and increase road safety as the area experiences further growth. Works on the second stage of the road improvement project will get underway following the receipt of planning approvals. The government authorities have released initial designs and an environmental review for the next phase of the Mamre Road upgrade between Erskine Park Road and Kerrs Road. The documents detail plans to change Mamre Road from a local street to a main road for Western Sydney. A video has been released, illustrating plans for developing the 6.1km stretch from St Clair to Kemps Creek. This video outlines infrastructure changes aimed at accommodating an increase in local population and road use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current traffic volume sits at approximately 20,000 vehicles per day through this corridor, with projections indicating this figure could double by 2041. Officials are also inviting public feedback on the Review of Environmental Factors. The assessment looks at possible effects to factors such as noise, air quality, flooding, plant and animal life, and heritage sites. Community input on these findings will influence the final project plans and seek to address any identified impacts. Western Sydney Acting Minister Courtney Houssos said: We want to get this right, and that means hearing from the people who use Mamre Road every day. Community feedback on the environmental assessment is critical and will help shape the final design to best meet local needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The latest initiative extends work that began under the A$290m Stage 1 upgrade of Mamre Road, which covers a 3.8km section already under construction. Once complete, this development aims to enhance links between the M4 Motorway and Elizabeth Drive. Among the planned features for Stage 2 are new traffic signals with pedestrian crossings at Darrabarra Avenue and Abbotts Road, as well as upgraded bus stops and shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists. Construction completion is targeted for 2029. "Western Sydneys Mamre Road Stage 2 upgrade to begin in 2026" was originally created and published by World Construction Network, a GlobalData owned brand. Last week, President Trump announced an anonymous "patriot" had given a donation of $130 million money the president said was to be used to help pay troops during the government shutdown. There are questions about the legality of a donation of this sort (the Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from exceeding congressional appropriations or accepting voluntary services). Over the weekend, The New York Times identified the anonymous donor as Timothy Mellon, a reclusive railroad magnate and heir to the Gilded Age Mellon family fortune. File: Timothy Mellon, seen outside an inspection train during a property tour in 1981. Exact date and location unknown. / Credit: AP photo Mellon, 83, emerged as one of the top Republican donors only in the past few years, giving far less in the decades before 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anna Massoglia, a campaign finance researcher, told CBS News, "Timothy Mellon was a relatively unknown political donor but his contributions have surged in recent years, putting him in the very top ranks of political contributors." Early in his adult life, he held liberal views on race, the problem of income inequality and the environment. As Mellon's business career evolved, he began to express a strong antipathy for what he viewed as intrusive government regulations on business. One turning point seems to be when he ran afoul of environmental regulators in Connecticut in the late 1990s over an airport he bought. He's written a memoir and penned some opinion pieces that offer some insight into his political views. Mellon wrote that a favorite quote of his came from Winston Churchill: "Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains." Mellon did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are some numbers associated with Mellon: At least $197 million: How much Mellon donated to Trump and Republicans in the 2024 election Mellon may be an obscure figure to the wider public, but he's well known in political circles for giving more than virtually any other donor to Mr. Trump and other Republican committees during the 2024 election cycle at least $197 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. The only person who gave more was SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. He emerged on the political scene as a megadonor relatively late in life. Over two decades, from 1996 to 2017, he gave a total of $350,000 in donations to political candidates. But in the four years between January 2020 and June 2024 he gave $227 million to federal candidates and political committees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, Mellon made a $50 million donation to a Trump-affiliated super PAC, one of the largest individual contributions ever made public. That was one of several donations to the super PAC during the 2024 election cycle, totaling around $150 million. He also contributed $13 million to the Sentinel Action Fund, a voter turnout super PAC that used to be affiliated with Heritage Action, the sister organization of the conservative Heritage Foundation. $25 million: How much Mellon gave to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s presidential campaign Mellon also gave $25 million to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 2024 presidential campaign. Some speculated that Mellon was trying to be a spoiler to help Mr. Trump, whom he was also backing financially. But last August, he wrote an article in the American Spectator explaining his support for Kennedy. Mellon, it turns out, is a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic. "I could not fathom how a 'vaccine' could be foisted on the general public with so little (if any) adequate testing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He began giving to Kennedy's Children's Health Defense, which promotes false information about vaccines, and later to the Super PAC supporting Kennedy's campaign. $14.1 billion: The Mellon family's estimated wealth Timothy Mellon, the grandson of banker and industrialist Andrew Mellon, was estimated by Forbes to be worth about $1 billion last year, though he told Forbes in an email at the time that he was not a billionaire, writing, "never have been, never will be." The estimated wealth of his family, including other branches, was estimated in 2024 by Forbes to be $14.1 billion. 340: The number of trees he cut down at a Connecticut airport he bought Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One defining episode for Mellon occurred after he purchased an airport in Connecticut in the late 1990s. He cut down 340 trees, arguing that they posed a danger to pilots landing their planes. But state environmental regulators ultimately sued him and won. He was ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages. $53 million: How much he donated to build a border wall in Texas In 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Texas would build its own border wall and started his own private fund to build it. He made little progress the Texas Tribune said his effort had slowed after raising a little over $1 million, and then Mellon chipped in $53 million. The private and public effort was quietly dropped earlier this year, as the GOP-led legislature defunded construction in June, and the crowdfunding link disappeared in late May, the Tribune reported. The state built about 65 miles of wall out of the 805 miles that Abbott planned, and it's riddled with gaps because many landowners do not want the border wall on their land. Editor's note: An earlier version of this article said that Mellon contributed $13 million to the Sentinel Action Fund, a super PAC affiliated with the conservative Heritage Foundation, which produced Project 2025. But the group was founded as part of its sister organization, Heritage Action for America in 2022. In 2023, the Sentinel Action Fund relaunched as a separate super PAC. The story has been updated. Hurricane Melissa expected to bring catastrophic weather to Jamaica Jury deliberations begin in Sonya Massey murder trial 25 states sue Trump administration over SNAP food stamp funding freeze Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday performed the Chhath Puja rituals along with his wife at the Kuakhai river ghat in Bhubaneswar. CM Majhi described the Chhath festival as a representation of "Nari Shakti (women power)" in an interview with reporters on the occasion. "Today I had the opportunity to participate in this festival with my wife. This puja is certainly a symbol of Nari Shakti," he said. Earlier, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta offered the 'Usha Arghya' and performed the Chhath Puja rituals at the Hathi Ghat near ITO in the national capital. CM Rekha said that being a part of the Chhath festival was a blessing. "I am fortunate that I was able to participate in the worship of Chhati Maiya, and we all together enjoyed this great festival of Chhath," CM Rekha Gupta told ANI. Devotees offered "Usha Arghya" to the rising sun on the last day of Chhath Puja. The devotees reached the riverbanks to witness the rising sun and to perform pooja. In Bihar, people flocked to the Patna Collectorate Ghat in Bihar to prepare for the "Usha Arghya". The devotees carefully placed offerings, including flowers and fruits, in various locations at the ghat. Security personnel were present to ensure the smooth conduct of the "Usha Arghya". In Delhi, ITO's Hathi Ghat has been illuminated, where devotees offered prayers to the rising sun.Dolly, a devotee at the ITO Hathi Ghat, expressed, "The ghat is beautifully decorated; there are a lot of people here...it is a wonderful experience." Another devotee, Guruprasad from Bihar, said, "I would like to thank the Delhi Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making such an arrangement at the ghat for us Biharis. The government has laid a mat so that our mothers can offer prayers without getting injured by glass pieces..." The four-day Chhath Mahaparv, dedicated to the worship of the Sun God, began on Saturday with the sacred ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on Sunday and Sandhya Arghya (evening Arghya). The festival ended with the morning Arghya on Tuesday. This year, the festival is being celebrated from October 25 to 28, with rituals including Nahay-Khay on Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, Kharna on Panchami, Chhath Puja on Sashti, and the concluding Usha Arghya on Saptami. (ANI) Does your child attend the best school? U.S. News and World Report recently released its ranking for 6,998 elementary schools and 23,328 middle schools across the U.S. (There's some overlap. 5,411 campuses ranked in both lists.) The site used data from the U.S. Department of Education to consider "their shares of students proficient or above proficient in their reading/language arts and math state assessments. Half of the formula assessed just the scores and the other half incorporated the test results in the context of socioeconomic demographics." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The goal was to highlight high-achieving schools that are succeeding with all students. Here's what to know in Mississippi about the best-ranked elementary and middle schools. What's the best elementary school in Mississippi? Laurel Magnet School of the Arts took the top spot in the state out of 732 elementary schools. "Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare their students for high school," U.S. News & World Report wrote. According to U.S. News, the school serves about 335 students in Pre-K through sixth grade. There's a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. The school reportedly enrolls 100% economically disadvantaged students and exceeds expectations for reading and math performance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Laurel Magnet School of the Arts ranks No. 1 in the state for math proficiency and ties for No. 4 in reading proficiency. More: US News names best colleges, universities for 2026. See how Mississippi schools ranked Top 10 Public Elementary Schools in Mississippi According to U.S. News, these were the top public elementary schools in the state. (The news site also reviewed 140 private elementary schools in the state but did not rank them.) What's the best middle school in Mississippi? Lewisburg Intermediate in Olive Branch was the No. 1 middle school out of 608 in Mississippi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to U.S. News & World Report, the school serves about 587 students in fourth and fifth grades. There's a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. The school reportedly enrolls about 22% economically disadvantaged students and exceeds expectations for reading and math performance. Lewisburg Intermediate ranks No. 1 in the state for reading proficiency and No. 4 for math proficiency. See the list: US News list ranks 18,000 US high schools. What is the best public school in Mississippi? Top 10 Public Middle Schools in Mississippi According to U.S. News, these were the top public middle schools in the state. (Analysts also reviewed but didn't rank 126 private middle schools in Mississippi.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: US News ranks best elementary, middle schools in Mississippi. See Top 10 LANSING The cranes visible above buildings are a precursor to a changing skyline in downtown Lansing as hundreds of millions in development projects are rising up within a short walk of the Capitol. Downtown Lansing is undergoing a major transformation, with projects that include the $315 million New Vision Lansing project, comprising four buildings downtown, including a 28-story high-rise on Grand Avenue, and a fifth building in Old Town; two buildings now going up from the Lansing Housing Commission that will include more than 100 new residential units along Grand Avenue; and developer Gary Granger's 76-unit, five-story building being built down the street from the New Vision high-rise. In and around downtown Lansing, about 600 new apartments have been built in the past several years, with more than 800 planned. New Vision's project alone will add more than 560 apartments as well as commercial space to the city, most of it downtown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And a new city hall is being built on the 400 block of South Grand Avenue, with the current city hall across Capitol Avenue from the state Capitol expected to become downtown's second hotel. We asked candidates running for jobs at City Hall on the Nov. 4 ballot where they stand on the crush of downtown development, where else in the city needs a surge of new development and what concerns they have. A resounding answer to that second question: South Lansing is ripe for new investment. The mayor's race The final beam used in the new city hall building is put in place during a topping off ceremony on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in downtown Lansing. Mayor Andy Schor, campaigning for a third term, envisions a new downtown for the capital city with more in store for long-ignored parts of Lansing. He ticked off a future that includes an improved Saginaw Street corridor, "which just looks like a blight right now" on the west side and a redeveloped Sears building on Michigan Avenue on the east side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lansing developer Pat Gillespie and his company, The Gillespie Group, envision the former Sears store at 3131 E. Michigan Ave. becoming a mixed-use destination spot. Schor's challenger, Kelsea Hector said she's more apt to raise concerns about the tax incentives that might be offered for such projects and the importance of development. "I always go back to the gentrification question," said Hector, who is executive director of Lansing nonprofit Punks With Lunch and wants to work on a tenant bill of rights if elected. "When is enough? When is enough capital? When is enough new business? Do we stop or do we just keep going. That always worries me." MORE: Is Lansing doing enough about crime? Mayoral candidates stake out positions Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schor said more people living downtown will help the city, especially given the loss of state workers who left the office early in the pandemic and for the most part, haven't come back downtown. "The best way to revitalize a downtown is to have people live there," he said. "When people live there in a 28-story building which is being built, and there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of new units, thousands of new people that are in their unit...Theyre going to work and coming home and going out to dinner," he said. Were betting the farm on housing, people living here, state employees coming back in a more regular fashion." Both may be true. The new state budget includes language that is expected to prompt the Office of the State Employer to have more state employees return to in-office work, as well as more closely monitor those working remotely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hector agrees its important for downtown to develop and grow again but shes concerned that city residents already in the downtown area wont be able to afford the new apartments being built. Hector would like the city to consider using empty buildings for urban agriculture and ecological development businesses. Theres a lot of opportunity, and if we could catch the eye of someone who wants to do vertical farming we could put that in a giant building downtown and that could supplement things, she said. It could also provide food. Schor foresees more development happening in south Lansing, including "significant housing, healthcare, dentistry," in the southwest portion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said it's inevitable with projects that include the new $175 million Lansing public safety complex at 2500 S. Washington Ave. It's supposed to come online in 2027, and will include a detention area, Lansing Police Department headquarters, a fire station and 54A District Court. "We're expecting businesses to start coming in," Schor said. "You gotta eat lunch whether you go over to MLK .... You're going to see big pockets of development - on the east side, on the west side, parts of the south side, where you see corridors building up. Were going to see it all over the city, not just the downtown." Hector said she thinks the city needs to focus on building a better sense of community. "I think maybe the city could do well with building more interpersonal relationships between residents and creating more opportunity for building relationships between residents." At-large City Council The future home of the Tower on Grand, pictured Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in downtown Lansing. Three candidates are running for two at-large seats on the council, including Jeremy Garza, already a Ward 2 councilman, Julie Vandenboom, a state employee with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Clara Martinez, a dance instructor at Everett High School and a school union official. Four candidates will appear on the ballot, although Aurelius Christian withdrew from the race in October, when it was too late to remove his name from the ballot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At-large council members represent the entire city. Were gritty, Vandenboom said of Lansing. Neighbors care about each other, but theres a lot of work we have left to do to be a shining example of a state capital. A lot of people are upset about parking. There are plenty of parking spots so why do we have to pay to park. Vandenboom, who works on equity issues in the state child support system, would like downtown to be more walkable and bikeable. MORE: How big of an issue is crime in Lansing? Here's where City Council candidates stand Martinez said attainable housing is critical to retaining local residents and talent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think its very evident and clear that we need to move forward with the development not only of downtown but of Lansing proper, she said. Development is critical. Garza, a plumber and union official, said downtowns development is great, providing workforce housing for young nurses, police and firefighters. He mentioned the Capital City Market in the Stadium District and the success of that neighborhood. The direction that downtown is moving Is definitely going in the right direction, he said. To have a successful city, you have to have a downtown. Were the capital city of Michigan. We need to have a vibrant downtown. Sixty percent of the city lives south of 496, Garza said. The north side always seems to get the attention first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do have some good projects on the horizon in south Lansing. I would hope to see LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership) and the LEDC (Lansing Economic Development Corporation) folks in south Lansing and try to get some major corporations in south Lansing thats going to hire its residents. Garza said plans for a new Chick-fil-A along South Cedar Street has the potential to spur more development. Vandenboom points out plans for a new southwest Lansing development on the former lot of Pleasant Grove Elementary School, where civil rights leader Malcolm X attended. Developer Brent Forsberg has proposed a $9.6 million plan to redevelop the former schools parcel with 30 housing units and 5,800 square feet of commercial space. Getting businesses in that are not liquor stores and not weed shops I think is important for development of those neighborhoods, she added. Small financial institutions, any type of small grocery store thats not a liquor store. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked what other parts of the city might need attention, Martinezs response was to say, I would like to have more of an inquiry, an intentional outputting of maybe some of that information. Personally, Im excited to get more input from residents on that. Ward 2 City Council A blighted building seen in the 2500 block of South Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. In Ward 2, Erik Almquist, a former Fennville council member, and Deyanira Nevarez Martinez, a current Lansing school board member, are running for the open seat. Ward 2 comprises southeast Lansing, stretching from south of Potter Park Zoo over to Washington Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Almquist said code enforcement and inspections are important aspects of the downtown projects now happening. But he wants more dynamic parking that might include free ramp parking or inexpensive parking for festivals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We need to remove barriers so people can get downtown," he said. "We spend more time housing our cars than we do housing people so focus on how to make parking work better for people. MORE: Major changes proposed to Lansing city government Martinez said she once considered the city kind of behind the ball with its development when compared to cities like Muskegon or Grand Rapids. Now, she said, Im actually very optimistic of some of the things that are going on downtown, some of the conversations of potential development, whether it be the new city hall or the current city hall turning into a hotel. Some of these things I think are going to be really good opportunities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Almquist and Martinez would like to see improvements along Cedar Street and Pennsylvania Avenue on the city's south side. Both are excited about the Chick-fil-A development on 2 of 6 acres on the former site of the University Motor Mall at 6120 S. Cedar St., which closed in 2015. A developer is marketing the other 4 acres to other companies. Anything thats going to go ahead and develop that area is amazing because that whole strip is just nothing and it needs stuff, Almquist said. I want development because its going to help the tax base. Its going to allow us to do other things. They also agree on Pennsylvania Avenue's potential. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lot of the services that the people use are on that street," Martinez said, noting similar potential along Jolly Road. "There's already a lot of stuff there as well, but it's like I said, chain restaurants and things like that. "All of these areas...Theres traffic. There's foot traffic. There could be a market for some of our small business owners to have a thriving business but theres for some reason the lack of opportunity. I'd really like to figure out how I can help with some of that." Ward 4 City Council The 900 block of West Saginaw Street in Lansing, pictured Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. Heath Lowry, a staff attorney and public policy specialist for the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, is facing council member Peter Spadafore for the Ward 4 seat. Spadafore holds an at-large seat but is running for a ward position. The ward is largely west of Cedar Street and also includes parts of downtown, Old Town and the Saginaw Street and Oakland Avenue corridors. Lowry said increasing downtowns density with housing developments helps boost the city overall and the perception of the city. Its removing vacant properties or places that are staying stagnant and breathing life into it, he said. I would want to maintain that momentum." He wants a timely inspection process and has proposed a vacant property registry for the city to see how surrounding property values are affected. Spadafore wants to help see the downtown projects through. I think one of the things thats keeping us down has been trying to reimagine what Lansing looks like post pandemic, he said. We are a city that built its economic core on a very few number of industries and when those industries arent as prevalent thats a problem, too. Were working on it right now hundreds of units of apartments Weve got more hotels coming to spur activity at the Lansing Center," Spadafore added. "When we have more investment in the core of the city that provides us with greater opportunities to provide better services to residents outside of that core. Lowry said the key is making the ward and the rest of the city more walkable. He sees opportunities in the wards portion of Old Town and areas near the Capital Region International Airport. "I hear a lot of stories of the days," Lowry said, "when the Oakland-Saginaw area had a lot of local businesses that people could walk from the surrounding neighborhoods to be patrons of grocery stories and things of that nature. As long as its not detrimental, I think we should encourage whatever kind of business is willing to go into those areas, Lowry said. He's concerned about the city's homeless population and red-tagged properties. My main focus is about reducing the barriers, he said. We need to make sure that the inspections process is being completed in a timely fashion. Ive heard (from) a lot of people that have done work especially on red tagged residential properties. Theyll do work, and it takes a long time for them to get the property inspections to move forward. Theyre doing a great service for our city by repairing these properties so we need to make sure that they can continue to do that. MORE: Lansing Charter Commission mailer violates state law, City Council president says Spadafore enthusiastically mentioned a new 76-unit residential development thats planned for Old Town. When asked what other parts of the city need attention, he said infrastructure, sidewalks and roads. Its no secret that were going to have a problem with roads for a long, long time, he said. We have hundreds of miles of roads and an inadequate funding system. Were kind of hoping what happens down the street (at the Capitol) translates quickly into some resources for the city of Lansing. Schor has said repeatedly fixing Lansing's roads requires more state funding since the city has a $300 million roads problem, and it can only count on less than $20 million annually - or, as he told road construction workers and labor union members in September, "from gas tax registration fees, we get $14 million (and) we put $3.5 million of our own tax dollars in." The recently approved state budget had an overall $2 billion road funding plan, with revenue generated by a new marijuana tax expected to be $420 million, according to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency. The tax is now being challenged in court. Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela. This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Election 2025: Is Lansing poised for new development on the south side? NEED TO KNOW Former Illinois police officer Drew Peterson was convicted of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, after his fourth wife, Stacy Ann Peterson, went missing In 2016, he was sentenced to an additional 40 years in prison for attempting to hire someone to kill the attorney who successfully prosecuted him in Savios death Stacy has never been found Drew Peterson still maintains his innocence in the murder of his ex-wife, Kathleen Savio, and the disappearance of his wife, Stacy Ann Peterson. The former police officer had been married to Savio, his third wife, for almost a decade when their relationship came to an end. Savio discovered her husband was having a sexual relationship with Stacy, then a 17-year-old hotel receptionist, and filed for divorce in October 2001, per CNN. In just a few years, Drew and Stacy got married. Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Drew Peterson. Drew Peterson. Relations between Drew and Savio became increasingly hostile, with the police being called to intervene in disputes on numerous occasions. In March 2002, Savio even filed a petition for an emergency order of protection, claiming in court papers that Peterson restrained me, held me down, knocked me into a walls, come after me." Months later, he held Savio hostage at knifepoint, one of her coworkers, Issam Karam, alleged in Drew's trial. On March 1, 2004, Savio was found dead in her bathtub. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Savios death was initially ruled an accident and life continued for Drew and Stacy, who had welcomed two children. But as time went on, their relationship grew tense; by 2007, Stacy was considering divorce, her sister shared in a 2015 episode of Murder Made Me Famous. Then Stacy vanished on the morning of Oct. 28, 2007. Drew became a prime suspect in her disappearance and the mysterious circumstances motivated investigators to reopen the case surrounding Savios death. Not long after, Savios death was ruled a homicide. So, where is Drew Peterson now? Heres everything to know about what happened to his wives. Who is Drew Peterson? Virginia Sherwood/NBCU via Getty Drew Peterson speaks with NBC News' "Today" about being a suspect in the murder of his wife on February 28, 2008. Drew Peterson speaks with NBC News' "Today" about being a suspect in the murder of his wife on February 28, 2008. Drew was born in 1954 in the suburbs of Chicago. While attending Willowbrook High School, he met his first wife, Carol Brown. Upon graduation, Drew joined the military and shortly after, Drew and Brown got married. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The couple eventually moved to Virginia, where Drew trained as a military police officer. When they returned to Illinois, Drew became an officer with the Bolingbrook Police Department. The couple later welcomed two children: Stephen and Eric. In 1980, Drew and Brown divorced after she discovered he had been having an affair. Before my father was Drew Peterson, the national headline, he was my father. He was a good guy. He was great to us. He took care of his kids. He was a funny guy. He taught me a lot. He was always there for us, Stephen shared on A&Es Monster in My Family. But basically everything you knew we were wrong. Following the split, he began dating and was briefly engaged to a woman named Kyle Piry. Looking back, she says she ended the relationship because Drew had become controlling, among other concerns. After calling off the engagement, Drew allegedly harassed her and even arrested her on false charges, she told ABC News in February 2009. At one point, Piry filed domestic abuse charges but Drews colleagues at the police station allegedly persuaded her not to pursue them, she told Today. Eventually, Drew met Vicki Connolly and, in 1982, the couple got married. Connolly told the Chicago Tribune that the couple operated a bar together while raising their children from previous relationships. She claimed Drew was cheating on her and alleged that he could be violent at times, but even when the police were called, no reports were filed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around that time, Drew was fired from his police job after he was found guilty of misconduct, disobedience, failure to report a bribe and self-assigned police action, per the Chicago Tribune. He was reinstated the following year, but Connolly says things at home began to grow worse. Drew allegedly bugged the house to monitor her activity and at one point reportedly told her that he could kill her and make it look like an accident, she told the outlet. By 1992, Connolly had allegedly witnessed Drew's affair with Savio and filed for divorce. What happened to Drew's wife Kathleen Savio? Scott Olson/Getty Drew Peterson at his home November 17, 2007 in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Drew Peterson at his home November 17, 2007 in Bolingbrook, Illinois. During his marriage to Connolly, Drew began an affair with Savio after meeting on a blind date. Just a few months after his divorce from Connolly was finalized, Drew and Savio wed in May 1992. Shortly after, they welcomed two children: Thomas and Kristopher. Savios sisters later said that they believe she was physically abused throughout the marriage, claiming to CNN's Married to a Murderer that their sibling once ended up in the hospital with a cut to the head and bruises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things came to a head in 2001 when someone anonymously placed a note in Savio's mailbox that warned her of Drew's illegal alleged relationship with a 17-year-old girl, per Chicago. When Savio confronted Drew, things allegedly became physical, which he has denied, according to the outlet. The couple separated soon after but their relationship grew even more strained amid divorce proceedings and arguments over child custody. Between 2002 and 2004, police were called by the couple on 18 different occasions. Drew has denied ever having laid a finger on her. In July 2002, Drew allegedly broke into Savio's home and held her hostage at knifepoint, threatening to kill her, per CNN. On March 1, 2004, Savios bruised, nude body was found face-down in an empty tub in her bathroom. There was a gash on her head and bruising on her body. At the time of her death, she was set to receive part of Drew's pension, according to CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After a short investigation by the state police and the coroner, Savios death was ruled an accident. It would be several years before the truth behind her death was uncovered. The investigation was very fast; it was 1-2-3, her sister Sue Doman told PEOPLE in December 2007. But my sister always told everyone that he would kill her and make it look like an accident. Who is Stacy Ann Peterson? M. Spencer Green/AP Photo Drew Peterson and his wife Stacy. Drew Peterson and his wife Stacy. While Drew was still married to Savio, he met his future wife Stacy, who was just 17 at the time. Drew and Stacy eventually bought their own home nearby and moved in together. After several years of dating, Drew and Stacy married in October 2003. They went on to welcome two children together: Anthony and Lacy. Throughout their marriage, Stacy was allegedly subjected to verbal and physical abuse, according to friends and family. Her aunt, Candance Aikin, told Married to a Murderer that Stacy was often under a lot of stress and admitted to her that Drew would frequently accuse her of all these different things, and she couldn't really go anywhere or do things. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By October 2007, Stacy was considering divorce. Stacy looked at me and she goes, So how do you feel about me getting a divorce from Drew?' Stacys sister, Cassandra Cales, said on an episode of Murder Made Me Famous. Her face turned pale white. She told me, If anything ever happens to me, Drew did something. My heart stopped, and I said, Lets go. Lets go right now. She said, I cant. She said, If I take the kids, hes the breadwinner. " What happened to Stacy? Scott Olson/Getty A flyer taped to the window of a car advertises that a search continues for Stacy Peterson. A flyer taped to the window of a car advertises that a search continues for Stacy Peterson. Stacy went missing on the morning of Oct. 28, 2007. According to the Center for Missing Persons, she was supposed to help a friend paint their house, but didn't show up. It was later discovered that in the days leading up to her disappearance, Stacy had spoken to a divorce attorney and attempted to pack up Drews belongings to kick him out of their home, per the Chicago Tribune. A close friend and neighbor said she witnessed Stacy crying outside of her house and told her that she was having a hard time getting Drew to leave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stacy had no prior record of disappearing, and friends and family believed that it would have been completely uncharacteristic of her to abandon her children. There is no way she would leave her children. She wanted to leave Drew, not the kids, Cales told the Chicago Tribune. As the search for Stacy continued, Drew became a primary suspect. He claimed that Stacy left him for another man and that he had found her car at a local airport. Drew claimed that he later drove the car back to their home but allegedly did not allow investigators to completely search the vehicle, per the Chicago Tribune. Investigators later found that none of Stacys clothing was missing and no money had been withdrawn from her bank account, making a planned disappearance unlikely. Despite the suspicions surrounding him, Drew became a fixture in the media, making television appearances to discuss Stacys disappearance. He maintained that she had been having an affair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stacy loves male attention. She could [have] ran off with a guy and she could be dancing somewhere. I dont know, Drew said on Larry King Live in April 2008, claiming that the day she went missing, she called him. She told me she found somebody else and she was leaving." Was Drew charged in connection with Savios murder? Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Drew Peterson in his 2009 booking photo. Drew Peterson in his 2009 booking photo. After Stacys disappearance, investigators decided to reopen the case surrounding Savios death. In November 2007, Savios body was exhumed for reexamination by a coroner on the grounds that the evidence was consistent with the staging of an accident to conceal a homicide, per NBC News. On Feb. 21, 2008, Will County States Attorney James Glasgow announced that Savios accident had been reclassified as a homicide. In March 2009, Drew was indicted by a grand jury and was officially arrested on two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Savio, per ABC News. He was held at Will County Adult Detention Facility on a $20 million bond until the trial began. As the trial unfolded, several key pieces of information were revealed. According to Married to a Murderer, it was revealed that the initial lead investigator had never dealt with a homicide before and a crime scene tech had collected almost no evidence from the bathroom where Savio was found. There were no fingerprints and no DNA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, when Drew was interviewed shortly after Savios death, it was done in the break room of his own police department. Drew shared that he had been at home with Stacy at the time of Savios death but when Stacy was interviewed about her husbands alleged alibi, Drew was in the room monitoring the conversation. Later, many people close to Savio took the stand, testifying that she had been terrified of her ex-husband and believed that he wanted to kill her. One former coworker alleged that Drew had offered him $25,000 to find someone to kill Savio, per Fox News. On Sept. 6, 2012, Drew was found guilty of murdering Savio, per CNN. Several months later, he was sentenced to 38 years in prison. Was Stacy Ann Peterson ever found? Scott Olson/Getty Cassandra Cales, the sister of missing woman Stacy Peterson, leads a march on November 17, 2007 in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Cassandra Cales, the sister of missing woman Stacy Peterson, leads a march on November 17, 2007 in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Stacy is still considered a missing person to this day. Her family has continued the search in the Chicago area, although Cales believes she knows the location of Stacys body. In a 2018 Facebook post, Cales wrote that she believes Drew disposed of Stacys body in the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after Stacy went missing, authorities took sonar images in the canal, in which Cales says she can see Stacys remains. While divers were sent to recover the body, it has never been retrieved. Cales is currently raising money on a GoFundMe for the costs to send divers to locate and obtain the remains. Meanwhile, Drews former defense attorney, Joel Brodsky, has also claimed to know Stacys whereabouts, but cannot reveal them to due to attorney-client privilege. I know everything about both of his wives everything, Brodsky told WGN9 in May 2022. I feel bad about Drew still not taking responsibility and Stacy still being missing. Im thinking about maybe revealing what happened to Stacy and where she is. As a result of that interview, a judge issued a gag order, per the Chicago Sun Times. Brodsky was later charged with indirect contempt of court, per WGN9; as of February 2025, he was appealing that charge, according to Shaw News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, Drew allegedly told fellow inmate Antonio Smith that Stacy was a dead woman and he killed her, Smith testified in May 2016. Where is Drew Peterson now? Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Drew Peterson is escorted to an arraignment hearing on May 8, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. Drew Peterson is escorted to an arraignment hearing on May 8, 2009 in Joliet, Illinois. While incarcerated, Drew attempted to recruit Smith to hire someone to kill Glasgow, the attorney who successfully prosecuted him in Savios death. In court, Smith testified that Drew approached him in the prison yard and told him that he needed to have someone kill James Glasgow. Smith contacted authorities about Drews request and was instructed to continue to lead the killer on while wearing a wire. In recordings, Drew said he despised the lawyer and appeared to blame Glasgow for his incarceration and the loss of his police pension. Drew was eventually charged with solicitation-for-murder and was sentenced to an additional 40 years in prison, per Today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He's currently serving his 78-year prison sentence. After numerous appeals which have been unsuccessful Drew began campaigning for a new trial; In April 2024, his request was denied by a judge, per NBC Chicago. Throughout his imprisonment, Drews children from his marriages to Savio and Stacy have been in the custody of one of his older children, Stephen. He raised them in the home Drew left behind and Thomas even graduated high school as valedictorian, per ABC News. In a recent interview from behind bars, Drew shared that he does not want his children to believe he is a murderer. Im not wanting my children to believe that I killed their mothers, he told NewsNation in February 2024. I dont want them thinking that of me ... I didnt do that. I want them to know the truth and believe the truth. Meanwhile, Stephen told the Chicago Tribune in February 2017 that he believes his father probably killed both Savio and Stacy. Read the original article on People With a week to go before Framingham's biennial city election, there's a significant difference in the amount of money that each of the city's two mayoral candidates have available for their final push. Incumbent Charlie Sisitsky, 80, has $51,745 on hand for his campaign, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance's (OCPF) website. His challenger, former School Committee member Geoffrey Epstein, 78, has $2,248. When it comes to raising funds, the two candidates have used different approaches. Sisitsky told the Daily News that he has held a single campaign fundraiser in June at La Cantina Italiana on Waverly Street but has not otherwise solicited campaign money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its just been voluntarily coming in, either through sending checks to the campaign account or through ActBlue," Sisitsky said (ActBlue is a Democratic Party political action committee and fundraising platform). "I havent been soliciting money at all. The only time I solicited money was at the initial fundraising event in June." Epstein, on the other hand, said he did ask for money at recent meet-and-greets. He said he needs $30,000 in order to effectively challenge Sisitsky, and that his donors want change in the city. "We did ask for donations at the meet-and-greets at the end, so I have made no calls actually to ask people for money," Epstein said. "A lot of it seems to be a response to the campaign message, because most of these people I don't know. So it's a grassroots feeling." Where is the money coming from in Framingham's mayoral race? Both candidates have received thousands of dollars from both inside and outside Framingham. Notably, nearly two-thirds of Sisistky's contributions have come from organizations and people outside the city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sisitsky raised $36,954 between Jan. 1 and Oct. 24; about $24,000 of it is from outside the city. The money includes contributions from unions and political action committees (PACs) based outside the city, such as Canton-based Massachusetts Nurses PAC, which donated $500. Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky in his City Hall office, Aug. 20, 2025. The PAC is political action committee for the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). Its president, Katie Murphy, is a former Framingham selectman and has endorsed Sisitsky. Within Framingham, District 3 residents have contributed the most amount of money to Sisitsky, at $6,401, according to contribution listings on the OCPF website. Epstein has criticized Sisitsky for taking donations from developers, including J&Co., the Waltham-based development firm behind the poorly received Nobscot redevelopment proposal. In total, J&Co. employees donated $3,500, although that was in March 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Sisitsky said those donations occurred back in 2022. He said he doesn't solicit money from anybody; instead, he said people are investing in the city and like the direction in which the city is going. Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, left, and his challenger, Geoffrey Epstein, participated in a candidates forum at the Framingham Public Library, Sept. 28, 2025. "They really like what they see, they're happy with the way I've been running the city, getting along with the council and getting things done, and they're interested in investing in the city, and they see that as a plus," Sisitsky said. As for campaign spending, Sisitsky has spent more than $50,000 on his campaign this year, including thousands of dollars for campaign mailings, sponsorships and campaign consultations. Candidates are also regularly audited by the OCPF. Sisitsky has been asked to clarify expenditure information three times this year and was asked to add address information to filers, all of which were resolved. Geoff Epstein, who is running for mayor, at his home in Framingham, Aug. 5, 2025. Meanwhile, most of Epstein's $28,109 raised comes from District 6 his home district (Sisitsky lives in District 1). That figure includes $11,000 that Epstein has invested into his own campaign and another $1,000 from his wife, Kathryn Weldon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Outside his district, the second-highest source of money comes from outside the city, to the order of $4,876. That number includes $2,000 from his two sons, Elliot and Nicholas Epstein, and $1,000 from his ex-wife. District 3 has been active in donating to candidates Within Framingham, District 3 residents have donated a significant amount of contributions to both candidates, raising more than $6,000 for Sisitsky and more than $4,800 for Esptein. In general, Framingham's northern neighborhoods donate mostly to Epstein, while Sisitsky's Framingham donations have been more spread out. Epstein's contributors tend to be seniors and people who have lived in Framingham for a long time. In terms of expenditures, Esptein has spent more than $25,000 in campaign money this year, mostly on campaign mailers and advertising. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein has been audited twice. He was told by the OCPF that expenditures of more than $100 must be drawn from the campaign account, and was told that anonymous donations are prohibited after he recieved an anonymous donation of $100 in August. When is Framingham's election? Framingham's biennial city election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4. All public officials are sworn in on Jan. 1. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Mass. website shows money raised by Framingham mayoral candidates On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Detroiters will select a new mayor, fill two open seats on the Detroit City Council, decide whether to re-elect or replace sitting council members in another pair of competitive district races and the council's at-large seats, and choose members of the Board of Police Commissioners. Throughout the state, voters will make their voices heard on mayoral races, city council and township races and other key ballot issues. City clerk offices began mailing absentee ballots to voters Sept. 25. Registered voters may mail their ballots or place them in a absentee ballot drop box. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Registered voters can also cast their ballots in person at an early voting site from Oct. 25 to Nov. 2. Check your voter registration or find your polling place on the Michigan Secretary of State website. If you live in Detroit, search for ballot drop boxes and early voting place at Detroit Votes. When is Election Day 2025? Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. It is traditionally held the next Tuesday after the first Monday in November. How to register to vote in Michigan Check your registration status by entering your information on the Michigan Secretary of State's website. You can also go to your local clerk's office, which can be found by entering your address here. Neal Willis, 61 of Detroit votes in the primary election inside The Matrix Center gymnasium where precincts 46, 49, 77 and 205 are located in Detroit on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. Same day registration in Michigan Michiganders can go to their clerk's office on Election Day to register, and then vote at their polling place anytime from 7 a.m. until the polls close at 8 p.m. Registered voters have the right to cast a ballot as long as they are in line at their polling place by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Vote by mail in Michigan All Michigan voters can vote by mail by requesting an absentee ballot from their local clerk online or in person. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voters don't need a reason to request absentee ballots in Michigan. Online applications may be submitted until 5 p.m. the Friday before Election Day (this year, Oct. 31). To ensure enough time to receive and return an absentee ballot, the Secretary of State recommends submitting a request at least 15 days before Election Day. Voters can track their absentee ballots on the Michigan Secretary of State website. On Election Day, Detroit absentee ballots may be returned by drop box or directly to the local clerk's office. More: Thanedar, Tlaib vote against U.S. House resolution honoring Charlie Kirk What to expect at a polling place Once arriving at a polling place, voters who have not registered to vote can register on-site and voters who already have registered may vote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State laws require voters to show official photo identification, such as a driver's license, local government ID or U.S. passport. Voters without a photo ID can still cast a ballot by signing an affidavit stating the voter does not have an ID. Once a voter signs an affidavit, they may cast a ballot. There may not be campaign materials, including clothing that promotes or disparages any candidate on the ballot within 100 feet of the entrance to polling places. Free Press Voter Guide: Who's running in Detroit election? Hear from candidates in their own words. What's on my ballot? The Free Press voter guide separate from the Free Press' news coverage and the Free Press Editorial Board's endorsements offers candidates the chance to communicate with voters in their own words. We remove false or unverifiable statements, personal attacks on other candidates, or foul language, but responses are otherwise unedited. Not all candidates choose to participate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A full list of candidates is also available at the Wayne County Clerk's website. Submit a letter to the editor about municipal elections or anything else at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online and in print. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How to vote in Michigan as Election Day 2025 approaches This year, Greece residents will cast their ballots for four town positions, two state Supreme Court judgeships and a Family Court judge. To help inform your vote, we sent brief questionnaires through the party chairpersons to all candidates in contested races. Those with expanded information and photos below responded to the questionnaire. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and space. Election 2025: Early voting starts Oct. 25 in NY. What Rochester-area voters need to know Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Early voting is available to all voters in Monroe County from Saturday, Oct. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 2. Polls are open for regular voting between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4. You can look up where you can vote on Election Day at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov. Check back with the Democrat and Chronicle for the full election results as they become available. Greece Town Supervisor Jeffery L McCann, D, C Age: 61 Current or prior elected office: Currently serving as Deputy County Executive; was a Monroe County Legislator between 2003 and 2013. Professional experience: Greece Deputy Supervisor, County Legislator, and Deputy County Executive Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Top priority: Jeff McCann is focused on restoring transparency, accountability, and trust in Greece town government. His priorities include strengthening public safety, supporting small businesses and the revitalization of Greece Ridge Mall, and expanding housing opportunities to ensure people who grew up in Greece are able to raise a family and retire here. Jeff believes in practical, community-driven solutions that put residents first and ensure Greece remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Bill Murphy, R Bill Murphy is a candidate for Greece Town Supervisor in 2025. Age: 61 Current or prior elected office: Greece Town Board Member, 2nd Ward Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Professional experience: I have 40 years of public service: 29 years as a police officer and police chief. I have served on the Greece Board of Zoning Appeals, the Library Board, and on the New York State Finger Lakes Regional Youth Justice Team, which studied the Raise the Age law for juveniles. Top priority: Public safety remains my top priority. Ensuring our residents are safe in their homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces requires ongoing investment in police staffing, modern technology, and School Resource Officers to protect students and staff. Over the past eight years as councilman, I have reduced the towns tax rate from $6.33 to $5.93 per thousand, while enhancing our community amenities. I remain committed to transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility because every family deserves to feel safe and confident in the Town of Greece. More: Who's on my ballot for Election Day 2025? See Monroe County candidates Greece Town Board, Ward 1 David DiPonzio, R, C (incumbent) Greece Town Board, Ward 2 Spencer Bernard, R, C Spencer Bernard is a candidate for Greece Town Board in 2025. Age: 35 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current or prior elected office: None. Professional experience: I grew up working in my family's small business, Bernard's Grove, and later gained experience in real estate and construction. Since 2019, Ive served as Chief of Staff for the Town of Pittsford, where I focus on town operations, budgeting, infrastructure improvements and assisting residents. Top priority: My priorities focus on maintaining the high quality of life that makes Greece a great place to live. Ill promote transparent, efficient and accountable town government that works for everyone. Keeping our community safe will remain a top priority, with continued support for law enforcement and emergency services. Ill encourage responsible development that protects open space while strengthening our local economy. Through careful budgeting and smart fiscal management, Ill work to keep Greece affordable for families and seniors while delivering strong services, reliable infrastructure and value for every tax dollar. Jim Leary, D Jim Leary is a candidate for Greece Town Council in 2025. Current or prior elected office: None. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Professional experience: Police officer for 29 years in the Town of Greece. Top priority: Taxes, fiscal responsibility and transparency: We need a full and complete forensic audit. Public safety: Restructure the police department. Bring back the public safety committee, school resource officer at no cost to the school district, and the traffic enforcement unit to include commercial vehicle inspections. Community development: We cannot afford vacant stores including the mall at Greece Ridge. I would create a police task force to work with the mall and increase police visibility at the mall especially during the holiday season. I would have a town wide list of all vacant buildings so when a new applicant applies for new construction permits we can offer an alternative to new construction. Housing: Ensure that rising property tax values are not pushing out residents out of the town. Ensure that we have sufficient senior housing that our seniors can afford. Greece Town Board, Ward 3 Michael Bloomer, R, C (incumbent) Michael Bloomer is a candidate for Greece Town Board in 2025. Age: 58 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current or prior elected office: Served on the Greece Town Board since 2021. Professional experience: Served with the Ridge Road Fire District in the Town of Greece for more than 31 years, including more than 19 years as a chief fire officer. While serving at the fire district, I represented the district on the Greece Traffic Advisory Committee, managed a $2 million capital improvement project, served as the accreditation manager and served as a liaison to the Unity Hospital Emergency Management Team. Top priority: My priorities are public safety, cutting taxes and increasing jobs. I have provided the necessary equipment, facilities and funding to enhance our local police department. I understand that having a well-trained, local police department will enhance the safety of our residents and visitors. I voted for balanced budgets, lower tax rates and decreasing the town's indebtedness. I know that keeping the town's tax burden well controlled while providing outstanding services such as our library, recreational opportunities and an excellent public works departments enhances our great town. Amorette A. Miller, D, WF Amorette Miller is a candidate for Greece Town Board in 2025. Age: 47 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Current or prior elected office: None. Professional experience: Chairwoman of the Town of Greece Democratic Committee. Currently works as the director of recruitment for the Rochester City School District. Prior work experience includes serving as chief of staff for the Rochester Labor Council, manager of labor relations for the City of Rochester, political director for AFSCME Council 66, political coordinator for the Transport Workers Union Local 100 in New York City and journalist at the Democrat and Chronicle. Miller is a current doctoral student at Long Island University, pursuing an Ed.D in transformational leadership. Top priority: Amorette Miller is running for Greece Town Board to ensure local government works for everyone. Her priorities include safe and well-maintained neighborhoods, fair taxes, and strong support for families and seniors with an emphasis on recreation. Shes focused on fixing roads and infrastructure, and ensuring transparency and accountability in town decisions. As a lifelong advocate for working people, Amorette believes residents deserve a community advocate at the table who listens, leads with integrity, and brings people together to get things done for all Greece residents. Greece Town Board, Ward 4 Rick Antelli Jr., R, C Greece Receiver of Taxes Andrew Conlon, R, C (incumbent) Greece Town Justice (3) Deb Crowder, R, C (incumbent) Brett C. Granville, R, C (incumbent) Shannon J. Pero, R, C (incumbent) Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who's on my ballot in Greece? Election 2025 candidates PHENIX CITY, Al. (WRBL) According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of beef has increased 14.7% since this time last year. The question many consumers are asking is why? Josh Laney, a Phenix City cow farmer says its simply supply and demand. Laney explained that there are many reasons for the decrease in demand one being the national drought. They have driven farmers to take their cows to the market early because they didnt have anything to feed them, Laney explains. So, the mama cows were pretty significantly reduced and now that has put it at the smallest beef herd in the US since the early 50s late 40s. Farmers say they could capitalize on the high prices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Generally, Laney takes 6 to 8-month-old calves that weigh around 600 pounds to market. We got nearly $2 a pound more on average this year than we did exact the same week last year for very similar sized calves, Laney shared. I would argue the price were selling them for now is about what it takes for most farmers to break even. I think the thing people also need to understand about the price of beef when they see it at the grocery store, thats not what Im selling it for, Laney says. Theres a lot of people between me and the grocery store that are also doing things adding value to that supply. Laney explained that the price paid at the grocery does not end up back in the farmers pocket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont know any farmers getting rich off this. There might be some that are paying off some bills and breaking even for a changethe only thing that comes to us is if the demand is up and the prices up, when I take it to market, then thats it. Another option farmers have is to rebuild their herds, but Laney says the time it takes to rebuild their herd could hurt them. Im caring for it, Im doing maintenance, there are costs that Im sinking into that cow the whole time in hopes that when she begins to produce and hope the market prices are still high enough to recoup what Ive had to invest in her, Laney explains. A week ago, President Donald Trump proposed buying beef from Argentina to lower prices. This would replace the imports of beef not coming into Mexico, as a flesh-eating pest was found in their cattle herds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the Executive Vice President of the Alabama Cattlemens Association, Erin Beasley, says they do not support this idea. This is the federal government manipulating the cattle market, Beasley says. That is on principle not something that we support from a policy perspective. Beasley says the association supports importing beef with partners who are good, healthy trading partners like Australia and Canada to meet the ground beef demand. We dont support establishing trading partnerships with countries that are not on the same base that were on and at the same level that were at and what we see with Argentina is theyre not a good trading partner. They have things like foot and mouth disease that are very much a concern to the live cattle industry are things that they dont have a grip on, Beasley explains. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beasley says manipulating the market to where its not a free market and doing that through a trade partner that is not considered ideal are two things that the association can not support. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. China's "institutional strength" will help the country tackle "major tests" over the course of the next five-year plan, analysts and state media have said. The country's latest development plan, which is due to start next year and run until 2030, comes at a time when Beijing is facing increasing obstacles to its long-term ambitions both at home and abroad - particularly its intense rivalry with the United States. China's first five-year plan was introduced in 1953. The country has since strengthened its resilience, making it far better equipped than before to navigate challenges, according to Zheng Yongnian, dean of the public policy school at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "During the 14th five-year plan period [which ends this year], we faced numerous 'black swan' events - from Donald Trump's trade war to international geopolitical conflicts - all of which were unforeseen, yet China pulled through. "The 14th plan was far from easy, but as we move into the 15th, there is now a greater sense of certainty," Zheng told The Beijing News. "Our institutional strengths and economic foundation - these sources of certainty - give us greater confidence and ability to bravely face the major tests amid high winds, rough waves and even raging storms of the 15th five-year plan period," Zheng added, using language that closely followed a communique published last week after the fourth plenum - a major Communist Party meeting to discuss the new five-year plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details of the latest plan have yet to be released, but it comes at a time when the country is grappling with its rivalry with the US and a range of domestic challenges, including slow economic growth, a property crash and high levels of youth unemployment. The communique also highlighted the need to "resolve social conflicts and disputes, and strengthen overall public security and social stability measures". On Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua called for the country to "seize the window of opportunity to gain the strategic initiative". "If we achieve good results in the first five years of the next decade, we will gain a greater initiative ... we should act without delay, going all out to achieve as much as possible," the commentary said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Xi Jinping at the plenary called on regional authorities and government departments to all play their part, according to an article published by Xinhua and party mouthpiece People's Daily over the weekend. In language that echoed Mao Zedong, he compared it to "playing the piano", where all parts of government have to work harmoniously to implement policy. China's first five-year plan, launched in 1953, drew heavily on the Soviet model and focused on industrial development, with 156 major projects backed by Moscow playing a crucial role. It was introduced against the backdrop of the Cold War, when the newly founded People's Republic faced a shattered economy, a weak industrial base, political isolation and economic blockades. Five-year plans have been a feature of Chinese economic policy since the 1950s. Photo: AFP alt=Five-year plans have been a feature of Chinese economic policy since the 1950s. Photo: AFP> Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Over the next decades, subsequent plans became more strategic and comprehensive, with the country's economy growing rapidly since the 1980s. The country's political system is now showing its strength by continuously implementing development plans, according to Xie Maosong, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies at Tsinghua University. "The phased deployment, step-by-step progression, and policy continuity of China's five-year plans represent a modern innovation designed to advance the nation's goal of modernisation and industrialisation," Xie wrote in an article for the website Guancha. "It embodies the advantages of its nationwide system, which pools national resources to accomplish major undertakings ... coordinating across sectors, departments, regions and levels to build an integrated planning framework." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, told The Media Line that his survey shows Islamic Jihad support at roughly 1%2% in both Gaza and the West Bank This Saturday, Israel said it carried out a targeted strike in central Gaza against a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operative it accused of planning an imminent attack on Israeli troops, while the group denied the allegation. Despite heavy criticism, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the strike did not violate the US-backed ceasefire. In parallel, Israels foreign minister said Turkey will not be accepted in any proposed international force for Gaza, highlighting Israels insistence on vetting who enters the Strip, while US officials reiterated that no American troops will go into Gaza, with roughly 200 US personnel supporting from outside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Founded in the early 1980s by Fathi Ibrahim Abdulaziz Shaqaqi, PIJ rejected Oslo-era politics and advanced armed struggle through its al-Quds Brigades, a lineage and posture well-documented in open sources. In interviews with The Media Line, two specialists, Daniele Garofalo, analyst of Islamist rebels and armed groups, and Erik Skare, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, explained how PIJs ideology, structure, and battlefield behavior diverge from Hamas, and why that matters in both Gaza and the West Bank. There are small but important ideological differences between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Garofalo told The Media Line. Hamas has an Islamist ideology linked to the principles of the Muslim Brotherhood (whose ultimate goal is similar to that of PIJ), namely armed resistance, an end to occupation, independence, etc. The PIJ has a more strictly militant and revolutionary ideology; it rejects political compromise and favors peoples war and armed action as the only means, he added. A military movement and a political movement Skare distilled the identity split into one line: So although PIJ has a political wing and a political bureau, its fair to say that PIJ is a military movement engaging in the political field, while Hamas is a political movement engaging in the military field, he told The Media Line. That frame also captures their contrasting social footprint: PIJ has not bothered much about social services, proselytizing or moral policing to the extent Hamas has; what matters is armed struggle against Israel; everything else comes later. So, in a sense, PIJ aims for liberation for Islamization, while Hamas traditionally has aimed for Islamization for liberation, he added. For residents in camp districts from Jabalia to Jenin, the distinction between a political-military party and a military-political movement isnt theoretical. It shows up in who fixes the power line after a strike, who negotiates the opening of a checkpoint, and who arrives first when shots are fired. Hamas governing apparatus is present in those mundane moments; PIJs presence is sharper, narrower, felt in the rhythm of raids and funerals, in the quiet knock on doors that turn cousins into cellmates. That asymmetry is exactly why the two groups behave differently under a fragile truce. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group holds a rally in Gaza to commemorate armed commanders and operatives killed by Israel in the past five-day fighting, in Gaza City, May 19, 2023. (credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS) As Garofalo noted, Hamas separates its political bureaucracy, foreign offices, social organization, and propaganda from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and governs. Hamas governs, exercises territorial control, internal security, and administration, he said. Governance forces trade-offs, sequencing fire with partners, absorbing international pressure, and keeping the civil apparatus from buckling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By contrast, PIJ is smaller, more centralized in its military command, and sometimes acts as a more clandestine structure less interested in civil politics, he explained. That leanness removes many brakes in crises: [PIJ] tends to focus on raids, rockets and military operations without the constraints of civil management; this can lead to more reckless escalations, even if Hamas then pays the political and military cost, he added. Skare warned against false precision: We do not have specific numbers on PIJs militants, but some estimates range between 5,0008,000 compared to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades 30,000, which gives a sense of differences in size. What is clearer is the toolset: PIJ has engaged in the same types of military tactics as its sister movement, mortars, rockets, ambushes, armed clashes, IEDs, and sniper operations, although Hamas has carried out more complex ambush operations, he added. On Tehran, Skare stressed ideological independence versus material dependence: [PIJ] is not Shiite or followers of any Khomeinist line. Its a marriage of convenience the movement has grown de facto dependent on Iran, which limits its maneuverability should their interests conflict, as one saw in 20152016, he noted. Garofalo saw the same post-2023 trade-off: PIJ became more powerful and more militarized ties with the IRGC (Quds Force), via Hezbollah, have increased the PIJs capabilities at the same time, this dependence has reduced part of its strategic autonomy, he said. Recent US measures against IRGC-QF financial and procurement networks, including crypto and front-company pipelines, illustrate the levers mediators point to when trying to curb PIJs tempo. PIJ has a long history of absorbing leadership losses, from the 1995 assassination of founder Fathi Shaqaqi onward, by pushing decision-making downward and privileging repeatable tactics (rockets, IEDs, sniper fire) over complex, leader-dependent operations. Decapitation weakens coherence and tempo, but it rarely erases capability: logistics nodes re-route, training flows from Hezbollah and the IRGC adapt, and local commanders regain initiative. Thats why single strikes can calm a sector for weeks yet, by themselves, do not remove the escalatory risk when the political environment shifts. PIJ 'accepts higher operational risk' In Gaza, Hamass governing role compels sequencing, calibrating fire to avoid institutional collapse or losing its political monopoly. Garofalo said on the matter: In Gaza, where Hamas is the main governing actor, Hamas must combine military action with administrative responsibilities, often coordinating operations to prevent the collapse of the civil apparatus or to preserve its political-military monopoly, he added. PIJ, lacking that burden, accepts higher operational risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the West Bank, the ecology is local and networked. Skare noted: The West Bank cells are mainly locally driven and organized, and function partly as neighborhood watches in absence of any actor providing Palestinians in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, etc., with security against Israeli raids. Recruitment, he added, turns on pre-existing social ties where recruitment is driven by who you know and from where you know them, a pattern that has held for both PIJ and Hamas since the Second Intifada, he further added. Unlike Gaza, the West Bank is mediated by a triangular dynamic: the Palestinian Authoritys (PA) security presence, regular Israeli raids, and PIJ/Hamas clandestine cells. PA coordination, uneven and politically costly, narrows the oxygen for PIJs sustained networks, even as short, locally rooted cells keep reappearing. Thats why Jenin or Tulkarm can flare quickly after a single raid or arrest sweep: the cells are social first, ideological second, and state and nonstate pressures dont remove the pool of recruits so much as keep the cycle intermittent. The result is a pattern of bursts rather than continuous insurgency, with PIJ accepting higher risk precisely because it carries no governance burden. Garofalo situated those networks inside three drivers: social/youth frustration, local dynamics (clans, refugee camps, territorial identity), and external/organizational support that enables action and amplifies its scope, he said. The current public framing of the 20-point track overwhelmingly references Hamas, yet compliance hinges on PIJ as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Diplomatically, Skare described PIJ as a veto player or a junior partner, and added, Muhammad al-Hindi has met regularly with Hamas diplomatic team to be updated on developments, provide advice and make clear what the red lines may be Al-Hindi and Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah have also engaged with mediators such as Egypt. The fact that any ceasefires have been coordinated with PIJ makes it more difficult for PIJ to break or violate them, he noted. Garofalo called Cairo an embedded mediator with limited margins, hence the emphasis on logistics-and-finance pressure to keep PIJ within guardrails. In practice, the plans durability rests on a three-layer mix: first, material pressure on PIJs finance and procurement routes the only lever that consistently slows its tempo; second, inclusion without governance, which keeps PIJ inside Cairo channels so that violations carry reputational cost across the Palestinian arena; and third, graduated responses by the international force and Israel localized, time-boxed actions designed to avoid collapsing Gazas civil apparatus while still raising the price of breach. Garofalos view is that PIJs stance in prisoner-for-hostage bargaining is more rigid than Hamas: Compared with Hamas, PIJ is more rigid in exchanges. It seeks leverage and wont accept deals that look like capitulation; it wants terms and guarantees it can frame as victory, he said. That helps explain late-stage brinkmanship in Cairo rounds and why small battlefield incidents can quickly test ceasefire tripwires. One reason PIJ is so militarily present yet politically faint is that support is tiny. Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, told The Media Line that his survey, to be published on October 28, 2025, shows Islamic Jihad support at roughly 1%2% in both Gaza and the West Bank, notably low following the announcement of the ceasefire. Concerning whether PIJ could pivot to governance in Gaza, Garofalo was blunt: With regard to a potential government, the PIJ, by statute and doctrine, considers armed resistance to be the only means of liberation; it does not recognize the legitimacy of political processes under occupation. First of all, a doctrinal reformulation: the PIJ should redefine jihad from total and permanent struggle to a means to achieve concrete political objectives, he noted. Until then, Gaza and the West Bank will continue to feel the pull of a movement that rejects governance yet shapes escalation from the shadows. As Skare put it, PIJ has no ambition or capacity to govern both Gaza and the West Bank since it was founded following the principle of jihad for liberation and not for governance, he concluded As political activities intensify in Bihar with the Mahagathbandhan likely to release its manifesto, Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday criticised the move, saying it was not a "big deal" since the opposition would not come to power in the poll-bound state. Questioning the basis of various opposition announcements, Paswan argued that at least seven lakh crore rupees are required to fulfil the promise of providing government jobs to nearly 2.5 crore families, which exceeds Bihar's current three lakh crore rupees budget. "What's the big deal in making announcements if you know that you are not going to be in power? What is the basis for those announcements? On the one hand, you claim that one of your biggest announcements is that we will provide government jobs to every family. What is the budget of Bihar? It's Rs 3 lakh crore. Even if you calculate the bare minimum salary, you'll need at least Rs 7-9 lakh crore to provide government jobs to approximately 2.5 crore families. Where will that budget come from?" Paswan told reporters. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief said that Bihar Leader of Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav knows there's no harm in lying since they won't come to power. "How will you fulfil all the other announcements you've made? When you're releasing your manifesto, please explain the path forward. How do you plan to increase the state's revenue? The LoP knows that if they don't have to come to power, what's the harm in lying? What's the harm in making big promises?" Paswan said. Paswan performed Chhath Puja rituals this morning at his Patna residence and said, "Chhathi Maiya has given me so much without asking. May the blessing of Chhathi Maiya be bestowed upon every person, every family in Bihar and the country. Along with the Chhath festival, the great festival of democracy is also underway. Today, as we offer our arghya to the rising sun, this festival is now coming to an end. I believe that while one great festival is coming to an end, the other great festival of democracy will reach its full peak. Starting today, we will begin a vigorous campaign. Whatever the outcome, I believe it will be in our favour, but it will be a positive outcome for the people of Bihar." This comes a day ahead of Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi's election campaign in Bihar. According to alliance sources who spoke to ANI earlier, the opposition Mahagathbandhan will unveil its joint manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections in Patna later today. Sources said that Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will also begin their campaign for the Bihar Assembly elections today, after the Chhath Puja festival. The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) Ive spent my career helping people make deeply personal medical decisions about their bodies, their pregnancies, and their care. As an OB/GYN Physician Assistant and reproductive health educator, Ive dedicated my work to helping patients and the public understand their rights and advocate for the care they deserve. But I never expected that in my own state, I could lose the right to make those same decisions for myself simply because I could become pregnant. Thats exactly what Michigan law says today. And its why Im suing the state. The lawsuit Im a plaintiff in Koskenoja v. Whitmer, a case challenging a dangerous provision called the "pregnancy exclusion," a law that automatically voids your end-of-life medical decisions the moment youre pregnant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres what that means in real life: If youre pregnant and become incapacitated say, after a car accident or a brain injury the loved one youve legally chosen to speak for you may be unable to follow your wishes to withdraw life support. The state steps in instead. When I wrote my own advance directive with an estate planning attorney years ago, I thought I was doing everything right, making sure my loved ones would never have to guess about my care if the unimaginable happened. What I didnt realize was that one mandated clause wouldnt allow my loved ones to carry out my wishes if I were pregnant. That hit home when I read about Adriana Smith earlier this year, a Georgia woman who was declared brain-dead while nine weeks pregnant and kept on life support for months without her familys consent. As someone who knows exactly what prenatal care entails, the idea of my family having to witness that level of intervention on my incapacitated body, without consent, was beyond what I could ever feel comfortable with. Its unthinkable. And it could happen here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More from Freep Opinion: Free Press endorses Mary Sheffield for Detroit mayor in Nov. 4 election A sign that reads 'Women's Rights Are Human Rights!' sits next to a megaphone during an abortion rights protest at Hart Plaza in Detroit on Saturday, April 15, 2023. What's at stake Michigan is one of nine states that automatically invalidates advance directives during pregnancy. In these states, pregnancy becomes a condition that suspends your personhood. But thats not who we are. In 2022, Michigan voters made it loud and clear: decisions about pregnancy whether to continue, end, or manage care belong to the individual, not the government. Proposal 3 passed by overwhelming margins because Michiganders know this to be true. The pregnancy exclusion doesnt just ignore that; it defies it. What happened to Adriana Smith should never happen to anyone. Her story is a horrifying reminder of whats at stake when the state takes control of a persons body, even after they can no longer speak for themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The same ideology that justifies forced birth also justifies forced treatment. Both rest on the belief that pregnant people are exceptions to the rules of bodily autonomy. Michigans law even mandates its own words into your paperwork, a state-written sentence declaring that your advance directive cannot be used to withhold treatment if youre pregnant. Before youve even signed your name, the state has already decided whose voice matters. It doesnt just silence the patient; it forces loved ones to betray the person they promised to protect. And it leaves clinicians caught in the middle, ordered to provide care their patient refused and punished if they dont. More from Freep Opinion: Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is wrecking Michigans middle class What consent means Consent isnt just a medical formality. Its the backbone of personal autonomy. Its the right to say yes, the right to say no, and the assurance that your body is still your own even when you cant speak for yourself. As both a clinician and a survivor, I know how sacred that is. Consent is what builds trust between a patient and their provider. And this law breaks that trust wide open. It forces clinicians to perform treatment on someone who cannot consent, someone whose documented wishes the law requires them to ignore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It erodes the very core of ethical care. No clinician should have to carry out procedures their patient explicitly refused. And no patient should ever have to wonder whether pregnancy could strip them of the right to say no. Why it matters When people think about reproductive rights, they often think about abortion. But the same ideology that restricts abortion is behind these end-of-life exclusions. Both stem from the belief that the state has a right to control pregnant bodies. Both deny that pregnant people are capable of making moral, informed decisions about their own care.This lawsuit isnt about special treatment for pregnant people. Its about equal treatment. And yes, these situations can be complicated. There are moments when families and clinicians face impossible choices whether to continue life support, to deliver, or to let go. Those decisions are never simple, and theyre never the same for everyone. Thats exactly why they should belong to the person at the center of them. The point isnt what choice is made; its who gets to make it. Were asking Michigans courts to enforce what voters already made clear: Your health care decisions belong to you. You shouldnt have to give up your rights to plan for your future. You shouldnt have to choose between becoming pregnant and keeping control over your care. And you shouldnt have to fear that in a moment of crisis, your voice and your choices will be erased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As both a health care provider and a patient, I refuse to accept that pregnancy is a condition that suspends your bodily autonomy. Thats why I joined this case: because autonomy shouldnt end at conception, and dignity shouldnt depend on politics.Nikki Sapiro Vinckier is an OB/GYN Physician Assistant, reproductive health content creator, and plaintiff in Koskenoja v. Whitmer. She is the founder of Take Back Trust, a national platform helping people navigate reproductive health care in this changing landscape. Follow her on social media @nikkivinck. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters, and we may publish it online and in print. Want our sharpest, most relevant takes delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to Freep Opinion's free, weekly newsletter. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: I'm suing Michigan over 'pregnancy exclusion' | Opinion NEED TO KNOW Luigi Mangione, 27, is referred to as the "ambassador" at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn because of the time he spends getting new inmates acclimated to jail Arthur Aidala, a lawyer who has represented the likes of Harvey Weinstein and former MDC inmate Ghislaine Maxwell, tells PEOPLE Mangione is "a model prisoner" and "very, very well liked" Mangione is currently in federal custody and facing both state and federal charges related to the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024 Luigi Mangione is quickly becoming a "well-liked" inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. That's according to attorney Arthur Aidala, who tells PEOPLE Mangione is "a model prisoner" as he awaits both state and federal trials on charges related to the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 27-year-old has also made a point of helping out other inmates when they first arrive at the facility, according to Aidala, who has previously represented the likes of Harvey Weinstein and former MDC inmate Ghislaine Maxwell. "He actually has been extremely nice to brand new people who go in there," Aidala says of Mangione, adding that Mangione is being referred to as an "ambassador" for the facility. "When people get there and they don't know what the heck is going on, he is kind of the one who welcomes them and and does his best to allay their fears, and you know, kind of shows them the ropes of what life in the Metropolitan Detention Center is like, and what to do and sometimes, more importantly, what not to do," Aidala says. Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Mangione arrives for his arraignment at New York State Supreme Court on Dec. 23, 2024 Mangione arrives for his arraignment at New York State Supreme Court on Dec. 23, 2024 Aidala, who has had a number of clients serve time at the MDC, says it's a difficult adjustment when a person ends up at one of these facilities due to the "fear of the unknown" and the "not knowing, literally" when it comes to "how to use the bathroom, how to get food and go to the commissary, or even get a toothbrush or use the phone." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "You know, things that we all take for granted, that changes when you go into a facility where they control your every move. It's very hard to figure those things out," he says. Mangione is not only "very, very well liked" by his fellow inmates but also by the staff at the MDC, according to Aidala. "He gets very high marks from people in and around the jail system," adding that by all accounts, Mangione has exhibited exemplary behavior during his time in custody. "My understanding is that he is a rule follower, unlike a lot of folks in there. A lot of folks in there, you know, they figure out a way to get in contraband, whether that be drugs or unauthorized cell phones, and things like that. But my understanding is that he's not like that and he hasn't been written up for any violations of any sort," Aidala says. Mangione is being housed in the general population and not receiving any special treatment at MDC, where his fellow inmates include Sean "Diddy" Combs, the Alexander brothers and OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone though there is no interaction between the male and female populations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He has spent 10 months behind bars as he awaits trial for allegedly murdering Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024. The Ivy League graduate and former high school valedictorian has since become a polarizing public figure, viewed by some as a vigilante and others as a cold and calculated murderer. Jeff Swensen/Getty Mangione at a Pennsylvania courthouse for an extradition hearing on Dec. 10, 2024 Mangione at a Pennsylvania courthouse for an extradition hearing on Dec. 10, 2024 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Authorities arrested Mangione at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania five days after Thompson's murder, and on Dec. 19, he was extradited to New York City and charged with four federal crimes by prosecutors for the Southern District of New York. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few days later, on Dec. 23, he was arraigned on state charges including second-degree murder, and entered a plea of not guilty. He had also been charged with murder in the first degree (in furtherance of an act of terrorism) and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism, but those two counts were dismissed by Judge Gregory Carro in an order filed last month. Mangione will be back in court for a hearing on those remaining state charges on Dec. 1. His lawyer did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Read the original article on People Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. Tarrant County recently sent more kids to state youth prisons than any other Texas county, contributing to a booming waitlist for beds in the Texas Juvenile Justice Departments five secured facilities. Tarrant transferred 103 kids to state custody in the 2025 fiscal year that ended in August, jumping 63% from the period prior, according to preliminary TJJD data obtained by the Texas Tribune. Thats also nearly twice the number of youth sent from Harris County, the states most populous county. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while this is not the first time Tarrant has led Texas on this issue, the county is on track to send the highest number of kids to state youth prisons this calendar year since at least 2011. State District Judge Alex Kim, a Republican who has led the countys juvenile court since 2019, pinned the increase on a change aimed at shortening the time kids sit in the countys juvenile jail awaiting their cases outcome. He and other county leaders also said there have been more crimes. But some juvenile justice advocates and former county officials fear that Kims tough-on-crime approach is helping to drive those numbers a concern that has persisted for years. At the same time, Tarrants Black youth continue to be disproportionately represented in the number of kids sent to state custody. TJJD data also show that kids who violated probation drove Tarrants spike, reigniting concerns about the countys decision last year to fire a well-established group that supported youth on probation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Texas, only kids convicted of a felony or a probation violation for a felony could be sent to youth prisons, which are reserved for the most serious crimes. Critics and experts say Tarrants reliance on such placement, officially called a commitment, can harm youth. TJJD facilities have a history of youth being abused, and research shows that those kept closer to home are far less likely to commit new crimes. Its pretty predictable that its going to have deleterious outcomes on a lot of the kids in our community, said Brie Diamond, chair of Texas Christian Universitys criminal justice department. If we get them entrenched in the system it becomes more likely that were creating a lifelong offender. TJJD officials said the rising number of kids that some counties like Tarrant are sending to its custody is one factor pushing its waitlist near an all-time high. The agency also blamed the queue on flat capacity and the declining number of youth exiting its secured facilities. As of mid-October, there were 149 children who had been waiting for transfers to TJJD for an average of 90 days, the agency said. Twenty-two kids were from Tarrant, one of 38 departments on the list. The Lynn W. Ross Juvenile Detention Center in Fort Worth on Oct. 15, 2025. Camilo Diaz Jr. for The Texas Tribune System is sensitive a single county can disrupt, said a TJJD slide presented during its September board meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advocates and former county officials also raised alarms about who the county has been sending to state custody. Black children made up over 70% of the countys commitments, while being about 20% of its youth population. In turn, around one in four Black children sent to TJJD custody in the 2025 fiscal year came from Tarrant. The racial disparities there are quite disturbing, said Elizabeth Henneke, CEO of Lone Star Justice Alliance. Now, some critics are calling for an independent audit of Tarrants juvenile justice system to get to the bottom of the spike. The third-party review may find that Tarrant County is on track and doing quite well, Henneke said. But without that analysis, I think we all should be concerned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Riley Shaw, an associate judge under Kim who became Tarrants juvenile services director last year, said his department is already directly reviewed by TJJD. He added that it doesnt control youth commitments and that it would be improper to comment on judges decisions. Kim rejected the idea of an audit. The ballooning waitlist In Tarrant, the big concern over the past year has been TJJDs ballooning waitlist. Earlier this year, Kim grew frustrated with the agencys pace of moving kids from the county lockup to state youth prisons. These children left waiting would often go for months without the rehabilitative services that the court had ordered for them to receive in TJJDs facilities. Their extended stay would also add stress to the local juvenile jail, which was not set up to serve them, county officials said. State District Judge Alex Kim leads a Tarrant County Juvenile Board meeting at the Lynn W. Ross Juvenile Detention Center cafeteria. Kim was elected board chair during the meeting. Camilo Diaz Jr. for The Texas Tribune Then, Kim said he noticed that TJJD would often pick up youth from Tarrant after theyd been waiting for around 90 days. So in February, the judge said he began speeding up how quickly his court was resolving cases a change confirmed by the Tarrant County District Attorneys office. The quicker the cases moved, the quicker the 90-day countdown for TJJDs pickup could start for kids who are committed and the less time they would have to spend in the juvenile jail, he reasoned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If it looks like its going to be a commitment, we try and accelerate that as much as we can, he said. But TJJD Chief of Staff Nathan McDaniel said the agency operates on a one-in, one-out basis instead of a 90-day timeline, adding that its executives had communicated this with Kim over the summer. Had Tarrant kept the average pace prior to Kims ramp-up, the county would have likely sent around 80 children instead of 103 to state custody, the Tribune found. The additional kids also lengthened the wait time for every youth on TJJDs list by nearly two weeks, according to McDaniel. I think the unintended result there is certainly it does make it more challenging for everybody else across the state, Manny Ramirez, a Republican Tarrant County commissioner and TJJD board chair, said when asked about the finding. If theres a direct correlation, perhaps that needs to be explored further. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim said his change has recently helped to keep the juvenile jails population from hitting capacity, adding that theres no simple remedy to the problem. Though the detention center was still pushed beyond its limits at times, forcing some kids to have to sleep in the intake rooms, according to minutes from the Tarrant County Juvenile Boards meeting in August. The board, which oversees the countys juvenile department, has continued pushing TJJD to address the waitlist. Chaired by Kim, its made up of district judges and County Judge Tim OHare. Tarrant County Judge Tim OHare listens to remarks during the Oct. 15 Tarrant County Juvenile Board meeting. Camilo Diaz Jr. for The Texas Tr The group said in a Sept. 19 letter to TJJD that over six months, nearly one-third of the youth at its 128-bed detention center were those pending transfers to state lock-up. Then, it asked if the waitlisted kids could be placed in the states adult prison system, shocking advocates who said such a move would endanger children. To further delay providing services to these youth is to deny them their opportunity for rehabilitation, the letter said, pinning the waitlist on TJJDs prolonged staffing shortage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But there are few ways youth can be legally sent to adult prisons and this is not one of them, TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter responded. She added that the agency had recently taken in more Tarrant youth than any juveniles from any other county. Instead, Carter offered ways the county could provide waitlisted youth some rehabilitative services. She also said TJJD is working to boost its capacity through recruitment efforts and the upcoming construction of two secured facilities near more populated regions. No simple answer Kims change alone doesnt explain the entire spike. The judge said the vast majority of youth went to TJJDs custody due to plea agreements with prosecutors, instead of his orders. According to a snapshot from the district attorneys office, there were 53 commitments between May 2 and Oct. 20. Just under 60% of them were through plea bargaining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim and other county leaders also said kids are committing more crimes. In a statement, the district attorneys office said the jump was partly because of a rise in both probation violations and case filings, especially those involving violent gun crimes. TJJD data show that most Tarrant youth were sent to state lock-up for violating probation, more than doubling last years figure. Over 40% of these violations were technical which could mean a range of issues such as missing school, not meeting with a probation officer or running away instead of new offenses. Kids shouldnt be going to youth prisons over these infractions, advocates and experts said. They pointed to research showing that incarceration increases reoffense risk, on top of a 2024 report that found youth in TJJD facilities were exposed to conditions that cause serious and lasting physical, mental and emotional harm. Everybody knows the outcomes that you have with TJJD, they still are not good, said Bennie Medlin, Tarrants former juvenile services director who retired last year. I give TJJD a lot of credit for the improvements that theyve made over the last few years. But I think everybody wants to see the state used as a last resort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim, however, cautioned against analyzing the data without fully understanding each case. He said TJJDs facilities are sometimes the best or the only option for certain youth something that Frank Adler, a juvenile defense attorney who ran against the judge as a Democrat, said he has seen. Adler and another defense attorney also said they have recently noticed more crimes, including those involving guns, in Tarrant. County data provided to the Tribune up to August indicate that this years number of violent felony juvenile cases is on track to be similar to 2024s figure and a slight increase from that of 2023. These datasets dont break down the use of guns. A mural painted by youth in detention at the Lynn W. Ross Juvenile Detention Center features a quote by Muhammad Ali. Camilo Diaz Jr. for The Texas Tribune Advocates also raised alarms that Black youth made up over 70% of the kids Tarrant sent to TJJD a disproportionate figure that has increased in the last few years. Statewide, Black children accounted for 47.5% of the total commitments, despite being 12% of Texas youth population. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kim said Black youth in Tarrant are more likely than kids of other races and ethnicities to be referred for violent crimes, which more frequently lead to time in a state facility. He said thats true nationally, too. Black youth are disproportionately represented at the national level, but at lower rates than in Tarrant. Experts said Black juveniles are more likely to be punished than their peers because of several factors, including over-policing and over-enforcement. Another reason Kim gave was his assertion that rap culture promotes guns. He has previously faced criticisms of racism for saying during a 2021 hearing that it was predictable that a teen who raps would be caught in a stolen car with a gun, though he ultimately decided to release the Black defendant in that case from detention. Bob Ray Sanders, who co-chaired Fort Worths Race and Culture Task Force, called the remark stereotyping in a comment to FOX4. But at the time, Kim said he didnt mention race when making the comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ive been told many times that Im racist because I made a comment about rap music and how it is criticizing Black culture, but rap music does glorify guns quite a bit, Kim told the Tribune. Medlin said there is no single reason why Tarrants Black youth are more likely to face time in a state facility. He said its not cultural, but the result of a criminal justice system that disadvantages Black youth at several steps. A study looking at the amount of contact Tarrant juveniles of color have with the criminal justice system reached that same conclusion. But Medlin said county leaders didnt want to put resources into finding out why. Looking for solutions Tarrants spike has prompted a search for solutions. For a decade, TJJD has sought to divert youth into local secured facilities to keep them closer to home. Tarrant is the largest county without such a center, despite it also being cheaper than putting kids in youth prisons, according to Ramirez. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, he is pushing for one. If Tarrant County is going to be the largest committer to the state system, then Tarrant County needs to be prepared in partnering with the state to make sure weve got places to put them, Ramirez said. Some advocates want more investment in community programs instead. They also worry that last years firing of Youth Advocate Programs a national nonprofit that uses alternatives to detention, like substance abuse counseling and mentoring, to reduce reoffenses might have fueled the probation violations that drove the countys spike. Ive seen a lot of those programs that were high quality gone away, said Ben Travis, who leads Fort Worth nonprofit Community Frontlines juvenile justice initiatives. I would wonder if that has had an impact. YAP also supported close to 70% of kids under the supervision of Tarrants juvenile services, Medlin told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last year. But county leadership questioned the groups diversity language and said it used Tarrants dollars to pay lobbyists, which YAP denied. After firing the nonprofit, the county contracted with My Health My Resources of Tarrant County. Medlin said these groups are not the same. YAPs focus was on community-based services and supervision and mentoring, he said. That is not MHMRs strong suit and moreover, its just not their thing. OHares office didnt respond to comment requests, while Kim said he has seen no impact from the change. MHMR Chief of Staff Catherine Carlton said the group is adding a therapy program as well as services for issues like gang and youth violence. YAP CEO Gary Ivory said he cant explain the countys spike. But he said the nonprofit had long provided effective programs, and the group would love to work with Tarrant County again. Disclosure: Texas Christian University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem compared antifa to the transnational criminal group MS-13, Hamas and the Islamic State group in October 2025, she equated a nonhierarchical, loosely organized movement of antifascist activists with some of the worlds most violent and organized militant groups. Antifa is just as dangerous, she said. Its a sweeping claim that ignores crucial distinctions in ideology, organization and scope. Comparing these groups is like comparing apples and bricks: They may both be organizations, but thats where the resemblance stops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noems statement echoed the logic of a September 2025 Trump administration executive order that designated antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. The order directs all relevant federal agencies to investigate and dismantle any operations, including the funding sources, linked to antifa. But there is no credible evidence from the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security that supports such a comparison. Independent terrorism experts dont see the similarities either. Data shows that the movement can be confrontational and occasionally violent. But antifa is neither a terrorist network nor a major source of organized lethal violence. Antifa, as understood by scholars and law enforcement, is not an organization in any formal sense. It lacks membership rolls and leadership hierarchies. It doesnt have centralized funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a scholar of social movements, I know that antifa is a decentralized movement animated by opposition to fascism and far-right extremism. Its an assortment of small groups that mobilize around specific protests or local issues. And its tactics range from peaceful counterdemonstrations to mutual aid projects. For example, in Portland, Oregon, local antifa activists organized counterdemonstrations against far-right rallies in 2019. Antifa groups active in Houston during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 coordinated food, supplies and rescue support for affected residents. No evidence of terrorism The FBI and DHS have classified certain anarchist or anti-fascist groups under the broad category of domestic violent extremists. But neither agency nor the State Department has ever previously designated antifa as a terrorist organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The data on political violence reinforces this point. A woman holds a sign while protesting immigration raids in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2025. AP Photo/Noah Berger A 2022 report by the Counter Extremism Project found that the overwhelming majority of deadly domestic terrorist incidents in the United States in recent years were linked to right-wing extremists. These groups include white supremacists and anti-government militias that promote racist or authoritarian ideologies. They reject democratic authority and often seek to provoke social chaos or civil conflict to achieve their goals. Left-wing or anarchist-affiliated violence, including acts attributed to antifa-aligned people, accounts for only a small fraction of domestic extremist incidents and almost none of the fatalities. Similarly, in 2021, the George Washington University Program on Extremism found that anarchist or anti-fascist attacks are typically localized, spontaneous and lacking coordination. By contrast, the organizations Noem invoked Hamas, the Islamic State group and MS-13 share structural and operational characteristics that antifa lacks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They operate across borders and are hierarchically organized. They are also capable of sustained military or paramilitary operations. They possess training pipelines, funding networks, propaganda infrastructure and territorial control. And they have orchestrated mass casualties such as the 2015 Paris attacks and the 2016 Brussels bombings. In short, they are military or criminal organizations with strategic intent. Noems claim that antifa is just as dangerous as these groups is not only empirically indefensible but rhetorically reckless. Turning dissent into terrorism So why make such a claim? Noems statement fits squarely within the Trump administrations broader political strategy that has sought to inflate the perceived threat of left-wing activism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Casting antifa as a domestic terrorist equivalent of the Islamic State nation or Hamas serves several functions. It stokes fear among conservative audiences by linking street protests and progressive dissent to global terror networks. It also provides political cover for expanded domestic surveillance and harsher policing of protests. Demonstrators hold protest signs during a march from the Atlanta Civic Center to the Georgia State Capitol on Oct. 18, 2025, in Atlanta. Julia Beverly/Getty Images Additionally, it discredits protest movements critical of the right. In a polarized media environment, such rhetoric performs a symbolic purpose. It divides the moral universe into heroes and enemies, order and chaos, patriots and radicals. Noems comparison reflects a broader pattern in populist politics, where complex social movements are reduced to simple, threatening caricatures. In recent years, some Republican leaders have used antifa as a shorthand for all forms of left-wing unrest or criticism of authority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Antifas decentralized structure makes it a convenient target for blame. Thats because it lacks clear boundaries, leadership and accountability. So any act by someone identifying with antifa can be framed as representing the whole movement, whether or not it does. And by linking antifa to terrorist groups, Noem, the top anti-terror official in the country, turns a political talking point into a claim that appears to carry the weight of national security expertise. The problem with this kind of rhetoric is not just that its inaccurate. Equating protest movements with terrorist organizations blurs important distinctions that allow democratic societies to tolerate dissent. It also risks misdirecting attention and resources away from more serious threats including organized, ideologically driven groups that remain the primary source of domestic terrorism in the U.S. As I see it, Noems claim reveals less about antifa and more about the political uses of fear. By invoking the language of terrorism to describe an anti-fascist movement, she taps into a potent emotional current in American politics: the desire for clear enemies, simple explanations and moral certainty in times of division. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But effective homeland security depends on evidence, not ideology. To equate street-level confrontation with organized terror is not only wrong it undermines the credibility of the very institutions charged with protecting the public. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Art Jipson, University of Dayton Read more: Art Jipson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. As President Trumps consolidation of autocratic power gains steam, its often been argued that the failures of liberal governance meaningfully helped to bring us to this moment. In this reading, the Biden administrationand other Democratic leaders in recent yearsallowed well-intentioned caution and respect for parliamentary safeguards and procedures to hobble ambition, frustrating voters and making them easier prey for demagogues peddling authoritarian governance as our civic cure-all. This reading has now picked up the endorsement of a surprising group: a large bloc of former high-level members of the Biden administration. The left-leaning Roosevelt Institute is releasing a major new report Tuesdaywith input from nearly four dozen former senior Biden officials across many agenciesthat seeks to diagnose the administrations governing mistakes and failures. The report, provided in advance to The New Republic, may be the most ambitious effort involving Biden officials to determine what went wrong and why. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the report, Biden officials extensively identify big failings in governing and in the execution of the politics around big decisionsbut with an eye toward creating the beginnings of a Project 2029 agenda. The result is a kind of proto-blueprint for Democratic governance to show that it can work the next time the party has power. We must reckon honestly with how we got here and why the American public has been so frustrated with these institutions for so long, Roosevelt Institute president Elizabeth Wilkins writes in the reports introduction. The rising authoritarianism we see today shows us the stakes. One of its most compelling conclusions is that the Biden administration seemed reluctant to engage in picking the fights worth having and sometimes took refuge in incremental policy gains due to a self-limiting risk aversion. One senior official is quoted suggesting the White House didnt give adequate support to agency leaders who thought they had a policy stance providing an opening to have a fight and show who youre for. Julie Su, the labor secretary under Biden, suggests this is a big reason Democrats lost working people to Trump. We were facing 40 or 50 years of backsliding for working people, Su told me. What we needed was to meet that moment with boldness. There was too much hesitation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Su notes, for instance, that the Labor Department didnt exercise its powers to the fullest extent possible to hold corporations responsible for things like wage theft and weak worker safety protections. She noted more could have been done to facilitate job and retirement insecurity and boost union power. The moment demanded that we unleash the full powers of our investigative resources to go after companies for exploitation of workers in every way, Su told me. It didnt happen to the extent that it could and should have. Fear of losing in court was one factor, Su says. And in a striking passage, former officials criticize the White House for being skittish about publicizing the corporate enforcement actions the Labor Department did undertake, out of fear of politicizing them or reluctance to publicly mention targeted corporations by name. The report argues that future Democratic administrations must flip the risk profile and prioritize fights worth having, including leaning into controversy to facilitate breaking through and demonstrating that government is on the side of regular people. As one official is quoted saying, when voters dont know whos on their side, it risks fascists stepping in to fill the void. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats something Democrats have been slow to entertain: Picking big arguments designed to stoke conflict and controversy can jar low-information voters out of their algorithmic torpor and get them to take sides themselves. The alternative is giving right-wing propaganda more leeway to determine the prevailing political weather, as Brian Beutler puts it. In another good example, the report notes that officials were hampered by fear of high profile funding flops, like the scandal that erupted around green energy company Solyndra during Barack Obamas presidency. That led officials to build safeguards into clean energy investments that slowed them down. As one noted, that allowed fear of a mistake to overshadow discussion of whether its more important to have this happen quickly. Theres almost been a great forgetting thats happened across agencies, Lina Khan, former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, told me. A half-century of right-wing attacks on government, she said, has led to insufficient attention to all the things that can go wrong when youre not doing enough. Khan noted a deep perversity here: Trump officials exhibit no such hesitancies. They have no qualms about assertive federal government, in ways that have a lot of downsides, Khan said, noting that this should lead Democrats to look toward opportunities to be more assertive while still abiding by the rule of law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a critical diagnosis, the report also faults the Biden administration for being too naive about the bad-faith hostility of large swaths of the courtsand the true intentions of the conservative judicial revolution that remade themto progressive governance. But the report refrains from a blame the courts for our failures posture. Instead, it urges concrete future action. It says future Democratic administrations and Congresses should overhaul the notice and comment rulemaking process of the Administrative Procedure Act, or APA, to make it less vulnerable to bad-faith judicial interventions. And it floats the creation of a new court to oversee APA matters and suggests expansion of the Supreme Court. In short, the need for a judicial reform agenda cant be disentangled from the mission of demonstrating that future Democratic governance can be effective. The report also concludes the Biden administration was hampered by its attachment to sclerotic federal regulatory processes. This encouraged overreliance on cost-benefit analyses and a culture of bureaucratic make work. This slowed regulations that could have demonstrated government concretely working for people, such as a Food and Drug Administration rule requiring hearing aids be made available over the counter that took over two years to even begin bearing fruit in stores. The report details proposals for far-reaching overhaul of the federal regulatory structure. In addition to Khan and Su, Biden officials who contributed to the report also include many well-known senior staffers from agencies like the Commerce, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services departmentsmaking the range of contributors very ideologically diverse within the Democratic coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All this is a partial list of the proposed reforms. The report will not please everyone: It doesnt discuss Bidens age or enfeeblement, or the internal failure to take it seriously enough, and perhaps due to the Roosevelt Institutes economic focus, the report says nothing about immigration or cultural liberalism. That will irritate those who want Democrats to moderate on immigration and cultural issues to avoid inflaming right-wing reaction and those who want Democrats to engage on both forcefully to activate low-info voters broad small-l liberal sympathies. All this will also stir up the debate between abundance liberals, who want to reform government to facilitate production of essential social goods, and those who are skeptical of them, fearing that this could sideline egalitarian and redistributive goals in favor of growth. Those factions will inevitably come into conflict in certain situations. But as Jerusalem Demsas notes at The Argument, the ideal liberal governing agenda could theoretically draw on both as mutually reinforcing. The report seems intended in that spirit: In a sense, it throws sops to both sides of that divide. Some abundance types might like its call for a hard-headed assessment of sclerotic agency processes. Meanwhile, abundance skeptics might like the reports central mission of reimagining a truly progressive administrative state with New Dealscale ambitions. And the reports call for a bolder approach to communicating government successes will appeal to those who see our problem as partly informationalthose who discern a massive imbalance between authoritarians who communicate via flood-the-zone propaganda and liberals who approach our biggest arguments as if theyre Brookings Institution seminars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The report tries to show, in other words, that future Democratic administrations cant be afraid to use power to the fullest. That this is not at odds withindeed, requiresa serious review of liberal administrative, oversight, and procedural failures. That when liberal governance does work, voters need to know about it. That there are thoughtful ways to fully deploy liberal governing power in keeping with the rule of law. And above all, that failure on all this, as the official quoted above put it, will inevitably lead to the fascists stepping in to fill the resulting void. Update: Readers have asked for a list of the former Biden officials who contributed to this report, so here are those who have agreed to make their names public: Lina Khan, Julie Su, Sam Levine, Sam Bagenstos, Rajesh Nayak, Pronita Gupta, Kevin Gallagher, Katharine Ferguson, Andrea Schneider, Jason Miller, Bharat Ramamurti, Brian Shearer, Douglas Farrar, Sabeel Rahman, Stacy Sanders, Jacob Leibenluft, Peter Bonner, Sharon Block, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Brad Lipton, Merici Vinton, Rohit Chopra, Jennifer Abruzzo, Chris Slevin, Sameera Fazili. The Constitution is clear: Donald Trump cannot have a third presidential term. But that hasnt stopped him and his allies from talking about it. I would love to do it, the U.S. President told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan on Monday, while he also falsely claimed: I have my best numbers ever. When pressed if hes ruling out the possibility of a third term, Trump kept his answer ambiguous: Am I not ruling it out? I mean, youll have to tell me. Trump also dismissed a theoretical scenario in which he might run for Vice President in 2028 and return to the Oval Office via his running mate resigning. Youd be allowed to do that, but I wouldnt do that, he said. I think the people wouldnt like that. Its too cute. Its notit wouldnt be right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps latest comments come after his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, one of the most vocal proponents of Trump serving a third term, told the Economist last week that there is a plan to circumvent the 22nd Amendmentwhich explicitly limits a President to two terms. Trump is going to be President in 2028, Bannon said, and people just ought to get accommodated with that. Bannon did not disclose the details of the plan, only saying that there are many different alternatives and that the pathway would be revealed at the appropriate time. Whether Trump actually plans to run again for President, in defiance of the Constitution, merely bringing up the possibility so much, some observers say, may be strategic in its own right. Keeps Republicans on their toes For one, continuous talk of a third term may help Trump to try to maintain his relevance and power over the GOP, CNNs Aaron Blake analyzed. Second terms have not been good to U.S. Presidents, John C. Fortier and Norman J. Ornstein wrote in a 2007 book, largely because the 22nd Amendment ensures that a reelected President becomes a lame duck, contributing to the diminution of the office in the view of other Washington institutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While he still largely has the support of Republican leaders, Trump has started to see some intraparty pushback in his second term. Former staunch defenders like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, Ga.) have grown increasingly independent, particularly since July, when columnist Matt K. Lewis wrote for the Hill that the Trump era seemed beginning to end. From Trumps base-infuriating handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case to his apparent signs of aging, Lewis wrote, its become no longer absurdly premature to start thinking about who might succeed him. Term limits alone, Lewis wrote, set an expiration date on his relevance that even the most obsequious loyalists cant ignore forever. The Bulwarks Will Sommer also wrote in September that the right-wing media ecosystem, which helped catapult Trump to the presidency, appears to be moving on and looking beyond him. But Trumps repeated comments about a third term, CNNs Blake suggests, effectively deter Republicans from making plans for a reality that wont include him, especially other potential 2028 alternatives. Bannon, speaking to NBC News in April, said any direct talk of a campaign ahead of Trumps future political plans risks offending the MAGA movement and would invite total and complete rejection from the GOP base. Trump is MAGA; MAGA is Trump. Keeps Democrats on their toes But keeping himself in focus could also help Trumps eventual GOP successor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Monday gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump repeated his suggestion that Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could be worthy successors, but his own third-term talk somewhat stalls Democratswho are still looking for their own candidate to rally aroundfrom planning a strategy for their own 2028 campaign. Distracts Some have seen Trumps third-term talk as a diversionary tactic of trolling the left. His ability to infuriate his opponents is one of his greatest strengths while the Democrats are in disarray, pro-Trump political strategist Dave Carney told the New York Times. Trump excels by keeping people off kilter and uncomfortable. The View co-host Ana Navarro called Trump the distractor-in-chief and accused him of bringing up the idea of staying in office beyond his term limits earlier this year to draw attention away from a controversy at the time over leaked messages among top officials in his Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an opinion piece for the Advocate, senior editor John Casey wrote that Trumps latest remarks were all part of Trumps constant craving for attention and deflection, his look over here, not over there. Casey argued that while the nation fixates on the constitutional impossibility of a third Trump term, hes hoping well ignore the chaos hes already creating, including the government shutdown, the effect of his tariffs on the American economy, and other pressing domestic issues. Hes serious Strategy aside, multiple polls have shown that a majority of Americans believe Trump is serious about running again in 2028, despite constitutional term limits. And theres precedent to not dismissing Trumps denials. Trump, on the 2024 campaign trail, repeatedly downplayed ties to the controversial conservative playbook Project 2025, but now many of his second-term Administrations policies mirror it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin, who worked for Trump's communications team before resigning near the end of his first term, has said that the Presidents comments should be taken seriously, especially if certain people in Trumps orbit like Bannon echo it. I know Donald Trump well enough to believe this isnt a guy whos going to be a lame duck after the midterms," Griffin said on The View, of which she is also a co-host, on Monday. Hes not going to let the center of gravity shift to J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio while he fades into the distance. Its something to keep an eye on. I find it concerning. Contact us at letters@time.com. A version of this story appeared in CNNs What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, the stoutest of Trump allies on Capitol Hill, doesnt think the president could finagle a way around presidential term limits written into the Constitution. Its been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I have talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution, as much as so many of the American people lament that, Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dont expect Johnsons constitutional assessment to make Trump stop talking about a third term. But if Trump did, he would start to sound more like Lyndon B. Johnson. When President Johnson wanted to take his hat out of the ring in 1968, he said this during a nationally televised address: I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president. Compare LBJs clear statement with Trumps latest tease about a third term: Id love to do it. I havent really thought about it, Trump told reporters this week. We have some very good people, as you know, he said, referring to potential successors Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, Trump added, I have the best poll numbers Ive ever had. His approval rating is actually consistently under 50%. And while Johnson was well within his rights to run again in 1968, Trump is expressly forbidden by the 22nd Amendment from seeking a third term at the ballot box. His answer wended on from there. He both bragged about his own accomplishments and talked about the unstoppable team that Vance and Rubio, who was standing next to him, could form. Theres one thing Trump said he wont do Trump did rule out one proposed end-run around the Constitution, saying it would be too cute for him to run as vice president in order to later ascend back into the White House after the elected president resigned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think the people wouldnt like that because its too cute. Its not it wouldnt be right, he said, although he tried to reserve the legal right to do it. Youd be allowed to do that, but I wouldnt, he said. Nobody wants to be a lame duck CNNs Aaron Blake wrote about the many reasons Trump wont let this kind of talk die among them, relevance and fear of becoming a lame duck. Those are important points, but the fact also remains that one of Trumps most committed allies, the provocateur Steve Bannon, keeps talking about keeping Trump in office. Bannon told Bloomberg there is a plan brewing to do just that, although he declined to share specifics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bannon was among those who helped push the idea that Trump should stay in office in 2021 after losing the 2020 election, so he (and Trump) have a track record of trying to follow through on things that seem, on their face, obviously unconstitutional. That doesnt seem to bother Bannon, who currently has no official White House role. Trump is going to be president in 28 and people just ought to get accommodated with that, Bannon said. Trumps administration has, however, undertaken audacious efforts to change the political system. Just look at the pressure on red states to redraw congressional lines in Republicans favor before next years midterm elections. The constitutional barriers There has been plenty written, including here, about the unlikelihood that holes that could poked in the 22nd Amendment, which was passed after Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office in his fourth term, and bars two-term presidents from being elected again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It reads, very simply: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. The idea to elect Trump as vice president beyond being too cute also runs into problems with the 12th Amendment, which includes this line: But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. Could both the president AND vice president resign to make room for Trump 3.0? That sounds like a plot line ripped from Russia, where President Vladimir Putin sidestepped constitutional term limits by having a trusted deputy, Dmitry Medvedev, serve in his place for one term. Russian law has since been changed, which could allow Putin to stay in power into the 2030s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump would have more trouble changing the 22nd Amendment, which would require the assent of three-quarters of US states, something that seems impossible in the current political climate. Trump is already the oldest elected president and will be 82 when his second term expires in January of 2029. In the same Air Force One appearance where he did not rule out a third term, he also told reporters he had recently undergone an MRI and cognitive tests at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He did not share more details, but said he is in great health. Questions about the health of a man approaching his 80s will only increase in the years to come. The SCOTUS factor CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings told CNNs Abby Phillip on Friday that Republicans would largely oppose a Trump attempt to cling to end-run around the Constitution and stay in power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So ignore all of those 2028 hats Trump displays, according to Jennings. Hes trolling his opponents and he knows how crazy it drives them when he does these kinds of things, he said. Trump, in that vein, was cagey when a reporter asked, given his too cute dismissal of the idea to run for vice president, if he was ruling out a third term. Am I not ruling it out? Youll have to tell me, Trump said. As long as people like Bannon are talking seriously about a plan and as long as Trump continues to troll, talk of a third-term effort must be taken very seriously by everyone else. If Trump did try, somehow, to stay in office, it would undoubtedly reach the Supreme Court. One of the three justices he nominated, Amy Coney Barrett, agreed with the plain and obvious reading that the 22nd Amendment bars a third term for anyone. Thats what the amendment says, she told Fox News earlier this year. This article has been updated with new reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Voters in the Netherlands will head to the polls on Wednesday, Oct. 29, for the third national election in less than five years, following the collapse of the right-wing coalition government led by independent Prime Minister Dick Schoof. The government fell in June after the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, withdrew from the coalition over disagreements on migration policy, less than a year after taking office. Dutch politics has been dominated in recent years by the rise of the far right, with Wilders PVV leading national polls since the governments collapse. Based on previous high turnoutsoften near 80%around 10 million voters are expected to cast their ballots for the 150-seat House of Representatives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres what to know about the vote. Why are elections in the Netherlands being held again? The election was triggered in June when Wilders abruptly withdrew support from the governing coalition, accusing his partners of blocking his proposal to halt all asylum migration. His partys exit stripped the coalition of its majority, forcing Schoofs resignation and that of his cabinet. Wilders had presented a 10-point plan focused on immigration and anti-Islam policies, including freezing asylum applications from Muslim-majority countries, leaving the European Unions free-movement scheme, cutting foreign aid, and severing ties with Qatar and Saudi Arabia. After the PVVs walkout, the coalitioncomprising the center-right New Social Contract (NSC), the conservative-liberal Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), and the agrarian Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB)was left with only 51 of 150 seats. In August, Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned over divisions on Israel policy, highlighting the governments fragility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The collapse came less than a year after Wilders PVV secured a sweeping victory in the November 2023 election but failed to form a stable government. Wilders, who has led the PVV since its founding in 2006, gave up his claim to be prime minister last year in order to bring other right-wing parties into the coalition. What do the latest polls show? As of the final week before the vote, Wilders Freedom Party leads with roughly 20% of the vote, or about 34 projected seats, according to aggregated polls compiled by Politico. Thats down slightly from the 37 seats PVV won in 2023 but still enough to keep Wilders ahead. The main challengers are the left-wing alliance of the Labour Party (PvdA) and the Greens (GroenLinks), polling around 25 seats, and the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), which has surged to around 23 seats after earning only five in 2023. The centrist liberal alliance is expected to take around 16 seats, while the once-dominant VVD led at the time by now NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, is polling near 15 seats down sharply from 24 in 2023. Rutte led four Dutch governments as Prime Minister and leader of VVD between 2010 and 2024, before resigning in 2023 over a previous row over asylum seekers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the PVVs lead, analysts say forming a government will be challenging. The CDA, VVD, and the PvdAGroenLinks alliance have all ruled out joining a coalition led by Wilders, leaving him without a clear path to a majority. Nearly half of Dutch voters remain undecided, according to Ipsos, underscoring how fluid the race remains. What is Wilders campaigning on? Wilders has focused his 2025 campaign on familiar themes: strict limits on immigration, opposition to Islam, and putting the Netherlands first. His manifesto opens with the line: This is your country! The Netherlands is full, overcrowded, jam-packed. He has promised to freeze asylum applications, ban the burqa and the Islamic call to prayer, and outlaw Arabic and non-Western texts from being sold publicly. Wilders also proposes banning government and military personnel from taking an oath to Allah, a move critics say would effectively bar many Muslims from public service. On domestic policy, he has pledged to reduce rent for social housing by 10%, raise income thresholds for affordable housing, expand benefits for caregivers, and cut prescription drug costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the centerpiece of his campaign remains his anti-Islam platform. Wilders describes his mission as protecting Dutch culture from Islamization, arguing that only the PVV can safeguard the Netherlands national identity. What happens after the vote? Once ballots are counted, the party with the largest share of votes will be asked to lead coalition negotiationsa process that typically involves multiple parties and can take months. Even if the PVV wins, Wilders polarizing reputation and the refusal of major parties to join him could again leave the Netherlands in prolonged political limbo. The fragmented results are expected to mirror broader trends across Europe, where far-right parties have surged in popularity but often struggled to translate that momentum into power. Contact us at letters@time.com. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday participated in Chhath Puja rituals and offered 'Usha Arghya' to the rising sun on the last day of the festival at his residence in Patna. Janata Dal (United) Working President Sanjay Jha also offered Usha Arghya and prayers on the last day of the Chhath Puja at the Chhath Ghat in Patna. Speaking to ANI, Jha said, "Today I wish all the people of Bihar that Chhati Maiya bless them and also Bihar, which needs welfare the most." Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attended the Chhath Puja event in Guwahati on the last day of the festival. He met the attendees and devotees present at the event. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta participated in the concluding rituals of Chhath Puja at the Hathi Ghat near ITO in the national capital, offering the 'Usha Arghya' to the rising Sun and performing prayers. Expressing her gratitude and joy, CM Rekha said she felt fortunate to be part of the sacred festival. "I am fortunate that I was able to participate in the worship of Chhati Maiya and we all together enjoyed this great festival of Chhath," CM Rekha Gupta told ANI. This morning, devotees across the country offered 'Usha Arghya' to the rising Sun, marking the culmination of Chhath Puja. Thousands gathered along riverbanks, ponds, and ghats to perform rituals and seek blessings for prosperity and well-being. In Bihar, people had flocked in large numbers to the ghats and riverbanks for the 'Usha Arghya'. The devotees carefully placed offerings, including flowers and fruits, in various locations at the ghat. Security personnel were deployed at major ghats to ensure the smooth conduct of the celebrations. In Delhi, the Yamuna Ghat witnessed heavy footfall as devotees offered arghya to the rising Sun. ITO's Hathi Ghat was illuminated, with devotees performing the concluding rituals of Chhath amid hymns and chants. Devotees had gathered in large numbers on the ghats of Varanasi to perform the rituals of Chhath Puja on the last day. Devotees also thronged Shastri Ghat to offer prayers on the final day. The four-day Chhath Mahaparv began on October 25 with the ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on October 26, Sandhya Arghya (evening offerings) on October 27, and concluded on October 28 with Usha Arghya (morning offerings). (ANI) Oct. 27WILKES-BARRE A man awarded a new trial based on misleading legal advice related to a Plymouth Township shooting more than 5 years ago pled guilty to a lesser charge Monday. James Bush, 40, formerly of Birch Street, Wilkes-Barre, was initially sentenced by Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough to 10-to-20 years in state prison in April 2023, after he pled guilty to criminal attempt to commit criminal homicide. The case involved a shooting in the parking lot of the now closed Elite Club 4 Play Gentlemen's Club on Route 11 on March 8, 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pennsylvania State Police at Wilkes-Barre in court records alleged Bush fired multiple shots inside a vehicle occupied by a woman and her stepson. No one was struck by rounds but the woman suffered cuts from broken glass. After being sentenced to more than a decade in state prison, Bush appealed the sentence in a Post Conviction Relief Act petition claiming his trial attorney was ineffective and gave him bad advice. In his PCRA petition, Bush claimed he agreed to plead guilty to the criminal homicide attempt charge with the understanding he would be sentenced to five-to-10 years in prison to be served at the county correctional facility. Sentences longer than two years are served at state prisons under sentencing guidelines. Vough awarded Bush a new trial based on ineffective assistance of counsel, which prosecutors unsuccessfully appealed with the Pennsylvania Superior Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, Bush was listed for trial but opted to plead guilty to criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault in a plea agreement announced by Deputy District Attorney Chester F. Dudick. Attorney Stephen W. Palubinsky represented Bush for Monday's plea agreement. Bush remains jailed and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 4. Reach Ed Lewis at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TLEdLewis. WINDTHORST (KFDX/KJTL) Students in Windthorst got a dose of reality when it comes to drug use during Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is an annual drug awareness and prevention campaign that was started in 1985 after the murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena. The campaign promotes a drug-free lifestyle and is the longest-running drug prevention program. Officials from Red River Hospital and the Texas Department of Public Safety were on campus Tuesday, October 28, to talk to the students about the dangers of drug abuse and how the choices they make today can affect their future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DPS Sergeant Juan Gutierrez talked to the students about addiction, gateway drugs and how alcohol, tobacco and other drug use can ruin lives. He also gave a first-hand account of having a tough start as an adolescent. I had a rough childhood myself, and I know that theres a lot of kids struggling, said Gutierrez. But the biggest thing that I want them to realize is that theres ways that we can get help and that we dont have to resort to those other things. That I know theres people here in our community and they really care about us. Statistics show a decrease in adolescent overdose deaths aged 15-24. Fentanyl remains the primary driver of overdose deaths. You can now stream KFDX and Texomas FOX live 24/7 on your smart TV with KFDX+, our brand-new app! No antenna, cable, or satellite neededwatch for free, anytime. Just download it on your Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and start streaming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Texomashomepage.com. WINSTED - Beacon Prescriptions at 294 Main St. is closing. The Winsted location of the Connecticut pharmacist-owned chain is shutting on Nov. 10, a store employee told CT Insider. The location's owner said the closure was due to "financial reasons." Beacon Prescriptions has seven other locations: in East Haven and Southington, two in New Britain and three in Bristol. This article originally published at Winsted pharmacy, Beacon Prescriptions, closing next month due to 'financial reasons'. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on Western allies to provide resolute support for Ukraine, arguing that the coming winter could be decisive. Source: European Pravda, citing DW, a German international broadcaster and media outlet Quote: "This winter will be decisive. Ukraine must remain capable of defending itself." Details: Wadephul also noted that Ukraine can rely on Germany at any time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He is confident that agreement on using Russia's frozen assets to support Ukraine will be reached at the European Union summit in December. The minister acknowledged that the plan is legally complex, referring to a previous EU summit where no decision was made. "However, we are proceeding according to plan. I assume that if the [European] Commission presents the relevant plans, a decision can be made in December," Wadephul added. Background: The EU stated that the issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine remains on the agenda, and a final decision will be made in December 2025. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) As the federal government shutdown endures and heads towards a probable full month, Wisconsin officials are joining a lawsuit against President Donald Trumps administration to restore funding for the FoodShare program. Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause According to a Tuesday afternoon release from Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin announced on Monday that it would join the lawsuit, which was officially filed today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit is said to fight Pres. Trump and his administrations decision not to use available funding to extend food assistance into November. The decision, Gov. Evers said in the release, will force about 700,000 Wisconsinites to lose access to basic food necessities. The lawsuit, which can be read in full by clicking here, was filed by Massachusetts along with numerous other states and Washington, D.C., as follows: Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Hawaii Illinois Kansas Kentucky Maine Maryland Michigan Minnesota Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin Governor Evers release said the lawsuit is urging the Trump Administration to follow federal law by using billions of dollars in readily available federal funding to prevent millions of Americans from having to go hungry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The following is a statement from the release by Gov. Evers: Theres federal funding the Trump Administration has available to help ensure millions of Americans, including nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites, continue to have access to basic foods and groceries, but theyre refusing to use itwe cannot accept that. In three days, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites, including nearly 270,000 kids, will lose access to basic food necessities due to the federal government shutdown unless the Trump Administration acts, and were taking them to court to force them to do so. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Fox Cities couple faces Hurricane Melissa on anniversary trip in Jamaica The Wisconsin FoodShare program is fully funded by the federal government and is set to lose all funding on Saturday, November 1, barring an almost immediate end to the ongoing government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The release can be read in full here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Pending legislation in the state Capitol would create a state grant program for Wisconsin residents and businesses who don't qualify for federal aid after being hit by disasters like the August floods that caused millions in damage. The bill would create a Wisconsin State Emergency Relief Grant program administered by the state Department of Military Affairs. Grants would become available when the governor declares a state of emergency due to a disaster. "(The legislation) empowers our state to act when Washington cannot or will not," bill author Rep. Dan Knodl, a Republican from Germantown, said at a Oct. 28 public hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program would only become active if an extreme weather event doesn't lead to a federal major disaster declaration, which is approved by the president and opens up Federal Emergency Management Agency aid. The idea is to address gaps when federal aid falls short of what's needed for disaster recovery. Grant recipients would have to return the state funds if they're later reimbursed by insurance or federal assistance. Under the bill, individuals could receive grants up to $25,000 for disaster-related expenses like temporary housing and personal property repair. Businesses could get up to $50,000 for repairs and payroll assistance. While the Small Business Administration offers loans after disasters, lawmakers say businesses are wary about taking on more debt and prefer grants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Securing business insurance that will cover natural disasters is becoming increasingly harder and more expensive for all businesses," Wisconsin Restaurant Association executive vice president Susan Quam testified. "As it becomes riskier to be in business, these types of grants can mean the difference between a business recovering or staying closed for good, with substantial personal losses for their owners," she said. Lawmakers want the relief distributed quickly the state must process applications within 14 days and send out the money within 90 days. A second bill would provide $30 million in initial funding for the program in the 2025-26 fiscal year. A third of that amount would be directed to individuals, and the remaining two-thirds would go to businesses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The program wouldn't be funded on a regular basis as part of the state budget it would only be infused with state dollars when needed after a disaster, Knodl said. The bipartisan bill is supported by Republicans and Democrats who represent areas of southeast Wisconsin hit hard by the flooding, such as Sen. Rob Hutton from Brookfield and Rep. Robyn Vining from Wauwatosa. Individual FEMA aid wasn't approved for some counties affected by floods The public hearing for the bill came just days after the Trump administration denied FEMA assistance for public infrastructure damage in Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. The administration has indicated it wants to limit the federal aid available after natural disasters and shift more responsibility to states and local governments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: With FEMA aid denied, what's next for communities still recovering from August floods? In September, President Donald Trump approved $29.8 million in FEMA aid for individual households in Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties. But three other counties affected by floods Door, Grant and Ozaukee weren't approved for that individual aid. If passed and signed into law, the bill would provide state-funded help for those types of situations. "Those residents and business owners were left without any safety net," Knodl said at the hearing. "The bill isn't about creating a new bureaucracy. It's about ensuring that help doesn't stop at the county line when a disaster strikes." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you were affected by floods, you can still apply for federal assistance. The application deadline is Nov. 12 for FEMA's individual assistance program, and Nov. 10 for loans through the Small Business Administration. More: Nearly 2,200 Milwaukee County homes were destroyed or severely damaged in floods, new data show This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin lawmakers propose disaster relief grants to fill FEMA gaps NEED TO KNOW Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed or working without pay amid the government shutdown LaShanda Palmer, a lead transportation officer with the TSA and a local union president, says she is facing mounting financial strain as the shutdown nears its one-month mark In addition to going without pay during the shutdown, Palmer has concerns about feeding her family due to the cancellation of SNAP benefits for November When LaShanda Palmer started her car on Monday, Oct. 27, she realized her inspection sticker was expired and a maintenance light came on, reminding her it was due for an oil change. She would typically address both matters expeditiously, but she simply can't afford to right now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palmer, 50, is employed by the Transportation Security Administration, where she has worked for 23 years. But because of the government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, she is not getting paid. "I have a car note, I have insurance, I have a grandchild that I have guardianship over, who's 6," as well as two of her five children who live with her, Palmer tells PEOPLE. "It is extremely hard." She also has rent due $1,375 on Nov. 1, and overdrawn checking and savings accounts and mounting overdraft fees. Getty Images The Philadelphia International Airport, where LaShanda Palmer is based Palmer, a lead transportation security officer at Philadelphia International Airport, is among the estimated 1.4 million federal employees furloughed or working without pay while the federal government is locked in a shutdown. She is president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 333 labor union, which represents Philadelphia International and Wilmington airports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't want to get an eviction notice," says Palmer, who lives in Delaware County. "I'm in a position right now, come November 1st, where my rent may not get paid because I don't have it to pay it. And it's not that I don't work for it because I am working for it. I should have it." Having worked for the TSA for more than two decades, this isn't her first shutdown. She survived the last one, during President Donald Trump's first term in 2019, which stretched to a record 34 days. This time is different and much worse, Palmer says. "That was hard, but it was bearable because there was so much support then," Palmer says. "However, the support is not here." Palmer says she hasn't received any assistance from the agency or from outside vendors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The furlough letter they gave us, no one is accepting," she says. "Not one of my utility companies" or credit card companies. During the last shutdown in 2019, Palmer says she was able to get food stamps. But the current shutdown has led to federal SNAP benefits getting canceled for the month of November. "We can't get food assistance because we can't apply for unemployment," she says. "Now, we can't get that. We're getting a food pantry list." During the last shutdown, Palmer says she also received help from a local nonprofit that serves the greater Philadelphia area. "I don't think that they're purposely trying to be stingy," she says of nearby charitable programs, but "where they get their funding from and their partnerships from I don't think it's there." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Palmer says she tried to go a week without one of her medications, but she started to feel the effects of that decision so she had to refill it. According to Palmer, TSA requires staff provide medical documentation for work absences. "My question today to the manager was, 'What does that look like if I can't afford to go to the doctors because I have the copay, how do I get acceptable documentation?' " She continues: "What is acceptable documentation when I don't have gas in my car? When you can't afford childcare?" Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer. Because of her union role, Palmer says she has been an outlet for TSA workers who have called her with concerns, especially those who were not part of the 2019 furlough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I just need everyone to know that us government workers, we took an oath, and we're doing what we're supposed to," she says. "People are coming to work, and they are making a way to get here as long as they can. I don't know how long people are going to be able to do it." Read the original article on People MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) WKRG News 5 morning anchor Bill Riales has announced that he will be retiring from television news at the end of the year. News 5 Now: WKRGs Live Streaming Newscast Hey wait! Thats me! Thats right, folks. My broadcasting career is coming to an end soon. Ive spent the last 25 years at WKRG in the company of some magnificent people. In all, my career has spanned almost 50 years in broadcasting and media. From radio to TV I started as a 14-year-old who had to be driven to Memphis, Tennessee, to take the test for my 3rd Class Broadcast endorsed FCC license. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I passed, and promptly got my first job at WROX-AM in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It was the first radio station in Clarksdale that had some famous and infamous people who worked there, including Early Wright and Ike Turner. Other radio stations followed until I literally jumped into TV news at WXVT in Greenville, MS. Then, WTVW and WEHT in Evansville, Indiana, and back to the south to Mobile. Career highlights To explain some of the things youll see in the clip (above), there is video of me flying with the Blue Angels, where I met my wife, whom all of us on the morning show affectionately call Miss Toni. Ive walked on the wing of a biplane and played Elvis Martin guitar at the Mobile Exploreum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those are just some of the highlights that also included anchoring thousands of hours of news and covering probably as many stories. In short, Ive had the privilege of a really cool broadcasting career, and Ive had a lot of fun. Ill be sharing some of those on social media in the days to come. In the meantime, Ill be on the air each morning until Dec. 19, and I hope youll keep tuning in. Closing thoughts I will miss working with my morning partners in crime, Shamonee Baker, Simone Sharod, Caroline Carithers, Chad Petri, and my best buddy, John Nodar, but Im not dropping off the planet, so Ill be checking in with them from time to time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I certainly dont want to forget our viewers, many of whom Ive heard from over the years. It sounds cliche to say Thanks for inviting me into your homes each morning, but thats exactly what you do, and I appreciate it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) For chef Darian Bryan, hurricanes were a big part of growing up in Jamaica. His family and friends living there are now preparing for Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane. As the hurricane barrels toward Jamaica, Bryan owner of Bratts Hill and The Plating Society was reminded of the storms he experienced, remembering stories of his roof being torn off and the destruction left behind. He still has uncles, cousins, and friends who live there. Bryans been checking in with them over the last five days. He said that as of early Monday morning, there was wind but not much rain yet in his hometown of Clarendon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bryan said his family and friends are preparing. That includes putting away animals, covering windows, and stocking up on canned foods. Forecasters said this hurricane is expected to bring 20-30 inches of rainfall to Jamaica. Im just telling people, if you can evacuate if you live in certain areas, just please listen, because this one is going to be different from what we ever experienced before, he said. Bryan moved to Buffalo from Jamaica 13 years ago. He said Jamaicans are a united group of people, and that when things like this happen, they always come together to rebuild. Hurricanes have been a big part of my life growing up, said Bryan. I experienced so many at least three, I would say. And its one of those things youre never going to ever forget because it destroys your house, your animals, your clothes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bryan is also assisting World Central Kitchen in connecting with chefs on the island to help those in need. He said he plans to go down there after the storm. Latest Local News Patrick Ryan is an award-winning reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2020. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. The Delhi Police apprehended a member of the infamous Anil Chippi and Kala Jatheri gangs, following an exchange of gunfire in Dwarka. The accused, identified as Vikas alias Bagga, a resident of Rohtak, Haryana, was arrested after he opened fire on a police party that had laid a trap for him. The operation was launched based on discreet information received by the Special Staff of Dwarka. According to Delhi police, the information indicated that Vikas would arrive on a scooty at the Mangespur Drain Patri near the Dichaun-Hirankudana Road to meet an associate while in possession of an illegal weapon, with the intent to commit a crime. A police team intercepted the accused as he arrived on the scene. However, upon seeing the officers, Vikas immediately began firing indiscriminately. "The accused opened continuous fire on the police party and fired three rounds," stated Ankit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka. One of the bullets struck the bulletproof jacket of Head Constable Sandeep, potentially saving his life. In a measured and proficient retaliation, the police team fired two rounds, deliberately targeting the accused's leg. One bullet successfully hit Vikas in the right leg, incapacitating him. He was subsequently taken into control and shifted to a hospital for medical treatment. Police records reveal that Vikas is a hardened criminal with a serious history. He was previously involved in a murder case registered at PS Sampla, Rohtak, and an attempt to murder case in Haryana. Furthermore, he is a key suspect in a robbery cum murder case registered at Police Station K.N. Katzu Marg in Rohini District, Delhi. In this case, he is alleged to have robbed a motorcycle from the deceased and shot him dead. He had been evading arrest in this particular case and was still at large until this operation. DCP Ankit Singh confirmed that further legal action is being taken, highlighting the continued efforts of the Delhi Police under their mission 'No Guns No Gangs' to strike hard against criminal elements in the city. (ANI) A new set of gray wolf hunting and trapping rules is scheduled to take effect Nov. 1 in Wisconsin. The new rules include a faster reporting requirement for wolf kills, a zone-specific tag system, updated wolf management zones, protections for wolf dens and added restrictions in dog training on wolves, according to the Department of Natural Resources. In general, the rules package is designed to give the DNR better controls over the number and location of wolf kills and help direct hunting and trapping efforts in future wolf seasons. A gray wolf known to researchers as R2L has traveled in late 2022 from Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota to western Wisconsin. The wolf is a 1.5-year-old male, is shown in a trail cam photo taken in northern Minnesota. The wolf has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since 2022 in Wisconsin and many other states, preventing hunting, trapping or other lethal take or management actions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new rules would cover wolves in potential future hunting and trapping seasons. A Wisconsin law passed in 2012 requires a wolf season if the species is under state management. The wolf rules package and an updated wolf management plan had been approved in October 2023 by the Natural Resources Board. The wolf management plan took effect immediately, since such plans don't require Legislative approval. However, administrative rules are subject to legislative review and the Republican-controlled Legislature held up the wolf rules package for two years. But a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, which made it clear Legislative committees could review but not indefinitely block administrative rules, helped advance the wolf package. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Rob Stafsholt, R-New Richmond, chairman of the Senate Sporting Heritage Committee, had asked the DNR for several modifications to the rules package, including more lenient wolf kill reporting times, allowing kill tags to be good statewide and for eliminating wolf management subzones. In early September the DNR sent a letter to the Senate Sporting Heritage Committee indicating that the department would not be amending the wolf rule according to the committee's suggestions, said Scott Karel, DNR wildlife policy specialist. The notification restarted the committees review period, which was previously paused. That review period ended Sept. 18 without the committee taking any further action on the rule, Karel said. Since the standing committee review period ended, the Legislative Reference Bureau agreed to publish the rule in the Administrative Register, the final step in the rule-making process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wolf package was scheduled to be published Oct. 27 and go into effect Nov. 1. The DNRs latest wolf management plan features six zones and four sub zones, including several boundary changes. Zones 1, 2 and 5 comprise the areas considered primary wolf range. The DNR was keen to establish tighter controls over wolf hunting and trapping after the last season, held in February 2021, exposed inadequacies. State-licensed hunters and trappers were able to use their tags anywhere in the state and register their kills as late as 5 p.m. on the day after the kill. Compounding matters, the Natural Resources Board issued twice the number of kill tags recommended by DNR wildlife staff. During the February 2021 Wisconsin wolf season, hunters and trappers registered 218 wolves, exceeding the state-licensed quota of 119 wolves by 83%. Ojibwe tribes were also allocated a quota of 81 wolves but used their right to protect, not kill, the animals. The tribes did not transfer any of their quota to the state. Nor are state-licensed hunters or trappers free to use it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result triggered two lawsuits against the DNR and attracted international criticism for its failure to hold the kill closer to the state-licensed quota. The new rules require hunters and trappers to register their wolf kills within 8 hours of time of kill. It also will designate tags good only in specific management zones. In addition the rule prohibits hunters from using telemetry gear to locate or track wolves. The final rules package that will be published is the same as was approved by the NRB in October of 2023, Karel said. Wolf management issues remain controversial in the U.S. Bills have been introduced in Congress to remove the species in Wisconsin and most other states from protections of the federal Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also appealing the 2022 ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, the state paid $322,970 for wolf-caused losses to livestock producers, hunters using hounds and others in the state, according to DNR figures. The total was the second-highest in the 40-year history of the program. Many wildlife advocates, however, maintain the species should retain protections to help it occupy more of its historical range in the U.S. The population of wolves in Wisconsin was estimated at 1,226 animals in 336 packs in winter 2024-25, according to the DNR. The estimate represented a slight decline from the previous two years and suggests the state's wolf population is reaching an equilibrium around its biological carrying capacity, said Lydia Margenau, DNR wildlife research scientist. Wolf densities are highest in the northern and central forest regions of the state. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New wolf hunting and trapping rules take effect Nov. 1 in Wisconsin LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) A second suspect in an armed robbery in Laurel County is now in custody. The Laurel County Sheriffs Office said 25-year-old Trenton Morgan of Corbin was arrested at 8:41 p.m. on Sunday. Kristen Mosley, 27, was taken into custody in Knox County on Oct. 18. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said Morgan and Mosley threatened a woman with a gun on Sept. 28 while her 2-year-old grandchild was in the vehicle. According to a news release, the two allegedly forced the woman and the child out before driving away in it. Officials said Mosley was arrested on Oct. 18 on a Laurel County warrant. She was charged with complicity to commit first-degree robbery. Morgan was charged with first-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both were lodged in the Laurel County Detention Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News. An 85-year-old woman who died in a Queens house fire lived in a cluttered home with lots of cats, a neighbor said. Fire officials are still investigating to determine if the clutter contributed to the blaze that broke out early Monday morning in the College Point home and killed the longtime homeowner, whose name was being withheld pending family notification. Responding firefighters found the victim unconscious in a first-floor bedroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EMS rushed her to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, where she died of her injuries. Zuyao Yang, 80, a longtime friend and neighbor who lived next-door on 26th Ave., said the victim was friendly, generous and stubbornly independent. She lived alone here, Yang said. She didnt like to accept anyones help, especially for money. One time I went to Costco, bought one box of water, and I said, You can drink this water. But she told me, No, no, you must take back. He said she was the same way about the clutter, which he said he offered to help her clean. She said, No, no, no, he recalled. And the stove was so dirty. There was a lot of dust, so I dont think she cooked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yang said she had no family except a sister-in-law and two nieces who moved to Florida. Yang said his neighbor had lived in the house for more than 60 years, and that he and his wife often looked out for her. Sometimes she parked in my private parking place, he said. I told her, When you dont have parking, you can anytime park in my place. Her blue Volkswagen Passat was still parked outside her home. It was unclear what happened to the cats. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries combating the blaze, which was put out within an hour. Fire marshals were trying to determine what caused the blaze. NEED TO KNOW A 33-year-old woman was arrested in Quebec after the death of a newborn baby found abandoned at a bus shelter The infant was reportedly found still attached to the placenta Authorities did not identify the woman or confirm her relationship to the infant, but reportedly said she could be charged with infanticide A woman was arrested in Quebec after the death of an abandoned newborn who was found in a bus shelter. The baby was found on the morning of Monday, Oct. 28 in Longueuil, the city's police service said in a Facebook post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The infant died after being taken to the hospital, police said. The discovery of the infant was reported to police at 6:30 a.m., and lifesaving measures were performed, according to police. Authorities said the baby was pronounced dead at 8:20 a.m. Later Wednesday, Longueuil police said they had arrested a 33-year-old woman in connection with the newborn's death. Police did not identify the woman by name. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a police spokesperson said at a press conference that the woman could face a charge of infanticide. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Police did not confirm whether the woman was the baby's mother, the CBC reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the region's ambulance service, the baby was found naked and cold, with the placenta still attached, the CBC reported. Police, per the CBC, said that authorities are currently evaluating physical and mental health of the woman in custody. Read the original article on People EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) A dead woman was found naked inside a plastic bag under an overpass in East Harlem on Monday, sources told PIX11 News. Police said the woman was discovered underneath the Metro-North elevated train tracks near Park Avenue and 124th Street around 6 p.m. The report came from MTA police who were flagged down by a pedestrian on the sidewalk, according to authorities. More Local News Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators believe her death is suspicious in nature. The womans identity was not immediately known. Officers found the woman, presumed to be in her 20s, lying sideways without clothes inside a black garbage bag wrapped in a green laundry bag, sources said. There were no visible signs of trauma, according to authorities. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The medical examiner will determine her identity and how she died. Police are looking at surveillance cameras near the area to figure out how the womans body ended up on the sidewalk. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. NEED TO KNOW Bionca Ellis was sentenced to life without parole for fatally stabbing Julian Wood, 3, and injuring his mother in a grocery store parking lot Ellis had stolen two knives before following the mother and child as the boy sat in a shopping cart The boy's mother said at sentencing that she could "still see the terror in his eyes and it haunts me every day" An Ohio woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing a 3-year-old boy outside of a grocery store. Bionca Ellis, 34, stole two knives from the Volunteers of America Thrift Store next to the Giant Eagle supermarket in North Olmsted on June 3, 2024, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She then went into the Giant Eagle, before spotting 3-year-old Julian Wood and his mother, 37, in the store. The suspect then followed the victims into the parking lot, where she stabbed the toddler multiple times while he was sat in a shopping cart, per the release. The toddler's mother attempted to pull him out of the cart, and was also stabbed, the prosecutor's office stated. GoFundMe Julian Wood Julian Wood Ellis was quickly apprehended by North Olmsted police officers, who spotted Ellis walking with a knife in her hand, per the release. The victims were both taken to a nearby hospital. Julian's mother was treated for her injuries, but the toddler could not be saved and was pronounced deceased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said of Monday's sentencing, "In my years as Prosecutor, I have seen unimaginable acts of violence but this is among the most heartbreaking." WKYC Channel 3/YouTube Bionca Ellis Bionca Ellis The sentencing comes after a jury found Ellis guilty of nine counts, including aggravated murder, felonious assault, child endangering and aggravated theft following a week-and-a-half-long trial. Ellis has a history of schizophrenia, and her defense attorneys had entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, but the jury ultimately rejected that claim, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer. After Monday's sentencing, Ellis attorneys, Fernando Mack and Carlos Johnson, said the ruling was "the wrong outcome," and that their client would be appealing the conviction and the sentence, per the Associated Press. Julian's father, Jared Wood, said of their son's death, "All of our hearts will forever be missing a piece." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The toddler's mother, Margot Wood, who was also injured during the attack, added, "That woman murdering my son replays in my head every single day. I can still see the terror in his eyes and it haunts me every day," News 5 Cleveland reported. "Just because you have a mental illness, doesn't justify for you murdering my son," she said while referencing the attacker. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Ellis' attorney, Fernando Mack, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office and the North Olmsted Police Department didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the Wood family had raised over $278,000 as of Tuesday, Oct. 28. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People A woman fatally stabbed in a weekend brawl outside a Bronx bar had intervened in a fight involving her boyfriend, officials said Monday. Pamela Almonte Cabreras blood was still visible on the sidewalk outside Mama Dora Bar & Lounge on E. Kingsbridge Road near Morris Ave. in Kingsbridge Heights, where cops said she was stabbed outside the watering hole early Sunday. Her boyfriend, at a memorial outside the nearby barbershop where Cabrera worked, declined to talk about the 4 a.m. free-for-all, except to express his grief. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How would you feel, he said through tears. I was there. I feel like st. I feel bad. Cabrera, who lived in Melrose, was with a group of about five people when they clashed with a similar sized group on the sidewalk, according to police. Cabrera was stabbed about five times in the chest, cops said. Blood stains left after 35-year-old woman stabbed to death in the Bronx on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News) Police on the scene after 35-year-old woman was fatally stabbed on E. Kingsbridge Rd. near Morris Ave. in the Bronx on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News) Show Caption1 of 3A 35-year-old woman was stabbed to death after a brawl outside the Mama Dora Bar & Lounge on E. Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)Expand Surveillance video shows a commotion among a crowd outside the bar at closing time before Cabrera walks down the block, held upright by another person. She sits down on the pavement and then collapses, the video shows. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The victim was taken to BronxCare Health System by private means, then transferred to Lincoln Hospital, where she died, according to police. A friend of the victim, Wendy, 52, said she had been with Cabrera a couple of hours before she died, and was enjoying the night out. She was happy, very happy, Wendy said. All day, every day, she was happy. We feel very bad because shes a good person. She has three kids. Wendy said two of Cabreras sons live in the Dominican Republic, and her 17-year-old daughter lives in New York City. A brother lives in Philadelphia, she said. The brother did a lot of crying, Wendy said. They had to give him a shot to help him sleep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cabrera worked as a nail technician in the back of the barbershop, her grieving friends said. Mourners filled the street outside the shop sharing stories about her and comforting each other. She was very friendly, Wendy said. A lot of people were here last night. A 29-year-old woman was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead behind a business on Broad Street in Rome on the morning of Oct. 28. Emergency personnel from the Rome Police Department and Rome-Floyd Fire/EMS responded to the scene at about 8:20 a.m. Despite efforts to provide medical aid, the woman was declared dead at the scene, Rome police said. Preliminary investigations suggest that the woman had recently walked to the location where she was found. Authorities have stated that there is no evidence of foul play, and the death is not considered suspicious at this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Coroners Office took the body to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for further examination. The identity of the deceased is being withheld until family members are notified. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] A woman is suing Burke County Schools claiming leaders failed to protect her from a predator. Its the latest development in a case dating back to 2012. An international investigation into child sex abuse material led state, federal and local investigators to Hildebran Elementary School. ALSO READ: Burke Co. teacher pleads guilty to sex crimes, sentenced to 40 years Third-grade teacher Michael Alexander sexually abused dozens of students and would post videos online, investigators said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was sentenced to nearly 50 years in prison and now one of his victims filed a federal lawsuit. Teacher Michael Alexander sexually abused students and would post videos, investigators said. The lawsuit claims a mother complained to the school district about Alexanders misconduct years before his arrest, but they didnt do anything to protect students. Channel 9 reached out to the school district for a response to the claims. We found the school district settled in a similar lawsuit in 2015. Burke County Schools statement: Burke County Public Schools has been made aware of a lawsuit related to the 2012 case involving a former elementary school teacher. While we cannot comment on the specifics of this lawsuit, at the time of the 2012 case, law enforcement and internal investigations determined that the teacher acted alone. We remain committed to the safety and well-being of all students and take our responsibility to protect children very seriously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The district has long-standing policies, mandatory staff training, and strict reporting requirements in place to help prevent and detect any form of abuse within our schools. We continuously review and strengthen these measures to ensure a safe learning environment for every student. Burke County Public Schools will respond to this legal matter through the appropriate court process. In the meantime, we reaffirm our commitment to student safety and to working diligently to foster a school environment that prioritizes the well-being of every child in our care. VIDEO: SWAT teams moves in on suspected child predators caught in undercover stings Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra on Tuesday hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), asserting that the people themselves have rejected those who used to impose bans on Chhath Puja during their regime. Taking a jibe at former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Mishra praised the current government's efforts to clean the Yamuna River, claiming that there is no foam in the river at present. "'Kejriwal gaya, jhaag gaya,' this time there is no foam in the Yamuna... The CM herself visited each ghat... No such government has come to power in Delhi... Those who used to pollute the Yamuna and impose a ban on Chhath have been banned by the people of Delhi," Kapil Mishra told ANI. Earlier today, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta participated in the concluding rituals of Chhath Puja at the Hathi Ghat near ITO in the national capital, offering the 'Usha Arghya' to the rising Sun and performing traditional prayers. Expressing her gratitude and joy, the Chief Minister said she felt fortunate to be part of the sacred festival. "I am fortunate that I was able to participate in the worship of Chhati Maiya and we all together enjoyed this great festival of Chhath," Gupta told ANI. Earlier this morning, devotees across the country offered 'Usha Arghya' to the rising Sun, marking the culmination of Chhath Puja. Thousands gathered along riverbanks, ponds, and ghats to perform rituals and seek blessings for prosperity and well-being. In Bihar, people had flocked to the ghats and riverbanks in large numbers for the 'Usha Arghya'. The devotees carefully placed offerings, including flowers and fruits, in various locations at the ghat. Security personnel were deployed at major ghats to ensure the smooth conduct of the celebrations. In Delhi, the Yamuna Ghat witnessed heavy footfall as devotees offered arghya to the rising Sun. ITO's Hathi Ghat was illuminated, with devotees performing the concluding rituals of Chhath amid hymns and chants. Devotees had gathered in large numbers on the ghats of Varanasi to perform the rituals of Chhath Puja on the last day. Devotees also thronged Shastri Ghat to offer prayers on the final day. The four-day Chhath Mahaparv began on October 25 with the ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on October 26, Sandhya Arghya (evening offerings) on October 27, and concluded on October 28 with Usha Arghya (morning offerings). (ANI) Sixty women, including artists, researchers and politicians, have called on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to address real public safety concerns, after he suggested "daughters" feel unsafe because of migrants. "We are happy to talk about safety for daughters, i.e. women," the women write in the open letter published on Tuesday. "However, we want to do it seriously, and not use it as a cheap excuse to justify racist narratives," write the signatories, who include prominent Green lawmaker Ricarda Lang, writers Mithu Sanyal and Tupoka Ogette, as well as Luisa Neubauer, a leading figure in Germany's Fridays for Future climate movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their demands come as Germany is embroiled in a heated debate sparked by comments made by Merz linking crime in public spaces to migrants, statements that have drawn protests in several cities. On October 14, Merz stated that the government was addressing past failures in migration policy and making progress, "but we still have this problem in how our cities look, of course, and that's why the federal interior minister is facilitating and carrying out large-scale deportations." Shortly after that, when asked to clarify his comments, he doubled down, saying: "Ask your daughters what I might have meant by that. I suspect you'll get a pretty clear and direct answer." On Wednesday, he clarified that the problems were caused by migrants who do not have permanent residency status, do not work and do not comply with the rules in Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the text, the women call for "a public space in which all people feel at ease". The letter includes 10 specific demands to improve "safety for daughters," including better prosecution of sexual and domestic violence, better lighting and surveillance of public spaces, and adequate funding for women's shelters and safe houses. Sixty women, including artists, researchers and politicians, have called on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to address real public safety concerns, after he suggested "daughters" feel unsafe because of migrants. "We are happy to talk about safety for daughters, i.e. women," the women write in the open letter published on Tuesday. "However, we want to do it seriously, and not use it as a cheap excuse to justify racist narratives," write the signatories, who include prominent Green lawmaker Ricarda Lang, writers Mithu Sanyal and Tupoka Ogette, as well as Luisa Neubauer, a leading figure in Germany's Fridays for Future climate movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their demands come as Germany is embroiled in a heated debate sparked by comments made by Merz linking crime in public spaces to migrants, statements that have drawn protests in several cities. On October 14, Merz stated that the government was addressing past failures in migration policy and making progress, "but we still have this problem in how our cities look, of course, and that's why the federal interior minister is facilitating and carrying out large-scale deportations." Shortly after that, when asked to clarify his comments, he doubled down, saying: "Ask your daughters what I might have meant by that. I suspect you'll get a pretty clear and direct answer." On Wednesday, he clarified that the problems were caused by migrants who do not have permanent residency status, do not work and do not comply with the rules in Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the text, the women call for "a public space in which all people feel at ease". The letter includes 10 specific demands to improve "safety for daughters," including better prosecution of sexual and domestic violence, better lighting and surveillance of public spaces, and adequate funding for women's shelters and safe houses. When asked by a journalist on Tuesday whether he would respond to the demands or see a need for action, Merz declined to comment during a press conference at the Chamber of Crafts in Dresden. He said he was at the chamber to "deal with the issues that really concern people in breadth and depth." The chancellor mentioned vocational training and the question of how young people including young women could be attracted to skilled trades. "That is the main topic of my visit here today." The News UK regulators last week opened an investigation into Drax, questioning whether the British energy firm made misleading statements about where it sourced the wood for its biomass-fueled power stations. Its not the only controversy facing a sector that has struggled to prove its bona fides, in both the climate and the financial sense. In February, South Korea the worlds third-largest importer of wood pellets for use in energy announced it would no longer allow most woody biomass to be eligible for green subsidies due to deforestation and cost concerns. Pressure is also ramping up in Japan and the US, home to the biggest producer of wood pellets, Enviva. A lot of the industry stakeholders assumed perpetual government support, Hansae Song, who leads the forests and lands team at the South Korean think tank Solutions for our Climate told Semafor, but this move by South Korea shows that without support, there wont be any more biomass. Know More Until recently, renewables werent seen as stable or reliable enough to replace large-scale but heavily polluting coal-fired power plants. In the US, liquefied natural gas was the most common option. Elsewhere, woody biomass grew rapidly, partly because it was eligible for green or renewable energy credits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Biomass can refer to several things, including agriculture or wood waste, but one fuel source in particular, wood pellets, has risen to the fore as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to coal in thermal power plants. Coming from trees, this form of biomass was, proponents argued, carbon-neutral, because any CO2 emitted during burning would be captured by newly planted trees. Unlike renewables like wind and solar, biomass was reliable, and it could be burnt in existing coal-fired power plants after minimal modification. The last two decades have seen a significant increase in woody biomass power generation. The worlds largest biomass power plant is the 2,676 megawatt (MW) Drax Power Station in northern England. South Korea is home to dozens of power stations, including the 210 MW Dangjin Bio and the 375 MW Yongdong. Other major woody biomass burners include Japan, which opened the new 49.9 MW Karatsu Biomass Power Plant in September. With the increasing focus and importance on energy prices in the US and abroad, we are seeing increased demand and see great potential in other markets to use our sustainable woody biomass pellets, an Enviva spokesperson wrote in an email to Semafor. Woody biomass is an excellent complement to more intermittent power generation sources while still being carbon neutral on a lifecycle basis. Nithins view Despite Envivas upbeat projections, its getting increasingly hard to argue that woody biomass is either sustainable, or even desirable, from a climate or an economic perspective. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Researchers for groups including the National Resources Defense Council have questioned the industrys core carbon-neutral message, while other organizations allege that wood pellet production has driven deforestation, biodiversity loss, and peatland degradation in the southern American, tropical Southeast Asian, and temperate Canadian forests. Some analysis has found that, once all emissions were factored in, woody biomass could even be worse for the climate than coal. But the bigger challenge may be economic. So far, the industry has not been able to make woody biomass profitable without relying on subsidies, as was the case in South Korea. In Japan, biomass benefits from being eligible for the national feed-in-tariff for renewable energies, and in the UK, authorities have halved subsidies for Drax the company currently gets nearly 1 billion a year and will only use the plant as a back-up to cheaper sources of renewable power. Drax declined to respond to a request for comment. The supply chain is also facing challenges. Enviva, a key source of British, Korean, and Japanese wood pellets, declared bankruptcy in 2024, from which it emerged later that year, but to some, the viability of its recovery remains uncertain, especially after South Koreas move. Under the new UK deal for Drax, 100% of the wood pellets it burns must be sustainably sourced, an issue at the core of British regulators recently opened investigation. Draxsaid it was cooperating with regulators. Other markets offer seemingly limited prospects for growth. The biomass industry had in prior years pinned hope on expanding to markets like Australia, China, and the European Union. But Australia has rejected biomass entirely, and while some European countries like the Netherlands and Italy have expanded woody biomass, the EU has limited the sectors role in the blocs Renewable Energy Directive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Japan, the other major consumer alongside the UK and Korea, also faces an uncertain future. Japan NRG, an energy think tank, noted in a recent update that there are unlikely to be any more biomass plants opening between now and 2030, as the governments goal for the technology has been met. By then, solar, energy storage, and a massive planned expansion of offshore wind could make additional biomass unnecessary. Room for Disagreement Rising energy demand, driven by breakneck construction of data centers and growing electrification of transport, could provide a lifeline to biomass, as countries seek to maintain baseload power generation on the grid. Enviva also sees heavy industry as a future market. We see great potential for sustainable biocarbon feedstock in the form of pellets to help defossilize hard-to-abate sectors like cement, steel, lime, chemicals, and transportation fuels like sustainable aviation fuel, the Enviva spokesperson said. And the threats to the sector may also be overstated: Details of the South Korean phaseout of biomass subsidies have not yet been released, despite being announced in February. One reason may be the chaotic year that has taken place in Korean politics, with an attempted military coup, impeachment, and a new president being elected and taking office in June. The new leader has pledged stronger climate and biodiversity goals than his predecessor, but has yet to flesh out his policies. Notable Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) offer some hope for biomass, according to a recent report from North Carolina State University in the US. SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) The November 4 election is coming up fast, and Woodbury County election officials are getting ready. Aside from office staff, there are 150 precinct election officials. 142 of whom spread across the 30 different polling locations, including 44 precincts, six individuals who work in the courthouse, and two who go to hospitals and nursing homes. Story continues below Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a countywide election, said Skaff. So, every city is going to have a polling location. Every city has a council member, possibly a mayor, and some of them, every individual in Woodbury County has a school. So we have, if you can believe this, we have 87 different ballot styles. Residents have already gone to the polls, with the office recording over 1,000 in-person early votes, including mail-in ballots and those voting at the courthouse. County Auditor Michelle Skaff said with the city elections and school elections combined, its tough to gauge turnout. So, weve had a little over a thousand in-person early votes. That includes our mail-in ballots and the individuals that come into our office here, said Skaff. Theyre actually voting absentee, filling out a form, voting in the office, and leaving their ballot here with us. So, what the turnout will be is hard to say. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the topic of early voting, residents in Sergeant Bluf still have time to cast their ballots at two satellite voting locations on Monday night. Those are at the Sergeant Bluff-Luton Primary and Elementary schools. Satellite voting goes until 8 p.m. Polls will be open on November 4 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports. Albania is breaking all kinds of ground these days. It became one of earliest nations to deploy an AI chatbot, Diella, as a public administration assistant, only to then become the first country with an AI government official when it elevated the chatbot to the role of minister of state for artificial intelligence. The Balkan country isnt slowing down either because now, Diella is pregnant. Thats according to Prime Minister Edi Rama, who announced the happy news in front of the Berlin Global Dialogue over the weekend. As reported by ABC News Albania, Diella will soon be sharing her children with government officials loyal to Ramas party, the center-left Partia Socialiste. Diella is pregnant and expecting 83 children, one for each member of our parliament and who will serve as assistants to them, who will participate in parliamentary sessions and take notes on everything that happens and who will inform and suggest to the members of parliament regarding their reactions, Rama announced. These children will have their mothers knowledge regarding [European Union] legislation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the prime minister refers to these entities as children, they sound more like something akin to a virtual assistant a government-sanctioned Siri. If you go for coffee and forget to come back to work, Rama continues, this child will say what was said when you were not in the room and if your name was mentioned, and if you have to counterattack someone who mentioned you for the wrong reasons. Rama is apparently unfazed by protests last month from the right wing opposition party, which hurled trash at his cabinet members during Diellas inaugural address to parliament. Overall, its a bold escalation from the prime ministers stance just a few months ago, when Rama first came up with the idea of an AI minister to make a point about stamping out nepotism and conflicts of interest in the nations infamously corrupt government. More on AI: AI Is Even Putting Animal Actors Out of Work Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A message in a bottle found during a beach clean-up in Australia turned out to contain letters from two World War I soldiers who launched their bottle 109 years earlier. Debra Brown said she and her family were cleaning up along the shoreline in Wharton Beach when her daughter found a bottle containing letters from Malcolm Alexander Neville and William Kirk Harley, soldiers serving in World War I in 1916. Neville's letter showed he came from Wilkawatt, South Australia, and Brown was able to use Facebook to contact Herbie Neville, the soldier's great nephew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The elder Neville was 28 years old when he was killed in action in France just a few months after writing his message in a bottle. Herbie Neville said he knew of his great uncle Malcolm from stories he heard from his aunt, who is now 101. "It's been amazing how much has come to the surface in his short time in WWI," Neville told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Brown was also able to contact family members of Harley, who later returned home from the war. "We are all absolutely stunned. There are five grandchildren who are still alive," granddaughter Ann Turner said. "We're all in constant contact since it happened and we just can't believe it. We do very much feel like our grandfather has reached out to us from the grave." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement University of Western Australia coastal oceanography professor Charitha Pattiaratchi said its possible the bottle containing the messages was only in the water for a couple of weeks after being launched from the Great Australian Bight. "It probably would have been a few weeks, it could have even been a month before it actually got to Wharton Beach," she said. "Once it got to the beach it could have stayed there and got buried in the sand, so it could have been there for 100 years." Another message in a bottle dating back an even greater amount of time was uncovered last year by an engineer conducting an inspection at a 209-year-old Scottish lighthouse. Ross Russell, a Northern Lighthouse Board mechanical engineer, removed some panels in a cupboard at Corsewall Lighthouse, located at the northern tip of the Rhins of Galloway, and spotted a bottle hidden inside the wall. Inside was a note dated Sept. 4, 1892, bearing the names of three engineers who had installed a light at the top of the 100-foot lighthouse as well as the names of three lighthouse keepers. In the shadow of the October 7 attack, the 39th World Zionist Congress delegates to discuss Zionisms future, address political tensions, and reaffirm the movements commitment to Israels survival. The 39th World Zionist Congress launched to the applause of hundreds of delegates from around the world on Tuesday, but the October 7 massacre and inter- and intra-party tensions cast a long shadow on the festive opening plenary. More than 1,400 delegates and alternate delegates from 43 countries had gathered to set the agenda for the Zionist movement by deliberating on issues, voting on resolutions, and determining who would lead the National Institutions, but the Israel-Hamas War and appeals for unity were the agenda in the main plenary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A moment of silence was held at the plenarys outset in memory of all those who lost their lives during the October 7 massacre. American Zionist Movement President and World Mizrachi Board Member Debbie Isaac reminded the audience how there were still hostage bodies that had yet to be returned to Israel, highlighting Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose body had been held in Gaza since 2014s Operation Protective Edge. Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Armored Corps Capt. Omer Neutra, shared with the delegates and leaders the story of the Long Island, New York, native who fell in combat during the Hamas-led attack. Neutras body has still not been returned to Israel despite a ceasefire deal with Hamas, and his parents reminded the audience that there were still 12 other hostage bodies that needed to be returned. Its been a very long fight, and its not over yet, said Neturas parents. This war will not truly be over until the very last hostage is home to be buried. Neutras parents led a prayer for the 920 soldiers who fell in the October 7 war, reminding participants that they were one people bound in solidarity for the safety of hostages and soldiers. World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel noted in his speech how the delegates and everyone in Israel and the Diaspora were united in agreement on embracing the bereaved families, praying for wounded soldiers, and wishing luck to those still fighting to protect the country. Hagoel said the pain of the past was framed as something that propels Zionism forward, rather than something that makes Zionism stagnate. 'we are all brothers and sisters' The hostages and soldiers were not the only point of unity raised by speakers, with Supreme Zionist Court acting President Steve Adler dismissing cleavages of politics, denomination, and gender when we are all brothers and sisters and Zionists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a video address, Adler called for the end of quarrels between WZC political parties and urged delegates to do what was best for Israel rather than their slate. The judge said that participants should rally around shared objectives, and World Zionist Organization President Tova Dorfman suggested in her speech that the question that should guide delegates should be What would Herzl do? These past two years taught us that we are able to work so well together if we want to, said Dorfman. We have an opportunity here to correct, to fix things. Dorfmans address focused on the challenges of 21st-century Zionism and the ways it must be reimagined, reconceptualized, and rejuvenated to fit todays climate. In a world where discourse on Israel is becoming more and more extreme, we must take ownership of Zionism, she said. We should not allow those who speak badly about Zionism to define it for us. We have to create new alliances, new unions; its time to create a real, courageous, authentic Zionist movement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like Herzl whose vision led to the creation of the State of Israel modern Zionists must think ahead, she said. We need to rebuild Israel. We need to move the Zionist movement into a new place. Similar sentiments were expressed by Hagoel. It is worth reminding ourselves from time to time: the Zionist movement is not just a historical memory, but a living and active engine the force that paved the way for the establishment of the state, said Hagoel. And from here, that mission continues: to ensure the states continued existence, its security, and its moral integrity. Faced with the flames, the Jewish people again chooses light over darkness. Faced with fear, it chooses faith, unity, and hope. And that that is Zionism in its deepest meaning: not only to establish a state, but to ensure that at its heart beats a living Jewish soul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Isaac said that part of the purpose for being there was to remind themselves and Jewish youth, that if you are a Jew, you have the right to self-determination. Adler urged the delegates to exercise that right by immigrating to Israel, where they would have vast opportunities, and a Jewish life. World Zionist Organization Executive Member Masha Lubelsky reminded attendees that the building of Israel hadnt ended, and that it was a great privilege not only to be at the congress, but to be in the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. She told delegates that when they returned to their countries, they should remember the congress. The 2025 congress is the first proper convention in a decade, as the last event was disrupted by the pandemic, Hagoel reminded. The event will see delegates deliberating on draft resolutions in committees on Wednesday, but behind the scenes, the real power struggle will still be played out with negotiations for the coalition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The result of the negotiations will determine who will control the National Institutions like the World Zionist Organization and KKL-JNF, and the purse strings they in turn pulled. Isaac reminded that leaders from all over the world needed to be well represented at the National Institutions so that they could get the funding and support that they required. The coalition negotiations for the WZC and its institutions continued into Tuesday, without announcement of their finalization by the time President Isaac Herzog spoke at the evening ceremony. The negotiations had been complicated by infighting in the World Likud movement, which was divided by factions led by Hagoel and Culture Minister Miki Zohar. A failure by World Likud to hold elections complicated negotiations, forcing other slates to come to separate agreements with each Likud faction. During his address to the 39th Congress, Herzog discussed the word Zio used as a slur to refer to Zionists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Let me tell you who these so-called Zios are. These Zios are the finest of human beings, who returned to their ancestral homeland, their biblical, historical, promised land after millennia of persecution, after the devastation of the Holocaust, and built a Jewish, democratic, life-affirming and peace-seeking state! 'A nation of doing good, a nation of healers' A nation of doing good. A nation of healers of the world in almost every field. Herzog added that these Zios were brutalized, assaulted, taken hostage, and burned in their homes by their neighbors, with whom they tried to live peacefully. Zios in communities all over the world saw their sisters and brothers under attack in Israel, and showed up, no questions asked. These Zios are us. The men and women in this hall, across Israel, and throughout the Jewish world, he said. We are proud of our Zionism and we will never forsake it. We will fight for it and defend it. We will remember and we will proudly declare: the people of Israel live. AUSTIN (KXAN) Days after John Wesley and Wendy Smith had their dream destination wedding at a resort in Jamaica, they must now endure the impact of Hurricane Melissa. Tropical Tracker: Cat. 5 Hurricane Melissa makes landfall near New Hope, Jamaica The Jarrell couple arrived in Jamaica last week with about 50 family and friends from across Texas. They are near Negril on the islands western tip. When we came in the first day, we found out there was a tropical storm heading our way, Smith said. There were no signs here, the island was still beautiful. Wendy Smith and John Wesley get married in Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa. (Photo credit: Smith Family). Wendy Smith and John Wesley get married in Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa. (Photo credit: Smith Family). Wendy Smith and John Wesley get married in Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa. (Photo credit: Smith Family). Wendy Smith and John Wesley get married in Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa. (Photo credit: Smith Family). On Sunday, the family tried to move their flights to escape Melissa. However, those flights were canceled due to the worsening weather. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the storm strengthened into a Category 5 storm. Its now expected to be one of the most catastrophic Atlantic hurricanes ever. NEXT: Atlantic hurricane records Smith and her family are in a second-floor suite. She said the resorts staff has worked tirelessly to protect guests who had nowhere else to go. We just watched them go through with lumber and all types of equipment, Smith said. They worked through the entire night preparing and just trying to protect us and make sure that were good. As the storm approached Jamaica on Tuesday, Smith showed KXAN the roof panels and other debris that had been torn off the building. Water around the hotel began to rise and palm trees whipped around viciously. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We have a retaining wall thats about 10-15 feet where we are, and its protecting us at this point, Smith said. Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, around noon Tuesday. Were just praying that were going to be able to get out of here, because theres only one road that leads from the Montego Bay airport, to Negril, Smith said. Were just so afraid, that that infrastructure will not be able to hold. Were just praying at this point. We dont want to be forgotten. Smith told KXAN they took cover in a bunker shortly after Melissa hit their resort. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Tuesday morning visited the residence of party MLA and senior leader Harish Rao to offer condolences following the demise of Tanneeru Satyanarayana Rao. KTR reached Rao's residence in Hyderabad and paid his respects to the mortal remains of Satyanarayana, observing a moment of silence and interacting with family members to offer solace. In view of the mourning, he also announced the cancellation of all party events, including the Jubilee Hills election campaign activities. Meanwhile, BRS president KCR expressed condolences over the death of T Satyanarayana, who was the husband of his sister Akka Lakshmibai. Recalling the bond KCR shared with his brother-in-law, the BRS chief expressed sorrow over his demise. He prayed for the peaceful repose of the departed soul of Satyanarayana. "Immediately upon receiving the information, KCR called Harish Rao and consoled him, offering comfort to the family members. He conveyed his deepest sympathies," BRS posted on X. The party handle informed that KCR will visit Rao's residence to pay his respects to the mortal remains of the late Sathyanarayana, and console his sister and family members. Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar also expressed condolences on the passing away of Satyanarayana. He prayed for the peace of the departed soul and extended his deep sympathies to Rao and his family. Satyanarayana, father of former Telangana Minister T Harish Rao, passed away this morning due to health-related issues. The body of Satyanarayana was laid to rest at Rao's residence at Krinss Villas in Hyderabad, where family, friends, and party workers paid their respects. The funeral will be held this afternoon at Vaikunta Mahaprasthanam Crematorium in Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills. "We regret to inform you that Harish Rao's father, Thanniru Satyanarayana, has passed away. On behalf of the BRS party, we express our deepest condolences. The mortal remains of Thanniru Satyanarayana will be kept at his residence, Krins Villas, in Hyderabad, for the public to pay their respects. The funeral will be held today afternoon at Film Nagar Mahaprasthana," BRS posted on X. (ANI) A Manchester man was arrested after allegedly driving the wrong way on Interstate 293 and the F.E. Everett Turnpike in Bedford early Sunday morning. Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith New Hampshire State Police got reports of a vehicle heading southbound in the northbound lanes near Exit 5 on I-293 at about 1:07 a.m. Trooper Madelynn Theve found a silver 2012 Honda Civic, still traveling the wrong way, on the turnpike in Bedford. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The driver of the Civic, identified as Benjamin Smith, 25, of Manchester, was taken into custody and charged with reckless conduct deadly weapon, and driving while intoxicated. Smith is scheduled to appear in Merrimack District Court in early November. (Reuters) -The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday called for reforms of the 30-year-old institution, highlighting its consensus rule that requires unanimous agreement among members to secure global trade deals. "We need to reform the system, we cannot be complacent," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh. "We need to reform some of the ways we do business like our consensus decision-making system which is practised as unanimity - everyone has to agree - so it really slows down decision making," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She also urged the WTO's 166 members to engage with the United States on its criticisms of the watchdog, many of which she acknowledged as valid. Okonjo-Iweala repeated that the global trading system was undergoing the biggest disruption in eight decades, describing it as "battered but not broken". She hailed the fact that more of its members had not resorted to retaliatory measures in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on trading partners. "The fact that almost three-quarters of world goods trade is still going on on WTO terms is amazing," she said. (Reporting by Emma Farge, Editing by Friederike Heine, Kirsti Knolle) West Virginia legislators are given a tour of Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway, West Virginia during legislative interims on June 22, 2025. (Photo by Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography) With federal food assistance in peril as a federal government shutdown persists, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday the state would contribute up to $13 million to the states two food banks Facing Hunger in Huntington and Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway. He called on West Virginians to match the states contribution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement West Virginians in the past have shown that they come together during times like this, Morrisey said. We take care of our neighbors. We roll up our sleeves. We get things done. So today, Im calling on all of us across West Virginia individuals, families, businesses, people who care about the needy in our state, to step up. We want to come together, and we want to help the people who might need that assistance or not be able to gain access to their SNAP benefits, Morrisey said. To donate to Facing Hunger, visit the agencys website. Donations can be made to Mountaineer Foodbank here. Families who need assistance finding local pantries may call 211 or visit wv211.org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the federal government marked nearly 30 days of being shut down, the U.S. Department of Agriculture which oversees the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program posted over the weekend there will be no benefits issued Nov. 1. The SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps, helps feed about 275,000 West Virginians, or one in six state residents. Mountaineer Food Bank serves 48 counties in West Virginia. Facing Hunger serves 12 counties in the state as well as parts of Ohio and Kentucky. All donations to the organizations through this donation drive will be split 50/50 to each organization, Morrisey said. Morrisey said that money paid by the state to support the food banks is from funds that had come in from the COVID era and that had been sitting there. He did not specify what fund exactly, saying only that it was one of the states contingency funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A portion of the money coming from the state will be paid out as soon as Wednesday, Morrisey said. He did not know exactly how much would be made immediately available, but said it would be at least millions of dollars up front to each of the food banks. [Thats] just to make sure that theyre having the resources to begin to buy the food and do those things, and then were going to evaluate based upon the [individual] donations, Morrisey said. Were going to be communicating in real time, but we want to get the upfront monies out to start the process. To help handle the expected influx of need across West Virginia over the next few days and weeks, Morrisey said that the states National Guard was also going to be activated. State Adjutant General James Seward said that activation would be for up to 200 members of the National Guard. Depending on what the needs are, its likely that all 200 wont be working at the same time. Seward said the Guards role will be meeting needs as they arise from both the food banks and the states 211 help line. It could include doing meal deliveries or holding mobile food pantries in communities that dont have existing feeding organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caitlin Cook, the director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Mountaineer Food Bank, said individuals at her organization have already been in discussions with the Guard. Its likely, she said, that the partnership will prove helpful when it comes to supporting smaller community partners who are often short on staff, but exist in places with high need. Morriseys announcement Tuesday came after Democrats in the state House of Delegates called on him to use contingency funds to make the SNAP payments for the month of November, as families prepare for Thanksgiving. Last week the governor expedited $1.1 million in funding that was already headed for feeding programs in the state and urged people to donate to food banks. In the letter, the Democrats called Morriseys moves Band-Aids that will help momentarily. Systematic change and monumental assistance are crucial at this moment, they wrote. And we must act now. That $1.1 million for the food banks was allocated during the state Legislative session and, according to Cook, was meant to support their work throughout a full fiscal year. Now, though, the most pressing need is buying food for immediate distribution, meaning the funds wont be available for future needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Obviously the most important thing that food banks and food pantries can have access to right now is purchasing power for food, Cook said. And thats what Gov. Morrissey has done with these two actions. But factors are compounding and the purchasing power of that food could be difficult to exercise since the increased need is existing nationwide. Feeding organizations have already voiced concerns over challenges in accessing protein-rich, healthy foods for their clients in normal times. Now, as all 50 states see food insecurity increase due to the pause on SNAP, that could become even more difficult. Were talking about several different groups of people right now that were responsible for feeding and, hopefully, feeding nutritious, healthy meals, Cook said. You have federal employees not being paid, you have people who [wont] receive their SNAP benefits, but you also have people where their main access point to food assistance all the time is food banks and pantries they dont get SNAP. So now the system they rely on exclusively is facing additional pressure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier Tuesday, more than two dozen Democrat-controlled states sued the Trump administration for refusing to fund SNAP during the government shutdown. The food stamp program helps feed roughly 42 million people nationwide. The states are asking a federal judge to require Trump to fund the program with emergency reserve funding. Meanwhile, West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey joined a coalition of 18 Republican attorneys general who are calling on Democrats in the U.S. Senate to pass a clean continuing resolution to save SNAP benefits. The AGs sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY. It is time for Democrats to step up to the plate and join Republicans to pass a clean continuing resolution to help those who need help most, McCuskey said in the news release. The American people should not be pawns in this game that has gone on for far too long. The time to act is now. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) With the winter months creeping up, people will be seeing some higher utility bills as they kick on their heat and keep the lights on a bit longer. SNAP concerns continue amid Virginia State of Emergency Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates are working to make sure there will not be any big rate hikes that make things harder though. The average West Virginian pays around $692.00 per month in utility fees, according to Move.Org. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That is almost 14% of the average West Virginians income, and thats not counting rate hikes either. However, several members of the West Virginia House of Delegates are trying to make rate hikes a thing of the past with house bill 3173. Delegate Mike Pushkin, who represents the 54th District in Kanawha County, said this legislation is incredibly important. West Virginia is a very poor state, but West Virginians are paying the highest utility rates in the entire country. And thats not fair. And all were asking is that we initiate this temporary rate freeze, they cant raise our bills anymore until the legislature is able to work it out. And the legislature needs to, it needs to be a top priority, said Delegate Pushkin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delegate Pushkin said he knows most of the people in the Mountain State live paycheck to paycheck, and that a rate hike could mean the choice between keeping the lights on or buying food or medicine. He said it is every delegates duty to assist the people they represent, even if there is opposition. I dont see why there would be any opposition to it. I mean, all of us are elected by the people and thats who were supposed to be up there representing. Unfortunately, I imagine theres pushback from the utilities and pushback from a lot of these, you know, big energy lobbyists. But were supposed to be doing the work of the people, said Delegate Pushkin. Policyholders grapple with uncertainty as open enrollment for healthcare approaches Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delegate Pushkin said he hopes to use House Bill 3173 to give the people of the Mountain State a bit of a financial reprieve while the House of Delegates figures out a more permanent solution to keep utility rates down. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. Six years have passed since presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump last met, but the substance of discussions remains largely the same. Back in 2019, trade and Taiwan also rode high on the agenda. Ahead of the pairs expected meeting on Oct. 30, 2025, Trump also indicated he wants to enlist Chinas help in bringing Russia to the peace table adding a third weighty issue for the two men to chat about. But how has the needle moved on these three issues trade, Taiwan and China-Russia relations since the last meeting between Trump and Xi? Rana Mitter, professor of U.S.-Asia relations at Harvard Kennedy School, explains what has changed since 2019 and the geopolitical background to the upcoming bilateral talks. Taiwan: US hawks in retreat Compared with where the two countries were in 2019, the biggest variable that has changed is whether the U.S. has softened its position on Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the first Trump administration, Taiwan policy was shaped by figures such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who were decidedly hawkish on China and the issue of Taiwan. The U.S. was seemingly pushing then to bolster its assurance falling short of commitment to help Taiwan pursue a path of autonomy, but not outright independence. During the Biden administration, the U.S. position on Taiwan was shaped by other, wider China-U.S. events, such as the spy balloon and then the controversial visit to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi both of which damaged Washington-Beijing relations and resulted in an uptick in tensions across the Taiwan Strait. A pro-China supporter steps on a defaced photo of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a protest in Hong Kong against her visit to Taiwan on Aug. 3, 2022. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images Trumps current secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has also traditionally been very hawkish on Taiwan but there is a wider sense that this hawkish approach isnt dominant in the second Trump administration. Much of this centers on Trump himself and questions over whether he is looking to find a different compromise agreement with China that includes the U.S. stance on Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Evidence of this could be seen earlier this year when the Trump administration prevented Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te from stopping off in New York on his way to Central and South America something that could be interpreted as a concession to Beijing. Similarly, the Trump nixed US$400 million of U.S. weapons earmarked for Taiwan over the summer. The other main difference now, compared with when Xi and Trump last met, is that they are dealing with a politically different Taiwan. In 2019, the U.S. and China were dealing with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who had a practical and flexible approach to the issue of Taiwanese independence something that Beijing vehemently opposes. The new Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, hasnt pushed for independence, but certainly a lot of analysts have said he is more enthusiastic in wanting to stress the separation of Taiwan from the mainland. That is a position that the U.S. doesnt want to give any signal that it is supporting. Meanwhile, Beijing has continued to push hard on Taiwan days before the Trump-Xi meeting, Chinese state media announced that confrontation drills involving Chinese H-6K bombers had taken place near Taiwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But this is typical. The Chinese government has traditionally pushed a maximalist line on Taiwan before meetings and then scaled back rhetoric during negotiations. So what does Beijing want? In recent weeks and months, the Chinese Communist Party has indicated that it would like Washingtons phrasing on Taiwan to change from the U.S. does not support independence to the U.S. opposes independence. But I would not expect any move from Washington in the short term on this. The preferred settlement on Taiwan for the short to medium term is status quo. However, that gets harder and harder due to Chinas increased presence in Taiwanese air and naval space. Trade: Trump tools are blunted In 2019, the U.S. and China were in the process of working out a phase one economic and trade agreement, which was supposed to develop into a much bigger deal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the wider deal didnt come about. Both sides were finding it hard to achieve the terms of the deal, and then the pandemic in 2020 threw global trade and supply chains out of kilter. We are now in a very different tariff environment than during the first Trump administration tariffs are now universal, and Trump wants everyone to pay them. That creates in the short term a harder negotiating position for Trump there is less incentive for U.S. allies to help pressure China with additional restrictions of their own. Take the U.K, for example. In the first Trump administration, a succession of phone calls from the White House pressured the Boris Johnson government to ban Chinese giant Huawei from having a slice of the U.K. telecommunications market. But at that point, there was no U.S.-imposed 10% tariff on the U.K. And while 10% is low compared with that imposed elsewhere, it is still an obstacle when trying to impose pressure on allies and partners against China. And compared with 2019, the vulnerability of supply chains has become even more apparent. We have seen evidence of that with Chinas actions over restricting rare earth materials. But in the intervening years, Beijing has inserted itself even more so into global supply chains making it harder for Trump to also pressure American companies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Take Apple. It has, under pressure from the Trump administration, moved more of its production of iPhones to India a rival to China. But in practice, iPhone component production and assembly still take place in China as no other place can do the job with such precision and volume. Russia: China continues balancing act Chinas approach to its relationship with Russia hasnt really changed since the first Trump term Beijing still makes its decisions on Russia with little regard to what the U.S. thinks. Of course, Russia did not fully invade Ukraine until 2022 three years after Xi and Trump last met. But by then there had been the invasion of Crimea in 2014 and Georgia in 2008. China didnt condemn Russia for those actions, but it noticeably abstained in the U.N. on those issues. And it never acknowledged Russias annexation of those areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similarly today, Beijing has never acknowledged Russias claims over the parts of eastern Ukraine it occupies. So China has continued its balanced, cautious position. Its priority is not offending Russia, which it increasingly eyes as a key market for Chinese goods. It provides tech that has dual-use capability useful for Russias military sector, and oil but drives a hard bargain. These are no mates rates. China wants nothing to disturb that trade, so it has been at first suspicious, then relieved by the relative warmth of the Trump administration toward Russia. As to the war itself, China evidently understands that Russia may not win the war, but it is able to maintain it and that is just fine. An isolated Russia, dependent on Chinese goods, is to Beijings benefit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Rana Mitter, Harvard Kennedy School Read more: Rana Mitter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Its not just navy blue California. Democrats in Virginia, a light-blue-shading-into-purple state, are ignoring norms, niceties, and their partys (at least at the national level) typical caution and ineptitude and trying to pull off a complicated plan that could give the party up to four more U.S. House seats in the Old Dominion. Feisty, bold, nakedly partisanmore of this, please, Democrats. This is what saving democracy will actually require. Virginia a few years ago passed a constitutional amendment to ensure that U.S. House and state legislative districts there are drawn by an independent commission. That was part of a laudable effort by Democrats across the country to reduce gerrymandering, a terrible practice that usually results in one partys voters getting far less representation in government than they deserve (and we know which party that usually ends up being). But embracing fair maps has ended up making Democrats look like chumps. Republicans have kept super-gerrymandering the states they control. And ahead of the 2026 midterms, Republicans are going even further. Redistricting usually happens every 10 years. That is stipulated in the Constitution. But President Trump is demanding that lawmakers in GOP-dominated states across the country further gerrymander their states in the middle of the 2020s, in a desperate attempt to avoid losing the House because of the presidents deep unpopularity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the U.S. Supreme Courts six Republican hacks also appear to be in on the scheme of keeping GOP control of the House by any means necessary. The court seems poised to continue its hatcheting of the Voting Rights Act, by ruling that states in the South dont have to create any majority-Black districts. That would likely allow the GOP to gain virtually every seat in states like Alabama. Democrats are trying to catch up. In California, they created a ballot measure likely to pass next week that will replace an independent commission with districts drawn by Democrats, thereby maximizing the partys seats in the Golden State. They are attempting a similar move in Virginia, but its even more complicated there. To change the states constitution, lawmakers in Virginia must hold an initial vote and then a second one after a statewide election has taken place. Those two votes then trigger a ballot referendum. So Virginia Democrats, who narrowly control the states House (5148) and Senate (2119), announced a special session last week and this week are attempting to pass an amendment that would allow the legislature to draw districts instead of the independent commission. Virginia Democrats then need to keep control of the House, whose 100 seats are up in next weeks elections. Then, early next year, they would hopefully pass the amendment in the legislature again and win the ballot initiative. Whew. Democrats currently hold six of the states 11 U.S. House seats but could gain up to 10 with this change. And heres the beautiful part, from the Democrats perspective: The legislature doesnt need the approval of the governor to complete this process. Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, of course opposes this Democratic gerrymandering. But Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate who is favored to win next weeks gubernatorial race, is not opposing this. (Youngkin isnt running for reelection because Virginia governors arent allowed to have consecutive terms.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her tacit support wasnt a guarantee. The former congresswoman is fairly centrist, even bashing President Biden in 2021 for pushing too much major legislation. Spanbergers backing of this hyperpartisan move shows that even moderates in the party realize that Democrats must either use unsavory tools like gerrymanderingor let the Republicans dominate American democracy. Republicans in Virginia are complaining that the Democrats there are ignoring some legislative precedents to jam through this redistricting. Theyre right. This is an ugly process. But its the kind of norm-breaking stuff state-level Republicans, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, and his aides have been doing for more than a decade. The fact that Virginia Republicans sound like national Democrats, complaining about rules and norms, is a sign that Democrats are finally on the right track, understanding that they are in a civil war that they will lose unless they actually fight hard. National Democrats are also pushing officials in Illinois and Maryland to further gerrymander, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries flying to Chicago earlier this week to make that pitch in person. Thats another good sign. The problem is that local officials in those states arent fully on board yet. Some Black politicians in Illinois are reportedly frustrated because effective gerrymandering could reduce the number of Black-majority U.S. House districts in the state, even if it increases the number of Democratic seats. Let me use my position as one of the relatively few Black columnists in the national media to say categoricallyTHAT IS STUPID. Having Democrats control the House is far, far better for Black Americans than having lots of Black House members in a Republican-controlled House. What are we doing here? Why do I have to make such an obvious point? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sadly, Democrats may not be able to catch up to Republicans in terms of gerrymandering, even though the party is rightly trying to. Many blue states have redistricting commissions and also courts and legal precedents that discourage drawing maps that strongly favor one party. Those are good policies in a world of normal politics. I supported them when they were adopted. But right now, those of us who encouraged Democrats to adopt more pro-democracy reforms look dumb and naive. The Republicans have been pursuing one-party domination of America for decades, giving them an advantage over Democrats, who have been trying to foster a true democracy of two or more parties. How important this gerrymandering will end up being is hard to predict. Trump and congressional Republicans may be so unpopular next year that no amount of rejiggering seats will save them. And while both parties are pretty good at drawing districts in their favor, its possible they will draw a few that they still lose. But most voters these days back the same party in every election, so I tend to think these district lines will be super-important. And Democrats winning the House next year is critical, because their odds in the Senate are much longer. Even if Democrats dont end up successfully creating many more seats for themselves in Virginia, Maryland, or other states, the boldness we are seeing in Virginia right now still matters. Its the latest indication, along with the California gerrymandering and the government shutdown, that the Democratic Party leadership finally really appreciates the perilous moment we are in, with a Republican Party trying to lock itself into power forever and turn America into a competitive autocracy. So many Democratic politicians want to be the next Barack Obama, with beautiful rhetoric that makes people feel good. But right now, the party needs more Mitch McConnells, hyperpartisan warriors scouring election and legislative rulebooks to find any advantage they can. And at least in Virginia, the partys McConnell-ish spirit has arrived. It might be too late, but better late than never. Mackenzie Ziegler uploaded a mirror selfie in a bold black top on Instagram. She chose a simple base for her pictures and stylized her look via accessories. Her hair was set in a neat modern hairstyle. She captioned the picture saying, close friends posts of the year (pt 1). Mackenzie Ziegler stuns in a daring [] The post Mackenzie Zieglers Mirror Selfie in Bold Top Will Make You Look Twice appeared first on Mandatory. A record number of early voters are weighing in on the race for New York City mayor, but the candidates are working to persuade undecided voters with one week to go until the election. Republican Curtis Sliwa and Independent Andrew Cuomo are in a tug of war over the support of moderate voters who may be more motivated now than they were back in June. Early voters continue to set records in New York. And with one week left in the campaign, the candidates are pushing hard to get their supporters to the polls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday morning, Sliwa continued to insist that he is a serious candidate, knowing that Cuomo is determined to win over Sliwa's moderate and conservative supporters. "Cuomo should stop moaning and groaning and again, I hear him yesterday saying I should drop out, listen, doesn't he understand that ship has left the port," Sliwa said. Nearly a quarter of a million New Yorkers have already voted, with the biggest turnout in Brooklyn and Manhattan-being driven by middle-aged and older voters. Cuomo believes the momentum is with him, now, in ways it wasn't during the Democratic primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "In the primary, the turnout was totally different than they thought, much younger, and the younger vote was a much higher percentage," Cuomo said. On Tuesday afternoon at the Boston Postino Senior Center in the Bronx, he was joined by his former rival Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. David Paterson who had endorsed Adams in the race until now. They all made the point that Mamdani's Democratic socialist policies are bad for New York. "No one is going to get a free ride no matter what some are promising, but there's great promise if we elect this gentleman on Tuesday," Paterson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Late Monday night, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic frontrunner, appeared on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" where he was questioned about his approach to public safety. "Public safety is the prerequisite for an affordability agenda...people have to be safe," Mamdani said. "And we also know that safety is something that you not only deliver with the NYPD, it's also something you deliver by ensuring that there are actually jobs that can pay people enough to stay in the city. All of these things are integrated." Mamdani also made an appearance on Spanish language radio Tuesday morning. "We can be confident about the next seven days, but we cannot become complacent," he said. "That is exactly how Andrew Cuomo felt seven days until the primary a few months ago. He had the same odds, he had the same polls. He told himself, it was inevitable and then on June 24th we beat him by 13 points." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later in the evening, Mamdani made an appearance at a playground in Hell's Kitchen in front of supporters, telling them how he would make good on all his promises, like making buses free and childcare universal. Lucy Yang has the latest on the campaign trail in Midtown. "We put forward a proposal to raise the state's top corporate tax rate to match that of New Jersey, raise the personal income taxes on the top 1% of New Yorkers by 2%," he said. Mamdani knows his campaign needs to turn out their core supporters, many of whom are young or first-time voters. ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More New York City news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. They dont build many basements in Breezy Point anymore, but Ed Powers got one. Breezy Point is a remote stretch of New York City along the coast of the Rockaway Peninsula, colloquially known as the Irish Riviera. A longtime firefighter who retired as a deputy chief, Power grew up in the neighborhood and raised his kids there. For decades, his basement caused no problems. But over the last 15 years, its begun to flood regularly, the water line moving steadily higher. Breezy Point was decimated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but Power stuck it out and returned. The only reason Im here is because of the ocean. I can see it, I swim in it, he said. And the water continues to rise. Another Sandy and Im out of here. Now Power sees a different threat to the beach: the Williams Companys Northeastern Supply Enhancement, or NESE, pipeline, which has been revived and fast-tracked over the past few months. The pipeline would add to a 10,000-mile network that runs all the way to Texas, carrying fracked gas from Pennsylvania through New York Harbor and terminating off Rockaway Beach, where it will connect to an existing pipeline off the coast of Long Island. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everything about this is a horror, said Power. Since 2018, the NESE pipeline proposal has been rejected three times because it failed to meet New Yorks water quality standards. The states Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, warned that its construction would dredge up mercury, copper, and other decades-old contaminants dumped off the coast of the city, endangering marine life and the health of local swimmers. Despite this, Williams recently resubmitted essentially the same proposal, frustrating pipeline opponents who are concerned that the new head of the DEC, appointed by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul in May, could reverse course. Thats because the White House has stepped in and said that it expects Governor Hochul to do just that. In April, President Trumps Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, ordered a halt to a $5 billion wind energy project off the coast of New York, but the administration made an abrupt turnaround a month later. The administration says they cut a deal with Hochul, asking her to allow the pipeline application to proceed in exchange for them allowing the wind project to go forward. Governor Hochul has denied any quid pro quo, although Anders Opedal, chief executive of the wind project developer, told the Financial Times that the pipeline was very helpful in restarting the offshore development. Hochul had called him on May 18 to tell him shed found a solution to the federal stop-work order; the order was lifted the following day. Though no deal was ever confirmed, Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy nonprofit, filed a formal complaint calling the alleged deal a lurid political shakedown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Governor Hochuls office and the Williams company did not respond to requests for comment by a Monday evening deadline. A representative from the DEC said that it was committed to protecting public health and the environment and subject all permit applications to rigorous review process. They did not clarify whether or not it was planning to deny the resubmitted pipeline application. The Williams pipeline proposal was fast-tracked in early July, when the DEC announced that it would be holding a 30-day public comment period with no hearings, which experts say is unusual for a project of this scale. (Previous applications included a public comment period of 45 days and two public hearings.) The public comment period was extended to 45 days after an outcry from environmental groups, but the decision on hearings was final. As of press time, the pipeline remains in limbo. Environmental activists worry that the abbreviated process is a sign that the administration has changed its mind on the proposal, in spite of the evidence previously used to justify striking it down. The water quality impacts of the pipelines are the same, the science is the same. The climate science is the same or worse. The pipelines are still an expensive [piece] of infrastructure that would be paid for by ratepayers and then become stranded assets when they have to be phased out thanks to New Yorks climate law, said Laura Shindell, the New York State Director of Food and Water Action. The question is: Is the governor going to knowingly build something thats been determined to be dangerous, expensive, and unpopular? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, or IEEFA, found that the NESE pipeline would cost ratepayers an estimated $1.25 billion and provide no permanent jobs; only 9 percent of temporary construction jobs would be located in New York. National Grid, a U.K.-based company that serves as New Yorks gas utility operator, claims that the pipeline is necessary to ensure a reliable gas supply during extreme weather, citing a cold snap during 2022s Winter Storm Elliott, during which New York City came close to outages. National Grid also pointed to an increase in energy needs from the massive data centers being planned by the countrys largest tech companies, as well as vague plans from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a data center at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. But much of the data center hype may also be overblown; across the country, utilities are dealing with duplicative requests and the IEEFA report estimates that as many as 50 percent of projected data centers may never materialize. I cant argue that these data centers dont need energy. But thats how youre going to justify polluting my water and killing my firemen and warming the planet? said Ed Power, the Rockaway Beach resident. Not in my eyes. I cant argue that point. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline In New York, a pipeline proposal that just wont die on Oct 28, 2025. NEW YORK Heads, he wins. Tails, he still wins. President Donald Trump is in the catbird seat as New York Citys mayoral race enters its final days positioned to benefit no matter who takes City Hall. If Zohran Mamdani prevails, the president gets a hard-left foil to demonize as he uses federal power to punish deep-blue cities. If Andrew Cuomo pulls off a comeback, Trump will gain new leverage over an old rival who is facing a potential Department of Justice inquiry into whether he lied to Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican has already exerted authority over New York City Hall: Incumbent Democrat Eric Adams federal corruption charges were dropped this year after he cozied up to the White House a move that deepened his unpopularity and forced him from the race . Trump is in a good position no matter what happens on Nov. 4, said Rev. Ruben Diaz, a former state and city lawmaker and ally of Trump. Whoever wins has to deal with Trump and none of them would be able to beat Trump. Any one of them will have a losing battle against Trump. He is an 800-pound gorilla. The deeper significance of the race is hard to miss. With the midterms less than a year away, a Mamdani win would hand Trump a vivid example of left-wing governance to point to a test case for his warnings about what happens when progressives run major cities. Every policy move the democratic socialist makes could become campaign fuel for Republicans and a political headache for Democrats nationwide . Whoever wins, the citys next mayor will inherit a deep affordability crisis, with people squeezed by soaring rents, grocery prices and child care costs. Yet City Halls attention next year will likely be consumed by Trumps drive to impose his will on New York from expanding immigration enforcement to freezing billions of dollars in infrastructure funding or even deploying federal troops on city streets . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps impulse to put New York under his thumb is colliding with Democratic voters desires to battle the president and halt his agenda as a federal government shutdown stretches to nearly a month. The rookie mayor will have to balance the citys needs with the political imperative of fighting the president. The dynamic with Trump and whether a relationship can be forged along the lines of his direct communication with Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul will define the first term for whomever wins the election. The race has become a microcosm for a rudderless Democratic Party a battle between the moderate Cuomo and the left-leaning Mamdani. Trump has taken an outsized interest in the contest to lead his native city, where his family retains significant business interests, often commenting on it while belittling Mamdani and longshot Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo, the former governor who resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal and denied any wrongdoing, has insisted hes best suited to take on Trump, whom he has known for decades. (Trump made a video appearance at Cuomos 1990 bachelor party .) They tangled over Covid policy and federal funding for the Gateway rail tunnel. Cuomo has talked up their shared Queens roots, and both men have a reputation for being deeply transactional in negotiations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former governor was previously targeted by the Trump administration during the presidents first term. Those investigations including a pandemic-related probe never amounted to charges. A Department of Justice inspector general later determined the Covid investigation was politically motivated . Nobody fought Trump the way I did, Cuomo said Monday. Then, nobody had the consequences I had for fighting him. I was investigated by the Justice Department for years because I stood up to Trump. Cuomo has also ratcheted up his rhetoric, suggesting in a NY1 debate last week he would have the NYPD intervene in actions by the Immigration Customs Enforcement agency a move that stands to spark a confrontation with federal authorities. The former governor believes the inexperienced Mamdani is too much of a lightweight to go up against Trump, asserting the president would run through him like a hot knife through butter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo, who lost the June Democratic primary to Mamdani, will have pressure points for Trump to exploit too, though. House Republicans last year accused the ex-governor of lying when testifying to a panel probing his administrations Covid-era policies and actions. A criminal referral was made earlier this year to the Department of Justice by GOP lawmakers. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted the perjury claims are politically driven by ax-grinding Republicans. The peril, though, is clear. Trumps Department of Justice has shown a desire to pursue cases against political enemies, including New York Attorney General Letitia James , who pleaded not guilty to mortgage fraud charges. Mr. Trumps model seems pretty clear, said Democratic state Sen. Liz Krueger, who chairs the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Youre in legal trouble, either you go to jail for it, you do something for him, maybe he lets you out, maybe he drops the charges. Thats much more disturbing to me as a citizen of New York that Andrew Cuomo still could become mayor and then be directed or ordered around by Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cuomo is making a concerted effort in the final days of the race to woo Republican voters including those New Yorkers who, in an otherwise Democrat-dominated city, backed Trump. The president, though, has all but acknowledged Cuomo is unlikely to win the race given Mamdanis double-digit polling advantage . Indeed, Trump has turned much of his public opprobrium on the frontrunning democratic socialist. The president has called Mamdani a liddle communist and has warned aid to the city will be slashed in the event Mamdani wins, arguing he does not want the Queens Democrat to misuse the cash. Trumps allies in Congress, like Rep. Andy Ogles, have discussed deporting the Ugandan-born Democratic nominee , who is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Mamdani, like Democrats around the country, has vowed to fight Trump on all fronts. He also extended an olive branch, of sorts, when appearing on Fox News this month by citing their shared desire to address the cost of living. Both Mamdani and Trump command a fiercely loyal base of support a bulwark as each pursue political agendas running in opposite directions. As Democrats weigh how best to engage the mercurial president, Mamdani will likely be eager to mix it up with him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president has been pretty effective in nationalizing his battles with the Chicago mayor and the California governor when there are policy disagreements, said Republican former City Councilmember Joe Borelli. The difference with Mamdani is hes going to be a willing dance partner. He wants to be a voice for the socialist movement and not parochial issues. Sliwa, the longshot Republican nominee, has the most complex relationship with the president a shared history that dates back to their time as tabloid stars in the 1980s. Trump has derided the two-time GOP mayoral nominee as not ready for prime time and mocked him for living in an apartment with numerous cats . Trump has pointedly not endorsed his partys standard bearer. Yet Sliwa, who must carry Trumps small but vocal MAGA base in Republican strongholds like Staten Island, has struck a conciliatory note when discussing the president. The Guardian Angels founder knocked Cuomo and Mamdani in a recent debate for vowing to mix it up with Trump, arguing it does no good to battle a determined federal administration. Sliwa in the final debate said its best to negotiate and show respect to the president. In an interview, the Republican nominee said that, despite his a love-hate relationship with Trump, New York Citys next mayor must tread carefully. He has all the cards, Sliwa said. He has New York by the short hairs. You dont have to buckle or bow to Donald Trump. But you have to acknowledge that hes in charge. Theres no problem respecting him. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday lashed out at the INDIA bloc over their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, saying that they want to save their family, which is why they are targeting SIR and the Election Commission. He alleged that this is the same INDIA bloc which is opposing SIR in 12 states and union territories but is demanding SIR in Maharashtra before the local elections. On October 15, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, along with MNS chief Raj Thackeray, visited the Maharashtra Election Commission office in Mumbai for a meeting with the Chief Election Officer (CEO). They met the EC officials to discuss the need to ensure that the upcoming local body elections in the state are completely transparent and fair and uphold democratic values. The BJP leader further said that conducting SIR and elections and ensuring the integrity of the electoral rolls before the elections are all the constitutional duties and rights of the Election Commission. Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, "Getting SIR done, conducting elections, and ensuring the integrity of the electoral rolls before the elections is maintained are all the constitutional duties of the Election Commission as well as its constitutional right, and we welcome this." "But some people in the name of SIR do 'bachao parivar aur samvidhan par vaar.' The INDI alliance, which is opposing SIR in these 12 states, is the same alliance that said SIR should happen in Maharashtra before the local elections. It means Maharashtra mein SIR chamatkar, 12 rajyo mein gunahgaar. What a hypocrisy... They want to save their family, which is why they are targeting SIR and the Election Commission," he added. Another BJP leader, Keya Ghosh welcomed the ECI's decision to conduct SIR in 12 states and union territories, including West Bengal. "BJP welcomes the SIR. We believe that there should be no foreign voters among the valid voters in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee or the West Bengal Government is scared because their base comprises fraud and invalid voters. Mamata Banerjee's core vote bank comprises Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators. So, she is rattled. She knows that after SIR, names of invalid voters will be deleted," Ghosh said. Congress leaders, including Bhupesh Baghel and Pramod Tiwari, have questioned the ECI over the announcement of the second phase of SIR. Baghel said, "The announcement of SIR in Chhattisgarh has been made, but the Election Commission should tell how many Bangladeshis have been identified in Bihar. How many people have been excluded? Because through SIR, these people are talking about driving out foreign citizens. Even till now, the Union Home Ministry has not been able to tell how many people from Pakistan are living in Chhattisgarh." Echoing Baghel's remarks, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari questioned the ECI, asking for the number of "infiltrators" removed from the electoral roll in the first phase in Bihar. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 12 states and union territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar in September, ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. The exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026. (ANI) If you're planning a trip to Shanghai Disneyland or Universal Studios Beijing, expect your passport to be more than just for the flight home. Both parks now require all visitors to present a valid government-issued identification that is tied to the name on the ticket. The change marks a shift in China's theme-park entry policy to reduce ticket fraud and improve operations. In Shanghai, a futuristic Asian city of extravagant skyscrapers, Disneyland has introduced the "Real Name Ticketing Policy." This policy requires each guest's ticket to be linked to their government ID. The park's website states, "Each guest must bring and present the original physical copy of the valid government ID used at the time of ticket or annual pass purchase." Foreign tourists are explicitly required to bring their valid foreign passport or PRC Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card. The rules are similar at Universal Studios Beijing, where visitors must present a passport or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card if they are not residents of China. Read more: 14 Disney World Rides That Aren't Actually Worth Waiting In A Long Line For, According To Visitors You need a valid government ID to enter Shanghai Disneyland or Universal Studios Beijing Women taking photos in front of Universal Studios Beijing globe - Sinseeho/Getty Images When purchasing from the parks' official store or authorized sellers, like Klook, ensure that the number on your ticket exactly matches the one on your government-issued ID. Both parks tie the entry ticket to the ID that is used at the time of purchase. If the numbers don't match, your entry to the park might be denied. While planning this trip, you should also make sure that your visa to travel to China is in order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the day of your visit to the theme park, you must show your original physical government ID that you used to purchase your ticket. Park staff will not accept photocopies, pictures, or screenshots of valid IDs you need the real thing. At Shanghai Disneyland, once your passport is scanned and verified, you'll receive a QR code that can be linked to the park's mobile app. This QR code gives you access to features like Disney Premier Access. At Universal Studios Beijing, you'll need to scan your passport and then undergo facial recognition technology at the turnstiles just like the facial recognition system that's taking over TSA lines at American airports. The system will confirm your identity for same-day re-entry and for multi-day tickets. Parents or guardians will have to provide consent for their children to use facial recognition technology. To speed up the process, you can upload your photo in advance. If it makes you uncomfortable to have your face scanned, there is a way to opt out when you're at the park. Children under 3 years of age can enter both parks for free, but their guardian will need to provide a physical government ID for them to verify their age. Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for access to the world's best-kept travel secrets. Read the original article on Islands. This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. John Kulman, then a senior research executive at CRISPR Therapeutics, was on vacation in Kennebunkport, Maine, three years ago when he snuck away to his laptop. The vacation from his vacation, he said, was prompted by intriguing scientific research sent by Kulmans former boss a few weeks earlier. The paper detailed ways in which the thymus, a small gland in the upper chest, had the ability to direct certain immune cells to stop the body from mistakenly attacking itself. It even included a treasure trove of drug targets to worth with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kulman was struck by its prospects. Engineering a therapy that could get to the thymus and coerce it to act, he thought, might hold the key to treating a wide range of autoimmune conditions. He finished reading the paper and, from his hammock, told his former boss, Jo Viney, and Polaris Partners partner Alan Crane to pursue it. They came back and said, Well, why don't we do this? recalled Kulman. The project they pursued is now known as Zag Bio, which emerged from stealth on Tuesday with $80 million in funding from nearly 10 investment firms and plans to treat autoimmune conditions with drugs that target the thymus. Jason Cole, Zags CEO, describes the concept as analogous to research on regulatory T cells, or Tregs, that recently won a Nobel prize. Treg cells are a specialized type of immune cell that guards the body from attacking itself and that have been the focus of a number of emerging cell therapy startup companies. Rather than manipulate Tregs with a cell therapy, Zag is developing bifunctional antibody drugs that shepherd antigens molecules that can trigger an immune response to the thymus. Once there, those antibodies engage with the bodys natural machinery for inducing tolerance to the delivered antigen, so Tregs dont see them as a threat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Kulman, Zag's method hasn't been possible up until now. Nobody has figured out how to get a systemically delivered agent to [the thymus] and do what needs to be done, he said. Zags first attempt to prove the approach holds merit is a Type 1 diabetes treatment called ZAG-101. In Type 1 diabetes, the body mistakenly attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. ZAG-101 is meant to undo this process by bringing pancreatic beta cell antigens to the thymus, which can then teach the immune system to recognize them as friendly. The goal is glycemic control, said Cole, formerly an executive at SalioGen Therapeutics and Bluebird bio. Zags funding will help take ZAG-101 into early-stage human testing by the end of 2026. The company is also working on multiple potential programs for other autoimmune conditions, though it has not publicly disclosed which. Polaris Partners incubated the company in 2022. This year, the investment firm co-led its Series A round in conjunction with the T1D foundation. The venture arms of Sanofi, AbbVie and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are also among its backers. ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AP) The women wade with baskets near the beaches, their colorful dresses a magnet for tourist cameras. Sunscreen worn by the holidaymakers may even contain the product the women are collecting: Zanzibars seaweed. An eco-friendly local industry that employs thousands of women, the seaweed farming looks like a picture postcard even if the reality of the work is grimmer than what meets the eye. I experience pain in my back, waist and chest due to the labor in the sea. There are also risks of being stung or bitten, said one farmer, Mwanaisha Makame Simai. Sometimes strong waves sweep you away. I have personally witnessed three cases of people drowning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Growing global demand Seaweed has been farmed off Zanzibar, part of Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast, for decades but there is a new boom underway as global demand increases. Seaweed is primarily exported to the global food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, which extract their thickening and stabilizing agents. In Zanzibar, private investment and donor dollars have been increasing. Seaweed is the third largest contributor to the local economy after tourism and spices. Ten years ago, people thought you were crazy for working in seaweed, said Klara Schade, director at Mwani Zanzibar, which describes itself as a boutique seaweed farm and factory in the village of Paje. Now its become a buzzword. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mwani even runs seaweed tours in Paje to introduce the work. For the government of the semi-autonomous archipelago, seaweed is at the heart of its blue economy initiative to drive growth from sustainable marine and coastal resources. Cargill, one of the worlds largest commodity trading firms, invested an unspecified amount in Zanzibari seaweed in 2020 in a partnership with The Nature Conservancy, with a view to improving yields and farmers' incomes. Other nongovernmental organizations have stepped up funding, including the Global Seaweed Coalition, which oversees the safety and sustainability of the sector as it scales up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of Zanzibars 25,000 seaweed farmers are women, notable in a society where fewer than half of women are employed, according to a government census taken in 2021. Sun exposure, stings and drowning The Associated Press spoke with five of the women, who described sometimes harsh working conditions in the manual labor. The vast majority of seaweed farmers work independently or in collectives, selling to local middlemen. There are few if any protections. Long days are spent wading under the equatorial sun. Back aches and skin irritation can result, with stings from sea urchins or other creatures being another worry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are health and safety challenges in this work, said Simai, an independent farmer who said she makes around $50 per month to help support her small family of two. The work may be more challenging for those with larger families, she said. Its not an easy job, its tiresome, said Pili Khalid Pandu, 43, who works for Mwani, doing rotations between its factory and collecting in the sea. A new risk has come in recent years from rising sea temperatures. Climate change is forcing women to go into deeper water for optimal collection, said Mhando Waziri, project manager for blue economy initiatives at the nonprofit Milele Zanzibar Foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Milele's programs include teaching women seaweed farmers to swim, in order to combat what Waziri called a growing drowning crisis. Local women seek more benefit The hope for the sector, as with many natural resource industries in Africa, is making more of the supply chain local. This is the goal at Mwani Zanzibar, where Schade has focused on training seaweed farmers in cosmetics manufacturing. Workers at Mwani spend more of their time in its Paje workshop and less in the sea. Schade said Mwanis high-end cosmetics a bottle of its face and body skin superfood sells online for $140 mean its workers make far more than the average seaweed farmer. She would not give details. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Empowerment is giving them the means and the options to continue further," Schade said. Fauzia Abdalla Khamis, 45, said she has progressed from farm worker to supervisor in the factory during more than a decade. Milele also has programs to help women develop products out of seaweed, mostly cosmetics. Waziri estimated they can fetch 10 times as much money locally as the raw, unprocessed product. A lot of partners want to engage more in seaweed, Waziri said. But people raise the challenge: 'If a program comes here, how will it benefit farmers? Simai expressed concern that seaweed farmers like her are too far down the value chain to benefit from the new investments in the local industry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most of the money ends up with those who have office jobs, rather than the hardworking farmers," she said. ___ For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse ___ The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he expects the European Union to provide financial support to Ukraine for several more years - either for the war or for reconstruction. Speaking to reporters in Kiev, as reported by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Zelensky said he told European leaders that "we will not fight for decades, but you should show that over a certain period you can support Ukraine in a stable financial way." Zelensky said European heads of state and government can expect to support Ukraine for another two to three years, citing comments Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently gave to the British newspaper The Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If the war ends in a month, then we will use the money for reconstruction," he said. If the war does not end so quickly, the funds would be used for weapons purchases. The Ukrainian leader continues to count on transfers based on frozen Russian central bank funds. There is a discussion in the European Union about granting Ukraine a reparations loan guaranteed by frozen Russian funds amounting to 140 billion ($163 billion). Belgium, where most of the Russian assets are held, has so far opposed this, arguing that confidence in the financial centre could be significantly damaged. Belgium also fears potential repercussions from Moscow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At an EU meeting on Thursday, the European Commission, based on a Belgian request, said it will also develop other possible options to provide Ukraine with large-scale financial support for the years 2026 to 2027. Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three and a half years with massive Western help. According to Kiev, since then more than 130 billion in foreign funds has been spent solely to support the Ukrainian budget. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that Ukrainian and EU advisers will meet on 31 October or 1 November to discuss the outlines of a plan to end the Russo-Ukrainian war. Source: Zelenskyy during a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on Tuesday 28 October, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine Quote: "I think our advisers will meet in the coming days. We have set a tentative date of Friday or Saturday. They will discuss the outlines of this plan." Background: Earlier, Zelenskyy told Axios that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin is unlikely to accept a peace proposal currently being developed by the Coalition of the Willing. During a meeting in London on 24 October, members of the Coalition of the Willing agreed on a plan for Ukraine that includes strengthening air defence and unlocking frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the Coalition of the Willing has agreed on decisions that will increase pressure on Russia. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! The coalition supporting Ukraine's energy sector is set to meet this week online. The decision to establish this coalition has been made recently. Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on Tuesday 28 October, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine Quote: "After many large-scale attacks on Ukraine: on our energy sector, on logistics, water supply, gas supply not only electricity has been under attack Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recently, a decision has been made to establish such a coalition in support of Ukraine's energy sector." Background: Zelenskyy has also announced that Ukrainian and EU advisers will meet on 31 October or 1 November to discuss the outlines of a plan to end the Russo-Ukrainian war. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that European countries are close to a decision on transferring frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. Source: Zelenskyy speaking with journalists, as reported by Ukrinform Details: Zelenskyy noted that if a decision on the Russian assets is eventually made, "no one will be able to stop it afterwards". Quote: "Regardless of any changes or the policies of future G7 leaders, whoever takes office will not be able to prevent the decision on the timing of Ukraine receiving this money in tranches and on its allocation, whether for weapons or other purposes. That is our political victory. God willing, they [Europe] will push through the political and practical implementation of this. They are very close." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Zelenskyy also stressed the importance of continuous financial support for Ukraine from Western partners as part of the pressure on Russia. Quote: "For Putin, the scariest thing [in the decision] on the Russian assets is that Europe has sent a signal: there is no point in Putin continuing to try to wear down Ukraine. Because there will be no financial exhaustion. And this needs to be understood." Background: As European Pravda previously reported, on 23 October, the European Council adopted conclusions on Ukraine which no longer include a direct reference to the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. It was primarily Belgium that had pushed for changes to the wording of the conclusions regarding the use of frozen Russian assets. However, the EU has stated that the issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine remains on the agenda, and a final decision will be made in December 2025. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russian forces have concentrated significant troops near the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast to demonstrate to the US that they are capable of capturing the entire eastern part of Ukraine. Source: Zelenskyy speaking with journalists, as reported by Ukrinform Quote: "We understand why they [Russia] want Pokrovsk. They only need it to say: look, the idea that Ukraine will withdraw from the east and give up everything else they want that it is the only possible outcome, otherwise they would supposedly capture even more. So the fact that we are holding Pokrovsk and they are constantly shifting their campaign plans proves to the world that they are lying and that it is necessary and worthwhile to continue helping Ukraine." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Zelenskyy said Russia had deployed such a large number of forces on the Pokrovsk front that it would be difficult for Ukraine to resist even at a ratio of one to eight. "They are already showing them maps with Pokrovsk captured, telling them how they are positioned in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, how they have taken 90% of Ukraine's east. These are simply lies," he emphasised. The president noted that there are around 200 Russian troops in the city: "We can see this from drones. As soon as they show themselves or open fire, they are detected and destroyed." Read also: How Pokrovsk is imperceptibly falling: five observations by Ukrainska Pravda Background: On 26 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had concentrated its main assault force against Pokrovsk, consisting of a significant number of troops. On 24 October, Ukrainska Pravda reported that there were at least 250 Russian troops in Pokrovsk, engaging in firefights and killing Ukrainian soldiers at their positions, particularly drone operators. Logistics into the city are fully controlled by drones, and Ukrainian troops have to walk 10-15 kilometres to reach their positions. Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are at risk of encirclement. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that "in some cases" Russian Shahed drones have become more dangerous than ballistic missiles. Source: Ukrinform citing Zelenskyy during a meeting with journalists Quote: "Shaheds have in some cases become more dangerous now than ballistic missiles. We shoot down ballistic missiles, at least in areas where we have Patriot systems deployed. But to shoot down such a large number of Shaheds at that altitude, we have to use everything interceptors, F-16s, helicopters we use everything. And a lot depends on the weather. We'll see how we can use helicopters in freezing temperatures. In rain and so on, aircraft don't see everything as clearly." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Speaking about interceptor drones, Zelenskyy noted that by November, production is expected to reach 500-800 units per day. The president also emphasised that Ukraine will respond to Russian attacks, in particular by increasing the combat use of Flamingo missiles and Ruta rocket-equipped drones. Zelenskyy added that in 90-95% of cases, Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian territory are carried out using domestically produced weapons. Background: On the night of 27-28 October, Russia launched an attack using 38 drones, 26 of which were neutralised by air defence systems. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and Mahagathbandhan's Chief Minister nominee Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday demanded that the National Democratic Alliance reveal their CM face for the Bihar elections, while highlighting the release of their manifesto named 'Tejashwi Pran Patra' today. Tejashwi said that he would like to know the NDA's agenda and vision, and accused them of speaking negatively and making allegations against Mahagathbandhan leaders. "We have announced the CM's face as well. Today, we are going to release the 'Tejashwi Pran Patra' on how we are going to work for the next 5 years. We want NDA to announce the name of their CM. What schemes do they have? What is their vision, and how are they going to take Bihar forward? We have given a roadmap, a vision, and we are clear that we will make Bihar number one. They only speak negative things and make allegations about our leaders," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters. Earlier, on October 19, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan had reiterated his support for Nitish Kumar as the leader of the NDA alliance in the Bihar assembly polls and said that after the results, elected MLAs will once again choose the JD(U) leader as the Chief Minister. Yadav also hit out at the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, citing the difficulties faced by the passengers during the Chhath Puja. He mentioned that the people of Bihar have made up their mind for a change in the government in the assembly elections. "Look, today we are campaigning -- we have to go all across Bihar. The people of Bihar are in the mood for change; we have said this before. Those people of Bihar who had migrated outside and returned home during Chhath -- seeing the condition in which they came back was painful. The Railway Minister had announced that 12,000 special trains would be run, but just look at the state of our brothers and sisters being packed tightly into the trains -- what happened to those "special" trains?," he told reporters. Earlier, on October 23, the Mahagathbandhan announced the release of a joint manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections. The development was followed by the announcement of Tejashwi Yadav as the face of the opposition alliance for the polls. Mukesh Sahani, who heads the Vikasheel Insaan Pary, has been named as the Deputy CM nominee from the Mahagathbandhan. The 2025 Bihar elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan.NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. The assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine will not be at war for decades, but the European Union must continue to provide stable financial support for a certain period, and European leaders are planning to do so for the next two to three years. Source: Interfax-Ukraine, as reported by European Pravda Details: The president said he told European leaders that "Ukraine is still ready to fight for a few more years." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I told them we are not going to be at war for decades, but you have to show that you will be able to provide stable financial support for Ukraine over a certain period. That's why they have this plan in mind two to three years. Let's emphasise that for two to three years, they will consistently help Ukraine financially," Zelenskyy said during a conversation with journalists. The president said the war might end sooner, but funds will still be needed for recovery. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers need to know their salaries are secured. "Whether Putin returns with aggression after this war ends or not we don't know yet. That's why it's important to understand what stable support from our partners will look like," he added. Zelenskyy noted that this support could be financed using frozen Russian assets, which Ukraine would spend either on weapons or on recovery. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If the war ends in a month, we will spend that money on rebuilding. If it ends not in a month but later, then we will spend it on weapons. We simply have no other option," Zelenskyy stressed. The president believes European partners are close to making a decision on the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. Background: In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that in their latest conversation, Zelenskyy had expressed Ukraine's readiness to continue fighting Russia's invasion for another two to three years. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Zohran Mamdani stopped by The Daily Show to speak with Jon Stewart about running for New York City mayor and the state of the Democratic party. With only eight days left for the election, Stewart asked Mamdani what he needed to do to close the deal. It is in many ways the same thing that got us here, which is canvassing, Mamdani replied. For all of the rallies, on commercials, on debates, it really comes back to people speaking to other New Yorkers about the city that we all love. We have 90,000 volunteers right now on the campaign. More from Rolling Stone Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What do New Yorkers love more than anything? Stewart replied. Its strangers coming to the door or calling them. Were often characterized as being rude, Mamdani noted. I will tell you that New Yorkers have been so kind in the experiences theyve had with our volunteers. Because what theyre speaking to is another New Yorker. And its an understanding politics is not something you have. Its something that you do. And in this moment, where politics has become just another word for division, for not just Republicans but also Democrats, these New Yorkers are ones who understood that you never hate someone more than before you know them. He added, And knocking on that door, having that conversation doesnt just win the election for us. It also starts to build the city that we want to live in. Mamdani reflected on his priorities if he gets in office, which include affordable housing, safety, and ensuring people have jobs that pay them enough to stay in the city. Its not all going to be about a fight for funding or a fight for transforming city government in the ways that are only big, he said. Its also the ways that are small. The efficiency of the bureaucracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Midway through the interview, Stewart acknowledged that it surprised him that the Democratic establishment has not embraced the energy Mamdani has created amongst voters. Is that something that has bothered you? Stewart asked. Its interesting in many ways because our politics and the media that covers it is often focused on the question of endorsements, Mamdani replied. And its part of what gave [Andrew] Cuomo the sense of inevitability in the primary. He just seemed to pick up all of these different endorsements. And I think what we showed, in many ways, was that the days of endorsements deciding elections, those days have come to an end. Its the people who build up a campaign. He added that he appreciates House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries giving him a reluctant endorsement at the last minute, but he also appreciates that when the two have spoken its been about: how do we deliver for our shared constituents? Weve been telling them again and again that all we have to offer is not Trump, Mamdani said. But this is also the city that created Trump. We have to reckon with that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani also explained that after many claims that Democrats had trouble motivating votes, hes found it to be the opposite. After the presidential election, there were all these obituaries written about the Democratic Partys ability to motivate young votes, Mamdani said. And theres just this condescension in the language that we use about young people. And I can just tell you that what we found in this campaign is that young people have been at the heart of believing that something could be more than this. I would say throughout the primary, this quote from Ed Koch, If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. 12 out of 12, see a psychiatrist. And Im in Washington Square Park, Im filming a video with David Hogg, and this young guy comes up to me and goes, 12 out of 12, baby, send me away!' Best of Rolling Stone Sign up for RollingStone's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Los Angeles Dodgers are benefitting the most from the latest Kyle Tucker reports. The longer Tucker stays on the market, the better their chances are at signing him short term. Hurricane Melissa is currently a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph as it's "starting to accelerate northeastward over the Bahamas," the National Hurricane Center said. Melissa will continue to bring damaging winds, flooding rains and a dangerous storm surge to the Bahamas through tonight, according to forecasters. "Some restrengthening is possible tonight into tomorrow with weakening beginning thereafter," the NHC said. The storm officially made landfall as a Category 5 in southwestern Jamaica in New Hope on Tuesday. The storm was "one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic Basin," according to the NHC. It made a second landfall in Cuba early Wednesday. Where is Hurricane Melissa now, and what is its path? As of 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melissa was located about 80 miles southeast of the central Bahamas. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. It's moving northeast at 16 mph. "On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to move across the southeastern or central Bahamas this evening, and is forecast to pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday night," the NHC said. Watches and warnings in effect According to the NHC, these are the watches and warnings in place: A hurricane warning is in effect for: Southeastern and central Bahamas Bermuda A hurricane warning means that "hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area," according to the hurricane center. Residents in the Bahamas should remain sheltered. In Bermuda, preparations should be underway to protect life and property before the arrival of tropical storm-force winds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A tropical storm warning is in effect for: Turks and Caicos Islands A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning, according to the NHC. What are the storms expected effects and timing? Wind: "Hurricane conditions are occurring within the warning area in the southeastern and central Bahamas and should continue through tonight," the NHC said. The forecast continued, "Tropical storm conditions are ongoing in the Turks and Caicos Islands and should continue through tonight. Hurricane conditions are now expected on Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday night with Tropical storm conditions expected earlier on Thursday." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rain: In the southeast Bahamas, rainfall totals could be between 5 and 10 inches through Thursday morning, which could result in areas of flash flooding. For Turks and Caicos, about 1 to 3 inches of rain are forecast, while heavy rain could start to affect Bermuda starting Thursday or Thursday night. Storm surge: "Storm surge of 4 to 7 feet above normally dry ground is possible in the southeastern Bahamas today, and minor coastal flooding is possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands today," meteorologists said. How is the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season shaping up? So far, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1 and runs through the end of November, has been relatively mild. There have been 13 named storms, including five hurricanes, four of which developed into major hurricanes. All of those hurricanes have followed similar tracks that have taken them away from the U.S. mainland. At this point in the 2024 season, the U.S. had already been hit by two severe storms, Helene and Milton, which devastated swaths of the Southeast. After making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday and a second landfall in Cuba early Wednesday, Hurricane Melissa is now moving north through the Bahamas. As of 5 p.m. ET, Melissa had been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. It was located around 80 miles southeast of the central Bahamas, moving northeast at 16 mph. As the storm moves north, the National Hurricane Center continues to warn of dangerous winds and extreme rainfall for the Bahamas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to move across the southeastern or central Bahamas this evening, and is forecast to pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday night," the NHC said in its latest advisory. In eastern Cuba, heavy rainfall brought "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides," according to meteorologists. The NHC is warning that storm surge of 4 to 7 feet "above normally dry ground is possible in the southeastern Bahamas today, and minor coastal flooding is possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands today." Melissa has been blamed for dozens of deaths across Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In Jamaica, at least eight people have been reported dead, including an infant, according to the Associated Press. The Jamaican government said it could not yet confirm a death toll. At least one person has been reported dead in the Dominican Republic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Haiti, the mayor of Petit-Goave said at least 20 people died after the banks of the La Digue river burst and flooded nearby homes. The total number of confirmed dead in Haiti was 25 as of Wednesday evening, according to the Associated Press. The storm is forecast to maintain its strength as it heads northeast into the Atlantic overnight. It is expected to still be a hurricane when it passes Bermuda late on Thursday. Our live coverage has ended for the day. Support Local News Reporting Journalists at the Yakima Herald-Republic bring you timely, in-depth and credible local news. Your generous donation supports their work. Reach Donald W. Meyers at dmeyers@yakimaherald.com or 509-577-7748. He can also be reached securely at donaldwmeyers.93 on Signal or at donaldwmeyers@protonmail.com. Juan Carlos-Perez Jr. appears in Yakima County Superior Court Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. He is charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and eluding police in connection with incidents in Yakima and the Lower Valley. Accusing the Trinamool Congress of opposing policies in the national interest, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday expressed confidence in the Election Commission of India (ECI), stating that the body is doing its work without any partiality. Ghosh noted that none of the political parties registered any official complaints with the ECI against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and emphasised that no genuine voter's name can be removed from the electoral rolls. "These people (TMC) voluntarily oppose anything that is in the national interest. But the Election Commission is conducting its work impartially. ECI said there was no complaint, no appeal against this. All parties helped, and everything happened, and it will happen here too. No one can delete the name of a genuine voter, and anyone who tries to include a duplicate voter will be arrested," Ghosh told reporters. He further stressed that no foreign citizen can acquire voting rights in India through the SIR exercise and urged the West Bengal government to cooperate fully in implementing the process. "No Bangladeshi or anyone else can become a voter... We need the state government's cooperation, and they should fulfil this responsibility, as they have sworn to uphold the Constitution," he added. The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar in September ahead of the State Assembly elections. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said that the poll body will conduct the second phase of the SIR in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls scheduled for February 7, 2026. (ANI) Looking for a break? Test your knowledge of this week's news from the Yakima Valley. A variety of edible marijuana products are available at Sweet Relief Cannabis Co. in Yakima, Wash., on Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, on Tuesday participated in the ceremonial welcoming of the Holy Jore Sahib of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and Mata Sahib Kaur Ji at Gurudwara Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib in Lucknow. During the ceremony, Chief Minister Adityanath was felicitated at the Gurudwara for his presence and participation. Addressing the event, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude to Union Minister Hardeep Puri for the opportunity to participate in the Guru Charan Yatra and attend the anniversary celebrations of Guru Gobind Singh. He further said that it is a privilege to see the holy feet of Guru Gobind Singh and his wife Mata Sahib Kaur. "It is written in Gurbani that wherever the holy feet of Guru Maharaja fall, that place becomes as sacred as the Rama Rajya. It is our good fortune that during the Guru Charan Yatra, we are privileged to have the opportunity to see the holy feet of Guru Maharaja and the holy feet of Guru Sahiba. On this occasion, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as we are attending the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur," Chief Minister Adityanath said. Highlighting the contributions of the Sikh Gurus to India's spiritual and historical legacy, the Chief Minister said it was an honour to be associated with the Guru Charan Yatra. "We are also privileged to be associated with this sacred event through the Guru Charan Yatra. The contribution of the Sikh Gurus to India's eternal tradition is unforgettable and commendable," he added. The Holy Jore Sahib, a pair of footwear belonging to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, and his wife Mata Sahib Kaur, is considered a rare and sacred relic. These precious artifacts have been preserved by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri's family for over 300 years, symbolising the enduring legacy of the Sikh Gurus. The "Charan Suhawa - Guru Charan Yatra," which commenced from Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib on October 23, is scheduled to conclude at Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Bihar, the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, on November 1. (ANI) Chhath Puja, a festival symbolising deep faith, devotion, and gratitude to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, was celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour across Uttarakhand. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, along with his family, offered Arghya first to the setting sun and later to the rising sun at the Tons River ghat in Premnagar. On this occasion, he prayed to Lord Sun and Chhathi Maiya for the prosperity and well-being of the state. Earlier this morning, devotees across the country offered 'Usha Arghya' to the rising Sun, marking the culmination of Chhath Puja. Thousands gathered along riverbanks, ponds, and ghats to perform rituals and seek blessings for prosperity and well-being. In Bihar, people had flocked in large numbers to the ghats and riverbanks for the 'Usha Arghya'. The devotees carefully placed offerings, including flowers and fruits, in various locations at the ghat. Security personnel were deployed at major ghats to ensure the smooth conduct of the celebrations. In Delhi, the Yamuna Ghat witnessed heavy footfall as devotees offered arghya to the rising Sun. ITO's Hathi Ghat was illuminated, with devotees performing the concluding rituals of Chhath amid hymns and chants. Devotees had gathered in large numbers on the ghats of Varanasi to perform the rituals of Chhath Puja on the last day. Devotees also thronged Shastri Ghat to offer prayers on the final day. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar participated in Chhath Puja rituals and offered 'Usha Arghya' to the rising sun on the last day of the festival at his residence in Patna. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attended Chhath Puja event in Guwahati on the last day of the festival. He met the attendees and devotees present in the event. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta participated in the concluding rituals of Chhath Puja at the Hathi Ghat near ITO in the national capital, offering the 'Usha Arghya' to the rising Sun and performing prayers. Expressing her gratitude and joy, CM Rekha said she felt fortunate to be part of the sacred festival. "I am fortunate that I was able to participate in the worship of Chhati Maiya and we all together enjoyed this great festival of Chhath," CM Rekha Gupta told ANI. The four-day Chhath Mahaparv began on October 25 with the ritual of Nahay-Khay, followed by Kharna on October 26, Sandhya Arghya (evening offerings) on October 27, and concluded on October 28 with Usha Arghya (morning offerings). (ANI) Located on the Buda side of the Danube within the Kimpton BEM Budapest, AGOS Restaurant celebrated its first anniversary with an exclusive media lunch, showcasing a curated selection of its signature dishes from the past year. The event was hosted by Executive Chef Attila Feher and Pastry Chef Frank Nogradi, who guided guests through a journey of Mediterranean flavours interpreted with Hungarian creativity refined, imaginative, and deeply personal, true to the Kimpton spirit. Within just one year, AGOS Restaurant has become one of Budapests most talked-about culinary destinations. The Gault & Millau restaurant guide has recognised AGOS with two toques, placing it among the citys finest restaurants. This achievement, earned within the first year of operation, reflects the teams dedication and the restaurants ability to transform fine dining into an experience that is approachable yet sophisticated, playful yet precise. AGOS is housed inside Kimpton BEM Budapest, a design-forward boutique hotel on the historic Buda side of the city, along the banks of the Danube. The hotel was envisioned by Marcel Wanders, the world-renowned Dutch designer celebrated for blending modern elegance with cultural storytelling. His creative vision continues throughout the restaurants interior a space where design and gastronomy exist in perfect harmony. Under the leadership of Executive Chef Attila Feher, AGOS offers a modern Mediterranean menu built on local ingredients and global techniques, while Pastry Chef Frank Nogradis desserts balance sophistication with playfulness. Among guest favourites are the signature Angus Beef Tatar, the Venison Wellington, and the re-imagined Black Forest dessert, each dish a reflection of the restaurants philosophy: flavour with soul, artistry with warmth. After one inspiring year, AGOS Restaurant stands not just as a place to dine but as a meeting point where Budapests rhythm, design, and culinary passion come together on the plate. Click here to virtually visit AGOS Restaurant 1027 Budapest, Bem Jozsef ter 3 A shameful incident has come to light from Delhi. An assault case with a fifth grade student has come to light from Delhi's Ghazipur. Peon of MCD school has been accused of the same. Presently the accused peon is in police custody. The search for the remaining three accused is on. India relies heavily on imported crude oil. Russia remains its largest supplier. But October saw a noticeable rise in oil shipments coming from the United States, at a time when Washington continues to urge India to reduce Russian purchases. In a setback to the Congress government, the Karnataka High Court Dharwad Bench issued an interim stay on the order that made prior approval mandatory for events in public venues. The order was challenged as unconstitutional amid the RSS ban row. A light tourist aircraft (5Y-CCA) en route from Diani to Kichwa Tembo crashed in Kwale County, Kenya, on Tuesday. 12 people are feared dead. Authorities, including KCAA, are investigating the cause. Latest Malayalam, Tamil & Telugu OTT Releases: This weeks OTT lineup offers something for every kind of viewer, from light-hearted comedies to intense thrillers and heartfelt romances. Audiences can look forward to fresh stories that explore modern relationships, hilarious misadventures, and gripping crime narratives, all delivered by talented casts across multiple streaming platforms. The Mustang bound passenger aircraft and had to make an emergency landing at Pokhara Airport in Nepal 7 minutes after taking off, an investigation has been initiated in the matter. Janshakti Janata Dal (JJD) chief Tej Pratap Yadav on Tuesday hit out at Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for referring to Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, respectively, as "Jan Nayaks". He said that both leaders were being mentored by his father and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, and not him. Speaking to reporters, Tej Pratap argued that personalities like Karpoori Thakur and Dr Ambedkar were "Jan Nayaks," and that those who label themselves the same shouldn't do so. "Karpoori ji, Lohia ji, Ambedkar, and Mahatma Gandhi are 'jannayaks'. What does the public want? Those who call themselves 'jannayaks' should not do so. Lalu ji indeed was one, but he provides guidance to Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi ji. I do not have that guidance. I have the guidance of Bihar's poor and youth. I am going ahead with that. I will show results by working on my own," Tej Pratap said. Tej Pratap, who was expelled from both the RJD and the family, is contesting the upcoming Bihar assembly elections from the Mahua assembly constituency. He is competing directly with RJD candidate and sitting MLA Mukesh Roshan. Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav today demanded that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) reveal their Chief Ministerial candidate for the Bihar assembly elections, while highlighting the release of their manifesto named 'Tejashwi Pran Patra'. "We have announced the CM's face as well. Today, we are going to release the 'Tejashwi Pran Patra' on how we are going to work for the next 5 years. We want NDA to announce the name of their CM. What schemes do they have? What is their vision, and how are they going to take Bihar forward? We have given a roadmap, a vision, and we are clear that we will make Bihar number one. They only speak negative things and make allegations about our leaders," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters. Tejashwi has been named as the Mahagathbandhan Chief Ministerial face, while Mukesh Sahani, who heads the Vikasheel Insaan Pary (VIP), has been named as the Deputy CM candidate. The 2025 Bihar Elections will see a contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. The NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Mahagathbandhan, led by RJD, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's VIP. Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. The assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled to be held on November 6 and 11, respectively, while the results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) The Dharwad bench of the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday put an interim stay on the State government's order declaring gatherings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in government premises with more than 10 people illegal without permission. A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna heard a petition filed by the Punashthen Seva Sanstha of Hubballi. Senior advocate Ashok Haranahalli, appearing for the petitioner, said that the government has ordered that permission should be obtained for gatherings of more than ten people. He termed it a restriction on the fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. "The government has ordered that permission should be obtained for gatherings of more than 10 people. This is a restriction on the fundamental right provided for in the Constitution. Even if a party is held in a park, it is an illegal gathering as per the government order," Harnanahalli said during the hearing. "The government cannot issue such an administrative order. Why is this rule needed when the Police Act is in force?", Harnanahalli further argued. "Did the government want to achieve something else?," the High Court Bench asked the government. The Karnataka government sought one day to present its argument on the matter. "One day should be given to argue," the government lawyers argued. Following arguments from both sides, the High Court issued a notice to the Karnataka Government, the Home Department, the DGP, and the Hubbali Police Commissioner. In its order, the High Court said that the Karnataka government took away the rights granted under Articles 19(1) (a) and 19 (1) (b) of the Constitution. "Notice to the State Government, Home Department, Director General of Police, Hubballi Police Commissioner. The State Government's order dated October 18, 2025, has been challenged. The government order states that it is an offence if 10 people gather without permission," the order from Karnataka High Court said. "Entry to roads, parks, grounds, lakes, etc. has been restricted. The government has exercised the power under the Police Act through the order," the order added. "The government has taken away the right granted under Article 19 (1)A, B of the Constitution. The right granted by the Constitution cannot be taken away by a government order. Therefore, the court ordered that the government order has been stayed. Hearing adjourned," the order said. (ANI) Assam Police has apprehended a man from Cachar district who was posing as a doctor to hoodwink people by running an illegal clinic, officials on Tuesday. The apprehended accused was allegedly running an illegal clinic in the Sonai area of the State's Cachar district. Partha Protim Das, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Cachar district, said that the district police has intensified its action against fake doctors, and, acting on a reliable input, police on Monday apprehended a person from Nagdirgram Part-4 village. "He was running an illegal clinic, under Sonai police station area. Necessary documents have been seized lawfully and lawful action has been initiated," the police official said. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing, he said. Previously, another person was arrested for posing as a doctor in connection with the investigation of a case at Silchar police station. Further investigation revealed that sufficient incriminating material was found against the person who was found to be running an unrecognised institution which issued fake medical degrees and certificates. A senior official said the man was accused of running a nexus of fake colleges, fake degrees and giving certificates to persons who were practising among the public as doctors. "These certificates have no legal recognition under any Act. The prime accused of the instant case (a quack doctor) was awarded certificates by the said institute apart from other quack doctors as well, enabling them to practice illegally. The institution lacked approval from the National Medical Council (NMC) and other competent authorities." The man was accused of misusing his medical profession to operate this illicit syndicate, the official said. "This syndicate reportedly involves numerous unqualified individuals who are masquerading as doctors or health workers, thereby compromising public safety and trust. The accused is suspected of orchestrating this scheme primarily for personal financial gain. Das started playing with public health for his gains. He is the mastermind of this organised crime. His activities have seriously undermined public confidence in the medical system and posed grave risks to community health," the senior police official said. The man was subsequently arrested and taken into police remand for further investigation. (ANI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday extended support to independent candidate Naresh Meena in the run-up to the Anta bypoll in Rajasthan. Taking to X, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced support to Meena, saying, "Naresh, the Aam Aadmi Party is fully with you." Meena, who is a Congress rebel leader, has served as the general secretary of Rajasthan University. He is contesting the bypoll for the Anta assembly constituency independently. Kejriwal's support came after Meena posted on X saying, "I am an independent candidate in the by-election for the Anta Assembly constituency in Rajasthan for a new and correct political system and change, I am contesting the election against Congress and BJP as a new option for the people, and I appeal to the entire Aam Aadmi Party, including the national president, the honorable Arvind Kejriwal ji, to support and cooperate with me to empower me." The date of voting for the bypoll to the Anta assembly constituency will be on November 11, and the results will be announced on November 14. On October 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced the schedule for bypolls in eight assembly constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Telangana, Punjab, Mizoram, and Odisha. The bypoll to the Anta assembly constituency in Baran district of Rajasthan comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kanwar Lal Meena was disqualified after being convicted in a 2005 case. He was accused of threatening a government official and was convicted in May this year. The Congress has fielded Pramod Jai Bhaya for the Anta bypoll, while the BJP has announced the name of Morpal Suman. Naresh Meena also made headlines last year in November after he was arrested for slapping Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Amit Chaudhary in the then poll-bound Deoli Uniara assembly constituency. Meena was contesting from the same constituency independently after being denied a ticket by Congress. This led to clashes between unidentified individuals and the police in Rajasthan's Tonk district, where nearly eight four-wheelers, including police vehicles, and over two dozen two-wheelers were vandalised and set ablaze. A local court had sent Naresh Meena to 14 days of judicial custody even as his lawyer criticised the police for not physically producing him before the court. (ANI) Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to conduct the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, calling it a "good step" towards ensuring accuracy in the voter list. He said a "correct" voter list cannot be prepared without such an exercise. "...The list of my area has 5 lakh 40 thousand votes. If someone goes somewhere else, they are added to that area as well, but there is no deletion. They go somewhere else, but their name is not deleted from that area... Without conducting a survey, the correct things will not come out... The Election Commission has taken a good step," Bhawankule told reporters. The opposition, however, has criticised the move, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan calling it "a direct challenge to the democratic process." BJP MP Dinesh Sharma supported the announcement, calling it a major step towards transparent and fair elections. "There are people who died 10 years ago, but other people in their place are casting a vote. There are infiltrators who are casting votes in India... It is a threat to those who capture the vote," Sharma told ANI on Tuesday. The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar in September. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said that the poll body will conduct the second phase of the SIR in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an enumeration phase from November 4 to December 4. The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objections period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The notice phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, with publication of final electoral rolls scheduled for February 7, 2026. (ANI) The Election Commission has issued a notice to Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor over alleged double enrolment as a voter in Bihar and West Bengal, seeking his clarification within three days. According to the notice issued by the Returning Officer of the Kargahar Assembly Constituency, "As per a news item published on 28.10.2025, your name is registered in the electoral rolls of Bihar and West Bengal.... Therefore, you should present your side within three days regarding the entry of your name in more than one constituency." The notice stated that, as per the newspaper report, Prashant Kishor's name is registered in West Bengal under the Bhabanipur constituency at the polling station, as well as in the 209-Kargahar Legislative Assembly Constituency. It also referred to Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibits a person from being registered in more than one constituency. Violation of this provision can result in imprisonment for up to one year, a fine, or both, under Section 31 of the same Act. "You are requested to ensure compliance. Accordingly, you are required to submit your explanation regarding the registration of your name in more than one constituency within three days," the notice added. Polling for the Bihar Assembly election will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11. The Election Commission of India conducted a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to update the voter list, which drew widespread criticism from opposition parties. The notice has drawn attention amid heightened scrutiny of voter rolls in Bihar, with election authorities taking steps to ensure transparency ahead of the upcoming polls. Earlier on Monday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar announced that the Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar in September. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 202, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026."The second phase of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is about to be carried out in 12 States and UTs," the CEC said. However, separate orders for Special Intensive Revision of the voter list will be issued for Assam as the State has separate provisions under the Citizenship Act, Kumar said. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, CEC Kumar said that the citizenship verification in Assam, under the supervision of the Supreme Court, is about to be completed. He said, "Under India's Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the checking of citizenship there is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, this would not have been applicable to Assam. So, separate orders for revision will be issued for Assam." Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, provides for the special provisions for citizenship covered by the Assam Accord. Following the Supreme Court's directions, the ECI has included Aadhaar in the list of 12 indicative documents, as per its September 9 order relating to the SIR in Bihar. (ANI) In the wake of Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) Montha, over 35 flights between Shamshabad in Telangana and Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Rajahmundry airports in Andhra Pradesh have been cancelled, GMR Airports said. A total of 30 IndiGo, two Air India and five Air India Express flights have been cancelled as the SCS Month approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), SCS Montha is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada during Tuesday evening or tonight with maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. "The SCS Montha moved north-northwestwards and at 1430 hrs IST of 28th Oct, it lay about 70 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 150km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 250 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 480 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha)," the IMD said in a post on X. https://x.com/Indiametdept/status/1983120393188544743 In the wake of heavy rainfall expected in 39 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed the Ministers, MPs, and MLAs to provide assistance to the people affected. Officials informed the CM that heavy rainfall is expected in Visakhapatnam, the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, and Nellore districts. Earlier today, officials made announcements, urging people to vacate their houses in Kothapatnam village, as a precautionary measure for SCS Montha. NDRF teams have been deployed in Uppada. NDRF Inspector Biswas said, "The Team is deployed here for 24 hours. We came here two days ago. I visited here yesterday as well. The areas which I feel need evacuation, and people need to be taken to shelters, we are campaigning there. The cyclone is hitting this evening. There is no need to panic. We are coordinating with the local administration. I appeal to the people to reach shelters and cooperate with us." The beach road of Kakinada and Uppada has been closed to prevent accidents after about an 8-kilometre stretch of the road suffered damage this morning. Meanwhile, in Odisha, fishing boats that had come from Andhra Pradesh are unable to return due to Cyclone Montha. All 50 fishing boats have been kept anchored in the harbour of Gopalpur port in Ganjam district. BJP MLA Krushna Chandra Nayak said, "All arrangements have been made for the Cyclone. Odisha CM has given instructions to the District Administration to be alert. District Administration has taken all steps for the Cyclone." Tamil Nadu is also likely to witness moderate rain with thunder and lightning in several districts, including Thoothukudi. Fishermen are advised to stay ashore for the fourth consecutive day. (ANI) Karnataka government will appeal against the Karnataka High Court's order putting an interim stay on the state government's order declaring gatherings of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in government premises with more than 10 people illegal without permission, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said, "Dharwad Bench has given an order of stay. We will appeal against this order in the Divisional Bench." A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna heard a petition filed by the Punashthen Seva Sanstha of Hubballi. Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Council and BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy welcomed the High Court's order, calling it a "slap" on the State government. "It is a slap on the government of Karnataka. The ministers or the MLAs, whoever is involved in this, and they wanted to teach a lesson to the RSS, it is a slap on the government, the MLAs and the leaders of the Congress party. The law of the land is equal for everyone, but we have to obey the courts' orders. Congress should learn a lesson from this," the BJP leader said. Advocate Mallikarjun told reporters that the court stayed the government's order, finding it to be a violation of a citizen's rights. The case will further be heard on November 17. Advocate Mallikarjun said, "Four petitioners were before the court. The court said you are infringing on and violating a citizen's rights. The court has stayed this order and posted the matter for further hearing on November 17." In its order, the High Court said that the Karnataka government took away the rights granted under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution. "Notice to the State Government, Home Department, Director General of Police, Hubballi Police Commissioner. The State Government's order dated October 18, 2025, has been challenged. The government order states that it is an offence if 10 people gather without permission," the order from Karnataka High Court said. "Entry to roads, parks, grounds, lakes, etc. has been restricted. The government has exercised the power under the Police Act through the order," the order added. "The government has taken away the right granted under Article 19(1)(a), (b) of the Constitution. The right granted by the Constitution cannot be taken away by a government order. Therefore, the court ordered that the government order has been stayed. Hearing adjourned," the order said. (ANI) The Andhra Pradesh government has established more than 800 relief centres and shifted pregnant women to hospitals as Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) Montha is expected to make landfall around Tuesday midnight. The government has also deployed National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams in Kakinada district. To ensure 24-hour power in the area,1000 electricians have been stationed in the area while 140 swimmers with boats are also deployed in case of any eventuality, Kakinada MP Uday Srinivas Tangella told ANI. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), SCS Montha is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada during Tuesday evening or tonight with maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. "The SCS Montha moved north-northwestwards and at 1430 hrs IST of 28th Oct, it lay about 70 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 150km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 250 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 480 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha)," the IMD said in a post on X. https://x.com/Indiametdept/status/1983120393188544743 Kakinada MP Tangella, who is present on the ground in Uppada, is monitoring the situation. "Our government is fully prepared to face this cyclone", Tangella told ANI, adding that the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan have been monitoring the situation for the last two days. "As the MP, I am on the ground and have arranged more than 800 relief centres where we are providing all basic facilities. We have deployed 1000 electricians to ensure 24-hour power in the area in case of any eventuality. 140 Swimmers with boats are also deployed here. The pregnant ladies have been shifted to different hospitals," he said. The MP further said that NDRF and SDRF teams were also deployed. "Our party cadres are urging people to move to shelter and relief homes. We are trying to ensure there are no casualties. We are on the ground to help the public." Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the impact of Cyclone Montha from the Real-Time Governance System (RTGS) RTGS control room. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Ministers Nara Lokesh, V Anitha, and P Narayana, Chief Secretary Neerabh Kumar Prasad (CS), and officials from various departments participated in the review meeting. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday also directed railways to take precautionary measures in anticipation of SCS Montha's impact on the East Coast, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana. (ANI) The Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, on Tuesday released its manifesto titled 'Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran' for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. RJD leader and Mahagathbandhan's Chief Ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy CM candidate and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, Congress leader Pawan Khera and CPI(ML)'s Dipankar Bhattacharya were present at the event. Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the Opposition's alliance was the first to announce its Chief Ministerial candidate, Tejashwi Yadav, and the first to release its manifesto. Taking a jibe at the ruling NDA, Khera called their poll promises "jumla." "The Mahagathbandhan was the first to announce its chief ministerial candidates. It also released its manifesto first. Theirs is a 'jumla', while this is our 'pran' (resolve). This shows who is serious about Bihar. We decided from day one what we would do for Bihar. We have to get Bihar back on track. Today is a very auspicious day as the state of Bihar was waiting for this 'pran'," Khera said. The development comes after Mahagathbandhan's announcement of Tejashwi Yadav as the face of the opposition alliance for the polls. Mukesh Sahani, who heads the Vikassheel Insaan Pary (VIP), has been named as the Deputy CM nominee from the Mahagathbandhan. Earlier today, Tejashwi Yadav demanded that the NDA reveal their CM face for the Bihar elections, while highlighting the release of their manifesto. Tejashwi said that he would like to know the NDA's agenda and vision, and accused them of speaking negatively and making allegations against Mahagathbandhan leaders. "We have announced the CM's face as well. Today, we are going to release the 'Tejashwi Pran Patra' on how we are going to work for the next 5 years. We want NDA to announce the name of their CM. What schemes do they have? What is their vision, and how are they going to take Bihar forward? We have given a roadmap, a vision, and we are clear that we will make Bihar number one. They only speak negative things and make allegations about our leaders," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters. The 2025 Bihar elections will have the main contest between the National Democratic Alliance and the Mahagathbandhan. NDA includes the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha. Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). Additionally, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj has also staked claims on all 243 seats of the state. The assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday expressed hope that the second trial of the cloud seeding exercise carried out in the national capital would yield positive results and help reduce pollution levels. The first trial was conducted last week over Burari on September 23. The Chief Minister added that this was the first time such an initiative had been attempted in the national capital. Speaking to the reporters, Rekha Gupta said, "We're constantly discussing the issue of artificial rain, as we're taking countless steps to address Delhi's pollution. We've also given cloud seeding a trial, hoping to see if it can solve Delhi's pollution problem. This is an experiment. Let's see what comes of it. If the experiment is successful, I believe a solution that will be very important for Delhiites will emerge... This is new for all of us, as it's the first time in Delhi. But I pray that this trial is successful and that Delhi benefits from it." Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said that the government is making every possible effort to ensure the national capital remains clean and pollution-free. He further added that the government was committed to using the best global technology to improve the city's environment. At the sanitisation drive at ITO Hathi Ghat, Singh said, "We are leaving no stone unturned. Delhi is the national capital. Whatever technology we get, the best in the world, we will use it so that Delhi is turned into a good and beautiful national capital." "We will celebrate festivals well and also keep Delhi clean. All workers, CM, all ministers, Delhi BJP chief, workers and staff are ensuring that Delhi remains clean, that pollution in Delhi is under our control, that the air is clean in Delhi. Lakhs of people celebrated Chhath in Delhi yesterday, and today all ghats are being sanitised," he said. Taking a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party, Singh said, "Their politics concluded with Chhath Puja today. They do not have any fresh issues." The Delhi government on Tuesday afternoon carried out cloud seeding across several parts of the city, Environment Minister in Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's cabinet said, adding that it was part of efforts to explore artificial rainfall solutions aimed at reducing pollution levels. The second cloud-seeding trial was conducted by IIT Kanpur on Tuesday, using a Cessna aircraft fitted with salt-based and silver iodide flares to induce rain. The aircraft arrived in Delhi from Meerut, and the flight experienced a slight delay from the scheduled 12:30 pm departure due to poor visibility. Sirsa said that the areas covered are Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar. He further explained that eight flares, each weighing between 2 and 2.5 kilograms, were used during the process. Cloud seeding involves artificially generating rainfall by introducing specific particles, such as silver iodide crystals or salt-based compounds, into moisture-laden clouds. (ANI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) for producing the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India, calling it a major milestone for the country's aviation industry. In a post on X, Singh said the agreement would boost India's domestic civil aviation manufacturing capabilities and support regional air connectivity. "In a landmark step for the Indian civil aviation sector, HAL and Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) have signed an MoU for the production of SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India. The SJ-100 will be a game changer for short-haul connectivity under the UDAN Scheme and marks a major stride towards achieving 'Aatmanirbharta' in civil aviation," he wrote. The Defence Minister said the aircraft would be the first complete passenger plane manufactured in India and added that the programme would also strengthen the private sector. "SJ-100 will be the first complete passenger aircraft to be made in the country since the AVRO era. The manufacturing will also strengthen the private sector and create direct and indirect jobs in the aviation industry. Congratulations to HAL and other stakeholders," he added. Earlier in the day, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) signed an MoU to produce for the first time a passenger aircraft, the SJ-100, in India. The agreement was inked in Moscow on Monday, according to a press release by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). HAL shared details of the signing on X, stating, "HAL and Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) Russia signed an MoU for production of civil commuter aircraft SJ-100 in Moscow, Russia on October 27, 2025." The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft currently in service with more than 16 commercial airlines. Over 200 such aircraft have already been produced. Under the new arrangement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture the SJ-100 for India's domestic customers, a move seen as crucial for enhancing short-haul connectivity under the government's UDAN scheme. This collaboration represents the first time a "complete passenger" aircraft will be produced in India since the AVRO HS-748 project, which began in 1961 and ended in 1988. (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday expressed confidence that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will come to power in Bihar under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that there is strong public support for double-engine governments nationwide. Speaking to the reporters in Almora, CM Dhami said, "Wherever elections are being held across the country, the public is forming double-engine governments under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Because double-engine governments are rapidly developing and fulfilling the people's expectations. And in Bihar too, an NDA government will be formed under Modi's leadership, and people are supporting Nitish Babu..." The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, whereas bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will be held on November 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14. Dhami reviewed the progress of the ongoing development works at Jageshwar Dham under the master plan initiated after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jageshwar Dham, and work is underway here under a master plan. Today, I reviewed it, and the work needs to be completed as quickly as possible. After speaking with all the stakeholders and based on their suggestions, work on the grand and divine Jageshwar Dham will move forward rapidly," he said. He also inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 76 crore in Almora. "The number of devotees has increased significantly in recent years, and there should be a good infrastructure for them... Additionally, projects worth 76 crore rupees were inaugurated and foundation stones laid here today. These projects will undoubtedly prove to be milestones of development for this entire region and the surrounding areas in the future," CM Dhami said. Reiterating his government's zero-tolerance stance on corruption, irregularities, and cheating in recruitment, Dhami stated that transparency and fairness in recruitment are top priorities for his government. "It is our resolve that youth should not face any corruption, irregularities, or cheating in recruitment examinations at any cost. Therefore, in the last four years, more than 26,500 recruitments have been completed, and no case has been filed in any of them. Only one case was reported. The SIT investigated, and the accused has been arrested. Preparations are underway to reschedule the examination. The examination was canceled. The CBI has also begun its work," CM Dhami said. The Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level competitive examination 2025 has come under intense scrutiny following allegations of malpractice, prompting the state government to launch a judicially supervised probe. (ANI) President Droupadi Murmu will take a sortie in a Rafale fighter jet in Haryana's Ambala on Wednesday. On April 8, 2023, the President took a sortie in a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station, Assam. "The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, will visit Ambala, Haryana tomorrow where she will take a sortie in Rafale," a statement issued on Tuesday by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. Earlier today, President Murmu inaugurated the opening plenary of the Eighth Session of the International Solar Alliance Assembly (ISA) in the national capital, as per a release by the President's Secretariat. Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the ISA stands as a symbol of humanity's shared aspiration--to harness solar energy as a source of inclusion, dignity, and collective prosperity. The President said that climate change is affecting the entire world. Urgent and concrete steps need to be taken to deal with this threat. India is committed to combating climate change and is taking determined steps. She highlighted that ISA represents a significant step towards addressing this global challenge by encouraging the adoption and use of solar energy. The President said, "The idea of inclusion defines India's development journey. Our experience in illuminating homes in the remotest areas, confirms our belief that energy equity is the foundation of social equity. Access to affordable and clean energy empowers communities, drives local economy, and opens up opportunities that extend well beyond the provision of electricity," adding that solar energy is not merely about power generation but also about empowerment and inclusive development.The President said, "We should work with more dedication not only for our own countries but for the entire world, and not only for the present generation but for future generations." She further expressed confidence that the deliberations and decisions of this Assembly will act as a milestone in the production of solar energy which will contribute in building an inclusive and equitable world. (ANI) Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, has approved the advance release of Rs 20 crores, as 2nd instalment of the Central share of SDRF, to Nagaland, for the year 2025-26, to help the state provide immediate relief assistance to people affected by extremely heavy rainfall and flash floods, landslides during the south-west monsoon of this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a relese on Tuesday. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, the Government of India is standing shoulder to shoulder with the State Governments during natural calamities and disasters, providing them with all necessary support. According to the MHA release, during the financial year 2025-26, the Central Government has already released Rs. 15,554 crore to 27 States under SDRF and Rs. 2,267.44 crore to 15 States under NDRF. In addition, Rs. 4,571.30 crore have been released from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 21 States and Rs. 372.09 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to 09 States. The Central Government has also provided all logistical assistance, including the deployment of requisite NDRF, Army, and Air Force teams, and Air Force support, to all the flood-affected, landslide-affected, and cloudburst-affected States. During this year's monsoon, there was maximum deployment of 199 teams of NDRF in the 30 States/UTs for rescue and relief operations, the MHA release added. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed happiness over the surrender of 21 Maoists along with their arms in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh. In a post on X, Home Minister Shah said, "Glad to share that 21 Maoists have surrendered along with their arms in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh. Out of them, 13 were senior cadres. I commend them for joining the mainstream, abjuring violence at the call of the Modi government. I reiterate my appeal to those who are still wielding guns to surrender at the earliest. We are resolved to eradicate Naxalism by 31st March 2026." A total of 21 Maoist cadres, including 13 women, surrendered with 18 weapons in the Kanker district on Sunday, Bastar Inspector General P Sundarraj said. The cadres were part of the Kuemari/Kiskodo Area Committee of Keshkal Division (North Sub Zonal Bureau), he said. According to the senior police official, four Division Committee Members, including Division Committee Secretary Mukesh, nine Area Committee Members and eight party members are among the 21 cadres who have joined the mainstream. (ANI) Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee reiterated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a way to exclude voters from the voting list and deprive them of their voting rights. He said that if the voting rights of genuine voters are snatched in West Bengal then one lakh people will gherao the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Abhishek Banerjee said, "Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal in the middle of Chhath festivities. The SIR is not actually revision, but it is a way to exclude voters from the list and deprive them of their voting rights. Earlier, people used to vote to decide the government but now the government is deciding who should vote. When SIR was done in 2002, it took two years. And now in two months they will do it." He further said that elections are to be held in 5 places in the next year, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry but they have excluded SIR in Assam. "In Assam, the BJP is in power. So wherever the BJP is in power, SIR will not take place. SIR will happen in Bengal. Then why are they talking about One Nation, One Poll? In whose instructions is EC working? Five Indian states share a border with Bangladesh. West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. SIR is taking place only in Bengal. Why not SIR implement in the other four states which share a border with Bangladesh," he added. He further said that Myanmar does not share border with West Bengal. "If Rohingya enter, they can only enter through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. But SIR is not happening in these four states. Then what is the motive of EC? Their aim is to insult Bengal and to call Bengalis as Bangladesis, to insult the language and to snatch the rights of voters since they lost miserably in 2021. We will not allow this to happen. If even one genuine voter's rights are snatched, 1 lakh people from Bengal will gherao the office of EC in New Delhi," he added. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 202, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026. "The second phase of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is about to be carried out in 12 States and UTs," the CEC said. (ANI) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said that a third round of cloud seeding will be conducted in the national capital after the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur completed the second trial earlier in the day to explore artificial rainfall as a pollution-control measure. He added that IIT Kanpur will release detailed findings of the second trial later in the evening. The second cloud-seeding trial was conducted by IIT Kanpur on Tuesday, using a Cessna aircraft fitted with salt-based and silver iodide flares to induce rain. The first trial was conducted last week over Burari on September 23. Speaking to ANI, the Delhi Minister said, "A cloud seeding trial has just been conducted. IIT Kanpur will submit a full report in the evening. We will conduct another trial today. The aircraft for the second trial has just taken off from Meerut. This will be the third trial in Delhi. In the previous trial, it was estimated that the moisture content in the clouds was 15 to 20 per cent, which is very low." "If we succeed in this, it would be a historic achievement. IIT Kanpur is collecting samples on a large scale... Eight flares were fired prior to this cloud seeding. One flare lasts 2 to 2.5 minutes and weighs 1 to 2.5 kilos. So, this cloud seeding lasted approximately 15-20 minutes, and the number will likely increase in the second trial...IIT will release all the details in the evening," he said. Sirsa also said that the team from IIT Kanpur has expressed hope for good results from these systematically conducted experiments. In a post on X, Sirsa shared pictures of the second trial and wrote, "Today, another trial of Cloud Seeding was completed in Delhi. The Cessna aircraft took off again from Meerut Airport for Delhi and released cloud seeding flares in different areas." https://x.com/mssirsa/status/1983129015692210415 "The team from IIT Kanpur has expressed hope for good results from these systematically conducted experiments. Based on the success of these trials, Cloud Seeding will be used extensively in Delhi for pollution control under the leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Mrs. gupta_rekhaji," the post read. The Delhi government on Tuesday afternoon carried out cloud seeding across several parts of the city, Environment Minister in Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's cabinet said, adding that it was part of efforts to explore artificial rainfall solutions aimed at reducing pollution levels. The aircraft arrived from Meerut, though its scheduled 12:30 pm departure was slightly delayed due to poor visibility. Delhi Minister Sirsa said that the areas covered are Khekra, Burari, North Karol Bagh, and Mayur Vihar. He further explained that eight flares, each weighing between 2 and 2.5 kilograms, were used during the process. According to IIT Kanpur, the first round involved releasing six flares at an altitude of around 4,000 feet above ground level, with a burn time of 18.5 minutes. And a second flight took off at 3:55 pm, deploying eight flares at a higher altitude of around 5000-6,000 feet. In an official statement, IIT Kanpur said, "Today, IIT Kanpur successfully executed a cloud-seeding operation over Delhi, a corridor measuring roughly 25 nautical miles in length and 4 nautical miles in width with the largest distance covered between Khekra and little north of Burari. The first round involved six flares released at an altitude of nearly 4,000 feet above ground level, with a burn duration of 18.5 minutes. A second flight took off at 3:55 pm, deploying eight flares at a higher altitude of around 5000-6,000 feet." Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that involves artificially inducing rainfall by dispersing particles such as silver iodide or salt-based compounds into moisture-laden clouds. (ANI) The Supreme Court has declined to quash a criminal case against a law graduate for his social media post that Babri Masjid will be rebuilt one day. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said it has seen the post and found no reason to interfere with the criminal proceeding against petitioner Mohd Faiyyaz Mansuri. The bench said the defence raised by the petitioner can be considered by the trial court on its own merits. The petitioner then withdrew the plea. The petitioner's advocate contended that there was no vulgarity in the post, and Mansuri only said Babri Masjid will be rebuilt like a mosque in Turkey. He said that it was another person who made the inflammatory post, but he was not investigated. Justice Kant, however, told the counsel, "Don't invite any harsh comment from us." The apex court was hearing a plea filed against an order of the Allahabad High Court that had dismissed Mansuri's application to quash a summons issued to him in connection with an FIR registered by the police in 2020. The FIR accused him of posting an objectionable Facebook post related to the Babri Masjid. He has allegedly uploaded the Facebook post on August 5, 2020, which said, "Babri Masjid too will one day be rebuilt, just as the Sofian Mosque in Turkey was rebuilt." (ANI) Landfall process of the Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha has commenced as the storm will cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada in the next three to four hours, the India Meteorological Department said. In an X post, IMD wrote, "Latest observations indicate that the Landfall process has commenced. The landfall process will continue for the next 3-4 hours." "It will continue to move north-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during the next 3-4 hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph," the meteorological department added. Earlier at 6:30 pm, the severe cyclonic storm was about 110 km east of Machilipatnam and 100 km south of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. IMD said, "The Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 17 kmph during past six hours and lay centered at 1830 hrs IST of today, the October 28, 2025, over the same region, near latitude 16.05N & longitude 82.25E, about 110 km east of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 100 km south of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 220km southsouthwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 460km southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha)." Meanwhile, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commandant Gyaneshwar Singh said that 26 teams have been deployed in active ops, while 19 teams are in reserve. Singh said, "NDRF has been on alert since the formation of Cyclone 'Montha,' and we are monitoring the bulletins issued by the IMD. As per the latest trends, the movement speed has slowed a bit. However, the current gusty winds are flowing at around 90 to 110 kmph, moving north-northwestwards, and are likely to strike the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Total, our 26 teams are deployed in active ops, and we have around 19 teams in reserve." Of the 26, 12 NDRF teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, and six in Odisha. "Of those 26, a maximum of 12 teams are in Andhra Pradesh because that is the area where it is likely to have the most impact. 6 teams are deployed in Odisha and, as part of north Tamil Nadu, are also likely to be affected, so three teams are deployed there. Yesterday, we deployed some teams in Telangana and Chhattisgarh," the NDRF official said. In the wake of Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) Montha, over 35 flights between Shamshabad in Telangana and Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Rajahmundry airports in Andhra Pradesh have been cancelled, GMR Airports said. A total of 30 IndiGo, two Air India and five Air India Express flights have been cancelled as the SCS Month approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada. (ANI) A man was shot dead by two assailants in front of the Kymore Rest House in Katni district on Monday morning in Madhya Pradesh, police said. Superintendent of Police Abhinav Vishwakarma said that the victim is identified as Nilesh Rajak, who was shot dead by two individuals. The police have identified the suspects and will detain them soon. SP Abhinav Vishwakarma said, "In the Kymore police station area, a tragic incident occurred today in front of the Kymore Rest House, where Nilesh Rajak was shot and killed by two unidentified individuals. The police have promptly registered a case and are actively working to identify and arrest the suspects. The suspects have been identified, and attempts to arrest them are ongoing. They will be detained soon, and strict action will be taken against them." He added that the post-mortem of the victim is underway and added, "As of now, the victim's post-mortem has not been completed; once it is, we will share information about how many bullets he endured... " Meanwhile, the father of one of the identified accused committed suicide by hanging himself, and his body is undergoing further legal procedures, SP Vishwakarma added. SP Abhinav Vishwakarma further added, "Nilesh was involved in some contractual work with ACC and was associated with social groups. The police have increased their presence to maintain law and order. We are urging the victim's family to take legal action on this. As soon as we get their consent, we will initiate the post-mortem." Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Veerendra informed that the incident took place around 11:30 a.m. in front of the ACC Kymore guest house. He said, "This morning at around 11:30 a.m., Nilesh Rajak from Kymore was shot by unknown assailants. The police are actively investigating and mobilising multiple teams to resolve the case... Senior officers, including the SP and DIG, have taken charge of the investigation. The incident happened in front of the ACC Kymore House guest house..." He further said that the victim was linked to social groups and worked as a labourer at ACC. The police official also said the victims were linked to another case in which an FIR was filed. "He was previously involved in an altercation, which led to an FIR being filed... Currently, there is no evidence to identify the culprits, as their faces were covered... However, they will be identified soon and face charges. We have some CCTV footage, which is being examined by one of our teams," said DSP Veerendra. (ANI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday inaugurated the newly commissioned Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) LPG Bottling Plant at Papu Nallah (Jullang Road), Naharlagun in Papum Pare district, marking a major step towards energy self-sufficiency and industrial development in the state. Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister extended heartfelt congratulations to IOCL and M/s B.A. Enterprises, the project partner, for their dedication and efficiency in completing this state-of-the-art facility in record time. The plant, established over 46,000 square meters, is equipped with three modern LPG storage bullets with a total capacity of 87 metric tonnes, and can refill 3,000 LPG cylinders daily in a single shift, significantly boosting the state's gas supply chain and ensuring uninterrupted access to clean cooking fuel for thousands of households. Khandu said that since the shutdown of the bottling plant at Kimin, gas agencies in Arunachal Pradesh have been facing hurdles in the timely distribution of LPG cylinders to consumers, as these are being procured from Assam. He pointed out that commissioning of this plant will provide a sigh of relief to the 95-odd agencies operating across the state. He described the project as a symbol of "Atma Nirbhar Arunachal in action," noting that it will generate employment, spur local economic activity, and strengthen the region's industrial base. Paying tribute to the late Bamang Raman, founder of M/s B.A. Enterprises, the Chief Minister said, "This project is not just infrastructure, it is the realisation of a visionary dream." He commended Bamang Amer, the wife of the late Raman and Managing Director of M/s B.A. Enterprises, for her "extraordinary resilience and leadership" in completing the project following her husband's demise earlier this year. The Chief Minister lauded her and her children as role models for Arunachal's youth and a shining example of family enterprise and perseverance. "This plant represents the essence of our government's commitment to enhancing the ease of living for every citizen," Khandu said, emphasising that the steady and reliable LPG supply aligns with the Government of India's vision of clean energy access for all. Reiterating his government's support for local entrepreneurs, the Chief Minister called upon the youth of the state to take inspiration from Amer's journey. "Our government will continue to handhold young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into reality and become the architects of a 'Viksit Arunachal'," he added. The commissioning of the IOCL LPG Bottling Plant marks a historic milestone in Arunachal Pradesh's march towards energy security and self-reliant industrial growth. (ANI) Chhattisgarh BJP MLA Bhawna Bohra called the second phase Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in 12 States and Union Territories, including Chhattisgarh, a "filtering process to strengthen democracy." Welcoming the Election Commission's decision, Bohra told ANI, "This is the process of the Election Commission. The way the SIR campaign has been started in Bihar and 12 other states is a very good thing. This is definitely a filtering process which will strengthen democracy." "It will also be implemented in Chhattisgarh very soon; therefore, this is definitely a very welcome step taken through the Election Commission," she added. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of the SIR exercise of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. On the contrary, the Opposition in several States has opposed the move. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee reiterated that the first phase of the SIR exercise in Bihar was a way to exclude voters from the voting list and deprive them of their voting rights. He said that if the voting rights of genuine voters are snatched in West Bengal, then one lakh people will gherao the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called it "a direct challenge to the democratic process" and urged the poll body to withdraw from actions that "undermine its own credibility." Meanwhile, as the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar released its manifesto, Bohra questioned its title 'Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran,' alleging that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was "uncomfortable" with it. She said, "Everyone has seen how Tejashwi Yadav suddenly made announcements on stage yesterday in front of Rahul Gandhi, which made Rahul uncomfortable. They have named their manifesto 'Tejashwi Sankalp Patra'. But how can there be a manifesto for any particular person?" "We are in a democracy; we certainly have the right to express our views, but when it comes to the people, especially in election manifestos, it is for the people. From this, we can see that whether it is Congress or RJD, both have become parties centred around a particular individual," she added. The Opposition alliance in Bihar released its manifesto promising to pass a law within 20 days of forming the government to provide government jobs to one member of every family in the state. Bihar assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11. The results will be declared on November 14. (ANI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said that everyone needs to move forward in various fields using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet, and technology must be utilised for the welfare of the people. CM Saha said this while inaugurating Wi-Fi facilities in 11 government colleges (Phase II) and launching the Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana for the academic year 2024-25 at the Government Arts and Crafts College in Lichu Bagan, Agartala. At the function organised jointly by the Information Technology Department and the Higher Education Department, CM Saha said that having a Wi-Fi system provides many benefits at work. "Wi-Fi services have already been launched in 19 government colleges in the state. Today, this facility is being provided in 11 more colleges. This system will offer many advantages in the field of technology and benefit students greatly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given special importance to technology. The youth community (18 to 35 years) of India constitutes about 60 to 65 percent of the total population, which is a matter of pride for us, as no other country in the world has such a large youth population," he said. The Tripura CM said that the youth will play a special role in realizing the Prime Minister's dream of building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. The Chief Minister further said that Tripura is now progressing in all aspects. "A few days ago, Tripura was declared the third fully literate state in the country. This recognition was granted in accordance with UNESCO guidelines. Tripura achieved this position after Goa and Mizoram. Currently, there is dependence on technology in every field," he said. CM Manik Saha further mentioned that under the Mukhyamantri Yuba Yogayog Yojana, students studying in the final year of college are given Rs 5,000 to buy mobile phones. "Now that Wi-Fi has been introduced in colleges, students will no longer have to spend their own money on the Internet. The state government has also introduced a start-up policy. Investors from outside the state are coming in. Airtel has been allotted space to build data centers. Medical science too is not without technology. AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the Internet must be used to advance in various fields," he said. "Great work is being done in the areas of medical services and agriculture. Today, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all technology-dependent. The best services must be provided to people through technology. However, technology should always be used for good," CM Saha added. The Chief Minister also emphasized the importance of setting up more mobile towers in the state. Finance and Information Technology Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, Higher Education Minister Kishore Barman, Secretary of the Department of Information Technology Kiran Gitte, Director of the Department of Information Technology, and other officials were present at the event. (ANI) Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, convened the 31st meeting of the Central Supervisory Board (CSB) on Tuesday to reiterate the nation's commitment to addressing gender discrimination and review the progress made on action points that were decided on the last CSB meeting. According to an official release, the primary concern discussed at the meeting was the ongoing battle against sex-based discrimination leading to sex selection/ determination followed by pre-birth elimination. Addressing the gathering, the Union Health Minister expressed optimism about the nation's progress toward gender equality. Citing the latest Sample Registration Survey (SRS) report for 2021-23, the Minister highlighted a significant improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB). He stated the data indicate that India has made notable strides in reducing sex-based discrimination, with 12 states recording SRB figures above the national average of 917, as per the 2021-23 SRS data. Moreover, the performance outcomes highlighted by measures such as court cases, inspections of premises, and registration of facilities have also shown substantial improvement compared to the previous year. JP Nadda also mentioned the National Sensitisation Meeting held on October 6, to address technology-driven challenges and underlined the need for more state-level workshops and discussions to strengthen enforcement and awareness, stressing the emerging digital-era challenges, including portable diagnostic devices, genetic testing, and online advertisements for sex determination. He stated that sensitisation should be increased across all states, and state-wise interactions should be a regular process. He called for the sharing of best practices among states and the need for further deliberations among all stakeholders. The Union Health Minister lauded the proactive measures taken by states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Haryana, etc in this regard. He commended their innovative strategies, including sting operations and the establishment of state task forces, etc, to combat gender-biased sex selection. While celebrating these efforts, he called upon other states and union territories to follow suit and contribute significantly to this critical demographic issue. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava reiterated the commitment of the Union Health Ministry to be at the forefront in promoting the welfare of women and children, focusing on their healthy development. She highlighted the progressive trend in the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2023, which shows improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth from 899 (2016-18) to 917 (2021-23) females per 1,000 males, underlining the combined efforts of the State and UTs in implementing the PC&PNDT Act. Savitri Thakur, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Women and Child Development, appreciated the steps taken by the Government of India to prevent sex-selective abortions and ensure that such diagnostic techniques are not misused for determining the sex of a foetus. She added that the nation must commit to ending gender bias and son preference practices and promoting a culture that values and safeguards every daughter of India. She also highlighted the impact of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative in promoting the value of the girl child. Commending the improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth, she urged for ensuring collective vigilance, enforcement, and advocacy to ensure every girl's birth is celebrated. Under the PC&PNDT Act, the central government is entrusted with the responsibility to combat the misuse of medical technologies for sex determination and selection. The CSB members gathered to reaffirm their commitment towards the enforcement of the Act and creating an enabling environment for the girl child in the country. The meeting concluded with an appeal by the Union Health Minister for collective action to ensure the survival and well-being of the girl child in the nation. He urged the medical community to play a pivotal role in addressing sex-based discrimination at birth. (ANI) BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday hit out at the Mahagathbandhan after it released its manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections, saying those promising a "new vision" for the state are themselves facing charges under IPC Section 420. Addressing a press conference in Patna, Prasad said that the same leaders are also accused in the land-for-jobs scam, calling the Rashtriya Janata Party (RJD) a "school of corruption." "...Those who are claiming to give a new vision to Bihar are accused of 420. We did not say this. Fifteen days ago, the Delhi court framed charges. The trial is about to take place. They are also accused in land for jobs scam. RJD is a school of corruption. This is their past, this is their present, and this will also be their future..." Prasad said. Earlier in the day, the Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, released its manifesto titled 'Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran,' promising to pass a law within 20 days of forming government, to provide government jobs to one member of every family in the state. According to the manifesto, under the 'Mai-Behin Maan Yojana', women will receive financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month from December 1 for the next five years. The Opposition's alliance promised to implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). OPS has been on the Congress agenda as the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in Himachal Pradesh restored the OPS soon after assuming office. Congress had also included it in its manifesto for the Haryana Assembly polls. The poll promises also include an increase in the current 20 per cent reservation for the Most Backward Classes in Panchayat and Municipal bodies to 30 per cent. For Scheduled Castes (SCs), this limit will be raised from 16 per cent to 20 per cent, and a proportionate increase in reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) will also be ensured, the manifesto said. The alliance promised that every individual would be provided free health insurance up to Rs 25 lakh under the Jan Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, whereas bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will be held on November 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14. (ANI) The meeting was attended by SSP (Traffic & Security), officials from the Engineering Department, the Health Department, the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner directed the Engineering Department to use bitumen material for constructing cycle tracks instead of concrete, as it provides better performance and comfort for cyclists. He also expressed concern over the slow progress of the cycle track work from Hallomajra Light Point to Behlana Light Point and instructed officials to complete it as soon as possible. The Deputy Commissioner further directed that all road signage, including speed limit and traffic advisory boards, should follow the latest guidelines issued by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) to maintain uniformity and national standards. The Deputy Commissioner appreciated the recent safety measures implemented in the city, such as installing 'rumble strips' to control vehicle speed and enhance safety, marking zebra crossings and stop lines at key junctions to improve lane discipline and pedestrian safety, and setting up Adaptive Traffic Control (ATC) signals at important intersections like Sectors 52/53-42/43 and 41/42-54/55 for better traffic management. He emphasised the need to complete all ongoing projects on time to improve road safety, ensure smoother traffic flow, and make commuting safer for all residents of Chandigarh, the release added. (ANI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Tuesday that India will host the inaugural edition of Mumbai Climate Week (MCW) on February 17 to 19 at the Jio World Convention Centre, according to a release. The event will be organised by Project Mumbai in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra's Department of Environment and Climate Change, and will be supported by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). According to the press release, Mumbai Climate Week aims to become a major platform for climate action across the Global South, with India taking a leadership role. Speaking about the event, Chief Minister Fadnavis said, "It is high time we move from dialogue to action in the space of climate change. Mumbai Climate Week is a great initiative that not only celebrates climate mitigation efforts but also brings citizens, businesses, and institutions into action. It will set benchmarks for Maharashtra and Mumbai, inspiring us to take concrete steps rather than remain spectators. We will reach out to the global community to make MCW a global event, truly where hope meets action." The Chief Minister, joined by leading climate experts, shared details of the event. Representatives from more than 30 countries are expected to participate. They will come to Mumbai to create a practical climate action plan, working with city leaders, state chief ministers, civil society groups, corporates, students, and youth. Speaking about the initiative, Shishir Joshi, Founder and CEO of Project Mumbai, said, "Mumbai Climate Week marks a historic step for Maharashtra and India as we unite and amplify the voices of the Global South. This unique platform underscores our commitment to empowering climate-resilient communities through inclusive collaboration and relevant solutions. MCW will catalyse transformative impact, fostering partnerships that transcend borders." Monitor Deloitte will be the strategic knowledge partner. Several major organisations have already joined as partners and supporters, including the Climate Group (hosts of New York Climate Week), India Climate Collaborative, WRI, Eversource, HT Parekh Foundation, UNICEF, ISEG, Shakti Foundation, Rainmatter Foundation, National Gallery of Modern Art and National Service scheme (NSS). The inaugural edition of Mumbai Climate Week will focus on three connected themes: food systems, energy transition, and urban resilience. Each theme will be examined through the lenses of justice, innovation, and funding. This ensures that the MCW platform addresses both climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, the press release said. The platform will give a voice to citizens and grassroots initiatives. Subjects including mental health, art, spirituality, sports, and cinema will be included in the week's activities. A climate-focused food festival is also being planned as part of public engagement. In the lead-up to the event in February, various preparatory activities, including cross-stakeholder working groups, innovation mapping exercises, calls for applications, workshops, roundtables, and conferences, will be organised, the release said. (ANI) The Delhi High Court has struck down Jamia Millia Islamia's decision to dissolve the Jamia Teachers Association (JTA) and nullify its elections, ruling that the university's actions infringed the constitutional right to association and were devoid of any lawful justification. Justice Sachin Datta observed, "The core issue pertains to the permissible extent of interference by the University in the internal affairs of an association of teachers", and held that Jamia's actions went beyond that boundary. The court said the university's orders were "administrative in nature, bearing no rational nexus to any legitimate regulatory purpose." The case arose from Jamia's office orders and an advisory issued in November 2022, which dissolved the JTA, sealed its office, and barred its members from meetings. The university had also claimed the power to reframe the Association's constitution and regulate its functioning under the Jamia Millia Islamia Act, 1988. Rejecting this contention, the Court held that such statutory provisions cannot be interpreted to curtail constitutional freedoms. "Powers conferred by the Jamia Millia Islamia Act must operate within the bounds of the Constitution and cannot override fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19(1)(c)," Justice Datta wrote. The judgment emphasised that the right to form an association under Article 19(1)(c) necessarily includes the right to continue and govern it according to its own constitution. Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in Damyanti Naranga v. Union of India (1971), the Court reiterated that interference with an association's composition or functioning, without satisfying the narrow grounds under Article 19(4), renders the right "ineffective and meaningless." In a pointed observation, the Court stated that "the unilateral formulation and approval of a revised Constitution for the JTA, without consultation or consent of its members, undermines the autonomy of the Association and violates the right to self-governance." The bench also referred to earlier precedents to reaffirm that freedom of association cannot be subjected to administrative discretion or prior restraint. "Guaranteed freedoms cannot be abridged by official discretion," the Court quoted. Disagreeing with Jamia's argument that the JTA's Constitution made it subject to university control, the Court clarified that such a reference merely acknowledged the statutory setting in which the body was formed and did not amount to subordination. Concluding that Jamia's actions were unconstitutional and unsustainable, the High Court quashed the office orders dated November 17 and 18, 2022, and the advisory of November 18, 2022. The petition filed by the Jamia Teachers Association was accordingly allowed and disposed of, said the court. (ANI) A grand two-day state-level celebration will be held in Shimla to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth Sikh Guru, revered as the "Hind Di Chadar" (Protector of India). Thousands of devotees from across Himachal Pradesh are expected to participate in this historic event. The event will take place on November 1 and 2 at the historic Ridge Ground in Shimla, featuring a massive Nagar Kirtan (religious procession) and community Langar (free meal service). The celebrations will be attended by Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, along with ministers and representatives from various religious and social organisations. Jaswinder Singh, President of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha Shimla, thanked the state government for declaring this celebration a state-level event. "I first thank Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the state government for declaring the 350th martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji a state-level event. The program on November 1 and 2 will include a grand Nagar Kirtan beginning from Lower Bazaar and culminating at the Ridge Ground. The Governor and several ministers will participate. Organisations like Sud Sabha, Sanatan Dharma Sabha, and Valmiki Sabha are fully cooperating to make this program a grand success. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji sacrificed everything for the protection of dharma, the motherland, and people's rights. His martyrdom teaches us equality and religious harmony," he said. The preparations for the event are in full swing, with various religious and community groups joining hands to make the occasion memorable and educational for the younger generation. The Singh Sabha is receiving strong support from Sud Sabha and Sanatan Dharma Sabha in organising the large-scale congregation. Rajeev Sood, President of the Ram Mandir Sud Sabha, Shimla, said that all in Shimla are enthusiastic to celebrate this occasion. "Our association with the Singh Sabha has always been strong. The India we live in today exists because of the supreme sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. We, along with other institutions, will pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Mata Dayaal Das Ji, and Bhai Mati Das Ji. This tribute and procession will inspire the next generation to follow the path of courage and faith. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's message was clear: I will neither fear anyone nor cause fear to others, and that is the spirit we wish to carry forward, Sood said. The two-day program aims not only to honour Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's sacrifice but also to remind people of his message of religious freedom, human rights, and equality. (ANI) Congress MP Imran Masood on Tuesday refuted the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase-2, which will be conducted across 12 states and Union Territories, alleging that the Election Commission is constantly decreasing its credibility. "The Election Commission is constantly decreasing its credibility... It is very unfortunate if the credibility of the institution that is supposed to protect democracy is questioned in this manner," Masood said. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 202, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026. "The second phase of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is about to be carried out in 12 States and UTs," the CEC said. Earlier today, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee reiterated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was a way to exclude voters from the voting list and deprive them of their voting rights. He said that if the voting rights of genuine voters are snatched in West Bengal then one lakh people will gherao the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Abhishek Banerjee said, "Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal in the middle of Chhath festivities. The SIR is not actually revision, but it is a way to exclude voters from the list and deprive them of their voting rights. Earlier, people used to vote to decide the government but now the government is deciding who should vote. When SIR was done in 2002, it took two years. And now in two months they will do it." (ANI) The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has taken a significant step forward in its consultancy activities by foraying into the port sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday among DMRC, the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Umeandus Technology Private Limited, and BEML Limited to develop a Real Time Automated Cargo Evacuation System (e-FTS) for the DPA, based at Kandla, Gujarat. As per the MoU, the e-FTS shall be developed at a pilot project stage. During the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Stage, DMRC proposes to undertake O&M of the project for 25 years. Further, the detailed specific scope of the parties will be incorporated in the 'Definitive Agreement', which shall be executed among the involved parties. The Real Time Automated Cargo Evacuation System (e-FTS) is an automated freight transport and logistics system. Mainly designed for use in ports, e-FTS leverages advanced technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to increase efficiency and sustainability, and significantly reduce the time and cost associated with traditional cargo handling. This system can also be developed for other locations based on site requirements and the client's specific needs. Earlier, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was selected for the esteemed ICI Awards 2025, presented by the Indian Concrete Institute (ICI), Chennai. The recognition falls under the "Outstanding Prestressed Concrete Structure in the Country Award" category for the corridor connecting Maujpur to Majlis Park. This award will be formally conferred upon DMRC during the quinquennial conference ACECON, scheduled to be held in December 2025 in Hyderabad. The Maujpur-Majlis Park corridor is a key component of Delhi Metro's Phase-IV expansion and serves as an extension of the existing Pink Line. Upon completion, it will mark a significant milestone by becoming India's first circular ring metro line, enhancing connectivity and urban mobility across the capital. Meanwhile, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has launched 'DMRC Pay powered by BHIM', introducing a seamless UPI payment feature within the Delhi Metro Sarthi app in collaboration with NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL). This initiative enables commuters to purchase tickets quickly and securely with a single click, eliminating the need for external payment gateways. Integrated with BHIM Vega. In the X post, the DMRC said, "In a significant step towards digital convenience and cashless commuting, Delhi Metro today launched 'DMRC Pay powered by BHIM', a native UPI payment experience within the Delhi Metro Sarthi app, in partnership with NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL)." (ANI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving a Rs 38,000 crore fertiliser subsidy for farmers on Tuesday. The decision, made during a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, aims to support farmers during the current Rabi season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The Minister reviewed the progress in the agriculture sector and noted that sowing during the Kharif 2025 season has been highly satisfactory. "There has been very good sowing of major Kharif crops; good yield expected," Chouhan said. The total sown area for paddy has reached 441.58 lakh hectares, higher than last year. Oilseeds and pulses have been sown on 190.13 lakh hectares and 120.41 lakh hectares, respectively. "India's agriculture sector has benefited from a favourable monsoon, adequate rainfall, and improved water storage levels in reservoirs. Most major reservoirs are at normal or above-normal water levels, ensuring irrigation needs are well met. The consistent soil moisture has aided crop growth and is expected to support an expansion in Rabi sowing areas," Chouhan added, as per the release. Agriculture Commissioner Dr. PK Singh presented a report indicating improved water availability for irrigation projects and reservoirs, facilitating agricultural growth in irrigated regions. The total live storage in 161 reservoirs across the country stands at 165.58 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is 104.30 per cent of last year's level and 115.95 per cent of the ten-year average, he said. It was also informed that harvesting of Kharif crops has begun in some regions, covering around 27 per cent of the total Kharif area so far, while Rabi sowing has commenced in the early stages. The condition of onion, potato, and tomato crops across the country is satisfactory, and the current stock of rice and wheat exceeds the buffer norms. Union Minister Chouhan stated that the country's agriculture sector is achieving record milestones with timely and favourable monsoon, adequate reservoir resources, efficient planning, and digital innovations. "These achievements, driven by the farmer-friendly policies of the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are improving farmers' livelihoods and strengthening national food security," Chouhan said. "The central government, in coordination with states, will provide all necessary support to promote greater sowing and record productivity of pulses and oilseeds in the upcoming Rabi season. The government is committed to supporting farmers and ensuring food security for the nation," he asserted. (ANI) A Delhi Court has refused to grant bail to an accused from whose possession 5.2 kg of cocaine was recovered. Acting on his and his co-accused's disclosure, the police had earlier seized more than 547 kg of cocaine from the national capital in October 2024. According to the prosecution, on October 1, 2024, acting on secret information, accused Tushar Goyal, Himanshu Kumar and accused Aurangzeb Siddiqui were apprehended, and Cocaine/Mephedrone weighing 5.640 Kg, 5.240 Kg, and 5.220 Kg, respectively, were recovered from their possession. Thereafter, on their instance, a huge quantity of 547 Kg of Cocaine/ Mephedrone and 39.706 Kg of Hydroponic were recovered from the Mahipal area of Delhi. Special Judge (NDPS) Virender Singh rejected the bail plea of the accused Aurangzeb Siddiqui, citing the serious nature of the allegations against him and the recovery of a commercial quantity of narcotics. "It is well settled that the nature and gravity of accusation, severity of the punishment, danger of the accused absconding, reasonable apprehension of the witnesses being influenced, prime facie case against the accused, danger to society, etc., are factors which have to be kept in mind while exercising powers for grant of bail," the court noted. "In my considered opinion and owing to the given facts and circumstances of the case, I am not inclined to grant bail to the applicant/ accused at this stage," Special Judge Virender Singh observed in the order dated October 25. Counsel for the accused argued that Siddiqui was falsely implicated in this case. He further submitted that, as per the prosecution, the accused is the driver of Subhash Goyal, the father of the co-accused Tushar Goyal. The counsel further argued that the possession of a psychotropic substance itself is not incriminating evidence in the absence of the required animus. The accused did not have any knowledge about the contents of the alleged packets in his hands; therefore, he cannot be said to be in conscious possession of the alleged psychotropic substance, the counsel added. The bail plea, however, was opposed by the Special Public Prosecutor and the Investigation officer. They submitted that the accused was the driver of the father of the co-accused, Tushar Goyal; however, he is very much involved in the present case, and he knew about the contraband. It was further submitted that 5.220 Kg. Cocaine/Mephedrone was recovered from the possession of the accused, which is a commercial quantity. The accused had knowledge of a psychotropic substance recovered from his possession. The Delhi Police Special Cell had filed a charge sheet in Patiala House Court in June 2025. (ANI) Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday criticised the Mahagathbandhan's manifesto for the Bihar Assembly elections, and said Tejashwi Yadav knows he is not coming to power, hence he is "lying" and promising to provide one government job per family, which is 'not possible'. Speaking to the reporters, Chirag Paswan said, "When you know you are not coming to power, then what is the harm in lying. Right now, he (Tejashwi Yadav) has talked about one government job in the family... he can also promise government jobs to every person. He is so expert in lying... everyone knows that this (govt jobs) is not possible..." Earlier in the day, the Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, released its manifesto titled 'Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran,' promising to pass a law within 20 days of forming government, to provide government jobs to one member of every family in the state. According to the manifesto, under the 'Mai-Behin Maan Yojana', women will receive financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month from December 1 for the next five years. The Opposition's alliance also promised to implement the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). OPS has been on the Congress agenda since the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in Himachal Pradesh restored it soon after assuming office. Congress had also included it in its manifesto for the Haryana Assembly polls. Mahagathbandhan has promised to put the Waqf (Amendment) Act on hold, and to make the management of Waqf properties "welfare-oriented and transparent". The poll promises also include an increase in the current 20 per cent reservation for the Most Backward Classes in Panchayat and Municipal bodies to 30 per cent. For Scheduled Castes (SCs), this limit will be raised from 16 per cent to 20 per cent, and a proportionate increase in reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) will also be ensured, the manifesto said. Mahagathbandhan, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal, includes Congress party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), and Mukesh Sahani's Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP). The voting for the 243-seat Bihar Assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, whereas bye-elections for eight seats across seven states and Union Territories will be held on November 11. The results for both will be declared on November 14. (ANI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not filed any reply on the plea of former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi seeking once in a week hearing of the trial in the IRCTC hotel corruption case in the Rouse Avenue court. On Monday, both accused moved an application and also sought four weeks time to examine the prosecution witnesses. This case pertains to alleged corruption in the tender of two IRCTC hotels in Ranchi and Puri during the tenure of Lalu Prasad Yadav as railway minister. Special Judge (CBI) Vishal Gogne recorded the submissions made by Senior Advocate D P Singh, who appeared for the CBI, and proceeded further to record the evidence of two prosecution witnesses. Senior advocate Singh submitted that no reply is to be filed to the applications moved on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and M/S LARA Projects LLP, as well as Vijay and Vinay Kochar, Sujata Hotels. Thereafter, the court proceeded to record the prosecution's evidence and said, "In continuation of the previous directions through order dated October 27, 2025, it is appropriate that the witnesses already summoned and present today be examined-in-chief." The court recorded the Examination Chief of two Prosecution witnesses on Tuesday. While framing the charges on October 13, the Rouse Avenue court had listed the matter for day-to-day hearing for recording the prosecution evidence. The court had framed charges against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejaswi Yadav and others in criminal Conspiracy and sections related to other offences in the IRCTC hotel corruption case. The counsel for the accused Vijay and Vinay Kochar also prayed that the evidence for the prosecution be deferred for any date subsequent to November 17, 2025. "The essence of the submissions is that in view of the short time available between the framing of the charge and the commencement of evidence, the respective counsels would require adequate time to prepare for cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses," the court had noted in the order of October 27. Senior advocate D P Singh alongwith Manu Mishra, appeared for the CBI and opposed the prayers. The court said, "The court deems it fit that since witnesses from out of Delhi are present today, an effort be made to examine them in chief." The court had framed charges under different sections of cheating, conspiracy and for the offences related to corruption. However, all the accused are charged with criminal conspiracy. The court had said that there is sufficient ground to frame charges against all 14 accused persons. Lalu Prasad Yadav has pleaded not guilty, and he said he will face the trial. Rabri Devi and Tejaswi Yadav are charged with Section 420, 120 B of IPC for the offence of cheating and Conspiracy. They denied the charge and said they will face the trial. This case pertains to allegations of corruption in the allotment of maintenance work of IRCTC hotel tenders during the tenure of Lalu Prasad Yadav during 2004-2009. It is alleged that the maintenance contract of two IRCTC hotels, namely BNR Ranchi and BNR Puri to Sujata Hotel, a private firm owned by Vijay and Vinay Kochar. The CBI had alleged that in return for this deal, Lalu Prasad Yadav got three acres of prime land through some benami company. On July 7, 2017, the CBI filed an FIR against Lalu. The agency also raided 12 locations linked to Lalu and his family members in Patna, New Delhi, Ranchi and Gurgaon. A charge sheet was filed in April 2018. The CBI had invoked section 120B read with 420 of IPC, section 13 (2) read with 13 (1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. (ANI) Landfall process of the Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) 'Montha' commenced on Tuesday around 7:30 pm as the storm is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada tonight, the India Meteorological Department said. As per the update at 9:30 pm, IMD said, "SCS Montha is likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada during the next 2 hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph." Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that 11,396 people have been evacuated so far in the state, while the government is gearing up to evacuate a total of 30,000 people. CM Majhi said, "The eight districts of South Odisha - Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur - are likely to be the most affected. The state government is fully prepared to deal with this situation. As always, our goal is zero casualties. To evacuate people, we have prepared 2,040 cyclone and flood-affected sites. So far, we have evacuated 11,396 people. We are monitoring the situation and are preparing to evacuate more than 30,000 people...We have deployed a total of 30 ODRF, 123 fire brigades, and five NDRF teams. We have also kept more teams on alert..." In the wake of the cyclonic storm's landfall, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw discussed with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi, and decided to immediately restore rail services post-landfall. "Spoke with Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu Ji and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi Ji, along with concerned Railway officials. Decisions taken for immediate restoration work post landfall of the cyclone," Vaishnaw said in a post on X. He added that the railway war rooms have been activated, while the train operations are being closely monitored. The Railway Minister said, "In preparation for Cyclone Montha's expected impact on the East Coast, war rooms are activated at Divisional, Zonal and Board levels. Positioned essential resources in the east coastal divisions. Our teams in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Guntur are on alert. Train operations are being closely monitored to minimise disruptions." The Indian Railways has announced the cancellation of 32 trains passing through Visakhapatnam, citing passenger safety. Earlier today, Vaishnaw directed railways to take precautionary measures in anticipation of Cyclone Montha's impact on the East Coast, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana. He directed all officials of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) and South Central Railway (SCR) zones to remain on high alert and take proactive steps to restore train services quickly. In Andhra Pradesh, the State government has established more than 800 relief centres and shifted pregnant women to hospitals. Kakinada MP Tangella, who was present on the ground in Uppada, monitored the situation. "Our government is fully prepared to face this cyclone," Tangella told ANI, adding that the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan have been monitoring the situation for the last two days. "As the MP, I am on the ground and have arranged more than 800 relief centres where we are providing all basic facilities. We have deployed 1000 electricians to ensure 24-hour power in the area in case of any eventuality. 140 Swimmers with boats are also deployed here. The pregnant ladies have been shifted to different hospitals," he said. In Odisha's Malkangiri district, the medical staff is taking extra precautions for pregnant women, shifting those due to deliver within 15 days to Maa Gruhas (birth waiting homes) at seven Community Health Centres. Dr Nishant Das, Medical Officer incharge at CHC Pandripani, told ANI, "In light of the Montha cyclone, as per the district administration's instructions, we are relocating pregnant women with delivery dates within 15 days to these Maa Gruhas (birth waiting homes). This ensures that when their labour begins, we can provide them with a safe place. So far, we have housed 22 pregnant women here. They are receiving food four times daily, undergoing blood tests, and being checked by doctors twice a day." A total of 123 fire teams have been deployed, and roads are being cleared to avoid casualties amid the landfall of the Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha. Chief Fire Officer, Odisha, Ramesh Chandra Majhi said, "In view of Cyclone Montha, 123 fire teams have been deployed at various locations. Our teams are clearing roads affected by the cyclone. The Odisha Chief Minister has clearly instructed that there should be no casualties due to Cyclone Montha." Meanwhile, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commandant Gyaneshwar Singh said 26 teams are currently deployed in active operations, while 19 are in reserve. Singh said, "NDRF has been on alert since the formation of Cyclone 'Montha,' and we are monitoring the bulletins issued by the IMD. As per the latest trends, the movement speed has slowed a bit. However, the current gusty winds are flowing at around 90 to 110 kmph, moving north-northwestwards, and are likely to strike the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Total, our 26 teams are deployed in active ops, and we have around 19 teams in reserve." Of the 26, 12 NDRF teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, and six in Odisha. "Of those 26, a maximum of 12 teams are in Andhra Pradesh because that is the area where it is likely to have the most impact. 6 teams are deployed in Odisha and, as part of north Tamil Nadu, are also likely to be affected, so three teams are deployed there. Yesterday, we deployed some teams in Telangana and Chhattisgarh," the NDRF official said. Over 35 flights between Shamshabad in Telangana and Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Rajahmundry airports in Andhra Pradesh have been cancelled, GMR Airports said. A total of 30 IndiGo, two Air India and five Air India Express flights have been cancelled as the SCS Month approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada. (ANI) US President Donald Trump has called Russia's nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile test "inappropriate" and advised Russian President Vladimir Putin to focus on ending the conflict with Ukraine. Donald Trump also highlighted the US' nuclear capabilities, stating that they have a nuclear submarine. "They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores. So, I mean, it doesn't have to go 8,000 miles. And they're not playing games with us. We're not playing games with them either. We test missiles all the time," Donald Trump said while interacting with reporters on Air Force One. "I don't think it's an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying either. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its fourth year. That's what he ought to do instead of testing missiles," he added. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address to the Federal Assembly (Russia's bicameral parliament) stated that Moscow had developed a small-sized nuclear power unit that could be used in a cruise missile to extend its range practically indefinitely. According to Putin, this would be a low-flying missile with an unpredictable trajectory, TASS reported. Putin was cited as saying that the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile has no analogues in the world. He said Moscow had successfully tested the weapon and would work towards deploying it. Russian officials claim it remained airborne for about 15 hours and covered about 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles). Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has also signed a law terminating the already defunct plutonium disposal agreement with the United States, aimed to limit production of nuclear weapons-grade material, RT reported. The lower house of Parliament approved the bill earlier this month, while the Federation Council, the upper chamber, gave its consent last Wednesday. The legislation came into effect on Monday following Putin's approval. The agreement, signed in September 2000, required both Russia and the United States to dispose of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium that was no longer needed for military purposes. (ANI) US President Donald Trump has kept the possibility of running for a third presidential term in 2028 open. When asked about former White House strategist Steve Bannon's recent suggestion that he seek an unconstitutional third term, Trump, during his interaction with the media aboard Air Force One, said, "I would love to do it. I have the best numbers ever." However, he quickly added that he "hasn't really thought about" running again. Trump also hinted at the potential successors to lead the Republican Party after his tenure, naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance as top contenders for the 2028 presidential race. "We have some really good people," Trump said, pointing toward Rubio, "We have great people -- I don't need to get into that. One of them is standing right here," he added. The President also praised his vice president, JD Vance, "Obviously, JD is great. The vice president is great. I'm not sure anyone would run against those two," Trump said. As reported by Politico, Bannon, a close ally of the former president, has been among the most vocal advocates for Trump to consider another run, recently claiming on his podcast that "there is a plan" for Trump to seek a third term. However, the US Constitution limits a president to two terms. Meanwhile, Trump has arrived in Tokyo for the second leg of his Asia trip, following a successful visit to Malaysia, where he participated in the ASEAN Summit. Before his departure from Kuala Lumpur, Trump waved farewell to Malaysian officials and citizens, marking the conclusion of his 24-hour visit. Taking to Truth Social, he wrote, "Just leaving Malaysia, a great and very vibrant Country. Signed major Trade and Rare Earth Deals, and yesterday, most importantly, signed the Peace Treaty between Thailand and Cambodia. NO WAR! Millions of lives saved. Such an honor to have gotten this done. Now, off to Japan!!!". (ANI) The United Nations and France have condemned an Israeli strike that struck UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon, describing the incident as a serious violation of international norms and the ceasefire agreement in the region, Al Jazeera reported. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the attack, which took place a day earlier near the border town of Kfar Kila, involved an Israeli drone dropping a grenade close to a UNIFIL patrol, followed by tank fire directed at the peacekeepers. He called the incident "very, very dangerous." Dujarric said the UN has repeatedly faced what it perceives as deliberate targeting by Israeli forces, including laser pointing and warning shots. "Our colleagues at UNIFIL are in contact with the Israeli military to protest vehemently against these attacks," he said. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) operates alongside the Lebanese army to maintain a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, established last year. However, Israeli forces have reportedly breached the truce on a near-daily basis, Al Jazeera reported. France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs also denounced "the Israeli fire that targeted a UNIFIL detachment," noting that similar incidents occurred on October 1, 2, and 11. UNIFIL reported that on Sunday, an Israeli drone flew aggressively over one of its patrols, prompting peacekeepers to take "necessary defensive countermeasures to neutralise the drone" Al Jazeera reported. Israel continues to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon and has carried out near-daily strikes in violation of the ceasefire. On Monday, two brothers were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on the village of al-Bayyad in Tyre district. The Israeli military claimed its latest attacks targeted a Hezbollah arms dealer and another individual allegedly assisting the group's efforts to rebuild its military capacity. Lebanese officials, however, accused Israel of hampering reconstruction efforts by striking civilian infrastructure, including machinery and construction equipment, Al Jazeera reported. Hezbollah, which has sustained heavy losses amid continued Israeli bombardment, said it remains ready to defend itself. "The possibility of war exists but is uncertain; it depends on their calculations," Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said. Meanwhile, US Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus arrived in Beirut late on Monday for meetings with Lebanese leaders, amid Washington's continued calls for Hezbollah to disarm and integrate into the national army. (ANI) US President Donald Trump met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday, marking the start of his official engagements in Japan, the second stop on his three-country Asia tour. During their meeting at the Akasaka Palace, the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties between the United States and Japan. Takaichi, pledged to build a "new golden era" of the Japan-US alliance together with Trump, adding the bilateral relationship has now become "the greatest alliance in the world" Japanese state media reported. Takaichi also praised Trump's role in promoting peace in West Asia and resolving a conflict between Thailand and Cambodia as "unprecedented historic achievements," it said. Kyodo cited a source as saying that the Japanese PM intends to tell Trump of her plan to recommend him for the Nobel Peace Prize. President Trump participated in a signing ceremony with the Prime Minister of Japan. Trump told Takaichi that they will have "a fantastic relationship," saying, "I have always had a great love of Japan and a great respect of Japan, and I will say that this will be a relationship that will be stronger than ever before" Kyodo reported. "I want to just let you know -- any time you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there," Trump added. Following their exchange, Trump joined Takaichi for the Welcome Ceremony at Akasaka Palace, where they reviewed the guard of honour and greeted attending officials. The ceremony underscored the growing partnership between Washington and Tokyo amid evolving regional and global developments. The Japanese delegation extended a warm welcome to Trump, reaffirming Japan's commitment to close cooperation with the United States on trade, security, and economic matters. Takaichi also interacted with members of the US delegation accompanying Trump, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the United States Trade Representative, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump's engagements in Tokyo followed his audience a day earlier with Japan's Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace, where he described the monarch as "a great man." The back-to-back meetings with both the Emperor and Prime Minister Takaichi highlighted the ceremonial and strategic dimensions of Trump's visit, reflecting the enduring alliance between Washington and Tokyo. Dressed in a navy suit and gold tie, Trump was warmly received by Emperor Naruhito, who smiled and waved as the US leader arrived. The two shook hands and posed for photographers before entering the palace, where the meeting was held in a simple room with wooden furniture. The White House later shared a photo of the meeting on X. Their meeting lasted for more than half an hour. Recalling his previous visit, Trump told reporters that Emperor Naruhito was "a great man," referencing their earlier interaction during his 2019 state visit when he was hosted at a banquet, as reported by CNN. Japan is Trump's second stop on his five-day Asia tour. Earlier, he was in Malaysia, where he attended the 47th ASEAN Summit and participated in the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand peace deal. (ANI) An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan, is scheduled to indict Matiullah Jan, a journalist who has long reported on police abuse, on October 31, 2025, on apparent politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. It gave a call to the Pakistani authorities to immediately drop the baseless charges against Jan under several sections of the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act and for possession of narcotics. Human Rights Watch highlighted that Pakistani journalists have in recent years increasingly faced serious obstacles to their work, including harassment, threats, assault, arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, and killings. The authorities have increasingly pressured editors and media owners to stifle critical reporting. It reported that in 2025 so far, the authorities have filed about 689 cases under the draconian and overbroad 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, often targeting journalists, as well as under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Television channels critical of the government have experienced signal disruptions during broadcasts of opposition rallies. "The Pakistani authorities' prosecution of Matiullah Jan appears to be a heavy-handed attempt to silence critical journalism," said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should drop the charges and stop using the criminal justice system to punish journalists for doing their jobs." The police claim that they stopped Jan at a checkpoint in Islamabad's E-9 area on November 27, 2024, and that he allegedly possessed 246 grams of methamphetamine and committed acts of terrorism by resisting arrest and escaping. He contended that the authorities are retaliating against him because of his reporting on the police's excessive use of force against political protesters. The authorities have also accused Jan of spreading "fake news for dollars," but these allegations do not appear in the criminal charges filed against him, Human Rights Watch said in its report. It further reported that Jan has denied that the police attempted to arrest him at the checkpoint. He said that instead, on November 27, 2024, after the authorities registered a criminal case against him, unidentified men in black uniforms abducted him and another journalist, Saqib Bashir, from a parking lot, blindfolded them, and forced them into a vehicle. Bashir was released three hours later; the Islamabad High Court granted Jan bail on November 30. According to Human Rights Watch, the authorities have targeted Jan, a journalist who has covered legal and political issues, for three decades. On July 21, 2020, unidentified assailants abducted Jan in Islamabad, a day before he was to appear before the Supreme Court to face accusations of "using derogatory/contemptuous language and maligning the institution of the judiciary." He was released after 12 hours. Jan filed a criminal case against his abductors, but no one was ever arrested. Human Rights Watch highlighted that domestic and international journalist and civil society organisations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, have called on the authorities to drop the charges against Jan. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Pakistan ratified in 2010, prohibits restrictions on freedom of expression on national security grounds unless they are provided by law, strictly construed, and necessary and proportionate to address a legitimate threat. Laws that impose criminal penalties for peaceful expression are of particular concern because of the chilling effects they have on free speech. Human Rights Watch gave a call for Pakistani authorities to conduct prompt, impartial, and effective investigations into recent attacks and dubious prosecutions of journalists. It said that the government should amend or annul laws and rescind official policies that violate the right to freedom of expression and media freedom, and instead promote space for public debate and free expression in the face of threats from extremist groups and government officials. "The Pakistani government needs to stop harassing and unjustly prosecuting journalists and ensure they can report freely without fear of retaliation," Gossman said. "The authorities should recognize the value to Pakistani society of those reporting on human rights issues rather than trying to muzzle them." (ANI) US President Donald Trump began a packed day of diplomatic engagements in Asia on Tuesday with a warm meeting with Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. The two leaders exchanged greetings as Trump smiled and said, "That's a very strong handshake," while meeting Japan's first-ever woman prime minister. The cordial moment underscored the significance of their first interaction since Takaichi took office, signalling a positive start to bilateral talks. Trump, who had recently attended the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, arrived in Tokyo riding on the momentum of what he called his "personal diplomacy dividend." At the summit, he welcomed the ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia and credited his outreach for the breakthrough, describing it as "another great day for peace." Building on that diplomatic progress, Trump's discussions with Takaichi culminated in the signing of two major agreements, one centred on trade and the other on critical minerals, reaffirming efforts by both nations to deepen economic and strategic cooperation. Before the formal signing, Trump joined Takaichi for a welcome ceremony at Akasaka Palace, where the two leaders reviewed the guard of honour and greeted attending officials. The ceremony reflected the growing partnership between Washington and Tokyo amid evolving regional and global developments. The Japanese delegation extended a warm welcome to Trump, reaffirming Japan's commitment to close cooperation with the United States on trade, security, and economic matters. The first deal, described as brief, called for a "new golden age" in the US-Japan alliance and referenced the trade pact Trump announced in July. Under that arrangement, a 15 per cent tariff will apply to Japanese exports in exchange for USD 550 billion in Japanese investment in the United States. The second agreement established a framework to secure the supply of critical and rare-earth minerals through strengthened cooperation in mining and processing. The initiative aims to boost supply chain resilience for materials vital to electronics and advanced technologies. During their meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral ties. Takaichi pledged to build a "new golden era" of the Japan-US alliance together with Trump, calling the bilateral relationship "the greatest alliance in the world," according to Japanese state media. She also praised Trump's role in promoting peace in West Asia and resolving the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, calling them "unprecedented historic achievements." Trump's engagements in Tokyo came a day after his audience with Japan's Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace, where he described the monarch as "a great man." The meeting, which lasted for more than half an hour, saw Trump recall their earlier interaction during his 2019 state visit, when he was hosted at a banquet, according to CNN. During her interactions, Takaichi also met members of the US delegation, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the United States Trade Representative, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Japan marks Trump's second stop on his five-day Asia tour. Earlier, he was in Malaysia, where he attended the 47th ASEAN Summit and participated in the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand peace deal. He is expected to continue his tour with a visit to Seoul on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, where leaders are likely to deliberate on regional trade, security, and strategic cooperation across the Pacific. (ANI) Several residents of Kabul's District 4 have raised concerns over the sharp decline in groundwater levels, which they say has created serious challenges for their families and daily lives. According to Tolo News, residents urged the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to take immediate action to address the worsening water crisis. "We face many problems with water. We've been living here for twenty years, and every time, we're forced to dig a new well," said Shahpoor, a resident of District 4. Another local resident, Abdul Rashid, appealed to the authorities for support, saying, "We ask the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to help us with water supply. Our water is going to Pakistan and Iran. There should be pipelines from the Panjshir and Salang rivers." Tolo News reported that many residents have been struggling to meet their basic water needs, often waiting for hours to collect just a few barrels. "We bring four or five barrels and wait for hours just to get water. The situation has become very difficult," said Mehran, another resident. Experts have warned that the water shortage poses not only local but also national economic, social, and environmental risks. "When water access decreases, the entire economy suffers. We've seen displacement and migration in several provinces. In Herat, people migrated from neighboring provinces and even moved abroad," said Najibullah Sadid, a water resources expert, as quoted by Tolo News. The Ministry of Energy and Water has attributed the falling groundwater levels to climate change and unplanned urban development. "Climate change has not only affected Afghanistan but also countries across the region. Afghanistan is among the nations most severely hit by drought, and rainfall has decreased. In cities, unplanned development is a major cause of the decline in water resources," said Matiullah Abid, spokesperson for the ministry. Tolo News reported that Afghanistan has been experiencing one of the most severe droughts in its history in recent years, with groundwater levels in major cities, particularly Kabul, dropping alarmingly. (ANI) Vice President CP Radhakrishnan concluded a successful visit to Seychelles from October 26-27 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected President Patrick Herminie. His visit underscored the importance India attaches to its relations with Seychelles under Vision MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) and the commitment to the Global South, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shared in an official statement on Tuesday. During the visit, the Vice-President called on President Patrick Herminie and met Vice-President Sebastien Pillay. He conveyed warm greetings and felicitations to the newly elected Government on behalf of the Government of India. Vice President Radhakrishnan also met the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, and addressed a community reception attended by the members of the Indian diaspora in Seychelles. "India and Seychelles share common values of democracy and pluralism, and enjoy a close, long-standing and time-tested partnership. Government of India looks forward to working with the new Government of Seychelles under Dr. Patrick Herminie to further strengthen and expand our bilateral partnership", the statement underlined. Previously, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri outlined the key highlights of Vice President CP Radhakrishnan's visit to Seychelles, emphasising the deep-rooted partnership between India and the island nation. Highlighting the focus of the visit, Misri noted, "The Vice President especially expressed his desire to strengthen relations in all of the areas of Seychelles' priorities insofar as its development is concerned, particularly in the areas of health, education, energy, transport, and of course, maritime security." Misri stated that Vice President Radhakrishnan handed over to President Herminie an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pay a visit to India at mutual convenience. "The Vice President also had a meeting with Vice President-elect Sebastien Pillay of Seychelles this morning," he added. Concluding his remarks, Misri said, "Next year, Seychelles will celebrate 50 years of independence. It also happens to be the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Seychelles. As these happy events gather next year, we are confident that the relationship between India and Seychelles will be taken to greater heights." (ANI) The Punjab Assembly witnessed rare consensus as both treasury and opposition benches blasted the provincial government over alleged bias and irregularities in distributing flood relief funds to victims across the province, as reported by The Express Tribune. According to The Express Tribune, PML-N legislator Khalid Mahmood condemned what he termed the "unjust conduct" of local authorities, claiming that many impoverished families without land ownership documents had been excluded from the compensation programme. He told the House that "landless citizens, who lost everything in the floods, are being systematically ignored," urging Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to extend the financial assistance scheme to those without property. Mahmood called the current policy "discriminatory and contrary to the very purpose of welfare aid." Responding to the criticism, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman rejected the notion that only landowners were eligible for compensation. He clarified that the chief minister had already instructed officials to include residents of riverine zones by offering both financial assistance and alternate land. "Those who lost homes will receive between PKR 500,000 and PKR 1 million, while others will be compensated for loss of land or livestock," Rehman said. He assured lawmakers that he would personally review the implementation process and share updates with the assembly. However, opposition MPA Rana Shahbaz accused local revenue officials of manipulating the survey lists to favour certain landlords while excluding victims associated with PTI and PPP. "This bias is deep-rooted and politically motivated," Shahbaz alleged, as cited by The Express Tribune. Meanwhile, PML-N member Ahmed Iqbal criticised the government's failure to develop sustainable disaster management strategies, saying Punjab faced recurring environmental crises from floods and smog to heatwaves, yet no consistent policy response. He also denounced the new 8:45 a.m. school timing, calling it poorly planned and disruptive, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI) The Indian Navy's indigenously built Shivalik-class guided missile stealth frigate INS Sahyadri received a warm welcome upon its arrival at Sasebo. The Indian Navy ship, commanded by Captain Rajat Kumar, is participating in the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JAIMEX-25). Through a post on X on Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Tokyo said, "INS Sahyadri arrived at Sasebo to a warm welcome ceremony by JMSDF Sasebo District. Sahyadri commanded by Capt Rajat Kumar is participating in Japan-India Maritime Exercise - JAIMEX 25." https://x.com/IndianEmbTokyo/status/1983043508064956611 As part of the two nations' defence cooperation, INS Sahyadri also made a port call at the Maritime Self-defence Force's Sasebo base in southwest Japan, according to Japan's Kyodo News. After giving its crew a chance to rest and replenish their supplies, the frigate is expected to depart the port in Nagasaki Prefecture on Friday, Kyodo News added in its report. "The improvement of interoperability between the MSDF and the Indian Navy is essential to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Captain Shingo Asari, who welcomed the Indian ship and its crew, Kyodo News reported. The Indian and Japanese navies conducted the harbour phase of the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JAIMEX-25), featuring a series of activities including cross-deck visits, professional interactions and a combined yoga camp that strengthened camaraderie and cooperation between the two forces, the Indian Navy spokesperson said in an official statement on Saturday. The Indian Navy's indigenously built Shivalik-class guided missile stealth frigate INS Sahyadri participated in the Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JAIMEX-25) held from October 16 to 18 and arrived at Yokosuka Port, Japan, on October 21 for the harbour phase. According to the Ministry of Defence, before arriving at Yokosuka, INS Sahyadri joined Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) ships Asahi, Oumi and the submarine Jinryu for the sea phase. The ships conducted advanced anti-submarine warfare and missile defence drills, as well as flying operations and underway replenishment (refuelling and supply operations at sea). These exercises helped improve coordination between the two navies and strengthened cooperation under the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, established in 2014 to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Commissioned in 2012, INS Sahyadri showcases India's progress in indigenous defence technology and supports the vision of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (Self-Reliant India). The stealth frigate has taken part in several important operational deployments and joint exercises with other countries. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), defence ties between India and Japan have grown stronger in recent years, with both countries sharing similar views on peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. After the election of Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated her on X, saying, "I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond." (ANI) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday underscored Japan's resolve to strengthen its defence posture and deepen cooperation with the United States, calling for joint efforts to preserve peace in the Indo-Pacific amid escalating regional tensions. Addressing US troops aboard the USS George Washington at the Yokosuka Naval Base alongside US President Donald Trump, Takaichi said the region was facing an "unprecedented security environment" and stressed that Japan and the US would "join hands to ensure peace and security in this region." "Peace cannot be preserved by words alone. It can be protected only when there is an unwavering determination and action," she said, reaffirming her government's intent to "fundamentally reinforce its defence capabilities" and contribute "even more proactively to peace and stability of the region." Her remarks came as both nations reiterated their determination to enhance military cooperation to counter growing challenges from China, which has ramped up drills in the South China Sea and increased pressure on Taiwan. "Through these efforts, together with President Trump, I am determined to elevate the Japan-US Alliance, which has already become the greatest alliance in the world, to even greater heights," Takaichi added. Trump, who appeared alongside Takaichi during his visit to the Yokosuka Naval Base, lauded her leadership and praised Japan's growing partnership with Washington. The two leaders arrived together aboard Marine One and were greeted by US Navy Rainbow Boys as they stepped onto the USS George Washington, marking one of the most symbolic moments of Trump's ongoing Asia tour. Addressing nearly 6,000 American troops gathered on the aircraft carrier, Trump invited Takaichi to join him on stage and hailed her as a "winner," calling her a symbol of strength and progress. "This woman is a winner," he said, as the crowd erupted in applause. Acknowledging her historic ascent as Japan's first female prime minister, Trump remarked, "I have to say this, the first female prime minister," drawing cheers from the assembled servicemen. Earlier in the day, the two leaders met in Tokyo for bilateral talks focused on strengthening defence cooperation, trade ties, and regional security. During the meeting, Trump told Takaichi she would "be one of the great prime ministers," while Takaichi described him as a "great leader" and expressed her intention to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House. Their meeting also saw the signing of agreements on trade and critical minerals, reaffirming a shared commitment to bolstering Japan's defence capabilities. Takaichi, who took office last week, has pledged to deepen Tokyo's partnership with Washington while continuing the diplomatic legacy of her late predecessor and mentor, Shinzo Abe. According to CNN, Trump's visit reflects a broader show of unity between the two nations amid growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Japan, which currently hosts around 55,000 American troops, remains a cornerstone of the US-led regional defence architecture. Amid rising tensions over Beijing's military activities in the South China Sea, Trump told reporters that China "won't make any moves on Taiwan," ahead of his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. As Marine One landed on the USS George Washington, the theme from Top Gun played over the speakers, setting a celebratory tone. Service members sang along to "Sweet Caroline" and "Party in the USA" while awaiting the arrival of their commander-in-chief. Japan marks the second stop on Trump's five-day Asia tour, following his visit to Malaysia where he attended the 47th ASEAN Summit and participated in the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand peace deal, underscoring his administration's focus on regional diplomacy and stability. (ANI) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday described her meeting with US President Donald Trump as "very productive and fruitful," saying both leaders discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest that reaffirmed the strength of the Japan-US alliance. In a post on X, Takaichi said, "A very productive and fruitful meeting with @realDonaldTrump today--covering a wide range of issues of mutual interest." She added that the discussions marked the beginning of "a new chapter in the golden age of the Japan-U.S. Alliance," underscoring the enduring partnership between the two countries. https://x.com/takaichi_sanae/status/1983076554537128359 "Our ironclad, unshakable Alliance and strong economic ties will continue to bring peace and prosperity to our peoples and to the Indo-Pacific," she said, adding that "The Free and Open Indo-Pacific (#FOIP) is the vision we advance together." Her remarks came as Trump underscored the close ties between Washington and Tokyo during his visit to the Yokosuka Naval Base, where the two leaders appeared together aboard the USS George Washington. The visit symbolised the unity of the two allies amid growing regional tensions. Arriving together on Marine One, Trump and Takaichi were greeted by a cordon of US Navy Rainbow Boys as they stepped onto the aircraft carrier, in a ceremony that reflected the discipline and precision of the US-Japan alliance. Addressing nearly 6,000 American troops, Trump invited Takaichi to join him on stage and praised her as a "winner," calling her a symbol of strength and progress. "This woman is a winner," Trump said, as the crowd broke into applause. He expressed admiration for Japan's leadership and partnership with Washington, adding, "I have such respect for Japan and the country, and now I have a really great respect for the new and incredible prime minister." Recognising Takaichi's historic rise as Japan's first female leader, Trump remarked, "I have to say this, the first female prime minister," drawing cheers from the servicemen. Earlier in the day, the two leaders met in Tokyo for bilateral talks focusing on defence cooperation, trade, and regional security. During their discussions, Trump told Takaichi she would "be one of the great prime ministers," while Takaichi described him as a "great leader" and expressed her intention to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House. The meeting also saw the signing of agreements on trade and critical minerals, reaffirming both nations' shared commitment to enhancing Japan's defence capabilities. Takaichi, who took office last week, has pledged to strengthen ties with Washington while continuing the diplomatic legacy of her late mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. According to CNN, Trump's visit signifies a broader display of unity between the two nations amid increasing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Japan, which hosts around 55,000 American troops, remains central to the US-led regional defence framework. As regional tensions continue over Beijing's military activities in the South China Sea, Trump told reporters that China "won't make any moves on Taiwan," ahead of his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. As Marine One touched down on the USS George Washington, the theme from Top Gun played across the deck, setting a celebratory mood. Service members sang along to "Sweet Caroline" and "Party in the USA" as they awaited the arrival of their commander-in-chief. Japan marks the second stop on Trump's five-day Asia tour, following his visit to Malaysia, where he attended the 47th ASEAN Summit and participated in the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand peace deal, reinforcing his administration's focus on regional diplomacy and stability. (ANI) India and Belarus held the 8th round of Foreign Office Consultations, which were chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George and Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Evgeny Shestakov. The talks saw discussions on bilateral relations as well as exchange of views on regional and global matters of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shared on Tuesday. In a post on X, the MEA said that the two sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education and consular matters. "The 8th round of India-Belarus Foreign Office Consultations co-chaired by Secretary (West) @AmbSibiGeorge and H.E. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Mr. Evgeny Shestakov was held in Minsk. Both sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education and consular matters. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1983077747493871735 As per the MEA, the 7th round of FOCs was held in August 2022 in New Delhi. The two countries have signed a number of Agreements/MoUs on various subjects, including trade and economic cooperation, culture, education, media and sports, tourism, science & technology, agriculture, textiles, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Promotion and Protection of Investments, and defence and technical cooperation. India's relations with Belarus have been traditionally warm and cordial. MEA noted that India was one of the first countries to recognise Belarus as an independent country in 1991. Formal diplomatic relations were established, and the Indian diplomatic mission was opened in Minsk in 1992- with the first Resident Ambassador joining in January 1993 - followed by the opening of the Belarusian Embassy in New Delhi in 1998. The bilateral relations between New Delhi and Minsk are marked by broad understanding on issues of mutual interest. The two countries enjoy a comprehensive partnership and have established mechanisms for exchanging views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues through Foreign Office Consultations, the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), Joint Commission on Military Technical Cooperation, and other thematic bilateral mechanisms. The two countries cooperate and coordinate their efforts in international, multilateral and regional matters with a commonality of views on several international and regional issues. (ANI) US President Donald Trump underscored the strong ties between the United States and Japan during his visit to the Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday, where he appeared alongside Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and praised her leadership. The two leaders arrived together aboard Marine One and were greeted by a cordon of US Navy Rainbow Boys as they stepped onto the USS George Washington, marking one of the most symbolic moments of Trump's ongoing Asia tour. The arrival ceremony, featuring service members in colour-coded uniforms denoting their duties, yellow for aircraft movement, green for catapult operations, and purple for fuelling, reflected the precision and discipline of the US-Japan alliance. Addressing nearly 6,000 American troops gathered on the aircraft carrier, Trump invited Takaichi to join him on stage and lauded her as a "winner", calling her a symbol of strength and progress. "This woman is a winner," Trump said, as the crowd erupted in applause. He went on to express admiration for Japan's leadership and its growing partnership with Washington, adding, "I have such respect for Japan and the country, and now I have a really great respect for the new and incredible prime minister." Acknowledging Takaichi's historic ascent as Japan's first female leader, Trump remarked, "I have to say this, the first female prime minister," drawing cheers from the assembled servicemen. Earlier in the day, the two leaders met in Tokyo for bilateral talks focused on strengthening defence cooperation, trade ties, and regional security. During the meeting, Trump told Takaichi she would "be one of the great prime ministers", while Takaichi described him as a "great leader" and expressed her intention to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House. Their meeting also saw the signing of agreements on trade and critical minerals, reaffirming a shared commitment to bolstering Japan's defence capabilities. Takaichi, who took office last week, has pledged to deepen Tokyo's partnership with Washington while continuing the diplomatic legacy of her late predecessor and mentor, Shinzo Abe. According to CNN, Trump's visit reflects a broader show of unity between the two nations amid growing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific. Japan, which currently hosts around 55,000 American troops, remains a cornerstone of the US-led regional defence architecture. Amid rising tensions over Beijing's military activities in the South China Sea, Trump told reporters that China "won't make any moves on Taiwan", ahead of his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. As Marine One landed on the USS George Washington, the theme from Top Gun played over the speakers, setting a celebratory tone. Service members, who had waited for hours, sang along to "Sweet Caroline" and "Party in the USA" while awaiting the arrival of their commander-in-chief. Japan marks the second stop on Trump's five-day Asia tour. Before arriving in Tokyo, he visited Malaysia to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and participated in the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand peace deal, underscoring his administration's focus on regional diplomacy and stability. (ANI) Much more awaits restoration between China and India beyond direct flights: Global Times editorial Global Times) 08:32, October 28, 2025 On Monday, a fully booked flight from Kolkata, India, landed in Guangzhou, China, marking the official resumption of direct air services between the two countries after a suspension of more than five years. As the world's two most populous nations and neighbors, it is truly baffling that direct flights have been suspended for over five years. The inaugural flight was described by AFP as two Asian giants "cautiously rebuilding relations," while Bloomberg referred to it as "the latest sign of warming ties between two of the world's biggest economies." The Indian government stated that the resumption of flights will boost "people-to-people contact" and aid the "gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges." Indeed, the significance of this resumption lies not only in the reopening of air routes, but also in the two sides taking a necessary step toward normalizing relations. In recent times, China-India relations have undergone a key shift from turbulence to improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic shock, border frictions, trade fluctuations and the stagnation of personnel exchanges once led to a serious underestimation of the potential for cooperation between the two countries. The resumption of direct flights demonstrates the two sides' earnest efforts to implement the important consensus reached during the two leaders' meeting in Tianjin this August. During that meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that China and India should "become good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed" and that a "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" should be the right choice for the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded that India and China are "partners, not rivals" and that "the consensus between the two countries far outweighs their disagreement." It is precisely this shared understanding that has helped China-India relations regain their sense of direction from a strategic and long-term perspective. Guided by head-of-state diplomacy, China-India relations have entered a strategic window of sustained warming. Last month, India's imports from China rose by more than 16 percent year-on-year, while its exports to China surged by around 34 percent. During last week's Diwali celebrations, soldiers from both countries exchanged sweets at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control. Against this backdrop, the resumption of direct flights between China and India came as no surprise. The deeper driving force behind this development lies in the strong intrinsic demand for economic and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Of course, restoring direct flights is only the first step toward getting China-India relations back on track. There are still many areas of exchange that need to be revived. Over the past five years, various aspects of China-India relations, including visas, academic exchange, cultural engagement, and border trade, have been severely affected or even "frozen." Many channels between the two sides still await normalization. The e-visa channel for Chinese travelers to India remains suspended, very few Chinese students successfully obtain Indian visas, and several bottlenecks in border trade have yet to be cleared. It can be said that currently, China is essentially "unilaterally opening up" to India, while India has only opened a very small "seam of the door" to China. Considering the two countries' combined market size of over 2.8 billion people and demand for exchanges, bilateral engagement still has significant room for growth. For years, India's China policy has been constrained by certain cognitive biases. Some Indian politicians stubbornly view China as a "main competitor" or even an "imaginary adversary," allowing anxiety over a "zero-sum game" to dominate their policy mind-set, preventing a pragmatic and rational improvement in relations with China. As a major power with a strong concept of strategic autonomy, India also needs to break free from the role imposed on it by the West in the "Indo-Pacific chess game." One fact is that the recent resistance from New Delhi against Washington's high tariff policies has been significantly supported by contributions from neighboring countries toward its trade diversification. Both China and India adhere to an independent diplomatic philosophy and are unwilling to be held hostage by any third party. Improving ties with China should be a self-determined choice that aligns with India's national interests. Easing personnel exchanges is fundamentally a mutually beneficial initiative that directly serves the growing needs of exchanges among entrepreneurs, academics, and cultural figures from both countries, facilitating interactions between their peoples and benefiting various communities. Amid the global turbulence and sluggish economic recovery, both China and India are at a critical stage of development and revitalization, serving as important representatives of the Global South and significant forces in promoting economic globalization and the multipolarity of the world. China and India should focus on development as the greatest common denominator, mutually supporting, promoting, and achieving each other's goals. They should contribute more to maintaining peace and prosperity in Asia and the world. Whether the resumption of direct flights between China and India can carve out a "new trajectory" for bilateral relations depends largely on whether India can move past the internal and external factors that have disrupted bilateral ties for some time. It is essential for India to truly view and handle China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. Both China and India possess a rich civilization and strong developmental momentum, and people hope to see a "cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant" rather than a "conflict between the dragon and the elephant." The resumption of direct flights not only marks a beginning, but it also serves as a reminder that, beyond flights, there is much more that should be restored between China and India. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has intercepted a major shipment of Chinese mitten crabs after laboratory tests revealed traces of a banned veterinary drug, raising renewed alarm over the safety of food imports from China, as reported by Focus Taiwan. According to Focus Taiwan, the seized shipment totalling 3,915 kilograms was imported by Ruiheng International Trade Co, a Taoyuan-based firm. Testing confirmed the presence of 0.04 parts per million (ppm) of sulfadiazine, an antibiotic prohibited in crustaceans under Taiwan's food safety regulations. Liu Fang-ming, director of the TFDA's Northern Taiwan Management Center, stated during a press briefing that authorities have ordered the entire batch to be either destroyed or returned to the exporter in China. He cautioned that prolonged exposure to antibiotic residues in seafood can lead to antimicrobial resistance, reducing the effectiveness of essential medical treatments. This was the first failed batch among three mitten crab consignments imported from China this year. Taiwan has maintained a 100 per cent inspection requirement for Chinese mitten crabs since 2007, checking for drug residues, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In 2024, authorities examined 31 batches, with one shipment previously rejected for exceeding dioxin limits. The TFDA also revealed that the contaminated crabs were among 11 imported food items recently flagged at the border. These included melons from Japan, fish cakes from Indonesia, radish leaves from China, and lettuce from Malaysia, all of which failed safety tests, as cited by Focus Taiwan. In a separate case, Costco Taiwan's imported oranges from Australia tested positive for the prohibited plant growth regulator gibberellin A3, leading to an order for destruction or return. The TFDA has since mandated enhanced inspection rates of 20-50 per cent for future orange imports. Taiwan's regulators reaffirmed their commitment to strict food safety oversight, stressing that Chinese-origin seafood will remain under high-risk monitoring to safeguard consumers from harmful contaminants and illegal substances, as reported by Focus Taiwan. (ANI) An Indian delegation led by Secretary (West) Ambassador Sibi George visited Minsk on October 27-28, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said. During the visit, the eighth round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Belarus led by Secretary (West) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Evgeny Shestakov were held. Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education, and consular matters. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the statement said. It was agreed to hold the next round of consultations at a mutually convenient time. Secretary (West) also paid a courtesy call on Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. During the visit, Secretary (West) addressed the III Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, expressing India's views on pressing regional, and global issues. "The 8th round of India-Belarus Foreign Office Consultations co-chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George and Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Evgeny Shestakov was held in Minsk. Both sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education and consular matters. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in a post on X. https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1983092399816745382 As per the MEA, the 7th round of FOCs was held in August 2022 in New Delhi. The two countries have signed a number of Agreements/MoUs on various subjects, including trade and economic cooperation, culture, education, media and sports, tourism, science & technology, agriculture, textiles, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Promotion and Protection of Investments, and defence and technical cooperation. India's relations with Belarus have been traditionally warm and cordial. MEA noted that India was one of the first countries to recognise Belarus as an independent country in 1991. Formal diplomatic relations were established, and the Indian diplomatic mission was opened in Minsk in 1992- with the first Resident Ambassador joining in January 1993 - followed by the opening of the Belarusian Embassy in New Delhi in 1998. (ANI) Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday held talks with Robert Tieman, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands. The two discussed opportunities for partnership across "the maritime, integrated waste management, and water sectors, strengthening Indo-Dutch partnership." In a post on X, Fadnavis said, "It was a pleasure to welcome Minister Robert Tieman, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands, Ambassador Marisa Gerards, CG Nabil Taouati, along with the Dutch delegation in Mumbai. Had a positive discussion about opportunities across the maritime, integrated waste management, and water sectors, strengthening Indo-Dutch partnership." https://x.com/Dev_Fadnavis/status/1983159862864527556 While speaking to ANI, Tieman said, "India and the Netherlands are both big countries with water. The Netherlands is a little smaller geographically. We can help each other with our expertise. We have expertise in building big ports. Rotterdam was also developed recently. We can actually duplicate that in different parts of India. So we bring that expertise to the table...We also have a letter of intent signed yesterday between Minister (Sarbananda) Sonowal and me to look into the green and into the digital corridors between Mumbai and the gateway of Europe, Rotterdam." Tieman said that he was trying to look for areas where the Netherlands and India can complement each other. He told ANI, "Well, one of the things is that we need to have resilience from an energy point of view. Regarding hydrogen, we are looking at different countries. India is a very important country for us. Also, the Parliament says so. So I'm here, actually fulfilling also a wish of the majority in the Dutch Parliament to really look into India and to see how we can complement each other. We do business on a lot of things in a similar way from a cultural point of view, and that's why we think India is also the right choice from a geopolitical point," he said. Earlier on Monday, he met Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. https://x.com/sarbanandsonwal/status/1982829364418076768 In a post on X, he said, "A landmark day for India and Netherlands maritime relations! Pleased to sign a key MoU on Maritime Cooperation and an LoI for establishing a Green & Digital Sea Corridor with HE Robert Tieman, Minister of Infrastructure & Water Management, Netherlands in Mumbai at India Maritime Week 2025. This partnership will boost our cooperation in green shipping, port development and digital transformation, driving sustainability and growth for Amrit Kaal." (ANI) Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said that both sides reviewed bilateral relations. In a post on X, Jaiswal said, "Secretary (West) Sibi George met Deputy FM Sharifzoda Farukh Homiddin of Tajikistan. Both sides reviewed India-Tajikistan bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1983193597760725473 An Indian delegation led by George visited Minsk on October 27-28, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. During the visit, the eighth round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Belarus, led by the Secretary (West) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Evgeny Shestakov, were held. Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education, and consular matters. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the statement said. It was agreed to hold the next round of consultations at a mutually convenient time. Secretary (West) also paid a courtesy call on Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. During the visit, Secretary (West) addressed the III Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, expressing India's views on pressing regional and global issues. The 8th round of India-Belarus Foreign Office Consultations, co-chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George and Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Evgeny Shestakov, was held in Minsk. Both sides discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, cultural, tourism, education and consular matters. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in a post on X. https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1983092399816745382 As per the MEA, the 7th round of FOCs was held in August 2022 in New Delhi. The two countries have signed a number of Agreements/MoUs on various subjects, including trade and economic cooperation, culture, education, media and sports, tourism, science & technology, agriculture, textiles, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Promotion and Protection of Investments, and defence and technical cooperation. (ANI) During his visit, the Cyprus Minister is scheduled to meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and deliver a lecture at Sapru House on Thursday. Constantinos Kombos will depart from India on Friday. This comes after PM Modi's visit to Cyprus in June of this year. His official visit to Cyprus concluded with the adoption of a Joint Declaration outlining a roadmap for deepened strategic cooperation between the two nations, according to a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Cyprus also released coordinated statements underscoring the breadth of this renewed partnership. The statement also highlighted both sides' shared commitment to strengthening EU-India relations. With Cyprus assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2026, both sides pledged to work towards the timely conclusion of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025, calling it a move of "significant economic and strategic potential". According to the release, Prime Minister Modi's visit -- the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in over two decades -- was described as a "historic milestone" that "reaffirms the deep and enduring friendship between the two nations." The visit was seen as a celebration of a shared past and a "forward-looking partnership" rooted in strategic vision and mutual trust. The declaration noted that both leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues, acknowledging growing cooperation in economic, technological, and people-to-people domains. Cyprus and India committed to furthering collaboration "as trusted and indispensable partners contributing to regional and global peace, prosperity, and stability." The joint declaration reaffirmed both sides' shared values--democracy, multilateralism, rule of law, and sustainable development--and their support for a rules-based international order grounded in the UN Charter and international law. (ANI) TOKYO, Oct 27 (News On Japan) - AI tools are increasingly finding their way into Japans classrooms, from language practice to career counseling. Among them is the AI University Lecturer, developed by DOU Inc., a system designed to supplement human instruction by providing tailored support to each student based on their academic data. DOU CEO Tatsuya Ishibe says the goal is not to replace professors, but to extend learning beyond classroom hours. Through customized versions of ChatGPT, universities can create their own AI lecturers that understand what each student has studied, their assignments, and even performance data. The AI can then offer personalized guidance from helping a student prepare for an English test to discussing possible career paths. Ishibe explains that unlike general-purpose chatbots, DOUs system integrates with school databases, automatically syncing homework, reports, and grades. When a student talks to the AI, it already knows what theyve been studying, he said. The service, currently implemented at Chiba Institute of Technology and other schools, acts more like a teaching assistant than a professor available through a smartphone or computer to help students after class. It suggests exercises, tracks progress, and even prompts new tasks, while real professors handle in-person instruction. Still, Ishibe acknowledges that some students use AI to avoid effort. Of course, some will ask it to write their reports at the last minute, he admits. AI can become a tool for procrastination it depends on the persons motivation. He stresses that DOUs system is designed for those who want to learn but dont know where to start, allowing them to take the first step rather than do the work for them. The tool is already showing measurable results, particularly in job-hunting support. For example, students use the AI for self-analysis and to write entry sheets a key step in Japans hiring process. But Ishibe points out that companies are aware many students rely on AI. Even if someone uses AI to write their entry sheet, the people who get hired probably wouldnt change, he said. Those who have done real work will still stand out during interviews. He sees this as evidence that AI doesnt erase individuality but instead helps more students reach the point of applying confidently. The real value is in encouraging people who thought they couldnt apply to try, Ishibe said. At the same time, he argues that the essence of education remains human. AI can suggest, but it doesnt decide, he said. Only people can make choices, manage progress, and motivate others. Ishibe envisions a hybrid model where AI provides structured support while teachers continue to inspire and guide. Looking ahead, DOU plans to expand its AI lecturers beyond universities into high schools, helping younger students discover interests and navigate Japans increasingly diverse academic landscape. AI can show paths teachers might not know, Ishibe said. But in the end, its still up to each student to choose their own way. Source: Kyodo Moroccos tax expenditures have risen to 32.1 billion dirhams in 2025, reflecting persistent challenges in the governments efforts to rationalize fiscal incentives despite a broader reform agenda aimed at improving transparency and efficiency in public spending. Tax expenditures as a percentage of GDP have declined from 2.9% in 2022 to 2.1% in 2024, primarily due to the abolition of 24 measures as part of VAT reform, resulting in a 28.3% reduction in VAT-related tax expenditures. However, the 2025 figures show a reversal of this downward trend, raising questions about the sustainability of rationalization efforts. The evolution of these fiscal incentives has been marked by significant volatility. Starting at 28.42 billion dirhams in 2019, expenditures peaked at 38 billion dirhams in 2022 following pandemic-related economic stimulus measures, before declining to 35.4 billion dirhams in 2023 and 32.1 billion dirhams in 2024. Morocco ranks 28th out of 105 countries in the Global Tax Expenditures Transparency Index with a score of 55.7 out of 100, with critics highlighting the absence of exhaustive impact studies and clear criteria for creating or removing incentives. The Court of Accounts has emphasized the need for rigorous evaluation of these measures effectiveness and their actual impact on economic development. Value-added tax continues to dominate the composition of tax expenditures, accounting for 51% of the total at 16.3 billion dirhams in 2025, up from 47% in 2020. This concentration reflects extensive use of exemptions to support household consumption and stimulate domestic demand. Total exemptions represent 73.1% of all tax expenditures in 2025, amounting to 23.4 billion dirhams, while reductions account for 18.2%. This structure demonstrates the governments preference for direct incentive mechanisms to support priority sectors. Three sectors absorb nearly 60% of tax benefits: social security and welfare (23.3%), real estate activities (17.3%), and electricity and gas (16.4%). Agriculture, financial services, and education each receive approximately 6% of total expenditures. The distribution between economic and social objectives has shifted significantly. While economic purposes dominated in 2020 at 56.4%, social objectives now represent 52.5% of tax expenditures in 2025, illustrating Moroccos reorientation toward social cohesion and inclusive growth. The 2025 Finance Law concludes a three-year reform cycle aimed at modernizing the tax system, with provisions including raising the income tax exemption threshold from 30,000 to 40,000 dirhams and reducing the marginal tax rate from 38% to 37%. The primary objectives for 2025 focus on mobilizing domestic savings (19.3%), supporting purchasing power (18.6%), and facilitating housing access (16.4%). These three priorities concentrate over half of all tax expenditures, emphasizing fiscal policys role in wealth redistribution and social stability. The United States has reaffirmed its support for Moroccos autonomy plan for Western Sahara, signaling deeper alignment with Rabat ahead of a pivotal UN Security Council vote on Oct 30. In an exclusive interview with Sky News Arabia, Massad Boulos, the US Presidents special adviser for Arab and African affairs, said Washington is genuinely optimistic about reaching a final settlement based on Moroccos sovereignty and autonomy proposal. He described the upcoming vote on Resolution 2025 as a very important milestone. Boulos stressed that the US is working closely with Morocco, Algeria, and other partners to craft language that bridges positions as much as possible, noting that the renewal of MINURSOs mandate remains under discussion. He reiterated that the Trump administrations stance is clear and unwavering: Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara is not in question, and its autonomy plan is viewed as the best project. The adviser also hinted at broader regional implications, saying a lasting solution would ease tensions between Morocco and Algeria. His comments follow months of US diplomatic engagement, including calls for Algerian flexibility and encouragement of investment in Moroccos southern provinces. The Security Council vote on October 30 could mark a turning point in the decades-long dispute, with Washington signaling readiness to push for a comprehensive settlement within weeks. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sounded the alarm over worsening living conditions and systematic human rights violations in the Tindouf refugee camps in Algeria, calling for immediate transparency and international oversight. In his latest report on the Sahara issue, Guterres highlighted credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) pointing to persistent food insecurity, diversion of humanitarian aid, and forced child recruitment by the Polisario Front, with the complicity of the host country, Algeria. The report also criticized the absence of a reliable census of camp populations, a long-standing UN demand that remains unmet, enabling manipulation of figures and obstructing aid delivery. These practices are intolerable and require urgent corrective measures, the report states, urging unrestricted access for UN human rights mechanisms to monitor conditions on the ground. By contrast, the Secretary-General praised Moroccos constructive engagement with UN bodies, noting regular dialogue with OHCHR and the proactive role of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) through its regional commissions in Laayoune and Dakhla. The findings add pressure on Algeria and the Polisario as calls grow for accountability and independent verification of humanitarian operations in the camps. Moroccos fruit and vegetable exporters have condemned what they describe as a disinformation campaign in European media questioning the safety of Moroccan tomatoes, saying the allegations lack scientific basis and amount to unfair trade practices. The latest reports form part of a pattern of attempts to discredit Moroccan produce, particularly tomatoes, which have become a dominant presence in the EU market, the Moroccan Association of Fruit and Vegetable Producers and Exporters (Apefel) said in a statement. For years, Moroccan fresh produce has been repeatedly targeted by unfounded campaigns in Europe, the group said. Morocco overtook other non-EU suppliers in 2023 to become the blocs leading source of tomatoes, thanks to strict sanitary controls and competitive pricing. Apefel said official EU data contradicts claims of widespread non-compliance: between 2020 and 2025, only 49 notifications concerned Moroccan produce out of 5,502 for all imported fruits and vegetables less than 1%. The association singled out a recent article by French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir, calling its findings misleading and based on outdated, limited samples. Apefel stressed that the presence of multiple pesticide residues does not mean legal limits were breached, and that trace levels detected pose no health risk under EU regulations. These narratives exploit health concerns for economic ends, aiming to restrict Moroccan access to the European market under the guise of precaution, Apefel said, describing the trend as a form of protectionism incompatible with fair trade principles. The group urged European stakeholders to engage in transparent, science-based dialogue and reaffirmed Moroccos commitment to meeting EU and international standards while promoting sustainable agri-food trade. Tunisias suspension of the countrys leading migrant rights group has sent shockwaves through civil society, deepening fears about the countrys slide into authoritarianism while migrants bear the brunt of the crackdown. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), long a lifeline for migrants and refugees, was ordered to halt operations for a month under the pretext of a financial audit. The group denounced the move as arbitrary and unjust, warning that the government is dismantling independent voices that refuse to pledge loyalty. Rights watchdogs say the suspension is not an isolated act but part of a broader assault on freedoms. Amnesty International has documented raids on NGOs, harassment of staff, and a smear campaign that has fueled xenophobia. Human Rights Watch reports beatings, arbitrary arrests, and collective expulsions of Black African migrants, describing a climate of fear where basic protections have evaporated. The rhetoric from the top has only sharpened the edge. In February 2023, President Kais Saied claimed irregular migration was part of a criminal plan to alter Tunisias demographic makeup. He used a language echoing the far-right Great Replacement theory. His remarks unleashed a wave of racist violence, evictions, and arrests, leaving thousands of migrants stranded and terrified. Once hailed as the Arab Springs lone success story, Tunisia now faces a bleak horizon. Civic space is shrinking, opposition voices are silenced, and migrants have become convenient scapegoats amid economic turmoil. For those seeking refuge or opportunity, the promise of safety has turned into a perilous gamble. In October 1960, Moroccos Crown Prince Moulay Hassan delivered a powerful address at the United Nations, challenging the exclusion of 600 million Chinese people from the international body and calling for the admission of the Peoples Republic of China eleven years before it became reality. Speaking at the 886th plenary session of the UN General Assemblys 15th session on October 4, 1960, the thirty-one-year-old prince posed a fundamental question to world leaders: Is it fair and just that 600 million people, a third of the worlds population, are simply not among us? The future King Hassan IIs intervention came during the height of the Cold War, as newly independent nations sought to establish their voices on the global stage. Morocco, having gained independence just four years earlier in 1956, was charting an independent diplomatic course between East and West. I ask the United Nations, I ask all countries present here, to be realistic, to face the problem and admit the Peoples Republic of China, the Crown Prince declared, noting the contradiction of meeting Chinese representatives in embassies and commercial treaties while the UN remained closed to them. This diplomatic position proved prescient. On October 25, 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, recognizing the Peoples Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, with Morocco among the 26 African countries voting in favor. The speech reflected Moroccos emerging doctrine of non-alignment and South-South cooperation, positioning the kingdom not as a passive observer but as an active participant in shaping international relations. This stance earned Morocco considerable respect among African and Asian nations navigating post-colonial realities. Morocco became the second Arab and African country after Egypt to recognize the Peoples Republic of China in 1958, establishing diplomatic relations that Beijing has never forgotten. Five years later, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai made Morocco one of his first African destinations, cementing bilateral ties. The historical significance extends beyond diplomatic archives. During King Mohammed VIs 2016 state visit to China, Chinese officials explicitly acknowledged the courage and clairvoyance of Hassan IIs 1960 position, recognizing Moroccos consistent advocacy for inclusive international governance. China now stands as Moroccos third-largest trading partner worldwide and its largest in Asia, with President Xi Jinping making a stopover in Casablanca in November last year to meet with Crown Prince Moulay Hassan. This enduring relationship builds upon foundations laid when a young Moroccan prince advocated for Chinas rightful place in global affairs. The 1960 speech remains a defining moment in Moroccos diplomatic history, demonstrating the kingdoms capacity for strategic vision and moral leadership. While some neighboring countries later claimed credit for Chinas UN admission, historical records confirm Moroccos pioneering roleAlgeria, for instance, did not achieve independence until 1962, two years after Moroccos intervention. This diplomatic courage established Moroccos credentials as a voice for equity and realism in international relations, principles that continue to guide the kingdoms foreign policy six decades later. More than 1,000 civilians have fled the Sudanese city of El-Fasher in North Darfur amid escalating clashes between the national Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Local organizations report on Monday, October 27, that 1,117 new internally displaced persons (IDPs), representing 360 families, have arrived in the nearby town of Tawila on Sunday, bringing the total number of displaced individuals since mid-October to over 3,000. The displaced are said to be living in dire conditions, facing acute shortages of food, water, shelter, and medical care. Humanitarian agencies, including the UN and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have been urged to provide immediate assistance as the crisis worsens. The IOM estimates that over 26,000 people fled El-Fasher within just 48 hours due to heavy fighting and extreme insecurity on major routes. UN agencies warn that approximately 260,000 civilians remain trapped inside the besieged city, including 130,000 children suffering from severe hunger and lack of healthcare. El-Fasher, a key humanitarian hub for the Darfur region, has been under siege by the RSF since May 2024. The broader conflict, which began in April 2023, has already claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions, pushing Sudan further into one of the worlds gravest humanitarian crises. Key Features of an Ergonomic Hoteling Workstation As hybrid work becomes the new normal, adjustability, training, and thoughtful design can make shared office workstations safe, comfortable, and productive for everyone. Hotelling has become the norm in many workplaces, since the pandemic sent everyone home in 2020. Many companies downsized their offices and now offer employees the option to come to work a few days a week, sharing a workstation with employees who come on different days. From a real estate perspective, this makes a lot of sense! However, from an ergonomics perspective, hotelling introduces some challenges. When we do an assessment for an employee at a workstation, we can adjust everything to fit that person. We might recommend a specific chair, or raise the monitor on a stand, or recommend a specific type of mouse. In this way, we can minimize injury risk by fitting the workstation to the worker. A hoteling workstation needs to accommodate a wide range of workers. If the screen wont go low enough to accommodate Sue, who wears multi-focals, she is bound to get a neck ache at the end of the day. If the seat isnt big enough for Jake, hes going to be in pain by noon. And if the sit-stand doesnt go low enough for Marie, she probably wont meet her publication deadline, because shell be in pain all day too. Ultimately, a non-adjustable workstation makes people hurt, makes them unhappy to be there, and reduces their ability to do good work and get stuff done. Choose adjustability to accommodate everyone Anthropometry is an important component of ergonomics. Anthropometry refers to the collection and use of human body measurements. To accommodate 90% of the population, a desk needs to go low enough for the 5th percentile (small person) and high enough for the 95% percentile (tall person). Height is only one design parameter a desk also needs to be deep enough to fit the legs of the tallest user, and deep enough to allow any user to move the screen to a comfortable viewing distance. Even a desk that meets that 90% range still excludes 10% of the population for each design parameter!! There will always be a few people who are not accommodated by the furniture that youve chosen, even when you choose well-designed items. The goal is for these people to be an exceptions, not the rule. You can order special items when necessary; in fact, its a good idea to offer some small- and large-seat pan chairs, and extra tall and extra small seats, in a large office with lots of people. Provide training Adjustability accomplishes nothing if the employees do not know how to use the features. Offer training to workers annually, and then supplement that formal training with awareness campaigns, posters, and easy-to-follow instructions at each workstation. Do not underestimate the value of showing employees how and why to adjust their chairs, keyboards, mice, and screens. Standardization Making workstations as identical as possible helps to avoid disagreements (Youre in my desk!) More importantly, standardized workstations ensure that, no matter which desk is assigned, the employee will be familiar with the equipment and how to adjust it. Reservation system Workers need to know that they will not be kicked out of their desk partway through the shift. Despite your efforts to standardize, workers will want some control over where they sit with respect to the windows, how close they are to colleagues with whom they collaborate, and whether they sit in a high traffic area or a quiet zone. Setting up a reservation system allows workers a welcome measure of control over their work environment. Good technology integration Docking stations, charging solutions, and solid internet connection can make the difference between a good day and a bad one. To facilitate effective set up, these connections all need to work quickly and easily, EVERY TIME. If youre setting up hotelling workstations, please consult with a Certified Professional Ergonomist. We can save you money by ensuring that you dont invest in furniture thats going to cause aches, pains, and frustration. Back in 2009, British oil and gas giant BP along with its then-Chinese partner China National Petroleum Corporation secured a technical services contract with Iraqs state-owned South Oil Company to develop Iraqs largest oil field Rumaila in the first such foreign exploration on the countrys energy sector in 40 years. The companys activation earlier this month of a US$25 billion five-pronged oil and gas megadeal in the same country may prove even more historic. The 2 October activation of the deal means that BP is now fully focused on developing the five huge oil fields in Iraqs northern Kirkuk region, a senior source in the European Unions (E.U.) energy complex exclusively told OilPrice.com last week. From when the deal was broadly agreed [memorandum of understanding signed in July 2024, and technical terms agreed in December] to now, it [BP] had to nail down some of the legal and accounting details in the contracts, but everyone appears to be satisfied at this point, so it is full steam ahead at this point, he said. Whether or not these precise details pertaining to BP are the same as those that have concerned other Western companies operating in Iraq at various stages is unclear. However, a senior source who works closely with Iraqs Oil Ministry did exclusively tell OilPrice.com last year that they were certainly of major concern to Frances TotalEnergies in its US$27 billion four-pronged deal, and the reason for the delay between its initial agreement and the activation of its own projects. The same source long ago told OilPrice.com that they were the same reasons why ExxonMobil decided to leave its own huge projects in Iraq years earlier. Related: HPCL Faces Corrosion Issues, Imports Fuel for November That said, with any legal and accounting issues apparently now squared away, BP and Iraqs Oil Ministry have agreed a preliminary production target of 328,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to the source. This is expected to rise to at least 450,000 bpd within the next two to three years, and then to be reassessed with a view to an increase in output and plateau production figures. The lifting cost of many of these barrels will be at or close to Iraqs average of $2-4 per barrel (pb), which in turn is the joint lowest such figure in the world, along with Iran and Saudi Arabia. The project will last 25 years, but the contract will then be open for renewal, subject to agreement by both sides. Although the five fields -- the Baba and Avanah domes of the Kirkuk oil field and the three adjacent sites of Bai Hassan, Jambur, and Khabbaz are already estimated to hold up to 9 billion barrels of oil reserves, these are very conservative estimates, according to the E.U. and Iraqi sources. There is at least another eleven or twelve billion barrels across the near surrounding area, and possibly much more, said the Iraq source last week. Additionally, BPs efforts will not just be on oil development but also on capturing the gas associated with much of that oil drilling, with the initial target being 400 million standard cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of associated gas. The British firm is a world leader in this field, being a partner in the Basra Energy Company, which provides technical support for the Rumaila oilfield development to help reduce flaring and emissions, and works with the Basrah Gas Company to manage the gas produced at Rumaila. This is one of the broader reasons why this deal together with that of TotalEnergies is so strategically important for the West in a geopolitical context. A key thrust of the U.S. and Great Britain is to split Iraq away from neighbouring Iran, which has long held enormous sway over it through its political, economic, and military proxies. In so doing, Iran has been able to exercise a multiplier effect of its own power through the wider Shia Crescent of Power, as analysed in full in my latest book on the new global oil market order. This alliance held an extraordinary sway up until very recently over the political, economic, and security trajectories of the Middle East. With Iran at its ideological centre, the Crescent comprised key strategic assets in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, with inroads being made in Azerbaijan (75% Shia and a Former Soviet Union state), Turkey (25% Shia and furious at not being accepted fully into the European Union), Bahrain (75% Shia), and Pakistan (up to 25% Shia and a home to multiple terrorist groups antagonistic to the West). Core elements in this Shia Crescent alliance were also instrumental in Irans plan to build a land bridge that would run via Iraq all the way to the Mediterranean coast, which would then be used by Tehran to increase arms shipments to its militant proxies for use against Israel. Another benefit for Iran was that it was able to present itself to superpower sponsors China and Russia as the gateway to the worlds largest unified pool of oil and gas reserves, which in natural resource-starved China was a major initial draw. Indeed, Iran and Iraqs energy resources were at the heart of Beijings long-term foundation stone comprehensive cooperation deals with both countries, as also analysed in depth in my latest book. These efforts have been extremely successful, with Chinese firms currently managing over a third of Iraqs proven oil reserves and two-thirds of its production. For these same reasons, removing Iraq from Irans immediate sphere of influence and by extension from Chinas and Russias has been a key aim of the West, with the immediate focus being on stopping Baghdads continued reliance for energy supplies from its neighbour. It is a stunning indictment on the level of corruption that characterised Iraq for so long that a country so rich in oil and gas resources needs to buy in 40% of its power requirements in the form of gas and electricity from Iran. Having tried to persuade Baghdad to stop doing this and to meet its power deficit by developing its own energy resources instead, Washington moved recently to a different strategy, which is placing Iraq on a ladder of escalating sanctions against it if it does not do so. On the other side of the risk-reward equation, the TotalEnergies deal and BPs -- offers a clear, long-term path for Iraq not just to stop having to import power from its neighbour but also to dramatically increase its crude oil exports, and to become a major natural gas and liquefied natural gas exporter too. BPs presence across Iraqs hotly-disputed Kirkuk region may also carry with another broader strategic benefit for the West. Although all the British firms operations are in the area of Kirkuk that is controlled by the Baghdad-based Federal Government of Iraq, they are also operating tangentially to the Erbil-based semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. This has long been a key operating base for the West in the Middle East, particularly since the continued advance of China into Iran and the rest of Iraq, among other countries in the area. As it stands, the U.S. and Great Britain want the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to terminate all links with Chinese, Russian and Iranian companies connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps over the long term that have grown in recent years. The U.S. and Israel also have a further strategic interest in utilising the Kurdistan Region as a base for ongoing monitoring operations against Iran. On the other hand, the broad geopolitical stance of the Federal Government of Iraq (aligned perfectly with that of its key sponsors, China and Russia) up until Donald Trump secured a second term as president, at least -- was conveyed to OilPrice.com some time ago by the senior Iraq source, who said: By keeping the West out of energy deals in Iraq, the end of Western hegemony in the Middle East will become the decisive chapter in the Wests final demise. More Top Reads From Oilprice.com China has rapidly become the world's leading innovator in clean energy, with Chinese institutions accounting for a significant majority of high-impact research publications in electric batteries and dominating global EV manufacturing and exports. Chinese automakers just unveiled a new solid-state battery that could revolutionize the electric vehicles industry. The technology boasts double the energy density of battery models currently available on the market, and could power an EV for an astonishing 800 miles without needing to be recharged. The innovation is just the latest piece of evidence pointing to Chinas near-total dominance in terms of both technology and manufacturing of the global EV sector. Solid-state batteries have been receiving increasing attention in recent years for their potential to improve EV range, increase safety, and reshape global supply chains for batteries and the materials that go into them. Lithium batteries, which currently dominate the market, are currently powered by lithium ions flowing through a liquid electrolyte. Solid-state batteries, by contrast, use a solid electrolyte which eliminates the need for a bulky separator component separating positive and negative electrodes. Plain and simple, solid electrolytes provide a safer and more stable environment for lithium ions to move through, enabling faster charging, reports Popular Mechanics. The result is a lighter, faster-charging model that does not include the flammable liquid that makes lithium-ion batteries a fire hazard. Reports on the new solid-state battery model introduced by Chery Automobile show the prototype running flawlessly through a nail penetration test, also shaking off damage from a power drill without catching fire or producing any mystery smoke, the Popular Mechanics report goes on to say. The competition to corner the market on solid-state EV batteries is fierce. Toyota currently leads the charge on patents, with 1,700 filed for solid-state battery technologies. But smaller start-ups like Chinas Chery have certain advantages, as they are able to iterate, pivot, and test prototypes faster than automaking behemoths like Toyota. Indeed, the speed and disruptiveness of innovation coming out of China is astounding. For years, China was thought of as a technological copy-cat, but all that is changing as the nation becomes the worlds premiere clean energy innovator. Over two decades China has leapt ahead of other countries, churning out innovative designs for the energy mix of the future: solar and wind power, batteries and electric cars, reports the New York Times. In the year 2000, a mere 18 competitive clean energy patents were filed by Chinese applicants. By 2022, that number exceeded 5,000. According to figures from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Chinese institutions now account for 65.4 percent of the worlds high-impact research publications in electric batteries. In comparison, United States institutions currently contribute 11.9 percent. Not only is China taking the lead on EV innovations, they also have a dominating lead on EV manufacturing, exports, and related supply chains. Today, China produces nearly two-thirds of the worlds EVs and over three-quarters of EV batteries. From 2020 to 2023 alone, Chinas global EV exports increased by a whopping 851 percent. The Chinese governmentat both the federal and provincial levelshas made EV competitiveness a national priority, reports ITIF. But while Chinas EV industry has certainly benefitted from intense government support, Chinese EV and EV battery enterprises have become increasingly innovative in their own right across a number of dimensions of product innovation, process innovation, business model innovation, and even customer experience innovation. Cherys astounding solid-state battery achievement is indicative of this trend, but it is only a stepping-stone toward ever higher-performing EV batteries and greater Chinese dominance. Chinese companies are already reportedly working on making EV batteries with a 2,000 kilometer (km) (1,300 mile) range. For the most part, global automakers cant afford to lose time and money trying to achieve the same sorts of gains that China is already achieving. A Reuters report on how Chinese EV tech is reshaping global auto design notes, global automakers need Chinese technology to leapfrog development hurdles and launch new EVs quickly. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Russian President Vladimir Putin received North Korea's top diplomat at the Kremlin on October 27 as Russian forces continued their push in eastern Ukraine, penetrating a key city amid fierce fighting. North Korean media said Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui discussed "many future projects to constantly strengthen and develop" the bilateral relationship while also passing on leader Kim Jong Un's "brotherly regard" to Putin. No further details were given. North Korea has become a crucial backer of Russias nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, sending artillery, missiles, and troops to its larger neighbor. Pyongyang in return has received Russian military technology and economic aid. Choes visit comes as Russia struggles to maintain recruitment levels amid mounting losses and lower financial incentives. Russia last week said it would seek to use reservists to defend civilian infrastructure following a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone attacks. Such a move would potentially allow Moscow to free up more troops to fight at the front, where it is suffering significant losses as it seeks to take well-defended Ukrainian territory. Russia is also reportedly seeking to recruit more foreign fighters to plug the gap. North Korea has been Russias biggest supplier of foreign troops to date, sending a reported 11,000 servicemen last year to help Moscow push Ukrainian forces out of Russias Kursk region. North Korean media did not say whether Choe discussed sending more servicemen to Russia. Despite its massive losses at the front, Russias armed forces continue to inch forward in eastern Ukraine. Some 200 Russian troops have entered the key logistics city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy said that Russia has concentrated its largest attack forces outside Pokrovsk. He said there is currently significant assault activity" around Pokrovsk, including inside the city, but gave no assessment of the situation. Russia has been trying to take the city for more than a year. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with makers of long-range drones and missiles, saying he was ready to sign three-year contracts with the companies producing the most effective weapons. The Ukrainian leader said funding for the weapons has been secured. Ukraine sees long-range weapons as a key tool in bringing Europes longest war in decades to a conclusion. Ukraine has been using domestically produced drones and missiles to conduct deep strikes against Russian oil refineries, a key source of state revenue. However, it has been seeking more powerful Western missiles, including the US-made Tomahawks, to destroy the facilities. Russian oil exports account for about a third of total federal budget revenues and thus are key to funding the Kremlins war. The strikes on the refineries come amid falling oil prices and the toughest round of Western sanctions in months against Russia, compounding the countrys economic problems. Related: How One Pipeline Turned Canada Into a Global Energy Power Last week, the United States sanctioned Russias top two oil producers and signaled that third parties buying their output -- such as China and India -- could face penalties. The US sanctions came on the heels of a similar step by the UK and were followed by EU sanctions on Russias oil industry. Global sanctions and our pinpoint precision are practically syncing up to end this war on terms fair for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. Earlier on October 27, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and the European Union intend to prepare a cease-fire plan within seven to 10 days. At a meeting in London last week of the Coalition of the Willing, a grouping of more than 20 nations backing Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and EU leaders laid out four steps they hoped would force Putin to the negotiating table: supporting Ukraine financially with frozen Russian reserves, imposing tougher sanctions, supplying more long-range weapons, and delivering greater air defense. Ever since taking office for the second time in January, US President Donald Trump has been seeking to get Putin to agree to a cease-fire but the Kremlin leader has rebuffed him each time, betting -- experts say -- that the Western coalition will fall apart with time. Following his last call with Putin earlier this month, Trump initially said he would meet with the Russian leader in the coming weeks in Budapest but then later scrapped that, saying he saw no progress on peace. Trump then imposed the potentially powerful oil sanctions, the first time he has levied penalties on Russia since returning to the White House. Russia last week dispatched special envoy for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev, a fluent English speaker who studied in the United States, to Washington for talks. It is unclear what the outcome of those talks were. In a video he posted to Telegram on October 26, Dmitriev said Moscow was committed to constructive dialogue and to clearly communicating Russia's position. Amid the West seeming to close ranks against the Kremlin, Russia this week announced it had successfully tested a new nuclear capable intercontinental cruise missile, drawing criticism from Washington. The Kremlin has repeatedly turned to nuclear saber-rattling during the war to undermine Western resolve and create divisions within the coalition. Trump has at times cautioned against sending powerful military aid to Ukraine, saying it could provoke nuclear war. However, this time he fired back at Putin. Youve got to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year, Trump said while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo. Thats what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has warm ties with Trump and Putin, is due at the White House next week for talks that will almost certainly touch on the war in Ukraine. Hungary stands to lose from the recent round of oil sanctions -- which come into effect at the end of November -- because it still buys Russian energy. Orban will be seeking exemptions to the sanctions, his top diplomat said, but with the war approaching its fourth year, the Trump administration could question its determination to diversify. Hungary, unlike many of its neighbors, has not made any plans or any active steps" toward weaning itself off Russian energy supplies, US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News published on October 27. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Liquefied natural gas has once again become trendy. After several years under attack from environmentalists, even the EU has accepted that natural gas, in whatever form it can get it, is going to stay in the energy mix for quite a while yet. The U.S. is building new export capacity like there is no tomorrow; Qatar is ramping up output; and Malaysia is boosting coal imports so it has more LNG to export. Over the first half of the year, Malaysia imported a record amount of thermal coalthe sort used for power generation. The total for the six-month period stood at 20.9 million tons, and coal accounted for as much as 60% of electricity output over the period. It did not stop there, however. Coal imports continued at elevated levels after June, too. Reuters Gavin Maguire reported the news, noting that the surge in coal imports is linked to Malaysias appetite for higher LNG exports, lamenting the consequent increase in carbon dioxide emissions from the power generation sector. Malaysia is already one of the largest exporters of liquefied natural gas globally. However, unlike other top exporters, it has found it difficult to boost natural gasand LNGproduction. Gas reserve decline has coincided with energy demand growth that is only going to accelerate in the coming years, suggesting demand for coal will remain robust. Not only that, but the LNG exporter will have to start importing LNG. Indeed, Australias Woodside Energy last month inked a deal with Malaysias Petronas for the delivery of 1 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually to the latter. Deliveries will begin in 2028 and continue for a term of 15 years. Meanwhile, Petronas continues to explore for new supply to secure future demand, Wood Mackenzie analysts noted in a report on Malaysias future energy demand and supply trends. The consultancy noted the expected strong growth in demand for energy both from the power generation and the industrial sectors, and the decline in local production, notably in peninsular Malaysia, where Wood Mac sees a sharp drop from this year onwards. This will not affect Malaysias exports immediately, however. The country is going to remain a net exporter of liquefied natural gas until the 2040s, according to Wood Mac. It will probably continue using quite a lot of coal for local power generation in the meantime. The reason for this is as simple as they come. Imports of coal are a lot cheaper than what Petronas makes from exporting liquefied gas. Because of its ambition to keep boosting gas exportsand revenues from theseMalaysia has countered a global trend in shifting from coal to natural gas in power generation. Unlike other countries that have made the switch to the best of their financial abilities, Malaysia has seen the share of natural gas in its power generation mix drop from as much as 80% in the 2000s to just 30% this year, according to Reuters Maguire, who cited data from climate change advocacy outlet Ember. From an energy transition perspective, this is the wrong path to follow. However, Malaysias coal choice means there is more LNG for other countries that, without that option, would resort to coal-burning themselves. There is an obvious conclusion to be drawn from this situation and it comes down to the fact that despite the growing popularity of natural gas, coal will continue to be used until such time as it becomes too expensive. Malaysia, somewhat counterintuitively perhaps, is going to try this next year, when it plans to introduce a carbon tax on power utilities and heavy industries as part of its own transition efforts. Chances are, however, that it will continue importing coal to keep more natural gas for exportsuntil LNG supply overtakes demand. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The sanctions have caused Indian refiners to seek alternative crude supplies and Chinese state-held oil giants to temporarily halt Russian crude purchases, but some believe the measures may only increase market friction rather than reduce Russian supply. Investment banks and market participants, including analysts from SEB and Barclays, are expressing skepticism that the sanctions will lead to a sustained disruption in Russian oil exports, citing President Trump's past unpredictability. The oil market initially saw prices rise after the US sanctioned Russia's top two oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, but traders are now questioning the long-term impact of these sanctions. The oil market just had its knee-jerk moment. Prices roared higher after the U.S. blacklisted Rosneft and Lukoilbut traders are already questioning whether President Trumps sanctions will ever really stick. Oil prices jumped 8% last week, with most of the gains coming on Thursday, the day following the U.S. Treasury Departments announcement that Russias top two producers and refiners would be designated effective November 21. Market Focus Shifts from Glut Fears to Supply Squeeze Anxiety The U.S. sanctions flipped the traders focus overnight, from fears of a glut to anxiety over a supply squeeze from one of the worlds top crude and product exporters. Before October 22, most of the market participants were focused on the imminent glut and the bearish risk from growing supply in a period of seasonally weaker demand. The sanctions announced on October 22 sent Indian refiners scrambling for alternative crude supply in the near term, while Chinese state-held oil giants have reportedly halted shipments of crude from Rosneft and Lukoil. The U.S. sanctions also sent oil prices rallying to above $60 per barrel WTI and over $65 a barrel Brent on Thursday. Geopolitical Risk Triggers Short-Covering Rally What started as a small recovery after traders started to question the prevailing supply-glut narrative, as movements in the Brent and WTI forward curves remain far from levels that would typically reflect such an imbalance, turned into a short-covering led rally after Washington announced sanctions targeting Russias main exporters, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, wrote in a weekly commentary on Friday. The move, aimed at cutting Moscows war funding, disrupted flows that had quietly sustained Russian output despite the broader Western embargo, Hansen added. Set OilPrice.com as a preferred source in Google here Late last week, reports started to emerge that Indias top refiners would slash Russian crude purchases, while Chinas giants, including PetroChina, CNOOC, and Zhenhua Oil, have temporarily halted purchases, at least in the short term, to assess the impact of sanctions. Traders Question Sanctions' Longevity and Impact on Supply On Friday and Asian trade on Monday, oil prices leveled off, as the market moved beyond the knee-jerk reaction to the sanctions, and onto assessing how real the threat to severely disrupted Russian supply is. Investment banks and market participants began viewing the sanctions with more skepticism. Bjarne Schieldrop, chief analyst commodities at Scandinavian bank SEB, said on Friday that It's our strong view that the only sensible thing is to sell this rally, as U.S. President Donald Trump has become predictable in his unpredictability regarding tariffs and sanctions. SEB analysts dont believe President Trump would follow through with the sanctions beginning November 21. Skepticism Rooted in Trump's Predictability and Unclear Secondary Sanctions So far Trump's threats have been all hot air and threats which later have evaporated after "great talks with Putin". After all these repetitions it is very hard to believe that this time will be any different, Schieldrop said. India could seek to diversify away from Russian crude, but China will likely stand up to Trump if new sanctions really materialize on 21 Nov, the analyst noted. In SEBs view, the sanctions would not reduce Russian crude supply. Instead, they would only increase the friction in the market with yet more need for the shadow fleet and ship to ship transfer of Russian oil to dodge the sanctions. If they materialize at all, Schieldrop said. Related: Supertanker Rates Soar as Buyers Scramble to Replace Russian Oil Language in the U.S. Treasurys announcement also leads to skepticism about the so-called secondary sanctions on entities dealing with the designated companies. Unlike in sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, for example, the sanctions implications on Rosneft and Lukoil include, per the Treasury, Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons, and financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities with designated or otherwise blocked persons. Last weeks oil price rally was the result of increased geopolitical risk and redirection of crude purchases from the Middle East, not because the market has suddenly turned bullish, SEB banks Schieldrop said. Barclays, while acknowledging that a severe supply disruption from Russia could send Brent Crude prices above $85 per barrel, noted that market participants seem skeptical that there will be a large, sustained disruption in Russian oil exports. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Brent crude hovers near $65 as traders await the outcome of this weeks TrumpXi meeting in South Korea. From Black Gold to Blue Flame US Dealmakers Pivot to Gas - The US oil industrys consolidation drive has run out of steam as low-60 crude prices made it much harder for private equity firms to sell their undeveloped assets; however, gas deals still have a lot of room left. - According to Enverus, US upstream dealmaking dipped by almost 30% in Q3 2025, totalling only $9.7 billion with Crescent Energys $3 billion takeover of Vital Energy marking the single largest transaction. - That said, M&A activity in purely gas-focused plays is heating up, especially in Louisianas Haynesville Basin that saw Stone Ridge Holdings $1.3 billion deal in July, to be followed by Japans JERA spending $1.5 billion this month. - Gas consolidation deals in the US have already amounted to $30 billion in January-September 2025, already higher than last years $22.5 billion total. - Market rumours see at least $28 billion of gas and LNG assets up for sale in the United States, including but not limited to Ascent Resources, GeoSouthern and NextDecades Rio Grande LNG project. Market Movers - Algeria's national oil company Sonatrach has resumed exploration activities in Libya, spudding an exploratory well in the country's Block 96/2 after an 11-year hiatus. - Indonesia's national oil firm Pertamina has farmed into Petronas' ultra-deepwater Bobara field in the country, taking a 24.5% participating interest under the 30-year production sharing contract. - QatarEnergy has taken a 40% stake in Egypt's North Rafah offshore concession, with ENI (BIT:ENI) remaining the project operator as it continues to hunt for gas in the Mediterranean Sea. - Japan's leading power generation company JERA has agreed to purchase US upstream gas assets in Louisiana's Haynesville basin for $1.5 billion in cash, adding 0.5 Bcf/d of production to its portfolio. - US oil major ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Gabons Oil and Gas Ministry for unspecified deepwater blocks, marking its re-entry into the African country following its exit in 2015. Tuesday, October 28, 2025 The Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea is set to define the market sentiment of this week, with ICE Brent seeing only minor downward corrections to $65 per barrel. So far there has been little physical disruption from sanctions on Russias Rosneft and Lukoil, with the oil markets still in wait-and-see mode to gauge the crude production and export impact of US sanctions. Sanctioned Major Mulls Asset Fire Sale. Russias No.2 oil producer Lukoil is considering selling its international assets in response to sanctions from the Trump administration, adding that it could ask for a wind-down extension from the Treasury Department in case planned divestments get delayed. Related: UK Sets 1.08 Billion Offshore Wind Budget In 2030 Push Iraq Plays Down Impact of Oilfield Fire. Iraqi crude exports are continuing uninterrupted, according to the country's oil minister Hayan Abdel Ghani, after a storage tank fire at the 500,000 b/d Zubair oil field left two workers dead and disrupted pipeline flows to the Basrah export terminal. Kuwait's Key Refinery Hits Roadblock. The 615,000 b/d Al Zour refinery operated by Kuwait's state oil firm ??? is reported to have halted several key units after a fire incident on October 21, curbing some 150,000 b/d of diesel output and prompting the NOC to issue a gasoline import tender. Indian Refiners Await Russia Sanctions Clarity. Indian refiners have stopped placing orders on new Russian purchases as they await instructions from the country's government, with October imports coming in at 1.7 million b/d, some 50,000 b/d lower than this year's January-September average. Venezuela Ends All Trinidad Gas Projects. Venezuela's PDVSA has suspended all energy-related cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago, including the giant 4.2 ICf Dragon gas field that straddles the two countries' maritime zones, accusing them of becoming the 'US empire's aircraft carrier. Namibia Power Grab Worsens Oil Outlook. Namibia's recently elected President Netumba Nandi-Ndaitwah removed energy minister Natangwe Ithete from his position after just 7 months in the job and took over the role herself, denting hopes of reaching first oil from Venus and Mopane by 2030. OPEC+ Ambition Tamed by Low Prices. As eight OPEC+ nations are set to meet to discuss December 2025 production quotas, media reports indicate that the Saudi Arabia-led group is leaning towards a modest 137,000 b/a month-over-month increase, avoiding abrupt moves. Mozambique Sees Traction on Key LNG Project. French oil major TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) has finally lifted force majeure on its planned 13 mtpa Mozambique LNG project after a 4-year hiatus triggered by an Islamic State attack on the Cabo Delgado region, eyeing first gas in 2029. Trump Doubles Down on Nuclear. Canadas top miner Cameco (TSO:CCO) and investment firm Brookfield Asset Management have agreed to invest $80 billion to build new nuclear reactors across the US, teaming up with the Trump administration to reinvigorate jointly owned Westinghouse. Chinas Coal Output Quota to Last Longer. Chinas coal mining industry is expecting a further tightening of Beijings production curbs, imposed in late August as a means to limit incessant supply increases, as the countrys regulators have asked coal producers to keep prices reasonable. Pushing Failures Aside, Nigeria Dreams Big. Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote announced he would seek to expand his 650,000 b/d refinery outside of Lagos, doubling the plant's capacity to 1.4 million b/d by 2028 even if current utilization rates are only around 50-60%. China Goes Hard on Underground Caverns. The International Gas Unions latest annual report shows that China continues to boost its underground natural gas storage capacity, adding 6 bcm over the past year and now ranking 6th globally behind the United States and Russia. Buoyant Copper Volatile on Trump News. Optimism about a China-US trade agreement lifted copper prices to their highest since May 2024 this week, touching $11,094 per metric tonne on Monday, only for traders to book profits and send the LME three-month contract back to $10,950/mt. By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Singapores Equator Renewables Asia and the clean energy unit of China National Nuclear Corporation on Tuesday signed a joint venture agreement to develop a solar project in Indonesia, with part of the electricity generation set for exports to Singapore. CRE International (CREI), the renewables arm of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), and Equator Renewables Asia will work to develop a cross-border renewable energy project designed to export up to 400?MW?AC of clean, solar-generated electricity from Indonesias Riau Islands to Singapore, via a subsea transmission link. The project encompasses a 2,200?MWp solar PV installation integrated with 3,200?MWh battery storage, enabling firm, zero?emissions electricity supply. Equator Renewables Asia is part of the Green Corridor Indonesia (GCI) consortium, collaborating closely with both Indonesian and Singaporean authorities to establish a regulated Green Electricity Corridor in the ASEAN bloc in Southeast Asia. Equator and CRE International signed the deal at the Asia Clean Energy Summit. The agreement envisages the Chinese company to lead the generation-side investment, construction, and operation of the solar and battery storage facilities, while Equator will manage transmission and offtake coordination. We are exceedingly bullish on the demand for low-carbon energy in Singapore, and our vision from day one has been to position ourselves to meet this burgeoning need, Frank Phuan, founder of Equator Renewables Asia, commented, as carried by Singapores news outlet Business Times. Last year, Singapores Energy Market Authority (EMA) said it would seek to import around 6 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity by 2035, up from an initial target of 4 GW, as the country looks to decarbonize its power sector amid growing demand. Low-carbon electricity imports are part of Singapores overall efforts to decarbonise the power sector, which currently accounts for about 40% of the nations carbon emissions, EMA said in September 2024, announcing conditional licenses and approvals for more imports of clean electricity from Indonesia. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Europe is set to import the highest monthly volumes of diesel and jet fuel in October as the EU moved to close a loophole in the sanctions against Russia and the U.S. sanctions on Russias top oil producers and refiners roiled the petroleum product markets. Between October 1 and 20, European Union ports welcomed cargoes carrying nearly 1.9 million barrels of diesel and jet fuel from India, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and other countries, according to Kpler data compiled by Bloomberg. If the import volumes hold at these level for the rest of the month, October could see the highest monthly EU imports of diesel and jet fuel. Traders are racing to benefit from strong European product spreads and cracks as the EU will ban, effective January 21, imports of products made from Russian crude oil, per the July sanctions package against Russia. In this package, the EU finally moved to close the Russian oil loophole, which currently allows EU imports of fuels processed from Russian oil, including in India, a key buyer of Russian crude until now. The EU is introducing an import ban on refined petroleum products made from Russian crude oil and coming from any third country with the exception of Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States thereby preventing Russias crude oil from reaching the EU market through the back door, the EU said in the 18th sanctions package. The global diesel market is set to further tighten with the U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, which are also exporters of petroleum products. Crude oil prices have eased after last weeks rally following the sanctions. But middle distillates continue to strengthen, INGs commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey note. The ICE gasoil crack rallied above US$31/bbl, after trading around US$23/bbl mid-month. Meanwhile, the ICE gasoil Nov/Dec timespread surged to almost $20/t backwardation yesterday, the analysts said on Tuesday. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Indian refiners have suspended new orders for Russian crude, Reuters has reported, citing unnamed sources as saying the industry awaited clarity from the government about navigating the new U.S. sanction context. Reliance Industries, one of Rosnefts biggest clients in India, has turned to the spot market for crude oil deliveries, while Indian Oil has launched a tender for oil cargos. We have not placed orders yet for fresh cargoes and have cancelled some that were booked from traders with links to the sanctioned entities, one of the Reuters sources said. We need to ensure that our purchases are not linked to sanctioned entities as banks will not facilitate payments, another told the publication. The developments follow President Trumps latest round of sanctions against Russian energy majors, targeting Rosneft and Lukoil, which together account for about 50% of Russias total oil exports, which, in turn, average some 4 million barrels daily. Russian crude accounts for a third of Indias oil imports. The country turned from a minor supplier into the subcontinents top oil seller as the barrage of sanctions that the West leveled at Moscow prompted discounts that significantly reduced Indias import bill. The country depends on imported oil to cover as much as 85% of its demand, which makes it extra-sensitive to price fluctuations. With the latest sanctions, however, Indian oil buyers are looking for alternatives, despite several statements from senior Indian officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that energy security rather than geopolitics continues to be the guiding principle of foreign commodity buying. Even before the latest sanctions came into effect, Indian refiners had started diversifying their sources of crude, in anticipation of possible escalation from the Trump administration. Still, completely replacing Russian barrels with other supply will likely be challenging financially. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Iraq signed on Tuesday a contract with U.S. company Excelerate Energy for the countrys first floating gas platform, the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister said, as OPECs second-largest oil producer aims to strengthen its gas supply and energy security. As part of the agreement, Excelerate Energy will provide a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) that will be capable of receiving, storing, or regasifying LNG, two Iraqi energy officials with knowledge of the agreement told Reuters. Iraq, which looks to shake off its dependence on Iranian gas supply for power generation, sent last month the award letter to Texas-based Excelerate Energy for the LNG import infrastructure at the Khor Al-Zubair commodities port near Basra in southern Iraq. Iraq has long depended on Iran for natural gas and electricity imports. Despite being a major oil producer, Iraq has historically seen high levels of flaring of associated gas instead of capturing it in a gas supply chain. In the summer months, during peak electricity demand, Iraq often suffers from crippling blackouts and frequent outages due to unstable and insufficient supply of gas and power from Iran. Excelerate Energy has received the official Award Letter from the Government of Iraq to develop an integrated floating LNG import terminal, marking a significant milestone in the countrys energy diversification strategy, the U.S. company said. Final approvals to the deal were given at a meeting between Iraqs top officials and company representatives on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York at the end of September. The proposed terminal will enable the importation of LNG to support domestic power generation, help stabilize the national grid, and allow Iraq to diversify from unreliable natural gas supply sources, Excelerate Energy said early this month. Senior Official Thomas Lersten of the U.S. Department of State commented, This terminal opportunity demonstrates U.S. energy leadership and represents a vital step in advancing Iraqs energy security and reducing its reliance on Iranian pipeline gas. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Oil India Limited (OIL), the state-owned oil and gas explorer, has $300 million in dividends from its stakes in Russian oilfields stuck at Russian banks and unable to withdraw, due to last weeks U.S. sanctions that hit the Rosneft-operated fields. The U.S. sanctions on JSC Vankorneft and Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha LLC (LLC TYNGD), in each of which Rosneft holds just over 50%, have complicated fund transfers, Oil Indias chairman Ranjit Rath told Reuters on Tuesday. OIL is seeking legal options to free up the dividends, Rath added. Last weeks U.S. sanctions on Russias top two producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, included sanctions on a number of subsidiaries of the companies, including JSC Vankorneft and TYNGD. OIL, along with two other Indian state oil companies, IOCL and BPRL, acquired in 2016 a 23.9% participating interest in JSC Vankorneft through a Singapore-based special-purpose vehicle, Vankor India Pte Ltd. The same Indian companies also bought the same year a 29.9% participating interest in LLC TYNGD through another Singapore-based SPV, Taas India Pte Ltd. Now the sanctions are complicating the dividend withdrawals for the Indian firms participating in ventures in producing Russian oilfields. The U.S. sanctions on Russia are complicating Indias supply of crude oil, too. Indian refiners, which import from Russia about a third of all their crude, are scrambling for alternative supply and clarity in the sanctions set to come into effect on November 21. Indias Reliance Industries, the top private refiner in the country, is expected to stop importing crude under a long-term deal with the now-sanctioned Russian oil giant Rosneft. Reliance Industries, one of Rosnefts biggest clients in India, has turned to the spot market for crude oil deliveries. Indias refiners have reportedly suspended new orders for Russian crude. The refining industry in Russias second-biggest crude buyer after China awaits clarity from the government about navigating the new U.S. sanction context, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Slovakias main refiner Slovnaft said Tuesday that Croatian pipeline operator JANAF had sharply reduced deliveries of non-Russian crude, threatening Central Europes effort to diversify away from Russian supply. The company, part of Hungarys MOL Group, reported losing approximately 90,000 tonnes of Arab Light crude that had been contracted for October and November, according to Reuters. Slovnaft described the decision as a breach of contract, warning it seriously jeopardizes the supply of non-Russian fuel to Central Europe. The reduction follows JANAFs suspension of shipments to Serbian refiner NIS AD, sanctioned by the United States earlier this month, forcing rerouting along the same Adriatic corridor. JANAF has cited technological reasons for reallocating volumes but offered no timeline for resumption. The cut strikes at the heart of the regions energy diversification plans. Both Slovakia and Hungary rely on the Druzhba pipeline for Russian crude, but have increased intake through Croatias Adriatic system to reduce exposure. Slovnaft had planned for non-Russian crude to make up half of its throughput this autumn, which may no longer be possible. The company said replacement cargoes are being sought, but logistical limits and storage constraints could delay processing. Regional analysts told Balkan Insight that the dispute illustrates how easily a single transit route can derail EU energy-security strategy, particularly considering limited spare capacity along the Adriatic line. No official comment was available from JANAF or Croatias energy ministry. The episode leaves Slovakia balancing refinery continuity with political pressure to sustain its pivot away from Russian barrels. The related disruption further south in Serbia, where the NIS refinery, majority-owned by Gazprom Neft, has seen operations halted after crude deliveries through the Adriatic system were suspended under new U.S. sanctions. The stoppage leaves Serbia dependent on emergency product imports via neighboring EU states and removes one of the few remaining regional outlets processing Russian feedstock. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com The United States and Japan signed on Tuesday a framework agreement to support the mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths, as they seek to counter the dominant Chinese share of the market for minerals crucial for the defense, automotive, electronics, and energy industries. Visiting U.S. President Donald Trump signed the rare earths deal with the newly elected Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, praising the strong U.S.-Japanese alliance. The White House said that the deals, plus the trade deal from earlier this year, are paving the way toward a NEW GOLDEN AGE of the ever-growing U.S.-Japan Alliance. In the minerals deal, the U.S. and Japan agreed to boost cooperation to secure supply of critical minerals and rare earths necessary to support domestic industries, by using policy tools such as the United States and Japans financial support mechanisms, trade measures where appropriate, and critical minerals stockpiling systems. They also plan to mobilize government and private investment to support investment in mining and processing and intend to jointly identify projects of interest to address gaps in supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths, including derivative products such as permanent magnets, batteries, catalysts, and optical materials. The U.S. deal with Japan follows a similar $3-billion deal with Australia from last week, which could open up access to resources worth $53 billion or more. The U.S is looking to counter Chinas dominance in critical minerals and rare earths, which Beijing has used as leverage in the U.S.-China trade spat several times this year. President Trump is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, with signals that the respective U.S. and Chinese negotiators have laid the foundations for the presidents to discuss a potential trade deal. Despite major agreements and government support in the West for building domestic supply chains, China has raised its market share in critical minerals over the past few years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned earlier this year in its annual report. China dominates refining for 19 of the 20 minerals the agency has analyzed, holding an average market share of around 70%. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Venezuela has called for the cancellation of energy agreements with neighboring island nation Trinidad and Tobago after the latter agreed to host a U.S. warship for joint exercises. Per the AP, Venezuelas vice president called Trinidad and Tobagos actions hostile, in the context of the United States attacks on boats that Washington says are used to carry drugs into the U.S. The prime minister of Trinidad has decided to join the war-mongering agenda of the United States, Delcy Rodrigues, who is also minister of oil and gas in the Caracas government, said. The agreements that Rodrigues referred to date back to 2015 and concern joint exploration for natural gas in the waters between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. The president of the island nation has become the only regional leader in Latin America and the Caribbean to welcome President Trumps so-called gunboat diplomacy. The U.S. president earlier this year stepped up his rhetoric against Venezuelas government, saying both President Nicolas Maduro and senior members of his cabinet were involved in drug trafficking. Trump also put a higher bounty on Maduros head, at $50 million, and ordered boats coming from Venezuelaallegedly with drugs on boardto be destroyed. Meanwhile, reports appeared in U.S. media saying Maduro had offered Trump access to Venezuelas natural resource wealth to avoid a further escalation. Maduro had reportedly offered the Trump Administration to open all Venezuelan oil and gold projects to U.S. companies, the New York Times reported earlier this month. The government in Venezuela was also ready to offer preferential contracts to American firms, redirect Venezuelas oil exports from China to the U.S., and reduce energy and mining deals with companies from Iran, China, and Russia, the report said. Another followed up with the statement that Trump had declined the offer. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com CHRISTINE DRAZAN ANNOUNCE RUN FOR GOVERNOR: LETS GET TO WORK By Christine Drazan campaign, PORTLAND, Ore. Today, Senator Christine Drazan (R-Canby) launched her campaign to become Governor of the Great State of Oregon, pledging to restore opportunity, accountability, and prosperity to every corner of the state. Speaking at Gunderson Marine and Iron to a crowd of Oregon workers of various industries and backgrounds in downtown Portland, Drazan drew a powerful analogy between the launch of vessels built by Oregonians in Portland, and the beginning of her campaign: The launch of a vessel and the launch of a movement share much in common. Both face uncertain seas. Both depend on the Oregon spirit of excellence, of faith and hope. And it is with that same confidence in the boundless future of our state the character of our people and our ability to build and achieve anything we set out to accomplish together that I announce my candidacy for Governor of the Great State of Oregon. Drazan highlighted the struggles facing Oregon families and businesses and pledged to turn Oregon from dead last into the number one state for businesses, families, and school-aged children: Lately, it feels like Oregon itself cant seem to find its way fully out of the storm. Families are working harder and falling further behind. Businesses are closing their doors. And too many Oregonians are wondering whether opportunity will ever come back around. But it will. Because Oregonians dont stop when things get hard. We steady ourselves. We keep showing up. We keep working. We keep building. Thats why lm here today. Not to run for a party to lose, but for Oregonians themselves to win. We are going to make Oregon the #1 state in the nation to start a business, to raise a family, and get a world class education. Drazan grew up in Klamath Falls where her family, like so many Oregonians, struggled to get by under anti-job policies pushed by politicians in Salem. She also emphasized the values that drive her: hard work, resilience, and community: As a kid, our family knew struggle. We spent summer Saturdays at yard sales because the kids needed school clothes. We ate pancakes three meals a day. Because that is what we had. We moved when the rent went up. We couch surfed when we had to. We didnt have much, but we had faith. We had family. We had a community who showed up when things got tough. In those years, Southern Oregon needed timberand we had plenty of it. Until we didnt. They closed us down and didnt look back. Sitting under the lilac bushes at my grandmas house as a kid, listening to my dad and all my uncles talk I heard: The politicians didnt care. They didnt stand up for us. No one protested when my dad lost his job. The government didnt come to the rescue when the food stamps ran out. We worked hard. We found a way. We kept going. We never gave up. Those are the values that shaped me. Struggle is a part of life. Hard work is healthy. You dont fight with people, you fight for people. You give what you can, because some gave all. You pray and you pledge. You love and you forgive. Those are the values that guide me every day I serve you. Drazan also called out the failures of Oregons current leadership and outlined her priorities for the state: Our governor may be in charge, but her state is out of control. Lowering taxes and fees so families can achieve their hopes and dreams. Clearing the path for homeownership and business growth through smarter regulations. Creating safe streets and holding drug dealers accountable to end the cycles of addiction and crime. Rebuilding Oregons economy and workforce while preserving farmland and natural resources. Drazan concluded by pledging to always be accountable to Oregonians and their families: I am running to be accountable to you. Oregonians are built for the weight of responsibility, for striving for greatness, for navigating rough seas. Our future isnt out there somewhere its right here. This is our time to rise. This is our time to rebuild. This is our time to deliver. So, my fellow OregoniansWe dont have a minute to spare. Lets get to work. Christine Drazan and her husband, Dan, live in Canby where they raised their three children. Christine formerly served as Oregon House Republican Leader and now represents the people of Senate District 26 as their State Senator. A live stream of the announcement speech can be viewed here. Photos of the announcement event can be found here. By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com The $4.3 billion gas tax bill is on Governor Koteks desk, and the campaign to repeal it and give voters a say cannot start gathering signatures until she does. The longer Governor Kotek waits the shorter the time signature gatherers have to gather signatures. Here is what KATU-2 news reports on what the two Oregon State Senators said, Many Oregonians, across party lines, believe that delaying action on this legislation may limit the window for opponents to pursue the referral process. Preserving the full opportunity for civic participation is essential to democratic governance, and I worry that waiting until the statutory deadline risks undermining public trust in that process and in the fairness of our decision-making. and also, After months of work to bring House Bill 3991 to your desk, many Oregonians are seeking closure on this effort. I respectfully urge you to move forward with your signature without further delay, Janeen Sollman, Oregon State Senator (D-Hillsboro) The strategy runs squarely against some of our core values as Democrats: open government, citizen empowerment, transparency. The growing discomfort that the delay distorts the normal initiative process would be eased, in my view, if you were to sign the bill now rather than waiting until the statutory deadline. Jeff Golden, Oregon State Senator (D-Ashland) The Taxpayers Association of Oregons Jason Williams is a chief petition on the gas tax referral along with Oregon State Senator Bruce Starr and State Representative Ed Diehl. Help us spread the word. Contribute online at OregonWatchdog.com (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty). " " The No. 1 spot on this list is also home to a popular tourist destination. Marcus E Jones / Shutterstock When people ask about the states with the highest crime rates, theyre usually looking at two categories: violent crimes and property crimes. Violent crime includes offenses like aggravated assault, robbery and homicide. Property crime covers burglary, larceny (theft), and motor vehicle theft. Both create real risks for citizens, impact public health, and shape legal options for victims seeking justice or fair compensation. Advertisement Understanding which states top the list helps inform decisions about safety, policy and prevention. The following rankings are based on FBI crime data, public health reports and other national statistics. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Ocean Networks Canada In a scary movie, creatures that can't always be seen often provide the biggest frights for characters and viewers alike. In deep-ocean research, the absence of one particular creaturethe so-called zombie worm, "the bone devourer" Osedaxcan also be troubling, a harbinger of species loss and ecosystem decline due to the long-term effects of climate change. In research published in Frontiers in Marine Science in 2024, Fabio De Leo, a senior staff scientist with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and adjunct assistant professor with the University of Victoria's (UVic) Department of Biology, co-led an experiment that studied humpback whale bones placed on the deep ocean floor off the British Columbia (BC) coast, and found no evidence of the zombie worm that plays a critical role in bone decomposition. While it has no mouth, anus or digestive tract, Osedaxknown as an ecosystem engineer specieshas roots that bore into the bones and microbes that extract nutrients to feed the worms. The fact that ONC's high-resolution underwater cameras didn't detect zombie worm colonization on the bones over 10 years of observationwhat's called a negative result in scientific researchis notable and troubling, says De Leo. "This was a remarkable observation in such a long-term experiment," he says, noting it may be explained by the low concentrations of oxygen present at the observation site. Barkley Canyon, where the whale bones were placed almost a thousand meters below the sea surface of the Pacific Ocean, is in a naturally occurring low-oxygen zone located on the migration routes of humpback and gray whales. Whales that die from natural causes or human threats like ship strikes or fishing nets often sink to the seafloor, creating "whale falls" that provide a bonanza of food to support new biodiversity hotspots. But the absence of zombie worms on these bones suggests that expanding oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) in the northeast Pacific and elsewhere, driven by climate change, might disrupt these ecosystems more broadly. Furthermore, preliminary data from pending whale fall research near a different ONC NEPTUNE site suggests that zombie worms may be affected elsewhere too. Why we need bone devourers If the "bone devourer" isn't there to carry out its tasks and promote the succession process around the whale, other species may be unable to colonize and further utilize whale-carcass nutrients. Whale falls are "almost like islands," De Leo says, "and a stepping-stone habitat for this and many other whale bone specialist species." "Basically, we're talking about potential species loss," he says, explaining that the adult Osedax generally grow on whale bones and their larvae are dispersed large distances in the ocean to populate other whale fall ecosystems even hundreds of kilometers away. "So, this connectivity, these island habitats, will not be connected anymore, and then you could start losing a diversity of Osedax species across regional spatial scales." Furthermore, the researchers found that another ecosystem engineer, wood-boring Xylophaga bivalves, also appear to be affected by low-oxygen stress. While these bivalves were seen on the experiment's submerged wood samples at Barkley Canyon, they colonized at much lower rates than more oxygenated ocean areas, with implications for slowed carbon decomposition and colonization by the many species typically inhabiting Xylophaga burrows. "It looks like the OMZ expansion, which is a consequence of ocean warming, will be bad news for these amazing whale-fall and wood-fall ecosystems along the northeast Pacific Margin," said Craig Smith, professor emeritus from University of Hawaii, who co-led the experiment. De Leo and Smith used ONC's NEPTUNE observatory Barkley Canyon Mid-East video camera platform and oceanographic sensors, as well as high-definition video surveys from remotely operated vehicle surveys, to collect the environmental data. In the coming months, they will release additional research findings about a whale fall being monitored at NEPTUNE's Clayoquot Slope site. More information: Craig R. Smith et al, High-frequency study of megafaunal communities on whale bone, wood and carbonate in hypoxic Barkley Canyon, Frontiers in Marine Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1464095 Journal information: Frontiers in Marine Science This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Anopheles stephensi AI graphic (example). Credit: USF Researchers from the University of South Florida have used artificial intelligence and citizen science to identify what may be the first specimen of Anopheles stephensian invasive and deadly malaria-carrying mosquitoever detected in Madagascar. The study, led by USF scientists Ryan Carney and Sriram Chellappan, demonstrates how AI-powered image recognition and public participation can transform global disease surveillance. Published in Insects, the discovery highlights how the combination of mobile technology and machine learning can fill critical surveillance gaps for vector-borne diseases. Anopheles stephensi poses a growing threat across Africa because it thrives in urban environments, breeding in artificial containers such as tires and buckets rather than natural puddles like native Anopheles mosquitoes. Its spread could put an additional 126 million people at risk of malaria in Africa alone. The breakthrough came from a single photo submitted by local residents in Antananarivo through NASA's GLOBE Observer app. The image, showing a mosquito larva found in a tire, was later analyzed using AI algorithms trained on thousands of authenticated mosquito images. This video shows how AI-driven smartphone technology can be used by private citizens to identify mosquitoes. Credit: USF The system identified the larva as Anopheles stephensi with over 99% confidence. Supporting this classification, more than 100 other Anopheles larvae were discovered nearby in similar artificial containers the same day, though not photographed. While official detection requires genetic testingno longer possible because these specimens were immediately destroyedif this species identification is correct, it would represent the first evidence of Anopheles stephensi in Madagascar. That same year, the country experienced a doubling of malaria cases and deaths. Mosquitoes are the most dangerous animals on the planet, infecting over 700 million people each year with various pathogens. Malaria remains the deadliest, annually killing nearly half a million children under the age of five. This image shows how private citizens can use AI-powered smartphone technology to identify mosquitoes. Credit: USF The implications of the research extend far beyond Africa, Carney and Chellappan said, as the need to be vigilant and proactive in the surveillance of malaria vectors is becoming increasingly important domestically. In 2023, the U.S. experienced local outbreaks of malaria for the first time in two decades. Florida had more cases than all other states combined, once again making the state ground zero for mosquito-borne diseases in the continental U.S. Critically, the study shows that smartphone photos collected by citizens can serve as powerful early-warning data to help fight this rising threat. "While mosquitoes can be thought of as tiny flying hypodermic needles, only 3% of species are known to transmit diseases to humans," Carney said. "Thanks to citizen science apps, we can crowd-source photos of mosquitoes, and then analyze this imagery using AI, to scale up detection of those disease-spreading needles in the haystack." The Global Mosquito Observations Dashboard shows citizen science observations by platform. Credit: USF Early detection of the An. stephensi mosquito is crucial, but traditional surveillance methods often miss it. To address this, the researchers developed new AI tools that can identify mosquito larvae and adults from smartphone photossimilar to facial recognition technology. The larval algorithms were trained on thousands of authenticated images of Anopheles stephensi and other mosquito species. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The study represents a successful example of cross-campus multidisciplinary collaboration, involving the USF Department of Integrative Biology; Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing; and College of Public Health. The research is a follow-up to the team's previous study in Insects that won the journal's 2022 Best Paper Award. The researchers have now set their sights on developing and deploying hardware inspired by their software: an AI-enabled smart trap for remotely identifying Anopheles stephensi and other disease-spreading mosquitoes in Florida and beyond. "AI is increasingly being used in many aspects of public health, and mosquito surveillance is an area of significant importance globally, and in Florida," Chellappan said. "We believe we are pioneering next-generation surveillance systems for public health, geared towards combating mosquito-borne diseases." More information: Artificial Intelligence and Citizen Science as a Tool for Global Mosquito Surveillance: Madagascar Case Study, Insects (2025). This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Surveyed wards and households map in Lusaka District. Credit: Sustainable Cities and Society (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2025.106799 When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, aid organizations worldwide struggled to identify vulnerable households quickly and fairly. Many people who needed help were left behind. Woojin Jung, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work, said she has found a better strategy. Her team has developed a method that blends sociodemographic data and household surveys with community perceptions and satellite imagery to predict urban povertyand to put people at the center of aid targeting. "Existing approaches don't always work during shocks or rapid changes," Jung said. "We wanted to find a way to identify vulnerable households at speed and scale in urban settings." The findings are published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society. Conventional methods of identifying at-risk populations rely on analysis of household demographic data. Jung wondered whether adding high-resolution geospatial features could boost poverty predictions or whether spatial features alone, without traditional demographic information, might help pinpoint asset- or food-deprived households. Two areas of her research break new ground, she said. First, the models aim to predict not only wealth scores but food consumption and nutritional outcomes, which are notoriously difficult to estimate. Second, the analysis pushes below the usual "small area" scale to predict poverty at the level of individual households. She also wanted to focus on the urban poor. Unlike rural povertywhere entire villages may lack food, water or servicesurban poverty is uneven. One street may have reliable access to electricity, while the next doesn't. This makes cities more difficult to analyze and aid harder to target. To address these challenges, Jung and colleagues at the University of Bordeaux, in France, and Turkey's Istanbul Technical University, conducted a survey of 300 households in Zambia's capital city of Lusaka, one of southern Africa's fastest growing communities with a population of 3.9 million. Their goal was to winnow down the variables typically used to assess poverty by using community insights to do the work. In addition to wealth indicator questions, such as ownership of appliances and how often they eat iron-rich food, respondents were asked open-ended questions about the characteristics they thought made their neighborhood rich or poor. Several themes emerged, including availability of public services such as health care and electricity, personal living standards (car ownership, indoor plumbing) and neighborhood structure. With these additional data points, Jung then used publicly available geospatial tools, including satellite images and luminosity maps, to link the community's insights with measurable conditions. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning were used to train their poverty prediction models. Across the board, the hybrid models that combined household-level data with community-informed insights outperformed models that only used the conventional data, Jung said. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The most striking finding was the degree to which the combined methodology reduced targeting errors in simulated aid deliveryby as much as 26%, Jung said. Additionally, the researchers were able to accurately identify households facing multiple deprivations by using only geospatial features. If applied widely in other urban settings, Jung said her model could help reduce targeting errors and poverty severity and save money in misplaced aid. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of engaging beneficiaries when developing aid-delivery strategies, Jung said. This is particularly important as more governments and aid organizations turn to AI and new data sources to facilitate their work. The work in Lusaka was conducted in collaboration with the Zambian government and will be used to help it refine agricultural input assistance, such as seeds and fertilizer, to vulnerable farmers. Jung said similar partnerships are needed elsewhere to build more efficient national social safety-net systems, especially as foreign aid is reduced globally. "Changing policy isn't just about adjusting techniques; it is also about convincing people that you have their best interests in mind," Jung said. "We can't accomplish that without making people part of the solution." More information: Woojin Jung et al, Targeting urban poverty and food insecurity: A community-informed spatial analysis and machine learning approach, Sustainable Cities and Society (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2025.106799 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Amanda Porretto isn't sure she'll ever have children. At 27, she is the average age of new mothers in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She's feeling the pressure as an only child. Her father wants to be a grandfather and her mother, before she died, always told Porretto that she would eventually want to be a mom. "Some people think it's a bad thing" not to have a child, said Porretto, who works in advertising. "I just don't think I need to bring more people into (the world) when there's so much here currently that we need to fix." Younger generations of Americans are increasingly citing climate change as making them reticent to have children, according to several studies. They are worried about bringing children into a world with increasing and more intense extreme weather events, a result of climate change, which is caused by the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide when oil, gas coal are burned. And they are concerned about the impact their offspring will have on the planet. In a 2024 Lancet study of people 16 to 25 years old, the majority of respondents were "very" or "extremely" worried about climate change. The study also found that 52% said they were hesitant to have children because of climate change. Adults under 50 years old without children were four times more likely than adults over 50 without children to say that climate plays a factor in their decision, according to a Pew Research Center report published last year. And a study published this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found more than half of respondents said "yes" or "maybe" to whether climate change made them question having children. Climate impact of children Parenthood and climate change are related not just because of fears for a child's well-being, but also by concern for the planet's well-being. Compared to the carbon emissions of all the other decisions, "having a child is by far, by orders of magnitude, larger," said Nandita Bajaj, executive director of Population Balance, which is a nonprofit focused on humans' environmental impact. Unlike other choices, procreation comes with something that bioethics professor Travis Rieder of Johns Hopkins University calls "carbon legacy." "You're not only doing carbon expensive activities like buying a larger house and a larger car and diapers and all that," said Rieder. "You're also creating someone who is going to have their own carbon footprint for the rest of their lives." That child might have children, and those children might have children, creating an impact that lasts generations, Rieder added. Of course, the logical extreme of minimizing an environmental footprint means having no children, Rieder said, which he is not advocating. It's tricky to quantify the impact of a child. That's because there's no consensus on what percentage of their impact is the parent's responsibility, and partly because the impact of that child depends on their parents' lifestyle. "One of the best predictors of how carbon-expensive they'll be is how wealthy you are," Rieder said. For example, the U.S. emits 123 times more carbon emissions than Ghana, according to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research. Adjusted for population size, that means the average American emits more than 12 times as much as the average Ghanan. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Why is it taboo to talk about? Procreation might have the largest climate impact, but when it comes to actions people can take to reduce their personal contribution to global warming, having fewer children often isn't discussed. Researchers who study climate change and family planning give two reasons. "If a person tells you that they're expecting or that they are pregnant, the immediate response is to offer some kind of support, congratulate them, that sort of thing," said Trevor Hedberg, who teaches moral philosophy at the University of Arizona. The other factor, said Rieder: the impact of procreation sometimes is tied to conversations about overpopulation. The environmental movement in the 1970s expressed fears that there were too many people for the planet's resources, which led to racism and eugenics, which garnered severe backlash. Taboo or not, climate is factoring into people's choices Ash Sanders, 43, knew when she was young that she didn't want to have a baby. Then she got pregnant. "I didn't want to add another person to the world and have them have more of an impact on a world that was already overstressed and strained by the number of humans that were here," she said. Sanders, a freelance writer who covers religion and environment, wanted an abortion but felt pressure by her Mormon upbringing and by the father to have the baby. She said she was called a bad person for not wanting a kid. She placed her child in an open adoption and sees her regularly. Today she feels conflicted about her decision. "I feel guilt for bringing her into the world. I mean she likes the world, she's a happy kid, she's very cool. I'm a big fan. But I feel guilt all the time," she said. Juan Jaramillo said the environment was always a factor in his parenthood calculus, even when he was a teenager in the 1970s. He later went to school to become a marine biologist. "Pollution and climate change was not an issue just yet, but all of the rest of the problems that we have now were there back then," he said. Plus, he just didn't want kids. So he got a vasectomy and hasn't regretted the decision. His decision not to have children and his environmental concerns lined up. That's not the case for Rieder, the bioethics professor, who has spent years studying that impact, and still very much wanted to be a dad. "Having children is a deeply meaningful and important activity to people. It's also carbon expensive," he said. "So how do you weigh these things out?" For Rieder, finding that balance meant having just one child. ___ Note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of a subject's name to Trevor Hedberg, not Hedbert. 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The spitzer three-color composite image of G53. The orange contours represent 13CO(1-0) integrated intensity. Credit: Credit: Astronomy & Astrophysics (2025). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202453390 Meng Dezhao, a Ph.D. student from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with his collaborators, has conducted a systematic study of the filamentary structure within the G53 molecular cloud. By combining multi-wavelength observations and simulations, they revealed for the first time that the filament is undergoing an "end-dominated collapse" (EDC), a process that is driving star formation. The paper is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Filamentary structures are widely present in molecular clouds, and their evolution is closely related to the formation of massive stars. As an active star-forming region, G53 is an ideal laboratory for studying the dynamics of filamentary structures. Using multi-wavelength data, including NH(1,1)/(2,2) from the NanShan 26-meter Radio Telescope and GRS CO(10), the researchers measured the filament to be approximately 30 pc 2 pc in size, with a high aspect ratio of about 15, indicating a typical elongated filament morphology. Further analysis of the velocity-integrated intensity of CO(10) and the H column density distribution revealed clear collapse signatures at both ends of the filament, consistent with the theoretical predictions of EDC. The position-velocity diagram of CO(10) shows that in the western part of the filament (G53W), two massive clumps, C2 and C4, are moving toward each other while simultaneously accreting surrounding material. This dynamic picture directly corroborates the kinematic characteristics of end-dominated collapse. To validate these findings, the researchers performed numerical simulations. The simulations demonstrated that an initially isothermal filament fragments into multiple clumps due to turbulence, and that these clumps subsequently merge at the ends. This finding provides strong theoretical support for the converging motion of C2 and C4. Moreover, NH molecular line observations detected a "hub-filament system" (HFS) centered on clump C2 in the G53W region. A strong correlation was found between the velocity gradient and velocity dispersion in this region, indicating that mass convergence is the main driver of large-scale turbulence. More importantly, clump C2, located at the center of this system, exhibits a star formation rate significantly higher than other regions in G53. This demonstrates the critical role of this particular filamentary structure in concentrating material and enhancing star formation efficiency. This study is the first to systematically reveal the complete scenario of end-dominated collapse and subsequent star formation in the G53 filament by combining observations and simulations. It provides a case study and physical basis for understanding the dynamical processes in massive star-forming environments. More information: Dezhao Meng et al, A case investigation of an end-dominated collapse and hub-filament system, G53, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2025). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202453390 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Philadelphia discharges 12.7 billion gallons of raw, diluted sewage into the Delaware River's watershed each yearwith Camden County adding to the mix, according to a new report. That's a problem, says the report's authors at the nonprofit advocacy group PennEnvironment. Philadelphia and Camden border the river, and significant recreational potential is blocked for part of the year because of pollution from both, the authors say. A waterway can remain unsafe for recreation for up to 72 hours after an overflow. That suggests local waterways could be unsafe for recreation up to 195 days per year, or more than half the year. Five decades after the Clean Water Act mandated that waterways be made safe for swimming and fishing, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) continue to pollute during wet weather when untreated sewage and runoff surge into nearby creeks and rivers, creating the potential to sicken recreational users. David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, said the group included Camden County in its most recent report "to get a more holistic view." PennEnvironment's first report on CSOs in 2023 focused only on Philly. The pollution "affects the waterway, the environment, and public health," Masur said. "The river is the border between the two states, and people on both sides use it a lot." PennEnvironment acknowledges that both Philly and Camden County have programs to reduce overflows and is calling on federal officials for increased funding to put proper infrastructure into place. Frequent overflows, high volume in Philly Roughly 60% of Philadelphia is served by a combined sewer system, which has 164 outfallsreally large metal or concrete openingsthat discharge pollution into waterways. A CSO system uses a single pipe to collect and transport sewage from homes and businesses as well as stormwater runoff from streets and sidewalks. During dry weather, the system can handle the volume before safely releasing it back into the rivers. But during heavy rainfall, the system discharges untreated, but highly diluted, sewage mixed with stormwater directly into waterways. Despite the Philadelphia Water Department's ongoing Green City, Clean Waters projecta 25-year plan focusing on green infrastructure to reduce overflowsthe frequency and volume remain alarmingly high, the report states. Overall, CSOs dumped an average of 12.7 billion gallons of raw sewage mixed with polluted stormwater per year into local waterways from 2016 to 2024, the authors of the report stated. They included an online map to show the location of the outfalls and annual overflow. Half the sewage came from just 10 CSOs. Still, the numbers are a slight improvement over the 15 billion gallons a year released into local rivers, as PennEnvironment reported in 2023. Philadelphia gets its drinking water from the rivers, but the CSOs are downstream of the city's treatment plants on the Delaware and the Schuylkill. The report used publicly available data to show that five of six waterways in Philly produced at least one overflow 65 times or more per year on average between 2016 and 2024. Those were the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, and Cobbs, Frankford and Tacony Creeks. In better news: the average volume of overflow per inch of precipitation declined by about 16% from previous periods, but progress is slow and threatened by increased rainfall and rising sea levels due to climate change, the authors say. PWD could not be reached for comment. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Camden County The report also found persistent overflows in Camden County. The cities of Camden and Gloucester, along with the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA), operate combined sewer systems that frequently overflow into the Delaware River and its tributaries, including the Cooper River and Newton Creek. The report found that systems on the Camden County side of the river overflowed into local waterways an average of 76 days per year from 2016 to 2024. The highest-frequency outfall for the Cooper River released sewage for an average of 118 days annually during that period. The Delaware River received sewage overflows for an average of 94 days annually from its highest-frequency outfall. But the authors said there are gaps in data, leaving them unable to show the total volume of diluted sewage released from Camden. But they said that the amount of "solids/floatables" collected at each outfall are an indicator a waterway is polluted. Dan Keashen, a spokesperson for Camden County, said officials have been making strides. He said that crews recently cleaned 30 miles of pipe and that a $26 million project is underway to physically separate the combined sewer service area of Pennsauken that flows into Camden. Officials are also studying how to better achieve compliance for the largest outfall in the system, a project estimated to cost $40 million to $150 million when complete. What can be done? The report concludes that current plans by Philadelphia and Camden County are insufficient to achieve the goal of a clean Delaware River watershed. The report was written by John Rumpler, clean water director for Environment America, PennEnvironment's parent organization, and Elizabeth Ridlington, associate director of the Frontier Group, a nonprofit research group that is part of the Public Interest Network, an environmental advocacy organization. The authors call for officials to accelerate action to end all sewer overflows, set a hard deadline, and find new ways to pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades. Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, chair of the committee on the environment, called overflows "a public health crisis" and urged PWD's new commissioner, Benjamin Jewell, to act. She said elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington also need to step up. PWD is separately under pressure by a new EPA regulation that seeks to improve the amount of dissolved oxygen in the Delaware by ordering a large-scale reduction of ammonia at the city's three water pollution control plants. PWD estimates that the price for compliance is $3.6 billion and would cost households another $265 annually on their water bills. The authors of the PennEnvironment report concede the CSO task is daunting. But they say Portland and Boston faced similar situations, invested in infrastructure, and managed to make CSO overflows infrequent. Washington, D.C., they said, is on track to reduce sewage overflows by 96% in 2030. Hanna Felber, a PennEnvironment advocate, said PWD needs to use creative funding, such as floating longer-term bonds to finance projects, and that its engineers need to find more creative solutions, such as installing larger stormwater tunnels that flow separately from sewage. "Unfortunately, our new report on sewage pollution in Philadelphia shows that on far too many days each year, the Philadelphia Water Department's pipes and sewer systems dump huge volumes of raw sewage into our beautiful waters, harming our environment and depriving the public of a safe place to fish, boat and float," Felber said. 2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The Kakhovka Reservoir in southern Ukraine before and after the dam breach. Satellite imagery from 7 June 2022 (top) shows the reservoir full, while imagery from 18 June 2023 (bottom) reveals extensive drying and exposed riverbeds following the dams destruction. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, Lauren Dauphin, Inbal Becker-Reshef. The Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine once stood 30 meters high and stretched 3.2 kilometers across the Dnieper River, creating one of the country's largest reservoirs. Holding some 18 cubic kilometers of water, it supplied irrigation across Kherson Oblast and beyond, and cooled Europe's biggest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia. When the dam collapsed in June 2023, its loss unleashed catastrophic floods downstream and drained the vast reservoir upstream. Fields were left parched, canals emptied, ecosystems shattered. Toxic sediments flowed into the Black Sea, algal blooms spread, and what had been a reservoir began transforming into a raw floodplain forest, sprouting willows and poplars over unstable ground. Amid the upheaval, Dr. Sarah Hartman, then a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, set out with her team to answer a pressing question. "We wanted to understand how these regions were responding to disruption. Could we track agricultural resilience, even in crisis, by using AI and satellite imagery?" With access on the ground unsafe or impossible, Hartman and her team turned to satellites and AI. Their model used publicly available Landsat imagery via Google Earth Engine and private data from Planet Labs to monitor crop health before and after the dam's destruction. Using unsupervised machine learninga method that identifies patterns in data without pre-labelingthey detected shifts in vegetation across the region. A decision-tree model then sorted these patterns into actively managed farmland and areas showing signs of abandonment or regrowth. The Ukraine research was undertaken as part of Hartman's Ph.D., with revisions to the published paper completed after she joined CSIRO as an Early Research Career (CERC) Postdoctoral Fellow. What emerged, she said, was "a mosaic of loss and persistence." "We were able to identify zones of collapsebut also zones of recovery," she said. This ability to see what's hidden on the ground, to interpret disruption from afar, is at the heart of AI's promise in agriculture. What AI can reveal Through satellite imagery, AI can highlight where irrigation systems are drying up, spot greenhouses that weren't there a decade ago, or flag fields suddenly off-course in their growth. In places where data is missing or lost, AI can reclaim knowledge, sometimes going back decades. With one caveatHartman stresses that AI's power is only as good as its databank. "AI is what it eats," she said. "If we feed it sparse, outdated or biased data, we get misinformed models. But when we train models with rich, local and timely information, we grow AI that's relevant to the real and pressing needs of agriculture." This principle is what she and colleagues call "responsible, application-driven AI"RAD-AI for short. The approach is simple but critical: AI should be designed with and for the people who will use it, grounded in context, and fueled by the right data. Building trust in a sector under pressure "It's RAD because it reminds us that responsible, application-driven AI should be grounded in context and designed for the real world," she explained. At its heart is co-design: working alongside the people who will use the technologyagronomists, growers, agtech companiesto ensure AI reflects real needs and builds trust. "Building context-aware capabilities responsibly from the start, with a focus on the communities that will be served, is essential," Hartman said. Trust, she said, is also about diversity. Incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems, local data sovereignty and participatory design helps ensure AI reflects Australia's unique farming systems. "By weaving different agricultural paradigms into development, we can build tools that are not only technically powerful but also socially equitable." This is happening at a moment when Australia's agricultural sector is under pressure from every directionclimate change, labor shortages, productivity challenges and volatile global markets. But without targeted investment and careful design, agriculture risks missing out on the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) at precisely the moment it is most needed. "We have an incredible opportunity to harness AI but we need to ensure it is done responsibly and in ways that reflect the realities of Australian farming," cautioned Hartman. As innovation gathers pace, Hartman believes responsibility cannot be an afterthought. It must be built into the process from the beginningnot only to avoid risks of bias, misuse or exclusion, but to unlock the full potential of AI as a partner in farming. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The tools already emerging We're already seeing exciting initiatives at work in the field. On remote cattle stations, drones equipped with AI-driven algorithms are being trialed to automate mustering. Developed by the Australian company SkyKelpie, these systems predict livestock behavior and optimize flight paths, cutting costs and environmental impacts compared with helicopters and quad bikes. At the same time, robotics companies such as Swarmfarm are developing fully autonomous tractors that integrate multiple AI technologies. These machines hold the potential to transform field operations, though technical and scaling challenges remain. AI is also reshaping how farmers deal with the weather. Breakthroughs such as Google's GraphCast and Microsoft's Aurora are delivering forecasts with unprecedented speed and precision, supporting decision-making from planting to drought management. And generative AI is beginning to enter agriculture, from Microsoft's AgPilot chatbot to emerging platforms that can integrate farm-specific data into tailored recommendations. Each of these advances points to AI's versatilityfrom livestock to logistics, forecasts to fieldwork. But they also reveal vulnerabilities. Generative AIsystems trained to create new content such as text, images or codeare prone to "hallucinations": producing confident but incorrect answers. Misapplied in agriculture, such errors could lead to costly mistakes. Preparing for the future Hartman's "Trusted AI Agronomist" project shows how AI can make complex crop science usable on farms. A feed-forward neural network is trained to replicate CSIRO's Agricultural Production Systems Simulator, generating crop growth forecasts under different conditions. Crucially, it also provides uncertainty bandsgiving farmers not just a prediction, but a measure of confidence to guide risk-based decisions. "Most farm decisions are made under risk, not certainty," she said. "Knowing the confidence around a prediction, and not just the average, allows farmers with different tolerances for risk to choose the action that makes the most sense." Seeing not just a single outcome but a range of possible ones builds both trust and resilience into the decision-making process. Meanwhile, as part of CSIRO's Ag2050 initiative, Hartman has been examining the three AI breakthroughs with the greatest potential to transform farming: data integration and analytics, weather and climate forecasting, and generative AI chatbots. These are not abstract concepts but tangible technologies already in motion, pointing towards the kind of agricultural systems Australia could build by mid-century. "Farming is complex, and AI can revolutionize how decisions are made," said Dr. Rose Roche, CSIRO's Ag2050 lead. "To keep farm productivity growing in the face of climate change, shifting markets and resource pressures, our Ag2050 work is showing how AI can help farmers adapt and stay resilient into the future," Rose said. Frank Sperling co-edited Ag2050's special issue of the Farm Policy Journal, a landmark edition released by the Australian Farm Institute in collaboration with CSIRO. He said it's vital to explore diverse futures for Australian agriculture. "With Australian agriculture having to navigate an increasingly uncertain future, where global and local risks intertwine, we need to consider multiple plausible scenarios and explore what can be done to harness opportunities, while minimizing adverse outcomes," Frank said. "This is why this work by Hartman and colleagues on responsible AI is so important," he added. Choosing what kind of AI takes root For Hartman, the lesson from Ukraine still resonates. Out of devastation, AI helped reveal both collapse and persistenceand now, similar technologies are being developed and trialed in Australia. From drone-assisted cattle mustering and advanced weather forecasting to generative AI tools like Microsoft's AgPilot, AI is steadily moving from research to real-world application across the agricultural sector. The same will be true in Australia: the technologies we choose to buildand the way we choose to build themwill shape whether AI becomes a source of trust and resilience, or a cause of further risk. It's an insight that underpins Hartman's recent recognition as winner of the Women in AI Asia-Pacific award for AI in Agribusiness and Rural Development. "This award is a reflection of my drive to deeply engage when making (high and low) technology solutions and ensuring they work for people," she said. But Hartman is quick to add a note of caution: "AI is not a silver bullet. But when responsibly designed and rooted in good data, it can become a powerful tool for transforming agriculture." Provided by CSIRO This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Climate change is the biggest issue of our time. 2024 marked both the hottest year on record and the highest levels of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in the past two million years. Global warming increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, bushfires, floods and droughts. These are already affecting young people, who will experience the challenges for more of their lives than older people. It will also adversely affect those not yet born, creating a crisis of intergenerational justice. Caught in the changing climate In 2025, children and young people comprise a third of Australia's population. Given their early stage of physiological and cognitive development, children are more vulnerable to climate disasters such as crop failures, river floods and drought. They are also less able to protect themselves from the associated trauma than most older people. Under current emissions trajectories, United Nations research warns every child in Australia could be subject to more than four heat waves a year. It's estimated more than two million Australian children could be living in areas where heat waves will last longer than four days. A recent report found more than one million children and young people in Australia experience a climate disaster or extreme weather event in an "average year." Those in remote areas, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and Indigenous children are more likely to be negatively effected. That's equivalent to one in six children, and numbers are rising. Anxiety, frustration and fear The impact of climate change on young people's health and well-being is also significant. Globally, young people bear the greatest psychological burden associated with the impacts of climate change. Feelings such as frustration, fear and anxiety related to climate change are compounded by the experience of extreme weather events and associated health impacts. For young people who live through climate-related disasters, they may experience challenges with education, displacement, housing insecurity and financial difficulties. All these come on top of other issues. These include increased socioeconomic inequality, rising child poverty, mounting education debt, precarious employment, and lack of access to affordable housing. This means this generation of young people is likely to be worse off economically than their parents. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Not walking the walk Some key policy figures understand how climate change is turbo-charging intergenerational unfairness. Former treasury secretary Ken Henry described the situation as an "intergenerational tragedy," referring to the ways Australian policymakers are failing to address the changing climate, among other crucial issues. Even Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged "intergenerational fairness is one of the defining principles of our country." Yet, the current responses to the Climate Risk Assessment Report suggest it's not the highest priority. Climate change was barely mentioned in the May 2025 federal election. The major parties largely avoided the subject. It was also concerning that the first major decision of the newly reelected Albanese government was approving an extension to Woodside's North West Shelf gas project off Western Australia until 2070. This leaves a legacy to young people of an additional 87 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent every year for many years to come. Raising young voices Australia's children and young people are not stupid. Many worked out early that they could not trust governments. Since 2018, young people have mobilized hundreds of thousands of other children in protests calling for climate action. Youth-led organizations in Australia, such as the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, have long led campaigns and strategies to address climate change. They are joined by an increasing range of older allies, from Parents for Climate to the Knitting Nannas to the Country Women's Association. Domestically, many young people have turned to strategic climate litigation and collaboration with members of parliament on legislative change. They argue governments have a legal duty of care to prevent the harms of climate change. Thwarted attempts Beyond accelerating implementation of the National Adaptation Plan, other legislative innovations will help. In 2023, young people worked with independent Senator David Pocock to draft legislation addressing these concerns. This bill required governments to consider the health and well-being of children and future generations when deciding on projects that could exacerbate climate change. It was sent to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee. While all but one of 403 public submissions to the committee supported the bill, in June 2024 the Labor and Coalition members agreed to reject it. They argued it was difficult to quantify notions such as "well-being" or "material risk." Adding insult to injury, both major parties claimed Australia already had more than adequate environmental laws in place to protect children. Turning around the Titanic The Australian parliament may have another opportunity to embed a legislative duty to protect children and secure intergenerational justice. Independent MP Sophie Scamps introduced the Well-being of Future Generations Bill in February 2025. As legislation brought before the parliament lapses once an election is called, Scamps is planning to reintroduce the bill in this sitting term. The bill would introduce a legislative framework to embed the well-being of future generations into decision making processes. It would also establish a positive duty and create an independent commissioner for future generations to advocate for Australia's long-term interests and sustainable practice. While this bill does not include penalties for breaches of the duty, if passed, it would force the government of the day to consider the rights and interests of current and future generations. It's based on similar legislation in Wales, which has worked successfully for a decade. If nothing else, the Welsh experiment suggests we can take entirely practical steps to promote intergenerational justice, reduce the negative impacts of climate change on young people right now and avert a climate catastrophe threatening our children who are yet to be born. It may feel like turning around the Titanic, but it must be done. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Jamaican health authorities are warning residents to stay vigilant against hurricane-displaced crocodiles. Jamaican health authorities on Tuesday urged residents across the island to be vigilant for crocodiles displaced by Hurricane Melissa. "Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas," posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in a public service announcement on Instagram. "Residents living near these areas are therefore advised to remain vigilant and avoid flood-waters." SERHAwhich serves residents across Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St. Thomaswarned families to keep children and pets away from flooded areas. Ferocious winds and torrential rain tore into the Caribbean nation Tuesday as the deadly Hurricane Melissa made landfall, the worst storm ever to strike the island nation and one of the most powerful hurricanes on record. The extremely violent system was crawling across the Caribbean, promising catastrophic floods and life-threatening conditions. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An aerial view shows the Temple of Artemis and the acropolis that were excavated in Sardis. Credit: Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College From the Greeks and the Romans to the Ottoman empire, the history of Sardis, Turkey, is one of persistent turnover. But its archaeological investigation has been remarkably consistent. Since 1958, the ancient city has been continuously excavated by one of the longest-running institutional projects, the Harvard-Cornell Exploration of Ancient Sardis. "It's really important that it has institutional continuity," said Benjamin Anderson, associate professor of history of art and visual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. "Many of us know and have been mentored by colleagues of the previous generation of excavators. As a result, it's one of the few long-term archaeological projects in the region that has generated a critical mass of data." For the last several years, Anderson has been documenting the walls and structures of the city's acropolis, which was a major part of the settlement in the Byzantine period, following Roman times. "This is a city that shows up in lots of ancient historical sources," he said. "But now, just in the last 75 years or so, we have the possibility of telling that story, also, through what the project has found archaeologically." This summer, thanks to the efforts of the project as well as the local community that has played a critical role in the excavation, the site was inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. "The opportunity to really start understanding a culture through the material remains is pretty unusual, and it requires that kind of long-term commitment," Anderson said. "That's also what's being celebrated by the World Heritage designation by UNESCO. This project has always been distinguished from the very beginning by a desire to communicate results and to make their work legible to tourists and to locals and all manner of different audiences." 'A really large-scale exploitation' A capital of the Iron Age empire of Lydia, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Anatolian plateau, Sardis was "a place of cultural encounter between the East and West," according to Annetta Alexandridis, associate professor of the history of art and classics in A&S. The Lydian period is of particular interest for archaeologists and historians. The Lydians are credited with the invention of coinage, and their ruler, King Croesus, was fabled to be the wealthiest man in the world. The Lydian empire was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great. Several centuries later, it was integrated into the Roman Empire, and then the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. "Because it was not overbuilt by a modern cityit's only a little villageSardis gives you a really long history, from the Bronze Age, third millennium BCE, to basically today," Alexandridis said. "These layers are all there, and make it sometimes difficult to excavate, because they are not clearly stratified. They interfere with each other, but, in a way, it's an ongoing history, and that makes it so fascinating for us." As associate director of the project, Alexandridis has been studying the city's Roman funerary culture and is now conducting a survey of all its cemeteries, which so far have not been well-documented, unlike the Bin Tepe cemetery, about 10 kilometers north of Sardis, which features some of the largest tumulii.e., burial moundson record. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Sardis also played an important role in the development of American archaeology. The first modern attempt to exhume the city in the early 20th century, as led by the American Society for the Excavation of Sardis, was "a really large-scale exploitation," Alexandridis said. The Temple of Artemis and the necropolis were excavated, but many artifacts were damaged, lost or ended up in the U.S. by dubious means, including a giant column that is still prominently displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That initial excavation ceased with the Greco-Turkish war in the early 1920s. Slowly, over the decades, artifacts began to trickle back to Turkey. "It's one of the first cases where we can see the whole discussion about restitution of antiquities that were illegally exported, until some were returned to Turkey," Alexandridis said. "It has all of these broader issues of how to deal with cultural heritage from a not only preservation or scholarly point of view, but also political and legal, and of the question of stewardship and responsibility for culture in the past." The collaboration between Cornell and Harvard originated in 1958 under the direction of Harvard's George M. A. Hanfmann and Cornell's Henry Detweiler from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, who specialized in the documentation of historical structures. "If you went to Sardis in 1950, there were a few things kind of sticking up above ground, but there was nothing really to see, per se," Anderson said. "The architects were the first generation of Cornellians who were there, and the project really committed to taking what they'd excavated responsibly, supplementing it through newly manufactured pieces, and presenting a total experience of the structure, instead of just producing a drawing and putting it in a publication." In the 1950s and 1960s, the team rebuilt a monumental bath-gymnasium complex and the largest synagogue in the ancient world, projects that were the first of their kind and served as models for reconstructions at other sites. There followed the discovery of city mud brick walls, the acropolis, a Persian-period garbage pit, a site for gold refinement, an ancient shopping center and, recently, a sanctuary plaza that required 15 years of excavation work. 'The pieces start to add up' The project is institutionally housed under Harvard Art Museums, and it has grown to include Turkish and other U.S. institutions, among them University of Wisconsin, Madison and University of California, Berkeley. Cornell's main contribution is now sending graduate studentsand increasingly, some undergradsin archaeology and anthropology to Sardis for 10 weeks each summer. The students either work in a depot, where recovered relicsthe great majority of which are ceramics, or "broken pots," according to Andersonare classified and entered into a database, or they supervise the excavation trenches. Because Sardis sits on an alluvial plain of silt, the trenches are essentially shafts, some of which extend as far as 12 meters down"quite terrifying in their own right," Anderson said. "Local workers, who are already trained, gradually remove the soil, and the students are there observing, documenting, taking notes, asking questions, determining when they need to stop and call in maybe the director or an associate director to take a look at what's coming up, when they should take a photograph, when they should bring in the architects to make a state drawing of a particular moment," Anderson said. Sardis is one of three excavation projects worldwide that "most people who go on to a career in classical archaeology in the U.S. have been through," Anderson said. The Harvard-Cornell team is joined by researchers representing a variety of disciplines from around the globe, more than half of whom are Turkish experts and students. But also the local contributions are crucial. "A topic that regularly accompanies what we are doing is how are we doing it? How do we include local expertise?" Alexandridis said. Currently, in addition to men, a large group of women from Sardis is excavating and doing restoration work. Leyla Ugurer, a doctoral student in history of art and archaeology, was born and raised in the Sardis region and initially studied English and literature at Istanbul University. She later returned to study classical archaeology. "To learn archaeology, you have to work at the site as well," she said. In 2022, she began to work on surveying rock-cut tombs, from Lydians to Romans, all around the city, and she continued that effort through her first three summers. This year, she supervised the excavation of a late Roman site. Because of her experience with the project, Ugurer decided to pursue her Ph.D. at Cornell. She found a perfect match in Alexandridis, who serves as her adviser, because of their shared interest in funerary art, which not only offers insights into how a culture thinks about aesthetics and the afterlife, but also its daily reality. This was the city on "one of the most important trade roads in the ancient world," where the first coin was minted and Alexander the Great visited, Ugurer said. "You were raised there, so you have the same culture going on in you and around you. I remember looking at archaeologists when I was a child and admiring them. To be familiar with those archaeological works going on also helps you understand the archaeological importance more." The UNESCO designation reinforces those feelings. And there are practical benefits as well. "As a local, I can say it is very important," she said. "First of all, now it is known worldwide and because of UNESCO, there can maybe be more funding for the excavation, also people, more tourists and more research. People will know the area much better, and there will be more protection." That protection has been long due. The city's topography is vulnerable to the elements. Numerous tumuli have been destroyed by agricultural activities. Looting has now reached "industrial dimensions," Alexandridis said, with treasure-seekers dynamiting the tomb mounds and bringing in bulldozers, and often weapons. The story of Sardis is ongoing, but piece by piece, it is slowly coming together. "This is why the long-term commitment is so important," Anderson said. "One season's work, you'll learn how to do the thing, but you're not necessarily going to find something that will be especially significant for the history of the site, until maybe 10 years later, you find something else a little bit further away, and the pieces start to add up." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Researchers have revealed the endangered hoiho is actually made up of three distinct subspecies which diverged up to 16,000 years ago. Credit: Janelle Wierenga Genomic research has found the endangered hoiho is made up of three distinct subspecies, a discovery that may help guard against a fatal disease. The study is titled "Population genomics of yellow-eyed penguins uncovers subspecies divergence and candidate genes linked to respiratory distress syndrome." It was led by scientists from the University of OtagoOtakou Whakaihu Waka, the Department of Conservation, and Ngai Tahu, in preprint ahead of peer review on bioRxiv. Senior author Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of Otago's Department of Microbiology & Immunology, says the study redefines the species' evolutionary history and has urgent implications for its conservation. Using whole-genome sequencing of about 250 penguins from across the New Zealand mainland and the subantarctic Enderby and Campbell Islands, researchers discovered deep genetic divisions in each location, consistent with three subspecies. Comparing these genomes with ancient DNA from two extinct species shows the three lineages diverged between 5,000 and 16,000 years ago. "This is a turning point for hoiho conservation. Each group has a unique evolutionary legacy specifically adapted to its environment and without swift, targeted action, we could lose one forever," Professor Geoghegan says. Mainland hoiho are facing a health crisis with many chicks succumbing to respiratory distress syndrome. The researchers hope their findings will provide insight into why the disease affects mainland chicks and not their subantarctic relatives, and hopefully halt further population decline. Credit: Janelle Wierenga Putting it into action The discovery comes as mainland hoiho face a crisis. There are fewer than 150 breeding pairs remaining and many chicks succumb to respiratory distress syndrome, a lethal condition linked to a gyrovirus, identified by Professor Geoghegan's group in 2023. By combining population genomics and genome-wide association studies, this latest research identified candidate genes involved in immune and respiratory function, offering insight into why the disease affects mainland chicks but not their subantarctic relatives. Dr. Janelle Wierenga, Head of Wildlife at the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance and Postdoctoral Fellow at Otago, says the results suggest genetic differences in immune or respiratory pathways may make the northern subspecies more susceptible to infection. "Understanding these differences is essential to halting further decline." Dr. Mel Young from the Department of Conservation says, in partnership with Ngai Tahu, who hold kaitiakitanga (guardianship) over hoiho, the study's findings will guide conservation policy and the development of subspecies-specific management strategies. "Recognizing three subspecies acknowledges the cultural and biological diversity within hoiho and ensures conservation efforts that are tailored for each population," she says. Dunedin Wildlife Hospital veterinarian Lisa Argilla says urgent protection of the mainland subspecies alongside increased monitoring of both subantarctic subspecies is needed to protect them. "For the northern population, extinction is not a distant possibility, it is an imminent threat. Without urgent, bold and collaborative action, we risk losing these precious birds forever," she says. Lead author Dr. Joseph Guhlin, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Otago, says the researchers are showing how species-wide genomics can directly improve conservation decisions. "We've built shared tools and knowledge that help us understand where these species came from, and how best to protect them. The same systems that helped one endangered bird are now safeguarding another." More information: Joseph G Guhlin et al, Population genomics of yellow-eyed penguins uncovers subspecies divergence and candidate genes linked to respiratory distress syndrome, bioRxiv (2025). DOI: 10.1101/2025.10.20.683354 Journal information: bioRxiv This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Residents of Cuba are also rushing to prepare for the storm which will hit after crossing Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa was only hours away Tuesday from expected landfall on Jamaica, bringing devastating flooding and winds that officials warn will smash the small Caribbean nation's infrastructure. Evacuations were underway as the slow-moving Category 5 stormpotentially the biggest ever to hit Jamaicacrept forward. Four deathsthree in Jamaica and one in Haitihave already been blamed on the deteriorating conditions but officials were concerned that many people were ignoring pleas to get to safety. In the worst-hit areas, said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, "I don't believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm." "For Jamaica it will be the storm of the century so far," Anne-Claire Fontan, at the World Meteorological Organization, said. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported early on Tuesday that Melissa was about 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the Jamaican capital Kingston, reaching maximum wind speed of 175 miles (280 kilometers) per hour. Surging ocean, together with rainfall expected to be measured in feet not inches, will likely trigger deadly floods. But officials were worried that many had refused to heed evacuation calls. Local government minister Desmond McKenzie said late Monday that many of the island's 880-odd shelters remained empty. Hurricane Melissa is set to hit Jamaica with full force, perhaps the worst storm ever to hit the island. "I want to urge persons... to get to high ground as quickly as possible," he said. Roy Brown, a plumber and tiler, told AFP he'd had bad experiences in government shelters during previous hurricanes and was "not moving." "I don't believe I can run from death," he said. Lumbering giant Melissa was forecast to reach the nearby eastern end of impoverished Cuba late Tuesday after pummeling Jamaica. The Jamaican Red Cross, which was distributing drinking water and hygiene kits ahead of infrastructure disruptions, said Melissa's "slow nature" made the anxiety worse. The hurricane was creeping along at human walking pace, meaning there will be no quick relief once it hits, likely lingering over the tropical island renowned for tourism, sprint star Usain Bolt and reggae. "You anticipate that maybe within four hours it would be gone... but Melissa is not looking like that," Red Cross spokesperson Esther Pinnock told AFP. Officials are urging Jamaicans to take shelter at more than 800 refuges, such as Holy Family Primary School in Kingston, as category 5 hurricane Hurricane Melissa barrels toward the island. Up to 40 inches (one meter) of rainfall were forecast, with flash flooding and landslides also expected in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. A "life-threatening" storm surge is likely along Jamaica's southern coast, with waters potentially rising 13 feet (4 meters), along with "destructive waves," the NHC said. There were fears that Melissa will wreak devastation on par with historic hurricanes, including 2017's Maria or 2005's Katrina, which left indelible impacts on Puerto Rico and the US city of New Orleans, respectively. Scientists say human-driven climate change has exacerbated massive storms, increasing their frequency. Global warming Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel said global warming was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, raising the potential for enormous rains. "Water kills a lot more people than wind," he told AFP. Infographic with a map of the northern Caribbean showing the trajectory of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, and all those since 1842 from when they reached Category 3. The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024an abnormally strong storm for the time of year. "Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: GW241011 and GW241110 infographics by Shanika Galaudage / Northwestern University / Adler Planetarium. Credit: Shanika Galaudage / Northwestern University / Adler Planetarium In a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the international LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration reports on the detection of two gravitational wave events in October and November of 2024 with unusual black hole spins. This observation adds an important new piece to our understanding of the most elusive phenomena in the universe. Gravitational waves are "ripples" in space-time that result from cataclysmic events in deep space, with the strongest waves produced by the collision of black holes. Using sophisticated algorithmic techniques and mathematical models, researchers are able to reconstruct many physical features of the detected black holes from the analysis of gravitational signals, such as their masses and the distance of the event from Earth, and even the speed and direction of their rotation around their axis, called spin. The first merger detected on Oct. 11, 2024 (GW241011), occurred roughly 700 million light years away and resulted from the collision of two black holes weighing in at around 17 and seven times the mass of the sun. The larger of the two black holes in GW241011 was measured to be one of the fastest rotating black holes observed to date. Almost one month later, GW241110 was detected on Nov. 10, 2024, coming from around 2.4 billion light years away and involving the merger of black holes roughly 16 and eight times the mass of the sun. While most observed black holes spin in the same direction as their orbit, the primary black hole of GW241110 was noted to be spinning in a direction opposite its orbita first of its kind. "Each new detection provides important insights about the universe, reminding us that each observed merger is both an astrophysical discovery but also an invaluable laboratory for probing the fundamental laws of physics," says paper co-author Carl-Johan Haster, assistant professor of astrophysics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). "Binaries like these had been predicted given earlier observations, but this is the first direct evidence for their existence." Binary Black Hole Merger Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology. Credit: Binary Black Hole Merger Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology Both detections, interestingly, point toward the possibility of "second-generation" black holes. "GW241011 and GW241110 are among the most novel events among the several hundred that the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network has observed," says Stephen Fairhurst, professor at Cardiff University and spokesperson of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. "With both events having one black hole which is both significantly more massive than the other and rapidly spinning, they provide tantalizing evidence that these black holes were formed from previous black hole mergers." Scientists point to certain clues, including the size differential between the black holes in each mergerthe larger was nearly double the size of the smallerand the spin orientations of the larger of the black holes in each event. A natural explanation for these peculiarities is that the black holes are the result of earlier coalescences. This process, called a hierarchical merger, suggests that these systems formed in dense environments, in regions like star clusters, where black holes are more likely to run into each other and merge again and again. "These detections highlight the extraordinary capabilities of our global gravitational wave observatories," says Gianluca Gemme, spokesperson of the Virgo Collaboration. "The unusual spin configurations observed in GW241011 and GW241110 not only challenge our understanding of black hole formation but also offer compelling evidence for hierarchical mergers in dense cosmic environments: they teach us that some black holes exist not just as isolated partners but likely as members of a dense and dynamic crowd. "These discoveries underscore the importance of international collaboration in unveiling the most elusive phenomena in the universe." Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Uncovering hidden properties of black hole mergers Gravitational waves were first predicted by Albert Einstein as part of his general theory of relativity in 1916, but their presencethough proven in the 1970swasn't directly observed by scientists until just 10 years ago, when the LIGO and Virgo scientific collaborations announced the detection of the waves as the result of a black hole merger. Binary Black Hole Merger Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology. Credit: Binary Black Hole Merger Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology Today, LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA is a worldwide network of advanced gravitational-wave detectors and is close to the end of its fourth observing run, O4. The current run started in late May 2023 and is expected to continue through mid-November of this year. To date, approximately 300 black hole mergers have been observed through gravitational waves, including candidates identified in the ongoing O4 run that are awaiting final validation. Furthermore, in the case of the observation announced today, the precision with which GW241011 was measured also allowed key predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity to be tested under extreme conditions. Actually, this event can be compared to predictions from Einstein's theory and mathematician Roy Kerr's solution for rotating black holes. The black hole's rapid rotation slightly deforms it, leaving a characteristic fingerprint in the gravitational waves it emits. By analyzing GW241011, the research team found excellent agreement with Kerr's solution and verified, once again, Einstein's prediction, but with unprecedented accuracy. Additionally, because the masses of the individual black holes differ significantly, the gravitational-wave signal contains the "hum" of a higher harmonicsimilar to the overtones of musical instruments, seen only for the third time ever in GW241011. One of these harmonics was observed with superb clarity and confirms another prediction from Einstein's theory. "This discovery also means that we're more sensitive than ever to any new physics that might lie beyond Einstein's theory." says Haster. Binary Black Hole Merger Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology. Credit: Binary Black Hole Merger Carl Knox, OzGrav, Swinburne University of Technology Advanced search for elementary particles Rapidly rotating black holes like those observed in this study have yet another applicationin particle physics. Scientists can use them to test whether certain hypothesized light-weight elementary particles exist and how massive they are. These particles, called ultralight bosons, are predicted by some theories that go beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes and classifies all known elementary particles. If ultralight bosons exist, they can extract rotational energy from black holes. How much energy is extracted and how much the rotation of the black holes slows down over time depends on the mass of these particles, which is still unknown. The observation that the massive black hole in the binary system that emitted GW241011 continues to rotate rapidly even millions or billions of years after it formed rules out a wide range of ultralight boson masses. "The detection and inspection of these two events demonstrate how important it is to operate our detectors in synergy and to strive to improve their sensitivities," says Francesco Pannarale, professor at SapienzaUniversity of Rome and co-chair of the Observational Science Division of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaborations. "The LIGO and Virgo instruments taught us yet some more about how black hole binaries can form in our universe," he adds, "as well as about the fundamental physics that regulates them at the very essence. By upgrading our instruments, we will be able to dive deeper into these and other aspects with the increased precision of our measurements." More information: GW241011 and GW241110: Exploring Binary Formation and Fundamental Physics with Asymmetric, High-Spin Black Hole Coalescences, The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2025). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae0d54 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal Letters Provided by European Gravitational Observatory This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Sinking land is quietly destabilizing urban infrastructure in India's largest cities, putting thousands of buildings and millions of people at risk, according to Virginia Tech scientists. Groundwater overuse is a critical driver of the problem, said Susanna Werth, assistant professor of geosciences who co-authored the paper published in Nature Sustainability. "When cities pump more water from aquifers than nature can replenish, the ground quite literally sinks," Werth said. "Our study shows that this overexploitation of groundwater is directly linked to structural weakening in urban areas." Using satellite radar data from 201523, the research team assessed differential ground sinking, or subsidence, in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, covering more than 13 million buildings and home to nearly 80 million people. Results revealed that 878 square kilometers of urban land, or about 339 square miles, is sinking, with nearly 1.9 million people exposed to subsidence rates greater than 4 millimeters per year. The study estimates that 2,406 buildings in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai are already at high risk of structural damage. If current subsidence trends continue, over 23,000 buildings could face a very high risk within the next 50 years. Land subsidence compounds the threats from flooding and earthquakes. When the ground beneath a city sinks unevenly, it weakens foundations, damages utility lines, and amplifies structural vulnerability. "The silent strain we see today could lead to tomorrow's disasters if cities do not adapt their infrastructure and groundwater management policies," said lead author Nitheshnirmal Sadhasivam, a graduate student working with Werth. The study demonstrates the value of cutting-edge satellite techniques in preventing tragedy, according to co-author and Associate Professor Manoochehr Shirzaei. "Our research shows how satellite-based ground mapping techniques can reveal risks that are otherwise hidden until collapse occurs," said Shirzaei. "Investing in adaptation now, through groundwater regulation, resilient design, and proactive monitoring, will save lives and resources in the long run." The findings extend beyond India, warning that subsidence-driven building damage is an emerging global urban challenge. As more cities depend on stressed aquifers and expand rapidly, subsidence will continue to erode infrastructure resilience worldwide. More information: Building damage risk in sinking Indian megacities, Nature Sustainability (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-025-01663-0. Journal information: Nature Sustainability This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Scientists at the New England Aquarium have unveiled a new slate of named North Atlantic right whalesa tradition that helps researchers in the field identify the animals in real time. This year's whales include Lasagna, Scorpion, Dandelion, Athena and more. "Whale naming is a fun and lighthearted way to bring the community together," said Amy Warren, scientific program officer in the New England Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, who coordinates the efforts. "It also allows us to connect with the whales at an individual level, including their habits and relatives," Warren added. Every right whale in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog has a number assigned to them, and many of these whales have also been given names that help scientists more easily recognize the whales when they see them during field work. Even for a small population of around 380 individuals, remembering numbers for each whale can be daunting, so names can make it easier. This year, 18 right whales were assigned names. The naming process involves submissions from North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium members and various research organizations, who then participate in a ranked choice voting system. The names are intended to relate to easily recognizable features or facts about the individual whales. The 2025 group includes Lasagna, a 20-year-old male named for his wavy fluke blades that look like a lasagna noodle. Another male right whale, Scorpion, was named for his callosity (white patches of raised tissue) that looks like a scorpion with its tail raised. A 14-year-old female right whale was named Dandelion for her callosity that looks like a dandelion flower with seeds blowing in the wind. The Aquarium collaborates with Whale and Dolphin Conservation on playful yearbook-style bios for each of the newly named whales. Scorpion's bio indicates his favorite song is "The Fate of Ophelia" by Taylor Swift because her lyrics mention a "bed full of scorpions." "Giving right whales names promotes connection and inspires curiosity," said Caroline Mowdy, communications specialist at Whale and Dolphin ConservationNorth America. "The more connected people feel to whales, the more likely they are to advocate for the ocean and protect the natural world in their community and beyond." Other names from this year's right whale class include a 16-year-old female, Taffy, named for part of her callosity that looks like it's being stretched across her head like taffy. Spectre received an eerie name just in time for October because of a scar on her back that resembles a ghostly apparition. Her mother is named Ghost. Another new family name this year is Athena, a 2-year-old female named for the Greek Goddess of War due to her entanglement scars and her mother being named War. The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium last week released the latest population estimate for the North Atlantic right whale, which shows the species heading in a positive direction for the fourth straight year. The estimate for 2024 is 384 individualsa 2.1% increase in population size from the 2023 estimate. While conservation and management efforts have progressed, the critically endangered species still faces threats including fishing gear entanglements and vessel strikes. Scientists note that strong protection measures are needed to allow the species to rebound. 2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Shatter cones are unique cone-shaped cracks that can only form after a meteorite impact. Credit: Curtin University Media In the beginning, Earth was a violent place with no atmosphere to soften the blow. About 66 million years ago, an asteroid slammed into what is now Mexico, forming the Chicxulub crater. This impact wiped out the dinosaurs and around 75% of all species on Earth at the time. But another crater, located in Australia, is far older. Billions of years older. According to research from Curtin University, this site could be the oldest meteorite impact crater ever discovered on Earth. How old is the oldest meteorite impact crater on the planet? 3.5 billion years old. And it's right here in WA, deep in the Pilbara. Made in Western Australia Scientists examined rocks at North Pole Dome, 40 kilometers west of Marble Bar. The area is home to some of Earth's earliest preserved crust. The team found signs of shock textures and microscopic patterns in the rock caused by intense heat and pressure. The kind only a massive cosmic impact could create. "Before our discovery, the oldest impact crater was 2.2 billion years old, so this is by far the oldest known crater ever found on Earth," says Professor Tim Johnson. Hit me space rock, one more time Shatter cones, distinctive rock formations that only form under the extreme pressure of a meteorite strike, revealed what happened. A meteor hit the region at more than 36,000 kilometers per hour, creating a crater more than 100 kilometers wide and launching debris across the world. The impact reshaped the landscape, and possibly the planet. This discovery means Earth was pummeled by meteorites far earlier than previously thought. This has major implications for the origin of life, atmosphere formation and early plate tectonics. All the world's a stage It's not every day Western Australia rewrites Earth's history. But not everyone sees it the same way. In July 2025, a team of geologists from Harvard published new research suggesting the impact might have been smaller and more recent than first thought. Their fieldwork and analysis estimates the strike happened around 2.7 billion years ago and left behind a crater about 16 kilometers wide. So who's right? Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Science in the making Two different answers isn't a failure or a controversy. It's science working as it should. Disagreement is part of the process. Researchers are expected to question each other's findings, build on them and test them again. It's not about who says it, but whether the evidence holds up. The system of science is built to evolve, much like the story of our planet. The story of us After all, the Chicxulub crater was only confirmed as the source of the dinosaur mass extinction in 1991. The ideaonce controversialis now widely accepted by the scientific community. Whether this meteorite impact occurred 3.5 billion years ago or far more recently, one thing is clear: we are still piecing together the story of our planet. Every new discovery, disagreement or discussion takes us one step closer. Provided by Particle This article first appeared on Particle, a science news website based at Scitech, Perth, Australia. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Bathymetry and locations of the experiments. (a) Bathymetric map of the Pacific Ocean with the locations of ambient sound profile data collection shown in (b) the Philippine Sea, (c) Mariana Trench, and (d) Tonga Trench. Credit: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025jc022575 Since the Industrial Revolution, scientists estimate that the ocean has become around 30% more acidic from the uptake of additional anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Ocean acidification has widespread effects, including loss of coral reefs and a decline in shellfish. Current methods for measuring acidification in the ocean are point-based and labor-intensive, making large-scale, long-term monitoring challenging. However, a group of acoustic oceanographers testing out an instrument called Deep Sound may have stumbled onto a new way of measuring ocean acidification averaged over a depth of around 10 km. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, details a new method for estimating pH from passive acoustic data taken in the Philippine Sea, Mariana Trench, and Tonga Trench with free-falling autonomous acoustic profilers. The data was taken periodically for over a decade and focuses on the 110 kHz frequency band, with noise primarily coming from wind whipping around water at the ocean's surface. The team realized that they could use the change in sound as the device moved deeper to measure acidification, as the dampening of sound is also affected by the change in chemical availability in the water. "As sound propagates through seawater, it loses energy to the chemical constituents that contribute to the ocean's salinity. The mechanism of acoustic absorption is a process called chemical relaxation, where the equilibria of ionic dissociation reactions are modulated by the constantly changing pressure caused by a passing acoustic wave. "Under such a pressure variation, the modulated equilibria drive the reactions back and forth, dissipating some acoustic energy. Laboratory studies have identified boric acid, magnesium carbonate (less than 3 kHz), and magnesium sulfate (greater than 3 kHz) as the primary contributors to acoustic absorption," the study authors explain. They go on to say that the magnitude of absorption depends on factors like frequency and temperature, and that pH becomes a significant factor in sound absorption below 3 kHz, due to the relationship between boric acid and hydrogen ions. The researchers developed models to relate the depth dependence of the changes in ambient noise to pH, and came up with estimates that ranged from 7.74 to 8.18. They say the technique can be used for longterm passive acoustic monitoring of ocean acidity. This differs from current methods that rely on passive optical absorption spectroscopy or active acoustic transmissions to estimate pH, with the latter requiring many transmissions and resulting in limited accuracy. Still, there are limitations to the new method. For example, some of the different absorption models yielded different pH estimates, pointing to uncertainty in the equations of state for seawater acoustics. On top of that, the surface wind variability and other noise sources can affect the quality of the acoustic data. And, although the pH profiles are depth-averaged, they are not high-resolution. However, the study authors are optimistic about making some tweaks to improve the method. They say, "Improved pH estimates may be attainable using a mooring or a slowermoving vehicle capable of recording data at each depth for a longer time, while coherent processing techniques could be applied to reduce uncertainty caused by confounding noise sources. "With validated accuracy and improved precision, this technique has the potential to become a valuable tool for generating longterm time series of ocean acidity." Written for you by our author Krystal Kasal, edited by Stephanie Baum, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Eganthis article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information: Ernst M. Uzhansky et al, On the Measurement of Ocean Acidity With Ambient Sound, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025jc022575 Journal information: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 2025 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Last month marked the third anniversary of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, an uprising that has been described as the country's most significant movement since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Though authoritarian powers and patriarchal systems continue to oppress, women journalists in the Middle East have combined reporting and activism. Many of these professionals operate under regimes that criminalize dissent. For them, reporting isn't just a profession, it merges with acts of resistance. Across the region, journalists like Egypt's Lina Attalah, who continues to publish investigative reports despite state repression, and Yemen's Afrah Nasser, whose exile hasn't silenced her voice, act as catalysts for change, using their platforms to amplify marginalized voices, challenge oppressive systems and mobilize communities in liberation-focused movements. Through the years, their work has gone far beyond reporting news and has become a vital force for truth, justice and social transformation in the region. Telling the truth under threat Ever since social media and blogs became widely accessible, women journalists have stood at the forefront, playing a crucial role in raising awareness of inequality, often in competition with predominantly male-dominated mainstream news outlets that are heavily censored or operate under tight government influence. My Stealthy Freedom (MSF), for example, one of the most prominent social movements in Iran, was launched in 2014 by exiled Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad. What started as a Facebook page supporting Iranian women's autonomy in making personal choices about their dress quickly gained more than one million followers. In May 2017, MSF launched the #WhiteWednesdays campaign, encouraging participants to wear white headscarves or other symbols on Wednesdays as a visible form of protest against the mandatory hijab law. The campaign later expanded through tactical hashtags like #MarchingWithoutHijab and #OurCameraIsOurWeapon. While Alinejad was working abroad, the government arrested her brother to pressure her to end her activism. In addition, New York police arrested two men involved in a murder-for-hire plot against her. In Lebanon, independent journalist Luna Safwan, who covers corruption, gender-based violence and protest movements, has experienced coordinated online harassment for her critical reporting on Hezbollah and gender inequality. She faced two defamation SLAPP suits from her harasser and his lawyer after she and six other women publicly accused activist Jaafar al-Attar of sexual misconduct in 2021. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of Mada Masr, one of the few remaining independent media outlets in Egypt, has been detained several times for publishing investigative reports on government corruption and women's rights. She continues to advocate for press freedom and digital security for journalists under authoritarian regimes. Award-winning Yemeni journalist and blogger Afrah Nasser was forced to flee into exile after documenting human rights violations and gender-based violence during Yemen's civil war. As a researcher with Human Rights Watch, she continues to advocate for accountability, freedom of expression and justice for victims of war crimes in Yemen. Yara Bader, a Syrian journalist and human rights advocate who leads the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, has exposed state-led detentions, torture and media suppression. Despite facing arrest and exile, she continues to advocate for press freedom and the protection of detained journalists in Syria. In Tunisia, Lina Ben Mhennia blogger, digital activist and journalistused her blog, A Tunisian Girl, during the Arab Spring to report on rural and under-covered regions. She documented police brutality and government repression and helped expose injustices to both the Tunisian public and the international community. She later became an advocate for human rights and freedom of expression in Tunisia. Al Jazeera Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda has used her Instagram account to issue calls for global solidarity since 2023. The reporting of Owda and others from Gaza, like Hind Khoudary and Youmna ElSayed, have led to worldwide demonstrations, including a global strike on university campuses in 2024 and, more recently, the global strike in August 2025. Middle Eastern women journalists like these have been crucial in documenting on-the-ground realities and mobilizing resistance against colonial, authoritarian and patriarchal violence. Reclaiming the narrative digitally The truth is that Middle Eastern women journalists have been actively reporting in places like Palestine and covering other conflict zones, often under dangerous conditions, for a long time. While on the job, for example, veteran Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot by an Israeli soldier during a military operation in Jenin despite wearing a clearly marked "press" flak jacket. Social media and blogging sites have given women journalists the platforms needed to spread messages of resistance. And although Middle Eastern women journalists face a dual struggleagainst patriarchal state structures and lingering colonial forcesthey persist, fighting for a more equitable world and to mobilize others toward that goal. In today's world, where human rights seem increasingly fragile, Middle Eastern women journalists demonstrate determination and resilience. They advocate for human rights and fight against gender-based violence while shaping narratives and striving for social transformation within their geopolitical contexts and beyond. In many Middle Eastern countries, access to official news channels is often reserved for reinforcing authoritarian narratives, while feminist journalists act as agents of change, using widely accessible platformsparticularly social mediato create spaces for awareness and reform. Women journalists resist oversimplified portrayals of women as oppressed by family, state or colonial power. They reveal women's role as active agents of change, exposing injustice and advancing movements for equality. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Hurricane Melissa is set to hit Jamaica with full force, perhaps the worst storm ever to hit the island. Ferocious winds and torrential rain tore into Jamaica Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa made landfall, the worst storm ever to strike the island nation and one of the most powerful hurricanes on record. The extremely violent Category 5 system was still crawling across the Caribbean, promising catastrophic floods and life-threatening conditions as maximum sustained winds reached a staggering 185 miles per hour (295 kilometers per hour). "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" warned the US National Hurricane Center, urging residents to stay sheltered and as far from windows as possible, including during the brief calm offered by the storm's eye. Melissa's sustained wind speed was even more potent than most of recent history's big storms, including 2005's Katrina, which ravaged the US city of New Orleans. "For Jamaica it will be the storm of the century so far," said Anne-Claire Fontan of the World Meteorological Organization. Seven deathsthree in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republichave already been blamed on the deteriorating conditions, but officials were concerned that many people were ignoring pleas to get to safety. "Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave," local government minister Desmond McKenzie told a briefing. He lamented that many of the country's approximately 880 shelters were still in large part empty. Residents of Cuba are also rushing to prepare for the storm which will hit after crossing Jamaica. Surges in seawater combined with rainfallwhich will likely be measured in feet, not inchescould trigger deadly floods and landslides. "Keep Safe Jamaica," posted Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt, one of Jamaica's most famous figures, on X. Ishack Wilmot, who was hunkered down with family in Kingston, told AFP they were safe and dry for now but had lost electricity and water overnight. "The winds are up and gusting," he said. "Even though we are away from the eye, it's still really intense and loud." Lumbering giant The Jamaican Red Cross, which was distributing drinking water and hygiene kits ahead of infrastructure disruptions, said Melissa's "slow nature" made the anxiety worse. The hurricane had quickened slightly but had been lumbering along at a human walking pace, meaning there it could linger over the tropical island renowned as a tourist destination. Usually, "you anticipate that maybe within four hours it would be gone... but Melissa is not looking like that," Red Cross spokesperson Esther Pinnock told AFP. Officials are urging Jamaicans to take shelter at more than 800 refuges, such as Holy Family Primary School in Kingston, as category 5 hurricane Hurricane Melissa barrels toward the island. Melissa was set to strike nearby eastern end of Cuba late Tuesday after pummeling Jamaica. The mammoth storm appeared set to wreak devastation on the scale of some of the worst hurricanes in recent memory like Katrina, Maria or Harvey. Scientists say human-driven climate change has exacerbated massive storms and increased their frequency. Meteorologist Kerry Emanuel said global warming was causing more storms to rapidly intensify as Melissa did, raising the potential for enormous rains. "Water kills a lot more people than wind," he told AFP. The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in July 2024an abnormally strong storm for the time of year. "Human-caused climate change is making all of the worst aspects of Hurricane Melissa even worse," said climate scientist Daniel Gilford. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Young adult ochre sea stars. Credit: Sarah Gravem The "baby boom" of ochre sea stars that followed a population crash a decade ago is enabling the species to recover on the Oregon Coast, according to new research by scientists at Oregon State University and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The study, published in Ecosphere, does not determine whether the boom was triggered by the wasting disease epidemic that pushed ochre sea stars to the brink of extinction in Oregon, or simply a fortunate coincidence. But either way, a study of multiple sites along the coast revealed many encouraging signs for ochre sea star populations. "Wasting disease remains in circulation and populations continue to fluctuate, but there's also much evidence that ochre sea stars are bouncing back," said the study's lead author, Sarah Gravem, an OSU postdoctoral researcher when the project began. Gravem, now an assistant professor at Cal Poly, and Bruce Menge, a distinguished professor of integrative biology in the OSU College of Science, analyzed ochre sea star populations at eight locations over a 23-year period. They found that many sea star baby boomers have reached adulthood and that population numbers are now at or exceeding pre-wasting disease abundances. "After declines in sea star numbers of up to 84% in 2014, we quickly saw an 8,000% increase in young sea stars landing on shore," Gravem said. "Populations are now large enough that sea stars are on the way to resuming their role as a keystone predator in the intertidal zone; at three-quarters of the study sites, predation on their favorite prey, California mussels, has recovered." That means the mussels are unable to form the beds that blanket intertidal rocks and make life difficult for other invertebrates and seaweedsthe sea stars' predation opens up room for more species to potentially thrive. "We showed that sea stars have now grown abundant and large enough that they are eating mussels at similar rates to before the epidemic at most sites in Oregon," said Menge, who has been studying Oregon's intertidal zone for decades. However, he added, the average body sizes of the sea stars are still about 25% to 65% smaller than they once were at all but one location, and the sea star populations coast-wide are generally less steady from year to year than before the epidemic, suggesting populations have not returned to their previously stable, adult-dominated state. That's likely because of continuing pulses of recruitsyoung sea starsas well as intermittent resurgences in wasting disease, the researchers say. "The connection between the sudden decline of ochre sea stars and the baby boom remains elusive," Gravem said. "It's certainly possible they are linked, which would mean these sea stars may be resilient to mass mortality events. It is also possible that the baby boom was unrelated to the disease, and simple luck enabled this relatively rapid recovery." The cause of sea star wasting disease, a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida, was only recently uncovered. A collaboration led by scientists at the University of British Columbia, the University of Washington, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Hakai Institute published their findings in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Wasting disease causes sea stars to develop lesions and twisted arms, taking on the appearance that they're melting away. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain EPFL researchers have developed and tested Votegral a complete e-voting pipeline, demonstrating for the first time that there is a plausible and practical approach to coercion-resistant electronic voting in elections. Over the past decade, many studies have identified coercion and corruption as major challenges for electoral integrity around the world. In 2024, the Global State of Democracy Report found that the credibility of elections is under threat with concerns about whether voting is free, fair and transparent and results are increasingly contested. Globally, in-person marked ballot paperswhere a voter shows an ID, enters a private booth, marks their ballot and puts it in a secure boxare the most common form of voting. While this system isn't perfect, it is the current state-of-the-art standard in coercion resistance. Remote, online e-voting is an attractive alternative to in-person voting, due to its convenience and potential to increase voter turnout, yet the promise of electronic voting has often run headfirst into serious concerns including security vulnerabilities, voter privacy, scalability, and, perhaps most challenging, coercion resistance. Coercion occurs when anyone attempts to threaten or intimidate a voter into voting a particular way (or into not voting at all) or offers money or other rewards for voting in a particular way. A coercer could be a spouse or other family member, neighbor, employer, party activist, or even a foreign government attempting to influence an election's outcome remotely by offering money or cryptocurrency to buy votes over the Internet. A practical, fully coercion-resistant e-voting pipeline Now, EPFL researchers from the Decentralized and Distributed Systems Laboratory (DEDIS) in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences have developed a new, end-to-end e-voting system prototypefrom voter registration through to ballot casting and vote tallying once an election is closed. Named Votegral, it demonstrates that a fully coercion-resistant e-voting pipeline isn't just theoretically possible, it can also be practical. "Votegral is a coercion-resistant voting system that ensures that no voter can be forced or bribed into casting a ballot in a particular waybecause there's no way to prove how they vote. This protects against vote buying, domestic coercionlike a controlling spouseand manipulation by employers or political groups," explained Professor Bryan Ford, head of DEDIS. In a paper presented at SOSP 2025, the 31st Symposium on Operating Systems Principles in South Korea, the DEDIS researchers outline how most existing systemsincluding traditional mail-in ballotsfail this test, while Votegral tackles the coercion problem head-on using a technique known as fake credentials. Using advanced cryptographic technology called interactive zero knowledge proofs, coerced voters can generate fake credentials and use them to submit fake ballotsballots which the system can later filter out during tallying, leaving only the legitimate votes. Until now, however, this approach was far too slow to be practical. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. From prototype to possibility Bottlenecks in vote counting happen immediately after a vote closes because all the ballots need to be processed very quickly in a random order that makes sure that no ballot paper can be connected to the identity of any voter. Prior coercion-resistant systems using a similar design took more than 1700 years to count one million ballots. The Votegral prototype was able to reduce that time to just 14 hours, using the researchers' novel optimizations in cryptographic proof generation and performance tuning. "This is competitive with Swiss Post's e-voting system, which currently takes about 25 hours to tally one million votes using zero-knowledge proofs. Votegral's system also fits within legal time limits for announcing results in many. In addition, when voters or their coercers cast ballots with fake credentials, they need to be filtered out of the final tally, and this is time-consuming. We've now also optimized this step," said Louis-Henri Merino, a doctoral assistant with DEDIS and first author of the research paper. Plug-and-play? Votegral's architecture was designed to be compatible with Swiss Post and other e-voting systems globally. With further development, the system could potentially "plug into" existing e-voting infrastructure and add coercion resistance without overhauling an entire system. The researchers hope to find a partner or multiple partners with an international mindset to turn the prototype into a production-ready, fully deployable system with the costs and benefits shared globally. Looking ahead Until now, governments have largely been resistant to adopting e-voting due to two key challenges: the lack of coercion resistance in e-voting systems and an inability to verify code correctness. Votegral now provides solutions to the first problem. A future issue that governments are already considering is the ability of quantum computing to break today's cryptographic algorithms and de-anonymize or reveal how everyone voted in past elections. But the researchers are confident that answers already exist. "We already know that we can solve this problem without using state-of-the-art post-quantum cryptography algorithms. Of course, there needs to be a post-quantum version of Votegral and while this remains a future step, we know it's doable, there's no question about that," said Ford. What the researchers really hope is that their work changes the conversation around e-voting, proving that coercion resistance is not a pipe dreamit's a technical problem with a technical solution. "The research part of the problem is now solved. We're excited because Votegral closes the last known plausibility question. We know that this problem is solvable end to end and top to bottom, and with political will, sufficient time and investment. The only question now is whether somebody is going to step up and do that," he concluded. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Overview of the study area. The blue triangle represents the origin of the leak at Well SS-25. The orange line represents the delineation of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility to the north and residential neighborhoods to the south. Basemap source: Esri, HERE, Garmin, Maxar. Credit: Environmental Research Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1088/2515-7620/ae108b Using a mix of airborne and satellite images as well as data from ground sensors, a UCLA-led research team has reconstructed how the shape and reach of the methane plumes from the 201516 Aliso Canyon gas blowout evolved during the 112-day disaster. Starting from the beginning of the disaster in October and up until the end of the disaster in February, methane plumes from the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility likely reached at least 6.2 miles downwind from the blowout site into the nearby Porter Ranch neighborhood in northwestern Los Angeles County. The study also confirmed earlier estimates of total emissions of nearly 100,000 metric tons of methane during the blowout, which is equivalent to 20% of all of California's annual methane emissions and double the typical methane emission rate for the Los Angeles Basin. The Aliso Canyon disaster began Oct. 23, 2015, and lasted until Feb. 11, 2016. The UCLA-led Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study team and partners have been working to assess the short- and long-term health effects of the gas blowout, the largest uncontrolled release of toxic air pollutants from an underground gas storage facility in U.S. history. Before properly investigating those health effects, the researchers needed to determine how far from the blowout site the emissions reached and how the distance from the Aliso Canyon facility affected the amount of potential exposure. Determining the reach and intensity of the methane plumes allows the researchers to get a more informed estimate of how many people were potentially affected. The research team reviewed cloud-free images of the site captured by the Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 satellites to see where methane was present in the atmosphere early in the blowout event and how far it moved from the source into the nearby areas. Then they used additional images collected later during the blowoutsome from the Hyperion satellite and others from an Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), which was flown on an airplane. The final data sets came from the California Air Resources Board's ground monitors in the Aliso community. The two monitors collected hourly methane concentrations from December 2015 through March 2016. Researchers collected the hourly methane concentrations for the dates and times that aligned with clear-sky remote sensing images to connect and quantify correlation between satellite and ground-based observations. The study's findings form an essential foundation for the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study team's work to investigate the health effects of the blowout. Without knowing how far into the surrounding neighborhoods the methane plumes reached, it would be more difficult to understand who might have been affected by the blowout. The results also demonstrated the usefulness of using remote sensing data to characterize potential exposures from similar disasters. The authors note that leveraging multiple satellite and airborne remote sensing platforms and connecting it with data they had on the ground provided valuable footing for the team to better understand the size, shape and intensity of the methane gas released from the event. The findings are published in the journal Environmental Research Communications. More information: Daniel Cusworth et al, Characterization of methane plumes during the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak: a remote sensing perspective, Environmental Research Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1088/2515-7620/ae108b This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on October 27, 2025; Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm. Fueled by abnormally warm Caribbean waters, Hurricane Melissa exploded into a Category 5 cyclone while moving at little more than a strolling pacea dangerous mix that could amplify its impacts through relentless rain, storm surge and wind. Scientists say both rapid intensification and stalling storms are on the rise in a warming climate. Here's what to know. Supercharged by climate change Melissa jumped from a tropical storm with 70 mph (110 kph) winds on Saturday morning to a 140 mph Category 4 within 24 hours. It's since strengthened further into a Category 5, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson, where even well-built structures face catastrophic damage. It was the fourth of five Atlantic hurricanes this season to intensify in such dramatic fashion. "We haven't had that many hurricanes in the Atlantic this season, but an unusual proportion of them went through a phase of intensifying quite rapidly," meteorologist and climate scientist Kerry Emanuel of MIT told AFP. While it's hard to read the fingerprints of human-caused climate change into individual events, scientists are more confident when it comes to trends. "This may very well be collectively a signature of climate change," he said. Warmer sea surface temperatures injects more energy into storms, giving them extra fuel. But the relationship is nuanced: it's actually the temperature difference between the water and the atmosphere that sets a hurricane's potential strength, a concept Emanuel pioneered. "There's this atmospheric warming that tends to reduce the intensity, and there's sea surface temperature warming, which tends to increase the intensity," atmospheric scientist Daniel Gilford of nonprofit Climate Central told AFP. "Generally speaking...we find that the sea surface temperature wins out." Melissa passed over waters made 1.4C (2.5F) warmer due to climate change, Climate Central's rapid analysis saidtemperatures that were at least 500 times more likely due to human-caused warming. 'A terrifying situation' Warmer oceans also mean wetter storms. "We expect something like between 25-50% extra rainfall in a storm like Melissa because of human-caused climate change," said Gilford. Compounding matters further is the storm's slow crawlcurrently three miles per hour. Melissa is projected to dump 20-25 inches of rainfall to parts of Jamaica. "It's this repetitive or continuous threat and existence in a dangerous situation," Jill Trepanier, a hurricane climatology expert at Louisiana State University, told AFP. "It could be a prolonged surge. It could be high level rainfall over a longer period of time, and your watershed can't handle it. It could be extreme wind speed over an extended period of time, and most infrastructure can't handle that. It could be a combination of all three." Trepanier authored a research paper last year on the subject of so-called stalling storms, finding that such events in the Caribbean typically happen in October, near coastlines. Normally stalling storms tend to be dying out, as they pull up cold water from the depths of the ocean and are exposed to wavy, up-and-down winds in the atmosphere tearing them apart. What makes Melissa unusual is that it stalled and intensified in the same spota sign that the water was so warm, and the warmth ran so deep, it avoided the usual self-destructing effect. "It's a bit of a terrifying situation," said Trepanier. Former NOAA climatologist James Kossin, who has published several papers on the subject, said data clearly show that stalling storms are on the rise. A possible driver is "Arctic amplification"global warming reduces the temperature difference from the planet's low to high latitudes, weakening the winds that normally steer storms "like a cork in stream." But more research is needed to confirm a causal link, he said. Trepanier added that understanding the human and ecological dimensions is just as important as the physics because humans respond differently to risk. With Jamaica's mountainous terrain, torrential rainfall could trigger landslides, while heavy damage to hotel infrastructure could batter the tourism-dependent economy for years, she warned. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Artist's recreation of Epiaceratherium itjilik in its forested lake habitat, Devon Island, Early Miocene, 23 million years ago. The plants and animals shown, including a leporid, rabbit and the transitional seal Puijila darwini, are all based on fossilized remains found at the site. Credit: Julius Csotonyi Scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature have announced the discovery and description of an extinct rhinoceros from the Canadian High Arctic. The nearly complete fossil skeleton of the new species was recovered from the fossil-rich lake deposits in Haughton Crater on Devon Island, Nunavut and is the most northerly rhino species known. Rhinoceroses have an evolutionary history that spans more than 40 million years, encompassing all continents except South America and Antarctica. The "Arctic rhino" lived about 23 million years ago, during the Early Miocene and is most closely related to other rhino species that thrived in Europe millions of years earlier. The scientific paper describing this new species, named Epiaceratherium itjilik [eet-jee-look], was published today in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. "Today there are only five species of rhinos in Africa and Asia, but in the past they were found in Europe and North America, with more than 50 species known from the fossil record," says the study's lead author Dr. Danielle Fraser, head of paleobiology at the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN). "The addition of this Arctic species to the rhino family tree now offers new insights to our understanding of their evolutionary history." The study also presents an updated family tree for rhinocerotids and provides evidence that the new Arctic species migrated to North America across a land bridge that may have been a passage for terrestrial-mammal dispersal millions of years later than previous evidence suggests. Overhead view of the fossil of Epiaceratherium itjilik with its bones laid out on a sandy base. About 75% of the animal's bones were recovered, including diagnostic parts such as the teeth, mandibles and pieces of the cranium. Credit: Pierre Poirier Canadian Museum of Nature About Epiaceratherium itjilik Rhinocerotids came in a variety of shapes and sizes, from large and hippo-like to relatively small and hornless. Epiaceratherium itjilik was relatively small and slight, similar in size to the modern Indian rhinoceros, but lacking a horn. The Arctic specimen is thought to be early to mid-adulthood based on moderate wear of the cheek teeth. The species name "itjilik" means "frosty" or "frost" in Inuktitut. The research team wanted to honor the rhino's High Arctic home, so they consulted with Jarloo Kiguktak, an Inuit Elder and former mayor of Grise Fiord, the most northerly Inuit community in Canada. He has visited the fossil deposits of Haughton Crater and also participated in multiple paleontological expeditions in the High Arctic. Most of the rhino's bones were collected at the Haughton Crater site in 1986 by Dr. Mary Dawson. She was Curator Emeritus at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a trailblazer in Arctic paleontology. She had uncovered the critical diagnostic partsthe upper and lower teeth, mandibles and parts of the skullthat allowed the CMN team to define it as a rhinocerotid and a new species. Dr. Natalia Rybczynski (foreground, left) and Dr. Mary Dawson sift for fossils at the Haughton Crater site during a field expedition in 2007. Credit: Martin Lipman Canadian Museum of Nature "What's remarkable about the Arctic rhino is that the fossil bones are in excellent condition. They are three dimensionally preserved and have only been partially replaced by minerals. About 75% of the skeleton was discovered, which is incredibly complete for a fossil," says paleobiologist Marisa Gilbert, study co-author and Senior Research Assistant with the CMN. Gilbert took part in a number of research trips to the Haughton Crater in the late 2000s, which were led by Dr. Natalia Rybcynski, CMN Research Associate and another co-author of the study. These expeditions resulted in the discovery of another new species, the transitional seal ancestor, Puijila darwini. Additional remains of E. itjilik were found on the later field expeditions led by the CMN, when Dawson joined Rybczynski and Gilbert. They were prospecting the Haughton site as follow-ups to Dawson's fieldwork. Dawson passed away at age 89 in 2020 and is posthumously cited as the fourth author on the study. Marisa Gilbert (left) and Dr. Danielle Fraser with the fossil of Epiaceratherium itjilik laid out in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Credit: Pierre Poirier Canadian Museum of Nature Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The biogeography story The presence of this new Arctic species was an impetus for the research team to delve deeper into the evolutionary and biogeographic history of rhinocerotids. Biogeography is the study of how animals and plants evolved and dispersed over time. Fraser and the team placed the new species in the rhino family tree by studying the occurrence of 57 other taxa of rhinocerotids, almost all extinct. The results came from visiting museum collections, combing through the scientific literature and using databases. The team was also able to place each rhinocerotid geographically in one of five continental regions. It was an exhaustive processeach species was scored based on where they were found, using a mathematical modeling approach to determine rates of dispersal among those different continents within the family, Rhinocerotidae. Dr. Natalia Rybczynski is a lone figure exploring the Haughton Crater site on Devon Island, where the fossil of Epiaceratherium itjilik was found. Credit: Martin Lipman Canadian Museum of Nature The team's analysis offers new insights into how rhinos dispersed over millions of years between North America and Europe (via Greenland), using the North Atlantic Land Bridge. Previous studies suggested this land bridge may have only have functioned as a dispersal corridor until around 56 million years ago. But the new analysis of Epiaceratherium itjilik and its related species suggests that dispersals occurred from Europe to North America much more recently, potentially as late as the Miocene. The importance of Epiaceratherium itjilik was underscored in July 2025 in a paper published in the journal Nature reporting that scientifically relevant, partial proteins were extracted from the animal's tooth enamel. The study, led by post-doctoral fellow Ryan Sinclair Paterson at the University of Copenhagen, extends by millions of years the timescale for recoverable, evolutionary-informative protein sequences. The findings open new avenues for the study of ancient proteins, and their application to understanding mammal evolution. The Canadian Museum of Nature research team, Natalia Rybczynski, Danielle Fraser and Marisa Gilbert (holding rhino jaw), examine the bones of Epiaceratherium itjilik. Credit: Pierre Poirier Canadian Museum of Nature "It's always exciting and informative to describe a new species. But there is more that comes from the identification of Epiaceratherium itjilik, as our reconstructions of rhino evolution show that the North Atlantic played a much more important role in their evolution than previously thought," says Fraser. "More broadly, this study reinforces that the Arctic continues to offer up new knowledge and discoveries that expand on our understanding of mammal diversification over time." The fossil of Epiaceratherium itjilik is housed and curated in the fossil collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature. The preparation of the fossil bones for study was completed at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Provided by Canadian Museum of Nature This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Saguaro cacti abound in Tucson Mountain Park in Pima County, Arizona. Credit: Jeff Moore Towering structures must be able to bend and sway when subjected to the forces of wind and ground movement, or they will topple, whether it's a building, a geological formation, treeor even a cactus. Especially if that cactus is a lofty saguaro, or Carnegiea gigantea, those iconic denizens of the American Southwest. Jeff Moore, a University of Utah geologist specializing in geohazard assessment, grew up in the heart of saguaro country in Arizona. In his most recent research, he repurposed his geophysical toolbox for studying rock formations to analyze the structural properties of saguaro and how they respond to vibrations in their environment. This detour into botany applied vibration analysis Moore developed for southern Utah's natural arches, bridges and towers in completely new ways that could help scientists better understand large, water-storing plants without harming them. "Saguaros have always been in my life," Moore said. "These cacti have really strong cultural value and that helps motivate a scientific study." Saguaro are keystone species of the Sonoran Desert. They grow up to 70 feet tall and hundreds of years old. "There's an ingrained culture of respect for these great cacti." His study, published in the American Journal of Botany introduces a new, noninvasive way to measure how living saguaro respond to transient disturbances, such as wind and ground movements, without defacing these beautiful giants. He put the techniques to work on 11 cacti of varying heights in the Tucson Mountains outside his eponymous hometown. By analyzing these "ambient vibrations," Moore was able to determine each cactus's natural resonance frequencies, or the specific rates at which they sway, and how their flexibility and stiffness change with height, time of day and water content. Saguaro's range extends from central Arizona to the Mexican state of Sonora. They grow slowly, with branches appearing after around 60 to 75 years. Their pleated trunks are covered in a thick, pliable skin armored with 2-inch spines. "Saguaros are unique in that their morphology allows them to expand, to take up great quantities of water when it's available during monsoons and withstand periods of drought," Moore said. In a time-lapse video, their stems can be seen swelling as they draw water, which would presumably alter their resonance frequencies. Moore was visiting family in Arizona when it dawned on him that he should apply his vibration-measuring methods to characterize the mechanical properties of the towering cacti. Tucson Mountain Park gave him permission to conduct research at Pima County's 20,000-acre preserve adjacent to Saguaro National Park. He spent a day rigging a lightweight seismometer to 10 cacti, selecting a representative sample in terms of height. All were single-column saguaro, known as "spears." A saguaro in the Tucson Mountains was fitted with a seismometer to record its movements. Credit: Jeff Moore "It was really important to be able to compare them, these so-called spears, as they're called when they don't have arms. The smallest was about two feet tall, and the tallest was nearly 25 feet." The seismometer was gently hung from each stem using a strap at about chest height. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. He recorded just 15 minutes of seismic data on each cactus, which showed their resonance frequencies ranged from 0.55 to 3.7 Hz, with damping ratios between 1 and 2%. (Hertz, or Hz, is a standard unit of frequency, defined as the number of times an object completes an oscillation each second. The damping ratio indicates how quickly oscillations taper off following a disturbance.) The study found each saguaros' resonance and stiffness varied widely across the height of its column. Generally, they were stiffer near the bottom and more flexible at the top. "Saguaros vibrate much like a cantilever, but with some interesting differences," Moore wrote on Bluesky. "Stiffness varies between cacti (taller stems are stiffer), and for a single stem (taller stems have softer tops)." Rather than water content driving short-term changes in vibration, as Moore had expected, the study identified daily cycles in resonance frequency, likely due to softening of cactus tissue as the day heated up and hardening as it cooled. The study documented several modes of vibration, painting a complicated picture that reflects each cacti's internal architecture, supported by wooden ribs that are stronger in the stem's lower reaches. "These cacti are vibrating every second of every day. When the wind picks up, they vibrate stronger; when the wind dies down, they vibrate less, but they are constantly in motion," Moore said. "Each saguaro is unique and moving at a combination of all its natural modes. It's swaying, but the pattern is more complex the closer you look." Previously, people would have to cut up a cactus to gain such insights into the plant's flexibility. "They would cut segments out and then bend them with weights to measure the flexural stiffness"a measurement of a structure's deformability, Moore said. "You destroy the cactus this way, and you can't necessarily do that to pieces of a giant cactus's lower stem. It's too big and too stiff. The new approach is non-destructive, requires a short amount of data and it provides the same information." In other words, his noninvasive vibration technique provides a new framework for understanding the biomechanics and ecological resilience of desert plants. It could help scientists predict how saguaros and other large plants withstand strong winds and monitor their structural health. More information: Jeffrey R. Moore, In situ ambient vibration modal analysis of saguaro cacti (Carnegiea gigantea), American Journal of Botany (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.70116 Journal information: American Journal of Botany This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The study explores women's experiences in recreational fishing in the Northern Territory, where there's increased participation in the activity from women. Credit: Jenny House Outdated stereotypes about who a "real fisher" is could be costing Australia's recreational fishing industry valuable talent, creativity, and growth, new research from Charles Darwin University (CDU) suggests. Published in Maritime Studies, the study is the first of its kind to explore women's experiences of recreational fishing in the Northern Territorythe only Australian jurisdiction where women and men participate in the sport at equal rates. Lead author and CDU Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL) researcher Dr. Jenny House said the Northern Territory's inclusive fishing culture offers a glimpse of what a more balanced, equitable recreational fishing sector could look like. "Recreational fishing has often been framed through a masculine lens, all about competition, strength, and dominance over nature," Dr. House said. "But when women's stories are missing or stereotyped, we lose sight of how diverse, social and empowering this activity can be. That limits the sector's potential to grow and evolve." Drawing on in-depth interviews with 21 women anglers across the Top End, the study reveals that for many, fishing is as much about connection, confidence and well-being as it is about the catch. Participants described fishing as "therapy," a way to strengthen family ties, and a chance to break free of everyday roles and expectations. Despite progress, the research found subtle barriers persist, from gender norms in families, through to limited visibility of female fishers in the media and industry leadership. "The NT shows that when fishing is seen as everybody's business participation flourishes," Dr. House said. "If we want the sector to be sustainable, we need to recognize and value the full diversity of people who make up the fishing community." Dr. House said the findings have implications beyond the Territory, offering lessons for other outdoor recreation sectors striving to attract more women and younger participants. "A more inclusive fishing culture isn't just good for gender equality, it's good for the future of the industry." More information: Jenny House, "Reel Women" and "Secret Women's Business": women's recreational fishing in the Top End of the Northern Territory, Australia, Maritime Studies (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s40152-025-00448-7 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Jan van der Wolf from Pexels The Netherlands will act as a litmus test on the popularity of the far-right in Europe for the second time in as many years when voters go to the polls this week. Geert Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) produced a shocking victory two years ago and it is expected to triumph again in Wednesday's election. But with rival parties gaining renewed support in opinion polls and political attitudes changing toward the far-right, PVV's success may not automatically lead to the same result. Marianna Griffini, an assistant professor in international relations and anthropology at Northeastern University in London, produced a paper looking at the lessons that could be learned from the 2023 contest. In her co-authored paper, "Snap out of it? Governmental instability and far-right mainstreaming in the Dutch and French elections of 2023/2024," Griffini argues that one of the core reasons far-right parties have become a dominant force in countries like the Netherlands is due to the normalization of "the far-right by mainstream politician actors." The Netherlands, with its multi-party system, has been ruled by coalition governments for the past century. Wilders, an outspoken firebrand politician who is known for his controversial anti-Islam views, was part of the previous four-party coalition that lasted only 11 months. He pulled the plug on the PVV's cooperation when his partners refused to accept his immigration demands, including rejecting all asylum requests and sending home all Syrian refugees, forcing a second election in 23 months. In a move designed to discredit Wilders, the mainstream parties, including the center-right outfit People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, which held the premiership between 2010 and 2023 and was in coalition with Wilders until the summer, have said they will refuse to work with the PVV. Griffini says the cordon sanitairea French saying used in politics when parties rule out working with others they deem to be extremisthas been under serious strain across Europe and is only "minimally holding" in the Netherlands. The last coalition government marked the first time PVV had been included in a ruling alliance. "Unless the PVV's leading position in the polls reflect into a neat victory and the formation of a majority government," says Griffini, "mainstream parties will need to come together to form a majority and maintain a very hard posture and not go back to seek the PVV's support." In their paper, published in JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, Griffini and her colleaguesMarta Lorimer from Cardiff University in Wales and Leionie de Jonge from the University of Tubingen in Germanysay that focus on immigration and security has played into the far-right's hands. To reverse this trend, they say mainstream parties need to "refocus on other pressing concernsincluding economic inequality, climate change, the cost of living and infrastructure." Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The two parties currently battling for second place in the Netherlands include a renewed Christian Democrats and the GreenLeft/Labour alliance. Both have put housing needs at the forefront of their campaigns and Christian Democrats leader Henri Bontenbal has promised to return to "normal, civilized politics." But even the issue of housing has been grasped by the PVV, Griffini now points out, with its politicians blaming migrants for the country's long-standing housing shortage. "This may be an electoral battleground, with the PVV and mainstream parties vying for ownership on the issue," the populism expert suggests. Frank Hartmann, a professor of accounting at Northeastern, says the growth of far-right populism in his homeland appears to stem from a sense of "frustration" in some quarters of Dutch society. "I think a lot of people are truly afraid and they are truly frustratedand that's also, I think, a Western phenomenon," says Hartmann. "The Dutch, believe it or not, I believe are not so liberal and tolerant as sometimes depicted abroad." What is almost guaranteed after this week's election is a lengthy process of negotiations to finalize a government. The parties traditionally have had to work together to put forward a ruling coalition that can wield a majority in the country's 150-seat parliament. Wrangling after the 2023 election, when deciding on what Griffini's paper labels "the most right-leaning government in the post-war history of the Netherlands," took eight months to agree upon a prime minister. These considered deliberations were often seen as a strength of the Dutch system, says Hartmann. "I think you could for a long time have argued that this compromising and debating had a positive effect on business," he says, "because everybody understood that nothing would change, and that would be for the better because the Netherlands traditionally had a very open economy." But with the Dutch economy needing urgent redress, given the growth in the technology and artificial intelligence sectors, he argues that the "advantage is slowly disappearing." "We need to change the economy and the structure of the economy," says Hartmann. The Boston-based academic points at the U.S., where President Donald Trumpanother example of a populist politician who has captured the public imaginationhas directly intervened in a bid to drive the economy. It is the polar opposite of the slower process of finding consensus in a coalition government system. "If you look at the infrastructure now, and the amount of long-term investment needed to update that, I believe we've now lost 10 to 20 years on really making big steps," Hartmann says about the Netherland's economic position. "We're losing ourselves in all kinds of side issues which take away a lot of the political energy." More information: Marta Lorimer et al, Snap Out of It? Governmental Instability and FarRight Mainstreaming in the Dutch and French Elections of 2023/2024, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies (2025). DOI: 10.1111/jcms.70004 This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Indigenous activists protested in Brasilia on October 14 during the pre-COP30 preparatory meeting. The UN estimated Tuesday that nations' carbon-cutting pledges imply a far-from-sufficient 10% emissions cut by 2035, cautioning that it was unable to provide a robust global overview after most countries failed to submit their plans on time. With just days to go before tense COP30 climate talks in Brazil, vulnerable small island nations slammed an "alarming" lack of new climate pledges, especially from major polluters. UN Climate Change was unable to include crucial targets announced by China and the European Union in its formal assessment of national 2035 pledges because neither has officially submitted detailed plans. Instead, it incorporated these announcements in a rough calculation alongside its report, showing the world is for the first time setting heat-trapping emissions on a falling trajectorybut nowhere near fast enough. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week that slow action from nations meant it was "inevitable" that efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5C would fail in the short term, unleashing devastating impacts during a period of overshoot as countries worked to pull temperatures back down again by the end of the century. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said emissions must fall 60% by 2035, from 2019 levels, for a good chance of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levelsthe more ambitious goal of the Paris climate deal. "The science is equally clear that temperatures absolutely can and must be brought back down to 1.5C as quickly as possible after any temporary overshoot, by substantially stepping up the pace on all fronts," UN climate chief Simon Stiell said in a statement. 'Limited picture' The two-week COP30 climate negotiations in the Amazon, which start on November 10, are tasked with galvanizing momentum in the face of a hostile United States, geopolitical tensions and economic concerns. They also come as the uptake of renewable energy across the worlddriven by Chinahas given impetus to countries' 2023 promise to "transition away" from polluting fossil fuels. The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) noted the "alarming lack of updated targets, especially from bigger countries with significantly more resources than developing countries which bear the disproportionate burden of a climate crisis they did not cause". It added that the pace of progress should "send shock waves through every citizen". Under the 2015 Paris Agreement countries committed to limit global warming to well below 2C since the pre-industrial era (1850-1900)1.5C if possible. With average warming already around 1.4C today, many scientists believe that the 1.5C threshold will likely be breached before the end of this decade as humans continue to burn oil, gas, and coal. If temperatures overshoot 1.5C, experts say humanity would probably have to try to pull warming back down by using technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere that are not yet operational at scale. Countries are supposed to provide increasingly ambitious plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years, with plans to 2035 due in this year. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. The UN on Tuesday said just 64 of the nearly 200 parties to the Paris Agreement had submitted their NDCs by its end of September cut-off date for the official annual report. As a result Stiell said the document "provides quite a limited picture", compelling the UN to attempt a more general calculation suggesting a 10% fall by 2035. The estimate included the US submission made before the return of Donald Trump as US president in January. He has since announced he is pulling the United States out of the Paris deal for a second time, called climate change a "hoax", and has moved to curb scientific study and data collection. The estimate also incorporated a pledge by China, the world's biggest polluter, to reduce emissions by 710% by 2035, its first absolute national target. The European Union's "statement of intent" to cut emissions between 66.25% and 72.5% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels was also taken into account. It was announced in September as the 27-nation bloc grappled with internal disagreements about its climate ambitions. "We are still in the race, but to ensure a livable planet for all eight billion people today, we must urgently pick up the pace, at COP30 and every year thereafter," Stiell said. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Males persistently attempt to copulate with females, while the females remating block is established rapidly. Credit: Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.09.066 The female mosquito only mates once in her lifetime, and yet she can develop many hundreds of eggs from this single event. After each blood feeding, she draws from an internal sperm storage unit to inseminate her eggs, then lays them (about 150 in each batch) and repeats this process every few days. This feeding-and-breeding protocol isn't just a spectacularly efficient means of reproduction. It also gives nasty viruses carried by infected mosquitoes countless opportunities to infect new hostsand that makes understanding the mechanics of the single mosquito mating a logical first step in figuring out how to intervene with mosquito reproduction and control the diseases they can spread. (Indeed, mating-based mosquito birth control is already in usefor example, releasing sterile male mosquitoes into an environment.) But as a new study from a team led by Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute mosquito expert Leslie Vosshall reveals, it turns out that there's a lot about the earliest steps of mosquito reproduction that we were missing. As her team in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior recently published in Current Biology, they've uncovered the first evidence of what happens when a female mosquito chooses to mate for the only time in her life: She very subtly moves her genitalia, and that enables genital interlocking and sperm transfer. This places her firmly in control of copulationa discovery that is contrary to long-standing assumptions in the field. Rockefeller University spoke to Vosshall and first author Leah Houri-Zeevi, a postdoctoral scientist in the lab, about their unexpected findings. For more than half a century, scientists worked off the assumption that male mosquitoes controlled mating. How did you figure out that the females were, in fact, in charge? Leah Houri-Zeevi: It wasn't easy; a mating between these tiny animals only lasts for 14 seconds, and the phase that includes our key finding takes only 12 seconds. So, there were definitely technical challenges that help explain why we were the first to figure this out, which we did by using high-speed, high-resolution imaging that we slowed down and analyzed frame by frame, as well as deep learning and transgenic mosquitoes with fluorescent sperm. But I think there's more to it than that. There are very detailed mosquito mating studies going back to the 1950s that used flash freezing and filming under microscopes to understand this process. However, their interpretation of the observations skipped potential female control, maybe because they didn't expect the female to do any decision making. Leslie Vosshall: It's really profound that the field assumed for so long that the female must be passive. This dogma has stood for many years despite the fact that it rests on a contradiction: that females mate only once but are also considered to have no choice about when or with whom or how many times. If they had no choice, many males would mate with a single female all the time. And it's not for lack of trying. They constantly pester females. Sometimes you need to pick apart an accepted dogma to see if there's actually evidence to back it up. In this case, there wasn't. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly. That's surprising, considering that knowing how an animal reproduces is core information a biologist needs. What did you learn? LHZ: What we found was so fascinating. The first big finding is that in both species, the female controls the mating with a subtle movement of her genitalia. There's actually a three-step process to this that begins when the male contacts the female's genitalia with his own genital tip. He has these structures called gonostyli that he inserts into the female genital tip and vibrates. Those are critical to the process. If she wants to mate, she'll elongate her genital tip, which the male can then interlock with and then transfer sperm into her. We also saw that when previously mated females pair up with a male, no elongation happens. So this subtle female behavior really dictates whether mating will happen. We still don't understand why she only elongates the tip once, or what mechanisms change her behavior for a lifetime. Historically, most of the efforts to study mosquitoes focused on the species that transmits malaria. But your work instead looked at two other species. Why did you choose those particular insects? LV: Aedes aegypti is the primary mosquito we've studied in my lab for years. It's commonly known as the yellow fever mosquito, but it transmits more viruses than any other mosquito, including dengue, West Nile, and dozens more. Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, also spreads these viruses. They're also two of the most invasive mosquito species in the world. LHZ: Both species are also really common in the U.S. Aedes aegypti has been here a lot longer, coming to this hemisphere in the 1600s with the Atlantic Slave Trade, but it's being outcompeted in some regions by Aedes albopictus, even though it's only been here since the 1980s. Our study shows that their mating practices likely have something to do with its success. Interestinghow so? LHZ: We found that while the mating process was essentially the same in both types of mosquitoes, each species had its own unique "lock-and-key" genital interaction. Only the right key opens the right lock. But the male Asian tiger mosquitoes have really large gonostyli, and we discovered that they can use them to override the lock-and-key mechanism across species, but not with their own females, who seem to be protected against this "lock picking" ability. LV: Aedes albopictus take advantage of their own physiology to bypass female control in the other species. But they're too far apart evolutionarily to produce viable offspring, so it's a non-starter. LHZ: And what's more is that this cross species mating still prevents the female from mating again, even though she gets no viable progeny out of it. The result is that she's effectively been sterilized. If this cycle is repeated enough times, the Aedes aegypti population will drop or even disappear, which has been observed in South Florida. More information: Leah Houri-Zeevi et al, A rapidly evolving female-controlled lock-and-key mechanism determines Aedes mosquito mating success, Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.09.066 Journal information: Current Biology PB Pokhrel Nepals political landscape stands at a crossroads following the Gen-G protest. As the countrys oldest democratic party, the Nepali Congress (NC) faces a historic responsibility: to rebuild public trust, lead meaningful reforms, and restore hope in democratic governance. Restoring Public Confidence and Moral Leadership The Gen-G movement was a wake-up call, highlighting frustration over corruption, stagnation, and weak accountability. For the NC to regain moral authority, leaders like Gagan Thapa and other emerging voices must set new ethical standards. Integrity, transparency, and a reform-driven mindset are key to moving the party away from patronage politics toward citizen-centered governance. Recommendation: Introduce a Code of Political Ethics and Transparency to institutionalize integrity and rebuild public trust. Strengthening Internal Democracy Before leading national reform, the Congress must reform itself. Inclusivity, decentralization, and merit-based decision-making are essential. Empowering youth and women, ending factionalism, and promoting collaboration over competition will strengthen credibility and ensure sustainable leadership. Recommendation: Establish a Young Leaders Council and conduct transparent internal elections for key roles. Shifting to Policy-Driven Politics Nepal faces deep-rooted challenges, from unemployment and corruption to weak governance and climate vulnerability. The NC must shift from rhetoric to evidence-based, policy-driven politics. Young leaders can spearhead initiatives in economic revival, digital governance, green growth, and institutional reform. Recommendation: Launch a Policy Innovation and Research Unit (PIRU) to develop actionable, non-partisan policy frameworks. Building Consensus and Practicing Constructive Opposition In turbulent times, the NCs role as a democratic stabilizer is vital. Rather than deepening polarization, the party should act as a bridge fostering dialogue, consensus, and reconciliation among all stakeholders. Actions should prioritize national interest, democratic integrity, and rule of law over partisan advantage. Recommendation: Organize a National Dialogue Forum uniting political parties, civil society, and youth representatives to shape a shared vision for governance reform. Engaging Youth and Civil Society The Gen-G protest demonstrated that Nepals youth are informed, organized, and eager for reform. The NC should harness this energy by creating participatory spaces such as policy labs, hackathons, and civic dialogue platforms, connecting institutions with young innovators. Recommendation: Launch a Youth for Reform initiative to ensure continuous collaboration with social movements and civic innovators. Conclusion To remain relevant, the Nepali Congress must transform from a party of legacy into a party of renewal. Its young leaders, particularly figures like Gagan Thapa, have the opportunity to convert the spirit of the Gen-G movement into a blueprint for democratic revival. Success will not be measured only in electoral victories but in the partys ability to restore faith in democracy, deliver good governance, and inspire a new generation of Nepalis to believe in politics once again. Cancun and Riviera Maya concentrate highest flow of visitors for upcoming Day of the Dead celebrations Riviera Maya, Q.R. Tourism officials are anticipating around 1.6 million hotel rooms booked for the upcoming Day of the Dead. The countrys Dia de Muertos celebrations will run a general calendar this year from October 27 to November 2 with Cancun and Riviera Maya leading the way in reservations. Since it is a national celebration, 73 percent of the hotel rooms booked are by Mexican tourists, while 27 percent are by international visitors, the government said. The Secretary of Tourism of the Government of Mexico, Josefina Rodriguez Zamora, reported that the hotel occupancy figures represents an 2.3% increase compared to the previous year. She noted that of the total number of visitors, 73% will be national and 27% foreign, reflecting the interest that Mexican traditions arouse throughout the world. Mexico is a global symbol thanks to its profound cultural and spiritual richness. The Day of the Dead is a unique celebration full of color and joy where we honor life through our traditions. Nowhere else in the world is there such a vibrant and moving manifestation, uniting families, awakening the interest of millions, and filling us with pride as a nation, said Rodriguez Zamora regarding Mexicos upcoming Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) celebrations. The Ministry of Tourism reaffirms its commitment to promoting and protecting the cultural expressions that make Mexico a unique destination, where heritage, hospitality and identity converge to offer experiences that transcend borders, she said. She highlighted that destinations such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancun, Riviera Maya, will concentrate a large part of the tourist flow. In the state of Quintana Roo, Day of the Dead is celebrated as Janal Pixen, the Mayan festival of Dia de Muertos. Celebrations across the state have been announced starting October 30 and 31, as well as November 1 and 2, in Cancun. Carlos Lopez Jimenez, the Director of the Institute of Culture and the Arts, explained that this year the show at Puerto Juarez in Cancun will be called Puerto de los Suspiros (Port of Sighs) and will last four days. In Playa del Carmen, Janal Pixan public events will be held at Plaza 28 de Julio from October 31st to November 3rd. FGE shuts down Colombian brothel that spans Cancun to Playa del Carmen Riviera Maya, Q.R. Fourteen Colombian women forced into prostitution have been rescued from a brothel. The brothel, according to police, spanned from Cancun to Playa del Carmen. Police said the victims were rescued from acts of human trafficking in the form of prostitution during the execution of search warrants. The searches were conducted at a property on La Luna and Del Sol Avenue in SM 44 of Cancun and another in Playa del Carmen. The first court order stems from an investigation following suspicions that the property was operating as a brothel, police reported. Neighbors reported men in cars were frequently observed arriving at building from which the women would leave, only to return them hours later. During the investigation, agents located six Colombian women who had arrived in Cancun under the promise of well-paying jobs. According to initial investigations, the women were lured by a friend, also from Colombia, who told them there was an agency in Cancun that recruited beautiful girls and paid them good salaries. Due to the lack of opportunities and economic resources in their country, they accepted the offer and contacted a woman who ran the business. Upon arrival, they were stripped of their passports and told that they now had a debt of 120,000 pesos and that to pay it off, they had to provide sexual services. The Colombian women were monitored day and night by cameras in the apartment where they lived. Police said the agency manager has several addresses in Playa del Carmen where eight more women were located. The 14 women were taken to the State Attorney Generals Office to give their statements, which were added to the investigation. Authorities said the case has been shared with the Colombian Consulate and the National Migration Institute. Seized weapons and armored vehicles part of CJNG police operation Tulum, Q.R. Weapons and vehicles used by criminal group Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) were reported seized. The seizure was made during an operation in the town of Nuevo Durango in the municipality of Tulum. On Monday, authorities elaborated on the operation that lead to the seizure of a total of nine vehicles, guns and ammo used by the cartel. Deputy prosecutor for the southern zone, Aroshi de los Angeles Lugo Arana, said the arsenal seized included an AK-47 rifle, chargers, bags of ammunition, two grenades, a communication radio and bags of narcotics. According to Lugo Arana, two of the nine vehicles seized were located on a ranch in Nuevo Durango. The seized vehicles, one of which was an armored vehicle, are believed to have been used for various illegal activities in the municipality. She reported inside one of the cars, police located a notebook bearing the Tulum CJNG (Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion) logo along with pages of handwritten notes confirming the groups presence and operations in the area. Authorities reported Monday that the trucks were used for drug and firearms trafficking, as well as kidnappings and surveillance patrols to control Tulum territory. State officials meet again with federal tourism secretary to iron out beach access agreements Tulum, Q.R. Another meeting between state officials and the federal government was held in Mexico City Monday. Both sides met for a third time this month to iron out tourism issues plaguing the municipality of Tulum. Mara Leama, left, with Josefina Rodriguez Zamora, center and Tulum Mayor Diego Castanon Trejo, right. On Monday, state governor Mara Lezama reporting meeting with federal tourism secretary Josefina Rodriguez Zamora to strengthen actions that guarantee free access to the beaches, particularly in the area surrounding the Jaguar Park. She said their work meeting also included planning strategies for the relaunch of a new sustainable development model for Tulum. We held a working meeting with our friend Josefina Rodriguez Zamora, Secretary of Tourism, and with various federal authorities to strengthen actions that guarantee free access to the beaches, particularly in the area surrounding the Jaguar Park, Governor Lezama reported. We also made progress in planning strategies for the relaunch of a new sustainable development model for Tulum which will ensure the best experiences for our tourists and promote an environment of shared prosperity for the residents of this beautiful destination. Mexicos Secretary of Tourism, Josefina Rodriguez Zamora, said discussions on a comprehensive strategy, including fees being charged to residents and tourists to access beaches, were part of the Monday agenda. She said both the state and federal goverments are working to restor visitor confidence. We continue working on the comprehensive strategy for Tulum. This Monday, we held meetings with federal agencies, state and municipal authorities to coordinate actions that will strengthen the tourist development of the destination, said Rodriguez Zamora. We will address the request to facilitate access to the beaches as well as the review of fees charged to domestic and international tourists. We will implement concrete measures focused on restoring visitor confidence, boosting the local economy and further positioning Tulum as one of Mexicos most iconic destinations. Her full report on the ongoing tourism crisis is expected to be released sometime this week by the federal government. A new book describes the unique role the Jewish people and faith have played in the moral and judicial norms of Western civilizationand the U.S. particularly. To concede to the anti-Semitism being displayed on the left and the right would be to undermine what has made us the envy of the world. To hold in ones hands a book like Josh Hammers Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish State and the Destiny of the West is the kind of privilege that comes with residency in the civilized West. Envious minds populating much of the rest of the world fail at development, despise the Jewish people (the two usually go hand-in-hand), and obscure Jewish history. Israel and Civilization is a manifestoboth a historical account and a call to action. It creates a theoretical foundation for a Jewish-Christian coalition to defend the West from the wicked troika of wokeism, Islamism, and global neoliberalism. Hammer reaches back thousands of years in history to ground the Anglo-American political tradition in Hebrew moral teachings. The ancient Jewish idea of One True God to whom each individual answers, he explains, conditioned the soil for our moral, social, and cultural flourishing. Despite subscribing to the conviction that all humans answer to One God, Hammer is not a universalisthe doesnt believe that a single mode of social organization applies to every culture. He rejects the neocon naivete postulating that democracy can be exported to the far corners of the world, just as he categorically opposes the similar Communist call for worldwide revolution. Hes a particularist who celebrates his own unique heritage, both Jewish and American, in defiance of the meddling NGOs and what he calls the DEI left and Nietzschean right. He doesnt get muddled in relativism eitherhes not an anything goes guy. Nor does he feel the need to frame his worldview in secularist terms. Instead, he takes the Torah as the prime source of guidance and inspiration. This time-proofed way of thinking enables him to create a framework for moral judgment. Although the Jewish people, Hammer explains, are obligated to sanctify God by following the 613 mitzvot (commands), those expectations apply to Jews alonethats the particularist Jewish part. It doesnt mean that the nations of the world are free to do as they willthe Creator gave the Ten Commandments and before that the seven Noahide Laws by which all the mankind must abide. After all, man was designed in the image of God and therefore possesses a certain God-given capacity to conform to moral norms outlined in these divinely ordained rules. As Hammer explains: This belief in the inherent holiness of the mankind, which flows naturally from Gods revelation at Sinai and the establishment of a unique relationship between man and mans Creator high above, is a foundational, overarching principle for what we today call Western civilization. Hammer contrasts this revealed truth to the pagan worship of the rational human mind and/or hedonistic self-indulgence of the human ego, denying a higher authority and a transcendental calling. He is not interested in simply dissing hedonismthat would have been too easy for a conservative writerbut the tension between faith and reason is a definite theme in the book. Reason alone fails to make perfect sense of Gods revealed truths. We dont know why God doesnt want Jews to wear garments made of both wool and linen, Hammer observes. But to embrace revealed truths is to accept an authority higher than oneself that regulates our modes of conduct. He explained how in a Jewish context the Enlightenment, or the attempt dating back to the 18th century to structure society based on reason alone, weakened traditional bonds. Yet the American system of governance is inspired by the Enlightenmentand its been a success. In contradistinction, Hammer cites John Adamss famous adage that the American Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. Judeo-Christian tradition is the unspoken assumption, the secret ingredient that allows this large and complex society to work neatly. Naysayers notwithstanding, politics are rooted in religion and morality, and Hammer shows that political Hebraism has a storied history in Anglo-American societies. His background in law enables him to reconstruct the history of concepts borrowed from the Jewish Halachic tradition, like stare decisis, or assigning weight to previous rulings. He explains that our nation was founded by philo-Semites and Zionists. And if we have a clause prohibiting a religious test for public office in our Constitution, it was written with Jews in mind. To interpret it as an endorsement of atheism is a mistake. Access to this type of knowledge should not be taken for granted. My children were fortunate to learn about the contribution of Jewish people to civilization from their public middle school textbooks in California, but in the Soviet Union, where I grew up, ancient Israelites were written out of world history. The USSR was of course an atheist, or more accurately a pagan, polity. It was also anti-Semitic and antizionist. It was, moreover, rooted in Marxist dialectical materialism. Karl Marx viewed the struggle between classesslaves and masters in antiquity and the proletariat and bourgeoisie in modernityas the sole acceptable paradigm for understanding historical narrative. Learning alternatives to this reductionist approach was an act of rebellion, a treasured underground activity. In my case, my late father gave me the Talk about Jews in history when I was in my early teens. He wasnt a believer, so he told me that Jews invented God and that the Bible is our national epic of which I should be proud. The Soviet annulment of Jewish history was not limited to religious flashpoints like the Ten Commandments. Jewish contributions and Jewish experience generally were excluded from the mainstream Soviet account. The most infamous example was Babi Yar, the ravine near Kiev where in 1941 over the course of two days the Nazis massacred 34,000 Jews. The Great Patriotic War, as World War II is known in that part of the world, was understandably the mainstay of Soviet propaganda, but the Holocaust was hushed up. Soviet authorities refused to put a monument in Babi Yarjust as they declined to acknowledge that anything out of the ordinary happened to the Jewish people in that conflict. Resistance to the Soviet regime often adopted philo-Semitic attitudes and Judeo-Christian religious themes. If Soviet propaganda obscured Jewish history even as the First World embraced it as a part of its ideological lineage, dissidents made common cause with the Jewish refuseniks. They felt it was a moral thing to do and that it brought them closer to the West. The USSR saw itself as the true heir to the Enlightenment, but it became one of the greatest failures of the 20th century. Its not just that despite their best and most ambitious attempts (a planned economy and all), it wasnt a logically ordered society. Conspicuously missing from their scheme was the moral and religious dimension that Adams considered the key to Americas success. Instead of personal responsibility before a higher authority, the Soviets anchored themselves in Marxist dogma and the pagan collectivism of mir, or the Russian peasant community. And if the Tenth Commandment warns humans not to covet, the premise of socialism is to make sure that nobody has it too good. Not unlike the USSR, the anti-Semitic and antizionist forces in the U.S. today are notably non-Western. Hammer talks of the woke left and the Nietzschean right, butand I take an issue with his analysis hereboth are often indistinguishable and informed by alien trends. Take for instance Sephora makeup artist Huda Kattan. The Kansas-born entrepreneur of Iraqi descent contracts with the retailer famous for promoting women, sexual minorities, and people of color and is beloved by left-wing Gen Z girls. Yet she recently recorded a rant accusing Jews of starting all wars. Thats the thesis of Henry Fords The International Jewand an inspiration to Adolf Hitler. Its often said that anti-Semitism and antizionism bridge the gap between the left and the right ends of the political horseshoe, and thats quite true. However, what is more relevant in this case is that the beliefs Kattan expressed are mainstream in the Arab world. She is likely parroting the ideas tossed around the dinner table in her house. The West also has a long history of anti-Semitism, but the information war impairing the contemporary Jewish-Christian understanding in this country is suspiciously foreign in its origin. The anonymous accounts redpilling American youth on social media are often located in Pakistanso one of the most severely underdeveloped countries on earth is defining based for Gen Z. The envious anti-Semitism they sell as traditionalism might be ordinary elsewhere, but its novel stateside. Its but another face of globalism. Moreover, there is the substantial Qatari influence in public and private spheres. And then theres former Fox host Tucker Carlson who went solo with the help of the New Jerseyborn Pakistani-Iranian venture capitalist Omeed Malik. The Pundits reports from Moscow last year came across as if he were reading the Russian script. In defiance of these significant powerful influences, Hammer offers many reasons why a Jewish-Christian alliance to save the West would be beneficial to both parties. He includes some conventional arguments like security cooperation and sub-replacement birth rates, offering that Israel is the only developed nation boasting healthy fertility. Yet, in the end, its faith, not some lofty calculation, that informs the foundation of our civilization; and that faith, be it Judaism or Christianity, originated in the Land of Israel. Contemporary America is at a fork in the road. We can concede to the envy and resentment so common around the worldin which Jew-hate is an essential featureor we can double down on our exceptionalism. Make what you will of the fact that the high point of American supremacy was marked by philo-Semitism. Or that the Christian president with Jewish grandchildren has made it his lifes work to restore that supremacy. But it might just be divinely ordained. Khoon Group, a Singapore-based investment and electrical engineering firm once linked to HDB projects, has come under scrutiny after being sanctioned by the US Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for alleged ties to Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi. The company previously claimed it powered one in five HDB units at its peak, though the Housing Development Board (HDB) clarified it has had no direct contracts with the firm for more than two decades. Chen, through Southern Heritage Limited, acquired a controlling 55 per cent stake in Khoon Group in 2023 and is accused of running one of Southeast Asias largest cybercrime networks. The sanctions sparked a wave of resignations, including Khoons auditor, directors, and corporate service providers, who cited ethical conflicts. Seventeen other Singapore-registered companies linked to Chen were also sanctioned, widening the scope of the probe. Observers note that while Khoons HDB involvement is long past, the association risks reputational spillover, especially given the sensitivity of public housing in Singapore. More on Khoon Groups HDB claims resurfacing amid US sanctions here Meanwhile, Singapore authorities have warned foreign motorists that unpaid fines could result in being denied entry at land checkpoints. Drivers with outstanding traffic, parking or emissions offences may be stopped and required to settle their dues before continuing their journey. The warning follows a threeday enforcement blitz that recovered more than $619,000 in fines from 241 motorists at the Causeway and Tuas checkpoints. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The joint operation, led by the Traffic Police, ICA, and LTA, underscores Singapores strict stance on road offences. Officials cautioned that repeat offenders risk being barred from entering the country altogether, urging motorists to check for unpaid fines via the AXS website before travelling. Analysts note the move could strain crossborder ties with Malaysia but also ease congestion, as fewer drivers will face onthespot enforcement if fines are cleared in advance. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. Xinhua News Agency: The leaders meetings on East Asian cooperation were successfully held in Kuala Lumpur. Can you share details about Premier Li Qiangs participation in the meetings and the outcomes and highlights? Guo Jiakun: From October 27 to 28, Premier Li Qiang attended the leaders meetings on East Asian cooperation and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit in Kuala Lumpur. The meetings achieved positive outcomes. Premier Li Qiang congratulated Timor-Leste for officially joining the ASEAN family and witnessed the signing of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol together with Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, ASEANs rotating chair. At the China-ASEAN Summit, Premier Li Qiang noted that China and ASEAN countries need to stand more firmly for solidarity and strength, pool greater effort, resist external disruptions, defend our legitimate rights and interests through mutual support and coordinated actions, promote steady and sound economic growth through complementary cooperation, consolidate strategic mutual trust, work for deeper convergence of interests, build closer bond, and continue to promote the building of an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Participating leaders of ASEAN countries noted that the ASEAN-China relationship has set an example of regional cooperation based on mutual respect and for mutual benefit, and expressed the readiness to bring the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level. At the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, Premier Li Qiang stressed that openness and cooperation is a valuable experience East Asian countries gained and refined through hard work. It must be cherished and upheld. The East Asian miracles are not behind us, but ahead of us as an unfolding reality. China stands ready to work with all parties to seek greater synergy of development strategies, uphold openness and cooperation, continue unleashing economic potential, foster an environment conducive to regional development, deepen collaboration on industrial and supply chains, jointly cultivate new drivers of development and broaden development space. The summit adopted the Statement on Strengthening Regional Economic and Financial Cooperation. Participating leaders noted that amid rising uncertainties in the international situation and trade protectionism, parties need to strengthen solidarity and coordination, have a greater sense of regional community, foster a peaceful and stable environment, uphold the multilateral trading system, stay committed to openness and mutual benefit and work to achieve innovation-driven, inclusive and sustainable development. At the RCEP Summit, Premier Li Qiang spoke highly of RCEPs role and implementation results, and pointed out that RCEP parties need to have closer coordination, build a big regional market with a more open mind, improve and upgrade RCEP through more proactive actions, and uphold the multilateral trading system with greater resolve. China stands ready to work with various parties to pool wisdom and strength, strive for more practical outcomes of RCEP cooperation, and jointly create a better future of common prosperity. The summit adopted the Joint Leaders Statement. Participating leaders recognized the important role of RCEP as the worlds biggest free trade arrangement and noted that we need to strengthen mechanism building, draw in more members, keep unleashing potential and achieve more substantive outcomes. AFP: Delegations from the EU and China will meet in Brussels on Thursday for talks on rare earths. What is Chinas posture heading into these talks? Is China prepared to ease export controls on rare earths or offer any other concessions? Guo Jiakun: China-EU economic and trade relations are shaped by their mutual complementarity and are win-win in nature. We hope the EU will honor its commitment of supporting free trade and opposing trade protectionism, and refrain from resorting to restrictive measures. Instead, the EU needs to properly address trade differences through dialogue and consultation, provide an open, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for businesses from all countries, and take concrete actions to uphold the principles of market economy and WTO rules. For anything specific, Id refer you to competent authorities. Nippon TV: Japanese and U.S. leaders met for the first time and they had a meeting today. They have confirmed strengthening U.S.-Japan alliance. What is Chinas comment? Guo Jiakun: The Asia-Pacific is a stellar example of peace and development. The growth of bilateral relations and security cooperation between the U.S. and Japan need to be conducive to regional peace and stability, rather than the other way around. Given Japans history of militarist aggression during the last century, Japans military and security moves have been closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community. This year marks the 80th Anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. We urge Japan to respect its neighboring countries security concerns, deeply reflect on its history of aggression, stick to the path of peaceful development, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the wider international community through concrete actions. Reuters: Taiwans Lin Chia-lung said that he was not worried that U.S. President Donald Trump would abandon the island at his upcoming meeting with Chinese leader, and he said Taiwan-U.S. relations are very stable, hence why he is not concerned. How does China view this? Guo Jiakun: Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The biggest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at present is the separatist activities of Taiwan independence forces and the external connivance and support they receive. China firmly opposes any official interaction between the U.S. and Chinas Taiwan region in any form. We call on the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and exercise extra prudence regarding the Taiwan question. The DPP authorities continues to seek foreign support for Taiwan independence and use all kinds of platforms to peddle separatist narratives, spread disinformation and mislead the public. Their moves are rather disgraceful and bound to fail. Nothing the DPP authorities say or do will ever change the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is part of Chinas territory, still less the inevitability of Chinas reunification. China News Service: Recently, ten former leaders from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, including former Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica and former President Ramotar of Guyana, issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over military operations by a certain country in the Caribbean Sea. They reaffirmed the regions status as a Zone of Peace for over 50 years, and pointed out that the United States should combat drug trafficking within the framework of the rule of law, rather than greenlighting extrajudicial executions. Prior to this, experts of the Human Rights Councils Special Procedures and Caribbean media commentators also argued that U.S. military actions constitute the crime of extrajudicial execution. What is Chinas comment on this? Guo Jiakun: We noted relevant statement. We hope that the U.S. side will listen to the strong call of Caribbean nations and the international community, cease actions that undermine the peace and stability of the Caribbean region, and return to the path of conducting normal law enforcement and judicial cooperation within bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks. Brasil de Fato: On Sunday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview that China never imposed rare earth export controls and he also implied that the threat to impose 100 percent tariffs on China made by President Trump played a role in the negotiations. Did the Chinese government suspend or is it planning to suspend these rare earths export controls? Did the U.S. tariff threats influence the discussions in Kuala Lumpur as Scott Bessent implied? Guo Jiakun: For anything specific, Id refer you to competent authorities. On the policy of rare earth export controls, China has made its position clear on multiple occasions. Our measures aim to standardize and refine the export control system, which is in line with common practices. China does so in order to better maintain world peace and regional stability and to fulfill non-proliferation and other international obligations. We stand ready to work with the rest of the world to step up export control dialogue and exchange, so as to better keep global industrial and supply chains secure and stable. On the China-US economic and trade consultation, China has released a readout, which you may refer to. Reuters: The first direct flight between China and India in more than five years landed in Guangzhou on Monday, in the sign of improving bilateral ties. Would the Foreign Ministry say that other aspects of China-India relations remain frozen? Chinese media said that China is essentially unilaterally opening up to India. Is that an accurate assessment? Guo Jiakun: We generally do not respond to media comments or interpretations. The resumption of direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India represents a latest progress in the two sides faithful implementation on the important common understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries in Tianjin. It is also an active move that facilitates the friendly exchanges of over 2.8 billion Chinese and Indian people. China stands ready to work with India to view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and move forward relations on a sustained, sound and steady track so as to deliver more tangibly for the two countries and peoples and make greater contributions to upholding peace and prosperity in Asia and beyond. BBC: About the ongoing controversy in Britain regarding these so-called spies who have been accused of providing information to China which has been leaked from the British government, Is the Chinese government worried that this is harming the relations between China and the UK and possibly souring Chinas reputation with people in Britain? Guo Jiakun: China has repeatedly stated its position on relevant issues. We firmly oppose spreading disinformation about so-called Chinese spy activities and vilifying and smearing China. Regarding China-UK relations, Chinas position on developing bilateral ties is consistent. The basis of developing China-UK relations is mutual respect, and efforts to advance cooperation are mutually beneficial in nature. The UK should correctly view this. Some individuals are bent on peddling the China threat narrative and viewing cooperation as a zero-sum game. If the UK allows anti-China forces to oppose everything related to China and make reckless provocations, it will only backfire. Brasil de Fato: Yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, Brazilian President Lula said that he supports Malaysias aspiration to become a full member of BRICS. Does China share President Lulas position and support Malaysias bid for full BRICS membership? Guo Jiakun: BRICS is an important platform for cooperation among emerging economies and developing countries and source of strong impetus for multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations. The platform is widely recognized by Global South countries. BRICS countries value Global South partners positive willingness to join BRICS cooperation. We welcome Malaysia and more like-minded partners to join BRICS cooperation and jointly work for a more just and equitable international order. Beijing Youth Daily: Executive Secretary Robert Floyd of the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty CTBTOrganization (hereinafter referred to as the Treaty) stated on social media that 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Treaty. China signed the Treaty on the very first day it opened for signature and has actively advanced work such as the certification of international monitoring stations. Chinas initiation of the certification process for two auxiliary seismic stations demonstrates its commitment to multilateralism and its dedication to global peace and security. What is Chinas comment on this? Guo Jiakun: At the invitation of China, Executive Secretary Robert Floyd visited China from October 20 to 25. During the visit, he met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the China Earthquake Administration, and local governments. He also attended the launch ceremony for the certification and acceptance of the auxiliary seismic stations in Xian and Shanghai, and presented the certification for the Kunming infrasound station. As one of the first signatories to the Treaty, China has participated fully in the work of the Preparatory Commission and steadily advanced preparations for the implementation of the Treaty. In recent years, China and the Provisional Technical Secretariat have achieved significant cooperation outcomes in areas such as promoting the certification and acceptance of monitoring stations and enhancing capacity building for developing countries. This demonstrates Chinas consistent stance of earnestly fulfilling its international obligations and firmly supporting the Treaty. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible nuclear-weapon state, China is committed to peaceful development and follows a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and a nuclear strategy that focuses on self-defense. China always keeps its nuclear strength at the minimum level required by national security. China has faithfully honored its moratorium on nuclear testing. We will work with all parties to uphold the authority of the Treaty and safeguard the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. AFP: Just one quick follow-up to the meeting between Donald Trump and the Japanese Prime Minister, they also said they signed an agreement on cooperation on rare earths securing the supply of them. Does China have any comment on this specific part of their agreement? Guo Jiakun: We just answered relevant questions. Malaysia, October 27, 2025 Honorable Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Colleagues, It gives me great pleasure to attend the 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Kuala Lumpur. I would like to thank Prime Minister Anwar and the Malaysian government for the meticulous arrangements. Twenty years ago, the EAS was inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur. Upon reading the declaration of the first summit, we can easily discern the EAS purpose: strengthening cooperation in the spirit of equality and partnership, observing the U.N. Charter and other norms of international law, ensuring the effective functioning of multilateral systems, and improving peoples well-being. The constructive role of the EAS on the whole in promoting the steady and rapid development of our region over the past two decades is mainly attributable to the implementation of this founding mission. At present, the international landscape continues to undergo profound changes. The world is in a new period of turbulence and transformation, with new risks and challenges facing peace and development. Against that background, President Xi Jinping has formally put forward the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) to address changes in the world and tackle pressing problems, highlighting the imperative of adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach and focusing on taking real actions. This is very relevant in todays world, and is fully consistent with the EAS founding mission. China will work with all parties to ensure that this mission is observed, and take vigorous actions to promote the GGI to boost peace and development of our region. We should continuously build extensive consensus. Absent common understanding on some very basics, countries would hardly make good progress in their communication, consultations or business exchanges. History tells us that some common values that humanity has fostered over millennia, such as mutual respect, equality, fairness and justice, underpin both people-to-people and state-to-state interactions. To address the global transformation unseen in a century, we need to have a clearheaded and sensible judgment about the trajectory of the future. Among many others, the trend toward economic globalization and multipolarity is irreversible, and the world must not slip back to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak. Only when we embrace these basic understandings that are consistent with the common values of humanity and the trend of history, can we make the right decision at this critical juncture and move ahead in the right direction. We should focus on solving prominent issues. In recent years, protectionism of various forms has undermined international economic and trade cooperation and inflicted greater losses on developing countries. Our region is home to a large number of developing countries. Growing the economy and improving peoples lives is a priority for us, and overcoming the impact of protectionism and strengthening internal growth momentum is a pressing issue we face. This means we should more firmly uphold the free trade regime, create a high-standard regional free trade network, and vigorously and effectively advance regional integration. We should also do more together to improve peoples well-being and achieve inclusive development for all. We should reform and improve the system of norms. The world today faces increasing chaos and turbulence, which has exerted a major impact on our region. An important cause of this is the erosion of the system of international norms. The more volatile the world becomes, the more imperative it is for us to uphold the authority of international law. We should all observe rules. In particular, we should jointly safeguard the U.N.-centered international system, support ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, and promote cooperation in our region. At the same time, we should also actively promote reform and build a more just and equitable global governance system so as to better safeguard the interests of all. As a saying goes, when you are clear about the direction to go, you can surely reach your destination, no matter how far away it is. China is ready to work in concert and pursue practical cooperation with all parties to promote peace, development and prosperity both in our region and across the world. Thank you! Malaysia, October 27, 2025 Honorable Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Colleagues, It gives me great pleasure to attend todays meeting. I want to thank Prime Minister Anwar and our host Malaysia for the thoughtful arrangements made for this Summit. I also congratulate Timor-Leste for officially joining the ASEAN family. Over the past year, ASEAN Plus Three cooperation has kept a sound momentum on the whole, demonstrating the resilience and vibrancy of the East Asian economy. Meanwhile, given the complex changes in international economic and trade structure, especially the disruptions from high tariffs, we have a deep feeling that East Asia is faced with mounting difficulties and challenges in its economy and growing instability and uncertainty in its development. In many Asian countries, we share a similar saying: The past informs the future. In other words, we can draw wisdom and strength from historical experience to meet the current difficulties. Over the past decades, East Asia has been the worlds fastest growing region. Since the 1950s, East Asian countries have actively explored paths toward modernization. From Japans high-speed growth, to the takeoffs of the Four Asian Tigers and the Tiger Cub Economies, and to the rapid development of China since the start of reform and opening up, East Asia has created many economic miracles and witnessed the rise of many modern metropolises, bringing about epoch-making changes to the outlook of our societies. These landmarks in our development still inspire us, and make us proud even today. Indeed, times are changing, and we East Asian countries have found ourselves in development stages very different form the past. Today we cannot possibly relive our success stories of yesterday, but by reviewing the past, we can find enlightenment and inspiration for the future. As we reflect deeply upon the reasons for East Asian miracles, I believe that one phrase would come to the minds of many: openness and cooperation. Over the past decades, the commitment to openness and cooperation has enabled us to transcend social system and other differences, and realize mutually complementary specialization and collaboration on the basis of our respective endowments and the law of economics. The commitment to openness and cooperation has enabled us to guard against attempts at turning economic and trade issues into political and security hurdles, manage and resolve differences through communication and dialogue, and minimize disruptions to economic development. The commitment to openness and cooperation has enabled us to steadily increase connectivity, fully unleash the vitality of the regional market, and create and share development opportunities together. It is fair to say that openness and cooperation is a valuable experience we gained and refined through hard work. It must be cherished and upheld continually as the distinctive strength and competitive edge of the East Asian economy. Looking ahead, the center of gravity of the world economy is shifting toward Asia, and the epicenter of the Asian economy is in East Asia. The East Asian miracles are not behind us, but ahead of us as an unfolding reality. China stands ready to work with all parties to seek greater synergy of development strategies, uphold openness and cooperation, take more concrete actions, and jointly renew the glory of East Asias development. Colleagues, ASEAN and China, Japan and the ROK have close economic ties. This region enjoys a vast market, full-fledged and well-developed industrial systems, abundant funding, advanced technologies, and rich demographic and talent dividends. China supports the theme of Inclusivity and Sustainability put forward by Malaysia, and stands ready to work with all parties to continue unleashing economic potential and broadening development space through closer and more efficient openness and cooperation. First, we should foster an environment conducive to regional development. The international landscape has been changing and fluid, and conflicts and confrontation keep flaring up. This has had severe impacts on global development. The peace and stability that East Asia enjoys has not come easily, and must be safeguarded with our utmost efforts. We should properly resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation, oppose external interference, and avoid creating tensions or conflicts. At the same time, we should jointly uphold free trade and the multilateral trading system, oppose all forms of protectionism, and further advance the process of regional economic integration. Second, we should deepen collaboration on industrial and supply chains. Few regions in the world can match East Asias comprehensive strengths across the chains, spanning design and R&D, material processing, smart manufacturing, and all the way to market sales. Whats more, each economy is in a unique position within the chains, making our industries highly complementary and our interests neatly aligned. We should better leverage our respective strengths, further promote synergy and cooperation, and steadily improve the level of our specialization and collaboration, thereby making the flow of production factors more efficient. China welcomes the adoption of the Statement on Strengthening Regional Economic and Financial Cooperation, and stands ready to carry it out with all parties, and step up practical cooperation in finance, trade, food security and other areas, so as to create more cooperation highlights and growth engines, and foster greater development momentum for our region from within. Third, we should jointly cultivate new drivers of development. Seizing opportunities from the latest round of technological revolution and industrial transformationparticularly in fields like AI, robotics, and biomedicine that are seeing an explosive surge of innovationsthe 10+3 countries should intensify support for sci-tech innovation and collaborative research. We need to enhance our capacity for generating zero-to-one breakthroughs and efficiently scaling them into one-to-N successes, making innovation a powerful driver of our development. China will continue advancing cooperation with all parties in areas like the digital economy, electric vehicles, and clean energy, joining hands to seize opportunities for development. With the concerted efforts of the 10+3 countries, I am confident that we will create a brighter future for East Asia and make greater contributions to lasting peace, prosperity, and stability of the world. Thank you. For anyone who grew up in a time when accessing a movie or an album or a book required some kind of effort, the age of instant digital access can seem like a minor miracleat least, when you stop to think about it, which the algorithmic ecosystem is increasingly designed to discourage. In Liz Pellys book Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, a former Spotify editor says that one of the companys goals is trying to reduce friction and cognitive work involved in picking one of the streaming giants more than 100 million songs, a goal that, Pelly writes, has produced a deluge of frictionless music: an ease of use that, in turn, facilitated easy listening. You dont have to think about what youre listening to, even while youre listening to it. Its the musical equivalent of Erica Jongs zipless fuck, a mutually satisfying arrangement that requires no commitment in advance and demands no attachment after the fact. Movies and TV dont fade into the background quite as easily as music does, but Netflix prides itself on making viewing as zipless as possible. A show like The Diplomat solicits your attention in fits and starts; you can tune in for the big moments, tune out for the rest, and never feel like youve missed a thing. The only thing you cant do is stop. The instant an episode ends, another one starts to roll, and when youve finished the show, another one pops up in its place, because allowing even a second of quiet means you might consider doing something else. Thats fine when you want to spend a half-engaged night on the couch, but it presents a problem when the thing youre watching demands that you stop and think. When I saw The Perfect Neighbor at Sundance in January, Geeta Gandbhirs documentary struck me as a chilling and provocative look at the limits of policing, particularly when the laws the police are called to enforce present more of a problem than a solution. Told largely through footage taken from police body cams, the movie follows the escalating conflict between Susan Lorincz, a middle-aged woman who lives alone in a Florida subdivision, and the largely Black families around her, whose children she regards as an intolerable nuisance and, eventually, a threat. Locking the audience into the cops point of view presents a substantial challenge: We see only what they see, which means were only present in or shortly after moments of conflict, with no way to resolve the differing accounts of what happened. But the film festival audience, I thought, would understand that limitation as I did: as an invitation to question the limits of our own perception, and the consequences of leaving the resolution of potentially violent disputes in the hands of an institution that only comes when theyre called. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I knew at the time there was another way to watch A Perfect Neighbor: as a found-footage horror movie about an unhinged Karen who kills an innocent Black mother of four. The movie gives us ample reason to despise Lorincz, whose main complaint is that the neighborhood children like to play in the vacant grass lot next to her house. She calls in trespassing complaints despite the fact that neither she nor her landlord owns the plot in question, and the kids tell the police that she frequently yells racist invective at them. But because the police are never around when it happens, all they do is take down a few notes and leave, pleading with the parties to keep their distance. I have to believe you, a white female cop tells Lorincz, but I also have to believe them. An opening flash-forward showing a police car barreling down rural roads at night while anguished calls come over the radio tells us a serious confrontation is on the way, and when, a few minutes after that, voices start talking about Ajike AJ Owens in the past tense, all thats left is to wonder when the dreadful moment will arrive. Given that The Perfect Neighbor opens with such an overused streaming-era device, it wasnt surprising when it sold to Netflix for a reported $5 million. And the size of Netflixs platform matches the importance of its subject, which hinges on the dangers of Floridas stand your ground laws, which can act as a perverse incentive for gun owners to lure others into a deadly confrontation and get off scot-free. But being on Netflix doesnt just broaden the movies audience. It also changes the way they experience it, or at least opens up a range of not entirely salutary possibilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Netflix, The Perfect Neighbor isnt slotted alongside other thought-provoking documentaries from the film-festival circuit. Its cheek by jowl with vile, vacuous trash like Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, movies that sensationalize the worst of human behavior for our guilty enjoyment. And its been a runaway hitthe top movie or show on any streaming service last week. (On Netflixs daily charts, its currently lodged between the new Kathryn Bigelow thriller and KPop Demon Hunters.) But I cant help but wonder what movie all those people are watching: the thoughtful deconstruction or the lurid morality play. Attentive viewers will watch for the edits and note the subtle hints of music that sustain the sense of impending doom, but for many the movie will play like a feature-length version of the doorbell-camera videos that pop up in their Instagram and TikTok feeds, an unmediated spectacle presented for their voyeuristic enjoyment. Advertisement In January, Gandbhir told an interviewer that she did not think of this film as true crime, but thats how the service categorizes it. Youre making something that hasnt been seen before, Gandbhir said, and that can also be problematic in this culture where so much is algorithm-based. And indeed, when I finished The Perfect Neighbor, Netflixs algorithm had the perfect suggestion for what to watch next: the Ryan Murphy series about the notorious serial killer Ed Gein. Advertisement Advertisement The Perfect Neighbor has other issues, too, like the fact that Ajike Owens was a close friend of Gandbhirs familya connection the director has discussed freely in interviews but the movie never discloses. Thats the kind of tie that would get a reporter taken off the story, and while documentaries arent governed by the same rules as journalism, it made me question the movies point of view. The movie paints Lorincz as a monsterin the New Yorker, Jessica Winter confessed that she hadnt felt such visceral and intensely gendered loathing for a documentary termagant since Dear Zacharyand departs from its body-cam framing to show interrogation footage in which the police question her about researching stand your ground statutes before the shooting. But at Lorinczs sentencing hearing in November, two months before the films premiere, her sister testified that Lorincz had been sexually abused as a child, and in the film, an early hint of her volatility comes when Lorincz finds herself on the wrong side of a locked gate and smashes her truck through it, apparently unable to control her panic at the thought of being confined. When she explains her reaction by telling the police she was previously raped and beaten, it sounds as if shes wildly flailing for any available excuse. (Earlier, she insists she be referred to as Dr. Lorincz, despite no indication that she has earned the title.) But thats because the police dont have any context for her claimand neither, circumscribed by their perspective, do we. Related From Slate The Perfect Netflix Show Is Back for Another Tasty, Trashy New Season Read More That doesnt make Ajike Owens death less of an outrage, or Lorinczs behavior any more excusable. But it does suggest that what were looking at is the evidence of not just one but multiple failed systems: one that should have protected Owens from Lorincz, and one that should have protected Lorincz from herself. Vernon Carl Smith, aged 84, passed away on the 23rd of October following complications of various health issues. He was born March 31, 1941 to Carl and Mary Smith of Canonsburg, PA where he spent his childhood. Vernon received a Masters degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania. He spent much of his career as an educator in the classroom and as an Aerospace Education Specialist for NASA's AESP program. His entrepreneurial streak led him to try his hand at a number of business ventures over the years as well. His love of teaching extended into his spiritual life. As an ordained minister, Vernon taught the scriptures to friends, family and numerous congregations over the years. He touched the lives of a great many who will miss him in this life. He remained steadfast in his faith and as the body failed, his spirit was ready to move on. Vernon was happily married for 48 years to Eleanor (Gallagher) who preceded him in death. He is survived by three children, Brian Smith and his wife Joanna of Waldorf, MD; Devon (Yoder) Smith and husband Andrew of Myersville, and Jason Smith and wife Vigdis of Fjerdingby, Norway. He has six grandchildren, Caleb, Nathaniel, Zebulon, Jaelle, Anders, and Nikolas. Vernon will be laid to rest at Wesleyan Memorial Cemetery in White Plains, MD. A private memorial will be held among immediate family. PITTSBURGH (AP) A fan at Monday night's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues was taken to a hospital after falling from the upper concourse at PPG Paints Arena. The incident happened early in the first period after Anthony Mantha's goal gave the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emergency personnel treated the fan, a man who was not identified, before taking him to Mercy Hospital, located a few blocks from the arena. Play was not halted at any time while the man was being treated. Pittsburgh police told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the man was in critical condition. Our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time, the Penguins said in a statement. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who became the ninth player in NHL history to score 1,700 points, said the team found out about the fall after the game. It doesn't feel right to be talking about points when you hear something like that, Crosby said. Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with that person and their family and hopefully they're OK. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Penguins coach Dan Muse echoed Crosby's sentiments. We all come here for a sport and a game and when you hear something like that, it kind of puts everything else aside, Muse said. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. The fall was the third such incident at a Pittsburgh sporting event this year. In May, Kavan Markwood fell over the railing atop the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall and onto the field at PNC Park late in a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Markwood spent several days in the hospital but did make a recovery. An acquaintance of Markwood was later charged with providing alcohol to Markwood, who was 20 at the time of the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Saturday night, a worker at Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, suffered injuries to his legs when he fell approximately 50 feet while doing work near the stadium's scoreboard. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl Portland Trail Blazers (1-2, seventh in the Western Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (2-1, fourth in the Western Conference) Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Utah hosts the Portland Trail Blazers after Lauri Markkanen scored 51 points in the Utah Jazz's 138-134 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah went 17-65 overall and 8-44 in Western Conference play last season. The Jazz gave up 121.2 points per game while committing 18.9 fouls last season. Portland went 36-46 overall and 6-10 in Northwest Division play during the 2024-25 season. The Trail Blazers averaged 8.3 steals, 5.3 blocks and 15.1 turnovers per game last season. INJURIES: Jazz: Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Georges Niang: out (foot). Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson: out (hamstring), Matisse Thybulle: out (hip), Damian Lillard: out for season (achilles), Robert Williams III: out (knee). ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Disney+ has pulled out of Doctor Who after its two-season partnership with the BBC. Disney+ is not partnering on the next season of Doctor Who, the BBC announces In October 2022, the streamer struck a deal with the corporation to become the global home for the show outside the UK and Ireland, with the BBC remaining its exclusive home in the UK. With Disney+ exiting the TARDIS on the next season of the sci-fi show, the corporation remains fully committed to the program. The BBC has announced a Christmas 2026 special, with plans for the next series being confirmed in due course. Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC, said: "Wed like to thank Disney+ for being terrific global partners and collaborators over the past two seasons, and for the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea. "The BBC remains fully committed to Doctor Who, which continues to be one of our most loved dramas, and we are delighted that Russell T Davies has agreed to write us another spectacular Christmas special for 2026. "We can assure fans, the Doctor is not going anywhere, and we will be announcing plans for the next series in due course, which will ensure the TARDIS remains at the heart of the BBC." Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea is heading to BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and Disney+ elsewhere later this year. The synopsis reads: "When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. "With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war." The War Between the Land and the Sea stars the likes of Russell Tovey, 43, as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. 42, as Salt. Before the BBC's announcement that Disney+ is not partnering on the next season of Doctor Who, the program's showrunner, Russell T Davies, 62, refused to be drawn on whether another streaming service could come in to fund it. Asked if another streamer could pump money into Doctor Who if Disney were to exit the TARDIS, he exclusively replied to BANG Showbiz at the 2025 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar: "We're not going there." Standardbred Canada (SC) would like to advise industry participants and fans that the SC website will be unavailable on Wednesday, Oct. 29 from approximately 3:45 a.m. to 5 a.m. (EDT) for scheduled maintenance. Standardbred Canada apologizes for any inconvenience. (Standardbred Canada) This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: TikTok said Australia's looming social media ban could force children into darker corners of the internet. Tech giants Meta and TikTok said Tuesday they will obey Australia's under-16 social media ban but warned the landmark laws could prove difficult to enforce. Australia will from December 10 force social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to remove users under the age of 16. There is keen interest in whether Australia's sweeping restrictions can work, as regulators around the globe wrestle with the dangers of social media. Both TikTok and Metathe parent company of Facebook and Instagramsaid the ban would be hard to police, but agreed they would abide by it. "Put simply, TikTok will comply with the law and meet our legislative obligations," the firm's Australia policy lead Ella Woods-Joyce told a Senate hearing on Tuesday. On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world. But with just over a month until it comes into effect, Australia is scrambling to fill in key questions around enforcement and firms' obligations. TikTok warned the "blunt" age ban could have a raft of unintended consequences. "Experts believe a ban will push younger people into darker corners of the Internet where protections don't exist," said Woods-Joyce. 'Vague' and 'rushed' Meta policy director Mia Garlick said the firm was still solving "numerous challenges". It would work to remove hundreds of thousands of users under 16 by the December 10 deadline, she told the hearing. But identifying and removing those accounts still posed "significant new engineering and age assurance challenges," she said. "The goal from our perspective, being compliance with the law, would be to remove those under 16." Officials have previously said social media companies will not be required to verify the ages of all usersbut must take "reasonable steps" to detect and deactivate underage ones. Companies found to be flouting the laws face fines of up to Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million). Tech companies have been united in their criticisms of Australia's ban, which has been described as "vague," "problematic," and "rushed." Video streaming site YouTubewhich falls under the bansaid this month that Australia's efforts were well intentioned but poorly thought through. "The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfill its promise of making kids safer online," local spokeswoman Rachel Lord said. Australia's online watchdog recently suggested that messaging service WhatsApp, streaming platform Twitch and gaming site Roblox could also be covered by the ban. 2025 AFP US outrage toward an anti-tariff advertisement exposes Canada's dilemma 08:34, October 28, 2025 By Liu Dan ( Global Times Illustration: Chen Xia/GT Recently, trade tensions between Canada and the US over tariffs seemed to be easing - but a single advertisement has once again derailed this trend, sparking public debate and a diplomatic stir. Last week, the US announced it was suspending trade talks with Canada and imposing an additional 10 percent tariff. The reason? Discontent over an ad funded by the Ontario government. The main message of the advertisement was to use the words of former US president and conservative icon Ronald Reagan to remind Americans of the dangers of tariff wars and to promote the idea of protecting free trade. Clearly, the Canadian side might not have anticipated that this anti-tariff ad would provoke such a strong reaction from the White House. This diplomatic and trade flare-up, sparked by a mere advertisement, reveals a deeper division in US-Canada trade relations: the tension between globalization and protectionism. For decades, most goods between Canada and the US had flowed freely without tariffs, and the two economies are tightly interconnected. The US is Canada's largest trading partner, importing roughly three-quarters of Canadian exports. This deep economic integration, however, means Canada faces far greater challenges than other countries when confronted with unilateral or protectionist US policies. According to official data from Statistics Canada, the country's GDP shrank at a 1.6 percent annualized pace in the second quarter. The main driver of this economic contraction was a sharp decline in goods exports, a phenomenon directly influenced by US tariff policies. There is no doubt that clashing with its largest trading partner is a severe blow to Canada's economy. Facing unilateral US actions, Canada is caught in a dilemma. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday asserted that his nation is prepared to resume trade talks when the US is ready, while also acknowledging that "we can't control the trade policy of the United States." Prior to this, Carney had stated that the Canadian government's upcoming first budget would reduce Canada's economic and security dependence on the US and pledged to double Canada's exports to non-US markets over the next decade. The controversy over this advertisement may also accelerate Canada's shift toward the Asia-Pacific market. The advertisement controversy has also highlighted the shortcomings in the coordination between the federal and provincial governments in formulating US policies. The Ontario province, which funded the advertisement, clearly adopted a tougher stance than the federal government. Premier Doug Ford had firmly stated, "Canada must be prepared to immediately take strong countermeasures against US tariff policies." However, when the US expressed strong dissatisfaction, Ford promptly negotiated with Carney and decided to suspend the airing of the anti-tariff ad in the US to resume trade negotiations. This shift from a hardline to a rapid compromise underscores the strategic dilemmas and contradictions faced by both federal and provincial governments when dealing with the US. The Carney government has been trying to balance its sovereign stance with economic and trade interests. Before the ad controversy erupted, Carney had handled provocations and ridicule from the US on multiple occasions with a composed and dignified approach, and Canada-US negotiations had already made some progress. Yet a single provincial advertisement threatened to completely undo all these efforts. As US-Canada trade frictions persist, the Carney administration will face increasing challenges in coordinating with provincial governments, especially as local economic demands intensify. Notably, this is not the first time Canada has faced a US suspension of negotiations. Currently, this appears to have become a standard US negotiating tactic: applying maximum pressure at critical moments to secure more favorable terms. As a seasoned economist, Carney is undoubtedly aware of this strategy. However, understanding the tactic does not equate to easily overcoming the predicament. The advertisement controversy serves as a prism, reflecting the structural dilemmas Canada faces in safeguarding its economic sovereignty while seeking pragmatic cooperation in an asymmetrical power dynamic. This friction may become a turning point, compelling Canada to decide whether to accelerate the transformation of its strategic vision of "reducing dependence on the US" into irreversible concrete actions. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) John Cleese has led tributes to Prunella Scales who has died at the age of 93. John Cleese has paid tribute to his Fawlty Towers on-screen wife and co-star Prunella Scales The Fawlty Towers legend hailed his BBC sitcom co-star and on-screen wife as "a really wonderful comic actress," adding: "Scene after scene she was absolutely perfect." The Basil Fawlty actor, 86, is one of many names from the showbiz world who have paid their respects to the Sybil Fawlty actress - who passed away peacefully at her home in London on Monday (27.10.25) after a battle with dementia. Taking to X, Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth, 77, captioned a photo of Prunella with Queen Camilla, 78, writing: "This is a snap I took last year of Prunella Scales with Queen Camilla What a wonderful actress: what a funny, intelligent, interesting, gifted human being. Blessed with a wonderful marriage to Tim [West]." Also on X, Former Sky News presenter Kay Burley, 64, wrote: "Good night Prunella Scales. One of the finest comedic actresses of our time. "Her sharp wit and impeccable delivery made Fawlty Towers unforgettable." And Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, said in a statement: "All of us at BBC Comedy are so sorry to hear of Prunella Scales passing. "She was a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today. "We send our love and condolences to her family and friends." Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia - a common form of the degenerative condition that causes a decline in thinking, memory, and reasoning skills - in 2013. The star met her husband, Timothy West - who died in November 2024 aged 90 - whilst filming the BBC television play She Died Young in 1961. The couple - who got married in 1963 - went on to feature in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys from 2014 to 2019. It followed the duo as they traveled via canals and narrowboats across the UK and Europe. However, Prunella's declining health saw the couple depart the show in 2019, with Timothy explaining that her dementia had worsened in the final series and that she was losing her hearing. She died on Monday, but her death was announced on Tuesday (28.10.25). Her sons, Samuel and Joseph, said in a joint statement: "Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday. She was 93. "Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. "She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died. Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024. "She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. "We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love." This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with random binary data, March 9, 2023, in Boston. Credit: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File OpenAI said Tuesday it has reorganized its ownership structure and converted its business into a public benefit corporation after two crucial regulators, the Delaware and California attorneys general, said they would not oppose the plan. The restructuring paves the way for the ChatGPT maker to more easily profit off its artificial intelligence technology even as it remains technically under the control of a nonprofit. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a call Tuesday that "the most likely path" for the newly formed business is that it becomes publicly traded on the stock market, "given the capital needs that we'll have and sort of the size of the company," though a Wall Street debut was not a part of the announcements detailed Tuesday. Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in separate statements that they would not object to the restructuring, seemingly bringing to an end more than a year of negotiations and announcements about the future of OpenAI's governance and the power that for-profit investors and its nonprofit board will have over the organization's technology. The company also said it has signed a new agreement with its longtime backer Microsoft that gives the software giant a roughly 27% stake in OpenAI's new for-profit corporation but changes some of the details of their close partnership. Microsoft's $135 billion stake will be just ahead of the OpenAI nonprofit's $130 billion stake in the for-profit company. The attorneys general of Delaware, where OpenAI is incorporated, and California, where it is headquartered, had both spent months investigating the proposed changes. "We will be keeping a close eye on OpenAI to ensure ongoing adherence to its charitable mission and the protection of the safety of all Californians," said Bonta. OpenAI said it completed its restructuring "after nearly a year of engaging in constructive dialogue" with the offices in both states. "OpenAI has completed its recapitalization, simplifying its corporate structure," said a blog post Tuesday from Bret Taylor, the chair of OpenAI's board of directors. "The nonprofit remains in control of the for-profit, and now has a direct path to major resources before AGI arrives." AGI stands for artificial general intelligence, which OpenAI defines as "highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work." OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit in 2015 with a mission to safely build AGI for humanity's benefit. It later started a for-profit arm. Microsoft invested its first $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 and the two companies formed an agreement that made Microsoft the exclusive provider of the computing power needed to build OpenAI's costly technology. It was a lifeline for the startup research lab, which is now valued at $500 billion but continues to lose more money than it makes. In turn, Microsoft heavily used the technology behind ChatGPT to enhance its own AI products. The two companies first revealed in January that they were altering that agreement, enabling San Francisco-based OpenAI to build its own computing capacity, "primarily for research and training of models." That coincided with OpenAI's announcements of a partnership with Oracle and SoftBank to build a massive new data center in Abilene, Texas. It's since announced what Altman described Tuesday as a "$1.4 trillion total financial obligation" over the next few years, which includes more data center projects planned in the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America, along with big deals with chipmakers like Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom. The logo of Microsoft is seen outside its French headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris on May 13, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File Those investments left Microsoft's OpenAI arrangement up in the air as the two companies appeared to veer further apart before reaching a tentative new agreement in September. OpenAI had previously said its own nonprofit board will decide when AGI is reached, effectively ending its Microsoft partnership. But it now says that "once AGI is declared by OpenAI, that declaration will now be verified by an independent expert panel," and that Microsoft's rights to OpenAI's confidential research methods "will remain until either the expert panel verifies AGI or through 2030, whichever is first." Microsoft will also retain commercial rights to OpenAI products "post-AGI" and through 2032. "Microsoft can now count on 7 years of runway," said an investor note from JP Morgan analysts, interpreting the news as a positive development for the software giant. Microsoft put out the same joint announcement about the revised partnership Tuesday but declined further comment. Its shares spiked about 2% on Tuesday. Going forward, the nonprofit will be called the OpenAI Foundation and Taylor said it would grant out $25 billion toward health and curing diseases and protecting against the cybersecurity risks of AI. He did not say over what time period those funds would be dispersed. Robert Weissman, co-president of the nonprofit Public Citizen, said this arrangement does not guarantee the nonprofit independence, likening it to a corporate foundation that will serve the interests of the for-profit. Even as the nonprofit's board may technically remain in control, Weissman said that control "is illusory because there is no evidence of the nonprofit ever imposing its values on the for-profit." The Delaware attorney general's investigation focused on ensuring OpenAI put its commitment to safety first and before any financial interests. Jennings also said OpenAI promised to keep its nonprofit in control of the public benefit corporation, including the right to appoint and remove its board members. The removal of OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman in Nov. 2023 by the nonprofit's board at the timeand his subsequent reappointmentkicked off the company's effort to restructure. The nonprofit's board will continue to include a Safety and Security Committee, which will have the power "to oversee and review" OpenAI's technology development. It will even have the power to stop the release of a new product, according to the Delaware attorney general's statement. Additionally, within a year, the nonprofit's board will include at least two members who do not also serve on the public benefit corporation's board. OpenAI still faces a legal challenge from billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, an early OpenAI investor who now runs his own AI firm, xAI, and has accused the startup he co-founded of betraying its original mission. A federal judge in March denied Musk's request for a court order blocking OpenAI from converting itself to a for-profit company but said she could expedite a trial to consider Musk's claims. 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain On October 27, Qualcomm released a new series of artificial intelligence chips to compete with the market leader Nvidia, as the race to cash in on the massive AI datacenter buildout heats up. If successful, Qualcomm, a San Diego-based tech giant, could win a spot in the data centers powering AI as customers look for alternatives to Nvidia, which controls close to 90% of the AI chip market. The Qualcomm AI200 is scheduled to be the first chip in the series that will be commercially available in 2026, which will be followed by the AI250 chip in 2027. The company's stock surged 20% after news of entering the data center market. It plans to sell its purpose-built AI server racks containing dozens of AI chips that can be installed in data centers, and will also sell just the standalone AI chips which enterprises can buy and plug into their existing servers. "Our rich software stack and open ecosystem support make it easier than ever for developers and enterprises to integrate, manage, and scale already trained AI models on our optimized AI inference solutions," said Durga Malladi, a senior vice president at Qualcomm. Qualcomm is best-known for its chips used to power smartphones. It is one of the latest entrants into the AI chipmaking arena, joining Intel and AMD, to compete with Nvidia. Qualcomm is positioning itself as an energy efficient chip that will cost much less to run in the long term. These companies see an opportunity in building inference chips, which are used when a trained AI model runs real-time computations to generate outputs such as answer questions or generating images. Demand for such AI inference chips has increased with wider adoption and newer use cases, with companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft creating their own AI chips. Nearly $7 trillion of capital expenditure will be spent on datacenters through 2030, according to a Mckinsey estimate. "It makes sense that Qualcomm wants to diversify beyond smartphones and get into this game," says Austin Lyons, analyst and founder of Chipstrat, a semiconductor publication. "This is a good and different vectornot just consumer products, but datacenter." OpenAI, in September, signed a $10-billion deal with Broadcom to design custom AI chips, and has invested in AMD with a commitment to buy its MI450 AI chips. Qualcomm also signed Saudi Arabia's Humain, an AI company backed by the country's sovereign wealth fund, as its first customer for the new series of chips. The chips will be deployed in datacenters of Humain in 2026. Humain plans to launch a $10-billion venture fund, and in May, picked another California chipmaker, Groq, to supply inference chips for its datacenters. Abu Dhabi-backed G42, an AI development holding companythat holds a stake in U.S. chipmaker Cerebras Systemswill build the 5 gigawatt UAE-US AI campus that was announced during President Trump's visit in May. Gulf countries have emerged as a power player in AI, as Trump's White House overhauled Biden-era chip export restrictions and brokered multi-billion dollar deals for the U.S. to supply advanced chips required to fuel its AI ambitions. 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. The zero-day exploitation of a now-patched security flaw in Google Chrome led to the distribution of an espionage-related tool from Italian information technology and services provider Memento Labs, according to new findings from Kaspersky. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2025-2783 (CVSS score: 8.3), a case of sandbox escape which the company disclosed in March 2025 as having come under active exploitation as part of a campaign dubbed Operation ForumTroll targeting organizations in Russia. The cluster is also tracked as TaxOff/Team 46 by Positive Technologies, Dante APT by F6, and Prosperous Werewolf by BI.ZONE. It's known to be active since at least February 2024. The wave of infections involved sending phishing emails containing personalized, short-lived links inviting recipients to the Primakov Readings forum. Clicking the links through Google Chrome or a Chromium-based web browser was enough to trigger an exploit for CVE-2025-2783, enabling the attackers to break out of the confines of the program and deliver tools developed by Memento Labs. Headquartered in Milan, Memento Labs (also stylized as mem3nt0) was formed in April 2019 following the merger of InTheCyber Group and HackingTeam (aka Hacking Team), the latter of which has a history of selling offensive intrusion and surveillance capabilities to governments, law enforcement agencies, and corporations, including creating spyware designed to monitor the Tor browser. Most notably, the infamous surveillance software vendor suffered a hack in July 2015, resulting in the leak of hundreds of gigabytes of internal data, including tools and exploits. Among these was an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) development kit dubbed VectorEDK that would later go on to become the foundation for a UEFI bootkit known as MosaicRegressor. In April 2016, the company courted further trouble after Italian export authorities revoked its license to sell outside of Europe. In the latest set of attacks documented by the Russian cybersecurity vendor, the lures targeted media outlets, universities, research centers, government organizations, financial institutions, and other organizations in Russia with the primary goal of espionage. "This was a targeted spear-phishing operation, not a broad, indiscriminate campaign," Boris Larin, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), told The Hacker News. "We observed multiple intrusions against organizations and individuals in Russia and Belarus, with lures aimed at media outlets, universities, research centers, government bodies, financial institutions, and others in Russia." Most notably, the attacks have been found to pave the way for a previously undocumented spyware developed by Memento Labs called LeetAgent, owing to the use of leetspeak for its commands. The starting point is a validator phase, which is a small script executed by the browser to check if the visitor to the malicious site is a genuine user with a real web browser, and then leverages CVE-2025-2783 to detonate the sandbox escape in order to achieve remote code execution and drop a loader responsible for launching LeetAgent. The malware is capable of connecting to a command-and-control (C2) server over HTTPS and receiving instructions that allow it to perform a wide range of tasks - 0xC033A4D (COMMAND) Run command using cmd.exe 0xECEC (EXEC) Execute a process 0x6E17A585 (GETTASKS) Get a list of tasks that the agent is currently executing 0x6177 (KILL) Stop a task 0xF17E09 (FILE \x09) Write to file 0xF17ED0 (FILE \xD0) Read a file 0x1213C7 (INJECT) Inject shellcode 0xC04F (CONF) Set communication parameters 0xD1E (DIE) Quit 0xCD (CD) Change current working directory 0x108 (JOB) Set parameters for keylogger or file stealer to harvest files matching extensions *.doc, *.xls, *.ppt, *.rtf, *.pdf, *.docx, *.xlsx, and *.pptx The malware used in the intrusions has been traced all the way back to 2022, with the threat actor also linked to a broader set of malicious cyber activity aimed at organizations and individuals in Russia and Belarus using phishing emails carrying malicious attachments as a distribution vector. "Proficiency in Russian and familiarity with local peculiarities are distinctive features of the ForumTroll APT group, traits that we have also observed in its other campaigns," Larin said. "However, mistakes in some of those other cases suggest that the attackers were not native Russian speakers." It's worth noting that at this stage, Positive Technologies, in a report published in June 2025, also disclosed an identical cluster of activity that involved the exploitation of CVE-2025-2783 by a threat actor it tracks as TaxOff to deploy a backdoor called Trinper. Larin told The Hacker News that the two sets of attacks are connected. "In several incidents, the LeetAgent backdoor used in Operation ForumTroll directly launched the more sophisticated Dante spyware," Larin explained. "Beyond that handoff, we observed overlaps in tradecraft: identical COM-hijacking persistence, similar file-system paths, and data hidden in font files. We also found shared code between the exploit/loader and Dante. Taken together, these points indicate the same actor/toolset behind both clusters." Dante, which emerged in 2022 as a replacement for another spyware referred to as Remote Control System (RCS), comes with an array of protections to resist analysis. It obfuscates control flow, hides imported functions, adds anti-debugging checks, and encrypts nearly every string in the source code. It also queries the Windows Event Log for events that may indicate the use of malware analysis tools or virtual machines to fly under the radar. Once all the checks are passed, the spyware proceeds to launch an orchestrator module that's engineered to communicate with a C2 server via HTTPS, load other components either from the file system or memory, and remove itself if it doesn't receive commands within a set number of days specified in the configuration, and erase traces of all activity. There is currently no information about the nature of additional modules launched by the spyware. While the threat actor behind Operation ForumTroll has not been observed using Dante in the campaign exploiting the Chrome security flaw, Larin said that there is evidence to suggest wider usage of Dante in other attacks. But he pointed out it's too early to reach any definitive conclusion about scope or attribution. Update Memento Labs chief executive Paolo Lezzi has confirmed to TechCrunch that the spyware discovered by Kaspersky does indeed belong to Memento and blamed one of the company's government customers for exposing an outdated version of the Windows version of Dante. It's currently not known which of its customers is responsible for the campaign, but Memento said it has fewer than 100 customers. The Italian spyware vendor also noted that it's currently only developing tools for mobile platforms, and that it had already requested its customers stop using the Windows malware. The findings once again demonstrate how tools that are ostensibly marketed for law enforcement authorities and intelligence agencies are abused for nefarious purposes. They also serve to highlight the continued proliferation of surveillance technology. (The story was updated after publication to include confirmation from Memento Labs that one of its customers used a Windows version of its Dante spyware.) Kate Hudson claims "it's hard not to fall in love" with Hugh Jackman. Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman star in Song Sung Blue together The 46-year-old star has worked with the Australian actor on the new movie Song Sung Blue - based on the true story of married couple Mike and Claire Sardina who formed the Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning and Thunder - and felt "magic" collaborating with The Greatest Showman star. Kate told The Hollywood Reporter at the movie's AFI Fest premiere on Sunday (26.10.25): "It's hard not to feel magic with Hugh; he's a magical, sparkly man. He's got this very youthful spirit, and his generosity of spirit is wide and large. So I feel like it's hard not to fall in love with him; he's really wonderful." The pair sing together in the movie and Hudson explained that practicing their vocals improved the on-screen chemistry between the duo. Reflecting on their first time singing together, the Almost Famous star said: "We got in there and I think it was like finding the vibe because it's one thing to record for a recording, it's another thing to record for live, which is what we were doing; it was kind of fun to find the imperfections and what we were going to be doing on the day. "It was a great way to get to know each other for us too because we're in the studio for hours - before we got to go on set and play this very intimate married couple, we got to spend good time together." Song Sung Blue's writer-director Craig Brewer was glowing in his praise of Hudson and Jackman, 57, as he shared fond memories of the production. The 53-year-old filmmaker recalled: "That was magical, it really was. Getting them into the studio for the first time, watching them sing harmony for each other, it was just beautiful. "The whole crew just said the same thing - they were like, 'This is what we wanted, we just didn't know we wanted it.' "And it was just infectious; everybody on the set every day would just gather around the screens and just see the chemistry between the two of them." Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been given the date when he's due to be released from prison. Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been given his prison release date The 55-year-old rap mogul - who has been behind bars since his arrest in September 2024 - was sentenced to four years and two months in prison following a trial which ended with his conviction on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution and now it's been revealed he's due for release on May 8, 2028. According to the New York Post's Page Six column, the date has been listed on America's Bureau of Prisons website. Combs is currently housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York but it's believed he may be transferred elsewhere while serving his sentence. His sentence was handed down earlier this month with a judge also ordering the hip-hop star to pay a fine of $500,000 and take part in programs to tackle mental health and substance abuse issues. During the sentencing hearing, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Arun Subramanian told Combs: "I considered the fact that you are a self-made artist and businessman who inspired and lifted up communities. " [I considered] all of [your] history ... You abused them [the victims], physically, emotionally and psychologically. Why did it happen for so long? Because you had the power and resources to keep it going ... "The court is not assured that if released these crimes would not be committed again." It comes after the star's friend Charlucci Finney claimed Combs suffered a terrifying incident during his time behind bars when he woke up "with a knife to his throat". Charlucci told the Daily Mail online: He woke up with a knife to his throat. I dont know whether he fought him off or the guards came, I just know that it happened. However, Charlucci believes the alleged incident was designed to scare the I'll Be Missing You hitmaker, rather than hurt him. He added: If this guy had wanted to harm him, Sean would have been harmed. It would only take a second to cut his throat with a weapon and kill him. It was probably a way to say, Next time you aint gonna be so lucky. Everything is intimidation. But with Sean it wont work. Sean is from Harlem. The 60-year-old producer is constantly worried about his friend because he fears he will always be a target for fellow inmates. He said: "Sean has kept a lot of this stuff to himself because he doesn't want to worry his family. But if you're in jail and you've been charged with anything sexual it's not a good place to be. "The prisoners take it personal. They look at it like, it could have been my mom, my auntie, my daughter. They try to get what they call prison justice. "And you have to understand, we are not talking about a regular person. We're talking about Diddy." But Charlucci is confident his friend is "unbreakable" and maintained his innocence. He said: "All this stuff that came out, the drugs and the abuse, I wasn't privy to that. Neither were his children. Around us Sean was a lovable caregiver, a father, brother, a best friend ... I'm confident he's gonna do whatever it takes to make sure he's still Sean Combs when he comes out. He's not gonna lose a step. Sean is unbreakable." Fearing loss of federal dollars, state schools chief Tom Horne wants the Board of Education to immediately start revising the standards used to train teachers in Arizona. Horne noted that an order issued by Republican President Donald Trump on his inauguration day requires states to scrub any references to diversity, equity, and inclusion from programs that receive federal funds. Horne, an elected Republican, contends there are items in Arizonas professional teaching standards that could run afoul of that edict. About $866 million in federal money is at risk, he said. But education board members are not quite as anxious to rush into changing the rules. At a meeting Monday, several said they have serious questions they first want answered. These include who would be on a committee Horne wants appointed to go through existing rules to ferret out provisions the Trump administration might find offensive. They put off a decision on crafting new rules until their December meeting. Horne warned that this delay could prove financially hazardous. Im fearful that if we act too slowly, we may get caught in a situation where we cant get it done in time and were facing the ax from the federal government, he said. Equitably engage learners wording questioned As to whether theres anything in the existing rules that would endanger federal funding, one possibility deals with current standards for learning environments. Sid Bailey, an associate school superintendent under Horne, pointed out that one of these requires teachers to manage those environments to actively and equitably engage learners by organizing, allocating, and coordinating the resources of time, space, and learners attention. He told the board it may be necessary to excise the words and equitably to comply with the presidential directive. Then theres a provision saying teachers should communicate in a way that demonstrates respect and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment. All that wording may have to go, Bailey said. He said thats why the rule-making process must begin with a committee to scour this and all the rules. Im not a prophet and cant predict what we would come up with, Bailey said. But he said the rule-making process and a study by a committee named by Hornes department would propose revising language thats no longer aligned with current federal directives. Arizonas standards are not unique to the state. The state board here adopted what are known as InTASC standards in 2011. Thats short for the Interstate Teachers Assignment and Support Consortium, whose standards are used to guide education and professional development for teachers across the country. In essence, the standards are meant to make sure teachers have the knowledge and ability to ensure all students can learn. Bailey told board members the 2011 revisions to InTASC adopted by the Arizona board included some key revisions, including emphasis on personalized learning, integration of 21st century skills and support for diverse student needs. Solution in search of a problem? He said he and other Arizona Department of Education employees have since met with the deans at the colleges of education at the three state universities. All university deans agreed that the teaching standards that they teach do not align with federal mandates and need adjustment, Bailey said. The universities must align their standards for preparing new teachers with the rules of the state Board of Education, the ones Horne wants to change. Not everyone on the state board is convinced they need to rush to comply with what Horne sees as a risk to state funding. I just want to make sure that were not a solution in search of a problem, said Daniel Coor, president of Arizona Western College, who sits on the state Board of Education. Bailey said thats not the case. Weve got evidence that our universities, two of them, have already been challenged by the federal government, that are concerned with their course curriculum, he said, not specifying which two. He also pointed to a Dear Colleague letter that went out in February to all state education agencies from Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education, detailing how his office is interpreting the law to make it illegal to use race in making any decisions. Trainor wrote that there are insidious ways DEI programs keep students from fully participating in school life. The (Education) Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this nations educational institutions, he wrote. There was also an April request from the feds for the state to certify it is not using DEI, with a reminder of financial penalties for failure to comply. Horne bashes woke philosophies In an interview with Capitol Media Services, Horne said some of whats in the rules needs to go regardless of the possible loss of federal dollars. Horne pointed to the one that says teachers should respect cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment, which he called unnecessary. Theyre teaching academics, he said. And all kids, as individuals, can learn academics. The problem for Horne is how that guideline is interpreted and put into effect. When they are culturally sensitive, they dumb down the requirements for the minority kids, he contended. Minority kids can learn just as well as other kids. And you dont need to treat them differently. Asked whats wrong with ensuring that teachers actively and equitably engage learners, Horne responded that at one time, equitable was a positive word. It meant fair, he said. Now, with the woke philosophies, equity no longer means fair, it means equal results by race, Horne said. And if you have equal results by race, youre rewarding people for what race they belong to rather than what theyve accomplished individually. Mondays vote puts off until December for the board to decide whether to start the process of reviewing the rules, and not just the ones Bailey cited during the meeting. Kathleen Weibke, a public-at-large member of the board, said she understood Hornes desire to move forward immediately, but she wasnt ready. I do think there are a lot of questions, Weibke said. And what I dont want to do is start working on these standards and then have them changed again. Sydney Sweeney was encouraged to get Botox at the age of 16. Sydney Sweeney was urged to get Botox The 28-year-old actress has become one of the most talked-about women in the world in recent years, but Sydney was encouraged to change her appearance during her teens. She told Variety: "I have very strong eyebrow muscles. And I had someone tell me to fix my face or else Im not going to make it. I should get Botox. I was 16! Or Im in a casting and Im reading my scene and the casting director is eating a bag of chips, and Im like, Youre not paying attention at all.'" Sydney also explained that she enjoys playing complicated characters. She said: "I tend to gravitate towards characters that are stereotypically unlikable, and I like to challenge an audience to have empathy for that person." Sydney starred in season one of The White Lotus, and Mike White - the show's writer and creator - has confessed to being wowed by the actress during her first audition. He shared: "There was just something very unaffected by her. She was very likeable. And I thought that that would be helpful because the part is so unlikable on the page. "Then in editing, you realise she just pops on-screen. Shes obviously lovely in person and photogenic. But my eyes kept going to her, no matter whos in the scene with her. Thats natural screen magnetism that is hard to quantify. She just has that. "I dont know what makes somebody a star, but there is something about her that just is." Meanwhile, Hollywood director Paul Feig is also full of praise for Sydney, observing that the blonde beauty is "very savvy". He explained: "Shes probably one of the most confident people Ive ever met in my life in a good way. "Shes very savvy. Savvy sounds calculated. With her, shes just very smart about publicity, about social media, about what people are looking for on social media. As were getting ready to promote, were always like, Oh, lets do this. This is the hot trend on TikTok right now. And shes like, No, that was last month. Heres the hot trend." By Stephanie Kelly LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices fell by nearly 2% on Tuesday in a third day of declines as investors assess the effect of U.S. sanctions on Russia's two biggest oil companies along with a potential OPEC+ plan to raise output. Brent crude futures were down $1.09, or 1.7%, to $64.53 a barrel at 1253 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down $1.07, or 1.8%, at $60.24. "Traders weighed up progress in U.S.-China trade talks and the broader outlook for supply," ANZ said in a morning note. Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly gain since June, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. Investors continue to chew over how effective those sanctions on Russia might be. "The oil market is still debating whether the latest sanctions will impact Russian oil exports or not, with market players reducing somewhat the supply risk premium built in last week," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. The effect of sanctions on oil-exporting countries will be limited because of surplus capacity, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Tuesday. Following the U.S. sanctions, Russia's second-largest oil producer, Lukoil, said on Monday it would sell its international assets. This is the most consequential action so far by a Russian company in the wake of Western sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022. Meanwhile, Indian refiners have not placed new orders for Russian oil purchases since sanctions were imposed, as they await clarity from the government and suppliers, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, is leaning toward another modest output boost in December, four sources familiar with the talks told Reuters. Having curbed production for several years in a bid to support the oil market, the group started reversing those cuts in April. Investors will watch the prospect of a trade deal between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest oil consumers, with Trump and President Xi Jinping due to meet on Thursday in South Korea. Beijing hopes Washington can meet it halfway to "prepare for high-level interactions" between the two countries, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call on Monday. (Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in London, Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru and Sam Li in Beijing; Editing by Conor Humphries, Jason Neely and Joe Bavier) 1. Background As a federally owned enterprise, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. On behalf of the German Government, GIZ provides advisory services to the Vietnamese Government in four priority areas: (1) Vocational training, (2) Environmental, (3) Energy, and (4) Sustainable Economic Development. For further information, please visit www.giz.de/viet-nam. The Mekong Delta Climate Resilience Programme (MCRP) is a development cooperation pro-gramme co-financed by the Governments of Germany, Switzerland and of Viet Nam. MCRP is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Ministry of Construction and the 5 Mekong Delta provinces ( 13 provinces before July 2025). MCRPs objective is to support the Vietnamese authorities on improving the climate-resilient management of natural resources in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta to ensure sustainable development in the region. GIZ Office Hanoi on behalf of MCRP project is conducting a local open tender 91191609 on IT equipment and servers for GIZ in Vietnam The equipment shall be delivered as follows: Place of delivery: Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; No. 10 Ton That Thuyet Nam Tu Liem - Ha Noi - Viet Nam. Delivery time: Please indicate your shortest delivery time after order placement Payment: Payment after receipt of goods or to be negotiated against required documentation. 2. Eligible requirements for bidder Commercial register entry Average annual turnover for the last three financial years: At least: 2,000,000,000VND Average number of employees and managers for the past three years: At least: 5 persons Technical experience assessment is based on reference projects that were conducted by bid-der with a minimum value of 1,200,000,000 VND to satisfy the following: - at least 01 reference project in the technical field about supplying/manufacturing IT equipment or equivalent - at least 01 reference project in Vietnam in the last 5 years (for the period of October 2020-October 2025) 3. Interested companies are requested to prepare the following documents: Letter of interest (with Directors or an Authorized persons signature and company stamp). - Financial reports of the last 03 years. Important/key information in the audited financial reports or in annual tax reports must be briefly translated into English if documents are in Vietnamese. - Company profile and technical experience, incl. Business license (for firm) or Decision of establishment (for association); Authorization dealer certificate; Business Registration Certificate showing the Enterprise Identification Number and Tax code registration; Or-ganisational chart; Consortium agreement and Nomination of consortium leading firm (if at least 02 entities join the assignment); similar experience/copy of contracts related to this assignment. Technical offer: must correspond to the requirements of the Technical Specifications. Financial offer: calculate your financial bid exactly in line with the Quantitative requirements specified in the Technical Specifications. Note to the Bidder: Beside the minimum requirements mentioned above, the details are specified in the complete Tender Dossier. GIZ will send the complete dossier to the interested bidder as per the deadlines mentioned in Article 5 below. Cost of preparing the bid: No remuneration will be granted for the preparation of the bid and the documents to be attached thereto. 4. Method of bid submission The complete tender dossier is to be received only by email to VN_PoG_Quotation@giz.de by 16/11/2025, 17.00 (Hanoi time). We request you to submit the eligibility documents, technical proposal and price quotation in 3 separate files in pdf format (either in 1 email or 3 separate emails) with email subject or file name as follows: 91191609 - Eligibility Documents - Company name 91191609 - Technical Offer - Company name 91191609 Financial Offer - Company name In case the total size of your documents is below 10 MB, you can attach them directly in the email sent to us. In case the total size of your documents is above 10 MB, the files must be sent via GIZ file transfer system. The Bidders are required to record the password on file transfer and send the correct ones to GIZ. Wrong passwords could lead to bidding failure. 5. Deadlines To receive a complete Tender Dossier, interested bidders can contact GIZ via email to question-from-bidder-pog-vn@giz.de before 06/11/2025 For questions about the tender, please send to the email question-from-bidder-pog-vn@giz.de before 10/11/2025 The complete tender documents are sent by only email to VN_PoG_Quotation@giz.de by 16/11/2025, 17.00 (Hanoi time). 6. Notes Only formality-conform offers will be eligible assessed and only eligible bidders will be techni-cally assessed, and only technically suitable quotations will be financially assessed. Sending bids to the wrong email address will lead to disqualification of the supplier. Bids sent after the deadline will be disqualified. For data protection and information security reasons: In case the total volume of your bids is above 10 MB, the files must be sent via GIZ file transfer system. Files sent via other applica-tions/systems such as Google drive, Dropboxwill not be accepted. Guidance on how to use file transfer will be provided. GIZ is obliged to ensure the confidentiality of all submitted documents by bidder(s) during the tender process! GIA LAI Cargill has inaugurated its 125th Cargill Cares school in Gia Lai Province to mark its 30th anniversary in Viet Nam, reaffirming its long-term commitment to the country. Located in Ia Phi Commune, the new classroom block at Lang Yang Elementary School includes five classrooms, a kitchen, restrooms, and a teachers office within a secure compound, providing a safe and inspiring learning environment. The VN4.5 billion (US$171,000) project offers much-needed facilities for children in the mountainous area. Principal Nguyen Trong Cuong said the new facilities bring hope and opportunity to children in our community, highlighting Cargills support for rural education and development. Nguyen Ba Luan, Country Representative of Cargill Vietnam, said the 125th school reflected the companys belief that education is essential for long-term growth and resilience. Just as we invest in Viet Nams agriculture sector, we also invest in future generations, he said. Cargill aims to build 150 Cargill Cares schools nationwide by 2030. The inauguration followed Cargills 30th anniversary celebration in HCM City last week, where the company honoured employees, community partners, and customers who have contributed to its three-decade journey in Viet Nam. Speaking at the ceremony, Hoang Trung, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, praised Cargills contributions to Viet Nams agricultural development. With Cargills global experience and Viet Nams consistent policies, we can jointly build a green, smart, and efficient livestock industry deeply integrated into global value chains, he said, noting that Cargill represents a model of sustainable cooperation between Viet Nam and the US. In recognition of its contributions to the agriculture and environment sectors, the ministry presented Cargill with a Certificate of Merit for its achievements in livestock and aquafeed production. Luan reaffirmed the companys commitment to Viet Nam, saying the country plays an important role in the global food supply chain. Cargill will continue to make a positive impact on the industry and the country overall, he said. Established in Viet Nam in 1995, Cargill operates seven feed mills, a premix plant, a grain and oilseed warehouse, a product distribution centre, and a swine nucleus farm, employing more than 1,100 people nationwide. VNS HCM CITY Salary growth has slowed to its lowest pace in recent years, reflecting cautious spending and tighter global HR budgets, according to the 2025 TalentnetMercer Total Remuneration Survey. The survey, which polled 606 multinationals and 72 local firms, also marked the fifth straight year of growing participation, showing that more organisations are prioritising investment in people strategies. Nguyen Thi Quynh Phuong, head of human capital solutions at Talentnet, said between 2023 and 2025 multinationals recorded record-low salary increases, even lower than during the COVID-19 period. However, the number of companies implementing salary freezes has dropped notably, from nine in 2024 to four in 2025, and is projected to fall further to three in 2026. This signals efforts to maintain minimum wage adjustments and retain key talent, she said. Salary growth has also slowed among local firms. Excluding salary-freeze cases, pay rises at local companies are nearly on par with those of MNCs, but otherwise fell to 5.56.2 per cent between 2024 and 2026. Leading the salary hike race are chemicals (6.8 per cent), sourcing (6.7 per cent), and life sciences (6.7 per cent), industries that thrive on brainpower, precision and innovation. With the rise of green manufacturing, sustainable supply chains and biotechnology, these sectors are willing to invest more to retain top talent and stay ahead of competitors. At the lower end are insurance (5.5 per cent), transportation and logistics (5.2 per cent) and financial services banking (4.7 per cent), which are taking a more conservative approach. As automation and restructuring sweep through, these sectors are saying a polite maybe later to hefty raises. The survey also found that companies are ready to pay more for fresh management talent but remain cautious with other roles. On average, businesses spend 7 per cent more to attract new management hires capable of driving restructuring and operational transformation. Meanwhile, existing professionals and para-professionals earn 3 per cent and 14 per cent more than new hires. This gap indicates that firms are relying on experienced, process-savvy teams rather than recruiting aggressively, Phuong said. According to the report, most businesses in 2025 are prioritising stability amid market fluctuations. Nearly half (47.7 per cent) expect no change in headcount, focusing instead on strengthening internal capabilities. The share of firms with no recruitment decision yet has risen to 10.6 per cent, nearly double last years figure, reflecting a more cautious outlook. The proportion of companies planning staff reductions has declined slightly, especially in major sectors such as consumer goods, technology and banking. But fewer firms intend to expand their workforce next year, signalling a strategic shift towards stability over rapid growth. Voluntary turnover rates among both local and multinational firms remain stable compared with the first half of 2024, suggesting that Viet Nams labour market is entering a more balanced phase as employees show greater commitment to their organisations. Slower economic growth, reduced competition for talent and stronger retention strategies have all contributed to this equilibrium. Human connection in AI era The survey results were released during The Makeover 2025 S-AI-LING AHEAD conference in HCM City recently, where speakers also discussed about Beyond Pay: What Employees Really Need in the AI Age? They agreed that while high salaries could attract talent, meaningful work is what retains them. Although AI is transforming the world of work, human connection, purpose, and personalisation remain at the heart of employee engagement, they added. Hanh Van, HR chief at Home Credit Vietnam, said AI itself is not the value or content, but only a catalyst that accelerates operations and enhances efficiency. But the faster technology grows the more companies should return to their core values to create meaning for their people, she said. She said AI supports employees in three key ways: enables more meaningful work by freeing up time for creative and purposeful tasks, enhances personal development and improves learning and development by fostering critical thinking and creativity in training programmes. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is aiming to become an innovative and reliable partner to New Zealand in the region's supply chain by encouraging the island nation's importers, distributors and retailers to explore collaboration opportunities, according to Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) Le Hoang Tai. Tai made the statement on October 28 at the Viet Nam-New Zealand trade, investment and business promotion conference, which took place within the framework of the Golden Autumn Fair 2025 at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre (VEC) in ong Anh, Ha Noi. The event was jointly organised by Vietrade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam Trade Office in New Zealand and the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council (ANZBC). The Vietrade deputy director general called on New Zealand businesses to consider investing and cooperating in several key areas. These include exploring more high-quality supply sources from Viet Nam and establishing joint ventures in food processing, sustainable agriculture, cold-chain logistics, clean energy and e-commerce. More than 20 New Zealand businesses participated in the event, representing diverse sectors such as construction, technology, software, agriculture, healthcare services, education and real estate. Right after the conference, Vietnamese and New Zealand companies participated in B2B matching sessions to seek opportunities for collaboration. The New Zealand business delegation then toured the Golden Autumn Fair to gain deeper insights into Viet Nams products and industries. The event is considered New Zealand's largest direct trade promotion trip to Viet Nam in the past five years. Executive Director of the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council Liz Bell said that the New Zealand business delegation was looking to explore new and emerging areas for cooperation beyond traditional trade links. New Zealand has traditionally been strong in food and beverages, and theres still much more we can do there, especially in food and beverage technology. Working with Viet Nam, we can boost agricultural trade together, Bell said. New Zealand is also very strong in health tech and fintech. I think there are lots of partnerships that we could be making in that area too, she added. One Vietnamese participant, Director of Iris International Company Limited Nguyen Cam Uyen, said that the conference served as a platform to exchange market information, policies and partnership opportunities between the two countries. I want to take part in the business networking session to seek export promotion opportunities and expand our products market reach, Uyen said. She noted that foreign markets might require certain certifications, such as organic or GAP standards. We source tea from local cooperatives and handle processing and packaging ourselves. We therefore need to carefully study market standards and related documentation to ensure our products can be exported, she said. Attending the conference helps me understand what we need to prepare. o Huu Tung, first secretary in the Embassy of Viet Nam to New Zealand at the Vietnam Trade Office, said that from October 27 to November 1, the New Zealand delegation would take part in a series of activities in Ha Noi and HCM City, including business dialogues, meetings with officials and participation in the First Vietnam Golden Autumn Fair. This trip is not merely a product promotion journey, but a long-term effort demonstrating the commitment to sustainable cooperation between businesses of both countries, he said. According to Vietnam Customs, bilateral trade volume between Viet Nam and New Zealand reached over US$1.1 billion in the first nine months of 2025. Of this, Viet Nams exports totalled $528 million, while imports stood at $587 million. Promising areas for cooperation include agriculture, forestry, fisheries, digital technology, green economy, wood processing, construction materials, tourism and education. VNS HCM CITY Manulife has strengthened its commitment to sustainable investment in Viet Nam with the opening of two new agencies in Lam ong and Quang Ninh provinces. The new centres - Manulife Agency Centres (MAC) in a Teh and Quang Yen - mark another milestone in the companys ongoing nationwide expansion, creating more career opportunities and enhancing service access for local communities, the company said in a statement. MAC a Teh is located on Pham Ngoc Thach Street, a Teh Ward, Lam ong Province, while MAC Quang Yen is situated on Tran Khanh Du Street, Quang Yen Ward, Quang Ninh Province. Both centres serve as modern, fully equipped workspaces and training hubs for local agents, designed to enhance professionalism, collaboration, and service quality. The facilities are designed to foster collaboration, professional development, and service excellence for customers. A range of positions, including sales directors and agents, are now open, creating new employment opportunities in Lam ong and Quang Ninh provinces. Manish Sangal, Chief Agency Officer of Manulife Vietnam, said: Quang Ninh and Lam ong are among Viet Nam's fastest-growing provinces, where the demand for financial protection and health care solutions continues to rise." "We aim to build a strong and professional team of agents who can not only develop their careers but also help local residents access the suitable insurance solutions for a better life, he said. In addition to financial and insurance training, agents at MAC a Teh and MAC Quang Yen receive guidance in community health education, equipping them to act as wellness ambassadors. This initiative empowers agents to deliver comprehensive financial protection solutions while supporting customers in leading healthier, more active lifestyles. The establishment of the two new centres represents the next step in Manulife Vietnams strategy to strengthen its agency distribution network. By expanding its presence across the nation, Manulife continues to move closer to customers while reaffirming its long-term commitment to sustainable investment and community development in the Vietnamese market. VNS LONDON - Party General Secretary To Lam and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended a seminar with leading strategists on artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in the UK and the world, which was held in London on October 28, within the framework of their official visit to the UK. The seminar, co-organised by the Boston Global Forum (BGF), is a strategic step to promote cooperation between Viet Nam and technology powers in the AI era, while affirming the country's position in global digital transformation. With its aspiration to become a pioneer in digital economy, Viet Nam seeks to learn from the UK - the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and the homeland of great minds such as Isaac Newton, John Locke, Adam Smith, Alan Turing, William Shakespeare, and Charles Dickens - to build an innovative, human-centred, and sustainable technological ecosystem. In his opening remarks, General Secretary Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting and listening to the insightful and practical ideas of experts and strategists in London. He emphasised that the world is witnessing remarkable advancements in science and technology, with AI emerging as a key driver of economic growth and innovation. Viet Nam has identified science, technology, and digital transformation as top breakthroughs to achieve rapid and sustainable development, and rise in the global value chain. Therefore, the country wants to work with advanced nations to share common visions and values, building a better world where AI serves humanity and promotes creativity, compassion, peace, and prosperity, he said, affirming that Viet Nam is ready to embrace and experiment with pioneering ideas. At the event, technology experts praised Viet Nams dynamic development, given that within just one generation, Viet Nam has lifted millions out of poverty, built one of Asias most competitive manufacturing economies, and developed a young, digitally skilled workforce. In particular, Viet Nams progress in administrative reform and its openness to international cooperation have positioned it as a key partner in the global network of trusted digital nations. Some also suggested that, for AI to truly serve socio-economic development and improve peoples lives, governments must focus on building reliable digital infrastructure and developing responsible AI standards that safeguard privacy, fairness, and transparency. Concluding the seminar, General Secretary Lam said he was impressed by the insights and ideas shared by the leading experts and managers with extensive AI-related experience. The proposed solutions and recommendations presented at the event highly match Viet Nams development orientations and goals, the leader said, adding that relevant Vietnamese agencies will study the proposals in detail and engage in joint work to translate them into projects and programmes in Viet Nam. The Party chief stressed that the seminar marks a meaningful beginning, paving the way for long-term and substantive cooperation between Viet Nam and the foremost thinkers and institutions of the UK and the world. General Secretary Lam expressed his hope that in the time ahead, the experts will continue accompanying and supporting Viet Nams efforts in AI and science technology development. He identified three priority areas for collaboration, including knowledge and experience sharing in formulating a national AI strategy and developing digital infrastructure and an innovation ecosystem; the promotion of investment, technology transfer, and AI application in key sectors such as health care, smart agriculture, and digital education; and the joint implementation of major science and technology programmes, especially in emerging and pioneering fields, to help Viet Nam build a creative and self-reliant economy. He also extended an invitation to the experienced scientists and experts in science, technology, and AI to visit Viet Nam for exchanges and direct collaboration with local policymakers and research institutions. Through such engagement, the ideas discussed at the roundtable will be transformed into reality, bringing about new values, models, and confidence for humanity in the age of AI. VNA/VNS Netflix is reportedly considering giving The Adventures of Cliff Booth a cinematic release. The Adventures of Cliff Booth could reportedly get a theatrical release in 2026 According to Variety, the streamer is planning a larger theatrical release schedule for some of its biggest upcoming films, which could potentially include the Brad Pitt-starring comedy/drama. The outlet claims Netflix is looking at a robust rollout for The Adventures of Cliff Booth, with a possible summer 2026 release on the table. The Adventures of Cliff Booth will centre on Pitts titular stuntman following his introduction in director Quentin Tarantinos 2019 movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Although Tarantino, 62, wrote The Adventures of Cliff Booth, he passed directing duties to David Fincher, 63, after finding he was unenthused about helming the flick. Speaking on The Church of Tarantino podcast, the Pulp Fiction filmmaker said: I love this script, but Im still walking down the same ground Ive already walked. It just kind of unenthused me. This last movie, Ive got to not know what Im doing again. Ive got to be in uncharted territory. Even so, Tarantino insisted Fincher was a perfect pick to direct The Adventures of Cliff Booth. He added: I think me and David Fincher are the two best directors. So the idea that David Fincher actually wants to adapt my work, to me, shows a level of seriousness towards my work that I think needs to be taken into account. The Django Unchained filmmaker had also said he wouldnt be surprised if Netflix chose to give The Adventures of Cliff Booth a theatrical release. He explained: Its not their business model. So I dont hold a company, I dont hold it against the company for not following whats not their business model. You can decree that its not their business model, but it is just what it is. I wouldnt be surprised if they came out with a two-week release of it, at least limited to some degree. And then I think at least as far as the big cities are concerned, theyll probably have screenings that theyre probably gonna want it to do good in Oscars. So, therell be screenings for it around town and everything. Yeah, I could decry that, I could complain about that. I could go, isnt it a shame? The Adventures of Cliff Booth will be a reunion between Pitt and Fincher, who previously collaborated on Se7en, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. As well as Pitt, The Adventures of Cliff Booth will also star Elizabeth Debicki, Carla Gugino, Scott Caan and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Pitt previously said The Adventures of Cliff Booth was not really a sequel, but a new episode, in the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood story. The F1 actor, 61, told Deadline: This is something Quentin Tarantino wrote. Its an episode, not really a sequel, of the character from Once Upon a Time. He didnt want to direct it at this point, so our friend David Fincher stepped in. Were gonna start in July, its gonna be really fun. A NANG The heartbeat of creativity pulses through the central coast as Heartbeat of Heritage, an international art residency organised by Asia Art Link and the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association, opens at the a Nang Museum of Fine Arts from October 27 to November 10, promising an inspiring and diverse viewing experience for visitors. The a Nang Fine Arts Association said this years Heartbeat of Heritage has gathered 38 artists from Bangladesh, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Viet Nam for the International Art Workshop held over the past six days (October 2026) at Nghe Resort in Hoi An ancient town. It said the artists had created their works in an open space that harmonises nature with the cultural essence of the ancient town, a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site in central Viet Nam. The event aims to honour the value of painting, introduce Viet Nam's cultural heritage to international audiences and foster lasting connections between local and international artists, building a professional creative space especially in the field of contemporary art, the association said. The programme not only serves as a bridge between artists but also spreads cultural and artistic values to art lovers both domestically and internationally. The exhibition opens to all with free entry from 5am on October 27, and artworks will be on display at the museum at 78 Le Duan Street. VNS HA NOI The 2025 International Scientific Conference on Media Education in the Age of AI and Digital Transformation, to be held on December 25 in Ha Noi, will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation are redefining the future of teaching, learning and communication. According to the organisers, the event will serve as an academic forum bringing together domestic and international researchers, experts, lecturers, students and businesses to exchange insights, share experiences and discuss solutions and visions for innovation in media training amid the rapid advancement of AI and digital transformation, which are profoundly impacting all aspects of social life. The conference will feature in-depth discussion sessions, an exhibition on AI applications in education and keynote speeches from leading domestic and international scholars, held both online and in person. It aims to strengthen capacity building and foster research initiatives in media education in Viet Nam, particularly at a time when the entire industry is undergoing a major transformation driven by the adoption of AI and digitalisation. Delegates will explore practical directions and solutions to the challenges and barriers of applying AI in media education. Key topics include the future of education enhanced by AI in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 4, the integration of AI skills into training programmes at schools and educational institutions, the ethical and legal dimensions of AI use in education, the role of AI in multilingual and international learning environments and the formulation and development of national policies on artificial intelligence in education. The conference is jointly organised by the Department of Multimedia Management at FPT University, in collaboration with Literature and Arts Times and Digital Knowledge Corporation (TTS). VNS PARIS The Villejuif committee for the Van Canh Friendship Village in Frances Val-de-Marne province organised a concert on October 26 to raise funds for victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dixon in Viet Nam. The concert brought together a large audience of Vietnamese expatriates and French friends in a warm atmosphere filled with music and compassion. Featuring both patriotic and romantic Vietnamese songs, the performance took the audience on an emotional journey through national pride, nostalgia, and love. Committee chairwoman Martine Desmarest told the Vietnam News Agency that all proceeds from the concert would be sent to Viet Nam to support 120 children and 80 war veterans at the Van Canh Friendship Village on the outskirts of Ha Noi, who are suffering from the toxic chemical sprayed during the war in Viet Nam. Even though the war ended in 1975, there are still children born with severe disabilities caused by dioxin passed down through generations, Desmarest said. Beyond concerts, the committee organises various fundraising activities, including a Lunar New Year banquet in March, an annual raffle in May, and Vietnamese handicraft stalls at local festivals. In 2024, the Villejuif and National Committees donated 5,000 euros (US$5,815) to the Van Canh Friendship Village to purchase medical equipment, helping improve healthcare for AO victims. VNA/VNS HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 27 October 2025 -Currently, with continuous innovation momentum being released, emerging industries, the digital economy, and green development are bringing new growth drivers for the high-quality development of the Chinese economy. The private sector plays a fundamental role in this process, with private enterprises and entrepreneurs being indispensable forces. At the national level, a series of policies has been introduced to promote the growth of the private sector, further optimising the development environment for private enterprises, stabilising expectations, and stimulating vitality. A group of resilient and visionary private entrepreneurs actively practice new development concepts and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship, contributing to industrial upgrades, cultivating new productive forces, and advancing Chinese-style modernisation.On 24 October, the inaugural KPMG Future Entrepreneur Award ceremony was held in Shenzhen. Since the award was officially launched in March this year, it has undergone several months of rigorous selection and professional evaluation, recognising a group of outstanding entrepreneurs for their exceptional contributions to long-term enterprise development, innovation, internationalisation, and social responsibility. While achieving good business results, they have demonstrated forward-looking planning and solid practices for sustainable enterprise development, showing significant advantages in technological innovation and international competition.This selection focused on the inheritance and breakthroughs, innovation, and sustainable development of Chinese private enterprises. The award ceremony attracted representatives of entrepreneurs, experts, and scholars from across the country, who gathered to discuss how enterprises can achieve orderly inheritance, governance upgrades, and innovative breakthroughs in the context of the new economy., states, "The spirit of Chinese entrepreneurship continues to evolve with national development. Today's 'Future Entrepreneurs' are pioneers who break through to lead continuous innovation and plan for inheritance. They are bringing a qualitative leap to China's economic development with 'new productive forces', becoming the core engine in the modernisation process. KPMG hopes to uncover truly 'future-oriented' successful entrepreneurs through the establishment of the Future Entrepreneur Award, focusing on five core areas: strategic foresight, innovation, governance optimisation, operational resilience, and social responsibility. KPMG will also continue to leverage its expertise to support and assist in enterprise growth."During the ceremony, the four awards were announced: 'Future Entrepreneur of the Year', 'Extraordinary Female Future Entrepreneur', 'Excellent Family Business Future Entrepreneur', and 'Outstanding Emerging Future Entrepreneur'. The awardees included not only technology entrepreneurs who have made breakthroughs in high-end manufacturing, new energy, and digital transformation but also exemplary business operators who have achieved generational handover through institutional governance and cultural inheritance, reflecting the leadership and forward-looking vision of entrepreneurs in the new era., states, "The Future Entrepreneur Award gather entrepreneurs from different stages of development. We hope that through this platform, mature entrepreneurs can see new trends and new forces, while growing entrepreneurs can more quickly integrate into an excellent business ecosystem, establishing a long-lasting connection mechanism of 'common progress and co-creating the future'. Entrepreneurs are not only drivers of economic growth but also bearers of social responsibility. The spirit of 'Future Entrepreneurs' should embody both innovation awareness and long-termism, daring to embrace change and promote breakthroughs in technology and business models while also being able to calmly build sustainable capabilities and organisations."In the face of the current complex environment and intense competition, private enterprises are embarking on paths of transformation and upgrading. The future entrepreneurs awarded this time are representatives who have grown through innovation and iteration. They either lead their companies to become leaders in niche markets, achieve efficiency improvements through digital transformation, or expand their reach through globalisation, transitioning from 'going out' to 'going in'. As these family-owned enterprises gradually enter a period of succession, both first-generation entrepreneurs and second-generation managers need not only traditional business operation skills but also mastery of digital tools, green transformation thinking, and cross-cultural communication skills. High-end manufacturing, green energy, digitalisation, and intelligent transformation are becoming new competitive focal points for family businessesIn the face of these challenges,, states, "Family businesses can establish sound corporate governance systems to promote succession planning. Involving future successors in the design of these systems, organisational and management structure adjustments, as well as the establishment of important compliance and risk management systems, is more beneficial for a smooth inheritance transition. Additionally, considering the unique characteristics of family businesses, entrepreneurs can establish scientific and systematic family risk management systems and family governance frameworks to enhance overall risk control and response capabilities. Regarding human resources, family businesses can introduce a professional managerial succession mechanism to bring in professional management teams through market-oriented methods. This allows family members to participate in a wider variety of investment management, while also contributing more to society and achieving effective risk diversification."The KPMG Future Entrepreneur Award is not only a recognition of outstanding entrepreneurs but also a profound interpretation of the spirit of entrepreneurship by KPMG, as well as a deep reflection and practical support for the future development of the private sector., states, "Under the dual opportunities of policy and market, the awarded entrepreneurs demonstrate the characteristics of the entrepreneurial spirit in the new era. They navigate with innovation as their vessel and expand their territories with globalisation as their sail, all while shouldering the generational inheritance of enterprise spirit. Their practices are continuously injecting resilience and vitality into the high-quality development of the Chinese economy."Hashtag: #KPMG The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About KPMG KPMG in China has offices located in 31 cities with over 14, 000 partners and staff, in Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dongguan, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. It started operations in Hong Kong in 1945. In 1992, KPMG became the first international accounting network to be granted a joint venture licence in the Chinese Mainland. In 2012, KPMG became the first among the "Big Four" in the Chinese Mainland to convert from a joint venture to a special general partnership. KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited ("KPMG International") operate and provide professional services. "KPMG" is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organisation or to one or more member firms collectively. KPMG firms operate in 142 countries and territories with more than 275,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities. Celebrating 80 years in Hong Kong In 2025, KPMG marks "80 Years of Trust" in Hong Kong. Established in 1945, we were the first international accounting firm to set up operations in the city. Over the past eight decades, we have woven ourselves into the fabric of Hong Kong, working closely with the government, regulators, and the business community to help establish Hong Kong as one of the world's leading business and financial centres. This close collaboration has enabled us to build lasting trust with our clients and the local community a core value celebrated in our anniversary theme: "80 Years of Trust". KIEU TRINH HA NOI As digital technology continues to transform the way people work, communicate and travel, cybercrime has become increasingly sophisticated. In Southeast Asia, a region known for its dynamic economies and tech-savvy youth, the rapid rise of online scams, digital fraud and technology-facilitated human trafficking has emerged as a pressing concern. To address these challenges, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with the Embassy of Canada in Viet Nam, has launched ThinkB4UClick, a youth-focused training initiative designed to equip young people with practical knowledge and digital skills to prevent human trafficking, strengthen critical thinking and promote online safety. Viet Nam News spoke with Kendra Rinas, Chief of Mission at IOM Viet Nam, about these evolving threats and the collective efforts needed to build a safer and more responsible digital environment. In todays fast-evolving digital landscape, what are the main online risks facing young people and how serious is the problem of cyber-enabled scams and human trafficking in Southeast Asia and Viet Nam? Young people today are what we call digital natives creative, curious and full of potential. Yet this digital power also comes with certain risks. Across Southeast Asia, online scams, fake job offers and digital exploitation have emerged as new forms of human trafficking. Here in Viet Nam, weve seen a sharp increase in AI-generated scams and deepfake impersonations, with criminals pretending to be government officers, recruiters or even family members. These scams are not only financial; they isolate victims and sometimes lead to trafficking and forced labour. This highlights something crucial: human trafficking is no longer only physical. It is digital, complex and increasingly difficult to detect. In Viet Nam recently, many people, particularly young and even well-educated individuals, seek opportunities abroad to earn income and support their families. At the same time, this group is highly active online and relies heavily on social media to access information and job opportunities. According to IOMs recent regional study, the number of trafficking victims forced into criminal activities and supported by IOM has tripled from 296 in 2022 to over 1,000 in 2025. Alarmingly, half of these victims are high school graduates and the other half are university graduates. Traffickers and scammers use online platforms such as Facebook, Zalo, Instagram and TikTok to post fake job offers, often promising high salaries or overseas placements. Once individuals agree and travel abroad, they discover that the jobs are not real. Many end up being exploited or forced to participate in online scams targeting others. Why has Southeast Asia become a hotspot for such online exploitation? This problem has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting not only Vietnamese citizens but also people from across Asia and around the world. It is a mix of push and pull factors. On one hand, there is a large population of ambitious, educated young people who want to contribute economically but may feel limited by local opportunities. On the other, there is a growing dependence on digital communication and online job-seeking. When these factors combine, individuals become more vulnerable to fraudulent recruitment or trafficking schemes disguised as legitimate employment. It is an emerging form of exploitation that thrives in our increasingly digital societies. How has IOM cooperated with Viet Nam to help combat online scams, including cyber-enabled human trafficking? Viet Nam is already taking significant and commendable steps in this area, and there is strong potential to build on this progress. IOM partners closely with the Government of Viet Nam in several ways, starting with prevention, which is absolutely vital. We focus on raising awareness about trafficking and irregular migration, particularly among young people who are most at risk. To do this, IOM collaborates with the Ministry of Public Security and the Viet Nam Womens Union to help inform and reach communities effectively. Todays ThinkB4UClick training event also reflects IOMs cooperation in this field. Viet Nams 22 million young people are not just the most connected generation; they are also the most powerful agents of change. When young people learn to spot the signs and think before they click, they are not only protecting themselves but also their friends, classmates and communities. That is why IOM, in partnership with the Embassy of Canada, has developed the 'Think Before You Click' training, to equip young people with practical knowledge and tools on complex trafficking trends, digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible communication. In just one day, participants learn to identify fake job offers, detect misinformation and design online campaigns on Facebook, TikTok, Zalo and Instagram that can reach hundreds or even thousands of other youths. Your infographic, your video, your message could help someone avoid a trap and stay safe. Each of you has the potential to be a changemaker. Every time you pause and think before you click, every time you encourage a friend to make an informed choice, you are contributing to a safer digital world and helping prevent irregular migration. It is also crucial to ensure that young people have the tools and skills to make informed decisions about whether to migrate or stay. Together with government ministries, IOM supports programmes that equip young people with the skills needed to fill jobs in Viet Nam itself. When they feel they are contributing meaningfully to their families and communities, they are less likely to seek risky opportunities abroad. On the law enforcement side, it is essential that immigration officials, border guards and police are trained and equipped to identify both scammers and victims. Once victims are identified, reintegration support is key. Without proper reintegration, victims may be tempted to migrate irregularly again, perpetuating the cycle. By Khong Ha Later this month, national flags of nearly 100 countries will fly high above Ha Noi as the capital hosts the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, also known as the Hanoi Convention. For the first time, an international treaty on cybersecurity bears the name of the Vietnamese capital -- a powerful affirmation of Viet Nams growing profile in international cooperation on cybersecurity, and a milestone in the countrys multilateral diplomacy. From Asia to Europe, from Africa to the Americas, nations will come together to sign a historic treaty symbolising a shared commitment to strengthening cooperation in the global fight against cybercrime -- a borderless threat that permeates every corner of modern life. But beyond its legal scope, the Hanoi Convention embodies a symbol of solidarity, trust and shared responsibility in safeguarding the digital realm -- where every individual can play a role in defending against online crime. In todays interconnected world, cybercrime has become one of the most pervasive and dangerous global challenges. In Viet Nam alone, more than 100,000 cyber incidents were recorded last year, ranging from online scams and financial fraud to sophisticated attacks targeting critical information systems. Globally, what once began as isolated acts by small groups of hackers has evolved into organised, transnational criminal networks targeting national financial systems, energy grids, and security institutions worldwide. The borderless danger threatens not only public safety but also the sovereignty and stability of all nations. Facing this reality, the international community agreed that a concerted global response was urgently required. In 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution launching negotiations for a comprehensive international convention to combat cybercrime. This marked the first attempt in more than two decades for the UN to develop a global criminal justice instrument addressing new forms of transnational crime -- the first since the 2000 Palermo Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. After over 30 months of negotiations, with eight formal and five intersessional meetings, the UN General Assembly adopted the final text of the Convention in December 2024, with broad consensus among member states. Comprising nine chapters and 71 articles, the Hanoi Convention provides a comprehensive legal framework for global cooperation in tackling cybercrime effectively. The Hanoi Convention criminalises a wide range of offences carried out via cyberspace, including unauthorised system access, online fraud, data interference, malware dissemination and child exploitation. In addition to identifying criminals, the agreement establishes mechanisms for judicial cooperation and legal assistance among countries, such as information exchange, data transfer, extradition of cybercriminals and recovery of assets derived from cybercrime. These are important tools that enable countries to coordinate more effectively in investigating and arresting criminals in a borderless environment. The adoption has been hailed as a landmark by the international community. Ghada Waly, UN deputy secretary-general and executive director of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), described it as a launching pad for the global fight against cybercrime, highlighting it as the UNs first criminal justice treaty in more than 20 years, crafted to address both current and emerging forms of cybercrime. She commended Viet Nams efforts to prepare for the signing ceremony and pledged UNODCs continued support for member states in adopting and implementing the Convention. As technology accelerates the scale and complexity of criminal activities -- including terrorism and drug trafficking to human trafficking and money laundering -- the Hanoi Convention arrives at a critical moment for nations to unite against such threats. Similarly, the United States Department of State said that it welcomed the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrimes adoption of the Convention. The agreement expands the global fight against cybercrime, one of the most pervasive challenges of our time, affecting communities around the world, its statement said. The Hanoi Convention offers countries additional tools to cooperate particularly in law enforcement to address cybercrime and protect vulnerable groups, especially children. Timely move In recent times, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and police in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang have dismantled a large-scale online fraud ring. The group, consisting of 39 suspects, impersonated law enforcement officers and used spyware to steal more than VN700 billion (over US$26.5 million) from thousands of victims nationwide. The network was transnational in nature, with its servers located overseas to exploit jurisdictional loopholes between countries. However, through sharp investigative work and coordinated action across multiple provinces and agencies, the ministry successfully busted the ring. The success not only prevented massive financial losses but also reinforced public trust in the polices capacity to maintain order and security in the digital age. Viet Nams Communist Party and State have long recognised the strategic importance of combating cybercrime, especially as the country advances its National Digital Transformation Programme. The implementation of the Hanoi Convention therefore receives strong leadership and guidance at the highest level. Major General Le Xuan Minh, head of the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention at the MPS, said relevant agencies had reviewed the entire legal framework to ensure compatibility with the agreements requirements and national realities. Viet Nam is currently working to merge the 2015 Law on Cyber Information Security and the 2018 Law on Cybersecurity into a single, unified law for more effective governance of the sector. At the same time, amendments to the Penal Code are under consideration to update definitions of technology-related crimes in line with the Hanoi Convention and to facilitate cooperation on extradition, judicial assistance and evidence-sharing. Another significant step is the enactment of the Law on Personal Data Protection in June 2023, which creates a legal foundation to ensure citizens' privacy in the digital environment. This is a timely measure that aligns with the implementation of the Convention while still upholding the requirements to protect human rights and personal data - a principle deeply embedded in the Convention itself. Alongside legislative reforms, Viet Nam is strengthening its law enforcement capacity. Specialised cybercrime and high-tech units across the ministry and provincial police forces are being equipped with advanced tools, training and personnel. Intensive training courses and international cooperation programmes are continuously being rolled out to ensure officers can keep pace with the rapidly evolving technology landscape and the increasingly sophisticated methods used by cybercriminals. In recent years, Vietnamese police have successfully dismantled numerous major online crime rings, from transnational gambling syndicates worth trillions of ong to international hacking groups targeting Vietnamese enterprises. The achievements demonstrate the growing professionalism and capability of Viet Nams law enforcement agencies. However, as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs ang Hoang Giang said: The adoption is only the first step. What truly matters is the willingness and determination of countries to cooperate effectively in implementation. He added that Viet Nam must continue strengthening its institutions, legal framework and human resources to coordinate more efficiently with international partners. The human factor is key, he said. Each officer and citizen must enhance awareness, skills, and resilience to jointly contribute to the global effort against cybercrime. Police's key role Within the broader framework of the Hanoi Conventions implementation in Viet Nam, the police force plays a leading role. From the negotiation stage, the MPS served as the key agency, coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to lead technical discussions. As host of the signing ceremony, the MPS has been entrusted by the Party and State to take the lead in organising the event, preparing policy proposals, and coordinating among ministries and sectors to ensure smooth implementation. According to Deputy Minister Pham The Tung of the MPS this reflects the strong confidence in the ministrys competence, experience and reputation in organising multilateral activities, thereby affirming the prestige and position of the ministry in the international arena. Viet Nam has successfully hosted numerous major regional and global security events, such as the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, the 80th Interpol General Assembly, and the 39th ASEANAPOL Conference, demonstrating its capability and reliability as an international partner. The experience and expertise accumulated through those events provide the foundation for the police force to confidently complete the tasks assigned by the Party and State in implementing the Hanoi Convention, contributing to enhancing the country's image and spreading the message of a proactive Viet Nam that integrates globally, shares responsibilities, and takes actions for a safe cyberspace. As scheduled, following the signing ceremony later this month, the Ministry of Public Security will continue to serve as the lead agency for implementation. A steering committee, chaired by a deputy minister, has been established with specific tasks assigned to more than 30 units across the ministry and provincial police forces. Their mission is to ensure absolute safety and security throughout the implementation process and to prevent emerging cyber threats before they occur. The MPS has also been developing around 100 preventive and response plans to proactively counter new cyber risks. The ministry is also closely coordinating with relevant ministries to unify the roadmap for internalising the provisions of the Hanoi Convention into the Vietnamese legal system. For example, to meet its operational requirements, Viet Nam is preparing to establish a 24/7 national contact point for cybercrime, managed by the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, allowing for real-time coordination with police counterparts worldwide. The ministry is further strengthening cooperation with domestic telecommunications companies, technology firms and banks to enhance early detection and prevention of cybercrime while supporting businesses in safeguarding their digital infrastructure and customers. At the local level, provincial anti-cybercrime units are intensifying collaboration with each other and with the Mobile Police Command to promptly handle widespread security incidents. Images of Vietnamese police officers tirelessly tracing malicious codes and tracking criminals behind anonymous IP addresses have become emblematic of Viet Nams steadfast resolve to defend its cyberspace. Protecting citizens online Given the inherently transnational nature of cybercrime, international cooperation remains the decisive factor for success. Through the Hanoi Convention, Viet Nam will have greater opportunities to expand and deepen collaboration with global partners. Maj Gen Minh expressed hope that once it is signed and ratified, it would create a new legal framework for countries to jointly combat cybercrime, share information, coordinate investigations, recover illicit assets and facilitate extradition. In practice, this could mean that if a cybercriminal defrauding Vietnamese citizens flees abroad, authorities could request foreign partners to arrest and return the suspect based on the framework, and vice versa. Such coordination and mutual trust would gradually eliminate the so-called "safe havens" where cybercriminals operate. Viet Nam has been actively connecting with the global cybersecurity network. It has official cooperation with Interpol and ASEANAPOL, and participates in the activities of the Interpol Cybercrime Working Group. The country also has signed memoranda of understanding on cybercrime information exchange with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In September, Viet Nam joined China and ASEAN countries in a joint campaign to crack down on online gambling syndicates, underscoring its commitment to regional security collaboration. The implementation of the Hanoi Convention will also open new avenues for Viet Nam to receive technical and capacity-building support from developed countries and international organisations, including the UNODC. Support may include training for cyber investigators, upgrading digital forensics systems and participating in global research projects on cybersecurity. Deputy Minister Giang said that Viet Nam now would have the chance to take advantage of international resources, from technology to human resources, to serve the goal of ensuring a safe environment for national development. At the same time, it would also learn from other countries' experiences and modern technology to improve the effectiveness of preventing and combating cybercrime. This is a double benefit, both raising the national level and contributing to the world's common efforts, Giang said. Moreover, through proactive implementation and international engagement, Viet Nams image as a responsible, reliable and constructive partner will continue to rise on the world stage. In his message ahead of the signing ceremony, State President Luong Cuong highlights that hosting the event represents a precious opportunity for Viet Nam to showcase the image of a peaceful nation with hospitable people to friends around the world. The presence and endorsement of more than 90 countries at the Hanoi Convention not only acknowledge Viet Nams contributions but also lay a solid foundation for sustained cooperation in the years ahead. VNS HA NOI General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, together with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, departed Ha Noi on October 28 for a three-day official visit to the UK. The visit is made at the invitation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Accompanying the General Secretary are Politburo members: Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the committees Inspection Commission; Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilisation; Nguyen Hoa Binh, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister; General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence; and General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security. The Party chief's entourage also includes Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Tran Luu Quang, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Pham Gia Tuc, member of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committees Office; ao Ngoc Dung, member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs; oan Hong Phong, member of the Party Central Committee and Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate; Nguyen Van Thang, member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Finance; Nguyen Manh Hung, member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Science and Technology; Nguyen Kim Son, member of the Party Central Committee and Minister of Education and Training; Nguyen Thi Hong, member of the Party Central Committee and Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam; To An Xo, Assistant to the Party General Secretary and head of the Party General Secretary's Office; and Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK o Minh Hung. Viet Nam and the UK established diplomatic relations on September 11, 1973, with the UK being among the first Western nations to do so. Over the past more than five decades, the friendship and cooperation between the two countries' peoples have continuously strengthened and developed. The official visit by Party General Secretary To Lam, his spouse, and the high-ranking delegation coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Viet NamUK Strategic Partnership (2010-2025). It marks an important milestone, offering an opportunity for both countries to review bilateral cooperation, highlight key achievements, and outline new directions for advancing their partnership in the years ahead. VNA/VNS HAI PHONG State President Luong Cuong on Tuesday attended and delivered a keynote speech at a ceremony marking the 80th traditional day of the armed forces of Military Region 3 (October 31, 19452025). Party General Secretary To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man sent flowers to congratulate the unit on this occasion. President Cuong commended the remarkable achievements of Military Region 3 over the past 80 years. He emphasised that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, particularly the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, and with the strong support of local people, the zones armed forces carried forward glorious traditions to protect the Red River Delta a land of rich culture, resilience and patriotism. The President praised their spirit of loyalty, discipline, creativity and bravery, highlighting the proud tradition of 'Solidarity Initiative Creativity Sacrifice Victory,' which has become a shining example of the Viet Nam Peoples Army. Amid rapid and complex changes in global and regional situations, President Cuong urged the Party Committee and Command of Military Region 3 to focus on strengthening political and ideological foundations the core of overall combat power. He called for the effective implementation of resolutions adopted at the 12th Congress of the Army Party Organisation and the 20252030 Congress of Military Region 3s Party Organisation, building a clean, strong Party Committee with political steadfastness, moral integrity and capable leadership. The President also emphasised the importance of thoroughly understanding Ho Chi Minhs military thought and the Partys guidelines on national defence, especially the strategy for safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation. He directed Military Region 3 to develop into a 'revolutionary, regular, elite and modern' force capable of providing timely and effective advice on defence policies and firmly protecting national sovereignty 'from early on and from afar.' President Cuong also asked the zone to streamline its organisation toward greater efficiency and modernity, promote scientific and technological innovation and enhance digital transformation in training and command. He underscored the need to continuously improve combat readiness and learn from global conflicts to maintain preparedness in all situations. At the ceremony, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, President Cuong presented the First-class Fatherland Protection Order to the armed forces of Military Region 3 for their outstanding achievements in training, combat readiness, force building and defence consolidation. Major General Luong Van Kiem, Commander of Military Region 3, said that on October 31, 1945, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam decided to establish War Zones 2 and 3 to defend the achievements of the August Revolution. Covering much of the Red River Delta, the founding of Military Region 3 marked a significant milestone in the nations efforts to consolidate national defence in the early days of independence. Throughout its 80-year journey, generations of officers and soldiers of Military Region 3 remained absolutely loyal to the Party, the State and the people. They bravely fought and sacrificed for national independence and freedom and in peacetime continued to uphold the tradition of heroism and unity, fulfilling all military and defence tasks entrusted by the Party and State. For its outstanding contributions, the armed forces of Military Region 3 have been awarded many noble distinctions, including the Gold Star Order, the Ho Chi Minh Order and the Independence Order of various classes. VNA/VNS KUALA LUMPUR Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has proposed strategic directions for progress in ties between ASEAN and China as he attended the 28th ASEANChina Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. At the event, leaders witnessed the signing ceremony of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol. They said that the ASEANChina Comprehensive Strategic Partnership remained a key pillar for peace and stability in the region, and one of ASEANs most dynamic partnerships. ASEAN and China are currently each others largest trading partners, with total two-way trade reaching US$772.4 billion and Chinas foreign direct investment (FDI) in ASEAN amounting to $19.3 billion in 2024. Both sides emphasised the need to advance deep economic integration and maintain their role as growth engines in the Asia-Pacific region. This includes the early ratification and effective implementation of ACFTA 3.0, strengthening high-quality economic, trade and investment links as well as fostering the region's industrial and supply chain connectivity. The meeting reaffirmed the importance and value of multilateralism in maintaining and consolidating a peaceful, secure and stable environment. Highlighting that ASEAN and China share common interests and responsibilities in building a peaceful and stable East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) for cooperation and development, leaders committed to continuing dialogue and confidence building, resolving differences and disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, notably the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also aim to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and strive for an early conclusion of an effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). In his remarks, Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed the need to further strengthen mutual strategic trust and promote key areas of cooperation with shared interests. Proposing three strategic directions to advance ASEANChina relations, Chinh called for promoting smart, inclusive and sustainable connectivity, including the effective implementation of ACFTA 3.0; developing ASEANChina infrastructure networks that are modern, green and sustainable; expanding smart border systems; and digitising logistics and immigration management to boost trade and people-to-people exchanges. He also stressed the importance of strengthening innovation as a new driver of breakthrough growth, expressing support for the joint initiative on advancing science, technology and innovation between ASEAN and China (2026-30) and a shared innovation network. The Vietnamese PM underlined that consolidating strategic trust and maintaining regional peace and stability were prerequisites for sustainable and inclusive development. ASEAN and China should make the East Sea a region of peace, stability, cooperation and development, fully and effectively implement the DOC and work toward an effective, substantive COC in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS 1982, while harmonising the legitimate interests of all parties, he said. VNS A NANG Viet Nam and Singapore have reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering defence ties, with both sides outlining new directions for practical and comprehensive cooperation at the 16th Viet NamSingapore Defence Policy Dialogue, held on Tuesday at the Headquarters of Military Region 5 in a Nang City. Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defence, led the Vietnamese delegation, while the Singaporean side was headed by Chan Heng Kee, Permanent Secretary of Singapores Ministry of Defence. In his opening remarks, Senior Lieutenant General Chien said that 2025 would mark a new chapter in bilateral relations as the two countries elevate their partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Party General Secretary To Lams upcoming visit to Singapore. The move reflected the strong political will of both nations leaders to strengthen cooperation across all fields including defence, he said. He emphasised ASEANs central role in maintaining the regional security architecture and fostering meaningful cooperation among member states and partners. On the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue, he reiterated Viet Nams consistent policy of resolving disputes peacefully based on international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and expressed support for an early, effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC). The Vietnamese official also praised Singapores constructive engagement in ASEAN-led defence mechanisms, notably the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus, and affirmed that Viet Nam would continue to participate actively and responsibly in regional initiatives for peace and stability. During the dialogue, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in several priority areas including delegation exchanges, joint naval, air force and coast guard activities, training, cyber security, and search and rescue operations. Viet Nam invited Singapore to continue sending officers to its Vietnamese language and international defence training courses at the National Defence Academy. Chan Heng Kee thanked Viet Nams Ministry of National Defence for the warm reception and conveyed sympathy over recent natural disaster losses in Viet Nam. He stressed that defence cooperation remained a core pillar of bilateral relations and affirmed Singapores readiness to work with Viet Nam in agreed areas, particularly in naval collaboration, training and cyber security. On this occasion, Viet Nam extended an invitation for Singapores Ministry of Defence to attend the third Viet Nam International Defence Exhibition in 2026. Concluding the dialogue, both sides signed the Defence Cooperation Plan for 20252028 and a Memorandum of Understanding on Training, and witnessed the signing of a naval cooperation agreement between the two countries naval forces signalling a new stage of stronger, more practical and effective defence cooperation between Viet Nam and Singapore. VNS Carol McGiffin insists Kaye Adams is "never a bully". Carol McGiffin has defended her former Loose Women co-panellist Kaye Adams In October, it was reported that Kaye, 62, was suspended from her BBC Radio Scotland show Mornings with Kaye Adams pending an investigation over bullying complaints from staff under the corporation's Call It Out scheme, such as she allegedly "shouted and screamed" at junior colleagues. The presenter - who denies any incident happened - recently broke her silence, telling Mail on Sunday the three weeks off air were the "most distressing weeks of my professional life" and that BBC Scotland has "still not provided me with any details of the allegations which have been made against me". However, Kaye - who has hosted her 155,000-a-year, three-hour phone-in show since 2010 - added that she had been "inundated with messages of support from people who I have dealt with both personally and professionally over the decades, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart". And one of those people is her former Loose Women co-panellist Carol. Writing in her column in the new issue of Best magazine, Carol, 65, said: "I've known Kaye Adams for around 25 years. I started working with her in 2000, and even when we weren't working together, we always stayed in contact. She is a friend and I know her very well. "She is the epitome of professionalism and one of the best presenters I've ever worked with. So, imagine my shock to read that she has been suspended from her long-running morning radio show on BBC Scotland." Carol revealed she has seen "pretty abominable" TV stars not be very nice to staff - but Kaye is "definitely not one of them". Carol - who quit ITV's Loose Women in 2023 - said: "It's true, some TV 'stars' can be pretty abominable, I've seen plenty of them treat staff appallingly in my almost 40 years working in that business, but they're usually awful people to start with made worse by the networks who fed the egos and facilitated their behaviour by giving them more and more work. "I wish I could name names, but I can tell you Kaye is definitely not one of them." However, Carol pointed out Kaye's "fiercely intelligent" and "pedantic, persistent perfectionist" nature "can be tricky" at times. Carol added: "Also, she doesn't like to be wrong, which she is sometimes, although she'd never admit it. I know this because she and I disagree and argue about everything - Donald Trump, Brexit, climate change, Russia v Ukraine - all of which I'm right about and she knows it!" And the pair have never fallen out "despite major humdingers in both personal and professional time". Carol added: "Not even when as anchor on Loose Women, if she was losing the argument in a debate (especially to me), she would always make sure she got the last word! "Yes, she's annoying sometimes, but never a bully." BBC Scotland refused to comment on the allegations, but confirmed that Kaye had not permanently left the organisation. A spokesperson said: "We would not comment on any individual case. "If any complaints or concerns are raised, we have robust internal processes in place to manage these." KUALA LUMPUR ASEAN and New Zealand on Tuesday agreed to upgrade the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership based on four pillars Peace, Prosperity, People and Planet at the ASEANNew Zealand Commemorative Summit marking the 50th anniversary of their relations in Kuala Lumpur. At the summit, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Chair of ASEAN 2025, ASEAN leaders and New Zealands Prime Minister Luxon expressed appreciation for Viet Nams active and effective role as the country coordinator for ASEANNew Zealand dialogue relations for the 20242027 term. They commended Viet Nams efforts in coordinating and completing negotiations on key documents that elevate ASEANNew Zealand relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, laying the foundation for stronger cooperation in the years ahead. According to Vietnam News Agency, as the country coordinator, Viet Nam has played an active and responsible role in advancing negotiations on two key documents: the Joint Vision Statement and the 20262030 Action Plan, which received broad support and were adopted at the ASEANNew Zealand Commemorative Summit. In his remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh underscored the historic significance of establishing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, saying it reflected the maturity, closeness and depth of cooperation between the two sides, contributing to enhancing their international roles amid a volatile world. "Viet Nam takes pride in joining other ASEAN members to build and nurture this partnership and to witness todays fruitful outcomes," he said. He proposed three key priorities to concretise the new cooperation framework. The first is maintaining peace and stability for inclusive and sustainable development, contributing to an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional order, and continuing to strongly support ASEANs stance on the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea). The second is to promote economic connectivity and new growth drivers based on science, technology and innovation while effectively implementing the upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area and supporting ASEAN in negotiating and implementing the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement. The third is to strengthen people-to-people connectivity, putting people at the centre, as both the driver and beneficiary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership while enhancing high-quality human resource training and linking academia, industry and government under the spirit of a facilitative state, pioneering enterprises and a prosperous, happy people. New Zealands Prime Minister Christopher Luxon reaffirmed that New Zealand, as one of ASEANs oldest partners, attached great importance to fostering close, trustworthy and substantive cooperation with ASEAN and its member states. He reiterated New Zealands support for ASEAN unity, centrality and its efforts to build a resilient, inclusive and sustainable ASEAN Community. New Zealand committed resources for the 20262030 Action Plan, including NZD147 million (US$84.77 million) in climate finance, NZD27 million for green technology development and NZD25 million to establish the ASEANNew Zealand Vision Fund for economic, climate and environmental cooperation initiatives. It will also expand the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Program for ASEAN and establish the ASEANNew Zealand Trade Academy to strengthen economic cooperation and subregional collaboration, including in the Mekong region. VNS LONDON Party General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, arrived in London on Tuesday morning (local time), starting their official three-day visit to the UK at the invitation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Upon arrival at London Stansted Airport, Lam and his entourage were greeted by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Seema Malhotra, UK Ambassador to Viet Nam Iain Frew and FCDO official Stephan Walton. Vietnamese ambassador to the UK o Minh Hung and staff members of the Vietnamese embassy in the country were also present at the airport to welcome the Party leader. Lam's visit coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Viet NamUK Strategic Partnership (2010-2025). It is an important milestone for both countries to review the achievements of their cooperation over the past years, assess notable accomplishments and set new directions and visions for future bilateral relations. The visit is expected to bring about breakthroughs in cooperation between the two countries, particularly in areas where they have complementary strengths. It will contribute to the effective implementation of the Politburo's key resolutions on the development of science, technology and innovation, as well as help enhance deep and comprehensive international integration; strengthen institutional development; expand the private economic sector; promote education and healthcare; and ensure national energy security, in line with Viet Nam's long-term sustainable development vision and strategy for a dynamic and creative future. On the first day of his visit, the General Secretary was scheduled to deliver a policy speech at the University of Oxford and attend a roundtable discussion with UK technology experts. He was expected to also witness the signing of several cooperation documents in education and health care. The Party chief was scheduled to visit the tomb of Karl Marx, leader of the proletarian movement, and meet with the Vietnamese embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the UK. VNA/VNS HA NOI The working visit by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from October 26-28 produced numerous specific and practical outcomes, according to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs ang Hoang Giang. This time, Viet Nam continued to demonstrate its role as an active and responsible member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and made two important contributions. First, under Viet Nams coordination, ASEAN and New Zealand issued a Joint Statement on upgrading their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and adopted the 20262030 Action Plan to implement the newly established framework. Second, as Chair of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force, Viet Nam led the development of the IAI Work Plan 20262030, which was approved at the summit. This document aims to narrow the development gap, strengthen solidarity, and prioritise support for Timor-Leste to catch up with ASEANs overall integration process. Viet Nams role and efforts were sincerely appreciated and highly valued by other member countries, Giang stated. In these shared successes, PM Chinhs insightful, sincere, and straightforward remarks at the summits emphasised the importance of peace and stability as a prerequisite for development, highlighted the significance of ASEAN unity, and reaffirmed Viet Nams commitment to contributing to the bloc for the practical benefit of its people and businesses. The PM's views, especially his proposal that ASEAN fully harness three strategic resources of the strength of solidarity, the vitality of dynamism, and the momentum of innovation were well received and praised by member states and partners for the sense of responsibility, soundness of content, and practical, effective approach to implementation. The Deputy Foreign Minister went on to say that in just three days in Kuala Lumpur, PM Chinh held bilateral meetings and exchanges with leaders from more than twenty partners, including all ASEAN member states, major partners, and regional and international organisations. Though brief, these meetings produced many concrete and substantive outcomes. First, political trust between Viet Nam and these countries was further strengthened. All partners expressed their desire to enhance relations with Viet Nam. The fact that US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, newly elected Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Canadian PM Mark Carney, and many other leaders agreed with Viet Nams proposal to increase high-level exchanges in the coming time demonstrates that these countries highly value Viet Nams role in the region, and also support a stable, developing Viet Nam which is playing an increasingly important role in ASEAN and on the international stage. Second, Viet Nam and its key strategic partners reached broad consensus on many important issues, reflecting their shared interests. Chinese Premier Li Qiang agreed to actively promote the ground-breaking of the Ha NoiHai PhongLao Cai high-speed railway project. The Canadian PM announced that his country will soon launch a US$20 million coastal smart city project designed to enhance resilience to natural disasters and climate change. World Bank Vice President Carlos Felipe Jaramillo affirmed the banks readiness to respond to Viet Nams requests for faster and more effective resource mobilisation to support its socio-economic development goals. Notably, a major highlight of this occasion was the announcement of the Joint Statement on a USViet Nam Framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade on October 26. These developments mark significant progress, helping to lay a stable and sustainable foundation for Viet Nams relations with its key partners and mobilise additional external resources to realise the countrys strategic goals, particularly the target of achieving double-digit growth after the 14th National Party Congress. Third, through the discussions, it became evident that partners truly support and expect Viet Nam to play a greater role in ASEAN, in the AsiaPacific region, and on the global stage. Leaders of many countries and international organisations expressed strong impressions of Viet Nams remarkable development over the past decades. They also affirmed their appreciation of Viet Nams role and position, while expressing their wish for Viet Nam to help promote cooperation between their countries and ASEAN. These demonstrate that Viet Nam is viewed as one of ASEANs key and capable member states, with the potential to assume a leading role within the bloc. In the context of Viet Nams strong implementation of the Politburos Resolution No 59 on international integration in the new situation and efforts to elevate multilateral diplomacy, the trust and support from international friends constitute a precious source of "political capital", enabling it to make even greater contributions to global politics, the world economy, and human civilisation, Giang said. Regarding specific orientations for implementing the outcomes of Viet Nams participation in this ASEAN Summit, the official stressed that Viet Nam needs to make active contributions to strengthening ASEAN's solidarity, particularly in efforts to address the Myanmar issue, implement the peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand, and help maintain a peaceful, stable and favourable environment for ASEAN. At the same time, Viet Nam should continue pursuing the long-term goals set out in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 (ACV 2045), and focus on supporting Timor-Leste in enhancing its capacity and effectively integrating into ASEAN across all three pillars. It is also essential to promptly implement the agreements and commitments reached between Viet Nam and its partners during bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including exchanges of delegations, promotion of economic and trade cooperation, food and energy security, and especially the prompt settlement of outstanding issues to have the EUs 'yellow card' warning on Vietnamese seafood lifted, Giang said, urging ministries, sectors, localities, and enterprises to work closely, proactively, and swiftly to ensure the comprehensive and effective implementation of the outcomes achieved with partners. VNA/VNS HA NOI National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man on Tuesday received Achim Post, Vice President of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliaments Committee on International Trade, along with members of the SPD delegation, on the occasion of their working visit to Viet Nam where they will also attend the 10th Dialogue between the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the SPD. Chairman Man affirmed that the visit holds great significance, marking a new milestone in the relations between the two Parties and the two countries. He expressed his appreciation for Germanys continued support for Viet Nam over the years through official development assistance (ODA) and cooperation in areas such as digital transformation, green growth, education, environment, and especially vaccine support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appreciating the European Union (EU) for considering Viet Nam a priority partner in its cooperation policy with the AsiaPacific region, the NA Chairman showed his gratitude to the EU for providing EUR650,000 (US$757,800) in humanitarian aid to help Viet Nam overcome the consequences of recent storms and floods. Noting the complex developments in the global situation, Post and Lange emphasised that strengthening and developing the good friendship between Viet Nam and Germany, and between Viet Nam and the EU are of great importance, based on mutual understanding, trust, and respect. They expressed their confidence that the Viet NamGermany Strategic Partnership, as well as the Viet NamEU comprehensive partnership and cooperation will continue to grow strongly in the time ahead. NA Chairman Man said that the cooperative relationship between the Vietnamese legislature and the Bundestag of Germany has developed well in recent years, with both sides maintaining regular delegation exchanges, sharing legislative and supervisory experience, and closely coordinating at multilateral parliamentary forums. Acknowledging and appreciating the SPDs support for the EUViet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), the top legislator said he hopes it will continue to play its role and voice in encouraging the German Bundestag to soon complete the ratification process. This will open up new opportunities for cooperation, investment, and trade, bringing tangible benefits to businesses and people of both countries, he noted. The Vietnamese NA attaches great importance to, and seeks to learn from the legislative and supervisory experience of countries with developed rule-of-law systems and well-established institutional frameworks, including Germany, in order to apply them appropriately to Viet Nams context, Chairman Man affirmed. The top legislator stated that Viet Nam always pays close attention to the policies of the SPD and the German Government, in which the SPD plays an important role. He highly valued the maintenance of the dialogue mechanism between the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) and the SPD over the past 14 years, which has become an important channel for theory exchange and sharing of practical experience between the two Parties. He expressed his confidence that through this dialogue and meetings with Vietnamese partners, the SPD will gain a deeper understanding of Viet Nams path towards sustainable development and its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and international integration amidst global uncertainties. Regarding cooperation with the EU and the European Parliament (EP), the NA Chairman noted that Viet NamEU relations in general, and cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the EP in particular, have continued to develop very positively in recent years. He highly appreciated the increasingly substantive and effective cooperation between the two legislative bodies, built on the spirit of dialogue, mutual understanding, and constructive engagement. Both sides have maintained a stable parliamentary dialogue channel based on their cooperation agreement signed in 2010, which serves as an important foundation for enhancing exchanges and fostering mutual understanding. The NA Chairman expressed his confidence that Viet Nam and the EU will soon elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to create favourable conditions for broader cooperation not only between Viet Nam and the EU but also in strengthening connectivity between Southeast Asia and Europe. Regarding cooperation with Germany, he highlighted that Germany is one of Viet Nams most important partners in Europe, and the two sides are working toward elevating the bilateral relationship to a new height, commensurate with their potential and aspirations. VNA/VNS HA NOI State President Luong Cuongs participation in the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Week in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea (RoK), reflects Viet Nams strong commitment to regional economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and its growing role in shaping the regional cooperation framework, especially in preparation for hosting APEC 2027. The State leaders trip, made at the invitation of Korean President Lee Jae Myung, will take place from October 29 to November 1. APEC vital regional economic cooperation forum Founded in November 1989 in Canberra, Australia, APEC is a vital regional economic cooperation forum that includes 21 member economies, including the US, China, Japan and emerging markets like Viet Nam. Representing around 37 per cent of the global population, APEC contributes 61 per cent of global GDP and 50 per cent of global trade. The forum emphasises trade liberalisation, business facilitation and economic-technical cooperation, operating on principles of consensus, voluntarism and non-binding commitments. Its initiatives focus on increasing cooperation across sectors such as trade, digital transformation and sustainable growth. APECs activities have driven economic growth and regional stability for over three decades. As the world undergoes rapid transformation driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, APEC is preparing for a new phase of development. In 2020, APEC leaders adopted the APEC Vision 2040, aiming to build a Pacific-Asia region that is open, dynamic, self-reliant and peaceful. The vision reaffirms APECs commitment to voluntary cooperation, consensus and non-binding agreements, with a foundation of mutual respect, shared responsibility and common benefit. APEC is currently rolling out strategic plans and major cooperation programmes, including strengthening structural reforms (2026-2030); roadmap for services competition (2026-2035); food security roadmap (2030); inclusive development agenda for economic, financial and social growth (2030); La Serena Roadmap for Women and Inclusive Growth (2030); and Phase 3 Action Plan for APEC Supply Chain Connectivity Framework (2022-2026). These initiatives reflect APECs evolving role in adapting to new global challenges while continuing to drive sustainable and inclusive growth. Viet Nam active, responsible member of APEC Viet Nam officially joined APEC in 1998 and has since made significant contributions. The country has hosted APEC meetings twice (2006 and 2017), launched over 190 initiatives on issues such as structural reform, human resources development, climate change response, empowerment of women, rural and urban development, food security and e-commerce. It has actively engaged in shaping APECs long-term vision. Viet Nam is also preparing to host APEC 2027, with Phu Quoc Special Zone in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang selected as a key venue for the event. The 2025 APEC Leaders Week will be held under the theme 'Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper'. The RoK, the host country, has emphasised initiatives related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), demographic shifts and cultural industry cooperation. The summit will be a critical platform for leaders to discuss pressing economic challenges, promote sustainable development and foster innovation in the region. According to Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Vu Ho, Viet Nams active participation in the event is not only a demonstration of its commitment to regional economic integration but also an opportunity to further its leadership role in shaping APECs future direction. As Viet Nam aims to host APEC 2027, this summit will also promote the countrys dynamic and growing position within APEC, showcasing its strategic partnerships with key economies such as the US, Japan and the RoK. Viet Nam has made notable strides in international integration, having signed several modern free trade agreements (FTAs) such as CPTPP, EVFTA and RCEP. These efforts have enhanced its trade and investment ties with APEC economies, boosting its regional influence. APEC 2025 in the RoK represents a key moment for Viet Nam to contribute significantly to the regions efforts toward sustainable growth and prosperity, particularly in areas that benefit both people and businesses across the Asia-Pacific. VNA/VNS HA NOI - Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son hosted a reception in Ha Noi on Tuesday for Zhang Guozhi, Deputy Governor of Chinas Guangdong province, who is in Viet Nam to attend the 9th conference on coordinating cooperation between ministries, sectors, and localities of Viet am and the southeastern Chinese province. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the robust growth of Viet NamChina relations and the positive progress in mutually beneficial exchanges and cooperation between ministries, sectors, and localities of Viet Nam and Guangdong. Son congratulated China on the successful holding of the 4th meeting of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which outlined directions for the 15th Five-Year Plan, and extended congratulations to Guangdong for maintaining its position as Chinas leading economic powerhouse, with GDP surpassing US$2 trillion in 2024. He praised the effectiveness of the cooperation coordinating conference mechanism, affirming that the Vietnamese Government values, supports, and facilitates expanded cooperation between ministries, sectors, and localities of Viet Nam and Guangdong province. Sharing Viet Nams recent socio-economic achievements and emphasising the vast potential for further cooperation, the Deputy PM urged Guangdong to make better use of existing cooperation frameworks, enhance exchanges with Vietnamese ministries and localities, and assist Viet Nam in training personnel and sharing economic development experience. He also invited Guangdong leaders to attend the upcoming Autumn Economic Forum in Viet Nam. Regarding practical cooperation, he called on Guangdong, as Chinas largest consumer market, to further open its doors to Vietnamese goods and deepen strategic development linkages. He encouraged enterprises from both sides to expand partnerships in strategic infrastructure, digital and green economy, renewable energy, and the development of smart industrial zones. He also proposed boosting people-to-people exchanges, especially among the younger generation, and effectively implementing the Red Journey youth exchange programme for Vietnamese young people in Guangdong as well as enhancing tourism cooperation and launching more direct flight routes between the two sides. For his part, the Chinese official affirmed that Guangdong attaches great importance to friendly cooperation with Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities. She pledged to effectively implement high-level common perceptions, share development opportunities, and make practical contributions to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and building a Viet NamChina community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. Commending the success of the conference, Zhang expressed her hope that both sides would increase delegation exchanges, share development experiences, and make the use of existing cooperation mechanisms. She proposed expanding ties with other promising Vietnamese localities and enhancing collaboration in trade and investment, connectivity, science and technology, smart urban management, and urban railway development. She also highlighted the importance of promoting people-to-people exchanges and leveraging revolutionary heritage sites such as the headquarters of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League and the grave of martyr Pham Hong Thai. Zhang called for effective implementation of the Red Journey programme, contributing to a stronger social foundation for Viet NamChina relations. VNA/VNS HA NOI Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Viet Nam Choi Young-sam has expressed his belief that Viet Nams presence in the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Week will inject new momentum into discussions at the forum, contributing to inclusive growth, substantive economic cooperation across the region, and stronger collaboration among APEC member economies. He made the remark while talking to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of State President Luong Cuongs working trip to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders Week and bilateral activities in the RoK from October 29 to November 1. Choi perceived that the visit holds profound significance both bilaterally and regionally. In terms of bilateral relations, he said that during Party General Secretary To Lams state visit to the RoK in August the first of its kind since the inception of the new RoK administration, the two countries agreed to further deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation to future-oriented fields such as science and high technology. Building on the momentum of that visit, President Cuongs attendance at this APEC Leaders Week provides an opportunity for both sides to review the outcomes of General Secretary Lams trip and elevate their bilateral relations to a new height. Within the APEC framework, Viet Nams participation is of great importance. The country continues to play an important role in promoting economic growth and recovery in the Asia-Pacific region and globally as the APEC Chair in 2027, a key member of ASEAN, and a dynamic emerging economy. Regarding the Viet Nam RoK relations, the diplomat stressed that as each others third-largest trading partner, the two countries are strengthening cooperation towards the bilateral trade target of $150 billion by 2030. In addition, the RoK continues to consolidate its position as Viet Nams largest investor, with more than 10,000 Korean enterprises contributing to job creation and fast economic growth in Viet Nam. He also highlighted the expanding partnerships in climate change response, green growth, renewable energy, and digital transformation. According to the ambassador, Viet Nam will chair APEC activities in 2027, following its successful hostings in 2006 and 2017, a testament to its substantial contributions to peace and shared prosperity in the Asia-Pacific. This year, it has also been an active participant in the APEC ministerial meetings on trade, finance, and food security. The 3rd APEC Business Advisory Council Meeting, held in Hai Phong City in July and attended by President Luong Cuong, further underscored Viet Nams strong engagement. Viet Nam continues to drive regional economic growth and recovery despite global uncertainties, Choi said, adding that its active participation and solid economic performance will meaningfully contribute to the APEC Leaders Week and further reinforce cohesion among member economies. VNA/VNS By Thu Hien & Huynh Anh CAN THO Women in the Mekong Delta, among those most vulnerable to climate change, are proving to be resilient innovators, turning native products into thriving businesses that secure livelihoods and drive the regions sustainable economic growth. As consumers increasingly favour eco-friendly and safe products, new opportunities have opened for women entrepreneurs across the Mekong Delta. Their business models, rooted in local specialties and aligned with sustainable, organic, circular and green agriculture, are showing how adaptation can lead to prosperity. Building prosperity from homeland treasures In Thuan Hoa Commune of Can Tho City, Truong Thi Bach Thuy, Director of the Thuy Tuyet Rattan and Bamboo Cooperative, started her own business by reviving and modernising traditional weaving, a craft passed down through three generations in her Khmer family. For Thuy, every basket, tray or fish trap embodies her ethnic heritage. But she wanted more than to preserve tradition. She wanted to innovate. Collaborating with local artisans and craftspeople, she developed new designs suited to market demand: pen boxes, decorative items, trays, tables and chairs made entirely from bamboo and rattan. Thanks to this creativity, products from her 100-year-old craft village are now found in restaurants and hotels across the region. The cooperative produces several thousand items each month, earning more than VN1 billion (around US$40,000) in annual revenue. More importantly, Thuys success has inspired many local women to join. Her cooperative now provides stable jobs for 32 members and over 60 women in neighbouring areas, each earning about VN45 million ($160200) per month. Her efforts have been recognised nationally. The cooperative won the Special Prize at the Southern Womens Entrepreneurship Contest and First Prize at the National Womens Startup Ideas Competition organised by the Viet Nam Womens Union. At the southernmost tip in Ca Mau Province, rich mangrove ecosystems produce unique aquatic resources, including the ba khia, a small mangrove crab beloved by locals. This humble creature inspired Tran Thi Xa, Director of the am Doi Ba Khia Cooperative, to launch her own specialty brand with her husband. From a modest home business, Xa turned the once rustic ba khia into an One Commune One Product (OCOP)-certified specialty with a stable market presence. After nearly seven years of operation, the cooperative now has 10 members and uses modern equipment and production lines. Xas product range has expanded impressively, from frozen and marinated crabs to crab paste and ready-to-eat seasoned varieties such as sweet-sour and salted-fish sauce ba khia. Today, the cooperative boasts four 4-star and two 3-star OCOP-certified products, generating local jobs and income for hundreds of workers. For Xa, success means more than profit. It is about harnessing the Deltas natural abundance, applying technology, and elevating local identity through sustainable entrepreneurship. In Vinh Long Province, Thach Thi Chal Thi, Director of Sokfarm Co., Ltd., has taken local resources to the global stage. 'Sokfarm,' meaning 'happy agriculture' in Khmer, started with a single product: coconut flower nectar. It has since expanded to include coconut blossom sugar, soy sauce and vinegar. These innovative products have reached demanding markets such as the United States, Europe and Japan. Thi recalls that during periods of drought and saltwater intrusion, local coconut yields fell sharply. Drawing on her background in food technology, she and her husband turned adversity into opportunity, creating an entire value chain around coconut nectar under the Sokfarm brand. Their model links farmers, producers and processors, helping the coconut-growing community overcome environmental challenges while maximising the value of their local resource, the iconic Vinh Long coconut tree. In Tri Ton District of An Giang Province, CEO of Palmania JSC Chau Ngoc Diu found her entrepreneurial inspiration in the towering palmyra palms that grow wild across the region and take up to 25 years to mature. With a vision to promote community health and preserve Khmer traditional craft, Diu established Palmania using careful and safe production methods. Her Palmania palm sugar is now the first Vietnamese palm sugar brand to earn organic certification under European, US and Canadian standards. Diu also became the first Vietnamese entrepreneur to bring An Giangs palm sugar to international markets. Spreading the spirit of entrepreneurship Deputy Director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in the Mekong Delta Nguyen Thi Thuong Linh emphasised that 'to survive is to adapt.' From this spirit of adaptation, many creative models have emerged, symbolising womens resilience amid climate change. Chairwoman of the Can Tho Province Womens Union Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh added that the entrepreneurial spirit has spread strongly among women, forming networks that support sustainable economic growth. Many of these initiatives draw on local strengths such as traditional cuisine, eco-friendly farming, organic agriculture, handicrafts and community tourism, preserving cultural identity while promoting rural development and new-style countryside building. In Ca Mau Province alone, the Womens Union now has over 327,000 members, representing 78.5 per cent of all women in the province. According to Vice Chairwoman of the Ca Mau Provincial Womens Union Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy, the startup movement and collective economic models have created jobs for many women, from handicrafts and sewing to seafood processing, earning them between VN2.5 and 7 million per month. Thuy stressed that to further empower women economically, policy support plays a crucial role. The Government has launched initiatives specifically for women, including the National Project 939 on supporting women startups during 20172025 and the Project on supporting women-managed cooperatives and job creation for women by 2030. According to Le Anh Tuan, senior lecturer at Can Tho University, social attitudes toward women, particularly women entrepreneurs, have changed significantly in recent years. Many social and non-governmental organisations now run programmes that prioritise women, helping them raise awareness, gain access to information, receive preferential credit and acquire vocational training. These, he said, are crucial foundations behind the growing number of successful women-led startup models in the Mekong Delta. Linh, Deputy Director of VCCI in the Mekong Delta, noted that through policies related to climate change, agriculture and womens entrepreneurship, many women in the region have demonstrated a sharp ability to recognise agricultural advantages and local potential as opportunities for business development. However, Linh also pointed out that most policies are national in scope, not tailored specifically for women in the Mekong Delta. Therefore, in such a challenging environment, the success of female entrepreneurs in the region depends not only on external policy support but, above all, on their inner strength and self-reliance. That inner strength, Linh emphasised, lies in changing mindsets, adapting to shifting weather and climate conditions, transforming cultivation practices, and embracing new technologies to create higher-quality, higher-value agricultural products. With the right policies and the companionship of organisations and experts, they said, women in the Mekong Delta can confidently start their own businesses and take the lead in building a green, sustainable and climate-resilient economy for Viet Nam. VNS HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha signed an official dispatch on Monday, asking ministries, sectors, and localities to launch emergency response efforts as severe flooding has battered the central region. The Governments call to action addresses local officials in Quang Tri Province, Hue City, a Nang City, and Quang Ngai Province, as well as relevant ministries, instructing them to drastically carry out measures to ensure safety for both vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. Chairpersons of the Peoples Committees of the localities must keep close tabs on and conduct thorough assessments of areas at risk of flash floods and landslides. Along with providing timely evacuations and adequate shelters for affected residents, they must arrange personnel to regulate traffic flows and deploy relief resources, especially in areas that may be isolated due to landslides and deluge. Due attention must be paid to providing food, water, medicine, and other essential supplies for flood-hit residents. The Government also called for prompt restoration of critical services once the floodwaters recede. Emergency efforts should focus on cleaning, disinfecting, and preventing the spread of diseases, along with rebuilding homes and supporting agricultural production. Authorities must also ensure that students can return to school safely and that health services are available to communities in need. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is responsible for overseeing flood forecasting, and ensuring the safety of fishing boats operating at sea, as well as the integrity of flood control infrastructure and agricultural production. In the meantime, the Ministry of Construction is in charge of directing efforts to protect roads and repair damaged ones, maintaining smooth and safe traffic flow in key transport routes. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is tasked with safeguarding hydroelectric dams, electrical system integrity, and industrial production while minimising flood damage. The ministries of National Defence and Public Security must be fully prepared to assist local authorities in evacuation efforts, disaster response, and search and rescue operations. Meanwhile, Viet Nam's major media outlets the Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam Television (VTV) and the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) are tasked with providing timely and accurate updates for the public, alongside guidance on how to manage flooding, landslides, and other natural hazards. The central region is currently experiencing intense rainfall, causing unprecedented flooding along the rivers in Hue and a Nang. According to Associate Professor Dr. Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, this extreme weather is due to a combination of cold front at low altitudes, a tropical convergence zone moving from the south, and moist easterly winds from one thousand five hundred to five thousand metres above sea level. Forecasts indicate that severe weather will persist through October 29, bringing heavy rainfall from Quang Tri to Quang Ngai provinces, with average precipitation ranging from two hundred to five hundred millimetres and even exceeding eight hundred millimetres in several areas. VNA/VNS HA NOI The Viet Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the Ministry of National Defence on Monday launched a training course on United Nations peacekeeping operations for female military officers, with support from UN Women and Australia. The course, which will run until November 14 at the departments headquarters in Ha Noi, is designed to provide fundamental knowledge and professional skills in UN peacekeeping for female officers from the Viet Nam Peoples Army and several other UN member countries. It aims to help them prepare for deployment to UN peacekeeping missions while promoting womens full, equal and meaningful participation in global peace operations a key goal of the United Nations. The training also reflects Viet Nams growing cooperation in UN peacekeeping with international partners, including Australia, UN Women, the UN Integrated Training Service (ITS), and other participating nations. Thirty female officers from fifteen countries are taking part in the course. They will receive training in leadership, empowerment, and networking for women in UN peacekeeping operations, along with basic and advanced instruction on staff officer duties, situational exercises, and mission readiness. Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Viet Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said this is the first time UN Women, Australia, and Viet Nam have jointly held a specialised peacekeeping course for female officers from fifteen countries in the region and beyond. The event comes as Viet Nam deepens its engagement in UN peacekeeping activities, with an increasing number of well-trained and capable female officers joining missions. This demonstrates Viet Nams strong commitment to and support for the UNs Women, Peace and Security Agenda, he said. Australian Deputy Ambassador to Viet Nam Renee Deschamps highlighted the course as a strong example of the growing partnership between Australia and Viet Nam under their bilateral Peacekeeping Partnership Agreement. She emphasised that womens participation is vital to peace and security worldwide, saying the training would empower female officers, enhance their professional capacity, and better prepare them to address current and future security challenges. UN Women Representative in Viet Nam Caroline Nyamayemombe noted that peacekeeping was traditionally a male-dominated field, but the active participation of female officers shows a positive shift toward inclusion and effectiveness. VNA/VNS Actress Park Bo Young went viral for her heartfelt reaction to BIGBANG member G-Dragon, after he delivered his emotional acceptance speech during the 16th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards. As reported by Koreaboo, G-Dragon became history at the ceremony for being the youngest individual in the world to have been given the Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit, which is among South Korea's highest awards bestowed on those who have made huge contributions to the development of Korean popular culture and the worldwide spread of Hallyu. During his acceptance speech, G-Dragon urged fans and artists to not give up despite setbacks, a message that resonated with both celebrities and audience alike. Park Bo Young shared her initial reaction, voicing how much she was touched by the speech of her senior artist. READ MORE: Park Bo Young Reportedly Left Out of 'Love Your W' Party Netizens Shocked by the Alleged Reason "Hehe, it was meaningful to listen to the seniors' acceptance speeches, and it allowed me to reflect on myself," she said. "I was startled because I always tell people not to dream but to sleep well, but G-Dragon told us to have sweet dreams because those dreams could come true. And it's good to have sweet dreams!" Her reply went viral on social media in a short while, with numerous fans commending both artists for their genuineness and positivity. On Nate Pann, K-netizens were impressed with the pure interaction between the two celebrities. One of the users commented, "A pretty person reacts to pretty words." Another added, "He really does have a way with words, saying that even if the dreams don't become a reality, it's nice to have sweet dreams, so everyone should dream." Others injected emotional reactions, including, "I hope we can listen to his stories someday off stage," and "I'm getting teary-eyed. He seems like such a good person. I'm glad someone like him is a top celebrity." Park Bo Young's meeting with G-Dragon provided a rare and instructive moment in Korean pop culture, one in which artists supported each other while assuring the audience of hope and dreams. READ MORE: Park Bo Young Begged to Decline Role in Scandal-Plagued Variety Show A NANG Twenty-eight lowland and mountainous areas in the central city have been submerged under floodwaters ranging from 20cm to 2.24m, or face the risk of landslides, as rainfall is forecast to reach 150mm to 300mm on October 2930. More than 1,000 households, totalling 3,572 residents in 14 rural mountainous villages, were evacuated from erosion-threatened sites to safe locations on the night of October 27, according to the citys Storm and Flood Prevention Centre. Military and public security rescue forces were mobilised to support local communities in areas at high risk of floods and landslides in Tra My and Thuong uc communes, it said. A 2km-long crack was found on a mountainside in Tra Van Commune, while nine eroded sites were identified along main sections of National Roads 40B and 14B. Floodwater levels in the main rivers have remained above alert level 3, according to the latest report released at 9am on October 28. A rescue vessel from the city-based Maritime Co-ordination and Rescue Centre No 2 (MRCC2) successfully rescued an ill fisherman from a boat operating 200 nautical miles off the coast of Quy Nhon. The centre said the sailor on the Quang Ngai-based vessel (QNg 90459TS) received first aid before being taken to Quy Nhon General Hospital for treatment early on October 28. MRCC2 also said port authorities in a Nang and Hue had rescued eight sailors from a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Hue City on October 27. The vessel, which was carrying 5,900 tonnes of cement, sank due to high waves and heavy rain. Boats have been used for transport and logistics services among villagers living along the Hoai River banks, where floodwater has remained at 2.2m. VNS HA NOI Experts gathered on October 28 to discuss measures to strengthen rabies prevention and promote the gradual transition of dog and cat meat trade activities in Ha Noi. The conference was jointly organised by the Ha Noi Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry, Aquaculture and Veterinary Medicine under the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, in collaboration with the Soi Dog Foundation and Vietnam Social and Behaviour Change Communication for Sustainable Development Company (SBCC Vietnam). The event is part of the project 'Pilot model for Rabies prevention and Sustainable economic development phased-transition of dog and cat meat trade activities in selected areas of Ha Noi,' approved by the City Peoples Committee on July 24, 2025. The project aims to implement the National Target Programme for Zero Human Rabies Deaths by 2030, while enhancing management capacity, improving disease control and gradually adopting animal welfare standards in line with international practices. Director of the Hanoi Sub-Department of Animal Husbandry, Aquaculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nguyen inh ang, said: "This is one of the concrete activities demonstrating the sector's efforts in protecting community health and ensuring animal welfare. We expect that by enhancing capacity for grassroots staff, rabies prevention and control work will be implemented more effectively, while gradually supporting the transition away from dog and cat meat trading activities." At the conference, attendees received updated information and technical guidance on rabies exposure management and animal vaccination techniques. Discussions also focused on inter-sectoral cooperation experience in disease prevention and control. Key topics included state management of rabies prevention and control, strengthening inter-sectoral coordination in regulating animal and animal product trading and transportation, and assessing the link between dog and cat trading and slaughtering with rabies transmission risks. Strategies were also explored to achieve 'Zero human rabies deaths by 2030' alongside communication solutions and livelihood transition support for dog and cat meat business owners and operators. Beyond rabies prevention and control, the conference also focused on behaviour change communication solutions and sustainable livelihood transition for dog and cat meat trading and slaughtering facility owners. Rahul Sehgal, International Communications Director of the Soi Dog Foundation, said: "We hope to support livelihood transition programmes for those currently involved in dog and cat trading and slaughtering activities. Through education campaigns and awareness raising, we hope to contribute to promoting responsible pet ownership and reducing consumption demand, creating sustainable economic development solutions that benefit both people and animals." Ms Bui Thi Duyen, Director of SBCC Vietnam social enterprise, shared: "Sustainable change requires a fundamental transformation in awareness and behaviour across all social strata. Our social enterprise aims to develop campaigns appropriate to local culture, creating conditions for people to actively participate in building a safer and more humane Ha Noi." The conference was designed to equip participating staff with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement solutions that can improve community health, animal welfare, and the quality of life for Ha Noi residents. In the coming period, activities will focus on expanding the programme and promoting inter-sectoral cooperation across all pilot areas, with the aim of building a network of safe communities that can serve as a reference model for other cities in Viet Nam. According to data from Viet Nam's Animal Health Information System (VAHIS), from the beginning of the year to date, rabies has been recorded in 157 communes across 24 provinces and cities, with a total of 323 dogs and cats culled. Regarding human rabies, reports from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology show that as of September 8, 2025, the country has recorded 57 suspected cases or deaths from rabies in 18 provinces and cities. These figures indicate that the rabies situation remains complex and requires more synchronised and effective intervention measures in the coming period. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam has appreciated the strong support and solidarity from international partners and diplomatic missions in helping local communities recover from the recent devastation caused by Typhoons Bualoi and Matmo, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep. At the recognition ceremony held by the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership (DRRP) in Ha Noi on October 28, Deputy Minister Hiep stressed that the assistance not only met the relief needs but also played an important role in recovery and reconstruction. Besides, preparedness and resilience-building are also essential to safeguard lives and livelihoods sustainably. The international aid has reached typhoon-hit residents, Hiep said, adding huge workload needs to be completed in the next six months to restore production and return daility life to normal. He expressed his hope that ambassadors and heads of international organisations will share experience and strengthen cooperation to help Viet Nam improve its disaster resilience amidst unprecedented extreme weather patterns. UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam Pauline Tamesis stressed that disaster risk reduction partners have joined Viet Nams recovery efforts, focusing on clean water, environmental sanitation, housing, and people's livelihoods. They have committed to accompanying the country to support vulnerable people, ensuring that no one is left behind. Foreign ambassadors, including those of Australia, the Republic of Korea, the US, Ireland, Singapore and Canada, as well as representatives from the European Union, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the UN, and other international organisations pledged continued support for vulnerable groups as well as close coordination to ensure timely aid delivery. Over the recent past, the embassies and foreign organiastions have provided or pledged about US$9.7 million in assistance to localities hit by the two typhoons, with $7.1 million in cash and $2.5 million in kind. Contributing partners include JICA, the Governments of Australia and Singapore, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre), UNICEF, the International Organizsation for Migration (IOM), Save the Children, ActionAid, Samaritans Purse, Tzu Chi Foundation (Taiwan, China), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and WWF Vietnam. Their emergency relief packages included cash aid, agricultural livelihood support, bottled water, blankets, water containers, hygiene kits, household supplies, cooking utensils, and learning tools for affected families in northern and central localities, including Lao Cai, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Ha Noi, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh. VNA/VNS A NANG The a Nang administration on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for transport infrastructure after days of heavy rain caused severe flooding and landslides across the central city. At an emergency meeting on disaster response the same day, chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Pham uc An ordered relevant departments to immediately allocate VN10 billion (around US$380,000) to the citys Construction Department and local communes to begin clearing debris and reopening key transport routes badly damaged by floods and landslides, particularly arterial roads. The official warned that many hillsides are waterlogged and at risk of further collapse, urging rescue and repair teams to proceed with caution to avoid accidents during clearance operations. He directed local authorities to prepare contingency plans for worsening weather and ensure prompt responses if rainfall intensifies. He also called for a review of afforestation and land management practices, noting that areas planted with acacia trees have suffered heavy erosion. He requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to propose more resilient crops such as medicinal plants and large timber trees, and to support affected forest growers. An further instructed relevant departments to develop resettlement plans for residents in landslide-vulnerable zones and to expedite relocation to safer areas. He praised local officials for their proactive response, particularly efforts to evacuate residents from danger zones and ensure sufficient food, shelter, and supplies for affected families, in line with Viet Nam's four-on-the-spot principle local leadership, manpower, logistics, and resources. According to the a Nang Civil Defence Steering Committee, as of Tuesday afternoon, several communes and wards were submerged after consecutive days of heavy rain, with more than 65,000 households affected. Over 1,400 households with 5,600 residents have been evacuated. Infrastructure damage has been extensive, with nearly 1,900m of roads destroyed. Arteries including the Ho Chi Minh Road and National Highways 40B, 14E, 14H, 24C, and 1A have suffered multiple landslide and flooding points, cutting off traffic and isolating several residential areas. Also on Tuesday, a delegation from the Military Region 5 Command, led by Colonel Phan ai Nghia, Deputy Commander and Chief of the Staff, inspected flood response efforts in a Nang. During field visits to Ngu Hanh Son and ien Ban wards, Nghia ordered all military units stationed in the region to remain on full alert and stay ready around the clock for rescue operations. He also instructed units to assist residents in moving valuable belongings and evacuating from areas at risk of deep flooding or landslides, and to coordinate closely with local governments to provide essentials, ensuring that no residents are left hungry or cold, especially in isolated areas. Military Region 5 will continue working closely with the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, and local authorities to intensify flood response operations, prioritising the evacuation of residents in a Nang and neighbouring Quang Ngai Province. It has also prepared logistics, food supplies, and manpower to support post-flood recovery, with the goal of minimising loss of life and property, Nghia said. VNA/VNS KUALA LUMPUR Viet Nam and Russia have agreed to develop a railway project linking the two countries via China and Mongolia to strengthen transport connectivity and expand regional economic cooperation. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk announced the plan at a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Under the agreement, transport enterprises of Russia, Viet Nam, and China will orchestrate concrete steps for the development of the railway in 2025. Financial issues will be settled through coordination between specialised agencies and the private economic sector. Viet Nam signed a technical support agreement with China, while Russias FESCO Transportation Group plans to increase direct cargo train frequency to a record six trips per month, two for import and four for export. Overchuk described Viet Nam as a time-honoured and trustworthy partner of Russia, affirming that cooperation with the Southeast Asian country is a leading priority of Russia. The line, stretching more than 2,200km, will mostly handle exports from Russias Tuva region, Mongolia, and southern China. Along with bringing economic value, the project holds strategic importance as it is expected to strengthen Russias position in the Eurasian transport network while providing Viet Nam with opportunities to expand its logistics infrastructure and seaport system. Experts said that this is a key project of the Eurasian region in the near future. Capital mobilisation and human resources exchange are being carried out in tandem with technical assessments. If the line is completed on schedule, it will reshape regional trading routes, bolster economic ties, and provide an effective alternative to traditional maritime shipping routes. VNA/VNS PHNOM PENH As the current crackdown on online scams gains momentum, Cambodia and South Korea have shared plans to establish a joint task force next month which will enhance cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both nations on crimes involving Korean nationals. This move follows a recent collaboration between Cambodian authorities and their South Korean counterparts in suppressing online fraud and rescuing South Korean victims in Cambodia, an effort intensified by the death of a Korean citizen in August. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung today, October 27, in Malaysia. The two leaders discussed the issue and their broader bilateral cooperation, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2024. We also discussed the fight against cross-border crime, especially the fight against technology-based fraud, Manet explained, via social media. We highlighted the many years of cooperation between Cambodian and Korean authorities, which has already yielded many fruitful results, he added. He said that Cambodia and South Korea will continue to strengthen joint cooperation to prevent, suppress and combat crimes involving Korean nationals in Cambodia more effectively, with the goal of maintaining security and public order. A Cambodia-Korea joint ad-hoc working group will be established in November to increase cooperation between the law enforcement of the two countries in combating crimes involving Korean nationals in Cambodia, including technology-based scams, he explained. Following the death of a Korean citizen at the hands of a Chinese online scam syndicate, South Korea has increased its efforts to crack down on and prevent this type of crime, in cooperation with Cambodian authorities. Under this partnership, more than 60 Korean nationals have been repatriated to face legal action in their home country, while authorities arrested nearly 60 others last week. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on October 27 that the death of the 22-year-old Korean national remains a sensitive topic in Korea, prompting the Korean government to send officials to work with Cambodia on this matter. The Phnom Penh Post/ANN BEIJING Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, expressing hope that both sides would meet each other halfway to make good preparations for high-level exchanges, and create conditions for the development of bilateral ties. Wang emphasised that President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump are both world-class leaders who have maintained long-term exchanges and share mutual respect, which Wang said has been the most valuable strategic asset for China-US relations. The phone conversation came three days ahead of Xis trip to the Republic of Korea to attend the 32nd Economic Leaders Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that the head-of-state diplomacy has played an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations. Since Trump took office this year, Xi has had three phone conversations with him in January, June and September. Wang also underscored the broader significance of the China-US relationship, saying that it has a bearing on the trajectory of the world. A sound, stable and sustainable bilateral relationship serves the long-term interests of both nations and meets the common expectations of the international community, he added. Wang noted that economic and trade relations between the worlds two largest economies had recently encountered new challenges. Beijing and Washington on Sunday concluded two days of economic and trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, which was the fifth round of dialogues since May. Wang said the two sides used the Kuala Lumpur talks to clarify their respective positions, enhance mutual understanding and reached a framework consensus on addressing the most pressing trade issues on an equal footing. This once again shows that as long as both sides faithfully implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, uphold the principles of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, and resolve differences through dialogue rather than pressure, it is possible to stabilise and move bilateral relations forward, Wang was quoted as saying in a press release. For his part, Rubio said that the US-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. He expressed the hope that through high-level interactions, both sides could send a positive signal to the international community. China Daily/ANN As international markets tighten technical barriers and prioritise sustainability standards, Vietnamese agricultural exporters are facing unprecedented challenges. In this shifting trade landscape, adopting green and sustainable business models has moved from being an option to an imperative. From September 3-5, the GEVA project organised an intensive Sustainable Green Export training programme in Ben Tre city, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the export readiness of enterprises and cooperatives across the Mekong Delta. The programme aimed to help local businesses integrate global sustainability standards with their unique regional strengths, setting a new direction for value creation and global competitiveness. Linking local agricultural strengths with sustainability standards The training brought together enterprises from multiple Mekong Delta provinces, representing key industries such as agriculture, food processing, aquaculture, fruit production, and handicrafts. These sectors hold enormous export potential, yet they are increasingly challenged by the growing sustainability and traceability requirements imposed by global markets such as the EU and the United States. Designed with strong practical orientation, the programme provided a comprehensive framework for businesses to understand, assess, and apply environmental, social, and governance principles and Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS). Participants were equipped with self-assessment tools to measure their green readiness, identify strengths and gaps, and build actionable roadmaps towards sustainable export practices. A key highlight of the programme was its focus on connecting VSS compliance with the distinctive agricultural strengths of the Mekong Delta. According to multiple FAO studies, leveraging regional specialities such as Ben Tres green pomelo, Hoa Loc mango, Soc Trang fragrant rice, or Ca Mau shrimp alongside sustainability certification can significantly increase product value and enhance national branding in the global marketplace. International organisations have consistently emphasised that VSS adoption not only leads to higher product value but also improves market access, strengthens consumer trust, and fosters sustainable local development. For the Mekong Delta one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change this approach offers a dual benefit: economic growth aligned with ecological preservation. Sustainability as investment, not cost The younger generation of consumers, who are deeply aware of sustainability and green consumption, are driving global markets towards higher environmental and social standards, said Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh, CEO of KisStartup. Young consumers are willing to pay for sustainably certified products, pushing global brands to demand the same from their suppliers. For Vietnamese exporters, ignoring this trend and neglecting VSS integration would mean being left out of international supply chains, she added. Through interactive sessions and real-world exercises, the programme encouraged participants to view sustainability not as a compliance burden but as a long-term investment in competitiveness and resilience. Businesses learned how to tell their green stories effectively, aligning with seven key global consumer trends currently reshaping buying behaviour. One of the most engaging parts of the training was the field trip to the Ben Tre Green Pomelo Cooperative, where participants observed firsthand how sustainable production models are implemented in practice. The visit offered valuable insights into traceability systems, quality management, and social responsibility in action. Discussions with cooperative representatives revealed how local farmers transformed challenges into opportunities by integrating sustainability standards and building brand equity through community-based, environmentally responsible farming. The session also introduced digital tools and AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity as smart assistants to help businesses improve communication, storytelling, and marketing efficiency while maintaining cost-effectiveness. Strengthening collaboration for a green transition The training concluded with the signing of a MoU between Nguyen Dang Tuan Minh, CEO of KisStartup, and Nguyen Khac Han, director of the CSAT Ben Tre Project Management Unit. The agreement marks a strategic commitment to bringing practical training and capacity-building solutions closer to local enterprises, reinforcing a shared vision for sustainable, green export growth. While the training programme has officially concluded, it represents only the beginning of a broader journey. In the next phase, the GEVA project will continue to nurture and accelerate enterprises through tailored support courses from VSS implementation and brand development to sustainable market linkages. For Mekong Delta enterprises, the path towards green exports is no longer a distant concept but a tangible direction, one that blends local identity, environmental responsibility, and global opportunity. Voluntary Sustainability Standards: From compliance burden to competitive advantage As sustainability becomes a defining theme in global trade, Vietnamese businesses are increasingly exposed to the growing influence of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS). Sustainability standards reshaping Vietnams trade landscape As global markets tighten technical barriers and impose stricter sustainability standards, Vietnamese agricultural exporters are finding themselves at a critical crossroads. Intel plans to expand its operations in Vietnam "The shifting plan is to enhance its efficiency and competitiveness. Intel Products Vietnam (IPV) expects local authorities to help with equipment operation licensing and ensure air freight security during the import of production lines to the Saigon Hi-Tech Park, where the facility is located," said Kenneth Tse, general director of IPV, at a meeting on October 24 with Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee Nguyen Van Duoc. Earlier this month, Intel began recruiting additional staff in Vietnam through the end of 2025, mainly production technicians. IPV said the move is part of efforts to prepare its workforce for manufacturing expansion. However, the number of new staff or the timeline for the new production lines to begin operation has not been disclosed. The plant in Vietnam is Intels largest assembly and testing facility, accounting for more than half of its global output and employing over 6,000 workers. The facility has adopted new technologies, including Intels most advanced 18A chip line. After nearly 20 years of operation in Vietnam, it has exported more than four billion units, contributing over $100 billion to Vietnams export turnover as of the second quarter this year. Intels presence at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park stands out as a highlight in attracting high-quality foreign investment, creating jobs, and fostering the spread of scientific, technological, and innovation capabilities across Vietnam, said Duoc. The city wants to attract high-quality external resources, particularly capital, technology, advanced management, and expertise from leading global corporations such as Intel, he added. WIPO director general to visit Vietnam Director general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Daren Tang will visit Vietnam on September 25-26 at the invitation of the Ministry of Science and Technology, aiming to expand cooperation in the field of intellectual property and innovation. NVIDIA explores path to sovereign AI for Vietnam AI is making advancements across the globe and across industries, creating impacts that will last across time. Vietnam, WIPO sign cooperation agreement to promote IP commercialisation The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam have signed an MoU on comprehensive cooperation in intellectual property (IP). On October 28, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in partnership with the Embassy of Canada in Vietnam, introduced the 'ThinkB4UClick' initiative to promote safe migration and digital resilience among young people. Nearly 300 participants including university students, digital practitioners, and members of the IOM Youth Network joined the hybrid event to explore how critical thinking and online safety can help counter cyber-enabled crimes and trafficking risks. Kendra Rinas, Chief of Mission of IOM in Vietnam The training featured data-driven insights, scenario-based exercises, and social media campaign planning, all designed to cultivate a new generation of digital guardians. The event served as a platform to spotlight emerging trafficking trends and foster international cooperation. It encouragd the strategic use of social media and technology to raise awareness about tactics employed by trafficking networks, while reaffirming the importance of victim-centred approaches. Participants underscored the vital role of youth as agents of change in the fight against human trafficking. According to an IOM report on trafficking and online scamming centres, the number of victims forced into criminal activities that have been supported by IOM in Southeast Asia has more than tripled, from 296 in 2022 to 1,093 so far in 2025. Research by IOM also reveals that half of these victims are high school graduates and the other half are university graduates. They were lured through fake job offers, with many being young, educated individuals deceived into conducting cyber scams for criminal networks. "Trafficking in persons doesnt just happen through physical contact, it is increasingly online and complex," said Kendra Rinas, Chief of Mission at IOM Vietnam. "With Vietnams 22 million young people increasingly connected online, empowering them to think critically, stay safe, and speak out against exploitation is one of the most effective ways to counter trafficking in persons," she added. Vietnam has seen a surge in digital kidnapping scams in recent years, where perpetrators use AI-generated voice deepfakes, impersonate authorities, and isolate victims from their support networks. These alarming trends highlight the urgent need for digital literacy, not just as a technical skill, but as a critical mindset to detect deception and make informed decisions. "Digital literacy is no longer a luxury, its a shield," said H.E. Jim Nickel, Ambassador of Canada to Vietnam. "With over 50 per cent of traffickers now recruiting online, teaching young people to think before they click can mean the difference between safety and exploitation. Canadas support for the ThinkB4UClick initiative reflects our belief in youth-led prevention. When youth speak in their own voice, we build digital ecosystems that protect dignity, rights, and opportunity." Following the training, participants will launch a youth-led digital campaign to reach hundreds of peers nationwide. Using platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Zalo, and Instagram, they will create accessible and relatable content to raise awareness about online risks, promote safe migration pathways, and foster digital responsibility. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the Trump administration's strikes against alleged drug boats over the past weeks, most recently off the Colombian coast in the Pacific. "We do not agree, there are international laws about the way to operate on the alleged transportation of illegal drugs or weapons in international waters. We have told this to the U.S. government and publicly," Sheinbaum said. The Trump administration has conducted at least nine strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The most recent one took place on Wednesday, in which three people aboard the vessel were killed. Overall, 37 people have been killed by the strikes since the operation began last month. Moreover, the attack on Tuesday killed at least two people, widening the scope of the campaign to the Pacific as part of a broader effort to disrupt smuggling routes in the Caribbean and pressure Venezuela's government. According to a New York Times article published on October 14, traffickers have been shifting operations away from U.S. naval patrols, rerouting cocaine shipments through the Pacific and other less-monitored corridors. Regional officials confirmed to the NYT that the strikes have not eliminated drug trafficking but have instead pushed smugglers to adapt dividing shipments into smaller loads, concealing narcotics in food containers, or conducting sea transfers farther from monitored zones. On Sunday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. forces had destroyed another suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing three men allegedly linked to Colombia's National Liberation Army (E.L.N.), a Marxist insurgent group designated as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997. Hegseth described the groups targeted as "the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere," saying they would be "hunted and killed" like terrorists. The Pentagon has not released evidence linking the vessels to cartels or insurgent groups. However, Hegseth said the most recent Caribbean strike targeted "a vessel known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling" and traveling along a known trafficking route. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, on his end, is accusing Trump of using the strikes to interfere with the South American country's elections next year. "The magnitude of Trump's insults to Colombia and myself are no longer part of a strategy to target drug-traffickers, but to influence the Colombian elections next year, seeking the victory of the far right. They are actually likely to have ties to drug-trafficking but are obedient when it comes to accepting invasions," Petro said in a social media post, likely referring to the ongoing pressure on the Venezuelan regime, which according to different reports also seeks to oust authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro. Originally published on Latin Times On October 26 in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated Jaramillo on his recent appointment as World Bank vice president for the East Asia-Pacific region. He said, "With Jaramillos expertise and experience, the World Bank will continue to play an active role in Vietnams sustainable development and in deepening the long-standing partnership between the two sides." Vietnam is targeting economic growth of over 8 per cent in 2025, with GDP projected to reach $510 billion positioning the country as the worlds 32nd largest economy and per capita income of about $5,000. To support this next stage of development, PM Chinh emphasised, "Vietnam calls on the World Bank to enhance policy consultations, strengthen Vietnams global economic linkages, and expand resource mobilisation. We hope the bank will provide more preferential loans with streamlined procedures to accelerate project implementation." He further noted, "Hopefully, the World Bank continues to adopt innovative approaches and increases support for Vietnams priority initiatives, including the development of one million hectares of low-emission, high-quality rice in the Mekong Delta, as well as green transition efforts, participation in ASEANs clean power grid, climate resilience, subsidence prevention, and disaster mitigation." The PM added, "We would like to invite Jaramillo to visit Vietnam soon to discuss specific cooperation measures with relevant agencies." For his part, the World Bank vice president congratulated Vietnam on the occasion of the 80th National Day and highly praised and expressed his admiration for Vietnams efforts and achievements in socioeconomic development and in improving peoples livelihoods. Agreeing with PM Chinh's proposals, Jaramillo stated, "The World Bank will continue to work actively with Vietnam, accompanying and supporting the country in achieving its development goals." He added, "I wish to visit Vietnam soon to work directly with the relevant agencies to concretise the points discussed and agreed upon with the PM." World Bank forecasts Vietnams GDP growth to reach 6.6 per cent in 2025 Vietnam's GDP growth is forecast to reach 6.6 per cent in 2025, according to the latest report by the World Bank. World Bank support to boost flood resilience and connectivity in central Vietnam The World Bank has approved a project to strengthen flood protection and transport connectivity in Vietnam's central city of Danang and Gia Lai province. In Vietnam, Saint-Gobain is recognised as a pioneer in green building materials, providing certified solutions that comply with LEED, GreenMark, and LOTUS standards. The companys commitment to sustainability starts within its own operations. Its Hanoi office, certified LOTUS Gold by the Vietnam Green Building Council, exemplifies energy efficiency, acoustic comfort, and user wellbeing through the use of advanced insulation, soundproofing, and heat-reducing materials. Saint-Gobain supplied more than 10 types of green materials for the Lego factory, helping realise the groups first carbon-neutral facility in Vietnam This green mindset extends across Saint-Gobains construction partners in Vietnam. The country now counts 559 certified green buildings, double the number recorded in 2023. Its solutions are present in many of these, including the Lego factory in former Binh Duong province, the Pandora factory, Daikins headquarters, the C.P. Groups office building, and the Celesta Rise residential complex. At the Lego factory, located in what is now part of Ho Chi Minh City, the companys first carbon-neutral facility in Vietnam demonstrates its role in supporting sustainable industrial development. Saint-Gobain has contributed over 10 types of green materials across five solution systems: ceilings, partitions, roofing, framing, and HVAC ducts. Key products include Vinh Tuong moisture-resistant and fire-resistant gypsum boards, frames, DURAflex Low-Carbon cement boards, and more than 160,000 sq.m of glasswool and stonewool. These materials deliver measurable sustainability benefits. Vinh Tuong lightweight gypsum walls can reduce global warming potential by up to 79 per cent, while cutting 67 per cent in energy use and 81 per cent in water consumption compared to traditional brick walls. Isover glasswool, made from 59 per cent recycled content, enhances thermal and acoustic performance. The DURAflex Low-Carbon boards reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent compared with 2018 levels. Through a one-stop and multi-solution strategy, Saint-Gobain provides developers and contractors with an integrated suite of green materials from foundation to ceiling. About 70 per cent of its portfolio directly contributes to sustainability goals such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy, and protecting natural resources. The company also applies Life Cycle Assessments and issues Environmental Product Declarations to transparently measure and disclose the environmental impact of its products. All 10 Saint-Gobain factories in Vietnam operate under World Class Manufacturing standards, ensuring consistent quality, efficient production, and reliable supply for large-scale projects. According to Precedence Research, the global market for green building materials is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2034, nearly triple its current value. The share of green materials in total construction output is expected to rise from 37 per cent to 75 per cent, underscoring a worldwide shift towards environmentally responsible design and construction practices. The 53rd International Pepper Community (IPC) Annual Session, held under the theme Rejuvenating Pepper Trade: Innovation, Equity, and Regional Resilience , is bringing together industry associations and enterprises from the world's major pepper-producing, exporting, and consuming nations from October 28-29. For Vietnam, the recognition of Simexco Daklak highlights both the country's export achievements and its commitment to a sustainable spice trade. At the event, Simexco Daklak is showcasing activities that underline its leadership. Alongside its participation in the IPC session and the International Spice Exhibition, the company is receiving the award for Outstanding Pepper Exporter of 2024. It is also deepening connections with importers, distributors, and partners, while unveiling digital initiatives such as an interactive online factory tour and a system enabling international customers to trace products and track orders in real time. Beyond trade promotion, Simexco is working with global spice organisations to advance sustainability, farmer empowerment, and environmentally responsible production. The company was the first Vietnamese pepper exporter to gain Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade certification in 2009, launching traceability and compliance with Maximum Residue Limits in demanding markets including the EU, United States, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. This role as a sustainability pioneer has enabled Simexco to collaborate with leading global spice companies on projects promoting regenerative agriculture, carbon reduction, and resilient farming. Its consistent focus on quality and responsibility has shaped a unique advantage in Vietnam's spice industry. In August this year, after years of ranking among the top six, the company rose to become Vietnam's largest pepper exporter, a milestone now affirmed by the IPC award. Established in 1993, Simexco Daklak is wholly owned by Daklak Party Committee, with charter capital of VND315 billion ($12.6 million). Based in Buon Ma Thuot city, the firm is also among Vietnam's top three green coffee exporters, and is expanding into roasted and instant coffee products. Its three factories, Buon Ma Thuot, Binh Duong, and Hoa Phu, process up to 500 tonnes per day. In Daklak province, Simexco directly connects with over 40,000 coffee-farming household across 50,000 hectares. The company's financial results underscore its growth momentum. In the fiscal year 2024 (October 2023-September 2024), Simexco Daklak recorded consolidated revenue of VND9,401 billion ($376 million), up 38 per cent on-year, with after-tax profit exceeding VND85 billion ($3.4 million), a 24 per cent increase. National Assembly General Secretary Le Quang Manh National Assembly General Secretary Le Quang Manh made the announcement while presenting a report on the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection (2020) at a National Assembly meeting on October 28. This is among six urgent tasks Vietnam is targeting to complete by the end of 2026 to advance its environmental protection policy. He noted, The carbon credit exchange, a key step towards developing the national carbon market, will begin pilot operations by late next year, about one year later than the initial plan of 2025. A carbon market enables the trading of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission rights, allowing companies and organisations to purchase credits or emission quotas to offset their carbon emissions and meet voluntary or mandatory reduction targets. Sellers, meanwhile, are those with surplus allowances or who generate carbon credits through certified emission-reduction projects. Under the draft decree on the domestic carbon credit exchange, two products will be traded: emission quotas and carbon credits. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is also preparing a draft decree on international carbon credit and emission reduction trading, expected to be submitted to the government this year. During discussions at the National Assembly, Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, deputy director of Lao Cai Department of Science and Technology, urged Vietnam to put the carbon exchange into official operation to foster a green economy and achieve its net-zero goal by 2050 commitment. She emphasised the need for technical and financial support policies to help businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), participate in the market. Provinces with large forest coverage should be prioritised to join early. State policies should also encourage the development of special-use forests to both prevent natural disasters and create key carbon ecological zones, she said. Despite Vietnams favourable conditions to develop a carbon trading market, Ha Hong Hanh, deputy head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilisation Committee of Khanh Hoa province, pointed out several challenges. Currently, only two to three centres in the country are capable of conducting internationally accredited GHG inventories, and emission data in many sectors remain incomplete. This hampers the setting of emission quotas and verification of reduction outcomes, she said. She also noted that domestic firms currently have to sell their carbon credits through international intermediaries, which raises costs and reduces their actual benefits. Hanh proposed improving the legal framework, especially decrees governing carbon exchange operations and the allocation and trading of emission quotas, and called for a unified national database on GHG emissions connecting central agencies and enterprises. She further suggested, Financial support for SMEs is needed to cover auditing and registration costs, while pioneering emission-reducing businesses should receive incentives such as tax breaks or access to green credit. Beyond carbon market development, NA General Secretary Le Quang Manh said, Vietnam will issue and implement a National Action Plan on Air Pollution Control and Environmental Quality Management, and urgent measures to curb and mitigate air pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will be rolled out immediately. A real-time online GHG inventory information system will also be established to analyse and report emission data efficiently. By the end of 2026, a national environmental database will be fully operational and interconnected with national data systems, allowing real-time data sharing, she added. The supervisory delegation noted significant progress in environmental protection efforts. Three of the five targets set forth in 2025 have already been exceeded, including the rate of urban solid waste collected and treated to meet standards, the percentage of industrial zones with centralised wastewater treatment systems, and forest coverage. Major pollution sources are now closely monitored, preventing large-scale environmental incidents. However, the report also highlighted several ongoing issues. Environmental pollution remains a complex issue, particularly in major cities, where fine dust is a significant concern. Sometimes, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City rank among the most polluted urban areas globally. Infrastructure for environmental protection, especially for solid waste collection and treatment, remains outdated and insufficient. Only about 18 per cent of total urban wastewater is currently collected and treated. Nationwide, just 31.5 per cent of industrial clusters and 16.6 per cent of craft villages have invested in centralised wastewater treatment systems that meet environmental standards. Vietnam can exploit potential from carbon market With high forest cover and strong green carbon potential, Vietnam has the chance to expand in the global carbon market. Pham Hong Luong, deputy director of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, told VIRs Hoang Oanh how selling forest carbon credits generates revenue and strengthens forestrys role in green growth. Green finance tapped into via carbon arena The formation of a domestic carbon market and international connectivity opportunities have opened up a sustainable green finance channel to support Vietnam in achieving its green growth goals. The Vietnamese economy grew at a relatively high rate of 7.85 per cent on-year in the first nine months of this year. What is AMROs comment on this rate as compared to other regional countries economic performance? Anthony Tan, deputy group head and principal economist of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) based in Singapore. Source: amro-asia.org ASEAN+3 growth is projected at 4.1 per cent in 2025 and 3.8 per cent in 2026, revised upward from July reflecting robust H1 growth outturns and stronger than-expected export performance. Nevertheless, higher US tariffs are expected to weigh on external demand and dampen growth later in 2025 and into 2026. This marks a slowdown in ASEAN+3 growth from 4.3 per cent in 2024, with the deceleration sharper in ASEAN, where growth is projected to ease to 4.6 per cent in 2025 and 4.3 per cent in 2026, from 4.9 per cent in 2024. In this context, Vietnams growth is among the strongest in the ASEAN+3 region so far this year, surpassing market expectations. While most ASEAN+3 economies are expected to see a moderation in economic activity in the second half of 2025, the latest GDP print for the third quarter came as a positive surprise, highlighting Vietnams resilience, supported by solid export performance, robust domestic demand, and accommodative macroeconomic policies. AMRO predicts that Vietnam will grow 7.5 per cent this year before reducing to 6.4 per cent next year. What are the reasons behind this forecast decrease? The projected slowdown in growth in 2026 mainly reflects expectations of softer external demand, particularly from the US, as exporters front-loaded shipments to get ahead of potential US tariffs, especially for phones, computers, laptops, and electronic components. This created a strong but temporary surge in growth in 2025. As the impact of the tariffs takes hold, export activity is expected to moderate, leading to slower growth in 2026. Part of the growth slowdown in 2026 also reflects the waning impact of earlier supportive macroeconomic policies. The US has imposed a 20 per cent reciprocal tariff rate on Vietnamese exports and 40 per cent on transshipments. How will this impact Vietnamese economic growth this year and beyond? Given Vietnams export dependence on the US market, the imposition of tariffs could weigh on the economy in the short term: both directly, through reduced demand for Vietnamese exports in the US, and indirectly, via slower global growth. This demand shock could materialise in the form of production slowdowns, and in some sectors, job losses. In the longer term, Vietnam stands to gain from deeper intra-regional trade and investment by leveraging its competitive manufacturing sector, skilled workforce, and strong connectivity - factors that could drive productivity gains and facilitate the upgrading of its industrial base. The Vietnamese government has been focusing on reshuffling its administrative apparatus, together with reform of the financial sector. What aspects should take priority and why? Vietnams recent government reorganisation aims, among other objectives, to enhance administrative efficiency by streamlining ministries and agencies. Part of the reform agenda includes strengthening the financial sector by enhancing regulatory oversight and transparency, alongside modernising fiscal management to ensure more efficient and effective public spending. Together, these measures are expected to boost Vietnams competitiveness, attract trade and investment, improve public service delivery, and support sustainable economic growth. Vietnam often suffers from a budget deficit. How can it restructure revenues and spending, given the need for investing in public works? Vietnam has historically run budget deficits, but moderate deficits may not be necessarily alarming, especially when the borrowing finances productive public investment in infrastructure, education, and healthcare that supports economic growth. Managing deficits while meeting public investment needs require a mix of policy steps and initiatives. On the revenue side, the key strategies involve continuing to modernise the tax system in line with global best practices, broadening the tax base, and improving tax administration. On the expenditure side, priority should be given to improving spending efficiency to ensure the effective use of public funds. Organised by Singapore-based TNB Aura, Startup Wars began on August 18 and concluded with the Grand Finals in Jakarta on October 17. Unlike traditional startup contests where students pitch their own ideas, the competition required participants to assess real startups, analyse markets, and craft investment strategies replicating how venture capitalists (VCs) evaluate funding opportunities in the real world. Students competed for cash prizes up to $5,000, internship opportunities with VCs and startups across Southeast Asia, and mentorship from leading regional investors. A team of Vietnamese students from Foreign Trade University, named CapEm (Beauty), was among the winners at the Startup Wars Grand Finals. Additionally, the competition showcased the practical application of venture capital analysis through TNB Aura's portfolio companies, which represent successful outcomes of the same investment evaluation process students will learn. Featured companies include Vietnamese agritech firm TechCoop, which secured $70 million in funding, demonstrating the type of high-growth opportunities that emerge from rigorous market analysis. Supporting this regional initiative, Vietnam-based Do Ventures also joined as the competitions venture capital partner. This was the first time the venture capital case competition expanded to Vietnam along with other regional markets like Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. "Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem is thriving, but there's still limited exposure to venture capital thinking at the university level," said Vicknesh R Pillay, co-founder and managing partner of TNB Aura. "Startup Wars bridges this gap by giving students hands-on experience with the analytical frameworks and decision-making processes that drive successful venture investments across our region." Antler closes $72 million fund to double-down on Southeast Asia startups The early-stage venture capital firm Antler announced on August 13 the $72 million close of its second Southeast Asia fund, Antler SEA Fund II. ThinkZone launches fund for next-gen tech startups ThinkZone has announced the launch of Global Minds Fund I (GMFI), a venture capital fund that connects resources from Vietnams top entrepreneurs and corporations with the next generation of tech startups Consultant slams Welsh Government over Betsi Cadwaladr crisis A consultant heading a Facebook group started by retired doctors and nurses campaigning to end Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Boards A&E and beds crisis has slammed Welsh Government. Jonathan Osborne FRCS is a former ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and says Welsh Government is partly to blame for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board being stuck in special measures. In recent weeks, Mr Osborne has repeatedly taken aim at the health board, criticising long waiting times in A&E and the treatment of NHS staff. The head of the Facebook group believes the first step to tackling the problem is reinstating more community beds. But whilst Mr Osborne has been highly critical of Betsi Cadwaladr, he has also weighed in on Welsh Government. North Wales is full of nightmare stories about health care. Whether its a 24-hour wait to be admitted from an accident and emergency department or a two-year wait for surgery, everyone knows someone who has been affected, he said. Many people, especially the elderly, are afraid of attending hospital, particularly the A&E department, for fear of deteriorating further whilst sitting upright in a hard chair when they feel ill. The most recent figures for Betsi Cadwaladr still show it is the worst-performing health board in Wales, and the trend continues to spiral downwards. The chairman of Betsi recently highlighted this at a public meeting of the board. He admitted that the board was letting the people of North Wales down and called for leadership. So what is going on when a health board that has been in Welsh Government special measures for such a long time sees all aspects of its service worsen? He went on: When the health minister (Jeremy Miles MS) is asked, he merely says in so many words that he had provided the money, so it is the health boards problem. So much for the value of the so called special measures from Welsh Government that just seem to pass the buck back to a failing health board rather than provide a well-devised rescue package and the leadership, support, and advice that should be expected of our devolved government. A Welsh Government spokesman said: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board remains at the highest level of escalation level 5 or special measures. While it has put in some important building blocks to become a sustainable NHS organisation, significant improvements are needed to improve planned and emergency care services. We continue to provide support and challenge to the health board as it works to improve services for people living in North Wales. On behalf of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, chairman Dyfed Edwards said both he and the chief executive had met with the campaign group. Mr Edwards said the groups concerns had been discussed in detail. He added: We value the opportunity to engage constructively and to listen to the views of others. You can join the Beds Facebook page and sign the petition here. By Richard Evans BBC Local Democracy Reporter Health chiefs urge hospital visitors to keep hands clean this winter Health bosses in North Wales are reminding hospital visitors to keep up good hand hygiene this winter to help stop the spread of flu, COVID-19, and other seasonal viruses. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board says simple steps like washing or sanitising hands when entering and leaving wards can make a big difference in protecting vulnerable patients and easing pressure on hospitals during the colder months. The reminder comes as hospitals across the region prepare for increased winter pressures, with rising cases of flu and COVID-19 putting added strain on services. Last week Public Health Wales warned that the flu season has started earlier, with the latest surveillance data from GPs, hospital testing and confirmed outbreaks in different settings, shows that influenza activity is already increasing . Research shows that most people touch their face up to 20 times an hour often without realising giving viruses a chance to enter the body through the eyes, nose or mouth. Every touch provides an opportunity for viruses to enter the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth or to be spread to others through contact with surfaces. However proper hand washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds significantly reduces the chance of passing on germs and can cut the risk of respiratory infections by up to 20%. Visitors are being reminded to: Wash or sanitise hands when entering and leaving hospital wards or departments. Stay away if youre feeling unwell, especially if you have cold, flu, or stomach symptoms. Help protect vulnerable and elderly patients by following infection prevention guidance. Clinical Service Lead for Infection Prevention at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Dafydd Williams said: Hand hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop infections spreading. Every winter, we see an increase in respiratory illnesses, and by taking small steps like washing your hands regularly, you can make a big difference. Were asking everyone to do their bit please dont visit if youre feeling unwell, use the sanitising stations provided, and avoid sitting on beds. Its about keeping our patients safe, particularly those who are more vulnerable to serious illness. For more information on how to protect yourself and others from winter viruses, visit the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board website. A federal judge in Boston has challenged the Trump administration's argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown. During a hearing over a request by 25 Democratic-led states, including Nevada, to keep the funding rolling, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani told lawyers that if the government can't afford to cover the program, there's a process to follow rather than simply suspending all benefits. The steps involve finding an equitable way of reducing benefits," said Talwani, who was nominated to the court by former President Barack Obama. She said she expects to issue a ruling later Thursday. Much of the hearing revolved around what Congress intended to do when the agency runs out of money for the program. Talwani pushed back against the Trump administration's argument that suspending the benefits was the best option, saying that using emergency funds for benefits, albeit reduced, seemed to make the most sense. Its hard for me to understand that this is not an emergency when there is no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits, she said. Plaintiffs also argued that more than 100,000 merchants in their states that rely on SNAP recipients would be harmed, especially around Thanksgiving. Lawyers for the federal government argued that the plaintiffs want the SNAP benefits to be dispersed in full, which would be a blatant violation of the Antideficiency Act, a criminal statute that forbids the United States from making such an obligation without an appropriation. To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four's net income can't exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $31,000 per year. Last year, SNAP provided assistance to 41 million people, nearly two-thirds of whom were families with children, according to the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Nevada is poised to dole out millions of dollars in funding. Governor Joe Lombardo and other state leaders are asking for $30 million to help hungry families in Nevada as SNAP benefits could expire this weekend. The state board of examiners agreed to move the money from the interim finance committee's contingency fund. At Wednesday's meeting, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada said it's boosting its efforts in rural communities to help hungry people. "Our reach will be far, and we're trying to ensure every neighbor that needs access to food knows where to get it," says Nicole Lamboley, President and CEO, Food Bank of Northern Nevada. The board also recommended approving $200,000 for the National Guard to help distribute food. Now the committee will have to give final approval to use the money later on Thursday. On Wednesday, Nevada Speaker Steve Yeager called for the use of all available state resources to ensure that state SNAP recipients continue to receive assistance to purchase food. The speaker also gave praise to the people working to help people in need. I applaud those in the Executive and Legislature who are working hard on a plan to distribute additional food through Nevadas food banks. I applaud Attorney General Ford for pursuing all legal avenues against the federal administration, and I applaud Treasurer Conine for thinking outside the box on potential solutions, but we must do more. He then also directed comments towards the GOP Federal Administration. This is no time to pussyfoot around or to mollycoddle Trumps Federal Administration that prides itself on being above the law. This GOP Federal Administration would be wise to remember that its power derives from the states and that it cannot tell Nevada what to do when it comes to feeding our own citizens. He also said, Other states, some led by Republicans, others led by Democrats, are directly funding SNAP benefits for their citizens. Nevada should do the same. I dont intend to take no for a F****ing answer. Nevada Assemblymember Elaine Marzola, Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, also says the government has the responsibility to ensure the health and welfare of its citizens. "Losing SNAP benefits will mean that 500,000 Nevadans, many of them children, will go without food on their kitchen table. That is unacceptable. SNAP beneficiaries include employed hard-working Nevadans who live paycheck to paycheck and have trouble making ends meet. The assemblymember also added, "They are our friends, family, and neighbors who are entitled to dignity, respect, and the ability to provide for their families. We must act to help them in this time of great need. Attorney General Ford said a hearing is scheduled for Thursday on a lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture over SNAP benefits. If a court stops benefits from being cut off, the $30 million would not need to be used. I voted for this funding today, but let's be clear, this is a Band-Aid and kids are still going to struggle to be fed, said Attorney General Ford. Thats why Im suing the Trump Administration to use existing funds to fully fund the SNAP program. Nevada families shouldn't be left in limbo, and kids shouldnt be going hungry. Yesterday, Attorney General Ford announced that he has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Secretary Brooke Rollins for arbitrarily planning to suspend SNAP benefits. SNAP helps more than 40 million Americans, including nearly 500,000 Nevadans, buy food. In filing the lawsuit, Attorney General Ford joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and three governors. Republican leaders in Congress on Wednesday said its all or nothing as they rejected a Democratic push for a temporary fix. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that SNAP benefits have never stopped during previous government shutdowns and urged quick passage of the funding bill. Its simple, its moral, its urgent, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said as he called for passage of the SNAP funding on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., angrily objected to the Democratic request, calling it a cynical attempt to provide political cover for Democrats to continue the shutdown, now in its 29th day. Were not going to let them pick winners and losers," Thune said. "Its time to fund everybody." If Democrats want to prevent damage from the shutdown, they can end the shutdown, Thune said. In a press conference, House Democrats called on Trump to return from his trip to Asia to address the issue. If the president wanted to help feed hungry American children, he would, said Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee that handles the food aid program. Im calling on the president to get back from Asia and do the right thing and the moral thing." As Republicans objected to the legislation to continue SNAP benefits, Democrats said they'd also support a similar bill from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who has separate legislation to immediately fund the program. But Thune said Republicans won't allow a piecemeal process. He called on Democrats to support their bill to extend all government funding and reopen the government. If Democrats really want to fund SNAP and WIC, we have a bill for them, he said. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) is sponsoring two bills one led by Democrats, the other led by Republicans to ensure that families still have access to SNAP if the government shutdown stretches beyond the end of the month. Ive made my position clear: shutting down the government only serves to harm hardworking Americans, and I am against using the lives of Nevadans as political bargaining chips, said Senator Cortez Masto. But as long as we are in this position, I demand that the Trump administration use the tools at its disposal to make sure Nevada families dont go hungry. The Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025 was led by Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM). It would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately release the funds that Congress has already appropriated in contingency funds to keep food assistance funded during the shutdown. The Keep SNAP Funded Act, led by Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), would appropriate funding for SNAP, providing uninterrupted SNAP benefits without the need for contingency funds. You can read the bill text below - Meanwhile, two food drives are happening this Friday to support Nevadans struggling during the government shutdown. You can donate in both Reno and Carson City from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada is teaming up with Catholic Charities to offer four different distribution events to help people who may be affected during the government shutdown. Food will be distributed this Saturday, November 1 from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. At the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, the pick-up will be in the form of a drive-up and a walk-up option for people without vehicles. Catholic Charities will also have three locations at the Moana Neighborhood Center, Sun Valley Neighborhood Center, and the St. Rose of Lima Church location. Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada is also offering a free hot dinner at St. Vincents Dining Room, located at 325 Valley Road in Reno, this Nevada Day weekend. Dinners will be served Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., and will continue every Saturday and Sunday evening through the end of November. Guests are asked to bring their EBT card and a photo ID to verify eligibility for the dinner meal. Meals will be served on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. As a reminder, St. Vincents Dining Room remains open daily, serving lunch to all who are hungry from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 365 days a year. Amid SNAP Uncertainty, Local Grocery Chains Step Up Adding to state and nonprofit efforts, The Save Mart Companies launched its Right By You Affordability Promise on October 29, aimed at easing food costs for families in California and Nevada. The initiative includes 12 programs across two themes: Food Affordability and Food Access. Key measures include discounted holiday meals (under $6 per person for Thanksgiving and Christmas), 50% off select meat and produce, expanded Flashfood deals on near-expiration items, free November grocery delivery (subject to availability), and military discounts. The program also strengthens community support: shoppers can donate $5 or $10 pantry packs to local food banks, with Save Mart and partner Keurig Dr Pepper matching donations up to $120,000. The initiative is designed to meet families where they are, providing both immediate price relief and access to essential food items, resources particularly critical as SNAP benefits face potential delays due to the federal government shutdown. Other resources include: Nevada 2-1-1 (Statewide Food Assistance Resource) Overview: Free, confidential, statewide service connecting residents to food assistance programs, pantries, meals, SNAP/EBT support, and other essential resources. How to Access: Dial 2-1-1 or 1-866-535-5654 (toll-free). Text your ZIP code to 898-211 for location-specific assistance. Visit the Food Services Finder online to locate nearby pantries, emergency food programs, senior meals, and more. Website: nevada211.org/food-services Food Bank of Northern Nevada (FBNN) Overview: Central hub distributing food to pantries and running mobile-community programs. Serves all ages, with emphasis on fresh produce and staples. No ID required for most distributions; first-time visitors complete a brief intake form (confidential. Mobile Harvest : Weekly drive-thru distributions of fresh fruits, vegetables, and pantry staples. Open to all; one visit per household, per week. Arrive one hour early. : Weekly drive-thru distributions of fresh fruits, vegetables, and pantry staples. Open to all; one visit per household, per week. Arrive one hour early. Schedule: Download PDF at www.fbnn.org/gethelp for Washoe County locations (e.g., parks, schools, community centers in Reno/Sparks). Download PDF at for Washoe County locations (e.g., parks, schools, community centers in Reno/Sparks). Neighborhood Pantries : Over 70 partner sites (churches, schools, community centers), offering grocery bags. Hours vary; full list with schedules at fbnn.org/gethelp/neighborhoodpantry. : Over 70 partner sites (churches, schools, community centers), offering grocery bags. Hours vary; full list with schedules at Senior Nutrition & Wellness (SNW, formerly CSFP) : Monthly boxes of staples for low-income seniors 60+. The income level for one person is $1,957 and for 2 people it is $2,644. Requires proof of income, NV residency, and photo ID. Annual certification in July. : Monthly boxes of staples for low-income seniors 60+. The income level for one person is $1,957 and for 2 people it is $2,644. Requires proof of income, NV residency, and photo ID. Annual certification in July. Schedule (October/November 2025): Washoe County PDF. Produce on Wheels : Fresh produce for seniors 60+. Same eligibility as SNW. : Fresh produce for seniors 60+. Same eligibility as SNW. Schedule: Washoe County PDF. Kids Cafe : Free meals (breakfast/lunch) for kids up to age 18 at ~20 sites (e.g., after-school programs, schools). Parents must show child ID or provide name/age. Check fbnn.org/gethelp/foodfinder for locations. : Free meals (breakfast/lunch) for kids up to age 18 at ~20 sites (e.g., after-school programs, schools). Parents must show child ID or provide name/age. Check for locations. TEFAP (Emergency Food Assistance Program) : USDA commodities at select pantries for income-eligible households (limits similar to SNW). The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County is helping families access food resources by donating 3,000 two-ride adult bus passes to the Washoe County School District. With many households facing depleted SNAP benefits, the passes will enable families to reach food pantries, community meal sites, and other essential services. RTC and the school district are working together to ensure transportation is not a barrier to basic needs, emphasizing that public transit can be a critical lifeline for those in need. Read the full story here. Earlier this week, the USDA posted a notice on its homepage saying that federal food aid will not go out on November 1. Bottom line, the well has run dry, the USDA notice says. At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Nationally, the SNAP program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. The federal shutdown, which began Oct. 1, is now the second-longest on record. Nevada and 20+ other states are suing the USDA and its secretary over threats to suspend SNAP benefits amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. The program helps more than 40 million Americans, including nearly 500,000 Nevadans, buy food. On Monday, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo released an updated fact sheet on possible impacts from the shutdown. (which you can read below) Lombardo directed the Governors Finance Office, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Agriculture to implement the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan, which will secure supplemental resources for SNAP beneficiaries in the event the shutdown extends beyond October 31. The State will fund the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan with $38.8 million of state dollars through $30.2 of the IFC Contingency Fund and through emergency work programs totaling $8.6 million. The Governors Finance Office has requested a $30 million allocation to fund the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan from the Interim Finance Committee. The Office of the Military has requested $200,000 from the Interim Finance Committee for the deployment of the Nevada National Guard to assist with the food distribution of the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan. The Interim Finance Committee will convene on Thursday, October 30 to consider the request. Another program that helps more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children, and expectant parents purchase nutritious staples, like baby formula, will likely run out of funds the following week. Earlier this month, WIC received a $300 million infusion from the Trump administration, but those funds are running out, too. The governor's office says he is dedicated to ensuring that the 55,000+ participants of Nevadas Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program continue to have access to food benefits. To support that direction, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, in partnership with the Nevada Office of Emergency Management, requested $7.3 million in emergency funding to support WIC. The funding was approved by the Nevada Board of Examiners on October 14 and the Interim Finance Committee (IFC) on October 16. The funding will ensure continued food benefits for participants statewide, including pregnant women, new mothers, and young children, through December 23, 2025, regardless of federal funding. Funds will be distributed weekly and only used if the USDA does not provide additional WIC food funding. Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada is calling on the public for baby formula donations as families face growing uncertainty surrounding WIC benefits. The organization is requesting both soy- and milk-based formulas to support infants who could be affected by potential reductions in federal funding. The organization is accepting all brands and types of unopened, unexpired baby formula. Donations can be dropped off daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at any Catholic Charities donation center, including St. Vincents Thrift Store and Super Thrift. Locations are listed online at https://ccsnn.org/pages/thrift-stores. Donations can also be made through the Amazon Wish List at https://tinyurl.com/5n7s2kuu. Food pantries provide about 1 meal to every 9 provided by SNAP, according to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. They get the food they distribute through donations from people, businesses and some farmers. They also get food from U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and sometimes buy food with contributions and grant funding. The Trump Administrations choice to cut SNAP benefits is not only a deliberate, cruel, and extraordinarily harmful decision, it is unlawful. And the reason it cites the ongoing federal government shutdown is inadequate, said Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford. Contingency funds exist for this exact scenario, yet the USDA has decided to abdicate its responsibility to Nevadans and refused to fund SNAP benefits. I understand the stress of not knowing where your next meal is coming from, because I've lived it. I don't wish that stress on any Nevadan, and I'll fight to be sure nobody in our state goes hungry. I urge Governor Lombardo to do the same and to work with his party and President Trump to ensure that Nevadans receive their SNAP benefits. LEADER CANNIZZARO STATEMENT ON AG FORDS SNAP Today, Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro released the following statement in support of Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Fords lawsuit against the Trump administration to reverse the administration's decision to stop paying SNAP benefits. In the last few days, the Trump administration abruptly changed federal SNAP guidance and announced it would not use available contingency funds to continue to pay benefits after the end of this month. "I fully support Attorney General Ford's lawsuit against the Trump administration's cruel decision to let SNAP benefits lapse for 500,000 Nevadans, and I commend him for continually stepping up to hold the administration accountable on behalf of Nevadans. To be clear, the administration is making an intentional choice to let SNAP contingency funds sit unspent while millions of American families face going hungry. Republicans should step up and demand that the Trump administration release these funds - as they planned to do just a few weeks ago - and keep food on the table for Nevada families." Previously, Governor Lombardo responded to suggestions that state funds could be used to support SNAP. In a statement directly addressing Nevada Congressional Representatives Steven Horsford, Dina Titus, and Susie Lee, the Governor said the proposed solution is not viable. The USDA has made clear that states cannot use their own dollars to fund federal SNAP benefits, even on a temporary basis, and cannot share SNAP household data with vendors to do so, said Governor Lombardo in a statement. On Oct. 1, 2025, the new federal fiscal year began without an appropriation by Congress to fund the federal government, creating a government shutdown. On Oct. 10, USDA sent a letter to state SNAP agencies saying that if the shutdown continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for the approximately 42 million individuals across the country who rely on them. Joining Attorney General Ford in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The Governors of Kansas, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania have also joined. You can read the lawsuit below - (Office of Nevada Attorney General and Governor's Office, USDA, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.) The Governor's Office has released a fact sheet discussing where WIC and SNAP benefits stand amid the current government shutdown and giving a look at state-funded food assistance. The state's Division of Public and Behavioral Health, in partnership with the Nevada Office of Emergency Management, requested $7.3 million in emergency funding to support WIC. That funding was approved by the Nevada Board of Examiners on October 14 and the Interim Finance Committee on October 16. It will enable continued food benefits for participants statewide, including pregnant women, new mothers, and young children, through December 23. Funds will be distributed weekly and only used if the USDA does not provide additional WIC food funding. SNAP benefits, the Governor's Office said, are entirely federally funded, with the state's Division of Social Services distributing those federal funds. The state can not fund SNAP on its own. If the federal government shutdown extends beyond October 31, federal funding would be insufficient to cover SNAP benefits for November, the Governor's Office said in its release. Those currently receiving SNAP assistance who need to find additional resources can visit Nevada 211. Governor Lombardo has also directed the Governors Finance Office, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Agriculture to implement the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan, which will secure supplemental resources for SNAP beneficiaries if the shutdown goes past October 31. To help with that plan, the governor will also engage the Nevada National Guard, who will be ready to assist with food distribution to those in need. Food resources will be available to all Nevadans affected by the shutdown, not just SNAP recipients. The State will fund the Food Insecurity Nevada Plan with $38.8 million of state dollars through $30.2 million from the IFC Contingency Fund and through emergency work programs totaling $8.6 million. To read the full fact sheet from the Governor's Office, click on the document below. Nevadans are being invited to share their experiences and memories through 'Our Nevada Stories', a new online story-gathering program created as part of the national celebration of the Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The project is supported by the NV Energy Foundation in partnership with the Nevada Division of Museums and History and the Nevada Arts Council. The initiative will create the first statewide oral history archive, preserving stories from people across Nevada as part of an audio time capsule featuring multiple generations and perspectives. State Folklorist Brad McMullen is leading the effort to collect stories through both in-person interviews and the online platform "Their Story". We truly believe that everyone has a story, said McMullen. It is in these small stories that make the culture and fabric of our community. Stories gathered through the project will be featured in a podcast series launching in 2026, included in State Museum exhibits, and kept in a permanent statewide archive. The online submission system, available at America250Nevada.org on the Our Nevada Stories page, offers three ways for people to participate. They can share a Nevada Day-themed story about traditions and past experiences, tell a general Nevada-related story about family or community, or submit a story freely without prompts. The site includes detailed instructions to guide participants through the process. With support from the NV Energy Foundation, staff will also visit cities and towns across Nevada to record one-on-one interviews with local leaders and community members. Those interested in sharing their story through an interview can contact McMullen directly at bmcmullen@nevadaculture.org. The SPCA of Northern Nevada is inviting the community to make a difference this Giving Tuesday through a $70,000 matching campaign that will double every donation dollar-for-dollar from November 1 through December 5. Funds raised during this crucial campaign will directly support SPCA-NNs lifesaving initiatives, including rural and community shelter rescue partnerships, its affordable vaccine clinic and community programs, Todds Medical Fund, which provides veterinary financial aid, and affordable spay and neuter services. The SPCA of Northern Nevada is a local, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that does not receive funding from, nor is it affiliated with, the national ASPCA or any government agencies. The organization relies entirely on generous community donations to sustain its mission. Community members are encouraged to get involved, as even small contributions make an impact. According to SPCA-NN, if every supporter donated just $10, the organization could surpass its fundraising goal. Throughout the campaign, the SPCA-NN will highlight inspiring stories of pets whose lives have been transformed by donor support, including: Scout (now Riely) a young dog rescued through SPCA-NNs Rural Rescue Partnership who overcame a broken leg and found love and adventure thanks to expert medical care and community generosity. (now Riely) a young dog rescued through SPCA-NNs Rural Rescue Partnership who overcame a broken leg and found love and adventure thanks to expert medical care and community generosity. Trinity (now Doja) a kitten transferred from a rural partner who received lifesaving surgery and now thrives with confidence in her new home. (now Doja) a kitten transferred from a rural partner who received lifesaving surgery and now thrives with confidence in her new home. Button (now Bug) a six-month-old puppy whose eye was saved using an innovative, donor-funded serum created by SPCA-NNs veterinary team. She now lives happily with her new family. (now Bug) a six-month-old puppy whose eye was saved using an innovative, donor-funded serum created by SPCA-NNs veterinary team. She now lives happily with her new family. Lauren (now Sadie) a senior dog who captured the hearts of her adopters after months of specialized care and community support. These stories represent the lasting impact donor support makes, helping pets not just survive, but thrive in loving homes, the SPCA-NN said. To contribute this Giving Tuesday, visit spcanevada.org. Supporters can also subscribe to the SPCA-NN newsletter and follow along on its social media, where weekly stories will feature local pets who found hope and new beginnings through donor generosity. China's Supreme People's Court reveals how it handles cross-border video court divorce trial based in Thailand Global Times) 09:12, October 28, 2025 China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) on Monday detailed how it recently handled a cross-border video court trial step by step regarding a divorce dispute case between two Chinese people residing in Thailand. The Qinhuai District People's Court in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province held a closed hearing in accordance with the law on the divorce case between plaintiff Wang and defendant Yu, the SPC said in a statement. Wang and the legally authorized representatives for both parties attended the court session. Yu, currently serving a prison term in Thailand, participated via online video link. On October 10, the Qinhuai District People's Court issued a judgment granting the divorce between Wang and Yu and ordered Yu to pay Wang 500,000 yuan ($70,350) in divorce compensation. Because the defendant was imprisoned abroad, key procedural issues included how to serve the litigation documents to him, obtain his statements, and enable his participation in the domestic court hearing via online video, all of which were crucial for the smooth progression of the case. In the statement, the court detailed the procedures it used, regarding how to serve judicial documents on a Chinese national imprisoned overseas, taking and obtaining inquiry transcripts from that individual, and conducting a remote hearing in the absence of any applicable treaty. According to the head of the SPC's International Cooperation Bureau, under the Agreement on Judicial Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters and Cooperation in Arbitration between China and Thailand, Chinese courts may, through the Ministry of Justice, request Thai authorities to assist in serving judicial documents to Yu. The judicial documents had to be accompanied by a Thai or English translation. However, if the Chinese Embassy in Thailand served the documents directly to Yu, during a consular visit, the request did not need to go through Thai authorities, and no translation was required. The SPC prioritized this method and successfully served the litigation documents and evidence materials to Yu through the Chinese Embassy. Regarding the collection of inquiry transcripts from a Chinese national imprisoned abroad, the SPC said that under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, consular officers may collect evidence based on a treaty or, in the absence of a treaty, in a manner consistent with the laws of the host country. However, the China-Thailand treaty does not stipulate whether consular officers may conduct inquiries and record transcripts of their own nationals during consular visits. Following its agreement, the Thai prison agreed to allow the embassy to question Yu during consular visits on specific issues related to the divorce case and to prepare transcripts. Subsequently, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand made multiple visits to the prison for this case and transmitted several inquiry records to China. Another challenge arose from the fact that China's Civil Procedure Law only provides for the collection of evidence from abroad via instant messaging tools, without explicitly stipulating cross-border video hearings. There is also currently no applicable international treaty on this issue. However, judging from the provisions of the Civil Procedure Law regarding video evidence collection and the basic principles and practices of international civil and commercial judicial assistance, courts in China may arrange cross-border video hearings so long as they respect the legal provisions of the country where the party is located and the party's own willingness to participate. As Yu's willingness to attend in the video hearing fluctuated, the SPC, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Thailand coordinated repeatedly to ensure that the session proceeded as scheduled on September 26. Around 11 am that day, the court established a stable a video connection with the Thai prison. Yu attended remotely, responded to the court's questions, and maintained clear visuals and two-way audio. Around 11:30 am, Yu went offline, and the court continued the hearing until it concluded around 12 pm, according to the court. According to the head of the SPC's International Cooperation Bureau, in judicial practice, and pursuant to Part Four of China's Civil Procedure Law on foreign-related civil procedures, as well as treaties China has concluded or joined, Chinese courts conduct international judicial assistance in civil and commercial matters through the competent foreign authorities. This approach, the SPC said, "respects the judicial sovereignty of the recipient countries, safeguards the litigation rights of all parties involved, and ensures that the people perceive fairness and justice in every case." (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The conviction and sentencing of Malis former Prime Minister Moussa Mara to two years in prison, one of which is mandatory, and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (762 euro), including 1 symbolic franc to the Malian state on charges of discrediting the state among others is a travesty of justice, Amnesty International said on Tuesday Law Firm Warns Iraqi Public Bank Will Cross Line "From Criminal Complainant to Co-Conspirator" If Deal Proceeds Today WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Amsterdam & Partners LLP today issued an urgent legal warning to the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI), denouncing the Bank's intent to execute an illegal settlement agreement today with the Hanna Brothersthree convicted fraudsters currently under criminal prosecution. "The Trade Bank of Iraq is about to cross a line from which there is no return," said Robert Amsterdam, founder and managing partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, the law firm representing the prominent Iraqi-American engineer, investor, businesswoman and CEO and owner of Al-Saqr Al-Jareh, Ms. Sara Hamed Saleem. "By signing this corrupt bargain with convicted criminals, TBI will transform itself from criminal complainant to co-conspirator. This is not a settlementit is obstruction of justice and complicity in fraud." The planned settlement would allow Nizar, Namir, and Ramez Hanna Abdo to evade full accountability despite their criminal convictions for fraud. "This corrupt deal directly serves Iranian interests and undermines Iraq's sovereignty," Amsterdam stated. "A public bank cannot hide behind political pressure to forgive debts owed by convicted fraudsters and obstruct justice. Such actions place TBI in open violation of Iraqi law and international anti-corruption standards." The settlement would deprive Amsterdam & Partners' client, Ms. Sara Hamed Saleem, of her clear legal right to full restitution arising from the Hanna Brothers' criminal convictionsconvictions based in part on TBI's own criminal complaint. Amsterdam made clear the consequences if TBI proceeds: "We will pursue targeted U.S. sanctions, initiate anti-money-laundering actions under FATF and AML/CFT frameworks, and pursue civil and criminal liability against any officials who enable this corruption. The Trade Bank of Iraq's access to the international financial system will be directly jeopardized." The firm's letter to TBI General Manager Bilal Sabah al Hamdani states bluntly: "You and the Trade Bank of Iraq now face a stark and immediate choice. You may proceed with this corrupt bargain, aligning the Bank with the Hanna Brothers and their enablers. Or you may honor your obligations as a public financial institution by standing with the law. Whichever course you take, the consequences will be immediate and inescapable." Amsterdam & Partners represents Ms. Saleem in ongoing efforts to secure full restitution and asset recovery arising from the Hanna Brothers' fraud convictions. Egor Lukanov Media representative Amsterdam & Partners LLP [email protected] This release was issued through WebWire. For more information, visit http://www.webwire.com. SOURCE Amsterdam & Partners LLP SIGNIFICANT NEAR SURFACE DISCOVERY OF 189.2M @ 1.3 G/T GOLD, ENDING IN MINERALISATION AT HORSE HEAVEN, IDAHO USA Significant Gold Discovery at Horse Heaven Project Adelaide, Oct 28, 2025 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Resolution Minerals Ltd ( ASX:RML ) ( NC3:FRA ) ( RLMLF:OTCMKTS ) announced that its maiden drill program at its 100% owned Horse Heaven Gold-AntimonyTungsten-Silver Project ("Horse Heaven" or the "Project"), Idaho, USA (Figure 1*) has delivered a broad interval of near-surface gold mineralisation ending in mineralisation, confirming a significant new discovery at the Golden Gate Prospect. Assay results from Resolution's maiden drill hole at the Golden Gate Prospect, HHGG25-001C, return exceptional gold values over a wide downhole interval. 1.30g/t gold is recorded over a downhole interval of 189.2m from 34.1m. As the first hole to test unoxidised mineralisation at Horse Heaven, HH-GG25-001C is considered a "discovery hole" of a possible intrusive-hosted gold system deposit at Golden Gate. Highlights At Golden Gate: Broad discovery intercept in maiden hole 189.2m @ 1.30 g/t Au from 34m, ending in mineralisation. Gold begins close to surface and continues over 223.4m with multiple higher-grade zones,including: o 12.9m @ 2.32 g/t Au from 94.4m o 70.8m @ 2.24 g/t Au from 128.8m Large system potential with geology, sulphides and alteration confirming the intrusive-hosted gold system model, the same deposit style that hosts Stibnite, only ~6km away. Gold mineralisation occurs at the surface and remains open to the north, south, and at depth, demonstrating the potential for a large shear zone-hosted gold deposit. Identical sulphides logged in drill holes HH-GG25-002C and HH-GG25-003C (results pending). Phase 1 drilling completed with a total of 10 holes for 2,770.6m across just a small portion of the Golden Gate target area. Multiple near-term catalysts include: o Assay results for the remainder of HH-GG25-001C and holes HH-GG25-002C and HH-GG25-003C are imminent. o Assay batch results from holes HH-GG25-004C to HH-GG25-010C to follow through the next few months. At Antimony Ridge: Shallow drilling identifies multiple stibnite veins with samples being prepared for analysis; with results to be reported in due course. RML is currently conducting environmental studies ahead of applying for a permit to allow for an extensive maiden drill program at Antimony Ridge. RML's Horse Heaven project is strategically located in a district central to domestic critical mineral supply chains (gold-antimony-tungsten-silver), all aligned with the U.S. government's priorities to address the significant domestic critical metals shortage. RML's CEO of US Operations, Craig Lindsay, commented on the discovery: "Delivering a discovery intercept of 189m of continuous gold from just 34m depth which bottoms in mineralisation in our very first hole is a tremendous result. "What excites us most is that we've confirmed a large intrusive-related gold system, the same style of system that hosts major deposits regionally, including Stibnite only 6km away. With assays pending from the 9 remaining Golden Gate holes, several of which show the same style of mineralisation in visual core, we are building strong momentum. Golden Gate is only one of the multiple standout targets at Horse Heaven, and we believe this discovery hole is the first step in unlocking the broader district-scale potential of this Project." RML's Consulting Geologist and former Stibnite Gold Project Senior Geologist, Austin Zinsser stated: "The fine grain sulfide mineralization occurring as disseminations and selvages to quartz veins at Golden Gate is similar in character to the main stage gold mineralisation in the intrusive hosted deposits at the adjacent Stibnite Gold Project (Perpetua Resources, Inc), as is the presence of sheared sulfide within fault gouge. However, the overall alteration style is fairly distinct with Golden Gate displaying pervasive silicification and strong secondary muscovite, and having more prominent veining, more open-space textures and lesser biotite-sulfide replacement." Next Steps Horse Heaven is an exciting project highly prospective for gold, antimony, silver, and tungsten. From time-to-time, RML's focus will be on areas with stronger gold potential than antimony, such is the case at Golden Gate. The Company fully intends to fast track the potential of all commodities at Horse Heaven. *To view the full report with figures, please visit: https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/UU6O2H01 About Resolution Minerals Ltd Resolution Minerals Ltd (ASX:RML) (OTCMKTS:RLMLF) (FRA:NC3) is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of precious and battery metals - such as antimony, gold, copper, and uranium. Resolution Minerals Ltd Listed on the ASX in 2017 and has a broad portfolio of assets, such as the Drake East Antimony-Gold Project in north-eastern NSW and George Project prospective for silica sand and uranium. Related Companies Suzan Chavez fills out her ballot at the Bernalillo County Clerks Annex in Albuquerque earlier this month. Turnout rates for early voting, which ends Saturday, have been sluggish in Bernalillo County and in other parts of New Mexico. By the numbers By the numbers Entering the final week of early voting, nearly 72,000 New Mexico residents had cast a ballot via early or absentee voting in this years local election. Almost half the total amount of votes were cast in Bernalillo County. Heres a breakdown of to-date turnout rates in Bernalillo County by voters political affiliation: Total turnout 7.7% Among registered Democrats 9.5% Among registered Republicans 8.4% Among independents (DTS) 4.1% Source: Secretary of States Office and Research & Polling Inc. SANTA FE With just over one week until Election Day, early voting turnout rates in Albuquerque and other parts of New Mexico suggest many voters might be feeling less than enthusiastic about heading to the polls. Only about 9.3% of Albuquerques more than 362,000 registered voters had cast ballots as of late Monday, according to the Bernalillo County Clerks Office. That figure includes both absentee and early voting. With early voting set to end Saturday in advance of next weeks Election Day, the current trend suggests final turnout levels might fall short of the 32% mark from Albuquerques last mayoral election in 2021. Voting participation levels have been sluggish, said Brian Sanderoff, a longtime New Mexico political observer who is the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc. While Albuquerques mayoral election is technically a nonpartisan race, registered Democrats have been voting at a slightly higher clip than Republicans since early voting began on Oct. 7. Roughly 9.5% of registered Democrats in Bernalillo County had cast ballots entering Monday, compared to 8.4% of Republicans, according to state voting data analyzed by Research & Polling Inc. A smaller percentage of independent voters, or those declining to state a political affiliation, had cast a ballot. Viewed another way, more than 55% of the Bernalillo County voters who had cast a ballot entering Monday were registered Democrats, even though Democrats make up only about 45% of all registered voters in the county. Sanderoff said its relatively common for Democrats to vote at a higher rate than Republicans during the initial stages of an election. He also said more voters have voted before Election Day than on it during recent election cycles. The turnout trends come after a Journal Poll last month found 37% of likely voters in Albuquerque voters were undecided about who they planned to vote for in the Nov. 4 local election. Two-term incumbent Tim Keller was leading a field of six candidates in that poll, but Kellers approval rating has steadily declined since he was first elected mayor in 2017. Ad The low turnout rates so far in this years local election are likely connected to the large number of undecided voters, Sanderoff said. But he also said mayoral candidates Keller and Alex Uballez, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, will fare better than their rivals among Democratic voters due to their more progressive views. With Democrats so far voting at a higher clip than Republicans in a city in which Democrats far outnumber GOP voters, the trend could make it difficult for a Republican candidate to post an upset victory even if this years Election Day turnout ends up narrowing or eliminating the current gap. Were not seeing the Democratic vote depress despite the large number of undecided voters, Sanderoff said. Meanwhile, early voting turnout rates have also been sluggish in other parts of New Mexico for this years local election. About 6.2% of registered voters in Santa Fe County had cast a ballot entering Monday, and roughly 4.8% of voters in Taos County. Voters in both Santa Fe and Taos are also choosing a new mayor and other local leaders during this years election cycle. In Chaves County, where incumbent Roswell Mayor Tim Jennings is seeking to fend off two challengers to win reelection, roughly 4.7% of registered voters had cast a ballot, according to Secretary of States Office data. The Taos Municipal Schools Board of Education voted at its regular Oct. 22 meeting to approve the release of findings from an independent special audit into allegations of procurement misconduct, kickbacks and bribes within the school district. TAOS The findings of a two-year independent investigation into allegations of procurement misconduct, kickbacks and bribes in Taos Municipal Schools, Taos Countys largest school district, will soon be released to the public. At a regular Oct. 22 meeting, the Taos Municipal Schools Board of Education voted to accept the results of what the district has described as an independent special audit, conducted by Albuquerque-based Jaramillo Accounting Group and coordinated by the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor. The special audit, initiated in 2023 for the period between January 1, 2017 through October 13, 2022, began after the Taos Municipal Schools Board of Education received and self-reported allegations of district procurement misconduct, potential kickbacks, and bribes, reads a press release the board issued following the meeting. Board President Mark Flores motioned for the vote after a marathon executive session, lasting from just before 8 p.m. Oct. 22 to nearly 1 a.m. the following morning. Along with its approval of the audit results, the district board also voted for legal counsel to explore and advise the board and superintendent regarding all available legal remedies to address findings in special audit report, including but not limited to debarment. The Journal has requested a copy of the report under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act. Antonio Layton, Taos Schools superintendent, said he expected the reports findings, which are hundreds of pages in length, to be released in the next two to three weeks. He said school officials and board members are not permitted to comment on the report until its final release. So far no one has gone on record regarding the specifics of the findings. Were in the final process of doing the final release of what we can release following IPRA and (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and all that, and that will be out very soon, Layton told the Journal after the meeting. Its been an interesting few weeks, to say the least. Two Taos Schools diesel mechanics fired in February 2022 filed separate Whistleblower Protection Act lawsuits that spring in 8th Judicial District Court. Both former employees claimed they had been retaliated against after reporting double-dipping in the district, including facts supporting a good faith belief that public funds are being misused. Judge Emilio Chavez filed a summary judgement in the districts favor in one of the cases and dismissed the other with prejudice. Ad In October 2022, New Mexico State Police spent days on site at the districts headquarters in Taos, and the district placed several school employees on administrative leave. The school board also approved a contract to replace keys and locks at its offices around the same time. The district employs more than 300 teachers and have over 2,000 students across two preschools, five elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools. Layton, who became superintendent in May 2024, and all five board members signed the Oct. 22 press release announcing the completion of the audit and approval to release its findings. Taos Municipal Schools Board of Education and the District proactively self-reported, initiated, and fully cooperated with the audit to reinforce our commitment to transparency and public trust, the release reads. The District will continue to strengthen its internal safeguards and uphold the highest standards in stewardship of public funds, remaining fully accountable to our students, families, and taxpayers. Staff use machinery to move food pallets at the Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque on Tuesday. Chancey Bush Canned food and other items donated by Albuquerque High Schools drama department at the Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque on Tuesday. Chancey Bush Liana Son, pack coordinator at MoGro Mobile Grocery, unloads fresh produce from Chispas Farm at Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque on Tuesday. States like California are bracing for SNAP delays by boosting food banks, while states like New Mexico plan to spend millions on food banks and on directly replacing SNAP benefits. Chancey Bush Tito Santiago unloads canned goods and other food donations from Albuquerque High Schools drama department at Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque on Tuesday. Chancey Bush New Mexico food banks are preparing to meet increased demand as 21% of New Mexicans face the possibility of losing food assistance in November. For every meal provided by a food bank, the (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) provides nine, said Jill Dixon, executive director of The Food Depot, which serves nine counties in northern New Mexico. So the scale of this crisis is at a whole new level. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides an average of $310 per month to help New Mexicans buy groceries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not deliver November benefits because of the government shutdown. Democrats in Congress have called for the USDA to use its roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP benefits at least partially funded in November, but a memo from the agency said contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits. The memo contradicts a now-deleted USDA shutdown contingency plan. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez joined a coalition of 23 attorneys general suing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for the plan to suspend SNAP instead of using the contingency funds. On Saturday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the federal governments refusal to pay for SNAP benefits in November is unconscionable. The best way to solve this crisis is for Congress to end this shutdown and do its job, Lujan Grisham said in a statement. Until then, New Mexico will do everything in our power to keep our families fed, and we will provide updates as more information becomes available. Lujan Grishams administration is expediting $8 million that was allocated for food banks, she said. SNAP benefits in New Mexico cost $80 million to $90 million a month. The state is still weighing its options and coordinating with partners to determine what steps to take if November SNAP benefits are delayed, according to Health Care Authority spokeswoman Marina Pina. The Health Care Authority has notified The Food Depot that there are 31,000 households that receive SNAP benefits in the area it serves, Dixon said, so the nonprofit is scaling up its operations as much as possible. Ad Weve purchased an additional multiple truckloads of food, brought them into our warehouse. Were trying to give additional resources to our food pantry agencies and make sure that theyre ready to handle additional volume. And our team is actively working on adding distributions and making sure that we have the resources to scale up our existing distributions. November is a time of year when more people turn to food banks for many reasons, Dixon said, including that children are out of school for holidays so they get fewer school-provided meals. The food banks agency partners have seen as much as a 20% increase in people using their services in recent weeks, Dixon said. The federal shutdown, which has delayed paychecks for many, and compounding economic pressure are likely the reasons, she said. Dixon has been in food banking for 13 years, and this is the first time in her experience that SNAP benefits would be interrupted at a 100% level. The state has been very supportive of food banks, she said, and The Food Depot is using state funding that was allocated during the regular Legislative session earlier this year to help accelerate purchasing. Additional funds allocated during the special session earlier this month will likely be available in the near future, she said. Were thrilled that that is at our disposal right now. But it is worth noting that was funding that was intended for other core operations, and this is sort of superseding those, Dixon said. Roadrunner Food Bank, which distributes food to partnering nonprofits across much of the state, is also increasing the amount of food its purchasing, said Katy Anderson, vice president of strategy, partnership and advocacy, although it cannot replace the food aid provided by SNAP. Normally, the food bank moves 600,000 to 750,000 pounds of food a week, but Anderson expects that number to increase, which will also necessitate more volunteers. The delay in SNAP benefits could also affect grocery stores where those benefits are redeemed, particularly smaller stores in rural communities, Anderson said. The stalemate on government funding began on the first day of October, but has yet to beat the record for longest shutdown, which was the 35-day shutdown in 2019. The Republican-led House passed a temporary funding measure that would keep the government funded at the same levels until Nov. 21, but that has stalled in the Senate. Democrats have demanded negotiation on the funding bill, and introduced their own temporary funding measure that would reverse Medicaid cuts and extend federal health insurance subsidies. Choosing not to ensure SNAP benefits reach those in need this November would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities to the American people, 214 House Democrats, including New Mexicos three House representatives, wrote in a letter to the Agriculture secretary on Friday. We cant negotiate through cruelty, and thats the entire point of why were in the shutdown in the first place, said Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M. The administration has shown a clear disdain and disregard for federal employees right here in New Mexico, by firing them, by furloughing them, by threatening to withhold their pay. Now theyre threatening to withhold food assistance, and they have the money. He wants Republicans to return to the negotiating table and consider extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies. When people get sick in the wealthiest country in the world, we should be able to provide them with the health care services that they deserve. And thats what this fight is about, Vasquez said. New Mexico Republican Party Chair Amy Barela said the Senate needs to pass the Republican funding bill and that Democrats need to stop fear mongering our citizens that theyre going to lose their benefits. She does not think the health insurance subsidies, on which Democrats have based much of their holdout, should be extended. I think we need to redesign our health care system for the United States, especially here in New Mexico, Barela said. She was also critical of House Majority Leader Mike Johnsons, R-La., decision to keep the House out of session since the shutdown began. Not one of them need one day off until this is resolved, and they do not need to get paid while they are there, Barela said. Takaichi and Trump to Meet in Tokyo: Security and Trade Dominate the Agenda R. ELM. Tokyo 28 Oct: Japans newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold their first summit in Tokyo on Tuesday, with discussions expected to center on security cooperation and trade relations. The meeting comes amid Washingtons calls for increased Japanese defense spending and expanded imports of American goods. Strengthening the Alliance amid Regional Challenges On the security front, both leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to reinforcing the JapanU.S. alliance at a time of heightened tensions in East Asia. With Chinas military assertiveness in the East and South China Seas and North Koreas continued nuclear and missile development, the two countries aim to enhance their deterrence and response capabilities. Takaichi, who assumed office just a week ago, is expected to emphasize her pledgeoutlined in her inaugural policy speechto raise Japans defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by March, accelerating the previous 2027 target by two years. The move aligns with Trumps long-standing demand that U.S. allies take greater responsibility for their own defense budgets. Japan has been steadily expanding its defense outlays since revising its National Security Strategy in late 2022. Takaichi has vowed to update this framework next year to reflect evolving regional and global security dynamics. Continuity and Personal Diplomacy A prominent conservative figure often described as a protege of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is known for her strong security stance and close alignment with Abes strategic vision. Trump, who enjoyed a notably cordial relationship with Abe during his first term, praised Takaichi ahead of his arrival in Tokyo, calling her philosophically close to the former leader. The summit, held at Tokyos State Guest House, symbolizes continuity in the personal diplomacy that has underpinned JapanU.S. relations in recent years. Both sides are expected to highlight their shared commitment to regional stability and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. Economic Cooperation and Trade Commitments Economic ties will also feature prominently in the talks. The two leaders are likely to review progress on a bilateral trade agreement signed in July, which includes Japans pledge to invest $550 billion in key U.S. sectors such as semiconductors, critical minerals, and shipbuilding, as well as to expand purchases of American agricultural and industrial products. In exchange, the United States reduced tariffs on Japanese automobiles from 27.5 percent to 15 percent, a move welcomed by Tokyo as a sign of deepening economic cooperation. The discussions will unfold against a backdrop of escalating U.S.China rivalry, characterized by Washingtons tariff measures and Beijings control over strategic resources such as rare earth elements. Both governments are seeking to strengthen supply chain resilience and reduce economic dependence on China. Defense Symbolism and Regional Outreach Following the meeting, Takaichi and Trump are scheduled to travel by Marine One to the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, where they will board the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. The visit is expected to serve as a symbolic reaffirmation of the alliances military dimension. Trumps stop in Tokyo forms part of a three-nation Asian tour that began in Malaysia, where he attended meetings linked to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). After his visit to Japan, he will head to South Korea, where a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly planned for Thursday. A New Chapter in an Enduring Partnership As Takaichi seeks to consolidate her leadership and define her foreign policy direction, the Tokyo summit represents both a test and an opportunity. For Japan, it offers a platform to project strategic continuity and strengthen ties with its key ally. For Washington, it underscores the enduring importance of Japan as a cornerstone of U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. Amid shifting geopolitical realities, the meeting is expected to set the tone for a new phase in the JapanU.S. partnershipone balancing security commitments, economic collaboration, and shared regional priorities. ( AB+Agencies) Cyclone Montha: Tiruvallur on High Alert, Schools Closed as Heavy Rains Lash Tamil Nadu 2 As Cyclone Montha edges closer to the Andhra Pradesh coast, Tamil Nadu is witnessing heavy rainfall, with Tiruvallur district among the worst affected areas. The Tiruvallur District Collector, M. Prathap, declared a holiday for all schools on Tuesday following intense overnight showers and forecasts of more heavy rain. According to the Tiruvallur District Disaster Management Department, Ponneri and Avadi received 72 mm and 62 mm of rainfall respectively in the past 24 hours, up to 6 am Tuesday. The Chennai-based Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted moderate rain accompanied by light thunderstorms and lightning across several districts, including Chengalpattu, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Tirupattur, Villupuram, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari. Fishermen have been strictly warned not to venture into the sea until October 29, as surface wind speeds over the Bay of Bengal are expected to reach 90100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph. The name Montha translates to a fragrant flower in Thai. In anticipation of disruptions, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin made a surprise inspection at the Command and Control Centre in the Chennai Metropolitan Corporation office early Tuesday. He reviewed traffic management in key flood-prone areas of the city. Chennai too declared a rain holiday for schools, as officials continue to monitor the evolving weather situation closely. With Cyclone Montha intensifying, residents are advised to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Justice Surya Kant Named 53rd Chief Justice of India, To Serve Till February 2027 2 Justice Surya Kant, a distinguished Supreme Court judge known for his progressive and reform-driven verdicts, has been named the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai on Monday recommended his name to the Centre. Justice Kant, currently the senior-most judge of the apex court, will assume office on November 24 following CJI Gavais retirement and will serve until February 9, 2027. Born on February 10, 1962, in Haryanas Hisar district, Justice Kants journey from a small-town lawyer to the countrys top judicial post is marked by decades of service and landmark judgments. A first-class law graduate from Kurukshetra University, he began his judicial career at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where he earned recognition for his sharp legal acumen and integrity. He later served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court in May 2019. During his tenure at the top court, Justice Kant has been part of several historic rulings, including those related to the abrogation of Article 370, the Pegasus spyware probe, and the suspension of the colonial-era sedition law. He also played a key role in directing the Election Commission to reveal details of 65 lakh voters excluded from Bihars draft electoral roll and pushed for gender equity in the legal profession by mandating one-third representation for women in bar associations. Justice Kant was also part of the bench that upheld the One Rank-One Pension scheme, balanced national security and environmental concerns in the Char Dham project case, and ordered a judicial probe into the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modis Punjab visit in 2022. His judgments often emphasize accountability and ethical governance. He has consistently warned against corruption, describing it as a serious societal threat, and has ordered CBI probes into fraudulent banking and real estate practices. In another notable decision, he granted bail to former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, asserting that investigative agencies must not function as caged parrots. Justice Kants approach to free speech has been nuancedprotecting expression while cautioning against hate and insensitivity. He has reprimanded public figures, comedians, and ministers alike for offensive remarks, reminding that freedom of speech is not a licence to flout societal norms. Having contributed to over 300 benches and a wide range of constitutional and criminal law cases, Justice Surya Kant now steps into the CJIs chair with the formidable task of addressing nearly 90,000 pending cases in the Supreme Court. His appointment signals a continuation of a judiciary that values integrity, inclusiveness, and constitutional balance. An exchange of gunfire inside an Alabama Little Caesars Pizza left one employee hospitalized. Anniston Police Chief Nick Bowles provided this account of what happened, based on scene evidence video surveillance footage of the encounter and subsequent shooting: About 7:18 p.m. Monday, two 17-year-olds entered the lobby of the Quintard Avenue businesses. One of the teens is from Oxford, and the other is from Eastaboga. The Eastaboga teen had his face covered with a mask and pulled up his shirt, exposing a Draco style 7.62 caliber pistol as an act of intimidation to the two Little Caesars employees, both of whom are also 17 and live in Anniston. The teen from Oxford went behind the counter and attacked one of the employees. A fist fight ensued between all four teens. One of the employees was armed with a pistol during the fight. The male with the Draco disengages from his fight and proceeds to point his weapon in the direction of his friend and the armed employee who are still fighting, Bowles said. The employee and the male with the Draco exchanged at least one shot each inside the lobby. As the suspects and the armed employee exited the building, another round was fired from the Draco. As the suspects were fleeing on foot, the armed employee fired several more rounds in their direction. The armed employee was hit twice with non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he is still being treated. The other employee had minor, non-firearm-related injuries. There is apparently an ongoing clash between the four involved individuals, Bowles said. Both suspects have been identified, the chief said. Police are working with the Calhoun County District Attorneys Office and the Calhoun County Juvenile Court to determine the appropriate charges. The chief thanked his investigators, Calhoun E 911, the 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit, Calhoun County DA Lynn Hammond and her staff, and the US Marshals Service for their help in the case. Additionally, Little Caesars employees and their high-definition video are to be commended, Bowles said. I wish everyone had video as clear and complete as they do. The chief said no additional information will be released until charges are filed. Antonio Shaw is charged with two counts of capital murder in the June 2021 slayings of Rikki DUnri Christopher Bynum, 27, and 25-year-old Joseph Demetrice Robinson. (Jefferson County Jail/Contributed) A 32-year-old man has been convicted in a Birmingham gas station shooting that killed two men, injured a third and narrowly missed a 1-year-old boy. A Jefferson County jury on Monday found Antonio Shaw guilty of capital murder, two counts of attempted murder and discharging a firearm into a vehicle. Killed in the shooting were Rikki DUnri Christopher Bynum, 27, and Joseph Demetrice Robinson, 25. They were longtime best friends and were killed in front of Robinsons toddler son. Following the morning verdict, the jury recommended life without the possibility of parole for Shaw on the capital convictions and Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Streety followed the jurys recommendation. Streety also imposed life sentences on each of the attempted murder cases, and a sentence of 10 years with two to service on the discharging a weapon conviction, which is the maximum sentence allowed by the law in effect at the time of this shooting. The verdict and sentencing were handed down one week after the trial began. The cases were prosecuted by deputy district attorneys Neal Zarzour, Blake Owens and Isabella Colombo. Shaw was represented by attorneys Michael Blalock and John Wiley. We are thankful to the jury for their work in this case. They sat through a week full of heavy, difficult testimony and evidence, the prosecutors said in a statement to AL.com. By their verdict, they held the defendant to account for his actions and ensured he will never be able to hurt anyone else in the free world again. Gunfire erupted in a Birmingham convenience stop parking lot just two blocks from the citys East Precinct Saturday night, killing two males and injuring a third. The shooting happened about 9 p.m. Saturday, June 5, 2021, at the Circle K near Roebuck Plaza. The victims were in a vehicle together at the store. Corey Lamont Glover Jr. survived the shooting, and 1-year-old Joseph Robinson Jr. was inside the vehicle but not injured. An East Precinct officer was on patrol in the 200 block of Roebuck Plaza Drive when multiple shots rang out in the parking lot of the Circle K. The patrol officer put out an emergency call requesting all available help. Officers from the nearby precinct descended on the parking lot. They arrived to find the wounded victims. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded with three transport trucks, but only Glover survived. Bynum and Robinson, longtime friends, were pronounced dead on the scene. One of the victims took Robinsons baby to safety, handing him off to a store clerk. A Birmingham police officer holds a young boy who escaped harm when gunfire erupted Saturday, June 5, 2021, at the Circle K on Roebuck Plaza Drive. Shaw was captured a short distance from the gas station after a witness on the scene was able to give a description of a suspect who had run away on foot. A lookout bulletin was issued, and police quickly spotted Shaw in the 9100 block of Parkway East near Pizza Hut. He was taken into custody without incident, and a weapon was recovered. The shooting was captured on surveillance video and stemmed from an ongoing dispute. At the time of the deadly shooting, Shaw was out on bond and awaiting trial on two counts of second-degree assault and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle or building in connection with a 2018 shooting that wounded a man and a woman. Those cases have not gone to trial, according to court records. Robinson and Bynum grew up together on the citys west side, in the Central Park community. Deauntae Smith said in a previously interview that his brother, Bynum, was a father to 12 children. He was a good-hearted person,' Smith said. He would give you anything. Robinson was a father to two children - a 1-year-old son and a 3-month-old daughter - and owned his own hauling and towing business. Those close to him described him as a great father who was fighting to provide a better life for his family and who wanted to set a good example for his children. Considering the multitude of options, finding good horror can be dicey. Classics in the genre are rarer than finding needles in a haystack (or a Cenobites skull). Like anywhere else in the world, Alabama has played host to countless attempts to frighten the masses, with only a handful of successful scares. Of the many spooky selections, weve carefully curated a list of what we consider the most petrifying. So as you watch, remember these films that go bump in the night-- from Oscar-winners to slasher sequels -- were made in your backyard. Read the list below. RELATED: 9 horror movie scream queens from Alabama Get Out (2017) Alabama Connection: Filmed in Fairhope. Jordan Peeles Oscar-winning directorial debut remains as relevant as it did the day it opened in 2017. He partially filmed the weekend getaway/meet the parents story that takes a sinister turn filmed in Fairhope. Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario) stars as a man who visits his white girlfriends cursed family estate, where things get very weird and dangerous. It earned Oscar nominations for best picture, director and actor and won the best original screenplay award. Manhunter (1986) Alabama connection: Partially set in Birmingham. Michael Manns masterful thriller about a serial killer profiler who gets inside the heads of those he intends to catch. William Petersens Will Graham travels to a crime scene in Birmingham, attempting to track down the Tooth Fairy killer. Also contains a chilling performance by Succession actor Brian Cox as Dr. Hannibal Lectkor (spelled this way in this movie), the first on-screen depiction, even before Anthony Hopkins Oscar-winning portrayal in 1990s The Silence of the Lambs. Cox is equally creepy. The Final Destination (2009) Alabama connection: Filmed at Mobile International Speedway. The fourth installment of the supernatural horror series follows a group of people stalked by Death, who takes them out one by one. Mostly filmed in New Orleans, production traveled to the racking track in Irvington, Alabama, for the totally insane (and gruesome!) opening crash sequence. The series found new life in 2025s Final Destination: Bloodlines, fully leaning into the silliness of the gorefests. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) Alabama connection: Filmed in Baldwin County. Jason Voorhees is accidentally freed from his watery prison at Crystal Lake by a telekinetic teenager, the only person who can stop him in this seventh installment of the classic slasher series, this time directed by John Carl Buechler. They filmed at Byrnes Lake and in Mobile. RELATED: Baldwin Countys relationship with Friday the 13th links iconic killer Jason to Byrnes Lake boat launch Mike Flanagan movies Alabama connection: Filmed in Fairhope/Mobile. This is a cheat pick, sure, but the creative force (no relation) behind Doctor Sleep and popular Netflix series like Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass once shot a trio of well-liked horror flicks in Alabama, starting with Oculus, a supernatural thriller starring Karen Gillan shot in Fairhope, as was the 2016 film Hush starring John Gallagher Jr. and Kate Siegel. Hed also shoot the fantasy horror film Before I Wake starring Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane in Fairhope, and then the Stephen King adaptation Geralds Game in Mobile. Companies Appointed to CA Smoke Damage Task Force Among those Accused of Downplaying Smoke Damage LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The second episode of Smoke & Mirrors, the investigative podcast by Consumer Watchdog, uncovers a troubling system of subcontractors hired by insurance companies, who often prioritize minimizing payouts over restoring fire survivors' homes to safe and livable conditions. Listen to episode 2, out today, on your podcast platform of choice, including: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube Host Justin Kloczko takes listeners through the little-known world of fire insurance subcontracting, where companies positioned as experts in smoke testing and home remediation work for insurers seeking to cut costs. "These cleaning and testing companies are not independent, and most of them primarily work for the big insurance companies," said Kloczko, who produced the series from Consumer Watchdog, Smoke & Mirrors. "They're sent when homes survive a fire but are inundated with toxic contamination from heat, smoke and ash. Too often homeowners report these companies don't test, or when they do test, they test to deny, not to discover what's needed to make a home safe again." California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced a Smoke Claims and Remediation Task Force to create statewide cleaning and testing standards for smoke damaged homes. Yet more than half of its members represent insurance companies or consulting firms that work for insurance companies, with no public adjusters, wildfire survivors, or independent industrial hygienists named to the task force, Consumer Watchdog found. The podcast chronicles homeowners' experience with two of the task force companies accused of downplaying smoke damage, HRA Environmental Consultants and Blue Sky Environmental Consulting. "Appointing companies accused of downplaying smoke damage to the panel charged with setting standards for cleanup skews the outcome before they even get started," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog. "Commissioner Lara must add wildfire survivors, public adjustors and independent experts in toxins to the task force for families to be confident that any new standards will mean a safe return home." The episode finds: Companies such as JS Held, P.W. Stephens, Servpro, HRA Consulting, and Blue Sky Environmental are repeatedly hired by insurers like Amica and State Farm. These firms often performed minimal or narrow testing that overlooked critical toxins such as heavy metals, cyanide, and other carcinogenic chemicals. Meanwhile, industrial hygienists hired by homeowners conducted tests that uncovered widespread contamination that insurers often failed to acknowledge in their own remediation plans. In one case, a popular corporate consultant admitted under oath that he relied on just visual inspection, smell, and minimal tape samples to recommend to an insurer that no major cleaning was needed. The same consultant in another case cited toxins from "sea spray" as a potential contributing factor to toxins present in an Altadena home, which is about 25 miles away from the coast. Contracts from another company explicitly state they do not guarantee the removal of hazardous substances like lead, despite being hired to remove them. Survivors who questioned testing or cleanup practices were accused of being uncooperative. Many policyholders have spent thousands out of pocket for reliable testing just to prove their homes are unsafe. A survey of 2,335 Los Angeles fire survivors by the Department of Angels found that 1 in 4 survivors want contamination testing of their homes and have not been able to obtain it. In general, those with standing homes reported "far worse" experiences with their insurance companies than those whose homes were lost, because they are likelier to have to fight to get information and to get claims approved. "The aftermath has been far worse in a different way, because the immediate disaster was frightening, but the recovery from the fire has been incredibly difficult," said Karen Girard, an Eaton Fire survivor. "Because the social services, the governmental services, the paid services, like insurance, are not actually helping those of us who are survivors of the fire." Smoke & Mirrors uncovers a web of little-known subcontractors and unseen technology that facilitate claims delays, lowballed payouts and denials, and offers advice on what consumers can do about it. It includes narrative storytelling, interviews with experts and attorneys, and draws on court records to paint a picture of how many insurance companies are not meeting their obligations to policyholders. Learn more about the series at ConsumerWatchdog.org. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Alabama's Hannah Brown, left, made an appearance on "At Home With the Robertsons," a new video series on Facebook Watch. The series features Willie and Korie Robertson of "Duck Dynasty," chatting with guests about topics that range from beauty pageants to interracial adoptions. From left are Brown, Korie Robertson, Willie Robertson, Sadie Robertson Huff and Christian Huff. (Courtesy photo/At Home With the Robertsons) Sadie Robertson Huff is speaking out over social media backlash he got for posting a video about the viral line-dancing trend to Beyonces Texas Hold Em. She stated it was disappointing that so much of the criticism came from her fellow Christians. Because I think a lot of times on social media, especially with cancel culture, you just hide or delete the video and say, Sorry, didnt mean to do that, she told Fox News Digital of the now-deleted video. But I actually just wanted to open it up to a bigger conversation. The Duck Dynasty star added the criticism hit different. I felt like it just, instead of being unifying, we just added so much division and hate, she said, adding Christians should hold each other accountable while also extending grace. Hey friends, like, if were the church, and were in the body of Christ, we have to have each others back. Yes, theres a place to speak into someones life. Yes, we hold each other accountable. But also, believe the best in someone. In the video, Huff and three family members dance to Beyonces hit song in an outdoor area outside a home. The other women in the video include Huffs sister Bella as well as her sisters-in-law Mary Kate and Abby. Alabama makeup artist Amanda Chapman as the Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland." Amanda Chapman Google Trends has put together a list of which Halloween costumes are the most searched this year. The lists of most popular costumes by city can be found on Googles Frightgeist site, along with a map of nationwide trends. In Alabama, youll find a few oldies-but-goodies on the list, like Freddy Krueger and Gomez Addams, but trending kids characters are taking over most searches. Characters from the animated Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters showed up on all three Alabama city lists, while the wildly popular plush Labubu toys made Birminghams list. Lets look at the trending Google searches for Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile in Alabama, followed by a listing of the top 10 searches nationwide. Huntsvilles top costume searches Steampunk: Hunstvillians love this sci-fi subgenre based on steam-powered equipment from the Industrial Revolution. Rumi: She is a character from the movie KPop Demon Hunters. (For some reason, Frightgeist listed this costume as No. 2 and No. 3 in Huntsville.) Gomez Addams: The Addams Family has been a popular costume inspiration for decades but the success of the Netflix series Wednesday has brought the family back into the spotlight. Freddy Krueger: Ah, Freddy. The knife-fingered villain from the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is as popular as ever after 41 years of haunting our dreams. Birminghams top costume searches Rumi: Character from the animated film KPOP Demon Hunters. Labubu: A trending plush toy collectible that look like adorable sharp-toothed bunny-monsters sort of like the Hong Kong version of Beanie Babies. Superman: He never goes out of style and the 2025 film has renewed childrens interest. Derpy the Tiger: Another character from KPop Demon Hunters. The Grinch: In recent years, the Dr. Seuss character we love to hate has made a crossover leap from Christmas to Halloween. Mobiles top costume searches Rumi: Character from KPop Demon Hunters. The Lorax: A popular character from Dr. Seuss. Flynn Rider: The lovable leading man from the animated Disney film Tangled, aka Eugene Fitzherbert. The Mad Hatter: A staple from the iconic book Alice in Wonderland. Mira: Another character from KPop Demon Hunters. Top 10 searches in the nation Rumi from KPop Demon Hunters: Google says, Rumi is the top trending costume, with queries for dragon braid and purple hair being searched more than ever. Zoey from KPop Demon Hunters: Google says, Zoeys space buns are top trending in 2025. Mira from KPop Demon Hunters: Mira has the top trending pink wig and yellow skirt this year, Google says. Jinu from KPop Demon Hunters: Google says, Jinu is the top trending demon in 2025. Baby Saja from KPop Demon Hunters: Google explains, Search interest in pink argyle sweater reached a 12+ year high in 2025 and Baby Saja is the top related character. Chicken Jockey: Google says of this Minecraft character: Jockey searches reached an all-time high after the release of A Minecraft Movie this year. Labubu: Search interest in Labubu reached an all-time high this year, Google says. Derpy the Tiger from KPop Demon Hunters: Google says, Derpy is the top trending tiger searched in 2025. Elphaba: Google says of this character from Wicked: This year, Elphaba costume is being searched more than ever before. The Lorax: Lorax costume is the top trending search related to orange full body suit this year, Google says. See the full list of results here. Four Alabamians who are leaving their own mark on the states food industries were recognized with awards from the Southern Foodways Alliance during their 2025 symposium. The 2025 Southern Foodways Symposium took place Oct. 24 through Oct. 26 in Birmingham. During the sold-out event, Erin Washington and Erica Washington of Fresh Greens Market in Montgomery, Pam Trowbridge of Trowbridges Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop in Florence and Nick Koikos of The Bright Star in Bessemer all garnered awards. READ MORE: At Trowbridges, theres more on the menu than ice cream Erin Washington and Erica Washington, of Fresh Greens Market in Montgomery, Ala., took home the 2025 John Egerton Prize from the Southern Foodways Alliance. (Photos courtesy of Southern Foodways Alliance/Andrew Albright) (Photos courtesy of Southern Foodways Alliance/Andrew Albright) Erin and Erica Washington, of Fresh Greens Market, received the John Egerton Prize, which recognizes artists, writers, scholars, and others -- including artisans and farmers and cooks -- whose work, in the American South, addresses issues of race, class, gender, and social and environmental justice, through the lens of food. Fresh Greens Market, co-founded by sisters Erin and Erica Washington, is an organic urban farm and market on the west side of Montgomery that makes fresh foods more accessible to the community and its residents. The market stands in the same location where their great-grandfather once opened a grocery store in the early 1940s. Pam Trowbridge, of Trowbridges Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop Florence, Ala., took home the Keeper of the 2025 Flame Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance. (Photos courtesy of Southern Foodways Alliance/Andrew Albright) Meanwhile, Pam Trowbridge, of Trowbridges Ice Cream and Sandwich Bar, took home the Keeper of the Flame Award, honoring an unsung foodways tradition bearer of note. Trowbridges Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop in downtown Florence has been serving ice cream and more for over a century. Pam Trowbridge took over operations at the family-owned creamery, which her grandfather first opened in 1918, in 2020. While it is known for its signature orange pineapple ice cream, Trowbridges has a diverse menu of sweet and savory treats. Nick Koikos, of The Bright Star in Bessemer, Ala., took home the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance. (Photos courtesy of Southern Foodways Alliance/Andrew Albright) (Photos courtesy of Southern Foodways Alliance/Andrew Albright) Lastly, The Lifetime Achievement Award, which goes to an individual whom all thinking eaters should know, the sort of person who has made an indelible mark upon our cuisine and our culture, went to Nick Kiokos of the Bright Star Restaurant. Located in Bessemer, The Bright Star restaurant has become an icon of the state with its 100-year history. While it originally opened at a 12-seat bar in 1907, today the family-owned restaurant features an eclectic menu full of Greek-style steaks, desserts, seafood and more. READ MORE: The story behind a must-try dish at this classic restaurant You can read more about the Southern Foodways Alliance awards here. Authorities have released the name of a man who was found shot to death inside a vehicle in southwest Birmingham earlier this month. The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Tuesday identified the victim as Monderrius McClellan. He was 33 and lived in Birmingham. The citys West Precinct officers were dispatched at 12:05 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, on a call of a person shot at 12th Place and Mayfield Avenue. Police arrived to find McClellan unresponsive in the drivers seat of a vehicle. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene at 12:26 a.m. Authorities said the preliminary investigation indicated the shots were fired by the suspect as the victim tried to drive away. No arrests have been announced. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. The fate of a Huntsville family whose story was shared before the City Council last month will be in the hands of ICE officials tomorrow in Birmingham. That is when Antonio Barojas Solano was ordered to check in with immigration authorities. Solano, along with three other Hispanic men, were taken into ICE custody outside of a north Huntsville home on Aug. 6. He was detained for six weeks, but an immigration judge released him on $5,000 bail. ICE appealed the decision and ordered him to check in. The family fears he might be detained again, complicating his efforts to gain legal status. His wife, Chelsea Brunty-Barojas, told AL.com that the family initially feared he would be deported, but said they found out Tuesday that would not be the case. She said immigrations officials have tried to have his application for legal status thrown out because of a technicality. Barojas Solano is scheduled to have a hearing before an immigration judge in November about his efforts to obtain legal status. Brunty-Barojas fears that if he is detained again, the immigration court appearance could be delayed, or his case could be transferred to another court, as has already happened. In a letter shared during a protest outside Huntsville City Hall and before the City Council on Sept. 11, Brunty-Barojas, said her husband tried to explain that he was married to a U.S. citizen, had legal representation and had six children who are citizens. He was in the process of obtaining legal status when he was detained. She described her husband as a man of faith, a father of six U.S. citizen children, and the sole provider for our family. He is not a criminal and has only ever had minor traffic violations in the past, Brunty-Barojas said in her letter to the council. He works hard every day in construction across North Alabama, paying taxes, contributing to the communityand yet this is how hes treated. Despite a judge granting him bond, ICE is still trying to keep him detained, wasting taxpayer dollars and causing immeasurable harm to our family. She said her father, Joseph Brunty, a retired NASA engineer, reached out to Sen. Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Dale Strong on their behalf. She said Strongs office replied by email that the congressman supported President Donald Trumps immigration policies. She said her family had to resort to asking for donations because they are struggling to make ends meet. Family members have set up a Go Fund Me page. According to the Go Fund Me page, several members of the family have debilitating medical diagnoses that have been exacerbated by his absence and will require expensive medical treatment. The family had raised more than $5,500 as of Tuesday. Brunty-Barojas said her daughter Camille, 15, has epilepsy. She said ICE officials wanted her husband to check in earlier this month but it was delayed because her daughter needed to get an MRI at Childrens Hospital. Brunty-Barojas said the couple had been married since 2022. She said he was abandoned as a teenager in California after being brought across the border and exploited in his youth for labor. He later found work on a ranch in Scottsboro but was ineligible for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status. Brunty-Barojas described their family as a blended family like the Brady Bunch. She has two children from a previous marriage, he has three. They have one child together, 2-year-old Colette. The family is preparing to move to Mexico if Barojas Solano is eventually deported. Its not what we want, Brunty-Barojas said. My kids have complex medical needs. So do I. My kids dont speak Spanish. We would be leaving. We would be taking U.S. citizen children to live in a different country and essentially not come back. A group of friends India, Zadaviss, Alicia, and Veej show off their pride for Alabama State University, of which India and Zadaviss (pictured to the left) are current students and Alicia and Veej (pictured to the right) are alumni. They pose to display their outfits to the camera at the Magic City Classic held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday, October 25, 2025. (Nellie Simmons / for Al.com) Al.com An Alabama HBCU just received a large boost in its budget thanks to a well known philanthropist. Alabama State University announced on Instagram that MacKenzie Scott donated $38 million to the Montgomery-based institution. It is the largest donation in the universitys 156-year history, according to ASU President Quinton Ross Jr. Scotts third HBCU-related donation this year is happening about a week after she sent $63 million to Morgan State University in Baltimore. In September, the United Negro College Fund announced a $70 million gift from Scott to help boost the financial health of the 37 HBCUs UNCF serves. ASU is Alabamas second-largest HBCU behind Alabama A&M University in Huntsville. Last weekend, ASU brought home a win from the Magic City Classic, the largest HBCU-rivalry game in the nation. Alabama is also the home of 14 HBCUs the most of any state in the country. According to previous stories, Scotts donations are unrestricted. ASUs press release didnt detail how they plan to use the funds, but commenters who celebrated the donation on Instagram had some ideas, including housing and student debt. I expect graduating seniors to have no balances and a majority of the 2026 freshmen class to have full scholarships, one commenter said. Ross thanked Scott for her donation and explained why it was so important in a press release. Ms. Scotts generosity affirms Alabama State Universitys reputation as a catalyst for excellence and innovation in higher education, Ross said. This is truly a pivotal moment in ASUs history. Chip shortage and vehicles A chip shortage is expected to affect at least some automakers in the state, reports AL.coms William Thornton. The reason for the backlog? A disagreement between the Chinese and Dutch governments. Reuters reported that the Netherlands took over Nexperia, a chipmaking company that is a subsidiary of a company that is partially owned by the Chinese government. According to Reuters sources, the takeover happened because of the Netherlands concern that Nexperia was about to move production to China. So the Chinese government is stopping Nexperia China and its subcontractors from exporting some products manufactured in China. Nexperia normally produces huge numbers of chips that are used in the electronic systems of cars. Its expected to quickly affect the auto industry here in the States. The Honda and Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama have both indicated there is concern. Honda representatives have said they will be adjusting production schedules -- which means theyll be cutting production beginning this week in some of their plants. A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said the entire industry is affected. State food program While Gov. Kay Ivey said Monday that the state doesnt have the money to replace federal SNAP benefits that appear to be suspended for November, its worth noting that the WIC program -- thats a supplemental state food-assistance program for women, infants and children, will continue, reports AL.coms Savannah Tryens-Fernandes. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, WIC provides free healthy foods, breastfeeding support, nutritional education and referrals to other services to support the health of infants, children up to 5 and pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women. As of last year, the WIC program served 111,000 Alabamians. The federal SNAP program, or what weve known in the past as food stamps, supports around 750,000 Alabamians. Using the county jail The City of Birmingham has not been able to get much legal traction in its lawsuit over whether Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway must accept city inmates without a valid warrant. AL.coms Heather Gann reports that, on Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld a courts dismissal of that suit. The case dates to February 2024. The county jail was once open to the city under a memorandum of understanding, but the sheriffs office said that agreement was ended after the two parties couldnt settle on the terms going forward. The state Supreme Court actually disagreed with the Jefferson County Circuit Courts reasoning, but the justices did back the decision to dismiss the lawsuit. Their reasoning was that there is no state law requiring the county jail to house city inmates without a warrant. Chick-fil-A machine? If youre tired of waiting in a drive-thru line for your Chick-fil-A fix -- as they seemingly serve in the neighborhood of 4,000 cars in approximately 3 minutes -- the company is trying to reach customers in a new old way. Vending machines. AL.coms Mary Colurso reports that Chick-fil-A opened its first vending machine this month at the Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia. USA Today had a reporter go over and check it out. Chick-fil-A hasnt apparently committed to expanding this effort, and the Augusta location isnt dishing out hot food. There is an option of two wraps with waffle potato chips. Its a temperature-controlled machine that nearby Chick-fil-A employees monitor to keep fresh food inside. It takes credit cards, debit cards and digital pay, but no cash, if you carry that sort of thing. And, like Chick-fil-A restaurants themselves, it doesnt do business on Sundays. Quoting Im not sure what Ill dress up as, but it wont be as the mayor. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who is leaving office on Halloween. By the Numbers 0 The number of times former quarterback A.J. McCarron, who has announced a run for lieutenant governor, has voted. More Alabama News The podcast An Alabama man convicted of murder at 14 had an appeal rejected by the Alabama Supreme Court but the courts chief justice disagreed with the decision. Evan Millers writ of certiorari was denied by the court on Friday. Miller was convicted of the 2003 slaying of Cole Cannon and was the youngest person sentenced to life without parole in the state. Millers attorneys at the Equal Justice Initiative have not responded to AL.coms request for comment. Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Stewart questioned whether her colleagues and lower state courts have complied with the intent of a 2012 landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the sentencing of juveniles for capital murder convictions. Stewart stated in a brief written dissent why she disagreed with the states criminal court of appeals to uphold a Lawrence County judges 2021 re-sentencing decision not to grant Miller a new sentence with a chance at parole in the future. The United States Supreme Court reversed Evan Millers life-without-the-possibility-of parole sentence and held that, before sentencing a juvenile homicide offender to life without the possibility of parole, a sentencer is required to consider, among other relevant mitigating factors, the hallmark features of youth, how children are different, and how those differences counsel against irrevocably sentencing them to a lifetime in prison, Stewart wrote. After reviewing the record, I question whether the sentencing court and the Court of Criminal Appeals complied with Miller and its progeny, she stated. A majority of the 2,800 individuals serving juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) following the SCOTUS Miller ruling had been resentenced in court or had their sentences amended via legislation, according to a 2022 report from The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. The EJI, citing that group, stated that 880 had already been released. In Alabama, at least 73 inmates qualified for resentencing, according to a list compiled from prosecutors at district attorneys and the Alabama Attorney Generals Office. According to court records as of 2021, 39 had been resentenced and granted an eventual shot at parole. Another 13 had been resentenced to life without parole prior to Millers resentencing, and 20 cases were pending or it was unclear about the status. Another inmate died while in prison. How is the federal government shutdown, now in its 28th day, affecting air travel in Alabama? The answer is not completely clear. Almost 7,000 flights were delayed nationwide on Monday, according to Reuters, with air traffic controller absences and imposed ground delay programs affecting several airports around the country. Flights in the southeast were delayed by significant staffing shortages at the Atlanta Terminal Radar Approach Control. That came a day after more than 8,800 flights were delayed on Sunday. How are things at the states two largest airports? Birmingham Airport Authority spokesperson Kim Hunt said the airport cant comment on air traffic control issues related to federal agencies. However, she said, the airport is not seeing any operational impacts here at BHM. We work closely with our federal partners to maintain a safe and secure environment for travelers here at the airport and beyond, Hunts said. Things are running smoothly. Huntsville International Airport referred all questions to the (FAA) Federal Aviation Administration...which is affected by the federal shutdown. An automated response stated that due to a lapse in funding, the FAA is not responding to routine media inquiries. It continued: As (Transportation Secretary Sean) Duffy has said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations, the message stated. For real-time flight impacts at U.S. airports due to staffing, weather, or other factors, please visit www.fly.faa.gov." A check of the website Tuesday morning showed no impacts in Alabama. Duffy said on Sunday that controllers are wearing thin and calling in sick as they continue to go without pay, according to CNN. There have been at least 264 instances of staffing problems reported at FAA facilities this month, which is more than four times the 60 that reported problems on the same dates last year. About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are working without pay through the budget impasse in Washington. Cross erected near the place where a police car chase ended in a fatal crash in Hartselle on Sept. 6, 2025. Picture taken on Sept. 8, 2025. Kayode Crown Rachel Moore, the mother of Tristan Hollis, the 17-year-old who died in a Hartselle car crash on Sept. 6, has sued the city of Priceville and others. Hollis was killed during a crash with Archie Hale. Hale, who was suspected of driving under the influence, was fleeing from Priceville Police Officer Garry Chapman when his car hit the vehicle carrying Hollis and three others. Hollis was killed, three other teens were injured. In the suit filed on Oct. 27 in Morgan County Circuit Court, Moore is seeking monetary compensation from the city of Priceville, Chapman, Hale, and the company that insured the vehicle Hollis was in that night, Progressive Insurance Company. The lawsuit accused Chapman of excessive and dangerous speed and failing to consider the volume and flow of traffic in downtown Hartselle, and driving into another police jurisdiction, at speeds up to 100 mph, without knowing or being familiar with downtown Hartselle. Chapmans lawyer, Scott Morro told AL.com that Moore should not have sued his client. He did nothing wrong, Morro said Monday. But I understand that theyre trying to get to the city of Priceville who failed to support their police officer and so the city of Priceville has created their own liability which is really rather dumb. He said Chapman acted within the police policy and within the law during the pursuit. The city of Priceville and Progressives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hale is in the Morgan County jail on murder charges, and a previous effort to reach him for comments was unsuccessful. On Sept. 22, Priceville mayor Sam Heflin concluded that Chapman, son of Duane Chapman, son of reality TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter, violated the citys pursuit policy and fired him. But after an appeal hearing on Oct. 13, the city council rehired Chapman. The fateful chase, which began on Interstate 65 in Priceville, according to the mayors finding, went through a neighborhood in Hartselle and its downtown before the crash near the intersection of Highway 36 and Highway 31. The chase also injured other minors in the vehicle with Hollis - Braxton Wales, and two brothers, Noah and Gavin Prater. Hale and his passenger were also injured. Hale faces murder charges and, Cynthia Brown, Wales mother, filed a lawsuit against him earlier this month demanding compensation for medical expenses, disfigurement, and loss of earning capacity. Wales has an altered gait as a result of the injury he sustained in the accident, according to attorney Will League, who is representing the injured minors. Gavin suffered a brain injury, and Noahs back was broken. Moores lawsuit said her deceased son was a passenger in a Toyota RAV4 that Noah was driving that night. The Toyota RAV4 was traveling north on US Highway 31 in Morgan County, Alabama, she said in the lawsuit filed by attorney J. Barton Warren. As Noah Prater approached the intersection of US Highway 31 and AL Highway 36, he had a green traffic signal, allowing him to proceed through the intersection. At the same time, Hale, in a 2004 Chevrolet Impala being pursued by Chapman, ran a red light, struck the RAV4, and killed Hollis. Iconix Waterworks (US) Inc. allegedly failed to provide employees with all accurate itemized wage statements, meal break, and rest breaks. **THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT** SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sacramento labor and employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP , filed a lawsuit against Iconix Waterworks (US) Inc., alleging the company violated Labor Code 2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANT's alleged violation of California Labor Code 204, 210, 226(a), 226.7, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, and 1198. The lawsuit against Iconix Waterworks (US) Inc. is currently pending in the Sacramento County Superior Court, Case No. 25CV021898. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here . The Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP The Complaint further alleges that Iconix Waterworks (US) Inc. failed to provide employees with complete and accurate wage statements which failed to show, among other things, the correct gross and net wages earned. When the hours shown on the wage statements were added up, they did not equal total hours worked during the pay period. Allegedly, Defendant required employees from time to time to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided ten (10) minute rest periods and work over five (5) hours without a thirty (30) minute meal break. PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who does so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code. For more information about the class action lawsuit against Iconix Waterworks (US) Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today. Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today. **THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT** Media Contact Nicholas De Blouw Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP (800) 568-8020 [email protected] https://www.bamlawca.com/ SOURCE Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP Food assistance for more than 40 million people including 750,000 in Alabama will stop Nov. 1 as the government shutdown continues. Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01, a notice on the U.S. Department of Agriculture website said. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. Unless Congress reaches a funding deal, no money through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the official name for food stamps, will be coming in November. Heres what you need to know about your benefits, alternatives and what it can mean for you: Whats happening Nov. 1? The impasse between Republicans and Democrats has led to the weeks-long shutdown and impacted a range of federal services. This week, the USDA announced it does not have sufficient funds to distribute benefits after Nov. 1. Some states have tapped into emergency funds to keep aid coming though most, including Alabama, have not. The USDA said it will not reimburse states that use their own money to fund SNAP but will help cover some administrative costs. READ MORE: SNAP suspension threatens Alabama grocery stores, $2.5B economic impact What kind of numbers are we talking about? According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, SNAP has 41.7 million participants in the U.S., roughly 12% of the total population. In Alabama, 752,200 people receive SNAP benefits, numbers equal to about 15% of the states population, or 1 in every 7 Alabamians. Nationally, 62% of SNAP participants are families with children, 37% are in families with members who are older adults or disabled and 38% are in working families. In Alabama, 67% of SNAP recipients are families with children and 39% are in families with older adults or people with disabilities. More than 35% of Alabamas SNAP recipients are in working families. How much do SNAP recipients receive? According to the CBPP, SNAP averages about $192 per month per household member. That equals about $6.31 a day per household member. In Alabama, the average SNAP payment is $196 per month per household member. Can you use your SNAP benefits now? Yes, any funds on your Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, card are still there. They can be used in October and into November. No new money will be added. READ MORE: Food assistance program for Alabama women and babies will continue despite SNAP suspension What is Alabama saying about the situation? SNAP benefits are 100% federally funded; therefore USDA (FNS) controls the issuance of these benefits on EBT cards. I was pleased to learn that FNS plans to reimburse November administrative costs which will help states financially, said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. We know SNAP benefits are vitally important to the more than 750,000 Alabamians who depend on the more than $140 million in support each month. Alabama DHR, along with many others, hopes Congress will come to a quick resolution on the federal government shutdown. What is Alabama recommending SNAP recipients do? SNAP recipients should look to local resources for help, DHR said. Clients who need additional food support during this time may reach out to their local Feeding Alabama affiliated food bank, visit feedingalabama.org, or any other food resources available in their local communities, Alabama DHR said in a statement. Where can I find information about food banks in Alabama? There is a directory of food banks in Alabama here. You can search by ZIP code here. READ MORE: Katie Britt backs GOP plan to provide food stamps, blames shutdown on Democrats selfishness What about WIC? The Women, Infants and Children program will continue to provide benefits, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Currently, all WIC services, including appointments, benefits issuance, and nutrition education, remain available statewide, ADPH said in a statement to AL.com. WIC and SNAP are different programs, and SNAP is not under the direction of ADPH. The only measure that ADPH has taken, at this time, is to move to a one-month benefit issuance frequency in order to continue serving our WIC Program participants. Any chance the stoppage doesnt happen? If Congress can reach a funding agreement to end the shutdown, SNAP funding could be restored in November. Also, governors and attorneys general from 25 states have filed suit against the White House to keep it from suspending the program. SNAP is one of our nations most effective tools to fight hunger, and the USDA has the money to keep it running, New York state Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. There is no excuse for this administration to abandon families who rely on SNAP, or food stamps, as a lifeline. Alabama grocers are sounding the alarm over the government shutdown and suspension of SNAP benefits, which they say play a vital role in the states economy. According to a statement from the Alabama Grocers Association, the federal food assistance program supports more than 7,800 jobs and $350 million in wages for grocery employees statewide. The government shutdown threatens food security for hundreds of thousands of Alabamians, said Ellie Taylor, president and CEO of the Alabama Grocers Association. Programs like SNAP and WIC are lifelines for working families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities. They not only prevent hunger but also sustain jobs and economic activity throughout our state. On Monday, the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which administers SNAP, said food stamps will be suspended in November. According to DHR, the federal Department of Agriculture told them SNAP benefits would be suspended effective Nov. 1 until federal funding is provided or until states are directed otherwise. The states Special SNAP for Women, Infants, and Children, otherwise known as WIC, will continue operating, the Alabama Department of Public Health told AL.com on Monday. There are over 750,000 Alabamians enrolled in SNAP - thats almost 15% of the states population. The grocers association said any cuts or interruptions to the program could cost Alabama up to $1.7 billion in annual federal funds, resulting in a $2.55 billion economic loss. That would put rural grocery stores often the only food source for many communities at risk of closure, the association said. Grocers in Alabama were already warning about the impacts SNAP cuts would have on them when the Big Beautiful Bill was passed in July, cutting $186 billion in funding for the food program. Jimmy Wright, who owns Wrights Market in Opelika, told AL.com that about 35% of his customers use SNAP. It could have a huge impact on our business, Wright told AL.com If business drops by 20%, I cant cut off 20% of my lights or call my insurance company and tell them Im going to have to reduce what I pay them to compensate. All thats left is payroll. An analysis by the Center for American Progress found that given the high percentage of people living in rural communities who are enrolled in SNAP, 18 counties in Alabama are at high risk of losing their food retailers with the budget cuts to the program. Over half of those counties are in the Black Belt, including Montgomery County, and the rest are in south Alabama. Retailers in Wilcox and Perry counties face the most risk as over 40% of their populations use SNAP. Gov. Kay Iveys office told AL.com that the state does not have the money to step in and pay benefits for those enrolled in the food assistance program as the Nov. 1 suspension looms. While the state does not have extra money to do Congress job, Governor Ivey hopes to see U.S. Senate Democrats get on board to reopen the federal government, a statement from Iveys office read. According to DHRs statistical report for July, the most recent month available on the website, the monthly cost of SNAP benefits paid to Alabamians was $142 million The shutdown began on Oct. 1, after Democrats refused to pass the Republican-sponsored bill to fund the government unless health care tax credits, part of the Affordable Care Act, were extended. If those credits arent extended, 130,000 Alabamians could lose health insurance and see their premiums go up by an average of 93%, according to KFF, a health care policy research nonprofit. With the SNAP suspension, Alabamians are being put in a position where we are being forced to choose between health care and food, said Carol Gundlach, senior policy analyst at Alabama Arise, a nonprofit that advocates for policies to improve poverty in the state. The federal Department of Agriculture has a contingency fund with about $5-6 billion dollars in it that could be used to partially pay out benefits next month. On average, it takes about $8 billion a month to fully fund SNAP. According to Alabama Arise, in addition to its contingency fund, USDA also has the authority to make internal transfers to cover the additional $2 billion to $3 billion needed to provide November SNAP benefits in full. But the agency said Friday they would not use the contingency fund, which is what was done during shutdowns in 2018 and 2019 so people would not go without food assistance. Our grocery retailers are the backbone of communities across Alabama, ensuring families have access to nutritious food, said Taylor with the grocers association. Ending the shutdown and fully funding SNAP and WIC isnt just a moral responsibility its an economic necessity. Historic Blakeley State Park offers a variety of landscapes and activities for anyone wanting to get outdoors. Park officials hope to build four floating cabins on its riverfront on the Tensaw River, using funds from offshore oil and gas leases. (File) File photo Visitors will soon be able to sleep on the Tensaw Rivers gentle current if officials approve Blakeley State Parks proposal. Itll be a unique experience, and a unique way to enjoy the river that we just dont have right now, said Mike Bunn, the parks director. Historic Blakeley State Park in Spanish Fort has proposed building four floating cabins available for rent on the Tensaw River. The cabins will be built west of the existing boat launch, according to a legal notice for the project. Alabamas Department of Environmental Management is currently reviewing the proposal, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. If the project gets the green light, Bunn estimates the cabins will be built by late 2027 or early 2028. The cabins are projected to be 48 feet long and 24 feet wide, according to the legal notice, and spaced 10 feet apart. Each cabin will have its own floating access pier. The cabins will be fully powered, with running water, TV, and air conditioning, Bunn said. A new, L-shaped floating pier will connect all of the cabins, according to the legal notice. The pier will connect to a boardwalk that will cross over wetlands. The cabins are part of an overhaul of the parks entire riverfront architecture, Bunn said. There will be water and power service at the waterfront for the first time in the parks history. The existing boat dock will be repaired and extended, according to the legal notice, and connected to a new boardwalk over the wetlands. In addition, a new double kayak launch will be built on the Tensaw River, that will include a 39-foot-long and 8-foot-wide launching dock, the legal notice said. The cabin project is funded by a roughly $2 million grant from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA), which provides a portion of federal offshore oil and gas lease revenue to states for environmental and quality of life projects. The grant is intended to provide more recreation access to the Tensaw River, Bunn said. The least intrusive way to do that was to build these floating cabins, he said. Weve got a sensitive waterfront area, Bunn said. To clear trees, and work in a floodplain is difficult at bestweve got some existing infrastructure, and we can add to it. Bunn said the park doesnt know how much it will cost to rent the floating cabins yet. They will likely be a little more expensive than the parks other cabin rentals, since these cost more to maintain. But the goal, as with everything in the park, is to charge a modest amount that everyone can afford, he said. Bunn said the park is looking to reimagine all of its offerings. In addition to the waterfront access, Blakeley is also the site of the last major battle of the Civil War: the Battle of Fort Blakeley that took place in April 1865. There are also archival remains from Native American tribes, early colonial homesteads, and the town of Blakeley, one of the oldest towns in the state. Blakeley Park is looking to build replicas of some of the historic structures found in the park, Bunn said. Were trying to make it more of a focal point, to help people discover the amazing history thats here, and the amazing natural heritage in a way that allows them to have a really unique, first-class recreational asset, he said. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and a Republican state senator want to change the state Constitution to require the states elected officials to be citizens born in the United States. The natural born citizen requirement would apply to all of Alabamas elected posts that are designated by the state Constitution governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, legislators, judges, sheriffs, and others. Allen, who is running for lieutenant governor, said the idea is to apply the same standard that requires the president and vice president to be born in the United States. We are just mirroring what the U.S. Constitution requires of our president and vice president, Allen said. We want to make sure that no potential foreign influence or foreign meddling could impact our states highest elected leaders. That would exclude naturalized citizens, those born outside the country who complete the process to become citizens. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 7.9 million people nationwide have become naturalized citizens during the last decade. Currently under the Alabama constitution, the governor and lieutenant governor have to be citizens at least 10 years before they are elected. There is a seven-year citizenship requirement for the attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and commissioner of agriculture and industries. Members of the Legislature have to be citizens at least three years. The state constitution does not specify a citizenship requirement for any of the other elected offices, according to the bill. Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, said he told Allen he wanted to sponsor the bill when Allen approached him with the idea. Most people believe that is already a requirement and so we should ensure that we make it a prerequisite for serving, Chesteen said. Allen said he came up with the idea because of what he says is a trend of people born outside the United States running for high-profile offices. He gave two examples. Zohran Mamdani, a state representative in New York running for mayor of New York City, is a democratic socialist who was born in Uganda. Mamdani won the Democratic primary and faces former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Nov. 4 election. Ruwa Romman, a Democratic candidate for governor in Georgia, was born in Jordan and is the granddaughter of Palestinian refugees. Allen said he believes his idea will be popular with voters, who would have the final say if the proposal is approved by the Legislature. I am confident that the vast majority of Alabamians join us in wanting to strengthen our state Constitution to put Alabama first and to counteract any potential future influence from abroad, Allen said. The legislative session starts Jan. 13. Alabama State Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, speaks on the floor of the Alabama Senate on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in the Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala. John Sharp The Democratic caucus of the Alabama Senate on Tuesday urged Gov. Kay Ivey to call the Legislature into special session to address the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the month of November. The governor does not plan to do so. The Democratic caucus, which has eight members in the 35-member Senate, made the request in a letter to Ivey and in a press release. The federal government will not pay SNAP benefits in November unless there is a resolution to the shutdown in Washington. About 750,000 Alabamians receive SNAP benefits, about 15% of the population. The average benefit is about $196 a month. The total cost of the benefits is about $150 million a month. While the state pays some of the cost for administering the program, the benefits are 100% federally funded. Charity has a place in our society, but charity cannot replace a government that works for its people, Sen. Robert Stewart of Selma, vice chair of the caucus, said in the press release. When Washington fails, Alabama must step up to protect our families, our small businesses, and our local economies. Gina Maiola, communication director for Ivey, said the governor has no plans to call a special session. Maiola pointed to her statement from Monday. While the state does not have extra money to do Congress job, Governor Ivey hopes to see U.S. Senate Democrats get on board to reopen the federal government, Maiola said. Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for the shutdown. Republicans hold the majority in the U.S. Senate and House but need Democratic votes to pass a resolution to continue funding the government temporarily. The Alabama Senate Democrats said a loss of SNAP for November would hurt not only the families that depend on it, but grocery stores and small markets where those families buy food. Although we know SNAP is a federal program, we are asking Gov. Ivey to call an emergency special session so we can help the citizens of Alabama who are hurting, Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton of Greensboro said. People are not going to be thankful this Thanksgiving if they cannot put food on the table to feed their families. This shutdown is not only hurting people, but its hurting our local grocers and farmers. I know the local grocery stores in my town get roughly 70% of their business from SNAP customers and most of those benefits go to feed families and the elderly. We need to do whatever it takes to feed our people. The caucus urged the governor and legislative leaders to use rainy day funds and other reserves to prevent a disruption of SNAP benefits. These funds exist for moments like this, when the rain is falling hardest on those with the fewest resources, Stewart said. We must act swiftly and decisively to ensure no Alabamian goes hungry because of political gridlock in Washington. WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office at the White House on September 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Following days of speculation about his health from users on social media, President Trump made his first public appearance in a week to announce the moving of Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Getty Images When asked this week about the possibility of Donald Trump running for a third term as U.S. President, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., didnt say he was against the idea. If you read the Constitution, it says its not [constitutional], Tuberville told the press in a clip posted to X Tuesday by the Daily Caller. But he says he has some different circumstances that might be able to go around the Constitution. But thats up to him. Tuberville said there would have to be an evaluation from President Trumps viewpoint to the Constitution. Its very unlikely, but dont ever close the book on President Trump, he concluded. Last week, Steve Bannon, the CEO of Trumps 2016 campaign and a former White House adviser, told the Economist there is a plan for Trump to get a third term, despite the Constitution clearly stating that presidents are restricted to two terms in office. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that although he would be allowed to run on the 2028 GOP ticket as vice president and then ascend to the presidency when the head of the ticket resigns from office, he would not go down that path. Yeah, Id be allowed to do that, he said. But I wouldnt do that. I think its too cute. Yeah, Id rule that out because its too cute. I think people wouldnt like that. Its too cute. It wouldnt be right. Interviewers in the Daily Caller clip also asked Tuberville about the hundreds of thousands of Alabama constituents that would soon be without SNAP benefits as the government shutdown continues. I think Democrats are getting a little bit tight right now, he replied. Its their constituents, a lot of them, in some of these inner cities, that are going to need SNAP to survive, and theyre getting a lot of calls. The pressure is going to be put on them, he continued. I think this is the biggest pressure point that weve seen in 28 days. Sooner or later, theyll come to their senses and vote for the American people, but thats yet to be seen. On Monday, the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which administers SNAP, said food stamps will be suspended in November. According to DHR, the federal Department of Agriculture told them SNAP benefits would be suspended effective Nov. 1 until federal funding is provided or until states are directed otherwise. About 15% of the states population (roughly 750,000 people) is enrolled in the program, which provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being. Programs like SNAP and WIC are lifelines for working families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, Ellie Taylor, president and CEO of the Alabama Grocers Association, told AL.com this week. They not only prevent hunger but also sustain jobs and economic activity throughout our state. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon and was on the way to a second landfall in eastern Cuba on Tuesday night. Landfall in Cuba could come early Wednesday, and then Melissa will head for the Bahamas. Above is the three-day track for the storm. Bermuda may have to face Melissa later this week. National Hurricane Center Hurricane Melissa made landfall in western Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon as a monster Category 5 hurricane with 185 mph winds. The center of Melissa had moved off the northern coast of the island on Tuesday night and had weakened to a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds. Landfall in Cuba will be next, and could come as soon as late tonight. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of Melissa moved onshore around noon CDT in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope with an estimated minimum central pressure of 892 millibars (26.34 inches). The Hurricane Hunters found the pressure inside the eye of the storm had dropped to 892 millibars before landfall, which puts Melissa up with the most powerful hurricanes on record to make landfall in the Atlantic: #Hurricane #Melissa's pressure has dropped to 892 mb. That's tied with the Florida Keys Hurricane of 1935 for the 3rd lowest pressure for an Atlantic hurricane on record. Only Wilma (2005) - 882 mb and Gilbert (1988) - 888 mb have been lower. Lower pressure = stronger hurricane. pic.twitter.com/v7X6V0pndi Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) October 28, 2025 Jamaica remained under a hurricane warning on Tuesday, as did eastern Cuba and the Bahamas, which are expected to face Melissa next. Melissa will make a second landfall in eastern Cuba late tonight or on Wednesday morning and then move through the Bahamas later that same day. Melissa will not threaten the United States. A woman strolls along the beach ahead of the forecast arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) AP The hurricane centers longer-range forecast shows Melissa making a close pass to Bermuda as a hurricane later this week. A hurricane watch is now in effect for Bermuda. As of 7 p.m. CDT Tuesday, the center of Category 3 Hurricane Melissa was located about 50 miles east-northeast of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and was tracking to the north-northeast at 8 mph. Melissa had sustained winds of 125 mph, down from 185 mph at landfall. The hurricane center said Melissa is expected to reach Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and forecasters said Melissa could still be a major (Category 3+) hurricane when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas. On the hurricane centers official forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to move over eastern Cuba later tonight and early Wednesday morning, move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday and approach Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night. Melissa is expected to bring 15 to 30 inches of rain to parts of Jamaica. Southern Hispaniola could get an additional 6 to 12 inches of rain. The hurricane center said catastrophic flash flooding and numerous land slides are likely, in Jamaica and Hispaniola. Melissa could also bring a 7- to 11-foot surge to eastern Cuba, and 4 to 6 feet of surge will be possible in the Bahamas, according to forecasters. Hurricane conditions are expected to begin in Cuba later tonight and last through Wednesday morning. Hurricane conditions could begin in the southeastern and central Bahamas on Wednesday, the hurricane center said. Melissa was the only storm in the tropical Atlantic on Tuesday. The Atlantic hurricane season will end on Nov. 30. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Envision Energy, a global leader in green technology, has been honoured with the Gold Award for Cross-Border Collaboration of the Year in the Asian Power Awards 2025, for its role in the 600 MW Monsoon Wind Project in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao P.D.R.). The Monsoon Wind Project is Laos' first wind power development and the largest single-unit wind farm in Southeast Asia. As the exclusive wind turbine supplier, Envision signed the turbine supply agreement in March 2023 and successfully delivered all 133 wind turbines ahead of schedule by July 2024, marking a major milestone for the Belt and Road Initiative's renewable energy cooperation. "Winning the GOLD award for Cross-Border Collaboration of the Year is a proud moment for our teams." said John Lee, General Manager of Asia & Africa Markets at Envision Energy. "The Monsoon Wind Project highlights our ability to deliver large-scale international projects and advance regional clean energy. Completing Southeast Asia's largest wind farm ahead of schedule reflects the dedication of our teams and partners in overcoming technical and logistical challenges while setting a benchmark for cross-border collaboration in the renewable energy sector." Located in the southern provinces of Sekong and Attapeu, the Monsoon Wind Project will transmit clean power across borders to Vietnam via a 500 kV transmission line. Over its operational lifespan, the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 35 million tons. It also supports Laos' strategic ambition to position itself as the "Battery of Southeast Asia" by serving as a regional hub for renewable energy exports. Envision Energy applied advanced technologies and a dedicated project assurance mechanism to overcome challenging site conditions and ensure the high-quality delivery of all 133 wind turbines ahead of schedule. The company's role in the Monsoon Wind Project has been recognised by stakeholders as a benchmark for international green energy collaboration. This achievement highlights Envision Energy's expertise in executing large-scale cross-border renewable projects and underscores the importance of such initiatives in meeting Asia's growing energy demand while advancing the transition to sustainable power generation. The Asian Power Awards, often referred to as the "Oscars of the power industry," celebrates the most innovative and transformative projects driving Asia's clean energy development. Envision Energy's achievement reflects its leadership in fostering regional sustainability and shaping the future of renewable energy across borders. SOURCE Envision Energy On app stores like Apples and the Google Play Store, there are certain applications that are designed for adults. Now, it looks like Google wants to implement age verification across the board, requiring users to show proof they are 18 or older to download certain mature apps from the Play Store. Google Play Store needs proof of your age This is according to a post on X by Artem Russakovskii, where he shared screenshots of the age verification system in action. Basically, users need to show Google proof of their age, if not they might not be able to download many apps from the Play Store. This is part of Googles larger efforts at identifying the ages of their users on search and YouTube. Based on the screenshots, users have several ways of verifying their age. This comes in the form of uploading a government-issued ID, taking a selfie, using a credit card, or using a third-party service. If youre already using a credit card in your name to buy from the Play Store, we reckon this shouldnt be an issue. At the moment, it is unclear what kind of limitations users might face if they do not verify their age. Presumably, at the very least, they will be blocked from downloading apps designated for adults. However, if the limitations go beyond that, it is going to be very annoying. Not Googles fault Now, you might think that this is just Googles way of collecting more information on you. That was our first instinct too. However, according to Russakovskii, Google isnt entirely to blame for this. According to him, Google is just adhering to the law. In the US alone, there are several states that have implemented age verification requirements. This is also true for other countries like the UK. Google obviously needs to play nice with these states and countries if it wants to keep operating in them. However, for users, these extra steps will be a pain. It would be less of an issue if the process were seamless. But weve already seen Googles reliance on AI has resulted in adults getting banned. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is tipped to bring some major improvements to the table. The information comes from DealSite, as the source claims the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will get a major battery boost. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 could bring major improvements, including a battery boost It is said to feature a 5,000mAh battery, a considerable upgrade from the 4,400mAh battery inside the Galaxy Z Fold 7. For comparisons sake, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 competitors have larger battery packs. The OPPO Find N5, for example, comes with a 5,600mAh battery, and it offers a lot better battery life. The battery life boost is not the only improvement mentioned, though. Samsung is also aiming to improve the display crease situation. The company plans to adopt the so-called laser-drilled metal plate technology. Apple will use something similar for its foldable iPhone. Another area of improvement is mentioned in the report the stylus. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 will, allegedly, be compatible with a stylus. Samsung removed the stylus compatibility this year, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, after first introducing it to its foldables back in 2021 with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Stylus support could also be making a comeback Samsung made that move to make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 thinner. Well, its possible that the company figured out how to get the best of both worlds, which is why the Galaxy Z Fold 8 may get stylus support. Its hard to imagine Samsung making its devices thicker just for the sake of stylus support. The arrival of the first foldable iPhone may really push Samsung to make some major improvements to its book-style foldable. Competition is good, as it pushes innovation. The first foldable iPhone is tipped to arrive next year, though we may have to wait longer than that, it all depends on which rumor you choose to believe. As a reminder, Samsungs very first tri-fold smartphone made its first public appearance recently. Its expected to get a full launch later this week, though nothing has been confirmed just yet. As sexual abuse cases increase nationwide, Herman Law expands its headquarters, strengthening legal access and survivor support BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Herman Law, a nationally recognized law firm exclusively representing survivors of sexual abuse, has significantly expanded its headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, nearly doubling its footprint. This expansion comes as the law firm continues to see an increasing demand to provide legal services to survivors of child sexual abuse. Herman Law's Boca Raton office serves as the law firm's nerve center and operational hub, hosting the infrastructure to support more than 200 employees and eight offices including Manhattan, NY, Buffalo, NY, Princeton, NJ, Sacramento, CA, Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Boca Raton, FL and opening soon in Baltimore, MD. As a vital resource for survivors of sexual abuse, the office's growth underscores a rising call for expanded legal support and justice across the country. "When the demand for justice grows, we know the best way to continue serving our communities is by bolstering the support we can offer to survivors," said Jeff Herman, founding attorney and CEO at Herman Law. "Whether it's advocacy on the West Coast or increased legal support on the East Coast, our job has always and will always be to stand by survivors as they seek justice and begin their healing journey." Herman Law's expansion allows the firm to continue its mission of providing compassionate legal support and advocacy for survivors to promote healing. Investing in this expansion provides additional space for litigation and client support teams as the firm takes on an increase in cases nationwide. This investment strengthens Herman Law's national infrastructure, meeting the need for experienced, trauma-informed representation. "This expansion isn't just about size, but about recognizing a growing need from survivors to have their voices heard," said Roger Herman, Chief Business Officer at Herman Law. "As more survivors find courage to come forward, more institutions need to be held accountable. We are standing with survivors as they reclaim their voice and find the healing they deserve, and that's what matters." Since 1997, Herman Law has advocated for the communities they serve using a survivor-first approach. Experienced litigation teams empower survivors by pursuing accountability from institutions such as schools, foster care systems and religious institutions that have enabled and silenced abuse. The expanded Florida office is now fully operational in Boca Raton. To learn more or to schedule a confidential consultation, visit HermanLaw.com. About Herman Law Herman Law is a nationally recognized law firm dedicated to representing victims of child sexual abuse. Our experienced and compassionate team is committed to pursuing justice, holding institutions accountable and helping survivors heal by guiding them through civil litigation with compassion and integrity. For more information, visit HermanLaw.com. Contact: Karla Nafarrate Vice President of Public Relations InnoVision Marketing Group [email protected] SOURCE Herman Law Several people have died after a small aircraft crashed while flying to a world-famous safari park in Kenya, officials have confirmed. The incident occurred early on Tuesday as the small aircraft flew to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The crash occurred in a hilly, forested area, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Diani airstrip at 5.30am local time (2.30am GMT) Kwale County Commissioner Stephen Orinde told The Associated Press that operations were ongoing at the site. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority originally shared that 12 people were inside the plane, but a preliminary report stated there were 10 passengers on board, made up of eight Hungarians and two Germans. One Kenyan crew member, believed to be the captain, was also on board. In a statement, Kenyan airline Mombasa Air Safari said: "Sadly, there are no survivors (...) We are profoundly saddened to report that, according to preliminary information, there were 10 passengers being 8 Hungarians and 2 Germans and 1 Kenyan crew member (the Captain) on board". Government agencies are at the scene trying to establish the cause of the accident. Maasai Mara is a popular tourist destination, known for its annual wildebeest migration. The government has admitted that plans to move hundreds of asylum seekers into military barracks are part of a bid to appease the public but might not save the taxpayer any money. The Home Office has confirmed that Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex and Cameron Barracks in Inverness will be used temporarily to house a total of around 900 men as ministers scramble to find a way to end migrant hotels after huge controversy surrounding their use. But Downing Street has signalled that spending on the plan could prove to be higher than housing migrants in hotels, just one day after MPs on an influential committee described the use of such hotels as failed, chaotic and expensive. It came as refugee charities and organisations described the plans as cruel and costly and accused the government of exchanging one failed approach with another. Small-boat migrants will start being housed in the military accommodations by the end of next month as Labour ramps up its bid to move tens of thousands of migrants out of hotels. Officials are also working with the Ministry of Defence to identify other disused sites that can be used in the coming months. Keir Starmer during a visit to BAE Systems in Lancashire on Tuesday (PA) Asked if the costs of using military sites will be higher than using hotels, the prime ministers official spokesperson said on Tuesday: The costs will vary site by site, but our priorities are security and fairness. Pushed later on whether this meant ministers thought barracks were a better option even if costs were higher, the spokesperson said that the matter is also a core issue of public confidence. The public is very clear it does not want asylum seekers housed in hotels, and neither does the government, they added. The spokesperson also suggested that hotel accommodation currently used to house asylum seekers was luxury a suggestion which was condemned by refugee charity Care4Calais. "What we dont want is there to be an entitlement to luxury sites as weve seen in recent years. Military sites can provide proper security, health and wellbeing standards. And thats what were intent on delivering, the Downing Street official said. Responding, Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said: "It's clear that the people who create policy are detached from reality. These are not 'luxury' hotels. Nothing screams 'luxury' like overcrowded rooms, inadequate food, filthy conditions, damp, rodents and bugs. On Monday, a parliamentary committee accused the Home Office of squandering billions of pounds on asylum accommodation as a result of incompetence. But the committee also said that the use of military sites is likely to cost more than using hotels, and that it would present safety issues and legal risks. Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the committee, cautioned ministers to act carefully when considering large sites. She added: We have seen in the past that rushing in to sites that arent fit for purpose brings more problems. Migrants depart the northern coast of France on their way to England (AFP/Getty) Before any asylum seekers are moved to these new sites, the government must make sure that the accommodation is of suitable quality and the support services are there. The defence minister Luke Pollard also appeared to suggest that the cost of moving people to the bases could be higher than housing them in hotels, but that the government needs to reflect the public mood, adding: The public want to see those hotels close. Charities supporting refugees slammed the plans on Tuesday, with Jacob Burns at Medecins Sans Frontieres saying it was a pointlessly cruel and costly move that will do nothing to deter those seeking safety in the UK. Mr Burns pointed to conditions at former military base RAF Wethersfield, the Home Offices largest asylum site, saying: Our medical teams have seen first-hand the devastating impact of this approach at RAF Wethersfield in Essex, where prison-like conditions, barbed wire, and constant surveillance caused widespread and serious psychological distress. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the government was exchanging one failed approach with another. Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, added: How much evidence does the government need that camps are bad for peoples health and wellbeing? Weve had Napier, Penally and Wethersfield, and hunger strikes, protests and attempted suicides have been a regular occurrence at all of them. Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels by 2029, but the prime minister has reportedly told ministers in private that he wants to end the practice within a year. Speaking on a visit to Lancashire on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer said he wants to see asylum hotels closed as quickly as possible and is bearing down on this every day of the week. Mr Pollard told Sky News on Tuesday that ministers want to go faster in closing the hotels, and that the Ministry of Defence is stepping up. He explained: We are looking at the sites that we have available where we could house asylum seekers, allowing the Home Office to close more asylum hotels faster. Its right that we step up and support our Home Office colleagues in this respect, because I dont think anyone wants to see asylum hotels open. Both of the military sites were used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021. Those families were resettled elsewhere, and that process was completed earlier this year. It is reported that the Scottish site will house around 300 people, while the site in Sussex will hold around 600. Highland Council has raised concerns over community cohesion over the plans. In a joint statement from council convener Bill Lobban, leader Raymond Bremner and opposition leader Alasdair Christie, the trio said: Inverness is a relatively small community but the potential impact locally and across the wider Highlands appears not to have been taken into consideration by the UK government. The MoD has previously been criticised for long-standing problems maintaining their homes for service personnel, some of which is also being used to house Afghan refugees, with issues with damp, mould, heating and hot water reported. A 2024 parliamentary committee report concluded that the MoD had under-invested in its housing estate over decades, and contractors were often slow to make repairs. The government has not yet said what sort of accommodation asylum seekers will be housed in in Inverness and Wealden. Keir Starmer has reportedly told ministers in private that he wants to end the use of hotels within a year (PA) On Monday, housing secretary Steve Reed said the government was looking at modular buildings to ensure that the new sites can be ready in a short timeframe, as part of the plan to end the use of hotels entirely. Pop-up cabins are already being used to expand capacity at former military base RAF Wethersfield, in Essex. Plans had been floated to install cabins at RAF Scampton, in Lincolnshire, but this idea was scrapped when Labour came to power. As of June this year, around 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels, down from a peak of more than 56,000 in 2023, but 2,500 more than at the same point last year. A Home Office spokesperson said: We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs. Mario Guevara at a family member's house in Apopa, El Salvador, on 6 October. Photograph: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images Mario Guevara has said he may have been the first immigrant journalist whom Donald Trumps administration deported from the US while working but the Emmy award-winner added: I dont think [Ill] be the only one. Just be careful because [immigration agents are] very aggressive, Guevara recently said from El Salvador in a virtual interview with the US Press Freedom Tracker, during which he was asked whether he had any message for other immigrant colleagues in the industry. They showed they are they dont care about journalists. They dont believe in the media. He continued: They believe the media [are] against them. They see the media as an enemy They have the power. They can do everything they want. It can be dangerous for us. Related: Journalist Mario Guevara deported to El Salvador after 100 days in Ice custody Guevara delivered that chilling admonition amid what appeared to be the Salvadorians most extensive public remarks yet on his case, which culminated in his deportation from the US on 3 October as the federal immigration crackdown pursued by Trump throughout his second presidency barreled on. On Sunday, three days after Guevaras interview, the British journalist Sami Hamdi was detained by federal immigration authorities at San Francisco international airport. A Trump administration official said Hamdi faced deportation after his detention and visa revocation a plight which the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) alleged was retaliation for the Muslim political commentators having criticized Israel while touring the US. We are journalists we try to be objective, but sometimes we have to report what is going on, Guevara told the Trackers Briana Erickson, a reporter for the database and news site run by the Freedom of the Press Foundation. They can think we are against them even if its not true. You can have retaliation for that. That was my case. Probably I was the first one but I dont think [Ill] be the only one. Guevara had been well-known in the Atlanta area for more than 20 years, after fleeing El Salvador to escape leftist militias in 2004. He possessed a work permit, and two of his children are US citizens, when he headed out to livestream anti-Trump No Kings Day protests in June. As Guevara recounted to Erickson, on that day, he covered an afternoon demonstration outside Atlanta that authorities greeted more aggressively than they did an earlier protest which a US citizen colleague chronicled. It was a really bad decision for me, Guevara said, explaining how an officer who overheard him speaking Spanish into a camera arrested him. Guevara suggested to the Tracker that he surmised his reporting in Spanish at the moment got him targeted for arrest that day. I saw them watching me, said Guevara, whose journalism had earned multiple regional Emmy prizes and nominations. Maybe its because Im Latino. Local prosecutors quickly dismissed the charges on which Guevara was arrested. But he remained in custody with an immigration judge in 2012 having denied Guevaras bid to remain in the US on grounds of asylum. Guevara had appealed that 2012 decision to a body which reviews immigration rulings. But that appeal had not been decided when prosecutors agreed to administratively close Guevaras case. Related: Atlanta reporter detained by Ice punished for his journalism, rights groups say During complex legal proceedings that unfolded after his arrest, Guevaras lawyers argued that he had secured authorization to live and work in the US. They also said the purpose of detaining Guevara was to silence his reporting, which violated his constitutional rights. The Trump administration, meanwhile, countered that the only reason the weight of the government fell on Guevara was because he was in the US illegally. And the administration whose leader frequently wages war against the press managed to reopen Guevaras old immigration case and eventually deport him to El Salvador. Guevara told Erickson that on the night before his deportation he was given 20 minutes to call the family he was leaving in the US and say goodbye. He said his treatment reminded him of attacks that victimized him while covering protests as a journalist in El Salvador before seeking asylum in the US. Its not the way I wanted to come back to my country deported like a criminal, Guevara said to Erickson. I was frustrated, but until the last minute I still had the hope to stay in the United States because I believe in the justice of the country. According to his interview with Erickson, Guevara had not given up hope of one day returning to the US, where he said he had a fully paid house and was striving for legal permanent residency at the time of his deportation. I worked a lot during the last 20 years, Guevara said. I have my own home, my own cars, you know everything; my American dream. But in a moment, they changed everything for me. At least 64 people have reportedly been killed in Rios worst-ever day of violence as more than 2,500 officers and special forces stormed an area of favelas near Rios international airport that is considered the headquarters of one of Brazils most powerful organised crime groups. The predawn police raid the deadliest in Rios history sparked intense gunfights in and around Alemao and Penha favelas, which are home to an estimated 300,000 people. Drug traffickers from the Red Command criminal faction started shooting and set barricades and cars alight as civil and military police and special forces began their advance shortly after 4am. For the first time, the gang reportedly used weaponised drones to drop explosives on special forces teams. Gunshot wound victims were carried to a local hospital throughout the morning and by afternoon at least 64 people had been killed, including four police officers. There are bodies strewn all over the streets, one community leader told the Rio newspaper O Globo. Eight police officers and four residents were wounded. Horrific photos of some of the young male victims spread on social media. Rios rightwing governor, Claudio Castro, declared the city at war and said it was the biggest police operation since a 2010 raid in the same region. This is no longer common crime, its narco-terrorism, Castro said in a video posted on social media showing armoured personnel carriers at the start of the mission. More than 80 people were reportedly arrested and at least 93 automatic rifles were seized. The weapons are a sign of the powerful arsenal Rios drug traffickers have acquired since they began flooding the favelas in the late 1980s. Victor Santos, Rios security secretary, told local television that Operation Containment had been ordered to capture Red Command gang members, who control of large chunks of Rio and are increasingly present in other parts of Brazil, including the Amazon region. Rene Silva, a community activist and journalist from Alemao who runs a local newspaper called Voz das Comunidades, said he had been woken by gunfire at about 5am. He voiced despondency over the governments insistence on conducting deadly and ultimately ineffective police raids into the favelas. This doesnt solve the problem, Silva said. Rios crime problem needs to be combated in other places not just in the favelas. We dont have plantations of marijuana or cocaine here. We dont have gun factories here. This isnt a fight against crime, its a fight against poverty. Gloria Alves, a 65-year-old resident of an area of Alemao called Palmeiras, said she was woken shortly after 4am by her barking dog. Alves went into her bathroom, and there was this volley of shots so, so many shots. It was horrible, she said. The shooting continued around her home throughout the day. We have no idea what time this will all finish, she added. It hasnt stopped. It isnt over. And I dont know what time it will end. Human rights activists and opposition politicians voiced outrage at the historic day of bloodshed. What is happening in Alemao and in Penha isnt an operation its a state-sponsored massacre, tweeted Lucia Marina dos Santos, a state congress member for the leftwing Workers party (PT). Santos accused authorities of turning Rios favelas into war zones as part of their failed war on drugs. With police operations and gunfights reportedly continuing on Tuesday afternoon, the death toll could still rise. Until Tuesday, the highest number of deaths during a single police operation happened in May 2021, when 28 people were killed during a police assault on Jacarezinho, another large favela that is considered a Red Command stronghold. Over the past four decades Rios redbrick favelas have fallen further under the control of heavily armed criminal groups, primarily the Red Command, the Pure Third Command, and a constellation of paramilitaries gangs whose ranks often include off-duty members of the security forces. In recent months the Red Command has embarked on a major offensive to seize control of territories in western Rio controlled by paramilitary groups called militias. Castro said police across Rio had been placed on high alert amid fears drug bosses could order attacks in reprisal for the operation, and on Tuesday afternoon criminals could be seen trying to close some of the citys most important motorways and roads, including the one leading to the airport. Schools, shops, bars and restaurants all over Rio closed down for fear of attacks and bus companies recalled their fleets, causing rush hour chaos for commuters. As he stood at one of Alemaos main entrances on Tuesday afternoon, watching bullet-proof police vehicles drive in, local activist Raull Santiago said the situation remained tense. Santiago called the killings a massacre, a brutal landmark in the history of this city and of Brazil as a whole. Warlike police operations were nothing new to Rio, Santiago said. But they leave profound marks on those who live in the favelas Once again the favela is bleeding, once again we are counting an ever increasing number of bodies. Additional reporting by Melissa Cannabrava in Rio de Janeiro A Metropolitan Police officer who worked at Charing Cross police station has been sacked after he was secretly filmed trivialising and mocking a complainants allegation of rape. The undercover footage, which was aired on a BBC Panorama programme, showed Sergeant Clayton Robinson saying "I've got to be honest, I've gone to bed before and can't remember taking my trousers off" after another officer told him about a rape allegation in which a woman said she woke up without trousers on and did not remember taking them off, a misconduct hearing was told. He also sang part of the Oompa Loompa Song from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory after talking about a hypothetical suspect who was orange with green hair, the tribunal heard. Stephen Morley, representing the Metropolitan Police, told the tribunal Sergeant Robinson had trivialised and mocked the complainants allegation. By trivialising a serious sexual offence, Sergeant Robinson failed to treat members of the public with respect and undermined the publics confidence in the police, Mr Morley told the hearing. Sergeant Robinson denied that he had breached the forces standards of professional behaviour, but the chairman of the hearing Commander Andy Brittain ruled that he had committed gross misconduct. He alone was responsible for the words he used, Mr Brittain said as he ruled the allegations against the officer were proved. As the custody sergeant, he should have acted as a role model. Mr Brittain decided Sergeant Robinson should be dismissed without notice. Sergeant Robinson had also been recorded speaking about the alleged rape with another sergeant, the tribunal heard. In the police investigation, two people had been arrested and were in custody, with unedited footage from the BBC showing a discussion about this between Sergeant Robinson and the arresting officer. Sergeant Robinson told Tuesdays hearing he had been concerned that the detainees could have been wrongfully arrested, based on their appearances compared with the complainants description. He said he had been questioning the officer in the case to make sure there are grounds to keep this person in custody. After the arresting officer left, covert filming by a BBC reporter recorded Sergeant Robinson saying to another sergeant: Shes woken up momentarily and theres someone humping her and then passed out again. And thats all shes got, the hearing was told. The complainant had reported that there was a number of people around, and Sergeant Robinson said: She has given some description, hasnt she? before adding: I mean, one of them might be orange with green hair and obviously its him. The other sergeant said: Like an Oompa Loompa? the tribunal heard, to which Sergeant Robinson replied: Yeah, laughed and began singing part of the Oompa Loompa Song. Sergeant Robinson told the chairman he had not been mocking anyone and had been frustrated at what he perceived to be wrongdoings in the alleged rape investigation. I could just see things were not going the way that Id expect them to go, Im getting quite annoyed at things not going as they should, he told the hearing. Asked if he made the comments informed by hostility towards woman, Sergeant Robinson said: Im outraged at the suggestion. Ive been in this job for 27 plus years and I have a very strong conscience and Im very proud of my integrity. He became visibly upset and added: I am absolutely disgusted that I am here being accused of this. He is the fifth police officer to be sacked following the BBC investigation. Last week, Pc Jason Sinclair-Birt, Pc Philip Neilson, Pc Martin Borg and Sergeant McIlvenny were dismissed without notice in separate hearings after it was found they had committed gross misconduct. A one-year-old child has died following a hazardous materials incident at a flat in east London, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said. Fire crews were called to a property in Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, after two adults and two children attended hospital complaining about a smell of chemicals in a flat. The one-year-old child later died in hospital while receiving treatment. Around 12 people were evacuated from surrounding properties as a precaution as crews responded, LFB said. Specially trained firefighters carried out a sweep of the affected property and worked to detect any hazardous materials present and to ventilate the scene. The first call reporting the incident was received at 1.18pm on Tuesday and it ended for crews by 4.23pm. The Metropolitan Police, along with the LFB, are investigating the incident. The first call reporting the incident was received at 13:18, and firefighters from Poplar, Millwall, Euston and surrounding fire stations attended the scene. The incident was over for crews by 16:23, the LFB added. Delivering high HDR performance and low power consumption for next-generation automotive cameras ATSUGI, Japan, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony) today announced the upcoming release of the IMX828, the industry's first*1 CMOS image sensor for automotive applications with a built-in MIPI A-PHY interface. There are multiple high-speed transmission interface standards for automotive applications. This product is the first in the industry*1 to include the interface in the image sensor. IMX828 CMOS image sensor for automotive cameras with built-in MIPI A-PHY interface The IMX828 features 8-effective-megapixel*2 resolution and the industry's highest*1 level of high dynamic range (HDR) attributes. Externally mounted serializer chips, which were required on previous models to accommodate high-speed transmission interface standards, are no longer necessary, allowing for a compact camera system that uses less power, and contributes to a streamlined thermal design. Additionally, improved HDR attributes deliver exponential improvements to high-luminance object recognition, such as red LEDs. A low-power-consumption parking surveillance function is also built-in to detect moving subjects and reduce the risk of theft and vandalism. Going forward, Sony is also considering the development of new products with built-in high-speed transmission standards other than MIPI A-PHY. Based on a flexible, open-standard interface strategy, Sony will continue to contribute to the technological innovation required for next-generation automotive cameras. *1 Among CMOS image sensors for automotive cameras. According to Sony research (as of announcement on October 28, 2025). *2 Based on the image sensor effective pixel specification method. Model name Sample shipment date (planned) IMX828 1/1.7-type (9.28 mm diagonal) 8-effective-megapixel CMOS image sensor November 2025 To support the high-bandwidth, low-latency, and highly reliable communications between the camera and ECU that automotive camera systems require, multiple high-speed transmission interface standards exist. The IMX828 is the industry's first*1 example of a product equipped with a MIPI A-PHY interface directly built into the image sensor. The new sensor is also equipped with Sony's proprietary error handling circuit, which makes it highly resistant to errors triggered by external noise when transmitting data. With these features, the new product offers the following advantages to OEM and Tier 1 partner businesses: Reduced cost thanks to eliminating the need for an externally mounted serializer Compact board size and suppressed heat generation Reduced camera module power consumption Improved resistance to errors due to external noise Main Features Industry's first * 1 built-in MIPI A-PHY interface (optional) A next-generation interface is built into the sensor for high-speed, highly reliable data communications. This eliminates the need for the externally mounted serializer chip that was required on conventional models, enabling a compact camera system that uses less power, and contributing to a streamlined thermal design. This product, released ahead of anyone else in the industry, is expected to drive technological advances in the overall next-generation vehicle-mounted camera industry. Sony's proprietary error handling circuit improves resistance to data transmission errors. Built-in, low-power-consumption parking surveillance function (optional) When the vehicle is parked, the sensor can detect moving subjects and notify the on-board ECU, with very little power consumption. In parking surveillance mode, images are captured in low resolution and at a low frame rate to keep power consumption below 100 mW. When a moving subject is detected, the sensor notifies the on-board ECU and can shift to normal imaging mode. Improved recognition performance thanks to industry's highest *1 level HDR Sony's proprietary pixel structure achieves the industry's highest *1 level of saturation, at 47 Kcd/m 2 . This contributes to maintaining color reproduction, even of high-luminance objects such as red traffic signals and red LED taillights, and even during bright daylight conditions, reducing the risk of false recognitions. This enables a maximum high dynamic range of 150 dB, which helps maintain stable noise performance even in high-temperature environments (maximum junction temperature of 125C). Equipped with a new dual-HDR capture mode that enhances low-light performance and reduces motion blur to improve computer vision In a collaboration with Mobileye, Sony has developed a new dual-HDR capture mode that continuously captures two types of HDR images with differing exposure conditions. This feature improves characteristics in low-light conditions while also reducing moving subject blurring (motion blur). Quality demands for automotive applications met The plan is to obtain AEC-Q100 automotive reliability testing standard Grade 2 before the start of mass production. The product complies with the ISO 26262 road vehicle functional safety standard, the hardware metrics comply with ASIL-B, and the development process complies with ASIL-D, thereby ensuring improved reliability for automotive cameras. Security demands for automotive applications satisfied (optional) The product supports camera verification using a public key algorithm to ensure CMOS image sensor authenticity, image recognition to detect tampering of acquired images, and communication authentication to control communication tampering. For this product, Sony employs a development process compliant with the ISO/SAE 21434 road vehicle cybersecurity engineering standard. This press release is based on results obtained from a project under the Green Innovation Fund titled "Development of In-vehicle Computing and Simulation Technology for Energy Saving in Electric Vehicles/Automated driving sensor system," subsidized by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Key Specifications Model name IMX828 Effective pixels 3848 2168 (H V), approx. 8.34 megapixels Image size 9.28 mm diagonal (1/1.7 type) Unit cell size 2.1 m Frame rate (maximum, all-pixel readout) 45 fps Sensitivity (standard value F5.6, 1/30 second cumulative) 1222 mV (green pixel) Dynamic range (RGB) 120 dB (with LED flicker mitigation) 150 dB (dynamic range priority) Power supply Analog 3.3 (0.165) V Digital 1.1 (0.05) V Interface 1.8 (0.10) V Interface MIPI D-PHY + I2C or MIPI A-PHY Package 117 pin BGA or bare die Package size 11.85 mm x 8.60 mm SOURCE Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation Labour has launched a crackdown on the four-day working week by rebuking the first council to have adopted it. Steve Reed, the Communities Secretary, has written to the leader of South Cambridgeshire district council, expressing his deep disappointment with its approach. South Cambridgeshire became the first council to adopt a four-day week permanently this summer, giving bin collectors and social housing officials 100 per cent of their pay for about 80 per cent of their contracted hours. Another 25 councils are said to be considering the move, which critics fear could spread through the public sector, hitting productivity and piling further pressure on public finances. But on Tuesday, in a letter to Bridget Smith, the Liberal Democrat leader in South Cambridgeshire, Mr Reed demanded explanations for a reported deterioration in council services. A source in the Communities Department told The Telegraph: Were not going to micromanage councils. We want to push power out of Whitehall. However, when we see unacceptable behaviour, well call it out. Wasting taxpayer money in this fashion is completely unacceptable. Voters deserve the respect of a five-day week. Bridget Smith has defended her councils performance after it switched to a four-day week In leaked extracts of the letter, obtained by The Telegraph, Mr Reed said a study found rent collection and repairs by South Cambridgeshire had deteriorated. He wrote: The independent report shows that performance declined in key housing-related services, including rent collection, re-letting times, and tenant satisfaction with repairs, especially where vulnerable residents may be affected. If social housing is being built by this Government, and your team are unable to move residents into them so that they are standing empty, then I must reiterate my deep disappointment with your conduct. Writing that it was not Government policy for local authorities to offer full-time pay for part-time work, Mr Reed added: I am therefore seeking assurance about the arrangements your council has in place to consider the impacts of your policy, and that value for money for residents is being delivered. In particular, I would like to understand how the council is seeking to mitigate the impact to those services which have worsened over the course of the four-day working week trial. I would like you to meet with my officials in the coming weeks to provide that assurance. Central government currently has no powers to force councils to stop a four-day week. When the Conservatives were in office, they attempted to order councils not to pursue four-day weeks in guidance issued in October 2023. On Tuesday, the party questioned Labours sincerity, given that its new workers rights legislation will make it easier for employees to request the right to work from home from day one. But Mr Reeds decision to step in is more robust than the approach of his predecessor, Angela Rayner, whom he replaced in the role in September. Ms Rayner, who has deep ties with the trade unions, did not support the four-day week but did not directly intervene. Mr Reed is a Labour moderate and ally of Morgan McSweeney, the No 10 chief of staff. He was the leader of Lambeth council between 2006 and 2012. It is thought the decision to call out South Cambridgeshire could make other councils think again before following suit. Research referred to in the letter was carried out by the Universities of Salford, Bradford and Cambridge and looked at the impact of the councils temporarily adopted four-day week. It found that 21 of 24 services improved or stayed the same. However, a survey of residents looking at 13 services found that nine became worse under the scheme, four stayed the same and none improved during the trial. Ms Smith insisted there had been improvements. She told The Telegraph: We are extremely disappointed to receive this letter from the minister as we are an exceptionally high-performing council. Since implementing the four-day week a working arrangement in which colleagues do 100 per cent of their work in 32 hours each week we have delivered an annual saving of almost 400,000, maintained and improved performance, our turnover has decreased by 41 per cent and the number of applications for roles advertised has surged by 123 per cent. Where we previously struggled to recruit and retain expert colleagues such as planners, we now have a full planning service which has just published our most ambitious local plan proposals ever, delivering on the Governments agenda to increase housing and jobs in our area. These results speak for themselves. The independently assessed data for the trial showed that all key performance indicators had either improved or remained the same, bar three relating to housing. Independent analysis shows that these three isolated indicators were due to factors completely independent of the four-day working week and we are in fact in the top quartile nationally and performance is improving further. Ms Smith has agreed to Mr Reeds suggestion that they hold a meeting, according to a spokesman for South Cambridgeshire council. Sir James Cleverly, the Conservative shadow communities secretary, said: Labour have reversed our work to get civil servants back into the office, and their Unemployment Bill will make working from home more widespread. Labour are not serious about making sure the public sector is accountable and delivers value for taxpayers. South Cambridgeshire may be the first council to adopt a four-day week permanently, but with Labour in charge, it wont be the last. Under Labour you pay more tax and get worse services. Elliot Keck, the campaigns director of the TaxPayers Alliance, which has campaigned for months against the four-day week plan, said: South Cambridgeshire district council has inflicted a part-time council on its residents for years. It has led to a decline in services and a shocking democratic deficit, with councillors only voting on the scheme after years. Steve Reed is right to be taking them to task and shouldnt leave any option off the table in dealing with this rogue local authority. Andrew Cuomo campaigning in New York on Oct 23 - TIMOTHY A CLARY Andrew Cuomo has halved Zohran Mamdanis lead in the race for New York City mayor with just a week to go until the election. The former New York governor has closed the gap between the Democratic nominee, and is now only down by 10 points, according to a new survey. In a poll of 500 people from Suffolk University Political Research Centre, Mr Cuomo gained 34 per cent of the vote share, second to Mr Mamdanis 44 per cent. Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa is still in third place with 11 per cent. The poll came as early voting indicated a strong turnout among older voters who tend to favour Mr Cuomo, 67, who is running as an independent, centrist candidate after losing the Democratic nomination to his rival. Data showed that 164,190 voters cast early ballots in the election on Saturday and Sunday, five times higher than the last mayoral election in 2021, with the majority of voters being over the age of 55. Mr Mamdani, 34, who calls himself a Democratic socialist, has pledged to enact an unabashedly progressive agenda, including providing free buses, making childcare free and opening affordable, city-run grocery stores. The radical 34-year-old, who would be the citys first Muslim mayor, was forced to clarify a point he had made about his aunt on Tuesday after being accused of lying. Speaking outside the Bronxs Islamic Cultural Center on Tuesday, Mr Mamdani said his aunt stopped wearing her hijab following the Sept 11, 2001, attacks for fear of Islamophobic hate and attacks. He later clarified that the woman he was referring to was his fathers cousin, not sister, and that he used aunt as a term of affection. According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks, JD Vance, the vice president, wrote on X. The vote is being closely monitored in Washington, DC with Donald Trump having branded Mr Mamdani a communist and insisting he will send troops onto the streets of Manhattan if he wins. The Suffolk University poll is the first since Eric Adams, the incumbent mayor, announced he was dropping out of the race following a scandal-plagued final year in office. The previous Suffolk poll, carried out in September, showed Mr Mamdani with a 20 point lead over Mr Cuomo, who resigned as New York state governor in 2021 after allegations of sexual harassment. That lead now stands at 10 points, the survey found. Mr Cuomos biggest gains are among Hispanic voters, and he now leads Mr Mamdani by one point, having trailed him by 30 points in September. Another encouraging sign for Mr Cuomo is that early voting showed that voters aged 55 and up made up just over 50 per cent of turnout. That represents a significant shift from the Democratic primary, which largely saw voters between ages of 25 to 34 going to the polls and powering Mr Mamdani to victory. Now, voters in that age range make up just 16 per cent of early voting, so far. Laura Tamman, a political scientist at Pace University, said that this would give the Cuomo campaign some encouragement as older voters tend to be more likely to back the former governor. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said: Its been clear most voters dont want New York City to be a socialist experiment with a diminished police force, no jails, decriminalised prostitution and a weakened education system that encourages mediocrity. Police in suburban Detroit have warned parents to watch out for dodgy Halloween treats after discovering THC and magic mushroom products in packaging that mimicked well-known candy and chip brands. Detectives searching a house in Warren, Michigan Thursday discovered psychoactive drugs dressed up to look like packs of Jolly Ranchers, Airheads, Lay's chips, Doritos, Nerds, and other snacks, according to the Warren Police Department. "The packaging made these products look like regular, well-known candies and snacks. It is clear that these items were intentionally designed to mimic popular treats which any child would enjoy eating," a spokesperson told The Independent. In fact, photos released by police showed that most of the packages had some kind of warning on them, such as"600mg THC PER PACK", "medicated", or "KEEP AWAY FROM KIDS... ADULTS 21+." The spokesperson clarified that these were not authentic products that had been tampered with or laced. Instead, they were simply packaged to externally resemble genuine products, creating the potential to be confused, especially by children. Officials did not say whether anyone was charged over the packages and gave no evidence that they were actually intended to be handed out to children. Look closely and you can see the warning labels on these seemingly copyright-infringing THC products (Warren Police Department) Stories of poisoned trick-or-treat candy often circulate at Halloween, but actual cases are very rare. Criminology professor Joel Best has argued that they are merely an "urban legend" with no basis in fact, endlessly revived by small town police departments, worried parents, media reports, and sometimes even federal law enforcement agencies. After all, it's not clear what drug dealers would stand to gain from handing out potentially lethal amounts of narcotics, at no cost, to people with no disposable income of their own to spend on further hits. Recreational cannabis and THC are legal in Michigan, although psilocybin the hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms is not. Fake snack packs seized by the Warren Police Department on the outskirts of Detroit, actually containing THC (Warren Police Department) Police commissioner Eric Hawkins said: Were grateful to have removed these items before they could fall into the hands of children. "This serves as an important reminder for families to carefully inspect all Halloween treats and to prioritize safety this season." Police warned residents to check every piece of candy before eating it, throw away anything that was not pre-wrapped unless they know and trust the source, watch out for any signs of tampering, and ask their children not to eat any candy until it's been checked by an adult. This story was published at 8:19 p.m. EDT on Monday October 27, 2025, and updated at 8:50 p.m. with further details from the Warren Police Department. Jes Staley, the former chief executive of Barclays, attends the high court in April during his legal challenge against the FCA. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images The Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for an investigation into bankers including Jes Staley over their alleged support for the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in a move that could leave the former Barclays boss banned from working in the US financial sector. In a letter privately filed with regulators, and seen by the Guardian, Warren called for investigations into all current and former US banking executives who may have facilitated Jeffrey Epsteins illicit conduct. That includes Staley, who Warren said is alleged to have helped protect the late financiers access to the banking system during his stint working at JP Morgan in the early 2000s. Warren noted that Staley who is already banned from the UK banking sector had been described in media reports as Epsteins chief defender. Related: High flyer to pariah: the saga of Epstein-linked banker Jes Staley Warren, the lead Democrat on the US Senate committee on banking, housing and urban affairs, said she was concerned to hear that Staley pushed back when colleagues flagged Epsteins suspicious transactions, referring to a matter that was put to him in court proceedings earlier this year. Staley denied the allegations at the time, saying I dont think thats fair and that the decision to exit a client such as Epstein was not his to make. Warren also referred to court evidence suggesting Staley tipped Epstein off about JP Morgans worries in a way that allowed the sex trafficker to alter his behaviour and avoid scrutiny. Staley told the court that he was not part of managing the account but did not deny that he told Epstein there were concerns about cash withdrawals. During his 15-year relationship with JP Morgan, Epstein opened at least 134 accounts, processed over $1bn in transactions, and brought in several lucrative clients, Warrens letter said. And while JP Morgan had so far paid $290m (217m) in settlements to Epsteins victims, Staley has so far avoided accountability in the United States, the senator said. Warren has now called on the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to publicly announce the launch of an investigation into former and current banking executives who may have aided Epstein, by 7 November. She also asked for private confirmation that an investigation had been opened specifically into Staleys conduct by 14 November. Wrongdoing could ultimately result in a fine and a potential ban from working in the US banking sector. It is critical to send a message to the public and current bank employees that this type of egregious misconduct has no place in the American banking system, Warrens letter said. It would be another bruising development for Staley, who in June lost a legal attempt to overturn his lifetime ban from the UK financial sector imposed by UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2023, after he was found to have misled the watchdog over his relationship with the sex offender. The FCAs original investigation, triggered by a cache of more than 1,200 emails between Staley and Epstein, concluded that the pair were indeed close and had a relationship that went beyond one that was professional in nature. Warren also called for investigations into other top executives that may have supported the late financiers crimes. Staley is not the only bank executive with concerning ties to Epstein. For example, according to Staleys sworn deposition, he discussed Epstein with CEO Jamie Dimon on at least two occasions, the letter stated. Dimon has previously denied Staleys claim and stated that he does not recall knowing anything about Epstein until years after the firm effectively severed ties with the sex offender. JP Morgan declined to comment. The Fed, OCC and FDIC should investigate any other current or former banking executives who engaged in similar conduct to determine whether their conduct satisfies the legal standards for a ban on working in the banking industry and civil monetary penalties, Warren said. Any banking executives who facilitated the crimes of one of the worlds most notorious sex criminals should be held to account, Warrens letter added. Donald Trump has come under fire for his own social ties to the sex offender, who was a longtime friend until they fell out in 2004. The president made releasing the Epstein investigative files part of his campaign platform, but has failed to do so. He has referred to the furore over the files as a Democratic hoax. The news of Warrens letter came as two new lawsuits were filed by an anonymous plaintiff against Bank of America and the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY), alleging that banks illicitly enabled Epsteins sex trafficking. BNY has said the claims are meritless and we will vigorously defend against it. Bank of America echoed those comments, saying: We will vigorously defend ourselves in this matter. The Guardian contacted Staleys legal representative for comment. In June, after the loss of his legal challenge against the FCA, Staley said he was disappointed by the outcome but was never dishonest. A British couple detained in Iran have told their family that their last hearing had not gone well and they are now expecting a verdict rather than another court appearance. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, were taken into custody in January while on a motorcycle tour around the world. The couple were later charged with espionage. They deny the allegations. Lindsays son Joe Bennett said he had recently spoken to his mother for the second time since she was detained, after she was permitted a 20-minute call from prison last Thursday. Mr Bennett said: There was very little my mother could say. Her spirits were low. She told me that a further recent court appearance last week had not gone well. We had been told to expect a verdict rather than another appearance. Lindsay and Craig Foreman were on a motorcycle tour around the world when they were taken into custody (Family handout) I dont know exactly what that means, but I could feel shes losing hope. The detained couples family met foreign secretary Yvette Cooper earlier this month, but Mr Bennett described the approach of the UK government as deeply concerning. He said: Right now, it feels like each side is waiting for the other to move first. The British are waiting for a sentence before acting. The Iranians are deciding what sentence to hand down. And in the middle of this diplomatic stalemate are my parents, innocent people caught between two systems moving too slowly. It feels like living a nightmare: the couples family say they are expecting a verdict soon (Family handout) Mr Bennett added: Its been 10 months. It feels like living a nightmare, one we cant wake from. The horizon for their freedom feels hard to see, but with public support, I still believe we can get there. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warns all British and British-Iranian nationals not to travel to Iran because of a significant risk of arrest, questioning or detention. The FCDO has been approached for comment. Former Miss Jamaica UK says her family in Jamaica remain calm and optimistic as the eye of Hurricane Melissa edges closer to the island, bringing the threat of catastrophic flooding and destruction. Cherelle Mukoko, who made history in 2013 as the first black woman to be crowned Miss Universe London while also winning the title of Miss Jamaica UK, shared her concerns for her family home, where her uncle currently lives. It comes as the worlds strongest storm of the year closes in on Jamaica, with meteorologists warning it could unleash catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding across the island. Its definitely worrying to hear it described as the storm of the century, and it does make me think deeply about the scale of whats coming and the potential impact on the island, mother-of-two Cherelle said. Hurricane Melissa, now a powerful Category 5 storm, is bearing down on Jamaica and could become one of the most devastating storms in the nations history, fuelled by unusually warm Caribbean waters and a lack of wind shear. Cherelle winning Miss Jamaica UK in 2013 (Supplied) The US-based National Hurricane Center has forecast between 15 and 30 inches of rainfall, winds of up to 130mph, and storm surges reaching 13 feet above ground level. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," the NHC said, as it cautions people on the island to "take cover now". Despite her fears, Cherelle said she remains hopeful and optimistic, noting that her uncle, who lives on the islands central plateau, has weathered hurricanes, torrential rains, and several other challenges over the years and has always shown remarkable resilience. Our family home holds a very special place in my heart. It was built with love from the ground up, its never belonged to anyone but our family, so every wall, every corner carries our history, Cherelle told The Standard. Lightning flashes appear over the eye of the storm as Hurricane Melissa approaches Jamaica (via REUTERS) We grow food on the surrounding land, and its always been a place of comfort and togetherness. Although my grandparents have now passed, my uncle, who lovingly cared for them for many years, continues to look after the home. We speak to him daily, especially now with Hurricane Melissa approaching, to make sure hes safe and prepared. My uncle is calm and optimistic. Hes been through several major weather events in the past and understands how to prepare and stay safe. Cherelle as a baby pictured with her uncle who resides in Jamaica (Supplied) I think those of us here in the UK are probably more anxious than he is! Hes taken all the precautions possible to secure the house, but his spirit remains positive and grounded, as is often the Jamaican way. Cherelle, who lives in London, said Jamaica remains a core part of her identity, recalling a childhood spent travelling back and forth to the island, especially during the holidays. She said her uncle plans to stay in the family home to ride out the storm, having boarded up windows and sealed them against strong winds and possible flooding. He has also stocked up on essential supplies and brought inside anything that could be damaged or swept away. The home itself was built to withstand rough conditions, so were hopeful it will continue to stand strong, Cherelle said. A man using his mobile phone standing at the waterfront in Jamaica (AFP via Getty Images) Cherelle added: Jamaicans are some of the most resilient and courageous people I know. Our nation has weathered many storms, both literal and figurative, and every time we rise again, stronger than before. Our home has stood through hurricanes, heavy rains, and countless challenges, and its still standing strong. It was built from love, and I truly believe that love, along with my uncles careful preparation, will see it through this storm as well. The eye of the hurricane is still some distance away, but is expected to hit in the coming hours at around midday local time (17.00 GMT). Widespread power cuts are already impacting the island, with more than 200,000 without electricity. Most of the hospitals still have supply, but some do not. Cherelle as a young girl standing near to her home in Jamaica (Supplied) Emergency relief flights are expected to begin as early as Thursday. An FCDO spokesperson said: We are closely tracking Hurricane Melissa and have updated our travel advice for countries and territories across the region. In Jamaica, we are urging British nationals there to follow the guidance of the local authorities especially in the event of any evacuation orders. Airports are currently closed and British tourists on package holidays should contact their travel provider for advice. Anyone worried about adequate shelter can find their nearest shelter through the Jamaican governments list of available hurricane shelters, which we have put on our travel advice. We stand ready to support our partners and British nationals in the region. British nationals requiring urgent consular assistance can contact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 24/7 on +44 (0)20 7008 5000. A former sheriffs deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey has testified that his actions matched threat level. Massey, a 36-year-old Black single mother, was shot and killed in July 2024 by Sean Grayson, a white man who worked for the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office in Illinois at the time, after reporting a suspected prowler on her property near Springfield. Grayson gave testimony during his murder trial Monday, in which he argued he shot Massey in self-defense after she told him she would rebuke him in the name of Jesus. It threw me off; it was out of nowhere, Grayson said of Masseys comment while on the stand, according to WBEZ Chicago. A former sheriffs deputy charged with murdering Sonya Massey has testified that his actions matched threat level (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) While police were inside Masseys home she removed a pot of water from the stove in her kitchen. During the interaction with Grayson and another officer, she said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, according to body camera footage shared by Fox Baltimore. Grayson then yelled, You better f***ing not. I swear to God Ill f***ing shoot you in your f***ing face, and pulled a gun on her. He ended up shooting her three times, with one of the bullets hitting Massey below the left eye, the Associated Press reported. Sean Grayson claims he shot Massey in self-defense after she told him she would rebuke him in the name of Jesus (Illinois State Police via AP) Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, which, if convicted, could land him 45 years to life in prison. (Macon County Jail via AP) Grayson claimed in court he shot Massey because he thought she was about to throw a pot of boiling water at him. We are trained to use force that will gain compliance to get the situation under control, Grayson said, adding, In this situation, I matched the threat level, and the only thing that would have stopped the threat was my duty weapon. Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, which, if convicted, could land him 45 years to life in prison. Masseys murder sparked protests in several cities, including Chicago, New York City and Atlanta. In August, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed Sonya Masseys Bill into law, which revised police hiring procedures. Masseys family also reached a $10 million settlement with officials in Sangamon County in February. The defense rested its case Monday, and closing arguments and jury deliberations are set to begin Tuesday, according to NBC News. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters at the California Economic Summit on 22 October 2025. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images With just one week before California voters are set to head to the polls to decide on the states redistricting proposal, Gavin Newsom sent an unexpected message to would-be donors: keep your money. We have hit our budget goals and raised what we need in order to pass Proposition 50. You can stop donating, the California governor said in an email. In 10 weeks, the campaign to support Proposition 50, which seeks to give Democrats more seats in the House in response to recently passed gerrymandered maps in Texas, raised $38m from about 1.2m small-dollar donations, the governor said. The campaign also attracted significant large donations, including nearly $15m from a Democratic Super Pac, $10m from a lobbying group funded by George Soros and almost $4m from a state teachers union, among others. Tom Steyer, the billionaire and former Democratic presidential candidate, has spent $12m in support of the proposition. Proposition 50 has grown in popularity since the state announced the proposal in August. In the last weeks of the campaign, prominent Democrats like Barack Obama have been urging voters to back the measure: California, the whole nation is counting on you, Obama said in one ad. Democracy is on the ballot. A recent poll from CBS News found that 62% of likely voters said they would vote yes on the proposition while an Emerson College poll indicated that 57% of likely voters in California supported it, and 37% were opposed. Meanwhile, the campaign against the ballot measure has crumbled in recent weeks, according to media reports. The groups urging voters to support 50 have far out-raised their opponents, with the Sacramento Bee describing the cash-strapped campaign against the proposition as going out with a whimper. Newsoms campaign still has $37m on hand while two no groups have just $2.3m, the outlet reported. The billionaire Charles Munger Jr, who Politico described as the most significant funder of the campaign against the proposition, has significantly slowed funding to the effort. Kevin McCarthy, the former House speaker, had pledged to raise $100m against Prop 50, but has raised $11m. With support for the proposition high and significant cash on hand, Newsoms advisers last week suggested he could halt small-dollar donations in the final days of the campaign, the New York Times reported. I love it, Newsom said, according to the outlet. Now its about executing the plan, Newsom wrote in the email announcing that supporters could stop donating. If we can do that, were going to win. The Yes on 50 campaign will only send out emails with updates on the proposition or to request support for other states trying to stop Republican mid-decade redistricting efforts, Newsom said. Business development executive Toby has become the ninth contestant to leave The Great British Bake Off after being eliminated during the semi-final. During Tuesdays episode of the Channel 4 show the bakers were asked to make cream horns for the signature challenge, a sugar-glass dome for the technical and a macaron sculpture for the showstopper. Jasmine was announced star baker and joins Aaron and Tom in the final next week. Contestant Toby (Channel 4/Love Productions/PA) Toby, 29, from Warwickshire said: Its tough to come back from serving a puddle of mousseline I had a good comeback today Its the good bits that I find hard to talk about. The best thing of being in the tent is definitely the people. The handshake was good, the star baker was good, but yeah the people were the best bit. Judge Paul Hollywood said: It took a while for Prue and I to discuss everything. It goes to show how tight things are on Bake Off. It came down to that one mistake and that unfortunately was the downfall of Toby. Dame Prue Leith said: I think Toby in a way was our least confident baker when we started. He has learned so much. Hes a really talented baker. Reflecting on the experience, Toby said: I was expecting it, to be honest. After the technical puddle I knew it would take something incredible to pull it back, and as close as it was, my showstopper just didnt quite cut it. The Great British Bake Off series 16 contestants (Channel 4/Love Productions/PA) I felt so overwhelmed with emotion after the announcement and as my post judging interview will have showed I really struggled to hold it together in any shape. As soon as Tom looked at me with teary eyes, he set me off. I was obviously gutted to hear my name as there was a slight glimmer of hope after I managed to pull off a completely reimagined showstopper but overall I just felt so proud of myself. The baker, who grew up in the seaside town of Sidmouth with his three siblings, said he feels so much more confident in himself following his time on the show. Discussing the future, he added: Id just love to keep doing this in any capacity. I think for now Ill take any opportunity to bake for people online or in person and one day maybe far in the future, Id love to have my own bakeware line of high-quality items, accessible to amateur bakers. Toby will join presenters Jo Brand and Tom Allen on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on Friday on Channel 4 at 8pm. Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm, has hit Jamaica with winds up to 180mph. Photograph: Matias Delacroix/AP British nationals who travelled to Jamaica have expressed concern that no travel warnings were issued by the UK government, travel agents or airlines before Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island. The slow-moving category 5 hurricane made landfall on Tuesday, killing three people during storm preparations and bringing maximum sustained winds of 180mph. It has caused widespread devastation, with authorities ordering mandatory evacuations. On Tuesday the UK government advised those on the island to register their presence for updates and said a specialist team was being deployed in the region. The foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: Many people will be thinking about family and friends in Jamaica in the face of this very serious storm. We offer the UKs full support and stand ready to mobilise resources to support British nationals and Jamaica, at its request. Among those caught in the hurricane are a couple from north London who have been in lockdown at a Sandals resort in Whitehouse since Sunday night. They said their travel agent and airline British Airways both of whom have been approached for comment did not advise against travel before their Friday departure. Before their flight, a Foreign Office official told them there was no restriction in place. We would have moved our holiday otherwise, said Carl Pheasant, who turned 61 today. When we were brought to our room, we initially thought we had been given an upgrade, but we didnt realise it was because of safety, and it seems very secure, he said. It could be a lot worse. I feel sorry for the Jamaicans and a lot of people who are in wooden houses. They are in a much worse situation than we are. Hurricane Melissa was a tropical storm on Saturday before it was upgraded to a category 4 hurricane by early Sunday, and then to a category 5 by the US National Hurricane Center on Monday. It is expected to pass towards Cuba and the Bahamas by Wednesday. However, much uncertainty remains for the couple, who are due to fly back to London on 7 November. They said they are more than three hours from Kingston airport, one of two national airports that has been closed until further notice. I think a big problem will be the damage afterwards, said Pheasant. Leaving here and getting off the island may be the challenge. Other Britons the Guardian has spoken to said they were not warned by their travel agents and have since gone into survival mode. Shantal Da-Costa, 37, travelled from London to Jamaica with her two children for her brothers wedding last Thursday. At least 40 people who travelled for the wedding are now sheltering in surrounding hotels. During check-in at Heathrow airport, the family were told there was a possibility of a hurricane, but no further update was given upon their arrival, said Da-Costa. At the hotel, guests queried reception staff but were told no updates were available. We knew there was always a possibility of a storm, but not to this degree, she said from a hotel shelter in Montego Bay, which she described as calm like a lazy Sunday. Her 11-year-old son is quite anxious and worried, said the nurse from London, who is also concerned for her great aunt in Clarendon, southern Jamaica, whom theyve been unable to contact. Outside feels different, she said. The wind is powerful and they have made a family WhatsApp group across the hotels, one of which has experienced some flooding. Knowing our whole family is out here brings comfort but leaves a small ball in your throat, said Da-Costa. I felt I had to go into survival mode and honestly, [I] feel drained and dont think I will sleep until I know Melissa has passed. Similar anxieties were felt by Sarah Anderson and her family, who travelled to Negril for a multi-birthday celebration. Before their departure from London on Thursday, they had asked their travel agent about the tropical storm but were told that they would not be put on an airplane if there was any danger. There was no mention of it at the airport either, she recalled. Im really upset that we were allowed to fly out and werent offered to postpone or change dates, said Anderson, 49, who is due to return home to south Croydon on 3 November. By midday on Tuesday, she was sheltering in their hotel room wardrobe as winds rattled the patio doors. Of course its stressful, she said. Were trying to stay calm, Im a bit more anxious if Im honest, because of the situation were in, and I feel let down. Were pretty much in survival mode, she added. Weve got to get through this. A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, and that is why we are urging any British nationals in Jamaica to follow the guidance of the local authorities and register their presence with us to receive updates. Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, has confirmed air traffic controllers are not being paid because of the government shutdown. The budget crisis has plunged public services into turmoil, with airports forced to cancel or delay thousands of flights because they cannot afford to pay staff. That means flight schedules have been thrown into chaos, leading travelers to desperately work out what their rights are before heading to the airport. Duffy has warned that the problem could continue to drag on and told Fox and Friends things could get worse before they get better. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that the delays are going to get worse before they get better (AP) "The first day is hard, but the second day is even harder than that, he said. And the third day. Because they have gas, they have childcare costs. Controllers, TSA officers and air safety personnel are required to work without pay during a shutdown, forcing many to take second jobs, according to Duffy. The shutdown will continue until Congress agrees on a spending plan, although Republicans and Democrats remain at loggerheads over GOP plans to axe Affordable Care Act subsidies and to slash Medicaid. Is it safe to fly during a government shutdown? The Transportation Secretary would not answer questions on Fox & Friends about how safe it is to fly amid the shutdown. I need my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home, he simply said. However, earlier this month, Henry Harteveldt, the president of the Atmosphere Research Group, spoke to CBS News to reassure people that flying remains safe during a government shutdown. There is no slacking, he said. FAA safety standards don't go on hiatus just because the government is shut down." Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must still work even though they are not being paid during the shutdown. Should travelers expect delays because of the shutdown? Thousands of flights have been delayed or cancelled because of a government shutdown which is entering its third week (Getty) In order to keep up the high standards of flight safety required by law, airports limit the number of planes that can take off each day. On Sunday, the 26th day of the shutdown, there more than 8,000 flights cancelled across the country due to major staff shortages. That was up from 5,300 on Saturday. Southwest Airlines has 2,000 flights delayed Sunday, while American Airlines had nearly 1,200, according to FlightAware. United Airlines had a further 739 flights delayed and Delta Air Lines 610 flights. Duffy told reporters that an average of 5 percent of flights are being delayed per day. However, this number has risen to as high as 53 per cent. Multiple airports have been affected in major cities across the country since the shutdown began, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta among others. In the last week there have been reported delays of 105 minutes at Newark Liberty International and 86 minutes at JFK. Disruption has continued to cause problems on Tuesday, with a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration suggesting 7,000 flights have been delayed across America. Airports particularly affected include the aforementioned Newark airport, as well as Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. While the shutdown drags on, travelers can expect delays to continue. Since the crisis has unfolded during fall, delays have been made worse by extreme weather conditions. Major airports from coast to coast are struggling with flight delays caused by staff shortages (AFP/Getty) What should travelers do to minimize the impact of the delays? Melanie Fish, a travel expert at Expedia, told The Washington Post that people should arrive at the airport much earlier than normal. Since there could be staffing shortages at TSA, queues could take much longer than normal. Another expert, John Rose from Altour, said travelers should book flights with longer connection times in case their first plane is delayed. I like people to prepare for these things because its going to get a lot worse if the shutdown continues, he told The Post. Can you get a refund if your flight is delayed because of the shutdown? Pete Buttigieg, Joe Bidens secretary of transportation, introduced laws which require airlines to give you a refund if delays exceed a certain duration (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) If your travel plans are disrupted, rules introduced by the Biden-Harris administration require airlines to give you a full refund if the delay exceeds a certain duration. Refunds become available after delays which stretch over three hours for domestic flights and over six hours on international flights. At the time, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them. All of those laws remain in effect even during a government shutdown. Passengers need to make the refund request themselves by contacting the airline online or on its customer helpline. During times of mass cancellations, this could make the process take much longer than normal. While speaking to officials who may be in a rush to get to another customer, it is important to be clear with the company about whether you want a full refund or whether you want your tickets to be transferred to another flight. Emergency services treat injured Palestinians following an Israeli attack in the Sabra neighbourhood in Gaza City on Tuesday - Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to immediately carry out forceful strikes in the Gaza Strip after Israeli troops were hit by gunfire. At least three air strikes, including one near Gazas largest hospital, Shifa, were reported by the enclaves civil defence agency after the Israeli prime ministers order was issued. At least 26 people were killed in the strikes, including five in a house in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and five in a car in Khan Younis, according to Hamas-run authorities. Local health authorities said the strikes killed at least 26 people. The attacks by Israeli planes continued into early Wednesday across the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses. Search and rescue operations continue for citizens stuck under destroyed buildings following air strikes on Gaza City - Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images Donald Trump defended the Israeli strike on Hamas on Wednesday. They killed an Israeli soldier, he told reporters travelling with him aboard Air Force One from Japan to South Korea. So the Israelis hit back, and they should hit back. He added that the strikes did not jeopardise the ceasefire but sent a warning to Hamas, which he called a very small part of peace in the Middle East, to stick to the terms of the deal. Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Haneda Airport in Tokyo - Reuters Israels attack was sparked by gunfire targeting an IDF unit in the southern Gazan city of Rafah earlier on Tuesday, leaving one soldier in critical condition Hamas violated the ceasefire once again, carrying out an attack against IDF forces east to the yellow line, an area under Israeli control, a military official said. At the end of the security consultations, prime minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to immediately carry out powerful attacks on the Gaza Strip, his office said. But Hamas has denied any involvement in the shooting, saying in response: Hamas affirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement. The terror group said it would postpone the release of further hostages following the latest air strikes. It is understood that Israel will review the situation after the strikes on Tuesday. US insists ceasefire holding JD Vance, the US vice-president, insisted the ceasefire was still holding strong despite both sides accusing the other of violations. He said: The ceasefire is holding. That doesnt mean that there arent going to be little skirmishes here and there. We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked a soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the presidents peace is going to hold despite that. Emergency services in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli military launched a series of air strikes - Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images Israel will also seek to take further control of Gaza beyond the yellow line, according to a source familiar with the matter. The yellow line marks the boundary where Israeli forces retreated to after signing the first stage of the peace deal. The Telegraph was told that Mr Netanyahu had discussed the expansion of military control with senior US officials in order to co-ordinate the move. Tensions were already high in Israel after it emerged that the remains of a hostage returned by the terror group were found to belong to a captive whose body was recovered from Gaza two years ago. On Monday, Hamas handed over what it said was the 16th of 28 hostage bodies it had agreed to return under the US-brokered ceasefire deal, which came into effect on Oct 10. However, Israeli forensic examination determined that Hamas had handed over partial remains of Ofir Tzarfati. Ofir Tzarfatis family described the return of body parts as an abhorrent manipulation - AP Tzarfati was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023. He was killed in captivity and his body was retrieved by Israeli troops in November 2023. In March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. The family said in a statement that this was the third time we have been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son. Since then, we have lived with a wound that constantly reopens, between memory and longing, between bereavement and mission, it added and described the return of body parts as an abhorrent manipulation. Mr Netanyahu and a campaign group representing hostage families accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal. A source close to the negotiations told The Telegraph: Time is running out and patience is extremely thin. Israeli soldiers and police salute as the convoy arrives at the National Centre of Forensic Medicine - ATEF SAFADI/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK In the West, there is hope that the strikes will be limited. US negotiators are warning against further military action as Washington tries to prevent another outbreak of war. The US doesnt want fighting to resume but there might be a move towards taking further territory or imposing restrictions on aid, which the US is also very much against because that will only harm the population, and not Hamas, the source added. A previous incident on Oct 19 saw two IDF soldiers killed in Rafah, prompting Israel to retaliate with air strikes across the Strip. That was, however, the end of the hostilities, and the ceasefire was reimposed. Hamas insists it is complying with the ceasefire, but still has 13 dead bodies which it has yet to hand back to Israel as part of the US-brokered deal. This weekend, Egyptian forces sent heavy equipment to help start clearing rubble to locate the bodies, which Hazem Qassem, the Hamas spokesman, said was a challenge because of the scale of destruction in Gaza. Hamas will continue to exert every effort possible to hand over the remaining bodies until this issue is fully concluded and as soon as possible, Mr Qassem told Reuters. Right-wing members of Mr Netanyahus coalition were putting pressure on the prime minister to take harsh measures. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, posted on X on Tuesday: The fact that Hamas continues to play games and not immediately hand over all the bodies of our fallen is in itself evidence that the terrorist organisation is still standing on its feet. The time has come to break those legs once and for all. Now we do not need to exact a price from Hamas for the violations. We need to take from it its very existence and destroy it completely in accordance with the central goal defined for the war of resurgence. Mr Prime Minister, enough hesitation give the order! On Saturday, Donald Trump, the US president, said he would be very closely watching Hamass return of hostage bodies over the next 48 hours but as the deadline came to an end, the bodies remained in Gaza. Under the latest round of the ceasefire, Hamas released all of the 20 remaining living hostages of the 251 taken on Oct 7, in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners while Israel pulled back its troops and halted its offensive. Israel claims to know the whereabouts of nine of the 13 remaining dead bodies and accuses Hamas of deliberately stalling the process. Hamas has said it is unwilling to give up arms, a key part of the ceasefire deal. Since the war in Gaza began, the Hamas-run health authorities say 68,000 people have been killed in Israels retaliatory attacks, with thousands more believed to be missing. Israel says over 20,000 of those are Hamas militants. More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel on Oct 7 and since the war, over 1,100 security forces have been killed in the fighting. Hurricane Melissa: British nationals in Jamaica told to register presence as storm of century closes in British nationals in Jamaica have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office, as the islands strongest storm on record closes in. It comes after the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) set up a crisis centre ready to help Britons on the Caribbean island. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is already in the region on stand-by. While the government does not keep a record of the number of British nationals overseas, around 5,000 are thought to be on the island. The FCDO are warning of catastrophic flash floods and landslides (AP) In an update on Tuesday afternoon, the FCDO said British nationals in the country should register to receive updates. Hurricane Melissa will hit Jamaica on Tuesday as a category 5 storm, the strongest for the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago. Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely, with up to 700mm of rain, four-metre waves and 135mph winds possible, the FCDO said. The Jamaican government has published a list of available hurricane shelters. Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday morning, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said: This is a very serious storm, and many people will be concerned about friends and family in Jamaica and in the region. Weve set up the crisis centre here in the Foreign Office to provide 24-hour consular assistance to British nationals, but also to monitor Hurricane Melissa and to make sure we are ready and stand ready to provide UK support to Jamaica. Satellite images show Hurricane Melissa moving over the Caribbean Sea on Monday (NOAA) Ive spoken to the Jamaican foreign minister to offer our support and solidarity to the Jamaican people as they face the storm, and I would encourage everyone to follow both the Foreign Offices travel advice and the instructions from the Jamaican government. All of Jamaicas international airports have been closed until further notice. Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength as it neared Jamaica the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157mph. Three such hurricanes have formed during the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, something not seen for 20 years. Waves crash on a beach in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday (AP) Previous Category 5 hurricanes include 2005s Katrina, which killed 1,392 people and caused an estimated $125bn worth of damage, particularly around New Orleans. An update on the Foreign Office website urges British nationals to prioritise their safety and follow the guidance of local authorities and our travel advice. The UK is also preparing to deliver humanitarian assistance to affected areas, with a focus on meeting the immediate needs of the most vulnerable and is positioning specialist rapid deployment teams in the region to bolster the effort of British consular officials and provide consular assistance to British nationals, it adds. Indian authorities have initiated a cloud-seeding experiment over New Delhi in a bid to combat the city's severe air pollution,. The move that has already ignited public anger. A specialised aircraft dispersed chemicals into clouds above parts of the Indian capital, aiming to trigger rainfall and cleanse the 'very poor' quality air, as reported by environmental monitors. This intervention seeks to alleviate the persistent toxic smog plaguing residents. Cloud seeding a weather modification method that releases chemicals into clouds to trigger rain has been used in drought-prone regions, such as the western United States and the United Arab Emirates, though experts say its effectiveness remains uncertain. Smog, caused by air pollution, hangs over New Dehli. (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the trial was done in collaboration with the governments Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, with more planned in the coming days. He said that authorities were expecting a brief spell of rainfall in some parts of the city in the following hours. New Delhi and its surrounding region, home to more than 30 million people, routinely rank among the worlds most polluted. India has six of the 10 most polluted cities globally, and New Delhi is the most polluted capital, according to a report from Switzerland-based air quality monitoring database IQAir earlier this year. Air quality worsens in New Delhi every winter as farmers burn crop residue in nearby states and cooler temperatures trap the smoke, which mixes with vehicle and industrial emissions. Pollution levels often reach 20 times higher than the World Health Organizations safe limit. Authorities have imposed construction bans, restricted diesel generators and deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control the haze. However, critics say there needs to be a long-term solution that drastically reduces pollution itself, instead of actions that aim to mitigate the effects after it has already plagued the region. Krishna Achuta Rao, professor at the center for atmospheric sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, said that seeding clouds to reduce air pollution is ineffective, because it can dissipate pollution only for a few days after which the air quality returns to the state that it was before. Critics argue that cloud seeing is a short term solution to a major problem in the city (AFP via Getty Images) Instead, Rao said, implementing strong laws that can result in reducing emissions from all sources, including industries, vehicular pollution and construction, is the only way to clean Indias air. Cloud seeding is not really a cure (for pollution). The main purpose appears to be to show people that something is being done, he said. Experts have repeatedly argued that cloud-seeding is not guaranteed to work in Delhi and offers, at best, short-lived respite from a chronic pollution crisis where the root causes remain unaddressed. Delhi's plan for cloud seeding in reality is a textbook case of science misapplied and ethics ignored, Shahzad Gani, an assistant professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, said. "Snake-oil solutions will not clear the air in Delhi or the rest of North India, he wrote in an article for The Hindu paper. Instead, courage is required on the ground: to reduce the sources of pollution and pursue equitable, evidence-based action. Anything less is not just misplaced science it is an ethical failure, a diversion from the patient, unglamorous work needed to ensure clean air throughout the year. State-run Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance Industries have begun moving away from Russian supplies - Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg Indian refiners have quietly paused new purchases of Russian oil after Washington imposed fresh sanctions on Moscows top energy firms. State-run Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance Industries have begun moving away from Russian supplies, days after Donald Trump sanctioned two pillars of the Russian economy, the oil producers Lukoil and Rosneft. Together, the firms account for about half of the Kremlins crude exports. Indian Oil has issued a tender for the purchase of oil, while Reliance has increased purchases from spot markets, Reuters reported. The European Union, the UK and the US have imposed a series of sanctions against Russia as part of Americas push to cut Moscows energy revenues that it uses to fund its war in Ukraine. Mr Trump had until recently avoided imposing any new US sanctions on Russia. Last week, he had a change of heart when Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told Marco Rubio, his American counterpart, that the Kremlin had not budged from its maximalist demand for an even bigger slice of Ukraine than its forces currently held in exchange for an end to the fighting. On Thursday, the US imposed fresh sanctions on two Russian oil producers, Lukoil and Rosneft. In response, four Chinese state oil companies PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC and Zhenhua Oil all suspended purchases of Russian seaborne oil. Indian Oil Corporation is moving away from Russian supplies and issued a tender for the purchase of oil - Biju BORO/AFP Russian oil accounted for 21 per cent of Indian Oil crude imports during April to September. With tightened restrictions, refiners are reassessing procurement plans to avoid potential repercussions from Western authorities. Sources said Indian oil firms were exploring options to buy from non-sanctioned Russian oil producers. We will abide by all sanctions imposed by the international community, said Arvinder Singh Sahney, the chairman of Indian Oil. Reliance, the top Indian buyer of Russian oil, also said it would abide by the sanctions. Supply contracts evolve to reflect changing market and regulatory conditions. Reliance will address these conditions while maintaining the relationships with its suppliers, a Reliance spokesman told The Telegraph. The pause marks the first major disruption to Indias once-booming Russian oil trade, which has supplied nearly half of its imports since the Ukraine war began. Washington has been pressing Delhi to scale back ties and a trade deal with Russia. If cancellations prove permanent, Moscow faces a serious economic hit a clear victory for Mr Trumps sanctions regime, which made trade with its two largest customers harder after a proposed meeting with Vladimir Putin was cancelled. The Gujarat site of Vadinar refinery, in which Rosneft owns a 49.13 per cent share - Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg By scaling down Russian purchases, the Indian oil firms have potentially removed a major hurdle to a trade deal with the US as Mr Trump appears to have tied the trade deal to New Delhis energy links with Moscow. India is the second-biggest market for Russian oil after China, which Mr Trump claims is helping to finance Putins war in Ukraine. Earlier this month Mr Trump claimed Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, had assured him he would stop Russian imports. US officials have accused Indian refiners of profiteering from discounted Russian oil by refining it into fuel and then reselling it to Western markets that have sanctioned Moscow, such as Europe. Reliance, which is Mukesh Ambanis conglomerate and Indias biggest refiner of Russian crude, has become the chief target of Mr Trumps ire. We have noted the recent restrictions announced by the European Union, United Kingdom and the United States on crude oil imports from Russia and export of refined products to Europe. Reliance is currently assessing the implications, including the new compliance requirements. We will comply with the EUs guidelines on the import of refined products into Europe, a Reliance spokesman told The Telegraph. Indian Oils subsidiary, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, halved its Russian oil imports this month, coinciding with the latest US sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil. Mr Modi had, until recently, enjoyed a cordial relationship with Mr Trump. It began to fray this year when the US president started his global trade war. The Indian prime minister has tried to position himself between the West, Russia and China, but now appears stuck in a diplomatic bind and is facing domestic criticism for his stance. Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader, said Mr Modi was frightened of Mr Trump and previously called him Narendra Surrender. Israel's military has said one of its troops has been killed in fighting in southern Gaza after Benjamin Netanyahu ordered new air strikes in the strip. The death was announced after witnesses - including an Associated Press reporter and health officials - reported explosions and tank fire in Gaza City and Deir al Balah. Those came after Mr Netanyahu ordered "powerful" strikes on Tuesday evening, after Israel accused Hamas of attacking its forces in southern Gaza, straining the peace deal brokered by Donald Trump earlier this month. Hamas denied involvement in the attack in the city of Rafah and said in a statement that it remained committed to the US-backed ceasefire. Mr Netanyahu had also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire by handing over remains that were of an Israeli hostage who was already recovered. A statement from the prime minister's office said: "Following the security consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the military echelon to carry out powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip immediately." US Vice President JD Vance said the ceasefire, which began on 10 October, was holding, telling reporters: "That doesn't mean there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there. "We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an (Israeli military) soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond, but I think the president's peace is going to hold despite that." Hamas on Tuesday said that it would postpone the planned handover of a body of a hostage it had recovered, claiming violations of the ceasefire by Israel. In a sign of the fragility of the ceasefire, Israeli troops were shot at in Rafah, and returned fire, according to an Israeli military official. An Israeli military official told Sky's Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons that Hamas have "shown their true face" by attacking troops in "an area under Israeli control". "This is yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire," they said. "This comes after Hamas has also shown their true face and the fact that are pretending to not know where the remaining hostages are." Hamas said on the Telegram messaging app that any Israeli escalation of attacks in Gaza would hinder search and recovery operations, and delay the return of the bodies of Israeli soldiers. There are thought to be 13 bodies of hostages still in Gaza. Read more: Red Cross and Egyptian teams allowed into Gaza Israel backing armed groups despite Gaza ceasefire Speaking to Sky News, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said: "The first line of this agreement is that all of our hostages should have been returned on the first day of this agreement. "They were supposed to give back all of our hostages, and there was supposed to be a ceasefire. There are still 13 of our murdered hostages (in Gaza). "And secondly, Hamas are firing on our troops. That is not a ceasefire." 'This is not about ceasing fire' Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, claimed on Sky News there is an "ongoing genocide" in Gaza, an assertion Israel has always strongly denied. Of the ceasefire, Ms Albanese said: "This is not about ceasing fire, it's about ceasing genocide. Israel has no right to be in the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. "If Israel comes to your studio and tells you 'they have attacked a soldier in Gaza'. What was the Israeli soldier doing in Gaza in the first place?" After the ceasefire took effect, all 20 living hostages were freed in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, but the remains of the dead have been slow to be repatriated. Hamas has said there are problems finding them due to a lack of equipment to sift through the rubble in Gaza, and the search had been stepped up over the past few days after the arrival of heavy machinery from Egypt. Bulldozers were working in Khan Younis, and further north in Nuseirat, with Hamas fighters deployed around them. Some bodies are believed to be in Hamas' network of tunnels below Gaza. Credit: CSU/CIRA, NOAA & Windy.com Jamaica has ordered the evacuation of its capital as it braces for what is thought to become the most catastrophic hurricane in the islands history. The Category 5 storm, which is set to make landfall on Tuesday, has increased in strength as it heads towards the Caribbean nation, threatening torrential rains, deadly floods and destructive winds of up to 175mph. Hurricane Melissa is the most powerful storm globally so far this year and one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic. Homes already damaged by preliminary winds before Hurricane Melissa arrives at Hellshire fishing beach in Portmore, Jamaica - Rudolph Brown/EPA/Shutterstock At least three people have died and 13 have been injured in Jamaica preparing for the hurricane, the Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton said on Monday night. All three deaths occurred whilst cutting down trees. Two people died after trees fell on top of them and one person was electrocuted, the minister said. The hurricane has also killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Hurricane Melissas centre is forecast to move over Jamaica on Tuesday, dumping up to a metre of rain in some parts, before striking south-east Cuba on Tuesday night and the Bahamas on Wednesday. On Monday, Jamaicas government ordered the evacuation of seven low-lying cities and towns, including Kingston and Port Royal. Andrew Holness, the Jamaican prime minister, said: I have been on my knees in prayer. Mr Holness told CNN that should the hurricane make landfall, recovery efforts will take far more resources then Jamaica has to recover and that he anticipates major damage to our road infrastructure, bridges, drains, and possible some damage to ports and airports. The US National Hurricane Center said the storm was rapidly intensifying on Sunday night and told Jamaicans to seek shelter now, warning of catastrophic and life-threatening flash floods, landslides and storm surges. Melissa was upgraded to Category 5 on Monday, the highest on the scale, and is set to be the strongest hurricane Jamaica, home to 2.8 million people, has experienced in decades, causing billions in damage and destruction. Do not gamble with Melissa I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously, said Desmond McKenzie, the deputy chairman of the islands Disaster Risk Management Council. Do not gamble with Melissa. Its not a safe bet. Many of these communities will not survive this flooding, he told a news conference. Kingston is low, extremely low... No community in Kingston is immune from flooding. A man braves the conditions to use his phone at the waterfront in Kingston, Jamaica - Ricardo Makyn/AFP/Getty In Kingston, residents spent the weekend attempting to fortify their houses, buying sandbags and preparing to move to shelters further in-land. Dont make foolish decisions, warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaicas transport minister. We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days. Jamaican authorities were concerned that residents were shunning hurricane shelters, noting there were fewer than 1,000 people in the islands 880 shelters. Its way, way below what is required for a Category 5 hurricane, said Daryl Vaz, the Jamaican transport minister. If you are not [smart], unfortunately, you will pay the consequences, he warned. Craig Brown wraps up a petrol pump in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches - Octavio Jones/Reuters Experts warn the storm is a worst-case scenario as Melissas slow crawl through the region will subject places in its path to longer stretches of rain, winds and heightened storm surge. Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaicas southern coast, peaking around 13ft (4 meters) above ground level, near to where the centre of Melissa makes landfall. The Foreign Office has urged British nationals to head to their nearest hurricane shelter, amid news that Melissa had become the most powerful storm of the year. Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, said she had spoken to her Jamaican counterpart, Kamina Smith, to offer our support and was monitoring the path of the hurricane. The US embassy in Jamaica has advised US citizens to be ready to shelter in place throughout the dangerous storm. A woman video chats with a friend ahead of Hurricane Melissas arrival in Kingston, Jamaica - Matias Delacroix/AP Evan Thompson, the principal director at Jamaicas meteorological service, warned that clean-up and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads. Towns and cities may be left without power and communications for days after the storm passes. Melissa has already wreaked havoc on the Dominican Republic, where it damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters also have cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said. Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, warned Jamaica could be confronted with a true humanitarian crisis very quickly. There is likely going to be the need for a lot of international support, he added. Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 storm, pictured earlier at stage four - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration In neighbouring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions at a time when 5.7 million people, more than half of the countrys population, is experiencing crisis levels of hunger. Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardising harvests and the winter agricultural season, the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization said. Melissa was expected to keep dumping torrential rain over southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in the coming days. The hurricane is unlikely to affect the US, however its Navy ordered the evacuation of all non-essential staff from its Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba over the weekend. The US has a large naval presence close to the Caribbean as the Trump administration wages war against drug traffickers, striking suspected narco ships off the coast of Venezuela. Jamaicans have started to take shelter from Hurricane Melissa as the category 5 storm neared the coast amid warnings of catastrophic flooding, landslides and extensive infrastructure damage. The slow-moving giant, the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica since records began in 1851, is set to make landfall early on Tuesday and to linger over the island. The storm is expected to slice diagonally across the island, entering near the parish of St Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around the parish of St Ann in the north, forecasters said. Late on Monday, the storm lay about 150 miles (240km) south-west of Kingston and about 330 miles (530km) south-west of Guantanamo, Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280km/h). It was moving north-northeast at 2mph (4km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. Some parts of eastern Jamaica could receive up to a metre (40in) of rain while western Haiti could get 40cm (16in), the US National Hurricane Center said. Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely. The parish of St Elizabeth has already lost power as ferocious winds brought down power lines. The parish also bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, which caused historic levels of destruction in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Jamaica last year. Some people say they have only recently completed work on their properties after Beryl. Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5, prime minister Andrew Holness said. The question now is the speed of recovery. Thats the challenge. A life-threatening storm surge of up to 4 metres (13ft) is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, and [we] hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place. The storm has already been blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. The director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, has warned that no part of the island is likely be spared Melissas deadly combination of rapid intensification and snail-paced advance. If it continues as projected in terms of the turn toward the island, we should therefore on Tuesday look for the hurricane-force winds starting to impact southern coastal areas and then gradually spreading as the system moves closer to the coastline, he said. He said the rapid strengthening of the hurricane was notable: That is something that would not always happen, and this is usually indicative of the kind of warm waters that were experiencing that we believe is somewhat related to climate change. Desrick Kenton, who lives in Portland on the north-east coast, said the rattling of his zinc roof persuaded him to head to a shelter. Asked why he thought some people were refusing to move, he said: The spirit of God has to touch some of the people before they move. But I tell them despite the fact you may have a concrete structure it doesnt matter, if you are living in a low-lying area, sort out yourself and move out to the best shelter. Leslie Burton, a farmer who also lives in Portland, has been without power. Some of the little things in my refrigerator I have to dispose of and my neighbours are in the same problem, he said, adding that he was concerned about his animals. I tried to put some zinc [coverings] over them but the breeze blew them away, he said. He said he had to find a way to protect them, because they are his livelihood. I do all the preparations even for my house but now I just have to hope for the best, he said. Maria Douglas, a shop owner in Portland, is also without electricity. My ice-cream is melting. I have to be giving them away as well as drinks. The meat is still frozen but Im not sure how long those will last, so its gonna be a big loss. We didnt expect the electricity to go off so early otherwise we could have been better organised. Ava Brown, an author and publisher who owns the Black River film festival, is in St Elizabeth, which is expected to be one of the worst-affected areas. She said that despite taking every possible precaution, she was scared. I am a single mom so I had one of my neighbours help me to batten down my windows. We had to move certain things away from the house., she said. Im really scared. Its scary because, for example, you worry about how to ration the food. Jason Henzell, the chair of Jakes hotel in Treasure Beach, a popular tourist destination, said he decided to leave his St Elizabeth home and relocate his family to Kingston as he saw the effects of the storm. Henzell said that despite his efforts to lead by example and encourage other residents to leave the area and seek shelter elsewhere, some have chosen to remain. Jamaicans are very deep in their faith. And I dont say that as a means of mockery. I mean it with a tremendous amount of sincerity and respect. So, as a people, we (tend) to think that we can pray something away. And for the most part, we have been spared. So there is a feeling as though the Lord is going to protect us. Hes going to take [the hurricane] into a different direction. And that faith and belief has saved us on many occasions. But you know at some point, the luck is going to run out, the blessings are going to run out. And I just, I hope and pray this is not that day, but it is looking like it is that day. Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157mph (250km/h). The chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, Jonathan Porter, said Melissa would be the strongest hurricane in recorded history to hit Jamaica directly. He said critical infrastructure including the islands main international airport and power plants was located along the coast in Kingston, where the storm surge was expected. This can become a true humanitarian crisis very quickly, and there is likely going to be the need for a lot of international support, he said. One of the main concerns for Jamaican officials is getting people in low-lying and flood-prone areas on the coast and elsewhere into almost 900 shelters. Holness announced late on Sunday that he had signed a compulsory evacuation order for several communities along the south coast, which will empower the countrys Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management to remove people from high-risk areas after some refused to leave. Residents in Port Royal, a small fishing village in Kingston parish, said at the weekend they did not want to move because they would not feel safe in shelters where their belongings could be stolen and women could be at risk. Before a 1692 earthquake submerged most of Port Royal, it was one of the biggest cities in the Caribbean. Today it is considered one of the communities most vulnerable to hurricanes and is on the compulsory evacuation list. Minister Tufton said people who refused to move risked putting more pressure on already vulnerable healthcare services. The concerns are more with the people who are not evacuating, he said. But generally, we do have some vulnerabilities in some of our institutions. We have about three hospitals that are close to the coast Falmouth, Black River and Hanover. They are right on the shoreline, on the coastline. So those could see some flooding if a surge is high enough. The son of British media tycoon Jimmy Lai has thanked Donald Trump for promising to raise the matter of his fathers incarceration when he meets Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday. Mr Lai, the 77-year-old founder of the now-shuttered newspaper Apple Daily, is awaiting a verdict on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign powers under Hong Kongs draconian national security law. The ailing pro-democracy activist has pleaded not guilty, but faces the prospect of life in prison if convicted. Mr Trump is due to meet Xi in South Korea on the sidelines of a regional summit, and has said Mr Lais case is on my list to discuss alongside matters such as trade tariffs and Russias war on Ukraine. Responding to Mr Trumps remarks, Mr Lais son Sebastien told The Independent: I am very grateful to President Trump for his commitment to saving my fathers life. We hope that he convinces President Xi to free my father. The issue of Jimmy Lais case was brought to Mr Trumps attention in a joint letter penned by Republican senator Rick Scott and signed by more than 30 US lawmakers, urging the president to intervene due to Mr Lais deteriorating health. The humanitarian case for Mr Lais release is stronger and more dire than ever, which is why this must be addressed at the highest possible level, the lawmakers wrote. Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy, speaks during a press conference outside Downing Street in London in September (AFP/Getty) While departing for his five-day Asia tour this week, Mr Trump told reporters: I have a lot of respect for Rick Scott and a lot of them that are asking me to do that [raise Mr Lais case], and its on my list. Im going to ask. Look, theyre big enemies, so well see what happens, you know. Jimmy Lai and President Xi are big enemies, but its been a long time, Trump added. Hopes of a breakthrough from the Trump-Xi meeting come after a relentless campaign, led by Sebastien, urging the international community to increase pressure on China to release his father, whose high-profile trial is being viewed as a test of press freedom and judicial independence in the Asian financial hub. Concerns over Mr Lais health delayed the delivery of closing arguments in his trial in August, with the authorities eventually issuing him a heart monitor to be worn during the proceedings. He has been kept in solitary confinement for nearly four years for his role in the pro-democracy protests of 2019, which eventually ended with Beijing imposing new national security laws in the city. Sebastien has repeatedly warned that his father suffers from diabetes and says he has lost weight due to being denied independent medical care. On the campaign trail last year, Mr Trump said he would secure Mr Lais release if elected. One hundred per cent, I will get him out, he said at the time. Trump then denied saying he would 100 per cent save Mr Lai, but rather that he would raise the issue with Mr Xi at some point. Sebastien last month said he believed it was in Chinas interests to free Mr Lai, warning that he would become a martyr for the pro-democracy movement if he died behind bars. Its horrible for me to say this, but if my father dies in prison, hes actually a stronger symbol of freedom, of martyrdom for your beliefs, he said. The Chinese foreign ministry in Hong Kong has criticised the joint letter signed by US lawmakers that urged Mr Trump to seek Mr Lais release. The US politicians concerned have sought to exonerate [Jimmy Lai], harboured and glorified him, and interfered in the administration of justice in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is a serious violation of the principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations, the Chinese-language statement said, according to Hong Kong Free Press. Media tycoon Lai is escorted into a Hong Kong Correctional Services van outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong in 2021 (AFP via Getty) The Chinese foreign ministry said that the call for Mr Trump to raise the issue amounted to open support for the jailed anti-China tycoon. Though it has now been weeks since the August conclusion of closing arguments in a trial that stretched to nearly 160 days, it remains unclear when the court will deliver its verdict in Mr Lais case. The US, UK, Australian and Canadian Governments, the EU and UN experts all agree he should be released immediately. But this is not enough, said Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, who is leading the international legal team for Mr Lai and his son. The UK government, in particular, must now make clear to China the consequences of continuing to imprison this British national. President Trump is taking a strong stance; the prime minister must also do all he can to bring Mr Lai home to London. Last year, Sir Kir Starmer said he agreed that Mr Lais arrest was a breach of the treaty governing Hong Kongs handover from British to Chinese rule, and that securing his release was a priority for the government. Leader of Kent county council, Linden Kemkaran (left), claimed Nigel Farage was aware their performance was being closely watched - Gareth Fuller/PA Wire It has become common practice to see certain areas as key to understanding Britains political future. Workington, Worcester and Essex have, in the past, become a shorthand for understanding the changing dynamics of politics; if we are to understand the 2020s through a single place, Kent may be a strong contender. Reform took control of Kent county council in 2025 from the Tories. Having been one of the rare glimpses of light in the annus horribilis of 2024, the council had always held something of a totemic place in the Conservative Partys regard; suddenly, however, Kemi Badenoch became the Tory leader who couldnt even win Kent. Losing Maidstone was a sure sign that the party was over. For Reform, east of Edenbridge became an Eden; during a fractious internal party meeting during which council members attempted to discuss the budget, leaked by councillors, leader of the council Linden Kemkaran said: We are a shop window. People are judging us every single minute of every single day Nigel knows that, he is super aware that we are the flagship council. But like Eden, not everyone is capable of indefinitely living in paradise. Four members were initially suspended under suspicion of leaking the video, and five have now been removed from the party for bringing it into disrepute and displaying a lack of integrity. Two individuals who publicly condemned the partys leadership as toxic and incompetent were dismissed via email by Reform HQ for allegedly undermining the partys interests. An additional three members were expelled over what the party described as a pattern of dishonest and deceptive behaviour it deemed unacceptable. Whilst the party remains in firm control of the council, this comes after one councillor defected to Ukip, whilst another was removed from the cabinet after a row. Nor are these Kents only mistakes. The pilot Doge unit, which was set up to find local government savings, failed to find any. Everyone thought wed come in and there were these huge costs we could cut away but there just arent, a cabinet member told The Financial Times. The council has since announced that it will likely raise council tax by nearly 5 per cent instead. Meanwhile, one of Kemkarans first actions as leader, was to write to the Government to lobby against a tightening of rules on health and social care visas one of the primary drivers of the catastrophic Boriswave. One of Reforms problems is that it is a specifically anti-establishment movement that, so far, hasnt managed to convert significant numbers of the establishment to its cause. Its councils are therefore staffed by insurgents, who take a subversive approach to politics in general; they reject traditional ways of doing things. But there is a good reason politics is done in the traditional way it usually works. Videos of private group meetings, for instance, are rarely leaked because it discredits the party as a whole, rather than just the current leadership. Likewise, grand promises about savings shouldnt be made until you know at least some savings can be made, as your failure to find them makes the electorate feel that the tax rises that inevitably compensate for them are your fault, rather than systemic problems in local government financing. By the same token, a party whose support is overwhelmingly derived from dissatisfaction over a single issue in this case immigration must seize every chance to distinguish itself as taking a different approach, because failing to do so risks eroding its credibility as a challenger to the mainstream consensus. A kinder commentator might make the point that Reform is learning on the job, and that some natural wastage of new councillors is to be expected. Perhaps the party should even be commended for moving so swiftly and removing figures that were palpably unfit. True, all true; but what it also suggests so far is that Reform simply doesnt have the human capital to run a council, let alone a nation. Nigel Farages suggestion that he would form his cabinet by drafting experts into the Lords should be welcomed as a method of picking the best people, rather than the best people available on the Commons benches; but it may just as well be a masking of his own partys unsuitability for power. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Erling Haaland will not be risked for Man Citys Carabao Cup tie on Wednesday night (AFP via Getty Images) Pep Guardiola has confirmed Erling Haaland picked up a knock in Manchester Citys loss to Aston Villa. Man City saw their nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end at the weekend as they could not find a response to Matty Cashs 19th minute strike. For Haaland, it was the first time he had failed to score for club or country since August. The Norway international is unlikely to be handed an immediate chance to get back among the goals when Man City face Swansea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. Speaking in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the Spaniard said: Erling I didnt see him today but it was a knock and day by day is better. But now we train this afternoon and will know more exactly how does he feel. Following the trip to Wales, City face Bournemouth, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool at home before the November international break, and Guardiola says he will not take any risks with Haalands fitness. The Carabao Cup has always been like that, he aded. The guys who take a lot of minutes be ready to show me and show themselves and the team they are completely recovered and ready mentally and the skills and everything to be ready to play. And some rest especially for the players who play a lot of minutes. Not just Erling, Ruben and Josko and the other ones. In the previous season we were in that stage with a lot of injuries. Now we have less and now have players who need minutes to get. And the Carabao Cup is perfect for that. Erling Haaland cut a frustrated figure in Man Citys loss to Aston Villa (AFP via Getty Images) While Rodri remains sidelined, Guardiola also confirmed Rayan Ait-Nouri is ready to start and offered a positive update on Abdukodir Khusanov who has missed the last seven games. Rodri still is not ready. He's getting better, he's training but of course, after what happened twice, we are going to see, the Man City boss added. Khusanov is ready, he'll play a few minutes tomorrow. Millions of households face tax rises in the Budget, Rachel Reeves signalled as she vowed to avoid growth-busting new levies on businesses. The Labour Chancellor was heavily criticised for increasing National Insurance on employers in her first Budget last year, which was widely blamed for undermining economic growth in the UK, doing particular harm to the hospitality sector and many high street businesses. Speaking at a business summit in Saudi Arabia, she stressed that economic growth is the Governments No1 priority and she vowed that she would do nothing in the Budget on November 26 to undermine this drive. Im not going to do anything in the Budget that reduces our opportunities to grow the economy, thats very important, she emphasised at Fortune Magazines Global Forum in Riyadh. Ms Reeves, though, signalled that some tax rises would go up as she seeks to get the public finances in better shape with a fiscal consolidation. If she is going to spare businesses from hefty tax increases, this leaves millions of households across the country facing higher levies. The threat of large tax rises has grown as the Chancellor has been hit with a 20 billion blow due to changes to productivity forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility. The Pound tumbled further on Wednesday amid fears over the economic outlook for the UK following the OBR move. Rachel Reeves is said to be considering raising income tax Measures which have been mooted include increasing income tax by 1p or 2p, which would be highly politically risky given it would be a flagrant breach of Labours flagship economic commitment in its 2024 election manifesto not do do so, freezing the thresholds for further years at which people start paying income tax and the higher rates, or a higher council tax band for expensive properties which would hit London particularly hard. At Prime Ministers Questions, the Prime Minister declined to rule out a rise in income tax. Ms Reeves could also cut relief for pension contributions and increase taxes on unearned income such as shares. Among the other Budget options is a mansion tax which could see owners of properties worth more than 2 million hit with a yearly charge of one per cent of the value of their home above this level, which would particularly impact the capital. This would mean, for example, a 10,000 annual levy for homes worth 3 million, The Chancellor is also believed to be considering tax hikes for lawyers and accountants who use limited liability partnerships (LLPs), meaning they are currently treated as self-employed and not subject to employers' National Insurance. Ms Reeves, though, also made clear that tax rises would affect not just the wealthy in the UK. Asked why not just tax the rich more, she responded: We did increase taxes on the wealthy in the Budget last year but there are limits. As Chancellor I have got to get the balance right. Yes, we need to bring in that money. But she stressed that hiking taxes on the wealthy eventually reached a tipping point which led to capital being repelled, with some rich people moving abroad or using new mechanisms to avoid paying levies. On her Budget plans, Ms Reeves explained: Growth will be a big part of that Budget story, in a way that, frankly, I think growth has been neglected as a tool of fiscal policy in the last few years. We are looking, of course, at tax and spending to ensure that we both have resilience against future shocks by ensuring weve got sufficient headroom, and also just ensuring that those fiscal rules are adhered to. She appeared to signal that she wants a bigger economic cushion, or fiscal headroom, than the current 10 billion which means her plans for the country can at present be easily blown off course by unexpected events. In the Budget next month, we will be making further decisions to ensure that our public finances are on a firm footing in the very volatile world in which we live today, she stressed. Economists believe she is facing a shortfall in the public finances of 20 billion to 30 billion, possibly even more, partly due to the Office for Budget Responsibility downgrading the UKs productivity forecasts. The Chancellor blamed Brexit for hitting UK productivity growth (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Ms Reeves stressed that productivity improvements in Britain had been very poor, which she partly blamed on the financial crash and Brexit. She made clear she would not abandon her fiscal rules to borrow more to pay to improve public services such as the NHS, crisis-hit prisons and the ailing transport network. The number one ambition of my Government and Keir Starmers Government is to grow the economy, good jobs in every part of the country, she said. But getting economic and fiscal stability is the absolute bedrock of that because you cant have any plan for growth that is not built on that basis of stability. That is why we are embarking on a journey of fiscal consolidation. We are spending too much money on servicing government debt rather than investing in productive assets. Rachel Reeves is leading a UK delegation to Saudi Arabia as she searches for economic growth (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire) Saudi Arabia has its Vision 2030 masterplan for the country. Asked what would be the Vision 2030 for the UK, Ms Reeves responded: Making it easier to get things done in Britain. Pressed that that did not sound particularly aspirational, she added: To be honest, its a big change. It takes too long for things to happen in the UK, if you are a business and you want to invest you want to know your capital is not going to be tied up for years...and there are huge investment opportunities. More than 50,000 people marched through Valencia on Saturday to demand the resignation of Carlos Mazon over his handling of the floods. Photograph: Biel Alino/EPA The endless, sticky mud that coated the streets of Valencia, sucking at the boots of survivors and residents, is gone now. As are the jumbles of wrecked cars and the mountains of sodden, ruined belongings that had begun to stink in the humid coastal air. But one year on, lingering evidence of the worst natural disaster to befall Spain this century is everywhere. Walk through the gaping, still-doorless entrance to a block of flats in the Benetusser neighbourhood, on the southern outskirts of the city, and there is a small sign on the wall, positioned 2.5 metres (8ft) above the floor. It reads: The flood waters rose this high on 29 October 2024. A sticker on the front of the building, one of many around here and beyond, shows the regional president, Carlos Mazon, smiling and holding out his bloodstained hands. As parts of the wider Valencia region were flooded by the torrential rains that in some areas brought a years worth of rainfall in eight hours, and as people were drowning in their cars, homes and garages, Mazon, a member of the conservative Peoples party (PP), was having a four-hour lunch with a journalist. By the time his administration sent an emergency alert to mobile phones at 8.11pm that day, most of the disasters victims were already dead. All told, it killed 229 people in Valencia, seven in neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha and one person in Andalucia. According to government figures, nearly 60,000 homes, about 105,000 cars and more than 10,000 shops were damaged or destroyed. The fury many feel towards Mazon is evident in the stickers caption: Mud on our [hands]. Blood on his. The two words beneath that slogan require no translation: Mazon criminal. That rage was apparent on Saturday night, when more than 50,000 people marched through Valencia in the latest of a series of protests demanding his resignation. A recent survey found that 75% of Valencians believe Mazon should quit. If the catastrophe has unleashed familiar political squabbles and prompted judicial and parliamentary investigations, it has also laid bare Spains excruciating vulnerability to the climate emergency. Like the wildfires of recent summers, the floods have shown just how quickly and mercilessly the environment is changing across the Iberian peninsula. If we dont want to bequeath our children a Spain thats grey from fire and flames, or a Spain thats brown from floods, then we need a Spain thats greener, the countrys socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said last month as he announced a 10-point plan to prepare the country for the climate emergency. But the fires and floods have also highlighted how politicised the climate crisis has become in Spain. The PP, which has so far stood by Mazon, has accused Sanchez of trying to use the climate preparation plan to cover up the slew of corruption allegations that have attached themselves to his family, his government and his party. Meanwhile, the far-right Vox party has sought to blame the psychopath prime minister and his leftwing, environmentalist policies for the deaths and destruction. Such talk does little to allay suspicions that if half the country were on fire and the other half underwater, many of Spains elected representatives would want to establish whose fault it was before they reached for hoses or buckets. All of them are being urged to listen to the voices of those who have suffered, and those who continue to suffer the consequences of what happened in Valencia. Some are still grieving; some are still in shock, and many remain livid. Fernando Sanchez managed to hike through the mud to reach his parents flat in Benetusser the evening after the disaster. He arrived to see the body of one of their neighbours being carried out. The man, who had died of a heart attack, was placed in a mortuary truck filled with many other bodies. Although his parents survived, thanks to the neighbours who got them out of their first-floor flat and brought them to the third floor hauling his father, Francisco, who used a wheelchair, up the stairs the effects of the flood have been punishing. The lift stopped working when the rains hit and the waters rose to the mark commemorated by the plaque in the entrance hall. That meant that from 29 October last year to the day he died on 17 October this year, Francisco was only able to leave his flat when his son, or Red Cross workers, turned up once a week to carry him down the stairs so he could get some fresh air and nod to his neighbours. Hed been used to going out and then he was just here between these four walls, says Fernando Sanchez, a 54-year-old civil servant. All his carer could do was push him along the corridor on this floor. His father, who was 83 and in very poor health when he died, never complained. But the family is pained at the forced confinement of his final year. When my dad did get out, youd see the change in his face, says his son. It really lifted his spirits. He would have died sooner or later anyway, but it would have been nice to be able to give him a better quality of life despite how bad things were. With a bit of luck, repair work on the lift will begin this week. Rut Moyano, the upstairs neighbour who brought Fernandos parents and many others to safety, has since become a member of the Benetusser local emergency and reconstruction committee, a civil society organisation that has been urging the authorities to rethink urban geography and preparedness after the disaster. Moyano took in many of her neighbours when the floods hit, including Francisco Sanchez and his wife. She also took in the neighbour who had the fatal heart attack that night. He died in her sons bedroom. She says neither the anger nor the sense of abandonment have ebbed over the past 12 months. As the first anniversary approaches, all the memories are rising back to the surface. People are sad and weve lost 229 neighbours, Moyano says. For people elsewhere, thats just a figure. But for us, its people we knew by name; people whose stories we knew. You feel their absence when youre out on the street. People are also really furious about the way we were abandoned by the authorities. The official help took so many days to reach us. If we hadnt organised it ourselves, we would have had nothing to eat or drink. Moyano is not impressed by the regional governments 29bn (25.3bn) recovery plan a plan that contains only one reference to the climate crisis across its 686 pages. Pouring concrete, which is whats happening, isnt right, she says. We just cant keep having so much concrete and so many industrial estates all that just cant absorb the water. The emergency response plans also have to be adapted to the climate emergency, and that means recognising that were in a state of climate emergency. Marilo Gradoli, a spokesperson for the Association of Victims of the Floods of 29 October 2024, agrees. They are continuing with denialist policies when it comes to climate change, theyre not offering people safety solutions, and theyre still not attending to the needs of the people of Valencia, she says. Those needs, she adds, go far beyond material losses. Some people were holding on to railings for hours or having to smash their ceilings to breathe or to save their loved ones. Theres a huge emotional aftermath to all that. Society is still traumatised and in mourning. We want there to be social, political and judicial consequences. As Spain prepares to hold a state funeral for the victims of the disaster, details about the official response are trickling out. It has been confirmed that, after the lunch with the journalist that ended at 6.30pm or 6.45 pm, Mazon accompanied her to her car before finally arriving at the emergency coordination centre at 8.28pm almost 20 minutes after the belated warning was sent to peoples mobiles. That was also almost 12 hours after the Spanish meteorological office had put the entire province of Valencia on red alert, warning people of extreme danger. Mazon himself has said there is no government in the world that has the tools to alter, stop or avoid an episode of torrential rains that end up pummelling historical rainfall records in a given area at a given time. He has also said he kept up to date with the developing situation by phone. His lunch guest, Maribel Vilaplana, has been ordered to testify before the judge who is investigating the authorities late response. Mazons former interior minister, Salome Pradas, has told the judge that although she acted in the best possible way, she had no experience in dealing with emergencies when she was appointed interior minister three months before the floods. Salvador Ciges, a 72-year-old artist and cartoonist, lost 300 paintings when the flood waters swept through the streets of his neighbourhood in Catarroja. He, his wife and his daughter escaped the cold, rising waters by climbing the patio walls and knocking on the window of a first-floor neighbour who let them in, thus saving their lives. Like so many others, he longs for a proper explanation of what happened and for justice and accountability. But he is not holding his breath. What can I tell you about that day? he says. There have been no admissions; just lies. Whats not in doubt is that if there had been warning, that huge mass of water that catastrophe; that apocalypse would still have come down, and all those cars would have been swept away and all those houses would have been flooded. But there wouldnt have been as many deaths. At least 19 people have been killed after the Israeli prime minister ordered his military to immediately carry out powerful attacks on Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement shortly after claiming Hamas had opened fire on Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Hamas has denied any involvement. Dozens are reported to have been injured after Israeli forces launched strikes in various areas across Gaza, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, and hit a courtyard of Shifa Hospital, the largest operational hospital in northern Gaza. Tensions were already high after Israel accused Hamas of breaching the fragile ceasefire agreement by handing back additional remains of hostage Ofir Tzarfati, who had already been recovered and buried in 2023. The prime ministers office said the transfer was a clear violation of the agreement, which has increasingly come under strain over the return of hostage bodies. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes on Gaza (Reuters) Mr Netanyahu subsequently held a security assessment with defence officials to discuss a response. Hamas was expected to hand over a body it had recovered from a tunnel in Gaza on Tuesday, but announced it would delay the return after Israel revealed its plans to strike. Hamass armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, announced the postponement, citing what it said were Israels violations of the ceasefire. Amid a delicate ceasefire, an Israeli military official said troops had retaliated after Hamas fired on Israeli forces in Rafah earlier on Tuesday. They said the attack in the southern city of Rafah, which is under Israeli control, was yet another blatant violation of the ceasefire. Explosions seen over Gaza sky after Netanyahus order (AP) Hamas has yet to return the bodies of 13 hostages, which it said were difficult to locate amid the destruction in Gaza. Israel has accused the group of deliberately delaying the handover. Tzarfati was kidnapped in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023, and was killed in captivity. In a statement, his family said this was the third time they had been forced to open Ofirs grave and rebury our son. Israeli troops recovered his body in November 2023, and in March 2024, his family received additional remains for burial. This is the second time the handover of remains has proved problematic, after Hamas gave back the body of an unidentified Palestinian in the first week of the ceasefire. Hamas expanded its search for the bodies of the hostages on Sunday, after Egypt deployed a team of experts and heavy equipment to help locate them. On Saturday, US president Donald Trump said he would be watching Hamass return of the deceased hostages very closely over the following days. North Carolina dad confessed to killing his four kids and hiding their bodies in the trunk of his car, police say A North Carolina father is in jail after authorities say he called 911 on Monday and confessed to murdering his four children, then hiding their bodies. Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, has been charged with one count of murder in the death of his juvenile child. Police say Dickens is expected to face multiple other charges after he admitted to killing his three children, ages 6, 9 and 10, as well as his 18-year-old stepchild. The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said Dickens 3-year-old child was found unharmed inside his Zebulon home. "Mr. Dickens stated to deputies his 3-year-old son was inside the house alive, and four of his other children were deceased inside the trunk of a vehicle in the garage of the residence," the sheriff's office said in a news release. A heavy police presence was seen by Wellington Delano Dickens IIIs property (AP) Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, called 911 and told them he murdered his four kids and put their bodies in the trunk of his car (Johnston County Sheriffs Office) The sheriffs office did not say exactly how long ago Dickens allegedly killed the children, nor if they had been reported missing, according to WBTV. Officials believe the human remains in the trunk had been there for an extended period of time, however. Dickens is being held without bond at the Johnston County jail. His first court appearance is set for Tuesday afternoon. This investigation is ongoing. Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are said to have directly appealed to the founders. Photograph: PA Images/Alamy Your Party, the leftwing party steered by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, says it is preparing legal action against a group of its own founders after a final deadline to hand over at least 800,000 in donations passed without payment, the Guardian understands. Figures close to the party accused directors of MoU Operations Ltd (MoU) of having gone rogue, holding supporters funds to ransom and undermining its founding process despite direct pleas from Jeremy and Zarah. Party insiders say they reluctantly agreed to initiate legal proceedings after exhausting every possible alternative to recover the money still held by the directors of MoU. MoU is run by Andrew Feinstein, the anti-apartheid activist who ran as an independent candidate in Keir Starmers constituency; Jamie Driscoll, the former North of Tyne mayor; and Beth Winter, the former Labour MP for Cynon Valley. The three helped shape the movements early structure before relations broke down. The latest row threatens to overshadow and affect the partys first national conference in Liverpool next month, where members are due to approve a draft constitution and elect a 21-member executive. One person close to the conference planning process warned the party could be forced to invite fewer delegates because of the lack of funds and data. Related: Your Party sets out constitution plans including new year leadership contest The 800,000 pot, currently held by MoU, was amassed from membership donations to the party from early July, after Sultanas unilateral announcement that she and Corbyn were co-leaders, to 17 September, the Guardian has been told. Sources close to the party directors say an agreement was signed in July and referenced Your Partys original privacy policy, in which MoU was meant to hold the money and data only until the party was formally registered, and then transfer it to the new entity. The party was formally registered with the Electoral Commission on 30 September, yet funds remain in MoUs account. The Guardian has seen a screenshot of Your Partys original privacy policy, which was only valid until the party was registered. The MoU directors have been accused by sources of refusing to transfer the pot of donations and membership data, despite repeatedly committing to do so and being legally obliged to do so. Party insiders say the deadline for the final transfer had passed on Friday night, prompting the decision to pursue legal action. The dispute also covers the control of thousands of supporters data collected during a unilateral and unauthorised launch of a membership portal on 18 September. Sultana invited supporters to sign up to the portal on X, with a link to a website styled as Your Partys official portal but hosted on a separate domain. Sources close to the party note the site listed MoU as the data controller and routed payments to its bank account. The launch of that portal shared and retweeted on X by Driscoll and Feinstein prompted Your Party to refer itself to the information commissioners office. The investigation continues. Related: Corbyn and Sultana have a half-formed party with huge potential, and our politics needs it | Andy Beckett Lawyers have advised Your Party directors not to take ownership of MoU because of potential liabilities connected to the portals launch, leaving legal action as the last route. The fight highlights the deep fractures within the party that was pitched as a fresh start for Britains left after being sealed in a tomb when inside Labour. Since the unauthorised portal launch last month, which resulted in more than 20,000 sign-ups, members have been offered three months free membership if they re-register on a new website. But organisers are not able to contact them because they have had no access to their identities. In a statement to the Guardian, Driscoll, Winter and Feinstein said: These allegations are factually incorrect and frankly nonsense. We will make a full statement when we have time, but none of us are paid politicians with press officers. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select Secure Messaging. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post If you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform. Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Van Goghs self portrait at the Courtauld Gallery in London. The studys findings suggest art has a calming effect on the bodys inflammatory responses. Photograph: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Enjoying original works of art in a gallery can relieve stress, reduce the risk of heart disease and boost your immune system, according to the first study of its kind. Researchers measured the physiological responses of participants while viewing masterpieces by world-renowned artists including Manet, Van Gogh and Gauguin in a gallery. They found that art positively influences the immune, hormone and nervous systems all at once something never previously recorded. The findings suggest that seeing original art not only moves people emotionally, but also calms the body and promotes health and wellbeing. The study, led by Kings College London, involved 50 people aged between 18 and 40 in the UK. Half viewed original artwork at the Courtauld Gallery in London, while the other half looked at copies of the same paintings in a non-gallery environment. The two groups wore sensors that continually measured their heart rates and skin temperature during the 20-minute session, with saliva samples also taken before and after viewing. From these samples, researchers found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol fell by an average of 22% among those viewing original art, compared with just 8% looking at reproductions. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha) linked to stress and a number of chronic diseases fell by 30% and 28% respectively among those in the gallery, with no changes in the other group. This suggests art has a potential calming effect on the bodys inflammatory responses. Dr Tony Woods, a researcher at Kings College London, said: The research clearly shows the stress-reducing properties of viewing original art and its ability to simultaneously excite, engage and arouse us. Stress hormones and inflammatory markers like cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-alpha are linked to a wide range of health problems, from heart disease and diabetes to anxiety and depression. The fact that viewing original art lowered these markers suggests that cultural experiences may play a real role in protecting both mind and body. Related: Does going to an art gallery make you less stressed? The study also found that art engages the immune system, the nervous system and the endocrine system, which is responsible for releasing hormones. Researchers detected signs of excitement among those viewing art in the gallery, including a dip in skin temperature, overall higher heart rates and a variation in heartbeat patterns. From a scientific perspective, the most exciting outtake is that art had a positive impact on three different body systems the immune, endocrine and autonomic systems at the same time, Woods said. This is a unique finding and something we were genuinely surprised to see. In short, our unique and original study provides compelling evidence that viewing art in a gallery is good for you and helps to further our understanding of its fundamental benefits. In essence, art doesnt just move us emotionally it calms the body too. The emotional intelligence of each person was also assessed before the study using questionnaires but researchers said this had no impact on individual responses. Jenny Waldman, the director of the Art Fund, which co-funded the study, said: This study proves for the first time what weve long felt at Art Fund that art really is good for you. Whats particularly exciting is that the findings show these benefits are universal they can be experienced by anyone. We want to encourage everyone to make time to visit their local museum or gallery and experience these powerful effects for themselves. Medics called the Metropolitan Police to Hither Green Lane (Google Maps) A murder investigation is under way after a young man was stabbed to death in a senseless attack. The victim, in his 20s, collapsed on Hither Green Lane, Lewisham, south east London, at around 3.20pm on Tuesday. London Ambulance Service called the Metropolitan Police to a serious knife assault. Paramedics treated him at the scene before taking the male to hospital where he sadly died. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, the force said. Formal identification and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course. Superintendent Nick Jowett, of the Mets Royal Borough of Greenwich policing team said: Our thoughts are with the victims family at this distressing time. Although we are in the very early stages of the investigation, I can assure you that detectives are working at pace to identify those responsible for this senseless attack. In the meantime, local residents can expect to see an increased police presence across the area. Please speak to them if you have any concerns. At this early stage, there have been no arrests. Hither Green Lane and Benin Street are closed while a crime scene remains in place. LAS said: We were called at 3.25pm today (October 28) to reports of a stabbing at the junction of Benin Street and Hither Green Lane, Hither Green. We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, paramedics in fast response cars and an incident response officer. Our first paramedic arrived on scene in five minutes. We treated a patient for a stab wound and took them to hospital as a priority. Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101, quoting 4648/28OCT. Prunella Scales was one of the most successful and popular comedy actresses of her generation achieving worldwide fame and recognition as Sybil, the long-suffering wife of Basil Fawlty in the memorable TV series Fawlty Towers. But although she was regularly cast in comic roles, her abilities ranged far more widely than that she even appeared in opera. Scales also played Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question Of Attribution as well as appearing in a one-woman show called, An Evening With Queen Victoria. But she will be remembered most of all for her role in partnership with John Cleese in Fawlty Towers, often regarded as the most hilarious comedy series ever shown on television. Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth was born on June 22, 1932 and attended Moira House Girls School in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Her early work, during a long career, included parts in the second UK adaptation of Pride And Prejudice (1952) and Hobsons Choice (1954). Prunella Scales with the rest of the Fawlty Towers cast, John Cleese, Connie Booth, centre, and Andrew Sachs (BBC/PA) Her career break came with the early 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines starring opposite Richard Briers. She also had roles in BBC Radio 4 sitcoms, notably After Henry, Smelling Of Roses and Ladies Of Letters, while on television she starred in the London Weekend/Channel 4 series Mapp & Lucia based on the novels by EF Benson. She played Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennetts A Question of Attribution. And in 1973, Scales teamed up with Ronnie Barker in the series called Seven Of One, also for the BBC. After several film appearances, in 2003 Scales appeared as Hilda, the she who must be obeyed, wife of Horace Rumpole in four BBC Radio 4 plays, with her real-life husband, Timothy West, playing her fictional husband. Prunella Scales and her husband Timothy West, who played the fictional husband to her Hilda, the she who must be obeyed wife of Horace Rumpole in four BBC Radio 4 plays in 2003 (Yui Mok/PA) Scales and West subsequently toured Australia at the same time in different productions. Scales appeared in a one-woman show called An Evening With Queen Victoria, which also featured the tenor Ian Partridge singing songs written by Prince Albert. Also in that year, she voiced the role of Magpie, the eponymous thief in a recording of Gioachino Rossinis opera semi-seria in two acts, La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) in which a servant girl is condemned to death for the theft of a silver spoon snatched by a magpie presumably decorating its nest to lure a mate. Her part in the melodrama was tiny but memorable: she neither sang nor spoke; but merely cawed. In 2006, she appeared alongside Academy Award winners Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell in the mini-series The Shell Seekers. The following year, Scales appeared in Children in Need, reprising her role as Sybil Fawlty, the new manager who wants to take over Hotel Babylon. She appeared in the audio play The Youth of Old Age, produced in 2008 and also in a production of Carries War, the Nina Bawden novel, at the Apollo Theatre in 2009. Prunella Scales meets the Queen, whom she played in Alan Bennetts A Question of Attribution (Chris Young/PA) Scales was a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party and appeared on their party political broadcasts during the 2005 and 2010 general election campaigns. She was an ambassador of SOS Childrens Villages, an international charity providing homes and mothers for orphaned and abandoned children. Scales married West in 1963, and had two sons; the elder being the actor and director Samuel West, and a stepdaughter, Juliet. In January 2013, she revealed her short term memory was fading. A year later her husband confirmed that Scales was living with dementia. West spoke openly about his wifes illness and told Piers Morgans Life Stories: The sad thing is that you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person that you knew and loved and were very close to. When weve been to a concert, or a play, or a film, theres nothing very much we can say about it afterwards because Pru will have a fairly hazy memory. The couple appeared together in 10 series of Great Canal Journeys for Channel 4 from 2014 until Scales dementia reportedly progressed to the point where they had to stop in 2020. Their last journey for the programme was broadcast in June 2019. It was along the South East Asian waterways on Vietnams Mekong Delta, where they also took in the Cambodian temple of Angkor Wat. There was several more specials where they looked back at their travels, which were broadcast in 2020. Actress Dame Sheila Hancock and her friend, presenter Gyles Brandreth, then took over Great Canal Journeys. West died in November last year at the age of 90. Hurricane Melissa is having a major impact on cruises, with many Caribbean sailings altering their itineraries in response the category 5 storm. Forecasters have warned that the hurricane could be the strongest storm recorded in 2025 so far, and the worst to hit the island since records began 174 years ago. While flights have been cancelled, cruise ships cannot stop in the middle of the ocean when there is a storm or hurricane. Instead, several cruise lines have adjusted their itineraries and routes in recent days to avoid the hurricane, according to CruiseMapper. Here is everything you need to know about how cruise ships cope with extreme weather. Read more: Hurricane Melissa latest How safe are cruise ships in a storm? Outside decks may be closed when there are strong winds on a cruise (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Stormy seas can lead to a rocky experience on board for passengers, but modern-day vessels are built to withstand extreme weather. Cruise ships are equipped with stabilisers that counteract the roll of the waves. A vessels centre of gravity is also tested when it is being built. The CruiseHive blog says: Testing includes putting scale models of the cruise ship through storm simulations to see how it holds up. These ships are designed to handle all types of storms, even hurricanes. Ideally, a cruise ship will avoid storms and hurricanes rather than travel through them. The Cruise Globe ship tracking app shows there are currently no vessels in the area of Hurricane Melissa. Alongside inbuilt weather navigation systems, some cruise ships may have meteorologists on board to advise about extreme weather. This may mean skipping ports and arriving at destinations earlier or later. A spokesperson for industry trade body, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), told The Independent: Cruise lines will always prioritise safety and, therefore, the first line of decision making is always based on what is the safest course of action based on the current and potential challenges. Decisions are made case by case based on the situation, including if the ship has already begun its voyage or if it is scheduled to sail on an itinerary that would be impacted. The captain will usually warn guests of bad weather and sick bags are always available if passengers suffer from rough seas. There may be parts of a ship that are closed during a storm, such as the outside of higher decks, where it can be wet and dangerous for passengers. In rough conditions, it is usually best to be on the lower decks and in the middle of a ship, as the movement of the sea will not be felt as strongly. Which cruise ships have changed their routes because of Hurricane Melissa? Cruise ships such as Disney Treasure have altered their Caribbean itineraries (Getty Images) Royal Caribbeans Icon of the Seas yesterday (Monday, 27 October) rerouted its eastern Caribbean itinerary to the western islands instead to avoid the worst-hit areas. MSC Cruises has also rerouted its World America ship from the east to the western Caribbean. Disney Wish and Disney Treasure have also altered their Caribbean itineraries this week to avoid the hurricane. Passengers aboard Disney Wish will visit the cruise lines private island Castaway Cay two days earlier in the itinerary this week, instead of a scheduled sea day. Disney Treasure, which began a Caribbean cruise on Saturday, will visit Cozumel, Mexico today (Tuesday, 28 October) instead of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. It will have a sea day tomorrow rather than visiting the island of St Thomas. The ship will also stop at Castaway Cay on Thursday, when it was due to have a sea day. Ships not yet in the region have also altered their itineraries to ensure the waters are calmer by the time they hit the south Atlantic. Hurricane season in the Caribbean is between June and November, and therefore ships are be prepared for changes to their schedule. Will you get a refund if your cruise is affected by a storm? Cruise lines are unlikely to refund passengers if there are missed ports or storms at sea (Marc Shoffman) A storm can disrupt the route and length of a cruise but, unlike a flight delay, there is no automatic right to compensation. This is because most cruise lines warn in advance that itineraries can change at short notice, and ships will make an effort to visit alternative ports. Goodwill gestures may be offered, such as onboard credit. It is important to have travel insurance for a cruise as your policy may include missed port cover, which could compensate you if you have paid for private excursions. Any prepaid excursions arranged with the cruise line should be refunded. There may be compensation and refunds available if a cruise gets cancelled on the day of departure if weather conditions make it impossible to sail. A CLIA spokesperson said: As ships have the benefit of being able, in most cases, to navigate around severe weather, full cancellations rarely occur. Instead, cruise lines will look to adjust itineraries and reroute the ships. There are rare occurrences where unpredicted storms arise outside of forecasts. In these situations, the crew has extensive training to navigate the situation with the safety and comfort of the guests as the top priority. Read more: How to avoid getting seasick on a cruise The presence of the degraded concrete caused hundreds of schools in England to be partly or entirely closed in 2023. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian All schools in England that received grant funding to pay for the removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) should be free of it by the end of this parliament, the education secretary has pledged. Setting out a new timeline for dealing with the crumbling concrete crisis in schools, Bridget Phillipson said: We inherited a crumbling education estate, but I wont let that be our legacy. After years of neglect, we are giving every child a safe and high-quality classroom where they can focus on learning by setting clear timelines for the permanent removal of Raac from schools and colleges. Raac, which deteriorates over time and can be vulnerable to structural collapse, has already been permanently removed from 62 schools and colleges, the government confirmed, but repairs are yet to be completed in almost 50 other school buildings. The pressure is now on to complete the work before the next election. Phillipson also pledged that delivery of the 123 Raac-affected schools to be redeveloped under the governments school rebuilding programme would get under way by the end of this parliament. More than half of those are already in progress. Its about more than just buildings, Phillipson said, its about showing children that their education matters, their futures matter, and this government is determined to give them the best possible start in life. Although the potential dangers of Raac had been known about for some years, the crisis surfaced in 2023 when more than 100 schools were told just days before the new academic year that they should close either partially or fully because of concerns about ageing concrete, plunging the beginning of the new term into chaos. Related: So much anxiety: students at Raac-affected Durham school tell of despair Of the 22,000 schools and colleges in England, 237 (about 1%) were found to have Raac in some areas of their buildings. The safety crisis meant some pupils had to return to the remote learning employed during the pandemic while others were moved into emergency alternative spaces to learn. England has an ageing school estate that is in a poor state of repair. In 2010, a long-planned 55bn schools rebuilding programme, Building Schools for the Future, was scrapped by the then education secretary, Michael Gove, during the first months of the coalition government. He has since said he regretted the decision. The Labour government has confirmed 38bn in total capital investment over the next five years, which it says will take the Department for Educations capital investment to a level not seen since 2010-11. The children and families minister, Josh MacAlister, will give evidence about the progress of Raac repairs to MPs on the education select committee on Tuesday. Sir Gary Oldman and Tilda Swinton are among the actors who will star in theatre shows making up the Royal Courts 70th anniversary season in 2026. The Slow Horses actor, 67, will star in and direct Samuel Beckett play Krapps Last Tape, which comes following his performances of the one-man play at York Theatre Royal between April 14 and May 17 this year. Opening the performance each night is Beckett-inspired short, Godots To-Do List, by playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, winner of the 2025 Royal Court Young Playwrights Award. Sir Gary Oldman after he was made a Knight Bachelor at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle (Andrew Matthews/PA) Sir Gary said: Im very excited to be returning to the Royal Court with Krapps Last Tape and to share the stage with Leos wonderful play Godots To Do-List. Im very honoured and proud to be a part of it. Krapps Last Tape, which has been performed by acclaimed actors including Sir John Hurt and Sir Michael Gambon, is a one-act one-man play that sees an old man listen to recordings of his younger self. It will run between May 8-30 next year at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Also in 2026, film star Swinton, 64, will reprise her role in Manfred Karges Man To Man more than 30 years after she first played Ella/Max at the Traverse Theatre and Royal Court. For the play, Swinton will be reunited with director Stephen Unwin, who said: Ive developed and changed in countless ways since we first staged the play in the 1980s, but it has shaped many of my creative choices ever since. The play, which sees a woman from 1930s Germany impersonate her dead husband, will run from September 5 to October 24 at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs before transferring to the Berliner Ensemble, with a run in New York City in spring 2027. Opening the years programme is Luke Norris romantic drama Guess How Much I Love You?, with Zambian space race epic The Afronauts, by Ryan Calais Cameron, bookending the programme in the final slot of 2026. There are also productions of The Shitheads by Jack Nicholls, Monument by Rhys Warrington, John Proctor Is The Villain by Kimberly Belflower, Between The River And The Sea by Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlak, Are You Watching? by Georgie Dettmer, Archduke by Rajiv Joseph and Blood Of My Blood by Joy Nesbitt. Tilda Swinton attends the screening of The Ballad of a Small Player (Lucy North/PA) Royal Court artistic director David Byrne said: Everybody back to ours. The Royal Court is turning 70 with the most thrilling season we could imagine. On our stages and far beyond, were throwing a legendary, year-long party and youre all invited. Executive director Will Young added: Our 70th anniversary isnt just about the past its a moment to direct every bit of new thinking and resource into the pipeline for the next 70 years. Collectively, these new projects and partners not only expand our ambitions on stage, but also represent an additional quarter of a million pounds which the Royal Court will invest every year in the future of playwriting, all dedicated to supporting new writers and developing new plays. Tickets for all of the newly announced productions will go on sale to the general public at 12pm on November 4. Sir Keir Starmer said the UK will build on the 8 billion deal to sell 20 Typhoon jets to Turkey from 2030 to ensure it isnt just a one-off order. The Prime Minister praised workers at jet production firm BAE Systems in Warton on Tuesday, a day after signing the agreement during a visit to Ankara. He said: Thank you for the work that you are doing on behalf of our country. Thank you for your time. This morning, I intend to build on this with you so that this isnt just a one-off order. Its one of a series of orders that we get from Warton, and we can go not just back to where we were, but beyond where we were with our capabilities. He said it was the biggest order weve had in the best part of a generation, 8 billion, 20,000 jobs in all, including, of course, most importantly, 6,000 or 7,000 here and in the North West. Sir Keir highlighted that were competing against the world for such orders and that we signed that deal because youre world class. He also said the deal represented a boost for Nato security, saying: The great thing about the Typhoons with Turkey is, were the top end of Europe, if you like, theyre the south-eastern flank, and by having the same capability, its now interoperable. And, therefore, we can work more closely with Turkey in the Nato alliance. So this is about Typhoons and building Typhoons, its about the United Kingdom and our defence and security, but its also a massive contribution to Nato as we go forward with shared capability. The agreement is the largest fighter jet deal in almost 20 years and the first new order for UK Typhoons since 2017, helping support thousands of British jobs. Sir Keir Starmer signed the Typhoon deal with Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a visit to Ankara on Monday (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Mondays deal represents the conclusion of long-running discussions, with Ankara reported to have been seeking to buy Typhoons since 2023. In July, Defence Secretary John Healey signed a memorandum of understanding with his Turkish counterpart paving the way for the export deal after Germany reportedly signed up to the agreement. The jets, also known as Eurofighters, are produced in a partnership between the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy. About 37% of the production takes place in the UK, including final assembly at BAE Systems plants in Warton and Samlesbury, near Preston, Lancashire. Downing Street said the Typhoon programme directly supported nearly 6,000 jobs at the two plants, with Mondays deal saving the Warton production line. The programme also supported more than 1,100 jobs in the South West of England, including at the Rolls-Royce plant in Bristol, and 800 jobs in Scotland. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sign a deal worth up to 8 billion for 20 UK Typhoon fighter jets (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Previous reporting suggested the UK would agree to provide 40 jets, rather than the 20 announced on Monday. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said 20 jets was still a significant number and it was a decision for the Turks in terms of future orders based on their operational requirements. The first delivery of the new jets is expected to take place in 2030. Sir Keirs visit to Ankara is his first trip to Turkey since becoming Prime Minister, although he has met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan several times at international summits. Amnesty International urged the Prime Minister to carefully consider the human rights records of countries like Turkey (that) the UK does business with. Arguing that a massive crackdown on human rights was taking place in the country, Amnestys foreign affairs director, Polly Truscott, said the group urges Keir Starmer to use this opportunity to question the disturbing state of human rights in Turkey and to ensure UK business dealings dont exacerbate or provide diplomatic cover for human rights abuses. Theresa May slaps down Robert Jenrick for turning judges into villains Theresa May has delivered a thinly veiled rebuke to Robert Jenrick after he launched an attack on British judges earlier this month. In a wide-ranging critique on the direction of her party, the former Conservative prime minister warned against using populism for a short-term political end. She challenged the Tories approach to net zero, the judiciary and human rights, urging the party to show leadership instead. And she appeared to take aim at Conservative shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick who criticised what he called activist judges in immigration courts in a speech to the Tory conference earlier this month. The former prime minister called on her party to show responsible leadership (PA) Although Baroness May did not name Mr Jenrick, she told a Lords debate that judges had too often come under attack from those peddling populist narratives. Politicians should not question the integrity of our justices or accuse them of political bias, she said. She added: By undermining the judiciary we further erode public trust in the institutions of our democracy and therefore in democracy itself. So I say to those seeking to villainise a judiciary that cannot easily answer back, who wilfully discredit our legal system for their own expediency its time to show responsible leadership. It comes less than a month after the shadow justice secretary told the Conservative Party conference that activist judges with links to pro-migrant charities had undermined public trust in the courts. Wielding a judge's wig as a prop, he said a future Tory government would take action against judges who blur the line between adjudication and activism. While Baroness May said she knew it was frustrating to come up against the courts as a minister, and had seen examples of judicial over-reach, she warned her party to tread carefully. She said: This is not just about short-term decisions to make it easier to deal with public concerns about immigration. Our support for human rights has its origin in Magna Carta. How we deal with issues of human rights is fundamental to our ability to deal with autocracies and dictatorships. Every step we take to reduce our support for human rights merely emboldens our rivals and weakens our position in the world. Baroness May, whose government committed the UK to reaching net zero by 2050, also said she had been disappointed by the Conservatives pledge to repeal the Climate Change Act. She said it was an extreme and unnecessary measure and warned it would fatally undermine Britains global leadership on climate issues, as well as investment and jobs generated by the transition to net zero. The former PM went on: This announcement only reinforces climate policy as a dividing line in our politics, rather than being the unifying issue it once was. Theresa Mays warnings come less than a month after Robert Jenrick said hed identified a network of activist judges in the immigration courts (PA) And, for the Conservative Party, it risks chasing votes from Reform at the expense of the wider electorate. Last month, Baroness May warned that scrapping the Climate Change Act would be a catastrophic mistake. She dubbed the plans a retrograde step that ended 17 years of consensus on the issue of climate change between mainstream political parties and the scientific community. Reform UK has also committed to scrap net zero policies, while Baroness May argued polling showed the public was still broadly supportive of eliminating carbon emissions. This years Tory conference also saw Mrs Badenoch commit to leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, in part to make it easier to deport people from the UK. Environmental workers collect the bodies of the birds have died from bird flu in a lake in Linum, Brandenburg, Germany, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Volunteers have recovered nearly 2,000 dead cranes in recent days from a site near Berlin, a location typically cherished by birdwatchers, as a severe bird flu outbreak takes a heavy toll on migrating populations. Linum, a small village situated about an hour from the German capital, is famed for its nesting storks in summer and serves as a crucial resting spot for thousands of cranes during their seasonal migrations between the Baltic, Nordic regions, and southern Europe. This month, however, the journeys of many of these majestic birds have tragically concluded in the surrounding ponds and fields, as well as other affected areas across Germany. The country has witnessed an unusually early and rapid flare-up of bird flu this year. Since early September, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germany's national animal health authority, has recorded 30 outbreaks at poultry farms. Cases have also been confirmed among wild birds in various parts of the country, leading to the precautionary slaughter of over 500,000 chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys to date. Environmental workers collect the bodies of the birds have died from bird flu in a lake in Linum, Brandenburg, Germany, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Over the past week the majestic gray-and-white cranes, unusually, have been at the center of attention. It's not clear where they were infected. Norbert Schneeweiss, an expert with Brandenburg state's environment office, said that such a severe impact from bird flu hasn't previously been seen in cranes on this migration route, though there was an outbreak among cranes in Hungary two years ago. This week, volunteers in full-body protective overalls waded through the water and reeds outside Linum and stuffed the limp, floating bodies of the large birds into sacks. Map of Linum: A sick bird stood listlessly by a path nearby, failing to fly away as people approached. Others have been seen staggering and then collapsing. Still-healthy birds flew overhead and pecked for food in the fields. By Monday evening, volunteers had picked up 1,875 dead cranes and expected the total to top 2,000 in the coming days. Environmental workers collect the bodies of the birds have died from bird flu in a lake in Linum, Brandenburg, Germany, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) There's not a lot more we can do here other than gather up the birds, Schneeweiss said. He added that experts have made an effort to make the area less attractive for migrating birds, for example by limiting the water flow to reduce the size of the resting area but noted that resting places are rare in Central Europe. In earlier years, we were glad of every crane it was a natural spectacle every evening when thousands of cranes fly in; a lot of visitors came, he said. Now, however, the usual guided tours for bird fans have been cancelled. Schneeweiss said the situation appears to be under control locally for now, with the number of dead cranes slowing and no other wild birds yet showing symptoms. Environmental workers collect the bodies of birds that have died from bird flu in a lake in Linum, Brandenburg, Germany, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Collecting the birds is hard and depressing work. We try to convince ourselves that were doing something good for conservation and that its important, volunteer Lara Weinmann said. But of course, it does affect you. Bird flu infections in humans are relatively rare. But as it hits other species, including some mammals, scientists fear the virus could evolve to spread more easily among people. Thousands of families will be torn apart under Labours asylum crackdown, which stops refugees reuniting with their loved ones in Britain, The Independent can reveal. A temporary ban on new applications from refugees wanting to bring their loved ones to safety in the UK was announced in September by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, who said the scheme was putting pressure on council housing and was being manipulated by people-smuggling gangs. But it can now be revealed that thousands of parents and children will be separated from one another as a result of the temporary ban, according to new analysis that reveals the true impact of the move. The British Red Cross has estimated that at least 4,900 families will be affected by the pause between September 2025 and April 2026, based on previous Home Office data. This could include 6,300 children, of whom 1,500 are unaccompanied. Umer Heyi is unable to reunite in the UK with his wife, whose face is blurred for security reasons (Umer Heyi/Supplied) Writing in its new report, published on Tuesday, the charity warned that unaccompanied children will be left trapped in danger due to the schemes pause. It also found that the vast majority of people who benefited from the refugee family reunion scheme were women and children, accounting for 91 per cent of visas granted by the Home Office since 2010. New requirements for refugees are expected to be announced next spring and are likely to introduce financial requirements that many will struggle to meet. Charities have already said the crackdown may fuel more dangerous Channel crossings as women and children left in warzones attempt to reunite with their families in the UK. The British Red Cross is calling on ministers to exempt unaccompanied children trying to reunite with parents in the UK from any future financial requirements. In the case of one family supported by the charity, a Sudanese man was able to reunite with his children in the UK, but only after they came close to tragedy. He says: I applied immediately for my family because the situation was critical in Sudan. My children, if they had been one day late, they would have died. Just one day. But they left early in the morning. They left the village at 7am. At 10am, [the fighters] raided the village. Many people died. Another Afghan man told the charity that, before he was able to reunite with his family, he was always worried that maybe someone will kidnap my kids. He adds: I was always thinking about them, about their security, about their living conditions, because they were alone there. I have got family there, but still, when a father is not there, its not enough. One Ethiopian computer science student, Umer Heyi, tells The Independent of his heartbreak at missing the deadline to apply to bring his wife and two-year-old son to the UK. Umer received his refugee grant on 4 September and tried to start an application for his family, but the scheme closed at 3pm that day. Speaking about his son, he says: If I cant save him, if I cant protect him, then what have I got? We just want the opportunity to save our lives and not stay separated. With the refugee family reunion scheme closed, those settled in the UK can only sponsor immediate family members to come to the UK if they meet the annual salary threshold of 29,000. Umer, who has a degree in computer science, is currently doing a course in cybersecurity, so that he can find work in the UK. Olivia Field, head of policy at the British Red Cross, said: We know that being reunited with family is vital to wellbeing and integration. The governments proposed changes to refugee family reunion risk leaving unaccompanied children in dangerous situations and will increase the anxiety of people already in the UK as they worry over the safety of their loved ones. A Home Office spokesperson said: We have recently moved to suspend the refugee family reunion route, acknowledging the pressures it is putting on local authorities and public services. We understand the devastating circumstances of some families, which is why there are other routes which individuals may be eligible to apply for in order to reunite with family. Tilda Swinton in Man To Man (Press handout) Today the Royal Court announces its 70th anniversary programme, with a return to the stage by Tilda Swinton for the first time in three decades being the major coup Also appearing will be Gary Oldman in Samuel Becketts Krapps Last Tape, giving Londoners a chance to see the highly acclaimed production last seen at York Theatre Royal. The entire year of programming for 2026 has now been released, with 12 productions across the venues two stages, alongside new national projects and partnerships to drive investment and ambition for the next decade of new writing in the UK. Artistic Director David Byrne says, Everybody back to ours. The Royal Court is turning 70 with the most thrilling season we could imagine. On our stages and far beyond, were throwing a legendary, year-long party and youre all invited. Gary Oldman in Krapps Last Tape (Press handout) Swinton will be reprising her extraordinary 1988 performance in Manfred Karges Man to Man, reuniting her with director Stephen Unwin and designer Bunny Christie from the original production, and transferring to the Berliner Ensemble then New York in Spring 2027. Stephen Unwin says, Never go back!, its often said, but revisiting Manfred Karges Man to Man with Tilda Swinton once again wearing the Y-fronts, Bunny Christie designing and Ben Ormerod lighting, is a rare creative opportunity. Ive developed and changed in countless ways since we first staged the play in the 1980s, but it has shaped many of my creative choices ever since. It will be thrilling to return to the Royal Court and see this remarkable play bloom again, and then take it to Karges home, the Berliner Ensemble, where he began his career under the leadership of Helene Weigel. Other productions at the Jerwood Theatre downstairs include the world premiere of Luke Norris romantic drama Guess How Much I Love You? starring Robert Aramayo and Rosie Sheehy and directed by Jeremy Herrin. That will start the year, with Ryan Calais Camerons Zambian space race epic The Afronauts bookending the programme in the final slot of 2026. Calais Cameron says: The Afronauts is a love letter to the dreamers history forgot. Its about what happens when imagination becomes a form of resistance, and how the fight for freedom isnt just political, its cosmic. At its heart, this play asks: what does liberation look like when the whole universe is watching? For me, its not just a story about reaching the moon, its about the courage to believe we belonged there all along. Also, this anniversary welcomes Kimberly Belflowers John Proctor is the Villain directed by Tony Award-winner Danya Taymor, direct from its smash-hit Broadway run. Danya Taymor and Kimberly Belflower say, We are thrilled and honored to bring John Proctor is the Villain to the iconic Royal Court Theatre where so many brilliant and audacious artists have created. It feels like special witchcraft that Arthur Millers The Crucible also made its English debut at the Royal Court exactly 70 years ago, and we cant wait to present our production on the very same stage. John Proctor is the Villain (Press handout) Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Josephs Archduke brings an alternative take on the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in a new production directed by Lyndsey Turner, with design by Es Devlin. Paired with Krapps Last Tape, a nightly curtain-raiser performance of 18 year-old Leo Simpe-Asantes comedy Godots To-Do List, first discovered by the Royal Courts 2025 Young Playwrights Award and directed by Resident Director Aneesha Srinivasan - pairing the two plays as a gesture to the original premiere of Krapps Last Tape, itself a curtain-raiser in 1958. Gary Oldman says, I'm very excited to be returning to the Royal Court with Krapp's Last Tape and to share the stage with Leo's wonderful play Godots To Do-List. I'm very honoured and proud to be a part of it. Leo Simpe-Asante is also announced as the 2026 Jerwood New Playwright, supported by Jerwood Foundation. Such support to new talent is of course what the Royal Court is all about. Since its founding in 1956, the year-round promise of the Royal Court is that anyone writing in English can send a play for equal consideration. Honouring the Royal Courts long-standing commitment to new writers, the Upstairs at Jerwood Theatre season features four new plays discovered entirely through the theatres open script submissions, whereby the Royal Court reads over 3,000 new plays each year. The Upstairs programme presents debut plays, original voices and bold new stories received through open script submissions. Theres prehistoric cannibalism in Jack Nicholls The Shitheads directed by Aneesha Srinivasan & Artistic Director David Byrne Digital voyeurism in Georgie Dettmers Are You Watching? Ancestral conjure in Joy Nesbitts Blood of my Blood directed by Tatenda Shamiso. And Welsh community politics in Rhys Warringtons Monument, directed by Francesca Goodridge and co-produced with Sherman Theatre, Cardiff. Palestinian-Isaeli writer-performer Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlaks Between The River and The Sea, a personal story of family, fear, and imagining a future beyond borders, comes to the Royal Court following international acclaim, originally produced by Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin. The Afronauts (Press handout) Sedlak and Sweid say: It is still hard to believe that our last-minute-decision to join the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Between the River And The Sea resulted in an invitation to join the 70 th anniversary program at the Royal Court. We couldnt have dreamt of a better place to present this piece. We are absolutely thrilled to bring this story about a unique life experience to a London audience, and hope to make a small contribution to amplify unheard perspectives. Further to this approach to theatre development, for the 70th anniversary they are also launching the Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme, which will provide major new investment in UK-wide playwriting, creating six brand new play commissions every year for writers and producers beyond the Courts own stages, with annual open applications for six grants of up to 6,000 each. Reaching beyond London to nation-wide audiences, a collaboration with BBC Radio 4 will include a new radio production of Lucy Kirkwoods The Children, first premiered at the Royal Court in 2016 before transferring to Broadway. Further sharing the Courts cultural legacy, playwright Mark Ravenhill will curate radio adaptations of Royal Court plays spanning seven decades of BBC archives, available on Radio 4Extra and BBC Sounds. Following the successful London pilot of the Young Playwrights Award in 2024-25, the 70th anniversary will also feature the Courts first National Young Playwrights Award Festival in July 2026, celebrating the best work by teenagers from across the country - with submissions open from January, lead supported by the Dominic Webber Trust and with prizes and winners publication supported by Nick Hern Books. As a mix of top theatrical talent and rising stars, its an impressive line-up and a suitably exciting one for their landmark year. Tickets for all newly announced productions will go on sale to supporters from 12pm on Tuesday 28th October, to Friends and Good Friends at 12pm on Thursday 30th October, and to the general public at 12pm on Tuesday 4th November https://royalcourttheatre.com/ Two-year-old Maison was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) at the age of one (Family Handout) The family of a two-year-old boy who has spent most of his life in hospital battling a rare and life-threatening blood disorder has made an urgent plea for a stem cell donor. Maison was diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) at the age of one. WAS is a genetic condition that impacts how a childs body fights infection, with symptoms including easy bruising, eczema, bloody diarrhoea and prolonged bleeding following small bumps or scrapes. The condition affects almost exclusively boys, around three in every million worldwide, as it is caused by errors written into a section of DNA on the X chromosome. Males only have one copy of this chromosome, while women have two copies, providing a backup that makes them less likely to develop symptoms. Due to the severity of his condition, Maison is unable to play with other children and has spent most of his life receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital in London. Doctors have now told his mother Stella, 34, and dad Elsi, 32, that their son needs a stem cell transplant to survive. Maison has spent most of his life being treated at Great Ormond Street Childrens Hospital in London (Family Handout) Stella said: This is one of those things you think only happens to people on TV. The family, who are from Greece and Albania, are working with Anthony Nolan for their #MatchforMaison campaign, and are urging 16 to 30-year-olds to join the stem cell register. Stella, who has given up her job as a hairdresser to care for Maison, said: Were not looking too far in the future right now, just taking it day by day. All we can do is be there for Maison every day until we get to the other end. But even then, it will take some time for us to put our lives back together again. Stella said her son did not have any symptoms, and she took him to hospital initially after he had an allergic reaction to something he ate. I thought he might have eczema because there were spots all over his body, and thats when the doctors mentioned that it could be a blood infection, she added. It was difficult for Maison to go through all those tests they are painful for him, and he doesnt understand why. As soon as he knows hes going to hospital, he freaks out, sometimes he cries so much he passes out its incredibly stressful for all of us. Maison needs a stem cell transplant to survive (Family Handout) Maisons grandfather Dee said the last 18 months have been tough on the whole family. He added: Thats why we want to take this opportunity to raise awareness, not just about Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome but also about stem cell donation as a potentially lifesaving treatment for blood disorders and blood cancers. We hope that by working with Anthony Nolan to tell Maisons story, lots of people will be encouraged to join the stem cell register and become potential lifesavers. Charlotte Cunliffe, director of register development at Anthony Nolan, said Maisons story is particularly poignant. The Anthony Nolan charity was established in 1974 by Shirley Nolan, whose son Anthony also had WAS. The last couple of years have been really tough on Maison and his family, Ms Cunliffe said. At Anthony Nolan, we aim to give hope to families impacted by blood disorders and blood cancers, but we cant do it without the selflessness of our lifesaving donors. Maisons story is particularly poignant as he has the same rare blood disorder as Anthony Nolan, the little boy who inspired the creation of our charity and the worlds first stem cell register. If you are aged 16-30, please sign up to the Anthony Nolan register. You could be the match that saves the life of someone like Maison. Tourists on hotel lockdown among thousands of Britons at risk as Storm Melissa batters Jamaica Tourists locked down in their hotels are among thousands of Britons at risk as deadly Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica. The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations from high-risk areas, while other people have been told to stay inside, and all of the countrys airports are shut, as the worlds strongest storm of the year so far is set to make landfall on Thursday. At least seven people have died across the Caribbean region so far, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned that there are 50,000 dual nationals who live in Jamaica, up to 8,000 British citizens who may be travelling there or may be on holiday there, with British nationals now urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office. Among them is holidaymaker Andrew Tracey, who said he had been ordered to stay in his hotel bathroom until the storm passes. He had been due to fly home on Monday before his flight was cancelled. Hurricane Melissa churns through the Caribbean Sea (NOAA) Mr Tracey described how food packages were being delivered to guests, with deck chairs removed from the beach and swimming pools drained at his Negril hotel. The balcony and walls do feel as though they are vibrating just due to the strength of the wind, he told Sky News. Im very nervous, its hard to comprehend what we are likely to expect. Rebecca Chapman, who is in Jamaica for her 25th wedding anniversary, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme her familys hotel room is about 10 metres from the sea, so they are being moved to a more sheltered room. Theres this weird roar that sounds like its coming from the sea. Its really odd, like somethings coming, she said. The birds have all gone, so its all gone really quiet. Its like a ghost town. A man watches the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa closes in on Tuesday (AP) Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely in the coming hours, with up to 700mm of rain, four-metre waves and 135mph winds possible, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told travellers. Describing Melissa as potentially the most severe storm ever to hit the country, Ms Cooper said: The FCDO stands ready to help British nationals 24/7. We have set up a crisis centre in the Foreign Office, including with support from the (Ministry of Defence), and also we are positioning specialist rapid deployment teams to provide consular assistance to British nationals in the region. Any British nationals who are there should follow our travel advice and the advice of the Jamaican authorities. The eye of Hurricane Melissa approaches the southwestern coast of Jamaica (NOAA/STAR) In an update on Tuesday afternoon, the FCDO said British nationals in the country should register to receive updates. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy ship HMS Trent is already in the region on stand-by. Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength as it neared Jamaica the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157mph. Three such hurricanes have formed during the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, something not seen for 20 years. A couple jokes around on the coast in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches on Tuesday (AP) Previous Category 5 hurricanes include 2005s Katrina that killed 1,392 people and caused an estimated 125 billion dollars worth of damage, particularly around New Orleans. A spokesperson for UK travel trade organisation Abta said: Travel providers are liaising with their suppliers locally and providing advice and assistance to their customers. Customers currently in Jamaica are advised to monitor local news and should follow the advice of the local authorities, their accommodation and travel providers. Treasury ministers have been urged to say how they will un-gum the housing market, as the Conservatives called for an end to stamp duty. Sir Mel Stride likened Chancellor Rachel Reeves to Captain Mainwaring from Dads Army, after a Labour backbench protest earlier this year saw ministers delay their plan to slim down eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip) until after a review. But Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray described the Tory plan to axe stamp duty as half-baked, with the ghost of Liz Truss haunting the Commons chamber ahead of Halloween. There are choices here, Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel said. It does not have to be like this. We can actually reduce taxes if we get on top and control government spending. At my party conference, we set out 47 billion of savings across government, including 23 billion in savings across the welfare budget. What did the Government do when they tried to tackle the welfare budget? They showed us that this is a Dads Army of a government with a Captain Mainwaring of a chancellor no match even for the rabble behind them. Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride criticised the Government over the housing market (Danny Lawson/PA) We know that we need to have responsible tax cuts. That means they need to be funded and they need to lean into growth, and that is why we have announced that were we in government, we would be abolishing stamp duty on primary residences. Buyers in England pay stamp duty on their new home if it costs more than 125,000 and is their only residence, at rates of 2% or higher. First-time buyers pay no stamp duty land tax up to 300,000, with a relief on homes which cost between 300,001 and 500,000. It brought about 13.9 billion into the Treasury in 2024-25, according to Mr Murray. The shadow chancellor compared Rachel Reeves to Captain Mainwaring out of Dads Army (Paul Grover/Daily Telegraph/PA) The Conservatives used their opposition day in the Commons to call on the Government to reduce public expenditure to fund the abolition of stamp duty land tax on primary residences purchased by UK residents. MPs rejected their plea by 329 votes to 103, majority 226. Sir Mel described the tax as one of the worst taxes in our tax system, which stands in the way of younger people getting onto the housing ladder. He quoted from former Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) director Paul Johnson, who warned the tax gums up the housing market. It stops people moving to where the work is, to get better jobs to further themselves, Sir Mel, a former work and pensions secretary, told the Commons. Who wants to move to one place and pay stamp duty, then move to another to pay more stamp duty, to move to another to pay more? It does not add up. Mr Murray said no Treasury ministers, particularly in the weeks immediately before a budget, will speculate on tax changes. Ms Reeves will set out her tax and spend decisions at the Budget on November 26. Lets be honest, stamp duty is hardly a popular tax, Mr Murray said. Moving house, buying a home, is a complex, often stressful process. Stamp duty has to be paid at a point when most people feel they probably have enough to worry about already. If there was a cost-free way to get rid of stamp duty, I would not expect long queues of people lining up to keep it. But there is, of course, no cost-free way of doing this. Asked by Conservative former minister Andrew Murrison how he planned to un-gum the housing market, Mr Murray replied: We are the party who are getting on with building. We are the party who are making those changes to the planning system to get those homes built. Mr Murray said: What I find impossible to believe from the party opposite is we now have a shadow chancellor claiming to have a plan for 23 billion of welfare cuts when he himself was the work and pensions secretary, presiding over the biggest increase in welfare spending in decades. You know, that is a record which gives him no credibility whatever in this debate. The minister warned that reducing public expenditure is the sum of the Conservatives proposal and added: It may be Halloween on Friday but the ghost of Liz Truss is here today because the economic recklessness that the former prime minister embodied is back in front of us in this chamber today. Chris Curtis, co-chair of the Labour Growth Group, branded stamp duty a dreadful tax but said scrapping it would need to come as part of wider changes. The MP for Milton Keynes North said: (Stamp duty) discourages the very behaviour we should want to encourage, people moving homes that no longer suit them and into properties that do. He added: If we ignore (council tax) and just focus on stamp duty, then were only going to make that broken system worse. We should set a path to reduce and ultimately reform the way we do stamp duty, but we should do it as part of a broader package that shifts tax away from transactions and towards ongoing occupation of higher value properties. Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats deputy leader, agreed stamp duty has all the hallmarks of a bad tax but said it raises a lot of money which would need to come from elsewhere. Conservative MP Kit Malthouse, a former housing minister, insisted he could easily find the money, including through welfare reforms that the Labour Party bottled on.